#erebus flying real!!!

[actuallysaiyan]

The Beast Inside Of Me(Incubus!Nanami Kento x Fem!Reader)

warnings: smut, unprotected sex, AU, Incubus, demons, slight dub-con, oral(fem receiving), slight yandere vibes, creampie finish, mentions of passing out/fainting, vaginal fingering word count: 3.2k pairings: Incubus!Nanami Kento x Fem!Reader summary: Kento has been searching for his mate for a long time, and he finds out it's you. Incubi don't usually mate with humans, so he's desperate to make it work. a/n: not sure if it's the demon who possessed me or the Earthbound OST that made me write this, but here it is and I realllyyy hope you all enjoy!! Some dividers by @/benkeibear

taglist: @beneathstarryskies @an-ever-angry-bi @namikyento

@seireiteihellbutterfly @adharadotcom @heyitsd1yaa

@darkstarlight82 @melisuh123. @galactict3a

@erebus-et-eigengrau @aomi04 @isabelzoldyck

@cinnamon-girl-writes @felixmr @typicalemo. @entirelysein-e

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You’ve seen that handsome face before. In your dreams, where you thought you were just imagining things. But now that you’re awake and looking at the man(or so you think)sitting on the edge of the bed, you aren’t sure if this is just another dream or figment of your imagination. When he looks over at you, he looks so incredibly sad. The sorrow in his features is so apparent, you feel the sadness deep inside you.

“Are you…” your own voice scares you. “Are you real?”

He looks at you once more. His hazel eyes almost seem to glow in the darkness of your room. Then you see his wings expanding, creating an interesting shadowlike surrounding. Your eyes widen a little as he climbs out the window and you watch him fly away. You’re stunned by the sight.

Lying back on your bed, you try to calm your breathing. That was a dream, right? It had to have been. There aren’t handsome creatures with wings that just casually hang out in your room. That doesn’t happen. It really just doesn’t happen at all.

You pull the covers up to your chin, curling it in your fist. You think you’ll never be able to go to sleep again, but soon your eyes flutter shut and your mind is filled with the most pleasant dreams. 

When you wake up, you chalk it all up to some silly dream and being extremely tired. You go about your day like nothing happened. Meanwhile, the creature you saw in your bedroom is suffering in silence. He has finally found his human mate, which is you.

He’s suffering because he knows he could never court you properly. He’s suffering because he knows you would reject him if he were to approach you and explain the situation. He invades your dreams as much as possible because it’s the only way he’s able to see you and feel you and touch you and taste you…

Being alive for so long has its perks, but it also becomes so lonely. All the other incubi and succubi from his pack have already found their respective mates. And it’s a little rare for his kind to mate with a human. Kento wonders if he’s just destined to be alone forever. He feels that deep sorrow inside of himself. The same one that he felt when he realized it would take him a long time to find his mate.

Night after night, he’s been chasing after you like some lovesick puppy. He finds it so pathetic too. You could easily find someone better for yourself, and you don’t even know that someone like him is so deeply in love with you. Kento contents himself with just sitting on your bed and watching you sleep. Seeing him that night was a mistake and you shouldn’t have woken up.

The next night that he shows up, it’s only in your dreams.

The room feels hot and stuffy, but it’s pleasant. There’s a slight smell of a candle that’s been burning, and something like a cinnamon and nutmeg scent. It’s enticing and intoxicating. Your skin feels drenched with sweat. You try to open your eyes, but you’re feeling so sleepy and so tired.

“P-please,” you pant out.

Calloused hands caress you, removing the sheet that covers your naked body. You whine as you feel those same hands spreading your thighs. Soft touches from fingertips follow, creeping up your thighs. Then you let out a pathetic whimper when you feel something parting your soaked folds with expertise.

“Fuck,” you whine when you feel a wet, hot tongue pressing against your clit.

The feelings are intense. Your orgasm grows so fast, it hits you hard. You’re panting and moaning loudly, trying to grind against this tongue. But as soon as it appeared, faster did it disappear. 

You wake up the following morning wondering if that was truly real and with sheets that are still damp from your dreams. This time, you have a harder time chalking it up to a wet dream.

For Kento, he wishes he could keep the taste of you on his tongue forever. He’s never gone that far with you, but he’s very happy he did. He eagerly jerks himself off to the flavor on his tongue and the memory of your scent until it fades away. It makes him angry that he can’t have you committed to his memory forever.

So he gets a little more daring the next time he visits you. This time, it isn’t just a dream for you. It’s a real encounter with the demon himself.

He casts a deep slumber spell on you, but you are still reacting to everything he does. He takes his time to memorize you; tasting you heavily on his tongue as you gush. Orgasm after orgasm is pulled from you as Kento works your body with expertise. He knows what you like. He could probably bring you to orgasm with the smallest little nudge against your clit by now.

His eyes are glowing as he feasts on you. His cock is rock hard as he begins to rut against the bed. Nothing could be better than this. The room feels so hot and warm, but it only seems to add to your arousal and his. The smell of burning candle, cinnamon and nutmeg fill your senses, even while you sleep deeply.

Kento’s eyes roll back as he gets to taste your essence once more. If he could, he’d gladly drown in the flavor of you for all eternity. It’s not enough to keep visiting you in the dark of your bedroom at night. He needs you always. Now and forever.

So the night finally comes where he decides to see how you’ll react if he introduces himself to you. He sits on your bed, waiting for you to rouse from your sleep. When you do, you gasp softly at the creature at the foot of your bed. He leans closer, and you get a better look at him.

Sharp, angular features for such a beautiful man. Or…is he even really a man? He can’t be a man if he looks this good and has a tail and wings. He smiles softly, his cheeks lightly pink. 

“Have I frightened you?” He inquires, leaning in just a little closer.

Your senses are filled with the scent of burning candle, cinnamon and nutmeg. Your thoughts are filled with sensual memories. Something about this makes a throbbing sensation begin between your thighs.

“N-no.” You finally manage to answer. “Who are you?”

He smiles sweetly before reaching out to cup your chin. You get to look into his beautiful eyes. They shine so brilliantly for you. You don’t feel frightened at all, only confused and curious.

“My name is Kento,” his voice is so reassuring and soothing. “I am not here to hurt you.”

Something about that name makes your heart beat faster. You lean in closer to hear more of what he has to say. But instead of talking, he decides to kiss you. It’s so deep and passionate. He holds you close, his wings wrapping around you to keep you securely in his grasp.

“You are my beloved,” he finally whispers against your lips. “I have searched for you for a long time.”

Your eyes widen at the creature holding you. How could someone so beautiful have searched for you for so long? You feel so plain in comparison.

Almost as if he has read your thoughts, “You aren’t plain. You are the most beautiful thing on this earth and within every plane of existence.”

Your heart skips a beat at his words. Your cheeks are redder than a tomato. You aren’t sure how anyone could think this about you. Kento cradles your face in his hands, his thumbs caressing your cheeks. He looks at you like you are the stars in the sky, the colors of a rainbow, a beautiful masterpiece hung on the walls of an art museum.

“How precious you are to me,” he says softly. “I could not say it in words.”

You allow him to lay you down on the bed. His lips are attached to your neck; sucking, nipping, licking and biting. To get that sweet taste of you, he is quite desperate. Everything about you is both beautiful and extremely enticing. He could never get enough of you, even if he made love to you a million and one times.

His hands are calloused as he caresses your body. He slips your pajamas off of you slowly, tantalizingly so. His eyes keep gazing up at you, making sure you know just how much you are loved. He couldn’t be able to continue if he didn’t know for sure that you are indeed enjoying yourself.

The moment his fingers slip against your folds again, you feel that same arousal from the other night. It begins to truly dawn on you exactly what is going on. He’s been the one to pleasure you all these nights, even the ones where you were dreaming.

You pull him in for another kiss; this time it’s sloppy because of how hungry you are for him. He grunts against your lips, his fingers still working at your greedy pussy. But he loves that you’re getting into it. You’re desperate and needy for him, which makes him so happy and very aroused.

“It’s been you this entire time,” you whisper.

He nods. “Yes, does this please you?”

You can’t even begin to think of the right words to answer that question. So instead you reach down and feel his cock through the skin-tight underwear he’s wearing. He moans just for you and you love the sound. You love it so much, you wish to hear it forevermore.

Kento kisses you with a ravenous hunger now. The hunger that resides so deep inside of him as an Incubus is beginning to come to the surface. He needs to try and rein it in if he doesn’t want to accidentally hurt you.

Tenderness returns to him as he takes a few deep breaths. He cannot show you the ugly side of him. It’s an animal, a beast that resides inside of him. It’s ugly and carnal and full of sin. And though he’s sure you’d still be able to find it in your angelic heart to forgive him if you were to see that side of him, he would hate himself forever if he were to harm you in any way.

“Please,” he moans softly. “Allow me to taste you once more.”

He spreads your thighs again, grunting when he sees just how soaked you are. You smell divine. Musky and yet so sweet. It makes his cock throb and painfully twitch. For an Incubus, he swears he’s falling into your trap instead of the other way around.

Your little heart pounds in your chest like the fluttering of the wings of a hummingbird. You reach down to push his hair out of his face, and this earns you another grunt from the man between your legs. You aren’t sure if he’s fully a man or he’s a beast, but either way you have come to accept him as your lover.

His tongue feels like warm silk against your folds. He licks a stripe from your hole to your clit, rendering you incapable of speech for a moment. You shudder from head to toe, and a small little gasp falls from your lips. You’re panting already and all he’s done is lick once.

“Oh, you’re so needy for me.” Kento purrs before he dives back into lapping at you.

Your toes curl as his mouth works you up to an exquisite orgasm. Your breath hitches in your throat as his mouth and tongue and lips stimulate you in all the ways only someone from your wildest dreams would be able to. As your body shudders and shakes, Kento grunts against your wet cunt. He’s hungry and growing hungrier by the moment. If he doesn’t pull away soon, you’ll see the beast inside of him.

Thankfully you tug on his hair to pull him away to avoid too much overstimulation. He looks up at you; his once hazel eyes have grown very dark. There’s a look on his gorgeous face that you can’t quite decipher. But soon, it begins to dissipate and you swear his pupils are in the shape of hearts just for you.

“My pretty lover,” he coos softly. “Please…” he swallows hard. “Please allow me the chance to make love to you. The privilege.”

Your eyes widen. How could he even be begging you? He was so beautiful, so handsome, so breathtaking. It should be the other way around. You should be the one begging for a chance to even look at him.

“I understand if you don’t want to tonight, or really if you didn’t want to engage at all, I just want to—”

He’s interrupted by you pulling him in for another kiss. It’s mostly to shut up his insecurities right now. But part of you wants to taste yourself on his tongue and his lips. He grunts as he adjusts himself in his underwear. Your hands reach down to begin tugging them off of his perfectly sculpted body.

“It would be my privilege to make love with you.”

Those words make his head swirl with arousal and lust. His eyes are dark once more. He nips at your bottom lip, making you squeak in pleasure. Kento parts your thighs even more so that he can place himself between them. His underwear is all but ripped off his body.

“Eager for me?” he teases you before kissing you. “I’m just as eager, if not more.”

You sigh as you feel his hands guiding your thighs to wrap around him. The heft of his cock rests on your mound. Kento uses his fingers to open you up, making you drip all over the sheets even more. Slowly pumping them in and out and in and out…

“Just like that,” he coaxes. “Just for me. Open up, my beautiful flower.”

His words go straight to your head, but also straight to your throbbing clit. You’re more than aroused and ready for him, but the fact that he wants to take such care of you, it turns you on even more. It takes no time for him to slip his fingers out and replace them with the tip of his cock.

“I’ll be gentle,” he whispers in your ear as he pushes more of himself into you. “And I’ll go slow.”

Slow is his pace. Gentle is his touch. You shudder as you feel him leisurely pushing into you. His eyes snap up and down from your face to your little hole trying to suck him in. His tail begins whipping in excitement. He knew it would feel good to finally be inside of you, but he’s having to take deep breaths once again to not lose control.

“My beloved,” he moans against your ear. “You feel heavenly.”

Your cunt spasms around him as he eventually bottoms out. His balls are plush against you and you finally get a sense of how pent up he is by how heavy his testicles feel. Your hands come around to rub his back as Kento starts up at a very loving and tender pace.

“Pretty, beautiful, exquisite…” he spouts off as he begins rocking his hips. “So warm, so wet.”

When you look into his eyes again, you see tears. He’s relieved but also so overwhelmed. He’s trying his best to hang on to the shred of sanity he has left. It’s so difficult when you keep squeezing and clenching around him. It’s all too much for him to keep going without losing a little control.

“Forgive me, beloved.”

You barely have time to comprehend what he means when he pushes your knees up to your chest. His hips begin to snap as he fucks into you harder, faster and deeper. Oh he is just so deep inside of you, you swear you can feel him in your throat. It’s all too much for you to even begin to understand. You cling to him as his cock rams into you over and over.

“Kento!” You gasp, trying to hold on.

He grunts and growls like a ferocious beast. Inside, he’s cursing himself for allowing himself to show you even just a fragment of who he truly is. His tail comes up to curl around one of your breasts. His head dips down to take the nipple into his mouth. He sucks on it harshly as he fucks deeper and harder into you.

“Need to fuck you,” he grunts. “Need to breed,”

His words are a bit of a shock, but you’ve been piecing parts of this together in your head this entire time. He, of course, is not a regular man. And the way he’s pumping into you now, you know it’s because something else is possessing him to do so.

Your legs begin to shake as his cock keeps pushing against that sweet spot deep inside of you. Stars speckle in your vision as your peak becomes imminent. It’s such a deep feeling inside of you. You can barely contain your moans, whimpers and sweet breathy whines. Kento tries to stop himself, but the more you squeeze around him, the less control he has.

“Going to breed you,” he growls. “You are mine.”

Every word is punctuated with a deep and harsh thrust. His balls rest plush against your ass every time he’s completely deep inside you. His eyes are growing darker. And the tail wrapped around your breast has now begun to tug a little bit on your nipple.

“May I…Can I…” He growls loudly. “Need to breed!”

It’s no longer a question. It’s a demand. A command for you. You are so willing to allow him this privilege. He never even told you the outcome of this coupling. You just wanted to soothe him and his needs, all while falling in love with this man; no, he’s no man. He’s a beast. A beast that you wish to tame.

“Cum,” you struggle to tell him. “Inside.”

He barely hears you, but something inside his brain clicks. It’s all that he needs to be sure that he is more than allowed to do this. Before either of you can register what’s happening, his tail wrapped around your breast squeezed harder. His wings come around the both of you, shielding you from the rest of the world.

With a loud roar, he begins emptying himself into your tight little hole. Shots of thick, potent cum spill deep inside of you. Kento reaches down to begin rubbing your clit in slow, tantalizing circles. A soft gasp escapes you as your orgasm hits you hard. Your legs are shaking and your heart is pounding harder than it ever has before.

You feel your vision beginning to tunnel…

You awaken several hours later. Your hole is sore and abused, dripping thick cum. You’re disoriented as you try to understand what is happening. Kento isn’t here, but his scent lingers on everything. You look at the nightstand and notice a bottle of water and a piece of paper folded in half. You take a drink of the water and then you unfold the paper. It’s a note from your otherworldly lover.

See you this evening. Same time as last night. Be prepared, my love. I have lots more to show you.

Xoxo,

Kento.

[justmenoworries]

Lore Olmypus Episode 271 Spoilers

We're in the endgame now. I guess.

And I feel absolutely nothing. Any tension that could have hyped me up for this moment was squashed by my frustration with every character's lack of thinking skills.

Why exactly are Hera and Persie passed out on the ground? Kronos didn't even do anything yet, all that happened was that he closed the door after Hera and Persie managed to squeeze through at the last moment.

Speaking of, this episode shows us that Kronos is huddled up in (what is presumably) his cell deep down in Tartarus so how exactly did he control the door?

It will never be not funny to me that Kronos, ancient tyrant and titan of time (*rolls eyes*) sounds like a modern-day incel whenever he talks. And then other times RS remembers she's writing the supposed Big Bad and has him switch to more appropriate language on the fly. The whiplash is unreal.

Persephone: "Kronos is powerful but erratic. This makes his behavior hard to anticipate."

Oh, is that RS's in-universe excuse for Kronos switching motivations every time we see him? First he wants to return to the world of the living, then he wants to take revenge on Hades, then he suddenly wants Persephone but actually he wants Hera. And now he wants... Hera again, I guess. Holy constantly shifting goals, Batman!

Kronos: "I will take pleasure in your gradual and painful destruction!"

also Kronos: *proceeds to sit in his cell and do nothing for the entirety of the episode*

If you want to make Kronos actually menacing instead of just annoying, maybe have him do more than an occasional supervillain-laugh RS.

I will admit, the visual of Hera and Persephone slowly descending into Tartarus and past all these human souls reaching out for them from their cells is cool. It makes the whole situation actually feel tense and scary, knowing there's something terrible waiting for the protags down this endless pit but also knowing that they have no choice but slowly climb towards it.

Or it would be if RS didn't ruin it with Persie doing very obvious cover-ups for story flaws a lot of critics pointed out while she's descending.

Like "Oh, I don't talk or think about how the fuck Apollo managed to channel my powers or where Hades actually is because I'm disassociating from it as a defense mechanism."

Persie that would be way more convincing if you'd done literally anything besides sitting on your ass and whining this season.

This constant narrative that everything is just too much for poor girlboss Persie and that's why she's doing fuck all doesn't really work when all that happened is that people rightfully called Persie out for making a mess while Persie hid away in the Underworld. Rather than work on solutions to the problems she caused or at least try to help with the fall-out.

She hasn't tried to learn more about her powers or about her deal. She didn't try to get in contact with Erebus. She hasn't done anything to try and free Melinoe from Kronos. She didn't help with the preparations for the sleep dive, neither did she even offer to take part in it even though it concerns both her and Hades' kingdom. She refused to participate in the meeting between the gods on what to do about the "plague" but still felt the need to make commentary over the phone. She hasn't come forward about Apollo's numerous crimes to keep him from taking over Olympus, even though she has several powerful deities to back up her claims.

Every time Persie could have chosen to become more than a passive bystander, she had some other character step up and do or say something instead.

Hera: "So are the fertility goddess stories real and you are one?"

Is... is that not common knowledge at this point?

The Fertility Goddess Mystery Box is becoming bloated with how much shit RS keeps putting in.

So apparently whatever Apollo did with the help of Ouranos at the broadcast was only "manufactured" and any greenery he managed to create with Persie has presumably died again by now. Okay. Persie knows this how?

The irony of RS making Hades look exactly like Kronos in the flashback to him and Persie accidentally doing the going giant-thing.

Persephone: "I did make [Apollo] bleed from his eyes and ears though, so that's a win."

Huh?

Persephone: "It's something I can do with my new powers; I was sort of able to rot his physical form from the inside."

Huh?

Persephone: "I think I can do some damage to Kronos that way."

HUH???

Hold on, so does Persie know how her powers work or does she not??? What is it with this cloud somersault in logic???? When the fuck did she figure this out????

Hera: "I'm not really one for combat."

Girl you fought in the fucking Titanomachy, what do you mean???

