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#Or succeed in escaping this realm
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I dream of the moon because this world has no other escape, when you aren't cut out, too awkward for the social norms and energy of this world.
When every breath you take, feels unnatural in your lungs, your heart beating against the ribs in your chest trying to break free from its prison, like you don't belong, but just force yourself to adapt.
I wonder if I climbed to her as close as I could get, reached out my arms, splayed my fingers and jumped as high as I could as I call to her, would she cradle me in her power, or let me land back down and touch defeat?
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rivilu · 8 months
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Wait. Hold on a moment
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ramonag-if · 5 months
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The realms have found peace and the era of bloodshed is over. But many have escaped judgment for the cruelties inflicted on those who stood against Virion and his soldiers dressed in red. Reprise your role as the main character from Crown of Exile and journey into the wilds in search of those who plot against the newly crowned King Irus and the stability of the realms. Your journey will be a difficult one, but together with a loyal steed and your wits for survival, you will set out to complete your task. Crowning Glory is a bonus game which is rated 17+ for violence, vulgar language and mentions of fictional war.
Available to play: Prologue Play the early access here. You will need a password to access the game - @_M1ghty_5Te3D
This game was previously only available to my Patrons but I figured that it'll be a while before I can continue working on it so for now, I'm releasing it to the public. Please note that the game is still very much in development and I'll likely post a completed version once the main game is completed. This is not a sequel to Crown of Exile but acts as a short game that takes place after the events of the main game (where the main goal of Irus reclaiming his throne succeeds).
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oepionie · 1 year
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OEPIONIE PRESENTS...
" THE CROWNED PRINCESS OF RAMSHACKLE. "
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↳ ONCE UPON A TIME IN TWISTED WONDERLAND, Buried under towering stacks of papers, the Ramshackle prefect is stuck at her decrepit dorm, mulling over homework and magical textbooks. However, it seems that a strange magical tiara found in the depths of her attic might just change her plans for the night.
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BOOK  I : DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE. riddle rosehearts
RIDDLE ROSEHEARTS x TWISTED! ALICE! Reader
SYNOPSIS: A dispute with Riddle prompts the prefect to flee into the forest where she falls into a rabbit hole and finds herself in a mad fantastical realm of her imagination. Here, she meets her friends who are acting somewhat strangely… odd. They all treat her as royalty and whisk her away to a castle where her husband, the Red Queen, eagerly awaits her return. How curious.
W.K : 9K+
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BOOK  II : HERE COMES THE PUMPKIN CARRIAGE. vil schoenheit
VIL SCHOENHEIT x TWISTED! CINDERELLA! Reader
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BOOK  II : THE DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH. jamil viper
JAMIL VIPER x TWISTED! JASMINE! Reader
SYNOPSIS: After Kalim escapes the palace undetected, a shady beggar girl offers her assistance for a tour in the city. However, the poor boy is unaware that she's secretly planning to steal from him. Coming to his rescue, Jamil appears by his side to stop her before she could succeed. It's then revealed to Kalim that the beggar girl is Jamil's bride-to-be. The thief was none other than the lost princess of Ramshackle, Y/N Dire.
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BOOK  IV : THE COTTAGE IN THE WOODS. malleus draconia
MALLEUS DRACONIA x TWISTED! AURORA! Reader
Coming soon...
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BOOK  V : LA VOCE TO ME. azul ashengrotto
AZUL ASHENGROTTO x TWISTED! ARIEL! Reader
Coming soon...
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—TAGLIST:
꒰ ♡🧷: just comment to be added! if you can't see your name on the taglist, that means i can't @ you!
@keedas @spadecentral @crypticbibliophile @pastellepastary @cassidycampfire @cocomollo @poisonioushearts @kawaiipotatoghost @ramvuda @sweeneyblue1 @the-lost-anime-dad @kyraxiyn @mayaaaeo @tbhyknow  @eeveelutiontrainerr  @jelsah27 @as-the-moon-blooms  @bonleyweeb  @ch0c0shortiie @siphoklansan
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the-fiction-witch · 18 days
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You are not a Queen. You are The Queen. My Queen.
Media - House Of The Dragon Character - Aegon Targaryen Couple - Aegon X Reader Reader - Alysanne Targaryen (Daughter of Rhaenyra, wife of Aegon) Rating - Sweet AF Word Count - 2437
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The carriage bumped and bustled through the king's landing streets, the crack of the whip of the horses echoing in the mad rush. 
Alicent sat across the carriage in her impressive green dress, with golden chains and symbols of the faith of the seven. The crown she has always worn as queen nettled in her brown hair with her veil trailing down her back. She sighs and hardens herself for what must be done. 
