#related to: paradise gardens

[soapoet]

What are you like as a spouse?

requested by anon.

like & rb if it resonates ♡

01.

Shufflemancy: Stay with me by Anson Seabra

As a spouse you are a little territorial. You trust your partner, but everybody else is under your careful scrutiny. You very easily pinpoint weeds in your garden, and pull them out root and stem swiftly. Your spouse can rely on you to be on the look out for all sorts of dangers, big or small. Security is of great importance to you, both regarding your relationship and your loved ones, and yourself. Perhaps less so yourself, as you seem to have an instinct to protect which sometimes overrules your own safety. You could relate to the knight archetype to some extent, the concept of serving and protecting. There is an intensity to your love that is like a fine wine, and simply intoxicating to your partner. You're akin a guard dog; out in public you are an intimidating presence ready to bark and bite should need arise, but behind closed doors your service is paid for in tender love and care and you melt when your partner dotes on you. And your spouse adores this duality in you, dominance and submission merged into one.

You're observant, and pay careful attention to your partner's wants and needs, and this lends itself to both an intuitive understanding and awareness of your partner's feelings and the shifts that occur, and makes you a great gift-giver too. You're also a great example of the "girlfriend effect" (regardless of gender) because you encourage your partner's authentic self expression and help them daringly try new things, style wise but also in general. It is safe for your partner to take leaps of faith in career and other matters that may come with risks, because you stand watch and are always there to catch them should they fall. It's possible that you're a late bloomer, or have a series of tumultuous relationships before finding your person, which leads you to take things slowly, desire clarity, and develop effective communication skills to avoid misunderstandings with your spouse. You have a deep need for emotional support and reassurance, so your spouse is somebody who you can truly trust and feel the ground sturdy and secure beneath your feet in their presence, and find shelter and comfort in their arms when you need it.

For some, the term spouse is used loosely, as formal marriage may not be of interest to you if you have any qualms regarding tradition, or simply prefer the intimacy of privacy. Some could opt for court house marriage with a lowkey get together with loved ones at a later date, and others none, and simply commit as life partners without legalities or traditions taken into consideration. If marriage does occur, it's likely to happen later once career matters are stable.

If you and your partner have children, you are your child's biggest cheerleader and encourage any interests of theirs, fuel their passions and show up to their activities to support them. Strong likelihood of children who are outcasts of some sort, deemed strange by their peers, bullied, could be neurodivergent, queer, or otherwise experience difficulties growing up, which you are uniquely equipped to handle and care for. Some in this group may simply decide to have no children of their own, or consider fostering as an alternative, but could otherwise deal with children, especially the unfortunate, in their community or on a larger scale in society.

Additional details: oddly specific spotify playlists, swords and daggers, rpgs, tarot, history, psychology, the moon, moths, wolves, pirates, red or purple lips, cherries, citrus fruits, birthday dinner, makeovers (self or room idk??), emails, documents, nintendo, tattoos, kuromi, donuts, fairs or theme parks, escape rooms, the nightmare before christmas, wednesday and the addams family, fate: the winx saga, euphoria, purple, chai, scorpio/aries/aquarius/gemini, saturn/mars/moon/lilith, april/march/november/december.

02.

Shufflemancy: This side of paradise by Coyote theory

As a spouse you are a breeze. A gentle caress of the sea blowing through your spouse's hair on the beach. You're a little bit of an old romantic, and may have an affinity with the classics or period dramas. You enjoy simplicity and peace, breaking bread at the kitchen table and quality time simply spent in the vicinity of your dear. Merely cooking together can be an adventure, as can the clean-up. You're attentive and try to be both a good friend and lover to your spouse. Resting your head on their lap and enjoying the silence, the act of nesting behind closed doors appeals to you, but you're partial to little getaways too just the two of you, slipping away somewhere near or far to see what you may find and get up to.

Physical closeness is important to you, but it is not possessive, suffocating, or clingy, but gentle and warm like a shelter from the storm. Your marriage is airy and light, and even the ceremony that got you to this point may be very cozy and intimate, invites sparce and spaces dimly lit. It's a very solitary life that you lead, with little socialising outside your little bubble. Contact seems restricted to only family and a couple of long-time friends and little else. You could even choose to live in the countryside or farther from the hustle and bustle of lively cities.

Should you have children, you are a very involved parent, as is your spouse. Messes are happy accidents and you emphasise comfort and peace in your child, and encourage them to make good friends, and you may very well come to consider your children's friends bonus children who can trust you as safe adults when they have nowhere else to turn to. Neither of you are very hard on your children, and do not mind if they don't succeed at everything so long as they try and have direction all within themselves. You're forgiving and patient, both with your spouse and children. You would do particularly well raising a child of the opposite sex, masculines doing well at raising feminines and vice versa.

You may take longer to feel ready to date in general, or due to circumstances or personal issues have a delay in romance, but once you do stumble upon love, commitment is sure and stable and long-lasting. Many are likely to marry their first love or first serious partner, and others could experience the classic friends to lovers arc that slowly blossoms but then remains in bloom forever if cared for.

Additional details: paper planes, strategy and simulation games, chess, archeology, history, cartography, geography, museums, genealogy, family events (dinners, birthdays, weddings, baby showers, funerals), babysitting, cats and mice, twitch, youtube, memes, news, acoustic guitar, green, lotus flowers, blankets, sweet tea, conventions, comics, anime, cartoons, arts and crafts, sticks and stones, seaside, countryside, camping, hiking, road signs, numbers, dirt roads, pine trees, virgo/aquarius/cancer/libra, mars/sun/neptune/ascendant, january/march/july/september.

03.

Shufflemancy: Somebody to you by BANNERS

As a spouse you are quite the little ray of sunshine, but also the sudden gust of winds of change. You are collaborative, and may serve as either the artist or the muse. Both, perhaps, as there is inspiration being exchanged between you and your spouse like sparkling water shared between two cups, clear and fizzy, as sharp as it is delightful and refreshing. You're enthusiastic and cheer your spouse on, loud and proud, supporting them in their trials and assure they have your arms to run into when they return with their accolades and treasures. You may easily get flustered, and try to avenge your spouse by attempts to charm and woo them in return, even if just to wipe the smug smile off their face as their bask in the glory of making your little heart flutter.

You may be a little needy, or quick to feel discouraged, but you're just as easily brought back to your feet with kind and reassuring words and helpful hands. You try your best to make yourself useful even in situations that are new to you, especially if your partner could use the help. You're able to laugh at yourself, but also communicate when the stumble actually hurt so that your spouse can kiss it all better. Regardless of your age, you will retain a youthful air about you, which will keep things interesting as you always find new adventures and things to share.

If you have children, you'll let them grow in whichever direction they best find the sun and rain to bloom in their time and their way. You love your freedom, and want to bestow it upon your child too, who will grow up to be very close with you and consider you a great friend and trusted confidante with whom they may share all their joys and sorrows without judgement. Some of you may not have children and instead raise fur babies, travel the world with your spouse, or create an alternative kind of family of misfits and kindred spirits amongst your peers.

You are very bubbly and sociable, and eagerly introduce your partner to your friends and make merry with theirs. You could really rejoice in the merging of your individual friend groups for the sake of building a community to call home. You enjoy exchaning favours, and have the mindset and desire of managing tasks between both you and your spouse and your community so that different strengths get utilised to combat defeat should somebody have to face big challenges they're not equipped to handle. So, though you may be called chaotic from time to time, you're still a good taskmaster and collaborator, who does not keep score, and manage your spouse and groups of people well even though things aren't colour coded and organised from A to Z.

Additional details: daydreaming, dream journals, streaming, paperwork, paint, coffee stains, red and blue, strawberries, avocado, live chat, chopsticks, van or camper or truck, packages, identity crisis, illness/medicine, learning, waiting, theatre, pets, money, siblings or cousins, slurpees, sushi, suburbs, small towns, interviews, phone calls, sneakers, broken windows, kpop and jpop, manga or manhwa, lore, toys, polar bears or bears in general, empty playgrounds, twitter/x, instagram, lost and found, wooden trinkets, herbs. capricorn/sagittarius/leo/pisces, jupiter/venus/uranus/vesta/chiron, march/june/august/october.

04.

Shufflemancy: Dandelions by Ruth B.

As a spouse you seem to be a jack of all trades, the scales of justice perfectly balanced. Your diligence and the ease at which you tackle tasks, the perseverance you show despite life's challenges, and how you always get back up again when you get knocked down, all makes you a wonderful partner. You are goal-oriented, but know when to slow down and relax. You push your partner to chase their dreams, but know not to push too hard and when to offer up comfort and quiet reassurance instead.

You may have a little bit of a saviour complex, as you pride yourself in both your ability to help and your emotional intelligence. You are patient, and know that in life there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all, and you're uniquely able and willing to find missing pieces of puzzles so that everybody finds what works for them, and will be a healing presence to your spouse especially. Your spouse finds you to be a rock, but let's not kid ourselves and pretend you don't melt like butter when they pull you close and tell you to relax, and lull you to sleep with a heartbeat and fingers running through your hair. Your spouse is well aware of how hard you work and how heavy the burdens on your shoulders sometimes become, and insist that you are no Atlas, at least not in the sanctuary you call home where you may rest and recharge.

Should you have children together, you may settle into traditional or otherwise clearly defined roles and assure neither of you take on too much and both get to be involved in the life of your children to an equal extent. You're likely the problem solver and the one to help with the homework, and deeply encourage active and social pursuits to ensure your children grow up healthy and experience relationships with people of all walks of life. With the combination of you and your spouse, your children are likely to grow up gentle but quick to defend the underdogs and fight injustice. Assuring your children have access to options and opportunities as well as a safety net to fall back on should it be needed is something you will both make sure of. Note that this is the only group I have no alternatives for and sense no absence of children, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ if you really do not want children, take double or triple the precautions.

You may enjoy home improvement or possibly have either you or your spouse working from home. You delegate responsibilities fairly and make consistent efforts to show your spouse your care and affection, especially through acts of service and the kindest of words when they are at their lowest. Though you are responsible and often do things by the book, there is a little streak of mischief and wanderlust that I sense, which keeps things interesting, making you a balance between homebody and explorer. You may have great banter with your spouse and frequently tease each other.

