#persi's practicing

[simple-persica]

I got sick and tired of not knowing how to draw animals so...I sat myself down and actually did something about it

[cherryblossomsatsea]

Can’t stop thinking about modern!Rilla who starts a skincare brand with Una Meredith and they 100% make it to the top.

(Bonus points for Persis Ford marketing them all the way to the moon!)

[artist-regardless]

ive reached the point in guitar where im frustrated and not learning anything and can't stick to any projects pain

[lady-ashfade]

Quick Meeting

Day 18 of celebrating marathon

Platonic! Poseidon & Brother!Persy Jackson x Fem!reader

-♡ ask: poseidon x reader... him saving her and Percy from some monster, and in the end family moment

-♡ this is so bad and I apologize. And it was rushed. (Update this is the worst thing I have ever written)

-♡ warnings: short, family moments, family problems too, idk what this is but I tried.

“Just take my hand.” You scream and grab your younger brothers hand and tug him with you. You’d be damn if he was left behind or you weren’t with him, this monster was ruthless.

the monster roared behind you both and shook the ground with it’s footsteps. you could practically smell the gross air coming from its mouth. monster didn’t have dental hygiene to your knowledge and this one definitely need it.

“Percy, get in front of me.” You practically throw him in front of you and slow yourself down and reach for a weapon of your own. “You run as fast as you can.”

“Like hell I’ll leave you.” He turns and huffs from exhaustion from all the running.

“I’m older so you have to listen to me. Plus, I can buy us some time..” you come to a stop and glare at the beast rushing towards you. Percy tried to pull you from your still placement but you didn’t allow him.

Honestly it all happened so fast.

Water come from no where and covered the ground, you both lost sight of the beast before the waves pushed you both back. Your instinct was to look around for Percy as soon as the water leveled itself and you found him coughing and slowly getting up with his clothes soaked.

You rush to him and pat his back, “what did you do?” You ask amazed and surprised. He looked up at you with his skin covered in water and tilts his head, “Me? I thought that was you.”

Turning around slowly at the sound of footsteps against the water and expecting to see the beast return to attack you. But you didn’t find the giant creature but a man. A normal looking man. Percy pulled away slowly from your arms and looked at the man like he knew him.

Then it clicked when you stared into his eyes…you knew those eyes from a distance dream. And you knew that smile, Percy had one similar.

“Dad?” Your voice was cracked and slight terrified.

Percy looked at you and realized you have never met him before. And Poseidon was memorized by the sight of you for the first time since you were younger and running after your brother.

“You both like to get into trouble don’t you?” His smirk was almost proud.

“That’s the life of a half-blood.” You walked to your brother and closer to the god you called your father. You thought he would be scary, but he looked like a normal dude. Though, that didn’t stop your stomach from getting upset with nerves.

He looked down at you with admiration in his eyes, Percy let you both have this moment like he did.

“You look just like your mother.” The closer he got the more you wanted to embrace him and cry, or punch him and cry.

“I clearly got the looks.” You poked fun at Percy and he playfully rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath.

“You’re both very lucky I got here in time for you would have been food,” he looks back at the knocked out creature on the ground. “He’s going back to where he belongs, I suggest you both do that same.” You both look at each other and then back at him.

“But I am very proud of you both. Know that.” You reach out to touch him but he disappears with a shining light with the monster. You sigh and stare where he used to be and feel disappointed, there was still so much you wanted to ask.

“He didn’t drop you through the floor. Better then my first time.”

[unoislazy]

I lied to all of you, Hiccup later, Mizu now!

Spar With Me

Mizu x Reader

Disclaimer; Possible spoilers.

Mizu will be referred to as “he/him” since the reader won’t know her secret at this point in time.

I can’t guarantee this will be completely in character, I’m still learning more about the characters so bear with me.

Part Two

Part Three

————————————————————

You had been traveling alongside Mizu and Ringo for a fair amount of time. You had been haphazardly picked up along the way, very much to Mizu’s dismay. The only reason you were allowed to tag along was your fighting skills. Your skills were no wear near Mizu’s level, not many people would be, but you were able to do enough that if the need arose, you’d be able to form some sort of protection for yourself and possibly Ringo.

But you wanted to learn more.

You didn’t want to do like Ringo and become a Samurai, it should be clear to anyone that Mizu was not a samurai, you wanted to learn how to fight. Throughout your travels with the two you watched how the man practically danced with a sword, the elegance as he leapt through the air and sliced up men with ease. The sword seems to be a sort of extension of him, of his arm, or his heart. When he wielded the sword it was like they were connected more than just physically.

You didn’t understand it well but you wanted to learn.

You had your reasons for wanting to fight. You didn’t want to learn in the name of tyranny or even greed, you wanted to learn to prevent a situation from happening ever again.

When you were younger, you certainly weren’t the most popular kid in your village. You never truly did much to attract attention so people often never really batted an eye to your presence. However, that meant no one truly noticed when you would walk around with several visible injuries some days after being picked on by some of the other village kids.

They didn’t pick on you for any other reason than they were bored and they knew they wouldn’t face any consequences if they went after you.

