#but yeah this au is very much. ancient greek inspired

[xxswagcorexx]

!! love your god au

would love to hear more about it

cults and symbolism my beloved

omg....and i'll be glad to talk abt it!

anyways i think that ash is more an import god (so as a result a lot of his myths would be him coming from somewhere long away and plus. have a bit more influence as his cult would travel to more places) and since him and red had similar-ish purposes, ash would be a secondary figure that was worshiped in the cult (and vice versa), but they'd still be their own thing bc i think they'd tackle the same stuff but differently

like i have this image in my head that ash would be a sign of death/war, while red's would be about rebirth/physical strength--similar concepts, but different ways they tackle it as you'd be more likely to worship ash is you were a war general but you'd be more likely to worship red if you were a warrior ^_^ i think that's why they'd stay separate (also because i don't like the idea of them being split off from another god or merging into 1 god bc the implications of that are uh. swagdoons would Not work well with that i think)

but ya! :D i also like the idea of them being associated with the underworld somehow, i haven't thought of creation myths for them but i just think it would be sick as hell (ba dum tss) and fit their general vibes!

[mask131]

Hey you want to be let in onto a little secret?

Arachne? The story of Arachne, her legend, her entire character?

...

Well it is very, very likely she never was part of Greek mythology and only belongs to Roman mythology.

Because there is no text from Ancient Greece that mentions her, and no visual depiction of her in Ancient Greek art.

You want to know where her story comes from? OVID. OVID'S METAMORPHOSES. Yes, THE defining Roman work of Roman literature that shaped Roman myths. That's literaly where Arachne comes from: Ovid. As a result, there are two possibilities. Either A) Ovid completely invented her (which is something he did other times, he did invent some characters we consider today to be part of Greek mythology) or B) He took inspiration from an actual Greek legend but twisted it and rewrote it in a weird way (This is what happened with Medusa. He wrote Medusa's story taking inspiration from the Greek legend that was told at the time, but changed the context entirely to fit his own literary and political goals. As such from a story of Medusa being turned into a Gorgon by Athena for being too vain and for boasting (a crime of "hubris", very Greek), Ovid wrote a story of Medusa being cursed for having been raped inside the goddess' temple (a crime of "impurity", much more Roman in values and notions).

However... It seems very unlikely to be either of those since, again, we literaly have no recording from Ancient Greece about Athena ever being involved with an "Arachne" or with spiders as a whole.

In fact, it seems that the closest answer to where Arachne comes from might be C) She might have been woven out of a purely Roman tradition projected onto the Greek myths.

Because the only other literary mention of Arachne ever in Ancient literature is Virgil's Georgics (Virgil being the other founding-father of Roman literature and literary Roman myths, thanks to his Aeneid), and Virgil doesn't even write of Arachne as a proper character or as a human. All he wrote is literaly, in a side-detail, in a brief mention, that Athena hates spiders. No explanation why, it is just "the spider is hated by Minerva". Given it is said so casually as a detail with no explanation, it is very possible this means this was a reference meant to be caught and understood by the Roman reader "The spider, this animal hated by Minerva as we all know". So... it seems very likely that the creation of Arachne as a character stems from a non-Greek, older tradition of the goddess Minerva (the proper Latin Minerva, the solely Roman goddess) having a problem with spiders.

And when Minerva was associated with the Greek goddess Athena, and the Roman had their authors rewrite or invent myths to have their own mythology (or rather their own AU on Greek mythology)... The tale got spread far enough and popular enough that everybody threw back the story onto the Greek Athena. After all, Arachne was a Greek name right? IT MEANS SHE WAS GREEK RIGHT? Well no, she was Roman :p That's another thing of Ovid, whenever he invented a character he made sure to give them Greek names so that it sounded like a real Greek character.

So yeah, while Arachne became one of the famous characters and legends of Greco-Roman mythology as a whole (what many call "Classical mythology"), she actually was NOT part of Greek mythology, and only existed from Hellenized Roman mythology onward. You're welcome.

[goldenqingxin]

here's a little snippet of something im working on (yes i know i havent updated LOB in a month. leave me alone) ☁︎ jercy, au where they kinda remember each other from when they're at the same place, same time. inspired by e106 at 8:28. also, percy swears like a sailor because i said so. ☁︎

“Watch out!” 

“Oh, shit–” 

He’s on the floor and he can’t feel his jaw. His fingers are tingling in a very painful way. He swears up and down he hasn’t had his life flashing before his eyes, but like, he feels like he’s dying. It hurts like hell.

“You okay?” 

The sight that greets him is nothing short of confusing– a tall, blond boy, around his age or maybe younger, with a purple shirt written SPQR on it. He stands in front of him, crouched just enough to shove his calloused hand in his face. (Why in the world is it rough like that? He looks hardly twelve but he has the fingers of a carpenter.) 

“What’s up with the shirt? Are you LARPing?” he asks, not even cursing his lack of filter this time. He’s in a freaky casino with friends who just about forgot they were on a mission to stop World War III. Not that he remembers the details much anyway…

“What’s that?” The boy asks in return. “It’s just a camp shirt.” 

Huh, almost like Camp Half-Blood’s. The leather cord on his neck rubs at the skin there. It’s bound to leave a red mark with how tight it is against his nape. 

He takes the boy’s hand to get back up on his feet. The last thing he expected was that stupidly strong grip and the sliver of a smile on the boy’s face when Percy nearly fell over. His hand starts tingling again. 

“Jason Grace,” the boy tells him cryptically. 

“Percy Jackson,” he answers, because obviously the guy told him his own name. 

“You don’t sound like you’re from around here,” Jason says. He has this accent, one Percy can’t really place– something between animalistic and terribly Silicon Valley. 

“And you sound like you’re definitely from L.A.” 

He’s not stupid enough to waste his time here, talking to this very pretty guy (where did that come from?) in a very strange casino, with two of his friends gods-know where. Or at least, he thinks that for half a second before–

“What kind of camp makes kids wear something from Ancient Rome?” 

His eyes drop to Jason’s hand on his hip. 

“And what the fuck is with that sword?!”

Jason’s eyes widen, like he’s about to run away. It’s not a good look on him. Percy almost backtracks, or slams his hand against his mouth just to shut himself up for one damn second, but Jason beats him to the chase. 

“You can see the gladius?” 

“Why are you saying it like you actually speak latin?” is what Percy answers with, because oh yeah, I’ve got my own sword too, but it’s named Anaklusmos or I can speak Ancient Greek, how cool is that! isn’t the best thing to reply with in this context. 

Jason looks– conflicted, at first. There’s some doubt in his stormy eyes, and they begin to resemble Annabeth’s more and more as they cloud over. 

Oh shit, Annabeth–

“I left my friends back, oh shit, I gotta be out of here as soon as I can, it’s almost the solstice..,” he mutters, more to himself than to Jason, but it finally gets a reaction out of him that isn’t a (practically) blank stare. Not that he minds. 

“Yeah, it’s tomorrow. What kind of deadline do you have in the middle of summer though? I thought classes were over.” 

The way he says it is almost comically uncertain, like he has no idea how the school system works in America. Which is, honestly, fair. Percy doesn’t either. 

Wait. 

“Tomorrow? Nah, no way. We’re the 17th. Did you hit your head too?” He laughs, more out of obligation than anything– Jason’s eyes are downright scrutinising now, and in some other context when they’re both older it would’ve been nice but right now it just scares the shit out of him. 

“No, I got here just five minutes ago. We’re the 20th.” It’s the way he says it so matter-of-factly that really gets on his nerves. 

He grabs the first person that passes by them– some scrawny kid with black hair, and asks them the date once and for all. 

His heart stops when the answer is “March 12th, 1932.” 

He glares at Jason and sees him glaring back, and that’s all it takes before they’re running to the entrance to look outside the glass doors. 

It’s pitch black, and Percy hasn’t been here for more than an hour. It was noon when he walked in.  

“The Lotus Eaters,” he mumbles. 

“Like, from the Odyssey?” Jason asks, his voice squeaky and scared. It’s the first actual emotion he sees on the guy’s face– literal fear. 

“Fuck.” 

Jason hums in agreement. 

“Well, good luck to you, man,” Percy says before bolting away back to where he last left Annabeth and Grover. He prayed for them to still be there, and for there to still be time left if they make it out of here. 

He doesn’t quite catch the small mumble of his name falling off Jason’s lips. 

It sounds great when he says it. 

[intermundia]

I think I tried sending you an ask years ago about this - I used to take ancient greek & latin in middle school, with this very passionate and super cool teacher who would tell us about mythology for half the year. I stopped taking that class after three years because I was struggling too much and it wasn't fun anymore, and generally I have positive memories of that time but I tend to think I was right to give the subjects up, and that they weren't really my thing.

Reading My Anankē not only reminded me of those classes in a great way, but they also made me want so so desperately to have kept going with classical studies. Your passion shone through so much, in a way that really made me think of this old teacher I loved, and also in a way that made me want to be like this part of you I could see, so enthusiastic and knowledgeable about such an interesting topic. It's not exactly a scene, but it's one of my most intense positive memories tied to something you've written. But also their dynamic in that one is incredible in the best way haha. That scene in the parking lot at the social event..... Yeah.

I'm also very partial to Soulbound, the online dynamic and the way it evolves when they meet IRL is something I'm still thinking about years after first reading the fic.

Happy birthday, I hope you have a nice day!

ahh that's so lovely!! classics au is one of the most deeply personal creative projects i've ever done, with the most of my heart and life story, dreams and memories, all invested inside. the fact that it connects and inspires in that way makes me so happy. i'm not cut out to be a teacher irl, but i do love sharing my passion for topics like that!!! thank you so much! 💙

[sarifinasnightmare]

The Legend

August 5-11: Alternate Universe

Rating: Everyone

Pairing: Sarah x Bucky

Author's Note: Inspired off a very old AU RP I did with a friend.

Summary: Bucky and Peter go for Greece for the summer and have a run in with a local and a legend.

“You know Peter when I imagined this trip to Greece, I was imagining clear blue waters, ice cold beer and delicious Greek food. Not climbing all over the mountains and cliffsides looking for a local legend on a hot July day!” Bucky complained.

Eighteen-year-old Peter climbed down the rocky mountainside with the enthusiasm that came with his age. “We can do all that later. Come on Bucky we’re in Greece! Ancient history is all over this place! And I want to see this statue.”

Bucky sighed, following after his friend’s nephew. May Parker was a sweetheart of a neighbor who begged him to go with Peter to vacation in Greece when she sadly twisted her ankle before their trip. There was no way she could do all the walking and climbing that was involved, so Bucky gallantly agreed.

“What’s so interesting about this statue?” He asked as they continued wandering down.

“So apparently, it’s a statue of a maiden or a nymph or something that’s dedicated to Aphrodite I think. It’s said that she disappears in the night and reappears in the morning.” Peter said breathlessly.

“And that’s it?”

“No! Well, yes, but the legend is during World War II she came to life and rescued all the children during a battle and that’s why the locals are reluctant to share her location.”

“So how do we know we’re going in the right direction?”

“Because one of the kids pointed it out to me.”

“So we’re going to see a statue that the locals are secretive about using the directions given to you by a kid?” Bucky groaned. “Peter, we’re going to piss off the locals!”

“No we’re not! I just want to see it. I’m not going to do something stupid like write my name on it or something.” Peter assured, then pointed to something. “Look! Facing the beach! There’s a cave over there!”

They made their way over, careful about rockslides until they reached the mouth of a small cave. It was a little dark so they got their headlamps and walked inside. They didn’t have to go in too far before they found the legendary maiden.

She stood on a small pedestal that had something written on it. Tall and in Grecian style dress she looked like any other statue created from ancient times.

“Oh wow, she looks well taken care of. She practically looks brand new.” Peter said, checking her out.

Bucky studied the maiden, at first not thinking much of her, but the longer he looked the more he realized how exquisitely detailed she was, as if the sculptor poured himself into making the most life like looking statue possible. “Is she really ancient? I mean it’s a beautiful piece. Why would anyone stick her in this little place?”

“Beats me. How soon until sunset?” Peter asked as he studied the words on the pedestal.

“Not long. You want to wait and see if she disappears?”

“Yeah why not?”

“I’m hungry Peter. I don’t want to wait around and nothing happens.” Bucky complained. “Let’s just take a picture and go back to our hotel before the locals chase us out of here.”

“Come on Bucky! Please? Just until the sun goes down!!” The teen pleaded.

“Peter-”

“I’ll buy you dinner…and a drink! My treat.”

He dropped his chin with a groan. “Fine, but I’m waiting outside. You can stay here with her.”

“Okay!”

So Bucky stepped out and sat himself down on a nearby boulder with a small groan. He dug through his backpack and luckily found a granola to snack on. He took in the view of the beach below and watched the sun slowly descend.

“Hey! Hey!”

He turned and stood up as an older man waving a rifle came toward them. “Oh shit,” he muttered under his breath. “Sygnómi, I’m just a stupid American.” He lifted his hands. “Don’t shoot.”

“You not allowed!” the man said in a rough accent. “Go! Go home!”

“Ναί” He agreed and looked over to the cave. “Peter! Get your butt out here before I charge you for the bullet holes this guy’s about to put in me!”

The man looked horrified. “More?? More?! He get out! NOW! I shoot!” He fired a round in the air.

Bucky cursed. “Peter, he means business!”

A soft sound like gentle crumbling of stones echoed and suddenly Peter was shouting.

“Holy shit! Holy shit!!”

Both men suddenly take off to the cave and Peter comes running out, his face white.

“Peter! What happened, are you okay??” Bucky grasped the teen who was heaving.

“It got dark and she moved….SHE MOVED!! She was peeling out of the statue like a…like a snake!”

“What??” Bucky couldn’t believe it.

A cocking of the rifle got their attention again. The man had them pinned. “You see her. You die.”

“No, no, no,” Bucky put himself in front of Peter. “He’s just a kid. Νέος! He doesn’t know better!”

“I’m sorry!” Peter said desperately.

Suddenly a hand rested on Bucky’s chest, startling him. A beautiful woman with skin like bronze and deep brown eyes smiled faintly at him before standing between him and the gunman.

“Αρκετά! Δεν θα ανεχτώ να βλάψει ένα παιδί. Ξέρεις αυτόν τον Linus.” She ordered. (Enough! I will not tolerate a child being harmed. You know that Linus.”)

He hesitated, nervous. “Είναι Αμερικανοί! Δεν θα κρατήσουν το στόμα τους κλειστό!” (They’re Americans! They won’t keep their mouths shut!)

“Αμερικανοί?” She turned to them. “English?”

“Yeah?” Bucky replied confused at who she was and why she was helping them. She was enchanting though, looking something out of a myth with gold and silver threaded into her hair and her black chiton. 

“I have been practicing speaking English.” She said with soft accent. “He says that you will talk about my home. So, he must shoot you.”

“Tell him that I promise that we will be happy to never come here again. We won’t speak about your home.” Bucky replied.

She turned back to the man called Linus and they had a heated discussion.

“She’s the statue.” Peter murmured in Bucky’s ear. “She moved!”

“Peter, swear to God, this woman is trying to help us. Don’t antagonize her!” He hissed.

“Okay…sorry.” He muttered.

After a moment the beautiful woman turned back to them with a warm smile. “He has agreed not to kill you, but he says you come back home with him. Come, I go with you.”

That was slightly reassuring. “We would rather just leave and forget this ever happened.”

A slightly sad expression touched her features. “You wish to forget me?”

No, no he didn’t want to forget her. In fact, he didn’t think he could. “I didn’t say that.” Bucky said softly.

She smiled kindly and offered her hand. “Come, it is safe. I promise.”

What he ought to do was tackle the man down, wrest the gun from him and run away with Peter as fast as they could. Instead, he felt compelled to take this beautiful woman’s hand in his and follow her lead.

[damselofblueroses]

Bambi, Chapter 1

You are my Bambi, girl, I am your candy, tell me what are you waiting for?

Summary: As an archaeologist who works on the Ancient Greece, you were on the verge of excavations’ session. While you have been preparing your team, you learned that your institute decided on your team has to work with another team as they wanted the outcome as a collaboration. The head of other team was your biggest rival, a scumbag in your eyes: Byun Baekhyun.

You two were supposed to work together for three months, in a Greek Island, Chios.

Could you manage to not kill Byun Baekhyun for three months?

Content: AU, heavily Greek mythology, enemies to friends.

Warnings: Well, the story contains NSFW/Smut, please minors do not continue.