(The way RS repeatedly portrays women as physically helpless and incapable of defending themselves without outside help, I want to throw up all of my organs)

Alright, as much as I hate everything leading up to it I actually like the conversation between Hera and Kronos. Hera using Kronos' victim complex and egocentrism against him is actually really clever. And I like the small glimpse we get into Kronos' past and how Ouranos' abuse helped shape him into the monster we know today.

Kronos justifying his own cruelty by comparing it to Ouranos' allegedly much more evil deeds while completely missing that his actions have made him no better than Ouranos is neat. That's abusers for you. "I know I hurt you but I could've been worse! Also I had it way worse than you! Pity me!"

I did not expect Hera drawing this paralell between her and Kronos, of being deities who did horrible things for the greater good and ended up despised despite the sacrifices they made, but it's cool.

It's bullshit, but it's bullshit Hera knows Kronos will buy because of just how blind he is to his own faults.

Okay, final thoughts.

Someone else pointed this out, but this is literally just the season 3 finale again.

Kronos takes over a large part of the Underworld and controls the bodies of a bunch of powerful deities, Hades among them.

Persephone has to descend to the Underworld.

Another powerful god tags along with Persie and does 80% of the work to set up Persie's #Girlboss victory.

Not RS building up a different villain all season and then just going "Sike! It's Kronos again!"

At this point, I fully expect Ouranos and Apollo to be defeated off-screen.

[brutal-nemesis]

E&T: Looking Towards the Horizon

It’s a-me Crisp Rat-Anyway hi yes this is real it is here sorry it took *checks watch* over a year 🤪 what can ya do. But it’s a chunky one so hooray 2nd longest chapter to date i hope it makes up for the wait a little bit (°ー°〃) have fun kids

←Previous - Masterlist - Next→

Ingredients: bones breaking, including a compound fracture, a little bit of gore but it’s rather vague, the usual noncon body mod being a thing that exists and those dubcon touching vibes, implied perceived threat of noncon kiss that is in fact not that, mention of butchering

Erebus didn’t think he’d ever been so hot in his life.

He’d suffered through the humid heat of the rainy seasons at home, preferring the hot dry season that came before. But now, with the late-afternoon sun’s rays beating down on him from above and the heat radiating off of the black sand below, he found himself missing the muggy humidity and torrential rains. He couldn’t believe Neteri expected him to fly out here in the desert, but it was the next logical step now that he’d built up more than enough strength to walk properly again.

He shot a glance at Neteri, who was wiping her presumably sweaty hands on the sides of her coat. She returned his look with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I know it’s hot out here. Pretty, though.” They both gazed out over the black dunes of the Greikala Naman Desert, the towering cliffs behind them stretching out to either side, remnants of an old mine cutting into the rock face to their left.

“Still, not why we’re here. I just thought it’d be a great place for you to learn how to fly since the sand should help soften the impact in case you fall, and no one’s around to see so we won’t have to deal with people asking questions or you getting too self-conscious-”

“I’m not that self-conscious-”

“Hold these.” Neteri had taken off her glasses and was now holding them out to Erebus. He took them, confused as he watched her bury her face in her hands and take a deep breath. “You’re so self-conscious, Erebus,” she mumbled into her hands before lifting her face and replacing her glasses. “You’re like the most self-conscious guy I’ve ever met, okay?” She shook her head. “Seriously. You can be so dense sometimes.” Erebus opened his mouth to argue, but…no, she was probably right, wasn’t she? He couldn’t help it; he’d lived in an environment where people’s opinions and perceptions of him mattered a lot for the vast majority of his life. 

He cleared his throat. “Anyway, um…am I just going to start trying to fly now?”

“Yup.” 

“Okay…so, do I just, um,” Erebus flapped his wings hesitantly, “do that?”

Neteri shrugged. “Probably? It’s not like I’ve ever flown before. Really, I don’t think any other human has, especially not like this, so…you’re kind of on your own here.”

Erebus felt his face flush slightly. “Right.” He turned away, looking out over the vast expanse of dark sand. He-he shouldn’t be nervous about messing this up in front of Neteri, since she’d said it herself that no one had ever really done this before, but he still found himself proving her point about him being self-conscious to be spot on.  Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. Don’t think about Neteri. Just focus. 

Slowly, Erebus started to flap his wings, shifting them as he did in order to find the best angle, the one that fought against gravity the most. He couldn’t really explain it, but he just knew when he found it, something in the way the air pushed against the wing membranes feeling right. Neteri was probably taking-no, no, don’t think about Neteri, just focus. Focus on his wings, on adjusting them bit by bit, getting them in just the right-

“Woah!” Erebus’s feet left the ground for just a moment, but due to the shock of it he forgot to keep flapping his wings and fell back to the ground, stumbling and falling down onto his back. Still, he couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “Did you see that, Neteri? I-I was-I was in the air!”

Neteri smiled back, extending a hand to help him up. “I saw! I’m sure you’ll do even better next time.” He took her hand and stood, some part of him…excited to try again, to possibly succeed, to actually fly. Once she’d backed up enough, he tried again, able to find the correct angle faster than last time. Soon enough he was in the air again, actually staying in the air, rising higher bit by bit, but…how was he supposed to go forward? Maybe by moving his wings like-nope, down into the sand he went. It did help cushion his fall, just like Neteri said it would, so he was ready to try again right away.

Over and over, higher and higher, faster and farther, his take-offs getting smoother and his landings resulting in less scrapes and falls, and he was doing it, actually flying. He was rather clumsy still, but he ignored the burning in his muscles and lungs and kept trying. The feeling of freedom, of actual control over something was far too intoxicating for him to do anything but reach for it again and again.

But when he ended up falling gracelessly into the sand, his head spinning and breathing short, he realized he may have been pushing himself a bit too hard. Attempts at sitting up were met with waves of dizziness too strong for him to overcome.

“Hey, are you alright, Erebus?” Neteri knelt by his side, turning him onto his back as she felt his forehead. “You’ve been using a lot of magic to help you fly, huh? I was trying to keep an eye on your condition, but you were taking off again so quickly that I figured you were alright. Sorry about that. Here, let me give you some of my magic power.” She removed her glasses and took his hand, pulling him slightly. “Sit up, Erebus.” Shakily, he did so, his ears ringing as the world spun around him. But Neteri, she, she was moving towards him, moving her face towards his, like she was going to-

Erebus collapsed backwards onto the sand, resisting the urge to scramble away as she looked down at him in concern. “I’m sure you’re dizzy, Erebus, but I promise you’ll feel better if you let me do this, and, well…it’ll be less awkward if you’re sitting up for it, yeah?” 

He desperately shook his head. “I-if that’s-that’s what’s going to-to-I don’t want it so-so please just-” 

Neteri cocked her head. “What do you-” A look of understanding, and slight horror, dawned on her face. “Oh, no, no, no, Erebus, I wasn’t going to-that’s not how we-” She sighed. “I suppose I shouldn’t have expected you to be familiar with how magic power is shared between wizards, seeing as you aren’t one yourself. Here, sit up, I promise it’s nothing like that.” Feeling he didn’t have much choice but to trust her, Erebus sat up once more, resisting the urge to flinch back as she leaned towards him, eventually just squeezing his eyes shut.

He felt her forehead and nose press against his, but that was where the contact ended.  “It’s alright, Erebus, this is it. Just breathe deep, in and out. When we share magic, we do it by sharing breath like this.” Erebus felt a puff of air on his cheek as she laughed a little. “It’s always a little awkward the first few times you do it, but after a while it’s just as normal as shaking hands.” 

“Huh.” It was a little awkward, but he was sort of used to Neteri touching him however and wherever she wanted that he was mostly numb to it all by now. Well, not numb but…he was okay with it. “Why…why is it done like this?”

“Because sharing breath is sharing life, and magic is life. Well, I mean, magic isn’t what makes us alive, but, like…magic power comes from your life force. The bond between your body and soul. That’s why you get weak and start bleeding if you use too much magic power, because the bond grows weaker, and…you’re closer to death. The bond grows stronger again over time, obviously, or else all wizards would die pretty young.” She laughed a little. “But…if you use too much all at once, it can kill you. Like, there are some spells that one person can’t do alone because they require so much energy that it would kill the caster. Not to mention that some require different elements of magic working together, but that doesn’t have anything to do with the amount of energy needed.” There was silence for a few moments. “Sorry for just dumping all of that on you-”

“No, it’s okay, I asked.” It felt weird having a conversation with their faces together like this, but Erebus wasn’t about to lean away since it did seem to be working. And…maybe talking was better than just sitting like this in silence. “It’s weird how little I really know about magic. I mean, I know a lot of what it’s capable of, but…I never really knew just how it worked or anything.”

“Well, it’s not like you’d need to know it to run a kingdom, right? You can’t use it yourself, so it’s not really something you’d have needed to know. But, for me, things you don’t need to know are the most fun to learn about, ‘cause then it’s all about learning for the sake of it.” She shifted slightly, her breath coming out differently for a moment, like maybe she was smiling now. “Curiosity is a wonderful thing, really. We’ve made so many advancements because of it, and, really, it’s why I’m doing what I’m doing now.”

Erebus sat back against his better judgment, gulping as he opened his eyes to look at Neteri. “I-is that why you did all of this to me? Because you were curious?”

“No, I-” Neteri sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head as if to clear it before putting her glasses back on. “That came out wrong. I was curious about demon anatomy in the beginning, and after so much study it led to-” She looked up at the sky, blue starting to fade into orange. “Look, why don’t you practice flying some more before it gets dark. You’ve got your strength back now, right? Just don’t go too far. And after that we can eat and…I can tell you why I’m doing this.”

Erebus stood, steady on his feet once more, and brushed the sand off of himself. “Fine.” He wanted to stay put, to protest, to not let the chance of finally learning the reason for all of this disappear, but Neteri sounded sincere enough, and he doubted standing his ground would result in him actually getting what he wanted. He’d waited all this time, so he could wait for a few more hours.

Besides, he wanted to try and fly again.

After a couple more attempts, he felt like he was really starting to get it, figuring out how to best move his wings and body in each different scenario. He was nowhere near feeling like he’d mastered it, but as far as the basics went, he was feeling pretty confident. For this next flight, he wanted to try and go high enough that Neteri’d look like a little white dot on the black sands below. 

As he rose up, he felt himself starting to get tired again, but upon looking down and seeing how much further up he’d have to go, he kept pushing. Going straight up was difficult, and he’d been finding it much easier to rise at an angle, sort of gliding, but he’d never tried going this high before. Neteri was getting pretty small below him, much smaller than normal, so maybe he’d stop here for now. He waved down at her, not sure how well she could even see him, before looking out over the vast desert stretching out before him, the sky above now stained with shades of orange and pink, making the dark sands below seem to sparkle. A feeling of joy welled up inside him, and he couldn’t help but laugh, the world around him so open, calling him to come explore, because he really could go anywhere now, and he couldn’t resist swooping towards the horizon, to fly as far as his wings could take him, to-

There was a harsh tug at the collar around his neck, and everything spun out of control.

Erebus began to plummet towards the ground as he choked, trying to get air flowing through his throbbing throat, flapping his wings desperately, trying to right himself befo-

Reality hit him, and it hit him hard.

Sand sprayed through the air as he hit the ground, grains taking his place in the sky before falling back down on him like rain. His arms were scraped and bleeding, little pockets of sand collected under the skin, but that stinging was hardly anything compared to the sharp pain in his legs. His lower left leg was roaring in agony, and his right ankle felt like it’d been stabbed through with a nail. Through the ringing in his ears, he could hear Neteri running over to him, shouting his name. He pushed himself upright slightly before looking down at his legs, hoping it felt worse than it looked.

All it took was the sight of white bone poking out of his torn pant leg for the world to go dark.

                                                            ~~~

Consciousness pulled Erebus to the surface all of a sudden, mercilessly dragging him back into his body. He jerked awake, crying out slightly as the pain in his legs returned full force. Neteri stood over him, and he was lying on his back in...the old barracks of the mine, on one of the bedrolls they’d laid out on the cots in here before going back outside so he could practice. She gave him a reassuring smile.

“Hey, Erebus, just breathe, it’s alright. You had quite the fall, and…not the best landing. Thankfully I know a spell that makes things lighter temporarily, so I was able to carry you here without much issue.” Erebus started to sit up, wanting to check the state of his leg, but Neteri pushed him back down. “No, no, I just finished cleaning the wound, Erebus, but I haven’t had the chance to heal you yet, and based on how you reacted to seeing it earlier…” 

Erebus sighed in defeat and laid back down. “H…how serious is it?”

“It’s going to take a lot out of me, but…I should be able to fix it. Most of it, anyway. You’re lucky that your t-no, you don’t know what bones are called, do you-your smaller leg bone? That’s the only one that completely fractured in half and broke through skin. Your…thicker leg bone is cracked, but not completely broken, which is good. The ankle on your other leg is also kind of messed up, but that I should be able to fix pretty easily.”

Erebus’s stomach sank as she kept talking, adding to the list of things she’s going to need to fix, the number of painful procedures that he’s going to have to sit through. “O-okay.” He gulped. Neteri didn’t seem mad at him, but…“I’m sorry I flew so far, I…I just got caught up in the feeling and I wanted to-”

“No, it’s alright, Erebus, I’m not upset with you. I told you not to go far, but I probably should have told you what would happen if you did. I have this ring, see, and when I wear it, it’ll pull your collar back towards me if you get too far away, and…I just didn’t think you’d be able to go that far so quickly so I figured it wouldn’t be an issue, but…I’m sorry.” She looked away as she apologized, but soon turned back to face him. “But everything will work out. I’ll get you fixed up and hopefully you’ll be able to try flying again tomorrow.”

The apology was a bit of a surprise, but Erebus wasn’t complaining. “So flying too far away from you so fast is what ended up making me…” Neteri nodded, and Erebus couldn’t help but sigh. He’d felt so free in that moment, but, really, he’d just been like a bird in a cage. One that flew straight into the bars. He couldn’t believe he’d deluded himself into thinking that he could actually fly away from all of this, even for a little bit. Just look where it got him.

Neteri gave him something to bite on and asked him to be still, and all he could do was comply and endure as she fixed the damage his naivety had caused. She started with the most serious injury, the bone sticking out of his torn leg, and he was already fighting back screams as she carefully worked the bone back into its proper place, but he knew it was only going to get worse. Memories of the surgery on his arm came flooding back, of the awful, fiery needles that stabbed through his bone as she worked her magic, and soon enough that same sensation returned full force, a dazzling array of stabbing pains surging up the entire length of his leg, paired with the sickening feeling of Neteri’s gloved hands probing around inside the wound, holding things in place as she lit them on fire, rearranging twisted muscle fibers and reconnecting ripped blood vessels.

At least, some of them.

Her hand left the wound behind, the pain telling him it was not fully healed yet. He shot her a watery-eyed look, and she smiled at him weakly. “I’m just going to fix your ankle up first. I had to use a lot more magic power than I thought I would just to get your leg bones fixed, so sit tight.” He swallowed and nodded, as if there was any other choice. The type and intensity of the pain in his ankle was much the same as it healed, and at one point Neteri had to hold his foot still so it stopped twitching in pain so much, despite his best efforts to keep it from doing so. At least he wasn’t tied down, able to grip the sides of the bedroll or wipe the tears from his eyes as he pleased. It wasn’t much to be grateful for, but he’d come to appreciate the smaller things.

Once she was done, Neteri practically collapsed to the ground, resting her arms on the side of the cot. Blood was steadily dripping from her nose, which she didn’t seem to register for a couple of seconds. After hastily shoving her handkerchief up her nostril, she sighed. “I fixed all of your broken bones, and I stopped the bleeding in your leg. I still have to…have to finish healing some of your muscles and close the skin back up but I…I just need a break.” 

Erebus couldn’t help but stare, now realizing what it meant when Neteri was wiped out from using her magic. “So you…you’re closer to dying right now? Because you used all of that magic power, your life force, to…to heal me. You…you put your life on the line to do this to me, Neteri, so why…?”

“Because I wanted to help people, can you believe that?” She laughed at the notion, her lack of lucidity almost making her seem more aware than ever. “I always thought anatomy was interesting, from the first time I saw my father butcher an animal as a girl.” She steadily crawled her way over to her bag, pulling off her bloodied gloves before rummaging through it. “I studied human anatomy, and then demon anatomy. I wanted to study dragons, too, but it’s basically impossible to get your hands on a cadaver, especially legally. So I studied humans and demons, demons and humans, and I got to thinking, what if demons didn’t come from dragons like we always supposed? What if they were humans to start? What if we’re similar enough to-” dropping the small package she’d pulled out of her bag, she laced her fingers together, “to become one?”

The silence that followed was impossibly loud, and Erebus ended up breaking it before he’d even fully processed what she said. “One like-like me?”

Neteri smiled dreamily, some of the jerky they’d brought along now clutched in her hand, the other wrapped around a familiar crystal. “Yes and no. What I really wanted to do was organs.” Her face fell, took on a coldness he’d rarely ever seen. “So many people need new organs. New limbs, even. We can only take so much from willing, healthy people. But demons,” she smiled, “demons can be butchered all we like. So I wanted to test my theory. Replace human organs with demon ones, see if they take. My proposal was accepted, but only if I made certain revisions.” 

Erebus could see in her face that she was coming back to herself, realizing everything she’d just said, realizing she couldn’t stop now that she’d started. And she’d promised to tell him, hadn’t she? “It had to be all on one person. Someone disposable. Seven surgeries, one part from each kind of demon. Things more tied to their innate magic. And that all was just to be phase one.” Her tone indicated that she didn’t plan on speaking any further. 

Someone…disposable. The phrase had made Erebus’s throat tighten. At the end of the day, that was him, wasn’t it? A prisoner of the Empire, branded as property and sentenced to live out the rest of his days in chains. His life could be thrown away without a second thought. But even worse than that…“Phase…phase one? What…what’s phase two, then?” Try as he might, he couldn’t imagine something worse than what he’d been through, so…maybe it wouldn’t be as bad.

“It’s…it’s the fate I want to save you from.”

“What?” Neteri was looking at him, determination in her eyes, and for a moment he wasn’t sure if her “saving” him was a good thing or not.

“At the beginning I thought this part would be easy. That my subject would deserve to…” she looked away, swallowing, “but you don’t. You didn’t deserve any of this to begin with, and I was too focused on my goals to see it.” She laughed hollowly before turning back to him. “I don’t want to freak you out, so…I’m not going to tell you what phase two is just yet. I promise I will eventually, once you’re out of danger. I just…don’t want anything to go wrong, and if you know what might happen if we fail…I just don’t want it to keep you up at night.”

“I can-okay.” What use was it arguing? Neteri was standing up now, putting her gloves back on, ready to get back to fixing him up, and this conversation was over. He laid back and tried to relax, but this was all a lot to process.

“Actually, Erebus…healing all this combined with the magic power I lent you earlier…I don’t know if I have enough energy to fix your leg and...do the other thing I need to do.”

“Which is…?”

She gave him a tired smile, leaning in close, her voice almost a whisper. “I’m going to remove the tracking magic from your brand.”

Erebus’s eyes went wide. “You…you’re serious?!” When she said she wanted to save him…he didn’t know what exactly he’d been expecting, but was she actually going to let him go? Was-was he really going to be free?

