#I don't want any of you to start importing and accepting that defeatism here

[laurenfoxmakesthings]

ID: A thread of tweets by PinkRangerLB, a trans lawyer, that say the following.

"We in the LGBTQ+ community must understand that our dead were real people. Vital, awake, worlds unto themselves, like us. They didn’t live and die for the sake of our learning, but they have a lot to teach.

I want to tell you about Hart Island and hope in the darkness. /1

When I say they were real people I mean I do not believe they are necessary sacrifices, or that our dead paid a cost for us. They loved, they feared, they had favorite TV shows and candy bars. They were here and it will never ever ever be okay that they’re gone. /2

They’re not symbols or metaphors. They had books to write, vacations to take, meals to cook, and the world would be better with them still in it. We aren’t enriched by death, but we can stand in their shoes and see the future. /3

Hart Island, if you don’t know, is where New York City buries bodies that aren’t claimed by a licensed funeral director. At the height of the AIDS epidemic funeral homes were urged not to embalm AIDS fatalities. /4

In New York, as elsewhere, stigma toward the queer community was at a level that even now it can be difficult to remember. Many queer people who died of AIDS had been disowned by their birth family because of their identity, their HIV status, or both. /5

To make matters worse, their partners and found families had no rights to their medical care or their bodies after they passed. The hateful families that could claim them often didn’t, and the families that loved them were powerless to see to their wishes. /6

You can read more about all this at the memorial’s website, here:

hartisland.net/aids_initiative

/7

You can feel their weight, can’t you? The absence is heavy. And it’s important we understand that weight, because it’s a flat fact that current attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, trans rights especially, will kill people. There will be more absence, and it is not okay. /8

And when we say we have hope we are not saying it’s okay that they will be gone.

None of this ignores intersectionalism, higher rates of infection in targeted communities, death rates higher still. When I say things *can* get better I am not ignoring that improvement favors /9

the privileged.

Things got better. ACT UP and other activist groups organized and gained ground through community building, mutual aid, and grassroots action. Culturally, the tide began to turn. Federal action by Reagan and then Clinton contributed very little /10

(and in fact often caused harm). Direct action by activists galvanized AIDS research and the tide turned with very little government help.

In New York City, the death rate for HIV/AIDS patients fell by 62% from 2001 to 2012. So here’s what I’m saying. We’ve been seeing /11

an escalating backlash against LGBTQ people for years now. It gets very easy for us to come to expect the worst case scenario. Trump won, states are attacking trans kids, Roe was overturned. So now we say WHEN the Supreme Court overturns gay marriage, WHEN a national /12"

abortion ban passes, WHEN trans healthcare for adults gets criminalized.

And don’t get me wrong, those are all very real threats. We have to fight like hell. I am not pretending that times aren’t dark, that people won’t die, or that it will ever be okay that our people will /13

suffer and die. But things can, and do, get better when we fight, when we look after each other. The tide will not inevitably turn, but *we* can turn it. We can say that when the wall finally fell, our hands were there, pulling it down brick by brick. /14

And those we lost, if we remember them, honor them, we are their hands too. /15"

#lgbtqia+ #trans rights #transgender #activism #lgbtq #queer community #queer activism #lgbt #queer history #AIDs Crisis #you should share more of her threads on here they are often this anti-defeatist #I've been trying to use twitter less and go to tumblr more to get away from twitter's defeatism #I don't want any of you to start importing and accepting that defeatism here

[burst-of-iridescent]

South Asian and Hindu Influences in ATLA (Part 1)

disclaimer: i was raised culturally and religiously hindu, and though i've tried to do my research for this post and pair it with my own cultural knowledge, i'm not an expert on hinduism by any means. should i mess up, please let me know.

please also be aware that many of the concepts discussed in this post overlap heavily with religions such as buddhism and jainism, which might have different interpretations and representations. as i'm not from those religions or cultures, i don't want to speak on them, but if anyone with that knowledge wishes to add on, please feel free.

it's well-known that atla draws from indigenous, east and southeast asian influences, but something i rarely see discussed in the fandom is the influences the show takes from hinduism and south asia, and there are actually far more than i think people are aware of.

so here's a (non-exhaustive list) of the main inspirations atla drew from south asian culture and hinduism, starting with...

The Avatar

the title of the show itself is taken from the ancient language of sanskrit, often considered the sacred tongue of the hindu religion. in sanskrit, the word "avatar" means to "descend" or "alight".

the concept of the avatar is a very old one, referring to the physical incarnation of a powerful deity or spirit. the idea of the avatar is most often linked to the god Vishnu, one of three supreme hindu gods collectively called the trimurti, or trinity. the avatar is said to manifest upon earth primarily in times of great need, when balance must be maintained between the forces of good and evil.

atla borrows heavily from this idea in having aang be the incarnation of a divine spirit who returns to the world during a time of immense strife, and is tasked with defeating a great evil to bring balance back to the world. and though i don't know if it was an intentional reference, it's interesting to note that Krishna, the most famous incarnation of Vishnu was also reborn amidst a fierce storm and carried through a raging sea to a new home where he would be protected from the king who sought to kill him. sounds a little familiar, doesn't it?

Agni Kai and the Philosophy of Firebending

the word "agni" derives from the sanskrit name Agni, the god of fire, though it can also generally mean "fire".

the concepts of lightning bending and the sun being the source of firebending are likely also taken from the idea of Agni, since he's said to exist simultaneously in three different forms on three different dimensions: as fire on earth, as lightning in the atmosphere, and as the sun in the sky.

Agni is a significant aspect of many rituals, including marriage rites, death rites, and the festivals of holi and diwali. the concept of Agni is one of duality: life and death, rebirth and destruction. hindu rituals accept and celebrate both aspects, revolving around the idea that destruction is not separate from creation, but rather necessary to facilitate it. the cremation of the dead, for instance, is seen as purification, not destruction: burning away the physical form so the soul is unencumbered, set free to continue the reincarnation cycle.

this influence can be seen in the firebending masters episode, which discusses the idea of fire being vital to life. the sun warriors safeguarding the original fire and demanding that zuko and aang bring fire to the dragons as a sacrifice could also reference the ritual of Agnihotra - the ritual of keeping a fire at the home hearth and making offerings to it. the purpose of this ritual differs depending on which text you refer to, but it is generally believed to purify the person and atmosphere in which it is performed, similar to how zuko and aang must make offerings to ran and shaw and survive their fire before being deemed worthy and pure.

Agnihotra is said to serve as a symbolic reminder of the vitality and importance of fire as the driving force of life, a lesson that zuko and aang also internalize from their encounter with the dragons.

Bumi

bumi's name is taken from the sanskrit word "bhumi", which means "earth". it's also the name of the hindu goddess of the earth, bumi or bhudevi.

one of the things the original animation didn't do and which i really enjoyed about the live action was that they made bumi indian and added desi inspiration to omashu. it makes perfect sense for a king whose name is as hindu-inspired as they come.

NWT Royal Palace

chief arnook's palace in the northern water tribe takes inspiration from the gopurams of hindu temples, massive pyramidal structures that served as entrance towers to the temple.

gopurams were built tall enough to be seen for miles around, beacons to signal tired or weary travellers who wished for a place to rest that a temple was nearby. it's a nice touch that the chief's palace is located in front of the spirit oasis, a similarly symbolic entryway to a sanctuary housing otherworldly deities.

Betrothal Necklaces

to preface: i doubt this was an intentional reference, and this great post talks about other cultures that could have inspired the water tribe betrothal necklaces. given the desi influence in the nwt architecture however, i figured it was worth mentioning.

the idea of betrothal necklaces being given to women by their male partners is similar to the thaali, a necklace given to hindu wives by their husbands. during hindu weddings, grooms tie the thaali around their brides' necks to symbolize their marriage. once given, wives are expected to wear their thaali till the day they die, as doing so is believed to bring good luck, health and prosperity to their husbands.

Chi-Blocking

though chi-blocking takes primary inspiration from the art of Dim Mak, it is also influenced by the south indian martial arts forms of adimurai and kalaripayattu, both of which include techniques of striking vital points in the body to disable or kill an opponent.

kalaripayattu also shares parallels with firebending, being a very physically demanding, aggressive martial art that emphasises the importance of discipline and mental fortitude. control of the mind is essential to control of the body, a philosophy similar to that espoused by iroh across the show.

Wan Shi Tong's Library

the library draws inspiration partly from the taj mahal, the famous mausoleum constructed by shah jahan during the mughal empire as a monument to his beloved wife, mumtaz mahal.

i'll end this post here since it's getting too long as it is, and the following section will be even longer. for while atla treated the concepts in this post with respect, the same unfortunately cannot be said for its depiction of guru pathik and combustion man - both of which we'll be discussing next.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #atla cultural influences #hinduism in atla

[itsjusthockey]

45 Days Later - Jack Hughes

Summer Series Open Now

Here is the official beginning of the Summer Lakehouse Series.

Send in requests

I’m ready to rumble.

w.c: 1,571 (dont steal my work)(credit to gif maker)

Part 1

You slightly want to kill someone when you awake to your iPhone ringing incessantly. It's early. Way too early. Too early even for your very specific set of alarms.

Groggily, you sigh, accepting defeat and fumbling around for the device on your bedside table, cursing under your breath when you see who has woken you up much earlier than needed.

“What?” You groan, rubbing your eyes to chase away some sleep as you answer the FaceTime call.

“Hello to you too, sunshine,” Jack smirks at your screen, obviously incredibly pleased with himself.

You let out an exasperated sigh, looking at the time. "It’s 4:30, Jack. What do you want?”

Jack is practically beaming as you continue to squint at your phone's brightness.

“I couldn’t sleep, so I decided that if I’m awake, you’re awake.”

“Well, mission accomplished," you hiss at him, sitting up in bed, stretching your arms. "I'm awake now. Happy?"

“Ecstatic," Jack retorts, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "How are you even able to sleep? I’ve been up since Tuesday counting down every second.”

You roll your eyes playfully, knowing exactly how Jack gets when he's excited. "Well, some of us need our beauty sleep before we have to face the public.”

Jacks snorts. "Oh, believe me, baby, you don't need any more beauty sleep. You're already perfect."

You roll your eyes as far back as possible.

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Hughes.”

He lets out another laugh as you crack a few muscles.

“Well, now you’re already awake-“

“Thanks to you.”

“You can get up and get ready because you have a very important flight to catch in 2 hours.”

You glance at the clock again, realizing that trying to sleep again is pointless, and now, despite the early hour, a surge of excitement fills your veins as the reality of the day ahead sinks in.

“You’re so annoying,” you say, sliding out of bed. “But I suppose it would be tragic if I did miss this flight“

You see Jacks's face drop a bit. “Don’t even joke. I think I’d die.”

You can't help but smile at his eagerness.

“J, it’s been forty-five days. You can wait a few more hours.”

He rapidly shakes his head. “Really don’t think I can“

The words melt your heart, and you can't help but feel another surge of excitement. "I miss you too, loser. Five hours, give or take.”

With a little more back and forth, you finally hang up the phone, the grogginess finally leaving you, and start your morning routine. Though you’re a little upset about the early wake-up, now you don’t have to rush, which is slightly lovely.

You shower, get dressed in comfortable travel attire, and double-check your bags to ensure you haven't forgotten anything important. As you go through the motions, your mind can't help but wander to the fact that in just a few hours, you’ll be at the lake house. The thought of surfing on the water, laughter-filled late bonfires, and being with your boyfriend again makes you giddy.

Time moves quickly, and soon enough, you're ready. You grab your suitcase and head out the door, heading to the airport and praying the day runs smoothly.

