#my spirit is free and my soul is full of springtime (c: persephone johnson evans.)

[minediamonds]

@lightcreators liked here for a Halloween starter for Nico from Persephone!

Persephone, ever since being adopted by the Evans', had always dressed up for Halloween, whether she was doing anything specific or not. Of course, her costume is often the goddess she's named after. She has far too much fun portraying her to ever stop. She wears a flower crown (of course, she loves them) and an old-fashioned white dress. She is unsure of how accurate her costume is. Maybe she'll have to ask Hades if she runs into him again.

She walks around, smiling brightly at everyone she comes across. A few young children compliment her costume. Her smile only brightens. As she walks around, she stops occasionally to enjoy the natural beauty surrounding her. As she does, she notices someone is watching her. So she turns to face them. "Hello! I'm Persephone. And I'm dressed as well, Persephone. The goddess I was named after. Who are you dressed as?" Persephone can't tell if the other person is wearing a costume or not, but figures she'll ask just in case they are.

[realmythsmoved]

@angelparadox sent a meme for a muse roulette starter & got Persephone! Song: Lonely Hearts Club by Marina & the Diamonds, lyrics are italicized and bold

“Do you wanna be a member?” Persephone holds out the flyer for her book club. "We meet the second Tuesday of every month."

“All genres are welcome.” Persephone herself is biased towards fantasy and romance, but she'll read anything with an interesting story and well-written characters. She just loves books. Hence why she had started the club that meets the second Tuesday of every month at Books and Treats.

[realmythsmoved]

@asoulunbound liked here for a starter! Song: The Manuscript by Taylor Swift

Persephone had been thinking a lot lately. About her birth parents. She always does, of course. She misses them. Of course she would. They were her parents and she loved them. As much as she loves and appreciates her adoptive parents, she still does miss her birth parents. And sometimes she wonders what they would've done or said about her life now. But maybe that's okay. "Looking backwards might be the only way to move forward." She muses, out loud. Really just verbalizing her thoughts.

Then she notices the stranger. "Oh, sorry. Just thinking out loud. I do that sometimes." She apologizes, a small smile crossing her face.

[realmythsmoved]

@flownintothesun continued from here

𝐁𝐘 𝐍𝐎𝐖, 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐅𝐔𝐍 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐇𝐀𝐒 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐍 into idly perusing stores — chatting as they go, neither of them ready to give it up just yet. The memories are bittersweet, and Westley is glad to see that somehow, Persephone has managed to retain her light. He hasn’t asked her yet what she’s doing with her life — because that kind of question usually gets turned back around and while Westley’s gotten to be amazing at lying, and has fifty answers on command — he doesn’t want to lie to her more than he has to. She’s like him, in a way — even though it’s clear that they’re very different.       Anyway, it’s easy to say something and mean it to someone else. It’s less easy when the same notion is turned back on you — feels kinda like a sword or medieval torture method. Westley’s never been safe — not when he was a child, and not in his somewhat-chosen adult path. But he is in control of it, for the most part — which is something he couldn’t have said during childhood. He’s not looking for the light so much as he is purpose these days. Seems like everywhere fate decides to take him is done on a whim. He’d ran away because his high school boyfriend’s family had been killed, and the boy he loved had disappeared. Westley’d thought disappearing would be a good idea, too, and he’d done so.       He’d had heroic notions then — first of finding the love he’d lost, and then, of making a difference in the system before he’d finally accepted that the system is so poisoned that there’s nothing he could do except for watch others suffer the same as he’d suffered without any sort of real power behind it. It would be a cruel life, to look on helplessly — to see the bad things that happened, and know that he failed. It’s easier to just be what life seemed to always want him to be. Sure, he’s read enough legal text that he could make a hell of a lawyer (in his opinion) — but at what cost?      She tells him to remember to be kind — and it makes him angry, and it makes him ache — because to the people that had hurt them kindness had been exploited as weakness. Why should he be good to people who go home and do terrible things? They wear such convincing masks that Westley scarcely ever knows ‘good’ from ‘evil’ at a glance, and that’s why he only takes jobs that he’s got a lot of information on. “I hope that works for you. I really do. The world doesn’t seem keen on making a place for soft things.” They’re made to live in harsh environments, like flowers in a desert — a thing so beautiful that no one sees the pain behind it.       He hesitates. He shouldn’t ask, but curiosity always seems to get the better of him — “What have you been doing, anyway? Since we last...”

