#nature healing love winning an so on and so forth

[amomentsescape]

I would like to know what a slasher relationship would be like with a hybrid fem witch/vampire. Sorry if it makes no sense, English is not my main language

Slashers with a Feminine Witch & Vampire Hybrid

A/N: This a great Spooky Season Request!

Freddy Krueger

He thinks it's hot, of course

Wants you to bite him just for the hell of it

His blood doesn't taste very good though (he's dead) so he tries to make up for it in other ways

Always brings home a body for you

But if that's not really your style, he'll happily come back with a jug of blood instead

Wants to see the types of spells you can cast

He turns it into a competition sometimes

You both go back and forth using your powers to change things around

Secretly wants you to use your powers on his victims with him during his murder sprees

If you enjoy feeding on bodies, he wants to be there to watch

Everything about it turns him on to be honest

Michael Myers

Probably the most neutral of the slashers

He kinda just lets you do your own thing for a while

Is not too sure about you feeding off of him at first, but he secretly loves it now

He thinks your spells are pretty cool too, but he just doesn't show it much

Will definitely take advantage of your powers though if he is having trouble with a victim

He hates asking though since he very much wants to do everything himself

You insist on healing him whenever he is injured even against his objections

As long as you don't intervene too much with his killings, he lets you do whatever for the most part

Just don't kill his target first

Jason Voorhees

Will definitely supply you with enough blood to last a lifetime

He's very giving with everything

You're hungry? He's sure he can find a lost soul in the woods

Need a certain plant for a spell? He'll keep an eye out for it while he wanders around

Likes to sit with you while you learn new spells and listen to you explain everything you're doing

Honestly, you being a hybrid makes him feel more comfortable

He knows that you can take care of yourself while he's gone

And you living within nature where people and animals pass through is perfect

Unlimited food and seclusion to work on your magic is exactly what you want

It's a win win all around

Thomas Hewitt

When he first learns about what you were, he was honestly kinda confused

He had heard of witches, and he had heard of vampires

But only through a fictional sense

And even then, he didn't know that someone could be both

Would need you to sit down and explain everything to him

The whole family is supportive of your taste in food (clearly)

They just use the meat, so they're happy to give you all the blood first before going to work

They're a bit iffy about your spells and powers though

Satanic spells would be a hard no in their books

As long as you use your magic outside of their home, then they all couldn't care less on you being a hybrid

Bubba Sawyer

You eat people? Cool, same.

But the witchcraft thing is going to take some getting used to

He grew up being told that all forms of witchcraft are evil

So you'll need to sit him down and explain everything you do

Has a weird fascination with watching you drink blood

The first time you casted a spell in front of him, he jumped

But just like a little kid in a toy store, he was quick to show his curiosity and want to see more of your spells

Slowly grows to love it

He has never met anyone supernatural before, so having you around is like living in a movie every day

Will go out with you to pick plants and herbs

May even help you set up a little garden out back

He has quite the green thumb

Brahms Heelshire

His family was pretty religious growing up, so the witchy part is pretty concerning to him at first

The vampire thing is also a bit annoying

He wants to be able to sit down and eat a normal dinner with you every night

But your diet is very particular

Living in the middle of nowhere is nice since you can go out and find plenty of animals to eat if needed

But the lack of people and Brahms never wanting to leave the house makes it difficult for you at times

You probably have to venture outside alone a lot which he doesn't like

But when at home, he grows to appreciate your spells more

The home is clean in a snap, his food is ready in just a second

Definitely becomes even lazier and wants you to do everything for him

He's still a child at heart after all

Norman Bates

He's honestly a little scared of you at first

Vampires and witches are in every evil tale, and he grew up correlating them with monsters

But he cares about you too much to let you go completely

Prefers for you to drink blood outside of the home

But if there happens to be a body left in one of the motel rooms, he's fine with you venturing in there and doing what you need

He just doesn't want to see it

You've tried using your powers to help clean the motels rooms, but he honestly prefers to do it the old fashioned way

Avoids telling his mother about you being a hybrid

He knows it will just be her screaming in his head every day if he does

He does show quite an interest in the different plants and herbs you collect however

Billy Loomis

Doesn't really believe you at first

"Prove it"

When your fangs pop out and your spell is cast, he is quick to widen his eyes

"Do it again"

Has a thing for you feeding on him

He finds it quite pleasurable honestly and would rather keep the bite mark than have you heal it up

Likes to join you outside at night and hold you while you conjure up spells

May want you to join him and Stu during their sprees to help them out from time to time

Invites you inside whenever they're done with all their victims so you can eat

Lays in bed with you at night and watches you use your magic to make pretty light shows on the ceiling

Thinks it's sexy

Stu Macher

Also needs you to prove it to him

Gets the biggest grin on his face once you do

"That's hot"

Likes watching you feed from his arm

Wants you to go to every killing spree with him and Billy

If you can't, he brings back a couple containers of blood for you

Watches supernatural films with you and constantly asks if each scene is realistic

"Can witches do that?" "No, that's clearly fake, Stu"

Wants you to use your powers to pull pranks on people in public

Also wants you to use your powers to help him steal things from the store

Buys you cute crystals for your room

Asks you to conjure up a puppy on a daily basis

Eric Draven

Loves the aesthetic of it all

The candles, plants, night time adventures, everything

If you're hungry, Eric may beat up a bad guy and let you finish the job

Just don't kill anyone innocent (or cats)

Doesn't mind if you feed from him

Kinda finds it romantic and always holds you close to him, rubbing his hand down your hair

Likes to see the spells you can cast

The ideal night for you two is sitting out on the roof together, him playing guitar and watching you try out new spells and casting your magic

Likes when you use your powers to send him little love messages in the night while he's gone

Enjoys laying in bed with you and watching you create little images on the wall

#slashers x reader #slasher preference #slashers headcanon #slashers preference #slashers #freddy krueger #freddy krueger x reader #a nightmare on elm street #michael myers x reader #michael myers #halloween #jason voorhees x reader #jason voorhees #friday the 13th #thomas hewitt #thomas hewitt x reader #bubba sawyer x reader #bubba sawyer #the texas chainsaw massacre #brahms heelshire x reader #brahms heelshire #the boy 2016 #norman bates #norman bates x reader #psycho 1960 #bates motel #billy loomis x reader #billy loomis #stu macher #stu macher x reader

[seraphiism]

❀ ﾟ. ༄ ┊ 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 ( 𝐩𝐭. 𝐢 ) ;

( AT THE END AS AT THE START, & THROUGH ALL THE IN-BETWEENS, I LOVE YOU )

characters : xiao / alhaitham / shenhe / kazuha / zhongli fandom : genshin impact quote cr : amal el-mohtar and max gladstone a/n : part 1 of 4! each character is limited to 150 words.

↬ xiao ࿐ ࿔

a yaksha knows what it is like to be needed, redemption sought upon self-sacrifice and approaching insanity. yes, xiao knows the feeling of being needed, but not the feeling of being wanted. mortal trivialities are not meant for intrigue, so he dismisses the thought.

it is when you first speak his name that he wonders -- it is merciless : the shift in gentle tones, the way your hands tremble, anxious at the selfish request. because you truly do not need anything, but there is something in the heart that desires him so.

he makes his presence known, notes how you brighten at the mere sight of him. it is then that he feels his pulse quicken, feels a semblance of home.

yes, xiao knows what it's like to be needed, he thinks, the burden of karmic debt soothed by another's love, and he knows what it is like to be wanted.

↬ alhaitham ࿐ ࿔

alhaitham does not know of the tenderness that resides in a seemingly dormant heart, endeavors found in all things factual. so it is a strange phenomenon, as said by a certain architect, that he has sworn himself to another, expressed loyalty in ways unseen by most. he does not recognize ardor, not quite -- it is a foreign stranger in his life, but one he is willing to welcome.

"read to me?"

your head rests against his chest, arm draped over his waist. book in hand, he gives you a questioning look-- one you return with an exhausted smile.

"it'll bore you, unless that's how you intend to fall asleep."

"that's okay." you fight back a yawn, giving into fatigue. "i just like listening to your voice."

"you subject yourself to strange things."

"you like it."

he chuckles, but pulls the warm covers over your close figures.

"do i? i wonder."

↬ shenhe ࿐ ࿔

cursed are those abandoned, innocence tarnished by deceit and insanity. a lone soul bound by red ropes and fate alike, shenhe bores a cold rage ; how it drowns in waves, struggles to stay afloat. but it is not only anger that remains at sea, but joy and sorrow. she was once devoid of such things, though they have bloomed so wonderfully in the knowing of you.

in the knowing of you, shenhe feels a longing that brings uncertainty and comfort. but she is naive to the bonds of mortals, and so she carries it forth without knowing it is love.

she will learn of it, eventually, and it will be beautiful. for now, she takes your hand, presses a kiss against your knuckles, and rests it against a beating heart. how wildly it rings in her ears, and surely she knows that this is the beginning of a future cherished.

↬ kazuha ࿐ ࿔

kazuha's soul belongs in many places : the sky, the shore, and the sea. how it thrives in the presence of all, but it is with you that it yearns the most. how silly, he thinks, this lovesickness he's given into entirely.

the rain pours upon his arrival, but it is not an unwanted greeting. he watches, nostalgic, a soft melancholy woven into his smile as the kind winds guide brilliant red maple leaves. you stand at his side, your hand in his, feel how he squeezes it in hope and quiet grief.

nature knows his heart all too well, just as you do. you laugh when a leaf lands in his hair, turns his smile into one of amusement as you remove it delicately.

"thank you."

you do not let go of the maple leaf, knowing he will keep it for his travels as remembrance of this moment you share.

↬ zhongli ࿐ ࿔

it is difficult, morax finds, to survive. even time cannot heal the deepest of wounds, and the burdens of leading humanity have hurt him so. he no longer has nightmares of battles won and lost, but he wonders-- did he ever truly win? to witness bloodshed, to cause bloodshed, knowing he lost his allies--

it is difficult, zhongli thinks, to survive.

the days pass quickly; even in a life freed from loosened chains of godhood, he wonders if he will ever adapt. from amber to embers, he closes his eyes, the music a welcome distraction as he focuses on the feeling of your body against his. you sway together, movements slow as you surrender to the depths of time.

yes, it is difficult to survive. but perhaps in this brave new world, he muses, resting his forehead against yours, he will remember once more what it means to live again.

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #xiao x reader #alhaitham x reader #shenhe x reader #kazuha x reader #zhongli x reader #okay i was going to do 10 characters per post..tht way there's only 2 parts but #150 words are difficult bc it takes awhile to figure out how to do everything + everyone justice with such a limitation #so i think 5 per post will be good :^))) #also reading everyone's lore and quotes again .. made me very sad #.: writing #.: multi

[battleangel]

Life Is Nothing But A Dream

The Big Bang was actually a Kemetic Explosion that created everything. At the instantaneous moment it occurred, it shot eternally into the past and eternally into the future, so that it always was, always is and always would be in that moment in time that created time itself while collapsing it.

Paradoxes, duality, yin and yang, opposites attract, magnetism, chemistry, polar opposites, twinflames, reality and untold countless trillions of individual dreamscapes were created in that moment.

We are all dreamers, the mind is limitless and imagination is limitless. They can make laws about what you wear, eat, smoke, drink, say, write -- but not about what you think, dream and imagine.

You dont have to tell a child that their imagination is limiltless, thats why they have real imaginary friends, but you have to convince an adult that they "have what it takes" to pass a job interview -- why do you think that is?

The Kemetic Explosion was a prismatic supernova that created all realities, multiverses, universes, galaxies and dimensions in one timeless and eternal moment.

There are two existing dual realities that fit the universal theme of duality -- hot and cold, fire and ice, sugar and spice, black and white, yin and yang, good and evil, love and apathy (not hate), sun and moon -- so on and so forth.

The two realities are the current simulated reality we are all living in now that I am currently typing this in, but it is only a simulation, a facsimilie, a virtual reality, a fax machine copy of our actual reality, which is the eternal dreamscape we all came from.

We are all eternal energetic beings, we are nature, this is why nature heals us -- why do you need a scientific study to confirm that?

We are magical, alchemical beings with the ability to naturally heal ourselves within ourselves with nature -- Pfizers got nothin on you.

We are trees, water, streams, rivers, grass, ganja, sun, moon, stars, skies, comets, milky ways, galaxies, oceans, waves, gardens, flowers, petals, dragonflies, fireflies, butterflies.

This is why it is so unnatural for us to exploit, pillage & rape Mother Earth, overextracting & depleting natural resources, destroying rainforests, deforestation, overfilling landfills with unused SHEIN clothes & unopened Amazon products, greenhouse gas emissions, unclean coal, oil, gas, nuclear energy, toxic chemicals, smoke, smog, industrial waste & pollution -- they get artificially richer with capitalism's monopoly money while they do nothing but harm the planet, the air, the water, the ozone layer, literally harming themselves in the process yet they still think they are "winning" as their total destruction of Earth via climate change is continuing unabated as they march on in their shiny spacesuits to colonize Mars with Elon Musk without even giving their destruction of Earth a second thought.