The airport is busy, but you navigate through check-in and security easily, and the excitement in the air is contagious. You find yourself grinning as you walk to your gate, and the many hours of separation are dwindling. Soon, you'll be reunited with the idiot you’ve missed so dearly.

You get coffee, and some snacks, find a comfortable spot, and less than an hour later, you board the plane. You find your seat, shoot off a text to Jack and turn on your shared playlist.

Minutes later, you’re in the clouds, and you feel yourself at peace for the first time in a while, so with a slight smile, you close your eyes and try to sleep just a little more.

————————————-

A shortish flight later, you barely step ten feet in the Delta terminal baggage claim when you get a text that immediately sends you into panic mode.

-I see u-

You snap your head to survey your surroundings and try your best to prepare yourself for the attack, but you know it’s futile. You’re proven correct when, within five seconds of seeing the text, you’re thrown to the ground, a hand coming to cover your mouth to silence your scream.

To onlookers, this may seem like a kidnapping attempt but not one single person even bats an eye as you’re wrestled to the dirty airport floor.

Jack makes quick work of laying his entire body weight on you and crushing you between his body and the floor. You struggle to breathe between your laughter and all the extra weight that is being dramatically laid out on your chest.

You both stay this way for a second and finally, you smack him in an attempt to push him off of you. He does, jumping up quickly and pulling you into a hug that crushes every bone in your body.

When he lets you pull back a little bit, you finally take in his face for the first time in over a month. His eyes are filled with happiness, and he smiles so hard you’re afraid his face might break open. You notice he hasn’t shaved; growing slightly along his jaw and upper lip is a little hair that has you immediately wanting to pull out the razor you know is somewhere in your checked bag.

“God, you hate it, don’t you?”

You realize you must have been staring a bit too long at his face, and laughter bursts from your lips.

“No, it’s um,” you pause, a teasing smile crossing your face. “It’s fine.”

Jack lets out a groan, pulling you into him and dropping his head into your neck.

“It’s coming off immediately,” he mutters, the light vibrations sending a chill down your spine.

After several seconds of sulking, Jack pulls back, looking deeply into your eyes. He doesn’t say anything, but his soft smile somehow grows even more, and he leans back to kiss your forehead.

You try your best not to melt, pulling him back for another hug. His grip is so tight, as if he thinks you might slip away.

You stay there for another few moments before he pulls back slightly, and both of his hands remove themselves from your waist and go to cup your face. He stares hard for a second, his beautiful green eyes scanning over every inch of your face until they stop at your lips, and after a moment, he connects yours together, and fireworks explode in your entire body.

You kiss him for a few seconds, then remember you’re in the middle of a crowded airport and pull back from his firm embrace. When you part, you see he’s got a slight smirk on his face that makes your heart stutter. He always is a little cocky and a whole lot clingy when you first see each other after a long time apart, but you love the combination. 

With a playful grin, you nudge Jack's side and motion toward the exit. "Come on, Romeo. Let's get out of here, and let's save the rest of this reunion for the privacy of the Lakehouse, shall we?"

Jack chuckles and nods, intertwining his fingers with yours. Together, you find your checked bag and make your way through the bustling airport. You let him lead you to his parked car, and he opens the door for you, and you slide into the passenger seat of the Range Rover.

As Jack pulls out of the airport parking lot, you lean back in your seat, taking in the familiar sights of the city passing by. His hand rests on your thigh, and the drive to the lake house is filled with laughter, catching up on missed stories and stealing stolen glances at each other whenever the traffic allows.

You drive for a while, but you soon turn onto the familiar road leading to the Lakehouse. You’re practically bouncing in your seat when Jack pulls into the driveway, and before the car has even come to a complete stop, you're unbuckling your seatbelt when Jack quickly grabs you before you can rush out.

“Wait, (Y/N).”

You meet his eyes, and you can see all the love and longing in the world in his gaze. Without a word, he captures your lips in a tender, passionate kiss, sealing the moment and igniting a fire that had been smoldering within both of you during the time apart.

As you break the kiss, you can't help but smile, knowing that this is just the beginning of an epic summer. You feel yourself leaning back in, and your lips barely brush when what you assume is a ball hits the windshield in front of you. You both are a little shocked, but a smile breaks on your face when you see Luke standing about ten feet away, with his arms crossed, looking less than impressed.

“You guys wanna stop making out and come see everyone who’s been waiting just as long as Jack to see you?”

You laugh at his annoyed tone and move to get out of the car when Jack grabs you once more, stealing a quick peck and whispering in your ear.

“We’ll finish this later.”

#hockey #hockey boys #hockey imagine #hockey x reader #imagine #nhl imagine #nhl x reader #hockey fic #nhl hockey #jack hughes #jack hughes x reader #jack hughes imagine #luke hughes #summer #summerlakehouseseries #new jersey devils #nj devils #original story #hockey blurbs #nhl fic #original writing #series #devils hockey #hockey blurb

[minicoffee00]

I’m just here as a distraction right? Part 1 Lucien x Reader

Plot: After Lucien finds out Elain is his mate, he spends the first year pining after her. After seeing her getting closer to Azriel and her found family in the Night Court, he starts to have feelings for a High Fae Girl who stumbled in Jurian, Vassa and Lucien’s home.

Warnings: Angst, Fluff, Smut

Lucien had listened to Feyre when she'd said to keep trying to reach out to Elain, to get to know her. He attempted getting her food and drinks but she always looked at it in disgust and pushed it away. She never accepted any of the offered gifts, or his time that he offered up.

Lucien got to the point where he wasn't even trying to woo her, just trying to be a friend, someone she could talk to when she didn't know who else to go to. But Elain was being cruel, she wasn't rejecting the bond, because when she did that it made it real and she didn't want to acknowledge it. However, she was completely happy to pursue Azriel.

When he saw them out in the garden, he couldn't help but see how Elain was forcing a connection between them, even more so when she knew he was watching.

"Feyre, I cant stand to be here much longer. I'm being treated like a stray wet dog coming into your home. I no longer wish to impose" he voices, knowing he had a place with Jurian and Vassa.

"Please Lucien, she'll come around" Feyre begged, holding Nyx on her hip.

"It's been a year Feyre, she wont even acknowledge me as a friend. Which i would have been to her despite the bond. It's running me ragged ... her not rejecting me and letting me move on while i have to watch her with HIM" Lucien grits out.

"I know, but please Lucien. You are my friend" Feyre breathes coming closer to him. Just as he was about to cave, and admit defeat and say he would stay here for a little longer, Azriel and Elain walked in from the garden, Azriel with a hand on her lower back guiding her through the door.

They both pause, seeing Lucien, Feyre and Nyx. Elain stops her laughter shying away a little seeing the red haired fae that always hung about.

"I'll take that as my leave" he says glancing at Feyre, and she knew what he meant. He wouldn't be coming back.

"Lucien, please" Feyre begs one last time.

"Goodbye Feyre" he says before winnowing out and to a place, he felt slighty better in, but not home. He never felt like he'd find a home.

Lucien arrived home, greated by a heavily drunk Vassa and Jurian. He joined them for the entire night only waking to a rough bang on the front door of their house.

Lucien was the one who drunk the least and ended up aanswering the loud knocking. He opens the door to a face he hadn't seen in a year.

"Tam?" he asks in shock, the blonde man seemed healthier now. His blonde hair was bright again no knots and no dirt in sight. He had washed, found new clothes and he looked like his old self.

"Hello, old friend" he greets, Lucien steps out pulling his old High Lord into a hug.

"I think there's something I've acquired that is off use to you" he grins out, in a teasing manner.

"You- You're here" Lucien breathes out, a deep chuckle coming from Tamlin.

"Yes, I am. Beron has fallen and Eris has had the transfer of his High Lord nature. It seems he had granted your mother access to go to her former lover" he says, the grin turning a little malicious, something that didn't go un-noticed by Lucien.

"And now that the Spring Court is back and thriving and my people are happy, I've had time to travel and well gather important information" he adds.

"Information like?"

"Seems like little Feyre, hasn't been completely honest with you. Someone you deemed a friend. So I'm here as a friend Lucien, because that's what we are and i, unlike some people don't hide the truth from them" Tamlin admits, and Lucien stays silent. A gentle nod for Tamlin to continue.

"Beron, isn't your father. Your mother had an affair with a different High Lord of the Seven Courts" Tamlin smirks, Lucien's head snaps up in shock, he kenw Beron treated him awfully and thats why he'd left to come to Tamlin.

"Who is it?" Lucien asks.

"Feyre worked out that Hellion is your father, he and your mother had an affair and thus you were born, so right now Lucien you my friend are the only heir to the Day Court. And a hopeful ally of mine. Now that Eris has taken over Autumn Court, god knows what he's agreed to with the night court!" Tamlin explains, however the conversation is cut short as you enter.

“STOP” a shout comes across, a young woman, running towards Tamlin, thanks to her attire it was obvious that she was from the Day Court.

“Lucien, you weren’t supposed to find out like this” you say running up to them, you go to punch Tamlin, regardless who he is until an unearthly growl stops you, Lucien stepping in front of you. To protect you.

“My father sent you?” Lucien asks testing the word, it sounding so odd and foreign.

“Yes, to come get you so he could talk to you and explain to you. I’m one of his most trusted warriors. Please come back to the day court, he wants to meet you… well as his son” you offered, Lucien only grunts a hand slipping up his face covering his tired eyes.

“I can’t, not right now” he grunts out turning to go back in the house.

“Then let me stay with you, I have to bring you back eventually. So please let me stay with you until you feel ready.

…

And it took a while for Lucien to feel ready, he had so much on his mind, he had a father who according to what you had told him only found out a day before he had and had sent you out the minute be found out. His actual father seemed to care and he couldn’t help but think of what his life would be like IF he had been raised by Hellion rather than Beron.

Then there was the Elain situation, he could feel everything down the bond that had only seemed to strengthen and pull at his heart strings as he left. But he could feel Elain and everything she did. There was also the Night Court as a whole, specifically Feyre for lying to him. And now the fact that Tamlin was back asking for his friendship only now seeing his as a potential ally.

The only person who had been patient with him was you, you’d waited and helped him with little tasks he just couldn’t bring himself to do.

And because if this he slowly started to cling to you, as his only support.

This turned sexual very quickly, he had wanted some kind of release, and you being his outlet made sense.

From your mind however, you had slowly started to fall for the Day Court Prince, as his father had said to you, you’d teased him for days about it.

Every little thing you did was from the bottom of your heart, you wanted him to feel wanted and needed as you could tell he hadn’t had someone show him this level of affection in a long time.

…

“Lucien” you moaned as he kissed up the side of your body, his mouth finding itself on your breast, sucking and pulling at the tender flesh as it perked up.

“Yes, sweetheart” he asks.

“I need you” you say to him, he hadn’t understood the full meaning of those words but to you, that was commitment to him in itself.

He pulled up the dress skirt that you were currently wearing courtesy of Vassa, whom said you could borrow anything while you were here.

His fingers slid up your thighs, finding you already bare.

"So naughty" he groaned, you were already very wet, meaning his two fingers slid in with ease. He pushed them in and out, making a scissoring motion. He leaned down kissing across your jaw and neck, while basking in the noises you were making because of him.

He pulled his pants off and down, leaving him bear. He slipped in thursting until he bottomed out, whines coming from both of you. He made you feel so full and satisfied, and with this feeling you'd assume he was your mate.

However, Jurian had made it his mission to tease you around the fact that Lucien was already technically bespoke for.