Note: This story will be four or five chapters if I will not change my mind in the meantime. It is inspired by my major; however, I do not have a complete knowledge on archaeology, I am a historian. If I will make a technical mistake, please let me know. I am willing to receive any kind of feedback; you are more than welcomed to drop a message.

Chapter One: UN Village

June, Incheon Airport

Along the curves of the hill

Rolling, rolling, rolling hills

As we climb there’s a broken streetlight

When I see one, I turn off the lights under it

Baekhyun was nothing but ready for the excavation.

You were more than ready for the session.

Both of you, were nothing but two leaders who hated each other equally.

You were eyeing each other with saying no words since your teams came together in the airport. Before this particular moment of departure, you refused to meet with Byun Baekhyun, putting aside meeting with him, you refused even dropping an e-mail in order to let Sunkyungwan Team about Sejong Team. You were clear and strict as fuck, even though two teams had to work together for three months, you had zero intention to get accustomed with the other team leader.

The weather was sunny, nice and warm, however because of you and Baekhyun, your team members were feeling like they were trapped in a fucking blizzard during the coldest winter.

You were aware of your team members had positive opinions of that scoundrel, especially the girls, as you had your first-handed experiences because of your stupid classmates, Byun Baekhyun was very famous of his abilities to cast a spell on women. The problem was he was also famous as a serial dater, serial killer type of men.

A bastard, nothing more nothing less.

“Indy,” one of your team members, Minseok, called you. Although, calling you as Indy was also a habit of Minseok, it was also an obligation for the others, you insisted on calling you by your nickname or your name, instead of calling you as sunbae. You did not like the hierarchical titles. “Should we move into the control point?”

“Yeah, if you are ready.” you replied, grabbing your luggage and the rest.

“I guess we have to alert Sunkyungwan people since we will fly together.” Hyesun pointed out, your eyebrows knitted.

“I guess,” you recall her words. “They also have this information, so we do not have to alert anyone, we are not their babysitters.”

Hyesun’s cheeks were blushing after you kindly scolded her, but she was clever enough to hold her tongue. Your dislike towards Sunkyungwan was not a secret as you used every opportunity to show it. You led your team to the kiosks, counting the heads automatically. You had six here, you were going to have ten more when you arrive to Chios whose coming from all around European universities. With thirteen Sunkyungwan students, the excavation was going to shelter almost forty members. It was going to be massive, you had to admit. You never had more than twenty students in the field till now, but you were going to lead an extraordinary team as Junmyeon craved into your brain’s folds with his hammer of words.

You wished to be with Junmyeon right now, you were more tense than usual. Junmyeon could put you in more stable mood, however you even did not think to name him while the executives were asking your possible candidates. He would kill you merciless, you knew it very well.

Eh, at least you got Sehun, Junmyeon’s brother in your team, he had a lot of similarities with Junmyeon even though he could be noisier than anyone you know, however you accepted him as your dongsaeng, as his precious noona and role model, you also knew how to put him in an order. Then you had Minseok, the eternal field-partner of yours. He was older than you, although he was engaged in a Ph.D. programme in abroad, he willingly accepted your invitation. You had four seniors, Shinhye, Yixing, Jongdae and Hyesun.

To your dismay, two of the seniors who you really could want in your team, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo were in that bastard’s team. You were of the fact that they were immensely close to each other, but you wished to have them in your team as their abilities were precious.

Especially Doh Kyungsoo.

You missed that fucking bastard who preferred to be with Baekhyun.

Life, you inhaled. It was not going exactly in the way you could ask.

“On your foot, soldiers.” you called your team around you. “Do you collect all the materials you will be in need of?”

“Yeah.” Jongdae cutely pointed to his tiniest bag. “I am ready to excavate.”

“Exactly you will need every tool you have.” Shinhye smacked her husband’s shoulder. Yeah, you had a married couple in your team, although you were a year younger them, you always regarded yourself as their big sister, if not a mother. “You are going to work too much, Dae. I have sleepless nights because of the burden on your shoulders.”

You could not help but burst into laughs after the look Jongdae gave to his wife. Those idiots, they were so lovely and instead of their endless scolding sessions, they were incredibly fond of each other.

Sometimes you wonder, how having your significant other by your side would be?

You slightly shook your head, quickly climbing out of this deep cliff.

“Let’s go!” you exclaimed, jumping to the air. “Sejong is ready for the session!”

Baekhyun was watching you with a disgusted expression.

“Move on, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol pushed his body to forward. “We will miss the flight, Goddamnit.”

“Give him couple of minutes.” Kyungsoo chuckled. “He is fucking the girl with his eyes, frankly, he is doing it unapologetically.”

“Which girl?” Chanyeol’s eyes widened. “Do you mean, that girl? You c-

“Of course, I am not.” Baekhyun interrupted Chanyeol, staring at Kyungsoo. “She can go and fuck herself.”

“Well,” Kyungsoo stood up, placing his book into the bag. “I guess, you are going to be one to fuck her, but maybe I am wrong.”

“In her dreams.” Baekhyun laughed. “If she can manage to dream something like this, but I do not think so. That little freak can put even the nuns into a shame.”

“She is beautiful to be honest.” Chanyeol said with no different intention but observing your features carefully. “Okey maybe not the hottest girl in the town, but she is pretty, and I heard she is very clever.”

“She is.” Kyungsoo approved. “But she kicked Baekhyun’s ass twice, so he cannot endure her presence.”

“She never,” Baekhyun grunted lowly. “Kick me or my proverbial parts!”

“Did someone talk about kicking some asses?” Jongin appeared out of nowhere. “I am in.”

“Shut up, Jongin.” Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “Let’s pick the team.”

The smile on Kyungsoo’s face irritated Baekhyun, he wanted to erase that fucking grin so bad, punching his face but Baekhyun had to hold his manners as the team leader. If they would be in their flat, he could already beat the shit out of Kyungsoo, at least he would try.

Baekhyun hated the fact that Kyungsoo had the exact past with you and him. Three of you entered the department together, instead Kyungsoo went to another university to pursue his master, in the end he testified every moment between you and Baekhyun.

That’s why he was smiling since he learned you were going to be the other team leader.

Baekhyun was aware of the close relationship between you and Kyungsoo, one of his best friends.

Quickly Baekhyun led his team to the control point, close to your team. He was avoiding from this step, however as the leader, presenting his fucking team to your team was his responsibility. When they arrived, he took a deep breath.

“Good morning to all.” his blood started to boil when you turned to him with a displeased face expression. Your eyebrows were knitted, your fucking lips formed as a thick line, your dislike was palpable and Baekhyun knew his own face was mirroring your feelings. “I hope you are fine, could you let me present my team to you?”

Baekhyun wanted nothing but cut the shit off.

“Good morning.” you answered between your teeth. Your voice sounded extremely creepy. “Yeah, go for it.”

You do not make a favour to me, bloody woman, Baekhyun thought but he put all his efforts to control his words.

“My name is Byun Baekhyun, I am going to lead Sunkyungwan Team this year.” he looked at your team members, quickly memorized their faces. “I really look forward to work with you, I wish a good session for us. They are my members, Park Chanyeol, Doh Kyungsoo, Kim Jongin, Kim Danbi, Lee Taemin, Lee Donghae, Kim Jonghyun, Kim Kibum, Lee Seungjo, Kang Seulgi, Im Yoona, Kim Taeyeon and Kwon Yuri.”

“You are like a troop, huh?” one of your girls smiled after Baekhyun finished his presentation.

“More or less.” Baekhyun smiled back to her. What a surprise to him was the transformation of your face. You warmly smiled to the members and bowed to each of them.

Baekhyun raised his left eyebrow, but he could not avert his eyes from your smiling face.

It was pleasant like a spring day and when you smile your eyes were shining.

“Thank you.” he heard your voice. “My team is not big as yours, Park Shinhye, Kim Jongdae, Zhang Yixing, Oh Sehun, Kim Minseok and Song Hyesun.”

“You forget yourself.” Minseok slapped his forehead and rolled his eyes. “Indy is going to lead Sejong Team as she has been leading us for the last two years, you can put your faith on her, she is the greatest.”

“Indy?” Jongin repeated your nickname with a surprised face. “Are you foreigner?”

“Do I look like?” you laughed and prevented yourself from flinching his forehead. He was such a cute kid. “That’s how my team call me.”

“Ah.” Jongin blushed and you could not control yourself anymore.

“But if you want, you can also call me as Indy.” you grinned like a Cheshire cat. “Everything must be equal for the teams since we are going to live together during a whole summer.”

“I would like to.” Jongin bowed to you.

“So do we need to add sunbae when we call you?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Have you ever called me as a sunbae, Doh Kyungsoo?” you coldly replied. “Did Sunkyungwan change your behaviours?”

“Gardens of roses turn to garths of thorns in a second.” Kyungsoo murmured but he was smiling to you, then he opened his arms, catching you off guard because you knew that Kyungsoo was not a huge fan of hugs. “Will you salute me as a good friend, or will I start calling you as sunbae?”

“Shut the fuck up, Doh.” you inhaled, but actually you were happy to see your still-working-on friendship. You moved to hug him, he held you tightly and lifted you to the air, then turned around himself, made you laugh like a 5-year-old girl.

Baekhyun did not like what was happening before his eyes. Kyungsoo had to be with Baekhyun, not hugging you for his fucking dear life, or lifting and turning you around like you were very dear to him. He hated sharing his friends with you, he already lost Junmyeon, he wanted to keep Kyungsoo and Chanyeol to himself. You should be fucking away from them, they were Baekhyun’s and only Baekhyun’s friends.

And there was another fragile issue that Baekhyun had been keeping in the deepest point of his heart and mind, like the palace of Nyx in the darkest part of Tartarus. Extremely delicate, horrendous, and even atrocious.

Baekhyun was aware of a strange presence was lying down beneath his hatred, dislike and continuous loathe towards you, there was a layer of curiosity, something could feed different layers and causing an earthquake in his life. Baekhyun knew that you were his biggest rival, but you became his rival by your talents and intelligence. He knew this and this piece of realization doubled his hate towards you.

The funny part was the things he did not realize. Baekhyun was full of confidence, he was capable of performing even miracles, however he never perceive the fact that you were also a miracle.

“So, what we are going to do?” Chanyeol asked to everyone with a huge, happy smile. Baekhyun fended himself off moaning, happy virus Chanyeol already sensed the chance of levitating the mood between the teams and playing along with it. “Are we boarding?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” one of your boys, Sehun, came close to Chanyeol. Baekhyun and you immediately glared them, noticing the chemistry between these two. Both of you wished to keep the teams apart from each other in order to reduce the obliged interactions between the leaders, but it seemed not possible even from the beginning. Baekhyun was cursing between his lips, you were swearing at the executive board in your mind.

“Indy,” Shinhye whispered to you. “Are you okey? You look like wanting to kill one of us.”

“Not you.” you answered without thinking, then registered to your words. “Ignore me, Shinhye, I am a little bit tense right now.”

“We got your back.” she blinked at you and held Jongdae’s hand. “Let’s start the adventure!”

What an adventure, you thought but silently joined them. Kyungsoo also was walking next to you.

“Why the heck you went to Sunkyungwan?” you spilled the bean. “I always believed you would stay in Sejong.”

“Yeah, that was my intention.” Kyungsoo was plain as always. “However, Sunkyungwan gives me more opportunities to secure my career, Indy.”

“I know.” you had to admit. Sejong was not generous as Sunkyungwan. “Sorry for my selfish words.”

“No worries.” he beamed. “It happens all the time, but I am really happy to work with you again.”

“Old but gold days, huh?”

“Well, it was not purely gold,” Kyungsoo followed the flows and ebbs. “Do you remember when we were almost expelled from the university?”

“Is there a way to forget those days?” you immediately took a look on Baekhyun. It was his fault, obviously. “We were shitting in our pants instead of the one who put us in that situation.”

“Come on,” Kyungsoo chuckled. “It was not only his fault, Indy, our hands were also crimson red.”

“Let me recall the memory, Doh,” you pinched his hand, he playfully pushed your fingers. “Excuse me if I am wrong, however that scumbag was the one who challenged you to confiscate the coin, because of your involvement into the incident, I had no choice but dragging your ass out of shit.”

“They caught two of us in the crime field.” Kyungsoo burst into laughs. “Professor Lee went ballistic and scolded us like we just killed a person cold heartedly.”

“And you could not see the reason behind it?” You were cutting Kyungsoo’s body with your eyes. “If someone tries to steal a coin from the excavation house during the session, I will kill them for sure. We were so lucky, the one who caught us was Professor Lee.”

“I heard you are strictest when it comes to excavation.” Kyungsoo assured you. “But try to not kill us.”

“The only one I am going to take down,” you shivered with the memory, Kyungsoo was already regretful to remind it to you. Well, maybe not so much because he wanted you and Baekhyun to realize the potential relationship you could have, and the easiest way in order to put you two in touch was making you angry. “That bastard if he will behave like the old days. We are not children anymore.”

“Have you ever been a kid?”

“Fuck off, Kyungsoo.”

“You did not change even a bit, Indy.” Kyungsoo made his statement. Obviously, you were going to keep this to yourself, taking his silent approval made you were more than happy. “You are still a pain in the ass.”

“And you are still a good boy.” you grinned, watching his lips formed around silent laughs. “Such a cute puppy for me, let me see your wagging tail.”

“I am sorry to interrupt your flirting session,” Kyungsoo turned to Baekhyun’s deadpanned face. “However, we have to move.”

“When you come across to a pretty girl,” Kyungsoo did not miss the chance of returning the favour. “You have to flirt with her. Wasn’t it your advice?”

“Yeah.” Baekhyun looked at you, then turned to Kyungsoo.

You knew what was going to happen.

“He said pretty girls,” you tucked the words in Baekhyun’s mouth before he could open his fucking damn mouth. “To my dismay, I have never been pretty to correspond the standards of Byun Baekhyun the Magnificent. I am crying for the lack of beauty almost every night, I mean living without Byun Baekhyun’s interests… Such a misery.”

Kyungsoo bit his lower lip in order to hold his laugh, Baekhyun’s fists were clenching but you did not stop there.

"Ah I almost forget to ask for the name of that little village, Baekhyun.” you directly looked at his eyes since ages. “Where the girl you desperately wanted to bless with your attention left you? UN Village?”

You immediately spin on your tiptoes, then slipped towards to Sehun, leaving two of them behind of you, refusing to look at back. In the meantime, Baekhyun was throwing daggers to your back, grinding his teeth, his jaw was extremely tensed. Before Kyungsoo could stop him, he swiftly came to your side, you felt his breath on your neck.

You shivered.

You fucking shivered and Baekhyun noticed that.

“You are playing with the fire, as always.” he whispered to your ear before someone could notice what he was doing. “Did you forget who was burning with fire, baby girl?”

He quickly disappeared and started to make such a fuss in order to gather his team members around himself. You were frozen, after years, you were frozen, you missed the little smile on the corner of Baekhyun’s mouth.

You were on the verge of screaming because of the frustration you had felt. You forced yourself to proceed, walked into the plane, helped your team in order to set their belongings and place into their seats, then you retreated your own seat. It was comfortable and you could easily snatch a blanket. Your wish became true, even quicker than you expected because Sehun, your wonderful Sehun, already brought a soft blanket for you. You smiled at him, actually forgiving him for building bonds with Chanyeol since they changed their seats in order to sit next to each other and weaved your legs around the fabric.

Your brain was in autopilot, you were lost in the horrible memories. You did not want to recall them, you buried them into the cemetery of your memory. You wished nothing but never remember that day.

The day in that village.

Baekhyun was mad at himself.

His face was clouded, for the first time he was silent and sitting on the farthest seat in the plane. He really wanted to be alone, and since being vocal about his feeling was so natural for him, he told his need to the team. They willingly let him to do what he wanted, as a result, he was looking out of window, hell if a person could see something out of a plane’s window, and he was cursing himself.

He knew it was going to be a chess play. Between you and him.

It has been always like the chess.

There was a bond between you and Baekhyun, even thought you two always refused it, you also were aware of that bond. You equally hated each other and if there was a thing which could make you happier than seeing each other’s downfalls, that was the opportunity of being the one who digs the other’s grave by their hands.

He was sure on he was going to be the one who sets your body on fire, then finishes you. He was sure on he was going to be the victor, the one and only champion.

When he kills you, erases your name for all eternity, when he condemns you with demnatio memoriae, he will calmly breathe again.