We have all existed eternally forever in the dreamscape.

The dreamscape is very similar to "What Dreams May Come" if you want a visual representation of what it's like.

Lush, visceral, lucid, explosive colors, 10 dimensional, multidimensional, all dimensions coexisting at once at the same time.

You can walk through walls, you can walk on water, you can fly, you can fall through the sky without dying.

What are our individual dreamscapes?

Simply our imagination.

It's our thoughts. It's whatever our mind can conjure up. Its limitless expansiveness.

We go there every single night when we dream, whether you remember it when you wake up or not, you visited your dreamscape and that is the real reality, then you woke up to "go to work" in this fake reality.

How did we get here?

When you sleep, you go to your eternal dreamscape, where your eternal energetic being originally originated from. All of us were created in the instant the Kemetic Explosion (aka "Big Bang") happened.

So, how did we get here, into this fake ass virtual reality simulated upside down?

When people talk about your soul, when your physical body perishes, and only your energy and essence remains, they are actually talking about you returning to your original state, which is the eternal energetic being you were when you were created during the Kemetic Explosion.

You existed in your own eternal individual dreamscape -- literally your imagination -- for untold milennia until your human parents fucked.

This created your physical human incarnation. Once this happened, you as an eternal energetic being were taken from your individual dreamscape and you physically incarnated as a human being inside of your mother's womb.

Once she gave birth to you, you had now transported from your individual limitless dreamscape to our virtual reality as a mortal physical being in a very limited 3D reality, an upside down that is the opposite of the dreamscape in every way.

The next question would be, why does this happen? What is the point of us coming to this virtual reality?

The entire point of life in this simulated reality virtual reality video game is just to open and activate your third eye, spiritually awaken, experience ascension, self-actualize and realize that you are actually a limitless eternal energetic being and that you are only temporarily manifesting in a physical human form.

This is also referred to as an ego death, killing your human ego, and realizing that you are actually a limitless eternal energetic being.

Once you realize this, physical death no longer scares or frightens you, it is simply you permanently returning to your eternal dreamscape, which is where you originated from anyway.

Why would you be afraid of death when it's simply a permanent return to your own mind, your own imagination, your own 10 dimensional dreamscape which is where you originated from and you currently temporarily visit each night when you sleep anyway?

The place you are in now, this current hellscape, full of injustice, racist cops, terroristic militaries, empire building, religious dogma, abuse, rape, sexual violence, pointless wars, genocide, racism, hatred, misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, conditioning, grooming, sex trafficking, molestation, child abuse, greed and environmental destruction, doesn't scare you yet you fear a physical death that simply returns you to your original limitless eternal energetic self and dreamscape?

Yo, who taught you to fear death and why?

Keytruda is a cancer drug that was $100k when it was first released that only allowed you to live for an extra 30 days.

Just how brainwashed are you?

Look at all of the endless medical interventions, look at the slashing and the burning, the chemical radiation, the buzz saws, the hormones, the endless surgeries, triple bypass, open heart, remove a lung, non-stop prescription medication, opiates, oxy, perc, tylenol with codeine --

For what? You're going to fucking die, anyway.

Have you figured that out yet?

They have you so afraid of death yet you're not afraid of the current hellscape you currently live in.

Objectively, we are in hell by now, by any observable metric.

We are surrounded by mindless destruction, endless exploitation, wars, expansion, greed, capitalism, corporatism, environmental destruction, overconsumption, materialism, consumerism, unnecessary and needless starvation, houselessness & poverty, no living wage, no universal health care, no universal education --

Apple is a trillion dollar company and you think we don't have enough resources for every American to be housed, fed, educated, paid a living wage and receive medical care?

We're the richest planet on Earth and you actually don't think we have the money to house, feed, educate, pay a living wage to and provide medical care for every American citizen?

Globally, the richest 1% control the majority of the money.

Even a child could figure out if we evenly spread the resources, nobody would have to starve, nobody would have to die from hunger, houselessness and poverty.

We see what the Bezoses and Musks and Apples are making.

We see the corruption in "poorer" countries where the leaders all tend to be rich.

Why is that, that the leaders in "underdeveloped" countries are never starving along with their subjects?

Because they hoard the money, the charity donations, the money from the US, these leaders hoard it for themselves and dont give it to their citizens so they become richer while their citizens become poorer and many die.

It doesnt have to be like this in America or anywhere else.

The global elites want it like this. They want their mansions, their private jets, their Epstein pizzagate islands where they can rape children.

You dont really think Bob Iger needs $78,000 a day to survive, do you?

They want it like this and they collectively want us to barely make a living, work for a minimum wage, work a "salaried" job with thousands of hours of UNpaid overtime, kill ourselves for scraps for a CEO that isnt working and is making 1000xs more, spend the majority of our lives at a corporate 9 to 5 -- more time then we spend at home, with family, friends, loved ones, living, reading, singing, dancing, expressing, being alive -- you will spend the majority of your life working to make a CEO you will never even talk to richer -- the majority of each day at work and the majority of your life since you wont get to retire until 65 then "you can do what you want" for 10 years then drop dead -- are you actually okay with this?

The point of this virtual reality videogame is for you to open your 3rd eye, realize you are much more than just the physical human you are currently manifested as, ascend, spiritually awaken, self-actualize and realize you are actually an eternal energetic limitless being -- made from the same energy that created the Kemetic Explosion Big Bang -- you are energy, you are source, you are universe.

Realize this place we currently and very temporarily reside in is nothing but a dream and a virtual simulated reality of the actual reality which is the dreamscape you visit every night when you experience REM sleep, its simply a shift in consciousness that allows you to travel to your dreamscape, then when you "wake up", you are back here in the virtual reality.

But when you actually wake up, meaning you open your third eye, you will realize your human ego is as false as this virtual reality is and as limited as your physical human body.

Wealth, status, prestige, brand name company, fancy job title, fancy car, fancy house, luxury vacations, fancy furniture, all to impress other people, keeping up with the joneses, keeping up appearances, climbing the corporate ladder, high net worth, liquid assets, being an executive --its all bullshit and ego driven, its all driven by a desire to impress, be important, be admired, be liked, be respected, be feared -- its all external, nothing internal -- its all surface and not substance, its all gloss, its all photoshop, its all airbrushed, its all comparison driven, its all a dick measuring contest, its all Im more successful than you, Im a bigger deal than you, I drive a better car than you, I have more money than you, Im number 1, I finally made it, its 500+ likes for a LinkedIn employment update, its working for big tech, working for FAANG, working for FAAMG, working for Disney, its all I got mine, its all Acknowledge me!, its all Im a big fucking deal, its all I am important and people know who the fuck I am, its all I run this meeting, I run the show, I am impressive, important, my accolades and achievements precede me, people respect me, I got into a prestigious company, I got into Goldman Sachs which has a 4% acceptance rate, I got into Amazon and passed their interview where they interrogated me with their endless Leadership Principles, I have the golden star, I am a capitalist success, I am a six figure earner, I am in the $100k+ club, Im an executive, Im a VP, I made it, I am the American Dream...which is nothing but a fucking nightmare.

How do you like those golden handcuffs?

What happens if you're one of the 2 to 3 million more layoffs LinkedIn is predicting is going to happen this fall?

Kill your ego so your ascended self can be reborn.

Induce your own ego death so your ascended self can live.

Once you do, you'll be fully awake and fully alive and physical death will no longer scare you because it leads to the true eternal life which is just you returning to your eternal dreamscape and returning to the eternal energetic being you always were after shedding your temporary physical human self and shell.

Thats the true Kendrick Lamar Metamorphosis.

Your physical human manifestation is the caterpillar shell you must shed by inducing your own ego death and killing your own ego to become a butterfly, which is your ascended spiritually awakened third eye activated self-actualized self and this metamorphosis from your ego-driven caterpillar self to the ascended third eye activated butterfly is a metaphor for the final transformation which is actually only the beginning of when you shed your caterpillar physical human manifestation, so the ego death foreshadows the physical death, and you transform into a butterfly limitless energetic being, and this current physical virtual limited caterpillar reality is a metaphor for the ascended butterfly limited eternal dreamscape, which is just your individual imagination.

Love is eternal and limitless. Energy is eternal and limitless. Imagination and the mind are eternal and limitless.

Who is in your eternal dreamscape?

Your soulmates (platonic, familial and romantic) and twinflame (if you have one -- this is two souls that were fused together into one yin yang soul and one eternal energetic being when the Kimetic Explosion happened and then, when they physically manifested as human beings, their one soul split into two physical human beings that are fated and destined to be together in the virtual reality as best friends, romantic lovers and a sexual couple then, when they physically die and return to their eternal dreamscape, their souls fuse back together into one eternal energetic being that is simultaneously one being while still being two beings at once as both energies reside in the one soul being -- Yin Yang Twinz.

Thats duality.

There is no judgemental asshole in the clouds sitting on a throne judging people for having sex -- do you actually believe those lies that were packaged to you to control you with fear?

You really think God has a long white beard and is sitting on a throne like Santa Claus at the mall?

The only hell that actually exists is your own mind, if you refuse to kill your own ego, if you refuse to cause and experience your own ego death, if you keep living an empty life fuelled by your ego desires, when your physical self dies, and you return to your dreamscape, it will be as empty and shallow as your life was.

You failed to beat the virtual reality game.

You failed to ascend and open your third eye.

You failed to reject capitalism, consumerism, overconsumption, materialism, greed, wealth, status, privilege, corporatism, profiteering, superficiality, environmental destruction, industrial waste, big pharmas lies, exploitation, excessive medical intervention.

You failed to accept death as the natural outcome to life versus unnaturally doing everything possible to avoid it extending your life beyond all reason.

You failed to reject prejudice, close mindedness, us vs them, stereotypes, political propaganda, religious dogma, dehumanization of vulnerable populations that need community, socialism & a universal basic income, housing and medical care -- basic needs that could be met today instead they die needlessly of hunger, starvation, houseleness and very treatable illnesses and medical conditions while you sit there willingly oblivious and obtuse with your upper middle class income, your McMansion, your Lex Coup Beema & Benz, your yearly summer vacations self turning a blind eye to all of the unnecessary suffering under capitliasm that you endlessly benefit from and refuse to call it out for the bullshit system it is that is responsible for the death of millions.

You bought into all of the carefully packaged lies and rejected introspection, because you didnt want to give up your VP spot, your executive title, your 401K, your stock options, your unrestricted stock, your luxury vacations, your sports cars, your investment portfolio, your big ass house, your clout, your impressive career, your status, your wealth, your prestige -- you bought into capitalism because it financially and materially rewarded and enriched you but you ended up mentally, emotionally and spiritually bankrupting yourself but you refuse to admit any of this because you dont want to fuck up and fumble the bag.

But all that fake stuff doesnt exist in the non-simulated non-virtual real reality of the dreamscape, so when you get there and its just you, since expanding and exploring your mind is the one thing you avoided the entire time you existed as your physical human self, you refused to look inwards, you refused to look inside, you refused to question yourself and the unjust capitalist system that props up all of your status wealth and success, you refused to get deep, to ask yourself who you are outside of the impressive job, fancy title, brand name company, fancy house, fancy car, careeer accolades and accomplishments, luxury vacations and cruises and beach house rentals, flexing for the gram, clout chasing, pillar of the fake ass church, deacon, deaconess, trustee, respected church elder, queen bee, queen bitch of every social circle, king of the hill, alpha male, alpha female, you liked all the clout, people kissing your ass, impressing people on LinkedIn, the likes on the gram, the attention, the semi-celebrity local celebrity, the social currency and cache, everybody knowing your name, the HBIC in all your cliques, the bfd in your family, board member, committee member, non-profit volunteer, recognized at church, in the community, tons of friends, tons of clout, mystique, aura, presence, bank account, return on investment, hybrid electric sports car, vanity plates, vanity life.

You never looked within. You spent your entire life chasing and fucking and sucking dick for clout.

And in the literal instant of your physical death, with all of the fake stuff in this virtual reality video game is instantaneously stripped away in a moment, you sit and blankly stare in silence and you realize without all the virtual reality simulated fake stuff, that there is no "there there", because you never took one moment out of your entire physical existence as a human to look inside, introspect and think.

That is what this current hellscape is a simulation of -- actual hell, the eternal torment of never actualizing the self.

Wake up. Life is but a dream.

Wake up so when you actually permanently go back to sleep then permanently wake up you're now permanently awake in your eternal dreamscape to dream and imagine limitlessly forever.

