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#this is in no way a list of what you “should” have on your altar as a christian witch
v-tired-queer · 1 year
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✨️✝️🕯 Things I Have on my Altar as a Christian Witch 🕯✝️✨️
✨️ A cross
✨️ Sun, moon and rain water
✨️ Ethically sourced sage
✨️ A bell
✨️ A wine glass
✨️ A mini New Testament Bible
✨️ Flowers
✨️ My favorite crystals and stones
✨️ Candles (usually in colors corresponding to the holidays)
✨️ Incense wax burner
✨️ Salt
✨️ Decorations for holidays (i.e. colored eggs and flowers galor for Easter and Ostara, a holly wreath and a small nativity set for Christmas and Yule, pumpkins and autumn leaves for Mabon with added jack-o-lanterns and darker colors for Halloween and Samhain, etcetera)
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Left at the Altar - Hangman
Pairing: Hangman / (Ex-Girlfriend) Fem!Reader
Word Count: 2.2k
Warnings: Light Angst; Drama; Getting Left at the Altar (Not by Hangman); Asshole Ex (Not Hangman); Second Person POV ("You"), No Y/N, No Physical Description for the Reader
This work, all of my other works, and my entire blog are 18+ Only.
Summary: When you get left at the altar, a familiar face swoops in to save the day.
Edit: Part 2 Part 3 Epilogue
Master List
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Ever hit rock bottom? Well, you thought you did. And then you got stood up at your own wedding.
Staring up at the altar, you slowly sat down in the front pew. You sat your bouquet down beside you and reached up to pull out the pins holding your veil in place. You definitely weren’t going to need them. Not after the text message that you received from your ex-fiancé.
That’s right. You got dumped on your wedding day through a text message.
And frankly, the part about the whole situation that annoyed you the most was the fact that you should have been the one to dump him. You were the one who threatened to call the wedding off months ago when you found some suspicious text messages between your fiancé and a woman labelled as ‘Domino’s’ in his phone.
As if anyone texted Domino’s about their secluded lake house.
You should have just pulled the plug on the whole thing when you had the chance. Instead, you let him dump and humiliate you publicly.
Taking a deep breath, you glanced around the small church. Most of the guests filed out when it became apparent that there was a runaway groom. All of the people that remained in the church were a few close friends and immediate family members.
Your ex-fiancé’s family stood awkwardly in the corner, not really sure what to do. There wasn’t a really good or efficient way to apologize for their cowardly bastard of a son without suffering some rather intense glares from your family and friends. You already gave the engagement ring back to your ex-fiancé’s mom, since it was supposedly a family heirloom.
Maybe you should have just flushed it down the toilet instead.
You looked forward again when your mom walked over to you. She gave you a small, comforting smile as she pushed your veil and bouquet to the side and sat down beside you. Your mom stared up at the altar for a moment, seemingly walking through what she was going to say to you. She reached out and grabbed your hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“It’ll be okay, sweetie,” she whispered to you. “You’ll get past this.”
“I know,” you replied, nodding slowly. “I know, Mom.”
“Do you need anything?”
“No,” you replied softly, shaking your head. Letting out a breath, you turned back to your mom with a composed expression. “Why don’t you and everyone else go and eat at the venue? It’d be stupid to let all of that food go to waste. We already paid for it.”
“Actually, his family offered to pay for everything. Even your dress,” your mom explained, glancing over at your supposed-to-be in laws. “They were extremely embarrassed.”
“Can’t imagine why,” you drawled sarcastically, shaking your head. You let out a breath before you turned back to your mom. “Has Dad calmed down?”
“Somewhat. He calmed down a lot when they offered to pay for everything. But I worry for your ex if he ever crosses paths with your father again.���
“If he’s smart—which he’s not—he’ll avoid the entire county,” you replied, pursing your lips together. “He’s probably sitting at his lake house with ‘Domino’s’ right now.”
“That’s unfortunate for him,” your mom told you, causing you to nod in return.
“Damn straight.”
You and your mom shared a small smile before you sobered up for a moment. Glancing around the church, you leaned back in your pew. You turned to your mom and suddenly felt like you were a teenager again and needed her to help you with a situation that you got yourself in.
“Do you think that I could be alone for a bit?” you asked softly, folding your arms across your lap.
“Are you sure? I don’t think that you should be alone right now, sweetheart,” your mom replied, grabbing your hand. “Why don’t you just come to the venue with the rest of us? You can burn the dress if you want to, but just come with us.”
“I will, Mom, but I just need some time by myself for a little bit.”
Albeit reluctantly, your mom got up and ushered everyone else out of the church to give you some time alone. The venue was only ten minutes down the road, so your mom told you to just text her when you wanted to be picked up. You thanked her again for all of her help and support before she left with everyone else.
You slowly got to your feet after you thought that everyone else was gone. You let out a breath to calm yourself down and simply worked through some thoughts. Eventually turning for the aisle, you paused when you spotted a familiar figure walking through the church doorway.
Jake Seresin. Or Jacob Michael Seresin III, if you were going by his birth name. Or Hangman, as he supposedly went by these days. Lieutenant Jake “Hangman” Seresin.
The boy that you fell in love with when you were fifteen. Your high school boyfriend, your first love, your first everything, really. The man that, had he stayed in Texas and taken over his family’s business like he was expected to do, you probably would have already married.
But life wasn’t a fairytale. And certainly not your life.
Jake slowly walked further into the church, pulling off his dress white cap as he stepped forward. He tucked it under his arm and offered you a small smile as he stopped in front of you. His hair was perfectly gelled and styled and his dress whites were absolutely pristine. And that genuine smile, the one that he seemed to use less and less as he aged, was just like you remembered.
He looked like he stepped straight out of a dream. Out of your dream.
“I’m not too late, am I?” he asked, looking around the otherwise empty church.
“No,” you scoffed, shaking your head. You glanced up at the rafters before turning back to him. “I got left at the altar.”
Instantly, the kind, genuine smile dropped from Jake’s face. His whole demeanor changed in an instant. He frowned and opened his mouth before pausing, most likely trying to not just blurt out the first words that came to mind in a church. But his entire stance looked like he was ready to storm out of the church to drag your fiancé out of whatever hole he was hiding in.
“He didn’t show up?” Jake asked with his voice dangerously low.
“No, he sent me a text,” you explained quietly. Letting out a laugh that was meant to be humorous, but was really rather pathetic in reality, you looked away from Jake for a moment. “I mean, at least I didn’t marry him. It could be worse.”
“Where is he then?”
“Somewhere, anywhere,” you replied honestly, pursing your lips together. “Frankly, I never want to see him or hear his name ever again, so I could care less.”
“Still, he shouldn’t get away with doing this to you,” Jake stated seriously.
It had a level of force behind it that you knew wasn’t directed towards you. More like on your behalf than anything else.
Hell, Jake had always been protective over you and more than willing to fight for you. He wasn’t someone who kept a lot of close friends, but when anyone was within Jake Seresin’s inner circle, he would fight for them with everything that he had. And you knew that the state of your relationship didn’t impact that.
“He’s not worth the trouble,” you stated, waving your hand to the side. “And besides, I’d really just like to move on from all of this. If I can.”
“Of course, you can,” Jake spoke softly, reaching out to take your hand. “He’s just a . . . I can’t say the word that I want to say because we’re standing in a church.” You laughed and shook your head at Jake. “But either way, it’s his loss.”
“Thanks Jake.”
“I’m serious. I mean, any guy who looks at you, especially when you’re in that dress . . .” Jake trailed off, letting his eyes rake over your form, “. . . and doesn’t hope to be the guy standing there, waiting for you at the altar . . . he’s not worth your time.”
You felt your heart flutter in your chest, just like it used to whenever he would wave to you in the hallway between classes when you two were teenagers. And staring into Jake’s bright green eyes, you knew that he meant every word that he spoke. Rocking your joined hands back and forth, you tried to settle the wobble in your lips.
“I didn’t want it to be him,” you stated honestly, causing Jake to noticeably pick his head up. “He . . . I gave into the pressure that I should be married and moving into that stage of my life by now and . . . I should have never agreed to marry him in the first place.”
Jake nodded slowly and turned to look at the ground. A moment passed where he seemed to be trying to compose himself before he slowly picked his head up again.
“Who did you want it to be?” Jake asked softly, so softly that you didn’t hear it the first time.
“What?”
“Who did you want it to be?” he repeated, picking his head up and staring deeply into your eyes. “Waiting for you at the altar, I mean.”
Your breathing subtly picked up and your lips parted a bit at Jake’s question. And the intensity of his stare that made your entire body feel like it was on fire. Slowly and tentatively reaching out, you gently cupped Jake’s cheek with your hand and rubbed your thumb across his soft skin.
“My answer hasn’t changed,” you stated quietly as emotion started to clog your throat. “It never has.”
The two of you naturally leaned towards each other. Your bodies seemed to naturally fit together as you pressed up together. The two of you slowly leaned in until your foreheads rested together. And when he was standing this close, you could pick out all of the different colors in his eyes, which were staring down at your lips.
Gently cupping the back of your neck, Jake pulled you in for a soft kiss. Your lips moved together like they had never been parted in the first place. Not by school or deployments or life in general. For much of your adult lives, the issue was never your feelings for each other but everything else getting in the way. But right there, in that small little church in rural Texas, life wasn’t in the way.
Nothing and no one were in the way. Not anymore.
Jake dropped his hat and wrapped an arm around your waist to pull you closer. You wrapped your arms around his broad shoulders and cupped his cheek once again, guiding your lips together. It probably would have gotten you disapproving looks if anyone else was around, but for that perfect little moment, it was just the two of you.
Pulling away a few moments later, you rested your foreheads against each other’s and smiled to yourselves. Breathing a bit heavily, you trailed your fingers down Jake’s cheeks as he brushed his nose against your own.
“When do you have to leave?” you asked quietly.
“Tomorrow morning,” Jake sighed, clearly sounding disappointed. “I could barely get any time off. I actually owe Coyote a laundry list of things because he covered for me.”
“Then we shouldn’t waste any time,” you replied, trying to look on the positive side.
About ten seconds later, you and Jake hurried out of the church hand-in-hand. Jake’s rented truck was the only car in the parking lot and you both quickly made a beeline for it. Jake unlocked and opened the door for you to climb inside. You sat down and Jake hurried to push the rest of your dress inside before shutting the door.
You pulled him in for another excited kiss as he slid into the driver’s seat before Jake started his rented truck to drive the two of you to the hotel. As Jake backed out of the parking lot, you sent your mom a quick text, which was just a simple photo of Jake.
“Do you have the directions to the hotel?” Jake asked, turning back around and heading for the road.
“Yeah and the confirmation, so we can actually check in,” you mused, smiling over at him.
As Jake pulled out onto the road, you got a text back from your mom. You let out an amused noise and shook your head when you read her message.
Don’t forget protection. Or do. I wouldn’t mind a grandbaby if you two agreed on one. Love you!
You sent your mom a quick ‘love you’ text back before turning off your notifications. Jake reached out and grabbed your hand, threading your fingers together. Jake pulled your hand up to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of your hand.
And even though this wasn’t how you expected your wedding day to go, you had to admit that this outcome was actually far better than the one you that had in mind.