You were a pain in the ass, even when you were not around of Baekhyun, you had a place in his mind since that fucking day he met you. Your presence was like a tree, how much he could try, he could neither find your roots in his mind nor cut them all.

You were his enemy; he was going to treat you as you deserved.

There would be no turning back.

But…

He was mad at himself.

He made a wrong move while he was trying to disturb you, shake your cage in order to give you a lesson.

He also remembered.

The day in that fucking village.

[womenofwonder]

RWBY characters races for AUs set in our world.

How I’m going to do this: three things. The first, the city they live in Remnant. This is the least important because that leaves us with only five…maybe six places compared to our world’s hundreds of countries.

The second will be the original of their names, which they’ll have to keep in the AUs, meaning that they need some culture background for them.

The third will be their fairy tale origins.

So to start, Ruby Rose:

She lives in Vale, which is similar to France (I’ll explain why in another post maybe), but technically grew up in patch, a small island off the coast of Vale. I have no idea about Patch’s culture as we hardly ever see it, so I’m going to skip this one. We also don’t know if either Summer or Taiyang was originally from Vale.

We know Taiyang is Chinese from his name, so I’m going to say she’s half Chinese. I also wrote a western au once and really love the idea of Taiyang being an Asian Redneck…so I think I’m going to say Ruby is very, very southern just because that would be adorable.

But if you don’t want that idea I generally see Taiyang being either Asian-American or Asian-French, or Asian-British if your doing a HP AU. Summer is harder to pin down, but Red Riding Hood was originally an Italian fable, so I’m going to have her be Italian or Italian-American.

Weiss:

Weiss is German, although making her simply white America/British would work. I could see her being Russian too in some AU because Atlas fits well as Russia. For American works, Pennsylvania has quite the German population and coal mines, so that works pretty well for her.

Blake is really complicated. From Remment Australia which is culturally SEA (south East Asian), has an English name but parents with a Hindu-inspired names, but neither looking vaguely Indian. I’m going to assume her family are immigrants (as they are in cannon I think) to Australia, maybe even changed their name to help them fit in. Immigrants from where? Well, India is an option, but I like to think Malaysia. They have a large Indian and Chinese population, and I like to think Blake is a mixture of Chinese, Malay, and Indian ethnicities, from Malaysia and immigrated to Australia. And if you think this is crazy or unrealistic, you haven’t seen anything yet. The sheer mix of cultures I’ve seen growing up as an ex-pat is insane. This isn’t too crazy.

For Yang, we already have Taiyang as an Asian red-neck. Or at least I do. Raven and Qrow are going to be a little harder to pin down, but I’m think bandits getting replaced by mafia. Which mafia? I don’t know, take you’re pick. Branwen is Welsh, but I can’t think of a Welsh mafia. Coming from Mistral I would see them as being Triad, not Yakuza because Raven’s gang is famous for being less than coordinated.

If you need a logical reason for Yang having blonde hair, Taiyang could be only half Chinese, half blonde (blonde is race right?).

Either way I see Raven operating in an American city like New York or Detroit.

This would mean Yang is fully Chinese ethnically.

JNPR:

Jaune’s name and inspiration are all French. However his mother does come from Mistral (I think), so I do see him being half Chinese, but nationally French. It’s also funny to imagine him with a French accent.

Pyrrha: she’s Greek or maybe Greek-American with her parents being recent immigrants. Argus seems to Remnent-Greece and her name and fairy tale are greek.

Nora: she should be Scandinavian. I feel like in a MCU AU she’s Thor’s daughter. But she also grew up as a street rat in Mistral, which is hard to fit in our world. Therefore I’m going to have her in America, the great melting pot (and also America seems to be more like Mistral than any other Remnent king with our state system), and she going to ethically Scandinavian but knowing nothing of her culture due to her upbringing.

Ren: obviously Chinese, but I might have him be American-Chinese to fit his story nicely in with Nora’s.

Others:

Coco: we’re all ignoring that she’s based off Coco Channel, so let’s make her a LA girl

Velvet: Australia, because of the accent. Or maybe English because that is her story origin

Fox: he’s difficult, because tribes are pretty rare in modern AUs. But his story could work for various things. He’s one of the few black characters so he could come from practically any African tribe (I’m currently going with Hausa because it’s one of the few I know anything about). His name is based off ‘the fox and the hound’ which is a rare American story, so he could also be from a Native American tribe if you want the AU to be more American-based.

Yatsuhashi: Japanese, this one is thankfully easy.

Sun: Chinese. He comes from a tribe as well, but I can’t think of any nomadic Chinese tribes except the Uyghurs. Making Sun a Uyghur doesn’t make much sense but it will serve to piss off certain people on the internet. And now this is going to be taken down, isn’t it? Oh wait, this is tumbrl. This is anarchy. It won’t. Forgot why I liked this place for a second.

Scarlet: sorry for the rambling there. Anyway, Scarlet is definitely English. “I hope I don’t get sand in my shoes.”

Sage: well, he’s black, but other then that we have nothing to go one. He’s also from Mistral but that doesn’t really work? If Mistral is America as well as China I guess we can make him African American. Or whatever else works best for the AU. He might be Indian too now that I think of it. Or even Maori. Really options are limitless here.

Neptune: Yeah, so probably just American, but does have both a French last name and an Italian first name. So probably ethically American (aka white mutt). Also he lives near a port, I think I’m gonna gone with him being from Tacoma Washington because I am.

Flynt: African American

Neon: Japanese-American because of her meme (it started as part of Japanese pop song on YouTube, the latter of which is America summed up in one invention)

Oscar: Hispanic-American, he just looks it. And I’m guessing he lives in Kansas for obvious reasons. His last name isn’t Hispanic but their could be a lot of reasons for that. Or he could be Native American (Pawnee, Cheyenne, and Osage are all Native American tribes in Kansas).

Penny: well if she’s still a robot she probably stays white, but if you want her human in this AU she might end up being half black as Pietro is, although she also could just be adopted. I guess the later makes more sense, huh? I figure she’s American, with her dad working with a ‘well meaning’ but ultimately corrupt government. Probably living in DC, as that has both the government and the poverty issues.

Emerald: oohh, boy. This is hard. Sustrai is Basque, and Aladdin is a French addition to an Arabian story, she herself is dark skinned with anime features that are super unhelpful for this sorta thing.

I have three ideas. Brazilian, mostly as there’s no South American themed RWBY characters I can think of, and it’s diverse enough that someone looking like Emerald would fit. Secondly, for American centered stories she’s just an orphan with no idea of her ethnicity. Or she could be African, Indian, Pacific Islander, or Hispanic or some mixture between those four. It’s honestly really hard to tell. In my fanfic she’s from Suriname and ethnically 1/4 Indian, 1/2 Creole, and 1/4 Javanese.

Ilia: Sioux (Native American). Ilia means a lot of things in a lot of different languages, and Amitola mean rainbow in Sioux, so I decided to just stick with that.

Mercury: American, white mutt American. I’m guessing New York or Philli for where he grew up, it seems like a place where he’d be comfortable

Neo: the new novel reveals her father lived in vale (btw I haven’t read it, I’m just getting this off the internet) and her mother was a assassin who’s origins aren’t known. She doesn’t really have a fairy tale. So I’m going to go with British or French (thank RWBY thoughts for the first one) although in an American AU she works as just a white American.

Robyn: depends on what Atlas is in this AU, but probably German or American.

Qrow: I already mentioned he’s probably Chinese due to being from Mistral. It’s a bit weird to think of him as Asian, but not as weird as it to think of Raven as white, so I’ll take it. Although I do like the idea of him being American Irish, that’s fun.

Winter: whatever Atlas is in this AU, German or American, although British and Russian would work well too.

Maria: Mexican

Salem: If you want a AU where she’s just a normal person then New England or Italian for her story origin

Watts: British

Tyrian: uh…I have no idea, but he looks white. And he kinda has a British accent? I want him to be southern for the accent tho. Probably just another crazy American

Cinder: her fairy tale is French but her origin is Chinese. Also, Cinderella doesn’t really have an origin, it’s an ancient story with every culture having at least one Cinderella story. So I’m going to say Chinese.

Hazel: American, from the Midwest. He’s darkish so maybe he’s a POC? Part Native American or Hispanic? Idk or really care I can’t stand Hazel

Roman Torchwick: American-Italian, he runs/works for the mafia

Ozpin: American because of the whole wizard-of-Oz-thing or French, because he seems to have come from Vale.

Glynda: American or French for the same reasons Ozpin is

Oobleck: Jewish American (because Dr. Seuss was)

Professor Port: Russian, due to his fairy tale, or English, due to his style

Taiyang: already said he’s a red-neck Asian.

Raven: depending on whether you want her to be white or not, either Chinese or Irish American, like I already said.

Cordovin: Karen

Ironwood: again, depends on Atlas in the AU. Either American or German…maybe Russian

Clover: Irish-American (or German, obviously the ace-ops depend on where Atlas is. I’m just going to do the rest of them assuming Atlas is American because Germany isn’t that diverse)

Harriet: African-American, I guess. It kinda messes with the story because Harriet is supposed to be privileged, which doesn’t really work in this AU, but she’s also obviously black.

Elm: Just normal American, maybe greek-American because of the Aesop fable themes

Vine: Tibetan based on his design

Marrow: either African-American or Pakistani/Indian-American. (I’m personally going for Pakistani)

Klein: english. All butlers are English. It’s a rule.

Pietro: African-American

Johanna: Pakistani or Indian American

Fiona: Jewish-American (kinda random but while she’s obviously white she also needs to be a minority for the Faunus thing to work)

May: normal upper glass American/German

Ghira: Half Malay, Half Indian, from Malaysia but immigrated to Australia later in life

Kali: half Chinese, half Indian, but also from Malaysia

Adam: much like Fiona I’m going to assume he’s Jewish due to him being white but still needing to be a minority. German or American, again, depending on where Atlas is. Or he could be Chinese, even though it doesn’t work with his name, due to the theory that he was trafficked much like Cinder. I’m going with ethically Jewish though

Sienna Khan: Indian

Huh, I actually finished that. I’m pretty sure I was accidentally racist multiple times and apologize in advance,

I’m exhausted and starving and not thinking straight. But anyway, here it is. Your very messy guide to modern RWBY AUs. I swear this was insane to sort out.

[whocalledhimannux]

@peregrer the What. 👀👀👀 *insert John Mulaney gif of "say more right now"*

ok so when I say "the extent to which I've fleshed out the QT GBBO AU in my head is getting to be embarrassing," I truly and deeply mean it, please enjoy 1,900 words of utter ridiculousness.

first, our competitors:

Legarus - performs so poorly that viewers are a bit confused how he got on the show in the first place, a la Jamie (series 10) or that one guy who made a lime and chocolate cake in the first week.

Chloe - nice flavors and good ideas for decorations, but pretty sloppy. was up for elimination in the first week but came back with a great showstopper.

Melheret - good but not as good as he thinks he is (hence his bread week elimination because of sloppy technique), heavy-handed with the alcohol flavoring

Agape - solid competitor, not flashy but tasty + pretty results. I haven't worked out exact week-by-week themes (that would indeed be Too Much) but I imagine this is something like "Dairy" or "Caramel" or "Vegan," some particular element she just happens to not be strong on. viewers are disappointed by her early elimination

Teleus - Dad contestant. brings in a bunch of weird pans and gadgets he made up himself, does pretty well until it comes to Fiddly Foreign Foods he doesn't know (probably eliminated in French or Patisserie week)

Laela - typically has good flavors and pretty designs but technical knowledge is a bit lacking, so there are usually some flaws in the execution and she's often in the bottom half of technicals

Phresine - Grandma contestant. nails the classics but ultimately isn't creative enough to make it further.

Magus - the "Ian (series 6)" flavor of Dad contestant, often brings in foraged ingredients or eggs from his own chickens or whatnot and revives old recipes/flavor combinations no one else knows about. one week, some of those turn out to just be too weird, leading to his elimination.

Sophos - pretty elaborate decorations and good flavors (on the border of classic and new), but he tends to try a million different embellishments on everything and struggles with timing, occasionally to the detriment of technique.

Kamet - always has really interesting and different flavors and tends to do well in technicals especially, assuming he doesn't get overwhelmed. which is... an assumption (Finalist)

Costis - leans towards classic and indulgent flavors, although sometimes a bit sloppy--the kind of contestant where the judges look at his dishes and say "it's a bit of a mess" and then Paul Hollywood starts laughing because it still tastes delicious (Finalist)

Irene - absolutely stunning visually, queen of the technicals, occasionally gets the "style over substance" warning (Winner)

more details below the cut

I've gone back and forth on whether Eugenides should be in it but ultimately I decided no because I wanted to maintain a pre-show relationship between Laela + Kamet (I thought otherwise at first but then I realized I hadn't left Kamet any longterm friends or family for his finalist video and that's depressing af) and Irene and Sophos which to my knowledge hasn't happened once on the show so far? so having a married couple on top of that seems like it would be a stretch, and also then I think I'd need to make Eugenides the winner on principle and you know what? he can stand to be second fiddle to his wife for a little bit. My alternate backstory for him is that he was actually the winner of MasterChef one year (good with knives), so in the first episode Irene's first little chat to camera is something like "my husband's been bugging me for years to try out and I keep telling him he's got a skewed perspective on cooking competitions, finally I applied just to shut him up... and here we are." Her little video introduction is about how baking is a stress relief from her bigshot job. Her decorations tend to be abstract and gorgeous rather than cutesy.

Kamet, likewise, was nagged into applying by Laela, but she very cleverly framed it as she wanted to apply and wanted him to do it to for moral support. both were confident the other would get in and surprised that they did themselves. This is one of those series where everyone's friendships are immediate and obvious and super adorable (cast of series 10 my beloved...), and in particular these two are holding hands in episode 1. Laela's deep blue robe from TaT sticks in my head for whatever reason so I imagine her making an elaborate blue peacock cake or something one week that wins her star baker. somebody always does a peacock something and it's always impressiev.

Phresine is cool as a cucumber under pressure, always has lovely things to say about everyone else's bakes, and is the go-to last-minute helper because she usually comes in under the time. Irene starts out similar but as the weeks go by she starts to feel the pressure a bit more and cuts it a bit close. Sophos is the worst on timings, and mentions his wife at least once an episode. (I also played with him being single on the show and meeting Helen later through Irene and Eugenides, but this idea is too cute to pass up tbh.) Teleus lives with Relius, a fact that isn't mentioned until a few weeks in when he comments that Relius likes a recipe or gave him an idea for a flavor or something (Relius does not bake himself but will happily sample practice bakes), to the surprised delight of every viewer whose favorite contestant is the oldest gay in any given series (me, me, that person is me).

Costis tends to use a lot of chocolate and, as I said, pretty "classic" flavors--one of those people who makes a full English savory bake at some point. He's usually in the top half of the competition but doesn't get the top until one of the later weeks in the competition, which is a Honey themed week, and he absolutely nails it. The delicate decorations of his honey nut cakes and his use of honeycomb are particularly praised and that's the week he gets star baker. One of those bakers who flirts with elimination the first few weeks but noticeably improves over the course of the show.

My most, like, plot-y ideas are about Kamet (SHOCKER). I imagine he was born in Setra (I usually make Setra a non-autonomous region in my AUs) but arrived in Britain as a child due to [Unspecified Crisis] and ended up with foster dad Jeffa, who was roughly from the same region but not Setra itself; whenever Kamet wanted Setran food as a kid, Jeffa would take him to the library to find recipes and that was what sparked his love of baking. He's well-read on the subject and knows about foods from a lot of different cultures, so he's usually heard of the technical challenges even if he hasn't made or eaten them. He does a lot of fusion flavors, and is ALL ABOUT bread week.

I don't usually make the his-relationship-with-Nahuseresh-is-romantic leap in modern AUs but I think it works for this one because of the nature of the format--Nahuseresh doesn't actually appear on camera but is alluded to once or twice, ends up being Very Displeased that Kamet is doing something for himself, and during the week following Laela's elimination they have the fight that makes Kamet realizes this is actually a terrible relationship and he needs to leave now. He calls Laela to let her know what's up and mentions that, since he'll need to stay in a motel and has presumbly lost his job as a secretary (yeah working for your boyfriend is Bad, he's realized that now), he's going to have to drop out of the show. Laela, despite living in a studio flat without room to host him, immediately thinks "um fuck that" and calls Costis, and within an hour Costis and Aris and a few rugby buddies have moved all of Kamet's things into Costis and Aris's flat, where Costis insists that he'll squeeze into Aris's room (they've shared before, it's fine) and that Kamet gets first dibs on the kitchen for all bake off practices.

