#I have so many thoughts on the juno incident

[if-you-heart]

some fucked up beasts including pre RoE heart. if you couldn’t tell I love drawing rage <3

[yanderecrazysie]

Twisted Zoo: Chapter 11

Prologue (beginning): here

Previous Chapter: here

Next Chapter: here

Note: THE TAGS BROKE AGAIN, I'M SO SORRY!

This is based on the stories of a keeper reader with the octotrio by @ashensgrotto and @merakiui

Also @twistedcece @cenatour @xiaopleasecomehome @bearshideout @koebishrimpuwu @vash-yuu @twstsandturns @help-whatdoimakemyusername @secret-potion @magmdnv @sunshine-for-serotonin @the-ace-reader @mel-star636 @silkkorchid @pamv11 @coffee-or-hot-cocoa @hrhqueenfox @goseew @luxthestrange @juno-of-wonderland @who-mst @despairingy-obsessed @lanxianschoenheit @ceramic-raven @m0063576 @kimdourden @rammylog @sushiperson @starshiningsirius @im-here-for-the-fun-of-it @the-monochrome-jester @owodi @girl-nahh-two @obeythehuman @berry-efoy @ivorette @the-broken-truth @losingmybrain @sxftiebee @queens-unheard-thoughts @medicine-san @strugglingsleeper @asdorlia @nightskylark @cashmerek @rocketstyx and @ryovel wanted to be tagged! Let me know if anyone else wants to be tagged for future chapters. If you no longer want to be tagged, please tell me! (I have removed the tags that weren’t working for me, apologies if yours was removed!)

Summary: You’re a brand new zookeeper at The Halfling Zoo- a place where half-animals live in captivity. Your job is simple- feed them and study them. Your main worry is that one of the more dangerous halflings might kill you. 

Unfortunately, that may become the least of your worries.

WARNINGS: yandere themes

Note: All characters are aged up, since there will be mature themes in future parts.

Also, I can’t promise I’ll finish this. I suck at finishing stories.

NOTE 2: Sorry that it took over a month to write this, but I needed inspiration + my new job is kicking my butt. It’s pretty short and bad but I didn’t have a lot of inspiration.

—-------------------------------------------------------

You were on your way to the birds’ enclosure when you heard your name being called. You turned around to see Crowley making his way towards you, one arm raised to flag you down. You hurried over to him.

“Yes, Mr. Crowley?”

As you drew closer, you could see the concern on his face.��

“I need you to come with me,” he said softly, leading the way to the aviary. You nodded and followed him, worry starting to consume you.

“Is everything okay?” you asked.

Mr. Crowley led you around to a side of the aviary you hadn’t been to before- a side that faced neither the employee entrance nor the zoo visitors. It took only a few seconds to realize why he had led you there.

The metal enclosure had been dented outwards, as though a lot of force had been applied to it from the inside. The seams were starting to split apart, artificial light from inside the enclosure peeking through the cracks. It looked like an elephant had been body-slamming the aviary’s walls.

“Wha- what happened?” you asked, stunned.

“We’ve had some… incidents recently. All of the halflings have been acting up more than usual and, as you can see, there’s been some damage to the aviary’s metal dome.”

“But the birds are so well-behaved!” you protested in shock.

“That’s the thing,” Mr. Crowley said gravely, “It seems to happen after your visits. The halflings become… agitated when you aren’t around.”

You couldn’t believe that the gentle, friendly birds had caused this kind of damage to a metal enclosure. And because of you? It was almost unthinkable.

“I don’t understand,” you said in a near whisper, “Why would they do this?”

Mr. Crowley sighed wearily, “Halflings form strong bonds, that’s why we have so many bonded species at this zoo. They will especially latch on to anyone who shows them true kindness. You clearly mean a lot to them and your absence upsets them.”

“I didn’t mean to cause any trouble,” you said, a pang of guilt tugging at your heartstrings.

“I know, and I don’t blame you,” Mr. Crowley reassured you, “But we need to find a solution.”

“Do you have any ideas?” you asked.

Mr. Crowley went silent and avoided eye contact. A thrill of apprehension shot up your spine but you willed it away. Mr. Crowley would never put you in danger, right?

“For now, just continue as normal,” Mr. Crowley replied, “We’ll work on fixing the enclosure.”

You nodded and the zoo director dismissed you with a careless wave. You hurried to the enclosure’s employee entrance and were disturbed to hear, instead of the usual quiet, the sounds of squawks and hoots and other cries. 

You stepped inside and were surprised by the scene you were met with. The halflings were clearly distressed: pacing in their cages and looking around wildly, feathers fluffed up in agitation. Even calm-and-collected Vil looked ruffled.

“Guys? Are you alright?” you called out softly.

Ace was first to respond, “Where were you?” he demanded to know, voice tinged with panic, “You’re late! You’ve never been late before!”

“I’m sorry, Ace,” you said, trying to sound as soothing as possible, “I was talking to Mr. Crowley about some… problems with the enclosure.”

Ace’s eyes narrowed dangerously, “Problems? What problems?”

“It’s nothing to worry about,” you said, feeling a little nervous by the intensity of his gaze. Glancing around, you could see that every bird halfling had their eyes trained on you.

Trey flew from his birdhouse to his perch, landing gracefully on the wooden perch and fixing you with a stern glare and saying, “You can’t disappear.”

You nodded, trying to calm them all down, “I understand. It won’t happen again.”

Vil stepped forward, his beautiful feathers out of place and ruffled. His eyes were narrowed and he was frowning as though disappointed in you, “You always leave us.”

You were overwhelmed by all of their intense gazes and you felt a lump form in your throat. “I’m here as often as I can be.”

Epel looked up at you with watery eyes, “We worry when you leave. Not safe out there.”

You forced a gentle smile to your lips, “I’m perfectly safe. And I’m here now. Let’s all calm down everyone, okay?”

Slowly, the halflings relaxed. Rook stopped pacing, Vil smoothed his feathers, and Trey flew back into his bird house. Even though the tension had mostly disappeared, the underlying worry and hint of possessiveness remained.

You turned to Deuce, who hadn’t spoken yet, but instead looked at you wistfully. “Are you doing okay, Deuce?” you asked.

Deuce’s eyes softened, but the troubled frown remained on his face, “I’m fine,” his voice was strained, “I missed you.”

Your heart ached, “I missed you too,”

Ace piped up in an annoyed tone, “Why can’t you just stay here with us?”

You blinked in surprise, “I have a life outside the zoo. I’m sorry, but I can’t stay here.”

It was Cater’s turn to speak, and the expression he gave you made your stomach twist unpleasantly, “You’re too good to stay with us halflings, mademoiselle? We do not have a life outside this zoo, but we deserve that, don’t we?”

“Wh-what? Of course not!” you spluttered.

“Then stay!” Epel whined, a tear sliding down his cheek.

“I- I can’t,” your voice came out in a whisper. You shook yourself and turned around, heading for the staff door,  “I’ll go get your meals…”

There was an eerie silence as you passed out their meals. Each of the halflings took their salads and set them aside, their appetites gone. The tension in the air was so thick you thought you might choke on it.

Finally, the time came for you to leave. As you turned towards the staff door, a hand grabbed the back of your shirt. You turned in surprise to find Riddle outside his enclosure, his pink feathers standing on end.

“Promise… you’ll come back.” Riddle choked out, fighting back tears.

You turned to him and gave him a gentle smile before pulling him into a hug. “Of course I’ll come back.”

“Promise!” he demanded.

“I promise.”

With the way they all looked at you, with victory and possessiveness, you halfway wondered if you had sold your soul with that promise.

[ananxiousgenz]

SONG FOR A CAGED LOVEBIRD: PART 9 (?)

i've lost track by now ngl. we're at over 9,000 words so i get a pass. this part is. ouchie central. so i am expecting a lot of people yelling at me in the comments and tags. this is fun for me.

LETS GO TPP CREW, ROUNDING THE CORNER WITH MY TPP CREW: @smidgen-of-hotboy @ceaseless-watchers-special-girl @urjover @one-joe-spoopy @waters-and-the-wilde @demonic-panini (@the-private-eye i'm tagging you too bc i can :))

The silence was what finally woke him.

Juno had been solidly asleep, dreaming about things he couldn’t quite remember but that made his stomach twist. When he finally opened his eyes, the room was abnormally quiet. No rain, barely any wind, and… he rolled over to check. Nureyev wasn’t next to him in bed. That was not entirely out of the ordinary, as his insomnia often took him on long walks through the woods as he tried to find sleep, but this morning it set his teeth on edge. Something about it felt…  wrong. Like he had walked out of the door for the last time, and would never come back. 

Juno shook the thought away. It was a ridiculous notion. He loved him too much to let that happen. If Nureyev was having trouble, or looking to leave, he would have told him. Juno trusted him.

He dressed and washed his face and walked downstairs to grab some breakfast before starting to get the bar together for opening. Hopefully, the rest of the day would pass without incident, and he could chalk this nauseous, nervous feeling up to a nightmare that he couldn’t quite remember.

It was what he saw at the bar while half-way down the stairs that really made him feel sick to his stomach.

Buddy was leaned over a half-empty bottle of whisky, rubbing the bridge of her nose, tear tracks shiny on her face. That bottle had been full when he had replaced it on the shelf last night. She never drank this early in the morning, and never that much. Always said it made her unfit to serve the public or interact with any decent human being. Jet, the man she had employed as a bar bouncer when times were better, was standing next to her, a large hand on her shoulder. He was crying too. Buddy only called him when things were drastic, like when their latest whiskey shipment had been stolen by pirates on its way to the bar.

And then there was Rita.

Rita, who wore her heart and its many thoughts on her sleeve like a badge of honor for her humanity, was nearly silent. She was snot-nosed and puffy-eyed, like she had been crying for hours, and said absolutely nothing outside of the occasional sniffle and a quiet request for Jet to grab her a glass of milk from the kitchen.

Juno thought he might hurl right there on the stairs. A silent Rita was new. Juno had known her for years, and she had never stopped talking once.

What the hell had happened?

He cautiously came down the rest of the stairs and approached the bar. Buddy looked up at his approach and tried to wipe some of the tears from her face just as Jet returned from the kitchen with the milk for Rita. “Good morning, Juno.”

“Hey, big guy,” Juno responded, nodding in Jet’s direction before looking at each one of the weeping figures in turn. “What happened? You guys look like hell. Did we get another snowstorm in the middle of the night or something?”

The three of them exchanged a look that Juno couldn’t quite decipher before Buddy answered.

“I think Rita can answer that question better than Jet or I can,” she croaked before downing another swig of whisky.

Juno turned to Rita and reached out to wipe a stray hair out of her face. “Hey, Rita, what happened? It’s okay, it can’t be that bad, right?”

At that, Rita burst into tears again. “It is, it really is that bad, Mista Steel! You don’t get it! It’s the worst thing! It’s about Mista Nureyev!”

Juno’s heart dropped through the floor the second she said his name. “Rita. Rita, look at me. Rita. DAMMIT, I need you to tell me what happened to him.”

Rita looked at him then, with such a look of despair and heartbreak on her face that Juno’s heart ached for her. And then he realized. He knew that expression. It was nearly second nature to him. He had seen it every morning on his own face in the mirror after Benten had-

And then he knew.

He breathed in, breathed out. Took a step back. The floor was spinning. He dropped to his knees. “No. No it can’t- no, no, no, no, this can’t be right, Nureyev can’t be…”

Rita nodded, tears still flowing steadily down her face as she clambered off the bar stool to hug Juno. “He came back after dark last night, and I thought he was actin’ real sketchy, so I watched him for a while, and then when the sun started comin’ up, he packed up some stuff and left, but I followed him, only he didn’t know, ‘cause I acted real sneaky-like, and he went to a train station that I’m pretty sure wasn’t there before, and he met these big, creepy guys, and they gave him paypawork to sign, ‘cause I think they were makin’ some kinda deal, and once Mista Nureyev signed it, he fell down and started coughin’, and then one of the big guys said somethin’ about not havin’ enough time to wait for him to die, and then the otha one pulled out a huuuuuge knife, and then he- then he-”

She burst into sobs again on Juno’s shoulder. His ears were ringing and he knew his face was deathly pale. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real.

Buddy looked at him hollowly from the bar. “Rita said he called your name. It was the last thing he did before he… before they loaded his body up onto a train and left.”

‘He called your name. It was the last thing he did before he died.’ And Juno didn’t even hear him. He hadn’t been paying attention. How long had he been calling? How long had Juno been ignoring him? Why was he only now hearing his echo instead of his voice? How pathetic was he, that he prioritized a fucking song over his husband? What was wrong with him? But of course, as soon as he realized his problem, it was already too late to solve it. 

He never got to say goodbye.

Dimly, Juno realized he was shivering and tears were flowing down his face and Rita was apologizing profusely that she didn’t do anything to try and save him. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so horrible about himself. 

Now, it was all over. He’d lost him forever, and it was all his fault.

He would never get to see Peter Nureyev again.

He sat there, curled up on the floor for a moment longer before a different wave of feeling crept over him.

No.

No.

This was not the end. He wouldn’t let it be the end.

He was going to get his husband back if it was the last thing he ever did.

He sat up, wiped the tears from his face, and grabbed Rita by the shoulders, lightly shaking her out of her self-deprecating ramble.

“Rita. Rita, look at me. I need you to tell me everything you know about the Underworld. It’s important. Really important.”

