#it’s the same thing with different cultural customs or wishes

[looseratinthegarage]

Yautja reacting to S/o’s cute aggression

A distraction from my troubles, I’m still working on asks don’t worry! But mental health come first baby <3

(Not prof read, my gf was being needy lol I love her sm tho)

Tw: insinuated smexy time at the end, always assume foul language :)

•You were visiting his sister, she just had another suckling and the both of you were invited to meet him. After a couple of hours traversing the galaxy, you landed on Yautja Prime. The home world of the Yautja. Luckily she lived in a remote village, not a large city, which would have been problematic.

•Your mate opened the hatch and you began descending the ramp of his ship. You used to get dirty looks, but these Yautja are all used to you by now, not that they like you, some do! But most don't… You interlock hands and walk to her home. She’s the chieftess of this clan, so she basically lives in a mini tree mansion.

•You both walk in and see beautiful chaos. Some of the other, older, younglings were wrestling and hadn’t noticed your presence yet. You cleared your throat and they quickly stopped, fearing their mother was upset, but at seeing the both of you their faces lit up.

• “Sute! Y/n!” The rambunctious twins yell in unison

•They run and practically tackle you to the ground, not your mate, he seemed unfazed by the climbing. You picked the boy up and nuzzled your face against his.

• “Well, well, looks like they missed you both.” Shev’a held her tiny suckling in her arms

•You both put the younglings down and approached her. Your mate rubs his head against hers and your heart practically melts, you love seeing them interact. She then looks at you and leans down, allowing you to greet her the same way.

• “It’s a pleasure to see you and your lineage again, Shev’a.” You politely bow your head, she smiles fondly and hands you the newest member

•You smile, you’ve never seen a baby Yautja, only kids and older. You wiggle your finger in front of him playfully. He reaches up and grabs you with his tiny hands, brings your hand to his face, and begins to nibble. You chuckle and let him suck on your finger for a moment, considering he only had gums, there was no issue, but when his teeth come in…

• “Excuse me for a moment, I must attend to something.” Shev’a excuses herself and walks up the tree’s stairs

• You couldn’t handle how cute this baby was!! So much cuter than human babies, at least in your opinion. You say, 'Oh, you are so cute I could just eat you up!’ or ‘I just want to squeeze your little mandibles!’

•Your mate is rather concerned by this, looking at you with a face of disbelief and his mouth agape.

• “Why do you wish to harm my sister's offspring?” He whisper-yelled to you almost in a panic.

•You raise your eyebrow, then remember the cultural difference. You giggle and shake your head.

• “We humans get something called ‘cute aggression’, saying you want to pinch a baby’s cheeks, or mandibles, signals to the mom your intention to approach and engage, or cute aggression might be a kind of coping mechanism for those of us who feel emotionally overwhelmed by cuteness. One theory is that it ‘reminds you how much bigger and stronger you are physically than this cute little thing,’. It’s a very interesting subject actually.” You ramble, but this puts your mate's mind at ease

• “Humans are starting to interest me.” Shev’a steps down the last stair, cleary had been listening to us the whole time

•Sute seemed to tense up at her presence, but she seemed rather calm. She walked over to you and nuzzled your head as she purred. She lightly took the suckling back and kissed his forehead.

• “Oh calm down brother, I find y/n’s human custom cute, I don’t think they’d hurt my offspring.” Shev’a’s laugh bellows through the house

•He seemed to greatly relax after hearing this. He wrapped his arm around your shoulder and pulled you close.

• “I want a suckling or three someday.” You absentmindedly spoke then gasped at being picked up

• “We will visit again soon, Shev’a, I must breed my mate.” Sute proudly states, causing you to blush madly

• “I wish you luck and fertility!” She shouts as you leave the house, hoping you’ll hear it

• “T-thanks Shev’a!” You stutter as your mate practically sprints to his ship

[storiesbysoup]

Infatuated.

ramattra x human!reader. 1.6k word count. notes: the words "hunky ravager" are some of my favorite that I've ever written. MASTERLIST.

SYNOPSIS: Two omnics walk into a humans shop: one walks out with a new finger, the other walks with an infatuation with a human.

The war on omnics was one you wished would end much sooner than it was going to. Being human in this world was no longer simple -- that had lost it sense of safety many years ago. Anxiety and fear danced in every humans heart while outside their homes and the same for omnics.

Like many other children within the world, you had lost your parents to the war. You grew up with others around the area, not minding the fact that the concept of parents was one none of you truly understood. It was what happened when you grew up orphans -- you didn’t get the perk of parents.

It didn’t matter though -- you were now an adult, living on your own as a shopkeeper. Life was much more difficult than when you were young but you managed, opting to simply work as much as you could. It was stressful but you made a livable wage so you chose to not complain. 

You made it apparent through signs and somewhat hidden messages that you didn’t turn away any customer unless you had reason. Omnics, humans, and any other living creature was allowed in your shop as long as their was no malicious intent behind them. 

Today was just like any other day, you were cleaning up after the last customer had left. Spray bottle and rag in hand, you wiped down the counter one last time before walking up to the front door to flip the sign that said ‘OPEN!’ to it’s other side.

Before you could even grasp it, the door swung open. Two omnics stood before you, a smaller one leaning onto a larger one. You didn’t recognize the build of the smaller omnic, but the larger was one that remained in your mind since childhood. A Ravager, one of types built for war. 

You built your lip nervously, questioning of they were here to take you away. It wasn’t the first time omnics had come to try and take you away, but you digressed. “Can... I help you?” Cautious was the best way to play this since you didn’t know what their intentions were.

“Brother, are you sure we can trust one of them?”

The Ravager omnics emphasis made you frown. What hatred did he hold against you? All you were was a simple shopkeeper. 

“Believe me, brother. Some humans are better than others.” The smaller omnic -- was he supposed to be a monk? -- tilted his head to look at his ‘brother. You shrugged it off; their culture was different from yours. Perhaps that was normal for omnics.

“We have heard that you carry omnic parts -- I’m missing a piece of my finger, here.” 

The monk omnic used his other hands to point towards the missing finger on his other hand. Your brow curved at the missing metallic joint -- you were sure that you had extras laying around somewhere. A simple nod beckoned the two inside. A Ravager and a monk omnics inside a simple shop like yours could cause trouble for the duo. 

As you led them into the back, you questioned why they were here. Why did they come to your shop specifically rather than an actual omnic repair worker? A question that would forever haunt you as you continued to dig through small boxes.

“So... do you two have names or are you just known by your builds?” What you could guess to be a dark laugh came from the Ravager as he looked down to you. The monk omnic spoke up first, placing a hand on the Ravagers shoulder. “I am Zenyatta and this is Ramattra. He is simply cautious of humans, do not mind him.” 

Ramattra turned his head away sighing, wishing his brother would stop talking for a moment. You didn’t know if omnics could get embarrassed, or if they could blush, but you supposed that if they could Ramattra would be stark-red right about now. 

You turned, digging through a box of small omnic pieces. Zenyatta was missing a finger joint -- the tip of his finger, specifically. A common thing that would happen was this exact situation, minus the monk and Ravager. 

A giggle filled the silence between the three of you as you continued to dig through boxes. “So, do you just casually walk around like the world’s biggest robo-asshole or are you actually like a giant sweetheart?” Ramattra simply stared at you, supposedly glaring.

“Sorry, that was rude. You’re a big, hunky Ravager that could potentially rip me apart at any mom- fuck!”

You groaned, pulling your hand out of the box. Quickly spinning the box around you read the writing on the side of it:

OMNIC PARTS: FACIAL BITS

You could have sworn that you put the box of hands and finger pieces in this area of the shop, but you guessed not. With another groan, you glanced up to Ramattra. “Hey, hunky, can you come with me? I need to reach a box on the top shelf and it’s kinda heavy.”

Ramattra turned his head, looking down at you as he motion with one of his hands for you to lead the way. You wiped your hands on your pants as you walked to the proper back of the store. The sound of Ramattra’s heavy metal footsteps clunked behind you as the two of you walked to the back.

