#like I wanted to change the color scheme for a warmer one but ended up not matching with harrow too much so I had to change it back
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Gideon to match Harrow 😗✌️
#the locked tomb#gideon nav#gideon the ninth#gideon the 9th#gideon the first#griddlehark#things ive made#you can REALLY tell where my sympathies lie if you look at them side by side I feel like lmao#also I tried to make the art style for Gideon softer on purpose but it ended up looking just inconsistent I feel like#the colors too#like I wanted to change the color scheme for a warmer one but ended up not matching with harrow too much so I had to change it back#and compromise#so it’s not similar enough but also not different enough#idk man idk
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How do you choose the colors in your art? Your color palettes always look so cohesive and so pleasing to look at!
ah, this is gonna be pretty long so i'll talk about it under keep reading :^]
now i am no expert!!! i am just a guy!!!! i'll just be talking about how i do it! ok!
PART 1: COLORS??? HELP.
i really like going with warm stuff on my art so it's kind of a given that most colors i use end up wounding up on this side of the color wheel
so, let's say i'm coloring trucy, a character who wears blue, i end up choosing warmer looking blues, sometimes i end up choosing purple or gray if the other colors i chose makes it look like blue, yannow, color theory and stuff. like this for example!
now the first one is noticeably blue, but the second one is like a lavender and third one is like, really not blue! it's like a desaturated rose color or something, however, paired with the right colors...
they're all "blue", aren't they?
PART 2: CHOOSE WEIRD COLORS
by weird colors, i mean colors that aren't like what the thing looks like irl. like, a leaf is green right? but, it doesn't have to be when you color it!
like when i color things gold sometimes, i use a light and desaturated red-orange for it or how like with the color blue, i don't even use blue at all!
now just because i use warmer tones a lot doesn't mean i don't use the colors from the other side of the color wheel, it depends really, if the color scheme i'm going for is monochromatic or if i really wanted to make something pop
but of course, you can't just color willy-nilly, you gotta take into account
PART 3: CONTEXT AND MOOD
where and when is your drawing set? what's the mood? are we having fun here or are there Horrors?
see how it changes the mood? the things we're supposed to be feeling when we look at the drawing? yeahg. ill use warmer colors when i want the drawing to look happy dreamy etc but ill break out the blues and greens when we're in sinister town pftt
also, just wanted to share again how other colors can change what another color looks like:
PART 4: GRADIENT MAPS AND OVERLAY LAYERS
now as for making colors more cohesive... seriously, just slap that thing on top of your piece and it helps the colors get together even more! like of course i choose my own colors but gradient maps + overlay layers are kind of like adding that one final thing.
i'll use this one as an example, left one is no gradients maps/overlays and the right one is with them. i just really prefer some good ol' ourple tones in my art so there are a couple of things i add on top to really bring out the warmth in here, like so:
PART 5: ANYTHING ELSE?
uhhh don't be afraid to use tools in your program to correct the colors you don't like ala color balance tone curve contrast brightness etc etc.
hell, you can even color pick from like irl pictures and adjust accordingly to what colors you want.
i also do have like colors that i consistently use when shading things after countless trial and error; like how i'll use purple to shade red, blue to shade with green etc etc
ig that's all, hope this helps!
#sunnysidetutorials#ajdgdjkd there's another in my ask box asking me about how i shade so stay tuned for that ig#im sorry gusy but if yall wanna get into my head with how i color ya gotta tackle color theory first#like . its pretty easy to understand i think#however it did took me a while to like *actually* be able to apply it in my art#so i understand that it can be pretty difficult
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Here’s a coloring tutorial for how to make vibrant single color backgrounds for gifs. This way relies on the color you want the gif to be already existing in the original scene or the background color already being mostly just one solid color. It should also require minimal to no layer masking which normally results in a cleaner coloring. There will be a second tutorial which will explain how to do more complicated manipulations.
For my example, I chose a scene that had yellow and green most prominent in it. Scenes like this can be changed to many other colors so they tend to be very versatile.
I always start my colorings with Levels, Curves, Black Selective Color, and Exposure. This is not absolutely necessary but I prefer this set of adjustments to begin with because it increases contrast and brightness, and helps make colors more defined (which makes them easier to manipulate). If there are other ways you know how and want to achieve a similar effect, do whatever looks best to you. This is the scene with my base coloring on it:
As a rule of thumb, if there are people in the scene that I'm giffing, keeping their skintone looking as normal as possible is my first priority. This is especially important if there is a person of color in the scene so as not to white/light/orangewash them. This tutorial is a great resource for learning how to avoid that so I won't go into depth about it, but I will explain some of the steps I take because the method is a bit trickier for when you're also doing a vibrant coloring.
To begin with, Cal's skin has already been lightened a bit by my base coloring. To start with I use a layer of Red Selective Color to darken the skin tones and remove some of the yellow. The more yellow you remove at the beginning the easier it will be to manipulate the yellow and green background later without affecting their skin. Then a Hue/Saturation layer that desaturates and darkens the reds so that their skin doesn't look unnaturally red.
These are the adjustments I made for this scene. They may need to be further adjusted later, but this is a good start.
The next layers will focus on manipulating the background. The first step is to convert the mix of yellow, green, and minor cyans to a single, less muddy color. The easiest way to do this is changing them all to a more distinct green. In a Yellow Selective Color layer, increase cyans so that it becomes more green. In a Cyan Selective Layer, increase the cyans and yellow. Finally, in a Green Selective layer increase the cyans. You'll see that these adjustments have made the background a much more vibrant and solid green.
If the background color of your original scene is not green like this one, still try to get all of the different colors to become one base color to work off of.
At this point, you get to be creative with what color you want the background to end up being. I have previously made gifs of this scene in a yellow orange scheme. It could just as easily be changed to cyan or purple, etc. Sometimes, in order to end up with a certain color, you must first convert it to one or more other colors.
YELLOW
For a yellow background, use a couple of layers of Green Selective Color and take out all cyans and maximize all yellows. Two to three layers of the same adjustment should be enough. Next add layers of Yellow Selective color, also removing cyans and adding in yellow. This should only need one or two layers, depending on the shade of yellow you want. I personally like a warmer yellow, so I do one layer with Cyan at -100 and Yellow at +100 then a second layer with Cyan at -30 and Yellow +100. These settings will of course change depending on the scene, but the theory is the same.
These are the settings for the group of adjustment layers (in order) that I used to change the background to yellow.
You'll see that you can get vibrant and clean colorings with just a few selective color layers and sometimes even no layer masks. The last step is to check on skin tones again and make sure that the adjustments added did not change the color or tone too much. A good way to check the difference between the original and your coloring is to use the marquee tool and place a small marquee somewhere that will show you both when you use it as a layer mask. I usually group all my adjustments together then use a small circle marquee on part of a face and create a layer mask with it on the group. Then you can see how much everything has been altered.
I always find it very satisfying to see how marked of a difference my coloring has made, especially when I make such drastic changes. It also allows me to verify that I've kept skin tones looking natural and not whitewashed.
I'll demonstrate how to change this scene to a couple of other colors as well. Even if the adjustments might be different for your respective scene, the main idea of what I do should still be applicable.
CYAN
To change it to cyan, I started again with Green Selective Color layers, but with essentially the opposite settings as what I did for the yellow coloring. On your green layers, add Cyan +100 and remove Yellow -100. Two to three layers should be enough. I found there was a bit of yellow that my previous adjustments did not catch, so I put a Yellow Selective Color layer before the green ones and added Cyan +100 and removed Yellow -100.
Sometimes you have to change the order of your layers around to see what's going to look best. If the yellows don't get fixed before the greens, then the adjustments to the green layers will not affect the yellow. Placing the yellow layer before the green ones turns the yellow to green which then allows the following layers to also affect it.
At this point, the yellow and green layer adjustments have made the background fairly close to cyan. To clean it up and get the shade I want, I add a couple of Cyan Selective Color layers.
With Cyan, the more Yellow you remove and Magenta you add, the more of a true blue it will become. The less Yellow and more magenta you remove, the more of a true cyan/blue-green it will become.
To get the shade of cyan I prefer to color with usually, I use a Cyan Selective Color layer with Cyan at +100 and Yellow at -50; then another Cyan Selective Color Layer with Cyan at +100, Magenta at about -20, and Yellow at -50. These adjustments result in this:
At this point you probably get the point, but I'll also explain my process for purple.
PURPLE
Any adjustment that involves magenta tends to be just a bit trickier. The more you mess with magenta, the more it can mess up the quality and overall coloring. Green does not convert directly to purple easily, so I would suggest you start with the Cyan coloring and make your changes from there.
From the adjustments that make up the cyan coloring, go to the first Cyan Selective Color layer and put both Cyan and Yellow at -100, then Magenta at +100. Repeat with the second Cyan Selective Color layer. Then add a Blue Selective Color layer with the same adjustments.
Blue and Magenta have a lot of overlap so if you're trying to magnify the Magenta in your scene and working directly in a Magentas layer doesn’t seem to be doing as much as it should, try making changes to the Blues (and vice versa).
These adjustments give this shade of purple:
As always, make additional adjustments as needed to achieve the shade you desire.
Sometimes I use a Hue/Saturation layer to increase the saturation of certain colors, but most of the time the result I want is achievable by the Selective Color layers. There is also a greater margin of change you can do with Selective Color versus Hue/Saturation. Selective Color gives you the ability to fine tune colors with a lot more precision. Hue/Saturation has a threshold of about +30-40 on the saturation bar before it starts to degrade quality and distort pixels.
Here is the final gif with each color I explained vs. the original scene:
#*tutorial#quintennyson#omgari#uservalentina#userkraina#tuserabbie#tusergabriela#userrobin#usersunny#userfanni#useroli#userbells#supervalcsi#riah.gif#riah.txt
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S3 Cover (spoilers)
I absolutely love this cover.
While most rofan covers are some couple-y pose for shipping pandering, this one actually has some significance to it.
I anticipate that this 40ish chapter season 3 of YM will cover the following arcs:
- Poisoning Arc
- Belois Vacation Arc
- 2nd Debutante Arc
This should cover the remaining of Vol 3 and Vol 4.
The author/artist duo could potentially be nasty and rush the chapters, and ending S3 on the first arc of Volume 5 (Truth Arc), which will be a massive heartbreaking cliffhanger for us. I only mention this because they really did rush the end of S2 of the manhwa, adapting nearly half a volume in 10 chapters. Admittedly, it was mostly internal monologue/thoughts, but I still find those dialogues fun.
Overall S3 can be summed as “Rupert’s Emotions”.
Now that he’s Crown Prince, he can finally take a step back and breath and fight a little less for his survival. He’s finally allowed to be “himself” and act as a male, and a prince at that.
Besides becoming accustomed to his authority, he has to deal with Lariette’s existence and what he wants from her, and what he wants to do with her.
As we see from the developments of season 1 and 2, Lariette’s opinion of him has changed as she saw the humanity inside him, and realized his troubled past: she went from blindly hating and fearing him, to sympathizing with his circumstances. The hatred is almost gone - she has to frequently remind herself to ACTIVELY hate him- but the fear of his future as Emperor Rasperich remains. She’s terrified he’ll randomly flip a switch and turn into that cruel tyrant she knows from timeline 1.
Again in S3, although she’s now “Rupert’s ally”, she believes this is only temporary and she needs to prove her usefulness, otherwise she’ll be thrown away. She still has her self esteem issues, as she sees how amazing Rupert is as Crown Prince, how Tory and Louis are better assistants than her.
Both of them don’t quite realize just yet that what Lari offers him isn’t something tangible, but rather her presence is to “protect his heart/humanity”. We’ll see him awkwardly opening up and understanding his feelings this season. (He’s so affectionate dorky in this process).
I think the color selection is interesting. Most other people see it as a primarily purple scheme (royalty), or a combination of their colors (red lari, blue rupert), but I see it mostly as “winter” and lari’s color (white).
In S3, we’ll get more of Rupert’s POV, especially what he thinks of Lari (like in Ch 45 and 63), and the progression of his feelings. I think its interesting that as springlike as he sees her, we also get the association that she’s “white” like winter, especially since she was born in wintertime. Conversely, Rupert is described as cold/freezing, but he has warmer, summer colors (yellow/green), and has a summer birthday. So for this cover, I see mostly white surrounding Rupert - he’s black/empty, but is dyed her color.
Their pose is very unique - he’s gently kissing the back of her hand while holding the other - normally in these covers we get a forceful waist grab or princess carry. It’s very *gentle*. Their fingers are also intertwined, instead of him grabbing her hand. This very much captures what S3 Rupert is like - in Ch 63 he decided to watch over her from afar and hesitates because he’s still not quite sure if she’s actually something sweet or a poison to him- and throughout S3 he decides that even if she’s an enemy, he’ll deal with the after affects and chooses to fall for her.
Poor guy thinks that there’s no way she’ll like him (he knows she hated/feared him, and still thinks she does because she’s actually pretty poker face about that), so even if he wants to get physically closer to her, he’s so worried she’ll be uncomfortable so he continues to keep his distance. So even if he really wants to hug and kiss her, he’ll have to settle with a polite kiss on the back of the hand for now. It doesn’t help that Lari, despite their bickering, still acts respectful to him and maintains a proper distance away ^^;.
Lari’s expression is also perfect - she stares at him in wonderment when holding her hands. Rupert, of all people, is so nice and sweet to her, she can’t help but DOKI DOKI and blush slightly when he gets close like that, especially since he’s so dazzling and good looking :)
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A Doll’s Guide to a Pretty Pink Winter ❄️
The winter season is upon us! And as dolls, we have our very own way to do it. Get ready to see some pink, white and brown puffer jackets, turtlenecks, skirts and tights, demonia boots, jewelry accents, cute earmuffs, and more!
Layers…🎀
Since it’s obviously SUPERcold, we of course want to maintain some warmth so that we’re not shivering when we go out to flaunt it these streets.
So to do this, we want to wear layers. I cannot count how many times I’m freezing in the morning, but it gets hotter during the day and I’m stuck with a huge jacket all day- If you wear a short sleeve underneath your thin sweater and finish off with a thicker jacket, it’s easy to shift through your the changing temperatures. Here are some staple pieces and examples:
Trench coats make for adorable and cozy outer layers for colder points of the day! So do fuzzy jackets, puffer jackets, or thick cardigans.
Sweaters and crewnecks can be a lighter option! As can light jackets or long sleeves.
And as a last layer, we can use turtlenecks, tanks, baby tees, or dresses underneath for warmer parts of the day! (Unless it doesn’t get warm; then you can wear thicker sweaters and long sleeves ^^)
And last but not least bottoms. Skirts or plain ol’ pants with tights underneath work just fine!
Accessories…🕊️
Okay, now that we’ve got the main outfit locked down, let’s talk details. These go from headbands and earrings to tights and shoes. Accessories really carry outfits by giving them some extra wow factor and flavor. Here are some key parts:
Now the most important accessories are shoes ofc! Boots are a major staple for this season. Try some uggs or demoniacs or any affordable ones you can find!
Cute hair accessories like bows, headbands beanies, or hair clips can really bring together an outfit! Just try it!
Jewelry is another piece that just really makes an outfit. Try to look for silver lockets or necklaces and dangly earrings!
Last but not least, bags! To wrap it all up, a nice complementary bag will suffice so that you can hold your belonging in style!
Colors…🩰
To end this blog post, I just wanna mention our color scheme. We’ll be seeing lots and lots of luck of course, but also some cream white colors, brown, light blue, purples, etc. So when you’re out shopping, look for your items in some of those wintry colors!
And that finishes everything! I apologize for all the reading and scrolling, but I hope you found this guide rather helpful for building your cold-weathered wardrobe!! Love you my dolls ! 💋❄️
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Coral & the Cook annual redraw
Redrawing the same piece every year since 2019 to see my progress.
2019
The sketch that started it all. It was a mindless doodle made in class back in november 2019. I'd just started drawing again, and it shows. Proportions and anatomy weren't a thing for me back then. And those eyes are going to haunt my dreams forever.
I did forget completely about this after drawing it. Just two nameless character concepts that would never be drawn again.
2020
2020 came and I discovered Mermay. Somehow I remembered the sketch and I decided to make a full color illustration with the concept.
I did improve a lot in those few months. Hands are not as bad as they could have been. Well, hand is not as bad as it could have been. Mermaid is completely missing an arm. Dude's eyes got better, but anatomy is pretty wonky still. I didn't give any thought to the clothes, I just wanted to cover the parts I wasn't to sure about. Background is just a mess, and someone should have taken the airbrush away from me.
Characters started getting a bit of backstory, but not too much. Just that the dude found an injured mermaid mermaid. Still no names.
2021
Decided to make it into an annual thing to redraw that piece. Coral got her name and got warmer colors. Dude got a name I forgot next day and became a pirate and a cook.
This time I started using references, none for the background though. I went a lot more expermental with the lighting, and it doesn't look too bad. Clothes still exist almost only to cover the parts I wasn't too sure about, but they are getting better. Anatomy and proportions have gotten a lot better too, Coral has at least one arm now.
Backgrond is lineless because it looked weird with the lineart. It still looks weird. Specially because the world seems to end behind the isle? Where the heck is the horizon?
2022
Sebastian finally got his name! And another complete change of outfit. Coral ended up being a clownfish. It wasn't on purpose to make the little mermaid that gets lost into a clownfish, but the colors fit her.
Decided to change the pose a bit, and, being the resposible artist that I am, I didn't use the clothing to hide the parts I wasn't sure about. That was past me. I used a rock.
Anatomy got a bit better. Specially faces and torso. But those hands are horrible. Coral's are almost non existant. The world doesn't end after the island thankfully. The rocks are quite funny looking, and the sky is not too bad for the first time doing something like that.
I abslutely hate Sebastian's color scheme. I just placed random stuff and hoped it worked. I also was too scared to do propper lighting for some reason.
2023
Sebastian finally got his final design. Poor gut has gone through a lot regarding fashion. The poses are nice, and Sebastian is finally out of the water. The rendering of the sky and trees is prety good too.
But can you tell me what the heck happened to Sebastian face? And Coral's neck?! Hands got better. At lest the one that is actually there.
Lighting and shading are way to soft. I thought I was doing something brave and extreme at the time, but no. It just looks flat. Doesn't help that there are no eye shinies.
2024
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forever rain [2]
summary: to greek gods, it was a well-known fact that the fates liked to play tricks. but was this too far? what would happen when they made two unlikely gods have a tugging string in their hearts, yearning for each other?
pairing: hades!jin x persephone!reader
genre: fluff / angst / greek god! au / black swan! au
word count: 18.3k
warnings: the use of the word “whore” / cursing / snake mention
a/n: WOW this is the most i’ve ever written for a fic. please check out both pt 1 and the note about this series in my masterlist before reading! i know this is SO overdue like a year overdue. i’ve been writing it in the last three months bc school <<. anyways, thanks for reading and enjoy!! :D
By the time you wake up, he is gone— not that you had known he sat next to you. But when you rose up from your slumber, a coat fell from your shoulders.
His..?
You looked at it and wondered if he had given it to you. It was a thoughtful gesture, and a necessary one as your hands were getting numb. Before wrapping it around your shoulders, you stretch your hands above you. Blinking the drowsiness out of your eyes and sitting up a little further, you yawned and decided to stand up. Your feet hit a softer material that you weren’t expecting, making you look down. The cold floor that was there yesterday was covered by a soft gray rug and you moved your toes to feel it more.
Him and his dark colors.
You rolled your eyes at the color palette of the entire room and thought that maybe the guy hadn’t decorated in a while. It made you think of Yoongi's liking for dark colors even though he was viewed as basically the opposite— the god of love. If you were going to live here for the rest of your life, a thought that made you sigh, might as well change the place a bit. Adding tones of lighter colors would not be so bad, maybe brighten up the room and seem less like a cave and more like a palace. You looked around the room to the lanterns on the wall and decided that you would have to do something about that.
It didn’t even light up the room! What was the point of lights if you can’t even see the floor?
The air seemed less tense than when you entered the palace and you were definitely feeling it. The entire palace was suffocating when you walked inside, cold and sharp as if to hurt you. But now, it seemed different. Maybe not soft or lush like your home— or what was your home in the mortal realm. It was rather empty instead of spikes, a little bit better, but not great either.
You continued to look around the room before your eyes landed on a small nightstand and saw a few warmer clothes. You walked towards it and with one hand, as the other was tightly holding his coat, you felt the material. It was a lot thicker than your chiton and was a dark green, reminiscent of the forest trees back home. Your lips lifted up in a light smile at the thought and decided to change into it. Before removing your current dress, you saw that there was a flower. You didn’t understand how flowers could grow in the Underworld, and when you picked it up and realized it was a silver color, but fake. Not the color of jewelry that you often saw other mortals wearing, but like a coin. It was pretty.
A piece of paper fell on the floor that had been next to the flower. Picking up to read it, you were surprised by the penmanship.
My apologies, Persephone. I have some duties I must attend to in Olympus. This palace is yours as well, ask for anything to the ghosts and they shall bring it.
You grimaced. While it was a thoughtful gesture in any other circumstance, you still were wary of this God. Putting the flower back on the table, you changed. The dress made you feel a lot warmer and the cloak was quickly discarded.
What time was it in the mortal world?
You wondered how time seemed to simultaneously slow down and speed up. Slowly tip-toeing out the room, you closed the door behind you very softly and continued through the hall. The hall seemed a little more lit up but it was still darker than usual. You wondered if you could use your powers to grow a bioluminescent lily, and light up the hallway. But after squeezing your eyes shut to concentrate, holding your palms out, and thinking heavily about life, you could not do it. You couldn’t even produce a regular lily. You didn’t understand.
Where did my powers go? How would I go back home? Was I.. not a goddess anymore?
You took a few deep breaths and reminded yourself, relax, it’s fine. But it seemed far from fine, you would just have to ask Hades when you saw him. You roamed around the hallways, finding winding staircases, huge rooms, empty rooms, rooms that weren’t empty but you wished they were when you saw inside, and all filled with the scent of death. You quickly turned away from those rooms and opted to keep walking.
It seemed that minutes turned into an hour, an hour and a half, then two. You brought your hands together and rubbed them together. The hallway seemed to never end and you wondered where the door was. You just wanted some fresh air, you tried convincing yourself. It’s not like I’m trying to escape..
“Excuse me,” a voice called out. Your eyes widened and you whipped your head back to only see more darkness, and heard it continue, “but who are you?”
“Don’t come closer! I might seem weak but I could knock you out with one punch.” Your voice was a lot steadier than you let on. You were tired of being afraid all the time.
“..I’m sure you can but you didn’t answer my question. I don’t care what type of hero or princess you were as a mortal but you’re dead now. Listen up, I’m in charge here.”
“Mortal?”
“Yes, didn’t your mother ever tell you not to get a God angry?”
“..I’m Kore, the daughter of Demeter. Goddess of the Spring, flora, and fauna. Whoever you are, know this. I am in charge here.”
The hallway suddenly brightened up and you lifted yourself with your head held up high. While the light was too bright for your eyes, you tried not to let it phase you and faced the figure that revealed itself in the light. You glared at the man in front of you, he was wrapped in a black cloth— seriously, what was up with the color scheme here?— and wouldn’t meet your eyes. He quickly glanced at you with a grimace but kept his head down for the remainder of the time as he felt utterly embarrassed. His scythe that was on his back made your eyebrows raise.
“Well?”
“Look, I’m sorry—“
“You better be, and you better tell me quickly why you tried to trick me before I turn you into a cactus.”
“..I’m Thanatos, the God of Death, the one who reaps the souls. I..I come here to report to Hades. I didn’t know his wife was here.”
At the word wife, you twitched. You weren’t just someone’s wife, you were your own goddess. Styx, the gods needed to learn some manners. You stepped up close to him, still with a serious gaze. Grabbing his shoulder, you speak coldly.
“Don’t call me just his wife. I’m more than that.”
“R-right, sorry. Kore.”
“No, not Kore. That is reserved for my mother and the nymphs. Call me, Y/N.”
