mythlived

[mythlived]

duskwilt​:

♔ 「 @mythlived​​ asked : [  skill  ]  sender  tries  to  assist  receiver  in  learning  a  new  skill 。 」

❦ ❞ Every now and then, Nona was reminded that she should really learn some self-defense skills; someone had grabbed her at work that day, and even though nothing came from it, she recalled that moment of fear, how she’d frozen completely rather than try to free herself. She needed to work on that, and while the moment remained fresh in her mind, she brainstormed her options.

Pyrrha had been busy with schoolwork, Eva was out of town, and Kyr still scared her a little too much ( which would perhaps be useful later…? ), and it took her a few minutes to recall, but didn’t Rhys know some martial arts too? That would work—-she trusted him, after all.

And he turned out to be available that afternoon, so instead of spreading mats out in her living room for yoga, she prepared for a different lesson.

“I think one of the main things, um, is that I have to practice not freezing up,” she admitted sheepishly. “Would that be the best place to start, or somewhere else…?”

    (  ➹  )  ━  Rhys wasn’t quick to anger, so he didn’t get angry often. He could probably count the number of times he’d felt anything close to it on one hand, though he wondered if it could count for two—how he’d felt hearing about Nona’s encounter at work. So he had been quick to agree to help her with self-defense, though the concerns about his agreeing did come along a little later. He had already agreed, though, and he didn’t want her to be in a position where she couldn’t get herself out if it ever arose again. 

Given the circumstance, he was glad he had taken to sparring with Nikita and Pyrrha again, not that he intended to spar with Nona—certainly not on Day One, anyway—but it never hurt to knock the rust off, especially when you intended to teach someone the basics of self-defense. He’d need to remember to thank at least one of them for it later. 

He pauses in his stretching, leaned over his right leg and pulling his foot toward him, to think about Nona’s question, humming as he did. The freeze response was a natural human reaction to being attacked. The brain’s way of trying to keep whatever or whoever was after you from seeing you, but it didn’t work so much if that person was already right in front of you. It was a response that had mostly been beaten out of him very early. He didn’t often freeze anymore when it came to physiological attacks, even if sometimes he still froze because of other things, like feeling a little too much a little too fast, from time to time. 

❝  I think that’s a good place to start, actually,  ❞  he tells her, because it is. There wasn’t much else you could do if you froze up for too long. ❝  We could start with minimizing how long you freeze up. Most people freeze at least a little and it’s hard to completely get rid of that response immediately. We can start with how to work through that, but also work on how to get out of certain grips, so you’re definitely not defenseless. And we have other days, too, to work on more, if you want.  ❞

[mythlived]

🙌

Send 🙌 for an NPC Related to my Character

{ Gia Grey. || Previous Classmate. }

          ❝  I am quite afraid that I do not understand your question.  ❞ Gia’s brown eyes searched the other’s face. For a trained intelligence officer she had always done rather poorly with communication skills. She could fight her way out of something without a hitch, but when it came down to talking, she was lacking in the skill she knew she needed. It bugged her that her inability to take on dialects or colloquial speech made her stand out. It made her feel like she couldn’t properly do her job. ❝  Perhaps if you were to repeat what you have just said, I will be able to reply accordingly  ?  ❞ 

Gia was one of Rhys’ classmates in The Labyrinth. She was brought up in the same line of business that Rhys was, but ultimately “retired” due to her inability to really blend in with the world around her. They had messed something up in teaching her at a young age after having wiped her memory multiple times. Rhys doesn’t keep up with her, but she was a large influence on why he doesn’t like what he does. Why he struggled so much to establish a personality. She always seemed to him a mindless robot. He resented her, oddly enough, even though he knew it wasn’t her fault. Even though he knew that he was the very same to start with. But there were always times that something else peeked through the girl that made him think she wasn’t just what she made herself out to be. It was a small smile or a giggle that she let slip. It occurred to him that she might not at all be who she wanted them to think she was. Or perhaps, she was exactly who The Labyrinth was asking her to be. But he hasn’t seen her since they graduated and were sent out by the unnamed organization. 

[mythlived]

30 (reaction to sudden intra personal disaster)

❛  Excessively Detailed Headcanons !!