And they were right.

You tried your hardest to fight back but they were always a step ahead of you. So from then on you knew you wanted to learn how to fight, if not to protect yourself then maybe to have the hopes of one day protecting someone else.

You all continued to travel in complete silence, the snow lightly crunching beneath yours and Mizu’s feet. The only thing giving away Ringo's position was the bell that was wrapped around his foot. You looked down at his bell and smiled, it was almost like putting a collar on a pet, it was kind of funny to you. Ringo turned to you, noticing you looking at the bell and he excitedly smiled.

“Do you like it? Master gave it to me, he says I’m too sneaky so now he knows where I am at all times!” He loudly exclaimed, you think he was trying to whisper but he was obviously doing horribly at it. Mizu, who was walking a few steps ahead of you two, gave you a slight glance over the shoulder. You didn’t really notice as you were still smiling at Ringo, you enjoyed his ever optimistic demeanor on everything, it was so different from everyone else’s dreary lives and it gave you a reason to smile.

Ringo leaned over to you, trying his best to lower his voice but he still said everything quite loud.

“Maybe master will give you one too! That way we can both be sneaky apprentices.” He whispered, causing you to burst out laughing.

“Me? Get a bell?” You laughed before continuing, “I’m not going to call the man my master, I have no reason to.” You stated pretty plainly, which obviously confused Ringo.

“You want to learn how to fight, yes?”

“Yeah.”

“And you want to learn from Mizu, right?”

You nodded your head agreeing with him before realizing what he was getting at.

“So then Mizu is your master!”

“Woah, no way.” You argued, now crossing your arms with your head raised high.

You had your issues with calling some man your master. Especially one that barely gave you the time of day. Plus, if it wasn’t for your persistence and Ringo's persuasion, he would’ve left you on that street corner where he found you.

But he didn’t.

He instead let you travel along like a stray dog, following him around on his dark mission that you felt no need to ask about. You had talked to him maybe a handful of times before but he clearly didn’t want to give you the idea that he wanted you around. You were welcomed here, but with very cold and rigid arms instead of nice warm ones.

You might’ve been following him like a stray dog but you’re no pet.

And so you refuse to get that stupid bell.

“Why don’t you want to be Masters apprentice? I’d say it’s very fun, I get to do stuff for him all the time!” Ringo said, it was obvious he was trying to persuade you in some way.

“Well my friend, I think that position is occupied, number one. And number two, I want to learn how to fight, that’s it. I don’t want to learn the ins and outs of being a samurai. I’m simply hoping Mizu will teach me, as a friend.” You explained, it seemed this finally clicked with Ringo, but then you watched as his face contorted into more confusion by your answer.

Before he could ask, Mizu abruptly turned to the both of you and simply stated,

“It’s getting late, we should rest here.”

You both nodded as Mizu walked off in some random direction with Ringo following him. You however, took a moment to just stare at the already dark night sky. You hadn’t realized just how long you had been traveling, and you were a bit peeved that you had missed seeing the sunset. Although it’s not like you would’ve really been able to see it anyways, you were currently deep into a forest, surrounded by hundreds of trees with no clear direction in any which way.

Speaking of not knowing your direction, you quickly looked back down and spotted Ringo, quickly following after him as to not get left behind. If they had left you you would’ve been screwed, you have no idea where you are, or how to get out of the forest, not to mention there’s usually many dangers in the woods that you’re not yet prepared to deal with.

It didn’t take long for a fire to get set up and for Ringo to start cooking. He might not have made the world's best soba, but you’d argue it was pretty high up there. You and Mizu sat quietly by the fire, not really saying a word to each other as you stared at the scorching flames before you.

You wanted to ask if you could try training, while you’re both not doing anything, you wanted to try.

But you were almost afraid of Mizu. His stoic demeanor often sent shivers down your spine especially when he had such a stern tone of voice.

Well it’s now or never.

“Hey Mizu?” You began. You could see him just barely out of your peripheral vision. He turned his head ever so slightly to look at you, but you didn’t want to look back as you continued,

“Before Ringo finishes the food, would you mind sparring with me?” You asked. Mizu stared at you for a moment before looking back to the tree he had been looking at before. Maybe he was thinking about his answer?

Your eyes slowly crept over to look at him from the side. He didn’t really make a move to give you an answer, he simply sat there, thinking.

“It can double as extra training for you. Obviously not to your level, but you can use me as a warm up.” You persisted, now fully looking at him. You stared at him for a moment, he was probably in the most relaxed position you ever have, or ever would see him in. He rested one of his arms on his knee with his back against the tree trunk that lay behind himself. His dark hair was in its usual top knot and his glasses remained on and pushed up.

You didn’t know why he wore those glasses, you had never seen him take them off, and you had never seen behind them. Maybe he just really enjoyed wearing them, maybe a family heirloom?

Well, from what you knew about the man, his family definitely wasn’t something he’d want to honor with an heirloom. Plus, they seemed more of a newer style of glasses so there goes that idea.

