#last week i had to massage her back bc of a chronic pain in her shoulder and she's always so happy when i come over | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ddaenggtan · 5 years

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lay me gently | ksj (preview)

there is no time for loneliness among the fires of your forge, no room in your buzzing mind for thoughts of anything but your next invention and the pain in your leg. your life is tilted off its axis, though, when your parents arrange a marriage without your knowledge or consent, and your new husband begins to situate himself into your life despite protests from either of you. you don’t know what zeus and hera have planned, but a volcano is no place for a love god like seokjin. | monsters and gods pt 2 (masterlist)

pairing | seokjin x reader

genre/warnings | greek god au, aphrodite!jin, hephaestus!reader, disabled!reader (kind of, it’s presented more as chronic pain, but that’s a whole discussion), fluff, slight angst but not a ton, v brief allusions to violence but its purposefully vague, not so brief descriptions of physical injury, descriptions of chronic pain, cyclopes! everywhere! i use that word so many times!, this also features dionysus!jimin but only a little,

word count | 11.3k for now

a/n | short lil preview bc i’m so close to finishing it but also have --89515221354 willpower to finish and edit this, so hopefully seeing that people are even halfway reading about this will kick my ass into gear!!!

It's hot. It's always hot here, the consequences of living inside a volcano, you suppose, but the callouses on your skin have long since made you immune to the burns. You glide down through the halls, an old habit since the day you crafted the wheels you attached to your sandals. No longer did you need to carry the awkward and hefty cane everywhere you went, or struggle to make your leg move the way you wanted it to. The invention of the wheel was one you were forever proud of.

The forge is already blazing when you arrive, each of the hundred levels full of cyclopes all hammering away. Steam hisses and rises through the air, and you chance a glance at the lava bubbling miles below you.

"Careful today," You call to the cyclops closest to you. "It looks like she's feeling the burn again. Raise the guards soon, and keep them up until she blows. No sense letting good work go to waste." The cyclops nods and barks orders out at others across the levels. You wheel yourself further along, the sound of the celestial bronze shields being brought up serving as background noise. You probably could have waited another day or so to raise them, if you were honest; cyclopes are fireproof, which is useful in a forge, and you yourself aren't likely to be taken out by a mere volcanic eruption. The work, though...heat like that could affect even the strongest of your creations, and you all worked much too hard here to have to reform every bolt, repour every blade.

You valued your time too much for that.

"You have a guest, my lady," one of your workers called. You look up from the notebook in your hands - soot-covered, bound in leather, edges singed, with bits of paper sticking every which way from the many times you've jotted something down for later and stuffed it inside quickly before tying the leather cords that bind it - and frown. The cyclops grimaces slightly. "It...seems to be Lord Zeus."

You scoff and spin yourself around to follow him to the elevator reluctantly. "Probably wants to commission another throne, the bastard. Should've stuck him to the last one, maybe he'd get it through his head that not everyone wants to fuck him." You wave a hand and your guide gives you a curt nod before returning to work. You settle yourself in the lift and flip the lever. It's not a long journey, thanks to the many improvements you've made over the years, but it still seems that too soon the grate is sliding back into the wall to allow you exit.

You tap your heels together twice as you glide off the lift, already reaching for the cane that you keep there for situations like this. The soft clicks and whirs are nearly imperceptible as the wheels break themselves apart and regress into the hidden compartments in your soles. Your leg becomes dead weight once more, and you wince at the way it drags behind you. You've half a mind to curse whoever came to call on you this time; you hate walking, even if the charade is a necessary one. You're still contemplating the idea when you hobble into your entry to see Zeus himself, stoic and cold as he ever is.

"My lord," You call, barely keeping the venom out of your voice as you do. Many would say it's the heat of the mountain making your blood boil, but you know the truth. Very little in the world sets you off like the man in front of you.

He turns and fixes a blinding grin on you. "My dear Hephaestus!" You scoff at the title; no one has called you by your name in centuries, lest they inherit your lameness. "Wonderful to see you, truly. It's been too long since my last visit."

"Yes, four hundred years does seem to crawl by without you to grace the halls of my forge," You drawl. His eyes steel for a moment, your sarcasm not as lost on him as you'd hope, but it quickly passes. "Why are you here, my lord?"

"Well, you remember how I said I would owe you a favor?" Your eyes narrow and you nod. In the handful of times Zeus has repaid the hundreds of favors he owes, it's hardly ever been something positive. "I'm here to pay it! I brought you a gift."