30. Reaction to sudden intrapersonal disaster (eg close family member suddenly dies)

Pat’s had a couple of sudden intrapersonal disasters in his life and his reaction up to this point has never been good. He’s more than certain that his reaction nowadays wouldn’t be any better than it was the last couple of times. Specifically, with his mother’s death, he was all anger and fear and sharp words when somebody tried to help for a very long time. The grief actually didn’t hit until he was with the Alton’s, because he’d never really had a chance to actually sit and mourn his mother. Certainly, there were times that it hit before that, but it was only ever in waves. The reaction to the situation surrounding her death was obviously much more immediate. Of course, his reaction depends on the nature of the disaster itself. The sudden death of a close family member or friend would be pretty likely to shut him down for a little while, all things considered. Regardless of what it is, though, he’d try very hard to keep it to himself. Patroclus feels things very deeply and has a tendency to keep most of the negativity bottled up so he doesn’t bring his friends or family down with him even though he knows that’s definitely not the healthiest of coping mechanisms. Ultimately, his reaction would be very negative. 

@rcmcdium​

[mythlived]

❛   @duskwilt​​​​​​​ asked:   [Pyrrha; Rila] [ OPEN ]:     sender wordlessly opens their arms out to offer the receiver a long-awaited hug. ❜    !  

      (  ♦  )  —  Rila freezes at the way Pyrrha opens her arms to her. Something in her cracks when she does. It’s been a long time since Roka hugged her fully and without reservation, but it wasn’t his fault, she knew. Too many people had hurt him for him to not be wary, even if only subconsciously. There’s something strange in her heart that blooms, full and with a longing to just step forward and take the hug as it’s offered; so she does. She wraps her own arms gently around Pyrrha and wonders if this is what it felt like to hug Roka so long ago or if this is a hug that’s purely a Pyrrha experience. She imagines it could be either. It takes her a moment to realize she’s crying a little, sniffling and finding herself apologizing before she even thinks about what she’s saying,  ❝  Sorry, sorry  !  I don’t mean to cry. It’s just been a rough few days.  ❞  But her voice cracks on the last word and she lets out a little squeak of a breath with it. She would need to extricate herself from Pyrrha’s hold before she dropped snot on her. 

[mythlived]

Even numbers!

❛  Excessively Detailed Headcanons !!

2. Do they have any daily rituals  ? 

He does  !  Pat’s daily rituals do vary a little as far as when he gets them done, but they consist of daily worship, reading his email, studying, reading at least a chapter in whatever book he’s picked up, and a few other mundane things, like checking his calendar, cleaning, calling Josie or Karen or Garrett, things like that. 

4. What would they do if they needed to make dinner but the kitchen was busy  ?  

The short answer is he’d kick Briseis out with the threat of not making her anything, but they both know he won’t hold to the threat. So he’d probably just shuffle through the kitchen around Briseis while she sat on the island watching him or maybe helping if it’s something she knows how to make. Typically the two make dinner together anyway if they’re both off work or home in enough time to do so  !

6. Eating habits and sample daily menu. 

Patroclus’ eating habits aren’t exactly the healthiest. Between med school and work, he manages to eat out a lot more than he’d like to. He also manages to accidentally skip breakfast about seventy-five percent of the time. That said, he doesn’t eat a whole lot of junk foods. He’s health conscious enough to tell himself he probably needs to eat better, but then he manages not to do it, though not for lack of trying. As for a daily menu, lunch is usually something light like a sandwich or soup despite his uncanny ability to completely overlook breakfast. Then dinner is usually something a little more substantial and changes based on what he and Briseis agree on. Sometimes dinner is takeout and then sometimes it’s a home cooked meal that one of them or both have made. 

8. Favorite indulgence and feelings surrounding indulging. 

Patroclus has a couple of different indulgences. The first: kourabiedes, because his grandmother makes them every time he visits and has since he was little  (  they were his favorite thing when he was little and she sticks to making them almost religiously  )  so he has absolutely zero guilt in indulging in them. He’s pretty sure it would hurt her feelings if he didn’t. The second: Lokma. Specifically Briseis’, because she covers it in melted dark chocolate. Pat’s weak for dark chocolate.  (  Sometimes she’ll add powdered sugar and coconut if he’s feeling a little down or if they’re celebrating something.  )  

Both are comfort foods, so his feelings surrounding indulging in them are pretty positive. It could have a lot to do with the fact that he doesn’t have them often, but he doubts it a little. He’s not convinced there would be any guile even if he did indulge in them often. 

10. Neuroses  ?  Do they recognize them as such  ? 

Patroclus suffers from generalized anxiety disorder and post traumatic stress disorder. He was diagnosed with each at different times in his life, but also fairly close together all things considered. For one, the PTSD was diagnosed when he was twelve, not long after his mother’s murder. The generalized anxiety was diagnosed a little over a year after that, so he certainly recognizes them as what they are. 