None of them actually reveal any of this to the show's producers. Kamet gets a little overwhelmed the following week and nearly walks away from the tent, but Costis jumps in to keep his bake from being ruined, and some soothing words from Irene + the hosts calm him down and he returns to finish. The only mention of the Drama comes in the finale, during the longer video clips they do on each of the contestants. Kamet is deliberately vague about the details of the situation, but Aris shows up in both Costis's and Kamet's videos and references the fact that having TWO flatmates in the bake off is a bit difficult because they only have a standard size kitchen, so he hasn't cooked for himself in a month and has been living off cake and savory breads. one of the hosts talks to Kamet in the tent after that clip is shown and he still won't talk about it in more detail, but says that he wanted to tell people so they could appreciate why Costis hasn't practiced as much the last few weeks (the judges scolded him for winging it a couple of times), and admits that he totally copied some of Costis's techniques for honey week based on watching him at home.

I imagine the finale task is something like an illusion cake--probably with a bunch of additional required elements because the show has been going bonkers with the finale showstoppers in the newer seasons--and Irene wins with a jewelry box containing, among other things, ruby earrings made out of candy. Kamet does a stepwell, and Costis does something architectural (I was thinking castle but something visibly Greek-ish so maybe a temple or a megaron? idk). Irene wins but they're all BFFs and that's obvious, so everyone's delighted for her. The little montage at the end reveals that Irene + Gen are expecting twins, that everybody hangs out all the time, and that Costis + co recently helped Kamet move into his own flat where he's now working on a novel (Immakuk and Ennikar inspired, obvi, leaning heavily on the honey-shared-on-the-road thing and including some recipes that actually work in the narration, albeit still written in an ancient-novel-like-way).

[Obviously not part of the show, but when Kamet mentions that it's time for him to look for his own place, Costis tries to v awkwardly invite him to stay forever and Kamet is like "nope I've got to try this on my own but yes we will go on a date once I've moved out and see how it goes from there."]

[This is so far beyond the scope of the show but also several of them go on to have more baking-related careers and have active social media presences and at one point they're all hanging out and Eugenides pulls out a camera and demands they all produce baking pick-up lines. Teleus refuses and also doesn't believe anyone knows baking pick-up lines off the top of their head or could make them up on the spot. Sophos sort of proves him right by coming up with "you're the apple of my pie," which Eugenides instantly mocks because Sophos's three greatest loves are baking, Helen, and poetry, and that's the best he can do? Helen comes up with "I like my cake the way I like my men--rich, sweet, and bright red," to which Sophos blushes on cue. Irene's is "when I'm with you, I feel like chocolate heated to 50 degrees--I struggle to maintain my temper." Eugenides protests this is more like an anti-pickup line. Irene insists this is the most accurate marriage-related baking pun anyone could ever come up with.

[Laela's is "You and I are like custard--I hope we never split." Kamet's is "You remind me of bread, because I knead you." Costis freezes for a minute and finally comes up with "Fancy a cream horn?" which produces a lot of giggling and makes Kamet slap his arm in such a way that, hen Eugenides posts this video to instagram, fans of the show all go WAIT ARE THEY DATING NOW] [by this point, yes they are] [I didn't even have to google baking pickup lines for this, guys, I legit came up with them on my own, please clap.]

am I obsessed? I might be obsessed

[johaerys-writes]

Fic Writer’s Round Up: 2020

I was tagged by wonderful friendos @in-arlathan, @noire-pandora, @faerieavalon, @pinkfadespirit, @tevivinter, and @serial-chillr! Thank you so much, it was so interesting to see what you've been up to this year <3 

2020 was a ride from start to finish and I considered not doing this at first because frankly, I wasn't particularly happy with my output this year, but I decided to give it a go and I was pleasantly surprised! This year has had a lot of ups and downs for me and there were plenty of times when I had a hard time putting words on the page, while others I couldn't stop. I've written primarily for Dragon Age and The Song of Achilles, and a little bit of Castlevania. In the below breakdown I've included all the fics I’ve written solo, both my published stuff as well as those that I plan on publishing in the near future  (for my lengthier works, I’ve only included the chapters written in 2020):

Aran belongs to @oftachancer!

I don't know if you noticed the ~50k words of deleted stuff, but that was an entire arc that I wrote for A World With You, but decided it wasn't good enough so I scrapped and rewrote it. Those long gaps between updates this year? Yeah. That was it. I normally don't include deleted scenes in my overall wordcount but I decided to add this out of spite because it was a lot of hard work and it may or may not have had me sobbing into my coffee once or twice. Anyway. MOVING ON.

I also co-wrote A LOT with my friendo @oftachancer this year! It all started with a Modern AU one-shot of Aran and Tristan as college roommates, which then derailed into an epic adventure of about 250,000 words (placeholder title: Never Let Me Go) as well as a prequel of about 180,000 words of the boys before they went to college, which is currently being published on AO3 (Playground Love). We also published a smutty one-shot for Kinktober (Tea and Corsets). I love those boys so much, and I’m excited to write more of them. I have also co-written a few scenes for the Band!AU @oftachancer and @midnightprelude have been working on, which has been so much fun and I look forward to writing more! So, total wordcount for co-written stuff is approximately 445,000 words,  not including a couple one-shots that we’ve written and posted on Tumblr and I’m too lazy to track down now, or others that haven’t been published yet but will soon!

New Things I Tried This Year: 

Co-writing two massive, novel length fics was definitely a first, I had a lot of fun world-building with @oftachancer​, and it gave me the opportunity to develop some of my OCs that had been lurking in my mind for a really long time. I also started writing for a new fandom, TSOA, and that has definitely been a highlight in my year. I grew up reading the Iliad and ancient greek myths, and to see them brought to life was very rewarding. It has also been a lot of fun finding ways to integrate ancient greek lore in my works, I really love it!

Fic I spent the most time on: A World With You, although Playground Love and Never Let Me Go are close seconds!   

Fic I spent the least time on: To Build A Home. I wrote it in only a couple sittings after finishing Season 3 of Castlevania because I had so many feels! Chapters 1 and 2 of High-Flying Birds were also written on my phone in less than an hour, because again I was overwhelmed with feels after finishing The Song of Achilles.  

Favourite things I wrote: I am really proud of everything I’ve written this year, especially since it was such a stressful year and writing gave me a much needed escape! But I'm going to choose a few highlights, purely based on the satisfaction they gave me while writing, and how often I've gone back to reread them (does anyone else do that?? Lol): Viper in Tall Grass, because I enjoyed the heck out of writing in the Witcher Universe. Chapter 2: Thorn, from High Flying Birds, which was one of those scenes that practically wrote themselves and I still like the way it turned out. Lastly, Chapter 28: The Prodigal Son and Chapter 29: In Water Waist Deep from AWWY. They were both really challenging to write but in the end they were worth it and I personally feel it’s some of my best writing yet. I always get emotional when I go back to reread them.  

Favourite Things I Read: I’ve read a lot of published fiction this year, but not near as much fanfiction as I would have liked! I mentioned some of the fics I’m currently reading and loving in this post, but I’m going to make a more detailed fic rec post soon, so keep an eye out for that! 

Writing Goals for next year: My primary goals for 2021 are to finish AWWY and High-Flying Birds so I can start working on some projects I’ve been wanting to post forever, but apart from that, I have no goals other than to have fun writing, and perhaps participate in more fic exchanges and challenges! 

This post is terribly long (I’m usually rather quiet unless someone asks me to talk about my fics, and then I can’t shut up lol), but I want to thank every single person that has liked, reblogged and commented on my work, you guys are the best and there’s nothing like a comment or a thoughtful tag to make me want to create more! 

I also want to give a special shoutout to @solas-disapproves, @in-arlathan, @midnightprelude, @tessa1972 and @oftachancer​ for being the lovely, inspiring people that they are, and for gifting me with wonderful fanart or fanfic this year that made me want to melt in a puddle, as well as to @tenmeooo-thefangirltrash​ for translating High Flying Birds to Vietnamese! (Check it out here) Thank you all so much, your friendship and support has meant the world to me ;w;

I’m sure that everyone has done this already, but I’m still going to tag @pikapeppa, @schoute​, @schattengerissen, @zuendwinkel​, @elveny​, @fandomn00blr​, @dafan7711​, @dalish-rogue​, @jeannedarcprice​, @nug-juggler​, @kittimau​ and @lavellanvibes​ for art or writing, because I always love seeing what you’ve been up to! If you’ve made it to the end of this humongous post, please consider yourself tagged, and tag me back so I can see your work too!

CHEERS, AND ON TO 2021!! <3

[keeper-not-hero]

MY THREE HUMANS AND MY THREE TROLLS ARE FINALLY DONE BEING THOUGHT ABOUT AND ARE NOW PLACED INTO THE WORLD FOR YOU TO ENJOY READING ABOUT, Massive post under read more!!!

[Obs: These ain’t kids. They’re all in their early 20’s tho.]

Gatolt Osbizb (name means nothing. = Muse of Doom.) - 

Looks: Hair that goes down to her shoulders, curly and surprisingly well groomed. Skin (and body) made up of tiny chunks stitched together. Fingers, hands, legs, slightly different shades of grey, with seams colored with the multitude of different blood types beneath. Blank eyes, shirt and pants. Simplistic dress code.

Personality: A hodgepodge of Troll flesh, bones, and a few cybernetic enhancements all stitched together into a singular being. Goldblood, purple blood, violet, and more. Both of her eyes are blank (though she can still see thanks to cyberoptics), and she is usually in at least a mild amount of pain due to the strain of her body barely being able to keep itself together. Despite all that, she tries to act cheery and tries to be the life of her friend circle, though not always with success. And besides, she rarely tries to mingle outside of it, feeling unwelcome in other circles.

Constantly requires maintenance which she usually does herself, and… fresh replacements. Her creator fucked up in making her, which means she is now slowly yet constantly rotting away, to the point every part of her body except the brain and enhancements are different than her first resurrection.  Her girlfriend, Bakhus, usually helps with gathering ‘replacements’. She feels like a burden due to her condition that sometimes leaves her bedridden for days, which makes her stay quiet and sometimes even enable her friends’ bad habits, because she doesn’t want to be a drag. Hates the fact her whole life revolves around her condition. Likes gardening and clockwork.

Bakhus Gredui (Greedy Bacchus / Dionysius. = Thief of Void)  - 

Looks: Hair that goes all the way to the floor and a few feet behind her, greasy, messy, and dragging food bits in it. Tank top with her sign (Sign of the Brazen) on it, suspenders and oversized clown pants. Juggalo make-up messy and somewhat faded, droopy yellow eyes, usually with a hunched stance. Very, very tall, and extremely strong - with some healthy weight to her body to go along with it.

Personality: A purple-blood that represses her kind and motherly urges under liters and liters of Faygo. A chef at heart and a great cook from years of experience, she constantly throws barbecues and small carnivals on her massive garden, which attracts lowblood and highblood alike. Her festivities have become small gathering spots for those who wish to mingle with the upper / lower classes despite their own status, and for spies of both the Condescension and those who oppose her. Bakhus is, of course, too busy grilling to mind that she has accidentally created the perfect neutral spot.

Despite her cooking prowess, the Faygo inhibits both her ability to feel much empathy or care about the taste of her food. Deliciously cooked and prepared meals placed near overly-sugary, soggy, Faygo-drenched pretzels. She carries a massive cookbook alongside her massive pot, which has recipes that certain blood types enjoy, and… recipes made out of said blood types. She has no qualms cooking violets and reds, and sometimes will go so far as to grab Faygo-drunk trolls in her cookout and take them inside to ‘rest’. They’re never seen again.

Also keeps a small spice garden. Gatolt usually takes care of it, with whatever isn’t used to cook as fertilizer. Occasionally, she sends the butchered corpses to Marciu. Who also happens to be Gatolt’s creator.

Marciu Shelli (Like, y’know. Mary Shelley. Frankenstein’s author. = Seer of Space)  - 

Looks: Short hair, think Eridan, but with no streak. Scrawny to a fault, and clearly underfed. Big scientist glasses with special prescription lenses, white lab robes that hide his starving figure and his left hand gloved with thick, hazmat-suit-like protection. The right one is a prosthetic, indigo tubes and wires trying to replicate the sensation of the original with… some success. Pointy nose, sharp teef.

Personality: Anxious, skittery and, quite frankly pitiful even for an indigo blood, Marciu spends most of his days either robbing graves for corpses or putting his ill-gotten gains to use in his laboratory. Deeply resentful of feelings he has about himself, he buries them deep within him and, to make sure no one can say he is valid or try to empathize with his pain, keeps pushing himself further and further down the hole until he pushes everyone away. Having lost a hand to a nasty accident involving a bone saw and a few too many of Bakhus’ spiked snacks, he also has a mechanical replacement.

A master of biomechanical engineering, he constantly creates half-troll, half-machine abominations to help him around the lab. Rotten servants just barely able to move their joints with hollow eyes and faces, mechanical hearts pumping blood and fuel throughout the system. Still, despite his best attempts at being as repugnant as possible, his friends still cling to him.

Except Gatolt. Gatolt has actively tried to kill him multiple times, being stopped only by Bakhus’ eternal kindness to the weirdo that occasionally gives her “aged” ingredients. Also, his human friends.

[Why does he have human friends? Idk, Pesterchum + machines or AU where humans and trolls live in the same world after a few Sburb/Sgrub/Swhatever versions playing out after homestuck and Lord English being gone.]

Bert Kairos (Albert Einstein and his whole relativity stuff + Kairos, a greek concept of time. = Mage of Time.)  - 

Looks: Very short and very curly hair. Dark skin, both legs missing, though one has a very unpolished, simplistic metal prosthetic to help him stand in one foot. Right arm missing too, half of a prosthetic attached to it,cut off at the elbow from an accident. Hasn’t bothered replacing it yet. Blouse with a robot symbol and shorts, chin stubble. Brown eyes.

Personality: A gentle soul who makes more time for everyone else than he ever did to himself. Spending literal days away from his parents’ home, staying in his makeshift workshop creating toys for the kids on his street and to help the people of his community. Lost both legs and an arm from accidents with heavy machinery and cars that he work repairing to make a living, usually for meager scraps out of the kindness of his own heart and the belief that it’s all part of a greater plan that he barely gets enough to survive, relying on crutches and Marciu’s prosthetics that often break because of even more accidents due to his very precarious working conditions.

He dreams of one day being able to inspire people, though. A big, endless machine of silly, simple delights. Not curing the world, not controlling the weather, a machine with the same utility as a painting. A machine that could cover the entire world in its width and length, proof that humanity can do anything if it just bands together. A wish that sometimes consumes his mind as he spends hours on end, instead of sleeping, building small moving pieces that will hopefully one day help fill this whole. This magnificent machine he will make to help mankind flourish through its artistic value, that they will sing his name in praise for generations, that mankind will be uplifted until we don’t need work, money, barriers, differences, just a homogenous mass streaking across the cosmos with machine brilliance. 

But, he has way too many people to take care of, so he never dabbles on it too much.

Andy Eissuh ( :) - Lord of Life) - 

Looks: Blonde hair tied in a manbun. Bushy stubble beard all over his face. Smuggest fucking grin you’ve ever seen. Blue eyes. Average height, an air of superiority that is as annoying as it is believable due to how he carries himself; like an untouchable douchebag. White tuxedo and business pants, y’know, like a doctor. Right? He’s even got the white cross! Yeah, sure, that sounds right. Like he cares about proper dress code for doctors.

Personality: A very, very, very bad doctor. A very bad doctor that has just enough good reputation and far too much money from their family to let their pretty much 100% patient loss rate slip without anyone being able to pry into it. Patient comes in, body bag goes out, and nothing ever leaves the hospital. The one time he actually saved someone was by accident, and it was a botched (and misdiagnosed by him) liver transplant where he accidentally removed the appendix instead of said liver, forgot to replace it, and the patient recovered in a short while with the help of the nurses from what he later learned was appendicitis.

Believing himself to be able to do no wrong, with a chirpy, colorful yet aggressively passive personality, he keeps his friend group around mostly to dispose of the bodies without many questions asked, and so he can feel better than the pathetic wretches he considers them. Completely blind to his irredeemably cruel medical malpractices, which he didn’t even study for, he simply bought his way into a degree because he “could feel it was my destiny.” Soft, sweet, and completely unhinged. Finding great joy preying upon the insecurities and naivete of his peers, which he feels is a breeding ground to use and abuse them for his own needs. Shoulda been smarter if you didn’t wanna get taken advantage of, duh!

