#how to make Durga

[craftyphantomconnoisseur]

Creating a paper craft of Durga Mata, a revered deity in Hinduism, can be a beautiful and meaningful project. Here's a simple idea to get you startedRemember to take your time and be patient with the process. Paper crafting can be quite therapeutic, and creating an image of a revered deity like Durga Mata can be a spiritually enriching experience

[nyxelestia]

(Usual caveat: I'm South Asian diaspora, but neither Thai nor Thai diaspora.)

i had brought up Christmas specifically in part because we just recently passed it, but for kinnporsche (the specific fandom where my eye was twitching over the Christmas fics), there are elements of Christianity in the story in some of the room props and Porsche’s parents having Christian graves, the latter of which is meant to stick out. but the boys themselves are very distinctly Buddhist! they visit temples to pray, they reference Buddhist beliefs and religious concepts, etc. their Buddhist roots are far more prominent than any Christian roots in the show, but people will especially overwrite those with their own Christian beliefs and/or culture due to either ignorance, laziness, or prioritizing the in show Christianity references over the Buddhism ones.

I occasionally want to make jokes about reverse cultural appropriation as a type of dark comedy, but I hold back most of the time because I'm pretty sure if I ever actually let loose, a lot of fans would take that as, "oh, that means it's okay!" when it really…isn't.

Because on the surface, sure, it's hilarious to compare non-Christian characters wearing cross jewelry because it looks pretty to white people irl who wear Buddhist and Hindu symbols and motifs because they're pretty…but strip back this aesthetic layer and you'll find VASTLY different histories of colonialism and religious oppression.

Thailand was never directly colonized by a European power, but it was still extraordinarily influenced by Western culture, had to concede to Western economic interests, and is still somewhat beholden to Western military presence past and present. Thailand's sexualized reputation abroad is directly resultant from American military presence (or, depending on interpretation of Cold War politics, military occupation), SEATO was based in Bangkok, and over a quarter of all Thai workers have been hit hard by American agricultural subsidies.

You'll pretty much never find a white person in a white-dominated country who went to a Hindu school or Buddhist school because that was the most affordable education for them, but the reverse - attending a Christian school, even though you are not Christian and never will be, because there either is no public school, or what public school exists sucks - is incredibly common across many parts of Asia.

My mom grew up going to Christian school in Kolkata, and her family was the equivalent of middle or upper middle class. She learned about the cross in its cultural context and the history behind it as part of her education throughout her childhood, and her parents came of age when India was still under British colonial rule. Lots of Indian celebrate Christmas even when they're not Christian…but most do so with about as much gravitas and sincerity as Americans have for Cinco de Mayo or St. Patrick's Day: funny decorations and maybe an excuse to party, but otherwise it's not taken seriously, present exchanges are rare or nonexistent, and nobody is traveling or taking time off work for it.

The existence of fics with Thai characters celebrating western holidays isn't an issue in isolation…but it sure is a big fucking issue when contrasted with the dearth fics of Thai characters celebrating Thai holidays. Sure, some characters might stay up until midnight on Dec. 31st - but I guarantee that way MORE of them will be taking time off work and traveling to splash each other with water on April 13th. You'd think a collection of fandoms that love their wet tee-shirt jokes would make more of an effort to get in on this holiday in their fanfics. 🤷

For me, that disparity is the frustrating part; it's not the presence of western cultural mores that irks me, it's the comparative absence of Thai ones, or even Asian ones in general.

one of my most formative fandom experiences was a comment i had gotten on a fic i wrote for a halloween themed fandom event.

this was for a manga/anime, so the fic was a general ghost story obviously set in Japan. the beginning of it involved a pizza delivery and while writing it, i had spent like 30 minutes just double checking tipping customs and the types of pizza they serve and even fell down a wikipedia rabbit hole looking up the history of pizza in Japan.

now, i just like the research part of writing, i do stuff like this because i have fun doing it. and while i was writing this particular fic, i had laughed at myself for my 30 minutes of googling that amounted to 2.5 offhand lines in a 3500 word fic. i didn't think anyone would care about or even notice those particular details except for me, especially since none of them were relevant to the ghost part of this ghost story.

except, when i had sent this fic to a Japanese friend, the first thing she said to me about it was "OH MY GOD YOU GOT THE PIZZA RIGHT"

and that was the moment when it had really clicked for me. what had just been 30 minutes of effort on my part had become a moment of relief for her. my friend was far more used to reading ethnocentric fic that ranged from unintentional ignorance to outright superiority against part of her culture (the original story's culture no less). and even with the "innocent" ignorance (heavy quotes on that) far outstripping any outright maliciousness, that's still so many people saying her culture was not worth learning about. the pizza in my story was a small detail, but i had cared enough to put in some effort to check it. and for her, coming from a fic experience where her norm was bracing for hundreds of inaccuracies born of ignorance, especially at that time after a flood of stories centered around "Halloween as a cultural holiday in the US" premises instead of the "Halloween is a commercial gimmick in Japan" reality, seeing someone put some effort even for minor story details meant something to her.

this also throws me back to the discourse that arose in a french show fandom a few years ago because there were a lot of fic authors that wrote 'dollars' instead of 'euros'-- but when people brought this up as a prevalent issue across the fandom but an easy one to fic/watch out for, many of these writers instead pushed back to complain that they were posting stories for free and it wasn't that big of a deal. which really upset a lot of people, but then this upset was met with a new wave of indignation that people needed to 'get over it' because they're writing fic ~just as a hobby~. but, even if 'dollars' instead of 'euros' wasn't a big deal, by digging in their heels about the issue, they were saying "your culture isn't worth even five minutes of my time or effort."

I've been thinking about these things lately because the ethnocentrism in Thai drama fandoms is...staggering. just over the turn of the year, there were waves of Christmas fic for Buddhist characters. and just. Christmas in Thailand is a tourist thing at best. sometimes a pop culture gimmick for international audiences or maybe an offhand high school thing to blow off steam between midterms. it's not a cultural thing. and even if a character is a part of the Christian minority, a Christian Thai's holiday customs and culture are going to be vastly different than a Christian's customs in the Americas or Europe. and while the Christmas fic is at least finished for now, I'm already bracing myself for the Easter fic wave that also seems to pop up for Thai dramas. it's so frustrating to see this sort of cultural overwrite all the time, especially since most Thai drama holiday works aren't about Thai holidays.

but the thing that really got me bristling about all of this again was i saw a post the other day where op said that they weren't going to write [thai drama] fic because they don't know much about thailand.

what an absolutely appalling statement to make.

google is right there. wikipedia is free. you don't even have to leave tumblr or AO3 to learn more because there are Thai natives in fandom who write essays to explain common elements of their culture. hell, even just watching these Thai stories and considering the values and messages imparted by the narrative framework and story lens tells you something about that culture. the audacity to look at a culture different from your own and say "this is not worth my effort or time to learn anything more about," are you kidding me?!?

the messages and values of a story tell you about the writer's values, which are going to carry their cultural values, beliefs, and biases. Thai culture is going to be heavily relevant to any Thai story, even the ones that aren't explicitly about Thai culture/customs/etc. (hell, Thai bl/gl as a genre alone-- just the fact that queer Thai writers are making these stories in Thailand's current political climate is highly political, even the "fluffy" ones that don't seem to make outright political statements.) to approach any story like it was made in a vacuum is to remove the writer(s)' culture and values and to overwrite them with your own.

especially because this is fandom. these are the lowest stakes to learn! it sucks to see people say things like "but i'm scared i'll get something wrong" and hold up that fear as a shield to justify their ignorance. no one's expecting anyone to get every detail right, especially not for a culture that isn't theirs, just make an effort to learn something new about it. pick out something that caught your eye as different to learn more about and see where it leads you.

and for the record--making a mistake trying to broaden your horizons is a far, far better thing to do than to superimpose your culture on everyone else's because you're scared to confront your ignorance.

[shipperboi]

Desi magical girl OC named Pushpa! Wanted a break from drawing character assets for a game I'm making and wanted something very self indulgent.

More sketches and 🌸lore🌸 below the cut

I've been watching a lot of magical girl and shojou anime recently and was like wow, I really want to draw a cutsey Indian magical girl main character. I wanted to combine a half sari with a more traditional poofy magical girl dress. I used a lot of flower motifs and gave her a trident to hint at how her powers come from Parvati and Durga. I'm bad at coming up with names but my mum suggested Pushpa and I loved it!

Also I drew more sketches of what a potential show about her and some other magical girls would entail:

Again, I was really trying to combine mythology, South Indian culture and magical girl/shoujo tropes. Let me know what you think fellow south Indians and magical girl lovers 🫡 low-key wanna develop the designs of the other two girls.

[sambhavami]

Tell us about Subhadra and Arjun.

Did Krishna had influence in their life?

Who was Subhadra closer in Krishna's family.

Sure! <3

Subhadra is born and is named 'Chitra' (just like Balarama's birth-name is Saarana-Sankarshana) on the month Bhadra's Krishna-navami (ninth day of the 2nd/dark lunar fortnight), and she is exactly 18 years and 1 day younger than Krishna (the exact date is most probably folklore, but I still like it). She is described to have a golden-complexion (which would be called wheatish in today’s scale, situated perfectly between Balarama’s fairness and Krishna’s darkness).

She is in most versions the daughter of Rohini and the full-sister of Balarama, but some sources also place her as Devaki's daughter. She is the oldest (or one of the oldest at least) among the 2nd wave of kids that Vasudeva has.

She is practically raised by Balarama and Krishna, and eventually, thanks to her good nature, she comes to be known as Subhadra, and is nicknamed 'Bhadra' thereafter. She is also noted to be the favourite child of Vasudeva; however, he doesn’t hold much weight in the decisions of her life (that mantle is bore proudly by Balarama as the in-practice head of the family). Out of her brothers, she seems close with all of them, but she also knows them in saying that Krishna would probably give in to all her demands and Balarama would go above and beyond to protect her (in however way he feels appropriate).

Some sources also note her as a reincarnation of Yashoda's biological daughter (herself an incarnation of Yogamaya). She is also identified on-and-off with devi Durga, and Krishna's sister Ekanamsha. She is today most prominently worshipped in the Puri Jagannatha temple alongside both her brothers. During the ratha-yatra, it is believed that Arjuna himself becomes her charioteer (in contrast with Kashiram Das' story), driving her ‘darpadalana’ chariot in his form of Brihannala.

Conversely, in shaakta tradition, devi Vimala’s (also Subhadra) shaktipeetha (within the same complex) is the main temple with Jagannatha considered the bhairava of the peetha (Sati’s feet fell here).

Not much attention is given to her childhood as we the readers meet her the same time as Arjuna does, near the end of his 12-year exile from Indraprastha. After leaving Uloopi and Chitrangada to now raise their respective kids, Arjuna arrives in Prabhasa (also used to be the place where the river Saraswati used  to meet the Arabian sea). Krishna spends a few days in Prabhasa, living the same way as Arjuna was, pretending to indulge his vana-vasa, but then he practically carries him off to Raivataka, and then ships him straight off to Dwarika, where he is kept with royal honour, his tapasya, thrown happily out the window.

In this festival, Arjuna spots Subhadra and is immediately smitten by her. He stands there, mouth open like a frog, until Krishna notices this. Krishna, a little embarrassed by his personal guest’s behaviour, says, “Vanecharasya kimidam kaamena-lobhyate manah?” [How did the forest-dweller lose himself to desire?]

Krishna then notes her identity: “Mamaisha bhagini Paartha Sarana’sya sahodara” [She is my sister, Arjuna, Sarana’s uterine sibling]. Then he also offers to talk to Vasudeva on Arjuna’s behalf.

The next story I have discussed somewhat here: (x).

In Kashiram Das’ version, it is rather Subhadra who sees and falls in love with Arjuna. She confides in Satyabhama, who scolds her a lot, but eventually melts and talks to Krishna on her behalf. Krishna first laughs at the situation for a solid hour or so and then tells Satyabhama to do whatever is necessary to make this happen. Satyabhama goes and wakes up Arjuna in the middle of the night, with Subhadra trailing along. Satyabhama tries to convince Arjuna in many ways, even bringing up Draupadi’s five-husband conundrum (and that apparently, she uses black magic to control the Pandavas: this is lifted straight from Vyasa’s Satyabhama-Draupadi samvaada in Vana Parva), but Arjuna unequivocally turns them down.

Satyabhama, angry at this, brings Subhadra back and puts some ‘magical vermilion’ on her forehead, which attracts Arjuna so much that he picks Subhadra up on his lap and marries her on the spot (just a note guys, please do not drug your intended partners, magically or otherwise, it’s a stupendously bad idea). Later, when the Yadavas chase the eloping couple, Subhadra helps Arjuna tie up Daruka and then drives the chariot herself.

