#please my crops are dying and my children starving

[undead-potatoes]

Looked up some height difference poses for Clip Studio bc that shit is hard to draw and some help would be nice, and one of them was literally a 6 cm difference like... bro... am I a joke to you

[hap-less]

When will my boss return from the war (and check his emails).

[bylertruther]

please for the love of wiII byers can you guys put me out of my misery and give me moodboard prompts . my stranger things board has so so so many images and i am so impressionable i go on pinterest.com and get lost in all of the colors and forget everything including my own name please help me my children are starving my crops are dying idk what pairings or characters or aus to do first i set out to do a will moodboard of maximum 9 pictures the other day and ended up downloading 65 and making another folder for mike and el and and and pleas e. on my hands and knees girl HELP wht board should i do first? 😭

[suzuki-ecstar]

please stop posting bald mav my crops are dying my children are starving

[thekidsarentalright]

fall out boy posting on tumblr???? where???/ please give me a link if you have it please my children are starving my crops are dying ect

they posted a few hours ago!! here's the link! and make sure to look in the reflection of the glass to see the fob8 teaser!

[bloominghands]

—- If I get one more fucking add about shaving my balls I’m gonna kermit

[onecanonlife]

today is missing c!wilbur hours

please mr. soot, mr. innit, mr. wastaken, i want to see my beloved

[kingofattolia]

me upset at Her Universe for becoming just another vehicle for mainstream disney princess merch, and making half their stuff in mens sizes instead of being a place dedicated to creating clothes for women as they were originally, and stocking only 4 of every size... but knowing they are still one of the only sources for semi-regular Ahsoka merch: 

[swanwinged-princess]

Completely unrelated to anything besides my own all-consuming love of magical girls but literally whatever happened to that magical couturier show(?)

it was called like piacere couture and the pink one’s transformation was floating around a while ago and it’s still on youtube and it has a website you can go to from the youtube video but a) I can’t read any of it because it’s in Japanese and I don’t have access to google translate rn and b) I haven’t heard anything else about it since… possibly last year. 

Please it looks so cute and the concept of magical girls literally MAKING their own outfits IN their own transformation sequences is so cool and fun and I need SOMETHING non-completely mainstream but nice and genuine and not a gritty/edgy or nasty mess like I was looking forward to 6hearts princess for the longest time but then the anime came out and it turned out it was NASTY and also the op and ed were straight up ripping off heartcatch precure

[childotkw]

Don't do this to us Jordan. My crops are dying, my children are starving, please don't give us anymore snippets for the new CS chapter. I'd rather get cold turkey treatment and enjoy the new chapter in one go than you sprinkling crumbs at us and me licking the floor for a n y t h i n g

What’s this I hear? Another small snippet you want?? Oh, very well, but this shall be the last!

[sparksinthenight]

Letter to Canadian Government about Climate Aid 

My name is _______ and I am a ________ in ______. I am writing to you today to ask that you commit more money to providing aid for the Global South to deal with climate change related disasters. Climate change is already causing havoc to billions of people. We need to invest more money so that we can help save lives and futures.

In the past few years, the Global South has been ravaged by the consequences of climate change. The floods in Pakistan have displaced 50 million people, have destroyed 90% of the crops in Sindh. There have been other huge, horrible floods in Southern and Southeastern Asia these past few years, floods that were absolutely caused and exacerbated by climate change. There have been heatwaves all over the world that have primarily killed the poor and working class. There have been droughts in Africa and Latin America that have devastated food crops and left people thirsty, hungry, and desperate. There have been locust swarms in India and Africa that have devastated crops. There have been hurricanes, typhoons, and other tropical storms that have destroyed homes, schools, crops, roads, hospitals, and other vital infrastructure. There have been landslides that have buried entire villages, killing the residents. Rivers have dried up. The list goes on.

And all of this will only get worse as time goes on. Unless of course we stop all fossil fuel use, extraction, and distribution.

People in the Global South are dying due to climate change, at a rate much higher than people in the Global North are. People in the Global South are losing access to their most basic human rights. They are losing their land, their livelihoods, their lives, their education, their freedom, their health, and so much more. There will be more wars over scarce resources as climate change causes already overstretched resources to dwindle. There will be more child marriages as families lose their land, their livlihoods, and are forced to marry their daughters off so that the children do not starve to death. Millions of children will be pushed out of school by 2030. Human trafficking will increase, is increasing, as increasing numbers of people are becoming desperate enough to fall into the traps that traffickers set.

The Global South has contributed the least to climate change and yet it is them who are bearing and who will bear the brunt of its consequences. The Global North has contributed the most to climate change and yet, though the Global North will face consequences, it will not face as many consequences as the Global South. This is horrifically unfair.

