#and like iii think that stuff’s romantic.

[francesderwent]

my boyfriend asks me a reasonable question of a personal nature. I sigh deeply and tell him I cannot possibly explain how I think and feel on the matter unless I give him a very condensed theology lecture first. he listens, and then asks if that is really how I look at the world. I assure him that yes, it really is. I wait for him to think it’s stupid or inhuman or overdramatic. I ask some probing questions. he actually thinks it’s comforting, or romantic. I wait for him to ask derisively why I have to make everything about God. instead he exclaims how amazing it is that my relationship with him is allowed to be a part of my love for God.

[breeyn]

An essay rebutting the “bad writing” claims of s2 ofmd. Spoilers herein.

I’ll preface this with saying you’re obviously allowed to like and dislike whatever you want. I am in no way opposing that. And your reasons are your reasons. Have at. (Also - this is a collection of observations from the past few days, I’m not calling anyone out)

I AM going to rebut the idea that season two was poorly written and lost the spirit of what the show is about.

My favourite movie of all time is Empire Strikes Back. It’s been my favourite movie since I was four. I’m pretty sure it’s a fave of David Jenkins, too. He and Taika have made absolutely no attempt to hide their love of all things 80’s - Prince, the Princess Bride, Kate Bush, Star Wars, etc.

I have ancient video tapes (that I can’t play because who has a vcr) where Lucas is interviewed by Leonard Maltin? Malkin? I dunno. Who cares. Maltin asks him about the Star Wars (original trilogy) story arc. Lucas says “in act I, you introduce all the characters. In act II, you put them in a situation they can’t get out of, and in act III, they get out of it.”

That’s how it works. This is how stories and literary structures work.

Of course you’re not satisfied with season two. You’re not supposed to be.

The arguments I have read on why s2 loses the spirit of s1 is because no one heals. No one learns anything. No one moves forward properly. The person who makes the biggest move towards healing dies. The two main characters end the show doing the exact fucking thing they had promised themselves and each other they wouldn’t do. Our romantic lead still doesn’t understand his value or make any headway on addressing his tragic flaw. It makes no goddamn sense.

My gremlins in weird: it’s not supposed to. In Act 2, EVERYONE LOSES. This is how it goes.

I’ve read a lot of people saying “but this felt like a series finale, not a season finale.” We all know that outside politics play a part here, the strikes make everything precarious. I remember the last writers strike. It destroyed tv for fifteen years. Anyone remember Pushing Daisies? Some of y’all have never had your fave show cancelled with zero resolution for the characters and it shows.

Daddy J did us a kindness. He softened the blow of a tough season. After the brutal cliffhanger of s1, he gave us a little softness and hope. All those things you’re mad aren’t resolved? It’s because THE STORY ISN’T OVER.

No one on earth thinks “stuff all your trauma into a box and ignore it” is good advice. A way to actually live. This show did not have enough screen time to throw out dialogue for no reason. There was foreshadowing in s1 for s2, and there is foreshadowing for s3 in s2. This is a well-crafted story by very smart people who care very much for these characters. There is zero chance Frenchie explained the box in his head for no reason. The reason people have not resolved their trauma and growth is because they haven’t done it *yet*.

And friends - it’s not thinly veiled. They straight up fucking tell us what they’re doing.

Luke Skywalker spends the first two movies fucking up and desperately trying to prove himself and just generally being an idiot. Sound familiar? He ignores the lessons he is supposed to be learning to go off and do what he feels like doing, and loses fucking badly. At the end of Empire, Han is gone, Luke and Leia wave goodbye to the Falcon that has Lando and Chewy - the rest of their crew - aboard. Everyone has lost everything they care about. Vader is undefeated. Yoda is pissed. Nothing is resolved.

You see where I’m going?

If you think I’m stretching this too far, welp, when Ed tells Stede he loves him - the climax of the finale - Stede quotes Han fucking Solo. Like - *it’s right there*. The story structure. The reason everything is unresolved.

So yeah. They wave goodbye to their ship because they have wounds to heal (like Luke’s hand). The people aboard the ship have things to find. Ed and Stede have *not* learned their lesson about whims and how not to be like Anne and Mary. It’s not stupid that they’re doing the same thing, and it’s not pointless that we were shown Anne and Mary. It’s all relevant.

The resolution comes in Act 3. None of these people are done. The story is far, far from over. And just in case the studios want to be dicks about it, David Jenkins was lovely enough to not repeat my enduring heartbreak over Pushing Daisies.

Thank you, @davidjenks 🖤

[winterarmyy]

Plot Twist | Part I

An arranged marriage with mafia!bucky.

Run-through: I just need to get this out of my system. Most of arranged marriage mob/mafia!au I've read has a strong/bratty reader. And a really mean/asshole Bucky. Which is absolutely fine btw but its getting repetitive for me. I wanted to see a reader who's actually soft but fierce when she wants to be. And Bucky who is generally cold and seems to be married to his job but notices small things that the reader do, thus subconsciously started to care about her. They don’t hate each other, nor do they are infatuated. I don’t know if this exist, so I decided write it myself just in case. Enjoy!

Navigation: Part I | Part II | Part III* (end) | Extra

Words: 1.1k++

Pairing: beefy mafia!bucky x female!reader

Warnings: just fluffy and wholesome stuff here. Nothing graphic or explicit.

P/S: I like to write in 3rd pov btw. There's a few mentions of y/n sometimes too. Beware of the grammar mistakes, English is not my first language. This might be 2-3 parts type of fic, so tell me what you think so far.

Read my other works here: Masterlist

“He's late.”

The soft clinking sounds of his rings colliding with each other and onto the dresser woke her up from her deep slumber. Though her body remained still, her mind continued to wonder,

“Late. Again.”  She thought.

The sound of fabrics rustling about hinted her of what was happening beyond her closed eyes. The shut of the bathroom door confirmed her speculations.

“So, what if he came back home late? Why does it concern you?” She questioned herself.

Only a fool would believe if she said that she didn't care at all about the whereabout and well-being of this man. He is her husband after all.

Six months ago, she stood on the alter with that man. They swore an oath. They sealed the kiss. He was hers and she was his.

James Buchanan Barnes; Bucky was what he preferred to called. He is what every man wants to become, and every woman wants to be with.

An Adonis of a man; impossibly tall, 6'5"; body armored with thick layer of muscles. Bucky is huge, that if he trapped her against the wall, she might just see the resemblance of him to a grizzly bear. His dark hair flowed just above his shoulder and his steel blue eyes were as cold as his personality.

Though she wouldn't compare him to a frozen blizzard during the winter, he was more like the first day of snow, when the white flakes started to fall.

Cold enough to make you shiver and warm enough to lure you out but most importantly, obscenely beautiful.

However, of course, the main reason of the marriage set up by her father was not because of how beautiful he is, but to fulfil his hunger for power. As if the territories that their family has wasn't enough, her father arranged this union to extend his reign.

Y/N protested at first but knew better than to fight against her father. Being raised in such family, at a very young age she learned to think always ahead; pass the emotions and intuitions. What's the rational and logical way to solve a problem.

Took her a week to wrap her head around the matter, research about Barnes and go through the agreement between her father and her then husband to be. Barnes had listed some main demands regarding the union and although most of them were about their business, but one particular demand had caught her attention.

“After marriage, the couple must be faithful to one another. Any romantic/sexual relationships prior must be severed/resolved immediately. Failed to do so will result to termination of the contract.”

“Hmm. Interesting.” She thought.

Not that she was in any relationship at the time, and all the research result to possibly positive outcome. So, in the end, she complied.

Which then explained why she was sleeping in Bucky's bed six months later.

“I know you're awake.” Bucky's gravel voice startled her internal thoughts. She could feel the indentation of the mattress on his side of the bed, the fresh and clean scent wafting from him. She nearly purred from a sniff of it.

She slowly opened her eyes as if she was trying to peep and god what a sight to see after a restless sleep; Bucky's idea of pajamas was basic pants and nothing above and Y/N didn’t know what to feel about that. Does she hate it? Absolutely not. Does she like it? Well, he is easy on the eye indeed.

The room was dimly lit, but she could see his slightly damp hair; it looked longer than it is dry. Her eyes followed the outline of his body leaning against the bed. The soft light reflected on his metal arm particularly follows the gold lines decorating the dark surface.

She often had intrusive thoughts of tracing the lines; what would it feel like against her fingertips. Does he feel anything? Is it cold? Will it feel good? 

“You do know that it’s a waste your time to wait for me, right?” He huffed a heavy breath. She could hear the fatigue in his sigh.

And how does Bucky know that she waited for him before admitting her defeat to the drowsiness? Somehow, Bucky always managed to know things, to the littlest matter, even when he’s million miles across the world.

Just like when she found a copy of Pride and Prejudice on the bed a few months ago. The day before she received it, her copy was drenched in coffee; a young woman bumped into her in front of the café she often visit. He was in Russia that time. “Was it Clint? Did he tell Bucky?” she wondered.

“Whoever said I was waiting for you?” She scoffed, yet if the room was well lit enough, Bucky would’ve seen how playful her expression was.

He hummed a deep voice, “Hmm.” there’s a hint of doubt in his tone.

Y/N quickly follow her previous sentence, “I was simply enjoying my reading, that I lost track of time.” She shifted to face him and tucked herself further into the blanket, hiding the lower half of her face as she looked up at him. She wondered if he could tell that she was smiling just from her eyes.

Bucky’s gaze remained still on her, as if he was trying to reach into her soul, before he leaned closer to peek on the book on the table. Pride and Prejudice written on it.

He chuckled, which was rare. At the least the real ones are.

Of course, she had seen him smile and laugh countless of time. Especially during those gala they often attend. But those were just another set of armor he wore on a daily basis.

Bucky tried to bite back a smile, sinking his teeth into his lower lip, “Lost track of time, huh?” Yet, somehow Y/N can hear the smile in his tone.

“A good read?” he asked as if he did not know why his wife brought up about the book. She never said anything about the gift; not a thank you or a complaint. 

She simply cherish it in her own way. He heard from Clint that she rearranged her whole bookshelf just to make space for the book he gave her. Maybe this was her way of saying thank you.

He had been giving her books every week, since.