You'd done this many times and Lucien never said anything, other than the occasional compliment, not abouthow you looked just how you felt around him. Breathy groans and whines were the most of what came from him, you on the other were extremely vocal, telling him how his skin glowed in the light, or how his eyes danced with colour. How silky his hair felt as it brushed against your breasts when he leant down.

He started to thrust in an out of you quicker, his hips starting to stagger, you tightened around him feeling that coil in you unleash with white hot ecstasy.

"Elain" he moaned, as you both came, he stilled inside you immedielty realising what he said.

"I-" you start but he pulls out of you, looking mortified at what he had just done.

"I didn't mean to say her name I - cant. I'm so sorry" he says putting his head in his hands.

"It's okay, I guess im just here as a distraction right, while you figure everything out, with you dad and you mate and your old courts." you say, pulling the dress down and standing up. You walk to the bathroom slamming the door shut and turning on the water to fill the bath.

Quiet sobs came out of you as you sent a letter to Hellion through a Falcon telling him you'd be returning to the palace without his son and that you couldn't stay here anylonger.

A/N:

Later on today, i will post my up and coming and hopefully will be able to post what's in store for my 24 days of Christmas!

Not sure if a part 2 is needed however if there is demand i will be more than happy.

It's reading week at university this week so i can post more too! So my up and coming will hopefully be quick!

Taglist:

@cat-or-kitten

@sstrohma

@horneybeach1

@its-sam-allgood

@starryhiraeth

@xcastawayherosx

@glitterypirateduck

@azriels-mate123

@mavropouloupanagiota

@chasing-autumns-chill

@justdreamstars

#acotar #acomaf #a court of thorns and roses #acotar fanfiction #a court of mist and fury #acowar #acosf #lucien vanserra #lucien acotar #lucien vandaddy #lucien vanserra x reader #lucien vanserra smut

[spectersgirl]

Harvey Specter forgets your anniversary 🙉

I considered taking this in a slightly angsty route but decided I felt like keeping it light so you get this hehe

also I have no idea what to title this so the title is now...

Anniversary

Harvey Specter x Reader

-------

The sun hung low over the New York skyline as Harvey paced the floor in his office, the weight of the day's workload pressing down on him. The day, however, was an important one that he couldn't afford to forget. It was the two-year anniversary of the day he started dating you, the love of his life, and he'd forgotten. In the whirlwind of cases and negotiations, the date had completely slipped his mind. He glanced at the clock, a sinking feeling knotting in his stomach as he realized his mistake.

"Fuck." He muttered, debating what he could possibly pull off at such a late hour.

He considered every possibility on his own before admitting his own defeat and calling in his last resort, his best secret weapon.

"Donna? Can you come in here for a minute?"

Donna appeared quickly in his doorway.

"What's up?" She asked, noting the look of stress on his features.

Harvey sighed, his frustration with himself evident. "Today is my anniversary with Y/N and I completely spaced. I need to do something special, and I need it to be perfect."

Donna smirked softly, having already had the inkling that he'd forgotten. She loved being right.

"Well then it's a good thing that I already made reservations at the restaurant you took her to on your first date and called Ray to have you picked up in about-" She checked the time. "Forty-five minutes to go sweep your girl off her feet. Don't worry, I already called her and told her you weren't out of your meeting in time to call yourself but you wanted to warn her to be ready when you arrived. Oh, and the necklace you told me to order her for Christmas arrived a week ago, so you can give her that too. Top desk drawer."

Relief flooded Harvey's system, never having been so thankful for his secretary in his life.

"Oh my god, you're a lifesaver. I don't know how to thank you"

"Just leave the credit card on my desk in the morning and I'll thank myself on your behalf." Donna said with a bright smile.

"Done. I owe you the whole damn store for pulling this off. Seriously, thank you."

"Of course, Harvey. Anything I can do to see my friends happy, I'm glad to do it."

An hour later, Harvey was knocking on the door to your apartment, a bouquet of the most beautiful flowers you'd ever seen in his hands.

You were dressed in a floor-length, emerald-colored silk gown that Harvey couldn't take his eyes off of when you'd first tried it on, and again now as he stood in front of you in the doorway.

"You look so beautiful, Y/N. Happy anniversary, my love." Harvey said after a brief moment of collecting himself from the sight of you.

You smiled shyly and thanked him, the heat rushing to your cheeks. You were never the greatest at accepting a compliment, something you had learned to work on since meeting Harvey.

He stepped inside, closing the door behind himself before placing a gentle hand on your hip and one on the side of your cheek, kissing you with a passion and care that you'd never experienced with any other man until Harvey.

He pulled away after a few moments, asking if you were ready to head out, and you nodded, grabbing your clutch and taking his hand as he led you out the door.

Soft music filled the air as he led you to a beautifully set table, adorned with more flowers and candlelight. Your eyes widened in surprise, a smile on your lips as Harvey pulled out your chair, his charm and charisma in full force.

The dinner was phenomenal, and you enjoyed your time talking and laughing with Harvey about any and everything. You hadn't seen much of him over the last few weeks, as he had a huge trial going on and from what you understood, it was one of the harder cases he'd ever had. You could tell he was enjoying the night off just as much as you enjoyed him being off.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" You exclaimed, pulling a small black box from your handbag with a bow on top and handing it to Harvey. Inside was a pair of cufflinks, his initials engraved in the gold. He smiled the biggest smile you'd seen from him as he thanked you. He pulled a box of his own from his jacket pocket, presenting it to you. Tears sprang from your eyes immediately when you saw the necklace, knowing full well how much Cartier cost.

"Harvey, I can't accept this! This was way too much."

"Y/N, every penny I spend on you is well worth it. You deserve to have every beautiful thing you can dream of because you're the most important person in my life."

Your heart swelled, and you couldn't help but reach across the table to kiss him.

"Thank you." You whispered, gratitude for him shining in your eyes.

Later that night, he took you back to his condo where you continued the night together, ending up sleepily snuggled by the fireplace, a glass of whiskey in Harvey's hand and red wine in yours.

"Remind me to text Donna tomorrow morning and thank her." You said drowsily.

"For what?" Harvey asked, looking down at you.

"For planning our dinner."

Harvey's mouth sat open, shocked.

"Wh- how did you know?"

"I didn't for sure until just now," You said "But I got to thinking, any other time you've planned something you tease me for a week beforehand about how good of a boyfriend you are, you didn't this time and I know you've been working hard so really, it only made sense."

Harvey's heart dropped, knowing he was caught.

"Baby, I'm so sorry." He said, anxiety rising in his throat.

"I'm not upset, don't worry." You said, sitting up now. "I'm just happy you took the time to be with me tonight." You said, reaching out to caress his cheek.

"I'm really trying to work on prioritizing us over work, but this case really took over everything. I promise I won't forget next year and let Donna do all my planning. I'm sorry if I disappointed you."

"You didn't disappoint me Harvey. We could've spent the whole night here doing nothing and I still would've been happy, I just love spending time with you."

Harvey smirked before replying.

"I'll keep that in mind for next year"

#harvey specter #harvey specter suits #harvey specter x reader #suits fics #harveyspecter #request #i didn't proofread this #hope it doesnt suck lmao

[itripandfallalot]

I'm sure I'll post more TSS, but for now, have some Shel thoughts on TWS (featuring the British editions, because why deal with the silly American ones, when you can have 3 versions of the books - digital, US paperbacks and English paperbacks? Stroud, you're welcome ◡̈ )

(Clearly, I had trouble prioritizing what passages to pick, and the last one is prime example of how not to highlight, since I underlined the entire page.)

I love these scenes though, because as I've mentioned before, we know that Lockwood and Lucy liked each other very early on, but I think this is one of the first instances we see Lockwood wrestling with his feelings and backing down from them as a result. @dangerously-human posted a brilliant analysis on Lucy's denial of her feelings for Lockwood, and here we see Lockwood grappling with the same denial and ultimately forcing himself to refocus on the mission, as a result. (Side note: When Lucy tells Lockwood they're so similar in the beginning of TEG, it's like yeah, you two are both idiots.)

I get it—Lockwood has lost everyone he's loved, so any feeling close to that, he's going to push back on, because to love someone might mean he'll lose that someone. Isn't that what life has taught him (and yet!! the wonderful miracle of Lockwood is that he just keeps on loving... kind of like my dear ol' boy Harry Potter)?

He legit knows Lucy is watching here, and he's totally showing off for her. When has he ever demonstrated a move like this to George? No, Lockwood is totally flirting with Lucy during this scene.

But then, Fittes comes up. We get a reminder that this isn't any world, despite how immune our heroes seem to be to its horrors sometimes. Lockwood recognizes that ultimately every agent is just a kid risking their life. This is important, because while Lockwood is certainly starting to blur the lines with Lucy, at the end of the photos I've taken, he pulls back. Why? The mission.

He's a kid with a horrible past. In TEG, he mentions that it seemed random—his parents, Jessica— but it wasn't. Up until now, it almost borders on revenge. Obsession. He doesn't have hobbies. He refuses to dwell on the past. He spins and thinks and strategizes about the next case, and then the one after that. He has no sympathy for ghosts. He wants to end them—all that matters is the mission, for the pain it's caused him, for some of the emptiness it's left him.

But then there's Lucy. He gets sidetracked. We even have George noting here that he's surprised that Lockwood has already told Lucy this much. And yet, he still holds back. We don't know who beat him at the Fittes tournament, and he doesn't tell Lucy until TEG.

He's completely in denial here, and even though we see him open up slowly, he still always orients back to the goal at hand, as he continues to struggle with his feelings for Lucy. And so consistently, he refocuses and pushes them aside.

Until we see that he can't after Lucy leaves—how wrecked he was without her. And it isn't really until this point that he truly, really starts to open himself up to her—not his past, not his thoughts as a leader, but himself and how he feels about her.

He takes her to his families graves in TEG, and if that's not a sign of vulnerability, trust, and faith, then I don't what is.

But what I find the most interesting? We don't get that Flo backstory from Lockwood until much later, after the graveyard. Huh. And it comes after Lockwood realizes that his parents didn't die in a random car crash—almost like his life wasn't random at all.

I actually think it's kind of huge that Lockwood saves this last piece of information for last. Because it's a funny story that's meant to cheer Lucy up. Defeating Marissa is important, but it's no longer about the mission at this point. Not really, not anymore. He's found peace with that. It's about Lucy, and I think, in this moment, he fully and 100% accepts his feelings towards her.

Yes, you can argue it happened when he tried to give her the necklace the first time, and it was Kipps who interrupted them, and blah blah blah. But Lockwood could have found a way to give Lucy the necklace again before the attack on PR. But he didn't.

And isn't it interesting that the undying devotion necklace is something still tied to his family? But the Flo story and how she beat Lockwood? Nah, that's all Lockwood, and it's something of him—without the weighty ties to his family, still somehow so wrapped up in the Problem—that he shares with Lucy. And it's this innocent moment, this moment of joy, that's so inherently pure and lovely, and largely unrelated to the bigger threat, that sigh, my heart. This to me, this is the moment. And all these other moments, I've highlighted above set us up for this.

#lockwood and co #lockwood & co #l&co book spoilers #anthony lockwood #locklyle #lucy carlyle #tws #teg #thb

[emerald-echeveria-plant]

((y'all loved part one so much, here's part two))

Bowser x reader AGaIn

• Bowser gets jealous very easily. He can't stand you talking to someone else. What's SO important that he can't be included in the conversation?? Are they trying to take you away from him?? Of course they are! Fools! Bowser is always a step ahead of everyone else! He attempts to burn them alive. Luckily, your friend manages to escape only with their ass on fire. Bowser later apologies to you for trying to kill your friend.

