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#{ not all flowers die in the underworld }
irisintheafterglow · 1 month
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um blah blah blah something about knight!katsuki tearing through panicked crowds to find you slumped behind a knocked-over table, paling when he sees the growing red patch under the hand on your side.
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"shit," is all he manages to force out, and it's all he can say for the next thirty seconds while he tries to figure out how to get you out of here. "no, no, no. you're not fine, dumbass," he snaps when you insist that you're fine. he registers a figure sprinting towards him with an axe and throws a dagger from his belt without even thinking, the assailant falling onto the dirt. "this is all your fault," he mutters as he pulls you from under the table and into a nearby alley.
"i can't believe you're blaming me for my own assassination attempt," you exhale shakily, your breathing too uneven for his liking. "all i wanted was to pick some flowers."
"we could have had the flowers brought to the palace," he argues, raking a nervous hand through his hair. "but you wanted to see them straight from the farmer's market."
"there's not much we can do now that i am bleeding out," you groan, fighting down the bile in your throat when you see how red your hand has become. katsuki's hand gently but firmly grips your wrist, forcing it out of your field of vision.
"don't look at it. just look at me," he commands, scarlet eyes revealing his panic. for the first time in your history together, katsuki looked scared. "just keep looking at me, okay? i'm gonna move you to a safehouse a few blocks away."
"no, please," you plead with him, grabbing his wrist before he can loop his arms under your legs. "it hurts when i move."
"the other option is for you to die, princess, and i'm not letting that happen," he swears. "i shouldn't have ever let this happen to you in the first place."
"it's not your fault," you whisper, your thumb smearing red across his cheekbone.
"isn't it, though?" the expression of pure grief on your knight's face disappears in an instant and, before you can protest, katsuki lifts you from the ground like you weighed nothing at all. you muffle a broken cry into your hand and squeeze your eyes tight against his chest, shaking from the white-hot arc of pain cutting your side. "just stay with me, princess. you're gonna be okay."
"it hurts, kats," you sob quietly and a part of him dies. "it hurts so much."
"i know it does, baby. just stay with me and the pain will go away soon."
katsuki isn't there when you wake up in the palace infirmary, but the news of the pub bloodbath where several members of the criminal underworld were being investigated reached you eventually. your knight was supposed to be leading the investigation, but dragon keeper kirishima revealed that, after the attack in the market, he had taken matters into his own hands.
he had a single thought as he inserted his dripping sword back into its sheath. long live the princess as long as he lived.
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shiny-jr · 14 days
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damnation (peek VI?)
Warning: Yes, this is a yandere thing. Gender-neutral reader.
Characters: Ortho Shroud, Idia Shroud.
Summary: When you commit a crime, you receive a punishment. This is especially true in your society. No matter the crime, your punishment is the same: banishment. But to where you will be sent in exile and how miserable will it be? No one knows, because no one has ever returned.
Note: I was looking back at previous sneak-peeks and I realized I've been kinda spoiling y'all with these. But, don't ever let it be said that I don't cherish y'all, so here you go. While I'm currently about 2/3 of the way towards completing the result (if I don't have to rewrite it or change scenes or do anything major), the sneak-peek is only about eight or nine pages. Which is still a lot when you consider that the end result will be anywhere from 42 to 45 pages. Let's hope that I continue writing at this steady pace. I will not give a date for when this is fully completed, so please don't ask! It's done when it's done.
I . . . II . . . III . . . IV . . . V . . . VI . . . VII
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THE LORD OF THE UNDERWORLD
Cold metal. There was a slight weight on the top of your skull, like the heft of a helmet. Carefully reaching up, your fingers touched thin cold metal, but as you tried to gingerly remove it, it failed to come off. Gentle tugs become harsh pulls, but that only serves to form an ache in your head as if you were pulling on your hair. Was it some sort of deadly contraption placed on prisoners? Was this how they wanted you to die? By crushing your skull with this thing? 
“Wh– Where am I…?”
As you stumbled over your own two feet, you stopped yanking on the metal on top of your cranium. Fear took root as you took note of your surroundings, dark and unfamiliar, those same qualities as the jail cell but this was unlike any prison. There were high walls with columns of gray and silver and gold, arched ceilings that were mixes of blues and grays and blacks which almost looked like painted murals that had been smeared across the surface. The floor was freezing like cement, but it was a smooth polished dark gray. With at least two floors, the second was accessible by some wide curved stairs which lead to more of the unknown. Your voice echoed in the space, leaving you to believe you were completely alone. 
Skull-crushing could still be on the list of possible ways to die. Or would your punishment be isolation? Complete solitude was known to drive people insane. It didn’t even seem like a single soul alive was here, leaving only the sound of your heavy breathing in the otherwise unsettling silence. White flowers from large vases wilted, their petals suspended gray and limp like hanged bodies.
On the floors you nearly slip and hit your head, but you manage to grab a nearby column that was as thick and sturdy as an old oak tree. That’s when you caught sight of your reflection in a nearby huge vase coated with a reflective exterior. You were staring wide-eyed at an unfamiliar figure, so odd that it took a moment to register that it was truly you. 
A long black cloth with dark blue meander borders acted like a shirt or a robe, wrapping over one shoulder and extending in different directions to act like a small cloak and cover part of your legs. From your hips to your ankles covered by part of the top cloth, were a pair of black pants with more blue meander borders decorating it. They were like modern day sweatpants and an ancient palla all in one outfit, which you might’ve admired if you weren’t currently filled with confusion and dread. That metal object on your head was like a headpiece, with two long thin black protruding pieces slicked back that glowed a slight blue. Like a demon’s horns. Impossible to remove. 
You resembled a demon with these horns, a devilish little imp. When your eyes adjusted, the reflective surface of the vase was painted. Painted black and browns, like the famous Athenian ceramic styles with figures of black and brick red. Except, each vase depicted a different scene. A powerful muscled figure standing proudly and holding a bolt of lightning; a baby strangling two large snakes; a young scrawny man training beside a satyr and a pegasus. 
“Get– these off…!”
An imp… you were an imp! Horror spread across your features, and the constant tugging to remove the metallic horn-like objects from your skull served pain stronger than a slap, to let you know that this was no dream. The judges had cast the final verdict, and as soon as you arrived you were destined to live as a miserable little creature to serve a higher being. A god. 
A God of the Underworld, that wielded the deadliest of blue flames and kept all souls contained within his land of misery. A being of divinity who envied his family and others who dwelled high in the clouds of Mount Olympus, so he planned meticulously for years to lay siege to the mountain by freeing titans who would wreak havoc across the globe. Just as he sits on the throne where the God of Thunder and King of Gods once dwelled, the human son of that royal god arrived to face the dark god. That gloomy and dreary antagonistic god had three main underlings, two of which were imps he regularly abused and tormented. 
Maiming, wringing their necks, burning them in blue fire, those were just some of the torture those imps faced at the hands of their master. You felt yourself fall to your knees in a heap, like a rag doll, by the overwhelming emotions weighing in your mind and the now new burden of survival on your shoulders. This was hell, literally. So caught up with this newfound revelation, that you didn’t even notice the vases become blank as if by magic, wiping the depicted scenes off their surface. Hallucinations! 
These must’ve been hallucinations formed by your unstable mind–– You were especially sure of it when it felt as if the ground vanished beneath your feet and were surrounded by dark mists. The dark and elegant place you had once stood in, was gone, and you plunged into a dark pit. A small plunge, then you fell on rocky uneven earth, leading you to fall flat on your face. There was hardly any light, and the ceiling was low. But, there was a blue flame, a small glow to which you opened your eyes to. 
In front of you was a young boy that looked more akin to an android. Surely, another illusion, but your certainty wavered when it blinked at you. It blinked with its wide bright yellow eyes. Its eyes were like a light, as was its hair made of what seemed like real blue flames that was like a torch in this small cave. Its body was dark and metallic, part of those metals extending over the mouth like a mask. “There you are! I was beginning to wonder if you chickened out. Are you ready to put on a show? Remember, we gotta make it believable, the hero won’t be the only one there! We gotta trick all the humans!” 
“W-What…?” You watched as the android-like being opened up a hologram in front of him, and on the screen of light were various shapes and figures of numerous creatures and people alike. 
Whatever this thing was, its voice became monotone for a brief few seconds as its pointer finger landed on the image of a normal young boy. “Selecting… Loading… Finalizing appearance.” In an instant, a light flashed over him and he became that little boy in the hologram. “What do you think? Pretty convincing, huh? Now, your turn!”
If you squint, it was like peering through glass, because at some angles you could still see the android. However, you had absolutely no time to question it, or the situation at hand, or what he could’ve possibly meant, because the quiet was shattered by the squeal of what sounded like a horse. 
Scrambling onto your feet, you approached the thin tiny opening where light filtered in, far too small to squeeze through but just big enough to peer through. It took a few spare seconds for your eyes to adjust to the light of the outside on this cloudy day, but you could make out high rock cliffs as gray as the sky. And a white horse with wings, a pegasus, several meters away with two people. A young man in purple who looked quite ruffled and a muscular woman with auburn locks. You blanched upon recognizing the location. 
The mighty hero was said to have fought his first life-threatening battle in a gorge, just like this one. It was a battle that nearly cost him his life. The human servant, obliged to serve the dark Lord of the Underworld, lured the hero to the gorge under the guise of an accident requiring urgent attention from a savior. When in actuality, the accident involved two children trapped under rubble where nearby the hydra lurked. And those two children? Were the two imps who also served the God of the Dead. One imp, you were one. And the other? Beside you now, which explained his matching metallic horns on his head. Meaning the hydra was near. Each breath you took increased in pace, on the very verge of hyperventilating–– 
“Help! Hurry! We can’t breathe!” The android boy cried for help, his little eyes peeking out of the same gap you were peering out of. Even his voice sounded different with whatever magic or technology he used to disguise himself. As the hero was running over and a crowd was forming a good distance away, your fellow imp looked at you and whispered in confusion, “Where’s your disguise? You can’t let her see––”
“Get me out…!! Please! Anyone! Someone!” You gasped, suddenly realizing just how small it was underneath this massive boulder. It was a miracle it hadn’t crashed down yet, killing you instantly like rock squishing an ant. But if the boulder didn’t kill you, then the hydra would. And that was what terrified you, causing you to scream for help. 
The young boy’s eyes brightened up, looking a bit taken aback at your volume before he grinned. At least, he must’ve been grinning, judging by the way his eyes lit up. Pausing his very loud pleas, he whispered in amazement, “Wow, you’re really good at this acting!” 
You were not acting. Especially not when help arrived in the form of the protagonist. 
Instead of a man as depicted in the stories, it was a woman. A woman with innocent blue eyes and a kind voice that attempted to ease the worries of what she must’ve thought were two poor victims trapped beneath debris from a rock slide. Her eyes darted from what she saw as a regular little boy, then over to you. “It’s okay, I promise you’ll be alright.” Those eyes like the bright blue sky, softened with a hint of pity, maybe because you just looked that pitiful and on the verge of tears. Because you knew what monster would come lurking from the gorge just moments after you and the small horned being beside you are supposed to be saved. 