“Well,” Rita sniffled, wiping her face on the sleeves of her sky blue sweater, “I heard a while back about there bein’ a back door. A way to get in without havin’ to actually, ya know, die or somethin’.”

Jet nodded sagely. “This is true. I walked that road with a friend of mine years ago, trying to save people from unwise decisions.”

“It’s not easy though, Mista Steel. The road is reeeeeaaaaally long and difficult, and with the weatha bein’ the way is it, you could get caught in a storm and get hurt, and I don’t want you to get hurt, Mista Steel!!”

Buddy looked at Juno again, an odd kind of hollow despair marking her face, like she saw something in Juno’s set jaw and bright eyes that made her want to disappear. “I know what you’re thinking, Juno, and it won’t work. I’ve tried. Believe me.”

“I’m not going to give up on him this easily.” There was a defiant flame rising in him now, melting the shards of his broken heart back into a semblance of hope. “I can get him back. I know I can.”

Jet walked over from his perch next to Buddy and crouched on the floor next to Juno. “Rita is right, Juno. The road to Hadestown is not an easy one to take, which is why I must ask you: how far are you willing to go for your husband?”

The flame grew into a wildfire. 

“To the ends of the fucking earth.”

There was silence as Jet examined him for a moment longer, face expressionless, before letting out a small sigh and standing up again. “Very well then. Pack your things. I will take you to where the road to Hadestown begins. If you are going to make stupid choices, I will at least make sure you can begin making them safely.”

Buddy started shaking her head vehemently. “No, no, no. You can’t let him go, Jet darling, he’s just going to get himself killed too. It’s not safe.”

“And yet you took the same course of action all those years ago, Buddy. What does that say about you?”

A muscle in Buddy’s jaw twitched as she took another long swig of whiskey. Juno slowly stood up, like a prey animal caught between two predators trying to remain ignored. He desperately wanted to know what had happened between the two of them, but somehow got the impression that any requests to know would be soundly ignored. 

Buddy glared at Jet with one sharp eye, but said nothing.

Jet sighed again and put a large hand on Juno’s shoulder. “Go grab your things. We will leave in two hours.”

“Wait for me, Mista Steel! I’m comin’ too! I gotta go get my stuff and then I’ll go with ya! Lil old Rita isn’t as fast as she used to be! Wait up!”

Juno sprinted up the stairs, Rita’s voice carrying after him. And in spite of the loss he had just suffered, he was grinning.

Hang on, Nureyev. Just a little longer.

He was going to get his husband back. At any cost.

[slliest-clownmari]

overwatch gender + sexuality headcanons, as a treat

all opinions etc etc feel free to share your own thoughts :]]

Ana: Straight and an ally, mostly in a “I can’t believe anyone would get so pressed about a non-issue with when the world has so many actual pressing issues,” kind of way. 

Ashe: Lesbian but mad comphet for Cass. She’s since figured it out but like that was so embarrassing. And They really did have SOMETHING going on. Secret third thing.

Baptiste: Bisexual with a slight preference for men.

Bastion: Bastion.

Brigitte: Fully thought she was a straight woman until she realized sapphic women really like how strong she is and she kind of liked how much they like that? Ermm that’s something to address later. 

Cass: Bisexual with a preference for women. Will try most things at least once — that’s how he found out he was bisexual.

D.Va: Straight trans woman. Thought she was bisexual for a while but not really, it was more of a gender envy kind of thing.

Doomfist: Gay. 

Echo: Hasn’t decided yet.

Genji: Bisexual. Got into a lot of messy queer flings when he was younger, but currently mostly abstains. 

Hanzo: Gay but tries really hard not to think about it. Touch starved beyond belief and would not know how to process the emotions that come with being held.

Illari: Hasn’t gotten it figured out yet but she knows she likes girls. Since the incident she feels so unworthy of love that she doesn’t entertain the thought of a relationship. It is not a fantasy she’s allowed to have. Her life is not to be given to another, but to be given to her people as penance for the lives she took that day. 

Junker Queen: Bisexual but with no real concept of sexuality. She likes, she pursues. She would laugh in the face of labels; sexuality just is to her. 

Junkrat: Functionally AroAce? but much more sinister. Not ace as in no sexual desire but no sexual desire for people. Just gets off on blowing shit up, mostly. Is irradiated a queer identity?

Juno: AroAce but has literally no idea. Like she knows what sex is but thinks it’s a purely mechanical, purpose driven activity. The idea that people have sex for fun is beyond her and nobody is willing to fall on the sword and explain it. Genuinely really thought that romance was made up for TV. 

Kiriko: Straight but kinda bicurious? All her friends are queer, though. 

Lifeweaver: Trans and pansexual. He did not pay for top surgery using his parents money not to show off the scars, baby! He has a real love for the art of wooing, if only there was any time for it. 

Lúcio: Pansexual with a preference for the feminine. 

Mauga: Flaming bisexual but so hung up on Baptiste it hardly matters. Possessive to the extreme. 

Mei: Straight but has totally said, “I wish I liked girls!” to Tracer. 

Mercy: Like 90% straight but Moira has the hatefuck overwrite. 

Moira: Lesbian with an aromantic edge to her. Non-binary but mostly in a gender ambivalent way. She got top surgery at some point and has thought about playing around with T, but ultimately that’s not her priority. 

Orisa: Not currently interested. 

Pharah: Lesbian. 

Ramattra: He’s never even considered a romantic or sexual relationship before. There has always been something bigger. He writes it off as a human proclivity, but ultimately I think he’d be pansexual. He has no real strong feelings about gender, but seeing as masculinity is the default for strength, he leans masculine. 

Reaper: Bisexual but mostly busy angsting.

Reinhardt: Straight and he LOVES going to pride. He’s kissed men before he just wasn’t into it. 

Roadhog: Gay but not very interested in a relationship of any kind. 

Sigma: Straight but he’s always had a hard time identifying and acting upon his feelings. This is not to say he is entirely inexperienced, only that nothing ever managed to last very long. His first love was always his work, and anything else — anyone else — was doomed to come second. 

Sojourn: Straight but she’s a real ally about it. Apologizes regularly to the poor hopeful sapphics that try to shoot their shot. 

Soldier: 76: Gay but mostly busy angsting. 

Sombra: She is soo bisexual. A bit of an aromantic edge to her too, probably demi? She’s conditioned herself to not get invested, not to expect the luxury of close connections with other people. It is helpful that it’s hard for her to want to date anyone, anyway. 

Symmetra: Lesbian who had a kind of comphet for Lifeweaver. It was definitely a situation where she sat down, evaluated her options, and decided he suited her well enough. Y’know, the normal way you decide on a crush. Lifeweaver saw right through her which she did not appreciate. Thought her appreciation for women was purely aesthetic. Like, the kind of person who talks a lot about how women are “just the idealized human form.” 

Torbjörn: Straight. 

Tracer: Lesbian who likes to get a little funky with gender sometimes, as a treat. Home base is always woman, but she’ll play outside that. 

Venture: Nonbinary lesbian. 

Widowmaker: She used to be straight, but she finds it hard to want anything anymore. 

Winston: Monkey

Wrecking Ball: He’s a hater. Little genuine bigotry in his little heart but so much love for discovering new uncouth words he can call people. 

Zarya: Straight military woman :(

Zenyatta: Has a really loose view of queer identity and doesn’t use labels of any kind. He’s a man in so far as he is perceived as one, but he has no particular attachment to that. Nor is he very pressed about sexuality, either. We’re all one within the iris and all that. 

[marathedemonoverlord]

We got part 2 of Mara's story. Ngl I'm gonna make the demon bros a lil different but neither here or there, here's part 2.

OG Obey Me x MC ( Mara ) - First Year of Devildom Part 2

It was another day trapped in the Devildom. Since that incident, Mara was confined to her room and despite having Mammon's pact, she refused to use him still feeling resentful. This was entirely his fault. What the hell was she supposed to do? Run like a coward? Plead for his help? He abandoned her and if he was going to fail her she wanted nothing to do with him. She refused him. The pact was so he wouldn't kill her. Nothing more. Mara paced around her room, the feeling of "Cabin Fever" setting in as she groaned in displeasure. What to do… What to do… Mara sat at her vanity, putting that black lipstick on as she glared at her reflection. This was just like back in high school. Back when she was fifteen. She could see the younger her glaring at her, trapped in a room she hated, at a school she despised, with people she abhorred. She hated it here.

She was quiet as she stared at the mirror thinking of that time.

~

The drive to Oakington Academy was slow and full of tension. A young girl with curly pigtails stared out the window with a frown, holding her pet tarantula, Juno's, cage in her lap.

"Mara… Please… Can't we talk?" Her father asked, glancing in the rearview mirror at his daughter. Mara didn't say anything, only closing her eyes. "How did she do it? What did she do? Was dad really choosing her over me?" were the thoughts that hung like a fog in her head. When mom left, it was just the two of them, and her father always dropped everything for her. He'd read to her, buy her whatever she wanted, they'd go everywhere together. But it was only ever when he had time for her. Between his job and many girlfriends, being with Mara was more like a requirement than anything else.

"Mara, your father is talking to you." This latest wife said, the twenty-two year old college student said, the communications major looking back at her as Mara glared at her. She hated every new step mother her father brought in; He always married these girls, and then when they got too old, discarded them for someone else. She hated it but this one was no different; Olivia Launceston, Holly Hudson, Evie Rogers, Yvette Manson… All girls who fell for her father, took his attention away, then were discarded by him or chased away by her and this one would be no different. Mara was sure of it. Even if this behavior led her to be labeled as a delinquent.

Delinquent. Troublemaker, bad kid, aggressor, hell-raiser, bully. Those were the words used to describe her by teachers and adults who couldn't give a damn about who she really was. They made her so angry. So, so angry… She wanted to just beat them black and blue, beat them, and the other kids who'd dare try to pick on her too.  All of it made her so angry…

"I'm sorry, are you talking to me? I'm not interested in joining a sorority." She said coldly, scrunching her nose at the young woman as she glared at her.

"Mara, I told you. Please be nice to your new stepmother. Cindy is a part of this family now." Her father said sternly, causing Mara's glare to deepen. She never understood the point of faking this "family feeling." Her father always left these women when they reached thirty, she wasn't even permanent. "Fine, I can play nice; so Cindy, since you're only six years older than me, want me to loan you some of my clothes and makeup for the frat party?" Mara asked, grinning maliciously as Cindy gasped

"Mara!" Her father started but was cut off as Mara continued grinning as she relished every harsh word she spoke. "Or how about we skip the study group at the frat party, and you can use it for when you're lying on your back for a passing grade."

Cindy was furious as she turned back to Mara. "You have no right to speak to me that way! There is a level of respect that you-"

"Ohhh, we're talking about respect now? Well, why don't you go find your self-respect and date someone your own age, huh?"

"That's enough! I've had it with your attitude, young lady! I can't understand why you're like this, but if you can't say anything nice, then stay quiet until we get to your school!" Her father now yelled at her, causing Mara to flinch and look down. Her father never yelled at her like that… Not before. He used to like whenever she'd mock others. He used to like Juno, too. It all used to be a game for them to get fruit smoothies at the mall, people watch, and joke about others or scare people off with her spider. But now, with every new wife, he wanted to pretend Mara was just problematic? Why did he always want to pretend with each new wife? Want her to pretend? Anger, hurt, envy, and confusion brewed under her stoic expression as she stared out the window. She would cry or scream alone. She won't give them the satisfaction of seeing her upset.

The school soon came to view as her father now spoke up in a calmer tone. "Here we are dear, Oakington Academy. A year here will help you in the long run, I promise." He said as Cindy grinned, relishing in the fact she was going to a disciplinary school.

"And…. I love you, Mara." She heard her father say as she grabbed her luggage, getting out of the car. Mara didn't even look at her father, just mumbling a quiet "Whatever" as she slammed the car door, turning towards the school. She could feel him still looking at her, but she didn't look at him. How could he say he loved her when he was leaving her here?

The car drove off, and Mara turned back to watch it, a pang of sadness hitting her as it disappeared into the horizon. Did he really leave her? Did he really not want her around that badly? She knows she's been a bitch but Dad always had her back, she didn't need friends when she had her dad by her side… Is he really not going to come back? Is he really choosing that girl over her again? Well he usually left these girls after they reached thirty so it wouldn't be that long… But why did he always choose them over her during this?

Why was she always the silver medal in his life?

~

Mara put the cap on her lipstick back as she frowned. She hadn't spoken to her dad in a long while. She hasn't even spoken to her half siblings in a while… But now she was here. She was alone… And even if she was the silver medal or just a passing thought in their lives she missed them. Now it was like history was repeating. She was far from her family, going to a school she hated, and alone again. She felt so bitter.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door as her thoughts were washed away.

"Oi human you sent for me?" A rough voice called through the door, irritation laced in his tone. Mammon…. At least the idiot came this time. Mara had to get her mind off home.

[heart-aflame]

They actually have sort of inflated egos, because of how when religions came around they made super important afterlife figures to care about. Subsequently, the upper management ghosts, who are some of the oldest ghosts to still exist in the netherworld, call themselves angels.

They made up a classification system to differentiate different ghost types, like recently deceased, ghost, ghoul, goblins like the band beej had, demons, etc. Demons and angels are basically the same damn thing ability wise, but the upper management people have been around awhile and have kind of lost it a little bit so only the younger ghosts get called demons when they give up their ability to fade into the void for more and stronger powers.

They realized after a long while of wandering the void of the netherworld that while others faded, they didn't. They all eventually figured out, that it was because they had killed themselves, and for some reason that meant they couldnt fade. possibly because they were unfulfilled and unhappy in life, and needed to finish some form of business to move on.

