#the same style of top they used later. as you can see i am still not functioning

[theinfinitedivides]

Not Ramaiya Vastavaiya is Jawan's equivalent of Jhoome Jo Pathaan with a hint of Besharam Rang!Spanish era and (i will swear by this) Tattad Tattad energy thrown in for good measure. i am trying to come up with coherent thoughts bc anything i could put on the internet rn will land me in horny jail but i am calling that sh*t out when i see it

[english-history-trip]

Ever see a depiction of St. George and the Dragon? It's pretty fair to say if you've seen one, you've seen them all: Georgie on a horse stabbing a flailing dragon creature, princess piously kneeling in the background, vague landscape alluding to the homeland of the artist's patron.

The most varied part is the dragons. No one had a real definition for the thing, it seemed. For your pleasure and entertainment, I have ranked some medieval depictions based on how impressive George's feat seems once you see the dragon.

Paolo Uccello, 1456

This is a terrifying beast. The hell is that. Uccello was one of the first experimenters with perspective, so the thing also looks surreal, like it's taking place on Mars, or a Windows 95 screensaver. I would not want to fight that, I would not want to be tied to that. (Sometimes the princess is tied to the dragon for some reason.) 10/10

Horse thoughts: Maybe if I look at the ground it will be gone when I look up

Unknown artist, c. 1505

This is a rare change of form for the dragon; it's the only one I've seen actually flying (or at least falling with style). It doesn't look particularly deterred by the spear through its throat, either. Also, George looks appropriately nervous. On the other hand, it hasn't got teeth, it seems to be fuzzy rather than having scaly armor, and George is bolstered by his army of Henry VII and his children, most of whom definitely didn't actually die in infancy. Still, wouldn't want to fight it, wouldn't want my pet sheep near it. (Sometimes the princess has a pet sheep for some reason.) 9/10

Horse thoughts: I am so glad I wore my mightiest feather helmet for this

Raphael, 1505

We are coming to Dragons With Problems. This guy looks about comparable in size to George, and does have wings, but doesn't seem to be using these things to his advantage (and has he only got one wing?) And how does he deal with the neck? He does have a comically small head, but holding it up with such a twisty neck seems complicated at best. But most egregiously, he is doing the shitty superheroine pose where he is somehow simultaneously showcasing his chest and his butt, with its unnecessarily defined butthole (more on this later) (regrettably). 8/10 bc it's Raphael

Horse thoughts: AM I THE BESTEST BOI? AM I DOING SUCH A GOOD JOB? WE R DRAGON SLAYING BUDDIEZ

The Beauchamp Hours, c. 1401

We had a spirited debate about this one at work. Again, the dragon has gotten smaller, and this one hasn't got even one wing. He's basically a crocodile. So the debate became: would you want to fight a crocodile if you had a horse and a pointy stick? Would the horse trample the animal, who can't get on its hind legs, or freak out and throw its rider? Would the pointy stick be enough to pierce the croc's thick hide? In this case, George seems to be controlling his horse and putting his pointy stick in the dragon's weak spot, so we can be impressed by his skill and strategy. However, his hat is dumb. 7/10

Horse thoughts: Dehhhh

Book of Hours, c. 1480

Here we have the same kind of croco-dragon, but George's focus on his strategy has gone out the window. He's flailing around, not even looking at his target, he's about to lose his pointy stick, he hasn't got a hand on the reins, and his sword seems to only be poking the invisible dragon over his shoulder. All he's got going for him is that his hat is slightly less dumb. 6/10

Horse thoughts: Yay, new friend! Come play with me, new fr- what is happening

Final dragons put behind this Read More for your safety:

Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1432

I'm thinking this guy is at least semi-aquatic. Webbed feet, wings that seem more like fins, bipedal but top-heavy, jaws that seem more for scooping than biting. Maybe she's crawled up here from the nearby body of water to lay her eggs, and this is all a big misunderstanding. Moreover, George's dagged sleeves seem entirely impractical for the situation. 5/10

Horse thoughts: i got my hed stuk in a jar and now it is this way forever

Unknown artist, c. 15th century

I hate this. I hate everything about it. Why has it got human eyes and teeth. Why is its nose melting. Why has it got a dick on its face and balls under its chin. The fin/wings are back but they look even more useless. Also, George is shifty as hell, schlumped over in his saddle with his bowler hat thing over his eyes. The baby dragon at the bottom eating some hapless would-be rescuer is kind of metal. 4/10 at least the thing is gonna die

Horse thoughts: I Have Smoked So Much Crack

Book of Hours, c. 1450

Remember what I said about the buttholes? First, sorry. Second, yeah, we're back to that. I'll admit this one is less about the danger from the dragon itself than the very specific choices the artist has made. They didn't need to do that. It's a lizard. They don't even have. And it's like they had an orifice budget and they skipped an exit wound for the spear to focus. Elsewhere. It's so detailed. And George had an even dumber hat. 2/10 take it away

Horse thoughts: I Have Smoked So Much Weed

Book of Hours, c. 1415

This is just bullying. There isn't even a princess. That is clearly an infant. Look at that smug look on George's face as he swings his sword that's bigger than the whole little guy. This is the equivalent of when DJT Jr. hunted those sleeping endangered sheep. 1/10

Horse thoughts: ....yikes

And this is the previous one, but now the baby dragon is cute. He's chubby. He's got toe beans. He's Puff the Magic Dragon. His eyes have already gone white, implying that George is just kicking its corpse around for funsies. What's the difference between the dragon and the lamb in the background? That the dragon is dead, like our innocence. This George is truly deserving of the dumbest hat of all. 0/10 plus one more butthole for the road

Horse thoughts: Perhaps it is we who are the buttholes.

[chaos-and-sparkles]

In Which I Ramble About Pavitr's Character Design and the Indian Cultural Stuff Related to It

DISCLAIMER: I'm an Indian, and these are all my thoughts and analyses, but I'm also just one person and by no means am I speaking for everyone. I am not all knowing, and I am not immune to being wrong sometimes. These points are all my own thoughts and stuff that I know through my lived cultural experiences and some history and book knowledge, but I've not particularly researched any of these. I'm just out here giving my take from what I know. This is mostly just going to be me rambling, okay? Okay. Let's go!

Anyway okay so I just wanna go from the top down:

No. 1:

First of all his hair

His fucking hair

This is one aspect that i k n o w I'm overthinking and probably wasn't as significantly thought out in the design but it just Spoke to me and by all accounts I'm not the only one

But I'm so glad we have him with his thick gorgeous fricking hair, especially them being like curly/wavy and slightly long instead of straight and cropped or whatever

Like. Indians usually have very thick and luscious hair, not everyone ofc but generally it's a thing, and it's considered a point of pride to have long dark thick hair.

And the thing is for the longest time the beauty standard in India was to have very straight and shiny hair, all the actresses and heroes were doing it, even though that's literally not the realistic case for a lot lot LOT of Indians. There's a pretty big variety of hair texture in India; some of it is regionally concentrated too, eg. in South India you get a lot of frizzy, tightly coiled hair that's rough textured, whereas curly hair is usually silkier and looser curled as you go Northwards,, Bengalis tend to have very wavy thick hair,, etc. By no means a rule or anything, it's just a thing that there's a lot of curl variety and a lot of it was for the longest time considered ugly and unkempt (there are some classist/regionalist elements to this stereotype also unsurprisingly) still is by some people,,, bc the standard was Shiny Straight Hair. It's a standard that's slowly shifting. It's currently leaning more on the wavy and voluminous side. But it's def a thing still.

All that to say, it makes me so so happy to see Pav with his curly-ish lush hair that he wears with such pride and style,, that are a symbol of his own pride and self care too!!!

Also the line about "coconut oil, prayers and good genetics" - I LOVE THAT REFERENCE AHAHABSSK, using coconut oil for the hair is a very common thing here, it's so so good for the hair and the scalp alike and it's relaxing to massage it in too.

I've seen people try to write Pavitr in fics as "quickly brushing some coconut oil through his hair" as part of his morning routine and. Um. That's not how it's done askaskjas, I don't mean to be rude to the writers at all, everyone does the best with what they know and no one knows everything, but also practically speaking that would be greasy and awful.

There are multiple ways to apply coconut oil, ofc. Coconut oil is often massaged into the scalp and rubbed into the hair like an hour before washing, sometimes with lemon juice mixed in, and then washed off when bathing. Some people, especially those with drier and finer hair, apply it as a regular after-hair-wash thing, too, but even so it needs to be rubbed in.

A really beloved thing we have is coconut oil champis, too! This is basically when you sit down cross legged in front of youe mother/grandmother, and she massages the coconut oil into your scalp and hair in a way that literally cures all tension and headaches and leaves your head reeling and is so so good for hair and stress and everything. It's a family bonding thing more than just a hair routine. It's not always done by the mom/grandmother ofc, it's just how most of us first experience it, and they have a technique that none of us can ever quite replicate to the same effect later. As we grow up, we often do it for ourselves and for others. It's a weekly or monthly or even just occasional thing depending on who you ask. But yeah that reference was great I love it dearly!

Also about the hair length

So in the current modern "civilized" standard (Indian schools and society in general tend to do a lot of shit trying to assimilate us into western culture and stamp out our own,, for example all my life I've been in schools where speaking Hindi and Telugu and stuff in class or in the hallways was Wrong and Forbidden and We Must Speak Only In English Bc We Are Educated And Cultured. This is so fucking hypocritical bc they would also have Hindi and Telugu classes and then criticize us for not getting it right or whatever), boys are meant to have short hair. Teachers literally single boys out in class for leaving their hair longer, not the exact length they set as the limit. This was my entire school experience; thankfully it doesn't seem to be the case in college, but that may just be bc I'm in an artsy college. In the workplace it's less stringent but it's still a thing.

HOWEVER, historically and culturally, long hair was considered good and even Important for both men and women. There's huge regional variations in this ofc; Maratha peshwas and higher classes and stuff for example wore a "pilaka" (idk what else it's called), which is the head shaven clean except a tuft in the middle that's sometimes braided. Brahmins still do it too.

But my point being, long hair was considered good for the most part, at most it would be worn in a bun for fighting and working,,, braids are a pretty big deal too. Having to cut your hair short=a symbol of dishonour and/or exile, or reserved for menial workers and so called "low classes".

(This is not stuff you even get explicitly told btw. This is stuff I've mostly inferred and studied from history and mythology and stuff , so there's no guarantee I'm 100% right)

Also, in Sikkhism (I'm not Sikh myself so correct me if I'm wrong, this is just what I know) having long hair is super fucking important for men. The hair is wrapped up in the turban, and the turban is a symbol of honour and pride and literally considered life. The long hair is considered sacred.

Removing the turban is basically a symbol of literally losing your honour pride and sense of self,, not just in Sikkhism, just generally at this point. Cutting your hair? Insult on injury.

Pavitr doesn't have particularly long hair ofc

But having grown up with such rigidly enforced things abt boys having very short cropped hair, it makes me so happy to see an Indian character who defies that.

Also!! Quick tangent about braids and their significance,, they're considered very beautiful and another symbol of pride, intricate buns and what not too! Just wanna drop this to give you an idea of what i mean:

In the Hindu myth of the Mahabharata, Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas (she's a very interesting and important and beloved character, regionally also considered a goddess, she was a princess born of fire married to five princes and the vengeance for her honour literally fuelled the war for righteousness etc etc) vows never to braid her hair again until she has washed it in the blood of Dushasana, a man who forcefully tried to disrobe her in court (it's a whole myth of its own). At the apex of the war, Bheem, her husband, brings her his blood. She washes her hair in it and then for the first time in thirteen years, she braids it.

Braids are not as significant now but it was basically a Pretty Big Deal and I just wanted to talk abt it.

In Hinduism too the gods are portrayed with long hair, it's a Thing.

No. 2:

Okay so moving more downwards,, I have a bunch of Thoughts abt Pavs mask design!

Okay so obv we have the spiderweb-pattern that's a given.

But. The interesting parts are these:

The bindi-like design on his forehead.

Bc my point is

Sure that looks like a bindi. And that's beautiful in itself but I HAVE ANOTHER TAKE

Bindis are traditionally worn by women as a symbol of beauty, prosperity, and again, pride. But while nice, that's not quite a symbolism that fits imo

You know what else is ver similar where my mind immediately goes? A tilak.

The shape is kind of off for a tilak actually, a tilak is more of a U or a V with a dot or a flame-like stroke in the middle. So in that case it looks more like a bindi

But i really like thinking that it's inspired by a tilak too, bc

While a bindi is a decorative mark stuck or painted on a woman's forehead as a symbol of beauty and prosperity

A tilak is basically a mark that's finger-painted on the forehead of , usually a man but there's a softer smaller version for women too and ofc there are women warriors who got tilaks, for auspicious and blessing reasons. So in a Puja or ceremony, a tilak is put as a blessing and an auspicious thing, also meant to impart strength. The head of the household usually gets the most striking or biggest one.