She pulled the blanket away from her face, lips curled into a genuine smile, “Always.”

Bucky preened to her reply before suddenly, “Okay, enough chit chat. It’s late.” he said almost monotone sounded, as he made himself comfortable under the blanket.

Before she could overthink of what went wrong, why the sudden drop of chemistry; that was when she felt his hand roamed to find hers. Bucky brought her palm closer to his face, she could feel his hot breath against her cold skin. 

He leaned his lips on her palm, leaving a soft and tender kiss as he mumbled, “Goodnight, doll.”

Rush of red shades bloomed on her cheeks, before caving into the feeling of his stubble on her hand. She gently caresses the side of his cheeks, hoping it soothes him to sleep. 

The corners of her lips curved upwards into a smile, "See? Like, the first day of snow."

Part II >>

Read my other works here: Masterlist

A/N: It’s my first fic so... share your thoughts? ily 🤍

[idlerin]

LOVE SICK

a suna rintarou social media au

pairing. suna rintarou x f!reader

synopsis. cupid! calling cupid! as the resident matchmaker slash hopeless romantic of tokyo university, you are the person people look for to get love advice or to set them up with the love of their lives. when suna rintarou comes to you asking for the opposite, to help fend people away from trying to get with him, to the extremes of even asking to fake date you, you couldn't refuse! mostly because you did owe him since he was on the receiving end of a bunch of your clients’ unsuccessful love efforts (hey, you do warn them your matchmaking only has a 62.3% success rate).

tags. social media au, college au, fake dating, matchmaker, romance, crack, humor, fluff!

warnings. time stamps are irrelevant !!, foul language (aka cursing), drinking/alcohol

status. on-going (02/15/24 —)

— playlist.

teasers

[name]’s reading list | suna’s playlist | [name]’s in trouble !

profiles

ppl who think love sucks + [name] | inarizaki dogs

episodes !

chapter names may be subjected to change as the fic goes along.

( ❥ ) — has narrative parts

ACT I

01. romance 101 w [l/n] [name] !

02. aren’t you like, cupid

03. absolutely insane

04. sweetest girlfriend

05. it’s all cliché and full of obvious red flags ( ❥ )

06. passion is a passing thing

07. keep your eyes on me

08. i’m just a girl

09. im a matchmaker not a mathematician

10. ur like an exothermic reaction

ACT II

11. a witch! she's a witch!

12. my dearest,

13. lol didn’t think u were mine

14. who cares if he’s a bit psychotic (he’s hot)

15. the grumpy x sunshine trope

16. shitty romance books

17. will they won’t they

18. season of hearts

19. touch some grass

20. and the world stills

ACT III

21. being with you is ecstasy

22. will they/won’t they

23. you hate me? so enemies to lovers?

24. dead, shattered, devastated

tba !

taglist is OPEN !

to be added to the taglist you can just send in an ask or comment :)

notes. hi so this was like supposed to be posted on valentines but i got impatient and hey its still the month of love so whatever ehe will not start till i finish nonsense since i need to learn how to do stuff one at a time! but yeah super excited to make this bc i love fake dating and i love suna rintarou hohoho thank you guys sm for 400 followers i love you all <3

icons used as pfps are not mine but the content of this smau is. please do not repost this on any other platform. © idlerin 2023

[oldhalloweentape]

🪨Venture (OW II) x (gn) reader headcanons⛏️

(Start of Romantic Relationship Pt. III Edition!)

(Not my picture!)

(Finally on Pt. 3!!! It’s only been a couple of days since I first started this but I digress— Anyways a friend of mine, @goohts helped me figure out some ideas for this one, and I’m extremely thankful to her for it!)

Warning!: A small nsfw mention!

(Pt. I) (Pt. II)

- To start things off, baking, everyone likes to bake right? Well uh, if you decide to bake with Sloane, you obviously have to handle the oven part… And the ingredient part.

- If you don’t, things may get… Messy, you see they don’t really know a whole lot about baking at first, so they’ll try to wing it and assume crap. Bites y’all in the ass if you don’t thwart it in time.

- Imagine having to stop them from dumping a whole cup (not even a measuring cup, a drinking cup) of baking soda into the mixture, trying to protest against this, claiming that, “It’s called baking soda— so, there should be a lot of it right?” No.

- Besides that, they’re a great helper nonetheless, quickly learning from their mistakes and even getting pretty good at it the more you guys do it.

- I can imagine them making a cake like the mud cake Max, from Max & Ruby, makes but with crushed up Oreos, gummy worms, rock candy, etc.

- Looks a little frumpy cause they’re just too excited to take the time to decorate it, tastes great nonetheless.

- Also, a serial batter licker, you have to stop them from doing it almost every single time you have to give them a spoon or a whisk.

- Don’t want them getting salmonella after all, though they probably think it’d be a thing they’d die honorably for, that or between your thighs but like—

- I think they’d consider baking as a personal bonding activity between the two of you, and even if you don’t know how to— That’s cool! They don’t know either! You can learn together!!

- They definitely devour everything you make for them, if you char it— They’re used to eating rough stuff anyways, and leave NOTHING on that plate, that goes for more than just baking.

- Prefers sugary things, if that wasn’t obvious already. Brings a little baggy of candy with them wherever they go, preferring gummies.

- If you ever made them gummies yourself? They're already planning where to propose to you in their the second you give them the bag and tell them they’re homemade.

- Anyways, outdoor dates again with this one, cave exploring. Oh they’d just love to do that with you, probably suggests such a date like that when you both are celebrating your 6th month anniversary together.

- To say they’re excited is an understatement, traversing underground, being in the presence of rock various and unique rock formations that took years upon years to be where they are today and see it with you?? Oh yeah they’re living the dream.

- They’re constantly fighting the urge to break away from the group and run around, see everything the cave has to offer. It’s like seeing a kid in a candy shop and be given unlimited access to it I swear.

- Excitement aside, they make a point to make sure you’re ok all through out the trip, giving you whatever you request. Just making sure you’re well hydrated or comforting you if you start feelings a bit cramped in there.

- Always makes sure you’re up for it beforehand, wanting you to have as much fun as they are.

- They take so many pictures in sections where it’s permitted, and a lot of them have you as the main focus or in the sidelines, naturally.

- That scrapbook I mentioned earlier is jammed full of so many photos, you have to get another one or two in like a year after getting the first one, can’t properly close by the time they’re finished with it.

- Again, they genuinely want your relationship to work, and they just want you to reciprocate. I mean, what is a serious relationship without that after all?

(Sorry that this came out a bit later than it usually does, just going through some life junk.)

[mirixmoya]

hello friends welcome to GRADING TORTURED POET SOCIETY SONGS BASED ON HOW EASILY I COULD TURN THEM INTO A HAYFFIE FIC (PART ONE) i hope u enjoy.

(for those interested but also my own future reference when i eventual do turn them into hayffie fics hehe)

i. fortnight: 5/10. potential post-war effie reflecting on their pre-canon and during-canon situationship. the "i love you / it's ruining my life" vibe is very Them but i'd have to write my way around all the wife lines.

ii. the tortured poets department: 8/10. good early-to-mid-situationship hayffie. good moments for haymitch trauma angst stuff. "who's gonna hold you like me?" is them. the wedding ring line could be just them messing around while drunk one night during games season; it's when effie realizes it's Real.

iii. my boy only breaks his favourite toys: 9/10. excellent endish situationship hayffie vibes, 74th + 75th era. has good lines for effie as doll / toy / trinket (ha) imagery. also good imagery for effie and haymitch both being pieces in The Games. also "he runs because he loves me" and "he was my best friend" and "there was danger in the heat of my touch" ... need i go on?

iv. down bad: 7/10. good for their relationship between the end of the war and when effie actually moves to twelve. "how dare you think it's romantic / leaving me safe and stranded" literally them. also lots of good stuff for effie's post-war isolation in the capitol.

v. so long, london: 3/10. has the potential for a (book-verse) post-war angst fic where effie and haymitch try their absolute hardest but ultimately have too much trauma + damage to make it work. idk if i wanna do that tho.

vi. but daddy i love him: 9/10. excellent song for pre-canon hayffie all around. effie's relationship to her womanhood / escorting in the capitol? check. effie's inner conflict over her feelings for haymitch vs. her capitolborn beliefs? check. "dutiful daughter, all my plans were laid" but oh no haymitch ruined them! we cheered! joking that she's having haymitch's baby to her parents just to piss them off... very effie behaviour. excellent song for that Haymitch Is Unlike The Capitol Dandies Effie's Been Raised To Love theme that i like. "i know he's crazy but he's the one".

vii. fresh out the slammer: 7/10. good song for smack in the middle of their situationship. winter vs. summer parallels. effie's seasons without haymitch vs. games season. restriction with her capitol bfs vs. freedom with haymitch. "all those nights he kept me going". the end is good for a post-war hayffie happiness moment.

viii. florida!!!: 8/10. really good song for a Effie's Relationship With The Capitol fic. the isolation, the beauty covering ugliness, etc. "this city reeks of driving myself crazy". "at least the dolls are beautiful" that's literally about the escorts. "you home's really only the town you'll get arrested in" okayyy book-verse effie angst.

ix. guilty as sin?: 10/10. HORNY HAYFFIE ANTHEM. i need to get back in my writing proper smut era i fear. so so much material for haymitch worshiping at the altar of effie's hips and thighs. a song for people who believe that like a good 65% of their relationship is based on the fact that they're both incredibly hot and they both love having incredible sex. true love tbh.

x. who's afraid of little old me?: 9/10. excellent fic for the Effie's Relationship With Her Escort Career stuff that i love. "so tell me everything is not about me / but what if it is?" self centered queen! the general backstage horrors of escorting. "i was tame, i was gentle, till the circus life made me mean" ... "you wouldn't last an hour in the asylum where they raised me" ... "i am what i am cause you trained me" .... yeah.

xi. i can fix him (no really i can): 4/10. potential for a very very early situationship hayffie. general haymitch being a traumatized mess and effie trying her very hardest to help vibes.

xii. loml: 6/10. the first half is excellent for post-war hayffie coming back together. "who's gonna stop us from waltzing back into rekindled flames" yeahhh. but the second half ... the "you're the loss of my life" vibe ... could fit into the (book-verse) No Matter How Hard They Try They're Too Traumatized To Make It Work narrative but idk.

