The Magnificent Quiver Tree

The Magnificent Quiver Tree

Fine-Art Landscape Prints

Gallery-Quality Art

"“Because of its sculptural form, the Quiver Tree is one of the most spectacular aloe species found in Southern Africa”"

Aloe dichotoma is a species of aloe native to Southern Africa. It is also known as The Quiver tree or Kokerboom.

The name, Quiver tree, refers to the San people’s (Oldest African Tribe in Southern Africa) use of its hollowed branches to make quivers for their arrows. The quiver tree is a very large species of aloe and can be only found only in southern Africa. The tree is found in the very dry habitats in Namibia and South Africa . The quiver tree is a large species of aloe that can only be found in southern Africa. The tree is found in Namibia and South Africa in very dry habitats.

The Quiver tree's thick succulent leaves grow in a rosette up to 6 meters tall to escape the worst of the devastating heat. To keep cool, the branches are thickly coated in a fine white powder that reflects the sun's heat rather than absorbing it. The soft fibrous tissue trunk of the aloe tree can sore great quantities of water allowing it to survive the frequent droughts and extreme heat. The giant quiver tree is the most endangered of South Africa's three quiver tree species. It is found in a narrow band, with its southernmost range well above the Tropic of Capricorn. Their numbers have steadily declined as a result of plant collectors and climatic conditions that have hampered seedling growth. 

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Author Peter Delaney

From the dialogue prompts, I need 13 with Bucky. Please. I need it.

❝ Yearning

prompt 13: “Look, I know you’re a hardass, but can you play with my hair? It would really help.”

Request a prompt!

Do Not Repost My Works!

An outsider, and a lone wolf - what an odd pair some might say. Or rather it couldn’t be more fitting. Closed-off, coherent mutters, tiny smiles, stonic glares, but radiate a glimmer of warmth from their fractured hearts; only reserved for close friends.

No one understands these two self-labeled – half-jokingly misanthropists, better than each other.

Modern day Bonnie and Clyde, Tony slurred once at a late Christmas party, an emo and a goth - a tease from Sam.

Snuffs out hovering regrets and scars with whispered declarations under the moon and stars, and bandaging ghost pains with massages and lush kisses.

Ying and Yang, milky white morphed beautifully with smooth blackness, dance around each other in perfect harmony — in which of sparring and making love.

Don’t even have to speak a word – it’s the eyes, and the other soulmate is aware of the other’s thoughts.

Speak in black satirize jabs that often bleeds into a concerning spectrum - that more often than not, pushes Steve and Tony to schedule therapy appointments. Just to make sure you two are okay.

Ushered pet names, such as sweetheart, doll, baby, darling, Buckeroo, fuck-face, and dumb-baby, hanging off of him like a whiny baby koala, and Bucky latching onto you as a needy over-sized teddy bear, with you on his lap.

Clint jabbed that you looked like an ape playing on a tree, and lingering chaste forehead kisses that sends sweetened shivers down your spine.

Before you and Bucky met each other, it was set in your minds that happiness wasn’t meant to be.

The moment you were inducted by the high regards of Fury, to become the newest member of the Avengers, a short fuzzy curled domed beauty, who is a master of martial arts, mental and physical stealth, hand-to-hand combat, weaponry, intelligence, and bilingualism.

Effortlessly within less than week, you gained the Widow’s respect — an honor so hard to gain.

You truly stole Bucky’s breath away at first sight. Masked underneath the century’s best impassive gaze, what once was a shriveled coal of despair, was then resurrected into a beating heart pulsing with hope.

You and Bucky weren’t always the clingy knuckleheads.

Distance, fear, and self-loathing running so deep into a tumultuous inky swamp. Days turn into weeks, and soon blur into months of pining.

It drove the rest of the team absolutely mad of the egg-shell tap dancing and revolted out by the moon eyes.

Coined as “hard-headed dipshits” by Clint and Sam, honest to God, stubborn mules refusing to be honest with your feelings.

One minute, Bucky and yourself are making jokes, mindlessly sadating touch-starved skin with fingers linking and fumbling. Spending day and night glued to the hip, at training, movie-nights, or you soothing his night terrors away under your gentle touch.

One instance, Bucky’s head in your lap, your fingers itched to toy with his hair, he prayed you would too.

To then awkwardly avoiding eye-contact, because if you don’t get too close, you won’t get hurt. Too little, too late. You were wrapped around each other’s pinkies the moment you met.

When Steve approached Bucky about making a move on you, Bucky’s cheeks dusted pink, stumblingly over his words, “N-no, we’re j-ust f-friends, Steve. Why ruin t-that?”

“You can’t ruin what’s meant to be. You deserve to be happy, Buck.”

With a curt nod, and ears burning red with embarrassment, Bucky dusted off Steve’s words.

Why would she fall for an one armed killer? She deserves better.

Wanda’s and Natasha’s nagging for you to admit your crush for Bucky was going no-where, it was as if they were conversing with a brick wall. Internally you shake in anguish, you want to hold him.

The nights of caressing, and cooing his fragile spartan body in your arms are turning more affectionate.

Your heart swells, but what would a perfect sculpted Adonis crafted by Greek gods want with an scarred woman? Eczema patches, and battle scars litter your body, each cicatrax tells a hard tale.

Bile retches at your throat whenever you bathe — so what makes it any different if Bucky sees your scars? He needs a perfect woman, not a broken one. He doesn’t need anymore more burdens.

This is a door not worth the risk of opening, a friendship is all it is.

It wasn’t till a mission gone hay-wire that ripped the hinges right off of said door. Infiltrating an HYDRA facility, a HYDRA agent sneaking up behind Bucky, a thud of the butt of a rifle on his cranium, and a bullet a few centimeters away from his skull.

Panicking rising in your chest, with no mercy, rittled this agent with multiple bullets. Each puncture splattering blood, you could’ve kept ripping this life-less body apart, but you ran out of bullets — sniffles and the airy click of your gun.

Bucky halted you, wrapping his arms around your waist, shushing you. “It’s okay, doll. It’s okay.” A peck on your pulse point, you whimpered.

The flight back was coated in silence, but Bucky’s fingertips sneakily connect into yours. Instinctively, you gripped his flesh palm.

Dominating steps back into the compound, a quickly trip to MedBay for Bucky for the swollen lump on his head, sobs in a cold shower, both of you and Bucky, you could have lost him.

He’s not immortal, that fucker, that beautiful blue-eyed fucker. Super soldier serum goo does not stop bullets!

Shoulders stiff, stomping with a purpose towards Bucky’s apartment, right next to yours. Your clenched fists hovers over the steel door, even in your stir-madness, you didn’t have the heart to disturpt him.

Gently, you knocked. Tapping your foot, it’s his reaction to it all. Calm as a clam.

Fucking fuck you, Buck, you almost died. And it was my fault, I didn’t watch your six. You could’ve died because of me —

You’re not angry at him, you’re pissed at yourself.

The door opens, a refreshed showered Bucky stands before you, hair wet and slick. A wiery smile curls on his face, his arm stretched out, scooping you into his chest.

His flesh is warm, and you melt like butter. Without missing a step, pulling you in his room, as you held onto him, rubbing your nose into his biceps, you mutter “Elaborate.”

“Huh, doll?”

“Elaborate, why are you so fucking calm?!”

A Cheshire grin creeps on his face, “Doll, I’m fine.” You care, your homicidal outburst earlier today proved to him that your affections run deeper.

“No!” You snatch yourself out of his grip, although you withstand a whimper from the instant coldness.

“You could’ve died!” he shushed you, “Let’s just lay down, okay?” A few curses on his name mumble under your breath, a huff of amusement escapes his nose.

Leading you onto his bed, a natural scene, just two friends cuddling, right? Bucky pulls you into his chest once more, nose to nose. Blue meets brown, a shift is in the air.

“It’s my fault, you could be in a box, right now!” Your eyes burn from an impending sheen of tears, “And you should’ve been looking more and –” your fingers find solace in his wet tresses, his eyes roll in the back of his head. Soothing the bump on his head, fuck it was sore, most certainly bruised.

Fuck that feels good.

“Next time, be careful! You’re older, and should be more aware. What that saying go? The older you get, the wiser you are. Fucking noodle-head! You know what? I’ll talk to Steve and make sure you never go on a mission again!” by now your nimble fingers leave his scalp, as you spat demands.

In second nature, of you being tough, and authoritative, but your voice wavers. Too emotional.

No, don’t stop!

“Look, I know you’re a hardass, but can you play with my hair? It would really help.” Bucky interrupted your ranting, pleaing and staring at you with doe-eyes, a sniffle.

Your bottom lip quiver, calming down from your paranoid rage, you slowly weave your palms in his hair, massaging his stress away. A low purr errupts in his chest, his eyes hooded and hazy. Extra tender attention on his bruised lump of swelled flesh.

This is it, serenity.

“God, I got so scared.” Your lips hairs-away from his, you whisper, “I can’t lose you.”

“And you never will, doll. I’m all yours.”

Throughout the night, Bucky’s and yours limbs were entangled within each other. Even in your sleep, your fingers fidget in his locks, an love-drunk implicit that stirs the beginning of two soulmates.

NartYasha Not!Fic

I’ve had NartYasha on the brain thanks to Sloaners’ server, and I present a post of purely self-indulgent snippets and scenarios of a day in the crossover world of my imagination.

I’d put the rating at G-T; no TW content.

I hope it makes you laugh! Nonsense begins below the cut.

“Ugh—hurry up, Dad, Mom!” Kakashi stood in front of the opened door to the Hatake home, one foot outside of it, and both arms folded across his chest. “I don’t want to be late!”

“I know that you’re excited, Kakashi, but you’re not supposed to meet your team for another hour,” Kaguya called out to her son. “Besides,” she turned her attention to her husband, “your father still needs…to get ready.”

Sakumo sat with his back to her, but his sporadic sniffing and shaking shoulders betrayed the emotions he tried to hide.

“Sakumo, your face will be all red and puffy when we go to meet them,” Kaguya soothed as she neared her husband.

“I know,” Sakumo sighed in resignation, “I know.”

“You don’t want to be confused for Maito, do you?” Kaguya made a gentle joke about their dear family friend, Dai.

It worked, and Sakumo chuckled through his drying tears. “No, I don’t. It’s just, he’s growing up so fast, Kaguya! It seems like only yesterday that he was falling out of trees instead of walking up them—”

“That was yesterday,” Kaguya interrupted Sakumo to remind him of the previous day’s installment of adventures in parenthood.

“—and today he’s meeting his Genin team and Jōnin leader,” he spoke over his wife, fresh tears welling up in his eyes.

Kaguya watched two new tears fall when her husband blinked as he returned his gaze to their son’s Pre-K art project that he held in his hands. Sakumo ran his fingers across the handprint that a five-year-old Kakashi had pressed into clay and then ran his thumb over the inverted “s” of their son’s signature.

“Sakumo,” she cooed his name, “if you keep this up, your tears will blind you to the memories that are forming now,” she reached for the clay keepsake. He handed it over and nodded, discerning the sense in her words.

Kaguya smiled at Sakumo and brushed his bristling mane from his eyes. “I worry about how you’ll react when Kakashi goes on his first mission,” she chuckled lightly.

Sakumo gaped at her, wide-eyed, and his bottom lip began to quiver once again.

 ***

 Though it was later than Kakashi would’ve liked, the Hatake family was still the first to arrive at the training grounds (with a rehearsed and believable excuse involving allergies for Sakumo’s red eyes).

“See, Kakashi? There was no need to rush. We’re here before your sensei has arrived,” Sakumo gently scolded his son in a thick voice.

“‘A shinobi must prepare before it is too late to,’” Kakashi recited in a pious tone.

Before Sakumo could caution against following the shinobi rules too strictly, one of Konoha’s most accomplished Jōnin materialized out of thin air, literally.

“Hello Mr. Hatake, Mrs. Hatake,” he bowed to them, “it’s an honor to teach your son.”

“Namikaze,” Sakumo addressed the Jōnin through a relieved smile. “I’m happy to know he’ll be trusted to you.”

“I’m right here, you know,” Kakashi grumbled.

“You’re right. Hello,” the Jōnin issued a warm, gentle smile that was in direct contrast to the dangerous shinobi he was known to be within the Leaf, and beyond. “You can call me Minato-sensei.”

“And you can call him Bakashi,” a raven-haired boy cackled as he ran toward the group.

“Don’t be rude, Obito,” an elderly woman scolded from where she trailed behind him.

“Ah, you must be Obito Uchiha,” Minato turned his smile to the new arrivals.

“Yep, that’s me!” Obito beamed, and then jerked his thumb at Kakashi. “I’m the one you should focus on training, Minato-sensei because I’m going to be Hokage!”

“Is that so?” Minato tilted his head in amusement.

“You bet! I can already see my face carved into the mountainside,” Obito bragged.

“I think you need to clean your goggles then—”

“Kakashi!” Kaguya said his name sharply, causing her son to visibly wince above his mask.

“My grandson deserved that,” the elderly woman had reached the group, “please excuse him. Now then, Obito, will you introduce me to your friends?”

“Oh, right, sorry,” Obito scratched at the back of his head. “This is my Granny, Kaede. She’s a priestess from uh,” he hesitated and stole a glance at her, “somewhere else. But she moved here because she didn’t want me to live alone,” he smirked at her when he finished.

Kaede smirked back at him briefly and then raised her one-eyed gaze to the others. “I wasn’t about to let my grandson become a victim of this village’s ‘orphan care program,’” she said, sarcastic.

Minato and Sakumo shifted uncomfortably, but Kaguya was the first to speak. “It’s awful, isn’t it? I’m also a transplant to Konoha, and I can’t believe they’ve let it get this bad—”

“How did you lose your eye?” Kakashi interrupted his mother, unable to contain his curiosity and unaware that such an awkward question was impolite.

Kaede chuckled, easing Sakumo and Kaguya’s embarrassment. “In battle,” she said, low and dramatic, “against a fearsome yōkai.” She leaned over to meet Kakashi’s eyes. “He got much worse than he gave, I promise you,” she added in a dangerous voice for effect.

Kakashi stood unblinking for a few moments, clearly deep in thought, but kept them to himself. Then, he closed one eye and looked around him to test how it altered his vision.

Sakumo cleared his throat to distract from his son’s latest social faux pas. “So, do you know who your third student is, Namikaze?”

“I haven’t met her yet, but I hear she made quite an impression on Lord Third. Lady Kaede brought her along when she first came to Konoha, correct?” Minato asked.

“Yes,” Kaede nodded. “I offered to look after her while her guardian was away because we take care of orphans where I come from. She and Obito became fast friends, and it seemed cruel to part them, so I signed her up to be a Genin.”

“Wait—what do you mean you ‘signed her up’? Genin have to graduate from the Academy first,” Minato lost a little of his serene countenance.

“Money talks,” Kaede shrugged. “Apparently, Konoha is broke. That might explain all the orphans running around,” she muttered. “Anyway, her guardian is bringing her from my world so he can sign off on the paperwork.”

“Your…your world?”

“Whoa!” Kakashi exclaimed, with both eyes opened wide again.

The others followed his gaze upwards to find a massive white dog soaring overhead. It circled a few times as it descended and touched down gracefully on the training grounds. A man with long white hair and dog ears jumped down immediately, then reached up to lift a young girl off the back of the dog.

“Rin!” Obito shouted and ran off to greet the newcomers.

The little girl waved enthusiastically back at them, as the large white dog transformed into a man right before their eyes.

“Wh-where did you say you were from?” Minato stuttered.

“Another dimension,” Kaede gestured one hand as if to brush her cryptic confession off as trivial, “the Bone-Eater’s well acts as a portal to just about anywhere.”

“Excuse me, the what?”

“I wasn’t expecting Sesshōmaru to bring Inuyasha with him,” Kaede squinted at the approaching figures and ignored Minato’s question.

“Are they the girl’s guardians?” Kaguya asked.

“Sesshōmaru is, yes, and Inuyasha is her uncle. This could be troublesome,” Kaede sighed and then offered a bit more by way of explanation. “Sesshōmaru is a dog demon, as you can probably guess, and his brother is a half-demon.”

Kakashi continued to stare at Sesshōmaru in reverent awe until they were near enough to speak, though no one knew what to say.

Eventually, Sakumo broke the shocked silence. “My wife is from the moon,” he announced, unsolicited.

Kaguya stood beside her husband and placed one hand on her son’s shoulder. She then opened her third eye in the middle of her forehead.

Minato fainted.

***

 Minato recovered in time to issue the bell test, and pass his first team of Genin, to his delight. After receiving the applause and praise from the small crowd in the parents’ section, the newly formed Team Minato set to kunai practice.

“I don’t know how they can consider those tiny things ‘weapons,’ even Sesshōmaru’s Tenseiga is more dangerous than—”

“Silence, Inuyasha!” Sesshōmaru punctuated his reprimand with a sharp blow to his half-brother’s head, knocking him to the ground.

“Some ninja are trained with swords,” Sakumo offered, “I carry the White Light Chakra Sabre on my missions. And, of course, there are the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, each of whom carries a powerful, renowned blade.”

“Is that so?” Sesshōmaru arched an eyebrow, the only hint at how impressed he was. “Perhaps it would be worth extending our visit in your world,” he said through a slight, but very dangerous, grin.

 ***

 “Minato! I found another one.”

A red-haired woman stormed onto the training grounds with a furious expression on her face, and a terrified, tiny ninja in tow.

“Ah, Kushina, can this wait? We’re in the middle of kunai practice—Nevermind,” he quickly changed his mind when her temper visibly mounted.

“This one hasn’t been able to speak at all,” Kushina’s voice came more gently as she presented the small shinobi to Minato. The young boy turned his large, almond eyes at her, and then to Minato in apparent confusion. “It’s okay,” Kushina soothed as she ran a hand through the boy’s long, mousey brown hair, “stick out your tongue.”

The tiny ninja’s eyes, made impossibly larger through his hesitant expression, darted between Kushina and Minato. After some time and coaxing, however, he tentatively stuck his tongue out at Minato.

Kaguya gasped at the black symbol on the boy’s tongue. Sesshōmaru turned to Kaede and spoke in a chilling voice. “You said that Konoha was overrun with orphans; you didn’t say the village branded them.”

“I had no idea they’d do something so cruel,” Kaede replied, astonished.

“This is highly unusual, I assure you,” Sakumo sputtered. “At least, I hope it is,” he added, under his breath.

Minato began to weave signs silently and with a solemn expression, drawing everyone’s attention. He then pressed his thumb to the boy’s tongue, who shrieked, jumped back, and covered his mouth with both hands.

“I’m sorry that hurt, but it’s the only way to remove the seal,” Minato said, heartbroken.

“Ithss s’okay,” the boy lisped his response which was further muffled by his small, pudgy hands.

“Now then, what’s your name?”

“I-I don’t know. They call me Kinoe, but I’m not sure if that’s what my parents named me before...”

The whole crowd in the parents’ section melted.

Kushina dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around the boy. She turned her head to face Minato and stared at him with wide, imploring eyes.

Minato buckled under the weight of so many pairs of pleading eyes and then sighed. “Alright, let’s go talk to Lord Third.” He pointed at Inuyasha. “You, dog demon—”

“Half-demon,” Sesshōmaru corrected.

“Whatever. Can you oversee their target practice until I get back?”

 ***

 “Gah-gah-gah, zu-bah-bah, KUNAI!”

“It’s definitely helping Obito to focus on the target, but I thought that ninja were supposed to be stealthy, aren’t they? This isn’t exactly conducive to sneaking up on an opponent,” Kaede assessed Inuyasha’s teaching techniques aloud.

Inuyasha was helping Rin improve her grip on her own kunai under Sesshōmaru’s careful watch.

Kakashi stood off to the side, attempting to channel his chakra to replicate the Wind Scar. “You can do it, Sweetie!” Kaguya called out to him, causing him to blush above his mask.

“Everyone, this is Tenzō.”

Kushina returned to the training grounds with the tiny ninja on her hip. “Hello, I have a new name,” he waved with a bright, broad grin that melted the crowd in the parents’ section all over again.

Minato followed close behind, looking a bit paler than he had when he left. “Congratulations!” Sakumo met him with a hearty handshake. “Let me guess, she named him before you reached the Hokage’s office, huh,” he added in a hushed tone.

“Yeah, Lord Third pulled out the adoption papers as soon as Kushina walked in carrying him.” Minato’s gaze drifted to his new team of Genin and their chaotic training session. “What the actual fuck is happening here?”

“You left a dog-demon in charge of their training—”

“Half-demon,” Sesshōmaru corrected.

“Inuyasha, their sensei has returned now so you can stop not helping,” Kaede instructed.

“Whaddya mean ‘not helping’?  These brats are so weak Shippo could take them—”

“Inuyasha, sit down.” Kaede revealed the depth of her authority and untold power so effectively in those three words that not only Inuyasha but all three Genin and even Sakumo sat down on the training field in absolute obedience.

“Right, next time, I’ll put you in charge,” Minato said, awed. Then he addressed his team while Sakumo did his best to seem casual as he stood up. “We’ll cut the training short today; it is your first day, after all. We’ll just consider this an orientation, and start over fresh tomorrow,” he finished.

Kakashi, Obito, and Rin cheered as they ran to receive the adoration of their respective number one fans after completing their first day as real ninjas.

“Did you see me, Granny?” Obito asked, eager for recognition.

Kaede realized it immediately and chuckled as she smoothed one hand over his spiky hair. “Yes, I did, and I think you’ll be a Ho-ka-ge in no time,” she smiled.

“Do we have to leave right away, Lord Sesshōmaru?” Rin asked as she slipped her hand into her Guardian’s.

“No,” Sesshōmaru spoke in a gentler voice when he addressed his ward, “we will stay as long as it takes for me to complete my quest for the seven swords of the Mist.”

“You can live with us while you do…that,” Kakashi stared wide-eyed at Sesshōmaru as he offered the invitation without consulting his parents. Kaguya and Sakumo exchanged a confused look behind him.

Then Kakashi reached a hand out to pet Sesshōmaru’s fluffy, white fur trim as if he couldn’t resist it any longer, but Kaguya snatched it away, and furthered distracted him by saying, “how should we celebrate your graduation to Genin?”

“Count me out,” Inuyasha turned his back to the group. “As long as we’ll be here, I’m gonna look for jewel shards. Catch you later, losers,” he yelled over his shoulder as he leaped from view.

“I’m afraid I can’t join you either,” Minato lamented. “I have to go buy everything a child would need this afternoon.” Sakumo patted him on the shoulder reassuringly as Minato waved and walked away.

Kushina, however, remained behind with the rest and shifted Tenzō to her other hip. “We could go bowling,” she considered aloud.

“Yeah!” All three Genin shouted.

“What do you think; do you want to go bowling?” Kushina asked Tenzō directly.