Additional details: car rides, crying, nerves, vhs tapes, siblings, young people, writing and rewriting, praise, headbands, flannels, glasses, family issues, guardian angels, cleaning, mermaids, rodents, deer, letters, arguments, flowers, office (work or the show idk), radio station, static, noise, real estate, architecture, mushrooms, pickles, salads, sleepless nights, muscle pain (or strain), sleepless nights, sleeping on the couch, glasses, hair cuts, lilies and elderflowers, soap, hugs and hand holding, patience, reluctance, overcoming fear, hearing music from another room, virgo/cancer/capricorn/aquarius, pluto/sun/venus/juno/union, june/august/october/november.

05.

Shufflemancy: Slow dancing by Aly & AJ

As a spouse you like to be in charge, or wear the pants, so to speak. Somebody has to tell the waiter your spouse asked for no pickles, right? Though you have a dominant energy about you, you are very nurturing and full of love and care and can be surprisingly sensitive emotionally. You like to stay on top of things and have things to do, places to be, and you could serve as something of a secretary in your relationship. Your spouse can always rely on you to know what to do and to get the Christmas cards sent out on time. You have a taste for the finer things in life and enjoy indulging in these together with your spouse. You likely introduce your spouse to many new things, be it music, literature, politics, foods, or some lifestyle and habits you maintain.

You revel in the quality time spent with your spouse, though you're independent and encouraging of them living their life separate from yours too whilst you engage with your own endeavours. You are secure and loyal, and give your spouse no reason to doubt your commitment and you speak as highly of them as they of you, so shenanigans and misfortunes stay at bay. You may have only few but close friends, but keep them for life and they enjoy the company of your spouse. You may frequently host dinner parties or other intimate get togethers in your home with the few privileged to know the two of you.

As a parent you would raise well-mannered and good children, to whom you would teach many of your own talents and push them to hone and master their own abilities and take both their interests and responsibilities seriously. You have a close bond with children even if you do not have them, which for many may be the case, and you could instead together with your partner be very involved with the children of your friends or family and serve as godparents or the cool aunts/uncles. You may still teach these children valuable lessons and be an important adult figure in their lives, and possibly lend your talents to teach them new skills.

You may also work with your spouse, be it through a mutual or related field, literally sharing the same workplace, or by joining up to start a business together or works as collaborators on separate passion projects. You're highly encouraging of them and push them to pursue their goals and even wildest dreams because with you in their corner there aren't many places in the world they couldn't go.

Additional details: co-op games, cookbooks, bullet journals, weddings, calendars and memos, perfect timing, awkwardness, dogs and canines in general, horses, rapunzel, children, phone calls, electric guitars, drums, men and fathers, streetlights, stalking, power outages, doctor's appointments, pedagogy or social work, education/school, stage fright, long distance travel, reunions, road trips, ice cream, spicy food, alcohol, orange and pink, pearls, grapefruits and blood oranges, hot chocolate, lgbt+, anxiety or depression, archery, sleepovers, libra/taurus/leo/cancer, mars/mercury/pluto/descendant, april/may/october/december.

06.

Shufflemancy: Comethru by Jeremy Zucker

As a spouse you are a natural in many ways, even, or especially if, you worry that you aren't. To your spouse you are a very nurturing and compassionate, gentle lover, who is intuitive and always seems to know the right words that they need to hear or the moment to hug them from behind and press your head against their tense and tired back. You dedicate yourself to being a source of light to your spouse, and tend to be quite romantic, albeit you get shy and blush even decades into the marriage when they return the sentiment. You learn quickly to express boundaries and communicate your needs to your partner if that has been a struggle in your past as they make a big effort to make sure you make your voice heard. You carefully consider their feelings, as they consider yours. You could as a couple have an almost telepathic connection, an inherent understanding and the blue print of each other's soul, knowing each twitch and micro-expression to know when the other requires assistance or wishes to leave a situation, etc.

You may find the role of a homemaker ideal, though you aren't without your own ambitions and occupational ideals. You could for a time be a stay-at-home spouse, or parent, but simultaneously engage with your own projects and end up working from home. You really make home feel like home, and your spouse finds relief and peace every time they return home. You have an eye for aesthetics and a way to make any space feel cozy, inviting, warm, and comfortable. Even though you are more of a homebody and like the solitude, your friends may rejoice in their visits and feel at home in your house and you could occasionally agree to host bigger holidays in your home, because really, nobody does Christmas like you do.

You are very clever and learn quickly, and your curiosity takes you on quite a few adventures in just one afternoon, and you enthusiastically share these wonders with your spouse and coax out their own adventurous and speculative side. You could spend hours talking and never seem to run out of things to speak of, but also find comfort in enjoying the silence. You're affectionate and like to be close to your partner, but eventually slip away as your mind begins to wander and take you in different directions. You have a youthful and ever-curious energy that your spouse delights in.

As a parent you would truly dedicate yourself to parenthood and rejoice in even the little steps and achievements of your little ones. You are doting, but not a doormat and find that your children trust and respect you without being told or taught to. You encourage your children to think for themselves because you value logic as much as feelings. Good reasoning skills and the ability to judge things on a case by case basis is something you will instill in your children. Your children are likely to grow up very independent and just the right balance of kind and clever to be an asset to society. Both you and your spouse share a deep distaste for the state of the world and are dedicated to raising children who know wrong from right and don't blindly follow anyone or anything and have the wires between head and heart connected. You and your spouse may both do a lot to improve your community and work to eventually leave the world better than how you found it.

Additional details: tears, keys, incoming text messages, psychiatry, therapy, home, teaching or writing, good luck, headaches, cramps, horror movies, haunted side of youtube/tiktok, conspiracy theories, stim toys, minecraft, rabbits, birds, cats, hoodies, grey and blue, energy drinks, vitamin water, winning, brownies, pancakes, soup, winnie the pooh, lion king, 2000s cartoons/music, fuzzy socks, beaded curtains or string lights, green or hazel eyes, candles, intuition, dust, sleet or snow, cold/grey/dreary weather, iron and vitamin d deficiency, water colours, astrology, vanilla or coconut scent, bubble baths, gemini/cancer/virgo/scorpio/libra, jupiter/neptune/moon/lunar nodes, february/may/june/october.

[aroaceleovaldez]

I HAVE BEEN REMINDED OF SOMETHING i think i've made a post about it before but maybe it's just sitting in my drafts. idk, whatever, I will ramble again. Said thing that reminded me was a tiktok by madison_murrah about how the PJO TV show doesn't get the balance between mundanity and magical correct for pjo and I want to expand on that cause while a.) it totally is a problem in the show and i take issue with it, b.) it is also a problem in later books and i ALSO take issue with that too and i would like to elaborate on it

this got long so ramble of the day below the cut:

so the thing is that PJO is actually pretty unique in it's approach to hidden world modern fantasy. like, hidden world modern fantasy is a decently established genre with a ton of examples, but there's a reason why PJO stands out so much, and that's because technically it's NOT "hidden world." There is very intentionally no distinction between the mundane world and the mythological, at least in first series. They 100% overlap. And you do not necessarily need to be "special" to see the "mythological world-" some mortals are totally naturally clear-sighted, a lot of kids are clear-sighted, and it's like 50/50 for if mortals can become clear-sighted. In fact, most demigods aren't immune to the effects of the Mist, all that really matters is if you're actually thinking about being able to see through it. And there's a reason for that!

In general, this format of the "hidden world" modern fantasy serves two purposes: One, as the series is meant to introduce people to Greek mythology and explain why it is relevant and how it can be relatable in modern contexts, it intentionally juxtaposes myths against modern concepts: Medusa runs an apparently average garden statue store. Procrustes runs a mattress store. The entrance to the Underworld is in LA at a record store. Circe lives on an island paradise that's secretly dangerous. Hydras are like chain donut stores that seem to pop up on every corner. Perseus and his mother struggle in Perseus' childhood but get a happy ending. Calypso has an island paradise where the challenge for the hero of our story is being tempted to leave behind his goals. The plot of Sea of Monsters is blatantly the Odyssey, and it's about Percy trying to get to his best friend (who he shares a literal psychic link to) who is in danger of getting married to someone awful (a literal monster) to help you understand Odysseus trying to get back to Penelope and how important to each other and in sync they are. Battle of the Labyrinth is Theseus and the Labyrinth and it's Percy/Theseus trying to protect his home and his people and fellow kids (like Nico) from the dangers in the maze. These are all supposed to help us understand what is actually going on in those stories.

We also still see how Greek mythology influence shapes and influences western culture in general in their world (which is supposed to be our own and so uses real-world examples) - in government, in architecture, in pop culture - Mythomagic is clearly supposed to be your standard TCG like Magic The Gathering. And in general there is no distinction between where the mythological ends and mundane begins - Camp Half-Blood is both a magical training space for demigods and your run of the mill underfunded summer camp, complete with cheesy camp songs and t-shirts and crafts. Olympus is located on top of the Empire State Building which is operating completely as normal except for when a demigod asks to go to a non-existent floor. Your best friend with a muscular disease in his legs is secretly a satyr. Your brother with down syndrome is a cyclops. Your teacher in a wheelchair is secretly an immortal centaur. Your crappy algebra substitute is a literal fury. But also they're still your teachers. The satyr is still your best friend, the cyclops is still your brother. And that brings me to the second aspect of all of this (which i have talked about before [here] and [here]) - the other purpose it serves is that it is an extension of the overarching disability themes that form the core of the series.

