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lookingformoondrop · 6 months

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could i request a boyfriend!andrew graves x reader headcannons or scenarios? i LOVE TCOAAL🫶🫶

Boyfriend! Andrew Graves x Reader - Headcanons

TW: Andy has a foul mouth, reader gets groped, Andy is a little possessive, a tiny bit of violence (-is always the answer)

♥︎Notes: I'm kind of an idiot so if you notice something is spelled incorrectly, feel free to send me a dm so i can fix it (totally not at all referring to my first Yandere!Andy x Reader post where I spelled dark as darmfk ;-;). Also this is kind of short because so many people requested for Andy x Reader, so I didn't want to pull out all the stops. I hope this meets your expectations <3.♥︎

The first thing you gotta to know about dating Andy, is that he's very touch starved.

I can just headcanon that due to his aloof personality and very broody behavior, he doesn't get many hugs...

So when you enter his life, best believe that Andy shows you this completely different side of him!

I'm talking.... Cuddling in the mornings till the point where you're almost late for work because he refuses to let you go.

I'm talking.... Andy being able to sense when you're about to go into the shower. His spidey-senses tingles, and the moment you're about to hop in, he's right there already getting his hair wet.

I'm talking.... Trapping you with his kisses when you're making food, definitely not noticing that he's causing you to burn dinner.

And no amount of protest can deter this man either.

Speaking of making food... Andrew is the master-chef of the house!

Now he's no Gorden Ramsey (as he likes to tell you whenever he makes you a sandwich), but everyone knows that one bite of his food is enough to make a sailor come back to the land.

So it's very nifty when you're sick and at home, in need to have someone take care of you.

The first time you ever got sick was when you and Andy were still living separately.

It was a Friday night, and it was supposed to be your 1-year anniversary with Andy. Unfortunately, due to some unhygienic biotch at the office, you caught a cold and had to cancel.

At first Andy didn't respond, instead leaving you on read. You felt bad, figuring that he was mad at you for canceling.

But lo' and behold, exactly 10 minutes later, that was a frantic sound of keys jiggling into the your front door.

You had gotten up from your couch-potato position to see the person who wanted to rush into your home so badly, when it occurred to you;

Andrew is the only one with another set of keys...

And with that realization, Andy burst through the door with a pharmacy store bag in one hand, and a grocery store bag in another.

In an instant, Andy made you take a disgusting amount of cold medicine, and blessed your cold home with the warmth and smell of spices and herbs (likely all from the soup).

When the food was ready, he sat you up with a pillow and hand-fed you soup for the rest of the night. You felt so bad for ruining your anniversary, but everytime you tried to apologize for it, Andrew would stuff your mouth with more soup and would say;

"I don't care about that romance and anniversary shit. We don't need to go to a fancy restaurant or an expensive place just to feel like we're honoring an important date. That date is important because it is our date. We don't need to one-up that memorable time just to remind everyone of how special it is... Y/N, you're crying into the soup."

Needless to say, you cried.

But Andrew doesn't just take care of you...You best believe he also protects.

Well, sorta.

You could be in a grocery store, at a Boba shop, in the mall, getting new shoes, it wouldn't matter, Andrew would always have his hand on your waist.

Be it because he saw someone look at you, doesn't matter who or how old they are, he'll always wrap his arms around you and whisper ever so softly, "You're mine..."

It has definitely given you some weird looks over the years, but you know he means well.

And if anyone ever actually looks at you funny? It's over for them.

Andrew will make it VERY clear that you're not to be messed with.

For example, a couple of months into your relationship, you were riding the train. Enjoying a simple conversation about suspicious neighbors and whatnot, when all of the sudden some guy came up behind you and tried groping you discreetly.

Andy noticed very quickly that all the blood drained from your face. He looked behind you and noticed the old geezer trying to get a hand full of someone way younger than them, and Andrew could feel every restraint in his body snap.

In an act of "self-defense" as told to the cops later on, Andrew punched the living daylights of the guy and sent him flying into a pole.

You fussed over Andy's fist for awhile, completely forgetting about how you felt. But the only thing Andy could think about was how he should've hit that guy harder.

When you guys were finally walking home, hand in hand, you leaned on Andrew.

"I'm sorry about today Andy... I didn't mean for you to get all banged up."

Andrew snorted, "My knuckle is a little scratched up, so what? That perverted asshole had it coming for him."

You kissed Andy's cheek, which granted you a dark blush from Andy, and a grin from you.

"Thank you Aaandy~" You brushed his hand with your thumb,

Being in a relationship with Andy is a little messy, and yes sometimes a little crazy. But no matter what happens, Andy will always stick by your side.

"You're welcome, sweetheart." Andy squeezed your hand in return.

Thank you for the ask<3

#the coffin of andy and leyley #x reader #andrew graves #andy graves #headcanons #y/n #andrew graves x reader #andy graves x reader #relationship headcanons #cute #what else do i put here #not proofread #andy and leyley #the coffin of andy and leyley headcanons #dem kids swear up and down

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clownhousemargarita · 26 days

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Can I request a Vox x Trans!(FtM) reader? Perhaps some fluff- like maybe the reader gets sorta made fun of for not being cis and goes to Vox to complain/cry about it to him??

Idk, this is my first request 😭

"I just wanna talk to 'em." -- Vox.

------- Summary: You get outed and harassed for being transgender and Vox won't let it slide. Pairing: Vox x (TRANS) MALE! Reader Warnings: Angst, Transphobia, Possessive behavior, Implied NSFW. Enjoy. (+ also, happy Easter to anyone who celebrates!) --------

You were used to it, the harassment and all. Before you found yourself, struggling to push denial away and become the man you truly were -- there was judgement everywhere. No matter where you were, it came in all shapes in sizes. The more you started passing, the less it started to happen. But you'd always remember those humiliating moments, those moments of feeling like the odd one out. You sat there and took it like a man, cause what else were you supposed to do? When you found yourself in hell, you asked yourself if it was because of who you were. That was quickly shot down the moment you realized it was because you took a life. Totally forgot about that, silly you! Though, looking down at your new form, you were immediately disappointed that whoever organized the designs, couldn't have at least got this one issue of your fucking back. Maybe that was your punishment, because truthfully -- all you wished for was to be a biological man. Why would they give that to you if you were in...Hell...? Shit, you must have hit your fucking head or something. You immediately found your place in Hell, the Vee's made you feel at home. You knew you were a shitty person right off that bat if that's how you felt about these three. They were all terrible, and you fucking loved it. Especially Vox. You found yourself favoriting his bratty personality over the other two. They took note of this, teasing you about it constantly. Vox was blinded at the time of all your non-subtle hints, too blinded by his own anger of some fucking buck making himself known into Hell. Eventually you two tied the knot, not in a marital way, but if it was you'd make him wear the bridal dress. Not because of who you once were perceived to be but because you thought he'd look way better in it than you would. You told him this and he just straight up walked away from you. "Absolutely FUCKING NOT!" He exclaimed, not turning his back to face you. You let out a mischievous giggle. You truly felt less anxious around these three. Your boyfriend, a lovely sassy woman who you considered a sister, and an absolute fucking freak.

--- "Hey babe, can you remind Vel about the dinner we have later tonight with that new client? Knowing her stingy ass, she probably forgot already. She takes like 3 light years to get ready." Vox requested, groaning at the end of his sentence at the thought of Velvette putting together an outfit. You watched it occur, it was...life changing for sure. You nodded and gave him a thumbs up, leaning over to kiss his screen. "What're you leaving me forever and never coming back?" He joked, turning to you from the chair he was sitting in. You shrugged your shoulders with a smile as you walked off, waving at him with just your index finger. It was just a silly thing you did. You trademarked it. Making your way downstairs, you saw a group of people in Velvet's station, assumedly models as they looked physically stunning. You scouted the area for Velvet, not finding even a glimpse of her hair around. You turned to the group of models, your face flushed. "Excuse me." You spoke as loudly as possible. They all turned to you with a raised brow and an irritated look on their faces. One man smiled widely, "What can I do for you little girl?" He laughed, the rest joining. You raised a brow, your face clearly showing your anger. "Not a chick, nor am I little. Have any of you pricks seen Velvet?" You ask, emphasizing on the insult. "Are you a transvestite?" "Maybe he's just gay." "What's in your pants, little man?" "It's getting embarrassed, look at it's face!" You felt the tears swell up in your throat, you begin scratching at your hip as an attempt to take out your own anger. "Fuck you cunts." You mumble, walking away as fast as you could, not allowing them to see you cry. You felt the hot streams of tears rolling down your face as you made your way back up to Vox's office. You slammed the door open and began yelling. "Who the fuck are those douche bags downstairs?! Why would you guys hire them?!" You scream, the testosterone getting to you. Vox jumped up from his spot and rushed over to you, his screen like face glitching out in anxiety.

"What?! What people?! The fuck are you talking about?? I literally asked you to just go talk to Velvet??" He didn't respond to strong emotions from others well, so he just began getting angry and nervous back at you. "Those fuckers downstairs! Kept fucking asking me about my junk!" You cry, wiping your tears. You hadn't dealt with this in so long you forgot how to collect yourself. "Babe people do that all the time here, it's nothing personal." "THIS WAS PERSONAL! They asked me if I was a fucking transvestite, making fun of me saying I look like a chick, this and that! It fucking sucked! I sat there and did fucking nothing and ran the fuck away. like a shit ass fucking coward." At this point you were swearing like a sailor who forgot how to curse, you were so angry you didn't know what to say. Nobody had any right to treat you that way. What made them think that they could? You could see Vox getting visibly angrier each word you spoke. "Those mother fuckers." He grumbled, patting your back before heading downstairs with a walk of purpose. You stood there, rubbing your eyes realizing... you totally just got them fucking killed. again. You smiled, the realization of how Vox cares for you settling in and pushing the anger away. You turned to sit by the door, a smile on your face still as your tears dried away, you hummed whatever you could to calm you down. There was screaming, pleading, god knows whatever noise you make when you get torn in half being made from down in Velvets station. Oh, what a pity. Suddenly it stopped, and you heard Velvets voice -- she was screaming at Vox, clearly angry that she just lost her blood filled mannequins. You giggled. There were steps getting closer and closer, before Vox walked through the door, looking down at you. You looked up at him, your eyes lidded with a smile. "You okay?" You asked, hearts in your eyes. He shrugged and nodded gently, "I'm alright, you?" You giggled again as he picked you up from your spot on the ground and kissed you lovingly. "Your fucking insane." You mumble against his lips. "Mhm." He makes a noise in agreement, only making you laugh again and smacking the back of his TV head. "Velvet canceled the dinner by the way, if you wanna just stay here. And fuck." "Nice one." "Dude, I don't even know who said that?" "Me neither, dude." "Okay, it's not cool when you say it." "Say what, dude?" "Shut the fuck up." You hop out of his arms with another laugh. "We can do whatever you want, my love."

