#like andromeda deserves so much better

[here-for-a-good-time-hopefully]

I honestly have so much respect for Andromeda it’s insane

Because I don’t think I could keep living if most of my family was dead and my daughter and husband both died fighting in a war they have no business being in

And then having to survive to raise your grandchild alone because the only other parental figure in his life is an 18 year old kid who just came back from the dead and clearly has unprocessed trauma

[too-deviant]

mdni 🃏 second in command!reader is back and is very pissed off…

you’ve grown accustomed to the plush mattress of the master suite on the princess andromeda — despite never sleeping on it.

you know the best combination of pillows to pile up under your back when luke props you up onto the headboard so you don’t feel that ache in your lower spine from the awkward angle.

you know not to sit too close to the edge of the bed — more towards the middle, so that when luke spreads your thighs so far apart you can feel the burn in the crease of your groin, your knee doesn’t knock against the edge of the nightstand and make you hiss into his mouth.

you know not to grip the fitted sheet between your knuckles because it always comes loose from the mattress whenever you do, so instead you squeeze luke’s hip, scratch on his back.

you also know that the bruises on his knuckles aren’t from inflicting pain on other people, but from slipping his hand in the space between the headboard and the wall to cushion the banging noise that comes from his persistent thrusts into you. you know the blood stains on his t-shirt aren’t from a nasty battle, but from that time you bit into his shoulder so hard you broke skin.

you know that if his right hand twitches at his side, you should ready your spear for a fight, but if his left hand stars twitching, you should start loosening the straps of your armour.

but while you’ve committed all these little ticks to memory, luke remains unpredictable. sure, you know how to decipher the looks he sends you, and what combination of movements will make him cum the hardest.

but when you meet with the newest gaggle of demigods that have deflected from camp half-blood, it becomes a whole new playing field.

because that used to be you — quiet, unsure, new. desperate to please the man who would be your leader. but none of these people could become the next you, because they didn’t know the things you did.

right?

surely not.

but then luke starts sending them on missions — the same ones you went on before you got promoted to better things. he starts waking up earlier so he can watch over their training modules. modules that you used to run, but now he is insistent on taking over.

you weren’t stupid. so which one was it? was it the perky daughter of aphrodite? the rugged but submissive son of ares? which one was luke keeping that special eye on? which one got extra special attention, better missions, time alone with luke in the state room?

you shouldn’t be as bothered as you are — but it’s not jealousy. no, it’s just…worry. you worked too hard to get where you are for some newbie to come along and ruin it for you after two weeks on the ship. they didn’t deserve what you had.

that much was made abundantly clear when luke put you in charge of an extraction mission in washington. what a fool he was, picking the newbies to join your team. they weren’t ready for something so taxing. it took almost a month before you were sent on your first extraction, what was so special about them?

it appeared tyche was on your side that day. you were too angry to think rationally and just went in swinging, not a care for strategy or form. and even though luke’s new bimbos provided zero help, you managed to wrangle yourselves out alive and successful.

you stormed your way back onto the andromeda without so much as a glance in their direction. straight to the state room, straight to where luke was waiting for a mission report.

“did kronos smack you upside the head?”

well, you weren’t giving him a report. you were done — he could do whatever he wanted with his new toys, you didn’t care. but don’t send them on missions they aren’t ready for just because they’re an easy lay. your words were sharp talons, just like he’d taught you — and he stood there and took it. face placid, hands in his pockets, calm and quiet until you were done.

and when you were, he laughed.

that asshole laughed at you. perfect teeth on display, sword swinging as he rocked on his feet in complete hilarity. you could tuck your tail between your legs and walk off, let him dump you.

or you could remind him of all the things you know — all the things his warm bodies would never learn, because they weren’t you.

you’d only seen such visceral shock on his expression once, and that was when percy jackson highjacked the boat. this time, however, it was because you had folded your arms, tilted your head, and told him to take off his pants.

and he did — ah ah, slowly. he unbuttoned his cargos and pushed them to his ankles, all the while holding a sick smirk and even sicker eye contact.

and just before he could remove his shirt on your command, he huffed, “just so you know. i wouldn’t take orders like these from anyone else but you.”

you never did see those demigods again.

[kujousgf]

ANDROMEDA. mdni. 18+.

pairing: wanda maximoff + stepdaughter!reader

summary: all wanda wants is to relax, why does that seem so hard?

warnings: implied cheating, stepcest, no explicit sexual content, mommy kink, age gap, alcohol consumption, implied sexual content

wc: 2.1kish

It didn't start out like this, you swear. You didn't start out wanting to ruin your own father's marriage so that you could be with your new step mother. You used to feel bad about it, really, you did, but it's been about a year now and it's not like your father deserves Wanda anyway. They’d been married for about a year and a half and you swear you’ve never even seen them hold hands. He was always on business trips, you rarely saw him. It used to make you sad, never seeing your father, but distance creates disdain.

That’s pretty much how you found yourself in your best friend, Kate’s, bedroom, laying on the bed with your head hanging off and staring at the, upside down from your point of view, poster of some celebrity Kate was obsessed with. You think her name is Hailee? You don't know, but anyway, you were thinking about how you were going to convince Wanda to stay at home with you while your father was on yet another trip. Usually Wanda wouldn’t go with your father, but apparently he’s going to Milan and she really wants to go shopping there. And aside from the obvious reason you didn’t want Wansa to go, you really did hate being in that big house alone.

“I don’t know, man. Maybe you should just let her go on the trip, the woman never gets to see her husband, she probably misses him.” Kate shrugs, looking away from her phone to see your reaction. “Ughh, I just don’t understand what she sees in him, I’m obviously better and right here.” You sit up from your position on Kate’s bed and turn towards Kate, sitting cross-legged. Kate sighs in response, “Y/N, you know I love you, but I hate to break it to you, as hot of a milf as she is, and she is believe me, you are still her step daughter and she can’t exactly just… divorce your father to be with you. I mean, I totally get where you’re coming from and I am not gonna stop you from fucking her, but you’ve gotta be realistic here.”

She would be all for this relationship if it weren’t for the very simple and very messy fact that Wanda was married to your father. It was either going to end in heartbreak for you or you completely severing ties with your father to be with Wanda. And while the latter wouldn’t be awful, it’s not like your father was the most present, it just kind of counted on you and Wanda staying together which, as much as she wanted to believe it would, Kate was unsure would happen.

And it’s not that Kate didn’t think it was possible for you to have a long lasting relationship, it’s just that she was afraid lust was clouding your judgment and she’s not sure you actually have any sort of emotional connection…. Ah, but that’s enough worrying, it wasn’t exactly Kate’s strong suit and it was unlikely that you would be successful in your mission to woo Wanda… As if you hadn’t already been messing around with each other, but that didn’t really matter right now.

“Maybe you’re right… I don’t know. I just know that she’d be better off here with me. It’s not like she’d even get to see him a lot while they’re there. He’ll be in meetings or whatever.” You roll your eyes, already annoyed at the thought of Wanda thinking she’d get to have a nice trip and it being ruined by your father. You know you could treat Wanda better than him. “And hey,” Kate perks up, her eyes twinkling and a smile sneaking onto her lips, “If they’re both gone you can throw a party.”

—

Wanda was annoyed. Extremely annoyed, actually. Maybe even a little bit angry, but she wasn’t going to dwell on that feeling. This was supposed to be a nice trip for her, a vacation of sorts, but no, of course it wasn’t. Nothing was ever a nice vacation in the presence of Mr. Bigshot CEO Jarvis. It’s her fault, really, falling for his charming little facade and then for some god forsaken reason deciding to marry him. It’s not like she can go back in time to change it though, so she better not think about it too much, and he’s rich so that’s a plus she supposes.

At least he had a cute daughter, but that’s besides the point, she’s letting her mind drift again.

She’d been waiting for him to get back from whatever the hell kind of meeting he was at, she didn’t care, so that they could go get dinner at the restaurant down the street from the condo they were staying at. But as always, he texted her to say he’d be running a little bit late. That text was sent two hours ago and she’s not sure how much waiting she has left in her. She’d give him five more minutes before she got on a plane and left without a word.

She had just finished zipping up her suitcase when she heard the door open, what impeccable timing that stupid man had. Sighing and looking towards the door, Wanda attempted to give a somewhat genuine smile. “Sweetheart!!” Slurred the clearly drunk man as he stumbled into the room, he reeked of alcohol and it almost made Wanda gag. “You’re late. Extremely late. Again.” She crossed her arms over her chest as she stared at him, clearly unimpressed. “Oh, come on. Me and the boys just went out for a few drinks after retro… retrofits!”

He meant retrospectives.

“Yeah, I’m sure you did. Well, you can have a nice time here in Milan, I am going home.” Wanda could put up with a lot of things, but this was just ridiculous. He had never been punctual, but it had usually been because his meetings actually were running late, not whatever this was. “Home? No, it’s called Seta.” He clearly thought she meant the restaurant which she was no longer planning on going to. “No. I am getting on a plane and I am going home. But please, don’t let that stop you from enjoying your time here.” She laughed, mostly at how pathetic she thought it was that she expected this trip to be any different than how it was at home. And with that, she was out the door and walking down to the lobby to try and figure out what the best way to the airport was and if she could just take some sort of personal jet of her husband’s to get home.

—

The party was in full swing, music blasting, drunk 20 somethings everywhere and you were in the center of it. You always did like attention. It took you and Kate about two days to plan and figure out who to invite, but it went about as well as you had expected. Instead of having a somewhat laid back party, Kate decided at the last minute that she would text out an invite to all of their friends and then also let them text their friends about it. So now there were about 100 people in your house and backyard.

Unfortunately, Kate was just about the most social person you have ever met. Somehow, though, nothing has been broken yet, but there are way too many red plastic cups on the ground. Kate is less drunk than you are, but by no means sober and you have… well… had enough alcohol to stop you from drinking for at least the next two weeks. Waking up tomorrow would not be pleasant.

“Hey Y/N!” Kate is practically shouting over the music, “Are we expecting anyone else? A car just pulled up!” She’s pretty sure everyone is here, even Nico had somehow convinced Illyana to take a break from studying (brooding in her room) to come to the party. Which is a miracle in itself. Speaking of those two, she hasn’t seen them in a while, she hopes for your sake they aren’t fucking somewhere in the house. “I don’t think so, but I’ll go greet them anyway!!” You slur, smiling excitedly. “Y/N I don’t think-” Kate doesn’t get to finish her sentence before you’re skipping away towards the front door. “Okay.” Kate nods to herself before walking away to go find wherever Peter was, the last time she saw her she was playing beer pong with the other Peter, Gamora’s boyfriend Peter. Something about battle of the Peters.

You stumble out the front door, squinting to try and see who just pulled up. It was dark out and you weren't wearing your glasses. Oh, and being incredibly drunk didn’t help. You gasp when you see who it is. “Wands!!” Your eyes widen in excitement and you run towards her, tripping over your own feet in the process. You didn’t usually call Wanda by the nickname, but you didn’t really care right now. Wanda is quick to stop you from falling, cursing under her breath when she realizes how drunk you are. You would be a handful in the morning.

And then she finally hears the loud music and the voices and slowly looks around to see all of the clearly drunk people currently on her, well, your father's property. “Y/F/N.” Her voice is stern and it catches you so off guard you almost stumble backwards, your eyes wide. You pout, upset that the first thing Wanda does when she sees you when she gets home is be upset with you. You probably would have fallen if it weren’t for Wanda’s grip on your arms.

“What the hell is this?” She’s not sure why you throwing a party makes her so angry, it usually wouldn’t. Maybe it’s the built up anger from your father bailing on their dinner date to get drunk and the assumption that she’d be able to come home and relax with you. Or maybe it’s the thought of you throwing this big of a party while she’s not even in the country and something bad happening to you. You never did handle alcohol very well, despite drinking like there’s no tomorrow. In any case, she was quite angry.

“It’s a party, silly. Can’t you tell?” You giggle as your sadness melts away, leaning back into Wanda’s hold. “Yes, I know what a party–” Wanda stops herself, sighing, it didn’t matter anyway, You clearly weren't understanding why or that she was upset. She thinks for a couple of seconds and instead she changes tactics, it wouldn’t do any good to make you upset with everyone around and no one would remember any behavior that seemed odd for a step mother and her step daughter, they were all too drunk.

She smiles sweetly, reaching up to stroke your cheek, “Why don’t you go tell everyone to go home, the party is over, okay?” You pout in response, looking up slightly at the older woman, “But I don’t want them to go home.” You practically whine, slumping in Wanda’s arms. Of course this wasn’t going to be easy, you always did love a party. “I know you don’t, but it’s time for everyone to go home, sweetheart. Don't you want to spend some time with me now that I’m home?” Wanda fakes a pout, looking down at you.

Well, you did want to spend time with Wanda…

“But can't you just have fun at the party with me? We can have fun at the party together!!” You beam, no longer upset. Wanda was going to have whiplash with the way alcohol affected your emotions. “Sweet girl, you're so cute, but Mommy wants to spend some time with just the two of us.” She moves her thumb to tug at your bottom lip. “Wouldn't you like that?”

Your cheeks heat up and you feel a familiar heat in your stomach, suddenly feeling a little shy in front of Wanda. She doesn't usually call herself that unless you're alone. “Mhm… I can tell everyone to go home. I’ll get Kate to help and I’ll be so quick, I promise.” Wanda surprises you by leaning down to press a soft kiss against your lips. “Be quick, sweetheart. I’ve missed you.”

“So quick!!” And you almost trip over your feet with how quickly you run to go get Kate. Wanda watches fondly, a small smile on her lips. You're so cute, hopefully you won't get all upset in the morning when she makes you clean everything up.

[anxiousnerdwritings]

Your idea about Molly throwing Weasley!Reader on the back burner until they start making money breaks my heart but it’s so real

Lestrange!Daughter would catch onto it before anyone else — seeing her darling trying to buy his mother’s love with desperation — she’d call Molly on it but never in front of him knowing it would make him upset

And it’s something the three Black sisters notice to.

Bellatrix isn’t sure how to approach the situation, for all the faults her parents had, they were nothing but loving towards the three girls so it’s a completely different atmosphere watching a child nearly kill himself for scraps of his mother’s attention

Andromeda’s heart breaks in the rare times she bares witness to it, wanting to go all mama bear, and Tonks would be just as protective

Narcissa, much like her niece, would simply resolve to making snide comments about it

Definitely! I imagine the dynamic between Molly and the Reader is what really garners Bellatrix’s, Andromeda’s, and Narcissa’s own fondness towards him, leading to their own maternal obsessions kicking in cause how dare Molly treat such a precious child like that, let alone her own child for that matter.

