#my bad but i mean I’m south asian so I’m not that sorry

[angelfic]

i’ll be going through the most traumatic life experience ever that would drive the common man to insanity and i’d still come out of it saying that a cup of tea could fix me right about now

[madameducyberversailles]

Doing Mehndi/Henna with the 141+Los Vaqueros

In honour of the past Eid (why do I have so many undone Eid fics on my main) I will be making a set of headcannons for Eid even though it was a month ago because I want to and time is an illusion. Also, reader is South Asian-coded, and I’ll use gender-neutral pronouns but it’s kind of fem leaning due to the cultural aspect but all are welcome!!

(Also if I didn’t spell anything right please let me know I’m just writing this in a hurry I am so sorry) 

Warnings: mentions of violence and war, foreign language use. 

Doing Mehndi/Henna for the 141 + Los Vaqueros 

There was some downtime in the base after a successful mission just a few days ago, meaning that everyone was trying to relax after the harrowing mission that took so much time and effort and caused so much pain to everyone. Finally, it was time for some rest and relaxation, and the base’s atmosphere was a little more calm than the frantic hustle just days ago. Funny how it all changes so fast, but it is what it is, and probably for the better. 

You sat at a table with a small conical tube, piping a brown paste out onto your skin, using the tube as a calligrapher uses a pen, or an artist uses a paintbrush, to draw floral and fractal designs upon your skin. The reason you were being so artistic today? The downtime was just perfect, right at the end of Ramadan, meaning that it was time to celebrate not only the mission but also the completion of a religious month of fasting. The paste would dry and leave a natural, temporary tattoo on your hands, and as you painstaking created the masterpiece, people would stop by and see what you were doing. 

Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley:

He sees you putting some kind of paste on your arm and is...confused. 

‘Bloody hell is that’ the first thing into his mind and out of his mouth, actually. Mans is big confuzzled 

You tell him its Mehndi or Henna, and he...doesn’t know. Wasn’t really exposed to different cultures as a kid, and difference was not seen as something to be celebrated. 

Is very curious. He appreciates the time and art, as he has tattoos that took time to make. He’s interested in what’s going on cause it’s you and he cares about what you do and how you are, shhhh

He has no idea how it works. The Hell you mean, it’s a tattoo? Doesn’t believe you. What do you mean this paste will leave a temporary tattoo? Is curious. 

Will use this as an opportunity to sit with you and learn about you

If you explain it to him, he’ll not say anything and at first you think it’s because he’s disinterested, but he is actually quite focused on what you tell him and is absorbing the information. He is learning the history behind the art and like his tattoos, he has an appreciation for wearable art. 

He likes watching you sketch out the designs on your skin. It’s nice to see flowers and leaves and birds and pretty things after all the blood in the military. 

He will ask questions about what kind of designs, the longevity of the art, and if they’re restricted to a certain aesthetic. Will ask only a few questions, but its because he mostly likes just watching you do your thing. It’s satisfying to see it. 

If you ask to do some on his arm, there is a 50/50 chance he’ll let you, because on the one hand its time consuming to do on him and wait for it to dry and he’s a busy man most of the time, but on the other its wearable art and looks relaxing. Whether or not he does let you depends on how close you guys are. 

But if you hand him the mehndi tube and allow him to draw something on you...your friendship points in his mental scoreboard just skyrocket. You’re letting him make something for you to wear on your arm? Like a tattoo? You’ll wear a design a la Riley? He is willing to do anything for you now. 

He’s not the best at drawing but he does have good control over his hand-eye coordination, so his designs are not that bad. He just needs time to decide what the hell to draw on you...give him ideas please. He will need your help with the tube as this man has sausages for fingers, and he’s trying, please be patient. Keep a few Q tips and tissues handy for wiping off the few mistakes he may make. 

He likes more of the floral designs, especially the intricate floral fractals. Flowers are pretty, and he knows how unique designs ought to be appreciated. 

He’s a bit of a perfectionist so be prepared for a numb arm afterward. But it’ll be work it when you see the joy in his eyes when he finishes it to his liking.

Will wait for it to dry with you if he’s not busy. He needs down time too, and spending time learning about something else is nice you’re also just really nice company and he feels bad that your religious holiday is being spent all alone

Will genuinely thank you if you do a design on him or let him do a design on you. It makes something in his heart warm up at the thought of knowing that he made something for someone else and its not only artistic, but you’re wearing it with pride. If you actually show it off he’ll huff about it but its a farce cause his posture improves and his chest is puffed out at the fact you’re showing it off.

If you were close enough that you did a design on him and it starts to wear away he will march up to you whatever time he can and demanding you retrace it. Or give him a new one. It’s like a friendship bracelet, GIVE!

All in all, he likes it. Anytime you do Mehndi from then on, he’ll be there, either chilling with you or getting some on himself too. 

Johnny ‘Soap’ MacTavish

He spots you sitting down and squirting something on your skin. 

‘What is that?’ Genuinely intrigued and curious. Likes the designs! 

You did those yourself? That’s so cool! The patience and artistic ability is quite interesting to him. 

If you tell him the history behind Mehndi/Henna, he’ll ask questions and engage in conversations about it. He has an appreciation for the historical aspect, and he’ll likely ask multiple questions. 

He’ll watch you do it but he’ll also get fidgety after a while. You have to wait for it to dry too. But he’s not leaving! He’ll just need to move around a bit. 

If you ask him to get anything for you for nourishment he will. He’ll feed you himself but also tease you while you’re at it. 

Will blow on it to help it dry. When you tell him its cold he’ll just keep doing it because he’s a gremlin. 

Finds it satisfying to watch. Will make suggestions on what to do next. If you incorporate it, he’d be over the moon! Just know that he’ll suggest some joke stuff and will veer from the intended aesthetic, so it’s up to you at that point. 

There are some trends in mehndi where people who get their mehndi done will hide little cameos or names of people in their designs. Soap will suggest his name cheekily, believe me, but if you actually do it, he’d be forever thankful and in awe that you’d allowed him that honour. To him its like getting his name tattooed on you so its a high degree of respect given. 

If you offer to do some on him he’d be glad to! He’ll eagerly give you his arm and ask you to either go ham or will have a design in mind. If you have his name in your design somewhere he will ask for yours too, it’s only fair! Bestie’s honour! 

If you let him do a design on your skin, he’d be floored. He’d be so eager and happy! He grabs the tube and is ready! You’ll just have to limit him cause his imagination is going wild so please just tell him what to do before you sign some Ursula-esque contract and end up with some stupid-ass emoji or slogan like ‘Soap waz here’ on your skin for the next few days. 

Surprisingly, he’s very good with handling the mehndi tube. He was named Soap for a reason, and he’s very good at putting the right amount of pressure for the right design. Not the best artistically but he takes his time and is genuinely careful with the fun. He treats it like a tattoo, it’s something he’ll spend time on. 

That said, he is also an eager beaver and in his excitement he may, at any point, accidentally mess up some wet mehndi. When he does so, he will absolutely be a mess about it and apologize profusely for it. Help him please, keep some tissues nearby, please forgive him too he promises he didn’t mean it!! 

If you allow it on a visible part of you he’ll be so happy to see it. If you actively show it off and tell the others he did it he’ll enthusiastically tell them how he did it because he’s just so happy he did that! Will have his arm around you too, you’re precious now for letting him do that. Will take offense when the others may not believe that he was the one who made that part of your mehndi.

When he’s done he’ll chat and eat with you, and make sure you’re okay. If your design is on the inside of your hand he will make a point to feed you himself. It makes him happy to do so. 

He really likes the fractal designs, the ones that look like multiple layers of leaves or scales, lattice patterns are nice for him to look at. 

If the design you give him starts to fade, he will ask for another one. Will show off every one you do for him. 

Cptn. John Price

Price is not a complete stranger to the art, but it is one that he’s never really seen up close. He is aware from his life that there are other civilians he’s seen in the city have it done, he has travelled before as well and seen it too, so not entirely unfamiliar but very clueless. Seeing you do it awakens a curiosity, and he wants to know how its done. 

He is a history nut, not that many people will know, so please tell him everything. Let him know the history of what you’re doing, its purpose, and how it relates to the holiday, etc. 

Price enjoys thinking about other perspectives, so if you ramble on he’ll listen. It’s nice to hear some chatter about creative things rather than fearmongers, warlords, cartels and such. He’s happy to listen. 

Will watch with attention as you do it, and when you talk to him he will engage in conversation as he absorbs the information. Has some questions and they’re all fairly relevant, Will periodically hum in thought or shift or gesture, showing you that he is in fact listening, and sometimes in the middle will interrupt to talk to you about something you said. The best part is when he interrupts you after you tell him the art of mehndi is thousands of years old...now he’s making mental notes and wanting to know more. 

Will absolutely talk with you for the entire time you’re waiting for it to dry. Has the patience of a saint. The only time he’ll leave is if its an emergency, or if there’s a lot of paperwork he’ll just grab it from his office to do near you while you wait. Will let you talk about whatever you want. But if you let him talk you both are going to be there a while, John’s a very charismatic person and easy to talk to, so you could find yourself sitting for 3 hours just talking to him when your mehndi dries in half that time. But it’s time well spent, he absolutely appreciates it. 

If you need him to get you any food, he is already on it, and regardless of which side of your hand the design is, he is a gentleman and will feed it to you. The best. 

Likes to watch you do the designs, it’s satisfying to watch. He really likes quiet, creative times. 

If he accidentally messes up your design by shifting and wiping it off he will not stop thinking about it for the next week. Forgive him please he didn’t mean it! He feels really bad and will offer help to fix it or clean it up. The more intricate it is the worse he feels. 

If you want to do some on him, he might let you do it, just a small one in a hidden place. It has more meaning for him that way, and he also doesn’t know if he’s even allowed to have such things peak out, so he just wants to keep it on the low. Also it feels like a piece of you, someone he cares for, so its very personal to Price and he’s keeping it discreet like a well-loved secret. He’s so proud of it though. Others might notice, cause he will try to show it off in subtle ways. He always feels a smile on his lips when he notices that you notice the design. 

When Price asks for the design he’ll also deviate from the aesthetic, maybe make it something else a little more to his interests, as the cultural rules of the aesthetic are not one he completely understands, as he thinks of it like a tattoo as well if just a little more flowery. If you do something floral or whatever he’d still appreciate it, but if you indulge in it by like, making it a collage of compiled mehndi aesthetic to make a shape similar to what he wants, he’d beam about it for months, long after that design fades. He will take numerous pictures of it but they’re all blurry cause he uses a phone like a grandpa and only a few of them turn out slightly legible.

If you let him do one on you? Price’s entire body is filled with warmth. You’re letting him design something on your body? Something that has cultural relevance to you, and in a design he wants? He feels honoured. He will have the highest reverence for that moment, it feels like you’ve given him a tremendous amount of trust. Price will actually try to back away a few times as he feels he might not have the cultural relevancy to administer it, but if you insist, he’d be so ecstatic. He is going to do his absolute best, Captain’s honour! 

That being said, his drawing skills aren’t the best, so he’d try to talk about it a little bit. You’ll need to teach him how to grip and use the cone because otherwise its either too much or too little pressure, no in between. 

Sausage fingers again, so please keep some tissues on hand. It will take time, but he is meticulous, he wants to make you proud and do you justice. 

It comes out a little more austere than the usual flowery lines of traditional mehndi, but anyone can see it is made with love. Price is proud of it at the end, but will seek your approval before he dreams of celebrating that accomplishment. When you give your approval, he is glowing and thinking about any compliment you may have given him as he waits for sleep that night. 

Once the mehndi vanishes, he’s sad to see it go, but is eager for another one should you ever do it again. So every Eid or any type of holiday you may celebrate, he will pop in to check on you and if he sees you doing mehndi, he’ll sit down and ask if you can do some on him too. You didn’t hear this from me but he discovered Pinterest mehndi/henna designs and has a...hundred saved.

He really likes the mehndi and has a reverence for it now, and makes a point to sit with you and give even one greeting any time there is a cultural or religious holiday to celebrate it in some way with you. 

Kyle ‘Gaz’ Garrick

When he sees it he will automatically pull up a seat and sit next to you, eyes wide, staring at it. You’d think he was a scientist looking at a newly discovered microbe. 

The first thing out of his mouth is: ‘Bloody hell that’s gorgeous’. Is very intrigued. Eyeballing your design. 

Could sit and watch for hours. It feels therapeutic to him to just watch mindlessly as a cone leaves an artistic trail on your skin. Is absolutely hypnotized. 

Will be so glad if you tell him what you’re doing. Seriously, creativity is something he cannot appreciate enough. Probably the most viscerally appreciative of this art out of everyone. 

Will literally sit next to you watching for hours or talking non-stop with how happy he is to see this going on. There is no in between, don’t ask. Gaz deserves to speak. 

Please, please for the love of humanity tell him the history of it. Nerd wants to know. It. All. He will soak up the information like a sponge and will relentlessly look up designs and look at the history of it. He can’t believe this form of tattooing is that old! He can’t wait to gush about it with you, seriously. 

He would try to guess what your design is. He would watch the lines and try to predict what you’re going to draw next. It becomes a game between you both, and to humor him, sometimes, you would draw what he guessed. Hey, he gives good ideas. 

He will actually look up designs and marvel at them and give you ideas if you want. He’s very considerate of the art and wants to see how you do it. If you do the signs he suggests, he’d be over the moon! 

If you do some on him, he’d be out of orbit. He’s so pumped when you do something with mehndi on his skin, and he’ll show off the colours and designs to anyone he sees. Will gush for days and will whine when the design starts to fade. 

He really likes fictional characters so he will ask for symbols, logos, etc, but he will also try to incorporate the traditional mehndi designs as to him the traditions need to be respect regardless of his out-of-pocket requests for some mehndi designs. He will ask for memes I am so sorry.

If you let him do any mehndi designs on you...WHOOO BOI, his soul is A S C E N D E D. Out of this galaxy. He’s so thankful, he honestly is so honoured he is ready to give his life for you. 

He will ask what you’d like from him, and will do his absolute best, Soldier’s honour, he will use his steadiest hand. He’s very good with his hand-to-eye coordination, and he is very good at drawing from a reference and replicating it he’s not the best without one tbh

Will take his time and it will take a while. Perhaps a few hours, depending on how complicated or exact you want the design. He’ll try to challenge himself and also honour your hands with an intricate design so unless you have time, are able to go without food for a bit (or plan ahead and have it with you) and are okay with almost complete silence as Gaz works, choose something simpler. Please, he really wants to do good by you. When he’s done you will be floored I promise. 

Once the design fades he will ask when is the next time you do mehndi, and will respect your decision if you choose to do it only on holidays, but if you just whip out the tube and offer to do one, he’ll beam like the sun for the rest of the day. Nothing will happen to that smile no matter what. 

Has a high respect for the creative craft and can’t wait to see you the next time you do it, and is so heavily invested you’ll think he invented it. A wonderful buddy for the arts and cherishes the time and knowledge you gave him. 

Col. Alejandro Vargas

He literally stops to look the first time he sees it. ‘What are you doing, cariño?’

He lives in Las Almas, and there is Middle-Eastern history in Latin America including Mexico, so it is probable that he has seen women have these designs on them before, or knows of their existence and use. But the intricate designs are very much a subject of interest, and to see you do it makes him ponder if there is a special reason you’d do it. 

When you tell him why, he’s surprised as to why he didn’t connect the dots but he’ll sit down and watch, with your permission. He’ll talk to you as you do it, wanting to spend time with a friend and a religious holiday is the perfect excuse, no?

He’s not truly interested in history unless its the history of those who he knows or wants to know about, both friends and foes alike, but if you tell him he’ll gladly listen! He wants to get to know each and every one of his friends better and what better way than to listen to them. 

He will be a bit shook when you tell him that it’s thousands of years old. Like on the one hand it makes sense but on the other, they knew how to do this thousands of years ago? When you tell him the history he will interrupt a few times and converse with you, you’ll have to actually tell him if you need a moment to talk, but he is always respectful and engaged when you talk to him, a proper gentleman. 

While some from 141 may try to guess what you’ll do next, Alejandro will actually ask you what you’re drawing next, wondering if there is a process to the way you’re thinking of doing your designs. He will try to guess like Gaz, but mostly he will try to understand your own artistic visions and where they stem from. Psychology of Mehndi taught by Col. Alejandro Vargas, anyone?

