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marsneptunes · 5 months ago

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The Black Witch - Agathario’s daughter

Now that we have Agatha’s backstory we know she didn’t trade Nicky for the Darkhold. But she got it anyway, so what could have happened to her and what could be as much as powerfull, like a son, for Mephisto had acept the deal?

I already had this headcanon of how could be if Agathario had a daugther, I was reading more about the meaning of the names and I found out that Selene is a name of a powerful Marvel character, so I tried to fill some spaces with Agathario’s backstory. We still have a lot of gaps about the way they met and between Nicky’s death and Agatha getting the Darkhold.

This is me having fun with Marvel characthers and finding one who fits really well with the idea of an Agathario’s daughter.

AGATHA AND THE DARKHOLD

Agatha and Rio would see each other again every time Agatha had killed another coven. Agatha would always be waiting for her arrival, for her to collect the souls, almost like she wanted Rio to feel ashamed for this, to make her suffer and remember she did that with their son. Every meeting her hatred towards Rio, as her pain and suffering, would be more intense. So was the sex. It always started like a war, but the longing would be to much for them to handle, so they would get to the truce point, as they would say, like “Switzerland”, and then they would part ways again. And this would repeat, again and again. Until no more.

Agatha knew what was happening in day one. The feeling of magic through her, a magic that wasn’t hers or from any others witches she had killed in the past years. That feeling didn’t happened with Nicholas. That was a magic force growing on her, and it wasn’t like other women would describre their pregnancy, the dizy, headache, nauseas, nothing of it. Still, she knew what was happening, and if she could feel the magic, Rio, the original Green Witch, could too. At least, that was what she believed.

Would it all be hapenning again? What she could do to save a kid who one of their mothers is a entity, Death herself? Would this be a way of paying for killing her own coven, her mother? Mothering kids who were destined to die at birth and be collected by their other mother.

That’s when she decided to go after the Darkhold.

Agatha actually made a deal with Mephisto, but not because of her son, but because of a daughter. But she wasn’t ready for Mephisto’s request. He would give her the Darkhold, so she could hide from Rio and change their daughter’s fate, but in exchange Agatha would forget her existence, her babygirl. A void in her memory. She would get everything she wanted, the Darkhold and protect and hide her, but in his terms.

The girl would be safe, so she accepted. With one request, her name wouldn’t be changed. The deal was made.

What Mephisto didn’t tell her is that he couldn’t feel Agatha’s baby power. He felt the energy emanating from her but couldn’t describe exactly what it was, like the baby herself put up a barrier against him. He also had a hint on why the original green witch, lady Death, hadn’t shown up yet. Death wasn’t the baby’s destiny, and he doubted it would be so soon, with all that power he imagined was there and was being kept hidden from him. But Agatha didn’t know that, so he used it to his advantage. She didn’t need him, but he was glad she didn’t realize it.

All this made him really interested in Selene, she would be there, growing by his side, he could see how powerfull she could become, and control her, the offspring of a powerfull witch and a entity, and now, an agent of Mephisto.

SELENE

From Marvel comics “Selene’s mother was young when she bore her, but would be dead before Selene spoke her first words. The tribal elders ordered her mother’s people to sacrifice themselves to Selene until none remained”

She would have grown up under Mephisto’s influence, and that would be the story she grew up believing, she had two witches mothers, which explained her powers, and they were murdered trying to protect her against their coven, and that’s it, not knowing anything else about her past.

As for her powers, that’s a lot of similarities with Agatha and Rio’s. It’s almost like she has a mix of both.

Again, from the comics:

“Selene maintains her immortality with her power to absorb the essence or lifeforce of others, a process that also allows her to absorb memories and take control of her victims. By drawing on the power she has absorbed, Selene can also grant herself other superhuman abilities like enhanced strength or speed.”

“Selene is also a powerful telepath with considerable telekinetic abilities. Thanks to her extended lifespan, Selene has become one of the most skilled magic users in the world and was even considered a potential candidate to replace Doctor Strange as Sorcerer Supreme. She is capable of displaying various psionic feats with the minds of others including reading and communicating with thoughts over vast distances.”

Guess who has telepathic powers too and can get inside someone’s mind, even a mind under a powerful Scarlet Witch’s spell.

“If she drains only part of a victm’s life force, she achieves a measure of pyschic control over her victm’s mind. Selene can cause a human being to become a psychic vampire like herself, but be subordinate to Selene’s own will.”

That would explain how she could control and hide herself from Mephisto even when she was still a baby. When Mephisto tried to use his own power to sense hers, unintentionally, she absorbed and used his power against him, hiding and protecting herself. And hiding from her other mother, Lady Death. As a life created by Agatha and Rio, their life force would already been part of Selene’s too.