Lestrange!Daughter!Oc would greatly resent Molly for the fact she neglected and put the Reader to the side in favor of his other siblings. And she would not bite her tongue about it either, at least not when her darling was around. She doesn’t need her darling to divulge anything to her about the situation or how he feels about it, she knows him better than anyone after all and she can see plain as day how much he tries to earn an ounce of his mother’s attention, let alone her affection. And it enrages her to no end. After all, her darling only ever took up being a criminal and building a criminal empire in the first place to support his family, to support his mother. And Molly is none the wiser to how she’s treated him, or rather how she hasn’t treated him, all she sees is that one of her sons has come into money and a consistently large amount of it at that.

I definitely see Bellatrix basically adopting Criminal!Weasley!Reader especially after knowing about his relationship with his mother, or rather the lack of it. She would be more affectionate towards the Reader, she would tell him how proud she is of him, she would actually make the effort to know about him, to see him as his own person unlike what his own mother has gone about doing herself. Like, does Molly even know his favorite color?? No. But Bellatrix does and she didn’t even need her daughter to tell her.

Bellatrix would greatly detest Molly, at first it was only for her amusement and in defense of her daughter that she behaved the way she did but after learning how Molly has been towards the Reader, Bellatrix can’t stand the woman whatsoever and would insist that the Reader live with her and her daughter even before he graduates. Even if he doesn’t move in right away, Bellatrix will ensure he stays over during the entire summer. Hell, she may just pop into the Burrow herself and collect all of the Reader’s belongings herself or she’d probably just buy him everything new that he nor she has to go back to the Burrow and be in the presence of that woman again. She would really try to get him away from Molly as soon as she can.

Andromeda would honestly be disgusted with Molly. She gets that Molly and Arthur have quite a few of children but there’s no excuse to not pay any mind to one of your children more so over the others until they start bringing something to the table that benefits you and the rest of the family. Unlike, Bellatrix and Narcissa, Andromeda would bite her tongue and keep her opinions very much to herself but she will make sure to give the Reader the attention he deserves and more so that he does feel seen and heard. I can imagine her actually really only having long in depth conversations with the Reader that isn’t just small talk and fluff to fill an awkward/uncomfortable silence. She greatly enjoys the Reader’s company, criminal or not, and she would be more than happy to have the Reader stay over at her home if ever need be, possibly in the scenario that Molly does find out about him being a criminal let alone him running an entire criminal empire and kicking him out (possibly even going as far as disowning him?) for it before he’s even close to graduating Hogwarts.

I could see Tonks taking on an older sister figure relationship with Weasley!Reader. Maybe she’s even come across him doing his criminal activities as an Auror and she just turned a blind eye, even going as far as covering for him. She knows he’s not a bad person, he’s just trying to make a living to support his family the only way he can. She doesn’t exactly know the full depths of Criminal!Weasley!Reader’s activities and inner workings, and honestly she doesn’t want to know in case she’s ever used to try and get to him by the Ministry, but she’ll help protect him however she can. Not to mention after finding out about how Molly treats the Reader, Tonks would very quickly lose respect for her and not be able to look at her in the same light again from then on.

Narcissa would be very similar to her niece and Bellatrix in how she doesn’t hold back too much from ripping into Molly. The only difference is the way she goes about it, she chooses her words very wisely but they’re still sharp enough to cut deep. And she aims to cut Molly very deep. Narcissa would prefer not to interact with Molly whatsoever but especially after finding out about how she’s been towards the Reader his entire upbringing. She would be outright appalled to hear how a mother can treat her child so terribly so and without meaning to. Like, it’s not like Molly purposely picked the Reader out of the lot and chose to neglect him the most out of his siblings, but that’s just how it ended up. Either way, Narcissa is only all the more repulsed by the Weasley matriarch after learning everything. Similar to her sisters, Narcissa would also give the Reader all the attention and praise he deserves, tenfold. Whenever Molly is gushing about one of her other children, I could see Narcissa being the first to chime in/interrupt her about the Reader and the accomplishments he’s made for himself all on his own, not allowing Molly to get away with neglecting the Reader anymore than she already has.

Basically just these three women becoming absolute protective mama bears for their poor neglected and pushed aside ginger bby. Meanwhile, Lestrange!Daughter being that overprotective wife of her darling husband who deserves more than the world has to offer for doing what he does solely to help his family have a life they never had the chance to experience before. And Tonks being just as protective of the Reader cause he felt the need to go down the route he did believing it to be his only option.

[paimonial-rage]

unwillingly - yae miko

requested by @andromeda-nova-writing

sequel to spark

“It’s quite alright,” she began, her voice as fine as silk. “I wouldn’t want to keep you against your will.”

You resisted the urge to bite your lip in frustration. She had been doing that, as of late, guilting you. After centuries of keeping her at a distance, you found yourself becoming greedier as of late. Was it that late night of weakness months ago or was it the truth of your past you both discovered just a few weeks before? Regardless, it was your fault. Here you were playing hot and cold while she wanted nothing more than the truth. 

“It is my duty to keep you safe, Lady Guuji,” you replied without thought. Your expression turned that time. You were free from the shackles keeping you prisoner in the past. And yet when put to the test, it was towards those very things you found yourself turning for safety. 

She sighed.

“Come now. After all we’ve been through together, don’t you think I deserve at least a hint of honesty? I’m not asking for much.”

You dropped your head, doing your best to ignore the way your sense of duty screamed at the way you were showing your emotions so openly. Though you were friends with Lady Yae as a child, the elders of the clan separated you both citing your status as a filthy half-breed sky kitsune. Your presence would certainly taint Lady Yae’s esteem. So, in accordance with Lady Saiguu’s supposed wishes, you were reduced to the role of retainer, never to overstep your position.

It was only when Lady Saiguu’s diary was discovered that everything was made clear. Though it was true that you were half-human, Lady Saiguu truly cared for you regardless of your blood. She wished that you would be a companion to Lady Yae into the future. However, due to the meddlings of the clan elders, you were treated beneath her. Though you were now free, old habits were hard to change. 

Turning your gaze to Lady Guuji, no, to Lady Yae, your eyes could not help but soften. From the curve of her lips to the violet of her eyes, she was beautiful. How you longed to run your fingers through her hair and pull her close. But how could you after centuries of keeping afar? Though you knew it not to be the truth, it felt as if your touch would dirty her. How could she not know she deserved much better than you?

“I… would like to stay, Lady Yae… With you,” you finally got out, doing your best to ignore the shame that was filling your stomach. “Please let me?”

How terrible you were. How filthy you were to speak of your desires so openly. Any more and you would certainly be brought before the elders to be whipped till you couldn’t speak. You couldn’t believe how she wanted you regardless. But before your thoughts could go any more negative, she turned and glared at you. 

“Will you stop that? I know what you’re thinking. How many times do I have to tell you that you don’t need to live by that order anymore,” she scolded, shaking her head. “Really, after all this time I would have thought you would have gotten it in your head by now that I want you here.”

“It’s not easy working through centuries worth of shame,” you admitted. “But I’m not unwilling to do it. Not for you.” 

The way her eyes narrowed in delight made your face heat ever so slightly. 

“Then I suppose there’s nothing else I can do but wait,” she hummed with a twinkle in her eye. “But hurry it up, will you? You’ve kept me waiting far too long.”

[ifyouknowmenahyoudontt]

MORE OF ME COMPLAINING ABOUT THE FANDOM

- i’ve seen so many ppl consider andromeda and sirius leaving from their family as an act of love for their muggle born partners. i don’t really like that ESP for sirius. it really downplays their morals and what they fought for.

- why is regulus the forth marauder? where tf did peter go

- if i see one more piece of content that makes sirius leaving the house of black about regulus im going to lose it. “ b-b-but how could he leave his baby brother🥺” that little baby brother was apart of a supremacist terrorist cult let’s be for real

-making characters like lily or remus in ships with those deatheaters assholes is WILD.

-andromeda is everything you want regulus to be give this girl the credit she deserves

-fanon regulus is cringe as hell. you all just took over characters story’s to make it his. he sucked.

-the moment someone brings up that a new ship/hdcs don’t make sense and ppl say “nothing is the hp universe makes sense” i lose a year off my life. let’s use our little heads and figure out that even in a fantastical world. things.can.still.make.sense.with.the.plotline.

- some of the regulus/evan/barty and whatever ways fans are like the WHINIEST fandom i have ever seen. can’t take any (valid btw) criticism on their weird little fetishes and act like they’re being oppressed when people don’t like the same thing as them. not all of you guys obv but a LOT

- “if you don’t like it just scroll” no? some things are objectively wrong and bad and should be discussed grow up

-this fandom is turning into a booktok porn addiction fandom

-a fandom is a place of discussion. people not liking fictional characters and talking about it is not going to kill you

-james’s character got dumbed down so BADLY by all the jegulus nonsense like james being kind of a simp in canon was because his love for LILY was pure and strong. they have a whole ass prophecy.

-making every character queer isn’t doing what you think it’s doing. and frankly idgaf if you make this character queer if that character is a horrible person. doesn’t make them more likable or interesting.

-there is a deep rooted issue of misogyny in this fandom.

-saying that jegulus is not going against lily as a character is not true. fanon regulus is literally lily but like racist. jegulus is literally jily.

-lily evans can love james potter and still be a strong character these two are not linked at all

-dorlene/jily/wolfstar where the sanest ships in the fandom. maybe add rose killer on there cus frankly since it doesn’t change much the characters or storyline it’s okay

-remember when regulus was ace? why did that get completely forgotten

-some of the fancasts did irreparable damage to people’s brains. because hot doesn’t mean better person

-james potter would punch most of the people you ship him with

- jegulus fics where harry is there kid and lily is a surrgate/barely in the pic is CRAZY

-mary is so sexualized? like why

- sirius was canonically better looking than regulus lol

-the black family can be explored so much more besides just the regulus glaze

-REGULUS BARELY CONTRIBUTED TO VOLDMORT BEING DEFEATEDDDDS PLEASE

- some of the new sapphic ships are actually good. nobleflower is very interesting.

[mrstellmeafuckingsecret]

walburga and sirius.

(i threw this together instead of sleeping/studying.)

when walburga is thirteen she has thought of her first born's name and when it is improbable for her to conceive she wants to rip out her skin. she takes every potion under the sky and all but imperio-s her husband.

when her womb grows she cant bare hiding it, she wants everyone everyone everyone to know how precious precious precious the child growing inside her was and she doesnt care what people say and when she holds sirius for the first time she thinks his fate is the stars and he shines brighter than them all when she nurses him she says every sweet thing she never heard and when he's ill for the first time she forgets her name and how to breathe

when he cries she screams and silencio-s him. it's only because it hurts her to see her baby upset.

walburga loves sirius so much she hates him , she sees herself in sirius and she nurtures it , she sees her father in sirius and pushes him away , sirius is hers and she is sirius' , sirius knows her better than anyone (orion is afraid of her and he should be , regulus is young & too much like his father , alphard is a pest , she has to keep too many appearances up with cygnus), sirius is perfect perfect perfect she favors him shamelessly he is cunning and charming and witty and brave and ambitious and good looking he is everything everything everything a man should be and she forgets her husband for her son so she can feel some semblance of companionship in her life

sirius doesnt rebel.

he doesnt he doesnt he doesnt so why is he? he is good and he shit-talks people who deserve it so why why why is he yelling at walburga that morning no no no this . this is her baby this is her star the brightest the brightest the brigh why does he scream like she does and walk away the same way he's not like her he is better he is supposed to surpass her surpass them al .

she tries to help him . she's gentle , she never cuts too deep she always makes sure he's mobile she makes sure he knows how much it hurts her because she's not a bad mother she is good she is exceptionally good and lenient and gentle and cygnus thinks she's stupid but what does he know? andromeda is having an affair, he should focus on his own children.

but sirius sirius sirius he goes to hogwarts and she feels as if her soul has been ripped in two she feels she feels she feels so much that she doesnt see anyone for days

maybe she's too harsh but she loves him she loves him so much she doesn't even scar him when he comes home no matter how much orion anyone says he deserves it because her baby's home he's home he's

when she leaves again orion says she has regulus too and she tells him she knows but he isnt sirius

her son stops visiting and she misses him every christmas and birthday and thanksgiving and easter and new year's and

when sirius angry, he screams and walburga screams louder still because why is he angry? what did she do wrong? nothing, she thinks, nothing. hogwarts has made sirius small, his filthy friends have tainted sirius and she wishes she could chain him to the foot of her bed so he knows how much he means to her.

sirius mentions something about andromeda not being so bad and walburga wants to kill cygnus

he grows taller than her, her voice grows deeper and louder and walburga feels threatened when he yells, now, and she cant she cant she cant because that's her baby.

he was in her. he was in her. he was her.

he's starting to look like her father. she strikes him for it. why was he torturing her?

she's going mad, and it's not . it can't be because of sirius.

she clings closer to regulus when sirius stops appearing for holidays. she grips his arm too tight and she fixes his posture with more venom but it's only because sirius was born perfect . walburga never did have to teach him , did she?

when sirius is back for fourth year she is scared and angry and she tells him off and she tells him everything he does wrong and he looks at her like he hates her

walburga doesn't know what she's doing till sirius is screaming . mom mom mom im sorry im sorry im sor

she's not bad. she's not evil. sirius is simply misguided. (alphard said he liked him, that once. maybe he had a talk with him. maybe she should kill alphard for taking her boy away.)

after hogwarts, she will fix him again and he will be hers and she will be his

sirius comes home from christmas in his fifth year.

walburga never wants to let him go. sirius never wants to, either.

that summer break, he leaves.

he doesn't return.

she screams till her mouth is of blood and she curses each healer who tells her to calm down

how can she, when sirius isnt here and he never will be ever ever again

.

she clings to regulus, he's not in his room anymore

she looks to her husband and he's not there anymore

she's bitter and mad and no one visits her anymore

she is full of bitterness . she tells every portrait and every bird. she tells kreacher. when sirius appears in her dressing room mirror she tells him she hates him for what he did to her

blood traitor. had she not sent him to that bloody school, had he never interacted with those plebs, he would be hers. and she would be someone's. (for once.)

[ask-princessandromeda]

what are you all gonna be for halloween???

🎃 • 🎃 • 🎃 • 🎃 • 🎃 • 🎃 • 🎃 • 🎃 • 🎃

Silena: This year, me and Charlie did couple’s costumes! Beauty and the Beast! We were amazing. I did the sewing, he put it all together, and our costumes were packed with tech-y surprises. Oh my God, you should have seen us!

Chris: I can confirm. They would have won any costume competition with that. It was incredible.

Alabaster: But how about you, Chris? What did you go as? Away from us…

Chris: Well. *shrugs* Chris Kratt.

Ethan: I KNEW IT! Al, I expect my treats!

Alabaster: Hmph… *hands Ethan a fist of tater-tots*

Chris: Hey, what? You guys are making bets on my costume?