Cain Pyrite (Cain the first sinner + Fool’s Gold. = Rogue of Light. ) -

Looks: Hair slightly above his shoulders, dark and greasy. Sickly pale skin, beeg librarian glasses. A nice fuzzy coat, plus shirt, plus jeans. Eye symbol on his coat. Looks like he hasn’t seen the sun in weeks, which, yeah, is absolutely right. Gentle smile, though it occasionally cracks into a nervous attempt at hiding… something!

Personality: Dedicated to… no, OBSESSED with preserving occult and ancient knowledge. Scrolls from ancient alchemists, bones of kings, relics thought long since lost hidden on the back of his seemingly normal book shop. Spending most of his days with no clients, he occasionally gets someone who is aware of his darker inclinations. He is always happy to trade knowledge for knowledge and artifact for artifact.

Only, not always the originals. No. Never the originals. 

Always finding a way to spin a story and make sure that he can spot out any fakes, he builds his collection of convincing lies, and hidden truths. Friends with the others since grave-digging always inherits some fun and interesting things, and his appetite for the esoteric and forgotten is only comparable for his taste in interesting and unique foods.

[winryofresembool]

Things We Lost in the Fire, ch 24

aka Caleo uni au

Fic summary: Calypso starts studying at a new university, but to her annoyance her new flatmate is a loud mouthed mechanic who also likes to sneak his dog in whenever. But as she learns to know him better, she realizes they might have more in common than what she first thought. Eventually, even the darkest secrets come out…

Chapter summary: Halloween chapter, part 2.

A/N: Yay, an update! I think some of you are gonna be happy about the characters that are being introduced in this chapter... Also lots of Caleo dorkiness (and canon references) in it! And you'll get to see if you were right with your costume guesses :D

Also like I already mentioned last week, this is the last chapter that I have written so far (when I started posting this fic I tried to make sure I'd have at least 7 chapters ready so I wouldn't have to stress about deadlines... and here we are now) so it is possible that updates may slow down a bit, at least if the chapter wants to become long. But I am still /trying/ to keep up with the regular updates the best I can :) So worry not!

Now, enjoy and let me know what you think!! Ps. somehow we’ve managed to pass 50k words already :O

Words: 4040

Genre: romance & hurt/comfort

Warnings: none

previous chapter / AO3

…

“Hi, you guys!” Piper, who was dressed as Wonder Woman, greeted Leo and Calypso first when they arrived, gesturing for them to come in.

“Hello! I was afraid Argo II had decided to stop working because you guys are late,” Jason the Superman noted as he offered to take Calypso’s coat and put it in a hanger by the door.

“I’m not going to lie to you, Jason, that possibility did cross my mind as well,” Calypso said, casting Leo a meaningful look. “But no, not this time.”

“We’re only 10 minutes late!” Leo protested, checking the time from his phone. “I was busy finishing something… and Calypso took her time preparing herself as well. She probably did her wig for like two hours.” He gave her a not so serious side-eye.

“I did not!” Calypso said defensively. “Yeah, I straightened and combed and braided it but that took me maybe 15-20 minutes so he is highly exaggerating.”

“Don’t worry, Calypso, we know he does that a lot.” Piper smiled at her reassuringly. “Speaking of your wig, though, you look very cute! That hair reminds me of the style you had before my makeover. You’re dressed as the mythology Calypso, right?”

“Yes, I am,” Calypso said, pleased that Piper had figured that out so fast. “I thought it would be fun to be a bit self ironic for once. I haven’t really had a good reason to sew recently so this was a nice excuse to do that as well.” She made a small twirl to show the dress better.

“That dress really looks great!” Piper told her. “I would gladly commission you to sew me clothes; it’s so hard to find anything nice from the clothes stores these days. But Leo.” She turned back to him. “I see someone hasn’t bothered to get a costume. I wasn’t expecting that from you because you’re always so excited about them.”

“No, you got it all wrong.” Leo wagged his finger at her. “I do have it here, but as I told Cal, it would have been too difficult to wear in the car.” He dropped his bag on the floor, causing a loud thud as it hit the ground.

“Alright. Care to give us any hint what it is?” Piper asked curiously. “Seems heavy.” Calypso wondered if this was something they did every year.

“I’m just saying that it’s inspired by some movies that united us three,” Leo noted mysteriously. “But that’s all, you’ll see soon!”

“My mind is blank now,” Piper said. “Jason, what movies have we watched with him?”

“The first one that comes to my mind is Star Wars,” Jason reminded her. Suddenly both Jason and Piper’s eyes widened in realization. “Could it be?”

“Oh no, Leo you didn’t!” Piper doubled over in laughter when it occurred to her what Leo’s costume most likely was. “I can’t wait to see this!”

“I hope you took pictures with Festus!” Jason couldn’t keep his poker face either, and Calypso watched their reactions with confusion.

“Don’t worry, I will show them later.” Leo grinned, unperplexed by Jason and Piper’s laughter. “Now, where can I change?”

Piper showed him an empty room where he could get into his costume in peace, while Calypso started looking around the house on her own. Even though the place seemed rather fancy, Jason and Piper had managed to make it cozier with their personal objects. A lot of them had seen life and were worn but somehow they still fit in with the newer decorations.

As Calypso reached the living room, her focus went to the guests who had already arrived at the party. She waved at Annabeth and nodded awkwardly to Percy. Even though she and Annabeth were friends again, she wasn’t quite sure how she should act near Percy so ‘reserved’ felt the most natural reaction. She couldn’t help but smile a bit, though, when she registered their costumes: Annabeth had a Chiton just like her, although grey instead of white, with some silvery accessories and a beautiful owl shaped brooch over her chest. Perhaps the most impressive part of her costume was the Greek styled helmet that was used in battles and that hid most of Annabeth’s curly ponytail. Calypso was quite certain she was dressed as Athena, the Greek goddess that according to her was the one she identified herself the most with. Percy on the other hand was wearing sandals, shorts, a tropical shirt, and a belt with fishing equipment and he was holding a fishing rod in his hand. Calypso couldn’t quite figure out who he was supposed to be, other than some sort of fisherman.

“Hi,” Calypso greeted them as she got to hearing distance with them. “You guys look nice. You’re Athena, right?” She asked Annabeth. “Matches my theme, don’t you think?”

“Sure does,” Annabeth nodded, eyeing Calypso’s costume. “You look pretty much exactly like how I imagine the mythology Calypso.”

“Thank you. Coming from you it’s a big compliment.” She turned Percy. “I can’t figure out who you are, though. You don’t seem like a Greek god?”

“I am, though,” Percy replied. “I’m Poseidon.”

“Ooh, so that’s why the fishing gear!” Calypso realized. “But I don’t think the Greeks had tropical shirts quite yet.”

“No, you’re right in that.” Percy shook his head, smiling a bit. “But I’m basing this on the version in the Peter Johnson series. That’s how he was described in it.”

“I didn’t know you have read that too,” Calypso said, “But makes sense. Um, the Poseidon and Athena of the mythology hated each other, though. Not that it’s really my business, but I hope you two are doing fine…?” She asked a bit nervously, not wanting to be the reason for their issues.

“Oh yeah, we are,” Percy confirmed immediately. “It’s just an old joke �� back when Annabeth and I were reading the Peter Johnson books I used to say Poseidon is my godly parent and Athena Annabeth’s, and that just kind of stuck with us.”

“Alright.” Calypso accepted Percy’s answer, turning her attention back to Annabeth. “By the way, where did you get that helmet? It definitely looks fancier than most of the plastic ones you see at costume shops.”

“My father collects these things,” Annabeth answered, lifting the helmet from her head for a moment. “I’ve told you he’s also a historian, right? Well, one of his friends wanted to make a replica of the ancient Greek helmets with some modern machines and dad bought this from him. I’m not saying this is 100 per cent accurate but it looks pretty cool, in my opinion.”

“It does,” Calypso confirmed.

“You came with Leo, right?” Percy asked then, to which Calypso nodded. “Where is he? I can’t wait to see his costume; he usually goes for something that is way over the top. Last year he was Hiccup from How to Train your Dragon and he had made a Toothless costume for his dog. I’ve also seen pics of him as Iron Man. Yes, with a full iron costume.”

“I can believe that of him,” Calypso chuckled, imagining Leo in the said costume. “He just went to change into his costume because apparently he couldn’t drive in it. He didn’t reveal what he was going to be, but it does sound like something extravagant.”

“I missed his costume last year but I’ll be sure to have a camera ready when he shows up this time,” Annabeth said happily. Calypso was relieved that the conversation was going this well; she hadn’t known what to expect beforehand because this was the first time she was in the same room with Percy since the ‘incident’. Talking with him now, though, made her realize that holding a grudge wouldn’t be smart and he seemed to think the same way.

“I just realized,” Calypso decided to change the topic, “that I’ve never heard the story of how you guys know Jason and Piper. So how did that happen?”

“It’s a funny story,” Percy started, smiling at the memory. “Jason and I used to be the captains of rivaling soccer teams when we were around 16. Well, one time Jason’s team was visiting us but we were playing in an arena that had just been renovated so I hadn’t been there before. I may have been a bit late from our team meeting and I was a bit lost so I decided to ask one staff lady where I was supposed to go. Somehow she got our teams mixed up and I ended up in the locker room of Jason’s team. Some of Jason’s teammates said that my expression was worth seeing when I realized the mistake but I dunno about that. The funny thing was that somehow the same thing had happened to Jason; he had also been late for the meeting because of traffic or something and he had gotten into my team’s locker room. Well, after the game we had a good laugh about it together and ended up talking about other stuff as well and noticed we have a lot in common. That’s how we became friends. When we moved into the same town, we started training together at least a few times a week.”

“Piper and I didn’t learn to know each other until Jason and she started dating a couple of years ago and they invited Percy to some party where I went with him. To be honest, I was a bit suspicious about her at first because we seemed very different but eventually we learned to respect each other’s qualities. And here we are,” Annabeth added.

“Those are some cool stories,” Calypso said. “It seems like a funny coincidence that somehow we all ended up in this city even though most of us are from somewhere else. Like Leo is from Texas, I am from Greece…” “Speaking of him,” Annabeth had to muffle his laughter with her hand, “I believe we are finally getting some answers about his costume.”

“Oh… my gods” was all Calypso could say when she turned to the direction Annabeth was looking at. “You’re really something else.”

Leo was completely hidden inside his costume, but Calypso could practically hear him grinning at their reactions. The costume looked very much like in the movies; golden (just painted, not real gold, because there was no way Leo could afford something like that) plating forming a droid with big round eyes and an ability to speak lots and lots of different languages: C-3PO from Star Wars.

“Holy shit, dude, that looks so real.” Percy gaped at Leo. “I’m starting to understand why you spent so much time in your room the past few weeks.”

“Why C-3PO, though?” Calypso asked once she managed to put her poker face back on. “Does that have some story behind it?”

“Because, duh, it looks cool!” Leo exclaimed with a mechanical voice from inside his costume. “I dunno, ever since I first saw C-3PO as a kid I thought it would be cool to be able to build something like that. And hey, his ability to translate like all the possible languages is pretty neat. Me? I just know 3.”

“Isn’t it uncomfortable in there, though?” Calypso asked. “That thing must be heavy.”

“Sunshine, I’m always uncomfortable. But this was a childhood dream of mine so I sure as heck am not backing off now,” Leo said with determination.

“A stubborn one, aren’t you?” Calypso stated. “Even I have to admit, though, that you have certainly done some thorough job with it. Hey, I should take photos before I forget! You don’t get to see this every day.”

The others dug their phones up as well and for a while Leo just made silly poses while they took pictures, clearly enjoying the attention his costume got. Eventually he started demanding that Calypso should join him for the photos but she was a bit hesitant at first.

Leo argued: “Come on. Greek mythology meets Star Wars? You don’t see a crossover like that every day.”

“Can’t argue with that, I suppose,” Calypso said and went next to him. “Well, do we have some kind of story for Calypso and C-3PO’s meeting?” she asked as Percy and Annabeth waved at them to look at the camera.

Leo considered her question for a moment. “Oh, how about this? C-3PO somehow ends up on Calypso’s island - because duh, Calypso is cursed so she can’t leave the island…”

“You seem to know surprisingly much about Greek mythology, just saying…” Calypso noted while trying to smile for the photos, resting her hand on the metallic shoulder.

“I told ya, Sunshine, you can blame tía Callida for that…” Leo reminded her. “Anyway, I imagine those two don’t really like each other at first because they’re so different but eventually they learn to respect each other’s skills; C-3PO can translate basically any language and Calypso is good at all kinds of handiworks, which is hard for a droid.”

“And? What happens after that?” Calypso asked curiously.

Leo considered it for a moment. “C-3PO doesn’t really wanna leave Calypso’s island but he has galaxies to save with his friend R2-D2 so he has to go but he promises to come get her afterwards.”

“Aw, Leo, that is kind of sweet,” Calypso commented, suddenly aware of the metal arm that had snuck around her waist. “Does he… does he ever return, though? Shouldn’t that be impossible?”

“For a human, maybe, but he’s a droid,” Leo noted. “Unfortunately during a big battle he blows up badly but the ever so faithful R2-D2 collects the pieces and finds someone who can rebuild him again. And boom, he makes it back and lives happily ever after with his goddess.”

“What’s the term you use when you enjoy a fictional relationship a lot?” Calypso asked. “Shipping?” Annabeth nodded at her. “I don’t know, Leo, to me it sounds like you ship those two. Isn’t that a bit weird?” “What, why would that be weird? I’ve seen people ship…”

“I see these two have gotten into a full on nerd mode again,” Annabeth said quietly to Percy while they were waiting for the flatmates to stop their bickering so they’d be able to take the photos. “Not projecting themselves into their characters, right?”

“No, definitely not,” Percy agreed.

Eventually Leo and Calypso stopped bickering and Annabeth was able to take the pictures. Even if Leo was mostly hidden by his costume, Calypso felt a bit self conscious about the fact that these were the first photos of them together. They did a few goofy poses because Annabeth and Percy told them to, but Calypso thought she probably looked more embarrassed than funny in them.

Once they were done, Leo went to Annabeth who was going through the photos and bowed his head a bit to see them better. “Hey, these do look pretty cool! It’s probably just the lighting but here you look like you’re blushing to some funny comment C-3PO made.”

“Show me!” Calypso yelped nervously and took the phone from Annabeth. When she saw it, she could immediately tell Leo was not wrong; she really was blushing. “Yeah, it’s definitely those candles in the background that do it… And I think it’s pretty warm in here, maybe all the people here heat this room…”

“OK, if you say so,” Leo said but Calypso imagined that he was looking at her suspiciously through his costume.

Trying to get the others’ attention to something else, she said: “So, who else has arrived so far?”

“Nico and Will. I think they went to get some snacks from the dining room,” Piper, who had just entered the room, answered.

“Leo told me that Nico is Jason’s relative, but what about Will?” Calypso asked her.

“Will is Nico’s boyfriend. This is the first time we’re meeting him but they seem very good together. At least he seems to have a grounding effect on Nico, and he actually listens to him, unlike most of us. Um, sorry, it’s a long story, one that I should probably save for another time. Nico may be a bit hard to approach sometimes but he is a very nice guy when you learn to know him. Just… been through a lot. I guess like many of us here. But he seems way happier now,” Piper said, and as if on cue, they could hear some distant laughter coming from the dining room.

“We should start a traumatized college kids’ club,” Leo attempted to joke, and the others hummed in agreement. Maybe she did belong to this group after all, Calypso thought. If only they knew, though…

“This just got cheerful,” Percy said, interrupting Calypso’s thought process. “Who’s up for blue candies? Get them before Will and Nico eat them all.”

“I heard that, Jackson!” Nico entered the room without a warning. “No offense to you or your mom but blue candies aren’t exactly my thing.”

“Hi, Nico,” Percy greeted him, seeming a bit flustered after Nico’s comment. “You haven’t met Calypso, right?” He pointed at her.

“No, I haven’t,” Nico took a quick look at her and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Alright, in that case, this is Calypso Astal. And Calypso, this is Nico di Angelo,” Percy introduced them to each other.

“Nice to meet you,” Calypso approached him, but he seemed to evaluate her for a moment before he took her hand.