It is evident that the very least we can do is help the people of the Global South to face the acute and chronic disasters that they will face. Canada is not giving enough money to the Global South to help the people deal with the effects of climate change. It is good that we are giving some money, but it is not nearly enough. If it was enough, then people would not be dying from climate change right now. People are dying from climate change right now.

Please have a heart and commit more funds both long term and short term towards helping the Global South against the effects of climate change.

Sincerely,

[fagm77]

@falloutboy S T O P

Its time to stop

Stop

P L E A S E

[curionabang]

all that i want in life is to be able to follow some kl blogs that arent like... antis  because my dash is always about 80% sk, 15% other things, 5% kl but then any time that you find a kl-only blog, you go to the “about” and it’s like “if you ship anything else i am going to personally come to your house and scream at your cats and pee on your lawn” so there’s a definite struggle here 

[jungkookiebus]

A Sacrifice in the Temple of Apollo | kth

Credit for the gif here since the gif search wanted to be difficult.

Genre: mythology, GreekGod!au, smut Pairing: Apollo!Taehyung x mortal!reader Word Count: 4.4k Warnings: mentions of sacrifices to gods (non-graphic), semi-exhibitionism (you’ll see lol), cunnilingus, use of alcohol, intense finger fucking, sex in a religious space Summary: With your village ravaged by famine and plague; crops, livestock, and people are dying. The Temple of Apollo is just up the mountain and sacrifices have been left to no avail. You try to beseech the god yourself and get more than you bargained for.

The day was overcast as you climbed the mountain. Rain drizzled down on you, blanketing your hair and clothes until you were uncomfortable but not quite soaked. Shivering, you trudged forward up the roughly hewn stone steps ignoring the fact that the sandals you had on were too thin for this endeavor. You were desperate and willing to try anything. Below you, your village lay quiet, unnaturally so for this time of year. A sickness had spread through the people, crops, and livestock; effectively killing hundreds in its wake. It had taken your brother months ago. Your mother fell into a depression and your father’s barley crops had withered and died before they could even be harvested. The village was dark, bleak, and lifeless. People milled about in the market as if in a daze, children were starving, men were dying in the roads, and there was no one around to help you. Tears streamed down your face as the steps evened out, got more precise, as you grew closer. The trees in the forest thinned the higher you got. A column towered to your right, holding nothing, but there was a marker showing you that you were getting closer. The Temple of Apollo had been erected here many, many years ago; before you were even born. The steps were strewn with flowers, bug eaten bread, wine, and many other offerings as you climbed the final steps to the temple. Despite the collective effort of the village to offer Apollo the last of their food or drachma, nothing had changed. So, you were here to beg the god to listen. In your bag, you had the finest bottle of wine from your mother’s storeroom and a few coins jingled against the glass. The large, marble temple towered above you. Inside, oil lamps burned dimly, kept up by various villagers afraid to anger the gods further. The statue of Apollo stood, foreboding and intimidating, in the dim light. Expensive rugs, food, goblets, coins, and other various offerings littered the floor at his feet. Inside, it was quiet, eerie, save for the rain now falling harder outside. You looked behind you to see it like a grey wall, coming straight down with no inclination of slowing down. Water dripped from your clothes and your feet blistered in your sandals.

“Apollo,” you whispered, afraid to hear your own voice in the vastness of the temple. You coughed a little as you spoke again. “Apollo. I come here to plead with you. I know many have come before me, begging with you to have mercy on our village. I am sorry I have not come myself, but I am here now to ask for your help. Our crops and people are dying from this strange illness. Never have I heard of both being endangered at once, but please I’ve already lost my brother…”

Your voice caught in your throat; devastation washed over you as you thought about the loss.

The temple was just as quiet as when you walked in.

Then a raven’s call broke the silence. You jumped, turning around to see a raven fly through the sheet of rain, into the temple, and onto the outstretched arm of Apollo. Something brushed against the side of your foot and you looked down to see a thick, long python slithering next to you. Screaming, you fell back on the marble floor, bag landing in your lap as the snake ignored you and lithely slid amongst the offerings to the base of Apollo’s feet where it curled up and settled in as if he belonged there. Both the raven and the snake seemed to be watching the entrance of the temple behind you, unmoving as they looked.

Slowly, you turned your head. Your entire body shook with fear and cold as you breathed heavily, a soft cloud escaping your lips as the temperature dropped. The hair along your neck and arms stood on end as the air became charged and you chocked it up to the storm, but this felt different. The electricity coursing through the air wasn’t any you had felt before. Your chest felt tight and you willed yourself to breathe, but you were afraid that if you did, whatever was causing this would find you.