Dream on, dreamer 🌌

#kemetic #kemetism #ancient kemet #the duality of it all #yin yang #twinflame #dreamscape #dreams #limitless #simulated #virtual reality #alchemy #magic #anti capitalism #climate change #socialism #multidimensional #death #third eye #ego death #universal basic income #universal healthcare #free college #reality shift #consciousness #metamorphosis #soulmates #dogma

[tokiro07]

Undead Unluck ch.164 thoughts

[One Shot, One Win]

I won’t lie, my friends, I am disappointed. It’s not Tozuka’s fault, it’s still a great chapter, I just let my expectations build up too high and asked this arc to be something that it wasn’t meant to be. As much as I wanted to see Void and Yusai get more development and thought this arc gave us an opportunity, this arc is first and foremost about the Shin Hakkyoku group, and developing anyone else would only serve to shift focus away from where we need it right now

Still, Yusai is so damn pretty this chapter. Tozuka wasn’t messing around when he drew her eyes

With that out of the way, Mui’s stronger than Shen??? Pretty messed up that he taught Shin Hakkyoku to both Mei and Mui and both of them ended up proving to have a natural talent to surpass Shen’s

Mui’s appearance here confirms that at least she, if not everyone else, was born early in this loop, as Mui was approximately 18 in 2020 previously and met Shen ten years prior, meaning that she shouldn’t even have been born yet at this point. Shen still likely met her at the same age he would have, meaning that he too was born early, but slightly less early than Mui. Admittedly I don’t love this mechanic, but hey, if it’ll resolve the age gap issues...maybe Isshin and Top will be more reasonably close in age this time, huh?

We see that the medicine serving as the prize for the tournament aren’t just any old pills, but the Artifact that heals the eater with their vitality that Mui tried to use to save Shen when Feng killed him previously! Can’t believe I didn’t see that coming, that makes way more sense as a prize!

When we first see that Mui is in the tournament, I started considering the possibility that Shen wouldn’t become Untruth in this loop and that Mui would instead, but Feng saying that her strength is “Undeniable” implies that we might be getting a new Negator ability after all! I was worried we’d never see a new one again. Of course, it’s still possible that this is just a case of using an “un” word for the fun of it, as Tozuka often does, but for the sake of having our cake and eating it too, it’d be way more fun for both Shen and Mui to have abilities this time around rather than being limited to just one of them

Undeniable’s ability seems to increase her physical abilities, forcing others to acknowledge her; no longer is she someone who can’t help and has to stay behind, she is just as capable if not more so than anyone else. It’s most likely tied to her willpower, with her goals specifically empowering her with what she deems necessary to achieve them, it just so happens that right now she needs strength to do so. Maybe with different interpretations or needs it could increase speed, intelligence, or even charisma? Or she’s a mundie and Tozuka is just reinforcing the theme again, we’ll probably find out soon

If Undeniable really is her ability, I wonder if she already faced her tragedy or if it’s coming up. If I had to guess, she was given Undeniable to specifically put her in harm’s way, with the intention that she would die fighting Feng and become the new tragedy for Shen. Might even make her brother the new Undeniable, curing his illness at the cost of his sister, but that’s thinking too far ahead considering it won’t happen

Shen fighting to keep Mui from fighting Feng and possibly dying really lines up with his character pre-death in the previous loop, as he did everything he could to keep Mui from joining the Seasons quests, but that’s obviously why it’s necessary for the two of them to fight now. Shen is objectively wrong for thinking that he needs to be the one to shoulder any burden that could potentially face Mui, so facing her will allow him to grow while also providing an opportunity for Mui to do so as well

Aside from the bit about Yusai, I do have a couple other small complaints: 1) I think that Tozuka should have been a little clearer about the brackets, I went back and forth a few times about whether or not there were other competitors in the tournament when I could easily have just known from the get go. 2) This isn’t about this chapter, but more overall - WHY is it Shin Hakkyoku and not Xin Baji?? You can have the characters count in Chinese or say small bits here and there, but their MARTIAL ART THAT DRIVES THEM, that’s gotta be Japanese?? Irritates me a little

As some final notes, I want to talk about Feng for a second. Feng chastises Shen for being driven to grow because of a woman, which is easily the funniest thing he’s ever said because that’s literally what’s happening between him and Fuuko. What a hypocrite! He’s so in love with Fuuko that all it takes for him to do a favor for her is to hear her acknowledge that he’s strong. Big softy, he’d probably have protected his adopted daughter anyway, but of course a complement from Fuuko would shut him up

I’m still looking forward to seeing Shen fight Billy, and I’m glad that he’s learning lessons as I expected him to along the way, but now that we know Mui’s in the mix, the path of this arc has both gotten clearer and way muddier. More than anything though, this arc just continues to get more and more exciting! Can’t wait to see y’all next week!!

#undead unluck #fouryearsandananime #4y1a reviews

[fourtyfourcatss]

[████████ 100%] — @astralmysteria !

𖤣.𖥧.𖡼.⚘ RECORD #01

[a/n] hey mysteria! i’m sorry this took so long, i was really busy for a long time, but here it is! i hope you enjoy.

Upright this represents femininity, beauty, nature, and nurturing. Reversed it represents creative block and dependence on others.

𖤣.𖥧.𖡼.⚘ YOUR ARCANA IS… EMPRESS!

𑁍 From your described personality traits, I was very torn between TEMPERANCE and EMPRESS, for your arcana. But, after some long and hard musing, I must give you empress.

𑁍 The empress is a card that is assigned to many characters in the series, one of which is Haru, which you and her embody a lot of the traits it pertains, whether upright or reversed.

𑁍 Perfectionism and people pleasing (dependence on external) tends to lend aid to a creative block, and not only that, you told me that you were trying to get back into writing.

𑁍 You’re motherly, kind, empathetic, and I can tell by your personality you may either come off strong at times. Many of your traits indeed feel like what an empress would have, and you take pride in the things you do have and nurture and take care of it.

…loading match…

⚘ YUSUKE KITAGAWA

𑁍 Oh this match was perfect.

𑁍 First of all, your love languages. Yusuke is someone who is in need of gifts, in need of being spoiled. When you appear in his life to stay— he is very pleasantly surprised. Not only is he a man of gratitude and returning acts of affection so you would not feel unloved or perhaps even taken advantage of for your kindness, he is filled with anticipation for every gift, and surprisingly, wait a long time to use them if if can be used. He probably has a section in his place dedicated specifically to you, and treats you like a queen has graced the mortal realm. You seem hard to impress— so he will do his upmost in order to win your heart!

𑁍 He’s attracted to your kindness, but specifically, it had to be paired with all your other traits to make it right.

𑁍 so, so many nicknames. this man is going to shower you in the most sweetest of them. maybe it is a simple but tender “mys” uttered in his breath, or perhaps a “love?” — he tends to stick to the more formal sounding ones because of how he is, and yet, there will be times where he drops some funny ones jokingly, and that beckons not embarrassment or humiliation but rather good-hearted fun.

𑁍 You are a muse for him; with the vibes of your being and your singing. Yes, you are a beautiful woman, but he is more focused on how your characteristics enhances your attractiveness. He finds you talking whether it be to him or yourself very endearing, and he’s definitely going to draw whilst you sing. The way you inspire feelings out of him is a gratifying experience, its a passion. The two of you would be able to encourage and help each other out of creative blocks— but also, yusuke also has problems with taking care of himself. the two of you have problems taking care of yourselves, but now you have each other to take care of the other so extremely well. the rest of the cast is very soft and happy at this, hoping that this translates into treating yourselves better.

𑁍 yusuke is not loud, or inconsiderate in terms of jokes. he is a sweet lover, and he is perfect for you. the two of you would be super cute, i think. soft, with romantic tension in the air. i think you would exchange some sassy remarks, but it is a very healing process to be around each other.

as for runner ups: ryuji was one, and akihiko from P3 kept popping up in my mind. i think akihiko may be your one true love actually.

I AM THOU, THOU ART I… COME FORTH!

𑁍 TITANIA! 𑁍

The Queen of the Fairies, Titania is a character from Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. She is the wife of Oberon. Because of her grand power and charisma, people consider her the Queen of the Fairies. While she is rather delicate and graceful in appearance, her power and knowledge over magic easily match those of Oberon, the king of Fairies.

The description above fits you well, and Titania has manifested as a result! The reason why I chose her for you is because of the character studies I read for her over the ages, excluding the sections regarding extra-martial affairs she may have participated in. The compassion she holds for the changeling she wants to adopt is one of motherly. She is principled, standing up to her husband.

Not only that, I think her movesets fits you.

𖤣.𖥧.𖡼.⚘ HOW IS SHE AWAKENED?

you are on a battlefield. your blood is singing through your veins, and you have just stepped out like a lamb to the slaughter.

how one awakens is a hard question, because it involves getting pushed to the brink by someone who is somewhat close to you in any manner, hostile or not. in your case, it would be a betrayal of a friend. you had introduced them to almost everyone you had known because you trusted her— and in a fit of rage, they had cursed out everyone they knew, you, and all you adored.

unable to take this slander towards your loved ones and aggrieved in your heart, you opened your resolve, and a mask appeared on your face.

“I am thou, and thou art I,—”

“I am Titania. I will become your mask. Now, let us enjoy a midsummer night's dream.”

𖤣. for weapon— you would have a RAPIER [The Sword of Sinai] or a BOW [SOURCE YUMI]

𖥧. for a gun— you would have a RAY GUN [SIRIUS]

𖡼. for outfits— school uniform would be like makoto’s with the jacket, and regular outfits would be like yukari and rise’s.

#persona 5 #persona 5 matchup

[alyjojo]

The Person On Your Mind in July 🎱 2023 - Aquarius

Whole of their energy towards Aquarius: The Star

Feelings: 6 Wands rev

Intentions: 2 Swords

Actions: King of Cups

This person is on something pretty regularly, enough that it keeps them in a confused or altered state a good portion of the time. That could be what caused this connection to fail. I don’t necessarily get love, it could be family, friend, but they are someone that loves you, or cares about you deeply with King of Cups. They don’t tell you that. You don’t speak at all that I can tell. They want to heal a relationship with you and have something more stable, and at least talk to you about that. They either feel like they’ve failed you, or that they lost their chance to have a new beginning with you. It could be due to other people involved, addictions is a big one here, confusion on how to even approach you possibly…they’re not the most confident person, nor the most open. They do come up as someone loving & emotionally mature, when they’re seeing things clearly anyway.

They don’t even know what they intend to do, they go back and forth on it constantly, and because they’re usually in a 7 Cups daydreamy state, this can be a high of some kind, or alcohol as well, days just pass and things don’t change. Idk if they even notice. Addictions do that. They don’t know if you’d even be receptive to them if they tried, it’s probably the biggest reason they don’t. In actions, they’re not doing anything, just staying to themselves. I don’t get Devil or toxic energy from this, nor depression, illness, or anything destructive, their energy is hard to figure out, but they’re out of sorts and not open with you about how they feel. They want to be 🤷‍♀️

Messages:

Their side:

- I feel so drawn to you.

- Addicted 🍷

Your side:

- I’m a FOOL 🃏 for you.

- Don’t underestimate my potential.

Possible signs:

Scorpio, Leo, Aquarius & Aries

If you’re dealing with:

2 Swords & 6 Wands shows you unsure about your friend group as a whole, this person included. You don’t know who is good for you, and who is not. The Emperor underneath those is you feeling it’s necessary to set boundaries with people and rid yourself of toxicity. Sometimes that’s necessary.

Aries - you’ve blocked them or they’ve blocked you because it’s supposed to be that way, or one of you feel helpless to change a situation, it could be out of your hands or karmic in nature

Taurus - feels abandoned & left out in the cold, which has turned into a defensive attitude, but they seem to be working on something good on their own

Gemini - cruel, mean, sneaky, unaccountable & out for themselves, best to avoid this one

Cancer - losing their minds because they’re alone but they chose that so…Strength, they’ve got a lot of pride & won’t let you in…probably sulking

Leo - has gone through something shocking regarding legal things and documents, could be a lawsuit, it’s got them tied up right now

Virgo - has a crush on you and it’s too much pressure for them, they’d rather not 😆

Libra - could be getting an invitation to a wedding or some kind of ceremony, distance is probably involved in that too, you could both be going or are inviting the other one to some event

Scorpio - you’re not the only one they’re into, and nothing is able to fully satisfy them, just…pass

Sagittarius - something is ending, either because of a promotion, reward, some kind of attention, it’s positive whatever it is #winning

Capricorn - holding back feelings of wanting a new beginning, either with you or in general

Aquarius - bringing up the past in a nostalgic way, there’s a healing conversation with them

Pisces - heartbroken because of some outside influence that’s caused a difficult situation between you, possible 3rd party energy with them, or addictions, substances…could be this person

#aquarius tarot reading #person on your mind #July 2023 #Aquarius #tarot #monthly compatibility

[the-rat-plays-games]

Aagwatz’s New Lead

The time has come: after obtaining her third major injury on a hunt, Hazrohi -- almost six years old, when she would be mandated to step down anyhow -- steps down from her position as is the law. The question immediately comes: who will replace her? Three candidates come forth after ranks and ages are properly evaluated: Hazeet’ohija the Herbalist, Johgwohi the Finisher of the Thawed River Runners, and Seh:ax the leader of the Far Flight hunting pack....