Persephone had been glad to see Westley. The memories of him are faded, as the memories from her first two foster homes often are. But she does remember. Of course she does. A part of her will never forget. Not because she wants revenge on her first two foster parents. No, nothing like that. She understands why people would want that. Her first two pairs of foster parents had treated her terribly. So she'd be well within her rights to do the same. However, that's not like her. She prefers to kill them with kindness, so to speak.

She picks up a bauble and examines it with a smile, before putting it down. She isn't sure if she'll buy anything, though she's sure her adoptive parents wouldn't mind if she did. They're good like that. Always supportive, always kind. In short, they're the perfect adoptive parents for her. Thanks to them, she's healed a lot from what she'd suffered in her first two foster homes. And of course, the ever-present grief from the deaths of her birth parents. She is never going to forget any of it, though. And in Persy's opinion, that's as it should be.

The past shapes us, but it doesn't solely define us. Still, it is important to remember it. To ensure that one doesn't fall into harmful cycles because of it. That is, at least, Persephone's perspective on the matter.

The world doesn't seem keen on making a place for soft things. If Persephone had a dollar for every time she'd heard something like that, she'd be very rich. But she has a slightly different perspective on the matter. "Thanks! I hope so too. And personally, I feel that then it's the world that should adjust, not me. Kindness is always important. If the world doesn't see that, it is it that should change, not those of us who are kind or softer." That's how she's always seen things, and not even the horrors she'd suffered had changed her mind. Persephone will always believe in kindness and goodness, no matter how tough it may be. And in her opinion, that is as it should be.

When he asks what she's been up to, she smiles and says: "Well, I was adopted eventually by a lovely couple. The Evans. So I'm now Persephone Johnson-Evans. They don't fully understand everything I do but they are always kind and supportive of me. I've been to therapy, of course. How could I not with everything I went through? And it's helped. My experiences will always be there. The scars, mental and physical, remain. But I'm healing. And that's enough for me." A pause. A little chuckle. "How about you?" Her tone is light, and she smiles at him softly. She hopes he's doing okay. That he's somehow found a soft place to land. And if not, that he will eventually find one. He deserves it, just as much as she does, at least in Persy's opinion. So she truly hopes with all her heart that he will find happiness and safety.

[realmythsmoved]

i wish someone had told me i'd be doing this by myself . // persephone

"Oh? Do you need help?" Persephone asks, a kind smile crossing her face.

"I can help you if you need it." She's always happy to help. Even if she's not sure exactly what said help entails.

[minediamonds]

❛ i really, really don't like this. ❜ ( nico @ persephone )

Persephone frowns. He seems concerned about the situation. Should she be too? "What's wrong?" She asks, her tone one of concern as well.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Persephone would like to be helpful, if she can.

[minediamonds]

A comprehension of change struck him like lightning. Focused vision slid sidewards, giving him views of his flanks which usual peripheral vision only teased at. The varying pongs of woodland life rose to prominence in nostrils which now pulled heavy breaths as if even walking pace demanded air usually afforded for continued exertion. The gentle sound of wind blowing upon the branches and the endless titter of birdsong filled ears which alarmingly moved toward the source of sound.

His abruptly hunched disposition now seemed like the only position he ever could have been arranged, the idea of standing straight relegated to a passing novelty. He looked upon himself and saw a chalky barrel chest draped in previously crimson clothing now turned a sickly yellow, blue robes below strewn upon the muddy ground near his alarmingly hoofed feet.

A flick of something beyond locked his focus rearward, alarm surging into his altered self. Watching carefully he he could just about catch a glimpse of a thick haired tail sweeping past his plump posterior; his entire body keeping its amble girth despite the alarming and wondrous changes on display. A breeze was felt by his underside and helped reinforce his new found indigent nakedness.

The obvious conclusion laid itself bare in his mind but acceptance denied it, his mind spinning endlessly for some sort of mundane conclusion like a mill wheel endlessly churning water. He threw his head around and snorted, attempting to cast off this feverish dream or drunken hallucination; its persistence burning away comforting possibilities. He looked back at himself, mouth parted in shock -- he was no longer man but a beast.

