every day i regret being a balance main because why do I have to wear this ugly shade of brown. with like. orange and pink.

blah blah stitching but white and red are the school colors. what is this

if necromancy is most hated by ambrose, sorcery is most hated by the shopkeepers i tell you

THIS IS SO INCHRESTING because in my playthrough experience in terms of balance colors it's either the pretty maroon/crimson/gold palette, the orange/brown/sand/pale palette, or like what this ask just said and it looks like your sorcerer lost a paintball fight

the easiest solution to this. since balance is supposed to be all of the schools, make it all of the colors. all balance wizards ✨🌈 G R A D I E N T /j

Sunagakure Worldbuilding Headcanon

My last post on Kirigakure made me think of some Sunagakure Headcanons. Here they are! This is very long, but I hope you enjoy!

People and Culture

The wind realm’s population is rather decentralized, so there are a lot of subcultures, accents and customs that have developed over time. The people of Sunagakure are very intelligent and hard workers and don’t take shit from anyone. They value their independence but also recognize the use of unionizing to achieve their goals. They use rather few words to communicate amongst each other in public, but in private they can be very poetic. Also, they secretly don’t mind the stereotype of tumbleweeds rolling around everywhere in the village, because they can relate. To outsiders, they seem secretive and mysterious, but they are in reality very friendly and hospitable. Once you make a friend in Suna, you’ve made a friend for life. Gift giving, especially in the form of food or other self-made goods is always appreciated. Suna citizens are hopeless romantics, and most soap operas and sappy romance books are produced there. They love to make music and sing together. Most instruments originate from the wind realm and its citizens proudly call themselves the creators of all music in the shinobi world. The wind realm is the country with the richest culture in the shinobi world.

Politics

Recently, Suna has been plagued by an economic crisis, as the wind realm daimyo has preferably hired Konoha shinobi to get missions done. This has raised the distrust in the wind realm government and made the people more loyal to the kazekage than the daimyo. The shinobi have started to prioritize the mission over the lives of the shinobi fulfilling it, however they make sure to give their teammates a quick and painless death if they get into that situation.

Clothing and Cosmetics

Most Suna Shinobi wear long sleeves and cover their head, to protect their skin from sun damage. It’s also very common to cover your face in layers of fabric, as the Suna sandstorms can be ruthless. Light brown, grey, white and black are the most popular colors, as they allow you to blend in with your surroundings and not get detected by enemy shinobi. All people, including kuniochis, keep their hair rather short, cover it or tie them together in some kind of way. There are a lot of unique hairstyles to deal with the strong winds, as can be seen by Temari, who wears four ponytails because the winds would otherwise just destroy her hairstyle if she wore just two. For festive occasions though, Suna clothes are vibrant and colorful, with very intricate details. The most preferred fabric choices are silk and cotton. Before the recession, Suna also had a booming beauty industry, with the best moisturizers, sunblock and body wash originating from there. There is an ongoing feud between the wind realm and the water realm about who has the better skincare products. Wind realm citizens are known to always smell good and take great care of themselves. They use bidets and shower frequently. The women are rumored to be the most beautiful in the shinobi world, however many of them have to deal with orientalism and exoticism from foreigners.

Nature

Flora

A fact that a lot of foreigners get wrong is that Sunagakure is covered completely in desert wasteland. Quite a bit of vegetation is savannah and what we call mediterranean. Still a rather hot country, it is characterized by agonizingly hot summers and barely existing winters. The actual deserts of the wind realm are sprinkled with oases, around which many settlements have formed. The terrain around those oases is very fertile and most of the country’s produce is grown there. Sandstorms are not a rarity here and during these storms there are self-imposed curfews as Suna citizens know that once you get buried in a sandstorm, there is no way anyone will find you buried under all that sand. Only a few nomadic families actually travel and live outside of the oases.

Fauna

The deserts that surround Suna are filled to the brim with the most dangerous, savage animals known to the shinobi realm. The snakes especially must not be underestimated, as their venom can kill a grown shinobi within minutes. Many marionette wielders therefore use it against their enemies. The rivers of the wind realm are full of crocodiles and freshwater fish. The fennec fox is seen as a symbol of good luck and suna nin believe their mission will be a success when they see one. Aside from other cats of prey like lions, cheetahs and leopards. Other mammals include hyenas, hyraxes, macaques, gazelles, oryxes, camels, hedgehogs and sheep. When it comes to rodents, you can find desert rats, porcupines, armadillos, meerkats and gundis. Suna also has the largest spider population in the shinobi world, and you often must check your toilet and shower for any venomous spiders hanging out there. At night you can see bats flying through the sky. The wind realm sea is a home to many kinds of saltwater fish and sometimes you can visit the dolphins, that are particularly friendly to children. Mosquito stings are nasty here, and many diseases, for example those that we call malaria and dengue fever are endemic here. Wind realm citizens have a natural immunity against them and sleep them off in a day, but there are vaccinations available for foreigners.

Food

Stew and other slow cooked gravy dishes The absolute staple of any Suna nin are stews. They’re elaborate and take the whole day to cook. Every family has its own recipes (and thinks theirs is the best) it’s useful to just cut up veggies and meat, and then slow cook it until it’s done. Stews made in Suna include gumbo, adobo, maafe, and many curries. Spices Wind realm citizens have the greatest spice tolerance in the shinobi world. The greatest variety of spices is produced there, from cumin, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, pepper, chilli, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, bay leaves, tumeric and a myriad of other herbs and spices. Suna food is very spicy for two reasons: many spices they use have a disinfecting effect, and the accelerated production of sweat helps cool down the body. Most spices are sold dried to increase shelf life. Many outsiders travel to Suna to acquire spices directly from the source, thinking they’ll get them for cheap, however, the vendors charge foreigners at a hefty margin. Sunagakure is the greatest exporter of all things spices.

Legumes Legumes play a very important role in the local eating pyramid. They serve as a satiating source of carbohydrates and protein. Beans and lentils can be turned into tofu, stew, mashed or baked, peanuts are often used as a base for stew and sauces in the form of peanut butter. Roasted and salted peanuts are a popular snack in Sunagakure. The biggest buyer of Suna’s exported legumes is Iwagakure.

Cassava This starchy root is soaked and then cooked for a long time to make mash, in stews, or fried. Cassava flour also serves as a gluten free flour alternative and many Suna nin use it to thicken sauces and stews. There’s also tapioca starch which is exported into other countries. Olives In the moderate climate regions, many olive trees are grown, which are then used to make olive oil, the preferred fat source of Suna’s people. Dairy It can often be purchased from nomad families, who sell it in the form of milk, yoghurt, kefir, butter and cheese. The preferred dairy variant is goat’s dairy; however, sheep and cow’s dairy are also available. There’s a possibility that the concept of fermenting milk to make yoghurt and kefir was once brought in by Kiri immigrants, however most wind realm citizens are too proud to give this possibility any thought or think it’s just a myth. Meat Just like dairy, meat can be purchased from several families that travel though the wind realm, or on bazars. It is dried often to increase shelf life. Sweets The best chocolate comes from here. The wind realm has a few islands where cocoa beans are produced, and Suna chocolate is known globally for its rich, earthy, fruity taste. Suna Nin are also the only people that regularly take coffee with them during missions. Most foreigners don’t like the bitter taste, but Sunagakure’s shinobis have realized that the caffeine within coffee beans is useful during missions where you must stay aware for long times. The most common sweetener is cane sugar and used to make coffee candy. Wind realm citizens don’t discriminate, and even children are allowed to have them. Another sweet food, especially popular amongst children are dates. On special occasions, Baklava are offered to the guests or given as a gift. Most foreigners find them way too sweet, but just can’t say no because they recognize the effort and craftsmanship that went into making them. The most popular fruit in Suna are: pomgranate, various kinds of citrus fruits, apples, grapes and green almonds. Ripened almonds are used to make marzipan, which is another one of Suna's culinary prides. Those who try persipan, a localized version from Kirigakure, think that it is a lesser version of their beloved treat.

Hi, so if your doing wednesday request ,may I request Xavier Thorpe x wednesday twin brother please?

DEATH OF ME

XAVIER THORPE + MALE!ADDAMS TWIN!READER

In which Wednesday Addams notices that her twin brother might have developed an interest to a familiar artistic schoolmate of theirs.

WARNINGS: swearing, really shitty bcs idk how to write but here u go anyway

YN Addams was known for lots of things. Number one was being Wednesday Addams' twin brother - and being her twin brother came with its pros and cons, but it was bearable (he once almost died due to lack of oxygen due to being locked in a coffin after he dropped a colored pencil on Wednesday's bedroom floor).

Nevertheless, people would expect YN to be a lot like his sister; gothic, obsessed with death, or just to simplify; a gothic sadist.

Gothic, yes, but not too much. YN would rather be naked in public than wear anything with color. One drop of anything other than black or white in the Addams' household and you're dead. Literally.

The obsessiveness with death was up to Wednesday, that's her job. YN Addams was almost the complete opposite. Black and white clothes still make an appearance all the time, but at first glance you wouldn't even spare a thought thinking he'd be an Addams.

One thing that Wednesday dislikes about YN a lot is how he doesn't act as creepily as she does. He was...sweet. Which was weird, considering he was an Addams. YN had this open personality which was just free and happy. He also has this side where if you mess with him, or just piss him off in any way, expect a Wednesday Addams male version. And let me tell you, you do not want him to get mad at you.

And Xavier never really cared about that. Ever since the Addams twins transferred due to...past stuff in the last school, YN caught the artist's attention. He just stood out in the family, is all.

--

FIRST DAY AT NEVERMORE

YN sucked at navigating. Wednesday left him to check out her room with her new roommate which she dreaded to have. YN's been wandering around, trying to find the principal, or just any student at all, when his eyes spotted a boy. this boy had his hair fallen down, almost reaching his shoulders. Blazer's sleeves rolled up with a paintbrush occupying his hand. He was painting.

YN walked up to him and looked at the ladder he was on and hoped that this mysterious boy would notice his presence without him needed to say anything, which didn't work.

"Hey?" YN asks, already seeming to be losing patience in a short amount of time (something the Addams have). YN failed to notice the earbuds he had on due to his beautif-- long hair. He seemed to not see the boy underneath him, until he saw a hand appear in his sight.

Taking off his earbuds and stepping off the ladder, he looked over t the person and took a good look.