Dr. Bhaduri notes that Subhadra and Draupadi’s base personalities are similar (this, he considers the primary reason for Arjuna falling for her in the first place…kind of having his own, personal Draupadi that he didn’t have to share, but I personally do not like this very much, too much shadowing in my opinion). The difference lies in the fact that Subhadra, once Arjuna picks her up, pretty much surrenders and then tries her level best to make everyone’s life easier, even at times at the cost of her own independence, family dignity and one-and-only son. This we see when she agrees to go before Draupadi dressed in simple clothes (of a gopi, in practice, an attendant of Draupadi’s, not an equal). She even touches Draupadi’s feet (even though I feel Subhadra is older than Draupadi, but there’s no textual clarification on that).

Soon after this, Balarama and Krishna appear in Indraprastha with Subhadra’s dowry. Balarama performs the bride’s father’s rituals as Vasudeva doesn’t come, for whatever reason (could range from health issues to anger at Subhadra/Arjuna). Disguised as the dowry however, Krishna manages to add significantly to the army of Indraprastha.

Subhadra is not as interested or involved in the political kernings of the story that starts after her marriage. She’s happy just being a wife and a mother, and well, to each their own. She is happy, and that’s all that is important. Dr. Bhaduri describes Subhadra as ‘mugdha-madhura-lajjaaruna’ [enraptured-dulcet-bashful]. After her marriage, and before Abhimanyu���s birth (or shortly after that), she goes on a picnic on Yamuna’s banks with Krishna, Arjuna and Draupadi. Here we see, how much successful Subhadra had been in capturing the heart of not only Arjuna but also Draupadi as we watch the two co-wives enjoying the dance performances together, as they throw expensive jewellery and clothes (at one point their own as well, but that’s a different conversation) at the dancers as tips. Draupadi also has, in many occasions, confirmed that she loves Abhimanyu as much, if not even a little more than, her own children. It is hard to believe that not even a portion of that love would be directed towards Subhadra too.

When the Pandavas have to go their 13-year exile, Krishna takes Subhadra and Abhimanyu with him to Dwarika, and it’s there that she spends all those years until she is summoned to Upaplavya to the wedding of her son to Uttara.

Dr. Bhaduri notes that during the Kurukshetra war, Draupadi stayed back in Upaplavya, but Uttara and Subhadra went with the army, and stayed in a tent (Arjuna’s personal one) near the battlefield. Here, Subhadra probably went to take care of Arjuna after all these years of being apart, and Uttara probably went on a really twisted version of a honeymoon. Vyasa however, doesn’t reveal their presence until after Abhimanyu’s death where we see Subhadra’s one-and-only outburst.

After that tragedy, Arjuna did not have the courage to face her. He rather sent Krishna to break the news to her first. She doesn’t attack the Pandavas directly, like Draupadi usually does in adverse situations. Subhadra, goes on to blame herself, along the lines of, “Why did you have to die when the Pandava-Panchala-Vrishni warriors are still alive!” Then it seems like she starts hallucinating, as if Abhimanyu is alive, and again a baby, as she begs him to crawl to her. She does blame the Pandavas by name after this, and prays for a comfortable journey to and a happy lodging in heaven for her son and then soon after we see her pull herself together to an inhumane level and focus her entire energy on consoling Uttara.

Within these few hours, seeing Subhadra break down like no one had even seen her before, the Pandavas, a bit afraid, had Draupadi summoned from Upaplavya on priority to come and take control. Once Draupadi reaches the field, Krishna unceremoniously dumps Subhadra and Uttara on her and himself goes to counsel Arjuna. I feel like he too was uncomfortable watching his long-pampered little sister break down like that and not being able to correct the situation for her.

When Parikshit is born, Subhadra herself runs to her brother, begging him to save the baby, saying, “The Pandava brothers wouldn’t survive if this last hope were also to die!” Even now, when she herself has lost her son and in on the verge of losing a grandson, she thinks only of others.

In the end of the story, too we see Subhadra’s selfless nature, when Draupadi goes with the Pandavas towards the Himalayas, Subhadra stays on as the queen-regent, sharing the responsibility with Yuyutsu with Kripa’s guidance. She definitely loved Arjuna, enough so as to not want to live on without him, and yet we see her make that decision, primarily because in Krishna and Arjuna’s absence, she realizes that someone smart needs to stay here, to protect and guide and rebuild these two idiot dynasties, in Hastinapura and Mathura, at least until Uttara is old enough to take on the burden.

Subhadra, very appropriately, fades out of the narrative as softly as she had come into it. She doesn’t need to make any grand gestures to still shine within the narrative.

[11queensupreme11]

Let's say in an alternate universe, Percy, due to the Bifrost and Kronos is sent a few thousand years in the past before canon for due to still having the curse of Achilles, crash-lands in the past, right into Shiva’s palace unharmed and confused but tries to be polite, unknowingly charming Shiva and his wives despite being wary of her aura, which feels a lot like Poseidon's. Though Percy doesn't fully understand what kind of gods they are, she adopts a sweet, innocent “uwu” behavior, which draws them in even more. They briefly consider sending her back to Poseidon but ultimately decide to keep her for themselves, as their feelings grow stronger. Percy, oblivious, doesn’t catch on until they outright tell her how they feel.Years later, Percy becomes Shiva’s fourth wife, living in a mostly polyamorous relationship with Shiva and his three wives despite the fact that Shiva and his wives are huge yanderes of her. At some loint she ascends to godhood, she becomes a goddess of many things, including humanity, and gods from all over are drawn to her. Shiva and his wives constantly fend off suitors, though Percy’s obliviousness only adds to the chaos. Poseidon who finds out about Percy after she marries Shiva is not happy about it, asume in this au he is a platonic yandere, was not thrilled about Shiva being her husband due to not meeting his standards of perfection that and he just hated his personality but despite that he ends up caring for Percy and keeps an eye on her nonetheless.Then, during Ragnarok, the gods vote to destroy humanity, and Shiva, to Percy’s shock, votes in favor of it. Percy finds out, probably through Brunhilde, and confronts Shiva, accusing him of betrayal. This sparks a huge argument and leaves Percy heartbroken. She leaves the palace, swearing to fight for humanity. Shiva’s wives try to stop her. Durga takes a harsh approach, reminding Percy that she belongs to them not humanity, while Kali and Parvati are gentler, reminding Percy of the love they share and the happy memories they had together even pointing out that even if Shiva voted no it wouldn't change anything. Despite their words softening her, Percy stays determined.Meanwhile, the gods scramble to find someone who can defeat Percy. Most refuse because they either like or love her or fear Shiva and Poseidon. The only one crazy enough to fight her is Loki how do you think things go from here

lmao i love reading time travel/isekai fics where percy gets yoinked somewhere by kronos cuz that sort of start-up genuinely makes the most sense for how the poor kid would get in the general setting in the first place 😂😂

and omggggggggg you have no IDEA how much i thirst at thought of SHIVAAAAAA 😫 i would love a shiva x percy (what would their ship name be? shercy??? but then we'd have to add the wives, and the name combo would be too long.... indian ocean???? LMAO 😭)

"while Kali and Parvati are gentler, reminding Percy of the love they share and the happy memories they had together even pointing out that even if Shiva voted no it wouldn't change anything" OH THAT'D BE A BIG MISTAKE FOR KALI AND PARVATI TO SAY TBH

cuz yeah it's true that their votes wouldn't have changed anything, but it's the fact that they voted YES in the first place!!!!!! she is a mortal!!!! she's half-human! she was raised amongst them and loves and cares for them! the trio know that and yet STILL voted for their destruction!!!! it's the realization that they hate such a big part of her that hurts 💔💔💔

as for loki vs percy, ohhhhh this would actually be SO perfect if loki loved her here too lmao. why, you ask??? because lets say in this au percy also discovers the ichor/ambrosia thing and uses that in her fight. LOKI WOULD GET SO HORNY THE SECOND SHE STARTS DRINKING AND EATING FROM HIM 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 HE WOULD LITERALLY LOSE THE FIGHT FROM HORNY-NESS ALONE

so percy wins, and so does loki in a way, but now he's got shiva, kali, durga, parvati, AND the greek pantheon on him cuz everyone DEFINITELY saw how down bad he was, the tournament is LIVE after all 😭😭

[mieldreams]

Payal

Summary: Anakin Skywalker is the roommate of your best friend's crush. That's all. Well, he's also a pain in the ass. But could one dance and a lucky pair of payal change things?

pt 2 is out!

pairing: Anakin Skywalker x desi!reader (or just reader who's familiar/involved with that culture, no physical descriptions involved)

Warnings: None, except for 'i haven't proofread a single fucking thing' :) sorry for the mistakes in advance.

masterlist

A/n: wrote something on a whim again (this is the first ever time I've written a proper fanfic tho *_*). Happy navratri y'all

Edit: Here's some payal playbacks aka any moodboard/refs if you want to know (songs, outfits, word meanings etc.)

It was Navratri, the festival in honour of the Goddess Durga. Nine nights of colours, prayers, and a whole lot of dancing. Oh, and the sweets! You couldn't wait to just rot your teeth on those festive delicacies.

It was the 5th night of festivities and today's celebrations were mainly the daily prayer and the dandiya dance. The special event for today however, was the ladies' dance competition. Your best friend had practically dragged your ass to get your name registered along with hers and your other friend Pari's, a half-assed promise of treating you to your favourite food at that fancy restaurant on the other side of the city to bribe you into the elaborate bollywood-esque romance scheme to seduce her crush. "There's no seducing!" she whisper-shouted, standing at the booth where you had to give your name, her cheeks immediately heating up at your insinuation. "I just want him to... see me, you know?" and you couldn't help but mentally scoff at that, why was she so blind? "Plus the price is money," she added, smirking as she picked up the pen to write down the names.

"Well shit, you should've said that first girl, I'm always looking to make me some moolah" your smirk matching hers even though your brain was already exhausted just *thinking* about the hours of practice she was gonna make you do to make sure everything was perfect to the T. That was over a week back, and after hours of choreographing and practising and picking out the costumes, the day was here, and despite all the whining you had done during practice, you couldn't deny that you actually hoped that her plan worked. Was it because you were tired of your oblivious best friend and her equally oblivious man playing dog and the bone with their feelings? Nooo, you could never be tired of your darling best friend's endless rants about how 'handsome he looked at the cafeteria today, in his lucky white cashmere sweater his ex-grandma gifted him in 2019' (how did she know that?) or how 'it's so sad his little sister's goldfish died because it jumped into the pot of boiling water for tea, and they've invited us to its funeral' (what?). And it most definitely wasn't because you were starting to get sick of having to watch them make those nauseating googly eyes at each other every time you hung out, for the past year. (though you wondered if it would only get worse when they finally got together.)

That's right, when, because if those two failed to get their ship sailing after tonight, you were 100% planning on just walking up to each of them, asking them what time they're free for dinner and setting them up on a date yourself. Your mental planning however, was disrupted by the creaking of the metal gate to the lawn space that had been rented for the festival. You turned around, a smile immediately pulling on your lips at the sight of the said man you were downright ready to shake like a maraca till your best friend got her deserved confession (though you expected the same on her end as well, of course). But the smile immediately fell at the sight of another man walking in right behind him. Anakin. What the hell was he doing here? And truly, the scowl that pulled on your face was hardly your fault when his eyes met yours and his lips immediately turned up into that infuriating smirk as the two of them headed towards you. But before you could march up to him and demand why he was here, your best friend ran up to you, gripping your arm to stop herself from crashing into you (you supposed the accidental intervention was for the better, since asking him such a thing might only give him more reason to mock you, it was obvious he was here with Krish, your best friend's crush who was also very unfortunately college roommates with Anakin, seriously how did someone as sweet as that guy get stuck with a moron like him?).

"C'mon it's time for the competition to start, ours is literally the second performance!" She started to drag you by the arm only to stop immediately at the sight of Krish causing you to crash into her. "Are we sure you can dance in the competition when you can hardly manage to walk without stumbling?" his voice immediately caused you to raise your head, glaring daggers as you squared up to throw your own taunt about how he just had to be oh so special and wear black even though tonight's theme was white. Unfortunately, you were beaten by Krish as he elbowed Anakin harshly in the rib, making you snicker at his grunt of pain, before walking even closer towards your best friend. "Aamani... hi," Krish breathed out, shifting his weight from one foot to another. And though you wanted to roll your eyes at how his eyes seemed to literally twinkle as he looked at your best friend, or how he always took time to call her by her full name despite all her friends calling her Manu, like he just had to say it every time to even begin to appreciate her entire being that he was so clearly besotted with, you couldn't help the small smirk that tugged on your lips as you gently pried your arm out of her death grip. (when the hell did she get so strong?) ‘Let's leave them to it, then.’ You thought to yourself.

And with that you walked away towards the small stage, knowing they'd most likely not see or hear anything besides the other person for at least the next half hour. "They're not gonna leave each other's side for the rest of the night, are they?" Ugh, Anakin. How had you forgotten? and now he was following you. Great. "Well, they wouldn't normally, but we do have to perform our dance and we're up second, which means the lovebirds will have to sacrifice at least half an hour for final practice and the performance." Hold on, why were you entertaining him? You stopped suddenly and turned to him with a scowl, "and I'll have you know I can dance very well and I-" "Is that why you're wearing red? for the dance? I thought the theme was white today," the audacity this man had to interrupt you. "Oh did you? Is that why you instead wore black?" you popped a hip with a closed fist resting on your hipbone, raising a jeering eyebrow at him, his eyes immediately drawn to the movement and indirectly your exposed midriff and then the shiny white stud in your belly button. He gulped before quickly averting his eyes to the stage behind you. "I think they announced that they're gonna be starting the competition soon," he replied instead.

