#people say hades kidnapping her was bad but... it's the least worst thing to happen to her from what i can tell lol

[mcsiggy]

I was wondering why can’t/won’t Persephone be around zeus?

[demeterdefence]

been thinking a lot about how lore olympus really just could not fathom the concept of found family, it absolutely HAD to have a traditional blood-related family for the ending which is just ... so rachel honestly lmao we really should have known.

there were a lot of instances in the series where it almost seemed like rachel went out of her way to paint biological families as inherently dysfunctional, or at least not all they're cracked up to be - aphrodite is disdained by ares' family, zeus and hera are constantly arguing / zeus is constantly unfaithful, rhea and ouranos are an abusive marriage that begets three wildly traumatized sons, etc and so forth. that's not to say all families were bad or flawed (whether that was a choice or rachel spent so little time on them it just didn't come up) but the end result is that there were a lot of broken biological families in the series.

i think rachel wanted to demonstrate that you do not have to stick with an abusive family if they hurt you - that blood is not the defining aspect of family and bonds, that you can make your own and build your own family. i think rachel thought she was writing that, with how hades hates his dad and how persephone distances herself from demeter (who did nothing wrong but anyways.) the problem is, she absolutely does not follow through with it. at the end of the day, rachel is going to prioritize blood bonds and biological children over found family, because to her, that's the only family that counts.

like, hades raised thanatos from childhood and abuses the fuck out of him, completely traumatizes the god of death to the point thanatos is genuinely afraid of hades. thanatos is mocked, derided, scorned, and scoffed at by hades, constantly. thanatos did not have a CHOICE in who raised him, his mother abandoned him into hades' care. and hades does not for a single moment let up on how resentful he is about it. when thanatos finally admits that he only had hades as a parental figure (or ANY kind of family, tbh), hades turns it into how that affects him, how it makes him feel. after, we get two jokes about how hades is thanatos' dad now, and the last scene we ever get of thanatos is that "sometimes hades talks to him." thanatos never shows up in hades' daydreams of a family, he never shows up as a person who is important to hades. for centuries, hades was in charge of raising thanatos, not once does he ever appear in any of hades' dreams or wants regarding family. not biological family, so fuck off.

more to the point, the narrative makes it explicit to us that hades can't have children - it's brought up three times specifically, to drive the point home that hades wants children, he's definitely tried to have children, and it just won't happen. melinoe was seen as a way around that, and i won't lie, compared to rachel's usual hamfisted approaches, it wasn't the worst idea to have. but by the end of the series, it's shown that oh, nope, hades can have children (only with persephone though) and also they look like him, because biological bonds are everything. you know who doesn't count? dionysus, who was kidnapped from his dad and raised as a pet project for persephone. the kid helps her conquer winter or whatever the fuck that plot point was, but because he's not their biological child, hades and persephone ditch him after the final battle and throw him his old mom back to get rid of him.

biological children aren't a bad thing and it's not a bad thing to want or have them, but it's so fucking telling that hades and persephone have multiple people in their lives who should be considered family, and are picked up and discarded summarily once their use is over. dionysus was their proxy kid, and we literally do not see hades interact with him except maybe twice. thanatos gets absolutely trounced and i'll never not be angry about that. i don't even know what's going on with persephone's half brother, but he shows up for a single panel in the finale and then disappears.

wouldn't it have been so powerful if hades, an abuse victim, decided to be the father thanatos deserved? wouldn't it have been more in line with the supposed message of the story if hades and persephone opened their homes to people who once felt like them, abandoned and unwanted? at the very least, couldn't they have shown love to the people in their lives who sacrificed so much and put up with so much from them? what exactly is the measure of a family in lore olympus? we can't control who births us, but we can control the hurt we ourselves give, and the love we share, and that would have been an infinitely better ending for the two most selfish characters to show their growth. another disappointing pin in an already massively disappointing ending.

[nextwarden]

Webtoons are good for the soul PART II - ECLECTIC BOOGALOO

A continuation of this.

Sea Salt and Sand by neggut [ongoing]

In the autumn holidays 3 months ago, Brynn and Bailey shared a kiss. When Bailey left, Brynn tried to forget all about her and continue living an unremarkable life, only for Bailey to suddenly transfer to her school! What follows is a coming of age story full of pining, misunderstandings and confusion as Brynn and Bailey question the true nature of their relationship. 

It’s cute and a bit angsty but not too much. The art style often feels incomplete or rushed but in a good way, its flaws give character to the characters and the story. One of my all time favourites.

Apathy meets labrador/10

Dragonbourne by Gummy Shark [ongoing]

After a troubled past, Sir Ross Edmund Avery is somewhat content to lead a mundane existence, alone in his house. However, when he stumbles upon a child in the woods on Solstice Night who is anything but mundane, his simple life will be turned upside down.

A scar(r)ed man adopts a feral child, hijinks ensue. Once again, the art style is endearing, full of curves and long lines. Haven’t checked on that one in a while but the first twenty chapters were very promising.

Found family/10

The Last Human by Zack Jordan [ongoing]

She's the galaxy's worst nightmare: a Human. Fortunately, she's the last one. Now her adoptive (alien) mother is realizing that raising a young Human is no easy task.

Basically the badass and child duo trope but the truth may surprise you. Fun, cute, very wholesome, and surprisingly emotionnaly philosophical at times. Spidermom is best mom.

Recommend/10

Vampire Husband by Scragony [ongoing]

The life of Charles the Vampire an Cheryl the human after years of marriage.

What if tragic romance between human and vampire but they had their “happy-ever-after”? This is after. It’s funny and cute.

Relationship goals/10

Blood Stain by sigeel [ongoing]

A story about courage, growing up and finding friendships in most unlikely places... spiced with some MAD SCIENCE! 

Haven’t quite wrapped my head around this one yet, but it’s fun and drawn by sigeel (a.k.a. Linda Sejic) so of course it’s beautiful. Enjoyed it a lot, will have to keep reading.

Bloody merry/10

Punderworld by sigeel [ongoing - on hiatus]

Hades' and Persephone's love-struck misadventures.

Another take on Hades and Persephone’s love story. Once again, sigeel, so of course I love the art.

Bumbling idiots/10

The Queen and the Woodborn by Shiniez [ongoing]

Far away behind seven hills and seven forests, seven fields and seven rivers, there lived a Queen... welcome to the queen and the woodborn. a fairy tale romance for the mature readers about the unseen Queen and the Goddess in the woods. a tale of the two forgotten by the world around them who will make the world remember their names. expect gods and monsters and a romance for the ages.

Not many chapters yet but very long ones to compensate. This one is by Shiniez (a.k.a. Stjepan Sejic) so, once again, love the art. The story, the character designs and concepts, and the pace are all amazing.

Very wow/10

P.E.T.S. by Gyxks [ongoing]

Just when Tasha was about to start a new life, she was abducted by aliens. Fortunately, she and other humans were rescued by an interstellar general named Tourmaline. She soon discovered that her body was unfit to return home without endangering life on earth. Join her on her journey traversing this new world and these new feelings for an alien general. 

POV: You’re living your best life as a young adult, at the shopping mall at 2am in your pyjamas, when suddenly death aliens rain pain all around and you’re abducted only to be saved by tall buff alien commander lady. Romance ensues. Maybe, it’s slow burn but quite enjoyable to read.

Blush/10

Scoob and Shag by Misterie Krew [ongoing]

Scoob and his best pal Shag are up to their usual hi-jinks, but everything is not as it seems in their latest adventure. 

No relations to any character whatsoever. None. None at all. Also no relations to any kind of sense at all either. Can’t quite explain that one except that it’s genius. Just read it.

Is that a gun?/10

Bewitched by peachyytown [ongoing]

The witch who keeps "kidnapping" the princess is actually her girlfriend and they're just going on dates.

Short but cute alternative take on all that witch/monster/princess shenanigans. In the same vein as Our days in Lumain. Also the art is very nice.

Meetcute/10

When the Pink Trees Bear Fruit by neggut [completed]

A sweet love blooms between two women on an orchard in 1973.

A short story, five chapters only, but play devastatingly well with one’s heart. In the same vein as It Stems From Love by Soya S. Holm. neggut ist sehr gut.

Tears/10

Rooftops & Roommates by Zaanart [ongoing]

Jeb is an architecture major at university, rooming with his best friend Todd. There's just one problem... Jeb’s secretly a gargoyle! Between studying, partying, and a bad ghost problem, will Jeb be able to keep his true identity a secret?

Jeb is sweet, Jeb is fresh, but Jeb is decidedly not very good at keeping a secret. It’s funny, slice-of-life, roommate college shenanigans at its finest. With a magical twist.

Ship/10

Everything is Fine by Mike Birchall [ongoing]

Sam and Maggie are a normal couple, in a normal house, in a normal neighborhood. There is nothing strange about their heads, their neighbors or their sweet little dog. Everything is Fine.

I haven’t actually started this one yet, but the premise is very very very interesting. Perhaps not for thos who are faint of heart? Deceptively cute. Or is it?

It’s fine/10

Castle Swimmer by Wendy Lian Martin [ongoing]

What happens when your entire life is ruled by a prophecy – your future foretold by people you’ve never met, who died long before you were born.  Such is the story of two young sea creatures.  One believed to be a guiding light for his people, a Beacon who will lead them to a bright, prosperous future.  The other is a teenage prince for who’s destiny is to KILL the Beacon so that HIS own people might thrive.  When both reject the course set for them, it leads to a raucous adventure as big and unpredictable as the ocean itself – and a romance that nobody could have predicted.

It’s fish. It’s gay. It’s under da sea and ya gotta kiss the boy. I haven’t read it all yet but enough to vouch for it and to have some vested interest in the universe and its lore.

Enemies to lovers/10

Demon Highschool by Kiiyoko [ongoing]

After a compromise it was agreed that criminals would attend a "demons highschool" where they would work as slaves for demons And while it was all in good favor, things take a very dark and twisted turn at said, highschool.

There’s something, some kind of twist, about the MC which I haven’t gotten to yet, and which I am very interested to discover. I’m not quite sure how I feel about this one as of now, mostly curious I’d say.

Pet/10

Hooky by Miriam Bonastre Tur [completed]

Dani and Dorian have missed the bus of the school of magic. Now, they must find someone who teach them how to be a great and good witches... Or maybe not.​ 

This one is a strange one about witchery and family. Surprisingly deep and serious at times, very enjoyable. Unfinished on Webtoon but a good start to get into the story.

Siblings/10

Loving Reaper by Jenny Jinya [ongoing]

Animals struggle. Pets and Wildlife alike. The reaper cares for their stories and helps them with the crossover. Short stories about the "Loving Reaper" to raise awareness and collect funds. Breaking hearts for a good cause.

Beautiful bittersweet stories about animals, pets, life and death and love.

Tissues/10

Batman: Wayne Family Adventures by StarBite, CRC Payne, Kielamel Siba, Lan Ma, C.M. Cameron, and Camille Cruz [ongoing]

Batman needs a break. But with new vigilante Duke Thomas moving into Wayne Manor and an endless supply of adopted, fostered, and biological superhero children to manage, Bruce Wayne is going to have his hands full. Being a father can't be harder than being Batman, right? 

What if Bat-family but happy? Official comic, barely started, very fun.

Wholesome/10

The First Night With the Duke by MSG, Taeva, from an original work by Hwang DoTol [ongoing]

A handsome, selfish noble falls for a beautiful, kind commoner -- at least, that’s how the story’s supposed to go. When an average college student wakes up as Ripley, an extra in her favorite romance novel, she resolves to enjoy the luxuries of her character’s status while watching the novel's plot unfold from the sidelines. However, her plans are soon derailed when she finds herself in bed with no other than Duke Zeronis, the novel’s hero! Dodging the villainess’ schemes, the Duke’s advances, and her own feelings, can Ripley keep the story on track and survive beyond the first night? 

Haven’t read that one but a very dear (and respectable) friend (*cough*  @berigolote​  *cough*) of mine keeps pestering me to give it a try. So here it is, try it.

Do it before me and you get a cookie/10

HEART Anthology by Marvin.W, caw-chan and many other artists. [ongoing]

Featuring stories from the 2020 Short Story Contest!  From wholesome stories to tearjerkers, are you ready to catch these feelings?

A collection of beautiful stories on the shorter side, all about the many kinds of love in life, the many beauties of it, and the pains that make it worth living.

Tears that warm the heart/10

In My Heart by Redfield42 [ongong]

Sasaki Mari is a typical delinquent troublemaker whose only goal is to get a boyfriend, but due to her reputation as bully and low grades, all the boys reject her. Then she decides to change her style, and asks for help from the student with the best grades in the class.

It starts off light and fund and progressively seems to delve a little bit more into the seriousness of life. Not a tragedy, however, and very much worth a read still.

I think I have a trope I like/10

My awkward princess by LazyArts [ongoing]

This love story is about a girl named Luna charlotte, and the student council president Alice Evelyn. Luna is a delinquent whom often gets in trouble, as Luna reaches the end of the line she almost gets expelled, now luna has to become a model student with the help of Alice. Will Luna be expelled or will she succeed, read to find out.

Along the lines of Not So Shoujo Love Story, In My Heart, and Susuhara is a Demon. Delinquent/Good Student meetcute, romantinc hijincks ensue.

Seduction/10

RAINBOW! by Rue & Sunny Gloom [ongoing]

This is the story of a girl named Boo. She has pink hair and a vivid imagination and she is about to discover a side of herself that she never considered before. 

Okay, so yes, this one is also also a delinquent meets cute nice girl, but - BUT! - there’s an element of story telling that I love about it: the way we see Boo’s anxiety incorporated visually into the story. Just for that it is one of my favourite recent discoveries!

Protecc/10

-----------------------

Okay, that’s all for part II. Hope you enjoy those as much as I do. Thanks for your attention, sorry for the length and, please, do keep on reading, they all deserve it! As do you.

PART I

[spartan-officer-brasidas]

It seems like a few of you agreed that Ubisoft mishandled the Gods in more than a few ways, and I’m still mad about it so I just want to go through and explain how they were so poorly represented. I will concede that there are more than a few ‘right’ ways to represent a God and it all comes down to your own interpretation of the Gods and their myths, but I think in general, Ubisoft really fell short. My personal interpretations come from my major in Classics and my worship of the Greek and Roman pantheons, so my opinions on this will reflect those interpretations but feel free to have and share your own!

Let’s start simple. Juno. Juno is a really interesting Goddess, both in religion and in the games. I, personally, don’t do anything special for Hera/Juno/Uni, but I know that she is an incredibly loving Goddess and is remarkably loyal to her husband and those she holds dearly. Now, I think Ubisoft did Juno okay, only because her loving and loyal nature can make her a fierce enemy, and I think Ubisoft showed that well. She, from my knowledge, is a main antagonist in the series, and given that “modern” Rome is a part in Ezio’s story, that makes sense. Juno was NOT a supporter of the foundation of Ancient Rome. She made several attempts to keep Aeneas from getting to Italy and she is openly not a fan of Aeneas, given his Trojan heritage and his role in Rome’s founding. Basically, her being an antagonist makes sense and I don’t think it really devalues her as a Goddess at all.

This is, unfortunately, where the praise ends. I’ll just go in order, so Persephone is next. Persephone is, perhaps, the biggest victim in this mess Ubisoft created. I would like to first clarify a few things regarding Persephone as a Goddess. How you choose to view her relationship with Hades doesn’t really matter to me—that’s something only you can decide, but there are a few aspects that are important to consider. First of all, beyond the initial kidnapping and drama with that, there’s not too much suggesting they had a rocky relationship. There were a few minor hiccups, but nothing major. And two, going on Ancient Greek standards, Hades did nothing wrong. Now, kidnapping is bad, we know this. Except, Hades didn’t really kidnap her, per se. He asked Zeus for her hand in marriage and Zeus agreed. Hades actually did the “right” thing, though in a twisted way that really isn’t acceptable in today’s standards. All that said and done...all I can say is what was Ubisoft thinking? I mean, Persephone is routinely a benefactor for heroes *who come to her* and she is mostly portrayed as incredibly benevolent. The fact that Ubisoft made her a borderline tyrant with a unreasonable desire for total order and control and made her relationship with Hades one of the worst depictions I’ve ever seen is upsetting. It’s tragic, really. I almost feel like I have to personally apologize to Her whenever I think about what they did to her.

I’ll keep Hermes and Hekate short and sweet because they got off a bit easier than Persephone did. All I have to say is both Gods are insultingly shallow in the dlc. Hermes is blinded by his love for Persephone, and while he definitely did pursue her in the myths, he didn’t dwell on the unrequited feelings—he is a powerful God of many things, he doesn’t need to dwell on it. And Hekate was given the short end of the stick between the two and she became the backstabbing friend. We honestly don’t learn much about her at all and she’s made to be extremely unlikable, which is not the aura given from the Goddes Herself. It’s a shame what happened to these two.

Now we will move to Hades. My biggest issue with Hades is actually the whole issue with continuity between Jupiter/Zeus/Tinia being the same but Pluto/Hades/Aita not being the same, but alas, Ubisoft totally butchered his character as well, so I can put aside my grievances about the continuity. Hades is portrayed as this chaotic antagonist who really only has his own benefit in mind which is...an extremely confusing interpretation. I mean, Hades is, IMO, the least chaotic God out there. And even more so, he isn’t a vicious leader like they make him out to be. Sure, he maintains order in the Underworld with an iron fist, but that’s just the issue. The Hades seen in Odyssey is...not that. He doesn’t maintain order at all, and yet he’s doing something with a very aggressive iron fist. He’s power hungry, angry, and violent, and all of that goes unchecked until Kassandra/Alexios rolls around to stop it for the time being. The Hades I worship isn’t like that at all, and I don’t think the Ancient Greeks viewed him that way either, though I can’t say for certain.

Charon is next and I don’t have too much to say about him. He’s just so forgettable in my opinion. Charon is the ferryman of the dead, so I suppose he’s not supposed to leave a lasting impression, but he takes on the role of maneuvering you through the Underworld—a job he, historically, doesn’t have. His job is to take you across the River Styx and then be done with you. It’s a relatively minor complaint really, but I would’ve liked to see his character fleshed out a bit more.

Down to the last three, and Poseidon is up. The issue I have with Poseidon is kind of a personal one. Poseidon, while not one of my primary deities, is one of those that I frequently turn to and worship more frequently, so naturally his rather bland portrayal was disappointing at best and insulting at worst. I personally don’t think he gets much character development at all, which is unfortunate because Poseidon, as a God and in the myths, is incredibly complex. He’s a great asset if he’s on your side, but he can also be a very formidable foe, and they seem to want to show those two sides but they really fall short on both. Now, this could be related to the fact that of the three dlcs, Atlantis truly felt the most rushed. You have hardly any time to really take in the story and the whole thing just seems like one big after thought, and Poseidon, unfortunately, took the hit with that. Also, he just passes judgement and in a way rule over Atlantis over to a mortal, which I get is important to the story, but why? That’s so not how things are done.

Now we have Aita. So for those of you who don’t know or haven’t figured it out by now, Aita is the Etruscan God of the Underworld. I’ve already explained my main issue with him, and how he and Hades should be the same, but honestly, that’s the least of the crimes committed against him. In my opinion, Ubisoft has completely striped Aita of his Godhood. All of the other shown deities have this natural feeling to them that Aita lacks. He seems so lackluster standing next to Juno and he’s reduced to this scientist role, which—don’t get me wrong—is neat and powerful and all, but this is the Etruscan god of the underworld! Why should he linger in the shadows of Juno when he could be an equal to her, all things considered! I know the Etruscan gods/pantheon are not as widely known, but that doesn’t make them less godly, and what they’ve done to him is upsetting to say the least. I would love to see some other Etruscan gods, like Tinia and Uni, and I would like for them to be treated with the respect they deserve. More people could know about this fascinating culture and religion! Is that too much to ask?

Finally, we get to Aletheia. Now, she is a bit different in that I don’t know of many myths surrounding the goddes of truth, and it’s totally possible that she may solely be a representation of truth more so than a character in the myths. Aletheia’s story was...anticlimactic. I honestly don’t think her story got resolved at all. Ubisoft left me feeling like there was more we needed to know about her, and they also implied that she isn’t exactly a good guy. I mostly just want more from her. I think if they play on Juno being related to her, they could really make a very good story, but as it is, Aletheia got put on the back burner, and that? That is unfortunate.

This is already a very long post, so I won’t continue, but I would like to mention that characters like Adonis, the Greek heroes, Elpis, and Atlas received similarly disappointing treatment from Ubisoft. Let me know if you want me to make a post about them! I encourage you guys to share your own thoughts on this! Different perspectives yield different reactions and I’d love to see y’alls, so feel free to share! I will remind you that these are living Gods. Part of why this was so upsetting is because I research these gods as part of my studies and because I actively worship many of Them. Seeing Them reduces to these characters was...not the greatest feeling in the world. It’s important to separate the characters from the myths and even the myths from the Gods themselves, but what Ubisoft did was make a character that loosely relates to the myths—not the Gods Themselves as well. Just as Zeus is so much more than his myths, Persephone is more than the character Ubisoft gave us, so think critically when absorbing content about religious figures. All Gods of all religions are deserving of respect, and Ubisoft did not do a great job with that. I can only hope they will do better for the Viking Gods.

[twistedintern]

Kyuu’s Chronicle - Entries #1-6

Entry One

“Everything happens for a reason.”

...That was, up until recently, a favorite adage of mine. Through good times and bad, I would think back to those five little words.

Everything happens for a reason.

Struggle.

Success.

Waking up inside a sealed coffin after an unremarkable night’s rest.

...Hello, Lady Fate? Might I be able to file a tiny complaint? WHAT THE FLYING EVER-LOVING F*CK? 

You don’t just up and isekai a normal adult woman into the middle of some Harry Potter-grade magical college without providing her with purpose, know-how, and a means of returning home! I am NOT the token light novel hero with a personality that screams ‘lovable fish-out-of-water,’ alright? SHEESH. I could’ve been injured, kidnapped, or worse....

Fortunately--yes, there’s always a silver lining, Kyuu. Remember that--while I now know I could’ve ended up as mincemeat at the hands of delinquent students, I was first happened upon… by a cat. That cat was accompanied by a pair of men. Well, I knew one of them was a man. I couldn’t make out his features clearly in the dimly-lit chamber before he left, but he sounded and held himself like a middle-aged man would.

His companion, though? Different story entirely. When he lifted his lamp to get a better look at me, providing me with some much-needed light with which to take in my surroundings…

Feathers. Gaudy shiny things. A suit, tie, cloak, a grand hat.

Two piercing yellow lights shining from a beaked half-mask.

...Mere inches from my face.

I had never fought so hard to suppress a scream in my life.

Entry Two

A bit of time has passed since that, um, eventful night. Because I’m really bad at keeping diaries, I’ll just give a recap:

I have never wanted to go home so badly in all my life.

The individual I met back then--he introduced himself as Dire Crowley, by the way; a fitting name if I do say so myself (I still flinch whenever I see him or hear him call my name. God, he’s so weird)--turned out to be the headmaster of this place. ...Um, what was it called again?

...Right! Night Raven College. He tells me nonstop how prestigious this place is. He’d better not be exaggerating, though that seems to be his general way of talking about things that matter to him.

(I hope he’s telling the truth: if so, it’s only a matter of time before word gets out that I don’t belong here. He won’t believe me whenever I tell him I’m from another, altogether separate world.)

In the meantime, Crow Man has me holed up in a rather spacious (and quite homey) tool shed a short hike away from the central plaza of the school.

I wish I knew why he’s always so hellbent on emphasizing how terribly kind he is when it comes to doing things for others. Normally, I’d consider that sort of behavior to be incredibly suspicious. I mean, I know administrative heads of these kinds of institutes have it tough and are largely underappreciated, but it really feels like he’s hiding something...

Entry Three

Crowley invited me to his office today, and for once, he was the least remarkable thing in the room.

I have never been so shocked in all my years. So much so that I fainted as soon as I processed what I was seeing. (I don’t faint.)

Portraits flanking his seat, seven in total, suspended midair by magic forces beyond my understanding.

The no-nonsense Queen of Hearts

Scar, the usurper lion king

Ursula, the sea witch

Jafar, the sultan’s scheming right-hand

The beautiful and vain Evil Queen

Hades, lord of the dead

Maleficent, the preeminent sorceress of all that is wicked

When I recovered consciousness, I nearly shrieked. 

