#Always makes me giggle

[gingermintpepper]

“Pallas Athena,” he greets softly. There is no affection in his voice, barely any intonation save for stiff, long-practiced neutrality. He continues wringing the water from his hair like she’s not intruding upon the sanctity of his purification ritual, “Have you already had your fill of victory?” 

His calmness is… off-putting. Unnatural. Like the stillness of the sky before a horrible storm. She’s grown accustomed to his icy silences, the dark looks thrown when their father isn’t watching, the barely restrained disgust when he’s forced to hear her speak of her tactics and methods for obtaining unquestioned victory. She knows Apollo isn’t weak-stomached - of all their kin, he is perhaps the most practiced in death - but he is not a warrior. He finds no glory in death-bringing, no meaning in the intricacy of war-work. For him, it is a job, a task that must be completed for the continued equilibrium of the mortal world. It means he can still be hurt by war’s savagery. And he had been hurt. Repeatedly. She had personally seen to it. No matter how good he was at his work, Phoebus Apollo was still an emotional creature. Not weak-stomached perhaps, but still soft. Tender. 

“I’ve something important to discuss.” 

He’s languid when he unpins the remaining length of his hair. It falls in heavy, swirling waves, rich gold which threatens to drag upon the ground if he hadn’t deftly grabbed the ends and tied them round his thigh. “I know you have little concept of ceremony but this is a bit ridiculous don’t you think?”

His dark hand reaches for one of the vases of oil stacked neatly on a little jut of rock that acts as a ledge. Athena intercepts him, standing a little taller to convey her graveness. “It’s very important. I only need a moment of your time.” 

She expects him to sigh, to cross his arms petulantly over his thin chest and complain that the war is over and so is her access to him every hour of every day. She expects to have to remind him that the battle isn’t finished ‘til the Acheans have vacated Trojan soil, to coax him from the little solitary cave of mourning he’s obviously built himself so he can see his job to its total completion. 

Instead, she gets another look. Calm. Dark. Horrible.

Apollo does not sigh, but it is a very near thing. “A moment and nothing more.” 

“The Acheans will begin their preparations to return soon,” she takes hold of the vase and carefully passes it to him. It smells saccharine, like rosewater or something similar. Like perfume to hide the stench of death. “I need your word that you will not hinder them on their journeys.” 

Their fingers brush as Apollo accepts her offering. It’s always odd the way his warmth radiates past all logical barriers. Athena can feel the chill of the water alongside the heat of his fingertips. Somehow, it is the cold that lingers despite all his warmth. “I do not make impossible promises, Athena. I want Neoptolemus,” he says. She stops as though struck. “The rest will have my blessing if they but ask.” 

“Phoebus— “

His eyes are like congealed blood when he looks at her, dark and tar-like upon an altar’s surface. “I want Neoptolemus. And I will have him.” 

How similar his tone has become to Father’s in these long years acting as his mouthpiece! Though his words are soft, the finality in his voice brooks no argument. How easy it is for her heart to soar at the prospect of a fight. Her warrior’s mien shutters all her feelings away like she’d never taken her helmet off. Her clawed finger pokes harshly into his chest, he’s marble hard under her touch. “You already had Achilles. You’ve no right to his son.” 

She regrets the words the moment they leave her lips. A stupid mistake; a feint when she should have dodged altogether. 

Apollo’s face goes slack and still. Serene, one would say, if they were a fool who had never before seen the shape of his wrath. He stands to his full height, broad shouldered, the flickering ends of his hair the only signifier of his displeasure, “Who said a thing about Achilles?” She huffs but does not answer, unsure of where his anger lies if not at the foot of Pelides. “Polites. Eurypylus. Priam. Helenus’ jailor. Andromache’s conqueror. If it weren’t Odysseus’ lot, Neoptolemus would have thrown Scamandrius from the tops of the balcony himself. What other reasons do I need?”

[putschki1969]

2024/12/31 Blog post by Wakana 2024年もありがとうございました！！〜みんなのうっかりにほっこり🍵〜

❗This is Fan Club EXCLUSIVE content❗ ❗PERSONAL USE ONLY❗ ❗Do NOT SHARE on other sites❗ ❗Join her FAN CLUB! Check out my detailed TUTORIAL ❗

Thank you 2024!! 〜Everyone's Mistakes Make Me Feel Warm and Fuzzy〜

I have read all of your questionnaires which you filled out for "Wakana Classics 2024"😊 Thank you so much! I didn't wanna mention that I was going through them because I didn't want you to feel self-conscious about what you wrote. Also, I wanted you to feel like you didn't have to hold back on anything. Your words were so kind, I was moved to tears many teams and felt really encouraged✨ Of course, there were some strong opinions too, and some harsh words but even so, that just makes me feel like I have someone watching me closely. Everything I have been thinking, feeling, and doing this year, I've had someone watching over me. You all always seem to understand me so well. How come you know me so well? It's like you are parents☺️✨ It means so much to be and brings me so much happiness to know that you are watching over me and supporting me. It's because you were there by my side that I was able to sing so energetically again this year. Of course this also applies to all the staff members at my agency, everyone who I've worked with, my family and friends, I couldn't have made it without them supporting me. I will welcome the next year by looking forward to meeting you all again! ＼＼\\٩( 'ω' )و //／／

