#MAN tradition and culture is amazing

[astro-inthestars]

*spawns in your inbox* hello if you feel like it could you tell me tales and folklore and traditions from the philippines?

OOH OOH OOH i can do that for sure!! We've got some pretty funky tales around here! First thing that came to mind was the creepy monster folklore we have here though <333 One of the main things people might know about us!! (besides our amazing food <33)

Okay okay SO first up, over here there are things we call Aswang. It's basically like... a category almost, due to the amount of interpretations. It's the typical witch/ghost/demon around here! Sometimes it's seen as a beautiful woman, or a monstrous dog, or a elusive ghost with sharp nails and teeth!

Something that may or may not fall under this category, is one of my favorite folktale monster from over here: The Manananggal! Ohhhh this one is soooo messed up and I love it-

It's a creature that sometime appears like a normal woman, but transforms into a horrific creature, with huge bat wings, sharp teeth and nails, and a longgg tongue! Basically our equivalent of a vampire- BUT what makes this motherfucker special??? This bitch can DETACH its torso from its lower body, and flies into the night sky!! And it usually ain't pretty, with its stomach guts or bloody ripped torso flailing in the wind! Its main prey (or the target audience of this cautionary folktale) are pregnant women. Also!! Fun fact; its name, Manananggal, is from the root word "tangal" which means "remove" and with the prefix "ma" it makes the full word mean "remover" or "seperator," orrrr "one who seperates itself" quite literally in this case <3

Enough of the horrors though! Hmmm, let me tell you some traditions we have, though some may not be "official" traditions, and are just some habits we're taught throughout our life- So much so that I actually had a hard time trying to think of some 'traditions' due to thinking these are all normal... and not knowing if other countries actually did them so. . . aahaha- well anyway!

First most notable one is obviously our signs of respect, AKA the uses of the words 'po' and 'opo' and our (probably?) well-known sign of pagmamano! First of all, 'po' is a word used in sentences that indicate respect, like when you're talking to someone older than you, or someone with notable authority! Like "Excuse me po, can I use the restroom?" And with 'Opo,' it's just the "respectful" version of our "Yes" which is just 'Oo' (when you say "oo" to someone older than you or someone with authority, it's regarded as disrespect or that you treat this person casually or are very close and familiar) And pagmano? Well that's also a respectful gesture, like po and opo! But unlike the phrases, this one is a gesture, and is usually only used for older people! Usually elders, actually. The gesture is you taking the older person's hand and gentle placing their knuckles on your forehead, like this in the image!

And along with it you usually say "Mano po" or just any variation of a greeting!

Oh, here's something more "traditionally" a tradition,a nd one of my favorite ones... guess what??? Us Pinoys? We celebrate FOUR MONTHS of Christmas!!!! THAT'S RIGHT!! We celebrate that shit early <3 It's mostly because the Filipino are SUPER duper religious, but also... CHRISTMASSSSS!! We call them "Ber Months" because for us, as soon as September hits... well? That's already CHRISTMAS BABEY!! Christmas lights UP, trees READY, christmas songs BLASTING, parols SELLING- wait. hold on- DO YOU GUYS HAVE PAROLS???

I just looked it up and CHRISTMAS PAROLS ARE A UNIQUELY FILIPINO THING?? OKAY OKAY parols are basically christmas lanterns! THey're bright and colorful and AWESOME and stalls for them line the streets at Ber Months- HERE HERE LOOK!!!

These are what the big and bright ones look like!

And these are what the smaller and simpler ones look like! They're all made from bamboo sticks and japanese paper!! it's AWESOME!

Okay okay, this is probably wAyyYYY too long already but here's some honorable mentions: -Us Filipinos' daily meal ALWAYS include rice. Unless its snacks or dessert or appetizers, I guess- but every main meal, Breakfast, Lunch, and Supper, we have rice! We cook an "ulam" which is what is paired with the rice! It's like rice is the default, and whatever the food is will be eaten with the rice! Like, fried chicken is ulam! Then we eat it with rice! -We've got impeccable hospitality!!! Like, if ANY stranger comes into a Pinoy's home, they WILL offer to eat with them! No matter who! They'll always tell the guest "Kain po!" ("Come eat!") and usually the person would be modest and decline, but eat anyway! It's truly interesting how hardwired these things are... -Our modes of transportation are WAY different from American ones, I find!! Over here we've got Jeepneys, Tricycles, and Pedicabs! So i don't have to explain, here's what they look like:

Jeepneys, tricycles, and pedicabs respectively! Not much to say about the last two, but the jeepney seems REAL notable- They're from military jeeps, but longer and redesigned for transport. And yes, all jeeps have weird designs and briht colors, and most likely has anime on them. Don't ask, I don't know either. These are our main forms of transport over here!! But that doesn't mean we don't have the usual bus or taxi, of course! -Every region and town here has its own fiesta!! we've got SO many fiestas in this country!! and it all varies from region to region.. They usually span a week long or even a month!! Festivals here are typically held to honor patron saints or to display the region’s primary local harvest!

Well, anyway, that's all I've got a- ......what do you mean it's 1 am.

[wild-at-mind]

Not to speak for anyone but myself, but I wonder if other transmascs who dream of being femme guys one day feel a strong dept to the gay community for getting us here...like the kind of man I would want to be was embodied historically by femme gay men and bi men and people who would call themselves transfemme today (and maybe also did back then). I almost feel like they did the work and now I get to benefit from that, and I never want to forget that. But also, I don't think I would ever belong in that community, because my entire history dating men is as a woman and couldn't be straighter. My partner doesn't even really see himself as into men, and who even knows what our future holds when I start physical transition, though I'm trying not to think about that. I know that couples like us belong in the LGBTQ rainbow- I have read many accounts of couples who stayed together after a partner transitioned even if it went outside the sexuality of the other partner, because love is complicated and sometimes labels really don't matter. However I wouldn't like to insist we belong in the gay community. But then maybe it's like I'm putting myself in the position of one of those guys I used to read in the in print personel ads who would call themselves 'non-scene gay'. Even as a young teen who didn't know anything I got the implications of saying that. I don't want any part of that kind of attitude to the 'scene'.

[alpaca-clouds]

Some historical context for Olrox

Okay, let me prephase this with one important message: Castlevania Nocturne made me really happy by making the plot all about colonialism, as colonialism and its fallout and how it influences us to this day is a topic that I am very passionate about. We do not talk enough about it. The US does not talk enough about it because it could make white people feel uncomfortable. And here in Germany we do not talk about it, because we act as if this had nothing to do with us at all.

But the show talks about it and I love it.

And I honestly also gotta say that I love that the BI_PoC character have a concrete cultural heritage. Olrox is Aztec, Annette is Yoruba, and Drolta is Egyptian. Other shows: Please take notes!

But let's talk Olrox, because he is so fucking interesting and amazing!

We know about him that he is Aztec and also that he is 250 years old. Or roughly that old by the time he kills Julia. Which would put either his birth or his turning somewhere around 1530.

Now, the fall of the Aztec Empire has a very exact date: August 13th, 1521. But you should keep in mind that this does not mean that on that day the Aztec's are extinct. To this day there is still 1,5 million people speaking Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, and preserving some of the Aztec cultural traditions. It was just that on that day the empire construct fell to Cortez and the Spaniad conquistadors and a lot of Aztecs went into exile to flee the genocide that Cortez was bringing upon them.

The question of course is: Was Olrox still human at this time or was he already a vampire? From his dialogue it is clear that he was at least alive and grown enough to remember the fall of the empire and the distruction Cortez and his men brought upon them. But you can bet it was very traumatic.

I also am assuming he was turned by a white man. Because so far my assumption is that vampirism is an old world thing that got brought to the new world through colonialism. (Mostly because in Dracula's court we do not see any new world vampires.)

Now, the other interesting thing is what he says about his dead lover. The one Julia killed. So, first the "town in Massachusetts" he speaks about is clearly Stockbridge. Which was the town in which many Mohicans have settled during the colonial times, as well as other people from the Iroquois Nations. Now, it should be noted that the Mohicans were not part of the Iroquois alliance and in fact went to war with the Iroquois, but by the time colonialism really geared up there was some cooperation between the Mohicans and Iroquois.

Due to this they were in an alliance with the Oneida (who were part of the Iroquois) by the time of the Revolutionary war. Now, the Revolutionary War created a lot of conflict between the Iroquois nations, because they did not agree which side they should fight on. Of course both sides promised that they could keep their land, but the Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca did not trust the colonists and hence sided with the British, while the Oneida and Tuscarora (and through them also the Mohicans) sided with the Colonists.

And the dead lover clearly was among those siding with the colonists. Now, a quick refresher for the non-Americans (and the Americans who slept to history class, which is understandable). The Revolutionary War lasted from April 19, 1775 to September 3, 1783 (which, yes, also means that Julia and Richter probably were in the US during the war the entire time and the "evil" Julia was fighting probably was linked to it). And of course we all know how it ended for the Indigenous people: The colonists won, countless Indigenous folks died on both sides, only to get booted of their land soon after. The Oneida und Mohicans were made to move westwards not soon after the war ended. So, yes, Olrox would have seen that happen.

Now, an interesting thing in his dialogue was when Erzebet said: "We will create a new world." To which he replies: "I have heard that one before." And she says: "This time we are going to make it to last."

And the big question is to what this is refering. Is it refering to the colonialization or is it refering to the revolutionary war? Or something entirely different. In both cases it would be possible. And yes, the American Revolution definitely were claiming to create a new world. But was it that what he refered to or something else?

Well, never the less: Interesting character. Really good writing.

[cartierre]

ALWAYS FOREVER | mv1

SOCIAL MEDIA!AU max verstappen x fem!indian!reader

♡ liked by yourusername, danielricciardo, f1 and 649,405 others

tagged: yourusername

maxverstappen1 मैं करता हूं (i do)

view all 2,398 comments

yourusername मैं आपसे बहुत प्यार है (i love you so much) comment liked by maxverstappen1

user1 rue, when was this?

user2 did we just get harder than hard launched by max?

danielricciardo amazing wedding, so happy for both of you!

christianhorner it's wonderful seeing you grow up and being a husband now. you better treat her good! ⤷ user3 christian defending y/n is so adorable ⤷ user4 not only a second dad to max but apparently also to her hahahahahah

user5 i'm speechless. i- what even happened ⤷ user6 how did we all collectively just missed that max was dating (and is now married!) to someone????