Thanatos looked at you quizzically. You seemed so calm and usually this was where the other gods would punish him. You gave a small smile before complimenting on his scythe. He had never encountered any god that was so carefree and kind. You looked young, maybe a few eons old, yet your eyes held a soft wise look that could only come with experiences.
You asked curiously, “Did you make it so that these hallways are so dark?”
Thanatos answered quickly and rushed over his words, “Um, yes. I apologize. It’s much brighter because Hades sometimes mirrors the daytime of the mortal world.”
“Hm, so you’re the one who made me lost!”
Thanatos tried to test his luck, he was a God he couldn’t possibly die, right?
“..You’ve been wandering in circles for the last half an hour.”
“..And?”
You scoffed at his continued rudeness but it seemed more playful than last time. It was better than being alone all the time, sure, but you wanted to ask someone who didn’t know what was going on like you. Couldn’t the Fates just help you out here? But truly, you were happy to smile and have a friend.
“It gets kinda lonely here, doesn’t it?”
“..Yes. Hades often works until he collapses.”
“You don’t have to be so formal with me, please let us walk.”
You pondered over Thanatos’s words, did he really work like that? That wasn’t healthy but you wouldn’t fret over it for too long, he could take care of himself. Switching to think about yourself, you realized you didn’t have any contact with Jimin, your mother, or anyone else you knew. It was just you in this huge palace, and the guy in front of you of course.
“Hm, Thanatos?”
“Yes?”
“Is it.. just you here?”
“Well, mortal souls come and go. Some heroes test their luck with Hades but he’s colder than Hera.”
“In that case, mind being my companion until I go home?”
Thanatos didn’t understand your request. Not only had you just asked the personification of death, the son of Nyx, to be your friend, but you proposed it as if you were leaving. No one but himself and Hades left the Underworld. Thanatos was baffled beyond measure and his face showed it completely. You tried not to get frustrated at his obvious confusion and waited patiently.
“Oh, um. Sure.”
“Awesome, now onto more important matters. Why the fuck am I here?”
“W-What? What do you mean? Didn’t Zeus—”
“Namjoon? I haven’t seen that old man in ages!”
Thanatos stuttered, understanding that you were a powerful Goddess was one thing but talking about the King of all Gods so casually was a whole other. “Well, Hades has visited you once, when you were younger. He asked Zeus for your name and Zeus told him that you and your mother would have wanted this union.”
“When I was younger? OH!”
Suddenly you remembered when you had first come down to Earth to live with your mother. She was busy the first few months and had let you wander off (with nymph supervision of course) but as the mischievous child you were, you had run fast away until you hit a river. At the river you distinctly remembered a young man, the same age as you practically, that held out a purple flower. Entranced by the dark petals— usually only bright yellows and oranges were flowers— and by the dashing young man, you had become friends. Rarely speaking about yourselves, you would talk about flowers. Something both of you really liked. Now that Thanatos mentioned it, the black messed up hair seemed to resemble Hades, and his love for dark colors— something that you didn’t quite agree with— was evident too.
“Oh..I see. Well, my mother would never give me off to someone! She’s wonderful and very protective so Joon’s lied to you. But I guess that’s something to settle with Hades himself. Now, what’s something fun we could do around here?”
Thanatos slowly smiled at your enthusiasm, it was like a breath of life into his life. He had lived most of his life in the shadow of his mentor, Hades and although he enjoyed Hades’s company..it was hurting him. Thanatos wanted to be known for his own thing, why didn’t he have altars or temples in the mortal realm? Though that question was probably fruitless since mortals didn’t know what they were doing most of the time.
For the next few days, or weeks— you couldn’t really tell— you spent your time with Thanatos when he was free. He was free almost all of the time, showing many new rooms and how to not get lost through the hallways. He also let you vent about your worries. You worried that your mother must have been saddened without your presence, and maybe even Jimin was missing your short talks. Hopefully the flowers in the meadow had fully bloomed by now. All of these things, and more, kept running through your head and you liked that Thanatos had basically nothing else to do but give you advice. You appreciated his company but you wanted to see the person that brought you here too. Hades— Seokjin you figured out from Thanatos— was apparently extremely busy with human deaths. Maybe there was a new sacrifice that Zeus was putting them through? Or maybe another war? You didn’t really care too much until you realized that Seokjin would have to stay up there, counting and making sure that everyone and everything that died was in place before coming back. That’s supposed to be Thanatos’s job but apparently even he couldn’t round that many people. Strange.
A conversation with Thanatos also raised your frustration.
“So Tan-Tan.”
“No.”
“Tosy?”
“Nope.”
“Tanny?”
“..Can you please just call me Thanatos, Y/N.”
“You call me Y/N! Come on, let me give you a nickname.”
“Y/N is the name you chose. That’s different and no.”
“You’re literally so boring. Anyways, when’s Hades coming back? I’m getting tired of your face.”
“I am literally not boring! I’m Death, how can I be boring? aND MY FACE IS PRETTY WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!”
“You talk like— never mind. Ignoring your pretty obvious questions, I asked, why is Seokjin taking so long?”
Thanatos paused, Zeus had warned the minor god that if he told Y/N what was happening in the world above, he’d be cursed. Being cursed as a God was the farthest from good.
“Mortals..have been in a war recently.”
“Oh, whatever for? They have food, warm weather, sunshine, and plentiful water. There shouldn’t be anything missing…Right?”
Good thing that he would be able to escape your line of questions by just disappearing in a fit of smoke. You glared at Thanatos and when you started seeing smoke forming. You lifted your hand to stop him but it passed through the air like nothing was there.
Stupid Thanatos, thinking he can trick me. I’ll figure out what’s happening up there!
You tried to be determined but you were scared too.
You reached for the front door of the palace, somehow making itself very easy to find, and you pulled on the handle. It didn’t budge. You pulled harder, it stayed the same. Realizing that you were still stuck here, you tried punching the door. But that only left you with a hurt pride and a bruised knuckle. Groaning loudly, you dragged your feet back to your bedroom and decided to take a nap.
Better than waiting for him to come back.
By the time you woke up, an empty gold plate was left on your nightstand. You rubbed the drowsiness out of your eyes and reached for it. Ghost servants usually came to give you your meals this way. An empty plate where you can think about what you want and it’ll appear. It was pretty nice but you were getting more tired about the fact that no one would eat with you.
You finished your lunch? Dinner? You didn’t know and didn’t bother figuring out. A few days ago, Thanatos had shown you a library and you had been encouraged to use it. You had picked out a few books and was still reading it. (F/G) was by far the best genre and you always liked authors that wrote about it.
While reading on the bed, you decided to move around for a change of scenery. Wandering the hallways alone, you stopped in front of your favorite room. The throne room. Also the room that was “off limits” but you lived here so you didn’t really care.
The warning was for a reason. Hades didn’t think you would be there and so when he first shadow travelled there, he was surprised. Finally, the person that plagued your days and nights had come home. But he didn’t look great.
You had heard his footsteps before seeing his face, thinking it was just Thanatos. You sat on Hades’s throne, as it was the only one there. It looked a lot like a hard brick of marble, and definitely felt like it, but it was a lot softer than you imagined too. Not nearly as soft as the meadows back home. It was cold and smooth, like the freshwater rivers.
Wonderful.
Soft footsteps grabbed your attention from the book and up to the person in front of you. Your feet that were haphazardly thrown over the throne quickly turned around to the front. The book once in your hands dropped to the floor but you didn’t rush forward to meet him.
Hades.
“What happened?” You asked breathlessly, your hands fumbling with each other but your feet didn’t move. Hades’s shirt was soaked with gold and he was limping towards you.
Was this a trick? To make you vulnerable?
He looked at you and you could only comprehend the soft murmur of your name on his lips before he fell forward, his eyes closing shut.
You’re here...Y/N..
Running towards his side, you caught him as he landed on your chest. You felt a blade handle on his back and held back a scream.
Hades had gone up to Mount Olympus the very next morning after your arrival into the palace. His brother Namjoon had looked at him in confusion, Seokjin never came late to their monthly briefings, opting to come on time and leave as fast as he could, but usually they would take a few weeks to finish. His hair had been tousled through several times and he kept clutching his feather necklace when listening to Namjoon, Hermes, and the other gods and goddesses’s discussion of famine, war, and other things that were troubling mortals.
They only knew this because mortals just loved to blame the gods for not being able to do anything to save them. But, when in peril, their curses turned into prayers and while it annoyed the everliving Styx out of all them, it made sense. Deities that were supposed to be all powerful couldn’t even get rid of a simple plague or bug that was absolutely destroying the population and food? Seemed sketchy.
Namjoon wanted to ask what his brother was thinking about but whenever he looked at the feather dangling from his neck, he shut his mouth. When the Gods were first born to take care of the world, Namjoon had banished Seokjin to the Underworld. Only giving a necklace with a black feather before doing so, saying that his miseries would be fulfilled when the necklace was put on its rightful owner. What authority did he have on his brother’s life if he was the one who made it so horrible?
No, Namjoon would keep his bruised ego to himself and stay silent. He did not get the right to ask him what the matter was— it just seemed wrong and distasteful. So, he turned a blind eye and let Seokjin leave in a rush. Jin always left in a rush, he didn’t like sleeping in Olympus for so long. Namjoon was so preoccupied with his thoughts, that he didn’t notice his brother stopping at the foot of Olympus and meeting her.
Unfortunately for Seokjin, it was only the mother of who he was so concerned about. He wondered if the Fates had just thought it would be funny to pair the quietest god with you. He had heard wonderful stories of you, Kore. The original reason he was so attracted to you. Zeus himself had told him that you were the strongest and kindest Goddess there was, sprinkling in your humor and beauty to try and make you seem more appealing. But Seokjin had met you once, you had mistaken him for a minor god. That was eons ago, you probably didn’t even remember but the way you had walked towards him, with such confidence and power.
God, he really liked you.
He felt bad at the same time, here he was, this lovestruck God, for a Goddess that probably despised him from taking you away from your home. Did the Fates hate you so badly to let Zeus convince him to take you? Jin was about to greet your mother but the slap to his face certainly made him backtrack.
Demeter slapped him and the fury she brought with her made all present in Olympus tremble. She spoke with such power, it was clear where you inherited your confidence.
“Are you happy? Now that you have my daughter all to yourself?”
Jin gently touched his red cheek, confused at the sudden aggression and onslaught of questions.
Didn’t Zeus say that Demeter and you were glad to be offered a proposal from him?
“She’s the only thing that kept me alive, the world spinning, and here you are, not even at her side! You fool! Don’t take my status among the Olympians lightly, I am still powerful and if you cross me I will make you regret it.”
Demeter yelled out in one breath, as if she had been waiting years to say it. Her frustration and anger was evident and the icy tone could easily cut harshly into the heart, “Does it bring you so much joy to have Persephone all to yourself? My most precious possession—?”
“She is not an object.”
Demeter paused, then scoffed at Seokjin’s quiet but confident interjection. She glanced up at him and almost gasped at his eyes which had a purple fire burning in them.
Instinctively taking a step back and crossing her arms around her shoulders, she continued, “..Obviously. But you’re still in the wrong. How dare you take her! I’m her mother, you are nothing.”
The fire in Seokjin’s eyes simmered down but were still clearly there, and he responded with a level tone, “It doesn’t matter who I am or will be to Y/N. You or any other living, dead, or immortal being can not talk about her like that.”
“Stop talking like the hero, you stole her!”
“Stole her? Zeus said—”
“Zeus is a liar. You, of all people, should know this.”
Seokjin fell quiet and his eyes returned to their normal color, he couldn’t bring himself to disagree now that he knew the truth. He had stolen you, and he laughed at himself in his thoughts. Who was he to defend you like this when he treated you the same way?
He was not your husband, whether or not the Fates tied your strings together, whether or not Zeus had assured him that you were happy to be with him. He had witnessed the marriages of his siblings and their respective significant others. The Olympians were famous for their affairs, demigod children, and stupidity. He had promised himself that he wouldn’t end up like that, or force his significant other to love him. No, that would be your decision and your decision only. But the moment you step into the Underworld, there was a rule that applied to everyone except himself and Thanatos. No one could leave.
“..Goodbye Demeter.”
Seokjin kept his head down and vanished with only a black smoke left behind in his wake. Demeter folded her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.
“You’ll regret this, God of Death. Mark my words, she is not yours.”
Seokjin appeared in the middle of Demeter’s palace, somewhere completely different to where he was aiming. He should work on his powers.
What type of god (a bumbling idiot for sure) couldn’t even control his powers? He wasn’t a few eons on for Styx sake! But he definitely acted like a blushing teenager when around you— again, another thing he sincerely had to work on.
He looked around the white, marble balcony he was standing in. He could feel you. But you weren’t here…right? Where was he? He willed himself to shadow travel again and landed in the middle of a town. If he could still call it that.
It was destroyed.
By war, famine, or a plague, even Seokjin would never know. It was barren, but he heard coughing in a few huts. The crops in the field nearby had dried up and the river that used to flow was only a trickle. He walked through the paths and found a family of two bundled together trying to fight off the cold— cold?
Now that he thought about it, it was freezing. There was frost on the ground. Usually the mortal realm was flourishing in either Spring or Summer but it was neither right now. What was this cold, soul-less feeling? Something was terribly wrong and Seokjin was sure Demeter should have fixed it back to Spring.
Was this her anger?
Seokjin shook his head in confusion. Obviously, Demeter was angry that her only daughter was taken from her. The thought made Hades nauseous, how would he fix this? Better question, shouldn’t Namjoon have said something in the meeting?
Seokjin’s ears burned red when he realized that they probably did. It’s just that he was too preoccupied by the thought of you and your enchanting eyes, and soft lips— oh shit, shit, shit. Trying to snap out of it, Seokjin failed to hear the small footsteps of a child behind him.
Not that it should matter, mortals couldn’t see him. Right? The Fates were probably laughing at him, one of the Big Three yet he was dumber than a skeleton.
“Sir?”
Seokjin whipped his head around so fast that he was sure he heard a crack. But he was more focused and confused on the little child staring up at him in curious wonder. The kid had matted hair and a cloth dress that was barely thick enough to keep her from getting goosebumps on her arms. She was staring up at him but the dagger in her hand radiated power, but not just any power.
Godly power.
It flowed through the dagger into the surrounding air and Seokjin was sure that at this point there was no way this child wasn’t a monster or a god in disguise.
Her eyes suddenly rolled back and turned white. With her mouth open, she started to chant ancient Greek at a speed even Seokjin couldn’t keep up to, but he picked up one phrase.
Περσεφόνη νεκρός, άνοιξη νεκρός.
Everything clicked in his head just as the girl seemed to vanish.
Persephone is dead, Spring is dead.
Seokjin felt an electric shock in the middle of his back, intense heat, and then he doubled over from pain. He hadn’t experienced such scalding and burning feelings ever. His legs collapsed from under him and when he looked at his hand covering his midsection, he saw ichor, the golden blood of all immortal beings, covering his hand. He looked behind him to see the young, mortal girl.
“Demeter.”
The young girl transformed into the goddess in an instant and the dagger in her hand was coated with ichor. Looking at it made him queasy— ironic because he’s the god of the dead and he’s getting nauseous from blood. Poseidon and Zeus would surely laugh at his deplorable state if they ever saw him. But Seokjin was still more concerned about why Demeter had stabbed him.
Demeter may have been angry but not enough to kill— even she had principles. But, nonetheless impressive, he’ll give her that. But the pain was making him see black flecks in his vision— poison perhaps. It made him more worried than he should be.
“You were foolish to think that I would let you get away with this. Truly, is there anything in that head of yours?”
“You— why? I didn’t take her on purpose!”
“LIES, you men are all the same! But, don’t you like my little toy? It’s wonderful, truly. Hephaestus must’ve pitied me, not that I care as he has his own problems with Aphrodite and Ares, but he made a weapon that even a God could get hurt from. Zeus said I had one chance, but judging by the fact he lied to me, I don’t care. Now, this. THIS is for Persephone. DO NOT FORGET IT.”
With that, Demeter stabbed Hades in the same wound and Seokjin yelled out. The tip of the blade sank deeper and Demeter twisted it to make sure the blade touched every part of his wound. She jerked it out only to push it further, making Seokjin choke and roar in agonizing pain. Demeter saw the ichor flowing freely out of the wound and stepped back. She disappeared into the night, leaving Seokjin alone. He had one thought in his mind while the pain took all energy out of him to do anything else.
Y/N
His form was gone with a flash and all that was left of his presence was the pool of ichor on the ground. Even that faded into the ground.
“Styx! Hades, Hades, stay awake!” You screamed while trying to see how to pull out the dagger that was inches deep in his back.
His breathing had slowed down and your hands were frantically trying to keep him up. The bedroom was way too far so you would have to set him down on the floor. Trying to be careful, you made him lean on you and sit on the floor. His head was on your chest and his eyes were closed. There was a bit of gold on his lips and you were getting increasingly worried.
You looked around, “Shit, this is bad. Thanatos! How did this..” You tried not to shuffle Hades around but your arms were weak with worry.
Thanatos immediately appeared in front of you at your request and the scene made him startled. His hands were shaking and he didn’t understand what was happening. The words you were saying were muffled and his eyes were blurred. He could only look at the deep gash and the skin cut around it, a horrible shade of green.
“Thanatos! Pay attention. I need you to stay calm and get me some bandages, okay? Can you do that?” Your voice was shaking but you tried to keep it level.
His head nodded slightly and he instantly disappeared. He’d have to find mortal supplies because there was no reason to keep medical supplies in a palace for a god. Something was very wrong. Gods couldn’t die, right?
“Okay, okay Y/N. You got this, just put pressure on the wound and seal it shut. Okay, how hard could this be?” You reassured yourself in frustration, you were scared beyond belief.
You hesitantly put your hands on the dagger’s handle and when you touched it, a blood curdling scream left Seokjin’s mouth.
His breathing was getting shorter and faster, but he was still awake. You had nurtured a squirrel back to life after it fell down a tree but that was basically all the experience you had with medical equipment. You reasoned that until Thanatos brought back bandages, you wouldn’t be able to securely stitch up his back wound. A thought entered your mind, Why are you helping him?, but you shook it off as soon as you thought about it. It didn’t matter, Hades didn’t deserve to die.
“O-okay Hades, I’m gonna need you to stay calm. Okay? I’m flipping you on to your stomach, just keep talking to me okay?”
“I.. okay. I’ll keep talking..”
“Good, that’s good. You’re doing great.”
“You can call me Jin, you know.”
“Oh alright, Jin. You can call me Y/N, just keep talking.”
You slowly put your hands on his chest, trying to ignore how your left shoulder was numb from his weight, and slowly focused on the dagger in front of you. You could see the wound was ghastly. Green and gold colors mixed, as if it was poisoned. Poison. You hoped you would be able to save him. The ichor had finally clotted on the dagger, but the green foam seemed to keep stopping Jin’s body from regenerating. You remembered when you fell once and got a scratch, it instantly healed.
“Shit, shit, shit. This i-isn’t working. I-I need to—“
Jin frowned, “It’s okay Y/N. Don’t…worry. I’ll be fine.”
“You’re not healing, you are not fine!” You insisted. “I wish I had my powers, then I could do something. Ugh, this is so stupid.”
Jin paused, thinking over your words. “They don’t work here? That’s odd. My palace..should let you have everything.”
You huffed. “Uh-huh, you’re telling me. Look, just…don’t die, alright? We’ve barely met and I’d like to be friends.. again.”
“Did..Thanatos tell you that we were friends?”
“..No, I remembered it on my own obviously. It’s not like it’s been eons since then.”
“Y/N,” Jin’s clammy hand found your open one. “You’re really…something.”
You grimaced when he squeezed your hand from the pain. You were pleasantly surprised with how this conversation was turning out, it didn’t seem too forced. But it was almost like the Fates were tricking you again. Probably laughing at your naivety and hope.
Jin groaned and particularly squeezed your hand tighter, making you yelp in surprise. He apologized softly but even you could see that the poison was seeping through his shirt more and making it lighter somehow— possibly from the golden color of his blood.
You’re losing time, and Jin is not getting better. You really don’t want him to die, and you’re not really sure why either.
What has Jin done for you? He’s taken you away from your home, forced you to live in his palace, and for what? To be his ever loving, loyal, and submissive trophy wife?
Whispers in your mind keep telling you, don’t care! But you can’t. You can’t just leave him here, hurt and poisoned. You won’t.
Maybe that’s your fatal flaw. Helping everyone without actually considering if they deserve it. Maybe your mother was right, you aren’t ready for this world. But it didn’t matter. Jin needed your help, and you were going to help him. Somehow.
Looking down at Jin’s body, he was still breathing but definitely labored. You didn’t know how to help him other than try to put pressure on the wound. Recounting words from a friend, you decided that a certain god might be able to help you.
“Oh Apollo, God of Immeasurable Light, the Healer of Sickness and Diseases. Please, I ask you to heal Hades for he has done no wrong where this poison should have befallen him. Please, listen to my prayer.”
Kore, daughter of Demeter and Goddess of the Spring, flora, and fauna. You ask for too much. What has happened to Hades is of his own doing.
“Who has he hurt? Let him live and I will see to it that they are reimbursed for his sins.”
Oh, Y/N. You do not understand. He has hurt someone that is insatiable. What they want will never be allowed for.
“Who? Who has he hurt? Surely I can convince them?”
You will do it? For his life? What has he done that makes you compelled so? Saving his life is not simple. My powers may not curse you but you will be eternally bound to your duty after he has been healed.
“Do not ask a question that is none of your business. I shall complete your task when he has fully healed. Now, heal him!”
Alright. But do not beg me to undo this.
You didn’t think about what would happen to you. Hoseok was usually kind and the task would not be so heartless. You’re sure he was only being so formal because of pleasantries..right?
As you questioned your intentions, you saw that the green foam was becoming concentrated into a glass-like orb. It was the potent poison that the blade had been coated with. You carefully took it in your hand and stuffed it in one of the pockets of your dress.
Lifting Jin so that his face was facing you, you realized he was unconscious, probably from the pain. His eyebrows furrowed, and lips in a thin line made you think of how much stress he was in. But a more pressing matter plagued your mind.
Who did this to him?
After asking Thanatos for help, the two of you were able to lift Jin into his bed and let him rest there. The entire time Seokjin couldn’t bear to remove his hand from yours and you could practically see Thanatos’s eyebrows moving up and down in a suggestive manner. That god was basically a man-child at this point.
“So, what do we do?”
“We have to wait, Y/N. There’s not much else we can do.”
“Right, right..He’ll be fine, right? Like nothing will happen to him that bad, right? Maybe I should try praying to Apollo again, yeah—“
Thanatos put a hand on your shoulder to stop your rambling and look up at him. His eyes tried to tell you to stop but you could see the pity in it.
“Y/N. It’ll be okay. You did the right thing by praying to Apollo. You should probably be more worried about yourself and what duty you have to follow than Hades. Hades is the God of the Dead, he’ll be fine.”
Your heart twisted and you could feel your hands becoming clammy. You wondered why you kept feeling so anxious, hoping that it would go away if you walked around or something. You didn’t like the antsy feeling, wanting to get rid of it by all means. The duty Apollo had asked of you didn’t even register when you were praying, you just were too preoccupied with Hades almost dying.
“Right, right..But maybe I should stay here? To make sure he’s okay?”
“..It’s your choice, but don’t let it overtake you. I can’t help both of you if you collapse from exhaustion.”
“Haha, yeah..”
Thanatos disappeared quickly after, saying he had some work to do. Taking a seat, you brushed a piece of hair out of Jin’s face while trying not to disturb him in his sleep. His left hand was still holding onto yours, not letting go anytime soon. Gently trailing over his knuckles in an effort to soothe yourself and hopefully Jin, you started thinking about your stay here.
It was shit. You had been taken from your home, the Fates had told you that you got married to the God of the Underworld, who apparently was one of your oldest friends, you were stuck in a really dark palace, and now your spouse is resting in bed from almost dying. And you’re indebted to Apollo.
Great!
Swarmed with less than kind thoughts about Seokjin and how you managed to get here, you didn’t take notice of him stirring until his hand squeezed yours slightly, “Hey sleepy head..”