• He'd want to get married as soon as possible. Three months of dating and he thinks you're both ready to tie the knot. On one of your dates, he's made a very loud and extravagant proposal. With fireworks, sparklers, many flowers, and some of Kamek's magic to spice things up. The engagement ring is a large diamond that weighs your hand own because of how big it is. If you don't accept his engagement, Bowser will get very upset. Thinking you don't love him anymore. After telling him you're not ready for marriage, Bowser will understand. This gives him the opportunity to try to make a better proposal. It you do accept his proposal, Bowser will want the wedding the exact next day. He REALLY wants to marry you. To be able to call you his spouse. To make you the queen/king of the koopas. You wake up to a white wedding dress/suit set up at your disposal. Bowser himself is in a matching white tuxedo. Kamek officiates the wedding between the two of you. The honeymoon would be on an island. In a expensive suite with a hot tub. Bowser is all to eager to spend his first night with you, if you know what I mean ;)

• if someone's bothering/harassing you, you tell Bowser at all times. He makes sure that they regret upsetting you. As much as Bowser acts like a sweet guy because of you, he's still has that maniacal evil turtle monster apart of him. If you ask him what happened to your harasser, Bowser tells you not to worry about! And to not check the dungeon for a few days.

• makes the dumbest, corniest jokes to make you laugh. Unless it relates to dark humor. And the joked are d a r k.

• Bowser doesn't know how to cook or bake. After learning Peach makes a cake for Mario, he once tried to do the same for you. Instead of it coming out like Bowser pictured it, beautiful and delicious and such. The cake came out burnt, lumpy, and raw. He tried using Kamek's wand to fix it but it only made things worse. With the abomination of the cake becoming a monster. Bowser manages to defeat the cake monster by destroying it with his fire breath. That's the exact same time when you happen to show up. The cake monster explodes, causing a huge mess. Some cake gets on you and Bowser. The two of you clean up the place before Kamek finds out. All the while, Bowser recounts the story of what happened. You admire him for his efforts but beg him to please read the instructions next time.

• Bowser is known to get competitive during games. Kart racing, board games, and even tennis. He taunts the other teams that he'll crush them. When Bowser starts losing, he'll mean that literally. Except against you. Bowser even purposefully loses because he wants you to win. Anything to make his lover happy.

• As much as he loves to sing, he also loves to dance. Tango, freestyle, any style! Bowser loves to dance with you the most. He'll have the koopas play some classical music as the two of you dance the night away under the moonlight.

• He loves visiting the beach a lot. Mainly because he enjoys laying on the sand and sunbathing. Nothing like warning up the scales! You and Bowser build sand castles. You built one that looked similar to his own castle. He almost cried tears of joy when he saw it. Swimming is fun too! That's when Bowser isn't trying to make cannonballs or terrorizing the local cheep cheeps.

• Bowser goes to sleep very late because he either has some unfinished business to attend to or is stuck in another meeting. Bowser thinks about being curled up against you. Wishing that he could feel you instead of having to listen to Kamek or the koopas ramble about plans. It's gets frustrating at times. Once it is finally over, Bowser quickly makes his way to your shared bedroom. Depending if you sleep early, Bowser will carefully curl up against you. Making sure to not wake you up. Waking up his darling is the last thing on his mind. If you sleep late, Bowser is pleased to see you up. He tells you why he arrived later than usual. Complaining about having to be held back again. He'd the king of the koopas! Bowser shouldn't have to listen to anybody else! It's infuriating! Although, he's much happier and calmer now. Now, he can just cuddle with you in bed.

#bowser #bowser x reader #mario movie

[sananaryon]

Hey you said on march 24 you have an au of trixie and dash becoming celestia and luna and then never elaborated. Can you. Please.

Tagging @sighlentknight since they also asked. Sorry it took ao long, got distracted by dishonored au. Anyway

I'm playing a bit fast and lose with the canon timeline in this au cause let's face it the canon timeline is a mess and i'm just trying to have fun here.

The AU starts with Rainbow and Trixie being sent back in time. How, I don't know, it's not super important, maybe a messed up magical experiment, maybe Discord, maybe a weird phenomenon, anything goes. Point is that they're sent 1400 years back in time, to the Reign of Discord.

After spending a while bickering over who's fault this is (they do a lot of bickering, not gonna mention it every time so just assume they're always bickering), they try to set out and find their way home, weirded out at the chaos wastes they've ended up in. Eventuallu, they run into a group of important figures, either the founders or the pillars of Equestria, the specifics don't matter, but this is how they learn that they've ended up back in time.

Obviously freaking out, they eventually calm down enough to get the lay of the land and explain what's going on to the locals. They figure that finding Celestia and Luna would be the best shot at getting back home but weirdly none of the locals have ever heard of Celly and Lulu. Still, it's the reign of Discord so they gotta be around somewhere, and Rainbow happens to know that they're gonna get the elements of harmony from the Tree of Harmony, so just go there, wait for them, be home in time for dinner, no problem. Trixie is a bit doubtful of her confidence but hey, not like she has a better idea.

What follows is an epic quest as they make their way across the Chaos or Discord's reign with the help of locals, which would take at least another full post to explain so I'm gonna skip most of it. Point is, Rainbow and Trixie get some time to both bond and get really frustrated because finding Everfree is next to impossible when the world is all topsy turvy and directions don't make sense.

They eventually make it though, finding the cave with the Tree untouched by Chaos. Great, just gotta bunker down and wait for Celestia and Luna to show up, what could go wrong?

A lot, as it turns out. When they approach the tree, things happen. Maybe it senses potential in them, maybe its because they're time travelers and thus rather unusual, or maybe it's just cause theyre the first ponies who've made it this far and the Tree is low on options. Either way, the world is wildly out of balance and someone are needed to fix it and these two are as good as any.

In a bright light, Rainbow Dash and Trixie are ascended to alicornhood, their cutie marks changed into something more appropriate for the chosen guardians of Equestria's balance; a sun for Rainbow and a moon for Trixie.

Cue them freaking out for several hours because What The Fuck!?!?!

No time for that though because something like this has not gone unnotices by Discord. In a flash, he appears, curious about the two embodiments of Harmony in front of him. They're young so he could defeat them easily, but where's the fun in that? Instead, he wants to play with them a bit, taking their companions hostage so they'll play along.

This goes about as well as you could expect, Rainbow and Trixie may be confused and freaking out but neither take well to having their friends threatened. They confront Discord and, not really knowing what they're doing, use the Elements on him, ending his reign.

In the aftermath, they find themselves with a lot of ponies bowing to them, both strangers and ponies they met and helped out during their quest. Soon, it is pretty clear that they are being declared rulers of Equestria despite their objections. The people will accept no one else.

At the crowning, they are given regnal names. In a way, they chose them themselves. After all, they had both been quite insistant that Discord would be defeated by alicorn princesses named Celestia and Luna.

Over the years, they grow into their roles. Rainbow Dash's coat and mane is bleached by the sun she has found herself raising every morning, while the opposite happens to Trixie since she spends most of her time at night. Her eyes and magic color also changes as a result of her new magic. They both get into the flow of ruling a nation.

Throughout it, they of course don't give up on returning home, but experiment after experiment amount to nothing.

With time, their relationship also degrades. I mean, not like it's ever been good, I mentioned how they spend most of their time bickering, but with Discord defeated and them acclimating to their new situation, they no longer have more pressing issues distracting them from how much they REALLY don't get along. Trixie and Rainbow are hardly the most compatible of ponies in the best circumstances, and now imagine that but upped by hundreds of years. The only reason it doesn't happen sooner is because stuff like Sombra and Tirek pop up to distract them.

But Nightmare Moon does eventually happen. Afterward, Rainbow slips more and more into the Celestia persona. It's still a mask, something she puts on because she feels she has to, but without Trixie, there aren't a lot of ponies around who see her as anything other than the immortal dignified deity, so she spends more time being Celestia than she spends being Rainbow.

Eventually, the day she has marked on her calendar comes around, and she sees a huge rainbow spread across Equestria. It's fun seeing it from the outside, she so rarely has the chance to do it herself nowadays.

After 1500 years of life, tutoring a filly version of one of her best friends is still the weirdest thing she's been through.

It hurts seeing the mane six get together and be friends. She's happy for them, of course, but seeing her younger self laugh and be happy is a painful reminder that she will never be that pony again, her friends can never really see her as one of them again because even if she's still Rainbow Dash, she's also an immortal god empress and thats a rather big hurdle to overcome in a relationship.

With Trixie back at least, she starts letting the Celestia mask slip. Poor Twilight gets a heart attack first time she hears her mentor call Luna a bitch for taking the last slice of cake. With someone around who actually knows her as Rainbow and not Celestia, she can finally be her authentic self again, the mask becomes less something she wears all the time and more something she just puts on for court and lets slip in private. Those who know her are shocked at the change, but she seems happier than anyone has known her to have been for centuries.

She both dreads and looks forward to the day Twilight visits to tell her that Rainbow and Trixie have vanished. On one hoof, getting to finally drop the mask entirely and reveal who she is will be such a relief. On the other, how do you explain that their friend is both gone forever and standing in front of them?

Meanwhile Trixie has to be held back from having a threeway with her past self and Starlight.

#mlp #my little pony #mlp fim #friendship is magic #princess celestia #celestia #princess luna #luna #rainbow dash #trixie lulamoon #trixie #this au is very much heavy on angst but ending on a hopeful note #also ask me about Dishonored au sometime #rainlestia and lunamoon au

[historicalasiandramas]

CLJ Recaps

This episode took me two days to watch because the secondhand embarrassment was too much. The second time through was much funnier because I got to see Xunfeng stare at Orchid!DFQC like "wtf is wrong with you?"

Other than Xunfeng's perfect bombastic side eye, I am obsessed with his armor here! He's got crystals practically growing out of him.

We found out last time that Rong Hao has spies in Cangyan Sea, and I wondered how that was possible. I found the answer to that at the end of this ep.

Orchid!DFQC is presented the leader of these spies and then expected to kill him to show his power. Obviously, Orchid doesn't want to kill one of her own. In fact, she can barely even wield DFQC's sword. While SQ and the other lords make confused expressions, Xunfeng is watching like a hawk. In fact, I'm surprised he hasn't figured out yet that there's something wrong with his brother's power.

Orchid manages to get off without killing the spymaster by using him to send a threat back to Yunzhong. Meanwhile DFQC!Orchid apparently has enough physical strength to twist a grown man's arm. Since Orchid is not a violent person, she would have never known that. Moon Supreme also has the advantage of the bone orchid bracelet, which will protect Orchid's body from harm. He knows exactly how to use it since he's the one who gave it to her and has no trouble breaking out of his cell.

Meanwhile courtesans are kicked out by Orchid and gather in the hallway to question Shang Que as to why Moon Supreme would reject them.

DFQC himself confirms it later, but he is a virgin and also not good at dealing with women. SQ orders the women to stay away from Moon Supreme's chambers in the future unless specifically called for.

And then immediately after, SQ is summoned to Moon Supreme's chamber XD The music gets silly and SQ starts acting awkward. He declares that he would die for DFQC but seems to think that either he's gonna get fucked or DFQC is gonna ask to be fucked. It doesn't make things better when Orchid literally drags him onto the bed.

Poor awkward dragon!

Orchid absolutely does not notice and instead asks about the past and what kind of person DFQC was before. She lies and says that due to an injury, she can't remember and that her magic is damaged. It's funny cuz this is actually true for Orchid herself but it's just a ruse here.