#hazbin hotel x you #hazbin hotel fanfic #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel x male reader #hazbin hotel #vox x reader #hazbin hotel vox #vox #hazbin vox #vox the tv demon #the vees #vox hazbin hotel #vox x you #vox x male reader #x male reader #transgender #x trans male reader

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artbyblastweave · 2 years

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I’m well and settled on the opinion that Steven Universe had to seriously stack the deck in its own favor to prevent the narrative from ending with anyone getting guillotined. I mean, Steven conveniently having a foot in the door with the diamonds because he turned out to be related, sure, but it goes into the characterization and worldbuilding, too.

Rather than cackling dictators, first off, The Diamonds had to be emotionally-arrested overgrown children; the dynamic between them and Pink was always, with context, less of a parent-child thing and more like three twelve-year-olds lecturing an eight-year-old on adult responsibility, they’re fundamentally aping a notion of the right way to be and I think it’s a mistake to view them as fully-realized people at the point where Steven finds them. Gem society, too, is less of a society, with all its messy moving parts, and more of a sanitized dollhouse representation of a society that’s only just starting to morph into the real deal via the rebellion. There’s no genuinely complicated politics to untangle; just gems meaninglessly play-acting at politics. And, crucially, nobody is getting anything out of any of it- gems are a needless society, they expand endlessly because they.... don’t not do that, there’s no material incentive to behave the way they do, no economic reality Steven has to counter in order to make the horror stop. All he has to do is convince three emotional runts to stop being awful.

Now, where I differ in my thinking, I think, is that in contorting the worldbuilding to make sure that the diamond redemption wasn’t something patently insane, they really hit upon an incredibly compelling science-fiction set-up. Three Elder Gods playing “It’s A Good Life” with a tea-party sham of a civilization full of individuals who nonetheless feel real pain, Three Elder Gods who cause harm, and lots of it, but mainly through their lack of moral context and lack of understanding of what even constitutes harm, Three Elder Gods whom you, a puny human, actually have some pretty potent emotional leverage over but no way to overpower if it comes to a fight? A set-up where part of the horror is how easy it would be to pinpoint the source of the horror and make it stop? That’s fucking dynamite! I’d watch five whole seasons of just that! Hell, even in canon it doesn’t even stop- two years later and Steven is still kinda trying to deal with the fact that the Diamond’s good behavior is kinda-sorta dependent on his willingness to keep dealing with them and he has no real way to be sure any of it is sticking! There’s no actual end in sight! There’s no clean resolution! It’s messy and it’s harrowing and it’s specifically because culpability and morality and ethics and all of that is so goddamn sticky when you’re a consequentialist trying to play ball with super-advanced childlike Von Neuman Machines!

#steven universe #thoughts #meta #white diamond #blue diamond #yellow diamond #su #su meta #steven universe meta

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stellocchia · 5 months

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I've talked about this already in a reblog [LINK] but I do find it fascinating how every time, without a fail, when cTommy would start getting close to someone they would immediately register as a threat to cDream.

cWilbur is the most obvious one. He was cTommy's big brother, his protector, the person he arguably loved and relied on the most. And cDream was very very obviously jealous of said fact. And he'd been jealous from the beginning. And he tried to weasel his way into the big brother role from all the way back in og L'Manburg.

I will never get over the fact that he only ever tried to change cTommy's mind on even being in L'Manburg [LINK because this is fucking funny]. And then later in Pogtopia that he left a special gift basket which included his treasured crossbow as well as the book Tyrant and a bunch of other stuff to cTommy when he only gave Techno (Pogtopia's most skilled fighter) one single either gold or god apple. The fact that, despite saying he would help from the shadows only, he still very much fought the pet wars by cTommy's side. Or that, after confession he was actually on cSchlatt's side and being against cTommy going to retrieve his stuff from his old house in public, he still allowed him in private. And then spent the whole pre-war hanging with cTommy.

He was always trying to get in cTommy's good graces. To sorta take him from under cWilbur's nose. And it didn't work because cTommy has always been about as loyal as you can get, so he went with the best possible alternative and encouraged cWilbur's self-destructive behaviors until he did the job for him. And then he just never brought him back until he was certain that he was no longer a threat to his big brother role [LINK to Tommy literally saying that cWilbur was worse than cDream].

But cWilbur was so SO far from being the only threat to cDream's fragile attachment. And, in fact, I would argue he wasn't even the biggest threat in cDream's mind.

After all, cDream never put that much effort into getting rid of cWilbur. Partially because cWilbur was already spiraling and distancing himself from cTommy, but I also think that he just didn't respect him all that much as a rival. Though that's mostly speculation.

No, the biggest threat was always cTubbo. The best buddy, best friends forever. There is a reason why during exile, while the role he was trying to cover was more akin to cWilbur's role in cTommy's life, his wording wasn't. He never used the term "brothers" always "best friends".

There is a reason why he went through the trouble of utterly destroying cClingy relationship far more than he ever did for cCrime, by framing cTommy, by demanding harsher punishments at the trial, by taunting cTommy and escalating the situation over and over again. And then still by discouraging cTubbo from visiting and by lying to cTommy about cTubbo just discarding his 'my Tommy' compass. And then, when none of that worked, he went for the ultimate betrayal, because he knew it would hurt cTommy immensely if cTubbo gave up the disc he'd been given as an ultimate act of trust, and he knew that he could break cTubbo's trust in cTommy even more. And when EVEN THAT didn't work he straight-up went for murdering cTubbo because my man was fed up (at least if we assume that the staged finale didn't completely go according to plan, but if I go on a rant about how UTTERLY MORONIC the staged finale was here I'll never stop).

cTubbo was always cDream's biggest enemy, and it really goes to show how single-minded he was as a villain that cTubbo being his nemesis wasn't even about cTubbo.

Next level obsession there.

Of course, the two of them weren't the only threats, just the biggest. Bud cDream didn't stop at them. He tried to kill Ghostbur during exile just because his constant presence was too much of a comfort to cTommy and later on actually killed him to revive the version of cWilbur cTommy seemingly hated. He took two of MD's lives because he not only was willing to move in with cTommy, but also wasn't afraid to call cDream out on his bullshit which, if you rewatch that stream, seemed to really bother cDream. Also the fact that cTommy, as soon as he was offered an alternative to follow MD's orders and rules instead of cDream's took it with pretty much no hesitation probably didn't help cDream's dislike of MD. He also never revived cRanboo, and it is very possible that it's because he knew that he and cTommy were friends.

Murders aside, he also sabotaged cTommy's and cRanboo's communication more than once when he realized they were getting close. Which shows that he ether considered cRanboo only a minor threat or simply still useful, because had anyone else visited that much they would be dead.

He also immediately threatened to hurt cPhil when cTommy started relying on him post-prison break. And let's not forget that time cLazar was literally only going to visit with a present and cDream considered it such a big threat that he made cLazar take part in abusing cTommy so thoroughly that cTommy was sure not to want anything to do with him in the future. (also, kind of an interesting coincidence that cLazar was one of the unlucky two selected to be slaughtered for the sake of science...).

Every time cTommy has gotten especially close to anyone, cDream was always there, ready to intervene, ready to deal with the threat as swiftly as possible. Because ANYONE would have been a better choice for cTommy and he knew it. And he acted accordingly.

Curiously, the only one he never took action against was cTechno, though I do wonder if that was just because of how obviously doomed cBedrock bros were from the very start. cDream does know the extent of cTommy's loyalty very VERY well after all...

#dream smp #dream smp analysis #tommyinnit #c!tommy #c!dream #wilbur soot #tubbo #c!wilbur #c!tubbo #c!ranboo #mexican dream #c!lazarbeam #c!primeboys #c!discduo #long post #I was in a 2021 mood today it seems #hope you guys enjoyed my way too long and somewhat disconnected rant!

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harrywavycurly · 1 year

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Hi Sarah would it be too much to ask for the reader talking to Wayne about Eddie or just life? Love you🖤

Hiii babes!! It’s not too much to ask for at all!! I hope you like these little random conversations with Wayne!💖

-I went with Eddie being your fiancé and that’s why Wayne is just so used to you✨

*Wayne is used to your rants and he may never admit it but he may kinda sorta love you more lol*

“He said what now?” “He said he doesn’t like it.” “He doesn’t like it? It’s cheese and chicken with rice what’s not to like?” “I added broccoli to his because he needs to eat more vegetables so maybe that’s why he doesn’t like it?” “You added broccoli? You forget you’re dating a man with the eating habits of a toddler.” “Even toddlers eat vegetables Wayne.” “Well…yeah okay that’s true.”

“You said it’s making a weird noise?” “Yeah it rattles when I turn it on.” “Now don’t go bitting my head off okay but is there gas in the tank?” “Uhhh I think so?” “You think so?” “I mean I got here just fine.” “You live two trailers down…” “God you sound just like him when you say things like that.”

“You have anymore coffee uncle Wayne?” “I had a feeling you’d be by so I made an extra pot.” “How’d you know?” “It’s Friday.” “Do I really come over here every Friday?” “Like clockwork darlin. I hear Eddie’s van go down the road and not even five minutes later you’re walking through my front door.” “Well it’s the only time I have to get you up to speed on the neighborhood gossip.” “Well please enlighten me on what’s going on in our neck of the woods oh and there’s creamer in the fridge for you.” “You bought creamer? You just use milk.” “Yeah but you don’t like milk as much so figured if you’re gonna be here every week might as well make sure you can at least enjoy your coffee while you’re here.” “You Munson really know how to make a girl feel special.” “Oh come on and just tell me what you know about the new neighbor that moved in behind Mrs. Thomas’s place.”

“Now hold on a minute where are you?” “I’m at the Lover’s Lake.” “And where’s that fiancé of yours? I don’t see the van in the driveway.” “He’s at work and I hate bothering him at work.” “You know he’s not gonna be happy when he hears you called me first.” “I’ll deal with him later but do you mind coming to get me please? Both of my bike tires are flat I must’ve gone over a broken bottle or something.” “Yeah I’ll come get you. Now you got shoes on right? And a jacket? It’s freezing out tonight.” “Why do you two always ask if I’m wearing shoes? It was one time I drove in slippers okay just once!” “Now what about a jacket?” “I…don’t have one on.” “I got a spare in the truck. I’ll be there in like five minutes.” “You’re gonna call him aren’t you?” “Just gonna tell him you’re fine and not to worry.” “Right as if telling Edward Munson not to worry has ever worked.” “If I don’t call him then you better.” “No you can call him it’s fine.” “That’s what I thought.”