I would like to share an interesting tidbit from this time's questionnaire. Most of you wrote my name "Wakana" in the Latin alphabet but for some reason, sometimes you misspelled my name and wrote things like "Wakame-san" or "Wabana-san". That really made me laugh😂😂 I am casually reading your answers with a feeling of excitement and then out of nowhere, a "Wakame-san" pops up😂 I wonder if some of you were writing it like that on purpose😂If you, you have a great sense of humour😂 Actually, the script for today's NHK-FM "Anisong Premium RADIO" also had "Wakan-san" written on it which made me giggle😂Sounds like some weird herbal extract🌿 Sounds very healthy😆

Well! Everyone! Thank you so much for 2024! (((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o))) Let's spend lots of fun and happy moments of music together next year as well 🌟＼(^o^)／

(Here's a photo of me during the recording of "Anisong Premium RADIO" 😃)

Oh! ! ! Speaking of which! Please don't forget about the today's submission deadline for the next podcast episode!! 😂 The next episode is scheduled for January 10th and the talk theme is [This is the kind of year I want 2025 to be!]‼︎＼＼\\٩( 'ω' )و //／／ Please tell me what thoughts you have in your heart as you welcome the new year. What do you want to achieve, anything you left undone this year so you wanna give it a try again? Please send in whatever you like and tell me your thoughts about 2025😊♪ Click here to send us your letters!! I'll be waiting for your messages･:*+.\(( °ω° ))/.:+ ↓↓↓↓ https://wakana-fc.jp/answers/botanical_oshaberi_17/new

By the way, I've prepared the cards for everyone whose message I read during the last episode. I'll send them in the new year so please wait a little while longer! (It's already a little late for it but the cards have a Christmas theme 😂) (It's hard to make out in the photo, but Same-chan is sparkling with glitter! 🦈✨)

Well then, everyone, let's meet again next year! Happy New Year〜☆( *'▽'*)/

＊＊＊Wakana＊＊＊

[100frogsinatrenchcoat]

One of my favorite drawfee things is when they get really into a character and just start talking as the character for five whole minutes, and they’re all doing the same voice.

[nerdalmighty]

F-friend?

[bari-the-witch]

I love that people use the "Eddie Munson lives" tag on Ao3 right after "Friends to lovers", "Established Relationship", etc.

And I'm like "thanks for claryfying, I thought Steve is dating a corpse"

[laurellament]

Brighten your day

[wornkindness]

sometimes the company i work for sends out phishing emails and one of them is about internet usage and it's like "access to the internet is provided for business purposes only. personal use is not allowed, and should not interfere in any way with the company's resources." which im sure trips up people who work in the office but i work from home and im always like excuse you, you don't pay my internet bill.

[leadandblood]

captain francis crozier approves of my incest posting and that's all i need to know

[propertyofkylar]

when voice actors in otome games make those kissing noises im so sorry it’s the silliest thing to me

[artocelot]

Or maybe he was from ✨Milton Keynes✨

[fortheloveofaussiegrit]

Mark Webber posing with his trophy and champagne for the media after winning the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix (Photo by Rainer W. Schlegelmilch)

[thecelestialsyzygy]

Every once in awhile I’ll think back to that interview with Finn where they asked him about Noah’s coming out and the journalist worded it like some ao3 fic. “His stare softened” like… what was that for????

[securemoon]

I can't sleep tonight. Tell me something that made you smile today?

[dramatical]

HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE (2004) dir. Hayao Miyazaki

[sophsun1]

#Buck to the rescue!

3.02 | 4.14 | 6.18

[xxplastic-cubexx]

Marvel's Squirrel Girl: The Unbeatable Radio Show! | All of Erik Lehnsherr's Call-In's

Episodes featured: The Fate of My Universe The Sinister Six Are No More Who Would Win In A Fight? Unbeatable

Full Podcast Playlist (Spotify)

Credits below:

Written by: Ryan North

Directed by: Giovanna Sardelli

Voice Cast: Milana Vayntrub - Squirrel Girl/Doreen Green Crystal Lucas Perry - Nancy Whitehead Leo Sheng - Koi Boi/Ken Shiga Davied Morales - Chipmunk Hunk/Tomas Lara-Perez Erica Schroeder - Tippy T. Squirrel Rob Nagle - Erik Lehnsherr

Key Art: "Squirrel Girl Infinity Comic (2022)" by Derek Charm - Doreen, Nancy, Ken, Tomas, Tippy "Magneto (2023)" by Todd Nauck - Erik