♡ liked by maxverstappen1, christianhorner and 73,578 others

tagged: maxverstappen1

yourusername so many differences and yet here we are; mr. and mrs. verstappen

view all 628 comments

maxverstappen1 most beautiful woman, mrs. verstappen ⤷ yourusername well thank you very much, mr. verstappen

user7 not her changing her beautiful desi surname to some generic bitch ass white one ⤷ user8 she probably wanted it? that's her decision to make?

user9 they're so beautiful omfg

user10 i'm still in tears how max fully embraced her culture for their wedding like the OUTFITS he looks so good in traditional indian clothes

♡ liked by maxverstappen1, danielricciardo, schecoperez and 128,394 others

tagged: maxverstappen1

yourusername summer break/honeymoon in delhi

view all 749 comments

user11 i need more desi max content ⤷ user12 i didn't even know i needed it this bad

user13 why do i feel so proud seeing them together? i'm in tears they're so cute

user14 i've seen some paparazzi photos of them in delhi and lemme tell you max is literally GLOWING idk who y/n really is but she's doing him so good

user15 them spending their honeymoon in delhi feels so special to me as an indian fan of max. him learning and embracing our culture makes me just love him even more.

♡ liked by maxverstappen1, redbullracing and 87,392 others

yourusername zandvoort ✿

view all 532 comments

user16 omg is she going to attend the gp this weekend? ⤷ user17 probably ⤷ user18 this will be the first time we'll see her at a race! ⤷ user19 can't wait for her paddock fashion game ngl

redbullracing our good luck charm 💪🏼 comment liked by yourusername

♡ liked by maxverstappen1, redbullracing, f1 and 80,302 others

tagged: maxverstappen1

yourusername now that i've seen you win once in person, trust me: i won't be leaving you alone to any races from now on. i'm so proud of you, माय लव (my love)

view all 354 comments

maxverstappen1 ❤️❤️

user20 watch her post one of these every few weekends because max is unstoppable ⤷ user21 this man doesn't know how to loose ⤷ user22 he's not only winning at races but also at life i mean she's so cute

redbullracing our good luck charm seems to have proven their value ⤷ yourusername i'm happy to be of service

♡ liked by yourusername, danielricciardo, schecoperez and 362,940 others

tagged: yourusername

maxverstappen1 जन्मदिन की शुभकामनाएं ✨ (best wishes for your birthday)

view all 2,391 comments

user23 him learning hindi for her is the most adorable thing ⤷ user24 is she learning dutch for him tho? cuz i haven't seen her going around speaking in dutch ⤷ user25 girl- bffr

yourusername हमेशा के लिए हमेशा के लिए (always forever) ⤷ yourusername altijd voor altijd (always forever)

user26 HAHAHA Y/N POSTING HER COMMENT IN HINDI AND DUTCH HAS ME ON MY KNEES ⤷ user27 she really said 'enough of this shit talking' lmaoooo ⤷ user28 i love her for that

[gay-jesus-probably]

Seeing as the Gerudo turned on Ganon, he might not have been that much better of a ruler.

First of all, we literally have no idea, because the only ancient Gerudo that we actually get to interact with is Ganondorf himself, and he has nothing to say about his own people. The ancient Gerudo sage doesn't count btw, she doesn't have a name, we never even see her face, and she has literally nothing to say except repeating the exact same dialogue as the sages for the other races. The narrative does not treat the ancient sages as people; they are four completely interchangable weapons that are owned by the royal family.

And secondly, I don't care how Ganon ruled them; the Gerudo only get one man every century, if their king sucks, they've obviously got their own system of government to fall back on. I have no idea what kind of authority the sages had among their own people, but honestly I'd say if the four of them were in charge of their respective people, then they were just puppet rulers appointed by Rauru, given that all four of them happily agreed that to sell their entire race into servitude the second Zelda asked them. Say what you will about Ganondorf, but I fucking know that if he was told the Gerudo people existed for the sole purpose of serving the glory of Hyrule, he'd drop kick Zelda into the fucking sun.

And don't get me started on the implications of the cultural differences we see between the independent Gerudo and the annexed Gerudo. The background Gerudo characters all have their own models, and we can clearly see that the ones siding with Ganon have their own unique looks - for example, the amazing lady with the mohawk that summons the molduga swarm in that one flashback. And men are never mentioned in these flashbacks at all, which implies that the Gerudo genuinely didn't care about settling down. Ganon even speaks derisively about marriage, implying that it's very rare for Gerudo women to make serious romantic commitments with men. It implies that their culture is more along the same line as their portrayal in OOT - they are a closed culture. Men trying to force their way into their areas are arrested, and mocked for being entitled dumbasses. Outsiders are only welcome if they can prove that they respect the Gerudo as people, and aren't just there to try and pick up chicks. It's never outright said, but OOT also makes it pretty clear that the Gerudo women just aren't interested in marrying outsiders - close relationships occur with other Gerudo, Hylian men are only considered useful for making babies.

Meanwhile the Gerudo we see serving Hyrule are all trying to measure up to Hylian beauty standards, and appeal to their men. Their one goal in life is to meet a man and get married. Men are welcome in their lands, and only kept out of the town itself... and even then, there's a small army of guys trying to force their way into the town anyways, which is brushed off as just haha, boys will be boys. No men allowed isn't even about independence, it's just a silly romantic tradition.

Of course this is just a fictional culture in a game world, but it's still really fucking uncomfortable that the 'evil' Gerudo are the ones that have independence, both politically and socially, and display a unique culture that refuses to tolerate disrespect from outsiders. Meanwhile the 'good' Gerudo are the ones that canonically exist to serve a kingdom where 95% of the population is light skinned (even setting aside the unfortunate implications, just saying one race exists to serve a different one is super fucked up), they have classes on how to be more appealing to Hylian's, and their entire social structure is built around finding a Hylian man to marry, making them all inherently dependent on the goodwill of outsiders. Even their biggest value of 'women only' is treated as a joke; men trying to trespass in BOTW are just shoved back out the door, letting them keep trying all day if they want. The crowds of men plotting to force their way in are laughed off as a joke. Nobody cares that there's a guy running laps around their city walls and trying to trick women into being alone with him. I mean for fucks sake, in TOTK we find that the creepy guy trying to lure women away has taken advantage of a massive disaster to get into the town, and he's still there once things return to normal. You can't kick him out, or alert anyone to his presence. And the Gerudo just tolerate Hylians blatantly ignoring their boundaries. For fucks sake, TOTK even reveals that the seven legendary heroines they've been revering the whole time were actually completely useless and unable to achieve anything... because they needed the eighth hero, a Hylian man to teach them basic tactics and do all the heavy lifting.

TOTK does not respect the Gerudo people in the slightest. It doesn't respect anyone who isn't Hylian or Zonai.

...This got a little off track, but the point I'm trying to make is, no, I don't consider the Gerudo turning on Ganon to mean anything. The entire game does not feel like the real story of what happened, it feels like the propaganda version of history meant to make Hyrule look as good as possible. I genuinely cannot believe that we're being told the real story about the Imprisoning War, because none of it feels real, and we don't get to know any details that might have made Hyrule look even slightly imperfect. We're told that Ganondorf is evil because he hates Hyrule, and he hates Hyrule because he's evil. The Gerudo people followed Ganondorf and saw him as a hero of their people, then suddenly he was their worst enemy. Hyrule is a perfect kingdom that has strong, equal alliances with the other races, but also all of the non-Hylian races exist for the sole purpose of serving Hyrule, and their leaders are expected to swear eternal loyalty and submission to the Hylian royal family. King Rauru and Queen Sonia united all of the races in peace and equality, which is why they're sitting on the world's supply of magical nuclear missiles, and every member of the Hylian royal family is allowed to walk around wearing them as cute accessories, but everyone else only gets them at the last second, and they all need to outright swear to only use that power to benefit Rauru and his descendants.

There's just so many fucked up contradictions, and so many hints of something more nuanced going on... but the story refuses to acknowledge any of it, and just keeps aggressively pushing the narrative that Hyrule is the ultimate good and couldn't possibly do anything wrong. I don't even believe that Ganon was a bad king honestly; we never hear why his people stopped following him. We also never even see if the Gerudo people turned on him at all; all we know is the ancient Gerudo sage wanted him dead, and given that she also happily sold her people into slavery, she's not exactly the most trustworthy source of information. All we know is that Ganondorf was a hero to his people, only one of his citizens is ever shown having an issue with him (and her motives are never explained), and then he lost the war and was sealed away, leaving his people open to be conquered by Zelda and annexed into Hyrule. By the time we see any Gerudo actually opposing Ganon (apart from the ancient sage), it's been ten thousand years since the war, and all anyone knows is the Hylian version of the story.

[belit0]

Hello!!!☺️ What if the Uchihas Indra, Madara, Izuna, Itachi, Sasuke. (You don't have to do obito and shisui if you want cause I feel like I added a lot of Uchihas😭) Have a S/O that comes from a famous clan in the hidden leaf, in konoha, where woman from that clan dress in fancy kiminos and wear the traditional white face makeup, to cover their face, because in the clan, woman are not allowed to show any man their face expect men from their family, like their fathers, brothers, cousins, uncle's etc, but they're not even allowed to show their face to men from their clan. So what if their S/O took their makeup off in front of them, how would they react seeing their S/O face for the first time?

Yeah, I did not include Shisui and Obito, too many boys🤣💕🛐

Indra

- In truth, he finds it essential to see her without makeup. Indra, as I always say, prioritizes beauty. He needs his person to be at the height of his looks to ensure his offspring will be as beautiful as he is. Terrified to see her washing her face, scared internally of what might be underneath, yet amazed at the result. His soul returns to his body when he understands (Y/N) is genuinely gorgeous, even more so than he is, and becomes quietly at ease with the thought of generating precious children.