Part 2 Part 3 Epilogue
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somewhere-on-venus · 1 month
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So you want to worship Aphrodite?
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Aphrodite goddess of love, beauty, sexuality and so on.
Born of seafoam, goddess of the peoples hearts.
Aphrodite has been a big part of my life for awhile... Shes blessed me in many ways! And if you want to work with her I hope to help you.
I won't be going into her history in this post, this is more of a guide on how to get started on worshipping her.
The first thing alot of people ask about is how to build that connection, how to reach out. With any deity I work with I started out leaving an offering, lighting a candle and/or incense and offering my devotion through prayer. I then usually follow up with divination of some form to build on the relationship and get to know them. As for offerings I find it can be flexible to what you have. But I'll list off some traditional and other kinds of offerings here first!
Offerings~
• frankincense incense
• apple
• eggs
• strawberries
• chocolate
• honey
• roses
• olives
• wine/mulled wine
• raisins/grapes
• perfume
• cosmetics
• shells
These are just a few but there are plenty more.
I personally when I'm short on any of these I offer her some of my own food. Theres been times where she has gotten a pizza pocket but a big thing is to remember is to not stress about this! The gods are understanding, they won't be mad and Aphrodite certainly wont be! The biggest thing that matters is that it comes from the heart...
Ill also listen some plants and food associated with her as it might also be helpful for offerings.
• rosemary
• hibiscus
• Jasmine
• myrtle
• mint
• cinnamon
• basil
• cannabis
• lettuce
• strawberries
• pomegranate
• iris
• myyrh
• vanilla
• ginger
• peach
• frankincense
Associated animals
• doves
• sparrows
• waterfowl
• dolphins
Crystals
• rose quartz
• pearl
• aquamarine
• jade
• moonstone
• rhodolite
• carnelian
Setting up an altar
Personally I set up a small altar space first... I see it as welcoming them into my home, healing them settle/get comfortable. It would be like maybe getting your home presentable and such for a new friend coming over. And I believe that when approaching the gods you should do it like that, great them as a new friend. Be respectful, don't rush into it and be welcoming.
When I first set up my altar to Aphrodite I looked around my room for what I could use first. I wouldn't rush into buying stuff until you've established that connection.
I searched for shells, pink items, fake flowers etc. I even put toys and jewelry that reminded me of her on there. I also used a tea light and pink spell candles.
This was my first altar:
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If you have any questions let me know.. I will do posts like these on other deities I worship soon 🩷
(also this is from my personal experience.. I hope it is helpful though)
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valyrfia · 7 days
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f1 drivers as tracks from the tortured poets department: a very abridged and very biased list.
DISCLAIMER: this is all for fun and should be taken very lightheartedly. Not all drivers were included, but I am open to suggestions as well as constructive criticism.
Without further ado:
CHARLES LECLERC - I Can Do It With A Broken Heart
Absolutely suicidal lyrics that should be mildly concerning but all in all very upbeat and makes you want to run around doing side quests. Such as write an album, or open an ice cream shop. I'm thinking this is specifically 2022 Charles when he trusted no one at Ferrari, or mid-2023 when everyone was calling him washed and calling for his teammate to be n1 driver, and then he proceeded to put it on pole in a tractor multiple times and still hasn't finished outside the top 5 since. Either way, I am looking forward how this song will hit when Charles gets his eventual championship.
MAX VERSTAPPEN - Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?
This one is for Mad Max, who was thrust onto the world stage as an untested young prodigy at seventeen, who was called too young and immature and proceeded to win a GP upon debut in a top team, who was called Crashtappen from 2015-2019 and labelled as overly aggressive to his detriment, who was painted as a villain by every media outlet and documentary and DTS episode, who said "fuck the haters" and won championships anyway, who broke records, and made his own national anthem the expected song for every podium. A driver who is fast approaching greatest of all time status, for his win streaks alone. A driver that most others now just shrug about, because there's no shame in not choosing to fight the inevitable.
LEWIS HAMILTON - So Long, London
Ah, the heart-wrenching track of letting go of your long-term British relationship that doesn't serve you anymore. So many lyrics from here I could apply to the rumoured break down of amicable relations between Lewis and Mercedes, the team he won six championships with. From "My spine split from carrying us up the hill" to "I didn't opt in to be your odd man out. I founded the club she's heard great things about" to "you say I abandoned the ship But I was going down with it. My white-knuckle dying grip. Holding tight to your quiet resentment". Honestly, I could copy and paste all the lyrics here and they would apply to Lewis' Merc swan song. Taylor wrote "you swore that you loved me but where were the clues, I died on the altar waiting for the proof." about Abu Dhabi 2021.
CARLOS SAINZ - The Prophecy
Carlos has been delivering some of the best drives of his career this season, but it doesn't matter because he's not the chosen one, he's not il predestinato, he's not the son of Maranello. No matter what he does, he would never have kept that Ferrari seat over the mythos of Charles Leclerc. "Let it once be me. Who do I have to speak to, to redo the prophecy?"
LANDO NORRIS - Guilty as Sin?
Specifically given for half-flirting with Red Bull for most of last season, only to shake himself out of it and re-sign with McLaren, but I have one eye on him, not entirely sure he's given up on the Red Bull daydream, and Red Bull have been open about wanting to get him, if they can. It's all on Lando to stay faithful.
OSCAR PIASTRI - Fresh Out the Slammer
Piastrigate continues to inspire and compel an entire generation of F1 fans, and as such should form the basis of Oscar's song selection. What was the promises that Alpine made him, if not "Gray and blue and fights and tunnels Handcuffed to the spell I was under For just one hour of sunshine"
FERNANDO ALONSO - Florida!!!
Florida!!! is a big and powerful song about being a Shakespearean villain with a History and questionable morals and motives. Who is that if not Fernando Alonso? "Tell me I'm despicable, say it's unforgivable." "Is that a bad thing to say in a song?"
LANCE STROLL - But Daddy I Love Him
Yeah this one is self-indulgent and too good to resist. He's singing it about Fernando btw. Next.
DANIEL RICCIARDO - Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus
Someone is getting that Red Bull seat next year, and every name is on the list except Daniel Ricciardo. "As the decade played us for fools, you saw my bones out with somebody new." Who knows what would have happened if Daniel hadn't left Red Bull, all those years ago? "Just say you loved me the way you were" Oof. We could spend years living in the What Ifs of it all.
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zmediaoutlet · 2 months
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Hey Liz! Have you ready any good spn fic lately? :)
I have, and in fact I've been spite-reading. Have a curated wincest rec list you could share with anyone you like:
Bad Blood by astolat
Rating: E Word Count: 3,718 Summary: "Fuck me or I'm going to die isn't the world's best pickup line."  // "I've heard worse," Dean said. // "You've used worse," Sam said.
Original post date, 02/22/2007
Reccing because: No wincest primer would be complete without an astolat rec. You probably get fined by the Wincest FCC, otherwise. The flaw in astolat’s wincest, if we’re allowed to say such things about our saint and founder, is that Sam and Dean would sometimes fall into the whole thing super easily — this fic dispenses with that problem with a good ol’ classic dose of evil sex pollen, and if magic makes them do it then it could be a hell of a lot worse than how delightfully they do it here. I’m laughing out loud just remembering one of the scenes. Joys.
Coast On Through by philalethia
Rating: NC-17 Word Count: 7,857 Summary: A post-first-time fic. With a lot of sex.
Original post date, 12/22/2007
Reccing because: This is a true all-timer wincest fic. Though the characterization is of its 2007 time, the Winchesters still feel like themselves, and more important feel like adults who are trying to navigate their very odd circumstances. A real classic of the brothers-with-benefits genre.
Keep Our Minds on the Sum of Each Other by lazy_daze
Rating: E Word Count: 9,593 Summary: N/A; provided tags are Bodyswap
Original post date, 12/26/2007
Reccing because: What a cheerful fuckin’ fic this is, for a fic about incestuous fuckin’. This takes the apocalyptic stakes and reels them back to a just deeply entertaining romp. Not too worried about the plot and much more worried about how hot these two are when they slam together, it’s a refreshingly non-angsty take on what it means that you just want to slurp on your brother wholesale.
Filthy Mind by rivkat
Rating: E Word Count: 26,384 Summary: Dean acquires unwelcome nightly visitors. Set post-Hell, without details as to how that happens.
Original post date, 10/07/2008
Reccing because: RivkaT is perhaps the all-time understander of the Weird Affect of Dean Winchester (As Played By Jensen Ackles) and the entirely destabilizing effect that affect has on the world. A real reality-warper. This fic deals with non-con and dub-con and who-knows-what-con and everything in between in a way that is more thoughtful than tawdry (although you can certainly enjoy the tawdriness as presented and the fic does not judge you for that). It also, thrillingly, deals with Sam’s alarm about the whole thing in a way which is fairly unflinching: he wants and does not want to want and also just really, really desperately wants-- Fans of Sheila’s analysis will probably enjoy this one. 
seeing double by candle_beck
Rating: PG-13 Word Count: 5,127 Summary: Dean has a concussion and his better senses come and go.
Original post date, 04/24/2009
Reccing because: I know there are more famous and more favored c_b fics, but this one is such a supremely perfect scene that it should be at the top of all c_b rec lists. It isn’t the catastrophic misery or assholery or intensity of some of the other big hitters but this just has this searingly true and singular experience coursing through it: to wit, that Dean is hurt and Sam is upset and then sorry and then in love. Which isn’t a half-bad summary of Supernatural itself, really. 
The incestuous courtship of the antichrist’s bride by fleshflutter
Rating: NC-17 Word Count: 48,000 Summary: Sam is trying to become the Antichrist in order to save the world. He has a small army of angels and demons, he has an adoring cult, he has a work of prophecy by Jack Kerouac, and he has Dean. Things are going pretty well until he accidentally signs Dean up as his Beloved Consort, a role that requires sex with the Antichrist on an altar. And that's when things stop going pretty well. Also, the soundtrack to the Apocalypse sucks.
Original post date, 06/08/2009
Reccing because: It is so, so rare to find crack fics that work. This is crack treated like crack and also taken entirely seriously, which is a rare balance to find. When it needs to be horror it works, when it needs to be ridiculous it works, when it needs to be hot as fuck it works, and never has the phrase ‘apocalyptic cock’ been so appropriate and so wonderful in context. 
I’ve Got A Hand For You by Edwardina
Rating: E Word Count: 14,938 Summary: Sam's inexperience is showing, and Dean helps the best way he knows how.
Original post date, 03/12/2010
Reccing because: This is underage par excellence, as wonderfully weird and vaguely creepy and hot and alarming as it should always be. Dean’s 19 and Sam’s 14 and they should not but they are, and if that isn’t just a summary of Supernatural as a whole I don’t know what is. On the face of it this is a vaguely gnasty first time fic, but what sets this one apart is how earnestly real it is — the grimy-but-not-OTT reality of the details, Sam’s goofy kiddishness being complicated by the reality of what hormones are and do, Dean’s too-cool-ness alleviated by the fact that he’s nineteen and therefore still an idiot, trying earnestly to help and getting it wrong and getting it very right, all at the same time. The attention to detail here just knocks me over with a feather. Gorgeous work.