“THEY’RE YOUR ‘MAGNIFICENT SEVEN’?”

Crowley responded with a simple nod of the head. Hadn’t I seen their statues on the main street? He wished to know why I was surprised.

“I… KNOW THEM.”

Crowley blinked before affirming that yes, I ought to. Very few people in the world don’t. Then I reminded him I wasn’t from this world.

Fast-forward, crow man drags me to some grandiose “Hall of Mirrors” and asks the principal spirit what my deal is. (Why didn’t he do that sooner…?) The spirit (which also looks eerily familiar) validates my entire argument: that I’m a magic-less adult from outside their realm.

And Crowley? Crow Man? He and the mirror spirit might as well have been discussing the weather, because he didn’t seem bothered or troubled by the revelation in the slightest!

Entry Four

A few days later, Crowley made a formal announcement that I would be joining the staff of the college. …As an intern of sorts.

Huh? Excuse me? Did a bird man really just make an executive decision to take me on as his servant?!

For some reason… I’m not as pissed about this as I feel I could be. After all, I’m painfully aware of how I have zero business at Night Raven; it was well within his rights to kick me out. The least I could do is make myself useful.

Crowley (I never thought I’d be calling a bird my boss, but here I am!) sat me down later over a light lunch to tell me about the men I’d be assisting in the days ahead:

Mozus Trein, Professor of Magical History

Very serious, highly respected. A good judge of character with zero tolerance for poor work ethics (yikes!)

Divus Crewel, Professor of Alchemy and Magical Sciences

Exacting, charismatic. A celebrated fashion designer (???) whose wrath has earned him admirers and foes alike

Ashton Vargas, Professor of Kinesiology (I guess he’s the PE guy)

Passionate, persistent. Is known for his narcissism, but is a dependable team player when it counts

Sam, Proprietor of ���Mr. S’s Mystery Shop”

The go-to man for all your buying needs. Is a bit on the eccentric side, but that’s part of his charm

Maybe this won’t be such a lousy arrangement after all....

Entry Five

Allow me to amend my earlier statement ever so slightly:

THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE WORST ARRANGEMENT IMAGINABLE.

My first day on the job has been nothing but one disaster after another. These men are unreasonable, larger-than-life characters with the most obtuse expectations and tendencies I’ve ever met! Why oh why couldn’t I have been made younger in the process of this whole isekai-ing business? A great many students, as I’ve now come to learn, aren’t half bad. (The remarkable ones among them certainly left a lasting impression…) What’s more, they actually seem terrified of these fellows birdbrain assigned me to aid.

Divus Crewel is not my type of person AT ALL. He’s vain, cold, and completely unforgiving. He tore at me from the get-go, his cold grey eyes boring into me as he informed me how drab my sense of style was. The headmaster spoke so highly of me; he thought it fair to assume that I would be a remarkable presence having come from a world apart. I know well his type: petty and shallow. (Bastard thinks he can wear fur like that in his line of work? Tch.)

Ashton Vargas was, unsurprisingly, the textbook definition of a musclehead. He chewed me out for my poor physical constitution and demanded that I join him for early morning jogs around campus followed by intense cardio. Not for nothing, but exercise is not my thing. Naturally, he’s so into himself that he didn’t bother listening to me when I tried to politely turn down his invitation.

Sam… where do I even begin about that piece of work? ‘A bit eccentric’? Only a little? Way to downplay things, boss bird! The guy is a bonafide freak. He’s all about making sales and nothing else, and he’s as sketchy as rotten fish smells. And get this… his shadow? The thing has a mind of its own, and he does nothing to keep a reign on it. I couldn’t tell if he was joking, but as soon as he started talking about his “friends on the other side” with a snicker and a twinkle in his eye, I hightailed it out of there. I am never going back to his place of business ever again, even if it kills me.

I haven’t even met the last person the Headmaster told me about, but if he’s anything like his colleagues--or worse--Crowley might as well throw me to the sharks and put me out of my misery. Going by the information that… crow so generously shared with me, he doubtless feels like someone who’s going to see right through me and utterly crush what little self-worth I have left.

Please, I just want this nightmare to be over already....

Entry Six

So��� um, hold on. I need to gather my thoughts. Deep breaths, Kyuu. Deep breaths.

Today was… nice. I can’t believe I’m saying any of this but… I’m kind of happy.

Although I had initially considered skipping my appointed first meeting with Professor Trein, I decided to suck it up at the very last minute and take whatever fate had in store for me head-on. I do not regret my decision in the least.

Where do I begin? I was so damn nervous when I knocked on the door to his office. A voice urged me inside, but the first thing that greeted me wasn’t the voice’s owner… but a cat.

This fluffy black and white feline, its expression demure, ran up to me immediately and took to rubbing against my leg. It was the cat from that fateful night I woke up inside a coffin! He held still and stared at me expectantly before issuing a rawl. I looked up to find a stern man, dressed in antiquated robes, regarding me with an unflinching glower. I was paralyzed with fear--I’d screwed up, hadn’t I?

Then he smiled at me. “It has been a while, Kyuu. I was expecting you.” He was the other person from that night! I just nodded my head dumbly and followed him inside. I could see how one could find him intimidating, what with his piercing visage and strict, commanding aura, but for me there was something almost comforting about his olden mannerisms.

We had a delightful talk over freshly-brewed tea. He asked me about myself, and I was stunned to learn that he and I had many things in common! He was positively amazed how quickly his beloved cat (who’s name is Lucius, by the way) warmed up to me. All the while, I was fondly reminded of my university days where I would spend hours on end talking with one of my favorite history professors after class.

I eventually opened up to him about my catastrophic first day with his colleagues. He expressed sympathy, but at the same time he was quick to point out that perhaps I was taking things too personally, and that I had jumped to conclusions without putting things in perspective. Knowing my tendencies, I conceded that he was probably right.

[harlemthefoxgoddess]

I would recommend the show and pilot the Progenies. I hope it continues to flourish because honestly its really the only thing that got me interested into the whole descendant cast of characters. I never read the books and only saw just show but with but that pilot and harriyanna hook discussion truly got me interested into the characters and I can't wait for her to do them justice. Secondly I don't understand how people can be interested in Mal, while I do agree to like what you like and to not harass others ship and such because doesn't do anything other cause more fiction and fights. but as casual as I am with show and characters I don't really get why people are willing to die on hill of character who can be easily taken out of the story and nothing being lost. She just very bland vanilla cake, like it might as well be a sponge for how many mistakes in the attempt. (sorry for my kinda racist pun)

For example I think you already lost the cause when one she isn't very interesting visually or personality wise, plus doesn't help when their fav literally force her love interest (Ben) to become her love interest by magic love potion to get back at someone who mean to her. which in my opinion i don't care if it was a lie and weren't finances or dating the attempt to take someone boyfriend from some else just because don't like them is gross and toxic, if he or she want to break up with them its their right not yours just because jealous or think they deserve better. Another thing is Mal is mean and yeah I get it they live in toxic place with villains as parents but just doesn't even feel like she cares about friends she must rather jump off and ruin their chances of good life and opportunity for others that are still stuck in the lost, and then I'm supposed to see how she is much better comparison to her parents?! and see her as such great friend and leader;

Even when she has the opportunity she hardly spend time with them and when she does push down their wants and need because she believe she "doesn't deserve this nice life" or the more tragic "too bad to deserve second chance". Some would say that its complex and deep and nuance but in reality its just confusing and stupid. like she wants as the others to step out of shadow of villains parents and be notice for themselves without being judge for what parents had done. However, if she so much better and change from her mother than why does she keep doing stuff that put not only herself in jeopardy but people she suppose to care about down with her, I can get her being anxious and worry she hasn't done enough to rectify her mother sins but at no point did she ever think to talk to her friends who's probably going through it as well or to her loving boyfriend who do anything for her. the only choice was to run away back to the isle without telling anyone just because you feel like something wrong and don't fit, and ruin that chance for others like herself at getting redemption or chance for better life.

And big why here why is it okay for her to make mess and never get consequences for her actions; yes she got some with Audrey and her friends but that quickly got over. Its like never cross her mind that yeah after humiliating Audrey and taking her title and her boyfriend that maybe she i don't know take it well, never went check up on her or apologized or even asked maybe Ben to go check up on her or both find her and talk to her and help through break up. Or in Uma case and others there's never a time for her to I don't know even ask her boyfriend the same guy who made the decreed for you and friends to get off isle to help gain others off isle other then just group, or was no time to talk to Uma before leaving and apologize for leaving in bad terms and promise to help get off the isle, no she had to be forgotten and then seen as villain when both Mel and Uma were friends and equally bad.

Its really telling that when her (mel) own boyfriend is the only person who can see she misunderstood while being kidnapped and in danger. Like all the girl wanted was to escape and be given a chance, and who could blame her when someone given the chance left it the moment it matter the most. and with the fight I can't blame Uma for being mad because while yes it was mean to laugh at friend who feel into the water but in defense probably didn't think it that serious because she can literally turn into a dragon and fly up, in that comparison never to apologize for getting shrimp in her hair that she could never get smell out which already traumatizing to then have everyone else call her shrimpy which is worse. I could understand if she told Uma that she had a fear of drowning and water and had her laugh at her, however from I can guess at they only close friends and not besties so she probably never told her if she had that fear, I only say this because if she had I could see Uma going out her way to try help her with her fear maybe even teaching her how to swim.

I get this suggestion from how she acts with her crew like when Harry lost his hook she went out of her way to help him back onto the dock even if she didn't need to help and rather if she so evil it would've beneficial for her to continue her fight with Mal and win. Plus giving Uma personality she would've help Mal out after she laugh because once again probably didn't see it as serious and thought funny to joke about, kinda how your friend would laugh if you fell not out of malice but because that how they react to when they worry. And yet I'm still supposed to see her in the wrong and even if take out the whole race thing it still would look bad but when add it makes it even worst. which doesn't help that Mal is convinced that Uma is evil for kidnapping her boyfriend, which i go back to evidence one where she not better for drugging or attempt to drug Ben.

And this isn't even going into the whole how she treat her supposed loving relationship with Ben, which is just makes her more of hypocrite at least with Uma she treats people she cares about with love but according to Disney wiki im supposed see her as "manipulate" like where?! please tell me this missing piece of Uma ever manipulate someone into doing something they didn't want to do. I can guess maybe this got this from Harry and Ben but in Harry case he wanted to help her in her plan to get revenge and escape the isle and with Ben she never lied to him her opinions and thoughts on why she wanted to leave or why she didn't like Mal so him believe she misunderstood or deserve a chance isn't a lie.

Going back to Mal she never even tried or attempted to not do things without her magic, yeah I can see her point of that being stupid to not being able to use magic because isn't any bad magic only bad magic user who use it wrong. However, the point is Ben and others were trying to make is that using the that already got bad reputation from their parents other citizens aren't already going to give chances because what their parents done ruin their world. Yes defeating Malevolence did help their chances but that only the beginning, to really show that they are serious in changing is to give that bad vices giving upon their parents and apparently magic happens to be one of them. nothing is wrong being independent and without using magic to help them in everyday chores they could've been much easier but does give them chance to learn something new.

Had this been years or months later and people still wasn't give her chance despite her showing them her change and want to be better I could've understood but this wasn't the case. What it did prove is Ben and others being in the right because magic did help ruin someone life and made it worse which is Audrey, given she wasn't in right state of mind and left alone with no help or friends that magic amplify the bad emotions which only got worse the more she push away.

But Mal is still seen as in the right and being main character because of what exactly? is it because of her parents that seem artificial and nothing to do with her or is her powers and abilities to become a dragon? because again she got that from her parents and has nothing to do with her personality and person as person.

And to make the sad point is there is some there underneath all of this blandness a very tiny speck of good character or the very least an interesting one but sadly the author hasn't done her justice. which is depressing because even fixing the character you might as well make a brand new one because their isn't any use for her.

It really tragic when Mal's friends and Uma and her crew are much more interested and intrigued. And to be honest without any biased Uma looks much more intriguing I love her concept with her having pirate look while being a sea witch (having the octopus tentacles). I enjoy her beautiful braids and the colors and her outfit (not the one with the jacket that make look clutter but i guess her captain one) that give her badass pirate queen vibe. In comparison Mal doesn't even have anything that even suggested she daughter of Maleficent or for that matter for some reason Hades. are you going tell me that maleficent let her daughter go out in public dressing like that? where are the dark elegance and polish and dignified of daughter of mistress of hell? she should at least have some medieval European style since that what Disney movie of sleeping beauty is based one. its really sad day in hell when I could see the live action movie based on her name (Maleficent) theme and wardrobe closely resemble to an folklore European look and even that movie had problems.

Even Mal's friend Evie has closer style of looking like daughter of evil queen from snow white and being dignity than her and that is saying alot, even though she should've had more German look but that beside the point. Okay then, what about her father Hades she should at very least has some style of Greek even if something small or maybe she take after his personality of hot-headedness or stubbornness but no. and yes I understand its suppose to take place during modern times but when both Ever After High a show and doll line with similar premise God School, and monster high that had some Greek mythology characters in it both had better modern design and themes.

Speaking of Monster High and Ever After High what did do with the Disney descendant dolls? why do that its okay to just half ass and disrespect the characters like that. Uma doll doesn't even have braids where is the attempt all they need to do is use thin yarn or steam the hair to give that to be able to braid yeah it would take long but literally have robots and employees that could do it if so hard. Secondly Sin is where is even is male dolls, like i see one big pack of Carlos and Jay with girls and a couple pack of Mal and Ben but no Harry or Girl no Chad or Doug.

I can understand no one liking Chad because he annoying and don't know how Cinderella can produce that as her child but no Doug even though in the movie both him and Evie are couple they could've couple pack of them. is it because they not most best looking couple?

To be clear there nothing wrong in being conceited and enjoy some character for artificial reason whether that be clothes, design, skin color, race, gender, face appearance, etc. Or in general enjoy broken or bad characters or enjoying blank characters to put yourself into. But to gate others opinions or say that much more to it when it isn't or fight others just because they enjoy Uma compared to Mal is wrong. And if someone honestly without get mad or upset for having my own opinion and can get into a calm discussion and truly tell me why they enjoy Mal without it being what I just stated and could convince me then good, but until I get good evidence that Mal is good character without needing redo then I'm supposed im stuck with this opinion.

[reignmyworld]

My soul belongs to you Part 4 - Roman Reigns x Reader

Note: Please note that this story takes place in a Greek Mythology respectively Greek Underworld AU, also in modern times (hard to explain, see for yourselves :D). So please bear with me if I mess up with the accuracy somewhere. :-)

Summary: You are a barista at Starbucks, having noticed that there is a customer visiting that coffee shop on a regular basis, but although you have seen him several times already, all you know is his name: Roman. One day your life takes a turn for the worst when you receive a fatal call, telling you that your sister is fighting for her life. You are willing to give your own life in exchange for hers, you are willing to give everything to save her. Little do you know that someone was listening to you, someone was willing to save your sister’s soul and take yours instead. And you soon have to figure out that there is more to this world than you would have ever believed.

Warnings: angst

Pairing: Roman Reigns x Reader

In order to read the other parts, please enter “My soul belongs to you” in the search on my blog. You should find them then without further problems. :-)

Tag List: @queenofthearchitect @trixdeee @calwitch @alexisbagans143 @the-queens-reign @mermaid-at-heart @taryndibiase @kingslayers-reign @scuzmunkie @happelu970 @vebner37 @sausagefest1996 @yndaree @i-prefer-queen @nikora3010 @aria725 @ersotoruiz @ashhdaniellee95 @roman-hetfield @lustyromantic @i-dont-care-i-ship-it-69

He was nodding his head, a sad smile on his face. You wanted to believe that you were trapped in a bad dream, that it was all just a beautiful nightmare, but you knew that this was indeed real. Actually, you were not one of the faint-hearted but after all that had happened, this was simply too much for you to process. You must have fainted as the next thing you remembered was that you woke up in a comfortable bed in a rather comfy room. You lifted yourself up carefully, looking around, trying to figure out where you were. The room was rather big, its interior primarily of black, violet and golden colors. You were lying on a huge king size bed, a beautiful bed canopy surrounding you. There were huge windows letting in some light while beautiful violet curtains surrounded them. 

You had no idea where you were and it took you a few moments until you remembered everything. Your shift at the coffee shop, Roman’s strange behavior, him telling you that it was time for you to go, that strange cave, that three headed dog, the realization, that hit you when you figured out who he actually was. If you would have been in your own bed now, you would have said that it was just a weird dream, but the reality hit you hard. All of that really happened, your sister indeed magically survived, you sold your soul without knowing it and no matter how often you wanted to file it under rubbish, you had to accept that you apparently were in the underworld now, a place that you loved to read about but were rather certain that it didn’t exist. 

Now that you had the time to sort your thoughts and your feelings, now that you had the time to think about it, you wanted to cry as you felt betrayed. You made a deal, that you didn’t even know, that it was on the table at all. Would you change your decision and not give your life for your sister’s? Of course not, but at least you would have expected to be told the truth. You had to laugh although you sounded anything but amused. Yeah, as if you would have believed anything about this in the first place if someone had bothered to tell you about it. The more you thought about the situation you found yourself in, the more realization hit you. You had read enough about Greek mythology to know what the underworld meant; it was forbidden for a mortal to access it just like it was forbidden for someone dead to leave it. That was what Cerberus was there for, making sure that no living being entered the underworld by accident just like no dead soul was supposed to leave. This meant, that you either shouldn’t be here or that you literally traded your life for your sister’s and that you were actually dead. 

As you thought about it, tears were falling on your cheeks as this was way too much for you to handle. It was not primarily the problem of believing any of that, of accepting it. Sure, you had your problems with that, but you had already read a lot about it, having to admit even back then that you could accept the possibility of all of those myths or legends being true to a certain degree. What you could not handle, however, was the fact, that you were at a place, that you apparently weren’t allowed to leave, a place, where you had to stay, a place, you wouldn’t see your sister and your parents ever again. Before you could think twice you were burying your head into the pillow, crying your eyes out. You had no idea how long you let despair wash over you, had no idea how much time had passed, but as soon as you felt that you could trust your composure you left the bed. You wanted answers, you wanted an explanation for all of this and there was only one person, that could give it to you. 

As you were searching for Roman - Hades - however you should call him, anger started to boil in you. You had no idea why but you felt betrayed, felt as if you had been brought to a place against your will, being forced to stay there. “The rape of Persephone”, you mumbled as you remembered one of the myths, you were reading and your anger grew as you couldn’t help but to notice the parallels. You had no idea where you were, had no idea where you were going. There were countless floors, countless doors leading to countless rooms. By the sheer dimension you would have guessed that this must have been a castle or rather a palace. “Sure where else would the ruler of the underworld live?”, you asked yourself sarcastically as you turned around the next corner, hitting hard against an obstacle. 

Before you could stumble backwards you felt a strong grip around your arm, hearing a familiar deep voice shortly after. „Easy there. You should be in your bed resting and not running around here.“ ,Roman said as he made sure that you wouldn’t fall. You stared at him, exclaiming louder than you wanted to: „You... I want some answers and I deserve them now. And don’t even think about telling me to head back to where I came from.“ He was crooking an eyebrow at you before he shortly nodded his head, stating: „You are right and you shall have them. But not here. We‘re not the only people in this building and I’d rather not have other people listening. Just follow me.“ You had been freeing yourself from his grip in the meantime and started walking behind him as he headed for one of the countless doors. 

When he opened it, you found yourself in what looked like a huge living room. The whole furniture and interior was mostly dark again but it nevertheless looked surprisingly comfy in there. Roman gestured to you that you should sit down on the couch with you following his request while he sat down on the opposite of you in a big chair. Before he had the chance to ask what you wanted to know, you already started: “How dare you bring me here, taking me away from my family? If that’s a contract I have unknowingly signed, fine, so be it. But you at least should have given me a damn head’s up with regard to the terms and conditions." 

„Would you have believed me?“ 

„Probably not, but...“ 

„If you knew, would it have changed your opinion? Wouldn’t you still have traded your life for your sister‘s?“ 

„Of course not, I still would have done anything to save her.“ 

„Then I don’t understand your problem now.“, Roman concluded as he studied your face with your anger boiling even more as you hissed: „Are you just playing dumb with me? You don’t understand my problem? You basically took me away from my life, took me away from my family. You didn’t make me aware of it, didn’t give me the chance to adjust to it, didn’t give me the slightest chance to somehow say goodbye to my family. Can you even imagine how they must feel now that I’m suddenly gone as if earth had just sucked me in?! I’m away and they have no clue why. They must be sick of worry just because the god of the underworld decided to be a massive dickhead.“ You talked yourself in fury bit by bit. He crooked an eyebrow at you, wanting to know: „Do you really think that you should talk to me like that? I haven’t made the rules. That’s how it is meant to be. If one soul is supposed to leave, it is my duty to make sure that it arrives here safe and sound. If someone else offers to take that soul’s place, who am I to decline? Besides that, I have asked you whether you really would give your life. You basically had a choice.” 

You shook your head angrily as you snapped: “Yes that’s exactly how I should talk to you. Don’t try to play dumb with me. You run this place here, you make the rules. And how kind of you to ask whether I’m serious. I guess that’s at least one more choice than Persephone had, isn’t it?” You could see how his face darkened as he wanted to know: “What did you just say?” 

“Oh I bet that you understood me pretty clearly. Are you really that desperate that you have to kidnap people instead of giving them a choice?”, you wanted to know enraged with him responding icy: “You shouldn’t talk about things, you have no idea about.” 

“Oh well, I think I know exactly what I am talking about. She may not have traded her soul but you did the same to her like you did to me. You kidnapped her from her mother, brought her to the underworld, where she had to stay for all eternity, just because you had decided that you wanted her. Don’t fucking tell me that this looks like a damn choice. A choice you basically haven’t given me either, even if the circumstances were different. You are a sad example of a god and an even sadder example of a man. I just hope that she had the chance to escape by now.” 

Before you could continue he had jumped out off his chair, having moved over to you, where he was towering you, leaning down, his whole body radiating danger while his face was just inches away from yours as he hissed: “I appreciate that you have studied my story into detail but you shouldn’t believe everything you read. It never happened like that and I sure as hell don’t owe you an explanation. I have saved your sister’s life and you should be forever grateful for that. Life is no fun, decisions, that have to be made, are not always easy. You wanted your sister alive, you have to pay the price for that deal. And now you should shut it before I’m dragging you back to Cerberus, offering you as a little snack for him. You’re a guest in my world, so act like one. And now get up so I can show you everything in your new home.” You locked eyes with him, anger and fear battling for dominance as you got up, pushing him away while doing so. 

As he tried to regain his balance, you snapped: “I don’t give a fuck who you are. I’m not a guest around here, I’m your hostage. This will never be my home. And I want you to know one thing and you better write that down. I’m not Persephone, I won’t kiss your ass in the end, I won’t accept my fate. And if I have to make your every encounter with me miserable, I will gladly do so. You will regret, that you have brought me here without asking for my consent and you will gladly bring me back to my family, because I can assure you that I’m making it hell for you that you have brought me here. You are a lame excuse of a god and it doesn’t surprise me one bit that your family has damned you to rule over the dead because apparently no mortal could deal with your presence.” 

You knew that you were harsh, knew that it wasn’t exactly fair because - apart from taking you to the underworld - he hadn’t been anything but friendly and polite to you, but you couldn’t change it. All of this was way too much. You missed your family, you missed your friends, your job, your life… And being aware of never getting anything of that back, just had the worst of you. 

Before he could say a word, you pushed past him, leaving the room as fast as you could, slamming the door behind you. You rushed back to your room, not giving a single fuck about the beauty of the palace you were staying in nor about what secrets the underworld might have to offer to you. Once you reached your room, you slipped in, locking the door behind you, before you threw yourself on the bed, burying your head into the pillow and crying your eyes out once again. It didn’t take long until you heard a severe knocking at your door, followed by Roman’s deep voice: “Y/N, I can understand that all of this overwhelms you, but locking yourself up in that room, doesn’t help one bit. Just get out of there.” 