So they made the netherworld offices, scattered across all of the netherworld, with branches all over the world so there isnt just one massive office but billions of them. Ghosts just appear in the nearest one to them when they go through the door.

They got the other ghosts who had killed themselves and gave them jobs, to help them with their afterlife and give them purpose. Theres so many different jobs, the processing department and waiting rooms are only scratching the surface. Its similar to the bureaucracy shit going on in the movie, all different sorts of jobs for people to have done.

Juno is basically in some sort of lower middle management position. She is in no way as old a ghost as the ones who made the departments and the requirement that some ghosts should be working forever. She is the head of the processing department, but that doesnt give her much power. the newly deads she meets dont know that, so she can terrorize them if she wants.

Theres so much structure and paperwork and files, upper management really likes the order of it all, that everything has its own place. They don't appreciate the unique situation of having to file and make all new paperwork for some sort of deadborn. Mostly because it should be impossible and makes no sense for someone to be born already dead and a demon. They especially werent pleased about learning the netherworld was visited by some other supernatural entity and it didnt even check in and fill the paperwork for a visitor report, or an incident report.

That's basically the upper management, what I thought of at least. Ask more about them if you want, maybe itll help flesh them out more.

I actually have some thoughts on the upper management of the netherworld, not necessarily how they handle all of the departments, just who they are and how I think they created the civil worker system.

[plutonianeris]

𓆩♱𓆪 ᴘɪᴄᴋ ᴀ ᴄᴀʀᴅ: your past life soulmate

this is a general reading & for entertainment purposes only, take what resonates and leave what doesn't. Interpret & choose based on your inner guidance and gut feeling.

𝕻𝖎𝖑𝖊 𝖔𝖓𝖊

pile one, your lover from your past life had to fight for you. They had to not only prove themselves to you in a way (bc of your fear of opening up) but they had to prove themselves to society that they could be with you. You could have had significant differences in regards to income or even been from different racial, ethnic, religious or cultural backgrounds. You could also find yourself interested in those from different backgrounds now as well. Your past life lover taught you so much about your beliefs. They had an enthusiastic and energetic nature.They made you more hopeful about love because of their caregiving nature.

They were actually pretty tall and on the thinner side. They had a lean body and without a doubt, you definitely liked to stare and blushed under their knowing smirk when they caught you staring. You had many playful moments, especially when you go and sneak off together, whispering lovely things in each other’s ears. But there was a lot of heartbreak in this relationship because of external forces and the people around you. You cried a lot and ur lover would remind you about the importance of not holding grudges, of accepting people for who they are for your own peace. Again, this sense of disapproval whether from family or society.

This is a very bittersweet love. But it completely changed the way you saw and valued yourself for the better. However, It kind of makes me sad because it seems like you don’t end up together. Like your time together was cut short, not necessarily by a traumatic incident but the general circumstances made it that way and you both went your separate ways as you moved through this world. It gives me “the one that got away” type of energy. I asked if they are going to be your soulmate again in this lifetime and it’s yes. Your story is not over yet. Hmm, so watch out for a special someone who has Sagittarius placements, Jupiter-sun placements, Jupiter-mars placements, Jupiter or mars in the first house. And look out for north node and juno synastry. This time you’re going to be determined to put a ring on it.

𝕻𝖎𝖑𝖊 𝖙𝖜𝖔

this pile is giving major enemies to lovers energy. In fact, everyone around you (especially your family) thought you two would be an amazing match. You both were very attractive and so your family thought you would make the most incredible family and also boost the income/status of the family as well. Arranged marriage just popped up. But whenever they came around you would just roll your eyes at them, you didn’t take them seriously even thought in the back of your mind you thought they were very beautiful. They had beautiful thick hair and light eyes. Their skin was clear as well. They just had a very refreshing and natural beauty. It seems like you two do end up in a union of some sort (whether it’s just being pushed to date or get married) but you slowly start falling for them over time.

They had an intensity that was magnetic and you could see it in the way other peoples eyes slightly widened a bit when your lover would walk in a room. They were respected. It’s giving me a lot of masculine energy. He could’ve been a business man or something like that. If this doesn’t Feel like it resonates that’s okay. There’s just this atmosphere of commanding energy that envelops them once they pull their sleeves back and get down to business. I got “oh, you thought I was just another pretty face?”

they definitely pleased you in the bedroom. Even after when you held together in the room tinted a midnight blue from the moonlight, your face would still be red thinking about the dirty things that had spilled out of your mouth in the heat of the moment, the way you moaned in their ear. Okay sorry (not sorry) I’m done now. This is just a hot couple. Very… I don’t wanna say superficial looking. But it’s like you two were an it couple but in a “wow don’t they look together. So cute” as others smiled at you guys. But in private it’s like, “I would die for you. I would go through hell and back just to hear you whisper my name” energy. It’s nice though. I love that you kept this intensity so private because that’s how much you wished to nurture it. “How lovely the silence of growing things”

Will you meet them again? It seems like you will. Many things will stay the same. Like the way you underestimate the potential of the relationship at first. But this time you’re going to allow yourself to have more faith in your romantic connection. Like even if you’re like idek if this is going to work you go ahead and do it anyway. You could even be a little reckless in the ways you dive in. Is that you from your past life refusing to ever hold back? Not daring to waste any breathe. Not daring to take for granted any brush of the lips or brushing of the hands as you walk side by side or shared joy at an inside joke as your laughter breaks through in the air. It feels like your lover promised you they would find you again in this life. Watch out for someone special that had placements of the sign in your 7th house, Taurus placements, 2nd house placements, Scorpio placements. And watch out for north node synastry, Ceres synastry and 8th house synastry.

𝕻𝖎𝖑𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖊𝖊

I know this is suppose to be about them but this pile talked more about how they treated you instead. they WORSHIPPED YOU. They believed in you like you were some kind of god/goddess. Your name lingered in their prayers. and it wasn’t in a cringey way or overwhelming. There seemed to be a genuine reverence for you. Your lover in the past life spoke to you so gently. Even in the smallest shift in your body language, there eyes would meet yours as they silently communicated with their piercing gaze, are you okay? Again for for this pile I get that your past life soulmate had some kind of reputation/responsibility in the public eye. But it wasn’t like the business man energy of pile two. It’s more like a burden in a sense. They remind me of Anthony Bridgerton. Like the oldest sibling caring for his family or having to be the perfect role model.

And then they see you and they think that you are so beautiful.. so gentle and ethereal. They’re kind of even afraid to get close to you because they’re scared that it’s a trick in their mind. That someone as great as you can’t be crossing their path considering all the shitty cards they have been dealt. From the start your past life lover couldn’t help but daydream about you. About having a family together. About doing mundane things together that with you would have made their heart ache with joy. This was the love of eye contact across the room, standing way too close when talking to each other, feeling comfortable in each other’s space. It was cuddling together and giggling before falling asleep in each other’s arms. Understanding. Peace.

And honestly what I find most beautiful is that even when they first met you, they longed for you but not once did they feel entitled to you, like you owed anyone anything. It’s like a slow burn romance. And maybe for that they were rewarded because when I asked if you were going to meet them again in this life the answer was yes. Watch out for a special someone with significant Saturn aspects (or Capricorn/aqua placements), 9th house placements or even Pisces placements. In synastry look out for moon synastry, any exact conjuctions you might have with personal planets and 10th house synastry.

𝕻𝖎𝖑𝖊 𝖋𝖔𝖚𝖗

your past life soul mate definitely just did… whatever they wanted. They just had an insatiable urge to explore the world. To explore everything. Religion. Philosophy. Different nations. Foreign cultures. They were a humanitarian and could have been part of an organization you were in as well. Maybe that’s how you met. Pile 4, you definitely started off as friends first. It’s kind of giving me crazy scientist energy. But you were fascinated alongside other people as well. You loved to watch the way they talked about something they just learned or got excited. There’s a lot of masculine energy in this pile as well. When your past life soulmate looked at someone it made them feel so special, like they were on top of the world. They just had that quality about them. That you felt worthy when you talked to them. Like people just wanted to prove themselves.

Also it didn’t (it did) help that they were very attractive. They had a BIG smile. Like beautiful lips and teeth. intense eyes. strong jawline. And their complexion, they were either much lighter or darker than you. Your favorite thing to do was run your hand through their hair when you laid together at night, talking about all your big plans. Being with them made you feel like you could do anything in the world. They could have been older than you but not by much maybe 2-5 years.

And you could have spent time apart as well as they traveled and you focused on your big plans/goals. During that time you both picked up some lovers here and there but you always seemed to come back together. It could be a year later and they would show up on your doorstep with some item they discovered that reminded them of you. eyes gleaming and lighting up when they saw your face as the door opened. “Still looking lovely as always” This is an unconventional kind of love but I really like it a lot.

Do you meet again in this life? Yes you do. But this time around it seems like you’re going to take more precaution. Maybe in this lifetime you just want something more “stable” or consistent. There was in imbalance before, like a tug of war in a way. And this time you’ll be more in control. Be on the lookout for a special someone with Sagittarius placements, Leo placements (possibly a Leo sun), and significant aqua placements (like 3 or more). In synastry watch out for 9th house and 11th house synastry.

© plutonianeris 🕷

[a-d-nox]

Can you tell me about Hera? I have Hera conjunct my Mercury and MC in Libra at 6° in the 9th (Sextile Ssturn, Square Neptune). I'm a writer.

*I more or less get how it is expressed with the sun, but it gets foggy when with Venus, Mercury and other planets.

hera, goddess of marriage (asteroid 103)

@emmelinekahuyan , i would not suggest you look at hera for info on how it affects you as a writer unless you are writing about marriage or child rearing. i suggest you look at the muses (erato (62), calliope (22), melpomene (18), or thalia (23)), sappho (80), qwerty (6600), athene (881), hermes (69230), and/or really any famous classical author. most famous classic authors have an asteroid you can use to see if your writing is similar to them or as popular! if you are still curious about what your aspects mean after reading this, please dm or comment below!

“when talking about such a popular god or goddess i am going to for warn paraphrasing - of course all these stories have more details and all these popular gods have stories within stories. i would love to share them all/in detail but i would need a book and a lot more time to write it. my attempt in writing these posts are to inform you on the high level story of the god’s or goddess’s life. that being said if any one of the events regaled in the post pique you interest - please let me know i don’t mind giving a more in-depth tale of any of the events mentioned.”

on to hera.

As we know from prior posts, Hera’s mother is Rhea and her father is Cronus, the one who swallowed her out of fear of being dethroned due to a prophecy (check out Zeus's post for a better explanation of this). Hera is best known as the Queen of Olympus and the wife of Zeus (yes, her brother because Greek gods don't mind a bit of incest). From the Juno post, her Roman aspect/counterpart, we get the idea that she doesn't have the best marriage though she is the ruler of the marriage domain. What we have not discussed before is how Zeus convinced Hera to marry him. Zeus tricked her by transforming into a cuckoo (one of Hera’s symbols). After transforming into this cuckoo Zeus pretended that he was sick, cold, hurt, and dying (a bit overkill if you ask me but sure). When Hera saw this poor bird, she found herself feeling sorry for it and nursing it back to health. When she cradled the small bird to her chest to help it stay warm, this is when Zeus entered his true form once more (a bit creepy but sounds like a man lol). Feeling abashed, Hera had to agree to marriage after this precarious situation and Zeus immediately demanding she marry him. Hera had thought that after this one incident that Zeus would be forever hers and found that she was severely wrong. Zeus went on to do these types of things to many other women. As we know in the midst of this (or perhaps before the cheating), Hera plotted to overthrow Zeus many times having thought that he was a corrupt ruler. Her great near defeat of Zeus was the one in which Poseidon, Athena, and Apollo were involved. This group of gods bound Zeus and stole his lightning bolt only for Thetis to arrive and untie him. For this Hera was punished and put in chains to hang from the sky. Neither Hera or Zeus fully forgive each other after this. Zeus continued to cheat and Hera served justice at every instance - tricking Semele into burning to ash at the true sight of Zeus, hunting down Io, forcing Leto to give birth to Apollo and Artemis on a branch, etc. Perhaps this reflects insecurity of Hera's - in myth we see her as envious if not more so than Aphrodite. Hera hating Troy and meddling in the affairs to spite Paris after choosing Aphrodite instead of her to receive the apple of discord, when Antigone says she is prettier than Hera - Hera turns her into a stork, Hera attempting to kill Hercules both in the womb and as baby, etc. Hera is certainly a very dynamic character. IN MY OPINION Hera in a chart represents a) your marriage, b) where you may be deceived by those that are closest to you, c) where people betray your ultimate trust while you have always been loyal to them, d) where you believe you are special to someone only to find out you’re not, e) where you can’t forgive and forget, and/or f) where you dedicate a lifetime of anger with someone to get even.

i encourage you to look into the aspects of hera along with the sign, degree, and house placement. for the more advanced astrologers, take a look at the persona chart of hera AND/OR add the other characters involved to see how they support or impede hera!

OTHER RELATED ASTEROIDS: zeus (5731 / h42), poseidon (4341 / h47), athena (881), pallas (2), rhea (577), apollo (1862), leto (68), kronos (h43), semele (86), thetis (17), io (85), artemis (105), aphrodite (1388), paris (3317), antigone (129), and heracles (5143)!

like what you read? leave a tip and state what post it is for! please use my “suggest a post topic” button if you want to see a specific post or mythical asteroid next!

click here for the masterlist

click here for more greek myths & legends

want a personal reading? click here to check out my reading options and prices!