SORCERER POWERS

“Selene can summon demons and other entitties. Can manipulate magical artifcats and teleport over vast-distances.”

This gives off an Underworld vibe, fitting well for an Lady Death’s daughter and Agatha possessing the Darkhold too.

“Selene can shoot powerfull energy blasts"

“Can disguise herself and others”

“Can restrain others in mystical bonds” As Agatha did with Jen.

“Selene can turn herself into a shadow figure enabling her to blend in and also control darkness around her.”

“In her efforts to obtain power, Selene was responsible for the establishment of the hidden Amazonian city Nova Roma”

And how well this fits with someone who is the daughter of a power-addicted witch and the original Green Witch.

AESTHETIC

In the comics, looking at her style, there is a lot of similarities with Agathario’s.

“No one knows where Selene came from, who she is, what she is” So again, it fits well with the idea of Rio not knowing about her and Agatha not remebering her but spreading a “false” story about exchanging a child for the Darkhold, like she tried to deceive herself, to have some memory of her daughter, in a way she could get her back one day, even if she doesn’t even remember it.

Selene likes some purple too.

There’s a movie called “Underworld” where the protagonist’s style and story was inspired by Selene from the comics.

In the movie she grows up with a father figure and a blurred past in which he saved her when her family was murdered. Later she finds out he was actually the one who killed them.

SELENE AS AGATHARIO’S DAUGHTER

With Nicholas, we know he was created at a time when Agathario were in love and in good terms with each other. This only changed after his birth. So that’s Nicholas personality and soul, easy going, pure, full of love.

With Selene it was different, she would be made on a time were there was a lot of love between Agatha and Rio, but a rejected and denied love, with pain, sadness, and loneliness, as they attracted and repelled each other at the same time. A time when Agatha was absorbing the power of other witches through their deaths. These would be strong themes with her, the loneliness, sadness, feelings burning inside her that she cannot properly explain or understand, so she is always masking and channeling as rage and ambition, trying to fulfill something. And with so much power, she can be very destructive

She could got to much comfortable messing with the underwold, and got Rio’s attention. In Selene’s arrogance, she exposed to much of her powers, what Rio would notice and goes to Agatha, demanding answers about the possibility of them having another kid, a daugther. Daughter that Agatha doesn’t remember that exists.

I could see their meeting, Selene finding someone, after centuries, with the same amount, and even more power than her, and the confusion and feelings of familiarity through her magic.

She begins to doubt her past and the little bit of it that she knows, so goes lurking.

She goes to Mephisto, needing help and looking for answers.

To find out later he is the one to blame.

And suddenly all the hidden feelings of loneliness come back with full force, the family she thought had lost, is there, and don’t even knows her. She grew up thinking about the death of two women who had been alive all this time. But at least she still had this, some feeling for them, even though she didn’t know who they were. Only the idea of how her mothers would be like, the family and the feeling of belonging that was denied to her. And having to accept that her mothers didn’t even know, or remember, her existence.

Maybe I will write a fic about them but for know it’s just fun to imagine the possibilities of it and how they would interact, Rio meeting Selene, them fighting each other and Rio noticing the similarities, thinking that this would be impossibe, she would know. Then looking for Agatha, thinking she lied about them having a daughter all this time. And Agatha can’t even understand what she is talking about, denying it in a way Rio believes she doesn’t know either. The three of them meeting. Agatha still in disbelief, she would never forget her own daugther. And finally, the moment of realization.

Mephisto wouldn’t give up his control over her so easily, Doctor Strange could get involved, so it would no longer be about Rio and Agatha fighting against her but fighting for her.

#agatha all along #agatha harkness #rio vidal #agathario #agatha x rio #vidarkness #agathario fanfic #agathario fanfiction #There is so much potential for Agathario backstory #And the fact we didn’t got the answers about the Darkhold #If you never whatched Underworld give it a shot #you won’t regret it #lady death #agatha dysfunctional family all along #selene as agathario daughter #Black Witch

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e-dubbc11 · 1 year ago

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you said you could be persuaded to write about dean sooooooooo what about retired dilf dean? 🤔

My dear sweet Selene, it’s very hard for me to say no to you. 🤣 I came up with a little something for DILF Dean Winchester. I hope you like it, thank you for challenging me, my lovely friend ♥️♥️♥️

Carrying On

Photos are not mine. They are courtesy of Pinterest/Google.