If you ask him to bring you some food or water he is speedwalking and grabbing you as much nourishment as possible. If you’re doing something he can see is intricate he will make a whole meal platter because ‘your creative brain needs energy, no? and will cook you something quick and easy to eat. He will feed you though, not letting you touch or halt the process, because he’s that considerate. Just be careful when he tries to give you water, ask for a straw or you might clink your teeth against the glass when he tries to get you hydrated, bless him.

He’ll ask questions about the designs and your own experience with it, expressing a vested interest in your connection to the art as he’s more used to one type of culture, so if you come from a different culture then he’ll want to know about your own cultural experiences and compare. He will also tell you stories of the few times he’s seen mehndi on people. He will also try to pronounce it as closely as possible to the way you do, he has a lot of respect for different languages and cultures. 

If you offer to let him do a design he is both very honoured and also extremely nervous, simply because he had never done it before and while he is very good at using weapons, art was not his best subject in school and he will need guidance. Please be patient with him, and have some tissues ready to use, he will need the whole box by the end. He is determined to do your trust good.

Will make designs based upon his own iterations of what would be acceptable from what he’s seen of your designs and those of the past. He knows that it is often floral patterning, so he will try to make something unique. It might not be as intricate but one can easily see it is heartfelt.

If you let him sneak his name anywhere or sign his design? You’re forever one of his favourite people like that’s such a high honour to him, you’re family now. He is protecting you so hard for allowing him a chance to do something creative, nice and sweet. And if you show it off? The man’s chest is puffed up, and he never stops smiling. The rest of Los Vaqueros actually worry that something has happened to one of his enemies. 

Now, Alejandro knows it is originally an art meant for mostly women, so if you offer to do some for him, he will assess the situation and likely say he’s not sure or a soft no. If you insist upon it though, he will allow you one design, something preferably in a small place as he is at work often and so he will likely want to have it be small and personal and somewhat hidden, like the inside of his elbow or between his fingers, a small one inside his wrist, that kind of thing. If you still make it intricate, dear God he is the happiest alive. Will subtly show it off like Price would, too, as he is so proud to wear something by you. If anyone in Los Vaqueros makes fun of him for it though they’ve fucked up. No one insults a gift from you!

He prefers designs that are less floral but definitely has a softer aesthetic, and if you do something that depicts Mexican culture, he’s over the moon and will actually show it off all the time. He’d be more towards animal-like designs.

If you did one on him and it fades, he is sad to see it go but does not demand to make it happen again. He knows the religious importance and just subtly asks you when the next holiday is, and if you’re doing mehndi for it. But if you notice and just offer to touch it up he will not stop you. The soft look in his eye and his relaxed posture show how thankful he is to be treated to this.

Other members of Los Vaqueros may actually come to you too after seeing what you did for their leader, as Alejandro repays your artistry by telling others who are interested. On some days when there is no missions and it is a more civilian time, the partners and children of the Vaqueros may come to you too for mehndi/henna. You could make a business out of it, just saying. 

Rodolfo ‘Rudy’ Parra 

Purest angel is confused but so very into it. You’re putting paste onto your arm and its coming out in pretty designs? Wow! He needs to know more asap. 

He’s going to sit and stare at it, tilting his head and following the directions of your hand. He looks like a curious puppy as he quietly watches you. 

He is quiet curious, and will ask very quietly about what it is you are doing. If you tell him its for a religious celebration, he’ll listen intently. He will sit and listen to you without speaking or interrupting, saving any questions for last. Like Alejandro, he has some experience with differing cultures and wants to give you as much respect as he can, cause you do the same for him. 

You mean this is thousands of years old?! Is incredulous but in a good way. Genuinely cannot believe it but it makes him believe in humanity more because he thinks of it as representing innate human goodness in creation than destruction. Is genuinely impressed and will try to do more research on his own time.

When he hears its a religious celebration his heart kind of breaks and he looks like a wounded puppy cause he feels awful knowing that he’s done nothing, even if he’s not consciously at fault he does feel really bad. He’ll then spent the entire time you are doing your mehndi, and the rest of the day, doing everything your mind can come up with but first he’ll enjoy mehndi with you because that is what you’re doing right now. 

Tell him about your culture. PLEASE. He wants to hear more about the outside world and about the people he works with and would love love love to vicariously travel through you when you tell him about every experience you have had with mehndi. He needs to know so leave no detail out. 

Like Alejandro, he will not try to guess but will observe and ask what you’re making, wanting to hear the process and familiarize himself with the traditions of the art, or just your own style and creativity if you’re not going traditional. He just likes to see what others do, he likes observing people he almost got knocked out for it once by an angry misunderstanding Alejandro years ago but it never got too big and they’ve been friends since. It’s very different from traditional Mexican arts so he will be very interested to learn of it, a very visual learner. Stares at your arm the way a scientist stares into the microscope at a tardigrade of interest. Please forgive him he’s just very curious-

If you ask him to get you food or water he absolutely will because he was raised to be the most gentlemanly of gentlemen in Las Almas. He will give you water in a straw to prevent spilling and have some food that he can just scoop and make it easy for you to bite into at your own time, giving you pace to eat when you’re ready. He is an okay enough cook for simple recipes so expect something with eggs or veggies, something with little cleanup or change of breaking. He will hold the food out and let you eat when you’d like, or if its on a stick just let you munch off the skewer to prevent you from losing time. 

If you offer to do a design with him as an inspiration or part of it anywhere, he is going to whisper a thousand good wishes of health, luck, prosperity, fertility, wealth, happiness, wellness, safety, fortune, every blessing under the sun. You want to put something on your skin in remembrance of him? He is deceased. He will die and kill for you and name an operation after you, you’re the best-

He would love anything you do, even if its just his initials, and he will always always smile when he sees you in public. He would love his initials or name hidden like a signature on the fanciest cast even though there is no injury. Is so flattered. The more elaborate you do it, the closer he comes to grateful tears. 

If you offer to do some on him, his sleeves are getting rolled up faster than Snoop Dogg can roll a joint. He will excitedly hold out his hands and actually tells you to go ham. If you do take a minute or so to ask what he wants he’ll give an honest answer but it might be incoherent just cause he’s so excited. Will accept anything. He particularly likes the lattice-work, as it looks like intricate lace, and a few flowers are cool too! But you get infinite respect points if you use historical references of Mexican culture and literature or environment in the design. The man will be floored so hard he’ll come out the other side of the globe. 

Will try to show off the mehndi when he has a chance and he gives zero fucks if anyone says anything because both he and Alejandro will beat their ass. Is not going to be loud about it but the smile on his face and the consistent flexing in the sun trying to show it off is enough for people to get the obvious hint to look at it. 

If you let him to one one you, he’ll actually try to pull back, as he feels it might be disrespectful to take hold of the actual item rather than just having someone from that culture doing it onto him. It will take some time for him to give in, like a while. He actually doesn’t want to do it. If you just let him do something small though, he’ll be much easier to negotiate with. Also, he’s insecure about his hand-eye coordination, so he’ll just make small cute things and its really up to you to connect them or leave them be. He will most likely do floral patterns on you, flowers or vines or something simple and easy to do that can be easily integrated into your own style and design. 

When the design fades, it makes him slightly sad but its completely up to you if you want to do it again. He’ll never say no to another application, as he sees it as a chance to get creative, but it will be totally up to you. 

Like Alejandro, will ask when the next holiday is because he is invested in the lives of his friends, and he will forever do whatever he can to make sure that you have a chance to celebrate it with your beloved tradition. He will literally just buy you a new tube of mehndi whenever you ask, will go shopping with you for it because he believes you know best. Purest boy, protect him. 

Sources: 

Barraza Carlos, Arabs in Mexico. Assimilation and Cultural Heritage (link)

Bonus: Phillip ‘Shadow-1′ Graves 

Fucker thinks its weird and teases you about it

But if others around the base do it he’s like ‘oh wow that shit rocks’ 

Gets jealous and wants one 

Note: Absolutely not 💖🖕🏽

[tojikai]

Hi!! I’ve been meaning to ask u since forever cus I’m kinda confused (dumb).Did gojo cheat on y/n wth naomi?or were they already broken up at that time or were they on a break from each other ?

And OMG💀💀 i have a feeling that toji’s gon break up with y/n

But idc and not cuz i want gojo to be endgame.Nope I don’t think i can ever forgive dat bish. I know he regrets everything he did to yn and that he’s hurting, so what 🤷🏻‍♀️he hurt yn too

While his ass got to work in a nice company,own a nice car and live in a nice apartment?(mansion?idgaf) while providing for naomi and at the same time treating yn like an extra and trynna make her feel like trash!!!!

Yn had to drop out of uni and work at a bakery?cafe? And struggling but trynna be a good mom for her bby😢that makes me so sad

And yn still forgives his ass just cuz she loves him

And him on the other hand couldn’t even control his hormones for f sake💀✋like i get it!! His mom manipulated him so he get on wth naomi.And that should be it!!! Don’t trynna shove it in yn’s face how ur so happy wth a fake ass bish and… nvm💀💀✋✋

Sorry for bothering u with my bad english 🙇🏻‍♀️im a south east asian🤣

they've been separated for like a month, but satoru told yn that he still wants to try w her. yn was hopeful, tho she never showed or said it. then naomi happened. and yeah, yn's life was really hard. and she also had to deal w how she feels for him and his new rs :((

[spongeofaces]

I saw that matchups were open and came running right over, lol. Anyway, hi. I'd like to request one for an OC. Her name is Saima, and I'll write this as if she's the one speaking, so... Here you go

Appearance: I am South Asian with straight black hair and tan skin. I usually tie into two low ponytails because I think it looks cute, and I don't like the feeling of hair on the back of my neck. I am 159 cm tall and pretty scrawny

Personality: I like to say I'm a pretty cheerful and upbeat person. I try my best to smile through tough situations, though it can be hard sometimes. I also like to say I'm a family person, and I will do anything to protect them, and my friends. I am perfectionistic, but sadly I am a bit scatterbrained, much to the dismay of my parents and older sister. Hell, I almost burned the eggs I was making for the first time. I have been working on my organizational skills though, and I’m happy to say that I’ve come a pretty long way. I can be quite petty too. If someone wrongs me, I tell them either bad puns or horrifying facts for a period of time as revenge. I'm also good at math, so my friends come to me for help with that. Also, in almost every friend group I'm in, I somehow become a therapist friend. Lemme tell you, THAT really takes a toll on me. I also have a soft spot for unabridged fairytales (they high-key have me in a chokehold). Some more lil' factoids about me: I wear my hair in low ponytails because I don't like the feeling of hair on the back of my neck. My friends and family often told me my hands get pretty animated when I talk

Likes: Anime, drawing comics, video games, unabridged fairytales, sweets (my favourite dessert is caramel pudding) and spending time with my older sister

Dislikes: Cruelty, confrontation (I will kick butt if I need to, literally or figuratively), anyone who dares to threaten my friends or family, arrogance when it gets out of hand, black tea or coffee (I cannot drink it unless it is sweetened or if I have it with a LOT of milk)

Here's their character design. Also, her clothes in the picture are hand-me-downs

I might redraw this with a better pose, lol

Also, no third years, pls

Hello!! Thank you for being my first matchup <3

I hope the results are alright, I'm new to this.

I'll be calling Saima 'you', just cause it's easier to format.

I match Saima with...

Deuce!! ♤

Definitely a friends to lovers situation.

Probably nervous when it comes to confessing. Poor boy would be all stiff and serious, might need some encouragement to get the words out.

A respectful and patient dummy who can be a bit slow on the uptake - he definitely needs that math help.

Earnest and hardworking, would always be happy to look after you.

He admires your closeness with your sister, cause he's personally a big family guy.

He'll get riled up from time to time, I think your cheerful personality could really help him calm down. And on the chance you're both pissed, I'm starting to feel pretty sorry for the recipient.

Video game nights! He'll try out your favourite games, just for you. He'd probably like fighting games the most.

When he gets more comfortable with the relationship, he'd totally be the type of guy to give compliments every other second. He'd tell you you're the greatest person in the world and mean every word of it.

And one more thing... eggs.

Other options: Jack and Epel.

[toyafreethoughts]

Short (No, LONG) introduction of your favorite writer (Me, Jaxrel) behind the screen! ╰(*´︶`*)╯

My name(s): I’m usually called Jaxrel or Jax, but I also love being called by Himawari, Rin, Eden or Luke too! Whatever nickname is easy for you to call me by then go wild!

Identity: I use he/him pronouns, but I’m also cool with people using they/them pronouns on me as well, but I do like using more masculine pronouns for my comfort :,)

I have been professionally diagnosed with Autism, ADHD, BPD, Schizophrenia and OCD, I am a little bit more severe with my Autism (but not so high, ifykwim) so I may not understand a lot of social cues or tones in words or voices and etc, so just be mindful of this please and be kind to me and also everyone :)

I am a trans man, im pansexual, polyamorous, aromatic & asexual, I have a preference towards men more than woman (:

I’m Polish, Middle Eastern (Iraqi), & Filipino with some Russian and Scottish, I currently live in Baghdad, Iraq, I also live in America too.

Likes: Anthropology, zoology, pathology, theology, astronomy, writing, history/science, soccer, basketball, volleyball, art(painting, pottery, digital art, sketching, etc), cats, sharks, anime/manga, vocaloid/UTAU, k/j-pop, vkei, plushies, figurines, stuffed animals, puppetry, tabletop RPGS, gaming, rhythm games, documentaries, youtube, twitch, skateboarding, sweets, asian cuisine, iced coffee, boba tea, dancing, cleaning, musicals, collecting many things, rain, horror, and so much more!

Dislikes: hot weather, bitter tastes or smells, feeling restricted, pessimism.

Favorite Video Games: I do have a lot I play but here are the ones I really enjoy playing… Persona5(more), Danganronpa, OMORI, Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail, Honaki Impact 3rd, Zenless Zero Zone, NieR: Automata, Hollow Knight, Final Fantasy 7, TWST, Obey Me!, Tears Of Themis, Mystic Messenger, Sally Face and more!

Favorite Animes: Neon Genesis Evangelion, Bungo Stray Dogs, Vanitas no Carte, Jujustu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, Blue Lock, Black Butler, Death Note, Chainsaw Man, Tokyo Revengers, TBHK, Toradora, Oshi No Ko, A Silent Voice, Doukyuusei, JJBA, Sk8 The Infinity, Food Wars, Assassination Classroom, Hunter X Hunter, Devilman Crybaby, Banana Fish, Serial Experiments Lain, Monster, Soul Eater, Magical Girl Madoka, Akudama Drive and more

Favorite Movies/Shows/Cartoons: Mean Girls, The Great Gatsby, Breaking Bad, Any Marvel Movies, AlRawabi School For Girls, Girl From Nowhere, Alice In Borderland, Stranger Things, Heartstopper, Breaking Bad, Total Drama Llama, South Park, Adventure Time, Gravity Falls & More

Other Media: Heavens Offical Blessing, Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss, Cherry Crush, Creepypasta, The Mandela Catalog, SCP Foundation, Flicker (Roblox), Sanatorium (Roblox), The Walten Files, The Evillous Chronicles, Homestuck, Eddsworld, Nijisanji EN & more

Top Kins: hiyori tomoe (enstars), yoosung kim (mystic messenger), jumin han (mystic messenger), hanako (tbhk), felix kranken (twf), albedo (genshin impact), shoya ishida (a silent voice), tom (eddsworld), eridan (homestuck), karkat (homestuck), shu itsuki (enstars),miyamura izumi (horimiya), micheal afton (FNAF), lolbit (FNAF), mangle (FNAF), natsume sakasaki (enstars), sora harukawa (enstars), V (mystic messenger), hagumi kitazawa (bandori), matsubara kanon (bandori), shinji ikari (neon genesis evangelion), geto suguru (jujustu kaisen), minami kotobuki (oshi no ko), lain iwakura (serial experiments lain), hajime hinata (danganronpa), hua cheng (TGCF), ame-chan (needy streamer overdose), k-angel (needy streamer overdose) and more....!