Obviously in a place where the powerful are respected, there's no way DFQC would be accepted as Moon Supreme if he can't even defend the position. Since Orchid asked, I'm pretty sure SQ will do his best to help cover up any supposed lapse in power until Orchid & DFQC can switch back.

Before SQ can say anything else, DFQC storms in and pins Orchid to the bed.

"Are you gonna watch from there?" SQ decides that he absolutely does not wanna get mixed up in whatever the hell is going on here, so he hurriedly leaves.

Meanwhile in Haishi City, it's confirmed that one of the courtesans was actually a spy! She confirms that DFQC is holding on Rong Hao's master's Destiny Book. It's time to attack directly, but Die Yi has her doubts.

Moon Supreme doesn't trust anyone and all their spies (other than the courtesan that just left I guess?) were cleared out. How will they defeat him? Don't worry! Rong Hao knows a guy!

That guy turns out to be Xunfeng! It's been 30k years and he hasn't forgiven his brother for killing their father. How useful for devious darling!

And speaking of DFQC killing his father, Orchid has questions about that. Since the Moon Tribe favors strength, she assumes there's a law or unspoken rule that if you defeat someone you must kill them. Moon Supreme says there is no such rule.

Oh my gods, Orchid! You can't ask something so plot important this early in the show! We don't get an answer for that because it's time for another really big reveal.

Not only could it be argued that Xunfeng is the reason for his brother's capture (due to not arriving in time), but he was also the one who helped Rong Hao build Haiyi City. This is absolutely DELICIOUS information!!

Also before this secret meeting in the woods, I didn't really think Xunfeng was particularly pretty. But there's something about his eyes that just??

When he was glaring at DFQC before, Xunfeng's head was angled slightly downward, making him look intimidating. Here, it's the opposite. His head is angled up and his eyes are narrowed so that it looks like he's looking down at Rong Hao.

Unlike his brother, Xunfeng is ruled by his emotions: particularly anger. Because he's so bent on avenging his father, Xunfeng doesn't even realize that he's at Rong Hao's mercy. I noticed that Rong Hao speaks gently to Xunfeng - like a father would.

When he tilts his head and asks this, Rong Hao is almost sweet. Like literally anyone with half a brain cell would be like "a man capable of secret machinations like this can absolutely not be trusted," but Rong Hao made it sound like he's forever indebted to Xunfeng.

His mind games are absolutely next level and I am unfortunately a huge simp for that kind of character.

Look at that smirk. That's my gender and my religion. You make a characters smirk and I am their stan first and a person second.

Unfortunately a new toxic ship has sailed and I kinda ship Rong Hao and Xunfeng now WHOOPS

#clj recap #love between fairy and devil #clj #苍兰诀 #ch: rong hao #ch: xunfeng #xiao lanhua #ch: dfqc #ch: die yi

[lorcandidlucienwill]

Auntie Gwyn and Uncle Eris part 2

Part 1: https://www.tumblr.com/lorcanisdabest/737441037448036352/uncle-eris-and-auntie-gwyn?source=share

You guys loved part 1 so much so I decided to make a part 2: Nesta tries to be a nanny.😂This is not anti any character so just enjoy!

Nesta cursed herself for rashly agreeing to babysit Nyx for a day. Cassian and Azriel had work in Illyria and Feyre and Rhysand were out sorting out some nonsense in the Hewn City. Mor was once again trying (and from what Nesta could figure, failing) to form an alliance with Vallahan. Elain had finally left the Night Court and from her last letter, Nesta figured she was meandering around the Day Court with her mate, Lucien. She should’ve insisted that one of the bats stay behind because this baby was staring into her soul with those gigantic purple eyes. Also, he smelled of shit. But Nesta had no idea how to change a diaper. She cursed a stream of colorful words that would’ve made her mother faint. A perk of being Fae- decorum was not the same. A low snort came from behind her. “Nesta Kingslayer, who stole from the Cauldron itself, defeated by a baby bat.”

Nesta started. She whipped her head around so fast it was a miracle her neck didn’t roll off her head. A handsome male was lounging in a couch near her like it was his personal throne. His short red hair had perfect waves, and his amber eyes gleamed in amusement as he watched Nesta glare at him, hands behind his head and legs spread before him. Effortlessly casual, yet elegant and distractingly handsome.

Nesta snapped out of it. The last time she had spoken to Eris Vanserra, she’d rudely turned down his offer of marriage. She had been sorely tempted to accept for a moment, she had to admit- but that was all over with now. “What are doing here? How did you get in?” Nesta demanded. “Tut, tut. Is that any way to speak to important allies?” Eris’s full lips twisted in a taunting smirk, and for the first time, Nesta noticed he had dimples. Damn him. A snake that venomous should not be so tempting. "Answer my question."

"I'm important. I can get in wherever I want," was all he said. "Now, are you going to ask for my help with Nyx or not?" "I don't need your help," Nesta snapped. She stomped away, willing herself to just appear at the House of Wind to get away from this male who was getting on her nerves.

Nesta blinked. In a few moments, she had appeared directly in the House of Wind. How had she done that? Pure luck, she supposed. Anyhow, she'd ask Gwyn for help. She would know what to do better than her.

"You mean you've never handled a baby?" Gwyn asked incredulously as Nesta begged her for help.

"Of course not! When would I have had time for that?"

"Did you never handle Elain or Feyre?"

"...No?"

"Well, there were plenty of babes in Sangravah. We used to have a nursery for all the little children. I used to volunteer there sometimes, clean them up, maybe feed them. I can help. Do you have a clean diaper?" Nesta handed it to her, and Gwyn gently took off the dirty diaper. Almost immediately, Nyx released a torrent of shit, half of which landed on Gwyn's face. "Oh my god!" Nesta cried. But although Gwyn winced, she cleaned the baby and placed the clean diaper on like it was normal. "Ughh, I was hoping that wouldn't happen. I have to go take a shower and then practice for a ceremony tonight. You can handle the rest, right?"

Wrong. Just a couple of minutes after Gwyn left, Nyx began crying. Ugh, damn the little thing! Why was he crying?

"I don't understand baby language," she hissed at Nyx. She frantically tried to rock the infant, hoping he'd fall asleep. He only cried louder.

"Wow, I suck at this," Nesta muttered.

Eris's trademark insufferable smirk returned as Nesta huffed and puffed her way back to the main palace. She had tried to winnow again but had failed. Just a lucky try, as she had expected. And now she was absolutely exhausted.

"Please-help," she gasped. Eris, thankfully, did not make a snide comment, simply took the infant from her arms and muttered soothing words. Nyx cried back.

"He's hungry," Eris said, as if he was an expert in babyology. Perhaps with six younger brothers, he was.

"How do you figure?"

"Just trust me, Nesta Archeron," Eris said smoothly. "Do you know where the kitchen is?"

Nesta led Eris to the kitchen, and Eris briefly returned Nyx to her hands while he mixed some ingredients together: milk, a variety of oils, yeast flakes, some kind of powder Nesta didn't recognize but thought smelled vaguely of cherries, etc. When he was done, he carefully poured the mixture into a bottle and took Nyx back into his arms. He placed the bottle at Nyx's mouth, and the little bat happily began chugging the substance. Eris periodically stopped Nyx to rub his back, prompting a few burps from him before putting the bottle back in his mouth. He fed Nyx with as much grace as he had when dancing. Nesta had the distinct feeling that the male would've made a very good father had he been given the chance to do so. The thought sent an unexpected wave of sadness through her. Did the male ever desire children but fear having any under the cruel hand of Beron? "There you go," Eris said when he was done. Nyx was looking pleasantly sleepy now, his eyes nearly closed. Nesta gaped at Eris. "Thank you," she forced out. Grateful as she was, it was still an effort to thank the male for anything. That insufferable smirk returned, and he mockingly bowed to her.

"It's an honor to be of service. Though when I told you we'd play later, Nesta Archeron, I didn't quite imagine that we'd be playing house."

Nesta blushed. "I thought I could handle taking care of a baby for a few hours. I was wrong."

A hearty chuckle. "Are you admitting you needed my help, Nesta Archeron?"

She scowled. "You already know the answer to that."

"I do."

And Nesta watched as Eris Vanserra strolled out of the palace kitchen, as smug as you'd expect a pampered High Lord's heir to be.

#gwyneth berdara #pro gwyneth berdara #eris vanserra #pro eris vanserra #uncle eris #auntie gwyn #nesta archeron #headcanon #fanfic #nyx archeron

[life-in-the-monster-haus]

In Defense of Gillington “Gil” Webber Part 4

Grab your brain puffs, were going back to the movies!

And surprisingly? There is nothing that has to do with Lagoona and Gil in the next 3 movies. Friday Night Frights - Gil is on the Skulltimate Roller Maze team and he gets hurt and Lagoona gets sad... that's it. in Ghouls Rule they have zero interaction and I have to skip Scaris City of Frights because there is currently a not legal way for me to re-watch it. All the Monster High movies were added to Paramount+ in October but the second October was over they were yanked off again in a move that makes sense to absolutely no one. I have the DVD but I let my niece borrow it awhile back and when I went to open it for this review there was the Paw Patrol movie in it (great movie BTW) So were just gonna skip it, but if memory serves correctly Lagoona goes to Scaris without Gil so its not like they interact anyways so we aren't missing a damn thing. WHICH MEANS we get to dive right into the movie I have been waiting for! 13 wishes!

5 minutes in it begins. Lagoona is excited for a fresh new school year but Gil looks like a huge sad sack, He was going to go over Lagoonas house for dinner that nice but he tells her "I'm sorry Lagoona, I can't come over your house for dinner tonight or any other night" Lagoona is annoyed and rightfully so this is the third or fourth time we're re-hashing this same argument. she says "Crickey! again!? just because I'm a salt water monster!? I wish your parents would accept me" Gil says nothing because... what is there left to say? He does agree that he wishes his parents would accept Lagoona too and he holds her hand to comfort her, both of them look pretty defeated.

And I feel bad for them because I've been them. You think I'm writing this think piece for my health? it's not like I'm getting paid. This is a labor of love. Just like Gil, I had a racist parent, My father would not accept that my love was a different ethnicity than me and he disowned me. The only difference between me and Gil is I was an adult when this happened, I can live without my parents. Gil is 16, he can't really do much without them and it breaks my heart to see him suffer, certain folks on Twitter say Lagoona was tortured during this arc and she totally was but so was Gil. Let us not pretend that everything that hurts Lagoona about this situation doesn't also hurt Gil. They are both victims of hatred and they both suffer.

The next time we see them they're arguing. This is the first time we've actually seen them fight. Based on what they are talking about Gil's parents probably set up his class schedule so that him and Lagoona aren't in any of the same classes.

Lagoona: "So now we can't even be in the same classes together!?"

Gil: "My parents don't want us spending any time together"

Lagoona: "I thought we were so past this"

Gil: "I'm sorry Lagoona"

Gil tries to put his hand on Lagoonas shoulder to comfort her but she pulls away from his touch and starts to cry. Wanting to give her some space, Gil walks away.

Howleen, armed with a Genie and the desire to do something good and selfless offers to help. Lagoona tells Howleen that it's sweet she wants to help but the problem is with Gil's parents. "They'll never let us be together. Fresh water monsters have been looking down their gills at us Salt water folk for centuries. I'm afraid there's nothing you can do about that." Howleen just bursting with desire to help Lagoona says that she CAN help and she summons Gigi and makes a very specific wish and phrasing is very important here.

Howleen: "I wish Gil's parents liked Lagoona!"