His head slowly glanced around as you lead him towards the heavy boxes. You swore you’d moved the box back into the main room but simply shrugged it off. With a soft grumble, you drug the ladder over and propped it up against the wall. Before you could even step foot on the ladder, Rammatra lifted up and grazed his fingers against he boxes. 

You hadn’t even realized that he was tall enough to reach the top shelf without any help. Awkwardly, you watched as he went through each boxes sloppily written on the sides. “Is it this one?” His low voice interrupted your thoughts as you nodded, your voice quiet compared to his. 

“Yeah, if you can just lower it I can grab one of the pieces.”

He hummed, taking the box down and leaning himself over so you could reach into it. A small smile trailed itself onto your face as you looked through the finger bits. With a soft gasp, you grabbed the closest copy of what Zenyatta’s other fingers appeared to be. 

Ramattra’s gaze seemed to be focused on you solely, which caused you minor anxiety but you pushed past it. It wasn’t until he spoke up that you even actually noticed. 

“Do you enjoy this? Working as a repairman for the beings your kind has grown hatred for throughout the last decade?”

“I like helping. Whether that’s omnics or humans -- I don’t care. I just like helping others get what they need.”

He watched you carefully, questioning if you were honest. It was unusual to him, humans being kind. Gut instinct told him you lying, that you were simply like other humans, but he knew: you were different.

His cold hand grazed on top of your warm human one; something you supposed was a sweet gesture of sorts from him. You took your other hand out, placing it on top of his with a soft smile.

Never in your life did you expect to be working with an omnic that despised humans, but here you were. The both of you were unsure of what was happening, but you quickly shook yourself out of it. He must have been getting uncomfortable, and you wouldn't blame him. A human was getting to see the less destructive side of him; he surely did not appreciate it.

"Welp!" You pulled your hands back, clasping them together with the finger between your palms. "Let's go get this attached to Zenyatta so you two don't have to hang around here much longer." He wanted to pull you back, to tell you that he'd rather stand here and just stare at you.

Meanwhile, you were already walking out of the storage and holding your hands out for Zenyatta. The monk put his hand in yours, allowing you to quietly reconnect the finger piece. A few moments later, you stood back with a grin. "All patched up!"

Zenyatta knew something was up with the both of you just by the way you two awkwardly stood near each other, but he chose to ignore it for the most part. He stood, nodding to Ramattra. "Thank you. I will most certainly be returning for any other missing pieces."

You laughed, waving him off with a warm look. "I'll be here! Now, you two better hurry out before night falls. This place gets weird." The two omnics glanced between each other, a silent conversation befalling them before Ramattra hummed.

"Be safe."

With that, the duo left your shop. You let out a soft breath as you cleaned up, officially closing the shop for the night. The storage room seemed a lot more interesting now, even with the omnic brothers gone.

Ramattra could not stop thinking of you since he left. Something about you made his mind focused on you. Zenyatta had kept the thought in his mind, watching Ramattra for a moment before speaking up.

"You seem to be interested in that human." "Quiet yourself with those lies." "I only speak the truth, brother."

Ramattra sighed, continuing to deny the fact that he was infatuated with you. He had to go back sometime -- you were the only thing on his mind at this point.

written by storiesbysoup© 2023. I do not condone anyone translating my works and/or stealing them.

[us-the-voices-and-more-voices-2]

hot take, omega verse is actually a really interesting and cool concept

it’s actually a really good idea but I only ever see smut and shit, like I know it’s inherently a smut concept but my goodness it’s such a good idea for portraying sexism and gender based and sex based discrimination and AAAAA

I really really love the idea so badly, but I just wish there was more original stories about how the world works and how beta’s work and all these things, there so much here and yet it’s underutilized!

I just want to see beta/beta and omega/omega and alpha/alpha and beta/alpha and beta/omega

like you literally have mad sex/gender 2.0 now with added genders and sexuality’s

like literally it’s such a gay idea and yet? Omega/omega and such DON’T EXIST???

like homophobia and transphobia 2.0

like ughghhghg, it’s such a good concept and idea I love it to bits. But I just wish there was more angsty social and societal stories.

like what is it like to be a trans beta?? Is there different customs for different omegaverse cultures???

are trans first sex people treated better than trans second sex people?

are same second sex relationships discriminated against?

I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.

uuhhuhuhuhuuhhuuhhhhhggghggh

[illwilledomen]

Villager religion!

Villagers worship their own religion - while it differs slightly from village to village, it follows the same base rules. Illager religion is based off of this (since they are descended from villagers) however it is very much different and I will go into it in the future!

All villagers are sworn by an Oath of Peace, meaning they are strict pacifists outside of life or death scenarios. Even then, you are expected to feel extremely guilty about any form of self defence, and it is only permitted if there is no option to flee.

The Oath is part of their devout religion - They worship three gods, the God of Harvest, the God of Spirits and the God of Prosperity.

They are often just shortened to their functions (Harvest, Spirit and Prosperity).

Their gods bring good fortune when obeyed, but bring disaster when meddled with. They aren’t portrayed as having specific forms, rather, they’re portrayed as more forces of nature.

The Harvest brings forth comfort, fertility, food and the health of the land in exchange that villagers swear to take care of the animals, plants and the land, treat them well and do not take what you do not need. The Harvest is often portrayed as a friend/protector of children, and villagers believe the Harvest bestows life into their hefty iron protectors. The Harvest is a force not to be reckoned with, however, as when it is disrespected, it will bring famine, disease and infertility. When a villager has a miscarriage/stillborn child, it is often seen as an omen of the Harvest’s disapproval with what the village might have been doing.

The Spirit is the villager’s God of death, life and morals. The Spirit is a neutral force, and is considered the most powerful. It is often portrayed as a strange blue figure, and the creatures it is associated with are Endermen (due to their mysterious nature) Allays (representing purity) and goats*. The spirit is potentially the villager’s interpretation of having observed soul magic.

*Goats are an animal that also represents death in villager culture. This is why goat horns are used by illagers in raids - Its a symbolic, and literal way to say ‘We’re coming to kill you all’. Pretty grim if you think about it.

The Spirit has given villagers the gift of compassion, and if villagers fail to use the Spirit’s gift, the villager will be punished in life and in death. The Spirit is one of the driving forces behind the villager’s Oath of Peace. The Spirit also requires villagers to have restraint over urges (such as anger, lust, greed, etc).

Illagers are regarded as being cursed by The Spirit for breaking the Oath.

Humans (heroes/players) are also considered to be related to The Spirit, due to their neutrality between good and bad. Also because they’re just extremely weird to villagers so they jumped to what sounded to be the most logical conclusion - The gods be testin us……

Villagers consider things like totems of undying, prolonged longevity (like keeping yourself alive to unnatural lengths with magic), stuff of that nature to be an extreme sin because not only are they magic (STUFF OF THE ILL…) but they defy the Spirit’s wishes.

Finally, the Propserity. The Prosperity is, well, the God of wealth (duh) as well as love, romance, humor, community and luck. It is often portrayed as a golden rabbit with emerald eyes. The Prosperity has its own special holiday - At the crack of spring as the flowers start to bloom, a very grand festival is held, where villages from neighbouring biomes will congregate to celebrate and share information, goods, currency and perhaps……find love……. During the Festival of Prosperity, you are encouraged to wear bright colours and preferably have dried or fresh flowers or lacey clothes on your person. Single villagers may dance with other of their own or neighbouring communities, and, like Valentine’s Day, they are encouraged to find love.

The custom is to give your desired partner various edible and wearable gifts (both partners will do this to one another). The most popular gift is breads or carbohydrates in general. If you’re a real Casanova you might present your lover a fresh cake/confectionary with your hands exposed. That’s considered very intimate, and in this context, very romantic. Though if you expose your hands when not in use during any other occasion when not with your lover then you’ll be considered a harlot.