Madara

- Bring it on. Madara, honestly, doesn't care. He fell in love with her because of her personality, the fierceness of her character, the sincerity of her actions, and the delicacy of her words, he doesn't care what lies beneath the makeup she wears. He respects the time he has to wait to see it, and if he never gets to appreciate her features in clean, he won't mind. The Uchiha is happy with the person he has next to him, and when he finally sees her, he can't help but kiss her whole face, filling her with love and thanking her for the privilege he was granted.

Izuna

- SLAAAY, again. Izuna himself is versed in the visual arts, knows every secret of makeup and its techniques, and having (Y/N) follow those mandates provides him with the opportunity to learn about a different culture, and to meet another clan's beliefs. He wants to hear about the process, how she gets such impeccable results, and when she finally reveals her washed face in front of him, Izuna will cry with emotion, yes, CRY.

Itachi

- Patience personified, Itachi doesn't even count on the possibility of ever seeing her without her trademark makeup. Something similar to Madara, this Uchiha prioritizes the beauty of her personality, the quality of her person, he doesn't care about her physique and has no objections about never seeing her with her face washed. He understands the culture of her clan, and would never demand for her to disrespect her own customs, which is why he is genuinely surprised on seeing her with nothing on her face. He hugs her tightly, and stares at her for a good few minutes before reacting.

Sasuke

- He's a little annoyed at not being able to see her with nothing on her face, and believes that if she chose him as her boyfriend, he would have to have special permissions in order to appreciate her as he wishes. He will question it a lot, and will be invited on countless occasions to withdraw if he can't wait for the right moment. Incredibly, Sasuke will pull patience from where he has none to wait, and upon finally seeing the revelation, he will smile self-sufficiently, as if he already knew what was underneath the makeup.

[gabrielsbubblegumbitch]

I can get over Twitter losing their shit because Vivzie said that VoxVal aren't dating. Like... Yeah? Maybe they are not and what about that? Like the unlabeled relationships weren't an important part of queer culture.

I don't date this woman I love dearly and she checks on me daily and I spend hours at her flat and she cooks me dinners and her pets treat me like their auntie. I wasn't dating that guy that I slept with twice a week and always had the most amazing emotional or intellectual talk afterward. Nor the person I've been friends with for years, with whom I sometimes make out when we feel like that. Nor the man who was my submissive for months, trusted me deeply with his feelings, money, and well-being.

Not dating means actually very little outside of the traditional, heteronormative definition of relationship.

[kidsinsaturn]

Can I plz rq hcs for being married to both shisui and Madara? Like how would they be with their s/o, domestic vibes, etc?

uchiha bride

[🗼] yesss I love this idea!! I've been in the madara feelings lately hahah I wanted to post this yesterday but I ate way too many tamales I felt sick

characters: shisui uchiha; madara uchiha

genre: sfw

warnings: gn!reader; possessiveness; mentions of discrimination ?; mention of manipulation; stalking; obsessive traits

..

..

..

..

-shisui husband of the year!! hellooo, this uchiha is just so sweet and mindful of you all the time

-your wedding was probably very traditional although very small. both shisui and you didn't want a lot of people there. he is a very private man after all

-if you are not uchiha, you must learn all to their customs and their culture, im sorry. shisui may disagree with some of his clan's ideals, but he still finds some of them very important and he loves them

-but of course he will also be very very open to learning more about your clan's traditions and if your clan has something special (like a kenkkei genkai or a physical feature), he wants to learn all the history behind it

-as we all know, the uchiha can be a bit hostile to foreigners, so if you were of another clan or even another village, shisui can even feel a bit pitiful that you have to go through all of this because of his dumb clan

-he assures you all the time that you are the perfect person for him, regardless of the loud, rude words that you can hear on your way to his house. which may lead to shisui and you moving to a house a bit secluded from the others, but still in the compound

-yeah im sorry but I sincerely do not see shisui dropping his duties as an uchiha and as a villager of konoha just for you. yes he loves you tons, but he always manages to divide equally his commitments. he will stay in the compound because he is an uchiha and has his own obligations in the clan

-even though it was a bit hard at the beginning because you were expecting different, shisui will not treat you any different. as a boyfriend, he was the best the version of himself, and now as a husband, he still is the best version of himself. he believes he shouldn't treat his spouse worse or better just because they are married. he always gave his 200% ok

-very domestic husband although he is out for work a lot. there are times he feels guilty for leaving you alone too much, but he is a provider okayyy he needs to work hard enough so you have everything

-which is why he will try to convince you to stay home if you are a shinobi. if he succeeds, he is deeply happy and relieved that you are safe now. but if you decide to keep your job as a ninja, he just lectures you to always be cautious and blah blah blah he is just worried okay? he doesn't want to lose his boo

-shisui will come with you to the gates of the village to bid you farewell with the longest, knee-dropping kiss. you only wish to end the mission soon so you can come back to have another one of his amazing kisses

-on canon universe, you only knew half of what was happening with the village and the clan. but on his final day, he made time to tell you everything, and just love you one last time oh no im not ok

-other uchiha and of course other villagers would respect you a lot of course. you are the spouse of sunshin no shisui hellooo. people will know of you immediately since shisui was quite the popular in the village. and ohh!! I am convinced many girls would be jealous of you because you took shisui first aughhh I wanna elaborate on this idea more haha

-madara is the most sensible and sentimental uchiha out there istg. he does not fall in love, and if he does, then i'ts over for the person, either they die or they both get married

-no but seriously, I don't want to get too much into this, but I deeply believe canon madara would not really get married because he is way too traumatized and obsessed with peace and war and dreams. so let's pretend this is another kind of au where madara is kind of normal and sane

-as much as you both wanted a small, quiet wedding, you just couldn't get it. madara is the clan leader and let's not forget he has the most booming, extrovert, and simple-minded best friends so of course it couldn't be a simple wedding

-hashirama wanted your wedding to be very special, and even though it was a bit too extravagant for your first ideas, it ended up being very cute and nice. madara is deeply in love with you, and from now on, you become his

-not that wasn't like that before. you were his everything the moment he realized his wanted you, and you were his from that second too. it's just that now he can say it out and wouldn't be called weird haha silly guy

-you gained the title of madara's spouse and by no means is that to take unseriously. all the uchiha clansmen respect you, at least in front of you. if you were from a different clan, you are to be judged there sorry. at least they are not dumb and do not say it out loud, but there are still whispers and well-masked judgmental faces every time you walked through the compound

-madara decides it is best for you two to live in the compound, and you can't really complain since he is clan head. however madara makes sure you are satisfied every day. always obtaining what you want thanks to the servants madara assigned you. and of course when he is home with you, he is very attentive to you

-you are never alone. if you're in your house and if madara is not there, there is always someone there with you, either the housekeeper or your servant. if you are out, there is someone there following your every step. when you realize this, you get mad at madara. he promises he will stop though he only reprimands the shinobi for being too noticeable and replaces him

-you get to know two faces of Madera. the one he shows everyone else, and the one he is with you. at first you are a bit taken aback by his sudden changes of demeanor and personality. he is firm, dominant, and stoic in front of others, even of his clansmen. his essence is dominant. but with you? he still is but a lot less lol

-he just can't help it at first, he says some things so bluntly that they even hurt. but he learns that you are no enemy, that you are his temple, he shouldn't be harsh to you. he ends up being very soft, you become his weakness, if you say something, he complies

-BUT the only thing he can't get rid of is his possessiveness, you are his, why do you need to go with someone else? you have him, is he not enough? do you want him to make some shadow clones so he is always your first choice? madara doesn't like seeing you with a lot of people; he has a mental list of the only people he is okay with, please respect his list

-he always needs to know what you do, where you will be going and what you will do. if you don't dare to spare any details, he will find out himself, though he will be hurt and disappointed

-and lets be reals guys... madara will at some point, manipulate you. either he doesn't like something you're doing or someone you are seeing, he will be very subtle with his words and just guide you toward a decision he wants you to make. he isn't stupid and tells you right there, no. he wants you to feel some sense of control of your actions when in reality, he is in charge of them

-he is a great husband though lol a bit insane but he deeply deeply loves you. he fears somethings happens to you and that's why he wants to control your life

[sofasoap]

Love at first sight - what if?

Pairing: Rodolfo “Rudy” Parra x F!reader ( aka Mini MacTavish)

Summary: AU to my Love at first sight series.

What if Mini was the one that fell for Rudy first?

Prompt :

- You are stunning

- Look at what you do to me

- You know I want you

- Did I do this

Warning: E Rating. Smutty smut. Alcohol usage. unprotected sex ( wrap it up people and use all sorts of protection!) p in v sex.

A/N: LET'S GO RUDY FEST! Thank you @glitterypirateduck the wonderful CoD fanfic and fanart curator for organising another festival :D you are awesome.

Thanks to my midnight crew @siilvan and @jynxmirage for putting up with my constant complain of brain cells burnt out. :)

Rudy masterlist

Masterlist

A voice in your brain begrudgingly admitted the cliché of time stops when you met his beautiful brown eyes the moment you stepped off the helicopter.

“Sergent Major Rodolfo Parra. Welcome to Las Almas.”

Your heart may or may not flutter a bit when he quietly introduces himself with his soft tenor voice. 

You soon knew why he was a second in command and trusted by Colonel Alejandro Vargas and the Los Vaqueros. This is a man who exudes calmness and composure. And  after witnessing him on the battlefield? Precision, efficiency, bravery and most important thing of all, compassion.  It just makes you admire him even more.

You bury that admiration inside your heart. Happy just to keep the relationship professional. Besides, from all the gossip and talks, he doesn’t seem to be lacking in admirers around the base, nor be interested in relationships. You are only here for the short term. Better not get yourself too deep into it.Last thing you want is leaving with a broken heart. Why would he be interested in a little medic like you anyway? 

“Ah Doc, my second in command has something to ask you. Don’t you Rudy?” 

