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therealslimshakespeare · 11 months ago

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Those Who Can || integrated Female Air Force series

Introductory part 1: Flintenweiber, or “Rifle Broads”.

Summary: The American War Effort had conceded to the enlistment and commissioning of women into the Air Force at semi-integrated status. Deemed a more reliable if not safer combat post, the going rank of officer in the Air Force was intended to secure fair treatment and combatant status for these women, as it had for their male counterparts. Like most things in war -or life if one is a woman- such recognition must be fought for.

Authors Note: this is an Au, obviously, and I intend for the de-segregation in the force to not be entirely full, in fact in some ways they would mirror that of the Tuskegee Red Tails where they were held back from many opportunities and placed at a disadvantage, to say the least. However, as this is primarily a POW fic that aspect only effects their reception into the Stalag and the timeline of their crashes.

Inspo: thanks to all of y’all who contributed with suggestions and advice on this fic. I want to say that I based a great deal of the brutal treatment and indignity heaped on these fictional OC’s on the true and horrific treatment of the Soviet Female Soldiers taken as POWs. Taking into consideration that American ties would give these OC’s some leverage, I have moderated these horrors if anything, however as I intend for these girls to be some of the first of their kind, they in many ways endure the brunt of the cruel initiation. If you’ve got any questions or suggestions about this, have at the inbox.

Warnings: 18+ for disturbing content. War, brutality, cruelty, and references to sexual violence. Specifics: a woman’s head is forcefully shaved, a woman is kicked to death, a dog turned loose, concentration camps, brief infighting between Soviet’s and Americans, past tense illusions to rape which are underplayed and may be consequently more disturbing to some. Quite angsty ok?? It’s women at war. Rampant misogyny by Nazis.

Familiar faces: Gale Cleven, Benny Demarco, John Brady, “Hambone” Hamilton

Original Characters: Lt. Maureen Kendeigh (bombardier), Lt. Colonel Ida Brady, Lt. Tallulah Smith

If Maureen Kendeigh heard the word “degenerate” used one more time in regards to her profession, her sacrifice and skill, -she just might do something regrettable.

By this point she was ready to get off this cattle car and go back to talk with Interrogator Glasses about stupid and unnerving shit like why the clock in the mess hall at Thorpe Abbots had a broken arm. Her distressed inner monologue of “how did he know that??” at the time was preferred to this newest method of demoralization: death by aspersion and suspense.

It was nice to be back with the girls, ones she knew and ones from other squadrons. But that held a misfortune too, the fact that it was just the girls, still not a single male crew member in sight. Apparently the Gestapo and the Luftwaffe were having a spat over who got to keep them, these Flintenweiber: “Rifle Broads”.

In the meantime Maureen and her fellows got punted back and forth between the two institutions like unwanted stepchildren. First the horrible isolation but humane treatment of the Air Force interrogation cells. Then back to the prison where all bets were off and the hope of safety came from a herd-like defense of each other against the ever more erratic guards. In these holdings, if one of their members hadn’t been executed by a pistol to the temple by end of day, it was considered a successful defense by the whole. All other atrocity, indignity and assault were unbearable’s that required bearing for the time being until the Luftwaffe took them back.

And then handed them back over.

And on and on it went.

It was effective, Maureen gave them that, after each hosting by the Gestapo, the girls were softer, tenderized and more susceptible to any deal that might procure them a shred of honor and safety. Only Ida Brady, the most senior amongst them at the incomprehensible rank of Lt. Colonel, had held ranks together, spine of steel and bearing more terrifying than most men’s, she’d fought for every grueling respect of rank they had been afforded. Even if it landed them in harsher conditions, worse interrogations -anything to ensure that what happened to her girls were considered as war crimes against lawful combatants when the time came for justice.

But they’d been collecting the downed girls and holding them apart like prized anomalies while conflicting orders came in from Berlin, and while the Red Cross fussed regarding combatant status. Now they had a tidy number collected, well over twenty by the time Maureen saw Ida Brady pushed into the cell, having been downed with a significant portion of them after Munich.

But now they hadn’t seen Brady in over a day. Not since they’d been loaded on this rail car headed to god knows where by soldiers with the dreaded lightning bolts on their collars.

The SS.

With Brady missing, Maureen supposed that made her and Lieutenant Smith a leader of sorts. Most of her “leading” currently took the form of not responding to a single vile threat or taunt by the guards mingling amongst them in the ever rocking car. Ida would be proud of her emotionless detachment at one guard’s suggestion to let the dog loose and see who it chose to maul.

Lieutenant Smith -tender hearted Tallulah with the bronzed skin and knack with animals that rivaled Snow White’s- had made the cryptic observation in Maureen’s ear that she’d never known a dog could be trained away from the throat to go for the breasts instead.

As of last Sunday they now knew, and none of them were likely to forget.

“I’ll be faster next time,” Smith had mumbled in a simmering rage, “I’ll be faster. I’ll have my fist down that cur’s throat before they finish slipping the leash.”

It was a nice sentiment, would’ve been made more so if Maureen wasn’t so sure it would land dear Smith with a bullet in her head. Would be made more so if Sergeant Forsyth had lived from her injuries long enough to benefit from it. Lots of things would be made nicer by heavier coats and the presence of drinking water.

One of the new ones, a terrified little replacement who wore her ordeal on her face, made the rookie mistake of asking for a drink. She’d been given the predictable initiation of being pissed on by a guard in answer and now she bore her thirst as doggedly as the veterans.

When the train cars rolled to a halt, and the great door was hauled back, sprawling out before them appeared the most idyllic scenery one could ever hope for. A crystalline blue lake, dotted on its border with charming structures adorned with red tile roofs, a quaint church of the same, lush fields and sparkling water and deep forest for miles. Maureen did not think they would haul them so near a town only to execute them. But then what did she know?

Nothing, not even where she was.

When they had lined the girls up, some in worse shape than others and a motley collective group from various military branches, they hauled off Ida Brady to the head of the pack, her bruised face considerably more busted than when she’d been loaded on. Maureen could see her craning her neck as she was drug past, counting down her flyer girls, looking for any missing from the trip.

They were marched, four abreast and with guns at their backs, down a wide and well traversed road into town, past cottages on its outskirts with little garden plots and clothes blowing on the line. Maureen was reminded of the idyllic countryside she had landed in with her chute before being seized and hauled off. There were women and children in row boats on the lake and the path they took through the woods was more peaceful than ominous. A traitorous sort of hope began to bloom in Maureen’s heart.

That was dashed when the tree line broke and out before them stretched what seemed to be miles of wire. And beside it a sign, welcoming them to Ravensbrück -a concentration camp. A camp for civilians, a camp to never return from.

Their new guards were ready for them, smiles on their faces and whips in their hands. Among them were a few remarkable for their sex, they were women too -if women who enjoyed such craft could still be called that. And for all the horror inflicted on them by their male captors so far, there seemed to be a general presentment amongst the arriving girls that the finer arts of terror had not yet been endured.

Standing for hours in the infamous square inside the compound, roll call and registration took on a form of torture yet unheard of. Round and round it went, repetitions of ranks and serials over and over and each time they were met with two alternatives. Renounce the ranks and be admitted as civilians with no further targeted harassment. Or-

“If you insist on being special, we will be forced to make you special.” as one officer put it to Brady’s stone cold face. “Ask your Soviet compatriots, the ones who wanted to be special like you. They claimed to be officers too, and now they service officers in Buchenwald. They have not left their beds in months. Special, no?”

“I’m not ‘claiming’ a goddamn thing.” Brady would go round and round with them in turn and up and down the line was the echo of ranks and serials.

Nothing but ranks and serials.

The minute they dropped one or the other, they’d be freed from this standing purgatory, and they’d be as good as dead. They might wish it were so anyway, if the threat was carried out but they’d suffer as officers, with honor. Whatever that meant this far from home and any appreciation of it. A fresh batch of guards relieved the first and the banter continued, even through roll call of the general camp where a mass of the most miserable specters of female kind poured out of the huts and were made to await the call of their one single number.

A serial for a serial. Maureen would keep hers. By dawn she had kept it, as had all but one of her group, a navy nurse with a broken leg who’d succumbed to the allure of a chair.

Civilian status for a seat.

Maureen thought a drop of water might be her own undoing were it offered, but one look at Smith's cracked yet unmoving lips cemented her in her own determination. As did Ida Brady’s talk, straight back in front of her, trousers bloodied on the inseam but not a cringe to be discerned in her stance.

By morning roll call for the entire camp, their guards were tiring of them, or else thought a new method of persuasion more likely to bring success. Off they were marched to their new billet to “meet their Allies” and what Smith wouldn’t give to have her brass knuckles back when met with a hut full of Soviet soldiers. Females, if females could have shoulders like that. They were impressive women with murder on their faces at the intrusion of a new gang of American blowhards.

“Did you give up already?” The one with the most English taunted and for the first time since capture, Maureen saw Ida Brady’s spine bow backwards just a fraction -a pacifying gesture in the face of the Russian’s nose to nose staredown.

“Hey, we’re not here to make trouble.” she insisted, cool and stern. “Did you?”

“We’d rather die.”

Brady gave a sharp nod, “Then we’re Allies in that, too.”

“Your precious Red Cross won’t come for you here.” That likely verdict seemed to bring the woman satisfaction, and Maureen wondered how many months, weeks, hours of this grueling place it would take before she too took savage satisfaction in another’s misfortune. How long before all better impulse to be glad for others was stamped out and all that was left was crowing self preservation. “You are not the firsts. There were others, Americans, like you, they are now wearing the ink of field whores- or they are dead.”

“One might assume the same of your predecessors.” Brady pointed out mildy, and both groups shifted behind their leaders, ready and tense.

“Anyone who accepts-“ the Russian warned, “-we kill.”

With that incentive clear, a tentative peace was made, which included a few trying to fraternize, converse and share news. There was little that aligned to create any cohesive figure, despite their shared experiences and sufferings.