Unlike the other 2 gods, Prosperity is more laid back. If you cheat on your lover, steal, or lie, however, then you will be breaking Prosperity’s oath and it will curse you with the misfortune of judgement, poverty and a broken heart.

There is another deity that is ‘newer’ in a sense it has become more widely taught in some villages however it is not as widespread as the three gods. This one, however is a demon, and is not worshipped, rather feared and warded way.

This demon is called the Terror and it manifests itself in creatures such as the vex, all nether organisms (that villagers have seen and documented), ravagers, the undead, phantoms and most importantly, illagers.

The Terror represents everything villagers are frightened of - it’s like a boogeyman of sorts. It is often portrayed as an imp-like creature, a hog, ravager, or a maddened, bloodied vindicator. Villagers who believe in The Terror think that it lives inside illagers, born from the Spirit’s curse. It lives to torment, maim and kill the innocent, and is basically pure evil.

The Terror lives in physical and emotional violence, nightmares and the night.

Cats are dream protectors of villagers - they are considered spiritual warriors, servants of The Spirit, that fight the Terror each night. This stems from cats preying on a rather frightening animal called the Phantom. When cats purr, villagers believe that the cat is casting a spell which creates a barrier to ward off The Terror. Cats are very sacred to villagers, and if you hurt one you’re gonna be in big trouble I’ll tell you that.

If you are abusive, violent or hateful in a village, you will be considered cursed with the Terror, and may be banished.

If a villager has trauma, sensory issues, anxiety or basically any kind of mental illness, they will be given their own pet cat (basically the medieval version of a modern day support animal). This cat is owned by you specifically, unlike the other cats which are owned communally. Villagers do not have the modern medical knowledge to understand psychology or how it works, but they believe anxiety, grief, panic, worry etc is The Terror trying to attack you, so you are to be watched over by a new feline friend. Given purring actually does have calming effects on the brain, it might just help out! (Also, life is always better with a kitty in it!)

[thrashkink-coven]

There’s a lot of gatekeeping and weirdly defined rules in the occult and spiritual spaces. I’m just gonna go ahead and say something that might ruffle some feathers, but hopefully it helps some confused or anxious folks out.

I see a lot of posts online and get a lot of questions about entities. Mainly “is it okay for me to work with this entity?” because of xyz reasons.

Firstly, let’s make something very clear. Cultural appropriation has a very specific definition. Cultural appropriation takes place when members of a majority group adopt cultural elements of a minority group in an exploitative, disrespectful, or stereotypical way.

I say this as a person of color that understands the negative impacts of cultural appropriation and racism. This may not be the popular opinion, but I don’t think that honouring or worshipping a God privately and quietly qualifies as this. There’s a big difference between appropriating a culture and their customs and worshipping a God you feel connected to.

So having said this, if you feel like a God, angel, daemon, or entity is reaching out to you… seriously dude just go with it. We can’t control which things pull us and which entities interact with us. To many of them, we’re all just humans. Our ideas of race and ethnicity are extremely wishy washy, especially on a universal scale. If you feel deeply connected to a deity or concept, let yourself fall into them. Seriously, genuinely. Learn as much about the as you can, do your research, and go with it.

If you’re ever anxious about revealing that entity to others because of fear of judgement or criticism, give them a personal name.

I can’t say this loud enough,

GIVE THEM A PERSONAL NAME!!

Within religion, spirituality, and the occult, we use archetypes all the time. Cultures constantly share archetypes and give them personal names in their languages. The God that you’re thinking about was likely syncretized at one point too.

If you want to work with Aphrodite but don’t feel comfortable calling her Aphrodite, call her something that feels right to you. If you feel extremely connected to Isis but you don’t feel comfortable using an Egyptian name, then give her a personal name! Your connection with that God will be all the more personal.

The Gods like, and sometimes demand worship. Their phonetic names are not the totality of their being. Chances are most of us aren’t even pronouncing them correctly anyways. If you think about Inanna when you say that name, then you’re praying to Inanna. If you want to call her something else, that’s okay.

“What about closed religions?!”

It is nearly impossible to self initiate oneself into a closed religion because their customs are kept niche to their group. Without guidance you wouldn’t know how to do these things properly. If you feel a pull towards an entity from another culture, again, do your damn homework, don’t just rush into it. Be considerate and respectful of their origins. I’m not saying that their cultural origin is unimportant, because it definitely is and your understanding and acknowledgment of that is crucial, but that does not necessarily mean that you have to be Canaanite or Phoenician to worship or work with Astarte. Understand how they were worshipped back then, and how they wish to be honoured now.

Please understand that having a relationship with a God is not the same thing as converting into a religion or appropriating traditional customs. Not all religion is organized. I worship Aphrodite in a very non traditional way according to the Greeks. That’s okay.

And likewise, a lot of deeply closed entities with specific cultural ties simply don’t reach out to people outside of their niche. They have their chosen people and stay within their realm of influence. It’s extremely rare for the Loa to connect with non voodoo practitioners, and Voodoo is a very complex practice that requires specific sacrifices and rituals. It is ill advised to make offerings to vodous without divination and instruction. It’d be very unobtainable for most people. I say this as someone with a practicing Voodoo/Obeah bloodline, even I don’t feel secure enough to delve into that kind of magick by myself.

There’s a lot of high tensions on the internet when it comes to these things. I’ve seen posts (mostly on Reddit) of practitioners heartbroken that they have to break up with Lilith, their angels, their infernals, or some other deity because they got chastised for it online.

I think the immortality of our Gods is beautiful. While many of their original chosen people are long gone, they still live on and find ways to connect with humanity today. That is a very good thing.

So guys, honestly, unless you’re excited to share your path with others and ready to receive criticism, keep your Gods to yourself. Enjoy and worship them on your own, and if you feel compelled to discuss them just give them a personal name. If your God is Hekate and you feel compelled to give her a personal name, just say that your deity is similar to Hekate whenever you discuss them. It’s that easy. There are already a thousand different Hekates that people associate with. There’s no reason why you can’t create one more.

Please enjoy your practice and your faith. Don’t worry so much about everyone else. The Gods know who you are, and they want to connect with you because they really like who you are. That’s a very very good thing.

[kairoseas]

request from @coffebean: Can you do umm a Sukuita one about sukuna fantasizing about yuji in a bride dress Sukuna's never been one to fantasize. It's more of an activity reserved for those who cannot make their slightest whims a reality at the flick of their wrist; it was something the brat did a lot, but not he himself. He was more inclined towards making what he imagined in the darkest recesses of his own mind a reality when he simply saw fit to. This was not an occasion where he could simply put his idea to reality, much to his own painful chagrin.