After staring for what was in reality, maybe ten seconds, you looked away. If he wasn’t going to train you then who was, why were you even here if he wasn’t going to give you a chance. Were you seriously just along to be Ringo's makeshift bodyguard? Seriou-

“Fine, get up.”

You looked confused, being snapped out of your thoughts so abruptly had you thinking you completely made up what you thought you just heard.

“Do you want to learn or not?” Mizu asked, now standing before you, looking down at you as he waited for your answer. You nodded eagerly, quickly standing up and following Mizu just a little ways away from the fire.

It wasn’t like the forest was pitch black, you could still see thanks to the bright moonlight, it was just a little bit harder.

Mizu stopped in a little open area, just enough room for a fight to take place. You looked back, seeing that the fire wasn’t too far but It was enough that you couldn’t exactly see what Ringo was doing because of the trees that blocked your vision.

You stood a little ways away from Mizu, getting into a fighting stance, unarmed. You knew how to use a katana and naginata very loosely, but you wanted to just start with hand to hand. You knew Mizu could easily kill you if he wanted to regardless of what the fighting style was, but you trusted him even the slightest bit to not commit to ending your life.

Now you both stood quietly before each other. Both in fighting positions as you waited for the other one to move. If you were to attack first you were far enough away to give Mizu time to counter you. If Mizu attacked first, you might have time to counter or dodge but you weren’t going to get very far.

So, without another thought, you charged at Mizu. He waited for a moment before doing the same, and just as you were about to swing, he threw snow right in your face.

“Hey!” You shouted, wiping the snow out of your eyes before looking up and seeing Mizu sending a punch right for your face. You successfully dodged underneath and swung your leg to send Mizu off balance.

“You must be ready to use all the elements to your advantage.” He instructed, easily jumping out of the way of your kick and backing away. You quickly got up, dodging another one of his kicks before going in for a punch. You sent too much momentum into it which left you way too open and vulnerable leading Mizu to easily knock you off balance.

It was clear he wasn’t going to hurt you, just humiliate you for your lack of understanding of how to fight.

You fell to the ground, looking up at Mizu who was just staring at you, waiting for you to make your next move.

You two continued to fight for some time and you honestly could have sworn that you saw him smile a few times. Sure it might’ve been at your expense but you still felt proud enough to achieve such a feat.

You were slowly but surely getting the hang of it as you went.

Or so you thought.

You had gotten yourself into a position where you had a full plan of attack, but it seemed like Mizu was already eight steps ahead of you because with one simple move, he had knocked you down, now pinning you to the cold and snowy ground.

You struggled beneath his grip, trying to find a way out to attack but it was no use. He was indeed a lot stronger than you.

“Stop fussing, you lost.” He stated with what you could have sworn was a teasing smile. Fighting really brought out a different person in Mizu and honestly you didn’t mind it. It felt as if you two had finally started to get to know each other, even if it was just through a series of dodges and snarky remarks. It took you a few moments to realize he was actually straddling you, very tightly one might add. His hands were firmly holding down your hands and it was clear he was not going to budge.

You couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by the current situation you were in. It was nothing short of humiliating to practically beg to fight someone only to wind up underneath them, but you also couldn’t help but admit you also felt embarrassed for other reasons.

You looked up at him, and it was just then you noticed that his glasses had fallen off. You didn’t know when, you didn’t know where, all you knew was now you were staring at a pair of bright blue eyes that seemed to be watching you in amusement.

He watched as your face changed from a sour expression to one of confusion,

“What’s wrong, can’t handle losing?” He teased, nearing you ever so slightly.

That was until you muttered,

“Your… eyes.”

With those two words, Mizu’s amused expression dropped suddenly and he jumped off of you and faced away in a matter of seconds. He quickly grabbed his glasses that had gotten thrown off during one of his many expert maneuvers.

You sat up, now staring at the back of the makeshift samurai who didn’t utter another word.

You had heard stories of ‘the demon eyes’ when you were a kid, everyone did. You might’ve believed those stories when you were younger but here stands someone with those ‘demon eyes’ and you saw nothing more than just a very scarred individual. Sure, Mizu was scary good at wielding weapons, but that wasn’t some demonic power, that was pure skill, and you admired him for it endlessly despite never wanting to admit that outloud.

You both sat in silence, you leaning on your hands and Mizu, sitting with his legs crossed and his back towards you. After a moment of just sitting you took a breath in, as you did so you noticed Mizu’s head lower ever so slightly as if he was preparing to hear or feel something he had heard before.

Your eyes softened as you stated,

“Your eyes�� they’re very pretty.” You complimented. You could see Mizu freeze for a moment as you stood up, walking just up behind him.

You couldn’t imagine the amount of stuff he had gone through throughout his life, having to deal with people treating him differently for something he couldn’t control. You didn’t need his whole life story to know it was probably rough. It didn’t take a genius to know that considering where you are, sitting in the middle of the woods as the man before you continued to try to track down certain people for a reason unbeknownst to you.

Mizu continued to sit in silence as you kneeled down just behind him, you reached out your arm to touch his shoulder but you hesitated for a moment. Maybe you shouldn’t, maybe you should just leave him alone, it’s clear he is not comfortable.

