#YOUTH MT

[korelist]

YOUTH MT // KDRAMA DİZİ YORUMU

UYARI : Yazılar genel olarak spoiler içerebilir. İçermeyedebilir.

İmdb: 8,8 Benim Puanım: 9

Love in the Moonlight Team:

Park Bo-gum, Kim Yoo-jung, Jung Jin-young, Kwak Dong-yeon, Chae Soo-bin

Itaewon Class Team:

Park Seo-joon, Ahn Bo-hyun, Kwon Nara, Ryu Kyung-soo, Lee Joo-young

The Sound of Magic Team:

Ji Chang-wook, Choi Sung-eun, Hwang In-youp, Ji Hye-won, Kim Bo-yoon

Üç farklı dizinin oyuncularının bir araya getirildiği bir Variety show’du. Love in the Moonlight , Itaewon Class, The Sound of Magic dizilerinin sevilen karakterlerini doğal halleri ile izlemek çok keyifliydi. Karışık takımlar olarak çeşitli oyunlar oynadıkları bir yarışma formatındaydı. Her birinin ilk etapta inanılmaz utangaç olduğu, ilerleyen dakikalarda ise birbirlerini tanıdıkça kendilerine yakın kişilerle arkadaş oldukları bir ortam düşünün.

Hepsinin kendi özelinde ünlü olduğunu biz biliyoruz ama onlar bunun farkında bile değillerdi. Ne kadar ünlü olduğunu bilmeyen pırlanta gibi insanlardan oluşan bu yarışmada bir kez daha Koreli oyuncuların ne kadar alçak gönüllü olduklarını gördüm.

Keyifsiz bir dönemdeyseniz, kesinlikle ilaç gibi gelecektir. Park Seo-joon benim çok beğendiğim bir aktördü. Yarışma boyunca ne kadar haklı olduğumu gördükçe keyfim yerine geldi. Liderlik yapmak istemese bile takımını koruyup kollamadan duramaması, diğerleri için bir adım öne çıkması, kriz yönetimi gibi davranışları bir kez daha beni hayran bıraktı.

Ahn Bo-hyun ise Itaewon’un kötü adamı rolünde izlediğimiz bir oyuncuydu. Yarışmaya sonradan katılmak zorunda kaldığı için o geldiğinde herkes çoktan kaynaşmıştı. Buna rağmen o kadar kibar ve olgun yaklaştı ki, benim bütün ön yargılarımı yıktı geçti. Çok ısındım kendisine ayrıca sevdim.

Iteawon ekibindeki Ryu Kyung-soo ise, dizideki o sert mafya duruşuna göre son derece utangaçtı. Onu utangaç tavırları içinde göreceğimi hiç düşünmemiştim. Diğer dizilerin ekipleri ile tanışacakları için o kadar gerildi ki komik bir görüntü ortaya çıktı.

Park Bo-gum… Sen ne kadar güzel kalpli bir çocukmuşsun. Öncelerde de kendisini çok naif ve alçak gönüllü buluyordum ama bu kadar düşünceli, bu kadar temiz kalpli olduğunu bilmiyordum. Her durumda yanındaki kişiyi ön plana koyması, yeni tanışsa bile tavrını değiştirmemesi beni etkiledi. Hele yemek yerlerken kendisi ne kadar aç olursa olsun ilk önce odada ki çalışanlara ikram etmesi çok şık bir davranıştı.

Kwak Dong-yeon, my brother… Vincenzo dizisinden beri benim için onun adı “brother”.  Show boyunca sergilediği sımsıcak tavrı ve heyecanı görülmeye değerdi. Herkesten daha sıcak herkesin arkadaşı gibiydi. Çok sevdim. Daha çok sevdim.

Ji Chang-wook, ekibin en büyüğüydü sanırım. Değilse bile o kadar “benim burada ne işim var” havasındaydı ki öyle hissettiriyordu. Sanırım tek hayal kırıklığı yaşadığım aktör oldu. Üzgünüm ama eblek bakışları beni çok rahatsız etti. Sürekli mutsuz, sıkılmış bir tavrı vardı. Halbuki kendisini çok beğenirim. Ayrıca kendisinin kötü tercih yapılmış dizilerde oynadığını düşünüyorum. Her rolünde o bakışları sabit, yeni bir karakter yaratmasına alan tanınmıyor.