Oh shit.

"Good luck" was all he said before walking away towards the audience gathering up for the performances. Oh shit, you really had to find your best friend fast.

Half an hour later with your costumes readjusted and makeup re-touched you were ready to get on stage. You weren't worried about messing up as much as you were about not keeping the same amount of energy for the next half an hour. That's right, your original plans of going mostly unnoticed as your best friend's supporting dancer for a mere 4-5 minutes went down the drain the minute she blabbered about you being a dancer as a kid to the aunty from down the block who was arranging her own group dance performance and immediately downright ordered you to join her group as well. At the time you didn't mind much but now, now you were wondering if you could pretend to sprain your ankle after your first performance to avoid the other one. I mean a whole half an hour of continuous dancing? and worse, the traitor that was your best friend wasn't in the second one and so you'd been entirely alone with a bunch of strangers during the first few practice sessions. (you knew it wasn't her fault the lady didn't ask her to join but you were sure she might have accommodated another person considering it was a big dance number) So here you were now, about 30 seconds away from getting on stage, sending a quick prayer that you don't throw up at any point considering they were pretty much back-to-back dances. As soon as you heard your group being announced the three of you walked onto the stage to get in your positions. You used the brief gap before the music started to scan the huge crowd, immediately spotting Krish almost at the very front of the audience, closest to where Manu was standing, but Anakin wasn't beside him like you expected. Your eyes continuing their scan to find him in the crowd before you even realised what you were doing. Wait, why the hell are you looking for him? You need to focus on the count before the music starts.

And as soon as the music started your body naturally moved to the rhythm and beat, a light laughter bubbling in your chest as you felt the stress melt away with each step. You had forgotten just how fun being on stage actually was, and with the atmosphere of such joy and celebration it was that much livelier. Before you know it, the performance was over, Krish walking quickly to the side of the stage as you got off, still high on the adrenaline and euphoria of performing after so long, and everything had gone smoothly too. It was hard to keep the smile off your face, even more so when you saw Manu and Krish talk animatedly at the bottom of the stairs to the stage, her head thrown back, laughing at something he said and then nodding enthusiastically with a toothy grin. Her expression changing to that of shock for a brief second as Krish immediately picks her up to twirl her around, her laughter dancing in the cold night air once again. It was only your obnoxiously loud teasing whistle that broke their bubble, though only temporarily. You had to go back on stage in five minutes and you wanted to make sure that Manu had company since you wouldn't be by her side for at least the next half an hour. Though realistically you knew it was her who wouldn't be by your side for the rest of the night. Ah, young love... or whatever.

"So now that the two of you have finally been cured of your obliviosis, have fun kiddos," you smirked, "and make sure to be safe." You winked at the pair, earning you a half-hearted angry call of your name from Manu as Krish let out an awkward nervous chuckle, burying his face into her shoulder. Aww, you had embarrassed them. "What? I'm just saying, have her back by 11." you gave a pointed look at him to which he immediately straightened up, enthusiastically nodding to your words while Manu continued to glare at you. "Back by 11? What am I in middle school?" "If you were in middle school I'd want you home by 9 miss, just what the hell sorta parents did you have?" You looked down at your watch realising your 5-minute break was nearing its end. "Okay lovebirds, I gotta go, but seriously have her home safe if you guys decide to leave the ground," you said pointing a finger at Krish, "and you," your finger pointing at Manu now, "don't forget to text me when you're leaving and when you get back home, alright?" She left his arms to quickly walk up the stairs to the top where you stood, pulling you into a bear hug as she rocked you side to side without even giving you a chance to hug her back as she held your arms at your sides, "I'll text you." She freed you from the hug to squeeze your palms in hers, "I had a lot of fun with the dance, thank you. And good luck with your next dance, sorry I won't be there to watch it, I mean we could stay till it gets over. we'll have the rest of the night anyway. Hey Krish, maybe we should stay for–"

But you immediately cut her off, "absolutely not, you've been looking forward to this day for almost a whole month now." You shook your head as you saw her open her mouth to argue, "plus I know you have that scarf you knitted for him in your bag." you smirked as her eyes went wide with surprise, not having expected you to know that. "Pulling that lovely 'oh it's a cold night, isn't it? Here, I just so happen to have this beautiful scarf that I definitely didn't knit just for you, here, let me wrap it around your beautiful neck. Oh no, you don't have to give it back to me at the end of the night, I have a matching one at home that I totally didn't plan as a couple’s thing, no seriously you can keep it' on him? There couldn't be a better opportunity." You laughed as her ears became bright red, "I hate you and your Nancy Drew observation skills." she mumbled out of puffed cheeks before immediately pulling you into another hug. "I love you. Good luck." "Thanks, I love you." In the end, you were about 2 minutes late to your dance and the aunty's scary face as she hurriedly signalled you to get into your position made you cringe on the inside, but oh well whatever, there were so many people you doubted that anyone had noticed there was supposed to be another dancer. You were here now anyway. You were halfway through the dance, your back turned to the audience when you felt a sharp gaze on you. Weird, there were about 100 people watching you, why did you feel this one particular stare stand out? It was only when you completed the circle to turn to face the audience again that you immediately connect gazes with the sharp eyes you had felt on you. Anakin. He was standing at the very back, close to the water coolers and refreshment tables, leaning on one of the empty tables with his arms crossed. His gaze never leaving yours. For a second your thoughts drifted and you were annoyed at how good he looked in the black shimmery kurta, though the top 3 buttons being left unbuttoned was so unnecessarily extra. The sleeves folded over his forearms that stretched the fabric, his collarbones standing out from the open collar. Such a slut. But damn did he look fine. Wait, what the hell? Focus, focus, focus. You couldn't lose count mid-step. And tripping right now would mess up everyone's steps since it was a circular movement. Why the hell would you trip over him anyway? Ugh. And so you focused back on your steps, continuing to feel that strange unwavering gaze on you for the rest of your dance.

Half an hour later, you were entirely done with the dance competition. Your feet hurt, your stomach was grumbling every few seconds and you were sure you'd be getting a headache from being so close to the speakers for so long. Thankfully, the emcee had announced a short break for refreshments and such, before the rest of the dances and then the final event to end the night — the dandiya dance. Were you positively exhausted and maybe even getting real tired of all the dancing and loud music? Most definitely. But Manu had texted you saying they'd be back for the final dandiya dance and you were really hoping to get to dance at least once with her, you know, outside the competition, just for funsies sort of stuff. So your irritation? Nothing some tasty snacks and maybe a cold drink couldn't solve. That was until an unfortunately familiar face came into your view as he plopped into the seat right next to yours at the circular table. Not the two other tables that were entirely empty (wasn't he supposed to be some emo loner who preferred to sulk in a corner?) or even the chair on the other side of the table (though you wondered if having him directly in your line of sight would make it worse). But no, he just had to sit right next to you with his stupid pretty eyes purposefully not meeting yours and his annoying plump lips innocently wrapping around the spoon with a piece of gulab jamun on it. He didn't even like sweets.

"Um— what the hell?" "What?" he looked at you with doe eyes rounded in innocence, and your eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Nothing, never mind," you were too tired and too hungry to start anything right now and what would you even ask, 'Why the hell are you sitting next to me?' 'didn't know there was some rule telling me where I can sit' is what he'd say, maybe roll his eyes at you, the usual stuff. So you continued eating your puff pastry in silence. Until you just had to ask, "I thought you didn't like sweets?" You tried to make your voice sound as non-judgemental as possible, you were only curious after all. "And who told you that?" he raised an eyebrow at you. Truthfully, nobody. But you had noticed the way he always avoided the dessert table at parties and functions, the way he only drank his coffee black; not even your best friend's infamous black forest cake that she had made for Krish's birthday a few months back had tempted him to even grab a Yolanda-approved bite. Yolanda would certainly be proud. Obviously, this had nothing to do with you observing him particularly, you just observed a lot of things around you, and he just very unfortunately happened to be around you a lot, being Krish's roommate and 'brotha from anotha motha' or whatever they said. And yet, here he was eating a freaking gulab jamun that was absolutely dripping with the sugary-est syrup. Did he hit his head on the way or something?

"Did you hit—" "I ran into Krish and Aamani, she told me to give this to you," he interrupted you yet again, turning to face you and pulling out a long silver chain-like thing, which upon a closer look you realised with an elated gasp, was the missing half of your lucky pair of payal, the one you'd been looking for everywhere earlier that evening. "I thought these came in pairs," it was a question from the tone with which he said it, but his eyes remained fixated on the jewellery in his hands, thumb running over the delicate silver with a gentleness you didn't know he possessed. You lifted the hem of your skirt a little, head tilting down to point at your left ankle, "they do. I just couldn't find the other one." You shook your head, going back to taking a sip of your drink, "I like the sound they make when you dance, it's fun, so I thought ek hai toh ek hi sahi," catching his questioning gaze you translated, "if there's only one then so be it, I hardly ever get to wear these anyway." You shrugged, "Manu must've found it later and forgotten to give it to me earlier. I think their dating honeymoon phase is gonna be worse than their not-dating honeymoon phase" You rolled your eyes affectionately, expecting him to make a teasing remark too or at least give you that amused smirk. Instead you saw him give an almost imperceptible yet decisive nod, quickly sliding off his chair to kneel in front of you. "What are you-" He gently lifted your right foot onto his folded knee, his nimble fingers making quick work of the clasp on your anklet. Your stomach fluttered as you felt the warmth of his hands on your cold bare ankle, and you were sure if you still had that sip of cold drink in your mouth, your lungs would be burning from snorting it down the wrong pipe, and definitely not because he might've stolen your breath. His fingers skimmed in a barely there touch down your foot. Till now, his gaze had been entirely focused on clasping the jewellery but now that he was done he lifted his head, looking directly into your eyes from his still kneeling position, your faces a few inches apart. This time you could feel your heart burn. Dang, maybe you should cut down on the greasy food and drinks. His gaze briefly shifted to your lips, but then he quickly got up, dusting off his pants, picking up his empty gulab jamun cup, throwing a quick, "I'mgonnagothrowthis" over his shoulder and then he was gone. He quickly disappeared into the crowds while you still sat there, entirely motionless. Your mind blank except for the phantom feeling from his feather touch on your skin.

It was finally time for the last round of dancing. You had run into Manu and Krish while carrying your trash to the bin, the emptiness of your thoughts completely overthrown by the excited shout of your name. You were surprised they had spotted you first, considering all the doped-up lovey smiles and heart-eyes you noticed when they walked to you. The brief hand squeeze and wide-eyed glance from her let you know you were in for an entire night of dramatic recalling of every detail of their evening and you could only shake your head with a fond smirk. As you all walked back towards the dance area, Manu spoke up, "Oh, did you get the payal I'd given Anakin to give to you?" she looked down at your feet though they were covered with your skirt. You supposed she heard them jingle, the sound louder and more noticeable now that you were wearing both of them. But her question brought back that unwanted memory from earlier in the evening instead, and you fought real hard to keep your face from heating up, inhaling a deep breath as inconspicuously as possible, "uh– yeah, he um.. he did." you nodded your head a little too aggressively, "I mean I got it, yeah." Lightly lifting your skirt to show your pair of anklets safely secured, by the most gentle hands you'd ever felt. This time you felt your ears undeniably heat up. 'What the hell? Why were you so fixated on that one thing? It was nothing. It's not like he was sliding a wedding ring on you or something.' Though for some reason, that thought only made your breath stutter as you felt the lava-like blood now rushing to your cheeks. Ugh, get a grip, get. a. grip. And since you were too busy trying to appear totally normal and shoot the butterflies in your stomach dead, you missed the mischievous look that Manu shot Krish as she gave a quick squeeze to his hand in hers. "Should we really have been spying on them like that? And worse, taking photos of them without them knowing?" and though his question was whispered through a sigh he squeezed her hand right back.

"Oh, hush. 10 years from now when they have cute little munchkins running around, I'll have proof to show that I was the one that set their ship sailing." she answered with a smirk. "You've thought about their kids? 10 years from now??" he raised his brows with an incredulous laugh. "Of course. I think about everything." Even the things that you were too practical to consider. Your words, not hers. 'Blind' is what she would call it. You may have the observation skills rivalling that of the most infamous detectives, but she had The Vision. And she knew in her guts that you two were just meant to end up together. "Oh yeah? Then what have you thought about our 10 years? We got 'cute little munchkins' in our cards too?" he tossed an arm around her shoulders, snuggling her close to him to teasingly tickle at her exposed waist. "Mmm, for now our cards hold a very very important mission." She answered and he sighed again, knowing exactly where this was heading. "Let me guess, mission 'get your best friend and my best friend together for the last dance to recreate another Bollywood-style romantic scene?" he raised a brow, coming to a stop as they reached the edge of the canopy of lights and fabrics. "It's only been a few hours and you've already gained the boyfriend-telepathy skills. Impressive." She wiggled her brows at him while turning around in his arms, "I need you to find Anakin and somehow get him to agree to dance." Sensing his hesitation she quickly continued, "I know it won't be easy, but you'll manage. Once we get them both here we need to make sure they're on opposite sides of the circle so that when the final song comes they'll be paired together" she finished. "You really have thought this through, huh? I can't guarantee that he'll agree to dance, I mean it's Anakin we're talking about," noticing her pleading pout he rolled his eyes in fond exasperation, "but I'll try."