Two Part Invention by De_Nugis
Rating: T Word Count: 6,938 Summary: Dean settles down, Sam finds him, they settle some things.
Original post date, 12/25/2010
Reccing because: I very much appreciate a fic that, on the face of it, seems like an OOC premise, and then as soon as you think about it for fifteen seconds you realize — oh, of course, of course that’s how it should be and how it would go. This fic delivers on that feeling in spades. There’s a deep appreciation here for how complicated Sam Winchester is and how strange and hard it would be to have his life, and zero judgment, really, for what he and Dean have to do to make that life tenable. I appreciate the subtlety here so much.
Top This by leonidaslion
Rating: E Word Count: 4,076 Summary: Dean's sure he's a top. Only problem is, Sam's pretty sure that's his job …
Original post date, 04/10/2011
Reccing because: Is this crack? It surely is. Is it PWP? You bet. Is it in character? To be honest it hardly matters, but despite the context and conceit it does manage, somehow, to kinda feel like Sam and Dean Winchester from the canon of the show Supernatural, and that is a trick that earns it a spot on this list. Especially the way Sam goes slightly smug there at the end. Delights.
It’s the Blueprint of Your Life by queenklu
Rating: E Word Count: 38,400 Summary: Sam jerks awake in the middle of the night and everything goes to hell. Well, not literally, though Dean is staring down the barrel of less than a year before his deal comes due. In the midst of dealing (or not dealing) with his impending death, a killer ghost ship, and Bela showing up out of the blue, Dean also has to figure out what’s going on in Sam’s head to make him so twitchy, why he’s suddenly breezing through this case while writing endless notes in a notebook he won’t let Dean see. Damn it, Dean thinks, This is gonna take a lot of chickflick moments.
Original post date, 10/09/2011
Reccing because: Time travel fic is fun as hell, and time travel fic that just soaks you in dramatic irony is even more fun, and more importantly time travel fic where the time traveler doesn’t have all the answers is best of all. Very little is better than Dean being somewhat at sea and Sam loving him fiercely and this fic delivers that in spades. I could only wish it were a little longer, which is a very, very rare statement from me.
The Fall Will Probably Kill You by killabeez
Rating: M Word Count: 6,773 Summary: Set between 7.04 and the aftermath of 7.07. Dean is not as okay as he'd like you to think. Neither is Sam.
Original post date, 11/06/2011
Reccing because: This fic is thoroughly in and of and intensely about season 7, which I adored and which doesn’t get enough credit from the fandom. It deals with the Sam’s Insanity arc in a way that’s angstier and ficcier than the show itself but it does so in this stupendous and murderously flat way. Dean is at his wit’s end and Sam is, too, but Sam’s finding a way to deal with it, and Sam will not compromise on what dealing with it means, and we’re all just forced to live with it. Fantastic reading experience, especially for the almost literal jumpscare you get about 2/3s through.
The Hunter Games by theproblematique
Rating: NC-17 Word Count: 92,601 Summary: When the infamous Winchester bad luck strikes twice in quick succession Sam and Dean are forced to compete in the most brutal reality TV show ever created. It’s impossible to escape the battlefield, hiding can only be temporary, and alliances inside those dark, bloodstained woods last about as long as it takes for the other Hunter to figure out how to use your weapons. And then kill you with them.
Original post date, 06/22/2012
Reccing because: This is a true all-timer wincest AU fic. We’re mostly all familiar with the source material, but this work blends the universe of the Hunger Games with the characterization & destiny of the Winchester boys in a way that’s extremely satisfying. The author’s other works are recced more often, but this piece is more deserving of a place as One Of Those Reclist Fics.
Kevin Tran for President by glovered
Rating: T Word Count: 11,714 Summary: Dean comes back from Purgatory to find Sam working as a barista at a coffee shop near Princeton, watching over Kevin Tran.
Original post date, 10/04/2012
Reccing because: Sometimes you just need a post-Purgatory fic that isn’t brutal. This story’s a light-hearted trip-along froth like most of glovered’s work, but there’s something in specific about this unfraught coming-together that makes it incredibly readable. Dean and Sam aren’t entirely on the same page but the relief of reunion makes everything else fade a little into the distance, and the charming little job they find themselves on here gives enough of an excuse for them to figure some things out. Also probably the best Cas & Meg side characters in a fic, so there’s that too.
Clear and simple and plain by Trojie
Rating: E Word Count: 1,893 Summary: After Sam gives up the Trials, things start getting better.
Original post date, 10/26/2013
Reccing because: This is a post-Trials fic where things don’t go incredibly wrong, which is a nice AU to sit in for a while. What’s impressive about this story, written in the time it was, is that it manages to presage the ~s11 era marriage very well indeed, in tone and vibe and even some content. They’re in the bunker and things aren’t perfect, but they’re together, and that’s a kind of perfection of its own. It isn’t sugary but it’s the kind of adult complex sweetness that makes one feel better, anyway.
hello by allwellandgood (formerly askance)
Rating: T Word Count: 4,128 Summary: There's a woman at the grocery store named Evelyn who always rings him up on the days he ventures out for food and she knows him, or likes to think she does. I hope you're not too lonely, she'll say. He chooses not to tell her that his dead brother sleeps at his feet every night. He'd rather not be the cause of her inevitable heart attack.
Original post date, 08/11/2014
Reccing because: So Dean’s dead. Everyone dies at some point. This fic is a beautifully soft and tender and bitterly kind way to deal with that. You feel Sam’s loss deep in your chest but it’s okay, because this is the world of Supernatural and there are options, and the relief he gets pours over like cool water. Not enough, and it’s not fixed, but it’s not as much of a misery as it was.
The Time Traveler’s Brother by amypond45
Rating: R Word Count: 55,458 Summary: Dean's life is turned upside down the night his mother dies. But that's also the night a mysterious grown-up version of Dean's brother first appears in his life. While Dean grows up, "Old Sam" is often there, especially when Dean's father isn't, and as Dean learns what the future holds, he begins to question everything his father has taught him about who he is and what he is supposed to become. Can Dean find a way to save his little brother from his own future? This pre-series AU follows Dean from age four to eighteen.
Original post date, 02/26/2015
Reccing because: It’s rare to have an AU so thoroughly engage with what the alternate universe it constructs means for characterization and plot. This does something outstanding with the Sam and Dean (and Deans) created by the conceit, but also uses that conceit to do something entirely new with the canon plot that just flips me over every time I remember it. There are some fantastic character insights here, both complimentary and not, but I’ll never be over the specific scene of young!Dean looking up at older!Dean and being disappointed. That’s him, that’s our little angst machine.
The King of Imperfections Takes Back the Prince of Mistakes: a fairy tale by britomart_is
Rating: E Word Count: 4,822 Summary: And they lived happily ever after.
Original post date, 06/06/2016
Reccing because: The summary is pretty much the summary and that’s such a relief, sometimes. They’re awful and stupid and they’re in love and love isn’t enough except it is, and they’re so friggin’ MARRIED in the most wonderful and dorky way. They have good-bad sex and they have idiot arguments and they’ve made it. Back in 2016 this seemed like the best possible option. Reading this story feels like reading 4800 words of relief.
Raw Food Diet by themegalosaurus
Rating: E Word Count: 2,959 Summary: Sam has one more meeting today. This one isn’t in his diary; not the public calendar everyone at the firm can access, nor the private one on his cell.
Original post date, 02/14/2019
Reccing because: If you were looking for depressing and almost revolting Lebanon AU, you’re in luck. This is serial killer!Dean at his worst and Sam Jobs at his (still slightly martyred) almost-worst and it’s the frankly gross and logical conclusion to: what would it mean, if those two horrible shitheads were still together, somehow or some way? It’s always almost a relief when fic manages to do a not-happy ending and this definitely does that. Refreshing, in its way, though you might want a shower after.
Ions in the Ether by nigeltde
Rating: E Word Count: 10,860 Summary: When was the last time you trusted happy.
Original post date, 03/12/2019
Reccing because: For any s2 obsessives as our author here is, this is a deep and alarming and inside-out dive into the obsession with a brother and with monstrousness and with what’s true and what’s not and also can you tell the difference, after all. A murky swirl through a shithole town, this fic picks and pries at wincest-as-concept in a way that’s somewhat achy and alarming and is overall delightful, if you’re willing to take the time to think about it. Plus Sam’s hot, which is of course a bonus.
there will be better days by deadlybride
Rating: E Word Count: 9,430 Summary: Sam and Dean settle into their heaven.
Original post date, 11/24/2020
Reccing because: I’m crass. But also I can’t think of another fic that feels as much like heaven as this one and I wanted heaven on the list.
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trans-rite · 5 months
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How to join the Transgender Ancestor Rite: an FAQ on our updated format
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What is it?
an annual, non-denominational ritual honoring transgender individuals who have passed on
an act of solidarity with the lineage of transgender ancestors who have come before us and paved the way, as well as with the descendants who will come after us when we are gone
a chance to share tenderness and kindness with the restless spirits of transgender people who lost their lives to violence
an opportunity for living transgender folks, including those who have lost trans loved ones, to grieve, mourn, and pray
a labor of love from a multiracial group of trans spirit workers, each at various stages of study in ancestor veneration practices, who have been putting on this ritual since 2014
When is it?
the ritual should take place on or around the Trans Day of Remembrance on November 20th, preferably within a week
most of us do it at night but any time of day is fine
if you need to do it a little before or after the 20th, don't sweat it
Where is it?
wherever you are!
groups are welcome to host local events and inform us about them, but the ritual itself takes place in a location of your own choosing, usually at home
if you have access to a local TDOR event that could incorporate some or all of this ritual, you are welcome to bring it there
most of the organizers have historically been located in the northeastern US but you don’t have to be
Who is it for?
it honors everyone from this year’s Trans Day of Remembrance official list, as well as any other deaths of trans individuals from the year that participants wish to include
illness losses, violent deaths, suicides, and natural deaths are all eligible for inclusion
it includes, cumulatively, all transgender deaths from previous years as well, named on the TDOR lists and unnamed, throughout history
it honors and praises the trans ancestors, people who were alive both recently and longer ago, who feel themselves in connection with us, who have received the care and honor we offered through previous years’ rituals, who are bright and well and who can tend the line from the other side
participants can be trans or cisgender, of any or no denomination or faith
Does it cost money?
nope! this is an anticapitalist affair
you can buy incense and offerings if you like, but you don’t need to spend money to participate
Why are y’all doing this?
honestly this could take pages and pages about the importance of this work and of soothing the troubled dead and tending our ancestral line et cetera et cetera ad infinitum but the short version is
we gotta
our ancestors require it and we’re making sure they get it
Okay, how does it work?
during the ritual, you sit or stand at an altar, light a candle, put out a glass of fresh water, and read a prayer
you may also make any other offerings you feel called to do
if so moved, you read the names of the dead from this year's TDOR list and call on our bright and well ancestors to tend to these newly passed souls
all the people participating in all the different places in the world help create a rising raft of energy that is greater than the sum of its parts, delivering the restless dead among our line into the care of our bright and well ancestors, who, in turn, also care for us, the living
Prayers? I thought you said this was non-denominational.
prayers can involve divinity, or they can be kind and soothing words to say to the dead
you can look through our prayers tag to get ideas and inspiration, but feel free to find poems on your own and/or write something yourself as well 
you are welcome to include deity or not, as you prefer
the organizers of this ritual incorporate gods and spirits in our practices but you by no means need to
on the flip side, if you want your gods involved, feel free to do so in whatever respectful manner works for you
What do I need on my altar?
the basics are an altar cloth (white is traditional; a bandana works), a cup to be filled with water, and a new or dedicated candle (white is traditional here also but follow your instincts)
other great offerings include cut flowers, portions of your food and drink (though alcohol is not advised with restless spirits), tobacco, honey, pictures and/or names of the deceased, art, music, dancing, and any gender paraphernalia you think the ancestors might like
do not put pictures of living people on the altar
it can be as simple or ornate as you choose: the important parts are the candle, the cup, and the cloth
Isn’t it sketchy to be working with dead people?
a little bit
it is much less sketchy since our format change in 2022, at which point this ritual shifted from working directly with restless spirits (dicey) to interfacing with them only through our cadre of elevated bright and well ancestors who have already benefited from previous years' rituals
we advise that you cleanse or purify in whatever way you prefer, ideally before and after the working
if you’re in a Western (especially American Christian) culture that views death as The End and discussion of death as taboo, consider reading up on cultures where ancestor veneration is a normal part of everyday life (hint: it’s most of them)
Other questions? Send them in and we’ll answer them, and maybe add them to the list! If you post about the ritual, tag #troe2023 and we will check it out!