“Now if someone in there makes you mad what do you do?” “Walk away.” “Good that’s right you just walk away don’t pay em any attention.” “Even Tina?” “Especially Tina. You know she’s looking for a reason to ban you from the mini mart for life.” “If you see me running you’ll be ready to haul ass home right?” “That’s what a getaway car is for.” “Perfect I think they even made Hopper come in just in case I lash out.” “But that’s not going to happen right?” “Nope I’m going to be on my best behavior.” “Good now pick up some bananas while you’re in there for me okay?” “You’ve been using them to take your vitamins?” “Yeah it’s not too bad actually.” “Good! Don’t tell him but I’ve been putting some liquid vitamins in Eddie’s oatmeal the last few weeks.” “It’s not a secret. He knows.” “Damn it. I thought I was being so sneaky.”

“I love him.” “I know you do.” “But it’s hard sometimes.” “What’s going on? Need me to whoop his ass?” “No no it’s not him. It’s me.” “Oh come on there’s nothing wrong with you.” “I’m chaos on two feet uncle Wayne I don’t know how he puts up with me. Who manages to get lost in their own home town at least once a month? Me! Who gets stuck in the middle of a fucking lake alone? Me.” “I mean okay yeah you keep him on his toes but he loves you. And I mean he really really loves you. I’ve never…I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you.” “I just feel like I don’t deserve him.” “Oh please you two idiots deserve each other. No one else can handle him and sure as shit no one else can handle you.” “We are a couple of idiots huh?” “Yeah but I love ya both.” “You love me more though right? You can tell me I won’t tell him.”

“Can I borrow your ladder uncle Wayne?” “Absolutely not.” “Why?” “Because you on a ladder is a death trap.” “That’s exactly what he said. You two really are related.” “Just tell me what you need it for and I’ll do it.” “I need to change the lightbulb on the front and back porch.” “Is he working an overnight?” “Yeah so it’s just me and Freddy.” “I’ll come by and change the lightbulbs and if you and Freddy wanna come over for dinner that’s fine.” “I’ll bring brownies. I just made some last night.” “Won’t he be upset? You know he loves those damn things.” “I’ll make it up to him don’t worry.” “I…don’t…even wanna know.” “God you two are ridiculous I swear.”

#fiancé eddie munson #eddie and wayne munson #uncle wayne #wayne munson #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fluff #Eddie Munson #my little dungeon master baby

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starsreminisce · 7 months

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Sjm laid the personality groundwork for Elain perfectly, she doesn't have to retcon anything to make Elriel plausible.

"you don't think he deserves to be with someone whom the cauldron deemed his equal"

He deserves to be with who he loves and has feelings for. And how are you so sure that Elain isn't his equal when we haven't seen the full force of her powers yet?

Lastly, the stark contrast of emotions between "I'm getting her back" and "we trained them well, Cassian. Trust in that. It's all we can do." Makes it clear that gwyn is not Azriel's mate.

Ah, yes, the classic Elriel comeback: "How can I be so sure?"

Elain doesn't like violence, has shown no interest in spying or being a fighter, needs sunshine and, his shadows tend to disappear when she's around.

Perfect match.

If Azriel truly loves Elain as much as some claim, why didn't he express that to Rhys when he asked about Mor? Why did he avoid the question altogether?

Cassian, Feyre, and Rhys all seem to understand that Azriel won't move on unless he lets go of Mor.

I expected Azriel to fight for Elain's affection, even against his High Lord. I expected him to speak more passionately than just playing the "I'm the third brother, why not me" card. He should have conveyed that he and Elain are better suited for each other, emphasizing her preference for him over her own mate. He should have declared his love for her and challenged Rhys's perspective. He should have called Rhys's bluff on any potential demotion.

After their meeting, I expected Azriel to seek her out, explain himself, and offer a proper apology with the kiss he had promised her. He should have kept the necklace, intending to give it to her when the time was right.

At the very least, he should have addressed her by her name rather than continuing to refer to her as "the third sister," especially if his love for Elain runs as deep as you suggest.

But wait, silly me, because the bonus chapter isn't truly canonical for Elriels, at least not the part where he's with Gwyn.

So, I anticipated that Cassian and Nesta would drop more hints about Elain and Azriel's undeniable connection.

I would have expected them to question why Azriel couldn't seem to stay away from her, why he chose to move to the river house, why he danced with her so frequently during the Hewn City solstice, and why he remained by her side throughout the river house solstice. I wondered why Azriel didn't offer comfort to Nesta regarding Elain's desire to assist her if they were confiding in each other. And why did Azriel maintain such intense eye contact with Elain and look at her with longing?

However, none of these details were present in the story so far, were they?

And, of course, some Elriels can't help but interpret Az's efforts to get Elain back, while not pursuing Gwyn, as "proof" of their ship, even though it's what solidifies Gwynriel for me.

This is what Azriel did when he rescued Gwyn the first time:

He closed his eyes, as if reeling his rage back into himself. “I heard that Mor had brought one in. Azriel was the one who made it out there first, and he killed any of the Hybern soldiers left, by that point …”

Azriel slaughtered all of them within moments. He didn’t hesitate. But I could barely move, and when I tried to get up … He gave me his cloak and wrapped me in it. Morrigan arrived a few minutes later, and then Rhysand appeared, and it became clear some of the soldiers had gotten away with the piece of the Cauldron, so Azriel headed after them.

THAT IS MATE BEHAVIOR. Azriel typically leaves a couple for interrogation, especially when it's part of his job.

Azriel's trust in Gwyn's abilities during the Blood Rite, even though it posed a higher risk to her life compared to allowing Elain to search for the trove, strongly resembles mate-like behavior.

Kinda sorta like Rhys trusting Feyre to go into Spring Court? or hold out her own against the weaver?

After all, show me a mated pair who wouldn't permit their female counterpart to pursue something they desired, and who would openly express their disagreement to their face.

Lastly, I will leave you with this:

And I wondered if love was too weak a word for what he felt, what he’d done for me. For what I felt for him.

I've read every argument for Elriel to understand the pairing. And I just don't because there is a very solid counterargument that you're just not accepting.

Az's bonus chapter was the final nail to that coffin.

Enjoy your ship. Stop trying to convince me that it'll happen because only SJM would.

And if you don't like Elucien and Gwynriel because it's "same old wash rinse repeat" then that's you having a problem with SJM's writing and favored tropes.

#gwyn x azriel #pro gywnriel #gwynriel #antielriel #antie/riel #cauldron gasped when Az said what if she was wrong and will take it personal #Gwyn and Az's story is going to be the cutest friends-to-lovers story #where both of them try to deny it because they feel the other isn't ready for it or isn't interested in it

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wrotelovelytears · 2 years

Text

If Astrology is Real..

yep I lied... sorta

♨The degree of your ascendant is the age in which you act the most like the sign. You might also physically embody the sign that rules that degree the most then, or start to do so.

♨Pisces with Aquarius placements say the most out of pocket things and come up with the most creative explanations/ insults.

♨Libras with Virgo placements care a lot about appearances, in a more muted and blending in way.

♨6th house Pisces have the wildest everyday experiences. They also have some very strong protection, even if they are a bit... Ditzy when it comes to trusting others

♨Scorpios with Libra placements can be some of the most openly expressive people when it comes to love.

♨12h house Leos (Virgo Risings) take everything personal. Like every time they called out its seen as them having a personal flaw that needs to be corrected. They will end up seeking reassurance that they aren't said flaw and try to consciously reject it while subconsciously embodying it due to focusing on it so much.

♨I know people say Taurus placements hate drama, in reality they hate to BE in drama. They love all the messy stories and gossip however.

♨I'd argue that Taureans have more of a tendency to try to organize everything in their life more than Caps or Virgos. The second house is the house of self worth, so the more you can control the "higher" your self worth feels.

🕳That does mean they struggle a lot with the idea of letting go, it implies they can't control everything and have to simply let it go✨

♨Taurus women definitely the folks that had a "I hate pink👀" phase just to later admit they didn't want to get bullied for liking it when they were younger. (Of course this applies to Taurus men and enbies as well, I highlighted women because they easily fall victim to misogyny (internalized and other).

♨Sorry, imma say it. Sagittarius women have a high tendency to be very misogynistic. Like they all about women empowerment in terms of "I'm better than xyz" "Down with the Patriarchy" and "women should be in the same positions of power as men (regardless if said position is harmful for the masses)". Yet they view other women as competition for the spots they want, and will easily drag another woman for something they wouldn't want another to say about them.

Example... Nicki M

♨Bout to air out my fellow Scorpios. Its not healthy to defend your partner/ ex when you hear someone talking about their behaviors, when you know damn well you dragged them for the same shit. Stop defending stuff you don't like about someone you (did) like because only you can drag them.

~These next couple of observations shouldn't be used to diagnose anyone or yourself. If you believe that you or someone you know fits in any of these categories, please seek out professional help. And know you (and them) aren't alone~

♨Almost every single person I've known with Scorpio in their big three/ Venus has had a cluster B personality disorder(ASPD- psychopathy/sociopath, NPD- narcissist, BPD- borderline, HPD- histrionic) and/or some other form of Neurodivergence (typically ADHD or Autism, some were Bipolar or another personality disorder cluster).

♨Speaking of Neurodivergence, almost every Sagittarius placement ive known has had what most people think of when mentioning ND (Autism, ADHD, dyslexia, tuorettes ). It was especially prominent in those with Virgo/6th house placements.

♨Pisces and 12th housers might actually deny getting help. They would acknowledge there is a problem and even speak on how much it impacts their lives, and then say they don't want to go to therapy or a psychiatrist. Its not that they don't believe in the mental health field, its more of a unconscious fear of being judged or mistreated due to their differences. (Might have also actually sought out help in the past just to be misled or belittled)

♨Gemini can be linked to dysgraphia, dyscalica, dyslexia etc.

🕳Gemini rules over communication, hands and short term/ quick thoughts. Due to that people with certain planets or even Gemini ruled have a higher chance of having one of the above.

🕳The third house having certain placements as well. (Saturn with restricting, Neptune with confusion and the Sun with ego)

♨Pisces/12th house could be looked at in terms of Body dysmorphia. The reason being is the 12th house is linked to the subconscious as well as that which is hidden from us. While Pisces is linked to illusions and fantasy. Having a heavy concentration of either could lead to certain thoughts about oneself. The house Pisces is in could show the area in which BDD is had.

♨Martians (Scorpios and Aries) need to keep their mental health in check. Aries starts to suffer from headaches, migraines and vision problems related to stress. While Scorpios suffer from reproductive organ issues (endometriosis, PCOS, erectile dysfunction etc) as well as increased bladder infections + hemorrhoids.