Pandits usually wear tilaks for blessing purposes too, although their design is different and more elaborate than the ones given to others

Gods and goddesses had their own tilaks, some of them very distinctive like Shiva's

The part that applies to Pav is the warrior tilak

Basically before a king or warrior went to battle, it was customary to do a small sending off ritual and for the wife or mother to put the tilak for them and say "Vijay bhava" (may you be victorious)

It's still done for big undertakings and challenges like exams and new jobs and stuff.

It's basically for strength, bravery and victory

The main difference in a bindi and tilak is the intent:

Bindi is for beauty

Tilak is for valour

Which. For a HERO. Just. Chef's kiss.

2. the markings around his eyes!!

I'm sure this has been said before, but it's very very reminiscent of kathakali makeup.

Regionally there's a lot of eye makeup stuff also btw. There are some absolutely beautiful tribal designs and regional designs with a lot of colours but I cant remember specifics rn

Also!! The very distinctive black lines around Pav's eyes?? I love them sm bc they feel so so based in kohl and kajal. Another huge beauty and often pride related thing.

There's even a whole thing where a mother or older sister will often rub a bit of her kohl off on her fingertip and press it behind their loved one's ear so that "buri nazar na lage" (no one's bad gaze catches you). It's called a kaala teeka

The idea being that you're so beautiful and/or cute and bright and lovable and nothing should jinx that and nothing bad should happen to you. It's very rare now and I've never experienced it myself but it's so so precious <33

3. the white markings on his cheeks!

I've seen that explanation of how it's reminiscent of Ganesha, the elephant headed god who is kind of a symbol of new beginnings, intelligence, prosperity, and a ton of stuff I don't even know how to explain honestly, but he's very cool and beloved and has a lot of Good Vibes™ and i love him basically.

I personally am reminded more of kathakali makeup again!! But that explanation is very cool too and i like it!! I don't know if I agree bc i think it m i g h t be a blasphemy to have that imagery on your face, afaik no one here does it for any reasons and we have literal festivals and pujas dedicated to Ganesha

But then again I am a human with limited knowledge and i don't know everything

I personally think the tusk like designs are very cool. However, I also think it would be a bit of a No No for religious reasons. I also think it reminds me more of classical dance face makeup and stuff.

I also think if they meant to make it a Ganesha reference, then he should only have a tusk on one side, bc there's a huge deal about Ganesha being "ekdanta" (transl: one toothed) bc he has a well known myth of breaking off one of his tusks to write a mythologically and culturally significant epic.

There are also a lot of actual cultural face painting things in India that are way cooler than the Ganesha thing in my opinion. So while that theory is cool, I don't personally agree with it. I could be wrong, again, idk what the design intent was exactly.

No. 3:

Next thing: this is a very very small thing and i only have a sentence on it, but i really appreciate Pav's neckline in his suit.

The neckline here? That's the kind of cut that's most typical of kurtas. Especially more ceremonial, kingly, wedding sherwani, or generally festive attire; a regular kurti might have a v-neck or something, but this curved collar? Very Indian and classy in a way I can't fully explain.

No. 4:

This next thing I'm going to go completely ballistic about, everyone hold on to your seats!!!

THE FUCKING MOTIF ON HIS UPPER ARMS. IT'S EVEN ON THE MEHENDI-ISH PATTERN ON HIS WRISTS AND HANDS. THE SPIDER SHAPE TOO. I AM NOT NORMAL OKAY

LISTEN.

LISTEN TO ME

TBIS IS CONFIRMATION THAT KRISHNA PAVITR IS CANON

HE IS SO SO KRISHNA CODED

Idc if I'm delusional, i DARE you to look at that blue design and tell me it doesn't look like a peacock feather

THE SHAPE OF HIS FUCKING SPIDER IS OH SO SUBTLY CURVED TO BE PEACOCK FEATHER SHAPED TOO

There is no human way for me to be normal about this i need a minute

Okay for context:

Krishna is a very important and beloved god in Hinduism. I cannot overstate the love I have for him, even being mostly non religious myself.

There is SO MUCH about him he is such a big deal and thanks to him being made a character in popular Indian cartoons and so many animated and live action movies being made about him, he is literally woven in the fabric of our collective consciousness and love for our culture

He's a mischevious and fun and chaotic and lowkey antiestablishment kid deity. He contains the literal universe. He has a deep abiding love for his people and his family and loved ones and the world he serves. He is a dancer, flute player, sweetheart, lover of life. He has a thousand wives, yet one Radha who he never married but is his literal immortalized soulmate. He guides heroes to duty. He is full of wisdom but also silly hijinks. He is so so beloved.

The peacock feather is his symbol! You could see the peacock feather anywhere and it's immediately OH KRISHNA! He wears a peacock feather, famously. In all his iterations, from childhood to adulthood. Peacock feather is his emblem.

Krishna is depicted through the peacock feather. It's become a very common motif in arts like mehendi and various textile arts to have peacock feather and peacock patterns; I'm sure that existed before Krishna too in several cultural circles but he is definitely a huge part of it since. There is a chikankari motif that is very recognisable that's reminiscent of peacock feather but I'm mostly unsourced on that, going off my own interpretation

But there's a definite link between peacock feather=Krishna=inextricable part of culture and art.

At least in North India. He's less of a big deal the further south you go. Still very widespread and overall loved tho.

So anyway seeing that peacock feather type motif on Pav?? Mixed with his Spiderman identity??? Is so amazing to me.

Krishna coded Pavitr real ✨

(Also yeah people have already pointed out that Pav's hand designs are based on mehendi so I don't need to go into that askjasjkas)

No. 5:

Also. Huge fan of his arm cuffs. It's just another Indian warrior thing; often in ye olde times and in mythology, the cuff would be a lot simpler, often just a thread with an amulet to grant you protection. But it steadily became fancier, and now it can be decorative or a valour thing or both

Very often just decorative now actually. Often seen in weddings and ceremonies too

No. 6:

Okay about his bangles now:

I absolutely LOVE THEM I love them so much I am so obsessed with them actually!!

So. First of all

I remember there being a confusion in like earlier fics especially on whether they were bracelets or damrus or bangles or what

And i have Thoughts

So first of all

They are not damrus/damarus.

Damarus are a musical instrument made of wood and with two beaded ropes to beat on the small drum-like ends. They're also symbols of lord Shiva who uses a damaru.

They are very different from what Pav wears and i remember my fucking whiplash when earlier fics called his bangles damarus. I think i choked on my maggi.

I don't mean to be rude to the writers ofc, they were doing the best with what they knew. But it's just very jarring to me to hear that

I think an explanation I heard was that Pav's web shooter design was inspired by damarus? Which yeah I get that and I actually wanna talk about it bc I very much see it. But they are very much NOT damarus themselves

So

First of all i personally have never seen nor heard of the kind of bangles Pav wears which appear to have a strip of cloth in the middle? While being gold cuffs on both ends? Which is new and interesting actually and opens up aspects abt his character that i find really interesting

Bc first of all: that implies he made them himself from stuff he already had inspired by things he saw. It seems, at least to me, like he used bangles/kadas he had to make the shooters he uses, which are designed the way they are for easier slinging and his cool tricks with them which would be harder if they were solid gold, and also the shape when he does the cool yoyo-y trick and hits The Spot with it and everything is very damaru shape. Which is also pretty cool if it's meant as a reference to Shiva and his damaru (he's a very fierce god with the damaru) or a reference to the street performers who use it nowadays.

Either way - and also additionally the fact that PAV LITERALLY DOUBLED HIS BANGLES AS WEB SHOOTERS WHICH IS SO CREATIVE AND SMART - and developed his own whole signature skillset with it?? And made his own bangle/shooters as I said before????

My boy is PEAK jugaadu

He is the embodiment of jugaad

Never has anything been so true to the Indian spirit than jugaad

Okay so for context, the jugaad that I keep talking about:

It basically means makeshifting and/or inventing stuff you need from the limited stuff you have. That's a very simple way of explaining it. Just imagine that, but up the silliness level x100.

For example, a guy jugaaded a showerhead by poking holes in a sprite bottle and putting a hose in it and routing it to the tap.

Jugaad can be both very smart, and very funny and silly

And it usually involves combining useless stuff/trash/just stuff you had lying around to make smth that you didn't wanna waste money buying, and often ends up having more functions than the stuff it was meant to replace. This but it's also very crackheaded. Like idk how to explain. It's basically makeshifting, but it's just developed into such an Indian Spirit Thing™ that we have a word for it

So i love that Pavitr's bangles do all of that. He is a true Indian boy to his core!

No. 7:

Okay I have thoughts on his dhoti too!

So.

Blue.

I know why they used blue for his dhoti, what with the spiderman colours, the need to complement his bright red with smth softer, and everything. I get it and i love it so so much. What I'm about to say next is not a complaint against this at all, it's very good design imo

But.

Everytime I look at him in his fucking blue dhoti

I just remember all the times my grandmother has apprehended me and made me go and change for trying to wear blue or black at a Puja

Bc they're apparently unholy colours ;_;

Basically yellow, saffron, red are the appropriate holy colours. Now that i think about it, I've never seen a god or mythological king depicted in a blue dhoti or generally blue clothing either - farthest they go from the three i described is pink or green

I never really thought about it until my Nani pointed it out. I'm still not sure if anyone except her even knew or cared about it.

But that is the memory that bonks me on the head every time i Perceive the blue dhoti

Bro upgraded from funeral colour (white, which is his dhoti in the comics and absolutely infuriates me on a visceral level) to unholy colour askaskjjska it's so funny to me

Purple was still a luxurious colour, but generally warmer and/or lighter colours are The Done Thing. It's an old notion and the cultural connotations are now very diluted by Western influence and also none of us Caring about a lot of it anymore (not necessarily a good or bad thing particularly)

Indigo also has. Loaded connotations.

Because Britain did a Colonialism and a lot of Indians suffered for it. It's a whole history lesson.

I would rather not get into the whole details but basically Indigo (the plant from which the dye was made) was a valuable commodity and Britishers essentially forced farmers to grow only that, ignoring their need to grow food or sustenance or care for the land in general, especially in the Bihar-UP regions. There were eventually a lot of revolts where many people, esp farmers, died.

Basically a double whammy of starvation and death as a direct result of colonialism. It was a major part, historically, that sparked rage for the freedom movement

If you wanna learn more abt it you can search up Champaran farmer revolts!

Also about the drape of Pav's dhoti:

I've seen a couple of memes and reels abt how Pav, in an emergency, suiting up for Spiderman duty, would be taking an hour to drape the dhoti and stuff

And those are hilarious and i love them

But also

That's literally not even a proper dhoti -

So the thing pav wears is basically more of dhoti-pants with a cummerbund.

So okay I need to explain this better hold on

A dhoti is basically a sheet of fabric that is draped around the waist and down. The elaborateness of the cloth can vary vastly from intricately patterned silk and brocade, to plain white cotton with a thin gold border optional

The drape of the dhoti varies even more depending on region, occasion, occupation, and status. You can have everything from the casual simple towel like drape and tuck that some men wear to relax on a daily basis, to an intricate thing with many folds and pleats and tucks and the middle part that hangs (I forget the name for that) that would actually legitimately take hours and is often adorned with jewellery . To a thing that's flexible to move in and also looks very pretty and is genderneutral some dance forms call for.

Basically. The drape varies vastly. And it's all one cloth, maybe a second one for a separate cummerbund sometimes, I'm not that well versed abt dhotis tbh.

But the thing Pav wears?? It doesn't seem to me to be folded the way I've ever seen any dhoti

The way it's folded and shaped is not how those style of dhotis work. There would be a lot more pleats and folds, for one. But it's not shaped the way to match the less-folded dhotis either.

Now, I'm no dhoti expert, but that leads me to believe that's not a full on dhoti. What it's more likely to be is dhoti-pants

Dhoti pants are this fusion thing. It's in the name. I haven't seen it much but I know/think/am pretty sure its a thing, bc most Indian guys now don't know how to drape a dhoti either and it's a good solution. Worn like a pant, looks like a dhoti. Simple. A cummerbund for the middle drape, and you're set!

Also side note: the fold with the distinct two legs and the middle drape that Pav has? Is the most commonly depicted warrior and king drape,, at least in North and Middle India, I'm not as well versed about the South but I think it's the case there too. The gods are depicted in that drape too

I have fewer comments on his leg design, I like that it's reminiscent of mehendi even on his feet bc yeah that's also done on the feet, although rarer now and also a bridal thing

No. 7:

He has gold cuffs on his ankles that I really like!

Okay so here's the interesting thing:

I could be wrong, but

But that kind of thick ankle cuff is not actually an Indian thing?? At least not in the warrior hero context that a lot of his design seems based on. At least not of that shape and width.

What we do have though are very simple metal ankle cuffs put on (I think) one ankle of young kids for protection,, again a tradition I'm not very familiar with, it's more localised

The other thing we have that's more interesting tho:

We have payals and ghungroos!!! Which opens up so many exciting prospects to me because those are both dancer things

Like. The payals are ornamental. They are beauty things as well. All women would wear them, their elaborateness and style depending on status, money, and region ofc

They double as dance and performance things too ofc

But ghungroos are specifically dance things

Very very sacred and honoured to the dancers, too. Quite personal

(These are all little bells on the ghungroos btw!! Hundreds of them. They ring out when the dancers dance)

This is what Pav's ankle cuffs most remind me of. It's not the same thing ofc, and idk if the designers were even thinking of this.