He blinked lethargically, raising his right hand to stretch,“..How.. how long was I out?”
“Not long, just a few hours at most. Are you feeling any better? Need anything?”
“No.. Um, why are you helping me?”
You paused, so maybe the thoughts that plagued your mind weren’t just in your head. Not knowing how to answer— because you had been beating yourself about it too— you shrugged your shoulders.
“You don’t deserve to die, no one does. The person who stabbed you.. should watch their back. I’ll personally give them the worst harvest for the rest of their life.”
Jin laughed abruptly but the pain in his chest didn’t subside, making him cough. You lifted him up more and patted him to try to calm him down, which worked for a while. The tips of his mouth were upturned, as if he didn’t just almost die, and his ears were turning red.
“I don’t understand you, Y/N and I don’t think I ever will.”
“No problem but you got to answer me this, what in the everliving Styx happened?”
Jin’s happy expression dropped for a second and you thought it was your imagination but you could feel that the atmosphere had changed quickly.
“..Humans have been starving recently, I was afraid to tell you because you have such a close connection to them.”
“So it’s not a war, like Thanatos told me?”
“…”
You sighed a shaky breath, as this majorly concerned you. Your mother was very strict in making sure everything in Spring was correctly taken care of and nothing was out of place. If it had become so bad where people were starving, well something was wrong. War wasn’t exactly starving people, sure it could lead to less food and things but the real problem here was why everyone kept hesitating to tell why this was happening. Was Zeus mad? Was Apollo mad? Who the fuck was mad to make the mortal world so bad?
“So..you’re not going to tell me who started this?”
Instead of fidgeting with your hands, you fully sat down on the bed. You looked at the bandages on his back and decided to redo them because they had already soaked through. Carefully unwrapping the bandages, you tried not to fluster at how close you had to be to unwrap the from around his body. While rewrapping the cloth and your hands were basically hugging his torso at one point to get them all the way, Jin gently put his hand on yours.
You stopped, suddenly too aware of how you were almost cuddling Jin and how he was soothingly rubbing your hands. You could already feel your face getting hot and you desperately tried to think of anything except his hard chest or his broad shoulder you kept brushing over.
“No..no, I can’t..”
You tried not to let his words have too much of an effect on you, it’s not like he couldn’t have some privacy from you. But this was different, his life was on the line a few hours ago. You hoped you would be able to persuade him later. Right now, you had a bigger responsibility to take care of. You tightened the bandages on his torso, causing him to yell in pain.
“HEY! What was that for?!”
“You’re not.. very nice, you know that?”
The moment you said the words, your entire body sagged and Jin could feel your hands slowly pulling away. But he didn’t want to let go, they were much too comforting, much too soft for him to let go of them. Jin tried to speak but your response cut him from doing so.
“Whatever, just go to sleep Jin!”
Jin heard the crack in your voice and got ashamed of himself for not being able to answer you. He didn’t want his relationship with you to be any more strained and telling you that your mom almost killed him would definitely screw it up. While your hands had stopped and your head was down, Jin slowly turned around so he could face you. You were so preoccupied with what he had said that you didn’t realize he was facing you until he cupped your cheeks.
Your eyes were glistening a little bit, which made Jin’s entire body soften and feel helpless, but you didn’t even know why. This didn’t even happen with your mother yet when Jin was hesitant to say who hurt him, you naturally started to feel sad and uncomfortable. A few tears started to fall down and Jin softened even more, wanting to try and help you or comfort you in some way. He brushed his thumb over your cheek to get rid of the tears and you closed your eyes at the movement.
“Why can’t you just tell me? Weren’t we friends once? I’m not that kid okay! I can handle it, I’m a lot stronger than I look.”
Jin’s heart breaks at your questions and he can’t even explain how the string in his heart starts to feel strained— you feel it in your own too. Taking his hands off your cheeks and holding yours, he swiftly puts a kiss to your forehead before you can even realize. It was soft but it burned into your memory. You could feel his eyes on you but the kiss was quick and yet your cheeks felt like they were on fire from the sweet gesture. If Jimin had done it, you wouldn’t have felt anything but now that Jin did it, you definitely were feeling something.
“I want to, I do! You’re not that kid anymore, you’ve definitely grown up. But, it’s complicated and you really wouldn’t believe me.”
While you were still reeling at the revelation that Jin kissed your forehead, the god in question started feeling immensely proud of how he was making you flustered. It was a much more welcomed look than you in tears, that sight would always hurt him. He smiled lightly at your shocked expression before feeling extremely drowsy from all the events.
“..I see, alright then. Tell me when we’re better friends.”
God, they’re really cute. I wonder if..
Taking another risk, Jin settled his head into your lap and you almost stopped breathing.
Never thought I’d say this but my husband is going to be the death of me.
“It’ll take a while but I will. Eventually.”
After that day, the two of you kept getting closer to each other. Whether that be when you woke up and saw that he had draped a blanket over you. Or when you found his office room, after a long time trying, and pushed his hair out of his face when you saw him trying to take a nap. You also helped redress his bandages because they seemed to wrinkle more often than usual; believing that Jin had something to do with it, you didn’t bring the question up.
Why would you not want to see your husband shirtless?
He even had another throne built for you beside his own, decorated with lighter colors which had made you laugh as it stood out so much in the dark room. The two of you would eat together in a dining room you didn’t even know existed. There were two big chairs on either side, but the table was so long so you opted to move it closer to him. Seokjin tried to play it off as if he was cool about it but on the inside he was screaming about how sweet the gesture was. At one point you even had the idea of making rings for each other. Seokjin was also the God of Wealth—since jewels are created underground— and so had an advantage, making two gold rings. While you tore a small piece of cloth of your green dress to make two cloth rings. Each of you wore both a gold and a cloth ring, symbolic for the friendship (and later love) you shared.
Once, he even showed you a large library, full of books about, death for sure but many others about adventures, myths, romances, fantasy, and some new ones about (F/G). You spent most of your time going between the bookshelves trying to find something to expand your knowledge on godly powers. For some practice with your own, you had asked Jin to get some seeds or plants down to the palace. But, the moment he did, they were instantly killed and even then, your powers couldn’t revive them.
“This is so useless!” You groaned for the umpteenth time, “How is it that my powers just disappear?”
Jin looked at you and hummed in solidarity, “I’m not sure, I’ll check the library for some books about godly powers and um, maybe Demeter..”
At the mention of your mother, you stiffened but forced yourself to loosen your limbs. You shook your head from the intrusive thoughts and nodded towards Jin, allowing him to lead the way to the library as you thought about what your mother had taught you about your powers.
They are an extension of yourself, Kore. If you’re uncomfortable, it’ll become jagged and out of control.
Jagged and out of control was certainly the emotions and atmosphere you had when you came into Hades’s palace.
You have to control your powers just like you are able to control your emotions.
Your environment is important. Olympus is not a place where your powers can work because Spring does not touch it. Only the mortal realm does.
Maybe the Underworld wouldn’t let you have powers either.
Be careful! When you get upset, those plants can grow thorns rather than flowers.
“Are you alright? You seem..disturbed.”
“Disturbed?” You came back to the present and raised your eyebrow as if the adjective Jin said was the most illogical word, “I’m fine, just a little confused.”
“Fair enough, but I think I know what book you need.”
You looked at the seemingly never ending shelves and rows of bookcases. The books in here defied time; there were section of ‘past’ books which were finished, ‘present’ books which added a new page and words every time the author wrote in real time, and ‘future’ books which had books with blank pages without titles but the date they would be finished was already printed on the cover. It was magnificent, you could find any book and read it as it was being written, and if you cracked the intense magic that protected the books, you could even read the literature that hadn’t even been written yet.
“Which?”
Jin sighed, running his fingers through his hair and taking one look at the library before fixing on you, “It’s in the past section which is good but the title escapes me, probably having something about godly power or an index of their abilities.”
“Who wrote that?”
“Athena, she’s a bit too enthusiastic when it comes to things like this.”
“..Did you just call Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, a nerd?”
“Well-I mean..am I wrong?”
You laughed loudly, echoing across the long walls and between shelves. Your head tipped back and your arms hugged yourself to keep your frame from shaking. Jin’s ears turned red with embarrassment, for he had no idea why you were laughing so much. To be honest, you couldn’t either. It was just so funny that one of the most formal of gods talked so normally, a happy accident truly.
“It’s alright,” You were still giggled a little bit and by this time Jin was chuckling too, “Let’s go find this book. Split up?”
Jin nodded and went to the right part of the ‘past’ section while you headed over to the left. The two of you looked at the titles of each book but none of the key words or phrases in them matched. The search seemed useless.
Seokjin couldn’t find anything in his section, and even after having several ghost servants to help him— Thanatos showed up for a few minutes too— there was nothing to be found. Deciding that working together or at least being in the same company as you would be more beneficial then the current strategy, he headed to you.
You weren’t having any luck either, but hearing footsteps, your mood turned for the better. After spending some time with your husband, you had realized he had a lot of endearing qualities to him. He always took care of you when you were missing home, opting to bring fake flowers, like the silver one from your first day here, that wouldn’t die but would remind you of your home back in the mortal realm. They were delicate all the same, but you liked holding them and imagining yourself back in those fields.
You missed it, a lot. You missed your mother even more.
But you couldn’t deny that Jin’s company wasn’t delightful. He never made you do anything or feel afraid, his presence was calming and when you were together, the string in your hearts felt connected and alive. The two of you were unfortunately way too shy to admit it but, there was definitely some sort of love between you two. The way your heart soared when looking at each other or laughing at the most unfunny jokes. You hadn’t missed the red ears he had when you complimented him and he definitely didn’t miss your stuttering when he called you loving names in front of his servants or the inevitable mortal or “hero” who wanted something from Jin.
Since gods were not permitted to directly help mortals, often blessed or favored mortals called heroes emerged. They were given unimaginable powers and strength to fight off evil monsters or save villages. Once a man endowed with superhuman musical skills came to the two of you, asking for help. His singing moved the ghost servants and the gray horses that were outside the palace. The two of you were no match either.
“Oh God who rules the dark and silent Underworld,” The man sang with his lyre, tears in his eyes, “I beg you to help me. All lovely things at last go down to you. But I seek one who came to you too soon. The bud was plucked before the flower bloomed. I tried to bear my loss. I could not bear it.”
Seokjin knew that Orpheus was seeking out his wife, Eurydice, and the prominent aspects of love in the song tightened the string in his heart. While Orpheus sang for his dead wife’s revival, he glanced at your face and the refusal suddenly got stuck in his throat.
You looked longingly at Orpheus as his song for Eurydice’s freedom made you feel drowsy and heartbroken. Here was a newlywed couple, both full of joy that they could marry the person of their dreams, but then disaster struck. The woman had unfortunately died on their wedding day and here was her husband, traveling fearlessly through the depths of hell to beg for her back— all for love. A few tears escaped your eyes as the desire to resonate with the man was so strong. You wanted to feel as loved as Eurydice did, wanted someone to love you as strong as Orpheus did for her. Did Hades even know what love meant?
Seokjin could feel your pain, the string that connected your hearts often shared those strong emotions. He liked sharing the happy ones, when you were laughing at something he said or smiling brightly because of his cheesy and old fashioned jokes. Not because you didn’t feel loved. It was breaking his heart to know that you wanted to feel this love and despite his own insecurities of being unlovable, he promised himself that he would love you fully. He would love you as much and more than Orpheus loved his wife, and even more than that. Seokjin felt so heartbroken that you didn’t feel loved already and made it his mission to show you just how much he cared.
“My love is too strong. So I beg of you, King of the Dead,” Orpheus was on his knees and looked at only Jin, “Help me so that I may hold my Eurydice!”
Seokjin raised his eyebrows by the blatant disrespect that Orpheus showed by ignoring you completely. You most likely did not notice it but the clear distinction the man had from you and him was a glaring red flag. But Seokjin could also sense that you were too swept up with the song that you would want to see the couple reunited despite the rudeness.
You put your hands on the hand-rests of your throne to lift yourself up when Seokjin put his hand on yours to stop you. Setting yourself back down, you looked in confusion up to him whose eyes did not stray from the man in front of him. Although Orpheus’s story was tragic, he had heard of many before. As the overseer of the Underworld, his heart had to be hard as steel, and so it was— until you of course. You had softened him by doing practically nothing, but the thought of you continued to melt him. Many mortals had approached Hades to beg for loved ones back and all requests were always refused. No doubt, Orpheus' music was sweet and very moving, but the look in your eyes and tears that dropped down your cheeks were much more convincing; anything to see his wife happy.
Seokjin slowly rubbed your knuckles before finally answering Orpheus, “Your music is ever so moving, but you must know that many couples have begged for their lovers before. I have refused all.”
At the statement, you had gasped and swerved your head to your husband trying to comprehend how someone could refuse so many heartbroken lovers. Orpheus is distraught and close to sobbing harder, dropping his lyre to the ground. But ignoring it all, Seokjin gently chuckles at your expression and strokes your cheek.
“However..” Seokjin starts with a twinkle in his eye.
Furrowing your eyebrows, you ask, “However?”
“To my right side is Persephone, Goddess of the Spring, flora, and fauna. She is my equal, my other half, and the love of my life. Her presence moves me to help you more than your music. For that, I shall grant you your wish of seeing Eurydice again.”
There is that familiar blush Seokjin has witnessed almost everyday, that adorns your cheeks again. Your eyes bulged out at his words and you couldn’t help but lean over to his throne and kiss his cheek in appreciation. He snickers lightly but in reality, his heart almost beat out of his chest. He’s as smitten with you as you are with him. A loveless King had turned sweet for his Queen.
But Orpheus does not seem to care for the intimate words between the two of you. For he seems angry, possibly envious of the love you two share, and resentful that his music that could move rocks on every hillside and turn the course of all rivers was nothing compared to what you could do. The loving look you two shared made him more furious that Eurydice was not beside him at the very instant. Unfortunately, having such wonderful musical abilities often followed with instant compliments and help. For that praise to be lacking from the Gods hurt Orpheus’s pride, and would eventually lead to his demise.
Orpheus snatched his lyre from the floor and said, “My music.. did not move you? I am appalled.”
You tilt your head in confusion, still with a smile on your face you turn to face the man. Seokjin looks at you when you ask, “Appalled? What for?”
“How has a whore been able to influence you, my King?”
At the comment, your smile falters and you see Jin’s eyes light up with the purple fire you saw when you met him. But instead of being a warm, welcoming and even comforting flame, it is chaotic, burning, and seething. He doesn’t need to see your face to see the crestfallen look, but instead whirled around to walk towards Orpheus. Jin’s anger was immeasurable and Orpheus was alarmed at how his eyes seem to flicker brighter with every passing moment. Glowering down at the man, the god was Hades, not the Jin you were used to. His eyes flashed and Orpheus saw every moment in his life up to then and what looked like an older version of himself. Only later would he realize that the God of the Dead had shown him his life in only a few flashes to humble him of his worth and his insignificance.
Realizing that the man may be scorched by your husband’s anger alone, you gracefully walked up to them. Your presence eased Orpheus’s mind for a split second before his eyes flickered back to Jin’s, it was obvious that Jin would not back down. Showing disrespect to you would result in nothing less than banishment to the Mourning Fields of unrequited love for the rest of eternity, or even a trip to Tartarus, the deepest abyss known to all deities.
But he really should have paid more attention to the scowl on your lips.
You spoke with a steely, calm tone, but it reeked of annoyance, “Who are you, a trivial, fleeting thought for me, a Goddess? You are nothing. Mind your tongue and consider yourself lucky that I do not turn you into a corn plant right here.”
After summoning Eurydice with a wave of your hand, you continued, “As you ascend, do not look back as she follows you. Like the explicit disrespect you showed me today, I will take Eurydice away from you.You will lead a desolate and lonely life, as your music will never be heard again.”
Without waiting for a response, you sent the two on your way and sat back down on your throne. Jin sat next to you in utter disbelief and awe of how you commanded respect in the room. He would tease you about it later but it truly showed you how the two of you were so interconnected with one another. Many other challengers would come to try their luck with the softened God, but he didn’t accept all of them— only the ones that you also approved of.
“Hey,” Seokjin started and you only just noticed how dangerously close he was to your face, “Is everything okay? You zoned out for a while.”
Coming back to the present, you realized that you were still in the library trying to find a book to help you with your powers. You had opened one that was clearly not what you were looking for, as the title had something related to (F/G) instead of godly powers. Snapping the book abruptly shut, dust swept up into the air and you coughed up a bit. Seokjin leaned away while you put the book back into its rightful place and tried to clear the air.
You sighed, “I haven’t been able to find anything even remotely related to what we were searching for.”
“It’s alright,” Jin said as he placed a hand on your shoulder in comfort, “I haven’t either. Maybe we should look for a book about you specifically.”
“Me? You think I would be in a book?”
“Well, you are the Goddess of Spring.” He chuckled and patted your head, “Pretty sure that’s important, baby.”
“Did you just call me..?”
“Shit, I didn’t know if nicknames were okay. Are they okay? I’m guessing they’re not okay? Are you not okay with them? Can I call you something else? Should I just stick to Y/N? Or Persephone? Wait, what about Kore? Or is that only reserved—”
You stopped his rambling by grabbing his hand and interlocking them. Looking up to gauge his reaction, you were pleasantly surprised to see that his mouth was upturned and he tried to turn away from your gaze.
“It’s perfectly fine, my love.” With your term of endearment, Jin groaned and shook his head, “Now what should we do next?”
“I call you something cute like baby and you call me my love? Are you trying to open up my wounds?”
“I’m sure your heart will stay intact, what you should be more worried about is your lips!”
“..My lips?!”
You giggled at his star struck expression before you realized that you may have come of as too strong. Deep in thought, you caress his hand with your thumb before grabbing the black feather necklace he’s always worn. It takes Seokjin by surprise and he leans towards you, his face only a few inches from touching yours. His eyes flicker to your lips then back to your eyes and your smile slowly relaxes. He subconsciously licks his lips, and you were so close to just capturing them but you think again.
Did he want you as much as you did?
Seokjin could cut the tension with a knife, and he was going crazy not being able to kiss your lips. He internally groaned because his shy side was poking at him to run away and hide in a corner while the confident side of him wanted to do nothing but kiss you.
God he wanted you, he hoped you did too.
“Can I kiss you, Jin?”
“Please do, you’re going to kill me if you don’t.”
“I think I’ll kill you either way, I’m a pretty good kisser.”
His eyes fluttered closed, and then your lips were on his. Unlike you had imagined— because yes, you had been dreaming for this for a while— he tasted like nothing but everything at the same time. Fireworks and bursts of warmth burned in your hearts and the string in your chest seemed to tie with Jin’s. Your arms wrapped around his neck and he gripped your waist, the both of you wanted to get as close as possible. You let go of each other eventually, and could only stare at each other in awe of what you had done. Glancing at his ears, you immediately grinned seeing them completely red and his flushed expression. Not that you were doing any better, the color tint on your lips was smudged and your chest heaved as you tried to catch your breath. It may have been your first kiss but it definitely would not be your last.
You eventually found the book you were looking for in the first place and Jin would help you control your powers until you could blossom flowers and fruits from the dead seeds he brought when he would go back up. It was a team effort and it definitely earned you some kisses whenever you were successful.
Almost six months had passed since your arrival in the Underworld. After Hades was poisoned, he did not show up to the meetings in Olympus, believing that he knew he was not welcome. Nor would he be able to clearly face Demeter, his mother-in-law, and not absolutely go ballistic. The love for his wife had increased one hundred fold since the last time he saw Demeter and any type of insult to how he cared for her daughter would surely set the deadly side of him off.
But many things happened in the mortal realm. Orpheus looked back at his wife just as the two were leaving the Underworld, and he would live in eternal sadness without his other half. The rest of the mortal realm was not faring well either. While the two newlywed Gods were happy, things like famine, drought, and death plagued mortals. Spring had not come, but was replaced with a harsh, cold winter. Diseases and frostbite was common since Demeter had no intention of changing the season until her daughter was back at her side. Since Hades was not the bringer of Death (Thanatos was), his job was maintaining a record of who died, was alive, and where they would spend their rest of their lives in.
The Fields of Punishment for eternal torture or The Fields of Elysium for rebirth?
The paperwork was clogging up as Hades had renounced his duty and was so lost in his love for his wife, that he only tended to his wife’s needs and taught their three-headed dog Cerberus how to fetch a bone of some unfortunate skeleton than anything else. At one point, your Seokjin had even gifted you a garden full of pomegranate trees, the only real plant that could successfully grow in the Underworld, to you as a sign of his love for you. You were overjoyed by the garden but he had warned you about something, but it all fell on deaf ears.
“You’re kidding..Jin!” You gasped, twirling around and noticing all the blossoming flowers and the vibrant colored plants in your garden.
“It’s for you,” Seokjin looked at you lovingly, seeing you so happy and bright made his heart and face glow too, “An entire garden of pomegranates for you. But be careful alright? They have powers that can make you stay here. So don’t eat them or then—”
“Mhmm.”
“You’ll stay here for that many months and I doubt that your mother—”
“Yeah, yeah, enough talk! Oooh, that one looks pretty.”
Seokjin’s face softened at your giddy expression and he couldn’t help but admire you from afar. But as he realized what your true intentions with the fruit were, he became worried.
“Y/N, wait! Don’t—”
Before Seokjin could finish his sentence, there you were, grabbing a pomegranate that split open with a gentle, magical prod by your finger. You took twelve seeds and threw them into your mouth with a smile on your face. Looking towards Seokjin, or at least where he was last, you saw that his eyes flamed with purple. He looked terrified.
Before you could even bite one of them, Jin was kissing you feverishly. His lips molded against yours and before you could blink, the gentle but insistent press of his hand on your waist made you part your mouth. He slipped his tongue past your own lips and while you were too distracted by the passion behind his actions, he had another thing to worry about. Finally when you parted, both of your lips were stained red with pomegranate juice and were breathing heavily.
Still reeling and drunk on his lips, you only barely noticed his frown and furrowed eyebrows. Jin licked his lips and you blinked slowly before wondering what he could possibly be thinking about. On your end, you definitely enjoyed that heated makeout session, and you were pretty sure his urgency was a good sign.
“Fuck, only got six seeds out,” Jin cursed, before looking at your satisfied expression, “You still ate the other six!”
“Uh, what?” You said lethargically, holding on to Jin’s arms to balance yourself.
“I tried to warn you that pomegranate seeds are dangerous, Y/N! If you had eaten all twelve of the seeds, you would have stayed in the Underworld for all twelve of the months in the year.”
Jin cupped your cheek and sighed, “I tried to kiss you to take them out but I only ate six so you still ate the other six. Now you’ll have to stay with me for half the year.”
“What? That doesn’t sound bad at all! I’m not regretting that kiss because, wow Jin you really know how to kiss someone, but I feel like I should have eaten all of them. What’s so wrong with being bound to you for all eternity?”
Everything, Jin wanted to say. But he could not get his lips to move for the breathless expression you had was too alluring. He stroked your cheek and wished that he could stay by your side but he knew that would not be good. While his ghost servants, Thanatos, and surely all the other Gods in Olympus believed that Seokjin had completely forgotten about his duties, he had not. He was too swept up with the thought of you to do anything about it but he knew that the mortal world was failing.
“It might be safer.”
“Bullshit! I would be much safer, here, with you.”
“I’m the God of the Dead, I doubt your mother wants a son-in-law like me.”
“And? She’s not married to you.”
“My kingdom, it stinks of death. You’ve lived all your life with the beauty of life, are you sure?”
“More than sure, my King. This kingdom is also mine.” You smirked, putting your hands on your hips, waiting for the next thing you would defend.
“The deaths that our love has caused? I’m sure Thanatos has slipped that by now.”
“He has! But what happens to mortals is not our fault, that’s someone else’s fault.”
He knew that. But he also knew that while he was in that poisoned, dying state, you had prayed to Apollo for help. Jin cursed himself for not being stronger so that you would not be indebted to the Hoseok, but he could not change the past. In his own time, Jin had asked Apollo for what you would have to do, and the answer made him scared beyond belief.