Thank you for joining us!
- Mod Alder and team
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hellenicrisis · 6 months
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Does Hellenism have a Holy Book? Or like a Bool with Rules,Customs,Offerings etc?? Kinda like a Bible :>
Hey there, sunshine! ☀️
Hellenic paganism doesn't have one single piece of holy scripture like Abrahamic religions do. Our texts are a little more scattered. We have the Homeric Hymns and the Orphic Hymns, each are a collection of hymns and prayers to the gods. There is also Hesiod's Theogony, an epic 1000+ line poem that details the genealogies of the gods, and also Hesiod's Works and Days, which is more on the subject of morality and farming, but includes good lessons on how to interact with the gods.
You can buy these online in the forms of physical books, but there should also be free pdf versions of them out there, as well as websites that have the entire collection of hymns written out.
As for a text that gives instructions regarding customs and offerings, there isn't one set, singular text that I know of. We learn from historical and archaeological research, from writings like those listed above, and from each other. There are modern books on Hellenic paganism and its practices written by scholars that you could look for. Some are expensive though, and if you do enough digging on the internet yourself, you should be able to come up with some information.
I could teach you a couple basics right now.
1. Be clean when praying
There is a line in Hesiod's Works and Days that reads, "Never pour a libation of sparkling wine to Zeus after dawn with unwashen hands, nor to others of the deathless gods."
This line refers to the custom of washing our hands before giving offerings or libations to the gods. There is a water we make, I think with burnt herbs in it, called khernips that is used to clean our hands. You don't have to use it though (I don't) and simply washing your hands normally works just as well. I believe it also symbolises being generally clean. Being ready for your day and in a good state when presenting yourself to the gods is important, I think.
2. How to pray
Here is a post I found about how to pray in Hellenic paganism. I found it very helpful and I've been pagan for years now, so I think it could help you. (Link)
Also a note, we have a version of "amen" that can be said at the end of prayers, if that sense of closing off makes prayer easier for you. I know it did for me. The word is "khaire", and as I understand it, it means "blessings" or "good wishes". You can say it to someone or to close a prayer.
EDIT: "Khaire" or "khairete" can be used. They both mean "hail" or "farewell" or "blessings". "Khaire" is to address one, and "khairete" is to address a group.
3. Ouranic and chthonic
Quick run down on ouranic and chthonic. Ouranic means celestial, and it is how we refer to gods who live on the surface and in Olympus. These include Zeus, Hera, Apollo, Aphrodite, etc. Chthonic means underground, and it is used to refer to gods who live in the Underworld. These are Hades, Persephone (half the year at least), and Thanatos.
In Ancient times, offerings to ouranic deities were either libations poured to them in a bowl or cup or the smoke of burning food. It is believed that the essence of the food would be carried up to the gods through the smoke. Looking at this in modern day, incense smoke is an excellent offering and we can leave food offerings and libations out on the altar along with a lit candle.
Offerings to chthonic deities usually went in the ground, so that it may be absorbed through the earth and reach the gods in the Underworld that way. Usually libations were poured out on the ground and food offerings buried in a dug hole. If you have a garden or pot plants and your offerings are safe for them then the practice can be replicated that way. I've also seen people use boxes on the altar, putting offerings inside and closing it, symbolising burying it.
Or you can simply treat chthonic deities the same as ouranic deities when giving offerings. Whatever works best for you, but this is what was done traditionally.
4. Read the myths
Read the myths of the gods you wish to worship. You learn a lot and can come to your own conclusions about your worship by learning about their stories and roles in society.
This may all seem like a lot now, and not having one singular piece of decisive scripture can be challenging if you're used to having one, but it does get easier. You'll settle and find your feet. Knowing these things will become second nature, and you will build your own practice based on them. No one's worship looks the same, especially with paganism, and that's as it should be.
Thank you so much for asking, sunshine! So sorry for the long response, but I figured I'd rather leave you with some starting points and things to investigate. Please feel free to send another ask or dm me in future if you have any more questions.
Khaire! ☀️
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fornasedensgudar · 11 months
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A while back ago I had a lil rant about the pagan/heathen/witch community and made this list with my friend about some problematic aspects about our craft/faith/practise or what ever you call it to help pepole who are new to it.
Idk if it any of worth or if anyone will bother to read all this but I hope its somehow helpfull for you new ones to this path.
(Pardon my 🇬🇧, im a 🇸🇪)
1. Not every polytheist does magic or has an intrest in it and thats ok.
2. Not every norse heathen knows runes or has to know every Rune and meanings to have a meaningfull relation to the gods and nature.
3. Not every raven is a sign of Odin, sometimes it just means you saw a raven and thats just as good if not better if you ask me.
4. Being able to quote havamal in old norse or know every myth and kenning of the gods is good. But does not mean you have a stronger spirital connection the land and the gods then those who dont know it all. It just means you are good at reading. And that in it self is something you should take pride in.
5. A good acorn and some dirt is just as good if not better than any long ritual with ancient chantings sourounded by a collection of crystals.
6. The pebble you find on a walk can shine just as fine on your altar, as the amethyst that was mined and payed for.
7. Your altar dont have to look Nice, it just need to feel Nice.
8. An offering dont have to be big to work. It just have to mean something.
9. Offering one loaf of bread you baked with your own two hands, is worth more than five loafs you payed somone to bake.
10. Just because a pebble dont have a story, does not mean it never had one. And just because a star has a story, does not mean its a good one.
11. If all nature is holy, that includes the parts you dont like or find nasty. Yes even ticks and spiders, mud and horrnets. No one said you had to like holy things.
12. Your body is a temple yes, but you and only you decides what rites and offerings are right the god within said temple.
13. You can still be a drunk horny ape and be spiritual.
14. No illustration of the gods is more corect or more true to their form.
But then there is no garantee everyone will see who its meant to be. And thats ok.
15. Doing spirtual junk and practise magic or healing does not make you more enlightened...
16. Just because you wrote a book about magic, healing and spiritual matters, does not make it a good book or you a good author.
17. Just because someone you look up to said it, does not make it more right. It just means they said it.
18. Making this list to remind the pagan/witch/heathen community to hummble them selfs does not make me better. Im also doing this to just remind myself. Im not better or wiser than any of you lot.
19. Dont ever expect to have your craft respected if you dont give that same respect back to others.
20. It does not matter how old or big your coven or group is. If it has toxic and harmfull parts that clearly hurt and or make pepole unhappy. Then its ok to criticize it. Age or size does not make it untuchble.
21. If a craft or faith says its all about nature but cant change its ways, then it has clearly missed a very important thing about how nature works.
22. Every rock is an altar and every forest is a temple.
23. For every horn of mead you offer to the gods, you should plant at least one seed.
24. If all in this world has a spirit and is alive, does not mean you cant take space and exist and live in it.
25. Its not about beliving. Its about to experience and to perceive. That if you ask me, is the core of animism and polytheism.
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lily-blue · 5 months
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Stupid but mine
☆ characters: hermes’ son!haechan & apollo’s daughter!you ☆ genre: percy jackson au, humour ☆ warnings: physical fight, mention of blood and injury ☆ request: FWS24. form this prompt list ☆ summary: Haechan is always ready to defend your honour, even if it means he needs to fight one of Ares’ annoying sons ☆ words: 1,6k ☆ dedicated to: @dat-town​​ ♥
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You had known Haechan since you had been ten; he had been the first person who had pissed you off when your mother had sent you to Camp Half-Blood to spare the rest of your family from possible monster attacks. You might not have been as smart as Athene’s children nor could you have read emotions as easily as the kids in the Aphrodite cabin, but from your first day at the demigod training facility on Long Island, it had been painfully obvious to you that it had never been about your safety. And that had turned you into an angry and rude teenager, who hadn’t known when to shut up or retreat. You would never regret punching the boy in the face for his comment on your emo eyeliner.
You had never regretted becoming his best friend, either, though the latter had taken a lot of time, convincing and a life or death situation that had turned the entire camp into a bloody battlefield two weeks before your sixteenth birthday. Gosh, the smug look on his face when you had ugly cried next to his not-so-unconscious body in the infirmary had burnt into your brain. You were pretty sure that, up to this day, he hadn’t forgotten about it, either.
Offering one of the strawberry cupcakes on your tray to the gods, you almost fell head first into the altar when a large body crashed against yours; you hated how you didn’t even have to turn towards the culprit to know who found joy in messing with you. When you had applied for the vacant camp instructor positions at the end of your last summer at Camp Half-Blood - which had already been three years ago - you hadn’t thought much about whom you would have needed to work together with in the future, and you cursed yourself for overlooking the possibility of numerous summers in Yuta’s company at least three times a week. The demigod was a pain in the ass, a man on a mission to raise your blood pressure for no goddamn reason. For Zeus’ sake. He was so annoying. Wasn’t it time for him to grow up?
‘Hey, asshole!’ Your best friend’s angry voice came from somewhere behind you, and you closed your eyes for a second to ground yourself. You knew… you just knew that all hell was about to break loose. Because as much as you appreciated him for always having your back, Lee Haechan hadn’t grown up yet, either, despite working as an instructor in a camp full of young kids and teenagers.
‘And here comes the self-proclaimed hero,’ Yuta mused, mockery thick in his voice, which only fueled Haechan’s frustration. Sliding your gaze from one to the other, you wondered whether you should have turned a blind eye on the upcoming disaster for once or stick around in case someone got hurt. You wished you could have walked away without feeling guilty. It would have made your life that much easier. ‘What do you want, Lee?’
‘Hm, dunno. An apology for a starter doesn’t sound so bad,’ Haechan retorted immediately after he inserted himself between the two of you. You could see people starting to pay more attention to your group. Though, there were many campers who took one pitiful look at the guys and decided they weren’t interested.