First -- an evaluation of their general abilities and their trust among the pack. Hazeet’ohija takes this easily: he has been in the Aagwatz since it was founded, as one of the two dispersal siblings taken in under Hazrohi’s claw. Additionally, he easily dominates the second trial -- that of wisdom. As hostile as Johgwohi may be, she cannot name herbs with such ease, nor can Seh:ax hope to compete with a wolf who has spent his life among the plants and roots when it comes to finding the herbal tinctures to heal minor infections. All Hazeet’ohija needed to do to take the leadership for his own, but he couldn’t do so. The trial of strength, a test of breaking bone and enduring pain, was won effortlessly by Johgwohi, who stood with her paws on hot rocks and endured bites from her packmates with no noise at all. As the sun rose, the hopeful leaders embarked on their final trial: a test of agility and endurance in that way. They ran into the mountain passes together, and Axlooziyooc the Hunter followed K’ioo the scout to see who would emerge first from the mists at the pass’ end. Seh:ax outpaced the others easily, not so much as panting by the time she came from the stony trails and skidded to a quiet halt before the observers. With each of them winning a single trial, this left the leader position to the only of the wolves who had taken two victories: Hazeet’ohija, the young herbalist, was draped in thin metal ornaments. In the evening, after a day of celebration and feasting, he led his closest supporters -- including his pregnant mate, Eevz -- on a victory parade about Aagwatz territory. After the end of it, he stood before the pack and gave himself a second name, as was the new tradition: Hazeet’ohija Heart-Keeper, in reference to both his kind nature, his love for his wife, and his having saved multiple lives of the pack. He quickly made Johgwohi his beta, and declared that she could have a litter whenever she so chose, without seeking permission, even if the litter came during winter-time. The same went for Seh:ax, but as pack tradition mandated, she needed to be over three years of age to do so.

Hazeet’ohija Heart-Keeper, leader of the Aagwatz Pack until his sixth year of age. May the seasons shine upon him.

#aagwatz #wolvden #wolvden lore #lioden #c: hazeet'ohija

[ingolds]

◎ 𝙻𝙴𝚃'𝚂 𝙳𝙾 𝙰 𝚆𝙴𝙸𝚁𝙳 𝙷𝙴𝙰𝙳𝙲𝙰𝙽𝙾𝙽 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶.

WHAT THEY SMELL LIKE. if you’ve ever smelled cedrat boise by mancera, that’s the one. theo smells like the earth; like citrus, greenery, and musk. he smells fresh and outdoorsy, with specific notes of lemon, bergamot, and cedar. most of their time is spent in nature, so there’s a natural woodsy and like. animalic scent. not bad, just masculine and inherently theo.

HOW THEY SLEEP. SLEEPING POSITION. SCHEDULE. ETC… sprawled out. they’ll sleep literally anywhere, any way, anyhow. in the nude, clothed, in a bed, underneath a tree. rest is necessary for health; the only requirement theo has is that they’re safe and won’t be disturbed. they go back and forth on being nocturnal and not, and they’re typically a very light sleeper. they don’t need much rest to function but every once in a while will knock out cold for upwards of 12 hours, just to sort of “ recoup. ” this especially applies if he’s been hurt.

WHAT MUSIC THEY ENJOY. not a huge fan of music in general, actually. they have a soft spot for classical music and ancient instruments, but don’t specifically seek out tunes to listen to. they’re happy to exist in silence, or with the background noise of people talking / animals chattering.

HOW MUCH TIME THEY SPEND GETTING READY EACH MORNING. decent amount. maybe 30 minutes? shower, shave, etc. general hygiene stuff. his hair takes a minute in terms of putting product in and shaping it. he does like looking good and puts in some effort to do so.

FAVORITE THING TO COLLECT. he doesn’t really collect things! theo isn’t a very sentimental person. they don’t like reminders of their past or to be tied down to any particular place. the idea of collecting artwork or ancient tools is an appealing one but he would never take that step.

LEFT OR RIGHT HANDED. left-handed. however, he can handle a sword in both.

FAVORITE SPORT(S). hunting. lmao. does that count as a sport? only for him, though; he doesn’t care for the way humans hunt for sport / bragging rights. he also likes any physical sport: rugby, american football, mma. watching people beat the shit out of each other is always fun. he also likes soccer.

FAVORITE TOURISTY THING TO DO WHEN TRAVELING. museums. 100%, easy. he’s ancient so he loves getting to see artifacts and exhibits from when he was younger. he also likes going on hikes, but prefers to do it on his own and go to less popular ones.

FAVORITE KIND OF WEATHER. rain. the far-off rumble of thunder, lightning behind clouds. the air is cooler when it rains, and the world smells fresh, alive. they like how the ground squishes between their paw pads and how birds chirp loudest as raindrops first begin to fall from the sky. rain is healing, nurturing, and an important part of life. they live for rainstorms.

WEIRD / OBSCURE FEAR THEY HAVE. it’s only weird because it’s unlikely to happen again, but somebody attempted to remove their head from their shoulders before, and they have a general fear of that. werewolves aren’t hunted ardently anymore but there are fringe groups that still try.

THE CARNVIVAL / ARCADE GAME THEY ALWAYS WIN WITHOUT FAIL. master of that game where you swing the hammer down and ring the bell. because of the super strength, obviously. he’ll win you a teddy bear every time.

tagged by: nobody, i saw it and wanted to do it tagging: steal it if you like!

#HEADCANON. #this was so fun im in love with theo #if yall didnt know that already......

[cosmicangel888]

STAY in YOUR OWN LANE - is really all that is needed for manifesting and experiencing your divine SOUL #5D

Never underestimate the amount of fakery, forced actions, manipulations that occur; for greed, the deeds of the devil and intentions, and work that means nothing and is and goes against all universal laws, human rights laws -

jealousy, envy, greed, gluttony, control = all is fear - do the healing and see how your life, health, wealthy naturally unveil -

These situations are everywhere in our collective of underground 3D communities and those that call themselves spiritualists that do so much harm and should be reported - we are in need of maturing and knowing how damaging at any level of our social structures such control is for all involved - it holds back every part of natural evolution - and will backfire -

Can it be any more petty and harmful - like control and dominance to make, force, control narrative and none play god - none have say and all will receive so much karma - anyone that knows this occurs in your circle, and knows those that pay for, do such; need to bring forth names and work - for there are many that get harmed when those abuse energy, and resources, and information - all are a part of healing corruption

None can make any, none have authority to mess with peoples lives

Universal Law #1 - Right Use of Free Will and Non Interference

Universal Law #2 - Law of Balance

All should simply cease fucking with peoples lives - none know the mental imbalances, the instability that some are struggling to maintain and live within and none that do such are not aligned with their higher self, soul, nor their guides and nor should ever be considered for spiritual guidance -

All that do such will have karma - of the highest order - never interfere with anyones path and destiny - karma is. God is.

Call it out when you know, see, and cease paying for such - paying for spell work is your threading with all karma involved of all disturbance and harmed caused -

Be discerning - call it out - be a part of positive resolving change and corruption - abuse of power, abuse of energy is damaging - none deserve such blockages, messing around, and control that deviates every aspect of creation - all is highly karmic and will be returned in blocking your own life - move into greater loving awareness of feel the return of deeds; karma misses none; all is so unnecessary -

The Divine Soul Blueprint is a Living Document of

YOU & GROWTH, CREATION, GOD You are a divine being, and one of my favourite most exciting topics is learning, growing, and fully understanding at every new phase of ascension -

Your own SOULS EXPANSIVENESS through your own personal and unique divine soul blueprint, 

In which you will want, need, ache to experience all parts of the wheel; the spoke of God

This is truly understanding and living as oneness;

You will experience winning, loving, loosing, deceiving, being deceived, and how to live in honour, humility and know you can transmute and stabilize through all soul growth with gifts, skills, learnings through it all - 

Being multi-dimensional is profound -  There is not 1 human here on this planet that is not treasured with such divine soul blueprint and power and loving emanations of such within - 

STAY IN YOUR OWN LANE - that is all that is required -

Control and dominance is the role of everyone to release beliefs and perspectives and patterns of giving your power away in any way that you have done - In our video, or others like, the expansiveness of the soul and every time you listen and reach, seek, there is more codes, wisdoms, and teachings, aspects of you to reach for and harmonize within - this is truly infinite and one of my favourite topics to teach, activate and help heal -

To see, to know, to stretch into our greatness as divine sacred beings that are here to infinitely expand Here is our video, and can really do another 3 just on this one topic' and know it is a living document, always changing, and always shifting dependent upon the collective, new desires, new gifts, new mastery  

And why when you stay in your own lane; focus on you - that is all that matters and manifests healthy, loving balanced choices and matter -

Soul BLUEPRINT VIDEO - YOUTUBE 

This is how divine that God, our grace to be held within and stretch within -

So amazing And know I am so very grateful for the most amazing clients, and loyal participants that are with me in this sacred journey of assisting and amplifying humanity and our collective consciousness -

I am here for any and all growth aspects of healing, teaching, consulting, and leading, and offer such inspiration for those that wish to be involved with 5D leadership - Here is a recent comment on a participant - now client, on one of our monthly classes and offerings;

Thank you for all my clients and those led to me; and the multi=verse we explore within Deep gratitude -

I APPRECIATE YOU """"

CLIENT FEEDBACK - JULY 2023

I wanted to tell you how great it was to be a part of your live teachings!! 

You are an inspiration and pure light & love!!  I feel really blessed to receive your guidance and feel the connection from everyone!! ❤ Also, I want to Thank you for the discount coupon!

Much love and light to you & may you be blessed beyond belief!! 💫🙏💖 """"""""""

Joanna's Creational Reality Offering ~ 5D

New Classes, Sessions, Webinar, Consultant Offerings  

1 x 90min session = $200USD

4 X 45min session = $500USD

1 X 90min session = $300USD - business per/ sessions or short term contract availability 

I LOVE YOU!

Joanna

[email protected]

DONATIONS --> ~ DONATIONS -

see our PayPal link here; paypal.me/JoannaLRoss

#ascension #healingblackmagic #healingabuse #healinghumanity

#Youtube

[warriorinthegarden]

Today’s Thoughts: It’s Been a Rough Year But I Made It

I haven’t written in a while because life has been a lot. A lot of good and a lot of other things. After re-reading my last blog post, I realized that I wasn’t entirely accurate in my feelings about my life. Yes, while everything I wrote was accurate...I also did not detail that life was A LOT. Since it’s New Year’s Eve, I want to own the fact that this year was rough. It was good and rough. I am grateful for a lot and I want to acknowledge, too, that it was hard. This year was probably one of the hardest years of my life. In May, I was in a car accident and I was without my car for two months. I was screwed over on the rental car and had to pay $1K+ more than I anticipated. I got Covid bad and was stuck at home for two weeks (that sucked)! My beloved boss resigned and I became the interim program director which was tough (I was doing two FT jobs but only being paid for one role). During this time, one of my dogs was sick and had diarrhea everywhere! For two months, I cleaned up dog #3 from the carpet, bathroom floor, and kennel multiple times a week. I took her to the vet multiple times during this time period and was cooking so much chicken and rice that I was sick of chicken and rice! Eventually they hired a new director (because I didn’t want the job! Because fuck admin, that’s why!) who had it out for me since before she started (that’s a story for another time!). From day 1, she was determined to invalidate me, my teammates, and my program. I went from feeling secure and solid in my role, in myself, my program, my agency to detesting my agency and feeling unsure of my standing in my program. You know those people who believe they can do no wrong and even though they know nothing about your program, they assume on day 1 that we have been doing it all wrong and that THEY are the savior??!! SMFH!! Talk about a savior complex! Well four months later of nonsense, high blood pressure, high stress and anxiety, she has calmed down because maybe reality has set in! Oh did I mention, she sent me to HR! I had four meetings with HR over the course of like 5-6 weeks. Talk about anxiety!! Oh also, even though the collision center had my car for two months, my car needed two immediate repairs a few weeks apart. Going back and forth with insurance to reimburse the cost! And recently being told of a third repair that was quoted by 3 mechanics for $3.5k! Lawd have mercy! Oh and I got Covid again and was stuck at home for a week! Had to miss my flight home and I couldn’t hug or kiss my partner goodbye before leaving for the holidays. During these months, I have been trying SO hard to stay positive, centered, grateful, and sane! It’s been exhausting trying to keep my head afloat! It’s been mentally and emotionally taxing trying to be a healthy person while dealing with so much fuck-shit! Fortunately, I think the storm is over.