“She must go back home, that is her duty.”
“Home? Hoseok..”
“You and I both know that Demeter is mourning for Persephone. Without her daughter, she has put an eternal blanket of winter on the mortal lands. Even Hestia’s hearth in Olympus flickers away at times.”
“She won’t leave, Y/N will be suspicious of my intentions. She’s not some dumb deity that is oblivious to everything around her, she will ask why I am making her do this. I cannot do this.”
“Then lie to her. Tell Persephone that Demeter asks for her or that the mortal world is falling. Or better yet, betray her—”
“I cannot— no, I..I can’t.”
“Please, for the sake of Demeter and the sake of all mortals, force her back. If you must trick her into thinking you don’t..care for her— do it. Even Namjoon has tried convincing Demeter, she won’t budge.”
It was heartbreaking for him to know that Seokjin would have to hurt you like that. But he couldn’t allow himself to go against your duty and responsibility as the bringer of Spring and life. Your mother would not budge without seeing you, it was stated by the Fates too. Maybe if he betrayed you, then you would be safer and wouldn’t be with such a wretched god like himself.
Who was he kidding?
The God of the Dead with the Goddess of Life? It seemed like a cruel joke, especially because of how much he adored you.
Not wanting to worry you, Seokjin kissed your forehead and smiled as best he could. He realized that this might be the last time he could be honest with you, and so took off his black feather necklace and placed it on your neck. You grinned and pecked him on the lips.
“Maybe you’re right, Y/N.”
The Underworld had only one connection to the living world and that was by a boat ride on the River Styx with the reaper of souls. Unless you could play music, then you might be able to charm your way through like Orpheus, but even that was unlikely. In that sense, there are a few ways to get to the underworld but for a normal person, it was impossible.
But you were far from normal.
You were the Queen of the Underworld, Persephone or Y/N, alongside your king, Hades or Seokjin. It was nice having a title to yourself and not Kore, which was just ‘maiden’. It was yours and you loved it.
You couldn’t feel the sunshine on your face, the dewy breeze of a spring morning, the crisp droplets from a rainy night, nor anything else that you usually felt. Only the emptiness from the souls that were reaped, dying to be put back into the world above. But even that beautiful to you, the beauty of death often allured you. The dead stayed dead but even some of them were happy to leave their suffering above.
You wondered why your Jin had taken you for a walk around his palace, he hadn’t spoken a word to you the entire time either. Thinking it was just him being a little distant, you didn’t find anything weird. Seokjin wasn’t the most extroverted so instead of getting caught up with what his silence may have meant, you instead thought about the events that had happened in the last few months. Things had moved so fast, almost as if to compensate for your still life with your mother.
Originally, you had felt that she had done nothing but kept you inside like a prisoner but now you could clearly see why. The way Jin treated you was the biggest indication but you’ve realized your self-worth. You matter to both the mortal world and the Underworld, you’re a powerful Goddess, and you feel lucky that your first love was such a sweet, kind man. Mom wasn’t trying to force you into solitude, but she never trusted any of the Gods in Olympus and that’s why you didn’t even live up there anymore. It wasn’t like she forced you to stay home but the restrictions and ‘protection’ she gave was stifling.
You missed her so much. You missed the sunshine and you missed picking flowers and making flower crowns. You missed feeling the grass underneath your feet and how the Spring would hug your body.
You closed your eyes while taking a large breath in before opening them and smiling, anyone looking at you would have wondered in curiosity or more so horror. Who would smile in the Underworld?
You.
You would, for multiple reasons but mostly because it was more of a home that any place you had lived before. You looked at your bare feet and the black rocks beneath it. They were sharp unlike the grass above, but there was no pain due to the increase in your powers. Having always walked through fields and meadows, you were used to walking without any protection on your feet— though scorned and scolded by your mother.
“Jin, where are you taking me?” You asked at last, giggling a little but your patience running thin.
Seokjin did not answer nor did he move his head in your direction. He kept walking with longer strides, heading to the River Lethe. You had hated that river, a river to make those who touched it forget their memory. You had always expressed your disgust with the concept but Jin usually just laughed at the thought.
“You are the Queen of the Underworld, love.” He said, with a slight smirk on his face.
Jin cradled your chin and looked into your (E/C) eyes with a softness the other gods would’ve laughed and mocked. The god of the Underworld, your Hades, was happy and smiling with such adoration at your face that your cheeks started to heat up. You were a goddess but that didn’t prevent your heart from twisting when he said such sweet words.
He closed his eyes and touched your foreheads together, saying, “You shouldn’t be afraid of it, not when it’s yours.”
You smiled, closing your eyes and reaching out to hold his face in your hands. You weren’t afraid. As long as Jin was there with you.
You remembered the moments that you shared, when you’d be paranoid about your identity and your husband would reassure you that you did have a place in his— our world— he would say. That you were in the right place. A lot of things had happened in the past six months. But none of that could have prepared you for your husband’s next words.
“..You need to leave.”
“What? Seokjin, this isn’t the time to make jokes.”
“I’m serious, leave.”
Your heart pounded in your chest, you felt dizzy, as if the entire world was spinning. You couldn’t breathe for a moment, and then you took a shaky breath in before shaking your head in dismay, smiling to try and fight the large tears in your eyes.
But he continued, “This..isn’t right, your mother was right. We can’t be together.”
Your mother had warned you to not fall for such a man. Yet you had, for a man that you believed loved you back— no he loved you. A few tears rolled down your cheeks and you hurried to brush them away. You walked slowly towards your husband, your bare feet scraping against the dark rocks and your fern green dress trailed behind you.
You held out your hands in a comforting manner, trying to hold your beloved in your arms. In an instant, he shoved them away with his hand, his knuckles scraping against your arms. You winced but held your ground. “What are you saying? My mother was..right? Right about what?”
Jin’s resolve could have broken right there, but he stayed true to what he was told to do. He had to do this quick, or the tears in his eyes would fall and there would be no way to send you away. It hurt every fibre in his body to know that you were hurting because of him.
You looked up to try and find some sort of sign in Jin’s eyes, only to be met with dark purple ones— the very same that burned Orpheus only a few months ago. They looked empty yet were surrounded by that fire you hated.
“She told me this would never work out. And then poisoned me.”
You shook your head again, chuckling softly to yourself, trying to convince that this wasn’t true. You tried to speak confidently, but your voice started to shake after seeing his entire form move away from you.
“Do you truly think I’m so stupid to believe that lie? My mother may be overprotective of me and may have said this wouldn’t work out, but that doesn’t mean you should listen to her! And she would never hurt a God.”
At your words, Seokjin gets uncharacteristically angry at you, “She almost killed me and you defend her? Before me? When I have protected you—”
“Protected me from what?! Orpheus?! I am a Goddess, I do not need your protection!”
“You don’t need my protection?! Then leave! Stay with that mother of yours, even though we both know I’ve shown you more care than she ever will.”
He stated, turning his back to you and chucking the gold ring into the River Lethe. His ashy gray coat that covered his shoulders fell to the ground, at the feet of his dark robes. He didn’t even flinch, a tell-tale sign of him teasing or lying to you.
He wanted to forget you.
“Please,” You reasoned, “don’t send me away for such a stupid argument.”
“You’re right, I won’t be. You’ll leave on your own because you don’t belong here.”
Only then did you break into full sobs, you fell to the ground, clutching your heart in pain. This wet anger made you curse the Fates. Why did you have to be so weak in front of him?
You couldn’t believe it, the one man you had ever loved, threw you away. As if all the kind words, light kisses, and soft touches were worthless. He had lavished you with affection, even in front of disapproving others. From the day he unknowingly rescued you from a hell to now, he had always looked at you like you were his world.
You hadn’t said a word the night you had left with him, too much in shock with your future. But you couldn’t bare to let yourself ask him to take you back.
Anywhere was better than up there.
You had foolishly thought. And during that time you stayed with him. Fell in love. Thinking you would finally get a happy ending, one where the love of your life loved you back.
“Goodbye,” He stated, without looking back at you. All you could see was his tall figure in front of you before you disappeared. He was standing in front of your home. Or what you thought was. But home is where the heart is.
And yours was shattered.
He snapped his fingers and you were gone in a puff of dark black smoke. The feather on the black necklace that he once wore so diligently close to his chest, vanished with you. There was silence in his world for a few moments, after long months of happiness and joy. The flames in his eyes faded, for how could he be angry?
He had just screamed at the one he loved most.
“..Y/N.”
You didn’t see the tears that fell from his eyes without stopping, wetting his cheeks and the ground in front of him. You didn’t see how his shoulders shook with the thought of your absence. You didn’t see him scramble from his hunched position to the River Lethe. You didn’t see him dive in to try and find his ring and realize that it vanished. His legs started to burn from the river’s powers but he stayed in it, thinking that this was nothing to what he deserved. The green cloth ring that you had once put for him, kissing his hand and saying your vows with a happy voice, was still on his finger.
“I’ll stay with you, Seokjin, as long as you want me to. For you are my friend, my companion, and my truest love. I trust you.”
You didn’t see how broken he was when he came back to the palace only to collapse in front of your shared bed and scream until his throat went dry. You didn’t see that his heart was shattered too.
It wasn’t long until you made it back to the meadow, a small walk away from your mother’s palace in the mortal realm. It was dark, and you felt no sun on you. It was a different type of dark, rather than being ominous and mysterious, it held a type of serenity you weren’t ready for. But looking around, you felt empty.
The meadow was covered with some sort of cold, white fluff (snow, you would later find out) that pinched your toes. The once vibrant meadow, filled with plants of different colors and sizes, no longer welcomed you. The soft grass between your toes was now frozen ground and had grown into a long grass that reached your chest.
The world around you was imprisoned in a deafening silence, nothing was awake, nothing sang. The nightingales and woodpeckers were silent, there was nothing. It felt like the world above had stopped living the moment you left. Gashing winds had stripped the once bright green leaves from the trees, leaving them vulnerable and groaning from the cold.
You had never seen such coldness, felt such coldness.
Where am I?
The dark green dress you wore held up well, while the Underworld did not have as the biting cold as you experienced now, it was too similar for you to believe that you had really left there.
The stars twinkled sadly, as if crying out for someone. The moon waned brilliantly and yet everything felt dull. While this world seemed beautiful when you first entered, even though goosebumps had erupted on your limbs, it felt colder than you think it should have. The loneliness you felt was something you had never felt before, nor did you want to. The trees moved as if mourning and you felt like it was your death they were mourning.
Was this why people were dying..?
“..Kore?”
You turned around. Squinting to see the far-away figure, you realized it was your mother with her (H/C) hair in long locks, tumbling down her back— an unusual sight as she hated keeping her hair down— but she was hesitant to come to your side. She was looking at you differently, like she used to when you were a child. Not like how she pretended to when you got older but different. Better.
Like a mother should.
“Mom..” You whispered, but she heard it.
A flowing stream of tears started down Demeter’s face, and she made no move to wipe them away. Demeter held a hand out to her daughter, silently calling out to her. You slowly walked through the field to your mother’s side until finally putting her chin on her mother’s outstretched arm. As you saw your mother’s happy expression, you started to shakily smile and a few of her own tears started to drip down your cheek. Demeter stroked her daughter’s cheek and kissed your forehead in joy.
The mother and daughter were finally reunited.
Quickly after you reunited with your mother, she interlocked your hand and led you back to the palace. Your home. But even saying that had a sour taste in your mouth, because all you could remember was the dark walls and soft smiles of your husband. The walls of your room were just as blindingly white and clean and smooth as you remembered it. But, you remembered what you used to think in the Underworld. As much as you had loved it and the people who came with it, it wasn’t what you were used to. You loved the mortal realm much, much more, and finally seeing the lush vegetation wherever you walked, the pretty flowers sprinkled here and there, the ponds of clear water, and the countless species of animals was both a shock and a blessing.
A few days after you arrived, the winter and snow that had swept through the mortal realm was finally vanquished. Your mother held your hand and simply waved her hand, causing Spring to come back to the world. She was glowing, much more than before you left. You wanted to both strangle her and hug her.
You even asked her about the poisoned dagger and she confirmed what he had said, she did poison him. It made your stomach squeeze and feeling uncharacteristically angry and snappy, you conveyed your concerns to your mother, but she didn’t brush it off like you had feared.
“Mom, I won’t get mad if you tell me the truth.” You sighed out one night.
Demeter raised her eyebrows and laughed merrily, “Oh? This is new Kore, usually I would say that when you were younger!”
Your throat was feeling dry and scratchy but you pressed, “Heh, right, um. Did you.. poison him?”
“Don’t speak of that monster! I—”
“Whether you did or not, please answer me.”
Demeter looked at her only daughter. Her wonderfully talented, intelligent, witty, and beautiful daughter. She couldn’t imagine the emotional manipulation that she went through in the Underworld. Demeter wanted her daughter back and she was afraid of how you changed. That time when you were gone was over.
“Please, Mom.”
Your eyes pleaded and shined in the moonlight and even Demeter couldn’t hold back, “I didn’t have a choice. Even Zeus approved of it, but you have to realize that you were gone.” She poked your chest with your finger and you felt small, like a mouse in the presence of a hawk.
“I didn’t even know where you were and to learn that, the God of the Underworld had taken you..It wasn’t okay and I’m glad that you’re back. That’s all that matters now, don’t worry about it, okay? You’re safe.”
Demeter combed through your hair and smiled at you but her eyes didn’t crinkle up like usual and you knew that she wanted this conversation to be over. But you’d test her limits.
You continued, “But it could’ve killed him, Mom.”
“And?!”
Demeter didn’t miss the flinch at the raise of her tone and she instantly regretted her actions. She didn’t want to be like her siblings, loveless of their children and so enraptured by mortals. But at the same time, she wanted to protect you. Why couldn’t you see that she didn’t want someone like the God of the Dead, an emotional manipulator and kidnapper, to be any of your concern. It tore her heart in two.
“You are the most important part in my life, I used to only live for you. Obviously, that doesn’t mean your life should revolve around me but you were kidnapped!”
“It was Namjoon’s fault though, he told him that we wanted this.”
“You’re right, Zeus is just as punishable for this crime. But if he wanted your hand so much he could have easily come to us formally. Where was the need to capture you like that? None.”
But that wasn’t it either. Sure, you were upset that Seokjin had taken you away. Sure, that seemed logical from your mother’s perspective, realistic. But that’s not what happened. Namjoon was a drunk idiot and had told Seokjin a lie which caused all of this. But even with that figured out, you were still angry that you didn’t see the color black more often or you didn’t have a library full of books to read, or someone that would keep your head in their lap as you slept.
You missed him the most, and that’s why it hurt the most.
No, you repeat to yourself, You aren’t going to be caught down by someone you’ve only known for a few months. You’re better than this, Y/N.
So you busy yourself with other things that need your attention, like the new plants that are popping up in villages. It helps with the loneliness that seems to have taken you captive, even though your mother smothers you with affection. She wanted to celebrate the way you’ve finally come back to her, from that monster.
The new plants seem to have medicinal properties and you keep record of them in a small journal. In the same journal, you’ve been writing down your feelings as a way to cope with the environment changes. You’ve been liking the cool shade and swift breezes that come rather than the blinding sun that you were so used to. You often nestle between a few apricot trees, and would stare blankly at the fruit. It was so close to pomegranates but entirely different. The red color hurt and even the nymphs could see it, often asking you to pluck flowers with them far, far away.
Jimin visits you and the two of you spend an entire day in each other’s company. He talks about how he wasn’t able to visit you in the Underworld and missed you. You find comfort in his words and you confess that you miss Seokjin. Terribly. He’s the only person you have that won’t go to your mother and snitch on you.
“It hurts, Jimin. But I am afraid that you.. will not like what I have to say.”
“What does, Y/N? Don’t be afraid.”
“My heart..it misses him so much.”
Jimin had furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, he couldn’t understand why you would miss such a horrible God. He tried to comfort you about the matter, but it was stiff and rehearsed. When you had cried yourself to sleep that night, Jimin had quietly snuck out of your door only to see Demeter wiping her tears. Your mother had heard your pleas and she broke.
Why did you have to love such a disgusting monster?
Six months have passed and the world has been recovering. You don’t forget the black feather necklace on your neck and almost daily, you rub it to make sure it’s still with you. Your mother had asked what it was and Jimin had saved you before you could stutter out a response, saying he gifted it as nostalgia for being nicknamed pretty bird. Even the rings you had were considered a gift from other gods.
Demeter had looked at you in fear but hid her emotions well enough with a smile that you thought she wouldn’t ask again. She didn’t.
Seokjin couldn’t bear it anymore. Ever since you had left, his heart was heavy with the fact that he had pushed you away. Not even telling you anything and you just had to go.
Thanatos could see that his friend was drowning himself in his work, checking and double checking who were coming into the Underworld. Even Cerberus was ignoring Hades in fear of making him angrier. The dead souls rarely would see their king and while that usually did not worry many, those in Elysium were confused. Sometimes the two of you would visit their houses and get togethers, and even then they could make out his lovestruck expression whenever you talked. He looked at you like you were the moon, made of wonder and beauty, and had painted the stars in his world with small kisses.
Thanatos has gotten angry at Seokjin and forced him out of the palace, locking his office to be extra sure. Walking around aimlessly, everything in the palace reminded him of you. When you would walk next to him and talk about the most useless topics, it was the first time he noticed the sharp rocks on the floor. Instead of creating shoes or anything that a logical God would’ve done, he offered to let you get on his back while you walked. At your shocked expression, he was sure he embarrassed himself more than he thought was possible. But you quickly grinned and jumped onto his back while he held on tight to your legs to keep you steady.
At the memory, Seokjin smiled bitterly and scoffed at the tears that escaped. He wished he was stronger. You were probably going through something a hundred times worse, the love of your life just randomly banishing you must have hurt.
It was to protect her.
Either way, it made him curse out the Fates for even allowing him to meet you once. It wasn’t fair, for either of you. He even cursed his brother Namjoon, he would never listen to his brother again. It wasn’t fair.
The pomegranate trees in front of him made him stop. He wanted to break down in tears and throw his life away for what he had done to you. The brightest red fruit was on the lowest branch, but it was open. With twelve seeds missing, Seokjin shook with fear.
Six months was almost up.
You walked through the meadow, somehow leaving the safety of the nymphs that followed you on Demeter’s request, and brushing through the flowers. You twirled around, feeling free for once. Not in a palace, under someone’s watchful eye or endearing gaze. You loved both of them dearly, but it was hard for Kore, the Goddess of flora, and fauna to be expected to stay in the same place. You felt lost everywhere but here, with nature, was where you felt at peace. There was some substance in what your mother said. Nonetheless, your duty as Persephone, Goddess and Queen of the Underworld, stayed the same. You would have to leave soon, but that made your stomach twist and turn.
While preoccupied with your thoughts, you failed to notice the grass parting behind you. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw something long shoot through the field. You froze, knowing that it was too late to move and your body felt on edge, the feather on your neck started to heat up and become uncomfortable. Another quick movement and—
THUD!
Something grabbed your arms and the intense motion made your eyes squeeze shut. You were shaking, and spots danced behind your eyes. It took you a few moments to realize who had grabbed you, and now shielded, sporting an all-too familiar clothing color palette.
“..Jin,” You whispered breathlessly, “You’re here.”
Worlds away from each other, lifetimes away, or in different versions of reality, Seokjin heard your words as if it burned in his mind, clear as day, your presence bringing him back to life. You could only stare at him as he stroked your cheek, probably because there was some dirt on it because you had fallen asleep on the crumbling soil before walking around.
“I ask you to go away,” He starts calmly, looking at your dumbstruck expression “And you actually left, huh?”
Your growing smile for him saving you quickly falls and you roll your eyes with a hard frown on your lips. You push him away in annoyance and hurt, and walk away from him with your arms crossed. You tried to tamp down your irritation but you were fed up with Gods trying to take your life and just throw it around.
“Why,” You asked, seething with anger, “did you come here?”
You didn’t even turn around but with the way your fists were clenched, Seokjin knew that you were not feeling happy about his presence. Better than utter despair that he had thought of, you hitting and being angry at him was infinitely times better than you being sad.
“That snake wasn’t any ordinary one. I..” Seokjin said slowly, looking back at the dead reptile, “I was cursed by a God once that I wouldn’t be able to protect someone I loved from one of my own. And well, snakes are my sacred animal so..”
“So you think that I needed your protection again?”
Seokjin felt at odds with your response. Of course you could protect yourself, it was just his wish that you didn’t have to. That he could do so instead. He knew you were smarter than you let on, you knew exactly why he had sent you away and were angry why he couldn’t have just communicated it.
“I’m sorry,” He relented, putting a hand on your shoulder before you brush it off, “I was rude and disrespectful. You didn’t deserve that. I thought that you would leave and I was scared what would happen if you didn’t. The mortal world was dying—”
“So? I would’ve come up if you had just told me! It’s really not that hard,” You finally faced him, “especially when you’re supposed to be trying to be everything that my mother thinks you are, you shouldn’t have shouted.”
“Well.. you shouted too.”
“Yeah, to make sure I was heard over your voice!”
“I just wanted to protect you.”
Of course he was. Even when you had snapped at him, he was protecting you. Seokjin had promised you that he always would take care of you, and here he was, doing just that. The more you thought about the day you were forced to leave, you realized that Seokjin had tears in his eyes.
“I know but, there’s better ways to do it.”
Seokjin’s voice wavered with sadness, “I hope that you can forgive me for the stupid things I said. I promise I’ll work harder to show you that I deserve to be your partner and that I can take care of you.”
He was scared, afraid of your reaction and how you might refuse him outright. A figure in the distance, behind Jin, captures your attention and you’re thinking of them while Jin continues.
“I wanted to make your garden a little prettier,” He admitted, his thumb stroking your finger were both the golden ring and your makeshift cloth one was tied together, “I added flowers and different fruits that reminded me of your aura. But much of them are made of jewels since, well, you know, you can’t have live plants in the Underworld.”
“Mhmm, yeah.”
“And that ring I tossed into the River Lethe,” Your ears naturally perked up at the river’s mention, “was my ring and I found it just as soon as you left. I would never mean those things I said and I’m sorry you had to hear them.”
“Right, well,” Your eyes shined with excitement and giddy, “My mother is coming, so you better be able to convince her.” You quickly removed your hand from his before your mother burst in.
Oh shit.
“So you’re saying,” Demeter’s eyes burned into Seokjin and he could feel his mind turning to shreds at her words, “ you want my daughter to go back with you into that wretched palace?! She won’t return as long as I’m her mother and she has no obligation to leave. Kore will stay here.”
“Persephone is the Queen of the Underworld,” Seokjin looked at you tenderly, “it’s her duty now.”
You cringed at his wording, that was not the way to convince your mother. If anything, talking about duty would bring up the fact that she’s the Goddess of vegetation in the mortal realm. And mentioning her other name? Total loss.
“Do not defy my Hades. She will not leave my realm.”
You butted in, “I ate the pomegranate seeds, Mother.”
“You— what?” Her fiery anger dissipated into a tame flame, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears, “No, no. You,” She pointed straight to Seokjin, “You did this, didn’t you? Tricked her into eating the flirt of the Underworld to where she must leave me, her own mother for you? A lying cheat and disgusting, dishonorable coward!”
“I am no coward. I warned her and she said she wanted to,” He interlocked your hands and it made Demeter angrier, “She won’t be away for long. Only half of the year.”
“Half of the year?!” She moved towards Seokjin at a pace that even made him panic, “If you want my daughter’s hand, then propose to her properly. If she accepts, fine. She’s her own person and she had the right to choose her partner. But if she doesn’t, I will make sure your life is living hell.”
Kinda already is, Seokjin wanted to sarcastically comment but kept his mouth shut. But he reasoned that this was the best he was going to get. He turned to you and saw your wide smile and twinkling eyes. To him, you were the only person he needed. If he must, he would scourge the four realms and more to find you and even just hold your hand. With you, he had nothing to worry about.