Their disinterest spoke volumes. These two had already caused more commotions this year than the previous one and September was still five weeks away. You let out a resigned sigh.
‘You know the two of you aren’t actually together?’ Yuta scoffed, the smirk in the corner of his mouth mocking as he was clearly trying to push Haechan’s buttons. ‘The Aphrodite girls were messing with your wine.’
The memories from last Sunday washed over you in way too vivid waves; the kiss you had shared with Haechan was something you had tried to ignore ever since you had woken up the next morning. You pressed your lips into a firm line to swallow back a careless comeback. You were afraid it might have caused more harm than good if you had admitted that you had enjoyed the soft touch of your best friend’s lips against your own.
‘I said apologise to her for pushing her into the altar on purpose,’ Haechan stood his ground, his appearance surprisingly level-headed, although for someone like you, who had known him over a decade, it was obvious that he was fuming inside. Unfortunately, Yuta had spent as many summers in Camp Half-Blood as the two of you if not more (you had never bothered to ask), so he saw right through Hermes’ son.
‘You’re not my boss. If anything, you should be the one following my orders,’ Yuta retorted, chuckling with a wide smile to rile the other demigod up.
You took it as a sign to stand between the two, blocking the older’s line of sight as much as you could with your petite body. Why did Haechan have to grow so tall? When you had been eleven, you had been almost a head taller than him.
‘Like hell I would,’ your best friend spat, putting his hand on your shoulder before he slowly, gently pushed you behind his back. ‘Don’t make me kick your ass in front of all these kids. Because that’s what’s gonna happen if you don’t apologise,’ Haechan claimed as he walked up to Yuta and poked his chest once, twice, three times.
‘My ass? Really? I will make you eat your words before you have the chance to pull your sword out of its sheath, baby boy,’ Yuta taunted and for the nth time since you had become a camp instructor, you wondered why you hadn’t quitted the moment you had realised Yuta and Haechan had also gotten the same position. Could you have been a masochist at heart?
Or an idiot, maybe. You should have dressed in a clown costume for Justin’s infamous party this Halloween.
‘It’s so on,’ Haechan exclaimed and the two were out the Dining Pavilion before you could have taken your first bite from your strawberry cupcake or said as much as:
‘That’s a very stupid idea.’
Not because you didn’t believe in your best friend - Haechan was surprisingly good with swords -, but because how else would you have described a deliberate one-on-one duel with one of Ares’ most ruthless sons. Haechan must have lost his mind to not see how idiotic of an idea it was. You swore he was the reason you were losing so much hair these days because of the constant stress he was putting you through.
Abandoning your lunch, you did grab two pieces of cupcakes before you ran after the idiots, which meant you made it in time to hear Haechan brag about his speed and those muscles he had indeed put on in the past years. Hell, he was so confident, for a second you believed he would defy all odds and teach Yuta a lesson.
Instead, he found himself on the ground in less than forty seconds; your heart skipped a beat and you forgot to breathe when the sword fell out of his hand. He looked so miserable. 
‘Yuta, that’s enough,’ you stood between the point of his sword and Haechan’s ass, flinching at the stinging feeling of the blade scratching your cheek. The cut was small enough to not faze your audience, but deep enough to draw blood, which was seriously annoying as you knew it would leave a scar. Your skin was too sensitive not to; you still had acne scars on your chin from months ago that hadn’t gone away.
Your staring contest with Yuta ended with the boy’s arm falling back by his side and a quiet apology that sounded more like a mockery than an actual display of worry and regret. It was fine with you, though. You hadn’t needed his apology to begin with.
You didn’t wait for the crowd to disperse; in spite of how common these disputes were in the camp, there were always a couple of spectators who lingered. You would have been careless to waste even just a couple of seconds on them when Haechan’s heavy breathing got more and more uneven. You had to act fast.
So you turned around and crouched down next to his body. The soothing balm you had made of herbs that grew in the forest surrounding the camp was in your hand in a blink of an eye. Being the daughter of the Greek god of healing (and poetry, music, knowledge and a dozen of random things people would have bragged about on their CVs these days) sure had its perks. After all, your talent with medicine might have been inherited. 
‘Next th… next time he will think th… twice before he’s rh… rude to you,’ your stupid best friend forced through his teeth, his smile pained but genuine, which made you feel conflicted and bothered. Hadn’t he realised yet that he had more than probably fractured his ribs? You didn’t have to take off his uniform to know the bruises on his chest were nasty. Yuta had made sure to make confetti out of his ugly, orange tee.
‘Sure he will,’ you mocked, sarcasm dripping from your retort, so that Haechan could feel your disapproval even if he missed your eye roll.
And no, you did NOT blush like a schoolgirl just because he had said that. Just because defending your honour was clearly more important to him than his own well-being. It wasn’t romantic. No, it was idiotic. He was an idiot.
But god, he was your idiot. And you loved him more than you let him in on.
the end.
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pearwaldorf · 11 months
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what... should we do about this?! should we just set Ao3 down, find a way to choke down such fucking feelings that we should have been used to by now, and go use squidgeworld or somethin until it too goes down that route or whatever? there isn't any hope, is there? how do we cope with this?!
I mean this in the most loving way possible and I'm not picking on you specifically, to be clear. The easiest way to make something hopeless or inevitable is to treat it as a foregone conclusion.
There is a Jewish precept called tikkun olam. Roughly translated it means "world repair", which modern Jews have taken to mean an obligation to practice tzedakah (justice/righteousness) and participate in efforts to make the world better. I'm not Jewish, but it is a thing I strongly believe in.
Nowhere in these teachings is stuff about whether or not it will change things. Of course it is a hope you will, but none of that is guaranteed. There are things you do not because you think you will succeed, but because it is the right thing.
You're not wrong that trying to hold the OTW Board accountable is difficult. It is indeed hard to get it through people's heads that this organization that has done so much for fandom is also deeply dysfunctional in a way that is probably not reformable, especially in a climate where people are prone to "everything has to be entirely good/bad" and other such black and white thinking.
If we see something is wrong and we don't speak out, what does that say to azarias and other OTW volunteers? That their abuse and traumatization is an acceptable price to pay for keeping AO3/OTW running? That we are willing to sacrifice our fellow fans' humanity on the altar of the non-profit industrialization complex? (And make no mistake, a non-profit is capable of just as much abuse as any money-making business.)
I don't have a next steps Powerpoint or anything, but I think a reasonable action to take is to contact OTW and express your displeasure at how things have been handled. (I think Communications is probably the most appropriate dropdown, but if anybody has a better suggestion please let me know.)
Be polite, and list your affiliations with AO3/OTW if you have any (member/former member/donor, AO3 user, volunteer/former volunteer, etc). Make clear (if) you are part of the community this organization claims to represent.
Demand the resignation of the Legal Committee and the Board of Directors. Insist upon the creation of a new policy to protect volunteers from this sort of abuse and endangerment and a timeline for when it will be developed and implemented.
I don't know what kind of response you'll get, but I would not be surprised if it's extremely generic.
I anticipate there will be more opportunities to make your opinion known in the future. This is an issue that should not be swept aside.
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ohtobeleah · 6 months
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My Future & Past // Javy Machado
Summary: You left Javy at the altar three years ago. In that time he put him back together again and moved on. But what happens when you show up in North Island looking to apologise for your actions.
Warnings: Mentions of ovarian cancer. Left at the altar. Relationship breakdown. Javy Machado x F!reader. Platonic Jake Seresin x F!reader.
Word Count: 2.6k
Author Note: Day Seventeen of Whumptober. Prompt I chose: “You look at little pale”. Thank you to @ailesswhumptober for the prompt list.
Whumptober Masterlist | Main Masterlist
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Jake Seresin had known Javy Machado for the better half of his life. Hell, he knew the man before the pair of them became Hangman and Coyote, that’s how long the pair had known each other. 
So to say when your name and number appeared on Jake's phone like he’d been sucked right back into the past, you just had to know bile rose in the back of his throat and beads of sweat appeared across his forehead. 
“Hey, I know it’s been a while but I really need to talk to you. Is now a good time?” 
Jake looked up from where he was sitting, perched up near the pool table where he could more often than not be found. His heart sank into his chest when his eyes landed on his best friend with his beautiful growing family. His wife of eight months Laura and his three month old daughter Millie. Javy Machado had very much moved on. He’d rebuilt everything you broke when you left him at the altar. And Jake wasn’t sure if he should give you the option to possibly ruin that:
Because deep down Jake Seresin knew if you walked back into Javy Machados life? He’d leave everything behind for you. 
“If you give me ten minutes I’ll call you.” Jake replied. He was going to leave it at that, but broke his golden rule and doubled texted. 
“I’m not gonna stop you from seeing him, but I need you to know that he’s happy now. Jav’s got a wife and kid now.”
Jake pocketed his phone just after he saw the three little bubbles that indicated you were typing back. He hated the way his chest felt so tight. Knowing that you wanted to talk after so long really had Jake's head spinning—he’d once considered you a sister. But then you left his best friend at the altar without any reason or explanation for your actions. 
“I’m gonna head out for the night.” Jake mentioned as he intruded on the new family that were enjoying a little night out. “I’ll see you Monday man.” 
“Yeah, seeya later man, I'll catch up with you.” Javy and Jake both said their goodbyes with parts on the backs and respective handshakes before Jake leaned in to kiss Laura on the cheek. She was as kind as they came. 
“You look really good mama.” Jake cooed as he said his goodbyes to his best friend's wife. “And little Miss Millicent here is just the most precious thing.” She was sleeping in Laura’s arms. Completely milk drunk and dreaming of whatever babies dream about when they’re that old. “Text me when you’re home safe.” 
“Will do Jake, will do.” He was the single cocksure uncle, but Jake was a part of the Machado family. He always had been. He had a place at the dinner table, clothes in the spare room and a half finished decking project in the Machados back yard. He was every bit a part of the family. “Drive safe, text when you get home too.” 
“Always—“ 
Jake made his way out to his truck, the second his door was shut behind him he was pressing on the contact he never had enough courage to delete. Yours. Had it really been three years? 
“I can explain everything.” Jake could tell you were crying. “Jake you have to just listen to me okay.” He hadn’t heard your voice in three entire years. “Please give me a chance to explain—“
“Y/n you left my best friend at the fucking altar what could you possibly say that could explain that?”
Jake sighed as he ran his free hand through his blonde locks. The Hard Deck looked simply beautiful tonight, with festoon lights illuminated the entire scene. “There’s nothing you could say that could make that okay, he loved you, I loved you, and you just—“ That’s when Jake's heart sank, that’s when you interrupted and finally told Jake Seresin what made you leave Javy, the absolute love of your life, at the altar the day you were supposed to marry him, you best friend. 
“Jake, I have ovarian cancer.” You told him in a rush. The silence that fell between the phone call had you wanting to throw up. “I found out the morning of.” You explained, it still felt all too much to handle—but you’d been doing this all on your own ever since you ran out. “My doctor rang, it was urgent and she told me point blank it wasn’t good—I panicked, I couldn’t do that to Javy.” 