I am confident the phrasing of the wish would have made it turn out differently but Howleen didn't wish for Gil's parents to "no longer be racist" or for "prejudice against sea monsters to no longer be a thing" She specifically asked for Gil's parents to like Lagoona and the only reason they don't like her is because she's a salt water creature so the wish interprets this as: Turn Lagoona into a fresh water creature. This is not a fail on Howleen's part, Howleen is 14 and dismantling a centuries old racist establishment is a lot to ask of a 14 year old but Howleen did her best.

Lagoona is reborn as a fresh water monster and she is ecstatic. having no hang ups at all about losing her salt water heritage, She just thinks about Gil's parents reaction when they see she is now one of them. She shakes Howleens hand, thanking her and she runs, not walks to find Gil.

This is really sad when you think about it, Lagoona is no longer related to her own family. I hate to state the obvious and draw a Little Mermaid comparison but it's right there. Much like Ariel gave up being a mermaid for love, Lagoona gave up being a sea monster for the same reason. Lagoona knows her family will accept her no matter what form she takes, Remember in Great Scarrier reef she showed up on her fathers doorstep with a tail and Wade just laughed at it. I wanna say this is a very drastic action to take for a High School relationship but Gil and Lagoona have been dating for awhile by this point, I know Monster High operates on a floating timeline because they need to stay teenagers forever but in canon time it's been minimum a year? max 2 years. We've seen them start a new school year twice by this point. Lagoona and Gil are the second longest official paired couple in Monster High canon and If you've been with someone for that long you're allowed to make drastic changes like this for them is what I am getting at.

The next time we see Lagoona and Gil a day has passed and Lagoona was already at their house for dinner that night and The Webbers loved her. Gil is just as surprised by this as the ghouls are when they tell them. I'm rather annoyed that all of this transpired off-screen. They spent years building up to this only to just tell us about it later? Boo! Anyways Lagoona is absolutely gushing about how great her and his mom got along and how she's going to show Lagoona how to make Gil's favorite dish: Lilli-pad Linguini.

Lagoona is over the moon with joy that she at long last made a good impression on Gil's parents, Gil is happy but he seems kind of uncomfortable with the situation, he's not really glowing with pride like Lagoona is he's mostly shocked and cautiously optimistic.

I don't know man... if I was Gil this would have been another fight with my parents. "So now you like her!? She's the exact same fuckin' person! she just breathes fresh water now!" I absolutely would have cussed at my parents and got popped in the mouth for it, but I would have been right. That's kinda the problem with racists you can't use logic on them because there is no logic to be had. Racism is illogical.

Certain folks on Twitter often cite this as another reason why they dislike Gil because "He made her change" but Gil didn't do shit. Technically Lagoona didn't even ask for this, Howleen saw the problem and offered to correct it. Gil didn't ask for this and he looks off-put by the whole idea if we look at him closely.

Clawdeen, Ghoulia and Cleo know something is off too. Cleo even says "This is not our Lagoona"

At lunch Draculaura notices Lagoona isn't eating and asks what she is doing as she is cutting up Gil's food. Lagoona says she will eat after she has cut up Gil's food for him like his mom showed her "it's a fresh water tradition! which I embrace"

Something very Stepfordian is happening to Lagoona. They don't say it but with her super happy eyes and the knife this is visual shorthand that something isn't right, while I'm sure a part of Lagoona wanted this the rest of her certainly doesn't but she is compelled by the wish. Gil doesn't just look a little put-off by this he looks visibly upset. Lagoona tries to spoon feed him his food through his water tank and he says "This is so embarrassing"

Let's talk about them freshwater traditions hmm? Lagoona's been to the Webbers twice and already His mom is teaching her how to cook for him, cut up his food for him, spoon feed him. These are some ancient traditions from back when women were supposed to serve men not surprising these come from the same people who hate Lagoona based on what species she is. What a cruel male dominated society they must come from and Mama Webber buys into it, She is trying to turn Lagoona into a mini version of herself meanwhile Gil liked Lagoona just fine the way she was... This kids movie is quickly veering into horror movie territory.

As Student Disembody President Abbey announces a beach clean up field trip, Something Salty Lagoona would have loved and jumped on asap, but Fresh Lagoona says she is going to sit out the field trip to "Spend All day, Every Day" with Gil. And Gil does look happy to spend time with Lagoona but then she says "Who cares about a bunch of polluted sea water!? Bleh!" Gil's expression quickly changes, that is not on brand for Lagoona and he knows that.

I would be remiss if I didn't take this moment to complain about what a wasted opportunity it was that Mattel did not release a Shadow Ghouls pack with 13 wishes, Look at these designs and colors! throw Abbey in there too and make it a 6 pack! it would have been glorious!

Ghoulia wondering why she didn't get a Haunt the Casbah doll. *ahem* anyways back to business.

We needed that doll complaint break because the next time we see Lagoona she has become completely unhinged. Gil asks her if she wants to study with him and she says "oh No! I just want to drink this water, this fresh water" And she starts chugging water from the solo cups and crushing them against her forehead like shes a seasoned sorority sister during rush week. Gil is confused by this and says "But what about the Scholastic Aptitude Test?"

"I don't care about school! this is who I am now Gil, Your parents love me and I couldn't be happier!" Lagoona begins.... glitching? .... her head shakes and her pupils are uneven. I believe this is Lagoonas true nature trying to break through the wishes magic, I don't think she believes in anything she is saying or doing.

Gil: "But what about your parents?"

Lagoona: "Oh who cares! they're just a bunch of salt water drongos right?!"

Gil: *uncomfortable laugh* "Ha ha! Okay but, Lagoona you're kidding right? this isn't you"

Wow! the wish made her racist too! while Gil's looking away Lagoona gets up and chugs directly from the water cooler jug and I think it finally hits Gil that his Lagoona is nowhere in sight.

This would be fascinating if it wasn't so very sad. But I'm pretty sure "be careful what you wish for" is like, one of the many lessons this move is trying to teach us. But Gil did not wish for this, Lagoona didn't even wish for this, Howleen wished for this in a misguided attempt to help them. I don't blame Howleen for this though, Both Gigi and Clawdeen told her not to be selfish wish her wishes.

The movie takes place over the course of several days, Bloodgood goes on and returns from a trip while Howleen and Wisp are waiting for the eclipse. The school has been turned into a Howleen worship center and Gil tries to point out this is wrong to Lagoona who says "I don't care about anything except being with you!" and she puts a red lobster bib on him like he's a toddler.

Gil tells her he doesn't need it and she says "You're right! if you get your shirt dirty I'll just wash it for you in fresh water! or buy you a new one with me allowance!" Nice to see that laundry and spending are also on Mama Webbers teaching list.

She once again takes Gil's lunch and starts cutting it up for him, Gil reassures Lagoona she doesn't have to do that and she says "Oh! but I do! in fact take my lunch too! you need your strength for the big swim meet!" Gil reminds her that she's on the swim team too and also needs her strength for the swim meet and she tells him that she quit the team... this is the final straw for Gil, He tells her he doesn't even know who she is anymore and the movie goes full horror movie on us.

"I'm exactly who you want me to be."

Yikes on Bikes on Trikes! that is some scary shit! But its nice to know that even while under a magic spell Lagoona is still unreasonable as all hell. Gil didn't ask for this! Gil did not want this! Look at his face! is that the face of someone who asked for this!? We are 4 parts deep into studying Gil and Lagoonas relationship and at no point has Gil ever once asked Lagoona to change, told her to change or wished she could change, Gil accepts Lagoona as she is! Movie wants me to believe that Gil is somehow responsible for this but movie is a liar. I'm sure Gil himself would have pointed out that he never asked for this if he wasn't so incredibly horrified of what his love has become.

Putting this on Gil is completely unfair. I could maybe understand where Lagoona is coming from if Gil blamed her for his parents behavior or if he muttered under his breath after their fight that this wouldn't be happening to them if she was a river monster then yea, okay then it's totally Gil's fault... but he didn't do any of that! he has been chill and understanding despite the many horrible things his parents have put him through this entire franchise. it's one thing if the fans take Gil out of context but now canon media itself is doing it. Y'all want Gil to be trash so bad but he just isn't.

As the movie ends we get one last glimpse of Fresh Lagoona smothering Gil while he's probably wondering how ethical it would be the break up with someone who changed their species for him.

But the wish is undone and our Lagoona returns to us seemingly having no idea what happened and Gil is over joyed to have his salt water ghoul back exactly as he likes her, as herself. And just in case that wasn't obvious enough they hammer it home with Gil saying it himself.

Lagoona: "I'm sorry Gil, I know you really liked me being a fresh water ghoul."

Gil: "NO! no! that's what my parents wanted you to be! But I like you, just the way you are!"

Lagoona then promptly pushes him into the pool and reminds him she is going to beat him at the swim meet that weekend and Gil?

Gil wouldn't have it any other way.

I love this ending, it's adorable what a shame it won't last, Now we don't have time unpack the fallout of what his parents are going to do when they find out their perfect daughter-in-law to be is no longer what they wanted. But just like in real life, moments of happiness are fleeting so you gotta enjoy them while you can.

I started this deep dive into Gil and Lagoonas relationship to defend Gil's good name but you know what? The boy doesn't need my defense. He's so clean he squeaks, I'm actually getting a little bored, I almost want him to be a jerk just to spice things up a bit but He's the perfect boyfriend and anyone who says otherwise is either trolling you or they have never consumed a canon piece of Monster High media in their life.

And that is where I'm going to stop this one. 13 Wishes was a wild ride, it deserves it's own section to itself. In Part 5 we're going to either start volume 4 of the webisodes or crack open Gil's diaries (he only has 2) I'm having fun writing these and I hope y'all are having fun reading them!

Part 1 + Part 2 + Part 3 + Part 4

#Monster High #Lagoona Blue #Gil Webber

[petitelepus]

Big Blind Love, Part 1

Teacher!Gyomei Himejima X Fem!Student!Reader

Summary: You're a student and he is a teacher, but not for long! You will turn 18 and graduate in less than one week so nothing should stand between you and your crush Gyomei Himejima... Expect the two of your complicated feelings.

Warnings: None

A/N: Modern!AU, Kimetsu Academy, Female Reader, Student Reader, Gyomei Himejima, Teacher Gyomei Himejima

PART 1 II PART 2 II PART 3 II PART 4 II PART 5 II PART 6 II PART 7 II PART 8 II PART 9 II PART 10 II PART 11 II PART 12 II PART 13

It was Friday and the air was quiet save for the gentle echo of the last school bell, signaling that the school day was over. The cherry trees were in full blossom outside and they would be that way until students would leave school for good, start a new year, or a brand new school life.

Gyomei had gotten an anonymous letter that requested him to come into his classroom after school hours when everyone else had already gone home to prepare for the upcoming graduation next week.

Of course, being blind like he was, Gyomei couldn't read the letter so his fellow teacher Tomioka read it for him. The huge teacher was confused as to why someone wanted to talk to him alone like that, but maybe it was about school, homework, or perhaps they were troubled by something.

Carefully, he made his way to his classroom, opened the door, and closed it once he made it inside. The classroom was silent, but he could feel a presence in the room with him.

"Thank you for coming teacher."

Gyomei blinked as he recognized that voice as your voice.

"Young lady?"

"He he, I knew you would recognize me." You chuckled a little. "I wanted to talk with you about something important. Alone. I knew I couldn't leave you a note and if I had I didn't want you to find it out on someone else's mouth..."

"What is it that I should find out?" He asked, genuinely confused, and you smiled as you looked at the huge man before you.