With that, he left and she walked to where you were standing, finishing up talking to some old lady, no doubt held hostage to some good ol’ ‘I knew you since you were thisss little’ talk for the past few minutes that the two had spent whispering their plan, but she quickly patted your cheek and left. "So, tonight's the exclusive dandiya night," she wiggled her brows like it was supposed to mean something, it was. You laughed, not understanding her implication. "What about it?" She rolled her eyes good-naturedly, "it's dandiya dumbass. As in, you know, pairs dancing," she continued when she realised your light bulb was still dim. "Oh," you hadn't thought about that, too caught up in the dance competition to care about the other stuff. "Yeah, ‘oh.’ So, who you gonna choose?" "Um...you?" though it came out unsure. "I appreciate the sentiment babe, I really do. I would choose you too–" You raised a brow at that, "but?" "But'" she made a show of dragging out the word then throwing her arms out to her sides, "look at the crowd around you, there's so many kids our age, there's quite a few guys our age too." And finally you caught onto her line of thoughts, narrowing your eyes you shook your head. "Absolutely not. We are not doing this tonight, well I mean you're settled, so I'm not doing this tonight." But the fates seemed to be on her side that night, as she noticed Krish and Anakin talking a few paces away towards the outskirts of the canopy while you both stood at the centre, you hadn't noticed them yet but she could see Anakin shaking his head in a firm no as well. Gosh why were the both of you so difficult? But she also noticed another opportunity walk towards you, and a hopeful scenario played out in her head, courtesy of The Vision. And so she immediately got to work.

"Hey AJ!" she called out to the guy just about to walk by you a few steps away, "didn't you mention that you don't have a partner for tonight's dandiya?" Your eyes widened and you subtly tried to pinch her to stop her from saying the next words but it was too late, "My best friend here also doesn't have a partner, would you mind pairing up with her if you haven't already found someone else?" In speaking to the guy, both of you had turned to fully face him, so she couldn't see Anakin’s reaction anymore. She hoped he had heard what she had just asked this guy. He had. While the two had been devising their plan off to the side, you had been standing at the centre of the canopy taking time to clear your mind and cool yourself. Your gaze was immediately drawn to the gorgeous lights and colourful fabrics that hung above you, mesmerised by how pretty they looked standing out against the dark nighht sky beyond. And though you may never know, Anakin had spotted you right then, standing there in your pretty red ghagra, face tilted to look above you, and it had looked like one of the most gorgeous things he had ever seen, you had looked so pretty with all the lights gleaming in your eyes. And though he was too far to see it, he knew your gaze held that golden twinkle that shone every time you were genuinely happy, though he had hardly been on the receiving end of it. So he had always observed from afar, just as he was doing tonight. His thoughts had been interrupted by the movement of someone approaching him in his periphery. It turned out to be Krish, who clapped him on the back as a greeting and then asked him if he had eaten anything to which Anakin's mind flashed to the almost nauseating sweetness of the tooth-rotting dessert he'd had, immediately followed by the image of the delicate jewellery around your ankle and he quickly shut the door on that thought, instead answering with a single nod.

"Good, good 'cause you're gonna need some energy for a while." Anakin only raised an inquisitive eyebrow in response, while Krish thought of the best, most convincing way to... well, to convince him. "Y/N needs a partner..." "Okay…?" "For the dance, I mean. She needs a partner for the dandiya, she doesn't have one..." he trailed off again, should he just be straightforward with it? "It's you." "What?" Anakin's head snapped to look at him like he was insane. "It's you. You're going to dance with her." "What the fuck? No, I'm not?" it came out as a question because he was baffled as to how his own best friend could say something as dumb as that. Dancing? him? That's fucking funny. "Yes, you are. She needs a partner. You need a partner. The solution is obvious." "Like hell it is. I don't need a partner, 'cause I'm not fucking dancing." He shook his head decisively. "You want to though. You know you want to dance with her." Krish said with a pointed look. "And just what the hell made you think that?" "I'm your best friend, Ani. Do you think I'm blind or—" "Hey AJ!" Aamani's voice had carried over to the two of them, halting their conversation as their attention was now on the two of you, though your backs were turned to them. Aamani's voice was somehow loud enough that they got the gist of it, she had asked this AJ to be your partner, and from the way he walked over to the two of you, your best friend introducing you to each other, him shaking your hand and the dazzling smile you gave him in return, Anakin felt an irrational sorts of a burning pit in his stomach. "Well, looks like the deal's done. She's got her fucking partner." He pushed off the pillar he’d been leaning on, walking away. "Wait! Dude! Where you go—" "Out." and with that he quickly walked towards the back exit of the ground, walking through the gates and out into the cold night. But he had been wrong. AJ hadn't yet agreed to dance with you, or rather Aamani hadn't given him the chance to, stalling him by telling you that he was studying the same thing as you, though he went to a different university. She had been buying time, hoping that any second now, Anakin and his impulsiveness would come barging and say that you've already got a partner. But time was running short as the conversation between the two of you came back to the topic of tonight's dance. "So, you don't have a partner for the dandiya either?" she heard him ask. Where the hell was Anakin? But her movie-like vision for his entrance onto the scene immediately shattered when she turned to see what was holding him, only to see Anakin nowhere in sight and her boyfriend standing alone with a small frown on his face. Catching his eyes she sent him a questioning look, to which he only shook his head dejectedly. And she knew her plan had failed. For her, at least. Because when she turned back around, she saw you agreeing with AJ to meet up under the canopy before the start of the dance before he excused himself, mentioning something about helping move the chairs or whatever. You too said something about meeting up with one of your older hometown friends you'd run into right before the dance competition. You'd promised to come find her when you were free to catch up on things. And so you left as well.

But at that point, Manu could only think about how wrong this was. She knew it was her who had asked AJ to dance with her best friend, so she couldn't blame him. But Anakin – Anakin she could blame. And she could also just about drag his ass back here to ask him what the hell was he doing? With the way the whole payal scene had gone, and knowing Anakin's possessive nature, she was almost 100% sure he'd metaphorically sweep you off your feet (before literally sweeping you off your feet during the dance). So why the hell was her best friend going to be dancing with a guy she was (frustratingly) getting along with instead?

Krish had walked his way back to stand behind her, but not even his warmth and the comforting palm he ran up and down her bare arm could stop the disappointed frown pulling on her lips. She turned to her boyfriend with a concerned expression, "Did I just accidentally push my best friend towards the wrong guy, with the right guy storming off to who knows where?"

a/n: so.... there's 4 more nights left... do you think they'll ever get their dance? 👀

A/n: Thank you all so much if you spent your time on this trash wreckage fuelled by finals stress and unfulfilled dreams </3

Would love to hear feedback on this one! Don't hesitate to send me any ques or just anything that comes to mind relating to our dearest love-haters and the overzealous matchmakers ;)

[bones4thecats]

If its not to much to ask, could I request ror character's ( Poseidon, Hades, Thor and Hermes) with a blind reader.

Also have been following along for 2 months now and I have been loving everything you write 💛

Type of Writing: Request Characters: Poseidon, Hades, Thor, and Hermes Name: {Character} Handling Their Blind S/O Requester: Anonymous

A/N: Aw! Thank you for following me for two months, Anon! And thank you for the compliment, I've been writing since I was really young and had my massive 'gacha-faze'. I wrote a small story that I called 'Emotionless', typical gacha-kid shit, I know🤣

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🔱 He was one of the first deities to actually be around you and not get annoyed

🔱 When Poseidon first met you, you were being guided by Proteus to his throne room because you were a new assistant that Hades had gotten to help work with connecting Poseidon to his brothers

🔱 At first the God of the Sea didn't hate you, but he didn't like you either, since you would occasionally bump into things

🔱 But, after a while, Poseidon began to sympathize for you, it wasn't your choice to be blind, after all!

🔱 Whenever you guys would go out, he would either have you grab his trident to make sure you stayed near him, or he'd hold your hand to keep you safe and nearby

🔱 Because you cannot see, sometimes you bump into him from behind, which prompted him to get some guards to be around you whenever he was busy with work

🔱 If you ever wanted to go out with someone, he keeps the same guards around you, it's not that he doesn't believe you can defend yourself, after all, you're in a relationship with the one described as emotionless and tyrannical-filled, but, he does it because he wants you to be completely safe, no matter what

🔱 It would hurt him far to much to know he could've done something to keep you safe

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💀 He met you on similar lines as Poseidon did

💀 Work was piling up, and he needed to get an assistant, so he had gotten you, who was recommended by Hermes, to help him out with the paper work

💀 You were an amazing helper, and while you helped him with paper work, his heart began to ache for you beyond anything he ever felt before

💀 Hades would smile and chuckle whenever you accidentally ran into something by accident

💀 He loves looking into your smooth and milky white eyes, it reminded him of looking into the sight of the moon at midnight throughout his childhood

💀 This Olympic brother smiles everytime you grab his hand to make sure you didn't run into anyone when attending a meeting or large gathering for either the Greek Pantheon or a combination of all different pantheons

💀 When attending meetings with his brothers or a Gods' Council meeting, he would have you either rest of his lap or sit right next to him, making sure you didn't accidentally move and get lost

💀 It happened once, and that was how you met Shiva's wives, Parvati, Kali, and Durga

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🌩️ Thor was used to being around people with different issues, since his father was half-blind

🌩️ When he met you, he had to protect you from Loki's taunting, since he could tell you were blind and had no idea what was going on

🌩️ And Thor cannot stand people being taunted without any form of defense, he finds it pathetic for the antagonist to prey on someone without any form of backlash ability

🌩️ He does not find you weaker because of your blindness at all, but he does enjoy it when you use your words against Loki

🌩️ Hearing him taunt you and then shut up once you mention how his voice reminds you of a dying cat being thrown against a barrel of rocks? Oh yeah, that is one of your keys in getting the God of Thunder to smile

🌩️ Thor always wants some kind of physical touch to make sure you were safe, since Mjölnir's handle was definitely far to large for your hands to hold tightly

🌩️ Whenever attending a meeting of any kind with him, Thor holds you close, making sure nobody, specifically Loki, took you away from his side

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📨 You were being talked about non-stop by Aphrodite, due to your condition of being completely blind

📨 Hermes was no doubt interested, since you had survived so long without being completely annihilated by an angered God

📨 He was very much known for his patience, and that was something you both gave off when meeting for the first time

📨 Aphrodite took you to meet the Greek Pantheon during a meeting, and when you spoke to Hermes with a small smile, despite being tormented by not seeing his face, he smiled back with equal joy

📨 You had grown up with this condition, so your way of direction was decent, but when Aphrodite had to speak with the God of the Sun, Apollo, alone, Hermes stuck beside you so you didn't sun into a God that may get the wrong idea

📨 Zeus

📨 He and you definitely practice your sense of direction often, so, whenever he was sent out on a message-spree, he would occasionally take you with, so you got used to Valhalla

📨 But, whenever he couldn't, he'd give you to a fellow God, most likely being Hades, Aphrodite, Heracles, or even Apollo

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Yandere Shiva family ( With him and his wives being romantic and his son being platonic ) HCs.

-It was Ganesha who introduced you to his papa and his three wives, as the two of you met each other in a massive library, looking for the same book then spent the afternoon discussing it.

-Ganesha had difficulties finding someone he could have in depth conversations with who weren’t arrogant or demeaning- you were warm and cheerful; you were so nice to talk to!

-When he told you that he wanted to introduce you to his family, you were a little hesitant, which he saw as you being shy, but you couldn’t say no to him as he held your hand, pulling you along back to his home.

-You were a little intimidated, meeting Shiva and his wives, each one as stunning as the last, but seeing you entering with Ganesha, him holding your hand, they instantly knew that you were special, as Ganesha was rather shy with others, especially with touching, even if it was only holding hands.

-Shiva was stunned to see that you were as intelligent as his son, listening to the two of you talking about the newest book you had both been reading, having such an in-depth conversation that he was having a hard time following.

-Parvati was beaming, seeing that her son had a friend, and you were so sweet to Ganesha, letting him curl up next to you as the two of you discussed different points in the book.

-Durga and Kali were both taken as you as well, when they would ask you questions, you would always give them your full attention and answer what you could.

-You were prone to rambling at times, but they all thought it was rather cute, especially when you would realize you were rambling and you would trail off, your cheeks red as you would apologize.

-They weren’t yandere, at first, they saw you as a good friend, constantly inviting you over to spend time with you, and while it took a bit of time for you to grow use to their physical affections, you grew to enjoy their company.