That doesn't mean he hasn't had... a passing whimsy. A fantastical image. This modern era has changed a lot, certainly that was so, but others had remained very much the same. He'd first gotten a glimpse of this idea from the brat's posters, some gaudy older woman far too out of his league on his dorm room walls, flashing a particular kind of staged smile (he recognized it, it was similar to the ones he was once forced into giving at events) that made her expression all the more false to anyone trained in the art of expression. He, however, was elated at the slightest. "Oi, brat." The sudden speaking had Yuuji jumping in surprise, and it was a little on the adorable side, if Sukuna had anything to say about it. Still, like a good vessel, he answers when prompted: "Mmn? Something you need, 'kuna?" No, there wasn't anything he needed per say, but there were questions to be posed, fancies to be taken into consideration, and while he could search the brat's 'brain' (whatever was in the space between his ears, he certainly wasn't that optimistic) for his answers, he found it easier to lounge in the same way a lion did, surrounded by artifacts of his domain. "That woman. What's she wearing?" he asks from his place on Yuuji's cheek, the singular protruding eye stuck on the image in his magazine. Yuuji blinks before he realizes that Sukuna's talking about the image in front of him in modern print, fully colored, beautiful in a lot of ways, even when some were lost on him. "It's a wedding dress. You had those, right?" "It was different than that." "Really?" Not that the infamous Ryomen Sukuna paid much attention to marriage ceremonies of any sort, since he was never interested in participating in one up until ... these past few months. Thus, the culture surrounding them caught the curse's attention, caused him to absorb what information he found in passing. Yuuji, too, didn't have too much of an eye out for things pertaining to a wedding in their everyday fight for survival. "The wedding-kimonos were more ornate than that. More ... unique. These atrocities are mass manufactured, aren't they?" "...? How'd you guess?" "... they all look too similar to one another. Isn't the point of a wedding to be unique to all others in accordance to the tastes of the bride and groom?" the curse states with genuine disgust; how could people water down such a beautiful custom? Ah, well, it was one of the many things that the modern day watered down and diluted. "Heh, 'kuna has some romantic ideas. Did you ever marry anybody?" "What do you think?" "... no? But you were famous, right? Wouldn't you have been chased after?" It's at this point that Sukuna rolls his eyes, shaking his head inside of his domain at the very idea; he was courted many times, but it was never once returned in any regard. That was one of the problems with being all-powerful. Romance was trickier, more obtuse. "That's not to say that I was not courted, brat." "Courted...?" Ah, right, another word long gone out of fashion, Sukuna had to watch his own language if he wanted to speak and be understood by anyone, including his own vessel. "Others wished to romance me often. They were all foolish." Sukuna answers him easily, to which Yuuji laughs a bit. "Yeah? I can see you turning a lot of people down. You seem more like a loner to me." "Correct. ... have you entertained marriage?" "Not really." What a shame. In the Heian era, women were groomed to be brides fairly early, and it was around this time that they would have been wed away for power. Even if Yuuji had no desire yet to be by his side for an extended stay, well, safe to say Yuuji didn't get a say in the matter. He was the other half of Sukuna's rotten soul, everything he was not, tied to his littlest finger. "Doesn't matter. Don't get any bright ideas." Sukuna pulls back, resting his knuckles against his face as he sat on the throne of bovine skulls, You're still my vessel, and you won't belong to anyone besides me anyway." ... we'll work on the wedding dress part.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hello! I was wondering if you had an insights as to what the idea was behind the Starsending Robes? I've been looking at them quite closely and couldn't understand what kind of style they were going for or what the inspiration behind them was! This isn't to say that I don't like them as I do a lot but would simply like to know more about them!

The history of the Star Sending harkens back to the story of Pinocchio, as is detailed in the introduction to the event. The customs associated with the holiday itself borrows ideas from Tanabata, a Japanese summer festival in which people write their wishes on slips of paper and tie them to tree branches.

As for the fashion (ie the Star Sending Garments/Robes), I don’t think it’s inspired by one particular trend or style??? It feels more like a combination of many different things.

Yana stated in a March 2023 interview that in terms of costume design, she wants the clothes to be modern yet also wants to remain cognizant of the fact that TWST (or NRC, I guess) is a place where many cultures, countries, and time periods exist at the same time. They have a unique world of their own, and stylish fashion to go with it—so the clothing in TWST isn’t really a reinterpretation of a preexisting costume, but rather something wholly special to Twisted Wonderland. As an example, the richly historical Pomefiore robes were inspired by the traditional Japanese kimono. For events in which characters travel to new places, climate and local culture is also considered for styling. Cold places like Harveston would have thick yer breathable clothing to protect from the weather! A similar approach may have been taken in terms of the Star Sending robes.

I believe the general overall look may have come from the Blue Fairy (from the story of Pinocchio, which the lore of the holiday originates); it’s a sleeveless dress, and if you look at her neckline, it’s a V-line. In the Star Sending robes, the white cloth forms a V-line as well (though it isn’t as obvious because it’s layered with a sleeveless black high collar tunic). When dancing, the Star Sending boys also use sticks topped with stars, which look very similar to the Blue Fairy’s wand. If we really want to go out on a limb, maybe you could say the fabric looks lightweight and is easy to move in to resemble the yukata that are typically worn to Tanabata festivals.

The actual robes and all the extra embellishments are probably there just to add extra modern or high fashion pizzazz? Or maybe the dark blue with the shiny accents are referencing Wizard Mickey’s hat 🤷‍♀️ (Again, basing this guess on the design philosophy shared in the interview.) I can’t think of any immediate comparisons to Pinocchio or Tanabata fashion.

[laineystein]

I understand and agree the very observant would probably adjust to life in Israel very quickly. I know there’s a lot of Israelis that are secular as well, and I think they live ok? I don’t know for sure. To my understanding though, the government is tilted to favor the more observant Jew. As someone who isn’t terribly religious, that concerns me as much as the bombs and the bomb shelters. As far as stuff like the weather, to each their own. I grew up experiencing Lake effect snow storms and still do. I couldn’t handle year round hot weather. Where I live, a 60 degrees Fahrenheit and a sunny day happening before the summer heat descends is considered an opportunity to wear shorts and sunbathe.

I respect your opinion and I’m glad you feel at home in Israel. To me, personally, trading a bomb shelter and bombs to escape colleges students aspiring to be terrorists isn’t a trade off that nets a positive gain. To me, it’s the same.

That being said, I hope you, your husband, and the growing baby are doing well. 🙂.

I think the key here is that, again, I have lived in both Israel and the diaspora so I can confidently state where I prefer to live. I see a lot of Israeli Jews and a lot of Diaspora Jews both saying they’d prefer to live elsewhere but none of them have actually tried. So their opinion is based on perception and not fact. I’m not discounting their opinions as invalid but it’s worth acknowledging that they’re based in theory, not actual experiences they’ve had.

Yes, our current government is more conservative and does favor a more religious society but that’s not indicative of our population as a whole and even many religious Jews don’t favor our current government and didn’t vote for them. I also think it’s dangerous to say that more observant Jews would adjust to life in Israel quickly because that’s not an accurate statement. I, as an observant Jew, find being observant here is easier than in the diaspora - my level of observance doesn’t make life here easier, my life is easier because my level of observance is accommodated for in Israel unlike in other countries. Many religious Jews move from the diaspora and struggle with things just as secular olim would. Anyone moving from any country to another will struggle to adapt to that country. An Italian who grew up in New York will struggle to fit in in Italy. It’s the same thing. They’re different places and even if some of the practices may be the same, they’re still different cultures and customs, etc etc etc.

I need everyone to be careful not to paint Israel and Israelis with such a broad stroke brush. Just like every country, we are diverse and nuanced. Just like every country, those differences both cause difficulties and are what make Israel and Israelis so great. Half of the people in my life are not religious in the way that I am and they are all proud Israelis who would never want to live elsewhere. Some of them despise our current government and I have a few secular friends that vote Likud and always have. Again - it’s important not to fall into the same propaganda trap that we see with the pro-H@mas group that all Israelis are radical zealots with close minded viewpoints that enable us all to support a problematic government. That assessment applies to like 0.0001% of the Israeli population. Israelis are not a monolith, our government and levels of religious observance cannot be viewed through a monolithic lense. That’s just not how life works.

Bottom line - I don’t care where y’all want to live. Everyone should be able to live where they want to live. I just think a lot of diaspora Jews in particular essentially talk themselves out of living in Israel because it’s just unfamiliar to them and they feel that it makes them a bad Jew for not wanting to live here. Which is inaccurate because again, I don’t think anyone cares. I certainly don’t. Live where you want to live. Jew do Jew.

Thanks for the well wishes. Eye injuries aside, we’re all doing great BH 😅

[hesperioae]

To Agni On His Birthday

Agni x reader, Agni x oc. Female s/o. Mostly head-canons and reader-insert.

The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.

Rabindranath Tagore

You certainly spend some time thinking and wondering about Agni’s birthday before making up your mind. You observe him, ask some questions here and there… You clearly do not wish to pressure him, to look imposing in any way. You know there are cultural differences, and you must respect his customs… You also have the strong feeling he welcomes you in his life, and he is happy to experience different things with you.