Favorite Characters: Toji Fushiguro (Jujustu Kaisen), Gojo Satoru (Jujustu Kaisen), Mondo Owada (Danganronpa 1), Leon Kuwata (Danganronpa 1), Blair (Soul Eater), Goro Akechi (Persona5), Jumin Han (Mystic Messenger), Malleus Draconia (Twisted Wonderland), Mushitaro Oguri (Bungo Stray Dogs), Chuuya Nakahara (Bungo Stray Dogs), Qi Rong (Heavens Offical Blessing, SORRY), Belphegor (Obey Me), Aponia (Honkai Impact 3rd), Mitsuri Kanoji (Demon Slayer), Enmu (Demon Slayer), Wriothesley (Genshin Impact), Neuvillette (Genshin Impact), Raiden Shogun/Ei (Genshin Impact), Takanobu Aone (Haikyuu), Willam Afton (Five Nights at Freddy’s), and more

Favorite Artists: ATEEZ, Stray Kids, LOONA, TXT, SHINee, Orange Caramel, Red Velvet, NewJeans, BIGBANG, (G)-IDLE, TWICE, Enhypen, LE SSERAFIM, Itzy, Wonder Girls, Perfume, Gackt, ATARASHII GAKKO, Yoasobi, BABYMETAL, Fuji Kaze, King Gnu, Arashi, Ado, Eve, Miki Matsubara, Tophamhat-kyo, Gulu gulu, Malice Mizer, DADAROMA, The GazettE, Kaneto-Juusei, Mejibray, Madmans Esprit, BUCK-TICK, X Japan, Korn, System Of A Down, Oingo Bingo, Puzzle, Strawberry Guy, Tyler The Creator, Lemon Demon, The Mountain Goats, Mitski, Mac Demarco, The Cure, The Smiths, The Garden, AJJ, TV Girl, Bôa, Current Joys, Eyedress, Car Seat Headrest, My Bloody Valentine, Alex G, Marina, Weezer, Radiohead, Cage The Elephant, Tame Impala, Playboi Carti, Deftones and more

I’ll update this whenever I can! Hopefully you guys enjoy getting to know more about me (:

[tim-hoe-wan]

I’m sorry, I get why you would avoid this topic, but I feel like I’m the only woc who doesn’t see anything to celebrate about this and I’m scared to tell my gc. I’m just looking for a fellow woc here am I being weird? How would you feel if Harry were to date an Asian like you? I just feel weird that I really can’t agree seeing dating a white man as a win.

I mean I can get the context because isn’t that always the thing with internet boyfriends. People can’t help but want their s/os to be some self-insert or the one in their fantasies.

But taking away Harry or the internet boyfriend phenom, I myself just don’t see men as a prize or worth fighting about so I can’t relate. I am actually repulsed at the idea of fighting over a man or seeking validation from men in general. I also feel bad for their s/os either way even if they’re a white. Like no matter how annoying and problematic Olivia was, I did feel bad for her and would roll my eyes that fans would think she’s the devil but somehow that man is an angel? Or this man can probably date the most private, non-problematic woman and his fans are still gonna find some way to demonize her as long as she’s not the one they want for him. I know this man is not as repulsive as the other men in the industry; but it baffles me how his fans label every woman next to him as a demon and he gets away as some angel baby just because he doesn’t say anything and becomes a blank slate and refuses to alienate anyone, even the worst of his fans. Even just ignoring Harry, I am repulsed with how men get away with so much or are praised for the barest minimum. It’s not on a specific celeb in general, it’s my issue with society and that requires more than a tumblr post.

But there’s always gonna be an added layer of unhinged if a woc dates the internet boyfriend. Just look at Priyanka Chopra. An incredibly successful bollywood actress who never needed Nick to be anything. Look at how his people, not just fans, basically dehumanized her. This isn’t even if she’s problematic or not and I doubt all his fans are suddenly experts on the South Asia geopolitics, but they dehumanize and take away her whole person. There’s just an added layer of vile that comes out if they’re dating a woc and only us who’ve experienced that racist insults understand that. But truthfully, I’m always gonna feel bad for the women he dates cause that’s some spineless man and while I understand the phenomenon of it, I disengage at the idea of seeing a man, especially a mid white man, as a prize or worth fighting about. Neither am I as a woc is any sort of token or prize.

[flaringfoxsoul03]

Oh, hey! Matchups!

Anyway, hi, I'd like a matchup for Twisted Wonderland if you have the time and energy.

Appearance: I am a 165 cm tall, average build, South Asian woman. I have wavy black hair that reaches my shoulders and I usually dress in South Asian attire, usually salwar-kameez. I also wear glasses. I don't really feel comfortable going out without them 😅

My MBTI and enneagram: INTJ 5w4

Star sign: Sagittarius sun, Virgo moon and rising

Sexuality: demiromantic asexual

Personality: I'm pretty calm, collected and hard-working for the most part. People say I'm intelligent, quiet, and polite. I can be sarcastic at times, although people often say it's hard to tell when I'm being sarcastic. I'm probably the most emotional unemotional person I know. I don't really show a whole lot of facial expressions, but I do feel things more deeply than people give me credit for. I also tend to get overwhelmed easily, especially when I'm in really noisy places for prolonged periods of time (RIP ADHD and Autism). When people get to know me, they say that I'm a good listener and that they feel safe to speak their mind to me. I also have a tendency to overestimate my own capacity to do work, so I often bite off more than I can chew and end up burnt out. Regardless, I still finish what I set out to do.

My favourite hobbies include reading, playing video games, listening to classical and lofi hip-hop, and making art. I especially like to draw and paint things that radiate a sense of comfort, nostalgia and serenity. Someone also told me that my artworks also hold a sort of innocence in the composition of the shapes, colours and the overall vibe of what I draw/paint.

I hope this is enough information for a matchup. Thanks for taking the time to read this

I am so sorry about the delay! Just a really bad bought of writer’s block I’m afraid. I’m better now, so allow me to get the show on the road!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I match you with…

Jamil Viper!

——————————

So this feels like a pretty good match to me. Not because this man is a sly genius, he’s the fool who’s fallen for you. Like I don’t mean this as like a one way street, you both are making decisions effectively together because you can see and hear him for who he is and not judge and he knows the struggles of some of your own flaws and accepts you as well. It’s just like this trauma bonding moment begging to happen and dammit am I making that happen? Hell yes I am!

Jamil has seen you around before and heard a plethora of rumors surrounding you, but initially meeting you in person is as bland as he expected it. Almost too bland, like you were purposefully trying to make yourself smaller and you just looked so done with the world while your other half student was off making trouble with Kalim, so he managed to get his master back on track and you distracting Grim elsewhere. He mentions dinner time for the dorm house of Scarabia in hopes you understand his hidden message. Thank your intellect for picking up on it, because your relationship with Jamil has opened up many new possibilities

He’s fabulous at handling your autism and ADHD due to the fact that I personally headcanon that Kalim is very much so on the autism spectrum and with how he is in general with many things, I would not surprised if he did officially get diagnosed with ADHD. Plus Jamil likes the silence and quiet more than he does with loud parties and frantic conversations that somehow make it over the blaring music. He appreciates the change of pace on what you need, mostly because he needs it too. Kalim just never seems to give up whatsoever on this party business. On top of that, Jamil is intellectually smart emotionally too, mostly thanks to idiots who would wish harm sneakily to Kalim in front of him. He never has a hard time telling when you’re being sarcastic after knowing you a bit, but he does occasionally struggle and will out right tell you about it instead of beating around the bush. He doesn’t see the point of just not having a productive conversation for both partners. The man will not hold any criticism back, he wants you to become your best self possible.

Dude’s been a servant all his life, he’s gonna help you whether you like it or not. It maybe subtle or he’ll just do it right in front of you, he doesn’t care. He just changes his tactics if you ask him to not interfere, usually listens if the problem isn’t hurting you to a point. But he really does love that go-getter attitude, never faltering even though you’re just incredibly burnt out. He is going to make you take breaks with his signature spell if it’s getting to a point where he’s uncomfortable with how you’re treating yourself. But it’s a nice change of pace of just getting things done like he does compared to Kalim and his extreme experience with procrastination.

Loves your unique fashion choices. Not many people wear such clothing related to their ethnic origins in favor of wearing more modern clothes when on campus. He can appreciate the commitment and comfort that it brings you as he wears similar clothing regardless.

===================

And the follow ups are:

Trey Clover

And

Rook Hunt

——————————

And that’s all folks!

~Fox

[natashasfilms]

Chapter Sixteen - Crushed

Summary: With the days leading up to the fall, Aria had hoped to spend her last summer after high school with her friends before she went off to college. She didn’t expect to deal with the monsters she and her friends supposedly defeated months ago once again, nor did she think she had to deal with heartbreak in the process.

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Original Female Character

Warnings: This story contains mature themes such as sexual content, strong language, violence, mentions of alcohol and drugs, blood, gore, and death.

Note: I imagine Aria Kaul as South Asian but I have decided to let you, the reader, imagine her appearance, hence the reason why I have not given her a face claim. However, her race does not affect the story, whatsoever. You, as the reader, are free to imagine her however you want. If you don’t see her as South Asian, then that’s fine. It won’t affect the storyline.

Series Masterlist

While the group was driving their way towards Starcourt Mall, Steve and his coworker Robin were currently in the bathroom, emptying their stomachs into the toilet.

“You think we puked it all up?” Steve asked the girl, leaning against the wall.

“Maybe. Ask me something.” Robin told him. “Interrogate me.” She spoke in a Russian accent.

“Okay. Interrogate you. Sure.” Steve thought of a question. “Um...When was the last time you, uh, peed your pants?”

“Today.” Robin admitted.

“What?” Steve asked, shocked.

“When the Russian doctor took out the bone saw.” She laughed. “It was just a little bit, though.”

The two laughed at what she said. “Yeah, it's definitely still in her system.” Steve joked.

“All right, my turn.” Robin spoke up.

“Okay. Hit me.”

Robin thought of a question. “Have you...ever been in love?”

Steve’s heart skipped a beat. “Yep. Aria Kaul. First semester, freshmen year.” He admitted, his mind imagining the girl’s beautiful face.

“Huh. Not bad.” She hummed. “Are you still in love with Aria?”

“Oh, yeah.” He stated, a sad smile on his face. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving her. It's crazy.” He started thinking back to what Dustin told him a few days ago. “Ever since Dustin got home, he's been saying, ‘You know, you gotta find your Suzie. You gotta find your Suzie. Don’t let Aria go.’”

“Wait, who's Suzie?” Robin asked.

“It's some girl from camp, I guess his girlfriend.” Steve answered. “To be honest with you, I'm not 100% sure she's even real. But that's not...that's not really the point. That doesn't matter. The point is, is that Aria and I…we…” He took a deep breath. “I didn’t want to hold her back from her dreams so I let her go. She deserves so much better than me.” He sighed. “I wasted so much time because of my stupid actions. Because I thought being popular was everything. Because maybe Tommy H. would've made fun of me or...I wouldn't be...prom king.”

He laughed, his mind going back to all the memories of the said girl.

“It's stupid. I mean, Dustin's right, it's all just a bunch of bullshit anyways. Because, when I think about it, I should've been hanging out with her this whole time.” He felt tears threaten to fall from his eyes. “She means the world to me and I don’t think she even realizes it. Sometimes I think about how we probably could’ve made it work if we didn’t overthink things. Maybe at this moment, we would be in bed and she would be in my arms and I would hold her close to me.” He paused, waiting for Robin to say something. “Robin? Robin, did you just OD in there?”

“No.” She whispered. “I...am still alive.” Steve slid under the stall, sitting inside the same one as Robin now. “The floor's disgusting.”

“Yeah, well, I already got a bunch of blood and puke on my shirt, so…” He looked at her. “What do you think?”

“About?” Robin questioned.

“Aria.”

She nodded her head. “She sounds…great.”

Steve sighed, remembering what the girl had told him back at the Russian base. “I know what you said earlier and I wanted to say…I’m sorry.” Robin furrowed her eyebrows, confused. “You know, Mrs. Click’s class?” Robin motioned an “Oh” with her lips, nodding her head. “I’m sorry for never noticing you but…my heart’s always going to be with Riya, but I don’t want that to affect our friendship—“

Robin started laughing, shaking her head. “Do you really think that I have a crush on you?” She asked, looking up.

Steve’s lips parted, furrowing his brows. “Uh…what?”

“Do you remember what I said? About me being jealous and, like, obsessed?” Robin asked him, a little nervous.

“Yeah.”

“It isn't because I had a crush on you.” Robin admitted. “It's because...she wouldn't stop staring at you.”

“Mrs. Click?” Steve asked, confusion lacing his voice.

“Aria Kaul.” Her voice was shaky, not wanting to admit it but continuing to do so, anyway. “I wanted her to look at me. But...she couldn't pull her eyes away from you and your stupid hair. And I didn't understand, because you would get bagel crumbs all over the floor. And you asked dumb questions. And you were a douchebag.” Steve was slowly trying to process what she was saying, his eyes boring into the girl. “And...And you guys weren’t even friends anymore and...I would go home…and just scream into my pillow.” She finished, motioning her hands.

“But Aria's a girl.” Steve stated.

The inner corner of Robin’s eyebrows were angled up. “Steve.” She whispered.

“Yeah?” Steve said. Robin exhaled a sharp breath, looking at him. Her eyes told him everything he needed to know. “Oh.”

“Oh.” Robin repeated, looking down.

“Holy shit.” Steve breathed out, leaning back.

“Yeah. Holy shit.” She looked at the boy who was silent. “Steve...Did you OD over there?”

“No, I was just, uh…just thinking.” He answered. “Well, we have really great taste in girls.”

Robin chuckled. “Yeah.” She looked at him. “I also had this huge crush on Tammy Thompson.”

“No way.” Steve laughed.

They made it to the mall, walking inside to see people evacuate the building. This confused them. Why were people leaving?

That’s when they noticed men in black uniforms telling people to leave, so they all hid, waiting for the place to become empty to see what they would do.

They noticed them walking closer to one of the stands, guns raised. Aria’s eyes widened when she saw them. They were trying to attack the person or people behind the counter.

As the men got closer, Aria and the group stood behind Eleven, who decided to use her powers. She started making the car in the mall go off, causing the men to turn around to hear the honking noises. They were shocked, looking up to see Eleven’s hand out, with the group standing behind her.

Then, Eleven threw the car at the men, killing them instantly. The people who were behind the counter raised their heads to see what happened, shock written all over their faces.

When they lifted their heads, Aria was surprised to see Steve, Dustin, Robin, and Lucas’ younger sister Erica. Why were the men after them?

They rushed downstairs to meet them, everyone relieved and happy to see each other. Aria and Steve made eye contact, giving one another a small smile. Her heart ached when she saw his face, all beaten up. She wanted to ask what happened to him but kept her distance, not knowing where they stood at the moment.

She saw the kids hug Dustin, happy to see their friend after not doing so in a few days.

They all formed a circle, trying to figure out what just happened.

“Lucas?” Erica asked, shocked to see her brother.

“What are you doing here?” Lucas exclaimed, arms in the air, not knowing why the hell his younger sister was here.

“Ask them. It's their fault.” Erica pointed a finger towards Steve, Dustin, and Robin.

“True, yeah. Totally true. It's absolutely our fault.” Steve admitted, causing Aria to raise an eyebrow at him.

“I don't understand what happened to that car.” Robin asked, still confused.

“El has superpowers.” Dustin gestured towards Eleven.

“I'm sorry?” Robin asked again.

“Superpowers. She threw it with her mind.” Steve said, motioning with his hands. “C'mon, catch up.”

“That's El?” Erica pointed a finger towards Eleven.

“Who's El?” Robin asked, still having so many questions.

“I'm sorry, who are you?” Nancy asked, wondering why a random girl was with them.

“I'm Robin.” She introduced herself. “I work with Steve.” Aria couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. She had no reason to but still, the feeling wasn’t nice.

“She cracked the top secret code.” Dustin told them.

“Yeah, which is how we found out about the Russians.” Steve added.

Aria’s breath hitched. “Russians?” She asked.

“Wait, what Russians?” Jonathan questioned.

“The Russians!” Steve exclaimed, not knowing why no one was understanding.

“Those were Russians?” Max asked.

“Some of them.” Erica said.

“What are you talking about?” Lucas threw his hands in front of him.

“Didn't you hear our code red?” Dustin asked them.

“Yeah.” Mike said. “And I couldn’t understand half of what you were saying.”

“Goddamn low battery.” Dustin exclaimed, angrily.