When night fell they were hauled out for roll call amongst the masses, and together after hours of waiting to be called upon, they answered with their ranks and serials, each in their own language. The Russian who had confronted Brady was beaten so badly she did not rise again after it. The guard left her lying there and asked Brady herself what her occupation was.

“Lt. Colonel in the United States Air Force.”

The unfortunate rookie who had so ill advisedly asked for water on the train stood beside Brady; and got a bullet to the head for her superior’s answer. What Colonel Brady thought of her judgment being given to another did not show, her face white and her lips sealed, only the speckle of blood on her profile stood in stark relief in the early morning.

“Kneel.” a very shiny Luger barrel was pressed, still smoking to Brady’s temple.

She did so, braced for the inevitable execution. A soldier's death, it’s what they’d signed up for. The Kommandant waved over one of the female guards and spoke to her in German. She took off at a run to one of the buildings with a bright smile, and Ida Brady stayed kneeling, the splattered brains of the unfortunate dripping out of her hair and into the leather of her jacket, a mockery of her own upcoming fate.

The female guard returned with scissors. “Your poor hair, so pretty. Now it is ruined.” the Kommandant bemoaned, gloved fingers sliding though Brady’s wet tresses, “See what happens to beauty when you pervert the order of things? Now it must be sacrificed. Perhaps then you will see how ugly you are become.”

Maureen felt Smith’s restraining arm before she had even registered her impulse to charge forward, caught about the middle she strained against her friend's surprising strength and in the end was forced thusly to keep ranks and watch with the rest as the Nazis fucks scalped the Colonel of her femininity with a pair of sheep shears.

Dribbling blood down her face and shaking with rage, Ida was in better shape than her Russian counterpart. When her ordeal was over, she rose again, even if she swayed dangerously upon doing so.

And when asked, she had her serial at the ready.

Crowded back into the hut, Maureen and Smith watched the Russians hopelessly fuss over their insensible leader, knowing all too well how likely it might be that they could be found doing the same tomorrow, in a week’s time, who knew. For now, Brady sank down against the wall with the rest of them, the scowl of her formidable brows deflecting any potential commiserations for her battery.

When the navy nurse was pushed into their hut next evening, a dead silence greeted her. One of the Soviets, a sniper by her markings, came up to her and unceremoniously tore open her shirt. If the girls had doubted the Russian’s warning about “wearing the ink of field whores” upon their skin as mere hyperbole, such speculation was removed. It was a dreadful tattoo, large and damning as was the reaction it elicited amongst the servicewomen.

By the end of the night there were two dead bodies on the hut floor. And it didn’t seem to matter who had killed which. One had died for honor, the other for giving it up. And in the end? Where was this ephemeral honor? Ida Brady could only find it in the tense faces of her girls, lining the room from their places along the wall, waiting for another roll call or worse.

But in war, as in peace, sometimes the dead sent favors and in this instance it came to them with screams of:“Amerikaner Soldat!” in the middle of the night. They were marched out to the square and stood to attention once more in the sweep of the spotlight, all the while were shouts of “Amerikaner Soldat!”

All they knew was the bitter waiting in the gray dawn chill and the choking anticipation of some sick, final joke, or some methodical mass execution. Maureen wished she could knock her shoulder into Ida’s one last time and tell her she’d been a rock -she was a rock- but Brady stood there in front alone, as was her privilege and her curse. Talullah Smith would not meet Maureen’s side eyed glance for a farewell. Maureen wished she had less of a roar inside her, wished she could step off calmly into whatever was on the other side but the idea was repulsive, even after all she’d endured, and she looked about in vain for some semblance of the same revolt on her fellow’s faces.

What came instead was the dreaded whistles and the order to march. They were marched right out of the gates and down the idyllic lane they’d been marched up days ago, back through town to the railway station. There the soldiers herded them back up into a cattle car that smelled more of death than livestock, and then the train pulled away, hurtling south -perhaps the only one to do so with living cargo.

There were no guards inside the car, only the cramped space to keep them docile and the lack of promise that the great door would ever grind open again.

“The hell do you think happened?” Maureen hissed to Ida, finding her superior propped up in the corner in a suspiciously casual pose that she suspected hid a limp and unfathomable fatigue.

“Haven’t got a clue, Kendeigh.”

“Maybe someone got word out.” Maureen suggested, thinking of their predecessors, thinking of the useful dead.

“Or we’re headed to a nice rural dumping ground.” was all Ida would speculate. “Or brothels.” she added after a long minute.

Maureen chewed her cheek and kept peering out the slats at the beautiful countryside flashing past. “Well, at least they’ve ensured you’ll be least wanted of the bunch at such an establishment.” she joked and watched with the careful precision of a trained bombardier as her mean joke landed and Ida Brady’s legendary eyebrow ticked up in something that might have been amused disbelief, had she any energy left for such a display.

“Pistol whipped in the mouth and still no respect for rank, Kendeigh.” Brady observed and it was so like her brother John’s flat lined humor that Mauren’s heart throbbed with something alarmingly akin to sentimentally. For John Brady -and all the other lucky souls still at Thorpe Abbots, God willing. “I’m not laying on any damn beds for them.” Brady suddenly broke the silence again in a low voice, one Maureen knew was meant between officers only.

She pitched her head closer in agreement. “Me either.”

“I don’t care if they shoot me first,” Ida went on, as if reciting it to herself, “-and I don’t care if they shoot all of you first. I’m not going to.”

“Wouldn’t want you to.” Maureen agreed again, vacillating briefly in her intent before proceeding to say, “That Sergeant -she wasn’t your fault. The nurse either.”

“I know that Lieutenant.”

“I know you know,” Maureen muttured, “but some stuff bears repeating. Places like these, we’re liable to lose our bearings without a little repetition.”

“Mm.”

Maureen shuffled beside her and wracked her brain for pleasant conversation, something besides the Soviet girls they’d abandoned and the skeletons they’d seen at Ravensbrück. “Ya know,” she remarked tiredly, “if someone in here’s hydrated enough to pee, I might be ready to drink it.”

Brady slowly turned from her view out the slats to give Maureen a blank faced stare. “Should I make an announcement or are you hoping to keep that between us?”

“Oh hell, Colonel,” Maureen grinned, mischief bubbling to the surface at the first chance, “I wouldn’t trust anyone else but you, liable to get stds from this lot.”

“Kendeigh.” Ida hissed warningly but there was that disbelieving wobble to her stern mouth, “That’s not funny -not with where we’ve come from.”

“It kinda is.”

“It’s not.”

“It is- a little. Admit it, a little.”

“It’s not.” And still her cheeks were pink with suppressed amusement, just like John’s got when Maureen pressed him on a dig about basic training.

“You sure you’re ok?” she ventured again, eyeing Brady’s extensive injuries visible above her clothes.

“Yeah?” Ida looked nonplussed, “I mean -what’re you ranking as ok, these days, Lt. Kendeigh?

“It’s just,” Maureen bit her own busted tongue briefly as a spur to get it out,

“-you’re bleeding a lot, Ida. Couldn’t help but notice.”

Ida Brady didn’t even glance down at her trousers or make a motion to feel her lacerated scalp, instead she answered in the same, almost bored way she always did, “Yeah, Candy, it’s called being a good Catholic.”

Maureen blinked. “Oh. Oh Shit.”

“You know, maybe some of you girls had the right of it,” Ida actually winced before staring back out the slats, “go off and do it ahead, in peacetime. But here I am, twenty seven and as sacrosanct as the Virgin Mary, dropping into occupied territory. What could go wrong!” To her credit, her snort was wonderfully genuine.

Maureen kept after her, “You signed up to fight, to get fought against. We all did -never this.”

“Mm, well, couldn’t choose a better gang to get put down with.” Brady smiled, begrudgingly raising an imaginary glass of her own to Maureen’s already raised one.

“To bitches who bite back.” Maureen toasted.

“To bitches who bite back.”

——————————————————-

Two cases of MIA troubled John Brady the most: Egan, who he had seen jump first after their dispute, and Maureen Kendeigh who he had learned from Blakely had jumped over Bremman. That’s two flyers who should’ve been here by now, before him even, in the case of Kendeigh, and yet they weren’t.

He went round and round the argument with Cleven and Crank and Hambone, all three downed from separate missions yet here together - proving his point. Cleven held staunchly to the belief they were being kept segregated, as befitted their ranks and sex. They could be one sector apart and not hear of them. It was the only hopeful response, it was a leader’s response. There had been women downed before Kendeigh, not many but a few of the escort fighters, and none of them had showed either. Brady wasn’t sure that was a good sign at all.

“So where’s Egan then?” he’d always hit back with, “They mistake his shoulders’ for a dame’s?”

“I dunno John.” Cleven would reply with that newly blank gaze of his somehow enhanced by the twin cuts on his cheeks.

Demarco took Brady aside when he arrived to tell him that whatever had happened to Cleven in interrogation wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t ethical. Those cheek scars weren’t both due to flack. Like a dog with a bone, Brady took this already suspected information about his stoic superior and ran with it, pointing out hotly to an uninterested Demarco, “if it’s happened to Cleven, what about them?”

“What can we do about it?” Was Cleven’s demand that always wrapped up the little circular arguments as they sat huddled in their hut. “Red Cross knows they’re not here, no colored flyers either. They know where they are. What can we do besides ask after them?”

He was right, there wasn’t anything, but still, like a presentiment hung over him, Brady found himself leaning on the wire each time a new batch was marched in, counting heads and scanning faces.

“Ida hasn’t even been shot down, John.” Crank kindly reminded again and again.

“As of two weeks ago.” John snapped.

As of two weeks, and then as of three, and then it became four and -where the hell was Kendeigh? Gale had stopped arguing when the subject came up, apparent but impotent fury slowly racking his wiry frame, face gone wane already above his grimey fleece collar. Winter wasn’t even here and they were fading.