It has been almost a year since you found him in the library that evening, at the Phantomhive’s manor. He was alone checking up some books before Soma’s lesson the next morning, and you had been ruminating a work problem, a letter that Ciel had entrusted you to write.

The circumstances in which you two interacted for the first time and how long it took you to feel attracted to each other do not matter now. But that night in the library, Agni gave you an idea for your letter without realizing it, and you decided to reward him with an experience, a walk to the gardens to witness something special in the middle of the night. He considered consulting first with the prince whether to exit the manor into the gardens that late at night, alone with you, but after seeing prince Soma sleeping soundly, Agni decided not to disturb him and accompany you.

You gently and mysteriously escorted him through. After a while, he asked with his calmed deep voice: “It is good that you know the way, my Lady. I have never been to the gardens at night. Do you come here often, after dark?” As the night breeze played with your hair, and the moon light produced a rather refreshing effect on your skin, you replied: "I do. The gardens at night give me a comfort I can hardly find elsewhere. This way, please." You said entering a small greenery tunnel and accessing the forest.

Agni was curious as to why the gardens at night brought you comfort, since he enjoyed so much the explosion of colors in daylight. He asked, so that he could better appreciate the same sights. Agni followed you carefully, matching your pace despite his very long legs, so that he would not be ahead or behind you. "I guess... It is the quietness? It is quiet to all my senses. I am a bit oversensitive and... daytime, though endearing, sometimes overwhelms me." You said thoughtfully as you two passed by a creek.

Agni understood how the quietness could allow us to appreciate the many other senses that were not usually focused on due to the noise of the day. And he could see how daytime could be overwhelming for someone who was sensitive.

You then accessed a clearing and a group of bushes with tiny tubular flowers that looked almost like small stars and had a fresh sweet perfume. The Night Blooming Jasmine or Lady of the Night were open in the evening and would close the next morning. “Tonight, they flourish for you, Agni. Thank you for joining me and indulging me." You said taking a sit on a rock as stylishly as you could.

Agni sits down next to you, and looks at the beautiful flowers, admiring their color and shape and thinking about how wonderful they were. “We call them Raat Rani in India, Queen of the Night. I had not seen this happen since I was a kid. It would have been a shame to miss them. It is a very special gift. Thank you so much.” He said in a low voice.

"I thank you also for trusting me." You replied. "This manor is beautiful and dangerous. Thank you for not thinking I was trying to lure you into a trap or something. We first met rather recently, after all."

“Trust is a mutual agreement.” He said with a smile. “You have been kind to me and my prince. It is true that the manor can be dangerous, especially at night, and I hope that we are not attacked. But no, I feel I can trust your favor. It is beautiful here.”

"Beauty can be dangerous, but not necessarily." You said protecting yourself from the mild night cold. "You and your master are lucky to have each other."

“I do feel very blessed to be my prince's trusted khansama and friend. I was very lucky to have met him, and it still does not feel quite real to me. You are correct, we are indeed very lucky.”

The night was still blissful, but darker. A firefly took refuge on your shoulder. The sky turned into a sea of black and blue with shining sparks.

Agni felt truly fortunate to have been able to come out and see all this with you, and the night only grew more peaceful for him. He hoped the firefly would stay there for a long time, it was very beautiful and fitting to him that it had chosen to land where it had.

“Did you find your partner, Agni? Or you feel you are still looking for them?” You asked looking at the firefly.

He looked saddened for a moment, and it took him some time to answer “It… it appears I still want some forgotten things. Some very old dreams still haunt me, for better and for worse.”

You took Agni's left hand and placed the firefly in it softly. You caressed his hand carefully.

“You are so kind to me. I do not deserve these things. You are giving me too much. There are many better people you could be giving all this kindness and care, but... I must say it is quite nice to be so cared for. There is something so very calming about you…” He said a bit shakily with his rich voice.

You made sure to thank him as well for his compassion and kindness. And then you came closer to him and kissed his lips.

He was slightly taken aback at your gesture and did not immediately return it, though he did not pull back his head or try to repel it. You could almost feel the tension and the struggle in him.

After a moment, he gently placed his hand against your face, slowly bringing you closer as the kiss grew more passionate.

He suddenly woke up some hours later. A firefly glinted by his window and a soft perfume of minty jasmine was lingering... He had a joyful demeanor, but the kind of happiness you had brought to him scared him. That was the night of his birthday.

The next day, your silky high-pitched voice made him turn around in the middle of a corridor. You approached him radiantly and as you walked next to him, you told him Ciel needed to come to France with you for a while, to La Province, where you currently live.  You extended the invitation to Agni and Prince Soma, to stay there for a season or two with you. You spoke gently but clearly, your eyes showing an inner glow.

Agni's eyes widened slightly as you spoke, and he stared at you for a moment, looking quite shocked by your proposition. After a moment, he cleared his throat and spoke.

"This is a surprise. To think such an offer would be extended to us... well, we are humbled by it, that's for sure."

He smiled at you warmly. "I shall speak to my prince, and we shall see what he thinks. If he agrees to it, then I shall gladly come with him."

Many aspects of his destiny were connected to that of his prince. You knew that. You had planned to snatch both Agni and his prince away from the dangers of the underworld, to provide Agni with help and support in the task of assuring the achievement of Soma’s best potential.

You came closer to him and promised to make them feel as comfortable and safe as possible. You also asked him playfully and enticingly if he or the prince spoke a bit of French.

Agni flushed somewhat as you came closer and spoke like this. But he tried his best to stay composed and maintain his professionalism, and he replied without losing his warm and kind attitude.

"I do know some basic words and phrases of French, but my knowledge is a bit lacking, I must admit. I shall try to improve and learn more before we come - if we come," He added, looking at you with a grin. "And my prince is a very quick learner, he will no doubt pick up the language in no time."

You smiled visibly pleased and told him you lived in a small castle near a medieval city, that there was much nature around, but people had cosmopolitan tastes as well. You could possibly find some of his spices in the big market, and some others you could import, to a certain extent. You knew cooking was a huge topic for him. You raised your hand softly to his cheek and dared to caress him.

After some hesitation, Agni leaned into your touch, allowing himself to relax and take it all in. He looked at you with a fond expression.

"Your home sounds beautiful. My prince is quite a lucky person to have a lady who is so kind, and thoughtful on his side... Not to mention so charming," He added, slightly blushing as he spoke the last part. "And, yes, I do love to cook for my prince. I take it that you also enjoy good cuisine and fine food?"

You smiled affectionately to him and explained you did. However, some experiences in your life had made your meals more and more plant based with time. You added a bit sheepishly that you were not actually used to hot-spicy food.

He smiled at you, and his expression remained warm and genuine. He explained there were many plant-based options in Indian cuisine, that Brahmins in Bengal were mostly vegetarian and sometimes ate fish, that there was a wide variety of flavors, and many dishes could easily be made for those who preferred a softer seasoning. “We are very adaptable, and we can always adjust to suit your tastes," He replied in a friendly and knowledgeable fashion. "Now, is there anything else I could be helpful to you, my lady? I am always happy to be of service.”

That was a little too tempting to hear. You looked around and subtly stretched up all you could to reach his ear and graze it with your lips. "I much look forward to being of service to you," You whispered, and then looked at him intently.

Agni blushed and blinked a bit nervously, but he remained calm and composed, and he spoke with a warm and kind demeanor as always.

"As do I. There is no doubt that it will be a wonderful experience to come to France with you. I shall be forever grateful for this opportunity."

He looked at you and smiled. "I look forward to showing you around Bengal someday and introducing you to our culture as well."

Your eyes sparked genuinely since you could not be more excited. You found his culture very interesting and had already started to learn Hindi.

"I shall be sure to tell my prince of your beautiful invitation. And I do not doubt that he shall take it seriously, as we both very much appreciate kindness and generosity.” He smiled at you warmly. "Now, is there anything else I can help you with, my lady?"