But it would be really cool if he was inspired by ghungroos to have cuffs of similar thickness and placement on his legs. Perhaps even familiar to him hmmm?

This is me theorizing HARD to support my headcanon, but combined with Pav's classical dance-n-martial-arts-y moves, i present to you: Pav learning classical dance when he was younger (a thing that a lot of Indian kids do and only a few seriously continue for their lives) is real.

I rest my case

Like yeah it's known at this point that Pav's moves are based a lot off the martial art of kalaripayattu. Which is SO AMAZING AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!! But I also think this would be a cool influence alongside that, bc it really feels visible too.

No. 8:

The fact that Pavitr is barefoot is so so important and dear to me!!!

In Indian culture, you're supposed to take your shoes off as a mark of respect, before entering the ranabhoomi (literal transl: battleground, but not in an actual war with swords and shit ofc)

Being barefoot for pujas and in temples and on sacred ground in general is very important

As is being barefoot when you're walking onto a kabaddi or wrestling ground,, basically any fight that's supposed to be important and/or with honour. It's a respect thing for the opponent and for the earth you fight on.

There are a lot of contexts where being barefoot is important or a given

There's the prayer ground bc it's sacred and holy and you can't be dragging your dirty ass shoes there it's super disrespectful. You gotta enter with clean feet specifically, dirty feet are considered disrespectful too. that's also why there wil often be feet washing areas outside of temples here

Then there's the ranabhoomi that I just said, which is more of respect for your opponent and the earth. Respect to the earth especially is very important in the combat forms and sports I know of at least

Then there's the basic respect and tbh the hygiene thing too, of always taking off your footwear before entering another persons house. That one is more flexible, sometimes you can take it off inside, but the done thing is to take them off outside generally. Especially if you're a guest who's not particularly close. You'd be considered really rude if you didn't take them off at all. But again that still varies by person,, the older generations are way stricter abt it

Then the bride thing,,, it's actually a whole small ritual. The bride and groom will enter the groom's house for the first time,, which is considered the bride's new home bc misogynistic tradition so yeah. But basically it's supposed to be an auspicious beginning to a new home and life. (Btw being barefoot during the wedding ceremony is also generally required)

Usually, at least in North Indian tradition, a small vessel of rice is kept at the threshold that the bride must tip over with her foot when entering. It's for prosperity. Then she steps directly into a plate of a red liquid I forget the word for, but it's basically a sindoor paste type of thing. Her first steps into the house must be taken leaving those red footprints behind. That's for auspicious beginning

So Pavitr being barefoot is so so cool from a cultural and a character building standpoint

He takes his job seriously, he does it with respect and honour!!! He seems so chill and happy go lucky, but he's deliberate and respectful abt it!! And he's super connected to his culture too, bc you could just Not and no one would care, but it's so important that he does!!

So yeah!

That has been my full ramble askjasjkas. If you made it this far, have a cookie! Thank you and I hope this was interesting <33

[sparklingsin]

— keep taking my breath away | steve harrington

+ steve harrington x reader

summary: steve is known for his confidence and charisma, but it doesn't take much from you to turn your boyfriend into an awkward fumbling mess. full request here.

tags: post season 4 (we assume we had a happy ending) no spoilers, suggestive themes, fluff, flirting, steve being a himbo

note: my first steve fic, sorry if this is a little rough but i am writing a oneshot after so long. thank you for reading, feedback is appreciated!

Steve’s trying to pay attention, he really is, but the lady standing before him is droning on and on about the plot of a movie that sounds shittier than 'Teen Wolf' and he can’t help but wish he’d rather be anywhere but here.

“I have no idea what this movie is, ma’am,” he says, for the umpteenth time, trying not to lose his cool in front of a customer. 

“How is it that you’re an employee of the films and you have no idea which one this is?” She questions, scrunching her forehead in a way that ages her thirty years.

Steve sighs, trying his hardest to bite back the words that are on the tip of his tongue but then suddenly, Robin’s there — slinging an arm around his shoulder and turning to face the brat in an old lady costume.

“What can I help you with, ma'am?” she asks and Steve groans, turning away from the scene, because the lady has decided to resume her story from the very beginning. He simply cannot listen to that again.

Robin finds him half an hour later, arranging a stack of tapes that had been toppled over by a kid and the look of pure exhaustion on her face makes him snicker. Robin, clearly not amused, gives him the finger and blows a raspberry at him.

“What even was the movie?” he asks, still smirking, as Robin bends down to start sorting the titles at the bottom of the rack.

“Return of the Jedi,” she says and Steve frowns.

“Huh. Didn't seem like she was talking about jedis at all. Guess I wasn’t listening,” he says, placing the horror titles on the top shelf — The Serpent — huh, he’d have to check that out later.

“Of course, you only have ears if they’re hot babes,” Robin teases and Steve throws her an unamused look.

“Need I remind you — I am very much taken,” he says, standing up on his tip toes to place the rest of the tapes higher up on the shelf.

“Riiiiight,” Robin says, using Steve’s leg to hoist herself up and Steve makes a big show of shaking her off his leg. “Y/N L/N liking you is a major mystery I’m trying to solve.”

Steve stares at her in mock dismay.

"I’ll solve it for ya. It’s all thanks to my irresistable charm," Steve replies, walking backwards towards the counter and Robin scrunches her nose in distaste. He punctuates the sentence by pushing the door to the counter open with his hip and flourishing his hands.

"I’m pretty sure you're holding her hostage. Vecna style," Robin muses and Steve throws a cardboard flyer at her without looking, staring intently at the computer that’s spewing some random text on the screen. Not again.

A dull thud followed by a squeaky yelp lets him know that he hit the mark.

Just then, he hears the chime of the bell placed on the door of the video store and he looks up to see you, his girlfriend — the love of my life, he thinks — walk in, looking as resplendent as ever, dressed in his favorite color. The shade brings out the most unique features of your face and he falls in love all over again — in that very second.

"Hi," you say, coyly, as you lean against the counter, lips splitting into a smile that's more beautiful than the stars he has counted lying awake, dreaming about you.

He has to resist the urge to jump over the counter and smother you in a hug.

“Hi,” he says softly, the smirk in his eyes playfully mirroring yours. “How can I help someone as beautiful as you, today?”

The slightlest quiver of your eyebrow doesn’t go unnoticed by him, but you meet his eyes with the same, unwavering smile. “I wanted to return this,” you say, extracting a VHS tape from the bag on your arm and placing it on top of the counter.

It is a slightly battered copy of ‘The Spy who Loved Me’. Steve recognises it from the time he watched it with you, a couple of nights ago. Well, less watched, and more — used it as background noise for other activities.

Steve tries to take the copy from underneath your fingers, but not before his arm grazes your knuckles. Your hands are warm, just like your pretty smile and he finds himself getting lost in the crinkles around your eyes.

“Er - How’d ya like it?” he asks, shaking himself out of his trance and playing into whatever it is that you two now have going on. 

“It was alright, I was looking for something…,” you stare at him a second too long and then behind him, before looking back at him again, “— adult.”

Robin coughs right then beside him and he only then realises she’d been standing there the whole time. Steve quirks an incredulous eyebrow at her; and Robin pretends to cock a gun and shoot at her head with it, rolling her eyes. He makes an annoyed face at her that he hopes conveys the emotion somewhere between — "please go away" and "don't judge us”, before turning his attention back to you, and you’re tonguing your cheek as if trying to hold back laughter.

It brings back the smile on his face.

“S’sorry about that, where were we?” he asks, leaning back on the counter once more, so that his face is now a mere inches from yours.

Holy Hell, you always smell like a meadow and it drives him crazy.

“I said,” you drawl, running the tip of your nail across the line in his palm, not quite looking at him, “I was looking for something more adult.” 

You tilt your face ever so slightly and only then do your words register.

Oh.

“Wh- w- We’re a family video store actually s— ,” what the hell, Harrington—  he bites his own tongue before he can complete the sentence.

He really hadn’t expected you to say that, to corner him like this at work, while he was trying to make four bucks and it is the only reason he was caught off-guard. Not the fact that you were also just ever so gently chewing at your lower lip.

“So, you can’t help me?” you ask, feigning a pout, and that just about makes him lose his mind.

“I never said that, sweetheart,” he says, letting his voice drop and roll over you just the way you like it, shaking off whatever magic you were working on him.

“Is that what you call all of the babes that come here?” you ask, running a finger over his knuckles. You’ve now moved onto sketching something across his hands and he really really wats to kiss you.

“‘Course not,” he replies, twisting his hand to smoothly take yours into his and the manueveur takes a little of the air out of you. Point Steve. 

“It’s only for you. Cause you’re different,” he says, softly, caressing your hand with his thumb. “You’re special.”

“Just how am I special?” you ask, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. 

There’s a slight purr in your voice that’s got him tingling in all the right places and he can’t help but blush when you trail a finger up his arm. Your nails scratch at his skin followed by the tips that soothe it and he lets out an involuntary sigh.

“Because you’re my girl,” he says, simply. 

And it’s the truth. He thinks— knows —you’re the only one for him, the only one that is capable of making his heart beat in all sorts of crazy ways.

He leans over further then, so that his lips are grazing the shell of your ears, “If I could, I’d show you just how special you are.”

To his surprise, when he leans back, you’re still smiling. Okay, he’d expected you to be a little shocked, but the grin on your face tells him he’s not prepared for whatever you’re about to say.

“Why don’t you then, baby boy?” you ask and everything inside him melts. He wasn’t prepared.

You’re always calling him something. It’s Stevie when you’re in a mood to get pampered, Harrington if you want him to know he pissed you off, Babe everywhere else and Love, when it’s just the two of you in the quiet company of each other.

But- baby boy. It’s different, it’s new and Steve can’t figure out why it has him gasping for air.

“I - er - um,” he stutters, as you lean across the counter, casting your eyes down at his lips slowly, purposely. He watches your eyelashes gently brush the top of your cheeks before you look up at him again, a twinkle in your eyes that he recognises from more private times.

It has his heart thudding against his chest.

Something shifts in your eyes as he struggles to find words, to say something, but he merely gulps instead. The air feels too hot suddenly.

He watches, still speechless, as you throw a cautious glance around you, and then you’re leaning over the counter to grab him by his collar. The next thing he knows — your lips are on his, and god, he could never get tired of kissing those soft, plush lips.

“Jeez, baby,” he groans when you pull away - only a couple of seconds later - “This is a professional work environment, someone could see!”

You fold your arms across your chest then, still leaning over the counter and quirk an eyebrow at him. You lipstick is slightly smudged, hair a little messy but you look hot and — what is he doing behind this damn counter.

“So you don’t want to meet me in the backroom for a quickie before I go?” you ask innocently, lowering your voice so only he can hear you.

Steve doesn’t even have time to pick his jaw from the floor before you’re turning around and pushing the door to the store open. You’re almost out of the door, just as the gears in Steve’s head finally start turning.

"Baby, I didn’t say that!” he yells, leaping over the counter and almost tripping after you.

He reaches you just in time, pulling your arm so that you turn and come face to face with him, his chest bumping against your own.

“I didn’t say that,” he repeats, letting his hands drift to your waist, pulling you closer.

You purse your lips, thinking. Your mock annoyance is hard to take seriously, but he plays along.

“Where is your boss, Harrington?”

“Him too? I was thinking it could be just the two of us—” he begins and you’re already laughing, slapping his arm playfully before burying your face in his chest.

“I missed you,” he whispers after a moment, hugging you back, inhaling whatever it is that makes you smell like heaven on earth.

“I missed you too,” you mumble into his chest, words coming out muffled. It's so easy for the two of you to be together like this, he doesn't even care if his boss might actually see.

You stand there for a bit, encased in each others arms before Steve pulls back.

“But seriously,” he says, “should we go to the backroom?”

“Steve!"

please read: i am not going to be taking tagging requests but i am setting up a fic library where i will only reblog my original work. so you can follow it and turn on post notifications to be notified whenever i post a new fic.

[ch4osworld]

THE PASSENGER

Chapter 3

Words:889 @cherry-4200 @adaizel

Ok so you guys before you read this i must tell you that it actually sucks ass. I didn't have time to plan anything for the fic this week as it was literally full of things to do and to not let you all without an update for too long i did this monstrosity. I did it in like some minutes and it was a last minute thingy but i promise that the plot of this fic is good i just can't write happy things in my "poetic" style for the death of me so i had to improvise. Again i am deeply sorry for whatever this is.