Hwang In-youp, utangaçlığını gizleyemeyen bir diğer oyuncuydu. Herkesten çekinip, her şeyden utanıyordu. Tekrar tanıştığıma çok memnun oldum.

Showdaki kadın oyunculardan hiç bahsetmemiş oldum ama doğruyu söylemek gerekirse, Magic ekibinin kızları gerçek hallerindeyken de ilgimi hiç çekmedi. Itaewon ekibinde ise esas kızımız yoktu. Gelenlerde ise Kwon Nara ön yargımı yıkmayı başardı. Oldukça anaç, cana yakın bir kızdı. Lee Joo-young ise favorimdi. Dizideki o cesur duruşu, doğal tavrı tam düşündüğüm gibiydi. Moonlight ekibinin kızlarına gelirsek; Kim Yoo-jung, adeta bir maskot gibiydi. Takım lideri seçilmesi ise hepimize sürpriz oldu. Bütün o sevimliliği ile ekibin sorumluluklarının altından kalkmayı başardı. Chae Soo-bin ise diğer bir hayal kırıklığı oldu. Genel kültürü, el becerisi, konsantrasyonu hiçbir şeyi yoktu maalesef. Unuttuğum biri kaldı mı diye bakıyorum… 

O kadar keyifle izledim ki, tavsiye ederim.

[the-dust-jacket]

Congratulations to the 2024 Newbery books!

[millybrowm]

tagged by @driftwoodsix (thank you!! so so pleased to be asked to talk about music)

list any 15 artists that you love and name your favourite song by each of them

Samia - "As You Are"

Indigo de Souza - "Hold U"

Chappell Roan - "Naked in Manhattan"

Mt. Joy - "Bathroom Light"

Vulfpeck - "Wait for the Moment"

Slow Pulp - "Yard"

Gang of Youths - "Say Yes to Life"

Annie DiRusso - "Wearing Pants Again"

Kennedy Mann - "Struck"

Childish Gambino - "Me and Your Mama"

Hozier - "Nobody"

Harry Styles - "Canyon Moon"

Two Door Cinema Club - "Next Year"

jasmine.4.t - "Guy Fawkes Tesco Dissociation"

Djo - "Gloom"

tagging @lettersiarrange @ryanthegrinch @sentimentalslut @limitedfucks @millennial-queer @venacesaur @oranjejuicenlemonade and anyone else who wants to participate!

[ib-2012]

did you know when god hates an autistic girl he makes her grow up in the rural south with societal deemed trashy stoner parents and then stick her in a friend group in the Bible belt. bc that's just facts

[uno919]

Snowy Escape Market Stalls Overhaul

Required DLC = Snowy Escape

This file includes...

1. Texture overrides for snowy market stalls

from left to right:

1. Luminous Libation Festival Food Stall

2. Mt. Komorebi Mouthfuls

3. Savory n' Snowy Festival Food Stall

4. Yamachan's Ramen and Rations

5. Youthful Yummies Festival Food Stall

2. Oden & Yakitori stalls

3. New Food & Alcohol menus

Alcohol menu = 3 Beers & Cup Sake

Food menu = Oden & Yakitori to go

All menus are added to Mt. Komorebi Mouthfuls.

Alcohol menu are added to Savory n' Snowy Festival Food & Yamachan's Ramen and Rations.

Youthful Yummies Festival Food Stall & Luminous Libation Festival Food Stall has no menu changings.

---

I've been making Snowy Escape overhaul series and this is the first one!

Please Enjoy~

DOWNLOAD

[moonlitfalls]

mt. komorebi sightseer - explorer - eat food at the festival of snow, light or youth - take a selfie with the mt. komorebi mascot - collect a simmi by popping open a simmi capsule - swim for 1 hour in wakaba’s river 🌸

[blasphemousclaw]

OK so a million years ago I made a post analyzing all the placements of the abductor virgin enemies throughout the game, and I came to the conclusion that they’re very deliberately placed as a gesture of protection from Rykard to his family members: there are two at Raya Lucaria, where his mother resides, one on the ramparts of Caria Manor, where his sister lays low, and one at Redmane Castle, where his brother commanded his army. But there isn’t just one abductor virgin in Caelid, there is also an entire cave filled with broken pieces of them — the Abandoned Cave.