"There is much you can help me with, dear Agni. But that will have to wait." You replied gently while you walked away towards Ciel, who was requesting your attention at that moment.

Agni watched you with an adoring expression as you walked away, and he could not help but feel a bit of sadness as you left. But at the same time, he knew he had to behave professionally, and so he bowed his head respectfully and gave you a friendly smile, before turning to return to work.

You had first addressed him as Monsieur Agni. He had politely and swiftly insisted on dispensing with the title, since he preferred you called him simply Agni. He had insisted, however, on always calling you “my lady”, despite your friendly disposition to be treated less formally. It would be a long time before he finally whispered your name some months later between the sheets and at a rather heated moment.

It has been a year since that, and it was Agni’s birthday again.

Even when Prince Soma could change his mind any time soon, the Black Perigord forests had watched him grow fond of the colors, the light, the people, the subjects he was studying… You did your best to surround him every now and then with artists, scientists, and philosophers from different countries who visited your place. He even made good friends with your son, who was a bit older than the prince. You thought they could be a good influence on each other.

Of course, sometimes people talked about the solitary widow who looked far too young for her age, who often locked herself away in her forest where hunting was banned, and had now the company of a foreigner from the far East. Those things did not disturb your mind if Agni and your family had not been disturbed. He was thriving, though. He had made everybody in your small castle like him and be pleased to work with him. And despite his past, his life was growing a bit more and more balanced now.

The morning of his birthday, among the quiet stony walls of your chateau, Agni accepts -despite those many years when his birthday was just another day of work- and lights some lamps. He prays and meditates early. He thanks Kali, his star Dhanishtha, and his mother. He then goes along with you and Soma distributing food and presents in Sarlat-la-Canéda. You accept enjoying daylight with him this time. You two go alone and visit the forest in the afternoon. Your hand in his larger one, you walk calmly taking in the splendor. In the evening, you feast with him, Soma and your other loved ones.

A quiet simple life you hope will last for many years to come.

...

I apologize for any mistake because English is not my first language and I had not written fanfiction in a very long time.

Everything for this lovely fictional man on his birthday. August 24th 2023.

[goldenmagnolias]

lost in the labyrinth of my mind

pairing: OC High Lord of Dusk x Archeron!Sister

summary: Reverie Archeron has always been different. Different in a good or bad way depends on who you asked. Now a High Fae, and with another war approaching she tries to be as helpful as she can around Velaris and with her baby nephew, but at a High Lord meeting, the countless dreams she has as a child and the feelings that are not quite hers suddenly make sense and things become something that she never could have seen coming.

masterlist / ao3

CHAPTER IX: HELIOTROPE

Reverie wondered if Ophiuchus could feel her anxiety.

She wondered how far reaching was the bond even if they hadn’t accepted it yet and part of her reprimanded herself once again for not ever asking her sisters more about mating bonds.

Surely she had read countless books, some on High Fae Culture and Customs and all kind of those things, as to not thread blindly into a new word, into this new society that she now belonged. But she barely had really come across anything relating to mating bonds. And she absolutely hated that it had never crossed her mind to look for it or even ask (And then was the whole tangent of Dusk Court being a mystery and not know off until a few hours ago and her having no idea of how it’s culture and customs worked).

She knew basics of what her sisters had commented and sprinkled in conversation. And yet nothing, nothing her sisters had said, nothing she had heard could encompass what she was feeling, nor tell her what he could be possibly tracking of those feelings.

It was warm. A warmth that very much the feeling of late dusk. Of when the daylight begins to give out into the darkness, when the world is held into a limbo. The warmth when the temperature begins to drop. Of walking barefoot on marble floors. Of reading a book while bundled up in wool blankets. That cozy warm feeling.

It was Opium poppies mixed with strawberries and sandalwood, all mixed up.

It was a soft song, a melody that soothed her bones and her mind, all the same.

It was the male that sat beside her, nothing but polite, sweet and kind to her. Who’s patient to listen to her and mindful enough to ask.

Still, all that didn’t change the fact that she could feel her heart hammering away. As her mind rushed around overthinking, as it often did.

Thoughts of the customs she didn’t know and would have to learn as to not offend him or his court.

Of what expectations and rules would be placed upon her.

Of what he would expect from her

Of what dusk probably looked like.

Of if was to leave with him to dusk now.

Of wondering if he would be kind like he’s being now or if he would change. if they’d have a companionship and friendship like her sisters had with their mates or if she would be fated for a relationship like mother and father.

“Reverie?” She hears her voice and blinks turning her head and finding silver eyes looking at her. Eyes that are definitely worried.

“Forgive me… I got lost in my head.” Reverie says, her cheeks flushing.

Damn it, Reverie. First impressions matter and you’re making a fool of yourself.

“No one will blame you if you’re overwhelmed.” Ophiuchus says, and his eyes seem to be tracing her face, searching.

Reverie merely nods her head, her hands moving back to her lap, clasping them together. “I-…” she trails off before breathing in, gathering her thoughts, “I assume you wish for me to accompany you back to Dusk.”

“Yes…” Ophiuchus says, nodding slightly, and Reverie can hear the caution on his tone, even though her eyes focus on the way a stray curl of midnight black hair, moves falling on his forehead, “yet even though I do wish that. It is your choice.”

Choice.

That’s not something she’s that used to having, to yielding. Her life has been more of a series of things falling into place and her getting comfortable with the circumstances, her adapting herself to wherever she was and what she felt it was needed.

“Oh…” she can’t help but letting out, in fact she doesn’t even notices she does so until she is hearing herself verbally reacting.

And her mind… her treacherous mind, and the thoughts of doubt and wariness that her old hag of a mother instilled in her of course make an appearance.

He probably finds you a nuisance and doesn’t want you. He thinks you silly and childish. He’s a lord and you’re just someone who was made and-.

She forces herself to tune it all out.

“You are more then welcome at Dusk. Whenever you wish to be there.” Ophiuchus adds, probably somehow having an inkling of what possible thoughts are on her mind.

*You don’t want me, you have no idea how broken I am.*

“I believe you’d like the court,” he says quietly, “if the thing with the so called Death God weren’t here. I wouldn’t think twice before offering you for us to go from city to city.”

“Maybe when he’s gone we can do that,” Reverie offers, something warming in her chest at the prospect.

“Anything you wish, My Lady.” Ophiuchus says.

“And…” she exhales, “if I wished to accompany you back to Dusk?”

“Then you can do so,” Ophiuchus says, a small grin blooming on his lips.

“And the catch?” She can’t help but asking, as trepidation fills her.

“Catch?” Ophiuchus frowns slightly, and it takes everything in Reverie not to move and smooth it with her fingers. 

“What do you wish from me?”

“I-“ Ophiuchus blinks, and a thousand and one emotions seem to flicker in his face. “There’s no catch, My Sweet-Eyed girl. You’re my mate and I’m yours. Simple as that. As I said, I just wish to know you.”

“I’m sorry for assuming.” Reverie replies quietly, he probably feels offended by such assumptions.

Repeating his previous actions, Ophiuchus delicately takes her hands — both of them, now — and brings them to his lips, softly kissing her knuckles. “You’re allowed to feel wary, to be overwhelmed, to make assumptions. Just also know that you can ask me whatever you wish, alright? Whatever troubles you, if I can bring you some sort of ease I will do such. I don’t mind answering questions, even though you assume are silly.”

Reverie nods, giving him a smile, a more carefree one than those she previously had given him, and her hands clutch his that are still holding hers.

“Okay.”

And apparently maybe, just maybe, the Mother decided to be kind to her.