“Dead serious.” She straightened up. “I’m not going to get rid of it entirely, just transfer it to a crystal that you’ll keep with you until the time is right. It’s actually the main reason why I brought you all the way out here. Because I really am going to get you out of here.” A genuine smile spread across Erebus’s face at her words, as much as he was afraid that this was some sort of trick. But Neteri had always been honest with him. She’d hidden things from him, sure, but never outright lied, at least that he was aware of. “Thank…thank you, Neteri. Really, I-”

She shook her head. “It’s the least I can do. And I’ll do more to help you, I promise. But for now…is it okay if I save my energy for the brand and take care of this wound the non-magic way?”

“Yeah, that’s alright,” Erebus agreed, even though he suspected this meant he was getting stitches.

He was completely correct, but the gash in his leg wasn’t too long, so soon enough she’d tied the thread and bandaged his leg up neatly. She healed the scrapes on his arms, at least, since they were so minor that the amount of magic she used doing it was negligible, but the process of her cleaning the sand out of them first was far more painful than it had any right to be. Once that was done, they ate the portion of dried food they’d reserved for dinner, Erebus mostly making small talk while he thought through everything Neteri had said, hoping she was truly going to make good on her promises. 

He’d never been happier to hear her ask him to take off his shirt and lie down.

After he undid the knots of the special shirt she’d made to accommodate his wings, he nervously laid back, excited for what lay on the other side of the pain for once. Neteri told him that it would hurt, that it might be like being branded all over again, but he could handle it if it meant he was really going to be free.

He could handle it, right?

The burning was exactly like it was the first time, and before he knew it he was crying, biting back screams as Neteri slowly slid the crystal over his brand, igniting white-hot pain as it went, and suddenly he was right back up on that stage, rough wood pressing into the wounds on his back, all of his people watching, the collar tight around his neck, heavy chains on his wrists, the taste of blood thick in his mouth despite his missing tongue, the smell of burning flesh suffocating him, the Emperor’s almost bored expression as he pressed the hot metal to his chest, the sky above unfairly blue, unbearable heat overtaking him in waves don’t ever forget that you’re property now you’ll never be free you’ll never amount to anything more than a twisted science project everything you’ve studied and worked for means nothing and all you can do is watch as your very humanity is ripped away and torn to shreds and nothing will save-

“Erebus.”

Erebus tensed up, suddenly finding himself back in the present, Neteri looking down at him with concern. A rag was shoved up her bleeding nose again, but she gave him a weak smile as she wiped away some of his tears. “It’s over. I’m sorry it hurt so much, but it’s over.” She squeezed his hand, holding out the black crystal she’d bound the tracking spell to with her other one. He nodded and took it, numbly worming it into his pocket as he tried to crawl out of his daze. “Let’s go to sleep, then,” Neteri said as she started to pull her hand away.

“Wait-” Erebus sniffed, holding tightly onto her hand. “Please, could you…?” He still didn’t want to say it outright, but he hoped she’d get the message, and he couldn’t help but smile when she gave his hand a squeeze. 

“Alright. But let me get ready for bed first, okay?”

“Okay.”

She got ready quickly enough, even giving him something to help with the pain in his leg since she wasn’t going to be using magic on it anytime soon. Once that was done, she sat on the edge of the bed, holding out her arms and letting him bury himself in her stomach, causing her to laugh a little. “Would it be easier if I laid down? I mean, I have my own bed, but…I think I’m about ready to fall over.”

“T-that’s fine!” Erebus sat up quickly, scooting over to make room. He hadn’t been expecting this, but after what happened with his brand, he wasn’t complaining. Once Neteri had laid down, he cuddled up next to her, her arms around him so comforting. Before he knew it the tears he’d been holding back started to flow again, the horrible memories of that day still at the forefront of his mind. He’d mostly buried it under all the awful things he’d experienced since, but now it was all he could think about. Neteri mostly stayed silent, her hand stroking his hair and rubbing the base of one of his horns. After he’d started to calm down, she spoke up.

“You know, I’d never thought I’d lay like this with a guy.”

“Oh, I, uh-sorry, do you not want to-”

“No, no, it’s okay! I didn’t mean it like I don’t want to or anything, it’s just…weird? No…unexpected? Yeah. I never would’ve thought I’d do this, you know? Like if you told me ten years ago I’d be cuddling with a boy someday I would’ve laughed at you, you know?��

“Well, if you told me at the start of all this that I’d want to do this with you I would’ve…I would have been…” He sat bolt upright, trapped between her and the wall. “This isn’t…maybe I shouldn’t do this or even want this I-”

“Erebus.” Neteri took his hand, holding it firmly as she sat up slightly. “It’s okay to want comfort from me. After everything you’ve…no, after everything I’ve put you through, it’s only natural to want to be comforted, to need it, really, and, well… it’s not like you have anyone else to turn to. And I want to make it up to you, so, please, if you want to…it’s okay.” She smiled. “It’s not like anyone will know, anyway, if that makes you feel better.”

“But what if they did know, what if they all found out that I’m-they’d think I’m pathe-”

“You’re not a prince anymore, Erebus.” He stiffened like he’d just been slapped, jaw falling open slightly before he finally turned to look down at Neteri, his eyes wide. “You don’t have to worry so much about what everyone thinks of you. You’re not setting an example for anyone, you’re not expected to be a leader, you’re allowed to be vulnerable now, to want things without worrying about how you’ll be judged for it, to just be…you.”  She sat up fully, still holding his hand. “So if you want this, Erebus, it’s okay. Really.”

“I…am I ever going to see any of them again, Neteri?” he asked as his shoulders sagged in defeat.

She gave him a tired smile. “I don’t see why not. After we get away I can get you all fixed up, and…maybe you’ll be able to go home. Just as long as you keep it on the down low, it should be okay.”

Erebus smiled wide. “Okay. Thank you, Neteri. We can go to sleep now.”

“Alright.” She nodded sleepily, her eyes unfocused without her glasses on. She glanced over at her cot and bedroll before lying down and closing her eyes. Erebus hummed happily as he laid on her chest once more, his horn resting on top of her shoulder. As exhausting as today had been, he was almost too excited to sleep. The prospect of actually being free was…exhilarating.

Honestly, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt hope like this. For so long he’d been resigned to this life, the fate he’d been dealt, because he’d come to accept that escaping on his own was impossible and no one who’d cared about him would be able to save him.

For the first time in a long time, he let himself think about his friends back home, all the people he’d known and loved, of Lythia, and he remembered how they’d tried to save him. That…that was the last time he’d felt hope, the day he was whipped and branded and had his tongue cut off. Lythia had told him he was going to be rescued, and he’d believed wholeheartedly that he would be. And here he was again, being told he was going to be saved, and believing that everything was going to work out in the end. 

Last time he’d had hope like this, it had been destroyed right before his eyes.

Would this time be any different?

Next→

Tags: @dramaticcollapse @thehopelessopus @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @galaxywhump @as-a-matter-of-whump @mnmlover2002 @tears-and-lilies @yet-another-heathen @rippedjeansandfadeddreams @starnight-whump @unicornscotty @thebewilderer @kixngiggles @itallstartedwithharry @inky-whump @redstainedsocks @lonesome--hunter @his-unspoken-words @susiequaz12 @its-mysweetlittlesecret-blog @whumpasaurus101 @patheticlittleguy @jadeocean46910 @whumpinggrounds @pumpkin-spice-whump @suspicious-whumping-egg @befuddled-calico-whump @whump-in-the-closet

[ask-paradox-and-friends]

*Because I'm bored.*

RANDOM FUN FACTS ABOUT THE OCS GODS OF MY VERSE

Nyxlite once poked her head into the mortal realm once. She accidentally became the inspiration behind the Greek gods Nyx and Erebus because reasons.

LOR has fought both Thor and his kids because they thought he was the world serpent. He clearly wasn't.

HP Lovecraft accidentally saw LORs face and this drove him crazy enough to make his monsters. But....Nxyie did accidentally tell Sunblood that Azaoth is real and came to Lovecraft in a dream. Cause in her words 'he's a dick.'

Hera tried to stab Cherub the day they met because she thought he was zues's kid. He wasn't.

Sunblood and Takie are hated the most by the ror gods cause Sunblood 'betrayed them for the humans' and Takie used to be a hellhound.

Merchant and Archivist hate going near a battlefield.

Makmak is scared of Hera and Amaterasu.

Geaia and Solveria haven't ever seen an Egyptian god before.

Galeria has been around since the dawn of multi celled organisms.

Alexand being the son of Comet and Nxyie is often considered the biggest threat to heaven and hell.

Comet has no face and his body changes color depending on his mood. His default color is purple.

There's almost no information on The Rainbow Opal due to it being very very shy and many people not even thinking it's real. But it's the origin of magic on many worlds. In fact their tears have made fountains of youth which are almost always portals into the land of dreams due to the fountain being 'a physical manifestation of mortal dreams.'

Rainbow Opal or RO is the only primordial who can have it's real body fly around the universe without breaking something or becoming a massive target.

The gods used to be 2 pantheons. The primordials who are abstract concepts made somewhat physical to enjoy the planes of reality around them. Killing any of them will break reality. And the Ascenders who are various mortals who Ascended to God hood.

The ways the Ascenders ascended.

Sunblood - married a god.

Gealia - people confused her for Gaia and she gained power through worship.

Solveria - people thought she was an angel. So people worshiped her as a 'mighty servant of heaven' she nevered liked getting worshiped but she loves her worshipers.

Galeria - being a massive sea serpant makes people believe she's the daughter of a sea monster they need to keep happy.

Makmak - fell into a fountain of youth and landed in the land of dreams durning the dark ages he refused to leave and stayed there so long became the physical avatar of the dream world.

Takie - she was a hellhound who was jealous every other living being could have children while hell hounds can't so mad she started kidnapping children she was sure deserved her love which accidently started a cult of people who revered her as a pagan goddess of motherhood.

Comet - he was the result of a big bang imploding in on itself thus it became an anomaly of major proportion they then started leaving signs to those that live inside their body it is alive and he's aware of what's going on inside them.

Cherub - killed his godly father in self defense and accidentally stole his powers.

With the exception of Makmak the gods have been in a relationship before.

[spacenutspod]

1 min readPreparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory (GUSTO) awaits its flight on a scientific balloon with a picturesque view of Antarctica’s Mount Erebus in the distance. GUSTO successfully launched Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. local time (Dec. 31, 1:30 a.m. EST) and remains in flight.NASA/Scott Battaion High above the icy landscape of Earth’s southernmost continent, the Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory (GUSTO) scientific balloon mission has been afloat for more than 15 days since its launch from McMurdo, Antarctica, on Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. local time (Dec. 31, 1:30 a.m. EST). GUSTO is mapping a large portion of the Milky Way galaxy and Large Magellanic Cloud to help scientists study the interstellar medium. The observatory is transmitting the data it collects back to watchful teams on the ground as it steadily circumnavigates the South Pole around 120,000+ feet. GUSTO is flying on a 39 million cubic-foot zero-pressure scientific balloon, which is so large it could easily fit 195 blimps inside of it. The balloon is used to fly missions for long periods of time during the Austral Summer over Antarctica. GUSTO is aiming for a NASA record of 55+ days in flight to achieve its science goals. For more information on NASA’s Scientific Balloon Program, managed at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, click here. To track the GUSTO mission in real-time, visit NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility website. Check out more photos from GUSTO's launch here Share Details Last Updated Jan 16, 2024 EditorOlivia F. LittletonContactOlivia F. Littletonolivia.f.littleton@nasa.gov Related TermsAstrophysics Explorers ProgramGUSTO (Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory)Scientific BalloonsWallops Flight Facility Explore More 2 min read NASA Wallops Signs Space Act Agreement to Support STEM Outreach Article 3 weeks ago 8 min read NASA’s GUSTO Prepares to Map Space Between the Stars Editor’s Note: The GUSTO mission successfully launched on a scientific balloon from Antarctica Dec. 31,… Article 1 month ago 5 min read NASA Scientific Balloons Ready for Flights Over Antarctica Article 2 months ago

[classpectanon]

I was wondering if I may get a land analysis for Knight of Time, please? Interests include books, writing, art, isolating myself in a cold pitch black basement away from human contact, creepy shit (Like oujia boards and that stuff even though it's not real) , bones and sleeping. I guess my personality is kind of shy at first yet my emotions can change very quickly from happy to angry. Yet I'm pretty quiet watching the time fly by. My apologises if that was too much.

land of dusk and grotesques (lodag): this land appears as a vast, dark expanse of dense forests and gothic architecture, with tall, shadowy trees and grand libraries filled with countless books and scrolls. the perpetual twilight and a mysterious fog give the land an eerie, isolated atmosphere. consorts are somber and intelligent crows, well-versed in the secrets of their land. the denizen, erebus, god of darkness and shadows, resides deep within the largest library. the main quest involves deciphering ancient texts, uncovering the knowledge required to restore light to the land. caution must be exercised while exploring, as the darkness can manifest unsettling and deceptive illusions.

[graywyvern]

( via / via )

CyberPyongyang.

"Kafka: 'Kierkegaard faces the problem, whether to enjoy life aesthetically or to experience it ethically. But this seems to me a false statement of the problem. The Either-Or exists only in the head of Sören Kierkegaard. In reality one can only achieve an aesthetic enjoyment of life as a result of humble ethical experience.'

Quoted by Janouch (and, in turn, quoted by Barthes in his lecture course on the novel: 'This is a Kierkegaardian problem. Let’s articulate it [and correct it] with Kafka…')" --@nicoscosc

Real-looking gadget.

"TRISTIA

I have learned the art of departure In loose-haired lamentations of the night. The oxen chew, the waiting continues – It is the last hour of the city watch. And I honor the ritual of that darkness When, bearing up the sorrow of the road, Tearful eyes looked into the distance And a woman's tears mixed with the muses' song.

Who can say, when hearing the word 'departure,' What kind of separation we have in store? What does the rooster’s cry foretoken When a fire burns in the acropolis? And at the dawn of some new life, While an ox lazily chews its cud in the stall, Why does the rooster, herald of a new life, Beat his wings on the city wall?

And I admire the habitude of spinning – The shuttle whirrs, the spindle hums – Look, here comes barefoot Delia already, Flying at us as swansdown flies! Oh, our life’s meager foundation, How scanty is the language of joy! All has already been, and all shall be repeated, And only the moment of recognition is sweet.

Let it be so: a small transparent figure Lies on a spotless platter of clay – Even so a squirrel pelt looks spread-eagled. A maiden leans over it and studies the wax. It is not for us to tell fortunes about Erebus. What wax is to women, bronze is to men. Our lot is cast for us only in battle, While they in fortune-telling meet their end."

--Bernstein's Mandelshtam

Kiel plaĉas al vi: komedio en kvin aktoj.

[callistochan87]

I’m working on design sheets. I don’t really need to do them because Lord knows I’ve done enough of them, but they’re fun, and a bit soothing to work on. I was going to wait until I had a bit more, but. impatience gets the better of me once again. I might take a break to work on other pictures.

(I didn't really need to do the first section of either - I just wanted to show that the previous designs were still valid.)

Anyway, I've decided to change some things up. Christine was always started as a teeeeeeeensy bit of a self-insert to go on adventures with. Keeping her perpetually 17/18 was getting difficult for me, especially given the plot of the book is her/her friends being abducted - the idea that their parents would just stay on Earth didn't seem right. Anyway. There were a lot of ideas and a lot of drafts, which I will likely summarize in another post, but for now, they've all been aged up. I like this idea. This is me going 'screw it I'll do what makes me happy' If that means 1910s dress and whatever i feel like, then so be it.

Christine's backstory is the same: she saw an alien at least once during her childhood, an event that has impacted her entire life since then, filling her with an interest in the stars but also a sort of longing, a restlessness, that's dogged her throughout her life. She loved her husband, her work is good, but at the same time she can't help but feeling like she's just going through the motions of life. Sure, it's comforting enough--if not stressful, tasking care of her ailing mother and a husband who works 3-week rotations at the mines--but...there's something missing.

Then she sees the alien again. Her mother has passed away only weeks before, her husband is gone away back on another 3-week shift, she's emotionally out of sorts and numb, but this fills her with a weird hope, more so than she's ever thought in her life.

When she sees him walking somewhere, she decided to put on her coat and follow him.

(I was going to have her have the necklace, but there was no real reason for it. I like the idea that she doesn't have a souvenir to remember the trip by, just her own memories and her and her mother's shared insistence that it was real. A secret between them. Even Eric, who she trusted enough to tell, doesn't really believe it was anything more than a fantasy, or a vivid dream, or her incorrectly remembering a normal event. He finally tells her this when he feels she's latching onto the story too hard after her mother's death. She does not appreciate it.)

I will dig up the link later, but the Erebus dress was based off of one from the 1910s? I really liked it. I decided to make it purple. That was always 'her' colour ever since she was Sailor Selene, so I decided to lean hard into it.)

Eric is also much the same, although some of the details may have shifted between drafts, but as it stands, his family is his father Alexander, a pilot (what airline? No idea, uhh, Air Tindi?? i have no ideaaaaa); his mother Anne, a nurse; his twin sister Shelby, who was really close with Christine in high school and into university; and his younger brother Garrett. (Garrett is a slightly newer addition, story-wise.)

Eric has always had some interest in nature, at least in more recent drafts, so he's a professional geologist, working out at the mines. (I don't know anyone who personally works for the northern mines so I'm not entirely sure of the stability of the job - I know some mines shut down production occasionally, so he might have worked at several different ones.)

Mine work is anywhere between 2 weeks on (they fly you out to the mine and you stay there), 2 weeks off (back home). During Covid some of the mines were straight month-on, month-off deals. I think it varies by mine, but a common number I hear is about 3 weeks on, 3 weeks off, so that's what I'm going with. I have not specified which nothern Canadian mine he works at, and that's quite deliberate. He stays in the north, maybe Alberta. At any rate he's often not home, which...well, he doesn't like it, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

He's helpful. I almost want to say helpful to a fault, helpful to the point where it's actually a problem-not for him, but, maybe for his wife. I read a story about a guy who had a near-death experience, and afterward he just wanted to help everyone. It sounds great when you put it like that, but his wife was less than thrilled when it felt like he didn't prioritize her over random strangers, or was so unconcerned with material things that he wouldn't do things liker 'get rid of the broken down couch' because what did it matter? or something, it was worded better than that, it's been ages since I read that book/

anyway that's the level of help I was thinking of, where his wife would like some prioritizing over random coworkers. I'm not sure how to show that or if I want to go that far. I was also debating whether or not he should have a NDE as a child, both as a parallel to Christine's alien experience and as an explanation for why most things seem pretty chill (everything does in the face of dying).

If he did, it would probably be when he was about 11-12, and would've been something like nearly drowning when out camping with his family during the summer - scary, but also pretty mundane.

He's very concerned after his mother-in-law dies. Chris isn't taking it well, he can't seem to get her to cheer up, and he also feels a bit useless for not being there (for a legitimate reason - bills goota get paid) when he knows damn well she needed the help (and both she and her father really hated the idea of sending her mother down south to a nursing home, away from her family, so. That didn't happen).

He tries to approach his own mother but...Anne. Anne's a nurse. She's a little caregiver burnt out herself. Eric's a grown adult. She can;t be doing everything. He'll have to man up and deal with his feelings. This is zero percent helpful for everyone involved.