"A gift, what-?" You don't get the chance to finish. Zeus has already waved forward a steward he brought along. Your heart aches for the boy as sweat drips down his body and his tunic is already singed. Your own leathers are slightly oppressive in the heat, but at least they don't catch fire. Zeus takes a scroll from the boy, harsh and rough, and shoves it into your hands. You unravel it quickly, your eyes darting across the words on the paper.

"A marriage?!" Your screech echoes throughout the mountain and the clanging of metal on metal pauses for a moment. "What am I supposed to do with a marriage, much less one to a-" You scan the paper again. "A love goddess?"

"Not a love goddess," He tuts. "The love goddess. Well. Love deity. Aphrodite is a beauty, you're lucky I could arrange such a thing." Your eyes strain against your skull, threatening to pop out with every word Zeus says.

"What in all of Tartarus is a ‘love deity’ supposed to do in my forge?" You ask him. He scoffs and waves the question off as if it doesn't matter. Your hand twitches with the urge to throw him into the lava, and the only thing keeping you from doing exactly that is the pain striking through your leg - a bitter reminder of just what Zeus is capable of - and the knowledge that it wouldn't even kill him.

"Your mother was adamant about this, Hephaestus." You echo his scoff at this; you're sure she was. "Aphrodite will arrive within the week. See to it that everything is fit for a god." He chuckles at his own joke, and a vision of your cane shoved through his skull implants itself in your brain. You force yourself to take in deep breaths. The scent of hot metals, sparks, and sulfur calms you, as it always has.

"Fine," You say, though Zeus is already on his way out. "I'm not keeping anyone here against their will, though!" Your shout goes ignored, as you knew it would. You grumble under your breath and hobble back to the elevator. Within moments you're shooting down to your bedroom, large and situated close to the heart of the volcano. You don't bother to activate the wheels of your shoes, instead leaning on your cane until you get to your bed.

The plush mattress and blankets are a relief on your aching hip and leg and you let yourself lean back and just relax for a moment. The notice is still clutched in your hand and you find yourself staring at the looping curves of Hera's signature, wondering what she's up to this time.

Memories flood you before you can stop them; being a young godling in Olympus, attached and in awe of your mother as she led you around the city, light gleaming off the golden columns. Seeing the fire in Zeus' eyes the first time he struck her in front of you, and the blaze that came when you stepped in front of her. Starlight glinting off her silver robes as she cried in her garden. The bruising vice he kept on your calf, the feel of the winds against your skin as you fell, the way Helios painted the sky as you kept falling. The feel of a hammer in your hand for the first time, juxtaposed to the throbbing pain in your crippled leg every time you so much as twitched.

The notice is across the room before you realize you've thrown it. You want to believe she isn't playing games; Hera has always been somewhat conniving, but your mother has never been outright cruel to you, not since the night you tried to save her from her husband, and she always had her reasons. You may not always agree with her reasons, but that didn't change the fact that she had them. Still, condemning an innocent person to a life here...condemning you to live your days with a constant reminder of your plainness, your deformity, wasn't something you expected from her. Zeus, yes, but not her.

You let yourself fall back onto the bed, only to adjust a few moments later when the pressure on your hip becomes too much. You're angled now, weight resting on your good side to alleviate even a bit of the pain from the other. It was the only way you could get a moment's peace since your fall, the only time the pain lessened.

You allow yourself five breaths. Five breaths to let the tear slip down your cheek, drawing its path through the soot and the smoke. Four to let your breath shake in your chest and shudder in the air. Three for the ache in your hip to disappear completely, so you are blessedly free from your pain for once. Two for the thorns to tighten impossibly around your heart and let it bleed for you. One for the hole in your chest, shaped like a loving father and a true family that doesn't constantly commission weapons from you to throw at each other.

Pain arcs through your leg once more and you wince. Your hand massages the muscles there absentmindedly; it provides no relief to anything but your mind. You stand and click your heels together once more, glad when the wheels are stable once more. In seconds, you're off, flying through hallways to get to your workshop.

You've got work to do.

It's nearly the entire week later when one of the workers knocks on the door of your workshop.

"Aphrodite has arrived, my lady." You wave at him and he disappears back into the mass of his brothers. It doesn't take you long to get to the entryway, rolling through the halls until you're just outside the large bronze doors. You retract your wheels and grasp your cane, reminding yourself that the more people thought Zeus had crippled you debilitatingly, the better. Your hip aches again and you tune it out in favor of tapping the end of your cane against a small hammer at the base of the doors. There's a quiet whir as they slide open, and you limp forward as best you can.

The foyer is packed with people, cyclopes everywhere with bags slung over their shoulder, forest nymphs tapping at their smoking roots, naiads hissing with steam. In the midst of everything stands two still figures, one infinitely more familiar than the other.