The cave lies on the north cliff edge of the Swamp of Aeonia, where Malenia fought Radahn and unleashed the Scarlet Rot upon Caelid. There’s a lone abductor virgin patrolling the cliff opposite the cave entrance that looks to have killed several of the giant dogs:

The cave has some poisony mushroom guy enemies, those annoying flowers, and the boss of the cave is the Cleanrot Knight duo... all enemies that thrive in the rot. The cave itself is a bubbling swamp of scarlet rot, and there are broken abductor virgins absolutely everywhere.

The conclusion I came to about this cave in my post was that this army of abductor virgins was being stored inside, when the Scarlet Aeonia bloomed and flooded the cave with rot so violently that it destroyed all of the abductors. Why were they there in the first place? Since the abductors are specifically found at the residences of Rykard’s mother, sister, and brother (and not at the residences of any of his half/step-siblings), and since there is already one abductor at Redmane Castle, and since Rykard seems to have been fond of Radahn, hanging a portrait of him above his fireplace, the most sensible conclusion is that these abductor virgins were also meant for Radahn.

BUT, what was always mysterious to me was why Rykard would feel the need to give Radahn an entire army of abductor virgins. Rennala only gets two, and Ranni only gets one. What about Radahn’s situation would necessitate a whole army? My answer to this question had been kind of a handwavey “well, he’s fighting an offensive war so he’d need more weapons,” and that still could be true but I always felt like there might be a better explanation. WELL, with the revelations about Radahn from the DLC, I think I have one!

From the DLC, we learn that Radahn made a vow with Miquella, and his half of the vow was that he’d agree to be Miquella’s consort. But during the Shattering, it seems to me that things went awry: Malenia traveled across the entire continent just to kill Radahn at Miquella’s behest, so that he might be revived as Miquella’s consort... but Radahn didn’t die, and his great rune “burns, to resist the encroachment of the scarlet rot” to this day. The armies of both demigods can be found endlessly fighting each other as spirits in the War-Dead catacombs. This leads me to believe that Radahn was not prepared to die for Miquella’s sake here, he and his Redmanes fought Malenia and her Cleanrots to win. I think this conflict might’ve happened because during the Shattering, Radahn decided to pursue his own ends — perhaps influenced by his great rune’s “mad taint” — and became either unfaithful or simply a disappointment to Miquella. So Miquella sends Malenia to kill Radahn, and he later revives his soul, but specifically as the youthful version of Radahn whom he admired, not the mature Radahn of the Shattering.

Miquella’s version of Radahn (Radahn in his youth) vs. Rykard’s version of Radahn (a mature Radahn: face is more deeply lined, no braids, he’s wearing the armor style we see Starscourge Radahn wearing in-game and not the “Young Lion” armor)

While on her way to Caelid, Malenia would have had to march through Altus, past Mt. Gelmir. What if Rykard somehow discovered Malenia’s intentions before she reached Caelid? And he panicked, sending his brother a whole army of his war machines in order to keep him safe when he himself could not abandon his Manor? But Radahn refused to use them to protect himself, because above all he values honor on the battlefield and depends on his own strength to see himself through, and hiding behind machines in battle would be dishonorable and cowardly? So the army of abductor virgins sits unused in an abandoned Caelid cave, until Radahn and Malenia fight to a standstill, and the scarlet rot blooms, flooding the cave and destroying the army within? I think the DLC revelations slot into my previous speculations pretty nicely… and if Rykard had not yet fed himself to the serpent by the time Malenia fought Radahn, well, this would certainly give him another good reason to want to destroy the very system of the gods, wouldn’t it?