[couldyouspeakmyname]

Not me basically stalking this whole page bc like No OnE writes of Beastars and I'm starved

I love your writing honestly, thanks for doing God's works for us lmao 💕

When you have time could I request a sheep/wolf female reader (looks more like a sheep and only had wold teeth/ears) with Pina and/or Bill? Just like their initial reaction to them maybe and after they find out that she's technically a carnivore (even if she looks like a sheep)

Thank you!

Are you asking me to write for a wolf in sheep's clothing? Because it feels like you're asking me to write for a wolf in sheep's clothing and I am all about that life

Thank you so much! That makes my day ;-; I also got a bit carried away, so I hope it’s okay. Feel free to send again if I missed something!

Pina

“A new student?” Pina closed his locker, interest now fully on Els. Pina really hadn’t been listening that closely, but it wasn’t everyday the school got a new student. 

“Yeah! A new girl. She’s a sheep,” Els continued, going over the very few details she knew. It wasn’t much, but she was still excited about it. As she continued to speak, she quickly checked her phone. Pina could tell by her sudden expression that it was later than she anticipated. She needed to get to class.

“Why are you telling me?” Els gave him a look while slinging her bag over her slim shoulder. 

“Because you’re a total flirt! I don’t want you to make the school or the drama club look bad. I heard she may stop by the club after classes. Behave yourself, okay?” Pina just gave her a look as she retreated. He shook it off, he didn’t need some upperclassman lecturing him. It was well meaning, but when had anyone ever stopped Pina from doing what he wanted?

-

Your hand grips the handle of the door. You take a deep breath through your nose, letting it out through your mouth. You tried to anchor yourself, and prepare for the onslaught. Everyone at the school seemed really nice so far, but it wouldn’t take much for that to change. 

“You’re the new girl, right?” You jump, pointed ear flicking as you turn on your heel in alarm. You hadn’t even heard the male walk up behind you. Were you that much in your head? Usually your instincts were better than that. 

“Yeah,” Being a sheep meant you were pretty small, and it helped you talk to the ground so no one would see your fangs. You were really good at hiding them, you had to be. 

“My name’s Pina, you are?” You looked up at him, taking note of his shining horns and wool that fell just right around his form. He looked like he walked out of a magazine. 

“O-Oh! Y/N,” You offered a small closed mouth smile. Pina didn’t stop looking you over. Your alarm bells went off. There was definitely something up with him. Did he know? Usually people just assumed your ears were deformed or you were just bad at managing your wool which is why there were so fluffy. Was it your eyes? Your hands? You trimmed your claws between classes, so by all accounts you looked like an herbivore. 

“Nice to meet you. Don’t look so worried, pretty much everyone is tolerable,” He reached past you and walked in, letting you follow after. 

- 

You’d been going to drama club for a while. Thankfully for you, everyone was super nice, if not al little eccentric or weird. It at least gave you a solid friend base, if nothing else. You often would eat with some of the members. Sheila even introduced you to another sheep named Peach. Though, more often than not, you’d find yourself with Pina at some point during the day. You had no idea how it happened, it always just...did. You had suspicions he had somehow orchestrated running into you. 

“What class are you studying for?” He tried to peek over at your book, having managed to peel his eyes away from his phone that pinged every few moments with messages, no doubt from the possibly many girls he had been dating. 

“Science,” He looked immediately disinterested, going back to his phone. He started texting again, at a speed most cheetahs would find impressive, but he continued to try and carry a conversation with you. 

“Okay, I have to ask. What’s your deal? Why did you transfer, and why did you end up in drama club?” Pina’s words would have been accusatory, or pointed, but his tone was so casual it was like he was asking about the weather. 

“My deal?” You froze, and tried to casually turn the page, but you had stayed still a few moments to long. You didn’t have to look over to know Pina was now leaned over, waiting. 

“Your deal. Like, Legoshi is a pervert, Sheila used to be a dominatrix or something...No one normal as you usually joins. So, what’s your deal? You’re so...normal,” You hands closed your book with a thunk! You adjust on the bench to turn over and look back at him, scooting away just a smidge. 

“Promise you wont say anything?” You looked serious, but Pina was unaffected. Instead he tapped his chin, seeming to think hard about it. 

“Sure, why not?” He smiled, that same charismatic smile that he had perfected. You didn’t know if it was genuine, but his words were. Pina was a flirt, but he wasn’t known for spreading or telling rumors. Plus, he was your friend, even if you didn’t know how you ended up being friends in the first place. 

“Well, I’m not a sheep, at least...not all sheep,” As you spoke, he leaned in, curiosity getting the better of him. His phone was now long forgotten, and not even the chirping from text alerts took his gaze away from you. You glanced around while mulling how to say what you need to say in your head. The coast was clear. 

“I look like a sheep but, I’m also half wolf,” As your spoke, you didn’t hide your fangs, and actually went out of you way to adjust your more pointed ears. 

“Woah,” You waited for the fallout. Waited for his expression to turn to disgust, or for him to ask if your wolf parent ate your sheep one. You wanted for all of the normal questions that came with the confusion and ager from finding out you were a hybrid, but it never came.

“So that’s why you’re weird looking,” You shot a glare his direction. At least he was honest.

“Yeah, I guess...So, you wont tell anyone?” Pina leaned back.

“Nah I wont tell anyone about you, as long as you don’t chew on me at practice,” he shoots you a smile. This one seemed actually honest. 

“Thanks...I really appreciate it” 

“No problem. Can I ask another question?”

“Sure, I guess,” You suddenly felt much more relaxed. It was like a weight had been lifted. 

“Do you classify as a carnivore or an herbivore? I’ve never met a hybrid before,”  You blinked, and fiddled with the corner of your book.

“Carnivore, technically. I have to take supplements since I’ve been eating the herbivore lunch. It’s not balanced for me”

“Oh! Well, that sucks,” He laughed and grabbed his phone again. “Just order the food you want. I’ll can always get you one, or ask Bill to get an extra. Or Legoshi, they’d get one for you,” He was so casual about it, you almost had to pinch yourself. 

“Hey Pina?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks...for being so nice about it.” 

“No problem. You can’t help who your parents are, plus you’re more interesting than over half the school. It’d be a waste to stop hanging out with you over something so stupid.” 

----

Bill

“New student?” Bill held the door open for Els who snuck by, holding her bag. They’d just got done at drama club, and Els was eager to talk about the new student their director told them about. Supposedly she was a transfer from another school. The details weren’t specific but they were all pretty excited. Having someone from a new school could offer new perspectives, which could be great for the drama club.

“Yeah. She sounds like she could fit right it,” It’d be nice to have another girl in drama and another herbivore. After the incident with Tem, some herbivores were still cautious about carnivore students, so it was exciting this new girl was joining an interspecies club out of the gate. 

“I hope so. Just gotta make sure Pina doesn’t do anything overwhelming, we don’t need that kind of drama,” Bill did not need Pina to flirt with the new girl, and go and forget her name. Bill was honestly one to talk, but that was beside the point. 

“Well, we’ll get to meet her tomorrow!” Els smiled, and they waved goodbye to one another. She was in high spirits, and with a shove of her shoulder let herself into her dorm room. 

“See you tomorrow Els!” Bill waved and went to his dorm. A new girl huh? He wasn’t thrilled at the idea of more Herbivores to look after, but if they were even a fraction as cool as Els, they couldn’t be to bad. 

-

You took a deep breath, and your hand gripped your school bag tightly. You grabbed the door of the drama room and pushed it. It was a bit stuck, but nothing major. You did pretend to struggle with it in order to fit the persona you were following of being a basic herbivore. No one had to know about the fact you had a carnivore parent. 

“Hello! Sorry I’m late! I got a bit lost,” You walked in, smiling carefully, avoiding showing any teeth. Your slightly longer and fluffier ear twitched. Most students just thought it was some sort of deformity, and were polite enough not to talk about it. 

“Welcome!” A goat ran up to you, and quickly introduced herself. It took very little time for you to be introduced to everyone else. They all seemed nice, friendly. Juno and Els were quick to sweep you away from a flirty and curious Pina, and show you the ropes and the possible areas you could end up.

“This big guy is Bill, don’t worry, he’s not as big of a jerk as he likes to pretend to be,” Els fondly pat the large tiger on the arm, and he just gave you a smile.

“Nice to meet you,” Bill smiled your direction, but there was a moment where the look in his eye turned briefly to confusion, but it went back to normal almost as quickly as it came. 

“Nice to meet you too!” Maybe it was your imagination. Yeah, your imagination. 

-

Drama was really fun. Everyone was supportive, if not a bit quirky. Even out of drama club, they tended to stick together. Els, Sheila, as well as Juno, tended to stick close with you. Thanks to them, it wasn’t difficult for you to find a close group of small and honest friends. That also included Bill, on rare occasions. He stuck mainly with carnivores, but the rare times you were alone, he’d slide next to you. 

“Hey, you doing okay?” He had two meals in his hand. You wondered if he was meeting someone. 

“Yeah, I’m doing alright!” You set your supplements down. He eyed them for a moment and motioned with his head.

“It’s nice outside, we should go enjoy the rest of the evening,” You sat confused, but decided to follow him. Bill carried those two trays out and somehow still held the door for you. 

“Thanks, but why do you wanna eat outside?” You sat on a bunch, setting your try on your lap, and you opened your drink to take your supplements. When people asked, you told them they were just additional vitamins. 

“So you could eat this instead,” He offered the second tray he had been holding. You looked at him confused. 

“Why?” It was the carnivore lunch tray. You were a sheep, as far as anyone knew. 

“Because taking supplements suck,” He sat down, and offered the second tray again, “Take it, I want to eat my food too, kinda hard to do that with my hands full,” You set your other food aside, and took the offered tray, 

“So, you know?” Bill shrugged. He didn’t seem that worried about it. 

“Yeah. To be fair, Aoba figured it out first. He happened to see you yawn one day, spotted your fangs. Aoba has really good eyes, being a eagle and all. We figured you didn’t want anyone to know so we haven’t asked you about it,” You freeze. If Aoba knew, who else did?

“Aoba knows?” You looked shocked. You thought you had been so careful! 

“Yeah. Don’t worry about it. Only Aoba, Els, and I know. We didn’t want to bug you about it, but it’s been bugging me, watching you take those pills all the time. It’s better to just eat what you need instead of eating salads and hoping your “Vitamins” even it out. If you’re part carnivore, have some pride in it,” He spoke between eating. You were surprised, he seemed so okay with it. 

“Oh,” You didn’t know what to say. No one had treated you different, everyone was still super nice. 

“Promise you guys wont tell anyone?” You finally picked up your utensils, and began eating the lunch you should have been getting from the beginning. It was really good, but maybe that was just because it came from someone who accepted you. 

“Promise. We stick together, you’re one of us now,” He jokingly shoved your thin shoulder with his own, grinning. 

“So, what are you mixed with?” Bill asked, his food all but gone. How did he eat so much so fast? 

“Sheep and a wolf,” He laughed.

“Oh boy, I bet that must be a story,” He laughed, and you would bet he was trying to picture how that happened.

“Yeah,” You kept eating, finally relaxing. You didn’t even know you were tense. 

“If you ever need anything you can ask me, okay? Like I said, we all kind of stick together. I don’t mind buying extra food for you so you can avoid taking those pills,” He looked away, scratching his cheek. You got the feeling he wasn’t used to being sincere or so outwardly nice. It wasn’t a surprise, he frequently played the tough guy. 

“Thanks Bill.”

“You’re welcome” 

[anryuuepic]

i love the way the powers were described for the test subjects of wendigo works! 👻 for them pls :3

👻 for a fear headcanon

Jupiter

He doesn’t have much left to fear. With his body in its eternal state of pain and stagnation, Jupiter knows he’s not going anywhere. He’s lived out decades with some of the most heartless, cruel people possible, and because of that, he’s become desensitized to the horrors of the world. As far as he knows, there’s nothing that could happen to him that wouldn’t heal. And what does a person have to fear but harm to themself? There’s no one and nothing he’s attached to (or so he wants to think), so Jupiter sees no reason to feel fear. There is an exception to this, however, and that exception is the lingering, massively suppressed fear that Winterkill will succeed and create a world where she’s forever in control.

Juno

While she doesn’t intend to bring it up around any of the lesser members of Winterkill Works, Juno’s very existence is driven by the desire to see her sister, Lillianne, again. After a particular incident, the two were separated, and Juno has spent the last centuries searching for her. The two of them are immortal, so there’s no time limit, but Juno hardly knows how to live without Lillianne by her side, and in that way, that’s what she fears most. Lillianne was the person she relied on above all else, and the thought of never being able to see her again scares Juno more than anything. However, instead of letting the fear consume her, she turns it into vicious devotion to find her sister and let their relationship be like it used to. 

Apollo

More than anything, Apollo fears what he’s becoming. Ever since he was given his power, he sees the people around him in a different light than anyone else ever could. Knowing what’s in everyone’s hearts has shown him how many people dislike him, how many people hold dark secrets, and how many people are worse than he ever could have imagined. Seeing the worst of human nature has taken his optimistic outlook on life and smashed it to pieces, even though he refuses to let that show. Since he sees things that he shouldn’t, Apollo is afraid he’ll become something much the same. He’s more isolated from those around him than he’s ever been, and he hates the feeling of being intentionally excluded. 