And then it happened, what John had been waiting by the fence for, and boy was there a crush at the wire to see them marched in when they came up the muddy enclosure through the gates.

“The fuck are they bringing the women here for?”

“They don’t belong in here, bastards!”

“Ar’those Brady’s Banshees?”

“They’re not gonna hold ‘em here are they?”

Like he’d been reanimated by the presence of a cause, Major Cleven cut his way through the rabble to the front, addressing the German officer escorting them.

“Hey, hey you can’t bring them in here. They’re women, they belong in their own section.”

“If they are women,” the Commandant pointed out, not unkindly, “then perhaps your country should have recognized that before enlisting them? They belong here.”

Cleven shook his head, vehement in his conventions and rules, “It’s not right, you know it’s not.”

“Then tell your Lt. Colonel to stop fighting for combatant status.” he jerked his chin towards Ida Brady and Gale’s eyes widened at her injuries and tufted hair, “The SS had them tucked away at our most prestigious female camp. But they would not accept. They want to be men.”

“Combatants!” Gale argued the point Ida had been making since her feet touched occupied soul.

John Brady yanked his arm, whispering urgently in his ear, “She’s makin’ sign to me, torture, she says. Don’t fight it, Buck.”

Cleven searched the battered faces, some he knew like Ida, T.Smith and Maureen, and some from other squadrons, -ones who must’ve been damned unlucky to get captured considering their safer postings.

“If it can happen to you it c-“ John Brady was a bit of a pain in the ass, Cleven had found, but he had never found him to be wrong.

“Roger, loud and clear, captain.” Cleven warned him his point was made with a bite in his own tone.

“Have we come to an understanding?” The Commandant, amused by the fluster his female charges had caused, it was ample proof that women could never be fully integrated, not even by a society so pervertedly equal as the American’s. “Ja? Sehr gut. It wasn’t like you had a choice anyway, was it?

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed. Feedback is a writer’s life blood, let me hear your thoughts and screams, they mean so much to me.

We have so many prompts already thrown around for this AU, I can’t wait to explore them, and I welcome any more if you have them.

Taglist (if you’d like to be added please drop a note below):

@stylespresleyhearted

@ab4eva

@earth-to-lottie

@suraemoon

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@steph-speaks

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topwan-obikin · 1 month ago

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Here it is the reveals for the first deadline of our fest!

From this moment on, the authors mentioned in this post will be able to promote their creations however they like! You are free to post your work on your own social media and we will promote it alongside the reveal of your fic. You can include moodboards or other creative images in your promotion! Just be sure to tag the fest in some way.

If instead you didn’t have the chance to look through the creations revealed, now it’s a great time to do it. Give them some love and share the ones you loved more!

Let’s dive in!

☆ Darling Little Lamb... by StardustNSunshine @stardustnsunshine

[Explicit - 14,123 w]

A subtly accented voice broke his reverie. “Little lamb, are you lost?” He placed his hand around the pistol on his hip and the stake on his thigh holster as he scanned the room. Beside the fireplace stood a haunting vision of a man with reddish hair and a beard aflame with the light of the fire. Shimmering red eyes glowed and crinkled at him as his mouth curled in a seductive smile that showed a glimpse of beautiful white fangs

☆ as the world caves in by JaggedEdges @jaggededges123

[Explicit - 4,020 w]

from: askywalker.jedi.cor to: okenobi.jedi.cor <if we were the last two people in the galaxy, would you repopulate it with me?>

☆ Tongue Tied (I Bite Back) by Darkwhisperings @dark–whisperings

[Explicit - 4,621 w]

A shit-show of a mission in Separatist territory, a hiding place barely big enough for two adult Jedi, years upon years of sexual tension, and a wayward erection. What could possibly go wrong?

☆ you, or your memory by cinnamonsalt

[Explicit - 12,649 w]

“Sorry, what?” Anakin had to sound genuine. He had to. “In the medbay, I mean.” Obi-Wan sat his own spoon down, leaning his chin into his hand. Anakin felt an odd shiver run up his spine at the look. He had Obi-Wan’s face, and his voice, after all, and his body couldn’t seem to tell the difference between the new and the old, despite his brain throbbing with the heavy weight of it. “They say I’ve lost my memory, I was a bit out of it.” “Oh- right, no, I…” Anakin suddenly felt like he couldn’t catch his breath. This was strange. “Which is strange,” Obi-Wan continued, echoing his own thoughts, the tease in his tone barely there. It was more hushed now, like he was leaning in to tell a secret, or soothe a startled animal. When did everyone start treating him like that? “I kept thinking to myself, after that moment — I must have been a very lucky man in a past life to have such a pretty thing worrying over me.” -- Obi-Wan loses his memory in an accident and, apparently, his reservations. Anakin nearly loses his mind over it.

♥ Obi-Wan (Anakin's Version) by teaandjumpers @teaandjumpers

[Explicit - 11,740 w - chapters: 4/6]

“I like that you’re older than me,” he admitted to Obi-Wan, and he moved in close as he said it. Obi-Wan had no response to that, so Anakin pulled in closer, reaching for a strand of hair at his Master’s temple. “I like that you have grays. I like that I put them there.” ---- When a holocron accident causes Obi-Wan's body to de-age, Anakin finds himself enraptured (and very frustrated) by this version of his Master who can’t always keep his emotions in check––especially when it comes to Anakin.

☆ AUGURY by Exonerin @exonerin

[Explicit - 20,026 w - chapters: 5/5]

Anakin has never known moderation. So, when he accidentally learns Obi-Wan is an amazing singer, he wants to hear more. This is a greater challenge than he anticipates, especially when he starts reacting to Obi-Wan's voice.

☆ ART by @yatsukisakura

[Explicit]

If you know the handles of any of the authors we revealed today we did not tag, please let us know and we’ll add them!

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royal-wren · 5 months ago

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Leto Epithets

One of the many mother goddesses found in the Hellenic pantheon, she is also one of (three) goddesses directly of motherhood along with Rheia and Maia. Her origins are debated, but it is a fact that she is an established goddess as far back as the Mycenaean era (pre-Apollon btw! More than likely Leto and Artemis were regarded as mother and daughter by then) under the name ra-ti-jo / ra-to (Latios/Lato). The late myth of the birth of Artemis and Apollon where she runs from Hera might showcase a bit of history of her leaving Greece and going to Turkey (Anatolia) in the way a lot of myths do with cult history and practices expanding. I say this because the connection to Lycia as her origin as explained in the further reading section is pretty late into the timeline of her existence and her main temple there is also a late addition when she was long pre-established as a goddess in Greece before it was made. Anything else saying she derived from another goddess is purely speculation and is more than likely disproven by this point in time in the year 2024. (Please note that this doesn't mean she possibly came from somewhere else before records, just that she existed in Mycenaean Greece).

Alphabetically it's a mess, but everything that I've added to go along with aspects, domains, traits, and animals of hers have an asterisk by them, not necessarily upg but innovating what's already historically attested to her.

A remake of my ancient, years-old post. Of great kindness She who is gentle and modest Preumenḗs: soft of temper, gentle, gracious, favorable Epieikḗs: Morally reasonable, fair, kind, gentle, good Ever mild and gentle Mild from the beginning Of womanly demure *Ēpiócheir: With Soothing Hand *Phainô: Appear, Reveal, Shine Lêthô/Lanthanô/Lelathon: To escape notice, To cause to forget, Move unseen, Go unobserved *Aisthánomai: perceive, apprehend by the senses or of mental perception, perceive, understand, take notice of, to have perception of *Aísthēsis: Perception from the senses, feeling, hearing, seeing. Perception by the intellect as well as the senses. Ability to perceive: discernment. Cognition or discernment of moral discernment in ethical matters *Ablepsíā: blindness, failure to see (something), invisibility *Ágnoia: The state of not knowing or perceiving: ignorance, unawareness *Hḗsukhos: quiet, still, calm, gentle, moderate, (of persons) cautious, (of the voice) gentle *Hēsukházō: To be still or quiet, Be at rest *Hēsukhíā: (Of) Silence, Stillness, Quiet *Apokalúptō: To reveal. Leto is an ocular/prophetic goddess just like Apollon that speaks with a voice from above, working through light in effect, the implication is that she (like Apollon) has it tied to day for when they work as it's noted that Asteria and Hekate prophecy through/by/at night and from below. (Leto might double as a night-time goddess, but the connection to day is more solidified). Lykeiê: Of the wolves *Ameibousa: One that transforms, in the spirit of One who brings forth transitions Ethelímona: Willing (to answer those that pray to her) Dark-gowned (I really wish I was able to find a translation for this one) *Khrysôpis: With Golden eyes, With a golden face, Golden-faced Kyanopeplos: Dark-veiled, Cloaked Most Glorious Eukomos: Lovely-haired Kallisphyros: Beautiful/Trim/Neat-ankled Aidoios/Semnê Thea: August Goddess Khrysêlakatos: Of the Gold Spindle (Distaff) *Hêmerasia: She who soothes *Meilikhios: Gentle, Soothing *Phaesphoros: Light-bringer *Hilaeira: Softly-shining *Alektor: Rooster Polykleitos: Far-famed Xanthê: Blonde/Golden-Haired, Gold-tressed Phytie/Phystiê: Grafter Koiantis/Koiêis: daughter of Koios Koiogeneia/Koiogenês: born of Koios Lykios: patron goddess of Lykia Euteknos: Of Fair Children Gentlest in all Olympos *Pheraia: Of the Beasts *Agroterê: Of the Hunt, Huntress

*Most of these are ones I had to comb through literature to find, a couple of UPG names and ones I’ve found or created (as a reference) through other research

Further reading:

Some Cults of Greek Goddesses and Female Daemons of Oriental Origin by Butzon & Bercker

Theoi.com's Koios page for the information at the end

Mothers of the Sun - Myth and Legacy of the Minoan "Solar Mother" in Classical Greek Mythology

The Cities and Bishoprics of Phrygia, being an Essay of The Local History of Phrygia from the Earliest Times to the Turkish Conquest

#hellenic polytheism #hellenic paganism #hellenic gods #hellenic worship #leto goddess #leto deity #apollon deity #apollon god #apollon #artemis #artemis goddess #artemis deity

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monecabhava · 1 year ago

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ARIES 2024 INSIGHT ( SIDEREAL ASTROLOGY)

2024 transits :

Saturn in Aquarius 11H aspecting Asc/5H/8H

Rahu in Pisces aspecting 8H/4H - Ketu Virgo in 6H

Jupiter in Aries Asc aspecting 5H/7H/9H until May/1

Jupiter in Taurus 2H aspecting 6H/8H/10H

*** u can use this prediction from moon/lagna/ mahadasa lord

_______________________________________

Aries starts the year fresh with direct Jupiter on lagna aspected by saturn in Aquarius 11H, since the start of Jupiter in aries this is the first time Aries will truly feel the blessings of Jupiter, jupiter here is in a friend sign so it's beneficial even tho it's aspceted by saturn. 2024 will starts with alot of good opportunities & beginnings with mars in sag/9H a good fortune & blessings are promised, the start will kick with a religious/spiritual drive, optimistic & open mindset, desire to learn a new language, do travels & explore foreign cultures/religios, meet foreigners, starts a new academic path/learn new courses, meet a new teacher/guide, visiting temples, an improvement in connections with father/guiding figure.