You looked through the driving rain and saw nothing. Squinting, you looked a little harder. The vague shape of a human was coming up the steps on the mountain. They walked smoothly, but slowly up the steps; in no rush to get out of the pouring rain. The closer they drew, the more you could make the outline of a man, much taller it seemed than the men in the village. Another raven emerged from the rain behind him, calling out as it whipped past his head within centimeters, but he neither ducked out of the way nor cried out as it flew past. It flew into the temple and perched next to the first. You only watched them for a second before you turned back towards the man, closer now as he started to navigate the offerings laid out and ruined on the steps. Your chest burned hotter and hotter as your lungs constricted, too afraid to breathe or move. He stepped through the rain and into the balmy, wet cavern of the temple, completely dry. His tousled, curly hair fell past his eyes and the dark strands kissed the back of his neck softly. His skin was dark and warm. Your breath was taken away as you looked at him. Smooth, unmarred skin disappeared under the soft white tunic that was made of a material you had never seen before. His brown eyes sparkled in the lamp light as he looked down at you. He seemed larger than life inside the temple, completely out of place yet strangely at home within the surroundings. He turned to survey the offerings, smiling as the saw the snake and ravens, before he turned to you and held out his hand. Your back was still to him as you sat frozen, head turned and looking at him. He gestured towards you more emphatically as if you were supposed to know what he wanted. His eyes widened as he looked at you in exasperation and pointed to your bag. Slowly, you swiveled around and with shaking hands opened the bag and pulled the wine from it. Mirth filled his eyes and a wide smile broke out across his face. You felt the warmth from his smile and his skin as he leaned closer to you in order to grab the bottle. Snatching up a goblet close by, he easily popped the cork out with his teeth, spit it to the side, and began pouring. He swirled the wine a little before bringing it to his lips and sipping lightly. He seemed to be in thought as he let the taste roll around on his tongue for a second.

“Tell your mother her wine is excellent,” he said turning his attention to you. “She can use her wine to play kottabos.”

You wanted your mouth to form words but all you could do was stutter as you struggled to think. He turned his head to look around the temple and that was when you saw the laurel wreath nestled in his curls. Some of the leaves looked as if they were freshly grown while some were a solid, thin gold.

“Are you…?” you finally were able to mutter.

He got down on one knee in front of you, forearm rested across it as he leaned into you. He smelled sickly sweet and a little like rain, even though he was completely dry. He stared into your eyes searchingly before his gaze directed to the large statue behind you. One of the ravens gave a single cry as you watched his eyes rake down the statue, past the snake, and back at you.

“Doesn’t really look like me, but I appreciate the effort.”

Could Apollo be right in front of you right now? Or were you so desperate for help that you were hallucinating?

“How do I know it’s you?” you clutched your bag tightly against you.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise and then furrowed as if caught off guard. Surely no mortal meeting a god had questioned their validity before? He let out a low whistle that blew the sweet smell of wine across your face. His eyes flitted to point behind you and once again you were slowly turning your head, unsure of how to prepare yourself for whatever phantom you were about to see. A young girl stepped out from behind the statue and stood next to the python. Beautiful blue robes laid across her shoulders and pooled past her feet. Ornate gold threading depicted Apollo receiving his golden bow and arrows from his father Zeus. Her eyes were as white as milk, but she looked at him as if she could see everything in the room.

“That,” he said pointing to the woman who was as still as a statute, “is the Pythia, Oracle of Delphi.”

Her face was impassive as you looked at her, the soft glow of the lamps lit her features. Her hair was softly braided, thrown over her shoulder, and golden thread was woven within the strands.

“What day is it?”

“Seventh day of the month and the number of Apollo,” he said winking at you. “The only day the Pythia will give prophecy.”

“Can she help us? Can…you help us?” You threw all caution to the wind as you chose to believe the man claiming to be Apollo himself.

“Of course, I can help you,” he said running his finger along your jawline before cupping your chin. He leaned your head back a little as he brought the goblet to your lips. “Now drink, my little bird.”

The familiar taste of your mother’s wine washed into your mouth as you drank, but there seemed to be something different; a taste foreign to your tongue. The tepid liquid ran down your throat and the strange taste seemed to coat it. Your vision blurred a little and your mind buzzed as if you were instantly drunk, but something within you lit like a flame. He smiled when he saw the look in your eyes change and pulled the bag from your lap, ignoring the coins as they clinked together inside. Leaning in close, he pressed his mouth against yours and the heat inside of you seemed fueled by the kiss as it burned hotter. He pulled away, eyes not leaving your swollen lips as his chest rose swiftly.

“You look so much like her…,” he said wistfully as his thumb brushed your bottom lip.

You shivered again from his touch as he placed his open palm against your neck. Heat radiated from him like the sun on a summer day and he seemed to shine just as bright in the dark temple. The flames from the oil lamps created flickering shadows on the walls. The statue shown even bigger and more intimidating in shadow with the two ravens still perched on the arm. His other hand came up to your face as he knelt in front of you, hooded eyes surveying every inch of your face.

“Wine kissed lips,” he whispered, head tilting in thought as he ran his thumbs over your features, “eyes as clear as the sea, skin kissed by Helios, and a face fit for the gods.”