You just wanted to show him some kind of comfort, even if it was just in the sense of one little shoulder touch, so that’s what you did. Your hand ever so gently rested on his shoulder before you quietly muttered,

“I mean it.”

Mizu’s head ever so slightly turned towards your direction, but before he could say or do anything you took your hand off of him and quickly stood up, quietly rushing back to Ringo who was still carefully preparing your food.

It was only a few more minutes before Mizu followed behind you, making his way towards the fire. Neither of you mentioned what had just happened and you continued to sit in silence just as you had done before. It was as if all the progress you had made to getting to know him while fighting, had gone down the drain.

Until you heard him quietly mutter,

“Thank you.”

[whencyclopedia]

From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire

"From Cyrus to Alexander" by Pierre Briant offers a detailed history of the Persian Empire, focusing on its administration, culture, and military. Briant highlights Persia’s innovations in governance and its tolerant, multicultural approach. The book challenges traditional Greek-centric views, presenting Persia as a complex and influential empire with a lasting historical legacy.

Pierre Briant’s From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire is widely considered the definitive modern history of the Persian Empire. The book covers its origins under Cyrus the Great through its conquest by Alexander the Great. Originally published in French as Histoire de l’Empire Perse in 1996, the English translation made this monumental work accessible to a wider audience, expanding its influence in Near Eastern studies, ancient history, and comparative empires.

Briant’s book stands out for its focus on presenting the Persian Empire as an autonomous civilization rather than through the perspective of its Greek rivals. Historically, much of what Western scholars knew about the Persian Empire came from Greek sources like Herodotus, who often cast Persia as a monolithic enemy. By situating Persia at the center of its own narrative and making extensive use of archaeological findings, inscriptions, and administrative records, Briant counters this Eurocentric bias and offers a view of Persia as a sophisticated, multiethnic empire that left a significant legacy of governance, culture, and trade.

Briant structures the book in a way that mirrors the breadth of the Persian Empire, dedicating each section to a different aspect of the empire’s history, politics, economy, society, and culture. The organisation of the book reflects his emphasis on a systemic, comprehensive examination of the empire.

The early chapters detail Cyrus the Great’s conquests and policies of tolerance, which established a stable, expansive empire. Briant also examines governance, highlighting the balance between central control and local autonomy, the role of satraps, and the unifying use of Aramaic as an administrative lingua franca. Moreover, he analyses the Persian military apparatus, from its elite units like the Immortals to the logistical organisation enabling vast mobilizations by the Persians. He contextualises major conflicts, including the Persian Wars as part of a strategy to stabilize borders and secure valuable territories, rather than dominate all of Greece.

The book also dedicates significant attention to the Persian economy, exploring the empire’s agrarian base, trade networks, and taxation system. He shows how Persia’s economic policies were designed to support both the imperial treasury and local economies, creating a sustainable model that contributed to the empire’s longevity. The culture and religion section highlights Persia’s promotion of cultural integration and religious diversity. Briant shows how Persian art blended regional styles to symbolize royal authority and examines how Zoroastrian traditions coexisted with support for local religions, fostering loyalty among subjects.

One of Briant’s central arguments is that the Persian Empire’s strength lay in its policy of tolerance and inclusion. By allowing conquered peoples to retain their religious practices, local laws, and leaders, the Persians created a sense of allegiance that went beyond military domination. He also highlights the Persian administrative system as a model for later empires, like the Roman and Islamic. Innovations such as standardized taxation, the Royal Road, and an organised postal system enabled centralised yet flexible governance. His analysis of satrapies shows how Persia balanced regional autonomy with loyalty to central authority.

The book repositions the Persian Empire within a global context, highlighting its role in economic and cultural exchange across Asia and the Mediterranean. Through trade and diplomacy with regions like Egypt and Greece, Persia facilitated the flow of ideas and technologies, serving as a prototype for managing diverse populations and complex trade networks.

From Cyrus to Alexander is widely praised for its depth but critiqued for its daunting length and scholarly density. While excelling in its analysis of Persian administration and politics, it offers limited insight into the daily lives of ordinary Persians, focusing more on imperial strategies than social and cultural history.

This monumental work offers a detailed and balanced account of the Persian Empire, redefining its role in world history. Briant’s focus on understanding Persia on its own terms provides valuable insights into its governance, economy, and cultural integration, making it an essential resource for ancient Near Eastern studies.

Continue reading...

[katerinaaqu]

I’m nodding along with your posts cause the thunder saga ending just didn’t sit well with me at all. I feel like once again Odysseus is being characterized as a villain and a totally ruthless, selfish person when that’s just NOT who he is in the Homeric myths. I really enjoyed the start of the musical and I admire Jay’s talent for making music. But it’s missing Odysseus’ character by a long shot and it’s missing the heart of the Odyssey

It wouldn't be the first time. Many post-homeric sources depicted Odysseus as an amoral bastard who would sell anything and anyone to achieve his goals. For instance post-homeric sources have HIM instead of the will of the gods be the one to orchestrate the sacrifice of Iphigenia and leading her to the altar.