Ethan: This was an easy one. You’re Chris Kratt, like, every day.

Chris: …fair enough?

Silena: Chris’s costume was awesome as well! Charlie helped him with the vest. It’s not ready to be used, per se, but it still looked very cool!

Chris: Heh… thanks, Lena.

Silena: Aaand, boys, how did Halloween go on Andromeda? Did you have fun?

Alabaster: *brightents up, grinning broadly* Well, since Halloween is my mother’s special thing, we get a pass at celebrating it big time. Hecate deserves to be honored, no? Ethan and I -breaking a long and uncreative habit of me dressing as a witch and him as a pirate- went as Alice and the Cheshire Cat. I still can’t believe I convinced him to wear that costume.

Ethan: I have never worn so much blue and ribbons in my life, but, I mean, it was fun.

Alabaster: It was! We gave away candy to the younger members, had a ceremony for Hecate…

Ethan: *giggles*

Alabaster: … I showed you guys some spooky magic…

Ethan: Your costume was great. The teeth? They almost looked real! And that dumb bell at your neck, God, it kept making annoying sounds as you skipped around. Still better than a witch again, though. And I’m definitely glad I gave up dressing as a pirate. The jokes are not funny.

Alabaster: Well, maybe if you wanted to stop being compared to a pirate, you wo stop living on a boat with an eyepatch. Just a thought…

Ethan: I’m going to steal your corn candy.

Alabaster: NOPE.

Alabaster: *after a moment of silence* I sort of wish you guys would have been here too.

Chris: Oh?

Alabaster: I didn’t say anything!

🎃 • 🎃 • 🎃 • 🎃 • 🎃 • 🎃 • 🎃 • 🎃 • 🎃

[minhosimthings]

For Love to Exist: A Hyunjin Fic

Synopsis: In which Aphrodite makes a plan for two loveless souls.

Pairing: Hwang Hyunjin × Fem!reader, includes rest of Skz (side characters)

Word count: don't know but it's really long

Warnings: Fluff, angst, slow burn, mentions of self harm, and mental abuse, reader is an orphan, mentions of food and drink. She/her pronouns used, reader has scars on her skin

A/N: this is sort of a self indulgent fic for me and it is dedicated to all the people in my life who have made me feel like I am worthy of love again. This is based off of my own experiences due to my abusive past and how I let those go with the help of the people I've met here in university. I based Y/N off of myself (I hope you don't mind) because I feel like Hyunjin would be the type of person to love s person, regardless of their past, and ignorant of their future (and also I'm too delulu for Hyun rn). I dedicate this fic to all the people around the world, who feel that they do not deserve a red heart, and an I love you everyday. I dedicate this fic to the little girl inside of me, who still thinks that she is unworthy of love.

For love to exist, souls should exist too. For love to breathe, souls should take a deep breath too. For love to live, souls should learn how to live too. But for you, souls simply did not exist. They were just imaginary things made up by boring adults to tell children why they married their partners, to mask whatever what going on in reality. Why would anyone believe in souls and hearts and bonds and all that bullshit? Kids, of course, believed it.

You, on the other hand, were taught by cold eyes, ever since forever. Cold eyes had taught you that warm ones always lied and that love was just a fairytale made up to increase the population of earth. Cold eyes told you that June wasn't about pretty flowers and sundresses. They taught you it was about the burning sun and the heatwaves. Cold eyes taught you that flowers were nothing more than biological creations of two genetically unique organisms. Cold eyes taught you that the world was just the Earth, just a globe and that the universe didn't care for a tiny speck like you.

Work, Eat, and sleep. Those were the only things you did with passion. Those were the only things in your life that you noticed and yearned for. It was painful to watch your coworkers at the company, who were below you, enjoy life so much. As chief editor, you had less work than they did, yet they saw life as a chance. They saw life as a chance to enjoy the fruits of the universe, while you still saw life as a scarred being. Funny, how you thought that everyone else was mad to have love in their lives, yet there you were with scars on your chest, both physical and mental, going unnoticed by the minute.

Until Hyunjin came into your life.

Hwang Hyunjin. Step son of your goddamned boss. You were told that he would be working alongside you as both an assistant editor and as a new cartoonist, replacing Mr Park, who had resigned five days ago. You groaned at the idea of having someone follow you all day, asking you if you needed anything. You were better off without an assistant or a cartoonist. But your magazine wasn't the leading magazine in South Korea for no reason. The illustrations provided alongside the thigh slapping articles always provided the greatest entertainment to the millions of readers. Mr Park was an old man, who was always quiet and mostly kept to his drawings, exactly your preference. Someone who doesn't annoy you or ask about your love life because apparently, at 23, a woman has nothing better to do. But a man, your age, who you've heard used to be a singer in a band, yeah that wasn't going to work with you.

Your boss had introduced you guys on his first day. He was.... surprisingly handsome. His eyes were like a kitten's, small and glittery, as if Andromeda had poured all her stars into them. His nose and jawline were so sharp, in total contrast to his gaze, soft and pinkish. You wondered why all those thoughts were coming into your head. Never before had they had even touched your mind, when you saw other men and women around you, no matter how pretty they were.

He worked in silence. Complete silence. He wouldn't even move his chair or anything. The desk on which he worked was so pristine and organized, very much like yours, exactly like yours. But there was an aura with which he worked on piece of paper with a black ink pot that you could only dream of having. It was like the sky favoured him, sunlight illuminating all of his features, including some tiny moles on his face. You couldn't help but admire his serious face, headphones in, with an ink stained brush moving swiftly across paper, tracing the tiny dots and lines of whatever he was making. You had first approached the company as a cartoonist yourself, having the skills because of an art minor. But soon the director saw you better as a journalist and slowly but surely you moved your way up the ladder to become chief editor. And when you saw other people doing something you used to love doing, you wondered if you hadn't accepted the job as an editor, would your life have been so mundane? So brown and still?

"Um Miss Y/N?" A voice broke you out of your stupor, starting you and getting your mind away from the articles on your computer screen. Hyunjin was standing next to you, holding pieces of paper in one hand and his brush in the other. He had a dab of ink sprawled across his nose. Cute, you thought.

"I, uh, finished the illustration for the first article you sent. Are they ok?" He gave you five pieces of paper, all with funny intonations on them, a cookie wearing hat, and an iguana wearing a DJ's glasses. It was cute, really cute you thought, as you gave them back to him, nodding in approval and shooting him a small smile. "You have ink on your nose, did you know that?" You pointed out to him, handing him a tissue from your tissue box, which he took and immediately disappeared behind his computer, wiping his nose aggressively. Cute, so cute.

You usually left work at eight thirty, not too late and not too early that you'd miss your tea. But something made you want to stay back today. Someone, specifically. Hyunjin told you that he usually went home by ten, since he didn't do much during the night. You refrained from telling him when you went, lest he question why you stayed back today.

"Miss Y/N I'll be heading out now. Good night." He held up his olive green bag and waved goodbye to you. Something inside of you wanted to say 'Wanna go together?' but you had always ignored that something so you instead waved back to him and started picking up your things.

That day, the old grandmother at the ramen shop you always went to said something was different about you and told you to smile more. You didn't know whether or not that was a complement but you took it willingly along with spicy ramen with beef.

"Miss Y/N I-" "Hyunjin stop call me Miss. Im your age. Just call me Y/N, alright?" You finally got that sentence out of your mouth after keeping it in for an entire week. An entire week Hyunjin addressed you with honorifics and today you wanted to tell him that just your name was enough. Just your name coming out of his mouth like a sweet melody was alright. "Oh well ok Y/N." He said with some difficulty, feeling awkward not using the proper words. "I wanted to say that lunch break began over two hours ago and you still haven't got up from your seat, so I uh bought you something. I asked your co workers what you usually eat so um yeah." He did what? You looked down at his extended hand, holding a box of your usual Ramyeon and an americano. You silently took the food from his hands, shooting him a quick 'thank you'. He deserved more than that, but at that moment, all your shocked brain could do was that.

Someone cared for you. Someone noticed that you weren't eating. Someone noticed how you stayed on this cold October day. And that was sort of sweet? Someone did that for you and for once it seemed he did not want anything in return. That couldn't be true, you thought as you silently ate your Ramyeon, all the while shooting tiny glances at Hyunjin, who was once again immersed in his drawings. Seeing him so deeply imbued in an art, which provided him a job, was so endearing to look at. He was doing something he enjoyed, while earning money for it. Isn't that what everyone in the world would love?

"Um Hyunjin? Hyunjin." You snapped your fingers in front of Hyunjin, who had his headphones on, with that brush back in his hand. He looked so cute, being broken out of his hypnotised state. His eyes blinked at you for a few seconds, before he took the headphones off and greeted you. "What is it Mi- I mean Y/N?" God he was so handsome. He was in a loose baby blue sweater and white pants today. He looked so dainty and fragile as if you touch him and he'll break. "I uh wanted to thank you again for the food today. Um. Any way I can thank you for it? Maybe buy you a coffee?" You could feel your cheeks getting redder by the moment. Even if he couldn't see the blush, you could definetly feel them. If your guardian angels were watching you right now, they'd be saying 'Y/N get your ass up and stop blushing so much.'. "Oh. Um uh" Hyunjin stuttered for a bit before checking his watch. Nine thirty am. There was still half an hour left to go home, meaning you both had enough time to grab a coffee and perhaps a bagel or something tasty.

"Oh course Y/N. But please do not pay for my food. You need not repay me for lunch." Your pleas for that sentence went unheard, as Hyunjin kept saying that he didn't want anyone to pay for him, reasoning that lunch was a basic human need and he was just helping his co worker out. Something about the way he defended himself and explained things was so adorable. It was like a ferret explaining why it's fur is white and why it's ears are so round.

"This is surprisingly good." You commented, as Hyunjin and you sat by the little round table in the coffee shop, drinking Americans and eating Macarons. Hyunjin raised an eyebrow at you, watching as you are your pistachio Macaron. "You never had a Macaron before in your life?" You shook your head at his question, trying to swallow your bite of the Macaron quickly, so as to answer his question. "No actually." You managed to cough out after what seemed like five hours of you chewing the sweet dessert. "I don't have a preference for sweet things. I used to but I grew out of it." Hyunjin looked up at you, from staring at his shoes. "You used to? Well I always used to believe that a sweet tooth could never grow out of their preferences. Turns out I was wrong then." The corners of your mouth twitched as your heart itched not to say 'why are you so perfect?' to the man sitting in front of you. "So what musicians do you listen to?" It was now your turn to look up at him with wide eyes. It was funny how both of you were eating food together like two normal human beings, yet neither of you dared to look at each other, or maintain direct eye contact for more than a fraction of a second. "Pardon?" You asked him, eyebrow raised and foot tapping on the floor. He stumbled back a bit and said, in a apologetic tone, "Oh I didn't mean to impose. Im sorry. I just thought, you know we see each other every single day, and I have never gotten to know what my coworker likes a dislikes so um.. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." Seeing him apologize like that was like seeing a puppy apologize to a black cat. You probably looked scary right now, with your expression and your rigid figure, so it made sense for Hyunjin to react like that.

"Oh it's alright Hyunjin." You said, shooting him the tiniest smile ever. "People don't really ask me questions about myself that often so I was kind of taken aback." Hyunjin just nodded and hummed in response to your bland statement.

That night, when you went home, you thought to yourself, about how much you missed human interaction. Most often disassociation and loneliness were your favourite drugs, but Hyunjin asking you a simple question about your favourite singer, made those drugs seem pleasure less. Your therapist would have probably looked you up and down and immediately told you that you were in love, being the hopeless romantic he was. People were scared to approach you. You, with your head held high in the air, your gait threatening that of Hera's, and your expression, cool and wicked. But Hyunjin just casually asked you what musicians you listen to, as if he had known you for years and he was meeting up with you again, at a school reunion. It was shocking to you, how he could just say that, without stuttering. Yes he did stutter later on, but it was so adorable the way he apologized to you, hands nervously palming at his fingers and nose silently twitching. Maybe friends weren't so bad after all, you thought, as the stars looked at you in pity, talking amongst themselves, about where had God gone wrong with you.

A sticky note? Your boss never left sticky boss for you. Usually his assistant to deliver you messages. So who wrote this mysterious pink sticky note, stuck to your computer with a smiley and something written on it? You had arrived at work after Hyunjin today, who, once again was is a hypnotic state, lightly bobbing his head to whatever was playing inside of those blue headphones. You slightly suspected that the note was probably his, as you sat down on your chair, hanging your bag in the usual place beside your table. You pulled off the note from the computer and examined it closely. There was something written on it with a glittery purple pen.

I scared you yesterday with my question. So I'm going to ask you through a note. What musicians do you listen to? (PS you can answer through a sticky note too)

You noticed Hyunjin kept giving you small glances from time to time, only taking his eyes away from his art for a fraction of a second. Cute, you thought, really cute. This was by far the cutest thing he had done. You silently took up a glittery blue pen from your drawer and wrote some sentences on a different sticky note, knowing when you were going to stick it.

"Hyunjin could you do me a favour?" You tapped on his desk to alert him. He looked up at you once again, with those same doe eyes. You noticed the ink once again splattered on his nose. "Yeah?" "Could you take this up to Mr Kim once and ask him if this is how he wanted the article to be edited?" You handed him a blue file to take it upto your boss, which is silently took and went up to the boss's office, giving you enough time to stick the note onto his computer. You made a last minute addition to the note, before rushing off to the canteen, lest Hyunjin catches you in your mischievous act. Even though it was just sticking a note to your co worker's computer this felt like the most amazing thing you had ever done in your life, the most daring.

Where had you gone? Hyunjin had come back to his desk after handing off the file to the boss, who said he'd give it back tomorrow, only to find you nowhere to be found. He swore that he had saw you here just a second ago. Where had you gone now? Shrugging his shoulders and telling himself that you had probably taken a bathroom break, he sat back down on his desk, ready to complete the illustrations for the day, that you had given him yesterday, when he noticed something stuck to his computer. A green sticky note. Could it be? Did you respond to his very creepy, weirdo nerd way of asking you a question in order to get to know you better?

When Hyunjin sat down on his chair, and slowly pulled the sticky note out, he sweated that his heart had skipped a hundred beats (or 143 beats hehe). Your loopy handwriting was scrambled on it with sparkly blue ink.