“Just fuck off.”, you yelled with him answering annoyed: “Wow pretty mature. I said it before and I say it again. You are a guest here, start acting like one.” You couldn’t help yourself as you shouted back: “I’m your fucking hostage. Stop twisting the reality. And now leave me the fuck alone and let me somehow get used to the fact, that I have to see your sorry ass for the rest of my miserable life down here.” You were sure that he was standing on the other side of the door, probably thinking what he could say next, but whatever it was, he decided against it, as you heard him stomping away. You tried to take a few deep breaths, tried to somehow regain your composure and most of all, you tried to work on a plan how you could leave, how you could be reunited with your family. 

The next days you stuck to your word as you weren’t leaving your room. You were extremely relieved that it had its own bathroom and much to your surprise there was a plate with food in front of your door on a regular basis. Roman had tried to talk to you from time to time but since you ignored him all the time, he seemed to have given up, although you were sure that he was the reason behind the food magically appearing in front of your room. 

As days went by you were thinking about your family, missing them terribly but at the same time you noticed how you calmed down, how you were somehow able to accept being where you were for now. You didn’t want to stay and you sure as hell didn’t want to see Roman, but you nevertheless felt how you turned curious, how you wanted to see where you were, wanted to know how the underworld looked like, wanted to see with your own eyes, whether it was indeed the pitch black hell mythology books wanted to make their readers believe. 

[mckennahwrites]

Hades!Harry

“Came to visit you love, been missing ya quite a bit if I’m honest.” He says, smiling down at her. “Look, I made you a crown with all the pretty flowers you picked, hope you don’t mind, just thought you’d look so nice with a crown on that pretty little head.” He motions down to the crown in his hands. It is beautiful, the deep red of the flower she had been drawn to earlier, surrounded by a bed of pinks and purple, her own field of flowers adorned on her head.

“It’s beautiful H, you read minds now? Been wanting to make me one since I picked that pretty red flower earlier. How long have you been waiting for me?” She asks, because the crown is not only beautiful, but intricately made, not something that someone could just whip up in a minute.

“Recon it’s been quite some hours now, walked up just in time to see you disappear into the trees with that Nymph, thought I would leave you be. I knew you would return for your flowers, soft spot for them you have.” He sits up on his knees reaching over to place the crown on Persephone's head. “Perfect fit, proper queen you are now.” Persephone can’t help but beam up at him. Harry has always been quite nice to her.

“Hades, god of the Underworld, fell in love with Persephone and wanted her as his bride. His brother Zeus consented to the marriage—or at least refused to oppose it. Yet he warned Hades that Demeter would never approve this coupling, for she would not want her daughter spirited off to a sunless world. At Zeus's suggestion—or with his tacit understanding—Hades resolved to abduct the maiden.

Persephone was gathering flowers one day on a plain in Sicily. Hades suddenly appeared, thundering across the plain in his four-horse chariot. The god swooped down upon Persephone, scooped her up with one arm, and literally and figuratively deflowered her—leaving the plain scattered with blossoms of every colour.

The appearance, abduction, and disappearance happened so swiftly that none of Persephone's companions witnessed the kidnapping. And though she called out to them—and plaintively called for her mother—no one heard her pleas. The earth opened up before Hades' chariot and the god drove the jet-black horses down into the chasm. As Hades and Persephone disappeared into the depths, the hole closed up behind them.”

What if the myth had it all wrong? Yes Persephone was kidnapped by the god of the underworld. But maybe, he wasn’t the bad guy in their narrative, maybe Hades wasn’t as cold blooded as the myth wants you to believe. Maybe the ground didn’t swallow Persephone up. Maybe she actually loved Hades and maybe when her mother Demeter finally found where Persephone was hidden, and convinced Zeus to allow her back to earth Persephone didn’t want to go and be separated from her love. Perhaps this was just a story of two people who fell in love, (through admittedly questionable circumstances), and who were torn apart by those around them.  

Chapter 1

The day is warm and sunny, the light from the sun warming the back of Persephone’s neck. Her skin glows a light sheen from the heat of the air around her as she bends down to grab a particularly red wild flower, the colour standing out against the other pinks and yellows.

“Persephone, come play with us!” A nymph disrupts her silence and causes Persephone to give a small squeak jumping around to face the girl. She is prancing over towards where Persephone is picking flowers. The white of her dress is falling in waves behind her contrasting the dark of her skin, as she navigates the small incline, until she comes to a harsh halt just in front of Persephone. The fabric billows out around the two of them before resting, moving softly in the wind.  

“Of course love, what are we playing?” Persephone asks bending down to lay the flowers she had picked softly against the ground. She plans to return for them once they were finished playing.

“All of us are playing in the water, it is so nice and cool today, we have been splashing around in it.” The nymph smiled and grabs Persephone’s hand pulling her up, and towards the river where she had come from. Persephone can hear soft laughter and splashing water as she and the nymph grow closer to the river bank.

“You know, you are a saving grace really, been out in the sun all day picking pretty flowers, I reckon I could make myself a pretty crown with all the ones I’ve collected.” Persephone smiles over at the nymph, motioning over her shoulder towards the flowers she has left. “But, I have grown quite warm, and a cool dip in the river sounds like exactly what I need right now.” Persephone continues as they near the sparkling blue water. “Looks proper refreshing I do say.”

“Oh it is, we’re all supposed to be out here picking berries for jam, but we just couldn’t resist, has to be the warmest day of the year, I would think.” The nymph drops the hold she had on Persephone’s hand and wades into the water. The air is so hot that in the time that the nymph had left for persephone and then returned her hair had curled up into a dark messy frizz on the top of her head. The white of her skirt now reflected the pale blue of the water, billowing up around the waist of the nymph. Persephone can’t help but compare her beauty to that of the flowers she had been picking just minutes ago.

“I think I would have to agree with you, don’t think it’s been this hot in years.” Persephone adds, as she kicks her boots off, and picks up her dress enough so that it won’t drag on muddy ground of the bank. She wades into the water and sighs as the coolness envelops her flushed skin. She only now realizes how long she had been in the sun, a nice break was far overdo. The trees surrounding the river cast shadows down hiding them from the suns view cooling the air around them slightly. As she watches the rest of the young Nymphs splash at each other, a small smile makes its way unto her face. She continues on until she is up to her breast in water. Her own dress billows up along side her, casting a green tint up unto her face.

“Persephone!” The other nymphs have now taken notice of her wading towards them, smiling and pushing over each other to reach her. Nymphs always have such high energy to them Persephone thinks to herself.

“Hello, loves I heard you all having fun over here and couldn’t resist, had to come find out what all hustle and bustle was about.” She smiles down at a small nymph reaching out to rustle her hair.

“It’s nice to see you Persephone, been quite a while since you visited us down here.” One of the older nymphs spoke from behind the group. As the young one reaches to fix her hair, frowning, while Persephone beams back at her.

“I know, Poseidon’s been on a bit of a tear lately, been spending my time along with the others cleaning up all the messes he’s been making. Things have only now began to settle down.”

“That mans a grouch isn’t he, always hearing about him causing trouble.” The small nymph says now frowning down at the water.

“He is quite a grouch, think it’s because no one in the sea follows his rule, quite jealous of his brothers I recon. But enough about all that what are we playing?” Just like that the nymphs begin to explain their game, the topic of Poseidon and his quakes forgotten. The game doesn’t make much sense to Persephone, but she plays along the best she can, splashing when the others do, and wading around quietly, following the lead of those around her.

The group of them spend hours splashing around in the cool water, and before Persephone realizes the sun is beginning her descent in the sky, the shadows that the trees cast growing longer. The air had grown cooler but not as much as  it normally does, something that Persephone notices as she emerges from the water after bidding her goodbyes to the nymphs. She welcomes the warmth though, because even though the air did not cool the water did quickly. Wiggling her toes to try to regain some of the warmth lost, she grabs her discarded boots, not bothering to try to slide them on her damp feet. She thinks the worst feeling in the world is putting dry clothing on a still wet body. There’s no point, it’s just uncomfortable and then your clothes get wet, and nobody likes wet clothes, (even though at this very moment her dress is sticking to her quite uncomfortably). But why would she add to that? So the shoes stay off.

She begins her barefoot hike back up to where she had earlier left her flowers, hopes to grab them and then return home to Olympus before the sun completely disappears. When she arrives she is surprised to see another person seated with her flowers. Upon further inspection she recognizes the figure as Hades (though every other time they had meet he had insisted she call him Harry).

“Harry, what a pleasant surprise, don’t think I’ve ever seen you on the solid earth.” She remarks sitting down beside him. “What are you doing here?”

“Came to visit you love, been missing ya quite a bit if I’m honest.” He says, smiling down at her. “Look, I made you a crown with all the pretty flowers you picked, hope you don’t mind, just thought you’d look so nice with a crown on that pretty little head.” He motions down to the crown in his hands. It is beautiful, the deep red of the flower she had been drawn to earlier, surrounded by a bed of pinks and purple, her own field of flowers adorned on her head.

“It’s beautiful H, you read minds now? Been wanting to make me one since I picked that pretty red flower earlier. How long have you been waiting for me?” She asks, because the crown is not only beautiful, but intricately made, not something that someone could just whip up in a minute.

“Recon it’s been quite some hours now, walked up just in time to see you disappear into the trees with that Nymph, thought I would leave you be. I knew you would return for your flowers, soft spot for them you have.” He sits up on his knees reaching over to place the crown on Persephone's head. “Perfect fit, proper queen you are now.” Persephone can’t help but beam up at him. Harry has always been quite nice to her.

Persephone doesn’t know Harry well, they have met a couple times on Olympus, but from their meetings he has been a proper gentleman, quite pretty too if she does say so herself.

“I think you need yourself a crown now, though, makes me feel quite lonely being the only one wearing one.” She says, reaching up to straighten the crown on her head.

“Already got mine lovie,” He motions to the crown of gold on his head, (if you could even call it that, it is more like a headband. One that got lost behind the curls in his hair). It is beautiful none the less. “Don’t forget I’m something of a king where I come from.”

“How could I ever? But, that reminds me, why are you here? Hades is hardly seen outside of the underworld and never seen on Earth, just under it, if I do recall correctly.” She knows she’s right, he’s notorious for scaring the mortals off as some evil being, but she thinks he’s quite the opposite. “Are you the reason its been so darn hot today? Got me sweating out of my knackers if so.”

This causes him to laugh, leaning back on his arms and crossing his feet out in front of him. “That is my fault unfortunately, always running a little warm I am.” He pauses cheeks growing pink. The sun is in full set now, casting a warm orange glow onto his face. He is making Persephone feel very soft and gooey inside, turning and smiling at her again, big enough that his cheeks dimple, and she decides that she could watch him smile forever.

“To answer your other question,” his voice drags her out of the trace she was in. “Like I said I’m here for you, visited with Zeus today, said I would probably find you here.” This strikes Persephone as peculiar, while they know each other, they have never sought the other out, and suddenly she is filled with nerves, something bad must have happened, that can be the only explanation.

“Don’t look so distressed love, everything is fine, told him all about how I’m smitten with you, want to proper wed ya I recon. Asked him advice for how I could get ya all smitten with me.” He is looking at the sunset now too, staring off. He has a lot on his mind, always has, but especially in this moment.

“H, I’m flattered, but we hardly know each other..” She trails off not sure what else to say in this moment. Hades, against his reputation is the nicest of the brothers and while the stories floating around about him make his out to be all mean she knows he’s the nicest, and a romantic too, unlike all his brothers. She knows because she heard him say once:

“Wanna marry for love, I think, don’t like how my brothers do it, conquering a lady and then sleeping with ten more, gross if you ask me.” They had been at a party and he was as drunk as she had ever seen anybody, leaning up against a tree, talking to one of the olive branches. So his words now have her confused, just out of the blue wanting to marry her, he doesn’t love her, she knows that for sure.

“I know, I know, you’re just the prettiest I’ve ever seen, nice too, good company. The underworld can be quite lonely, always feel like everyones got someone ‘cept for me, ya know?” And she does know what he means, always feels quite lonely herself, Olympus can be quite cold up in the clouds and she often finds herself yearning for someone to snuggle up with.

“Well what did Zeus suggest for you to do?” She asks curious for the answer, Zeus has always been in the nature of taking what he wanted, no matter the cost, and that worried her.

“He suggested I kidnap you, take you down with me to the underworld, and hide you out there. He said your mother would never approve of the two of us courting, best to make you mine as quick as possible, with no one knowing.” He looks almost sad as he says this, as if he actually believes that is his only option, and he does. He’s conflicted between allowing Persephone to slip from his grip, and actually taking his brothers obscure advice. If he kidnaps her and hides her away in the underworld, there is no way she will ever learn to love him, that he knows.

“Well, are you going to do it?” Persephone asks, her heart is pounding in her chest as she says this, suddenly unsure of the man sitting beside her. Perhaps he is not the man she believed he was, he certainly wasn’t talking or acting like it.

“Are you going to make me?” This questions puzzles Persephone, what an odd question for someone to ask, she thinks. Will she force him into kidnapping her? She wonders if he will actually do it, he has been so nice to her, nicer than either of his other brothers, but he was god of the underworld, and perhaps she should be weary of that.

“Yes.”

“I was really hoping you wouldn’t say that, put me in a position where I gotta do it now, can’t have you calling my bluff, I would lose respect from all the others.” He is looking at his hands, rolling them over each other in anxiety. “I think you would rather like it in the underworld, always quite cool, except for me of course, got loads of good food too.”

“If I really don’t agree to come by my own free will, you’re gunna take me then? Just to make sure I got this all straight.”

“I’m gunna have to yes, can’t go looking any weaker to Zeus, already thinks he’s all high and mighty, better than Poseidon and me.” He looks up at her, she notices now that his eyes match the colour of her dress perfectly, forest green, and reflecting brightly in what is left of the sun.

“I don’t think you’ll do it, I’d hate you, so ya know, would never forgive you.”

“I know, but I think I could live with you hating me, so long as I would make sure you’re okay. Never seeing ya again if I let you go, know that for sure.” He is right, if Persephone is allowed to walk away from this, she doesn’t ever want to see him again. If he isn’t successful this time, he definitely will be the next. He is starring at her so intensely now, like he can read her mind. His eyes so serious she has to break the contact they were holding, instead looking down at the grass she has taken to pulling out at the roots. He does know what she’s thinking, though she couldn’t be more wrong.

“I’ll hate you.” She murmurs, she knows she has lost this fight, she won’t be heading home to Olympus tonight. Whether it by force or free will, she’s going to the underworld.

“I’m sorry, but like I said,” he pauses sucking in a deep breath, “I can live with that.”

[translationandbetrayals]

Why kamigami no asobi is a waste

  (disclaimer this a critic made for the 1-3 chapters of the anime series, also I don’t know all mythologies so I can get something wrong)

Kamigami no asobi is a franchise of otome games made in japan who also launched an anime in 2013It features multiple culture gods (Greek Egypt Nordic Japanese) because they cause bad karma and that affects human for that Zeus make an academy for these young-looking gods learn about love and humanity. The history is about a single Japanese student who has to take care of them.

The first problem I get is character and accuracy to chosen them. Zeus is by far the weakest of any of leaders of any of the mythologies and being the one of order kill all a generation of humans + give permission to give pandora the box because he wants to make her marry Prometheus and make him miserable. And he is charge in run a place to show love for humans, is messed up. Second “hades and Apollo problem” 1 Hades is happily married, with Persephone. He is very loyal to her even taking harsh punishment’s when she was kidnap by  Pirítoo ft. Teseo. So, love isn’t a thing they can teach him so. Also, Hades is brother of Zeus, he is the same as him so Zeus hasn’t a right for him. Also what all this stuff of “he bring the bad luck with him” come on is the king of all riches down in earth, death and invisible things he can’t be “that unlucky” like Friday 13 unlucky, I kind of get It for the Heracles myth(the guy get down to get Cerberus, Hades say no but Heracles threatens him with arrows whit the venomous blood of hydra) but if it was a hydra arrow  it would be venomous  not a curse.And about Apollo the myth about the laurel is all about “you can’t force love “so neither. Also, they made him so kind and dandy, but him is a brat sadist. When someone threats him with a “I sing or do stuff better” he asks the thunder out of Zeus and only ashes remain. Maybe he really has a reason to be there but they will never show that things.  I can’t very do this analysis in the other mythologies for short Loki and Thor. All I know Thor is the protector of humanity so discarded and both know about romantic love at least. Then are the Japanese gods I think are ok like basically. Then the Egyptians god Thoth and Anubis Thoth are fine but I really want to see this two with the animal heads it could be funny, Anubis is depicted as a light hearted thing he don’t have any depth .at all. And because he isn’t the only Egyptian god of death, I don’t get why only him. And death is kind of a big stuff in the ancient Egypt is all about the pyramids and mommies are about, they prepare for that and like it. I can continue but is exhausting.

Figure 2 Anubis i will revenge your head

 Is a waste and a big mess, join all this forces together to make a better world, it doesn’t has to feel that bland, because all 4 of this mythologies has styles of lives different so 4 ways to think, is sad that all has to dress the same uniform the most of time, is sad they have to ate the same and don’t have time to talk about different food, because Nordics eats more meats and fish and dairies and Greeks has fruits cheese, olives based diet and black soup Japanese is has a diet similar to Nordics and could make something great about sharing experiences and information and it doesn’t. The boys don’t interact a lot between, and could be more chaotic specially for being the beginning days, it seems nobody is there because they want, maybe they don’t have magic but still they can make a riot specially in part of Thor and the Japanese gods.

Also the last thing is the protagonist center history, all by the stupid mind of a 16 year old girl that have to look at least 6 gods who are way older than she,  that’s the worst part because we don’t know what is happening if we don’t see it, also is the only one and the rest of people who fill the school are soulless clones of people, that’s bad specially is you want to do something fast to fix the karma. The gods go to the only person that care because there’s no more. Maybe Thot being a counselor but it isn’t the fittest to the job. If were more people who want to connect to the past it could be better boys and girls trying to understand what happened and how to help, is significantly

more interesting that only see a girl who don’t know better.

The idea of mythology mixing is a very interesting one but see it getting used is very rare, it could be a heart breaking story, about strangers that became friend to get a common goal save the world because is worth protecting it, if you chose good the characters and make a good quantity of research, is possible do a good story of connection of cultures that’s is something is happening right now with the globalization phenomena. We need history’s that show us that we can convive together, and that’s is why Kamigami no Asobi is a waste.

by Francisca Valenzuela

[happycakestories]

old mx fic - some last real big projects

here are all the various messy ideas i’ve had from the beginning to the most recent times, a real good way to trace the development of my interests- from a catch-all doc

“Just the two of us” AOA → Lostboycrow - Love Won't Sleep (Kill Them With Colour Remix), wizard - forgive, opia-falling (wheathin remix), iu’s jam jam, ozzie see me, Zayn - Pillowtalk (No Sleep Remix), Justin Abisror - i’m gonna go (instrumental), AOA “Under the street lamps”  ---> sex song

Shiny eyes and pouting lips

it actually talks about a boy going with a french prostitute for the first time in his life and discovering that he loves her despite her being a prostitute and not understanding a word she says

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acCzIUE8qwc

https://affenknecht.com/lyrics/rammstein-fruhling-in-paris/

Fashion prompt au:

Soft browns, long coats, and big sweaters! Jooheon and pink pastels and aesthetic color clashing! Changkyun.

Big sweatshirts and fluffy pastel fashion with rude logos! Changkyun and long, dark, almost witch-like fashion, indie/hipster! Jooheon

Both hella pastel or both super punk rock boyfriends.

Jooheon is the softest punk boyfriend with pastel boyfriend Changkyun who looks like a cinnamon roll but could actually kill you; isn’t afraid to fight.

Soft whites/pink pastels! Jooheon (Soft browns, long coats, and big sweaters! Jooheon)  and muscle shirts/athleisure! Boyfriend Hyunwoo.

5 times hyunwoo coordinated his outfits to match with his boyfriend’s and one time jooheon did the same

Pastel fashion! Jooheon with punk! Wonho. A scene in which Wonho makes jooheon try on his clothing and he looks so good, he’s never allowed outside wearing that kind of fashion ever again.

“I was carving my name into your side and you were calling me soft, calling me gentle. I do not think you were paying attention.”

Trista Mateer, from “For the One Who Loved My Hands More than Anything Else,”

How lovely the silence of growing things

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbC0IOVM09A rapper solo 2016 gda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWRGqx8104w sistar performance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkNkuUmTdOY  kcon vid? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xskGDUAZtq4 kcon vid found

we’re stuck in a log cabin overnight during a snowstorm bc of some stupid school team building exercise and it’s freEzing and I can’t sleep and you can hear me shivering in the next bed so you pick me up and dump in your bed and good grief you are hot in every sense of the word’ au --- definitely showheon

We met briefly on the plane ride over, then again at a bar just off of post, had a one night stand, now it’s first formation and SURPRISE! I’m your new Commanding Officer and you’re my new First Sergeant AU ---- showheon probs

Fantasy military au! Where taekwoon and hakyeon are conflicting military generals vying for the same position and a former love.

However, taekwoon decides to switch sides mid-battle with the intervention of a few heavenly helpers.

Jaehwan power dynamic fic. Top of the military chain, seems so pretty and delicate, but with one word through his generals and commanders they’d be dead. Image of him in chair, with only military longcoat on, bruises on thighs, neck and body, with hongbin and hyuk kneeling at his feet.

http://kin.naver.com/qna/detail.nhn?d1id=3&dirId=302140101&docId=263876142&qb=6rOg65Ox7ZWZ7IOdIOuCqOyelOuNsCDruYXsiqTqsIA=&enc=utf8&section=kin&rank=1&search_sort=0&spq=0

Please power dynamics SO MUCH

Origin fic, how Jaehwan got to power, how he picked up hongbin and hyuk as his second in commands. How hongbin and hyuk separately interact with him and each other.

Also an au where the human world has been incorporated with the world of gods, so much of the military is biased towards the gods as the top commanders, of course not acknowledged out loud, but people usually suspect things.

Military au! Where it seems like taekwoon and hakyeon are rival military generals vying for the same position and a former love.  However taekwoon forms a new strategy mid-battle and instead, it’s one that aims straight for Hakyeon’s heart.

however, taekwoon changes what he’s fighting for mid-battle with the helpful (or unhelpful) intervention of some heavenly beings.

Maybe include a bit of teasing from hyuk, he really does love his hyung but he loves riling him up. Flirts with him a little bit to make taekwoon jealous, obviously hakyeon knows and is a little exasperated, but taekwoon can’t believe this young man who’s someone higher up in position than him is also acting like this to someone older than him.

http://happycakeycake.tumblr.com/post/153833786832/hong-buns-cha-just-came-out-to-have-a-good

http://happycakeycake.tumblr.com/post/153834638942/prince-taekwoon-do-not-edit-romantic-cat

It’s hard to keep a frivolous god under control, but it’s even harder to keep a frivolous lover

how lucky it is that hongbin and sanghyuk have been tasked with both!

i’m looking for you (you’re looking for me)- conflicting military generals

think about love- pet house au

baby (with drowsy eyes), say something- lace pet au

so arrogant (but I like that attitude)-more lace pet au? 1st Chapter name maybe

In a world where pets are extremely expensive and treasured property, military commander taekwoon is encouraged to spend his well earned credit in a pet house. The pleasure slaves there are rumored to be the most expensive things ever, but even one hour with them brings an experience that’s supposedly worth every cent. Taekwoon has no use for his overwhelmingly large paycheck, and besides, what’s the worst that could happen?

Workaholic military general taewoon is dragged out by his friends for a night out to the theatre. There, he makes a connection with the most beautiful dancer he’s ever seen.

Lonely military general taekwoon is gifted (burdened) with a pushy, loud-mouthed pet named hakyeon

Scene where they’re both in leo’s lonely ass woods cabin with rainy day outside and hakyeon reading by the fire/leo working: maybe a fight or changing point

N with lace collar or blindfold OR BOTH???? Hakyeon cuddled up in taekwoon’s large military jacket with a lace collar and black booty shorts by the window.

Where taekwoon gets a personal military outfit tailored for N with lace detailing (lace collar) just because he’s a top ranking general and because he fucking can. Totally showing him off at the office, but get jealous anytime anyone looks at him with anything hinting at lust or attraction.