xiii. i can do it with a broken heart: 10/10. THE PERFECT SONG for 75th era effie being the perfect escort despite the fact that the world is falling away beneath her feet. "I cry a lot but I am so productive! It's an art!" is sooooo her. "i'm so obsessed with him but he avoids me like a plague" is haymitch avoiding her in an attempt to save her from Rebel Stuff but effie knows their relationship is only becoming more serious. she's miserable! she's hitting her marks! eyes bright! chins up! smiles on! everyone she loves might die! it's fine!

xiv. the smallest man who ever lived: 1/10. not a hayffie song at all. BUT potential effie + seneca relationship study fic?? mayhaps???

xv. alchemy: 7/10. good song for book-verse post-war post-torture effie going to haymitch in twelve. she's ditching the capitol, she's going back to her man! who are they to fight the alchemy? how could they ever deny it? his heart is reserved for her. the soulmastism! (not that they would ever admit that lmao)

xvi. clara bow: 10/10. ANOTHER PERFECT EFFIE CHARACTER STUDY SONG! the rose imagery? snow's impact on her life. "this town is fake, but you're the real thing". effie's relationship with the capitol / escorting / womanhood / fame / youth / patriarchy / etc. "flesh and blood amongst war machines" literally the escorts amongst The Games. "hell on earth is to be heavenly" + "promise to be dazzling". sexualization has liberated effie (given her a career, money, freedom) but at what cost? it's also her gilded cage.

anyway. thank u for coming to my extensive ted talk.

[ghostlygothicgay]

Slasher III has inspired me. MDNI with this

Hear me out. This is just me babbling.

Stalker IV, we thinks. Obsessive stalker!

Makes sure you're safe at different places, knows your routine. We wants you for himself, he's going to keep it that way. Anyone who likes you romantically will disappear randomly with no reasoning, just gone.

He will kill people for you. He doesn't care. He doesn't see the harm in it if it means you're happy, that you'll end up happy with him.

Makes himself a constant in your life even if you don't notice, he's always there. You may not notice it right off but he's usually at the places you go to, either before or a bit after you arrive he's there. Ofc not all the time! He's gotta make sure you don't catch onto it, but trust he knows what you're up to even if he's not there.

He knows your routine. how you like your showers, what scent of soap you like, the shampoo you use, what order you wash yourself in. Knows what snacks you always keep in which cabinet so he can get you your favorites. where you throw your dirty clothes at so he can easily steal them later for his own needs, the stuff you won't miss. He needs it because it'll smell like you and it gets him going.

[clearancecreedwatersurvival]

Look the real reason so many book fans are mad about the wheel of time adaptation instead of having a great time with it regardless of changes, is that the production is putting a very strong focus on updating the worldbuilding and characters in specific ways, as well as changing individual events in favor of a more streamlined way to make The Same character beats happen.

Because this is an adaptation to film, and of course they have to change stuff. Come on people. Be realistic. You know how long the series is.

And there are parts of the book series that Do need updating. RJ was trying to be as progressive as he could in a lot of his approach to the series, but what was progressive in the 90s is not as progressive now so of course they are updating it. If you didn’t think this show was gonna have queer people and polyamory then sorry about it. Dear Mr. Jordan was Really Good at writing romantic relationships between women when he thought he was just writing friendships, he did it A Couple times. I would Bet Money on Avilayne becoming canon. This series is being created by a queer showrunner he is absolutely doing a queer reading of these books. Which I am Very Here For.

And he is doing a reading, and changing things. Which again, is Necessary. The book series is Super long and they have 8 seasons to do it in. They’re gonna change individual events to make sure that the main characters go through all the necessary character beats. And you’re just being recalcitrant if you can’t admit that season two Rules in a lot of ways. They are still making sure every important character has all their moments. And each individual episode has focused on some of the most powerful themes of the Entire book series. Including the inherent tragedies inherent to channelers such as: being cut off from the one power in various ways through shielding and stilling, having their own control of the one power taken over by others through weaves and ter’angreal, and living extended lifespans and thus leaving behind their loved ones. They’re doing a Very good job of keeping to the core themes and character beats and also changing stuff around to make the story work on a shorter time frame.

Also they’re working really hard to make sure Every character is as well fleshed out as possible. Meaning that yes, a lot of focus is being spent so far on the other main pov characters and all of the important aes sedai who will matter in the conflicts to come. That’s a good thing. Sorry to the people who only cared about the ta’veren boys or whatever but RJ wrote a ton of interesting and powerful women and they’re all getting their Due in this adaptation that is a feature not a bug.

It’s not like there isn’t stuff to be improved in the original! There is a huge chunk of the wheel of time that a lot of fans refer to as the slog! Where most of the main characters are separated and the plot is barely moving so some characters only show up in like two chapters of a single book, because there are so many individual things happening, before the plot starts moving faster again towards the end of the series. (And then there’s the crimes committed by Mr. Sanderson on the last three books but we’re not going to talk about that right now.

Which personally I would disagree that the slog is where the series is least enjoyable. The section I usually skip when rereading is the first two books, #having a great time right now actually with the show skipping through as much of the minutiae of books I and II as they can. The wheel of time is not a perfect series and Robert Jordan kept trying to finish it in one to three books at first and the first two books suffer as a result.

If you stopped reading in books one or two PLEASE just try to make it to three Trust Me. Or just watch the show and then read the battle of falme in book II and then read book III. You will appreciate books one and two more on a reread after all the stuff he does bring up there has really paid off. And also just have fun watching your faves be more happy than they are in later books ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The show is not Trying to be the books and frankly I’m glad it’s not! This is another turning of the wheel, another version of events, a parallel universe to the randland of the books. And I think they’re doing a pretty brilliant job of telling a version of that story so far this season.

Adaptations will change things. That’s a good thing. Judge it on executing the ideas it is bringing up and staying true to the core of the character arcs and themes of the original. And frankly it’s enhancing a lot of character arcs right now. There are many things that I think the show is already doing better than the books did tbh (Min, Liandrin, Selene, making Perrin spend less time dithering about the Wolf Stuff, speeding up Mat’s healing from the dagger so my best boy gets more time to shine)

Adaptations are transformative works. To lesser and greater degrees they reinterpret a work through a different artistic lens and medium. The changes are not bad because they are changes. Judge it on the execution of the story it’s actually telling instead of a close comparison to the books. And they are keeping as true to the books as they can whether you acknowledge that or not.

If you’re a person who reads fanfiction but you can’t judge a film adaptation for what it is instead of what it’s not then please try Slightly harder.

And if you’re just mad that it’s all queer and polyamorous now and the boys aren’t the only main characters then die mad I guess. I will continue having a pretty great time watching this show chock full of extremely powerful (and sometimes evil) women. I think RJ would have liked it tbh.

[manygeese]

mega projecting rn, this is

PERCY JACKSON CHARACTERS AS SONGS FROM MY PLAYLIST

aka what I think they would do for karaoke, what’s they like, and what song is them coded

PERCY

What he’d do karaoke to: Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin. Son of Poseidon thinks water songs are funny.

What song he’d like the most: either Angry Young Man or Allentown, both by Billy Joel. Hard hitting lyrics and instrumentals to match.

What song he has the vibes of: Kodachrome by Paul Simon. Silly, jaunty, but kind of soothing at the same time. Reminds you of your childhood, almost.

ANNABETH

What she’d do karaoke to: Stand by Me by Ben E. King. She’s a romantic lady, what can I say? She’d totally be winking at Percy when she sings the chorus.

What song she’d like the most: Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do) by Christopher Cross. She has classical vibes and this is the closest thing to classical as I have on my playlist. Also, I feel like she’d love jazz and this is jazz-adjacent.

What song she has the vibes of: She’s Always A Woman by Billy Joel. Sentimental, cool, but still oozing with emotion.

JASON

What he’d do karaoke to: Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler. Boy puts on a performance.

What song he’d like the most: My Way by Frank Sinatra. He feels good about himself and all the stuff he’s been through while listening to it.

What song he has the vibes of: Out of Touch by Daryl Hall & John Oates. Edgy, cool, and a bop.

PIPER

What she’d do karaoke to: Lovefool by The Cardigans. Daughter of Aphrodite thinks love songs are funny. She’s a really good singer though, so she can choose any song and still knock everybody’s socks off.

What song she’d like the most: Yesterday by the Beatles. I think she’d like sad songs (not breakup songs, more like “wallowing in self pity, wondering what happened to us” songs).

What song she has the vibes of: Thank You For the Music by ABBA. Self worth problems, putting all your value in one ability? Piper coded.

LEO

What he’d do karaoke to: Let’s Hear It for the Boy by Deniece Williams or Thank God I’m A Country Boy by John Denver. The first because he’s some sort of LGBT+ and thinks it’s funny, the second because he’s Texan and thinks it’s funny. Also Fernando by ABBA.

What song he’d like the most: Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham! He identifies with it. Also he loves the dorky Just Dance for it.

What song he has the vibes of: Telephone Line by Electric Light Orchestra. Hopeless romantic vibes right there.

HAZEL

What she’d do karaoke to: Fly Me to the Moon by Frank Sinatra. She’d eat any jazz song up, really, but this one’s got her name written all over it.

What song she’d like the most: Bad, Bad Leroy Brown by Jim Croce. It’s got that school house rock vibe that you know she’d love. And also, bar fights! Yay!

What song she has the vibes of: Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae. Happy, sends a message, gives off sunny day and Hazel vibes.

FRANK

What he’d do karaoke to: Delilah by Tom Jones. He’s belting this shit in the shower at 3 AM.

What song he’d like the most: Oh, What A Beautiful Morning by Gordon Macrae from the musical Oklahoma. He’s embarrassed to admit it, but this boy loves old Roger’s and Hammerstein musicals (The Music Man, Carousel, etc.) that go on for too long and have unnecessary songs. He thinks they’re pretty.

What song he has the vibes of: Everybody Loves Somebody by Dean Martin. Gentle giant vibes.

NICO

What he’d do karaoke to: So Long, Mom (A Song for World War III) by Tom Lehrer. He’s a sucker for old satirical songs and loves watching his friends react as he sings them.