This is very middle school of us to be passing notes in work but I like listening to Lana del Rey, Florence and The Machines, a bit of k-pop and lot of classical music. Now you answer my question along with your own question. What is your favourite ice cream flavour? (PS you have ink on your nose)

Hyunjin's soul was doing backflips in his stomach. Having an obsession for love, he wondered whether this was how Cupid felt like when he shot his first arrow. You listened to the same artist he did. He absent-mindedly wondered about what question to ask you next when you came out from the canteen, carrying lunch for the both of you. "Oh hey Hyunjin." You said in what you hoped wasn't an over active tone. "I uh got you lunch to pay back for when you got me lunch and um here you go." You awkwardly handed him the cup of spicy tteokbokki along with some other dishes and an Americano. As if returning the awkwardness, he mumbled a sheepish 'thank you', grabbed the food and hid behind his desk. Somewhere in the clouds Aphrodite was sighing, not knowing what to do with you two.

After a few hours, when you had gotten up to go the boss's office, Hyunjin saw his golden chance and took it. He scribbled his question onto a pink sticky note and quickly stuck it to your desk, frantically sitting back on his chair and pretending to be focusing on his cartoon which had long been completed.

Happiness. Happiness was all you and Hyunjin felt that night, when both of you parted ways. It was that happiness which a fourteen year old gets when their crush pays attention to them. It was mischievous happiness, as both you went home and pondered about questions and answers. Middle school romance was something neither of you had, with him not finding the correct person, who would love him for who he is, and you just not wanting love anymore. Aphrodite would be probably be smiling right now, twirling her roses and she makes the next part of her plan.

"Hyunjin! Over here!" It was raining very heavily today and you had chosen this very day to not take your car. Apparently Hyunjin had done the same thing, as both of you saw other close to the cafe a distance from your work. He didn't have an umbrella and you had spotted him running over in the direction of your work, blue hoodie gripped tightly over his head. "Did the universe have to choose the day I didn't get my car to rain?" He shouted at you as you both were shielded by your umbrella. "I was thinking the same thing!" You shouted back at him. "Let's get inside the cafe!"

The cafe thankfully wasn't crowded at all, and as you took off your coat and shoes to dry, you appreciated the heat coming from inside the cafe. It was on the more traditional side, with a wooden interior and sepia toned plants hidden in mud pots.

"Oh great." Hyunjin sighed. He was holding his phone is his hands, having taken off his hoodie and his shoes before you did and setting his bag down at a table for two. "Boss just texted. Work's cancelled for three days straight." "So we went through all that rain for nothing?" You deflated on the comfy chair, opposite Hyunjin, who was revealed to be wearing a dark blue shirt underneath his baby blue hoodie. "Well damn it. What do we do now? I didn't bring my car and neither did you. Do we have to wait out the storm here?" You asked him, wiping your face with a handkerchief. "Well we can." Hyunjin responded. "I think the owner will probably let us." You raised a brow at him at that statement while he just stared into space, as if expecting an alien to show up any moment. "How do you know the own-" "HWANG HYUNJIN YOU FINALLY DRAG YOUR ASS HERE TO SEE ME."

A very loud voice rang through the cafe, accompanied by a much quieter 'Hyunjin's here?'. Hyunjin groaned and buried his face in his hands, as a handsome man with olive skin, brown hair, and the prettiest nose ever, came striding up to your table, wearing the uniform of the cafe. He promptly pulled up a chair and collapsed onto it, next to Hyunjin, all the while playfully glaring at him. "Hey Minho hyung." Hyunjin mumbled, not looking directly at whoever this Minho was. The other man clicked his tongue out of disapproval and said, "Say that louder would ya? And why have you not been coming to visit me and emotional dump on me for like two weeks? Oh and who's this lovely young lady?" He looked into your eyes at that last bit, startling you a bit, at how round and black his eyes were, like tiny little boba balls. "I'm Y/N." You extended a hand forward. "L/N Y/N" Minho took your hand and shook it with a firm grip, before getting up and slightly bowing to you. "Well Miss Y/N, may I get you anything? Perhaps something which is not an Americano, which is what this monster" he motioned to Hyunjin "drinks?" You gave him a calculator look before saying, "Oh. Um I would like an americano actually and probably one for Hyunjin too please." Minho looked ever so slightly taken aback by your words. "As you wish!" He declared before giving Hyunjin and a smirk and leaving.

"So who was that?" You asked Hyunjin, whose ears were burning red. With a sigh, he put his elbows on the table, burrying his head in them.

"That was Lee Minho. A college mate of mine, who opened a cafe with a friend of his, soon after graduation, because apparently he didn't want to get into a boring job." He chuckled slightly at that. "He's a mentor to me. He's like I think two years older than me and he treats me like a damn baby. But it's fine cause I'm the one who helped him cheat on his exams so I get free shit here."

"Americano for two?" Oh hey Hyunjin!" A freckled boy had come up to your table, americano filled cups in his hand. His skin was porcelain, like glass, dotted with star like freckles, with blonde hair framing his beautiful face. "Hey Lix." Hyunjin patted the boy's back, as he set the coffee down on the table. "How's your mum now? Is the treatment working?" A smile never seemed to leave this boy's face, as he sat down in the chair which Minho had pulled up earlier. "She's good now. Much better! I've been sending her some brownies every now and then but she's still disappointed because apparently her son won't get a girlfriend." He slightly pouted as Hyunjin chuckled lightly. "Oh who's this? Wait are you-" the boy looked at you with excited eyes, before gasping and turning his head to Hyunjin. "Is this the Y/N you told me about?" He excitedly extended a hand towards you, which you took, experience pleasure at his soft grip and hands, which was in stark contrast to Minho's handshake. "I'm Felix! Lee Felix. Nice to meet you! Y/N right?" The amount of happiness radiating from this boy was so much that you thought he was probably the reincarnation of Helios himself. "Nice to meet you too Felix. I'd introduce myself, but judging from your excitement I believe Hyunjin's already told you about me." You gave him a smile, which he returned. "Yah Felix!" Minho's voice came from across the wooden walls. Felix groaned and got up from his chair saying goodbye to both of you and rushing off to Minho.

"They're really nice." You told Hyunjin, sipping on your americano. It was nice and weird to have people like you for who you are. It was kind of alien to you, to meet two people who knew about you. It was even more alien of Hyunjin to tell people about you. What could people tell about you? What fragments of your being attracted Hyunjin that he told his friends about your existence?

"Y/N are you ok?" Hyunjin's voice broke your mind from staring at the rain pouring outside. The storm had calmed down now and it was just lightly drizzling, drops staining the window, racing against each other. "Oh yes I'm good. Sorry."

"So you wanna talk about the notes or should we keep it a middle school secret?" Hyunjin's question rang across your brain, and as you sipped on your americano, you couldn't help but notice how innocent that question was. It was just a question. It wasn't an interrogative question, which you'd be punished for if you didn't answer. You fingers unconsciously went up to your wrists when you thought about that question. "What do you suggest? I'm alright with answering the question in person, instead of exchanging notes." You responded, keeping your tone casual, so as to not reveal the fast pace of your heart beat.

Hyunjin smiled at you and sipped on his americano again. "My favourite ice cream flavour is pistachio. And I also like listening to Lana del Rey and classical music. My turn now." He leaned forward slightly. "A song which you could listen to, for all eternity?" Musical questions were what you enjoyed the most, having being in love with music ever since your ears picked up the tune of twinkle twinkle little star. Hyunjin's question seemed hard, since your favourite song changed every few seconds and you couldn't just choose one melody to pleasure your ears for all of eternity. "Hmm" you responded after a while. "Probably Love by Lana Del Rey." "Why so?" Hyunjin asked.

"Because along with having an amazing tune and the greatest vocals ever," you started your lecture "It's also such a deep song. The way she is symbolising young love is so beautiful, from the way she alters her voice at certain lines to the lyrics themselves. I especially fell in love with the chorus because it signifies such a beautiful matter of being so much in love that even the tiniest actions can seem like elephantine gestures. Even that lyric 'The world is yours and you can't refuse it' it's so pretty. It's symbolising that feeling of ruling the world when you fall in love. Or atleast I think it does. I've never fell in love so."

You fell quiet after your rambling, hoping that it didn't freak him out how much you knew about one particular song, which you definetly did not write an entire essay about. L/n Y/n you've done it again. You've scared a person off because of your rambling about your hyperfixation because you have nothing else to love. Great job, you thought.

But as you looked over at Hyunjin's face, it was happy? His eyes were wide and his lips were slightly parted as if thinking what to say, his americano straw remained in his mouth, but he wasn't sipping on it. He was in total awe, something you couldn't see.

"That- that was amazing." He said after a pregnant silence. "I never thought about songs that way honestly. But I think from now on I'll start thinking of it like that." God his smile was so handsome. The way the corners of his mouth stretched and the way his lips always slightly parted, it was all so pretty. And since when have you became so observant? To notice a man's manner of smiling?

Aphrodite smiled again in the clouds, calling for her chariot, to take a ride across the sky, making up the next step of her masterplan.

It was still pitter-pattering outside the window as both of you finished your drinks. You declined Minho's offer to eat, since you had already ate a lot for breakfast and you weren't feeling hungry. You tasted a bit of Felix's brownies, for which you complemented the freckled boy so mich to point where his glass skin turned into stained red glass.

"God the rain is stopping, how the hell are we going to get home?" Hyunjin sighed, as he meant back in his chair. You both had put your shoes, hoodie and coat back on and were staring out the window. You had an idea in your mind. A peculiar idea. An idea unlike you. An idea made by your heart controlled mind. You know how they say that we should never let our heart control our brain? Well sometimes, just sometimes, in the tiniest moments, we could let it control our being just a little bit.

"Doyouwanttocomeovertomyhouseitsreallycloseby" "I beg your pardon?" Oh great you spoke the easiest sentence in the fastest way you could possibly imagine. You should probably get the Nobel Prize for the most awkward person ever. Taking a deep breath, you made eye contact with Hyunjin (perhaps for the first time) and said, "Would you like to come over to my house? It's close by and I can drop you off at your house if I get my car." Hyunjin looked slightly taken aback by your suggestion, and as he pondered over it with a series of 'ohs' and 'ums', you mentally scolded yourself. How could you never say the right thing ever? How did you manage to say the wrong thing every single time? How did you manage to scare off every person every single time? Were you really not capable of love? Was your mother really right?

"If I don't impose Y/N, I would like to come over to your house. I should actually probably get going home too, so I accept your offer, only if it doesn't bother you." Your heart lifted from where it was earlier. Listening to the words coming out of Hyunjin's mouth in the soft tone, was something so comforting to you. It was like the smell of old books, like the way flowers moved in the wind, like the way wine swirled in a wine glass and like the way melodies danced to the beat of a song.

"This is your house?" You and Hyunjin had walked all the way to your house, shielded by his umbrella. It was safe to say that your house was a very luxurious one, in the more expensive side, courtesy to your high profile job. It was a two bedroom house, with the most beautiful terrace and balcony anyone had ever seen, which gave a view of the Seoul skyline. "It's beautiful." Hyunjin breathed out. "Come inside." You said, taking off your shoes at the entrance and unlocking the wooden door. "Want some food?" Hyunjin shook his head as both of you entered your house, his mouth dropping on seeing the interior. You had a conversation pit inside your house, much like one of those 80's sitcoms, and it was the most queer thing in your house. It was purple and magenta, with white finishings and a pretty carpet, sitting below a glass table. "It seems the interior is much prettier than the exterior." Hyunjin said, as you both entered the pit, sitting down. You sheepishly smiled and mumbled a thank you, before getting up to get him some water, even though you both had downed a big cup of americano.

"Your books are really interesting." You had started showing Hyunjin around your house, and when you reached the library portion, he wouldn't move from there. Granted, you did have a pretty library, decorated with fake moss and hanging vines, which made it look like a shelf growing out of the forest. "What is so interesting about them?" You asked him as he stroked the book covers with his fingers, to which he smiled and pointed to the last two books. "Their arrangment is fascinating first of all. I mean The Animal Farm and Pride and Prejudice are sitting together, as if going for a tea party. Did you arrange them yourself?" You only nodded to his question, too scared to answer. "The second interesting thing about this bookshelf is that all the books are so dual to each other. You have Harry Potter-" he pointed to the topmost shelf, "then you have 1984-" his fingers went to a handsome leather book, "and then finally you have a pop up children'd book." He laughed pointing to the bottom most shelf, where a glittery pink book lie. You blushed, as you saw that book. It was the book, which your best friend at the orphanage had given to you, before she was taken away. You cherished it a lot, it being the only form of love you had ever recieved in your life. "Woah you have Taylor Caldwell too!" Hyunjin said, excitedly, his fingers bouncing on the shelf closest to him, where a series of faded books lie. "Do you want them perhaps?" You asked him, to which he gave you a sad smile. "I've always loved her since the age of eleven but I could never buy any of her books, courtesy to my mum thinking they're too 'westernised'." "You can take some if you want. I hardly ever read these ones." You pulled out some of the books and put them in his hands. He looked surprised and his eyes widened at you. After much trial and error, which included him refusing to take the books, and you threatening to leave him out in the rain if he didn't take them, he finally stuffed then into his bag, thanking you over and over again.

The car ride to his home was fun, to say the least. Hyunjin narrated some funny stories with Minho and Felix, and a few of his other friends. You were shocked to find out that he used to be in a band, where he played the drums. "You must play them for me one day." You said, as you pulled up to a light. "as payback for the books." Hyunjin gave you that sweet smile again, causing your brain to malfunction.

"Thank you for the ride home Y/N. And for the books." Hyunjin said as you both pulled up to his house. "Say I have a question." He said, before unbuckling his seatbelt (drive safely kids). "Would you ever be interested in spending your lunch break with me everyday? Cause I really like talking to you and I don't have many friends at work. Only if you want to though!" God he was so adorable with those round eyes and those cute cheeks. Was he actually so cute or was your hopeless brain just making it up?

Aphrodite sighed again as she watched you silently from the bushes, happy that you were going on the right path, but worried about the trajectory of your mind.

Spending time with Hyunjin were the best moments of your life. It was surprisingly fun to spend a part of your day everyday with Hyunjin. It was just lunch and americanos, fresh from Minho's cafe, since it was the only one you liked now. You warmed up to him more than you had wanted to, and for the first time, your brain didn't mind being ruled by your heart. Hyunjin had introduced you to some of his closest friend, who came to visit him at work, making sure he didn't overwork himself. And he had interesting friends. Apart from Minho and Felix, there was a producer group called 3Racha who wrote songs for a company called JYP. It was composed of the three most kindest people you had ever met. Jisung, Changbin and Chan treated you like their own sister, often picking up an Americano for you whenever they got one for Hyunjin. You met Hyunjin's youngest friends Seungmin and Jeongin at Minho's cafe, when Jeongin bumped into your shoulder, dropping his books and apologizing to you frantically. Both of them were University students, one having a pottery studio and the other studying computer science. They were mischievous little things, but you loved them too, with you sharing Seungmin's love for pottery and Jeongin's hatred for sugary foods. It was so fun, having friends, even if they weren't your friends from the beginning. This was the first time you had experienced happiness ever since you were eight.