Incredibly, with only a minimal amount of struggling, the hero heaved the boulder slowly above her head. Even though the rock was easily ten times her size, she raised it up high above her shoulders, allowing you and the boy to scamper out of the pit. Managing a charming smile despite the tons of weight she was holding, she began, “How are you holding up? Are you injured or––” 
Running. You were running. There was no way you would waste even a second here, and become a victim to that three-headed beast. It sounded like the hero had shouted something as you fled, and were followed by the android boy still in disguise as he called for you to wait up. Climbing, climbing, you took what looked like a thin path on a narrow cliff’s edge until you reached a hollow cavity hidden by shadows and boulders. By then you were out of breath, heaving, the ache in the back of your legs screaming from all that climbing and your lungs burning. 
However, it seemed as if your torment were far from over. As your gaze traveled up, you stilled like a deer in the headlights. There, engraved within the very surface of the rugged stone walls, was a mausoleum that appeared to be left abandoned. Its smooth columns held up ledges, and at the very mouth of the entrance was a throne of pure stone occupied by a stranger. A stranger that looked eerily similar to the android that had been your company. 
A figure who sat looking quite bored upon witnessing a mortal with inhuman strength. There were no words, but just by appearance alone you knew that this was the divine god that ruled the underworld. Fire, blue fire, ran from the top of his head down his spine and over thin shoulders. He was covered from neck to toe, completely in robes of dark blues and dull grays. Long sleeves with meander patterns extended to his wrist, and even his bony fingers were pitch black either due to the fabric of a glove or it was his actual skin, you couldn’t tell. The himation, the cloth that pooled on the floor at his feet, was pinned by a brooch resembling a skull. 
Chilling yellow eyes leered down at you, his blue lips pulled back slightly in a grimace to reveal unnaturally sharp teeth on his pale face. Under his judgemental gaze, you felt like a miserable little roach scuttering about underfoot. “This isn’t a theater, and you’re not Dionysus, tryhard. That was major overkill. You screamed so much I heard you loud and clear from all the way up here, pretty sure all those humans heard you.” 
In the blink of an eye, the android’s disguise was gone and he floated beside you. Placing a gentle but cold metallic hand on your back, he eagerly piped up, “I think they did really good, brother!” Brother? The god, the villain of this story, was his brother? Well certainly the resemblance was there between the god and the being in the role of the imp. “Did you see the look on the hero’s face, Idia? By my estimations, the act fooled all mortal onlookers!” 
Brother. But… that couldn’t be possible. Now that you were high up beside the god, Idia is what your partner in crime had called him, you were no longer so fearful of immediately becoming the hydra’s next meal. That wouldn’t happen, especially when according to the story, the lord of the underworld was the one who controlled the hydra. But now you were currently more concerned and fearful of the literal divine being sitting in front of you. The lord’s brothers were only supposed to be other gods from Mount Olympus, not a being that served him. What else was different about the story? More importantly, what would he do to you once he realized that you did not belong?
“Okay, fine. Stirring performance gets five stars from me. Definitely better than that uber cringe Oedipus play that came out a while back. Ortho, nice, you really played the cute little kid you gotta feel for, and you…” Idia directed his attention to you, and you froze in place under his gaze as he sized you up. “You actually weren’t that annoying this time. So congrats, I guess.” He added dismissively, apparently bored with this prelude as the crowd of humans down below continued to clap for the protagonist that had just saved two souls from the boulders in the gorge. Then, his gaze traveled over to the shadows, on a small cliff where a figure you hadn’t even noticed had been standing in silence. “And can’t forget you. A thumbs-up for the leading guy. Even a girl like her can’t resist you, huh, Meg? Talk about pretty privilege. It must be nice.” 
Startled slightly by the new presence, you glanced over, spotting a slightly familiar face looking over the cliff. It was that man who had been accompanying the protagonist. A fairly handsome looking man with brown wavy hair, in a purple chiton and baggy loose gray pants. Again, there was that modern style mixed with ancient, making you question what time this took place in. But that question was so insignificant compared to the rest of your worries, that it would be pushed to the very back of your mind.
Looking from Meg to Idia, you compare the two faces. The God of the Underworld certainly wasn’t ugly, per say. In fact, he was ethereal in his own unique way. It was more of an acquired taste to appreciate the slight cheekbones, the aquiline nose, and the dim glow his fire blue hair provided in the dark space. He wasn’t exactly the beauty standard that could be compared to a warm summer day, but cold rainy nights could be just as beautiful. 
“What are you staring at? Can you not? Seriously, don’t you know that’s rude?” The god muttered in a near sneer, his gaze unable to meet yours. In fact, he appeared to be looking anywhere but at you. Like he was nervous. But what would a god have to be nervous about? “When I leave home, I’d rather not be gawked at like some freak. I don’t need another reminder.”
Embarrassment caused your heat to creep up your neck and into your cheeks as you lowered your head swiftly in an apologetic nod. With your eyes now glued to the ground, you didn’t lift your head even an inch. It was a mercy that he didn’t appear to be a wrathful god. Cruel, perhaps, but apparently not quick to violence. If he was the hostile type, the last thing you would probably see was his calming blue fire turn an angry red before your body became nothing but ashes in the wind and your soul joining the countless in the river of the dead. In an effort to appease him so he wouldn’t believe you were staring for the wrong reasons, you began hesitantly, in a nervous tone, “I-I’m sorry–– I was staring because, well, you talk as if y-you didn’t have that specific privilege either.” 
Because you kept your head down, you failed to see all three of them, Ortho, Idia, and even Meg whipped his head around to stare with their own forms of shock as you snapped your mouth shut. There was no room to question what was said and done. 
“Not funny, didn’t laugh. I had no idea the role of jester was just taken up. Last I knew, we had that position available. Guess I was wrong.” He replied, unamused, and surprisingly not offended. At least he didn’t seem as if he was about to smite you for offending a god. It was jarring how lax he was, but he spoke with bitter sarcasm which actually hurt. “If I wanted a laugh, I’d probably watch you snivel and cry again, but honestly it’s way more pathetic than funny so there’s really no point in it unless I want to remind myself that there’s someone within a ten foot radius who’s giving me a run for my money in the pity department.” 
“I don’t think any of you are pathetic or pitiful.” Ortho chimed in, throwing in his two cents on the matter. To which the god only glanced at. “Shall I search our records for the soul of a successful jester? I believe we may have a few that once served kings in past centuries?” 
With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the motion while propping up his elbow on the armrest of the stone throne. “Nah, don’t bother, none of them are that funny anyways. It’s not worth the effort of fishing them out of the river of souls. Once we secure our win, then maybe I’ll consider it when Thalia runs out of jokes to tell.” 
Thalia? Wasn’t that the name of one of the muses? Did he plan to use those divine beings as servants once he conquered Mount Olympus? 
“Uh, you can scram now? I know your soul is probably drawn to the company of other mortals like pretty-boy Meg over there and that schlemiel Heraclea.” Idia scoffed, looking a bit bitter. Although, maybe that was his natural expression along with the constant gloom that seemed to permanently linger around the divine being. He rolled his eyes, murmuring the word so it sounded like an insult, “Mortals.” 
“T-Then… I’ll talk to Meg.”
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mochinomnoms · 5 months
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Hello I saw your event and got interested! I was wondering if you could do #24 with Idia (romantic, fluff, and suggestive if possible) with fem!reader?
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idia shroud x f!reader [tags] – romantic, fluff, suggestive [wc} – 3, 241 prompt 24: “I'm so happy that you confessed first.” “Why?” “If I had to dig out another hydrangea petal from my teeth, I was gonna lose it.” notes - the only way to write idia is kind pathetic like a wet cat. i love pathetic men a floral inconvenience
According to legend, a Japanese emperor gave blue hydrangeas to the girl he loved, to apologize for neglecting her and to show how much he really cared for her. Their petal shape resembles a beating heart. 
Idia thinks that he was cursed in a past life for doing something awful. Maybe he kidnapped someone’s kid and tried to kill them. Maybe he tried to overthrow the gods and take over himself, but failed miserably. Or maybe, worst of all: broke someone’s limited-edition, vintage Tokyo Mew Mew Ichigo figurine. 
He sure as the underworld that he did something, why else would he be puking up hanahaki flowers like some cringey Canon x Reader fanfic? 
“Big Bro! You really should go to the school infirmary, the petals and stems can cause irritation and damage to the trachea and nasopharynx if not treated properly!”
Ortho was currently hovering over him, fretting like a mother hen over her chick. How ironic, Idia thought as he picked at the petals still in his teeth, it was for the little brother to be caring for the elder. 
“Why do that when I can just have the school delivery bots bring me medicine. Then I won’t have to interact with anyone, I’d literally DIE if anyone saw me like this…”
Especially if the Prefect saw him. The image of her sweet face, and beaming smile…like a scene from a shoujo manga, flooded his mind. He could practically hear her voice, full of concern, asking, “Are you okay, Idia?”
Idia fell into a sneezing fit, petals flying from his mouth and nose as his sneezes continued, one after the other, until he was also thrown into a hoarse, wet-sounding cough. 
“Big Bro! That’s it, you’re going to the nurse!” Ortho, despite being quite small, grabbed Idia by the back of his striped pajama shirt, much like one grabs a wet cat by the scruff of its neck. 
“UUuuuuuuuuuughghuguguguhidonwannaaaaaaaaAAAAAHHHh!” Idia cried out in a whiney, high-pitched tone. 
His brother, perhaps taking pity on his brother, took the shortcut to the infirmary, cutting directly pass the buildings and fields as Idia’s arms and legs loosely flew like cooked spaghetti noodles. Flying through the window that Nurse Goethel often kept open for fresh air, Ortho plopped Idia into a spare bed, who collapsed like a ragdoll into the thin mattress. 
“I’ll go check you in with the Nurse, I’ll be right back, please make yourself comfortable Idia!”
Idia gave a muffled grumble as a response, shoving his face further into the hard surface of the bed with a sense of dread. He could hear Ortho speak with Goethel at her desk. 
Well, he thought, at least she won’t see me looking all gross and lovesick like some normie—
“Idia, oh my god, are you sick?” 
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—”
A shrill, ear-splitting shriek left his mouth as the flames of his hair blew up into a blazing hot pink. Idia bolted him, a sharp pain hitting the top of his head as he heard you yelp. As he rubbed the pained spot, Idia noticed that you too were rubbing your chin. Oh Sevens, he hit your chin with his big, stupid head. 
“Ooowwwww, damn Idia, you hit hard…” you hissed, though you gave him a sweet smile in reassurance. 
“It’s fine, I shouldn’t have scared you…though why are you covered in flowers?”
Idia froze, debating on whether or not he should open his mouth and potentially say something damning, or just stay quiet and hope you’d just get weirded out and leave. 
“Because he’s an idiot who didn’t come to immediately see me at the first petal cough!” 
The nurse came up to Idia with a disapproving glare, handing you a clipboard and pen before slipping on a clean pair of gloves. 