Aegon sits dressed in his finery even if he shivered and he slightly cried trying to think of any way he could escape this fate. "Do you love me?" He asked his mother his voice plaid it like a joke but she didn't know the strength it took for him to utter those four words, and the deep tethers within him that those words and her answer would hold. 
"You imbecile," she shook her head, 
Her answer was enough of an answer for him to understand, but he felt compelled to speak once more, "Where is Alysanne?"
For a moment there was silence, and it spoke more than her words ever could, but after a time she speaks, "I send word for her but she could not be fetched. We couldn't wait."
He chuckled, "She is my wife." He glared, "We couldn't wait five minutes for her?" 
"every moment we wait risks the wrath of dragon stone."
"Yet you had time to change your dress?" he glared, 
"She would remain where she is safe, with the children." 
"So if Rhynera comes to burn the red keep we will all be in the dragon pit, except my wife who is in the red keep." 
"That is not what I intended-"
"Maybe not but its a helpful circumstance," 
"We should not speak of this," 
Aegon tried to protest but they arrived at the dragon pit, before anyone had much time to think Aegon was forced from the carriage and taken inside no matter his arguments.
The High Septom prepared the oils as the smallfolk were forced through the streets and ushered into the dragon pit until it was full, A small stage was set up with Alicent, Otto, Cristen, Helena and Aemond all waiting, preparing for this moment. 
Otto steps out to address the crowd, "King's Landing! Today is the saddest of days! Our beloved king, Viserys the peaceful... is dead!"
Muttering of shock comes from the crowd, 
"But it is also the most joyous of days!" he continues, "For as his spirit left us, he whispered his final wish that his firstborn son Aegon should succeed him"
more muttering but soon applause echos through the dragon pit, 
Members of the city watch rush the dragon pit pushing smallfolk as they do, they make a path to the stage half to keep smallfolk out, and half to keep aegon in. Horns ring out in royal tones as the armoured men raise their swords. 
Aegon does not wish to do this but he is forced out, so he takes slow and gradual steps a tear slipping from his eye as he begins the walk, the swords dropping behind him one by one, Each step makes him want to run, makes him want to fight his way out but with each one he is cementing his fate. 
His family's fate. 
His people's fate. 
His city's fate. 
His realm's fate.
He glances back and sees the swords are preventing his way, he really has no way back now. 
He holds 
"It is your good, great fortune to be here, to witness this. A new day for our city. A new day for our realm. a new king to lead us." 
He looks up and meets eyes with his mother a rage boiled inside him, that all this was her doing. 
When he climbed the steps she came and held his cheeks kissing his forehead, leading him by the hand to the Steptom of the faith of the seven. 
He looks to Otto who two gives him no choice he simply nods to him,
So Aegon kneels, 
silence rings out, 
"May the warrior give him courage, may the smith lend strength to his sword and shield, may the father defend him in his need, may the crone lift her shining lantern and shin his way to wisdom." the Septom says and with each anoints his head with oil, 
The crown is then taken from its pillow. The crown of Aegon the conqueror, sharp spikes of Valyrian steel with gems and jewels of finery. 
"The crown of the conqueror, past down through generations." Sir Criston takes the crown and places it on Aegons head even if the crown doesn't fit him right, "Let the seven bear witness, Aegon Targaryen is the true heir to the iron throne." 
For the first time in what feels like hours, Aegon lets out a breath, feeling the weight of the crown on his head, he gets to his feet and looks to everyone in attendance seeing how each bows to him,
"All hail his grace! Aegon second of his name, king of the Andals the Roynar and the First Men. Lord of the seven kingdoms and protector of the realm!" 
The bells toll out as cheers erupt for him, 
Aegon looks out to see the faces of all those who cheer, all those who look at him with joy, none of them know the death and destruction he brings. But even so, he can't help but feel a pride, and a swell of his ego as he takes Blackfyre from his belt and thrusts it into the air. For a moment he is swept up in his own family's pageantry and feels a joy to be king. 
But it doesn't last, as a rumble comes from below and suddenly dust and stone erupt up from the floor of the pit, people scream and try to run but there is no way to get away as the floor crumbles under their feet the red queen comes though the floor the dragon crushing smallfolk and killing hundreds in her wake otto tries to demand the doors to be opened but people are already dying, as Rhaenys sits on top of her dragon as the dust clears.
Alicent jumps in front of Aegon putting herself between the dragon and him,
The Red Queen screeched at everyone before turning and flying out and away into the sky. 