….

taglist: @imma-too-many-fandoms

[sluttyten]

besides just regular anxiety, which could totally be an explanation, perhaps it is the format in which you are being approached by these guys? you are at your job working after all, so I can imagine being caught off guard by anyone who is essentially a stranger asking you out romantically when you are in the mindset of taking someone's order lol. the surprise alone and the abruptness of it all would make it a lot easier to say no imo so I get it and don't think you're crazy. I'd be the same way to be honest.

maybe you'd be more comfortable if an acquaintance who you speak to regularly as your normal self, not in a customer-employee relationship, were to ask you out?

also, I've never used dating apps so don't take this last opinion too heavily if you don't want to, but one potentially good thing I can say about these apps is that you participate under the premise of seeking some sort of relationship with another human, so it can be less intimidating to approach or be approached in this setting because you and everyone else there are in a dating mindset, so you remove that issue of being approached romantically in non-romantic minded settings. obviously there can be other challenges with the apps, but at least there you would have a dedicated forum where you switch into "dating mode" or whatever lol.

for better or worse, I think these apps, along with our super-online culture, has made it rare and honestly unusual in today's society to be cold approached by a complete stranger in one's everyday life when you're just running errands or commuting or breathing air in public lol. I think most people don't do that anymore and it's a lot more acceptable to ask out people who are in your circle - people you see regularly on EQUAL footing, not this employee/customer dynamic. Ex: you both work together as coworkers and start hanging out sometimes after work, or you attend the same weekly club or activity with some cute person and begin to interact, stuff like that.

just some thoughts, I wish you luck <3

I definitely do think it’s at least partially the way they approach me, and like you said if it wasn’t so much an employee/customer dynamic I would probably be more likely to be into it. Like I don’t know these guys that have asked for my number in any way other than the brief interactions I have with them when I’m helping them in our drive thru. I feel like it would even maybe be a bit different if they were customers that came inside and stayed regularly because I do slightly feel like the relationship with those regular customers is different from drive thru customers.

And I think you’re into something with the dating apps being an equal kind of footing and making it potentially a bit easier.

[gemsofgreece]

what is your stance on "my big fat greek wedding"? i need to know! haha

It depends on which movie of the trilogy we are talking about!

I love the original MBFGW. It is very funny and many moments ring true. Idk if you are Greek, but this movie is very loved in Greece. It is not exactly exaggerated, however it is representing the Greeks of diaspora better than native Greeks, because Greeks of diaspora are a little more traditional. It is a common occurrence in immigrants trying to keep their culture and customs alive in a new place. Besides, it was released in 2002, 20 years ago, which was a time such a type of comedy felt very relevant and fresh.

Things are different now - MBFGW 2 and 3 are disappointingly underwhelming. They feel like Nia beats the dead horse again and again. I haven’t actually watched the 3rd but the 2nd movie was an utter disappointment to me. It was some random American teen dramedy with some sprinkles of “Greek misfit”(???? the daughter felt bad to be half-Greek although she was 100% indistinguishable from Americans???) and a few of the old jokes from the first movie regurgitated. Utter, utter disappointment.

I fear the flop of the second movie might have sabotaged the third one too. It is a shame because this one has two important elements: a) it was made solely in order to honour the last wish of Michael Constantine, who wanted his character’s ashes (Mr Portokalos 😢) to return to Greece, which was such a sweet and noble last wish and even nobler that they all did it for him, b) well, it was about the Portokalos family coming to Greece finally, this was such a huge opportunity to rejuvenate the movie series. And yet it flopped, because it’s 20 years after the first movie and the jokes are the same again and Greece is portrayed in a way that is now irrelevant and inaccurate for the sake of ethographic comedy. That’s what I have heard anyway - the movie gets bad reviews from Greeks and foreigners alike. I think it didn’t do well even inside Greece commercially. It’s a pity, especially because it was Constantine’s wish.

But what is a MBFGW movie without Mr Portokalos anyway, right? He was the star and the heart. The first one is a classic you never get tired of.

[wyiicb]

I've been thinking of starting a Peanuts acc with my own hcs too but I haven't worked up the courage >.< What's some of your headcanons?

SO GLAD YOU ASKED ME!! <33

the list is endless, but here are a couple of them im super passionate about:

• Charlie Brown taught Sally sign language (ASL) all throughout her childhood. She can ‘speak’ full sentences fluently and DEFINITELY uses it to her advantage (signs curses when the teacher isn’t looking /jj). The signs come in handy when Charlie Brown goes non-verbal (selective mutism)

• Lucy has terrible hearing and has had to wear hearing aides since she was like 5. Charlie Brown keeps stressing that she should learn ASL in case of emergency, but she always refuses (“I’d rather DIE than have to learn English again.” /j)

• Schroeder and Patty are cousins; his dad and her mom are German/Polish. Schroeder’s mom is black (Somalian) and Indian, and Patty’s dad is Swedish and Kazakhstanian. Patty bonds over Schroeders love for German history and loves teaching him about their family heritage (schroeder zones out until beethoven is mentioned)

• Lucy has a separate birth dad (Balkan) than Rerun and Linus’ dad (Irish). All three of them have the same mom, who I think is a Chinese immigrant who moved to America (along with their “blanket hating Grandmother”). Linus and Rerun are both “Rainbow children”, due to their mother losing a baby before Linus was born

• I saw somebody on tik tok say that Snoopy was Filipino-American, and honestly i cant unsee it /hj

• Marcie was born in Korea and was adopted by French immigrants in America. She grew up primarily learning French and a little bit of English due to the books in her house. When she met P. Patty at the summer camp, she was taught the ins and outs of American culture and still relies on her every once in a while (marcie calls her “sir” solely because she didn’t know the feminine English pronouns for an authoritative figure)

• Frieda and Heather (the little red haired girl) are half siblings. They share the red hair and the sharp nose trait (i think theyre both roman-italian bcs of it). Heather has the coveted “nAtuRAllY CuRLy HaiR” trait as well, she just burns it straight every single morning (i like drawing it frizzy asl)

• Violet is of Native American descent (mother’s side) and Black Irish (father’s side). When she first moved in in the comic (1951), she lived with both parents, but around late 1951, she moved AGAIN, so that makes me think her parents got a divorce between those two moves. Her mom quickly married a British person (ew /j) who hated all the tom-boyish crap violet was always seen doing, so he started to push his uppity customs onto her. This, I think, is why she’s so upset at Pig Pen all the time for him being messy, despite her literally being OBSESSED with mud-pie making in her first set of comics. She just has a random change there, and a different (british) influence is the only explanation /j

• Franklin LOVESSS space and science. He aspires to be an astronaut when he grows up. He often gets in arguments with Lucy about the validity of aliens existing, and it’s one of the few things that REALLYYY tick him off. Lucy revels to see him so stressed out, but she also likes getting the last word in.

�� Peggy Jean (who? /jj) and Schroeder are besties, i think. They bond over talking crap about the other peasants and Peggy loves pissing him off. They have a kind of sibling relationship, where they outwardly insult each other and wish the lather were dead, but lets be real, they would die for each other.

• Peppermint Patty is originally from Australia and met Roy through a foreign-exchange program (Roy is originally from India). They were besties at camp and when P. Patty’s dad decided to live there, she offered to let Roy stay with them. They lived together for a long time until Roy moved out with his parents (now in America) and they kinda drifted away. It’s just whenever I recall that one scene in “He’s your dog, Charlie Brown” when Roy is in P. Patty’s house for some reason, im always confused, so this is canon now/jj

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ASKING AGAIN!!! i love spreading my opinions out there and i salute you if you read up to this point (also yes all of these are canon to my AU /gen)

[wildstar25]

idle thought: when did Arsay first find out about huntspeak? About it being an old traditional miqo'te thing etc? (also how does she feel about the whole idea of miqo'te tradition stuff just generally, is it something she's curious about, something she wishes she'd learned about growing up, or is she largely indifferent about the whole being miqo'te-ness, her place in the whole keeper-seeker dichotomy and all that?)

Oh great question! Well, she sure as hell did not learn it from Emrara. Despite traveling with Arsay's parents for X number of years, Emrara never really picked up that much knowledge about Miqo'te tribe culture and customs. I think Arsay would have first heard traditional Miqo'te huntspeak during her first trip to the Forgotten Springs while she searched for the former company of hero's member U'odh Nunh. Most likely she overheard some of the huntresses chattering to each other about a pack of sand worms roaming too close to camp. She was definitely curious but felt strange asking about it directly, so she kept to herself and carried on her task of earning a favour for the U tribe Nuhn.