-It wasn’t until you protected Ganesha from another god, one who was visiting, and took Ganesha’s book, teasing him for being a nerd, bringing the younger god to tears.

-When you arrived at the gardens where you and Ganesha planned to meet and saw this, you surprised both gods by leg sweeping the bully while taking the book back and quickly putting him in his place.

-When Shiva arrived, as he had heard his son crying, he saw red, seeing you protecting Ganesha after the other god stood up, yelling at you and he quickly handled business- rushing in, much to your surprise before you heard his co-wives shouting out both yours and Ganesha’s name, rushing towards you.

-Seeing how caring you were, seeing what you had been willing to do, protecting Ganesha, they all came to the realization that you cared about him like how a parent would- you wanted to be a parent to him!

-Despite your denial that this wasn’t the case, that you were just protecting your friend, they believed you were just shy, you felt intimidated of being in a family like this!

-But don’t worry Y/N, they’re here for you, they will take their time and make you feel comfortable with this decision by showering you with love, keeping you around, making you spend the night with them.

-They wouldn’t hear anything that you didn’t want this, as they knew that you were just feeling apprehensive, so there was no changing their minds.

-You couldn’t leave either, being some of the strongest gods in the Hindu pantheon made it difficult to run, especially when they went around telling everyone that you were going to be Shiva’s fourth partner! Everyone knew who you were, so if you tried to run your new husband-to-be would just say you ran off, playing a game, and one of the other gods would bring you back- there was no escape.

-They would never hurt you, as they loved you too much, but they weren’t going to let you go- you were never going to leave them- they loved you so much and they knew you loved them too!

[karinzany]

SPOILERS: Chapter 1094 of ONE PIECE

We've finally seen St. Jaygarcia Saturn's real form on chapter 1094, and it is absolutely diabolical. It seems to be inspired by a yōkai called Ushi-oni. So I went back to chapter 1085 and tried to connect the rest of the Gorosei with other yōkai. Here are my predictions:

Ushi-oni: In Wakayama Prefecture, ushi-oni are mountain-dwelling beasts. Legend says when a hiker or traveler makes eye contact with the ushi-oni, the person cannot avert his or her gaze. The person's soul or energy is drained and he or she dies. This is called “Kage wo kuu (影を食う)” or sometimes "Kage wo nomu (影を飲む)", which translates to “eating the shadow” or "drinking the soul".

Aosaginohi: Aosaginohi, or Aosagibi (青(あお)鷺(さぎ)火(び), "blue heron fire") is a phenomenon illustrated by Toriyama Sekien in his Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki. It depicts a night heron with a mysteriously illuminated body. Folklore built around the phenomenon tells a story of an old black-crowned night heron transforming into a yokai. The herons' feathers fuse into shining scales that give off an iridescent blue light in the dark of night. The yokai's breath is also said to release golden powder into the air that collects to form a heat-less fiery light, though this light eventually dissipates in the wind. The harmless creature is said to flee from human contact, retaining a normal heron's shyness. Legend also warns to not confuse the glimmering blue-white light with onibi lights.

Baku: Baku (獏 or 貘) are Japanese supernatural beings that are said to devour nightmares. According to legend, they were created by the spare pieces that were left over when the gods finished creating all other animals. They have a long history in Japanese folklore and art, and more recently have appeared in manga and anime. The Japanese term baku has two current meanings, referring to both the traditional dream-devouring creature and to the Malayan tapir. In recent years, there have been changes in how the baku is depicted.

Benzaiten: Benzaiten (shinjitai: 弁才天 or 弁財天; kyūjitai: 辯才天, 辨才天, or 辨財天, lit. "goddess of eloquence"), also simply known as Benten (shinjitai: 弁天; kyūjitai: 辯天 / 辨天), is a Japanese Buddhist goddess who originated mainly from Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of speech, the arts, and learning, with certain traits deriving from the warrior goddess Durga. Due to her status as a water deity, she was also linked with nāgas, dragons, and snakes. Apart from being a patron of music and the arts, she was eventually also worshiped as a bestower of monetary fortune and was reckoned as one of the Seven Lucky Gods (Shichifukujin).

Ōkubi: In Japanese folklore, Ōkubi (大首) are giant heads of either men or women. An Ōkubi appearing in the sky is a sign of impending disaster, which may be a typhoon, earthquake, tsunami, or fire. These disasters are often attributed to the Ōkubi. Ōkubi are otherwise harmless and will disappear soon after the first sighting. They are thought to be sky spirits who protect the sky's or people who died during a natural disaster. They are said to protect people from the natural disasters and protect the sky from demonic sky spirits. It is said if one does not pay respect for the Ōkubi, they will be turned into sky spirits and their face will appear in the sky immediately. Those who do pay respect are said to get good fortune and gifts.

PS.: This silhouette probably belongs to Imu themselves, but I can't figure out what yōkai or supernatural being it represents. What are your theories?

EDIT: Thank you @ozo-blog and @marimo-kyun for your suggestion!

On chapter 1069, Vegapunk said that Devil Fruits earned the ire of Mother Nature, which is the Sea itself. The name Imu can be read as Umi backwards, meaning "Sea" in Japanese. So, maybe Imu has a power that controls the sea? Umibozu would be on theme for them.

Umibōzu: Umibōzu (海坊主, "sea priest") is a paranormal phenomenon or yōkai from Japanese folklore. Other names include Umihōshi (海法師, "sea priest") or Uminyūdō (海入道, "sea priest"). Little is known of the origin of umibōzu but it is a sea-spirit and as such has multiple sightings throughout Japan. Normally, umibōzu appears to sailors on calm seas which quickly turn tumultuous. It either breaks the ship on emergence or demands a bucket or barrel from the sailors and proceeds to drown them. The only safe way to escape an umibōzu is to give it a bottomless barrel and sail away while it is confused.

Alternative: I've also seen another theory that says Imu could be Satan (from the Bible, yes) because he has a Red Dragon form that could relate to the Celestial Dragon's symbol, a red dragon hoof.

Red Dragon (Biblical Satan): The Red Dragon is a form of the Biblical Satan, otherwise known as Lucifer, the former Seraphim that rebelled against the Creator and became evil in Christianity and Hebrew religions. His alias, the Red Dragon, was described in the Bible to have seven heads, ten horns, seven crowns, and a massive tail that knocks one-third of the stars out of the sky. The Red Dragon is mentioned to have other names like the Serpent of Old and the Devil. It is said in the Bible that Satan will take the form of the Red Dragon and will along with the Antichrist, the False Prophet, and the Beast, deceive most of Humanity. After that the Red Dragon will be set free upon the world in which he will rule alongside demons for three long years. After that God will cast the Red Dragon, demons, and other dammed evil souls into Lake of Fire, thus finally destroying the evil of Satan forever.

During the time-skip, we've seen Brook being accidentally summoned by a Satanic cult, which implies the existence of Satan in the One Piece world. Now, on chapter 1094, we've seen again a summoning circle, this time for St. Jaygarcia Saturn. I think it's pretty obvious the connection between real world devils and the Gorosei and Imu.

It's all going to come to the ironic conclusion that the D. clan, the enemies of the Gods, are Gods themselves (like Nika) and the Celestial Dragons, the Gods of the world, are actual Devils.

[ramayantika]

What right does a man have to dictate what rights another one of his own should have and shouldn't have?

And when we talk about mankind, the history of mankind, I hate to mention how I find the existence of women evade from these discussions and philosophy.

Even now in this glorious age of scientific development, I still see my women demand for something as basic as respect and independence to their lives.

And the goddesses laugh. That laughter is hysterical, it will shake all of you in your bones, will rattle your spines, and claim your soul. They laugh when they hear sleazy men talk about how any woman is theirs to violate for an immodest slip in her dress; how any woman is theirs to spit on for any skin that is left to bask under sun's warm glaze.

The goddesses's little daughters and little scholars clutch their little tridents, golden pots and books. The goddesses would descend earth and each of these men would seek to violate her brutally as the fantasies they hide deep dark in their hearts.

Such high talks about a golden past and glorious history of brave kingdoms and martyrdom fail when the descendants of these immortal tales of history's so called champions talk about how they cannot stop their wandering hands from grabbing her breasts, because she is out in the open, her body his to do as please, as long she doesn't belong from his home.

And then women in the end aren't goddesses. Men make fun of this fact. "You all aren't even the equivalent of the goddess's feet's dust and you seek to call yourself a goddess?"

It's true. Women cannot be goddesses. A single inappropriate glance at Kali's body would have her beheading the vile man's head, his skull amongst the many skulls decorating her garland atop her naked breasts.

Durga's golden face would sport blood of the men who seek to claim her, to possess her just because they want to trample a radiant woman who bows to none.

Alas! I stayed quiet that day. So did you. So did we. We did not become the goddesses our goddesses told us to be, and those men knew it, so they bound our hands by grass like an elephant tied to a tattered rope.

And Kali screams, Saraswati sings, Durga roars, Lakshmi walks away.

The witches were women. They keep on burning

[lotusarchon]

I had to make a whole google doc to sort my thoughts on this, that's how mad I am tbh. My friends have made explanations which you can find here, and here. And while I told myself that after that post I was done, seeing my friend receive a comment like this was the final pushing point I needed.

I'm both going to ramble about Nezha here again, and I'm going to try and explain this in a way that'll get people to understand, as someone who once followed an Eastern religion too + I'm going to be stating my basic thoughts here so maybe some things won't make sense.

Mild info about me: I'm from Trinidad. My family is described with East Indian descent but clearly, I'm not from India itself. My knowledge of Hinduism is rather basic because I quit religion thanks to traumatic experiences related to it, however not lacking fully. From my father's side, specifically his mother, they practice Hinduism and can even be considered devout Hindus (if I'm to believe all the statues and pictures of about almost every single Hindu god). Though my knowledge is basic, understand that I'm not Hindu nor Indian, so of course these are my opinions and my experiences with Hinduism, and I do not advise you taking my word fully to heart. I'm only trying to explain something to the LMK fandom in the best way I know how too, by referencing another Eastern religion that isn't half as popular as Daoism/Buddhism.

There's only one show I know where Hinduism is portrayed, and it's an anime/manga series called Record Of Ragnarok (Shuumatsu No Valkyrie), and from what I know it's not well liked by others (and even banned I think?) because of the fact Shiva is weaker than Zeus and the supposed sexualization of Parvati, Kali and Durga? It's been a while so I could be wrong on this though.

Why am I bringing this topic up to a rant about a lego character though?

#1) Fiction vs Religion and Reality

While one half expresses discontent and discomfort, I've seen others who clearly don't mind because Shiva is still badass and cool. I myself had some qualms about his appearance in the beginning because while I did quit religion, this was a god I used to worship, and seeing him in an anime/manga and be sexualized and simped for was…uncanny, to say the least. Overtime I grew numb to it though because it was genuinely funny and even I, an ex Hindu, found him attractive, and had not much hesitation writing smut about him in past fics. 

Similarly, I can imagine this is how Daoists and Chinese had originally felt about Nezha in Lego Monkie Kid [Only referencing LMK with Chinese deities. I'm aware there could be other media where they're in.] A bit weird at first but then overall got used to it because there's genuinely no harm done, as it's not meant to be an educational retelling of a god, but a fictional portrayal of him.

Returning to the point I mentioned with Shiva. When I first came across this series in 2021 (?), I did not feel too happy and comfortable with the image of a deity I've grown up worshipping as a child. I quit religion when I turned 13, so it's been nearly five years since I've had nothing to do with the main religion of my household; Hinduism. Still, I practically grew up worshipping this god I was taught to fear, and seeing a potrayal of him (which honestly in my opinion) didn't seem like a good thing at the time. 

Why did I eventually stop being bothered? Because this wasn't supposed to be retelling of Shiva. This was just a character with similarities to the god I worshipped, but wasn't the god. The series I watched wasn't even intending to teach audiences about any of the religions and real life figures they portrayed, they simply used them as inspiration to tell a story. They weren't accurate representations, but that was the point. It's a story about gods vs humans from history; of course it wasn't going to be accurate nor stay true to the figure they took inspiration from.

You can imagine then for a cartoon series meant to sell Legos. Lego Monkie Kid contains several characters that are known in Chinese myths and legends/religions. Of the most popular mentioned, there is Sun Wukong, one of the main characters in the series, Tang Sanzang otherwise known as Tripitaka and the Great Monk, Lady Guanyin mentioned in season 1, the one the fandom argues about, Nezha, the Jade Emperor in season 4, and most recently, Nuwa, and Heavenly Pagoda King, Li Jing. There may be others but these are the ones that are most known within the fandom. 

Mind you some of these figures are still very much worshipped now, but, point remains: the series was never intended to be a retelling of these characters stories, nor were they intended to be educational for audiences. They took inspiration directly, gave their own twists, and hence you have the story of LMK, meant to originally promote Legos and then eventually gave way to the series that this fandom belongs too.