The tales of this woodland were true, and by some sort of enchantment or curse, he walked not as a man of nobility, but what would be considered a fine steed for nobility instead!

It had been a while since Persephone had gotten a good walk in. She enjoys walking through the forest, so she heads in that direction. Once there, she looks around at her surroundings, enjoying the natural beauty surrounding her. She smiles brightly as she takes it all in.

Some might find the forest scary, but to Persephone, it feels like home. She doesn't mind what she runs into, provided that it's not dangerous. And in most cases, it's not. If danger did come up, she's certain she would find a way to deal with it, though.

As she's walking on the path through the trees, she notices something. Some kind of creature is near her. She can't help but smile even wider as she reaches out a hand for the creature to approach. "Don't worry," She says in a kind tone. "I won't hurt you."

She stands very still as she waits for the creature to come closer. She thinks it's a horse, but can't be entirely sure from a distance. So she waits. Persephone is very patient. She doesn't mind waiting, not at all.

[minediamonds]

" I want to inspire you" ( Hades @ Persephone)

"You already do," Persephone says with a soft smile. She's always been inspired by the stories her parents had told her of the goddess she's named after, but Persephone had always been equally inspired by said goddess' husband. And now, knowing that he's real, she's even more inspired.

"Always have, to be honest. And now that I know you actually exist, and aren't just a myth, I'm even more inspired." She truly means her words. She hopes they are helpful to him.

[realmythsmoved]

At the goddess' words, Persephone blushes. "Thank you." She says with a soft smile.

Being considered strong by the goddess she's named after is a compliment to Persephone. She has been through a lot, she knows. But she just did her best to survive it all. And now that she's come out the other side and is in a better place both literally and figuratively, she is glad she did.

She can't help but let out a little giggle and lean a bit into the goddess' touch when Persephone strokes her cheek. Persy is always glad to have a friendly hand touching her. She's had far too much of the unfriendly variety. But luckily, that's all behind her now. She's working through it too, in therapy. All in all, she can't complain.

"Oh, yes. Of course. They are James and Cecilia Johnson." She says with a sad smile. "I just want them to know how much I love and miss them. And that I'm alright. Tell them I have kind adoptive parents now. But that I'll never forget them." And it's all true. Though Persephone loves her birth parents and adoptive parents as equally as she can, she does miss her birth parents and knows she'll never forget about them. And that's okay with her. She doesn't want to forget them, as her memories are all she has left of them. That and her name. And some presents they had given her.

Persephone giggles too when she spots the puppy. "Oh, no. But she's adorable." Persephone leans in and puts a hand up to pet the dog. "Hello...." She says with a bright smile. "What brings you here?" She asks the puppy. Not that she expects an answer, of course. If only dogs could talk. Persephone is certain they'd have great stories to tell. And then they could express their love for humans in ways other than licking them.

Persephone's birth parents hadn't believed in having pets, and Persy's adoptive parents don't mind pets but aren't overly fond. So Persephone is waiting until she has a place of her own. But in the future, she'd love to have some animals, starting with a puppy like the one the goddess is currently holding. She scratches behind the puppy's ears. "Good dog," She says with a soft smile. "You're so sweet."

Despite Persie’s reassurances, it did very little to ease the guilt that weighed her down. Very few paid attention to her over the years, not unless they wanted to curry favor with her husband. It was rare for someone to choose her out of the wide pantheon of Greek gods and goddesses, and one of those who had, she failed. Persephone sighed, a sad smile tinging her lips. “You are a strong woman. Far stronger than any I have had the honor to meet. I promise whatever help you need from this moment on, you shall have it.” Her smile grew warmer as she reached over to press her fingertips on Persie’s cheek. The fingertips glowed, and unseen to human eyes, left a mark on the girl’s skin. A way for others like her to know whose protection she had and a way for her to find the girl again.

“As for your parents? I fear I have not met them yet, but if you tell me their names, I could look for them when I return home,” she offered. Persephone knew better than to offer someone something she couldn’t give. No matter how much she wanted to bring Persie with her, she knew that to do so meant condemning her to death. No human could journey to the Underworld and return alive, and her parents would have wanted her to live. The very most she could do was pass on a message between Persie and her parents. “Give them a message from you to them, and vice versa. I’m certain they have at least one thing to tell you.”