Hades and persephone au:

Taekwoon hates the coming of spring, the arrival of hakyeon; yet he wants to possess him, he wants that beautiful smile, his tanned skin, and his entire heart and soul, ok but like what if the underworld was super militaristic and everyone had to dress in military uniforms, but above world everyone dresses in loose bright clothing and hakyeon has to wear a specifically tailored military uniform once he goes to the underworld.

“you belong to the underworld now; you body, soul, and your way of dress are to be part of this place”

Hyunwoo hasn’t left the shadows of the Underworld for millenias on end, but today when he looks up toward the Above, something has him interested.

More jookyun hades and persephon

Changkyun knows he’s young and brash, but the evidence of what he’s just done is sitting in front of him and crying into cupped palms, which makes him regret his hot-headed actions even more. As Kihyun would have probably said, “changkyun what makes you think that kidnapping someone is a good way to get them to notice you?” In Changkyun’s defense, it had seemed like a really good idea at the time. WRITE JOOHEON IN THE WHITE SHIRT- also maybe changkyun in black fighter outfit or that plaid jacket w/ hoodie because underworld is definitely rocker chic.

“Awkward hell lord” daniel, hecate! Kihyun,

yes i’m a bad boy (so yes i like you)- CUTE OUTFITS WHERE CHANGKYUN IS DRESSED IN TOUGH CHIC CLOTHING AND JOOHEON IS DRESSED IN THAT LOOSE WHITE T SHIRT/

Where Joohon has a terrible weakness for bad boys and Changkyun thoroughly exploits said weakness (even though he’s actually a lameass nerd). What if he was a waiter/barista and looked so heavenly and cute in that white button up and changkyun comes in threatening at the end of his shift to try and scare people away.

I’m a fighter, fighter (your champion)- WRITE JOOHEON IN THAT ONE OUTFIT WHERE HE’S SITTING WITH SOME BEAR STICK THING IN ALL BLACK CAUSE HIS THIGHS LOOK REALLY GOOD

Everyone here fights for a reason: money, fame, freedom, love, or survival.

but when shownu looks down at his bloodied knuckles, he doesn’t know why he’s here. He doesn’t know why he’s fighting. He continues living: day in and day out, punching and kicking, until he falls or his opponent does. The next morning he’s dragged out to do the exact same thing over and over again. For what reason? He doesn’t know.

This is the first night that Shownu actually feels like he slept well. Today’s fight had been great, at least by his standards. His opponent had been significantly younger than him, and he had huddled in the corner of the ring as Shownu slowly advanced on him. He had screamed and refused to fight before crying and begging to be let go as the bear-headed judges dragged him away. Shownu felt a twinge of pity for the boy, for he somehow knew that where the boy was being taken would be infinitely worse than being bruised and beaten by him.

Maybe this is the why he dreams tonight. He dreams of a young man and with a honey-sweet smile. The whole image is blurry, but he can  

Another fantasy-caged au, merge this one/separate from oracle au????

Mute dreamseer Jooheon, kept up in a beautiful gilded cage for his entire life. Looking for new guards that know nothing of the situation to watch him.

Changkyun is one of the newest, but most eligible fighters. Blessed with the element of fire, trained as a small child to fight.

Kingdom grants him a sum he can’t say no to, but wonders what’s so precious that requires so much protection.

Use that one post of lace and roses: http://t1cc.tumblr.com/post/138081715838/i-dont-do-anything-with-my-life-except: good imagery for a fic, a cage of lace and satin?

Demon/Angel/Human au: WRITE JOOHEON IN THAT ONE OUTFIT WHERE HE HAS HIS HAIR SLICKED BACK IN THE WHITE TSHIRT OR HIS ALL IN OUTFIT WITH THE WEIRD STRAP ACROSS THE CHEST DURING AS

Angel jooheon is friends with demon changkyun, and recently jooheon has been very infatuated with human hyunwoo. Changkyun obviously gets some jealousy issues since he’s been chasing Jooheon’s admirers away for centuries. There’s no way his efforts will be ruined by some simple human.

Angel jooheon meets gentle demon shownu and they both are kinda bad at their jobs

Angel jooheon and demon changkyun meet over a fight about a human’s soul and changkyun accidentally gets hooked on jooheon’s obnoxious personality and dimpled smile.

Demon changkyun is hell bent on bringing Jooheon down. There is no way someone can be so pure and innocent without any darkness in them. Determined to defile him somehow. Or the story of how changkyun tries to be an evil demon, but really he’s just a sucker for Jooheon’s smile. Where Changkyun thinks he wants to see Jooheon cry, but really he’s more of a sucker for his smile.

unfair love

Jooheon towards shownu, accidentally teasing him?

Jooheon being oblivious towards changkyun, “you’re so unfair towards me, why can’t you see me as perfect boyfriend material hyung?”

Serial killer, murderers au, i love you so much (we were made for each other)

Where both shownu and jooheon are psychopaths and they find the purest love in each other. Also accidental murder on both sides?????? yay????

Jooheon’s been betrayed so many times, so there’s no way he’ll let the best thing that’s ever happened to him leave him now.

Hyunwoo has felt nothing his entire life. He’s been detached from his family for years and he’s never been able to connect with his so called friends. He’s been so lonely, but when he’s with Jooheon, he wants to wrap his entire being around him, love him, touch him, and possess him. He’ll use anything and everything he has to keep Jooheon with him forever. Even if the consequences are Jooheon’s tears and hate, there’s no way he’ll let him go.

When Changkyun had said “if i had to die I would like to go via suffocation by your thighs”, Jooheon was not supposed to have said okay and then sat on his face and actually strangle him to death. With his thighs. He regrets everything and nothing at the same time.

Policeman changkyun is faced with the most gruesome series of murders he’s ever witnessed in his career. He’s tired, stressed, and his sweet cheeked boyfriend keeps disappearing during the strange hours of the night. Something’s obviously suspicious here, and there’s no way Jooheon being his lover will prevent Changkyun from properly doing his job.

Maneater au? Not sure if i want this to be literal or not. If literally maybe incubus au (please use those cute demon horn with heart sticker pics) with young stupid demon prince - changkyun who overestimates his own power and jooheon basically knocks him down a few pegs. Or maybe Jooheon and hyunwoo are dating and Jooheon is sincerely in love this time and to him sex doesn’t have to do anything with love since for him it usually just means dinner, and he also doesn’t want to end up accidentally draining hyunwoo dry. Of course hyunwoo has no idea and is dying of blue balls, so he gets to work testing jooheon’s self control. We all know how this ends obviously.

If literally, maybe men around their early to mid 20s have been disappearing and turned up half eaten. Young policeman changkyun investigating these cases and comes upon a young man walking around in a dangerous part of town just as he finishes his rounds and goes up to him to ask him if he can offer him a ride home and maybe a coffee date later. They start dating and suddenly the killings stop. However, once Changkyun tries to investigate into them Jooheon strangely becomes aggressive and tries to convince him to just leave them. Again we all know how this ends

Figuratively, jooheon’s what people would call a vixen, a slut maybe, but he prefers the word maneater. He strings along multiple partners on his pinky fingers for months only offering them small trinkets of affection before tossing them aside. One day when he meets hyunwoo he thinks it’ll just be another easy conquest, but hyunwoo purely falls in love with him and hijinks ensue. Like feelings or smth. Also aggravated best friend changkyun please.

If you write any of these listen to man-eater on 8tracks by chuwenjie.

Rich young master:

Changkyun’s the young spoiled rich son of a CEO and Jooheon’s the newly hired part time worker who knows nothing about the unwritten rules of serving the young master. Of which includes don’t ever talk back or offend him.

Hyunwoo is a lonely heir to an entire company and a rich fortune. For years, all he’s done is shut himself away and worked to better the company. His lifelong friend (and unofficial housekeeper) is tired of Hyunwoo’s shit and puts out an ad for a someone that would be willing to clean Hyunwoo’s old mansion for a few hours everyday. A young rapper named Jooheon picks up the job offer because hey he needs to make a few bucks on the side and cleaning for a few hours every day isn’t that bad. A cheesy romance story where a lonely soul meets a warm one.

Mafia boss/pet au:

Shownu is the kindest person Jooheon has ever met, and he wonders why someone like him would be living in this kind of neighborhood. In which Jooheon and shownu are your typical next door neighbors, but in a neighborhood that is completely owned by the mafia. Little does Jooheon know, Shownu is actually the boss who owns the neighborhood.

Jooheon is a pampered pet of the most powerful mafia boss of the city, hyunwoo. However, the arrival of a new recruit catches his eye. He asks Hyunwoo if he can have him, and of course there’s no way Hyunwoo can say no his precious pet.

Changkyun is part of a group of new recruits who have been integrated into hyunwoo’s mob. Of course, their loyalty must be tested somehow, and Jooheon’s perfectly willing to do whatever his master needs him to. The new recruits only take up more of Hyunwoo’s precious time, and he needs someone to spend time with Jooheon. It just so happens that Jooheon’s taken interest in one of the new recruits, and Hyunwoo needs someone to take care of him while he’s away. Or basically Changkyun is tasked with the babysitting of Hyunwoo’s precious pet, which both tests his patience and sexuality. MAKE JOOHEON WEAR WHAT HE’S WEARING IN SLOW W/ HYOLYN. Power dynamics galore please

As the most powerful mafia boss in the city, Hyunwoo must constantly watch over everything he loves. As it stands, Jooheon has been the most precious thing to him for years. With a new batch of recruits arriving, they all have to be thoroughly tested for their loyalty, and it just so happens that his pet has taken up interest in one of them. Hyunwoo has always believed in the motto of killing two birds with one stone. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with spoiling his pet for a bit.

http://sterekvoid.tumblr.com/post/153757382229/super-sick-and-want-to-die-but-showheon-keeping-me: please this position,

Changkyun is completely sure at this point that he will be Monsta X’s new boss; he’s directly under the chain of power as the group’s current boss, hyunwoo, is ready to retire. He’s done everything over the past 2 years to gain hyunwoo’s approval and he’s so sure that hyunwoo will name him his successor that he’d bet his life on it (not like that’s a valuable form of currency in the world of crime ha). However, hyunwoo’s got one more test for him before the exchange of power happens, and it could be the one that makes it or breaks it for Changkyun.

   The test? Show his absolute loyalty and devotion to hyunwoo by laying his life out on the line for his beloved cousin Jooheon. Basically Changkyun just got stuck being some glorified babysitter for a sweet-cheeked, baby-faced, college student, who also happens to know nothing about his cousin’s shady business in crime. The catch? Changkyun is allowed to drop out any time, but he’d be forfeiting his claim to the top position forever, and there’s no way, insufferable babysitting or not, he’s giving up on that.   

One scene: Somehow Jooheon gets his feet hurt or something?? Or his leg hurt, and he and changkyun get into a big fight over taking his pants/socks off? Maybe leave them behind so he can clean the wound. Image, Jooheon cuddled by the window in a sweatshirt and boxers in a safehouse somewhere holding a grudge against Changkyun.

Very dark pet au:

Lighter but not (crack) more action and kind of tense/action feel:

Write something with that one picture of Jooheon where he looks like a policeman. Policemen Jooheon and hyunwoo versus mafia boss changkyun???

Gods/virtues au:

Changkyun is Apollo and he falls in love with a simple wood nymph named Jooheon. They make some sick beats with each other and fall in love along the way.

Jooheon, the patron saint of victory grants Hyunwoo the everlasting curse of victory and war as he lays on the battlefield pleading with his last breath.

Changkyun is a rising young general and he knows to ensure victory he must make a successful deal with a god. Unfortunately, he makes it with the wrong one entirely.

Young powerful God Jooheon and his warrior boyfriends, inspired by jooheon’s look in slow w/ hyorin. Hyorin could be like his female counterpart?

Plant shop/florist

Changkyun’s found his own personal haven with the new botanical shop that’s just opened down the street.

Forest nymph:

Changkyun gets himself lost in the forest the one day he voluntarily decides to go outside, and he encounters playful woodland nymph Jooheon.

Werebear hyunwoo and forest nymph Jooheon and their lovey dovey, domestic life in the forest.

Cute garden witch Jooheon, maybe this could link to plant shop one??

Mermaid au- cute bunny jooheon in that one white shirt, soaked through? Hair slicked back?

Shownu likes to swim, best mermaid ever. What kind though-gentle whale shark?? Rescues bunny hybrid jooheon when he accidentally falls into the big forest lake? s’cute

Hanahaki Disease

Changkyun coughs up pink/yellow/orange/blue daisies; he’s in love with Jooheon, but Jooheon has always only seen him as a little brother. When he looks at Jooheon, Jooheon is only looking at hyungwoo.----unfair love

http://livingartsoriginals.com/flower-daisy.htm

Jooheon starts to cough up pink tulips, and he knows he can’t avoid either telling shownu or letting himself die. Changkyun crushes his own daisies in his hand and tells Jooheon that there’s no way he’ll let him do this to himself. Even if he has to betray him by telling hyunwoo.------i knew from the beginning (that there is no answer)

http://livingartsoriginals.com/flower-tulip.htm

Shownu coughs up blue daisies. He presses each separate petal into a book and checks himself into the hospital.--------i knew from the beginning (that there is no end)

Ten demon au

Murderer johnny is out for his daily rounds at night when he finds a starving demon and he takes it upon himself to feed it.

Tiny guardian au

Tiny shoulder guardians, angels or devils

Changkyun has jooheon as his shoulder guardian, angel jooheon, don’t know if i can make this one shippy? Maybe Changkyun introduces jooheon to shoulder guardian hyunwoo and they have the purest fluffiest love.

Spy agency au

Literally honey trap au though, jooheon’s known for successes on honey trap mission, nickname honeybee. Given a new mission to seduce the rich heir changkyun to gain some important information about his company to see whether if there could be secret plans from his company to produce nuclear weapons. Of course something goes wrong when changkyun ends up being Jooheon’s teenage love.

Spy partners IM and jooheon, or jooheon and shownu. Or jooheon is a spy and he lives next door to trainer shownu who has some suspicions about his neighbor.

Hybrid au

Puppy changkyun loves his owner Jooheon, he’s been with him his entire life and they’ve basically grown up together. He wishes he were bigger, that he could stand next to Jooheon and grip his hands with fingers and not paws.

Minhyuk decides to break some magical laws and grant his wish.

-     hybrid bunny jooheon and hybrid puppy changkyun

- Jooheon and changkyun met when they were kids and have grown up together, basically friends to lovers, except changkyun becomes a possessive dog hybrid when they’ve grown up.

-      bear shownu and bunny jooheon/bumblebee jooheon???

- hyungwoo decides to get a new hybrid pet to keep changkyun company. Changkyun doesn’t want to share his owner, but the new bunny hybrid is endearingly adorable and he warms up to him. Or kihyun w changkyun meets shownu w jooheon and the two hybrids are forced to spend time together since their owners are dating, and they slowly warm up to each other.

Teacher au

Competing music teachers changkyun and jooheon

Music teacher jooheon making some last minute copies before heading home and he hears a splashing in the pool and freaks out. Basically swim coach shownu loves practicing late at night and scares the fuck out of jooheon

Defiling the innocent

Churchboy jooheon and he somehow gets a less than innocent boyfriend in changkyun

Where hyunwoo and jooheon have been growing up together and one day hyunwoo has some strange thoughts about jooheon and thinks he’s being possessed by the devil.

Innocent church boy jooheon and actually demon changkyun, sexytimes in the church.

Arranged marriage au

Youngest son Changkyun from Kihyun’s family married to youngest son of hyunwoo’s family, jooheon. Either fantasy au or real world au?

Younger man Jooheon married off to silent and scary hyunwoo in the countryside. Slow burn of them falling in love.

Write something where changkyun has his hair up from that one performance of fighter of 161118 fighter/monsta x- fighter @musicbank

Model au

Grace’s prompt: Model shownu is in a rush to finish the day of work so he can head out for the night with wonho. Has had a long time crush on wonho since they both fought long and hard to enter model industry together. Rushes into changing room, hurriedly whipping off clothing and hears a surprised gasp. Sees a young man with full cheeks and slim eyes flushing a pretty pink as he averts his eyes and runs out of the room. Leaves shownu a little shocked and slightly yearning to chase after him. Sees him the next day and he cutely blushes again while looking shyly at hyunwoo.

Please include unknowingly married wonho and kihyun. Cute late night ramen outings with hyunwoo and jooheon/other models. Jooheon being starstruck by all the beautiful models. Jooheon having badass protective rapper friends jackson and changkyun.

Radio dj/singer/asmrtist Jooheon

Jooheon is the cutest idol changkyun’s had to write songs for

New radio dj jooheon joins old veteran shownu and they have some late nights together

Changkyun meets his favorite asmrtist/idol in person and he is absolutely adorable.

Boxer shownu au- shownu in glasses

Shownu does fighting and his cute boyfriend cheers him on at night

Doll/android au-shownu in glasses

Bored twenty year old changkyun is looking to buy one of those new Doll models on the market and he stumbles upon an older model called Jooheon. He is a worker just out of college and this model is much more affordable for him and somehow he feels a connection to it.

Scientist hyunwoo that makes the first successful model of an android, names it I.M. Unfortunately he’s not sure how to develop it emotionally and often leaves it to its own devices. His boyfriend discovers him one day and they form a bond, I.M.quickly develops emotional complexity, unfortunately one of those feelings is jealousy and possession.

Shownu is given one of those new fangled android models from some random selection that he somehow won. The cheery model named Jooheon bursts into his quiet life and changes it irrevocably.

Intimidating boyfriends au

Jooheon thinks he’s super intimidating and takes a lot of pride in that, but really it’s just because of his two boyfriends

SHOWNU IN GLASSES FOR EVERYTHING MAYBE/PUT JOOHEON IN THOSE CUTE SEXY OUTFITS HE WORE.

Please write a fic where jooheon is really thirsty for shownu’s arms/shoulders. His all in back dancing.

Thigh sex/intercrural sex:

Jooheon has thick thighs. That’s all there is to it. Maybe tie that into Changkyun’s obsession with his thighs? In quickies/moments of need jooheon’s thighs are all they need to get the job done. Shownu and jooheon and changkyun polyamorous relationship?

Melancholic/darker pet au!

Fallen in love with friend’s younger sibling au!

Here are Changkyun’s new year resolution’s: Love Jooheon, Cherish Jooheon, and Support Jooheon (heart), Kihyun watches Changkyun smirk to himself and he shakes his head at that idiot.

Midsummer night’s eve-Wedding night with shownu and jooheon but somehow put a twist on it? Maybe do garden nymph jooheon and shownu wedding night with ritualistic sex on midsummer’s eve? Where every midsummer night’s eve, someone in the clan has to host a celebration night for everyone. Unfortunately this year, it’s Jooheon’s turn and he has to tell Hyunwoo just how crazy it gets. Wherein midsummer’s night’s eve is the most active for garden nymphs and other magical creatures and it usually involves clan orgies. Jooheon still has to the duty to his clan and host it, but obviously can’t take part in all clan rituals anymore, jealous hyunwoo, slightly possessive changkyun, instead hyunwoo has the wildest night in his life with Jooheon high on spiritual energy.

Write amazing dancer hyunwoo-inspired by his performances on hit the stage. Jooheon getting so embarrassed watching his body rolls and hip thrusts. Maybe they work in the same company, Jooheon writes lyrics and hyunwoo choreographs. They have an end of the year december show and they’re both thoroughly enamored with each other’s performances. For one of hyunwoo’s later shows, Jooheon writes a rap for him.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Sugar baby au- ken and leo

Kihyun wedding photographer for hyunwoo and jooheon

Jooheon sings inappropriate songs in English (missy elliot) and Changkyun gets really embarrassed.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           She’s dreaming: lyrics of talking about not remembering him next morning, do something with that, something whimsical, magical? Maybe god/night spirit changkyun and Jooheon never remembers him next morning. Or Jooheon has a weird sleep personality (really erotic night sex), but never remembers doing it with changkyun the next morning.

Red lips, curled lashes, flushed cheeks, soft skin, loose hair, gold jewelry. Hmm maybe with reborn oracle jooheon? Or pet jooheon idk

Write something/ integrate into fics based off of this photo: photographer au? Maybe the kihyun wedding one http://garisanee.tumblr.com/post/153703032612

Jooheon with smeared lipstick: mafia or pet au, maybe into gods au, murder au maybe????????

God au w/ heroes of the remixx, but also that other one with the gates and women one

Close: space was just a word made up by someone who’s afraid to get too close

Write something based off playing with fire, or insert into an au- gods au?

Maybe combine with this quote: http://dvoyd.tumblr.com/post/152519735188

Ooh soft fic: changkyun sends jooheon that one selfie in your likes, also the instagram accounts, boyfriend instagrams or they live kinda far away and routinely check each other accounts, hyunwoo gets jealous with all the pictures jooheon posts with other guys.

Cherubic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdyY-x4IX_E: shownu and jooheon taking pics of his abs for twitter pics, but kinda turns into a makeout session with some explicit videos and that’s why he can’t post them.

http://sterekvoid.tumblr.com/post/149778025364/shownu-looking-daddy-af

Daddy hyunwoo???????

http://sterekvoid.tumblr.com/post/153634045339/thankful-for-this-moment

Feeding?

That one picture of jooheon hugging hyunwoo from the side and he’s wearing a brown kind of zip up jacket, adorably pressed up against him.

For intimidating boyfriends au! That one picture of hyunwoo and jooheon in radio station with jooheon making a cute fight me gesture, but behind him hyunwoo looks like he’d actually fucking beat you up.

Stuck lyrics are really good, queen, blind, sir yes sir salute to your lips: all good for oracle au

Jooheon in dark outfit: https://68.media.tumblr.com/ad0dc00f77e935a701a31f6144e413eb/tumblr_ohijrdOo1W1u5ikz6o1_540.jpg, would work for murder au or maybe gods au for dark rituals?

Murder au, suits?????

Oracle au or murder au- girl your face is like a blue moon, smooth radio dj changkyun?

Can’t sleep love-Pentatonix: late night love making fic

When changkyun is actually taller than jooheon

Mafia ideas: suicide squad track in clubs, jooheon’s long dangling cross earring. Hyoyeon's mystery? At one point Changkyun gets properly fitted for a suit and he looks so good

A dimple is the mark left by an angel’s finger when turning up the baby’s face to kiss when they are sleeping. Potential oracle, angel/demon, au?? www.ancientsuperstitions.com/dimples-ears/

“What would you do if you had a free day with a lover?”..... “Uh what could we do?” “Watch movies I guess” ----jackson is totally thinking about something dirty

Mermaid jooheon please: something with changkyun or maybe koi fish/any other kind of fish jooheon meeting with gentle basking shark or whale hyunwoo.

Honey cafe: honey pots, honey rings

Lingerie model: thigh highs, garters

Piglet jooheon, bear hyunwoo, fox changkyun/wolf changkyun idk

But like the growth span of Jooheon in one year picture: au where jooheon and hyunwoo grew up together and hyunwoo always saw the other boy as a sweet little brother, but jooheon’s always been in love with him. He and his family had to move away when they were just kids, but at one point when they’re all grown up, kihyun mentions having a friendly get together with the people at his work and invites hyunwoo along, since they technically work in the same company, just in separate departments. There he meets jooheon again and holy shit wow he’s all grown up and damn did mother nature do well. They separated when they were just kids, but hyunwoo’s always remembered a boy with dimples as deep as the sea and eyes that formed a half crescent when he smiled.

I know what you did last summer: angsty au! Where hyunwoo’s promised betrothed of 5 years falls in love with a castle guard instead. Featuring much angst and crying. Please have a scene where hyunwoo confronts jooheon and grabs him by the shoulders and jooheon’s never seen him this angry. For the first time he’s actually scared of the other man, and hyunwoo watches jooheon’s face crumple and wet spots start to dot his sleeve. “I’m sorry, I never meant for this to happen, but…” he crumples in on himself before quietly admitting “you can’t control the way I feel.” Hyunwoo can’t control the surge of jealousy he feels, at the thought that he, the prince, the next king of this country, was somehow jilted for some common castle guard. He grips jooheon’s chin and forces him up into a bruising kiss. Their kisses before had been speculated by the public from behind judging lashes and hidden smiles, so they had been a short, chaste press of lips. But now in the privacy of their (shared) room, he swallows Jooheon’s surprised gasp and roughly licks his way into the other’s mouth, not caring for how wild he looks right now.

Shades of cool: A world where magical creatures are rare and few between, and the ones that are seen are locked up in various aquariums and zoos. Changkyun is given the chance to work at a local aquarium that is rumored to have caught a mermaid.