12. Favorite book genre  ? 

When it comes to reading, Pat leans a little more toward classics than anything else, because he remembers when some of them were written. It makes him a little nostalgic. However, he also leans toward modern fantasy novels or mystery novels. Sometimes something a little easier to read than classics, especially if it’s while classes are in session. 

14. Physical abnormalities  ?  (  Both visible and not, including injuries/disabilities, long-term illnesses, food-intolerances, etc.  ) 

As far as physical abnormalities go, Patroclus doesn’t really have any aside from a thin scar on his chest and a thicker one between his shoulder blades, both of which he got when he was younger. He does have an odd food intolerance when it comes to okra, but that’s more of a texture problem than it is an actual intolerance. He could eat it and it not make a difference. He really can’t handle the texture though. 

16. Biggest and smallest long term goal  ? 

His biggest long term goal right now is opening his own practice when he gets through med school and residency  (  which, this could change a little, but this is where he’s at right now  )  and his smallest is getting his student loans paid off as quickly as he possibly can. 

18. Favorite beverage  ? 

Pat’s favorite beverage is chai tea. It’s good iced, it’s good hot, it’s good as a latte, it’s good sweetened or not. What more could he ask for, really  ?

20. Childhood illnesses  ?  Any interesting stories behind them  ? 

Patroclus, despite being vaccinated, had chickenpox as a child. It was incredibly uncomfortable and he felt miserable  (  especially so when his temperature spiked  ), but he also remembers being glad that his father wouldn’t go anywhere near him when he had it. By extension, the man wouldn’t go anywhere near his mother either because she was always in such close proximity to Patroclus the entire time he was sick. So despite being absolutely miserable physically, mentally and emotionally he was the happiest he’d ever been. 

22. Given a blank piece of paper, a pencil, and nothing to do, what would happen  ? 

He would just doodle on the paper. Little things, probably, because he’s never practiced drawing anything other than diagrams and cells and other things for classes. He might manage to scribble down some of the things he’s learned or he might just practice his signature until the paper is filled completely with his name. It’s a matter of circumstance, really. Whether or not he’s been studying might play a part in it. That said, it could also just be lines or some literal scribbles if he’s tired. 

24. Is there one subject of study that they excel at  ?  Or do they even care about intellectual pursuits at all  ? 

Patroclus would like to think that he does excel when it comes to things like Biology and Chemistry and Medicine, but he knows very well that he really excels when it comes to History, if only because he’s lived and remembers a lot of that. But if the question is about things he doesn’t have an unfair advantage on, then definitely Medicine. Intellectual pursuits, as a whole, are definitely important to him if only because he’s one of those that likes to learn new things, regardless of what they are. 

26. Do they have any plans for the future  ?  Any contingency plans if things don’t workout  ?

He does, which consist of becoming a doctor, but that’s about as far in his planning as he’s gotten. He has absolutely zero contingency plans, so he hopes and prays that Plan A is the only plan he needs. 

28. Who do they see as their best friend  ?  Their worst enemy  ?

Answered  !!

30. Reaction to sudden intrapersonal disaster.  (  e.g. close family member suddenly dies.  )

Answered  !!

32. Thoughts on material possessions in general  ? 

Pat isn’t a super materialistic person, but he is sentimental which typically leads to him having a hard time getting rid of things like his first pair of glasses even though his prescription’s since changed. It also keeps him from getting rid of the illustrated copy of The Iliad that his mom got him without his father knowing when he first told her about his memories. He isn’t materialistic, but there are things he holds on to.

34. Thoughts on privacy  ?  (  Are they a private person, or are they prone to ‘TMI’  ?  ) 

Patroclus is a private person through and through. Being too open with people makes him fairly uncomfortable unless he’s close to them and even then he isn’t very open about things that are usually considered  “  TMI  ”  because he’s very easily embarrassed or flustered. Privacy as a whole is also really important to Pat, because it was something he had precious little of until he was adopted by the Alton’s. 

36. What makes them feel guilty  ? 

He’s actually made to feel guilty pretty easily. If he thinks that he’s bothering someone or that he’s managed to unload all of his problems onto them, he feels guilty about it. This is the number one reason he does his absolute best to keep his emotions in check  (  even if he isn’t very good at it  ). He’s getting better about understanding that talking things out with people doesn’t necessarily equate to unloading his problems on them, but it’s a slow process and he talks to very few people about what’s bothering him, even among close friends. He’s also guilty over typical things like if he thinks he’s upset someone or if he forgot to turn a light off or if he forgot to leave Briseis a note if he was unable to get ahold of her or if he drinks the last cup of coffee, etc. 