He gasped. “Can I really go too?” He asked, melting even Sesshōmaru’s heart this time.

“Let’s go bowling,” Kaede said in her authoritative voice as she turned and strode back to the village, with the rest of the group trailing behind her.

The End

The Marauders | Moony

A/N: Takes place after Padfoot & Wormtail, before Prongs. Fluff, angst, and gratuitous self-discovery if you can call it that. ~1800 words because apparently I’m a liar when I say I don’t have favourites.

Also, I got my first tag request from the talented @hp-art-by-nanse <3

Agh, I can’t believe my first fanfic series is complete! I’m gonna go be happy and sad at the same time now. Happy Marauders Readathon Day!

- J xx

“I don’t think this is such a good idea, lads,” Wormtail quivered from under the invisibility cloak, “Moony always respects our privacy!”

“Shh!” James and Padfoot hissed, huddled close beside him.

If Albus Dumbledore saw an odd shoe or edge of a cloak ambling across the moonlit grounds towards the Whomping Willow after him, he didn’t let on. The sagely wizard simply cast an engorgio charm on a twig and touched it to the knot at the base of the willow.

“Merlin’s beard!” exclaimed James.

“Calm down, Sleekeazy,” Padfoot snorted.

“No. Just no,” said the boy as he cast lumos once Dumbledore and Moony had disappeared into the passageway, “Padfoot, would you care to do the honours?”

“Don’t mind if I do, Evans-eyes,” the long-haired boy touched the tree knot.

“Up yours, follow me, and for Godric’s sake, don’t get the cloak caught in anything.”

Halfway through the tunnel, the boys heard a chilling howl.

“Do… do you think this leads to the Forbidden Forest?” Wormtail’s wand arm was terribly unsteady with fear.

“There are no werewolves in the Forbidden Forest,” James assured him.

“Can’t say the same for normal wolves, though,” Padfoot couldn’t resist, earning a smack upside the head from James.

“Dumbledore’s on the other side with Moony. It can’t be dangerous.”

“Right,” Wormtail nodded vigorously, mostly to himself, “Right.”

“A dead-end,” James huffed.

“A trap door,” Padfoot pointed up.

“Ah, I knew that. Alohamora,” he jiggled the enchanted padlock, but it was still locked fast.

“Ow!” 

“Alright, Wormtail?” James checked on their friend.

“Fine. Just stubbed my toe on a rock - hey! There’s a key under here,” he handed it over to the taller boys to use.

Padfoot stood on James’ shoulders and threw the door open, “Et viol-”

A low growl in the dark had them backing up against the tunnel wall.

“What… what is that?” Wormtail hid behind James, who bravely held his wand aloft and said,

“C’mon, Moony needs us! Ascendio!” he landed neatly only to see Dumbledore sitting primly on the sofa at the centre of a torn-apart living room, a werewolf - yes, a werewolf, at his feet. 

Padfoot followed, quiet as ever, and Wormtail, well, Wormtail tried his best.

“Oof! Sorry, sorry!” he dusted himself off as he stood.

The old man held his fingers to his lips and beckoned the boys closer. 

“Where’s Moony, Headmaster?” James whispered, sitting beside him.

He gazed upon them over his half-moon glasses, “Do you not see him? You’re his closest friends, are you not? Do you not recognize him?” 

“Oh, Moony,” Padfoot knelt down beside the sleeping creature, weary from his transformation, “No wonder you’re always exhausted…”

Wormtail wandered closer and Padfoot made room.

“How can we help him?” James asked, brown eyes sharp and alert.

“You have been, all of you. Your friendship reminds him that he is still a wizard and still in the most essential way, human. But we must go now. When he wakes… he will not be so tame.”

“But this is when he needs us most!” Padfoot protested in a hushed tone.

Wormtail swallowed his fear and nodded in agreement. 

“In that case, there is a book in the restricted section,” Dumbledore handed them a permission slip, “I suggest you give it a read.”

“Advanced Transfiguration Volume VII,” James read it, “Sir, with all due respect -”

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes,” said the boys.

“Then you will read it. And perhaps you will be able to return here sooner than you think.”

The werewolf whimpered and stirred.

“May we say goodbye?” asked Padfoot.

The headmaster nodded.

“It’s us, Moony,” said the bespectacled boy, “James, Pads, and Wormtail… We’re here for you. Hang in there.”

“I’ll have a trunk full of chocolate frogs waiting for you when you get back,” Padfoot said loud enough for the others to hear and then leaned in so he was barely a centimeter from the wolf’s ear, “We love you, Moons, you can always count on that.”

“When you told me you knew how I felt, about feeling like an outsider,” said Wormtail, “I had no idea… I’m the one who can’t possibly know… but... we're the Marauders. We'll figure this out. You’ll see.”

The boys retraced their steps through the tunnel, Dumbledore bringing up the rear. As they reemerged from under the Whomping Willow, they heard a low, mournful howl. 

Once the boys got their hands on the book, there was much to do. Upon Moony’s return from “the private hospital wing,” he did not fail to notice all the “secret” running about by the other three marauders.

“Wormtail,” he stopped the boy on his way to Divination, “James and Padfoot aren’t doing anything stupid, are they?”

“No more than usual,” he shrugged nonchalantly.

“Anything I can help with?”

“Prongs said you just rest up until it’s time to do your bit -”

“Prongs?”

“Uh… I think I hear... my... stomach growling… because I’m starving. I’m just… gonnapopondowntothekitchensnowbye!”

“Prongs,” the pale-faced boy said to a full and suddenly very silent dormitory that evening. James was the first to raise his head before he realized who was speaking, as Moony expected. 

“I’m just going to leave now,” Kingsley Shacklebolt shut the door behind him.

“Right,” Moony slid off the bed and looked at each boy in turn, “Who wants to go first?”

“Well, we’ve been trying to come up with a nickname for James for a while,” Wormtail.

“And we learned to cast patronuses for kicks,” Padfoot.

“Mine turned out to be a stag,” Prongs.

“Is there… a reason none of you wanted to share this with me?” Moony asked with a subdued quietness.

“No!” Padfoot.

“No, not at all!” Prongs.

“We just wanted to wait until you were feeling better,” explained Wormtail, “but we know how you are around the opportunity to learn something new. I fainted seven times before I could hold the spell.”

“That’s all, truly,” Prongs.

“If you are feeling better, Moons, we can show you right now,” Padfoot grabbed his wand, “The incantation is Expecto Patronum but the most important part is to think happy thoughts.”

Moony barely heard him and his eyes were far away as he spoke, “You know what, lads… You’re right, I… I am feeling rather tired. I suppose I should wait a bit… and perhaps pay Pomfrey another visit -” 

Wormtail scampered off his bed quickly, “Wait, Moony -”

“It’s alright. I’m alright. Night.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Padfoot cast a frustrated reducto on his mattress, which proceeded to explode in fluffy white feathers. 

“That… could have gone better,” Prongs wiped his glasses on the hem of his pajama shirt. 

“He’ll understand when he sees us in the shack next month… right?” Wormtail chewed on his nails.

“Of course,” Padfoot said both for his friend and himself, “Of course, he will. But he wouldn’t let us do it if he knows beforehand, so we must keep the secret for now. As difficult as it may be.”

That entire month, Moony moped and trudged, and ate far too much chocolate. The Marauders' secrecy persisted and he finally wrote home, asking to be removed from Hogwarts because he was feeling so poorly and strongly suspected that Dumbledore intercepted his letter somehow because he was summoned to the headmaster’s office within the next twenty-four hours. Or perhaps it was simply the morning before a full moon night. 

“Chocolate frog, Mr. Lupin?”

“No, thank you, sir.”

“I see…” he gestured for the boy to have a seat, “Your professors have expressed some concern with your performance this month.”

“Sorry, Headmaster.”

“It’s not me you should be apologizing to. Nor to your professors.”

“I’m not good with riddles, sir. That’s the only reason I told the hat ‘hard pass’ on Ravenclaw.”

Dumbledore chuckled, “May I ask how you are feeling, Mr. Lupin?”

The boy sensed what subject the old man was trying to be tactful in broaching, “The new wolfsbane brew helps greatly, sir. Thank you.”

“But how are you feeling?”

“Sir?”

“You, Remus John Lupin, how do you feel?”

The boy's shoulders sagged in defeat underneath his oversized jumper, “I’m grateful for the opportunity to study here, Professor Dumbledore, but I… I don’t think I can continue to… to put other students’ lives at risk. I’ve written home and… we’ll make other arrangements for my education.”

“You mention, ‘risk.’”

“Yes, because of... what I am.”

“Since you mention your dislike for riddles, I will be direct. To place your life in another’s hands is a great risk, but so too is it to lay your heart bare. And that is where trust comes in. Trust in your friends and their goodness, and in yourself and yours. I'll see you tonight, Remus.”

"Yeah."

At dusk they followed the familiar trail down to the Whomping Willow, then to the Shrieking Shack. Dumbledore lifted the trap door and smiled behind his long white beard, "After you, Mr. Lupin."

"Thank y-Padfoot? Prongs? Wormtail?" he looked at each quietly excited boy in turn, "What are you lot doing here?"

"Watch, watch!" Wormtail squealed excitedly, his ears already beginning to enlarge while his head shrunk, and then a little garden rat emerged from his crumpled robes.

Padfoot was next, and he turned into a shaggy black dog. Prongs, a handsome stag. 

"I… I don't understand…" Remus marvelled at the animals - his friends.

The boys changed back.

"If you happen to bite us accidentally in wolf form, we won't turn if we're in our animagus form!" Prongs explained happily.

"Ani-animag- that's - how - you - might've - so much could've gone wrong trying it before physical maturity!"

"Which is exactly why we had to keep it secret until we'd done it!" Padfoot leapt in a circle around him, "So you wouldn't stress trying to talk us out of it!"

Moony felt his bones begin to creak, his eyesight began to shift, and his teeth sharpen ever so slightly. Yet, he was so full of elation and love for the boys - his boys. He hugged each of them quickly while he could and they transformed together. 

Bonus scene:

"Expecto Patronum!" Moony closed his eyes and thought hard about the night before. Seeing his friends, feeling their presence and care even in his transformed state. When they played hide and seek and Wormtail always won and James always lost. And when he awoke to the sun peaking through the tattered curtains, his form was human, but he could still feel a patch of coarse fur tickling at his side. It was Padfoot as a black dog, snoring louder and drooling more than the boy usually did. Moony had never smiled so wide so soon after a full moon.

"Expecto Patronum!" a silver wolf burst forth from the tip of his wand and darted in and out of the trees at the edge of the forest.

A Taste of Honey [M]︳01

Pairing: Jung Hoseok x Reader

AU: Greek Mythology (mini-series - 1st installment)

Genre: Romance/smut

Rating: NSFW

Warning: Dirty talk, fingering, oral sex (fem. receiving), multiple orgasms, virginreader, public sex, unprotected sex (put a sock on it people!), creampie

Words: 10500+ 

Notes: It’s all done! HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRL. You requested a smut for your birthday, and I deliver~! I hope you all enjoy the story, I can totally see this becoming a mini-series for all of the members. Let me know what you guys think! Thank you for all the support and don’t forget to leave a like, comment, or reblog <3

EDIT: So I decided to make this into a mini-series for all of the members! You guys said you’d be interested, so lets do it! Story order: A Taste of Honey (Jung Hoseok), Teach Me (Kim Namjoon), Flutter (Kim Seokjin).

Masterlist  ︳ Prologue

❤ Buy me a coffee? ❤

The Greek Goddess, Aphrodite, wanted nothing more than her favourite honey-nymph to experience the power of love. So after pulling a few strings, the Goddess promises Demi-God, Jung Hoseok, an offer he can’t refuse; “Sweeter than sweet.” he purred into your ear, your cheeks flushed watching the way he licked his fingers with delight, “Oh little bumblebee, you’re going to be my breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the rest of my life.”

A Taste of Honey ︳Final

           Cheeks flushed, jaw to the ground, and eyes as wide as a deer – to say that you were out of place would be an understatement and a half.

           The twinkling stars and moon didn’t stand a chance against the illuminating torches that were scattered throughout the clearing. Women and men dancing to live music, a few animals watched from the trees – seemingly entertained at how drunk Gods can be from the renowned wines Dionysus provided to his guests.

          Your hands tightly gripped the white peplo you wore, palms sweaty as you watched everyone intermingle and intoxicated – all things that you never participated in. Parties such as these were a foreign concept to you. A small puff escaped, taking in your surroundings keenly – so this was how Dionysus’s parties were?

          What in the world have you walked yourself into?

          You huffed once more, unsure where to go, so instead, you awkwardly stayed in the same spot that you’ve been in for the past hour.

           “Indulge love, the wine is free!”

          Your eyes widen, turning on your heel after hearing a high pitch voice shriek from behind you, bumping into your figure. The lady’s cheeks were glowing, drunk as she wore luscious furs – a Maenad, one of Dionysus’s followers.

          She held her cup of wine to her lips, stealing a sip before raising her perfectly arched brows towards you, “Well, the wine is over there. Don’t tell me you expect me to fetch it for you too now?”

           A crimson blush flooded your cheeks, not uttering a word as you shook your head, and with that, she bolted, back to the circle of people who were twirling to the tune of the string instruments. Seriously, why in the world did you agree to come to this festivity?

          And it was a graceful laugh that ostensibly carried throughout the crowds that made you remember – ahh, the Goddess Aphrodite.

          She leaned against the God Dionysus, her hands light-heartedly resting against his chest as she giggled to whatever words he spoke. Her presence alone could make any place or thing that much more beautiful, and tonight was no exception.

           Aphrodite knew you were too much of a prune to come to these events and instead told you of all the fun she had in the mornings when you gave her a face mask with the honey you gathered. So when she asked you to join her at this party, something she rarely asks – how could you say no?

          The way she held your hands, coaxing you into agreeing and coming along. You even let her dress you, wearing makeup and gems that a mere mortal would dream off.

           You pulled your gaze away from them, eyes settling on the Maenads pouring wine into the glasses of the greedy. This was one of the few nights you went to such a party, might as well have fun, right?

          With a heavy breath, you skipped forward, dancing bodies bumping into you, laughing maniacally. Your eyes frantically searched for a glass, or at least something remotely close to the shape of a cup, to get some wine. But it proved fruitless.

          Between the noise, the music, and people, you struggled to catch the attention of the maidens serving. The curse of being a honey-nymph! You were petite, a fragile thing compared to these other people, and although it was helpful with the bees, in situations like these – it worked against you.

          A small pout formed on your lips, curious to taste the liquid. Maybe if you just throw yourself into the crowd?

           “Here – have mine.”

          Your eyes widen as a hand ran up your back. Their breath tickling your neck as they pushed a glass of wine into your grasp. The abrupt action and delicate touch stealing your breath, goosebumps rising upon your skin.

          Their fingers trailed down your spine, brushing themselves against you, feeling the fine furs and silks they wore. The white-yellowish liquid swished in the cup, your hands quivering from the sudden amorous gesture. Whoever was behind you was immense, their broad chest seemingly devouring your frame as your flickering shadow was lost with theirs.

          “What you waiting for? The wine isn’t going to drink itself.” They droned, chest vibrating against your back, and despite not seeing their face, you could hear the cheeky smile that adorned their face.

           With a swift turn of your heel, you turned around, desperate to see the person who offered you their glass. “Oh, t-thank you-” Your words faded, lips dry as you faced your saviour.

          They were tall, that was for sure. But more importantly, he was drop-dead gorgeous.

           A sauve smile painted his face, showing off his pearly whites. A smile so bright it was like he stole the sun itself. Your cheeks flushed; he was handsome. So strikingly attractive he took your breath for the second time this night - was he a God?

          His eyes were a dusky brown, and while people often overlooked dark coloured eyes, you couldn’t ignore his. Like melted hazelnut, his gaze lured you in. He brushed some loose strands of his black hair from his face. The whole time his smile never wavered, instead, it deepened, adorable dimples embellishing his face as he looked down at you.

          “Well? Do you need help drinking it?” He chuckled, entranced with the way you stared at him so honestly. Your head shook feverishly, embarrassment consuming you.

          Never, in your whole lifetime, have you been left flabbergasted by a man.

          It was odd, the way your heart raced, hands sweaty from his presence. A whole range of emotions buzzing within you. There was just something about him that got your pulse racing. Was this the feeling Aphrodite often spoke about – attraction?

          “S-sorry, um, t-thank you.” You muttered, still flustered by his appearance.

          He ran his tongue along his lips, wetting them as he tilted his head. You, entirely ignorant to the way he studied your figure up and down – lewd thoughts running wild.

          “Well?” he started, eyebrows raised as he nudged his chin towards your hands. You smiled enthusiastically, just as keen to take a sip of the liquid as he seemed to watch you indulge. Cautiously, you brought the glass to your lips, feeling the chilled liquid touch your tongue, flavours bursting with each drop.

          It was like a work of art; citrus flavours teeming from left-right and center.

          Was wine always this delicious? Was this what you’ve been missing your whole life? As you swallow, the cold fluid going down your throat, you could taste the lingering essences of orange blossom, and was that…some spice as well?

          It was his chortle that brought you back to reality, laughing at your facial expressions, “You’re acting like you’ve never tasted wine before! ”

           “I haven’t…” you shyly muttered, brushing the curtain of hair behind your ear. “Never!?” he shouted, eyes bulging as he stumbled back a bit. He was eccentric, gestures overdramatic, but it caused you to giggle, nodding your head as you stole another sip, “This is my first time.”

           His hands fell over his chest, smiling radiantly towards you. A faint, shiny glow caught your attention, noticing the extravagant rings that adorned his hands. Almost every slender finger of his bore some form of gold, but more importantly - he had the most beautiful hands you’d ever seen.

          Not a single imperfection as your eyes lingered along his hands and down his arms, veins slightly bulging.

           “Well, I’m glad I could be your first.” He snickered, clicking his tongue as you stole, yet another, sip from your cup. A faint buzz started in your head, as if your bees were swarming, a rush you’ve never experienced before.

          You titled your head to the side, oblivious to his comment as you openly pouted, realizing the glass was empty. “You want more already?” He mused, watching the way you studied the hollow glass.

           “I do, but I want more of this. It’s delicious!” you cheered, louder than you had intended. Is this what wine does to you? Make you bolder? But the way his eyes lit up at your words as if you were complimenting him rather than the wine.

           “You like it? Really?” He inquired, stepping closer to you with interest. Without hesitation, you mimicked his gesture, tempted to get closer as well. He was fascinating, his gestures, his voice. “I do, I could drink this all day. It’s a taste I don’t think I could ever forget…” You hummed, speaking softer now and blushing a tad, you were blurting everything that came to your mind. The wine is really taking over.

          “Assyrtiko.” He said softly.

          “Assyrtiko?” You repeated, puzzled.

           “It’s the grape used to make this wine – famous for its citrus flavours, mostly lemon.” He finished, quickly taking the glass from your hands. His soft skin brushed against yours, his fingers lingering a second longer than needed. You could feel your blush radiate down to your body, unsure if it was the wine or just him.

           He let the glass dangle from his fingers, a Maenad grabbed it from him without a second glance.

          Who was this man?

          The fancy furs, the gold and gems he wore – was he a man of status? A God? But his easy-going personality didn’t make him seem like a God, he was far too friendly, so pleasant to be with. You found yourself staring at him intently, trying to figure out who he was, you didn’t even know his name.

          You came to this party expecting to be out of place, standing along the sidelines as you watched people indulge in ecstasy. But now, you weren’t too sure. You didn’t feel like the shy honey-nymph you were, you felt bolder, happier, and maybe that was due to the glass of wine you practically chugged in a heartbeat.

           His eyes moulted over, breathing coarsely as his hand lasciviously grazed your cheek, “Do you want to dance?”

          “I-I don’t know how to…” you slurred, hypnotized by his eyes. They were breathtaking, seemingly reaching your soul with every breath.

           He grinned, “Don’t worry…follow my lead.”

          A cheeky gasp escaped you as he pulled at your hands towards the music - so fast you didn’t get a second chance to think. Your feet struggled to keep up to his quick pace, feet feeling light as you tried your hardest not to stumble. But your anxious gasps soon turned into giggles of excitement, this man was something else.

          He had this energy to him - exhilarating.

           Your eyes studied his back, shoulders broad, his muscles easily visible underneath his robes and furs. How it would feel to be embraced by him, underneath him…So entranced by him, you were oblivious to the looks you received by the people around you – looks of bewilderment and curiosity. Just as you caught yourself shamelessly staring at him, again, he stopped.

           He turned on his heel, pulling his hands onto your waist as he pressed you against him. His dark green robes starkly contrasted against your white ones, but you couldn’t peel your eyes away from his. They were electrifying, he looked so pleased, laughing as you found yourself moving pathetically to the music.

          “I really don’t know how to dance.” You groaned.

           But he shook his head, smiling as he guided your steps with a firm grasp on your hips, “You’re overthinking, just enjoy the music, listen to the beats…” He mumbled, pulling you close to him once again. ‘Listen to the beats…easier said than done’ you thought as you awkwardly danced side by side.

           You stared at your feet, mind buzzing as you tried to understand what in the world you were supposed to be doing. Oh for Zeus’s sakes, your feet didn’t seem to listen at all, refusing to move at a steady beat. And it wasn’t long till you heard the man who had you wrapped around their finger wincing slightly.

           Your cheeks flushed, realizing that you accidentally stepped on his foot amidst your so call dancing. And while you would definitely say you were tipsy, you weren’t intoxicated enough to brush off the look of shame on your face. The way his lips turned upside down slightly, eyes closed as he hissed under his breath.

          “I-I’m sorry, you know, I should probably just get going-” you blurted, seeing a look of pain flash across his eyes. What were you thinking? Drinking, dancing - things you’ve never done before, let alone with a man! You were way over your head, you were just a honey-nymph at the end of the day, you don’t belong here one bit.

          You pulled away, desperate to hide away in a hive and cry to your bees out of frustration, but before you could, his grip tighten, pressing you firmly against him as his hand gently cupped your face, “I promise I’ll teach you, one broken foot at a time.” He laughed, playfully tapping your nose. Your mouth dropped, rosy at his words, “You’re not mad?”

          “Why would I be mad, to be fair, you did warn me.” You couldn’t help but let a smile sneak up. He was such a sun; illuminating, hopeful. I’ve never met a man such as him before.

          “Don’t give up hope just yet, I see a little spark in you.” He teased, his hands guiding your hips once again. His smile was comforting, your body relaxing, and you got a bit bolder, letting your body press against him as your head laid on his chest. Your face on his furs, warm to the touch and soft.

          But you could also smell him – citrus.