Handmaiden inspired visual aesthetic: That one scene where the lady was outside with the gentlemen,laid in the quiet forest and she’s wearing a loose hanbok with her hair down, but he has a casual light suit on. Maybe fantasy wedding/engaged au, where they escape to the forest one day when they’re supposed to be on a royal procession and on official business, but jooheon never looks happy during them so after a meeting with a local earl instead of boarding the train to the next county, he takes his hand and rushes them into a nearby garden that’s been closed to the public. Hyunwoo’s never been this spontaneous in his life, but when he remembers how uncomfortable Jooheon had looked under the hungry stares of the public, it only makes him run faster. “Wait, what are you doing?!” Jooheon shouts after him. “We’ll miss the train!”

Hyunwoo yells back, “I guess we’ll just be taking a bit of a detour then~”

Nose boop kiss

hybrid/woodland creatures au!: adorably nuzzling/writhing around in the snow or leaf pile.

Maybe domestic polyamory au!: christmas where changkyun and hyunwoo just accidentally are too busy and forget to get jooheon a gift. The two panic and somehow end up deciding popping out of a gift box shirtless is a good idea. Of course, that ends up going as smoothly as expected.

Including shirtless hyunwoo, ribboned changkyun, and hysterical jooheon.

Sweet boy: hufflepuff jooheon, slytherin changkyun, gryffindor shownu, kihyun slytherin, ravenclaw hyungwon, minhyuk hufflepuff, wonho gryffindor: hp au where slytherin changkyun is hopelessly sweet on oblivious hufflepuff jooheon.

Hyunwoo, minhyuk, wonho, and changkyun all play quidditch

Jooheon always comes to watch everyone’s practices, and Changkyun always ends up trying to show off. At one point idiotically flies into a pole.

Jooheon’s lips and fingertips stained black. No matter how hard he scrubs or washes it only gets darker and smears everywhere, with no sign of it coming off. He panics, leaving more black trails everywhere. Changkyun finds him huddled in the bathroom, face stained as if he had walked through a mine shaft, and the previously pristine, white walls pressed with black fingerprints.

“What’s wrong with me?” his friend cries. A typical friends to lovers story, except this time with demonic possessions

Prompt idea: he eats sunshine and star powder

“The prettiest smiles hide the deepest secrets. The prettiest eyes have cried the most tears. And the kindest hearts have felt the most pain.”

your cheeks bleed a fiery red (but you cry a soft blue)

Fantasy au! where Changkyun is young, fresh-out-of-training, recruit for the special magical creatures unit of his local area. Not many people are willing to endanger themselves to help cosmic beings beyond their own comprehension, and Changkyun's especially rare, in that he signed up for direct in-field work out of his own volition. It was either that or a boring office job, and he'd much rather get blown to smithereens trying to help an allergic phoenix, than pour over endless forms for the rest of his life.

Of course, when he had said he expected his first day on-site to be filled with excitement, being completely on his own as he heads toward the largest warp portal he's ever seen in his life was definitely not the picture in his head.

Never did he think, as he stands shocked in a ruined church chapel, that on his first day he'd be given the opportunity to save an angel. A fallen one, to be exact.

Flower nymph/Witch au: Resin rings

https://www.buzzfeed.com/maitlandquitmeyer/little-luxuries-you-deserve-right-now?utm_term=.fozYAeWoG0#.aswkNw7oZz

This is so aesthetic a moodboard for something must be made HONEY'S cafe or some shit idfk

happycakeycake sent a photoset a.a.w.s

Special delivery for a favorite customer

happycakeycake sent a photo post

A quiet night in together

I JUST WANT JOOKYUN IN T SHIRTS AND SHITTY PAJAMA BOTTOMS SITTY ON A WOOD PORCH AND DRINKING PINK CHAMPAIN OUT OF CAT MUGS THERE TOO DECADENT

Mångata

n. The road-like reflection of the moon across the water

Night-time reflections on drunken feelings and spare pink champagne

Changkyun’s cheek is almost completely numb against the wood railing when he hears the tell-tale swish of the front door. He raises his head, stretching out the crick in his neck as he looks toward the sky. According to the half-moon, it must be at least ten.

The glare of his phone tells him he’s off just so. 10:47.

The arrival of the apartment’s second tenant is indeed confirmed when their porch door rattles open against the shoddy metal frame. Newly-dyed blonde hair pops out into the moonlight, followed by slim eyes that crinkle fondly when they take in Changkyun’s welted cheek.

“Hey, I’m back. Did you wait long?”

The words puff as into visible clouds, and the younger man shivers as each syllable cuts through the air like a cold wind blowing towards him.

“Mm,” he hums noncommittally, leaning an elbow casually against the railing and keeping his face flat. “What do you think?”

Jooheon pouts, lips curving into an ever-familiar duck bill, and Changkyun resists the urge to snicker loudly. The other man fidgets at the younger’s impassive expression, reluctantly half-in and half-out between the porch and the living room.

“In my defense,” he states (see: whines), “Fridays are always rush nights. Plus,” he sighs dusting at unseen leftovers on tight slacks, “there were at least two days worth of leftovers to clean up.”

Changkyun goes lax against the wooden rails, amusement warming his stomach as he imagines Jooheon making puppy-eyes at untouched pies and cookies. His housemate immediately groans, sensing he’s about to be laughed at and disappears back into the darkness of the apartment. The creak of muffled footsteps recedes towards the bedroom and Changkyun can’t hold back his grin, breathing out noisy snickers and watching them unfurl as hints of mist into the frigid air.

Jooheon comes back in time to catch the last wisps of Changkyun’s laugh, pausing at the open doorway to hum out his own quiet giggle. The younger man is sprawled loosely against the porch, faded purple t-shirt and oversized sweatpants hanging off his frame, face relaxed as he grins openly toward the night sky. A cold draft winds around their building, and Jooheon tugs gingerly at the worn sleeves of what was once a maroon hoodie.

Now, in its washed-out red, the color fades into a pink under the moon’s spotlight and he fingers sulkily at fraying cuffs. A shadow of the tight cinch of the collar of his work uniform still remains under his skin, so he pulls the hoodie up to his mouth, hiding his face in soft cotton.

“Why are you even waiting out here anyway? It’s absolutely freezing...” Jooheon muffles out, shuffling forward to rest beside Changkyun on the railing. The younger turns immediately over onto his elbows, coming to hunch and glance towards the other man. He rolls his eyes, huffing as he rests his chin to a raised fist.

“Well, I thought I’d enjoy the view for a little, because someone said they’d be off-shift early today!” The moon cycle hits this week as a dangling half-sickle, and it had hung so crookedly beautiful in the sky, Changkyun decidedly bore the brunt of the cold for what he had thought would be a five-minute thought session with himself and the winking cosmos.

Unfortunately, deep thought leads to easy loss of consciousness, and he had promptly passed out in the cold.

Now, they’re both awake and shivering, each wondering why the other chose to stay outside. Jooheon shrinks his hands even further into his sleeves, rubbing thin cloth desperately together as his eyes wander up towards the sky.

“It’s because of the moon isn’t it?”

He takes Changkyun’s silence as a yes and snorts his signature croaky laugh into curled sleeves. “You’re such a nerd, why did I even ask?” He reaches over, ruffling a sleeved fist against Changkyun’s scalp. Even softened by worn cotton, the knuckles dig a bit too hard and combined with the late arrival home, Changkyun’s more than a little annoyed.

“Hyung - I swear to god,” he growls ducking away from the affectionate touch and turns to glare jerkily downwards. The intrusive hand pauses mid-air, where it had been buried in the younger’s hair just moments before, and slowly retraces a lingering path back to its owner.

The space between them grows thick with unreadable tension, and Jooheon swallows awkwardly as he tries to breathe through the silent space between them. It’s true, he had promised earlier this week when Changkyun shyly took his hand and asked if he was available Friday night. What he hadn’t expected was just how long cleanup would take today - busy enough for him to get back over an hour late than scheduled.

When he cautions a glance over to the younger man, he’s still adamantly avoiding Jooheon’s eyes. However, he’s also still shivering in his thin shirt, skinny arms wrapping tightly around an equally small chest. The best thing would be for the both of them to go back inside, but Jooheon is probably the last person who could convince Changkyun of that right now.

Well, if they’re both inevitably stuck out here, Jooheon might as well make something of that, right?

He whispers hesitantly, “Wait here-” before cutting away and heading back inside, letting the porch door slide closed with a clack.

Changkyun finally drops his sulk, straightening up to look regretfully back at the door. He had gotten irrationally mad in the moments past. Somehow Jooheon’s friendly teasing had hit an already exposed nerve and he had snapped. For the elder’s tough facade, he’s irrevocably soft inside, prone to crying at the smallest of things. Changkyun wouldn’t be surprised if his small eruption had driven the other man away for the rest of the night.

Just as he’s about to mope to the moon again, a noisy slam announces Jooheon’s (unexpected) return, and Changkyun has to control how quickly he perks up. The other man is back but with a puffy coat wrapped comically around an already oversized hoodie, another winter jacket in hand, along with two familiar mugs and a bottle of...is that champagne?

He bustles over, coat sleeves sliding and rustling loud enough to wake every bird in the neighbourhood, setting down the bottle and mugs in order to drape the jacket gingerly around Changkyun. He pats awkwardly at the younger’s now warm-er shoulders, making sure the jacket stays on before returning to his previous position against the railing.

Indeed, it is champagne upon closer inspection as Changkyun takes a closer look, pulling his goosebumped arms through the jacket at the same time. The fabric settles comfortably around his lanky proportions almost perfectly, and he realizes Jooheon’s somehow managed to dig out his favorite jacket from the mixed cesspool that is his bedroom.

ALSO LESBIAN JOOKYUN WITH SKINNY SHARP CHANGKYUN WITH THE SHARPEST EYELINER AND RIPPED JEANS AND SOFT CURVY JOOHEON wHO RECENTLY DYED HER HAIR BLOND AND CHANGKYUN S HAVING HEART PALPITATIONS

Compendium (n): a collection of concise but detailed information about a particular subject, especially in a book or a form of publication.

A string of loose stories and different universes for one Lee Jooheon

happycakeycake

Changkyun with like a rough spiky bob and messy bangs and the only thing she knows how to do is the fiercest eyeliner but jooheon always coos over her anyway "my favorite dongsaeng looks so adorable today!"

happycakeycake

COLLEGE LESBIANS JOOKYUN IS ALL I WANT IN LIFE

Jooheon with longer curly hair and soft curves and snapbacks that she thinks makes her look cool but it's just precious

Imagery practice:

Like a pastel painting but with the colors melting as if in molten lava, raspberry pink blending into a bright orange,  grey fading into a baby blue.

Rolling flames across the sky, pierced by shadows of telephone wires and tall trees

Fat lumps of grey sit still in the sky, looming and unchanging overhead. Yet, somehow it fades into a complete shade of open blue, barely dotted with white fluff. When the bus shifts, all he can see is the darkness of rain clouds again. It’s like watching foaming waves push out to the sea, going so far until everything melts into plain blue.

The vibrant green of the grass and the trees stands out cartoonishly in the shaded light and he blinks owlishly, wondering if he’s somehow living in a child’s drawing. White dots flutter across the open windows and they melt into the ground. It can’t be snowing in April, can it?

He squints harder, pressing his cheek to the lukewarm glass. The white pieces are actually minuscule petals, revolving through the spring wind as every tree shakes their flowers loose, shedding them for summer leaves instead. There’s so many of them flying around though that if he looks far away enough, it could be an early March blizzard.

The weather is strange today. It had been appropriately wet and freezing in the morning, the world saturated in shades of grey and green. Nothing unexpected after the previous night, where the heavens had poured out their sorrows out for hours on end.

However, as he steps out to the bus stop it’s blindingly bright. From inside glass windows, the sunlight seemed mild and subdued by the thick net of grey across the sky. Yet, as he’s almost blinded, it’s obvious the view from inside had been a lie. It’s another strange weather phenomenon  - yesterday the snowing flowers and today the post-rain sunshine.

Where could this expanse of sunlight come from, he wonders, finally relaxing his stare as he enters the shielded cover of the bus. The sky is entirely painted in grey, only occasional patches of watered down blue showing through. Somehow, the sharp light only stands out more, pure white smeared against a muffled backdrop.

Maybe he’s spent too long blankly staring at computer screens or just being inside, but he thinks this must be what heaven on earth looks like.

Dream: 4/24/17

A wide penthouse/apartment room, empty except for two large beds and some tables and cabinets.

It seems dark, but there’s wide rectangular glass window that takes up the entire front wall. It shows through as cloudy and gloomy - the expected night city view is shrouded in gray mist; the room completely dimmed and dark: only off-white light coming from the window - more like a buzzing violet, hazy enough to be a fog.

Kihyun sat on one bed, face placid and unreadable as he stared at Jooheon sleeping under the covers in the other, Changkyun sitting on the edge of the same bed, hovering over him.

His arms are bare, but he’s safely tucked under blankets; sleeping so calmly - completely open and vulnerable.

eyes closed with lashes pressed and fluttering against his cheek, mouth slightly parted as he breathes sleepily, cheeks squished into the pillows; blond hair ruffled and curly.

Curled like a baby with blankets gripped in a loose embrace. There’s some kind of light - purple/violet pink neon light glowing above him from the wall? It’s spilling over his body like stained watercolor paints - especially on bare fingers, neon pink shading across pale wrists, across the back of his hand and stopping just a little over his knuckles.

Also highlighting the back of his head, violet strands standing up, frizzly in the neon light. There’s a cold purple creeping across his bare back, fading against skin in a soft highlight - at least from where Changkyun is sitting.

Changkyun is reaching over, with one arm over Jooheon’s figure as he looks down at his peaceful visage. He’s worried about something - they’re going in for a surgery? “reprogramming” was the word used. He lays down over him, but so carefully he’s barely putting any actual weight down on the sleeping boy.

Kihyun sits straight, with his hands clenched in his lap as he observes the two - eyes completely dark. He says, “You know, he won’t be the same after the reprogramming. Are you still going to go through with it?”

It’s some kind of decision, something Jooheon’s completely entrusted to Changkyun to make. It doesn’t seem to be a literal reprogramming, more of a biological fix that will heal whatever disease Jooheon seems to have, but Changkyun knows something will “snap” and Jooheon could potentially become a new person - forgetting him and who he used to be. He doesn’t know if he can do it, so he clenches his eyes shut and huddles against Jooheon, breath shaking as he feels the solid mass of the other’s body under him.

At this, Jooheon wakes, swollen lids rousing as he turns toward Changkyun with pink cheeks. It’s the overused metaphor of the sun suddenly shining through dark clouds - shining lips immediately pull into a sweet grin when he drowsily sees Changkyun. It’s absolutely beautiful - a ray of light in the darkness of the bedroom, his hair glowing like a halo.

The first thing he says is “I trust you.” before pulling the other boy flush into his embrace, looping bare arms around his neck tightly.

On another note: later dream: college volleyball game? Jooheon whining across a volleyball court about a foul or something? An oversized maroon red volleyball jacket falling over his fingers and those typical tight volleyball shorts - red and white sneakers and socks with a stripe up to the ankle. Later on, he and his teammate argue across the net, both of them pouting, but she’s really fiery and angry - she’s small with the short sleeved t-shirt of their jersey - red and white, something black emblazoned across the front. She has her hair down with a curtain of straight bangs - YooA from Oh my Girl! Maybe?

gumiho/fox spirit Jooheon: http://www.cracked.com/funny-7186-8-scary-japanese-urban-legends/

As an offering to the gods, living beings have been sealed into the pillars supporting temples to ensure stability and longevity in construction - after all human flesh is the best foundation for a building. These structures are still standing and Changkyun happens upon some dusty remains in a small nameless temple village.

Lee Jooheon/Lim Changkyun | I.M

Lee Jooheon

Lim Changkyun | I.M

Monsta X Ensemble

Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements

Horror

Alternate Universe - Merpeople

Any Rating

Any Warning

The dead walk out of the sea, beautiful and alive, and no one suspects anything otherwise. Except for Changkyun, when Jooheon shows up in front of his door, asking him cheerfully if he still has the keys to the lighthouse. The other boy had drowned himself just two months ago.

Lee Jooheon/Lim Changkyun | I.M

Lee Jooheon

Lim Changkyun | I.M

Monsta X Ensemble

Alternate Universe - Circus

Horror

Alternate Universe - Merpeople

Any Rating

Any Warning

every attraction in the circus show is obviously fake, save for the locked, covered tank pushed into the dusty corner of the back of the supply room. changkyun, a new hand hired to help with cleaning, hears a strange gurgling from the supposedly empty tank and goes to investigate.

captured mermaid! jooheon falling in love with changkyun, and along the way changkyun discovering all the terrifying horrors of his workplace and the previous attractions who may or may not have disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

Lee Jooheon/Lim Changkyun | I.M

Lee Jooheon

Lim Changkyun | I.M

Monsta X Ensemble

Horror

Kitsune

Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements

Any Rating

Any Warning

Changkyun hears the capital's temple is famous for offering wandering travelers like him the best of luck. However, he's more than interested in the rumored treasure that's said to be hidden within the midnight depths of the nearby burial ground.

kitsune/gumiho/fox spirit! jooheon who's been sealed deep within the temple for centuries by generations of priests and finally a handsome young man comes and accidentally sets him free...how will he repay him?

Every beauty comes with her horrors.

A vague fantasy au - inspired by Blind MX - something about secrecy, sanctity, and ruining virginal purity - “I wanna rip apart the blinds that cover you - I see it, blind” - absolute sacrilege but neither of them can resist the sin - “Your existence flickers before my eyes, don’t disappear”

Perhaps a temple boy - one of a dozen chosen oracles - life entirely devoted to the gods and nothing else, i.e. vestal virgins. Exist for the sole purpose of tending to the temple, keeping the flames alight for the gods - therefore cannot leave at any moment - especially not in the daytime. “You were not born for the public’s eye - you are a piece of the gods themselves, their flesh and bone, their blood and hair - keep yourself sacred and so too will your god.”

First meeting in the dark - a flash of a wide heated stare and the oil pot clangs hastily against the ground. The flames flicker, sparks alighting in crackling anger, and the male oracle

That + something w forbidden royalty - changkyun a prince and jooheon a simple servant of the gods - and yet when changkyun is with him, he’s never felt more in awe - the holiest image of jooheon nestled between his sheets, a sheer blanket held to his chest, draping down just so around his hips as the morning sun surrounds him in a stream of glowing gold - “my angel, my heaven, stay with me forever,” he murmurs languidly, pressing each word with a dragging kiss over Jooheon’s arched neck. “You are my religion,” he confesses fully, words dry, hushed, and sacred in the dusty air. “Shh-you must not say such things,” jooheon smiles easily, but there’s an uneasy wrinkle in his brow as he smooths a thumb over Changkyun’s parted lips. The prince kisses him fiercely, determined to swallow away the protest with a talented swirl of his tongue as he digs his fingers into the creases of the oracle’s bare hips. A laugh echoes sweetly into his mouth, but he only bears down harder, extricating a shy moan as he sets upon the task of proving his words true. After all, he doesn’t lie about things such as this.

Scene with Jooheon bathing in a pond hidden in the center of a forest clearing - cleansing himself with the essence of the earth - connect and recenter himself again for holy work. Thin white linen shirt, fitted loosely with errant ends of delicately tied straps batting softly against his skin. Hem of pants billow right under his knees, tickling at the crook there and jooheon shivers, rubbing both hands up along his practically bare arms. He hangs up the lantern, stepping fully clothed into the hushed pond and clenching his eyes shut as cold creeps unflinchingly across his every inch of skin. Fire bugs blink curiously from the bushes, their glowing torsos lighting up the glossy ripples with nebulous dots of amber. Pink lotuses sway with the wind, little boats for sleeping buds and jooheon’s stills as much as possible, waiting for the pond to settle into its impenetrable plateau again.

Changkyun: the young brash stubborn hormonal prince → but honest and absolutely knows what he wants - but in the process he mucks up a bit. Play w idea that even w prince and oracle, he absolutely reveres jooheon, treating him like he’s his most sacred idol, his most precious object - a conflict between protecting and desecrating. Wants him in every sense: body, mind, and soul - wants every bit of him, free him from the servitude of the temple, make him his and jooheon will never have to hide his pretty face from the sun’s beaming smile ever again. Free him - and lock him up in his own cage.

Suit porn! Au: rich young heirs or aristocrats, they have nothing better to do with their time nor their money and so they buy suits just to wreck them again with each other.

#otw: 170727 meet and greet  on fymonstax.tumblr.com

Wonheon mafia! Au w/ gang member wonho and stripper jooheon:

Title ideas / inspo: Kiss me like it’s a lie, lie to me, baby don’t say you want no liar, baby don’t say you want a bad guy like me, you’re my favorite kind of lie, put me in my place if you want- (as if it's your last, pride and prejudice - zico, sweet lies, earned it, frzzn by teflon saga, (slick neon nights and the city thrumming through the dirty veins of the underground - a smooth rush, you’ll never feel the same as you do now, splayed on your bruised knees, the lights pressed into your skin, here, even as he’s pinned to the spot ten times over, jooheon feels the danger like a dance beat, pulsing in time beneath his skin. Here, caught in hoseok’s stare, they create the very definition of heat between them. It’s so dangerous, so dangerous, so hot and he teases anyway. - want by taemin, in the night  and false alarm by the weeknd, some exo spicy edits,  then the cruel tenderness of it all sets in, teeth grazing across the back of your neck, the world caught in the odd hours before dawn - wicked game by hula hi-fi)

Jooheon takes the crumpled bill between his teeth, gritting his teeth around the taste of sweat and smoke as he crawls backwards on the stage, throwing his head back against the heated metal of the pole.

“Good work,” Youngjae pouts without taking his eyes off the glossy pucker of his lips in the tilted backstage mirror. Jooheon grunts noncommittally, jaw aching as he spits out the wad of bills onto the makeup table, littered with a bottle here, a half-open compact there - a collection of shared clutter.

“Rest up,” Youngjae hums, snapping the strap of garter belt with a clawed finger, and Jooheon watches half-heartedly out of the corner of his eye as the lace settles into a reddened welt over the other’s curving, round thigh.

“Get a ride, alright?” He grins, hazy, lined eyes blinking smoky pink with hasty eyeshadow as he struts out into the rabid screams, each step clicking perfectly to the beginnings of a pounding bass.

Jooheon checks his phone, pressing his bruised knees over the rapidly cooling line of sweat making its way down his bared chest, pooling at the thin hem of the only flimsy piece of lace offering him any semblance of decency right now. His phone blares bright, reading 11:50 with startling bluntness.

Minhyuk’s shift ends at 1, but there’s no way his discolored knees nor his swollen, aching waist can take any more of this - at least not tonight. He gingerly steps his grime covered feet over the tacky carpet, grimacing when his bare toes stick with every step. There’s a pair of ripped jeans hung over the back of a chair, and jooheon painfully, tenderly slips into them, waiting quietly for his shifting joints to settle into bearable silence as he zips himself into the tight denim.

He can’t find his shirt anywhere in the mess of leather straps and ripped lace, so he folds his arms into a puffy winter jacket, sighing as the fine layers encompass him in a bubble of warmth. The edge of the hood comes to the edge of his cheek, the sleeves dangle over the tip of every finger, but it’s not so bad on a winter’s night. It’ll be easier to wait for hours in the alleyway like this.

“Want a light?” A black car rolls past him before purring to a sleek, silent stop.

“You hate smoking.” Jooheon says by way of greeting, keeping his back pressed to the hard grit of the alleyway. It’s the truth.

“Only on some nights,” Hoseok affirms, taking a long, slow drag before puffing a grey dragon’s breath at his huddled figure. “And tonight, you looked good up there.”

Jooheon says nothing, and Hoseok stares, taking in the smeared edge of black around blood-shot eyes, glancing over the streaks of lipstick still glossed over in shiny pools of pink moonlight. “Come on,” he smiles, teeth showing, “I’ll give you a ride home.”

Jooheon frowns, pressing his mouth into a fine line of wordless disapproval. Hoseok stifles a chuckle at his pout. After a beat or two, the younger man shifts meaninglessly along the wall before muttering, “Minhyuk’s taking me home.”