These characters are not their source material, nor the origins of which they came from as religious figures. Sun Wukong is a Buddha within JTTW’s ends and if I'm right is still worshipped as such sometimes (?). He didn't hide away into a mountain at the end of his journey. His companions didn't die, nor were they reincarnated, but instead also acquired titles and became Buddhas as well. (Or gods? I frankly don't remember). Tang Sanzang as we've in season 4 was not some sort of brave, astute man in the book but rather a crybaby coward. Need I even point out that Nezha wouldn't have a giant mech to fight people, nor would he have such close deposition with the Jade Emperor? Or the fact that the Jade Emperor would be bested by someone like Azure Lion?

Not even counting Journey To The West and the Fengshen Yanyi, the real Tang Sanzang that Wu Cheng’en took inspiration of most certainly did not have a monkey, a pig, a water demon and a dragon turned horse with him on his journey. 

Why speak of all this?

To make my first point; religion and fiction are two very different things. Religion has existed for who knows how long, and fiction has recently decided to include fictional potrayals of these gods into stories and cartoons. From a writer's perspective, it's really interesting taking something that is a part of religion and writing it into your own works, with your own take on it.

And of course, brings me to the topic of Nezha.

Lego Monkie Kid Nezha is, according to an official writer within the show's team, an adult. Although many fans have their objections about this, supposedly because Nezha in other sources is a child god, and think that the writer only abruptly pointed out Nezha's an adult to save her own skin.

Taking all my points in consideration; let me humour the Nezha is a child god idea. What, exactly, does this have to do with Nezha in Monkie Kid? 

If Nezha, the god within Daoism and Buddhism, is supposedly a child deity, what law says that any other potryal of Nezha has to abide by this? 

By this logic. Shiva in the anime I mentioned above shouldn't be weaker than Zeus. He also shouldn't even be agreeing to fight mortals, as he's a deity far above such petty behavior. Zeus shouldn't be portrayed in books like PJO as a lecherous cheater, because in reality, Ancient Greece consisted of multiple kingdoms and thereby different interpretations of Zeus were merged together which is what consists of the myths we know of him today which is highly disrespectful, and Sun Wukong shouldn't be a mentor to MK, because he's supposed to be a Buddhist, and thereby wouldn't be entertaining fighting nuances.

Fiction doesn't not adhere to reality. The fact I need to say this astounds me because should this not be obvious? Lego Monkie Kid is a cartoon set in some sci-fi futuristic world with lego people walking around, where gods somehow need mechs to go around fighting, and there are animal-like demons/yaoguai walking around here and there. There is literally an arcade in the show with zero gravity. Do you possibly believe for a miniscule second that anything that goes down in a fictional setting will adhere to our reality??

And, even then, humouring the Nezha being a child deity concept > what law says that he has to be portrayed as a child in other pieces of fiction?? Especially when the fictional setting is not meant to be a retelling or for educational purposes, but rather to carry a plot. 

There is nothing, no law, no rules that insists that a religious figure must be portrayed as they are in a legend/myth for a fictional world.

Lego Monkie Kid Nezha is not the deity Nezha. He is a completely different character, which many of you should have realized from the exact moment he was brought into the show. They are not the same person. Never was. 

“Oh, it's disrespectful―” From a writer's perspective, I personally don't think so. If I wanted to make a story that involved a god, I wouldn't keep everything that makes that god who they are. There are some key points I would keep to make the story, but I would ultimately create an OC that shares some attributes to this religious figure, but it wouldn't be him. The show Record of Ragnarok does a good job with this in my opinion, because while many characters share some attributes to the real figures they're inspired by, the writers changed several things to create a proper story, and thereby making these characters OCs and not the actual gods themselves, and of course that logic applies to Lego Monkie Kid.

In the instance, again, Nezha the god from Daoism, is in fact a child deity, Nezha in LMK isn't. Nezha in LMK is someone who's entirely different from the god himself. 

So, the logic this fandom uses confuses me a lot. Do you not understand how to seperate fiction from religion?? Do many of you not understand media literacy, and what a writing process is like?

Sigh. Moving to another point―

#2) Character Designs

Sometimes, when it comes to character designs, anyone could just throw them into anything and think, “Yeah that's good.” Not much thought is given to a character's appearances depending, which I don't really blame as someone who's 1) done literature as a hobby and has seen my fair share of character designs, 2) creates characters myself. It's too hard thinking of a character's appearance, and even then when making them there normally wouldn't be any significance.

Nezha's design in LMK seems to be a huge source of debate when arguing about his age. It was actually brought up in my previous post, specifically that his hairstyle was often used by children at the time. 

I have a bone to pick with this point.

This is Nezha from Lego Monkie Kid:

However, this is Mei from the same show:

Before anyone starts, allow me to point out as a history geek that likes religion and pointless facts over politics: I am aware that there are different hairstyles to show certain things, including one's age and status and sometimes even personality. Do not bring up any points about the differences in these characters hairstyles with an excuse, “Oh, but you should know―”, because I know how hairstyles could be treated within history. 

However. Look at Nezha's hairstyle, and then Mei's. I've never seen the LMK fandom complain about Mei's age, because it was generally believed that MK and Mei are both at least 18 if not older, as the legal age for a driver's license in China is 18. 

Both Nezha and Mei are wearing a ‘bun’ type hairstyle. Mei's is arguably more of twin ponytails (?), but I'm not a hairstylist, so I don't know what they're called. To me they look similar, that's all I'm trying to say. And even if they weren't though―through a modern lense, a hairstyle isn't reserved for just any specific age. Anyone can wear a hairstyle they want. Keep in mind that the creators of LMK are also Western(?), and they chose a hairstyle for these two characters based on personality and appearances. 

A hairstyle is not reserved for any age. Grown women including my aunts have worn hairstyles similar to these just for fun.

That's point one.

Point two; Nezha is a very popular deity, much like Sun Wukong. In terms of recognition, Sun Wukong is very easy to recognize because of his staff and his overall cocky personality. 

Nezha however is an entirely different case. Most media potrayals of him always has the two-bun hairstyle of him, which is what makes Nezha recognizable. If you remove that specific hairstyle of his, you won't recognize him. It's iconic, and pointed out in this scene (The Legend of Hei) where Nezha makes an appearance as well.

[Characters sitting together. White haired boy (Hei + MC) looks at the older, dark haired boy (Nezha). Nezha looks back.]

Nezha: What? You want an autograph?

Hei: You're a boy?

Nezha: Yeah?

Hei: Your hairstyle is cute.

[Nezha looks in front with an annoyed expression.]

Nezha: If it weren't for the recognizability, I'd have changed it long ago.

Hei: Recognizability?

[Nezha removes the buns(? some form of them?) from his head. Three older figures glance at him.]

???: Who are you?

[Scene returns]

Nezha: See?

Aka, point being made: those buns are what makes Nezha recognizable. If he doesn't have that hairstyle, unless it's specifically pointed out, I'm certain majority would not recognize him. 

Some hairstyles are meant to be done for some form of meaning. But sometimes, as is the case with designs, they're just there just because no one wanted to make the characters bald. Using the excuse about Nezha's hairstyle to justify his age as a child is by far the lamest and dumbest excuse I've ever heard of, because the creators did not give him that hairstyle for the sake of some meaning anymore than MK was given his current hairstyle either. It's his logo at this point, ignoring his color scheme aside.

Even then, if the creators of Lego Monkie Kid intended for Nezha to be a child within the show, he would not appear as he is. Lego Monkie Kid has made children models, which we can see here (used from s3 and up in case someone tries to excuse the differences in seasons): 

And of course, Nezha's model;

Despite the perspective and low quality though, he's at least the same height as Red Son here:

If Lego Monkie Kid truly intended for Nezha to be a child, his appearance and model would be similar to the children's in the show. Perspective is difficult to find but you can clearly see he's about the same height as the other adult characters if not taller, and is not small like the child figures we see.

Pink isn't a children's color, and nothing about Nezha's clothing indicates a child. He very much looks like an adult and doesn't exhibit childish behavior as we see Red Son, Mei and MK do.

I've seen fans use his voice to point out he's an adult, but I'm not sure that's a valid point. I say this as someone who has a 13 year old brother and was recently a minor myself. 

Allow me to clarify: a voice isn't a clear proof of age. My father is a 45 year old man but sounds very much like a woman/teenage girl. My brother is 13 and sounds more of an adult than his father. My classmate in highschool was one year older than me and his voice was very high-pitched. 

The voice actors in LMK are directed to speak a certain way for a reason…in English. I'm not sure about Mandarin. In my opinion, Wukong's voice sounds like Son Goku's because it's a reference to the fact Wukong is what inspired Goku. Nezha's probably sounds deep and brooding not because he's a child but because it almost represents his own personality, and probably is a reference from another shonen protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki. MK's voice in the beginning sounds really childish to me but slowly as the events of s3, 4 and 5 happen it gets more deeper almost as a reference to show how his ‘innocence’ is slowly fading. 

Or, I might be looking to into it. Regardless, tdlr, don't use Nezha's voice in your argument. I've seen grown ass men have high pitched voices. 

Returning to my original point however; if you have an ounce of media literacy and understanding, you should be aware that some character designs are chosen for a reason. Nezha's icon is those two bun hairstyle, and the writers purposely chose it so old fans/readers of JTTW and FSYY and maybe other Chinese/Daoists would be able to recognize him and go, “Hey, that's Nezha from―”

Before I got into LMK, I read JTTW and also saw The Legend of Hei and the Nezha 2019 movie, so I knew him because of the hairstyle. And my first instinct of course was to point out, “That's the dude from TLOH!!” when I saw him. So, the hairstyle was chosen for the recognizability, and I highly doubt as a sign of age.

Even then, LMK Nezha aside, moving on to a different point.

#3) Sources Of Inspiration

The 21st century isn't really the first era where people are taking inspiration from other cultures. As a matter of fact, it's been happening for decades, and it's very prominent in religion, which someone of you would know if you both a) actually did proper research, b) gave a shit about what you're researching and c) studied history.

Hilariously, I have done all three of the above. 

I'm going to use a popular example here with Sun Wukong and Hanuman. Hinduism is supposedly largely considered one of the oldest religions in the world. If you truly think about it, certain Daoist deities are loosely inspired or are versions of Hindu gods, which I'm going to use here with a popular example (and provide a link too).

― Sun Wukong and Hanuman. The earliest Vedic records mention one of the supposed known monkey gods, and their similarities make scholars suggest Hanuman inspired Sun Wukong. Specifically his figure in JTTW, where it's speculated that the author must've had a copy of Vedic (?) hymns. While Sun Wukong does predate JTTW, Hanuman definitely has had some influence on him.

Much, much similarly, the deity known as Nezha, is also loosely inspired/based off the figure known as Nalakuvara, who appears in Hindu and Buddhist mythology, and often appears as a sexual trickster figure in Hindu and Buddhist literature.

Historically speaking, when it comes to religion and myths, something many people fail to understand is that before there was the idea of writing to tell a story, there was the process known as sharing from mouth to ear. Not in a literal sense, but rather that people often preferred to tell stories via word of mouth back then, and as things always go in history, there will be changes. The proof is literally right there. Nezha was originally known as Nalakuvara, yet when transmitted through Buddhist texts, he became known as Nazha, then Nezha. And as such, the Lotus Prince and Chinese god known as Nezha was created. A combination of Nalakuvara and the child god Krishna.

A lot of people will want to jump on that specific point that mentions Krishna being a child god, so allow me to immediately put you down right there.

Ex Hindu here; I did not even know there was a portrayal of Krishna as a child. Up until I stopped practicing Hinduism, I used to worship Krishna as an adult figure. In the paintings and statues my aunts had for Diwali as a child, he was always showcased as an adult.

Ironically, doesn't this apply for the actual god Nezha too? 

When it comes to religion and myths, many of you forget something very important; there is no such thing as a canon iteration. These aren't shows, these are stories from the past told through different people, and passed through many hands. There is no such thing as a canon version because almost everyone had their own version of a myth or story. Terms you may typically apply to fandoms don't apply to fucking religions and myths, and some of you are so chronically online that you forget it.

#4) The LMK Fandom's Chronically Online Attitude

I'm an ex Hindu who still faintly remembers some bits and pieces from my childhood while practicing this religion, especially during the Diwali period, where little me managed to get new information from library books about the gods my family worshipped. I personally didn't like sitting during the priest's (forgot what he was called) chanting though but the funny white thingy we used to have to wear was fun. 

There are some Hindu gods I'm familiar with, like Lakshmi, Kali, Durga and the other versions of her (I still can't recover from the one statue with her in a fish..) Parvati, Shiva, Vishnu, Hanuman (yaah), Rama and Sita, Ganesh (also yah) and of course, Krishna.  I also have watched my fair share of childhood movies and cartoons where the gods were mentioned or present―Karan & Arjun specifically struck the fear in me with Kali 😭😭 holy fuck that movie scared me with the creepy edits jeez T-T. There was also that one cartoon about Rama and Sita”s story specifically Hanuman, and this Indian TV series where this little girl was a loyal devotee to Ganesha (I had no idea rats were one of his uh signature animals holy shit).

I'm rambling here a bit because the childhood memories were fun, but the point I'm going for is though….

I am familiar with these gods I grew up with. And I know about them, maybe not enough but certainly enough to know how to properly respect them from back then. 