I’ll admit, there were days that I did not want to keep going, days that I wanted to give up. Days that I have wanted to say “fuck this” to my healing journey. Days where I have let old me (my old unhealthy ways before I started my healing journey) win and almost win. Trying to be healthy, unlearn and detoxify from generational trauma is hard enough on a good day let alone when life is TRYING YOU! There have been some small wins along the way: I stopped vaping, swapped coffee for tea, got a couple job offers, started a committee for a volunteer group, auditioned for a theater role and got the part (life long dream), rode a motorcycle (another dream), got to meet my nephews, am in a loving and healthy relationship, earned the respect of some great people, found out I am a natural at ice skating and love it, helped some people, laughed a lot, learned a ton, and grew exponentially. While I am grateful for all the good in my life, I wanted to take some time to acknowledge the difficulty of this year and to say that I am proud of myself for not giving up. I am proud that I am a fighter. I am a warrior. A warrior that retired to the garden. I did fight hard this year but I did not fight for people to see me or love me. I fought for my health, for my survival and my children (my dogs), and for my livelihood. There is a time and place to fight. Fight for yourself and your loved ones but never fight for someone’s approval of you. You are Enough. You Matter. Fight the Good Fight and Never Give Up. If You Fall, Get Up!

#growth #healing #self compassion #be kind to yourself #progress #self love #recovering perfectionist #mental health #emotional intelligence #grief journey

[firstumcschenectady]

“Joy and Protest” based on  Psalm 98:1-6, Isaiah 55:10-13

“You shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace, the mountains and the hills will break forth before you, there will be shouts of joy, and all the tress of the field shall clap (shall clap) their hands.”  So goes our final hymn today, and so has gone our stewardship campaign this year.

Isaiah 55 for the win.

Joy!

Peace!

Imaginatively imagery of pure delight!

So,  I went to Walter Brueggemann to understand better what is going on, and the great Prophetic Scholar did not disappoint.  He reminded me that Isaiah 40, the start of second Isaiah, begins with the words, “Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.”  The entirety of the passage is written to the exiles, with affirmation that God is not done with them yet.

That while the worst has come, it will not be their whole story.  That when things get hard, God still wins. That God's love remained with them, and hope continued.

Our passage today is the very last part of what scholars call 2nd Isaiah – this part of the book written to the exiles to PREPARE them for God's work of restoration. And today's passage imagines the joy of their homecoming.  The passage ties together some of the work of the exodus with the work of restoration.  The rain and snow that can be counted on to produce crops remind the people of the desert wandering, and God's provisions.  The verb even “go out” is a verb of the exodus.  But here, in the “2nd exodus” it is quite different.  The first exodus was hasty and fearful.   But the restoration, this “new exodus” is joy, peace, and well-being.

Bruggemann writes, “Before there can be any geographical departure from the [Bablyonian] empire, there must be a liturgical, emotional, and imaginative departure.  Israel in exile must be able to think and feel and imagine its life out beyond Babylon's administration.  Israel must so trust the rhetoric of assurance and victory that it can flex its muscles of faith and sense that the cadences of faith are more compelling than the slogans of the empire.”1

And, this is that imaginative departure.  It imagines creatures and … well, mountains and hills and trees gathered on the roadside to watch the spectacle of the people returning.  As if it is a parade and nature itself is healed by the restoration of the people to their homeland.

Instead of thorn and brier – symbols of judgment and punishment – there are cypress and myrtle - signs of growth and life and beauty.  The restoration of ancient Israel is envisioned to be the restoration of sustainable living, of the fair distribution of goods, the return of the ban on interest, the care for the vulnerable.  And that means the restoration of God's values, which was very significant for people who had been living in the seat of power of a large empire because empires ALWAYS involve domination, hierarchies, debt, and oppression of the vulnerable.  Brueggeman suggests even creation itself would be healed by this restoration because empire destroys nature, but sustainable equitable living exists in harmony with nature.  

If it takes dreaming of leaving the exile in order to prepare the people to actually leave the exile, this is some excellent writing getting them ready.  This is writing for life.  This is writing to remind us that life is possible, that loveliness exists, that hope is reasonable.  As Brueggemann says, in this writing, “All are now at home, safe, beloved, free, free at last, Thank God Almighty, free at last.”

As rain and snow leave the sky, to bring life on earth, and grow food so too is it with God's word that accomplishes what it aims at – and it aims at joy, peace, and restoration.  

In order to be ready to leave the empire, to leave the exile, to return, to be restored, the people needed first to dream God's dreams.  And God sent them dreams.

Before they could leave in fact, they had work of letting go – I love his phrasing, “there must be a liturgical, emotional, and imaginative departure.  Israel in exile must be able to think and feel and imagine its life out beyond Babylon's administration.”

I preached a few weeks ago about how ready I am to NOT resonate with exile literature, and that does mean that I'm pretty excited to hear “end of the exile, beginning of the return literature.”  But I keep noticing that leaving the exile meant not only leaving the exile but ALSO leaving behind the pre-exile-ancient-Israel.  

Which is to say, I'm all for starting to vision a post-pandemic life, but I have to keep reminding myself that to leave the pandemic behind also means finishing the work of letting go of the pre-pandemic life.  It means seeing with clarity what has changed, and not FIGHTING it anymore.  It means accepting this reality as it is, so that God can dream with me and with us HERE AND NOW without my too-tight-grip on the past keeping me from listening.

And, to be honest to these passages, it also means making more space for joy.

Loosening my grip on what was helps me make space for joy.  Even, loosening my grip on what joy USED TO look like makes space for how it looks now.  And generally speaking, loosening my grip  helps with joy ;)

The thing I've noticed about joy, the continuity of it, is that for me is about connection.  I find joy in connecting with others, in connecting with God, in connecting with nature.  That is, joy happens in togetherness – at least for me.

Which is probably why I've been so moved by our stewardship campaign this year, “Together for joy.” I simply adore the order of the words.  For me, I know joy comes in togetherness, but I love the INTENTION in being together FOR joy.

It is another wonderful take on the Psalm:

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;    break forth into joyous song and sing praises. Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,    with the lyre and the sound of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn    make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.

The normal take is the wonder of making music to praise God, but I love adding to that meaning by seeing each of our lives as a piece of the music and our lives together as creating that joyful noise!  

In many churches, today is Reformation Sunday, the day when they remember the initial act of Martin Luther in nailing the 95 thesis on the church door and starting the Reformation.  We are, curiously enough, a part of Protestantism, but direct descendants of the Reformation.   Lutheran, Presbyterian, Reformed, and even most Baptist churches descend from the Reformation, but we split off of the Church of England, which itself split from the Roman Catholic Church for rather different reasons. (The king wanted a divorce, the pope didn't grant one, so the king nationalized the church.)  

Our roots are not in the reformation, but our identity is in Protestantism.  That is, by nature, we PROTEST the abuses of the church and the world and advocate for God's people. Thanks be to God!  We are active in the face of injustice, and we are actively seeking God's kindom (although, to be fair, this is true of more people than protestants, so we claim this but not exclusively.)

We are, together for justice, together for joy, together for compassion.  We witness the mountains and the hills breaking forth before us, and the trees of the field clapping their hands.  

Dear ones, God leads us TO joy.  God leads us to PEACE.  Not just for ourselves, for all people, but for ourselves too.  We are blessed with the joy of being together, and we are together for joy.  Thanks be to God!  Amen

1Walter Brueggemann, Isaiah 40-66, Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998), p 162.

Rev. Sara E. Baron First United Methodist Church of Schenectady 603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305 Pronouns: she/her/hers http://fumcschenectady.org/ https://www.facebook.com/FUMCSchenectady

October 30, 2022

#Love Wins #God is Love #Progressive Church #Thinking Christianity #Pandemic Preaching #Exile as Pandemic Metaphor #Swoon #Walter Brueggemann #Isaiah and Brueggemann #Rev Sara E Baron #First UMC Schenectady #schenectady #UMC #Sorry about the UMC

[junova]

𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞.

notes: howdy guys, it's been a while. i've been taking a break and finally starting writing again, yay. it's been a rough few months and still treading through it, but i hope you enjoy a piece of my heart with this one.

if it's any consolation, my heart broke while writing this. </3

pairing — boxer!steve rogers x fem!reader

concept — steve has to come with terms of you not wanting him just as much as he wants you.

wc — 6.7k+ [yeah...]

warnings: 18+, themes alluding to sex, emotional cheating, soft!steve, heartbreak, kind of unrequited vibe going on, over all ✨ angst ✨

Even if it was the thousandth time to watch his body move in the ring, you still were memorized by the way he moved. You were in complete admiration of how his hips flowed so fluidly through his punches. Just like always, he was aware of your presence as you stood next to Sam and Wanda, both of them with proud smiles on their faces as he defeated yet another opponent.

Watching as they raised his arm, declaring him as the champion, something he’d been striving so intensely for, the past few months. Even if his body was bruised and littered with the hits Rumlow had been able to mark his body with and not to mention the busted lip, making him taste the blood with nearly every swallow.

It didn’t matter because he had followed through with what he had set his mind out to do. The looks Rumlow was giving him after all the smack talk he had served him was satisfying enough. Even if he didn’t think you did, he saw you standing there alongside his friends, celebrating the win of his life.

He couldn’t but smile proudly at your presence, even if the disapproval you have against his lifestyle was well known between the two of you and everyone else in your friend group.

Steve knew you weren’t a fan of the injuries you brought home in your shared apartment, the nights you actually stayed there. With Jordan’s absence from New York, you’d been staying there more consistently than ever.

He would never admit it out right, but it made his heart full. With you home, he could protect and he worried wherever you weren’t there. Even if he knew you were fully capable of defending yourself if need be, it would always make him feel better when you were close to him.

Just like him, you could confess it even to yourself, but when you were back in the apartment you shared with Steve, you’d always felt safer.

He went straight to the locker room, to clean himself up as best as he could without making his friends and Tony wait too long. He’d usually go straight to them but the group took notice he held himself back when you were around.

The first match you went to and he came up with bruises running along both rib cages, a bloody nose accompanied by a busted lip, he immediately took notice of the way you cowered away from him. Barely even looking at him as you congratulated him. From then on out, he realized how much it bothered you to see him physically injured.

When you’d come, he’d always make sure to clean himself up before. It really worked out on the days he didn’t want to be around many people. Only the stragglers from the crowd would be left, and his friends who supported him nearly every time.

As soon as he made his way over to the group, he was met with Sam’s warm smile pulling him into a warm hug. You found yourself wincing as soon as Steve did. “Easy there big buy, bruises are still fresh.” Sam let up just a tad, before everyone was congratulating him. You stood back with Tony, watching the proud smile grow on his face as he watched his prodigy surpass his monumental goal.

“You should think about coming to more matches. He fights better when you’re here watching him.” You twisted your neck so you could see his coach more clearly who was standing right beside you. “I’m sure he plays just as well when I’m not here. I still watch them everytime, just from home when it’s too much for me to stomach.”

You looked forward away from Tony, Steve coming into your line of vision as Sharon, his ex who had surprisingly shown up to corral by his side, someone you’d hadn’t seen near him in the past few weeks since she’d been out of the country for work.

“His technique and endurance is the same, but his intensity always rises higher when you’re here. I’m not the only one who notices, maybe the only one bold enough to say it to you.” Tony spoke as watched the man he took in when Steve was just sixteen.

Truly, it made his heart swell with pride to see him reach the level of success he had been dreaming for him since the pair had met. Knowing Steve for the past five years, also made him hyper aware of the girl he never seemed to shut up about, not that you’d ever find out.

No matter how much Tony was dying to let the words slip off his tongue.

“I’m just happy to be here for him.” Keeping your words short as you watched Sharon move closer to him, her hand resting on his chest and he didn’t even move away from it. You tried to ignore the ugly shade of green rising in your chest, but with him it always seemed to show.

Not that you’d had a right to, you weren’t single or emotionally available by any means, but the thought of him being with someone who had hurt him so much made you more protective of him than you had a right to be.

“C’mon little dove, have you thought about why you’d rather stay in the dinged up apartment with Steve than be with your boyfriend of three years across the country?” He pressed harder, making sure you were careful of your response. “My friends are here and so is my family. I can’t just leave everyone I love behind.” Your gaze never left Steve’s as he finally was out of Sharon’s grip.

“Steve’s here, too. You sure it has nothing to do with him?” Part of you couldn’t stand there with Tony and lie to him because you weren’t sure what was the nature of your relationship with the boxer.

Thankfully, you were saved from responding by the devil himself as made his way over to the two of you. Much to your dismay, he had to get in a few more words before Steve was in earshot. “Just think about why Steve lives with you when he’s had more than enough to move out for a while now.”