What song he’d like the most: The Vatican Rag by Tom Lehrer. Again, because he likes satirical songs. He cried laughing the first time he heard it, having grown up in the Catholic Church (of Italy, no less).

What song he has the vibes of: Carry on Wayward Son by Kansas. Stark contrast from the earlier songs but it’s just… so Nico coded. The type of stuff you can head bang but also perform ballet to.

REYNA

What she’d do karaoke to: We Didn’t Start the Fire by Billy Joel. She memorized the whole thing and likes flexing on everybody else about it because they don’t have the guts nor the dedication.

What song she’d like the most: Fame by Irene Cara. She unwinds to this in her room after a long day. She also totally does embarrassing dances to it.

What song she has the vibes of: Leningrad by Billy Joel. A song about war, seemingly endless cycles of violence, but small victories and reconciliation.

[aemiron-main]

Lord Henry and Lady Patty- Does This Mean That They’re a Romantic Couple? How Does Stranger Things Treat The Type of Relationship That Exists Between a Lord and a Lady?

So, like I said before, I’m definitely still not convinced that George is Henry, and I think it’s far more likely that George is Lonnie Byers or Allen Munson.

However, setting that aside/regardless of George’s identity, it’s clear that Patty and Henry are likely going to interact at some point (which we already knew based on their parallels in the animated trailer).

So, today, I want to talk about the supposed meanings of Patty and Henry’s names, as I saw a post awhile back talking about how “Henry means Lord of the House and Patty means Lady of The House so they MUST be a reciprocated romantic couple,” and there’s a few things I want to dismantle there.

Setting aside the obvious stuff that goes against a Patty-Henry romance, such as the age-gap & the inability to age Henry up because the play is canon material and Henry WAS 12 in 1959 in canon, and also setting aside the fact that the crush has been described as one-sided on Patty’s part, for this post, I want to focus on specifically why the “meanings of Henry and Patty’s names,” thing does NOT point towards a reciprocated romance.

Alright!

So, BEFORE we get to "how do we explain these names even in a seemingly romantic way" thing considering the whole age gap, if Henry and Patty aren't coded as romantic at all in any way, then what's up with the names?

Well, we know that the shot of Henry at the Creel house window in the animated TFS trailer seems to parallel the shot of Patty in the church:

So- is the “lord/lady of the house” thing being used more literally here? As in the literal, physical house?

Did Patty live in the Creel house before the Creels moved in? Did Victor buy the house from the Newby family?

However, even setting all of that speculation about the house aside, let’s assume that the meanings of the names are as they seem on the surface/have seemingly romantic connotations re: lord and lady.

I think that these name meanings are actually some strong evidence that Henry and Patty aren’t going to be romantic.

This is because these names are basically the equivalent of naming them Heteronormativity 1 and Heteronormativity 2- they may as well have named them Romeo and Juliet (and we all know that ST loves to poke fun at Romeo and Juliet/them not being “true love”).

Lords and Ladies are probably one of the furthest things from genuine romantic love/a genuine romantic relationship.

When it comes to lords and ladies, marriages were basically always arranged marriages- alliances between noble families, where the participants getting married had no choice in the matter. The people getting married were basically treated as property, as bargaining chips, like pawns in chess. There’s nothing actually romantic about the titles, quite the opposite.

Lords and ladies would also frequently take lovers outside of the marriage, including queer lovers (often using their marriage to conceal their homosexuality). Which, that would make sense with Henry’s constant queercoding.

And speaking of nobles and queerness, if we want to talk about the name “Henry,” re: nobility, then let’s talk about Henry III of France (which, there’s also the whole multiple Henries during NINA thing and rhe fact that Henry II was involved in the War of the Three Henrys, but that’s for another time), who had a wife, but has been frequently depicted as being gay.

And specifically/most notably, he was depicted as being gay in the 1954 film, La Reine Margot.

So, we’ve got a noble named Henry who has a famous gay portrayal from the 50s and we’ve also got a guy named Henry in a play from the 50s. I won’t be surprised at all if there’s a connection there regarding Henry’s queercoding.

But setting that aside entirely and going back to Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Juliet were both nobles, from rival noble families, who “fell in love.” My point is, the whole “romantic nobility titles” thing that’s seemingly present with Henry and Patty is also present with Romeo and Juliet, and is an idea that ST has mocked repeatedly.

Like, ST pokes fun at the idea of pushing two people people into marriage (which is EXACTLY what happens with lords and ladies)- for example, in S1, Lucas makes fun of Mike and El, with his comment about Mike marrying El:

ST itself is poking fun at Mileven’s relationship, and leaving those early breadcrumbs to tell us that Mileven isn’t endgame. Lucas is pressuring Mike into heteronormativity/into a relationship (as a result of those same pressures having been put on Lucas himself), like a smaller-scale version of how lords and ladies were pressured (and more often, forced) into marriages.

Karen and Ted Wheeler’s relationship is also similar to an arranged marriage, as while it’s not an actual arranged marriage, Karen seems to have married Ted for money, and not for love, just like how the arranged marriages between lords and ladies were about money and status, and has nothing to do with love:

Like, Nancy specifically talks not only about Ted having money, but also coming from a “good family,” something that was a key part of the arranged relationships between lords and ladies.

Again, my point is- the relationship that exists between a lord and a lady is the EXACT type of relationship that ST frequently mocks and frequently pulls apart and subverts. It would make no sense and be completely contradictory to everything that ST has done and shown us so far for Patty and Henry to have genuine reciprocated romantic feelings for eachother while ALSO literally being named Lord and Lady. They may as well have named them Karen and Ted lmao, and even then, naming them Karen and Ted would still be MORE romantic than naming them Lord and Lady.

They could have named Henry and Patty anything- and yet they chose names that are specifically tied to societal pressure and class expectations, and NOT to genuine romantic feelings. Again, they may as well have named them Heteronormativity 1 and Heteronormativity 2.

I know a lot of Byler enthusiasts aren’t particularly interested in Henry and his queercoding, which is fair, but since we’ve spent the past god knows how long using these same examples (see: Romeo and Juliet) to demonstrate that Mileven isn’t endgame and likely was never actually a genuine romantic relationship with mutual attraction, why should it be any different for Henry and Patty? Hell, Patty, from what we’ve already seen of her audition tapes, seems to have multiple El parallels regarding how both seem to have similar relationships with their mother and a bunch of other dialogue parallels. I won’t be surprised if Henry and Patty not being romantic is being used to prep the GA for Byler endgame and Mileven not being a couple/not being romantic/gay Mike, etc.

Patty and Henry both also come from “noble” families in Hawkins- Patty is the daughter of Father Newby/she’s the preacher’s daughter in a religious town, and Henry, as we know, is the son of the wealthy Creel family who literally owns a mansion. It would make sense for somebody like Father Newby to try and set the two up (especially if he was running low on cash)/push them towards eachother, and Virginia would likely be happy to see her gay outcast son interacting with a girl- a religious girl, the preacher’s daughter no less.

Long story short, so far, all of the evidence points towards Henry and Patty not having a romantic relationship/not having reciprocated romantic feelings for eachother. Lord and lady are titles of obligation and class, not of love or romance or anything of the sort. And that’s not even counting the obvious age discrepancies that I mentioned before, something that TFS can’t just change or handwave away, because it’s been confirmed to be canon material, and Henry’s canon age is 12 in 1959.

And I also just still, genuinely, don’t think that Henry is George- the kid from the audition tape for George looks NOTHING like Henry, and even beyond that, the dialogue and behaviour in that George audition is NOTHING whatsoever like Henry- that snarky George line about “prom queen,” is leagues away from being anything like what we’ve seen of Henry’s personality, especially as a child.

I won’t be surprised if George is Lonnie or Allen, both of which seem to have “bad boy”/outcast/moody loner personalities, which is exactly what’s described for George, and if Patty fall in love with Lonnie or Allen, but is being pushed towards Henry by Father Newby because Henry’s from a wealthy, religious family. Especially since neither Lonnie’s family nor Allen’s family seem to be wealthy or particularly religious, and we all know that priests are often greedy bastards, which would align perfectly with Father Newby being interested in the Creels’ money.

Especially since Victor was described in the papers as being “generous” in a paragraph that talks about the church:

“Creel was known around town for his generosity, and the Creel Family was regularly seen at Sunday Mass at St. Philip’s Catholic Church on Sundays.”

So, if Victor was known for donating to the church, it makes sense that Father Newby would know that the Creels have money, and may either a.) be playing the long game trying to get Henry and to get married eventually or b.) hoping that Victor’s donations might increase if he has even more of a personal connection to the church via his son dating the prescher’s daughter, especially as Victor clearly loves his son, and Father Newby likely knows this.

And with Henry being gay/having so much gay queercoding, he obviously wouldn’t want to be in a relationship with Patty, so again, I really do think the angle for Henry and Patty’s relationship is more likely to be “people are trying to push Henry and Patty together, but Patty’s in love with somebody that’s ‘below’ her class-wise, and Henry is gay”.

Now, going more into speculation territory, I want to talk about LOTR.

I’ve talked about this briefly before, but while Will definitely has some Frodo parallels, Henry is also definitely, intentionally paralleled to Frodo- hell, Victor has constant Bilbo parallels, and the Creel house has constant Bag End parallels. Will also has some Sam parallels, especially when it comes to class and wealth and family, so Will’s LOTR parallels aren’t as simple as saying He’s Only Frodo/He’s The Only Frodo Coded Character.

And so, keeping the idea of Henry-Frodo parallels in mind:

In LOTR, Sam is of a lower class than Frodo. Frodo is basically Hobbit nobility, whereas Sam is a commoner. And Sam’s dad is the Baggins’ gardener.

And I talked in this post about how the Creels had a gardener and a groundsperson.

And, I’m wondering if Scott’s dad may have been the Creels’ gardener or groundsperson, just like how Sam’s dad was Bilbo’s gardener/groundsperson (which, again, Victor has constant Bilbo parallels). And this would further connect Henry and Patty in a platonic sense/something that parallels them, with both of them being in love with somebody that’s “below” their class- George/Lonnie/Allen in Patty’s case, and Scott in Henry’s case.