And, using Krishna as a prime example; if someone came up to me, or I came across anyone, who argues that the god I know is an immortal child, even though I have worshipped and adult version of him, I'd be so fucking pissed. Krishna is seen as an adult, I worshipped him as an adult, but there are cases where he's a child god, and that's fine! But to have someone tell you that you're wrong about the god you know about because they got some basic information off the internet, undoubtedly, I'm going to be pissed. Especially when it's from a Western fan who has no fucking brain.

So, of course, imagine how devotees of Nezha and Chinese people must be feeling every single time this fandom fucks about with Nezha's age. I saw it myself; people told my friend that a) she was lying and b) her statement is irrelevant just because “I did my proper research, and even if you're Chinese you can still be a proshipper, Nezha's a child deity.”

It's genuinely so fucked up to me how the LMK fandom act towards Nezha's age. You guys will ignore the people who are willing to provide accurate information for the sake of being in the right and accusing people for being a proshipper over a deity they have more experience with than you, a Western fan who has no knowledge of Eastern religion.

It's insane. There are actual Daoist and Chinese who are pointing out the fact Nezha isn't an immortal fucking child. 

You're not only disrespectful, you insane, childish and most importantly chronically online. Nezha the god isn't a fictional character, there's nothing ‘canon’ about him. He's a god who's lived for decades longer than you, and his existence predates yours. People have long sinced worshipped Nezha, and the fact that you can so boldly tell someone they're wrong about the god they've worshipped is so disrespectful.

Do you not realize, as Nezha is worshipped as a child, he's worshipped as an adult? Do you not take into account how absolutely disgusting and horrible you are telling Daoists and Chinese who have stated time and time again the information of Nezha being an immortal child is factually incorrect that they're wrong and know nothing??

I'm repeating my statement; I'm an ex Hindu, but if anyone told me that Krishna's an immortal child too and then point out I'm wrong and my point doesn't matter, I would be seething. And I don't blame my friend who's losing their temper about Nezha's age. 

What amazes me though, somehow, is the fact that. If anyone who was Chinese + Daoist agreed with your claims, as Cole from Twitter once did, none of you would've spoken that way to my friend. But of course, once she points out she's Chinese/ex Daoist and disagrees with you, majority of the opinions switched because, she wasn't agreeing with your headcanon, right? So even though she's Chinese, she's bad because she disagreed with you.

You're all disgusting and fucking weird.

And the fact y'all in this fandom will habitually prove yourselves as hypocrites by attacking people, and then ignoring the ones who are capable of proving you're wrong to cling to a false idea is insane. You guys need some actual help, holy fucking shit. 

Nezha isn't an immortal child. That's a god. If he was intended to be a child in LMK, there would've been statements about it. 

Seperate fiction from religion, and seperate your headcanon from canon and the actual god. If you think this biased headcanon is okay and attacking people that point you out for being wrong is somehow okay, I sincerely ask that you take a break from the internet, and read a book.

No, don't just read a book. Read a history book. Pick up some knowledge, understand how religion and history works. 

Furthermore. The research some of you guys are doing is actually shit, by the way. You guys aren't researching properly if you can pull up with Nezha is 12, thing. If you actually cared about his age, you'd put more effort and actually stop being disrespectful to the people who are giving you the proper information. You only research surface level so you can attack people.

And additionally, stop playing the Devil's advocate. Most of you are just Western fans who think you know everything from reading one book or watching one show. You read JTTW or watch OSP’s videos and suddenly, you know more than an actual Chinese person or Daoist. You look up Wikipedia and think, “Oh yeah, I'll go with this!” And that's it. Most of you at best can provide only three websites at most, and I can bet my ass that these websites with information about Nezha's age was written by a fan who got their information from a shit source.

I love History, and most specifically, I love religion. Not so much the divine aspects as it is about the myths that surround it. Whenever I get into a fandom, I need to find out more about their religion and history. Getting into JTTW, and eventually, LMK, pushed me into a rabbit hole of Chinese myths that I really enjoy learning. But dealing with idiots who think they know more?? It's sickening as shit.

I'd like to think I'm good at literature things because once it's a religion or myth I want to learn everything about it. But I know I don't know everything, and I know especially I have more to learn. I'd never tell someone who is a part or worships the religion/culture I'm learning that they're factually incorrect about it just because I have an opinion and I learnt my info from a random source.

You guys in the LMK fandom are incredibly entitled. The Nezha is 12 controversy is a headcanon, which became worst by that asshat Cole on Twitter. And because so many of you don't want to learn the truth, whenever someone tries to point out and help you, you ignore them or attack them, and deny their heritage.

And honestly?? You guys suck. 

And this is coming from me!! Some of y'all are grown ass adults too!! And yet I'm childish and immature!?!

Brother I literally turned 18 a few months ago, yet I'm 100% certain I'm not throwing a blasted hissy fit over a fucking god the way some of you all who are most definitely adults are doing.

And finally, the one thing that actually does make me laugh is because I'm pretty sure most of you didn't do History classes. One of the most important things my history teacher taught me is; don't use Wikipedia as a source of viable information. Thousands of people are capable of accessing Wikipedia and changing information as they want, and so it's much better to find book solid resources from libraries. I did in fact use Wikipedia too (hypocritical of me yeah) so of course I wouldn't advise using the screenshots I provided from Wikipedia as evidence to the argument, because anything on Wikipedia can be changed. If I'm feeling extra petty I could change something myself to be in the right.

Furthermore, if you dare to bring up only JTTW and FSSY as a plausible argument about Nezha's age, I'm genuinely going to throw hands and fuck your mother. I think my friend also mentioned it in their posts but I'll mention it here too; JTTW does NOT state Nezha's age. I've read JTTW, and aside from Wukong vs Nezha there's nothing else that states Nezha's age. For all we're aware of, Wukong called Nezha a kid just out of spite, and I do it too when I'm arguing with someone. FSSY is the Investiture of the Gods and the ORIGINS!! Do you THINK a book about the ORIGINS of the gods would focus on other aspects about them!!? No!!

I expect some of the arguments I might get are;

"Oh, Nezha [appearances] could be wearing a glamor!" That is a headcanon, as we see nothing in LMK to refute that. Macaque's scar is canon because it's shown within the show. Nezha's appearance has NOT fluctuated since he was introduced. The idea of him using a glamor or illusion is a HEADCANON unless proven by the show. And headcanons are NOT vital.

"But you use Wikipedia too :(" Which I pointed out and made aware of, which is I also doubt that source myself. If any of you did History, your teachers are supposed to INFORM you that using a website is NOT a good idea for backing up information, and it's much better to use books or other trusted sources. In the case of Nezha, I'm trusting actual Daoists/Chinese who knows more about him than I do. It's because I did PROPER research that I even came across a good source of information, aka @ruibaozha, who I'm sure can share more light on this than me! The fact that some of you guys won't even acknowledge them is almost proof that...you're clinging to a headcanon. Jackass.

"But Nezha in JTTW/FSSY are 7/12 and that's where LMK takes it's inspiration from so obviously―" We've seen for a fact LMK does NOT follow JTTW to the letter. Jade Emperor beating Wukong?? Lady Bone Demon being a powerful foe and being trapped in a bunker? Azure even being able to kill the Emperor? Majority of the LMK fandom likes to point out that LMK Macaque and JTTW Macaque are two different people, especially when you claim that Macaque is a bad character because he cannibalized the monkeys. So then, with this logic, JTTW Nezha, FSSY Nezha, and LMK Nezha are also three seperate figures. I swear someone made a post about the differences JTTW and FSSY Nezha have too, but I can't find it so meh. The point still remains though. LMK Nezha are two different people, you're not making any sense to me about that argument. Even then, LMK isn't taking direct inspiration and putting their own twist. Who says anything needs to be accurate??

"The writer only said Nezha's an adult to ship lotuspeach!" Are you faintly aware people, actual Chinese people, have shipped these characters together? Proshippers can come from anywhere but I genuinely doubt every single person is a proshipper because of course, they're aware their god isn't an eternal child. On top of that, in a situation like this another writer would point out that Nezha ISN'T an adult. No one has argued against this claim, so why persist? Where's your logic coming from if not entitlement?

I want this to be the last time I have to talk about Nezha, because I made my blog to write porn and me smooching my favorite LMK characters. I kinda don't really like making discussions like this because that's not the point of my blog.

However...I do like rambling. A lot :)))

Anyways, point blank. LMK fandom needs to grow out of this entitled mindset and stop ignoring the facts from experts. You guys are just being annoying at this point.

My argument isn't really valid tbh, just pointless rambling because I only know basic information. I think you guys should find proper information from accounts online.

Also, if you're gonna argue: don't bring be albeist, racist etc etc. I'm capable of cussing you out without bringing up your mental health, race or identity :)))

[brahmasawakening]

So I made this sigil of sorts with the intention of using it for larger rituals in the future. I have made this one with the intention of grounding, protection, and abundance. Calling upon several deities such as Lakshmi, Ganesha, and Durga, as well as sacred phrases. All written down within Sanskrit. Finally using certain runes to seal the deal.

This was a lot different than my normal art styles. I’ve come to discover circles are very hard! And I was guesstimating with how to handle the pen, I did it all in a generic bic pen. I wanted to draw it out like a loose diagram. I like how it ended up turning out. I’m gonna make a new binder for things like this

[huis-one-man-show]

WIP#2, also known as "what-if-dick-gave-up-vigilantism-to-be-a-brother AU"

SO. Let me preface by saying, canon who? Canon is a tragedy and sibling relationships make me weep on a good day, so here I am with my wholesome/fluff/slice-of-life agenda and happy endings magic wand because holy shit, the Batfam is deficient in this area. I am also a sucker for magic, so there's going to be a magical touch to this series.

The heart of this series, the overarching theme, is relationships and hope and it starts with a primordial being, ■■ (that's what I've been calling her, yes it's ORV inspired), being brought into existence because the universe was lonely. My soul sister, let's call her A, once said to me:

“one thing I do think about (when it comes to the topic of hope) is how hope is often triggered in moments of isolation, hoping to one day not be so lonely or hoping to one day be heard, be seen, be understood – but I feel like hope is cultivated the most once within a collective, or within support, or community. Less seeking out hope but generally being more hopeful.”

I'll go into more detail about this particular line of lore eventually (let me know if you want to know more :O), but at the end of the day, ■■ was the first being to be worshipped as a symbol of hope, love and resilience. As civilisation advances, her origin is forgotten and she is reborn into various religions that all remember her differently – Guan Yin, Freyja, Durga, etc.

Dick comes from the last line of ■■ worshippers that remember what she represents (courtesy of his mother o7). As with any higher being (and being a fantasy/action sucker, sue me), per tradition the first born of each generation becomes her vessel and can wield ✨ magic ✨ ohohoho

How does this fit into everything else? Well, it's one of the deciding factors that makes Dick pick family over vigilantism.

I've kicked canon to the curb and squished down the age gaps of our lovely BatFam so that my timeline works out. Dick has 7 amazing years of being an only child before meeting Jason at the age of 14 (Jason is brought home at 12). About a year into staying with them, but prior to Ethiopia (I just shot canon point-blank in my backyard), Jason runs away from home which is the pivoting point for Dick to come to terms with what it means being Robin.

In Robin Wars, each of the Batboys were talking about what it meant to be Robin and Dick's answer, "Robin is Family" really did not help with my emotional investment into this AU. My selective reading took it, and ran away with it cackling. Along with the fact that Robin was a parent's nickname for their son, that he essentially became Robin in honour of his parents, it makes sense for Dick to prioritise his younger brother because family looks out for each other. To him, being Robin is about protecting your loved ones and showing up, and Jason needs that. It's not a hard decision to make at the end of the day.

And there you have it, the context for what birthed this entire mega AU.

It's a massive series I'm planning with three main parts and a shit ton of side adventures. The three main parts are broken up into the prologue (when it was just Alfred, Bruce and Dick), pre-canon (seeing how events change as Dick grows into being an older sibling, giving context for the main story) and the main story (the "current day" you could call it; it's a coming-of-age with heavy occultism and refusal of the call flavourings). I have also thought of what-if's for my what-if AU, I am too deep into this.

So far I've been writing the pre-canon chapters and finished writing some of the side adventures stories. I cannot stop coming up with new prompts for the series and I am just enjoying the writing process tbh haha

I think I've covered the major points of this AU. If you are curious and want to know more about this universe, feel free to ask, I am excited to share and to hear your thoughts! I am also open to prompts too B-)

p.s. I have cherry picked some events from the canon timeline to be a part of this universe. Characterisations are a mix of fanon and canon and whatever homebrew that's going on in my head 🤠✌🏼

(side note: recently I've been toeing the Teen Titan's line and I'm so screwed because their dynamics and friendship just resonates with the core AU theme help mE—)

[ducksido]

Just saw your Singaporean!yuu...I love it as I relate to it but.....Can we have an Indian!yuu

(My oc Akshara is an Indian fem yuu @twistedtalestory )

(such a cute oc)

Grim:

"WHY IS ALL YOUR FOOD SO SPICY?! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!"

Immediately regrets stealing their plate of biryani.