The heat between you grew and amplified, filling every corner of the temple. The fires in the lamps dulled a little and soon the whole room glowed softly and you saw the flames perfectly in his eyes. Swiftly, he grabbed you by the waist and was sitting with you perched on his lap facing him within seconds. The Oracle still stood behind him, eyes distant as she stared out of the door of the temple, unmoving.

“She couldn’t love me,” he continued, “but you can.”

His lips were on your neck as he pulled you closer to him, hands tangling in your hair. He seemed desperate to be closer to you in every way and his breath quickened with each kiss.

Daphne. Eros had shot Apollo and made him fall in love with a nymph. That was who he was talking about; the nymph who turned herself into a laurel tree to escape him. Now that he was here in front of you, you weren’t sure why she would ever want to do that.

“Can you love me?” he asked breathlessly between kisses to your neck, shoulder, and face. He didn’t give you time to answer before his lips were on yours again, pushing your robe from your shoulders and his warm hands were on your ribs, pulling you against him and your breasts rubbed against the soft fabric. You moaned as the sensation made your entire body shiver. His hands were on your lower back now as he slid your hips even further into his and you felt him grow harder amongst the plumes of fabric.

He stopped suddenly, hands still grasping at your skin, chest heaving against yours as he looked up into your eyes. Flames flickered there as his pupils were blown wide with desire. “Will you be the sacrifice that saves your family?”

His question took you off guard, your mind clearing just a little. Were you willing to sacrifice yourself to save others? Hundreds had died and many more would due to famine. You had already lost so much, so what would be one more thing? Nothing.

“Yes.”

Something seemed to transfer from him to you as he devoured you body and soul. It filled you until you thought the feeling would be unbearable, somewhere between pain and pleasure, you were stuck in the balance between the two and you wanted to rupture to alleviate it. Your skin burned hotter than a fever and his lips were hotter still. He kissed the place above your breast as he grabbed your ass and pulled you harder against him. The shadows around you danced dangerously along the walls and vaulted ceiling. This time, you pushed the fabric from his shoulders to reveal a toned chest, the golden honey tone of his face matching perfectly to the rest of a him. A band of gold wrapped around his upper arm and you blearily watched as the muscles flexed beneath it. His mouth was on your nipple and hot pleasure raced across your skin and directly into your core. You felt yourself beginning to drip on the expensive fabric of his robes. He inhaled deeply as he came up from your breast, spit stretched to his lips as he detached and before you knew it his lips were on yours. His tongue was at your lips, darting past your teeth to explore the depths of your mouth. He moaned now, as he deepened the kiss and ground himself up into you as he kept a firm grip on your hips. He dipped his hand into the folds of your clothes and instinctively found your clit. He ran his hand past it, to your folds, to collect the slickness now gathering there and ruining his clothes. He placed two fingers over your clit and began to draw small circles, gradually applying pressure. Your legs quivered and threatened to close against the pleasure, but he kept you spread with his. Fiery red bruises blossomed along your neck and collarbone as he moved his lips anywhere he could reach, sucking and biting as he went. He slid both fingers back and curved them up into you, sliding deliciously in and out until he had your eyes rolling. Your fingers dug into the skin of his shoulders, back arched as you leaned more into him, riding his fingers. He stilled his movements as you began to roll your hips, using him to pleasure yourself. He pushed his thumb against your clit as he sucked your other nipple into his mouth, suckling gently, as he teased the sensitive nerve endings. Tears slipped slowly out of your eyes as your pleasure mounted. He moaned as your body shuddered, close to the edge. Hand completely still, you fucked yourself over him until you were dripping well past his wrist. Your eyes flew open as your orgasm hit. The shadows on the wall seemed to grow larger as you came. The Oracle still stood, as still as ever, gazing out of the doors of the temple. Your fingernails raked into his skin painfully and he sighed as he brought your face to his once more, kissing you deeply. His fingers were out of you within moments as he stood easily from the floor, taking you with him as you wrapped your legs around his waist. His tunic fell away as he stood, leaving you the only one semi clothed. Turning, he walked up the steps to the altar, raked every offering off onto the floor, and laid you gently on your back. You gasped as your hot skin hit the cold surface of the marble, but that did not deter him as he pulled your clothing off completely. He dropped to his knees in front of you as if offering penance to himself, here in his own temple, yet he was worshipping you. Wrapping both arms around your thighs he pulled you into him, burying his face into you as he fucked you with his tongue. Off to the right and higher up, the Oracle still stood motionless next to the sleeping python. The rain still poured outside, semi muted through the stone, but loud on the steps outside. The heat inside of you grew once more as he sloppily ate your cunt; the stone beneath you becoming slicker. Your hands were in his hair, buried deep at the roots, and pulling him harder against you. He moaned against your clit as he flicked his tongue over you. Chills of pleasure rippled through you as your legs closed hard around his head. The small, golden leaves bit into the skin of your thighs but you ignored them. Almost involuntarily, you began moving your hips against him, desperately always wanting more. He moved with you, hands firm on your thighs as his enclosed mouth and tongue worked over your clit. One leg curled in, the ball of your foot digging into the edge as your toes curled, while the other stretched out behind him. Your back arched up off the altar as you came a second time, but he continued eating you out into overstimulation as you pulled at his hair. He came up not a second later, rising from his knees in front of you, and face glistening. The heat still burned in his eyes as he looked down at you, an offering, laid out on his altar.