Aegon remains in the dragon pit, the pageantry of the moment long faded, the true death toll of his day hitting him, the weight of the sword in his hand and the crown on his head causing him to ache. He had such conflict in his heart, as he truly thought it all though. 
He never wanted this... and yet it was done. 
He never thought he was the heir... yet now the crown rests on his head.
His coronation... left hundreds dead. 
This moment... had surely begun a war that would tear apart his family, his realm, his house and all that he held dear. 
And in all of it, he stands alone, or so he thinks. 
Alysanne walks the up the stairs he walked up, her eyes looking only at him. Her gown is a body of green velvet, with silver threat lacing the bodice, black leather sleeves tight to her skin all the way to her wrists, a large skirt of green velvet with black flames embodied on the bottom, a long cape from her shoulders of a sheer black fabric cut like dragon wings. Her hands behind her back as she reaches the stage, she bows to him dipping her knees and lowering her head before her eyes meet his once more. 
His wife, in this moment, she is the light in this darkness. but there is so much sadness in him as he looks at her starlight eyes. 
"I am sorry Alysanne," He told her, 
"I hardly believed it to be true," she began, "Once word reached me." 
He felt unable to speak,
"Oh Aegon..." she said, "what have you let your mother do to you?"
Aegon looks at her with a mixture of guilt and shame, his throat tightens with emotion as he takes in her words. "I didn't have a choice,"
"I know." she nodded, "You are the king," She said almost not believing her own words,
He looks away, his mind filled with sorrow and anger, he is king, but he isn't happy. "This... already ways heavily on me... I cannot carry it alone." 
"If you are a king... I suppose that makes me a queen," 
He feels the weight lift a little, to know that she is beside him in this, "I am not a King. I am the king. You are not a queen. You are The queen. My Queen." he gives her an affectionate smile,
"so it would seem," A smile escapes her, but soon fails, "what- What is to happen to our children?" Her voice was full of fear,
Aegon's heart sinks as she asks, he knows his children are in danger, he feels already like he has failed them and his wife, he knows no matter what he can't protect them from this. "I do not know..."
"Forgive me, I should not sour your victory with my concerns."
"You should, concerns are now my most important matters." He told her, "I am sorry Alysanne, truly, I wanted to share this moment with you more than anyone. I am so sorry you were left behind,"
"... well, it's over now. it doesn't matter."
"It does. you are my queen and the fact you where not beside me for this moment... it breaks my heart."
"I admit... I am upset. that your mother had called this, not just for the politics and the show of the realm but... she wore her finest dress, her gold and her jewels, brought your family here, coronated you in front of thousands, gave you a crown, a sword, and the title of king... and I. Was left at the red keep with our children. Like a nursemaid." she explained, "I wish I could have been here is all..." 
He felt his blood boil that she felt this way, he took her hand and squeezed it, "I wish you could have been here, I wanted this to be for us. I wanted to take the crown with you by my side to take your own. I wanted our children to be here to witness the crown that may one day be theirs. and my mother robbed us of that... I am sorry, truly sorry. and I know I can never repay the injustice done to you." he explained, "You are my queen... and... you do not even have a crown." 
"I do." she said, as she revealed her other hand, "She gave me this when they arrived back to the red keep." she said and in her hand sat a small tiara of gold and green. No larger than a hair clip, and for a moment he remembers the crown his mother had worn today a large headband of gold and emeralds His own wife. His queen. Was tossed a crown, Without even being given a coronation. "I... I hardly wish to wear it at all... seems... foolish," 
Aegon stares at the tiny tiara and feels an intense surge of anger at the treatment his wife has received. It is a reminder of her insignificance in his mother's eyes, and it hurts him deeply. But he doesn't want her to be sad, he wants her to be proud of her new station. He looks at her, her face filled with a mixture of anger and sadness, and he doesn't want her to feel that way. He wants to make her happy and to make her feel wanted and accepted. "Wear it." He says, firm but gentle. His voice is a command, but also an appeal. He wants her to wear this crown, to let the world know that she is his wife and his Queen and that he is proud of her. He wants everyone to know that she is the Queen, no matter what his mother says or does. 
"There's no point..."