Pairing: Dad Dean Winchester x F! Reader

Warnings: Couple of swear words, fluff, mentions of readers father’s death, smooches, a little hunter violence

Word Count: 1.7K-ish

Summary: You just bought a house in a new state, trying to see if you can move on after your father’s untimely death. Your neighbor introduces himself and already you’re feeling more at home

A/N: So this is my first time writing for Dean, dear god I hope it doesn’t suck. I wanted to write more for this but I still have asks in my inbox for my sleepover I need to get to(I’m trying my hardest to answer them all, I thank you all for your patience.) I’d even be willing to do another part for this because I had fun writing this one! I hope you like it! ♥️

As always, thank you for reading! I appreciate it so much and comments, reblogs are welcome and encouraged. Don’t be shy to tell me your favorite part. 💕💕 💕

The house was at the end of a nice quiet street. Your suitcases were piled high in the back seat, almost too high to see out the rear window but it wouldn’t be for much longer. It will be nice to finally stretch your legs after being in the car for such a long drive.

When you pulled into the driveway, you noticed that the “For Sale” sign had been removed from the front lawn. This was your home now and you were determined to live your life as normal as possible from now on.

After your father passed away, you left the flat lands of Oklahoma for the mountains of Colorado. There was just something about that cool mountain air. But you didn’t want to live IN the mountains, you didn’t want to be alone so moving into a neighborhood NEAR the mountains was a good compromise.

A man and, what you assumed to be, his young son were playing catch in the front yard. The boy tossed the baseball to his father but the man wasn’t paying attention. He was too busy looking at your car which happened everywhere you went.

You and your father had rebuilt that car and restored it to its former glory. It was your dream car…a 1967 Pontiac GTO in midnight blue. The way the paint reflected the light, the car almost looked purple. It was a gorgeous car.

The car in your neighbor’s driveway was impressive also. It was a 1967 Chevy Impala, black.

“DAD!! You missed!” The boy shouted.

“Hold on, son. You see that car? She must be our new neighbor. Let’s go say hello.” The man said.

Reaching for the sky, you stretched until some of the tightness in your shoulders went away. You then saw your new neighbor.

“Fuck me.” You whispered under your breath.

He was very handsome with medium brown hair, a well-groomed beard, and green eyes. As he came closer, you saw a splash of freckles across his nose and his young son was a carbon copy of his father.

You smiled warmly as they came closer.

“Hi there! I’m your new neighbor. I’m y/f/n y/l/n.”You extended your hand to shake his.

After you introduced yourself, the man had a slightly confused look on his face that quickly disappeared.

He extended his hand for you to shake. “I’m Dean and this is my son Charlie.”

“It’s really nice to meet you.” You said.

Charlie interjected himself. “Dad missed the ball because he was staring at your car.”

“Charlie…” Said Dean through clenched teeth.

“Ah, well I do get that a lot. You wanna sit in it?” You asked.

Charlie’s eyes went wide. “Sure!”

You opened the car door so Charlie could sit on the driver’s side.

Dean pointed at the car. “That is a nice car. ’69?” He asked.

You bit down on your lower lip to keep from smiling. “It’s a ’67 actually, like your Impala.”

“Impressive…I don’t know a lot of women that would know that to look at it.” He said.

“Well, we do exist.” You said, a little sarcastically.

Dean smiled at you and said softly. “Yes, I guess you do.”

When he realized he was staring, he quickly snapped out of the trance he was in.

“Um, yeah so um, do you have furniture coming or anything? I’m happy to help.” He said.

“Oh the moving truck is coming tomorrow so I just have the bare essentials for tonight. Thank you for the offer, I may take you up on that.” You said.

“Well, we’ll let you get settled. Just knock when the truck comes…Charlie!! Come on, let’s let y/n settle in to her new house.” Said Dean.

As they walked away, you heard Charlie tell his dad, “Dad, you were staring at her.”

Dean narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow. “No I wasn’t…get the ball.”

“Yes you were, Dad. I saw you.” Said Charlie.

You shook your head back and forth then smiled. They both seemed really sweet.

Three Months Later

You had settled nicely into your new home. The final box had been unpacked and you were adjusting to your new surroundings and your new neighbors. Although there was something that bothered you about Dean’s house.

Every so often, not a lot but every now and again, you noticed that the basement light would flicker. It wasn’t all the time but when it did, it was always at the same time, which you thought was strange.

Everything else seemed to be fine so you didn’t look too closely at it.

You really did like Dean and you adored Charlie. They were your friends, so you contemplated, at least telling Dean about your past, how your father really died, and why you left your home state.

One Saturday morning, all of the windows were open and you could hear music coming from their house. It sounded like…Asia – Heat of the Moment.

You giggled a little bit and thought to yourself, “Really Dean, Asia?”

Dean had a deep booming voice.

“Rise and shine, Charlie!!” He said, loudly but playfully.

After doing some housework, you heard a knock on your door. Walking down the hall from the bedroom into the kitchen, you saw Dean standing at the side door through the screen. He was leaning against the door frame.