He leaned down, hands on either side of your waist, as he looked you in the eye.

“Are you a willing sacrifice?”

“Yes,” you muttered between swollen lips.

“Then I give myself to you.”

He filled you up so completely and, in that moment, you had never felt so full. He still seemed to be connected to you not just by body but also something deeper, something that transcended this place. His thrusts were easy, you were so wet he slid inside with ease. He wrapped his arms around your knees, holding your legs up as he fucked you, hitting so deep inside of you it bordered on painful. You cried out as your body slid with each thrust, but he was pulling you back, bouncing you on his cock and starting over again. He let go and leaned down, folding your legs with him as his thrusts slowed but got deeper. Keeping you hanging in a balance of standing right at the precipice and falling over the edge, he kept the torturous pace until you were nearly begging him to go faster. He leaned back once more to let your legs fall to either side of his hips before leaning back down again. He still lazily thrust inside of you as he grabbed some of your hair and brought your face close to his.  

“Such a pretty little bird sacrificing herself to me,” he whispered hotly. Every now and again he’d thrust harder and deeper, causing you to moan, which he seemed to be enjoying immensely.  He reached between the two of you and placed his fingers on your swollen clit. “Now give me another part of you.”

He deepened his thrusts to the point the he was barely moving, ensuring he was brushing over that bundle of nerves each time. You couldn’t breathe, you couldn’t see, and you couldn’t think.

That’s when the voice resounded in the room. Your eyes fluttered open as you saw the Oracle still staring into the rain, mouth unmoving as a woman’s voice seemed to come from the air, as loud as thunder, and as soft as a bird’s wing.

“The sickness that has wrought this land shall be smote with the rainfall.”

He didn’t even seem to notice that she was speaking as he continued to fuck you, bringing you close to the edge once more. Sweat dripped from his brow to your breasts as he watched your face. Pure ecstasy was laced into your features and he was fascinated by it.

“In three months hence all trace of the disease will be wiped from your people, livestock, and crops.”

He drew his bottom lip between his teeth as he maintained his pace inside of you and on your clit. You opened your eyes to look at him. He glistened in the firelight and he seemed even more god-like as he glowed. The laurels on his head glinted, giving him an even more heavenly appearance. But what you noticed the most was the look in his eyes. He didn’t look at you like a sacrifice, he looked at you lovingly, truly appreciating the offering given to him, and treating it with respect. He wanted you to feel every bit of elation and pleasure that he did. The room dimmed immensely as you came, almost completely tamped down. The ravens both cried overhead as they rose in a flurry of wings and flew out of the temple into the rain.

“And with this sacrifice to Apollo, your land shall never know the touch of disease or famine until the end of your days.”

The snake at her feet uncoiled and stretched to its full length, slithered between his legs as he thrust into you harder now, and out of the temple. The Oracle turned and walked back around the statue and disappeared from the temple once more. The fire in the lamps returned to a dull glow, illuminating the statue with less intimidation. He slowed his thrusts again until they were deep and even. His face was pressed against your shoulder as he gathered you in his arms, holding you closer and reaching his end. Your hands explored every inch of his back, feeling the muscles ripple beneath his skin. He held you aloft with one arm as he came, falling forward onto his other hand, holding the both of you up as he rode out his orgasm, thrusting a few more times before he stopped. He breathed heavily against you, still holding you, as silence and rain cloaked the temple once more. He lowered you, gently, back down onto the altar before pulling out of you. He donned his tunic before pulling yours from the floor and holding it. You sat up on the altar and he lightly pulled yours over your head. Softly, he placed a kiss on your forehead before smiling.  

“Brother?” you heard from the doorway.

He turned slightly to look as you too leaned to the side. A woman who looked almost exactly like him, but with much longer hair stood in the doorway. Furs covered her shoulders, leather gauntlets protected her arms, a saffron hunting tunic reached her knees, and a highly detailed carved bow was slung across her back. In every sense of the word she was a hunter, but she seemed a beautiful force to be reckoned with.

“Artemis,” he said simply.

“Are you done?” she asked, eyes scanning you as you sat on the altar. “The ravens preceded your return, but you did not come.”

“I didn’t tell them to leave.”

“You should know your place.” And with that she turned and walked off into the rain, a large hound following behind her.

He turned back to you and smiled sadly, holding your hand in his.