“He would have loved you regardless—“ Jake felt awful, he really did. He couldn’t begin to imagine what you had gone through. But he had seen what you leaving had done to Javy and that was enough to have his guard up. That pain alone was enough to keep his wits about himself. Jake liked you, he always had—he saw the good in everything you did for everyone around you. So when you left his best friend heartbroken he knew it was so far out of your character that something had to have been wrong. And turns out there was—you just never told them. You never told anyone, you had simply just disappeared into thin air. 
“Not when my prognosis was six months.” 
***~***~***~***~***~***~***
It felt weird being in North Island, like you were intruding on your ex’s life. You owed him an explanation though, even if it was coming out of nowhere. With the prognosis changing and your life expectancy unexpectedly growing with the treatment and your body's response to therapy, you felt a burning need to apologies to the man who was still and always would be the love of your life. 
“She's just the cutest little thing.” Bob cooed as Laura held her sleeping newborn in the shade of the beach umbrella that had been set up for the two of them for the day. “She's getting so big.” 
“I know–” Laura cooed down at her little girl. “She makes time go a little faster, that's for sure. I wish I could just slow it down, stop her from growing up.” You could see the group from the decking of the Hard Deck. A game of Dogfight football was well underway and of course, Javy was running around without a shirt, looking all kinds of god-like. 
You really missed him, hell he didn't deserve what you did to him. He didn't deserve to believe he wasnt enough for you when in reality he was everything and then some. 
“I thought I told you to wait?” Jake sighed as he came up beside you, a beer in hand as per usual. “Y/n– now isn't the time.” 
“Is that his wife?” You didn't bother acknowledging Jake's statement and simply pressed on with your own as Javy caught the sight of Jake, his best friend, up on the deck with someone he didn't recognise at first. But soon enough he was stopping in his tracks. “She's really pretty.” 
“She's good people.” Jake replied sternly. “And she doesn't deserve the scene that will play out if Javy sees you here, you should probably just go home and ill tell Javy to come over for Beers a little later tonight and the two of you can talk then.” But it was already too late for that, Javy had spotted you and you had spotted him. You sent him a small, nonthreatening wave and soft smile but all he did was remain still–hoping that if he stayed still enough, you wouldn't see him. 
“You alright Coyote?” Rooster asked as he handed him the ball. “You look a little pale?” 
You couldn't be here. It surely had to be the heat playing tricks on him, like you were some sort of mirage that his mind had made up. You weren't here, you couldn't be, you left and he hadn’t heard from you since. It was an impossible idea his mind had surely made up under the influence of the sun's rays. 
“Who's Jake with?” Javy thought if Rooster knew, maybe the idea of you would fade away into the back of his mind. He’d locked any and all memories of you in the back of his mind, forever to be kept in the dark, you had broken his heart and he swore he’d never recover. But he had, he had a beautiful wife and a beautiful little girl to show for it. He was happy. 
“I dunno but she's kinda hot.” Rooster chuckled, not knowing anything about you or who you were. “Dunno man, probably just a badge bunny in town.” Javy Machado had looked death straight in the eye, he had free fallen from heights you wouldn't believe. He had been on suicide missons and come back from the brink of death–but none of that compared to the fear he felt in his heart when he put one foot in front of the other. Taking heavy stride up the beach with his mind racing of the day you left him behind. 
The silence had been so deafening the moment he relised you weren't coming down that aisle. And as he made his way up towards the Hard Deck, the look Jake gave him was something very similar to the look he had given him when he was tasked with telling his best friend you were gone without a trace. He felt the heaviness before he made it to the steps, nothing could compare to this feeling. 
No mission could make Javy Machado as fearful and as angry as he was right now, looking you right in the eyes, the eyes he once thought he’d spend the rest of his life looking into, seeing a future in. 
“Hey Ja–”
“What the fuck?” It was the first thing his brain could conjure up. “What are you doing here?” You could feel your heart beating ridiculously fast inside your chest. Your lungs felt like they were on fire, ignited by a burning desire to leap forward and kiss the man you loved so dearly. 
“I uh–” You had to clear your throat as you looked at Jake who just stepped back, he didn't want to be a part of this any more than he already was. He had given you a place to stay, he’d listened to what you had to say and even he was still on the fence about it all. But he sympathised. He wasn't sure what he would have done if it was him in your shoes. But this wasn't his fight, this wasn't his heartbreak, this was between you and Javy. “I needed to see you, just to talk, I owe you an apology–” 
“You left me on our wedding day!” Javy hissed as he stepped up the three wooden stairs that led up to where you stood. “What could possibly explain that besides the fact you didn't love me enough to want to marry me!” 
Laura could hear her husband from afar. She knew about you. Javy had been very open and honest about who you were to him and what you did. She had helped rebuild the man you broke and the idea you were here, made her blood boil. But she wasn't about to intervene–she trusted her husband more than she trusted herself. 
“Can we go somewhere and talk?” You could feel all eyes on you as you looked past Javy and saw what you could only assume was his entire team and family looking up at the deck. “A little more private?” 
“No.” Javy growled. “NO you came here to talk so lets fucking talk Y/n, you left me! You just walked away like I didn't matter, like we didn’t share a life, like I didn't love you with everything I had and I wanna know the goddamn reason!” 
“It's complicated.” You could feel the tears welling in your eyes but you knew you had to be honest. You had come all this way. “I had some health complications.” 
“Health complications that you couldn’t tell your almost husband about?” Javy scoffed at the thought. “Come on Y/n give it a break, we were together for five years!” You didn't need to be reminded of how much time you spent with Javy. You knew. “I loved you!” 
“I WAS DYING!” You just came out and said it, it was better to rip the band-aid off right? Get it out in the open. “I have Ovarian cancer Javy, I found out the morning of our wedding and I panicked, I freaked the fuck out and ran! I'm not proud of what I did and I never meant to hurt you! But I was told I was dying and I couldn't do that to you!” The world Javy had created in his mind began to crumble around him. He thought maybe you'd gotten cold feet because you didn't love him enough to marry him, he thought perhaps you'd run off with some guy you met, hell he even decided one night after a few too many drinks that you were dead–now he wished he never thought that. 
“And what?” Javy hissed through a frown so prominent it cut straight through your heart. “You thought that I wouldn't? Love you?” He asked condescendingly as rage ran rampant in his heart. 
“I didn't want to be a bourbon!” Your tears fell freely. “I didn't want you to watch me die, it wasn't fair to do that to you.” Jake watched on from a distance as your heart shattered into a million pieces on the decking boards. Javy was fuming, he loved you so much once, hell he’d never truly stopped. “I didn’t want to force you into becoming a caretaker, you deserved better than that and I didn’t want to make you suffer in our marriage.”
“I can’t believe you thought I wouldn’t be there for you–” Javy turned his back on you so that you wouldn't see him cry. He didn't want you to know that you could still have him dropping to his knees and mostly importantly, he didn't want you to ever know that he would give up the family he made in a heartbeat if it meant that he could be with you. 
“I didn’t want you to shackle yourself to a dying woman!” It was the god honest truth of the matter, you didn't want Javy to marry you just to end up losing you. That in your mind was worse than the cruel fate you'd been dealt. 
“I LOVED YOU. It was supposed to be for better or worse, in sickness and health, until we died!! I would have been there for you, WITH you, every single day. And I would have loved you until the very end! Hoping and praying that you would get better! But YOU took that choice away from me!” 
“I”M SORRY!!! I was just trying to do the right thing! I was trying to protect you!” 
“Yeah, well look at how that turned out.” Javy had nothing left to give you, he had no fight left inside him. “I'm done here.” He hissed. “You wanted to die alone, then die alone Y/n, I didn't need this, this apology that only benefited you and your narrative.” Jake had to agree, Javy truly didn't need it. “You broke me, and that woman down there and my beautiful daughter and these people, they put me back together after you broke me, and I won't let you near me ever again so that you can do it again.” 
You watched on broken hearted as Javy gathered his family and left. He looked your way just one more time before he truly left the woman he used to love and if he was being completely honest with himself, still does, crying on the deck. 
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~
[Author Note] I concepted this idea with @callsignspark & we both agree the wife ends up at Jakes doorstep to confront the reader and tells you to leave. Only for Javy to show up three hours later after you’ve gone willing to throw his whole marriage away to love you again.
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~
Whumptober Tags 🏷️ @xoxabs88xox @oldermenaremyreligion @slut-f0r-u u @emma-is-cool @armydrcamers @topguncortez @topgun-imagines @kmc1989 @els-marvelvsp @blindedbythelightt
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bellaxgiornata · 5 months
Text
Who wants a Covid special of my internal dialogues with the boys? I've missed writing them so I needed to give them a little love this morning. I'm also attempting to get that part of my brain working again to prove I haven't entirely lost my writing ability this week because that would be tragic. As always, it's below the cut.
Matt: Put orange juice on the list.
Mikey, raising a brow questioningly at Matt: She has almost two bottles in the fridge already...d'ya really think she needs a third?
Matt: Yes. Put it on the list. And more Tylenol.
Frank, leaning on the kitchen counter: Think she's been cravin' spaghetti so I'm gonna make some.
Matt: Pretty sure her family is dropping off a Thanksgiving meal tonight. She doesn't need you to cook, Frank.
Frank: Fine, then I'll make it for her tomorrow night, altar boy. Point still stands, I'm making her some damn spaghetti soon. With garlic bread, too, because that's the only way her son will eat it.
Mikey: That’s a good idea actually, she hasn't been wantin' to eat lately. Maybe we should make her more things she's been cravin' to get some food in her.
Frank: And maybe we should put somethin' in her diffuser to make her finally go to sleep.
Bella, on the couch: I can hear you three from over here, you know.
Frank, calling across the room: Good, go to sleep. Stop thinkin' about that damn Christmas story you have half written for Red here.
Mikey: He's right, ya need your rest, pet. Ya were awake in bed last night for two hours just thinkin' 'bout that story.
Bella, sheepishly: ...I blame Covid. But I was also thinking about your Christmas fic, too, Mikey.
Mikey: Ya need to rest, love. Worry 'bout the stories later.
Bella, pouting: But I miss you all.
Matt, making his way to the couch and sitting down: We haven't gone anywhere, sweetheart. We're all still here, just waiting for you to get better.
Bella, muttering: Fine, but I still miss you all.
Matt: Is there anything else you want at the store? Mangoes?
Frank: I doubt you're gonna find some good mangoes this far north at this time of the year, Red.
Matt, glaring over his shoulder at Frank: Watch. Me.
Mikey, annoyed: Alrigh', enough bickerin' the both o' ya. Is there anythin' else ya want from the store, pet?
Bella, sitting up: Yes.
Matt, leaning closer: What do you want, sweetheart?
Bella, grabbing Matt by the collar and pulling him closer: For the love of God, please bring me back some vanilla moose track ice cream. I beg of you. I can't stop thinking about it.
Matt: That--that might be a bit cold for your sore throat right now.
Bella: It's incentive for me to get better, Matty.
Frank, calling across the room: It's on the list, darlin'. Don't you worry. Now you cuddle with your cat and get some rest, we'll take care of the groceries.
Matt: I'll send Mittens over to cuddle, too. He misses you.