Venus

In a way, what scares Venus amounts to survivor’s guilt. She’s one of two among fourteen test subjects whose power didn’t backfire and disable them forever, and that causes her more distress than she knows is rational. She’d never want to be hurt like the rest of them, but there’s still a part of Venus that wonders why she was spared. And that’s what causes her fear. Paranoia that her power will go haywire someday always haunts her mind, and she worries massively that everyone else hates her for escaping the curse of being a failed experiment. Bacchus is the person she feels most comfortable around, but even then... Venus can never shake the feeling that even Bacchus secretly resents her for being intact. 

Neptune

As relaxed as he is, there doesn’t seem to be much that Neptune fears. Especially now that his body is more durable than a person was ever meant to be, he doesn’t have much to do but lie around and doze off to dreams of a better world. But deep down, Neptune fears stagnation. Despite the fact that he does nothing but sleep and stay in his room, that’s more of a tactic of embracing the inevitable than anything he wants to do. Since he can never go back to his job or his old life, Neptune, in a way, feels hopeless. He’s stuck in this life forever. And yet, he does everything possible not to let the fear consume him. Facing the world with as much of a relaxed, carefree attitude as he can is the best thing he can do. 

Bacchus

What’s left for her to fear? Bacchus has been through a life so horrible that she doubts anything worse could happen to her. Everything she feared when she was younger has already come to pass, so what does she have, anymore, that she could ever really be afraid of? Fear can’t drive her any longer. Bacchus is filled to the brim with regrets and hopelessness, but nothing that truly makes her afraid. After losing everything— the life and job she gave her all to, the relationship with one of her sons, and the very existence of the other, she’s spiraled to a depth where fear doesn’t exist. Bitterness, jaded cynicism, and resentment toward the world that took everything from her hold its place well. 

Mars

The fear that eats Mars up the most is losing control— of himself, of the world, of anything. As a fighter, he always had to know himself, his limits, and the limits of everyone around him. But with his power and how it drives him out of his mind with unstoppable, crazed rage, he’s stuck losing control like he never has before. And he hates that. The experience of waking up bloody and beat to shit, hardly able to remember what he did or why is incredibly uncomfortable for Mars. And adding to that, the fact that he has to get hurt to be stronger is also dangerous. His life revolves around his ability to fight (or at least, it used to), so thinking of how he could ruin himself for good is a scary thought to him. 

Mercury

His fear is one that he’ll never, never admit to anyone, even himself... and it’s the fear of forever being alone. Between a power that disfigures his body and causes harm to those around him, a viciously short fuse, and a tendency to enjoy when others are in pain, Mercury gets why no one wants to be around him. And as much as he’s fought to embrace that and make it who he is, there are parts of him that hate it. He becomes arrogant to hide the fact that he’s incredibly lonely, and buries his insecurities under a defense of holding grudges and looking down on everyone around him. He’s terrified that he’ll be alone forever and die with no one who cares he ever lived. 

Orcus

There are a lot of things that Orcus fears, but the one eternally at the top of the list is losing his mind. His family, for generations, has been seemingly cursed with the fate of going insane before or shortly after reaching adulthood. Orcus received Proserpina as a companion to try to slow the process and keep him stable... but he has no idea if it worked. With only his own perspective of things to rely on, Orcus knows that he’d never be aware of it if he fell prey to the same thing all of his family has. He clings to Proserpina desperately because he’s convinced she’ll save him— and that she’s the only one who would love him even if he did lose everything. His fear makes him desperate and cruel. 

Proserpina

The things that Proserpina fears most all have to do with Orcus. Despite how cruelly he treats her and a history of being literally owned by him, she’s so attached to him that her whole world is consumed by his existence. For the most part, Proserpina fears the same things that Orcus does— she doesn’t want to see him lose his mind or become someone he’s not, especially when she’s still convinced he was never a bad person, in the first place. But the fear that’s all her own is one of hoping that Orcus will always need her. The thing he’s always longed for is someone to stay by his side no matter what, and Proserpina wants more than anything to be that person. But when he does lose himself...

Ceres

Her greatest fear could most likely be defined as attachment. Ceres is the kind of person who’s never been close to anyone else and truly never cared to. She’s lived her life on her own and relying only on herself, and she despises the idea of being forced to do anything else. Despite her friendly persona, she doesn’t like it when people try to get too close. She doesn’t really care what feelings others have for her— it’s the slippery slope that those feelings cause that sets her on edge. When people love her first, what’s to say she won’t develop the same in return? So Ceres makes herself distant. She cultivates a self where she never lets anyone too close. She’ll always be alone if she’s that way. 

Vulcan

As it is, there’s a lot that Vulcan has to be afraid of. Ever since he was joined to the other guy, he’s had more to worry about than anyone should have to. At first, it was just creepy, but now that he’s starting to lose track of what thoughts are his own, he’s downright terrified. It feels like there’s someone else slowly taking over his body, and that actually being the case makes it even worse. He doesn’t want to lose himself or become someone he’s not, but at this point, is there any going back? Vulcan hates every second of feeling himself slip. He wants to be himself again, without someone else along with him, and instead, he gets the terrifying experience of slowly forgetting who he ever was. 

Minerva

With her current situation, Minerva has gone through stages of being terrified of everything to a sense of detached, uncaring neutrality that’s all she really wants to feel. Dying slowly via her body turning itself to stone is an experience that’s nothing short of torture. It would mentally break anyone, and Minerva is no different. But after so long of living out the process, she’s ceased to care about the death part of it all (at least, that she’s consciously aware of). Instead, what she fears most is what she’ll leave behind. Minerva knows that Vulcan loves her, and that gives her the greatest fear of all— how much he’ll suffer watching her waste away. What scares her most is seeing his grief. 

Vesta

Like many of the others, Vesta’s fears tend to stem from her powers. Or more accurately, she’s gained fears because of them. It’s hard to remember what kind of person she was before the experiments, but as she is now, feeling the hostility, cruelty, and resentment of those around her leaves Vesta perpetually in a state of unstable terror. She absorbs the emotions of everyone else— which means that in many cases, her fear isn’t even her own. She’s forced to experience the same things as the people around her, forced to careen from emotion to emotion, and left exhausted and overwhelmed because of it. Others’ emotions crowd out everything else until she hardly knows which are her own. 

[hoodoo12]

Elegy (4/6)

These two’ll be the death of me, @clairjohnson . . . Home again, home again, jiggity jig, even if that home is a tomb. Despite drunkenness, something unexpected occurs.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

@turtlepated @thewolfisapartofmysoul @beejiesbitch @janitor-boy @angelicspaceprince @beetlewise-and-pennyjuice `

If she hadn’t been so focused on keeping him upright his words would have knocked her down. Maria had heard this man flirt a hundred times over, but nothing ever so flattering and eloquent. The most beautiful. Her stomach twisted at the compliment. Both unbelievably flattered and heartbroken all at once. Had he always thought this? Or had he really just gone overboard with the drinks tonight? 

She was about to respond, to express how completely touched she was by his words, when he started to talk again. Beej’s announcement of their arrival, and subsequent stumble, snapped her out of her thoughts. When had they gotten here? She hadn’t even realized they’d gone through a door. 

Didn’t matter. The Netherworld was a strange place, Betelgeuse was strange, it was easier just to accept things as they were. What was harder to accept, however, was his home. It was practically barren, save for a bed, table, and wooden chair. The only light in the room came from a few scattered candles that revealed debris strewn across his old wooden floor.

It looked like a crypt. It might be a crypt. 

“This is where you stay?” she asked, unable to hide the shock in her voice. Her place was hardly a palace, but it was clean. Bright. She couldn’t imagine ever spending a night here. Let alone however many hundreds of years he’d been dead. The mere concept made her chest tighten in pity. 

“Let’s get you over to the bed . . .”

"Gives me incentive to get top side," he muttered half under his breath at her blurted question. "Who cares anyway? I close my eyes and it's gone. I don't see it. No one else does either." 

She hadn't taken her arm from around his waist. With her continued assistance, he shuffled over towards his bed. The distance wasn't far, but as if to help bolster the fact his place was more fleabag hotel than the Ritz-Carlton, his foot caught a stack of Handbooks for the Recently Deceased--how did those get there? It couldn't be that he'd stolen them from recently deceased in order to con them--

--and he stumbled. The four walls around them did a looping dance. Automatically his grip over her shoulders tightened even as his other hand went for the rusty iron foot rail on his bed. He managed to remain upright, but had jerked her along with him. 

As he recaught his balance, the room settled back into place. 

She'd been close while walking with him, but there'd still been a detachment. He'd managed to scatter that with his ham-fisted, foolish misstep; Maria had been pulled right to him. 

With a jerky, unnatural movement, he lifted his arm off her. 

"Sorry," he apologized.

Top side. She and others, including Juno, had wondered for decades how he’d manage to find ways to the world of the living. There were rules. Passes you needed to apply for - but he, in normal Betelgeuse fashion, skirted by it all. 

She was about to snap back at his flippant comment when he tripped over what appeared to be a pile of handbooks. Maria reminded herself to inquire on those later. Thankfully Beej caught himself on the bed, saving them both from falling face first on the wood floor. In his effort to stay balanced the arm around her shoulder moved forward, effectively pulling her into his chest. One arm still wrapped around his waist, the other now flat on his chest, she peered up at him with embarrassment. He wasn’t a particularly tall man, but he was sturdy, and she felt unusually small pressed against him. 

When he detached himself with a slurred apology Maria took in a shaky breath she didn’t need then helped him sit down on the bed. God, he looked so disheveled - more so than usual. His eyes were heavy, shoulders slumped, and his tie was loosened and askew around his neck. 

Without waiting for permission Maria slipped the loose tie up and over his head and hung it gently on the foot rail. Turning back she hesitated, just for a second, before helping him slip his jacket off. She ran her hands over his shoulders and under the jacket, sliding it down his arms. The beauty queen reached around him, leaning in close, and retrieved the jacket and reunited it with his tie. 

“From what I can see of your bed I doubt you take these off when you sleep.” She crouched down and angled his large black boots for him to see. “However, I can’t bring myself to see you place these nasty things on the mattress.”

Some quick finger work on the laces and a few short tugs had both boots off. She placed them neatly at the foot of his bed. Maria brushed some questionable dirt off her hands and returned to the older man, giving him a satisfied once over. Gently, she pressed on his shoulder for him to lay down. 

“Get some rest, Alborotador. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around again soon.”

He felt loose, like his joints had been separated. Maria's gentle guidance around the end of his bed to the side and helping him sit was appreciated, but that was nothing compared to her carefully removing his tie. At some point it'd become loosened, or even in his inebriated state he'd have slapped her hands away. Nobody touched his neck, that was a rule. But she was quick and efficient and the fabric never touched his skin. That would've been enough, but then, but then-- 

She assisted him out of his jacket. Any other time he'd have made some off-color comment or pushed the flirting so hard it would have bordered on desperate. But muddled by the booze and still feeling the deep ache of rejection from those people in goddamned Connecticut, just to have her be attentive, just to have her hands peel him out of his outerwear-- 

A small sigh slipped past his lips. If she heard it, she ignored it.  

Then she didn't leave well enough alone; she actually crouched in front of him in her cocktail dress and heels--everything about her was in stark contrast to the rat's nest he lived in, and he included himself in that melancholy assessment; he should have never brought her here--and worked the laces of his boots loose and pulled them off his feet.

The care and concern pained him. The simple act of touch took him apart. 

When she took his shoulder he almost moaned. Like a man dying of thirst in a desert, he wanted nothing more than to drink in that simple friendly touch. 

It took all his will power to not grab her hand. Not for anything inappropriate, but just to keep it there, so he could soak it in. Instead, he sat dumb and dull as she straightened her skirt and bid him farewell. 

"Why does everyone keep leaving me?" he whispered. There had been a time very recently he'd bellowed that, but here, all he could expend the effort on was something closer to a whimper.

Maria had started to make her way out of the room when he spoke, the sound of his broken voice pulling at her more than the words themselves. Not that the words didn't catch her attention, and in many ways, hurt her. He was drunk, she reminded herself, and sad. She could stay with him a little longer - just until he was unconscious, she already crossed a line by being here, and basically sprinted past said line when she helped him undress. 

"I'm not leaving you," Maria corrected while she walked back over to the bed. "I was just going home. I have no illusions that you won't be darkening my waiting room doorstep again soon." 

Gently, she sat down on the bed beside him, her leg brushing up against his own. 

"Now lay down. Go on." She pushed at him again, moving out of the way for him to lift his legs up. The beauty queen stayed seated beside him, her torso twisted slightly to look down at him while she spoke. 

"If anyone left, it was you, Beej." The words were soft and sad, and she reached out absently to adjust a crease in his white(ish) button up. "Got yourself in so much trouble that Juno had to fire you - and then you were gone. Disappeared like smoke for years, only to show back up in the waiting room looking pissed." 

Maria had been so relieved, and so unbelievably angry to see him after all that time. It was that absence, that complete cut from communication, that had brought her back to calling him Mr. Betelgeuse - a title she already found herself skipping again in favor of his nickname.

Maria appeared at his side again, and blearily he looked up at her. Her nudge wasn't rough but he was so unsteady it was almost enough to topple him. He managed to not just fall back like a drunk--haha--but only just barely. 

Her words came to him as if through cotton wool. Disorganized thoughts moved lazily inside his head; it was so much easier to be angry than this drunken, dazed state he was in. The fact that the beauty queen had even given him the time of day was almost too much to take and much too much to even try and puzzle out. 