The entire reason that meshing of mundanity and magical is so intertwined is entirely because it's part of the disability metaphor, specifically inspired by early 2000s parenting/teaching concepts for children with disabilities, particularly learning disabilities, as trying to reframe disabilities as "superpowers" to empower kids (and still exists in some more modern forms - like referring to disabilities as "being differently-abled") (I talk about it in my previous post on the subject but this generally fell out of favor due to many kids/students finding it belittling of their struggles) - this is why we get the description of ADHD and Dyslexia being framed as "demigod superpowers." In the series this structure is intentionally made to encourage kids to reframe how they view disabilities in general as not something negative but something interesting and fantastical that they may be more open to engage with - and PJO does this in a really nice way where a lot of the disability struggles are still acknowledged and treated sympathetically. Kids still get bullied, Percy and Annabeth struggle in school or with reading/spelling, they grapple with both internal and external ableism. The entire reason for the titan war in the first series, at least from the demigod perspective, is criticizing flawed systems meant to support disabled people that don't do their job effectively or let too many people fall through the cracks. The Mist "hiding" the "mythological world" from mortals (and even some demigods) is about how most abled people (and some undiagnosed people) don't recognize disability struggles until it affects them personally. None of these things are glossed over! It's handled with nuance and care! The series says "you can be disabled and you can be like these fantastical heroes - not in spite of your disability, but alongside it. Neither negates the other." The series was explicitly made so Rick's disabled son could see himself in a hero and learn about mythology for school. Those are the two pillars of the entire franchise: Disability and learning about mythology.

So, when you mess with that "hidden world" structure, the entire thing falls apart and it immediately doesn't feel right, because it's no longer serving either of those two purposes when it needs to be fulfilling both. Late-series Riordanverse has a tendency to compartmentalize the mythological and keep it entirely sectioned off from the mundane. Think about first series and even TKC versus later series - how many mortal characters are there? what do they do? are they just in the background or do they interact with the main cast frequently? are they more than just family or an extension to the main cast? First series we see Percy's classmates frequently, Percy talks about his mundane experiences at school, multiple mortal parent characters (and other mortal characters like Rachel) are active participants in and vital to the plot. We even see a lot of background mortal characters. In TKC, not only are all the magicians technically mortal, but also Sadie's completely mundane best friends help her out. Now think about HoO, or ToA, or even MCGA. Think about the mortal characters in those series. How important are they? Out of the important ones, how much are they in mundane situations versus being almost entirely involved in something mythological? How many aren't related to any of the main cast? How many aren't actively working for a god? The answer is basically zero! Why is that? Because Rick stopped letting the mundane exist. The entire draw of the main series is that Percy does continue to live this mundane life and that adds to his mythological life and makes the balance and meshing between them interesting, but basically all mundanity ceases to exist by HoO. Camp Jupiter is an isolated entirely magic town. Percy and Jason's schools are full of mythological beings as basically the only people they interact with. The Tri's headquarters is an entire giant building in New York City that they completely control that just so happens to ALSO be directly across the street from the local Oracle's house, because even where Rachel lives isn't allowed to be mundane anymore. Why is Olympus just at the top of the Empire State Building versus the Tri having an ENTIRE building? That feels weird and unbalanced, particularly given the difference in importance between those two! Because one is playing into that balance of the meshing of mundane and magical and the other isn't! The show continues this trend. It doesn't allow any of the mythological to exist within mundanity like it functions in the books, which creates a completely different atmosphere and doesn't allow those spaces or scenes or characters to serve their actual narrative purposes, either making it easier to understand mythology contextually or what disability metaphor or representation is occurring there.

It's part of the problem with show!Percy being too mythologically-savvy - Percy is supposed to be the mundane lens unfamiliar with mythology that the audience is learning by proxy through. That's the entire point of the series! If you have Percy already know everything because he's already too ingrained into this mythological environment from the start, and he just exists in this entirely magical world where he understands everything immediately then the literal target audience of the entire franchise (students being introduced to mythology) is left behind! That's part of why the pacing of the show feels so bad! It's rushing through every scene that's more or less the same as the books, particularly anything mythological, because the show is assuming you've already read the books and already know enough mythology to know what it is and what happens and that you don't want to see it again, so it rushes through. The show doesn't explain things that it presumes you already know - worldbuilding, character decisions, basically any mythology, etc, so it doesn't even bother with it.

Later books in the franchise do this too - as long as it's tangentially Greco-Roman mythology, or if it's anything to do with the main series like a reference in TKC or MCGA or etc, it's not going to elaborate much if at all. HoO speeds through Jason's introduction to CHB, and the only reason we get much introduction to Camp Jupiter is because it's actually new. We're no longer trying to contextualize or learn about mythology, it just all becomes set-dressing and references thrown at you rapid-fire as filler. By late HoO and into TOA and TSATS and such, we're not longer even within the realm of pretending like we're adhering to mythology at all. Why is Iris a vegan? Why is Rhea a hippie? Dunno, don't care! Literally doesn't matter! Why are the pandai panda/elephant-monsters and the troglodytes frog-monsters when that's not part of their actual history at all? Well a.) literally just word associations and b.) possibly a little bit of racism (they're supposed to be humans from India and northern Africa, and you made them monsters. cool. okay. and their plotlines totally aren't horrible within those contexts. awesome. please try thinking literally at all next time, thanks). We're not even bothering to look at mythological instances anymore for a basis, a lot of it's written like we're just going based on the first results on google (hi Menoetes and the cacodaemons - the latter of which is not even spelt correctly once in the entire book - which is weird because they do say "daemon" so they know the word. Not that the cacodaemons are mythologically accurate at all because then they would be humanoid. Instead they seem to just be inspired by the things from Doom). None of it serves the purpose of the narrative at all; we're literally just making random choices, some of them quite distasteful! In large part due to refusing to acknowledge the actual contexts of the myths and how that might translate into something similar or equivalent a modern setting to help conceptualize it - something the first series did inherently by design. And we need this! A.) So that you're less likely to make bad decisions because you are inherently thinking about the historical and cultural contexts of these things and how to compare/explain it, and b.) because the audience for later books/the other series and the show is going to be the same as the first series! Those nonsensical references may be at best cameos to people who are already familiar with them, but if your intended audience is new to mythology then making references like that is just going to leave people out of the loop! You don't shift your target audience in the middle of a franchise!

Later books in the series and the show are failing to understand what the first series was actually doing narratively and how it was approaching these subjects and its audience. When you fail to do that, it completely messes up the general worldbuilding and the core themes and intentions of the franchise as a whole. Once you lose touch with that you might as well just be writing a completely different franchise. You need to approach it from the same lens or else it will feel completely off, because otherwise you've lost all base touchstones that make the series what it is.

[jade-gemstone]

Danganronpa Ultimate Categorization

Welcome back to another episode of: Jade is a nerd about something absolutely useless! Today's topic: Talent classification in Danganronpa/Fangans.

In the process of making my own fangan/s, I've created a classification system for the types of talents you can give characters. These classifications are...

Arts: Talents that are involved in the visual arts, performing arts, or fashion. Encompasses performers of all types, any type of visual artist, or anyone involved in fashion. (Ex. Actor, Abstract Artist, Model)

Practical: Talents that focus on a specialized skill or work with your hands. Also includes any talents that are religious or spiritual in nature. (Ex. Mechanical Engineer, Detective, Shrine Maiden)

Academic: Talents that are recognized by how much knowledge or experience a character has in an academic field. Covers most science, literature, math, and research based talents. (Ex. Chemist, Theologian, Archaeologist)

Sports: Talents relating to athletic skill. (Ex. Footballer, Kickboxer, Bowler)

Novelty: Talents given to a person who is special simply by existing. Can also be given to characters who win a contest for their talent. Includes Lucky/Unlucky Students, royalty, and non-human characters. (Ex. Lucky Student, Student, Princess)

This system of classification was based on my experience in the community over about three or four years, seeing many other people's original characters as well as creating my own. I found many fell into these categories. My "perfect" ratio, which my friends and I used as a guideline for making our fangan casts, is 4 arts : 4 practical : 4 academic : 2 sports: 2 novelty. I felt this ratio kept things even and grounded.

A few months ago, I began to wonder if my "perfect" ratio was more of my own creation than an actual pattern I saw. I thought, in the event it was, that I would come up with a mathematically accurate ratio that better represented the talent distribution of Danganronpa and its fan projects. This was my attempt at doing just that.

Data Collection

For this, I tried to collect as varied of a sample as possible. I included the three mainline Danganronpa games and sixteen fangans, ranging from very popular ones to very obscure ones. The fangans sampled for this analysis were...

Danganronpa Another

Super Danganronpa Another 2

Danganronpa Despair Time

Brave Danganronpa Coward's Paradise

Project Eden's Garden

Danganronpa He(art)less Deceit

Danganronpa Hushed Whispers

Danganronpa Muave

Danganronpa Despair's Revival

Danganronpa Re:Birth

Danganronpa Twisted Truths

Danganronpa Survivor's Guilt

Danganronpa Despair's Flame (my fangan! also the one where the talent ratio originated)

Danganronpa Cyberspace

Danganronpa Akeda Amusements

Danganronpa Lost Paradise (my other fangan that isn't released anywhere but I'm counting anyway)

I figured out the talent ratio for each individual game by looking through their casts and sorting them with my classification system. Ultimate ???'s were thrown out if possible (such as in the case of Akeda Amusements, where Hanari was thrown out due to the fangan having seventeen participants) and if not, they were counted as novelty.

Also, shout out to Yuki Maeda and Teruya Ōtori for managing to count for two different data sets despite my best efforts at finagling a way to keep them confined to one.

Observations

The first thing I noticed in looking at the ratios for canon Danganronpa was that Academic ultimates are underrepresented compared to what I initially remembered. It had been a while since I revisited the mainline games, and it was a shock to be reminded of that. I was also reminded, but not quite as shocked by the greater emphasis on practical ultimates.

In fangans, the focus on practical ultimates continues to be heavy, with none having less than two. There was also less focus on sports ultimates, with the majority having only one or two compared to the three that the mainline games had a majority of the time. They also tend to have more academic ultimates.

I think that this could be explained by looking at the types of people who make fangans. The majority of people I know who make fangans have very particular knowledge about certain fields due to experience or heavy research, and more often than not these fields do not include sports. They are more likely to make characters based on their experiences and knowledge that they can then insert into the story to make it seem more authentic.

I also, unsurprisingly, found that my "perfect" ratio was not reflected in many of the fangans I looked at. There was only one besides my own that followed that ratio.