Until May jupiter will sit in asc & aspects 5/7/9H, with saturn aspecting 5H there's huge possibility to reconnect/meet with romantic interests with a strong karmic connection, people from the past comes back or a feeling of familiarity/ longing. Even tho the connection may happen & manifest we may feel trapped or there's a form of limitations within this connection, obstacles & hardships can come, slowness & yearning, fear & hesitation, all the hardships are how the karma move through the house aspect but with patience & commitment u will see the relationship to be a great teacher on the long term. interest in learning & knowledge increase extremely especially with things related to spirituality, metaphysics, religions, divination etc. Gaining a new teacher or increase in the number of teachers u have. U might have students too. To guide & be guided, teaching & learning comes together.

Possibility of pregnancy/problems related to pregnancy/fertility/children. Interest in traditional & old activities/skills, interacting with elderly/mature people more within the social circle. Feeling a strong sense of duty/ being more disciplined. Putting more efforts in research & growing interest in psychology, astrology & mysticism. Feeling of separation or isolation from groups & organization, possibility of leaving groups behind. Spiritual growth & evolution, new belongings & paths. You're being reborn with the eye of saturn on you so be careful with what path are you taking. Is this serving your karma & purpose? Are you walking in the right path for you ?

You are the center until May.

After May/1, jupiter will transit to Taurus, aries 2H will be aspecting 6H with ketu, 8H with saturn & 10H. Now Aries are more grounded in a way, your energy is manifesting materially. financial matters come to light, try to make a good saving system where losses are minimized, be careful with debts & obstacles related to career gains, financial discipline & budgeting will help alot this year, increase in saving & possessions, increase in eating might occur too for aries & with ketu in Virgo/6H make sure to develop healthy habits & mindset with food and be very careful so u won't fall into any kind of disorder (yk what I mean 💀), don't eat many sweets! Desire to spend more time with family, values & personal ethics here play an important role as jupiter want to be righteous yet Taurus has a material motivation in its approach so make sure to judge your ethics & beliefs in the right way free from illusion, material desires, lies. Here seeking security & safety becomes essential to aries, might desire to collect things so you can feel more secure so make sure to clean your business every once in a while. Be careful with your health, make habits that are health yet not very strict, keep yourself moving as always & stay moderate. Increase in reputation & fame. Be careful with substance use & make sure to stay conscious & focused, dream journaling & shadow work are recommended. Stay grounded & don't get too lost in the spiritual world. The other realms will be very active for u but make sure to exist in the NOW.

Song recommendation for u ✨️

May your year be full of blessings & fulfilling ❤️

#aries #ashwini #bharani #krittika #vedic astrology #vedicknowledge #sidereal astrology #jyotish #mesha rashi #Spotify

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tanely · 2 years ago

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What’s really cool about C3 is that Matt is really introducing a commentary on institutionalized religion vs faith, Cult tactics and how it can mimic moderate views, And how those in high places of power will often use whatever they can to maintain it as a sense of control.

Bor’dor went under radar for so long because he was saying the same thing as Prism and Deni$e. He sounded like a person with moderate views! “aren’t you tired?” feels wrong to ask but even Prism goes “no one would blame you if you stopped”. Deni$e and her “they never did anything for me”

The belief that everyone should be allowed to worship what they want. This includes EVERYONE including those with complicated views on the current pantheon. but that with large religion comes power and those in the institution want to perserve their power.

Matt compounded it by having the dawnfather intervene on that one scenario (a limited experience across 3 campaigns), it made everyone go “wait so they CAN intervene they choose not to” when likely the intervention was cause a member of the cult was attacking his temple. But this allowed for even more “the gods don’t care” talk from the limited knowledge of PCs.

Picking the Dawnfather is also a great choice. He’s the most stoic/more straightforward of the pantheon and one of the most revered by the cast plus his involvement in the calamity. He has the greatest impact if he intervenes because it MEANS something.

The way Ludinous has twisted things into the idea that the gods should be intervening at EVERY whim and that they don’t so its a flaw. When in reality if they intervened it would be the removal of freedom of any kind. He doesn’t think the gods SHOULD intervene, he also doesn’t want others ‘free’. he wants control! as Ashton says “I don't know if that's the person I would like around if there's a vacuum”.

The reason for lack of Pro God PCs is because we already have two campaigns of Pro God PCs (or at the very least ok with them). The point was never about “are the gods good or bad” or “should the gods die or not”. The wrong questions keep getting asked.

The point is the person on the other side is willing to control, murder, manipulate, and straight up LIE to people in order to use them for their own means for their own reasons with no consideration to ANY collateral damage and to maintain control. And that’s the problem. This man has done everything to consolidate power. Would you trust that person to make the best decision for an entire world?

#Critical role #CR Meta #I hope this makes sense #i really love what matt is putting forth in the narrative it's just taking a lot of set up #but i feel like he's starting to drop his points through the narrative now #and he knows his players well so they're falling into the points too!#I am really enjoying this really complicated narrative

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ralibo14 · 9 days ago

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Why you ship Ray & Emma? (I'm also a rayemma shiper btw :3 )

There are numerous reasons why I ship them, some of those reason will might foolish / selfish but here we go. (Sorry this answer might be a little long😅)

First things first:

I would like to establish that this post isn't a hate crime against other TPN ships.

You like NorEmma? Wonderful! NorRay? Good! REN (aka: NorRayEmma)? Great! Or any other (reasonable) ship? Yay! Good for you!

Hop on buddies, this is an ocean cruiser with multiple floors and lots of spaces. Dear tpn community, y'all are welcome on board🥰.

Also... I only ship them under these terms:

-In canon: I age them up, because using their canon ages would be weird.

-Story set in Post-canon, in the Human World is okay.

-No 18+ scenes. Under no circumstances I'm willing to write/draw/read a scene like that. Kissing is fine though 🥰.

Now with that settled, I continue with...

Reasons why I ship RayEmma:

1) Their overall dynamic:

Ray sassing over every decision Emma made (for the sole purpose to improve her plan) in season 1 was so funny to me. I natural fond of sassy, book-smart characters so yeah. Emma bubbly, hopeful and naive (in season 1) personality completing Ray's so perfectly.

Then in the manga, they're like the ultimate power couple for me. Goldy Pond was Emma's time to shine as an individual and Ray was 100000% supportive and didn't get jealous of her successes.

In the King of Paradise Arc. Yes Ray kinda agrees with Norman to kill all demons but I think he just tried to act as the moderator between his two friends so their friendship doesn't receive a lethal blow. After the argument he seeks out where is Emma and reassures her that whatever she decides he will support her decision. (What is intimate if not that?)

Seven Walls is the RayEmma Arc of tpn and you can't change my mind about it 🤣. Was my favourite Arc when I first read it and it always will be. Surviving a bored Demon God mind plays and stepping into its realm together (while holding hand I might ad)

2) Day and Night allegations:

Even Shirai and Demizu brings up this allegation. They usually using it around either Mujika and Sonju or Emma and Ray. Which speaks volumes for me.

Search for Kvathidala Arc proves this when they go to the demon temples and stand under the painted ceiling.

3) They remind me of my favourite couple of my childhood Anne and Gilbert.

Anne from Green Gables was the book I read over and over in my childhood then I watched all the adaptations on either on my mom's (old) CDs or in the internet and they were a really big part of my early teens. Netflix's remake is good too but the book is the best.

Favourite scenes which screams RayEmma to me.

Where do I even start. The PARALLELS🤩

🖤🧡

Gilbert called Anne 'Carrot' so she hit him with a clay board (in book she brakes it on his head)

Then a few months later day are casually talking and dancing (denying their feelings if you ask me🤣)

Also I'm a sucker for couples where one of them has red/light hair and the other has black/dark hair.

4) Easy to relate. Easy to write:

When writing my tpn fanfic their interactions almost writes itself. Somehow it feels natural to me how they interact. Maybe it's just my overthinking, but I got pretty good in analysing how their scenes should go. No matter if it's a fight scene, trauma bonding, late night quarrelling over a book or just a casual heart-to-heart.

5) Silly reason:

My username's colour palette kinda matches their colours.

#the promised neverland #tpn #yakusoku no neverland #tpn ray #tpn emma #tpn manga #ray #emma #rayemma #answering asks #long post

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llamaqueenprompt · 1 year ago

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Love in the Spotlight

Characters: Dylan O'Brien, Reader, Tyler Posey

Not Requested

Word Count: 702

Inspiration: “This sounds a lot like a marriage proposal.” “Maybe it is.”