A few years have passed since Lilith's disappearance and Lucifer depression was really getting to him, but you always managed to help him through it. After she was gone you stopped travelling around hell and started living with him and Charlie. You loved navigating through the inferno, as much as it was grotesque, but Luci was your top priority. It seemed like he was getting, happier, in a sense. You didn't have to help him as much as you did in the past. It seems your sweet reassurances were useful for once. His joyous demeanor was slowly creeping through the cracks filled with suffering. Charlie was a fully grown woman by now, you were so proud of her, of what she has become. She recently started some sort or project, a hotel to redeem sinners. Her dad wasn't really...fond of her dream, but you supported her as much as you could. Her and Lucifer lost a lot of their relationship. They were....distant, she did love him, as much as he did love her, but it saddened you to see them grow apart. After Lilith's disappearance you started to care for Charlie as if she was your daughter, she was so young when she lost her mom, she needed someone to care for her like only a mother could, and you decided to fill that role. After a while she got accustomed to you, she grew to love you, to see you as family, even when the thought of Lilith still lingered inside her. She was such a sweet girl, you were sure she could do it.

As for Lucifer, your feelings for him never went away, they only grew the more you were togheter, and it was the same for him too. He loved you oh so dearly. He desperatly wanted to make a move, but he was afraid, deathly afraid of it. Lilith was still in his heart, y/n helped him a lot to move on, but he still wasn't ready. You decided to plan something for you and Luci to distract him and help him get better. And what's more relaxing then swimming? You searched for him among the intricate corridors of the castle, founding him in his room, making another rubber duck: "Oh Luciiiii~" you exclaimed, catching his attention, slowly moving your way towards him "Oh! G-good morning, do you need something? I am quite busy right now as you can see...uh...you can stay here with me and help me! If you want..." He replied. He was starting to get more nervous around you and you felt guilty about it, you thought that maybe you did something wrong. If that's the case then the pool day might be able to help him forgive you you hoped "Uh, are you almost done with that? I planned something for us today but we could do it later if you're busy" "NONONONO! I-I am happy to do anything if it's with you–uh I mean don't worry, we can do it now!" He spluttered, as he looked away from you to hide his growing embarassment "Ok so uhm, I've noticed you are recently getting more stressed, soooo you know the pool you have but that you basically never use? What about having a relaxing pool day with nonother than me?" Lucifer contemplated the idea, but of course he accepted. How could he not when you were so excited to spend the whole day with him? "YES–uh of course I accept" "PERFECT. I'll wait you in there while you get ready byeee!" You exclaimed, as you burst out of the door, a sigh coming out of his lips. You were hopeless, but he loved you for it, plus it was an excuse for him to see you in a bikini. He got ready for the pool and made his way there, you were already waiting for him in the cool water and oh my god was he a sight to see. You had to physically  restrain yourself from watering down your mouth, the same was to be said for him though "Ehy, sorry if I didn't wait for you, it was just so fucking tempting" you said looking up at him "It's fine, i guess you'll just have to WATCH OUT!" He exclaimed diving into the water "OH COME ON LUCIFER FUCK YOU I WASHED MY HAIR YESTERDAY" you shouted at him, him exploding in a fist of laugher "that's what you get for not waiting for me". You sighed, he was hopeless, you were truly infatuated with him weren't you? "You owe me something for this mister" you told him, crossing your arms "yeah yeah sure" he replied giggling. Oh god you were such a sight in that, it was hard not to kiss you right then and there. "Uh do you hear that too?" He said all of a sudden "hear what?" "My phone's ringing, wait a sec" he replied, teleporting his phone there. He started at it for a second before screaming "OH FUCK IT'S MY DAUGHTER WHAT THE HELL DO I DO!" "Luci, calm down. Breath in and out it's going to be fine, now be a good dad and respond" "Yes yes you're right" he cleared his throat while finally responding to the call "Ehy bitch!" Ok maybe he was more hopeless than you thought.

[tartanbowtie]

Good Omens Heaven Is a Cult

In Good Omens, Heaven is a cult. A religious cult.

And Aziraphale and Crowley are not on the same page about this.

Crowley was cast out of the cult for (presumably) openly questioning it, and sees it for what it is. He is still deeply traumatised by the experience (we see it with his houseplants, his reactions to rejection, to forgiveness, etc), but he has shed his identity as a cult member entirely. He isn't that angel anymore, nor does he want to be. 

He has been forced to depend on another cult—Hell (which has some elements of a commercial cult, multi-level marketing style)—but very clearly resents having to do so. He isn't a demon by choice, and when Beelzebub offers a deal to welcome the former demon back, he tells them just where they can stick it. 

Aziraphale, on the other hand, is uncomfortable with Heaven, aware that it isn't nearly as good as it's supposed to be. He has distanced himself from it, but he hasn't left it, and he still can't admit to himself that it is a cult. He rationalises and makes excuses and uses mental compartmentalisation to deal with the massive cognitive dissonance. While he enjoys the relative freedom he's had after Heaven partly disowns him after Armageddidn't, he is still, deep down, in its clutches. He believes that underneath all the atrocities, Heaven is still "the good guys", and craves being welcomed back, because he still identifies as a cult member an angel.  And he carries his own religious trauma.

This is why he fundamentally can't understand that it is unthinkable for Crowley to return to the cult Heaven, to give up his independence, his identity, and become an obedient cult member angel again. He still thinks that Crowley, deep down, craves to be accepted by the cult again. And he really doesn't understand how hurtful his continued insistence on this is to Crowley. 

Crowley understands all that. He sees it, and he knows that you can't argue with a cult member to make them see that the cult is a cult, that it's toxic. It's something they have to discover for themselves. He knows that trying to force Aziraphale to see is most likely just going alienate him and drive him back into the arms of the cult (although he's so desperate in the final fifteen that he does just that).

He's been trying for 6,000 years to nudge Aziraphale into a position where he can make that discovery and admission, patiently offering the tools Aziraphale needs to get there.

And it seemed he was getting somewhere. Especially after Armageddidn't.

But then the Metatron showed up, expertly using cultish mind-control techniques to reel Aziraphale back into the cult.

Others have described the Metatron's manipulation tactics in great detail (here's a great YT analysis), so I'll just give a few examples here:

"I am your new best friend"; love bombing; threats, over-the-top promises

denigration of the past self; emotional unfreezing; heightened emotion

And finally, information compartmentalization; not letting you see the big picture until you are "ready" to accept it, or it's too late for you to back out (this is where I think the Metatron makes his fatal mistake, but more on that later)

The Metatron skillfully plays on Aziraphale's millennia-long cultish conditioning to sacrifice his own wants and needs for the cult's Greater Good, his inferiority complex, and his genuine desire to protect and make right (he is a guardian angel, after all).

Paradoxically, Aziraphale’s love for Crowley makes him more susceptible to the Metatron's manipulation: He wants to keep Crowley safe, from Heaven (the Metatron's implicit threat), and from Hell's retribution (a danger that was always there, but which has become more tangible after Shax' threats). And as Supreme Archangel, he really believes he would be able to protect Crowley—if they're together in Heaven.

The Metatron's (insincere) offer to restore Crowley as an angel preys on Aziraphale's own guilt at (he believes) having caused Crowley to Fall. He sees a chance to make amends and right a wrong, to restore to Crowley what should never have been taken from him: his rightful place in the cult Heaven. Because as I said, he doesn't understand.

But Crowley doesn't know that this is what's going through Aziraphale's mind. Or, his capacity to understand is effectively short-circuited when Crowley’s own religious trauma makes him think Aziraphale is saying he isn't good enough for Aziraphale the way he is.

Nothing to see here, just an ex-cult member a fallen angel reenacting his religious trauma

Unpacking all the miscommunication going on in the ineffable divorce scene needs its own post or ten, or a hundred. But for the record, I don't believe in the coffee theory, the time-manipulation theory, or the body-swap theory. Or any of the other theories that make this anything other than the heartbreak of two people deeply in love, hurting each other because of a complete breakdown of communication caused by unresolved trauma.

So Crowley drives away, gutted by the experience of laying his heart bare for Aziraphale only to be rejected, and of seeing his life companion choosing the cult over him, of going to the one place he cannot follow. I'm worried for Crowley. Yes, he is, at heart, an optimist. But how will our hero cope?

And Aziraphale is devastated, too, at having his outstretched hand slapped away, at having his own oblique declaration of love denied, at Crowley running away from them, from responsibility, again.

But still, this is where I am hopeful. Because Crowley's patient nudging hasn't been in vain. Aziraphale has already stopped the end of the world once, and he was the one who convinced Crowley to continue fighting long after Crowley would have given up (guardian angel, right?). 

I know, I know. Aziraphale didn't listen when Crowley told him "When Heaven ends life here on Earth, it'll be just as dead as if Hell ended it." But that's because he didn't know, then, what Crowley knew: that this was what Heaven was already planning at that very moment, and that the reason Heaven went after Gabriel was that he tried to stop it (Aziraphale probably still thinks it was for loving a demon, which further colours his thinking). Crowley never had the time to tell him. The Metatron saw to that. It's always too late. 

Or is it?

The Metatron has just told Aziraphale about the Second Coming, sure in his belief that he is "ready" to accept it. But Aziraphale isn't ready. He is appalled, shaken to his core. I think this is the moment the scales fall from his eyes, and he finally allows himself to see that Heaven is a cult. A destructive religious cult. And now, everything clicks into place for him. At last, Crowley's words and actions make sense. And our determined guardian angel starts making his plans.

I don't know what Aziraphale is planning, if he's going to tear down the cult from within. But I think the Metatron is about to find out that evil always contains the seeds of its own destruction.

[ghostflowerhotpotch]

Why Hobie's chucks?

I had seen a lot of people question how she can fit in those shoes, and some to say that their relationship is actually deeper because of this, however my mind has been going in other directions.

For example, why those?

Let me start with one thing: We have no idea how many things Gwen owns, and what is actually hers.

Considering the fact that at the end of the movie she went to get the polaroid she had with Miles, I think is safe to say that she didn't go back to the apartment to retrieve any of her belongings, meaning the things she had that were hers previously was probably only the things she carried with her, that is her suit, and her ballerina shoes.

I bring this show because we can see that she is using her ballerina shows in the first movie, and aside of the Vision's academy uniform, the only other thing we saw her use in the first movie is her spider suit, which she was transported with.

This makes sense because being at the academy she could probably find a uniform on the school store or similar, shoes perhaps was a bit more complicated.

(She also appears to use them while she was presenting herself, seeing on a flashback. This could be that either she was fresh out of a spider-woman mission and didn't have another shoes; or the animators didn't see the point in designing shoes for a scene that wasn't going to show them for more than 2 seconds.)

However while looking back at the beginning of the movie, Gwen is using chucks, same or similar colour too.

(Animation wise, they are probably the same shoes.)

Okay, this confirms us that she likes chucks, and is part of her style; so she probably took the shoes because she likes that type, right?

Yes, except that here is the thing: Why?

When she battles, she uses the pointe ballet shoes, in fact even if you see her using chuck's earlier in the movie, she is switches to her ballet shoes for the fight with Vulture. Even if we see her using the chucks later in the movie while she is in her spider-suit, that was after she got called out for not doing her duty, so she probably didn't have them handy.

However, even if we know that she went to Earth-1610 to catch the Spot (meaning she should be gearing for battle,) it was only the excuse she used so she could go to this universe without getting in trouble. After all, she opened the portal DIRECTLY to Miles.

Okay, after this point is going to be more speculation/theory than analysis, so feel free to take it with a grain of salt.

Hear me out.

Now, we have NO idea how the Spider Society operates in terms of money, food, etc. We don't have an idea if Gwen is getting paid (how that would even work? It would be money from Earth-928?) we can assume she stays there to sleep at least, even if she still crashes Hobie's universe.

But in terms of her wardrobe or how to get a new one, we have no clue; it could also be that even if she gets paid, she doesn't like to use the clothes that are in Miguel's universe; I wouldn't be shocked that there aren't any.

And we establish that she likes those converse, right? Part of her style, probably something she likes to use to you know, daily live, seen friends, looking good for someone.

Also, what else Hobie said before he asked if those were his chucks?

So, she left a sweater, her toothbrush, and took Hobie's shoes.

Considering she left her toothbrush, it probably means she was there fairly recently; however she also left a sweater and we know she had a cardigan with her when she went to visit Miles.

I think everyone can see where I am going with this, but to put the cherry on top-

Hobie knew that was Miles.

Now, could he had known just because Gwen probably told him about Miles, however he also should know that 1) No way in hell he should be able to travel to another dimensions since he doesn't have a watch, 2) He just saw him, he cannot even go with the description because the suit is different that the one Gwen saw him last time, even if is a small change.

Not to mention that hey, she opened the portal directly to Miles, right? Woudln't that be something they would had notice if she went directly from HQ to him? She probably needed to put some special coordinates because she didn't even know Miles was in his home when she came to see him, just that he was there.

So with all those pieces, what's my theory?

Gwen went to Hobie's universe to get ready, to get some stuff from him (since their styles are probably closer that whatever the heck they have in 2099) and maybe to also to avoid been seen by the organization. And in a rush, she mentioned to Hobie that she would see Miles, and probably not much else since she left so much crap there and the guy didn't even realize she took his shoes.

Again, a lot of this is speculation, but the idea of this girl going to get those shoes to look nice when she met Miles again, JUST to have him be jealous about it-

I had been taking breaks to laugh while writing this post; I love these idiots I swear.

[just-dreaming-marvel]

Caught In A Web ~ 15

< previous chapter

Word Count: 1,375

Summary: Natasha and Wanda see what you can do.