“Prefect, please check the boxes for every symptom I find. I believe I know what it is, but we need to check all our bases.” 
Idia peeked at you from the corner of his eye as you smiled at him, waving your fingers as the nurse whispered a spell to turn her magic pen into a makeshift flashlight. 
“Now, open up and say ‘ah’ so I can see what those flowers are doing to you.” 
Following her instructions, Idia tried his best to be a cooperative and willing patient, if just to get out of here faster. Unfortunately, your presence only seemed to make it harder to do so, as hydrangea flowers bloomed from the pores of his skin, focusing particularly around his hands and neck. 
The nurse, he’s sure, could also see the magic sparkles forming as a new bouquet formed through his throat and shot up his mouth. She tsked, leaning back to allow Idia to hack out the now decent sized hydrangea bouquet. They were a vibrant blue, much like his hair. 
“Ah, go, go on and let it out.” The nurse waved a hand at Ortho. “Dear, please fetch your brother a cup of the tea I have brewing at my desk. Prefect? Please note that the patient has no evidence of root growth in his throat.”
“Root growth!? Is my brother going to be okay?” Ortho worriedly rushed over, the tea spilling over the rim of the foam cup. “Is it a curse or disease? Is my brother growing a plant in his lungs!?”
“Ortho, you scanned me earlier this week, remember?” Idia hoarsely replied, taking the tea to gingerly sip at it. “Nothing in ‘em, or my stomach ‘cept ramen noods.”
“A WEEK?!” The three of you flinched at the shrill gasp of Goethel, who was glaring daggers at Idia. “Mr. Shroud, you’ve been sick with an unknown flora disease and you didn’t even bother to let the staff know? What if you were contagious!!”
Idia shrank into himself as he whispered, “It’s not like I leave my room…” 
“Bateria or the pollen could’ve gotten into the air vents and infected the rest of your dorm, ugh.” The nurse sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose before addressing you. “Miss Y/N, if you mark down the lack of root growth, fever, and magical origin of the flowers, what do you get?”
He watched as you flipped through the clipboard, smile slightly faltering as you read one of the papers. You cleared your face briefly, before smiling politely back at the nurse and Idia.
“Based on everything, it seems that Idia most likely has the flower sickness, also known as the love sickness, petal fever, or, most commonly, hanahaki.”
Idia cringed at the cold, monotone sound of your voice. Now he’d done it. You knew, somehow you knew that he had the biggest, fattest, most twitterpated-full crush on you. No, crush was understated. He had dreams of you, the cringiest, domestic fantasy-based shit where he’d imagine you, waking up in bed with him back at the Island of Woe. You had given him a sleepy smile as you curled into side, naked. With a smile and a kiss to his lips, dream you turned over to hover over him, trailing small kisses and love bites down his body, further and further as you whispered to him, over and over, “I love you, Idia—”
A queasy, dizzying feeling fell over Idia as a particularly painful croup caused him to double over and vomit last night's dinner alongside blue, heart-shaped petals. 
“Idia!”
“Big Brother!”
“Shroud—Prefect, hold his hair back! Ortho, grab the trashcan, I’ll go get some cleaning supplies and new sheets.”
Nurse Goethel barked orders to the other two, who quickly jumped into action. Idia could feel a shiver as he felt your hands softly grasp his flaming hair, fingers grazing his cheek as you tucked his bangs behind his ears. He could barely make out your coos, no doubt comforting him. You must be disgusted seeing him like this, having to care for a sopping wet cat of a man. Ortho was holding the trash can, right on time for Idia to hurl some more flowers and stomach acid. 
“Oh, Idia…you poor thing.” You whispered into his ear, unintentionally causing his body to warm up and a chill go down his spine to settle in his abdomen. He was very aware that if he turned his head to look at you, he’d get a faceful of your chest like some harem isekai protag, the thought making him warm further and his tips pink again. 
“I didn’t realize you were feeling this bad, Idia…” Ortho murmured, guilt in his voice. “I should’ve brought you sooner…”
“N-no…” Idia gravelly replied, wiping his mouth clean. “It’s not your fault Ortho, don’t beat yourself over it.”
Ortho still looked guilty, but nodded in affirmation, glancing at briefly at the Prefect. His gaze flitted between the two, and Idia could briefly see Ortho’s eyes go blank, as they did when searching through his knowledge database.
“Miss Prefect!” Ortho chirped, voice now perky much to Idia’s concern. “May I ask for a spare infirmary shirt for my brother? He must be very uncomfortable in his soiled one!”
Idia was now firmly and acutely aware of your hands still on him, thumb rubbing soothingly into his temple. 
“Oh, of course Ortho.” You moved away, hands hovering for just a moment, as you replied, “They’re in the storage, I’ll be right back!”
Idia watched as you walked away into the infirmary storage. Ortho did as well, waiting until you were out of earshot to excitedly whisper, “Idia! I know it’ll be an easy fix!”
“Huh?” Idia rose an eyebrow at his brother, confusion setting in.
“It’s a love sickness, and you love the Prefect—Idia stop looking at me like that—so if you confess to them, the flowers will go away!”
Idia was still giving Ortho a horrified look, as he continued. 
“Based on the timing of your reactions in correlation with close proximity within the Prefect, along with your increased heart rate at their touch, speech, and glances, and the fact that the Prefect stated on December 15th at 11:18:53 pm that she likes hydrangeas, she is the cause of the sickness. Right?”
“Ortho!’ Idia hissed, grabbing at his brother to shut him up despite Ortho not technically having a mouth. 
“Quiet down, this isn’t some otome game where I can cheat and look online for the right responses. Did you see how she reacted earlier when she found out it was hanahaki, how disappointed she looked? There’s no way Y/N—I mean the Prefect, didn’t connect the dots. 
“But, Big Brother!” Ortho whined, “Based on her heart rate and increased body temperature—”
“No is no, Ortho! It’s not going to be such an easy fix, I’ll just get rejected!”
“Technically speaking—” Idia and Ortho both jumped at the nurse’s voice, who was coming back from storage with clean linens. The Prefect followed with a new shirt.
“—you don’t need your beloved to accept your feelings, just confess them. Though it’s quite rare that it’s not reciprocated.”
The nurse motioned for Idia to get up as the Prefect handed him the shirt. She began taking the sheets off as the nurse addressed the two brothers. 
“Mr. Shroud, if you are insisting on keeping this sickness intact for fear of rejection, then I will have to ask Professor Crewel for some more potent ingredients for your prescription. Little Shroud?”
“Oh, yes Nurse Goethel?” 
“I could use your assistance, please come with me, Miss Y/N will tend to your brother,” She had a smug tone and smirk as she said this, motioning for Ortho to follow. “Mr. Shroud, please have no worry, she makes an excellent student nurse!” 
Idia let out a defeated, low, whiney groan as he moped over behind one of the privacy screens. You remained quiet as you collected the dirty sheets. He could hear Goethel’s footsteps and Ortho’s fans fade away as they left further and further down the hall. Idia yanked his shirt off, slipping the clean one over his head, noting it was a tad bit too small. He grumbled in annoyance as he pulled the shirt down to cover his stomach. 
“Idia?”
“Eeep!” Idia yelped, your voice coming from right behind the screen. “Y-yes?”
“Are you done changing? I can take your shirt to the hamper.”
He hummed in response, peeking his hand from behind the screen with the shirt in hand. As you took the shirt and walked away, Idia slowly moved to look at you. Once he was sure your eyes were firmly ahead (and briefly taking a look at your ass), he launched himself back into bed, the smell of clean linen filling his nose. 
Idia sighed, a faux exhaustion settling into his bones as he sunk into the bed. He tensed as he felt you sit on the edge to this right. 
“Idia?” you hummed as he closed his eyes to focus on the darkness behind them, instead of you worried expression. 
He hummed in response. 
“Nurse Goethel said that the remedy is actually quick and easy, right?”
He hummed again.  
“You’ll just keep coughing hydrangeas until you do something, right?”
“...Yea.” Idia replied in a monotone voice. 
You sighed, a bit in frustration he thinks. “So?”
“...So?”
“Why don’t you?” You stretched out the last vowel with a questioning sound.
“Why don’t I?” Idia mimicked you. 
"Why don't you just confess?"
“Wha?” He yelped, looking at you like you’d grown heads like a hydra. “W-what do y-you mean, confess!? Are you crazy?”
You rolled your eyes and sighed, “It would help, wouldn’t it? And Nurse Goethel said it’s rare for it to not be reciprocated, so what do you have to lose?”
“First of all, what’s left of my dignity. Second, I’m not some ML in a romance manhwa. And, third!” Idia straightened up to look you in the eyes, a burst of confidence filling his veins in pure frustration and annoyance. “There’s no way that anyone would be interested in some loser like me, so what’s the point—”
“But I like you!”
Silence fell between you two as the realization of your words settled into both your minds. You, with a growing blush and look of embarrassment, and Idia gaping at you like a fish out of water.”
“Huh.”
“I said,” You murmured, twiddling with the ends of your hair. “That I like you. A lot. I think you’re really fun to be around, you’re even though you're shy and kinda geeky, you’re really passionate about the stuff you like. Idia.”
Your hand reached for his, hesitantly like you were afraid you’d burn him. As you laced your fingers together, Idia felt a lump form in his throat. He kept silent though, watching as you smiled shyly. 
“You’re sweet to your brother, and I notice, to me sometimes too. Did you think I wouldn’t notice you coming out to class more often so we could hang? I missed you this week…it was really lonely without you, even with all my friends.”
Still holding his hand, you leaned in closer to his face, looking at him earnestly. Was this real? Did he unlock a secret route with you without noticing? Why did you keep looking at his lips? OMG WAS THIS REAL—
“Idia,” You snapped him out of his thoughts as the distance between you two kept closing. “If the person you like doesn’t return your feelings, then they didn’t deserve you in the first place. I’ll be there to support you, even if you don’t like me the same way, I’ll always care for you as your friend—”
“But it is you.” Idia blurted out. Whether it was due to a mysterious burst of energy or just a slip of the tongue, he didn’t know. 
“W-what! Idia, you don’t have to try and make me feel—” you tried to stutter an excuse, cheeks pink like the fiery tips of his hair. 
“It’s you! I got this cause of you, cause I knew—I thought,” Idia started to ramble, getting up to grab you by the shoulders and shake. “I thought that you couldn’t like some weirdo like me. Are you telling me I could’ve snatched an SSR level kiss scene with you at any time??!!”
It was your turn to be shocked, a bewildered look in your eyes and Idia rapidly spoke, taking little breaths between sentences.
“Do you know what you do to me?? The thoughts, the dreams I have about you? I see you and get all hot and bothered and you’re telling me that I didn’t have to be some maidenless normie this entire time? I could’ve been lockin’ lips and getting my dick we—”
A sharp shriek leaving Idia’s mouth was muffled as you shoved your lips into his, effectively shutting up his rant. He whimpered as you swiped your tongue along his lips, deepening the kiss as you wrapped your arms around his neck. Idia, perhaps in the throes of passion, or not wanting to miss out on this once in a lifetime pull, reciprocated, albeit with a nervous hesitation. 