So the two of you got “engaged” and you reapplied rings (different ones because your mother wanted you to have only the best) at the very place your mother met Seokjin. He summoned the most beautiful of jewels to make the rings and many other riches when he saw how Demeter’s eyes bulged and gravitated towards the power. She was warming up to him alright.
The night before you would leave, you held a celebration— the wedding— in a small gazebo that your friend Chan, or Hephaestus, happily built for you. He started crying in the middle of building it because his own partner, Yoongi or Aphrodite, seemed to have no interest in doing the same— but another story for another time!
Celebrating with your nymphs and other Olympian Gods and Goddesses that you had befriended long ago, it was a magical experience. You saw Jungkook, or Hera, and his husband Namjoon, or Zeus, arguing animatedly in the gazebo that you had proclaimed your love for each other earlier in the evening, something about how Namjoon never made any romantic gestures for him. In another place you saw Yoongi and Hoseok, or Apollo, sharing drinks with each other while Jimin, or Hermes, was flying around trying to meet everyone. Even Seokjin, basically the God of Shyness, was smiling and accepting praise from Irene, Wheein, and Taehyung, or Ares, Athena, and Hebe respectively.
You casually walked around, the rich purple wedding gown that you wore dragged through the grass but stayed dried, magical powers were always nice. Talking with some people, drinking and eating with others, it was wonderful. At the end of the night, Demeter came up to the two of you with flower crowns, and all the Gods watched with curiosity, except you and your mother of you knew what was to come next. The crowns were beautiful and matched your auras perfectly. One made with pink lilies, purple lavender, and white baby breath, while the other was made of cress, ferns, black and purple roses. The lighter one was for you and the darker for Seokjin.
“It’s tradition,” Demeter’s voice wavered with sadness and her hands trembled as she continued, “When a nymph is married and leaves my care, she is given a crown to remind her roots and to be happy in her new life.”
Demeter turned to you, the tears in her eyes finally came pouring out and she tried her best to allow this day to be a happy day. You looked ethereal in your dress and your expression made everything she had sacrificed worth it. Cupping your cheeks, she lovingly gazed at you and put your heads together. Your own tears were coming down and you held back a sob.
“Be powerful and strong, my Kore. If anything happens, I will always be waiting here for you and you can come back, alright? It is your duty in the next six months to take care of the Underworld, rule it with a wise mind and even sharper mouth. Many will test you but prove them wrong. Your husband’s duty is to take care of you, you are equals in love. Never forget my teachings and that I have and will always love you.”
You kneeled down to your mother and touched her feet in a sign of respect, and she crowned you with all the flowers you loved most. Standing up, you saw Demeter’s eyes stare at your husband. She looked neither happy nor angry, and everyone in the room held their breath.
“It is your duty,” She started as she firmly grasped the other crown, “to protect and take care of my daughter. She rules beside you as equals and you must treat her as such. When you are troubled, find peace in the fact that she can calm the ground we walk on from rumbling, a panther from pouncing, and my very nature. After seeing your love and hearing about it from Kore, I trust you and bless you to be a good King for the Underworld and a better husband to your Queen. You are part of my family now, Hades.”
Demeter looked pleased at how her heartwarming words touched Seokjin and made him weep as well. Maybe it was her own power, because all the deities present were desperately wiping their tears so others couldn’t see. Even Jimin, both known to be lighthearted and not as sentimental, had burst into tears when he saw his best friend crying and getting crowned while Taehyung tried to soothe him.
Seokjin kneeled and did the same as you when Demeter crowned him. Seokjin mouthed a ‘thank you’ to his mother-in-law and held out his hand for you to grab. You smiled and interlocked your fingers together before looking at your mother and then the rest of your guests.
“All hail, Persephone and Hades,” Your mother continued, “The Gods and rulers of the Underworld!”
The other gods and deities, and even nature itself seemed to bow down. But the two of you were so immersed in each other, that you only waved goodbye before Jin kissed you and the ground broke beneath you and went home.
© 2021 by cherryyjjk ;; all writings and other content on this blog are my intellectual property. you may not reuse, reprint, translate, repost, steal, or any other type of stealing of my works.
#seokjin fics#bts fics#bts x reader#seokjin fluff#seokjin angst#kim seokjin#seokjin x reader#hades x persephone#bts angst#bts fluff#bts imagines#greek god au#hades! jin x persephone! reader#hades! bts x persephone! reader#bts fanfic#my writing#i'm so proud of this#proud of myself!!
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Kurtbastian - “Always and Forever”
Summary: After the death of their daughter Grace, Kurt and Sebastian drift apart. Kurt wraps himself up in his grief so tightly he starts to push Sebastian away, and Sebastian, feeling himself shoved aside when he needs Kurt most, cheats. They make the decision to start over, to leave New York City and their pain behind, and start over again in a house Upstate. Sebastian buys Kurt a "fixer upper" and gives him free reign. While redecorating the room that will be his studio, Kurt comes across something interesting underneath the wallpaper. It starts to become an obsession for Kurt - an obsession that begins to replace Kurt's love for his husband, which Sebastian is holding on to by a thread. Can Kurt and Sebastian break through the pain and the hurt and find a way to fall in love again?
Notes: Inspired by the Klaine advent drabble prompt "ache". So this is a story I started a while ago, but stopped after chapter 4 because it started to get a little too real. But I’ve started revising, and now I’m ready to finish it.
Chapter 1 (3197 words)
“God! That traffic was insane, wasn’t it?” Sebastian complains, pulling off the highway and onto the less congested road that leads to the heart of Manhasset.
Kurt mutters in agreement, but he barely noticed. His right temple has been glued to the passenger side window the entire trip. Eyes pointed skyward, he watched the clouds pass by as they drove, counted the trees, followed a flock of birds as they flew off to warmer climes far, far away.
Away from here, the way Kurt wishes he could.
“I called ahead to turn the gas on. And the electricity... ” Sebastian has been rambling about nothing for the whole hour and forty-five-minute drive, filling the tense air of the Navigator with verbal static. “We’re gonna want to air the place out for a few hours. The realtor told me it stinks like mold but that there isn’t any actual mold in the house. I hired two separate contractors to go through the place anyway and make sure. I wasn't going to take the guy's word for it. He struck me as a sandwich short of a picnic. I mean, you should have seen him, Kurt! He was wearing a purple paisley tie and brown loafers with a grey suit. And not like royal purple. That would have worked. But puce! Jesus Christ!” He chuckles. It bleeds into a nervous cough. “I didn’t say anything, but it would have been nice if you were there to give him some subtle pointers. Or not so subtle. You know how much I love seeing you in action. Oh, and we'll have to go over our insurance policy. I’m having a second independent appraiser… ”
“Are we there yet?” Kurt interrupts, preferring to focus on how the changing leaves mute the skyline than on a single word coming out of his husband’s mouth. Not that he could catch a one the way they’re sprinting off his tongue like lemmings off a cliff.
The trees soothe Kurt, smooth the rough edges of this bumpy ride. They grow differently out here than in the city: springing up in rows, displaying their fall colors, blending one into the other like an ever-changing river - red tree, yellow tree, brown tree, gold tree…
Their daughter Grace would call out the colors on their long car rides Upstate, conjuring rhymes where there were none. They roll through his memory in her singsong voice.
Green tree… uh... lean tree!
Kurt smiles, clutching on to the sound of her voice.
He's terrified of the day he'll forget what her voice sounds like.
“Just… uh… just a few more blocks,” Sebastian replies, his attempt at chitchat cut short by his husband’s impatient tone. Despite his infinitely expressive voice, Kurt only uses three tones nowadays - angry, impatient, and indifferent. Sebastian hasn’t learned how to avoid any of them, but he hates Kurt’s indifferent tone the most. “Not too far.”
“Good. Because I’m tired of sitting in this stupid seat.” Kurt switches positions, massaging his hip for emphasis. 'Tired of sitting in this stupid seat.' That's what he said. But he meant, 'tired of being stuck in here with you.'
And Sebastian knows it.
Sebastian turns down two streets that spiral together tighter and tighter until he and Kurt are locked in to their new neighborhood.
Locked in to their decision to move here.
“Here it is.” Sebastian pulls up to the curb at the point before the street turns into a cul-de-sac.
Kurt sits up slowly to accommodate his stiff spine and numb ass. Looking around, he sighs in frustration. “Here what is? There are five houses on this block. Which one is it?”
“Guess.” When Kurt sighs again, Sebastian says, “I’ll give you a hint – it’s one of these three,” and motions to the houses on Kurt’s right. Kurt rolls his eyes but turns to the houses closest. They all appear relatively identical – three floors with a pointed roof and a square porch, reminiscent of a gingerbread house. They probably have basements – a huge selling point in this vicinity. But they don’t call them basements Upstate. They call them cellars. Somehow, the word cellar is more refined, and therefore more acceptable than having a dull, run-of-the-mill, drafty basement.
Need that cellar so you can have the most expensive cabernet on the market on hand in case we need to drunkenly judge Sally Jones’s latest highlight fiasco.
“She should have gone with lowlights, Sharon. (sip) Haven’t I been saying that, Kayla? (sip) Haven’t I been saying that she should have stuck with lowlights? But only around her face. (sip) Ha-ha-ha-ha! Please, pass the brie.”
Kurt spent a good portion of his life living in a basement bedroom, so he’s not above the word. But he remembers a time back in high school when he thought that was the person he would grow up to be. He’d start out as one of the New York elite, then become an Upstate snob. When his kids (two of them – a boy and a girl) were grown and gone, he’d start an artists’ colony. He'd retire to a lighthouse, isolate himself in obscurity while being ironically jaded at the world.
Well, he's nearing forty, and he is jaded, but for entirely different reasons.
The house at the curve in the cul-de-sac is painted a sea green Kurt isn’t thrilled with. But that can be remedied with a bucket of paint and some elbow grease. From its position, it probably gets the bulk of the noon sun.
There goes their electric bill.
Kurt knows Sebastian doesn’t care about trivial things like finances, but just because they have the money to spend doesn’t mean they should shovel it out the window. Plus, there's their carbon footprint to think about. But more importantly, there goes his fair skin, which will freckle at every meal while he does nothing other than sit at the kitchen table.
No, thank you.
The house beside it is in a better position, slanted away from direct sunlight. But it’s painted a slate blue that comes across as too harsh considering the neighborhood’s neutral color scheme. Sebastian should know better than to see that house and say, “Yes. That’s it. That’s the one,” unless the inside looks like the Palace of Versailles.
The last house is also blue, but this blue borders on pale grey, a similar shade to his father’s house in Lima. A maple tree has grown through the pavement in front, shading the house and shedding its red-gold leaves all over the front yard.
And this house has a porch swing.
He and Sebastian used to talk about owning a home with a porch swing. It became a prerequisite for the home they wanted to retire in. Kurt pictured sitting on their swing side by side in the early mornings, sipping coffee and watching the sunrise.
Sebastian, on the other hand, talked about having sex on the thing and scaring the neighbors.
Same planet, different worlds.
“It’s this one,” Kurt guesses, gesturing to the blue-grey house. “The one with the swing. Isn’t it?”
“Don’t sound too excited,” Sebastian jokes but warily, afraid of what the fallout might be if Kurt doesn’t like it. Sebastian has been climbing a tenuous ladder to make his husband happy. One misstep and he'll plummet back to the bottom, with no certainty that Kurt will let him try to climb up again. It’s his own damn fault, Sebastian reminds himself as they get out of the vehicle. He did this to them, so he’ll let Kurt lash out, let him bare his teeth and his claws, let him dig in with both hands and rip.
Sebastian deserves it.
He leads Kurt up the walkway in silence, past the tree and the swing. He unlocks the front door and pushes it open, standing back so Kurt can be the first one over the threshold. Kurt takes his time, poking his head in first, then taking a hesitant step. This is an all-or-nothing moment for him. In his heart, once he walks inside, there's no turning back.
He sets his foot down, rests his weight on it, and a dozen memories come flooding back: the house he lived in with his mom and dad, the house he and his dad moved into when his dad remarried, the dorm rooms he suffered from high school to college.
The first night he spent in Sebastian's penthouse, the excitement of feeling like he'd found his true home.
The house he dreamed of raising Grace in.
In the end, they stayed in the penthouse for convenience. He regrets not getting her an actual house with a yard and a swing.
Like this one.
The irony.
The room lists, Kurt's head swims, but he wraps his arms around himself and doesn't let it show. He focuses on the here and now. He's taken a step. He just needs to take another. And another. Keep going. Keep moving forward, or else he'll crumple to the ground.
And Sebastian will rush to catch him.
Kurt would rather bury himself under the porch.
Kurt breathes in through his nose and out through his mouth, relies on a cold and detached demeanor to help him instead of the strong arms of his husband.
This house has a different feel from the open floor plan of the penthouse they've been living in since college. It's cramped around the corners, with a lot more shadows and a lot less noise. Sebastian likes that better. He’s an Ohio native, same as Kurt. But unlike Kurt, he considers himself a country boy. Even though Sebastian built his identity around becoming a state's attorney like his father, he loved the quiet life: wide-open spaces, blue skies, unhurried, and just plain normal.
Kurt saw Ohio as a cage he couldn't wait to break free from.
Sebastian could have bought Kurt any house he wanted. In that vein, Sebastian feels like a heel for jumping on this one without consulting Kurt first. He reasoned that he'd been the one house hunting, not Kurt. So when a contact told him that the owner of this house, a house Sebastian had had his eye on for a while, was finally selling, it seemed too perfect, especially considering the timing.
Sebastian bent over backward to rescue it from escrow.
Kurt didn't want to leave the city, but it was full of too much pain for him to handle, too many memories, friends and acquaintances who had yet to hear the news, and those who constantly offered their condolences. Few people greeted him anymore without their smiles dropping and the words, “I’m so sorry,” coming out of their mouths, as if joy shouldn't exist around him anymore.
It made his head, his heart, and his soul ache.
Kurt loved New York City, but there was nothing left for him there but the constant hollow thud he felt whenever he saw something that reminded him of their angel Grace. School would be starting soon. All of her friends will be moving on to the fifth grade. But his daughter...
Life ended for her too soon.
“Here.” Sebastian reaches for Kurt’s hand, but Kurt reflexively pulls it away, slipping his hands into his pockets to cover for his flinching from Sebastian’s touch. Sebastian should be used to it by now, but he isn’t. “Let me show you why I think you’re going to love this house.”
Sebastian jogs up the stairs to the next level. Kurt follows a few steps behind. When he reaches the top, he sees three doors. They pass the first two without mention. Sebastian opens the last.
“Here.” Sebastian crosses to the opposite side and throws open one of two windows, filling the musty space with the crisp bite of autumn. “I thought this room could be your new studio.”
Sebastian knows him too well. The room is perfect. Even at dusk, it’s flooded with natural light. It looks out over the rooftops of the other houses, giving him a view of the surrounding forests and orchards stretching way past the highway. With a little TLC, it could look just like his studio in their penthouse.
Or he can turn it into something new.
Start with a clean slate.
“What are the other two rooms?” Kurt asks offhandedly. He doesn't need to.
He knows what the other rooms are.
There are only two rooms they can be.
“A bathroom and the master bedroom,” Sebastian answers, watching his husband stroll across the floor.
“So this would have been… ?”
“A spare? A guest room?” Sebastian shifts his weight from foot to foot, unable to find an easy groove to stand in.
Kurt frowns. No. It would have been Grace’s bedroom if she were still with them. Kurt was trying to get his husband to acknowledge that. Cruelly. But if she were with them, Sebastian wouldn’t have cheated, their marriage wouldn’t be falling apart, and they wouldn’t be running away from their problems.
“I guess I could put a foldout bed in here,” Kurt throws out as he estimates the space.
“You can if that’s what you want,” Sebastian agrees. “Or you’re just saying that to hurt me, which, if you are, you’ll be happy to know, it’s working.”
“I’m not saying that to hurt you,” Kurt eloquently lies. “I’m being practical. I’m not going to have easy access to the Vogue workshop if I live two hours away. If I expect to get a new line started, I’m going to have to pull long hours.”
Sebastian scrutinizes his husband, who’s doing his best to avoid looking at him. “You’re… thinking of starting a new line? You didn’t mention that.”
Kurt shrugs. “Did I have to?”
“No. I mean, I wasn’t sure that you would go back to designing so soon after.”
"After?" Kurt tilts his head inquisitively but still makes no eye contact.
"After... moving. There's going to be a lot to do here. I thought you'd give yourself a year. Maybe more." Sebastian answers so quickly, Kurt wonders if he'd practiced. They talk in code, this whole conversation a carefully choreographed tango through a labyrinth of knives.
Sebastian didn't mean after moving. He meant after the death of their daughter. Kurt practically spent every spare second he wasn’t designing for work designing with her. Kurt has been a designer since high school. Aside from music, it's his passion.
Sebastian feared Grace's death might sever those harp strings.
"I think you underestimate me. Besides, you’re considering going back to working in the city after… ”
Pivot, walk walk, close.
The dance changes. They switch places, and Kurt leads.
Kurt isn't talking about them moving or Grace.
Kurt means after Sebastian cheated.
Kurt only agreed to move out of the city and live in a house he's never seen to keep Sebastian away from the man he's convinced will become too big a temptation to resist the next time they get into any kind of argument. Granted, it took their daughter dying for Sebastian to cheat, but Kurt figures it’ll keep getting easier from now on to come up with an excuse.
Can't agree on where to go for dinner? Have a huge blowout over which cards to send out for Christmas? That's it! I'm sticking my dick in someone else!
“Anyway, I wouldn’t want to wake you by crawling into bed at four in the morning, not when you have to be at work at six,” Kurt finishes when he’s let that dig soak in long enough.
“I’m not going back to work for a while, remember? That��s what a leave of absence is. And even if I was, why would I mind you waking me?” Sebastian risks a grin. “In fact, I was thinking that it might be nice to get back to what we used to do in the mornings before work. I miss that.”
Sebastian holds his breath while he sees how that remark lands. He waits for Kurt to look at him. Kurt hasn’t been able to look at him, really look at him, since hungover Sebastian came home in a taxi the morning after, clothes ruined, their marriage officially in the gutter. Grace passed away six months ago, which means he’s been waiting for a while.
He’s still waiting.
“This isn’t all about you,” Kurt reminds him, raising his eyes to the ceiling.
Kurt didn't yell. But that doesn't mean he's not furious.
“I know,” Sebastian says softly. He rubs his cold hands together, wishing he could stick them underneath his husband’s thick, button-down sweater, and press his palms against Kurt’s skin. A year ago, Kurt would have squealed, “Bas! Your hands are freezing!” But he would have wrapped his arms around himself and held on, would have let Sebastian lean in for a kiss, would have fallen for the line, “Now that my hands are warm, maybe you can help me warm up a few other things.”
Then they would have made love on the wood floor with the door open.
If only he could make Kurt laugh the way he used to.
Then maybe Kurt would love him again.
But going by his husband’s expression, dreary as the olive sweater he holds closed with one hand at the neck, Sebastian knows that now is not the time.
“Is this what you need to make you happy?” he asks. If only it were that simple. If only a house, or a car, or a vacation could turn back the clock and erase everything that happened.
Erase everything Sebastian did, and bring their daughter back.
Kurt doesn't answer right away. He's not purposefully keeping Sebastian in suspense. He couldn't care less what's going on in Sebastian's head. This is his future he's considering.
He's going to take his time.
He circles the room, contemplating the echo of his footsteps on the roughly finished wood, debating whether or not it's a sound he wants to hear for the rest of his life. If not, is it worth putting in the time to fix it?
He traces the path of sunlight as it travels across the wall. That brings a new detail to his eye - a torn corner of wallpaper above the open window revealing a word underneath.
Darling.
Kurt eyes it from a distance, tries not to pay too much attention to it in case Sebastian is behind it. It doesn’t look like it was written recently. It's more than likely part of the pattern underneath. But leave it to Sebastian to try to woo his husband back with something syrupy like that.
Something hopelessly romantic.
Something he thinks Kurt will fall for.
“No,” Kurt answers honestly, re-examining the fading wallpaper, the scuffed floors, the peeling ceiling. His gaze glances his husband’s face and settles on the dust-streaked window. He stares out at the sky, the clouds, the trees, the birds flying wild and free. He’s never going to be able to fly away like that, so he might as well accept this cage he's been given. It's what he's supposed to do, after all. “But it’s worth a try.”
He has little else left to lose.
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Harder [M] | BONUS/PREVIEW
Pairing: Levi Ackerman x OC
Genre: Romance, mainly fluff with smut, and squint for angst
Rating: NSFW
Warnings: swearing, hair pulling, begging, fingering (mouth and vaginal)
Words: 3600+
A/N: THIS WAS FORMERLY CHAPTER 12 OF HARDER UNTIL I DECIDED TO REWRITE IT. I’M KEEPING THIS AS A PREVIEW OR A BONUS SCENE.
Again, huge thanks to Nerissa @bnha-aesthetic for beta reading this chapter!
Just getting started on the smut! I made it a little light with a little hint of what’s to come next, I guess, since it’s their first time being intimate with each other.
If you want to get tagged whenever there’s a new chapter, let me know! And if you liked this chapter, I highly encourage you to like, comment, and/or reblog. It means a lot to me!
Masterlist | 01
It all comes down to the person who stays. The moment a seemingly fragile Arya Strauss locked eyes with the Survey Corps’s uptight captain, Levi Ackerman, she felt a change in her system. And soon enough, she finds out that he is much more than what he seems. Can Arya suppress what she feels if she keeps finding himself tangled within his grasp?
Before Levi could lean over to give me another kiss, I quickly stood up from our position, running over to the lake with a smile on my face.
It’s weird, really. How three words can turn all your doubts into nothingness. What power it holds. And suddenly, all that’s left for me are my bursting feelings for him.
“You play dirty, Arya,” Levi calls out from behind me, his voice a little too far for me to make sound of.
I look over at him, extending my hand to signal him closer. “Come here, you’ll love it,” I giggled.
He stands up and dusts off his bum.Then slowly walks over to me, a smile plastered on his face so faintly that I almost missed it. The way the wrinkles on his eyes showed when a small smile appeared on his lips made me feel jittery inside.
When he nears me, I lace my hand with his. That makes it all the more real.
On normal days, you’d only ever see Levi with his usual grumpy demeanor. Hence deemed ‘uptight’ by other scouts as well as cadets. But the more I get to know him and the more time I spend with him, I realize there’s so much more to him than just that.
He’s more than just his title and he’s more than just what people perceive him to be.
He’s really just himself. He’s Levi. He’s my Levi.
“Let’s swim?” I ask with a smile as I wrap my arms around him.
Levi studies my face for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed with my question, “With what? Our uniform?”
Untangling my arms from him, I reply with a mischievous smile, “Who said so? We’re taking it off, of course.”
He looked at me like a bolt out of the blue, “You’re not saying..?”
I giggled. My hands found its way to the hem of my shirt and yanked it up from my head until I was only on my brassiere and pants.
Watching as Levi’s eyes traveled down from my face to my figure, I smirked as he gulped. For a moment, he actually looked confused like he didn’t know what to do. Deviating from his usual self where he’s so sure of everything—not an ounce of confusion ever struck his face then.
As my hands start to unbutton my pants, I tease him, “Are you going to swim like that,” I run my eyes over his figure, “or are you going to undress, mister?”
His lips parted open then a smirk formed across his face as I dropped my pants on the ground.
Before I could hear him utter anything, I entered the lake in only my underwear, inhaling the fresh scent of the water. The freezing temperature sent shivers down my spine, making me curl my toes against the ground and run my hands along both my arms to make myself feel a little warmer.
I only wanted to tease Levi, but this idea may be a bit outrageous with the cold. Even the sun has been replaced by the moon that now served to dimly light up the place. I could barely see anything.
Suddenly, I felt a pair of hands replace mine against my arms.
“I’ll do it for you,” Levi’s hot breath tickled my neck before I felt his lips touch my ear.
A frisson of excitement gushed throughout my system, replacing all my doubts about swimming in the cold. I felt warmer with his heat.