And this Henry-Scott idea might not even be part of TFS, because we still have all of S5 to go.

Anyway! There’s some thoughts.

[just-my-type-x]

Colby asks to marry u Headcanon

Will You Marry Me?

Colby would make up his mind to marry you a year before him actually proposing

The 2 of u would be on a vacation for your 2 year anniversary somewhere exotic, like Hawaii or The Caribbeans

His decision to marry you came one night when you were walking along the beach and the 2 of you stopped to watch the sunset, when you saw a small turtle trying to get into the water

"Look, baby, a sea turtle. She's so tinyyy", you'd leave Colby's side, but he'd chuckle and would eagerly follow you to see it as well

"Oh my God, she really iiis. Look at that tiny littls head she has", and then he'd just look at you trying to play with the sea turtle, but miserably failing

Colby would find that the cutest and purest thing ever, seeing you pout when the sea turtle left yiu behind to get into the water

"She didn't want to be friends", you'd pout again and he would just melt right there because of how precious you are in that moment

"You're the one", he'd think

After the vacation, he would make sure he's looking for the best engagement ring he can find, he would even get a custom made one of necessary, but fortunately, he finds the most beautiful one for his future fiancée and, later, wife

Again, he'd plan everything with a year before he actually asks, just to make sure it's the right decision, but he knows it's the right one

After a year, he gets more and more eager to propose to you

So, when the 3rd anniversary vacation comes around, he asks you where do you see the 2 of you going on your honeymoon, so you both decide a place to go to

You arrive there and what you don't know is that Colby actually talked to the staff to create a honeymoon reservation, which included spa day, different couple activities, a room decorated with all sorts of romantic stuff, but of course Colby plays dumb and thinks they've mistaken the reason you're there

You'd let it sink in because you don't want to upset the staff that has worked so hard for you to be comfortable throughout your stay of 5 days

You'd go out every night to different restaurants, enjoy spa day, the jacuzzi and the most important part, being there with Colby, who you always felt he was your soulmate

On the 4th and final night, Colby wanted for the 2 of you to go out on a short hike after you've just eaten at the resort's restaurant. He said he ate too much and that he needs to move, you just chuckled but agreed to what he said

You started walking on a path between tall, dark trees, seeing in far in the distance some city lights

You walk for what feels like 5 minutes and Colby motions you to take a right on the path, where a trail of roses and candles mark the way to a square made of metal bars. The bars are decorated with beautiful lights, lightning up the set in the middle

Something like this

There was a blanket, some pillows, champagne, a cake, plates and utensils. You look at Colby, whose eyes were shining very bright, with a wide smile on his face. He extended an arm and showed you the way, to make you move forward. You walk shakily on the beautiful paved path and you see Colby taking his shoes off, so you do the same

Both of you stay in the middle of the blanket, kissing each other. You back away, looking around you

"Babe, this is way too much for an anniversary. You shouldn't have. I didn't do anything this big for you this year"

But as you turn around, you see Colby getting down on one knee, opening the ring box towards you.

You gasp when you see him standing on his knee, tears forming in your eyes

"Y/N", he starts with a shaky breath, "I never thought i will ever find my true love. I never thought i will ever be this happy in my life. But i met you and I've my best since I've met you. You've always been by my side, supported me. I always knew you were the one. Y/N, will you marry me? Please? ", one tear falls from the corner of his eye and you're fast to say yes and nod your head, getting down on your knees to kiss him hard, afraid he'll disappear

He takes the ring from the box and places it on your ring finger, kissing it before kissing you again

"I love you so much, Colby"

"I love you more, y/n. Wow this is it. You're going to be mine forever", he smiles and shakes his head in disbelief. You glue your foreheads together

"And you're going to be mine forever"

[renard-dartigue]

A Guide to Sleep Token

This will be a post for new fans looking to learn some basic/surface level information about the band Sleep Token. 

*Cracks typing knuckles*

So basically, Sleep Token is an “atl-prog-blackened shoegaze”(what it sounds like to me) band from Britain. People mostly associate them with heavy metal (myself included) But in reality, no one really knows what genre they are and I think the band likes it that way. 

(cont.)

The Bands Symbol

Lore / Terms to Know

Their lore goes that the lead singer had a dream where he encountered an elder God called "Sleep" (its actual name is impossible for the human tongue to speak) thus, he created the band to make music in worship to the God.

They call their songs "offerings", presumably to Sleep.

Concerts are called "rituals".

When you buy merchandise, you are "consuming" it.

The term "worship" is used by the band and fans as a form of acknowledgement.

The band has a total of 7 members and are known as "vessels". All are anonymous, using masks, body paint, and robes to hide themselves. It is said they do this because their music is more important than their identities.

Band Members

4 of them are at the front and are identified with Roman numerals:

I / Vessel

(I) Also known as Vessel (V or Vess) is the lead singer/vocalist of the band and wears a sculpted mask with an exposed mouth. His mask changes based on the album. His vocal range is like no other, at one point singing like an angel before immediately shifting gear into a black metal scream.

II

(II) is the drummer. A fantastic one at that. His solos are godly, very reminiscent of jazz or gospel. (I believe he started the band alongside Vessel) Check out “An Offering from II” on YouTube to see him go crazy.

Recently he did an interview with Drumeo on YouTube where he talks about his influences and does drum playthroughs of a few songs that demonstrate his drumming prowess.

III

(III) is the bassist, or the "bassy boy" as many fans call him. He is quite the character on stage. His energy is unmatched. You'll often find him prancing on the right side of the stage or laying on his back trying to get Vessel's attention (and Vessel does)

IV

(IV) is the guitarist, often has a covert/cool energy to him but he can be just as captivating as III. Over time he's developed a bit of a flirtatious side toward the crowd. Fuckboy energy(affectionate). He also provides sub vocals, raw screaming certain parts when Vessel is busy singing his heart out lol.

Vesselettes

Then there are the 3 last members, the choir or vessellettes. They are the three cloaked figures in the back who provide sub-vocals/harmonies. They may not be too audible on certain recorded tracks, but live they sound absolutely heavenly, making songs go from amazing to spectacular!

Music

Song structure-wise, the best way I can call it is measured emotional chaos. Fans are still trying to decipher their meanings here and on Reddit. 

But what seems to be the theme is toxic relationships, unhealthy coping, romantic trauma, bitter sweat endings, and eventual closure. It's really gripping stuff I'll tell ya. You gotta hear it for yourself to really understand.

There is ALOT more but that's about a general rundown.

They have 2 EPs called "One" and "Two". These are the band's earliest work but they are still fantastic.

They've only got 3 albums out as of writing this. "Sundowning", "This Place Will Become Your Tomb", and "Take Me Back to Eden"(the one released this year)

Songs I recommend as a launch point:

Jaws

The Offering

Higher

Hypnosis

Alkaline

The Love You Want

The Summoning

My personal favorites :)

All of "One"

All of "Two"

Dark Signs

High Water

Ascensionism

Vore

Take Me Back to Eden

They also have Instagram for the band and their personas. But please avoid trying to uncover their identities, They wish to remain anonymous.

https://www.instagram.com/sleep_token/

https://www.instagram.com/ii_sleeptoken/

https://www.instagram.com/iii_sleeptoken/

https://www.instagram.com/iv_sleeptoken/

Hope you like these spooky goobers.

Other fans are free to comment and/or reblog with additional information or fun facts I missed. 

Worship.

[ask-the-clergy-bc]

Kinda random, but can you do the papas/ghouls with a sibling of sin who crochets (preferably nonrimantic/platonic relationship but you don’t have to) also hope you have a good day/week :)

Never be afraid to ask for platonic/friendship/non-romantic requests! I’m always happy to do them :)

Also, crocheting is the BEST! I’m so excited to do this!

I hope you enjoy and have a good night yourself ❤️

G/N Reader

Platonic friendship

Era V Ghouls

Fluff/light hearted prompt

Papas and Ghouls with a Sibling of Sin who Crochets

Papa Nihil: One of his most prized possessions is a vintage styled blanket you made for him. It’s a granny square blanket with trim, and in the warm colors you’d find in someone’s 70’s inspired house. It reminds him of the ones he used to love and it stays on the back of his couch. You have been roped into being his movie buddy. So while you both are watching cheesy horror movies, you share the blanket as he watches and you crochet more!

Papa I: Papa adores your crocheting! Most of your time spent together is basically you both doing a quiet activity while lightly chatting. You with your yarn and he with whatever task he’s appointed himself that day. He has commissioned you for pot cozies for his favorite old plants. They comically break up his dark decor, but he adores them. You even picked a yarn that feels good sensory wise on his hands! Whenever he finds old books about yarn and needlework he gives them to you. It actually got you into lace making as well!

Papa II: He has a reputation for being a luxury goods type of man, and many wrongly assume he wouldn’t like hand made goods. But Papa has a deep respect for any skill based craft. Depending on what you make may or may not interest him, but he admires your skill. You once crocheted him some very tasteful doilies. Papa uses them under his favorite bottles of alcohol to really bring out his display shelves. He has gifted you high quality wool yarn before.

Papa III: Acts like everything you make is divine. Because to him it is! Papa also has a deep love of craftsmanship. But be aware, he LOVES getting hand made things from you! Papa will happily commission you for whatever pops into his head. Or if you’re making something he will go, “I want one too! Make it in purple?” Papa delights in being a friend and patron of you, no matter what you make. His favorite is the time you made him a sweater for his birthday! He wore it all day and bragged about having a one of kind piece of art from you.

Papa IV/Cardinal Copia: Copia tends to get lost in watching you crochet. Like, he intensely watches your hands as you work. He can’t help himself, it’s so mesmerizing! He won’t admit how much he really wants stuff you’ve made. But Copia knows from experience how annoying it is to be pestered for your skill. He’s absolutely delighted when you make him a toy rat! It stays in his office on his desk so he can play with it while he’s thinking.

Aether: You convinced him to take up crocheting with you… and he LOVES IT! It’s actually thanks to you both that the band had those gold sweaters for the Christmas pictures back in the Prequelle days! You two had worked your fingers to the bone for MONTHS to get them ready! Aether finds a similar peace in crocheting the way he does with guitar. When he stayed back from touring he had more time to dedicate working with you. You even have your own sweater he made just for you!