Everyone else sees it differently otherwise. Your brother gives you the quizzical look every time you start to ramble on about the Sergeant major, Gaz’s subtle jab about how you couldn’t take your eyes off him, Ghost staring at you (you could almost see that little bit of frown between his brows), and Price mumbles on how the two of you should just get your eyes checked. 

Alejandro suddenly called out to you one morning when you were dropping off some medical files into his office.  The colonel, not being subtle at all, pushes the sergeant major towards you, trying to get his hermano to ask you out on a date. 

“Only.. only if you want to. I just thought I want to show you the local festival and culture…” Rudy hesitated as he shuffled on his feet, his usual confidence all but disappeared. 

Well now here you are, at his family home, his sister Camila and mother ( with his mother half sobbing and mumbling what seems to be word of holy praises ) eagerly pushing you into the bedroom, getting you all dolled up with the traditional garments. 

You can see his jaw drop slightly as you step out of the room, and twirl around to show off your skirt. 

“Like it??” You asked as you flash him a shy smile. You absolutely love the dress. You were also amazed how well it fitted you.  “Someone may or may not let out what size dress you wear and told my brother…” Camila winked at you, letting out a bit of a secret. 

“Or not wearing?” You winked at him, His cheek instantly darkens. You just can’t help but tease him a little as you feel a bit brave ( or maybe it’s that two liqueur shots your fellow medics made you scull down before you came did the trick), and it’s fun to see his calm façade crumble. 

A soft smile appeared on his face after he blinked his eyes a few times, snapping himself out of a daze ,“You look stunning, Whatever you wear.” Oh, he is a sweet talker. You like that.

“Oh can’t forget this!” Camila rushed out from the room, placing the flower crown on your head. Rudy gently holds it in place as his sister clips it on with hair clips. After giving everything a final check, one of his hands slides down and ghosts your cheek before grasping your hand.

“Ready to go?”

Oh dear, you can already feel your body burning up, and you are pretty sure it's not from the alcohol.

It has been a fun night, the music, the drinking and the dancing. 

Oh the dancing. The want and lust that he had carefully hidden slowly slips out as the night progresses. How he caresses your knuckles with his thumb, the hand always on the small of your back, guiding you away from the rowdy crowds. How you shiver when his lip brushes your ear as he whispers into your ear when the music gets too loud. Feeling the heat emitting through layers of clothing when his body presses against your during the dance, how he fails to disguise the sharp inhale of air when you slide your hand around his waist, hooking your thumbs between the gap of his pants. 

You can’t hold onto the urge anymore. Your glossy eyes peer into his darken orbs, wanting the affirmation that it isn’t not just you who wants something more. More than just shy touches and polite words. His eyes flicker towards your lips and lower briefly, before meeting your eyes again, nodding slightly, Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. 

And that is all the confirmation you need. 

Half dragging Rudy across the festival ground, around the back of the building and the little green area beside it, your body is burning with uncontrollable lust and fire. 

Once you make sure you are hidden away from prying eyes, you pull him down for a deep kiss. He responded immediately with one hand cupping your face and the other gently but firmly holding onto the back of your head. 

Two of you only parted when you pulled back slightly, gasping for air. He leaned forward slightly, chasing for a few more kisses before resting his forehead against yours. 

It’s all getting too much. You want him. Right there, right now.

Hitching your skirt up as you lift your right leg up, you hook it around his waist. “Look at what you do to me…” you whispered into his ear, grabbing his hand, guiding it towards your wet underwear.. “I want you Rudy. here. now. “

“He…here???”  he stuttered slightly, not expecting you to be this bold. He looked around, checking the surroundings again. The two of you are still close to the festival ground, but private enough that you are sure no one will be coming towards this side nor hear you both over the loud music. 

“No one is going to come this way.” You reassure him as you bring your hands up , looping it around his neck, grinding against his slowly aroused cock. You can feel his body shivering as you gently nipping his ear lobe.

 “Make me feel good Rudy. Please.” you cooed.  

How could he deny a request from you? Especially with those pleading watery eyes, voice full of need and lust. 

He only realised how enamoured with you when he saw you stepping out of the room in the traditional garb, the woman of his dream, he thought. The moment he realises his little hidden crush on you is now a full blown desire. 

Looking into your eyes again, “Are you sure this is what you want?” he asked again in a husky voice, giving you a chance to back out. 

You gasped as he sank his fingers deeper into you, curling it up slightly. Your head rolls back, leaning into the tree as you let out a satisfying moan. He leans down, licks a stripe up the valley of your breasts, up your neck, until he reaches your chin. He peppered kisses on your cheek as he sped up his ministration, muttering praises as he grabbed hold of your waist tight, knowing your orgasm is going to hit soon.

“You know I want you. And you want me too, right?” You move your hip slightly, hoping to get a bit of friction with his hand that is still cupping your sex.  That gave him the last bit of reassurance as he pushed the fabric to the side to play with your clit, eliciting a loud moan from you.

How wonderful those thick fingers of his feel on you. You have always wondered what his fingers will feel like when you sit quietly in the corner in the mess hall after dinners, him playing the guitar with his deft fingers while the soldiers around him sing the stress away, celebrating living on for another day, as the fight with the cartel and corruption continues.  

“Cariño.” 

Your hazy eyes open up, mouth slightly agape, everything seems so muffle, so hot, so … good. 

“Look at you, so beautiful. Such an angel.” he whispered in a husky tone.  “Look at me, I want you to look at my eyes when you come.” he commanded as your eyes drifted close again, feeling that coil about to snap at any time. 

“Don’t hold back, just let it out…come for me mi vida… ” with those words, your orgasm hits you with a full force. You are sure if it’s not for the loud music, everyone in the festival ground would probably have heard you. But you couldn’t care less at this point as he slows down his finger thrusting, letting you ride out the rest of your bless high.

Your head fell forward into his shoulder, panting away as you tried to reorientated yourself as  he slowly pulled his fingers out, gliding it up towards your clit, making you tremble with overstimulation. Gently letting your leg down, making sure you are steady before he pulls you in for a tight embrace, you can feel his now fully erected cock straining against his pants. 

Pushing yourself off from him, you reach down towards his pants, carefully unbuckling his belt with your trembling hands. He let out a shuddered breath as you tug his trousers and underwear down, exposing his beautiful girth. 

“Did I do this? Did I make you hard Rudy?” you murmured as you slide your hand up and down the length, Rudy couldn’t hold back an unrestrained groan.  

“I want you inside me.. And make me come with your cock..please make me come again, please.”  You pleaded as you speed up the pumping, clenching your thigh with the need rising again, ready to take him in. 

Slowly but surely he pumps his delicious length in and out of you, each thrust and praise of words elicits more whimpers and moans out of your mouth, begging him to push you over the edge again.

Rudy grabbed your wrist to stop the ministration, and pushed you back gently until your back was against a tree, and leaned down to capture your mouth with his. Teasing your lip apart with his tongue, he hitches your skirt up and moves it to the side, hand finding your sex again. Taking his cock into his hand, he lowered himself slightly to aim his cock towards your slit, teasing it a little with the head before slowly pushing it in.

Both of you let out a contented sigh as the finally seated in you. It feels so good, so fulfilling with him stretching you nicely with his wide girth. You wouldn’t mind if he is buried inside you forever. 

He lifts your leg up and shifts your body slightly to get a better angle, thrusting even impossibly deeper than you imagined. You grabbed onto his shoulder tight, as you felt the familiar sensation building up again. With a few final hard thrust, you screamed out loud as you came for the second time,  he followed not long after with a loud moan as your pussy spasming around his cock, filling you up with his hot cum. He buried his face into the crook of your neck as both of you slowly rode out the rest of your orgasm. 

The two of you stayed in that position for a little while, eyes closed, with only the sounds of shuddering breathing from your post-orgasm highs heard between the two of you." You bite your lip, barely containing the sound of whimper as he pulls out from you, secretly wanting him to stay in there for a bit longer. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped you over and himself as well, before smoothing down your wrinkle top and skirt. You did the same for him as you buckled his belt back on, straightening his shirt. 

He leans into your forehead as you reach up and run your hand to smooth out his now sweat drenched hair, both of you burst out laughing. 

“ We look like we've been running a marathon. Or being chased by a group of bandits.” you quipped. 

“But it was a very good marathon.” he puffed out. Holding your face and kissing you gently on the lip, he murmured, “I would do it again any day.”

“Against a tree??” you giggled. 

“Preferably in bed next time” he chuckled. “Or anytime. Only if.. if you want.” his voice drops down to a whisper, suddenly all shy.

“I would never say no to that, Rudy.” you reassure him as you pull him in for another kiss. 

“Finally.”

“About time.”

“Sick of the two of you dancing around each other.”

“Good job Sergeant major and doc! Wohooooo” 

“Don’t too loud at night, you two.”

“What the..” “ YOU GUYS!!!!” 

tag list:

@jynxmirage, @siilvan,@glitterypirateduck, @homicidal-slvt,@sprout-fics,@cumikering,@preciouslittlecreature,@crazymela

@iwannabeinthesequalmrghostface

@liyanahelena, @abbeyrjm-blog,@alypink,@devcica,@nrdmssgs

@okayyadriana, @caramlizedtomatoes, @random-thot-generator, @random0lover

@nightingal3-tales, @deakyspuff,

@deadbranch, @roosterr, @gamergirlbones, @b1rds3ye, @writeforfandoms @a-small-writer-in-a-big-world,

[sweetiecutie]

141 x Eastern European reader relationships hc’s

Warnings: some cussing, stereotypical behavior, pretty much safe, not meant for russians - just scroll past

A/n: I was heavily inspired by this post by amazing @kivino, absolutely go and check it out!!

Pretty much all of 141 were in Eastern Europe with missions - Ghost and Price were with missions in Ukraine, Soap, Gaz and Price were to russia.

All of them worked with Eastern Europeans, so boys are generally acquainted with Slav traditions and superstitions - not to whistle within a building, for example, or not to pass things through the threshold. But working with Eastern European for a few weeks and having a romantic relationship with one - completely different things.