The words on your books weren't skimmed over by your eyes anymore. Instead they were carefully taken in, word by word, appreciating how every letter formed the beautiful sentence. Now, winter wasn't about surviving anymore. Instead it was about being warm and cosy, all wrapped up in a big blanket, hugging a plushie and drinking hot chocolate as pretty winter flakes poured outside the window. Now you digged out the sundresses you haven't worn in so long, and you would wear them to work every now and then, catching the eyes of every person you passed (because you are the most beautiful person on earth LOVE YOURSELF I LOVE YOU). You never noticed it, but now, Hyunjin looked at you differently. He wasn't a very defensive person, choosing to end arguments quickly, but whenever his eyes set upon your figure dancing in a yellow sundress, embroidered with flowers, he swore that he would burn done the entire world for you. Both of you regularly met up at each other's house, having k drama nights, where you would do nothing but cry over the slow burn, and try out a new snack from the local convenience store every time. Sometimes Hyunjin would play the drums for you, taking your excited requests of the 70's and 80's rock songs. It was all so perfect, having Hyunjin in your life and every time you saw him moving his own across a piece of paper, whipping up a cartoon for you as a gift, your heart smiled, urging you to let it take over for just a little longer.

But Aphrodite had something else in plan.

Sometimes the Gods plan sinister things for humans. Sometimes they say 'lets whip up conflict'. And most often it's not between one human and another. Most often it's between a human and her own mind. You had gotten a call on a nice Thursday morning, when you were about to set out for work, clad in a white dress, which reached your knees. A call from your adoptive parents. Unbeknownst to the entire world, behind your pretty face, you hid a grief filled secret behind those glassy eyes. Your childhood wasn't all sunshines and rainbows. You had grown up in an orphanage basically your entire life, and at the tender age of eleven, you had gotten adopted by a rich couple. Good right? Nope it was the polar opposite. Turns out they had adopted you for their own benefit, to gain support from the media to continue their company or some bullshit like that. It had haunted you all your life, how they would never speak a word to you, never a word of affection. It was just words of 'who would ever love you?' and 'you aren't capable of love'. When you had gotten accepted in college, with a full ride scholarship, they had help a party, not for you, but to brag that their daughter, whom they did not even love, had gotten into a college all by herself. They had turned their devil tails into angel wings and it angered you, but you stayed silent. Why should you fight battles with other people when you could fight a battle with your own mind? You had cut off all communications with them however as soon as you left for college. Now it was just you and the world. Getting a job was the hardest thing and you still remember all those days that you survived on water and biscuits, like Marie Curie, when she used to research on radioactivity. You had learnt that your 'parents's' buisness had gone bankrupt, soon after you had gotten a job, but they still hadn't ever contacted you until this Thursday. It was Seungmin's birthday today and you had gotten him a puppy keychain, one that he had been wanting for a long time, which he had told you about in secret. You had purchased it the day before and wrapped it up in a cute box, writing some notes on the top. It was supposed to be the most perfect day. Happiness and melted ice cream that was what this day was supposed to be.

"Hello?" You had picked up your mother's call and your world came crashing down immediately. "Hey there Y/N. We need some money right now and we know you work for Mr Kim. Send us some money please." Not even a hello. The woman who had given you food and shelter didn't even say a hello. The woman who you owed nothing to didn't even say hello.

Hyunjin wondered where you were that day. You wouldn't ever miss a day of work and plus you were excited for Seungmin's birthday. You were going to go for a birthday party which was to be held at Chan's house. Hyunjin had told you that most of the boys would be bringing their girlfriends so you could meet them. You wouldn't never have missed this, especially not when your eyes lit up, when he had told you that Seungmin would be singing for you guys and Minho would be bringing his famous meat. So why? Why was your chair lying all alone and your americano untouched? He had asked Mr Kim whether you had called him today, to which he got disappointment when Mr Kim said no. Your boss didn't really care whether or not you took breaks, since you mostly finished your work in advance, in order to save time. That day Hyunjin told the guys, that he wouldn't be coming to the party, much to their disappointment. But they understood when he said that he was worried for you. He basically talked about you 24/7 and the boys still didn't understand how their most romantic friend ever ended up not knowing what love was.

Hyunjin had an extra key to your house, which you had given him after two months of knowing him, trusting him enough to keep an emergency contact. Hyunjin kept fiddling with it on the cab ride to your place, massaging his nerves to calm himself down. As he reached your house, the atmosphere around him changed. It became gloomy, even when the Sun attacked him with his rays. The sunflowers in your garden all seemed to bow their heads to him, as if to apologise.

"Y/N?" Hyunjin stepped inside your house, calling your name. "Y/N where are you?" He shouted a little louder this time. If you weren't in the living room, you'd be up in your bedroom or the library. Hyunjin slowly climbed up the stairs to the second floor, taking in the eerie silence of the house. It was such a loud silence. He could hear something in the distance but he didn't know what it was. Was it a cat? He heard a wailing noise that sounded something like a wolf crying.

The door to your bedroom was open. Hyunjin stepped inside, careful not to make a sound. He knew how creepy this was, to enter a person's house like this, but he didn't have a choice. "Y/N?" He called out, noticing the light in your bathroom switched on. "Y/N!" You were sitting on the floor, with a knife next to you. Your hair was in tangles and your body swayed back and forth, As you kept mumbling something to yourself. Your upper arm was slightly bleeding and your breathing was heavy. You had been lying there for the entire morning. You were still in your dress,which was now stained with blood from your arm. Your face was tear stained and your eyes were glassy. "Y/n. Hey look at me. Look at me. I'm here." You looked up to see Hyunjin's worried face, eyebrows furrowed and lips parted again. "Hyunjin?" You breathed out in a weak voice, which made Hyunjin's heart drop to his knees. "Yes it's me. Hey breathe. Please breathe for me." He coached you through breathing in and out, which calmed you down a bit, but you were still shivering and your skin was ice cold and white. You looked like a ghost. A ghost with sunken eyes and shocked expression stuck on its face.

Hyunjin carefully lifted you up and carried you to your bed, careful not to disturb your injury, which he immediately knew how it happened, from the knife lying beside you. He got some cloth and medicine for you from the first aid kit you hid under your bed, something you had told him a long time ago. You watched him with wide eyes as he carefully dressed your wound and got some water for you, forcing you to drink it.

"What happened? And it's ok if you don't wanna tell me." He sat beside you as you leant back against the bed frame. You tried not to catch his eye because you knew if you looked into those galaxies inside his eyes, you would start weeping. "Nothing happened Hyunjin." You mumbled, to which he scoffed silently, getting his hand up to your forehead to check your temperature. It was normal, thankfully you didn't have a fever. "Y/n" he faced you and out his hand on yours. "You know you can tell me right? I'm here for you and I'm worried. Please tell me what happened." It all happened so quickly. You looked into his eyes, taking in the stars inside of them, and you couldn't hold it back anymore as you burst out crying. Hyunjin was quick to hug you, holding your head gently as you buried yourself deeper in his chest, staining his grey shirt. His heart was breaking into a milion pieces, seeing his universe crying out her planets from her eyes. He shushed you from time to time, to make sure you don't become weak from crying.

"Y/N hey hey." He held you head in his hands, cupping your cheeks. "What's wrong? Just one word. Tell me one word. I beg you." You sniffled slightly and looked up at him, stopping you're tears slowly. You felt guilty, for him coming to you. Why should he? He's a human like you and he has responsibilities too and he should tend to them, not you. "Hyunjin, you should go. Y-you have S-Seungmin's party to attend. I'll be fine." Hyunjin knew how much you rejected being taken care of. Care was was word which simply never existed in your dictionary, courtesy to your past.

"Y/N-" "No Hyunjin!" You lashed out at him, tears brewing again in your eyes. Hyunjin now understood why the sunflowers outside had bowed to him, and why the aura was grey today. You had bottled up your feelings again, and one single word from a person of your past, was enough to break you. "I don't want help I don't need it! Just leave me alone! I don't want to be around you!" You panted a bit after shouting all that, your chest feeling heavy, not from the weight of your exhaustion, but from the weight of the entire world around you "Get out. Now."

The next few days, you came back to work, you avoided Hyunjin. You couldn't bear to look at his face, knowing that the stars in your eyes will collapse again if you do. You both worked in complete silence, with Hyunjin silently putting the completed illustrations in your desk, whenever you left to go to the bathroom. You now left at 9 am, instead of your usual 10 am along with Hyunjin. Your americanos seemed even more bitter now that you had no one to share your memories with. Every song in the world sounded like the same mundane melody now, chords repeating over and over again.

But Aphrodite always have something in plan, for souls like yours and Hyunjin's.

Hyunjin had been comforted by his friends for a week now. Every week, he would turn up at either Felix or Chan's house and cry to them. It broke their hearts to see their dearest friend weep and sob over you. You, on the other hand, would sometimes turn up to Minho, drinking his americano and venting your feelings, while he silently grilled his meat and put it on your plate. What you didn't know was that Hyunjin would be hiding silently behind the counter, listening to the notes of your voice talk about him. So one fine Saturday morning, he decided to do something. Something that would finally satisfy Aphrodite, and make her drop her roses down to earth to celebrate.

"Y/N." He called your name as you focused on your most recent article. "Y/N." He said again, when you didn't respond. "Y/N for Pete's sake, talk to me!" He basically shouted at you. You were staying back late tonight, courtesy to the hundreds of things you had to edit, due to your numerous amount of holidays. "Not now Hyunjin. I have to edit this." You spoke sternly, abandoning the fun filled voice you usually used when you were with him.

Hyunjin frowned at you, this time an actual frown, not like the playful ones he did when you would steal his meat from his plate. He was angry. He was angry at the world and at your mind for not treating you well. He was angry at your past, for making you believe that you were unworthy of love. He was furious and he would take it out right now, when no one except for you two were in the office building.

"Y/N listen to me!" He shouted, making you startled. You had gotten up from your seat and now you were cowering against a wall. You had never seen Hyunjin like this before, eyes narrowed and lips closed, burning anger seeping through them.

"Y/N you are quite possibly the most amazing person I have ever had the pleasure to meet in my stupid life. The way you walk the way you talk, everything about you is so amazing! It's so magnificent to me, how everyday you would explain the meaning behind a song, with your eyes all widened and your mouth moving fast! And it hurts me. It hurts me so much to see you like this, thinking that you are unworthy of love." His words were hitting you like bowling balls. "When you told me about your past, you know what I felt? I felt anger. True anger for the first time in my life. For the first time in my life, I wanted to burn down this entire world for a person. I was also so relieved that you trusted me enough to tell me about something like this. You really think I can't see the scars on your wrist through your foundation?" The scars on your wrist. How did he know about that? "Hyunjin-" you breathed out, crystals forming in your eyes again. "Y/N it breaks me. It breaks me so much to have a person like you in my life and not love them. I love you more than you can imagine. So why won't you accept it?"

"Because I can't!" The words spilled from your mouth like water spilling from a waterfall. "I can't Hyunjin! I don't know what love feels like! I never did! An-and when you came into my life and introduce me to all these amazing people, I felt so happy! For the first time in this dumb thing I call my life I felt happy. And I hated it! I hated the way Felix's eyes would light up every time he saw me. I hated the way Chan would always check up on me, making sure I don't overwork myself. I hated the way Minho would treat me like his own family, making sure I got the biggest portions of meat." Everything that you had kept hidden in that crack of your soul came running out. "I hated the way Jeongin looks up to me, telling me he admires the way I work! And you know what I hate the most out of all? I hate you! I hate the way you care so much for me and my stupid brain can't see it! The way you draw little cartoons on my americanos, the way you talk to me as if you were talking to a gentle lamb! I hate it Hyunjin! I hate myself for not seeing how much you love me! And I hate that I can't return the favour!"

Your knees gave way and you collapsed on the floor, sobbing your eyes out. Hyunjin was quick to kneel down next to you, hands searching for yours. Both of you looked into each other's eyes, seeing your entire universe's inside of them. You need love. You needed love to exist. And Hyunjin was there just to do that.

He leaned closer to you, eyes not leaving yours. He knew he had to do it now. Now or never right? Hyunjin, cupped your cheek with his left hand, right one still squeezing yours, and kissed you. He kissed you as if you were the most beautiful thing in the world. He kissed you as if you were the reincarnation of his last lover. He kissed you as if he had been wanting to kiss you for the last fifteen years. He kissed you, and you kissed him back. Your lips moved in sync with his, not moving away, hands wrapped safely around each other, both of you shielded from whatever the world was planning next. Time moved slowly again, as if the spinners of time had abandoned their looms to come watch you two.

And somewhere in the clouds, Aphrodite smiled, knowing that her mission was complete, and that two loveless souls had finally reunited, mending each other's cracks, slowly but surely.

Epilouge

"Hyunjin! We're going to be late! Hurry your ass!" You called out to your boyfriend of five years, as you waited by the door, bag clutched in hand, and white sundress flowing softly. The ash coloured cat you had both adopted, rubbed against your legs, purring and licking herself. Hyunjin had organised a 'special' date today, taking you to one of your most favourite places, a meadow by the beach, where you used to spend your days. It was already late in tbe evening, when Hyunjin finally came down from the steps of your house, still fixing his hair. "Alright Miss Universe, stop fixing your hair and come on!" You said, causing him to giggle, as both of you got in the car and drove off towards the sunset.

"God I love this place so much." You stretched your arms as you watched the dying sun, collapse into the ocean. "More than me?" Hyunjin pouted, as you slapped his chest playfully. "Oh god are those Minho's Macarons? These things are drugs to me." Both of you took a Macaron each, and raised them in the air, as if to make a toast. "Well, to our five year anniversary." Hyunjin toasted while you said 'hear hear!'.

"Y/N, I have a gift for you." You both had eaten all your food and we're slightly leaning against a tree, wrapped in each other's warmth. "What is it Hyun?" Hyunjin pulled out a paper from his pocket. A link sticky note. With Purple glitter pen scribbled on it.

Marry me Y/N?

"I thought I should do it in the way we first talked to each other. You know to make it more roma-" Hyunjin didn't get to complete his sentence, as you threw yourself around him, kissing him on his lips, as if you didn't kiss him every single day.

And Aphrodite couldn't stop giggling and smiling, knowing that now, love existed. And you? Oh you loved the existence of love.

[babyrdie]

PERSEUS & CIA (PART 2)

Parte 1 here! Part 3 here!

ANDROMEDA

Euripides wrote a play entitled Andromeda about Perseus' rescue of Andromeda, but the play is lost. From the surviving fragments, it’s possible to learn a few things. For example, Perseus, while passing through the region, initially thought the chained Andromeda was a statue. Although he wasn’t in love yet (because he thought it was just a statue), he praised the supposed "artwork", which indicates that Perseus found Andromeda beautiful.