Bella, wide-eyed: You're going to let me cuddle with Mittens?
Matt, grinning: Whatever gets you to go to sleep. Go rest already, he's on his way over. Then when we get back you can drink more orange juice.
Mikey, muttering: Always with the damn orange juice.
Matt, annoyed: Because it helps!
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Text
Left at the Altar - Hangman (Epilogue)
Pairing: Hangman / Wife!Reader
Word Count: 1.7k
Warnings: Pregnancy and Kids; Suggestive Content; References to Sex; Second Person POV ("You"), Fem!Reader, No Y/N, No Defined Description of Physical Appearances of Reader; OC Baby is Referred to as Looking like “You”
This work, all of my other works, and my entire blog are 18+ Only.
MINORS DO NOT INTERACT
Summary: About three and a half years after you visit Jake in San Diego, you take in the reality of this new stage of your life.
Links: Master List Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
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You should have known that you would not be the most important girl in Jake Seresin’s life forever.
Despite the fact that you moved all the way to California for him only three months after he surprised you on your wedding day, married him three months after that, and the two of you just celebrated your three-year wedding anniversary, you were not the most important girl in Jake Seresin’s life.
Not anymore. No, you lost that position about a year and a half ago.
It didn’t matter that the other girl was somewhat bald, constantly crying and napping, unable to feed herself, and drooled constantly; she was undoubtedly the most important girl in Jake’s life. But she was also the most important girl in your life, so you couldn’t be mad at him for that.
The second that Jake saw your daughter he was absolutely enamored with her. And the second that he held her in his arms for the first time, the deal was sealed. Little Rose, or Rosie, Seresin was the most important girl in Jake Seresin’s life.
Rosie just seemed to bring out the best in him by simply being born and existing as she did. He was softer and more understanding with people, especially the personnel under his command. He was more relaxed and smiled a lot more than before. Frankly, he just became more like the Jake you always knew instead of the Hangman persona.
And Jake credited you and your daughter for his promotion because of those changes.
“Dada,” Rosie called, making grabby motions with her hands when Jake walked across the stage.
“Yes, that’s Dada, sweetheart,” you agreed, pressing a kiss to her head. “He’ll be here soon, but you have to stay quiet right now, okay?”
You leaned over and pulled out your daughter’s favorite stuffed animal from your bag to settle her for a little longer. She was so attached to the toy that you literally wrote it on any packing list that you ever made these days. And what stuffed animal was your daughter’s favorite?
A phoenix. Well, it said ‘fire bird’ on the label, but it was a phoenix. It was given to you at your baby shower by Human Phoenix, who became very smug about the fact. Especially when Jake couldn’t soothe your daughter to stop crying but her stuffed phoenix toy did in a second.
He pouted about it for at least five hours before you told him to get over it. The alternative was your daughter crying and while your husband hated losing, especially to Phoenix, he hated his daughter being upset even more. So, he got over it. Phoenix still liked to poke him about it once in a while though.
You handed your daughter her toy and brushed her hair down to soothe her so that you could listen in on the ceremony. When Jake was officially announced as Commander Jacob “Hangman” Seresin, you clapped proudly along with the rest of the crowd.
After the ceremony wrapped up, you slowly stood up and set your daughter on the ground. She happily took off as soon as she spotted her dad walking over. Letting out a squeal that caught quite a few amused looks from the other attendees, Rosie hurried towards Jake. He happily leaned down and scooped her up into his arms.
“Hey, Princess,” Jake greeted her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Placing her on his hip, he fixed the bow in her hair and smiled proudly. “Were you a good girl for Mommy?”
“Yeah,” she stated, grabbing at the bill of his dress white cap.
Jake pulled his hat off and placed it on top og Rosie’s head. It was far too big for her little head, but the giggle that she let out as she tried to see under it was absolutely adorable. You shook your head as Jake purposefully kept covering her eyes with it.
“Really setting a high standard there, Commander,” you teased, causing Jake to turn to you.
“I try, Wife.”
Jake wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you in for a quick peck. You knew that it was just a preamble to the celebrations that you would enjoy later in the safety of your own home, but Jake had to at least try and look like an upstanding commanding officer right now.
“How’s the wizzo doing?” Jake asked, spreading his fingers along your growing bump.
When you brought up the subject of having a second baby, you couldn’t even finish your little speech before Jake just simply started stripping in the middle of the living room. And the man took the job of knocking you up very seriously.
So, here you were: just a few weeks into your second trimester with your second baby.
Jake started referring to your baby as ‘the wizzo’ even though your baby wasn’t quite a backseater. And sometimes the nickname was ‘the BOB’ instead. Either way, there was no shortage of aviation-related jokes in your household.
“They’re fine,” you replied with a small smile. “But they’re not that big yet, so there’s still plenty of time for the Seresin genes to kick in.”
“You say that like Rosie isn’t your mini me,” Jake quipped, gently pulling his hat off of Rosie’s head. He placed it back on top of his own head and pressed another kiss to her cheek. “I mean, look at her. She’s all you. So beautiful.”
And well, Jake wasn’t exaggerating too much. Rosie did look a lot like you did when you were a baby. Your mom provided the evidence by sending you a bunch of old photos. There were a few bits of Jake here and there in Rosie, but the biggest evidence of her Seresin heritage was her attitude. She was a sassy little girl who was not afraid to say what was on her mind.
Jake thought that it was hilarious. You were just waiting until she got a little older.
“Is that how you got this promotion so quickly?” you cooed, cupping your husband’s cheek. “Because you’re such a good kiss up.”
“One of my many talents,” he replied with a wink, pressing a kiss to your palm. “I’d be happy to show you some of my other talents later, Mrs. Seresin.”
“You already knocked me up, Jake.”
“No harm in practicing,” he responded, smirking proudly.
The two of you moved on to greet and chat with all the different people at the ceremony. Rosie was never detached from her dad’s hip and you were rarely further than an arm’s length away from him either. It was like Jake assumed that everyone was here to celebrate how successful he was in his personal life and not his professional one.
But your daughter was only going to happily sit on her dad’s hip for so long.
It always started subtly. She would wiggle more and let out an occasional whine. Then she would get grabby if she wasn’t given attention. Rosie grabbed at Jake’s uniform, his medals, and his hat again. And when Jake patiently pulled her hand away every time, she got more frustrated. Grabbing at his ear and his nose, Rose whined again. Louder this time.
“What’s the matter, Princess?” Jake asked softly, grabbing her hand.
Rosie pouted, tired and cranky, and flopped against her dad dramatically. Burying her face into his shoulder, she whined again and curled up against him. All it took was a quick check of his watch to know that it was past Rosie’s usual nap time.
“It’s alright, sweetheart, I’ll get you home. Just give me a moment, okay?”
Jake rubbed Rose’s back and pressed a kiss to her hair before turning to the other officers that he had been talking with since the ceremony finished up.
“I’m sorry, but I have to go,” Jake apologized, trying to rock Rose a bit.
“We’ve all been there,” an older officer informed Jake with a knowing smile. “Take care.”
Excusing himself from his conversation, Jake walked a few steps over to where you were talking with a few other civilians. Gently calling your name, Jake leaned towards you to speak softly.
“I think that Rosie’s ready to go,” he stated, rubbing your daughter’s back to try and soothe her some more.
You quickly agreed and the two of you said your polite goodbyes before making your way to the car. Jake put Rosie into her car seat and placed her phoenix plushie in her lap to soothe her. Then he walked around to double check on you as you climbed into the passenger seat.
“Jake,” you sighed as he reached around to do your seat belt for you, “I would have gotten it.”
“You’re carrying precious cargo,” Jake insisted, clipping your seatbelt in place.
You gave him a kiss in thanks before he walked around and got into the driver’s seat. The drive back to your home was enough to settle Rosie to sleep, which you were very thankful for.
Jake carried her inside and put her down for her nap before heading into your bedroom. You stood in front of your mirror, wiping the makeup that you put on away.
“She stayed asleep?” you asked, glancing over at your husband.
“She’s asleep,” Jake echoed, placing the baby monitor down on the dresser. He placed his dress hat down as well before walking over to you. “Let me help you out of that.”
You shook your head with amusement as Jake started to undo your dress for you. But despite your show of pretend annoyance, you still helped Jake out with the process. Pulling your arms out of your dress and stepping out of it when it pooled on the ground, you pressed a kiss to your husband’s lips. Jake went and hung up your dress while you fixed your hair. But it wasn’t long before Jake returned and moved to unhook your bra.
“You haven’t even taken your coat off yet,” you huffed, even if you complied.
“You like it when I’m wearing my dress whites,” Jake reminded you, tossing your bra away.
He leaned over and pressed a series of kisses to your neck that quickly muddled your brain. It didn’t help that your pregnancy brain always seemed to short-circuit whenever your husband touched you. And, well, Jake was well-versed in how to get you riled up as evidenced by how confidently his hands moved to those particular spots.
“May I remind you of the night that we spent in that honeymoon suite in Texas?” he mused, nipping at the sensitive skin behind your ear
“Yes,” you breathed out, as Jake’s fingers slipped underneath the band of your underwear.
“You’re a little overdressed for a repeat of that night, Mrs. Seresin. Don’t you think?”
You lightly smacked your husband on the arm for that remark, earning a deep chuckle from your husband.
“You’re annoying, you know that?” you sighed, turning your head to lock eyes with him.
“You love me, Mrs. Seresin,” Jake insisted confidently. He pressed another soft kiss to your lips before smiling proudly. “I know you do.”
“Yeah, I guess I do,” you replied with a genuine smile. “Commander Ser—”
You didn’t even get to finish your sentence before Jake’s lips were back on yours. And that was a good thing because you probably would have risked waking your daughter up with the sound that you made when Jake’s fingers started moving just right.
Well, at least you were already pregnant.
A.N. Thank you to everyone who read this little series! I'm glad that you guys enjoyed it so much!
Master List Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Tag List (First 50 since there's a limit):
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theminecraftbee · 4 months
Note
OMG i got a better pc recently and i JUST realized i can play vault hunters now!!! :000 any advice for absolute newbies? (kinda scared of it)
YAY! you’ll enjoy it I have trouble playing normal minecraft now that I know there’s a Minecraft I can be playing that has Goals and Objectives and also Storage Systems.
and then yes I absolutely have newbie advice! don’t take any of this as gospel I’m hardly a top player these are just things I find handy:
make sure you’ve allocated at least 8 GB to the game before playing to save yourself some headache. 6 GB can work if you’re pushing it, but not much less.
vault hunters discord can be a useful place to join to find various advice and also things like community documents on everything in the game as you need.
you don’t need better armor than iron; since all vanilla armor was nerfed, diamond armor has the same protective strength as iron armor, just with more durability. save your diamonds for other crafts, like a vault enchanter, a diamond pickaxe, and the altar itself!
you do not need a librarian setup because the vault enchanter exists, but you will need some kind of emerald income. I normally use a classic sticks to fletcher in the early game, but more efficient trading halls aren’t terrible to have (farmers, for example, are also good). you can pick up a villager from the overworld as an item with shift+right click, just don’t do that with a villager that currently has a workstation, because that can cause pretty bad lag!
animal jars and animal pens exist! use them! an animal jar works by shift+right click while holding the jar on adult animals. place a jar with at least two animals into an animal pen to be able to breed them; hit shift to see how many animals is in the pen and the cooldown. you can use a bucket to get eggs from a chicken pen or a turtle pen. you can shear a sheep pen to get all the wool from the sheep, a bee pen to get honeycomb. to kill animals in a pen and get drops from them, just kill them with your sword. later, using some combination of modular routers and bee pens is helpful for automation.