          It was like the wine you drank earlier, but oddly enough, it suited him. His natural tangerine and lemony scent, seemingly representing his energetic personality - a burst of energy. Maybe a follower of Apollo? It would explain his radiance…

          This time, you got what he meant – listen to the beats. The way the musicians strung at their instruments, the way the people moved their bodies to the music. Hands waving, feet moving, “See – and you already lost all hope.”

          You laughed at his words, realizing that you were in fact dancing, although terrible, it was still dancing. His hands travelled around your hips, drawing you closer and trailing down your spine, resting along your lower back. His head leaned into your neck as you moved, feeling his warm breath; teasing you.

          He was so close, so close you could feel his heartbeat through his furs, your fingers brushing against his skin that his robes failed to cover. “You know, I’ve never seen you before…” He muttered, lips brushing against your ear.

           “This is my first time coming to a festivity of the God Dionysus…” You answered. There was no point in lying, it was obvious you were a naïve bee. What person attends a party of Dionysus multiple times and say they never drank wine?

           He pulled away slowly, eyes studying your features with curiosity, searching for an answer, “I can’t say I’m surprised…I would remember seeing someone like you…”

           “You attend these often?”                                

           His mouth parted, closing just as fast before he broke into a smirk, “You can say that…Dionysus and I are close. Extremely close – like blood.” You raised a brow at his words, trying to catch on, but the wine from early seemed to still have a grasp over you, your brain unable to decipher his words.

           “What about you? What brought you here, you’re for sure no follower of Dionysus.” He mused. The tone of the music changed, slower this time. You reduced your pace, matching his instantly and gave he gave you an approving smile. “I’m a honey-nymph…”

           “A follower of Demeter? Now, I wasn’t expecting that. Demeter isn’t exactly a party-type of gal.” He blurted truthfully, and you giggled, “No, I’m not a follower of Demeter.”

          His brows pinched together, speechless, and your laughter grew more, watching the way he struggled to comprehend your words. “So you’re a honey-nymph, who isn’t a follower of Demeter, did you just happen to waltz into this party or something?” He asked, inquisitiveness laced with his words.

          You kittenishly shrugged your shoulders, teasing him as he had done to you, “Who knows, maybe I did, maybe I didn’t…”

           “So you wanna play like that, huh?” He roused, his face snuggling into your neck as his hands dropped. You could feel them, no longer on your lower back but along the curvature of your ass. You flushed, gripping onto his robes, feeling his touch.

           He was intoxicating – making you feel drunk, awakening a new side of you, a side that you didn’t even know you had which speaks plenty - given that you spent most of your time with the Goddess of love and sex herself.

          “Oh, little bumblebee.” He cooed into your ear, a soft moan escaping you hearing the nickname he gave you. His voice, it was like he was singing, taunting to himself as one of his hands easily grasped your chin. He tilted your face upwards, licking his lips with delight as he studied you, trying not to devour you right then and there.

           “What’s your name?” You gasped out, your lips just barely touching his. Your fingers dug into his shoulders, pushing yourself against him, seeking more. He chuckled, watching how eager you were for him, his thumb brushing your bottom lip with temptation, “Hoseok.”

           Your brows furrowed together – Hoseok.

          A name that seemingly jolted a sense of familiarity. Why does it sound familiar? Like you’ve heard that name before. The wine made your mind fuzzy, that and being in his presence, “Do I…do I know you?” You muttered innocently.

           Hoseok grinned, “You’re far too good for this world my little bumblebee. How did someone as innocent as you last this long?” You flushed, his face leaning close to yours, your eyes fluttering shut as you felt his warm breath along your lips, a taste. You just wanted a taste-

           “Oh my precious honey-nymph, where do you hide?”

           You jolted, pulling away from Hoseok’s grasp in a flash. He staggered backwards at your actions, Aphrodite.

          “I-I’m sorry, I have to go.” You blurted, but you felt your heart squeeze seeing Hoseok’s face. He looked sad, a faint frown on his face as he studied you carefully, “Did I do something wrong?”

           “N-No! I’m sorry, I have to go, she’s looking for me-”

           “My love, where are you?” You heard Aphrodite sing once again.

          You frowned, looking at Hoseok with regret. His warm eyes looked distressed, already missing the warmth of his fingers against your skin.

          “It was nice meeting you Hoseok, and thanks for the wine, it was marvellous.”

          “Your name-” he shouted, but it fell upon deaf ears as you already bolted through the dancing bodies. He let out a sigh, watching the way you beelined. You were fascinating, “Little bumblebee…” He muttered under his breath. He needed a drink – actually, make that two.

          Your eyes scanned frantically for Aphrodite, hearing her soft cries through the crowds. Your hands anxiously gripped your robes, eyes bouncing from person to person to spot the gorgeous Goddess herself.

          And after searching for a few more seconds, your eyes finally settled on her.

          She sat on Dionysus’s lap, her hands entangled with his curls as she giggled. Her cheeks were rosy, evidently a bit tipsy as you as Dionysus held a wine glass in his hand. He took a sip from the cup coolly, although his wine was different, a scarlet red – wonder what type of wine that was?

           As if Aphrodite could feel your gaze upon her, her head tilted towards you, a bright smile shining all the way to you, “Ah, my precious follower, come here!” She hummed, her finger curling and motioning you towards her. You huffed, letting go of the fabric that you bundled up in your hands, feeling the eyes of Dionysus upon you.

          It was strange, for the past few days, Aphrodite and Dionysus were oddly…close.

           You were well aware of his and hers pleasurable rendezvous’ – Aphrodite’s husband ignorant of such, but it was more than just that.

          Dionysus would often engage in conversations, well beyond the normal realm of ‘small talk’ with you. It was as if he searching for something, or trying to figure something out…

           Aphrodite’s hands caressed your face, a happy smile painting her face as she gazed over you like a proud mother, “Doesn’t she look absolutely stunning tonight?” Aphrodite purred pleasantly, nudging Dionysus friskily. You blushed once again, trying desperately to look away as Dionysus agreed and took a sip of his wine. “Ahh, nothing compared to your beauty, Goddess.” You murmured, looking down humbly.

          You didn’t have to look up to know she was already rolling her eyes, your hair slipping through her fingers as she hummed once again, “Since you’re all dolled up, this would be a superb opportunity to meet Dionysus’s sons!” Your eyes widen, sharply looking upwards, because everyone has heard of the infamous bunch.

          The Divine Gods of Grapes.

          They were Demi-Gods, children of Dionysus, but over the years, they proved their strength and power, ultimately gaining status as Gods themselves. Seven Gods – each one representing a particular grape that produces wine. Each grape complimenting their unique personalities.

           Dionysus smiled, chuckling as he raised his wine glass, swirling the red liquid with ease, “You’re right my Goddess – they happen to all be here tonight. What a happy coincidence.”

           “My little one meeting your children, it’s like a date!” Aphrodite giggled, her hands falling against Dionysus’s chest once again. Your eyes widen, piecing the puzzle pieces together – Aphrodite planned this, all of this.

          She was trying to set you up with one of Dionysus’s sons!

          Your cheeks flushed, realizing that when Aphrodite told you that she would make sure you found love, she wasn’t joking.

          You – with a God?

          Sure, they were technically Demi-Gods, but the thought of a mere honey-nymph, an utterly innocent and chaste one at that, being with God?

          You could feel your head buzzing already. But while most would be honoured to be paired up with men of such high status, you couldn’t help but let your mind wander back to one particular man.

           His chocolate eyes, those cute dimples, you found yourself smiling sweetly to yourself – Hoseok. You had just met him, but there was something about him, something utterly addictive about him. He was so happy, cheery, and you felt a blush appearing on your cheeks, remembering the nickname he gave you; little bumblebee.

           Aphrodite gentle caressed your cheek once again, catching your attention and realizing the situation you were in. She was going to introduce you to Dionysus’s sons, she expects you to find the love of your life with one of them. You pushed Hoseok to the side, no point dreaming of a future with a man whom you just met, a man who only offered you wine and a dance. But the first man to ever do so…

           You could hear some commotion behind you, a few men and women gushing.

          “Ah, here they are – my boys!” Dionysus boomed, shouting at what you could only assume were the infamous group of men. You bounced from side to side, palming your legs as you prepared to meet the notorious bunch.

          Knowing that his sons were here made sense. Even someone like you could tell there was an abundance of people at this festival, and it also explained the array of different coloured wines that were being passed along. I wonder what son produced that flavourful wine you drank?

          “Father, Goddess of love and beauty - Aphrodite.” A man spoke from behind you. You felt your body tense, hesitantly moving to the side as you turned on your heel.

          Six men stood together, proud and tall as they bowed in acknowledgement to Aphrodite. She giggled, clapping happily, “It’s been far too long my lovelies, working hard at the vineyards I suppose? The wine is utterly heavenly.”

          They all smiled, nodding at her words. They were handsome, each single one of them, each having their own charm. You felt Aphrodite run her hand along your hair, “Let me introduce to you young men my dearest…” She droned. Your cheeks flushed, having all their eyes on you.

          They didn’t seem as intense or petrifying until you felt their eyes on you. Each one studied you up and down as if you were a gift. But in retrospect, you were. Finally, the man in the center of the bunch cleared his throat, seemingly sensing your uneasiness, “Pleasure to meet you, I am the God of Agiorgitiko – Namjoon.”

          Agiorgitiko?

          It clicked. Grapes.

          They were naming the grapes they were in control of.

          You smiled and nodded your head in acknowledgement. “These are my brothers-” he started, gesturing to the men standing with him. The man to his right smiled radiantly, stepping forward and bowing, “I am the God of Roditis, Seokjin.”

          His voice wasn’t as rough or coarse as Namjoon’s, and same with his appearance. Seokjin held a rather classic beauty, timeless, a man of status. He wrapped his arms around the man beside him, “This here is my youngest brother, Jungkook – the God of Athiri.”

          Jungkook was nervous, not nearly as bold, or at least as outgoing, as the other bunch. A faint blush tainted his cheeks, shyly nodding his head towards you. You couldn’t help but smile, you could sympathize with him – being so deathly timid yourself, although the wine in your system did seem to cure that for the time being.

           “Hi, my name is Jimin! I’m the God of Moscofilero.” Blurted a voice.

          It was light and feminine, almost as if they were singing. Your eyes travelled back to Namjoon, noticing that this Jimin character was standing on the other side of him. His lips were pouty, eyes nearly closed as he shot you the biggest eye smile you’ve seen. His smile was contagious, noticing that you were no longer tightly gripping your robes in your hands as you giggled back at him.

          They weren’t as intimidating as you thought, and not as formal or ‘prime and proper’ as the Gods usually were. But more importantly, …if they were all Gods of particular grapes – Assyrtiko.

          That was the grape Hoseok told you, the vine to that delicious wine you had. Would it be silly to pick your date solely on the taste of wine? But you found your tongue running along the edges of your mouth, trying to pick up the faint traces of the flavour.

          You wanted something else, something more…

          A taste of those lips - Hoseok’s lips.

          “Yoongi - God of Malagousia.” A deep voice spoke.

          Yoongi brought you out of your thoughts once again, although his greeting was short and sweet. His eyes seemed unamused, looking elsewhere. He didn’t look particularly bored with you per se, more like he was just tired of being at this party altogether. The last person chuckled at Yoongi’s expression, wearing peculiar furs over him, “Taehyung, I’m the God of Xinomavro.”

          Your eyes flickered between them; one, two, three, four, five, six…six?

          “Ah, what gentlemen! What do you think, my dear? Anyone pick your fancy?” Aphrodite hummed into your ear as she brushed your hair. You would’ve blushed at her words, making you pick a man so upfront like this, but you couldn’t because you were too busy focusing on something else. “God Dionysus.” You spoke, a slight waver in your voice.

          Right away, he raised a brow, seemingly intrigued that you called him out, “Yes child?”

          “You have seven sons….but, I only met six.”

          “Six isn’t enough for you?” Yoongi grumbled, crossing his arms with exasperation as Namjoon shot him a glare. You blushed, realizing how your comment may have sounded, as Aphrodite brushed your cheeks, “We thought we would introduce to you your best matches…”

          You gazed at the six men, sure – they were handsome, but what made them the best matches for you? You looked at Aphrodite with confusion written on your face, “I wanted someone who would compliment your shy persona,  someone who would cater to your delicate being.” Aphrodite soothed, already knowing what you were thinking.

          Was the other brother rough, a brunt of some sort? You pouted as you looked over them, they all looked kind, and you understood what she meant by ‘compliment your shy persona.’ They didn’t seem necessarily gaudy or tremendously sociable – especially that Yoongi and Jungkook character. For the most part, they appeared relatively timid like yourself. Shy.

          “You seem unsatisfied child.”

          Your eyes widen, rapidly looking at Dionysus with terror, “N-not at all! I’m just, uh, picking.” You stuttered. But Dionysus didn’t seem offended, as you thought he was, but somewhat interested. “If you wish…I may call upon my last son for you to decide, it only seems fair to make a proper decision.”

          “But we agreed to these six…” Aphrodite mumbled under her breath, so she did plan this with Dionysus! Before Dionysus could say anything more, Jimin spun, waving his arms frantically at someone, “Over here! Father wishes to see you!”

          “Me? What did I do now?”

          Your ears perked up at the voice, moving forward without a second thought.

          “Nothing bad – promise!” Jimin cheerfully bantered back. You heard an airy laugh, and you could feel your heart swell. No – it can’t be.

          “Father, you requested me?” The man spoke, wrapping his arms around Jimin with a charming smile.

          But Dionysus didn’t have a chance to speak.

          Your finger rose, pointing at the seventh brother, “Hoseok…?”

          Hoseok’s head turned at the sound of your voice, his mouth wide open, “Bumblebee?”. A blush erupted on your cheeks, flustered by your nickname.

          Hoseok was a Demi-God, no – a God.

          The son of Dionysus.

          He was dropping hints to you all night, but you were so caught up with his beauty, his charm, you didn’t clue in one bit. That’s why his name sounded familiar, that’s why he wore such extravagant robes, that’s why the Maenads beckoned at his call.

          “Hoseok. The God of Assyrtiko…” You muttered under your breath.

          Hoseok was the mastermind behind that rich, acidic wine. That’s why he was so happy when you told him you loved it. Without hesitance, you looked at Aphrodite and Dionysus, hands to your chest, “I made my decision. I know who I want.”

          “Amuse me, child.” Dionysus beamed, leaning forward, eager to hear your words.

          “Hoseok. I choose him.”

          Your head was buzzing, and you knew that in the morning to come, you would soon come to regret your outright passion for Hoseok. But right now you let his wine work it’s magic, your voice stern as you pointed at Hoseok without hesitance.

          Aphrodite and Dionysus didn’t pick Hoseok, not because he was rude or rough, but because he was the exact opposite of you.

          You were shy, the wallflower at parties such as these, while he was the sun, always shining the brightest.

          He was loud, eccentric, while you were quiet, naturally tame.

          But it was because of this, you felt drawn to him. This night alone, you did things you haven’t done in your whole lifetime – he made you feel alive. And that’s what you wanted, someone who pushed you outside of your comfort zone.

          If you chose any of the other brothers, you knew they would treat you right, Aphrodite wouldn’t let them touch a single hair on your head, but you didn’t want to feel safe – you wanted exciting.

          The grin on Hoseok’s face as he stepped forward, your blush only intensifying as his eyes etched into your skin, “Oh little bumblebee…” He purred, the tips of his long fingers tilting your chin upwards, “You won’t regret this. Not one bit.”

          A busy bee – precisely what you were, pun intended.

          You sat on your knees, humming softly as you overlooked the sprouting blossoms on the cherry trees, adorning the fields. The gentle breezes made the grass brush against the skin of your legs, you nose bursting with the calming aromas of fresh flowers – all tale-tell signs that spring is officially here.

          A content sigh escaped you as you continued humming away, the sound of your bees buzzing away above you. With spring in full swing, you had your work cut out for you. Making sure the bees were pollinating and producing enough honey to last the upcoming winter.

          But while you sang softly, guiding a combination of Honey and Bumble bees from flower to flower, your mind was elsewhere…

          A rosy tinge painted your cheeks as memories flooded your mind, a few bees stopping their work to flutter around you, curious as to why your voice has changed from a pleasant high pitch tune – to a low, sultry one.

          Your tongue ran along the inside of your mouth once more, a pitiful attempt to taste that wine – his wine.

          It has been a bit over a week since that fateful night. And while you hoped that time would ease your nerves and hopefully make you forget how bold you were that night, Aphrodite didn’t let you off that easily.

          She giggled like a child when she saw you, raising her eyebrows and poking your cheeks teasingly as you applied her morning mask, ‘I’ve never seen you so…lustful my little one’ she would purr into your ear. You let out a sharp groan, just remembering the mischievous remarks Aphrodite said to you.

          But despite outright claiming Hoseok as yours that night, you haven’t seen him since. Nor, did you see Aphrodite with Dionysus.

          It was strange, how insistent Aphrodite and Dionysus were that you pick any of the brothers besides Hoseok, but now that you chose him, Aphrodite couldn’t seem happier. As if she wanted you to pick him all along…

          Your eyes fluttered upwards, gazing at the bees, realizing that none of them were working. Instead, they flew around you, playing with one another, “H-hey, get back to work, sillies!”

          Right away, they faced you, buzzing softly as they swiftly brushed against your skin and back to the pink and white blossoms on the trees. A soft smile painted your face, you loved your bees, every single one of them like children. You felt a soft touch on your hand, looking down to see a single bee resting contently on your palm, “Hey, you too buddy…” You giggled softly.

          The bee fluttered its wings, and you swore the bee puckered before flying away. So much attitude!

          Just as the bee started to fly away, you noticed their buzzing got intense – furious.

          You felt yourself starting to panic, the bees pulling away from the blossoms and instantly flew around you, seemingly all facing one direction, “What’s wrong…?” You cried, watching the way some of the bees wagged their stingers.

          They felt threatened.

          The sudden shuffling of shrubberies caught your attention, up ahead the bushes moving slightly. Someone was in the underbrush, and the bees were petrified. You pushed yourself off the ground, gripping your white robes as you walked forward, the bees swarming around you protectively. Who in the world is in the bushes?

          Black hair bobbed, green robes-

          “Hoseok!?” You shouted.

          A head poked out, his face bearing the sweetest smile you’ve ever seen. The way the sun bounced off his skin, his skin glowing radiantly. It’s him, it’s really him.

          But before you could even blink, your bees freaked out - mistaking your beating heart for fear rather than utter bliss.

          They swarmed forward, and the quirky smile on Hoseok’s face soon shifted to that of fear. You ran ahead, waving your hands frantically, “Don’t worry, he’s a friend – a friend!” you anxiously shouted.

          The bees movements stopped, and you knew they were gazing at Hoseok, and you – suspiciously.

          You outstretched your hands, a few bees prudently brushing themselves along your fingers, “He’s a friend…he’s good…I promise…” You muttered softly, trying your best to comfort them. Their buzzing relaxed, their wings no longer flapping powerfully, as a few of them flew back to the blossoms - still keeping a wary eye on Hoseok.

          A soft sigh of relief escaped your lips, before turning on your heel and pouting, “What in the world were you doing? They could have murdered you!” You cried, hands on your hips as you scolded Hoseok. The very fact that he was a God slipped past your mind as he scratched his head and pushed his way through the bushes.

          “Oops?”

          You couldn’t help but giggle, because as worried as you were, you were spellbound. Now in the day time, the sun shining directly on him, you could see him in all his glory.

          What a fool you were, he literally screamed God. The way he walked towards you, a bounce in his step, but more importantly, he held something in his arm, a bottle?

          “W-what are you doing here, Hoseok?” You muttered softly, shyness consuming you as you crossed your arms and tried to look at him in the eyes. But the way he grinned, licking his pink lips caused you to flush and divert your eyes. He was intense.

          “I was going for a nice afternoon stroll.” He hummed, standing right in front of you. A few petals from the cherry trees fell on his head, a flower crown. You let your arms drop, pressing your hands against your thighs as you anxiously gripped the material, you were nervous. So damn nervous.

          Your eyes studied him, the way his dark green robes did little to cover him, showcasing his muscles as he chuckled at your rattled appearance. His shoulders were just as broad as you remembered them being. As your eyes scanned him, you noticed the bottle once again – wine.

          “Do you always walk around with wine in your hand?” This time you saw his cheeks flush, slightly rosy as he looked down at the bottle, “You never know when you bump into a certain honey-nymph who just happens to like Assyrtiko white wine.”

          You laughed, shaking your head as you brushed your hair behind your ears. He was something else, something else entirely.

          “I don’t think I’m allowed to drink on the job Hoseok.”

          “Who says the wine is for you?” Hoseok grinned, raising his shoulders mischievously. You placed your hands on your hips, smiling towards him – what a tease.

          “You’re right, my wrong-doing for assuming. Actually, now that you’re here, I wanted to ask about your brother Jungkook…” You hummed. The way Hoseok’s eyes narrowed, stepping forward with a coy grin, “Be careful my little bumblebee, you don’t know who you’re messing with.” His hand reached forward, caressing your cheek while his thumb brushed against your lips.

          His touch. You melted instantly, the way his long fingers easily slid across your wet lips, stealing your breath just like the very first time you met him. “Hoseok…” You gasped, not realizing that you stepped forward, bumping into the bottle he held in his arms.

          The way you acted that night, the way you crumbled under his touches, the need to kiss him, it wasn’t the wine. Because right now, utterly sober, you felt your skin tingling, eager to wrap your fingers into his raven hair and kiss him. He leaned forward, eyes heavy as his hand ran down your neck, grasping the back of your head keenly, “Why did you pick me?” He huffed.

          You blushed, watching the way he struggled to breathe, his fingers pulling on your hair, forcing you to look upwards. “I don’t know. It just-it just felt right.” You gasped out, taken off guard by his roughness. “You could have picked any of my brothers, but you picked me.” He gulped, pressing his forehead against yours.

          You let your hands rest against his chest, he was right – you picked him.

          But…did he want you?

          “I picked you because you make me feel alive. But if you don’t want me, that’s fine. J-just tell me now, and I can talk with Aphrodite. I’ll just pick one of your brothers-”

          The sound of the bottle hitting the lush grass, Hoseok’s hand gripping your chin, pulling you towards him in one tug. A sudden warmness upon your lips, a taste of wine.

          Your eyes shut closed, he was kissing you.

          You threw your arms around his neck, drawing him closer as you moaned in his mouth, he tastes like wine. Citrus flavours bursting as he growled, his hold on your hair and chin not wavering a bit. His teeth grazed your bottom lip, biting and causing you to whine underneath his grasp.

          He groaned at your sound, pulling away as your eyes fluttered open. Your knees felt weak, your breath uneven as your head buzzed. This was all you wanted, his lips against your own, but now that you got a taste, you wanted more. So much more. Your head spun as if you were drunk, “Honey.”