So here are some headcanons of how Task Force 141 deals with their Slavic lover<3

Simon “Ghost” Riley

Starting off - Simon loves your culture. He finds many national quirks amusing; his favorite one tho, is how boisterous and bossy Eastern European women are. Usually people tend to be scared of him due to his intimidating stance and quiet behavior. But these ladies who are barely over 160 cm? They can beat the living shit out of him with a single slipper, and he both respects and slightly fears them for it.

For some strange reason Ghost can’t learn a word you teach him, but all the swearings that accidentally slip off your tongue throughout the day? Ghost knows all of them by heart. And he can’t hide a small smile of amusement whenever he hears you cussing angrily over spilled tea or shattered mug. And his favorites so far are ‘kurwa’ and ‘blyat’

Simon is a huge fan of your country’s cuisine! He’s a big man, so he requires proper nutrition. And all the delicious meals your mom cooks? He’s nomming everything to the last crumb! Simon is especially fascinated with a godly meal called “shashlik” - he is definitely a meat eater, Riley loves him a juicy steak freshly off the fire. And eating a meal that consists purely out of roasted meat - a paradise for him.

Captain John Price

Now, this man is most acquainted with all Slavic traditions of all 141 since he works closely with Nikolai, so throwing him off wouldn’t be that easy. But still, having an Eastern European partner does give him some unexpected experiences. For example, John is really surprised by how easily and lightheartedly you and your family joke about dark topics as death, physical traumas or alcoholism. And while everyone is rolling with laughter Price is like “What the fuck is wrong with you guys🧍🏻‍♂️”

If some of your relatives happened to speak English, John will do his absolute best to speak slowly and reduce his accent to minimum, so that they can understand him better. I think it’s just so sweet of him 🥺

What never fails to impress Price is that how much Eastern Europeans care about their appearance. In UK people don’t bother much about their looks, preferring clothes that are comfortable rather than fashionable. And seeing all these people on the streets wearing luxury brand stuff, women with full on glam makeup, their hair made elegantly - it makes him wonder just how much time and effort these people put into their looks. (He soon learn just how expensive and tedious that is once you two start dating)

Kyle “Gaz” Garrick

I’m pretty sure many Eastern European countries have this magnificent dish - meat jelly. Looks and sounds terrifying, true cultural shock for Kyle’s poor British soul. Or soup called Okroshka - even tho I grew up eating it, I still question its existence, no wonders Kyle gets absolutely weirded out by it.

Many Eastern Europeans, especially in small towns and villages, are very unfamiliar with people of color. It’s not because they mean ill, no, but simply because it’s very rare to see foreigners in such places. So, when Kyle came over to your home for the first time, all neighborhood was quite literally gawking at him. And Garrick, being more closed-off and shy person, was really unnerved by it. What especially set him off was when some random grandmas on the streets asked him “Whose are you?”😭

Oh and he loves, loves, loves when you spill the tea about your family members, sometimes even in front of this exact person bc they can’t speak any English. Sounds mean to do so, but Kyle is very eager to hear about all the drama, glancing discreetly at relative in question. Everyone thinks it’s so cute, watching you two cooing at each other in soft voices in a faraway corner, but in reality you two are just talking shit about everyone in the room😂

John “Soap” MacTavish

What Johnny likes the most about Eastern Europeans is just how generous they are, how they treat all guests with such kindness and hospitality. Usually, when Scottish/British/Irish person invites you for some tea - you do have tea and some sweets. In Eastern Europe though, if you are invited for some tea, you will be having a three meal course of delicious national dishes with incredibly tasty bakery for a dessert, and, of course, tea as promised. And afterwards they will also give you some food in a plastic container so you can take it home. Johnny was genuinely surprised by such warm treatment.

He remembers a lot of random words you say: names of different objects and foods or whole sentences like “turn on the lights” etc in your mother tongue. Johnny likes listening to you talking on the phone with your relatives, his ears perk up slightly whenever he catches a familiar word. But can he actually spell or write these words down? Not really. And if your language uses Cyrillic alphabet? Absolutely no. (This thought came to me based off @kivino’s hc’s)

When Johnny visited your home for the first time, he was actually surprised to see this stereotypical picture: a bratz doll gf and her shreck bf. He was also surprised by how unattractive most Eastern European men are, especially those in their 40s.

Likes, reblogs and comments are highly appreciated! Feedback is very important for writers, give us some love and appreciation<3

[melliejellybellybean]

It's a Tradition, Right?

Wrecker/Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.5k

Warnings: none really? does accidentally written miscommunication need a warning???

Food is the way to a man like Wrecker's heart. When his favorite Pabu resident surprises him with his favorite snack after a mission, he just can't help but confess to her. But is it really the picture perfect confession he imagined?

I am back! Once again participating in an amazing @cloneficgiftexchange organized by @ghostofskywalker.

This particular fic is written for @hunterscyarika with the prompts, "I'm falling in love with you" and "You're always on my mind." I really hope you love it! Wrecker was, surprisingly, the hardest clone I've written for so far, and I really hope I did him justice. Without further ado, I present to you: Wrecker's Guide on How to NOT Confess to Someone.

Well, if you squint your eyes and tilt your head, maybe it does look like the holo Omega showed you. The colors are a little off, and you lost count when you were measuring out the sugar, but that’s not what really matters. As long as it tastes like Omega and Wrecker’s beloved mantell mix. As long as you get to see one of Wrecker’s brilliant smiles when he tries it. 

Pabu was one of the most special places in the galaxy. A  paradise comprised of so many people from so many systems and cultures coming together in a perfect blend of peace and harmony. Even when tragedy strikes, like the sea surge a year ago, it provides an opportunity for the community to grow closer as a unit. It also provided you with an opportunity to meet the group of clones that called themselves the Bad Batch. 

You volunteered to help distribute blankets and other emergency supplies immediately following the surge, and your curiosity about the newcomers led you to approach the two little girls and one much larger man who fell asleep against the trunk of a large tree. You first placed a blanket around the two girls, then turned to the man and stopped short. He was gorgeous. Everything about his physique showcased the dangerous weapon that he was designed to be, but the way he laid there, entirely open and vulnerable, made you think there was so much more below the surface for him. He must’ve sensed your stare because he shifted and opened his eyes a bit, startling you out of your trance. You quickly tossed two blankets on him, only hesitating once before tossing one more for good measure and hastily walked off to hand out more blankets. 

You were perfectly content to leave your interactions with the clone and his sister at that, with you hopelessly pining from a distance while he was blissfully unaware of your existence. That plan lasted for about 12 hours, when the very next morning, the two clones waltzed right back into your life to help you distribute supplies. The girl cheerfully introduced herself as Omega and her brother as Wrecker while he effortlessly swooped up the box of rations that you had been struggling with just a minute before. The pair bonded quickly with you, and before long you found yourself thinking of them as your closest friends on Pabu. 

The time you spent with Wrecker did nothing to help your crush on him, and the time you spent apart helped even less. So, while the Batch was out with Phee on another adventure of liberating ancient wonders, you were stuck replaying your last interaction with Omega and Wrecker in your head. 

“It was a tradition on Ord Mantell.” Omega explained, “After every mission, we’d head straight to the mantell mix stand.” 

“I would do anything to have one last carton.” Wrecker reminisced. 

The spark in his eye was the thing that stuck with you the most. You wanted to see him with that look of pure adoration and happiness again. That desire led you to manically interview anyone you possibly could on Pabu for information about this mantell mix. None of Pabu’s current residents had come from Ord Mantell, and those that had visited it at one time or another were equally unhelpful. Eventually, you grew desperate enough to comm Echo, and after he scolded you for using his hyper encrypted comm channel for something as low priority as a mantell mix recipe, he was able to provide a really good description of the snack. Echo had been to many systems and planets during his time in the 501st, so eventually he was able to relate mantell mix to another type of sweet popped corn that you had eaten. 

Once you knew the basic principle of mantell mix, you were able to find ingredients and start attempting to recreate it easily enough. It took an embarrassing amount of batches to have a product that you were semi-happy with, and even now if you had more time, you would likely try it again. But Omega had commed you earlier that day to tell you that they would be arriving back to Pabu in a few hours, so this batch was as best as it would get. The corn wasn’t completely or evenly covered by the syrup, and the slightly grainy texture of the syrup made you think that you may have added too much sugar after you lost count, but a glance at your chrono let you know that you were running out of time. You hurriedly scooped some mantell mix into little cartons that looked somewhat similar to the ones in the holo, it had taken you an entire day to hunt those down, and set off to the top of Pabu’s mountain to wait for their ship to touch down. 

Pabu was a small island, and word must have caught that the Batch and Phee would be arriving today because there was already a small crowd forming when you got to the top of the mountain. Excited children were accompanied by their curious parents waited to hear the stories of this latest adventure, while young scholars and old historians gathered to see what ancient treasure Phee had tracked down this time. Once the ship landed, and the landing ramp descended, it seemed as though every person in the crowd was holding their breath. Eventually, Hunter stepped out of the ship, followed by Phee and Tech, then Omega, and finally, Wrecker. Some people in the crowd approached them with their questions about the journey, and many parents had to physically restrain their children from piling onto Wrecker, but you decided to stay put. If this mantell mix thing ended up going south, you’d rather have a smaller crowd of witnesses. You were currently holding the two cartons behind your back, your hands slightly shaking, and taking some deep calming breaths. What if the mantell mix brought back bad memories of Ord Mantell? You had never been able to hear the whole story of how the Batch ended up on Pabu, not that it was your business. What if you get their hopes up and then they’re crushed with disappointment over your attempt at recreating their favorite snack? 

But what if it went right? What if the surprise makes Wrecker’s face light up with that beautiful smile that you secretly hoped was only for you? What if he realizes that you’ve been here all along, hoping for the day that he’ll pick you up and twirl you around and-

Your embarrassing daydream is cut off by the sound of someone shouting your name. Looking up, you see a large figure, in gray and yellow armor, coming at you full speed with his arms spread wide for a hug. You come to your bearings, just fast enough to dodge out of the way, worried that his bear hug would crush the two cartons in your hands. 