"I thought I told you that the next time you step foot in my forge, I'd stoke my fires with your bones." Your voice is loud as it reverberates across the walls. Both figures turn to look at you, but your glare doesn't falter.

"Aw, are you still mad about that?" His smile is deceptively innocent. "You never would've gotten her off that throne otherwise."

"It wasn't supposed to be her throne in the first place, was it?" You spit back as you make your way to him. It doesn't escape your notice that everyone but the cyclopes is staring at you, and you're glad the heat from the mountain keeps you flushed. You can't show weakness in front of this crowd, you can't let them know that you know they think you're below them.

You can't let them know that in your worst moments, you agree.

"Get the fuck out of my mountain, Dionysus, before I throw you out."

"Ooh, take after your old man a little too much there, don't you?" Jimin's smile never leaves his face and you resist the urge to smack it with your cane. Instead you tighten your grip on it and take a breath.

"What are you doing here?" You eventually ask through gritted teeth.

"Just escorting a dear, dear friend." His grin has turned predatory as he rests a hand on his companion's shoulder. "My dear Hephaestus, I'd like to introduce you to Aphrodite." You glance over, looking the man up and down briefly.

He's taller than you - though with your pained hunch, many are. His shoulders are almost as wide as his eyes as he looks around the room, taking in the granite walls and bronze moldings. His clothes aren't practical in the least; soft and sweet and flowing linens in a pale lilac that complements the purple of his hair. It's a stark contrast to the harsh reds and greys of your soot-stained leathers. When he finally looks at you, his eyes are the same color as the grease you use to oil your inventions and give you no clue to his thoughts.

He's fucking beautiful and it brings a sob to your throat.

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theherblifeblog · 7 years

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Spotlight Series: Christa Schadt, Bliss

Christa Schadt is the founder and Master grower at Bliss, a BC based company specializing in an all-natural lubricant designed to enhance and heighten female sexual pleasure. Made from organic cannabis-infused coconut oil and cocoa butter, Bliss was created for the benefit and well-being of all women. Whether you want to rekindle your passion, or just heighten and intensify your sensations, the therapeutic and aphrodisiac properties of Bliss will soon send you to that place.

Tell me about the lube that you make. I understand that this product came about after you were experimenting for your own use…

We have had a license to grow for about 10 years now and over the years ended up with a lot of bags full of shake. Originally we were sending it out to someone to make bubble hash and they would get part of it as a trade. Then I started experimenting with it myself by infusing it in coconut oil, which usually turned out a dark green!

I had been reading about the benefits of using Cannabis topically and came across an article about using it to enhance your sex life. As I had already been going through an early menopause starting 18 years ago, I was pretty desperate. So, I started using it and found out that it was relieving almost all of my menopausal symptoms, except the hot flashes.

I then thought that maybe I should share this with my friends. I got them to fill in questionnaires about their likes and dislikes etc. and started reading about making lotions and creams, and experimenting with different types of oils, while researching their effects. The major criticism I had was the colour and the fact that it would stain people's clothes and sheets, so I looked into extraction methods and found one that suited. At this point I also started testing Bliss, so the product would be consistent. (Editor's Note: Learn more about testing cannabis products by checking our interview with Keystone Labs founder Jodi McDonald)

I had been reading about the effects of Cannabis on women and sexuality and found out that there is a certain point where the plant actually has the opposite effect of turning a woman on. This is the reason I decided to use a lower dose of THC than a lot of other topicals out there.

So after a lot of experimenting and testing I have come up with what I think is the perfect recipe!

I know that many Her(B) Life readers will love that you use only ethically sourced oils, why is that important to you?

I use organic oils because I personally would not consume or put anything into or on my body that wasn't. I have a very strong reaction to anything chemical. For example, all of the commercial lubricants out there cause me to break out in a rash. Anything that contains glycerin causes yeast infections, so I steer clear of that as well. If this kind of thing happens to me, I am sure it happens to others as well. Hence I wanted to make something that wasn't going to cause more harm. The only problem I have had with this approach is that oil based products do not work well with the latex in condoms, causing them to deteriorate, not a good thing if you need to use a condom. I decided not to compromise though, and found out there are condoms out there that work fine with oil based products, so it all worked out!

How long have you been making Bliss? When did you decide to sell it?

I have been making Bliss for about 4 years now and for me personally, I wish I would have thought of making it sooner! I have been selling it for about 2 years.

The website points out that vaginal dryness/tightness can lead to sexual dysfunction, how common is this problem? How does Bliss help relieve that pain?