Now, if my "perfect" ratio is not the mathematically perfect ratio, then what is?

According to the data collected for the canon games, this is.

This just so happens to also be the ratio for Trigger Happy Havoc.

According to the data collected from the fangans, this is the perfect ratio.

The only fangan that followed this ratio exactly was Akeda Amusements. V3 also had this distribution.

When considering both mainline and fan made games, the perfect ratio was this.

Ironically, not a single mainline game or fan game followed this ratio.

Out of curiosity, I also calculated the standard deviation for each data set.

Canon Danganronpa has little to no variation, conveying that talent ratios are quite consistent between games. The biggest variation would be in the novelty category, making sense as V3 scaled down the amount of novelty ultimates compared to the other two games.

The fangans are shown to have a much larger variation. Though I can't be surprised by this, as perhaps it is an unfair comparison. The mainline Danganronpa games were written by mostly the same team and had less to sample from, while the fangans have not only a larger sample size in which to deviate, but many different writers that think differently about talent distribution.

Final Thoughts

In putting this all together, I found that my classification system, while not perfect in any sense of the word, has some validity to it. If I wanted to, I could definitely make some improvements to it (especially in distinguishing between certain academic and practical fields from novelty), but as of now it works perfectly fine as an aide in cast creation for me.

My ratio is also not perfect, which was an expected outcome. Really none of the ratios I found are perfect, with none of them representing more than one or two of any mainline or fan made game. While ratios like the ones I found can be good for making sure you have a balanced distribution of talents, they aren't required to make a good cast. Personally, I'll continue using my personal "perfect" ratio as a baseline for any cast I make in the future.

I also had a lot of fun making this, and hope I can find a way to make more posts like this in the future. Thank you for reading this.

[6uppermoonsupremacy200]

 ✧    ✦ ☽︎How you met☾ ✦  ⚝ ✧      ✧

                

                                      ❧ ♡    Muzan kibutsuji  ♡ ❧

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

-You were a gardener and you were selling flowers and Muzan, who was searching for anything related to the blue spider lily, saw you there and decided to ask you if you knew anything about it.

-Most people don't know about it so you were surprised but also a bit suspicious as you knew the blue spider lily was special .

-You lied and said you didn't know and he said ok actually believing you only a bit tho.

-He soon heard you talking to someone about the blue spider lily.

-He got annoyed when he realized you lied.

-But he decided to come more to manipulate you

-He started coming more often and you guys would chat and do small talk more

-He became more comfortable with you.

-And he actually started to think after getting information about the blue spider lily he would turn you into a demon.

-You didn't tell him even after he asked again

-He soon realized you wouldn't tell him and he tried to kill you

-But he wasn't able to and he was confused.

-He soon started coming more as he felt more calm with you and more happier.

-He was confused but Douma and Daki explained to him when he said that by mistake

-He soon started freaking out and just started being more clingy and nicer

-He then invited you to a festival and explained how he was a demon and confessed  and he even wore his best suit.

                     And now

                                             You decide 

                                                                         Yes or no

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                               ⚔︎ ✧˖ °☽︎Kokushibou☾ ✧˖ ⚔︎

-You are a demon and you were having a hard time with a slayer and they were close to killing you .

-But kokushibou who was walking around going to his mission and saw you decided to help you.

-You were Kinda surprised and were stunned.

-He saw you but he was walking away but you wanted to say thank you .

-He didn't hear your thank you… 

–After a few days you were walking around the fortress when you saw him so you said thank you and you gave him an arm as a thank you .

-He was going to decline or say a rude comment but he felt the need to take it so he did.

-And so when you saw him you would always talk to him.

-And he never pushed you away 

-All the uppermoons would look at you like you were crazy as he never was rude or insulted you.

-He even trained you so you could be strong

-But he soon felt more calm and happier 

-But few characters like him would push their emotions away(A very bad habit)

-But he felt himself being more attracted to you and he puts the points and realizes he loves you

-He then still starts to push down the emotions but you always make him come back .

-He soon decided to try as it was getting annoying

-He soon invites you to a cliff a with a river and a good view

-He confesses as he wanted to end these feelings

-So now you decide yes

                                                  Or

                                                                      no

-

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

                                         ☃❄Doma❄☃

-You were a Female merchant and you were traveling for a few days but you were close to finishing your food supply 

-But you were lucky to find the eternal paradise cult .

-You started to trade and talk to the other people there and you became famous.

-Soon doma heard about you from his followers and got interested as there were very few female merchants.

-He visited you one time and to him you were so nice and kind .

-He then visited you more and more and soon you fell in love.

-But that was short cut as you saw him eating a dead body……

-But you asked him if you can have a bite.

-He was very confused and you had to tell him you were a demon.(I took you by surprise, right reader.)

-When you explained him you were a demon he looked at you and just said i love you and you were like “ok wait whatttt”

-Though he did get you flowers and hairpin and then confessed to you again.

-But now do you accept it or not…

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

                                      ❄🏀A̶k̶a̶z̶a̶🏀❄

-You owned a bakery and you made very good snacks that even Muzan knew about and he came here often .

-He told the Kizuki and other demons to not harm you as he was a good friend to you.

-Akaza who was strolling around the forest smelled your foods scent and he assumed it was a marechi but when he came he saw it was your food 

-He thought you were asleep so he tried taking the food to test what's so good about it .

-But you were awake and when you saw him you did the only thing you knew to do…

-You threw your shoe at him….

-Yeah he explained why he was here so you gave him a mochi and he loved it .

-He came back almost everyday and started to talk and usually eats  

a few snacks .

-Soon he starts feeling weird and his heart beats faster when you're with him.

-While confused on this Akaza mistakenly says this to Douma and Douma said he was in love with you 

-He then remembers people getting gifts or confessing with some gift.

-So starts buying s̶t̶e̶a̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ for you and giving you hairpins , kimonos and jewelry

-He soon decides to confess to you 

-But while doing so he heard about a firework show and he felt like it was right so he invited you to it .

-While the fireworks were about to come in he confessed.

-He even gave you your favorite flowers .

-So you can now decide yes or no?...

✰BONUS✧

—------------------------------------------------------------

A string of a biwa was heard as Akaza was teleported into the infinity fortress he bowed as the king of demons Muzan said. 

“Akaza it seems you have been visited by a woman, a baker perhaps .”

Akaza widens his eyes as his thoughts of you getting hurt goes in his mind…Muzan then says ‘Akaza you better treat Y/N right or i would make you have the most worst punishment” Akaza soon nods his head and says “Yes my lord”

-Yeah next night he goes to you and asks how did you know Muzan and you explained you were good friends with him

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

                              🧪Gyutaro𓌴

-You were a person who played the koto for people and you were good friends with Daki (You didn't know she was a demon) often playing music for her etc.

-So one day she decided to confess she was a demon and you surprised her by saying that you were calm with it and you still be her friend.

-So when you accepted it she made you meet her brother

-And gyutaro was interested as Daki talked about you and told you were nice and cool.

-When he met you he thought you would be mean and Daki had to assure him you would like him

-He thought you would insult or something but you called him cool and you treated him nicely.

-And the more he hanged around with you the more he felt happier

-He now promises to protect you at all costs except for Daki’s case but she thinks you're her bestie so it's fine.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

                                       ♡💎Daki💎♥

-You worked at the red light district and you met Daki

-She was really mean to you as you were really pretty and she was a bit annoyed.

-But you were so nice and never grew annoyed of her and you were loved by everyone in the district.

-She soon became way nice to you and she became way less mean and more nicer to others but still keeping that tough exterior.

-She even started getting you jewelry or calling you the 2nd most beautiful person other than her.

-But by mistake when you were walking somewhere you saw Daki with her Brother and you were surprised but you accepted it saying it was their way to live

-Daki was extremely surprised.

-One day she pulled you with the obi and was like if you decline i will kill you.

-You accepted but told she could have confessed a bit nicer you told her.

[nightghoul381]

Ellis Twilight~ Main Route Chapter 1

Disclaimer for route warnings | Masterlist

Additional Content Warnings: None

This a fan translation so it is definitely not 100% accurate. I do not own anything related to Ikemen Villains. Support Cybird by buying their amazing stories!

Part 1

--What is happiness?

It’s like a twilight sky that changes color the moment it burns into your eyes…

Even though it holds my heart forever and never lets go, I can never have the same one again.

Time, stop—don’t let this happiness fade away.

(From today onwards, my life will be monitored by the members of the assassin organization “Crown” that controls evil with evil.)

As a ‘fairytale keeper’, it is my duty to record their sins—my only lifeline.

Getting ready in front of the mirror, I try to re-energize.

(Honestly, I’m scared to face ‘sin’ again…)

(Up to this point, I’ve only had to deal with complaints at the post office or handling deliveries in crazy busy situations.)

(I’ll be okay, I’m sure it will work out somehow.)

Kate: “Okay, only one month. If I try, I can do this…okay.”

I repeat this to myself like a mantra, opened the door and took a brisk step forward--.

???: “Woah.”

Kate: “Kya!?”

I accidentally bump the tip of my nose into the chest of someone who was standing in front of the door.

Kate: “I-I’m sorry…!”

Ellis: “I’m sorry too...are you hurt?”

(Oh…this guy--)

--Flashback—

Harrsion: “…So what are you going to do now that you’ve explained everything so thoroughly, Victor?”

Victor: “Hmm…That’s right…”

Ellis: “Shall I kill her?”

(Eh--?)

Ellis: “She doesn’t look happy at all, but I’ll take the job.”

--End Flashback—

(He was the first to suggest killing me.)

(But, after that…)

--Flashback—

Ellis: “I’m Ellis.”

Kate: “Ellis… Nice to meet you.”

Ellis: “Mmhmm… likewise. Jude and I are often away on business.”

Ellis: “While I’m here, I’ll make you as happy as possible.”

--End Flashback—

With the same mouth, a line that sounded like a marriage proposal was said without hesitation… what an odd person.

(Why is Ellis in front of my room?)

Part 2

(Ah, I see. Surveillance has already started.)