Since they met five years prior on the set of Teen Wolf, Dylan O’Brien and y/n l/n had been inseparable. They were always together and when they weren’t, they were probably face timing or texting one another non-stop. So when their relationship evolved to a status of way more than friends no one was really shocked.

And this was their first Comic Con as an out in the world couple.

“Are you nervous?” Dylan asked, his fingers gently running through her hair.

“A little,” she raised from his lap to meet his gaze, “You?”

“No more than my first time” they softly laughed, taking their last couple of minutes to relax on the couch.

“Everyone get ready you’ll be on stage in 10”

Dylan stood up and extended his hand to y/n, “Ready?” She just grabbed his hand and they got ready to enter.

“An applause for y/n!” The fans clapped and whistled as she walked into the stage with the biggest smile on her face and waving at them. She got to her seat and Dylan pulled out her chair for her before settling into the one beside her. His hand remained on the back of her chair while they clapped for the rest of the cast to enter the stage and make their way to their seats.

“Well, by now most of you know the rules but I will repeat them just in case. Everyone will be able to ask a question, our team will let you know when it’s your turn. Be respectful to the actors and the other fans that are here with you. And most importantly of all, have a good experience,” everyone clapped as the moderator took their seat.

The panel started smoothly, with the cast answering questions about their time on Teen Wolf and sharing funny stories from the set. Dylan and y/n sat side by side, occasionally exchanging loving glances and smiles, making the fans go crazy and already think of the edits they would do later.

“Y/n,” the girl in question took her attention away from Dylan and looked at the fan with a soft smile, “what was the most memorable moment for you during your time on Teen Wolf!”

“Well,” she looked around thinking for her second, “there were so many incredible moments on set, just the opportunity of being on this show with all these amazing people is as memorable as it gets,” everyone chuckled waiting for her to continue, already guessing what she was going to say next, “but if I had to pick one, it would be the day I met Dylan. It was the start of a beautiful journey, not just in our careers but in our lives. That moment was truly special.”

Dylan, with his head leaning on his hand, looked at his girlfriend with heart eyes and reached out to softly kiss her on the temple to which she responded by grabbing his hand and closing her eyes for a moment. The fans in the audience cheered loudly at the sweet moment between the two actors.

As the Q&A session continued, another fan stepped up to the microphone and asked, “Dylan, can you tell us what your future plans are? Both in your career and personal life,”

“Great question first of all, I’ve had some incredibles experiences in my career, and I hope to continue working on projects that excite me and that mean something to me. But when it comes to my personal life,” Dylan paused for a moment, looking at Sophia with a twinkle in his eye, “I do hope to see a big flower arch in my near future.”

The fans started whispering after his response, “Does that mean what I think it means?” Tyler Posey asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes it does.” Dylan said with a goofy smile on his face and eyes glued to y/n’s surprise face totally ignoring the screams from the fans.

“This sounds a lot like a marriage proposal,” Sophia said with a hint of a smile on her face.

“Maybe it is,” Dylan whispered in her ear before kissing her forehead, “you will have to wait and see.”

#dylan o'brien #dylan o'brien imagine #dylan o'brien x reader #famous people #famous people imagine #imagine #teen wolf #teen wolf imagine #one shot #x reader

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mask131 · 10 months ago

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The myth of Apollo (1)

Loose translation of the article “Antique Apollo: Shadow and Light” (Apollon Antique: Ombre et Lumière), from the “Dictionary of Literary Myths” under the direction of Pierre Brunel.

THE ANTIQUE APOLLO: SHADOW AND LIGHT

In her “Nouvelle Mythologie de la Jeunesse” (New Mythology for Youth), wrote for the French school students under the rule of Charles X, madame Tardieu-Denesle tells the story of how Jupiter charged Apollo with the mission of spreading light throughout the universe: as such, every morning the god climbs in the Sun Chariot to ride through the sky until night. These poor students were such misinformed and taught to confuse two very different gods: Apollo and Helios. But miss Tardieu-Denesle can be easily forgiven, because the confusion between the two deities has been existing since a very long time…

When we want to associate the name “Apollo” with ideas, we associate him with “light”, “harmony” or “balance (equilibrium)”. Apollo means to us the Athens of Pericles, the sunrays descending upon the Acropolis, the “sôphrosunè”, this wisdom made of moderation and whose principles had been engraved on the façade of the temple of Delphi. We usually oppose (and Nietzsche greatly helped reinforced this antithesis) Apollo’s serenity with the barbaric drunkenness of Dionysos. The idea of Apollo as a god of light and harmony existed as early as Antiquity, but it does not correspond to the original character of the god – a god which has a dark face, obscured in mysterious shadow… For Apollo is a disquieting and complex god of contrasts, solar and chthonian at the same time, a bearer of life and death.

I/ The problem of the origins

The hardships of understanding the origins and the personality of Apollo appear as early as the examination of his epithets. The god is said to be “Lukeios”, an adjective that the scholars have for a very long time tied to “lukè”, the light. This etymology fits very well the most famous nickname of Apollo, “Phoibos”, “the clear”, “the shining”, “the pure” – a name that is found as early as the first lines of Homer’s Iliad and Hesiod’s Theogony. This already paves the way for the assimilation by Apollo of Helios – a fusion that already appeared within a 7th-6th century BCE text known as “The Homeric Hymn to Apollo”: “It is there that appears the ship of Apollo, the Archer Lord, under the appearance of the celestial body that shines in bright day”. This assimilation will be later reaffirmed by Aeschylus’ “Bassarids” (Bassarae?) in the 5th century: Orpheus claims in the play that the Sun is also called Apollo. In a similar way, Aeschylus identifies within the “Xantriae” Selene, the Moon, to Artemis, the daughter of Leto and sister of Apollo.

And yet Apollo, “the light one”, is also called “Loxias”, “the skew one”, “the dark one”. According to an information within the “Etymologicum Magnum” (642), this name can be explained by the character of Loxô, a daughter of Boreas that raised the young god. Let us admit this, and let us admit that the oracles of Delphi were in truth very clear: writers, nonetheless, were more concerned with dramatic effect than reality, and as such they started spreading the idea that Apollo always expressed himself in an ambiguous way, forcing mankind to interpret his predictions, with a risk of misunderstanding them and causing disasters. Aeschylus wrote in his “Agememnon”: “Yet I speak the language of Greece. Loxias does too: yet his oracles are obscure.”

Herodotus shared numerous stories about the misfortunes of mistaken humans, such as Cresus who was unable to understand that the great empire he wanted to destroy was his own and that the “mule” he had to fear was Cyrus, son of a Mede and a Persian.

The obscurity of Apollo is also found back within his ambiguous relationships to the chthonian world. He is the killer of a female dragon (drakaina) that guarded the very ancient oracle of Gaia the Earth at Delphi (according to the “Homeric Hymn to Apollo”). A famous statue depicted him as a “sauroctonus”, a “lizard killer”. He is also “Smintheus”, the “destroyer of rats” according to “Iliad”. But at Epidaurus, within the temple of his son Asklepios (whose symbolic animal was the mole, another chthonian beast), snakes crawled among those who practiced the incubation ritual. A snake also wrapped itself around the staff of the physician-god, a deity who himself sometimes appeared as a snake (Pausanias, II, 10, 3). Another son of Apollo appeared sometimes as a snake: Trophonios, who had his own underground oracle at Lebadeia. As for Apollo “killer of rats”, he might have originally been a healing rat-god: it is implied by the numerous analogies between the Greek Apollo and the Hindu Rudra (the motifs of the bow, the disease, the mole, the rat, poetry and obliquity).

As such, translating “Lukeios” by “luminescent” feels incomplete, unsatisfying. The Ancients had proposed themselves another explanation. Apollo Lukeios might have meant “killer of wolves” (lukos). “And you, god that destroys the wolves, destroy the army of our enemies” (Aeschylus’ The Seven Against Thebes), “Here is the Lycian Square, dedicated to the god killer of wolves” (Sophocles’ “Electra”). This depiction of the god is not absurd, because there are many links between Apollo and the wolf. According to Pausanias, Danaos obtained the kingship of Argos because the god sent a wolf attack a flock, and the new king had a sanctuary built for Apollo Lukios. In the same city, it was known that wolves were offered in sacrifice to Apollo. The Lyceum of Athens, dedicated to Apollo, was, also according to Pausanias, named as such in homage to a hero named “Lukos”. On coins, Apollo was sometimes associated with wolves. Apollo was a master of wild beasts, like his sister Artemis. Destroyer of wolves, protector of wolves, or maybe himself a wolf, as once was Zeus Lukaios? Indeed, according to Servius, it was under the shape of a wolf that Apollo managed to get close to the nymph Cyrene… But it might be an abuse of the theriomorphism explanation, with a risk to derive into a polytheriomorphism: after all, what can prevent us to turn the Apollo of Delphi into an ancient dolphin-god, since Apollo supposedly jumped over a Cretan ship under the shape of a dolphin (Homeric Hymn of Apollo).