38. Would they consider themselves a Type A or Type B personality  ? 

Type A in regard to work ethic and stress levels, but Type B in regard to temperament. He manages to stress himself out to the max over assignments and exams and the like, but he doesn’t lash out and get angry at other people over it. He’s very mild-tempered. 

40. Would you say that they have a superiority-complex  ?  Inferiority-complex  ?  Neither  ? 

Patroclus definitely struggled with an inferiority-complex for some time, probably from middle school to undergrad, but as he got through his freshman year of college and started his sophomore year, he started to come out of it. Briseis was a lot of help in that regard. At this point, he doesn’t have one, though his confidence occasionally slips and that causes a pretty good scare on his part from time to time. 

42. Hobbies  ? 

Does studying count as a hobby  ?  Because he’s good at that. Really, though, Patroclus likes to read. He also cares for a number of houseplants all through his and Briseis’ apartment. He and Briseis both cook. He thought about taking up knitting one winter because Briseis refused to wear or even purchase a scarf. The idea was tabled though when Josie gave her one as a gift and Bris decided she had to wear it. 

44. Religion  ? 

Pat follows Hellenismos, which is the traditional religion of ancient Greece. However, it’s also a reconstructed religion, meaning it’s been adapted to the modern world. But because so much of the ancient practices have been lost to time, the absence of worship by groups in most places, and a couple of other differences, it’s not entirely a reconstructed religion by exact definition. It’s based a lot on scholarly research done of what has been found of ancient practices.  There are two branches of Hellenismos: Traditional and Reformed. Specifically, he follows the branch of the religion that’s considered Traditional Hellenismos, meaning he practices as closely to the ancient practice as possible in this time period. That said, Pat’s first– and most vivid– life was lived during the time that ancient practices were used, so he remembers some of them and implements what he can.  (  He’d be lying if he said the disuse of living sacrifices made the practice seem any lesser. He’s rather glad killing things to sacrifice to the gods isn’t common practice anymore.  )

46. Do they express their thoughts through words or deeds  ? 

Both  !  Patroclus isn’t always the best at articulating himself in a way that gets across exactly how he’s feeling, but he does his best to show his gratitude with words first. If he struggles with that, then deeds are definitely next on the list. Now, the deed itself will depend on what the other person has done for him, but he never wants to seem ungrateful. Because honestly he isn’t. If someone does something nice for him or gifts him something, etc. he appreciates it. A lot. 

It’s much the same with other thoughts and emotions, though he’s more likely to express anger or irritation through words if someone really pisses him off. You might get the cold shoulder if it’s something minor, because he doesn’t like to risk saying something that he’ll regret later on down the line.

48. How do they express love  ? 

Okay, so I know that I’ve established the fact that Patroclus is a very private person in general, unless you’re someone that’s very close to him. The way he expresses love is very much the same. He expresses it privately, in ways that maybe only the person he’s expressing it to picks up on it. This is with all types of love, be it platonic or romantic. Things differ a little though with each, obviously. So, if Pat is trying to express love to his romantic partner, he’s much more likely to initiate physical contact or to express it verbally and directly. However, that’s all still super private, because he’s not one for PDA. Small things are fine in public, but much other than hand holding, quick kisses, or hug and he starts to get a little uncomfortable. But there will always be feather-light touches or certain looks that he’ll offer his partner that he wouldn’t anyone else. When it comes to his platonic relationships, he’ll offer comfort when they need it, late night talks about this or that, total concern, and things of that nature. Patroclus is the type of person that loves with every fiber of his being or he doesn’t. So everything he does with or for his friends and lover will be done because he wholeheartedly loves each of them. 

50. Is this person afraid of dying  ?  Why or why not  ? 

Patroclus obviously has a very complicated relationship with death. Stemming from that, he’s both afraid and not afraid, because on the one hand it seems he’ll always come back, but on the other hand there’s the question of what happens if he doesn’t  ?  He’s devout when it comes to his religious beliefs, so he knows where he’ll be, but where in Hades will he be going specifically  ?  He doesn’t know and that scares him. It’s also a little scary, finding all of the friends he has now and wondering if he’ll see them the next time he’s reborn or will it be another thousand years  ?  And will he remember them then or the next time  ?  Or will he ever remember them again  ?  He has a lot of unanswerable questions and those are what scare him more than the prospect of death itself. 