🕳Both these signs have a tendency to internalize stress (yes, even the imma punch you Aries), and their body suffers until they release it (healthily).

♨People with heavy Venusian (Taurus and/or Libra) traits need to look out in terms of stress experienced via relationships. When they get too stressed it starts to effect their metabolism. Higher lactic acid (leg cramp juice) and higher cortisone (stress juice) can lead to thyroid problems and bladder issues (infections galore).

♨Capricorns, while being known for good bone health are probably suffering due to Pluto being in Cap right now.

🕳Pluto being the planet of extremes means folks are pushing themselves further or just having some bad health in terms of their bones.

🕳The house Capricorn is in can hint to what bones are more effected during this time. (Check both your current Solar return and Natal chart)

🕳12th~feet and ankles, they probably hate you right now. In fact you should probably invest in some better shoes/see a podiatrist

🕳2nd~ your neck/ upper spine... invest in a neck pillow

🕳5th~ your spine and ribs, be careful while lifting things and sitting certain ways. Back pillows will be your best friend

♨Libras have a higher chance of being constipated (having IBS-C) while Virgos have a higher chance of diarrhea (having IBS-D).

🕳Libras also need to be careful in terms of hemorrhoids, reverse anus (please don't google this, if you do that's ya own fault hardheaded), and colon issues.

🕳Virgos need to be careful with dairy (the amount of lactose intolerant Virgos 🥴), gluten and any allergies they have because their guts (and ass) will definitely suffer if not.

♨Yet another point on Virgos... High stress leads to bad gut health. Bad gut health leads to bad mental health. The guts and mind are connected, please look out for both.

Any who... Err I am not "back" per say. I've just decided that its always going to be more important to take care of my physical and mental wellbeing. That does mean even when I like something I can't just push myself. I'm still healing from my surgeries and whatnot, yet being not able to walk around much has made my brain go on overdrive. So that three second "break" I took still applies. I'm just not going to be dramatic or whatever bout it anymore.

And no my readings are NOT open. At least not for now.

(If you learned something new or would just like to support me you can leave a wittle tip via the tip button or one of the links in my masterlist. Kofi: nymphdreams🧸)

#nymph writes astrology #astrology #astroblr #astro tumblr #astrology observations #astro notes #astro observations #astrology tumblr #health astrology #scorpio #pisces #aquarius #libra #virgo #taurus

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yanderes-galore · 7 months

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Hey, wanna try my luck even though I don't have much hope I'll get in lol. If you cannot do anything with this, feel free to discard. May I get Yandere! BotW! Link with someone who's been with him since the start and he's slowly pushing his memories of his old life away cuz it hurts too much and rathers thinks and is with his new friend (and hopefully more like lover)? Like, just obssessive and...I just need some good yandere botw link. Make him suffer and then obsess over me thank you ( ˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)

I couldn't figure out how to make this a concept so I made this a short :D Enjoy, my mutual! I made this sorta based on my BOTW Link concept plot. Hope I got the tone of the fic right! Sorry it's not as long as yours :(

Postponing Destiny

Yandere! Link (BOTW) Short

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Trauma, Clingy behavior, Fear of loss/abandonment, Dubious relationship, Fantasy of kissing, Angst.

Sometimes the past should just be left in the past. Link wished that applied to him... as his life before losing his memories was torture. He's the fated hero of this land...

Yet he doesn't want the responsibility.

Why? Link is tired of the pain and the hurt. When he lost his memories he felt happy. He didn't have to remember the pain then.

Plus, Link had met you in the first town he approached. You offered the Hylian your services and even offered him a bed. From you he got food, a new set clothes, and somewhere go flee to if things got bad.

With you... there was no pain.

When Link left to fight monsters in the surrounding area he felt better knowing he wasn't alone. He didn't remember the pain of his friends dying. He didn't have to think about the fate of Zelda along with Hyrule itself.

The only thing that reminded him of his destiny was the Calamity swirling around the castle... something he sought to ignore.

Link didn't want to return to his destined path just yet. No, the Hylian felt so much more at home with you. In the village he felt momentarily protected from all of the hurt.

Link loved to live with you. He loved helping you cook recipes he's recently learned. You're a great friend and companion to him.

He even felt like there was more between you if he pushed a little further.

Why should he have to return to all that pain? Why should he face this all alone? Why can't he just feel safe curled up in your arms... away from the evils of the world.

Link wanted to drown himself in your affection to heal the pain. He wished he never regained his memories. If he still had them all locked away... could he live happily with you?

Whenever you ask him if he's recovered anything from his past life, he lies. He can't keep up the facade forever but he'll try to put it off as long as he can. He just wants to treat himself to your love.

Whenever the pain resurfaces he distracts himself with thoughts of you. He thinks of protecting you, caring for you, kissing you.... He thinks you're all he ever needs.

He keeps telling himself he can wait a little longer. He can hold off finding the Divine Beasts just a bit more. All so he can feel the warmth of your presence.

It's selfish... but he never gets the chance to be selfish.

He's tired of serving others. He's tired of the pain. He deserves to have someone like you in his life....

Perhaps even later, still under your hospitality, he can show you how much he loves you? He feels giddy just thinking about it. It all plays out in his head like a soothing fantasy against all of the pain.

He thinks of coming home to you from exploring. He thinks of you jumping into his arms and he twirling you around. He thinks of how it would feel if he kissed your lips, stealing the breath from your lungs. He thinks...

He wonder if this was the life he could've had if fate didn't have other plans.

A pang goes off in his heart at the thought. While you do some shopping outside he sits in his bed thinking of you, the fantasies, and the lingering pain.

No... he will have that life he desires. In the end he'll find a way to make it happen. He refuses to confront the pain gnawing at him.

When you come back... maybe he'll even confess! He'll show you how much he needs you. All the while ignoring what fate tells him to do....

He'll get rid of the Calamity and save Hyrule later...

Right now? He just wants to love you like there's nothing wrong in the world... or him

#yandere legend of zelda #yandere link #yandere botw link #yandere breath of the wild

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bunni-v1 · 6 months

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Can I request Nsfw C, K, and W for Che’nya and Neige Leblanche?

🍓I didn't even think about side characters getting requests. But they did! This is my last one before I have to do full lists. Very exciting but also very stressful! Now, a little warning, this will be my last post (maybe) this week due to classes picking up and general life stressors.

Che'nya

C - Cum: Che'nya's cum is thick and there is A LOT of it. It's almost ever ending. It's worse when he's in his "heat" (I'll get into this later), cause he produces more in response to the whole "mating season". His favorite place to see it on you is your face, though. You look positively delicious marked by his cum.

K - Kink: He's very much a watch and get off kinda guy. He likes catching you masturbating and then joining in with you, and then eventually it escalates into actual sex. He's also very much a touches you in public and enjoys watching you squirm and stutter to explain your behavior kinda dude as well. He is a known tease after all.

W - Wild Card: So, I'm getting into the heat thing. This isn't gonna be hot, I'm spitting cat facts at you lol. Anyway, male cats don't have heat, but they have reactions to female cat heat during "mating season" therefore exhibiting traits typical of heat. So, in his case, he sorta just reacts to the menstrual cycles going on around him. If you don't have a menstrual cycle, then he pretty much just goes off vibes and has a general guestimation of when you become most horny and eventually falls into a natural rhythm.

Neige

C - Cum: Neige's cum is pretty? Idk how else to describe it, it's just a nice pretty pearly consistency and it tastes pretty yummy thanks to his diet. He's far too shy to cum on your face or anything, but he likes it when you show it to him on your tongue before you swallow it. It makes him blush, but also makes him feel like he's satisfying you as much as you are him.

K - Kink: Neige does not have many kinks -- if any. Maybe pegging, but that's really it. He gets too nervous and embarrassed by anything more intense than the basic stuff. He might be willing to try a quickey or two in his dressing room, though. If you'd let him.

W - Wild Card: Neige is SENSITIVE to the touch. Like seriously, even if you gently graze his crotch he's shivering in delight at the feeling. It doesn't matter how many times you've had sex with the guy, he is just endlessly sensitive and there is nothing you can do to stop him from trembling at the lightest touch.

#twst #twisted wonderland #twst x reader #twisted wonderland x reader #x reader #bunni's treats 🧁#che'nya x reader #neige x reader

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duxwriter · 11 months

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Ahem, more Ava's Demon cause brain rot theories/information

I supported the Kickstarter, and pointed out by another user (@fanlovedlt) Wrathia gets covered in snakes (though in the same chapter she speaks through a snake as well)

This is during Ava's dream and mind meeting after committing her act of wrath (more on why that means something later)

Now, Wrathia is covered in snakes

Snakes have a meaning (as most animals do)

With a shedding of their skin through sloughing, they are symbols of rebirth, transformation, immortality, and healing, but also are known as a creative life force and fertility on their own.

Now, Wrathia here, very Satan-esqu

Titan is even god coded

Chapter fifteen (called the first sin)

The following chapters (sixteen and twenty) are called "Hellfire" and "Paradise lost"

(Fun fact! Paradise lost is an epic poem written about the fall of mankind by John Milton featuring a very different version of Satan compared to how he was depicted at the time in old art and literature as well as making god the antagonist)

Now, why might this be important to what I have to say?

Snakes in the daytime mean good things, but in dreams, it's very different

Snakes in dreams typically represent a person in the dreamer's life who exhibits low, dirty, toxic, or poisonous behavior.

But they can also mean health or healing!

It can mean a sense of healing, personal transformation, or that you are moving forward.

But it also deals with the context of Ava and Wrathia in these scene's

Now, Wrathia speaks through a snake

If you know the story of Adam and Eve (note, Adam and Eve were both naked before eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge, the snake is in a tree and both Wrathia and Ava appear "naked")

Ava even calls Wrathia a "snake"

Usually a term to call someone false, fake, etc.

(very fitting for Wrathia's character)

Now, Wrathia doesn't have typical Satan horns

But they are known as demon horns (goat/sheep like, especially with the eyes)

Wrathia is regal, a demigod (as explained by Odin's peoples thoughts on how the universe happened, again, a very bible/god related story)

(note, there are seven sins, and it took six (the seventh to rest) days to make the world, there are also seven sins and seven virtues)

Satan was "regal" and "royal" as he was depicted now and (sorta) then

Where does this all lead?