[princenotsocharming]

Greek mythology AU anyone? Alright, I need to get this out of my system, so... I know I don't share much of my personality on this blog and that's on me and my anxiety (I swear y'all are so cool and talented and I love your stuff, I'm just too chickenshit), but there's a little bit of info about me - I love mythology of any kind. I even took a Greek mythology course at uni, as any self-respecting finance graduate does... That being said, I've been playing with this myth-inspired idea for a while.

Have you heard about the story of Ganymede? A Trojan prince whose looks captured the eye of Zeus, who then decided to swoop in, snatch the youth and take him to Mt. Olympus to become his new cup-bearer? You might see it framed as a love story. I'm more inclined to see it as a tragedy - a young person being objectified and preyed upon by someone much older and then subsequently losing their mortal life for it. I would say the myth in itself is actually pretty dark. Ganymede doesn't ask to be taken to Mt. Olympus or to be made immortal. In most versions of the myth that I've read, he's not given any choice at all.

Anyway, I couldn't help but see sort of a parallel with Billy's story, as he's also heavily objectified and his looks seem to play a pivotal role in his arc, from all of the adult attention he gets to Neil's obvious disapproval. It could also be argued that it's this objectification that at least partially leads to his end (because no one can tell me that goddamn Karen was interested in his personality). All in all, another tragedy. You see where I'm going with this?

Anyway, rant over. Sorry for the long post. The painting itself was inspired by Pierre Julien's Dying Gladiator (1778). A closeup of the face is under the cut.

[citraye]

Explorer

eat food at the fesitval of light, snow or youth ✔

take a selfie with the mt. komorebi mascot ✔

collect a simmi by popping open a simmi capsule ✔

swim for 1 hour in wakaba's river ✔

[breckstonevailskier]

Frederick Sinclair's true colors were shown during the TV series

Among the other named business oligarchs we see in attendance at the Vault-Tec meeting in the final episode of season 1, besides Robert House, is Frederick Sinclair. He's representing Big Mountain.

Those who played the Dead Money DLC for Fallout: New Vegas will recognize Sinclair, as he's the guy who constructed the Sierra Madre Resort & Casino at which the DLC's events take place.

However, some fans have felt that there's a discrepancy between how Sinclair is depicted here vs. the image of him we are given from reading terminal entries and looking at murals around the Sierra Madre.

For instance, Dead Money and Old World Blues have it stated that Sinclair is just a client of Big MT, whereas the TV series has him serving as Big MT's representative at this meeting.

Another point of contention is how Sinclair's physical appearance and personality in the TV show is very different from how it is depicted in Dead Money. In Dead Money, Sinclair is portrayed as a suave man of average weight with brown hair and a mustache (albeit only on pre-War murals), and has a much more youthful and regretful personality. But the TV series makes him older, portly, and very crass.

We have remarks made by Dead Money's project director Chris Avellone where he felt that Sinclair's physical appearance on-screen "didn't really mesh with his appearance in the Sierra Madre."

However, I'd argue that we're not seeing any retcons at all, and nothing about Sinclair's presence at the meeting contradicts what we learn about him from Dead Money. In fact, if anything, his presence in the show informs a lot of the backstory we learned in Dead Money.

Sinclair's foreknowledge:

One thing that is clearly noted from reading terminal entries and a few journal entries, is that Sinclair clearly believed that a nuclear war was imminent:

Now that we know he was at this meeting to collaborate with Vault-Tec, we understand why he felt this way: much like Mr. House, he had foreknowledge. That's why he built the Casino like a fortress. That's why he invested in technology like the Vending Machines, the holograms, and the Auto Docs.

Sinclair and the Cloud:

Sinclair almost went broke in the process of procuring the Vending Machines and the holograms for the Sierra Madre. To compensate, he permitted Big MT to conduct some experiments in the Villa. One of the experiments that Big MT did at the Villa was put an airborne toxin in the Villa's shoddy ventilation system, and then pump it out to see what would happen. This put several construction workers out of commission due to the effects it had on them, and is ultimately the source of the Cloud. To deal with the problem, Sinclair negotiated with Big MT to procure hazmat suits for the workers to go in and try and find where the Cloud had originated from. Unbeknownst to Sinclair, the hazmat suits were intentionally designed poorly, such that the users were exposed to the Cloud and also found themselves getting trapped in the suits (and could only be freed by having someone else cut them out with a Cosmic knife). These two experiments combined are what led to the construction crew becoming the Ghost People who inhabit the Villa.