"You new here? Haven't really seen you around," he asks, eyes wandering around YN's face. His eyes, which held some sort of emotion he couldn't really place a name on. His hair, plain black, yet so beautiful, such as his clothes and eyes. His lips, placed in a natural frown- Why was he looing at his lips?

"---where they are?" He was soon pulled out of his trance when he saw the soft lips he was just staring at move. Shit, had he been caught?

"Excuse me?"

"I was asking if you know where these classes are? I just transferred here and i have absolutely no idea where anything is." God, Xavier thought he was adorable. Wait, what? Xavier Thorpe, Nevermore's sappy teenager has found an interest to another person whose name he hasn't even known yet?

Xavier saw a chance and he took it. He wanted to know more about this mystery new student in his school. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to have a school crush again, am I right?

"I could give you a tour around the school, if you'd like. I'm free in about an hour." YN wasn't sure with what his answer would be. Would it be worth it? If he'd be honest, he thinks the boy in front of him was a fairly attractive man. Mind you, we get a school tour, and a chat with him.

"Sure. YN Addams.”

“YN Addams…like the Addams family?” Xavier wasn’t trying to be rude, let alone offend YN. He was just…surprised?

YN continued to ignore his question, as he waited for his name. The name he's been wanting to know since he first talked to him.

"Oh- uhm, Xavier. My name's Xavier Thorpe." Xavier Thorpe. It had a nice ring to it, if YN would be completely honest.

"I'll wait for you, Xavier Thorpe."

--

Ever since then, they've been inseparable. As so would say, "Thorpe and Addams, what an unusual pair", was now old news to them. Little did they know they've been yearning for love. Love for one another.

At this point, Wednesday had noticed. The long stares at each other when one isn't looking, their seats getting closer and closer by the day, And oh god, don't even make her think about the desperate gazes at their lips. It was like she was watching some romantic show, which she hated. A lot.

Wednesday wanted to talk to YN about this, but of course, he'd be busy because he'd be 'hanging out with Xavier at his shed', and that he'd be 'making it up to you soon, just don't worry about it, yeah?'.

Now was the perfect timing. Now with Enid gone somewhere around the school, Xavier busy being in detention, YN was just hanging out with his sister. Wednesday's been writing for the past hour, and just couldn't stop herself from asking,

"Do you find Xavier Thorpe intriguing?"

Looking up from the uninteresting book yn got from his sister’s desk, to her shadowed eyes, which held interest into her brother’s answer to her question.

“What?”

“Do you like him?” there’s no way YN is going to get away without answering her question, should he tell her? Not that she’d care, but YN was just worried. Which again, might not be an Addams trait.

“Tell him.” what?

"what?” YN repeated again. Wednesday never really took anyone’s emotions to heart, constantly just ignoring them and would sooner forget them. Why was she telling him to tell Xavier?

“Go. Tell him what he needs to be told.” it was like Wednesday was begging for her brother to leave and tell Xavier. She’s been there in the ups and downs of their friendship and she’s noticed their feelings develop into something bigger. She’d never admit it, but she really does hope it works out for her brother and her… friend?

After a long moment of silence, YN stood up from his spot and headed to the door. He could no longer feel the stare of his sisters while he walked through the empty room. A moment of gratitude was shared in the silence, they both will remember that forever.

God, YN didn’t even know what he’d say. What if he makes a complete fool of himself? Would Xavier hate him after he finds out? would he still even accept YN as a fr-

Knock, knock, knock.

YN realises he’s never left the room, he was just in front of the door, completely overthinking his whole situation. YN's forgot about Wednesday being in the room, until she pointed out that someone has knocked the door.

What YN didn't expect is that Xavier was at the door, Xavier Thorp, knocking at Wednesday addams’ room door. Why?

“Oh, hey. Figured you were here, can we talk?” Xavier wants to talk? about what? Was it the same reason YN wanted to talk to him about as well?

Walking out of the room and closing the door behind, the pair refused to look at each other. It was as if they were both nervous about something. Well, YN was. And Xavier didn’t know that, neither did YN know Xavier’s been feeling nervous ever since the start of the day.

“What’s up?” YN first spoke up. Fuck, the silence was deafening. YN just wanted to tell xavier how he feels and just kiss his soft li-

“I’ve been wanting to tell you this for a really, really long time, and I am so fucking sure you’re going to hate me for this. I just like you, like a lot. And its not just in a platonic and friendly way, I like you romantically and I just want us to be more than what we are now. You can hate me it’s fine, I just wanted to tell you-“

“Xavier-“

“About how I feel because it’s just so hard keeping my feelings when you’re being so stupidly perfect. your stupid hair, your stupid eyes, your stupid lips that I just want to fee-“

“I like you too.”

“See? I like you too! And I just hope, I just really hope that you’d- what did you just say?”

“I like you too, Xavier Thorpe.”

Wide grins were painted on the pair’s faces. So wide their cheeks were starting to hurt, but they couldn’t care less because of what just happened.

“You do?” Xavier’s eyes were going glossy, in disbelief that this is all happening. The love of his life-YN Addams, likes him back. YN nodded sheepishly, now embarrassed that Xavier knew.

“You’re going to be the death of me, YN Addams.”

Happy Birthday, Veronika Grebenshchikova!

I have a confession to make. Despite my account being themed after Min and having made several posts analyzing her... I may like Veronika just as much, if not more than Min. Ever since her introduction, this Horror Fanatic has brought a smile to my face every time she comes on screen. Literally. Whenever I see her, my face immediately splits into the dumbest grin, I just adore her far too much. There's a lot we still haven't seen about her, but in honor of her birthday, I shall give a few of the reasons I love this freak to the death, and make a sort of birthday playlist as a gift.

+The main motivation for everything she does is boredom, as stated in her conversation with Teruko on Ch 2 Ep 7. Her profile states she took on her talent to seek thrills.

+This obsession with entertainment twists her personality quite a bit. “I don't care about morals. I don’t care whether people get hurt or whether they die. I just need to be entertained”. She’s honestly such a queen.

+Her twisted morals lead to her hanging out with people based on how entertaining they are instead of, like, normal standards for hanging out with people. Arturo is example number one.

"If you become more and more irredeemable, then I'll only love you more. I want to hear all about those horrible things you did with no justification".

She would be a standard Danganronpa fan, is what I get from this line.

+She has claimed she “used to be an outdoors person”, but apparently isn’t anymore. Whether she simply got bored of the outdoors, or there was something more traumatic at play, is still unclear.

+Her profile states she likes skateboarding. I adore this fact. Why there aren’t piles of fanart where she’s skateboarding, I don’t know. Get on it, people! /j. Unless?

(Also, I like to headcanon that she used to skateboard with Whit in their time at Hope’s Peak, but she was actually really bad at it. She constantly fell on her face, but always got back up laughing her ass off)

+The upper part of her dress is black and white, colors associated with the Tragedy and horror in the DRDT universe. This is stated by Veronika herself in Ch 2 Ep 2. However, this color scheme also kickstarts what I like to call:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mastermind Bingo! Ft Veronika

>She wears black and white, like Monokuma and MonoTV.

>She gets bored easily, and it drives her actions, like Junko and especially Izuru.

>She constantly psychoanalizes people, again like Junko.

>She has childish tendencies (read: likes the playground), which can be connected back to the Warriors of Hope and Monaca.

>"If I wore contacts, a wig, and different clothes, would you recognize me?"

So, thinking a bit like Tsumugi there.

>"That's why I liked horror for such a long time. The genre seeks to elicit base, negative emotions out of you, like fear, disgust, or sadness... That's exciting"

She is one step removed from outright claiming she likes despair! What is this?!

Also, liked, horror? As in, past tense? Is that implying she doesn't feel satisfied with horror anymore?

>"But after a while, fiction is only fiction..."

You look me in the eyes and tell me that's not something Tsumugi would say. She has aspects of every main-line mastermind! I wouldn't be surprised if she starts taking notes from other fangans, I'm half expecting her to start talking about "the resurrection of Divine Luck" or something.

>And that's not even mentioning things like her quote for Mai; "A girl who didn't foresee the consequences". Right, because Veronika would be the one to get the most ominous quote after MonoTV's "It's all your fault".

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To be clear, I don’t actually think Veronika’s the mastermind. I just find it funny how incredibly suspicious she is, to the point of not being suspicious in the slightest.

+CW for self-harm for this one. It is heavily theorized her secret is "You only took on your talent to distract from your incessant need to harm yourself for fun". After all, she is one of the only remaining characters who covers her wrists and most of her body, and doing something like that "for fun"... sort of only fits Veronika, as far as we know.

+Her secret quote is: "Once something is broken, it can never be pieced together in quite the same way again. The same goes for people." Whether she's talking about herself or someone else is unclear.

+The recent Q&A confirmed the following:

•Veronika is pansexual! Congrats on getting her, pansexual community! A true win for you.

•The earing she wears (a small green triangle) was given to her by her “dearest friend”. This friend's name is apparently Alyssa Belyaeva, taking the dubious honor of having a weirder last name than even Grebenshchikova.

•Her favorite color is white with other colors, since it makes the others stand out more, and her least favorite is white by itself, since it’s “soulless”. That’s… huh. Is that meant to mean anything? Could it be she sees herself as the color white; uninteresting and boring on her own, but helps other people seem more interesting by association? Am I reading too much into this? Probably, but that’s sort of my shtick at this point.

•Her favorite ice cream flavor is funfetti. Based.

•She smells strongly like women’s perfume. I guess, why not, right? Notably, Hu smells like women’s perfume as well, but it’s apparently fainter. Doubt it means anything, but it’s there.

+Veronika can do no wrong. This is an objective truth. Slay queen (but, wait to like, chapter five. I really, really hope you don’t die at three).

And finally, like I did with Min, here's a few songs which remind me of Veronika! And as you're gonna see, my music taste sort of really aligns with the kind of songs one would assign Veronika.

CW, some of these can include topics like murder and extremely disturbing imagery.