His father is a little more balanced, as he usually is, but even in this situation there isn't much Eric can do but just try to help when he is home. This doesn't help Eric feeling useless, and concerned. Chris latches onto thr story really hard after her mother dies, including hoarding her mother's notebooks, talking about it almost incessantly. On some level he understands it;'s soothing; on another level he just wants to hug her and make thing sbetter, and he can't, and he's frustrated.

He maybe phrases his words more harshly than he intends to. And choosing to tell them to Christine when she's literally driving him to the airport so he can leave for another three weeks is probably not good timing. But you can't take things back when they're said.

He's angry and upset, mostly at himself, because she doesn't reaxct well and he's literally just thrown that bomb in her face and left. He texts when she lands just to let her know he arrived safely. Usually she says something more than just "ok". He usually calls every night when he's away, but she makes clear that he really hurt her feelings. Their calls become less frequent. He tries to give her distance.

Halfway through week three, she just stops picking up the phone. Straight to voicemail. He texts Konnie, the only other one of their friends still in town. Chris is still mad. She's pretty mad, too - he knew damn well what that story meant to her, regardless of what Eric thought, and he still chose to say it. Eric and Konnie have never been super close, so this isn't surprising, but it doesn't help.

Still, despite everything, mad or not, she's never failed to meet him at the airport. Even if she's delayed, she texts to say why. When he arrives at the airport and she's not there, not picking up the phone, he thinks it weird. Loath to pay for a taxi, he asks Konnie to pick him up instead, mostly because she lives close to the airport and there's no guarantee his parents or Garrett would be free.

That's weird, she says, doesn't Chris usually pick you up?

She does, but she's not answering her phone for Eric. She's not answering for Konnie either, and that's weird.

Her car's not in the driveway when they get home. The place looks like it hasn't been touched for a couple days. Her coffee cup is still sitting in the sink.

Okay, nobody panic. They drive by her father's place. She'ds been staying with him for a bit. Her car's not there, either. They elect not to tell her father, who would probably not handle it well if they were asking where Christine was, not so soon after losing his wife.

They find her car parked along the side of the road before a hiking trail. Chris doesn't like hiking. Konnie has tried taking her on a few of the easier trails and it often involved half-crawling up the rock, unsteady balance, not liking it. This wouldn't be a place she would go, especially not in the dead of winter when the ice would be bad. There are no obvious tracks, but it's the likeliest lead they have. It leads them out [I'm not sure where - initially thinking a lake but could be a variety of places]. Something happened there, judging by the debris, but there's no sign of Christine...except for [some item that's clearly hers - could be her car keys, something of her mother's, or if I wanted to go for the real gut punch her wedding, ring, but I don't think that'd be likely if she's wearing gloves, as she would be].

So. Christine was there, but now she's not, and something happened there. They pick up some of the strange debris. Eric is panicking in a way thatv he has never done so before, and goes to the one place that he would go to when he's stressed: his parents.

Thank God his father answers the door; if Anne had answered it'd be a different story entirely. He manages to get the details out. He's obviously concerned. He knows people, he can get a helicopter over the area to see if they can see anything - possibly she fell (we don't want to think about that).

It's going - not fine, but somewhat sensibly, until they show him the debris. It's about the only clue they have. ...It means something to him. They're not sure what, since it just looks like funny black rocks, but his expression says it all. He asks them to confirm what they saw.

...Alexander thinks he might know where Chris is, might. It's a gamble, since there are a lot of places within there she could be, but any lead is better than no lead. Eric wants to go right the fuck NOW. hang on. It's not that easy. You have to be very, very sure you want to do this, because once you leave Earth, you can't come back.

...

Anyway, Chris handles Erebus very well! Eric...does not.

(considering I'm trying to move away from things that have obvious Earth analogues - ie the use of mythological names, I feel like I should move away from 'Erebus' as a planet name - no matter if it fits VERY WELL - but it's been that for so long that ehhh, I don't know what I'd replace it with.)

[delicatelyherdreams]

Pragma(tic) 12: He Gets the Visit of His Life

Pairing: Persephone!Bucky Barnes x Hades!Reader

Summary: In a world where the old gods never truly died, you must learn to navigate your way through the ups and downs of immortality. And if living forever wasn’t hard enough, an ancient evil is now threatening to break free after centuries of silence. And as if that still wasn’t hard enough for you, now a pesky and infuriatingly handsome god is trying to wedge his way into your life. Gods, work, love, and conflict—what more could a goddess need? [Hades & Persephone AU]

Word Count: 4350

Warnings: Language

Pragma(tic) Masterlist

Previous 11: She Takes a Stand

Bucky had said that he’d give (y/n) a day at least to get back on her feet in terms of work, but he wasn’t sure exactly how much time she wanted. Was just one enough, or did she need more?

Eight days had passed since he’d left (y/n) at the border and, sappy and cliche as it might be, he missed her. He missed her smile and her laugh and even her sour glares she gave him when he said something stupid (which was often if he was being honest, but he only did it to get those damn glares from her).

He wondered how she was doing without him. Not that she needed him or anything—she was perfectly capable of living on her own—but she had told him she had a lot of work to do and he was curious to see how she was doing. He could only imagine how boring the paperwork was. He’d sat there and watched her do it one day and he nearly fell asleep. He felt so bad for her if that’s what she was stuck doing. Maybe he could rescue her and bring her to the island. Get her some sun. If there was one thing that was good about being in the Mediterranean, it was that it was sunny year-round.

Lying there in the grass under the shade of a tree to shield him from the sweltering sun, Bucky sighed and shut his eyes. He didn’t think it really mattered what (y/n) was doing at that moment and daydreaming about taking her out in the sun wasn’t doing any good.. The fact of the matter was that he missed her and he really wanted to see her. But he had to wait. Delayed gratification always paid out in the end and—

“Hey, Buck!” Sam’s voice called, pulling him from his thoughts. “You’ve got a visitor.”

Bucky groaned, keeping his eyes shut. “Tell my mother I’m sleeping.”

Sam laughed and Bucky felt him sit down beside him. “It’s not your mother. I think you’re going to want to go get them before Steve loses his mind.”

Bucky peeled an eye open and looked over at Sam. “What are you talking about?”

He nodded his head forward. “See for yourself.”

Bucky opened his eyes fully and sat up to look at the clearing. He couldn’t believe his eyes.

Standing in the clearing, talking to Steve, were two women and a large dog. He only just recognized the woman on the left as Peggy, the goddess of magic, but he would’ve known the woman on the right anywhere. 

(y/n) was dressed for a sunny day with a pair of loose black shorts hanging from her hips, a dark grey tank top hugging her torso, and a floppy black hat casting shade on her face. Cerberus stood by her side, nearly attached to her hip, as he sniffed Steve’s hand eagerly. (y/n) had her fingers tangled in his fur as she pet him absently, listening to whatever Steve was saying. A kind smile adorned her lips. When Bucky moved, he drew her attention and those striking eyes of hers landed on him. Her smile only widened when she saw him, and she raised her other hand in greeting.

He could only stare at her, his lips parted in awe. 

He’d never seen her venture out of the Underworld in the daytime and actually have time to appreciate her in the sun. The only time he’d seen her in the Mortal World like this was when she threw him out the first time. She was beautiful then, but it was a scary beautiful—the kind that came from radiating power and “I’ll kick your ass” energy. But now? She was stunning with the gentle glow that came with familiarity and sincerity. The sun kissed her skin, giving her a lively glow that seemed to send color to her flesh. She looked alive, and Bucky’s breath got caught in his throat.

He was on his feet and making long strides over to the quartet before he knew it.

(y/n)’s eyes never left him and her smile only grew brighter as he approached. “I thought you were going to come back later,” she said, her tone taking on a teasing tone. 

A smile to match hers covered Bucky’s face. “Oh, I was, Doll, but I wasn’t sure how much time you’d need to get caught up.” 

“Only a day or two. Eight was far too many.” She chuckled. “But time is irrelevant when you live forever.” She turned her gaze from him and looked back up at Steve. “Your friend here was kind enough to fill us in on all your moping over the past few days. Did you really miss me that much?”

“He did,” Steve confirmed, nudging Bucky with his elbow. 

Bucky hissed a “Hey” at Steve before rolling his eyes. “He’s exaggerating the whole thing. I was not moping.”

“Mhmm.”

He cleared his throat. “Anyways! Why are you guys up here? I’ve never seen you topside and dressed for,” he gestured vaguely, “leisure.”

(y/n) looked down at Cerberus. “Well, we needed a bit of fresh air, and Cerberus wanted to go on a walk, so we figured we’d pop up for a bit and see you. You’ve been going under for so long that I figured it was my turn to come up and see you.”

Bucky’s heart hammered in his chest. She wanted to come and see him. She left her kingdom to come to him. If that wasn’t dedication, he didn’t know what was. He smiled at her and offered her his hand. “Then shall we give your beloved pup a walk?”

She took it without hesitation and nodded. “Yes.” She turned her head back towards her companion. “Pegs?”

“You go on!” the other woman encouraged. “I’ll be here talking with Steve.” She shot a grin at the blond man, eliciting a blush to rise to his cheeks.

(y/n)’s eyebrows rose in acknowledgment, a smirk playing on her lips. “Alright then. Come on, Buck.” She squeezed his hand and pulled him towards the trees that led out of the clearing.

He followed her, tugging her too. “This way,” he coaxed as he led her through the trees. “I know a good path for walking. Mortals rarely travel it.”

“Perfect.” She let him take the lead.

Cerberus trotted just a bit ahead of them, sniffing down at every little leaf he came across. His tail was wagging rapidly at the excitement of new surroundings. Bucky supposed he hadn’t really seen anything living in, well, ever. 

As if thinking the same thing, (y/n) giggled at her dog. “He doesn’t get out much,” she admitted sheepishly. “He’s a busy dog.”

“Oh, I bet.” Bucky hummed and pulled her closer as they emerged from the trees onto the vacant path. “I still can’t believe you came up here.”

“Honestly? Me neither.” She looked down. “But I needed a small break. Things in the Underworld… Well, they’re not looking too hot right now.”

He frowned and ducked his head to see her. “How do you mean?”

Her lips had formed a thin line as she looked ahead. “Kronos’ cage is… It was weakened. Like, so weak he could’ve broken out at any moment.”

Bucky’s brow furrowed. “I thought that you went down every week to—”

“I did. We think that someone might’ve tampered with it. Our leading hypothesis is titans, but everyone’s been accounted for.” She growled under her breath and her hand squeezed his with frustration. “But we’ve quadrupled up on security and have spent countless hours strengthening the cage. Everyone is doing their best. Even my sisters have come down to help. At this rate, it looks like we’ll be back to normal within days and we can put this whole thing behind us as a fluke. But it’s just been so hectic down there and I needed a break.”

“So you came to me?”

“Exactly.” She rubbed small circles on the back of his hand with her thumb. “I feel calm with you, Buck. So when I needed a break to just chill out, the only place that came to my mind was by your side.” She shrugged as if it was no big deal, but the words made Bucky’s heart pound.

He cleared his throat and his eyes darted down to her. He was glad that he could put her at ease, and he thought to himself that he could help her by breaking the tension with a bit of comedic relief. So, with a teasing grin on his face, he asked, “Do you wear anything other than black?”

Her head snapped up to him, and she stared at him. “Pardon?”

He gestured at her outfit. “Screw me, I’m trying to make conversation and lighten the mood. You’re stressed.” He cleared his throat. “Anyways! I only see you in black. Do you wear anything else?” 

A skeptical smile crossed her lips, but she answered him, “Yes. Sometimes I wear greys or reds.”

“So only gloomy colors?”

“I suppose.” Her smile gave way to an amused chuckle.

“What about a nice yellow? I think you could pull off yellow.”

Her chuckle turned into a full roar of laughter. “Yellow! Bucky, the day I wear yellow will be the day I die.”

“So never. After all, gods can’t die.”

She turned to him, a coy smile on her lips. “Now that is where you’re wrong. It’s very rare, but gods can die or be killed.” She paused. “I’ve seen it happen; in fact, I’ve had to kill some myself.” 

“What?” He turned to look at her, his eyes concerned. He’d never heard of this, and it made him anxious and worried for her to know that she had killed a god.

She continued to walk, acting as nonchalant as if she were talking about swatting a fly. “Erebus, the god of deep darkness and shadows was rebelling against us, trying to set my father free. He was a minor god, so he wasn’t a real threat, but he was still guilty of high treason against Olympus. Carol hated to do it, but she had to sentence him to death. Who better to be the official executioner than the goddess of the dead?”

Bucky continued to stare at her, his heart aching for her. He’d never really witnessed death before, but he could only imagine how horrible it was for her. Despite being surrounded by death down in the Underworld, he never could imagine what it was like dealing it out. “Wh-What did you do?”

She glanced at him sideways. “I don’t want to get into the details with you, Buck. You don’t really need to concern yourself with it. Death is… Well, it’s not always pretty. I don’t want to make you worried or ruin your innocence. Death is a nasty business.”

He nodded, but there was still something that bothered him. Every god presided over some dominion or another. Every god controlled some important aspect of life. What happens to their role when they die?

“(y/n)?”

“Hmm?”

“If Erebus is dead, then what happened to his…”

“His charges? The deep darkness and shadows?”

It was like she read his mind. He nodded. 

“I took them. When a god dies, another has to take their role. Sometimes it goes to the god that already presides over something similar, sometimes it goes to the one most willing to take it.” She lifted her hand and instantly wisps of darkness curled around her fingers. “I was already Queen of the Underworld, a place that practically bathed in the deep darkness and shadows, so I took on the role.” She closed her fist and the shadows vanished. 

Bucky couldn’t decide if he was fascinated or terrified by the whole thing. He was impressed that she had more power because of the death, but he was frightened by the prospect that any god could become more powerful by killing another. 

“Don’t worry though. It’s extremely difficult to kill a god. Only one of the Big Three’s weapons or our father’s weapon can do it in one fell swoop, and my sisters and I keep our weapons under lockdown when we aren’t using them. The only other thing I can think of that could kill a god would be a sickness, and even then it would have to be a powerful sickness.” She shrugged. “Don’t fret about it, no one is dying anytime soon.”

“If you say I shouldn’t, I won’t.”

“Then don’t.” She fell silent for a bit before laughing. “Well, that was a failed attempt at keeping the conversation light. We go from talking about clothes to talking about death.”

“Well, when your girlfriend is the goddess of the dead, death and all its tangents are probably going to be normal conversation topics.”

At that, (y/n) froze and pulled Bucky to a sudden stop.

He grunted as he stumbled, pulled by his hand which was still holding hers. “You alright?” He hadn’t been expecting that, and he didn’t think she would stop unless she had good reason to. His eyes searched her body for any sign of sudden injury or disturbance, but all he could find was the startled expression on her face. 

She stared at him, still as death, her eyes darting all over his body. Her lips were parted in a silent gasp.

“(y/n)?” he called again, his voice cautious and timid.

She was silent for a few moments more before she asked, in a voice as timid as his own, “Wh-What did you just call me?”

“(y/n)?”

“No, before that.”

He paused, wracking his brain for the word. When he finally realized what she meant, heat rose to his face. “I called you m-my girlfriend.”

Hearing it again, she turned her head down, eyeing him through her lashes. “Bucky… You’ve only known me for seven months or so. That’s… that’s not that long at all.” She hung her head, her expression unreadable.

For the first time in a while, Bucky was scared he’d overstepped the unsaid boundaries they’d established. His heart sank in his chest. What had he been thinking? Where had he gotten the idea that they were a couple? Was it from the countless hours they’d spent together? Was it the both of them kinda admitting their feelings back at Pop’s Pastries with no one but the fluorescent lights to bear witness? Why had he thought that meant she wanted to be with him even when he hadn’t asked? Was he really so stupid as to rush into this too fast and just assume? 

He lowered his head in shame. “I… I know and I’m sorry, Doll. I shouldn’t have assumed anything and I—”

“No!” she said suddenly. “I mean, I don’t mind. I just… I’ve never been an official girlfriend before and it’s just… It’s different, y’know?”

“Like a good different?”

She paused for a moment, deliberating silently, before nodding. “I think so. But, if I’m your girlfriend, does that make you my boyfriend?”

“If you want me to be.”

She was quiet for a bit before she nodded her head. The motion was slow at first, so slow that Bucky hardly noticed it, but then she began to nod her head more eagerly and a smile that lit up her whole face took over. “I’d like that very much, but I’m changing the name. ‘Boyfriend’ and ‘girlfriend’ sounds like something teenagers use. I think I’d prefer you to be my partner.”

He chuckled. “Then your partner I shall be. I don’t care what you call me so long as I can be with you.”

“But also,” she said staring at him pointedly, “you have to actually ask me out before we can be anything. Just because I like you doesn’t mean you can cut corners.”

“Fine. (y/n), will you go out on a date with me?”

Her eyes sparkled with joy and mischief as she said, “Sure. Aren’t we on one now?”

He opened his mouth to respond, but he was cut off by Cerberus yipping and the sound of footsteps approaching. 

(y/n) whistled sharply, drawing Cerberus to her side, and placed her hand on his head to hide his red eyes. She straightened up, her cheery manner being replaced with something more serious, and stared down the path where two figures were making their way up.

Bucky’s mouth fell open. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen mortals up here. Most of the time he only came across animals or nymphs, but these were full-fledged humans. He tugged (y/n) closer to him, encircling her waist with his arm as he pulled her towards the side of the path to let the people pass.

They were a pair of men, right around Bucky and (y/n)’s physical age, who were huddled together and murmuring in hushed whispers. They were American based on their accents, probably tourists, but that didn’t explain why they were this deep in the island. All the tourist attractions were closer to the bay or the city.

(y/n) had stiffened as she watched them grow nearer; she was not used to living creatures. Bucky saw her eyes flash a light shade of red.

He leaned into her so his lips were just inches away from her ear. “Easy,” he whispered. “They’ll be gone soon.”

She didn’t relax; her glare was fixed on them. “Why are they here?” she hissed. “I thought you said mortals don’t come up this far.”

“Sane ones don’t,” he confirmed before leaning back and calling out to the boys, “Hey! You kids lost or something?”

The one on the left, a brunet, perked up, his eyes startled. “Oh! Uh, sorry, mister. No, we aren’t lost.”

“Then why are you here?” (y/n) took her hand off of her companion’s head and crossed her arms impatiently.

The second boy, a blond, withered slightly under her gaze, his head bowing low. “We heard from locals that the gods roamed here in ancient times. The stories say that they still do. We’re theology majors in college and doing a project on Greek Mythology. We didn’t mean to trespass.”

(y/n) snorted, probably from the comment about the gods. “You boys came up here based on some stories? Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but that’s all they are: stories. And pretty inaccurate ones if we’re being honest. I mean really? Where did they come up with some of that stuff.”

Bucky found her exasperation amusing, especially since most of the inaccurate myths were about her and her sisters. She looked about ready to rant about the truth of the gods but, although Bucky could listen to her talk for hours about anything, he really didn’t think that she should blow their cover to a couple of kids. He tightened his grip on her waist and whispered her name.

She slackened just a bit in his grip, but her eyes never left the men. “You shouldn’t be up here. It’s dangerous.”

The blond was the first to respond by saying, “Please. We just want to explore and maybe take some pictures for the project. Will you at least let us do that?”

Bucky was quick to answer. “Sure, but you guys are seriously going to want to get out of here soon. Not so nice characters venture out here sometimes, and they don’t like intruders.”

They gulped.