JEI is your friend, but doesn’t show you a few vault hunters recipes (namely, any tool station or vault forge recipes). you can view those recipes in their respective workbench. however, JEI does have lists of what loot is found in each vault chest. that’s handy for pouch filtering!
a pouch with a pickup upgrade is your friend; multiple pouches is even more your friend. the sooner you can graduate to using a magnet to pick up items into pouches without using your shulker boxes, the faster you’ll get at running vaults, I promise! so as expensive as pouches seem early on, it’s really, really worth it to start using them. the filter is also handy to prevent picking up junk items.
similarly, breaking chests with vault tools will seem slow to you at first; it’s not it’s faster than manually grabbing the items from chests. you will get a quest about making vault tools, and a chest breaker should be one of your first tools when you do!
anything you find inside a chest in the vault you should keep; any vanilla items you find you should keep. however, any modded item that isn’t inside a chest in the vault can’t be an altar item, so if you’re short on storage space, you can throw those out.
early skill points should include at least one in heal and at least one in vein miner. strength is very good early game, especially all the way up to strength four. speed is really good but expensive so save getting speed until you’re ready. you only need two levels in un-specialized stonefall to negate fall damage altogether when you use the skill, which, if you’re like me and can’t mlg, is a lifesaver. I also recommend early points in dash and javelin. don’t be precious with skill points, though, they’re easy to change later! also unless you take the intelligence talent, early game you’ll NORMALLY have better strength than you do ability power for the skills that require AP. however, you can re-spec this easily later.
expertises, however, CANNOT easily be reset—you’ll get a free neuralyzer (check spelling haha) at level 50, but beyond that you need an omega pog, which is… expensive to say the least. so you SHOULD maybe be precious with these! experienced is the only one I’d say is definitively BAD. personally I recommend maxing out fortune and bounty hunter with your first 25 levels, but not everyone likes having the double bounties so that’s a “I prefer it” thing. late game, infuser and mystic are really good, but early game you won’t use those. angel is SUPER FUN and always really convenient to have but angel blocks aren’t cheap, so I never unlock it until I actually have the materials to make an angel block. jeweler is definitely actually good but I kind of hate perfecting jewels so I don’t take it, but most people who like maxing out tools do want that one.
I had a whole post about knowledge unlocks but basically, do the ones you want most as you need them, but drawers, the vault compass, double pouches, or stack upgrades are normally my first choices.
level matters more for gear than rarity, especially early game when you level through new tiers of gear quickly. if you get new gear with better implicit stats in a new, higher-level tier, replace your old gear, even if your new gear is common and your old gear was omega. later game is when having higher rarity gear will actually start to matter.
unless you’re very good at the game don’t try to be iskall, use a chestplate, not an elytra, in the vault. so you know, you don’t die.
keep up with the quest book! it’s handy like that! you can go back and read old quests too!
don’t be afraid to change your difficulty settings to whatever you have the most fun with—I basically always play in vaultMode casual and I like it that way!
watching other vault hunters like the hermits can help a lot!
and most of all: HAVE FUN!!!
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meidnightrain · 6 months
Text
BLANK SPACE - yae miko
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❝ but you’ll come back each time you leave, cause darling i’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream. ❞
summary: being the famous lady guuji comes with rumors that tarnish your reputation but yet, you aren’t deterred by them at all
warnings: reader is gn, none tbh
notes: hihi this is the entry for the second day of the 1989 event! i hope you’ve been enjoying this as much as i have
taglist: @staretes , @rynnlvrs , @sentifua , @i-probably-sleep-too-much , @reilly34 , @qqingque , @akutasoda , @mhiieee , @starryshinyskies , @rintosae , @kazemiya
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“nice to see you, how have you been darling?” a voice cooed from behind you, turning from the shrine altar to see none other than the lady guuji behind you with a foxy grin on her face.
you’d heard warnings of the famed shrine miko, the long list of broken hearts she left in her wake, the way, that she was a nightmare dressed like a daydream. but of course…you heard all that from gossip, gossip could be unreliable at times.
you bowed your head in respect in her direction, trying to calm your racing heart. “lady yae! i’ve actually been doing well. i’m so sorry for not visiting sooner, i-“
the kitsune pouted, tutting at you as if she was scolding a little child. “you were busy? i’ve been busy too, won’t you ask me why?”
you’ve fallen into a trap! searching her eyes for any hint of a scheme brewing behind her violet irises, but all you got in return was that famous smile of hers. she was like a rose garden that you stumbled into, mesmerised by its beauty but in reality, it was filled with thorns.
“o-oh and why were you busy?” you gulp nervously, not quite sure what her response would be and wether you’d like it or not.
“i’ve been writing a novel darling, would you like to hear about it?” she smirked at the way you fidgeted, as if she wanted this reaction from you. shoot, you were digging yourself deeper into this grave. you might as well call wangsheng parlor to pick out a coffin and a tombstone.
‘hear lies name. a fool in love who fell victim to the foxy lady guuji of inazuma.’
yae beckoned you to sit next to her on the steps leading up to the sacred sakura, conveniently pulling out a red notebook and flipping through its pages with her delicate, manicured fingers. you peered at it curiously, trying to get a glimpse of its contents but all you could see were words blurring before you like a hurricane.
could kitsunes read fast or were you just a slow reader?!
“it’s about this kitsune shrine maiden. beautiful and amazing at every she does naturally. but only this time she woos this character. odd, their name sounds exactly like yours…” she murmured, putting on an innocent smile. you feel your face heating up at her words, almost as if she was nudging you to say something.
“you seem flushed darling, should i read a passage for you?” she blinked at you, turning a page. before you could even finish, she cleared her throat.
“boys only want love if it’s torture, don’t say i didn’t warn you. so, do you think the high is worth the pain? you do know that i love the players and you love the game.” she quoted, her cherry lips puckering slightly at the word ‘love’. she turned to you expectantly, tilting her head with a grin, the crystal clear sky behind her like a scene from the novel she just depicted.
you nod quickly, feeling yourself fall into her electrifying purple eyes like lightning. “i like it, a lot.”
“of course it’s great, i did get inspiration from my favourite mortal after all.” she sighed, flipping to the front of the notebook. yae tapped your nose to your mortification, giggling slightly as she waved her finger at you.
you knew that having a relationship with the kitsune maiden was a risky one, it would either leave you breathless or with a nasty scar. it would either go up in flames or be a forever affair. watching her hum to herself, she tapped at the empty dedication page, her pink nail tapping on the hilt of the book.
“would you look at that. it seems that my dedication page is empty.” she gasped in what you suspected to be mock shock, you knew she planned this right from the start.
“it seems i have a blank space baby, and i’ll write your name. a dedication to my favourite human. what do you say?” she gave you a smug smile, her purple eyes narrowing with mischief, leaning closer to you as you felt her hot breath on your cheek and the way she tilted your face up to meet hers.
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khaire-traveler · 2 months
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hi stag!!
apologies in advance if you've made a post about this before (i did try going through your pinned before sending this) but how do you remove offerings? like, once i offer a material object to a deity, what... happens..... is there a formal way to recall it? how long does it have to sit on an altar before it can be removed? do i need to perform any kind of ritual??
sorry, that's a lot. i love your blog so i respect your opinion and wanted to hear your thoughts/experiences <3
– 🌞
Hey there, Nonny, thank you for the ask, and no worries! I believe I've answered this in another ask, but it's likely lost within the endless maze of my many posts. Also, thank you for checking my pinned post; I appreciate that. <3
Since I'm unsure what context this is in, I'll provide a list of different scenarios where you'd be removing something from an altar. Hopefully, one of these scenarios applies to you!
If you're removing a perishable offering (food, drink, or likewise), you have the option to consume, burn, dispose of, or bury it. I usually consume these offerings, but I let my deities know I'm doing that before consuming it. I usually consume offerings given to Ouranic or Earth-bound deities, but I don't consume offerings given to Chthonic deities as it doesn't feel right to me. I usually bury or dispose of Chthonic offerings. My logic in burying them (only if environmentally safe) is returning the offering to the earth in a sense. Similarly to how the ancient believed burning offerings allowed the smoke to travel to Olympus, I believe the burying offerings allowed it to return to the Chthonic deities they're being offered to. I don't personally burn Ouranic offerings, by the way, but you're more than welcome to do so if you have a safe place to burn them (if safe to do so). Burning Ouranic offerings was commonplace in Ancient Greece, specifically with meat such as beef or lamb. If you plan on disposing of an offering, I'd let the deity know that you're not doing so out of disrespect. When I say this, I find that deities are understanding with my reasoning. Also, don't leave perishable offerings on your altar for too long! For your own safety, make sure these offerings aren't rotting or molding on the altar; dispose of them in whatever manner you deem fitting as soon as signs of rot begin to show (although I recommend getting rid of them much sooner). Mold is toxic to most humans, and it's best not to risk that.
If you're removing an object from your altar that you no longer wish to be an offering, I recommend discussing this with the deity first. Inform them of your intentions and reasons (if comfortable sharing reasoning), let them know it's not meant out of disrespect, give them an offering such as water or a tasty treat as a show of goodwill, and allow them some time with the object before removing it (no more than a day, I'd say, because you don't want them to think you're no longer removing it). In my experience, allowing the deity some extra time with the object provides them the time they need to remove their energy and connection from it. There may still be some residual energy left over at first, but that energy should fade over time as the object is kept away from the altar. I've had to take objects off of altars before, and the most important thing is communication throughout the process - letting them know your intentions and emphasizing it's not out of disrespect. I recommend trying to replace the object with something else later on, but in my experience, you don't have to do this; I try to do this when I can, but I'm not always able to, and deities have been understanding of that. I don't believe any sort of ritual is required to do this, but if you'd like to do one, you certainly can.
If you're removing an object from your altar that you STILL wish to be an offering, my advice is still to discuss this with the deity. Let them know that, although the object is no longer on their altar, they're still welcome to associate their energy with it and view it as an offering. I don't feel a food or drink offering is needed for this, since you're not necessarily taking something away - you're just moving it - but you're welcome to give an offering if you feel called to. Again, the most important thing in this is communication; always be sure that you're effectively communicating your intentions to the deity.
There is no formal way of recalling or removing an offering from an altar. I would base what you do on what you feel is right and respectful, first and foremost. Deities tend to be pretty understanding, and even if they are upset by the removal of the object, they'll likely move on from that over time. An important thing to remember if they're upset is that you can be mad at someone and still love them. It's ok if they aren't entirely pleased by the news; it's not likely to ruin your entire relationship with them. I say that as long as you are respectful and communicative, it'll likely go well.
I hope this helps and provides you with the information you were looking for! Feel free to reach out again if needed. Take care, and have a good day/night. <3
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