If I misbehave, I might be killed.

(I can’t just keep acting like everything is the same.)

(I’ve already stepped into a different world.)

Kate: “Mr. Ellis, right…? I look forward to working with you from today onwards.”

Ellis: “Yes, Ellis Twilight, nice to meet you… no need to be so formal.”

Ellis laughed lightly and looked into my face with concern.

Ellis: “…your nose is getting red.”

Ellis: “Sorry, the door opened just as I was about to knock, so I couldn’t avoid it.”

A long, slender arm holds the door.

Behind his curly hair, as his name suggests, are twilight eyes.

I gasped when I notice how close we were and hurriedly apologized.

Kate: “No! I’m sorry I got anxious and jumped out…”

Ellis: “Are you anxious? Why?”

Kate: “What!? Um…”

(“I was getting anxious because I was scared of living with all of you.”)

(I can’t say that…)

Kate: “It’s like I was transferred to a new department that I don’t know at all…”

Kate: “It’s like… Gaahhh!”

Ellis: “Gaahhh…”

Ellis blinks in surprise.

(Ah, that was too weird…)

Ellis: “… you’re a cute person.”

Kate: “Um… it’s okay, you don’t have to follow me…”

(I should have been able to make up and excuse, but I feel so embarrassed.)

As I avert my gaze, looking for a place to move to, Ellis returned to a straight face and spoke in a whisper,

Ellis: “ I’d like to give you your first job in the ‘new department’… is that okay?”

Kate: “---Wow…”

(What a beautiful garden.)

I was taken to the courtyard of Crown castle…

There was a beautiful English garden that had been carefully maintained down to the last detail.

Seasonal flowers are in full bloom, and it smells like paradise.

(Last night, I could only feel the majesty and dangerous atmosphere of the towering castle…)

(But there are places where I feel so at ease.)

As I followed Ellis down the path, admiring the beautiful garden, a gazebo came into view.

Tea and scones are set on the table, as though a tea party is about to begin.

Ellis: “Please sit.”

Kate: “Oh…uh, thank you.”

Ellis pulled out a chair and was waiting for me, so I sat down in the chair, confused ,and he sat in the seat across from me.

(You said earlier that you wanted to give me a job, but…)

Kate: “Is this where I’ll be working my first job?”

Ellis: “Yeah… your first job is to eat breakfast with me.”

Part 3

Ellis: “Yeah…your first job is to eat breakfast with me.”

(…hmm?)

Ellis: “Tell me about yourself while eating delicious food, I’ll tell you about myself too.”

Ellis: “If you record it, it will count as your report as fairytale keeper, right?”

--CHOICES---------------------------------

That’s honestly helpful/ That honestly helps +4 +4

Isn’t that a nuisance? +4 +4

Why would you help me? +4 +4

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

Kate: “Why are you helping me?”

Ellis: “I thought it would make you happy.”

It seems like he’s seriously trying to help me.

Ellis: “I’ll also tell you about the other members of Crown.”

Ellis: “I think it’s a little scary to live among people you don’t know.”

Kate: “…!”

(I never expected this ‘first job’ to be…)

Kate: “Did you invite me just to relieve my anxiety?”

Ellis: “…That’s a little bit correct.”

Kate: “A little bit?”

Ellis: “It’s also for me to talk to you… that’s the bit that was incorrect.”

A faint smile appears on his lips.

(Maybe my first impression of Ellis last night was a misunderstanding.)

Just being near him made me feel like my temperature dropped instantly.

It felt like something was peeking out at me from the gaping darkness--.

I’m sure I felt that kind of anxiety last night…

(I don’t feel that way from Ellis in front of me now.)

(Maybe it was because I had just witnessed the murder scene.)

I gently pushed aside the strange feeling in my chest and decided not to acknowledge it.

--In hindsight, that turned out to be a mistake.

Part 4

(Anyway, Ellis took the trouble to arrange this for me.)

(I’ll take his word for it and listen to various stories.)

Kate: “Thank you, Ellis.”

Ellis: “I haven’t done anything to deserve your gratitude.”

Ellis: “Do you like sweets? These are scones Victor baked this morning.”

Kate: “Eh? Victor baked…?”

Ellis: “Yes, it’s like his hobby. Al is also a good cook.”

Ellis: “The clotted cream is something I learned from Al and made myself.”

Ellis: “Liam recommended this jam, so he bought it for me.”

Ellis: “Perhaps he knows a lot about what’s trending because he’s a stage actor.”

Ellis: “This meat pie is from the restaurant where Roger took me to lunch the other day. He treats me to drinks often.”

Kate: “W-wait a minute. I want to write down what you just told me…!”

When I take out my notebook that I had kept in my pocket,

Ellis told me a lot about the people in Crown--.

Kate: “Oh, I know about the shop that sells this apricot crumble too! There’s usually quite a line there, right?”

Ellis: “I bought it with Harry. Harry apparently has a sweet tooth and is obsessed with delicious sweets shops.”

Kate: “Hehe… Everyone in Crown is good friends aren’t they?”

(I felt like I was living in another world,)

(I feel relieved to know that we are all people living in the same London.)

(Thanks to Ellis.)

With a big smile on my face, I spread cream on the scone in my hand.

Ellis: “Kate.”

Kate: “Yes…?”

Very naturally, the palm of Ellis’ large hand reached up to the side of my face.

Ellis: “You’re going to get cream stuck in your hair.”

Kate: “Huh? Oh…”

(That’s true, I didn’t notice.)

Ellis scoops up my hair with his fingertips and gently tucks it behind my ear.

Kate: “Thank you.”

Ellis: “You’re welcome… It was so good you went crazy for it didn’t you?”

Ellis, resting his chin on his hand, looked at me and smiled.

Kate: “…Yes, it’s delicious.”

Ellis: “Good.”

(If Ellis can do something like this so casually… he must be popular.)

Realizing that my heart was pounding, I tried to calm down my erratic heartbeat.

Kate: “Preparing a seat, caring about me like this…”

Kate: “Why are you being so kind to me?”

(I don’t remember doing anything to Ellis yesterday that would make him treat me so kindly…)

Ellis: “Kate, you haven’t looked happy since last night.”

Ellis: “I want the people around me to smile as much as possible.”

(That’s all…?)

(Even though I’m a complete stranger to Ellis… I don’t know anything about him.)

Kate: “Do you do this for anyone? Even if you just met for the first time?”

Ellis: “Huh…? Yeah… is that wrong?”

The simple question, in turn, made him look confused.

(Ellis is a bit of an odd person after all.)

(But…)

Kate: “…I’m happy.”

(I’m sure I feel better thanks to Ellis.)

Ellis: “I see… If you don’t hate it, good.”

Part 5

By the time the peaceful breakfast was over, my wariness had completely subsided.

Ellis: “Is going to the theater your hobby?”

Kate: “Yes. In fact, last night I took on an unfamiliar night shift because I wanted money for tickets…”

Ellis: “Heheh… you’re quite passionate.”

I chatted endlessly with Ellis, as if we were new friends.

Then, the sound of another set of footsteps echoed.

Victor: “Hey, hey! This is exciting!”

Ellis: “Victor.”

Kate: “…! Good morning.”

Victor: “Oh, you don’t have to stand up! I don’t want to interrupt your pleasant conversation.”

Victor: “Since Ellis offered to do so, I left breakfast to him… Do you feel a little less nervous?”

Victor kept smiling and looked at me searchingly.

The shadow of the unfathomable feeling I felt from him last night has faded, and I can feel the warmth of concern in his jewel-like eyes.

(Maybe it’s because I enjoyed my first job with Ellis and it relieved my tension.)

Kate: “Yes. Thanks to Ellis and the delicious scones you baked for me.”

Victor: “…”

When I smiled gratefully, Victor seemed a little surprised.

But soon a smile appeared on his face, like a flower blooming.

Victor: “Yeah, yeah. Your smile says ‘I’m so happy to be Crown’s exclusive fairytale keeper!’”

Ellis: “…Did it really say that much?”

Kate: “…hehe.”

Victor’s eyes narrowed as he watched my shoulders shake.

Victor: “Well I had two requests for you as fairytale keeper, keeping our secret and recording our sins.”

Victor: “The former is fine, but the latter I would imagine has you at a loss as to what to do specifically.”

Victor: “May I give a little explanation?”

Kate: “Yes. Please.”

Victor: “It’s not difficult. I want you to carefully observe the people of Crown and write down what you feel is a sin.”

Victor: “I’ll leave it to you to figure out how.”

Victor: “You can have multiple people watch over you on a rotating basis or you can choose one person to work with.”

(Observe the members of Crown carefully. I am free to choose my methods and partners… I see.)

Kate: “I understand, um, how far does my surveillance extend?”

Victor: “Even though I say surveillance, I don’t mean to restrict your freedom of movement other than going out alone.”

Victor: “I may ask you to accompany us on missions, but you can spend the rest of the time however, you like.”

I was a little relieved as I had expected to be under much stricter surveillance.

Kate: “Understood. Thank you for your explanation.”

Victor: “…Honestly, I was a little surprised just now. I didn’t expect to see your smile so soon.”

Victor: “You witnessed a terrible scene, and we are an evil organization that cannot be said to be safe.”

He gave me a joking wink…

Then Victor squinted his eyes as if looking at bright sunlight.

Victor: “I hope that the darkness that will inevitably touch you from now on won’t take away your smile.”

Strangely enough, I didn’t believe what I was told was a lie.

(The people of Crown are definitely dark and terrifying people who don’t mind harming others.)

However—I thought that if I looked deep into my heart, there were feelings that I could understand.

Victor: “Then I’ll excuse myself. The Queen’s Aide is quite busy.”

Victor seemed to have just come to see what was going on and immediately left without coming to the table.

(To record their sins, first I’ll have to take a good look at the members of Crown.)

In that case—I’d like Ellis to be the first one I want to know more about.

Such feelings come naturally.

Kate: “Um, Ellis…What are your plans for today?”

However, my question was interrupted by a harsh voice.

Jude: “Yer supposed to be workin. How dare ya slack off.”