His smile dips in confusion for just a second, but you greet him before he’s able to dwell on your aversion for too long, “Wrecker! How was the trip?” 

“Oh, you know, the usual.” Wrecker smirks, “Weird alien thing attacked us, Tech almost crashed, but Phee got her ugly vase, so our record is still perfect!” 

You laughed, his carefree attitude helping lift some of your nerves, as always. “Was it a hot desert planet or a swampy humid one this time?” 

“Neither! It had these nice grassy hills and mountains, and the weather was perfect.” Wrecker glanced down at you for a second, “I think you’d really like it, we’ll have to go back one day and maybe even have a picnic.” 

Your brain short-circuited at the thought of having a picnic in a grassy field with Wrecker, but before you could ask who “we” entailed, exactly, someone shouted “Boo!” and jumped out from behind you. 

Starting, you whirled around, “Omega! How long were you standing behind me?!” 

“Only for a bit.” Omega answered, in between her laughs, “Wrecker almost gave me away, but I signaled for him to be quiet.” 

You turned towards the older clone, a brow raised, but noticed that he hadn’t been listening to your conversation. His eyes were glued to your hands, which were miraculously still holding onto the two cartons. 

“Oh.” You backed up so both clones were in front of you and brought your hands out from behind your back, “Um, I remember you guys talking about mantell mix a few weeks ago, and I got really curious about it so… I did a lot of research, and talked to some people, most of which were not helpful, but I guess that’s expected. You would be shocked at how few people there are on Pabu that have been to Ord Mantell, and I think I still owe Echo and Rex an apology. But I think I got it right, or at least I hope so, I’ve never had it, so taste tests were pretty useless, but-” You cut off your rambling, took a deep breath, and held out the cartons, “It’s a tradition, right?” 

You were met with silence as five wide-eyed faces stared back at you. Apparently, in your rambling, you hadn’t noticed the two other members of the Bad Batch approach along with Phee. You only had a beat to start regretting all of your life choices, before everything exploded. Omega snatched the cartons out of your hands, thanking you over and over. Hunter sighed and rubbed his face, likely imagining the sugar high Omega he’d need to deal with later, but thanked you as well after seeing how happy she was. Tech began asking question after question about your research methods into Ord Mantell snacking culture and what other planets had similar treats and how they differed from other planets he had researched. 

You could hardly keep up with answering the questions and accepting the thanks and giving Hunter apologetic smiles every once in a while, when Phee interceded, “All right, this is exciting, but we do have things we need to finish up. Hunter, didn’t you say something about dropping off those crates by the docks? And Omega, I think Lyana’s been looking for you. I’m going to drop off this vase in the Archium, in case anyone wants to join me.” Hunter and Omega split off to their forgotten tasks. On her way past you, Phee gave you one last sly smirk and a wink before heading off with Tech trailing behind her, his face buried in his datapad. 

That left you alone, once again, with Wrecker. You noticed that his mantell mix sat untouched in its carton, and your nerves returned full force. Slowly, he picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. His composure melted, and he looked up at you with a blinding smile. There’s that spark. 

He ate two more pieces and hummed in satisfaction. “I’m falling in love with you. This is perfect.” 

“Oh thank you.” You answered, before fully registering his first sentence to you. You froze, but he just continued to eat his snack. You blinked, “It took more attempts than I’d like to admit.” 

“Do you have leftovers from those? I’ll eat them too.” Wrecker spoke casually, like he hadn’t uttered anything about his feelings for you. 

“Um, yeah, a bit.” You desperately tried to keep up with the conversation, even though you were internally screaming. “I can bring some over, if you’d like?” 

“That’d be great. Oh! I didn’t even notice,” Your heart stopped as he sheepishly looked up, “I was supposed to help Hunter with those crates, I hope he’s not mad.” 

He quickly ate the rest of the mantell mix, then turned to rush off. If he bid you goodbye properly, you didn’t notice. You were too busy lost in your thoughts. The rest of the day went by in a blur. The entire mantell mix fiasco took up most of your mind, and the words “I’m falling in love with you” replayed over and over. 

“That’s enough!” You snapped to yourself as you laid in bed that night. “You’re being ridiculous. It just slipped out. It doesn’t mean anything. It changes nothing.” And for the first time, your mind went quiet. Of course. Wrecker was friendly and loud. He’s very loving to everyone. In the heat of the moment, with the shock of the surprise, the words slipped out. He didn’t even notice. It was an accident. 

But what if it wasn’t? 

Groaning, you rolled over, not knowing how you’d sleep tonight. 

…

Wrecker slept great that night. 

His dreams were full of sugary mantell mix and beautiful smiles, both of which made him think of you. Not that he was complaining. Thinking of you was his favorite pastime. 

“Wrecker, it’s time to go.” 

Unfortunately, Wrecker hadn’t had a good chance to see you since he confessed two weeks ago. 

“Wrecker, don’t make me say it again.” 

Whenever you both happened to be in the same general area, one of you was being rushed off in some direction and the most you could spare was a wave to acknowledge the other’s presence. 

“Wrecker! Can you hear me?” 

But Wrecker finally had an afternoon free, and no matter how busy you were, he was determined to steal you away, even if only for a moment. 

“Wrecker!” Hunter finally burst into Wrecker’s room. “The garden fence isn’t going to fix itself. Stop daydreaming about your girlfriend, get off your shebs, and come help me.” 

“Sorry, Hunter.” Wrecker finished putting on his boot and stood to follow Hunter out of the room. 

Hunter nodded in satisfaction, starting to turn around. “Wait a minute.” He whirled back to face Wrecker and shoved his chest. Wrecker, caught off guard, fell back to a sitting position on his bed again. “You didn’t correct me.” 

“Huh?” Wrecker tried to stand up again, but was only shoved back down. 

“You didn’t correct me.” Hunter pulled a chair up and sat on it backwards, his crossed forearms resting on the back. “Every single time I call that girl your girlfriend, you correct me. But not this time. So what did you do?”

Looking towards the doorway, Wrecker attempted to avoid his brother’s squinted gaze, but only met an identical one from Tech, who had heard the commotion and curiously wandered by. “I, uh…” Wrecker brought a hand up to rub the back of his neck. “I told her how I felt.” 

He shrugged and tried once more to stand up, but one look at Hunter’s face told him that this conversation was not done. 

“And?” Hunter pressed. “What did she say?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“He wants the details, Wrecker.” Tech sighed from the doorway, where he made himself comfortable leaning on the frame. “How did the conversation go?”

“In exact words.” Hunter ordered. 

“Well, it was the day she gave Omega and I the mantell mix. And I told her I was falling in love with her.” A subconscious smile grew on Wrecker’s face as he remembered how enchanting you looked that day, with the sun setting behind you in Pabu’s sky. Then, for Hunter’s benefit, he added. “Oh, and that the mantell mix was perfect.” 

Frustrated, Hunter snapped his fingers in front of Wrecker’s face. “What. Did. She. Say?” 

“Uh,” Wrecker shook his head, “she said, ‘Thank you’.” 

“I don’t care about what she said about the mantell mix!” Hunter snapped.

“Wrecker,” Tech interrupted before Hunter resorted to violence, “What was her response to your confession? Are the two of you romantically involved in a relationship now?” 

“Well, yeah! I told her I loved her!” 

“Yes, and what did she say?” 

“She said, ‘Thank you’!” Now all three brothers were frustrated. 

“Okay.” Hunter took a deep breath. “Forget the garden fence, Tech and I can handle it. I think you need to go talk to your girlfriend.”

Tech sputtered some protests about his busy day and the plans he had later that were ruined now, thanks Wrecker, but those were largely ignored. 

Wrecker was more than a little confused, but he didn’t need to be told twice to spend time with you. He found you in the market, inspecting some produce from a nearby stall. 

You turned when he called your name, and this time, you weren’t quick enough to sidestep his hug. “Good morning, cyare.” He muttered into your ear. 

“Hey,” You greeted, “I didn’t expect to see you this morning. I heard something about a garden fence?”

“Nah, Hunter’s got that taken care of.” Wrecker pulled back from the hug to look at you, but he kept his arms firmly wrapped around you. 

You both stood there for an awkward second. Wrecker looking at you in contentment and you at him in mild confusion. “Did you… need something?” 

“Do I need a reason to come visit my girlfriend?” Wrecker asked. 

Your eyes widened. “Your what?” 

It was Wrecker’s turn to be mildly confused. “Yeah? Is something wrong?” His grip had loosened enough for you to step out of it. 

“I just… I didn’t know…” You shook your head, trying to ignore the feeling of your heart breaking. “I’m happy for you, she must be a lucky girl.” 

Wrecker looked at you for a bit before bursting out laughing. “Oh, I get it. You’re messing with me. That’s a good one, really had me going!” 

“What are you talking about?” You crossed your arms, “You didn’t tell me you got a girlfriend.” 

Wrecker blinked. “But you’re my girlfriend.” 

“I’m what?!” You scoffed. “Since when?” 

Wrecker’s smile started slowly slipping away, “Since I got back from that mission… for Phee’s ugly vase? Two weeks ago?” 

“Were you planning on telling me?” You raised a brow. 

“I did! When you gave me the mantell mix!” 

The words that have been haunting you for the past two weeks rang through your mind. “I’m falling in love with you.” 

Your jaw dropped. “I thought you were joking.” 

“Why would I joke about that?” Wrecker asked, shocked. 

“Because you joke a lot!” You defended, “Because you didn’t wait for me to respond and you didn’t bring it up again. I thought you weren’t serious.” 

“You did respond! I told you I was in love with you and you said-” Wrecker stopped. You said “Thank you” for his compliment to your mantell mix. And then he had to leave to help Hunter. You never did respond to his confession. “Oh…” 

He looked at you. Your eyes were glued to the ground, your arms crossed in front of you. Taking a step toward you, lifting your chin so your gaze met his. “I’m so sorry. I was so excited about getting to tell you how I felt that I didn’t even let you answer.” 

“It wasn’t your fault.” You stepped towards him this time, “I mean, it was a chaotic day for everyone.” 