Ava commits an act of wrath (term used in lieu of acts of many different religions concept of gods acting against mortals for slights or divine retribution, take the story of Niobe from Greek myth, where she says she's better than Leto so Artemis and Apollo slay her children in an act of wrath against her)

Ava basically makes hell (on titans planet) for people, and herself (note, she thought it was a dream, many people who commit or have been committed against think it's a dream/wish it was a dream)

Where I'm going with this is, It's very bible coded (as well as Alice in wonderland with the rabbit hole Ava basically sent herself down)

It both shows Ava's growth, Wrathia's horrid personality

Wrathia and Ava talk about a high, which often is said how hubris feels (or an act of defiance or fight/flight response when you pick to fight)

(also little tidbit, snake Wrathia is in a tree, which looks like a fig tree, fig trees are symbols of wisdom and success in abundance, but Jesus also cursed a fig tree in the bible, as a warning for people not to be hypocritical. Basically "Jesus Christ warning Christians that they must bear fruits after their conversion worthy of repentance or risk being condemned to Hell." Is how it's interpreted to many churches, but it also has several different meanings in the bible (like hunger for true worship, as it bore no fruit)

(also, the fruit of knowledge was never described, many simply assume it's an apple from paintings and modern media, but, it's very possible it could be any fruit, like a fig)

(we see here the tree is snapped, as in, it's been cursed/destroyed, again, the bible says Jesus cursed the tree)

(I also need to say, Fig trees can represent happiness in dreams)

#avasdemon #ava's demon #avas demon #ava ire #wrathia bellarmina #snakes #satan #god #bible coded #i have religious truama?#wrathia is satan?#theory

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ganymedesclock · 1 year

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Hi, I've got a Hollow Knight question for you. How much do you think PK actively designed his small body, vs just wanting certain criteria and the rest just sorta happening? Also, how much do you think the anatomy resembles normal bug anatomy vs Wyrm anatomy vs entirely unique anatomy?

I think PK had full control over what he would become within the limits of physiology (so, he couldn't, say, have had his head fully detached from his body) but he didn't understand the ramifications very well until later.

PK, as far as we can tell, is an extremely detail-obsessive individual. He's not caught by surprise by the features of his creations, but he is often dangerously wrong about what this implies about their more ephemeral traits. Considering he is his own work, I think this applies to him.

So, he chose to become smaller- and probably lowballed it intentionally because he did not want to tower over others. (I'm a slightly boring person who doesn't think he minds being short, though his ego wouldn't be untouchable in that subject, the fact that he's "actually" godzilla-sized in origin and chose to leave that life voluntarily behind suggests that he doesn't exactly have hangups about needing to be taller)

He chose to redefine his bladed mouthparts as a sharpened crown, and to give himself a Face, that bugs would like to look at and find familiar. He chose to- at least in my interpretations of what lies under his cloak- give himself multiple flexible, dexterous graspers.

As far as anatomy goes, I'm going to share this older (warning for bug mandibles) art I did of a possible gijinka design, because that gets at about what I feel like his features would read as to mundane bug and beast.

Basically, he has some unusual features but a lot of those things are flattering or pretty from a certain angle; he has a very smooth, graceful gait (almost floating, without distinct strides) he has a very bright, shiny exoskeleton (literally shining) without blemishes or asymmetry, he has long horns- which are apparently a sought-after trait in Hallownest's society given the journal description of the Husk Hornhead. This is why his gijinka form as I drew it is, superficially at least, a handsome swishy fantasy elf-wizard-looking type. He is literally a piece of art sculpted by his own hands and his eye for aesthetics is not only obvious but pretty clearly lines up with what the average layperson considers beautiful- look at how nice the White Palace looks!

Granted, though, I think that he also exists deeply in the uncanny valley. We're not used to seeing people who are beautiful the way a ceramic doll might be, and these kinds of beauty removed from humanity are a common subject in horror for a reason.

And because I can't ever really separate my read on PK from a sense of compassion that this was a very miserable creature, this is where my personal read leans- he can stay on the "pretty, desirable" side of the uncanny, but only with effort and restricting his behaviors a lot. Hence me doing a gijinka take of him with a four-point mouth; imagine negotiating those hinges to make a sufficiently Nice, Human, Politically Polite smile. It'd be so difficult to manage, especially while speaking, that it'd be far more likely for him to do much what he's shown to do in canon- become a recluse that avoids people so the times you have to make a public appearance are a minimum and a few people are initiated to your circle where they get to see and deal with you all the time.

Part of this would even be rather simple and straightforwards- Hallownest is a setting where predator and prey dynamics coexist fully with sapience. There is a nonzero concern any stranger might eat you, and this probably factors into how warlike or predatory features are considered- size, claws and fangs. PK's mouthless plate of a face and seemingly smooth body as projected by his robes would seem doll-like in another sense- utterly bereft of predatory warning flags. His head-body proportions and sleek, unblemished appearance would invoke a child and we know the creatures of Hallownest care for their children by default- even the more brutal societies like Deepnest or the Mantis Lords.

But this utter lack of predation is an illusion. In reality, PK is not only a living organism actively feeding on worship and devotion, but the organism in question is a colossal entity whose true "face" is nothing but mouth and fangs, and a thickly armored body covered with spikes. Blades, and spikes, and methodical surgical torture are major motifs repeated throughout the palace and in other environments of PK's power. By implication, every part of him is a blade and him being easy on the eyes is the way that a parade sword can glitter so invitingly that any kid might want to pick it up, but if that parade sword is made with good steel and its twinkling gemstones real diamonds, it could still slice you to ribbons and probably won't seem so inviting afterwards.

A friend of mine @betterbemeta pointed out that my writings of him in Refuge For Resolve give him more than a passing resemblance to the figure of the King In Yellow, and I've always liked that one.

#Hollow Knight #The Pale King #readmore #mm been a while since I shrimp meta'd

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metamorphosisff · 1 year

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|Chapter 9| Kinda, Sorta...Maybe

My fingers toy with the braided orange and white yarn bracelet around my wrist as I wait for Papi’s summer camp orientation to be over. The young counselors in the front are going through what the program will look like for the next eight weeks and behavioral expectations. However no one is truly paying attention. Tired parents, wrangle with groups of children, and their own boredom while clusters of kids throughout the cramped auditorium talk excitedly amongst themselves. I sat in the back fighting against sleep myself after my graveyard shift since Mari couldn’t make the ten a.m. meeting. As they finally begin to enter the last week of camp on the powerpoint my pointer finger traces over the one bead that was in the middle of the bracelet that was marked with the letter X.

Xavier had slipped it into my hand last Saturday while we waited for the Uber to take me back across the bridge. Apparently his sister and her friends have quite the side hustle in selling the custom friendship bracelets. For ten dollars he got her to make us some. At first I told him I’d never wear mine but then I saw him with it on at community service yesterday. It was right behind the Apple Watch he always wore with my initial facing outward. Jazz had clocked it before I had, which earned me another earful about letting him in.

When he Facetimed me last night the first thing he saw was it on my wrist. The simple joy that spread throughout his eyes from me participating in the peak of his corniness made it worth it. Xavier never asked for me to give more of me than I was willing even when I could tell he wanted to. This was the least I could do to show him that his energy was not for nothing. That even though I swore to be a kind of decent friend, I knew he was a true one to me. In a short amount of time he managed to be a great one. So now a part of me wanted to be that in return. My train of thought was interrupted by Papi thrusting a folder into my lap. I raised a brow in question.

“It’s the program’s calendar and a few slips for you to sign for our trips,” Papi explained.

“Got it. When are these due?” I asked.

“I have to bring them with me on the first day next week,” he replied.

Nodding my head, I stuffed the folder, and stood to my feet. I had a few hours before I had to be up for community service. “C’mon let’s go home.”

“Actually, I was kind of hoping to hang out with Jayce and Tim,” he said, nodding over to two boys who were waiting for him not too far away. We lucked out by finding a program other boys from his school had heard about as well.

“Jayce is the one with the older sister right?” I asked.

“Yeah, Jessica,” he replied.

“Then fine, you can go,” I replied, knowing that Jayce’s sister routinely checked in on her brother and his friends. “But you better beat me home later.”

“I got you, later Auntie,” he said, giving me a quick hug before running off with his friends.

“Later.”

While he ran off to get sweaty, I made the twenty minute trek back to our building.In no time I had stripped down, tossed myself into a shower, scarfed down the bagel I bought on the way home, and was crashing into my sheets when my phone began to vibrate. I groaned at the sight of Lonso’s name next to a text notification. Clicking it, I quickly scanned the message.

Ma’s having a birthday party. You coming?

Ms. Lena had a birthday party every year and I had gone all of one time to know I’d never go to another. It hurt too much to see what was so blatantly missing from my life. There was so much love on his side of the family that he never went a day without it. Meanwhile, savoring their joy felt too much like stealing to me. Instead of responding directly, I sent him the screenshot of the calendar reminder I had which read ‘Call Ms. Lena’.

Within seconds he replied.

That better be a Facetime with your no-show ass.

Go recite the anthem or whatever they pay you to do instead of playing on my phone.

Ain’t nobody playing. That’s your problem right there. Just come home.

See? He never got it. Never got me. Virginia was not my home because they left me behind when they were crafting it. Their house was a reminder that I was tolerated at best and I didn’t need the pity. Shaking my head, I typed out what would be my last response: I am home.

I rolled my eyes and tossed my phone to the side so that I could finally go to sleep. That was enough Lonso for one day.

It’s been eons since I have stepped into a lecture hall but I do so this afternoon as Xavier has invited me to watch him teach. As I sit in the back, I notice as a few people regard me with curious stares wondering why I’m there. I’m looking around the room wondering the same thing when my eyes lock with the professor’s. He sends me a silly smile and beckons me forward but I shake my head. I don’t want to sit any closer because knowing Xavier he’ll try to get me to participate. I’ve agreed to listen, nothing more, sensing my stance he grins but nods his head in acquiesce. Baby steps. We’re taking baby steps at getting me to be a more social being in general. I pull out one of Papi’s old notebooks that still has a few blank pages in the back and a pen. On the screen is a slide that reads: PSY518 Macro Human Behavior. Underneath that is the subtitle: Chapter 2 - The Social Psychology of Group Behavior. I write down both along with my name and the date as if I’m actually a part of the class.

After a few more minutes, when the hall is filled with about eighty or so students, Xavier calls the class to attention. He stands in the center of the floor, right before where the teacher’s desk is, and his belongings sit atop.Today he wears jeans and a powder blue short sleeve button down with a sweater that the blasting air conditioning makes necessary. I eye the students, armed with notebooks, tablets, and computers ready for the words that are to spill from his lips. Their hunger for knowledge makes me lean forward and swing my eyes back to the man in the middle of the room. He had their respect and undivided attention, I could give him that too.