Before you could even process the words leaving his mouth, your favorite man in the ring immediately has you wrapped up in his arms. Holding you so close and so tightly, not even caring if it put more pressure on his lungs than he wished.

“Congrats on the win, Champion. I’m so proud of you.” The arms you had around him were placed gently, too afraid to put any weight on the new bruises. Not to mention the old ones which were still healing.

Once he pulled away from you, just enough so you could look at him. He hummed at Tony and with one nod of his head he knew when the young boxer wanted to be left alone. More times than not, it is usually with you.

“I thought you weren’t coming tonight. Isn’t Jordan in town?” Not even when it was the biggest moment of his career thus far did he care to indulge in his victories. Always it seemed to be looking after you.

“Stevie, this is your night. We don’t have to talk about me — we’re always talking about me.” For a moment he almost bought your act until he looked into those dazzling eyes of yours, ones he never seemed to grow tired of in the past few years.

“I’m not happy unless you’re happy. So, if you need a night where we just watch romcoms and chow on cookie dough ice cream, you know I’m all yours.” Unknowing to the two of you, everyone of your friends was watching the encounter and still couldn’t believe you still were with your current boyfriend.

Or that Steve was just waiting for you patiently. Something that didn’t come easy for him around women. Before you, he didn’t really do relationships with women that didn’t end with him in their bed at some point. Somehow, much to everyone’s dismay, he managed to keep his interactions platonic with you.

At least in their eyes.

“No, Stevie. I’m fine. He just didn’t follow through this time. It’s not the end of the world, I’ll be fine. Tonight, I just wanna be by your side and celebrate you.” Although, he didn’t really believe you Steve decided he would let it go.

“Regardless of it, thank you for coming tonight. Means the world to me.” It really did. Even more so, when he felt like he was one of the reasons you were still in Brooklyn and not in California living with your boyfriend instead.

“Oh, hush bubba. You’re getting so soft on me and you haven’t even had a proper drink in you yet. Let’s just celebrate with our friends, yeah?” You kissed his cheek sweetly, before you were off to Bucky and Nat’s place to get properly fed and surely get Steve drunk off his ass.

It really was the elephant in the room you were choosing to ignore. The fluttering feeling of adventurous butterflies traveling to spaces you didn’t know existed. Everytime he pulled you close to his side or kissed your temple.

When Bucky would do something monumentally stupid, he would whisper a line in your ear humorous enough to hear you laugh. Even right now, when you knew he was exhausted, muscles sore and aching — Steve was still tending to whatever you needed.

In this moment, your body nestled between his legs as he draped his arm across your chest, letting him hold you close was exactly what you needed. Even if you tried to remove yourself several times because of the new injuries, he would never let you.

“What’s next, Rogers?” Steve watched as he craned his neck towards Sharon. You’d almost forgotten she was here, she’d been so quiet most of the night.

“A whole lot of rest and then in a few weeks, right back into training.” He spoke with pride because winning the title went hand and hand with defending it. “You should come to the club. Danielle’s been itching to see you, again.”

Steve grimaced, not just as Sharon’s words, but with how stiff your body became. The way you rubbed back and forth with the tip of your fingers against his forearm came to a halt.

You weren’t really sure what to do because now you felt horrible for even feeling like you had a right to be upset in the first place. Because you didn’t. You weren’t single and Steve was. In this space in time, he did nothing wrong.

When you followed Nat back into the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine, away from him, it felt like he had made a mistake.

Just watching as you followed Nat up the pathway, in your pretty green dress, as you messed with the necklace adoring your neck. Something he learned you did when you were anxious.

“Why would you bring that up now? In front of her?” He was slightly pissed off she had driven you away and out of his arms. Steve would have you within his grip constantly if you would let him. Not that you did, but it was still a certain something he found himself wishing for. More than not though, someone else always seemed to hold your attention whenever he wasn’t in the ring.

Jordan. Tony. Sam. Natasha. Bucky. Wanda.

Tonight had seemed it might go in a different direction, until Sharon steered your mind elsewhere. One where you were a girl who missed her boyfriend. Or at least that’s what he thought.

Unknowingly to Steve, Jordan was the last thing on your mind, which allowed the guilt to settle in. Maybe, just this one time it was rightfully placed. The thoughts you were having scared you senseless — making you want to do something you knew you shouldn’t.

You just sat there on the padded bar tool as Nat grabbed a bottle of white with a bottle of red. Like time and time again, Nat read your mind just as she often did. “So, why couldn’t he come this time?” She drilled into you, her iridescent daggers as piercing as ever.

“He said he forgot his mother asked him to help her move out of the house. He said he’d make it up to me some other time.” Just like always.

But you held your tongue before voicing it to anyone other than yourself. It’d been months since you’d seen him in the flesh, and it was the first time he spoke to you in days when he informed you he’d been unable to spend any of his time off with you.

“He’s just never here and he keeps asking for me to move to Los Angeles, but my whole life is here. Before, he never seemed to really pressure me. He was always patient with me to travel at my own pace but I think he ultimately thought I would eventually go there with him.” You breathed out, scared of the truth dripping right out of you.

“I just-, you know what? Nevermind. It’s isn’t important.” She was never one to bite her tongue, but she found herself trying to when your feelings were involved.

“Tell me. What is it?” Your curious, bambi eyes peering into your soul, dying to pull the confession right out of her.

“Do you even miss him when you’re apart for so long? I’m not judging but it just seems like you’re okay. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but why don’t you ever go to him or Jordan to you?” Natasha spoke softly, afraid she might be poking the bear just a bit.

“Of course I miss him. I would see him if I could. I’m just a little too busy right now with work and my family.” You attacked back, feeling the need to defend yourself.

“Are you really going to make me say it?” With both bottles of wine on the counter, she went to grab three more wine glasses — for Sharon, herself, and you.

“Say what? What the hell are you talking about?” You pushed her as she put out the bottles of wine as she managed to link the three vines of the glasses in her left fingertips. “Forget it. I shouldn’t have said anything.” She was regretting it now, because maybe you weren’t quite ready to hear the words everyone else knew to be true. Anyone who was around the two of you could see it.

Perhaps, Nat never spoke a word of it because at the very least, she thought you wouldn’t be as naive to see his feelings. The ones he seemed to offer you on a silver platter, whether you wanted to reject or accept the offering, giving it to you wholeheartedly.

Following her out the patio door where the two of you stopped, not moving a step further. She didn’t really say anything either. Letting you bask in the glow before the fall.

He was laughing so hard, his hand clutching his chest as him. Golden hair shining bright by the fire pit, almost as

lively as his smile. Even if it looked like his spirit could have been beaten out of him tonight, he’d never show it.

When he had trouble keeping his eyes open, he’d force himself to stay alert because moments he could spend with ones he loved seemed too precious to pass up. Especially over the past few months — he didn’t even have to think twice about it.

Through the schedule Tony had him on, his life was eating, breathing, living boxing. Training every day in the gym, whether it be furthering his techniques in the gym to Tony making him regret any mistake he made in the ring.

Even some days he was just weight training when Tony told him he could rest. He couldn’t though. Not when he could taste the sweetness of his dreams on the tip of his tongues.

Every day, dawn till dusk, training consumed every moment of his time. Steve thought his body was restless before, but now? Nothing came even close to this.

Leading Steve to be blissfully unaware of what was actually going in that fantastically bold head of yours.

“Just spill it, Romanov.” You pressured her, but your eyes were too weak to redirect your directions elsewhere. Only Steve holding your attention at one.

“Remember when Steve left for Spain for three months with Tony?” Your body stilled, having a feeling you knew where this was going. Regretting you told her what had happened with Steve in the first after promising him it would just stay between the two of you.

“It was the year Jordan and I had split for two months.” The memory of what happened always clouding your better judgement. The way his eyes shined still haunted you. “Steve had already been there a month when it happened and the second I told him he insisted on flying me out.”

Looking at him fondly, across the greenery before speaking so softly as if he was right next to you, “I could never say no to him. I still can’t.” Nat tried to ignore it but she could see through the fog of your first love fading even if you were trying your hardest to avoid the inevitable heartache.

The care you held for him was oozing out of you, bursting and breaking at the seams. When you kept thinking of him more than a roommate, more than a friend.

“Dove, you can’t just keep pretending your feelings don’t exist. The more you try to bury the root deep the more it will grow.” You knew she was right, but you really didn’t want to hurt anyone.

You supposed you were already causing pain unintentionally. “His biggest insecurity is him. Jordan thinks I’m still here because of him.” You confessed, the ongoing fight no secret to anyone, really.

“Aren’t you?” Maybe if you had been a better liar, you could’ve convinced her but everyone could read you like the back of your own hand.

You hated the spotlight she was putting on you, but even more so because she was right. Moving forward with Jordan meant leaving someone else behind, something you couldn’t seem to prepare yourself to do.

“I love Jordan. He’s my first love and I thought he would be the greatest one, too.” You really want to stop the love and admiration flowing out of you, but you couldn’t choose who you love and maybe it was time for you to stop fighting it.

“Then, I met Steve. He responded to the ad I put out for the spare room in my apartment and we met for coffee.” If you had listened to your mother, her wishes of you not to be in the company of a man who was a complete stranger, you’d never meet the most important person in your life.

“He looked more like a boy back then. Clean shaven. No beard. Steve was still muscular, but not nearly as toned as he is now. But his eyes? They pulled me right in. Still do, every damn time.” You should have held some sort of shame, but you didn’t.

“You should do something about it, Dove. He isn’t going to be single forever.” Nat questioned as you followed her lead, back to the roaring fire.

“Nat, I love Jordan. I could never do that to him.” You really couldn’t, but you also couldn’t find it in you to move with him either. “I know you love him, but you aren’t in love anymore.” Growing closer and closer, back to the group, you saw him clearly.

“What do you mean?” Trying to ignore the pain in your chest as Natasha spoke. “I think you’re scared of ending it with Jordan. Dove. I’ve known you for a long time now and I’ve never seen you look at anyone the way you do with Steve.”

The words spilling out of her lips left you a little broken — the truth spearing you through. She wasn’t wrong, not one bit. Nat never nearly was, especially when your feelings were involved. Steve had become such an enigma to you in the past year.

The line of platonic friendship and overflowing emotional intimacy was becoming too entangled for you to even comprehend.

“Just think about it. I just want you to be happy.” The rest of the night, it’s all you could think about. A few days passed and it was still in the forefront of your mind.

When Steve was walking home with you this week, you couldn’t stop wondering all the hypotheticals swarming inside your dreams.

He could tell, too.

You’d never been so quiet, not ever. He’d like to hear you, especially when you were drunk. Like you seemed to be now, at least to him but tequila that lit a fire in your chest a few hours ago was beginning to wear off. Just when the feelings you kept trying to avoid would seep there way back in like your furry, fat cat Thor when he wormed his body through the gate into the apartment.

“What’s wrong? You’ve seemed off this week.” You felt his hand kiss yours, but he didn’t bother to find it’s home. He’d been keeping his distance or at least been trying to. You'd been so vulnerable lately and the last thing he wanted to do was exploit that.

Ever since Sharon had made a comment about Danielle, and you escaped with Nat, something changed. You more guarded around him, more than you'd ever been since you met.

Steve knew there was a reason for it, but he didn't want to push you — not when it looked like you would combust into a breakdown at any given moment.

“I’ve just been thinking about where my life is going and where I want it to go.” You confessed, letting your words linger. “Jordan wants me to move with him to California and I’m running out of reasons to say no.” In perfect harmony, your eyes met his at the same time.

They weren’t joyful what his bright blues usually possess, but this time they were indifferent. Not even you could read them.

“Do you want to move there with him?” Steve asked you, his heart on the verge of dropping into his stomach. “If it will make you happy, you should.” Shoving his hands in his pockets, you watched him drift away from you.

“I don’t know. It might.” Both of you coming to a halt, walking up to the apartment the two of you shared.

“He’s insecure about you. It’s why he’s pressuring me.” The two of your bodies so close but so far away as you stood in the doorway. With a confusing gaze and pouty lips, practically guiding you into temptation.

“He used to always tell me you were in love with me. He was fully convinced, still is. I never thought so. You were just my best friend, that was it. I just never really thought about it unless Jordan brought it up.” You would have loved to blame your sudden outburst on the alcohol, but it was something you'd been dying to do.

Before you never had the guts, but you a felt a pull towards Steve lately, like maybe there was something more trying to burst under the seams.

“I thought Tony was bullshitting me, fucking with me, but I didn’t ever give it a thought. Then, Nat brought up Spain.” Nights you told yourself were a mistake, but deep down it was the probably the safest you felt in a long time.

“What are you talking about? What did Tony say?” Fetching for the key, he slid it in before opening the door for you and following you inside. “Steve, why do you still live here?” Blushing cheeks and a string of incoherent words was all you could make out from him.