@duskfloret​

[mythlived]

❛   @duskwilt​​​​​​ asked:    [Kaede; Rui] ‘do you want some company?’ ❜    !  

     ( ♬ ) —   Rui couldn’t remember giving up her little hiding corner to Kaede, but perhaps she had one day, thinking he may need it just to get away and decompress for a moment. That’s what she was doing now, after all, curled in on herself, arms wrapped around her legs and teary-eyes buried into her knees. She had wanted to be alone, when she’d first slipped away after getting yelled at by a guest in the café. On top of that, she’d been told that morning that Eita wouldn’t be home for her birthday, like he’d promised—and what was worse was that he’d had their mother break it to her instead of breaking the news to her himself, the coward. She had also spilled water all over one of her brand new compositions at breakfast. It was like a strange series of unfortunate events that day and the old man raising his voice at her had been the icing on the cake of it all. She’d had to separate herself. She hadn’t meant to start crying, and yet here she was. 

However, she nodded, despite having sought out her hiding place to be by herself. Anyone could use some time alone and she knew that Kaede wouldn’t have been upset with her if she told him that she would’ve liked to be alone, but she was happy to see him, really, and didn’t want to send him away. Sniffling, she responded,  ❝  I would like that, yeah. Sorry about the...  ❞  She motions at her face and sniffles again, knowing she probably looked a little worse for ware.  ❝  If I disown my brother for a few days, can I share yours with you  ?  That means we’d be siblings too.  ❞  

[mythlived]

❛   @duskwilt​​​​​​ asked:    [Pyrrha; Rhys] ❝ if you love a character, you give them pain, ruin their lives, make them suffer. maybe even throw in a heroic death. ❞ ❜    !  

     (  ➹  )  ━  Rhys is sprawled on his back, one arm tucked under his head and the other laying simply on his stomach while he allows himself to be bathed in the gentle sunlight of late summer through the branches of the tree Pyrrha is leaning back against. He enjoys listening to her talk about writing, about worlds that don’t exist anywhere but in the minds of readers and writers, of how they’re conceptualized, how the characters fit into their worlds  (  or rather, how the world is shaped around its characters  ), and the way the stories begin to piece themselves together. It wasn’t a new topic, necessarily, but more often than not they talked about already-written books as opposed to the creation of one not yet on someone’s shelf somewhere. Either way, it’s a relaxing pastime and a good way to keep their minds on something less... pressing. 

Still, he opens his eyes when she says this, studies the way the light fractures and dances through the leaves, cut in half only to be made whole again where it meets the grass below, and says,  ❝  Maybe that means the universe loves us even when we’re convinced it doesn’t.  ❞  But real people and characters in a book weren’t the same, he supposed. Still, the idea that anything out there loved them was a nice one. Despite their broken pieces and razor-sharp edges. Everyone did have a story, after all, and whether they liked it or not, it had shaped them and their world. It was just too bad that shape didn’t have to be made gently. Sometimes fired in a kiln only to be broken and patched back together into something entirely new. 

[mythlived]

“I know I’m not easy to love. I’m a chronic over-thinker. I overreact more than I should…And every once in a while, I might be a little insecure. But if I am in love with you, I can promise you wholeheartedly that you will be loved with so much passion and intensity that you’ll forget what life felt like before I came along. You will always be cared for and you will always have someone in your corner. Maybe I’m not the best at being loved - But I like to think I’m pretty good at loving.”

— Chelsea Carroll

[mythlived]

❛   @duskwilt​​​​​​ asked:    "Hey, hey," Pyrrha waves her fork to garner Rasmus' attention, "do you think that if I noogied you hard enough, your hair would turn pink?" ❜    ! 

   ( ♟ ) —  Rasmus frowns deeply at whatever has just come out of Pyrrha’s mouth. For one, he doesn’t actually know what a noogie is and it sounds ridiculous. Even so, he places a hand on the top of his head and turns full scrutiny to her, eyebrows pinching. He wonders if sharing what he’s about to with Pyrrha will be a moment he looks back on fondly or with regret. ❝ I… don’t think so, no. But I also like to keep my part where it is because- ❞  Before he can even finish, he feels his face warm and tacks that down as embarrassment. No, he can’t do this. Even if it was genuinely just his preference, he feels silly for it. ❝ It probably wouldn’t turn pink. ❞   He watches Pyrrha for a moment longer, wondering if there’s the potential to be made fun of if he continues his train of thought or if it really is best to simply stop where he did. Pyrrha could be pretty ruthless to Rhys in the best possible way, but she had yet to be quite so to him. He was glad, since there were still moments where he was incredibly unsure what to think. Now was one of those times, too, as it were. What with Pyrrha talking about his hair turning pink. Did she really think that or was she joking ? He couldn’t tell. ❝  It’s… I like to keep my hair parted because it bothers me otherwise.  ❞  It made little sense, even to him, and he had debated dying it for that reason. But he still hadn’t. He didn’t know if he ever would.