Clapping his hands together, Xavier starts, pacing as his voice fills the room. “Over the last two weeks we have been breaking down chapter two, the social psychology of group behavior. Tonight we will wrap up this discussion by examining ourselves, our awareness of self, and how that can affect our worldview, and professional practice. To kick us off, can somebody please refresh us on what Albert Bandura’s social learning theory is.”

Multiple hands shoot up into the air. Xavier chooses a girl dressed in overalls splattered in paint and a ruffled crop top. Her bright pink hair makes it easy to find her when she says, “Social learning theory basically stresses the importance of observing, modeling, and imitating the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others.”

“That’s it precisely and quickly can somebody connect why that theory applies when we look inward to ourselves,” Xavier said, scanning the hall once again before calling on a lanky kid whose limbs were spilling out of the seat. “Dante go ahead.”

“Because we are what we have been raised or not raised to be. Humans are very monkey see, monkey do. If we see our parents work hard, we work hard. If we see them doing drugs, we are likely to follow suit, so on and so forth,” Dante replies.

That response makes me sit up because it strikes close to home. I never wanted to do drugs because of my parents but something in me lately had been drawn to setting my life on fire. Now, here I was shifting through the ashes, wondering when I had become a pyromaniac. Had the instinct lied dormant within me or did I learn how to pick up matches from watching them?

“Correct. To expound on Dante’s example, if we see our parents work hard, then we may think, why can’t other people do the same? You might think your client is being lazy or not trying their best. That can cause you to miss a potential area of assessment. Maybe your client has ADHD or SPD. If you hold onto these biases, and we all have them, then you will not be serving your client to the best of your ability,” Xavier continues.

“Professor Taylor, are all biases harmful?” someone else calls out. I miss the face because I’m too busy jotting down notes to revisit later.

“I would say yes but to varying degrees. Like stereotypes, biases are a form of personal truths, of what we believe to be true based on experience. We fall short when we don’t take into account that not everyone has the same shared experience,” Xavier replies.

“What if all of your experiences are harmful but you don’t want to replicate the behaviors you witnessed in your home or community?” another student asks.

I can feel all of the thoughts zinging around the room as this class gets into its analyzing state. These kids are keeping Xavier on his toes and he loves it. His eyes light up when he gets this question.

“Great point, the answer is you have a lot of work to do on yourself. It is hard to break free of the behaviors we witness in our formative years. They are embedded in us in ways we don’t know are possible until certain situations arise. It is hard but it is not impossible,” he says, his eyes landing on me the exact moment he finishes his statement.

It’s an echo of our conversation from the day of the food truck festival. A subtle reminder to me that change is possible. I’m on the fence but for the next ninety minutes I open my mind to the possibility. I watch students role play different situations where awareness of self would be crucial in helping their future clients. I watch as Xavier gently guides and corrects where some groups fall short. I fill the remaining blank pages in Papi’s old notebook with phrases, words, and theories I plan to look up when I get home. As he dismisses his students, I look over what I’ve written with some understanding of my childhood, and the decisions I have made in adulthood because of it. I’m lost in thought when Xavier approaches me, bag slung over his shoulder.

“Those notes mean you enjoyed the lecture?” he asks.

“I did. Feed me and I’ll tell you my thoughts,” I say, putting away my stuff in my bag.

He chuckles as he steps aside as I get up from my seat. “C’mon there’s a bomb pizza spot not too far from here.”

We walk side by side under ominous gray clouds that are threatening to spill at any moment. This impending storm was not on the weather forecast this morning so I’ll most definitely be getting caught in it since I’m umbrella-less. For now though, I push the thought to the back of my mind as we make it to the pizzeria that was only four blocks away from the side of campus we had been on. There are a few tables in the back available between the crowd of students and families. I snag one while he gets our slices, a penne and regular one for me, and two pepperoni’s for him. We eat for all of five seconds before he decides to start probing me about his class.

“Aight, I’ve fed you, spill it. What did you think?” he asks, taking a bite out of his pepperoni slice.

I grin at the nervousness in his demeanor before saying,“That you both enjoy and know what you’re talking about. I was able to follow along like I’ve been in the class the whole semester.”

Nodding his head, he said, “That’s exactly what I strive for. Texts are hard enough to break down on their own without me being more confusing on top of that.”

“I wish I had more teachers that followed that philosophy. Why don’t you teach full time?” I ask next.

“I love teaching but I also like feeling like I’ve made an impact. Helping Hands allows me to serve people in a real way. The need to help is in my blood. Most of the men in my family serve by enlisting but that wasn’t my path,’” he answers.

“Mine either. My brother enlisted too. He wanted to be the complete opposite of our father and thought I should want that as well,” I said.

“We can only walk our paths. Not the ones other’s want for us,” he said, speaking from experience as well.

“Correct. I’m glad you listened to your gut because this is so clearly your calling,” I said.

“Thanks,” he smiled before asking, “It took me a minute to find it but I literally can’t see myself doing anything else.”

“Why do you think it took you so long?” As someone who was also taking a long time to find their purpose I couldn’t help but wonder how long it might take me.

“About five years. I spent a lot of my teen years and early twenties angry, at first because me and my father could not see eye to eye. Then because of Sabrina. Anger…distracted me. That’s why when I figured it out, I hit the ground running trying to make up for lost time. One of the reasons why my ex is my ex, she thought I needed a new career when I had just found this one,” he said, with a shake of his head.

“Not to be disrespectful but it sounds like she did not know you. Anyone with eyes can see how much you love what you do,” I said.

“Not anyone, just those who matter,” he said softly, taking a glance at me while taking a sip of his soda.

I feel my cheeks heat up and quickly drop my gaze to what’s left of my penne slice. He snickers but allows me to retreat in peace. We fall into a comfortable silence as I finish off most of my food. When I’m done, I wipe my hands on a napkin as I observe him typing out an email. His glasses are still on and the muscular body underneath the button down reminds me of an actor I can’t place at the moment.

“The professor's look suits you,” I said, popping the collar of his short sleeved button down, drawing his attention.

“Aye man quit,” he chuckles, but does nothing to stop me. Instead, he looks over at me as he chews the latest bite from his pizza. “Tell me about your day.”

Like that we fall back into an easy conversation as I fill him in on Papi’s first day of camp which was yesterday, the jobs I’ve been applying to, and the episodes of Captain America I’ve finally watched since he’s given me the login information for his Disney Plus account. By the time we leave the pizzeria to head towards the train station the sky has opened with a steady rain but we walk as if the sun is still out. Anytime our in person time is coming to an end both of us subconsciously fall into sync to make it last as long as possible. Our shoulders brush as he listens to me complain about having to be up in seven hours for work.

“That just means you’ll have to go to bed as soon as you get in,” he says.

“If I go to sleep, I’ll miss more of your students' awful grammar and syntax,” I chuckle. Lately he had taken to reading me some of their papers aloud as he graded. They were interesting bedtime stories that sometimes affected my dreams.

“There will be no shortage of that trust me. They will still be bad tomorrow night,” he says, looking over at the train station entrance not too far away before looking at me. There were a thousand emotions swirling in those brown eyes. All of them were easily translated but still I couldn't help but to question for clarity.

“Why do you look at me like that?” I ask, as he peers down at me through long lashes that are clumped together due to the rain.

“Like what?” He says stepping closer to me in the way he does when he thinks he will somehow miss my words.

“Like…like I’m the only one you see…like I’m everything,” I said, speaking as the answer came to me bit by bit.

His attention for me is all encompassing and wraps around me like a cloak. We both find comfort in it and it’s why he is looking at the train station with such disdain. He does not want to part from me and if I’m being honest, I’m not ready to part with him either.

“Because you are,” he says.

Words are trapped in my throat as if I swallowed honey. He uses my lapse to lean in closer to say, “And you look at me the same way.”

“I…what?” I sputter out which causes him to chuckle.

“You heard me Mila. You see into me like I see into you which is what has made being your friend so amazing. This connection between us…it can be more,” he said, giving voice to my most inner thoughts.

The thoughts I tried to bury and deny. The thoughts Jazz said were inevitable for me to have. He has them too.

“More,” I repeat softly as his brown eyes hold onto mine. Not giving me the opportunity to escape this time. He’s holding me accountable at this moment.

While it’s true I want Xavier to be my friend, I also want more because somewhere along the line I caught feelings. It’s sudden and unexpected but being around him makes me less afraid. Makes me want to take a risk which I do by grabbing his face and kissing him. His hands instantly reach for my waist, pulling me flush against him. Being in his embrace is the most sense of belonging I have ever known. It’s instantly right as his eagerness takes over the kiss. I don’t mind letting him lead, considering it a reward after taking a leap of faith. What feels like all too soon, he’s easing out of our kiss with small pecks as his breath fans against my face.

“I just wanted to pause and say technically you kissed me first,” he murmurs against my lips.

“I did,” I said, pressing my lips against his once more. “You kissed me back.”

“I did,” he repeats, kissing me again, this time firmer as he pulls me closer. I tilt my head, giving him more access to sweep his tongue against mine and for the cool drops of rain to slide down my throat. We both taste like the Coca Cola we washed down the slices with. I find myself gripping onto his shoulders to keep his body pressed against mine. The rain is picking up but I can’t pay attention to anything but the way my heart is beating against my chest and the way Xavier feels clutched against it. This feels like a movie but whenever our eyes catch between kisses I’m reminded of how real this is, how I don’t ever want this to not be our reality, and how scared I am of what this means for our future. He eases from our kisses with a few nibbles and pecks before resting his forehead against mine. “I’d like to keep kissing you from this day forward. Cool?”

“Cool.”

“We don’t have to rush anything. We move at the same pace,” he says, nuzzling his nose against mine. It's as if he feels my anxiety rising and knows just what to say to keep it at a simmer instead of boiling over.

“Okay,” I said, nodding my head and because I think he deserves to hear it too, I add, “I want more too but you’re my friend first. I need you to be.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he says, sealing our agreement with another searing kiss that is a stark comparison to the monsoon we’re under.

It’s a simple acknowledgement of our shifting dynamic. One that helps to ease my racing thoughts for the time being as he links his fingers through mine and leads the way down into the station.

Today was finally the day where we said goodbye to the snazzy orange vest crew for good. The most embarrassing period of my life has finally come to a close. What better way to celebrate than getting drinks at T.G.I. Fridays and eating sizzling fajitas like Jazz and I were currently doing. So far we had been talking about pop culture with Jazz catching me up on the shows I never had the chance to watch anymore. When my phone flashed with a text from Xavier, she caught the smirk on my face as I read over the message inquiring when I’d be available to Facetime.

“Something changed between you and Mr.Clipboard. I saw the way he grabbed your hip before we took off,” Jazz said, pointing a long marble painted acrylic nail in my direction.