Unfortunately Odysseus seems like free game to be turned into the villain of the story since antiquity. And that is because his methods were going against what ancient Greeks considered honorable (aka direct fight) so they strifed to use Odysseus as an example of what one shouldn't be doing plus many who created anti-war plays like Eurypedes wanted Odysseus as the symbol of anything going under the table in a war. Basically the shady aspects of war. In a way it made sense in antiquity even if it was overplayed.

Romans were also divided but many depicted Odysseus as the absolute villain because he is the taker of Troy. The ancient Roman progenitor is Aeneas who runs away from Troy after the massacre. In a way Odysseus is portrayed as the villain by the romans because he took their mythological ancestral city.

However indeed what bothers me is that this musical was not supposed to be some rewrite of Odysseus's persona. It was supposed to be an adaptation from HOMER'S Odyssey and homeric Odysseus is in my opinion the most solid Odysseus. He is not a goodie guy of course. He has tons of flaws and he made many gray decisions but he was still the hero. Not the lowkey villain. He was incredibly loyal to his friends and crew and didn't abandon them before any danger.

The Musical I think ruined his potential. Not just the thunder saga but almost everything from the end of Storm till now. Odysseus does not speak his name to Polyphemus out of his fatigue anger and insult after a week of seclusion and torture. He speaks it out of spite because he just lost his friend (that same friend that was killed off for the sakes of dramatics given that Polites is mentioned only once in the homeric poems and that is on Circe's island), he doesn't sell himself to Circe to save his men apparently no price needed to be paid. He didn't remain a slave for one year close to her. He doesn't get strikes by guilt by ACTUALLY talking to his mother in the underworld or by fear by talking to Achilles or by doubt by talking to Agamemnon. He gets zero definitive answers from Tiresias. He gets no advice from Circe he gets not his experience with Sirens. He didn't gear up to protec his men from Skylla even if Circe told him not to because she was immortal and there would be no point...

Why would anyone claim that they make an adaptation if they do not follow literally anything from the plot?

I absolutely agree. I got my hopes way too high at Troy saga because I loved the way he actually used the Iliou Persis half-saved phrase and turned it into an amazing dilemma. Those first songs were amazing and spoke volumes for the characters. However the more we move in the more disappointed I get.

Yes I still feel happy that a fellow artist shows such passion over music and how he started everything by himself and all but now I feel like he just seeks to change everything from the original and I fail to see why...why must this potential masterpiece be turned into yet another "loosely based on" thing like every typical mainstream Hollywood film? I think my expectation at first increased my disappointment now.

Quite frankly I got a glimpse of Calypso too and they seem they want to turn the story of the poor man practically being raped for 7 years and held prisoner into a bubbly romcom...seriously no...

[asrielmerrymoon]

everybody meet Persi the dragon! She’s just a silly sona I made for design practice.

[t0bythebat]

dhmis oddtober day 2- camera!

prompts made my @persy-r-bozo (SORRY I KEEP TAGGING YOU)

i figured i needed more greyscale practice 🤷

roy’s yelling at people for putting memes in general if you’re wondering why he’s pissed

[dont-hug-me-its-yuri]

day 8 of Dhmis Oddtober: Computer :) (a.k.a design practice)

(@persy-r-bozo)

[simple-persica]

I'm sure other horse girls can understand.

[ashennightingale]

some initial practice / slight redesign work for my weird lil guy, reverence 💗 who is definitely a normal cleric of tymora and not a thief. Definitely

(im posting old art! — july 2022)

initial adopt designed by persi jaye | pose & cloak refs from @jookpubstock

[fromabasementonthehilll]

Teeth (pt. 2)

͙⁺･༓☾ - Summary: Following your attack, you ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎sought answers from Shauna, who had ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎distanced herself from you.

Pairing: Vampire!Shauna Shipman x fem!‎ ‎‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‎ ‎‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎reader

Warnings: mention of injury

(Part one)

∘₊✧────────────────────✧₊∘

Friends and family visited you after your attack, bringing you flowers, gifts and chocolate. It was a couple weeks until you could finally go home, most of your days were spent with aching and bore.

After everything that happened you were left dazed, Shauna had left town in time for autumn break - leaving you with no explanation, she hasn't reached out to you ever since.

You remembered the ambulance sirens, flashing red and blue lights brightening the forest path as your eyes rapidly searched for an answer, for Shauna. After she had left you, you laid on the forest floor as if arrows in your back and sides had been shot into you - giving up into her sharp edges, too weak to stand. That was until the ambulance had found you and taken you into an emergency room.

-

"How are you doing today?" Your doctor asked with a clipboard in his hand.

"I'm fine, same as usual." You gave a warming look to the doctor, who had checked up on you regularly.

"I have some news for you (y/n), we're releasing you today, just finalising a couple tests and then you're good to go." He glanced up at you, waiting for your response.

"Really? I get to go home?" You were startled, almost in disbelief. You sat up with curiosity.