You seemed to approve, pressing your chest against his as your mouth moved against his, tongues dancing and moans being shared between half taken breaths. His hands hovered over you until you let go of his neck to guide his hands and place them over your hips. An arousing moan left your lips as your hands gently pushed his chest. 
Idia’s world slightly shifted as he fell back first into the bed, your hair creating a curtain as you separated from him. A line of shiny spit followed you, breaking as he gasped for breath while you leaned back down to press kisses against his neck, flowering the disappearing hydrangeas. 
He yelped as your teeth scraped a particularly sensitive spot, opening his mouth to blurt out, “I'm so happy that you confessed first.” 
You let out a breathless giggle, turning your head and resting your chin on his neck to look up at him with, he swears on the Star Rouge sequel, hearts in your eyes. “Why?” 
“If I had to dig out another hydrangea petal from my teeth, I was gonna lose it.” Idia chuckled, “I’m sorry you have to deal with such a coward like me.”
“Idia.” You firmly responded, “Don’t. I like you as you are. We’re both young, we have time to grow. I’ll grow with you, if you’ll have me?
Looking down at you, practically on top of him, Idia opened his mouth to tease your softness, and suddenly froze. The mortifying, though wonderful he had to admit, scene was dawning on him as his entire body heated up and turned red. 
“Uuuuuwwwwwahaaahahahahaha—you’reontopofmethere’sagirlontopofmeisthisanewlevelinyourouteIdidn’tprepareforthis—mmmfph!”
You effectively shut him up with another kiss to his lips, smiling as Idia was shocked into silence with a dopy, wobbly smile forming on his lips.
“Relax, Idia, I’ll take the lead on all the romance stuff until you get the hang of it. For now you can be my player two!”
Idia snorted, smirking at you as he teased, “That’s such a cringey thing to say~”
“You say things like that all the time!” 
The two of you shared a soft laugh, unaware of the audience of two at the door watching. Ortho recorded the memory for the wedding he was already planning in his head, while the nurse muttered to herself about wasting time gathering ingredients for a prescription potion she no longer needed. Despite this, she smiled, happy that her little words of encouragement to the Prefect earlier worked. 
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mellowwillowy · 7 months
Text
𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 x GN Reader
⤷ warnings — everyone is depressed :), masterpost
—𝒀𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒓 - 𝑳𝑰𝒇𝑬 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕
𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 who hates his work so much and despises the fact that he has to stay involved unless he wants his hard work in protecting you crushed down.
𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 who is a ruthless man nonetheless, stepping on anyone's fingers who tries to graze you with his boots, watching them wailing and trying to wriggle out of it.
"Such bug must really be squashed dead huh?"
𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 who will sometimes take the belongings of his dead enemies for you to collect. Whatever it is that manages to catch his and your interest is as good as yours now.
"You know, how about we make a deal? Give me this thing and I'll let you die in a more peaceful and easy way."
𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 who hates the idea of seeing even a soul sneering at you. Anyone who makes the slightest bit of rude remarks toward you will be faced with his fist immediately, no matter where they are.
"Say. That. Again. And. I. Will. Make. Sure. You. Can't. Talk. Anymore."
𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 who is not a talkative man but will always tell you about his day as he strokes your hair, watching you sleep peacefully. He doesn't like telling people about himself but all that is thrown out of the window when it comes to you.
𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 who is indeed a loyal man, never indulging himself in the parties where women and men are involved with each other.
"Never seen ya' with anyone wrapped around your arm. Come get a taste of it!"
"If I were you, I'd immediately run along before I make you taste my gun's bullet."
𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 who is tired of living, had it not been for you, he would have long chosen to kill himself and after you into oblivion. But that would simply mean he is wasting away all the troubles he had gone through just for his current standing.
𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 who can never rest in peace because of you and the organization he's leading. He shouldn't have taken this position, and shouldn't have shot the previous ringleader down after the revolution he led. But he needs power and being that man's right-hand man wasn't enough.
"ELEANOR! IS THIS HOW A DOG SUPPOSED TO REPAY HIS MASTER'S KINDNESS?!"
"... Hey, unfortunately enough... I have never even once considered you to be my 'Master'. I'll let you go with your pride still intact, see you again."
𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 who likes to tend the garden in place for your bedridden state. You love flowers and it truly would be a shame if the flowers have to wilt because no one takes care of it. Well... never mind that he'll just ask the gardener to tend it again later when he's absent.
𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 who watches how the house that was once white slowly darkens into pitch black, just like how he is dragged deeper into the underground world. Reality and Fantasy, these are truly a shackle of curse to him.
𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 who likes to sit in front of the grandfather's clock, sipping his share of tea while flipping through the album photo of you two. All was great until you decided to commit something foolish that dragged him into the underworld.
𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 who likes to stroke your hair absentmindedly, watching you sleep while your chest heaves up and down. Always sleeping and never awake. He enjoys humming the lullaby that you have always been fond of, hoping that it'll somehow reach your ears.
𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 who likes to play the Russian roulette with himself, will the dice finally choose to take him? Nonetheless, the dice is kind enough to make him survive for another day to take care of you.
𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 who can not sleep in peace as he cradles your limp body, worries endowed in him as the thought of his enemies slipping into his manor and taking you away from him. They know a better way to kill him after all, and that is by taking you hostage rather than torturing him to death.
𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 who will always make sure that you are breathing, his ear placed on your chest, listening to your heartbeat. The idea of your life slipping away from your comatose body terrifies him.
"... Good night." Eleanor places a kiss on your forehead before hugging your body, the two of you hiding beneath the cover of a blanket.
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thestarstoasun · 1 month
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Do people not have media literacy? BOTH the Underworld and Tartarus were literally KILLING Will just by him BEING THERE. His health started dropping as soon as they really got there. It wasn't outright stated, but that's what context clues are for. He's basically a flower, which is extremely ironic with Apollo's love history. Flowers wilt, and die, without sunlight.
Yeah, Nico is a child of the Underworld, and Will needed to accept that he didn't need to be constantly saved. However, it's in Will's nature to be against the Underworld in a mental mindset. He lost every single one of his siblings except for TWO during TBOL and Manhattan. Events we NEVER see him mention (probably because Rick is really bad at having characters that aren't a select few ever have their trauma brought up, but yknow) to anyone.
Will isn't the only one that had things to work on, though. If Nico hadn't thought things out rationally, hadn't calmed down before thinking, he could've been the indirect reason Will died in Tartarus. The thing is, Nico STRUGGLED to think rationally, and we see it when he lashes out on Will before thinking AFTER the fact.
Bottom of the line: Will isn't a bad person for not liking the Underworld. And it's something he says he's working on at the end of TSATS, so people shouldn't fault him for it. The entire point of the book was them both having problems & their relationship not being all sunshine & rainbows.
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yan-lorkai · 3 months
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Just read hades!Idia x persephone!reader drabble, do you have any more ideas? I might have loved the concept a little too much 😍
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.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ A/N: Oh but of course I have more hcs for him, he's my silly little guy! Drabble darling is referring can be read here.
.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ Warnings: Yandere content, kidnapping mention
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.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ Idia makes your crown himself and decorates it with different flowers, in its composition there are blossoming buds, big, strong flowers exuding their life and then their weakened bodies, each one representing their lives during spring.
.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ He made you eat some pomegranate seeds and so now there is really no way out of this world for you, although a few more seeds wouldn't do any harm, just in case.
.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ He is a respectful god. Idia may have kidnapped you and made you a captive of his kingdom, but you're also given all the space you want and are free to explore his world as you see fit. Idia knows where and what you are doing all the time so he doesn't feel anxiety eating him up inside like he felt every time he had to leave Olympus and couldn't bring you home yet. He also like to take you sightseeing sometimes.
.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ He loves talking about what he does as king of the Underworld, how it is separated into sections and what happens to the souls in his care. And he loves it when you ask him this and that.
.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ Being a deity so different from him, you offer a certain comfort to the souls passing through the Underworld, especially for those who end up going to Tartarus and he thinks this is noble and honorable on your part.
.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ Absolutely melts when you start to reciprocate his efforts, you can hear him laugh when he's alone and his voice cracks, changing from its regular tone to a high pitched one. It's lovely to see.
.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ When Zeus butts in and demands that you go home and spend time with your mother for six months, Idia feels a part of him die a little inside. Six months is a long time, if he could he would deny it, even with you offering your best puppy ​​eyes. He is selfish and loves having you all to himself. Inevitably he can't stop you from leaving, but over the next six months he is more irritable and aggressive without you there to keep him company.
.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ But when do you return to the Underworld? He forgets everything, even his shyness to wrap you in a long, warm hug that makes you melt into him and he spin around with you. He also kisses you until both of your lips are swollen and sore, there is so much he wants to tell you, so much he wants to say and of course he also listens to whatever you want to say.
.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ He is highly affectionate towards you every time you come back, almost a little suffocating, but that soon passes. For now, hold on a little.
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alinksta · 2 years
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not me being quite upset by how little talk there has been (amongst mexicans/center latinos) about how Talokán was beautifully adapted from its mythological concept/inspiration, I was loosing my mind.
Allow me to give y’all a little of mythological context because I am a history nerd and the Mesoamerican cultures and mythology are very rad. 
(A spoiler ahead with my interpretation)
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Culturally wise, Talokán and its culture take a major inspiration from Maya/Aztec cultures, but the name of the place is strikingly resemblant to that of the Tlalocan from the Mexica culture.
One of the most beautiful heavens/paradises.
The Tlalocan is ruled by Tlaloc the (Mexica) god of lightning, rain, earthquakes, and agriculture. This place was described as a paradise from which the waters that benefited life on earth flowed; in this place resided Lord Tlaloc's favorites, those who died: 1) drowned, 2) of leprosy (as well as the bubonic, mangy, gouty and hydropic), 3) fulminated by lightning. 
It was said that the souls that dwell in this paradise are extremely happy and would enjoy the fullness of a place where there would always be cornfields and all kinds of herbs that were green and fresh, and fragrant flowers.
I also noticed a little wink with his Maya counterpart Chaac who dwelt in caves and cenotes, the entrances to the Mayan underworld, the Xibalbá.
With this information in mind, you can imagine how I was loosing it when Namor explained what happened before and after he was born and how it brilliantly aligns with some of the conditions of HOW TO ENTER INTO THE TLALOCAN.
Magical plant aside (which was found underwater in the entrance to an underwater cave/cenote, and the future civilization resides in/is a literal underworld), they were dying of Small pox (if I remember correctly) and that easily falls under condition #2 for a soul to enter the Tlalocan; after ingesting the plant they did die but condition #1 is also fulfilled because they can no longer reside on the surface because they would “drown”/suffocate.
I'm so overjoyed how well portrayed/adapted/researched everything was, and as a history nerd and Mexican I’m very proud of how my culture was represented, this movie overdelivered even in the mythological.
LÍIK'IK TALOKAN!