-The Chattering Lack of Common Sense, by Ghost & Pals

-End World Normophaty, by Ghost & Pals

-Hide And Seek (English cover by Lizz Robinet), original by Ho-Ong-i

-Corrosion, by Riproducer / RIP

-Chronic Wasting Disease, by Riproducer / RIP

-The Spider and the Kitsune-Like Lion, by MASA Works (CW for this one in particular, it's really fucked up. Cannibalism, torture, necrophilia, etc)

-Hi-fi Evolution Theory, by Keu Studio (probably her character playlist song)

-What Gave it Away, by Riproducer / RIP

-Matryoshka, by Hachi

-Honey I'm Home, by Ghost & Pals

-Entomologists, by Ghost & Pals

-The Experiment, by Steampianist

-The Boy who Went to Hell, by SHUDDER

-Secrets of Wysteria, by Steampianist (CW, this one is based on real events of violent crimes)

-The Dismemberment Song, by Blue Kid

-Mad Hatter, by Melanie Martinez

-Uncanny, by Ghost & Pals

-God-ish, by PinocchioP

-I Can't Fix You, by The Living Tombstone (Veronika loves FNAF, you can’t convince me otherwise)

-Always Wanted, by MiatriSs - SayMaxWell

-The Red Means I Love You, by Madds Buckley

-Already Dead, by KittenSneeze

Alright, I'll stop there. With the final song:

-Happy Birthday! (but, like, a creepy cover or something)

👗 for Cesare (for the headcanon ask game)

So, it raises a lot of questions for me that we see Cesare brought into the asylum in the same clothing he wears for the rest of the film. Like, what is it, exactly? Pajamas? A uniform? Just a weird outfit he happened to be wearing? Whatever the case, he was wearing it before the asylum, and Caligari keeps it on him, which is interesting, because he erases every other part of his identity. Caligari changes his name, destroys his agency, and assumedly paints his face, probably erasing his memories and restricting his speech as well. So, if Caligari is so intent on remaking Cesare's entire identity to his liking (which. ew), why would he keep him in an outfit he wore before he came into his possession? Why keep any ties to the past he's trying to erase?

I think the answer is convenience and functionality. A full-body black leotard suits Caligari's purposes in many ways. For one, if Cesare is creeping around at night, he's harder to spot for anyone who happens to be outside. It doesn't restrain movement, and provides some warmth so he doesn't freeze to death. The fact that it's black hides any bloodstains, making cleanup (ew) easier after the murderers. If he's at the fair multiple days in a row and killing people at night, it also makes sense to have something that can be easily cleaned. And unfortunately, a full-body outfit and heavy makeup may also conceal any signs of physical abuse.

The outfit may also support the image of Cesare that Caligari is presenting to his audience as mysterious and enticing, and it functions as a uniform. The black and white color scheme already evokes the idea of a uniform (as seen in many traditional uniforms of the working class), enforcing the idea that Cesare is subservient to Caligari, and helps dehumanize him to the audience, along with the makeup. Cesare is wearing something completely different than everyone else, with his features also exaggerated. If he were to come out of that box in a hat and suit instead, he would appear far more out of place as an exhibit on stage; the audience may even be able to see themselves in him, and that's the last thing Caligari would want. Hell, Caligari even gets to enforce this power dynamic by wearing clothes that are closer to everyone else's, allowing him to further paint Cesare as an outsider. While Caligari's outfit evokes showmanship and respectability, Cesare's positions him as a performer.

so: the call me little sunshine mv. i think most people have probably 1) only watched that mv once, if at all, and 2) consider it to be a bit of a dud compared to some other ghost mvs. which is valid. i had only seen it once, maybe nine months ago, before i decided to watch it several more times today.

i'll level with you, i cannot tell who is playing the devil, because whoever it is is not credited on imdb. i can't even tell if it's tf or not. it might be. it might not be. i don't think it matters, but i do think it's an interesting choice to have him not be a preexisting character (or like. copia).

if you don't feel like watching it, the basic premise is that a victorian-looking woman is sitting in a train car dissociating and occasionally taking a hit off a pipe with a devil head on the end. she's high off her ass. lighting up in the middle of the day, if you will. there are some trippy sequences of a devil singing. the devil diverts the path of her train car, which then rolls onto a boat. the boat docks somewhere in a jungle, and she steps onto the dock where the devil's silhouette and a bunch of shadowy figures are waiting for her.

theme-wise, the video is definitely tied closer to the impera album theme than the song is by itself. it feels like it's touching on british imperialism and colonialism. there's a close shot of a globe in her train car that zooms in on africa. when she steps onto the dock in the jungle, she's holding that globe, and it's glowing. there's one shot of her in the window of the train car, and the glowing globe is in front of her like a sacred heart. personally, i think she's personifying british imperialism.

notably, she's not very active in the video. she moves through it looking dissociated and high, for the most part. she's distressed when the devil diverts the train car's path, leading to her final destination, but then she just lights up again and spends the rest of the video in a trance. she does not seem to be choosing where she's going or what she's doing.

so, we've got this woman who's a weirdly dissociated agent of imperialism aided by the devil. moving on.

i enjoy ruby modine's look in this video (you may know her from her iconic role as the roommate with the poison cupcake in happy death day). the top hat she's got in the train car is fun. the dress is, you know, it's giving a little bit of that party city haute couture vibe, but it's serviceable.

her color palette is interesting. a red outer layer over a black inner layer, with black gloves, socks, and shoes. what a random, meaningless assortment of clothing colors.

call me little sunshine was uploaded on january 20, 2022, preceding chapter ten: home coming and special guests, which was uploaded on march 15, 2022. chapter 10 is, of course, the debut of copia's casual look.

it's a very interesting order for these things to come out in, and it feels intentional. we have this woman traveling in a train car with a handbag beside her, then copia returns to the ministry in the first chapter video after this, wearing the same color palette, also with a handbag. both of them are agents of imperialism, both of them are being compelled onto that path by someone or something else.

i don't think it's far off to say that the call me little sunshine video could be a reflection of copia's situation and mental space in general. especially when you watch chapter ten right after it, the travel and arrival to the destination parallels feel sort of obvious.

at the very least, it's a fun connection that i never noticed before.

at the very...most, i guess, it now means that between this and the spillways dancer with the white eye, there are two impera-era videos in which a woman is paralleling copia. how about that!

Phantom bride event-Player is their last option Pt.5

Characters: Epel Felmier, Ace Trappola, Riddle Rosehearts

Self-aware au

I do not take any responsibility for you reading this no matter which age group you are from!

WARNINGS: Yandere themes, violence, murder, killing, blood, death, possessiveness, imprisonment, kidnapping, obsession

Oh dear.... oh boy....

Ok, you enter, make him think he ascended to haven because he can see you in such clothing and then crashes like a caffeine addict after they don't get enough of their stuff after realizing that... well... you are more or less a sacrifice

So, Epel is panicking, you are proposing, the world ends in his eyes

All these hours upon hours upon hours of praying just to see his God die is something he had hoped to never witness

But, oh happy day, here we are

If you were just here proposing then he would just have the urge to... uh poison and put you into a glass coffin

But congrats! He is way too scared for your safety to do that

One good thing at least....

Epel is devastated

Even if he could move he would still be absolutely useless!

A small, weak guy like himself could never change anything about the situation

And look at the competition! She is literally royalty!

But, oh well, even royalty can be disposed off

The poisoned apple is a powerfull tool after all

Do not understimate him

Once he is free again he will find a way to harm her and keep you to himself. Only him. Him. Him alone. Did I mention he will find a way to bind you to him?

Oh uh…. how about we call a doctor?

My man over here looks everything else but good

Why? Can't you see the color of his face??!

All I can say that he plans to show Crowley his opinion on sending you as the last DEFENSELESS person

He painted the roses red, And many tears the crow shed, He dare not to stop, Or spare a drop, …. (Cheesus!!! What the heck did I create here??!)

But *ahem* bloodlust aside, he is terrefied

What if you get hurt?

Or even worse, you might even mean those words!!!

And he is also at fault for your situation!!!

If only he had tried harder! If only he didn’t try to act all above and better than her...

And also, for some reason he feels like he is failing you

Not only as a friend

But also if he was someone responsible for your safety

Then again, he was raised with the believe that you are the true ruler, the hidden monarch, of the Queendom of roses

So in other words, you got a friend who will end anbody if you wish so

Oh and also, he will lock you up for your own safety. Just some unimportant information here.... RUN!

I have never seen him so pale

No joke, all the blood which rushes up to his head when he is angry (QUESTION MARK) Gone.

My man has gone pale

Red Queen? More like white Queen!

*sigh* When will I ever get in my head that the live-action… ok, moving on

But then again you could die

So his worries are somewhat understandable

If only he wouldn’t feel so guilty….

He made a promise to Draconia, to save his dorm member and failed

Now you had to pay the price for his pathetic attempt at saving Lilia

Fire is a bit useless if your opponents are ghosts….

Oh and his dreams could die just now

Riddle knew that loving the hidden monarch was a bit much even for Queendom of Roses standarts but it is what it is

The Queen likes the crow red, If he saw black instead, He’d raise a fuss, And the crow under us, Would quickly loose his head…. God, I need to stop…

Safe to say that Crowley is in danger like never before….

And maybe uh... leave the place before he forces you upon that throne back home because then that was your last free second

A Clash of Kings - 12 DAENERYS I (pages 170-184)

Dany rides through the desert on a horse with no name, finds an abandoned city, and unlocks Jorah's backstory. Jhogo makes contact with Qarth.

-

"Why should I fear Pono?" Dany objected. "He was Drogo's ko, and always spoke me gently." "Ko Pono spoke you gently," Ser Jorah Mormont said. "Khal Pono will kill you. He was the first to abandon Drogo. Ten thosuand warriors went with him. You have a hundred." No, Dany thought, I have four. The rest are women, old sick men, and boys whose hair had never been braided.

He was nice when you were his boss's wife, now you're just some lady who once tried to steal away his right to rape and slave as he liked. He's not even a bloodrider duty bound to see you safely to the dosh khaleen.

"They are mine," she said fiercely. They had been born from her faith and her need, given life by the deaths of her husband and unborn son and the maegi Mirri Maz Duur.

hmmmm... *reassesses theory on "the souls of the sacrifices used to wake the dragons being recycled into dragon souls" now with the idea that one of the dragons is ensouled by Mirri directly and not by Viserys.*

(Like, thematically and by naming convention it would make sense to be Viserys' soul, but on the other hand, he's been dead for donkey's yonks by this point.)