“May your family be blessed by the gods,” he smiled.

“Wait.” You were genuinely confused. Weren’t you his sacrifice? You were expecting him to pull out a golden dagger at any moment and plunge it through your heart. You’d thank him, too, if it meant saving your family.

He let go of your hand in favor of cupping your face in his palms.

“You gave yourself to me,” he whispered against your lips as chills ran up and down your spine, “and that’s all I wanted.”

He kissed you softly, but there was something unsaid behind it; a true reverence in his followers and an appreciation you had never felt before. He let go of you slowly, backing away with a grin on his face and looking at you as if he were trying to remember this. Gods rarely ever crossed a mortal’s path twice. You watched as he grabbed a bottle of wine, took a sip, and sauntered back out into the rain and down the steps.

You sat dumbly on the altar not sure what to do. Do you tell your family? Do you keep it a secret? Maybe the Oracle was wrong. Instead, you trudged back home through the rain, until you reached the village. Going to bed that night, you were unsure if your sacrifice had been enough.

Within the month the barley was growing back better than ever, signs of sickness had been eradicated from the people, and the farmers were sure the livestock would come back from the loss. The sun shined bright each day, glinting off the surface of the sea. Within five months, the village was back to normal again. You still felt the loss of your brother and friends, but you were happy that the suffering was over. From time to time, you’d visit the temple, leaving an offering of your mother’s wine. Each time Apollo would follow behind, grab the bottle, pull the cork, and take a long drink.

With a smile on his face and mischief in his eyes as he thought back on your night together, he’d take another, long drag of the sweet wine. Even with age he still thought you were beautiful.

“Good enough to play kottabos.”

[beyond-the-mirror]

The Blue Eyed King’s Gift

Oof! After an eternity incredibly long time I’m finally back to writing! This one will be a three part fic to accompany the Fairy Tale AU one I wrote with Dante x Fem!Reader.

Can you guess which tale I got inspiration for this fic? I won’t include it in the tags for now, but as the story progresses you will start to get the idea of which tale it is.

Warnings: Slight violence against children. Don’t worry, it’s nothing too serious.

Story under the cut.

IMPORTANT EDIT: I decided to make this a four-part fic rather than a three-part, mostly because I realized that the second part may be a little too long to be included in just one chapter.

Part Two - Part Three - Part Four

............................. 

Part One

"(Y/N)!! Where the fuck is my breakfast?!!"

Your father yelled from his bed chambers in such a loud volume you swore the entire house trembled in fear at his wrath. Letting out a defeated sigh, you hurried up placing all the served plates and the warm teapot on the tray before heading upstairs.

Life hadn't been easy at all for you, especially these recent years. Ever since you had memory, your father has been a cruel man to both you and your poor mother, the only reason she had ended up marrying him was because of an arrangement both their families had agreed upon. He was the sole heir of his family's fortune, but needed to marry a woman in order to keep their status unblemished. Eventually your grandparents passed away and your parents received the inheritance, the only problem they didn't take into account was their son's unmeasurable greed and hedonism. Soon enough, your father had wasted pretty much all your fortune in alcohol, unsuccessful business deals and gambling, reducing all your family's possessions to merely a modest but still pretty chateau in the countryside and a few valuables.

You still cried at the memory of your mother wilting away on her bed due to a most terrible illness, the medicines she needed to recover were far too expensive, not that the price mattered much since your father wouldn’t even bother to pay for them anyways had they been any cheaper. Alcohol and gambling were far more important for the man than his dying wife.

"Finally! I swear you're doing this on purpose." Your father scowled from his bed as you placed the food tray on his bedside table. "Do you wish for your own father to starve to death? Talk about an ungrateful child. Get out of my sight already!"

You only resigned to silently nod before leaving, the harsh words from your father never failed to hurt you deeply, cutting down your heart so much you weren't able to mutter a single word to him.

A few tears threatened to escape, but you forced them down. A new day full of possibilities was right before you, so you wasted no time in collecting some of the many fruits and vegetables you grew by yourself in your own garden. This year had brought an exceptional harvest, your crops would certainly make a great profit at the town's market.

Unlike your father, the townspeople respected you and treated you with utmost kindness. Often would they offer their help knowing your situation, something that you would forever be grateful for. You promised to yourself that one day, shall your economy ever recover that is, you would repay them to the last penny for their unwavering support.

After another successful day at the town market you decided to return home, all your produce sold out and now replaced by a small satchel of silver coins, some of them spent in meat, spices and bread for cooking meals at home.

It was a simple life, but you were happy with what little you had. Now if only your father weren't so cruel and abusive...

.............................

"C'mon V! Let's explore over here!"

You were in the kitchen when a soft giddy voice in the distance caught your attention.

"Wait Nero! I don't think it's a good idea to stray further. What if Father becomes worried?" A second voice answered back.