“Hey there. What can I do for ya?” You asked, opening the screen door.

“Hey, I was wondering if you’d like to come over for dinner tonight? I thought maybe we could tell Charlie, um…well, about us.” He said, shyly.

Charlie didn’t know that about a month after you moved in, you and Dean started to hang out with each other after he went to sleep.

He’d come over for a drink, sometimes a movie, or a lot of the time, the two of you would just talk, and the relationship just sort of happened.

Charlie’s mom had passed away three years ago and it had just been the two of them since then. Obviously you weren’t trying to get in the way of their relationship and you DEFINITELY weren’t trying to replace his mom but you really did like the both of them and Charlie deserved to know the truth…they both did.

You snaked your arms around Dean’s neck, let your fingers run through his soft brown hair, and leaned in to kiss him. The bristles of his beard tickled your chin and you smiled in between his kisses. You really were smitten with him.

“I’d love to…I’ll bring you guys a special dessert.” You said.

A shy smile extended across Dean’s face. “Awesome…oh and I’m not much of a cook so I hope you’re ok with burgers. Alright? Ok, good talk.” He said, as he smacked you on the ass and turned around to walk back home.

You were going to come clean tonight.

Walking over to Dean’s, you remembered the first time you saw the last name on the mailbox…Winchester. Dean Winchester. All hunters knew that name, that family, his brother Sam, their father John, and their mother Mary.

They were famous in the world of hunting. Your family name stayed under the radar. Sure, you and your dad had some pretty big hunts and cases but nothing compared to the Winchesters.

Charlie answered when you knocked.

“Y/n!!!” He said, excitedly.

“Hey buddy!” You replied.

Charlie saw you holding the pie in your hands.

“Oh you brought Dad’s favorite.” He said.

“I did? Well I hope you guys like it, I made it from scratch.” You said.

“Dad’s always eating pie…he’s out back, come on!” He said, tugging on your t-shirt.

The three of you had a nice dinner together filled with a lot of laughs and you breathed a sigh of relief when Charlie said he was ok that you were his dad’s girlfriend.

The child like smile Dean had on his face as he was about to taste the pie made you smile. Before he could take his first bite, the lights flickered.

He looked up at the kitchen light as it continued to flicker. “Son of a bitch.” He boomed.

“Dad, language!” Shouted Charlie.

“Not now, Charlie.” He growled.

You stood up and backed away from the kitchen table. “Where’s the salt, Dean?” You asked.

“What? How do you--?” He started to say.

“The salt, Dean…NOW!!!” You shouted.

Dean got the bag of salt from underneath the kitchen sink and you had Charlie stand in an open area in the dining room, while his dad drew a salt circle around him. Then he pulled out two shotguns from underneath the couch in the living room filled with rock salt.

“Charlie…buddy, don’t move from this spot, do you understand?” You asked him, looking into his scared eyes.

He nodded.

Standing back to back, holding the shotguns, Dean asked, “Is there something you wanna tell me?”

As fast as you could, you explained yourself. “Ok, so I come from a family of hunters too, nothing like yours of course but I left Oklahoma after my father died saving me from a nest of vampires. It was just me and him, my whole life and when he died, I felt like I couldn’t hunt without him.” You said.

Low moans and hisses were emanating through the walls as the lights continued to turn on and off.

“I can’t believe you’re a hunter. That’s why when you introduced yourself, your name sounded familiar to me!” Shouted Dean.

Charlie stood petrified inside the salt circle. “Dad, what’s going on?”

“It’s alright, buddy. We’re gonna be alright.” Said Dean.

Two apparitions came through the wall and headed straight for you when you blasted them with rock salt.

“Are y-you m-mad?” You asked, while trying to catch your breath.

“Mad? I’m only mad that I didn’t get to eat my pie! As far as you being a hunter, well…I gotta say I’m a little turned on.” He said.

In the middle of a life or death situation, Dean managed to make you blush.

“What does that mean, Dad?” Asked Charlie.

In unison, you and Dean yelled, “Not now, Charlie!”

“When we’re done with this, we’re gonna have a talk.” Dean pointed his finger at you.

“But you’re not mad?” You asked with a slight smile.

Dean smiled at you, his bright green eyes looked like fresh blades of grass as he leaned in to kiss your forehead.

“Nah, I’m not mad sweetheart. Now let’s kill these things so I can eat my pie.”

Tagging: @munsonownsmyass @gijos

#dean winchester #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester x you #dean winchester x female!reader #supernatural #ericca answers #winter sleepover 2024 #ericca and selene

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jessicas-pi · 1 month ago

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Hey! So I was having trouble thinking of an AU to send you, but then I was struck by a blast from the past.