There is a third explanation of the epiclesis Lukeios, which is probably the most convincing of the three. Apollo is supposed to come from Lycia, a land of Asia Minor. It is why he was called Lukégenès, “Born in Lycia”. However, it is true that “Lukegenes” is sometimes translated as “born of the wolf” – according to Aristotle’s “History of Animals” Leto, to escape Hera’s jealousy, turned herself into a she-wolf. But it is also true that this version of Apollo’s birth does not correspond to the one claiming his birthland was Delos. Antoninus Liberalis, in his “Metamorphosis”, to reconcile what seemed like contradicting stories, decided to make Delos the place where Apollo was born, and Lycia the place where Apollo went immediately afterward – even adding that Lycia was named as such by Leto because wolves showed her the way. Let us note anyway that there are many sanctuaries of Apollo within Asia Minor ; that his sister Artemis is also strongly tied to Asia Minor ; that in the “Iliad” the god fights alongside the Trojans, not the Achaean ; finally, that the palm-tree of Delos under which Leto gave birth (Homeric Hymn) is an Oriental tree…

The many interpretations of the word “Lukeios” do not exhaust the many hypothesis conceived about the origin of Apollo. For some he is an Indo-European god, close to the Hindu god Rudra. Others also claim that he is Indo-European, but rather say he comes from the North, highlighting his link to the Hyperborean. These same people like to point out that the first Greeks were nomad shepherds, and that the word “apella” (“assembly/gathering of the people”, but also “sheepfold” according to Hesychius) is very close to “Apellôn”, the name of Apollo according to the Dorians. The myth comes here to the rescue of the etymology: Apollo himself owned many different flocks, and acted as a shepherd for both Laomedon and Admetus. Dumézil analyzed all three functions typical of Indo-European societies within the speech Apollo addresses to the goddesses in the Homeric Hymn: the first (magico-religious sovereignty) appears within his allusion to the oracles, and to the lyre that is tied to the songs and dances of cultural celebrations ; the second (war) appears with the mention of the shooting bow ; the third (wealth, fecundity) appears in the gold that covers Delos, as a promise of a future prosperity.

For other scholars, the name of Apollo was originally “Pelun” – the god was as such the mythical ancestors of the Pelasgian. Finally, the “Homeric Hymn” itself gives us another path: the one leading to the Aegean world, especially Crete. Apollo of Delphi entrusted his Delphi temple to the guardianship of Cretan men from Knossos. And according to Pausanias, it is a Cretan that purified both Apollo and Artemis after the murder of the dragon – and it is a Cretan too that won the first victory at the Pythian Games.

As Robbe-Grillet wrote, the successive interpretations, by being piled up onto each other, erase each other. We can only conclude that Apollo does not have a singular origin, but that his historical personality is an amalgamation of gods coming from various countries – a succession of strata. The other epithets of the god unfortunately do not enlighten us. Apollo is called “Puthios”, but is it because he allowed the corpse of the dragon to “rot” (puthein), according to the Homeric Hymn ; or is it because, as an oracular god, he “informs” (puthestai) those that ask him questions (according to Strabon). Are the names “Paian”, “Paièôn” and “Paiôn” related to healing (the most traditional reading) or to a victory song?

#greek mythology #apollo #greek gods #apollon #helios #ancient greece #the myth of apollo

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storytowrite · 1 year ago

Text

Love Untold (OT8 x F! Reader)

Chapter 10

Paring: Lee Felix x reader

Genre: smut

Warnings: 18+, fingering, sex in public, nudity

Word Count: 4282

Masterlist | Love Untold Masterlist

Due to the work of your parents, you are forcet to constantly move. However, this time moving houses let to interesting and unusual events. You met 8 handsome boys at school and somehow you managed to move in with them. How will your fate go?

.......................................................................................................................

In the morning you woke up to the sound of your alarm clock, which was probably the worst thing that could happen at that moment. You pulled a pillow over your head to shield yourself from the sun's rays entering your room. Your head felt heavy, like it was made of lead.

But I had a strange dream. All the boys and I were in the same house… Plus the whole Han thing. You thought as you tried to get out of bed without opening your eyes.

With great difficulty you got up and wanted to go to the bathroom, which was in your original room. Unable to blindly feel the doorknob, you opened your eyes. There was nothing in front of you but a white blank wall.

Still a little confused, you looked around the room. That's when you realized you weren't in your original room.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” You started to panic as second by second it dawned on you that you were at Minho's house and had moved in with all the boys you fancied.

You sat on your bed, trying to remember what exactly happened that night. The thundering headache didn't make it any easier. You curled up, rubbing your temples. Pulling the T-shirt over your legs, you realized it was Chan's T-shirt.

Your eyes widened automatically and your breathing quickened. You stiffened as if you'd seen a ghost, and the memories of last night came flooding back to you.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck. Chan, Hyunjin…Fuck! Me and Han… God what will they all think of me when they see me again? I fucked up the whole thing… Although they may not remember what happened yesterday, I can start over…” You were talking to yourself, almost tearing your hair out from the stress.

However, when you remembered what exactly happened with Han in the closet, you couldn't help but bite your lip lightly. Memories of this short but intoxicating moment made a pleasant feeling of warmth appear between your legs again.

Unable to take the tension building up inside you any longer, you stood up and put on a short skirt and a plain white shirt. You left the room as if nothing had happened. As soon as you crossed the threshold, you heard a commotion coming from the living room. It only confirmed to you that what happened last night wasn't a dream.

Entering the living room, the first thing that caught your attention was the beautiful and very intense smell of homemade broth. At that moment, you wanted nothing more than a good hangover soup.

Only after a while did you realize that there are 5 half-naked men in the living room. The boys didn't pay any attention to you at first, but only when you got closer did you feel a warm but firm hug.

“Good morning sweetie.” You heard Felix's low but melodic voice behind you.

This caused Minho, Chan, Han, Changbin and IN who were sitting on the couch to notice you. A smile appeared on their lips. Even Minho gave you a genuine smile. I think it's the first time you saw Minho smiling at you. The boy was a mystery to you. He was mean to you, but he also cared about you. Besides, he reminded you of someone, you just couldn't remember who.

Felix had no intention of letting go of you, in fact he pulled you closer to him and buried his face in the crook of your neck. Chan and Bin got up to greet you. You saw the beautifully sculpted bodies of the boys.

You quickly covered your eyes in embarrassment, a bright blush appearing on your cheeks.

“Why don't you get dressed?!” You spoke a little louder than you intended, but you had moderate control of your voice, which was very unstable and shaky.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of y/n. What happens between us stays between us.” Hyunjin said entering the room and revealing your eyes. "And I can assure you that each of us likes you very much and has no intention of hurting you." You just looked meaningfully at Minho, who was already busy with his phone.

“Come on Y/n, sit with us. I made a special broth. Good for a hangover." Seungmin greeted you with a smile as he brought in a large pot of soup.

As if on cue, everyone went to the table and before you knew it, almost all the soup was gone. Still stunned by the sight, you sat next to Han, who placed a juicy kiss on your cheek.

Your eyes got big, but your expression changed quickly and you smiled widely at Han. After all, you had nothing to lie to yourself, you felt something more for him. In fact, you had feelings for each of the boys, but you still didn't know how to approach it. After all, it's not common to fall in love with so many guys at once.

Seeing that the boys had almost eaten their portions, you started eating as well. The soup was a relief for your headache. It was exactly what you needed right now. Judging by the expressions of the others, they needed it too.

“We decided with the boys that we are not going to school today. The party took its toll. Are you signing this?" IN asked greedily, swallowing another spoonful of broth.

You didn't even have to think about it to agree. Despite the good meal, your head was still throbbing and you’re not feeling well. You decided that this would be the perfect day to get to know the guys better without the help of alcohol. See the house, because in fact, apart from the living room, kitchen, dining room, your bedroom and bathroom, you didn't know anything.

After the meal, when everyone went to their rooms, you stayed to do the washing up, because that's what Minho ordered you to do. You took your and Han's bowl and carried them into the kitchen. You thought it was going to be a long cleaning, but after a while Minho appeared in the kitchen with all the bowls from the table.

“Thanks Minho.” You were surprised when he placed the dirty dishes next to you. “You can be nice.” You smiled sweetly at the boy, who obviously got confused and quickly went to himself.

You quickly washed the dishes and threw yourself on the couch exhausted. strands of hair stuck to your wet forehead. you feel way too hot, so taking advantage of the fact that none of the guys were around, you undid the three buttons of your shirt, exposing your breasts.

You closed your eyes and finally could relax with the soft chirping of birds coming from outside the window. Your new house, apart from being big, was in a lovely neighborhood. Surrounded by a lot of greenery and a beautiful park where you were going to take a walk soon.

“Y/n…y/n…” You heard Chan's familiar warm voice approaching you. You got up from the couch and walked over to the already dressed boy. “I figured you didn't really know the house very well, so I decided to show you around just to make you feel confident.”

“Oh great, you have no idea how much easier this will make it for me. At least I won't be afraid to go into some forbidden room or something." You tried to make a joke, but your statement was met with Chan's awkward laugh. Embarrassed, you looked down, staring at the floor.

He gently lifted your chin so that you looked him straight in the eye. You saw no embarrassment in them, only tenderness. Chan's mere presence made you feel safe.

Still staring deep into his eyes, you felt him intertwine your fingers together. Your eyes flicked to your hand and then back to him. You didn't know what to look at and you looked like an idiot looking at Chan's hand and then at Chan's face.

The boy, however, was calm and had no intention of letting go of your hand.

"Let's go." After that, he lightly pulled you with him, starting the tour of the house.

It didn't take long and you knew that downstairs, apart from the kitchen, bathroom, living room and dining room, there are rooms for chan, in, han and Minho, where it's better not to enter without knocking on the last two. The upper floor also has a bathroom and rooms for bin, seungmin, hyunjin, and lix. however, the thing that surprised you the most was the huge male zone. There was everything you could imagine: a mini bar, billiards, slot machines, karaoke, sauna, gym, and even a sizable swimming pool that made you tense, but chan assured you that you wouldn't even have to go there .

“Y/n not that i'm complaining, but you could button up your shirt. I can't concentrate…” Chan said as he walked you to your room after a little trip. you saw that the boy was fighting with himself not to look directly at your breasts.

Embarrassed, you quickly turned around, almost hitting your head against the door, but the boy managed to put his hand under your head. you closed your eyes in embarrassment and quickly fastened the buttons blindly.

Barely constructing sentences, you thanked for the tour and disappeared through the door of your room. you didn't have to look in the mirror to know what color your face had turned.

Even though every one of these guys had seen you in a bra, you were still ashamed. You wanted to fall on the desk but realized that it was not in this room. So you took out your phone and called Sebastian to take you shopping. If you were going to live here, the room had to look the way you wanted it, and for that you needed new furniture.