Steve started slapping his hands. “How many times do I have to tell you with the low battery?”

“Well, everything worked out, didn't it Steve?” Dustin reassured him.

“Worked out?” Erica exclaimed. “We almost died.”

Aria suddenly zoned out their voices as her eyes followed Eleven, who seemed to break away from the group. The girl’s hands were over her ears and Aria started to get worried. She too, started to break away from the group, about to ask the girl what was wrong when she noticed her starting to lose her balance. She immediately rushed to her side, catching her in her arms before she hit the floor.

Everyone turned around to see the two girls on the ground, Aria holding Eleven in her arms as she gently laid her down. “El? El?” Aria started calling out her name.

“My leg,” she groaned. “My leg.”

They started to take the bandage off of Eleven’s wound, everyone grimacing and gagging at it.

Suddenly, something started moving inside Eleven’s leg, causing her to scream. Aria knew it was the piece of the mind flayer that attached itself to her at the cabin.

[writingwithcolor]

Am I fetishizing my Japanese character?

noedandelion asked:

Hello ! I’m currently writing a comic where my main character is a mixed Asian/white man, to be more specific, he is half Portuguese half Japanese. And it’s there that i’m asking myself a question.

I’m consuming a little of pop culture from japan (I say little bc it’s not the same as when i was younger) and because of this i’m kinda worried that this could be seen as fetishism of Japanese people, he’s not the only Japanese character in the comic bc i have a lot of characters and i try to include several characters who share the same ethnicity. As my mains, he is the only one, not the only Asian character but they are not Japanese (he is not not the only main protag but he is more central, i hope i’m clear sorry).

I’ve never have any people told me it was not okay but bc i’m white, i’d like to have feedback. I don’t remember why i make him Japanese because i have him for a while, but i know it has nothing to do with worshiping of Japanese people. I’m writing him as fully developed character, he as flaws, qualities, things he likes and his development is not related to the fact he is miked or anything, i’m learning Japanese culture, tropes etc for writing him respectfully (and i ofc don’t use anime as reference of representation).

I’ve always seen people tell “as long as the character is written respectfully it’s okay” but maybe there’s things I don’t know that are fetishization, like well writing a Japanese character when you’re white and consume a little of Japanese pop culture/like to learn about Japanese history culture etc. (i’m actually learning about a lot of different culture not just the Japanese one but still).

I was thinking also that if it could be seen as such, i could change the fact that is half Japanese and make him from an another Asian country as ethnicity (east or south-east Asian), i don’t want to whitewash him (i will rework my character of course to be accurate bc it will not be the same culture), but i don’t know if it’s okay.

So should i keep my character the way he is ? (and be careful of how i’m writing him as I do with every character i have) or should i change it ? Thank you for your time and I hope you have a great day. (I’m sorry for my english, I’m italian so my first language is not english)

When people say “Write a character respectfully”, they often mean “Write the character as if you were treating that character with the level of respect you would want accorded to a character from your background.” 

In my experience, many individuals from European countries, like their American counterparts, do not have the requisite knowledge of cultures outside of their own background to create characters from many other cultures in this fashion. This is rarely bad intent. Rather you can’t know what you don’t know. Fetishization, particularly, is often the result of lazy/ ignorant writing, and ignorance is often linked to poor research or limited education. Japanese pop culture, for instance, does not remotely qualify as education in Japanese history or culture.  It’s hard to write a well-developed character if you have difficulty understanding the way their culture and background might (or might not) affect who they are. 

If you are new to this blog, you likely haven’t yet heard that:

We are not a great source of information for people in the early stages of research (These are called Google Scholar and Wikipedia)

You will often only be able to ask good questions after you have done considerable research

Are you planning on distributing or sharing this comic to others at this stage? My advice is that if you have all these doubts about what is or isn’t fetishization that you keep this character to yourself and play around with his development on your own while you do more research:

Read notable literature by Japanese writers in Japan

Read literature by members of the Japanese diaspora (ex. Kazuo Ishiguro, Shusaku Endo, Ruth Ozeki)

Consume nonfiction content on or by mixed Japanese people (Eg. Hafu: film, 2013, Naomi Osaka: 2021, docuseries, When Half is Whole: book, Stephen Murphy-Shigemitsu) 

Becoming familiar with a wide range of Japanese experiences is the easiest remedy for fetishization. I’m also going to make the unusual suggestion that you read up on Japanese food culture (Knowing the number of Italians I do, food is something that weirdly helps us understand each other very quickly). 

A common in-joke between me and the other moderators is my suggestion that if an asker is unsure whether or not they should write something that they should: 

Create a secret room with a door only they can open

Wear a disguise that hides their identity (I often suggest a plague doctor’s mask)

Write their story in invisible ink from the comfort of this environment. 

This is obviously an absurd idea, but who will judge you for something they don’t know about? Similarly, who is harmed if no one knows what you are doing and it doesn’t affect anyone else? The purpose of this blog is not to tell you what is right or wrong, but rather to help you create content that a wide variety of individuals can appreciate, regardless of their background. Whether you think that is important is purely your choice. 

In summary: If you worry about whether or not you are fetishizing your character, do more research. This applies to all of your non-Italian characters, including the Asian ones. Learn as much as you can about their backgrounds as you develop them, and then consult us again when you better understand what else you want to ask us. 

- Marika. 

[kisstheburnsaway]

could you do a companions react to someone being racist towards an Asian sole? Like maybe calling them a communist or something

That’s an awesome request~! Thank you!

So here’s another ‘was supposed to be short’ one for ya!

Disclaimer: Because of the sheer diversity of what “Asian sole” could mean, not all of these will fit every ethnicity! (some insinuate more South or Southeast Asia issues, some play on the “Communists broke this country” bullshit and play into Fallout’s history with the Asian internment camps (see: Fallout 3), some indicate an American!Asian Sole, etc. etc.)

Please don’t hold it against me, racists are special and I can’t be as vague with this as I would usually like.

Trigger warning: Racism and racial slurs.

(I was actually surprised to find out there’s an actual Wiki page with ethnic slurs…)

Cait: 

“Cait!” they heard almost the same instant as they walked into Combat Zone. They didn’t even get to pass through the blue doors when Tommy was already all over them, shaking Sole’s hand and giving Cait a friendly pat on the shoulder. Ever since Sole had sorted out the Raiders, Combat Zone returned to what it once was: a place for people to fight for money, and for others to come, drink, and gamble; open to the general public and, apparently, thriving. Tommy himself looked much better already, gained some weight (as much as was possible for him) and it seemed like he had finally caught up on sleep.

“See?” Sole said, gesturing towards the theater full of patrons, filled with sounds of the audience’s shouts and grunting of the fighters. “You’re doing pretty well even without the Raiders, huh?”

“Right.” Tommy looked at his life’s work, making a face one makes when they lose a bet. “Had to do something, didn’t I? You didn’t leave me much choice.”

“Hey,” Sole said, putting their hand on Tommy’s shoulder. “No hard feelings, right?”

“…Right.” Tommy threw them a look. “Nah, it’s goin’ pretty well. Now I’m kinda missin’ my little bird.” He shifted his gaze to Cait, giving her a small smile as she rolled her eyes, then nudged Sole in the ribs. “Say, you got her clean, didn’t ya?”

“Aye,” Cait said before Sole could even utter a word, clearly not settling on being talked about like she wasn’t even there. “And now me head’s finally clear enough to see I’d be a sodden moron to–” She suddenly fell silent as the cheering of the finished fight died down and in the relative silence they could all clearly hear one of the guys at the registers go:

“–for these fucking Chinks, we wouldn’t be here right now. I don’t understand why we didn’t blow them all to shit when we had the chance.”

Before Sole could even open their mouth, Cait was already over there, grabbing the guy by the jaw and pulling his head out through the little window. “Say that again, you fuckin’ pig,” she growled, stance showing how ready she was to break his nose, or neck, on her knee, probably depending on his answer. “I fuckin’ dare ya.”

The man whimpered, but with the iron grip Cait had on his jaw, Sole doubted if he was able to say anything even if he wanted to. They watched the scene unravel without so much as a blink of an eye, pondering whether they actually wanted Cait to stop. It wasn’t the first time, and it was definitely not the last, that she jumped into action to defend their honor. This time, at least, there wasn’t any blood spilling… yet. God, she was making it so easy to sentence every racist asshole to death.

“Seriously?” Tommy hissed loudly to catch everyone’s attention, but not before carefully and quietly closing the door to separate them from the patrons. He walked over to the man and leant over to look him straight in the eye. “You got a bad joke ‘bout a ghoul, an Irish gal, and an Asian walkin’ into a fightin’ pit standin’ ‘fore ya, and of the three, you choose the human speakin’ perfect American English to be bitchin’ about?”

The man clearly tried to utter an “I’m sorry”, but Tommy smacked his head before he could even get a syllable out.

“Ain’t me you should be apologizin’ to, ya idiot.” He straightened up with a sigh. “You’re fired. I ever see ya again, I’m gonna put a bullet in you myself.” He brushed off his suit and looked at Cait, then at Sole. “Hey, if you want ‘im dead, can you take it outside? I got patrons, you understand, and a fight I need to announce…”

“Sure.” Sole nodded. “Who do you have lined up for it?”

“Well, if Cait ain’t gonna…”

“Take this one.” Cait pulled the guy out through the window and threw him on the floor. “Hell, I might even go in, get paid to kick his fuckin’ racist arse.”

“Uhh… Okay?” Tommy looked to Sole for a decision but they only shrugged. Traveling with Cait, they learned some time ago it was usually better not to get in her way unless necessary.

“Hear that, ya bastard?” Cait pat the guy on the cheek. “You win, you’ll even get a severance package to send ya on your merry way.” She leaned closer, lowering her voice to an ominous whisper. “But if ya lose, I will mash you into a bloody paste to decorate the deck.”

-

Codsworth:

Sole looked the distressed ghoul over and sighed. “You know, I think you could use a drink. Or three,” they said, gently leading the ex-rep downstairs. Codsworth led the way and hurried to Buddy to get them both a cold Gwinnett Stout each.

“I never even had the chance to get your name,” Sole remarked as the ghoul took the bottle and chugged down at least half of it in one go before even looking at them.

“Of course you didn’t,” he groaned. “Vault-Tec was a corporation, and no one cared about our names. We weren’t human to them. And some of us will never be human again.” He paused for another sip and a deep sigh. “You’re actually the first person to ask me that in almost 250 years. It’s Maximillian. Max for short.”

“Sure thing, Max.” Sole smiled and gently touched his arm. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Thank you,” he squeezed out, nearly crying. “I honestly had no idea what to do with myself. Everything’s so different here now, so strange and terrifying. I’m not cut out for this!” He shuddered, stifling a sob. “I thought I was lucky to have found this place at least, but it’s just as cut-throat here as everywhere else…”

Sole strongly disagreed with that but wasn’t going to argue with the man’s grief or distress, or whatever that was. And even though they wanted to help, it was going to be next to impossible if he didn’t calm down first. So they slid the beer a little closer to him again. “We can talk about that later,” they said. “For now, just try to relax.”

Max sucked onto the bottle again and Sole raised their brow at the pace at which the beer was disappearing down his throat. They were quite familiar with how resistant ghouls could be, so they nodded at Codsworth to keep the beers coming, and he obliged them, as always, with joyful eagerness.

After that, the mood changed and suddenly, it was all small talk and awkward jokes Sole remembered Max for from that fateful day. Max had a lot of questions, mainly pertaining to how Sole survived, what happened to their family, and particularly, where they found the strength to become the survivor they were now.

“I was always a survivor,” they only said. “It’s just the circumstances that need surviving which change.”

Max nodded solemnly. Then it was all stories: first about the Vault, then about suburbian life, then how Sole had met their spouse… Seemingly without end, just one after another. Whenever Sole couldn’t (or didn’t want to) remember something, Codsworth happily took over, much to their relief or sometimes dismay.

And he was a great and eager storyteller as well, holding Max’s attention without any effort, and even though Sole obviously knew everything he talked about, they found themself caught up, too. Max kept moving back with his questions, as though in an attempt to learn everything there was to know about Sole. It was borderline obsessive, and Sole was growing gradually more suspicious, until finally, Max gave up pretending and straight-up asked what he really was interested in.

“So, who are you, really?” And seeing Sole’s blank expression, he continued with excitement that could only partly be explained by the copious amounts of alcohol he had poured into himself. “Come on. Let me guess: Filipino? Taiwanese? I’m sure it’s not China ‘cause such a nice person couldn’t possibly be a dirty commie.” Sole gritted their teeth and rolled their eyes, but remained silent, hoping a glare would be enough to make him shut up. “But, hmm… Korea?” His eyes lit up. “Japan?”

“I don’t understand…” Codsworth’s pleasant but subtly forceful tone put a stop to his tirade. “What are you trying to say, sir?” he asked with perfectly calculated confusion.

“I mean…” Max looked between him and Sole, clearly trying to make himself understood without actually spelling it out. Sole stared him down coldly while Codsworth beeped with some distress.

“Oh, I’m sure it must be difficult,” Codsworth cooed then, even his robotic voice practically dripping with sarcasm. “Being a ghoul, having to admit that you’re doing your best to offend a fellow American who also happened to be the only person willing to help you, merely based on their looks.”

Max chewed on his lip and stared at them both with something like regret, but didn’t dare speak.

“And of course, how would you admit that without losing what little chance you had of–”

“That’s enough, Codsworth,” Sole said tiredly, standing up when they saw he was getting nowhere. “Let’s just leave. We have things to do.” If Max made any attempt to stop them, Sole didn’t spare a glance to check.

-

Curie:

“Oh! There are injured there!”

That was Sole’s only warning before Curie, like a true wartime medic, dashed away from them despite the legitimate rain of bullets flying any which way. “Curie!” they shouted but when they tried to leave cover to follow her and bring her back to safety, they were forced back as a shot whizzed past their face and another luckily ricocheted off their rifle. But somehow, she got to her destination safely and started tending to the bullet wound of a caravan driver who had been hit by a stray slug. Go figure.

They quickly dispatched with the remaining raiders, although not without eating a couple of bullets themself, and hobbled over to check on Curie and the terrible gut wound she was now joint-deep in. And as soon as they stepped close enough, they recognized the trader–they had met him before and those were hardly pleasant encounters.

And sure enough, as soon as they came into view, the caravaneer’s mouth twisted even further, from a grimace of pain to a snarl of disgust. “Shoulda known this shoout-out was your fault,” he huffed. “We shoulda left all you gooks in the camps.”

“Oh, no!” Curie instantly pulled away from the wound, in no way delicately, eliciting an entirely satisfying scream of pain from the guy. “My apologies, monsieur,” she continued with utmost politeness even as she proceeded to disinfect herself and her tools as zealously as if she was worried they’d catch something from him. “I’m afraid I have more important patients to look after.”

And with that, she lead Sole away, already stabbing them full of Stimpaks and Med-X even as the guy screamed after them, “Wait! Come back! Aren’t you supposed to be a doctor? You’re just gonna leave a human being to die?!”

“I’m sorry, monsieur,” Curie replied in the most perfect robotic voice Sole had ever heard from her to date. “I do not understand the question. I am looking after the human being.”

-

Danse:

Sole couldn’t really tell what exactly got the Brotherhood’s panties up in a bunch when Danse was escorting them to Maxson’s office, at least not at first. Sure, the rest of the Commonwealth was squarely divided into those who considered Sole’s looks before anything else and hated them for “causing the Great War” (true story), and those who recognised 200-year-old conflicts to be no longer relevant, to whom their skin colour was the least of the issue. But Sole had hoped that the Brotherhood, what with their centuries of historical research and prioritising humanity above all, would be content with the fact that they were a human, rather than focusing on the one that they were a specific brand of human.

They were only half-wrong.

Sure, the Scribes were more than welcoming and perfectly polite and most Paladins scoffed at them just like they did at everyone else, but the Knights… well, they were considerably less indiscriminate. And somehow, they seemed to be everywhere Sole went.

Sole and Danse were just walking past one such group, when a younger member, clearly not as well-versed in hiding their opinions as others were, could be heard loudly stating, “I just don’t get why we’re letting this happen. People like that are exactly why we’re here in the first place.”

At first, Sole wasn’t even sure if they didn’t just mean the infamous Brotherhood’s ‘outsiders’, but Danse didn’t seem to have any such doubts. He strode over to the group, towering above them in his shining Power Armor.