In the reaches of his memory he did recall how upset she'd been to see him again, and her cool reception to him ever since the final incident that sent him packing--that he'd designed for at least the chance for freedom. Tonight was the first time in all the times he'd reappear she'd ever done anything more than nod politely and exchange chilly words. 

As she sat primly, lightly beside him, the bed frame buckled. It didn't startle him, he was more than used to it, but he could imagine the surprise on her face as the mattress sagged her closer to him. Her delicate attention to his shirt made him catch her hand. 

"Come here," he croaked out, before clearing his throat, giving her a half-hearted pull. "I gotta tell you something."

The unexpected dipping of the mattress when he laid back surprised her, and she ended up with her back pressed against his side. Maria might have just fallen on top of him, if he hadn’t grabbed the hand that had been adjusting his shirt. 

Deep brown eyes assessed him curiously at the request. He was quite capable of saying whatever it was he needed to say from where she sat now - but the pull of sympathy was still strong. Without a word Maria leaned down to him, her free hand bracing her body on the mattress next to his. Being this close, even closer than when she was helping him walk home, she could pick up the smell of moss and wet dirt that clung to his clothes and skin. There was also the faintest smell of roses - so subtle that she could have second guessed if it was there at all.

She did as requested, and leaned over him. A stray lock of hair escaped from its careful pinning, and tickled his cheek. Maybe if things between them had been different, maybe if he hadn't fucked everything over in that spectacular way that was apparently his specialty, he'd have permission to brush it back. To lift it and settle it behind her ear. A minor but intimate gesture. 

But he didn't. He let her hair stay where it was, because it was also nice to feel it on his skin. 

Now that he had her there, he was at a loss for words. Lots of things flitted through his head: "You deserve better than me." "I missed you." "Wanna go see Saturn? I know a safe place--" 

In the end, he frowned a little as he focused on her features. She was so close everything was blurred; he didn't think it was because of the alcohol. Why in the ever-loving hell did she put up with him? 

"Thank you," he whispered.

There was a long silence while his eyes searched her face. Maria could tell he was considering something - and the fact that it was taking him this much time started to worry her. Why? She wasn’t sure. 

At this distance she was able to get a good look at his face. It was round and scruffy, and strangely complimented by his Roman nose. Even in his current, sullen state his lips still had an upturned curl to them. She’d always liked his lips.

 Her attention was taken away from his face when he spoke, and she smiled at him in response. 

“You’re welcome.” 

Blame it on the alcohol, on their proximity, on the raw vulnerability he’d shown her - but without having time to process her actions, her face closed the distance with his. The kiss was soft, and her lips barely pressed against his own. 

It took only a few seconds for what she had done to register, and when it sunk in, she pulled back. Not all the way, but enough to give him a dazed, almost apologetic look. She hadn’t planned to do that, would have sworn up and down that she would never be kissing Betelgeuse right up until the moment she did. Maria started to sit up a little more and opened her mouth to speak, but had no idea what to say.

The brush of her lips against his was a shock that wasn't dulled by alcohol. 

His hand automatically went up to touch her, to slip to her jaw to keep her close, but the split second that it took for him to try she pulled back again. But the motion was in place; although he missed keeping her where she was, his fingers touched the junction of neck and shoulder. 

There was nothing more important in his existence than tasting her lipstick again. 

Eyes wide, his tongue swiping his bottom lip in a move he didn't give conscious thought to, Beetlejuice breathed out, "Mi hermosa emperatriz Maria . . ." 

With a little additional pressure from his hand he encouraged her back towards him as he surged up to her.

tbc . . .

[summonerscenarios]

Heyo, I was the anon the requested the angst with Zabs, Ophion, and Oni and I was wondering if you have the time if you can make a continuation where MC decides to pursue them and confesses their love. I also want to say that the HCs where really well done. I think you're a really good writer. Thank You, Juno! ❤

Hoo this one has been a long time coming!! you can really tell I got carried away trying to give this as much emotion as possible. Thank you sweetie for your kind words and here’s your request~!

Original can be found here!

-------

Ophion

Out of the three of them, Ophion seems the least affected by the previous events and had little problems reintegrating into the extravagant life he was temporarily pulled away from. You’ve been dancing around the subject of confessing for a while, not because you didn’t want to, but it felt as though it wasn’t the right time, so you’d kept your feelings to yourself. Eventually though, as time goes on, it becomes more and more apparent that you can’t keep your feelings to yourself for much longer, and they finally come pouring out when you have a minute alone with the tycoon, away from prying eyes in a space that you’re sure the dragon reserved just for you.

Upon hearing your words of confession you can see Ophion’s posture straighten and mirth dance in his eyes; it’s clear that these are the words that he’s desired to hear from you since being reunited, and he doesn’t hesitate to make this fact known to you. Once again you’re taken into Ophion’s arms, one hand coming to smooth through your hair as another reaches behind you to press against your lower back. A pleased rumble resonates through him as he tells you just how much it means to finally hear those words uttered from your lips. You’re fully prepared for the slew of affection that’s sure to come, leaning into the hand that begins to slide up your back, moving to rest upon your shoulder....

But then you feel it. He hesitates, hand twitching just shy of touching you. Then, he pulls back.

Confused, you look up into Ophion’s face only to find the dragon looking down at you with an expression you don’t expect. Remorse, or maybe pity? You aren’t entirely sure, but you do know that this reaction is out of the ordinary for someone who prides himself so much on being above all else. His voice is softer than his usually bold declarations as he tells you that if this is truly the moment where the two of you are joined together, then now should be the moment that he lays everything bare before you beforehand. That perplexes you further - it’s easy to mistake that as perhaps some steamy remark, but something in the pit of your stomach tells you otherwise, and with a feeling of unease you agree.

He leads you to take a seat, never straying his hand from its hold on yours yet keeping his grip loose as he allows you a moment to get comfortable. There is no easy way to tell someone about the details of the kidnapping and the orb, but he is straightforward and honest in his explanation, telling you everything. It’s a lot to take in, hearing about the previous loops and how so many of them involved scenarios where the two of you were well into the throes of a relationship; just hearing about some of the things he’s able to recall has you flustered but incredibly happy knowing that you got together in previous loops. Then, with some hesitation, he begins to fill in the brutal endings to those loops, and you now know why he’d kept the events of what happened to himself. Hearing them is a lot, but you can’t even imagine what it must have been like to experience firsthand, even if they technically haven’t happened in this loop. 

Your expression must have reflected the mess of emotions that were filling you, as Ophion squeezes your hand in a comforting gesture and you are now acutely aware of the fact that his hold on you is loose as though you are something fragile in his hands - you don’t want to be fragile; you aren’t going to break. He tells you this so that there are no secrets between you going forward - you have every right to know and he’s not foolish enough to think that hiding this information would benefit you in any way. But, he also tells you this to make a promise to you now - he will not make the errors that his previous selves were imprudent enough to make. It’s a promise that he made to himself that day, and a promise that he is renewing before you right now, both as this loop’s Ophion and as your partner; and he will use this moment now as a stepping stone to prove to you that he’s as good as his word and that he can be a worthy lover.

Oniwaka

Oniwaka has been going out of his way to avoid you since the kidnapping incident - he refused to talk about what had happened to him on the day, and as soon as he’d had the chance, he’d made himself scarce, disappearing for long periods of time. It worried you, especially given how before this point you guys were inseparable, practically stuck at the hip. Wherever you went, Oniwaka was sure to follow; now, the roles were reversed. Seeking him out was harder than you thought, and the fact he was purposefully staying out of sight didn’t make it easier, but you were never one to back down from a challenge - you needed to get this off of your chest before he decided to fall right out of your life.

You were obvious with your intentions from the get go, never hiding your emotions or how you were feeling so that both Oni and everyone else around you had an inkling regarding your feelings towards the oni. Wasting time was never your strong suit, so it was only a matter of time before you ended up coming right out and saying it, admitting your feelings so you could find out whether they were reciprocated or not. Surely you weren’t the only one feeling this way, after all the things you and Oniwaka had been through together, surely he saw there was something more there, a deeper relationship that you both desired to have, be it now or later on down the line.

He’s suspected that this was coming - he saw the signs - but even he didn’t think you would be so forthcoming with it. And now he’s staring you down, looking at your hopefully expression determined and desperate for an answer, regardless of whether it was a yes or no. He should say no outright, to turn you down in the hopes that it will be enough for you to go away and forget about him, to find someone else who doesn’t have your deaths on his hands. But he can’t - he still has feelings for you, but he still refuses to forgive himself for those past loops; he’s torn, so much so that the words just can’t come out - not a rejection, nor an acceptance of your feelings. What comes out instead is a slow “Don’t...don’t do this”, which makes you freeze. Don’t do what? He expects you to know - you can’t give him this choice, because you both know that he could never say no when it comes to you

You try to ask what he means but he shakes his head, cursing that he doesn’t have time for this and begins to walk away from you, which sparks a wave of anger from you in response. Seriously? He doesn't even have the guts to tell you why he’s turning you down and expects you to be okay with him walking away? Without thinking you catch up to him, the annoyance rising in your voice as you demand he slow down and just talk to you, pestering, and pestering, until finally the tension that’s in the air reaches its peak and he whirls around, bellowing out:

“I’M NOT GONNA SAY I LOVE YOU JUST TO WATCH YOU DIE AGAIN, OKAY?!”

The very air itself seems to freeze and your heart drops into your stomach. Again? You know that it isn’t a mistake, the sheer look of guilt on his face is enough to convince you it wasn’t just a slip of the tongue - something happened, and you demand to know what it is. If it involves you and him you need to know. What comes next is a flurry of information. Oniwaka knows he’s put his foot in it and that you won’t leave it alone until you get your answers, you’ve always been persistent, it’s one of the reasons he liked you, but it couldn’t be more frustrating now. In a twisted way, Oni hopes that you finding out about his hand in your past deaths will be enough to convince you to stay away, to back off and run back to the Summoners for the protection he feels like he can no longer provide. And for a moment he almost gets it; once you’re filled in you’re unusually silent, staring down at your hands with an expression torn between confused and shocked realizing the state of your own mortality. You should turn around and run away, get away so that he can put as much distance between the two of you as possible and keep an eye on you from a distance from now on. You should...but you don’t

You run into his arms with enough force to knock the air out of his lungs and Oniwaka makes a choked sound, clearly taken off guard. He tries to push you away, telling you that he shouldn’t but you don’t budge, only tightening your hold refusing to let go of him. He loses conviction quickly, the hands trying to push you away reduced to pawing uselessly at your chest to make you let go even if he really doesn’t want you to. Oniwaka cusses out your persistence but his head drops down, eyes screwed shut as the emotions he’s been keeping in come bubbling over like a boiling pot.

It takes a moment for the words to come but soon enough they’re flowing from your mouth. Whatever happened back in those past loops isn’t now - the people you were in those past loops aren't the people standing like this, right now. You will never fault him for the actions that his other selves made, even if he does - you trust him, you know this version of him would never do that to you, and above all else you love this Oniwaka, not any other, and if he thinks you’re just gonna give up what you guys have for something like that he’s got another thing coming. You don’t look up, head pressed flush against his chest as you listen to his heartbeat hammering away behind his ribs like it would burst at any moment. There’s a hitch in his breath, a shaky inhale before a quivering “idiot” and then his arms wrap around you, returning your hug with enough force to have your chuckle come out strained as he buries his face into your hair. Small droplets hit the top of your head, and you don’t need to look at him to know that he’s crying - his burly form shudders as you continue to hug him, hoping above anything that your actions will convey more than your words ever could.

Zabaniyya

You already had a suspicion that something was wrong - there’s been a level of distance between you and Zabaniyya ever since the incident with those mysterious kidnappers with the orb. You’d chalked it up to him taking time to recover from what happened, and you don’t blame him; you still have unanswered questions about what exactly he went through, but you aren’t going to push him on the issue until he’s in a better place or has moved on from the event. Zabaniyya is visited by you often, even more so than before as you’re hoping to be a shoulder for him to lean on and trust. It’s because of this that the two of you often have moments together, small moments where you can’t help but feel like there’s something more there - something that if you really pushed, could lead to a deeper bond in your relationship. But now’s not the time, you have to keep reminding yourself about that fact, you’re pretty sure Zab’s not ready for things to go any further than they have.

But time has passed, and the longer time goes on the harder it gets to keep your feelings to yourself - you’d been meaning to confess earlier, before all of this happened, but when Zabaniyya has disappeared you’d worried yourself into a frenzy searching every crevice of Tokyo to find where he’d been taken. And once you’d found him and you saw his reaction upon seeing you, you knew that your feelings would have to go onto the back burner to focus on being there for him as he moves on from the kidnapping. If he moved on...

But there’s a kindling in your chest, welling up to the surface with each passing day until you knew you just couldn’t wait any longer - that event made you realize that you could lose the people close to you just like that, and you might not ever get the chance to get this off of your chest if this ever happened again (a thought that keeps you up for more nights than you can count). Finally, your feelings come bubbling to the surface during one of your meetings with him. The last thing that Zabaniyya expected from you was a confession, watching you bear your soul out to him during a moment behind closed doors. Being left in a room alone with you, Zabaniyya feels anxious - he’d never dream of raising a violent hand against you, but he had still gone out of his way to make sure the two of you were never alone, always around someone whom he trusted to protect you if need be. So seeing you now, standing so close to him he feels uneasy, the memories he was shown of the previous loops flashing before him in an all too familiar pattern. He doesn’t deserve your confession of love, no matter how much he desires them; he doesn’t deserve to have these feelings directed at him when you are so oblivious to the egregious actions he’s committed.