"Here," He takes her by the hand and tugs her with him to stand in front of the banners, he takes the small tiara from her and smiles, he gives it a clean on his shirt to make sure no fingerprints are on it before he does is most epic and dramatic voice for her, "May the warrior give her courage, may the smith lend strength to her sword and shield, may the father defend her in her need, may the crone lift her shining lantern and shin her way to wisdom. May the mother be an ever-sweet light in her life, may the maiden keep her safe, and may the stranger's visits be few," He explained, "The crown of ... uhh... the most beautiful of queens," he makes up as this crown had no name, 
she chuckles at him and he gently but sweetly presses the tiara into her hair, crowning her as his queen, his hands run down her hair and he kisses her lips softly, 
"Let the seven bear witness, Alysanne Targaryen queen of the seven kingdoms." he proclaimed, "All hail her grace! Alysanne Targaryen, queen of the Andals the Roynar and the First Men. lady of the seven kingdoms, protector of the realm, beloved bride and mother. My queen. My sweet queen," he cooed, 
"Thank you Aegon," she smiled, 
"You're welcome, and I promise you. You shall have a crown more worthy of your beauty and title." He smiled, 
"I think we have more pressing matters than a crown Aegon," she said,
"True," He nodded as his heart sank, "... you said once, not long after our children were born, that perhaps it would be best to cut or losses, to fly to Dragonstone with the children to meet with your mother, to cleave to your mother and beg for her mercy." 
she shook her head, "... it's too late for that Aegon, no matter what side we are on. Blood will be spilt, and the only way to keep our children alive is to be on a side of our own." 
He nodded and briefly smiled, "You took to talking queen fast," He chuckled, 
She smiled, "Aegon darling, I have been talking and acting like a queen for as long as I can remember. Our family ensured that. Come. The children wish to see their new king, and we have much to do." she explained taking his arm, he nodded and squeezed her hand happily walking with her even if the two were beyond scared of what now was to be done. 
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locuas642 · 9 days
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If there was a theme in Hades 1, I think it was Change. As in the idea that people can change, either for good or bad.
Achilles went from being a violent hot-headed in life, to becoming a more mellow, mature mentor archetype in death.
Sisyphus who was a bastard in life, after years of punishment did eventually change for the better. Becoming a nicer person overall.
Thesseus is implied to have been a better person in life. but the time in Elysium made him the lovable prima donna he is now. By Contrast Asterion has become a noble warrior who seeks to deliver justice and to fight a worthy opponent for the fun of it, rather than a monstrous creature who ate people.
Even Orpheus can be convinced that, altough he failed to properly credit Eurydice in life, he can start now.
The point is, even after Death is not too late for them to change. and that change is possible. And every character you interacts changes, even if in small ways. Even Chaos, a Primordial being who struggles to related with anything outside their realm can change and develop a desire to become closer with Nyx, they can change to wish to socialize.
And this is important because it is what is at the root of Hades and what makes HIM the villain of the story: He stubbornly believes people cannot change. that everyone is the same and that they will never get better.
He puts Sisyphus through a punishment that assumes he will ever be the cruel person he was in life. He refuses to believe that the Achilles of old would remain under his service if there wasnt a bonding contract forcing him to.
And most importantly: he believes it is impossible for Olympus and the Underworld to make peace. that his impression of the Olympians, with all their flaws and pettyness and drama, is not only entirely accurate, but that they can never be more than that. Just as he himself can never be more than the strict ruler of the underworld, forever trapped in his kingdom.
It is Zagreus, who through constant battles and trials, going from the meek weakling he is at the start, to someone who can actually push through the underworld's defense and actually reach the surface to, finally, besting Hades and managing the gargantuan task of escaping the underworld; something believed impossible; when Hades whole world is shattered. And when Zagreus manages to succeed on that again and again, a second impossible thing happens. Something believed to be equally as impossible as someone managing to overcome the Underworld: Hades Gives Up.
He let's Zagreus go. Not because out of the kindness of his heart, but because he finally understood he can't stop him and whatever happens, it is outside his control. THAT is when Zagreus trully defeats Hades, because it forces Hades to consider a different alternative, to change.
And that doesnt erase the things Hades did. The abuse or the cruelty. That happened and there is a chance that will always be there and that it might be too late for He and Zagreus to have the father/son dynamic they should have had. But he has finally made the decision of trying to change, which will be slow and painful, but never too late.
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eviesaurusrex · 2 years
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ɢʀɪᴇꜰ | ʟᴏʀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴘʜᴇᴜꜱ
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GIFs not mine!