Her hair had all burned away in Drogo's pyre, so her handmaidens garbed her in the skin of the hrakkar Drogo had slain, the white lion of the Dothraki sea. Its fearsome head made a hood to cover her naked scalp, its pelt a cloak that flowed across her shoulders and down her back.

*gasp* Kimba! No!!! We were robbed by the show.

Their mounts subsisted on the tough brown devilgrass that grew in clumps at the base of rocks and dead trees. Dany sent outriders ranging ahead of the column but they found neither wells nor springs, only bitters pools, shallow and stagnant, shrinking in the hot sun.

yeah, sounds you are in 'dig for potable water' territory now. If you had cloth to filter it, you could filter the stagnant water, and use the dead trees to boil it clean, but in a desert like that, surface water is not what you want to be holding out hope for. You gotta dig.

"Aegon's dragons were named for the gods of Old Valyria," she told her bloodriders one morning after a long night's journey. "Visenya's dragon Vhagar, Rhaenys had Meraxes, and Aegon rode Balerion, the Black Dread. -"

Huh, neat. So named after as in those were the same names, or named after like Drogon after Drogo, with small changes?

... RIP Doreah.

Dany went to Ser Jorah one morning as they made camp amidst a jumble of black wind-scoured stones. "Are we lost?" she asked him. "Does this waste have no end to it?"

I imagine traveling exclusively by night makes navigating by stars easier, but there's no mention of it, are they legit just following the comet? How long is it going to be in the sky for? How long has it been there already?

Dany looked at the horizon with despair. they had lost a third of their number, and still the waste stretched before them, bleak and red and endless.

Not gonna lie, that's actually a better survival rate than I was expecting.

How long the city had been deserted she could not know, but the white walls, so beautiful from afar, were cracked and crumbling when seen up close. Inside was a maze of narrow, crooked alleys. The buildings were pressed close, their facades blank, chalky, windowless. Everything was white, as if the people who lived here had known nothing of color.

It would be interesting to know if the building were always only white because it reflects the light and heat, or if there was coloured paints and pigments on the walls long ago which have been long sun-bleached to whiteness, or if the Dothraki who once invaded stole everything of colour.

"What shall we seek, Khaleesi?" asked Jhogo. "Whatever there is," Dany answered. "Seek for other cities, living or dead. Seek for caravans and people. Seek for rivers and lakes and the great salt sea. Find how far this waste extends before us, and what lies on the other side. When I leave this place, I do not mean to strike out blind again. I will know where I am bound, and how best to get there."

Good girl, now that you've had the chance to stop and think you're thinking smart.

Rakharo was back first. ... Dany gave him charge of a dozen of her strongest men, and set them to pulling up the plaza to get to the earth beneath. If devilgrass could grow between the paving stones, other grasses would grow when the stones were gone. They had wells enough, no lack of water. Given seed, they could make the plaza bloom. Aggo was back next. ... Dany thanked him and told him to repair the gates. If enemies had crossed the waste to destroy these cities in ancient days, they might well come again. "If so we might be ready," she declared.

Somewhere in the multiverse, Dany and her khalasar stayed there, in their city of bones and grew into a small but prosperous little community. And no one hurt or betrayed or enslaved them ever again.

"ugly humped creatures that dwarfed any horse." CAMELS!

The pale man with the blue lips replied in guttural Dothraki, (...) The bald man with the jewels in his nose answered in the Valyrian of the Free Cities, (...) The woman in the lacquered wooden mask said in the Common Tongue of the Seven Kingdoms, (...)

That's interesting* each of the three speaking to Dany in a different language, like they're trying to appeal to a certain aspect of her through their use of the languages they share with her.

*New drinking game, y'all take a sip anytime the Reader says "that's interesting" XD

''STOP ENCOURAGING CULTURAL APPROPRIATION, BLACKFACE, AND WHITE SUPREMACYk'

Cultural appropration is a racist/bioessentialist concept just as ''female/male cultural appropriation" is sexist and bioessentialist. Both are based on the idea that because of your biological characteristics you can't do certains things. It reinforce therefore racial/sex segregation/norms.

Blackface is done with the intent to mock/caricature so someone who acquire a black skin bc they are dysphoric or sencirely want to a x color of the skin isn't doing a black face. And for you a black person who transition to japanese is what ? Doing a asiaface/japface ? And what is your opinion on drag therefore ? A womanface ?

The accusation of ''White supremacy'' is non-sensical. First is based on the idea that transracials are only white people that idenfies as black, which isn't true. White ppl can idenfy to other white enthicities and black people can identify as white and as other racialized groups (from a western perspective). Most white transracials don't even idenfy as black.. so 🤭💀

Second transracislim doesn't promotes white supremacy since it 1) doesn't have a race-hierachy 2) doesn't put at top of the hierarchy white people/culture. Your claim is bullshit and the same kind of dishonest assertion such as terfs who claim that transgenderism is male supremacy~

Btw for you a nigerian person who idenfy as arabic is what ? Deeply racist.?

Tbh the only reason I'm not deleting this and moving on with my day is because this is almost laughable-- do you seriously understand what any of those words mean, or do you just know that they're Big Important Words that make people feel guilty on reflex instead of actually making a decent argument?

Let's start at the top now, why don't we, and have a good old fashioned vocabulary lesson?

Cultural appropriation refers to the use of objects or elements of a non-dominant culture in a way that reinforces stereotypes or contributes to oppression and doesn't respect their original meaning or give credit to their source. It also includes the unauthorized use of parts of their culture (their dress, dance, etc.) without permission.

I'm going to bet that no self-respecting oppressed culture would let a delusional white teenager take the sacred elements of their culture for their Tumblr aesthetic, so that's already one point for cultural appropriation. Just scrolling through the transrace tag, I see rampant examples of people supposedly appreciating oppressed cultures while only naming off the most stereotypical aspects of them ("I figured out I was transjapanese by watching anime!"). As I stated in the last post, artificially darkening akin contributes to the fetishization of people of color, and this is perpetuated by celebrities like the Kardashians and Ariana Grande who take elements of Black, Latine, and Asian culture to profit off of without any consideration or compensation to the people who are actively discriminated against for showing these elements of their culture in public. Hairstyles, speaking another language in public, wearing traditional clothing-- for people of color, this can lead to harassment, losing their job and education opportunities, and even death, but for white people? "Oh, you're so trendy, that's so exotic of you, what a cool and original style." Cultural appropriation in action.

Bioessentialism

The belief that ‘human nature’, an individual's personality, or some specific quality (such as intelligence, creativity, homosexuality, masculinity, femininity, or a male propensity to aggression) is an innate and natural ‘essence’ (rather than a product of circumstances, upbringing, and culture). The concept is typically invoked where there is a focus on difference, as where females are seen as essentially different from males: see gender essentialism. The term has often been used pejoratively by constructionists; it is also often used synonymously with biological determinism.

So,,, y'all racists see this concept, a concept traditionally use to attack and oppress people of color, and somehow think??? That it applies to YOU?

Okay, let's pretend that is the case.

The thing about bioessentialism is that is doesn't apply to things like race, gender, or sexuality. It applies to things that are stereotyped to be associated with those things. So, Asian people being smart, men being aggressive, gay men being effeminate, etc, etc. The concept of bioessentialism is, pardon my pun, essential to TERF ideology because they believe that if you are born with a certain set of genitals, your gender is inherent, and that includes men being terrible and aggressive and predators.

Let me repeat: bioessentialism is about TRAITS being associated with things like RACE, not RACE ITSELF.

Okay, that's two down.

Blackface

dark makeup worn to mimic the appearance of a Black person and especially to mock or ridicule Black people

This one is pretty cut and dry, in my opinion. Blackface is racist. Blackface is darkening your skin to appear Black. Therefore, trying to "transition" to a Black appearance is racist.

And, believe or not, yellowface is a thing too!

Yellowface is another example of the racism prevalent in American culture. Yellowface means more than a white person wearing make-up to look Asian. It also describes the systematic bias against hiring real Asians to play Asian roles shown by white producers, directors, and others who control the depiction of Asians in popular culture through casting decisions and the propagation of racist Asian stereotypes and caricatures.

And, to be completely honest, any person of color is trying to "transition" to another race (especially to white) is suffering from some pretty severe internalized racism that they should interrogate with other people of their race who I'm sure understand what it's like to feel alienated from your culture in the deeply racist society we live in.

Good, let's see what's next on the lesson plan...

White supremacy reflects the perpetuation of a false narrative that white people are better than people with other skin colors and ethnic backgrounds. It is when those with the most power across all systems in society fail to adequately reflect the diversity of BIPOC people, and instead maintain the problematic status quo.

I can see how this would confuse you, after all, how could wanting to be another race be perpetuating a narrative of white systemic control over people of color?

After all, it's not like white supremacy contributes to the infant mortality rate in people of color thanks to the slavery-induced stereotype that Black people have higher pain tolerances and therefore don't require the full spectrum of medical attention. It's not like Black children are routinely treated as adults as soon as they enter the academic system, being punished severely for minor offenses that their white peers aren't even given time out for, which lends to the young incarceration of people of color, who are often imprisoned shortly after or even during school. It's not like naming conventions that "sound" Black or Asian or Native or Latine are routinely eliminated from job prospects without any further consideration, because of the ideal that whiteness is more desirable.

It's not like white people routinely benefit from these things without even being aware of it-- the fact that they're born, the fact that they aren't punished as frequently or severely, the fact that they get jobs easier. It's so subliminal, so subtle, and when you do become aware of it, it makes you feel guilty. Because you're getting these things while others are not, without having done anything to earn them.

It's called white guilt.

White guilt describes the guilt brought upon by "the recognition of unearned and unfair racial privileges, the acknowledgment of personal racist attitudes or behavior, and/or the sense of responsibility for others’ racist attitudes or behavior."

When you're forced to confront the racism of yourself and your family and your culture, you can feel revolted by the things that you have been associated with, just by being white. It creates a sense of alienation, a rejection of the white "culture" that is so dependent on the oppression of others, and there are often two responses to it.

You focus on unlearning your own racist behaviors and beliefs, because everyone has them, it's just a matter of how deep they've been buried by years of propaganda. You fight against white supremacy and use your privilege to uplift and defend the people of color who are making their voices heard.

You disengage from it and defend your own behavior. You blind yourself to your own racist thoughts and ideas, claiming that just because you don't act like that means you're not racist. You reject whiteness without supporting people of color, you claim colorblindness, that "we're all the same on the inside."