“Sounds like you need some fresh air to clear your head, Initiate,” he said in a voice as cold as ice, yet his steel gaze was even colder. “A jog, I would say. On the ground, around the compound. Outside the walls.”

The Initiate visibly paled. “But, sir, there’s cliffs and–”

Danse’s face was stone as he rumbled, “Make it work.”

-

Deacon:

In Deacon’s own immortal words, walking around the ‘Wealth with the face Sole was wearing was always a treat, but sometimes the sarcastic kind. Every now and then, when the mood would strike, Deacon would do a face swap and walk around looking vaguely similar to Sole, taking way too much joy in pretending to be their overprotective older brother with every racist asshole they encountered. He’d whip off his sunglasses and glare at the perp with his hand hovering dangerously close to the iron and the signature Scowl No. 3 on his face.

Other times, the absurdity was just too strong. Like that one time they were walking around Diamond City and a woman squinted her eyes at Sole. “Where are you from?” she asked, and Sole could feel Deacon’s hackles going up behind them.

Sole shrugged. “Boston.”

“Boston?” She squinted even more and gave a few confused blinks. “What part of China is that?”

Whatever composure Sole had managed to gather, it all evaporated. With something between a sob and a chuckle, they pressed a shaky hand to their forehead. Deacon, in turn, approached the woman. “A real diamond in the rough, eh, boss?” he muttered, peering at her like she was a circus attraction. “Could use a little cut and polish…”

Before Sole could react or Deacon follow on his threat, the woman was long gone between the buildings.

-

Dogmeat:

Sole wasn’t entirely sure what they expected to happen if they trained Dogmeat to attack on command, but they did hope that using a word so outdated nobody in the 23rd century would even know about it, let alone think to use it, was a clever choice. I mean, who would even call them ‘Oriental’ anymore, right?

Now, as they were watching Dogmeat, bare-teethed and growling, chase down a terrified Wastelander, Sole was seriously pondering if they should conveniently forget the “stand down” command as well.

-

Hancock:

They had no intention of getting into a fight today. They even took a wide berth around a Raider’s camp, but clearly not wide enough: a couple of watchmen noticed them and readied their pipe pistols. Sole and Hancock were way out of their range, so instead of coming out from behind their fortifications, the Raiders started shouting down toward them, hoping to provoke them into a fight.

But once their meager assemblage of ‘ghoul-fuckers’ and ‘Do you glow, too?’s was done, they were really scraping the bottom of the barrel. “’Ey, China Eyes!” one of them hollered. “Got any more bombs for us?”

Hancock, who had up till now only ground his teeth, finally had enough and hoisted his Fat Man onto his shoulder, stepping back with one foot to support it. “Don’t fuckin’ tempt me!” he yelled back.

The Raiders instantly disappeared behind their makeshift barricades and metal walls. Sole shook their head, though they had to admit the display was warming their cockles; with a hand on Hancock’s shoulder, they urged him along. “As much as I like watching you handle that thing, they’re not worth 400 caps a nuke…”

Hancock followed, letting the Fat Man down as he wagged his naked brows at Sole. “You sure know how to talk me down…”

-

MacCready:

“Go back to China!”

“I wish I could!” MacCready yelled back before Sole had a chance to even look around. And then they couldn’t see or breathe, doubled down in laughter as Mac all but dragged them along, beaming with pride.

-

Nick:

The trader was really getting on Sole’s nerves, speaking to them in slow and clear syllables like they were a moron. But they knew what was going on, and it wasn’t the first time. And just as they were about to give the deepest of sighs and finally say something, Nick stepped up to they side and nodded at the merchant. “Thank you for your considerate user accessibility but I’m operating at full capacity.”

The guy stopped mid-sentence, his voice caught in his throat and eyes flicking between Sole and Nick until Sole finally snickered. “Oh, look at that. I don’t seem to have any American money on me.”

“Shocking,” Nick murmured in agreement.

“Sorry for wasting your time.”

Nick dipped his hat at the merchant just as they were walking away. “Hope your speech impediment resolves soon.”

-

Piper:

“Nan-ni shimasu-ka?”

“Hai! Arigatou, Takahashi-san.” Sole beamed at Piper who sat next to them with a lenient smile across her lips. Even if he was ‘just’ a robot, it was still nice to hear their mother tongue. “You’re one to talk, Red,” they teased. “You get into pretend conversations with him all the time.”

“Incorrect. I get into pretend conversations with myself. Takahashi’s just there to pretend to listen.”

“Riiight. ‘Cause that’s better.” They laughed as Takahashi served them each with a warm bowl of noodles. Sole winked at him, albeit pointlessly. “Arigatou gozaimashita.”

“Now you’re just showing off,” Piper laughed as Takahashi nodded to himself and whirred away. “How does the other thing go again?”

“Itadakimasu?”

“Yes, that’s it. Ithadakeemasoo.”

“Please never do that again. It has the exactl opposite effect on my appetite.”

Just as they laughed, an obviously new-to-town group of wastelanders walked up to the counter as if looking for something but quickly realizing this was a food bar. Just as they were about to walk away again, Takahashi stepped over to them and asked, “Nan-ni shimasu-ka?”

One of the outsiders spat on the ground. “Look at that Commie bot serving its Commie food…” They trodded off too fast to notice Sole or their tired eyeroll and defeated groan. But Piper did.

She looked at them quizzically as they pushed the noodles away, still rolling their eyes so hard they nearly fell off the chair; and when they didn’t say anything, she asked, “You okay?”

“I just hate assholes like that.”

Piper shrugged. “It’s just another group of idiots who don’t know anything about Diamond City. Definitely not gonna make the front page.”

For the sake of their relationship, Sole tried to stifle another groan but failed miserably. Piper raised her brow. Sole wasn’t sure if she was taking offense or asking a question, but… “Look, I get that people don’t even know what Asia is, but come the fuck on. Japan and the US were on the same side! This is the camps all over again…”

“Okay, that’s… Wow. So Japan fought China, too?”

“Historically, quite a lot, actually. You know, the–” 

But before Sole could finish their sentence, Piper waved her hand at them. “Wait, wait, wait.” She ushered them into her home and pulled out her trusty notebook. “Let’s make this an interview. I’m gonna turn this into ‘The Origins of Takahashi’ but make it educational.”

For a second, Sole questioned if they should trust her, given that every conversation they ever had about Japan was full of jokes, but then… if anybody could do this justice, it was her. So they sat instead, preparing for a night of talking but starting it with an, “Arigatou, Piper-san.”

She laughed. “You’re a riot, Blue.”

-

Preston:

“Look, Preston, I told you already. How can I be the General of the Minutemen when there are barely any Minutemen? Enlist a few more people and then I’ll–”

“I did.” Preston beamed with a thoroughly blinding grin as he made a sweeping gesture to the road where a good dozen people were quietly talking between themselves. “Can I announce it now?”

Sole skeptically stared down the obviously simple folks, unsure of themselves outside of the comfort of their own homes. “Have you trained them at all?”

“Well, it’s not exactly a General’s job, you know. But if you were the General, then I could–”

“Alright, I get it. Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

There was a flash of joy, or maybe a triumphant smile, on Preston’s face but when they were stepping out of the house, he put his hand on Sole’s arm. “You’re doing the right thing. And thank you.”

Sole playfully bumped their shoulder into his before they stepped out of the house and together stood in front of the gathered Minutemen.”

“Welcome, everyone, and thank you for coming,” Preston started. “I know we only just embarked on this journey to a safer Commonwealth together, but today I wanted to introduce you to your new General! This is–”

“What, them?”

Preston paused and squinted quizzically at the man in the front row, wearing a wife-beater and a baseball hat with an eagle on it–already a bad sign… He was staring daggers at Sole while Preston’s brow furrowed. “And why would that be a problem?” he asked slowly.

The guy sucked on his cheek, looking around the other people for support. Didn’t seem like he found a satisfactory amount, but it didn’t slow him down any. “Well, I think as Minutemen, that we should have a true American in such a high position.”

Preston’s jaw clenched and he exchanged looks with Sole. They shrugged back at him as if to say, ‘You recruited them,’ but even then they were trying to hold back their own simmering rage.

But he guy in the front was either blind or clueless because he just carried on, “Y’know, someone of pure heart and blood, who’s like us, right? Like a… like a neighbor or someone who grows up around the corner and fights for us, and looks like us…”

That was it. The speed with which Preston could draw his musket was truly remarkable, but even more so was the way this normally calm man slapped the nozzle of the musket into the man’s chest so hard he knocked the wind out of him, and in the coldest voice of a killer growled, “I think you might need to take a long, long walk, fella.”

Eagle Cap didn’t budge at first, but when Preston started cranking up the musket, he paled and only with a small squeak and an enthusiastic nod, slipped through and out the small crowd to embark on a treacherous journey back home. Sole thought for a second that was probably a worse death than Preston’ musket, but for some reason, they could not scrounge up even the littlest bit of empathy right now; especially since the shock of seeing Preston like that was still freezing them in place.

Preston, in turn, let the musket down but stared at the remaining Minutemen with an icy gaze. “Anybody else got any pressing concerns?”

-

Strong:

For a supermutant, Strong was surprisingly attuned to Sole’s changes in mood and behavior. So perhaps it shouldn’t have been such a surprise that when yet another settler told them to ‘get out’ on account of Sole being a ‘dirty Commie’, Sole’s poker face was apparently more than enough for Strong to take a few steps to tower over the settler, saying: “There is no milk of human kindness here. Useless village.”

What happened after was forever ingrained in Sole’s mind as another tick in the ‘not a viable settlement’ column…

- 

X6:

While travelling, Sole and X6 would sometimes join a trader’s caravan while Sole bargained for their redundant gear and earned a few more for protecting the traders along the way. And they were always nice, too–be it because they were actually tolerant or just considered Sole’s brown skin to be a particular kind of sunburn rather than anything of interest was always a question. Maybe they paled in comparison to X6. Maybe the traders saw many other Asian folks around through their travels. Undetermined.

But one day, when they joined a new caravan and the sun was slowly descending on the sky, somebody approached Sole to ask, “Would you like us to take a break now?”

“No, why would we? We just started out.”

“Oh, I thought you Muslims were supposed to do some sort of praying at dusk.”

Sole blanked out for most of the sentence but then turned to X6 with the look of utter consternation on their face, “Hey, in case I’m wrong about my country of origin, X6, what’s the most common religion in India again?”

“I believe that would be hinduism,” X6 helpfully answered, already catching on.

“Right, of course.” Sole made a face as if they needed to be reminded of that at least every other week, then frowned even more. “So is there anything I’m doing or wearing that would suggest I may be Muslim?”

“Okay, I ge–” the caravan guard tried to interject but neither Sole nor X6 were about to let anything stop them now.

“No,” X6 continued. “In fact, you’re wearing a bindi, which is traditionally a Hindu decoration.”

“Yes, I do wonder why I’m wearing it if I’m Muslim…”

X6 approached Sole and placed his hand on their forehead as if checking for fever. “It seems you are in a state of some confusion. Perhaps you should sit down while I take care of this.” And with the most Courser glare to ever Courser, he turned to the guy.

The caravaneer put his hand up, like that was gonna save him. “I meant no offense…”

“Too bad,” X6 muttered, approaching. “Offense is my favorite word.”

[comedicreliefonlyworkswhenfunny]

I am against the "Americanization" of fandoms.

What this applies to

Holding non American characters (and sometimes even fans) to an American moral standard. This includes

Refusing to take into account that, first things first, America is NOT the target audience, so certain tropes that would or would not pass in the west are different in Japan.

Like seriously, quite a few of the jokes are just not going to pass or hit, because they require background information that is not universal.

Assuming all American experience is standard. (This could mean watering down just how much pressure is placed on Japanese youth irl by saying that sort of thing is universal (while it is, to a degree, Japanese suicide rates are pretty fucking high because of how fast paced and work heavy some of their loads tend to be), and it's really annoying and rude when someone is trying to speak out about how heavy and harsh the standards are placed on them to succeed just for some American whose mom occasionally yells at them to do their homework dropping by to say "it's like that everywhere")

Demonizing (or wubbifying) a character using American morals, including and up to harassing fans over their interpretations or gatekeeping whether or not a character "should" get development (while you shouldn't do that fucking period, it's rude and annoying- this is specifically for the people who use American standards without acknowledging the cultural gap between them and, you know, the fucking target audience) ((Like seriously, saying "It's different in Japan" is not the end all be all excusing someone's actions, but sometimes the author didn't immediately think that maybe (insert vaguely universal thing) was that bad or that heavy of a topic before they put it into their media. If you don't want to see things like that? Pick a different series and stop harassing the fans))

Getting mad at or making fun of Japan's attempts to satirize their own culture. (A good example is Ace Attorney! To most of us, it's just a funny laugh can you imagine if courts were actually like that- guess what? Japan's are! (Not that America's are actually that much better, they just look good on paper))

Making America/American issues the center of your fan spaces

(Usually without sharing or bringing light to the issues that other countries are going through)

Your

Experiences

Are

Not

Univseral!

Seriously, very few things across America, even, are universal. Texas things the hundreds are nothing while Minnesota's like "oh it's only thirty degrees below zero"- so for fucks sake, stop assuming that all other countries work in ways similar to America.

It's good and important to share Ameican issues with your American followers, but guess what? America isn't the only country out there, and it's certainly not the only one going through bullshit. Don't pull shit like "why's no one reblogging this?" or "why should I care about what's happening in (X country)?"

Don't assume everyone lives in America.

Stop assuming everyone lives in America.

America is not and has never been the target audience for anime, and it's certainly not the only country outside of Japan that enjoys it.

Like I said above, sometimes Japan attempts to satirize its own culture. We can't tell what is and isn't meant as satire, because it's not our culture.

Social media activism can be tiring and maybe you don't have the energy to focus on things that are out of your control, but, if someone tells you about the shit they're going through, don't bring American politics up.

For the neurodivergent crowd out there thinking, "But why?" it's because a lot of social media, especially, is very heavily Americanized- sometimes to the point where people assume that everyone is American. Not to mention, it's disheartening. I'm sorry to say, but you're not actually relating to the conversation, you're often diverting the focus away from the topic at hand. Even if you mean well, America is heavily pedestaled and talked about frequently, and people from other countries are tired of America taking precedent over their own issues.

Don't divert non-American issues into American ones. Seriously. It's not your place. Please just support the original issue or move on.

Racist Bullshit

This especially goes for islanders and South Asian characters, as well as poc characters (because, yes, Japan DOES have black people)

Making "funny" racist headcanons. Not fucking cool.

Changing the canon interpretation of an explicit character of color in order to fit racist stereotypes.

Whitewashing or color draining characters. Different artistic skill sets can be hard, yes, but are you seriously going to look at someone and say "I don't feel like accurately portraying you or people that look like you, because it's difficult for me." If someone tries to correct you on your cultural depiction of a character and/or their life style, don't be an ass. (If possible, it would be nice for those that do the corrections to be polite as well, but it does get really frustrating).

Seriously, no offense guys, but, if you want to persue art, you're going to need to learn to depict different body types, skin colors, and/or ethnic features.

On that note, purposefully, willingly, or consistently inaccurately portraying people or characters of color (especially if someone in the fandom has "called you out" or specifically told you that what you're doing comes across as racist and you continue to do it). If you need help or suck at looking things up, there are references for you! Ask your followers if they have tutorials on poc (issue that you're having), whether it be bodily portrayal, facial proportions, or coloring and shading. Art is so much more fun when you can depict a wider variety, and guess what? Before you drew the same skinny, basic, white character over and over, you couldn't even draw that!

Attempting or claiming to DEPECT CULTURAL ACCURACY within a work or meta, while being completely fucking wrong. ESPECIALLY and specifically if someone calls you out, and you refuse to fix, correct, or change anything.

*little side note that the discussion revolving art is a very multilayered conversation, and it has quite a few technical potholes, which I'll bring up again farther into this post.

Fucking history

Stop demonizing or for absolute fucks sake wubbifying Japanese history because UwU Japan ♡0♡ or bringing up shit like "you know they sided with Nazis, right?" It's good to recognize poor past decisions, but literally it's not your country keep your nose out of it. And? A lot of decisions made by countries were not made by their general peoples. Even those that were, often involved heavy propaganda that made them think what they were doing was right.