His hands traveled up and down my arms for a moment before he entangled me with his arms over my stomach, pulling me closer, my bare back hitting his naked chest. I put my hand over his.
“Are you warm enough?” I nod as a reply.
I turned my head to look over at him, Levi’s grey orbs matched mine, “So,” I began, “you love me, huh?” I tease with a smirk.
“Tch,” he rolls his eyes. “Don’t be too full of yourself, brat.”
I pout at his remark, “I’m still a brat to you?”
He smiles a little then kisses the tip of my nose, “Always.”
Levi laughs at me as I lightly hit his chest. I scoff at him, “You think you’re so smart with your replies, don’t you?”
An amused smirk replaces his genuine smile, “Cadet, may I remind you who you’re talking to?” He threatened, trying to make his voice sound imperative but the playfulness gave it away.
I frown at him before I turn my head and cross my arms over my chest, trying to act childish. He chuckled and silence enveloped us.
His question threw me off and my heartbeat accelerated. I suddenly remembered that he’s actually a captain. His rank is so much higher than mine. Not to mention, he’s humanity’s strongest soldier. He was our biggest bet in fighting off titans.
For me to be with someone like him seemed so impossible. But here I am now.
“Why me?” I gaze at him, bravely breaking the silence.
Levi studies my face, “Is this really necessary?”
Through the lack of words, my face might’ve given it away. He fell silent for a little while. His eyes matched the same intensity as mine, “Why not you?”
We fell silent studying each other’s faces. Levi and I, as close as we could ever be, alone in a lake with only the moon’s light faintly illuminating the whole area.
“You could have had anyone…” I whisper. I look down, avoiding his gaze.
Levi lifts my chin with one hand—the other still resting on my stomach—making me look up at him, “You’re the only one I want, you always have been…” He tilted his head a little, eyebrows furrowing before looking away, “Is that so hard to believe?”
A scheme of pink and red wash over my cheeks. To have someone like him with me is like winning a gold in my end. As for him, I couldn’t say the same. I was just a mere cadet with no outstanding abilities. What do I have to offer?
But would it be too selfish of me if I don’t want to let go of him despite his loss in me? Would it be too selfish of me if I say I want to be the only girl who gets to experience being in his arms? To feel the intensity and the heat of his touch?
I want all of him to be mine. Is that so bad?
My eyes fell to his slightly parted lips. I’m tempted to kiss him right here, right now.
We were in a rather frightening area once the moon rose, replacing the fascinating vicinity earlier.
The vibrant colors of the flowers that looked magnificent under the sun were now painted a dull gray and the green color of the trees turned into dark hues in shadows, overlooking the tall pines visible from afar. The chilling breeze of the place almost brought insecurity. But Levi’s roughly, calloused hands, probably from all the training, proved that whatever happens, we’d get through it anyway.
In that case, none of it mattered. No danger posed a threat. Only the sexual tension in between us did.
Then his hand was on the side of my face. He leans forward as he stared deep into my eyes, like he was asking for permission despite having kissed me a few times already. I smile at that, and then I rest my hand on top of his.
Slowly, his lips touch mine and I close my eyes. Maybe time slowed down when his lips met mine. For once, I could catch onto the movements of our lips. It was slow and passionate, and the flutter only intensified. I could feel my knees turning into jelly as my heart began pounding in excitement.
I was kissing him. I was kissing Levi! Our captain, who appeared to be apathetic in front of everyone.
I could only focus on the softness of his lips against mine. It didn’t take any medicine to crave for something or feel something. I only needed Levi and how addictively he invaded all my senses.
Though our kiss broke so we could catch our breaths, the gaze we had for one another didn’t. In his eyes, I could see a hint of raw emotion. Was it love? Longing? Or lust?
Before I could even expand on the thought, he pulls me in closer, draping his rough and calloused hands on my small figure. He kisses my mouth once again. I think I whispered his name.
I reciprocate his kisses and wrap my arms around his neck. At the touch of his bare skin, electricity fills me in. Heat rose from my stomach to my chest, making my heart skip another beat.
I take a peek at him as his lips dance on mine. He had his eyes closed and I took notice of his long lashes. Then Levi opens his eyes slowly, meeting my gaze while we pull away from each other.
There is a shimmer of light in his eyes from the moon. The more I stare deep into it, I begin to notice an emotion in them.
A gasp escaped from my mouth when I felt his hand squeeze my ass.
Our foreheads touch and he closes his eyes, the warmth of his breath tickling my skin.
We went silent for a moment, catching our breaths. My hands fell to the side of his waist and I entrap him within my arms, making sure he wasn’t a product of my imagination.
I still want more.
Levi lifts his head and looks at me intently, studying my face. I feel his fingers dance on my back, traveling to the hook of my brassier, playing with it.
“Can I?” His tone was husky in a whisper.
Heat rushes to my cheeks and I look at his bare chest, avoiding his gaze.
He lifts my chin with one hand, “Look at me.”
My mouth kept shut, lost for better words. From my peripheral, I see my brassier hang loosely on my chest and his fingers on my back send sensations to my spine. But before it completely went off, my hands made its way to my chest, desperately covering myself.
At first I was nervous. But when I looked at him, the feeling of uncertainty was gone. I took in the sight of his faint smile from my actions and how his hand traveled to my hair to stroke it as if to reassure me.
“It’s fine if you don’t want to,” his tone was soft. “I won’t force you, don’t worry.”
“No! It’s not that…” I took notice of the high objection in my tone, “What if you don��t like it?” I whisper, I almost didn’t hear my own voice.
He chuckles and pulls me into an embrace.
“You’re gorgeous underneath those layers,” he mutters in my ear. “I will never not like anything about you.”
He gives me a peck on my cheek, “Ever.”
I rest my head on his shoulder and chuckle at his words that made me feel better, “Did you bring me here for this?”
“What? No!” He slightly pushes me away so he can look me in the eye, but his hands remain on my shoulder.
I was only teasing him, but the look on his face tells me that he thinks I mean it.
Levi looks away for a moment and sighs, “To be honest, I just wanted a chance to watch the stars with you.”
My mouth went agape at his revelation, “What?”
He wanted what? If anything, I never thought Levi could be like this. I never thought he could actually be romantic.
His fingers find its way to the hook of my brassier again. Instead of taking it away, he tries to put it together. But by his expression and the way his eyebrows furrowed, it’s evident he doesn’t know how. This makes me chuckle.
“So you know how to take off a woman’s underwear but not how to put it back?” I tease.
Levi frowns at me but is replaced with another meaningful smirk, “Don’t worry. I’ll learn it in no time.”
My hands travel to the strap of my brassier sensually as he watches me. I could feel the straps hang loosely on my shoulders and then it was off. My breasts felt the freezing temperature of the water much stronger than my arms did.
I lightly shiver, but the warmth of Levi’s hands replaces the cold with heat. His fingers reached my bosom, tracing it. “Is it okay?”
I nod and turn my back on him to look upon the dark skies above decorated with the shining stars I didn’t notice. I feel his arms wrap around my waist and he leans in to the crook of my neck, whispering, “You didn’t notice it since we went here.”
“I think you might’ve been busy with some other,” he tucks the stray hairs on my face to my ear and breathes into it. I could feel his mischievous smile through his tone and his hands squeezed my tits when he finished with, “things.”
In retaliation, I struggle to free myself from his grip but he only laughs at me, “You’re mean,” I frown and tilt my head to look at him from behind me.
Quietly, he massaged my tits, playing with my erect nipples. I felt shy and small around him, but I was too turned on to stop him.
I bite my lip when he breathes into my neck, placing wet kisses.
“Should we head back now?” I ask quietly, my voice sounding a little hoarse.
Levi shakes his head gently, “Let’s stay like this for a while.”
We went silent for a moment, looking over the starry heavens, ignoring the cold breeze and taking in the serenity of the quiet place.
Taking a guilty peek at Levi, I found him gazing upon the vast night sky. The look on his face was more than just awestruck and astonishment, he actually looked hopeless, like he had lost everything. Perhaps the glimmer in his eyes weren’t the emotions I thought of; perhaps it was longing for something I’m unable to replace.
“Do you believe that stars twinkle?” He asked quietly while he looked above.
“Yes,” I breathe.
Levi chuckled, “Stars, actually,” he turns to me, “don’t twinkle.”
“But the star in my sky does,” I whisper. My eyes didn’t match the same humorless emotion in his.
“I want to kiss you right now,” there was another emotion in his face—something I wanted to see.
There was a perfect combination of contentment, awe, and confidence.
I trace his chest with my fingers and whisper back, “What’s stopping you?”
There wasn’t a moment of hesitation. His mouth met mine in a much aggressive manner. My fingers dig into his hair. It was soft, silky. I inhale the scent of weak jasmine from him. Frissons of excitement pierce through me. Thrilling. I stop thinking, pressing myself against him. I lead his hand to the strap of my brassier.
I open my eyes to find that his are open too. He had a look of uncertainty as his fingers traced my strap. I smile into his mouth and kiss him one more time like a signal to go ahead.
We start moving backwards. I feel one hand travel to my ass, squeezing it roughly, it hurts. I moan into his mouth. He took the opportunity to find my tongue with his.
My back hit the edges of the lake, pinning me. His hands were moving down, but not where I thought it would be. Instead, he pushes me upwards, making me sit on the edges of the lake as he stood still in the waters.
The pitch black shadows of the area made it harder for me to study his face. But through the lack of light, I see Levi’s bangs sticking in his face and his mouth parted open, gasping for air. Breathless. There was a hint of lust in the way he looked at me. For once, I was thankful for the darkness that he couldn’t see much of me, naked with only my panties.
My fingers touch his face until it goes down to his lips. I brush my thumb on it, taking my time. Then I feel his teeth gently dig into it, inviting me. Levi’s hand found its way to my waist, moving up and down, exploring my body, giving me a rush.
I have never stood naked in front of anyone. I felt nervous, but I also felt fire ignite from within me. It was a new kind of sensation that only Levi could make me feel.
I wanted more of him. And tonight, I know he did too.
Levi takes my hand in his, eyes never leaving mine. I watch as he places slow kisses from my fingers, to my arms, and then to my shoulder. The sensation ignites a heat in my stomach to my chest and I feel something in between my thighs, as I felt the urge to close my legs.
“Don’t fucking close it,” his voice was rough and threatening and he forcefully spreads my legs apart. “You will obey every word I say, understand?”
I nod and stay obedient, too speechless to utter a word. I wrap my arms around his neck as he devoured my lips one more time. My hands travel to the back of his head.
His hands explore every inch of my body, stopping at my breasts, feeling and squeezing it. I gasped at the sensation and collapsed my head onto his shoulder as I left my mouth open.
Then he almost violently grasps my chin with one hand, making me look at him and rubs his thumb over my mouth, “Suck.”
I open my mouth slowly, taking in his finger, and then I suck sensually.
Levi watches me with intensified eyes, I enjoy it. Then he added another finger once I got the hang of it. As I suck his fingers on one hand, the other explores my breast, playing with my nipple. An idea enters my mind and I smirk.
I lift my knee a little to meet the height of his clothed manhood. My knee brushes it lightly, feeling its hardness and the length almost surprises me.
Soon enough, his fingers leave my mouth and travel downwards. There was a hint of lust in his eyes as he looked at me while his fingers played with the cloth of my panties, slowly pulling it, teasing me. But he doesn’t pull it down. Instead, he leads me into the water again. The splash makes a loud sound. I feel the coldness once again.
Then I feel his hands on the back of my waist travel to my bum, squeezing it. My naked breasts pressed against his bare chest.
“Levi…” I moan as his fingers move near my barely clothed member. “Please!”
He chuckles and I watch him smirk, “Please what?” He tucks my hair behind my ear and squeezes my ass, his hand already inside my panties.
“Please…” I was lost for words.
“Use your words,” his tone was rough and demanding as he continued to tease me.
“Please put your fingers in me!”
“Not yet,” he chuckles, satisfied with my words. “Who owns you?”
A gasp escapes my mouth when I feel his fingers brushing my nipple.
“Who can only do this to you?”
But I say nothing, unable to find my words until he roughly pulls my hair. “Who?”
I groan in his grasp, “You…” I say breathless.
The softness of Levi’s lips devours me again as his fingers brush my panties. Slowly, I feel him touch my folds, sending a rush into my body. I gasp in his touch.
“So sensitive for me…” he whispers as he strokes my hair. “You’re such a mess for me…”
His eyes move from my face down to my body, observing it.
“Fuck, only I get to see this, understand?” he mutters as he devours my breast and feels the other with one hand.
A loud moan escapes my mouth when I feel his fingers part my folds and play with it. The pleasure makes me shudder and I feel something gush in between my thighs and I almost collapse beside him, losing all my energy.
Levi tightens his grip around me and chuckles, “Sorry. Did I exhaust you?”
A tired smile was all I could give him. Levi carries me out of the water and rests me on the ground. He finds our clothes and dusts it off before placing his uniform jacket around me.
“Now,” he starts, “to dry ourselves.”
Realizing we don’t have any towels to dry ourselves with, I chuckle, “We’ll use our jackets.”
I look around to find mine. When I did, I immediately put it over Levi’s damp hair, drying it. Levi looked at me with an unreadable expression, but I was too busy drying off his hair.
“Is that fine?” I ask and I put the jacket in my lap.
Levi looks at me, mouth slightly parted, and then touches his hair as if he’d just gotten back from a deep thought, “Yeah...”
Levi pulls me closer, giving me a gentle peck on my lips, “I’ll dry your hair too.”
These secret moments were enough to keep me going. There were no titans. I didn’t have to worry about being dead by the next expedition. No rules to follow. No people and country to defend. None of it mattered. Not if I had Levi.
#attack on titan#levi ackerman#levi ackerman smut#levi ackerman x oc#levi ackerman x reader#levi ackerman fanfiction#fanfiction#anime#shingeki no kyojin#shingeki no kyojin imagines#attack on titan imagines#attack on titan levi#aot fanfic#snk fanfiction#smut#levi ackerman imagines#levi x oc#levi ackerman fluff
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Sweet Knitted Wishes (Loki x Reader)
Loki becomes jealous of reader’s relationship with Tony Stark and reflects on this
A/N: Next portion of my Loki x Reader Winter series! Had a lot of fun writing this one! As always, Gender Neutral Reader!
Warnings: Slight jealousy and pure fluff
Loki supposed this was another natural tendency for humans. As he continued to study and acclimate to Midgardian culture he took focus on the change of temperament and behaviors they would display during this ‘Holiday Season.’ He comprehended it enough. It was a time of the year were they would grow closer, bond as comrades and family, engorge themselves with festive foods and drinks, and become even more physically needy than before.
The latter didn’t really phase him much, as he always perceived humans to be physically needy creatures. He would catch wind of how often handshakes, embraces, kisses and pats on the back would occur at Stark’s facility. He had the misfortune of experiencing one of Captain America’s bone crushing handshakes once, perhaps as a retaliation from the last time they battled. Despite this, Loki wasn’t a very physical person, when it came to humans of course. Even his childish tag-a-longs with you didn’t involve much exchange with bodily movements until much recently. And at the most, it involved an innocent kiss in a hidden location where no one could even fathom it.
He figured you respected his personal space as you too became suddenly touchy feely with your coworkers and comrades. He discovered your favorite greetings included side hugs and quick pecks on the cheek, nothing too risque however. For the most part, you got along with everyone at the facility fairly well. For those few unknown workers, you were polite and attentive, just what a model worker would be.
As his observations continued, Loki soon had come to known just how differently these greetings would be with the one Tony Stark.
And he absolutely detested it.
Loki knew you had a different relationship with your boss, one involving many exchanges of teasing remarks and playful banter. These weren’t ill intended remarks however. You had great respect for Stark and it was evident with how you would describe him to Loki. At the same time, you both connected and got along extremely well. You both were smart, witty, had your own individualistic charisma and had a knack for looking out for others. You had told Loki you best interpreted it as having a big brother who will always look after you and call you out on your misgivings.
He knew both you and Stark have had this relationship for much longer than he has been there. And yet, Loki felt as if he should fit that role in your life instead. Not as a big brother, but as someone equally meriting praise. You were also playful and clever around Loki, and for what he interpreted, you also held him in high regard. This was exhausting as the only image appearing in his head was the need to go head to head with Stark in some time of metaphorical battle for your hand.
His possessiveness got the better of him one evening when Stark had surprised with an early holiday gift. Loki had been lounging around your vicinity as you were ready to call it a night. Stark, loudly voicing his entrance into the room, had called out to you to hand you a small gift bag since he wouldn’t be at the facility for the remainder of the week.
It wasn’t until you exclaimed joyously and wrapped your arms around Stark’s neck that Loki felt a strong, uncomfortable pang in his chest. The feeling felt heavy and twisting, as if a hand had reached his insides and crushed it with an immense force. A million thoughts ran into his head and his lips became distorted.
“Tony you little shit. This is so lovely, thank you so much!” You had said, finally releasing your loving embrace from around his shoulders.
“This is so I don’t get any crap from you after I’m back from Europe. Also because now you owe me something even nicer.”
From the corner of the room, both you and Tony failed to notice the grumbling Asgardian with a dark cloud forming over his head. Jealousy wasn’t the right word to describe his anger, but resentment. Resentment towards Stark for being fortunate enough to receive this type of intimacy from you. For receiving your attention and utmost respect in any way possible. And resentment for feeling comfortable enough to be this way with you. Loki used all of his strength to hold back any rabid temptation to whisk you away and keep you all to himself.
But he knew he couldn’t do it, and it wouldn’t be very characteristic of him to do so.
Loki wanted to send Stark flying through a window again. Now that would be more fitting to his character.
“Hey, reindeer games.” Tony hollered out to Loki, only to be met with daggers for eyes.
“What?” Loki responded scornfully.
“Better stay out of trouble while I’m gone. (Y/N), keep an eye on him for me will ya’?” Tony gave you a quick wink before exiting the room, to which you rolled your eyes heavily at.
Loki remained bothered at the whole incident and he slouched in his seat, defeated at how much Stark had riled him up yet again. From a different perspective, he appeared like a pouty child who had failed to get the attention they wanted. And maybe this is what he had actually felt, the loss of your attention for another man, a man who had defeated him long ago. He knew you’d never see him in that way but the possibility continued to tug at him.
You approached Loki after gathering all your belongings and immediately recognized his ‘moody’ face.
“You okay? Were you waiting long for me?”
His eyes only peered up at you, his expression still rigid. “I’m fine. And no.”
You scoffed. “Tony got on your nerves again huh? I know you hate that little nickname he gave you.”
“He’s a fool but I don’t waste my time being bothered by it.” He was the God of Lies after all.
“Right. Lucky for us, we won’t have to deal with him for a good while. Should be fun for us.” You grinned at him, suggesting some mischief between the two of you.
Even as mad as he was, Loki couldn’t resist smirking at your remark. “It will be quite enjoyable without Stark breathing down my neck.”
“Oh!” You halted for a bit. “That reminds me!”
You jogged quickly back to your desk and rummaged through your drawer, taking out a green gift bag stuffed with white tissue paper.
Loki’s curiosity overtook him, forgetting his turmoil for a brief moment. He slowly walked over to you as you puffed up the crumpled tissue paper.
“I know it’s a little early but I wanted to give you this before the weather gets any colder.” You said, handing over the small gift to him.
Loki stood frozen. “I...don’t understand.”
“Of course you do. It’s an early present for you. I just didn’t want to take it out in front of Tony. I’m sure you wouldn’t have wanted to try it on in front of him.”
Loki’s eyes darted back and forth between your face and down to the gift you held for him. A gift, from you, just for him. He hesitantly reached out to grab a hold of it, brushing past your fingertips.
“You didn’t get anything for Stark?” Loki couldn’t resist asking. This was an opportunity to have his ego boosted.
“Tony has like everything so I’ll probably just order some hard liquor for him or something. I figured no one has really gotten you anything before.”
“I don’t know if I should take that as an offense.”
“Go ahead and open it though, let me know if you don’t like the color.” You said, motioning to his gift.
Loki dug in, pulling the paper out, unsure of what to expect. He reached in and began to pull out something soft, warm, something made of heavy yarn. Loki pulled out the item, revealed to be a large knit scarf, beautifully deep green with with soft golden tassels at its end. He couldn’t possibly resist to think it, but this was indeed his color scheme. His favorite colors. Meaning you had picked this with intention specifically for him. He was running in your thoughts somewhere.
Loki was speechless. “I...um.”
“You don’t like it?” You asked, your face slowly becoming dejected which put Loki on high alert.
“No, it’s not that. I’m just...taken back a little.”
“Mind if I slink it around you? So you can see if it’s not too scratchy.”
Loki slowly nodded as you reached out to grab the scarf from his hand, your finger gently brushing against his again. He lowered his head slightly, enough so you could fling the scarf gently around his neck, looping it again so it had a tighter fit.
“What about now? Warm enough?”
Loki tugged at the scarf a bit from his neck, shifting it to a more comfortable form. He then took a moment to reflect on how it felt around him. It was puffy, maybe a bit too much for his liking, but he understood how it was intended to keep him warm against the cold winter winds. The heat circled his neck in a soft, gentle embrace, similar to a pair of soft arms encircling his shoulders and neck.
“It’s lovely.” He said, a small smile forming behind the green knitted yarn.
“I’m really happy you like it.” You exclaimed, a small smile also forming on your face. “I gotta admit, I was little nervous you were gonna throw it back at my face.”
“And why would I do that?”
You shrugged. “I guess it was just important to me. I wanted to make sure it was something you liked.”
Loki felt a pang in his chest again, but this time it was softer and warmer, and it spread all over his body. Your stupid attention to detail warmed his dry heart. The shimmer in your eyes made him feel worthwhile, and perhaps a tad more significant than whatever Tony Stark was for you. You saw him with eyes of admiration, but this look? His intuition told him it was much more different.
“That’s touching.” He said mockingly. “But thank you. This was a bit surprising to say the least.”
“That’s what the holidays are all about. Ready to head out?”
Loki trailed behind you as you gathered your items and made your way to the exit the facility. Throughout the rest of the evening as you both went your separate ways, Loki continued to wear your gift, disregarding how ludicrous the notion was of imagining your arms wrapped around him. They would be tight, warm, and secure, and would apply as much intention as your gift would have. Tony Stark would have your respect and admiration, but he certainly didn’t share this intimacy as Loki did. After all, humans provided much sentiment in the simplest of objects.
#loki#loki x reader#loki x you#loki x (y/n)#Loki Laufeyson#loki fanfiction#loki fanfic#loki (mcu)#loki odinson#loki imagine
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King in the ring
Another amazing story I got from @writer-ofstuff, featuring Derek of Teen Wolf.
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‘If you want to see your guy again then you will come alone to this address at midnight.'
Derek read over the note he found in Stiles dorm room, fuming that someone was dumb enough to take the younger man. The person had to know what Derek was since the note was addressed to him and not Stiles's father. Which made Derek believe the person behind this could possibly be a werewolf Hunter who is using Stiles as a way to get to Derek.
Derek had no idea who could be behind this, what werewolf hunting family they were from, if they were rogue ones, or if they even were hunters to begin with and not some other supernatural being. So Derek had no choice but to do as the inte instructed and come alone. Because when it came down to it Derek would always choose Stiles over himself if it meant the younger man he cared so much for was safe.
The address Derek was told to go to ended up being at a community auditorium where special events were often held at. An odd location to request to meet at, but Derek wasn't going to question it too much. He easily found a way inside, listening carefully for any indication of where the people and Stiles were at within the building.
Derek can hear talking in one large room, the room if he recalls right is one of the larger rooms in the auditorium where wreslting matches and leagues were often hosted there. Pushing the doors open, Derek is met with a large spotline shining on him when he steps through the doors. He winces his eyes. And brings his hand up to bloc, out the harsh light while music starts blaring within the room and a loud voice speaks.
"Our guest of honor has finally arrived. Please welcome to the ring Derek Hale! " a deep voice man spoke into the microphone. Cheers of men that filled the seats I'm the audience clapped and cheered. Derek startled at it all, wondering why he didn't sense this many people before he came into the room. Wondering if magic was behind this or something that made his werewolf senses not work as they should have.