          You titled your head to the side, struggling to breathe as your fingers dug into his hair, what? “A taste of honey.” He groaned, eyes half-lidded. The way he grunted, his lips nibbling yours made you press your thighs together, a growing itch as you felt yourself getting wetter by the second. The way you squeezed your legs shut didn’t go unnoticed, Hoseok grinning madly as he jolted your head back, exposing your neck.

          “Why haven’t I meet you sooner my precious bumblebee?” He sighed before spoiling your neck. You whimpered, your hands gripping onto him for dear life. He didn’t bother trying to be tender, nipping and sucking your neck and collarbones enthusiastically, “G-grapes.” You gasped, his tongue dragging along the neckline of your robe.

          He stopped his movement, giving you a chance to open your eyes. His hair was messy, eyes blown out as his hands gripped you hungrily. “Grapes - they don’t need bees. They reproduce themselves without the help of bees.”

          “Well good thing I’m not a bloody grape because the need to reproduce with you is driving me insane.”

          You bit your lip to muffle your cry, Hoseok biting your neck once again as his hands moved down to your waist, just barely skimming your chest, “May I, my sweet little bumblebee?” He muttered, his kisses pushing the thin fabric down, almost exposing your breasts fully for him. You coloured, anxiously huffing – torn, “I-I-”

          Right away, Hoseok pulled hearing your hesitance, his touch dropping as he looked up at you, eyes soft, “I won’t force you if you don’t want to.”

          “I want you too, it’s just that…” Hoseok raised a brow, confusion written all over his face as he watched you squirm under his grasp. You wanted him to touch you so badly, take you right here out in the open, “What’s wrong, my little bumblebee, tell me.” He cooed, placing tender kisses down your chest, his fingers starting to once again run over your upper body, ghosting your skin through the fabric.

          Your eyes widen, back arched, gasping delightfully as his touches, “I-I’m untouched.” You whined, cheeks red as you blurted out the cause of your conflicting emotions. But the look on Hoseok’s face, the smirk as he licked his lips leisurely, “Oh my little bumblebee, how can a follower of Aphrodite be untouched? Ignorant to greatest pleasures of man and God?” He buzzed.

          Your eyes tightly shut, his hands firmly groping you through your robes, his thumb and index fingers teasing your hardening nubs through the fabric. Your knees buckled, falling against his body as you quivered.

          The answer was simple - because you never found a man worth your damn time until now.

          “Show me.” You whined as you clung onto him, not realizing that the cries you were hearing were your own, so desperate to be touched. Hoseok groaned, his lips brushing against your ear, “You want me to show you what?” he pestered, his hands cupping your breasts as you press your thighs against each other, your wetness starting leak down your legs - frantic for a release.

          “S-show me the greatest pleasures of man and God.”

          “Right here, out in this open field?” He taunted, his voice hitched as he listened at the way you whimpered, “Yes~!”

          His hands dropped to your waist, lifting you in a single movement. Your legs wrapped around his waist, feeling something hard throb against your heat. “You’re mine, your body, your soul – everything. You’re all mine.”

          You were pushed against a tree, cherry blossoms showering your figures as he hungrily ate your lips. You sighed once more into his kiss, seeking out some sort of relief as you bucked into him. The way his bulge rubbed against you, breath escaping as a jolt of pleasure ran up your spine. Hoseok groaned, eyes rolling back as he rutted.

          “Touch me, please, I-I can’t wait-” You begged.

          Tears threatened to pool over as you helplessly ground against him, the new sensations consuming you. Hoseok chuckled, clicking his tongue as he ran his fingers down your chest. Those long slender fingers, how much you wanted to feel them against your skin, doing things you have only dreamed the moment you met him. “Where do you want me to touch you, bumblebee?”

          With his hips firmly planting you against the tree, his hands were free to roam your body. Your nails dug into the tree bark, panting heavily as he slowly pulled at your dress. “Do you want me to touch you here?” he snickered.

          Before you could speak, he tugged the remaining half of your dress down, the sound of fabric tearing echoing into the field. But you didn’t have a chance to lament, his hands greedily fondling your breasts and kneading them.

          Your mouth hung open shamefully, trembling at the way he ran his tongue down your chest and sucked your nipples with a loud ‘pop.’

          “Hoseok~.” You moaned breathlessly, stars flooding your vision. You bucked against him once more, feeling the way his member twitched, just as aroused as you. “Oh, you want more bumblebee? So greedy.”

          His kittenish licks along your breasts, taking his sweet time as he watched over you with desire. You felt one of his hands move down your clothed stomach, bunching up the remaining fabric into a fist, lifting the dress further up your legs before exposing you.

          His breathing hitched, seeing the growing wet spot against his robes, biting his lips. You were fully exposed, and the sudden realization hit you hard as you anxiously covered your blushing face, “Look at the mess you made, you’re drenched.” His other hand quickly gripped your wrists, pinning them above your head, forcing you to show your rosy face.

          The way he licked his lips, his fingers running up your thighs, slowly inching his way closer to your core. “D-don’t tease, please.” You whined, springing your hips, trying urgently to feel his fingers against you. Hoseok growled, his fingers just barely skimming your heat, inducing another painful moan from you, “Please~.”

          Your hips jerked forward, feeling his fingertips running along your slit. The sound of your slick so clear. Your eyes rolled back, head hitting the tree as you moaned, his fingers spreading you wide for him. The way he easily slid up and down your cunt made you want to hide in embarrassment - but the pleasure convinced you otherwise.

          Your hips bucked again, causing his fingers to hit that particular bundle of nerves. A sharp exhale escaped you, wanting desperately to claw at his back. But the grip on your wrists above your head was unrelenting. His fingers lubed as he rubbed and pinched your clit with ease. “Is this what you want from me bumblebee?” He groaned, watching the way you helplessly arched against his hand.

          “Y-yes, oh- Hoseok, God- yes!” Hoseok beamed, watching the way you struggled to keep your eyes open, a knot in your stomach building as you humped his fingers urgently. “That’s right, I’m a God, the only God that can make you feel this good, right?”

          You nodded your head frantically, the pleasure building, the way he rubbed your clit effortlessly between his fingers. Pinching tighter and rolling the bud faster as you cried.

          The pressure built, unable to handle it anymore as your legs twitched. Hoseok smirked, feeling the way your thighs tried to hug his hand, hips bucking non-stop, “Are you gonna cum for me, bumblebee?”

          You were at a loss of words, merely nodding your head, “Say my name, who is going to make you cum like this? Just from their fingers?”

          “Hoseok!” You gasped.

          He clicked his tongue, “Not loud enough bumblebee, scream it.”

          “HOSEOK.”

          “Cum for me love.”

          You lost it.

          Your legs shook as your back arched against the tree. Mind blank as you convulsed under his grasp, rubbing you harshly as you rode out your high. You couldn’t think - tears prickling from your eyes as you experienced your first ever orgasm with another person. His touch lightened hearing you whimper, your face and chest red.

          Your eyes fluttered open, Hoseok smirking madly at you, like a cat that got the cream. His fingers ran between you slit, scooping your cum with ease. His eyes never left yours, bringing his fingers to his lips before sighing sensually. “Sweeter than sweet.” he purred into your ear, your cheeks flushed watching the way he licked his fingers with delight, “Oh little bumblebee, you’re going to be my breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the rest of my life.”

          “Good. And I expect you to give me a glass of wine with every meal.” You muttered back. Hoseok laughed, cupping your face before kissing your lips, “Honey and wine, a mix I never thought of…” He groaned, lazily kissing you as his grip on your wrists loosened.

          Your hands wrapped around his neck, dragging him closer to you, your breasts pressed against him as you tasted a bit of yourself in his mouth. He was right, you did taste like honey.

          “Hoseok…” You muttered into the kiss, he pulled away, only to fall into your neck as you ground against him, “I want you inside me.” You felt your cheeks heat up at your words, but you meant it. The way you clenched, the need to be filled. He lifted his head, “Undress me then.”

          Your legs dropped from his waist, without a hesitation untying the sash around his waist and tugging at the furs that adored him. Like a God, he stood still, watching the way you unclothed him like a mad animal. Your hand ran over his clothed manhood, causing him to hiss as you rubbed teasingly through the fabric, “Hurry up bumblebee, I waited a damn week for this, I refuse to wait any longer.”

          A week, he wanted you as much as you desired him that night.

          You tugged at the last knot, his robes falling gracefully onto the grass, exposing him fully. Your cheeks flushed, unable to rip your gaze away from him and his manhood. His member standing tall, head oozing with pre-cum as he pushed you up against the tree. You wanted to touch it, feel the way the veins pulsed under your gaze, but his voice stopped you, “Turn around, I need to stretch you.”

          His hand gripped your hip, spinning you around, so your ass stuck out with your hands grabbing the tree for balance. You were leaned over, legs spread wide for him and fully exposed. You were panting, emotions of eagerness and fear coursing through your veins as his hands ran along your ass cheeks.

          His fingers agonizingly trailed down your ass, before brushing against your cunt once again, a sharp gasp escaping you. So distracted by his touch, you didn’t realize that he was on his knees, directly across from your womanhood. You felt his hot breath, jumping slightly at the sensation, “Sorry, but I can’t help myself.” He purred before you felt his wet muscle against you.

          Your nails dug into the bark, moaning loudly as you felt his tongue parting your lips, lapping every drop that dripped out of you, “So sweet…” he groaned to himself, his tongue flicking against your clit. Your back arched to his face, oblivious to the fact that his fingers were already teasing your entrance.

          He pushed lightly, your pussy eating up his fingers with ease and sucking him in. The way his fingers moved in and out with ease, had you moaning, a pressure building up again from the new feeling. “How does it feel bumblebee? It doesn’t hurt, right?” He whispered between licks, his tone a bit gentle. But the speed of his fingers increased, as he saw the way your eyes shut closed and how you pushed yourself back against his every thrust.

          It felt so good, feeling those deliciously long fingers of his inside you. His fingers curled, searching for something. And that’s when you felt it, a sharp jolt of pleasure. Your legs stiffen, crying his name out as you blacked out for a second, “R-right there.” You moaned. Hoseok’s tongue never stopped moving against your clit, letting you fuck yourself on his fingers.

          You felt the pressure in your gut building as he slipped a third finger inside you, hitting that one spot over and over again. The stretch his fingers caused was quickly dismissed as the pleasure was knee-jerkingly intense. Your cries grew louder, as Hoseok groans caused his mouth to vibrate against you. His teeth grazed your bud, legs quivering as you struggled to stay up, “H-Hoseok, I’m gonna-”

          He pulled away.

          You clenched nothingness as you whimpered. You were so close, so damn close. You made a movement to straighten up, ready to tear him to pieces, but his hand firmly pressed on your back, holding you down.

          You could feel it, the head of his dick rubbing along your slit, lubing himself with your wetness. You looked over your shoulder, head thrown back, and eyes shut as he rubbed himself against you. His lips were covered with your own cum, not bothering at all to wipe it, and the sight alone almost made you cum right then and there.

          “I’m going to enter you, it’s going to hurt for a bit, okay?” He muttered, his hands running up and down your back to soothe you. “If it hurts too much tell me, I’ll stop. Just don’t let your bees hurt me.” Your brows furrowed together, my bees?

          The laugh that erupted from Hoseok the moment you realized what he meant. You were outside, and you could still hear your bees buzzing around, not even working just playing amongst themselves while you eagerly await Hoseok to enter you. You blushed, nodding your head, “The last thing I need is to be stung while making love to you.”

          “I promi-hmpph!”

          Without warning, you felt him push at your entrance, a strangled moan escaping as you felt the head of his dick inside.

          You felt everything.

          You felt the way his member pulsed inside of you, inch by inch pushing himself inside. The low erotic growl that Hoseok let out, hissing as he slid himself gradually. You never felt so stretched, a slight stinging feeling as you pushed himself against you. It wasn’t painful as much as it was uncomfortable, “You’re so tight.” He groaned, his fingers digging into the flesh of your hips, struggling not to thrust into you and seek out his high.

          You moaned, pushing yourself against him, adjusting to his size. His grip harden, gasping as you pushed yourself against him. He was inside - all the way in.

          He leaned over your back, placing soft kisses along your back and up your neck, “May I?” He hummed, teasingly pulling himself back, “Yes.” You moaned, and that was all it took.

          He slammed his hips back into you, stuffing your hand into your mouth to muffle your cries.

          Hoseok snickered, hurriedly grabbing your hands with a swift motion and pulling them behind your back, “I want to hear you bumblebee, loud and clear.” He huffed, slamming himself inside you. You felt your mind go blank, as he hit that sweet spot inside of you once again as he had done with his fingers.

          You clenched around him as he lunged ruthlessly, causing him to whine slightly, “You’re so tight, it feels so good.” He groaned into your ear, nipping at your neck as you cried.

          It didn’t take long for your denied orgasm to bubble up again, gasping and crying out desperately for him to go faster, harder.

          And he listened, to every single whine.

          The sound of skin slapping against skin quickly overpowered the buzzing of the bees around you, your eyes shut closed as you felt an explosion building in your stomach. Hoseok groaned lowly, feeling you tighten around him, releasing your hands to grab your hips, “You going to cum already for me, bumblebee?” He hissed, breathing sharply as his chest heaved against your back.

          Not a single word escaped you, only endless cries and moans as you nodded your head, grasping onto the tree for dear life as he rammed himself inside you. “J-just wait bumblebee, I’m so close.” He huffed.

          His thrusts were erratic, no longer controlled as he sought out his high. You whimpered, the tension building so much, ready to pop any second, needing that extra push. Your knees buckle underneath you, “I-I can’t wait.” You gasped out, squeezing your eyes shut as you tried to hold back. Flashing colours flickered despite your closed eyes, overwhelmed with the pleasure.

          Hoseok panted above you, one hand leaving your hip before sneaking back to your slit, looking for that magical spot. “Cum with me bumblebee.” He grunted, his fingers rubbed your clit, letting it roll between his fingers as he pounded you. You shuddered, tears falling as you let your climax overtake you.

          You could feel Hoseok shudder, weak thrusts as you felt warm spurts of his cum inside of you. His dick twitching as he let out the most animalistic groan you’ve ever heard. You were at a loss of words, your hands falling along the tree as Hoseok panted into your ear.

          You just had sex for the first time, and it was with a God.

          “Are you okay?” Hoseok huffed, struggling to catch his breath.

          “I-I can’t feel my legs…” you whimpered out, before collapsing onto the earth. Hoseok hissed, wrapping his arms around you before you dropped, a groan escaping you both as he accidentally thrust himself inside of you and a jolt of pleasure coursed through both of your bodies, “Please, I can’t do another round.” You muttered, struggling to keep your eyes open.

          You could hear Hoseok laugh from above you, slowly pulling himself out, leaving you empty as his cum dripped down your legs. You wouldn’t dare say it, but you already missed the feeling of him inside you. He raised you upwards, snuggling you to his chest, “I made a mess of you.” He grinned, planting a soft kiss on your forehead.

          A blush filled your cheeks, realizing what you just did. “Sit down, I’ll cover you.” He muttered, leaning you up against the tree as he gathered his robes and furs. You let your legs lay against the grass, hearing the faint buzzing of your bees up in the air.

          A sudden warmth embraced you, noticing he loosely put on his robe and wrapped your body with the expensive furs he wore. He crouched in front of you, running his hands along your face with the broadest smile, “You don’t know how badly I wanted to do that.”

          You giggled softly, exhaustion consuming you as you let your head rest against the tree, “So…I’m going to assume it’s a yes?” You shyly muttered, crossing your arms with the furs he enveloped you in. Hoseok raised a brow, tilting his head to the side as he observed you tenderly, “What do you mean bumblebee.”

          “That you want me…that I picked the right brother.” Hoseok laughed, running his hands through your hair gleefully, “I swear, Aphrodite and Dionysus already knew. I think they knew we were meant to be, they just introduced you to my brothers to upset me.”

          You opened your mouth but quickly shut it.

          He was right.

          Aphrodite was the Goddess of love. She’s the first one to tell you who we are all destined to be with. So why bother introducing you to all of Dionysus’s sons if you were going to end up with Hoseok in the end? Unless…

          “She wanted to make me realize…” you giggled breathlessly to yourself, before looking up at him, “She wanted me to see my options, just to show me how perfect we are…” Hoseok shook his head, grinning before reaching behind him. He pulled out the wine bottle from earlier, the bottle he dropped onto the ground in the heat of the moment, “Well…I brought this bottle for us to drink, have a little date. Clearly, that didn’t happen.”

          You smiled, reaching forward and grabbing the bottle from his grasp, “An after-sex wine celebration? In honour of my first time?” You proposed. You tugged on the cork, hearing a bit of air escape, “To the taste of wine~.” You teased.

          Hoseok smiled, “To the taste of honey.”

          Aphrodite giggled, playfully slapping Dionysus’s arms as she squealed with delight, “I won, I knew it!”

          Dionysus huffed, shaking his head as he watched Hoseok push you up against the tree, your moans drifting with the wind, “I really thought he would’ve last two weeks….” He grumbled. Aphrodite rolled her eyes, tugging on Dionysus’ arm as they walked off. They didn’t need to stay and watch to know what was going to happen, your moans spoke plenty.

          “I knew it, you saw the way they were at the party. They almost kissed!”

          “How I wish to be young again…” Dionysus sighed, but Aphrodite just bumped her hip to him, “I can’t reverse time…but I do know something that can make you happy, feel young.” She purred, her fingers running up his arms, letting her nails trail along his skin. Dionysus smirked, looking down at the sexy vixen on his arm.

          The ultimate temptation of all man and God – love and sex.

Copyright © 2019 Mystic-Kitten, inc. all rights reserved. No reposting, modifying, or translations of any kind allowed. Thank you for your cooperation.

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BLUE EYES : WIP : Chapter 6 : Hosted Tales

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BLUE EYES  : Chapter VI

Ghost in the Darkness

Written by @wind-the-mama-cat​

​ Art by @wind-the-mama-cat​

(New to BLUE EYES? Read from the beginning)

With a POP! Winter and I hit solid ground.

My knees buckled despite Winter’s best effort to keep me upright.

I winced as the jolt aggravated the cut on my chest, and, the arrow in my back.

“Ah!”

Winter whimpered and hissed in worry. “B-blue Eyes! Sorry!”

I shook my head. “It’s fine…” I croaked out as I did my best to smirk at the poor girl. No, the woman whom saved my life. “Had worse.”

Winter, still gripping my belt, as she kept her left arm around my back and my arm around her shoulders, looked around. She used her magic of her right hand to light the dark forest.

“Okay. G-good news. It seems we lost Blackberry and her minions.” She said, trying to sound calm. “Bad news… is… is…”

“I’m injured, and I’m losing a lot of blood…” I stated through a pained expression.

Winter nodded. “Y-yes…”

I looked around and tried to examine our surroundings. “Winter… my vision is blurred. I need… if I am to live, I need your help. First… keeping my upright isn’t helping. I need to lay down.”

Winter gulped. “There’s a patch of grass. I will lay you down there.”

She hobbled over to our right. She then, as gently as she could, laid me down on my side, making sure to not jostle the arrow still in my back.

I tucked my right arm under my head. “Now… do… you know any healing spells?”

Winter shook her head. “Sadly not.”

I sighed. “Okay…” I blinked a few times. “I need you to find a herb… it’s called yarrow. It has a green stalk with small white flowers.”

Winter stood up, and looked around the immediate area. She looked worried.”I… I don’t…” She stopped. “Wait… I think so.”

She hurried away, out of my field of view.

I took a shallow breath, trying not to move my chest too much. However, with each breath, the arrow in my back jostled and burned.

Winter came back into my vision, holding some white flowers. She knelt in front of me, so that I could see them better. “B-blue Eyes? Is… is this the correct flower?”

I looked at the flowers. “Aye.” Winter sighed in relief. “Now, I know this might be difficult, but I n-need you… to… look and see… how far the arrow is my back…”

Winter moved behind me, and laid her hands on my back.

“Um, I… well, knowing how long Imperial arrows are,” Winter said. “It seems to be in at least three inches. Y-your kimono seems to had stopped it from going in any further.”

I nodded. “Okay. So, the issue is… is… the arrow head magetech?”

I could feel Winter use her magic to scan me. “No. It’s a simple three blade broad-head.”

I sighed in frustration. “So… good news… bad news.” I closed my eyes. “Winter… we have no choice… I need you to pull the arrow out.”

“Blue Eyes!” Winter gasped “I can’t! I-”

She stopped talking as she and I heard something in the darkness of the forest. She put out her magic, as to not attract attention.

Through the trees, I could make out, barely, what appeared to be torches. Winter confirmed my suspicion.

“Blue Eyes…” She whispered. “I see torches a mere few meters away. Say… 50 feet or so.”

“An Imperial patrol?” I hazard a guess.

“I believe so…” Winter answered. “The moon is bright. I believe I can see their white armour reflecting in the darkness.”

I drew my sword silently. “Do you think… you can take them?”

Winter sighed. “I can make out five torches.” She said. “With whom knows how many more are out there which we can’t see.”

I grumbled. “Damn it…”

Winter gasped suddenly. “Wait…”

I strained my ears. The soldiers were shouting about something. “Winter? Have we been spotted?”

“No.” Winters answered “I… the soldiers… the torches have been dropped. They… aren’t moving.”

I furrowed my brow. “What?”

Something, or someone, suddenly appeared in a puff of smoke before us.

“Who-?”

Winter grabbed my sword as she stood up, and lit up the area with me magic.

“Do not move a muscle!” Winter ordered the stranger. “Identify yourself!”

The stranger, dressed in black, and holding a recurve bow, looked over… her?… shoulder blankly at Winter and Me. Her hair appeared to be blue, and her eyes blood red. Her skin was dark… just like mine and Winter’s.

“I?” The stranger asked, her voice flat and emotionless. “I am the one whom killed those soldiers.” She looked down at me. “You are injured.”

I smirked. “You don’t miss much, Archer.”

She put the arrow that she was holding back in the quiver on her hip. She then put her bow on her back.

“I guard these woods, Injured one.” The Archer stated, as she crouched before me. “Nothing transpires within these trees without me knowing of it.” She glanced at Winter. “Even magic teleportation.”

“Who are you?” Winter asked again. “You have our skin tone.”

The Archer shook her head. “Names can be exchanged later. Know that I pose no threat to you, Mage, or you…” She looked at me, “…Injured one. Know that I am willing to help you.”

She held out her hand, offering for me to take it.

I hesitated “How can we trust you?”

“If I wanted to kill you, You would already be dead.” The Archer said matter of factually.

Winter lifted my sword, and placed it under the Archer’s chin. “Was that a threat?”

The Archer’s hand disappeared into mist, and suddenly, my sword was back in my sheath.