Ellis and Kate: “!”

I jumped at the sound of a loud voice.

(That voice is--)

When I hesitantly turned around, I saw Jude standing in the garden with his arms folded, looking irritated.

(Oh, you’re angry…!)

Ellis: “Sorry. I’ll go now.”

Without even standing up, Ellis leisurely turned his gaze toward Jude and answered.

(Such carelessness….)

Jude clicked his tongue, quickly flipped his cloak with a flourish and left.

Ellis: “…As you can see, that is today’s schedule.”

Kate: “You work for a trading company right?”

(Jude is the president and Ellis is the president’s assistant...right?)

(I was thinking of observing Ellis, but maybe I should try another day.)

Kate: “Thank you for making time for me. Good luck with your work.”

Ellis: “……”

Ellis was staring at me, thinking about something--.

Kate: “Um…?”

Ellis: “If you don’t mind, would you like to come with me?”

Kate: “Why are you helping me?”

Next Chapter

[raayllum]

Also thinking about Aaravos (in disguise) offering Callum an apple and beyond the obvious parallels to this post from way back when

He thinks sometimes about the way humans count their years: one day every year marks a precious point in their short life spans. They celebrate. They feast. He thinks that if he cared for the idea, he’d like to remember the taste of a smooth red fruit a human had plucked from a tree for him, once. It had been so crisp, and so sweet.

and me borrowing the imagery for fanon s6 between Aaravos and Claudia

Now she was in a meadow with a bench and a tree, not unlike her favourite spot to read back in the castle. Red apples sat ripe and round among the branches, but Claudia soon forced her gaze downwards. [...] She snatched the apple from Aaravos’ outstretched hand and bit into it, the cold juice refreshing on her tongue. He smiled at her. “Tell me what to do.”

as well as S7 having a location previously related to unicorns known as the Garden of Innocence, it seems we're just going full dark magic / Biblical original sin territory a la Paradise Lost.

Thinking many thoughts about how the giving of the apple can be seen as both a Satan/Lucifer and an Eve analogue, because it's the same motion repeated twice (also why sometimes Lucifer's seduction of Eve is seen as borderline sexual/romantic, because she offers a similar kind of 'partnership' temptation to Adam).

Was the human who gave him the apple his Lucifer, and is he Callum's? Or was Aaravos an Eve, which would also allow Rayla (one of Aaravos' primary foils, especially in their oppositional dynamic with Callum) to swap in as a two-fold Eve? Some combination of either?

Eve takes the apple in Paradise Lost because she wanted knowledge and power. Adam takes the apple because whatever happens, he wants to be with Eve; he'd rather be damned together than saved apart.

Either way, it makes me doubly hopeful and excited that we may get to learn a lot more about dark magic's origins this season and how it was created! Book 7: Dark here we come!

[akystaracer22]

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust AU Masterpost

Synopsis: Sinner/Fallen Angel Adam AU with a subplot of Adamsapple slowburn combined with endgame Edenpoly and a sprinkle of Adam being a father. Full of angst, hurt/comfort, fluff, and a bunch of worldbuilding.

Character References:

Adam, Also Adam

Oneshots:

Maybe in Another Life We Would Hate Each Other a Little Less

Synopsis: A chance encounter sheds a little light on Adam that Lucifer couldn’t have predicted, leading to a moment he thought he’d never have with the man.

Distrust Fall

Synopsis: A leap of faith gone wrong, an eternal promise kept eternally. No matter how long it has been some things never truly change.

Here in The Garden, Lets Play a Game

Synopsis: A nightmare about paradise, and an attempt to create something new, even the coldest hearts can warm with a careful touch.

Let's Make a Deal

Synopsis: Let's go back a moment, how exactly did Adam end up joining the hotel? And how was the graveyard created? Lucifer makes a deal with Adam, but not for what Lucifer thought it would be.

The Exception to the Rule

Synopsis: How far do you bend your morals for someone you love?

Free the Bird From its Gilded Cage

Synopsis: Lucifer would tell anyone who asked his greatest regret was letting humanity eat the apple. Better than admitting what he really regretted.

Ruthlessness is Mercy Upon Ourselves

Synopsis: Vaggie and Adam talk about mercy and each other. It doesn’t go in any direction they thought it would.

Related Headcanons:

The Poly

Adam and Animals

The AU poll

Kissing with apples

[asquared-ohgodnotthehorrors]

You know, I just realized: While Ultrakill *kinda* has an overarching story, each layer tells its own, self contained story (save Gluttony, Heresy, and eventually Treachery), and each of them tie back to the whole story of Ultrakill.

Prelude is, well, the prelude. It tells us the story so far: Mankind is Dead, Blood is Fuel, Hell is Full. It’s a factory before Hell, extracting things out of Hell, and Hell is so full its denizens are escaping. Still, there are other machines such as Swordsmachines venturing within to acquire fuel. There’s no people manning anything here because mankind is dead. It’s pretty standard all things considered.

Limbo is also somewhat self contained. It’s more a Twilight Zone “god that would be fucked up, anyway-“, but parts of its story are important. It tells us about the actors in the story of Ultrakill. It introduces us to some of the key machines, demons, and even foreshadows Gabriel. All while Humanity is caught in a Limbo in the middle, stuck in a prison poorly disguised as paradise, while the real actors roam free and wreak havoc in the Garden, all the while Heaven remains distant. Moreover, the setting is just an interesting portrayal of Limbo as a whole.

Then, we get to Lust. This tells the story of King Minos. The city he built, the home he tried to make within hell. One dedicated to peace and love, doing away with atonement and just trying to move on and protect what they had. It also showed his punishment. How his city lay in shambles and his corpse puppeted around to terrorize his people. Slander to his very name.

Gluttony is part of a 3 part story. While the other acts tend to tell stories of the past, of what has been, Gluttony, Heresy, and I expect Treachery tell stories of the present and the future, with the main character Gabriel at the center. A pulsating, disgusting place, yet Gabriel still has the pride to revere it as an insurmountable palace all to his own. Hell watches through disgusting eyes with its beating heart, but does nothing. Gabriel’s doing its job for it quite well. Of course, his defeat exiles him from his palace, and you can extrapolate from there.

Greed then tells the story of King Sisyphus. His successors, and their continued resistance. Contrasted to Lust, a sad shadow of what it was, barely marred yet empty of the love it was meant to display, Greed instead displays the brilliant ruins of the conquest it acquired. One of the few layers with actual sunlight, and the sands and buildings are just as golden and brilliant. It wasn’t crying because it was over, it was smiling because it happened. It didn’t mourn the distortion of Sisyphus’s insurrections, it celebrated how powerful they had become. And unlike Lust, it doesn’t end with fighting Sisyphus’ punishment. It ends with defeating a rival successor. V2. One of the very things finishing the job Sisyphus started when rising up against Heaven.

Suitably, Wrath follows by telling the story of Heaven. It introduces every enemy related to Heaven that isn’t Gabriel (Virtues, Ferrymen, and Idols), as well as display his form and his kindness across the ship you venture through. The only kindness Heaven ever gave Hell. The flooded Styx showed their neglect, letting Hell flood over with souls desperate for salvation. It showed the few achieving salvation and holy connection through faith, and yet were still kept in Hell despite being worthy, in the Ferrymen. It showed the souls of Humanity who have already proven their worth, and yet are still punished as discardable, menial slaves in the Virtues. It showed the devotion to god, the christening of the unholy demon and the love it can hold and give, a pure display of the good of god, and how Heaven would not hesitate to snuff it out in a moments notice, all shown in the Idols. It showed the sheer danger neglect could bring in the Leviathan. And it showed the one angel who actually cared. Who lent a helping hand, who tried to bring redemption to those who wanted it, and rest to those who needed it. And how none of it meant anything, because Heaven still neglected.

Heresy is more of Gabriel, how his loss is Heresy and yada yada, we don’t CARE about Gabriel here.

Because we are at my favorite. Violence. The ultimate monument to and punishment for its sin. Each level a story of its own in the Saga of Humanity.

The first, an empty canvas, letting the stains of violence shine bright and brilliant as it acted as a twisted prison for the violent. A maze that would madden one to strike themselves, their compatriots, and the very walls of their prison down to escape… the Minotaur did break a lot of walls, did it not? And it was a gift, a monument to the cruel neglect and punishment humanity can bestow upon one another, and the same man who was given the chance to redeem himself chose to continue the cycle he trapped himself in… cycles are important here. Like getting lost in a maze.

Layer 2, a display of war. Of the Violence Humanity commits against themselves and nature. Rivers of blood running red, trenches, barren land, and toppled architecture all around. Repurposed as a battleground. Trampled underfoot. With those who wished to forsake war or were caught in the crossfire strapped to coffins as they mowed down living souls with lead, bled dry for violence.

Layer 3, the madness violence brings. The way it will bring you to harm anyone, even your allies or yourself. This is shown through the blood trees that you feed (inspired by the suicide trees), as well as the madness idols that make enemies fight each other.

And finally, Layer 4. The true display of why War is the Ultimate form of Violence. The Earthmovers are beautiful, antennae to heaven. They hosted towns of people, houses and homes, it had a beating heart and veins, and a functioning mind. And it was made to slaughter. En masse. Something that could have been so beautiful, something that was a testament to what humanity was capable of. Made for more violence. And it was self sustaining. It couldn’t be turned off. And even if it was destroyed, there were dozens more ready to take its place.

Even if you sought redemption, or to at least escape punishment, you’d be trapped. Lost in a labyrinth of your own making, your violence spilling out of you brilliantly onto the walls and floors and ceiling, as you rotted in a disease ridden trench, your monuments falling around you as you beat your fellow man to death with your bare hands, while fire rained down upon you in the form of the centaurs’ arrows, their forms shining like antennae to heaven. It is a labyrinth of your own making. And you will keep getting lost over and over again as you fuel this Null Ouroboros.

[mimiruku]

An ask for Miruku!

Thanks for telling me about their apprenticeship! What was Miruku's childhood dream job?

What's her favorite flower?

How would Miruku describe herself to someone he doesn't know? How would he describe himself to someone he trusts?