You’re met with silence as your response, but his eyes speak for him. There’s confliction behind his neutral facade, pooling behind his eyes as you look upon him, gaze unwavering. You call out his name and he actually flinches, an action you’ve rarely seen from the angel before; your brows furrow and you call his name again, watching as his eyes stray from yours to look away. The third time you call his name you step forward, closing the distance and reaching out as you attempt to explain that if something’s wrong you’re here to listen, and that if he wants to he can just forget about the whole confession. You want to comfort him, but also find out what’s keeping his silence, so you cover his hands with your own.

The moment your hands come to clasp around his is what seems to break him. 

Zabaniyya’s body trembles before he drops to his knees, kneeling before you. He brings your hands, still clasped around his, to press against his forehead and he bows his head as a slew of apologies flow from his lips as though begging for forgiveness. Your heart clenches at the sight, not yet understanding why he’s doing this, but seeing the angel in genuine distress hurts a part of you that has you feeling both sick and anxious. 

Any attempts to coax answers out of him whilst he’s like this only gets is a declaration of how he has failed you, an incorrigible betrayal of your trust. Now that really concerns you; as far as you’re aware, Zabaniyya has done nothing of the sort to ‘betray you’, and you have absolute faith that he wouldn’t do that, but of course you don’t know what he knows, and while he’s in such a state you doubt that you will be able to get it out of him. So instead you do the only thing you can think of to comfort him.

You sink down to your knees, leaning down so that you’re face to face with Zabaniyya, and gently move your hands from out of his grip. He releases them immediately, as though suddenly catching himself in a moment of weakness, but he bristles as you cup a hand against his cheek. He raises his head and your eyes meet; seeing you looking at him, smile warm, loving and alive, tugs at something within himself and he allows his eyes to close, leaning into the palm of your hand and shoulders dropping, momentarily relieved of the weight they’ve been carrying since that fateful day. 

He looks almost defeated, as though you’ve found a chink in his armor, and you want nothing more than to patch it up, to fill those breaks with everything you have until he doesn’t have to look at you with confliction behind his every breath. But you can’t build him up, at least not yet, not when he hasn’t told you everything that you need to know. For now you reach and wrap your arms around his shoulders, hands spread flat against his upper back as you hug him; there’s hesitation, but the next moment Zabaniyya is in your arms, and you can feel the flames that burn within him, pulsing beneath his skin in a slew of emotions you have yet to understand. After this you’ll finally find out the whole story about what happened with him and the orb, but for this moment Zabaniyya needs this, the silence in the room filled with his whispered pleads for forgiveness as you continue to hold him close.

[ljones41]

"THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" (2012) Review

"THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" (2012) Review Seven years after it had begun, Christopher Nolan's three-movie saga about the D.C. Comics character, Batman, finally came to an end. The saga that began with 2005's "BATMAN BEGINS", ended with 2012's "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES".

The trilogy’s third film, set seven years after 2008's "THE DARK KNIGHT", began with the aerial kidnapping of a nuclear scientist by an escaped terrorist named Bane. The scene shifted to Gotham City, where a fund-raiser was being held at Wayne Manor. The only person missing was millionaire Bruce Wayne, who had given up his vigilante activities as Batman after claiming he had murdered former District Attorney Harvey Dent. During the fundraiser, Bruce caught a maid breaking into his private safe. She turned out to be a resourceful cat burglar named Selina Kyle. Aside from a necklace that once belonged to Bruce's late mother, Selina did not steal any other object from the safe. Curious over Selina's actions, Bruce resumed his Batman alter ego and tracked down Selina. He discovered that she had been hired by a rival corporate CEO named John Daggett to lift and steal his fingerprints. Bruce also learned that Daggett had hired the terrorist Bane to attack Gotham's stock exchange and bankrupt Wayne Enterprises. And along with Police Commissioner James Gordon and Wayne Enterprises executive Lucius Fox, Bruce also discovered that Bane was a former member of the League of Shadows and planned to continue Henri Ducard's (aka Ra's al Ghul) goal of Gotham City's destruction. Bruce asked fellow millionaire Miranda Tate to take control of Wayne Enterprises to ensure that Daggett and Bane will not gain control of their clean energy project, a device designed to harness fusion power. Re-reading the above made me realize that Christopher and Jonathan Nolan had created a very complicated plot. For me, the plot became even more complicated two-thirds into the movie. "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" obviously exists under the shadow of its two predecessors - "BATMAN BEGINS" and "THE DARK KNIGHT". I would say that this especially seemed to be the case for the 2005 movie. Batman and James Gordon's decision to lie about the circumstances behind Harvey Dent's death in the second movie had a minor impact upon this third movie. But Bruce's relationship and later conflict with Ra's al Ghul seemed to be the driving force behind his conflict with Bane in this third film. I had heard rumors that Christopher Nolan was initially reluctant to make a third BATMAN movie. Personally, I found that rumor a bit hard to believe, considering how "THE DARK KNIGHT" ended with Batman accepting the blame for Harvey Dent's crimes and death. But there were certain aspects of the script he wrote with his brother Jonathan that made me wonder if he had truly been reluctant. There were certain aspects of "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" that I found troubling. It seemed a pity that the second movie ended with Batman and Jim Gordon's decision to lie about the circumstances behind Dent's death. I found their decision annoying back in 2008 and I still do. The impact behind their lie proved to be hollow. It merely kept Batman off Gotham City's streets and led Mayor Anthony Garcia and the city to pass a strong anti-criminal law that proved to be hollow following Bane's arrival in Gotham City. I also found Bane's mid-air kidnapping of a nuclear scientist and escape from a U.S. marshal (portrayed by Aidan Gillen) rather somewhat idiotic. I understood that Bane needed that scientist to weaponize the Wayne Enterprise device.  But I never understood why that U.S. marshal failed to take the trouble to identify the hooded prisoner (Bane) before boarding the plane.  In the end, the movie's opening sequence struck struck me as unnecessarily showy. Was this the Nolan brothers' way of conveying Bane's role as a badass to the audience? If so, I was too busy trying to comprehend the villain's dialogue to care. I understood why Batman had not been seen in Gotham for so long. But what was the reason behind Bruce Wayne's disappearance from the public eye?  His physical state was not really that severe.  Rachel Dawes' death? Rachel's death did not stop him from going after the Joker and Harvey Dent in the last movie's half hour. Was it an injured leg? How did he injured it? And why did Gotham's citizens failed to put two-and-two together, when both Bruce and Batman finally appeared in the public eye a day or two apart after many years? The only person who managed to discover Bruce's alter ego - namely Officer John Blake - did so through a contrived reason. For me, the movie's real misstep proved to be Bane's three-month control over Gotham City. As a former member of Henri Ducard's League of Shadows, he planned to achieve his former leader's goal of destroying Gotham City. And he planned to use Wayne Enterprise's energy device to achieve this. One - why not simply build or snatch his own nuclear device? Why go through so much trouble to get his hands on the energy device? Why did Wayne Enterprises create a device that not only saved energy, but could be used as a bomb, as well? And why did it take three months before the device could become an effective bomb? The Nolans' script could have frustrated Bane's attempts to acquire the bomb during that three-month period . . . or anything to spare the audiences of that second-rate version of the French Resistance. The latter scenario seemed so riddled with bad writing that it would take another article to discuss it. And what was the point of the presence of Juno Temple's character Jen? What was she there for, other than being Selina's useless and cloying girlfriend? And Wayne Enterprises executive Lucius Fox was last seen declaring his intentions to leave the corporation for good, following Batman's misuse of cell phones in "THE DARK KNIGHT". In this movie, he is back, working for Wayne Enterprises. What made him change his mind? But not all was lost. I found Bruce's introduction to Selina Kyle very entertaining and sexy. Even better, the incident served as Batman's re-introduction to Gotham City and allowed him to discover Bane's plans regarding Wayne Enterprises and the energy device. One of the more interesting consequences of "THE DARK KNIGHT" proved to be Rachel Dawes' last letter to Bruce. Its revelation by Alfred Pennyworth after seven years led to an emotional quarrel between the millionaire and the manservant and their estrangement. At first, I had balked at the idea of Bane carrying out Ra's al Ghul's original goal to destroy Gotham. After all, why would he continue the plans of the very person who had him kicked out of the League of Shadows? But a surprising plot twist made Bane's plan plausible . . . even when I continue to have problems with his three-month occupation of Gotham. Many critics had lamented the lack of Heath Ledger's Joker in the movie. As much as I had appreciated and enjoyed Ledger's performance in the 2008 movie, I did not need or wanted him in "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES". Tom Hardy's performance as the terrorist Bane was good enough for me. Mind you, I found it difficult to understand some of his dialogue. And when I did, he sounded like the late Sean Connery. But I cannot deny that Bane made one scary villain, thanks to Hardy's performance and intimidating presence. Before I saw the movie, I never understood the need for Marion Cotillard's presence in the film. I thought her character, Miranda Tate, would merely be a bland love interest for Bruce. Not only did Cotillard ended up providing a subtle and intelligent performance from the actress, her Miranda Tate proved to be important to the story as the co-investor in the energy device and for the plot twist in the end. "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" provided some solid performances from other members of the cast. Matthew Modine shined as the ambitious and arrogant Assistant Police Commissioner Peter Foley, who proved to be capable of character development. Another solid performance came from Brett Cullen, who portrayed a lustful congressman that had the bad luck to cross paths with Selina Kyle. Both Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman continued their excellent performances as Bruce Wayne's "heart" and "mind", manservant Alfred Pennyworth and Wayne Enterprises executive Lucius Fox. In the end, the movie was fortunate to benefit from four outstanding performances. One came from Gary Oldman's excellent portrayal of the now weary, yet determined police commissioner, James Gordon. His guilt over the Harvey Dent lie and discovery of Batman's true identity provided Oldman with some of his best moments in the trilogy. Another came from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who was superb as Gotham City beat cop John Blake. The actor did a wonderful job of balancing Officer Blake's intelligence, passion for justice and disgust toward the bureaucracy. When I learned that Anne Hathaway would end up being the fifth actress to portray Selina Kyle aka Catwoman, I must admit that I had my doubts. Then I remembered that Hathaway was an Oscar nominee, who has also done action before. Watching her sexy, yet complicated performance as the complex cat burglar removed all of my doubts. She was superb and her sizzling screen chemistry with star Christian Bale made me wish Selina had been Bruce's love interest throughout the movie. Speaking of Bruce Wayne, Bale returned to portray the Caped Crusader for the third and final time. I must admit that I found his performance more subtle and complex than his performances in the previous two movies. Bale did an excellent job in re-creating a slightly aging Bruce Wayne/Batman, who found himself faced with a more formidable opponent. I was a little disappointed to see that "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" lacked the Chicago exteriors of the 2008 movie. In the end, Gotham City resembled a collection of American and British cities. But I cannot deny that I found Wally Pfister's photography very eye catching. And Hans Zimmer's entertaining score brought back memories of his earlier work in both the 2005 and 2008 movies. I have a good deal of complaints about "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES". It is probably my least favorite entry in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. For me, the movie's main problem centered around the script written by Nolan and his brother Jonathan. But despite its flaws, the movie still managed to be both entertaining and intriguing. It also has an excellent cast led by the always superb Christian Bale. It was not perfect, but "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" did entertain me.

[alexandenigtscreations]

Chapters: 1/2 Fandom: The Penumbra Podcast Summary:

What if Juno didn't have time to heal properly from the soul incident before he and Ransom went on their first mission in the Aurinko crime family?

__________________

“I recommend we turn our walk into a run.” Nureyev said, not daring to look at the scene Miss Nova Zolotova was making.  “A very fast run, Go!”  and gave a gentle shove to the small of Juno’s back as they broke into a sprint, Juno hitching up the golden skirt as they fled.  His footsteps fell farther and farther behind, glancing back Nureyev saw his face twisted into a grimace “Quickly now Detective!” he called.

“I’d like to see you run in 6 inch heal-ahh!” he stumbled and Nureyev grasped his elbow to keep him upright at the very least.  He’d have to have a chat with Buddy about practical footwear later.  Hopefully. 

The security was closing in fast, one of them even throwing a flashy prop blaster at their retreating backs; the shot went wide.  It was no matter.  There was their ride up ahead, hovering just over the precipice of the floating mansion.  He’d rarely been so glad to see a car.

“When I say jump-”

“What are you crazy?! I’m not gonna-”

“Jump!” 

The pair dove into the transport’s open door, Nureyev never loosening his hold on a screaming Juno’s arm as they fell into a heap in the back seat.  

“Hello.” said Jet “please fasten your seatbelts.”

“A little busy- at the moment.” Nureyev disentangled an arm to pull the door shut.  “For now, might I suggest we make our getaway.”  Several drones shot out of crevices.  While the security inside had to meet aesthetic requirements, there were no such restrictions on the outer team.

“I’m merely pointing out that our escape may be bumpy.” said Jet, nonetheless plugging their route on the controls. Doing a complicated maneuver to avoid a hasty trap.  Juno hissed as the pair were jostled about, clinging to Nureyev in a peculiar fashion “The security is different from the schematics Buddy provided.” Jet grunted, pulling hard on the steering console.  

“They updated the security system at 2 a.m.” Nureyev supplied, throwing out a hand to brace against the car’s side.  

“2 a.m.?  A last minute security switch then.”