Protector!Sabine AU?

Do you have anything for the karaoke/family reunion 'verse?

YOOOO I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE PROTECTOR SABINE AU!!!! ok i had to brainstorm a bit but then i thought of An Idea

---

"So. I know this may be a sensitive subject..."

Ketsu fully expected the withering glare she sure enough received, and went on delicately.

"...but, how did you end up with the Protectors, anyway?"

Sabine sighed, slouched back in the pilot's seat of the Phantom, and kicked one leg up onto the control panel.

"Well," she began, keeping up the glare but enhancing it with a side-eye. "A certain person left me to die in the void of space, and one of the Protector patrols found me. They brought me to Concord Dawn, nursed me back to health, and by the time they figured out I was the one who built the Duchess, they had gotten too attached to me to just throw me out. So, they kept me."

Ketsu chortled. "Heh. Guess you and Ezra have more in common than you wanna admit. People just want to keep you around."

"Oh, really?" Sabine challenged, arching an eyebrow. "Because Hera said that Ezra was the one to ask if they could keep you."

"I decided to keep him first," Ketsu retorted, crossing her arms. "I just... kept him, on his ship."

"Riiiight."

---

and because i love talking i'm just nice like that, here's a snippet of Chopper's SpaceTube Channel from the karaoke AU!

---

[Video opens with a close-up selfie-style recording of an orange-and-white droid. Subtitles translate as he beeps and warbles in Binary.]

-Many of you people in the comments have been asking stupid questions. Today, you will begin to receive your stupid answers.

[Video cuts to a black screen with white text: Chopper Asks The Most Asked Stupid Questions: Part One]

[New video opens with holocam footage of a green Twi'lek in front of a heavily blurred-out background. Overlaid is a screenshot of a comment reading So are the Jedi and the captain a couple or not???]

-The people in the comments want to know if you are dating Spectre-1.

-Chopper, you know you're not supposed to be recording videos on the base!

-I have taken security precautions. Answer the questi--

[Video cuts to black as the Twi'lek woman bends down and shuts off the camera.]

[New video opens of a purple Lasat slouched in his bunk. The same comment screenshot is displayed.]

-Hey you. Are Spectre-1 and Spectre-2 a couple?

[The Lasat looks irate.]

-I don't know, and I don't care.

[Video cuts to black.]

[New video opens with holocam footage of a boy in an orange jacket and a girl in multicolor armor sparring. She currently has him in a headlock. The comment screenshot is still there.]

-Miscreants! The people want to know! Are Spectres 1 and 2 a couple?!

[The sparring match abruptly pauses. They both look over at the camera. This requires some contortion on the part of the boy, being still in the headlock. The girl replies for them both.]

-Look, when we figure that out, you'll be the first to knoOW--

[The boy uses the girl's distraction to his advantage, flipping her over and sending her crashing to the floor with a yelp. He throws his hands in the air and whoops in victory, only to go sprawling on the floor beside her as she kicks the back of his knees. The sparring match resumes, and the video cuts to black.]

[New video begins with footage of a man with a ponytail and a green mask, sitting cross-legged on the floor. He seems to completely ignore the camera's presence.]

-Hey, are you dating the captain?

-No comment.

[Video cuts to black.]

#you once left an ao3 comment that said you'd read more about ketsu and sabine if i was the one writing it and i said YES MA'AM 🫡#Thank you for the ask selene!! :D #protector sabine au #the karaoke au #fic snippet #sabine wren #ketsu onyo #c1 10p #kanera #ok but the karaoke au snippet was supposed to be super short how did it get twice as long as the other one???#i guess it's because it's an idea thats been in my head for a while #i have vague ideas for more of chopper's spacetube channel Most Asked Questions silliness too #one of the questions he asks is 'where are you' and the only answer he films is ezra staring right into the camera and deadpanning #''nice try THRAWN''

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lorata · 2 months ago

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I lost someone important today, do you have any random headcanons about your characters to distract myself a bit? (If you don’t mind ofc)

aw man i'm sorry, i am sending hugs for you

re: the question, my brain comes up with that sort of thing organically it's very hard to pull random facts out of the aether HOWEVER i looked in the archives and found a thing about Claudius cheering up Victor Selene that ??? it says i never posted?

IF I DID SORRY ABOUT THAT but hopefully my system is accurate

For once, Claudius has a pretty good idea of what Misha is going to ask him when she calls him over. Selene has been in a bit of a mood since getting back from the Capitol, nothing bad, no self-destructive impulses or serious boundary-pushing, but she’s been … off. Quiet, almost dispirited, like someone tried to paint a picture of her but dipped their brush in too much water. Or, to use a metaphor that makes more sense to Claudius, like playing her melody on wavering strings instead of the strong punch of brass.