But ah, what hill is this I see, with sea-foam flowing round, and what image of a girl in chiseled stone that perfectly renders her form, the beautiful product of an artful hand?

Fragment 125. Translation by John Gibert.

Perseus asked Andromeda if she would repay him for saving her, and Andromeda promised that she would be whatever he wanted, whether as a slave or as a wife, as long as he saved her. Which gives me the impression that, in Euripides' version, as soon as Perseus realized that Andromeda was a woman and not a statue, he thought of saving her with the intention of having her marry him in return. The fact that Andromeda even offered to be a slave in exchange for being saved shows how desperately she wanted to live.

[...] and when he became much attached to him Crantor asked him, quoting a line out of the Andromeda of Euripides:— O virgin, if I save you, will you thank me? And he replied by quoting the next line to it:— Andromeda: O take me to you, stranger, as your slave, Or wife, or what you please.

Life of Arcesilaus, III. Translation by C. D. Yonge.

In John Gibert's translation, Perseus's question is “Maiden, if I should save you, will you show me gratitude?” and Andromeda's answer is “Take me, stranger, whether for servant, wife, or slave”.

There are other fragments, but I didn't put them here because I read them in a Brazilian translation (translation by Clara Lacerda Crepaldi) because the English translation of all the fragments is paid and I won't pay anything in dollars, so instead I'll summarize what was said. It's a bit complicated to know who's speaking, though. Anyone who's read an ancient Greek play knows that it's often the Chorus speaking and not the main characters, which makes things more confusing in cases of fragmented plays. Anyway, here:

The play seems to take place at night, as there are references to night. Andromeda, for example, admires the stars. In more than one fragment, Andromeda laments the situation she is in, about to be devoured by a monster. She doesn’t understand what she did to deserve this misfortune and compares herself to a pasture. One fragment suggests that Andromeda isn’t only lamenting out loud, but also crying. In addition, she mentions the chains. 

Andromeda talks about her friends and also talks to the nymph Echo, who is present in this play and is apparently in a cave. One fragment is apparently Echo repeating Andromeda's last word, which is "Olympus." Andromeda believes that it is better to mourn with friends. The Chorus emphasizes the absurdity of the situation, saying that Cepheus has no mercy and fathered a daughter only to send her to Hades for the sake of the country. The Chorus says this after Andromeda asks them to mourn with her, as the relief is greater when mourning together. Perhaps the Chorus were friends of Andromeda? I really don’t know for sure.

Perseus flies in on Hermes' sandals and mistakes Andromeda for a beautifully crafted statue, but eventually realizes that she’s a living woman. He tells her that he feels sorry for her seeing her like this. Andromeda asks Perseus to have mercy, Perseus asks if she will show gratitude, and Andromeda offers to be his servant, slave, or wife. At some point, what appears to be Perseus says that he doesn’t cause misfortunes to others because he fears that those misfortunes will come back to him. Someone I assume is Andromeda tells someone else, who I assume is Perseus, not to make her cry by giving her vain hopes since the future is uncertain. There is a comment from someone about how afflictions are sweet once they’re overcome. Someone, I assume Perseus, says that he has achieved fame but not without afflictions. There is a line about a person being more instigated by audacity and youth than by reason. More comments about the future. Eros is invoked to either dispel love (it is said more in the sense of not making the beautiful seem beautiful) or else to help both. Comments about love and lines that seem flirtatious. Someone, I imagine Perseus, is forbidden by another person to have bastard children because, although they’re worth as much as legitimate children, they aren’t treated the same way. One person says that the other is blessed to have money because a rich person is honored by others, but the answer is that although they have money they aren’t blessed in circumstances. I imagine the person answering is Andromeda, because she’s rich and is in a horrible situation.

The sea monster is spotted by someone, who is certainly not Andromeda (as she is referred to in the third person. Maybe it's the Chorus? They usually narrate things like that). After the monster's defeat, the people of Aethiopia appear bringing gifts and apparently the monster's defeat is celebrated. More comments about the future, destiny and luck. Finally, some trade is being made.

Parts of this play have also been preserved in the Suda, a Byzantine encyclopedia, including: the dialogue in which Perseus asks if there will be gratitude (passage epsiloniota, 258) and Andromeda makes the proposal (passage alpha, 1367), part of Andromeda's lament (passage alphaiota, 245), a phrase related to the sky (passage alphaiota, 122), a phrase related to chariot-ride (passage iota, 531), etc.

It’s theorized that this was probably the first PLAY to depict a man falling in love with a woman IN THE MOMENT OF PASSION. I’m not talking about poems and I’m not talking about a man loving a woman, I am talking about a play specifically showing the exact moment in which he fell in love and this was apparently a very important theme of the play. It’s also commented that perhaps Perseus' entrance was an innovative detail, since apparently he appears flying with Hermes' sandals.

In Lycophron's Alexandra, Cassandra mentions this episode when telling how, in the towers of Cepheus (Aethiopia), a petrel (the monster) went in search of a woman (Andromeda), but came across “the eagle son of the golden sire – a male with winged sandals” (Perseus) and was killed by him.

[...] And he shall visit the towers of Cepheus and the place that was kicked by the foot of Hermes Laphrios, and the two rocks on which the petrel leapt in quest of food, but carried off in his jaws, instead of a woman, the eagle son of the golden Sire – a male with winged sandals who destroyed his liver [...]

Alexandra. Translation by A.W. Mair.

Tzetzes, in his scholia of Lycophron, gave more details. He says that Cassiopeia compared herself in beauty to Hera or the Nereids and she/they asked Poseidon to send a sea monster, which he did. Having consulted an oracle about what to do to save Aethiopia, King Cepheus offered his daughter Andromeda to be devoured by the monster and, for this purpose, bound her with chains. Perseus, after killing Medusa, was passing by and felt sorry for Andromeda, so he petrified the monster. After rescuing Andromeda, he married her. As far as I remember, this is the only version I've read that had Hera in the story.

"And the two rocks"; Andromeda is the daughter of Cepheus, the king of the Ethiopians, and Cassiepeia. When Cassiepeia was arguing about beauty with Hera or according to others with the Nereids, Poseidon sent a sea monster at their request, which was ravaging Ethiopia. Cepheus, after an oracle was given, offered his daughter Andromeda to be devoured by the monster and bound her with iron chains to a rock near the city of Ethiopia, Joppa. At that time, Perseus, having just beheaded the Gorgon, was passing through these places and, taking pity on Andromeda, he showed the head of the Gorgon to the monster and at the same time drawing his sickle, he turned part of the monster into stone and cut off the rest, and having rescued the girl, he married her. That the events concerning Andromeda took place near Joppa is testified by Aristeides (sch. hyp. t. t. 208 3), Libanius (IV 1109 R), Procopius (I 19 p. 100 20), Josephus (b. J. III 420); and someone of them says: "The city of Joppa, the prison of Andromeda", another again says that "there Io, having defeated Argos, became a human". The kepphos is a winged sea creature, hunted with foam, but now by misuse kepphos is said to be the sea monster.

Ad Lycophronem, 836.

He also interpreted that by implying that Perseus destroyed the monster's liver, Lycophron used the story of Heracles killing the sea monster at Troy, which had come to devour the princess Hesione, to compose the myth of Perseus. Tzetzes then claims that this is nonsense, since Perseus wasn’t swallowed like Heracles.

[...] “Liver-worker," because just as Heracles was consumed by the sea monster, so too was Perseus swallowed by the sea monster, which gnawed at his liver and he escaped and saved Andromeda. "Winged-sandaled" because of the winged sandals on his feet. He babbles, he prattles, not knowing what he writes, as also "liver-worker"; for the sea monster did not swallow Perseus as it did Heracles. It seems, however, that Lycophron, drunk with the luxuries and gifts of Ptolemy, transferred the story of Heracles and the sea monster according to Hesiod to Perseus and Andromeda. [...]

Ad Lycophronem, 839.

He also says that Phineus, Andromeda's fiance and uncle, plotted to kill him but Perseus petrified him.

He turned Phineus, the brother of Cepheus who was betrothed to Andromeda and plotted against him, into stone by showing him the Gorgon.

Ad Lycophronem, 838.

Furthermore, the Suda says that Lycophron of Chalcis apparently wrote a tragedy called “Andromeda.” Perhaps it is on that theme?

of Chalcis in Euboea; son of Socles, and by adoption of Lycus of Rhegium. Grammarian and tragic poet; he is one of the seven who are named the Pleiad. His tragedies are: Aeolus; Andromeda; Aletes; Aeolides; Elephenor; Heracles; Suppliants; Hippolytus; Cassandreis; Laius; Marathonians; Nauplius; Oedipus (1 and 2); Orphan; Pentheus; Pelopidae; Allies; Telegonus; Chrysippus. Of these, the Nauplius is a revision. He also wrote the so-called Alexandra, the obscure poem.

Suda, lambda,827. Translation by Malcolm Heath.

According to Hyginus, Andromeda's mother Cassiopeia boasted that her daughter was more beautiful than the Nereids. This offended Poseidon, who ordered the Aethiopians to offer Andromeda as a sacrifice to the sea monster he was about to send. Perseus was passing by, flying with Hermes' sandals, and seeing her there decided to rescue her. Perseus wanted to marry Andromeda, but her father and fiancé did not want this and planned to kill him. He heard about this, killed them both using the Gorgon's head, and left with Andromeda. Interestingly, I think this is the only version where I saw Cepheus actively try to stop the marriage in such a cunning/violent way.

Cassiope claimed that her daughter Andromeda's beauty excelled the Nereids'. Because of this, Neptune demanded that Andromeda, Cepheus' daughter, be offered to a sea-monster. When she was offered, Perseus, flying on Mercury's winged sandals, is said to have come there and freed her from danger. When he wanted to marry her, Cepheus, her father, along with Agenor, her betrothed, planned to kill him. Perseus, discovering the plot, showed them the head of the Gorgon, and all were changed from human form into stone. Perseus with Andromeda returned to his country. [...]

Fabulae, 64. Translation by Mary Grant.

He also tells that both Cassiopeia and Cepheus tried to dissuade Andromeda, but she still wanted to marry Perseus.

[...] Nor did he receive less kindness from her in return for his good deed. For neither her father Cepheus nor her mother Cassiepia could dissuade her from following Perseus, leaving parents and country. About her Euripides has written a most excellent play with her name as title.

Astronomica, 2.11.1. Translation by Mary Grant.

Pausanias also mentions the myth in which Perseus rescues Andromeda while explaining why the water in a region was red, reporting that a local tradition said that it became that color because Perseus washed off the blood in the spring. The fact that Perseus had to wash off the blood makes me wonder if the monster's defeat was different here, whereas in the more usual tradition he was simply petrified and not attacked.

[4.35.9] [...] Red water, in color like blood, is found in the land of the Hebrews near the city of Joppa. The water is close to the sea, and the account which the natives give of the spring is that Perseus, after destroying the sea-monster, to which the daughter of Cepheus was exposed, washed off the blood in the spring.

Description of Greece, 4.35.9. Translation by W.H.S. Jones.

According to Pseudo-Apollodorus, Cassiopeia boasted that she was more beautiful than the Nereids, which offended both the Nereids and Poseidon. Poseidon then sent a flood and a monster to invade Aethiopia, but Ammon predicted that this could be avoided if Andromeda were used as a sacrifice. Cepheus was then forced by the people to do so. When Perseus appeared, he fell in love with Andromeda and told Cepheus that he would save them as long as Andromeda was given to him as a wife. Promise made, Perseus killed the monster and freed Andromeda. However, her fiancé and uncle, Phineus, plotted Perseus's death because he wanted Andromeda to marry him. The plot was discovered, and both he and his accomplices were turned to stone by Perseus, who used Medusa's head.

[...] Being come to Ethiopia, of which Cepheus was king, he found the king's daughter Andromeda set out to be the prey of a sea monster. For Cassiepea, the wife of Cepheus, vied with the Nereids in beauty and boasted to be better than them all; hence the Nereids were angry, and Poseidon, sharing their wrath, sent a flood and a monster to invade the land. But Ammon having predicted deliverance from the calamity if Cassiepea's daughter Andromeda were exposed as a prey to the monster, Cepheus was compelled by the Ethiopians to do it, and he bound his daughter to a rock. When Perseus beheld her, he loved her and promised Cepheus that he would kill the monster, if he would give him the rescued damsel to wife. These terms having been sworn to, Perseus withstood and slew the monster and released Andromeda. However, Phineus, who was a brother of Cepheus, and to whom Andromeda had been first betrothed, plotted against him; but Perseus discovered the plot, and by showing the Gorgon turned him and his fellow conspirators at once into stone. [...]

Library, 2.4.3. Translation by J.G. Frazer.

Sophocles wrote a lost play entitled Andromeda on this subject. Here, I once again resorted to Brazilian texts written in colleges and made available for free because they are part of the published thesis, since it was getting boring to look for the plot of the fragments in English. The writer of the moment is Wilson Alves Ribeiro Jr. Ribeiro contextualizes that the date of the play is uncertain and it is not possible to be sure whether Sophocles or Euripides wrote a play entitled “Andromeda” first. It is theorized that in an Attic cranium with a white background by the Phyalian Painter, dated 440-435 BC, currently preserved in Akragas, in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, there is a scene that possibly corresponds to a representation of Sophocles’ Andromeda, more precisely to the moment when Perseus finds Andromeda tied to the rock. There is a scripture that identifies Perseus as Euaeon/Evaíon, son of Aeschylus. Euaeon/Evaíon was an actor, so it is quite apparent that this painting specifically depicted the performance of a play based on the myth, and the actor playing Perseus was Euaeon/Evaíon.

As for the fragments, ten short fragments survive. The beginning of the play shows Cepheus and his entourage chaining Andromeda to a rock. Imprisoned, Andromeda mourns either with her mother Cassiopeia or alone. When Andromeda is alone, Perseus appears and sees her. He makes a deal with Cepheus to marry her in exchange for saving her, defeats Phineus — it’s theorized that the outcome of the contest may have been announced by a messenger, as is typical of plays —, and leaves with Andromeda. The play seems to use Perseus as a Greek model of bravery while Phineus is a “barbarian” model of cowardice. In one of the surviving fragments (frag 126) someone says that Andromeda was chosen as a sacrifice by the polis because the “barbarians” had the custom of sacrificing people to Cronus since ancient times.