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kopivie · 7 months
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share some hades!wrio headcanons? I'm actually SO invested i'm going to die
oh! i think i can come up with a few! it'll probably be some facts about him, and maybe some writing? (note: i'm coming back after finishing this and.. i got so carried away.)
(also as a side note, if i were to write a fic about this, i might use a lot of greek/ancient greek terms and words, so if you see something like that, please don't be alarmed.)
first and foremost, i'm definitely clinging to That One Part of wriothesley's canon lore of him abandoning the name given to him before his murder trial. canonically, he just picked up the name "wriothesley" from an obituary because he didn't want to use the one his foster parents gave him. what that name was, we will probably never know (unless it's said in his story quest, which i haven't done yet.) that said, allow me to jump into my hades!wriothesley hcs :D
"wriothesley" is a name that very few actually use. much like canon, people often refer to him as "your grace". however, he has many, many monikers; "the duke of meropide" and "king of the underworld" are just two of many.
underworld residents (or to overworlders, meropide prisoners) coined a bunch of new terms to refer to the elusive duke: aides or aidoneus (meaning "the unseen" or "the invisible one"), orcus (meaning "killer" or "the one who kills"), ditis pater/dis pater/dis (all meaning something along the lines of "rich one"), or clymenus (meaning "the illustrious" or "the revered one")
note: these are all actual names used to refer to hades in greek mythology.
no one calls him those names to his face or in his presence. those names are spoken in whisper -- saying any of those names seems to evoke a physical reaction to anyone who may have been in the fortress long enough to understand the weight behind those names.
hades!wriothesley is not a benevolent being. he is extremely objective. he seldom makes emotional decisions, which leads people to believe that at times, he has no emotions to speak of. (which isn't true, obviously.) his impartial decisions have cost many a life.
i think that because he doesn't rely on his emotions when making many decisions, that is the reason why he goes overboard when it comes to you. it's a little like shaking an unopened soda bottle for an hour and then suddenly opening the top.
wriothesley's love overflows, it gushes, it stains everything it touches. it seeps into every pore and changes you from the inside out. the problem with this, however, is that you resist this change initially.
you are receptive to his... i don't wanna call it advances, since that often has a negative connotation. wriothesley is anything but pushy and inappropriate. he's gentlemanly and chivalrous, so much so that you almost want to scream sometimes. let's call it courting — you allow him to court you, although you keep him at a distance.
why do you keep him at a distance? i... don't really know. perhaps someone can send in a suggestion. but the point is that you don't fully indulge yourself -- sometimes you do, but you become slightly distant and apologetic afterwards. wriothesley understands and is happy to be patient with you, but...
i think my suggestion for your hesitancy would be that you can feel the love that he exudes, and it scares you. you're afraid of what might happen if you allow yourself to sink too deep.
and that... that is probably why you resent him when he takes you to the fortress. that's part of the reason, anyhow. you were afraid of drowning and he literally took you to the bottom of the sea. in a metaphorical sense, he basically tied a brick to your ankles and dragged you down to his own depths against your will. you can't fight, you can't resist -- you can only endure. that is why you're angry with him.
"why do you resent me so?"
hades has the audacity to ask you such a question as you study a flower that he'd brought back from his latest visit to the overworld. you hadn't known of his departure, but when he gifted you this fresh plant, you felt something ugly and bitter stir within you. you became fixated on it, deciding to hole yourself up in your room to spend time with the only thing that gave you peace. you don't react to his question.
he stays quiet for a while, but he doesn't leave. after about five minutes, he inquires again. "please, blossom. i must know. i just wish to make you happy."
you all but slam your hand down on your desk. "happy? you want to make me happy?" you haven't raised your voice, but your tone is as icy as the vision that dangles from his clothing. "set me free. let me go home."
wriothesley is quiet again. "...will you at least look at me?"
the wetness in your eyes forces you to shake your head. "you haven't earned my gaze."
"and what must i do to earn it?"
"i've already told you."
"what else must i do?"
that gets you to turn around. "why are you so stubborn? what is preventing you from letting me go? you yourself can wander between the realms freely, but i can't?" your eyes sting with unshed tears, though the sensation doesn't last long. your frame trembles as you cry, and wriothesley cups your face to wipe the tears away. "do not touch me." you hiss at him.
wriothesley gives you a humorless smile. "you're not pushing me away."
...he's right. why aren't you pushing him away? "you haven't earned the right to touch me."
"haven't i?" hades is leaning in closer. you can smell peppermint on his breath. did he drink tea before coming? his thumb caresses your cheek. your eyes list to the side. "blossom," he calls you. "please."
you have a hard time resisting when he begs you like this. you hate how you let him get away with murder. he's trapped you here against your will, denied you of your freedom, and yet you still allow him to treat you like a deity. you allow him to do as he pleases. you don't feel threatened by him, no -- what you feel is his sincerity. his longing. his love.
you lock eyes with wriothesley. he's sharing a breath with you now. "wh-what do you want?" you ask. "you've already taken everything from me. how greedy can one man be?"
wriothesley's eyes glimmer in the lamplight. you can feel his gaze drop to your lips. his voice is noticeably deeper when he asks, "do you want to find out?"
you're not sure what you feel when he kisses you. the kiss is soft, sweet, and tastes of peppermint. his lips are warm, as is the rest of him. he licks into your mouth slowly and patiently, and you don't fight him.
because really, you've never wanted to push him away. you want to accept wriothesley for who he is, bloodied hands and all. you want him almost as bad as he wants you. and yet you just can't accept him in his entirety-- not as he is now. not when he's secretive and evasive. but his affection gives you some reprieve; his love gives you peace overwhelming, so much so that you let your own feelings shine through in moments like these.
you end the kiss first. you pull away, breathless, though you notice that he doesn't move an inch. after a brief silence, you finally speak. "you're too much for me." you murmur. "you'll be death of me."
wriothesley takes your hands in his. "for as long as i rule the underworld," he replies, "death will never find you. and that's a promise."
(also obligatory catte tag bc i need a fellow wrio lover to see this 🫡🩷 @catcze)
(p.s.: lemme know if i shouldn't tag you in this stuff, okay?)
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mrpenguinpants · 8 months
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Telling genshin boys about Orpheus and Eurydice and asking them if they’d look back
My Faint Magnolia
— He wonders how many times he's heard you tell this story, and how many more he'll force you to recite.
— Dottore / Zandik
White magnolia flowers symbolize purity and perfection. [Masterlist]
I read one Wiki page so don't yell at me if I got anything wrong. Tbh, I don't really like how this fic turned out but it's been sitting in my drafts for years.
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"The musician and prophet Orpheus fell in love with the beautiful Eurydice, only for her to die shortly after. Thus, he journeyed into the Underworld to plead with Hades to bring his beloved back. His wish was granted - but on the condition that he must not look back at Eurydice until they were both back in the land of the living. But Orpheus couldn't resist one glance, and Eurydice was lost to him forever."
"Fascinating. The seventh retelling adds to the suspense."
"Boo, you're no fun. Minus ten points," he hears you whine. The sounds of a book being tossed carelessly aside as ink-stained papers filled with formulas slide forward and brush against the sleeves of his arm. All are pushed away to allow you to sprawl your upper body over the desk so you can mope and continue to avoid doing any actual work. He can feel your gaze on him, patiently waiting for him to look up from his notes and give you attention, yet he continues to write making you huff in annoyance.
You're both supposed to be working on your assignments, so he has excellent reason to keep ignoring you to focus on his work. If anything, he should be annoyed at you, and he is, but it's a testament to how much he's come to tolerate you that he doesn't immediately get up and leave. Or deal with you in another, less unsavory way. Instead, he flips back through the pages of his notebook. A list of collected components of spare parts of a vast machine and smaller notes of their possible working principles and manufacturing processes. Diagrams and sketches of their possible construction and engines filled with footnotes and annotations. Not all of them are in his writing. He wouldn't dare use that atrocious shade of yellow that you seem to love so much.
"Can't we do anything else? I'm bored out of my minddd," you stretch the words out, effectively cutting his concentration in half with nothing but the sound of your voice. He can feel his eye twitch and his pencil's wood creaking from the pressure he's slowly exerting onto it. Your voice is muffled, which means you haven't picked yourself off the table yet, probably hunched over with your cheek against the table that will take another hour for you to pry yourself back up again. He can't wait for his future headache with your complaints about back problems, even though you're killing your own spine and his head. The sound of a pencil rolling back and forth fills the silence, and that's the last of his patience. He slams his notebook down, the pencil bouncing and dropping onto the floor, and the clattering of wood causes his frown to etch deeper. He re-opens his notebook to the page of the Khaenri'ahn machines found in Devantaka Mountain. There's an annoying doodle of a Ruin Hunter in the corner mocking him right back.
"Work."
His clipped voice has you quiet down. It's a good thing you have some sense of preservation and know that even though he indulges you frequently, there are only so many distractions he will let slip through. But the resounding sound of a chair scraping against the floor, papers being shuffled, and your footsteps tell him you're equally frustrated. He thinks he hears you mutter "rigid oaf" under your breath as your footsteps grow fainter. The silence should put him at ease, but it only serves to irate him further since you're the one who's causing him trouble when he just wants to work in peace and quiet. The worst thing about this situation is that he knows you'll refuse to talk to him unless he apologizes first for something he hasn't done wrong. But alas.
He lets out a deep sigh that sounds twice his age. Puspa Café should still be open at this time. If he leaves now, he can still catch up to you. With a sweep of the arm, he quickly gathers his papers haphazardly but still slides them into their rightful places between the meticulous sections of his notebook.
"Would you look back?"
He pauses when your voice sounds behind him unexpectedly. You sound a mixture of cheeky and skeptical, but the drumming of your fingertips against the back of his chair tells him that you are genuinely curious about his response. Maybe even a bit nervous to ask him such a ridiculous question too.
"The fatal flaw of Orpheus is he never stopped to consider the psychological cost of Hade's offer. To think "Do not look back" is an impossible sentence to think without simultaneously speaking the opposite. Every time you repeat, "I must not look back," you are forced to say: "Look back." But that is the weakness of the human mind," is the answer he supplies. He thumbs at the edges of his notebook, worn from all the years he's opened it but still in pristine condition. He doesn't like his things to be dirty. It makes his skin crawl.
"What? Are you above the human mind now? So you wouldn't be tempted at all?" you say with a hint of dumbfoundedness. He's sure you think that he won't give you an actual answer.
"No."
His answer is short but firm. He won't look back. He won't be Orpheus and lose his Eurydice so easily to temptation. His finger moves and tips the cover open, papers flipping until they stop in the middle of the book. Frantic scribbles of ink of his research on the rare disease of Elezar. He thumbs the page's corner until it creases.
"Hey, look at me."
The next page is on segments.
"Why won't you look at me."
The final page is on dreams.
""Please look at me Zandik."
He closes the notebook.
"I thought Orpheus couldn't hear Eurdicye."