“Yeah.” Wrecker cleared his throat. “I’m still really sorry about this mix-up. You probably had a lot on your mind that day, and you probably don’t feel the same, so I’ll just be going now.”

You grabbed his hands before he could turn away. “You’re always on my mind.” 

This time your confession left Wrecker speechless. So you continued. “I think about you all the time, and when you told me you loved me, I really hoped that you were serious. But then we didn’t see each other and when we did you acted like everything was normal, but I didn’t want it to be normal. I still don’t want it to be normal.” 

Then that smile crept onto Wrecker’s face. The one that accompanied that gorgeous spark in his eyes. “So is that an ‘I’m falling in love with you too’? And an ‘I’ll go out with you’?” 

“I’m falling in love with you too.” You responded, finally, “And going out with you depends. Will you actually ask me this time?” 

“Will you go out with me?” He asked, finally. 

“I’d love to.” You leaned in to place a small kiss on his cheek, but Wrecker had other plans. He turned his face, catching your lips with his at the last moment. Neither of you felt particularly motivated to pull back immediately, but when you did, it was accompanied by relieved laughs and loving glances. 

…

Omega was getting spoiled. She knew that, at any moment, she could visit your house and you’d have a supply of mantell mix ready for her. She also knew that, at any moment, she could mention visiting you and Wrecker would be more than happy to join her in her sneaking mission. However, she noticed that he never joined her in enjoying the mantell mix spoils, which was unlike him. Whenever she offered him some, he just smiled at you and said, “I’ve already got my prize.” 

For Wrecker, eating mantell mix on Ord Mantell gave him something to look forward to. It always meant that the mission was over and he was home with his family. On Pabu, he didn’t need to eat mantell mix to feel at home, he just had to look at you. 

Of course, you still greeted him and Omega after missions with a carton of mantell mix, and of course, he ate it then. You made it for him. And it was a tradition, wasn’t it?

[tobytost]

see I feel like the idea of a Mandalorian force user is so interesting! the merging of cultures that could happen there! there's potential! but it didn't have to be Sabine and it didn't need to be Filoni writing it.

the idea would be fucking amazing, that was literally my favourite trope of Obi-Wan fics, but the problem is that Filoni completely shitted on both jedi order and Sabine's cultural identity

Sabine from the Ahsoka show feels like a different character, she's not even a mandalorian in the series

she could've never put that armour on and nothing would've changed

we never explore the fucking trauma of her people being genocided, hunted down and her culture bring actively erased and fleeting

Sabine never uttered a single mandoa word, she threw her ancestors' armour away to collect the dust, no, instead they made her adapt a polar opposite cultural identity while burying down the previous one like it wasn't her whole life before

and even with that, does Sabine know jedi history? Has she ever been to a jedi temple? Does she know their traditions? We don't know because it hasn't been shown to us! And I doubt she does because she was written by a jedi hating man who hates every jedi except his own special little blorbos who aren't like "other jedi"

like SABINE IS FROM THE HOUSE VISZLA!!! THE FIRST JEDI MANDALORIAN WAS FROM THE SAME FAMILY!!!! IF YOU WANT TO GO DOWN THAT ROUTE, MAKE IT PROPER!!! MAKE IT GOOD!!! draw the connections!!! don't erase one identity in favour of adding another!! I don't know

[jamisonwritestf2trash]

How good are the ft2 mercs at baking and cooking respectively

TF2 Mercs Cooking And Baking Skills!

————————————————————

Oh boy, you've asked a guy who loves to cook a bake, prepare for a ramble.

Moot appreciation: Thank you for your asks! I've had fun with the prompts you've sent it. Also, I love your blog!

Also, oops, a little Spy angst fell in, who would have guessed.

————————————————————

Demo- I'm gonna go out on a limb and say most people think he can't cook. Wrong! He can cook. Just uh, unique dishes. This man has made haggis for the other mercs, Scout whole heartedly thought Demo was trying to kill them. (Little off topic but, did you guys know deep-fried Mars bars are a Scottish thing)? But in general he can cook, and cook well, it just depends on if what he's cooking is something your willing to try.

I don't think this man can bake, but that won't stop him from trying! He tries to learn, but always gets frustrated when things don't work. Like the cupcakes have been in the oven for well over two hours and are still not cooked? This man is pissed. But what he lacks in an ability to bake, he makes up for by being amazing at decorating cakes and cupcakes somehow? Like he can't bake a cupcake to save his life, but you bet your ass he can turn it into one of the prettiest things with a bag of frosting and sprinkles.

————————————————————

Engie- This man is so good at cooking its not even funny. Like the he cooks for everyone one night and everyone begs him to cook at least once a month. Sure, is it the healthiest food? Not really. But it is good food! And for the mercs that's all they really care about some days.

I'm gonna be honest, he'd be a really good baker, but has never had any desire to. Never felt the need to. He'd rather just buy whatever he wants or needs. He can, however be convinced to bake, but even then he's indifferent to it. He thinks it's a fine enough hobby but would never find enthralled with it. Is always very proud of his work in either cooking or baking though!

————————————————————

Heavy- He can cook! And really likes to do it too. He loves making traditional Russian food. Loves being able to share his culture through something so simple. Likes making anything really. Finds cooking to be relaxing. As long as he can be left alone while doing so.

He can bake too, he just choses not to. It's very precise, one wrong measurement and it's all going to hell. He'd love to bake, but at the end of the day I think it would stress him out more than it would calm him down, or more than it would be worth it for the final product.

————————————————————

Medic- This is such a toss up for me. I want to say he can cook, and cook well. But the other part of me thinks that he'd be way too giddy to use cooking the team dinner to run a test or two. (What am I talking about he put fertility hormones in someone's rations, he'd take any chance to do it (lovingly)! To the other mercs). I guess I'll say he can cook, but be weary of what he's feeding you at any given time. Also I think if he's not in a testing mood he gets all happy at the idea of cooking traditional food as well.

Due to the fact that, may or may not be up to no good when cooking! The mercs are not super keen on letting him into the kitchen. But if Medic manages to convince (threaten) them into trusting him enough to bake, he's insanely good at it! Baking is a science, and he's incredibly good at getting measurements to be perfect. Plus even if he's not using baking or cooking as an excuse to run some tests on his teammates, it's still an experiment in it's own right. So he genuinely enjoys baking and cooking.

————————————————————

Scout- You really think his mom would let him leave the house without knowing to cook? Sure, he's probably his mom's favorite, and the youngest child, so you'd think he'd be spoiled, but nope! His mom taught him from a young age the importance of having cooking as a skill, and now he loves it. He cooks when he's homesick, it reminds him of his mom, he looks at it as a connection with one another.

Same thing with baking, but I think he likes baking a bit more than cooking due to the presence of a shit ton of sugar. You'd also think this man would be chill in the kitchen. Absolutely not. He hates having other people in the kitchen when he's busy. He finds them to be distracting. Also, he's super cautious when people ask to try what he's baking specifically. He doesn't want someone to get E. Coli, because of the raw flour in the raw cookie dough. All in all, though, when he's alone (or with Pyro if they decide to join Scout). Then he's genuinely enjoying both baking and cooking.

————————————————————

Sniper- Mr. Runs off instant ramen and fairy bread. Has the basic skills. He could make rice, grilled cheese, and fried eggs if need be. But for the most part, he can't cook. He has a stove in his van, and it has never been used other than to boil water. He could learn how to cook if he was really persuaded by a certain team member, but it would take a lot, and it would take a long time to learn how to cook a decent meal.

————————————————————

Spy- Can cook, he has before. It was a life skill just like any other. I got pretty good at it. He can still make decently elaborate dishes, but he's not a fan of it. He doesn't really like cooking. He never had anyone to share his food with. He always wanted someone to share food with, someone to cook with. Was always too scared for said person to actually stick around, said person couldn't stick around.

He's never tried to bake, and I don't think he'd enjoy it. He'd complain about how messy it is. He'd be fine with the having to be careful and precise part. Hell He'd even be good at decorating and just baking in general. But he just wouldn't like doing it.

————————————————————

Soldier- This man can't so much as cook as he can grill. It's super weird, he'll make the most normal american food and it's like really good? Like he'll make steaks, hamburgers, and hot dogs for a 4th of July party and it's the best shit you've ever had. Ask this man to fry an egg and all hell breaks loose. He is only allowed to man the grill from now on.

Do not ask this man to bake, please, please don't. He cooks with cartoon logic. The recipe calls for three eggs? He drops in three fully-shelled eggs. A stick of butter? The wrapper is still on. And the scariest part is whatever he's baking always comes out looking, edible? Cartoonish? Like straight up looks like someone drew it into existence. For the sake of everyone's mental health, they don't let Soldier bake anymore.

————————————————————

Pyro- Teach them how to flambé and they're going to have the best time of their lives. They aren't horrible at cooking but aren't a master chef either. They have tried to use their flamethrower to cook on multiple occasions, but they have been banned from being in the kitchen alone due to "inciting panic." Whatever that means. They mainly will cook with Engie, as he's the most patient when it comes to Pyro's "help." (Standing menacingly until they can be trusted to do something. They do it with love, though)!

Speaking of flambé! They love to try and convince the other mercs to let them make bananas Foster, and when they eventually wear the other mercs down and are allowed to try it, they do well! It was a one-time thing, they all got too scared to let them do it again. Now they spend a lot of time helping Scout while he bakes. Overall, they can cook and bake, but should only be allowed to under supervision.

————————————————————

I hope you like this! Sorry it took me so long to write I've been exhausted all week. But it was fun to write :)

New fic tomorrow, someone asked about the mercs at Barbie, which is going to be so fun!

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Francis Spufford’s “Cahokia Jazz”

Tomorrow (December 5), I'm at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, NC, with my new solarpunk novel The Lost Cause, which 350.org's Bill McKibben called "The first great YIMBY novel: perceptive, scientifically sound, and extraordinarily hopeful."