Bucky took (y/n)’s hand. “Come on, Doll. Let’s go.”

She whistled once more to Cerberus, giving him the okay to walk, and the three of them began to continue down the path. “Have a nice trip,” (y/n) said, her smile growing mischievous as her eyes flashed red at the boys.

The color seemed to drain from their skin as they stared at her incredulously.

When they were out of earshot, Bucky leaned down to her. “Really?”

She turned to him, her eyebrow cocked. “‘Really’ what?”

“Are you trying to blow our cover? Flashing your eyes at them?”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Nah, just trying to scare them a bit. I never get to have fun with the mortals.” Her lips turned down in a pout. “Let me mess with them!”

“You probably scared them shitless, Doll. I know I’d be freaked if I saw a pretty girl with red eyes.”

“Oh really?” She closed her eyes for a second before opening them to reveal the red that had taken over her irises.

Bucky’s breath hitched in the back of his throat as the rouge stared at him, ensnaring him with their striking gaze. Her eyes shone like rubies, piercing his soul and seeing the very depths of his heart. They were gorgeous, enchanting even. He’d never get tired of that color. “Really really,” he murmured, leaning in closer and pressing his lips to her cheek.

The giggle that passed through her lips was music to his ears. “Gods, you’re such an idiot.”

“I know.” He slowed to a stop by a small bush on the side of the path and reached for it. Simultaneously, it reached back, a small red poppy to match (y/n)’s eyes blossoming as it grew. By the time Bucky’s fingers had reached the plant and gripped the stem, it was in full bloom. Bucky plucked the flower and turned back to (y/n), tucking it behind her ear. “But I’m your idiot.” He let his hand linger on her cheek.

Color rose to her face as she leaned into his hand. “Yes you are,” she mumbled. “Come on, idiot. We probably should be getting back now. Who knows what mischief Peggy and your friend have gotten up to.”

“What? Peggy and Steve? Nah, Steve might be a dumbass, but he’s the second most responsible out of the three of us.” Bucky had no doubt that they were fine, if not hitting it off swell. Ever since his growth spurt, Steve had grown more confident around people. Though, he didn’t know if “people” necessarily included goddesses. Well, guess it was time to find out. 

(y/n) hummed as she turned him and Cerberus around to head back the way they came. “So then does that make you the least responsible?”

“Heh, yeah. But hey, my lack of responsibility led me to you.” And it did; if he had been responsible, he never would’ve taken Steve seriously and ventured down to the Underworld to get that ruby.

“True.” 

They walked in silence the rest of the way back to the clearing. 

Sam had vanished, probably to head down to the city and get food, but Peggy and Steve were sitting in the center of the field. Peggy was laughing at something Steve had said and Steve had the distinct red tint of a blush on his cheeks. Bucky smiled softly as he briefly observed them. Steve and the goddess seemed to be hitting it off. He’d have to make an inquiry about it later.

(y/n) stopped him at the edge of the clearing, right before they exited the trees, and turned to him. “Thank you for letting me come up, Bucky. Even if it was just for a bit. It was just the break I needed.”

He hummed. “Don’t mention it, Doll. You’re always welcome up here. Any time I get to see you makes my day, so feel free to visit whenever.”

“And the same goes for you, Buck.” She looked down at their hands which were still intertwined. “The Underworld is always open for you. You have every right to be down there. And I…” She frowned and bit her lip as if she was confused by what she wanted to or was about to say.

“And you…” Bucky prompted her, hoping to help her get the words out.

She held her silence for a bit longer before pressing her lips together and nodding. “And I want you to come down and see me. My responsibilities keep me pretty tied down there, I won’t always be able to come up and see you like this, but I want to see you. I want you to come down and see me. So please don’t be a stranger.”

Bucky held one of her hands in his as he used the other to cup her cheek. He gently leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I won’t, my queen.”

Satisfied with his answer, she straightened up, a soft grin on her face. “Good. Then I think Peggy, Cerberus and I will be taking our leave.”

“Good luck prying her from Steve’s hands,” Bucky said, looking out at his best friend and the goddess.

(y/n) said nothing but walked out to the pair, Cerberus keeping pace with her wide strides. She crouched down beside Peggy and said something inaudible to her, probably detailing that they had to go.

Peggy nodded and stood. She turned down to Steve and smiled, murmuring something that made him smile back. Peggy stood next to (y/n).

(y/n) dug into her pocket and pulled out what Bucky could only assume to be an Asphodel seed. But, before dropping it, she looked up at him one more time and gave him a smile. He could practically hear her saying, “Until next time,” with the grin. She tossed the seed onto the ground beneath them and the three of them were swallowed by the earth. 

A single Asphodel was left behind.

Left alone with Steve, Bucky walked into the clearing, stopping just beside the Asphodel sprout. He stared down at the flower, a soft smile playing at his lips.

Steve watched it too, but a frown was tugging the corners of his lips down. “We have to pick it, Buck. You know your mom will flip if she sees it.”

“I know. Just…” He sat down next to the flower and looked it over, the feeling of (y/n)’s hand in his lingering. “Just let it live a bit longer.”

Next 13: She Makes a Confession

[a-tiny-thing]

NCT AS GREEK GODS (PT.2)

Here’s a part two!

LUCAS AS KRATOS ; GOD OF STRENGTH

• Who wouldn’t agree to this?

• Lucas is a VERY VERY STRONG MAN.

• Kratos in some mythologies, is a violent man like Ares but this Kratos is a cutiepie.

• In some photoshoots, Lucas looks intimidating but not in real life lol.

• Zelus’s brother.

MARK AS HEPHAESTUS ; GOD OF FIRE

• You know why I chose Mark for Hephaestus?

• because he spits fIRE BROOOOOO

• that’s the reason lol

• Also, I hate Aphrodite, I can’t believe Hephaestus chose her, she’s a th*t.

HENDERY AS AEOLUS ; GOD OF WIND

• I don’t really know why I chose Hendery for Aeolus.

• Because of his hair???

• I don’t know

• But yeah, I wanna blow wind on his hair and watch it fly uwu.

XIAOJUN AS HYMENAEUS ; GOD OF MARRIAGE

• Hymenaeus is like a god of love and music.

• I can see Xiaojun like that.

• I can’t think of any other gods that I can compare with him tho.

• So it’s Hymenaeus.

• I really wanted to know more about that god but he really wasn’t mention a lot in some stories.

• *sad face*

RENJUN AS EREBUS ; GOD OF DARKNESS

• HAHAHAHAHA Winwin the second.

• I know Renjun is young and Erebus is a primordial god, he already exists since the very first beginning of a day.

• At first, I was about to make him Thanatos but I just kinda chose Erebus.

• Wonder what will happen if Renjun and Winwin unite...

• DESTRUCTION

• Just like some other gods, he really wasn’t mention a lot in some stories so I don’t know if he’s good or bad.

HAECHAN AS HELIOS ; GOD OF SUN

• HAHAHAHA Y’ALL KNOW WHY-

• (to people who don’t get it, haechan’s name means “fullsun” and he’s a sun uwu)

• Helios is the original god of sun, not Apollo, he’s just light and music.

JENO AS ZELUS ; GOD OF RIVALRY

• He’s not mean, he’s nice and a cutiepie, but hE’S RUDE-

• Have you watched him perform “Boom”??? he’s super rUDE-

• He looks tough and looks like he’s gonna kill me, that’s why I chose him for Zelus.

• Zelus is a god who wasn’t really mention a lot in some stori-

• He’s the brother of Kratos.

JAEMIN AS ARISTAEUS ; GOD OF BEE-KEEPING

• One of the cutest people I’ve ever seen-

• Aristaeus doesn’t really have much role in some greek myths, he’s just like a farmer.

• I read a story once where Aristaeus lusted over Eurydice and was killed as a punishment???

• ANYWAYS I love him uwu.

• I don’t have reasons why I chose him as Aristaeus.

YANGYANG AS HERMES ; GOD OF TRADE

• ITS MY FAVORITE GOD!

• I don’t wanna say this, but I have a crush on Hermes (not because of Yangyang, like the Greek god)

• I chose Yangyang as Hermes because Hermes is a trickster!

• Hermes pranks people for fun and is best friends or brothers with Apollo.

• Hermes also slept with Aphrodite I can’t

• Yangyang said he loves racing so I chose Hermes because he flies with inhuman speed.

CHENLE AS PLUTUS ; GOD OF WEALTH

• HAHAHA I THINK YOU ALREADY KNOW WHY I CHOSE CHENLE FOR PLUTUS-

• rich chenle

• Some people said that Plutus carries a cornucopia which symbolizes “peace and prosperity”?????? idk

• BUT ITS CHENLE-

[the-noodle-king]

Meet Hades, a floating Evangelion homage and exploration of how blurred the line between tank and support can get. At least, how blurred I think it can get.

Fun fact: Like how I had the ideas for 8-BIT but no design for a long time, I had (most) of a (Not Great) design and a name for Hades for an even longer time, but didn’t have a kit. Specifically, I had one mechanic I knew I wanted them to have, and that was it; reducing ally respawn timers, like a way weaker resurrect.

Well since I finally puzzled out a kit for them and then touched up their design, stats and bio are now under the cut~

Real Name:  Thanos Kyveli Argyris

Alias:  Hades

Role:  Tank  /  Job:  High Versatility Tank-Support Hybrid, with Healing, Barriers, Buffs, Debuffs and Healthpool Increases.

-

Hit Points:  400  /  Health:  400 

Primary Weapon:  Tainarian Shards

Ammo:  5  /  Reload Speed:  1.85 Seconds  /  Rate of Fire:  2 Shots per Second

Damage:  35 + 50  /  DPS:  70 + 100  /  Attack Type:  Targeted Homing Projectiles

Primary Fire, Tainarian Shards:  Direct the Tainarian Shards to fly at a targeted enemy, either maintaining focus on a single target and firing all 5 at them, or directing them at individual targets. Enemies hit by a Shard take 35 damage on contact, then 50 damage over the next 1s, during which they are -50% Anti-Healed. Consecutive hits on the same target add to the duration of the Anti-Heal and the total damage dealt, but not the DPS. Tainarian Shards cannot headshot.  /  Base Projectile Speed:  20Mps + 10% of Targets Movement Speed  /  Homing (Directional Angling) Speed:  5.5Mps + 20% of Targets Movement Speed  /  Projectile Size:  0.85M

Special:  Most of Hades’ abilities require a Resource called Death Essence, which is managed via a bar next to Hades’ Health. Death Essence is gained from multiple sources; +2 per 1 point of healing received while at maximum health, +1 per point of damage dealt by Tainarian Shards DoT, +150 upon respawn (Held Essence is lost upon death), and +100 upon activation of the Necrotic Blessings Ultimate ability, as well as through the use of the Sup Death ability. up to 250 Death Essence can be stored at once, and Death Essence gained via Sup Death over maximum capacity is converting into self healing for Hades at a halved rate.

Ability 1, Sup Death:  Either target the black soul orb of a fallen enemy or the white soul orb of a fallen ally. Targeting an enemy soul orb will begin draining Death Essence from it, and targeting an ally soul orb will begin expending Death Essence to rapidly reduce their remaining respawn timer. Targeting an enemy soul orb will create a locked on beam for the duration of maintaining the drain, so long as LoS is maintained to the soul orb, and while keeping the button held Hades can look around freely and use primary fire to target an ally soul orb, allowing for both aspects of Sup Death to be used at once. Sup Death both drains and expends Death Essence at a rate of 50 per second.  /  Ally Respawn Timer Reduction: 5s per 1s of use  /  Cooldown: N/A

Ability 2, Command Souls:  Either create a barrier of wailing souls which charges forwards, gaining in speed as it travels, blocking damage and damaging enemies it passes through, or send out a wave of healing in a ring around you, healing allies it passes through. The barrier is a tall rectangle which travels along the floor, ~7x14M in size, and the healing ring is a ~0.3M thick ring which expands from Hades’ chest at the moment of use, both start travelling at 4Mps and build in speed at a rate of +1.5Mps, and their effects are stopped by walls but not enemy barriers. Up to 2 Charges can be held at once, with a 0.75s minimum delay between uses.  /  Barrier Health: 1200  /  Barrier Contact Damage: 75  /  Ring Contact Healing: 75 burst + 15 per second for 6s  /  Death Essence Cost: 75 for Barrier, 100 for Healing Ring  /  Cooldown: 6s per charge

Ability 3, Hell’s Hounds:  Direct spectral hounds to either embolden an ally or weaken an enemy. Enemies are Slowed and Anti-Healed, while allies are Speed Boosted and receive Damage Resistance. Up to 2 charges can be held at once, with a 1s minimum delay between uses, and a charge cannot be used on the same target while a previous uses effects are still active.  /  Enemy Slow Effect: -30%  /  Enemy Anti-Heal: -50%  /  Ally Damage Resistance: -25%  /  Ally Speed Boost: +50%  /  Duration 2.5s  /  Hounds’ Travel Speed: 15Mps  /  Death Essence Cost: 100  /  Cooldown: 6s per charge

Ultimate, Necrotic Blessings:  Envelope self in Death Essence for a moment, then release it, granting Hades and any nearby allies special Necrotic Health, which hurts enemies to deplete. Necrotic Health sits on top of all other health bar temporary personal barriers, and when an enemy deals damage to it, they take 50% of that damage themself. Any allies within a 30M AoE + LoS after the initial cast time receives Necrotic Health, and the amount of health given, as well as it’s maximum duration, is dependant on the number of people affected. If Necrotic Blessings only effects Hades, he receives +300 Necrotic Health lasting 10s, if more than just Hades are effected, then the amount given becomes 100, +25 and -1s for each person effected (including Hades), starting at +150 for 8s at 2 and adjusting appropriately from there, to a max/minimum of +250 for 4s.  /  Cast Time: 1.25s  /  Required Charge: 2400

Passive, Necrophage:  Hades walks the line between life and death, and receives benefits from such proximity. Hades continuously passively regenerates health, as well as receiving bursts of healing when enemies or allies die in close range, and his Respawn timer is halved by default. While at full health his passive regeneration translates directly into passive Death Essence generation.  /  Passive Healing: 2.5 per Second  /  Burst Healing on Enemy/Ally Death: 25/10 Respectively  /  Burst Heal Activation Range (Enemy/Ally): 25M/10M + LoS

-

Ultimate Voiceline (Self & Allies):  Let Death Be Your Strength!

Ultimate Voiceline (Enemies):  Ο θάνατος είναι η δύναμή μου! (O thánatos eínai i dýnamí mou!)

Hero Select Voiceline:  Death Is Not An End, But A Beginning...

-

Home / Base of Operations:  Μιανές, Cape Matapan, Greece (Formerly), Unknown (Currently)

Nationality:  Greek

Sexuality:  Pan/Ace  /  Gender:  Trans Man  /  Pronouns:  He/They/We

Age:  Unknown  /  Date of Birth:  18th of January

Height:  5ft 10in

Affiliation / Allegiance:  None

Backstory:  Starting shortly before, and continuing all throughout the Omnic Crisis, a small team of scientists in southern Greece were working on revolutionary technology which would have changed the world’s very perception of Death itself, or, so they boasted to their government sponsors.

Little is known about just what they were working on specifically, every stage of the multiple inter-connected projects having been beyond top secret from the start, but what a special few know, is that there was a breakthrough shortly after the Crisis ended, which was reported to the branch of the Greek government which had a degree of oversight to it all. the report was written as they all were, in code, and it was short, as they all were.

It said, once decoded “We have made unprecedented progress. Tests must be done. We are optimistic.” No further reports were sent. 

When the scheduled check in was missed two days later, a small, discreet military force was sent to secure the facility where they had been working. Just as the scientists had, they went dark. Radio silence. Missing.

A larger force was assembled, and a week later the facility was secured. All of the research was gone, every piece of paper burnt, every piece of equipment irreparably destroyed. And every scientist, as well as their families who had lived on-site, were gone, no bodies to be found.

Some time later, a man calling himself “Hades”, and proclaiming himself a reincarnation of the very God himself, appeared on the international scene, his face caught on a CCTV camera flagging up a red alert in a small, discreet branch of the Greek government, with the name of the son of one of their missing scientists written next to it.

[incorrect-primarchs-quotes]

Erebus: Guys, it’s true, the earth is flat.

Lorgar: E x c u s e m e.

Erebus: Well obviously, if it was a circle then boats would go right off the edge.

Kor Phaeron: And planes would fly off as well.

Lorgar: *Hyperventilating* No guys please, the earth is a sphere, gravity keeps us on earth you can’t walk off the edge it’s fine please why are you saying this.

Erebus: Gravity isn’t real.

Lorgar: *Frantically pacing back and forth on the verge of tears* Holy fuck.

[thedungeonsbat]

Muggle Love (Chapter 14)

Chapter 14

You woke up tired to find Erebus snuggled beside you on your bed, you must have left the window open. He looked so adorable and you had to fight the urge to cuddle him right there. A good way to wake up, you thought. And then you realised what his arrival meant.

There it was, tied to his leg was a piece of parchment and a box. Erebus looked very tired so you decided not to wake him up. Without disturbing him, you untied the package from its leg carefully. You wondered how hard it must have been to carry it all the way from wherever Severus was to here. But when you lifted the packet it felt light like a thin sheet of paper.

'Wow..' You said while weighing it in your hands. This sort of magic would have been so useful to all wizards, you thought. You were impressed once again, you would never be done with admiring his skills. How you longed to be like him and to be a part of his world.

You unrolled the parchment tied with a deep green ribbon, the box was wrapped with the same.

The words on the letter were blurry because you had just woken up. You rubbed your eyes, stretched and yawned. You tried to read again and this time with better vision.

Your face melted into a smile as you began reading it. You side-glanced the pack lying next to you now. You continued reading the letter and instantly took the box in your hands, eyeing it with eyes filled with interest. You quickly unwrapped it and opened it to find all the wizard sweets Severus had sent.

At first, you were slightly confused because they all looked normal but when you read the labels, you realised they were not ordinary at all. They were wizard sweets!

Of course, they were. You smiled broadly as you re-read Severus' letter. But what did he mean by being 'careful' with these? They are just chocolates and candies and cakes. What could they do?

You got your answer when you tasted a soap flavoured bean. You somehow managed to not spit it out. Hopefully, the others would taste fine. You also checked a box full of chocolate frogs, you were not very interested in tasting these, they were even hopping around like real the ones.

More interesting were the cards with these, they had pictures of many people which when you read the cards realised, were witches and wizards. The one you opened had a moving elderly wizard named Armando Dippet. 'Fascinating' you said to yourself starting at them with gleaming, wide eyes.

It felt like Christmas. Waking up to find a present by your bedside. It was almost like reliving your childhood.

____________________

You began accepting the fact that you might like Severus and want something more than just a friendship with him. But you were still very afraid of what might be the result of this.

You wanted to talk about it, it was hard to keep all of this to yourself but you couldn't possibly risk revealing who Severus is in front of anybody. Not even your Dad or Carl or Holly, who still, by the way, tried to squeeze something about the 'mystery guy' out of you. She was very good at it though. Carl just usually commented and teased you during your daydreaming sessions.

You wondered if Severus was thinking about you or if it was just you, he did mention he cared in his letter. It meant a lot to you. Everything he had ever said and did mattered.