You got up, grabbed everything you needed, and headed out the door.

“Oh y/n are you going out somewhere?” Felix's low voice stopped you. The boy was sitting in the living room, scrolling through tiktoks. Even though you haven't known him for a long time, you already noticed that it was his style.

“I'm going shopping. I must buy some furniture in the room if I'm going to be staying here for a while." You smiled as you reached for your jacket that was hanging in the closet.

“I will go with you.” It knocked you completely off track. you looked over at the boy who was getting up from the couch a bit clumsy, almost falling off it. "Give me 2 minutes and I'll be ready." Then he quickly went to his room.

You didn't have to wait long for him. Apparently tired and out of breath, the boy appeared like a torpedo next to you. He opened the door for you and you made your way to the car that was already waiting for you.

Sebastian greeted you with a very professional bow as usual, but you knew he was glad to see you. you were glad to see him too. After all, it was the first time you didn't see him for more than one night.

The man's gaze, however, quickly turned to felix. The butler was slightly suspicious and looked at you questioningly with a raised eyebrow.

"Sebastian, this is felix. Felix, this is Sebastian, the only person who actually treated me like a person in the house." you introduced the two.

You thought that any meeting of Sebastian with the boys would be very awkward, but Lix immediately charmed the man with his persona. As you could see, you weren't the only one affected by the aura that Felix spread around him.

Sebastian was about to open the door for you to get in the car, but Felix was faster.

As you all sat in the car, Felix moved closer to you. your faces were millimeters apart. Finally, you could take a good look at the beautiful freckles that were scattered on the boy's face.

Your body tensed and you dug your fingers into the leather seat. the boy looked at you. You felt the tension building up between the two of you.

There was something about this boy that you were very attracted to. As soon as you saw that the boy licked his lips, you closed your eyes desperately waiting for the longed-for kiss.

You wanted to taste his sweet looking lips. feel his warmth enveloping you again. You felt like someone poured huge amounts of happiness into you.

You pouted your lips slightly for a kiss, but all you found was the click of a seatbelt. you opened your eyes quickly and saw a boy sitting in your seat. There was a perfidious smile on his face. He knew what he had just done and was proud of it.

Shopping in the store passed you quite quickly, because you knew exactly what you needed. You spent a lot of money but you didn't care at all. You'd spend all the money in the world to not have to live under the same roof with your parents.

On the way back from the store, you had a huge craving for ice cream, so you begged Felix to come with you. Sebastian decided that he would stay and somehow pack all the furniture into the car.

You and Lix ordered your favorite ice cream. You were happy like a little child, jumping and eating delicious sweets. You both finished your ice cream before you left the gallery.

You were about to leave when you noticed Felix staring at you. His gaze was on your lips. The idea came to your mind again and you wanted to kiss him. the boy, not taking his eyes off your lips, slowly approached you and reached his hand towards your face.

The feeling of knot in your lower abdomen returned and you found yourself holding your breath, eagerly waiting for the longed-for contact.

When you were only one step away, he reached for your lips and rubbed them with his thumb. Then he looked you deep in the eyes and licked his finger passionately. Such a small gesture, and you had the impression that it set you on fire. You started to unknowingly move your legs.

The boy just laughed, winked at you and went to leave. You stayed like that for a while, trying to calm your emotions. On the one hand, you wanted Felix. You could cuddle with him here and now, but on the other hand, you weren't sure what to do.

After all, you and Han yesterday… What if one of the boys finds out about each other? Will they hate each other? Or will they hate you worse? You'll be kicked out of the house and you'll lose your best friend. Lots of thoughts were running through your head until you were snapped out of your thoughts by the boy's voice.

You quickly ran to him and saw that there was a huge downpour outside. It was completely unexpected and neither of you had an umbrella and the car was at the far end of the parking lot.

You just looked at Lix, grabbed his hand, and without any warning, ran out into the parking lot. You ran together hand in hand as the raindrops danced around you. Deep down, you felt like you were in a movie. Even though you were wet, you were very happy.

After a while you got to the car. The boy opened the door for you and was about to go to his place when it turned out that it was occupied by newly bought furniture. He asked you to move to the middle and sit next to you.

Sebastian, seeing the two of you, handed you a blanket that he always carried in the car, because he knew that you often slept in it. Felix covered the two of you with it and you headed back home.

The journey was going to be very long, because the heavy downpour caused huge difficulties on the street.

You were wrapped in a blanket and your clothes were wet. You felt very cold and started to shiver all over. Suddenly you felt Felix's warm hand on your thigh. You looked at him in surprise, but he didn't take his eyes off the road. He kept staring straight ahead as if nothing had happened.

You glanced at Sebastian out of the corner of your eye to see if he'd noticed anything, but the man seemed unfazed by the situation. All his attention was focused on the road.

Felix began to move his hand slowly, his fingertips gently brushing your skin, which made you hold your breath. You tried your hardest not to show how much you enjoyed such a delicate matter. Your excitement was stimulated by cold drops of water running down your breasts.

Lix's hand was still moving very calmly, but it was getting closer and closer to your crotch. With each passing second, the boy's movements became more and more daring. The gentle stroking moved to the inner part of the thigh. Which caused a soft moan to escape your lips. You bit your finger quickly, trying to hide any sounds that might escape your mouth.

“I'll make you feel like you're in heaven. Just be quiet, unless you want Sebastian to catch us. Can you do this for me, sunshine?" He whispered in your ear, covering himself with his hand and biting your earlobe.

The sudden contact of his lips with your body caused you to involuntarily throw your head back slightly. You quickly regained your composure, however, and looked at Sebastian, who still didn't suspect anything.

Felix gently spread your legs apart for better access to you. The feeling of warmth between your legs intensified. You felt a desperate need to satisfy yourself. However, the boy had other plans. He was in no hurry and did everything very slowly. He continued to massage your thigh, only occasionally grazing your pussy.

Lix was obviously pleased that you were wearing a skirt, as he had very easy access to you. As soon as you felt the boy's hand land on your panties, you dug your nails harder into the leather seat so as not to make a sound.

“Is everything alright, miss? Miss is all red. Is Miss feeling unwell?" You heard Sebastian's voice and quickly tensed like a bowstring. The boy's hand landed right next to your hole, and the only thing separating his hand from your entrance was the thin fabric of your panties.

“No…I'm fine. It's….It's because of the rain. I'll have to lie down when I get back." You've managed to get it out.

Sebastian only nodded knowingly, and Felix pulled the blanket over you with one hand. Then he started teasing your entrance through your panties. Even then he sensed that you were very wet and smiled victoriously, then went back to looking out the window.

He continued this action for a moment longer, then one finger began to hook on the bottom line of your panties. You bit your lip lightly as his finger slid deeper.

Nothing separated his fingers from your sensitive skin already. He immediately slid his hand into your panties and started rubbing circles around your clit with his thumb. You immediately squeezed your thighs together. Your pussy was definitely more sensitive than you expected. You tried to control the growing throbbing feeling in your core.

The boy, feeling your reaction, pulled his hand out of your panties, which was met with a quiet grunt of dissatisfaction on your part. However, the boy cleverly used the situation when Sebastian was looking out the window to lick his fingers.

The boy tasted you, lust in his eyes, wetting his fingers thoroughly. Then he quickly moved back under the blanket and put his hands in your panties again. You enjoyed the extra hydration even more.

You really had to fight yourself as his fingers dug into your folds, sliding along your pussy. You felt like you were about to go crazy and start riding his hand, but it was too risky.

You just looked desperately at him. The boy was obviously engrossed in playing with you. You saw his chest heave up at an accelerated rate as well. Finally, the boy decided to take pity on you and slowly slid down deeper, stopping right at your entrance.

You gasped as his finger pressed lightly against your hole. The knot in your stomach was getting tighter and tighter, and you wanted to finally feel it inside you. Probably, if it wasn't for the fact that you're stuck in a traffic jam and the car is driven by Sebastian, you would have jumped on Lix a long time ago.

As if on cue, the boy slipped one finger into your wet, demanding caress hole. A muffled moan escaped your lips, and you no longer stuck your hand into the leather seat, but into the boy's thigh.

When you didn't feel that the boy wasn't moving his finger for a long time, you desperately started to move your hips yourself. You pulled your knees up higher, placing them on the seat so that Sebastian wouldn't notice your movements. You were glad the blanket was so big because you didn't have to worry about it discovering anything.

Suddenly, you heard a soft, victorious snort next to you. Only then did you realize that by changing your position, you gave Felix perfect access to you. He began to move his finger, bending it slightly, teasing your insides pleasantly.

You threw your head back and unconsciously began to move your hand over the boy's thigh, dangerously close to his crotch. You felt that you were slowly approaching the limits of your endurance.

The boy added a second finger and started scissoring you. You knew it was your end. The remnants of common sense had evaporated, replaced by lust. You quickened your hips to match Felix's movements.

You felt that you were about to climax, and your walls began to gently tighten on the boy's fingers. Felix sped up and deepened his movements perfectly hitting your sweet spot.

After a few perfectly placed strikes, your legs clenched and your fingers dug hard into the boy's thigh. You held your breath to minimize the visibility of your orgasm. You bit your lip painfully to make sure you didn't make any sound that wanted to leave your mouth so badly.

“Fuck.” You heard Felix's soft voice, but you didn't pay much attention to it as a pleasant wave of warmth and fulfillment went through your body. Your orgasm was long and intense. And from holding your breath you felt dizzy.

When the boy noticed that you had already finished orgasm, he unnoticed took his hand out from under the blanket and licked his fingers again. This time he could actually taste you. Without taking his eyes off you, he licked your juices off his fingers and leaned down to you.

"You did well, sunshine." He whispered, but he didn't have time to do anything else, because you stopped in front of the house.