Phantom: You have this chaotic ghoul so enamored with everything you make!! You even made him a tiny yarn ghost that he takes everywhere (affectionately named Phantom Jr.) you have tried to help teach Phantom how to knit with very little success. Oh well! He’ll just sit and watch you do it instead. Phantom always has questions and is just happy to hear you talk about it! Phantom Jr is placed in his front vest pocket at all times.

Aurora: Constantly begs you to go yarn shopping with her. Aurora actually has a brilliant eye for color and flair, so she happily picks out combinations to use for your projects. She became addicted to your work when you made her a pair of fingerless gloves so her prized claws don’t get caught. She introduced you to the rest of the band as, “my amazingly talented friend who made the gloves you’re all jealous of”!

Sunshine: Thinks you’re some kind of wizard, because how else could you do something so amazing?? Sunshine loves to sit with you and hold your yarn as you work. Sometimes they like to help and just untangle your yarn or re-wind some back into skeins. Sunshine is just happy to watch you make amazing pieces while they practice or do boring paper work next to you. They won’t admit they would love a fun hat from you!

Swiss: Has worn everything you ever made him and immediately shows them off. Swiss has mastered doing a fashion show walk as he models the newest hat you made. “Oh, is everyone jealous I have the newest crochet couture?” If you sell these he will tell EVERYONE! Thanks to him the whole band owns one of your hats!! He’s so proud of your skill and vows to get everyone in the ministry to adore your work!

Cumulus: You both accidentally became good friends thanks to your crocheting! You were taking commissions around the ministry to earn a few extra dollars and favors (as chores only gave you so much allowance). Imagine your surprised when THE Cumulus approached you with a want for a scarf. You ended up knitting the most gorgeous bean stitch cream scarf for her. While chatting during the commission times you both found you got along splendidly. Cumulus hasn’t let you out of her sight since, and wears her scarf every winter!

Cirrus: The pianist has made it her mission to stop others from pestering you for free crochet pieces. Specifically her fellow band mates. But Cirrus won’t lie and say she has a lot of pride in being able to say she owns one of your little crochet animals. You once made her a tiny yarn cat just because, and she adores it! When you both are hanging around you nearly cried seeing the little plush cat rest on her practice keyboard. According to Cirrus, that’s her song editor. Awww!

Mountain: You weren’t sure what he thought of, he’s always so quiet! You were surprised one day when he finally seemed to acknowledge your hobby by politely showing you a pattern. A yarn cactus plushie attached to a plush pot. Mountain explains he really wanted to see if you would make him something but felt too shy to ask. The drummer assuming that you made so many projects because you’re obviously swarmed by commissions! He was so grateful you made it and praises you for how well made it is. You were so flattered when he immediately showed the rest of the band what you made!

Rain: Adores anything cute you make! His favorite are the little animals you make from different patterns. Every time you find a new pattern he asks if you can make him one too! He has a whole shelf of small yarn animals and refuses to let anyone touch them. They are special because they are from you, one of his best friends! He especially adores the jellyfish with long yarn trails you made for his summoning anniversary.

Sodo/Ember: Thinks crocheting is badass but it’s a little low energy for him. He can’t watch you do it or it calms him down enough to want to take a nap (everyone begs you to keep doing it.) if you crochet around him and he’s tired enough he will just rest on you and sleep (with permission of course.) you have made him a hat to cover the time he broke his horn and Sodo refused to let anyone touch it. He has commissioned you to make gifts for the band many times!

[re-re-redline]

-General Headcanons: Constantine XI-

>No spoilers for Traum.

Foreword: My first post! The lack of Constantine disturbed me immensely, thus I humbly bring to you this! It’s just assorted miscellania with not much of a clear direction. But regardless, I hope you enjoy.

This guy does not swear in normal conversation or says any words that’re unseemly or indecorous at all. Not even when he’s quoting someone. He’s an emperor after all, he’s got appearances to keep up in the name of his empire. Even if that empire’s long since disintegrated. The only exception to the rule is when shit hits the fan. It’s pretty rare considering his defensive and tactical genius, but hey. Things happen. If you call him out on this, he’ll flush a bit and apologize for his behavior. Though it really won’t change much, honestly. It’s just how he is.

He’s got a kind of aura about him that scares away the hoes normal people. It’s the kind of vibe you get when you encounter the important big shot you’ve only heard about through your coworkers. He enters the building and a person immediately books it from the lobby and starts popping into various rooms saying “He’s here! Everyone, act natural!” and everyone races to get their shit together. It’s that kind of aura that he gives off. The contrast between that and how he portrays himself is starker than blood on snow, dude. The funniest part is that he doesn’t even know that he has this aura in the first place, which means he’s constantly left wondering why everyone’s so stiff around him despite no one knowing who he is (in a normal HGW scenario). It’s hilarious. Poor guy just wants to be normal for once. In Chaldea it’s significantly less noticeable thanks to the amount of eccentrics, literal gods, and fellow emperors. So, in that scenario, you’d probably be just as clueless as him concerning its existence.

If you have a close relationship with Constantine, especially one that has potential to become a romantic relationship, then get ready for your Rider to be on you about your health. Both of his wives died within a year of their marriage because of a sudden illness and three of his siblings died from the plague when he was a kid. There’s no way that he doesn’t have some form of trauma regarding either of those events. The closer you are to his heart, the more paranoid he is about you getting sick. That said, here’s what you can expect:

I. He constantly checks the weather. If you give this man a phone, then he will check the weather for any changes on an hourly basis. He does this so he can be prepared to wardrobe check you if you’re planning on going out. If it’s cold, he’s already putting a jacket on your shoulders. If it’s hot, he’s making sure you’re not wearing too many layers and that you have water on hand. Constantine is a stubborn mule in the clothes of an emperor, so you are going to adjust your outfit according to the weather. No complaining!

II. On the topic of phones, you can bet he’s using it to look up stuff about modern medicine. He’s pretty amazed at how far the world’s come. So many debilitating ailments from his time are either completely extinct, curable, or at least manageable in some regard. But that doesn’t stop him from getting worried anyways. And so, he’ll still be taking stock of your medicine cabinet and asking you if you took your vitamins and such. Don’t even think about trying to dance around telling him or hoping he’ll forget. He doesn’t.

III. God help you if you actually get sick. He already gives you looks when you cough, and trust me, it only gets worse from there. Constantine will not leave you be for any reason. You think you can just walk this cold off? HA! That’s a good one. You are going to be bundled up in your comfiest blankets and you are gonna like it! He will actually go find or purchase a rope to tie you down with if you refuse to comply. He is that serious about it. Yes, he knows he’s being a little bit too over the top concerning your recovery, but it’ll all work out! And hey, if anything, you should take this experience as just another incentive to stay healthy! You have to think positive, my friend.

IV. Alright, but that’s just a cold. What about some real shit like the flu or one hell of a fever?  Obviously, he’s taking care of your needs and giving you your meds. That’s a given. The more interesting part is how Constantine is dealing with this on his end. You see, it’s times like these that makes our emperor’s calm and collected veneer begin to crack. Your hazy headache riddled head might be blurring all of the details, but you can see his smile strain and his hands fidget with his sleeves as he watches over you at your bedside. He isn’t talking as much as he normally does, opting to just… sit there and stare. Had you a clearer mind, you’d notice that his gaze isn’t actually looking at you, but beyond your feeble form. To a time long before you, where the ambience of the ocean’s waves surrounds him and a fishy smell permeates the air. As you phase in and out of consciousness, you feel your hand being gingerly taken. He clasps it in his, struggling to not squeeze the life out of it and cause you more pain. He needs something, anything to hold on to because he feels like he’s slipping back into an all too familiar territory. Right now, he’s done what he needs to. You’ve taken your medicine, he put the cool wet rag on your head, and he made sure that you drank more than enough water. And thus comes the most dreadful part of the process…waiting. He hates that his efforts haven’t gotten you back to shape yet and the more time passes, the more those dreadful thoughts start sounding real. Constantine shakily takes a breath and does exactly what he did the last time he had to wait for someone he cared for to get better. He prays. Your head is swimming, your ears are plugged up and popping every time you swallow, but you can hear bits and pieces of words you can’t quite understand hastily whispered. 

…Your hand feels wet.

V. And finally, some advice. If you are a master lucky enough to have Qin Shi Huang, then you might recall one of their Valentine’s Day gifts being the actual elixir of immortality. What ever you do… Do not let anyone know you have this. Especially not your trusted, kind hearted and reliable Rider. Constantine is paranoid about your health, we know this. He will do whatever is necessary to make sure that you live a very long time, or at the very least that you outlive him. So… if by some margin, some chance that you happen to say… have something that could eliminate the potential of you suddenly falling ill and dying… Well, he’d much rather beg for your forgiveness for the rest of eternity than watch you wither away and die before his eyes. He will find where you put it and he will get you to drink it somehow, whether you know it or not. After all is said and done, you’ll find that Constantine is much lighter on his feet than usual. Since it was the Qin Shi Huang (the one that actually achieved a form of immortality) who gifted the elixir to you, he’s confident that it’ll at least have some effect in keeping you safe. Though, being the realist he is at heart, he still has his doubts. The paranoia has lessened considerably, but hasn’t gone away entirely. Constantine will still give you that look when you cough, he’ll still check the weather and check you before you leave just out of sheer habit. So on and so forth. All in all, it’s best that you don’t tell anyone about the elixir. Otherwise you may find it mysteriously empty one day and that fatal wounds no longer matter. But hey! At least you have Constantine by your side for the indefinite future! I just realized that that last statement makes him sound like a yandere and, while you’re not wrong for thinking that, I feel like Constantine as I view him is just overprotective. Nothing more. A Yandere!Constantine would not have just stopped there, he would’ve gone MUCH further.