"Teacher, I am in love with you!" You exclaimed from the bottom of your heart. A deafening silence fell between you two as the blind man mulled over your words. Finally, he frowned lightly, "Me?"

He could understand that many students harbored feelings towards his colleagues like Rengoku, Uzui, or Tomioka, but this was the first time anyone had ever confessed to him.

"Yes, you." You nodded and Gyomei listened carefully to your voice, not finding any signs of foolery, mockery, or uncertainty. You were being genuine with him.

"I... I understand." He nodded, "And I happily accept your feelings."

A huge smile broke out on your face, but your teacher wasn't done.

"But it pains me to say that I cannot return your feelings," Gyomei said and your eyes widened in shock. Tears collected in his eyes and streamed down his face as he continued, "I am your teacher, and a relationship between a teacher and their student is forbidden."

"Yeah... I know you are a teacher and I know you can't date your students..." You nodded, but you weren't defeated. No, you had more fire in you than ever before!

"But that is why I confessed to you now!" You exclaimed and this both shocked and confused your huge teacher.

"Whatever do you mean?" He asked and you grinned, "We graduate next week and my birthday is coming! I'm turning 18 before graduation and then I won't be a student here anymore!"

Gyomei's milky eyes widened as he listened to you talk so bravely, without any signs of uncertainty in your tone of voice.

"Sir Himejima, I know you can't return my feelings now..." You nodded, but you knew he couldn't see so you smiled as you said, "But I won't give up! I'm going to ask you to go out with me again when you can actually return my feelings!"

"And if I don't?"

"Then I will succumb to my fate, no matter what, and leave you be. I like you, but I know I cannot force my feelings or love on someone. Not when I truly care about them, their well-being and happiness."

This was all new to Gyomei. Students didn't usually hold these kinds of feelings towards him that you had for him. Many saw him as a father figure and he was fine with it. Never did he imagine that someone, you out of all people would confess to him.

"I understand..." He nodded as he chose his next words carefully, "Please give me time to collect myself, and then next week I will give you the proper answer that you deserve."

"Yes!" You beamed in joy, "Thank you, sir, I make sure you won't regret your decision!"

Gyomei nodded as he listened to you, and as he did, he could hear that there wasn't a hint of disappointment in your voice. No, you were absolutely filled with joy and excitement!

"See you next week, sir!" You said cheerfully as you quickly ran past him and left the classroom, leaving Gyomei alone with your confession deep in his mind and thoughts.

He left the classroom and headed to the teacher's lounge where the rest of the Academy's teachers were filling last minute paperwork. Gyomei made his way to his own place and he barely managed to sit before his colleague, Uzui spoke.

"Yo, Himejima!" The art teacher smiled, "What happened? I heard you got an anonymous letter!"

"Indeed, I did." The civics teacher nodded and his colleague grinned, "Let me guess, did you get confessed to?"

"How would you know?" Gyomei asked, Uzui blinked, "Wait, I was just joking! Did you seriously get confessed to?!"

Uzui was making enough noise to catch other teachers' attention, and all of a sudden, Gyomei found himself surrounded by his colleagues.

"You got confessed to?"

"Congratulations!"

"Who was it?"

Questions came from each direction and the blind man felt surrounded. Tears started to slowly stream down his face as he spoke, "Yes, but I rejected her. It would be highly unethical if I was to date one of my students..."

The teachers shared glances with each other before Shinazugawa scowled, "If you ask me, you did the right thing. You could get into some serious trouble otherwise!"

"I'm aware..." Gyomei nodded and just like that, the situation lost its interest and the teachers returned to their own work... Except for Rengoku who pulled himself a chair and sat down next to his huge colleague.

"My friend, how are you feeling? Like, really feeling" The history teacher asked and the civics teacher sighed, seeing no reason to lie to his friend, "Honestly, I feel troubled, dear friend... While I did turn down my admirer, I gave her false hope that we could be something."

"What do you mean by false?" Rengoku smiled, "Himejima, you're one of the kindest people I know! I know you wouldn't lead anyone on out of spite or on purpose."

There was a short silence before Gyomei sighed, "I told her I would think about her confession. Therefore, I gave her false hope..."

"Then... How do you feel about her?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"You wouldn't have said what you did if you didn't mean it, so you must have some feelings towards her?"

"I..." Gyomei thought back to all those moments during your three school years when he would teach your class. You weren't exactly the most interactive student and you were quiet, never really talking unless you had to, but you returned your homework on time and you were a diligent and kind student. Just the type he liked.

"She... She is a good person." He finally confessed, "If the situation was different then maybe..."

"My friend," Rengoku gently patted his friend's back, "If you like her, give her a chance to prove herself to you! It doesn't hurt to try, right?"

"I guess..." Gyomei nodded as he felt tears collecting in his eyes again when he just managed to stop his earlier crying, "But I fear someone might get hurt."

"Then that's the risk you have to take, friend." The history teacher smiled, "You're playing with high stakes but the prize should be worth the try?"

He realized that his friend was right. You were willing to wait for him and his reply, but he couldn't give it to you yet. He had to make sure his feelings for you were genuine and not just a passing crush.

You would graduate in one week. One week time to get to know you properly so he could give you a genuine reply when you would confess your feelings for him again after one week.

#kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer #gyomei himejima #kimetsu academy #modern!au #reader #fem!reader #writing #my writing #story #my story #love confessions #student x teacher #ENJOY!

[drawing-cards]

Book Recommendations (Hoodoo)

One of the things that I see the most online is when people ask what books they should read to learn about Hoodoo. An important part of Hoodoo is understanding that your ancestors and spirit guides are the ones you should rely on the most. The books you may come across may be best for learning how to start. Here, I will compose a list of books that I've read. I will put books directly related to the topic and further down will be books useful for hoodoo but not the practice itself.

Sticks, Stones, Roots, and Bones: Hoodoo, Mojo, and Conjuring with Herbs - Stephanie Rose Bird - This book had a ton of useful information for those who are trying to learn the history of hoodoo. Bird does a great job explaining how there are different forms of practice based on geographics and their respective evolutions. You'll find early in the book that she states "Hoodoo is a practice open to anyone who has an interest". This is one of those unfortunate things that contribute to the debate of whether or not hoodoo is a closed practice. Going forward in the book, you find more historical information on things like talismans and tools people would use in or around the slavery period. After that, you find a comprehensive list of rituals you can do. There is a good variety of options you can choose from for typical everyday things. All in all, I thought the book was just OK. The only use that I really got from the book was the historical and talismanic chapters of it. Otherwise, the later sections didn't have any use to me. A lot of the ritual ingredients that you would have to use to complete anything are inaccessible and expensive, which I feel defeats the point of hoodoo given the fact that you use what you have when you can.

365 Days of Hoodoo - Stephanie Rose Bird - I have the same feelings about this book that I have with the previous one. The difference is that this one lacks the historical aspect of the workings in it. The goal of this book is to give you workings to do daily for an entire year. It's a guidebook of hoodoo! Just like I said for the last part, you are pretty much encouraged to go out and buy items for the workings. Geography and economic status are not really considered in this book so doing daily workings doesn't really work out in the long term unless you have expendable money and high commitment. I thought that this book was mediocre in a few ways. My initial impression of the structure of the writing was not good. It's a manual essentially for a spiritual practice that has no set system or order. It is written for anyone interested in the practice, and the explanations in it for each component and tool are good, but encourages you to spend, which is what we don't want. All things considered, the book didn't impress me. But everyone's experience with something will be different.

Hoodoo, Conjuration, Witchcraft, Rootwork; Beliefs Accepted by Many Negroes and White Persons Volume 1-5 - Harry Middleton Hyatt - These books are huge tomes of information recorded by Hyatt through the 1970s and before/after. This series of volumes is highly inaccessible because there are only 300 copies of each in the world. I think these books are a highly valuable resource for anyone who wants to get serious about their practice. Hyatt interviews people from all over the states, asking them about very specific topics in hoodoo ranging from spirits to roots to poisons, etc. Unfortunately, not all of the information is useful, practical, or ethical in many cases, but most of it is. The books go for thousands of dollars online, making them really hard to obtain, but I managed to find volume two in a local college library so they are not impossible to get a hold of. This collection goes very high on my list because of its historical value. As a social scientist, my appreciation for this book is like nothing else. The book is rich in black culture and customs, you see how life was for people in that time period and you even see stories about past generations. Life back then was very different from how it is now, obviously, but there are some similarities you can spot from the interviews.

Mojo Workin' - Katrina Hazzard Donald - I personally haven't got to this book because I just obtained it so it isn't high on my priority list. I have heard from other people that the information in this book is valuable and unique as it isn't a regurgitation of what other authors are putting in their books. I think this would be a very good read for those who want to know more about the history of hoodoo rather than reading a guidebook for how to practice it.

It's a short list of books, admittedly, but I am picky about them. I refuse to read books about hoodoo from Caucasian authors. There is essentially an epidemic of white people who claim to be hoodoos and proceed to mislead people or are outed to be racist. The books listed hold a great amount of useful information for beginners and intermediate practitioners. I cannot express this enough though, there is no structure to what hoodoo is, and to make progress you really have to experiment.

Another list of books that I have are books that practitioners use commonly but are not directly related to the practice itself. These books have historical connections to hoodoo, for example how it was kept hidden during slavery and how the people of the time stayed fortunate and safe.

The Holy Bible - The most common tool you will see from nearly every hoodoo practitioner is the Holy Bible. People will very commonly say that the Bible is something like a spellbook for hoodoo, which is fair. The prayers you can get out of it are immaculate and have been used for specific purposes throughout time. I am not sure if there is anyone who uses the whole bible in their practice but I am sure there are people who use more than proverbs and psalms. If you look online or in some books, you find that the Psalms all have specific uses. Each psalm is prayed once or more and you may have to take extra steps to achieve what you want to get out of it. Food for thought; the bible -specifically catholicism was used to cover up hoodoo practices during its development. It is not uncommon for people to work with or pray to saints and angels in their practice when it comes to hoodoo as they are a part of many people's spirit teams.

The Charmers Psalter - Gemma Gary - is a short book with the psalms and their uses listed respectively. Gary tells the reader the very specific ways rituals can be performed with the psalm you need to use for a specific purpose. It is a very small book with a large amount of information for any practitioner.

The Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses - I am not fully sure if these are counted as books? It is more of a book full of seals that are used for highly specific purposes too. Something you learn in the Hyatt collection is that there are a lot of people who used to include these seals in their mojo bags and other workings to help make a working take its effect faster or better.

That's as far as the list goes for this edition. I am open to answering questions if anyone has any. I have some other lists in the drafts for other practices.

#witchblr #divination #witchcraft #tarot #crystals #hoodoo #numerology #divination readings #african american #african traditional religions #occult #occultism #booklr #books #african america history

[blamebrampton]

One line, any fic

I am an absolute shambles when it comes to Tumblr challenges (I don’t ignore them, I just first overthink and then forget them) but dearest @magpiefngrl tagged me in on this one and I am in a Get Things Done mood, so here we go!

Pick any 10 fics, scroll somewhere to the mid point, pick a line, and share it! Then tag 10 people.

1. From And On The Other Side A Welcoming Voice (https://archiveofourown.org/works/8892007 H/D, 38K)

Draco shook his head ruefully. 'Turns out twenty years is long enough to start missing you,' he said, though it was a lie, he had missed Potter from the first instant.

2. From Of Great Price (https://archiveofourown.org/works/119133, Remus/Sirius and James/Lily, 30K) (slight cheat as these lines have to go together)

'Do you mind?' I asked.