You don't know when the time has passed so quickly. Sebastian was the first to get out of the car and opened the trunk. Felix got out right after him and offered you his hand to help you out. Your legs were soft and shaky and you were glad that Lix helped you because you would have fallen for sure.

Standing in front of the car, you wanted to help Sebastian move the furniture, but you noticed that Felix did not move and covered his crotch. It wasn't until you got closer to him that you realized what had happened. You must have had as much of an effect on him as he did on you. You told Felix to go home and call the rest of the guys.

He placed a small kiss on your lips and disappeared out the door. You froze in place. Lix didn't seem to realize what he had just done. You gently brushed your lips where Lix's had been resting for a moment.

However, you couldn't think about it for long, because like a horde all the boys appeared from the house. Everyone with a smile on their face greeted Sebastian, who was looking at you questioningly, and they took the furniture home.

Once everything was unpacked, you thanked and said goodbye to Sebastian who, not wanting to be nosy, didn't ask anything and drove back home.

Of course, it was only when you crossed the threshold of the house that the rest of the boys started teasing you.

“What happened on this trip? It's raining and you're wet I can understand, but why did Felix have wet pants in this particular place?" Minho started teasing you.

Your face blushed again and you would like to sink into the ground.

“I guess you have to go shopping with us more often, how fun is it then?” Changbin answered him, grabbing and nudging the already disguised Felix with his elbow.

You got very flustered and tried to explain the whole situation but the boys weren't listening anymore, they were too excited and all their attention was focused on Lixie. You sneaked into your room unnoticed.

Your whole room was cluttered with unassembled furniture, but you didn't have the mind to deal with that right now. You threw yourself on the bed, not wanting to get up anytime soon. You’ll ask the boys to assemble the furniture tomorrow.

<;- PART 9 | PART 11 ->

TAGLIST

@nobody3210

#skz reaction #stray kids #skz #skz smut #kpop #kpop fanfic #skz fanfic #stray kids reaction #lee felix #felix lee #felix x reader #lee yongbok #felix smut #lee felix x female reader

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journeytothewestresearch · 1 year ago

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Hey I was wondering if you have any knowledge regarding Money king temple in Hong Kong? And if there's anything to be aware of like etiquette and the such. Thanks very much!

Hi. The temple you are referring to is in Sau Mau Ping, Kwun Tong District, Kowloon, Hong Kong. My suggestion is to dress moderately and to ask permission to take pictures. And leaving a donation is always a must.

My single visit there in 2018 was a big occasion because my friend Saie (Hanumovies), a dark-skinned British man of Sri Lakan Tamil descent, drew a lot of attention for praying to the Monkey King. Many people wanted to take pictures of and with him.

Saie believes Hanuman and the Great Sage are manifestations of a universal Monkey God. Check out this episode of his documentary:

youtube

This picture of us was taken just down the hill from the temple at a local basketball court. It was during the Monkey King's birthday celebration.

P.s. My gut is an illusion ... it's not there if you don't look at it. I've lost lots of weight since then.

#sun wukong #monkey king #journey to the west #buddhism #taoism #Chinese religion #Hong Kong #Monkey god #Hanuman #birthday #lego monkie kid #jttw #LMK

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talonabraxas · 1 year ago

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Talon Abraxas

Planet Venus: Astrology, Associations & Magick

”To her who appears in the sky, I want to address my greeting, to the hierodule who appears in the sky, I want to address my greeting, to the great queen of heaven, Inanna, I want to address my greeting, to her who fills the sky with her pure blaze, to the luminous one, to Inanna, as bright as the sun, to the great queen of heaven.”

Planetary Energies

Venus is associated with love, passion, beauty, grace, charm, aesthetics and also our personal tastes, pleasures, artistic inclinations and those things that bring us joy and pleasure. It is looked at in the natal chart regarding both relationships and leisure activities.

As Venus is often the first light that appears in the evening sky, it is often referred to as the “wishing star”.

Symbols and Associations

The astrological and astronomical symbol for Venus is a circle with a cross below, similar to an ankh but the circle is more rounded. It is also the symbol for female.

Venus is associated with the feminine in opposition, or cooperation, with Mars.

In medicine, Venus is associated with the lumbar region, the veins, parathyroids, throat and kidneys. Venus was thought to be moderately warm and moist, and was associated with the phlegmatic humour.

Venus is the planet of Friday. In languages deriving from Latin, such as Spanish and French, the word for Friday often resembles the word Venus (viernes and vendredi respectively). Dante Alighieri associated Venus with the liberal art of rhetoric.

Animals associated with Venus include the goat, elephant, partridge, sheep, pheasant, sparrow, dove, pigeon and swan.

Friday is Venus’s day.

'Temple of Inanna' Talon Abraxas

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inkpot909 · 2 years ago

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Got to Get You Into my Life #1: Giorno Giovanna

↳ Fem!Reader; she/her pronouns are used. Reader is also musically gifted and described as clumsy.

A/n: This is the first of a series of one-shots I have in mind specifically for JoJo’s. Each about a character’s first time meeting their s/o. I will accept requests for other characters. Currently, requests for such are open, but I appreciate also checking my description to be certain.

Warning(s): None

Bucciarati had, at numerous points after finding common ground with one another, given Giorno a heads up about his team.

And Giorno listened. He drank up the words offered to him by a man who’d previously been trying to kill him not 24 hours before. Unquestionably adaptable, once his mind is made up about an individual’s moral and effect on himself, Giorno ceases all hesitation. And in seemingly no time at all, he’d come to the conclusion that Bucciarati’s undoubtedly a man who deserves respect.

Giorno is well aware of himself too, unwaveringly observant regardless of who’s the subject. Furthermore, he can tell Bucciarati sees it too. After all, why else would he be dragged across Naples just to be fed moderately delicious food that could, honestly, be found anywhere else? Such a question hardly passes the blonde’s mind; not even needing to ponder it too much. Instead, Giorno’s heart races with understanding- knowing full well that Bucciarati’s opening doors towards a greater goal.

“This way,” Bucciarati mumbles, waving his hand.

The pair weave around Bruno’s restaurant of choice. The dark-haired man leads the way with Giorno trailing close behind. Patrons and employees alike greet Bruno along the way. The blonde teen keeps silent, soaking in his new leader’s charismatic reputation. Further cementing his belief that he’s someone to be trusted.

Soon, the two reach a more secluded section of the restaurant after passing through an open doorway. Four men are seated around a circular table, each of them either making a ruckus or enabling it with dismissive ease.

Giorno’s gaze trails over each of the men, before turning his body towards a window and piano sitting diagonal of the group.

Sunlight pools through the glass, adding to a soft ambiance that would fill the space if it weren’t for the rambunctious group. Also contributing, is a sweet tune coming from the smooth, black piano. The tune manages to cut through the yelling erupting from the table, and reach Giorno’s ears. Just hearing it, he could simply close his eyes and envision a pair of hands dancing on its keys knowledgeably.

Only the top of someone’s head is visible from Giorno’s point of view, standing just far away enough to hide their face from him.

The song is played delicately, yet with confidence. A care for sound so pure that a song feathery and light is played with strong devotion- one that knows to hold back.

Bruno lectures his team without a glance towards Giorno or the piano player, most likely harboring embarrassment over bringing a new recruit to a less than favorable scene. “Great him properly!” he goes on and barks, snapping Giorno out of his own distraction.

Finally whirling his body towards the piano, Bucciarati rubs his temples together before calling out, “Y/n!”

An immediate crash of keys follow, loud and annoyingly off-key. The image Giorno conjured of hands playing a charming tune contort instantly. He instead can infer they’d slammed down on the keys without direction.

Giorno’s face visually cringes, yet he cannot help but follow Bruno’s gaze curiously. Such an ugly sound cutting off a beautiful song… the blonde nearly holds his breath in preparation for the worse.

“Yes! Y-Yes,” a voice squeaks in a feminine tone, making Giorno’s eyebrows raise. The tiny view he had of the person sitting behind the piano is shattered all at once- as well as his expectations of the individual, given the other members of Bucciarati’s group.

A girl around the same age as Giorno pops up from the piano stool she’d sat herself on. In doing so, the back of her legs knock back the seat. The little chair falls backward, knocking down onto the building’s harsh flooring. The girl’s lips shut tightly, and body tenses momentarily.

Glancing behind him, Bruno sighs when his presence is gently requested by an employee. Turning back to her, he continues, “Please, just-… make sure that he’s welcomed. I will be back shortly.”

Nodding, the girl scoots from behind the piano and makes her way across the room towards Giorno. His heart skips a beat, momentarily wondering if he should assist in picking up the chair.

But as she draws near, such a thing is mentally disregarded. As he takes in her appearance, Giorno swallows. The curve of her face… and sweet glimmer of her eyes; it’s decided in his mind that the pleasant song she played is only an extension of her own apparent loveliness. To think the soft tune came from the talent of a cutely clumsy girl… he couldn’t help but find it endearing.

“Y/n L/n,” she introduces herself, a shy but genuine smile playing on her lips. Reaching out a hand, Giorno glances between it and her face. Going off first impressions of her and everyone sitting at the table, there’s little doubt as to why Bucciarati left his introduction up to Y/n.

Putting on his best smile, he takes her hand in his own as if holding a precious piece of porcelain. “Giorno Giovanna… you play beautifully,” he comments, before bending down gracefully at the waist. Planting a short kiss to the back of her hand, a blush visibly plays on the girl’s cheeks.

“O-Oh… thank you,” Y/n stutters, placing her free hand on her warming cheek. Looking at him intently, her smile merely grows softer. In turn, Giorno’s own grin reaches the twinkle in his green eyes.

He opens his mouth to speak, but the harsh sound of a teapot smacking against the table’s surface snatches Giorno’s attention away. He drops her hand, but Y/n’s gaze lingers on the mysterious blonde for a moment longer. Biting her lower lip, she glances down at the floor before slowly turning towards her white-haired partner.

“Oi,” his gruff voice hums, “‘Giorno,’ was it…?”

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