“At one in the morning?” Hoseok supplies, not missing a beat, eye-catching smile still plastered across his pale face. “Youngjae told me you know, that you needed a ride.”

Damn Youngjae, Jooheon frowns harder, kicking at a pile of dusty pebbles, scuffing the toe of his worn boots even further. There’s an audible click from above his downturned head, and he looks up to see Hoseok still leaned casually on his open window edge, cigarette tilted jauntily out from the corners of his upturned lips. “Get in,” he quips, each word dislodging a flickering ember drop to the ground, short life extinguished into the bite of the cold cement.

“Put it out,” Jooheon bites, demanding even as he pushes away from the wall, knees and ankles creaking as he forces his body to stumble around to the passenger side.

“Sure thing,” Hoseok sing-songs, letting the cigarette tumble to the ground without a moment’s hesitation. He slithers his upper body back into the driver’s side and rolls up the window with an indistinguishable hum.

“The boss is planning a business talk at the club next Saturday,” Hoseok remarks through the dead silence between them, one hand on the wheel, both eyes on the road. “You’re dancing then right?” He turns slightly, catching a flashing glance of Jooheon’s dark head propped against the foggy window before swiveling back to the road.

A business talk, Jooheon considers, a shiver running through him at the unspoken implications behind it, and he’s suddenly reminded of the fact that he’s not wearing anything under his winter coat. He curls up tighter on the seat, the realization of it somehow infinitely worse in Hoseok’s presence. “Yeah,” he murmurs, breath condensing over fine glass.

“It’ll be good money,” Hoseok affirms as he pushes the car into a thrumming stop, unlocking the doors with an echoing click. Jooheon pushes against the handle, almost tripping over the side edge in his hurry to escape the strange atmosphere of marlboro smoke and gun lubricant, of piano music on the radio and the slickness of Hoseok’s smile.

“I’ll see you then,” the older man waves in a short, cheery motion, ducking down slightly so Jooheon can see his slitted eyes, closed in a sly grin, from under the obstruction of the car’s black hood. Jooheon turns on his heel and leaves.

Jooheon distracted by Wonho - letting himself succumb just for a little, until a tussle with drunken members - youngjae’s dead fish-eyed stare is lain across the floor at all the wrong angles and he breaks down, (how could he have let himself go, to let himself be fooled while this was going on - they were never that close, but there’s some sort of unspoken solidarity, a trust you could never form unless you toiled away your body, letting yourself be sold like this everyday - youngjae understood - and now he’s dead).

sleazy gang member leering up at him + wonho seeing jooheon’s discomfort and calling him aside to another room.

“You - you had guns the entire time?” jooheon whispers, throat dry, staring up at hoseok from his dislodged seat against the ground. Youngjae’s cold body remains swollen, clammy, and silent under his touch. The shuffle of metal clicks over holsters and suit jackets, shed easily in the presence of the few eyes left. hoseok grins, the sickly glare of club lights looming in his eyes, above jooheon.

“the deal had to be made one way or another - he was the one who chose the more difficult alternative.” hoseok shrugs, shoulders rippling calm and easy under the leather holster. Jooheon looks away, a hot tightness  rising through his throat as he meets youngjae’s flat grey stare instead. He takes a moment to truly look, to realize the wide emptiness of youngjae’s eyes, the only thing left of him in his final moments, and he finally bottles it up and swallows the feeling down with a silent, pained gasp.

hoseok trails bare knuckles along his cheek, tight and elegant lines shifting in the dark as he kneels to jooheon’s level. “Collateral damage,” he comments. A glance, a half-shrug and youngjae’s dead body is quickly thrown away. Jooheon doesn’t look up, feeling hoseok’s fingers begin to tremble again his skin from his own slow undercurrent of growing shudders.

“But don’t worry.” The grazing of knuckles becomes a smooth palm, cupped around the entirety of his cheek, fitting itself into the empty crook of his jaw and hooking its easy touch behind his ear. Jooheon stills for so long he can’t tell whether it’s because he’s unwilling to move or because he physically can’t. hoseok cradles his face, gentle and soft, and leaves his words in a whisper of a kiss over jooheon’s forehead. “I would have never let anything happen to you.”  unlike him goes unspoken.

The fall is eventual and inevitable. It’s enough that one of these nights, these nights so black so suffocating and another crack of the gun as he stares at another pair of dead fish eyes hidden between shuffling legs. Finally, when hoseok looks at him with such simpering pity, as if he understands - those arms open and he can’t stop himself from falling.

The night passes like an eternal damnation between them. Jooheon can’t take his eyes away, not when Hoseok looks down at him like he’s finally won. It’s a frenzied, maddening thing. Teeth latched onto his neck, hands dragging him down by his writhing hips, he fades with the rest of the night.  

It is only until dawn, that turns to the great Venetian window and hides his stained cheeks in his palms.

At his side, Hoseok lights up a smoke and breathes in and out, a deep and satisfying drag. This is not the first or last time between them. Jooheon should run, he should strip Hoseok’s touch from his skin and leave himself raw against the white, tainted sheets. But danger feels as familiar as the burn of cigarette smoke and the beast’s nadir bathed holy in the morning light is enough to fool him, just for the moment.

The idea that Hoseok drives Jooheon into his arms - so cruelly so casually, until he’s entangled. Only until he’s shot down the ones at the very top, that it even occurs to Jooheon - it’s too late to run. “My love,” Hoseok kisses him, and Jooheon finally tastes it, the spilled blood on his tongue, the cold edge against his throat.

“I admit, I’ve had this in mind for a long time. But then you came along - and well, here we are.”

Modern Noir Songs inspired crime/mafia! Au: My Love by Kovacs

(my love, no more whiskey and cocaine, like a shark I'll be ripping you apart, and celebrate with lots of champagne) (can’t trust a cold-blooded man, he’ll love you and leave you alive) (your eyes are frozen to kill me-gashina) (The tremble of your mouth sets me on fire as night closes in) - kal cahoone, “the movement” (I think I said te amo, before I knew your name) - Tarantella - Esqueletos album

A chapter based on each song in the 15 song noir playlist

The boss, for all his whispered reputations, sits small and contained behind a simple mahogany desk, looking for all the world like he just stepped out from behind the stage of a New York fashion scene, everything about him brushed to what Changkyun would say - a point of spoiled perfection. Delicate pops into mind, and the younger man bows fluidly at the waist, subtly scoffing at the chances of someone like him ending up here with that face still intact.

“Kneel.”

The unwavering command stops him mid-way, half-trapped at ninety degrees and a slow jerky ascent, the word registering like the grate of chalk over sidewalk in his stuttering mind. He glances up, still bent at the waist, only to meet a slitted gaze, flat with the cold grey of tombstones and nimbus clouds and drops to his knees with an unexpected wave of shivers.

Changkyun’s neck is locked into a stiff column of stone as he keeps his head ducked to the lush carpets, breath inextricably caught as every muscle twitches, tensed and yet not daring to move even an inch out of place. His own bug-eyed reflection stares back at him from the glossy tip of pointed leather, warping his quiet terror into something much more palpable as a polished oxford jerks harshly under the tender length of his throat.

His frozen vision is forced upwards, caught in the same stormy pair of nimbus clouds again as they tilt towards him in smooth, slanted consideration. The hard edge of the other’s shoe nudges his neck up even further, strained and bare in a defenseless offering.

It’s the first time the other man smiles, hazy storm clouds dipping beneath silk lashes as creamy welts appear under full cheeks. Dimples, Changkyun acknowledges vaguely, feeling his throat work uncomfortably against unforgiving leather. The rubber rim of the shoe stays still, hooked under his chin as the boss smiles down at him with a sense of unsettling calm, and Changkyun’s frantic mind is already on its way towards shutting down as it repeatedly screams what do you want? into the silent void of the closed room.

But well, the answer is right there, nudging a harsh imprint against his proffered throat. He swallows audibly, breath catching as he looks into those fathomless pools again before clenching his own nervous gaze shut and pressing his dry lips to the arched length of a socked ankle.

He leaves his kiss there, stilling for an unmeasurable moment before retracting his mouth in bated hesitance. The leather digs into the soft skin of his chin for a few seconds more before slipping down across his skin in silent approval. Changkyun closes his eyes and sends a murmured prayer to whatever god is out there because he was sure for a minute or two he was going to be kicked straight across the face.

“You may leave now. Hyunwoo will see you about tomorrow’s matters.” Changkyun doesn’t need anything more to stumble to his heels and basically turn tail and sprint out of there. Out of the corner of his eye, he catches the soft hint of another dimpled grin and resolves to never trust another pretty face again.

Betrayal scene: “i’ve always wanted to see you on your knees,” jia er coos, nudging his boots between jooheon’s open thighs, pressing them into the ripped slashes along the other’s bloodied pants. Changkyun’s never seen such desperation in the older man’s eyes before, never seen him in such a state of vulnerability. (He can’t help the strange thrill that runs up his spine).

“Here-” Changkyun mutters, fumbling for the spare gun in his shoulder holster and pressing it into Jooheon’s stiff hands. He’s re-loading his own with precise, memorized motions, but the other man only holds it like he’s cradling a teacup, as if the handle would shatter if he bore the entire weight of his grip around it. His fingers curl around the barrel like the way a schoolgirl would pick a blossom from a spring tree, careful with the wonder of a lovesick novice.

No- Changkyun doesn’t believe this. “Don’t tell me,” he chances to speak even as Jooheon’s shadowed gaze roves along the gun’s black body with meticulous investigation, “you’ve never used a gun before?”

The older man’s fingers finally curl into a clenched grip around the handle as his ripped lips form an irritated glower. Even now, Changkyun thinks his soft, rounded hands are completely unsuited to the touch of blackened metal - too unwieldy, too delicate for killing. And yet, he knows, he’s seen otherwise.

“Hyunwoo always shot it for me,” Jooheon murmurs after a tense pause, turning the Charter 0.38 around his smooth palms, the barrel’s unforgiving edge presented in stark contrast against the curved porcelain of his fingers, “but well, I suppose what better time to learn than now?” A wet shriek pierces through the wall behind them, and Changkyun grimaces as the sound pounds through his eardrums. Yeah, why not - after all, he’s always wanted to see the boss with blood on his pretty, delicate hands and what better chance than today, with their lives on the very edge of the line. He can’t thank the gods enough.

Bedroom interrogation scene:

Backstory: “He grew up in an orphanage, much like every other boy in that wasted part of the city,” Hyunwoo states, voice vibrating smoothly to the same tandem of the ragged cloth he’s currently polishing over the pistol’s scratched surface. “But well, he saw some things-” he pauses, cocking the gun to the gentle morning light, inspecting its barrel this way and that before he silently deems it acceptable and sets it aside for the next banged up smith and wesson. “And his poor little brother did too.”

Changkyun’s breath catches; it’s cliche as every other sob story he’s heard and yet - he wonders what Jooheon would’ve looked like as a chubby, innocent child, the faceless body of another boy appearing as some vague form by his side. The image glitches, unequivocally fake compared to the sleek-eyed, fine-haired man that Changkyun presents himself before everyday, staring at him over lightly crossed legs with a cocked, unreadable gaze.

“He was only seventeen too - so close to leaving with all his belongings in one hand, his brother safely tucked in the other,” Hyunwoo sighs, age-old fatigue cracking across the tanned face as he loads a new magazine into the now-polished smith and wesson. The distinct click of the fresh bullets punctuates his every word, leaving Changkyun inordinately chilled to his very core. “I’m sure you can guess what happened when the men found them.”

Changkyun’s mind races with a thousand images, dark, blurred and flickering images as he finds himself blurting out hasty questions without a moment’s consideration. “What men? And how did he even survive?”

Hyunwoo only sends him a unspoken glance, before his face shifts into a blank mask as he continues with his methodical task, filling up the dry silence between them with the rhythmical re-loading of bullets. “I’d assume they’re long gone now - low-life thugs that ran wild in the underbelly of the city, so drunk on power that they forget-” he re-sets the grip with a forceful shove of his palms, piecing the gun together with a final echo of cold metal, “a king never lasts.”

“Then what about Jooheon?” Changkyun’s mouth runs wild with unbidden thoughts, words tumbling like a rushing, unbroken waterfall.

“He’s something else,” Hyunwoo hums, a strange light glimmering inside his calm eyes. Fondness? Changkyun wouldn’t dare guess out loud. “When I found him - well, my first thought was that he must’ve been the only survivor of a sudden gunfight, probably just a poor lamb caught in the slaughter.” He chuckles, low and unhindered, the unreadable emotion in his creased gaze pooling with the amber intensity of raw honey. “But I’m sure you of all people know what a farce that is.” He glances lazily at Changkyun, observing the other’s expression of wary agreement with a keen pang of satisfaction in his stomach.

“I can still remember it now, the way he stumbled over dead bodies with an obvious injury - at the very least a dislocated ankle, but most likely a cracked bone.” He grimaces, tapping the pointed leather of his shoe against the tiled floor in phantom pain. “There were marks all over him, bruises blooming across his cheeks, a collar of handprints around his throat, and blood - blood was everywhere.” He sets the gun down with an air of tense finality, the light in his eyes glazing over as he sits back, caught in something only he can see. “It was gruesome.”

Changkyun doesn’t doubt him for a minute; if someone with as many scars like Hyunwoo is admitting this without an ounce of hesitation, then he’s really only proven himself as the novice everyone thinks he is.

“He never held the crown of a king, but when he stepped up to me, bleeding from the mouth, chin held sharp and proud - I thought I saw the fangs of a wolf.”

Hyunwoo’s death? Potential?: (i just want to know you, bury you in black)

Jackson interactions + CK onlooker:

Title ideas: affection is cigarettes after sex (mocha is the glimpse of heaven)

MX monsters au: incubus! Shownu and fire kitsune! Jooheon

https://vixxtastic90.tumblr.com/post/165353681691/xeletteshipsyou-monsta-x-mystical-creatures

http://xeletteshipsyou.tumblr.com/post/164789108510/monsta-x-mystical-creatures-shownu-will-be-an

The stage roars with the crowd’s frenzied screams and as the stalagmites of light fracture past the sweaty film of Changkyun’s blurred vision - Jooheon grows a pair of wings right before their very eyes.

A heavy sleeper - prompt idea? Horror maybe?

You know how to handle guys baby - prompt idea (queen - mx)

Escape is just a nod and a casual wave - tear you apart - she wants revenge

take me (cage me) in your love

“I wonder what an angel tastes like,” Minhyuk sighs, smearing a line of red past his cheek with a long, lazy drawl of a pointed finger. Hoseok runs his tongue along the rounded edge of his teeth, swallowing down the hint of iron, filling his stomach with only a sense of empty dissatisfaction. Life hums sluggishly in his veins, and the heady thrum of blood flows behind his closed lids. It’s not enough.

“Why don’t we find out?” The eternal inferno of his appetite awakens with a roar, and, suddenly, he’s hungry all over again.

In which hungry demons/incubi wonhyuk devote themselves to the desecration of heaven’s holiest child.

http://aminoapps.com/page/monbebe/6017419/monsta-x-as-witches

Kihyun sings for no man, but for Jooheon’s innocent smile he’ll make his first and only exception. The crown treasure is a songbird tucked away into the hushed, twisting hallways of the palace - sworn to never sing for any man as long as he lives. The songbird of the palace is tucked away into the hushed twisting corridors of its expansive body, muffled in rooms of dusty silks and locked behind shining silver bars - sworn to never sing as long he lives.

burn me to ashes with the softness of your kisses (burn me with the softness of your kisses), look at song lyrics rec page, tear you apart lyrics, dark noir songs? I yearn to hold you close (tonight and always) - pillowtalk

Out of my head, of my heart and my mind - siames the wolf - as you get high - i want you to snuff out my flame - you make my blood pound faster (my heart break harder) - “san telmo” tarantella

Ruts are a whirlwind force of nature: irrepressible, uncontrollable, and dangerous above all else. Without a mate or black market suppressants, you might as well sentence yourself to a life of government-imposed isolation - that is, if you aren’t practically charred from the inside out first.

Changkyun knees shake, knocking against the ice-cold porcelain of the toilet bowl as he watches his future swirl down the drain, white bits of crushed suppressants mixing with the acid green-yellow of his body’s plain rejection of his efforts at maintaining control. His degree (a full four year scholarship - his mother had cried tears of pure happiness), his career (an open position at a nearby lab already there for the taking - the sunbaes teasing him mercilessly, asking if he’s submitted his application yet), all of it - gone. A curtain of red falls in blooming blotches across his vision, and Changkyun’s hopes, his dreams (his innocent childhood yearnings, the only thing he had ever, has ever, loved) are destroyed by a simple clot of heat, swelling heavy and hot over engorged flesh as if to remind him this is what you are, this is all you ever will be - a beast forever caught in its own biology.

Dimly, as hard tiles smash into the back of his head with an audible crack, Changkyun can hear a scream fill the sterile space of the room. He struggles to breathe, eyes lolling as he swallows past the raw pain ripping through the tender glands in his throat, and another sound echoes. It’s him - the savage, baying cry is stringing itself out from his mouth, wordless and desperate as he begs for something outlined just so in his mind’s eye, hazy around the edges with the flickering black spots of his vision. Syllables and rational sentences are hacked to pieces by his locked jaw, spat out instead as heaving grunts and sharp whines as he claws at empty air, searching blindly for the very thing he can never have.

An a/b/o au but alphas are a dangerous thing - if one is allowed into a full rut, may very well result in death - for both the alpha and their mate. Treated as an immediate danger by the government if unbonded.

Childhood friends jookyun - grew up together in an orphanage. W changkyun’s skinny frame always expected a beta - but well, fate loves playing cruel tricks.

The moment changkyun’s blood test comes back as alpha (+) he loads himself w suppressants. He’ll never let himself be ruined by something so arcane, so animalistic - he’s not like those criminals on tv, the insane characters locked up in various shows - he’s just a person w his own goals and dreams.

The moment the rut forces itself through - jooheon can’t just stand by and let his friend claw himself open and bleed to death - calling the police isn’t an option either, not if he wants to see changkyun again - and so he does the only thing he can think of.

A haze is all changkyun can see through, but everything else is too vivid - the taste of jooheon bursting so sweet and alive against his tongue, the mixed musk of sweat, semen, and jasmine somehow - embeds itself within his nose, the too easy give of flesh under his digging nails.

The next morning might as well be a horror scene, he’s so shocked and disgusted w himself. Bites, scratches, red welts, bruises, littering all over jooheon’s still body - sleeping though, face calm, breathing peacefully through swollen lips as changkyun shakes, taking in the consequences of what he’s done. He looks down, burgundy crusting w a tang of iron underneath his uneven fingernails, hissing as he runs his fingers down raw scratches over his back - still nothing compared to the violent aftermath painted onto jooheon in varying shades of muddy yellows, greens, and plum ripened purples.

Dead men are heavier than broken hearts - askbangtansound

Lilili yabbay - “the dance of the thirteenth month, the dance that leans on the moonlight, my vision is only at you” “open up the time where only both of us can exit (exist)” - a tale spanning centuries, generations.

sin - “ a vitiated state of human nature in which the self is estranged from God ”

Like the remnants of ancient ruins, his body is lain among the flowers coated in creeping moss and the dust of past centuries, desecrated and forgotten in all his lovely holiness. The grecian statues stand, embedded in a guarded ring of supple limbs and twisted bodies made with incomplete too-perfect flesh as the growing grass of a fresh spring runs over their arcane stone bases. The mausoleum, the holy temple rises as a remnant, prostrated before the cruel chains of fate.

When jooheon kisses him, love flashes - green, clicking, immediate - across changkyun’s mind. When jooheon kisses him, it flashes love like a string of codes through changkyun’s mind.

In which jooheon and changkyun fumble around each other like a set of overheated, spluttering computers whirring on overdrive.

"Don't forget about me. On a good day, I'll call you once again. It was beautiful meeting you, who bloomed. - from new moon jbj

“I’m fine, but i’m not okay.”

https://bisexual-changmin.tumblr.com/post/173622718463/changmin-yunho-source-source - concept is satan’s son flirting with a very beautiful vampire

(the devil’s) satan’s youngest son woos a very handsome vampire.

“Half gods are worshipped in wine and flowers. Real gods require blood.” Their Eyes Were Watching God.

If i had a flower for everyday that i thought of you, both my garden and my life would be in full bloom.

Hyungkyun - changkyun is sure he’s in love with the coolest boy in school.

Featuring - deceiving appearances, murder, betrayal, and tragic teen romance

Hyungwon wears his ears pierced - how many, changkyun can never keep track of. He dyes his hair too - right now he likes the sharp blonde look that never seems to fade even under the summer sun - and of course, his signature leather jacket always slipped around his shoulders - it’s garish over the school’s blazer, but it’s handsome, it’s so cool.

I mean he just looks so... in that leather jacket - until he finds it splattered and smeared with blood, bone, and other bits. Hyungwon offing people for the sake of it - or really for changkyun’s sake.

The teeth-gritting grind of bone and blood, the smooth tear of skin - the hissing pull of a person’s entrails - a splatter of red viscera.

Admiration to disgust once he finds out what kind of person “he really is.” “did you really fool yourself into thinking that?” as if you have any right to accuse me of deceiving you - come on, tell me the truth - you tricked yourself.

A potential addition to fingers around your throat universe: hyungkyun version

In time, Changkyun meets his own mysterious suitor of the night.

A surgeon in residence who makes a bit extra on the side with some black market operations - and soon, a strange patient comes under his knife.

He wants his upper canines removed - they’re oddly sharp changkyun thinks. A familiar bitterness coils in his throat.

He hasn’t had much training in dentistry, but he gets to work anyway. He just has to remove them right? Easier than having to fill in empty spots. Somehow, he thinks, clamping the pliers around the tip of the tooth, it doesn’t seem like it would hurt the man either way.

It’s a failed operation. Hyungwon still has enough of his teeth left to tear through skin and bone to blood anyway.

Fantasy - fei inspired:

The boy of his dreams. The boy beckoning him from inside the screen. It’s all a beautiful fantasy. But Minhyuk wants it, wants it bad, wants it more than anything he could wish for in the whole wide world.

“I love you.” He smiles, eyes crinkling shut, his mouth pulled into that familiar, lovely invitation. “You don’t know me.” He meets his eyes dead on, a glistening doe-eyed stare, and all Minhyuk recognizes is a dreadful sense of emptiness.

He’s a stranger and Minhyuk is in love with a complete stranger.

The boy in real life has plain brown hair. The coloring has already faded into thin strands of gold, straw-turned-silk, a dirty shade drained out from the inside of a stained club sink.

He smiles, sitting directly across from Minhyuk, eyes glistening with the same secretive understanding. “Not the same right?” and he taps his head with that pointed tilt. The same finger, solid flesh and warm in daylight, holds Minhyuk’s attention captive just the same.

His single finger is capable of holding all of Minhyuk’s attention poised and captive.

This time his hair stays that golden shade of brown, ordinary beyond imagination. Minhyuk doesn’t know what he was expecting - but really, he shouldn’t have been in the first place.

“I believed that this was love. Now I know you aren’t real but that attracts me even more.” - artificial love, exo

imperial au: scraps and planning

Potential title - Strategy is best discussed over a cup of drink

Chap. 9: things to keep in mind

In General: All the PORN scenes???? + tenderness, growing possessiveness and a rediscovery of each other within the context of a physical relationship.

He’s wearing the most simple of hanboks - stripped down to a single color, the glow of his skin see-through under the fine ramie sokjeogori covering his chest. Every movement, every shift under the warm candlelight, leaves Changkyun mesmerized.

Wearing a thin veil across his face - enough to barely obscure his features - somehow the outline of his lips, the shadow of his cheeks are even more alluring beneath it. Jooheon unties the single ribbon at the back and it falls loose. They meet eyes once again, face to face, just the two of them under the hush of the night in Changkyun’s room.

Fumbling with each other’s robes, caught in the heat between their bodies, friction between their tongues. Of course, didn’t come prepared, so Jooheon fingers himself open in front of Changkyun impromptu with some candle oil or something. It’s messy and slow, but Jooheon guides the prince through it, controlling the pace by riding him until Changkyun comes with a muffled cry. The concubine hasn’t come yet, and goes to leave because it’s usually only about pleasuring the client first and your own climax comes second, but Changkyun drags him back done and jacks him off, jooheon protesting sweetly all the time, but comes faster than he ever has in the past under the touch of his prince.