It honestly trips me out sometimes how much Jazz notices in the said and unsaid. She reads between the lines like no other so I don’t bother being vague anymore. Not when I needed someone to talk about this with being that Mari was perpetually busy.

“We kinda’, sorta’, maybe…might have kissed the other night,” I said, causing her to start clapping.

“I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. That boy looks at you like you are the second coming,” Jazz says, with a nod.

“He does,” I admitted, causing her to smirk because it wasn’t that long ago that I was denying that was the case.

“What made you see it for yourself?” Jazz asked.

“I don’t know if it was any one thing you know?” I replied, biting into a fry.

“Yeah I do. It’s the culmination of all that he is and all that he has the possibility to be. It is in the thoughtfulness of every gesture and the sizzle of chemistry in every embrace, it’s-

“Not that. Not yet at least,” I said, cutting her off before she can say the four letter word that is dying to spill from her lips.

“No not yet,” Jazz agrees, taking another bite of her food as well. “But soon enough. That scares you, don’t it?”

“More than I think I have the words for,” I admit with a chuckle.

I have never been in love, not for real, so while I’m not an expert on what it is, I’m sure as hell knowledgeable in what it isn’t. Xavier has presented none of those red flags but then again he doesn’t pretend to be someone he’s not. He owns up to where he falls short and strives to make the most out of his life encounter by encounter. He is admirable and approachable where I am jaded and enclosed. How do we meet in the middle without changing one another?

“He’s so sweet, and real, and I’m so afraid that I am going to fuck this up,” I continue, finally spilling some of what had been humming underneath my own excitement. Kissing Xavier was wonderful but what it meant scared me. “I feel the urge to-

“Run,” Jazz finishes for me. “I’ve been there chile and I did run. There hasn’t been a day that has gone by that I haven’t regretted either. That is why you Birdie, are going to stay the course because I’ve seen what’s on the other side so you don’t have to.”

“How do I not get in my own way?” I asked.

Jazz sends me a small smile as she says, “You are already making sure you aren’t. There is nothing wrong with having discernment about the new and exciting. That my dear is healthy so as long as you don’t let it hold you back. Xavier has made you entertain what you already considered to be impossible with friendship. This will only be slightly different but the same kind of beautiful.”

Below the surface, I believe what Jazz is saying to be true. Xavier is unlike any person I have ever met before let alone any other man. He stands in a category all by himself. I don’t have to empty out my skeletons in the closet for him to feel as if he knows me. He observes and adapts so that I’m comfortable with him without the need to.

“I hope so,” I say, as I take another sip of my drink.

“What will be, will be. Enjoy the journey Birdie,” Jazz says with a wink.

“I’m going to try. In other news I have a few interviews coming up. Fingers crossed I get a day job again,” I said.

“You will but I’m crossing my fingers all the same. I’m gon’ try to get me a lil piece of official work too. I have a friend who’s going to set me up at this shelter for women as an intake coordinator,” Jazz beams.

“That’s amazing Jazz! Sounds perfect for you as you love telling folks what to do,” I snickered.

“And do! Know the diva okay?!” Jazz hollers causing me to join in on the loud laughter. It’s been awhile since I have laughed with my whole body and it feels good to do so.

“Look at us, leaving community service on a high note,” I said.

“Here’s to making our people proud wherever they are,” Jazz says, raising her strawberry daiquiri.

I don’t know how she knows I’m in this world mostly alone but Jazz has an ‘all seeing’ way about her I have learned not to question. Instead I raise my glass with an amendment to her statement.

“And making ourselves proud above all. To looking forward.”

“Salute.”

#metamorphasisff #black fiction #black romance #slow burn romance #zendaya x mjb

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funkycatbruh · 10 months

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Min Yoongi

mis favoritas de yoongi

COMPLETAS

ONE SHOT

Perpetual Datejust - @jiminrings

SYNOPSIS. You’re yoongi’s manager and for the first time ever, you take a break away from him.

GENRE. Angst, friends to lovers!au, fluff, love triangle?, jealousy, yoongi has a "girlfriend"

Take Five - @jiminrings

SYNOPSIS. You’re yoongi’s nurse and you have a crush on him, and he gives you five chances to ask him out — he never said anything about accepting though.

GENRE. angst, fluff, unrequited love, so much pining, Yoongi is divorced.

[ part two ]

Stay High - @personasintro

pairing ↠ ex!boyfriend yoongi x reader

SYNOPSIS. You’ve to stay high to keep your ex out off your mind when he comes back into your life.

GENRE. fluff, angst, smut, drugs , cheating

Beloved - @bang-tan-bitches

pairing ↠ Emperor!Yoongi X Reader

SYNOPSIS. Court was just a game of politics after all. And you intended to win

GENRE. Yandere Behavior, Violence, Blood, Character Death, Emotional Manipulation, Hint of Dubious Consent

Exitus Acta Probat - @bang-tan-bitches

pairing ↠ mafia!yoongi x reader

SYNOPSIS. All you need to know is that my name is Yoongi and you’re mine now.

GENRE. Kidnapping, Guns, Minor Violence, Mentions of Drugs, Possessive/Dominant Behavior, Manipulation, Dubious Consent

SERIES

Black Burner - @yoonpobs

SYNOPSIS. Sometimes you felt like you were the back-burner of a two-decade-long friendship. how could you ever compete?

GENRE. sister's best friend!au, best friend to lovers!au, sorta frenemies?to lovers!au, angst, *slow burn*, smut, fluff

»»————-　♡　————-««

INCOMPLETAS

SERIES

All I want Is a break - @mymuseagustd

pairing ↠ Yoongi x female reader + Taehung and Jungkook

SYNOPSIS. Y/N and Yoongi are best friends, then lovers, until he decides he wants to find out what life can be without her.

GENRE. Non-IdolAU / Angst / Smut

Everytime - @deathbyyoongx

pairing ↠ fuckboy!yoongi x ex!reader

SYNOPSIS. Everyone knew Min Yoongi as the guy who wouldn’t say no to a nice pair of tits. You unfortunately happened to be his ex. He somehow managed to find himself a way between your legs on one semi-drunk night.

GENRE. smut, angst, bit of fluff, more smut

RAP! SHIT - @btsugarush

pairing ↠ ex boyfriend!rapper!yoongi x f!reader

SYNOPSIS. when your boyfriend yoongi starts to get recognition as an underground rapper he gets a little fame hungry, and cheats on you, putting an end to your 6 year relationship. 2 years later your friends beg you to attend a show in los angeles, and guess who’s the opening headliner?

GENRE. lovers to exes, exes to lovers, smut, dry humping, unprotected sex, jealous!yoongi, drugs, alcohol, strong language, infidelity, fluff

#yoongi angst #min yoongi #bts recs

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marvelousartcatastrophe · 1 year

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Heres some character info-sheets for my mlb rewrite. The main five obv, but I'll get to other characters maybe later if and when I feel like it... also this was an excuse to draw them n o t dying or something so uh- yar.

Some additional info about each:

Marinette- Marinette's mom tried to teach Marinette chinese but started out a little too late in Mari's child-language development and never really succeeded. At most, Marinette can introduce herself. She does not yet have any crushes in my fic at the moment, but the first one (sorta already is) will be Luka for a while once he gets more "screen time". She's less "UwU quirky i'm so clumsy" like she is in the show. In fact, she doesn't go and do stupid things without repercussions at all. She is less focused on boys and more on her superhero life, but it starts getting overwhelming. She feels like if she tried to focus on herself for a change, something bad would happen as a result, and it doesn't help that Tikki is so strict on her about it.

Adrien- Adrien is pomosexual which basically means he doesn't know what the heck he is or what to label his feelings with so he went with that. He knows he is attracted to femininity, but is also ok with more masculine or "tom-boyish" attributes in anyone of any gender. This does lead into his crush on Kagami later on since they are nonbinary and not exactly "the most feminine" person you could meet, yet also not entirely masculine in their personality and presentation. Basically, he doesn't know what the heck his sexuality is. He knows chinese and english because of how strict his homeschooling is, and has a natural talent for picking up new languages. He doesn't really understand himself and often feels like he's broken, or a robot. Perhaps some senti-monster behavior...??????!!!!! (I'm deciding on that now shut up)

Nino- Nino is a glorious bilingual child whose parents are unknown. They probably left the face of the planet. No one has ever seen them... at least in the show... so I didn't bother giving him a family. But he's bilingual somehow!! But wait... I did give him parents?! That's right, I invented Mara Lahiffe for no reason, and we're gonna say his dad is no longer in the picture. He's very protective of his friends and would never abandon them, hence why he became so fitting for the turtle miraculous. He has a secret crush on Rena Rouge but sadly, not Alya. He likes his mysterious women I guess.

Alya- Alya is creole which is a race of people from America that spawned from the mixing of native american, Spaniard, black, and europeans. It's a lot... I know... they're best known for existing in Louisiana, and does she have family there? No! She has relatives from Cuba which is why she can speak spanish. Alya has a big family with three other sisters, and she's caught being the middle child. This has given her a lot of insecurities due to her older sister being a literal muscle boxing beast and her two little twin sister getting all the attention from the family.

Chloe- I think it's really funny that I didn't give Marinette, the main character, family trauma, but the other four.... Chloe's parents are divorced and her mother has a very judgmental attitude over Chloe. Chloe wants nothing more than to please and impress her mother who sometimes doesn't even remember her daughters name. Chloe feels like she's battling her half sister, Zoe, for their mothers attention, which is made extra hard for her by the fact that her sister and mother live all the way in New York. Chloe was as straight as a pencil, she swears. but then... she started developing feelings for a girl and everything became a mess. She's kinda in the same boat as Adrien right now, except she's more comfortable calling herself bicurious. She developed anorexia after Gabriel Agreste's company refused to accept her as a model, denying her the chance to work with Adrien and pursue her dream career.

#i love writing characters #adrien and alya are my favorites tho tbh #alya is so fun to write especially since I literally traumatized her #miraculous #mlb #art catastrophe #chat noir #ladybug #mlbrewrite #art catastrophe mlb rewrite #mlbredesign #miracle box #art catastrophe miracle box

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jeannereames · 9 months

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WHY YOUR MORALITY IS MY PROBLEM: modern holdovers from ancient theology

James Dobson, founder of the ultra-conservative Focus on the Family organization, reputedly said of the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting, “I think we have turned our back on the Scripture and on God Almighty and I think He has allowed judgment to fall upon us.”

As heartless as that sentiment sounds today when addressing the murder of 20 first-graders (and 6 adults) at an elementary school, it reflects a once-common theology that emerged about four thousand years ago in the ancient near east (ANE*), then bled into the Mediterranean basin and developed an astonishingly long half-life. It’s why some Christians (et al.) are so, so concerned with what their neighbors are doing behind closed doors. Or on their front lawns with all those Pride flags.