“No threat, Mage.” The Archer answered, as her hand reappeared. “But… if you must know my name… I am known by rumours and stories, as Myst.” She looked over shoulder briefly and then back at me. “More soldiers are coming. Do you wish to stay here until they come? Or shall I help you by taking you somewhere safe?”

I nodded. “I have no choice.”

“Blue Eyes!” Winter hissed in defiance.

“We need help.” I said. “Winter… we have to trust her.” I placed my hand in hers. “Winter… take her hand.”

Myst held out her left hand for Winter to take. “Time is wasting, Mage.”

Winter hesitated, but then, reluctantly, placed her right hand in Myst’s hand.

For the second time in the day, my vision swam as we seemed to travel by magic. Though, her method of travel seemed to be different then Winter’s. Instead of… instantaneous travel… we seemed to float or fly.

A few moments later, we seemed to… solidify… into a small room lit by torches. Myst and Winter were standing in front me, while I seemed to be lying on my side on a soft bed.

“De Writer?” Myst called out. “Father?”

I heard coughing as an Old man, wearing blue robes, and sporting a white, neatly trimmed beard, shuffled into the room.

“Ah. Blue Eyes.” He smiled warmly at me. “Welcome home.”

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𝒾 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹 𝓊

Genre- Angst, BTS universe

Characters- Kim Namjoon, Kim Taehyung.

Plot- At the end of a winter’s day in a small peaceful park surrounded by a bustling capital city, a man, no older than 25, is faced with his worst nightmare. His brother had flown too close to the sun and he let him seep through his fingers.

Disclaimer- All themes throughout this story are fictional and based off the BU storyline. All similarities that may occur in this ff are purely coincidental.

Warning- Mentions of violence and implied murder.

https://open.spotify.com/track/6ePyl2ns4b7MVYhjsj32ZK

Soft snowflakes spiralled to the ground as the glowing winter sun set on the horizon. Trees lined the horizon as dark skeletons creating silhouettes against the amber sky. The chatter of commuters rushing to their cosy homes after a hard day’s work filled the park with a comfortable atmosphere. In the park rested a frozen lake reflecting the suns glow and forming shimmering crystals off its thin ice surface. Cracks as small as paper cuts covered the surface of the lake where rosy-cheeked children recently skid and skated on. Bordering on the lake, a wilting weeping willow stood blanketed in a thick layer of frost. Nestled in the crevice of the trunk of the tired willow, a baby bird snuggled tightly inside his twiggy nest tweeted peacefully. The warm nest, scattered with small berries picked by the said bird, created a force field to protect the bird from the frosty temperatures. Gradually, the bustle of commuters calmed, and the atmosphere quietened so much that you could pierce through it with a knife. Silence engulfed the mellow tweets of the baby bird.

그냥 나 좀 내버려둬! – Just leave me alone!

A man enveloped in a padded, black coat cursed to himself creating small misty puffs in the air. Stuffing his phone back into the pocket of his coat, he trudged wearily on the path concealed by the slush of melting snow alongside the lake. Antarctic chill biting at the man's bare face as he took his mind off his worries and observed his surroundings. He recognized how the cotton clouds released petite snowdrops that descended like ivory white feathers being wobbled by the cool breeze. He noticed how the icicles hanging from the swaying branches of the tree on the other side of the lake captured the dimming light of the sunset and glistened magically. He remembered how he, as a young boy, ventured with his friend, who he considered as more of a younger brother, underneath that same willow in the Spring. Smiling. Laughing. With no worries. How times have turned.

Continuing his wander in the park, the man soon realised that time had passed. Looking up, the sky had lit up in different shades of dark blue holding miniature starry golden lanterns flickering far away in the galaxy. The night sky recalled the time that his brother managed to drag him to an art museum. Vincent Van Gogh. The man sighed deeply and for a moment his face beamed as he memorised the times when his brother, as giddy as a puppy, would talk to him for hours on end about Van Gogh’s paintings. When the younger talked about him so passionately about his work, his chocolate brown eyes twinkled, and his smile resembled a heart. He remembered how he wanted to squish those cheeks there and then. Oh, how much he missed that smile. He really loved his brother, but recently something was up with him.

Earlier that morning, the man had to be at the petrol station and his brother was still not home. The evening before the younger asked him if he could hang out with his friends at ‘the lot’. ‘The lot’ being an abandoned car park that somehow led to an old rail line. It wasn’t unusual for him to ask to go out with his friends as the man often hung out with the others often too, so he accepted his brother's request. He would have gone with him, but he had to work long hours at the station. The unusual thing was when he asked him, he seemed to be in an odd mood. Angry. Emotional. Stubborn. Before the younger left, the man asked him if there was anything was wrong. The brother shrugged his shoulders and replied as always

괜찮아요 형.내 괜찮아. – It’s okay brother. I’m fine.

No matter what his brother told him, he knew there was something bothering him. He always came back home from being with his friends on time or earlier when he was with him. Maybe it was his father? No. It's only a small issue and the last time he met with his father he hadn’t done anything recently. His sister seemed fine when he saw her last. Although, she was worried recently about the rent since her brother still hadn’t found a temporary job, though he said that he could do shifts at the corner shop. He’d have to deal with the raging complaints about over-priced milk from the locals. Yeah, him and customer service… not a chance. Knowing about their situation, he assured her that he could help in looking after the rent through the small income of shifts at the petrol station. Both don’t deserve to deal with their father. They are angels and their father is the-

Crack

야! – Hey!

Startled, the man was snapped out of his daydream. A stone, the size of a fist, was thrown onto the frozen lake from the other side creating a large crack in the ice. The man glanced over to the other side of the glistening lake expecting to find a fox to be the culprit. Gasp.

뭐? 너 왜 여기 있니? 방법? – What? Why are you here? How?

Why is he-? Unexpectedly, his gaze met the warm chocolate eyes of another man. The man on the other side stood, his face beaming rays of sunlight with a boxy heart-shaped smile. The other raised his hand waving briskly at the man still in shock. The man returned the favour, waving with bright eyes and a welcoming grin. The younger across the glacial lake looked like he should be shivering and shaking rather than his current state. He wore a black hoodie with black jeans and a plain white t-shirt that was splattered with-.

아니요. 안돼… - No. No way…

The youngers smile dropped. His face paled. Once masked with happiness and hope, is now unveiled to be filled with anger and despair. Raising his hand that once waved at the man, he pointed with his hands trembling at the pocket of the man’s padded coat. His eyes red with sorrow and anxiety. Helpless. He needed help.

Rapidly, the man reached inside his pocket. He looked down at his phone screen causing an illumination that eradicated the darkness surrounding him.

YOU HAVE 1 VOICEMAIL FROM 김…

YOU HAVE 1 MISSED CALL FROM…

As he pressed the number for voicemail on the dial pad with his fingers quivering, butterflies fluttered about his stomach making it harder to breathe by the second. When he got through, his heart shattered into millions of small fragments to never be collected again.

형, 나는 뭔가 해냈어. 도움... I need u – Hyung, I did something. Help… I need u

A small tear slipped out of his swollen red eye gliding gracefully until it dropped off his blank face, hurtling to the ground. Many other teardrops fell following in its steps. And the man stood motionless as if time had stopped. Aloof to his surroundings, to the rising moon over the skeleton trees or the tiny snowflakes dancing elegantly down from the fluffy dark clouds and tickling his warm face. He did not blink, nor did he breathe, he just stood there staring at his phone screen with fear. He remained like that for the next few minutes until tears flooded his eyes and began to spill one by one on to the screen of his phone that now displayed a picture of a boy. Another boy older than him sat next to him by a tree. Both smiling so bright that they could have challenged the sun for its place in the galaxy.

As if his worst nightmares had come true, he dropped his phone and raced to the edge of the lake to meet his friend’s chocolate eyes once again. But he was only faced with the tree that had created an escape for him and his brother all those years ago. Not peppered in mini cherry blossoms in bloom but bare-branched sifted in a layer of icing sugar. Suddenly, faint tweeting hidden in the depths of the tree caught his attention. A baby bird surprised him by shuffling forward on the bumpy branch overlooking the crystal lake. The bird seemed to panic, moving its cute head left to right searching the wintry park for something. But the bird seemed to freeze when he caught sight of the man staring on the other side of the lake. Curious as to why the man was saddened and sniffling, it cocked its head to the side and gazed back.  The bird settled on the branch like that for a while, wide-eyed. Until another distant tweet broke the silence. The bird fluttered its wings in excitement and responded to the call of the faraway bird, joyfully tweeting before returning its watch on the man again. Gently bowing its head before it flew off into the dark night sky with wide wings. The man watched the little bird soar into the horizon in awe. He knelt to pick his phone up once again and started to sprint toward the entrance of the park.

Don’t fly too close to the sun little one…

METAMORPHOSES I: THE FALL OF PHAETON

Ovid’s hair-raising account of the disastrous attempt made by Phaethon, the son of the sun god Phoebus, to drive his father’s chariot across the heavens, the global cataclysm that ensues, and the lethal divine intervention that ends it, appears in Book II of the Metamorphoses. This text was the iconographic source for numerous Baroque ceiling paintings:

The boy [Phaeton] has already taken possession of the fleet chariot, and stands proudly, and joyfully, takes the light reins in his hands, and thanks his unwilling father. Meanwhile the sun’s swift horses, Pyros, Eos, Aethon, and the fourth, Phlegon, fill the air with fiery whinnying, and strike the bars with their hooves. When Tethys, ignorant of her grandson’s fate, pushed back the gate, and gave them access to the wide heavens, rushing out, they tore through the mists in the way with their hooves and, lifted by their wings, overtook the East winds rising from the same region. But the weight was lighter than the horses of the Sun could feel, and the yoke was free of its accustomed load. Just as curved-sided boats rock in the waves without their proper ballast, and being too light are unstable at sea, so the chariot, free of its usual burden, leaps in the air and rushes into the heights as though it were empty. As soon as they feel this the team of four run wild and leave the beaten track, no longer running in their pre-ordained course. He was terrified, unable to handle the reins entrusted to him, not knowing where the track was, nor, if he had known, how to control the team. When the unlucky Phaethon looked down from the heights of the sky at the earth far, far below he grew pale and his knees quaked with sudden fear, and his eyes were robbed of shadow by the excess light. Now he would rather he had never touched his father’s horses, and regrets knowing his true parentage and possessing what he asked for. Now he wants only to be called Merops’ son, as he is driven along like a ship in a northern gale, whose master lets go the ropes, and leaves her to prayer and the gods. What can he do? Much of the sky is now behind his back, but more is before his eyes. Measuring both in his mind, he looks ahead to the west he is not fated to reach and at times back to the east. Dazed he is ignorant how to act, and can neither grasp the reins nor has the power to loose them, nor can he change course by calling the horses by name. Also, alarmed, he sees the marvellous forms of huge creatures everywhere in the glowing sky. There is a place where Scorpio bends his pincers in twin arcs, and, with his tail and his curving arms stretched out to both sides, spreads his body and limbs over two star signs. When the boy saw this monster drenched with black and poisonous venom threatening to wound him with its arched sting, robbed of his wits by chilling horror, he dropped the reins. When the horses feel the reins lying across their backs, after he has thrown them down, they veer off course and run unchecked through unknown regions of the air. Wherever their momentum takes them there they run, lawlessly, striking against the fixed stars in deep space and hurrying the chariot along remote tracks. Now they climb to the heights of heaven, now rush headlong down its precipitous slope, sweeping a course nearer to the earth. The Moon, amazed, sees her brother’s horses running below her own, and the boiling clouds smoke. The earth bursts into flame, in the highest regions first, opens in deep fissures and all its moisture dries up. The meadows turn white, the trees are consumed with all their leaves, and the scorched corn makes its own destruction. Then, truly, Phaethon sees the whole earth on fire. He cannot bear the violent heat, and he breathes the air as if from a deep furnace. He feels his chariot glowing white. He can no longer stand the ash and sparks flung out, and is enveloped in dense, hot smoke. He does not know where he is, or where he is going, swept along by the will of the winged horses. But the all-powerful father of the gods climbs to the highest summit of heaven, from where he spreads his clouds over the wide earth, from where he moves the thunder and hurls his quivering lightning bolts, calling on the gods, especially on him who had handed over the sun chariot, to witness that, unless he himself helps, the whole world will be overtaken by a ruinous fate. Now he has no clouds to cover the earth, or rain to shower from the sky. He thundered, and balancing a lightning bolt in his right hand threw it from eye-level at the charioteer, removing him, at the same moment, from the chariot and from life, extinguishing fire with fierce fire. Thrown into confusion the horses, lurching in different directions, wrench their necks from the yoke and throw off the broken harness. Here the reins lie, there the axle torn from the pole, there the spokes of shattered wheels, and the fragments of the wrecked chariot are flung far and wide. But Phaethon, flames ravaging his glowing hair, is hurled headlong, leaving a long trail in the air, as sometimes a star does in the clear sky, appearing to fall although it does not fall. Far from his own country, in a distant part of the world, the river god Eridanus takes him from the air, and bathes his smoke-blackened face. There the Italian nymphs consign his body, still smoking from that triple-forked flame, to the earth, and they also carve a verse in the rock: Here Phaethon lies who in the sun-god’s chariot fared. And though greatly he failed, more greatly he dared.

jimin scenario | summoning love

➸ prompt: I’m a fairy and my parents told me to never get involved with witches, but you’re actually really sweet and not at all what I expected witches to be like.

➸ pairing: witch jimin x fairy reader

➸ requested by anon | 1.1k words | fluff

It started as an accident. You didn’t mean to make a habit of it.

Yet somehow, again tonight, your feet lead you down the path to the forest clearing, where you know you’ll see him – the witch who captivated you and keeps you coming back.

Beginning when you stumbled upon him in the clearing one night, as he practiced summoning spells, your heart had leaped in your chest, and each night you kept coming back to watch in fascination, from your hiding spot behind the tangled trees. Each intricate movement is enchanting – it draws you in, captivated as he performs to the moon and stars. This is more than summoning. What he’s doing is dancing. It’s art.

Your parents told you not to talk to witches, but you decide that this isn’t wrong. After all, you’re not talking. Just looking.

When you arrive at the clearing tonight, he’s already there, pulling on a black cloak, stitched with red embroidery that glitters in the frugal light. You settle down on a gnarled oak tree root, hidden in behind a screen of leaves, and wait for him to begin.

Something seems different today – he’s more precise setting up, laying incense sticks with care in a pattern you can’t understand. Leaning closer, you see his eyes shining determined in the gloom and realise that tonight will be special. Tonight, his practice will go one step further. He won’t just be acting out the steps, he’ll summon something. These are your favourite nights, when all the hard work he’s put in comes together in the form of a shining spirit that dissolves from air to follow along with his dancing.

The witch returns to the centre of the clearing, everything in place, and runs a hand through his black hair – a habit to calm himself before he begins. You suck in a breath, and he begins.

First, there’s only chanting. Specks of light stutter into existence, and hang quivering in the air, like stars plucked from heaven, shining brighter as his chanting gets louder. Then the dance begins. He raises his arms, his fingers glowing like the cut-out stars circulating him. As he swims his fingers through the air, he leaves a trail of light in their wake.

Your mouth falls open in awe, watching as the specks of heaven float. One blinks close to you, and you fight the urge to reach out and touch it. This is so different from your own magic, which falls like spilled sand, shimmering for a second before it dissipates. You can tell this magic is stronger. It’s why fairies fear witches. Things that house more power are always intimidating.

But right now you’re not scared.

The boy draws in the air with his fingers, swirling patterns of light that hang in his wake. Slowly, slowly, the shining trails build up, until you realise that the light is morphing into the shape of an animal - a ghostly wolf begins to take form, until the boy stops with a final flourish, and the wolf lifts its shining head to howl at the moon. The boy steps back, panting a little.

The spirit steps towards him, tentative, then stops. And lifts its nose, sniffing the air. Then its head snaps to look at you through the leaves.

“What is it?” the witch asks, staring at the leaves that hide you, wondering what’s set the spirit on edge. As the wolf pads towards your hiding place, the witch narrows his eyes and follows behind.

You’re frozen, unable to move under the wolf’s white-eyed stare. It comes to a stop in front of you, nose and teeth inches from your face. The witch pushes away the branches that cover you, and stops short.

A sharp breath out – from him, from you -  shivers in the space between you.

His gaze sweeps over you, coming to rest on your eyes. Confusion floods his irises, then recognition and his eyes widen. “A fairy!”

He reaches out a hand, hovering in front of your face, before his finger kisses your nose.

“What are you doing?” you duck away, detangling yourself from the leaves and vines that hide you away.

“Sorry. It’s just… I’ve just never seen a fairy before…”

You stumble to the centre of the clearing, and rub at your nose where his skin touched your own. Magic crackles there, a side effect of the blush flowering out to your cheeks. Turning back to him, you see he’s smiling.

“The legends really are true. You’re absolutely beautiful.”

Magic ripples below your skin, giving away the flush in your face, growing more intense by the minute.

The witch blushes himself. “Um… that was… sorry…” He falls to scratching the nape of his neck, “Do you mind me asking why you’re here?”

You consider whether or not you should answer, but end up spilling the truth: “I like to watch you dance.”

He laughs a little, face scrunching as he hides his smile behind his hands. “I’m actually too scared to practice my summoning in front of other witches since my methods are a bit… unconventional.” His laughter dies off. “It’s a little embarrassing that you saw it.”

“Why? It was beautiful. Like a river flowing.”

His own cheeks glow pink.

Behind him, the spirit wolf nudges at his leg. “Oh… you’re right, I didn’t introduce myself.” He looks back to you and smiles, extending his hand. “I’m Jimin.”

You stare at his hand.

“You’re supposed to shake it. That’s how we greet each other…”

Confused, you take his hand in your own, and look at his fingers in your own, seeing crackles of magic where your skin connects.

“Uhh… we’ll work on the handshake thing,” Jimin says, taking his hand away.

“I’ll show you a tradition fairy greeting as well then.” You place your hands on his shoulders. His eyes dart to your hands, then back to your face, mouth hanging open. With one more step, your bring your face close, and he squeezes his eyes shut.

You place a soft kiss on his cheek. Chaste and clean. A proper fairy greeting.

As you pull away, a few stray sparks of light drift between you.

“I should probably go,” you say, noting the sky peeking through the leaves of the trees, a few shades lighter. Morning is coming.

“Right…” The word hangs between the two of you, like Jimin wants to say more.

You turn to go, just as he blurts, “Will I see you again?”

“I’ll be here tomorrow night, as always.”

Author’s note: I hope you enjoyed it.

I’m so tired from all the uni work, it’s stopping me from writing as much as I want to... I’m going to go sleep now!

a halloween drabble > click here to read more

On a Never Resting Sea

Chapter X: Carai Zalû

First Last Next

AO3

Summary: Razz, the heir of the Beobyrian Empire, is on his way home from a diplomatic mission as his ship gets attacked by pirates. Suddenly he finds himself taken as hostage, and it doesn’t seem like the pirates are planning to exchange him for a ransom anytime soon. How annoying.

Warnings:  violence, death, blood, hostage holding, kidnapping, prostitution

The full moon shone bright. Stars dotted the sky, twinkling mischievously. It was light, almost like the day. Razz gasped as he stepped out on deck, taking in his picturesque surroundings. It was the most beautiful thing he had seen. Sarynthia was bobbing gently, tied to trees on an island small enough for the entire coastline to be visible. The bald trees – yes, trees – were covered in lanterns glowing gently orange and pale yellow. So were the ship’s masts. A thousand candles were placed along the railing and on every stone on the ground. Some of them in glass – or was it ice? – bubbles, some standing freely.

White sheets hung between tree branches, in order depicting silvery moons in all its phases. The biggest one showed a total solar eclipse, and on the ground in front of it a crescent moon burned from golden candles. The ground was covered in a light layer of snow, only a few centimetres. It shimmered in white, silver and gold as the lights reflected in it.

Music played in the background, and in the glen the crew were. Some of them were playing instruments; thalams, flutes, tampuras and even a bow harp. The music was lively and filled with joy. Not least because of the concentrated but jovial expressions on the musicians’ faces. The rest of the humans and monsters were talking, laughing, dancing. Their movements were unorganised, wild, almost delirious. Yet controlled and in perfect harmony with the other participants of the dance. It was nothing like any feast, ball or party Razz had ever been at.

Obviously, their clothing was simpler, cheaper, but it wasn’t only the obvious difference in standing. The atmosphere was more high-spirited, filled with true cheerfulness. Balls at the castle were wonderful, Razz had always adored them, but he could already tell this was something else.

Then of course it was the fact that these pirates had managed to get this small island lovelier than a ball room had ever been. Eyelights wide and filled with wonder, he turned to the pirate leading him. Red was standing straighter than usual, gazing down at him with a proud grin and eyelights which were more pink than red.

“what do ya think, majesty? Anythin’ like th’ balls a th’ castle?” he asked, and Razz felt the smile he realized was on his face widen. He laughed. He couldn’t remember the last time he had laughed like that, untrammelled. Without restraint and any thoughts of propriety.

“IT’S MAGNIFICENT,” he answered truthfully, almost without breathing as he turned back to stare.

Behind him, he heard Red shuffle and let out a small huff of laughter. The other sounded happy too. Then a figure freed themself from the crowd, walking toward them. As they got closer, and Razz got a proper look at them. Fell. The quartermaster moved with an elegance unusual even at the Court, his long skirt flitting between his legs when he walked. The dress was simple, hardly very expensive, but not cheap either.

It followed Peosani fashion, with a long, fluttery skirt and multiple layers in similar colours. They varied from black as ashes to a redder black, like glowing coal. Razz was willing to bet that beneath his winter coat, the sleeves were either very wide or non-existent in favour for small bracelets holding up a shawl sewn to the dress.

Fell smiled at them, nodding his head at Razz, who blinked in acceptance. The quartermaster’s smile was as sharp as ever, but with a softer edge to it despite his fangs. His heels clicked against the trees as he walked up to them.

“YOUR MAJESTY,” he greeted Razz. “WELCOME TO CARAI ZALÛ. I SUPPOSE IT IS YOUR FIRST TIME CELEBRATING?”

Razz nodded.

“CORRECT. OUTSIDE OF OUR OWN FEASTS, I HAVE PARTAKEN IN THE CELEBRATIONS OF SALAI IN WAELDÉ AND ZALATH IN ELAWAIN, BUT NEVER ONE OF YOURS,” he confirmed. The brothers’ faces distorted in a grimace as he mentioned their neighbouring country, Elawain, but it disappeared after a second. They smiled at him.

“well then,” Red stated, eyelights shining brightly. “we’ll jus’ ‘ave ta make sure ‘t’s th’ best carai ya’ll ever be on.”