After a long while, you came across your old sketchbook. You hadn't had much time for hobbies lately, it was mostly just your studies dominating your time-table. You dusted it off and went through it, eventually you came across Severus' sketch which you drew long ago. You noticed you did not do his nose so right.

You drew another one that day, much more detailed, with the exactness of each and every one of his features, especially the hands and eyes. His eyes seemed empty yet were so deep when he was nearer. You missed those moments you shared.

________________________

Many of your feelings were shared by him and one more was the need to share, to talk and to express. It was rare, very rare in fact when he got into a talkative mood. Surprisingly (or maybe not), he wanted to talk about the same things as you, how he felt towards you...

Severus counted each passing day as it meant that the end of the term was one day nearer. Even though be had more important issues to focus on, his thoughts drifted to you. The sweet smile you were always ready to give, your gentle voice and something he'd love to experience more, your caressing touch.

To his satisfaction, you wrote to him more frequently and he replied in just a few words which did not satisfy you. In your most recent letter you had mentioned your plans on Christmas, you were going to visit your father and brother but would return to London before New Year. Only then he remembered there was another holiday coming up and this time he would not forget bringing you something.

During the small breaks he had between classes, he wondered what would be suitable as a gift for you. In this situation not even Malfoy would be able to help him, what would he know about your taste. Also, it would be extremely weird for him to ask his student something like that and he certainly did not want any rumours flying around.

He couldn't think of anything at all. He failed miserably at coming up with even one idea. He indeed was bad at it. He shouldn't be blamed though, he had never met anyone worthy of this kind of affection from him. That was before he bumped into you at the railway platform. When he thought about it, a smile automatically appeared onto his face. It all felt like yesterday but the rare smile disappeared as soon as the seventh years Gryffindors and Ravenclaws began filling the classroom. Some girls whispered and giggled and Severus really wished they did not notice.

Back to his cold and dangerous self, he began the lesson. Lucky for the Gryffindor who messed up his potion, their professor was in a good mood and surprisingly indeed, he simply corrected him without taking any house points. A few Ravenclaws began whispering and the Gryffindors exchanged surprised looks.

____________

"Did you decide what you're gonna buy him?" Holly casually asked after turning the 'Open' sign hung on the shop's door to 'Closed' when finally all the customers had left and the cleaning was done. You occasionally helped her out with Carl.

"Uh-what?" You said with a hint of absent-mindedness. Carl smirked from beside you,

"Thinking of Severus, are you?"

"Oh shut up!" You snapped. He could really be very annoying for you sometimes, especially when he mentioned Severus, not that you did not like him but you did not necessarily enjoy them teasing you.

"So, have you?" Holly asked again. She saw the look on your face which made clear you hadn't heard her the first time, so she kindly repeated with a smile, "Have you thought of a gift to buy for Severus?"

You blushed a light shade of pink and replied softly, "Oh.. That's actually been hard to decide..."

Carl looked as though he was going to say something, another teasing comment perhaps, but Holly silenced him with a glare.

"Why don't I help you? We can go shopping and get to spend some time together." She suggested.

"Yeah, I guess you're right but I don't really know what he likes. He doesn't really show a particular interest in anything exce-" You cut yourself mid-sentence. You were close to letting something spill. "I told you he isn't very chatty." You quickly added before they could question you.

"You'll figure it out," Carl said.

"Hmm, I hope so." You muttered and you continued walking.

Carl began talking about a new movie that was out and soon the conversation led to one thing and another and you ended up having a good walk home. You were left alone with Carl as Holly bid you goodbye.

He didn't say much and for the first time in months, you were the one to break the silence.

"When are you gonna ask her out?" You said. Carl turned to you with his eyebrows raised but you could clearly see him blushing a bit.

"I-I'm sorry, w-what?" He said and his bewildered expression caused you to burst out laughing.

"Don't think I haven't noticed. It's obvious." You said. He took his time to make sure you were talking about what he thought you were talking about.

He looked down again and his cheeks went even redder, "I don't know." He sighed and went on, "I don't want to spoil our friendship, you know? It's so great this way, what if it doesn't work out?"

Even if you were sometimes not paying complete attention to your surroundings, you had noticed the way Carl behaved around Holly. From the way he looked at her, it was pretty clear he liked her.

You rubbed his arm and gave him a sympathising look, "I understand." You said and smiled amiably at him.

True, you did understand. It was what you were afraid of too, ruining what you had with Severus. You would hate that and you understood Carl was not only scared of endangering his friendship with Holly but also it would get a whole lot awkward with you and her if things didn't work out (fingers crossed, hope things do work out for them).

You hugged Carl goodbye after one last reassuring smile.

____________

Several students lurked around Severus in the corridors trying to figure out why he was behaving more unusually than ever before. Why he was sometimes too cruel and then suddenly too kind was a topic of interest for many students.

Severus tried to ignore them but their curiosity only grew when his owl would swoop in among all other owls during breakfast, sometimes the black owl was spotted giving him letters in the corridors. One such time was in the presence of McGonagall whose eyebrows shot up and then furrowed in confusion. All she got in reply was an angry look from Severus.

"Who d'you reckon has been sending Snape so many letters?" Ron asked Harry before stuffing his mouth with a toast.

"No idea," Harry replied looking at the staff table, his eyes fixed at Severus as he pocketed another piece of paper and stroking Erebus' feathers. "I don't think even his family would write to him." He added through gritted teeth.

"That's mean, Harry. He's our professor." Hermione said.

"Who deducts house-points because you know the answer!" Ron complained.

"He hasn't taken any, even from Gryffindor, in weeks." Hermione protested.

"That is what's weird. Is he alright though?" Harry said, finally turning to his food.

"Who cares?" Replied Ron.

"I hope Professor Lupin's alright," Harry said in a concerned tone.

Hermione rolled her eyes, even though she wasn't very fond of their Potions Master either, she at least admired him as a skilled teacher.

The golden trio wasn't the only one discussing him. Most of the Slytherins had been discussing it too and there were all sorts of theories they made. Altogether, his snakes were happy to see their Head in a better mood.

McGonagall wouldn't miss any chance to interrogate him but got nothing out of him, after time she just settled with the fact that maybe he was just happy and there is nothing wrong. Ponoma took it all very well and always smiled delightfully at him whenever he passed her. And then, of course, Dumbledore got a bit oddly puckish, even more than before.

Severus was receiving more attention than ever and he wasn't enjoying it, he never liked to be the one whom everyone gossiped about. Though he was enjoying the reason, which was you.

__________________

Thanks for reading!

__________________

@smokindoinksinthejungle

@princetale

@radspencerreid

[brutal-nemesis]

Seasoned Explorers

Uhh yeah I finally had to turn in my writing portfolio AKA I finished my phat fiction story with a whumpy ending! 

This is a VERY non-canon space pirate AU featuring Castys, Syll, and Erebus, all of whom are mortal and completely human here.

Castys Masterlist

Ingredients: character death, body horror, implied amputation, self harm to escape from danger

“Hey, Castys, I just picked up another old distress signal. And it’s close by, so we should be able to at least pop by and grab some valuables before we need to head back to base,” Syll said, glancing up from her command console.

“This better not be another planet with one of those giant evil apocalypse monsters still roaming around. The scars that fish thing gave me have not gone away yet.” Castys rolled down his sleeve as he said this, revealing a row of puncture marks that stood out on his bronze skin. He lazily examined them while still driving their spaceship. 

“The cool thing about scars is that they don’t go away.”

“Oh hey shut up look at that it’s the planet-wow it’s super white.” Castys peered out the window at the huge white sphere that had come into view once the ship had slowed down. Syll got out of her chair and joined him in front of the main window.

“Is it winter in both hemispheres? I didn’t think this one was far enough from its sun to warrant this much ice. And I can’t see any structures or oceans or anything, everything must have been completely frozen over. It could be how they all died,” Syll mused.

“Well, if we get too cold we can always just stab ourselves with our thousand degree knives.” Castys pulled out his plasma knife and held it close to his chest, which probably would have killed him if the blade had been turned on. “Big toasty~.” He put it back in his pocket. “Anyway, could you go get Erebus up while I land this thing? I’ll do it in the southern hemisphere since it’s supposed to be summer there and less cold is good.” Syll nodded and went to wake Erebus, who was sleeping on the lower deck of the ship.

Castys landed the ship in a field next to a frozen city. The three of them met near the exit hatch, and Erebus checked the outside conditions display to see if the atmosphere would be breathable. It was, thankfully, but there was something else that stood out on this supposed frozen planet. “Guys… I don’t think that’s ice out there. The temp gauge says it’s warm out there. Like above-the-melting-point-of-water warm.”

“For real?” Castys replied, shoving Erebus aside to look. “Wack. Guess I won’t need all this warmy stuff then. Especially since this planet isn’t one where the atmosphere isn’t made of toxic gas that’s going to burn my skin.” He shed his warmer layers, and the other two followed suit.

When they stepped outside, they had to shield their eyes for a moment. Everything was a blinding white as far as the eye could see. Every tree and building was covered in a layer of glittering crystals. Flowers sprouted here and there, unnaturally still in the breeze. The ground crunched as they walked on it, the only sound disturbing the unnatural silence that pressed on their ears. The dead planets they pillaged typically still had some sort of life on them, something crawling or running or flying about, but everything here was completely still. Frozen, quiet, and crystalline.

Upon entering the city, they began to find the people. Their forms had been hard to make out from far away in the stark-white environment, but there were hundreds of them throughout the streets. Each and every one was frozen in time. Running, crawling, fallen to the ground, screaming in agony, in disbelief, reaching out to one another, staring up to the sky. Perfectly still statues with every flavor of pain and fear written across their faces.

“What...happened here?” Erebus had stopped in front of the form of a woman collapsed on her knees, a look of horror on her face as she stared at her own hands.

“Yeah this is pretty messed up.” Castys nudged the arm of a person lying on the ground, but they didn’t budge. “I don’t know if it’s as bad as that one planet with all the mushrooms...well, I’m sure y’all remember, but these guys are just like, perfectly frozen in their, uh, magic crystal death.”

“What does it matter? We’re not here to play detective for a dead planet.” Syll paid the frozen people no mind, weaving past them as she continued to walk down the street, looking buildings up and down. “Besides, there’s no use getting all sad about dead people we don’t even know. We see them all the time, pillaging dead planets as much as we do, and this time’s no different.”

“I don’t think we’ve seen anything exactly like this before.” Syll shot an annoyed glare at Castys and he held his hands up in surrender, continuing, “I get what you’re saying, though, so I’m down to stop staring at dead people and try to find some valuables.” He began walking with Syll, and Erebus reluctantly followed, giving the dead woman one last glance.

The three of them usually tried to find a museum or building of the sort when pillaging planets, since works of art of precious artifacts were worth a lot more galaxywide than the planet’s local currency ever could be. Normally, street signs and maps could typically assist in their search, but their crystalline coating made them impossible to read. Erebus tried to scrape the crystals off, but his efforts yielded nothing but more crystals. Wandering around looking for a museum was all they could do.

However, once they saw the building in the distance, they knew they had found it. It was much shorter than the surrounding buildings and was flanked by impressive columns and statues. The three walked through the open doors hoping there was something of value inside. The lights no longer worked, but huge windows along the walls allowed enough light in to see, even though the glass had been turned into the strange crystals. The situation inside the museum wasn’t any different from the outside. Every single thing had been converted to crystals, from the skeletons to the works of art, a blank white scene of greatness long-gone.

“I don’t think there’s gonna be anything worthwhile in here since it’s all crystal-y. Let’s just call this one a dud and head out.” Castys began to turn back and head outside.

“Wait.” Erebus held his arm out, stopping him. “A lot of museums have, like, a room with different minerals and stuff right? Maybe if this place had one we could go and see if this planet has some weird mineral that, I don’t know, spread all over for some reason? There’s gotta be a sign with information or something.” 

“That would be a great idea except for, oh yeah,” Castys gestured to a large blank sign next to him, “words aren’t real.” There was an awkward pause. “Like reading words. Here. Because of the crystals. If there was a sign we couldn’t read it. Because everything turned into-” Erebus clamped a hand over Castys’s mouth before he could continue.

“Thank you, Castys. Shut up, Castys.” Castys responded in an even more mature manner by shoving his friend back, causing him to trip and fall on his back. “Ouch. Geez, dude. You made me bite my tongue.”

“OH NO! I’ve killed you, my dear friend.” Castys fell to his knees, his hands clasped in front of him as if in prayer. “Forgive me for this grave sin.”

“Would you two stop fooling around?!” Syll yelled from the top of the large staircase on the other side of the room. “There might still be something worthwhile in this place, even if it is made of these weird crystals. So start looking.” Castys gave her a thumbs up and helped Erebus off the ground before beginning to explore.

After about an hour, the three of them met up in one of the rooms on the upper floor. There wasn’t much of a haul since most of the things they would normally steal, like gold and gems, lost their value upon becoming crystal. They did find a few small figurines that would still be valuable since their delicate craftsmanship was preserved and a few fossils that were probably detailed enough to be worth something. As they moved to leave, Erebus motioned for the other two to wait.

“I might know what these crystals are. I stopped by what used to be the gemstone room, and being in there helped me remember some stuff from that geology class I took when I was younger.” He held up a chunk of crystal he’d picked up from somewhere. “There’s one mineral that you can lick it and you know exactly what it is. Give it a try, Castys.” He tossed him the crystal.

“Well, you know I like licking things.” Castys immediately tried it out, much to Syll’s disgust and Erebus’s amusement. He made a face. “Eugh. It’s just super salty.”

“Wait, it’s actually halite? It’s the mineral that’s just straight-up NaCl, one hundred percent salt. I was hoping it was just going to be quartz or something, here, let me try.” Erebus motioned for Castys to give him the crystal back. 

“So you just wanted me to lick a random rock for no reason? Why didn’t you just try it yourself?” Castys replied, tossing it back.

“Every scientist needs a guinea pig.” Erebus smiled. He licked the crystal and immediately winced. “Ouch, yeah that’s halite all right. Which I normally wouldn’t mind licking, but somebody made me bite my tongue.” He stuck it out for them to see the small wound, but where it should have been red, there was a patch of white. And it was growing bigger. 

“Erebus, what is that?” Syll asked, moving forward to get a closer look.

“I-” was all he could say before his tongue became completely encased in the white crystals and Erebus found he couldn’t move it anymore. The spread of the crystals didn’t stop there. The patch of flesh-turned-salt grew bigger and bigger, radiating out from his mouth. He collapsed to the ground, frantically scratching at his skin, trying to get the rapidly forming layer of salt off. Castys and Syll looked oh in horror as every gouge he made in his flesh quickly changed from red to white, drops of blood only coloring their bleached surroundings for a moment before turning completely into salt. 

“Erebus, Erebus!” Castys grabbed his hand, trying to do something, anything, to help his friend. “What the hell is happening?!” He yelled desperately.

“I-I don’t…” Syll felt rooted to the spot, like she was the one turning into a statue. All she could do was watch as Erebus’s movements became jerkier in his last act of grabbing Castys’s hand tightly with both of his own. And then he was still, completely encased in the same crystal as the entire planet, immortalizing his final moments of agony.

There was silence. Castys and Syll stayed perfectly still, as if they were waiting to see if the same fate would befall them. 

“I-” Castys looked up at Syll, tears brimming in his eyes, “Syll, this is all my fault, I-I made him bite his tongue is that what killed him oh god I-”

“We don’t know what for sure, Castys.” 

“Well then why aren’t I made of salt now too?! I licked it and nothing happened, but Erebus…”

“Hey, hey Castys, it’s okay, you didn’t know, there’s no way you could have known.” She knelt down and wrapped her arms around him, feeling him shake with sobs. She was too much in shock to cry now, it still didn’t feel real. But there was no way Castys could deny Erebus’s fate. His left hand was still tightly clasped between both of Erebus’s. He couldn’t stop staring at his face, one that was laughing and smiling a minute ago, now frozen in an expression of terror. 

They weren’t sure how much time had passed, but when the light coming in from the windows began to dim, Syll stood and offered a hand to her friend. “Come on, Castys. Let’s...let’s go home.” Castys nodded wordlessly and started to stand, but when he tried to pull his hand out from Erebus’s, it wouldn’t budge. He tugged and tugged, but he couldn’t free himself from the dead man’s grip.

“Syll, Syll, my hand is stuck. He won’t let go.” He looked up at her pleadingly, the grief in his eyes beginning to mix with fear. 

“Uh-I-I don’t…” She had an idea immediately, but she hated herself for thinking of it. She looked around checking her pockets and her bag for some other solution, but there was nothing else she could think of. Nothing else she could do besides use her plasma knife. “Hold still.” She turned the knife on, the superheated blade flickering into existence, and positioned it near one of Erebus’s wrists. “I’m sorry, Erebus.” The knife cut through the salt easily, melting it before it even came in contact with the blade. When she was done, Castys lifted his arm, hand still clasped between the disembodied salt ones. He began to try to pry them off, and Syll joined in once she had turned her knife off. One of the hands snapped with an audible crack, fingers breaking off and leaving behind jagged stumps. One of which sliced into Castys’s palm.

Red blood oozed out of the gash, but that red quickly faded to white as crystals began to replace flesh and blood. “No, no, STOP!” Castys screamed, holding his hand as far away from himself as he could, as if that would stop him from meeting the same fate as his friend. “Stop it please I don’t want to die I’m sorry Erebus I’m so so sorry!”

Syll felt like she was on autopilot as she grabbed his wrist in one hand and the knife in the other. There was no time to think, no time to hesitate. She couldn’t lose them both.

 She turned the knife on and swung. 

There were three severed hands made of salt lying on the ground. But there were two flesh and blood people. They were hurting, to be sure, but they were alive. They could escape. And escape they did, leaving the silent planet of salt behind.

[renegade-skywalker]

Out of the Abyss, Chapter 16

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2  / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 / Chapter 10 / Chapter 11 / Chapter 12 / Chapter 13 / Chapter 14 / Chapter 15 / Chapter 16: Unknown Exodus

After years in exile, ex-Jedi General, Eden Valen (now going by Vale) continues to clean up after Revan and Malak’s mess of a war, only to find herself forever cursed with their unfinished business. As an ill-fated lead brings her to Tatooine, Eden finds that Revan’s mysterious plans go beyond the Republic, beyond the Outer Rim, and into the utter unknown. (A novelization of The Sith Lords and beyond) 

Chapter Summary:  Just as Brianna and Atris’ other handmaidens plan to infiltrate the Jedi Academy to retrieve their sister, Darth Erebus plots an impromptu escape before it's too late.

3951 BBY, Nespis VIII, Jedi Academy Brianna

The Jedi temple on Nespis VIII wasn’t unlike any other that Brianna had visited in recent months, scouring the sites for anything lost or left behind for her Mistress to reclaim and keep safe. But this one… this one felt haunted somehow.

The halls were full of mercenaries, yes, but Brianna also felt other eyes on her, hidden ones. Arianna seemed unworried, at least by anything other than the present threat. When they re-entered the temple, they were greeted by its new occupants, as well as Orenna and Ursa, accompanied by Liana via comm. Irena was still in the archives somewhere, unable to answer, though they took it as a sign that she was captured or at least unable to escape safely.

They sisters four took out the front guard easily enough, at least the outer-lying scouts whose absence would not be noted for some time yet. They needed to get Irena and the items secured beneath the temple out with as little of a commotion as possible. Liana told them the docks were already on near lock-down, the Golden Company having made themselves comfortable there, too.