Selene is doing much better now but she’s still finding her place in Two, and the transitions from the Capitol are hard, where everything is sharp and shiny and everyone loves her with shark-toothed adoration. It’s Misha’s job as her mentor to get Selene’s head on straight, but Claudius is her friend and he cares about her, too. If there’s anything he can do to help cheer her up, he’ll do it.

Really anything, apparently.

“I’ve got this,” Claudius tells Misha before she even gives him the usual spiel. She stops, gives him a surprised little grin, then waits for him to explain. “Oh no, I’m not telling you, you’ll ruin the surprise,” he says. When Misha frowns and opens her mouth to protest, Claudius holds up a hand. “Look, by now you trust me with her or you don’t.”

Misha tilts her head, eyeing him with suspicion before it shifts to something resembling respect, albeit grudging. “I do,” she says. “But the fact that you’re not telling me ahead of time means it’s something I’m going to want to make fun of you for.”

“It absolutely is,” Claudius says, because if nothing else that will get Misha to agree. Nothing like the promise of future mockery to push her over on a decision. “And trust me, Selene will give you all the details later, at least once she stops laughing.”

Misha grins, and before Claudius can escape she wraps an arm around his shoulders and tugs him in for a hug. Claudius ducks his head against her collarbone, enjoying the weirdness of it, the fact that anyone other than Lyme can touch him and he actually doesn’t want to murder them for it. Life sure has gotten weird. “Yeah, all right, go for it,” she says. “You know you’re a good kid.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Claudius says, shoving her off. “Save the real praise for tonight.”

Selene gives him a sour eye when he shows up at her place, hands in the pockets of his oversized jacket. “I know Misha sent you here to cheer me up,” she says, accusing. “You know you don’t have to do what she tells you, she’s not your mentor.”

She must be having a bad day if she’s saying shit like that, but Claudius knows better than to let her bait him. “I’m here because I have a surprise for you,” he says. “Seriously, you’re going to like this one. If you go get changed into your sneaky clothes I’ll take you out and you’ll see, but you need to be incognito.”

Interest sparks in her eyes, but she doesn’t move yet. “This isn’t your people-watching bar again, is it?” Selene says. “Because watching you not realize you’re hitting on somebody is hilarious, but it definitely doesn’t count as a surprise anymore.”

“Oh ha ha,” Claudius says, rolling his eyes. “Are you coming or not?”

Selene twirls one strand of hair around her finger, favouring him with a considering look that’s slowly sharpening into curiosity. “What are you wearing? Should I be trying to coordinate with one of your broody disguises?”

Ha, now he’s got her. “You’re not matching with me today,” Claudius says. He unzips the giant jacket, strips it off and tosses it on the chair by the door, and enjoys the shock on Selene’s face.

It’s been three years since Selene won. In those years Claudius has taken her out to bars and various spots in the ex-Career part of the main town in District 2, but he’s never been outside it. He’s never gone to the Capitol, since they’ve made it very clear they don’t give a shit about him and President Snow would rather he crawl into a drain and die. As a result, the fanciest thing Selene has ever seen him in has been jeans and a t-shirt that don’t belong to Lyme.

Claudius isn’t dressed for a night clubbing or anything, but it is an outfit his stylist optimistically left in the closet for him, one that he forgot existed until he had to go digging for it. It means clean, slim lines and clothes that hug his body, dark pants and a button-down shirt in dark crimson that he’s rolled up to the elbows to show off his forearms and the swirl of ink around his wrist.

“I — whoa.” Selene blinks. “Is — I’m sorry, what’s happening? Are we actually going to have sex, is this like a roleplay thing —“

“Oh my god,” Claudius bursts out, and there goes the fleeting moment he had of maybe, possibly, looking cool. He grabs the jacket and throws it back on, resisting the urge to wrap it around himself like a blanket. “Oh my god, Selene, no, no, this is not — holy fuck me. This is why I should not do nice things for people. Just get some sloppy clothes and let’s go before I change my mind, all right?”

“You’re the one who came over here dressed like Lyme when she’s going on the prowl for cute boys,” Selene calls over her shoulder as she saunters away upstairs, leaving Claudius behind to hit his head off the doorway over and over.

“You’re right, I am having fun,” Selene says when she comes back, sliding a hand between Claudius’ forehead and the door jamb. “Aw don’t be like that, if you get a goose egg on your head you’ll ruin whatever fun plans you have. I think. I actually still have no idea, assuming the surprise isn’t I get to watch you pull —“

“Oh my god,” Claudius says again, talking over her, and he grabs Selene’s hand and pulls her out the door while she cackles. “You need to stop or I’m never going to get into the right headspace, and I need to be an actual Victor that people, you know, write letters to, not the guy who can’t go five minutes without saying something that makes you spit out your drink.”