Nodding and agreeing, Fell swept out with a hand. Fabric rustled as he moved, and the skirts quivered from a small breeze coming by. The candle flames did the same, but did not go out. Red and Fell both smiled at him, and despite himself Razz felt himself smile back. The shorter pirate took a step forward, and he did the same.

“NOW, YOUR MAJESTY, COME AND CELEBRATE THE BEAUTIFUL ZALÛ WITH US.”

The melody flowed from the violin as the bow took flight. His fingers pressed against the strings and moved swiftly and skillfully as he created music with the crew. Razz’s instrument was the loudest, had the purest tunes, while a wooden flute and a simple drum helped guide him. The song went up and down, quickly jumping from one tune to another. A soft voice sang to it, standing in the middle of the glen. A story about how the world was created, according to the myths of the Peosanira.

Razz half listened to the melodic voice, more concentrated on playing. Smiling, he allowed the bow to move faster, dance over the strings in a beautiful frenzy. A drop of sweat ran down his brow as his narrowed eyes stared at the dark brown violin. Meanwhile, the singer sang.

About how the world had been empty. A bleak place. Then the gods came. Came with light and life and darkness and hope. The Heavenly Twins, Zanã and Zalû, became the Sun and Moon and their servants the Stars. Peosali created trees and flowers and animals. Created humans and monsters. The Lovers, Tamala and Wael, Truth and Lie, created voices and language. Avani created music, song, poetry, painting, writing. Art. The Peosanira had countless gods, and each of them did their part. Created spirits of trees and water and mountains to protect the world. Created a way for the Pravannala – the Ancestors – to live after death to protect their family. Nothing was more important than Family, if you asked the believers.

Through all of it, Razz listened. He didn’t hear every word, too focused on his playing, but he heard most of it. The singer had a beautiful voice and the story was fascinating. He had been taught Peosani culture, but not like this. Not through their words. It was another thing entirely than to hear it from a tutor in an office. Blinking, he shook his head as he almost missed a note. Focus.

The song dragged out on the last part of the melody, making a sharp turn from lively to beautifully slow, and the singer matched his violin perfectly as he slid the bow over the strings for the last tune. With a flourish, he flicked his wrist and lifted it. The melody was over. Applauses filled the glen, and Razz grinned and nodded toward them. A few still harboured hostility in their eyes, but most were cheering heartily.

“lovely, majesty,” Red whispered into his ear, and he jumped. Where did he come from? Feeling his soul skip a beat, Razz smiled at the other. “but ya can’t play all night. wanna dance?”

Unable to deny a dance, Razz accepted. Yet his soul beat anxiously as Red led him out into the dancing part of the glen. While he was an amazing dancer at home, this was very different from the choreographed movements used at balls and parties. This dance was untamed. That was the most accurate way to describe it.

“WHAT ARE THE RULES OF THIS DANCE?” he asked Red, swallowing slightly as he watched the twirls and partner-changes of the already-dancing. The other laughed, and grinned at him.

“there’s no rules,” he said, and Razz’s sockets widened in horror. “jus’ follow me ‘n’ ‘ave fun.”

The next song began to play, and Red grabbed him. The crew’s violins tuned together into a fierce song, quicker than anything Razz had ever danced to before. His smile wavered. When it did, he felt hands cupping his face and turning it until he stared into the pirate’s eyelights. Red wore a gentle smile.

“it’ll be jus’ fine, razz,” he assured him softly. “i’ll go slow.”

After receiving a nod in reply, Red led him into the crowd and carefully led him into a twirl putting him against the other’s chest. Razz felt his smile grow again as they slowly moved along with the music, a bubble of calm in the hectic atmosphere around them. Red’s eyelights glowed as Razz smiled at him, and the snow crunched beneath their feet. Red threw him a questioning glance, and he nodded. They went faster. The cold air beat against his face and his skirts flied as he moved as his instincts told him, always carefully steered by the pirate. The dance area was full of pirates, yet no one ever collided. It was winter on the Eternal Sea, but his body was warm.

His soul pounded in his chest. Breathing hard from overexertion, Razz laughed loudly. He hadn’t had much exercise the past weeks and was out of shape, but the burning in his limbs felt wonderful. His eyelights shone as he twirled around another dancer, and they gave him a smile. He smiled back before returning to Red, who was laughing as well. Their eyes met and both of their smiles widened. Razz’s soul fluttered.

The music and the dance became the world. Everything else felt unreal when Red grabbed his waist and hoisted him into the air. He shrieked in delight as he rose toward the stars and could gaze out over everyone’s heads. Fell and Undyne were dancing too, and Fell caught his gaze, sending him a grin.

Far too soon, the song was over and the dancing ceased. Razz leaned on Red as he gasped for air, forcing himself to breathe calmly. Chuckling, the other led him toward the table where food and drinks were standing, and gave him a mug. Razz swept it, wincing at the sharp taste of low quality alcohol. Despite that, he swallowed it all. Looking at the other, he found Red smirking at him.

“i thought th’ ruler o’ a nation o’ warriors would be more fit,” he commented, voice teasing. Razz rolled his eyelights, glaring at him. He knew it lacked all bite, though, since he couldn’t stop smiling.

“YOU KNOW PERFECTLY WELL IT’S BECAUSE I’VE BEEN COOPED UP IN THAT CABIN FOR WEEKS. I’D LIKE TO SEE YOU TAKE ME ON ANY OTHER TIME,” he replied dryly, clutching at his ribs. They were aching slightly from all the moving.

Red’s heart was pounding in his chest as he studied Razz. The other’s cheeks were flushed and his eyelights bright purple. He was beaming. Honestly, Razz was beautiful. Red felt his own cheeks flush as well, and he had to force himself from groaning as he thought about two things he had realized while dancing.

First: He was irrevocably in love with Razz. In love with the Empress of the Beobyrian Empire.

Second: The crew would kill him if they found out.

The feast did indeed go on until sunrise. When it came, Razz, as well as a few crewmembers of other faiths, went to another part of the island to watch it while the believers performed a sacrifice to the moon. A sacrifice which happened to be a lot of Razz’s stolen jewellery, Red had told him, much to his chagrin. Apparently, the moon god appreciated pretty things. While he could empathize with that, he didn’t want his jewels to be lost in the sea because of an imaginary deity.

Dawn was beautiful. The stars had disappeared, being replaced by a sky covered in colours. Mainly different shades of blue and yellow, but also red and pink and purple. Razz stared in mute rapture. No one else spoke either, most of them too tired for conversation. Yawning widely, he stretched his arms over his head. Once he came back to his cabin, getting out of the dress before falling asleep would be a challenge.

Someone knocked on his shoulder, and he gazed up at them with half-lidded, tired sockets. Red. He smiled as he saw him. The red and yellow sky reflected in the white bone, making the other look like a piece of art. He was beautiful, Razz realized, his sockets widening. When the other held out his hand to help him to his feet, he took it without hesitation.

They made their way back to Sarynthia, walking arm in arm. Razz stumbled a few times since he was too tired to watch where he was going, but Red managed to keep him on his feet. Being up this late – early? – was a rarity. Usually his tutors and father made sure he got into bed in time since he would wake up early every morning for a long day of work. Only a few times a year was he allowed to stay up all night. For example, during the Festival of Stars during winter and Midsummer in, well, the summer. Both required an all-night and even the royals tended to take the day off after, to rid themselves of any hangovers and get some sleep.

Red left him in his cabin without locking the door. Razz only just managed to pry the dress and jewellery of him and dump it on the floor before he fell onto his bed. The real world turned non-existent within seconds, only dreams remaining.

He dreamt about wild, joyful dancing and bright stars and red eyelights smiling at him. When he woke up the next morning, the sun was already high on the sky and only two thoughts existed in his mind.

I’m in love with Red.

Fuckfuckfuckfuck.

Some time later, Razz was still sitting on his bed and having a miniature panic attack. This was the worst thing that could happen. He couldn’t be in goddamn love with a pirate. He wasn’t supposed to be in love with anyone. Not until after the wedding, after all. Only with his spouse from the arranged marriage, for strong heirs and alliances and power, he was supposed to have. With someone he might’ve never met. His future consort had been discussed but never decided on. Yet it could be basically anyone of dignity and power in Natéa – their world.

It absolutely couldn’t be a Peosani pirate born out of wedlock. Who had taken him hostage and killed his entourage, upon that.

Breathing heavily, he tried to figure out a solution. On one hand, this could end as a catastrophe if he acted on it. On the other, he had never in his life denied himself something he truly wanted. Never been denied it, either. To be fair, it had mostly been pretty dresses, circus visits and hunting dogs. Nevertheless, the thought of losing out on Red, on this fluttery, warm feeling present in his chest even now, almost made him angry.

Especially without trying. Even he realized he couldn’t force Red to feel the same, and he wasn’t interested in having any kind of relationship with someone who didn’t love him as well, but- What was he thinking? He couldn’t have a relationship. That was illegal.

Only sexual relationships, a voice in his mind supplied. Neither laws (which didn’t really apply on him after the death of his father. He was the autocratic ruler of Beobyra now and didn’t need to follow laws anymore) nor tradition (which he ought to follow even better now, as the queen) said anything about being in love or having romantic connections. He ought to know, he had studied most every lawbook in the royal library.

Groaning, Razz let himself fall backwards. His back hit the mattress, and he grabbed a pillow, squeezing it to his chest. Well, what was he supposed to do then? Pursue a romantic relationship with his captor?

Yes, the voice said again. You like him. Red’s different from everyone at the Court.

Of fucking course he was. He’s not a courtier, he’s a pirate. Again, one who was holding him hostage. Therefore, if his own mind and soul would stop fighting his rational thoughts that’d be great, thank you very much. Ignoring the ache in his soul at the thought of not acting on his feelings, Razz got up.

Minutes after he had dressed himself, it knocked on the door. When he went to open it, he found himself face to face with Red. His soul made a somersault at how close their faces were, and he swallowed. With a smile, which was unusually easy to allow onto his face, he stepped aside, inviting the other in.

“hiya,” Red greeted and stepped in. His voice sounded slightly strangled, but as he continued it quickly turned back to normal. “i’ve got good news fer ya. th’ boss ‘n’ captain thought everythin’ went great durin’ th’ carai, and yer now allowed ta move freely on th’ ship on yer own. ‘cept fer private cabins, o’ course. jus’ like th’ crew can’t jus’ wander into yers.”

Staring at the other, wide eyed and soul starting to race, Razz could hardly believe what he heard. He blinked, opening his mouth to speak. For a little while he didn’t get a word out, but then his smile turned into a full-blown grin as he managed to process what he had heard.

“REALLY?” he asked, and when Red nodded he laughed. Finally he wouldn’t be restricted to this cabin whenever the few who acted as his escorts were busy. Continuing to grin, he didn’t take time to think as he threw himself around Red’s neck, hugging tightly.

Once he realized what he was doing, his mind went blank for a second. What the hell was happening to him ever since he came here? Where did all his restraint go? Then, Red – who had been standing completely frozen – put his arms around him and hoisted him from the floor.

Hanging around the pirate’s neck, Razz nuzzled the other’s neck. He smelled nice. There was that smell of blackpowder, which in itself wasn’t pleasant. Yet mixed with leather and whatever else the other smelled of, he found himself liking it.

An image of arranged marriage flashed through his mind again. Himself standing next to a faceless stranger. A pang went through his soul, and he shuddered lightly at the thought. He had never had a problem with it before, yet now it felt like a nightmare. To distract himself, Razz looked up at Red, who was grinning at him. Looking surprised, with a light crimson blush on his cheeks, but grinning.

“welp,” Red said, popping the ‘p’. “this was a fun surprise, razz, but yer claws ‘re diggin’ ‘nto my back.”

Razz blinked. Then he chuckled, letting go of the other and prying his filed phalanges from Red’s back.

“outta curiosity,” Red continued. “how’d ya get yer claws ‘n’ fangs tha’ sharp?”

“DIAMOND FILES,” he replied. It had been Alphys’ suggestion. Since he was a skeleton he could file down his teeth and phalanges without harming himself. And broken diamond made for fantastic tools to use. Red raised an eyebrow, shaking his head.

“obviously,” was all he said, though.

The wind was freezing and the waterdrops spilling over the railing were as well. Yet, with the sun shining above and the noises of the crew working and talking in the background, it was pleasant. Razz leaned onto the railing, staring out over the sea. The wind tore in his cape, making it thrash behind him. He laughed. The sound was loud and unrestricted. There was no reason for it but the tingling in his bones and that he just felt like it. It was quite amazing to be able to laugh so undignifiedly just because he wanted to.

Staring out over the never resting water, which jumped and splashed, he watched the sun reflect on the surface. It was beautiful. Not as beautiful as the ocean sunsets he could watch from his balcony at home, but beautiful.

Steps came from behind. The clicking of heels. A tall figure leaned down next to him, gazing toward the horizon. Fell was smiling.

“THERE’S FEW THINGS BETTER THAN THIS,” he said, meaning it. Razz nodded absentmindedly. He could think of a few things, but admittedly they were few. Wild rides through the forest on Marmalade – his Flatland horse. Cuddling with his brother and Murdermallow – his chow chow – in front of the fire during the cold, long winters. The few, well-hidden, friendly snowball wars he and the Castle Guard managed to have during the Cold months. This was nice. It was a shame he hadn’t had many chances to appreciate it before getting kidnapped.

“YOUR MAJESTY-“ Fell spoke again after a few moments of calm silence. “MAY I ASK HOW IT COMES WE HAVEN’T HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT YOU BEING ENGAGED TO SOMEONE? I THOUGHT THE UPPER SOCIAL STANDINGS MARRIED AROUND THE AGE OF TWENTY. AND YOU’RE TWENTY-THREE.”

Shrugging, Razz glanced at him. The other looked sincerely curious. There didn’t seem to be any hidden motive behind the question. Still, of course, it was possible he was just a good actor. But what was the harm in answering? He turned back to the waves.

“WE HAVEN’T FOUND ANYONE ELIGIBLE YET. NO ONE WHO CAN BE TRUSTED TO RULE THE EMPIRE WHEN I GO TO WAR – BECAUSE I WILL. I WILL NOT LIVE MY LIFE WITHOUT TAKING THE CHANCES I HAVE TO BE DEEMED WORTHY FOR THE BLESSED LANDS ONCE I DIE,” he replied.

They’d – especially his father and the royal advisors – had been looking, most certainly. Quite a lot. Yet all they’d found was someone fitting for his brother to marry; someone who could care for the Royal Household. Whoever he married would care for Beobyra and the realms under their rule when he couldn’t. That was a lot of responsibility and not something that could be entrusted anyone. Of course they wouldn’t be the main responsible, that’d be advisors and Beobyrian nobles, but they would lead meetings and act judge and so much more.

Fell nodded, accepting the answer. After a few moments, Razz smirked.

“RED TOLD ME YOU TRIED TO FIGHT THE RULING STREET RING CHAMPION WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER AND WITHOUT TRAINING,” he said, and Fell grimaced. He didn’t deny it, though. “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?”

Much to Razz’s delight, the other almost seemed slightly embarrassed. Tugging at the sleeve of his coat, Fell spoke.

“WE WERE VERY HUNGRY, AND I WAS FAR TOO SURE OF MY OWN ABILITES. TO BE FAIR, YOUR MAJESTY, I HAD WON ALMOST EVERY FIGHT I HAD BEEN IN EVER SINCE I WAS A KID. BOTH ME AND RED WERE AGGRESSIVE WHEN WE WERE BABYBONES, SO WE’D BEEN IN MANY FIGHTS…”

Razz listened in rapt silence as Fell spoke. It was so foreign. So strange. As the quartermaster spoke about sleeping in stables, grateful for the warmth of straw, horses and horse-blankets, about scraping money together to afford grain porridge, about them both risking their lives to fight for the wool blanket that’d been the day’s big prize, it felt like he was listening to a fairy tale.

The story, which was Fell and Red’s life, ended with Undyne being impressed with his bravery – stupidity, as Fell phrased it – and allowed them to share her nest for the night. It had been quite cosy, he said. She had money, since she always won the big bets. Then she had liked them so much she had demanded they’d stay, which they’d more than happily done. “EVEN IF RED WAS VERY SUSPICIOUS OF HER AT FIRST,” he finished. “BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, IT ALL ENDED VERY NICELY. DON’T YOU THINK SO TOO, YOUR MAJESTY?”

Turning around and studying the ship, Razz was forced to agree. The crew were in a good mood, laughing and talking. The ship cook stood yelling at a fire girl in the mast yards to “Get the fuck down, Fuku!” while Red watched with a stupid grin on his face. Judging from everyone around him, he was also telling stupid jokes. Razz’s soul fluttered lightly at the view. One of the crewmembers smacked Red’s head.

Yeah. Razz could see why Fell thought so.

Moon

Nouns / phrases: Moon, night, evening. Autumn, winter. Quiet, rest, respite. Sleep, dream. Darkness (literally and figuratively speaking); that of which we are only half-aware; the subconscious. Vague guesses, foreboding, inkling, intuition. Psyche, soul. Emotions, emotionality. Especially: fears, needs, sadness, melancholy. Emotional upheaval, trauma. Depth, profoundness, significance, importance. "Still waters run deep." For some people: attention, recognition/praise, popularity/fame, imagination, creativity, art, romance, attraction.   Activities: To spend an evening/a night with something or someone. To quieten down, rest, sleep, dream. To darken. To be only half aware; to only guess, have an inkling/foreboding/intuition. To feel something strongly; to fear, need, weep. To deepen, amplify, be immersed in something. Attributes: Moonlit, nightly, something that happens in the evening. Quiet, restful, restorative; resting. Tired, sleepy, sleeping. Dark (literally and figuratively speaking), obscure, half-aware, subconscious. Full of foreboding, intuitive. Emotional, soulful. Fearful, needy, sad, melancholic. Emotionally upset, traumatised. Deep, profound, significant, important. As a person: Person with the above attributes, esp.: someone intuitive, soulful, fearful, needy. Nocturnal person; person who is tired or asleep. Someone who appears in our dreams. A still water running deep. Someone who is traumatised. Someone who is very important to the querent. As advice: Take a nap; rest more! Listen to your intuition! It's important! Negatively: Don't get worked up emotionally!   Time factor *) : When it's quiet. After you've rested. Evening, night time; late autumn and winter.

Night, rest, intuition, emotion, depth 

About the meaning: Similar to the Stars the commonly used meanings I found for the Moon were quite diverse. A few of them seemed random to me. Some, because I didn't get their connection with the Moon as a symbol, others, because they seemed much more directly related to other Lenormand cards. But there were several dimensions of meanings which made a lot of sense to me, too. My interpretation below focuses on them. The others, I mention briefly in the last paragraph.   Moon / night / sleep / rest: Very obviously, the Moon can represent the moon itself, evenings, nights, and even times of the year in which the nights are long and dark (autumn, winter). But obvious as they are, these meanings might not all that often apply to actual readings. Fortunately they are easy enough to expand. For aside from working night shifts, certain celebrations, or sexual activities, the evenings are usually the time of day when things start to slow down for us humans, and nights are when humans most usually sleep. Thus, I often interpret the Moon as quiet, rest (or respite), and sleep. Along this line, the card can for example simply state that we are tired, in need of rest. But it could also suggest that we need to have a look at our sleeping hygiene because low quality sleep is actually aggravating a problem we have. Darkness / subconscious / intuition: Of course, the moon is often up in the sky during daytime, too. But because the day sky is so bright the Moon's gentle light doesn't stand out. Only at night, when the sky is black, only in contrast with the darkness around it, does the white moon become such a conspicuous feature. Then, its gentle shine becomes a pronounced source of light. Especially when the Moon is full its light is strong enough to make our surroundings half-visible. By the moon's light we can make a good guess at what is there. But the details remain obscure. All this is why I see the Moon as a representative not just for darkness - literally and figuratively speaking - but also for anything which we are not fully aware of (yet) but maybe have an inkling of, or forebodings. The Moon can represent anything which is (partly) obscure, especially our subconscious, unconscious processes, and our intuition. Psyche / emotions / fears and needs: Continuing from the last paragraph, the Moon may also stand for anything which has to do with our psyche, with our emotional life in general. It represents all that which we we feel. But because of the aforementioned association of the Moon with night and darkness, the card will often represent emotions with a "dark" component - our fears, and needs, for example, or sadness, melancholy. It can suggest emotionality both in a neutral and in a destructive sense. Depending on the context and surrounding cards, the Moon sometimes suggests emotional upheavals, and, in a rare cases, even emotional trauma. Depth / profoundness / significance: Because it is the darkness, the shadows, which give a painting, or an actual landscape or object - and arguable also our life and personality - depth, I often interpret the Moon as profoundness. Along that line the card can stand for anything which has depth, which is recondite, possibly enigmatic. The Moon can represent a person who is the proverbial still water running deep. And slightly different but very much related to profoundness is the issue of significance. Often, the Moon seems to suggest that a certain matter is very signficant. And sometimes it magnifies a neighbouring card's importance. Other: As I mentioned in the introduction, this last paragraph lists several more meanings of the Moon which I have seen other people use but don't use myself. In brackets, I state the cards I personally allocate them to. Attention (in the sense of focus on something: Anchor; in the sense of attention paid to the querent: Garden or Bouquet), recognition and praise (Bouquet), popularity (Sun), fame (Sun, Garden), imagination (Stars), creativity and art (Sensual Lily, Bouquet), romance (Heart), attraction (Snake, Sensual Lily), attractiveness (Bouquet). 

About the Image: My illustration of the Moon came about in a very trial-and-error kind of way. Fitting the card's meaning I wasn't trying for symbolism which the intellect can decipher. I was searching for an image which would eloquently impart a certain, complex mood. I wanted to convey very, very profound quiet, and deep peace, but infused with the tiniest hint of the possibility of something fearful or sad hidden in the depth. I wanted to convey a mood which speaks of rest and good sleep, but at the same time also of intense emotion. In order to find this mood I had to keep sketching and discarding, sketching again and discarding parts, keeping only small bits which I then rearranged and added to a knew concept - and so on. All the shreds I didn't use in the end could probably make up two whole other Moons. But the image which emerged in the end conveyed exactly the mood I had been looking for. Why, and how, I can't explain for the most part. I can only hope that it's palpable for you, too. Two details I would like to single out, though. Firstly, there are the two stairs leading down from the houses into the water and the one leading up and onto the hill (top left corner of the card, in case you've missed it). I added them just for the fun of it originally but then discovered that they magnified the sense of verticality, spacial (and thus also figurative) depth. Also, they aptly visualised the "totally unconscious" (the stairs enter the dark water) and "half-conscious" (the stair climbs up to where the moon's light is brightest) aspect of the card's meaning. And the second, even more impactful detail I added towards the end are the brightly lit windows of the houses. Originally I had painted the windows dark, unlit. But this made the illustration boring, the darkness bland. There was no living emotion in the image, because the houses didn't look as if everyone was sleeping, they looked as if they were uninhabited. So I added the lights in the windows, and their quivering mirror images, as an experiment. And immediately, those little isles of warmth and light gave the cool darkness of the rest of the illustration its profoundness. They spoke of living, breathing, feeling souls, who were peacefully resting or even sleeping - or trying to keep the darkness at bay.