Constantine doesn’t listen to music all that much. In fact, he much prefers sitting in silence more than anything. His whole life was mostly a massive cacophony of noise, so he greatly appreciated the few quiet moments he could get. The stuff he does listen to in his off-time either doesn’t have much going on or is closer to ambience more than anything. He’ll vibe with a piano recital and maybe a small ensemble, but you won’t catch him at the orchestra hall. Choirs are also a solid pick too, a nice bit of reminiscence for the times he visited the Hagia Sophia back in his day. The antithesis to his music taste are songs like “Action Winter Journey” by Nero’s Day At Disneyland, “Untouchable” by Golemm, and most certainly “anybody can find love (except you)” by hkmori. Seriously, he hates that stuff. There’s way too much going on, it’s incoherent, and most importantly it’s just way too loud for his liking. You might be able to sell him on specific songs with those vibes, but I bid you good luck on that front. Really, you’re better off with songs like Lilium (Elfen Lied), Majula (Dark Souls 2), Reflets dans ‘leau (Debussy) and 0354 (Koronba). Those are good examples of what he enjoys, so it’s best to hang around in that ballpark. 

P.S. He’ll stomach a live concert provided you have met the following requirements: 1. You and him are really close bond wise, 2. You have next to nobody who can go with you; if you do have someone then you better have a damn good reason as to why they can’t go instead, and 3. you both leave the moment it feels like it’s getting too much for him; no questions and no persuasion as to the contrary. Constantine will be hating every single second he’s there and he’s not hiding it that well, but he will hold out for as long as he can for your sake. Seeing you smile and enjoy yourself is a balm to his soul, and he supposes he kinda owes you some for all the times he’s tortured you in chess and checkers. So...y’know. What’s some loud music and even louder people on all sides anyways? Constantine’s experienced worse both in and out of his lifetime, so surely a few hours of auditory pain is nothing to Byzantium’s last emperor, right? …Right?

Constantine allows you to call him Micheal. He knows his name is kinda long and doesn’t really roll off the tongue that well either (in his mind anyways). Calling him anything along the lines of ‘emperor’ or ‘your majesty’ just makes him feel too stiff, so that’s not really an option in his books. As for how he got the idea for the nickname, he heard from a few servants that you and him had apparently met before, and thus he looked into the CBC records. And boom. That’s where he got Micheal from. Do keep in mind that he’s only letting you, his master, call him by that name. Everyone else has to either call him by his name or his title, no more and no less. His empire may be gone and the guilt from that weighing heavily on his back, but his imperial pride is still there. Practically ingrained into him since birth and that’ll never change.

As we know from his My Room lines, he likes playing chess and shogi but dislikes Mahjong due to how much luck is involved. Therefore, I think I can say with confidence that he enjoys strategy games in general. I also say with the same amount of confidence that he’s quite good if not exceptional at games that involve military strategy. Think Diplomacy. Speaking of which, a game between him, Vlad, Chen Gong, and Nobu is never not entertaining. Seriously. It’s a treat to watch when all four get together and the crowd standing around the table cements that fact perfectly. On another note, he brightens up like a Christmas tree when you walk up to him asking to play a game and he’ll brighten up even more if you ask him to teach you. There’s something just so wholesome to him about showing you the ropes on a game he enjoys, watching you ask questions and slowly grow to become better and better. It really makes his day and it shows via the smile adorning his lips. It’s so gosh darn sweet that it’s giving you tummy ache from looking at him too long. Oh, and one more thing. Due to the fact that you have expressed an interest, no matter how minuscule, in strategy games… You are now going to have to deal with Constantine bringing in wacky shit like 4D chess to your room from time to time solely because he wants to spend more time with you, along with him playing chess or checkers with you quite a bit during your downtime. A keen eyed master will note that he seems to ask you to play with him more than anyone else. Huh…wonder why.

There are rare times when Constantine will call you George. Not as a joke or an endearment, but simply as an accident. He’s quick to pick up on his mistake and will swiftly apologize for it. The whole thing just happens so fast that you’re left wondering if he actually said that and his composure is certainly lending credence to the idea that it didn’t. But, should you question him on it…well, he’ll tell you that George was someone he knew. Oh, by the way. Did you see what happened in the simulator today? I saw that Van Gogh and Hokusai— Yep, Constantine will give you a dry barebones answer and then change the topic from this ‘George’ person to something about his day that he found interesting, anything to keep you from pressing him on the subject. Curious masters may look into Constantine’s life and discover that the ‘George’ he was referring to might be George Sphrantzes: his best friend and retainer. Maybe he misses his old pal and sees him in you sometimes, hence the mistake. Or maybe you just look like a George to him, who knows? Constantine won’t tell you if you ask and you can bet he doesn’t bring it up on his own. So really, it’s anyone’s guess. You just have to sit tight and hope that he’ll be comfortable enough to tell you.

And that’s that! I hope you enjoyed reading and let me know what you think. Poor Constantine’s got nothin’ from what I saw in the tags, so I hope to fill that void in myself. But until then…

—Redline, over and out!

[jinxedgods]

you're totally right, it feels like so few people are in it for vi and jinx. vi and jinx's relationship is the heart of the show and i wish more people focused on it!! and i understand the reasoning behind the lack of investment because vi and jinx, especially in acts II/III, have very little screentime together. but idk i just wish people talked about them more because personally i think it's really interesting to think about how, if they did reconcile, what their dynamic would actually look like. also there is a criminal lack of fan art and fan fiction of them just being sisters..apologies for invading your inbox i am just a desperate creature who thinks about vi and jinx every day

Never be afraid to be in my inbox. Live in my inbox. Move-in to my inbox.

I agree wholeheartedly. Every minute of arcane, I rooted for Vi and Jinx to reconcile. I legitimately think their lives would be better if they did (even if that’s a controversial take for some reason). I will always be reckless and stupid enough to have hope for my favorite characters. I will imagine them reconciling. I will imagine them healing. And yes, I will insist that there was always hope for them.

I feel like many arcane fans think that the ending of the show — Vi and Jinx relationship imploding — is meant to show the audience that their relationship sucks and these sisters should have nothing to do with each other. Others see their falling out as inevitable. Many are saddened, but ultimately okay with their estrangement because they aren't as invested in their relationship as we are.

I’ve posted my thoughts about Jinx and Vi and been meant with skepticism— as if I didn't get the point of the story. I've learned to not care what others think.

They had my heart from the first episode. Vi became one of my favorites because she has so much loyalty and love for her sister. I love Jinx because of her spark and tenacity. Even their tragedy shows how much they love each other. In her darkest moments, Jinx heard Vi’s voice pushing her to keep going. Even in the words “I am the monster you created” show their bond: she was scarred because she loved Vi so much and still does. So no, I will not stop loving them because of the tragedy. The entire show is about sisterly love.

The Vi&Jinx corner of the fandom seems small. In fandom, romantic relationships are almost always more popular than familial relationships (unless its father-daughter like Jinx and Silco — people always go feral for that for some reason). I am a huge caitvi fan but the only reason I reblog more caitvi content than Vi&Jinx stuff is because there simply is not enough Vi&Jinx stuff for me to reblog.

There is some amazing fanart and fics of Jinx&Vi (though I wish there were more 😭).

The potential of their relationship is so good especially domestic fluff skdjcbdndnd

A fic I love (please read the warnings tho)

[mal-urameshi]

Chronicles of Mama Okoye and Riri! III

Saving All My Love

For as long as Riri could remember, her mother never had a special someone in her life. Now, Riri definitely knew that she would always be #1 in her mother's heart, always. But that's not what she meant! As far as Riri knew, at least, her mom never entertained anything romantic with anyone. Riri recalled one time when she was like 10 that she asked her about it, curiously picking her mom's brain.

Riri: Mama, why don't you have a boyfriend? *she asked from where she was perched on the rails of the porch, swinging her feet* Okoye: *caught off guard* Small girl, where is this coming from? Riri: *shrugs* I see a lot of other people going on dates and stuff. And holding hands. And kissing. *fake gags* But you don't do that. Okoye: And what makes you so sure that I don't, hm? I probably have a boyfriend that you don't even know about. Riri: *makes a face* Nah, you're either on missions or you hang around Aneka and Ayo or one of your other friends. Other than that, you're stuck with me. Okoye: *walks over to Riri* There isn't anything wrong with that. *boops Riri's nose* Besides, I don't think you'd be very fond of me having to share my attention with someone else. Or not being able to cuddle with your Umama like you always do when someone else is taking up space. Riri: *boops her mother's nose in retaliation* But don't you want love, Mama? Okoye: *kisses her forehead* I already get enough love from you, my Pebble. Riri: *blushes at the affection*

That didn't stop interested men in making advances though. There were a few times where Riri had been approached by men who had hopeless crushes on her mother, asking them to pass along their Kimoyo bead ID so they can talk to her mother. Or pass along letters of confessions for them.

That pissed Okoye off to no end, though. She would find the men that gave Riri the notes and rip them a new one, threatening them with a slow, painful death should they approach her daughter with their pathetic attempts of making advances on her. Nobody was to use her child like that. Nobody!

Okoye then made sure to reinforce that Riri use her discernment and enforce strict boundaries with strangers because what they did was not okay. She wasn't too hard on Riri, though. She just made sure that the child knew that what they did was out of pocket.

Riri wasn't taking those bullshit excuses from her mom nowadays though. Her mom was going to get someone if it was the last thing she does. Riri stopped to think, though. Her mom wasn't interested in guys as far as she could tell. What if she was into women? That had to be it!

Riri: *resting her feet in Okoye's lap while staring at her* Okoye: *still looking at the TV* Yes? Riri: *hugs the pillow closer to her body* Ma, you like girls? Okoye: *looks over to Riri* Where is this coming from? *raises an eyebrow* Riri: I mean, they're really beautiful right? It's just that, I ain't never seen you with no guys or nuthin'. So I thought, "Oh shit, Ma probably likes women!" But because of your hectic work schedule you can't get down like you want? I can probably ask Aneka and Ayo for some links for you. They can hook you up! Okoye: *pinches her brow* Riri: I just know you pull so many baddies! Okoye: Baddies? Riri: *throws herself back on the sofa with a whimsical sigh* And them vibranium straps, oh damn. Okoye: *pinches Riri's knee that causes her to yelp* Have some decorum young lady! Riri: *covers her face to stifle her laughter* Okoye: *rolls her eyes with a mischievous smirk* No, I am not into women. I learned that a loooong time ago. Riri: *shoots upright and has a shocked smile on her face* Ma! You got down like that for real!? Okoye: *ignores her* Riri: *crawls over her mothers lap and shakes her* Ma! Ma! Umama! Don't ignore me! Are you being for real?! *shakes Okoye's shoulders* Mom! *crushes her in a hug and slides off of her, onto the floor* Ma, don't ignore me!

