INDIA IS DIVERSE. what this should mean to you is that the culture in one state may be very different from the culture in a neighboring state. there are always similarities, but the differences are VERY important.

FOOD. like i said, india is very diverse. the food’s going to be made differently, and the popular foods will vary from state to state and even from town to town, village to village. there’s like 347454578 types of biryani, and not all parts of india like to use a lot of spice or a lot of oil. it all depends, and you need to do your research before you decide what your muse’s favorite indian dish. (the indian restraunts you see in western countries are usually,,, not all that accurate. we don’t eat butter chicken and naans everyday, but god i know some of us wish we did).

LANGUAGE. again, india is very diverse and it has a lot of languages. one of the main problems is that because of how many languages each part of india speaks, it’s hard to connect the country’s people as a whole. that means not everyone speaks hindi. in most cases, a person will speak the common language found in their particular area, and that’ll be their mother tongue. this is especially true in the more southern areas. this means you need to know where your muse’s hometown is or where their parents’ hometown is, or whatever the case may be. (let me clarify: most ppl that went through indian schooling will learn the common language in the area, hindi, and english. but if you’re a first immigrant like myself, sometimes you’ll only focus on one main language rather than two. like i know telugu, but not hindi. it all depends, but make a conscious decision when thinking about this).

RELIGION. not all indians are hindu and muslim. buddhism and jainism have a great following there, and it’s important to choose wisely here. of course, i cannot speak accurately about the latter three religions, but if you choose to have your muse be hindu, please understand that there are sects within hinduism. not everyone practices the same thing. not everyone celebrates the same holidays. do your research.

SOUTH INDIANS VS. NORTH INDIANS. this is VERY, VERY, VERY important topic. south indians and north indians can trace their ancestry to two different groups, so we have very different physical features. the most apparent one is our skin tones. south indians are generally darker. we generally celebrate holidays a little differently, but that can also be due to that person’s religion and their specific sect. marriages are different, foods are made differently. you need to look into the specifics for each particular state.

DO NOT USE LIGHT SKIN INDIAN AESTHETICS FOR SOUTH INDIANS. it is VERY disrespectful, especially taking into account how colorism is very overbearing in india and desi communities. yes there are light skin south indians and dark skin north indians, but please don’t act like you can use light skin aesthetics for a dark skinned indian. the whole problem is that we’re pressured into lightening our skin, and if we don’t, then we’re not desirable/beautiful. it’s takes a toll on all of us, so if you’re not indian, please be wary with the way you go about this. (of course there are exceptions like maybe you see a light skin indian model wearing a traditional outfit that you feel like your muse would wear, then that’s fine! bc the main focus is the clothing, not the model themselves).

DO NOT USE A NORTH INDIAN FACECLAIM FOR YOUR SOUTH INDIAN MUSE. and vice versa. it’s more problematic if you use a north indian fc for your south indian muse because south indians are seen as lower than north indians. the Ideal Indian is what people usually attribute to north indians, (we’re all told to be more like the north indians) so you’re completely supporting the erasure (when you think of india, you usually picture north indian cultures, south indians are grossly underrepresented in western media) and hate of south indians when you choose a north indian fc over a south indian fc for your south indian character.

ESTRANGED FROM THEIR CULTURE. if your muse is more estranged from indian culture, then you need to explain why and what aspects they are separated from. desi communities in western countries will be different from indians actually living in india (as with most immigrant vs native communities). take some time to find some first hand accounts from indians living in the same country your muse is. it’s okay for your muse to be estranged from their culture, it happens to many people of color, not just indians. you just have to take into account how that can affect their confidence in their own heritage and things like that.

CASTE SYSTEM. yes, i understand that it’s literally illegal for discrimination to occur based on caste, but it still happens. it’s like how discrimination based on race still happens in western countries even though it’s usually illegal in that country. frankly, not many young indians take caste into account when they make their friends (but realize that there’s still a lot of discrimination within schools, workplaces, and social areas). the caste system still holds strong when it comes to arranged marriages, but more and more young people are choosing to have inter-caste marriages, something the older generations are wary of.