Philostratus in Imagines described paintings, which we can't be sure actually existed or whether Philostratus invented them for literary convenience. In any case, one of them depicted Perseus rescuing Andromeda. The description is extensive, so I'll give it a brief description, but you can read it here in Arthur Fairbanks' translation. The monster is already dead and bleeding profusely, which Philostratus says is the reason the sea is red. The winged god Eros, here a young man (which the author points out is unusual. Philostratus was from the Roman period, by the way), helps free Andromeda from her chains. Perseus is said to have asked Eros for help in defeating the monster, which he did. Perseus himself is hiding Medusa's head, fearing that he might accidentally petrify someone because there are Aethiopians in the scene who show up to offer Perseus things. Both Perseus and Andromeda are emphasized by their beauty, and they look at each other while Andromeda seems to feel a mixture of feelings: fear, incredulity and relief. I got the impression that the monster's defeat here was different. In addition to Eros's interference in the monster's defeat — Eros was in some visual representations, but usually to symbolize the erotic desire between Perseus and Andromeda and not to kill the monster —, the monster is bleeding. How would it bleed while being petrified? It's different from most other fonts, but I don't think it's different enough to be an alternative myth.

This myth has also been represented in visual art, for example: 1, 2, 3.

Alternative myth

Conon tells a rationalized version of the myth that is quite different from the usual one. Here, Andromeda was not under threat of death from a monster sent by Poseidon, but thought she had been kidnapped by one of her suitors and cried out for help (her father had approved, but decided not to tell her. So she didn't know that it was, like, supposedly a legitimate betrothal). Perseus happened to be traveling there by coincidence (he wasn't returning from Medusa thing) and, taking pity on Andromeda's screams, saved her. Andromeda then married Perseus.

The 40th story tells the history of Andromeda quite differently from the myth of the Greeks. Two brothers were born, Kepheus and Phineas, and the kingdom of Kepheus is what is later renamed Phoenicia but at the time was called Ioppa, taking its name from Ioppe the seaside city. And the borders of his realm ran from our sea [the Mediterranean] up to the Arabs who live on the Red Sea. Kepheus has a very fair daughter Andromeda, and Phoinix woos her and so does Phineas the brother of Kepheus. Kepheus decides after much calculation on both sides to give her to Phoinix but, by having the suitor kidnap her, conceal that it was intentional. Andromeda was snatched from a desert islet where she was accustomed to go and sacrifice to Aphrodite. When Phoinix kidnapped her in a ship (which was called Ketos [sea monster], whether by chance or because it had a likeness to the animal), Andromeda began screaming, assuming she was being kidnapped without her father's knowledge, and called for help with groans. Perseus the son of Danae by some daimonic chance was sailing by, and at first sight of the girl, was overcome by pity and love. He destroyed the ship Sea Monster and killed those aboard, who were only surprised, not actually turned to stone. And for the Greeks this became the sea monster of the myth and the people turned to stone by the Gorgon's head. So he makes Andromeda his wife and she sails with Perseus to Greece and they live in Argos where he becomes king.

Narrations, 40. Translation by Brady Kiesling.

And, as a continuation of that version of Suda in which Medusa is simply an ugly woman who Perseus kills, after he does so he marries Andromeda, who in this very alternative version was found in a temple.

[...] And from there he went into a country that was ruled by Cepheus and he found in the temple a virgin maiden called Andromeda, whom he married [...]

Suda, mu,406. Translation by Jennifer Bennedict.

RETURN TO SERIPHUS

Pindar describes Perseus petrifying the people of Seriphus (note that it is the people here. It isn’t Polydectes' friends, it’s actually Seriphus) when he returned in revenge for the slavery and rape Danae suffered because of Polydectes. This is the only source I have found that mentions slavery in any sense, and it’s also the only source in which Danae apparently actually was abused by Polydectes.

[...] when he did away with the third sister and brought death to sea-girt Seriphus and its people. Yes, he brought darkness on the monstrous race of Phorcus, and he repaid Polydectes with a deadly wedding-present for the long slavery of his mother and her forced bridal bed [...]

Pythian Ode 12. Translation by Diane Arnson Svarlien.

In Lycophron's Alexandra, there is what appears to be a reference to Perseus petrifying Polydectes and the people of Seriphus. It says "men" and not "man", so I think it’s unlikely that it refers to the version where only Polydectes was turned to stone.

[...] Fashioning men as statues from top to toe he shall envelop them in stone [...]

Alexandra. Translation by A.W. Mair.

According to Hyginus, when Perseus returned with Andromeda to Seriphus, Polydectes feared Perseus' power and attempted to kill him. However, Perseus discovered the plan and petrified him with the Gorgon's head.

[...] Perseus with Andromeda returned to his country. When Polydectes saw that Perseus was so courageous, he feared him and tried to kill him be treachery, but when Perseus discovered this he showed him the Gorgon's head, and he was changed from human form into stone.

Fabulae, 64. Translation by Mary Grant.

According to Pseudo-Apollodorus, when Perseus returned to Seriphus he discovered that Dictys and Danae had taken refuge at an altar to escape Polydectes. For context, the altar is a possible refuge because assaulting someone there could result in an offense to the guardian deity — examples: according to Pseudo-Apollodorus, Pelias, by killing Sidero inside the temple of Hera, displeased Hera, who purposefully planned Medea as his misfortune; In post-Homeric versions, Achilles, by killing Troilus inside Apollo's temple, caused the god to later kill him; Ajax the Lesser attacked Cassandra inside the temple of Athena, and on the way back was punished by the goddess; Neoptolemus, for having offended Apollo either intentionally or having offended his priests unintentionally, was killed by Orestes at Delphi. Anyway, Perseus went after Polydectes in his palace, where the king had gathered friends, and petrified everyone there. Afterwards, he made Dictys king of Seriphus and returned the gifts given to him by the gods, although he kept Medusa's head.

[2.4.4] [...] And having come to Seriphus he found that his mother and Dictys had taken refuge at the altars on account of the violence of Polydectes; so he entered the palace, where Polydectes had gathered his friends, and with averted face he showed the Gorgon's head; and all who beheld it were turned to stone, each in the attitude which he happened to have struck. Having appointed Dictys king of Seriphus, he gave back the sandals and the wallet (kibisis) and the cap to Hermes, but the Gorgon's head he gave to Athena. Hermes restored the aforesaid things to the nymphs and Athena inserted the Gorgon's head in the middle of her shield. 

Library, 2.4.4. Translation by J.G. Frazer.

Tzetzes says that Perseus went with Andromeda to Seriphus, where he discovered that Danae and Dictys had taken refuge in a temple because of Polydectes. Perseus then went to where Polydectes was holding a banquet and turned everyone to stone with the head of Medusa. After this, he gave the kingdom to Dictys and returned the divine gifts. He did not keep Medusa's head and instead gave it to the goddess Athena, who put Medusa on her shield. The "dog of Hades" is his cap, as it can also be referred to as the "dog-skin of Hades".

Perseus himself, with Andromeda, went to Seriphos. Finding his mother had taken refuge in the temple with Dictys because of Polydectes, he went to Polydectes' house and found a grand banquet. Showing them the Gorgon, he turned them all to stone. He gave the kingdom to Dictys, and Hermes took the sandals and the dog of Hades from him and gave them to their rightful owners. Perseus gave the head of the Gorgon to Athena, who fixed it in the middle of her shield. Others say that she fixed it on the ornament she wore on her chest, which is why it was called the Gorgonion from the Gorgon. [...]

Ad Lycophronem, 838.

Strabo says that in revenge for Polydectes trying to abuse Danae, Perseus turned all of Seriphus to stone with the head of Medusa.

[...] it is said, and when he brought the Gorgon's head there, he showed it to the Seriphians and turned them all into stone. This he did to avenge his mother, because Polydectes the king, with their cooperation, intended to marry his mother against her will. The island is so rocky that the comedians say that it was made thus by the Gorgon.

Geography, 10.5.10. Translation by H. L. Jones.

[nyxirrationalstories]

Hello it's me again since your request is open ( correct me if i wrong ) , may i've a request for saint Seiya. Seiya,hyoga,Shun, Ikki,shiryu ( classic saint Seiya ) .... With model fem s/o, please...S/o who thought their boyfriend was cosplaying when they accidentally passed by/were at the scene after their fight and screamed in Joy.

This is gonna be so funny.

Btw, how are you?! Where have you been

Yes, the ask is still open. I'm fine, I had my bad days, but I'm still me after all.

I've been busy with college, I had an emergency surgery last year, I got this tumblr "hacked" (I got in a fight with a friend, I took advantage of giving her the password and she deleted ask and drafts), I got a cat that I love very much and a few days ago I taught a literature class at a chemistry school.

So between good and bad, thanks for asking. I appreciate the courtesy.

I misunderstood the ask, but I recover with the last 2 knights. Sorry, I hope you like it.

Actually, the scenario sounds pretty funny and I can already imagine every single situation.

- Seiya

Let's imagine for a moment that the poor boy forgot to tell his S/o about his fight on behalf of Athena.

So when S/o walked into the room and saw him in his armor... she got a "Lois Lane". Her boyfriend a zodiac knight? Naaaah, impossible. Must be a pretty good cosplay.

She couldn't help but be thrilled at how well done, I mean, literally wearing armor to emulate a knight? Now that's love of art, the passion in this work... she couldn't help but express it to him.

Seiya was quite confused and embarrassed. I mean, he loved that his girlfriend showed so much passion in "looking for the details of the cosplay" but at the same time he felt that not only did he owe her the truth but he didn't deserve those compliments because he hadn't even made the armor.

Unfortunately, every time he tried, the redder his face felt. He couldn't take that joy away from her, not yet.

- Hyoga

Here the reason I didn't say he was a zodiac knight is because he is too reserved and aloof about some things.

And Camus, especially Camus. Moreover, you just knew that Hyoga trained to be stronger alone. Camus only knew that Hyoga went to nearby villages to "read and train his mind". You both suspected certain lies, but Hyoga was living up to "expectations" so there was no problem?

So when you saw him in his armor in the dead of winter... you couldn't help but put several blankets and a coat on him. Hyoga was quite surprised and touched, it had been a long time since anyone had taken care of him like that.

As a cosplayer model, you told him that you were proud of his dedication and success in his costume, as his girlfriend "what were you thinking? It's so cold, you might get hypothermia".

Hyoga didn't correct you, it was better that you thought (for now) that this was just a costume and that he was a "handsome fool" who wanted to surprise you.

With you by your side, winter felt like spring.

- Shun

I think Shun never said anything because of the danger you might be in, I mean, look what happened to Ikki's girlfriend.

However, unlike the others, Shun might even go so far as to play along: photos, short videos, even do a little roleplaying to make your moment of joy turn into fun and euphoria.

It was quite an interesting afternoon until he took you by the hands and had to tell you the truth. And well, as the meme goes, "at first Ego thought it was a joke, but as Lingüini explained to him Ego's smile disappeared".

Next thing Shun knew, your next cosplay would be "The Knight of Andromeda" and that you would always support him no matter what.

Bonus: In the Hades saga, even though you were worried after everything that happened, Shun gave you the clothes that Hades used so you could cosplay.

- Ikki

I think Ikki needs no explanation as to why he didn't tell you he is a zodiac knight.

So after a successful fight and with all his buddies safe... he never thought he would stumble upon one of your photo shoots.

On the one hand, he was quite happy that you were fine and having fun. On the other hand, he had to put up with the teasing from his classmates and brother. Either with comments or Shun and Seiya posing for your photos. They even forced him to take a group photo for one of your stories.

For more "fun" the fools commented on the story, "praising" the cosplay. And you were responding with immense joy at how your boyfriend was "quite skilled at cosplay, just like his friends and brother".

Ikki vowed revenge, each of them would pay for their crime. Except for you and Shun, you guys were okay.

- Shiryu

I think Shiryu was honest from the beginning, but maybe you didn't believe him from the start. The other is that there was so much work that the detail completely slipped your mind.

So when you praised his cosplay, Shiryu mito you confused, but he appreciated the praise to his uniform. That's when reality hit you again and you could only feel your cheeks burning, hiding your face in your hands and whispering a "sorry".

Shiryu just smiled and stroked your head, telling you it was okay. Until Seiya said that his costume was better for cosplay, to which Ikki told him it was "simple and insipid". Thus starting a fight of "Which armor was better for cosplaying?"

Bonus:

Saori watched happily as you tried on the ancient robes of the Goddess Athena. She didn't have the heart to tell you that it wasn't a cosplay, nor to refuse to let you try them on.

She even put on the ornaments she herself would wear. You were her goddess of love, just as Ares had Aphrodite, she had you.

Saori was happy that you didn't know she was Athena, because you loved Saori Kido, who she really was. There was no duty, no quest for power, not that you liked the "Saori, the rich girl" part either. She was very grateful that Jabu had forgiven her for her mistreatment. Although now he kept teasing her about her "next cosplay".

[multific]

Love in Oil Colours

Chapter 11: Astarion

Astarion x Fem!Reader

Summary: You just wanted to see the paintings. To see what new exhibits there were. You never expected for a simple oil painting to reveal so much about you and your past.

Leaving you is the hardest decision he ever had to make.

He loved you.

His soul, mind and body were all yours and yet, he knew better.

He should have known that all his bad deeds would come and bite him back.

No matter how many times he tried to ease his past mistakes, they always came back.

And it always ended up with you getting hurt one way or another.

It was better, he left you, erased your memories of him.

You had a better life now.

And all he had is this dark hole he called home.

A bed and a painting.

A painting which he couldn’t let go of and he will never.

If he has to, he will protect it with his life.

Your only painting which had both of you on it. 

You painted it with the help of a mirror. It was difficult but he was proud of your talent and once it had been finished, it became his absolute favourite.

You two stood, hand in hand, you had a smile on, while he had the smallest little hint of a smile.

It was from a time when you two were happy.

The painting hangs above his bed. The one thing keeping him somewhat sane, as he talked to the painting as if it was you.

And in the darkest moments of the night, he swears he can hear the painting-you answering him.

Astarion deserved this, he deserved to be alone, locked away and never to be seen. He made your life into a mess. He made you live for eternity because he was afraid to be alone.

He made you suffer and lose everything and everyone.

He looked at you in the painting, he was sad and happy.

He knew your other paintings had been collected. The one which depicted him was something he had been looking for but the museum got to it before he could.

At least he still had this one.

One morning, he was ready to leave his home when a strange feeling filled him.

Someone was on his land.

But strangely, the person didn’t seem like a threat. His senses weren’t screaming at him to kill.

Instead, he walked out and he nearly fainted.

There you stood in all of your glory.

And you looked angry.

The above photo is not mine! Credit goes to the owner!