As he headed for the small couch, trying to make up an excuse good enough. One which you’d actually believe, he hoped.

“You make four times as much as me, if not more. For some reason, you’ve decided to stay in this shithole apartment — it doesn’t make sense.” He wished you would make sense of it, that way he didn’t have to say a word.

“Do you want me to move out?” He questioned, watching your movements. If you wanted him to move out, he wouldn’t hesitate to do so.

It was the last thing you wanted, but the line between your friendship with him was always blurred. Only now, when it was vaguely pointed out by the two people close to the both of you — it became more apparent than ever.

“No, I just, I guess I’m asking why. You know you’re more than welcome to stay here as long as you’d like, but this place is a dump, Steve. Why on earth would you wanna stay here?” When he looked up, where you stood above him having a hard time biting his tongue.

Because you’re here.

It’s what he wanted to say, but he didn’t have the right and he would just be an asshole if he put you in a compromising position. He already felt guilty enough with his feelings in the first place, he didn't need to pile on.

“I guess it’s just easier to stay. It’s so close to the ring and I’m maybe a tad too comfortable.” You sat next to him on the couch. Finding yourself trapped in the green of his eyes. “Don’t you want something better?” Maybe it was him or maybe it was you. Neither of you could tell.

The two of you inched closer until Steve was caressing your thigh, just with the tip of his thumb. “I’m more than happy with where I’m at.”

“Well, I’m asking because I need to go to California. Just for a bit. I need to see Jordan, it’s been awhile since I’ve seen him.” He didn’t stop touching, not even with the mention of his name.

Even if it pierced him every time you talked about him. Or when Jordan came to town, he felt like he didn’t exist to you.

He didn’t blame you, not at all. Jordan was your highschool sweetheart, and you wanted so badly for it to work but something was holding you back. Something you were trying to let go of.

“He loves me so much and wants to start building this whole new life, but how am I supposed to tell him?” Steve said nothing, letting you sink into the ground.

“He’s been nothing, but kind and loving. Always there, always supportive. The best partner I could have asked for.” Steve laced your hand in his like it was the most natural thing in the world, making butterflies erupt at full speed.

You couldn’t really pinpoint a moment when he started, but all you knew is how safe his warm, calloused hands made you feel. Since the moment you met, never failing to comfort you when needed.

“Then what’s the problem, Dove?” Steve questioned you, untangling his body from yours.

If he was going to help you, he needed to think and being so close to you wouldn’t get himself where you needed. Above all, you didn’t make any easier when a small whine left your throat — tugging at his heart strings.

“We never talk about what happened in Barcelona.” You watched his body tighten, muscles in his arm constricting.

It made him feel just as uneasy as it did to you. At least you could find comfort in that.

“Dove, there’s a reason for it. You and I both know it.” Steve was right. His self righteous sense of nature always kicked in when you wanted it the least.

“You don’t think about it? Because I do.” Pushing weight on his heart, you were very aware you held. You weren’t too naive to know just how much he cared for you, but coward enough to try and make him admit it first.

“You were broken up, things are different now. We’re home where you have a boyfriend and I have boxing.”

“Yes, where I have a boyfriend who wants me to abandon everything I hold close to me to join him without even bothering to ask me what I want.” You puffed out, exhaustion coming in overflow. “The past year, he hasn’t once asked me what I want.”

The boy with golden locks found himself wanting nothing more than to hold you in his arms, nurse you back to health with all the love he could offer.

But even he knew he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t keep on spreading himself thin over a woman who was so conflicted, so distraught she was collapsing within herself. If he wasn’t too careful, he might fall right beside you.

“Before we got back together, he asked me.” You confessed, feeling better as soon as the secret flew from your mouth. “He asked you what?” Steve pressed on, a bit terrified of it truly, but even he had to know.

“He asked if anything happened between us the months I was there and I lied. Ever since we met, he’s been insecure. He thinks I’m going to leave you for him and it wasn’t the first time he asked either.” You wish you hadn’t dealt with the two of them so poorly, but with the expression on Steve’s face you knew you had.

“He knows I lied and it hurts even more he stayed with me anyways.” Steve didn’t move, his fear keeping him still.

“I don’t know how to be his after you, but I don’t know how to let go of my high school sweetheart either.” You felt trapped, in between an impossible decision. An old love, who loves you past your mistakes, past the hurt and a soulful heart admiring you from where you’re at and nothing less.

“Those nights don’t have to mean anything if you don’t want them to.” He spoke softly, his beautiful orbs catching yours in the moonlight peeking through the window.

“They mean too much to me, that’s the problem.” If he didn’t move as you inched closer to his body, planting yourself in front of him, you could tell he was straining himself.

“Do you remember the first time?” He looked confused, wondering if you truly were bold enough to speak of something you shouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole. Your hand found his chest, feeling the pulse of his rapid heart beat. “I was so shy and timid the first time with you, but you guided me so well.” Too fond of the memory of him worshipping every part of your body.

The very thing he wanted to do since the moment he met you, but Steve wanted more than that. Now more than ever.

“You don’t have to remind me, Dove. I remember.” He swallowed deeply, trying to erase the permanent memory of your body writhing beneath him, moaning out his name, begging him for more.

He still found himself thinking about it. Those two months with you had just amplified what he felt even more because now he knew what it was like for you to wake up in his arms, bare skin against his own.

The way you curled into his chest, your arms wrapped around his waist for optimal comfort.

Or when he’d wake up before you, which was most days, he’d find you murmuring his name in your sleep while soft fingertips caressed your skin lulling you into a more peaceful slumber.

“I never forget, Dove. That’s the problem.” With one finger, he pushed back the hair falling in your face tucking it behind your ear. “I tried to move past it, I went on a couple dates with this woman, Danielle.” You already felt your heart clench at the thought of him with someone else.

“She’s kind, smart, and beautiful and she seems to like me. Sharon keeps bugging me to take her out again since she set the two of us up.” Steve was trying to talk calmly, but he couldn’t ground himself. Especially when you only seemed to pull back further from him.

It was weird that Sharon set the pair up, considering she dated Steve not too long ago but it seemed she could put her feelings inside if it was for your despair.

In her daunting eyes, you were the reason her and the promising boxer broke up in the first place. As cliche as it was, she offered Steve an ultimatum after six months of dating — her or you.

Steve picked you.

It wasn’t like he loved her at that point. He did care for her, but you just meant too much to him. When kind, iridescent eyes met his own for the first time Steve never was able to stop thinking about them. Or you for that matter.

Carefully calculated as Steve could be, he managed to trap you between the closed door of his bedroom and his toned body.

“But I want to hear you say something before I do.” His gaze never faltered for a moment as he played with the hem of the short slip dress adoring your taut figure.

Half of your mind was begging you to retreat into your room and forget the last time you’d been pressed up against him like this. The other half wanted to see what he would do once he knew you were in the palm of his hand once again.

You had a feeling he already did.

His beard was grown out and his silky, golden hair that almost reached his shoulders make him look even more deliciously sinful.

“What’s that?” You tried not to gulp loudly, but if you even made the slightest movement, he would notice. “Tell me you’re in love with him.” His soft thumb caressing your side, not sure if he was trying to soothe himself or you.

“Just tell me five years down the line, you see him right there with you. Just say it, so I can move on.” He couldn’t even look at you, he couldn’t take the inevitable. “Tell me we’re just friends and Jordan’s your future.” You met his eyes, the prettiest blues you’ll ever see.

Commanding your attention without even trying — every damn time. You weren’t sure what you wanted, but you knew seeing him hurt was chipping a piece of you away. Watching his arched eyebrows furrowed in distress, fine lines being made in the middle for proof.

Soft fingertips met his skin, smoothing out his furrowed brows, closing his eyes trying to remember what you smelled like. Just like Sharon reached her breaking point, he had too. Steve couldn’t watch you any longer without being the one you wanted without a doubt.

“Stevie.” You softly whisper, before pulling him into your arms.

Even if he was double your size, he let you hold him as best as you could. Comfort him even if you were the reason he’s breaking.

The strong, persistent boxer had been transported back to the sick and thin kid he once was before all the guns and glory came. Steve was right back to where he got rejected by anyone and everyone. A time and many places where no one gave a damn about Steve Rogers, not anyone he wished for.

You watched him untangle himself from you, but you weren’t sure just how much time had passed. A few minutes? Thirty? An hour?

Only time could tell and she wasn’t really on your side at the moment.

“I’ve only found love once. Back in high school, there was this girl, Hazel. She was kind, sweet, eyes that shined like fresh honey. The first person to ever show any interest in me and I was in love with the fact that someone actually wanted me.” Steve felt his heart clench at the memory he wished to forget.

“I truly believed I loved her with every fiber in me and I thought she cared about me too, until I realized she was just using me to get to Bucky.” You watched the distress wash over him again and you wanted nothing more than to make him feel appreciated and loved. Not rejected and forgotten.

“It broke my heart for months because I truly believed I was in love with this girl who I hardly knew.” He sighed deeply, like he somehow already was aware of the soft whisper of goodbye.

“It always kind of stayed with me, not ever feeling like I was good enough for anyone until Tony found me. Graduated high school and I started training dawn till dusk until I couldn’t anymore just to start all over and do it the next day.” He was looking everywhere but you. Even if there was not a thing in this damn hallway, but two pressured hearts.

“Not too long after, I met you and I remember thinking this is the most extraordinary woman I’ve ever met in my life.” Now, feeling like an absolute dick because you truly didn't deserve for this wonderful man to be in your life.

“You were so kind to me and you had no reason to be, but I learned it’s just who you are. This amazingly bright full beam, shining their light on everyone else — not paying attention to how much they give even if it’s everything they have.” Your skin felt hot beyond comparison, the passion in the words he spoke deeper than the memory of his skin against your own.

“I always tried to ignore it, how stupidly kind and thoughtful you are. How much you take care of me when you don’t have to. You cleaned my wounds for months without even asking me what I was doing.”

“I already knew you had a boyfriend, one you love very much, but I couldn’t stop myself from being around you. Now, I have to leave. I need to move on for me because I know how this ends for me — how it always has.” He sighed before walking away, leaving you hanging in every conceivable way. You didn’t notice the suitcase by the door before. Until he was walking out of the apartment with his possessions in hand — out of sight and out of mind.

“Wait!” He was already making it to his car, the old beat up pickup truck he couldn’t seem to get rid of when you reached him. “I just need time, Steve.” You’d been sprinting after him, until you caught up to him, making his attention fully focused on you.

“Jordan’s the only boyfriend I’ve ever had — I don’t know how to let him go.” You were crying because maybe, deep down you were hoping you could have your cake and eat it too.

“And you’re the only person I’ve ever been in love with, Dove. I can’t keep sticking around hoping you’ll wake up one day and feel the same.” He emptied his belongings in his truck before returning his attention towards you.

“Steve, don’t do this. Please. Don’t leave me.” You’d become so dependent on him, more than you realized. “You’re the only person who truly loves me and not for who they want me to be.” Trying to plead with him, but it felt like you were only pushing him even further away.

“Then tell me I’m the only one you want.” But all he was left with silence because you couldn’t and he already knew what you didn’t. He knew you hated change more than anything, that you’d rather stay in what was comfortable even if you were presented with a different option.

Someone you wanted more.

With tears in your eyes, you looked up at him like he was crushing you and there was nothing to stop the numbing feeling. He sympathized, maybe more than he liked to admit, it’s what he chose to live with over the past year. It started the moment he met you if he was truly being honest.

He knew there was nothing left for him, no matter how much his heart clenched at the sound of your cries. He couldn’t be the one who was always taking care of you, loving you, when you didn’t feel what he felt. It was splitting him open, and you just kept taking pieces of him away — parts of him you would hold forever.

He let you cling onto him one more time, begging for him not to leave you. He let you believe he wouldn’t as he calmed you back in a false sense of security. Until you were asleep in his soft sheets later that night, leaving you lonely in the home you’d been sharing.

With only half of his belongings with him, he pulled up to the project he had just completed. Even now, with not a single hope you would ever see it after he just abandoned you, there was still a light hope you’d be able to at least see it one day. If Steve was ever strong enough to face his heartbreak again.

tagging: @tonystankschild | @andromedasstarship | @tinylumpiaa | @brattycherubwrites | @bval-1 | @kayteewritessteve |

#i apologize for the heartache #i lowkey love the pain :') #honest to god.....this is my favorite piece i've ever written #chris evans #chris evans x reader #chris evans smut #steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers smut #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers fan fiction #steve rogers au #boxer!steve rogers #boxer!steve #boxer au #steve rogers fluff #steve rogers angst #mcu fanfiction #m.writes #<333 #steve rogers x poc reader

[artbyblastweave]

BLASTWEAVE what does steven universe have in common with watchmen?