“Likewise,” Nico said finally. “I think Jason has mentioned you a few times.”

“Oh. That’s nice,” Calypso said a bit unsurely, like every time she met a new person. The lonely years still had a toll on her, and even though she liked spending time with her friends, meeting new people was always a bit nerve wracking to her. “You’re his relative, right?”

“A distant cousin,” Nico answered. “Yeah, our fathers are related, but I have my mother’s last name and Jason has his.”

“I take it your mother has roots elsewhere, based on the last name?” Calypso asked.

“She was Italian,” Nico shrugged. “I lived there my first years too. But now I can barely remember those times.”

Calypso noticed the use of past tense, but she thought it was probably better to not ask about that in the middle of a party. “Oh. I’ve been to Italy a few times. I’m originally from Greece.”

“What brought you here, then?” Nico asked.

“Dad’s work,” Calypso responded in a tone that told everyone she wouldn’t elaborate on that topic more. It seemed to have become a habit to her.

“Anyway,” Leo, who had managed to stay quiet for a surprisingly long amount of time in Calypso’s opinion, stepped forward and cleared his throat. “Nico, a little bird told me,” he looked at Jason, “that your boyfriend is a Star Wars geek. Is that true?”

Nico took one look at Leo’s costume and his mouth twitched when he realized why Leo was asking. “He is, but don’t let him get started on it, or else he will never stop. Besides, he’s not my boyfriend, I prefer calling him…”

“A significant nuisance?” Will showed up from the dining room, carrying a plate full of food. “Don’t mind him, he just warms up a bit slow.”

“Yes, this is Will,” Nico sighed, addressing those who hadn’t met them before. “Sometimes he’s a nuisance, sometimes he can be quite OK. When he’s having a good day.”

“Same back at you, dear,” Will laughed. “Did I hear someone mention Star Wars, though?”

“You did,” Leo said, stepping forward so Will could see his costume better. Needless to say, Will looked beyond thrilled.

“Oh boy, here we go again,” Nico said quietly before Will even had time to comment on the costume.

“Woah, that must be the best C-3PO costume I’ve seen. And yeah, I’ve seen a few so I don’t compliment you for nothing,” Will assured.

“Thanks, man, I did spend quite a while with it,” Leo said, high fiving Will. “Glad someone here appreciates good things.”

“I still hope you’re not one of those fans who have only seen the most recent movies and not the originals,” Will noted.

“Heck, no!” Leo exclaimed immediately. “The original three for the win! Mom and I used to watch them a lot… um, when I was little. She was a big fan. But the newer ones just don’t feel the same.” Calypso had a feeling Leo had almost said something else, but he had changed his phrasing at the last moment.

“You have a pretty good taste,” Will said approvingly. Then he finally realized he hadn’t even asked Leo and Calypso’s names before getting into the geek mode.

“So, who are you two? I already met Percy and Annabeth earlier but I don’t think I know you guys yet.”

“I’m Leo Valdez, and this is my, um, flatmate, Calypso Astal,” Leo introduced. Calypso hoped there was a better word to describe their relationship than a ‘flatmate’ but at the moment it was probably the best and the safest option there was.

“Flatmates, huh?” Will repeated. “How did that happen?”

“I was in a hurry to find a roof over my head so I put in the application that I also accept mixed flats,” Calypso replied. “I didn’t meet Leo beforehand because, um, that would have been a bit difficult to arrange in this case, but it worked out OK.” Calypso noticed Leo was looking at her from the corner of his eye, and she realized she had never even talked about that option before. The truth was that she had had to plan her leaving very thoroughly so her father wouldn’t notice and she had driven to Indianapolis as fast as possible, with no time for second guessing.

“And my flat happened to have a room free because our boy Jason decided to move in with Beauty Queen,” Leo added to that story. “It’s really no stranger than that.”

“Oh, right, someone must have mentioned that you and Jason used to be flatmates,” Will recalled. “I just didn’t connect the dots.”

Jason had apparently finished welcoming the rest of the guests because he joined the group in the living room. “That reminds me, I don’t think I’ve asked you, Calypso, if Leo still leaves his dishes undone and if he has empty milk cartons in the fridge.”

“He used to do that?” Calypso asked with amusement. “After seeing his room that’s not so hard to picture, but no, he’s been pretty tidy in the common area. Although one time he bribed me to do his dishes for him in exchange for some of his food.”

“It was a good deal!” Leo protested. “You didn’t have to cook and you also got to taste some Valdez’ sizzling hot quesadillas so I’d say it was a win-win. Besides, you didn’t seem to have anything against that.”

“Alright, I will admit the quesadillas were pretty good,” Calypso conceded. “But a true gentleman offers them without even asking. Well, other than that he’s been OK,” she told Jason with a playful twinkle in her eye.

“I guess he really is able to change his habits, then,” he replied. “At least when the flatmate is someone he...”

Before Jason had time to finish his sentence, Leo intervened: “Folks, do we really have to be talking about my cleaning habits in front of people I don’t know? The first impressions are important, especially when it comes to Supersized McShizzle!”

“We’re just being honest, Repair Boy.” Calypso couldn’t resist booping his metal covered nose. Apparently she just didn’t know how to not cross the line with this boy, she sighed in her mind.

“Is that all? Where’s the feisty Sunshine I know?,” Leo said in a low tone, so the others could barely hear his comment, coming out almost flirty.

“Shut up,” Calypso answered equally quietly but held her gaze at him.

“Ahem,” they suddenly heard Piper’s voice behind them. “In case you’ve stopped with the flirting, I’d like you to meet a couple of people.”

Calypso turned to see the newcomers and as she recognized the Hunter badges both of them had attached to their shirts, something in her mind just suddenly turned off.

[thelastspeecher]

No title because I’m lazy, but in the discord the last couple days, we’ve been discussing the Olympian Falls AU, aka my crossover between the Percy Jackson universe and my nonsense.  And those discussions caused me to get inspired to write...this.  As a quick reminder, this is a modern AU, so instead of Dipper and Mabel being Shermie’s grandkids, they are Shermie’s kids.  Just moved the timeline up a bit.

I think the retcon of making Dipper and Mabel be children of Athena is one retcon I never posted about for this AU, but it is one.  And this retcon means that I can make this an Ace!Shermie AU.  Shermie is hardcore asexual.  Enjoy.

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              Shermie knocked on the door of the apartment his mom had rented after leaving Filbrick a few years ago.  He looked down at the two baby carriers resting by his feet.

              I really hope Mom doesn’t get upset with me for being an unmarried father.  The door opened.

              “Sherman, what a lovely- who are these cute little things?” Ma Pines asked, crouching down to peer into the carriers.  She looked up.  “Are they yours?”

              “…Yeah,” Shermie mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Mom, meet Mabel and Mason.”

              “Adorable,” Ma Pines cooed.  She smiled.  “It’s about time one of you boys gave me some grandkids.  Though I woulda thought it’d be Stan.  He’s the only one of you married so far.”

              “I don’t think Stan even likes kids.”

              “You just say that ‘cause you haven’t spoken to him lately.  I called the other day, and he had to end the call early to play with one of his nieces from his wife’s side.  And he sounded happy about playing with her.”  Ma Pines playfully poked at Mason’s nose.  “These cuties will get themselves some cousins any day now.”

              “Uh, sure.”

              “So, where’s the mother?” Ma Pines asked, standing up.  Shermie grimaced.  “I don’t like that look.  Did she leave you and the kids or somethin’ like that?”

              “Not really- I mean, I guess sort of like it.”

              “Give your mother a straight answer,” Ma Pines said. She crossed her arms.  “You know I don’t like it when people beat around the bush. Where’s the mother?”

              “Mt. Olympus,” Shermie blurted out.  Ma Pines furrowed her brow.

              “…The mountain in Greece?”

              “Yes.  But also, no.”

              “Sherman,” Ma Pines sighed.  “Did you not hear me tell you to be straightforward?”

              “You won’t believe me.”

              “Try me.”

              “Their mom is a goddess,” Shermie said.  Ma Pines raised an eyebrow at him.  “And I don’t mean that metaphorically.  Literally, they have a Greek goddess for a mother.” A moment passed.  Ma Pines stood to the side.

              “Come inside,” she instructed.  Shermie picked up the baby carriers and entered his mother’s apartment.  She closed the door behind him.  Shermie turned to face her.

              “Look, Mom, I-” he started.  Ma Pines held up a hand.  Shermie went silent.

              “Which one did you have an affair with?” she asked. Shermie blinked.  “Was it Aphrodite?  I think my boys could catch the eye of the goddess of love.”

              “I- wh- no, their mom is Athena,” Shermie stammered. He froze.  “Wait, you believe me?”

              “You sound upset about that,” Ma Pines commented. She took Mason’s baby carrier from Shermie and set it on the couch, then sat down next to it to peer at her grandson.

              “No, I’m not upset, I’m- you really believe me?”

              “Why wouldn’t I?”

              “Because most people wouldn’t!”

              “Most people,” Ma Pines said calmly, “haven’t had their own dalliance with an Olympian.”  Shermie joined his mother on the couch, resting Mabel’s carrier on the floor by his feet.

              “Mom…”

              “Stanley and Stanford aren’t your full brothers,” Ma Pines said quietly.  Shermie’s jaw dropped.

              “What?”

              “Filbrick isn’t their father.”  Ma Pines rolled her eyes.  “Thank the gods.”

              “Then who- who-”

              “Hermes.”

              “The Greek god of travelers, thieves, messengers, and a bunch of other things?”

              “Yep.”  Ma Pines looked up from Mason to grin at Shermie.  “That classics degree of yours is really gonna come in handy when it comes to taking care of these two.”

              “I-”  Shermie ran a hand through his hair.  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

              “You didn’t need to know.”  Ma Pines stroked Mason’s cheek gently.  “But now you’ve got demigod children of your own, you do need to know.  By the way, if I remember correctly, children from Athena are basically gifts, right? You didn’t actually sleep with her, you just had a strong emotional connection through your shared intellects.”

              “Uh, yes.”

              “Huh.  She must really like you, then, to have given you twins.”  Ma Pines unbuckled Mason and took him out of the carrier.  “Aw, look at those pretty gray eyes,” she cooed.

              “Mom, how did you know that?”

              “I learned a few things from your brothers.”

              “My half-brothers, you mean.”

              “Still your brothers,” Ma Pines said firmly. Shermie watched her play with Mason for a moment, thinking.

              “That boarding school you sent Stan and Ford to when they were kids,” he started.  Ma Pines looked up.  “Was that a special school for demigods?”

              “Something like that.  It was a camp.  Designed to train demigods on how to use their godly-given abilities and how to protect themselves.  Technically, most demigods only stay at that camp for the summer, but your brothers were enough of a monster magnet together that they had to stay there year-round.”

              “Abilities?”

              “Sweetie, do you really think a child of a god or goddess won’t have some sort of power?”

              “I just didn’t think about- wait, monsters?”

              “Yep.”  Ma Pines played with Mason’s hands.  “Demigods are very good at attracting them.”

              “I-”  Shermie looked down at Mabel, who was still fast asleep.  “Mom, what am I gonna do?”

              “First thing, you’re gonna let me feed you some dinner and play with the babies.”

              “Fair enough.”

              “Second, you need to go talk to one of your brothers.”

              “I haven’t seen either of them since Stan’s wedding.”

              “This’ll be a good chance to catch up, then.”  Ma Pines looked at Shermie.  “Sherman, I can only tell you so much.  If you really want to know about this world you’ve found yourself dragged into, you need to talk to someone who belongs to that world.”

              “…Fine,” Shermie muttered.

              “Oh, don’t get all upset.  If you stop by Stan’s, I’m sure his wife would be more than happy to watch these cute little babies while you talk to him.  Free childcare.”

              “I just-” Shermie sighed.  “I didn’t want to be a dad.”

              “Sometimes these things happen.  Look on the bright side.  You can rub it in Stan’s face that you had kids first.”

              “Why would I rub that in his face?”

              “Because everything’s always a contest with you boys.”  Ma Pines handed Mason to Shermie and stood up.  “Now, how does chicken sound for dinner?”

----- 

              Stan opened the door before Shermie could knock again.  He stared dumbly at Shermie for a few moments before his gaze traveling down to the baby carriers Shermie was holding.

              “Sherm, did you steal those?” Stan asked.  He leaned closer to peer inside the carriers. His eyes widened.  “You forgot to check for babies before you nabbed ‘em.”

              “No I-”  Shermie huffed impatiently.  “I didn’t steal the carriers nor the children.  I purchased the carriers, and the children are mine.”

              “Really?”  Stan frowned at him.  “Didn’t know you were in a relationship.”

              “I’m not.”

              “Ah, one-night stand, I get it.”

              “No, it’s-”  Shermie chewed on his lip.  Mason began to fuss inside his carrier.  “Dang it.”

              “Bring ‘em in, you can check the diaper or whatever inside,” Stan said.  He moved aside, allowing Shermie to walk into the house Stan and his wife, Angie, owned. “By the way, Angie’s not here right now. She had a doctor’s appointment.” Stan closed the door.  “Not to be rude or anything-”

              “Like you’ve ever cared about being rude,” Shermie said, setting the carriers down.  He knelt and removed Mason from the carrier.  Immediately, his son stopped crying.

              I guess he just wanted to be held.

              “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”  Stan eyed Shermie suspiciously.  “What are you doing here, Sherm?”

              “Mom told me to visit.  She said you could offer some assistance with my children.”

              “Assistance?  Angie’s pretty good with kids, since she’s got that huge family, but I only just stopped thinking that they’re a hassle.”  Stan shrugged.  “Maybe I’ve been married long enough to get in the mood for kids or whatever, I dunno.”

              “Well, she said to visit either you or Ford, and you were closer.”

              “Ford?  He’s even worse with kids than I am.”  Stan paused. He raised an eyebrow at Shermie. “Unless there’s somethin’ you’re not tellin’ me.”

              “Mabel and Mason, their mother isn’t…mortal,” Shermie said quietly.

              “Ah.  Okay.” Stan leaned against the wall.  “Who is she?”

              “Athena.”

              “Athena.”  Stan nodded. “Pretty good goddess to have as a parent, as things go.”

              “…Right.”  Shermie swallowed.  “Look, I- I have some questions.”

              “Figures. Let’s go talk in the living room.”  Stan picked up Mabel’s carrier.  “I’ll give you the basic introduction to demigods.”

----- 

              “They’re going to have ADHD and dyslexia?” Shermie asked.  Stan tilted his head one way, then the other.

              “At least one.  I got both, Ford just got the dyslexia.”

              “And why, again?”

              “ADHD makes us better in battle, dyslexia is ‘cause our brains are hardwired for Ancient Greek, not English,” Stan rattled off.  He tickled Mabel’s stomach.  She giggled loudly.  Stan grinned.  “Heh. Cute kid.”

              “Thank you for holding her, by the way.”

              “No problem,” Stan said.  “Anyways, the ADHD and dyslexia.  It’s kinda a crapshoot, honestly.  There’s no way to tell going in which one a demigod will have or how strong it’ll be.  Sorta like how abilities and general godliness or whatever are crapshoots.”

              “What do you mean?”

              “Hmm.  Okay.” Stan leaned back, clearly trying to figure out how to phrase whatever he wanted to say.  “All half-bloods have some enhanced stamina and strength and stuff like that, since we have godly blood.  But abilities we have on top of the basics depends upon who our godly parent is.  Like, Hephaestus kids are good at building things, and Demeter kids are good at growing plants.  Make sense?”

              “Yes.”

              “But even if people have the same godly parent, they might have different abilities.  I can pick locks with my mind.”

              “Wait, you can?”

              “Yeah.  But Ford can’t.”  Stan frowned. “Another example…there was this one Apollo kid who could make light.  Technically, it’s possible for a kid of Apollo to do that, but it’s really, really rare.  He was the only one in the last century who could do it.”  Stan looked at Shermie.  “Still following me?”  Shermie nodded.

              “I do have a question.”

              “I might have an answer.”

              “Are abilities correlated with the dyslexia and ADHD?  Ford’s dyslexia isn’t that bad, and you implied he wasn’t as powerful as you.”

              “I…”  Stan blinked. “That’s a good question.  I’ve never thought of it that way.  But yeah, most of the powerful demigods I’ve known have both ADHD and dyslexia.  I mean, I can think of a couple exceptions off the top of my head, but in general, you might be right.  Huh. Something to talk to Ford about.” Stan waved a hand.  “He started this group with some other half-bloods where they try to do research into demigod abilities or whatever.  I dunno exactly what they do.  I just show up and let them run tests on me if they ask.”