Moon-Rider Emotionally unsettling news or changes. Profound change. Something or someone who brings fear with them; someone whose neediness is very importuning. Intrusive emotions. An emotional approach. Nightly activities. To act on one's emotions. Overwhelming intuition. Moon-Clover Untroubled by fears or needs. To make light of one's emotions. Advice: don't take this specific fear or need too seriously; don't give it too much importance. A little bit of depth. An opportunity to get in touch with one's emotions. "Nice" feelings only. Stroke of luck which is rather important. A lucky guess. To play with someone's emotions. Pleasant nights. To take the opportunity for a nap; an opportunity to rest. To take the necessity of rest/sleep not seriously enough. Moon-Ship Explorations or changes or departures that leave a deep mark on the psyche. To explore the unconscious. To explore something intuitively, without a conscious plan. Sadness because of a departure. Melancholic good-bye. Fear of the unexplored, fear of the unfamiliar. To explore something in depth. A restful journey. To leave so we can find rest. To meet our fears with courage. Strange emotions. Very profound need for a change of environment. To look into something in depth. Moon-House The influence which how we were raised, or our family now, have on our subconscious or on our prevalent emotional state. Nights at home; to stay in at night; to plan a night; rules regarding night time/sleep time. To find rest at home / in privacy. Something fearful goes on in the family. Familiar intuitions. To be familiar with and comfortable with acting according to intuition. Emotional family; depressed family member; a shadow lies on a home. Moon-Tree Emotional health; that which grounds us emotionally; emotional resilience. Deeply rooted fears or needs or melancholy. Very deep roots. Emotional health; that which grounds us emotionally; emotional resilience. Deeply rooted fears or needs or melancholy. Very deep roots. Instinct. Intuitions concerning our body. Natural intuition. Restful energy. To find rest in nature. A night in nature. Resting would be very healthy. Natural, healthy sleep patterns. Bio-rhythm. Strong but stable emotions. Pragmatic approach to our fears and needs. Physical trauma. Moon-Clouds Emotional confusion. Misunderstanding of emotion; or inability to understand emotions. Autism. Emotional disorder. To fog over our feelings. Someone is in dire need for a therapist! To hide away in order to find rest. Unclear intuition. Very vague inklings. Profound confusion; deep despair. Hidden darkness. Deceptive quiet. Tiredness so strong it clouds the mind. Things are so quiet we're bored. Deadheartedness; listlessness. Moon-Snake To strive for knowledge about the subconscious. To be drawn to the dark, to prefer nighttime. To be motivated by emotions/fears and needs. To follow one's intuition. To be good at directing other people's emotions; manipulation through playing on fears and needs. Profound cravings; deep wisdom. Conflict between our ambition and our need for rest. To seek out deep emotions. Moon-Coffin To put something to rest. To find rest after something has ended / someone has died. A loss casts a shadow on everything. Profound grief; grief which has turned to depression. To be unconsciously aware of something ending. The emotional trauma of being witness to death or sickness. The natural ups and downs one experiences after a loss. End of darkness; no more fears, or: to bury one's needs, to suppress one's fears or one's intuition. Loss of depth. To let go of an emotion. Moon-Bouquet Profound gratitude; very sincere compliments. Emotional visit; emotional compliments. Recognition causes deep emotions. To visit someone who is sad. Someone visits when all we want is to rest. To rest from social situations. Social phobias. A beautiful night. Exaggerated emotionality; to exaggerate a fear/need. Moon-Scythe To stop moaning. Interrupted sleep/rest/quiet. To wake up suddenly in a figurative sense: to become conscious of something suddenly and painfully. Deep hurt; emotional hurt. to reap neediness/fear. To stop being so needy. To take stock of one's emotional state. To make sleep more efficient (e.g. through proper sleep hygiene). Rest is urgently needed, now! To deserve rest. Something rips right down to the core. A rift which goes deep. Moon-Whip Confrontation with our fears/needs/emotions in general. Deep shame; profound remorse. To make someone deeply unhappy by shaming them or criticising them. Unconscious shame(ing). Conflicting needs or fears. Emotional violence. PTSD. Mental illnesses that have their root in abusive situations. Emotional injury; emotionally broken. To shame someone for their feelings. Discussion of fears/needs. Conflict about someone's (emotional) needs. Nightmares. A respite from conflict. Time out to lick our wounds. Moon-Birds Emotions all over the place; unstable emotions. Emotionally upset. Rest/respite from stress or chaos. Worries, or restlessness, disturb our sleep. Noisy, busy, or restless, night. Emotional reaction; intuitive reaction. Worries which are not conscious. Inability to let an emotion go. Profound anxiety; anxiety disorder. Moon-Child Sad child, child with nightmares. A child needs rest. To put a child to sleep. The beginning of a journey into the deepest self. The inner child needs more attention. Childhood traumata. Very little sleep / shallow sleep. The beginning of night; beginning of darkness. Childish emotions; immature emotions. What the inner child needs/fears. To belittle emotions or someone's needs/fears. Emotional vulnerability/suggestibility. Infantile emotions. Initial intuition. Intuition still needs to mature. Moon-Fox To withdraw into oneself. A deep look into who one really is, deep down. A respite from emotionality. One's vital needs. Distrust that goes very deep, and maybe goes back to some kind of trauma. Cautious handling of deep emotions. Deeply rooted suspicion. Self-care in the form of getting enough rest/sleep. When/because emotions are very strong it's important to practise proper self-care. Profound adaptation. To identify with darkness (figuratively speaking). Moon-Bear Strong emotions. Emotions dominate our life. Something or someone who has a dominant influence on the emotional life. Emotional/needy boss, parent, or teacher. Someone who can teach you how to deal with deep emotions, or with intuition. A therapist. To alternate between being too choleric and overly melancholic. To be dominated by a certain fear or need or by sadness in general. Very profound influence (impact). Fluctuating power/strength. Powerful intuition. Possessiveness out of fear/neediness. To try to protect oneself or someone else from the dark sides of life. A dearly needed respite from someone's dominance or a dominant influence. Moon-Stars To trust one's feelings, one's intuition. To find rest in escapism. Too many unfulfilled wishes, or daydreams, lead to melancholy. Daydreams and avoidance of reality. Profound spiritual experience. To find great depth and deep meaning in the emotional life. Emotional meaning. Idealisation of deep feelings. To be tired of hoping. Profound spiritual experience. A very profound illusion/delusion. Dark/sad fantasy. Very significant and meaningful connection. Intuition leads us to where we should be! Moon-Stork Very, very profound longing. A longing for profound experiences, for deep emotions. The slow process of moving into (or, depending on order of the cards, out of) a major depression. Emotional processes, emotional transformations. A transformation has led to more depth. To be a night person by nature. To feel a strong pull towards darkness (metaphorically speaking). Someone's transformation causes sadness. Very significant transition. Recurring sleepiness (during the day?). Recurring trauma. To be only half-aware or completely unconscious of a transformation or of a longing. Instinct (Stork) and intuition (Moon) are in some way relevant to the question. Moon-Dog Someone is extremely dependent in a needy sort of way. Sad or fearful or needy friend, follower, or employee. Emotional friend(ship). Emotional issues with a friend. Emotional support. Rest/a good night's sleep would help! A helper needs rest / a respite from helping. Loyalty to one's intuition - to always follow one's intuition. Tractable emotions. To abandon oneself to one's emotions. Profound worship. Moon-Tower Emotional isolation. Emotional cold. To let nobody in emotionally. To need solitude. The profound experience of solitude. To find rest in solitude. Very deep loneliness. To withdraw from others in order to look at one's own emotions. Lonely nights, to sleep alone; to withdraw for a nap. To exert control over one's emotions. Conflict between the rational and what we want/need unconsciously. To have a clear-headed look at one's needs/fears. Moon-Garden A respite from the public. Public places where we can rest. Fear of the public or of crowds or open spaces. Social phobias. A deep emotion that is very visible or should be owned up to publicly. To openly flaunt deep emotions or needs - to publicly revel in emotions. Mass panic and similar occurrences where the individual's emotion is swallowed by the instinct of the whole crowd. Traumata that concern whole cultures. Moon-Mountain Difficult emotions; something is emotionally challenging. To tackle emotional issues. Inability to connect with deep needs and fears; intuition is blocked. Emotional blockade. Obstacle that lies in the emotional area. Difficulties/problems which go very deep and/or are very relevant. To rest before tackling a challenge. Inability to sleep. Something keeps us from sleeping. Finding time to rest is a challenge. Profound silence. Quietness is weighing on us. To overcome fear. To not give in to someone's neediness. Moon-Crossroad Emotional choice. Emotional ambivalence. To deliberate on one's emotions (e.g. a fear, or need). Manifold fears, manifold needs. To fear making a decision. The emotional impact of having to make a decision. The emotional results of Choosing different options. Half-hearted (half-baked) intuition. A respite from complicated deliberations, or from a decision making process. Moon-Mice Unhealthy emotions; emotional neglect; lack of emotion. Emotions which have a "nagging" quality: doubts, worries, jealousy. Something is nibbling away at our emotional defences. Exhausting emotionality. To secretly harbour negative emotions. Destructive neediness. Sleep deprivation; bad sleep; nightmares. Bad sleep hygiene. "Fear eats away at the soul". Too little rest. Vague suspicion. Someone obscures something. Moon-Heart Soulful lover. To need love/tenderness/compassion. To fear love/tender feelings. Romanticisation of darkness/sadness. Romantic night. To spend a night with a loved one. To comfort someone who is sad. Very profound love that might also be mixed with sadness. Strong tender affections in general. Profound love. Empathy. Love helps us to quieten down. To help a loved one rest. Lover's grief. Moon-Ring Important relationship; significant connection. Shared sadness; shared fear. A very profound, emotionally important relationship. A connection with the unconscious. To react with deep fear when faced with having to commit. A commitment to resting more. To make a connection intuitively. Emotional coherence. The cause for an emotion. Emotional ties - inability to let go of a relationship because the feelings involved are very strong. Predictable emotions. Reliable sleep. Relationship or connection with a dark component (= it brings sadness, fear, makes us more needy etc.). To rest together. Moon-Book Sad facts. Profound truth. Psychology; to learn about the unconscious. Literature with a lot of depth. To study at night time. Knowledge about fears and needs. Hearing the truth results in emotional upheaval; confrontation with reality triggers fears. Rest from studying. To read books to rest. Reading before sleeping. A conflict between intellect and emotion. In-depth studies. Moon-Letter Emotional conversation. A fear of expressing something. Need to talk. To express what we feel. Expressions of fear or sadness. Communication with our subconscious. Unconscious signals; to communicate intuitively. Conversations with a lot of depth. Obscure information. To let other's know we are tired. Nightly conversations. Dreams are telling us something. Lull in conversation. A respite from a conversation. Moon-Man (a) Man who has a lot of depth. Man who is: quiet, restful, resting, tired, sleepy, sleeping, dark (literally and figuratively speaking), obscure, half-aware, unconscious (of something), full of foreboding, intuitive, emotional, soulful, fearful, needy, sad, melancholic, emotionally upset, traumatised. A man at night/in the evening. Man of great significant for the querent or for answering the querent's question. A lot of feelings (not necessarily romantic!) for a man. Traumatised by a man. To spend a night with a man. To rest in the company of a man. Moon-Woman (a) Woman who has a lot of depth. Woman who is: quiet, restful, resting, tired, sleepy, sleeping, dark (literally and figuratively speaking), obscure, half-aware, unconscious (of something), full of foreboding, intuitive, emotional, soulful, fearful, needy, sad, melancholic, emotionally upset, traumatised. A woman at night/in the evening. Woman of great significant for the querent or for answering the querent's question. A lot of feelings (not necessarily romantic!) for a woman. Traumatised by a woman. To spend a night with a woman. To rest in the company of a woman. Moon-Man (b) Man who has a lot of depth. Man who is: quiet, restful, resting, tired, sleepy, sleeping, dark (literally and figuratively speaking), obscure, half-aware, unconscious (of something), full of foreboding, intuitive, emotional, soulful, fearful, needy, sad, melancholic, emotionally upset, traumatised. A man at night/in the evening. Man of great significant for the querent or for answering the querent's question. A lot of feelings (not necessarily romantic!) for a man. Traumatised by a man. To spend a night with a man. To rest in the company of a man. Moon-Woman (b) Woman who has a lot of depth. Woman who is: quiet, restful, resting, tired, sleepy, sleeping, dark (literally and figuratively speaking), obscure, half-aware, unconscious (of something), full of foreboding, intuitive, emotional, soulful, fearful, needy, sad, melancholic, emotionally upset, traumatised. A woman at night/in the evening. Woman of great significant for the querent or for answering the querent's question. A lot of feelings (not necessarily romantic!) for a woman. Traumatised by a woman. To spend a night with a woman. To rest in the company of a woman. Moon-(Sensual)Lily Very profound sexual or sensual experiences (which touch very deeply, or, negatively, trigger something). Deeply meaningful artwork; to express profound feelings creatively; art therapy. Intense emotions. Mature emotions; mature handling of difficult emotions. Harmonious, peaceful nights. Deep, restful sleep. Too much rest - laziness. To sleep too much. Extreme intensity. Highest quality. Moon-(Virtuous)Lily Profound virtuousness. To deal with one's deepest needs and fears in a wise way. Or: To try and counter one's deeper needs and fears with self-discipline and renunciation instead of allowing them to be sated/eased. Virtue/purity is very important now. Even if you don't believe it of yourself, deep down you're a good person! A peaceful night, undisturbed sleep. Good sleep hygiene. Virtues which are relevant when dealing with strong emotions: e.g. compassion or equanimity. Moon-Sun Conflict between just wanting to be happy and having to confront something fearful. "They are like night and day!" Profound happiness. Shallow emotions. Warm, happy emotions. To spend day and night with something/someone. Happy dreams. Obvious emotions; to broadcast one's emotions very strongly. Happiness comes and goes. Obvious depth. To rest for a day. To sleep during the day. To stay awake a night. Awareness of one's emotions. Moon-Moon*)   Emotions we are not processing consciously. Emotional trauma. Very emotional. Profound fear/need/sadness. Important intuition; significant forebodings. Deep sleep. To rest in the evening, sleep at night. A respite from something fearful. Moon-Key Access to something that was hidden in the subconscious. Something which was not conscious comes into our awareness. An understanding of emotions, especially fears, needs, and sadness. To let others come close emotionally. An expert for the psyche. Finding something out has confronted us with something profound. An emotional discovery. A feeling of relief. Profound relief. Complete surrender/abandon. Moon-Fish Too many emotions; too emotional. To value emotions/intuition/depth. Someone or something means a whole lot to us emotionally. To profit from something emotionally. To gain depth. An emotional reaction to gainings (financial or otherwise). Fears and needs regarding our financial or job situation. To have fears concerning making a living. A respite from work. A night job. Quiet job. To profit from other people's fears, neediness, or sadness. Moon-Anchor A focus on emotions in general or on specific emotions. Fear and/or sadness have become normality. A terrible fear that things won't change. The deep need for someone or something one can hold on to. To stabilise one's emotions. Stable emotional life; boring emotional life. Mundane feelings. Sleeping routine, sleeping habits. Very profound sense of stability, or emotionally highly significant foothold. To take a break in order to rest. Boring night life. Moon-Cross Emotional suffering; emotional strain. Something weighs on our emotional wellbeing. Suffering which is very profound, goes down very deep. Painful needs. Fear of pain. The fear that something bad might happen. Acute feeling of responsibility; profound sense of duty. A respite from carrying a burden/responsibilities/suffering. Ideological/dogmatic views on emotions. To not tolerate emotionality. Needs feel like a burden. To bear dark emotions with dignity. Quiet suffering.

Twelve Pillars of the Universe

Characters: EXO12 x You Genre: Fantasy, Therapy/Healing/Mediation, Word Vomit Music: `*•.♩ ♪ ♫ ♬♥ .¸.•*

Today is one of those days, where I find myself wandering and wandering, replacing my inner wounds with the comfort of a nature, not as far beyond my grasps as I had once thought. Bare toes, cradled against the intricacy of earthly soils, grass tickle the soles of my feet. It’s the first of twelve “hellos” as I stroll deeper and deeper into the forest, with my shoes dangling from my hands.

“She’s here,” I can almost hear the God of the Wind announce to his brethren, in a whistle that twirls my lengthy hair into the air.

“Hey, Sunshine,” the Light God greets, beaming a ray passed the untangled trees to light the path beneath me.

I push through vines, the sound of crinkling leaves against my feet echo through the boundless lands…its a clause that awakens all the nature’s spirits. One by one, poofs of smoke materializes heavenly images of my protectors.

Already set in a bicker with the Sun God, the Fire Spirit glides forth, stopping right in front of me with a toothy grin almost too wide for his handsome face. “What’s with the emptiness on your face? Fire up!” he encourages before whisking away while singing, “This Girl is on Fireeee~” in several octaves too high for his lovely baritone voice.

A small smile breaks along my chapped lips, a firery blush heats my cheeks. I lift both hands to habitually fan myself from the Fire God’s overzealous welcome. But not a second passes, before the calm and collect Ice Lord spins his way toward me. He puts a beautifully sculpted block of ice into my opened palms. The art piece details an angelic female mediating in peace. A puddle forms into my hand, smoke vaporizes back into the air. I peer up to the artist with bittersweet sadness evident in my eyes, for I believe it to be a pity that a masterpiece that took ages to perfect, vanishes in the blink of an eye. He shakes his head though, gifts me a breathtaking smile, and squeezes my hand. “It has met its purpose,” he reasons before disappearing back to the cooler climates of Mother Earth.

My journey continues as the Protector of Earth works together with the kindhearted Healer to mend a wounded flower. They say when a flower dies, it leaves behind seeds for rebirth…Isn’t that already enough? Quietly, I ponder to myself, questioning the purpose of their actions. The Medic glances up to me, stands up, and acknowledges my presence with a respectful 90 degree bow. I mimic his modesty and smile to his charm when he brisks over with a bouquet of withered flowers. With one stroke, he revives them; the sweet smell of lavender calms my soul.

I leave them be, to stare, mesmerized at the sparking branches afar. The Lightning God is hard at work, reviving a world different from the wonders of nature. With the snap of his fingers, he lights cities from the darkness, sparking interest and new ideas. Innocently, I reach a hand up, wondering how it’d feel like for these ethereal strikes to penetrate through my fingertips. Would I, then, be free of worry, free of sins, and rejuvenated with a new purpose of life?

And suddenly, I feel my feet lifted off earthly grounds. I twirl my head around to face the Master of Flight. His large white wings flap, wrapping around me like a barrier of protection. I close my eyes and dream for once as he lifts my palm, allowing me to feel the limitless sky, the endless possibilities in life.

“Long time no see,” his mischievous friend beams at my presence. Lashes part, my glassy eyes meet sharp and alluring ones that brushes with an under-color of purplish black. “What? You don’t remember us?” the young Spirit pouts. Before I manage to part my lips, he grumbles, “Fine, Let me remind you.” With that, he reveals an hourglass and flips it upside-down. The action, so minuscule, is as impactful as the astounding flap of a butterfly’s wings.

I suck in my breath as images flash before my very eyes. My body floats amidst invisibility, drifting like in a lucid dream, but frozen like in a sleep paralysis. And then abruptly, gravity punctures a hole into my impenetrable barrier, tossing me into a free fall into the boundless ocean. I sink and sink, squeezing my bloodshot orbs with all my might. Water seeps into my lungs as I gasp for air. All the torment, the agony, the pressure stabs me in the heart and breaks my bones. I heave, paddling my sore limbs that no longer felt like mine in this losing battle…I sink and sink into this bottomless pit.

Until, suddenly, a powerful wave tosses my rag-doll body through the deep altitudes of the ocean, and back onto shore. “Don’t give up. Don’t hurt yourself,” the softness of the Water Guardian’s voice susurrates into my ears. My eyes rid of salted liquid that blends back into sea as I physically hack out all the pains plaguing my body. I recall this rebirth, this day I met the Pillars of the Universes…the day I stripped down from my outer skin and dove into the water because I thought with this, all the misery would cease. But the Water reminded me of the world beyond this world I knew, a galaxy and reawakening in the embrace of nature’s wonders.

He guides me up, alerting his supposed arch-rival, the Fire to dry me up. The two Gods of the most powerful earthly elements mesh their powers, brewing a pot of steaming stew in front of me. “That Time Twerp again?” the wielder of water chuckles and shakes his head. “I have to give him a beating,” he jokes, his laughter is so whimsical, it alleviates the scars of a once wounded heart.

I shake my head in denial. Dainty fingers wind around the warm cup. I allow the contents to restore energy back to my physical body...though, the mind still yearns for a place far, far away. My escapists mentality calls for the Controller of Teleportation. His translucent image is pure and almost ghostly as he appears before me with hands outstretch. Nodding, I grab onto them. He pulls me into the comfort of his broad chest, easing a spell from his lips that transports us to a lost paradise. With a kiss along the back of my hand, he gently nudges me to go on ahead, before vanishing to complete another human’s longing request. I muse at the friendliness of all the Gods of this forest.

Yet, it is the company of the twelfth and final pillar that finally brings me down on my knees. The moment my toes graced upon his island of thoughts, my eyes rain of emotions, my body quivers in its broken shell. I trail forth, on this long path, through dark tunnels, and sharp roads, pass broken bridges, and up steep mountains to finally break down beneath his feet.

“I know,” is all the Magician of Telekinesis states.

Finally, my bottled up inner turmoil releases out into the universe, clashing elements against elements, freeing my exhausted soul with their sympathy. At last, it is the love of this silent and stagnant mind reader who lays the final spell of healing…for he understands. And in that, I realize I was never alone.

The Pillars of the Universe join together, all twelve of them bidding sweet salutations in their own way. I wave and bow in gratitude for the therapeutic experience.

“We don’t want to see you back here for a while,” the Light Spirit jokes, “For in the morning, I am your sun, in the night, I am your moon.”

“I’ll strike anyone bullying you,” his friend, the Lightning Prankster, adds.

“We’re forever by your side,” the whistling, cool breeze reminds as he circles around me. I let out a sneeze, in which the Fire Spirit sparks balls of flame into the air, one to warm me up, one to chase the Wind Master away.

“Thank you,” I bow again as the floor beneath me dresses in fertile soil and an abundance of flowers that lead the way.

“No matter what path you take, we will support you,” the Earth God and Healer reveals.