In some ways, ANE and Mediterranean religion had a lot in common, being traditional and focused largely on sacrifice/action (orthopraxic). Over time, some orthodoxic religions also arose in that area. So, first, let’s do some quick defining.

Orthopraxic religions focus on what one DOES, not what one believes. Performing the sacrifice correctly, honoring the gods/ancestors appropriately…that’s how one shows piety. Infringing against purity laws or other affronts to the gods (impious actions) can result in expulsion from the community. Fights over correct practice can lead to schism in a community.

Orthodoxic religions focus on what one BELIEVES. Thus, they need some form of authoritative text to determine what IS right belief, resulting in the emergence of a canon (e.g., Zoroastrian Avesta, Jewish Tanakh, Christian New Testament, or Muslim Qur’an). In Orthodoxic religions, wrong beliefs (heresy) can result in expulsion from the community. Fights over correct belief can lead to schism in a community.

(There’s yet a third focus, orthopathic, but that largely doesn’t apply here. “Orthopraxic” can also apply to ethics-based religions, but here, it applies to ritual/cultic behavior.)

Most religions have elements of all three, but it matters where the weight falls. Yes, religions can emphasize two sides of the triangle more heavily, less on the third, but even then, one point will be the chief measurement of devoutness among followers. This also helps us understand why two religions might not understand each other very well sometimes. They’re trying to impose one set of “What religion is for” ideas on another, with entirely different assumptions.

The religions of the ANE and Mediterranean had much in common in terms of the purpose of religion: to maintain the health of a community. This depended on the piety of that communities’ members. Their gods weren’t moral in the modern sense, but could be jealous, fickle, and petty.

Why were they gods then?

Because they were immortal and more powerful.

Yet an important difference between (many) ANE and Mediterranean religions were the concepts of sin and “mesharum” (divine justice/equilibrium). If the latter existed (sorta) in Mediterranean society, “sin” really didn’t. Impiety differs as it can include ritual matters too. So, if murder (especially kin murder) created uncleanness anywhere and is a moral/civil matter, menstruation and sex also created uncleanness, but were not moral/civil matters defined as “bad.” So “unclean” ≠ “sin.”

To be unclean is a matter of cultic purity, different from moral purity. Yes, ANE religions also had ritual uncleanness, to be sure. And yes, some things that make one unclean also have intimations of “badness” without being so extreme as murdering someone. Yet I want to underscore the difference because it’s very real and too often ignored/misunderstood/unfairly conflated.

Many Mediterranean religions did not have “sin,” just unclean and impious. MORAL/ETHICAL matters were dictated by civil law and later, philosophic discussion. Not religion. Yet in the ANE, moral infractions were affronts to mesharum (divine order) and were therefore a religious matter. This oversimplifies, but smash-and-grab works for now. We find actions (like iconoclasm) in the ANE that didn’t often apply in the Mediterranean. (Iconoclasm is the deliberate theft, or in extreme cases, destruction of religious icons or structures.)

Yet what both groups shared was a sense that the gods had, well, “bad aim.” If people in a community were impious and/or sinful, that might draw the ire of the gods. Plagues were often seen as divine retribution for the impiety and/or sin of one or more members of that community, but not necessarily all of them. This led to the exile of impious individuals, as well as the ANE “scapegoat” ritual, et al. (If you’re familiar with the plot of the Iliad, Apollo punished the entire Greek army for the impious actions of Agamemnon.)

I could DIE from your impiety/sin committed in my town/community.

That makes your morality my business.

In addition, especially in the ANE, war on earth was believed to reflect war in heaven. Gods had cities and peoples, not the other way around. They chose you, you didn’t god-shop—hence Israel as a “chosen people.” Well, yeah, pretty much every ethnic group was chosen by some god(s). But as a result, if your side lost in a war, then—theoretically—your gods were weaker. Maybe you should go over and start worshiping their gods. Yet that didn’t sit well with most groups, so by the Middle/Late Bronze Age, we see an emerging idea that my god isn’t “weaker” than yours, rather my general “set forth without the gods’ consent,” or my god permitted the other god(s) to win for whatever reason…usually due to sin or a lack of piety among his (or her) people. Of course we find this in the prophetic literature of the Hebrew Bible, but it’s in a lot of other ANE literature too. Nabû or Marduk didn’t lose, they “went to live with” Ashur for however many years—although the winning side will portray the victory as Nabû and Marduk traveling to Nineveh to bow before (e.g., submit to) Assur.

Again, this is simplified, but we don’t see this sort of language used in Greece where Hera would bow to Athena because the city-state of Athens defeated Argos, even if, as promachos (foremost in battle), Athena might be expected to win in any conflict between the two (as in Euripides’ Children of Herakles). Hera is still queen of the gods, and—even more—these are shared deities. We also don’t see it because notions of “sin” don’t apply and only a handful of wars were ever called “sacred”—all of them concerning Delphi and cultic purity. At least one of those is mythical, the second probably didn’t happen, and the third (which certainly did happen) was labeled “sacred” only by one side. Greek gods just weren’t seen to uphold justice in the same way. Roman gods were more concerned with such things, but still not as we find in the ANE.

Ergo, the ANE faced the problem of theodicy: if god/the gods are good/just, why does tragedy happen?

Early explanations for tragedy were simple: those who suffer must have earned their suffering, sometimes referred to as Deuteronomic Theology: “good things happen to good people”/“bad things happen to bad people” (and maybe their neighbors too, by chance).

Pushback against this notion emerged around the same time a more nuanced view of loss in war emerged. People began to ask the corollary: “Why do bad things happen to good people?”

The (c. 1700 BCE) Mesopotamian Ludlul bēl nēmeqi (The Poem of the Righteous Sufferer) attempted an answer. About a thousand years later (600s-500s BCE), the Jewish Book of Job took it on as well. In both, the protagonist asks, “Why does Marduk/Yahweh punish me when I’ve been a faithful servant?” Both protagonists were previously wealthy/powerful, which was seen as divine approval. Losing that wealth/health suggested they had offended their god (and are being punished). Yet each one claims he did not sin—so why?

The answer in both works is similar: there’s not really an answer. Marduk restores Šubši-mašrâ-Šakkan, who ends the poem with a prayer of thanksgiving. Job has a chat with Yahweh, who essentially tells him, “You’re a measly mortal, don’t question me.”

The KEY element in both, however, isn’t the answer, but the assertion that a good person can suffer. They didn’t earn it; it just happened. They remained good and, eventually, their god restored them to their prior station, and then some.

Ergo, if you’re suffering, just be patient. Don’t curse God and die. (As Job is advised to do.)

Today, we may find such an answer wanting but need to recognize it for an advancement on the theology of tragedy.

Some, however, get stuck in these time-locked answers because they can’t allow their religion to grow. Or rather, they can’t acknowledge that their religion/theology evolves over time, because if it evolves, it wasn’t perfect from the beginning. And that challenges their understanding of their god.

Yet the real fly in the ointment is the notion of a perfect and infallible canon.

This brings me back around to what a canon is. It just means “an authoritative text,” but how that text is understood has nuances. INSPIRED ≠ INFALLIBLE. Most all followers of a canonical text believe it’s inspired by God, but not all (or even most) believe it’s infallible. (Islam is its own category here, note.) That creates some problematic GRAYS.

If it’s only inspired, written by humans with human foibles and history-locked understandings, interpreting it becomes complicated and can lead to disagreements. Taking a literalist view sweeps away the messiness. “God said it; I believe it; that settles it!” Black-and-white.

Those who believe in Biblical literalism/inerrancy (which includes a good chunk of conservative Christian Evangelicals and all Fundamentalists**) will argue ALL the Bible is true. If it’s written by God, it must be perfect from the get-go. Thus, a clash is created between simpler versus more nuanced views: Deuteronomy vs. Job. If an earlier view must be as true as any later one, that reduces everything to the most elementary version. It can’t evolve/grow up, yielding what feels to most like a very archaic (and often harsh) worldview.

In any case, both the traditional orthopraxic and orthodoxic religions of the ANE/Med Basin believed God/gods punished people who offended them. AND these punishments might “spill over” onto family and neighbors.

Ancient divine collateral damage.

Ironically, this is WHY early Christians were prosecuted by the pagan (e.g., traditional) Roman and Greek religious establishments. Christian failure to participate in common civic religious cult could earn divine ire. For their first two/two-and-a-half centuries, Christianity was labeled a religio illicta (illegal religion)—in part for “failure to play well with others.” E.g., make sacrifices to the appropriate Greco-Roman deities. Thus, when disaster struck, a scapegoat was sought. Those antisocial Christians are to blame! They don’t sacrifice to the gods and so, offended XXX god, who is now punishing ALL of us with YYY.

Classic ancient religious thinking, but it’s one reason I find current conservative Christian opposition to Teh Gays, trans folks, etc., enormously ironic. The persecuted have become the persecuting.

I want to emphasize that large sub-groups of Jews, Christians, and Muslims have evolved past such theologies. Yet others have not and stubbornly cling to ancient mindsets. That’s why they argue the mere presence of LGBTQI+ people will bring down the wrath of God on ALL.

Talk of “grooming” and “protecting children” is just an attempt to make palatable a belief they know won’t fly with most people, who they consider deluded by The World (e.g., the devil). Trickery is therefore required. As they’re deeply afraid themselves, they understand fear and use it to motivate others. Many are perfectly happy to make their beds with “unbelievers” long enough to get their agendas passed. God will forgive them.

This, too, is rooted in ancient ideas (discussed above) whereby a people’s own god might employ the enemy to punish them (or others). Thus, a sinful person can be utilized on the way to righteous ends because the victory of God wipes away all else. Using the enemy to effect God’s will just proves that God is in final charge of everything after all. It’s the ultimate PWN.

I hope this helps to explain where these ideas come from, how they originally emerged, and why a subgroup of people still cling to them.

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* While Egypt influenced the ANE, as well as Greece and Rome, and is often shoehorned into the ANE, I consider Egypt as NE Africa. It deserves to be treated on its own, or in relation to neighbors such as Kush.

** Fundamentalists and Evangelicals tend to be equated but are not the same. Also, not all Evangelicals are conservatives (although all Fundamentalists are, by definition). Enormous variation exists between Christian denominations, which range from ultra-conservative to (surprise!) ultra-liberal. There is as much of a hard Christian Left as there is a hard Christian Right. We just tend to hear far less about them.

#iconoclasm #mesharum #deuteronomic theology #book of job #poem of the righteous sufferer #ancient theology of tragedy #theodicy #ANE theology #ancient Mediterranean theology #Classics #ancient near east #ancient religion

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