              “Mom mentioned something about the camp usually being only for the summer.”  Stan nodded. “But you stayed there year-round.”

              “Ford and I were too powerful together.  On our own?  Maybe we coulda been fine out in the mortal world, not attracted monsters. Ford definitely would have.  He was always a more subtle half-blood.  But we didn’t want to be separated, and our combined demigod smells attracted monsters like we were an all-you-can-eat buffet.”  Stan watched Shermie look down at Mason, who was fast asleep in Shermie’s arms.  “You’re worried about your kids.”

              “Yeah.”

              “Athena kids are usually able to go home for the school year.  Most half-bloods can.”

              “But if they’re twins-”

              “You’ve got a while before you have to worry about monsters for them.”

              “But-” Shermie started again.  The front door opened.

              “Stan,” a voice sang cheerfully.  Stan beamed.  “I have some news fer- oh.”  Shermie looked up.  His sister-in-law had pranced into the living room, and seemed surprised to see Shermie on her couch.  “I see we have a guest,” Angie said.

              “Three guests,” Stan corrected, helpfully pointing at the baby he was holding.  Angie gasped.

              “Oh, goodness, what a precious lil bean!” she gushed, making a beeline for the couch.  “Wow. Adorable!”  Angie looked over at Mason.  “A real pair of lookers.  Are these yours, Sherman?”

              “Yes.”

              “They’re quite the cuties.”

              “Thank you,” Shermie said politely.  He liked his sister-in-law well enough.  She seemed to be a bit of a ditz at times, and had much higher energy than Shermie liked to be around, but Angie was always kind to him.

              And she’s excellent with children. Shermie watched Angie coo over Mabel. Is she really a ditz?  Or just easily distracted?  I’m not quite sure.

              “Ang, you have news?” Stan asked.  Angie blinked.

              “Oh!  Yes.” She glanced over at Shermie, then back at Stan.  “I’ll tell ya later.  Don’t let me forget.”

              “You got it.”

              “Gosh, what a cute sweet potata,” Angie whispered, stroking Mabel’s hair.  She cocked her head.  “Sherman, did yer mother send ya here?”

              “I- yes.  She did.”

              “She wanted you to get some advice from Stan, I take it?”

              “How did you know that?” Shermia asked.  Angie looked at him.

              “Because this baby girl of yours has the kind of gray eyes I’ve only ever seen in children of Athena,” she said bluntly. Shermie’s jaw dropped.

              Okay, she’s definitely not a ditz.

              “You know about all this Greek stuff?”

              “Sure do.”

              “I’m assuming Stan told you.”

              “Mm.  Not quite.” Angie grinned crookedly.  “Where do ya think I first met Stan?” she asked. Shermie rubbed his face.

              “You met each other at camp, didn’t you?”

              “Yep.”

              “…You wouldn’t happen to be a child of Athena, would you?”

              That was a remarkably clever move she just pulled.

              “Nope!” Angie chirped.  She flopped down onto the couch next to Stan and took Mabel from him.

              “Hey!” Stan protested.  Angie cooed at Mabel sweetly.  “Ask!”

              “Nah.  If I asked, you wouldn’t have handed her over.  My gods, she is so cute.”  Angie looked at Stan, a twinkle in her eye.  “I think that Shermie’s kidlets would love themselves a cousin.”

              “I don’t think these babies know what a cousin is,” Stan replied.  Angie rolled her eyes.

              “Oh, that reminds me, Stan,” Shermie said, abruptly remembering his mom’s comment about everything being a contest.

              “What?”

              “I had kids first,” Shermie said.  Stan’s eyes widened.  “Yeah. I win.”  Stan slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand before shouting in frustration.

              “Goddammit!”

[bts-love-sweat-tears]

The one ring to bind them all, or just a solitary, cranky demon, part 5

Title: The one ring to bind them all (or just a solitary, cranky demon), part 5

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

Type: fluff, angst, romance, demon!au, arranged marriage!au, royalty!au, gothic!au

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: literal emotional manipulation, mentions of previous injury, massive amounts of cheese, just a lot of interpersonal drama: jealous boyfriend.

Word Count: 2,435

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 , Part 4

A/N: I’m sitting here drinking cherry blossom sake and feeling ashamed that it took me so long to post this- I meant to have it out on Halloween for spooky season. But instead I re-wrote it about 50000 times.  I’ve been feeling very soft lately, so this got a little more romantic/cheesy than I normally do! Also good luck resisting Jimin, who can literally manipulate emotions. P.S. The Southern Realm is inspired by Southern Spain (think Granada), and the Greek Isles (on my bucket list).  

There will definitely be part 6….eventually. I should really focus on gainful employment (sigh….the negative sides of capitalism).  Let’s hope the “Keep Reading cut and everything else works.  Send me feedback, comments, theories, whatever! I’m grateful for your patient support <3

Yoongi’s arms are secure around you, and his shoulders block out some of the blinding light. You struggle away from his grasp, awaiting the inevitable post-teleportation nausea. But either he was gentler this time, or your body is busy trying to stem the internal bleeding, because it never comes.

Instead of nausea, you were overwhelmed by the brightness around you. After the indeterminate (and seemingly interminable) time you spent in the Western Realms, the Southern realm was positively blinding in its beauty. Around you are blue-domed buildings, contrasted against pristine white walls. Though you have never seen the ocean, you had heard of its existence and can only presume that the glittering expanse you see between the gaps in the buildings must be it. The air smells salty, somehow, and if it weren’t for the pounding in your ribs you might have wondered more at the rhythmic sound of water, which you could only assume were waves.

But the pain forces you to narrow your focus to your more immediate surroundings. You are in some kind of terraced garden. There are fountains filled with tranquil, reflective water,  and palm trees swaying in a phantom breeze. The flowers are leafier and more exotic than you could have ever dreamed. A demon of shadows, Yoongi looks tired around the edges of his eyes, but otherwise is as imposing as ever.

Your presence does not go unnoticed, and a young looking boy stands from the chaise lounge where he had been idling. There are others there, but they are seemingly at his disposal, deferring to his every move. Based on this fact alone, you know he is someone important. When he gets up, there is something unmistakeably predatory in his smooth gait, something almost sexual, and you realize that you have just met your next demon prince-Jimin?You try to think back to the endless lessons with Hobi, but all your mind can handle at the moment is the sinister spreading warmth in your rib, Yoongi at your side, and the newcomer in front of you.

As he nears, you realize that his clothes are just as excessive as his garden. His shirt is almost sheer, spun from the finest threads you have ever seen, and his linen pants are immaculate. Combined with his bare feet and the thinnest of gold circlets peeking through his dark locks, the effect is something akin to the angels that had graced the large cathedrals you had been lucky to visit with your father.  But you knew from the same, sometimes gruesome, religious art, that angels were more than ethereal beauty and puffy feathers. They were heavenly warriors who could dispense eternal damnation or salvation with only minor inconvenience to themselves.

Jimin turned, eyes glittering. As you suspected, something lethal lingered behind his clear eyes. While you knew that logically you should be cautious, particularly after the reception you had received from Taehyung and Jungkook, all you could feel was warm waves of happiness as you stared into his gaze. Yoongi cleared his throat uncomfortably, but you simply couldn’t tear your eyes from Jimin’s. He moved closer.

Without much warning, he leaned over and placed his hands gently on your ribs. Yoongi’s hands were usually cold, the few times you had touched, but Jimin ran warmer. Still cool, but the faint lingering warmth of the first sunny day after a long and dreary winter. The longer his hands lingered, the more peaceful you felt.

If the garden hadn’t been so quiet, you would have likely missed Yoongi’s sharp intake of breath.

“I’m right here, Jimin. Could you tone it down?” He said, voice tinged with an aggressive edge that you’d heard only rarely.

“Prince Yoongi,” Jimin practically purrs, “do forgive me. It has been positively ages since I’ve encountered a human, let alone healed one- I’d rather be safe than sorry. Particularly with such a pretty patient.” He winked at you and you felt your cheeks warm.

Yoongi humphed, but Jimin ignored him, eyes studiously trained on your ribcage. Under normal circumstances, you would have likely been irritated by both his presumption and the fact that they were talking as though you weren’t even there. But as Jimin continued his ministrations, you felt yourself drift into a deep, peacefully silent sleep. Luckily, Yoongi was there to catch you as you fell.

You awoke to a solid presence at your back. Momentary panic set in, until you hear a familiar raspy voice. Goosebumps raise on your skin, though not entirely from chill.

“Just me, warmheart.”

You roll over slowly, careful not to damage your injured rib. Yoongi is there, eyes dark, but hair smooth. Calm, then, but watchful. You blush, despite months of cohabitation. Old habits die hard, as the saying goes. You think back to your conservative father, and then banish him as quickly as he came.

Yoongi smirks, and gently squeezes your hip in jest. It felt so natural that you hadn’t even noticed that it was there. As though he can read your mind, his voices your embarrassment.

“That’s what bothers you, warmheart? Someone fierce enough to take on the Western demons, and withstand Jimin’s empathy is embarrassed by sharing a bed with your fiancé?”

You smack him lightly. “Don’t say it like that!”

His grin widens. Sometimes, in these quiet moments, you’re in awe of the beautiful boy that resides in the centuries-old demon. You’re not sure if its luck or fate, but you thank whatever forces brought Yoongi into your life.

Yoongi’s face becomes serious. “I missed you, while you were gone. I waited centuries for you, yet only a few days apart was making me crazy.” Now it is his turn to blush, and suddenly you see the appeal of the blushy tropes from your (not-so) secret stash of courtly novels. You are brought back to the present by the grim thought of Yoongi’s displeasure, should he ever find out that you made such a comparison. You know that he would never hurt you, but certain tomes might go missing from the library. A fate truly worse than death.

His gaze can’t meet yours, but his arms have snaked around your back, pulling you closer. “Please don’t waiver in your feelings. I know Jimin is….tempting, but what we have is real.”

“You think me so weak-willed?” You can’t decide whether to be flattered or offended.

You raise your eyebrows but allow him to continue.  

“Jimin is an empath-a particularly rare and ancient kind of demon.” You say nothing, unfamiliar with the term, so Yoongi continues. “He has what humans would call charisma, but amplified. Not only can he read someone and understand their feelings, he can actually manipulate them, change them to suit his wishes.”

Your eyes widen slightly, though you’re still lethargic.  You wonder if you are witnessing Yoongi jealous for the first time in your blossoming relationship. Instead you ask simply,

“And how is that related to healing?”

“So much of pain is actually mental. In your case, your rib was damaged, but also hurting you was your perception of the pain. You’d have to ask him more-he’s explained it to me, but I never had the patience to understand his lectures. In any case, the mental and the physical are closely linked- he expended more power than was strictly necessary healing you, and I’m not sure what side effects there may be.”

You’re not sure what is making Yoongi so insecure, so you opt to act more boldly than you normally would. You snuggle closer, flush against his front. Your head tucks perfectly under his chin, and your nose rests close to his collarbone. His arms tighten around you and he stills, seemingly finally peaceful. He smells absolutely amazing- earthy but clean. A strange new hunger fills you, but you push it back. Under your ear, you can hear his heartbeat.

Lightening the mood, you crack a joke. “And humans think demons don’t have hearts.”

He scoffs at that, a welcome sound. “Yeah, now if only mine would quit running off and getting into trouble.” You’re grateful once again for the darkness, lest he see how red your face and ears are at the moment. Who knew that he was such an insufferable flirt?

Not trusting your voice you lapse back into silence. Yoongi’s breathing is even and calming. Ever since Jimin’s ministrations the pain in your side has subsided considerably. You can still feel it if you stretch or lean into it, but otherwise it’s hard to believe that Jungkook punched you only this morning. It feels like a million years ago. You ponder the passage of time as you slowly but surely drift off to sleep, tucked up against Yoongi. It feels right,and you have no dreams.

You awake with a start, the moon blindingly bright outside of your window. Really, here, there seems to be very little distinction between outside and inside, and there is no glass separating you from the enticing night-time view. Suddenly restless, you get up, sure not to disturb Yoongi, who is sleeping like the dead, the silent rise and fall of his chest the only thing letting you know that he still lives. You don’t know if he is exhausted from the day or if he is alway like this-it occurs to you that this is the first time you have ever seen him sleeping. In the human world, the two of you had stayed awake at night, getting to know each other. In his house, you had your own wing, though you spent your days together. It’s strange to you how short a period the two of you have known each other, but what scares you more is how quickly his life has become inextricably tied to your own. Realizing that these thoughts won’t allow you any more sleep, you venture into the garden.

The water babbles softly, like something out of a fairytale, but otherwise the terrace is still and silent. The activity of the servants has subsided, as any sane person is asleep. The moon is shining bright enough to illuminate at least a basic outline of most of the garden, and you contemplate whether this can possibly be the same moon from back home. Through the gap in the nearby buildings, you can see the ocean in the distance. You had noticed it earlier, but had been more concerned about your loss of blood. You stare at the diamonds the moon paints in the ripples of the water as it laps the shore somewhere out of sight. It is hypnotizing, and you have no idea how long you’d been staring before you noticed Jimin at your side.

In the darkness, he is little more than a wispy outline, despite the moon. You chalk it up to his flowy apparel, the same thing he was wearing this morning. Seemingly, wrinkles are not something that afflict Prince Jimin. Likely, they are not even a word in his vocabulary,you think wryly to yourself.  His eyes slide over to you, and you stop yourself from staring at his immaculate profile.

“What amuses you, little human?” His voice is like a whisper of the softest silk. Despite Yoongi’s early warning about manipulation, you can’t find it in yourself to be scared of this gentle soul.

“Just wondering how you keep your clothes so neat” you say, smile curving the edges of your mouth upward. His gaze lingers there.

“Suddenly, I understand my brethren’s fascination with humans,” he chuckles, gaze never leaving your own. “Pray tell, is this something you concern yourself with every new person you meet? Have I violated some unspoken human etiquette?”

You blush slightly, and he chuckles again. It is melodic-really, there is no other word for it. “Not at all. It just seems unlikely to end the day in the same state that you started it in.”

He smiles again, eyes crinkling into crescent moons. For the briefest of moments, your heart patters erratically, before resuming its original beat.

“What an entirely human viewpoint. Your lives are short-the blink of an eye, a sunrise and sunset, a turn around the sun. We live forever and are unchanging. We exist, as though in suspended animation: change so slow, we barely notice as we turn to stone.”

He’s clearly speaking in a riddle, and before you can guess as to which famed scholar he might be citing, he continues.

“Which is why, little human, I would like to try something-to assuage my endless boredom.” You wait, wondering what ridiculous test he might have in mind, thinking back to your time with Tae and Kookie -not that you would call him that to his face.

He moves closer, placing his warm palms on either side of your face. His gaze meets your own, and you blush again. You don’t look away, but nor do you move. You expect heart palpitations, nerves, a nervous stutter-all things you’ve experienced at one point or another with Yoongi, but you feel: nothing.

Prince Jimin’s gaze grows more fierce, his hands heavier on your cheeks, and you continue to wait.

“How entirely interesting, and infuriating.”

Suddenly, he is gone, and you are standing in the garden, even more perplexed than when  you’d been listening to his earlier imagery. You turn, eager to return to sleepy Yoongi’s comforting embrace-something sane in the insanity that is the demon world.

But he is already there, across the terrace, eyes alert and glittering.

“What are you doing awake?” You ask, and you hear the guilt in your words as you speak them.

“I could ask you the same,” he says, voice low and menacing. “Did I NOT just finish warning you about what he could do? And here you are……subjecting yourself to it like some kind of perverse experiment?” His words are biting.

“Yoongi, why are you so angry? Literally nothing happened. I woke up because I couldn’t sleep, and he appeared a while later,” you say soothingly, trying to placate him.

“Well, maybe he can’t hurt you, but you can certainly hurt me,” he said, sounding exhausted once again. “Do you know how scared I was when I woke up again and you were gone, after being severely injured earlier today? And then I come out here and find you two staring each other down, his hands on your face?” He runs his hands over his face, before promptly turning and stalking off.

You stand there, stunned, and then it hits you….. Was Yoongi jealous?

[lacependragon]

sorry if this sounds kinda dumb but you mentioned that Neptune isn't white and I always thought that he was Greek? i know Greek people are white so i'm just wondering where do u think he'd be from instead?

You don’t sound dumb at all! Let me break it down for you.