While terminal entries in Old World Blues suggest that Sinclair didn't know about the Cloud being a Big MT experiment, the TV show makes me think that actually, he DID know. When the executives begin tossing out ideas for vault experiments, listen to the second idea that Sinclair pitches: he proposes a vault where psychotropic drugs are pumped into the air supply (which was ultimately implemented in Vault 106 out in the Capital Wasteland). That's an experiment that's very similar to the Cloud experiment, which involved an airborne toxin being pumped out of a ventilation system. Perhaps Sinclair knew exactly what the Cloud was, and its true origins, and this discovery was still fresh in his mind at the time of the meeting with Vault-Tec.

Sinclair's relationship with Vera Keyes:

Sinclair's depiction as an old and crass businessman does change the nature of his relationship to Vera Keyes. If the Sierra Madre murals of Sinclair are taken at face value...

...he comes off like a middle aged man in love with someone close to him in age, who was very heartbroken by finding out she was an unwitting accomplice to Dean Domino's plans to rob from him.

But with his depiction in the show, his relationship with Vera looks a lot different. Instead of being this middle aged man pining for a woman close to him in age, he's an old man who's obsessed with a young starlet at least 40 years his junior (information on Vera suggests she was in her late 20s when the Gala Event took place, and Sinclair looks to be in his late 60s/early 70s).

Him being an old man also makes a lot of sense when one considers his relationship to Dean Domino. Dean Domino was probably in his early to mid-60s in 2077 (going off Barry Dennen's age at the time that Dead Money was being developed), so close in age to Sinclair. It makes it more believable that Sinclair would've readily trusted Dean regarding Vera and the Villa construction, and thus be blinded to the truth that Vera was Dean's accomplice in the scheme to rob the vault, and also not be aware that Dean was profiting from Mr. Yesterday's scheme to cheat Sinclair by intentionally constructing the Villa with subpar building materials.

There's also these lines from Dean's dialogue regarding Sinclair and Vera that make a lot more sense when you know Sinclair is an old man:

"Ghost in name and image. Still a looker, though. Got to hand it to Sinclair, sure can pick 'em. Well, or get picked. Whichever."

"Vera was a big star, back before the Bomb. Not the best actress, but… well, she had other talents. Nice voice, nice legs. For some reason, Sinclair... he built this place... she caught his eye. Once he was hooked, that was it, had to have her. So made the introductions, and guess what? He builds this place for her, like some kind of Cleopatra obsession. Wasn't always a deathtrap."

And:

Courier: "Why did you need [Vera]?"

Dean: "Because she could get closer to Sinclair than I ever could. Sinclair was already puppy-eyed, so all I had to do was the introductions. She smiled, fluttered her eyes, showed a little leg ...and he built this whole place for her. Made her the key to his vault, like a joke, cause of her name. Her fake Hollywood name. Except Sinclair didn't know I'd been there first. I could twist her whatever direction I wanted."

With that age gap in mind, coupled with his foreknowledge of Vault-Tec's plans, it also makes a lot of sense why Sinclair would build the Casino like a fortress, as he came to value Vera more than anything else in his life. He probably viewed her as the one thing he didn't want to lose when the Great War broke out. It's also understandable why he'd be so devastated to learn about Vera's betrayal and turn the vault into a death trap for her and Dean, though eventually came to regret this (and ultimately died trying to undo the trap).

Additional thoughts:

Regarding the discrepancy in Sinclair's involvement with Big Mountain, I think it's safe to say that he might've actually invested a lot of money into buying a controlling stake in Big MT in order to get them to install the Vending Machines, the holograms, the Auto Docs, and all the other technologies that went into the Sierra Madre. That's my explanation at least for why he'd be the person sent to represent Big MT when Vault-Tec reached out seeking to collaborate with them on the vault experiments.

My opinion as to why the murals depict Sinclair as a young man is because he's rather vain. He was pretty suave way back when, but whereas House has largely retained his good looks up until 2077, Sinclair is now old, balding and fat.