Seriously, it's not your country, not your history. Unless you have some sort of higher education (but honestly even then a lot of those contain heavy bias), just don't butt in.

^^^ this also goes to all countries that are NOT Japan (specifically when people from non American countries talk about their history while in fandoms and someone wants to Amerisplain to them why "well, actually-"). When we said, "question your sources," we didn't mean "question the people who know better than you, while blindly accepting the (more than likely biased) education you were given in the past."

What this does NOT include:

Fanfiction

FANfiction

FanFICTION

FANFICTION.

Seriously, fanfiction is literally UNPAID WORK from RANDOM FANS- a lot of which who are or have started as kids. ((No, I'm not trying to excuse racist depictions of people just because they're free, please see above where I talk about learning to grow a skill and how it's possible tone bad and get good, on top of the fact that some inaccuracies are not just willful ignorance))

"Looking it up" doesn't work

"Looking it up" almost never works

Please, for fucks sake, you know that most all online search engines are heavily biased, right? Not to mention, not everything is universal across the entirety of Japan. You want to look up how the school system works in Hokkaido? Well it's different from the ones in Osaka!

Most fanfiction is meant to be an idealized version of the world. Homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, ableism, and racism are very prevalent and heavy topics that some fan authors would prefer to avoid. (Keep in mind, this is also used by some people in those minorities often because thinking about how relevant those kinds of things are is to them every day).

A lot of shit that happens in writing is purely because it's an ideal setting. I've seen a few arguments recently about how fan authors portray Japanese schools wrong- listen, I can't tell you how many random school systems I have pulled from my ass purely because (I need them to interact at these points, in these ways). Sometimes the only compliment I can think of is 'I like your shirt' or sometimes I need character A to realize that character B likes the same thing as they do, so I might ignore the fact that most all Japanese schools require uniforms, so that I can put my character in a shirt that will get someone else's attention.

Sometimes it's difficult to find information on different types of systems, and sometimes when you DO know those things, they directly rule out a plot point that needs to happen (like back on the topic of schools (from what I've seen/heard/read- which guess what? Despite being from multiple sources, might still be inaccurate!) Japanese schools don't have mandatory elective classes (outside of like gym and most of them usually learn English or another language- I've seen stuff about art classes? But the information across the board varies.), but, if I need my character to walk in and see someone completely in their element, I'm probably not going to try and gun for accuracy or make up a million and two reasons as to why this (non elective) person would possibly need something from (elective teacher) after school of all things.)

Some experiences ARE universal- or at least overlap American and Japanese norms! Like friends going to fast food places after school doesn't /sound Japanese/ or whatever, but it's not like a horrible inaccuracy to say that your characters ate at McDonald's because they were hungry. Especially when you consider that the Japanese idolization of American "culture" is also a thing.

Also I saw someone complaining about how, in December, a lot of (usually westerners) write Christmas fics! Well, not only are quite a few of those often gift fics, with it being the season if giving and all, but Japanese people do celebrate Christmas! Not as "the birth of Christ," but rather as a popularized holiday about gift giving (also pst: America isn't the only place that celebrates Christmas)

But, on that note, sometimes things like Holidays are "willfully ignorant" of what actually happens (I've made this point several times, but (also this does by no means excuse actual racism)), because, again: plot convenience! Hey what IF they celebrated Halloween by Trick or Treating? What if Easter was a thing and they got to watch their kids or younger siblings crawl around on the ground looking for tiny plastic eggs?

Fanfiction authors can put in hours of work for one or two thousand words- let alone ten thousand words, fifty thousand words, a hundred thousand words. And all of these are free. There is absolutely no (legal) way to make money off of their fanworks, but they spent hours, days, weeks, months- sometimes even years- writing. It is so unnecessary to EXPECT or REQUIRE them to spend even more hours looking up shit that, no offense, almost no one is going to notice. No one is going go care that all of my combini prices are accurate or that I wrote a fic with a Japanese map of a train station that I had to backwards search three times to find an English version that I could read.

Not everyone has the attention span or ability to spend hours of research before writing a single word. Neurodivergent people are literally a thing yall. Instead of producing the perfectly pretty accurate version of Japan that people want to happen, what ACTUALLY happens is that the writer reads and reads and reads and either never finds the information they need or they lose the motivation to write.

^^^ (This does NOT apply to indigenous or native peoples, like Pacific Islanders or tribes that exist in real life. Please make sure that you portray tribal minorities accurately. If you can't find the information you need (assuming that the content of the series is not specifically about a tribe), please just make one up (and for fucks sake, recognize that a lot of what you've been taught about tribal practices, such as shit like human sacrifices or godly worship, is actually just propaganda.)

Not to mention, it often puts a wall in front of readers who would then need to pull up their OWN information (that may or may not be biased) just in order to interact with the fic ((okay, this one has a little bit of arguability when it comes to things like measurements and currency, because Americans don't know what a meter is and no one else knows what a foot is- either way, one of yall is going to have to look up measurements if they want to get a better understanding of the fic)). However, a lot of Americans who do write using 'feet, Fahrenheit, dollars,' also write for their American followers or friends (which really could go both ways).

On a less easily arguable side, most fic readers aren't going to open up a new tab just to search everything that the author has written (re the whole deep topics, not everyone wants to read about those sorts of things, either). Not only are you making it more difficult on the writer, but you're also making it more difficult for the reader who's now wondering why you decided to add in Grandma's Katsudon recipe, and whether or not the details you have added are accurate.

Some series, themselves, ignore Japanese norms! Piercings, hair dye, and incorrectly wearing ones uniform are frowns upon in Japanese schools- sometimes up to inflicting punishment on those students because of it. However, some anime characters still have naturally or dyed blond hair some of them still have piercings or wear their uniforms wrong. Some series aren't set specifically in Japan, but rather in a vague based-off-real-life Japan that's just slightly different (like Haikyuu and all of its different prefectures). Sometimes they're based on real places, but real places that have gone through major changes (like the Hero Academia series with its quirks and shit).

Fandom is not a full time job. Please stop treating it like it is one. Most people in fandoms have to engage in other things like school or work that most definitely take precident over frantically Googling the cultural implications of dying your hair pink in Japan.

Art is also meant to be a creative freedom and is almost always a hobby, so there are a few cracks that tend to spark debate. Like I said, it is still a hobby, something that's meant to be fun (on this note!)

If trying new things and expanding your portfolio is genuinely making you upset, it's okay to take a break from it. You're not going to get it right on the first try and please, please to everyone out there critiquing artists' works, please take this into account before you post things.

I'm sorry to say, but, while it gets frustrating to see the same things done wrong over and over again, some people are genuinely trying. If it matters enough for you to point out, please offer solutions or resources that would possibly help the artist do better (honestly this could be said about a lot of online activism). I get that they should "want" to do better (and maybe they don't and your annoyance towards them is completely justified- again, as I said, if this becomes a repeated offense and they don't listen to or care about the people trying to help them, yeah you can be a bitch if it helps you feel better- just please don't assume that everyone is willfully ignorant of how hurtful/upsetting/annoying a certain way of portraying things is), but also WANTING to do better and ACTUALLY doing better are two different things.

Maybe they didn't realize what they were doing was inaccurate. Maybe they didn't have the right tutorials. Maybe they tried to look it up, but that failed them. Either way, to some- especially neurodivergent artists- just being told that their work is bad or racist or awful isn't going to make them want to search for better resources in order to be more accurate, it's just going to make them give up.

Also! In fic and in writing, no one is going to get it right on the first try. Especially at the stage where we creators ARE merely in fan spaces is a great time to "fuck around and find out", before we bring our willfully or accidentally racist shit into monetized media. Absolutely hold your fan creators to higher standards, but literally fan work has so little actual impact on popular media (and this goes for just about every debate about fan spaces), and constructive criticism as well as routine practice can mean worlds for representation in future media. NOT allowing for mistakes in micro spaces like fandoms is how you get genuinely harmful or just... bad... portrayals of minorities in popularized media that DOES have an impact on the greater public. OR you get a bunch of creators who are too afraid to walk out of their own little bubbles, because what if they get it wrong and everyone turns against them. It's better to just "stick with what they know" (hobbies are something that you are meant to get better at, even if that is a slow road- for all of my writers and artists out there, it does take time, but you will get it. To everyone else, please do speak up about things that are wrong, but don't make it all about what's wrong and please don't be rude. It's frustrating on both ends, so, if you can, please try not to escalate the situation more.)

Anyways, I'm tired of everyone holding fictional characters to American Puritanical standards, but I'm also tired of seeing every "stop Americanizing fandom" somehow loop into fanfiction and how all authors who don't make their fics as accurate as possible are actually just racist and perpetuating or enabling America's take over of the world or some shit.

Fan interpretation of published media is different than fan creation of mon monetized media. Americans dominating or monopolizing spaces meant for all fans (especially in a fandom that was never meant for them to begin with) is annoying and can be harmful sometimes. Americans writing out their own personal experience using random fictional characters (more often than not) isn't.

[brandycranby]

dye my hair blonde for you

summary: maybe Sy loves you and maybe it’s an act

pairing: Captain Syverson x unnamed asian reader (leaning heavily towards east, but *throws up hands* it could be south or southeast or even central, I dunno, run wild young hearts)

warning(s): angst, anxiety, self-hatred, mentions of perceived or expected racism, excessive use of commas

a/n: my first reader-insert thingy; um, yay for growing up with eurocentric beauty ideals?

the idea that sy likes peach pie goes to @feralrunaway and I ran off with it (sorry, thank you!!)

also DISCLAIMER I am Chinese, any description of the reader’s features with any grain of hatred is a reflection of how I still perceive myself today. Not saying it’s right, it’s never right but wow I was in a well of self-hatred when I wrote this.

~ * ---- * ~

Was he aware? Did he feel it like you did? Dangling above your heads like some old guillotine, wicked glinting. 

Our differences, I mean

Dear Captain, your Captain.

I wish I was made for you

You felt it fizzling across your skin, searing you alive in local stores, during the farmer’s market, in front of his army colleagues and their pristine southern wives.

Why am I here? Look at the mirror, china doll, don’t kid yourself

He would have said something if he noticed, your Sy, so gentle, so warm with his broad palms, scarred and pink, forever red in his head.

So considerate to not notice how yellow you are as he gently thumbs your arms and brush kisses across your shoulders. As he threads his hands through your hair, spilling pin-straight black, and pulls it away from your neck.

You squeeze your eyes closed as he ghosts his lips over your face. His whiskers tickling your flat cheeks as he nuzzles at your temples.

Wonderful tender man, tell me what to change. I’d do it for you.

Why didn’t it matter to him, all those bottles you pushed into his fridge? Soy sauce, oyster sauce, the fish sauce, chili paste, and a dozen jars of marinade. Why didn’t he complain? Why did he make them fit?

The drawers overflowing with steamers, chopsticks, glazed spoons. A massive steel wok hanging on a hook he hammered in the kitchen wall. The massive bag of rice he hefted into the house across his shoulders, twice the price you’d buy back on the east coast.

Just for me. Why me, love, what do you see in me that I can’t?

His eyes are soft, blue like some fantasy ocean. You can’t meet them, you stare at the pie dish instead - the crust lodged rock hard in your throat, peach fillling over-sweet, sticky on the table.

What a wife you have, Captain, I’m sorry.

He furrows his brows a tad and maybe that’s the last straw. Your tears blister-burn down, down your pancake flat face and you fold into yourself like fifth-grade origami because you know nothing and are worth nothing -

and the kitchen chair screeches as Sy stands and this is the part where he’ll tell you what a fucking failure you are.

Give me your hatred, I can bear it. You can’t, really, you’d shatter.

Your legs are warm where he kneels in between them, his gruff bearded face all you can see as he cups your cheeks with his burly hands. His chest rumbles with his baritone hum while he rubs a circle on your jaw and tucks your hair behind your ear.

“Sy, I’m- “

“Shush.”

“But it-”

“It weren’t that bad, sweet, no’ bad at all.”

He lifts a side of his mouth into a soft smile and presses his forehead against yours, the short fuzzy crop of his hair tickling where it touches.

A goddamn failure -

“Preciate you, peach, every part of ya.”

[nightswithkookmin]

G I R L

I just saw y the HYBE x Ithaca Holdings video and it really hit me with some realisations. HYBE partnering with them is bound to change some things in a huge way. Collabs and economics notwithstanding, Ithaca is home to NUMEROUS big name artists. I want to focus on the fact that: (1) Beiber is a heavily tattooed dude, I wonder if this fact will give some leeway for Kook to be a bit more free with his existing tatts or allow him to continue getting more. (2) Demi is an openly queer woman. This, along with how open Ithaca’s artists are with their support for the LGBTQ+ community, makes me wonder how it will influence HYBE artists who might be queer themselves (looking at Jikook 👀). I fully know that culturally Korea is its own thing and HYBE its own entity, but I think this might open up some doors for our boys both musically speaking as well as regarding their own selves. Dearest Goldy of mine, what do you think?

Hmmmmmmm

That's an interesting question.

I do agree that this provides a huge economic opportunity for BTS as a group and as investors in Hybe and for frankly anyone within Hybe labels- there's a lot of talents who would kill to be part of this company now. I just know it.

Hell I wanna be part of Hybe and I can't even sang. Lmho.

Cute, if you think I can dance. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

BigHit just got cooler you know.

But I think you are basically asking if this new acquisition will in effect impact the lifestyle of BTS, specifically Jikook as queer people in any way?

I'd say no- especially on the issue of tattoos. But I might be wrong. I just think it takes more than a business merger to undo a person's lifestlye and or socialization or even influence it.

Unless of course, this merger guarantees them certain universal rights and protections outside their culture and political system I don't see how it's to profit them as queer people in any major way.

Whatever impact I'd say is rather intangible.

If you know what I mean.

I've said a few times now how BTS by virtue of their presence in the international community, in my opinion, are socialized and are expected to be socialized a tad differently from the average regular conservative or even liberal S. Korean person with no external influences whatsoever on their socializations.

Your socialization informs your lifestyle.

Justin, Troye, RM and other artists have undoubtedly had and perhaps continue to have an influence on Jk musically and lifestyle wise, to some extent, but he has his own unique values and beliefs and morals that has been acquired and instilled in him through the years independent of these influences.

He is his own person afterall.

Plus did you see the arm sleeve on the director of the MV for Home? He is surrounded at the work place with people that are tatted too. It can't be just Justin B.

He saw a girl with tattoos and said that was something he'd love to have one day when he got of age and he got it- in spite of Suga's objection. He's always expressed interests in tattoos and wanting to become a tattoo artist.

He got these tattoos in spite of the inconveniences they pose to his expressions of self within his career and society- as tattoos are still pretty much stigmatized in S.K and aren't legally allowed on certain broadcasts within S. Korea. And he continues to add on them, draw over them etc way before this merger came into existence.

If he decides that's what he wants he will get them but it wouldn't be because Justin Bieber is heavily tatted or because his company expanded.

I'm not sure what you mean by leeway, but in a recent Run episode (the one with the famous chef) we saw his full arm out and I think that was the first time we had seen his tats on full display on run.

Contrastingly, he had his whole arm bandaged in the Let's BTS interview on KBS.

He covers his tattoos most times because of broadcast rules that prohibits (regulates) not just tattoos but alcohol consumption, cussing, nudity etc on public television that require specific ratings.

Merger or not he will still have to adhere to the laws of South Korea, including entertainment and media broadcasting laws and hide his tattoos as and where.

On the topic of queerness, I think now more than ever BTS would have to become socially, racially and culturally conscious and aware the instant this deal is concluded in May.

Ithaca has one of the most diversified group of artists under its belt- from Quavo who is black to Demi who is queer like you pointed out.

Now more than ever they are at the center of the global conversations we are having in our generation- from racism, to LBGTQ plus marginalizations, to all oppressions of minorities and minority groups.

And with that proximity comes a need to keep themselves in check now more so than ever- which include a check on the cultural appropriation bit, the queer baiting, drawing on queer aesthetics in their 'fan service' culture and other problematic issues that is characteristic of KPop.

What they do now matters more than ever- socially speaking of course.

When Jin started eating a lollipop JM gave him provocatively, JM asked him not to do that on camera but to reserve things like that for the group off camera.

If 'gay' is not gay but their 'culture' I think they know better to keep it to themselves off camera and act 'right' on camera- especially now.