I don't remember if these questions were from either and could not be bothered to go through the mess that is my blog, so no links for now! But Muffin ( ͡ ° ͜ʖ ͡ °) thank you for sending this in and your patience with me! I don't think I see you as often these days? I hope things are kind to you ! Stay safe wherever you may be!

╰┈┈➤   now to answer these lovely questions.

───  What was Miruku's childhood dream job ?

A religious leader . . . something about going to heaven & dragging people with him, he had thought that was a full proof plan for an easy life. He'd have likely gone through with this plan not for . . . the mafia.

───  What's her favorite flower?

Miruku is a plant person in every sense of the word, he does not have a favorite if only because he thinks each one is wonderful and interesting, however he does have a penchant for relating flowers to the handful of people quite likes, as a result he becomes endeared to these plants more than others and in some cases, put off.

During spring season, you'll likely see various kinds of tulips blooming in his little rooftop garden and ever so often you'd see him cultivating pure white orchids at random hour of the night ( he does it carefully, even tho he'd say he doesn't like them at all). One time, during his many travels, he had seen a blue dayflower and it had what brought him home the next day.  The Golden Showers  that he decided to grow later in his life also had been because he wanted to grow with the person that reminded him of them and sometimes sending a pot of bird of paradise to a teacher you adore and made you happy had became the norm.

───  How would Miruku describe herself to someone he doesn't know? How would he describe himself to someone he trusts?

Often, he'd say he was 'normal', he is just like any other guy in the room, there's nothing for him to describe he'd think and this applies in all cases regardless he knows them or not. Miruku is not very interested in describing himself you see.

[taylortruther]

so long, london being a song about choice, and how not all cages are physical, like show me a grey sky, in the darkest little paradise and you’re not my homeland anymore and you know i left a part of me back in new york, remember how you watched me leave? and snuck in through the garden gate every night that summer just to seal my fate and home is where the heart is but that’s not where mine lives and leave the christmas lights up til january, deck the halls that we once walked through and if i can’t relate to you, then who am i related to? who am i defending now? and i broke my own heart because you were too polite to do it.

[hekateinhell]

Armand, having his priorities in order and being highly relatable in TVA:

I looked off, wanting the quiet, dreaming of bowers suddenly, not in words but in images, the way my old mind would do it, wanting to lie down in garden beds among growing flowers, wanting to press my face to earth and sing softly to myself.

"They could see nothing green here, and it's spring outside, southern spring. I can smell it through the walls. I want to look just for a moment on flowers. To kill, to drink blood and to have flowers."

I also love anything that tells us about the way Armand processes the world (i.e., how his 'old mind' used to think in images only). We know the 'Marius & The Flowers' chapter in PL and his gardens in B&G pretty well, but flower imagery and symbolism actually come up quite a bit with Armand also throughout TVC.

The rather erotic illusion he projects to Lestat in TVL:

Hell and heaven, or both made one, vampires in a paradise drinking blood from the very flowers that hung, pendulous and throbbing, from the trees. I felt a wave of disgust. It was as if he [Armand] had come into my private dreams like a succubus.

Perhaps my favorite, the mental garden he creates for Daniel in QotD as the last thing he'll ever be able to share with him through their telepathic connection:

Their voices carried over the garden. Such roses and chrysanthemums, how enormous they were. And light poured from the doorways of the Villa of the Mysteries. Was there music playing? Why, the whole ruined place was brilliantly illuminated under the incandescent blue of the night sky.

"So you would have me break my vow. You would have what you think you want. But look well at this garden, because once I do it, you'll never read my thoughts or see my visions again. A veil of silence will come down."

"But we'll be brothers, don't you see?" Daniel asked.

Armand stood so close to him they were almost kissing. The flowers were crushed against them, huge drowsing yellow dahlias and white gladioli, such lovely drenching perfume. They had stopped beneath a dying tree in which the wisteria grew wild. Its delicate blossoms shivered in clusters, its great twining arms white as bone.

Armand in TVA describing the disintegration of his relationship with Daniel as he saw it, with love as something that blooms like a flower (and something that sometimes fails to do so):

There was never any innocence for us, there was never any springtime. There was never any chance, no matter how beautiful the twilight gardens in which we wandered. Our souls were out of tune, our desires crossed and our resentments too common and too well watered for the final flowering.

[thespianinthebackcorner]

thinking about how everything Khemia-related is circular- their glyphs in particular. Thinking about how Khemia is the power of life and creating life and how circles are a natural shape. Thinking about how the Unknown God's power is comprised of squares and squares aren't natural very often. Thinking about that it was her power that destroyed Khaenri'ah. Thinking about how Khaenri'ah was based on life and their power is made of circles and when they were destroyed the power that killed them was made of cubes. Thinking about how Khaenri'ah's story is all antithesis and opposition- gods and humans, immortality and mortality, creation and destruction, natural and unnatural, heaven and abyss. Thinking about how Khaenri'ah's story is about proving that what we assume is bad isn't always that bad and maybe it's the "holy" things that are worse. Thinking about how Khaenri'ah's alchemy tried to harness the power of Teyvat's innate nature to help them, and the rebelling power that destroyed them was unnatural and from beyond. Thinking about how Khaenri'ah's goal seemed to be to figure out Teyvat's origins and what is "natural" to Teyvat as apposed to Celestia's artificial changes. Thinking about how Rhinedottir, a Khaenri'ahn, created "synthetic" life with a power natural to Teyvat but maybe it's not synthetic life at all, she just guided the power and maybe being uncontrolled by the gods makes Albedo and his brothers more natural than anything else. Thinking about how his Vision might be a way for Celestia to attempt to control Albedo for their own gains but he uses it so little it's not even working. Thinking about how the natural order of things is ingrained in the Dragon Sovereign's way of thinking and how the game is slowly pushing us to ally with them and go against Celestia, maybe the real story is about nature and how to differentiate between a false nature, an artificial garden of paradise, and true nature, a chaos that cannot be controlled and will create life as it sees fit with no regard for the world around it.

Thinking about Khaenri'ah, creation and destruction. Thinking about maybe the "order" that Celestia enforces is maybe not order at all, just repression of nature's true order

[artsandculture]

The Garden of Earthly Delights (1500-1505) 🎨 Hieronymus van Aken aka Bosch 🏛️ Museo del Prado 📍 Madrid, Spain

The Garden of Earthly Delights is Bosch’s most complex and enigmatic creation. For Falkenburg the overall theme of The Garden of Earthly Delights is the fate of humanity, as in The Haywain (P02052), although Bosch visualizes this concept very differently and in a much more explicit manner in the centre panel of that triptych than in The Garden of Earthly Delights. In order to analyse the work’s meaning the content of each panel must be identified. On the outer faces of the triptych Bosch depicted in grisaille the Third Day of the Creation of the World, when the waters were separated from the earth and the earthly Paradise (Eden) created. At the top left we see God the Father as the Creator, according to two Latin inscriptions, one on each panel: For he spake, and it was done and For he commanded, and they were created (Psalms 33:9 and 148:5). On the inner face of the triptych, painted in brilliant colours which contrast with the grisaille, Bosch painted three scenes that share the single common denominator of the concept of sin, which starts in Paradise or Eden on the left panel, with Adam and Eve, and is punished in Hell in the right panel. The centre panel depicts a Paradise that deceives the senses, a false Paradise given over to the sin of lust. This deception is encouraged by the fact that the centre panel is shown as a continuation of Eden through the use of a single, continuous landscape with a high horizon line that allows for a broad, panoramic composition arranged as three superimposed planes, in the panels of the earthly Paradise, the Garden of Earthly Delights and Hell.

While sin is the connecting link between the three scenes, the iconography in the Paradise panel requires further analysis in order fully to appreciate its meaning. As will be noted below in the analysis of the technical documentation, when he initially embarked on the work Bosch included the Creation of Eve on the left panel, but in a second phase he replaced it with God presenting Eve to Adam. This very uncommon subject was associated with the institution of marriage, as Falkenburg and Vandenbroeck discuss (Bosch, 2016). For the latter, the centre panel represents the false paradise of love, known as Grail in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, which implied a carnal interpretation of God’s mandate to Be fruitful and multiply, as instituted in marriage. The men and women that Bosch depicts in the Garden of Earthly Delights believe they are inhabiting a paradise for lovers, but this is false and their only fate is punishment in Hell. The extremely pessimistic message that the centre panel conveys is that of the fragility and ephemeral nature of happiness and delight in these sinful pleasures.

In the centre panel, from which the triptych derives its name, Bosch included a large number of naked human figures, with the exception of the pair at the lower right, who are usually identified as Adam and Eve after the Expulsion from Paradise. Men and women, both black and white, are generally seen in groups or pairs, maintaining amorous relations with a powerful erotic charge that refers to the panel’s pre-eminent theme, the sin of lust. The animals, both real and imaginary, are much larger than their proper scale. Among them, Bosch particularly emphasizes two different types of owl that evoke evil. Staring straight out, they direct their disturbing gazes at the viewer at the two lateral edges of the panel, slightly set back from the immediate foreground. Also present are plants and fruit, which are again much larger than their scale dimensions. The entire composition is dotted with pieces of red fruit that contrast with other large and small blue ones, these being the two principal colours in the scene. In contrast to the apparent confusion that prevails in the foreground, geometry imposes itself in the middle ground and background. In the former, Bosch depicted a pool full of naked women. Around it, in an anti-clockwise direction, rides a group of men on different mounts (some of them exotic or imaginary), who have been associated with different Cardinal Sins. In the background of the scene Bosch included five fantastical architectural constructions in the water, the central one similar to the fountain of the Four Rivers in the Paradise panel, although here broken to symbolize its fragility and the ephemeral nature of the delights being enjoyed by the men and women who fill this garden. And now the owl depicted inside the fountain in the Paradise panel is replaced here by human figures in sexually explicit poses.