Being with her there, in the middle of the modern human world, was a little strange for the goddess. However, she was also curious to see how the mortals had evolved since the last time she was among them. There were more metal ‘boxes’ zooming past, women wearing pants and varieties of skirts and dresses, and almost all of them seemed glued to something small. While her focus was on Persie, there were moments when she found herself getting distracted, staring curiously at a passer-by or someone seated near them. It wasn’t until she felt a small dog sniffing at her ankle that she pushed her chair back and giggled. “Is she yours?” the goddess inquired as she picked the puppy up and cradled it in her arms.

[minediamonds]

" I'm just tired." ( Nico @ Persephone)

Persephone looks at him, concern in her eyes. "Are you sure?" She thinks something else is going on, but isn't sure. Probably, it's none of her business. But if she can help, she'd like to do so. "Nothing's wrong?"

[minediamonds]

@shdwtouch liked here for a (short) starter and got Persephone for Kaey! Song is Misery Business by Paramore! Lyrics are italicized and in bold.

"I never meant to brag," But Persephone knows she doesn't always come across the way she means to. "Just...I happen to be good at that." She says with a shrug, hoping that she seems more humble and modest now. She is, for the most part. But she does think it's alright to take pride in her achievements and talents.

[minediamonds]

“   my   wisdom   is   both   a   blessing   and   a   curse  .   ” for persephone

Persephone has heard of that being the case. Of something being both a blessing and a curse. But never that. Never wisdom. So Persephone wonders. She wonders why the other person thinks of it that way. "Oh?" She asks, her expression full of curiosity. "What makes it a curse?"

[realmythsmoved]

Persephone's eyes widen. "That's a book too?" She's seen the movie, but she hadn't known it was a book somehow until now. She wishes she had known, as usually she prefers to read a book before seeing the movie version. Books are usually better, in her experience. "I've seen the movie and loved it, but I'm sure the book is even better." She follows the other person towards the books. "Thanks, Elisa. Pleasure to meet you, I'm Persephone." She picks up a copy of The Princess Bride, tucking it under her arm. She definitely has to read that book now. At least she'd heard about it now. It would be a shame if she went all her life without knowing about the book. Especially since she'd seen the movie adaptation. But nothing can capture her imagination like a good novel.

She walks down the aisles, picking up a book here and there and reading the synopsis. So far nothing is standing out to her, but she'll definitely ask if something does appeal to her. She picks up a copy of Pride and Prejudice, but indeed she already owns that one. It is rather a nice copy, though, so perhaps she'll gift it to a friend who is yet to read the book. Yes, that's what she'll do. She puts it under her other arm, and continues perusing the shelves, waiting for something to catch her eye.

"If you're into fantasy, I would recommend The Princess Bride by William Goldman." Elisa suggested with a smile as she started escorting towards the fantasy and romance book aisles, "We've got some of them right here too! Unfortunately, we won't have any romance and fantasy book stocks until tomorrow, but feel free to have a look around. I'm Elisa, by the way. I'll be at the other side of the shelf right there if you've got any questions."

[realmythsmoved]

So why are you hanging out here on a Saturday night? franky @ persephone

A bookstore might not be the typical Saturday night hangout spot, but for Persephone it is. She loves books and so she feels it only makes sense she spend time with them whenever she gets a chance. So she shrugs and says "Oh, I always do."

"What brings you here?" She asks, smiling kindly at the other person.

[realmythsmoved]

@storywrought liked here for a Father's Day starter and got Persephone Johnson-Evans!

Holidays like this one are always the hardest when it comes to Persephone missing her birth parents. Though she loves her adoptive parents dearly, she still misses her birth parents. As it is Father's Day, she is missing her birth father. But she has her adoptive father, luckily. So she will focus on making him feel loved. And hopefully that will, if not entirely heal her grief, at least make it a bit better. She had already made a card for him, but can't decide if she should buy him a present or make one. "What do you think? Should I buy something for my adoptive father or make something? I already made him a card, but in terms of presents, I'm not sure what he would prefer." She's only known them for 6 years, not the 10 she had known her birth parents. So Persy still feels a bit hesitant and uncertain of what to do. So it can't hurt to ask.

[realmythsmoved]

" Beauty can be found in all forms." (Hades @ Persephone since he wake up on me)

"I agree." Persephone says with a smile. "Beauty is often found in the most unexpected of places, too."