What transrace/trace individuals have done is the second. In attempts to confront their bigotry, they've circled back around the age-old liberal and centrist posturing, claiming that "I've never treated anyone different" even when you undoubtedly have, and just refuse to recognize the nuance and complexities of whiteness and white supremacy.

It's a part of all of us, even people of color, because we live in a society so ingrained with white supremacy and racism that it becomes the social norm. The pandemic and murders by police have opened many people's eyes to the horrors of white supremacy and how it impacts people of color on a daily basis.

For many, it was a moment of radicalization. Of realizing the true depth of corruption in our government and society that has led to making these behaviors acceptable. It was a moment of making us say "that's not okay" and learning to fight white supremacy not only externally, but internally.

For others, their denial deepened. Their blind trust in the status quo and how things are was enforced by propaganda put out by police and government officials, and they refused to use the pandemic's solitude to interrogate their biases and improve themselves.

I suppose the shorter version of all of this would be to say, if you are uncomfortable with your race, whether it be white or any other, look up some workbooks and thought exercises on white supremacy. Do the work and unlearn the things you've been told. Accept that your past is not perfect, and you may have harmed others by playing into a racist system, but you can do everything in your power from now on to prevent further harm.

And that includes pointing out that seemingly harmless cultural appropriation has a deeply racist history that continues to impact people of color to this day.

Oh and, given that Nigerian Arabic is a common Arabic dialect in Chad, something tells me that there are people out there who are indeed both Nigerian and Arabic, but it would be the cultures they were born and raised into, not the ones they chose out of fascination.

Top 5 Reason Why You Should Wear Emerald Gemstone?

Introduction What is Natural Opal? Natural opal is a type of silica that forms in the earth's crust. It occurs as a result of heat and pressure, which causes the mineral to become amorphous (without any long-range order) and translucent. The chemical composition of natural opal is SiO2(silicon dioxide), but it can also contain other elements such as water, sodium or potassium--and sometimes even iron! The Mohs scale measures hardness on a scale from 1 to 10; diamonds are rated at 10 while talc is rated at 1. Natural opals fall somewhere between 6-7 on this scale; they're fairly hard but still very fragile compared with other gems like diamonds or sapphires...which means you'll want to be careful when wearing them! Types of Natural Opal There are three main types of natural opal: black opal: White opal and fire opal. Black opals have the most color play and fire, while white opals have less color play but are still very beautiful. Black Opal: This type of natural stone has a dark background with bright flashes of color that can be seen when the stone is moved or tilted in different directions. The brightness depends on how much light it receives so it's best to keep them out in the sun as often as possible if you want them to glow brightly! White Opal: This type of natural stone has more subtle shades of blue than black or fire but still has some interesting properties when it comes to reflecting light back at us from different angles (which makes them look like they're changing colour). Fire Opal: Fire Opals are similar in appearance to Black Opals except they tend towards reds rather than blues/greens; however unlike other types there isn't any colour shift when moving around which means these stones don't require much maintenance aside from keeping them clean so dust doesn't collect on top." Effects of Natural Opal -Hope -Protection -Emotional balance -Creativity Benefits of Natural Opal Opal is known for its ability to reduce stress, anxiety and depression. It can also enhance self-confidence, clarity of thinking and creativity. Uses of Natural Opal Natural opal has many uses. It can be used in jewelry, feng shui, crystal healing and home decor. Care and Cleaning of Natural Opal Avoid harsh chemicals. Abrasive cleaners and solvents are not recommended for opal as they can damage the surface of your stone. Clean with lukewarm water and mild soap. If you do not have access to distilled water, use bottled spring or distilled water instead of tap water when cleaning your opal jewelry. Dry with a soft cloth to prevent spotting or staining from moisture trapped between the stone and metal setting (if applicable). Mineral oil or baby oil may be used periodically on the backside of an unset opal to prevent cracking due to dehydration if you live in a dry climate such as Arizona where there is little humidity in winter months when temperatures drop below freezing point at night time but rise above it during day time hours when sun shines brightly overhead without much cloud cover overhead so it's impossible for rain clouds overhead--which would provide some relief from dryness if they were present--to give off any moisture drops which might otherwise fall down onto earth's surface below ground level where we live here in order avoid getting too hot under direct sunlight exposure during daytime hours only leaving us exposed without any protection against heat radiation coming directly down onto our heads causing potential damage over time through prolonged exposure until eventually causing brain cell death resulting ultimately lead death. 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Why Blue sapphire is the most Powerful Gemstone? - Can I wear Emerald stone (Panna) without consultation? - Unheated Ruby vs. Heated Ruby Opal For you - 16.12 Carat Oval Shape Natural Fire Opal Rated 5.00 out of 5 ₹32,000.00 ₹16,120.00 - Natural 13.75 carat 14.90 Ratti Opal stone GII India certified Rated 5.00 out of 5 ₹10,999.00 ₹5,125.00 - 10.50 Carat Cushion Shape Natural Fire Opal Rated 5.00 out of 5 ₹100,000.00 ₹52,500.00 Contact Us FIND YOUR BEST STONE FROM BELOW COLLECTION Blue Sapphire Yellow Sapphire Emerald Ruby Opal Amethyst Catseye Blue Topaz Yellow Topaz Feroza Garnet Malachite Pearl Red Coral Akik White Coral Peridot Citrine Aquamarine Round CVD Cushion CVD Oval CVD Princess CVD Heart CVD Emerald CVD Radiant CVD Asscher CVD Baguette CVD Pear CVD Marquise CVD Round HPHT Cushion HPHT Oval HPHT Princess HPHT Heart HPHT Emerald HPHT Radiant HPHT Asscher HPHT Baguette HPHT Pear HPHT Marquise HPHT 1 Mukhi 2 Mukhi 3 Mukhi 4 Mukhi 5 Mukhi 6 Mukhi 7 Mukhi 8 Mukhi 9 Mukhi 10 Mukhi 11 Mukhi 12 Mukhi 13 Mukhi 14 Mukhi 15 Mukhi 16 Mukhi 17 Mukhi 18 Mukhi 19 Mukhi 20 Mukhi 21 Mukhi Gauri Shankar Garbh Gauri Shankar Savaar Sidhha Mala Jaap Mala Indra Mala Ganesha Ganesha Read the full article

Since I was a child I make things with hair. I grew up in a 3 streets/9 blocks town. We had no traditional art materials other than a 5 colored pencil box. I had the impulse to create and I did it with whatever material I had. I made drawings with my hair or objects with it. Even thou I started to use hair just as an available material, as it was also soil, for instance, through life I naturally developed it as a metaphorical material: hair was for me a metaphor for life and death. As life, as nature, hair grows as it grows the branches and leaves of a tree. It has an element of vitality [vita/life]. Hair holds sensuality and eroticism.  Hair holds a dichotomy of life and death: if attached to the body it is inviting to the touch and has a quality of sensuality that is undeniable, once cut, it immediately causes aversion to the touch. The inviting sensuality of it is such that, once a religious vow is done in many religions the hair is shaved to show renouncement to the pleasures of the world. It is a renouncement of the body, to eroticism. “Eroticism is the approve of life even in death” [George Bataille].  In the place where I was born, there was 1 cemetery, where one could buy a grave. The ones that could not afford a grave were laid in some designated graves and, after a time, their graves were opened and their remains were thrown in a collective grave. It was a concrete grave, a concrete box covered by a ‘lage’ of two concrete tops. I, and other children, liked going there when the collective grave was opened and the dead were thrown in it. Sometimes we scared each other by making hairballs and throwing them at each other.  We knew anyone in that 9 blocks city and recognized them by their hair.  In the collective grave, I would always look for Maria. Maria liked beads. When I found her body in the water well, I recognized her by her beads before the men pulled her body from it. I made her a necklace and throw it in the collective grave. Hair stands for me for humans, for individuals, and for the collective. 

Later in life I moved to São Paulo. I was in theater, and I created a hair rosary for a play: Olimpo dos Orixás, written by Jayme Compri, where I performed Mainha, a cabocla [indigenous + black + white] spiritual leader from Brasilândia. While doing research on that play and in Brazilian religious syncretism, I thought again of hair as the material that was significant. That necklace rosary was to signify the collective spiritual and also the loss of unity due to the imposed religiosity in terms of power. Due to having worked with Eugênio Barba, founder of the International School of Anthropological Theater during the International Theater Festivals in Brazil, I got interested in how theater and art, in general, were recording, in an anthropological way, culture and time. I had not seen art in a context of a gallery or museum until I was 19 and moved to São Paulo and visited the Museu de Arte de São Paulo. I was fascinated but it. I questioned what all that represented and how that related to my world. I got inhibition to create after seeing that art done with oil paints and bronze. They were expensive materials. In 1998-2002 I lived in United States and visited other museums. I was amazed and shocked by Pre-Columbian Art. That art, so called artifacts, were of a different art material and looked down on a scale of power. It was difficult being an indigenous descendant and seeing that art from that perspective and loss. At that time, I got interested in visual arts. I could not transfer my undergrad studies from Brazil to the US to study arts, so I transferred and adapted it to an Interdisciplinary Studies degree. When talking about Brazilian syncretism and defending papers for class lectures in I used my Rosary made from hair again to talk about Brazilian Afro and Indigenous syncretic Religions and its effects on art. I created other objects from hair at that time, after seeing burial cloths in pre-columbian galleries, especially in 1999 when I visited the Metropolitan Museum. I got interested in using hair as a cloth material, but was discouraged due to the repugnance that it causes.