"Yes, you do. I called your parents for you they should be here in a couple of hours. A few things you need to keep notice of though - take your medication twice daily and limit physical activity, we don't want you landing back in here, we've already informed your soccer coach." He said, handing you fresh clothes to change back into.

You grimaced, knowing that skipping soccer practice would lead to less time with Shauna, as if you were even prepared to see her.

"Look, I know it isn't the greatest situation, but considering your wounds it's best you lay it off for a while." He was right. The few times you had walked around the hospital it hurt so badly that eventually you just gave up, opting to lay in the hospital bed the entire time instead. The meds were working, though you'd for sure have a scar somewhere.

-

It was a week until school began again, this was by far the worst autumn break you had ever been through. Thankfully, though, your friends had agreed to have sleepovers at your house to save you the trouble.

"(y/n) there's no way you don't remember at least little bit," Van stated, followed by stares from a couple other girls who had situated themselves on your floor.

"Guys, I'm telling you, I basically blacked out." You laughed it off, trying your hardest to convince them, but you could tell they knew something was off.

"Okay we'll stop annoying you, has Shauna visited? She's been gone for ages." Tai complained.

"No, she hasn't." Was all you managed to say, distinctly uneasy.

"Oh I'm sorry (y/n), she does care about you though, you know, she asked me if you were okay." Lottie looked towards you with a cautious expression, sitting next to you on your bed.

"She talked to you?" The frustration in your voice was too announced, you backed down as you watched Lottie give you an apologetic glance.

"Yeah she called me a couple days ago, it's weird she hasn't called you, I'm sure she will."

"No, yeah, obviously."

-

At school you were stuck on the bench, helping Coach Scott with setting up gear and having to spend practice listening to Misty asking you repeatedly about your wounds and your attack in general, you were amazed by how persistent she was, wishing you could give an answer to any of her questions. You eyed Shauna as she played, often coming up to her after practice in attempt to talk to her - resulting in her nonchalantly brushing you off as if nothing ever happened.

Questions surrounded you, 'did a wolf bite you?' 'how did it happen?' 'what happened?' And keeping up the constant facade of 'blacking out' became uncontainable, you had to tell someone, after all - you were alone in this. Shauna had left you and your friends were oblivious. You'd made your mind up, you would tell Lottie; you could trust her with anything, and she was most likely to believe you anyway.

So after class, you came up to her, hanging one hand off of your backpack strap and sheepishly looking up at her.

"Hey Lot."

"What's up?" She said, grinning and leaning against her locker after shutting it.

"Look, I need to tell you something, it's about Shauna." Doubt began creeping up on you, unsure if you should actually tell her, though you persisted through it.

Awaiting for a response, you noticed her eyebrows furrow as she looked at something behind you.

It was Shauna, she stood over your shoulder scarce in confidence, tilting her head for you to follow her into one of the bathroom stalls. You sighed, choosing to trail behind her in hope she would talk.

You glanced at Lottie in annoyance, she just shrugged back at you with a confused look that gave you no reassurance whatsoever.

-

Locking the bathroom stall, Shauna spoke her first genuine words to you after an entire month, her voice breaking quietly.

"(y/n)."

"What the fuck is wrong with you? You didn't even check up on me, you could've at least called!" Everything came out of you, all of your pent up anger and frustration, you almost shouted at her as she crossed her arms shyly.

"I'm sorry, I really I am, I called Lottie to check-"

"So? You could've called me." You said sternly, giving her no room to speak.

Shauna gave you a contrite look, lowering her head to the ground and sucking her lips in. "I know, I was just scared,"

"I won't tell anyone if that's what you're asking."

"No I trust you (y/n), it didn't even cross my mind. It's just.." Desperation took over her words, crawling over towards you too and filling your emotions.

"I was afraid you wouldn't like me anymore."

You retracted your anger, overcome by her sincerity, eyebrows chasing your forehead.

"I just wished you'd talk to me," It suddenly became quiet, your words turned into somewhat of a whine, eyes begging her to finally acknowledge you.

"I really missed you Shauna."

"I missed you more, (y/n)."

She leaned over you, placing her soft hands on your face, scanning you up and down.

"Come to the Halloween party, it'll be fun," She spoke, rubbing your cheek with the gentle touch she hasn't given you in what felt like forever. "I promise I'll explain everything to you, just give me some time." She followed, you smiled at her uneasily, as you nodded before she made her way back to class.

You were glad that she had talked to you, that she actually faced you instead of looking the other way, though it happened too suddenly, as if she had something else to hide; it unsettled you. Despite that you had decided to go to the party, it gave you a chance to go out for the first time this month, a break from everything. And besides, there would be tons of people there, including your friends.

-

"So what happened? Did she apologise for ignoring her best friend after a violent animal attack?" Lottie sneered with sarcasm trailing her voice, red solo cup tight in her hand. It was the night of the Halloween party and Shauna was nowhere to be seen, not to your surprise.

"Sort of, we're okay now though, I think." You spoke unsurely before holding a cigarette up to your lips. The air blew your hair uncomfortably, heavy with the cold autumn.

"You think?" Lottie asked, fixing your hair back into place while giving you a sip of her drink.