It's worth noting that Cooper Howard has an indirect connection to Sinclair and Dean Domino, as he once starred in a movie with Vera.

...and considering a number of Season 2 set leaks have established that we'll be seeing flashbacks of Las Vegas before the Great War, I think there's a strong chance we'll get to see Cooper interact with Vera and Dean. Dean was very much present in Las Vegas at the time, as evidenced by some of his dialogue and the pre-War posters of him that can be found on loading screens and at a few locations on the Strip in the main game. So maybe Cooper will get to interact with the two of them as they were before Vera died and Dean became a ghoul.

And if they canonize Dean surviving Dead Money (which happens if you didn't bruise his ego while recruiting him), maybe Lucy and Cooper will get to interact with him when they get to New Vegas as his ending slides suggest that that's where he goes after he leaves the Sierra Madre.

I think that Vault-Tec invited Big MT to the table because they also wanted access to the same technologies Sinclair was installing in the Sierra Madre. The Vending Machines and the Auto Docs are pieces of technology that would definitely be useful to have in a Vault, especially when the Vaults are supposed to be self-sustaining.

[tmwcs]

Chapter One

Pairings: HS + Fem Reader

Warnings: Narrative contains a hint of r@pe acts by villain (not in detail), parasitic offspring, and matriphagy. There is a delicate hint of smut. This is a yandere fic, just a bit different than the rest of my stories. 😏 you’ll see. Enjoy Heeros.

She hissed under a haughty breath of frustration and despair. Her lovely face was tainted by jealousy. Lips curled, teeth clenched, and her delicate hand gripped silk fabric in a wringing fist as she stared down from her grand palace.

The sound of feathered wings broke the silence—large, commanding. A shadow passed over the marble floor, heralding a graceful landing. The winged prince descended with divine elegance, feet touching down like whispered thunder. A smirk, as wicked as it was beautiful, stretched his lips—mischievous and perfectly suited to his devious nature.

He was one of the few gods who bore wings, but his outshone all others in regal magnificence. Not even Nike, goddess of victory, could match his grace. The God of Love and Desire now stood just feet from the goddess Aphrodite, his eyes hazy, half-lidded beneath lashes rimmed in ethereal blue.

“That troubled look does not suit you, fairest Aphrodite,” he drawled.

He crossed his arms with lazy elegance. His skin, olive-toned and warm, was the hue of a painter’s dream—impossible to replicate. Blood-red hair curled just slightly over his brow. His face, carved like a statue, carried the essence of love in every language, with a striking blend of Grecian godhood and subtle Asiatic grace.

Aphrodite exhaled sharply. “Go to the world below. Find that mortal wretch. Shoot her with one of your golden arrows and make her fall for a creature so hideous, so vile, that she’ll be ruined by her own desires.”

Eros raised an eyebrow, unmoved. “Who dares cause you such rage?”

She spun around. A flash of tears caught in the sun. “That mortal girl—Psyche!” Her voice cracked, equal parts anguish and fury. “She steals my worship. Kings abandon my temples to kneel before her. They call her Venus reborn!”

His expression remained unreadable, but a smirk tugged at his lips. “A mortal? Causing all this?”

Her grip tightened on the balcony’s edge. She was not simply angry—she was eclipsed. For the first time, her divine beauty had been overshadowed. And not by a goddess, but a girl of flesh and bone.

“She must fall,” Aphrodite hissed. “Strike her with desire—but not for anything worthy. Let her crave a beast, something monstrous and revolting. Let her ruin herself.”

Eros tilted his head, feigning thought. “A sea serpent, perhaps? Something that’ll drag her into the depths? Or a goblin? Keep her buried in darkness where no one will find her again?”

“No,” Aphrodite said with venom. “Wait until she sleeps. Strike her. Blindfold her. Then take her to Mt. Isa. Leave her for Rapiedes.”

His smirk faded.

“You’re serious?” he asked, tone low.