Derek steps towards the ring, unsure what else to do. His face sat into an annoyed scowl as he climbed up into the ring and is met by a large man in the center of the ring.
He is taller than Derek by a good couple of inches. The man looks a few years older than Derek and wears only a pair of spandex orange and red designed shorts, boots and a wrestler mask that shares the same color scheme as the spandex shorts do. The man's face is obviously concealed by the mask, but Derek can see a blonde beard surrounding the man's mouth in the opening of the mask. The man has two different colored eyes, one blue eye and one green, he stares into Derek's eyes, smirking smugly at the werewolf.
"Seems like our guest has arrived for the special event tonight gentlemen." The man says, his voice sounding surprisingly smooth for such a big hairy brute that he is.
"Where is Stiles." Derek asks, cutting to the chase.
"Aww now where would be the fun in me just telling you so you can just end up retrieving him and leaving before we begin to have our match." The man says.
"You can call me Slayer by the way, in case you were wondering who I am."
"I don't care what your stupid stage name is or whatever the hell this is you have going on here, I want my boyfriend back. Now." Derek says coldly, allowing his eyes to glow alpha red to show he isn't joking around. Only the gesture doesn't seem to intimidate the big guy at all, in fact it seems to only make him seem more excited, his grin growing wider.
"Now this is why I sought you out and had to bring you here at whatever it took to do so. You got a real fire to your personality and I always wanted to see if I could take an alpha werewolf, especially one who comes from such a powerful bloodline of born werewolves." Slayer says.
"I won't fight you or play into your twisted act, I just want Stiles back." Derek replies, his voice growling, growing frustrated and annoyed with the spotlights, the loud music, and the chattering of the fans in the crowds.
"Well if you want your Stiles back then you have no choice but to play along in my special wrestling match. Which you must win by the way, as if it would be hard for you to do since you're a werewolf and I'm just a human after all." Slayer says, sounding like he is taunting Derek with that last part.
This didn't sit well with Derek, no doubt this guy was up to something. He wanted to fight a werewolf like Derek, and yet he mentioned how he was just a human and how the match should essentially be easy and in Derek's favor. Derek would have to keep his guard up, not be distracted at all since he had to do this stupid match in order to get Stiles freed from this weirdo wreslter.
"Fine, let's get this over with." Derek growls. He tosses off his leather jacket and takes a stance, only to be thrown something by Slayer.
"If you're going to do this then you're going to have to dress the part, Wolfman." Slayer says.
Derek looked down to see a purple wrestlers mask was what was thrown at him. He can smell the musk and sweat that dampened the mask which makes him disgusted by just holding it let alone putting such a nasty thing on his head.
"I am not wearing this disgusting thing." Derek tells Slayer who looks amused.
"Oh you will wear it Derek, because it is part of the act." Slayer tells him.
"Unless you don't want to free Stiles from where I have him hidden. Makes no difference to me since I would win either way." He adds smugly.
Derek's scowl darkens at the larger man. Steeling himself Derek puts the musky sweat stained and soaked mask over his head. He already feels humiliated and disgusted, but thankfully the crowd around them doesn't laugh nor mock him for wearing such a nasty thing, if anything they seem to be cheering louder than they were before Derek put the mask on.
"Let's get this over with." Derek says once he has the mask on over his head.
"Yes, let's give these men a show they'll love." Slayer says as the bell dings for the match to begin.
Derek had thought he would have this match done with already. He assumed he had the upper hand with him being a werewolf and Slayer being human, and yet the wrestler was keeping Derek on his toes, easily taking and evading Derek's attacks.
"What's wrong Wolfman, tired already?" Slayer taunts as he circles Derek and lunges at him. He catches Derek by surprise and his pulled into Slayer's arms and his face shoved into Slayer's thick hairy pits.
Derek is startled by such a move that he freezes up, feeling the sweat from Slayer's pits smear all over Derek's face. Derek is thankfully that he has the mask on so the mask absorbs some of the sweat, although he can still smell the sweaty musk from Slayer's pits. Unaware that the sweat and musk, along with what covered the mask when he put it on, has started to have an unique effect on the werewolf.
Derek feels himself getting warmer, sweat starting to form on his face under the mask. His body even sweats through his clothes, staining hid puts and the collar of his shirt.
Derek lunges forward this time, grabbing Slayer and then knocks him back into the jump of the ring. Derek's muscles expand in size as he moves, trading hits and exchanging moves with Slayer in the ring.
"Is that the best you got, Wolfman?" Slayer taunts.
"Not even close." Derek replies and moves towards him again.
The match goes on like that, the two trading hits, dodging moves, and they continue to trash talk one another. Derek's shirt ends up getting torn so he just finishes tearing it off his body, showing off how much muscle he has gained, now in equal size to Slayer. Derek's torso has also grown hairy. He absentmindedly scratches his furry upper body, his attention still focused on Slayer, determined to win this match for his fans, for Stiles he quickly corrects himself, wondering for a moment why he thought of himself having fans.
He charges and side steps out the way when Slayer throws an arm out to grab Derek to pin him down, only for Derek to do it to him.
"Looks like you're throwing the match in my favor." Derek whispers in Slayer's ear.
"You wish." Slayer tells him. Flipping their positions so now Slayer is on top of Derek.
"How predictable of you Wolfman." Slayer laughs, only to be bucked off and Derek to pin him to the floor of the ring. Derek grinds his erected bulge against Slayer's spandex covered ass. Earning a moan from the wrestling pro which piques Derek's interest, the werewolf feeling himself getting aroused.
"Like that?" Derek asks, poking his erected 13 inch cock into Slayer's ass once more. Slayer nods, and Derek's grin goes wider.
"Such a slut aren't you, in the ring and out of it." Derek muses, pulling down Slayer's spandex shorts, revealing Slayer's round hairy ass. Derek can smell how musky it smells already, it makes him eager to thrust his dick into the tight hairy asshole, so much so that he can't stop himself from doing it.
"Ooh fuck yeah." Slayer moans out loud, sounding just as eager as Derek feels as Derek starts to slowly prep Slayer's semi expanded asshole with his cock.
Each thrust Derek feels guilt that he is cheating on Stiles fade, instead growing more aroused and wanting to blow his load in such a hot piece of ass like Slayer's. More changes befall Derek. His legs grow longer till he is at equal height to the wrestler. His voice deepening as well, Derek feels his balls churning and with one more hard thrust he and Slayer both cum hard, the crowd cheering and echoing moans throughout it fills their ears, no doubt the men the audience getting off to the show Derek and Slayer had put on.
"Seems like I win Mike. Now let Stiles go" Derek says once he slides his dick out of his opponent's asshole. He startles at knowing Slayer's name, Slayer standing up and removing his mask, revealing his handsome face for Derek to see. That and hearing how deep his voice is now also confuses him.
"Yeah, you win this time brother." Slayer, or Mike says. "But why would you want to free our new recruit?" Mike asks, he steps up to Derek, Derek realizing they're at eye level now. Before he can ask why that is Mike is kissing him. Derek freezes into the kiss, but then his mind relaxes and he returns it with just as much passion as Mike does.
Derek forgets himself, forgets being who he was before he came here with the intentions of helping Stiles. Now Derek, Dean as he thinks of himself now. Recalls his new life, being a pro wrestling duo with his twin brother Mike. Mike, known as the Slayer, and Dean the Wolfman, together they make up the team Wolfman Slayer.
Derek removes his mask after the two twin brothers kiss each other. Revealing his face looks the same as Mike's. The two sharing the same short spiky blonde hair, the same trimmed beard along their angular and square jawline and cheeks.
The only differences between them is their eyes Derek's eyes remain the same hazel color they were from before, Dean being hairier than Mike, and his voice much more deeper than Mike's as well.
"You're right brother." Dean says. "Not sure what I was thinking there in wanting to free him. He will make a hot wrestler for our league." Derek says, a grin on his face.
After they wrap up the show and send the crowd home Dean and Mike head to the locker rooms, where they find the young man Mike too. Stiles is bound by old jockstraps, one even forced into his mouth which Dean gives his brother a questioning look.
"What? He wouldn't stop talking so I had to get him to shut up." Mike shrugs.
Dean huffs out an amused laugh and approaches Stiles, who seems to react by trying to break free of his restraints.
"Just relax my guy, you're going to enjoy this as much as we are." Dean tells him, not recognizing that this was a man he once loved and cared about when he was is old self, now all Dean wants to do is use his and his brother's special gift and turn Stiles into another dumb brute wreslter they can use in their wrestling league.
Later as the two twins walk out, a 6'5" brick wall of a man walks out behind them, Tank as he is called in the ring and out it, smiles dim wittedly at his two friends and bosses before taking his leave to hit the gym, with Dean following behind him, Mike however looking at the two as they leave the locker room, pleased with his work in creating two new wrestlers for him to use and gaining a twin. He is eager to see how they both do when they have a real wrestler league when Mike finishes transforming more men that the two once knew before Mike transformed them.
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Analysis
On October 23, 1966, Chanie Wenjack, a boy taken from his family because of who he was and who they are, died trying to return home. His is a story that deserves to be told and should be told, certainly by one more skilled than me, his among many others. But can these stories be told accurately? And if so, what obstacles might stand in the way?
Within Philosophical Investigations, philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein suggests that individual words, or even sentences, only have meaning because of what he called “language-games” because, similar to “normal” games, language-games have a set of rules. It is from the application of these rules that words obtain a meaning. A meaning, singular, because rules and their resulting meanings for a particular word can change between games due to communication’s constant evolution. As an example, Wittgenstein uses the word “water”. Even used in isolation from any other words, “water” could be a command to be brought some for drinking, an alert to a leak or spill, or even as a code word. Meanings aren’t even fixed within a particular language-game; they can be fluid in use, like water.
Wittgenstein didn’t limit the idea of language-games to only word-based communication by using the example of a builder instructing where their assistant should place stones via pointing. Though he applied this to only objective communication, I believe he could have with good reason.
Human communication can be split into two groups: cross-cultural and intercultural. Cross-cultural communications are methods that everyone should be able to recognize, a set of universal rules for every language-game such as weeping being recognized as emotional distress regardless of the audience. These sorts of indicators are instinctual and vague, unlike intercultural communication which is taught and precise. Intercultural communication is everything else: rules that are not seen in every culture, community, or scenario. These rules can range from widely recognized gestures such as pointing to natural languages such as English or French, to regional dialects, to slang, or to location-specific references.
This is the first problem with telling the story of Wenjack: particularly to a wide audience, using intercultural communication isn’t intrinsically more precise. Using words or interpretations that are too specific to a demographic will leave many unaccommodated. Generally, the broadest and most widely understood yet precise game is a natural language which dictionaries attempt to define and upon mediums such as encyclopedias rely. The Canadian Encyclopedia’s article for Wenjack uses no local slang and only terms that could be easily found in a dictionary. If there was any ambiguity, as for the term “Residential School”, or for a local term such as the place-name “Kenora”, then there is a link provided leading to an exposition. Though all word-based communication is intercultural, not all intercultural communication is word-based. Many cultures, including construction, have some form of “pointing”, but there can be important variations, sometimes within a single system, each form possessing its own meaning.
Wittgenstein only mentioned Intercultural communication but didn’t include all forms within: abstract symbolism was omitted. Some symbolism does only represent words, such as the octagonal “stop” sign, some also objective indicators: “x marks the spot”. The digital information particularly has worked best with icons, such as the reload, save, like, and go-back symbols that have become intuitive without being fixed to a natural language. However, abstract symbols have abstract meanings. Ravens are a popular animal for symbolism. Their scavenging habits have led many cultures to see them as representing death, not “death”, but the idea of death. Native cultures in North America instead saw their resourcefulness and intelligence as the signs of a prolific trickster; a character rather than a trait. In both the lyrical and illustrational aspects of Secret Path, a project directed by Gord Downie to tell Wenjack’s story, a raven accompanies Wenjack. As the story nears its end and Wenjack his death, the raven becomes more prominent. In the third last track of the album, the raven begins to speak to Wenjack saying “I know a way that I can help you.” Whether what follows are honest proposals with honest intentions I am still not sure.
The bases of all communication can be described by a model derived by C.E. Simmons which includes 8 steps through which information passes. In order, the steps are Inspiration, composition, encoding, transmission, noise, reception, decoding, then interpretation. However, for our purposes, we can boil it down to just encoding and decoding. As with any game (except maybe hunting and fishing) all participants should understand what game is being played and what the rules are. The presenter, the one who is encoding, needs to understand which “game”, or set of rules, the context calls for and how to effectively use those rules. The audience, those who are decoding, should also understand the set of rules that should be used and reverse engineer the meaning effectively. For anything that can be observed by both speaker and audience, perfect encoding and decoding can result in exact communication for the subject. However, this is only true for what is observable by both parties.
Language games were not Wittgenstein’s only contribution to language theory. To describe subjectivity and limitations in language, he proposed a thought experiment. Suppose everyone each had a box hovering above their head which contains… something. Importantly, only the person to whom the box belongs knows what is inside and everyone calls what is in their box a “beetle”. Wittgenstein uses this idea to show individual perceptions aren’t verifiable and how language can fail to communicate these experiences. We all experience something called pain, but we fail to know and communicate exactly how everyone else experiences pain. We all just call it “pain”. While we don’t know how others feel pain, we can still recognize the signs of cursing, crying, and holding the injured part using empathy. The reaction to pain is instinctual, while pain isn’t cross-culturally or interculturally, the reaction is.
We don’t know how Wenjack felt when he was home, confined to the school, or on the run. However, we can use empathy to make a strong guess as to what he felt. This is his story and he is at the centre of it. His perspective is integral.
The question then becomes, which reactions, similar to grasping a stubbed toe, are rooted deeply enough in the human psyche that the subjective experiences of Wenjack or anyone else can be communicated, or even better, felt. Intuition is key, shared intuition is better. The methods of communication that result are generally labelled as art. Artists hone their craft, gain and enhance their intuition as a result, and apply it to various degrees of success. I referenced Secret Path earlier. Secret Path is certainly an art project meant to convey more than objective information; whether it be through phonetic lyrics and musical key choices on the album, or through the colour scheme and movement in the graphic novel and animation. I think the colour choice for the illustrations was particularly fantastic.
What fascinates me is that while this use of colour is largely a form of cross-cultural communication it is still easy to see how it applies to the theory of language-game because right from the beginning it breaks a rule: if it isn’t only black and white, colour is to be used accurately. Secret Path uses only blue in addition to black and white; panning from the sky down to a forest without any green or brown. This breaking of the rule sets up a new rule: only blue, black, and white are used. This sets up a question; why blue?
Blue occurs relatively rarely in nature, in the sky and in large bodies of water that mostly just reflect the sky, to see blue and only blue on land is a bit disconcerting. People also usually associate blue with sadness or cold, possibly due to blues prominence during winter. This new rule of blue, black, and white also gets broken when Wenjack is remembering his home: portrayed using the full visible colour spectrum but focusing on the warmer colours of yellow and red. The final set of rules relating to colour is that blue represents foreignness, but warm colouring indicates home and security.
Downie stated that he wanted to get across “the idea of trying to get home.” Given that verbal key, it becomes easier to find that theme in the telling of the story. The last shot of the film is Wenjack’s consciousness walking away from the blue landscape towards a vibrant homestead. However, this is not what I was thinking of when I first heard Wenjack’s story. Though it has been a while since the first reception, I believe my initial thoughts are the same as my current: Wenjack’s forced choice between losing his life or personhood. I do not think that I got the wrong impression, nor do I think Downie failed. There is a dichotomy in communication: that objective encoding and decoding can be accurate, but no matter how some concepts are encoded they will never result in a message unaffected by the audience save by chance. Downie and I could have both had a beetle in our box (trying to get home), but I happen to call mine an apple (forced choice). For cases such as this, I believe there is no right answer because the answer is unknowable.
Works Cited
Carley, Georgia. "Chanie Wenjack". The Canadian Encyclopedia, 01 November 2016, Historica Canada.
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/charlie-wenjack. Accessed 02 January 2021.
Cherry, Kendra. “The Color Psychology of Blue.” Verywell Mind, Verywellmind, 24 Nov. 2005,
www.verywellmind.com/the-color-psychology-of-blue-2795815.
“Gord Downie’s The Secret Path - YouTube.” Www.Youtube.com, 23 Oct. 2016,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGd764YU9yc&t=2357s. Accessed 2 Jan.
2021.Ludwig Wittgenstein, and G E M Anscombe. Philosophical Investigations : The English Text of the Third Edition.
Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Prentice Hall [Ca, 2000.
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YOUR TALENT MAKES YOU WHO YOU ARE. YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF IT
BIDDI BOPPI BOOP A SPECIAL MESSAGE ADMIN ZULEMA: this is truly the season of returning members and we’re thriving lads ! Jill, I am so happy to welcome you back to walt. your app for Tiffani was brilliant. you have so much passion and love for this character. I know she’s in good hands and that you’ll bring so much to her. I’m excited about what you’ll bring to the dash with this feisty pixie ! Please refer to THIS PAGE for your next tasks. We can’t wait to roleplay with you. Welcome to our Ohana xx.
It’s a pleasure to meet you…
Jill, 30, eastern, she/her :)
My favorite fruit is raspberries
I love swords
I know more than I ever wanted to about Shakespeare’s history plays
No triggers!
Are you positive you can be active?
Yes, I’d been planning a return to rp to give me something to do during my day job once I was done with this season’s rep shows… and then covid happened…
How did you stumble upon Walt?
Walt was the first post that came up when I typed “Disney rp” in the tumblr search so I took it as a sign
Did you read the rules?
Yup!
Are you sure?
rfp
Character you want?
Tiffani Belle
Please describe the character for us
Baseball caps and glitter. Those were the words to describe Tiffani Belle as she was growing up. Born to a well-off family, Tiffani was the only girl her age growing up in her neighborhood. The boys all gave her the nickname Tink, because she was the tiniest of their playdate crew. The tiny blonde swelled with pride, and quickly had every single one of them wrapped around her little finger. She could get down and dirty with the rest of them, but she knew that being a girl made her special. She spent her childhood days fixing her friends’ bicycles, collecting grass stains on her clothes, and convincing all the boys that because they were friends, she should be their first kiss. (Somewhere in her childhood bedroom, she still has the contract they drafted on that day in first grade when the boys lined up to peck their lips against Tiffani’s.)
Tiffani took to the role of leader quickly. It wasn’t necessarily a control thing, but Tiffani liked to be in charge, and she really liked for things to go her way. She was headstrong from childhood onward, more than willing to use her leadership skills and stubbornness to fight for what she believed in – whether that be later bedtimes with mom and dad, or returning tater tots to the elementary school lunch menu. They were a kid favorite, potatoes were good for you and ketchup was technically a vegetable, and they deserved to be eaten!
Getting to high school wasn’t much different for Tink. Now she was a little fish in a big pond, but being small had never held Tink back before. Tiffani made sure to make her name known early on in her high school year. As the weather was getting warmer, Tink stood on top of the cafeteria table, white tennis shoes squeaking against the plastic table top, mini skirt almost dangerously short from that angle, and demanded students be allowed to eat their lunches outside. They had gorgeous weather half the school year, it was their right to be able to enjoy the outdoors, and their medical need to soak up the Vitamin D. Administration caved, and Tink was class president for two years after that.
But the older she got, the lonelier Tink became at the top. The girls all wanted to be her, and the boys all wanted to date her. Well, the ones that mattered anyway. But as the years went by, the more Tink became a leader and the boss, and the less she had any actual friends.
Fairy wings and pixie dust. That was when everything started to change. Puberty for Tiffani had started on the early side. She took it in stride, loving to be first in everything. She was the first in her grade with boobs (small as they may have been at the time) and she flaunted her period to her classmates because they were still girls but now she was a woman. What Tink wasn’t prepared for was the pain that started in her shoulders one evening. She’d spent the day with some of the boys switching between doing pushups and sitting on top of them while they did pushups. Tink loved to show them up whenever she can, reminding them that just because she was small and a girl didn’t mean that she couldn’t do just as many reps as they could. So she’d thought nothing of the pain, writing it off as having pushed her body a bit too far that day. But the pain didn’t dissipate, and it was a few days later that she saw them: iridescent wings starting to poke from her shoulder blades. The oddities multiplied from there. Tink didn’t know anything about what was happening (she knew how to use the internet, she’d figure some things out), but she knew that she couldn’t tell anyone. Not if she was going to stay on top. So the top became even lonelier.
Meeting Pippin Pan changed everything. He transferred to her school, and Tink saw something in him. Saw that he was a leader and an adventurer like herself, and to top it off, Pippin wasn’t immediately intimidated by her. In fact, she was sure that he saw an equal in Tink just as she saw him as an equal to her. The two became attached at the hip, a couple of teenagers at the top, and Tiffani would do anything for Pippin. Anything. He was the first person she told about her abilities, and he was the first person Tiffani had any real romantic feelings for. He made her heart race, and she was ready to see what was on the opposite end of their friendship.
Turns out the only thing there was disappointment. When the Darlings came to town, Pippin became fascinated with them. So naturally Tink hated them. She hated Wendy, she hated Jane, she hated that Pippin wanted anything to do with them at all, and she hated that she still needed Pippin as her best friend and her right hand. She hated that she’d shared her secrets and her heart with him, and he dared to care about anyone other than her. Green had always been a good color for Tiffani, it really brought out her eyes, but jealousy consumed the girl and their relationship never truly recovered.
Soon after she met Hook, and Tink was no longer concerned with friendship or Pippin or being a leader. What had leadership gotten her? After all these years? No, true leadership would come later. Tiffani Belle would take the world by storm one day, but Hook new about revenge. Hook stirred a darkness within her, growing out of that jealousy, his silver tongue and clever words working their way into Tink’s heart and mind. He could help her get Pippin back, and everything would go back to normal. But the blonde might’ve been in too deep. She connected with Hook in a way she’d never connected with anyone before, told him all of her secrets, gave him all of herself; he listened, was a comforting presence, and give Tink the push she needed to make sure stupid Wendy Darling was out of the way and Pippin would be hers again.
But the prank went too far, the Darlings wound up in the hospital, and something about that night opened Tiffani’s eyes. She was alone again, but that old spark – the one that was there before boys and feelings became involved – was ignited once more. Of course, everything had changed. She could never go back to the girl she was, not if she stayed. She told her parents everything, her entire side of the story, and even she couldn’t bring herself to argue when the decided to ship her off to Walt.
Second character choice
n/a
(but I may also have plans for Honey Lemon and the return of one Rita Holden)
It’s time to see that sample para.
cw: pixie dust related flying/broken bones accident
Perfect. Everything was perfect. And then those stupid Darling children came along and ruined it.
What did Wendy Darling have that Tiffani didn’t? Tink had power, popularity, imperfection. Tink had magic: she could fly, she could shrink, her pixie dust could make Pippin fly too. But perfect little birdy Wendy Darling came along and none of that mattered anymore. She didn’t matter anymore.
Well fuck them. Tink had found a new companion and new friendship in James Hook. With him she didn’t need to be a leader anymore. She could follow and learn and love him instead. Not real love, of course. Real love was bullshit that got her nothing and nowhere. When she was eventually back on top again, with the Darlings out of the way, love would be an emotion she would let nowhere near her tiny body. The wasn’t room anymore for love. Just like there wasn’t room for the Darlings.
It had been Hook’s idea, but Tiffani had latched on to his scheme, and now the time had come. He’d been able to get close to the Darlings in a way that Tink had been loath to do. She admired him for that, for his ability to hide that side of him in order to move forward with revenge. I would be harmless enough, just a simple scare to put the darling Wendy bird in her place. She wasn’t god’s gift to mankind, yet somehow she’d made Pippin think she was.
Digging through her closet, Tinkerbell pulled out the bit of pixie dust she’d been saving. She’d only ever used this on two other people before: Pippin and then Hook; but now she’d secretly use it on the Darlings, too.