By looking at a lot of research, I have found out that over 40% of women, over the age of 25, suffer episodic or chronic pain and discomfort from sexual activity! It sure has been a major problem for me personally. After starting to sell Bliss, those statistics have been confirmed, as a lot women have contacted me with the same issues.

Bliss is applied directly onto the genitalia, which have many cannabinoid receptors. When this happens, it slows down signals to the muscles and causes them to relax. It also creates an ultra concentrated sensory pleasure.

Bliss is a product for women, specifically. What are some of the challenges unique to starting a somewhat niche based business?

Obviously at this point you are really only selling to half the population, making it, like you said, a niche based business. My personal challenge is actually selling it. I love making it, and I loved designing the packaging, designing the website, learning about Cannabis and learning about what the different kinds of carrier and essential oils do. Selling, not so much, which is not a good thing when you are trying to start a business.

Also, because I am selling mainly to women, I have to be very picky about where I might be able to sell it. It would not be easy for a woman to come into a dispensary and tell someone that they are having sexual difficulties, especially if the person behind the counter is a young man. I have started to do a "Tupperware" style of party, where women come together and talk about sexual issues, and have found this to be extremely rewarding.

Then there is the fact that what I am doing is still very much in the grey market, which means you have to walk a very fine line - don't be in the spotlight too much, but still try to sell - quite a difficult thing to do.

Would you say that men could benefit from your lube too? How else could it be used?

The main reason a man would benefit from using Bliss would be that he would very much make a woman happy. Plus it is edible, which could give him quite a buzz and make a woman even happier! The only way Bliss could affect a man would be if he used it anally, where it could be absorbed. But then again because dosages affect men differently than women, I doubt very much at the dosage I am using, it would do very much good.

You branched out last year and began offering a lip balm. I have one, and its hands down, my favourite lip product ever! The colour payoff is perfect and never gets dry or goopy. Why did you decide to add another product?

Thank you for the nice compliment! Yes, I still have the lip balm, but I now carry it in 3 flavours; peppermint, watermelon and rose. I have also created a high CBD, low THC (100:20) suppository for pain caused by menstrual cramps and diseases such as endometriosis. Right now, I am testing it out on various female volunteers, but it will be on the website soon. Eventually, I will be adding a sensual massage oil and a high CBD tea for cramps as well.

Another thing I have been making is Bliss Balls, which I am just starting to sell. Again, I am trying to make them as healthy as possible, using only organic ingredients and little to no sugar and no gluten. I will be offering them in 3 sizes; 50mg, 25mg and 10mg and various flavours all covered in dark chocolate; shredded coconut and agave, cashew apricot, chocolate hazelnut, chocolate orange, and chocolate ginger. I will be posting them on the website soon.

What is your vision for the company going forward?

Because I am quite isolated where I live I have been working on building my company on my own. This means things are going much slower than I would hope. My husband has been helping, but because this is a women's product, there is only so much he can do.

That said, since starting to attend the Women Grow meetings in both Vancouver and on Vancouver Island, I have met a whole group of amazing women who are interested in the same things I am, and live fairly close by.

I have already started working on some projects with 2 other women. So, with one of my friends we are starting a clone business and with another we are starting a 3D printing business making things like pipes and stash boxes.

So yeah, I am building my empire! But only because I really like working on things like this with other people and this is the only way I could think of doing so.

We are also in discussion with some investors, so I will be able to hire someone to do the marketing for me.

A couple of weeks back, we interviewed Jay Marin from Cannabis Life Conference. I know that you are a pro networker - thats how we met! Would you say that attending events like conferences is beneficial?

Pro networker! Ha! I have been very good at covering it up, but I am actually quite shy and introverted. Attending events like conferences are enjoyable to me because a) I am making new friends, who, like I said, are interested in the same things as I am, and b) because I am learning about all kinds of new things.

It is also beneficial because I have created a network of people who might be able to help me out with various aspects of my business. Things like finding out who does extracts, or where to order the cheapest packaging, who is good at marketing, or even finding a good lawyer.

What advice would you give to a woman who is looking to enter the cannabis industry?

Find your tribe. Develop your relationships within that tribe. Be honest. Have integrity. Keep an open mind. Keep learning. And, keep going.

Connect with Bliss

You can order Bliss online here, Like the company on Facebook, Follow on Twitter and Instagram.

You can enter to win one of two prize packages from Bliss by making sure you follow them on Instagram or Facebook and tagging a friend in the contest image image.

Prize package #1

One single package of Bliss and one Lip Balm

Prize Package #2

2 25mg Bliss Balls

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