When living in the Andes of Peru, in Baños del Incas and Cajamarca, in 2005, the materials of my childhood that were natural to me became again my material -- since I did not have a Eurocentric pressure in relation to art. I started to create freely. That direct connection with cultures that had been creating art in pre-Columbus, pre-colonialism, was very liberating! While teaching theater in an international school, I asked some campesinos [indigenous descendants of the Andes] to learn their art. Upon returning to the United States and, again visiting pre-Columbian art galleries in museums, and while seeing those objects old or reproduced, and while not seeing art by indigenous peoples' descendants in modern or contemporary galleries, I saw how our art-history was inexistent. The effects of colonialism were also felt in our possible/impossible participation in the arts. I became a volunteer to give tours of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. While a European descendant could find a concise art-history timeline, an indigenous descendant could not. At the same time, I started a non-profit to help the inclusion of Latinos, indigenous descendants mostly, in the arts. I, we, would became invited to participate in the arts during Heritage Month only. Many artists struggled to be included. Many were creating in their own tradition and that too became a difficulty to be accepted. Even thou I was always creating, it was not my intention to enter in a career of being an artist. I liked to create and created with my own my materials -also due to the lack of funds to use more 'noble' materials. They were not meant to be seen. Many times, I made drawings with my hair. My first work shown in a gallery was made from hair [in photo: Eaves" 2011]. It was an invitation to participate at the 6th Biennial International Miniature Invitational Think Small at Art Space in Richmond, VA . My work was featured in an article by Amy Richie, due to the curiosity to that material choice and her eyes as an art-historial to associate it with Ingres. That European connection was still a reference to seeing the art, in that case done by me not intending that connection. In 2011 I created other works with hair. In 2013 I created an installation, "Fodder::Beauty" at Art Space which I did with hair again to comment on women, beauty, and feminicide. 

When allowed, rewarded my very first solo exhibition by the Taubman Museum, I search for funds for art, but that is always rewarded to the same groups, or for institutionalized artists being rewarded by institutions. As an artist and indigenous descendant, I understood from all angles the process of a historical exclusion that had created the impossible art-history timeline for our artists. I decided to create my solo exhibition mostly from hair. In “HAVE YOU SEEN the Dark Parrot” I propose a dialogue on the connections of historic and contemporary UNSEEN cultures lost under a disempowered art-history, consumed as othering objects, and the connection to issues such as the UNSEEN women of indigenous descendant consumed or sold as fetishized objects. I used hair as my material for a human element and/or a collective urn.

[photos: “Eaves” 2011, “Altar Cloth” detail 2022, “Barbara Ora, Rosary” [1993, 1999, 2011] 

56 of 2022

I have Traveled To: More than three states in the US Mexico Canada A place that starts with the letter L Austria An island A big city Anywhere in Africa Japan A place where English is not the main language Anywhere in the southern hemisphere India Netherlands

I Have Read: Any of the Bible At least two Harry Potter books The entire Twilight series Catch-22 Animal Farm A Dr. Seuss book Instructions to a piece of Ikea information A warning label that made me laugh A biography/autobiography Dante’s Inferno A Chuck Palahniuk book A newspaper in the last week Something that made me cry

I Like to Eat: Spam Mexican food Brussell sprouts Onions Watermelon Vegan food Bacon Chocolate New things Escargot Hummus Haggis Indian food Home cooking Fast food

My Favorite Actors Include: Mark Wahlberg Morgan Freeman James Franco Leonardo DiCaprio Robert DeNiro Samuel L. Jackson Chris Hemsworth Elijah Wood Johnny Depp Steve Buscemi Robin Williams Jack Black Channing Tatum

I Have Listened to These Bands: Taylor Swift AC/DC Jay-Z Frank Sinatra Pink Floyd Fall Out Boy Incubus No Doubt The White Stripes Skrillex Tenacious D Metallica Britney Spears Ke$ha The Beatles

I Have/Had These Pets: Dog Cat Horse Bird Hamster Lizard Snake Guinea Pig Goat Fish Mouse Spider Pig Hedgehog Ferret

I Have Seen These Movies: Fifth Element Gone With the Wind Nightmare Before Christmas High School Musical Kickin’ It Old School Casablanca Predator White Men Can’t Jump AVATAR 12 Years A Slave Saving Private Ryan MASH Mamma Mia! Dark Shadows Riding In Cars With Boys

If I Could Have A Super Power, I Would Choose: Mind control Mind reading Teleportation Flying Bullet-proof Speed Super-strength Invisibility All-Knowing X-Ray vision Freeze-touch Time traveling Invulnerability Telekenisis

I Am Scared of: Clowns Heights Spiders Open spaces Small spaces Vacuums Snakes Needles Strangers Michael Myers Bugs Tiny holes Highways Germs Police

My Favorite Color Is: Red Yellow Orange Green Blue Purple Gray Black Brown White Pink

I Am Currently Wearing: A t-shirt A hoodie Capris Shoes A bra Make-up Perfume Deodorant Hat Something with a superhero/symbol on it Nail polish Scarf Pajamas Boxers Sweatpants

I Would Describe My Best Friend As: Bossy Intelligent Promiscuous Funny Whiny Honest Reliable Loyal Lazy Adventurous Unique Complicated Open-minded Well-read

In the Last 24 Hours, I Have: Read Drank alcohol Had sex Eaten meat Danced in public Went swimming Changed my clothes more than once Said something mean Cleaned Spent money on something pointless Sang aloud Met someone new Played a game of some sort

Things In the Room With Me Now Are: A TV Another person Something that belongs to a child A pet Food Bed Art Clock not connected to a phone/computer A mirror Medicine Books Drugs or alcohol

The Last Person I Texted Is: My significant other Someone who sucks at spelling A different race than me A relative Someone I don’t really like Someone I went to high school with My best friend A person I work with At home In the room with me Knows more than one language Is female Is under the age of 21 Someone I live with

I Am For: Abortion Death penalty Amnesty Gun control Gay marriage Prayer in school War in the middle east Marijuana legalization Banning cigarettes in public places Higher taxes Higher minimum wage Standardized testing Lowering the legal age for drinking

I Have Committed These Crimes: Jaywalking Smoking weed Shooting heroin Shoplifting Breaking & entering Public intoxication Hit & Run Speeding Opening someone else’s mail without their permission Burglary Vehicular manslaughter Lying under oath Truancy

I Took These Classes In High School: // we have no choice in Europe, though Home Ec Physics Photography Criminal Justice Journalism Debate Creative Writing Art Music Theory Philosophy French Theater Choir Psychology

What I Watch On TV: Reality shows about celebrities Game shows News Reruns of classic shows Award shows Modern Family Doctor Who Scandal Infomercials HSN MTV Singing competitions Cooking shows Traveling shows

hermes crocodile birkin 29

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the REAL scary part of this episode

I know we’re all excited about Luka secretly knowing the truth, and how hilarious CrocoJagged was, but this episode dropped a much, much more subtle bomb that scared me more than anything. I’ve already seen people talking about it so some of this will be repeated, but allow me to lay some puzzle pieces out on the table.

This. This drawing. What. The. Heck. Is. This. Adrien’s blue eyed mother and green eyed, brown haired, smiling father? Something is super fishy.

I saw someone mention Adrien’s line in Simon Says, “you’ve got her eyes”. I’m aware that this line is very different in different dubs, but in English, he tells Ladybug that her eyes remind him of his mother. Ladybug’s blue eyes. We were all so confused by why he would say this, but I think we finally got our answer. It was just a subconscious slip of the tongue on his part, and he didn’t even realize anything was wrong, but oh boy could it mean everything.

After seeing all this is I was shaken and I started re-evaluating everything we know about Adrien’s family. First up: when have we actually seen Emilie in the show?

And here I noticed something that looks like it could be very clever trickery. We can probably safely say that she did indeed star in Solitude as the opening credits of the film suggest. But. Everything related to this movie is in black and white. Interesting. When else do we see Emilie? In a coffin. With her eyes closed.

And here, in Andre’s repressed dreams box? We’d assume that that’s the same person, but notice the black blazer.

Just the type Amelie Graham de Vanily wears. Who has green eyes. And looks identical to her deceased sister. And even has an oddly similar name. And just so happens to be conniving, scheming about something that we don’t know about yet aside from it being related to the twin rings. Let’s pull up some pictures of Emilie from around the Agreste household.

All green-eyed and white blazer-ed. This is the woman who Gabriel looks up at obsessively, who holds Adrien’s hand and makes him smile... but who is she?

Here are some statements I believe to be true:

There is a blue eyed woman and a green eyed woman

There is a white blazer woman and a black blazer woman

The blue eyed woman is Adrien’s mother

The green eyed woman served as a mother figure to Adrien and a partner to Gabriel

There is a green eyed, black blazer wearing woman alive and scheming against Gabriel

We don’t know the eye color of the dead woman, but her blazer is white

Let me also bring to attention Amelie’s son, Felix, who looks exactly like Adrien, and Felix’s recently deceased father, who is a mystery.

I don’t have any solid theories as to what this suspiciousness all adds up to, but here are some ideas:

Emilie and Amelie have such similar names because sometimes, when we think someone is saying the name of one, they’re actually referring to the other and hiding it in plain sight

The woman in the opening scene of Solitude is Amelie, not Emilie, the main star

The woman in the coffin has blue eyes, thus is Adrien’s true mother

Kinda crack-y: The five-petaled brooch on the white blazer is a disguised miraculous. All charged miraculous have five separate sections, and the butterfly and peacock, both in the possession of the Agrestes, are brooches. We know Gabriel sells a copy of this design in his store since it became Vanisher’s akuma object, and the only other jewelry design we’ve seen from him has been a copy of the fox miraculous.

Cont. I’m not sure if we’ve ever seen the peacock miraculous actually disguised on Gabe, but it’s possible that either the jewel in the cabinet is his disguise mode and the flower is the green eyed woman’s, OR that’s her disguised peacock miraculous and the one she’s wearing in the photo is her disguised butterfly.

The blue eyed woman used to wear a black blazer, and the green eyed woman used to wear a white blazer, but after the blue eyed woman’s death, she was dressed in the other’s clothing and the green eyed woman donned her clothes and replaced her

The deceased man Felix calls his father is the green-eyed man Adrien remembered in his wish

I know how much you guys love hearing sentimonster theories, but the show is clearly foreshadowing something here, that’s undeniable. The peacock miraculous has been in the family for what, fifteen years? At some point it was used until it broke, and supposedly that’s what killed the woman in the coffin. What do we have here? Two boys with different parents who look exactly the same, two women who look exactly the same save for one trait, twin rings shrouded in mystery that the GdV family really wants back for some reason, a devoted bodyguard who never speaks, an even more devoted secretary who’s been around forever and whose last name means “without a heart”, a blue eyed man obsessed with serving and protecting a woman to the point of madness, and last but not least, the fifteen-ish y/o boy who doesn’t remember his childhood and feels like he was literally made to be his parents’ image of perfection.

It could even be more than one of them. You know that whole thing about how kids can only use the special power once, but adults don’t have that limit? Maybe making one true human using the miraculous is enough to break it, but maybe it’s not. Maybe you need to really exert it to hit that barrier.