"You eat with your hands? Huh… kinda cool, actually."

Crowley:

"Ah, my dear prefect! With your country's rich history and diplomacy, perhaps you can help me manage this school?"

Tries to make them do more work. It doesn’t work.

Crewel:

"Your traditional clothing is so elegant. Sarees? Sherwanis? Aesthetic perfection."

Definitely forces them into a stylish Indo-Western fusion outfit.

Trein:

"A land with thousands of years of history? Finally, someone who understands the importance of the past!"

Wants them to do a lecture on epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Vargas:

"You do yoga? And wrestling?! Impressive."

Immediately makes them demonstrate Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation).

Sam:

“Spices? Rare spices?! My friend, you’re sitting on a gold mine!”

Immediately starts importing Indian masalas for his shop.

Heartslabyul

Riddle:

"You have so many rules in your culture, yet you only follow them when you feel like it?! Absurd!"

Shocked by how they respect traditions yet love to bend certain social norms.

Ace:

"Bro, you have like, so many festivals. How do y’all have the energy?"

Immediately attends Holi just to throw colors at Riddle.

Deuce:

“Your weddings last for days?! And have dancing battles?! That’s so cool!”

Accidentally challenges Yuu to a bhangra competition and loses.

Trey:

"Your sweets are made with ghee and milk? That sounds amazing."

Now addicted to gulab jamun and jalebi.

Cater:

"OMG, Bollywood dance moves?! Teach me now!"

*Doesn’t care if it’s classical or item-number style—he’s learning.

Savanaclaw

Leona:

"You have lions in the wild? Hah, good. Shows proper respect for nature."

Kinda impressed by India’s wildlife, but won’t admit it.

Ruggie:

"You eat spiced snacks? I gotta try this."

Learns about pani puri and is hooked.

Jack:

“You run across hot sand during temple rituals? That’s hardcore.”

Respects their endurance and discipline.

Octavinelle

Azul:

"So your country has a spice trade empire? How… lucrative."

Immediately starts a ‘Mostro Masala’ specialty menu.

Jade:

"You have deadly wild mushrooms in your forests? Intriguing."

Wants to compare them to his own fungi collection.

Floyd:

"So you insult people creatively in Hindi? Teach me!"

Now calls people ‘ullu ka pattha’ (son of an owl) just for fun.

Scarabia

Kalim:

"OMG, Diwali! Lights! Sweets! Fireworks! LET’S DO IT!!!"

Would 100% throw the biggest Diwali party NRC has ever seen.

Jamil:

"Your spice tolerance is concerning. Do you even taste food at this point?"

Secretly respects their ability to eat fiery curries without breaking a sweat.

Pomefiore

Vil:

"Your skincare routines are ancient and effective? I need to know more."

Immediately steals their turmeric face mask recipe.

Rook:

"Ah! Kathakali! Bharatanatyam! A country rich in theater and expression!"

Wants to learn their classical dance and storytelling traditions.

Epel:

"Wait… you have actual royal bloodlines in India still? That’s sick!"

Slightly jealous of their deep cultural history.

Ignihyde

Idia:

"You guys basically invented chess?! Respect."

Immediately challenges them to a game.

Ortho:

“India is leading in technology and AI! Your country is amazing!”

Excited to talk about science and innovation with them.

Diasomnia

Malleus:

"Your mythology includes gods destroying entire universes? I like this power level."

Wants to hear all about Shiva, Vishnu, and Durga.

Lilia:

“Indian classical music? A sitar? I must hear it.”

Plays it at full volume just to annoy Sebek.

Silver:

"Wait… you sleep through loud weddings? That’s impressive."

Respects their ability to ignore chaos.

Sebek:

"You respect elders and have strict traditions? Finally, someone who understands discipline!"

Instantly respects them for their cultural values.

RSA & Noble Bell

Neige:

“Your traditional clothing is so colorful and detailed! Can I try a sherwani?!”

Chenya:

“Your folk tales are wild—do you have more like the Panchatantra?”

Rollo:

"Your temples and historical sites are stunning… truly, a country that respects order."

Indian!Yuu Chaos

"NRC food is fine, but where’s the mirchi (chili)?"

"What do you mean you don’t celebrate a festival every week? That’s so sad."

"You call that spicy? Please, that’s baby food."

"This school needs better street food. Where’s the chaat stand?"

"NRC better pray they never anger a ghost—I've seen what happens."

Welcoming Indian!Yuu

First Impressions:

Mexican!Yuu: “You don’t flinch at spice? Finally, someone who understands me.” Brazilian!Yuu: “You like loud music, big celebrations, and good food? You’re gonna fit right in.” Aussie!Yuu: “Mate, I can tell you’ve got a competitive streak. Wanna bet on who can handle the most spice?” Sicilian!Yuu: “Strong family values, strong temper, and a lot of passion? We’re basically cousins.” Romanian!Yuu: “You also have deep, old folklore? Tell me everything.” Jamaican!Yuu: “I feel like you’re one of those people who could outdance everyone at a party.” Southern!Yuu: “Your hospitality is no joke. I feel like if I visit your home, I won’t leave without a feast.” Florida Man!Yuu: “Do you also have that one uncle who does illegal things but never gets caught?” Czech!Yuu: “You have superstition-based rules? I think we’ll have some fascinating talks.” Thai!Yuu: “I can already tell you have strong opinions about food and spice levels. Let’s discuss.” Vietnamese!Yuu: “You talk fast and make sharp comebacks? I like you already.” Pakistani!Yuu: “You understand the struggle of huge families, constant weddings, and nosy aunties. We have to talk.” Egyptian!Yuu: “You have some of the oldest myths and legends in the world. We should trade stories.” French!Yuu: “Your sweets are incredibly complex. I respect that.” Québécois!Yuu: “So, you know how to argue passionately about anything? We’re going to get along great.” Greek!Yuu: “You love mythology and philosophy? We’re gonna be best friends.” Irish!Yuu: “You have a huge drinking culture, but you don’t all drink? Interesting.” Scottish!Yuu: “I feel like you’re a ‘tell it like it is’ person. I respect that.” Italian!Yuu: “Food is serious business to you, huh? Good. I like people with standards.” Aboriginal!Yuu: “You have a culture that’s been around for thousands of years. That’s incredible.” Arab!Yuu: “You’re loud, passionate, and family-oriented? We are basically the same person.” Philippine!Yuu: “Wait, you also have huge extended families and crazy parties? We’re twins.” Myanmar!Yuu: “You also believe in karma and spiritual balance? We’re gonna vibe.” South Georgia!Yuu: “You mean to tell me you got spicier food than Cajun cooking? That’s impressive.” Singaporean!Yuu: “You know the struggle of aunties commenting on your life choices. We are comrades.”

How Indian!Yuu Fits In:

Instantly bonds with Pakistani!Yuu, Egyptian!Yuu, and Greek!Yuu over deep mythology and ancient civilizations.

Becomes besties with Mexican!Yuu, Thai!Yuu, and Vietnamese!Yuu. The spice squad is officially formed.

Brazilian!Yuu and Jamaican!Yuu drag them into every dance battle. Indian!Yuu doesn’t just hold their own—they dominate.

French!Yuu and Italian!Yuu are deeply impressed by their cuisine. “You mix so many spices, yet everything is perfectly balanced?”

Southern!Yuu and Sicilian!Yuu feel like Indian!Yuu’s hospitality is too powerful. “You made how much food just because I said I was a little hungry?!”

Florida Man!Yuu and Aussie!Yuu are dying to get them to break a rule. “You’re so responsible. Come on, just a little chaos?”

Québécois!Yuu, Irish!Yuu, and Scottish!Yuu challenge them to an argument. It lasts hours, and no one wins.

Czech!Yuu, Romanian!Yuu, and Myanmar!Yuu love their folklore and ghost stories. “Wait, your spirits also demand respect or they’ll ruin your life?”

Final Verdict:

Has the strongest spice tolerance. No one else comes close.

Speaks at least three languages. Can curse people out in multiple dialects.

Unintentionally becomes the ‘parent friend.’ Everyone comes to them for food, advice, and occasional emotional support.

Florida Man!Yuu is determined to unlock their chaos. It will take time… but it will happen.

One of the loudest Yuus. Whether they’re laughing, debating, or hyping people up, they bring energy.

Has an auntie network that knows everything. Nobody understands how they gather information so quickly.

[11queensupreme11]

After Percy fight with Loki, Shiva and his wives immediately take Percy back to their palace in Svarga and shower her with tons of affection. They also have lets just say plenty of sex with her, partly to make up for Percy not being around and to deal with the jealousy stirred by Loki’s actions. They also want to apologize to Percy in their own way for voting to destroy humanity. They try to show her how much they care and how deeply they regret their actions.

Unfortunately, one day, after they go out to hunt and kill Loki, Hera sneaks into the palace and uses her powers to erase Percy’s memories. She then takes him back to their home universe so she can complete the prophecy. What she forgets to account for, however, is that Percy is unknowingly pregnant and there are four extremely protective yanderes who love her that will literally destroy the world to get her back.

When Shiva and his wives return after failing to find and kill Loki, they immediately notice Percy is missing. They try using their divine senses to find her, but when they can’t, they begin to panic. They search everywhere across all the realms, but there’s no trace of her. Meanwhile, Poseidon, who has a platonic yandere love for Percy, also quickly notices his daughter is missing and begins to search for her. When he can’t find her, he blames Shiva, whom he’s always disliked, and he hates that his daughter is married to him. The two gods come to blows, and the battle between them threatens to destroy the world.

Thankfully, before the world is destroyed in the clash between the two supreme gods, Zeus, Hades, Rhea, and Shiva’s wives, along with their friends Indra and Rudra, manage to separate them. They remind both gods that they need to find Percy first.

Luckily for everyone, Platonic Yandere Beelzebub steps in. He admits that he placed a fly on Percy to keep an eye on her, and through that fly, he knows Percy is in another universe. Also using the fly like a camera, they can see Percy’s adventures in the Hoo and witness her bond with Anthonius. This drives Shiva and his wives absolutely crazy with jealousy. They all have one thought: Get Percy back, restore her memories, and kill Anthonius. However, they differ in how they think he should die. Shiva and Durga want to kill him slowly and painfully, while Kali and Parvati want him dead quickly so they can get Percy back faster.

The moment Shiva and his wives enter the Percy Jackson universe, its gonna take all of Percy’s uwu aura to prevent them from killing Anthonius and ruining the world.

wait wait wait, it'd be better if they were able to fly prior to percy regaining her memories cuz imagine finding your wife/sister-wife........ and she's completely forgotten about ALL of you 💀

she knows nothing aside from her name, probably not even her own GODLY PARENT, or the fact that she's actually greek and currently in enemy territory (the roman camp). shiva, durga, parvati, kali, and ganesha have no choice but to watch through the fly, unable to even speak to her or help her regain her memories -- they're just forced to WATCH 💔

AND THEN WHEN THEY FIND OUT THAT SHE'S IN THE MIDST OF THE GIGANTOMACHY??????

idk if you remember, but i made an earlier post about how canonically, the gigantomachy was an actual WAR in ror verse (as in, NOT a tournament) and ALL the gods regardless of the pantheon were involved. so even shiva, durga, parvati, kalim and ganesha got beef with gaea and the giants too!!!!!!!

AND OMG IF THEY HAD TO WATCH HER FALL IN TARTARUS!!!!! NOT ONLY THAT, WILLINGLY CHOOSING ANTHONIUS OVER SAVING THE WORLD ASHDVASUHGVC

[kaibutsushidousha]

Were the recent interludes any good?

Zenobia definitely needed her interlude since her debut event didn't flesh her out nearly enough, and the story understood decently well what her character was lacking. I feel like I didn't understand the idea of Zenobia before and I do know (or perhaps I understood before but just found it lazy and fetishistic before the idea was properly demonstrated). It's not a perfect interlude. The beginning and the end are a solo study on Zenobia's coping mechanisms while the middle is arguably irrelevant interactions with other Servants that fill like filler in a frustratingly Minase-like ways. At the very least, the self-defeating sexual humor that makes it hard to take Zenobia's concept at face value is kept to a minimum.

The Trung Sisters interlude is annoying for 90% of its runtime. It feels like a bad Spy X Family chapter featuring the yuri version of Yuri Briar. It was obvious from the story that it would end with Nhi realizing it's a misunderstanding and Trac is not actually in love with Douman, but it'd have been so funny if she actually was. That said Taisui is still FGO's cutest thing, and making the plot about him was enough to turn my least favorite into my favorite interlude of the batch.

Sugitani's interlude is weird in how it's not about Sugitani at all. Higashide just want to write a quick little thing about how the US's gun culture is craaaazy and used Sugitani for it. I don't think he'd have needed to change the plot if this was a Billy interlude instead. That said, the contents of the interlude are a hilarious caricature. Nothing more American than a public event where everyone takes their guns to the streets and shoots empty cars or something. I must say that "They lived their whole lives with the shared illusion that guns mean safety." is a line that goes hard.

Durga's interlude is really cute, but kinda overall the weakest of the bunch. I don't have much to say to this one.