Peering out the window, you noticed two little children playing not too far from your chateau's front yard. Both had pristine white hair, one of them seemed to carry a black kitten in his arms while a blue bird was perched on his shoulder. It was a rather endearing sight and an odd one too since they weren't familiar to you at all, not many people lived in the countryside area you resided in. Perhaps a family recently moved nearby without you noticing.

"Don't worry V, after all he sent Griffon and Shadow here to look after us. Look brother," One of them pointed at your residence with the small wooden sword in his hands. "I found a tiny castle!"

"Whoa, what a lovely house! Do you think a tiny princess lives there too?" The other brother pointed out. You couldn't help but giggle at their adorable antics as they approached your yard.

Reaching for some of the pastries you had bought earlier, you decided to grab a few to give to the brothers. You were about to reach for the back door when-

"GET OUT OF MY PROPERTY YOU BRATS!!"

As soon as you stepped out, you witnessed your father in a very drunken state harassing the poor children. "I SAID GET LOST NOW!!!"

You watched in absolute horror how he harshly grabbed one of the kids by his arm before throwing him to the ground, prompting his brother to wield his toy sword in an attempt to defend him, but ultimately failing as he was backhanded so roughly he too fell to the ground.

"NO! FATHER STOP!" You immediately sprinted to them, basically throwing yourself over harm's way as you shielded the children, pulling them away from your father's relentless attacks. Even the black cat and the blue bird that accompanied the kids had started attacking him, effectively helping you keeping the man at bay as you hugged the kids protectively.

"Damn animals, GET AWAY FROM ME!" The man struggled and flailed against the bird and the cat, missing every strike as he was too drunk and unfocused for their agility.

"Please father, you're completely inebriated and you will only hurt yourself and others. Just go back to the house, please?" You implored doing, your best to calm him down until he finally relented.

"Fine. Food better be ready soon though or you're sleeping outside tonight." His words came out slurred as he stumbled back inside.

Letting out a sigh of relief, you turned to the young twins in your arms, kneeling down before them to check for any wounds they may have gotten. The poor little ones were crying, a few bruises and cuts on their knees and faces.

"It's okay little ones, the bad man is already gone." Gently wiping their tears away, you comforted them until they calmed down. "Are you alright?"

"I-I think so... How about you V?"

"I... I’m fine. That man was so scary though."

A sigh of relief escaped you as you determined all the wounds were minor and merely superficial, nothing you couldn’t handle quickly.

"I'm truly sorry for what happened. Please come inside, let's get your wounds treated."

.............................

“Much better now, isn’t it?”

It didn’t take long for you to finish cleaning and disinfecting the boys’ wounds. Luckily yout homemade medicinal balm was already working wonders, their skin already healing considerably.

“Here! A gift for being the bravest boys in the world.” You handed each one the pastries from before. The brothers’ eyes began sparkling at the sweet treats before them, they didn’t hesitate for a second before grabbing them and taking a bite.

“Thank you so much lady (Y/N)! These are so delicious!” they happily ate their pastries, even sharing a bit for their company animals too.

“I’m glad you like them. And you don’t need to call me lady by the way, just (Y/N) is fine. May I know your names too?”

“I’m Nero!” The twin with short hair and blue eyes answered.

“My name is Vitale, or V if you prefer.” The twin with shoulder-length hair and green eyes replied. “Oh! And these are our friends Griffon and Shadow!” V hugged Shadow close to his chest while Griffon perched himself on Nero’s shoulder.

“A pleasure meeting you four! Does your family live nearby by the way?”

Nero nodded as he kept chewing on his pastry. “Our house is just north from here actually, but Papa doesn’t let us go out often.”

Oh?

“And why is that?”

“Well...” V started, looking a bit down. “Father is very protective of us, that’s why he only lets us play outside as long as we stay close to the house. But today we tried convincing him to let us go explore a little bit farther, it was difficult but he finally agreed as long as we promised we would be alright...”

“I really hope he doesn’t get mad at us after he finds out what happened.” Nero added worryingly. Their saddened eyes really plucked at your heartstrings.

You knelt down so you could look at them in the eyes. “Don’t worry my children. How about I write a note to your father explaining the situation? I’m not sure if this would help much, but at least he would know he has my word that no harm will come to you. And if that doesn’t work, I could always go and meet him personally to get to an agreement.”

“You would really do that for us?” They looked at you expectantly, and when you nodded your answer, their faces lit up in so much joy that they unexpectedly enveloped you in a hug. You chuckled before wrapping your arms around them, returning the hug.

.............................

Since the brothers wanted to continue playing, you allowed the children to stay for a few more hours while you finished cooking. You let them keep playing in your garden, a place where you knew your father wouldn’t spot them and risk another scene like the one before.

Politely excusing yourself to your little guests before leaving to deliver your father’s meal. Luckily this time he received his food without saying much of a word, a very welcomed improvement from this morning’s rant.