Francis Spufford's Cahokia Jazz is a fucking banger: it's a taut, unguessable whuddunit, painted in ultrablack noir, set in an alternate Jazz Age in a world where indigenous people never ceded most the west to the USA. It's got gorgeously described jazz music, a richly realized modern indigenous society, and a spectacular romance. It's amazing:

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Cahokia-Jazz/Francis-Spufford/9781668025451

Cahokia is the capital city of Deseret, a majority Catholic, majority indigenous state at the western frontier of the USA. It swirls with industry, wealth, and racial politics, serving as both a refuge from Jim Crow and a hive of Klan activity. Joe Barrow is new in town, a veteran who survived the trenches of WWI and moved to Cahokia with his army buddy, Phineas Drummond, where they both quickly rose through the police ranks to become detectives.

We meet Joe and Phin on a frigid government building rooftop in the predawn night, attending a grisly murder. Someone has laid out a man across a skylight, cut his throat, split his chest open, and excised his heart. This Aztec-inspired killing points at Cahokian indigenous independence gangs, some of whom embrace an apocryphal tale of being descended from Mesoamerican conquerors in the distant past. That makes this more than a mere ugly killing – it's a political flashpoint.

The Klan insists that Cahokia's system of communal land ownership is a form of communism (Russia never ceded Alaska in this world, so the USSR is now extending tendrils across the Bering Strait). They also insist that Cahokians' reverence for the Sun and the Moon – indigenous royals who have formally ceded power to elected leaders – makes them a threat to democracy. Finally, the Cahokians' fusion of Catholocism with traditional faith makes the spritually suspect. A rooftop blood-sacrifice could cause simmering political tension to boil over, and for ever white oligarch drooling at the thought of enclosing the shared land of Deseret, there are a thousand useful idiots in white hoods.

Joe and Phin now have to solve the murder – before the city explodes. But Phin seems more interested in pinning the case on an Indian – any Indian – than he is on solving the murder. And Joe – an indigenous orphan who has neither the language nor the culture that the Cahokians expect him to have – is reappraising his long habit of deferring to Phin.

This is the setup for a delicious whodunnit with a large helping of what if…? but Spufford doesn't stop there. Joe, you see, is a jazz pianist, and his old bandmates are back in town, and one thing leads to another and before you know it he's sitting in with them at a speakeasy. This gives Spufford a chance to roll out some of the most evocative, delicious descriptions of jazz since Doctorow's Ragtime (no relation):

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/41529/ragtime-by-e-l-doctorow/9780812978186

It's not just the jazz. This is a book that fires on every cylinder: there's brilliant melee (and a major battle set-piece that's stunning), a love storyline, gunplay, and a murder mystery that kept me guessing right to the end. There's fakeouts and comeuppances, bravery and treachery, and above all, a sense of possibility.

Most of what I know about Cahokia – and the giant mounds it left behind near St Louis – I learned from David Graeber and David Wengrow's brilliant work of heterodox history, The Dawn of Everything:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/03/08/three-freedoms/#anti-fatalism

Graeber and Wengrow's project is to make us reassess the blank spaces in our historical record, the ways of living that we have merely guessed at, based on fragments and suppositions. They point out that these inferences are vastly overdetermined, and that there are many other guesses that fit the facts equally well, or even better. This is a powerful message, one that insists that history – and thus the future – is contingent and up for grabs. We don't have to live the way we do, and we haven't always lived this way. We might live differently in the future.

In evoking a teeming, indigenous metropolis, conjured out of minor historical divergences, Spufford follows Graeber and Wengrow in cracking apart inevitability and letting all the captive possibility flow out. The fact that he does this in a first rate novel makes the accomplishment doubly impressive – and enjoyable.

It's EFF's Power Up Your Donation Week: this week, donations to the Electronic Frontier Foundation are matched 1:1, meaning your money goes twice as far. I've worked with EFF for 22 years now and I have always been - and remain - a major donor, because I've seen firsthand how effective, responsible and brilliant this organization is. Please join me in helping EFF continue its work!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/04/cahokia/#the-sun-and-the-moon

[ihaventcomeupwthanameforaheroyet]

"Thanks goodness I've met a sane and righteous person who still remembers the traditional values of the vampire society" (the values in question: kissing complete strangers with tongue and teeth if they seem nice). Good for them though. Good for them! Must be nice to meet a person who shares your ideas of what should or shouldn't be done between men who know each other for, like, five minutes.

Jokes aside, you know what I find an amazing part of Anne Rice's universe? Blood is everything for vampires, therefore blood sharing can mean so many different things depending on the context, and sometimes these contexts are inevitably mixed up. I mean, sharing blood is the vampire sex, yes. At the same time, you can share blood to feed the hungry, to help an injured one heal, to give a younger one an upgrade. Blood also transfers information – you can share something through the blood. You can also drain someone during a fight, or someone may drain you, and this is not a sexual thing, except sometimes it might be that, too (lesmand).

Like, when Marius found Lestat in Cairo, he gave him blood, that was literally the first thing he did. And of course, he only meant to help the suffering, starved creature to recover. Of course! Except Lestat had an obvious crush on Marius and spammed him with numerous letters for ten years and the first thing Maruis did when they met was sharing blood which is also the vampire equivalent for sex? I'll never fully recover from this fact. I'll never ever ever be normal about this.

However, the thing that happened between Marius and Thorne is even more mind-blowing. I mean, when someone invites you to stay at his place, sharing blood with this person may seem a polite thing to do? Taste my blood, read my mind, sense my intentions through the blood, make sure I mean no harm. A lot of human customs are based on the same concept - you demonstrate that your arms hold no weapons or the food/drinks offered to a guest have no poison in them. And actually showing your good intentions to someone you just met is a custom which makes a lot of sense when you were raised in a violent time and culture. Except Thorne's comment makes me think that something else probably happened there? “Now we can't quarrel over any small thing”. This feels like some ritual saying, and many rituals of men becoming sworn brothers include mixing blood. And, though offering something like this to a man you barely know seems rather crazy, I think this probably happened? Like, Thorne, you immediately imprinted on a guy who simply offered you shelter and company for a while, what's even wrong with you? But then I remember how crazy some of the stories of men becoming sworn brothers in myths and folk tales actually are, and Thorne walked into the story straight from the age of myths, so yes, this probably happened. (Thanks goodness he met Marius and not some jerk who would, you know, take advantage.) And yes, blood sharing is also vampire sex, and this makes the whole thing even better.

And then think about the time when Maruis was taking care of Daniel, and Daniel was obviously unwell, and giving him ancient blood to help him heal was probably an obvious thing to try... except blood sharing is also vampire sex and at some point the contexts might have been mixed here, too.

(The last line of the quote... 🙈🙉🙊 I'd rather say nothing.)

[annawayne]

I see that you're Ukrainian and I saw two arts with Ukrainian culture. Is there some meanings behind it, references? Could you please tell more? I love seeing artist drawing their culture. It's amazing

OH, anon! You have no idea how it made me happy to know you're curious about my country. And yes, there's a lot to tell, so thank you so much for asking!

I'll try to keep it as short as possible and not turn it into the lecture, so here we go!

So, I have two arts, featuring Ukrainian culture

So, all the jewelry here is traditional Ukrainian jewelry, and not just random. Important note: all Ukrainian culture is about the beauty of layers, in clothes, jewelry, literature, in art.

For example, this one from the left art is called dukach - a medallion, which is supplemented with additional jewelry elements, such as ribbons, bows etc. Annie wears a lion medallion, of course, as a reference to her surname.

Another element, under the dukach, the necklace with the half moons, is called zgrada. The base consists of crosses in two or three rows strung on a string or a dart, in the spaces between them there are tubes or spirals made of brass or copper. Well, the truth is that zgrada can be not only with crosses but also with other elements. Here are half moons that are a reference to another Ukrainian piece of jewelry, lunnitsa. It's a talisman ornament in the form of a crescent with the tips down. Lunnitsa was called to ensure the continuation of the family, it was endowed with the properties of a family talisman, capable of harmonizing the relationship of spouses. It was also believed that the talisman promotes restful sleep, drives away nightmares, and protects the owner from nighttime evil spirits.

Finally, the red necklace that we call namysto. The more layers of necklaces a woman had, the wealthier she was considered. Here Annie wears 10 (!) strings of the namysto, and it's not just a "cheap" gem, it's corals!

Now, about earrings!

Both Armin and Annie wear earrings, and it's the usual shape of the Ukrainian traditional earrings, but we have a small interesting detail here with Armin.

Actually, in both arts Armin is a Cossack - the Ukrainian warrior, who decided against all odds to fight for the independence of Ukraine. All of them were struggling in slavery (not really the "usual" form of slavery but more military like) and under other countries' protectorate, but if we put it VERY simply, they were fed up and started fighting for Ukraine and the freedom of their homeland. That's why they are usually called "people of a free spirit".

And Armin wears earrings in both of his ears and in Cossack culture - it's also the symbol of his status. So, if the Cossask wears it on his left ear - indicates that the Cossack was the only son of his mother; on the right — signals that the man is the last representative of his family; both have a sign that the Cossack is the only child of his parents. So, yeah! Only child Armin!

About the embroidery!

Each region of Ukraine has various embroidery techniques, starting from the color of the threads used and to the ornaments/motifs the shirt is adorned. Both Armin and Annie wear floral and geometry ornaments that are widely used in the central-north part of Ukraine such as the Poltava and Chernihiv regions. But also you can find similar ornaments in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, but all of them differ in colors and shapes.

Now, Annie's flower crown or wreath that we call vinok.

Usually, vinok is worn by girls and unmarried women, sometimes, even after marriage, women wear it, accompanied by a head shawl or kerchief. Flowers here aren't also random, but each of them symbolizes something: malva and peony - beauty, hope, the long lives and symbol of home, of Homeland; centaurea - simple and quiet life.

And ending it all, just want to add that the left art with the ornaments in the background - it's an imitation of one of the traditional Ukrainian ornaments that is widely used for the decoration of walls, plates, cups etc; and for the second one - Ukraine has a lot of sunflower fields, so that's landscape is very dear for me.

Thank you once again for asking, and I hope it was interesting!