I'm not about to stan a group that capitalizes on the trauma and oppression of me and my people in the name of entertainment. That's just tacky.

On the plus, I think it's great that they be surrounded by other queer folks in the business and be part of a community that welcomes and support queerness so they don't feel like they are the only ones.

That's not to say they aren't surrounded by queer people in their dialy lives.

I mean they have a large staff and I know damn well some of those staffers are queer as well- why wouldn't they be. Lol.

They've always had that 'supportive' environment to foster their relationship- well except for that one time a manager tried to bitch slap JK. Lol. Sorry.

It's not funny at all. Serious face.

They've always been free and loose in places outside Korea- Japan for one, to be themselves in certain 'controlled" areas of their lives.

I think if anything there's gonna be a focus on creating conducive and inclusive work environments and ethics for everyone not just queer people within the company at large.

I think Jikook can relate more, have certain essential conversations in the group, be exposed to and be part of the 'community' in a way that just felt so distant to them prior to the acquisition- in my opinion.

There is strength in numbers after all. Other than that those two companies might operate like night and day with a few eclipses in between.

The bigger question for me is how SK is going to react to Hybe as an international company from now on. No elite Korean company has openly admitted queer artists within their label. Such revelations presumably is bound to impact their social and economic standing...

Seems in acquiring Ithaca though Hybe have circumvented the conservative problem within Kpop and their culture as they have acquired openly queer artists.

Not that they care about an artist's sexuality. Bang have made it perfectly clear he prioritizes a person's talent over their sexual preference and thus hire artists based on their skills regardless of their sexuality.

But that is also not to say that the company wouldn't be met with harsh criticisms and suffer economic loss should they openly admit the sexuality of certain artists they work with.

I mean he did advise Jo Kwan on the risks he would be taking in going in the direction he wanted to go in with his heels schtick. So he is aware of the risks involved in going public with an artist's sexual orientation.

He talked about Korean companies playing it safe and not taking certain risks especially when it comes to deeds that are deemed 'rebellious' against the Korean conservative way.

-Watch and learn people, if you can't hire openly gay talents acquire their company. Problem solved. Lol.

From May, Hybe will technically officially become the first elite Korean company with openly queer artists under its labels that openly touches on and advocates for LGBTQ plus rights.

I'm waiting for Pride month with a cup of tea. Mu haha ha.

BTS has performed with queer artists in the past, dabbled in LGBTQ plus conversations which was mostly met with mixed reactions from the general public- some oblivious to who these artists were much less that they were queer. (Sis laugh with me. Hehe. If you know you know)

BigHit is gradually evolving the status quo.

It's an interesting development I must say, one I'm very much invested in at this point.

BigHit has always aimed beyond the borders of Korean commercial verse often straddling the line of conservatism, literally just became an international company within South Korea governed by both Korean and American laws that in all essence conflict with eachother morally and constitutionally.

Bang has some heavy balls I'll give him that.

Also, since this is an acquisition and not a merger I doubt if much will change in the structures of either company- the family photoshoots would be interesting to watch.

Imagine trying to get Arianna, Justin, BTS, TXT in one large studio for a photoshoot. I'm literally cackling. Lmho.

Scooter Braun will become part of the board of Hybe to manage the company and he is part owner of Hybe along with Justin, Ariana and BTS who also have shares in the company- until they decide to sell their shares that is.

That's about it.

I'm not sure how these Asian haters are gonna respond to an Asian company taking over 'America.' That's something to watch out for.

Then there's this whole issue of 'scandals' and both campanies view on it.

Western companies feed off chaos and drama and scandals, Kpop is the exact opposite.

Most of these Artists under Ithaca have had some pretty bad records and are prone to scandals and stuff like that. In case of an inevitable future scandal, the news would read 'BTS's so so and so.'

They are gonna make it all about BTS.

I mean when BigHit went public with their IPO and it went south it was all about BTS' 'failed IPO' in the news rather than the company it's self.

I have mixed feelings about this acquisition.

It's obvious BigHit is saving Justin Bieber's label. You don't sell unless you are in some huge financial decline blah blah.

Hybe is keeping them in business while building their own portfolio in the industry. BTS may not have a Grammy but Hybe has several artists with Grammys under it's belt now. Smirk.

The success of Justin, Ariana and all these artists are the success of Hybe which together with the powerhouse that is BTS gives Hybe more prestige- it's like watching the game of thrones but this time it's a bunch of nerds with chapsticks and Prada. Lmho.

At least now people will think twice before they peddle the 'they are not gay, it's their culture' nonsense.

Not sure if this answers your question?

I purple you💜💜💜💜💜

Signed,

GOLDY

[unloved-cadillac]

Hi. Can I request a reader who has a different culture to Levi in the modern au? She is a Chinese diaspora (a Chinese outside China, Taiwan and Macau), who can speak a South East Asian language (e.g. Indo), sometimes roams around in traditional dresses, strong tolerance to spicy food and refuses to move in with him due to cultural differences? Also, since he's an old man, she might initially treat him like an elder respectfully until he loses it. ;) Finally, no cleaning on Chinese New Year. ;)

C/n: whew, you guys really put in a lot of trust in me to do this. I learnt so much here!! Y’all making me want to visit every country on this planet. Italics mean Indonesian. HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!! Thanks for requesting and I hope that you enjoy🤍

———————————————————————

The Perfect Girl. (Levi x Reader)

Levi was never one to date. Even one night stands were things he never found interest in. It’s not that he didn’t want to date, it’s just that he had never found the girl that captured his heart. Until Y/n came along.

Y/n was half Chinese and half Indonesian. She was the power embodiment of a princess. She was respectful, kind and just a ray of sunshine. Levi met her through Mike and they both grew very close. Levi caught himself thinking about her quite often and he would sometimes see how her eyes would flicker to his in a moment. He was falling for her, he knew this. But there was only one thing he hated:

“Lǎofū*, would you like anything else?” She asks Levi after sitting down. Levi internally groans at the honorific. He knew that was how Chinese people addressed elder men and he loathed the name. He wasn’t even that much older than her! 6 years wasn’t that bad, was it? So bad to call him that?? “Y/n, please. Do you really have to call me Lǎofū? Isn’t that for older men?” He asks her and she tilts her head in confusion. “But you are kinda old.” She says and he lays his head on his hands. Y/n laughs and he glares at her.

~~~~

There was a new restaurant that had Indonesian cuisine that Levi was dying to take Y/n to. He figured that this would be the best place to confess to her and she could eat some food that she grew up with.

Levi had booked a reservation at the restaurant and called Y/n to invite her in which she gladly accepted. One could say she was very excited because she showed up using her traditional outfit that she bought a few days prior. Levi’s eyes widened at her and she smiled a shy smile at him. “Wow.” He breathed out. She looked stunning. If Levi didn’t love her before, he certainly did now. The kebaya suited her perfectly and Levi had to avoid his gaze to stop him from staring for too long. “Uh, shall we?” He motions to the restaurant and she nods.

When they get seated, their waiter comes to place their order and when Y/n speaks, Levi is stunned. “Hello. May I have some beef rendang with four ketupat and a side of white rice and a glass of water please. Make the rendang extra spicy.” She says in Indonesian and Levi watches her in awe. She turns to face him and smiles. “What will you have, Levi?” She asks and he snaps out of his daze. “Uh. What do you suggest, Y/n?” He asks and she looks at the menu again. Her eyes sparkle and smiles. “I suggest the Opor Ayam.” Y/n says and Levi nods and speaks to the waiter. “I’ll have that with black tea, please.” “Oh! And an order of Satay!” Y/n says suddenly and Levi chuckles. “Coming right up!” The waiter says and leaves. Levi looks at her. He puts his head on his fists and starts to smile. Y/n looks at him and giggles. “What’s with that smile, Lǎofū?” His smile drops and scoffs. “I’m going to ignore that. You speak Indonesian?” He asks and she nods enthusiastically. “I speak Indonesian and Mandarin. Why?” “It’s sounds beautiful when you speak it, Y/n.” Levi flirts and Y/n flushes. “Oh, Levi. Stop. You’re making me blush.” She covers her cheeks and he smirks. “Good.”

After chatting for a few more minutes, their food and drinks arrived and Levi was in awe of everything set before them. He took a sip of his tea and he sighs blissfully. “Like it?” Y/n asks and Levi nods. “It’s unlike any other black tea I’ve had. Let’s eat.” He says and she agrees. Levi took one bite of his food and he could swear he was in heaven. This was the best food he has ever had. “Levi! Try this.” Y/n places a bit of her rendang on her fork and places it by his lips and he happily take it. His smile doesn’t last long and he quickly takes a large gulp of his tea. “Y/n! What the hell? That’s spicy as hell! You’re trying to kill me?” He exaggerates as she giggles. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know it was that spicy.” He glares at her and she continues to laugh. “How can you even taste that?” Levi asks as he orders another tea. “If I’m being honest, it’s not spicy enough.” Levi’s eyes widen and his jaw opens slightly. Y/n laughs at his shocked state and places a satay stick in his mouth.

Finishing dinner, Levi and Y/n walk around town and then takes her to the park. It was a perfect night and the street lights made her dress sparkle beautifully. Levi looks at her as she looks up at the stars and think: Well. It’s now or never. “Y/n. There’s something I will like to tell you.” He says and she stops to hear him. “What is it?” She asks and he takes a deep breath. He steps towards her and takes his hands on hers and looks at her. “I, Uhm. Shit.” He starts to say and he could feel his cheeks turn red of embarrassment. She looks at him and smiles. “Looks like I’m making you blush now huh, Levi?” She playfully says and he scoffs. “You’re making me nervous, idiot.” Levi says softly and she cups his cheek to make him look at her. “There’s no reason to be. It’s just us. Take your time.” She whispers and his eyes widen at her sincerity. Go for it. “I like- no. I love you, Y/n. I really do. I have for a while now I just wanted to get to know you better and I want to be the person that you can rely on and be there for you so I just want to-..mmpf!” He gets cut off when her lips land on his. His eyes flutter close and they melt into the kiss with each other. Y/n pulls away and wraps her arms around his neck and pecks his cheek.

“You’re cute when you’re nervous Levi. But I love you too.”

~~~~

That was almost a year ago. Now, Levi and Y/n were in a happy relationship. Levi learned so much about her culture and she taught how to speak Indonesian. He was a bit rusty but he was improving quite well. Although Levi was happy with her, he wanted one more thing. He wakes up from the couch and walks to Y/n who was cooking in his kitchen and he wraps his arms around her waist, startling her.

“Oh! Sayangku* you scared me.” Y/n sweetly says as she reaches behind her and stroked Levi’s face. “Sorry.” He simply says and Y/n notices something wrong. She turns around and looks at him. “Are you okay? Do you have a fever?” She places her forehead against his and he smiles. He quickly pecks her nose and she gasps. “Cute.” He says and she pouts. “But yes. Something is wrong. And it has something to do with us.” He says seriously making Y/n gulp. “O-Oh. Okay. Let’s sit down first.”

She offers and they make their way to the table and Levi sat next to her. She didn’t show it, but Y/n was scared shitless. Did he want to break up? “I..” Levi begins snapping her out of her thinking, “I’ve been thinking about us. And taking the next step in our relationship.” Y/n’s breath hitches but Levi continues. “I love you, Y/n. And I want us to spend more time together.” He says and Y/n tilts her head. “But we do already. Like this.” She holds his hand and he places both of his on hers. “Yeah I know. But I want to..wake up next to you. I want to go to sleep next to you. I want us to be with each other more. So, will you move in with me?” Levi asks and Y/n’s eyes brighten. Move in? She was about to say yes but then her parents flashed through her mind. Y/n’s parents had taught her that only married couples should be living together and that it was immoral for her to move in with her boyfriend unless they’re married. She sighs and pulls her hands away from Levi’s making him panic.

“Levi, I really appreciate the offer. You have no idea how happy it would make me to move in with you. But it’s not really part of my culture. I don’t think it would be appropriate for us to move in with each other unless we were married.” She says the last quietly and looks down at her lap. Levi doesn’t say a word for a while. He just looks at her and thinks to himself. Y/n was too scared to look at him. He was probably so mad at her and that was the last thing she wanted to make him.

Suddenly, Levi’s chair scraps and his footsteps descend into his bedroom and shuts the door. Y/n was frozen. What was he going to do? Was this...the end of them? She shuts her eyes when she hears the bedroom door open, not wanting to see Levi’s face just yet. Her chair is moved and she yelps and she opens her eyes to see Levi kneeling in front of her. With a box in his hand.

“I was originally saving this for your birthday but I figured that this was the right time.” He says and she gasps when he opens the box. Levi looks at her and smiles. “Will you marry me, Sayangku?” He asks in Indonesian and Y/n eyes widen at how he asked. But she then nods. “Yes! Yes! I will!” She screams and leaps into him, making them fall to the floor. Levi laughs and puts the ring on her finger. Y/n looks at it and then Levi and he kisses her.

“Now please don’t call me Lǎofū.”

———————————————————————

“Please marry me Levi. I’ll do anything. I hope this was what you were looking for.”

𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔:

> Lǎofū: a Chinese honorific used to address older men.

> Sayangku(Indonesian): my dear.

[keanureevesisbae]

Coach Cavill - Chapter 7

Summary: Amelia is about to go on her first date with coach Cavill

Coach!Henry Cavill x Amelia Jung (Asian ofc)

Wordcount: 3.3k

Warnings: None

A/N: To celebrate the fact that I am done with school for a while, I thought I’d post (part one of) their date with you! I hope you like it 💕 please let me know if you want to be on the taglist!

Masterlist // Previous chapter // Next chapter

Within an hour I had to dress up to look splendid that Friday, because I didn’t want Dean to see how beautiful I was going to look. Maybe the stress dressing up under sixty minutes also had to do with the poor state of my planning today, but we are simply going to ignore that.

The entire week I have been looking forward to this. During the training yesterday, Henry kept stealing glances from me, after he made me a wonderful cup of cappuccino. It’s weird really, how head over heels I’m becoming, in just a matter of a little more than a week.

While everything Dean was exciting and somehow terrifying, since he was mysterious and a little hard to get, this instant connection I have with Henry feels so safe and familiar. I can’t stop thinking about him, to a point where Ricky, Annabelle and the rest of the little ones in my class kept asking me if I was doing okay. However, they figured out pretty soon I was a bit in love and now they continue to make kissy sounds during the day.

‘You look fucking hot,’ Eve says, as she brushes through my hair. ‘Lucky mister Henry Cavill.’

‘Is it too much?’ I ask, as I smooth down my tight dark blue dress, that Isabella insisted on me wearing and it’s a good fit: I mean, it accentuates the few curves I have. I look down at the matching high heels and sigh deeply. ‘It’s too much,’ I conclude.

‘No, honey, it’s not too much. You look beautiful and I know that Henry will think so too. Besides, he is already smitten with you, so I don’t think you have anything to worry about.’

I let out a sigh again. ‘It’s just that I’m nervous. How long has it been since I had my last first date?’

‘When you were nineteen,’ Eve answers my rhetorical question. ‘I know that, but that went well too and since Henry is an absolute angel, this date will go without a hitch, I can guarentee. And besides, you have done things much more terrifying than this. You went to South Korea, debuted in a girl group. A full one eighty in career choices when you got here, went on a date with the mysterious hottie Dean, somehow made that work. Plus, you were a total bad ass and gave birth to Isabella on your own, who was breeched.’

I roll my eyes. ‘I highly doubt you can compare giving birth to a first date.’

‘What I want to make clear to you, is that you are fierce and awesome and Henry knows that too.’ Eve and I both yelp when the doorbell rings. ‘Your future husband is here.’

‘Shut up,’ I say, as we walk down the stairs. She stuffs something in my clutch and hands it to me. ‘What on earth did you put in here?’ I hiss, as I grab my coat from the rack.

‘A condom.’

I halt all my movements. ‘You did what?’

‘Better to be safe than sorry.’

Before I can tell her off and that I’m really not going to have sex with Henry on the first date, she pushes me to the door and I quickly put on my coat, before I open the door.

I’m hit with the realization that I’m going on a date with the most beautiful man on this planet. He looks illegally handsome, with his nice suit jacket hanging open, that matches with his black pants. He is wearing a white blouse, nicely tucked into his pants and the tease has the two top buttons open and the sight of his chest (and the chest hair) is making my mouth dry.