He hears you laugh at his unempathetic reply. It's a hallow imitation. Then silence. It always ends like this. His mind dangling what he needs most only to take it away, making him question if you are even still there behind him. Just one look. Just one look to confirm what's behind him but he won't. He won't be a fool like Orpheus. Not until he's finished. So he does what he always has, removes any option he hates, and creates his own means.
+
He blinks awake slowly. The white ceiling of his laboratory stares at him back and the first thing his mind registers is that it's cold. His hand automatically moves to his side only to meet air. That's right, you're not here anymore. You haven't been here for years. The manifestation of the withering caused dark hardened scales to grow across your limbs. Slowly numbing the affected areas until you couldn't walk anymore, which progressed into fatigue and progressive nerve damage. Your last days were spent asleep in a coma surrounded by as many Nilotpala Lotuses as he could find. He closes his eyes again, but the sound of the heavy steel door grates against his nerves before he has the time to truly relax.
"You know you'll never succeed. You know why. Even if this one doesn't die, it won't be the same."
The voice isn't right. Another failure.
Dottore lifts his head to see your segment standing in front of him. That's correct. He can already see the beginnings of scales on the segment's arms. It's funny. He is capable of creating physical carbon copy segments of himself from different stages of his life and yet you, the outlier, it's never the same. A body is made, and a piece of his memories of you acts as the brain, but it's never the same. He knows why. It's because his memories of you are dying. His dreams are getting shorter, and fuzzier around the edges. He used to dream of seeing you, holding you, and he knows the next time he dreams of you, he may not hear your voice anymore. His own segment thoughts echo in his mind. Don't you think this is a waste of materials and time? It's time to give up. They don't understand, they can't dream.
He won't look back because he knows that as soon as he does, he will never dream of you again. Even if the next dream takes away your voice, the next takes away your presence, until he's left with a void of nothing. Even then, he won't look back. He has only dreamed of you every single night, regardless of anything. These are the only things he has left of you. Everything else was taken, stolen, or burnt. He isn't sure if the person he's constantly dreaming of now is actually you or a figment of his imagination that's begging to be free. But he won't let you go.
My doleful aria, tell me that story again tonight.
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quitealotofsodapop · 4 months
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So sonce Wukong is heavily associated with he earth and especially FFM, what if the mountain itself changes to fit Wukong's emotional and physical health? Like when he's sad, depressed, or hopeless it becomes more barren and cold, when he's hurt the earth itself cracks and plants wither and die, whe he's happy it's lush, warm, and beautiful like depicted in the show! It doesn't instantly change of course but slowly, the longer the time Wukong is in a certain mood, the more it affects the mountain. That'd also why the monkeys, who have EVERY reason to be distrustful of a stranger on the mountain considering literally everything in the book, are so quick to warm up to and welcome MK and his family into their midst! Because they make Wukong happy!
Ooo this is such a cool idea.
Wukong being basically the Te Fiti of Flower Fruit Mountain and the surrrounding country of Alolai.
When he ws young and unsure, the islands bloomed with new haphazard shoots and flowers.
When he jumped through the waterfall the first time, the rains came and watered the parched fruit trees.
When he travelled onto the mainland and trained with Sudbodhi, the air became heavy with the winds of his travels - A certain Macaque amongst the troop able to hear where exactly their King was based on how he sang to the breeze. Soon the skies became full of fluffy clouds so thick you could nearly walk (or rather Sommersault on them). It was one of the few joys his people appriciated whilst under the threat of the Demon King of Havoc/Confusion.
The night before the King returned, a great thunder rain occurred - startling all of them awake. A thunder of sadness and anger. But when their King landed home and cut the Demon's head in half with his new powers - the sun shined upon the island once more.
When the Brotherhood was made and friendships forged, the mountain bloomed with new life. Spider lilies flourished in the time the King had been whisked away to the Underworld, and lotus flowers sprang forth upon his return.
When their king lost himself as an attendant of Heaven, the waters in the streams became stale like a horse through, and fruits shrivelled on the branches like they had been dried for a dessert.
Oddly enough, when their King made havoc in Heaven; the most that the mountain experienced was a sudden unseasonable bloom of peach blossoms that dripped a heady dew.
When Sun Wukong was defeated and captured for the Furnance... the mountain Burned.
For 49 days straight.
They at first blamed the war god Erlang that had bested their King in the first place, but he and the rest of the brothers of Meishan rallied to save as many monkey yao as possible from the flames and the subsequent floods of murky ash.
When the Monkey King burst forth from the Trigram Furnace, it sent a volley of burning charcoal comets down to earth. Including onto the Stone Place itself.
And when the Buddha was forced to raise his hand? The island stagnanted.
For 500 years the razed island could not grow more than grass and ferns. No more fruits or flowers bloomed. The water was bitter and black with charcoal. And whats more, humans from the mainland beyond had discovered that the country of Alolai was ripe for the picking...
When their King returned once more at the helm of a fight with his religious master, the island rained for the first time in centuries. As he struck down each and every hunter he found, and saved and returned as many as his people as he could, the island seemed to Revive with the scent of blossoms and peaches.
When he left to rejoin his Pilgrim friends, the fruits and flowers still came, now just less sweet.
His subjects knew immediately knew when something terrible had happened with their King years on. The winds stopped blowing as if a switch had been struck. Stone fruit trees crumbled into dust as if they were diseased. The waters of the streams became salted as if with tears... it took a long time for the island to return to some normalcy after that. Though the plum trees never returned, no matter how ardent the efforts of those who keep mountains orchards.
A great bloom of golden flowers and fruits occurred the day their King had reached the home of the Buddha. The rush of life announced via a clap of thunder. The monkeys of the island hooted and sung for weeks at their King's return.
Many years later, fire broke out on the mountain's peak. Their King returned home with a haunted look upon his face but gave no explaination. They began to see less and less of the Western Horse-Dragon after that day... soon the fruits and waters became stale once more. The only flowers that bloomed were ones of mourning.
On a day, after many of arficially sweetened waters adn fruits, a great aurora of golden and purple lights broke forth in the skies above the island - distracting the King's subject long enough that they missed his wonder and conflict at finding a little stone monkey much like himself. The clouds rained heavy with seawater in the days to come.
And on the day a certain child appeared, the sun shone a hue so beautiful and happy that the subjects of the island just knew someone dear to the King had returned.
The plum trees returned some time afterwards, though the fruits were a little sour. They became sweet once more in the year after.
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hyunsvngs · 8 months
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heyyyyyyy
just thinking about monsterfucking and what type of monster skz would be and the dynamics of how things would work depending on what kind of creature they are
personally I feel like jeongin gives off some sort siren vibes and yeah :)))
i BELIEVE miss @cbini has answered something similar before so miss ems my lovely dear if you have anything to ADD let me know... but here are my onions as a BIG MONSTER FUCKER
chan: oh not to be stereotypical but werewolf chan has my HEART lmao. like full on werewolf chan who has to be chained up by the strongest industrial chains during a full moon.. yeah. especially if you have to be held back by the other boys because he's imprinted on you too
minho: iiii am once again discussing vampire minho and i WILL be mentioning @jl-micasea-fics story sanguis limerence as my FAVOURITE vampire skz fic. i have nothing else to say please read it
changbin: okay i rly struggled w binnie but then i thought... what abt banshee bin? like you hear the banshee scream when you're about to die, and what if you hear him scream and then you see him and you're like what the fuck he's hot. and then he ends up changing fate n saving u and u fuck :) thanks for listening
hyunjin: succubus. a demon who plagues your dreams with such amazing sex that you wish for the day that he finally enters your room, and when he does? god, you're going insane. takes u to the demon underworld and keeps u there as his cute lil sex slave
jisung: alien jisung. i KNOW there are lots of jisung alien fics and i wholeheartedly agree w him having a cute blue ribbed alien tentacle dick that's soooo jisung. taking u to his planet too where he drops his glamour and the cutie has little antennas!! oh my god
felix: a LITTLE FAIRY. fairy flowers should've told u all how much i love the concept of pixie lixie. cute pink wings that shimmer in the light!! flutters around u like a little tinkerbell and takes u to his little mushroom home :( <3
seungmin: slenderman seungmin with the tentacles and shit. no comment on it ANY further for personal reasons (meaning... u can wait for kinktober).
jeongin: siren 100%. sexy little shirtless siren who maybe has bright blue eyes and soft dark hair and waits for u on the rocks at the beach near ur home every night.. maybe even a beautiful black/dark blue tail that glimmers in the moonlight with the water from the ocean.. oh
♡ juno
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groversimp · 11 months
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Nico di Angelo x male reader who was imprisoned in a sleep for a long fucking time and Nico discovered while on a quest and just imprinted on Nico when he woke up and protects him and they have a bond since they both don’t have a sense in time and Nico dresses them and they are bffs (Reader would be physically 20s mentally around 500 thousand and this would be platonic and really fluffy like a god dad that just likes Nico a lot and is friendly but has an attachment to Nico and Nico loves his god dad definitely got him a mug with “#1 God Dad”
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Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site
Anon <3 this is such a cute request <3
This takes place somewhere after HOO but before TOA, and before Nico and Will get together.
Reader does have kids but they’re dead so..
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When Nico had first met you, long long ago on a small quest for Ares (to get an anniversary gift for Lady Aphrodite) he thought you were dead. Your exomis and thorny flower crown made you look like a man of the past. You laid on a wooden bed with plush blankets made from fur and pillows so soft they made Nico’s hand ache. You looked ethereal, so untouchable by the blue flames of the underworld’s candle. The only thing that ruined the sight was the obsidian handcuffs, keeping your wrists captive on the bed frame. Nico frowned, why were you here? Before he went back to Olympus to gift Ares his anniversary gift, he stopped by his fathers castle.
“Dad..” He spoke, Hades glared down at him from his throne. “Nico.” Nico rolled his eyes, his dad’s typical pessimistic tone echoing in the barren hall, “what’s with the sleeping dude in the cave?” Hades gave him a confused,curious look for a minute before taking a breath in and nodding,suddenly understanding. “That’s Y/N.” Nico waited a beat for a further explanation, “and?” “He was a god, a son of Zagreus, who fell in love with a mortal. Y/N tried to turn his mortal lover to a god, but Zeus was enraged by that- claiming that his lover was not worth it. Zeus paid Hypnos, god of Sleep, to put Y/N in an eternal sleep till someone is strong enough to defeat the monsters that live within his dreams.” Naturally, Nico knew he needed to save you.
“But, what is Y/N the god of?” His father looked unimpressed by the constant questions, and let out an annoyed sigh. “He is the god of mercy. Before his eternal sleep, he was the one who decided who does and does not die at a specific point in time. The Fates loved him,” his father finished that last part sarcastically.
Nico nodded. Yep, he was definitely needed to save you. He turned on his heel and pranced away from the palace, leaving only the aura of death and his father’s annoyance behind.
After he had left Olympus, he returned to the underworld, wiping Aphrodite’s lipstick off his cheek. It was mildly annoying, but nice. She was very fond of the gift Ares had picked out for her, so fond infact that she kissed both of Nico’s cheeks and told him that he’ll be grateful later.. Whatever that meant.