Both Steven Universe and Watchmen are groundbreaking entries in their respective genres that demonstrate a deep understanding of the appeal of the genre they’re working in, and engage with their ideas on a previously unheard-of level for the medium. That breaks ground and clears the way for what other works in the genre can get away with. 

Steven Universe showed that, well, first of all that you can make a cartoon that’s fundamentally ideologically queer beyond a few side characters, but also that you can have an emotionally intelligent and mature children's cartoon where the character nuance and depth and development are all taken very seriously. Watchmen showed that you could write serious and interesting narratives about superheroes if you were willing to roll with the crazy. (Neither of them was the first to do the things I’m ascribing to them, but I do think that they’re what made it stick for their respective fields.)

In doing so, though, both works create/created a catch 22 for all future works in their genre. Part of what made both of them so good is that they were willing to critically unpack and air out the ugly implications of their format that usually get chalked up to suspension of disbelief, and now that that’s out in the open it becomes very difficult not to think about how any other given work is or isn’t addressing those issues- even if they aren’t equipped to address those issues in the scope of the story they’re trying to tell. Watchmen asked questions about who sanctions superheroes, what qualifies you to do that work, where the line is between heroism and fascism or if there even is one, whether the agency to act means you have a right or a duty to act, whether anyone who seriously bought into the superhero thing could possibly be doing it for good reasons, and, if they somehow were, how long you can care with the intensity necessary to be an effective hero without suffering burnout (not long.) I literally can’t think of a single superhero thing worth reading that isn’t in some way in conversation with Watchmen - you now kind of have to answer those questions, explicitly or implicitly, even if your books thesis is “Alan Moore sucks eggs and being a superhero is very sustainable and fantastic.” If you just leave the question of whether your superheroes are justified completely unaddressed, there’s an uncomfortable discordance there, because we’ve seen the extreme end of that sliding scale in the form of the Comedian and if the narrative doesn’t engage with what makes the protagonist not Edward Blake, it can feel worrisome. If they try and then botch it it can feel alarming.

Steven Universe has a similar thing going on, at least for me. It’s the only unironic, non-parodic children’s series that’s really, seriously unpacked how fucked up and traumatic it would be to grow up as the archetypical All-loving Spirited Saturday Morning Cartoon Protagonist, how warped and dysfunctional a household that enabled that lifestyle could be at its worst, and what the future looks like when your whole childhood was centered on a now-ended conflict. ( a lot of cartoons flirt with that last one but don’t commit.) I’ve seen jokes and intended-as-cracky fan theories about this for years, surrounding lots of other cartoons (Ben 10, Pokemon, Powerpuff Girls) but almost never with the assumption that the creators are on the same page as them. I’ve seen stories that are post-modern reimaginings using the same general archetypes or whatever (Venture Brothers) but that’s not this! SU told an entertaining story earnestly, and then engaged with the emotional fallout of the story it told, with an unheard-of breadth and depth. A whole season of unpacking! No other show has ever been allowed to sink that much effort into closure. That’s usually what Fanfic is for.

I think it’s great, and that shows like Infinity Train and The Owl House are able to go as hard as they do largely because of Steven Universe’s precedent- but no matter how good a cartoon is, I can’t watch them without having this voice in the back of my head going “Oh, these children are going to grow up to be broken wrecks, bar an extensive and harsh healing process that kinda hurts to watch, huh.”

The issue is that not every cartoon can be Steven Universe, where the project was to thoughtfully and sensitively unpack this stuff. It’s a fair bet that we’ll probably never see a show with that exact project again (not least because of the loss of novelty value.) You’ve got your own stories you wanna tell that’ll run their own course, mostly aimed at children, there objectively isn’t narrative or financial room for most stories to unpack these assumptions if that wasn’t the goal going in. For example, Gravity Falls had pretty tight storytelling and a narrative that absolutely had room for a post-script "where-do-we-go-from-here” plot- it sped-run the “oh no, childhood’s ending” thing- and it’s pretty telling that the aftermath, healing process, interpersonal relationships and so forth are one of the things that that fandom heavily fixates on. The narrative had such a clean ending that it made people go looking for the mess. That’s not bad! It’s how most storytelling works! But now I look at any cartoon with kid heroes that’s meant to be taken even marginally seriously and go, Oh. Win the battle, lose the war. Then I feel sad. The contrast, of course, is that most superhero works actually can be, and in fact benefit from trying to be like Watchmen, because all the questions Watchmen raises about the ethics of power are also just.... like.... the most interesting storytelling hooks if you want to write a cape thing with real themes. They’re the kind of stories we’d have gotten years prior naturally if not for the CCA boondoggle. Admittedly it kinda creates a different problem where most “good” cape media is inescapably self-referential and draws on picking apart the conventions of a 60-70-year old canon that hasn’t been in wide circulation in years. But! I also think there’s a stronger obligation there to keep superhero fans in check- if your superhero thing isn’t making the reader question the ethics of violence and individual heroism in the face of systemic injustice, you wind up with people who unironically think Frank Castle is a role model to be emulated. We all know that guy. Children’s media doesn’t really produce that guy the same way, although it can draw them in from other corners. Superhero media often needs to be self-critical in a way children’s cartoons don’t always have to be.

#steven universe #gravity falls #watchmen #infinity train #the owl house #also I want to give a shoutout to animorphs for #similarly #engaging in how fucked up it would be to be a power ranger without being too on-the-nose about it #meta #thoughts #worm #parahumans #because lets face it #you know what's on the back of my mind when I'm thinking of works that think about Implications tm #wildbow

[s1st3r]

Soo... how would the Bad Batch react to a S/O that has a very snarky/dry sense of humor? Just always cracking jokes and finding humor in everything? (Love ur content btw <3)

Thank you for your request!!! And THANK YOU IM GLAD U LIKEY!!!!

Ok I have seen this but knew it would take me hours to write so I was waiting for the write moment! (get it? write = right? teehee) talk about a terribly dry sense of humour my goodness.

How Would The Bad Batch React to a Snarky/Witty/Dry Sense of Humour Significant Other (s/o)

Factz: Not even kidding, I feel like the boys would kill for a hella sassy partner in crime.

Hunter

Oh my gosh they are literally best friends!!! They speak in a very similar style to each other.

Hunter expects a little bit of snark from Cross, sarcasm from Echo, and quips from Tech, but when his s/o just dishes his dry humour right back at him the first time they meet, he's like "Why was that so... hot???"

So from then on, most of the dialogue exchanged between the two of them are like super sassy comments and witty replies, until it unintentionally gradually morphs into really heavy flirting. They get so into teasing each other, the whole batch can feel the tension in the air.

Of course both are oblivious of this for the longest time.

But when eventually they do figure it out and get together, the whole batch sigh in relief thinking "finally this intense pining is over"... But it actually just gets worse?

So now during missions, the two of you verbally dance around each other like you're in some comeback war.

In the middle of a serious mission:

Hunter: "I need you here now!"

S/O: "wow wow Hunter. babe. cool your jets. i know we haven't really done it in a while but we're in the middle of a mission and-"

Hunter: "As much as I love how you think mesh'la, I think you're misreading the situation."

His s/o also keeps ruining his *tough guy* persona. During briefs, his s/o keeps making him crack his skillfully honed poker face.

The teasing through dry humour is just a really fun and goofy way to connect to each other and is their common ground of affection.

Tech

We all know Tech is a witty boi, and man do we love him for it!

Tech finds his s/o's attitude quite entertaining.

He does like it when they use their snarkiness to defend him from people that give him a hard time, but he like his s/o's humour best when it's just the two of them having fun.

I feel like Tech would find it 10x funnier if his s/o was also really smart and able to understand his technical language, because they just pass these really witty/funny quips back and forth to each other that are actually hilarious but no one understands. It's like their own hidden language.

Now we've seen Tech smile and m a y b e chuckle a little before?? But so far, we've yet to see Tech actually laugh and I headcanon that Tech snorts when he laughs. (Has anybody seen the live action TMNT?? Kinda like how Donnie laughs in those). So ohmiGOSH it's so WhOlEsOmE when his s/o makes Tech laugh!! He's so CUTE!

The rest of the batch will be out getting supplies while Echo works of the exterior hull of the ship and Tech and his s/o fix up the systems inside.

Tech laying under a panel: "Hm, this wire seems to be adhered to a far less efficient arrangement." Tech's s/o wordlessly shuffles over from their panel to analyse the problem. Their shoulders touch as they lie side by side.

S/o: "Mm, I think you're right, but see here? It looks like it's been manually transfigured. Probably by Echo in one of our many quick fixes. It looks like he's done it so he can easily access and program the flight module."

Tech: "I'm going to rewire it to-"

S/o: "To that one right?" His s/o says, suppressing a smile as they point to clearly the wrong wiring. Tech's eyes narrow and his brow furrows.

Tech: "Of course not! That would compromise the-" He catches a glimpse of his s/o's cheeky grin, "oh you're joking." His s/o bursts out laughing and he can't help the smile that stretches over his face as he shakes his head.

By the end of the repairs, the batch come back to find you both practically rolling on the ground in snorting fits of laughter.

Their humour paired with their competence makes them super attractive to him.

Wrecker

Wrecker finds his s/o's dry humour the funniest thing in the galaxy. He is one of those blessings that will always laugh at your jokes.

Which is a relief cuz I have dry humour and almost no one ever laughs at my jokes rip.

I mean, you guys saw how he reacted in ep 1 when Omega DeStRoYeD those regs in the mess hall. He was so proud and supportive of her.

So yeah he's pretty much his s/o's hype man.

He loves that his s/o's humour means that they quite enjoy playful competition and games. So they're always playing random games together, even going so far as to arm wrestle (S/o: "But we both already know who's going to win... Me. Obviously.")

And sometimes he will let his s/o win, just because he thinks it's so cute when they start flexing their arms and boasting about how strong and amazing they are.

He knows they're joking. He knows they know he let them win. But even though they've never really beaten him, he still thinks they're strong and amazing.

There is always friendly banter between the two but what Wrecker loves the most is how easy his s/o makes things for him.

He's not a natural at romance, and often finds himself making mistakes or he might do something a little awkwardly. But instead of being mad, disappointed, or judgmental, his s/o just smiles or laughs it off and walks him through things.

He feels like he can always be himself around his s/o.

Crosshair

Again, it's canon and fanon that Cross is a bit of a grumpy pants so he obviously finds his s/o's wit irritating at first. Which his s/o finds annoying, so his s/o just does it more just to get under his skin.

Totally enemies to lovers trope. I see it no other way. FiGhT me.

His s/o would make jokes all the time but I see that one day, his s/o makes a dry joke and he gives them crap for it, and they've just had enough and so they absolutely *slam* him with snark, sass, and wit that cannot be rivalled by Crosshair himself. They get right up into his face; tension as thick as s o u p.

And then he just grabs their face and makes out with them.

His s/o's like "ok" and totally rolls with it.

The Bad Batch wonder why they don't fight as much anymore (not that they're complaining).

Now they both use their sass to bully the regs.

They kinda become this unbeatable pair of unrivalled attitude. Unlike Hunter and his s/o who use it to tease each other, while Cross and his s/o do that a little too, they mostly direct their humour and sarcasm outward. Cross's s/o is a little more good natured than him though and will pull him in when he goes a bit too far.

He generally finds his s/o's humour quite funny now (though he'll never admit it), and the fact that he smiles a little more doesn't go unnoticed by his brothers.

Echo

Ok while Hunter is master of the dry humour, Echo is KING of sarcasm.

Having said that, I feel like Echo would actually far more appreciate light humour over sass/snark/wit/etc.

I think after being through the crap he's been through, echo baby just needs a light hearted, positive beam of sunshine in his life and his s/o is it.

He loves that his s/o always has a way of making others laugh and smile, even on really hard missions and in rough times.

I think his s/o having a lighter humour also makes him feel safer. Like there's no chance of miscommunication whereby this s/o accidently hits a sensitive topic. His s/o sticks to surface level humour which makes it easy to digest.

They are also absolutely fantastic at telling funny stories which is a real treat when his s/o will retell stories about some of the missions the Bad Batch has done and they just execute the story perfectly.

Echo is in love with his s/o's laugh and thinks it's so cute when they giggle at their own jokes.

He'll never say it, but his s/o's humour sometimes reminds Echo of Fives and Cutup, which is a bit bittersweet for him.

They say that "a joyful heart is good medicine" and for Echo that couldn't be more true. His s/o's joyful heart and nature revive and heal him. He is so much happier because of them and will tell them so in between little kisses as his s/o giggles playfully at his gentle yet eager ministrations.

~ Sister

Tag list: @damerondala @imalovernotahater

@kaorikoizumi @xlittlemissydjx @in-the-crosshairs @dionysuskid21

@littlemisscare-all

#Bad Batch Reacts Series #Bad Batch x Reader #Tech #Crosshair #Hunter #Wrecker #Echo