“You’re lucky things hadn’t quite gotten this bad on Tatooine, sister,” Arianna had breathed as they retreated into the temple shadows again once they were safe inside to make their next move. “Things here aren’t looking much better.”

Brianna nodded, unsure whether to consider her sister’s comment a token of concern or a backhanded insult, as if to say that Brianna couldn’t handle herself without her sisters there to save her. But the feeling at the nape of her neck drew her away from any inner questioning, wondering instead who was watching them, and from where.

They were hidden in the alcove above the main doors, crouched in the dilapidated entrance to the ventilation system. Brianna eyed their surroundings, knowing her sisters were more than capable, but curious nonetheless if they could feel it too. Her skin was covered in goosebumps, prickled from her wrists up to her shoulders, trailing down back, as she hazarded a glance behind her to see if anyone was there. She knew she would find nothing but darkness, but somehow, in the shadow she knew something was waiting, watching.

She stood still, her sisters still speaking in whispers so quiet they could be mistaken for near silence, locking eyes with the darkness. Something shifted, the weight of the air around them, the temperature of the alcove, something… something.

“Brianna?”

Unmoving, Brianna stared still, waiting for the slightest sign of movement, of something, though she knew not what.

The air beside them seemed to solidify before her eyes for a moment, and then… sighed?

“Brianna-” Arianna gripped her arm, but Brianna snatched it back, and in doing so unlatched her staff and extended it as she stood, thrusting it into the empty air… only to hit something that was certainly not nothing.

A figure rippled into existence, forming from nothing, a figure completely clad in black whose chest was now wreathed in a deep dripping red.

“Quick, there’s more of them,” Brianna said before she knew what was happening, before she’d registered what she’d just done and how. Several figures spirited into being before them, all poised on the edge of the alcove as if they’d been perched there, waiting.

With another parry she managed to knock another off the ledge while Arianna reached around her and kicked the leg out from another. Five remained.

Brianna had not seen a foe like this before, but they reminded her of someone. Someone still fresh in her memory.

The remaining figures readied themselves as they passively allowed their comrades to fall, the expressionless masks betraying nothing of their next move. Arianna grappled with the first, while another figure leapt across the gap to reach Orenna. Three stood facing Brianna, each with a weapon in hand, and each ready to fly.

Within the span of a moment, time froze, as it did once… in a dream? Brianna did not have the time to remember, though a flicker of a memory, a half-thought, flitted through her mind before she calculated the moves she needed to take down the three foes standing before her. Almost without thinking, she hooked her staff with the first silhouette, feeling the electricity travel from its shock-stick to hers, snaking its way through her hands and up her arms. Instead of reeling, she felt herself absorbing the shock of the contact as she pulled downward, using gravity to her advantage. At that moment, the second figure poised to pull a trigger, but with Brianna’s staff still on the down-turn she spun and kicked out, slamming her booted foot into the figure’s hip to send them flying, the rifle’s aim skewed just enough to hit one of the assailants behind her as they grappled with Arianna still. Now the third stood ready, needle-thin blades in each hand. As she landed, Brianna ducked, instinctively avoiding the first blade as she came up on the second, grabbing the hand of her attacker before they could lash out, using her staff to fling the first blade out of their hand. As one blade tumbled to the antechamber below, Brianna thrust the hand of the figure down so they fell along with it, toppling to the floor along with the others.

Turning, she found Arianna, Orenna and Ursa staring at her wide-eyed with only two assailants between them, now incapacitated on the floor.

“...Well done,” Ursa finally uttered, her voice colored impressed yet tinged with something more like… disgust? Fear?

Brianna could only nod humbly, still catching her breath. She retracted and reattached her staff to her belt and slowly moved towards them.

Arianna and Orenna nodded, near-dumbfounded, exchanging glances as Brianna carefully made her way over the broken floorboards to where they stood, wary not to fall along with those… foes she dispatched.

“Now who are they, I wonder?” she said, her heart racing, unsure of what just happened, of what her sisters thought of her now, and whether she might finally be worthy of them.

Whatever similar thoughts ran through her sisters’ heads dissipated at the question, Arianna taking the lead as she often did.

“Judging by their garb?” Arianna began, nudging one of the bodies with the tip of her boot, “Not a mercenary, that’s for sure. I’ve seen some of this material used in other armors, older ones. Orenna, do you remember?”

Arianna knew the answer, but asked Orenna as if testing her. Orenna nodded, accepting the challenge, before kneeling to get a closer look. Her fingers hovered over one of the masked faces, as if curious to see the person beneath, but instead her hands moved to the figure’s arm, running her fingers along their greaves. She paused before looking up at her sisters again, looking at them each in turn.

“We’ve found similar armor before, on the Outer Rim bordering the Unknown Regions. Get a closer look, sister.”

Brianna watched cautiously as Arianna nodded at her, beckoning that she do as Orenna asked, almost afraid of what she might find, though she already had some idea. She knelt slowly, looking at more than just their greaves, but examining the rest of their armor, turning the body this way and that as if it were a training doll. Brianna’s blood ran cold then, realizing what she’d done, knowing that this were her first real… kill. Her sisters seemed unfazed, perhaps having already done this on other excursions she was excluded from, or perhaps they just didn’t care. They were trained not to, afterall, but Brianna couldn’t help but feel unsteady, the air around them somehow thinner. She examined the now-corpse, suddenly aware of the rest of the temple, sensing the movement in the lower rooms, knowing there were others nearby, and the sheer weight of what remained hidden beneath it all. But was that because she knew how important Atris’ work was? Or was it something else?

“Sith,” Brianna breathed finally, though tension still mounted in her chest, “I’m certain.”

“Assassins, I would assume,” Ursa added. Arianna nodded, Orenna as well. “There are likely more of them, though try to keep count. We need to let Mistress know every detail.”

So Atris’ plan was unfolding. Was it just how she expected it to happen? Brianna couldn’t get a good enomed even more on edge. She wondered if Atris had been the same when consulting her sisters, though she doubted the present situation brought their Mistress any pleasure, regardless if her predictions were correct or not.

“We need to get to that cache,” Ursa urged them, readying her weapons again, “If the Golden Company is here and if the Sith are here then who knows what could happen if these relics fall into the wrong hands.”

Arianna nodded, but Brianna shook her head.

“What is hidden here, exactly?” she asked. Arianna had explained the situation somewhat before they arrived, and they had learned of the mercenary group’s arrival together via comm, but she was fuzzy on the other details. Why were the they here exactly? And how much of a coincidence was it that they ran into each other? Was this all part of Atris’ plan? Was this part of what she had forseen? Was that why Brianna was sent to watch the Exile? Because Atris knew all of this was supposed to happen? That all of these paths would intersect somehow?

“Relics from the Great Sith War,” Arianna confirmed, interrupting Brianna’s already-rampant thoughts, “I’m not surprised the Sith would show themselves, though it’s bold of them to appear like this. Mistress would be concerned.”

“These are not just any relics of Kun or Qel-Droma,” Ursa replied, though she did not emphasize, nor did she answer Brianna’s question. “Mistress foresaw this, though I don’t think she believed it would happen again so soon.”

Ursa turned to Brianna now, her face stern, her eyes sad almost, betraying worry.

“We cannot let them have it,” Ursa said, “By any means.”

Arianna nodded in agreement. “If it falls into the hands of a Sith Lord, what then?” she said, her hypothetical question hanging in the air like a noose about their necks, for they all knew the answer.

“We mourn the galaxy, that’s what.”

Brianna’s skin ran cold, thinking of the man from Anchorhead, his bright green eyes alight with anger as she came down on him in the Czerka loading bay, the way he snarled as he looked at the Exile only moments before, electricity snaking up his arms as sparks sputtered from his fingertips. Was he a Sith? Atris was far too distracted to give her an answer, too concerned with the Exile to note it. Or perhaps Brianna had not been clear? Would she regret not detailing the fight further? Would Atris find out? Angry that she had faced a dark Jedi on her own without making sure he did not follow her?

“Ready?”

Brianna looked to her sisters, their weapons at the ready, shaking the uneasiness from her mind.

She nodded, unsure of what lay before them, and what else their service to Atris might have them do. Brianna turned, hazarding a glance over the balcony of the alcove into the depths of the entryway below, spotting the lifeless bodies of the people she’d just … killed. Faceless, it was easier to accept, but there was still a gnawing inner worry she couldn’t pinpoint. She was proud of her own quick-thinking, and she knew she would be dead had she not acted. Still, this was a first. And likely not the last.

Unbothered, her sisters accepted her compliance and moved onward.

“I was unable to conduct full checks on the men we had in custody,” Ursa whispered to them as they quietly maneuvered around the ruined upper levels of the temple, careful to watch for the patrols below and careful not to make a sound, “But Irena is likely still trapped with them.”

“We shall handle them as we handle the mercenaries,” Orenna affirmed for them, coming to a decision on her sisters’ behalf, “They are not our concern, unless they get in our way.”

Brianna trailed behind her sisters, watching on as Arianna and Ursa nodded in unison. Orenna didn’t even look to see if Brianna agreed, or had even heard what she said. Her eyes trailed along as she walked, discerning each shadow with more scrutiny than usual, suddenly afraid that the very air around them would move again and come to life, revealing more assassins laying in wait.

“We can circle around the archive, come up on it from the west end,” Ursa went on, careful to keep herself hidden as she gave orders. Brianna glanced over the lip of the broken balcony as they snuck along its few precarious supports, spying the mercenaries making their rounds below, “It would be best to distract them, get Irena out of there unnoticed-”

“But surely they will notice she is gone,” Arianna interjected. “How do we go about drawing their attention elsewhere?”

“That was my next point-” Ursa began, pausing now and lowering her voice even more. “Brianna, you have the shard Mistress gifted you, yes?”

Almost stunned, Brianna paused before nodding. She reached into her pocket and handed the odd device to Ursa. Her sister plucked it from her palm and shook it, using her nail to reach minuscule buttons affixed to one of its rougher edges to make a few adjustments.

“We can disrupt their comms with this,” she said, stopping in full now that they were all standing in the shadows of another alcove along the upper wall, Brianna careful not to bump into any hidden assassins as she ducked out of view beside her sisters. In the dark, the white of their hair still gave them away, but with their hoods drawn the white appeared grey, and the grey melted seamlessly into the shadows around them, appearing as visual snow, an optic equivalent of white noise. Another design discovered by Atris, from the depths of some other ancient archive.

“We need to-”

“Wait!”

Brianna hardly heard the word as it escaped her own throat in an urgent whisper, unsure of why she said it just as an image appeared in her mind - bodies falling to the floor; blood coating the walls; a static ring permeating the space as the air slowed; a room filled to the brim with cold flames, ragged and flickering; a man escaping through a door, unseen, as time hastened to catch up with him.

What is this? Brianna thought, her breath quickening, blinking hard as her sisters all stared at her wide-eyed.

“Brianna, we can’t-”

Blinking furiously still, the vision focused, like a kaleidoscope folding in on itself until a single image remained - Irena crushed beneath the weight of the temple, the walls closing in on her until no breath escaped her lungs, the life snuffed out of her in an instant.

Without thinking, Brianna launched herself over the edge of the second landing, somehow regaining her footing quickly enough to burst into a run once her feet hit the uneven floor. The two mercenaries standing outside the door were already on the floor, but she didn’t have the time to wonder how or why. Ahead of her, electric tendrils slowly snaked their way through the lip of the plasteel door wedged into the wall, crawling upward like cracks forming in ice. And when Brianna kicked it down, the mechanism sparking as it came loose from the frame, the room’s inhabitants remained silent and still as stone while death threatened to consume them.

“Brianna-!”

Her sisters appeared behind her just as the walls began to crumble, the electric energy now spread over every inch of the room, the people inside still unaware of their impending doom. Brianna’s eyes flashed to the center of the room, searching for the source - a cryoban grenade, a disruptruptor set to self-destruct - but all she saw was a flash of black as a man exited the room, disappearing through the other side just as the door collapsed around him once the flames took hold, just like her vision.

Atris had warned them of powers like this, especially once she had returned from the failed Jedi conclave, her head in her hands. Their exercises had first doubled, then tripled, their workload exponential in the days and weeks to follow the disaster, their Mistress growing more distraught with every passing hour. The Dark Side is destruction. The Dark Side is death.

Remnants of a dream trickled back to her in an instant - falling snow stilling in the air, a woman found upon the mountain, the weight of her heavy yet amorphous as Brianna and her sisters brought her to Atris for a reckoning - but just as the finer details found footing, they slipped through her mind again, raced away by one final flash of the man from Anchorhead, the man now exiting the room she was entering, seemingly responsible for the carnage within.

The walls started hurtling towards the floor as if in low gravity, chunks breaking apart as time slowed, sending her into a nightmare made real. Brianna’s sisters stilled behind her, but Brianna jolted forward as soon as she saw Irena’s wide eyes from across the room. She dodged the falling debris, grabbing her elder sister by the hands before releasing her, urging her onward before realizing that Irena, too, was moving as if sedated.

It wasn’t until she had Irena out of the chair that she saw the bodies, some splayed with blood on the floor while a slew of other assassins stood frozen, poised around the room like sentient statues. Unmoving, they would soon become unstuck, but if the room were to collapse... She had to get out of there, fast.

Her vision unfolded in reverse, the ringing appearing and resounding just as the realization struck her, Irena in hand. Without thinking, Brianna pulled Irena beside her, making up for her sluggish pace as she dodged the two bloodied corpses on the floor and the assassins sinking to join them from underneath the weight of the collapsing room. Brianna ducked and slid, pulling Irena along with her, before the world around her turned dark and deep and black, the ringing intensifying and occupying every inch of her brain until she knew nothing more...

3951 BBY, Nespis VIII, Jedi Academy Erebus

The boy’s mind was difficult to crack, but Erebus managed it. He waited for the moment when the stranger’s breath would catch, caught off-guard by the words spoken to him in secret, startled by the voice heard only in the confines of his mind before Erebus sunk in his proverbial teeth. Erebus even managed to coax a smile out of him - though a nervous one at that - a smile that went lax the moment it was in full bloom, losing fire like the expression of a dying man knowing full well this was his last breath. Does he know? Can he tell?

He knew the blond man could hear him, but could he see what he was doing? Could he tell that Erebus had pried open his thoughts enough to peek at what lay on the surface, to now know that his name was Mical, and all before rummaging further to find what he was looking for? The thought never stopped Erebus before, but the look in the stranger’s eyes - so bright and so blue - he thought twice. Perhaps… and if so, the boy’s Pazaak face was one for the books.

It was only the fraction of a second. Mical would likely not remember this part, and the others around them were far too preoccupied to notice. The two mercs stood talking in barely hushed whispers at the end of the room while the Echani focused all of her energy on appearing poised, perhaps as much for herself as it was a front to those who now held her captive.

Knowing he was unseen, at least for now, Erebus delved deeper, Mical’s face now betraying no emotion.

Erebus had almost blanched when he’d heard of what Nihilus had done at Katarr. Erebus was the one to tell him about the conclave, the meeting spearheaded by his old Jedi Master, Atris. Part of him felt the invitation was meant for him, that it was not quite as intercepted as he made it out to be, intended more as a jab that Erebus had abandoned his post on Coruscant and was no longer welcomed, though perhaps only if he dared. Nihilus had laughed his inhuman laugh at the intel, the air momentarily sucked from the room as if an airlock had been opened, but Nihilus had never once doubted Erebus’ words. This was the news he was waiting for, the prophecy come to light. His hunger would be abated, and Erebus would be paid handsomely for it… had Nihilus not returned with a new student, a pet.

But this… this… was something else. Judging by Mical’s memory, there was a cache of Sith artifacts secured beneath the temple that would more than satiate Nihilus’ interest, but more importantly, it linked to the reason Erebus dealt in artifacts in the first place, why he had ultimately chosen to become a Jedi after once fearing them, why he chose to pursue the title of Historian under Atris, and why he ultimately entered Nihilus’ employ… and somehow, in spite of all of that, it also somehow linked back to his sister, to the artifact she left on his ship as payment for the notes she stole, an invitation to something larger, something yet unknown…

Before Erebus could truly register the weight of it all - the unending coincidences and the sheer marvel of the items he now knew lay buried beneath the temple - the air about them rippled again.

One by one, their mercenary sentinels fell without a word, the static from their comms reaching deaf ears as shock-staffs materialized through their rib cages, blood-spatter coating the room in a shuddering instant. Irena stiffened with a sharp intake of breath, and Erebus ripped himself from Mical’s mind, perhaps a bit too sharply, though time did not grant him the luxury of using the Force with any grace. It did, instead, leave his fingertips bristling, electricity pooling in his palms.

As the bodies hit the floor, other bodies materialized to take their place, much as the mercenaries had appeared before… only these bodies were Sith. Erebus knew them instantly by their garb, ancient in origin and designed for both stealth and the fluid movement required for their brute strength. Sion’s legion of Sith assassins.

Without a second thought, Erebus let everything go. With a sharp crack, Erebus’ restraints dissolved in a flash of violet-white light. Standing, he cast his arm out until the air around him stilled, the Sith assassins’ cover slow-dissolving at the far end of the room as if their stealth were aged honey. He wouldn’t have much time, not knowing how long his Force Slow would hold, having only ever attempted it once before. The Echani woman watched him wide-eyed, but otherwise did not move, her white face and hair marred by the blood of their now-dead captors, her hands and eyes still as stone.

Erebus rushed the table and slid across it, landing unsurely on the other side, adrenaline coursing through him. Fingers fumbling, Erebus undid Mical’s restraints, only wisps of electricity sparking at the tips of his hands as he worked, hardly able to snap the fibers before his powers gave out. But everyone else in the room moved as if underwater, Erebus moving inhumanely fast though out of breath as he finally snapped Mical’s hands free and whispered, “We have to move - now!”

Not quite realizing how the words would sound in the man’s head, Erebus lifted him up out of the chair and leapt toward the nearest door just as time began to catch up with him. Fear bubbling in his throat like bile, he closed his eyes and soaked the fear in, letting it steep into every fiber of his being before opening his eyes again, instantly sending the entire room up in electricity.

The walls began crumbling in slow-motion before quickly falling to the ground around them just as Erebus lead Mical out of the storeroom and into another dark hallway, then steered him into the nearest service duct, his teeth clanging in his skull before the dust could even settle.

“In here,” he said, time now fully in motion again, sound traveling at its normal speed.

Going on his brief mapping of the building through Force Sight from earlier, the fastest way out of the action was do go deeper - closer to where he needed to go, but also likely where the horde would soon be as well. That was why they were here, was it not? He didn’t have the time, or the strength, to reach out with the Force again, to get another read on the place. Now, they needed to move.

“Wh-why - where are we-?” Mical was still recovering from his Force-induced stupor as well as Erebus’ Force Slow, his senses likely rushing back to him faster than he could reconcile.

“There’s no time for that,” Erebus explained in a hushed whisper, “You’re going to have to trust me if you want to live.”

Part of Erebus knew that he was fooling the man, at least to some degree, but he also knew he was being earnest. He wasn’t sure what this Mical was capable of other than rattling off facts that could rival his own skills, but regardless of what he could do Erebus was his best shot at avoiding Sion’s Sith and anyone else in this temple. Erebus was done playing games and playing parts. There wasn’t time for anything else. If he had to, he would tell Mical everything, but for now all that mattered was that the man believe him.