Nico returned to your cave- a small,hidden home next to the river Lethe. The air in your cave was somewhat humid, with a sleepy aura around it. Poppy flowers and Yarrow strung the walls and grew on the grassy floor. His eyes felt heavy as he sat down on the bed next to you. Nico set his hand on your head and suddenly he felt himself pass out- getting sucked into your dreams.
The next several hours were ones of fighting and yelling out your name. The atmosphere of your dreams was a big flower field, where Nico was little and all the flowers were ginormous. They looked like skyscrapers and Nico knew that his sister Hazel would either love or hate this place. There were even bigger hourglasses with cryptic messages of the names of mortals and demigods who had died horrible deaths.. ones you couldn’t save.
The only thing that kept Nico from getting lost was a glowing,golden string that he could only assume was a trail leading him to you.
Alas, he was correct- because hours later he discovered you in a big flower-hut. You sat at a table, with an assortment of foods and teas laid out before you nicely. Almost like a tea party. Nico knocked on the wall to let you know that he was there, and the smile you gave him when you looked up made you look half mad.
“Hello, child..” Your voice was honey-drenched and sounded like the melody to a lost birdsong. It made him feel at peace. “I’ve been expecting you.” Nico hummed and sat down at your table, grabbing one of your small sandwiches from a dessert tray and eating it. You frowned at him and started to rearrange the tray so it looked even again.
“I didn’t wait thousands of years for you to come here and fuck up my pretty food!” Nico froze in his tracks. Did you just swear?
“Oh.” He said, awkwardly shifting, “I’m sorry?” You glared at him, but quickly started grinning and let out a laugh, “I like you. You’re weird.”
Wow. Brutal.
Eventually, after more fighting (which you were surprisingly good at), you two got out of the dream world.
Nico flopped down on your bed, but you remained sitting up- looking at the room around you with stars in your eyes. Nico glared up at you, watching as you processed the newly-found world around you.
“Y/N.”
Your gaze snapped down to him. “Yes?” You said, your voice cracking and shaky after years of not being used. Nico sat up and stared at you for a moment before standing.
“C’mon,” he held his hand out to you and you took it. Your legs were shaking as you stood and walked slowly, one step at a time. Nico looked a bit annoyed but he had the grace to help you and not mention it.
You both got back to Camp Half-Blood, where you were immediately put in the infirmary- Dionysus and Chiron had come in to speak with you- you greeted Dionysus first, as he was a reincarnation of your father, then you greeted Chiron. You talked to them for a while about what happened, why it happened, and how you felt, but you didn’t really have much to say.
“Remember, if you need to tell us anything- you can always find us in the Big House.” Chiron said lowly and he trotted out of the room, giving you one last knowing look.
You stayed up there for days, rotting in place and watching as Nico and some Apollo’s kid (terribly) flirted. You snorted one day as the doctor left and Nico glared over at you,
“What’s so funny?” You shook your head and looked away with a boyish grin, “nothing! That’s just not how you get a guy’s attention.”
Nico sucked in a breath then came over to sit at the edge of your bed, “then how do you?” You quickly sat up, surprising Nico. “You’ve gotta use your eyes.” He looked unimpressed, “my eyes? Really?”
“Yes really! See,” you gave an example- fluttering your eyelashes and winking. “I’m not doing that.” He said. “Then don’t expect to ever get a boyfriend.” You countered, Nico groaned and stood up- “bye Y/N.” You muttered a goodbye and watched as he left.
A few weeks later, they let you out of the infirmary- but the medic, and Nico’s crush, gave you firm instructions to come in everyday after lunch for a checkup. Nico brought you to his cabin, closing the door and turning on the lights being you.
“Oh gods, it looks like a goth threw up in here!” You said as you looked around, Nico rolled his eyes. “I designed it when I was like 11, give me a break.”
He pulled some clothes out of his closet, a pair of jeans and some band shirt that said something about a chemical romance.. You glared at him as he handed you the clothes, “I am not wearing these.”
“Yes you are.” Nico pushed you towards the bathroom, “no! Where’s the color, where’s the pizzazz?”
“How do you even know that word?” You glared at him as you went into the bathroom and shut the door, “I just do.”
You came back out of the bathroom a few minutes later, grumbling about how you look like him now. “Is that really the worst thing?” Nico said, “yes. Yes it is.” Nico grumbled at your reply and went back to his bunk, grabbing a mysterious black box.
“What’s in there?” You asked, mischief a clear note in your sweet voice. “Just some supplies Will wanted me to pick up.” A faint blush was apparent on his face, and you immediately sparked up with anticipation. You grinned and got closer to him, pointing a finger at his arm, “someone has a crush!”
“No, I do not!” “Yes, you do!” He huffed and gave you a glare that could stop Ares in his tracks, “no, I don’t.” You backed off for a moment and walked away- “whatever you say, Nico..” you looked back at him, “but I’m here if you ever want to talk.”
The rest of the week was mundane, you started to understand the customs. The next few weeks went by, and you started to fit in. Then months rolled by and you were part of the Camp Half-Blood family.
Finally, fathers day had rolled around. It was a little sad, considering you’d always pop by to say hi to your demigod kids in Old Greece- now they were long gone, only misty memories that you held. But, you had Nico. He had become your closest thing to family. Always coming to you for advice and affection.
So, here you were, laying on your bed in the Hades cabin as you sniffed back tears thinking of your lost children. Your poor,poor kids- so young and vibrant and gorgeous. You could still imagine their laughter, loud and clear as you told them jokes or chased them around the yard. Their yelling as you threw a discus their way, and their triumphant howl they caught it.
A knock on the wooden frame of your bed made you shoot right up- shock and surprise rolling through your stomach, then embarrassment as you realized Nico had seen you cry.
He frowned and sat down at the foot of your bed, slightly out of reach. “Y/N..” Looking down, you cleared your throat and sniffed again, not allowing yourself to start crying once more. “I know that this isn’t easy for you, but I just want you to know that you’re not alone.” You looked up at him, not truly knowing what to say.
Nico gave a wet laugh and you realized that his eyes were filled with tears too. “It’s not easy for me either, not with no family..” He handed you a gift bag that you hadn’t seen, “but I thought we might be able to celebrate together?”
You looked down at the bag, then back up at him, then back to the bag. As you opened it and looked at your gift, you couldn’t help but laugh.
The mug was poorly printed, and the glass was a scratchy,low quality kind- but that only made it better. It said, in bold letters, “World’s Best God Dad.” You shook your head with laughter before setting it down next to you and tackling Nico in a hug.
“You’re my favorite human son,” you said as he cackled. You both laid there, hugging and laughing till your ribs hurt and ached. Nico sniffed and pushed you off of him slightly so he could see your face- “do you like it?” He asked, a smile on his usually distraught face.
“I love it.” He smiled even wider.
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yonemurishiroku · 10 months
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Hi! I know asks are closed, so don't answer this one until you're done with everything else, please! 💕 I'm happy to wait because I dunno when's the next time I'm visiting tumbly 😂 Do you have any Nico-centric fic recs? Mostly centered on family? Thank you! And good luck with the others! ❤❤❤
Hi!! I hope this reply reaches you because Nico's family is my religion. 😭😭😭 The good news is that I do have some nice recommendations for you!
The other news is that I consider Persephone a part of Nico's family too so be aware that I'd include her! I'm a die-hard believer of Persephone-Nico step-mother-and-son/ begrudging friends/ defenders of the Underworld and I'm not letting that go.
Flowers Bloom Until They Rot by HoneySim (Solangelo, Will finds out Nico is not the son of Hades but of Persephone)
But I would die for you, in secret by deathboy-and-solace (LWritesx): Nico and Hades's attempt at family bonding!
Hold My Hand, I'll Guide You Home by Higuchi_Sora: AU in which Hades raises the Nico and Bianca in the Underworld instead of sending them to the Lotus Hotel. Peak wholesome. Persephone is the best step-mother. Little Nico is the cutest. PLEASE TRY. TRUST ME.
威尼斯午后 by qsxcguik: I know, I know, it's not English. But dammit if this isn't the best Nico-Hades plus Bianca, Maria fanfic I've ever read. 😭😭😭 This is basically a day of their family back in Venice, 1937. I use Google Translate and still, it's such a good fic, you know? I still hold this close to my heart. Please give it a chance, you won't be disappointed.
oh, darling, don’t you ever grow up by babyimafirefighter: Hades-Nico again. They have problems but they're trying. This got me teary every time I came back reading.
Happy Birthday, Have a Zombie! by shiiki: Hades gifting Nico a zombie driver.
bring me home by Rehearsal_Dweller (Solangelo, Nico & Jason): Hades helping Nico with Jason's death.
Family by apollosmortalangst (orphan_account): The Underworld family in the eyes of Cerberus, more Cerberus-centric but this is such a good fic and I cried and you'll have to cry too.
as the trees do by manywheels: Nico and Zagreus! But only if you know both PJO and Hades game lol since this is a crossover. But eh i haven't played the game, only got a vague idea of what it's about but I still enjoy it a lot, so maybe you would too!
And now. My time to shamelessly push my own works ehehe:
Hold me like we're going home in which Nico falls in battle and Hades brings him back to the Underworld. I also have another which is Hazel-centric that talks about Nico's pomegranate seeds: Wait for me please, I'll wake you from this long dream
This is also supposed to be a series in which Nico stays and heals in his father's kingdom with the help of other chthonic deities. Well, that's the plan at least LOL. I'm still trying, anw I'd be very glad if you can give this a chance!
That's about it Ig. Hope you have a great time reading!! Now excuse me I have to go and reminisce on all this old bookmarks
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yoga-onion · 6 months
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Legends and myths about trees
Celtic beliefs in trees (25)
R for Ruis (Elder) - November 25th - December 21st
“Season of fog and darkness – The Celtic Tree Calendar (Ref), Thirteenth Month”
colour: black, dark green; Star: Venus; Gem: olivine; Gender: female; Element: water; Patron: Hel, Hera, Huldra(Red2), Valkyrie; Symbols: judgement + transformation, death + rebirth, fate + inevitable event
Elder trees can grow almost anywhere and are a visible reminder of the changing seasons. The young leaves herald the return of spring, the white, bubbly, sweet-smelling flowers usher in the start of summer, the ripe berries mark the end of summer, the leaves turn red and eventually fall off, and the cold winter brings a rush of illness and discomfort, the time when the medicinal properties of the elder tree come into their own.
The ancient Britons and other Celts used to boil the elder berries in wine to make a black dye for grey hair. It is still used in the Hebrides as a dye to dye sheep black. The bark also makes a black dye. When alum is added, the leaves produce a green dye, while the berries produce blue, purple and violet dyes.
Almost all parts of the plant have medicinal properties, but today it is mainly the fruit and flowers that are used, such as elderflower wine and cordials (Ref3) flavoured with elderflower flowers, as well as jam and wine made from elderflower berries. Because, elderberry root from North America is toxic and the leaves and bark of elderberry are very dangerous to use in lay therapy.
The Elder Mother (Ref4) was believed to reside within the Elder Tree. She was said to inflict vengeance magic on anyone who harmed the tree and punished anyone who used any part of the tree for selfish purposes.