UNEXPECTEDLY DEEP VOICE - a tender awkwardness b/t them as they discover all these things - jooheon gently guiding him through it all.

Slow exploration of each other - disrobing, hands shaking as they touch every new exposed inch of skin. Changkyun watching him, open-mouthed wonder and arousal as Jooheon stretches himself open before him - tentatively slips his own fingers in and Jooheon encourages him, falling apart slowly at the same time - changkyun can’t believe it, to be the one to make Jooheon like this, to strip him bare and make him lose control, it makes him dizzy - slow riding and changkyun’s hips move on their own, afraid to hurt him as Jooheon shivers, wordless - but jooheon teaches him a few new things ;), inadvertently marking him with little bites.

“Don’t worry, my prince. You’re more than adequate.”

Looking at the bruises on his body, he runs a tentative hand over them. “I-I hurt you-” but Jooheon’s eyes curve into the sweetest smile. “No, never.”

The whole, Changkyun wakes to the other’s half clothed back, illuminated softly in the morning sun. The concubine is busy adjusting a fallen earing, robes still haphazardly draped across his shoulders, and the prince can’t resist leaning over and pressing a kiss against the bare skin. Jooheon jumps in surprise, earring momentarily forgotten, and looks back with amused delight. “Up so early, my prince? You should be resting after a night like that.” Changkyun squints at the bright light, and buries his face shamelessly into the other’s shoulders. “As if you have any right to talk.” He hugs the concubine tightly around the waist, attempting to pull him back to bed. “If I should be resting, then you should do so with me.” (emphasis on the beauty of the morning after: woken up side by side, they trade kisses, blindly mouthing at each other - an easy intimacy, soft under the morning light. against the rising dawn, the world disappears - only jooheon is held within his eye. (twitter pic ref) - insert changkyun poem at some point.)

After the first time - breathlessness - they didn’t know what to expect from each other, from this new physicality - and suddenly it’s like a wall, one that had never even existed, is gone - and they’re reaching for one another again. Something’s been set off between them and the impulse to reach out and touch has never been more tempting. So Changkyun succumbs, again, and again, and again. Like holding your breath underwater and letting go - Changkyun finds it against Jooheon’s gasping lips.

The new and sudden impulses and desires awakened within him - the broken sounds falling from Jooheon’s lips, the bruises in the shape of his hands - something arises in him that almost scares him - an indescribable desire to hide him within his palms, be the only name that falls from those lips.

Changkyun’s interaction beyond just jooheon - Jooheon and minhyuk, a noticeable closeness (the glances he caught of them wound around one another in the rain, and now one whispering, the other laughing - both of them seated side by side in the audience) - changkyun is suitably jealous of the other man, concubine or not.

Also changkyun’s deep voice - make an appearance somehow - more apparent, the small things about each of them that they notice the more time they spend with each other????

That one thing about ck being competent on the throne - really shakes jooheon up - all “grown” up, makes him feel flustered.

They spend more and more time together - jooheon spread out on changkyun’s floor, diligent in his own work. A leg propped up as he contorts himself over a loose scroll. There’s a dish of ink sitting precariously at his foot, and ever so often he wets his brush across the side. Changkyun watches, and decides he’s completely unaware of how he looks - graceful as he’s lost in his own thoughts. He wants to break it just to tell him that - if not something more.

under the warm lamplight during cozy nights, changkyun writes poems with smooth ink along jooheon’s bare skin. Changkyun makes tangible what was only words, thoughts, and longings before with adorations and worship upon jooheon’s skin.

Their daily meetings together - ever unspoken have become their shared secret.

in the palace’s ever-increasing maze, this is only a single corner, forgotten and rediscovered - and their unspoken secret from then on. they bring books, light instruments - even food and drink

walks together, past hazy verandas, under filtered sunlight and passing under the eyes of solitary columns - changkyun reaching out to do so beyond his hesitance. The sight of it, a bright jewel in his hair, gives him a tempting idea.  changkyun is always slightly unsteady about their height difference, even the slightest dip of an eyelash between them sends his head spinning back in vertigo - maybe it’s the shoes, the extra weight of a gihye’s heel - but even so there’s the smooth slope of jooheon’s shoulders, broad in a way that gives him the silhouette of a waterfall, relaxed in a manner of eternal grace and majesty.

where changkyun lets his princely impulse get to the better of him - concubines are already draped in jewels and finery, but to see jooheon in his own choice piece - it’s an exhilarating sort of feeling, somehow a secret excitement and satisfaction for him - to see jooheon preened over in public, wearing just that simple hairpin/comb, from him and him only. it feels like a declaration somehow, changkyun wouldn’t want to presume - but it’s their little secret, wide open yet just between the two of them - the giving of the gift marks something between them.

the two of them wandering down the bank, steep and loose earth rolling underfoot. there are no man-made impressions dug and shaped out of the ground, so Changkyun slides down first. there are tree roots and weeds dragged between his fingers, ripping in protest, and he scrapes himself against rolling stones too. but in the end, he looks up, bold, and offers a hand to Jooheon and the concubine arrives, pressed safely to his side - jooheon’s little gasp of shock, the widening of his eyes - but he bends down and takes ck’s hand within his, gripping tight and changkyun shakes under his weight - but he doesn’t let go.

Leads into a wild affair in the rain - soaked wet as they fall upon one another on the steps of the pond - jooheon’s robes spreading across the water, sticking against his skin. He shines, translucent in the rainy mist. Cheeks rosy from the cold, he looks at changkyun with soft, damp eyes - “you’ve ruined me my prince.” - a tender beckoning - Changkyun can’t help it, he kisses him until his lips go numb. Water rushes between them, filling the spaces of reaching fingertips, eager bodies - Jooheon’s cheeks are smooth with dew, a gentle smearing from his lashes, pink blurring the curve of his mouth.

historical equivalent of composing raps together - changkyun finally musters enough nerve to bring his compositions to their little haven - of course jooheon is the perfect piece and always manages to provide the closing line he needs

there’s something of a difference b/t knowing and truly understanding - and only now, with the reminder of another, the mark and strain of someone else worn upon his expression, does changkyun really think about the implications of jooheon’s nightly occupation. it’s a shocking kind of realization, the sensation yanks him back, cold and flat against the earth. he wonders, burning with curiosity and want - but he keeps quiet again. still, the itch builds without relief and he finds himself paranoid to an obsessive extent - when beneath beautiful smiles, mornings played out in shades of pink, and soft confessions, all he can see is the perversity of his own imagination playing out the worst and most explicit scenes before him.

Changkyun’s nagging awareness - even with jooheon here with him nightly - the reminders of others being able to touch him like this - it gets to the better of him one night -> the payment, “be wholly mine” - jooheon almost angry and yet he concedes to changkyun’s stubborn earnestness.

Also a way for hyungwon and ck to repair their relationship - deal brokered b/t them.

conversation: there’s lighthearted ones, but the very nature of their roles - prince and concubine meeting like this everyday - turn the conversation towards more melancholic tones. “Do you know why they call it the forbidden palace?” jooheon turns to him, smiling. this time the curve of his lips doesn’t reach his eyes. changkyun shakes his head, silent. the concubine looks to the lake instead, brushing a loose hair from his brow as the wind picks up. light flecks of greenery swirl past, dandelion powder and fallen petals in the air. spring perfume permeates the little bank before him. jooheon turns to him again and through the screen of glittering blossoms, his smile is bitter.

“on the contrary - it’s very easy to enter. really anyone could come in whenever they’d like.” He pauses, eyes trailing the stem of a peony floating above head. changkyun knows what he’ll say next, almost dreads the sound of it enough to steal the words from jooheon’s lips. but he keeps his quiet.

“it’s the concubines who are forbidden from ever going out.”

after that, the only conversation between them is lost to the whispers of the wind.

After Jackson’s arrival:

scene: imported cocoa beans from the west - traded with silks and scrolls for a single bitter brown nut. changkyun sneaks a handful from the imperial stock and they brew their own amateur cocoa tea - smoky and rich, the steam practically dripping down their throats. jooheon is thoroughly enamoured w this strange taste and changkyun, addicted to how the concubine’s smile folds so sweetly over each and every cup.  

[jflashandclash]

Attrition of Peace

More Regulations for Demigod Transport is Needed

Fourteen: Kalypso

                 Their plane ride back to New York was both wonderful and like being trapped in an elevator with a bunch of cats high on catnip. Everyone was tense and jittery. Despite all of her attempts at jokes and laughter, Merry seemed one monster sighting away from having a breakdown. When Kally had put her thumb out to her, leveled horizontally with the ground, like a Roman emperor about to decide a gladiator’s fate, Merry had mimicked the motion of neutral. But her hand shook. She wasn’t neutral. She wasn’t okay.

               Kally couldn’t blame her. They’d had a solid five hours and twenty minutes to think about how they didn’t have a plan, how their main strategist was back in New Rome, how Pax had snuck off, how Eris had kidnapped Hemera and had the Golden Net, and about how they’d never hear Joey Song laugh or see her scowl again.

               Calex kept checking the touchscreen flight map on the headrest in front of him. Kally couldn’t tell if it was in a vain attempt to make time move faster, or to make sure they stayed on course and didn’t stray off towards Kakata or St. Albans.

               Euna didn’t say a word. She elected the window seat—which no one argued about—and stared out at the clouds.

               Kally knew they needed a plan, about as much as any Greek demigod needed an assistant to keep their ADHD from making them wander off from a quest. After they landed in the terrifyingly large terminal, she decided that she’d direct them towards the nearest taxi and get them back to Camp Half-Blood at all costs.

               If Pax thought his disappearance would prevent her from telling Chiron what was going on, he was dead wrong, River Styx curse or not… though hopefully not actually dead wrong. She hadn’t wanted to leave once he went missing. But, what Merry and Calex said to calm her was true: Pax wouldn’t leave without Axel, was probably fine and hiding out with a colony of escaped weasels, and they needed to get back to warn camp.

               Eris had a three weeks head start on them. She was mad at Pax for disappearing without word, especially since he could tell her anything, but she couldn’t let her frustration, worry, and whatever other emotions she felt for that idiot give Eris more time.

               Though her determination changed when they got into the terminal.

               The airport was all white, with large, netted windows, a sweeping doomed ceiling, and steel modern art sculptures that reminded her of a mix between the Udvar-Hazy Museum and an exclusive intergalactic prison. She could see the sun setting through the windows and felt surreal thinking about the time zone difference.

               There were too many people walking by with set conviction. A few others seemed as confused and lost as she was, but most had the irritated ease of regular travelers. Kally would have frozen up, remembering exactly how much she hated their first trip to New York City, had Merry and Calex not corralled she and Euna through the crowds of people to collect their one checked bag containing Euna’s sword.

               As they reached the terminal exit, relief made her tear up. Iris Messaging or some communication must have been back online, because there were two familiar faces waiting for them in arrivals.

               Amidst the other taxi cab drivers and chauffeurs with signs, these two stood out like a pair of Cyclopes. One stood far taller than the other, with blond, short hair and a Camp Half-Blood sweatshirt that couldn’t hide the fact that this teen had enough muscles to supply four different bodies if he died an organ donor. She remembered hearing the nymphs at Camp Half-Blood plot to get Jason and Axel to work out together, and she could understand their sentiment.

               Beside him was someone that made Kally giddy. This boy was shorter, with dark hair, an aviator jacket, an oddly colorful Hawaiian shirt, and a pair of skinny jeans. In one hand, he had what looked like a box of unfortunately fake flowers. He held up a sign in the other that read, in Ancient Greek:

IF YOU CAN READ THIS, WE’RE (PROBABLY) HERE FOR YOU!

               The “probably” was written in smaller print above the main text, with an arrow pointing down. Kally wondered how many professors of Ancient History had wandered over to ask the son of Hades and the son of Jupiter for a ride.

               Kally inhaled to shout out to Nico. Out of all the people at camp, he’d become her favorite, other than Merry of course. He’d been teaching her to play Mythomagic, she’d been trying to get him involved in Dungeons & Drakans, and he—like she—hated human interaction but felt obligated to fulfill it.

               Before she could shout, or before Nico or Jason caught sight of their group, someone wrapped a hand over Kally’s mouth.

               She almost screamed. Instead, she slammed her elbow backwards.

               “Aye!” someone whined, grunted, then said, “Cyclops, you could pop airships with your elbows and maybe even a sumo wrestler.”

               Kally expected to turn and see the Pax brothers, though they shouldn’t have been—not unless they snuck onto the plane.

               Instead, she turned to see two young and respectable looking South Asian businessmen in suits.  She almost apologized for hitting the guy who grabbed her, but realized that would be stupid. He had grabbed her.

               Calex and Merry went to reflexively take a step between her and the two men. Kally felt ridiculous having Merry, a pacifist, go to defend her.

               The taller businessman shook his head. Mist fluttered off to reveal Axel’s deep tan and asymmetrical facial scars. As it peeled off his clothing, Calex gasped audibly.

               “Oh my gods, mate, what happened to you? And—what the hell are you doing here? How did you get here?”

               Dried blood was smeared all over his mouth and soaked into the remains of his shirt. The once purple material across his chest had been shredded, like he’d tried to pet a shark at the zoo and fell into the aquarium.

               His expression was the worst. Axel’s gaze looked hollow and dazed. He could have said he’d spent four year in Tartarus, doing synchronized swimming in the River Acheron, and she’d have believed him.

               But his voice was as commanding as ever. “We need to get Euna out of here.”

               Merry crossed her arms. “Axel, Pax, I can tell you two hubbies had a rough morning, but those are our friends. I don’t want to hear otherwise.” Her lip trembled.

               “They’re actually here to arrest Euna for murder, growing trees in a no-tree-growing zone, and for having a cooler weapon than Jason Grace,” the shorter businessman said.

               They stared at him.

               The guy put a hand to his head. “What? Does this guy’s hair look stupid? We need to move now!”

He grabbed Kally’s wrist and Merry’s and tugged them off to the side. Merry begrudgingly stumbled along. Axel grabbed Calex’s arm and Euna’s. They staggered back into the terminal, bewildered. Kally didn’t quite understand. This all sounded so stupid.

               “There used to be ten terminals instead of six. One of the old ones is now a labyrinth entrance underneath the airport, but I don’t think I can sneak all of us to it. Piper is wandering around the terminal, asking people if they’ve seen you, and Will is at one of the other exits. We were able to swipe some noise canceling headphones, but they’re not going to work nearly as well as the ones in the van if we have to fight her. And we don’t have enough for everyone,” Axel said, as though he wasn’t speaking like someone Dionysus had inflicted with madness.

               “Wait—wait—no!” Kally said and tried to pull back from Pax. “We should just go talk to them. I’m sure this thing has happened before—”

               Axel let go of Euna to grab Kally’s arm. He leaned down to look her in the eyes, and—for a second—they flickered gold. The motion didn’t frighten her, probably because Axel looked so sad. “Kally, I’m not sure how much everyone else is implicated in what happened to Santiago’s men, or how much they think… they think you’re affiliated with us.”

               Kally thought she knew what that meant, at least sort of. From the way he said it, she wasn’t sure anymore.

               “And I do want us to talk to them.” His eyes glanced from hers to Merry’s brown and Calex’s grey. “They still need to hear about Eris’s plans. But first, Pax and I need to tell you everything so you can relay the message in full. We can’t be there, and I want Merry and Calex to tell them—not you Kally. I don’t want you to accidentally get cursed by saying the wrong thing.”

               “And uh—we’re like 95% sure my mom set all of us up to look reeaaaally bad,” Pax said. “So, maybe the six of us can have this conversation somewhere else, like in a fugitives’ bar? Away from 50 cent Captain America and Mr. Goth Pants and Pretty Shirt.”

               As he said it, Kally heard something that made her tremble.

               “That’s them!” Jason’s voice carried down the hallway.

               When she glanced over, she saw Jason and Nico carefully walking up the hallway towards them. Nico’s hand slipped inside the box of flowers, and she could have sworn she saw the hilt of his sword.

               Euna frowned. She slid the xiphos out of their carry-on. Kally had to wonder what airport security saw, considering no one even paused while walking past them. Maybe they thought everyone was just holding the world’s longest maracas.

               “Woooow!” Merry held up her hands in a cease fire gesture.

               “Do I need to fight them?” Euna asked calmly, something that made Kally’s skin crawl.

               Axel examined the approaching figures, calculating. “That’s… cute that you think you can take Jason Grace.”

               Euna withdrew her god droplet vial. “I can.”

               The shorter business man shoved the vial back into her pocket. “Bad Euna! As much as I would love to see that, the last thing we need now is you turning their mascot boy into a table.”

               Jason lifted a walky-talky to his mouth, muttering something into it. Nico cracked a soft smile, waving casually at them. They paused, and Kally got the sense they were waiting for back up.

               They needed to make a decision.

Merry fluttered her hand back and forth, as though to say this was nothing. Although she was acting nonchalant, Kally could see her trembling. “Normally, I’m with Pax in loving dramatics and ridiculousness, but, I can—”

Calex took hold of Merry’s hand. He glanced nervously at Euna, then back to Merry. “’Ey. It’s all gone mad, but we’ll sort this out. If we do as Axel says, we’ll chat with them later after getting Euna cleared. If they catch us, we’ll say this nutter threatened us into running.” He pointed at the short business man.

Pax shrugged. “I don’t threaten, I merely predict probably outcomes.”

Merry stared at Calex for a moment. Kally took her other hand, remembering Merry’s nightmare prophecy: My friends fight the Heroes of Olympus. My powers are too weak to stop everyone from trying to kill each other.

Kally couldn’t imagine anyone from Camp Half-Blood hurting any of them. She didn’t want to fight these guys, and she had a feeling Euna, Axel, and Pax weren’t going to go with them without some struggling.

Merry huffed. “Alright, but running isn’t really my thing. When I start to fall behind, one of you big musclies has to carry me.”

Kally still didn’t like this, but Calex had a great point about pinning their escape on the Pax brothers, since it was true.

This time, when Pax tugged at her, she stepped into a sprint.

“Sorry blokes! This is all just a misunderstanding! I promise we’ll come back and explain! Cheers!” Calex shouted over his shoulder as they ran.

When Jason and Nico dashed after them at full speed, Kally had the squeamish feeling they made the right decision.

“Wait!” Jason called.     

Within a few feet, Kally could feel Merry tugging on her hand to slow down. Calex whisked Merry up. Kally could guess it was much to Merry’s delight. People parted rapidly in front of them, especially when Calex shouted about being late for a flight. A security guard yelled at them to slow down. She was scared someone might call more security, or think there was a bomb threat.

Like he wanted to invoke just that fear, Axel said, “Ajax, drop a smoke bomb. Do you think you can dart Grace if—”

“I’m out of smoke bombs!” Pax morphed out of the business man into himself. “And sleep serum. I’ve got pepper spray and an ear.”

“You took Frank’s ear?!” Axel growled.

Calex asked the more important question. “You cut off Frank’s ear?!”

Kally felt sick and seriously considered stopping and waiting to get tackled by Jason Grace.

“Ajax! They could have reattached that!” Axel scolded, like Calex hadn’t spoken.

“Oh…” Pax frowned. “Do you think I should give it back—”

“No! It’s too late for that now!”

They sprinted out the doors of another terminal. Kally suddenly felt the need to thank both her soccer coach for forcing her through suicide sprints, and Mr. Paine for doing the same during her demigod training.

Jason Grace wasn’t far behind. In one glance back, she saw he and Nico racing around a corner. She wondered why Jason hadn’t taken to the air yet, or why Nico hadn’t raised any dead. But Nico probably still couldn’t use his powers without going all shadowy and it might be a bit weird for the Mist to cover up a flying guy. Would the Mist put him on a segway or a hoverboard?

Once they got outside, Pax ran up to the first taxi-bus in the front of the line. “Everyone in!” he said, shoving a credit card and a wad of cash at the driver. Kally frowned, not having the time to ask Pax where he got that from.

The driver was young, maybe in his twenties, with deep chestnut skin, and excited, dark eyes. There was a sticker on his headrest that said Hello, My name is Sanjay (Sam) Datta. I’ll be your driver today! When Kally hopped into the middle seat with Calex and Merry, she found biostatistics textbooks all over the dashboard. Biostats: a worse fate than Tartarus. Euna and Axel climbed into the back.

“That guy just found out I convinced his girlfriend to leave an abusive relationship with him for me,” Pax said, gesturing to where Jason had exited the terminal. “I’ll pay quadruple your amount if you can get us out of here before he reaches this—”

“Done!”

Before she’d finished buckling up, the taxi-van took a wild swerve into the line of cars exiting the terminal, leaving Jason Grace and Nico Di Angelo in the dust.

“Where are you kids going? You’re the adult supervisor right?” the driver glanced back at Axel, in the back seat.

“Yes…” Axel said slowly. “For a school field trip. Just take Van Wyck Expressway and get off towards south Brooklyn. I’ll give you directions as we go. That guy’s been uh... giving our troop trouble this whole time.”

“That’s away from camp, Mr. Stoic,” Merry said. “Where are we going?”

“What Pax said—a fugitive’s bar of sorts. I have connections that might be able to hide us until we figure this out or at least create a diversion,” Axel said.

Merry gave the curious driver a warm smile in the rearview mirror. “We’re a performing arts school and have been practicing improv, so don’t mind our silly selves. Oh—Sarawati!” She nodded at a small icongraph on his dash, sliding around beside the textbooks as he merged onto the expressway. There was a woman in the picture, with four arms playing an instrument. She looked similar to the icons Kally had seen on shrines at Mrs. Blythe’s house. “You studying for finals?”

“Yea, nonstop, and I’ve been bored out of my mind because of it,” the driver said. “You guys are probably the most interesting thing I’ve encountered all day and the nicest present to private school debt.” He gave a lighthearted laugh and tapped “Pax’s” credit card against the wheel. “So, improv away. Gotta ask first, what did that blond guy actually do?” He glanced at Pax in the passenger seat. “Sorry dude, but there’s no way you convinced a girl to leave him for you.”

If Pax could bristle, he would have. “Hey! I’m cuter than a duckling![1] And I’m also the one paying you!”

“Sure you are, Mr. Thong… Thaeng Chaiprasit,” the driver stumbled through pronouncing the name on the credit card. He had to swerve a little to avoid a car merging towards him.

Calex sighed. “Pax, you’re a plague upon society.”

“Mr. Chaiprasit is our director,” Merry said, picking up the pieces. Kally always had to admire her quick thinking in crisis situations. “You know how artsy people are. He’s so scatterbrained and bad at budgeting, he gave Mr. Stoic, here, a card and the pin so we could withdraw cash when we needed it.”

“Is your name actually, Mr. Stoic?” the driver asked.

“Yes,” Axel said without blinking. “Both on stage and off.”

Despite everything, Kally had to cover her mouth so she didn’t burst out laughing at the seriousness of Axel’s expression.

She stopped laughing when Merry put an arm around her shoulder. “And that blond guy started stalking our poor Kallygirl here, all due to some really nasty miscommunication.”

Pax huffed.

“Cool. I’ll still anticipate being contacted by Visa for a fraudulent credit card transaction, but, you’ve got enough cash here to afford a drive to the opposite side of Manhattan,” the driver said and shrugged. “Okay, now improv on.”

They glanced at each other. Maybe Kally hadn’t taken many cabs, but this guy seemed like the weirdest cab driver ever.

After a beat of silence, Axel dove into explaining. Actually explaining. Part of Kally felt indignant at how easy they got the information. Before Pax would tell her any of this information, she’d had to swear on the River Styx. The other part of Kally realized that was stupid: she needed the others to know everything so they could tell Chiron, instead of having her break her River Styx Oath. It already felt dumb enough having an oath to a river; she didn’t need to be cursed by it too.

Everyone already knew that the Pax boys had been part of Kronos’s army, but none of the others knew how much Eris had directed the Pax boys’ movements—that she’d sent them to save Kally, to get to Camp Half-Blood, to get the Golden Net and reforge Kronos’s scythe to use against their father. If Kally were angrier, she’d tell Axel he’d been played, but the broken look on his face said he already knew that.

He did skim over the part where Axel attacked Leo Valdez and wiped his memory. Pax gave her a sheepish grin as they hurried through that section.