‘Wow,’ he says with a beautiful smile, ‘you look beautiful, Amelia.’

This is going to kill me. How am I supposed to survive this entire night? ‘It’s not too much?’ I ask, just to be sure and first date jitters taking the upper hand.

He shakes his head. ‘This is exactly right.’

I turn to Eve, who is holding in a squeal. After being friends with her for so long, I know every facial expression. ‘Only call me if it is a matter of life or death,’ I tell her.

‘Have I ever called you when it was not important?’ I cock an eyebrow and she nods. ‘Right, I have done that before. I’m sorry. Won’t do it tonight, promise.’

‘Very good. Please, don’t wait up and don’t sit on the front porch with the twins, because I know you three want to do that.’

Eve slaps me on my ass, before I step out of the house and I sincerely hope that Henry hasn’t seen that. From the looks of it seems like he hasn’t seen that, but maybe he is just polite and doesn’t show me he has seen it. ‘Don’t look back,’ I tell Henry, as we walk towards his truck. ‘She’ll embarrass either one of us if we do so.’

Henry can’t help but laugh and he opens the door of his truck. ‘Do I have to give you a boost or can you manage?’

‘Oh shut up,’ I chuckle as I get in the car, after I took his hand. ‘Because I’m short, I have developed cat woman like skills. You should see me in the classroom, when I have to grab something from the top shelf.’

‘I’ll believe that right away.’ He closes the door and I wave to Eve, who nods approvingly and gestures something about how firm his butt looks. I mean, I can only agree to that, but once again, sure as hell hope he hasn’t seen any of that.

Henry gets in the truck and before he puts the key in the ignition, he looks to the side, meeting my eyes. ‘What?’ I ask him.

‘You look breathtaking,’ he whispers, almost as if he doesn’t want me to hear this compliment.

I’m at a loss for words. ‘Oh,’ I manage to choke out. ‘Thanks…’

He clears his throat. ‘I’m just a little nervous.’

‘What? Why? If someone should be nervous, it’s me. One, I’m going on a date with you and two, my last first date was sixteen years ago.’

He chuckles, but he sounds really nervous. ‘Well, mine might’ve not been that long ago… But I have never been on a date with someone like you.’

‘Do you mean that in a good way or…?’

Henry’s eyes widen. ‘In a good way, of course,’ he hastily says. ‘It’s more that you are way out of my league.’

What? ‘I think I was hallucinating. What?’

‘I mean, have you even seen yourself? You are admirable, in any way.’

Is this how it feels when your heart not only is figuratively melting, but also literally? ‘Oh.’

‘You are truly one of a kind, Amelia and I sure hope I meet up to what you deserve.’

Okay, I’m officially blanking. What are words?

Henry smiles and starts the car. ‘I hope you like the place I booked. I heard some pretty good things about it.’

✰ ✰ ✰

Leave it to Henry fucking Cavill to not only book a spot at my favorite restaurant here in town, but also to have a secluded spot that I didn’t know was here. We sit on the patio, a heater pointed at us to keep us warm, as we look over the lake. We are surrounded by romantic Christmas lights, as we sit next to each other on the soft couch. His arm is resting on the back, his thumb softly drawing circles on my shoulder.

He hands me a glass of wine and I can’t help but melt a bit against his frame. ‘You did amazing,’ I say. ‘I really like this spot. I never even knew it was here. How did you discover this?’

‘I might’ve had some help from Greg.’

‘Convenient store Greg?’ I ask. ‘You two becoming friends?’

‘Yeah, I’m there quite a lot. He sometimes watches Kal when I’m not home for too long of a time. Annabelle constantly tells him that she loves Kal, so that’s a plus.’

‘Annabelle is in my class,’ I say. ‘A true angel. A cheeky one, but she is such a delight to have in class.’

Henry smiles, taking a sip of his wine. We’re still waiting for our food to arrive, but the wine will do just fine for now. ‘It’s quite the one eighty, to go from a K-Pop idol to a kindergarten teacher.’

‘Oh, you have no idea,’ I chuckle. ‘It was so weird, to go from that hectic world, fans screaming your name, photoshoot here, there, dance practice and just never not busy, back to Luna Meadows, where every second seems to tick at least three times. I had to spend three months in the barn in the back of my parents yard, to simply talk with Eve and Johnny, getting used to this pace again. It was nice to be back here though, since this will always be my home.’

He nods. ‘So, you come back to Luna Meadows when you were eighteen, go back to college and…’

‘And I met Dean, when I was nineteen, was twenty one when I had Benji, somehow got my degree and after I graduated, I married Dean.’

‘Wow,’ he says. ‘That is top tier multitasking.’

‘That’s what I thought so,’ I chuckle, taking a sip of my wine. ‘It was really important for me to finish college, because, I wanted to be able to provide for myself and even after I graduated, I worked three days a week. I’m not equipped to be a full-time house wife. I tried that for two months and then I became mad.’

Henry laughs. ‘And now you work full-time.’

‘I do, indeed. It’s the only way I can continue to pay for the house. I don’t want to move away from Eve and her baby sit service.’

He nods in agreement. ‘You are very lucky to have friends that care so much and do so much for you.’

‘I sure am,’ I say with a smile. I take another sip, before I ask: ‘What about you? Why did you leave Jersey to move here?’

‘I was a judo coach there and worked in a cafe. However, some family stuff happened and I had to get out of there.’ Henry clears his throat and shakes his head. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘No, no, you don’t want to talk about it, I totally understand it. Just, tell me how you got into judo then.’ I turn a bit to the side and oh my, I can feel his strong body against mine, but weirdly enough it doesn’t make me nervous anymore.

‘Oh, that was something me and my grandpa had together. All of my brothers were into team sports, like lacrosse, football and rugby.’

My eyes widen. ‘You have brothers?’

‘Mhm, four,’ he says.

‘Your mom had five kids?’ I ask him.

He can’t stop his laugh. ‘She did.’

‘Mad respect,’ I say. ‘I don’t want to be too TMI, but I had to recover six years after I had Benji before I even thought about adding another one. Not the point, Amelia,’ I quickly realize letting out a soft chuckle. ‘Your brothers were into team sports.’

Henry nods, a smile evident on his lips. ‘My entire family was obsessed with everything team sport related, including us as a family. I liked to do things solo, just like my granddad and that’s how judo became our thing. My family supported me and judo, of course, but… I knew they didn’t really like the sport as much as my granddad and I liked it. When I was twenty, I was actually doing pretty well. Competing in national tournaments, even some international ones.’

I frown. ‘Why do I feel a however coming up?’ I ask him.

He snickers. ‘However, I broke my leg in three places when I was in the gym.’

‘Oh no,’ I say, as I shiver.

‘Yeah, it was pretty bad,’ he chuckles. ‘But judo was my life and I couldn’t just let it go, so I started to work as a trainer and coach, but I didn’t make enough money to provide for myself, so I also worked in a cafe.’

I nod. ‘And why did you choose Luna Meadows?’

He shrugs. ‘It just felt right. And that’s where I met the most amazing judoka I have ever seen. Benji is miles ahead of not only everyone here, but also to everyone I have ever encountered.’

‘Including you?’

‘Including me,’ he laughs. ‘He is amazing.’

‘That’s because he has some judo genes from his amazing mother,’ I chuckle, as I throw my hair over my shoulder. ‘I was quite something back in the days.’

He chuckles. ‘So, what does Isabella do?’

‘She is in a drama club. When she was younger, she would force Benji, Yara, Jake and Lola to be side characters in a play she made up, where she was the main character. She is overly dramatic and I figured that I would do the other kids a favor if I would put her in a drama club. Yara and she go every Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday after school with Eve.’

‘It must be amazing to have a friend this close living to you.’

‘It does,’ I say, as I stare at my wine. ‘Made the whole divorce thing a whole lot better to handle.’

‘I imagine. Divorce is never easy.’

‘Experience or…?’ I carefully ask.

‘I was married,’ he says, ‘but the second we said ‘I do’, it was already a lost cause, really. Actually, we never really fit together.’

I take a sip of my wine, but I place my other hand on his strong leg. Normally I wouldn’t be this forward, but it feels so warm and comfortable. ‘Is she part of the reason that you had to leave Jersey?’

He shakes his head. ‘No, we were married from my twenty fifth to my twenty seventh.’

Okay, he doesn’t want to continue to talk about it and for some reason I can’t stop the words from coming out of my mouth. ‘You know, I never thought I’d go on a date again.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because everyone in this town knows that I got divorced and everyone had an opinion about it,’ I whisper. ‘You know, I wasn’t exactly the most loved. A lot of them thought it was my fault that Dean started to see someone else. I wasn’t a good enough wife, who didn’t love her husband enough.’

When I look up, I see that Henry has clenched his jaw, before taking a sip of his wine. ‘That’s bullshit.’

‘I know,’ I say mostly out of disbelieve. ‘But good things happen to good people and now I met you.’

‘Moving to Luna Meadows was a good move on my behalf.’

Our pasta arrives and I sit up a bit straighter. ‘This looks delicious,’ I say, twirling around my fork, to twist the spaghetti around it. ‘Henry Cavill, you sure know how to swoop a woman off her feet.’

Henry smiles, taking a bite of his pasta. It’s different than mine, but it looks delicious. I can see him ogling my plate as well and I guess the grass is indeed greener on the other side. ‘Here,’ I say, with a fork full of pasta. I hold it above my other hand, so I won’t spill something on any of us. I now realize that it might be weird to feed a grown man on our first date, but I can’t go back now.

‘You’re a natural,’ he chuckles, before taking a bite. ‘Oh, yours is really good. Want a bite of mine?’

‘Sure,’ I say with a blush creeping up on my cheeks. He is a little clumsy, but somehow manages to bring the fork to my lips, without it spilling on my dress. With his thumb he wipes the corner of my mouth clean. ‘Am I tasting some cinnamon?’

‘That was what I was thinking,’ he says. ‘I would never put cinnamon in my pasta, but it is really tasty and it actually works.’

‘I once accidentally added honey to the chicken and somehow it turned out to be pretty okay.’

‘Yeah, Benji told me you weren’t a great cook.’

I hide my face in my hands. ‘I may have burned quite a few meals in my kitchen. One time, for Thanksgiving, I attempted to cook for Eve and Johnny, because they were having a bit of a rough time, with Lola being admitted into the hospital and all. However, I burned the entire meal, the kitchen was filled with smoke and I had a complete meltdown. Isabella called my parents and somehow my mom saved the day.’

Henry’s shoulder shake as he laughs. ‘That would be quite the sight.’

‘Oh, it was terrible. Can you imagine if I was a full time housewife? I think I’d have the fire department on speed dial.’

I want to add something to this (believe me, I have tons of stories of me nearly burning down my place), but my phone starts to ring and I quickly open my clutch to check the screen.

It’s Eve.

Part of me doesn’t want to take it, but I know that she took her promise serious. ‘I’m so sorry,’ I say.

‘Please, take it,’ Henry encourages me, when he sees me hesitating.

I pick up and say: ‘Eve, this better be very important.’ However I don’t hear her voice, but I hear Benji yelling in the background and that is something I barely understand. ‘What’s wrong? Is everything okay?’

‘I have no idea,’ Eve manages to say. ‘Isabella is just sitting in the corner of your living room, not speaking at all.’ That can’t be good. ‘Benji is on the edge of losing it, but I feel like he is too much in a rage to listen to any of us and Dean is outside, trying to let himself in, but we locked the door. I’m really sorry to interrupt your date, but I feel like both of your kids need you right now.’

My heart sinks. ‘Oh no,’ I mumble. ‘I’m coming back.’

‘I hate dad,’ I hear Benji yell in the background. ‘I fucking hate him.’

‘Benji, please stop it!’ Lola pleads.

‘This is not working, man,’ Jake adds.

‘Mom, Isabella is crying,’ Yara says.

I hang up, shaking my head. ‘I’m so sorry, Henry, I have to get back. Something is really wrong and according to Eve, Benji is really close to losing it completely and Isabella is not talking, Dean is outside of my house…’

‘I heard it,’ he says, already standing up, holding up my coat. ‘Let me get you home.’

[watchmegetobsessed]

I just have a lot of pressure on my chest and I just need to rent a little bit but you don’t have to share this…

I was always a chubby kid but I never really cared about it. And by chubby I dont mean like extra overweight I was just wearing clothes a size or two bigger than I was supposed to when I was 7-8 years old. When I turned 10-11, a lot of people where telling me that I lost a lot of weight. Which was true but I still wasn’t skinny I was just average weight for my height and age back then. Some people (the irrelevant ones) would still tell me that I needed to loose a little more weight. I then got my period when I was 11 and usually when girls get their periods, we gain a little bit of weight And I just kept gaining it. But I was gaining fat in my abdomen/tummy area the most. Like not gonna lie sometimes I look pregnant. Now here’s the thing, i was born in Canada and my parents are from Bangladesh, and if there’s one thing you need to know is that South Asians are VERY VERY VERY judgemental. Specially towards girls. So my mom has been body shaming me since I was 13 basically. (I’m 19 now) These are some of the things she says to me: “look how pretty she looks in that dress, you can never look that pretty the way that you’ve been gaining weight” “no guy is going to marry a fat girl like you” “look at your cousin, she’s beautiful she’s smart, gorgeous… don’t you wanna be pretty like her” “baby you HAVE TO loose weight or else there’s no way a guy is gonna fall in love with you” “people like to see slim fit girls not the one like you” “you’re intelligent, respectful but yore just not skinny enough that’s the only problem really everything else is fine” these are just a few of what I have to hear every single day. I don’t/never have eaten that much…I just don’t get hungry. It’s not that I’ve been skipping meals or anything like that but I just don’t get hungry. I’ve also been exercising a lot for about 2-3 years now and I’m still not getting the results that I want. So ik this whole post is a bit personal but y’all don’t know who I am so it’s cool 😆 but my periods are irregular so I have to take pills to have my periods every month and control my acne. Now I’ve been on the pill for about 4 years now and it was just a few days ago that I found out that I had PCOS. (Polycystic ovary syndrome) and one of the symptoms/side effects is that it’s harder to loose weight and also that you gain the more weight in the abdomen area. There isn’t really a cure you just have live with it. So all of this to just say that you shouldn’t judge someone’s body just because you think they’re fat. You never know what’s going on in their lives so you should just focus on your health instead of others. Idk if it’s long and not coney I just tried to put a lot of details some that might be unnecessary but this is my story.

Btw, my mom is still blaming me for being fat and having PCOS. She’s saying that I should try even more to loose weight now. How do I tell her that no matter how hard I try it might take the rest of my life to be able to loose weight?

Again I’m sorry that this is super long and not harry related.

oh hun, i felt everyword you wrote bc i went through a very similar experience growing up!! i was overweight almost my whole life too and literally the same way you wrote, mostly on my tummy. i was never bullied in school, not even one bad comment from my school mates but i got all the shit at home. my parents and my brother loved to call me nicknames that they found funny but they were extremely upsetting to me, like "fatty" or "big tummy" and stuff like that and they made me feel so bad and i couldn't speak up for myself, i was very shy in middle school and i didn't say a word just kept it all inside. they always commented on whenever i was eating and not even when i ate a lot but when i just literally had dinner or something, i felt uncomfortable eating with them present and i still avoid eating with my dad at 25... there was one comment that's still stuck with me, my mom was making this hungarian meetball thingies one time and i took one just to taste it and my dad commented on me eating again of course and i got mad so i said "yeah, maybe i should just stop eating at all" and he replied with "yes that could be asolution" and i still hear him say that to me to this day whenever i feel guilty for eating. 3 years ago i had a health situation too and i lost a lot of weight very fast and it's very likely that my condition affected my weight too and how i couldn't get rid of fat for a long time and i think seeing me go through that made them realize how badly they treated this topic all my life, they don't comment on my weight anymore but the ones they made in the past will def stay with me for the rest of my life.

i wish i could give you advise about how to deal with it, but im still figuring it out myself, it made me very hurt that i had to be hospitalized and lose weight in a very short time to make them realize that there could be so much more going on that they don't know about... i wish you strength and the only thing i can tell you is that you have the right to stand up for yourself and tell them how you feel and if they still choose to bully you, then no one will blame you if you choose to distance yourself from them. your mental health is just as important as your physical!!