This is a common trend for Arsay and learning about the culture. She's so curious, she wants to know so much, but its difficult for her to broach the topic. Not only does she not even know what she doesn't know, there's also lot of hesitancy to "outting" herself as an ignorant miqo'te. Like, every Miqo'te she interacts with treats her like a normal person, they assume she has a similar experience, base knowledge, etc. She doesn't want to risk breaking that illusion, she doesn't want to be seen as an outsider instead of a peer. So she doesn't question. She nods when people assume she's from the shroud, because I guess technically she is?? on her mom's side? She doesn't want to give them an opening to scrutinize or reject her for being different. She had enough of that growing up. Arsay loves being a Miqo'te. She loves her fluffy tail, her sharp teeth, being able to see so well in the dark, how easy it is for her to climb trees, hear from such long distances away. But she's never fully felt like a miqo'te. She doesn't feel tethered to Azyma or Menphina. Despite learning her father was from the U tribe, she doesn't consider them family. She wanders through the black shroud a stranger, wondering if she'll ever into another keeper with the same family name as her. She doesn't really know if she needs miqo'te tradition in her life, but she wonders if knowing something might make her feel a little more whole. That's why it made such an impact to befriend G'raha when she did. When he talked about his difficulties growing up away from his tribe, being bullied for his heterochromia (something that is generally seen auspicious in seeker culture actually!), it made Arsay feel safe enough to reveal she grew up outside of a traditional Miqo'te clan. They bonded over how little they knew about themselves. Even when Arsay asked a dumb question, he explained what he could without making her feel bad. This is when she probably would have asked him about huntspeak as well. A great lead up to G'raha teaching Arsay how to shoot a bow and arrow the way he was taught before being sent away.

And a similar connection point happened again when Arsay found out Y'shtola also grew up isolated from her tribe. Granted Y'shtola still knew a hell of a lot more than Arsay ever could, but it was something. A bit of security that Arsay didn't have to save face all the time

Now a days, Arsay's learned quite a lot from both her seeker partners and it's made her really happy! She's much more comfortable being a miqo'te living outside of tradition, especially since she feels like she's made her own tribe that can have it's own customs (even if some are technically south seas lalafel).

[vaicomcas]

I interact with a lot of blogs that ship destiel and that means I see a lot posts about that ship. I did filter it, but then since even Cas only content is sometimes tagged “destiel”, I had to remove my filters.

We know for the fandom destiel is about Dean and Dean only. I mean I have seen Cas comforts Dean after 14x20 fics. I don’t want to disrespect any writer but that had me seething.

Destiel is “Cas gives up his powers, his faith, his family, basically everything thing. Dean treats him like shit, yells at him” and the inference is OMG see how much Dean loves Cas and poor Cas can’t understand it. It’s the same, may it be in the fic or posts anout the show.

Like fans are so desperate, they cancel everything Cas did, they cancel his relationship with Jack, they cancel his wishes, they cancel his identity. They prefer Cas to be the plot device that is there to comfort dean and provide him whatever they feel like dean needs.

It makes navigating the fandom so hard, like I love these blogs, but I see these destiel posts, more often than I would like and its just makes me want to leave this place.

I do brush it off because everyone is entitled to their opinions and interpretation but my mental health is in such a dark place that I can’t do it right now. Which is why I am ranting here forgive me for that.

Feel free to rant. I know how it feels like. I can't take it either.

I think what makes it hard despite this understanding that "there is no right and wrong just other people craving different things than me" is just that destiel is so overwhelmingly majority that it feels like the default of how to experience SPN universe. Even someone as hardened as myself feel the need to constantly put disclaimers on my posts -- not exactly apologizing but warning people as if my opinion is toxic or something. But we are constantly exposed to what's toxic to us and just have to live with it. Goes with being a minority opinion, I guess.

It's kind of like going to an all-you-can eat buffet and it's the only place I can get food. I am surrounded by an ocean of people who are gorging themselves with trays of moldy cheese and delirious with tears of joy. I find moldy cheese disgusting, and have to hold my breath constantly to avoid the odor, but I understand that moldy cheese is a valued delicacy in some cultures, and these people are the main customers of this business. Still needing to eat, I scrounge up some berries and nuts in the corners, not all in great condition, but I eagerly pile them into my plate. Yet it's hard to enjoy them with the constant stench of cheese in the air.

But then I meet one or two fellow diners in search of berries and nuts, whose scowls on their faces I recognize. And they listen to me rant about the cheese. And they tell me about the other corner where they found some honey that would go so well with the berries. And they drew me a picture of some imaginary berries that are fresh and ripe and so delicious looking. And I think maybe I'll stay in this place a little longer.

[nickgerlich]

Take A Hike

It has been a rocky year for many companies, thanks to their visible support of marginalized groups of customers. In our supposedly enlightened times, there are still people who find it difficult to just overlook what they don’t like. When I saw news of REI’s recent new unisex clothing line, I knew there would be an uproar.

Not because I wanted to see one. I just knew it would happen, because the outdoor equipment and retail company used verbiage that was bound to upset some. When you use words like “nongendered,” you know what’s going to happen next.

And boy howdy, did it ever. I checked REI’s Facebook page, and there were a lot of minds exploding, people threatening never to come back, and overuse of the laughing face emoji. Cue the over-reactors, and prepare ye to duck.

Naturally, there were people who did not read the attached article that explained their rationale. It’s not like they are making the entire store nongendered. Not at all. They will still have men’s clothing and women’s clothing. But they will also have a small line of activewear that is aimed at both, not in a shoving-down-your-throat kind of way that detractors love to decry, but just simple recognition that some things truly can be unisex.

As I have made clear before, I love REI. We just shopped the Orlando store yesterday, several hours before I stumbled upon this news item. I had even remarked to my wife about some hydration running vests about why would there even need to be men’s and women’s versions, other than possibly color variations. Oh, the cultural influences here. We have color-coded so many things, but all arbitrarily.

Now before I continue, I do recognize there are numerous biological differences between the sexes, and it is possible that women, whose shoulders tend to be narrower than those of men, might truly need a somewhat down-sized running vest. I get that. The same goes for backpacks, the kind needed to do the Appalachian Trail, as my sister-in-law is preparing to do this summer. And I also know that when it comes to pants, our builds are very different.

But what if it is just running clothes, like shorts and t-shirts? REI has gone out of its way to allay sizing fears by showing on a chart exactly what each item’s size might mean if you are a man or a woman.

REI is known for its popular #optoutside hashtag, as well as being among the first retail chains to stay closed on Black Friday. It urges both its employees and customers to go take a hike or something fun, rather than dive into the stress of holiday shopping. But the chain has also faced headwinds of late, and has endured two rounds of layoffs as it battles to maintain profitability.

I love REI’s store operations. Their liberal return policy means I can return something up to a year later, even if I have used it. The 10% patronage dividend for members is a great bonus. Currently, it costs $30 for a lifetime membership to get this benefit. I have been a member since the 1990s, and don’t remember if it even cost anything to join then. I just get my annual dividend every February, and then go shopping again, which is precisely the kind of store loyalty they seek.

The takeaway, once again, from the current uproar is that no matter what you do in the digital era, it is humanly impossible to please everyone. Furthermore, since the chasm between left and right is widening, it means you are going to get some negative reactions that are just vulgar. And, that kind of hatred can come from either side of the aisle.

I wish REI well with this new line of clothing. I also hope they can survive their current problems. They are striving to do good things, and if ever I see them or anyone else doing something with which I disagree, I will lean back onto my mantra: If you don’t like what you’re seeing, don’t look.

As for the current naysayers, I think they too should take a hike. Holler at me if you ever want some company. Just leave the negativity at home.

Dr “It’s Time To Roll” Gerlich

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