They’d come off the expressway and Axel directed the driver down some side streets. The sky had darkened enough for street lamps to flicker on. All the shops had metal gates peeled up, like teeth ready to chomp down. Any parking lot or yard had fences ringed with barbed wire. The buildings were old, and weatherworn. Some had paper and duct tape covering failed business ventures, while others had beautiful, classy arches over the windows to give the street some character. The contrast of decaying versus new made Kally anxious. This place felt like its own morphing monster.

The sidewalks were bustling with weekend excitement.

Axel was just getting to the tiny detail that Ares wanted the Roman senate to execute him as an enemy to the state when Euna pointed outside.

“A horse is keeping pace with us,” she said.

Kally glanced over at her window. On the sidewalk, sure enough, there was a brown stallion clopping along and dodging pedestrians. The stallion was beautiful and enormous, with chocolate eyes and black hair. On top of it, was a rider with frizzy cinnamon hair, golden eyes, and an SPQR shirt: Hazel Levesque. There was a very angry looking lemur curled around her shoulder, with gauze covering one ear.

Pax and Axel both popped their cheeks.

“Do you ever wonder why Frank doesn’t just show up naked after he transforms?” Pax asked. “I mean, think of how many boxers he’s probably ripped turning into—”

“Ajax,” Axel growled.

“Sorry. Is this a good time for me to give him back his ear?”

“No.”

Although their cab couldn’t have been going over thirty miles per hour, that horse didn’t even look like it was trotting.

They were approaching a stop light and Kally’s stomach dropped. Ares wants the Romans to execute me, Axel had said. They want to arrest Euna.

“We’re only two streets away from the spot,” Axel said. He leaned forward to check the nametag on the headrest. “Sam, is there any way we can lose that horse and—”

The driver stopped at the crosswalk for the red light. He glanced at the blinking counter for the pedestrians. “In 45 seconds or so. Does that blond stalker of yours have cavalry reserves? That’s a pretty dedicated stalker.”

Kally didn’t really know what to say. Yea, you should check out his friend’s ballista.

Horns blared beside them as Hazel and Frank’s horse made its way through a lane of traffic towards their taxi. The horse paused for a moment to nip at one of the honking cars, in a motion Kally could only interpret as flicking someone off: equestrian style.

That horse’s pause might have saved them.

The light was about to change when the stallion stepped alongside Pax’s window. Pax sheepishly waved back when Hazel motioned for him to roll his window down. She tapped her drawn cavalry sword against the glass.

Sam revved his engine and was about to shoot forward when another black stallion dropped from the sky into the crosswalk.

Ah New York¸ Kally thought, Known for the pigeon and pegasus problem.

This one also had two riders: a teenage boy with dark hair and a curly haired blonde girl.

“Pisaasu!” the driver swore. “Is that a flying horse?!”

Kally didn’t have the heart to tell him “yes—this is normal—Greek mythology is real—you should be as confused about your gods as I am.”

“I guess that’s it then,” Calex said. He swallowed.

Kally wondered what they did do with bad demigods. Hazel had mentioned some pretty nasty things back in Camp Jupiter. A tight knot formed in Kally’s stomach, telling her to get out of the car and see how long she could outrun a horse and pegasus for. Because, if they just sat here, they were trapped.

“Hey!” Percy shouted. “We just want to—”

Before he could finish his sentence, a red and black blur slammed into the black pegasus, knocking it out of their way and into oncoming traffic. Rainbow sparks exploded everywhere.

Kally gawked.

Approaching traffic came to a halt as Percy’s pegasus tried to stumble to its hooves. Percy and Annabeth were thrown clean off the pegasus, onto the pavement.

Another horse, with an ebony main and crimson fur, trotted backwards from the collision, shaking its head. There was a half-broken spiral of gold and silver on top of its head, spitting rainbow glitter everywhere.

“Vinyl!” Calex shouted in joy at seeing the unicorn. Then winced at seeing what damage it had done. Fortunately, Percy and Annabeth were slowly getting up.

Something small skittered out of Vinyl’s mane and dove towards Hazel’s horse. The horse seemed unimpressed until the small creature grew into a California Long-Tailed weasel the length of a van. A distinct patch of spotted, blond hair was on its back and a tinier weasel rode on its head. The monster lunged at Hazel’s stallion.

“Hunahpu! Xbalanque!” Pax cheered and sniffled back tears. “She’s—she’s okay! S-someone f-fixed her! Dude! Calex! We have animal reinforcements!”

Pax turned in his seat to high-five Calex, who obliged. Afterwards, he and Calex made faces, and quickly rubbed their hands off like they’d slapped an infected worm.

“Go!” Axel shouted at Sam.

Something slammed into the taxi-van, rocking the whole vehicle. Sam smashed the accelerator. They shot forward, as fast as the van’s engine could take them.

“Wow! Was that a unicorn? And a giant ferret?! Man, this is way better than studying for a final!” the driver cheered.

Kally was glad that was his reaction, as opposed to the sane reaction of, “WHAT WAS THAT?!” She twisted to look out the window, hoping everyone was okay. Horns blared from confused drivers From what she could see, a black and red blur disappeared down one of the roads, colliding occasionally with a brown one. Hunnie was nowhere to be seen. Percy, Annabeth, Frank, and Hazel were now on foot, though the black pegasus was still nearby.

An SUV paused to pick them up. It didn’t look like the Roman SUVs she’d seen before. This one had bones rimming the front windshield.

“Pull over here!” Axel shouted.

The driver swerved into a metered parking spot that had just opened.[2] He exhaled. “Wow! That was cool—here—” He fumbled in his pocket to withdraw a business card. “If you need any other rides—”

“Thanks! We’ll promise to almost get you killed again,” Pax said, snagging the card.

“Good luck with your stalker!” Sam shouted.

“Good luck with your exam!” Merry shouted back.

They scrambled out of the van. As soon as his feet touched the sidewalk, Axel spurred them forward. “Move! It’s just down this alley.”

“What is?” Euna asked.

A weird grin lit up Axel’s face. “The Horizontal Monster Mash.”[3]

The stench made Kally gag. As soon as they entered the alley, it became overbearing. Trash and cigarette butts littered the ground. Ahead of them, she could see some people lined up along the wall, waiting to get inside. Although Kally had never been in a club, this struck Kally as odd. It seemed too early for a club to be busy.

Ahead of them, there were two ionic columns on either side of a doorway, with neon blue and purple lights spiraling down. The sign above blinked HMM every few seconds, like the club’s heartbeat.

Merry stopped running. Calex had to whisk her up. “Wait—no—there are evil baddies in that line!” she shouted.

“I know!” Axel said. “Everyone stick close to Ajax and me. Do not go off on your own. Do not talk to anyone who tries to talk to you. Flip your shirts inside out. Let me do the talking.”

For some reason, Kally didn’t trust him when he said that. As she ran, she glanced down at her shirt, wondering why he’d suggested they undress and redress in the middle of New York City. She gulped. All of them had Camp Jupiter shirts on and were running into a den full of people that probably hated Camp Jupiter.

Merry was right about the “baddies”. There were monsters in the wait line. Now that Merry said it, everyone in that line was a monster or a ghost. One was reptilian. Another was half-phased out of a wall. Another stood over six and a half feet tall.

Though none of them were as tall as the eight foot bouncer tapping a clipboard in his hands. He was a Cyclops, wearing a biker jacket that must have been stolen off a statue of Sons of Anarchy.

Axel and Pax stripped off their shirts, flipped them inside out, and put them back on. When she glanced back, she saw Euna was struggling to do the same, not caring about flashing her green sports bra. Although difficult with Calex holding her, Merry fumbled with her shirt ends. Calex went bright red in the face and almost tripped.

With all their running and panic, Kally hadn’t realized how cold it was until she thought about taking off her shirt. Her chest burned with their constant sprint.

She swallowed. Out of all times for her priest’s and mom’s condemnations to ring in her ears, now was bad. Neither of them were here, and only God—the big G god—and whatever pervy Greek gods were watching, would know. And some monsters. And—

Suddenly, Pax dropped pace beside her. He took his shirt off again, and shoved it at her. “Put this on and take your shirt off under it—you owe me SO many drachma and Reese’s Sticks! Especially considering how badly I’d like to see your bra!”

“Thank you!” Kally gasped. She wanted to explain that the most revealing thing she’d ever worn was a one-piece swimsuit with a shirt over it, but now didn’t seem like the time.

She slipped his shirt on as they paused at the front of the line. Kally almost choked when she realized they’d cut all those grumbling monsters.  

“Hey, demigod pipsqueaks—” the Cyclops growled.

Axel waved a hand in front of his face, like he was batting a fly. As he did, the Mist dissolved, and she could see his jaguar ears and fangs.

Merry made a, “Uh-huh,” noise. Kally had to wonder if she or Calex remembered Axel’s features from Santiago’s temple. Both of them had been so out of it. Calex was a little too distracted to notice. He coughed, staring off to the side, especially when Merry nuzzled against his chest to hide the SPQR symbol there. With carrying her, he didn’t have a chance to change.

Kally finished fishing her own shirt out from under Pax’s, flipped it inside out, and put it back on, starting the process back over to give Pax back his shirt. Pax gave her one of his token devilish grins, making her wonder if she’d accidentally flashed him her bra. Then she blushed, trying to remember what bra she was wearing—not that it mattered.

The Cyclops dropped his clipboard upon seeing Axel’s features.

“I am Axel Pax, leader of the Triple A Chimera, the bearer of the Lion’s Head—”

Pax dashed up beside him. “Hey Clops! How’s the tiny Clops? Is he looking all cute and single-eyed?”

The Cyclops snatched a Pax brother up in each arm. For a terrified moment, Kally thought he was going to bash their heads together, but he laughed in excitement. “The guitarist for Orpheus Metal! And the drummer! You guys are so good! We haven’t had a concert as good as that one with the goats—”

Pax laughed gleefully. “Dude! I remember that one! It was so metal! Those babies flew!”

The monsters in line peered around to try to get a better look at the Pax brothers. Kally wished she could hide somewhere.

Calex grumbled, “That Orpheus Metal rubbish was real?”

Euna snorted.

Kally had heard songs of it from Pax, but she hadn’t put together that they would have a monster fan following.

The Cyclops set them down, then clapped his hands and shuffled from foot to foot.

“Yep, good times. Now, my friends and I need to get inside—” Axel tried to say, glancing at the alley entrance.

From what she could see, an SUV had pulled up where the taxivan had been.

“Not until you tell me when you’re having a reunion tour!” the Cyclops said and folded his arms.

Axel sighed and rubbed his temple with two fingers. “Our lead singer is dead.”

“Well, when he’s feeling better, you tell him that you need a reunion tour. Little Clops hasn’t seen you in concert,” the Cyclops sniffed.

Pax patted Clops’ huge arm. “Will do, Big Guy. We’ll get that message straight to Tartarus.”

Clops nodded happily, and side stepped to let them through. Axel paused, and pointed down the alley to the approaching Percy and gang. “Those guys aren’t with us.”

Merry’s eyes went wide, glancing around at the monsters standing in the alley. At first, Kally didn’t understand her concern, until she realized how it would look if they led the others down a dark alley to get attacked by waiting monsters.

“Wait—wait--this is a club right? Then they are with us!” Merry said.

Axel glowered. “Merry, we don’t have time—”

“Mr. Stoic,” she mimicked his serious tone. “If you can get all the monsters to cooperate with us, I can take out all the Heroes of Olympus.”

Kally gave her a bewildered look. “Merry, no offense, but you couldn’t take out a pillow.”

“Trust me. I just need you on the sound booth, I need about twenty Diet Cokes and a video camera to pay tribute to my dad—since I’ll need his help on this one, but he’ll want to help me—and I need everyone to do exactly as I say.”

Merry had that mad grin she sometimes got before she ruined one of the popular kids at school with a single stroke of wit.

“Let’s do it,” Kally decided. She almost flinched when Axel’s glare narrowed at her, but held firm. “Merry’s good at preventing fights by humiliating people,” she squeaked. She should definitely know.

Axel made a low growl. He glanced from Merry, to the club, to the approaching demigods. Kally could hear their footsteps now; they were so close.

“Fine,” he snarled. “Let them in. But this had better be good, Merry.”

Thanks for reading guys! :D we’re back at the HMM and I’m excited to see how Calex reacts to being hit on by monsters XD And to see how Frank creacts to that whole.. ear thing... >>’‘

Footnotes:

[1] My friend just got ducklings, and I will say—though Pax is cuter than a baby panda—he is not cuter than a duckling. And apparently, Pax’s cuteness scale is vital to this book series.

[2] Out of all the impossible things in New York during this series—an open metered spot is the least believable.

[3] I apologize. For those of you who have read When the Stone Cracks, you’re going to see some descriptions and jokes reused. Since that short story is an AU, and written from the same point of view as this chapter, Kally is going to at least have some of the same thoughts. Though maybe a few less about how sexy Axel looks XD Ah, AUs purely created to make a friend’s ship happen….

[forthegothicheroine]

Kamigami No Asobi recap, episode 2: You’ve Met the Best, Now Meet the Rest

As I understand it, this anime was based on a visual novel, which explains a lot; shows adapted from games have to either pick one of the routes or make up their own, and they simply can’t focus on everyone with multiple endings.  As such, some characters are going to get the short end of the stick.

It’s time to meet those characters!

We open on Apollo sweeping Yui off her feet for a cheek kiss, much to her shock and consternation.  Apollo has a very shaky understanding of the concept that maybe not all girls want to kiss him, and so is quite thrown by this.  He tries to claim that it’s how people greet each other where he comes from, and it’s all a big misunderstanding due to her being Japanese.  (Do I have any Greek readers?  Can you confirm if this is bullshit?)

Apollo does his best to smooth this over by whistling for Pegasus, on the theory that pretty winged horses make girls happy.  She bonds with the horse, and Apollo comes up with the first of many irritating nicknames he will give to characters on this show.  He asks if he can call her Fairy, and I’m a little confused by why Apollo of all people would ask this.  I assume it’s either a pun in Japanese that I don’t get, or else the word he’s trying to call her is Nymph and it’s being poorly translated.

At least this nickname is flattering.  They will get worse.

Balder watches jealously as Apollo and Yui have a romantic Pegasus ride, setting up our main romantic rivalry.  Balder and Apollo are going to be the cheif contendors for Yui’s heart, so get ready to see a lot of the Blonde Bishie Bunch.

Zeus finally deigns to make another appearance, imperious as always.  As a side note, I like to think about him talking to Hera about this project before it started.

“I’m off to abduct a teenage girl-”

“You know I’m just going to kill her, right?”

“-and use her to make Hades and Apollo look like idiots.”

“Ah, my mistake.  Carry on the good work!”

Anyway, back to the show.  He addresses all of the gods (calling Loki the god of fire, which...is not the way I usually hear Loki described), and we get a glimpse of the gods not important enough to be featured in the first episode, Thor and Dionysus.

Contrary to most depictions, Thor is more otter than bear in physique.  He also has a really stupid green undercut with a lightening bolt shaved into the side.  I am positive Loki did this to him while he was asleep and he still hasn’t noticed.

Dionysus is called the “god of fertility”, and I’m not even going to begin to address that.  His poofy pink mullet is the second-worst hair on the show after Loki’s, but I’m perfectly willing to believe Dionysus cycles through different raver hairstyles as the whim strikes him.  I hope another whim strikes him soon.

There’s also a brief glimpse of Anubis, but we won’t get a good look at him for a while yet.

I’ve got to ask, in the development of this show (or the game it was based on), did they ever consider having Jesus?  I know he shows up in Ruroni Kenshin and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, so there’s precedent.  It’s not that I want Bishie Anime Jesus, I just want to know if they got to the concept art stage with him.

Also, let’s address the elephant in the room: this is a romance anime, and like half of these gods have wives.  There are three possible ways to think about this:

The gods are cheating (or want to cheat) on their wives with Yui.  This makes me sad, but I guess it happens in myths all the time…

This show takes place in a universe where those marriages didn’t happen.  This seems the most likely, given that the rest of the plot plays fast and loose with mythological retcons, but also throws everything I think I might know about anyone’s backstory into chaos.

Zeus didn’t abduct adult gods and de-age them- he actually abducted their teenage selves.  Hades hasn’t kidnapped Persephone yet, Dionysis hasn’t waylaid Ariadne yet.  This theory brings up more questions than it answers, but I kind of like it.

Anyway, pick a theory and let’s move on.

With the exception of Apollo, the other gods vehemently do not want to participate in Zeus’ dating sim.  Sucks to be them, because he responds to this rebellion by putting magical shackles in the form of accessories on everyone, keeping them from using their full godly powers until they have learned about humanity and love.  Not only that, but they’re going to have a full on High School AU where they have to attend classes and graduate in order to get out of their prison, with all the students other than the gods and Yui being some kind of weird fairy energy constructs.  Enjoy calculus, Loki!

Zeus is having way too much fun here.

We now meet the man in the shadows from last episode, Hot Dad Number Two, Who Does What the Goddesses Love, Thoth.

I have to say, I’m willing to give this whole project a little more respect if Thoth is in on it.  He probably wants a better outcome than just amusement.  Anyway, he’s going to be their teacher, which would be great if he wasn’t so into sexual harassy violations of personal space, but we’ll get to that later.

And by later I mean now.  Walking in the hallway with him, Yui protests that this is all somewhat silly, and he responds by pushing her up against a wall, his coat billowing and his chest bare.  Yes, the things he has to tell her are reassuring- that she’ll be restored to the exact time she came from, and that the magical girl sword necklace is eventually going to come in handy- but he did it in the least reassuring way imaginable.

When Yui goes to her new dorm room she meets Melissa, a horrifying sentient deep-voiced ragdoll Zeus accidentally created and then sent to be her friend.  Don’t ask me, I got nothing.

Meanwhile the gods are complaining, although they have a really awesome dorm with a hot spring so I don’t feel too sorry for them.  

At their first group meeting for school, Balder quizzes Yui about her relationship with Apollo.  She tells him that duh, they’ve all just been here for a single day, and he gloats that this means he met her first.  This conversation is innocent enough for now, but plants the hint that Balder may not be all sunshine and light.  Even though he is, in a literal sense, all sunshine and light.

The complete list of gods who bother to show up for this end up being him, Apollo and Tsukito.  They then go looking for the others, and find that Loki has drawn a dick on Takeru’s face while he was asleep.

Okay, so it’s actually a fish.  But it’s spiritually a dick.

When Yui tries to rope Hades in, he gives her more of his Edward-Cullen-but-cuter act, about how getting close to him will only bring her sorrow.  Thor says, and I quote, “If Loki isn’t going then I don’t need to.”  (‘But Loki did it!’ is a bad excuse for anything.)  At least they manage to get Dionysus, but my joy over that is marred by the fact that Apollo calls him Dee-Dee.

He is going to call him that for the entire rest of the show.

And so our heroes face the opening cermony with dignity and, in Apollo’s case, hope for an enjoyable year.  Apollo has clearly never been to high school before.

Ragnarok Clock

No closer than last time, but Loki and Thor do have an ominous conversation about their “destiny” regarding Balder.

Where is Odin?  During this episode, Odin is attending a performance of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, embarrassing Frigg by standing up every half hour and yelling “Get on with it!”

Team ___: Team Tsukito.  There’s a bit where he asks if the school’s opening ceremony will require a human sacrifice, and I find that charming.

Does Thoth push Yui up against a wall?  Yes.

[antiloreolympus]

I really like LO. It is one of the Webtoons I look forward every week along with Your Throne, Remarried Empress, and Cursed Princess (there are more but these are my top top top favorites in Webtoon). However I do think that there are things wrong with it. Heck, I would dare say MLP: FIM is better written in terms of character and plot and that I loved it more than LO (in general and in the messages it say). At least MLP had characters like Perse but still had autonomy.

I love how some characters in the comic has scars and other quirks and yet are never seen as ugly in general (at "worst" they are just normal it's just there at best someone showers them with love like how Persephone says she likes Hades' stars).

I also like the diversity in the characters body types but I don't like the way RS unintentionally made the two skinny major characters (who happens to be confident in their sexuality) in the story well... toxic, abusive, and has little to no redeeming qualities (sure we have Hera but she IS kind of a hypocrite). It just perpetuates the evil skinny popular whore stereotype. It just screams "not like other girls" and it's just emo-teenage phase level writing. I'm not even skinny and I myself am a H U G E person but it just pits women against each other for very shallow and immature reason.

I don't see anything wrong with the size difference. My mommy is shorter than me and she's very curvy. Though, they should have at least given Persephone a semblance of maturity other than her outfit changes (that looks good on her but clothes are not a symbol of maturity).

I understand the special treatment given to Hades when it comes to the whole "Imma ask an entire shopping store to close so me and mah bae can have a nice time" 'cuz he's a king. However, I don't like how no one called him out on his treatment on the shades. Like it was just glossed over.

I don't mind the interpretation of Persephone as "pure, UwU, can never do wrong, total angel, cinnamon roll" because those are likeable traits in a person (regardless of gender). However, I do not like the fact that her Act of Wrath is just retconned in a way that makes her seem she's too good for that and that it's something she is simply fully not there and something took hold of her. She's a Greek Deity. Greek Gods and Goddesses are not a reflection of what is ideal but rather what is real (in Greek era standards). Even if she tries so hard to be good, nice, and benevolent, she is still prone to human emotions. It would have been much better (in my opinion) if they just painted the event from her perspective and didn't changed that much. She had a bad day, her friends (who are basically her little sisters) killed by disrespectful mortals, and she went to confront the mortals in a non-violent way (she probably brought the scythe for protection or intimidation) only for the mortals responsible to STRAIGHT UP DISRESPECT her, her role, and the land that they reside in. Disrespecting the beings responsible for the life and food you need is not only stupid but also ungrateful. RS could have made Persephone fully aware of what she is doing but still doing it because FUCK IT she's in angry Big Sister Mode now. She witnessed her friends/sisters die and the last thing she said is for them to leave her alone and the people responsible aren't even sorry and apparently, they promised that they wouldn't defile that land. She is fully aware of what she did and that just makes her more guilty. She does not have an excuse but she at least has a very valid reason. In short, RS should have just made the Act of Wrath a conscious thing and used the Act of Wrath as a reason of why you should not mess with Persephone or the people she cares about. It could have been a sign that she would make a good Queen of the Dead. She is kind and caring but you shouldn't mess with her or the people she cares for. It also makes her guilt even worse because again she is fully aware of what she is doing and that it's wrong but still did it. Like the only difference from Helios' version and hers would just be that there was no giant tree and that the mortals disrespected her first.

And lastly, I am kind of getting tired of HxP fics that makes Demeter the bad guy or depicts Perse and Demeter as having a strained relationship. Where is my Mommy's Girl Persephone who just love the attention her mother gives her and basks in it? Where is Demeter that understands that her daughter is a person but is still endearingly overprotective? Do these people know that you can have a very functional relationship while still being on good terms with you mommy dearest.

Like I want an HxP fic that features a really close bond between Persephone and Demeter. Where Hades has to step up his game to not only earn his love's affection but her mother's approval and trust as well. I want an HxP fic where Persephone is perfectly happy with her place at her mother's side, where she helps out her mother and is doing a damn good job with it. I want a story that shows Persephone as a cute, UwU, and just a really nice Goddess and the fact that she is a Good and Loving Goddess is the reason why you shouldn't mess with her. She loves her friends and if you mess with them, you become the very thing that will help plants grow (aka fertilizer). I want Demeter to be like "So proud of you, sweetie".

When Hades comes along, he helps Persephone see the world beyond her mother's fields. Persephone could realise that even though she is happy at her mother's side, she also wants to live outside of her mother's shadow by doing spring. Then it's just Hades and Persephone being Underworld's Power Couple, Elysium for the good is made, the Erinyes established with Persephone as their mistress, Persephone sic'ing the Furies onto the people who deserve it, and they still manage to be the most functional and sweetest couple in the entire Greek Pantheon.

I imagine the Winter part is because both Demeter and Hades are having a dispute about both of them wanting Persephone with them and Persephone just wants to be with both of them, so she just enlists Stoner Fucker Dad Zeus to help her stage the ENTIRE MYTH OF PERSEPHONE'S KIDNAPPING.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that although I love LO, I do have some problems with it and that even though I may not agree with the some things in this blog, I still enjoy reading through this blog and it did help me want more in LO.

No problem and thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!