She met up with Hook on the edge of town. The Darlings would be meeting him soon, then Tink would take care of the magic, and he would take care of the rest. Before she shrunk to fairy size, Hook’s hands pulled the tiny blonde in to him for a kiss, rough and raw and fiery and full of passion, striking the heat in Tink’s body that rose every time he did that. Who needed love and romance when there were people like hook who were so sexy and free of attachment?
Hidden from view, when the Darlings arrived and Hook started sewing his side of the plan, Tiffani silently sprinkled her pixie dust on their shoulders.
—What? —No—Hook wasn’t supposed to tell them how it worked. They were supposed to be shocked when they suddenly found themselves flying. A shock that would turn their lives around the way Tink’s wings had turned around hers.
Rage flared in Tink’s tiny fairy body, and she flittered toward Hook at a moment when the Darlings had turned away, but he flicked her away with a wave of his hand, and Tiffani darted to the ground as she tried to regain control of her wings. Too late she did, and she skid along the ground, crossing her arms in anger and disbelief. But she couldn’t revel in those feelings for too long, because then Hook was leading them away, and Tiffani would be damned if she let herself get left behind, now that Hook had screwed everything up. He was just like Pippin, dumping her for Wendy, and using her magic to garner Wendy’s praises.
She doesn’t like to think too often about the in between; about the events that lead to what happened next. But suddenly the Darlings were flying. Except they weren’t flying, they were falling. Falling from too many stories high. That wasn’t right, Tink’s pixie dust was fail proof. Perhaps it had worn off? She may have hated Wendy Darling, but she wasn’t in the murder business. Another sprinkling would do the trick. Reaching into her pocket, Tiffani withdrew her bag of pixie dust.
Pixie dust that wasn’t pixie dust.
Too late she realized that Hook had switched the bag, pulled her in for a kiss, wrapped his arms around her waist, and replaced her precious pixie dust (which was very much a part of her) with something else. And she could only stare in horror as the first bone cracked.
Anything else, love?
~
Yup!
#waaccept#accept#disney rp#bio rp#rp#rpg#roleplay#animation rp#cartoon rp#school rp#university rp#magic rp#power rp
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Parent Teacher Conference
This story came about because of a 'Who In The Couple Would Be' questionaire on Tumblr. This question was 'Who’s the teacher and who’s the single parent?'
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If you had told me at the beginning of the school year that it would have turned out like this I would have told you that you were crazy.
Emma was starting kindergarten and there was a meet and greet for the parents and the teachers. I went ahead and showed up since Miss Lincoln, who had taught my brothers and I (heck, maybe even our dad), retired two years ago and this was only her replacements second year on the job. So as a responsible parent I went to check him out, I wasn’t gonna leave my lil princess in the hands of a stranger.
She is the best thing to happen to me. A surprise (I don’t see how anyone could call their bundle of joy an accident or a mistake) that happened to me a year out of high school. Her sperm donor was a guy I had met while working at dad’s lumber camp. He was a seasonal worker who had just enough charm to get my guard down but not enough smarts to keep from bragging to the guys at the camp (most of whom had known me since I was a toddler). And it got worse when my brothers heard about it. One resounding beat down and he skipped town. There was a rumor going around that dad had introduced him to the camp’s wood chipper, but it was one of my jobs back then to inspect and maintain all the camp’s equipment. It was still as dirty as usual, but completely gore free.
A couple weeks later I found out I was pregnant and eight months after that Emma was born. At three foot tall and with her strawberry blonde hair, mischievous smile, and freckled face, Emma is my leprechaun. She drives her grandfather crazy though, because she would rather draw picture of a tree than climb one. But he still spoils her rotten as his first grandchild. Besides that, Gus’ lil one is two and already trying to climb anything he can reach. So there, he can take over the family legacy. My lil girl can be an artist if she wants to, she already has been dragging me to the new craft store that opened in the mall last year.
But enough about that, let’s get back to the story. I took the last available time to meet the new teacher, had to really thanks to work. I no longer work at the logging camp, nowadays I work for the local forestry department thanks to dad’s friend the Mayor. We got there just as Tate McGuket and his son were leaving. He’s gonna be an interesting one for this teach to handle, he seems to take after his grandfather some. Smart as a whip and cuckoo for coco puffs.
Walking into the class room I looked around. While the room was still painted in the same color scheme as the rest of the school, it somehow looked warmer, more inviting. And around the room was art of various fairy tale characters. But of all the change that had happened to this old room since I was last in it, the most striking is it’s occupant. Shoulder length, wavy brown hair. Half rim glasses that just barely obscure his milk chocolate brown eyes. And an interesting taste in fashion, if what he was wearing today was an example. He had on a pair of khaki carpenter pants and a red and white floral Hawaiian shirt. I could tell they were carpenter pants because he actually had a hammer hanging in it’s loop. He apologized and explained that he was taking time in between meetings to finish up the decorating and he liked to keep his tools at the ready. I responded that I used to keep an ax on me for the same reason.
We bantered on like that for a couple of minutes before we got down to the matter at hand. He went over the daily schedules; nap time, lunch time, and snack time. He pointed to a small refrigerator in the corner and said that snacks were supposed to be provided by the parents, but he will be keeping some fruit and veggies packs and juice boxes in class for those who are unable to provide their own. He believed that no child should go hungry if there was anything he could do about it. Dude scored some major points with me right there and I asked if there would be any way to donate some goods to the cause. He chuckled and with a smile so warm it nearly melted the wax apple he had on his desk said he would be glad of any help I would offer.
He then went on to first explain that there was only three students in class from Gravity Falls proper. the rest were from Provost, the next town over. Then he went to the curriculum, talking about how he liked to read various fairy tales to the class during nap time for those who don’t want to sleep. As he went on I noticed Emma was taking an interest in the various art he had on the wall. When he got to covering the alphabet, that caught her attention and she hopped up onto her seat and belted out the alphabet song in rapid fashion. He gave her an applause and said that he may just have her help him teach that to the rest of the class. He loved her enthusiasm. This earned him a squeal of delight and hug that he readily accepted. Then she noticed he had a set of MonsterMon Plushies in one corner of the class room and asked if she could go play with them while we talk. With another chuckle he told her to go have fun.
While Emma was having a blast with the stuffed animals, he finished up on the curriculum. He then asked if I had any questions. So I asked why he chose a small town like Gravity Falls as his first teaching assignment and he explained how he had two great uncles who run a tourist stop just outside of town and how he and his sister moved up here to help keep track of them as they got older. It was my turn to chuckle then. I told him that with his last name, I should have put two and two together, I used to work at that tourist trap back when I was a teen and knew both of the Stans. Once that he mentioned it I did see a little family resemblance. He was slimmer than either of them, but he definitely had the Stans’ jaw line. Looking back on it I guess that maybe I started getting interested back then, but I always was a stubborn one. Some how though I think Emma noticed my interest before I did even.
Over the next couple weeks Emma was always happy to go to school, she had made friends with most of her class. Then one Friday morning she seemed reluctant to go to school. When I asked her why, she told me that one of the kids from out of town was picking on her over her freckles. It was getting to her. My first response was to tell her to just deck him, but I knew that would only worsen the matter. So I told her to tell him that it was bugging her and if that didn’t work to tell me later and I would set up a meeting with Mr. Pines over the matter.
Well apparently the kid started in on her as she got to class, but this time Mr. Pines caught him. He explained that words could hurt and that anyone could be picked on. When the boy exclaimed that there was no way that Mr. Pines could have been picked on, that he was too nice for that, he told them that he was picked on for most of his childhood until he decided to take his torment and wear it as a badge of honor. He brushed his bangs back and showed them that he had a birthmark on his forehead that resembled the big dipper. He told them that when his classmates had learned the name they began calling him Dipper. It wasn’t until his family started calling him that, that he not only accepted it but grew to love the nickname. He told them that except for a few places, like at school, he still went by the name Dipper to this day. The kid apologized to her and they became friends by the end of class. I got most of this from Emma when she got home, but Mr. Pines did end up calling to check up on her and to make sure I knew of the incident. We talked for a little bit after I thanked him for the report, and apparently I was watched during the conversation. I think Emma was already plotting something even then.
That Saturday we ended up getting lunch at Yumberjacks in celebration of her good report. After we sat down Emma saw that he was eating at a table on the other side of the dining area. She was about to call out to him when we saw that he was joined by a young lady that I could tell was probably the sister he had mentioned, but Emma had not heard that part of our conversation. She stopped herself from calling out to him and after a moment she went back to eating. She had recognized Mr. Pines sister as the owner of her favorite craft shop and suddenly on Sunday she needed a new jar of brown finger paint.
When we got to the store, Miss Pines was behind the counter. Emma started talking to her like normal. I could see the family resemblance now that I knew to look for it. After a couple of moments, Emma said she had drawing that she wanted to show Mabel, as he name tag proclaimed, so she could see if she liked it and if I could I go get the paint for her. I left only after Mabel said she would be glad to check out the work of another artist and swore she would not let Emma out of her sight. I recently learned Emma had showed Mabel a drawing of me and her brother and asked Mabel what her “attentions” were towards Mr. Pines. Mabel apparently loved it and had to fight to keep from laughing so loud that I would hear. She explained to Emma that she was his sister and that she liked her moxie. She then told her that she had heard about Emma from her brother. And that she had also heard about me, also. Mabel had been wanting to meet me, because her matchmaker-senses kept going off whenever her brother had talked about me. These two began conspiring to fix us up then and there.
The next thing I knew we would begin to run into Mr. Pines everywhere. He would be at the grocery store whenever we would go pick up supplies. And inevitably either he or he and his sister would be at a restaurant when we would get there or they would show up shortly afterwards. Another thing I learned recently was that Emma had put Mabel’s number in her Lil Firefly tm phone her Aunt Tambry had gotten her for her last birthday. They would text and plan these little encounters.
Eventually we started sharing tables to save the wait staff the hassle of busing two separate tables when one would do. More often than not the conversations would end up being Mabel and Emma talking about some cartoon or an art project of some type, while Dipper (he had finally told me in person to call him that during one of these meals) and I talked amongst ourselves. It was so refreshing to talk to someone my own age who was into bad cinema as much as I was. It was weird, here was someone I had not met prior to last September and it was beginning to feel like I had known him most of my life.
It was apparently so obvious that something was happening that even Lee had learned of it up in Portland. He wanted “all the details about my new beau”. I tried to tell him that we weren’t dating. We just ate dinner together a lot and had plans to watch some old B-movies while Tambry was babysat Emma. He laughed and told me that “that sounds like dating to me”. That fact that he was able to confirm it hit me, I was dating my daughter’s teacher. And you know what, it didn’t bug me as much as I thought it would. Dipper was sweet, handsome, intelligent, and a complete gentleman. I’m not sure I could do better if I tried. We started officially dating the day after Emma graduated from kindergarten. I came home from that first date to find a ‘new’ piece of art on her picture wall, it was the folded picture that Emma had shown Mabel all those months ago when they first conspired to get us together..
I still need to thank them…
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what's left of my heart's still made of gold, chapter 1/3
Alvareider, One Day At A Time. #19 off this list. Also on AO3. Part 2 Part 3
Schneider’s world was gray for decades.
That wasn’t unusual. Lots of people met their soulmates for the first time as adults, the world around them finally bursting into color the moment they touched.
Some people went through life without knowing exactly who their soulmate was, brushing a stranger in a crowd and watching rainbows appear all around them, never to see their soulmate again.
And, Schneider knew, some people never met their soulmate at all.
Father was one of those unlucky souls: a man whose world was colorless, as cold as he was.
Schneider had never been cold. As hard as he tried, he was never any good at the kind of chilly detachment his father wanted him to emulate. But his world was just as gray, and even before he learned to read or write, he’d learned the lesson his parents meant to teach him.
He would never have a soulmate, because he wasn’t good enough. If Father hadn’t found a soulmate after five wives and even more mistresses, then there was no hope for him.
The problem was, Schneider actually wanted a soulmate. He wanted to be loved. He wanted to love–to share himself with someone who might, if he was lucky, like him for exactly who he was. That was the point of a soulmate, wasn’t it? To find the person who would love you despite your flaws.
And he had plenty of those.
With no hope that there was someone waiting for him out there, Schneider sunk into feelings as cold and gray as the world he lived in. He tried to do what he was told, he watched as women came and went from his life, and he filled the holes with all the substances that money could buy. Alcohol numbed him when he was sad, cocaine made him hilarious so that people wanted to be his friends, gambling kept him entertained when time at home felt like it was slowly killing him.
If he believed he had a soulmate out there, he might have felt bad for giving up hope, but the thought never occurred to him, not even when he was so high that everything in the universe felt possible. Not even in rehab, when he was so sick and in so much pain that he could have used something like that to cling to.
Schneider would have felt guilty, knowing that his soulmate was in fact out there still waiting to meet him…except she was as stubborn as he was despondent, and so while he drank and danced his feelings away, she got married and had kids and refused to think about the man she might have met in some other life.
He didn’t have any idea that it was Penelope, of course. Not when they met in the company of her parents and baby Elena, and not a few days later when he ran into her and Victor on their way out of the building. He didn’t enjoy the way the Army dude eyed him, half-dismissive in a way that reminded him of Father and half-threatened, as though Penelope had mentioned his passing interest in her.
Sue him. She was gorgeous even sleep-deprived and frazzled, and he enjoyed a good relationship with most of his female tenants. He didn’t make a habit of sleeping with them, but there was no law against flirting--especially since their leases were signed by his father, not him.
Schneider felt Victor measuring him and finding him lacking, and under the high he was trying to cling to until he could move on from managing the building, he resented it. Luckily, there were always more drugs to bury those feelings under.
Fate or not, interested or not, the first time he touched Penelope was an accident. They were sharing the elevator, and when she got out on her floor, he followed, carrying the bag of groceries she’d forgotten in her exhausted hurry to get back to Elena.
As Schneider passed the bag to her, his hand brushed her elbow, and he realized for the first time that the hallway carpet was gray. He knew, of course, logically, that some things surely were, but since everything to him was gray and always had been, it was startling to watch the hallway bloom into colors–real colors–with the hall carpet under his feet still gray.
Not even that stayed the same, though. The world had been one monotone shade this whole time, and now even gray was full of colors. Hints of blue and brown and green, all shimmering blurred together inside the gray of the carpet.
When he looked up, Penelope was staring at him, her brow furrowed in confusion. “You okay?”
“I’m…fine?” He didn’t mean for it to be a question, but he honestly wasn’t sure. “What just happened?”
“You gave me my groceries.” She blinked. “Now you look like a strong wind could knock you over.”
“Oh. Well, I guess if the wind was strong enough, it could knock anybody over,” Schneider agreed faintly. Somewhere deep inside his brain he knew he wasn’t making much sense.
She already seemed like she had been avoiding him since they met. The elevator ride was awkward and he didn’t know why; he had been happy to see her, the cute mom in 402. It wouldn’t help anything if she thought he was crazy.
But…the colors. They were everywhere. And with Penelope staring at him, he couldn’t avoid how deep and rich they were in her. The shades of brown in her curly hair, the even warmer brown of her concerned eyes, the way her sweater was a blue so vibrant it almost hurt to look at it.
Schneider was slightly worried he might actually faint. Right there, only feet away from Penelope Alvarez. His soulmate.
Fuck.
His married soulmate.
Who was looking at him like he’d grown a second head, and she wanted nothing more than to escape his company but couldn’t do so without feeling guilty while he seemed so shaken.
“Come here,” she ordered, reminding him of both her military background and her new mom genes simultaneously, and Schneider shook his head to try and clear it.
The colors stayed just as vibrant, but at least some sense returned to him. He stepped farther away from her instead, wary of the hand she’d raised as though she was going to check his forehead for a fever.
Penelope's lack of reaction told him that he was the only one dealing with this new technicolor world. If it had been reaching out to her that flipped a switch in him, he could keep this a one-sided experience--as long as there was no touching on her part.
“I’m good,” he assured her, straightening up and thinking fine and normal, fine and normal as hard as he could, hoping it would read on his face.
“Don’t be a wuss,” she argued, crossing the hall in spite of his protests, and curling her fingers around his wrist. Penelope’s face twisted up in concentration as she counted his heartbeat. Or whatever it was nurses did with a person’s pulse. He wasn't a hundred percent sure how that worked, exactly.
Schneider waited for the fallout, watching her face for the same earth-shattering color explosion he’d just been through, and kept waiting as she dropped his arm with a nod. “Your heart’s beating a little fast, but your temperature seems fine. Pull it together, would you? I need to get inside to take care of my kid, and I can’t do that if you might collapse out here.”
“I won’t collapse,” he promised, gaping at Penelope as the shock continued to not arrive on her side of the hall. “I’ll just go get in the elevator, and then I won’t be your problem anymore.”
“Hey, I didn’t mean it like that.”
She sighed. “Maybe I did. Elena’s little, and even with my parents here, an hour is too long to be away from her right now. You swear you’re okay?”
“I’ll be fine,” he answered, as though that was the same thing. As he walked to the elevator, he tried to remember if he knew anyone with a soulmate whose soulmate was another person. That kind of mismatch, it would be a story you’d remember, right?
Penelope watched him go, and waited until she was inside her apartment before she let out a shaky breath.
What the hell was that?
Not for the first time, she thanked her parents and the Army for training her well in the art of non-reaction. She’d expected that it would help a lot once her daughter was old enough to need it, but she hadn’t anticipated it coming in handy in quite that way.
Schneider? Really?
Her Mami was talking to her as she handed Elena over, swaddled in another pink blanket, her tiny earrings glinting in the light. Her tiny gold and yellow earrings, Penelope noted, feeling numb. She’d assumed, when she couldn’t tell the difference, that the gems in her baby’s ears were pink, given her Mami’s obsession with making her as visibly female as possible. But no, they were yellow stones, set in the shining gold studs.
The living room was giving her a headache, just because of the sheer volume of jumbled shades everywhere. Now that she could see colors, she desperately wanted to tone it down a little bit. Maybe pick a few colors to center the living room around, rather than living in a color scheme that could be best described as ‘all of them.’
She couldn’t change it, she realized, flinching at the implications. She couldn’t tell anyone she could see colors.
Her parents already thought she could, and Victor knew she couldn’t, and neither of those conversations would end well.
She couldn’t be sorry that she had chosen Victor, that she had rejected the possibilities of fate and decided it should be up to her who she spent her life with. She couldn’t regret it, with Elena in her arms and Victor on his way home from his new business. Things were going well, she was so happy…so what if her soulmate lived upstairs.
So what if he had figured it out, too?
He'd been so clearly wasted since the moment they met, he probably wouldn’t even remember tomorrow, she thought, humming a few bars of Toni Braxton to the baby in her arms.
The next day, when the Twin Towers came crashing down and her life shattered along with them, she had bigger concerns than a ridiculous landlord she had no interest in connecting with.
She would be back on base with Victor before her Mami would mention in passing that pobrecito Schneider had gone into rehab a few days after 9/11. She would let the comment pass by as though he were nothing more than a guy she met a few times who her Mami had grown fond of.
Penelope would avoid dealing with it, just like he had--with fewer mind-altering substances--until fate brought them back together fourteen years later. Older, wiser and both sober.
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My Cats fanfiction
~Pouncival is the one making all the trouble for the Gumby cat in Jennyanydots, and pretty much most of the musical
~Victoria fools around with Mistoffelees, and Rum Tum Tugger, AND Ademetus (or Plato), and others (I can't remember the others right now)
~Demeter hardly ever smiles when the camera is on her
~There are two cats named Asparagus (they were both great, but what's with that?)
~The old Gus keeps giving the Jellicles these looks like they are all completely bizarre
~Alonzo is wearing white mascara (I guess it just complements his color scheme)
~During Magical Mr. Mistofelees, Mistofelees tries to throw a lightning bolt, but it doesn't work. He looks at his hands strangly then tries again (possible improvisation?)
~Pouncival tries his luck with Bombalurina twice. He tries to impress him during Tugger, but she blows him off. He is finally accepted during the Jellicle Ball (massive catnap).
~During Rum Tum Tugger, Mistoffelees can be seen in the background (when Tugger shakes his hips at the end) raising his arms up to his ears as if he's disgusted
~Munkustrap is continuously rolling his eyes and making these hilarious ticked off faces throughout Pekes and Pollicles when the others keep messing up
~Exotica mysteriously appears during Naming of Cats as well as a few other select scenes
~Bombalurina and Demeter disappear during Skimbleshanks, but appear again at the very end of the song
~Right before Tugger's first "Meow" in his song, spit flies out of Munkustrap's mouth
~Does anyone else think that the slow part of the Jellicle Ball appears to be some sort of kitty orgy
~Mistoffelees loses his red plaid shoe during Pekes and Pollicles. Then the girls come along and stomp all over it and then Misto goes to hit his forehead, but hits the front of the shoes on his head instead
~Etcetera's arm warmers are never where they are supposed to be. Sometimes they're to the elbow and other times they're bunched up to her wrist. Neither is Rumpleteazer's leg warmers.
~During the intro when the cats turn around then drop down on the floor and the cam is on Victoria, notice that there is a big dirt spot on her butt.
~When the cats get together at the beginning (Jellicle Cats are queens of the night......that part) That when they say the last line, .....ever lasting cat....that Munkustrap's eyes get all big and dart around, like he made a mistake.
~In the part before the old gus sings and after Jemima makes her solo, they shoot a close up of Cassandra and her lips are moving slower than the music is.
~Just before the Jellicle Ball, when Victoria is backing out to make her entrance, if you look closely you can see Jacob Brent waiting backstage for his cue.
~During Mr. Mistoffelees, when Misto is picking Cassi, look at Pouncival. He's behind tugger and kinda hard to see, but if ya catch a glimpse of him, you'll see him doing a cute little headstand and tapping his feet together! It's too adorable!
~Exotica changes costumes! At the beginning of the Skimble song, she is wearing a costume that somewhat resembles Rumple's;at the end of the song, she's back in brown!
~When the jellicles sing the gumby cat song, we see Mister Mistoffelees open the trunk then duck behind it and we don't see him again until Rum Tum Tugger.
~This is REALLY hard to spot, but there are cute little blue paw prints leading up to the tire! Their really small but really cute!!
~You might want to watch when Bomb and Demeter are singing Macavity that one of Bombalurina's gloves is never in the same place...one shot it'll be up then the next it'll look like it slid down....without her fixing it!!!!
~Right after Rum Tum's 2nd meow in the beginning of his song....I think it's Tumblebrutus in the background, that does a flip off of the enormous tire!
~During "the naming of cats" Just before they say: "The naming of cats is a difficult matter....." When Mistofellees is getting down on his knees he almost falls over.
~Right after the Macavity song, watch the back of the stage on the right of your screen. Jellylorum runs in with Jennyanydots and falls on her butt. You can see her crawling away in two other scenes.
~At the beginning of Pekes and the Pollicles, when there is the shoe at Munkustrap's feet, Electra comes up and grabs it, making it look like a staged shot.
~At the very beginning of the Invitation to the Jellicle Ball where Munkustrap is inviting everyone, watch Rumpleteazer when they start to sink down on one knee, she starts watching the camera, probably because she thinks she's out of view.
~When Mistoffelees first brings out Old D covered in the red sheet, Jemima, or her paws anyway, can be seen chasing the red cloth until the scene changes. In that same scene, RTT points at Mungojerrie like 'how are you?' Mungojerrie points back, looking confused.
~When Mistoffelees first picks Cassandra as his assitant, RTT shakes his hand like he thinks she's hot.
~At the beginning of the scene when Victoria 'loses her innocence', before Rumpleteazer goes over to Mungojerrie, she is with RTT, who scratches her chin. Then in the massive cat nap, RTT puts his arm around Teazer's waist.
~Bustopher Jones' collar has black fishbone designs on it.
~Before Jennyanydots song, Munkustrap is rubbing heads with Alonzo. There's a hand there in front of Alonzo....I think it's Cassandra's. (Thanks Misty!)
~There is another one when Victoria is sitting next to Old Deuteronomy (but im not sure which scene thought...sorry) but when you see Victoria's face...its not her! It infact looks like Etcetera in a Victoria costume! (Thanks Emma!)
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