This is all just me spitballing, so I’d love to hear other people’s ideas, but there is, without a doubt, something mad suspicious going on with these people. Keep in mind that I also don’t remember every line of dialogue from the show. There could be stuff disproving me, or stuff that was cleverly said in a vague way on purpose to hide the truth. Otherwise, I hope the episode Gabriel Agreste could shine some light on our missing puzzle pieces such as the rings, the movie Solitude, the mysterious Tsurugi family, and even the Bourgeois.

ii. secret.

read on ao3

Lena Luthor dies a villain.

Her death took out half the population in the vicinity. A blinding white light piercing through the National City skyline. A deafening boom heard 5 cities over. An explosion so great, even Supergirl was knocked dead.

And so, Lena Luthor dies a villain.

Alone and young. And so, so bitter. An accomplice and ally to Lex Luthor.

Some would even say she was a greater, far more cunning, far more terrifying force than Lex.

There were rumors that the woman had magic at the end of it all. That no one person could be capable of that much destruction without the help of something inhuman.

But well, rumors were all it can be, especially when all possible witnesses perished along with the Luthors.

******

Weeks later, Andrea Rojas holds a memorial event for Lena Luthor; protesters burn the venue to the ground.

Months later, Supergirl returns to the world. More radiant than ever. More alive than ever. Stronger. Better.

Years later, National City recovers fully from the whole catastrophe.

Supergirl is reported to most frequently be seen in the memorial square for the fallen victims. A dozen paparazzi pictures of the caped heroine quietly walking, sometimes whispering under breath.

Praying, somebody on a CatCo article comments. She’s always praying whenever we see her there.

****** The closet doors burst open and out steps Alex Danvers.

A colorful stream of expletives coming right along with her, “Fuckin’ fur coats, goddamn hangers, fucking hitting me in the face—”

“Took you long enough,” a familiar voice greets her, “where the hell have you been? And why are you so...dirty? If you track mud on my carpet I swear to God, Alex—”

“I was cleaning your grave, okay?” she snaps, setting down a bucket filled with various cleaning supplies, that Lena’s just now noticing, on said carpet.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Alex huffs about, crossing her arms, “You don’t have to make a big deal about it. I don’t want to do it again, it’s a bitch for my back pain. I was just pissed about the graffiti. You’d think people would have better manners than defacing the grave of a dead woman. If only they—”

“Thank you, Alex,” she cuts her off, a shy smile gracing her face. She really doesn’t want to hear about the rest of it. And if Alex doesn’t want to make a big deal out of it, then no big deal shall be made.

“There’s coffee in the kitchen,” she says then, and Alex just nods, grabs her bucket of supplies again and turns to leave.

Although not before saying, “Remind me again why you let Kara win? With the portal?”

Lena just shrugs, dark hair escaping out of her messy bun at the movement.

“She said she’s always wanted to go to Narnia.”

Alex shakes her head, rolls her eyes, “Whipped.”

And well, that sounds about right.

******

There’s a documentary on Netflix about the Luthors. Lena’s face in black and white, on the preview banner, a big red X drawn over it.

Kara snaps the remote in half.

Lena reaches over the blanket, grabs her hand, flicks the TV off with only a swish of her fingers and a glitter of sparks.

“C’mere,” she says, tugging gently, till she has a lapful of Krytonian draped over her. Lena traces her fingers over the crinkle between Kara’s brow, smooths them out, thumb dragging across lips till it pulls to a soft smile.

“We know the truth,” she tells her, “and that’s enough.”

“It’s not fair.”

Nothing ever is.

******

“How’re the kids?” She asks, one hand whisking eggs, the other holding the bowl steady.

“Oh, you know, asking me a thousand silly questions a day. Driving Alex crazy. Never letting me sleep. They’re perfect, really,” Kelly says, and Lena hums in response. Before she catches Kelly popping a blueberry in her mouth, a crime punishable by Lena Luthor’s death stare.

“Those are for the muffins.” A foam covered whisk points dangerously to Kelly’s chest.

She raises both arms in surrender, palms opening, dropping the remaining three blueberries onto the counter.

“You know, I’ve seen you do it a thousand times, yet it still doesn’t fail to surprise me.”

Lena concludes she’s talking about the baking tray hovering in the air, a feet away from them, greasing itself. Or maybe it’s the soup at the stove with a ladle stirring itself.

“What can I say,” Lena quips, smirking, “I’m magical like that.”

******

Andrea finds her on a Tuesday.

One minute Lena is reading quietly on her front porch, the next, there is an explosion of sound in her living room. She throws open her door, magical energy sizzling at her fingertips.

The sight that greets her stops her in her tracks. Acrata pinning Supergirl down, their coffee table destroyed. She sighs internally, she loved that coffee table. It was a wedding gift from Nia and Brainy.

“I knew it,” Andrea whispers, her grip slackens around the hero's throat. She stands up slowly, as if afraid that if she moved too fast Lena would disappear. She leaves Supergirl gasping on the floor; materializes in front of Lena in a cloud of black smoke.

“I knew it. I knew it. I knew it.” She sobs into Lena’s blouse, arms wrapped tightly around her. Lena embraces her on instinct, her eyes closing briefly, before opening up again to check on Kara dusting herself off.

“Andrea,” Lena croaks, “you can’t tell anyone.”

You can’t tell anyone I’m alive. You can’t tell anyone how I tricked Lex, how I saved Supergirl, how I saved National City.

“Nobody will know,” Andrea promises her.

******

There is a cottage by the woods that nobody else sees, where every Sunday a blonde woman rips apart pieces of wood with her bare hands, where a pale woman with even paler hands grows crops from the barren earth within seconds, where the closet hides cities instead of clothes, where a dead woman and a hero spend their lives in bliss.

******

It has been ten years, her hair is more gray than blonde now, her skin more wrinkled than smooth, her hearing though? Her hearing is still better than ever. And it has been ten years since she’s heard that tell-tale whoosh of a cape, it’s been a decade and still, the sound brings her the same thrill, the same adrenaline.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, Supergirl? Or should I say, Superwoman, now?”

And oh-

She did not come alone.

Lena Luthor is set gently down on the balcony.

If Cat Grant wasn’t Cat Grant, she’s sure she would’ve already suffered a heart attack from the mere sight of a woman long dead standing breathing and alive in her home. She would’ve shrieked and demanded answers.

“I need a favor,” Kara tells her, stalking closer, hand on her hip. Cat would’ve laughed at that if this were some other time. No need to play the intimidating game with me, Kiera, she would’ve said.

“What is it?”

“I need you to break a story,” she tells her. “You, Cat. I want you, and nobody else to cover this.”

Cat raises her brow at that, she already has an inkling as to what the story might be about.

“A story hmm? This better be good, if I’m to come out of retirement for it.”

This time it’s Lena Luthor who speaks. Cat has been dying to hear what she has to say.

“It’ll be good," she promises her, "It’ll be better than good."

Kara crowds closer to Lena, then; wraps a protective arm on her waist. Cat watches frozen as Lena's index finger lights in flame. What a sight they make.

"You’ll be telling the entire world the last Luthor’s secret.”

𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒍

summary ─ “i’m so glad that we came across to each other,” bucky said. “it really felt nice to catch up with you, to talk to you.”

pairing ─ fuckboy!teacher!bucky barnes x reader

warnings ─ fluff, seeing each other after yeeeears later, coffee shop conversations, catching up, EPILOGUE

a/n ─ i said i wasn’t sure about writing this but i couldn’t stop myself because i want this soft and sweet closure for them without tears lol. thank you for all the love you’ve given me throughout this trilogy series. i’m really thankful. also i’m sorry for making y’all cry a lot djhfdjhf. this is the epilogue. hope you like it. please leave a comment if you do! thank you! i love you all <3

previous part ─ series masterlist

  TEN YEARS LATER

You exhaled a sigh of relief as you threw yourself into your favorite coffee shop, finally getting the chance to escape from the scorching heat of the sun. Stepping away from the door, you closed your eyes for a second. The cool breeze of the air conditioning was hitting your face so nicely, you felt like you could cry.

Shivering lightly, you opened your eyes and walked towards the short line in front of the register. You deserved a grande coffee after the very busy day you had. Your eyes were hurting slightly because you’ve been looking at the computer screen for hours now.

“Thank fuck the weekend is here,” you murmured to yourself as you fished your wallet out. You heard the guy in front of you humming in an approving way, and you froze for a second. “I should have whispered,” you said, and the guy chuckled this time. Grimacing to yourself, you decided to shut up.

As you waited for your turn, you started to watch people around you. Everyone was either tired-looking or way-too-jittery-looking because of all the caffeine and sweets. Most of them had come here with a friend, you realized and frowned lightly. Inhaling the freshly brewed coffee smell deeply, you moved your eyes to the guy in front of you.

He was tall. He had dark brown, mid-length hair, it was a bit longer than mid-length, though, you noted. He had whites peppered in it, and it looked good. He had a navy colored suit on him. The suit jacket was hugging his broad shoulders very nicely, and the suit pants he had on was complimenting his thick thighs. You hummed silently to yourself. You moved two steps forward, eyes still on the guy, as the people on the register was done with their order. It was the guy’s turn.

“Hello,” he murmured, and you felt a lick of familiarity. “Can I get a black coffee, grande?” You frowned. The guy’s voice was familiar. You watched him grabbing a small protein bar. “And this.” The boy at the register nodded as he punched in the order, and the guy in front of you pulled his wallet to pay.

You saw the hand tattoo. Your eyes widened.

“Name?” The boy asked. The guy looked up briefly.

“James.” You watched his hand as he pulled out some money and gave them to the boy. He was wearing the rings from─

“Bucky?” You asked, surprise audible in your voice. Bucky startled, his shoulders went stiff and he turned around. His baby blue eyes bored into yours as they widened with surprised.

“Y/N?” He breathed. “Oh my God.” You let out a chuckle.

“There you go,” the boy said, handing out the extra money. Bucky cursed lightly as he took the money and stepped aside. Just as he opened his mouth, his name was called. You saw him clenching his jaw. Your smile widened. “What can I get you?” You blinked, returning to the real world.