Even for Eros, whose arrows had caused countless scandals and heartbreaks among mortals and gods, this command was extreme. He'd made enemies fall in love, sundered marriages, and watched chaos unfold—all for amusement. But even he knew the cruelty in this request. Rapiedes was no mere creature. He was an exile. Banished by the gods. Hated by Hades himself. Rightfully so, his name was a representation of his cruel deeds. He had brutally defiled many mortal women, nymphs, and even goddesses. Once their bodies were forcefully fed of his seeds, implanted deep into their wombs—their days became short lived as the offspring that grew within them were not of traditional youths that was molded by human anatomy. Instead, what grew and fed off the feminine hosts were enlarged maggots—parisites of torture. They grew in numbers, typically by the dozen and to the size of a man’s arm. They ate their way out of the ‘mother’s’ body, leading to an excruciating death. Disgusted by his twisted act, Zeus banished Rapiedes and his slithering offspring onto the mountain, forever barricaded from freedom.

Still, Aphrodite nodded. No hesitation.

Eros let out a breath and summoned his golden bow with a flick of his wrist. A shimmering arrow appeared beside it. Without another word, he launched into the sky—wings slicing through clouds.

***

“Psyche, Father requests you in the great hall.”

You turned to see your sisters—always joined at the hip—delivering the message. Your father, the king, adored you more than anything. His sons led his armies, his elder daughters married nobles. But you—his youngest—were his jewel. Your beauty stirred the world, though you never asked it to.

In the grand hall, your father smiled. “Come, my daughter. These noblemen have journeyed from afar to sing your praises.”

You stepped forward, hesitant but obedient.

“Oh my…” one whispered. “Such beauty... your soul radiates through your eyes. Surely, you are a goddess incarnate.”

You offered a quiet smile. You spoke no words. As always, you endured the devotion silently.

High above, Eros watched from your balcony. Boredom tugged at his mind, but the task remained. His mother’s bidding had to be done. He stepped onto the balcony’s ledge, hidden by the vines, arrow poised.

Then—you entered.

Draped in white chiffon, gold bands at your arms and ankles, your hair flowed freely. You wore no jewels, unlike your sisters, yet your presence stole the sun’s attention. You lay on the bed, and Eros waited for your sleep.

But then—a bird crashed onto the balcony, blinded by light. It flailed. You rose instantly and rushed to help. Kneeling, you cradled the creature.

“Did you stare into the sun, little one?” you cooed, massaging its wings gently. The bird chirped, comforted. You rested on your elbow and smiled as it took flight again.

Eros froze.

He hadn’t seen your full face, only the soft profile, the flowing gown, the bare legs at each step. But it was enough. And when you turned toward your mirror, removing your rings, he saw your eyes.

Something inside him broke. Or bloomed.

Then, the golden arrow slipped. The tip grazed his skin. The magic was immediate—his veins flared. His pulse raced.

Desire. Obsession.

“Mine,�� he whispered.

* * *

Your father climbed Mt. Isa to meet the oracle. He feared the gods' silence. Worship of you had brought blessings, but perhaps also wrath.

The oracle’s eyes clouded in gold.

“King, your hubris has cursed your child. Her beauty has insulted the gods. Dress her in mourning, veil her face, and leave her atop the cliff. She will be claimed by a monster. She will not live long.”

Tears streamed down the king’s face.

And yet—it was done. You were carried silently to the cliffside. Veiled, barefoot. Your mother collapsed at the news. Your siblings wept.

At the cliff’s edge, you said nothing. Not even as your family embraced you. The betrayal ached. You had never asked for worship. Never wanted thrones built in your name.

You knelt by the throne of stone, your tears quiet. Not because of death, but for love. Love you would never taste.

Sleep took you. The west wind Zephyrus lifted you from the cliff and carried you across the skies.

You awoke to warmth beneath you. Marble. A palace among the clouds. Doors towered before you. A voice echoed:

“All of this is yours.”

Startled, you spun. No one.

“Who are you?” you asked.

“A friend. A husband. A soul who has waited for you across lifetimes.”

No figure. Only perfume and shadows.

That night, the voice returned as arms wrapped around you in the dark.

“Do not fear me,” it whispered. “Love does not always need eyes to be known.”

And there, in the hush of night, you felt the presence of a god. Love began.