[mythlived]

❛   @duskwilt​​​​​​ asked:    [Pyrrha; Nikita] "There are some things you cannot control, and I am at least three of them." ❜    !  

      (  ⚔  )  —   Pyrrha, Nikita has found, is an interesting personality. That, at the very least, he could admit.  ❝  People should never seek to control other people, so I can't say I'm surprised or disappointed that you're at least three of the things I can't control.  ❞  He offers this statement with perfect nonchalance. Nikita would, of course, be lying if he said that he didn’t do his best to control every possible variable of any given situation and while he wasn’t particularly perturbed by lying, he also didn’t count people within controllable variables. They very rarely were. Even when you took every possible precaution to keep a person on a certain track and within your own sphere of influence things still inevitably went awry—he, Rhys, and Rasmus were evidence enough of that. To control a human, he supposed you would have to take away every aspect of their humanity. But even stripped away down to the very basics of what they needed to survive and function, people would always be people. They would always claw their way into whatever they wanted to be. 

He knew Pyrrha was likely poking fun with some level of truth underlying what she said. It seemed to be something she did fairly often. As if the gravity of any given situation could be lessened in jest. Perhaps it could. Though he thought that was an ideal in which their basic beliefs differed. Then again, perhaps he was relying too much on his own observation and assumption. Oh well, a thought for another time. 

❝  But also why three  ?  ❞  

[mythlived]

❛   Anonymous asked:    How does Emery view casual flings?  ❜    !

At one time, Emery was actually more of a casual fling person. He had been spurned a few too many times in relationships that weren’t exactly good for him, so things without any strings attached were just easier. You couldn’t get hurt as easily if there was no expectation for the long term in the first place. So Emery didn’t really date for a time. It was solely casual flings. Not many, because he kept himself busy with school and work and friends, but there were some and he much preferred the one night stands to anything that he had to put effort into. It was all out of fear and a misplaced sense that the way things had gone before in any of his relationships was completely his fault when it wasn’t, even if he wasn’t entirely innocent in them. However, he’s since come to terms with the fact that that wasn’t the case and he’s much more comfortable in the relationship he’s in now  !  As a matter of fact, he’s incredibly happy and is settled into a relationship that he desperately hopes will be long term. 

[mythlived]

[mythlived]

❛   @duskwilt​​​​​​ asked:    [Gino; Ioanna] ❝ I really enjoy being judged. ❞  ❜    !  

    (  ❀  )  ━   Sometimes she isn’t entirely sure how she gets anything done with the MBM ever-present in her life. They all regularly had something entertaining to say and she loves every single individual in the club dearly. Still, that doesn’t keep her from missing the context of what’s being said at least forty percent of the time because she’d focusing on some case or another. This was one such time, though she was almost certain Gino had been talking about Alice judging him for something—as daughters were wont to do to their parents. As they should, too. Since she couldn’t remember exactly what he’d just said to her, Ioanna scoffs at Gino, raising an eyebrow as she puts her pen down.  ❝  Lucky for you, you’ve come to the right place today, too.  ❞  She moves her arms out into a wide semicircle,  ❝  Anyone in my line of sight gets judged free of charge and with all of my personal prejudices attached, isn’t that great  ?  ❞  

Tilting her head, she smiles a little gentler and waves a hand, flipping her notes closed.  ❝  In all seriousness, what were you saying about your absolute angel of a child  ?  Anything she’s done, I’m sure you most certainly deserved it.  ❞

[mythlived]

❛   @duskwilt​​​​ asked:   [Ellie; Apollo] ❛ you’re my family too. ❜  !

     (  ☀  )  —  It takes Apollo a split second longer than it should to comprehend what’s been said to him, but when he does, his breath catches. Aside from the small hitch, silence follows the words and he finds that he’s gone impossibly still. Far more still than he’s been in a very long time. But there were some things that took your very ability to exist with ease from you and words were often one of those things. You’re my family too. He was, he supposed. She had been his daughter in another life. Beloved by so many, not least of all him. There was little in this world that any person could love more than their own children. Or that was the way it should have been. So it was often difficult not to press into their daily lives, especially when it seemed to be leading them toward tragedy. Eurydice, he thought, was someone he would always think of. Ellie, though a different person sharing the same soul, seemed to be set on forcing him to understand his worth outside of how he and Artemis interacted or how he and Esther chose to dance around each other  (  literally and figuratively, as it were  ).