Notes: I'm going to be honest, tumblr is acting weird and most of my links aren't working on any of my posts. So good luck. Also, not my best chapter but hopefully it will get better since I'm writing again. (Also, Tony Stark one shot soon anyone?)

“I don’t know how comfortable I am with this.”

“This is necessary, Y/N,” Natasha told you as she set up the training mats. “You’re dating an Avenger. It may not be out to the world but our enemies have a way of finding things out.”

“We’re just trying to make you as safe as possible,” Wanda added.

“I get that… It’s just…” Y/N sighed. “I just don’t feel comfortable with it. It’s the reason why I turned down an official spot on the Team.”

“We won’t go as crazy as we do for Team training,” Natasha said. “Trust me, Wanda and I are in charge of your training routine, not Steve. This will just be a step above normal self-defense training.”

“It’s self-defense training Avengers style!” Wanda said excitedly.

“Besides, do you know much about your powers?”

You shrugged. “I guess not.”

“This will help you see exactly what you can do.”

“I was scared my first times too,” Wanda told you. “Having powers can be scary and you can be constantly be afraid of hurting someone, but the reward of mastering them and feeling confident definitely out ways the negative feelings. I promise you, it will be all worth it.”

“Okay,” you breathed out with a nod. “Let’s do this.”

~~~

The three of you were still in the training room four hours later. You were doing much better than Natasha and Wanda believed that you’d do. Your powers were allowing you to match the stamina of the other two women and learn quickly. It impressed red heads how much your powers heightened your senses, allowing you to defend yourself. You were using your webs and your ability to stick to things off and on. You were even begin to be able to control your stickiness. 

Other Team members had slowly began to gather at the observation windows above, including Tony. Tony didn’t know what to make of this all. You had been so adamant about not being an Avenger, yet here you were passing all of the tests that Wanda and Natasha were throwing at you. He was so proud but terrified at the same time. Imagining you out there, sacrificing your life, made his heart want to beat out of his chest.

“Y/N’s impressive,” Steve said, studying your every move as he stood next to Tony. “She would be a great asset.”

“She already told Fury no,” Tony responded.

“She can still change her mind.” Steve and Tony watched as you using your webs to swing around Wanda and tie her up quickly. Wanda broke use with her powers as Natasha called training done for the day. Steve looked over at the live vitals board, looking for yours. “Her vitals are calmer than Natasha’s.”

“I’m sure Fury is loving that.”

“You’re right, Stark,” Fury said, making his presence known from behind them. “I am loving it. Miss L/N is proving that she could be a vital asset to the Team. I have a feeling that it’s only a matter of time before we see her suited up with the rest of you.”

Clenching his jaw, Tony turned around and exited the observation deck. He headed down the stairs, pausing at the doors that would lead him in to the training room. Taking a deep breath, Tony tried to reign in his varying emotions before entering the room with a false smirk on his face. The facade turned real when you noticed him and you smiled. Your eyes lit up in the way they only did for him as you took the needed steps to meet him half way.

“Did you see me?” You excitedly asked. “I tied Wanda up! Me! I did that!”

“I did,” he responded. “And I’m proud.” He kissed the top of your head as he took you in his arms. He looked over at Natasha and Wanda. “Thank you Red and Little Red for the lesson, but I think I’m going to be taking Y/N back to the lab.”

Natasha’s brow quirked up at the tone Tony was carrying.

“Why the rush, Tin Man?” That confidence that you had underneath the suit slipped out. It had been too long since that side of you had appeared. “Don’t want to see what I can do to you?”

Now that caught Tony’s attention. “I don’t think that’s a game you want to play, spidey-girl.”

“Why?” You leaned in so that your lips were brushing against his ear. “Afraid you’d lose?” Tony’s breath caught in his throat at your teasing. You smirked as you heard the catch of his breath. “Got ya, Tin Man.” You pressed a kiss to the side of his face before pulling away. You winked as you stepped around him and walked out of the room.

Natasha whistled jokingly, pulling Tony’s attention to her. “Didn’t think that Y/N was able to get that way,” she jested.

“She saves it for me,” Tony responded before rushing after you.

~~~

You reached your floor happily, having truly enjoyed your time training. Heading for your room to shower, you stopped when you sensed someone. You spun around, throwing one of your arms out and flinging a web. 

“Director Fury!” You exclaimed when you noticed him. He stepped to the side, dodging your web. “What— What are you doing here?”

“I watched your training,” he stated. “I’m here to see if you’ll reconsider joining the Team.”

“Director, I—“

“I have never seen someone take down Maximoff the way you did. It was impressive. The Team could use you out on missions.”

“I—“

“I know what you told me. Let me know if that’s changed.” Fury walked passed you and toward the elevator, which opened to reveal Tony.

“Fury? What the hell?” Tony exclaimed as he stepped out of the elevator. 

“Stark,” Fury greeted. He got into the elevator and the doors shut before he responded to Tony.

“What was he doing here?” Tony rushed over to you. 

“He wants me to rethink my response to joining the Team,” you responded. 

“Are you?”

“I… I don’t know… I enjoyed today, but it was meant to be a training and to see what I could do. I realized that I can do a lot and being on the Team would give me a chance to use my powers for good. It’s just…”

“It’s just what, honey?” Tony’s heart was pounding. It was clear to him now that he didn’t want you out there on missions. The chance that you could die out there, that he couldn’t protect you— Tony couldn’t take that chance with you.

“It’s just that I don’t know if I’m made for sacrificing my life like that.” Tony felt like he could breathe again, only slightly. “I’m more of use to everyone in the lab.”

“It’s whatever you want. I’ll respect your choice.”

“I think I’m good with sticking to the lab. Though, if you’re okay with it, I think I’m going to have Wanda and Natasha train me some more. Today is the first day I’ve actually felt like I can control all of my powers. I would like to continue to feel that way.”

“You don’t need my permission to do anything, sweetheart.”

“Yes, I know. But I would like it.”

Tony pressed out a smile. “You can train as much as you want.”

You smiled, beaming at him. “Thank you, Tony.” You leaned to kiss him briefly before sighing and leaning your head against him. “Do you know what today made me miss?”

Tony wrapped his arms around you. “No.”

“Our first dates. Where I had the confidence to banter and we would fly around the city.”

“I miss those dates too. You bantering though, I think that will come out more as our relationship continues.”

“Hmm,” you hummed. “Tin Man.”

“Spidey-girl.” He kissed your head. “Go shower and we’ll go get something to eat.”

You nodded, pulling away and heading to your bedroom. Tony stood there, coming to the realization that the more you trained, the more likely you were to join the Team, just so that you could be free to use your powers. He needed to come to terms with that possibility or do something to stop it from happening.

next chapter >

[soimcoga]

"every major baddie problem in the lmk universe is caused by SWK not dealing with his shit properly"

exept he dealt with all the shit and i'm tired of people ignoring it to paint him as an ignorant, uncaring bastard.

(very very minor s4 spoilers, so the cut)

Demon Bull King? Got his ass whooped and was sealed away for however long years it took for an entire ass megapolis to be built literally on top of him, causing absolutely no trouble to anyone whatsoever. Oh, and what sealed DBK? The staff. And if you'd care to know SWK outside of the LEGOverse, you'd realize how strong was SWK's resolve to seal DBK - keep him relatively safe, one might say - by using his trusty staff. The guy would literally die seven times over than let go of this thing.

Also people like, ignore the fact that canonically SWK stuck around the area (for the most part to stalk MK, but still), so he was literally there to deal with the DBK family if something went southwards? He didn't, because MK was able to hold the staff and the legend of the Monkie Kid then began.

(also zero antagonistic feelings towards DBK from SWK, like, whatsoever. i bet the dude actually wanted DBK to be free, cuz he felt bad abt it)

Macaque? In a morally gray manner, still very dealt with. SWK killed the dude. He was literally as dealt with as it can be. Or what, should SWK have predicted that after thousand upon thousand of years later a spirit (he dealt with too) would pull Mac out of Diyu? Yeah, I'd like to see that thought process.

SWK isn't omnipotent, he isn't even that far-thinking. Never was, actually. So holding that against him is like, very stupid. Especially because you don't do it to any other character in the show. 

Spider Queen? Wouldja look at that, also pretty much dealt with. We don't really know how exactly, but we know that she lost literally every ounce of power she had and had to resort to living in the sewers, prolly never to cause troubles ever again because, well, we never even heard of her until the special. SQ was pulled onto the scene by the Lady Bone Demon.

Which is, again, something SWK couldn't predict even if he tried.

And now into the fun part.

Lady Bone Demon? Was sealed away by Tripitaka and also didn't cause any trouble until DBK decided to use this freaky coffin he knew literally zero things about for his plans.

"But he should've killed LBD!!!"

He tried. Believe him he tried. This decision just wasn't his, and if you hold it against him and not Tripitaka, shame on you.

"He should have told the crew about LBD!"

He really couldn't have.

And people thinking that are blatantly ignoring SWK's character. Not that obnoxious fan favorite uncaring bastard one.

SWK deals with things on his own. That is just how he is, how he always was and he never learned to do it the other way around. If that's a fight, he'll do it, because he's damn strong. If it's to scout the mountain, he'll do it, because Bajie is a lazy ass motherfucker. If it's to find food for Trip, he'll do it, cuz he's fast and his eyes are awesome.

Same applies here.

LBD? Tried to kill her and Trip didn't let me -> Basically I didn't do the job right -> WTF I always do my job right, I am Sun Wukong hello???

It was, dare I say, a question to his pride, and SWK will forever be prideful. And when he acts on his pride, he does it with style and flare, in the most stupid way possible.

Hence all of the s2 off-screen investigation arc.

"Well, he should've told about the Samadhi rings!"

It would've endangered Mei, questioned his at this point in time very shaky authority and ability to handle shit, and prolly would've fucked Mei up a very whole lot.

You don't go and say to a person that they are a part of the most dangerous seal in the world and could die and destroy everything they love because you fucked up long time ago (again, very much jabbing at his mentality of 'Sun Wukong can do no bad job, and if he does he'll better fucking die trying to make it right').

Was his plan a shitty one? Obviously. Like, no question asked, it was a shit show of a plan. Very in character, though (SWK handles all the shit because he thinks he can).

And this little character arc of SWK not learning a damn thing results in him, oh golly you would not believe it, running off to do things on his own because he thinks he can handle it, because he's THE Sun Wukong who already handled this in the past.

Who woulda thought.

MINOR S4 SPOILERS START HERE

And the new addition to the baddie group, Azure Lion. Won't be addressing all 'SWK is a betraying bitch' because the show refuses to give us SWK's perspective and I hate it.

But you already know what I will say, because you know the truth. He was dealt with. Got his ass whooped and sealed away in the inky scroll. To be pulled back onto the scene by a third party that Wukong literally couldn't have known about.

See a pattern?

SWK deals with the shit, some unknown variable meddles in it, suddenly SWK is an incapable asshole who left the problems for the poor lmk crew to deal with.

MINOR S4 SPOILERS END HERE

Wukong did his job. Someone fucked him over by undoing his job. He tried to deal with it again the only way he knows how, but the solo play doesn't fly anymore, so he made it kinda worse.

He's not an unbearable, incapable asshole because of it.

And I'm tired of people not seeing this.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk, I am Sun Wukong Apologist till the day I die.

Have a nice day!

[dollsorwhatever]

Creeproduction Spectra

Figured this would be valuable to post here as well since these are so new lol Despite spending almost an entire day complaining about Creeproduction Spectra having the wrong head sculpt and polypropylene hair, I did actually buy her from Paulmart the day she was first listed because Spectra is one of my favorite MH characters (along with Cleo ofc, and Wydowna- please make a collector or G3 Wydowna Mattel I am begging you) and because I was curious to compare her with my original Sig Spectra that came from the very first batch and is slightly different from later batches of Sig Spectra lol Original on the left, Creepro on the right!

Some things of note: -Can confirm she has poly hair! Appalling. I get that kanekalon is discontinued, but there are nearly identical saran matches for Spectra's original hair colors, so this was purely a result of Mattel being incredibly cheap. Mattel has recently made a pretty significant effort to make new saran batches of g3 dolls that originally had poly, so I really do not understand why they would do this for a reproduction doll that is primarily directed at adult collectors lol It's also horribly layered in a way that I find baffling? Sig Spectra has always had weird layers but the creeproduction has, like, a mullet. I'm not even bothering to style it because she's getting a reroot ASAP.

-Creepro uses the less detailed Spectra sculpt with less prominent cheekbones that was introduced with the final batch of Signature Spectra and used for most of her subsequent dolls until 13 Wishes. It also sits a lot lower on the neck than the original sculpt, which is why she looks slightly less relaxed than my original.