You feared over the upcoming loss of your virginity. His touch didn’t just linger—it trailed along every curve your body presented. His kisses were gentle as he pulled you in tightly. Embracing your backside to his chest, he whispered your name over and over again—cupping the back of your hand in his palm. In the pitch black of the night, your mysterious husband properly consummated the marriage without ever revealing his face. Uncertainty hits you as you felt despair for not knowing who he was, yet his touch and penetration left you whimpering in the heights of pleasure.

He was gentle—so gentle. You don’t feel any pain—just pure bliss.

End of chapter one.

AN: I know I know…I’m going back on my word but trust the process—I have been working diligently on TO and ChatGPT (among other works) but I just had the urge to edit this and get it out. I love Greek mythology and Eros has always been my love (Heeros for this story 🤭) so enjoy. More is to come.

[beariemart]

to-do: mt. komorebi sightseer (explorer)

eat food at the festival of light, snow, or youth

take a selfie with the mt. komorebi mascot

collect a simmi by popping open a simmi capsule

swim for 1 hour in wakaba’s river

i think pickle had a good time at the festival of light ( ´ ꒳ ` )

[rasoyas]

time for the festival of light! 🌸 pt. 3 of 3!

okay, still working on how to present piper's goal checklist, but let's look at it so far!

(we're ahem ignoring lady of the knits because piper can't sit still for five seconds long enough to complete that aspiration and IIII admittedly got so much kmik guilt living in wakaba AHEM)

Explorer

Eat Food at the Festival of Light, Snow, or Youth

Take a Selfie with the Mt. Komorebi Mascot

Collect a Simmi by Popping Open a Simmi Capsule

Swim for 1 Hour in Wakaba’s River

Backpacker

Soak for a Long Time in a Hot Spring

Wear a Festival Costume from a Vending Machine

Go Sledding 3 Times

Eat Food Using Chopsticks

Globetrotter

Socialize at Onsen Bathhouse

Make a Wish On or Collect a Forest Spirit

Take it Slow and Become Emotionally Mindful

wahoo! i'm still working on how to present that the pics i'm posting are actually her meeting her goals, lmao, but she's been killing it! i couldn't get any pictures i actually liked at the onsen, and i'm nigh on ready to swap saves with these two to have more control, but i admittedly love plumbobkingdom's tool work and i am struuuggling to let it go fgkhfjk

[futureisfiction]

I'm so excited about this event that I made my own flyer for it. This is it! Some friends and I put these up around Oakland last weekend.

If you don't know Cory Doctorow, consider that he found success as a writer despite completely rejecting the corporate copyright system. Imagine having the courage of conviction to give your books away for free. I'm a big believer in open source and digital rights, but like most writers I cling to the rights to my own work, as if poems could be collectors items if we just make them scarce enough. So I'm eager to hear what Doctorow has to say on writing to make change.

If you don't know Carol Queen, I can tell you her collection Pomosexuality was life-changing for me when I was in college. I still reference it to this day. She's author of many books, including the classic Exhibitionism for the Shy. Like Cory Doctorow, her writing and her activism are intertwined. She was one of the founders of the one of the first gay youth groups in the US, and during the AIDs Her writing on safe sex during the AIDs crisis left the page and led to the development of improvements to the SAR training vital to sexologists. She's cofounder of the Center of Sex and Culture.

David Holper is the poet laureate of city of Eureka. This rising star revived the Dharma Bum spiritual pilgrimage on Mt. Tamalpais. His first novel grapples with climate change, capitalism, fast food and patriarchy...and did I mention it's funny?

If you are a writer and you want to make change in the world, this is the event for you.

Well it's the event for me, anyway. 💅

Oh and you can get tickets here.

[moonlitfalls]

mt. komorebi sightseer - explorer - eat food at the festival of snow, light or youth - take a selfie with the mt. komorebi mascot - collect a simmi by popping open a simmi capsule 🌸 - swim for 1 hour in wakaba’s river

[memoirsofasim]

Mt Komorebi Sightseer

eat food at a festival of snow, light or youth ✔

take a selfie with the mascot ✔

collect a Simmi ✔

swim for 1hr in Wakaba's river ✔