“If anything, I can always turn back time,” the Time Controller nonchalantly reassures.

A splash of ice water hits his face.

“The sky’s not the limit,” the Winged Lord points up and reminds, “There’s a galaxy out there. Don’t fear; just spread your wings and fly.”

With trembling lips, I nod.

“Ready?” the Master of Teleportation inquires and upon my agreement, he wraps his arms around me, humming a soothing spell into my ears as a final gift.

My eyes reopen and I’m back in the blanket cocoon of my room. Though my body is dormant and at peace, my mind spins in endless thoughts and heart drums with fear.

“I’m scared,” I hear myself whisper.

“I know,” a Heavenly voice answers. “I know.”

Life flashes back into my watery orbs. I let go of my clenched fists and, like a butterfly, emerge from the barriers I had built to protect myself. For the first time in a while, I stand up straight with my chest broad and chin tilted upright….because I know I am not alone; I’m fine.

A/N: No lie, I kinda really like this piece ^-^ I hope you guys like it too.  Share you thoughts with me :)

Recent stories: Busy Nights ft. Sehun, Priceless ft. Baekhyun, Double Trouble ft. Sehun & Vivi

Story Master Archive

^^haha I did not make these gifs, but that one is so cute I had to include in post ;p

Artemis Of The Moon

https://abstract.desktopnexus.com

Project Created by Kerritwyn )0( © All original material in this site is under copyright protection and is the intellectual property of the author.

Artemis Here is the virgin Goddess, Artemis, Running across the mountains of Taygetos, Or up the steep hills of Erymanthos, Running with her maidens, Running with the deer, Accompanied by birds, Ranging widely in the wilderness, Playful and strong and free and beautiful: The heart of her Mother is glad. Homer, The Odyssey (1) Artemis is the preeminent goddess of classical Greece, though her origins are lost in time and matriarchal goddess worship, and may include a descent from a pre-Indo-European sun goddess.(2) Artemis is known from Greek, Lydian and Etruscan inscriptions and texts, and on very ancient tablets from Pylos.(3) Artemis and Hecate are linked through time, through the moon cycle: Hecate, awesome and linked with death, and Artemis, youthful, beautiful, reflecting the purity of nature, and linked with unmarried motherhood.(4) Hecate and Artemis can be seen through the prism of time as two sides of a mirror, and many qualities attributed to one, in one culture, were passed along to the other, at a different time. Artemis was said by the classical Greeks to be the daughter of Zeus and his mistress, Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo, who was born a day later.(5) Athenian girls of marriageable age dressed as bears and danced to her, and offerings on her altars included phalli, sacrificed animals, fruit, spindles, loom- weights, shuttles, and woollen and linen cloth.(6) Artemis was the protector of all life, but she was also the essence of apparent contradiction: the virgin who promoted promiscuity, the huntress who protected animals, a tree, a bear, the moon.(7) She was the epitome of feminine possibility, changing as a woman does as she moves through her life, and an expression of infinite, explosive and sometimes terrifying power. Virgin. Artemis was viewed as perpetually unmarried, virgin in the sense of being her own woman, subject to no male, though she was often invoked in dying-god fertility and harvest rituals.(8) In this context, virginity symbolised autonomy and independence, and the freedom of the goddess to be her own person, to be true to her own beliefs and instincts, and to pick and choose her lovers freely.(9) Other authors see this aspect of Artemis as an Amazon and a passionate and aggressively sensual lover of women.

Huntress. On the full moon in August, in Ancient Greece, one of the great festivals of Artemis was held, dedicated to Artemis in her aspect as Huntress. She is often depicted with a bow and arrows, and with one or more hounds. A goat was sacrificed to her during this festival, to honour the magickal control she exercised over all animal life. Honouring the savage huntress recognises that life feeds on life. Whether the life we consume is animal or vegetable, we cannot survive unless we devour the bodies of once-living entities.(11) In this form, Artemis was an elemental force, a creature of instinct, who killed certain individual animals, but assured that the species survived, and who killed anyone who hunted pregnant animals or their young.(12) There are few Whom laughing Aphrodite cannot conquer; Artemis is one, For she is already in love with the hunt, With the bow and the quiver full of arrows, With the sound and the scent of the chase, The songs and calls of the hunters, And the fierce blood shed by Wild boar and deer as they die In the shadowy forest glades; And the dancing, later, To the music of lyres Among right-living people. Homer Artemis also used her bow and arrows for specific acts of justice and vengeance. When her mother, Leto, was angered by the bragging of Queen Niobe that her own children were superior to Leto's, and called upon her archer daughter for vengeance, Artemis killed all of Niobe's offspring, and turned Niobe into a block of black stone, from which a weeping fountain endlessly poured. Artemis also killed the serpent, Python, and the giant, Tityus, for tormenting her mother, and the spying hunter, Achteon, who secretly watched Artemis at her bath. Artemis executed him by turning him into a stag, and setting her own hounds upon him. Dozens of others were allegedly killed by Artemis, according to Greek myths. Artemis also inflicted Teuthras with leprosy, so that he would die slowly and miserably, when he killed one of her sacred pigs.(14) In addition to being an aloof and balanced game warden, this aspect of Artemis was also a ruthless and swift force for vengeance against sacrilege or insult to the goddess, or on behalf of any woman or female creature who was cruelly treated.

Matron of Birthing Mothers. Artemis was invoked by women in childbirth, as Artemis Eileithyia, and was also considered the protector of young girls. In contrast, in another form, as Artemis Brauronia, she was said to have aroused madness in birthing mothers, and her anger could cause the death of a woman in childbirth.(16) Moon Goddess. As she is most typically pictured in Western Art, Artemis is the virginal moon goddess roaming the forest with her female band, bearing a bow and a quiver of arrows, avoiding men, and killing any many who looked upon her. In an even more ancient association, her name has been said to mean 'High Source of Water', and the Moon is considered to be the source and ruler of all water, and of the tides of the ocean, and of the menstrual cycle.Some depictions of Artemis combine the lunar crescent with the archer's bow, and show her bending the moon into the sickle shape, and aiming an arrow through it. Dark Goddess. In Sparta, her dark aspect was worshipped as Taurian Artemis, allegedly with an annual human sacrifice, which was later modified to ritual flagellation. Ephesus. The many-breasted Artemis of Ephesus was worshipped as a fertility goddess, in a temple which was said to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.(21) This temple at Ephesus is believed to have been originally built by the Amazons (1000-600 B.C.E. (22)), and was destroyed by barbarian hordes in the middle of the 3rd century.(23) King Croesus rebuilt the temple 100 years later, and it's chief object of love and adoration, mentioned in the Acts of Apostles, was a palm-wood statue of Artemis. She received many rich gifts, including gold and silver awnings and garments for the statue, which were regularly changed, and which included golden sculptured grapes, giving the appearance of many breasts.(24) Artemis was served by chaste priestesses called Mellisai, or "bees", and by eunuch priests.(25) The temple continued to be a place of reverence until approximately 400 A.D., when Christians allegedly destroyed it.(26)

Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

Magickal Associations. Bears, the fiercest animal mothers, are sacred to Artemis, and she is associated with the constellation of Ursa Major. Guinea fowl are her birds. Her magickal number is 777. Her Tarot cards are Nines, the High Priestess and the Temperance card. The gems associated with her are quartz, moonstone, pearl and crystal. The plants associated with her are artemisia (one form of which is dusty miller, often known as wormwood because it is said Artemis wormed her hounds with it, banyon, mandrake, damiana, almond, mugwort, hazel and moonwort. The animals associated with her are the elephant, dog, centaur and horse. The mineral associated with her is lead. Her perfumes are jasmine, ginseng, menstrual blood, and all sweet, virginal odours. Her magickal weapons are perfumes, fleet sandals, and the bow and arrow. Other concurrent names for her were Callisto, Cynthia, Delia, Phoebe, Pythia and Parthenos. She was subsequently adopted into the Roman pantheon as the goddess Diana. 

Spells.

http://majorolympians.com

Much magick invokes Artemis, because of her extraordinary depth and complexity. Out of the wealth of possibilities, here is one lovely example: Woodland Love Spell This spell is designed for those seeking a female lover, using earth-focused forest energy and woodland spirits. On a bright and sunny day, go to a favorite spot in the woods, with fruit, cheese, bread, a knife, a felt tip pen, a small piece of rose quartz, and some green cord. Get comfortable, let go of the mundane world, and tune into the life of the woods around you. Cut a slice of bread, a cube of cheese and a piece of fruit, and bury them in a hold you have dug at the base of a nearby tree. Then, on a large broad leaf, write with your pen: Lady of the Forest, Lady of the vine, Bring to me The love that is mine. Blessed Be. Wrap the leaf carefully around the rose quartz, tie it with the green cord, and raise earth energy to charge your charm. Place the charged charm on top of the buried food, and chant: Oh Ancient Huntress, I come seeking you. Come to me, Artemis, Mistress of the Hunt, Earth Daughter, Green Mother, Lover, Creatrix. Bring me a woman suited to be my partner. I will accept and love the one you choose to Embody yourself within. Let us bind together, Play together, Love together, Entwining our souls and minds, Entwining our hearts and bodies, Entwining our paths and lives. So mote it be.

Poem & Invocation to Artemis

Fierce Goddess By Kerritwyn )0( Mighty Goddess, Proud and free, Tall and strong, Swift as the wind, Fill me with the fierce joy Of your riotous passion. Noble Goddess, Stern in punishment, Brooking no cruelty, Suffering no mockery, Fill me with the fierce joy Of your righteous vengeance. Mesmerising Goddess, Changing with the moon, White as ice, Red as blood, Fill me with the fierce joy Of your female mysteries. Artemis and Achteon by Boris Vallejo

http://www.orderwhitemoon.org/goddess/artemis-moon/Artemis2.html

JASPER

OLYMPIANS AESTHETIC MEME

 APHRODITE: laughter-loving. sweet smiles. dressed in silk and satin. flower in their hair. sees the world as a runway. unapologetically sexual. the sea washing their ankles. in love with love.   stirrer of passion. cunning concealed by painted lips. secret daggers. doves. revolution in their kiss. delighting in the waves. flirtatious winks. strolling along the beach. staring wistfully from a balcony. this is how to be a heartbreaker. wants to be adored. gets turned on by danger.

 APOLLO: glitz and glamour. art galleries. turning the volume up. being made of gold. neatly-organized music sheets. notebooks filled with poetry. bathing in the sunlight. the powerful urge to create. collecting vinyl records. beautiful cover of wonder wall. playing multiple instruments. tasting like sunshine. healing touch. speaking in prophecies. smile mingled with wrath. shunning lies. sporting shades. hanging out at music festivals with their friends.     sleeps naked. arrow to the heart. paint brushes. probably has a tinder account.

 ARES: armed for battle. wants to raise a dog with their significant other. soft spot for children.     gives piggyback rides. scarred body. blood on their hands and face. willing to fight the world for the ones they love. fights against injustice. warm hugs. well-worn combat boots. boxing gloves. bandages wrapped around bruised knuckles. fist raised in protest. ignites revolutions.   fear is a prison. more sensitive than what their tough shell would have you think. exhausted. damaged goods. force to be reckoned with. red roses. curses under their breath.

 ARTEMIS: keen sense of a hunter. freckles like constellations on their skin. piercing eyes. disheveled braid. moonlight peeking through the shadows. the calm of the forest at night. lying on the grass and staring at the stars. mother doe and her fawn. protecting their kin. the moon shimmering on a still lake. quiver full of arrows resting against the bark of a tree. running with wolves. bonding while circled around a campfire. not being much of a people person. arrow hitting a target. popping egos. patience on 3%. touches heaven and returns howling.

 ATHENA: discerning gaze. unreadable face. quiet museums. owl perched on their finger. armor that intimidates. eye for architecture. plays the sims for the sole purpose of building   houses. studied the blade while everyone else was busy getting laid. huge fan of logic. loves brain teasers, ancient buildings. sweaters in neutrals and cool colors. hair done up.   can kill you with their brain. heads to the library often to research. sharpened pencils. abs that can cut steel. stoic statues. pottery classes.

 DEMETER: soil-covered hands. smile that can bloom flowers. skin loved by the sun. being the mom-friend. can lift you and your friends. flowers kept in the pockets of overalls. takes pride in their beautiful garden. speaks to their plants. leaves rustling in the wind. stalks of wheat. picking fruit. greenhouses. heart as strong as a mountain. values simplicity. daisies dotted across a collarbone. curls crowned with flowers. folded pile of sweaters in warm hues. pulling out fresh-baked bread out of the oven and the smell wafting through the air.

 DIONYSUS: drunk shitposter. on their sixth glass of wine before you’ve even finished your second. seductive smirks. untamed curls. rich fabrics on dark skin. sleek-furred panthers. theater masks. stage productions. receiving a standing ovation. rose caught between their teeth. being the baby of the bunch. wild parties that last from sundown to sunup. creeping vines. inspiring loyalty. grand opera houses. masquerade balls. rolls of film. shattered chandeliers with broken glass scattered across the wine-spilled floor. pouring champagne into flutes. lives for the applause.

 HEPHAESTUS: the calloused hands of someone who knows labor. sweaty brow. flame burning in their eyes. inventive mind. broad shoulders. steampunk goggles. nuts and bolts stored away in little boxes. ashes. striking a match. blueprints for future projects. fixing up a busted-up car and giving it cool upgrades. wrestles with bitterness. work boots have seen better years. wrinkled plaid shirts. iron melted in blazing fire. huge jackets. crafting masterpieces. greased-stained overalls. fascination with robotics. pain is fuel. stack of weaponry. even their muscles have muscles.

 HERA: resting bitch face. dressed to the nines. cows grazing on a pasture. cool rain. loving and hating fiercely. hand clutching a string of pearls. large chandelier with glittering crystals. plays the sims for the sole purpose of killing off their sims. romance to realism. pictures of the sky while flying on a plane. files that under fuck it. downs glasses of wine as they relax with a scented bubble bath and netflix. like their selfie or you’re grounded. knows 57 convenient ways to murder a man. dark eyes that penetrate your soul. marble and gold.

 HERMES: devil-may-care smile. always up-to-date on the latest technology. will steal your french fries. does it for the vine. shitposter. puts googly eyes on everything. meme hoarder. long drives on the highway. ma and pop diners. spontaneous road trips. folded maps. fingers dancing across the keyboard of a laptop. shooting hoops on the basketball court. chatting up strangers as you all journey to your own destinations. goes jogging in the morning. mixes red bull with coffee. menace on april fool’s. hoodies and sneakers.

 POSEIDON: storm with skin. colorful coral reefs. waves crashing against the shore. stroking the soft fur of a cat. their heart pounding as their horse’s gentle trot speeds into a gallop. tousled locks. clothes smeared with paint. owns several sketchbooks yet always yearns to own more. leather jackets. fondness for diy projects. handwriting that flows across the page. nimble fingers playing the strings of a violin. velvety singing voice that haunts your dreams. mood as ever-changing as the sea. the roar of a motorcycle. compass with a spinning arrow.

 ZEUS: thunder in their heart. running on coffee. flash of lightning. natural charisma. eloquence. badass in a nice suit. aficionado of history. force of nature. lenny face. nightmare-filled nights. proud arm around their lover’s waist. high-rise buildings. planes soaring through a cloudless sky. technician on the piano. maintains order. strong handshake. juggling multiple events on their busy schedule with ease. expensive watch.

 Muse/OC Aesthetic  

Rules: bold any which apply to your OC/Muse; remember to repost; feel free to add to the list.

 [COLORS]

 red. brown. orange. yellow. green. blue. purple. pink. black. white. teal. silver. gold. grey. lilac. metallic. matte. royal blue. strawberry red. charcoal grey. forest green. apple red. navy blue. crimson. cream. mint green. cobalt blue. lime green. beige.

 [ELEMENTS]

 fire. ice. water. air. earth. rain. snow. wind. moon. stars. sun. heat. cold. steam. frost. lightning. sunlight. moonlight. dawn. dusk. twilight. midnight. sunrise. sunset. dewdrops. magic.

 [BODY]

 claws. long fingers. fangs. teeth. wings. tails. lips. bare feet. freckles. bruises. canine. scars. scratches. wounds. burns. spikes. feathers. webs. eyes. hands. sweat. tears. feline. chubby. curvy. short. tall. normal height. muscular. lean. piercing. tattoos. lithe. moles. dimples.

 [WEAPONS]

 fists. sword. dagger. spear. arrow. hammer. shield. poison. guns. axes. throwing axes. whips. knives. throwing knives. pepper sprays. tasers. machine guns. slingshots. katanas. maces. staffs. wands. powers. magical items. magic. rocks. mud balls. pyre. teeth. rifles. words.

 [MATERIALS]

 gold. silver. platinum. titanium. diamonds. pearls. rubies. sapphires. emeralds. amber. amethyst. metal. iron. rust. steel. glass. wood. porcelain. paper. wool. fur. lace. leather. silk. velvet. denim. linen. cotton. charcoal. clay. stone. asphalt. brick. marble. dust. glitter. blood. dirt. mud. smoke. ash. shadow. carbonate. rubber. synthetics. jade.

 [NATURE]

 grass. leaves. trees. bark. roses. daisies. tulips. lavender. petals. thorns. seeds. hay. sand. rocks. crystals. roots. flowers. ocean. river. meadow. forest. desert. tundra. savanna. rainforest. caves. underwater. coral reef. beach. waves. space. clouds. mountains. poppies. galaxies. stardust. sky.

 [ANIMALS]

 lions. wolves. eagles. owls. falcons. hawks. swans. snakes. turtles. ducks. bugs. spiders. crickets. bees. birds. whales. dolphins. fish. sharks. horses. cats. dogs. rabbits. praying mantises. crows. ravens. mice. lizards. werewolves. unicorns. pegasus. dragons. rats. livestock. foxes. bluebirds. deer. halla.

 [FOODS/DRINKS]

 sugar. salt. bitter. candy. bubblegum. wine. champagne. hard liquor. beer. coffee. tea. spices. herbs. apple. orange. lemon. cherry. strawberry. watermelon. vegetables. fruits. meat. fish. pies. desserts. chocolate. cream. caramel. berries. nuts. cinnamon. burgers. burritos. pizza. french fries. ambrosia. honey.

 [HOBBIES]

 music. art. watercolors. gardening. smithing. sculpting. wood carving. painting. sketching. fighting. writing. composing. cooking. sewing. training. dancing. acting. singing. martial arts. self-defense. electronics. technology. cameras. video cameras. video games. computer. phone. movies. theater. history. libraries. books. comic books. magazines. cds. records. vinyls. cassettes. piano. violin. guitar. electric guitar. bass guitar. harmonica. harp. woodwinds. brass. bells. playing cards. poker chips. chess. dice. motorcycle riding. eating. flight. climbing. camping. running. freerunning. exploring. partying. yoga.

 [STYLE]

 lingerie. armor. cape. dress. tunic. vest. shirt. sweater. boots. heels. leggings. trousers. jeans. skirt. jewelry. earrings. necklace. bracelet. ring. pendant. hat. flower crown. crown. circlet. helmet. scarf. brocade. cloaks. corsets. doublet. chest plate. gorget. bracers. belt. sash. coat. jacket. duster. trenchcoat. hood. gloves. socks. masks. cowls. braces. watches. glasses. sunglasses. visor. eye contacts. makeup. ties. uniform. fancy shoes. leather jacket. sport underwear.

 [MISC]

 balloons. bubbles. cityscape. light. dark. candles. war. peace. money. power. percussion. clocks. photos. mirrors. pets. kisses. diary. fairy lights. madness. sanity. sadness. bittersweet. happiness. luck. optimism. pessimism. loneliness. family. friends. assistants. co-workers. enemies. loyalty. smoking. drugs. kindness. love. hugs. revenge. lust. regrets. passion. spontaneity. potty mouth. recklessness. practicality. hope.

 BOLD ANY FEARS WHICH APPLY TO YOUR MUSE.

 ITALICIZE WHAT MAKES THEM UNCOMFORTABLE.

 the dark. fire. open water. deep water. being alone. crowded spaces. confined spaces. change. failure. war. loss of control. powerlessness. prison. blood. drowning. suffocation. public speaking. natural animals. the supernatural. heights. death. dying. intimacy. rejection. abandonment. loss. the unknown. the future. not being good enough. scary stories. speaking to new people. poverty. loud noises. being touched.

 Unnecessary Detailed Dislikes

 Muse name: Jasper Graves

Least favorite nickname: Jazzie

Least favorite color: Pink

Least favorite season: Fall

Least favorite weather: Storming

Least favorite — hot or cold: hot

Least favorite food: Green things

Least favorite flavor: artificial orange

Least favorite scent: jasmine

Least favorite sound: grinding wheel

Least favorite book: anything by dr. seuss

Least favorite movie: Charlie and the chocolate factory

Least favorite fictional character: Willy Wonka

Least favorite trait in others: forcefulness

Least favorite place: outside

Least favorite thing about themselves: how shy he is

Least favorite daily chore: school

Least favorite activity: running

 absent-minded |  abusive  | addict  | adrenaline junkie |   aggressive |  aimless  | alcoholic  |  anxious  | arrogant  |  audacious |  bad liar  |  bigmouth |  bigot  | blindly loyal  |  blunt   |  callous  |  childish  | chronic heroism  |  cheater | clingy  | clumsy  |  cocky |  codependent  | competitive |  corrupt  | cowardly  |  cruel |  cynical  | delinquent  |  delusional |  dependent  | depressed |  deranged  |  disloyal  | ditzy  |  egotistical |  envious  | erratic  |  fickle |  finicky  | fixated  |  flaky |  frail  | fraudulent  |  foul mouthed |  guilt complex  | gloomy  |  gluttonous |  gossiper  | gruff  | grudge holding |  gullible |  hedonistic  | humorless  |  hypochondriac | hypocritical | idealist  |  idiotic |  ignorant  |  immature  | impatient |  incompetent  |  indecisive  | insecure |  insensitive  |  lazy  | lewd  |  liar |  lustful  | manipulative |  masochistic |  meddlesome  | melodramatic  |  money-loving |  moody  | naïve  |  nervous |  nosy  | ornery  |  overprotective  | overly sensitive   |  paranoid |  passive-aggressive  | perfectionist  |  pessimist |  petty  | power-hungry  |  proud |  possessive  | pushover |  reckless  | reclusive  |  remorseless |  rigorous  | sadistic  | sarcastic |  senile |  selfish  |  self-destructive  | shallow  |  sociopathic |  sore loser  | spineless  |  spiteful |  spoiled  | stubborn | suspicious  |tactless |  temperamental |  timid  |  thief |  tone-deaf | traitorous |  unathletic |  ungracious  | unlucky   |  unsophisticated  | untrustworthy  |  vain  |  withdrawn |  workaholic