Mical nodded, albeit unsurely as he looked Erebus straight in the eye, as if only just seeing him for the first time. The action was getting closer again, and whether he agreed or knew that he just needed to move, Mical nodded again with fervor and entered the service duct. Erebus followed, replacing the grate behind him as he urged Mical onward. On their knees, they were able to crawl through the duct with only minor discomfort, but it was the sounds behind them that troubled Erebus more than their current predicament. It would only be a matter of time before the Echani cracked, or Sion’s assassin’s found his trail. But if he was right, he and Mical should come upon a maintenance closet with easy access to the lower levels if they just kept going. A few more meters and they maybe stood a chance.

“Why are you helping me?” Mical asked after a few minutes of finding his way through the dark with only Erebus’ curt instructions for direction, “How do I know I-”

“You don’t know whether you can trust me,” Erebus admitted, already sensing what the man was about to say, “But right now I’m your best shot, and you’re mine. Now, where was that Jedi I sensed earlier? They were with you, correct? Keeping an eye on the situation with the Echani?”

Mical paused before nodding demurely, resigning to Erebus’ probing, whether he truly trusted him or not.

“They were close, but not close enough to be detected. At least not by the Echani,” Erebus began, piecing things together from what he had gathered earlier and what he had gleaned from Mical’s mind moments ago, “But you knew they were there. You gave them a signal.”

The man’s behavior had been strange earlier, an almost hot-and-cold as he played cat and mouse with the Echani called Irena.

He didn’t say anything in response, which to Erebus meant yes.

“I doubt your Jedi friend would leave you here, so they’re likely getting...  help, backup?”

“I’m not sure,” Mical eventually said, almost sounding defeated.

“Hm,” was all Erebus could muster. He’d have to check Mical’s mind again when his strength returned, if he could, but for now, he needed to get to that cache. He directed Mical further, the sounds of the firefight thankfully falling away as they advanced on the next room. Just as Erebus was beginning to feel short of breath for the small space, Mical kicked out the next grate and exited into the maintenance room he’d been aiming for. The lights were out, so Erebus held his bristling hand aloft, the violet-white electricity illuminating the space just enough for the two of them. Mical eyed him curiously, but remained silent.

“I’m sure you have your theories,” Erebus said, almost snide, as he searched his feelings for the door they needed. Mical said nothing.

Drawn towards another service door to the left, Erebus led them onward, and then downward, a ladder descending from an open shaft in the corner of the next room. Without a word, Mical followed, at least trusting enough to know that he needed to do as Erebus asked if he wanted to make it out of this place alive.

“I’m assuming you have a plan for getting out of here,” Mical finally said once they’d both landed on solid ground again, Mical hopping off the ladder ceremoniously before dusting himself off. Erebus did no such thing, and only laughed in response.

“I will, I can tell you that,” he snorted, “But for now, all that matters is that we get this cache out of here safely.”

“Safely,” Mical chided, shooting Erebus a hard glance.

“I take it you have some history with the Golden Company,” Erebus said, careful as he chose his next words, “And I take it you can guess that I may have a history with those men that materialized back there.” Men, women, it didn’t matter. Once they were in Sion’s employ they were his lackeys through and through. Weapons. Expendable. Meant to buy Sion time, meant to feed into his never-ending pain. “Trust me, you don’t want them finding what’s down here just as much as you don’t want the Golden Company getting to it first.”

Mical remained silent, eyeing Erebus’ hand, the one that was just teeming with electric tendrils, the one he’d just used to destroy the room they were briefly held prisoner in.

“I’m sure you have your theories as to who and what I am, and for all I know you may be right.”

Mical shot him another look, not doubting him this time but still unhappy with the situation nonetheless.

“But all you need to know right now is that I am perhaps the only person that finds any value in the objects that lay beneath us. At least half as much as you, if not more.”

“I’ll believe that much,” Mical said, thoughtful. “You’re trying a little too hard to impress me.”

Erebus blushed but could do nothing to hide the blood now rushing to his face.

“Maybe you understand how much this means to me, then,” he said, his voice husky and almost quiet,  softer than he’d intended, “Regardless of who I am and who you’re loyal to, we have that in common at least.”

“I can agree on that.”

Mical didn’t look at him this time, intent on his own thoughts as they continued on. Erebus got the feeling that Mical knew where to go from here, now leading the way without Erebus’ half-remembered direction. He had a feeling the man hadn’t been here himself but had instead memorized directions, perhaps with the intention of coming here on his own, uninterrupted, before the Echani undoubtedly showed up and ruined his plans. Judging by what he saw and judging by those in attendance, it was no wonder the temple was swarming, and it would be a miracle if Erebus could figure out how to escape once they got their hands on the cache, once he finally had Exar Kun’s very own -

“In here,” Mical said finally, after leading them down a labyrinth of halls and storage rooms. In what seemed to be a nondescript closet, Mical recited something under his breath, the floor receding as a set of stairs materialized before them, each step illuminated by some unseen ethereal glow.

With careful footfalls, Mical led the way, as if afraid his weight may trigger a booby trap or some other device. Erebus didn’t doubt it. Feeling a bit stronger, he reached out with the Force only to find… it was silent. Completely quiet and void. He stilled.

“What is it,” Mical asked over his shoulder, sounding more like a lazy inquiry or a command rather than a question, clearly losing his patience as well as his nerve.

“It’s-” Erebus faltered, unsure of how to word his thoughts, unbelieving even as he made the realization. It’s barring me from entering. “I can’t go further.”

He should have known. If the Jedi were going to keep dark artifacts like these beneath the temple, it would have been to keep them safe… from his kind. From the Sith. From anyone strong in the Dark Side of the Force. And he’d taken these measures before, he remembered. With Atris, under her instruction.

Mical watched Erebus curiously, still not sure if he could trust him as far as he could throw him, and judging by his expression Erebus guessed it wasn’t very far. He looked fit enough, but the stress was clear on his face, his cheeks hollow and gaunt, though his eyes remained a bright, brilliant blue nonetheless. How long had he been here?

“You figure a way out of here,” Mical conceded, taking another tentative step downward, “It’s probably best I do this alone.”

If Mical was going to trust Erebus with their escape, he could at least afford unlocking the cache in secret. The man likely knew Erebus was the last person he should entrust such items to, if given the choice, and with a feeling that Mical wasn’t a merc or anything of the sort, he figured this may be his best bet. If Mical could trust him, even the slightest bit more, maybe he could get close enough to -

“Sounds like a plan.”

Mical nodded after a moment and descended, a pit of worry forming at the base of Erebus’ chest. He watched until Mical disappeared into the depths of the temple, bracing himself for what came next.

The sounds were growing closer again, and Erebus was still weak. His hands trembled, but he wasn’t sure if it was the Jedi failsafe now at his back or his nerves, or had he really been so out of practice that reading someone’s mind and casting Force Slow was enough to drain him? He had also cast the room in electric flames, he remembered, and perhaps that was it. Perhaps he was still a sad, sorry historian so far out of his depths it only took diving into the deep end to see it. He braced himself, trying to afford Mical the privacy he deserved in the temple stores, a Jedi secret safe with someone at least. He scoffed at the thought.

If Sion was here… what did that mean? Was he here for the bounty on Jedi? Was he here for the cache? Was he here for… him? Erebus couldn’t be sure, but the energy in the room earlier had instantly felt cold as Sion’s assassins materialized. Erebus somehow knew it wasn’t meant to be a rescue mission. Perhaps they hadn’t realized he was there… Erebus had last checked in on Tatooine after all, gone for good or missing in action was anyone’s best guess since then, right? But it wasn’t like Nihilus and Sion to keep tabs on each other rather than remain at each other's’ throats… and it wasn’t like Nihilus to care about Erebus at all to begin with, if only to keep the leash on him tight.

Now wasn’t the time to worry. There were things larger at work here. Larger than the Jedi, larger than the Sith threat Erebus kept close ties with on the edges of known space, and larger than whatever it was Erebus thought he would ever amount to in all his chameleon alliances, Force be damned.

Calming his nerves again, steadying his breath, Erebus counted as he inhaled and once more as he exhaled. His senses calmed, and when his eyes closed this time, a blueprint of the entire temple grounds and the surrounding city sprawled before his eyelids, specters of energy masquerading as varying shades of light as his Force Sight strengthened. Sion’s Sith systematically took out the mercenary watchmen, but another group swiftly swept through the temple picking off assassins one by one. The girl. He didn’t have to see her to know it was her, to realize that she was somehow related to his initial Echani captors, the sisters who resembled the girl from Tatooine only somewhat, any theories he had previously proven absolutely true. Her energies were the same, the Force moving around her more strongly than the others, as if channeling through her and with her at once. She’ll find out soon enough. Judging by their movements, he doubted the other women knew their youngest was strong with the Force. Perhaps it was new, perhaps it had only just awoken. It had been the same for Erebus as a child, assigned to a Jedi Historian instead of a proper Master. Perhaps her hidden skills would keep them safe just yet.

The action moved closer, yet Erebus could tell he and Mical still had some time to kill. There was too much chaos for any of the three factions above them to begin making their way down just yet, their opponents still too imminent for any of them to get a foothold on the lower levels. Erebus had a feeling it wouldn’t remain that way for long.

There was only one way out of the lower chambers, at least the way they’d came, but if they could somehow cut into the lower dorms and race through the old training chambers… they might have a chance. If Erebus had the energy to muster another batch of thunderous lightning, another cataclysmic explosion looked to be their only chance of making it out of there alive. Otherwise, they’d have to test their luck against the remaining mercenaries, six skilled Echani warriors and an army of Sion’s Sith assassins...

Before he could wonder at how much longer Mical would take, the man appeared at his side, his face pale and his eyes wide. His expression was still as stone, his energy drained but an energy that told Erebus he wanted to keep on living strong in his veins. They looked at one another, Erebus eyeing the new satchel Mical now donned before nodding, trying his best not to pry, to save his curiosity for later.

Darkness threatened their immediate area, the air suddenly thick and hard to breath, Erebus’ Force Sight snuffed out like a light by darkness and sharp breeze.

“So, about that plan?” Mical said, his voice more confident than he appeared. Erebus nodded, closing his eyes for another instant, memorizing the map in his head before looking at Mical once more.

“That depends,” he began, bracing himself as he watched Mical for a reaction, “How do you feel about falling debris? And how fast can you run?”

3951 BBY, Nespis VIII, City Center Mission

“So, where are we headed?” Mission asked, already out of breath once they made it out of the hostel and around the corner. Come to think of it, Mission didn’t think any of them had relaxed since… well, before any of this. Once she and Big Z were asked to change course and find General Valen, they’d been either running or worriedly waiting ever since. And now, they were running.

“It’s not far from here, don’t worry,” Zayne answered in a breath, “You’re taking notes though, right?”

Mission nodded and hoped she’d come off as agreeable.Their best bet was to stake out an exit plan, get Zayne’s friend Mical out of the temple, the goods too if they were lucky, and head for the docks as soon as possible.

This wasn’t much unlike her normal line of work. Hell, it was essentially the same thing, it was just odd hearing Zayne giving the directive instead of Carth or any of the other usuals she saw on her rounds. Occasionally running errands for the Jedi was not something Carth liked to advertise, not because he didn’t want to necessarily, but because he knew how it would look. And deep down, despite his ties to Bastila, despite how much he cared for Nevarra after everything they’d been through, Mission could tell that part of him still didn’t like it. And now, Mission knew why.

“I never thought to ask it before, but why do the Jedi keep so many fracking secrets?”

Zayne laughed, and Mission realized she had spoken aloud.

“Maker’s balls,” she sighed, embarrassed, “I didn’t mean-”

“Oho, no you meant it,” Zayne affirmed, shooting her a grin as they reached the center of the marketplace, the stale city air growing damp and humid, threatening rain, “But lemme tell you, I wonder the same damn thing all the time.”

“Oh, right,” Mission said, “You’re not exactly a Jedi either, are you?”

“Why does everyone always assume I’m offended by that?” Zayne asked, laughter still evident in his voice, lingering somewhere in his eyes as well, still sparkling, “I’m kind of proud of it actually.”

Now, Mission was glad the others hadn’t come along just yet. She looked at Zayne, the moment stilling as the crowd jostled around them, moving about as if the two of them didn’t exist. He looked off into the distance, either wistful or checking to see if the coast was clear, but there was a glimmer of something in his eye, a playful knowing Mission knew was hiding somewhere beneath his mischievous exterior.

“Proud, huh?” she asked, and he nodded. Now she knew - why it felt so natural around Zayne, why it felt like nothing had changed, despite having travelled with him so little and not seen him in so long. He was every inch the older brother she wished she’d had, the brother she wanted Griff to be. Griff would joke and jab, but he’d always be hiding a secret, a surprise with an not-so-happy ending. At least with Zayne, whatever he was hiding underneath was noble, and at least he was trying. Whatever chaos erupted in his wake, it was out of his desire to do good, even if things didn’t quite turn out that way. And seeing Zayne now, after all these years, Mission knew that Griff may have very well wanted the best for her, but somewhere along the way let everything else get in the way. Zayne wouldn’t let that happen, to her or to anyone else. Not even the Jedi, the faction that betrayed him, that cost him everything he’d been and hoped to be, and ultimately changed the course of his life forever. He still wanted to do right by others, even if that meant returning somewhat to a life he’d spent so long distancing himself from.

“Proud that I made it on my own,” he rejoined finally, looking her in the eye. He paused, holding her gaze for a moment before nodding across the square, never breaking eye contact. “We’ve got company.”

And just like that, Mission’s easy smile faltered, easing into a discomfort she wasn’t that unfamiliar with.

Several mercenaries popped up around the square - she could tell just by the look of them, and this wasn’t her first run in with the Golden Company, either - but each one she spotted was looking around the marketplace, searching for something…

“They’re plotting an exit,” Mission said, the realization dawning on her as she spoke, her voice coming on in a hushed whisper. “We were too late.”

“Something’s happened at the temple if they’re already-”

“Mission-” a comm rang in her ear, though to anyone else it would sound like a growl.

“I hear ya, Big Z,” she answered, looking at Zayne pointedly, speaking without words as the pieces unfolding before them each as the data trickled in, via comm, judging by the looks of the market square, and by the tower of smoke rising in the distance Mission now noticed…

“The docks are swarming,” Zaalbar grumbled, his voice agitated, pin-pricked with more guttural grunts he was known to emit when anxious. “Mercenaries are thick here. Better hurry, we should make a clean getaway. And fast.”

Zayne raised his eyebrows in question, only privy to Zaalbar’s message by what he could glean from Mission’s expression. Mission only shook her head.

“Not good, huh?” a faltering smile played across Zayne’s face as he nervously looked to the other side of the marketplace, exactly where they had been headed. “I’m not sure if we’ll-”

If Zayne said anything more, it was drowned out by what came next. Mission turned her head, but it felt as if it took years for her to move, as if she were wading through water though she wished to be running in a dream, a nightmare. A cloud of smoke rose from the other end of the city, just beyond the square, dust and debris filling the air until it blotted out what could be seen of Nespis Major in the distance. And above it, a sea of ghost ships loomed overhead, dark and massive, riddled with cannonfire but airborne despite it, eclipsing all light.

A darkness crept through her, filling her lungs, her legs, rooting her to the spot like lead. Before the dread could overtake her - the panic, the uncertainty, the shock - a hand snaked through hers, fingers rough but reassuring as they tugged her attention away from the sight as it unfolded before them.

“We need to leave,” Zayne said, his voice low and even.

“But your friend, we-”

“We need to leave,” Zayne repeated. “Now.”

[inferno-of-fantasy-writing]

Character Creation Tag

Tagged by: @illiteracy-is-for-woozles

I’m going to do this for Steele!

1. What was the first element of your OC that you remember considering (name, appearance, backstory etc…):  I definitely thought about Steele’s appearance, because I wanted him to visually look like an opposite to Erebus. He is around 6′9″, maybe 6′10″ and is built like a mountain, and when standing next to Erebus at 5′1″, it’s an interesting visual dynamic.

2. Did you design them with any other characters/OCs from their universe in mind?: Yes, as I said above, I did have Erebus in mind but also Pyrus. I wanted to create some sort of history between a few characters and I wanted him to be much different than my two wild and proud female characters.

3. How did you choose their name?: All of my Elementals picked their own nicknames which are the names that are used in their stories, and with Steele’s I wanted someone who was a unique Elemental. Originally I wanted to create an Earth Elemental but then I thought about elements that were debated as actual elements of nature and metal came to mind. I did a little bit of research into metal based names and Steele jumped out at me. It felt perfect.  

4. In developing their backstory, what elements of the world they live in played the most influential parts?: The Elemental Hunters, they changed so much about Steele. He had a real name at one point but he forgot it, because of the way he became an Elemental, and the Elemental Hunters are to blame. However, without the Hunters, he never would have met Erebus or Pyrus.

5. Is there any significance behind their hair color?: His hair is a metallic gunmetal grey and that was more to give his appearance something more interesting or be related to his element, but then I realized that the color could signify the stress and trauma he went through with the Hunters.

6. Is there any significance behind their eye color?: His eyes are a dark metallic grey, which is a result of him being a metal Elemental.

7. Is there any significance behind their height?: I wanted him to be fucking TALL. I thought that a shy and emotionally sensitive character would be even more interesting if he was a towering 6′9″ or 6′10″. 

8. What (if anything) do you relate to within their character/story?: He’s a visually intimidating and somewhat frightening to look at character, but once you start to talk to him, he’s a sweetheart who wouldn’t hurt a fly. I can relate to the intimidating thing because of my own aesthetic but when people talk to me they realize I’m just a nerd.

9. Are they based off of you, in some way?: Nope! Not at all.

10. Did you know what the OC’s sexuality would be at the time of their creation?: When I first created him I didn’t know or specify, but now I know he’s greysexual, panromantic and polyamorous. He’s also a demiguy but at the time I’m writing this, it feels right to use he/him. Some days it changes. 

11. What have you found to be the most difficult about creating art for your OC (any form of art: writing, drawing, edits etc…): I have a very hard time drawing masculine or male characters because I’m much more used to feminine or female body shapes and facial structures. 

12. How far past the canon events that take place in their world have you extended their story, if at all?: I stopped before he met the Hunters, because he can’t remember his life before the Hunters so that’s about... ten years before canon events.

13. If you had to narrow it down to 2 things that you MUST keep in mind while working with your OC, what would those things be?: He hates conflict, of any kind, so he prefers to stay out of it if he can help it. And, he is a gentle soul. He does not like harming people or things, he prefers to keep them safe. 

14. What is something about your OC that can make you laugh?: His innocence, sometimes he gets this childlike wonder with the simplest of things. It stems from a dark source, but it is still very cute.

15. What is something about your OC that can make you cry?: His past trauma, he needs people to call his family because he can’t remember if he ever had one.

16. Is there some element you regret adding to your OC or their story?: Nope! He is my tol soft boi and I love him.

17. What is the most recent thing you’ve discovered about your OC?: With everything he’s been through, he is very wise and understanding of emotions, he is a very good emotional rock.

18. What is your favorite fact about your OC?: EVERYTHING

Tagging: @idreamonpaper, @cogesque, @type-writings, @toboldlywrite