Selene giggles to herself for a bit, knocking their shoulders together as they head for the gate. Claudius lets her be the one to flash her pass, since he still remembers the thrill that little piece of freedom represented. “Don’t worry, I won’t ruin whatever it is, I’m way too invested now,” she says. “Tell me what you need me to do and I’ll do it, promise.”

“All you need to do is when we get there, go in, find yourself somewhere to sit with a good view, and don’t get noticed,” Claudius says. “That’s it. And whatever happens, don’t say a word. Nobody can know you’re there. I’m not going to pretend this is life and death or anything, okay, but just.” He runs a hand through his hair, catches Selene’s eye and favours her with a self-deprecating grin. “Trust me?”

“Ugh, break out the big sword why don’t you,” Selene says, shoving him. “I already said I’ll be good, but yes, if it’ll make you feel better. Now you can go home and write it in your diary.”

Claudius shoves her back. “Excuse you, I don’t have a diary, I write songs,” he counters, and is rewarded when Selene lets out a delighted laugh.

They get to the cafe before anyone else, and Claudius checks the address the VA gave him half a dozen times to make absolutely sure while Selene watches him with a grin she really does not do a good enough job hiding. “You go in first,” Claudius says. “See those reserved tables? Find yourself a good spot where you can watch without being too obvious. I’m going to set up shop across the road and wait for a bit. You’ll see.”

He waits, watches as Selene buys herself a drink and curls up in the corner of the cafe, and even through two windows it’s amazing to see how she disappears. In the Arena — on stage, on camera, anywhere in the Capitol really — Selene was stunning, absolutely breathtaking, impossible to take your eyes off, but now it’s like she turned off a switch and all that presence, everything electrifying about her fades into the background. Now she’s just a girl, sipping at her drink with one foot tucked up against the seat of her chair, wearing a sweater with sleeves a bit too long so that they come halfway down her fingers.

A strange glow spreads through Claudius, like the rich warmth of a cello melody as the strings rise, and he finds himself having to turn away before he does something dumb like attract attention by smiling at the window like an idiot. He won the Hunger Games folks, really, it was televised and everything.

It’s not long before they start to trickle in. They meet, hug, chat in line as they get their drinks, and Claudius does his best to put names to faces from the VA dossier. He probably should have asked Devon for some kind of mnemonic aid or whatever, this is his forte, except that Devon’s other fortes are running his mouth to Misha about anything that might even possibly be hilarious and causing all kinds of havoc. So, no, Claudius can handle this by himself, thanks.

He waits until the meeting gets underway, for the last of the latecomers to straggle in, and through it all Selene’s expression and posture never change even though she has to be absolutely radiating with glee right now. If only her trainers could see her now, she’d validate every acting score they ever gave her. Finally Claudius stands up, and he shucks his jacket and flips the switch in his own head. It’s a lot more buried than Selene’s but it’s there, and it feels strange, almost shivery, like slipping into a skin that isn’t his, but then it clicks and everything slips right back into place.

The whole cafe freezes like one of those record-scratch moments in a terrible Capitol comedy film when Claudius walks in. Only Selene stands out by virtue of the fact that she can’t quite manage a genuine look of adoration, and Claudius can’t risk looking at her in case it cracks the facade. “Sorry everyone, as you were, don’t mind me,” he says, waving off the stares and ducking one shoulder a bit. His fan club is a tableau of shock and awe, as two of the girls slowly reach under the table and pinch each other’s arms. “I heard there was a get-together happening today. Mind if I drop by for a bit?”

At that the freeze-frame breaks, and they all but fall over themselves trying to make room. It’s exhausting almost immediately, being charming but not too friendly, keeping the edge without coming off as standoffish. They all want to hear about Lyme, and Claudius shares the manufactured anecdotes with just the right amount of genuine shyness, careful not to stray into aw-shucks levels that would put things over the top.

All this was easier with Lyme here, Claudius realizes. It’s weird, really, this is about as easy a non-assignment as a Victor can get, chatting with a bunch of fans, and Claudius is eight years out but he still wants to look for his mentor. He keeps expecting to see her over his shoulder, or feel the pressure of her hand giving him cues. Without her everything takes on a new edge, like the first time he climbed up the mountains when the winter winds gusted around him and threatened to whip him right off the side.

But this is not the Arena, it’s not the Capitol, and there are cameras but nothing that will actually make it out of the cafe because this is Two. This is his district and these are his people, and they might have fallen for an image of him, one carefully crafted and created and not the real him at all, but even so. Claudius’ jitters fade, and he doesn’t stop acting and he doesn’t let his guard down but he stops feeling like he’s walking across naked blades.