"She's acting strange lately, I'm not mad at her though, she was busy." You said lightly, shrugging your shoulders at your own words.

"Whatever you say, (y/n)," She followed your demeanour, not wanting to add to your stress.

"What were you going to tell me, by the way?" All of a sudden you remembered, the time you left Lottie hanging right before you had decided to tell her that Shauna is a literal vampire. "Nothing, I don't even remember myself" you laughed, taking another hit from the cigarette.

A moment passed, you noticed Jackie talking to Shauna, and excused yourself from Lottie.

"Shauna, what the hell?" You walked up to her with everlasting annoyance, "Heyyy (y/n), you showed up!" Jackie fell onto you, alcohol exuding out of her slurred speech. "How are you holding up?" She followed, Shauna peered at you with a hangdog look. "I'm okay, thanks Jackie." She simply nodded at you, beaming with a drunk smile before trailing off with Jeff.

"What's wrong?" Shauna asked with a newfound unsolicited audacity, as if she had no clue as to what was going on.

"You invited me to this party and yet you've been gone all night," You cried, "I shouldn't even be here, doctors orders."

"Shit I'm really sorry (y/n), I was going to-"

"Either you talk to me or were done." Tears harboured in your eyes, something inside of you yearned for her violence to win again, her teeth to sink into you, just so you could spend more than a minute with her.

"Okay, I know," Her eyes panned your surroundings, looking for a desolate spot so that she could talk to you without bearing the stares of others, "Come with me."

You followed her into the woods, wandering away from the party, the bonfire barely illuminating your face.

"Look, I told you, I'm-"

"A vampire, I know, but how? How does that even happen, it doesn't make any sense."

You used your spare time at the hospital to linger around the word, what it even meant, and what it meant for Shauna. You hadn't come across anything like it before. Your only choice was to believe it, there was no other explanation for it, though you still needed more from her.

"I don't know either, (y/n). Trust me if I knew I'd tell you, I'm just as confused as you are."

The pale look on her face gave you a distaste in your mouth, all of a sudden the curiosity left your body, and the urge to comfort her was never stronger.

"I cant control it, (y/n), god I wish I could but I just had to keep you safe."

The guilt she had felt was coming over you instead, as you realised how harsh you had been, it really wasn't her choice after all. The bigger picture formed in your mind, how she senselessly attacked you out of her pure nature and how she avoided you due to your injuries solely for your own benefit.

"Shauna,"

A heartache filled you, an unpunishable need to give in. The tension within the air was indescribable and you were a subject to its pressure, glancing up at Shauna with dark eyes.

Your hands wrapped around her slowly; grabbing onto the back of her neck. She was cold blooded, you were warm blooded, you processed her words rapidly and all she wanted was for you to understand.

It was unfair, how she could guilt you into feeling sorry for her all of a sudden, and you were filled with insoluble rage that you sought to take out on her, though inevitably something got in the way, a feeling you've felt before.

"I cant do this, (y/n)." She whispered down to you, as you were only inches away from her.

She hated not being in control, it filled here with unconditional fear that she would hurt you or others - you sensed it.

"I know,"

"It's not right."

"I know."

Amidst the dark, her face was so close to yours that you could smell her sandalwood fragrance, as much as you yearned to gaze at her revealing face, you broke the space between you two. she gave into your touch - her urge was stronger than her resistance and you knew it, and all of a sudden you were grazed by her serrated teeth, they moved their way down to your jaw, and then your neck.

You felt them sink into you, softly yet violently, a hint of bitter alcohol in her breath.

You pushed her off, quivering your lips in admission of guilt.

"Fuck, I'm sorry." Shauna apologised, rubbing her eyes in disappointment towards herself.

"Hey, it's okay it's not your fault," You wiped your neck to rid the slight bite. "We'll figure it out, I promise." You offered a shy smile.

She grinned at you, lowering her head to the ground. You knew how she felt, it saddened you to think that she'd ever have doubt in you.

-

You had told some of your friends about you and Shauna, not the full thing, of course, though it felt like a relief to be able to be open about this part of your life.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, you'd have to tell an occasional lie about the wounds you would have but you didn't mind it, everything finally felt right.

[alabasterpickles]

How would goddesses like Hera, Aphrodite, Artemis, and etc would react to Persephone and Hades being an “item”? 😁

So this is a really really fun question I’ve been thinking a lot about recently!

It’s pretty well established on Olympus that Persephone is a little odd — she doesn’t prefer to hang out with the Olympians and her mom keeps her well enough under wraps that no one, with the exception of a very special few, have ever really had the opportunity to get to know her.

Of course, Persephone does spend most of her time on earth, so she’s bound to meet gods on their daily rounds.

Aphrodite and Persephone tend to work in tandem so I like to think they have a pretty decent relationship. When they cross paths (which is infrequently considering they work in such close proximity, I like to think Demeter tries to keep Persephone as far away from love as possible) they’re friendly.

Hades also targets Aphrodite romantically in the series a lot, so I imagine she’s actually pretty relieved when he finally finds a suitable partner to settle down with (Sidenote, but in their story she’s definitely pulling some strings to make this happen).