“Cappuccino, grande. Non-lactose milk, please. No foam,” you said your order and handed out the money. The boy nodded. “Y/N,” you gave him your name without him asking for it. The boy worked quick; he told your order and gave your cup to the barista and handed some of your money back. You bid him good day before you walked towards where Bucky was still standing.

Goddamn, you thought. He looked good.

The whites in his hair were also in his stubble, covering his chin slightly. He looked grown, albeit a bit older, and the crinkles around his eyes made him look more handsome than he normally was.

“Holy crap, Y/N,” Bucky said, his eyes moving up and down on your body. “I can’t believe you still look as gorgeous as before.” You chuckled, feeling the heat rushing to your cheeks after literal years. “Not that I expected you to look bad, by the way,” he said, rolling his eyes. You smiled. You grabbed your coffee when barista called out for you and turned to Bucky.

“Wanna recharge together in one of those tables?” You asked, pointing at the coffees. Bucky chuckled and nodded.

“Of course!” He said. “I would love to.”  

Both of you walked towards an empty table near the café windows. After you settled, you looked at him. He looked happy, you realized. He didn’t look haunted or sad anymore. He looked healthy and happy if not a little tired.

“You look great,” you said softly. “You don’t look so… sad anymore.” Bucky smiled. Taking a sip from his coffee, he nodded lightly.

“I’m… good,” he decided to say. “I swore not to lie to you again and I’m not gonna start that now,” he chuckled. “I wasn’t so good after our last talk, but time helped.” Bucky shrugged, his fingers were playing with his coffee cup. “I had time to focus on myself, and then my job. It kept me busy but also gave me some time to heal. So, I’m good.”

You smiled fondly at him. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear that,” you murmured. “You deserve to be good, Bucky. I’m glad you’re now. I just hope you’ll be better soon.” You watched him blush, your smile widened and turned soft.

Bucky shook himself and straightened up on his seat. “Tell me what you’ve been up to,” he said, excitement shining in his eyes. “I haven’t seen you for ten years. Are you a cat mom or dog mom or a real one?” You let out a surprised laugh.

“Bold of you to assume I want to be a mother, Buchanan,” you deadpanned. Bucky grinned toothily. “…I have a cat,” then you added. Bucky chuckled.

“Knew it,” he said, snapping his fingers. You rolled your eyes. “’s fine. I have an asshole for myself waiting me at home.” He rolled his eyes like you. “I swear he hates me and wants to kill me, but he doesn’t because I feed him.” You laughed, almost snorting out your cappuccino. Bucky grimaced at himself and then chuckled.

“Murderous cats,” you muttered. “I had an encounter with them once or twice.” You nodded seriously. “She tried to trip me and scared me to the death, so.” Bucky giggled. “She’s the cutest, though.” Bucky smiled. He knew that feeling all too well. You sighed.

“How’s teaching? I see that you kept your tattoos, but goodbye piercings?” You asked, eyebrows high on your forehead. Bucky grunted. It wasn’t a happy sound.

“Apparently, me having piercings might provoke the students to get the same look? They told that I cover my tattoos with my clothing but can’t hide my piercings, so they had to go. ‘s bullshit.”

“…It is,” you agreed because it was. “Your hand and neck tattoos are visible, and they were troubled with your piercings? Yup, bullshit.” He grunted again and sipped his coffee.

“Love the students, though,” he added without you asking. “They’re dumb sometimes and goofy almost all the time, but I love them.” He smiled. You could see that he really did love his students. He was great with children ─shocking, yes─ and seeing him being happy with his work was making you happy.

“I’m glad to hear that. You were weirdly good with kids,” you said, looking at him over your coffee. Bucky narrowed his eyes. “It was cute, don’t get me wrong. I just didn’t expect from someone who looked the way you did back in college and be good with kids. I was shocked when I learned that you were going to be a teacher.” Bucky snorted.

“I love teaching,” he defended himself with a faux-offended face. You grinned. “I enjoy telling them things that make them go ‘wow’ and love seeing them use what I taught.” He shrugged. “How is editing?”

“Ughhhh,” you groaned. “Don’t get me started.” He looked at you, eyes wide and half-grin visible on his face.

“Oh, okay,” he said and then giggled. “I feel like you have a lot of feelings bottled up in there.” He pointed your head, and you grunted like he did a couple minutes ago.

“People who don’t even know punctuation are sending me their works, and they are brave enough to tell me that they wanted it published.” Grunting even more, you sipped your coffee. “It’s a pain to read all the cringy, too fast moving works and editing. It feels like I’m re-writing their whole work.” Bucky frowned slightly, tilting his head to his side.

“Why do you work there, then?” He asked. “You could go back to school and do something extra? Or become a professor there?” You eyed him.

“I’ve been thinking about that for some time, now, to be honest,” you admitted. It wasn’t a lie; you were thinking about going back to school and maybe spend a couple years there and start teaching. “Been looking up my options. I’m still not quite sure, but the idea is there.”

“Well,” Bucky said, draining his coffee. “Let me know. I might be able to help in some way, maybe.” You smiled.

“Thank you, Bucky,” you murmured. He sent you a cheeky wink. “Tell me more!” You exclaimed. “You told me you’re a cat dad, what else?”

“I’m an uncle,” he said and then wiggled on his seat because it still made him giddy. “I have like two nieces now, my sisters like to procreate.” You chuckled. “Oh, do you know Sam Wilson?” You frowned.

“From Psychology Department?” He nodded. “Yeah, I saw him a couple times.” Putting your cup aside, you leaned forward. “What about him?”

“He got married to Natasha, the Russian Literature girl? The one that we both found scarily hot?” Giggling, you nodded. He grinned. “Well, they’re married now, and have a daughter.”

“No shit,” you said.

“Yes shit,” Bucky kept grinning. “Steve’s gonna get married in two months. Someone called Sharon Carter─”

“Wait, is her aunt Peggy Carter?” Bucky frowned, but nodded. “Holy shit, I work at Carter Publishing. She’s my boss.” Bucky laughed.

“Okay, nice coincidence,” he murmured.

“Damn,” you whispered, making him laugh again. “Give me more gossip, please. I’m obviously hiding under a rock.” Smiling, Bucky leaned forward on the table, too.

“Alright, hear me out.”

─

You talked about everything and anything for hours.

Bucky talked about his job, about his students and his plans for future which included going back to school and becoming a professor or something, so that he could teach at a university. He also said that he was going to miss his ‘high school dumbasses’, but he wanted to become better at what he was doing. He also talked about his siblings, he had three sisters, and his parents a little. He showed you a couple pictures of his cat, a very pretty white cat named Alpine, and his parent’s dogs, two German Shepherds.

“They’re so handsome,” you exclaimed when you saw them. Bucky chuckled.

“They are,” he agreed. “They’re also old.”

“Bleh,” you blurted, making him laugh. You felt a satisfying, warm bubble building up in your chest as you bit your lip and watched him laugh. Your feelings for him were still there, still present. You never stopped loving him, and you knew you were always going to love him. He was the one for you, but your story wasn’t meant to be end together. You knew and accepted that now.

You told him about your life, your job and future plans, too. You talked about your doubts about going back to school, and Bucky somehow helped you soothe them. He encouraged you, told you that you were going to be amazing and it wasn’t late for you to go back to school. You thanked him as you moved onto talk about your cat. You showed him a picture like he did to you.

“You have a Siamese!” He cried out. “Damn, he is handsome.” You chuckled.

“He is, but he’s the biggest asshole I’ve ever known,” you grumbled. Bucky giggled.

“Hey, cats are cats. They meant to be assholes,” he said.

“Hear, hear.” Both of you chuckled.

The silence fell between you was a happy and content one. You talked about things, made each other laugh and smile, and both of you saw that how much the other had grown. It was nice. Seeing him was nice.

“I know I apologized before, but I want to apologize again,” Bucky murmured softly after a while of silence. “I’m sorry for making you cry and for hurting you. You didn’t deserve any of the shit I put you through. I was an asshole, I know and see that now,” he added. “I’m so sorry, Y/N.” You smiled. Reaching out, you held his warm and large hand. The sense of familiarity consumed you.

“I have forgiven you years ago, James,” you murmured as softly as he did. He squeezed your hand. “Things happened, but both of us were still children.” Your smile became a little sad. “Obviously, we weren’t meant to be. I wish we were, though. I wish we were meant to be, but we are not. It’s okay. You’ve apologized before and owned up your mistakes. Thank you. I forgive you.” Bucky’s hold in your hand tightened just a bit more. You squeezed it right back. “I forgive you. It’s alright. We’re alright.”

Bucky took a deep breath. You could see that he felt lighter. His guilt must have been eating him alive, you realized, and your heart gave a painful thud at the thought.

“You have no idea how good it feels to hear that,” he said, slightly breathless. You just held his hand tighter and smiled wider. “I wish we were meant to be, too, Y/N. I─” He paused briefly. “I still love you. I have never stopped loving you, and I probably will never stop loving you. No one was you, and I doubt that someone will ever be you. I know now that we’ve grown out of each other. We might still love, yes, but…”

“It’s not enough anymore because even though we still love each other, that train took off,” you finished. He nodded. “So much has happened, and it changed us. Yes, Bucky, I get it. I still love you, too, and will always love you, but it’s not enough now.” He nodded again. Both of you sighed, feeling lighter and happier out of a sudden.

“I’m so glad that we came across to each other,” Bucky said. “It really felt nice to catch up with you, to talk to you.”

“Me too,” you agreed immediately. “I─” You held his other hand. “I’ve missed you, Bucky. It was very nice talking to you.” You looked at each other for a couple minutes before pulling back. You ignored how cold and empty your hands felt after he pulled his back. Standing up quietly, you grabbed your things. You walked out of the café together.

“I would like to see you sometimes,” Bucky said. “As friends. I would love to be your friend, Y/N.” You agreed. You didn’t want to deny him anymore. You wanted him in your life.

“I would love that,” you murmured and gave him your number. Bucky added you in his contacts and sent you a text.

“I will see you later, then,” Bucky murmured. It felt so good to say that, he realized. After saying goodbye to you many times, it felt amazing to say that he’d see you later. You smiled fondly.

“I will see you later,” you murmured back. Bucky gave you a nod and a large smile. Both of you bid good night to each other and walked opposite directions on the sidewalk.

This time, it wasn’t a goodbye.

This time, it was a promise to see the other again.

It was a nice, blossoming friendship.

─