“Quite, not the most organized affair, but a switch nonetheless.” It was Juno that found that out, Juno that had saved his overly cocky self from being caught by the cameras.  He was still rattled from the whole affair.  

The lady in question was unusually quiet, the quietest he’d been all evening.  Huddling into Nureyev’s side where he’d landed; a hand wrapped around his middle, breath coming in fast and shallow.  Nureyev was reminded of Juno's less than favorable reaction to their joy ride in the Ruby 7.  Was this his motion sickness?  or- something else- concern welled up in his chest.

“Juno?” he asked softly, struggling into an upright position moving the other with him “You didn’t get hurt, did you?” 

“Wha?  No- it’s juss-'' he pushed away and leaned over “hard for a lady to catch his breath in a get up like this.  Besides'' he winced, reaching into the folds of the skirt “landed on something kind of hard.” and produced the Gilded Globe of Reaches Far with a weak smile, that made Nureyev’s nerves flutter.  The golden circuitry and intricately carved gems glinting in the faint light of the floating mansion.  Nearly losing it after a sharp maneuver from Jet.

“Might I suggest you put that away until we are back in the carte blanche?”  

Once back, they were informed to make a showing for the family meeting to debrief the others on the mission.  Juno disappeared to change, hobbling into the meeting room a half hour later looking morose. 

“So kind of you to make it darling. I was just about to send Jet after you.” Buddy greeted.  

“That dress is a nightmare to get out of.” he shot back.  

“Yes, well, if you need help, all you have to do is ask.  Ransom,” Juno made a funny sort of cough “has just been telling us the details.  It worked for the best this time, but for future reference, when you have an account filled with fake credits, best not draw too much attention to it.”

Juno sighed, collapsing into a seat.  Something seemed to be weighing on the detective, something other than the disaster of a mission the pair had endured.  Nureyev kept glancing over, noting the way Juno sat hunched over on himself, the tired way he recanted the mission, the way he tore their performance to shreds.  They had finally started to work as a team near the end, but before then- well, they both had a lot to say about the faults in their plans.  The only thing Buddy scolded them for was failing to keep her in the loop, and chastising Nureyev for not relying more on Juno.  

They had successfully retrieved the globe but it did not feel like a victory.  

Later, after the debriefing and a private word with Buddy, Juno came to his room to talk.  Well, Juno talked, a long winded apology Nureyev barely managed to listen to as his mind whirred with the information Buddy left him.

“Point is I’m jus- sorry.”  he stopped, eye over bright and wide in anticipation.  

Nureyev couldn’t think of what to say, it was clearly his turn, as it were, clearly the time to speak, but….

“Juno-” his voice came out soft and strained.  

The other man stood unsteadily “I-I’m too late aren't I, damn it, I- I should leave-” 

Nureyev swallowed, catching Juno’s hand in his “Not too late, Juno, not too late at all.” he gave a short humorless laugh “In fact, I can’t think of anyone I would want to stay with more than you.”  

Relief washed over Juno’s face as he pulled away.  “Hell, don’ tell me that’s it!”  He started to laugh, there was something off about it though, “You know how s-scared I was of-of this?  Of us?  Of- ahhh-'' he doubled over clutching his stomach for the second time that day.  

Nureyev dashed to his side “Juno?  Juno what’s wrong?” He grasped his shoulders trying to get him to look him in the eye.  They sank to the floor, Nureyev pulling him close like he had done in Miasma’s compound.  

That’s when he realized what was so off putting about the situation, Juno was in pain, serious pain and had been for quite some time.  Only he’d been too caught up in his own stupid thoughts to notice it before.  Just like the mission.  

The last instance he saw Juno this bad off was during Miasma's experiments in an old Martian Tomb.  

“Juno!”

“N-Nothin- jus feelin a bit woozy-”

“Woozy?” Nureyev pulled him closer, ghosting a hand down his side and- there was something damp there, sticky even.  

“Yeah, being swept off your feet has that effect on a la-ahh!” he curled tighter into his chest, like he did in the car, breathing far too hard.  “Don’ touch.”  Nureyev wasn’t paying attention now, thoroughly distracted by the russet smear cross his fingers.

“Juno you’re bleeding.”  His mind reeled.  Juno had been hurt, but when- how?  Why hadn’t he said anything.  

“Oh yeah, what do you know?  Thanks for the update.”

“Let me have a look.”

“N-no, it’s fine.”  He struggled to push himself upright, “shouldn’t be here.”

“Oh don’t be such a baby.” he pushed Juno back gently so he was resting against the dresser.  Juno let him, leaning his head back and closing his eye in exhaustion.  Lifting his shirt elicited a soft “ohhh-” from the thief.  

He was covered in injuries that couldn’t be more than a few weeks old, judging by the angry red and pink of the lacerations.  The corset couldn’t have been doing his healing process any favors.  Some of the wounds had opened, and Juno had placed large Band-Aids over the top.  Those would need tending to, but the one that was most concerning was one where a bandage was wrapped around his lower ribcage, blood dying the once pristine fabric a deep red.  

“May of had a lil’ more f-fun than anticipated today-”  

“Juno, what happened?” Nureyev cupped his face, gently stroking a thumb over Juno’s cheek bone.  He felt hot to the touch.  It only added to the concern.  

“Stupid really- I hit some space junk- and-” he paused, pulling in air “it hit back.” 

“Space junk-? Never mind that, why didn’t you tell us?”

“I did-”

“What? When?”

“At the meeting family thing.  Wasn’t- feelin my best-”

Nureyev thought back to the family meeting hours ago, he hadn’t been paying attention.  He remembered Juno supporting his resume and spilling his coffee moments after a defiant declaration to Buddy he could drink it.  The situation had been comical at the time, but he remembered how his hands had shook-  Same when he tripped on the carpet to the galla.  

Juno was many things, but he wasn’t a novice to heals or an elegant gown, his performance on the dance floor spoke to his skill.  His impatience to end the auction, and the way he’d bulled him over when he tried taking the globe prematurely.  The way his face had twisted, and how tightly he squeezed Nureyev-  Was that what had done it?  Or was it when they escaped to the transport-   

The truth was, Nureyev hadn’t been paying attention.  He didn’t pay attention and Juno was hurting because of it.

“Wasn’t feeling your best?  Juno, these are serious injuries.”

“N-not anymore-” Juno sighed “And we needed- the map- the Cure Mother-” he drew in another ragged breath “It could do a lot of pe-eople a lot a good.” 

Fear coiled in Nureyev’s gut as he thought of the words Buddy had said to him mear hours before ‘We are not legends- legends are dead things-’

How many times had Juno almost become a legend himself?  How many times had he tried to sacrifice himself for the greater good? 

“I’m going to get Vespa.”

“N-no!” Juno gasped, grabbing hold of the other’s wrist “Nureyev, please- I- I don’t want her to see me- right now.  Don’t need it-”

“Detective, you need more than I can give you.”

“It’ll stop- soon-” he was almost pleading “please, jus’ stay.” 

Nureyev looked at Juno Steel for a good long moment- he loved this man- it was a simple truth that he’d tried to run from- even going so far as to let him walk away on those soft feet in the dead of the night all that time ago-

He could live without Juno Steel- but it was getting harder and harder to understand why he’d wanted too.  

“Oh- have it your way Detective.  But you’re going to let me patch you up at the very least; I will not have you bleeding out on my watch.”

Juno gave an exhausted, wicked grin “Thanks Toots.” 

Nureyev relieved Juno of his soaked shirt and unwounded the bandage; careful as to not interfere with the clotting blood to reveal a truly evil wound.  A jagged V carved into the side of his ribcage, deviating into the vulnerable flesh of his stomach; half-healed bruises blotching his skin.  It wasn’t hard to believe Juno lost a fight with space junk.  The stitching had torn apart, none too neatly either.  

It wasn’t wise to stitch him up again, best let the doctor do the proper patching.  But, maybe, he could hold it off till morning.

He cleaned it best he could, Juno occasionally letting out little piteous sounds as he worked.  It was intimate, he could feel every stuttering breath under his long fingers, every twitch and tensed muscle.  He had him like this before, under more enjoyable circumstances, delighting in the honesty that played across his face-  But now- there were only gasps of pain and watery smiles.  Worry settled heavily in his chest, he’d just gotten him back, and now this-

Fresh gauze packed tight and back the bandage went.  Juno’s feverish head resting in the crock of Nureyev’s neck as he wound it tightly around.  He was given a fresh bed shirt, the largest one Nureyev had packed.  Juno was more muscular than he was, smaller in stature but broader of shoulder.  He was lucky to find anything to fit him at all.

“Okay, to bed love.” and pressed a kiss into his curls, marveling at how easy the term of endearment slipped from his lips.  “You’ve got a doctor’s appointment in the morning.” 

“I- don’ want too-” Juno whined, but placidly allowed Nureyev to maneuver him to the mattress.  He curled on his good side, laying his head in the hollow point of Nureyev’s arm.  

Nureyev found himself hoping that this time, he would stay.  

In the morning- he’d see Juno treated and that would be that.  He ran his fingers along his back in a soothing fashion and fell asleep to his lady’s gentle breath.  

 It was that same breath that woke Nureyev some odd hours later-

[aesphantasmal]

my jupeter fic masterpost

cant find my old fic masterpost so I'm making a new one! all of these are finished (except the series which is ongoing. if you read any of these please comment!

the soul of a stranger ★ 7761 words

Juno Steel wakes up in a room he doesn't recognise in a city he doesn't recognise with large gaps in his memory.

(my most recent fic! took fucking forever and I'm real proud of it. has a plot and stuff)

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the 69 cent incident ★ 1443 words

The story of how Juno Steel and his friends got banned from one of the Hyperion U campus cafes.

(based on the true story of how I made a server go apeshit for half an hour by sending mira bowlcutnureyev 69 cents. probably the funniest thing I've written. not really all that jupeter but still kinda)

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THE SUPERPOWER AU ★ (3 fics, 5647 words)

(kinda what it says on the tin. a series of mostly disconnected oneshots in an au where the crew of the Carte Blanche have superpowers. juno can remove powers and read minds. nureyev is a shapeshifter.)

fic 1: the great gift of a burden ★ 1168 words

Nobody knows where the powers came from. Radiation, strange outputs from new stars, previously unknown chemicals leaching into drinking water, alien DNA interfering with human DNA, government experiments, Juno's heard it all.

(the setup for the rest of the au. a summary of how the back half of s2 went down.)

fic 2: close enough to burn ★ 2450 words

The guests at Nova Zolotovna's party have, as far as Juno can tell, very little of substance going on in their heads. And Juno would know.

(this au's version of man in glass, featuring a lot of junos mind reading and a lot of man in glass typical nureyev being mad at juno)

fic 3: be still my foolish heart ★ 2029 words

Peter Ransom paces the empty corridors of the Carte Blanche late at night. He hasn't really ever been one to rest easy, and especially not after… well, he doesn't particularly want to go down that train of thought.

(juno goes to buddy for help controlling his powers. nureyev has adhd because it's my fic and I get to choose the projection)

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no man is an island ★ 1117 words

Nureyev had never felt lonely before, or at least, he hadn't in a long time. He'd been alone — he'd been alone for many years, but it never hurt like this.

(peter nureyev sadboi hours)

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I can't put this under a read more but theres more on my account!

[shadxwcd]

// THOUGHTS ON THE AC VALHALLA ANOMALIES ~ SPOILERS for Odyssey DLC and Valhalla!

So my headcanons of Aletheia will need updating! Here are some of my newer thoughts.

Here are some observations:

- Soldiers came for Loki/Aletheia so this assumes perhaps that they were living together (could be after Atlantis’ cycle ended, she was out of a job and moved to Asgard?)

- Aletheia’s cause of death is a fatal wound but the cause is still unknown (I still think Juno maybe) but dying took long enough for them to find the Staff and also for her to ask Loki about the serum. She wanted to become a sage and be reborn, the Staff was just their only present alternative. According to Loki, Havi no doubt would have wanted Loki to beg for it and he was unwilling.

- Aletheia in the staff is different to Aletheia in the flesh. When input into the Staff, she did become an AI in more ways than definition. “I feel myself. Nothing more, nothing less...I feel no joy nor passage of time.” Aletheia in the staff is neutral (though may try to sound positive to encourage), she is a shell of her former self that endures because neither of them truly could except her end. Aletheia in the flesh was more selfish, more emotional in that sense - although perhaps still considered herself moral and ethical and logical. She is just like any other Isu in the selfishness she feels - when Baldr is killed by Havi she scolds Loki just for being reckless and not for the action itself. However, she is less emotional compared to Loki, she still seemed the more rational one and perhaps veered towards depression and hopelessness compared to Loki’s rage and vengeance. “A small loss for a greater gain, that must be a risk we are willing to take.” So perhaps it is then that she truly becomes invested and involved with the calculations and with future predictions, to preserve what remained of her family even beyond their approaching end. She, like everyone else, wanted to survive it when so many others wouldn’t.

- This explains how neutral she was/seemed towards Layla even when Layla screwed up big time. Perhaps Layla being imperfect was also tolerated because she had contact with Loki again and perhaps their eagerness to be together again might have overridden any concern for Layla’s safety.

- Aletheia was hopeful about the salvation of the Isu from the impending Toba Incident. She was in close contact with those who looked at the calculations - the Mother, the Father and the Sacred Voice. She fully believed them and believed in them and became close enough with them/their methods to be able to form a secret plan with Loki when it was clear that he would not officially be allowed to join the others in their sages.