Any Career can read the room, and Claudius knows to leave before the shimmer fades. “I’ve got to get going,” he says, putting the proper amount of regret into his tone. “It was great meeting you all.” He personalizes the goodbyes, uses their names, adds the little details he picked up from their conversations so it won’t look like he studied official files from the VA, and signs their notebooks without waiting for requests because he knows they’re all dying to ask.

Claudius hits the back streets on the way out, and once he’s well away he texts Selene to let her know. She waits another ten minutes to make it less obvious before coming out to join him, and when she does Claudius knows that whatever happens, the look on her face means everything will be worth it.

“That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Selene says, her eyes sparkling. “Where were you hiding all those groupies? And all that charm? Now I’m really sad you had the Arena full of babies, because you did not get to use your full potential. I don’t even know what was my favourite part.”

Claudius snorts and pokes her in the side with his elbow. “Why don’t you start with whatever you’re going to tell Misha first?”

“Oh that’s easy,” Selene says immediately. “Definitely the part where you whipped off your jacket like a romance movie hero and I thought you were going to ravish me on the stairs.”

Claudius squawks like a dying tribute with a knife in his throat, Selene bursts into howls of laughter, and somewhere Misha had better be very, very grateful.

#lorata answers #Anonymous #we must be killers: tales from district 2 #victor selene au #oc: claudius #oc: selene

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apollosgiftofprophecy · 2 months ago

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I've been seeing some essays from some authors whose tried to refute the syncretism of Apollo with Helios/Sol and Artemis/Diana with Selene/Luna, one of those even called syncretism a "decadent" practice… I mean, i know that them as sun and moon deities wasn't their primal role and wasn't very common or popular in religion nor mythology being Roman or Greek (in fact, in mostly of textes and cults Helios/Sol and Selene/Luna were always viewed as th Sun and the Moon), but i think that said that Apollo an Artemis/Diana were never viewed as sun and moon deities or claimed that was just a misconception and a modern misinformation is not true, because we have textes in which we could see associations of the Sun and the Moon with Apollo and Artemis/Diana.

Personally i like to see them more in a "sunlight and moonlight", and well of course focus in other of their more main and primarly roles, not as the sun and the moon, those are Helios and Selene. But i don't like when people bothers others who sees twins as sun and moon deities arguing that is wrong, or a misconception. I could quote some ancient authors whose associated them with solar and lunar aspects, but, as those essays claims, they would said that are misinformation or a "not-reliable" text source 😮‍💨

yeah, it's very true that though they were not THE sun and moon gods, they were still heavily associated with it!

even in Greece, in Artemis's case at least, she was worshipped in a triple cult alongside Selene and Hecate. As for Apollo, while "light" can refer to multiple things, such as in relation to prophecy, I genuinely think it also refers to his connection to the sunlight.

he has been describe as. you know. glowing before. and not for any particular purpose either. not much of a stretch for that to apply to being the literal god of light.

and I totally agree with you anon! i see them as the light of the sun and moon too!

i think there's may be a bit too much emphasis on "getting the myths right!" when it comes to the differences between Greece and Rome - I'm on board with people finally understanding what relates to which, but there must also be an understanding that lots of times, they intersected. Apollo and Diana likely became popularized as the sun and moon because they were just more relevant to the Romans' lives, with Apollo even becoming an important figurehead in the cult of Sol Invictus - even then, he was worshipped WITH Helios and Sol.

There is never just one specific god for one specific thing, and to minimize each gods' importance based solely on "oh that's ANOTHER god" downplays their individuality.

Like for example, I could just say "APOLLO is the god of the arts, NOT the Muses!!" and I would technically be correct, but also be missing MASSIVE CONTEXT because Apollo is the patron and god of the arts, but the Muses are the patrons and goddess of SPECIFIC arts.

"EILEITHYIA is the goddess of childbirth, NOT Artemis!" also technically correct, BUT Artemis is the patron of childbirth and midwifery BECAUSE of her function as a protector of the young, and also because of the rough birthing her own mother went through where in one version, she helped deliver Apollo - another connection to her patronage of childbirth.

Hyperion, Helios, and Apollo all serve different functions of the sun (such as its physical manifestation, path, and light), just as Selene, Hecate, and Artemis serve different functions of the moon (such as the different phases)!

if anyone has anything to add on about Apollo and Artemis and their connections to the sun and moon, and especially in relation with the other gods, feel free to add on!!

#the oracle speaks #asked and answered #anonymous #greek mythology #apollo #artemis #helios #selene #hecate #hyperion #greek myths #ancient greece

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