Across northern Europe, Elderberry is associated with death, rebirth and witchcraft, and is the tree most often used to break evil curses. The ancient Celts believed that how people saw and remembered them for the way they lived in this world would determine their reputation after death in the underworld. That is why the most important thing for them was to die with pride and dignity, and to respect others after death.
On a dark winter's day, the Elder tree holds up a mirror to us that reflects our true selves. Can you die with dignity and without regrets, it asks.
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木にまつわる伝説・神話
ケルト人の樹木の信仰 (25)
RはRuis (ニワトコ) - 11月25日~12月21日
『霧と暗黒の季節 〜 ケルトの木の暦(参照)、13番目の月』
色: 黒、深緑; 星: 金星;  宝石: カンラン石(オリビン); 性: 女性; 要素; 水; 守護神: ヘル、ヘラ、ホルダ(参照2)、ヒルデ; シンボル: 審判+変身、死+再生、運命+不可避なできごと
ニワトコの木はほとんどどこにでも生え、季節の移り変わりを目に見える形で知らせてくれる。若葉は春の訪れを告げ、白い泡のような甘い香りの花は夏の始まりを告げ、熟した実は夏の終わりを告げ、葉は赤く色づいてやがて落葉し、寒い冬とともに病気や不快感がどっと押し寄せると、いよいよニワトコの薬の成分が本領を発揮する季節になる。
古代ブリトン人はじめケルト人はニワトコの実をワインで煮出して白髪染めの黒い染料を作っていた。今でもへブリディーズ諸島で羊を黒く染める染料として使われている。樹皮もまた黒の染料となる。明礬を加えると、葉からは緑の染料が、実からは青、紫、スミレ色の染料ができる。
ニワトコは殆ど全ての部位に薬効を持っているが、今日では、ニワトコの花で香りづけをした、エルダーフラワーワインやコーディアル(参照3)、またニワトコの実のジャムやワインなど、主に果実と花がよく使われている。北米産のニワトコの根には毒性があったり、ニワトコの葉や樹皮は素人療法に用いるのはとても危険だからである。
「ニワトコの母(参照4)」はニワトコの木の中に住んでいると信じられていた。彼女は、この木を傷つけた者には必ず復讐の魔法を下すといわれ、この木のどんな部分であれ利己的な目的に使ったものには罰を与えた。
北ヨーロッパの全域でニワトコは、死、再生、魔術と関連づけられ、邪悪な呪いを解くのに最もよく用いられる木だ。古代ケルト人は、この世での生き方が人々にどう見られ、どう記憶されるかが、死後冥界に行ってからの自分の評価を左右するのだと考えていた。だからこそ彼らにとって最も重要なのは、誇り高く威厳をもって死ぬことであり、死んでからも人を尊重することだった。
冬の暗い日に、ニワトコは私たちに本当の自分の姿が映る鏡を突きつける。あなたは、威厳を持って悔いのない死を迎えることができるのか、と。
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khaire-traveler · 23 days
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Not sure if you've been asked this before, but how does Hellenism view the afterlife these days? Are we still mere mortal souls doomed to eternity in Hades or, as in spiritualism and Buddhism, do souls still roam the world, seeking redemption and evolution, otherwise they are reborn again?
Hey, Nonny!
In my experience, it varies vastly from person to person. I've met worshippers who believe that nothing at all happens when we die and worshippers who believe we get to choose our own afterlives. I think it's up to us to decide what we believe. No one knows for certain what happens when we die, and as scary as that can be, it gives us the opportunity to find the answer on our own.
In general, however, the belief of The Underworld in Greek polytheism does exist. There are three levels to The Greek Underworld - Tartarus, where the shitheads go; The Asphodelian Fields, where your average person goes; Elysium, where heroes (whatever that entails) go. There is no rulebook on how to get into which afterlife, but many ancient Greek cults formed around the idea that there was some kind of secret guaranteed ticket into Elysium.
In the Orphic belief system, souls get a chance at reincarnation, despite going to The Underworld. I've met many worshippers who agree with this idea. From my understanding, in Orphism, reincarnation is a choice, but I'm genuinely not sure because I'm not too educated on this belief system.
I would like to say, though, that going to The Underworld is no damnation. Your soul isn't "doomed" if it goes there. Most people (hence, "your average person") go to The Asphodelian Fields - a beautiful field of flowers where you can spend your afterlife resting, relaxing, and being at peace. Tartarus, which can be compared to the Christian Hell, is where the truly heinous people go - the murderers, the genocidal maniacs, those who go out of their way to bring misery to others. Most people don't go to Tartarus; you have to be a special kind of evil to end up there. I would say an afterlife spent roaming beautiful fields of flowers and reconnecting with loved ones is one that is worth the wait after spending a lifetime in the chaotic world we live in.
I hope this answered your question, although I didn't share my personal beliefs regarding the afterlife. If you're curious about those, you're welcome to ask! If not, I hope this answer provided you with the information you were looking for. Take care, Nonny, and have a good day/night! 🧡
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audreyscribes · 14 days
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Ω PJO DEMIGOD HEADCANONS:💀 PERSEPHONE: QUEEN OF THE UNDERWORLD, GODDESS OF SPRING, THE DEAD, THE UNDERWORLD, GRAIN, AND NATURE 💐 (PART 2)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is PART 2 of the Persephone Demigod Headcanons. Due to the size limit of Tumblr, I had to split the entire work into two. [LINK TO PART 1 HERE] Hi everyone! It took me a bit to figure it out but here's what everyone has been waiting for! Persephone is just 1 out of the 4 works I have planned and written for, and these works will be categorized as the MISCELLANEOUS GODS due to not the fact these gods are minor or anything, but because I did mention this in an ask before and it's easier to think about due to the canon PJO worldbuilding. These works will be a bit more loose since I'm taking a shot in the wild so hopefully you guys like it. Thanks for reading!!
You can summon the dead as much as the children of Hades, but there’s a keypoint where you can reanimate, revive the dead under some certain circumstances: like bringing back life to dead flowers by imparting your own power, but they're still destined to die because that is the cycle of nature after all. With living beings, it’s much more different the more complex and messier it gets. Animals are sort of allowed, but human beings? That’s a big no-no. It is the quickest and most instantaneous way to make Hades incinerate you on the spot, or make the earth swallow you beneath your feet. He already did that to Aslepius, who was so good at medicine he could revive the dead. You may be Persephone’s child and Hades’ may be lenient with you, but you’re still bound to the sacred mortal laws like everything.  Even if you can’t revive (human) life, don’t even think of trying. 
Don’t be surprised if you are more in tune and affected by seasonal changes. Given how Persephone is connected with the changing of seasons, you have Autumn, Winter, Spring, and Summer aspects. What each season means to you will depend on from when you were born and furthering back from it. The children of Hecate are a good support group for this and normalise it. 
You can’t be gluten free or allergic to pollen. If you were, you aren’t now once you’re claimed. Not under Persephone’s (and Demeter’s) watch. It’ll literally go against everything that is them. You’ll also have a great love of mint, particularly munching on mint leaves. You don’t know why until you learn about the story of Minthe; a nymph that Hades pursued before Persephone faced her wrath. 
Between Demeter and Persephone,, you’re going to eat so much grains; particularly whole wheat. Even if you’re not a big fan of it, you’re conditioned to eat it and tolerate it. If you don’t eat whole wheat or whole grains every so often, you’ll feel something is missing from your diet and you’ll be craving it bitterly. 
I think being a child of Persephone makes you an exception to seeing your godly parent due to some loophole. You’re kind of obligated to go visit Persephone for the Winter and Spring equinox; in Winter, you’ll also have to meet Hades. On the plus side, the Winter visits allows you and Hades to get to know one another and minimizes any animosity the Lord of the Underworld may have towards you. You’ll also get to know Nico, Hazel, and possibly any other children of Hades/Pluto along the way with the Winter Equinox visits. 
Surprisingly, Mr. D gives some sympathy and help coming to terms with the whole unusual birth thing. Anytime you have a panic or existential crisis, Mr. D is there waiting with a can of diet coke waiting for you. Chiron may also be there for those sessions if so required. 
Cabin wise at Camp Half-Blood will have to erect a Persephone cabin/temple now you’re here. In the early beginning, you’re going between the Demeter cabin or the Hades cabin until they build a cabin. The reason it’s taking so long because with Persephone, it is also prompting a possible Amphitrite cabin also along the way just to be fair because Hera has her already, then there’s Persephone, and then that also leaves the last of the Big Three’s Wives: Amphitrite. It’s less on the building part that is the problem, but the future ramifications that everyone is debating and preparing for; a storm that has yet to come.
If there’s a Child of Hera when you’ve arrived and been claimed or during your time at camp, you’re both automatically sticking with each other in solidarity based on the whole impossible child scenario, and children of Queens. You’re also both talking with each other and being discussed with is there going to be a chance of a demigod child of Amphitrite in the future. (though very unlikely at the moment due to the fact she is Nereids, and there hasn’t been any evidence that she has any interest in mortal men*) 
You’re guided to Camp Halfblood and chaperoned by your step sibling and son of Hades, Nico di Angelo. You have had 3 to 6 months to get to know him, and him knowing, coming to terms, and being quickly forced to acclimate to your existence. With a favour from Hades and a gently enforced command by Persephone, he was to accompany you to Camp Halfblood. It was less because of the threat of monsters, with the company you’re keeping, but more so as “emotional and physical support”. Seeing as you couldn’t be accompanied by the Lampades, the nymphs of the Underworld, Nico was the best next option (read: Nico is being told to accompany you in a political move to solidify your position and enforce your presence). 
When you get claimed, you come on the cusp of Winter and Spring. The bare naked trees that are covered with snow disappear as yellow-green bright leaves begin to take over the branches with flower buds blossoming. The snow melts away into water, seeping into the earth below you, with fuzzy grass peeking out. It carpets underneath you with flowers sprouting underneath you, the first flowers of spring of Crocus, Snowdrops, Daffodils, with the appearance of butterflies and robins fluttering around you. 
Two birds drop down to put a crown of thorns, twisting around to resemble a deer’s horns, setting upon your head, menacing as the winter light casts a menacing shadow, before the claim of Persephone of the Pomegranate appears, glowing brightly. The crown begins to sprout flowers along with the bare trees and plantations into your favourite flowers.
Everyone looks at you in changing confusion, fear, awe, and then disbelief and realisation. You see some people’s eyes, their auras distinct as they look at Nico for answers who sighs before steps forward and clear his throat, his scratchy throat sounding like bare branches rubbing against each other yet loud like a tree falling in a quiet forest.  “I, Nico di Angelo, Son of Hades, present the child of Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, Goddess of the Dead, Grains, Spring, and Nature. Hail (F/n) (L/n), their eminence of the seasons.”
Silence takes over like the winter wind before everyone screams with uproar, with minor voices yelling “NOT AGAIN”.
[PART 1 TO PERSEPHONE DEMIGOD HEADCANONS HERE]
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