Firstly, Neptune’s skin tone. The boy is not toned like a white person in the show. Look at him versus Weiss, or him versus Nora or Jaune or Scarlet. He has a much different complexion, almost an olive with cool undertones (blue ones, with some yellow). In fact, he has a very similar skin tone to Kali in V5, who is very much Japanese.

Secondly, Neptune’s inspiration: he’s based almost entirely on a K-Pop star in design. That seems to include skin tone. He and his inspiration are almost a one to one translation on skin tone and hue in colour palette.

Thirdly, Greek people aren’t inherently white. Ancient Greece was one of the most racially diverse places in the world due to their games, their trading, and their immigration (and sometimes slavery). Much like Ancient Rome, they were filled with all sorts of different races. A lot of Greek people are mixed, and it’s a very racially diverse country even to this day.

So, in short, I believe Neptune is meant to read as Korean or the equivalent thereof. Though, personally, I also write him as part Samoan when writing him in Real World AUs, because I wanted his fear of water to also cause some cultural interest in his life. Though, there’s nothing that says he is, and that’s simply a personal choice of mine.

But yeah, I definitely do not think he’s white, regardless of whether or not he’s Greek.

[samwinlover-blog]

Tuck the World Away

Pairing: teenage!Sam x teenage!reader Characters: Sam, the reader, mention of a few others  Warnings: light swearing, some fluff, some angst, ya know a little bit of everything, no monsters au!  Summary: An overview of (Y/N)’s relationship with Sam over the years  A/N: Okay so I’m like really super proud of this one, idk why....so enjoy! Also I changed the tense for the first time so lmk how you like it! It was a little harder to write lol I kept finding myself saying “you” instead of “she” but whatever! Unbetad so all mistakes r mine:)

1990: Fourth grade

The elementary school’s doors seemed bigger and scarier than they every had before as (Y/N) walked in, clutching her mother’s hand tightly. She’d been there once before- to meet the principal and tour her new school- but it hadn’t seemed this terrifying back then.  

Her pigtails bounced up and down as she walked in, peering around nervously at the sea of new faces. They all seemed friendly enough, but a giggle or smile here and there wasn’t enough to make (Y/N) want to let go of her mom’s hand. 

The two of them walked to her classroom to greet (Y/N)’s new teacher. Mrs. Mayweather was a short, blonde haired woman with a kind face- dressed in a long floral dress that didn’t match the dreary weather outside. 

“Alright sweetie, I have to go to work,” Mary (Y/L/N) squeezed her daughter’s hand once before turning to walk back down the hall, “Have fun at your first day of fourth grade!” 

For a minute, (Y/N) didn’t know what to do with herself. Standing there awkwardly in front of the class, she felt completely out of place. Her pink shirt was too bright, her hair was too curly, and nobody else was wearing power rangers light up shoes. 

“Everyone, this is (Y/N).” Mrs. Mayweather chirped,“She’s new this year from California, everybody say hello! You’ll be sitting in the back row, Honey, the open seat just there.” 

Hi (Y/N), the class chorused, turning their heads to look at her and smiling. 

She gave a halfhearted nod at the rest of the kids, shuffling awkwardly to find her seat next to a brown haired boy in a striped shirt. “Hi, my name’s Sam. Wanna be friends?” He said almost instantly after she sat down, smiling big and bright and gap toothed. 

“I’m (Y/N), and, um, sure” She replied with a little grin. 

And even though she wasn’t showing it, (Y/N) was ecstatic to have made her very first friend in New York. 

1991: Fifth grade

(Y/N) had been going to Pratt Elementary school for a little over a year now, and had adjusted quite nicely. She made friends in her 4th grade class, which she then carried onto 5th grade, and discovered her love of reading through a boy named Sam Winchester.  

Ever since the two of them became friends (Y/N)’s first day of school, they’d been attached at the hip. She taught him how to braid hair and he leant her a new book every week from his dad’s collection- which, as far as (Y/N) knew, went on forever. 

Recently at school a rumor had been going around that Jenny Longmeyer and Billy Tang had kissed under the twisty slide at school. And as a result, even though they knew it probably wasn’t true, kissing seemed to be (Y/N) and Sam’s main topic of conversation. 

One sunny afternoon, just after school got out, the two of them were sitting under their favorite tree waiting to be picked up. It was hotter than usual, and (Y/N) was squirming around in her sticky, wool-lined sweater, really fidgeting to no end. 

“What’s the big deal with kissing?” Sam asked randomly, sighing and leaning back, “I just don’t get it.” 

“Me neither- have you ever seen any grown ups do it?” She responded, absentmindedly running her hand over her initials carved into the tree’s trunk- right along side his. 

“Nope,” Sam shrugged, “Only in movies. And even then- seems a little weird.” 

“I don’t know....” (Y/N) turned to him, “Maybe we should try it- just to see what everyone’s talking about.” 

Sam considered it for a moment, “My dad told me I could only kiss the girl I was gonna marry,” 

“Oh come on!” (Y/N) hit his shoulder and whined, “Quit bein’ such a baby about it, Sam!” 

“Alright, fine.” He said, rubbing his arm, “On three, okay?” 

“Yeah, okay.” 

“One.....” 

Both their hearts started thumping and they didn’t exactly know why. 

“Two.....” 

(Y/N) leaned in and closer her eyes, Sam did the same. 

“Three!” 

The two of them butted their heads together, pecking each other on the lips before pulling apart just as quick. It was awkward, half a second long, and everything you’d expect out of a first kiss. 

(Y/N) rubbed her mouth in confusion, “Huh, that wasn’t all it’s chalked up to be.” 

“I didn’t mind it,” Sam said shyly, chees going red before saying, “Hey, if you don’t end up marrying Billy or Charlie or anyone else in our class.... wanna marry me? 

She thought about it for.a second before shrugging and saying, “Sure, why not! I gotta go though, my Mom’s here- see ya tomorrow, Sammy!” 

1992: Summer of sixth grade “Sam!” (Y/N)’s vice shrieked over the phone, “What middle school are you going to?” 

“Uh, one sec, lemme see.” He responded, the rustling of papers ringing in (Y/N)’s ear, “Thoreau School- please tell me you are too.” 

“On ho,” (Y/N) already felt herself starting to cry, “Sammy, I’m going to Emerson.” 

She heard him gasp over the phone, “What’s going to happy? (Y/N) are we still gonna be best friends forever??” 

(Y/N) looked down at her wrist, at the bracelet fastened there that was twin to one on Sam’s ankle, “Yeah, Sammy, we’re always gonna be best friends forever.” 

“Promise?” 

“Pinky promise.” 

He let out a sigh of relief. 

1995: Freshman year  The first day of high school wasn’t exactly what (Y/N) had thought it would be. 

She’d watched all the movies, read all the magazine articles, so she pretty much knew what to expect. Yet, still, when she walked into her first da. of freshman year, everything was pretty new. 

The kids were bigger than they had been in Middle School, wore less clothing and smoked in the bathrooms- something (Y/N) had never done before. She’d walked in with her two best friends, Liz and Hannah, linking arms as they all tried to navigate the halls of their new school. 

Freshman orientation was the first class they headed to, and met the rest of their grade. The way schools worked in Inlet, New York was this: there were two elementary schools, three middle schools, and only one high school. So (Y/N) found herself surrounded by a lot of people she'd never met before, or only knew from 4th and 5th grade. 

The perfect example of this was the boy she found sitting to her right, someone she hadn’t thought about in a long, long time. Sam Winchester 

She remembered they used to be best friends in elementary school, but then went to different middle schools. In 6th grade, they’d tried to keep in touch, but the inevitable had happened and they’d grown apart. After about a year, it got ot the point that they didn’t talk at all. 

Back then Sam had been lanky, awkward and nerdy, but not anymore. Not at all. The guy (Y/N) found herself staring at was nothing like the kid she used to know. 

Puberty must have hit him like a truck because he was god damn beautiful to her. Muscles seemed to bulge out of every inch of his tanned skin- which was almost glowing in the low light of the auditorium. His too-long, parted in the middle hair had been cut, and now hung about his face with just the right amount of shagginess to it. 

When he turned to smile, she saw the white of his teeth flash, “Hey, (Y/N), right?”

“Yeah... Sam Winchester?” 

“Yeah,” He chuckled, “It’s been.... years.” 

“I know, She breathed, “Uh, what do you have next?” 

“History,” He replied after looking down at his schedule, and then back up to her face. 

“Me too!” She said, too loudly, too excitedly, “I mean, yeah, I have history too.” 

But his face lit up, “Which one are you taking??” 

“AP Ancient Greek studies,” She said sheepishly, it was such a nerdy class to be taking as a freshman. 

“Me too! Can I walk you to class? Maybe we have the same teacher,” He smiled and picked up his bag, nodding towards the stairs and telling you to lead the way. 

1996: Sophomore year  (Y/N) had been dating Sam for a little over a year now, and was completely in love with him. 

With him she felt free, wild even. LIke she could dance on tables or run through a storm without a care in the world, and he felt the exact same way. Their relationship was defined by their loose idea of love, and loving each other. Neither he nor she really knew what the word meant, but they did know it was what they were feeling. 

(Y/N)’s idea of love was shaped by her parent’s example, watching sappy rom-coms with her friends and reading Romeo and Juliet on a rainy day. Her idea of love was spending all afternoon lazing around with Sam, tucking the rest of the world away from a few hours. Or getting lost in a corn maze like they had that one time on halloween, and laughing their asses off until Dean had to come find them. (Y/N)’s idea of love was Sam’s crazy, unkept hair in the morning- wild, off kilter and breathtaking. 

Sam had a very different vision of love, and the girl he was in love with. 

He took inspiration from the thousands upon thousands of books he’d read, because he didn’t have two parents to look up to. He looked towards his brother’s love, and knew that what he felt with (Y/N) was just as deep- even though it was a different type of love. Sam had learned from a young age that love was what you made it, and he’d decided that he was going to make his love with (Y/N) last. 

But the first step to doing this, was telling her. 

So one rainy night, when the two of them were curled up together in (Y/N)’s car, he leaned over and whispered it in her ear. 

The sound of the rain almost drowned it out, and when (Y/N) didn’t respond at first he got nervous. But after a moment he heard a sniffle, and went to touch her face. 

He quickly found tears wetting her cheeks, rolling down in thin streams to collect at the collar of her shirt. For a second he wasn’t sure how to react, how to respond. 

But when he asked her why she was crying, she just whispered back it was because she loved him too. She told him she’d loved him since fourth grade, when they sat together in the back of class and drove Mrs. Mayweather insane. She’d loved him when they carved their initials into their favorite weeping willow, and she’d loved him when they’d kissed for the first time under that same tree. 

He was the one crying now and he didn’t know how to respond. All he knew was that she was real, everything they had was real. And even if neither of them understood what love really was, he knew just from the tone in her voice that they were going to make it. 

Tag list:  @amanda-teaches@myplaceofthingsilove@evyiione@mogaruke@aliensdeservebetter@spnfanficpond @amanda-teaches@myplaceofthingsilove@evyiione@mogaruke@aliensdeservebetter@27bmm@craving-cas @spnfanficpond @amanda-teaches  @myplaceofthingsilove  @spectaculicious@bambinovak@bambinovak@writingthingsisdifficult@padackles2010@mamaredd123@milkymilky-cocopuff @iwantthedean@zeppo-in-a-trenchcoat@spntrista@d-s-winchester@just-another-busy-fangirl@winchesterprincessbride@waywardjoy@supernaturalyobsessed@whywhydoyouwantmetosaymyname@sandlee44@fangirl1802@kittenofdoomage@evyiione@winchestersmut@purgatoan@mogaruke@therewillbeblood@megansescape@taste-of-dean@leatherwhiskeycoffeeplaid @scarlet-soldier-in-an-impala@deathtonormalcy56@wildfirewinchester@notnaturalanahi@jensen-jarpad@impalaimagining@fangirlextraordinaire@itseverythingilike@jesspfly@lovekittykat21@mysteriouslyme81@mrswhozeewhatsis@aiaranradnay@supernatural-jackles@girl-next-door-writes@spnsasha@27bmm@spnfanficpond @amanda-teaches@myplaceofthingsilove@spectaculicious@bambinovak@writingthingsisdifficult@spn-imagines-to-feel@spn-ficfanatic@cleverdame@saxxxology@jensen-jarpad@keepcalmandcarryondean dancingpanda137

[ipcearn]

Sabeth Eftheria: A Summary

an overview on how I intended/write and characterize Sabeth, both for my AO3 oneshot compilation and because I have another post planned - that one focused on Nir which won’t make a lot of sense without this one 😅

(I’ll probably end up forgetting half the things I want to say)

Sabeth Eftheria (Eftheria inspired by the Greek η ελευθερία meaning freedom), also called the Trickster, is the god my tiefling rogue Niruin follows.

I keep calling him Outsider-like (Dishonored) but when it comes down to it the only things Outsider-like about him are that he used to be human and that he is very picky about who he appears to (at least in his “godly” form).

And while yes, the concept of chosen - Sabeth has a maximum of 5, though most of the time people are too predictable and he barely has more than 1 at a time - is very much Dishonored inspired, the actual character & personality inspiration stems from mallius’ AH kings AU art - Gavin in particular if that wasn’t obvious from Sabeth’s design - (and I will yell to anyone about this art, because it is gorgeous and I simply adore the feel of that AU - all bloodthirsty and murderous where no one can win; and that feeling is probably one of the greatest inspirations for Sabeth, actually) as well as - unsurprisingly again, because trickster god - Loki Laufeyson, though it is a mash up of the mythology one and the Marvel one (though heading more towards God of Stories Loki from the end of AoA, because damn, do I love that comic) (also Sabeth’s signature color is green).

In his mortal life he used to be a street kid, a pickpocket that no one would miss, hence why he was chosen (ha, so many parallels to Nir) to be turned into a sacrifice making him what he is now.

He isn’t technically a god/celestial, though he has picked the role of one for himself, but he isn’t really a demon/fiend either; he is simply something other and his powers are only bound by his own physical limitations. He can only be in one place at a time, but is aware of his chosen at all times through the covenant they enter into when they accept his gift. Unlike with the Outsider that gift will not come in the form of a mark allowing supernatural powers, but something that the chosen craves like nothing else - that can be physical or not, all depending on the mortal (like, his gift to Nir is a safe place in a time when she has nowhere else to turn in a city that hates what she is, specific knowledge for Hextor). The chosen aren’t actually always aware of how simple it is to enter and what that covenant entails, because the bond can only ever be dissolved with the death of the chosen. Even if they turn predictable and uninteresting to Sabeth. (And yes, Sabeth picks his chosen on how unpredictable they are to him, because gods be damned, he is bored, SOMEONE ENTERTAIN HIM BY DOING WEIRD SHIT.)

Now, there are mortals who have told Sabeth to fuck off, and he will, it just doesn’t make them any less special to him though. 

And yeah, his chosen can basically come from every walk of life, they don’t have to be adventurer’s or fighters, they can be scholars, kings, queens, they can be old, they can be young – Sabeth really isn’t picky in that regard, just as long as they are unpredictable to him.

Because that is what essentially makes Sabeth the Trickster. He is chaos personified, and he could be feared and worshipped by all, but he chooses to be nothing more than a whisper. His belief scattered like his long forgotten, abandoned shrines; his symbol written in ancient texts adorned with stories that sound more like the ravings of mad men than actual truth. Sabeth doesn’t care for power, he just has it; he is immortal and undying; all he wants is to be entertained.

And sometimes, in those centuries when there are no chosen (oh why, why do mortals have to be so boring) – which does actually happen more often than not – he will create that entertainment for himself. Niruin gives him the irritated, yet fond nickname of “king of fools” when Sabeth acts particularly like an idiot, and she doesn’t actually realize how accurate her naming is because Sabeth did/does spend long years toppling kingdoms and empires from the lowly position of a court jester. It’s one of his favorite pastimes in the long years between chosen, as there is a heady rush of being underestimated – and how could a lowly fool ever be so, so dangerous.

Tldr; Sabeth is a charming manipulator, all powerful but doesn’t really do anything with that power – because why bother? – and essentially he’s an amalgamation of a bunch of my favorite villainous/anti-hero characters

(Like, I’m currently watching Gravity Falls season 2 and it’s kinda hilarious to me how many Sabeth-vibes I get off of Bill, because damn, do I love that insane triangle)

(Gods AU Sabeth is all that, except just a million times more obsessed with Nir because she is the exception to many a rule he created for himself)