As you returned to your guests, you noticed they were looking at you in concern.

“(Y/N), is that man really... your father?

“Yes, he is. Why the question?”

The glanced at each other briefly before V continued “Why did he treat you like that? I thought fathers were supposed to love their daughters...”

To say the question took you a bit by surprise would have been a underestimation. You simply sat down at one of the wooden benches, not knowing exactly what to say.

The brothers sat down next to you, each one by your sides.

You fumbled with your words, tears already pricking your eyes before you managed to control them.

“I know he is not exactly a good man, he made many mistakes in the past that cost our family so much… But, despite everything, he is still my father. Maybe I’m wrong, but I want to think he still has a good heart deep inside. That’s why I can’t give up on him. I stay with him in hope that one day he would finally change for the better.”

You forced a smile so you wouldn’t make the children worry anymore about you, and yet they managed to see through your façade. Their little arms wrapped around your waist and hugged you, an attempt to give you some comfort for the pain you were going through daily.

A warmth unlike no other enveloped your entire self, maybe it was cuteness of the situation or the great empathy of this wonderful children felt for you, but it felt so soothing how peace seemed to overtake you at the moment.

It was strange, yet so familiar. Like a distant memory of better days gone by.

.............................

The sun was about to set in a few hours, so you decided it was time for the children to head back home before it became dark.

As you had promised the brothers, you wrote a note for their father apologizing for the incident that happened and gave it to Nero. You also packed a few slices of fruit in a pouch for them to snack on during their trip back home.

“Um (Y/N)... can we come to your house to play again some time?” V asked in a shy voice. Both he and Nero had so much fun playing and staying with you, for them it felt that they had genuinely met a new friend that day.

“Of course little ones. You can come here and play whenever you want, as long as your father agrees to.” You ruffled their pretty little heads, making the brothers giggle.

“We promise to visit as often as we can! Right V?”

The younger one nodded his head enthusiastically.

And so, Nero and V departed. It was odd, how the chateau felt a hundred times emptier without them despite just meeting them earlier.

They were both so sweet and innocent, you just hoped their father wouldn’t get angry after reading your short letter. It would be a shame if the boys got punished for something that wasn’t their fault.

Going back into the kitchen, you cleaned a bit before tending to the plants at your garden, wondering if your new friends would soon brighten your day again with their presence

.............................

At the throne of a majestic palace, an all-seeing orb conjured at his hand, a demon king watched over his two sons.

The day they were born, he vowed to The Creator above that he would always protect them, even if that meant giving up his own life, he would gladly pay the price if it guaranteed they would keep living theirs in peace.

His kingdom may not be a vast one, completely isolated from others, but the land was prosperous and peace reigned over everyone. The king knew his sons would grow safe and sound behind the powerful barrier that surrounded the kingdom, but he couldn’t help a small seed of doubt that gnawed at his chest.

He feared for the day curiosity would awake in the hearts of his twins. They would want to know everything about the outside world, their innocent minds not knowing how cruel and dangerous it could be. The king often taught them of the outside world through the many books and scripts in the royal library, but he was afraid that would not be enough for his children.

So when that morning they had insisted of going beyond the barrier, no matter how much he had prepared himself mentally for this moment, his heart still ached with worry.

But he wouldn’t take their freedom away. Doing so is one of the most horrifying acts one could bestow upon another.

So the king allowed them to venture beyond their home. He had to let them fly, not clip their beautiful wings.

However, as much as he wanted to trust his sons, his concerns were bigger. He tasked two servants to keep them company, knowing that their eyes would keep guard on them. Using his demonic power, he summoned an oracle that would let him watch over them from his throne.

He watched as they approached a small chateau outside the forest, they were happy and playing along the way which brought a smile to his usually stoic face.

That contentment was gone in an instant.

A drunk man stepped out of the house and attacked his sons, scaring them and making them cry.

The king immediately stood from his throne, his fists tightly clenched as his eyes filled with immeasurable wrath and ire. He was about to unsheath his own sword to open a portal and go there, ready to end the miserable man’s life, when another figure ran into the scene. A woman who shielded his sons from the attacking man.

And when he finally managed to look at her face, he froze, almost dropping the sword in his hand.

For she looked exactly like-

… No. It couldn’t be her.

And yet there was a tenderness in the way she treated them. The way her soft hands cleaned the boys’ tears and kindly healed their wounds. The way she offered them a few pastries with a sweet smile in her face and warm light in her eyes. It was rather endearing, how this woman gained his sons’ trust in just a few minutes.

Releasing a breath he didn’t know he was holding, the king sat down at the throne once again, attentive to what the oracle revealed to his eyes.

Maybe the outside world wasn’t so dangerous after all.

[audresparza]

why do people stop putting money in birthday cards after you turn 18? like, that’s when i need it most, 14 year old me had no use for money