'Oh no,' said Myrtle, earnestly. 'It's quite all right. You can come here whenever you like, I'll not tell a soul. Hardly anyone else ever comes here, it'll be completely secret, I'll even keep the floors dry.'

And I meant to take umbrage, but really, I was in a terribly good mood, and I did have Remus shaking with silent laughter against me, so I accepted the offer with good grace.

3. From And Save Me From Bloody Men (https://archiveofourown.org/works/118676, H/D, 10K)

It was absurd how reassuring I found him. But I had seen my father and Voldemort afraid of this man when he was still a boy. All of that symbolism was still there. Even the Muggles had wanted to touch him this morning. He was on our side and we would win.

4. From Little Red Courgette (https://archiveofourown.org/works/118431, H/D, 30K)

Draco glared at him for a long moment. When he spoke, it was with cool deliberation. 'I am willing to bet several Galleons that you have the full set of Potter posable action figures at home, don't you, Smythe?'

5. From All the Important Words Unspoken (https://archiveofourown.org/works/5494034, H/D, 73K)

Draco suppressed the urge to ask where the other half wanted to poke him.

6. From On the Turning Away (https://archiveofourown.org/works/2854709, H/D, 26K)

He shrugged. 'Maybe not. But if I don't want to go through my life defined by things that happened to me as a child, I am very much convinced that you shouldn't have to, either.'

7. From A Young Radical’s Guide To Love (https://archiveofourown.org/works/643932, H/D, 66K)

And Pansy looked completely nonplussed when Granger spontaneously hugged her. Draco smiled. He didn’t mind it when Granger and Potter treated them as though they were a little simple on some matters. They did the same with Ron, after all.

8. From Doing the Lambeth Walk (https://archiveofourown.org/works/387467, H/D, 26K)

There were excuses for why it took so long. You couldn’t walk up to a man and ask for the details of the worst day of his life. Well, unless you were Rita Skeeter …

9. From Marginal Notes (https://archiveofourown.org/works/136329, H/D, 9.4K)

‘Steady on,’ Draco pushed her back with a gentle hand to her belligerent forehead. ‘Three important failures of logic there: firstly, Potter saved my life in that battle, so it would be ridiculous for him to turn around and bop me on the head. Secondly, Potter is the one person worse than me at killing people in the entire school, he defeated He Who Must Not Be Named with an Expelliarmus for Merlin’s sake. Thirdly, why am I arguing with a foetus? Get outside and pursue The Chosen One if you must, I saw him headed down to the Herbology Greenhouses.’

10. From For The Public Good (https://archiveofourown.org/works/123322 (H/D, 23.5K)

Harry raised his hands helplessly. 'Normally we have clues. Or at least obvious motivations. What do we have here? Someone who doesn't like the Statute of Secrecy? About the only person I can leave out of the investigation is your father, he loves it.'

I’m meant to tag other people but due to the aforementioned lack of organisation, I have no idea who has and hasn’t already done this. You should if you haven’t! @raitala and @tackytigerfic, you two in particular as I am reasonably sure I’ve not seen either of you do this wee beastie

#my fic #Middle lines challenge

[onlyhuis]

hihi im starting a writing blog for svt but im relatively new to tumblr and its mechanics and all the etiquette and things like that. also im a jun biased and im weird in the way where i don't usually have inspo for other members? if that makes sense? so like idk is there anything i need to know or is it relatively acceptable to mostly only write for one or two members?

also sidenote but i really love some of your writings ahaha match of the season is my favourite :D thank you so much if you ever reply!

no that totally makes sense! i would say most authors on here will write for ot13 but they definitely write more for their bias than any other member. i feel the same way, for me it's easier to write for jun than for other members (and also i love him lol) so my writing ends up being like 90% jun and 10% other members. which is completely fine! at the end of the day it's your blog and your writing, and you should write for whoever you feel comfortable writing for and whoever gives you the most motivation. there are hundreds of writers on this site so if one writer only writes for a couple of members, it doesn't mean the other members won't get written :) nobody says you're required to write certain things or for certain members!

if you intentionally leave out one member but write for all the rest (i've seen writers who write ot12 and exclude jun because they aren't attracted to him), you might get some side eyes but again that is your choice. i personally wouldn't say a hard no to any members and i'll give them all my best shot, but that's my blog, and your blog is up to you.

as for things you'd need to know, i'd say the number one thing is interact with people! the best way to get interaction on your own work is to reblog and comment on other fics. as i'm sure you've heard me say before, reblogs are the most important feature on this site! it basically boils down to, treat others how you would want to be treated by reblogging their works and leaving feedback, even if it's just a simple "i really loved this!!!". it makes you stand out in our notifs and if you're also a writer it might even get you a new mutual.

other tips off the top of my head:

have a masterlist post (helps people find all your fics in one place) and have a guidelines post (makes it clear what you're comfy with)

DO NOT PLAGIARIZE AND DO NOT STEAL ANYONE ELSE'S WRITING (this one is in caps bc super super important!!! you can take ideas or inspiration from someone else but you cannot take their words or their writing. you'd think this one would be obvious but plagiarism happens a lot more than you'd think)

if you're inspired by someone else, tag them in your fic! it shows respect to the original author, and you should tag them whether it was from a fic you read or if they helped you brainstorm ideas. it doesn't have to be a super long thing, just a little "inspired by @onlyhuis's fic!!" is more than enough, but it goes a long way :)

like i said, you can write for whoever you want, whenever you want! when ppl start interacting you it's gonna be stressful because you want to make them happy and put out new fics often, but just remember that it's your blog and you get the final say on everything. don't put pressure on yourself to write constantly because you will get burned out and i promise it will not be fun!

if people send things that make you uncomfy, don't be afraid to delete (or block) them. it's your blog and your boundaries so don't feel guilty for standing up for yourself. also, ignore answer hate asks because they're just looking for attention so don't give it to them

trigger things properly! this is the little section before the fic that says "warnings". don't censor any words (using punctuation like bl00d or d3ath instead of typing blood or death) because it defeats the purpose of ppl who have those keywords filtered, so type out the whole word uncensored. this is a courtesy for people so they can choose to avoid content that may be harmful to them. (this also counts towards visual works, a lot of ppl use tags like "tw flashing" on gifsets)

speaking of tags, when you post be sure to put tags on it! it's the section at the bottom of your post with all the #'s. if you click on any of my fics you can see that i use tags like "jun smut", "seventeen scenarios", etc. these tags help people find what they want to read (but only tag relevant things; don't put "mingyu smut" on a jeonghan fic unless mingyu is actually in the fic). if you aren't sure which tags to use or how to format things, feel free to look at other fics for examples. if you read a lot of fics you might see there's a pretty standard way of doing it

the tags i use like "june.txt" and "june writes" are organizational tags. when you click on, for example, my "june writes" tag, the results are only my fics that have that tag. it basically organizes things into categories (which imo is the best part of tumblr) and it makes it easier to find different types of posts. it also allows people to filter those tags so posts with that tag don't show up (for example, i require minors on my blog to block the tag "minors dni" so that nothing nsfw is shown to them)

again like i said, don't be shy! make friends, join networks, send asks to people, reblog fics, etc etc. interacting with others is the #1 way to make writer friends :)

just a general tumblr tip: no one can see how many followers you have except you, so don't try to make it a competition of who has the most. it's what makes tumblr different from tw*tter and insta and it makes the social media experience a lot more casual because there's no influencers here. it's like a diary where you scream into the void and sometimes ppl scream back. a lot of writers do milestone events (i recently had one for hitting 1k followers) but you aren't required to do those either

if you have any questions about tags, filtering keywords, and other tumblr stuff like that, don't be afraid to ask! any tumblr veteran is more than willing to help break down our weird system to new bloggers

be proud of your work! even if it doesn't get many notes or feedback it doesn't mean you're a bad writer. writing should be fun and something you can enjoy doing, so don't make it seem like a chore by focusing too hard on numbers

i can't think of any more but here's my tag for important posts & info for new tumblrs users that you can look thru for more! i hope this helps :) and when you start your blog send me another ask!! i would love to be your first follower <3

#[💌] — asks #for example there are a lot of gyu/wonu/cheol biased writers so there ends up being a lot more of those fics than for say jun or seungkwan #so i dont feel too bad about not writing them as much bc i know theres already plenty of fics out there for them #and also im so happy you like my writing!! asks like these are something any author would be delighted to receive #it means a lot more than you know <33 #🍜 anon

[dragos-reblog]

Hey there folks!

How's it divin'?

I finally drew my M&L OC! Snugglez! And also like.. made some sorta refsheet? I don't know man, see for yourself!

Here!

He looks like a fun guy, right?

Oh, he is! Let me tell you!

I suppose everything important is named in the refsheet, but like.. who wants to read that? So I'll go deeper into the story here!

Okay so. It all started off, when Snugglez was still a Pillow. He also once looked line a pillow. But things changed! He got cursed! Oh no! Such tragedy! I can't believe it D:

Why who'm? You'll find out about that soon enough 👀. So. What did the curse?

From now on, everyone looking directly into his eyes, was damned to be trappes in their own head, fighting their worst nightmare.. or running from it. Or hiding. Or accepting- anyways, that's not the point! The point is, when that happens, the person is unable to control their body. Empty shells. Their eyes turn completely black, and empty. Our dear Snugglez can command the body, while the mind is trapped. He also can't release the Mind from the nightmares, the only way is for the subject to defeat it. In their heads. Yeah. You got this, we believe in you!

He doesn't want that tho!

So, after some.. unhappy accidents, even tho he had been wearing a blindfold, precautiously, our fluffy boi was banned from the pillow civilisation! Can you believe it?

(By the way, the curse also altered his appearence and made him less. Pillow.)

His quest began, to find the Dark Stone! An object that was able to grant aaaaany wish.. if the rumors were true. He planned on using it to take away his curse! keep everyone safe around him, and be able to be.. unbanned. Yes.

He didn't find the first right away, but something else. Company.

And with that I mean the big black bat phantom called Antasma who thought "Huh, looks useful, I'll keep him I guess?", talked him out of wishing his curse away, gave him the fancy glasses, so the curse won't have any effect whem he wears them, gave him a wish that I still have to figure out.

He also has this star in his eyes as sign, that he was granted a wish. I suppose Bowser and Antasma would have that two following this logic.. but uh. It doesn't have to be exactly visible. So. Everything is possible in Headcanons!

And a l s o, he has eyes. Those are not empty eye sockets. They are just black., came with the curse, ya know? He also loons so. Not so pillow. Because he wished for something, and it also altered his appearence a way, he cannot be compared to his former fellows anymore. He don't like that.

Then they became best friends and later Antasma accidentially petrified Snugglez with the rest of the pillows and when Antasma comes back he frees him and then Bowser betrays Antasma, getting him sorta killed.. and then Snugglez swears major vengeance and that's the story so far hope you liked it also Snugglez shouldn't look into mirrors without his glasses that ain't good-

TLDR:

Uhhh.. Snugglez, a Pillow, got cursed with nightmare eyes that trap people in their mind, was kicked out, met Antasma, they became best friends, he accidentially got stoned, Antasma gets back and frees his bestie, Bowser betrays Antasma and Snugglez will avenge him.

So yeah! Fun stuff! Funny guy!

Back then he was more cheery and concerned, now he's more. Gloomy and concerned. Because uh. Everything kinda broke alart and his only friend is dead and he has to get his revenge ans whatever. How nice-

Oh well, see ya my mans!

#oc artwork #m&l rpgs #mario & luigi #art #originalcharacter #original content #Snugglez #ref sheet #gaming #digital art #artists on tumblr #artwork