It takes him a long moment to regain his composure, to begin moving again, albeit just enough to turn his attention to her in full, to scrutinize the expression on her face, the lilt of her words. She didn’t seem to be patronizing him or mocking him for his explanation of past lovers and family. You’re my family too. It rang in his head. Bounced around like a pinball in a machine that was maybe broken but no one could really tell to see if it needed fixing. It looped.

Then, he smiles gently. What a beautiful soul, he thinks. To remind a god that there was more to family than blood… it was necessary.  ❝  Thank you,  ❞  he says and it’s gentle, like all the lullabies he had never been allowed to sing to his children,  ❝  I won’t forget it.  ❞  His smile takes on a more teasing tilt, tremulous as it is,  ❝  But that means you’re mine, too. I hope you’re ready for the nonsense that comes with that.  ❞  

[mythlived]

❛   @duskwilt​​​​​ asked:     [Kyr; Pat] Kisses Meant To Distract The Other Person From Whatever They Were Intently Doing  !  

(  ♛  )  —  Patroclus had, on average, study days that lasted about eight hours. However, some days were a little shorter study-wise and some were a little longer. Some days he wasn’t quite sure what that would look like. Especially as he approached graduation, the end of rotations, and his moving into residency. It was a lot to deal with all at one time, even if he was still pretty sure the busiest days were yet to come. In some ways, he was excited for that because it meant he would be moving forward into what he’d always wanted to do. In other ways, he found he dreaded it. Not necessarily residency itself, but rather the loss of time sometimes. It also made him feel an overwhelming sense of relief that Kyr was so understanding of the goals he’d been trying to achieve since before they’d even met. Though, he also had to remind himself that he needed to be actively aware of when Kyr might be feeling ignored. Patroclus tried incredibly hard never to do that, to always set his study schedule and follow it exactly so that it didn’t roll over into plans they had  (  and he was normally very good about holding to that schedule, if he did say so himself, even if he did occasionally study when Kyr was over or ask Kyr to actively help him to be sure he’d memorized the things he needed to  )  but today had turned out a little bit differently than planned. 

His first mistake, he figured, was assuming everything would go smoothly at work and he wouldn’t be called in on his day off. Unfortunately for him, he’d gotten a call from a very flustered Margot about an irate customer because one of their machines was down and they couldn’t do frappes. Imagine that. So that was strike number one for his day. He’d gotten up, gotten ready, and gone in to try to divert the crisis as best he could. He’d ended up giving them a gift card and sending them on their way with a promise of getting the machine up as quickly as they could. Then he’d had to call maintenance and cover the register while Margot stepped into the back for an early break. He’d left as soon as someone else had gotten there and told Margot to let him know if she needed anything else when she’d started apologizing. The second strike on his day was realizing he’d locked his keys in his car and having to call Briseis to bring his spare. She laughed at him the entire time they were on the phone and then gotten stuck in traffic and switched to half-hearted threats about being late to work herself—which she was not. They’d both gotten where they needed to be safely and quickly enough. Strike three was after he had gotten home and settled in to study. Strike three, though, he didn’t mind too much, since it came in the form of kisses he was decidedly not expecting. 

He was sitting at his desk, earbuds in as he listened to and noted down the lecture he was supposed to have started when he’d first gotten up. He was listening to it faster than was strictly necessary to try and make up for the lost time, but even then it seemed like he’d still managed to lose track of time. It was only when a shadow fell over him and he had little more than a couple of seconds to startle before he felt Kyr draping himself over him, pressing several kisses to his cheek. Pat huffed a soft laugh, pulling his earbuds out to lean back into Kyr, turning into the kisses to catch Kyr’s lips with his own. A quick peck for now, since he still couldn’t hold back the light laughter. ❝  Hi.  ❞  He says quietly, heart fluttering at the sight of him. It always did. “What are you doing here?” sat gently on the tip of his tongue, but with it came the realization that golden light was spilling through his curtains onto Kyr’s face, the small lull of joy shattered. Patroclus frowned and looked quickly at the time on his phone... 6:00 pm. An hour passed the time he and Kyr were supposed to have met. He noticed the handful of missed calls and texts from his boyfriend, too. Oh no. Stomach twisting, he looked up at Kyr again, patting the arms still wrapped around him urgently.  ❝  Kyr, I’m so sorry, let me get up and get ready.  ❞  He was typically pretty good about not being this late. He also wasn’t sure how he’d missed Kyr’s calls and texts. The burgeoning fear that Kyr might be upset with him despite the greeting set in quickly and with great force. There was a lot that his boyfriend had to put up with from him for school and the like and he couldn’t help wondering, on occasion, if one slip might be just a little too much. Not that he thought Kyr wouldn’t tell him if that were the case. Patroclus simply sat somewhere between courtesy and worst-case-scenario at least fifty percent of the time. 