I honestly hate that they chose to reproduce this sculpt instead of the original (her HC doll also lacks cheekbones btw) and she would have been lesser compared to my original even if she didn't have poly. Spectra's original sculpt is one of my favorite MH heads they've ever done so it's pretty annoying to see them using the simplified version for her new dolls, especially considering they made switch in the first place because corporate allegedly thought the original was "too scary" for children. Despite my disappointment at her lack of cheekbones, I do actually really like her face and I find it a little hilarious that I managed to get such a good one after all the complaining I did lol

-While Creepro Spectra has a shorter neck than her original doll, she has a longer neck than the other Creeproductions; this is because the other Creeproductions (both waves) have shorter necks than their original dolls, but Spectra's original doll already had a much longer neck than the other characters. I guess she had some extra neck to spare compared to the rest lol (it's more accurate to say that the neck length is still the same, but all of their heads sit lower on the neck knob than their original dolls for some reason) -Her screening is mostly based on the version used for the late batch of Sig Spectra, but interestingly has a side glance! The only other version of Sig Spectra with a side glance is a variant from her second or third batch (with cheekbones) so it's interesting that they chose a side glance for the reproduction.

-Her earrings match the first batch Spectra (black chains instead of silver like subsequent batches), but the rest of her outfit is more reminiscent of the batches that came after. For example the belt on the first batch is much more simple than the one used on later batches, and the creepro comes with the more detailed belt. -Skirt is slightly shorter and her boots are also darker (improvements imo) -The silver necklace and bracelet shackle are made of a much more transparent plastic than the original (not an improvement) -Her top is mostly the same but the construction is slightly less fitted and the pleather feels a bit cheaper.

As much as I actually sincerely like her, I think it's overall a mixed bag; the poly is the worst part imo. I can look past the sculpt being wrong because she is really gorgeous despite that, but it's unacceptable for any doll to be rooted with polypropylene, and especially not a reproduction. And I can't help but think about how amazing she would have been with her original sculpt. Luckily I can reroot and I look forward to giving her knee length saran hair..... but I shouldn't have to do that! According to the retailer who first got these, they will get a wide release on Amazon exclusively in April of 2024 and he only managed to get them directly from Mattel because they hadn't decided to make them Amazon exclusives until after he ordered stock. So keep an eye on Amazon in a few months! Also according to a very reliable inside source on Reddit, there will also be a new batch of wave 1 Creeproductions in 2024 as well!

Don't buy from scalpers!

[kame-writes]

Concerning the media overlords au:

First of all: I love it! Thank you for sharing the idea with us <33

Second: Does Alastor live in the tower with the other Vees? And does Alastor still move into the hotel? If yes, on a scale of one to absolutely how sad/pissed/jealous is Vox after receiving this info?

3. I'd like to imagine Velvette's fingers are constantly itching to get ahold of that handsome deer man, who doesn't know how to dress himself properly or trendy, and give his wardrobe an upgrade. Could you imagine this happening? (Maybe with lots of alcohol involved. So that he would at least temporarily let her experiment with his clothes. Bonus points if she is able to take picture too. Vox would obviously make himself some copies for.. private reasons...) Do you see my vision?? Can you see it??

4. Can Vox convince Alastor to do more audio features within their network? Like podcasts or interviews and the like? Or are they just screams as well? (I recently discovered a podcast about cooking, where each week they talk about one ingredient and explain a recipe with it. I think this would fit Alastor's preferences very well.. tho the ingredients might not be as commonly used now that I think about it... anyhow... now I can't stop thinking about Hannibal and Alastor hosting a food podcast.. oops.. sorry, but not really)

5. You mentioned that Husk still works in his casino, if he isn't needed. Do you have any headcanons for Niffty's whereabouts?

Anyway that's all for now! Have a lovely day/night! <33

p.s. Sorry if this ask is intrusive. For some questions it's pretty clear that I've already imagined something for myself that may or may not fit with your vision of this au. If you feel like I overstepped, feel free to ignore this or send me an alastor_fuck_u. gif :D

Im am very happy to have questions asked! You have no idea how many ideas i have and dont know what to do with xD

I'd love to see other peoples headcanons and ideas for this universe, if anyone does anything for it then please tag me so i can see ^^

This is gonna get long so I've put it under a read more

2: No one is really sure if he lives there or just works there. He HAS his own suite in the tower, but he's not always there when they go look for him, and not being able to find him is very a common occurrence, made more frustrating because he refuses to carry or awnser the mobile phone they forced on him. He hangs around in the common areas like the kitchen and living room sometimes. And if they do manage to rope him into something like a movie night its a huge hassle, because he will insist on a black and white or silent film if he HAS to engage with the tv, and Vel and Val hate those.

The whole top of the Tower is dominated by his large Radio tower though, its slightly seperated from the rest of the building, suspended above it with a staircase/ladder to enter the hatch. Valentino is usually not brave enough to check there for Alastor.

Its the same with the hotel. He does move into his own room there, but goes back and forth a lot, and doesnt have a schedule. Vox tires to pretend hes fine with it at first but often ends up the hotel to be a pain in the ass to Charlie, and getting kicked out by the staff of Alastor. Hes convinced himself that Alastor will lose interest sooner rather than later, and the others just tune out his whining at this point. No one buys it when he claims he didnt even notice Alastor was gone as soon as the Radio Demon gets back to the tower.

3: I may be planning to draw this haha He does let her dress him up ocassionally, he has a few differant suits he's approved of and kept, but does wear his original the most the time. Velvette has a line of 'Vintage chic' clothing that partly started as a way to get Alastor to agree to changing his 'ratty ass old man style' by appealing to clothes that were updated takes on his era. He still very rarely leaves the tower in anything but his own usual attire.

He does on rare occasions allow photos to be taken of him by the vees (and once, later on by charlie, under strict instructions that she keeps it to herself) but no video. And none under any circumstances are allowed on social media. He has blown up a few phones that have attempted, both the Vees and employees.

4: Alastor has agreed to be on a podcast a few times, but its rare, and only if its somehting hes really interested in talking about. It's one of the few modern things he approves of since its just a version of a radio talk show. Same with interviews, he keeps them even more extremly rare, and the mystery of the radio Demon keeps sinners in fear more than him being in the public. Vox always wants him to do more since the ratings sky rocket when Alastor features.

When Alastor has done an interview it is with his back to the camera, and sitting in a large wingbacked stupidly over the top ornate chair, that hides him from being seen, except maybe the top tuffs of his ears and antlers. And he doesnt reveal much about himself when he does. The chair is partly to hide him, and partly to stop the equitment form glitching too much. He likes to pulls faces and makes gestures deliberatly made to make Vox falter and look stupid on camera, since hes the only one who can see him in that chair.

He has teased on his own radio show that one 'lucky' sinner may get the chance to be on both a guest star on his radio broadcast AND a livestream if the mood takes. Valentino had to inform him that what he's referring to is called a snuff film

5: Niffty gets moved to the hotel pretty much full time once Alastor gets involved, Husk is a part time employee, but ends up spending less time at his casino as time goes on.

Valentino is happy Niffty is gone because she creeps him out, she ocassionally hung around his studio during work hours, especially if theyre doing a scene with 'bad boys'. Vox isn't bothered. Velvette is not happy, especially that Niffty is reduced to a maid/janitor for the hotel, and makes that very known to Alastor. Velvette loves Niffty, they are chaos sisters and work on very sketchy sounding potions together, and gang up against the boys.

Niffty is also a great seamstress herself and brings her designs to Velvette like an excited child showing off their latest art project. Almost none of these get used, but Vel has fun forcing models to parade around the studio and work in something Nifftys made, they often include bugs and bodyparts, Velvette finds this halarious.

[lesbianismist]

Shuri x black! fem! plus size!reader

A/N: This is my first smut and I never thought i’d write but I just got a sudden urge so don’t judge 😁 (this isn’t proof read)

Summary: You rarely spend time with Shuri because she’s always busy in the lab, you don’t want to tell her because she’ll always come home tired and you don’t want to add onto her frustration. But she starts pushing your buttons and you snap.

Warnings: arguing, fluff, smut 18+, scissoring, strap! reader receiving, praise kink, multiple orgasms, squirting, face riding! Shuri receiving, dom! Shuri, sub! reader, aftercare, reader has locs.

Word count: 1,873

(Idk xhosa like that yall so don’t come for my google translate xhosa 😔)

You wake up cold, moving around to find Shuri’s touch and finally you open your eyes to find Shuri’s side of the bed empty. You sigh thinking “of course she isn’t here, she never is”. You eventually roll out of bed to look at the time *7:28 am*. You start your regular morning routine taking off your bonnet, getting in the shower to wash your body, your face, then your locs. After your refreshing shower you feel all the weight on your shoulders fall off as you start to fish for an outfit.

You decided to wear a long brown flare skirt with a simple white crop top and a khaki cardigan. Not feeling like doing your makeup, you style your locs into a messy bun, wrapping it into a scarf, putting on your jewelry, but completely forgot your kimoyo beads and started your day. You came back home with a slight smile on your face and multiple bags in your hands. As you put your bags down you see someone staring at you from the corner of your eye, you turn your head to see Shuri on the couch with a slightly irritated look on her face, still in her lab uniform. “You’re home early” you said mockingly, staring back at her with the same expression.

Shuri stood up and walked towards you “Where have you been?” You looked at her genuinely confused “Shuri i’m not in the mood right now” you said in an irritated tone. “All I asked was a question sithandwa” She says in a loving tone “Oh don’t try that lovey dovey shit with me like you didn’t just question where i’ve been when you have came home later than this before” You countered. Shuri looks offended as she responds “Look uthando (love) I know i’ve been busy in the lab but i’m just worried about you, you know how serious I am about your safety and you completely forgot to put on your kimoyo beads. I had to send out Okoye to find and spy on you just so I can know that you’re safe.”

“so what?!” You screamed, Shuri lowered her eyebrows “I know your upset at the moment but I need you to calm yourself down and remember who you’re talking to” She said in her dominant tone. You felt a wave of heat in you but decided to ignore it as you started to cry “I’m just tired of getting my hopes up to see you, to spend a decent amount of time with you and end up disappointed every time. I shouldn’t have to compete with a fucking lab for your attention Shuri !”.

“b- baby I didn’t-, I’m sorry sithandwa sam (my love) I never knew” she expressed. “Of course you didn’t, I didn’t want to make you more frustrated with my emotions so I kept it to myself.” you said in a more calmer tone than before. “Ohh baby i’m sorry” She said getting closer and pulling you into a comforting hug, you hugged her back with a deep sigh of relief. “It’s okay, I'm glad I finally got that off my chest.” You sighed out. “I promise I’ll do better, I feel so guilty for not noticing, i’m sorry my love.” Shuri hums as she starts kissing your neck softly.

“Shurii…” you dragged and she lifts her head up “Okay i’ll stop, sorry..” “It’s just I know what makes you feel better, what always does.” You whimper slightly, Shuri smirking a bit at your reaction. “I-” you stutter “You what? Hm?” her smirk getting wider “I need you to use your words pretty girl.” She said seductively “I need to put my bags up.” You whispered. “That can wait” She said as she suddenly picked you up by your ass and rushed to your shared room.

As soon as she walked through the door and shut it behind her she wasted no time pushing you up against it and smashing her lips onto yours. The kiss was hungry and needy. Since she was always busy you two haven’t had sex in weeks and your fingers were never enough. Shuri stood you on your legs just so she can rip that cardigan off your body to access your neck better.

You moaned at the feeling of her nipping at your neck aggressively. Lifting her head she swung you around and walked forward until the back of your knees hit the bed. “No matter how many times I see you like this you’ll always amaze me with your beauty baby” she groans, tearing off all your clothes impatiently and pushing you further up the bed. You were speechless, all you could do was whimper and moan.

Shuri immediately drags a finger threw your folds moaning at your wetness “Fuck I barely touched you and you’re this wet?” You bucked your hips up into her touch wanting more. “You want me inside you? hm?” she responded at your silent request.“Yes please, I need it” “Need? such a needy girl aren’t you? Don’t worry I’ll take good care of you” She pushes herself off the bed taking off her dress, pressing a button on her kimoyo beads, her strap attaching onto her hips. She crawls towards you lifting your legs up with one hand and sliding the tip from your entrance to your clit painfully slow with her free hand. “Shuri please” your whimper out, she smiles biting her lip, using her other hand to open your legs completely as she finally snaps her hips into you sliding the entire thing into your walls. She immediately goes to kiss you swallowing your moans. She starts at a slow pace, still snapping her hips into you hard.

You throw your head back rolling your eyes already feeling that knot in your stomach, shuri notices and picks up her pace slamming into you. The wet noises coming from your pussy doesn’t go unnoticed “Mmh you hear that? I can tell she misses her panther.” she whispers in your ear. You responded with a loud moan as Shuri starts ramming into you at an almost inhuman pace, showing zero mercy. She finally leans up from your neck to look down at how you’re swallowing her like it’s nothing. “Fuck you take it so good!” She groans “Mmnh just like that Shuri, im close.” you moaned “Go ahead nkosazana (princess) let it all out, i’m right here” She leans down again angling her hips to hit that spot in your walls, just where you need her.

You scream, immediately arching your back at the sensitivity. Your grip on the sheets getting tighter as you chase your high, “Yes just like that cum for me” You close your eyes hard as you cum, your voice cracking, toes curling and legs shaking. When you finally came down from your high Shuri hasn’t slowed her pace, still in her own world “Shuri,it’s too much!” She finally comes to a stop pulling out slowly watching your slick ooze out slightly “intombazana efezekileyo enjalo”(such a perfect girl), she lets out a breathy moan. Pressing another button on her kimoyo beads to detach the strap.