Artemis spends as little time as she can manage with other deities, but I imagine she’s also in decent standing with Demeter as the Goddess of the wilds so when it comes to Persephone’s social life, she’s considered safe company. That being said, both Persephone and Artemis are introverted cusses that prefer their solitude to the company of fellow gods, so I don’t think they’d have a deep enough relationship for Artemis to feel one way or the other about Persy’s romance with Hades. She’s real practical. To each her own, she says.

Except, perhaps, Artemis might experience the same general sense of relief as the rest of Olympians now that Hades isn’t mucking around in her business.

As for Hera — I firmly believe she’d be in full support of their union. There’s a lot of benefits to Hades being married; for one, it’s tiresome managing his misbehavior, let alone cleaning up after him. Persephone indirectly curbs his chaotic tendencies, thus he can no longer upset the fragile order of life on Olympus. Giant bonus. Plus, I think as goddess of marriage, she’d genuinely like the idea of Olympus’s loneliest singles finding one another. 🩷

I hope this answers your question, anon!!

[justlikeazzy]

Yo! Wanted to do some posing practice! I honestly really like how this turned out! I just got a bwang of inspiration haha.

Also this is a new guy! He goes by Captain Persi. He’s a pirate captain guy. I never thought I would have a pirate OC, but I stand corrected (And frankly I love him).

He’s so heckin’ fun to draw first of all- Second of all I love his backstory. (Oh btw he’s a shared character between me and @sophiechross)

I should definitely be working on my comic right now, but alas I did this instead. It was worth it so whatever heheh.

[thunderboltfire]

Heya,

what are your OCs' quirks, or habits, special interests, or obsessions, perhaps without them even realising? Something that would make everybody else besides them go, "Uh, weird, but okay"?

Thanks for the ask! :)

As far as the Isaldian crew goes, they have tics, habits and quirks galore, but many of them are a result of past events, and others the results or their upbringing, or professions. However most of them aren't something big enough to draw attention.

The weirdest thing probably would be Igna and Argo's starbound rider-related approach to horses. Starbound riders have a sort of a telepathic bond with their horses, and considering their horses themselves are very clever magical beasts with a mind of their own, they tend to have a somewhat weird approach to them, it may seem a little obsessive at times. They often view their horse as an extension of themselves, which means they are very protective over them and invested in their wellbeing. The two starbound riders present in the story have developed a number of habits that from an outside perspective are at best irresponsible, and at worst seem like some kind of equine-induced delusion.

It makes more sense when You realise they have to deal with an intelligent, almost-sentient animal that can teleport at will. If Aquila or Signae really wants to do something, a stupid halter or a fence won't stop them anyway.

I imagine Signae, being a completely unrestrictable stallion, is an absolute favourite of all kinds of stablemasters.

Hobbies, however are a more difficult question, because I feel like most of my Isaldian OCs don't have too many pasttimes that have purely entertainment value and no practical application, let alone weird ones, unless maybe some of them may seem weird or in contrast to their usual occupation. Many of them have a rather limited baggage space, so there's not much room for additional tools, resources etc.

Igna embroiders, which is something of an extension of her rudimentary crafsmanship and repair skills she uses to maintain and sometimes craft pieces of her equipment. It really developed into something akln to a hobby during her stay in Wirjenów. Interestingly, she wasn't the only one who kept her hands busy this way. Persi, her colleague known from being the only tall redhead among the Kestrels, made probably even bigger contribution to the group's banner than her.

Argo is an hunter. It's a somewhat useful hobby, especially in winter, but also not at all surprising for a knight, as it's traditionally considered to be a way of training and keeping one's martial skillset sharp in the time of peace. What could be considered his special interest is falconry, he knows quite a lot about the technical side of it, easily recognises birds of prey by silhouettes and calls and knows his way around them. Northern elves train various species of birds to do their bidding, from birds of prey to corvids, so he had a lot of contact with them from a young age. It's safe to say though, he has no way to practice it in his way of work.

Everybody agreed that the banner turned out very pretty and the kestrel looks extremely lifelike.

He's also very particular about the type and feathering of his arrows, and usually if he has the opportunity he puts them together himself.

Daen is an alchemist, but he's concerned mainly with the medical application of it. At some point of his life he probably has had a big garden, he's good at things demanding a lot of patience.

As for his habits, he's a little bit of a neat freak. He really hates to stay dirty throughout longer periods of time, and washes his hands very often.

Theria doesn't have a hobby, and she definitely could use one. Haart has a creative mind, but he doesn't have an opportunity to spread his wings. He keeps a tiny sketchbook, though.

You know who has a special interest bordering on an obsession? Yrreth. One of his better traits is that he's extremely curious and investigative, chasing every possible clue that can bring him more understanding of the nature of magic and he's very much convinced that he knows enough about the rules of it that he can either circumvent them or break them and bear the consequences. His purely theoretical groundwork could benefit a lot of magic users. If he wasn't also a warlord, primarily invested in furthering his private agenda and prioritising the future of his people to the detriment of everyone else, that is.