The right panel depicts Hell and is Bosch’s most striking representation of this subject, on occasions referred to as the musical Hell owing to the significant presence of instruments used to torture sinners who have devoted their time to secular music. In his text in the present catalogue Larry Silver describes the punishments meted out to each sin. While lust prevails in the centre panel, in the scene of Hell all the Cardinal Sins are punished. A good example is the punishment of the avaricious, who are devoured and immediately expelled from the anus of a theriomorphic creature with a bird’s head (a variety of owl) seated on a type of child’s lavatory stool. Gluttons and the sin of gluttony are undoubtedly referred to in the tavern scene located inside the tree-man, in which semi-naked people seated at a table wait to be served toads and other unpleasant creatures by devils, while the envious are tortured by immersion in frozen water. Further punishments correspond to vices censured by society at the time, including board games, while particular social classes are also singled out, including the clergy, who were notably criticized at this period, as reflected in the pig wearing a nun’s veil embracing a naked man in the lower right corner.

Although the triptych in the Museo del Prado is not signed, its attribution to Bosch has never been doubted. Its dating, however, is the subject of considerable debate. The results of the dendrochronological analyses could allow it to be located within the early years of the artist’s activity, around 1480-85, as Vermet stated without any supporting evidence. However, the work’s stylistic proximity to the Adoration of the Magi Triptych in the Prado (P02048), which can be securely dated to 1494 following Duquenne’s identification in 2004 of the donors, Peeter Scheyfve and Agneese de Gramme from Antwerp, confirms that the present work must have been painted in the 1490s and not after 1505, as most authors preferred to believe prior to Duquenne’s discovery. It has recently been argued that it must have been painted in or after 1494 as the image of God the Father creating the world on the reverse of the triptych is inspired by a print by Michel Wolgemut of the same subject -including the same text from the Psalms as appears on the wings- which appeared in Hartman Schedelsche Weltchronik published in Nuremberg in 1493.

Research undertaken in 1967 by Gombrich and Steppe allowed The Garden of Earthly Delights to be associated with the Nassau family. An account by Antonio de Beatis, who accompanied Cardinal Luis de Aragon as his secretary on his trip to the Low Countries, states that on 30 July 1517 the triptych was in the Nassau palace of Coudenberg in Brussels, where De Beatis presumably saw it. Since in the late 1960s the painting was considered to be a late work by Bosch, executed after the death of Engelbert’s II of Nassau in 1504, it was therefore thought that the patron was Henry III of Nassau (1483-1538), Engelbert nephew and heir. In the present day and in the light of the information that locates the triptych in the 1490s, it can be confirmed that it was commissioned from Bosch by Engelbert, who must have intended it for the Coudenberg Palace.

[walkswithmyfather]

Revelation 22:13 (NLT). “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

“What does Revelation 22:13 mean?” By BibleRef.com:

“Verse Commentary: Jesus identifies Himself as the Alpha and the Omega: the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. He explains He is the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Previously in Revelation Jesus employed this same description of Himself (Revelation 1:8; 21:6). As the Alpha and Omega, He existed before creation and was with God in the beginning (John 1:1). He is, therefore, eternal.

Often in John's Gospel Jesus refers to Himself as the “I am;” present tense (John 6:35; 8:12; 11:25). He told His foes He and His father are one (John 10:30). His enemies recognized that Jesus claimed to be equal with God, so they picked up stones in order to stone Him to death (John 10:31). They believed He had committed blasphemy. However, long after the present creation passes away, Jesus will still exist because He is eternal. By grace, the eternal Son of God bestows eternal life on all who believe on Him (John 3:36; Romans 6:23).

Verse Context: Revelation 22:6–13 moves on from the description of life in New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9—22:5) and focuses on Jesus' return. This marks the end of John's visions of the future, returning to more immediate instructions for Christian believers; this is the epilogue to the book of Revelation. Both the beginning and closing of Revelation offer a blessing (Revelation 1:3; 22:7). Both stress the importance of keeping the prophecy being given (Revelation 1:3; 22:7). And both identify Jesus as the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8; 22:13).

Chapter Summary: John sees additional images of New Jerusalem. The city's depiction stands in contrast to the ruin experienced during the tribulation, and evokes comparisons to the garden of Eden from the book of Genesis. After this, John relates several commands and messages from Jesus Christ. Among these are a dire warning not to manipulate the words of this message. Revelation, along with the canon of Scripture, ends with a benediction and prayer for Jesus to return.

Chapter Context: This passage completes the description of New Jerusalem. Earlier chapters in Revelation described the final judgments against sin and death. Genesis chapter 3 described humanity's loss of paradise; Revelation 22 describes paradise regained. Concluding remarks by Jesus begin in verse 6 and continue through verse 20. Verse 21 records the apostle John's benediction, which marks the end of the New Testament canon.

Book Summary: The word “revelation” means “an unveiling or disclosure.” This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as “an apocalypse.”

[© Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries.]

[deepspacedukat]

Distracted

The writer’s block has been rough the last couple of days. The most I’ve been able to write has been a couple of sentences, so I consider this little diversion a win. I didn’t plan on writing this. It just happened. I used gender neutral pronouns since this is just a quickie fluff drabble. This is not related to my Senator Letant of Romulus series. It’s just a quickie little standalone blurb drabble ficlet thing. Because brain said I was only allowed to write this today. So uh...yep. Enjoy!

Cross-posted to AO3 here.

~*~

Letant (ST:DS9) x Reader

[A/N: This is fluff, and I have nothing constructive to say so...enjoy!]

Warnings: Interspecies kissing, fluff, cuteness.

~*~

Letant was listening to his mate talk about the logistics of growing flowers from all over the galaxy in their garden. The amount of water each needed, the nutrient requirements for the soil, the light requirements, the depth of soil needed for the roots to grow - the Senator’s mate was analyzing the variables thoroughly.

Yet all he could focus on was the way that the light of Romulus’s sun caressed their face and the shape of their lips as they spoke. As the two of them sat at the kitchen table looking through plans, he mused over how this was an inevitable outcome. He cared about what they were saying, truly he did. He wished for the garden to be a private little paradise for them, especially since horticulture was a hobby of theirs. But his mate’s lips entranced him every single time they spoke to him in that beautiful voice of theirs.

Letant knew why, of course. Humans used their mouths for intimacy - something that had amazed him and quickly set his passions alight when they’d kissed him for the first time. Letant had spent many long hours reveling in the simple sensation of mingled lips and shared breath. His lover’s soft sighs and hums against his mouth never failed to make him crave more.

Could he really be blamed for falling under his Human’s spell so completely when they were doing nothing more complex than talking? Surely not.

“It might be best if we swap the Betazed lilies and the Vulcan orchids, especially with their different water requireme–”

Letant wasn’t even conscious of his movements until he found himself leaning across the side of the kitchen table kissing his mate. He’d interrupted their train of thought, but it was worth it for this moment alone. Thoroughly stealing his lover’s breath, he didn’t pull back until he felt the edge of his hunger stirring deep within him.

Smoothing his tunic and resuming his seat, Letant leaned his chin on his palm as he had been before.

“My apologies, e’lev. Do go on. You have my full attention,” he said with a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth, but his lover just blinked at him with wide eyes.

“I...uh,” they stammered and struggled to regain their previous composure, but it was in vain. When they tossed their plans aside and tugged him into another kiss, he knew there would be no more talk of the gardens for at least another few hours.

[hypocriticaltypwriter]

MORE MARY UPONE YE! (I swear I'll make a headcanon list and tag you eventually-)

A reason Mary is a lot more timid/quiet when compared to Ace, is due to the simple fact of: He wants to pass as Mary. Sure he pokes at women and girls, who doesn't in that town? But he happily observes and looks at them with a sort of secret admiration. Mary, is trying so hard to be lady like and sweet, she worries about passing and how she comes off, so she'd so much softer and quiet.

While yes, Ace is forever grateful to the fact Richard loves and supports him, and the fact he dresses as Mary, and helps her be her....he wants to kill him anytime the teasing starts. The teasing ranges from playful and harmless, to outright antsy inducing for him. Doesn't matter if he's Ace or Mary, the teasing happens.

Examples: "Aweee, your little princess wand getting worked up from the girl magic Ace~" "Aweee gonna pitch a tent in your skirt gorgous?" "Somone on their period?" "*cat sounds* Rawr rawr kitty kitty!!" "You could be my girlfriend for the night~ it wouldn't be gay since your dressed as a dame~"

"Richard shut up....Richard, i- Richard, RICHARD!!!" Mary hits him on the back of his head a LOT with her hand or slaps on on ocassion if it gets bad, otherwise it's just her getting her hand bad after him.

Mary offering Nancy things in her purse. "...I got cigarettes, a bottle of pain Killers, a flask, and then some candy....oh and cash, coins, oh that's where that went-" Her bags small but it's full of stufd, she can't fit SO much in there, damn things a void, the magic hats of purses, she can pull so much out of it.

Always offering cigarettes or other things to, "Wind down" and if asked for femine products she gets nurvous and says she forgets to pack them.

I bet once she was with Nancy and got all antsy, all shifting in her spot and it was asumed she needed the "Powder room" so Nancy offer her help, and it turned into the most awkard ting of, now she just has...a thing in her purse and the reason she was antsy was becuse her mind was wandering and she got excited and had to duck off to take a breather.

The amount of times Nancy probably thought Mary and Richard were a couple, especially wirg how she clings to him or holds his hand made her wonder if they wernt secretly dating, especially with how he's always ready to best somone up over her and she just gets so shy..

"Mary Mary, quite contrary~ how does your garden grow!!"

"(Laughing) Oh Nancy, I just tend to theses it's technically Ace's, or it was here when he got the house...whatever, yard garden remained.."

"Well jts beautiful and smells like paradise!!"

"...thank you💖💗💖"

Mary taking Nancy out for a "Girl's night" becuse I imagine Nancy's family likes Mary even if she's related to a Merrill, she's way better than Ace, so they allow it. The sheer awkwardness thst would be Mary being invited over however and hearing how much her brother snd dad HATE Ace and her brother saying how he'd beat him up, and Mary is just there like: "Oh god I'm gonna fucking die-"

FERAL CRAZY WACKY INSANE MAD EVEN OVER THIS