She came down to kiss you, not waiting for you to catch your breath. “Y/n?” “hmm?” she grabs your waist rolling you on top of her then groping your ass roughly. “Ride me” You immediately obey, switching your right leg under her left one but before you even press your pussy on hers she stops you and says “No, I want that ass facing me.” You whimper, taking your left leg and swinging it around her torso. She wasted no time grabbing your hips and pushing your soaking cunt on hers, she groaned at the feeling and you started to grind in small circles, your ass shaking with every move. “Mmh look at you go my perfect girl, doing so good for me.” She says with her right hand on your hip guiding you. “Say it, say you’re my good girl.” You bite your lip, eyebrows frowning, so lost in pleasure you barely heard what she said.

She slaps your ass hard, snapping you out of your trance “You were being so good sthandwa don’t ruin it now.” she sighed following with a deep moan, “I’m your good girl, fuck im so good for you” You moan as Shuri starts forcing you to grind faster. “Good girl fucking cum for me, show me how good you can be.” She huffs as she starts to reach her climax. You both are a moaning mess and you cum with her, your juices getting everywhere. “ohh my- fuckkk” You dragged. Shuri tugged at your hips one last time before turning you around lifting you into a bear hug. You sigh, catching your breath for the second time tonight and you lift your head to speak “Baby?” “Yes sthandwa?” she answered, “Let me taste you, please?”

Shuri didn’t even answer, flipping the two of you over again and crawling up until you were face to face with her swollen pussy, “go ahead.” You didn’t hesitate to grab her hips and pull it towards your lips, letting out a moan at the taste onto her pussy. Her hips shudder as she brings a hand to your bun that’s surprisingly still together and grinds on your tongue. You roll and close your eyes but shuri stops you “uhn uhn eyes on me pretty.” You open your eyes immediately making eye contact with her and she smiles at your current state, she leans back bringing her hand to your clit rubbing in tight circles. By now you both are sweating and breathing heavily. Shuri’s moans getting louder and her grinding getting faster, “Fuck y/n cum with me” Her rubbing on your clit gets faster, releasing your hair and holding herself up. Her hips coming to a stop and your back arching off the bed, you both cum together.

TIME SKIP

After taking a long bath, cuddling for half an hour, and getting in matching pj’s. You two are cuddling in bed, Shuri on her back with your leg wrapped around her lower stomach and arm resting on her chest. “Shuri, how are you not tired?” “I don’t know, I'm thinking about going for another round, hm?” You look at her in disbelief and she giggles “I am just joking sthandwa'' You laugh with her but stop in realization, “Shuri I forgot to put up my bags!!” you exclaimed sitting up, but Shuri pushes you back down “Don’t worry about that baby, i’ll get that in the morning”. You let out a sigh of relief and closed your eyes slowly, drifting into sleep. “Goodnight my love” Shuri whispers, kissing your forehead.

A/N: Guys I never realized how hard it is to write bruh, I spent like 3-4 hours writing this 😭

[angelatsumu]

endearing things hajime does.

in which dating hajime is full of love.

warnings: none, just sweet little fluff ; author is a little unrealistic about bf!haji but it's for a good cause.

he’s always been an attentive lover, but he hasn’t been the best at words. he’s never nonverbal, but he does struggle to come to your level of talkative sometimes. when he gets off work, he’s so tired (of athletes and scolding them) that he can barely muster words aside from “mhm” and “oh yeah?”. even if you’re being intimate after a long day apart, haji can have moments where he’s just not verbally equiped. it was something he hated about himself, but you found it cute. you liked to think of it as his ‘himbo hours’, and he kinda loves the term. he’d never admit to sometimes engaging himbo hours on purpose because he knows how endearing you find his short quips to be after a long day. he also lives for your sweet little “oh, you’re just head empty aren’t ya baby?” as you finish your spiel about your day.

haji has always been stronger and bigger than you, more looming no matter what he does. he towers over you in all he does, big frame taking up a little too much of your personal space. despite his big size, you always manage to corner him in the bed, forcing him to the edge as you take up all the space. haji gets used to this, unable to sleep without the soft pressure of your arm or leg splayed across his chest or abdomen. he also loving clutches whatever limb you sling on him, humming softly as he drifts to sleep.

haji demands the two of you share a spotify account. you think he’s being frugal, but really he just likes to know what you’re listening to throughout the work day. every morning around 9 or so, you kick him off of his training playlist, and he grins as he looks down to see what you’re listening to. he also enjoys having a record of what you play the most, and he even more so enjoys your shared “Spotify Wrapped” at the end of the year. every year he saves a screen cap of your top five, and he compares them from year to year.

haji loves date night. date night is like his met gala, and he loves to wow you with new places, looks, and surprises. haji takes pride in his venue selection and outing itinerary. he usually likes to set out an outfit for you the morning of, promising to meet you at the venue because he finds it more exciting to do this grand reveal; it reminds him of your wedding day. you find your husband charming no matter the attire, but he’s always sure to surprise you even more than before. haji also likes this tradition when you can manage to record a ‘Vogue Beauty Secrets’ style video for him to enjoy later.

speaking of those Vogue Beauty Secrets videos, haji loves to watch them with you as you do your skincare routine. he initially griped about how lame celebrities all look the same or use the same shit, but the more you watched the harder it was for him to ignore. it was really just background noise for you, but haji became invested. he started encouraging you to record them for him whenever he was away traveling for work, and he even began filming some for you to enjoy. he pretends to be upset with you when you leak one to the team and their fans.

rb's + likes appreciated.

i was just dumped, and i am still in pain so please be kind and indulge with me <3

xx

[blissxjj]

HEARTSTEEL!KAYN X READER!Y/N

This is a story about you and Kayn, you have dated for three years back when he was in the order later you two moved away and lived alone in a small house but things changed when Kayn left you for a career! He joined a band and you never saw him again after that you moved on with your life and lived there alone but your paths crossed one more time as faith wanted you to be together

You woke up at 5 in the morning and took a quick shower before heading out, it's been two years since you and Kayn broke up and you managed to find other ways to cheer yourself up believe it or not that was to cook and bake sweet things like pies and cookies, you were currently on your way to the market place as you held a basket in your hand you had this habit of picking up flower because you loved making bouquets and scatter them around your house in beautiful vases, after all Ionia was very unique when it came to nature!

Few minutes of walking and picking came to an end as you finally reached your destination, the market place was full! More than usual actually so many people and so many things

You started picking necessary ingredients and then you made your way around and looked at all the new things they sell things like decorations, furniture and vases!

You looked around until you noticed a beautiful necklace on one of the many tables as you made your way to the stall bumping onto people and people bumping into you

'Wow!' You couldn't help but admire it

"This is a very rare piece it's a magical stone that will unit you with your soulmate" the seller spoke

You looked up at him then back down at the necklace, of course you didn't believe that the necklace was capable of such thing but it was beautiful and definitely worth buying!

"How much?"

*Time pass*

You walked back in the market place with the necklace dangling from your neck, it was a beautiful Amber color that mached your clothes, you couldn't help but wonder if it truly will unit you with someone that will actually love you and not break your heart

You noticed in front of you another stall with beautiful bouquets of flower better than the ones you make, as you kept looking at the stall and not paying attention to what's in front of you you collided with someone

You were pushed back and quick to apologize

"Watch where you are going" a very harsh and deep voice said to you

You look up ready to bite back but you found yourself looking at the man instead of defending yourself

He was tall and...handsome? He had a pink/magenta and purple hair he wore a crop top that revealed his great abs and he was wearing a black eye patch with a very punky style

"I...am so sorry i was looking at the flowers and didn't notice you forgive me" and you walked away beside him fast, as you passed him you felt his gaze on your skin and you walked away not wanting to see the flowers anymore

You walk back home and immediately go to the kitchen to start cooking something, after about an hour your pie was ready you put it at the window so it can cool down faster as you made some flower crowns to pass time

You couldn't help your mind but to drift to the image of the guy from the market he looked like a celebrity and he definitely was not from the village maybe a passer-by or...whatever

It's not like you care, you are done with relationships that are made of glass and you didn't want another man in your life you had to be wise and choose the right one for you this time you are not falling for a random man you saw for one minute in the market place that is not happening

It's definitely the necklace's effect it wants me to fall for som-

"OMG MY NECKLACE!!??" You screamed as you noticed the necklace was nowhere to be seen you ran outside to the same path you walked to try and find the necklace again

You looked for so long and still no use, it was getting dark and it was hard to see properly

"Damn it! It was expensive and i couldn't even get used to it before it got lost"

You say to yourself out loud

"This necklace?" A familiar voice said

You turn around and see the same guy from the market as you made eye contact with him your head was quick to drop down because of your shy nature that prevented you from making eye contact with anyone for too long

As you walk closer to him you say looking at your necklace in his hand rather than his face

"Thank you i was looking for it, where did you find it?"

"It fell when you bumped into me earlier, you left before i could give it to you" he said extending his hand out to you

You grab it and tried to leave but the stranger grabbed your wrist, you turn around and look at him in the eyes, for a second, you felt like you recognized him

"Let me go" you said in a slightly warning voice

He looked disappointed for a second before his poker face was on again

"I am new here and i don't have anywhere to stay could i please stay with you?" His question made you uncomfortable...so uncomfortable that you just said 'No' and walked away

He stood there looking at you as you left back to your home suddenly you stop and look back at him

It was awkward and weird the staring contest was done the moment you muttered a quite 'Kayn?'

His mouth gave a faint smile and he took off his eye patch and you immediately recognized Rhaast's eye it was definitely Kayn

And suddenly a million question came to your head but none came out as your mouth felt paralyzed and your eyes started to water

You turn around on your heel and walked away crying

Kayn was not surprised from your reaction and followed behind you trying to explain himself

"Please listen to me i know what i did was wrong but please..."

He followed you all the way back

You slam your house door in his face and he could still hear your faint cries that made his heart ache

"Y/n please open the door i just wanna explain myself"

"..."

"Honey please i really need to-"

"DO NOT F****** CALL ME HONEY!!" You screamed at him as you opened the door

Kayn was quite and he held shame in his face and said

"Please can you just listen to me"

"You have three seconds" you said

"Ok so i-"

"Time is up" you slam the door again

Next thing you know your front door was swung open and there it was Kayn or should i say Rhaast all out

"You are one ****** spoiled brat Kayn wants to speak to you and apologize for what he has done and you slam the door!" Rhaast roared in your face

"Well i don't want to speak to him" you screamed back

"I am surprised you are not scared of me" he said amused

"I am scared of you..." you said still trying to keep up the tough act

"Why? didn't i promise you to never hurt you if i ever took over Kayn?" He said

"The same way Kayn promised to never hurt me and look where we are now" you said

"Listen to him y/n and if his explanation is not what you wanted then we will leave" he said and immediately switched back to Kayn who fell on his knees due to exhaustion picking himself up panting for air

You stood there visibly angry at him crossing your arms

He straightened himself and started

"I am so sorry for hurting you and i know you won't forgive me for it but i was stupid i still am, i never really knew how much you effected my life until we separated, i chased a stupid band that actually ended up abandoning me and i was alone for a long time before i was invited to my now new band, and even with all the fame i had and the love from the fans it never filled the empty space in my heart all those people supporting me and they didn't compare to what you used to make me feel, you made me what i am right now...i have my own issues and problems but despite all that you still loved all of me and excepted Rhaast as a part of me, i am not trying to make excuses for what i did but simply admit my fault and hope you could find it in your heart to fogive me...please i have changed...to the better"

All this time you stood there looking at him wide eyed and he looked back at you with a hopefull almost pleading expression

You turn your back to him thinking hard of what he said

You loved Kayn and you still do, he was your first love, first kiss, and first...you know

You look back at him and said

"Why?"

"Because i love you and i want us-

"NO!" You said harshly then continued after a short time "why did you cut your hair?"

Kayn was shocked he didn't know how to answer that

You walk up to him and circled him looking him up and down and said

"That's a glow down i would say"

Kayn just stayed quite and looked at the floor sad

"HAHAHAHA" You couldn't hold in your laugh anymore "i am just messing with you"

"You scared me i thought you didn't like my new look" he said frustrated

"Of course i do as long as...it's you" you said getting closer to him with your hands fiddling due to nervousness

"So does that mean you accepted my apology?" He asked getting a little nervous himself he opened his arms for you and as you hug him putting your head under his chin you said

"Not really but you have convinced me that you actually regret what you did"

"You are really confusing sometimes you know that" he said

You giggle hugging him closer then letting go to look in his eyes

"I have one request though" you said

"Anything" he said

"Can you fix the door Rhaast broke earlier?" You said

Kayn looked back at it and chuckled, "whatever you want but i need something in return" you nodded at him "i need some of your cooking it smells delicious in here"

"Sure if you give me a kiss" you said

Kayn turned all kind of shades out there before he kissed you on your cheek

You look at him rather confused before he says "i will work my way back to your heart till i earn that kiss for now a peck on the cheek will do"

You smile at him saying

"I am in love again already"

*Muwah*

Bonus:

You sat on Kayn's lap under a tree as you make more flower crowns

"Y/n i think that's enough crowns" Kayn said with 12 flower crowns on his head each with different kind of flowers than the other

"But i still have five more-" he cut you off "FIVE!? No way that's too many flowers"

You finished another crown and Kayn stood up to leave after getting you off his lap he stretched then looked back at you before he saw you standing there with pleading eyes

"Ughhhh fine one more crown"

You really do make him weak.