Series Masterlist

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~Masterlist~

ˇAO3ˇ

DO NOT STEAL, REPOST OR TRANSLATE ANY OF MY WORKS

[matchbet-allofthetime]

I JUST FUCKING FINISHED ANDROMEDA

Over a week of playing nearly every single day, 56 hours and 42 fucking minutes-

I have loved every single second of this game

Upgrading armour and crafting, doing silly side quests, loyalty missions, collecting data from all around, upgrading the Nomad (which I despised at first, and then... I loved so much)

This game was an absolute joy from start to finish and I don't understand how, even with the ME trilogy having come first, people don't like ME Andromeda

This game was stellar and beautiful and I felt like I could really sit there and appreciate the silliness, the seriousness, the awkwardness, all of it

Every little decision mattered

Every little decision defined my character and looking back at the files and all? I got to play a perfect rendition of myself in my Pathfinder and I have my own story I've made along the way, just helping wherever I could

I got Wrex back in my good side after I chose to save Raeka and we're closer than ever, I've done every loyalty mission, I won a damn bar fight, I got blackout drunk, I lost poker, I got a Turian girlfriend, I spared Akksul, I got Evfra and Reyes and Kandros and Tann and everyone else on my side so we could protect all our worlds and make a home

And I'm so emotional over this game because it was perfect

The nods to the trilogy- the nomad paint that says "hold the line" in its description and the other salarian's words in battle as a nod to kirrahe? Mordin's photo being in the Salarian info stuff at one point while he smiles? The archangel paint? The collection of model ships?

It's all incredible

People don't seem to like this game but it opened up a whole new side of our universe and it doesn't take away from it at all

It's just the other side of it all that we have so far

It connected everything and I couldn't have asked for a better game

This game has broken me in the best way and I love both Andromeda and the trilogy

Anyways, little freakout over, just really happy right now

I love almost every character and interaction and I really hope they make another Andromeda game because these characters are wonderful and deserve a chance to keep growing just like Shepard and their friends did

[quitealotofsodapop]

[At least a few Wukongs are out chasing any of the three gods for answers.]

Would probably be easier if he got a lawyer with official summons involved. Can you picture that? Threatening a god with possible legal actions XD

[He had his identity crisis over a thousand years ago.]

Oh, so he's experienced. What about the other LEMs?

[the idea of LMK!Wukong waiting for everyone else to be done with their identity crisis so he can have his in the middle of the night is so in-character for him.]

Just because his starts in the middle of the night doesn't mean he's over it by morning - Mac waking up to a SWK in the fetal position, practically petrified and barely breathing. Either the kids are little monkeys are playing Jenga to see when or what finally makes him move.

[Also him sneaking in more Jttw fankid names into his family as much as possible. XD]

A good name is a good name - can't blame him.

[Little Luzhen being an almost copy of SWK is so adorable, and also terrifying to his parents.]

I see a lot of "Oh...so, that's what I was like...I hope he's not as dense as I was..."

[Running around getting into mischief, annoying the gods, only difference being that he has parents and siblings to rein him in.]

That does make my brain itch in a way - how do the SWKs feel about Luzhen. Peach Kong here obvs takes whatever issues he might have, shoves them in a suitcase and yeets it way past the Andromeda Galaxy and is being The Good Dad the kid deserves. But what are the others thoughts on Luzhen? Like, he's their sibling, clearly baby, adorable at that. But how many hard reboots they need to get through in a day since he was literally dropped on them?

[SWK, horrifed tone: "Oh sweet buddha no."]

"I once heard a mom cursing her kid to have children as unruly as she was acting. I think she might've cursed me by accident." "Go to sleep, Wu."

[Thankfully this version of Luzhen seems to idolize MK more than the Monkey King, which is a small blessing.]

Let's hope Luzhen's a bit better with names and identities then either MK or the Eclipse Twins XD

Actually, how do the rest of the kids feel about Luzhen? Imagine going out for the day to let the old folks have fun time and come back to see a whole ass new sibling!

[Would probably be easier if he got a lawyer with official summons involved. Can you picture that? Threatening a god with possible legal actions XD]

AhHa! LMK Wukong does canonically have a lawyer (my hc its the Fire Star of Mars). Now I'm imagining a Judge Judy or Maury-esque trial over the custody/parentage of Sun Luzhen and the other SWKs vs their universes' respective Nuwa, Houtu and Fuxi.

Reborn SWK/Smokey is the most furious since he has a whole complex over not having parents.

[Oh, so he's experienced. What about the other LEMs?]

At least a few LEMs are watching the scenario like "huh weird." until one brings up a very good question.

Mihou, a bit worried: "Hey, if the Wukongs are made by the same people, what about us? Were we made by Nuwa too? Are we related!?" Plum: "Nah. Chang'e cleared it up for me thousands of years ago. I was made by lady Taiying Xingjun on accident." Lilac: "WHO!?" Plum, realising that he probably shouldn't have said that: "The... the supreme goddess of the moon?" (o_o;) Other LEMs: "THE WHO?!?"

Cue multiple LEMs having their own simultaneous identity crisis, Not everyday you discover that you might be an illegitimate lunar royalty. The more "feral" LEMs (Zhanshi and Spice) take it the hardest, while some like Mihou are having a fairytale fantasy moment.

[But what are the others thoughts on Luzhen? Like, he's their sibling, clearly baby, adorable at that. But how many hard reboots they need to get through in a day since he was literally dropped on them?]

Different SWKs reactions ahoy! Some are kinda lumped together cus of similar reactions. Note; this may also be them in response to recieving their *own* Sun Luzhen >:3

Dasheng: "Oh sweet Buddha. They just made one of me?" Has a small brainfart on whether or not Luzhen is his clone or his sibling. Eventually just sighs and lets the little guy cling onto his back as a baby monkey do. He's used to sudden children by now. Actually gets a little proud when people assume Luzhen is his - cus heck yeah, I'm dad, not our neglectful creators.

Smokey: "No." Extremely bitter. He doesn't want anything to do with Luzhen - it's not his fault another him got made! And whats more he's furious at their creators for "allowing" another Stone Monkey to be born to face the same crisis/trials he did. Might soften to the kid overtime, esp if his Liang gets parental on the little guy, but its a long journey.

Cherry: *hugs Luzhen for a long time before he starts sobbing* He immediately feels a kinship for Luzhen, one he lacked when he was "born". He feels like he has to protect the little guy, cus who else will? His cub now, their creators can screw off!

Ace: "Oh no. Oh no. My love! My love! It happened again!" Immediately overwhelmed and getting flashbacks to how him and his LEM obtained their "MK". Joker (his LEM) is a lot more calm about the situation.

Shihou: *delighted chirping!* He is just... fascinated. He was born partially grown, so to see a Stone Monkey thats an infant? Its the coolest thing in the world. They do have a little brain itch of what this could mean for them tho. Immediately takes on Luzhen as his little brother, but may require help to understand how to care for him.

Ganzhe: "AH! So that can happen!" More suprised than angry. He doesn't want Luzhen to face the same injustices he did as a newborn Stone Monkey, so he probably makes it his mission to keep the little guy a secret for a while. Wants to be Luzhen's mentor someday.

Starfruit: "Ok, guess I have a baby brother now. Cool" Secretly kinda mad that nobody in the different Realms bothered to like, tell him who their creators where. But a baby is a baby. Introduces Luzhen to his fellow fighters as his little brother/understudy. Gets him his own little Wukong outfit so he can show him off.

A few reboots are required for everyone involved really XD

["I once heard a mom cursing her kid to have children as unruly as she was acting. I think she might've cursed me by accident." "Go to sleep, Wu."]

Had to comment on this cus it's so in character, esp for the TMKATI au. Poor Wukong thinking his chaotic kids are like karma for his past crimes. (ᵕ—ᴗ—)

Meanwhile Mac is just like; "He's a toddler. They all want to fight heaven."

[Actually, how do the rest of the kids feel about Luzhen?]

MK is a little overwhelmed and supressing his shock, canon and au; since this would make the three earth gods his parents or grandparents. Interally screams for like three days before he can approach the topic. Later starts to see Luzhen as a little brother, albeit one thats technically his uncle(?) he's not gonna worry about that part.

Most of the Shadowpeach kids are just like "Oh cool! Free brother!", while LMK Nezha is staring off into the distance like he's having war flashbacks.

Hero!Liuer def starts obsessing over Sun Luzhen, esp if his verses' MK hasn't hatched yet. He's a *baby* Sun Wukong! And he's so fluffy! Immediately starts telling Luzhen all the Havoc in Heaven stories, much to Dasheng's dismay.

Netflix's Lin would go "Aww... wait." cus she's seen her SWK in baby form, and knows how chaotic one of these stinkers can be. Warms up to Luzhen tho, may even start to see him as her own little bro.

This is all I got rn. You send so many great asks!!

[thebestofoneshots]

Star please! My pronouns are she/her and I am into guys, and am open to poly!marauders!

If you know star signs: I’m a Libra sun, Aries moon, sag rising, Libra mercury, Leo Venus, and libra mars

I’m an intp, 6’1, and I play volleyball. I love listening to music and have a record collection! I’m also a huge film buff :) I’m pretty shy but make friends very easily. People often tell me to speak up but my voice is just not super loud lol. I don’t always like to, but I’m getting better at standing up for myself. My love language varies person to person, but I love physical touch, quality time, and giving gifts.

Thank you so much and congrats on the milestone!! You deserve it all and so much more, you are such a good writer :)

If you want to participate in "TBOS' 400 Followers Celebration" too, you can look at this post for all the options of prompts you can choose from <3

I definitely ship you with Sirius and James. However, Sirius was the first one to notice you. It all started during Christmas when you received a package from your Muggle family. It contained yet another record for your collection – the Diamond Dogs deluxe edition by David Bowie. You were instantlly excited by it, and youre excitment could be percived by others.

Sirius, allthought unfamiliar with the album, instantly recognized Bowie on the cover so he approached you with a playful grin, “Hey sweets, you’re in my Transfiguration class, aren’t you?”

You nodded, “You’re Sirius Black.”

He smiled, glad that you recognized him too, and casually sat next to you, leaning his head on his hand as he looked at you. Initially, you found it a bit strange how comfortable he seemed around you, but his relaxed aura eventually put you at ease.

He shared how he had stayed at school during Christmas to help his friend with some tasks, and how he didn’t really want to go home because of his less-than-pleasant family. You told him about your Muggle family and how they believed it was best for you to stay at school to avoid the Death Eaters. You admitted missing your family and being happy to receive a letter from them.

When the conversation grew somber, he skillfully changed the topic and asked about your album. Excitedly, you shared details about your collection and music preferences. He told you about the cassettes he had received from his cousin Andromeda and promised to make you a mixtape someday. He enjoyed making them for his friends. Your bond only strengthened from that point, and Sirius developed a massive crush on you, growing every time he discovered something new about you. He thought you were absolutely magical, and that, without even thinking about the fact that you were quite literally a witch. 

One day, you were in Sirius' room listening to your records since you didn't want to disturb your roommates. James Potter entered, not noticing you both resting on the floor with your backs against the bed. Assuming he was alone, he started humming along to your favorite song. Just as you were about to speak up, Sirius covered your mouth,  a cheeky grin on his face. Soon, James started his own impromptu concert, singing at the top of his lungs. Eventually, he began dancing and spotted both of you, with Sirius' hand still covering your mouth.

"Padfoot!" He said reproachfully. 

You removed Sirius’ hand from your mouth and gave James an apologetic smile “Hey James!” you said quietly “That was great conert.” 

James turned beet red upon realizing you'd seen his performance "How long did you—"

"—The whole thing," Sirius teased.

James was so distressed at that point the only thing you could think to do to ease the tension was to smile at him and say “Wanna join us?” 

You weren’t sure you’d ever seen a shy James Potter in your life, but here he was, nodding quietly and walking to seat beside you. You were sitting in the middle, with the two boys at your side. And you three just grew closer from then, it was like the boys didn’t want to be away from you. 

While in the beginning you thought Sirius was clingy, he had nothing on James Potter. Whenever they were around you, they were close, in a very literal sense. They always had to be touching you somehow, either by brushing shoulder to shoulder, an arm draped over you, or leaning their heads on your shoulders in the Great Hall, especially Sirius, who always complained about having to wake up early for flying. Those touches slowly became something more: kisses on the cheek, holding your hand, a cheeky hand on your thigh, or backhugs. And while they did sometimes fight for your affection, neither of them seemed bothered by the other pulling you onto their lap or snuggling you closer to them.

One day, you were listening to music in the common room and there was no one else around since you had skipped a class to be there. You were leaning against James’ chest while Sirius had his head resting on your lap; he’d asked you to play with his hair. It was often that you cuddled with the two at the same time, and you loved it, but it also confused you. You somehow mustered up the courage to ask, “What are we?”

“We’re Gryffindors,” James replied at the same time that Sirius said something like “The stars of the show.”

You sighed at their answer and motioned for Sirius to sit up with a light pull on his shoulders. “I meant what are we…” you said, emphasizing the last bit by pointing at the three of you.

James and Sirius exchanged a look. They’d had this conversation before, neither of them willing to give you up, so they settled on sharing. They were both okay with it; in fact, they enjoyed cuddling each other too. “Whatever you want us to be, angel,” Sirius answered earnestly, grabbing one of your hands and intertwining your fingers together.

“If you want us to pull away, or one of us to step back away, we’ll respect your wish, but–” James started.

“–Neither of us wants that,” Sirius finished.

You looked at the two of them. “Neither… neither do I.”

BONUS:

The mixtape Sirius made for you: 1. "Space Oddity" by David Bowie 2. "Dream On" by Aerosmith 3. "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin 4. "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye 5. "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen 6. "Hotel California" by Eagles 7. "Imagine" by John Lennon 8. "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green 9. "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton 10. "You're My Best Friend" by Queen

A/N: Hope you like this lil thing I made for you sweets, it got out of hand, as always, but I kind of absolutely adore the result, our boys are so adorbale, it's almost impossible to handle ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა

Sending you great vibes, Lilly xxx

MASTERLIST

[terramythos]

I'd love veilguard to be good because dragon age, well... aged very poorly to me after being obsessed with it for a year or so. mostly narratively because i saw other games (and books) do what it tried to do much better. I found a lot of the writing decisions and world design questionable after stepping back and really looking at dragon age critically. To be clear, it would be nice to have a really good dragon age game because more good games existing rocks. I'd love to be pleasantly surprised by veilguard. But boy do I have a bad feeling knowing about the horrible dev culture at bioware and veilguard's extremely troubled development. It feels like it got completely scrapped and redone three times? but it's been a bit since bioware released anything new. Andromeda was panned (i dont think it deserves it really), anthem bombed completely, so veilguard almost feels like something they Have to put out Or Else. I am pretty sure their reputation as the studio that made mass effect/dragon age was all that kept them from being shut down. That cash grab predatory pre-order crap is AAA corporate shit in a nutshell, not necessarily something bioware itself is pushing for, let alone the people who made the game. But the fact it exists at all does not make me optimistic about the level of executive over-reach in a game that really has to knock it out of the park for the sake of the studio. I don't think they can fuck it up again