Quickly, albeit gently, he pulled Kyr’s arms from around his shoulders and stood, pointing at his closet and motioning vaguely as he started to make his way toward it, looking at the door as opposed to Kyr. He hadn’t looked upset a moment ago and again, he was sure Kyr would tell him if he was. Still, the anxiety of it crept slowly between his ribs.  ❝  Luckily I laid everything out already, so I’ll just be-  ❞  Pat stopped talking when he felt Kyr’s hand grab his wrist. For a moment, he stopped breathing, but whatever had caught his windpipe loosened its hold when Kyr tugged gently on his arm. Patroclus turned and was met with another hug, accompanied this time by Kyr peppering his face with kisses; his forehead, cheeks, nose, eyes, Kyr left no spot unkissed. Pat was simultaneously delighted and concerned.  ❝  Hey,  ❞  he laughed,  ❝  I love you and would love for this to carry on all night, but I’ve already made us late enough as is.  ❞  Slowly, with a small tightening of Kyr’s arms and a softer kiss to his lips, Patroclus felt most of the concern he’d had melt away. He knew he was right. If Kyr were upset, he would tell him. Patroclus would apologize three more times before the night was over, and they would settle in later. Three strikes didn’t always mean you were out. Just that some days were a little more difficult than others. He pulled away from Kyr, smiling.  ❝  I’ll be ready in ten minutes.  ❞  Getting dinner sounded a lot better than finishing his lecture, anyway. 

[mythlived]

❛   @duskwilt​​​​​ asked:   [Pyrrha; Iris] ❛  nothing stays the same forever.  ❜  !  

     (  ⌨  )  —  Iris pauses for a moment as he feels his eyes begin to burn and his throat tighten. He knew Pyrrha was right. Especially with something like this where he was actively working for an organization that had more or less kidnapped him and thrown together a group of super powered people and people with above-average intelligence  to take down another organization of slightly worse repute in his mind. Even so, he can’t help the tears that gather and the breath that stutters out of his throat as he opens his mouth to respond.

He can’t, at first. Closing his mouth and swallowing thickly a couple of times, trying to dislodge the lump that had formed in his throat, he found himself looking anywhere but at Pyrrha. It was difficult to let his gaze land anywhere since so much reminded him of the current conversation, so he let his gaze flit this way and that. 

Opening his mouth again, he ran his clammy palms down his jeans for a second and then shrugged, ❝  I- I know that.  ❞  Regardless of his best efforts, his voice still cracked on the last word and noted the tears were entirely too warm on his cheeks. He takes a deep, shaking breath as he goes to wipe at them, knowing it’s a futile endeavor but trying nonetheless. A bit like the relationships he’d built with his team. 

❝  I just- I’ve lost one family already, you know  ?  ❞  His voice sounds wobbly to his own ears, so he can’t begin to imagine how it sounds to Pyrrha. He’ll have to apologize for this later.  

❝  Just sucks that this one won’t last either, I guess.  ❞

[mythlived]

❛   @duskwilt​​​ asked:   "Nikita," Pyrrha calls as she prepares two cups of tea, dragging out the last vowel for a couple seconds longer than necessary, "What's your first language?"    !

     (  ⚔  )  —   Pausing in his reading to listen to Pyrrha when he hears the way she draws out the last vowel of his name, he puts his book down and turns his full attention to her. This sounds like it’ll be a longer conversation than just a quick question and answer. Even if the answer itself wasn’t a difficult one. 

❝  I have three,  ❞  he says, holding up three fingers,  ❝  Ukrainian, Russian, and Japanese. The only other language I’m fluent in is English.  ❞  This knowledge had surprised the majority of his team. He wondered if it would be the same for Pyrrha. He doubted it. Very little seemed to surprise her. 

Still, his own curiosities were getting to him as he watched her work with the tea. ❝  What made you ask  ?  ❞  He wondered offhandedly if he should ask in return. Perhaps later he would if the following conversation didn’t answer the question.