It wasn't long until Riri decided to be proactive with finding her mother someone! She employed the help of Shuri who was more than happy to oblige.

Shuri: You seriously asked Okoye if she was strapping women? *puts a fist to her mouth to stifle her laughs* Riri: I never said that! *lightly smacks her arm* You never know! Mom probably tried dick once... or more and was like: Nah it ain't for me. *gives a half-hearted shrug with a sullen face before lighting up again* But since we ruled out her being Bi, at least. We can move on with Operation Get Ma A Man So She Could Get The Loving She Deserves. Shuri: That was a mouth-full. Riri: I'm working on the name still, but it'll do for now! You think Aneka and Ayo would be down to help too? Shuri: I'm pretty sure Aneka takes bribes from potential suitors but never passes the message along to Okoye. She definitely has a list of prospects. Riri: *grins* Okay! Great! Operation Get Ma A Man So She Could Get the Love She Deserves is a go!

Okoye definitely felt her heart flutter when she saw a note from her beloved daughter, telling her to dress nicely because she planned a surprise for her at one of the nearby restaurants at 7pm. This wasn't particularly new. Riri loved to shower her mother with affection as Okoye does to her.

Okoye wasted no time dolling herself up for an impromptu Mother-Daughter date and headed to the venue. Okoye gave her name and was lead to a table in the back. Okoye was grinning from ear to ear, expecting to see her beloved Riri, but her countenance fell when she saw a stranger instead. Not necessarily a stranger. He was one of the Border Tribe members. However, Okoye never interacted with him much. Okoye: There must be some mistake. *she turned to the host* Man: *smiles* Good evening, Okoye. I don't know if you remember me, but my name is Lerumo. *holds out a hand* I'm happy you could make it to our date. Okoye: *tries to contain her eye twitch* Date? Lerumo: Yes, your daughter said you expressed interest in me courting you. Okoye: *holds up a finger* One moment please. *walks off and calls Riri on her Kimoyo beads*

Riri wasn't expecting her mother to call her so fast and she quickly took off her beads and threw them across the room onto the bean bag.

Shuri: Dramatic much? *she asked as she re-entered the room just in time to see the scene go down.* Riri: Ma is calling already! I was hoping she'd have at least sat down and talked to the guy! It's only 7:04 for Pete's sake! Riri's beads start chiming again. Riri: *throw's Shuri's blanket over her head in hopes to escape the sound* Shuri: *climbs under the blanket with Riri* Riri: *snickers* On a scale of 1 to 10 how much trouble do you think I'm in? Shuri: *sing-songs* If this guy has any sort of charm, like me, I can see her forgetting about chewing your ear off. Riri: Oh, you have charm? Shuri: Yes, I do. My charm-factor is so intense, you zone out like this *pulls blanket down and makes a dopey-face* Riri: Stop lying, you wish. *covers her face to hide her fluster* Riri's beads chime again Shuri: *looks across the room* The odds are not in your favor.

The talking-to Riri got wasn't so bad. And that definitely didn't deter Riri from setting her mother up on dates three more times before she called it quits. Okoye was quite literally, tearing up the back yard with her spear because of the pent up frustration. Aneka, Ayo and Shuri watched in silence as Okoye pierced her spear through one of the training dummies.

Aneka: Did you tell her we were...involved? Riri: *looks over to her* The heck do I look like? I ain't no snitch. Besides, you know she would have run up on you if she knew, Aunty. Ayo: I told you it was a bad idea. Shuri: Oh, was that what that was when you were grinning while making the phone calls to the suitors? Ayo: *shrugs* It was entertaining to say the least.

Riri just figured that her mom had closed off her heart or was just genuinely not interested in having a partner like that. That was okay and she respected her mother's decision. So she deadened the hunt for a boyfriend for her mother.

That was until a few years had passed. And a particularly, large, blue, Talokanil General started frequenting the Golden City.

Riri didn't think anything of it at first. The Blue General had been hanging out with her mother every chance he got, but she figured it was because he was most familiar with her mother. He was most comfortable around her, nothing out of the ordinary, Riri presumed.

But then she noticed that the Blue General always stood a little too close to her mother for it to be...socially acceptable in the realm of not-quite-friendship?

Riri also noticed that the General, Attuma, always seemed a bit too eager to be pinned beneath her mother, basically at her mercy during their sparring matches. But her Mom's expressions too..! Man.

Riri: Am I trippin'? Nah, I can't be.

Then, she noticed that Attuma would bring gifts from Talokan for her mother. Initially, Okoye had refused them. But Attuma insisted that it is a peace offering and an act of appreciation for all the training she provides for him and his warriors. Eventually, Okoye relented. Interesting.

Whenever Attuma spotted Riri out and about, he always made sure to greet her. He would come bearing gifts for her as well. Nets of seashells and ancient doubloons, long since forgotten at the bottom of the ocean floor. Colorful trinkets and treasures the Blue General assumed the girl would like. Riri appreciated the gifts, admiring whatever was brought to her.

Attuma: Your mother. Where has she gone? Riri: She's on a mission right now. Two weeks. *she noticed the slight drop in his shoulders at the information.* Attuma: Well, whenever you talk to her, give her my well wishes. *turns and walks off* Riri: Sure...

The first time Riri saw Attuma at her house completely took her off guard. Her mother was rubbing his back while he looked like the cat that ate the canary. Okay. Granted, it was because her mother had inflicted a particularly nasty wound to him while they were sparring and she was rubbing some healing salve on him. But still!

Riri: *gestures between the two of them before folding her arms* So uh, whats going on here? Attuma: Plankton, your mother tried to kill me, but was unsuccessful. Okoye: *smacks his shoulder* Sparring session gone wild. Riri: Oh, wild, huh? *eyes the scratches along his back* Okoye: *side eyes Riri* What are you implying? Riri: *raises her palms* Aye, I ain't say nothing. Okoye: Mhm.

It wasn't until a few months later, Riri had caught wind that Attuma was asking around if her mother was single. Straight up traipsing about the marketplace asking the aunties who like to gossip about if there was a man in Okoye's life.

Riri: *curiously follows Attuma around at a safe distance* Attuma: She has a daughter, but I have never observed the presence of a man the few times I was allowed entrance into her home. Riri: *taps on her Kimoyo earrings to get better audio of the conversation* Gossiping Aunty: Oh, no! Koko doesn't have any man in her life. At least I haven't gotten any word from the others of such an occurance happening. Attuma: So she was married? Gossiping Aunty: *looks around* No, she has never wed. Attuma: *rumbles in understanding*

After that, Riri noticed that Attuma's gifts were becoming more extravagant with every visit to her mother. Black pearl necklaces. Hand-crafted gold bracelets. And the crazy part is, her mother took them with no objection. Nah, she had to get to the bottom of this!

Riri: Ma, you got some really nice jewelry here. *plays with the necklace Attuma brought her* Okoye: Thank you. Attuma got them for me. Riri: He's been real friendly. And you've been real friendly back. Okoye: I am just being courteous *clasps her hands together* Riri: *walks over to her mother and joins her on the floor* Oh, is that what you call it? *gives her a sly smile* Okoye: *struggles to hide her smile and fiddles with her fingers to occupy her mind* Riri: Attuma's really nice, isn't he? Okoye: As nice as that brash, Blue buffoon can be at times. Riri: Do you like him? Okoye: What? No! Riri: Oh my God! Mom! You do! *pokes her side, causing her mom to laugh* Okoye: Bast! Stop it! Riri: Ma! Admit it!! All the guys in the past that wanted your attention, you never gave them the light of day. But in comes the Big Blue General and you're cheesing!!! Every time he visits he brings you gifts! ...Are you two dating? Okoye: Wha-? No! Riri: Then what do you call the trips to the Golden city and all those gifts!! He's courting you! Admit it! Okoye: Attuma and I are not courting. Riri: *laughs* Ok, ok. I know he ain't but he has been asking around if you're single, though. Okoye: *eyes widen* He has? Riri: Omg Mom! Look at you!!! You're so down bad! Okoye: I never go down bad! *points an accusatory finger at Riri* Riri: *holds her mother's hands* Ma, it's okay if you like him. *happily kisses her knuckles* I'm excited for you! I've never seen you like this! You're all googly eyes around him! He has you resting so hard in your feminine right now! Okoye: *sighs and rubs a hand over her scalp* Okay. He's a nice man. Somehow, despite his size, he was able to slither his way into my heart. Just a liiiiitle bit *she pinched her fingers together* Riri: *tackles her Mom into a hug* Holy shit! I really never thought I'd see the day! And I didn't even have to do anything this time around!! Okoye: *holds Riri's head to her chest and rests there for a few moments* Riri: *listens to her mother's steady heartbeat* So are you going to give him a chance, Mama? Okoye: *Caresses Riri's temple* Yes, I'm going to give the brute a chance. Riri: *wiggles in happiness and looks at her mother* I'm really happy for you Mom. *kisses her cheek*

It wasn't until maybe a week later Attuma approached Riri while she was walking about the city. He walked up to her with what seemed to be...coral? In the shape of a rose!! In hand.

Attuma: Tiny shrimp. Riri: Aren't shrimp already small? It sounds kinda redundant. *grins* Attuma: It is to emphasize that you are so minuscule. *chuckles* Riri: Those for my Mom? Attuma: *gives one nod* I have come to receive your blessing. Riri: *raises an eyebrow* My blessing? Attuma: Yes. I plan to properly court your mother and I would like to have your blessing. Riri: *looks around* Alright. Kneel for me. Attuma: *does so without question* Riri: *extends her arm and taps each of Attuma's shoulders* I give you my blessing to date my mom. Just make sure you treat her right, okay? Attuma: She is the radiant Sun to my sky. The moon to my tides. I would never treat her any less than she deserves, so long as she shall have me. Riri: *shakes her head with a smile* Alright, Romeo. Hurry up unless you wanna be late for your date! Attuma: *smiles* Thank you, Riri.

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