STEREOTYPES. if you are not indian then it is not your place to reclaim any stereotypes. so stay away from customer service jobs and convenience store owners. of course, if your muse is smart, that’s not necessarily something that always negatively impacts indians, but be careful with the way you word certain things.

these are taken from the starz show with the same title, triggers may be present, proceed with caution, feel free to adjust any you that you deem necessary.

promises are always made, and they are always broken. always.

all my life i have been good. i have been biddable.

you have the look of our mother/father. that doesn’t please you?

i loved her/him/them very much, but i didn’t always like her/him/them.

i hated her/his/their ambition. what it did to us. nothing else mattered but power.

i wonder how you walk in a straight line, your wits are so dismally few.

all this time, i thought you were the petite fleur tremblante.

there’s a symmetry to it, don’t you think?

she/he killed the rightful queen/king, and put me on the throne.

how do you sleep? how are you not bowed down with shame?

how do you not howl with the grief of what you have done?

was this always your plan?

when have i ever had a plan?

i will not be commanded by him/her/them.

his/her/their power, ten times greater in the ballads they sing.

i have never joined you for the hunt or any other blood sport, and i will not start with this.

men are weak, swayed by beauty. women must be stronger.

i am tired of being a trembling flower and hoping it might make them feel their conscience.

but we are women, and we do what we must do.

do you love him/her/them?

what do you see? an innocent?

but he is here to kill your kin and rob [optioanl:place] of what was never his!

if you will not do it for your king/queen, then do it for me!

aren’t you happy about the betrothal?

a betrothal means a marriage, and this marriage means war.

how can i be happy about that?

you cannot be surprised that she/he/they would say that.

it is not simply that she says it. she believes it in her heart.

i’ve never loved anyone else.

but this…did i love you without ever knowing who you truly were?

but there is fear in your eyes.

how will you explain all that blood on your hands?

it is not murder if it is god’s will.

i have no power anymore. i have these four walls and your [optional:family] and that is all.

can you say you have never felt that?

you may disbelieve it if you choose, but you are all i have now.

have a care. he’s/she’s/their just a child!

in twilight years, might we not venture to cherish something for ourselves?

how can i prove that i am with you except to ask you not to die?

i kept my promise and now you will keep yours.

what have they done to us? we are their creatures.

i feel as if I’ve aged a thousand years.

do you feel any different?

he spent his life in brothels and cowsheds. what would he know of politics?

i think they like the war between them.

guard your heart, my [optional:name]. the child is not your own. he/she belongs to the throne.

what does he/she/they do to inspire such loyalty?

i have no love of war, but i do not like your king/queen.

i don’t think i should like to be queen/king, the clothes are all too ugly.

everywhere i look around me, nobles conspire against me.

they smile into my face and then behind me draw their knives.

if only we could work together, we could be a king/queen for [optional:place].

you make it look so easy. you know just what to do to make them love you.

you reap what you sow, [optional:name].

you rule with fear, and you will only get dissent and hatred in return.

i’d rather choose the side i’m afraid of.

your moves are far too obvious.

blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.

unless you plan to hold me down, i shall do it anyway.

we must learn to change, or die.

your smile is almost convincing.

does it bring you the joy you hoped it would?

and that is want you want for me, even now?

it’s intended as a show of strength.

i will walk through my sorrow and i will smile through my pain.

can’t you kill them both? put a sickness on them so they die in awful pain?

i know my curses, but perhaps they’re just wishful thinking.

perhaps i just take good luck and call it magic.

my powers cannot be very strong if we find ourselves as we are now.

all i have wanted, all my life, is to marry a man/woman for love.

i’m sick to death of being cooped up here.

perhaps she knows a chaperone is pointless in your case.

a royal wedding is a business agreement.

i thought we would have longer.

i want to stay and fight.

this is yours now, [optional:name]. your kingdom. your throne.

burn them. and ban the snow from falling. i will have nothing white in [optional:place].

i have dreamed of this my entire life.

so this is how he treats the woman/man he expects to make his queen/king.

perhaps the worst is yet to come.

no one must know what has passed between the two of you.

who would’ve thought, to find us here like this?

we are [optional:surname], [optional:name]. we do not quake in fear.

with you, he/she/they joins the houses.

you knew you would marry whichever one of them won.

it is divine to suffer.

we never planned much after the battle.

you should show more loyalty to your [optional:familyrelation].

we continue to be at odds with another and i regret it.

you will be the peace that ends the war.

who gave the order?

hidden and patient. that will be my motto.

my life is gone in any case.

you’re not afraid? i approach you with a dagger and you do not even flinch.

i thought this was to win their hearts, not threaten them with bloodshed.

there is none to come against you now.

you grant them greater power if you fear them.

i will not have them thinking i’m afraid.

will you at least write to me while you’re gone?

the beyond.   download in the source,     the currently in-style aesthetic icons,  but make them accessible.  not much to say,  the actual icons are 100px x 100px,  the borders make them bigger,  and they’re 540px wide for best look on the dash.  they come in one icon and two icons varieties.