[rockmiyabideusexmachina]

2024 Megaman Valentine's Day/White Day Contest Results!

Hopefully this post won't feel too rushed; it certainly is rare for me to get contest results posted before 2 days have passed. Once again, I thank everyone who drew something for this year's event, as well as those who helped spread the word. Even with a smaller turnout, you guys still made it really hard on me to choose winners. All your art is deserving of praise! I wish I could afford to give you all some prize money! While I am posting this right now a little late into the evening in my time zone, I will be sending all the winners a message about your prize winnings soon enough, later tonight. If you don't see something right away, just know my message is on the way, within the next few hours. After the break, you will see all the pics and this year's winners!

As usual, after each entrant’s name, there will be a link to their entry, too, just in case the inserted images don’t load for you. With a smaller turnout this year, everything has been uploaded into a single imgbox gallery folder. Should be alphabetical by alias for each category, with the first 7 images for Cat. 1, and the last 4 images in Cat. 2.

[Full entry gallery]

CATEGORY 1 (Talent): Black and White Day

For this category, participants were tasked with creating an image celebrating White Day, with the requirement that their art mimic the "rubber hose" art style from around the 1920's. All entries needed to use a black and white or monochrome palette. 1.) HikariLux [Entry] [GB Alternate] $175 Winner!

A cute scene with Rock presenting Alia with a ring that was made even better by adding an alternate original Gameboy palette pixel version of the same art. That added creativity made an adorable pic stand out even more, to give two different retro vibes to your art.

2.) @eulogysinger [Entry] $100 Winner!

As an overall scene, your piece felt the most like it was screencapped straight out of a 20's cartoon, so I give you your props on getting your style to match so well! You can feel the movement with the curve in the Big Snakey's necks as Snake Man slides on down to Toad with his candy bouquet gift.

3.) @sylviidaee [Entry] $75 Winner!

Sure, because of all the Axess storyboard posts I've been doing lately, this trio is probably in my mind more lately. But animating your piece to give it that added life, as the guys bonk each other with their gifts for Mariko, helped boost your entry into the top 3! LOL at the fish crying when Masa gets bonked. And again, style-wise, great job pulling off the rubber hose look.

And the rest of the wonderful entries in alphabetical order by alias: Kaitlin.EXE [Entry]

Y'arr, that Pirate Man be takin' the girl and a pricey pearl wit 'em. But I bet once Diveye the Sailor Man eats his seaweed, that Pirate has a few punches coming to him. Retro Splashy's design is so cute! Totally a fun scene and creative takes on all three.

Komito [Entry]

Like a vintage Norman Rock(man)well painting, the diner scene truly gives off the retro vibes, from the checkboard floor to Big Boy waiter Rock in the background. Love the touch of Splashy's straw curving into a heart shape as she longingly stares at Blues.

@wennastudio [Entry]

I get the vibe of Axl imitating Porky Pig here, saying "That's All Folks!" to end the episode, as he pops out before the fades out. And since you are alphabetically last, it makes your piece even more fitting to close out this category's pics with this cute piece!

CATEGORY 2 (Humor): Showing Some Skins

For this category, entries needed to contain a character wearing an out-of-place holiday-themed skin or outfit that was not Valentine's Day-related, while in a Valentine's Day scene or setting. Being the humor category, the more it makes us laugh, the better! 1.) @aurantia-ignis [Entry] $175 Winner!

🎵Zero the Snowman was a jolly, happy soul...but are YOU happy, Ciel? I love how Zero took White Day this literally to don this amusing snowman outfit. And out of all the entries for this category, you pulled off the absurdly humorous costume the best.

2.) @drewblossom [Entry] $100 Winner!

It might just be a simple party hat, but I mean, Bass isn't wrong. Subtle, but I was amused! The heart shaped speech bubble was a nice touch to help sell the dialogue's punch line as well.

3.) AbilityField [Entry] $75 Winner!

Clever way to show the rush in changing between events, as RiCO is in part Valentine's skin and part Celebration skin dress that are digitally switching. ViA has it much easier throwing on a coat. It's always easier for the guys to get ready, as they say.

4.) Miralie [Entry]

While Zero and Iris are dressed for the day, X's date does sort of have that Halloween vibe to her, as a witch. While Axl is clearly enjoying Singles Awareness Day...or doing his best Stuart Smalley impression by giving his Daily Affirmation that he's good enough, he's smart enough, and doggone it, Reploids like him.

[stoopid-turtle]

made-up thoughts about dd's gender presentation

Okay, the gender post! Honestly, dd's gender presentation is something I think about a lot (ok, I just think about everything dd-related a lot), so here's a post about it. A couple disclaimers on the way down though.

Gender is weird

Um, so gender is complicated and deep. I'm not gonna delve into that too much. Just know I'm not saying much about dd's gender identity, because that's too speculative for me and I don't tend to analyze how people might feel their gender inside.

So this is all about gender expression or performance. The way he presents himself to the world. This includes stuff like clothing, ways of talking, makeup, mannerisms, etc. Anything we can see when we watch him.

For those more into the advanced gender convo, yes yes, gender is a social construct and there's nothing inherent about, say, a tuxedo that makes it a "man's" outfit. Fully onboard with that. But for simplicity's sake, let's shortcut to acting as if we buy into how society genders random stuff so as to recognize that a tux is "male-coded" by just about every society in the present day. Everybody swims in these waters, and they perform their gender with the understanding of how their society assigns these arbitrary gender assignments, so let's just deal with that for this convo. /obligatory gender theorist disclaimer

East vs West

I'm in the US, and I fully recognize that there are different norms for gender in Eastern cultures. A lot of the things that read as "feminine" to Western eyes is more neutral in the East, such as long hair or makeup. (I've read a fantastic tumblr post that went into this in-depth but, alas, I can't find it now. You will notice throughout this post that I am extraordinarily bad at refinding things)

On top of that, idols, in specific, often have quite feminine stylings to Western standards. In the East, the vibe I get is that idols are seen as more androgynous (though still threatening to some forms of masculinity).

I can only speak from my own very westernized perspective, so take it with as much salt as you want. I reserve the right to change my mind about everything later, anyway.

Basically, I have 3 main points here, starting with:

1. DD's early styling was more femme than he would ordinarily gravitate to

There's a moment I think about a lot. This one, specifically, set a month and a half after UNIQ's debut. The band is on a Chinese talk show and the host enthuses about them.

(also, baby DD rapping Love the Way You Lie is just....well, it's a thing that happened) (some US context: Love The Way You Lie was an Issue Song pointedly about domestic violence with Rihanna - an artist who had been a victim of a highly publicized dv assault - as the chorus singer and Eminem - a rapper with a history of misogynist lyrics (with a song about murdering his ex-gf) - doing the rap. It had a weirdly sexy music video with that lotr guy and was also a thing that happened)

DD is 17 years old here--a baby--and he's, frankly, adorable. He notes that he's been training for 4 years (I'm so curious about what idol training looks like, tbh), which wows the host.

But the part that I think about a lot is when the host expounds at length about how beautiful and like a girl dd is. DD has a girl's hairstyle (i've had that exact hairstyle at multiple points in my life), and the host says at various points that he's "more beautiful than girls", that girls will envy him, that he is very very pretty, that if she were a man, she would fall in love with him. The basic upshot here is that much is made of his feminine looks, and I get the vibe that his styling is more femme than typical, even for an idol.

At the same time, I think about this moment of dd in a dance competition in 2011, before his debut. DD's main passion has always been dancing, and he went into hiphop dancing, as shown here. He also attempted breakdancing while younger, though an early injury apparently kept him from going that route (I swear I've heard this somewhere, but can't find where. Link me if you know).

DD was interested in the more macho-types of street dances. Hiphop isn't as dominated by men as breaking is, but it's still has more of a masculine culture than jazz or, you know, waacking.

I think a lot about a kid who wanted to spend his life dancing, who went through idol training to debut as the femme maknae of a group. It was a weird fit for him, and I think his movement away from that initial look reflects that.

At the same time, I want to go back to something I find significant about his talk show appearance.

When asked who is most popular among girls, everybody (dd included) points to dd. (A bandmate also jokes that dd is most popular among men). A 17-year-old kid who just debuted a little over a month ago with a femme style is already getting fawned over by fans and older female hosts. However weird it could be, it's gotta be a huge ego-boost at a formative time to get the positive feedback to that look.

I think (and putting on my speculation hat here) that this is important for dd's performance of gender as he gets older.

Which brings me to the next main point:

2. DD enjoyed his more feminine idol look bc he knew it made him attractive

I suspect dd came to some acceptance of the more femme styling (once he moved away from the white peony look) primarily because it got him so much fawning.

I imagine idol training goes into how to create a public persona for oneself, especially given how much idols are supposed to reveal of themselves. Letting fans feel that they're getting an intimate look at the real person, while still maintaining the privacy of their actual personal life, is a skill, and I expect it's second-nature to dd at this point given how long he's been in the industry.

This isn't to say that dd's fake or that the dd we see publicly isn't "really" him. But it is a carefully presented version of him that intentionally keeps his private life private.

There's really 2 periods where we probably see the most authentic, unfiltered dd: the early UNIQ days, when he was still getting the hang of the ent industry (though that's complicated in that he was also young and under pressure to perform a certain way and had not developed the skills/experience/cache to set limits, hence him doing a lot more cutesy stuff that he refuses to do as he gets older); and the bts footage for CQL, as he did not expect those to be so widely seen. Even the unscripted stuff like DDU and SDC allows for some intentional presentation of himself in a way the more candid bts moments did not.

That's a bit of a digression, actually, but it's important because I think this public persona, especially the idol persona, is more femme than dd would normally style himself (as in, how he would style himself if he weren't an entertainer). The result of this is that we see some contexts, such as the CQL fanmeetings where dd wears women's outfits, where that idol style is intentionally deployed. Part of the point of fanmeetings is fanservice, and dd's feminine presentation, linked as it is to his idol image, is wholly about pleasing the fans.

There's reason to believe that dd was never too much into those stylings because he intrinsically enjoyed them. He's said multiple times in interviews that he prefers going without makeup. This isn't too telling because, hey, makeup can be uncomfortable to wear. Especially stage makeup.

But there's an interesting compilation of interview clips where dd reveals his complete lack of even any interest in makeup, referring curious interviewers to talk to his makeup artist and explicitly associating makeup with women (I have looked everywhere for this. I swear I saw this compilation on YouTube but now I can't find it. This is unfortunate bc this particular video really made me think about dd's gender presentation). And of course, his attempt to do someone else's makeup was...adorable. This is not a guy who wears makeup for the joy of it. He wears it because it's part of his job.

This isn't to say that dd looks down on it. Not at all. We only have to look at his defensiveness of the idol look to gg during the bts to see this. I don't think he's at all bothered by makeup. He just accepts it as part of his career.

(I have a completely made-up story in my head about how gg's preference for no-makeup dd was a major romantic thing bc it's gg liking the real dd, not the idol persona that everybody else fawns over. And how, once dd realized that gg was paying him a compliment, it gave him big feels. This story is definitely not real)

This all is gonna lead me to my last main point:

3. DD's probably okay taking on a more masculine style now bc it fits more how he would naturally dress himself

Like millions of other people, I really dig the idol look. When I was doing my initial dive into turtledom and read about some of the Chinese censorship of idols in recent years, I was initially put out because...idol!dd!

(Ok, as a queer person, I also have big solidarity feels and stuff, but that's a whole digression)

But then I began obsessively watching browsing dd stuff on YouTube and I came around to thinking that while I love and miss idol!dd, I don't know that dd is too shook up over it.

In my view, dd sees that type of styling as a role to put on for certain performances. Now that it's out of style, so to say, he switches to something else. It goes along with some other career transitions he's making, such as focusing more on film. I think this may just let him go with a more "natural" styling (basically, how he would style himself if he weren't a celebrity).

(I do think he likes dyeing his hair fashion colors, but that's not necessarily gendered. He's had plenty of dyed hair looks that are still masc)

When I think of things like that...well, I still personally miss idol!dd because that look really works for me. But I'm not bothered on his behalf because I don't know that he feels particularly constrained by the idol crackdown (at least with regards to no longer being able to present with an idol style; there are other aspects of the politics that may feel constraining, but that's a whole other digression). If anything, it provides a good reason for him to move away from idol-dom in his career (which he'd have to do at some point as he ages).

To wrap this up, I've felt horrendously guilty that the first photo on this tumblr wasn't even of dd or gg, so i'm gonna end this with a photo of idol!dd. I'm not gonna say it's my favorite look, because it's just cruel to make me pick a single favorite. But this is one I think is pretty.