Lord Morpheus x Deity!Reader (Goddess of Nature and Music)
summary: In the wake of his own capture, his queen was imprisoned too.
word count: 971
warnings: angst, seriously, this is angsty, blood, Morpheus wants to burn the Waking World to ashes
author’s note: My first Morpheus work, and we’re directly starting with something short and angsty xD I’m so unhappy with how this turned out, but I’m pushing myself to upload these types of works anyway because I’m my biggest critic and all that. Plus, I’m shitty at writing pure angst. But we’ll deal with this for now before we’re gonna turn to the fluffy part of writing for this god of a man <3
»part 2? part 2.«
;
His eyes were trained on the woman lying next to him on the solid, cold ground. His hand outstretched, his fingers twitching desperately in order to reach her. Only mere inches parted them, but the existence of the laughable distance was mocking him in its impossibility to overcome. Not in his current state.
Dry lips moved slowly, forming words without letting a single sound escape; the agony too consuming to mutter a single syllable. Morpheus was not even convinced she could hear him if he would succeed in calling her name, trying to nudge her mind back into consciousness with the power of his voice. A helpless sound was the only audible thing escaping his parted lips.
And then, abnormal darkness engulfed him once more.
His returning consciousness let him move his hand again, but instead of finally palpating the silk-like skin of his wife underneath his fingertips, the Lord of Dreams touched icy cold glass. Unsteadily, he opened his distinct blue eyes, which once held the entire universe in them, but now only pictured the void of a pitch-black night sky. He felt so heavy, his mind slow, his body not responding the way it was supposed to. The loss of his powers was something he almost missed because his tired eyes suddenly rested on red droplets scattering the dirty stone floor.
With a silent groan, Morpheus pushed himself up on his bare knees, blinking rapidly to sharpen his eyesight in the dimly lit basement. Suddenly, he wished he had not done it as every single ounce of air was pushed out of his lungs as if he had fallen from a high looming tower and crashed onto the ground. He felt as if he would suffocate in a matter of fleeting moments; his eyes trained motionless on the pool of blood surrounding a body he knew better than his own.
YN’s eyes blinked slowly, her chest rose barely perceptible for a human’s eye, the fingertips of her outstretched arm trying to find a hold of this realm. Morpheus knew she made an effort to anchor herself so Death could come and bring her back into the Dreaming before every ounce of life had left her body. But he could feel with every agonizing piece of his soul how life slowly faded out of her bright shining eyes, forever reminding him of Fiddler’s Green and every single vegetation that grew in their realm. His heart ached heavily in his chest, tears blurring his sight, and both hands were pressed onto the glass, trying to push through it to get to her, to protect her just as she obviously had done for him.
“YN.” His voice broke in the middle of her name, unable to speak it out, to taste every syllable of it on his lips, letting it flood his mind to ease a pain he had never experienced, never had suffered before. The salty lakes his eyes had turned into overflowed, and still, he didn’t dare to move his gaze from her, not even as his capturer stepped into her blood. Raging fury and hatred burned his insides as the human closed his hands around her throat and neck to lift her off the ground, pressing her body onto the sphere, facing lover to lover. Her eyes, which tended to change their colors frequently, stared dull and lifeless into his own, and despite her dying state, YN managed to grant him the sight of the attempt of one of her beautiful smiles, which always illuminated his life and the Dreaming, bringing comfort and joy.
“Poor little thing. You see, she tried to save you, and I cannot let that happen. So… Her pitiful death is practically your wrongdoing.” Morpheus almost did not listen to the echoing voice, instead holding the last remnants of her gaze captured in his, salty crystals flowing over both faces, connecting them in their pain and loss though separated by sorcery. Her lips gently moved, only visible to his eyes, and he started to make out her words as her eyes lost the last specks of life and her body went limp. The man only let her drop to the floor, where she landed in her own blood, shedded in her attempts to protect him as they had promised one another on the night of their wedding under the darkest but most ethereal firmament ever seen by the eyes of humans, deities, and endless.
With burning rage in his now flaming blue irises filled with a darkening void that swallowed every other emotion in its wake, the Lord of Dreams slowly stared up at his jailer, his heart only knowing hatred anymore. He wanted to see this world burn, but in particular, he craved to see this human burn—the one who had robbed him of his wife and queen, the love of his existence. He wanted to hear him beg for mercy. He wanted to listen to his piercing screams filled with agony, and he would not even stop when he was certain the man had learned his lesson before ending his life with his own bare hands. Morpheus would relish in the afterglow of his glorious vengeance before turning his gaze to the rest of this degenerated order to end every single life himself.
And maybe, after the last scream had faded, he would be satisfied to finally mourn the only woman he had ever wanted.
His gaze settled back onto her body after their capturer left him with her; tears continuing to cover his skin and drowning his soul in anguish and torment which didn’t leave him—
Not even after a century of imprisonment and her gentle voice wandering through his mind, repeating her last words to him over and over.
I will find you in my next existence, my love.
;
I kinda don’t like it, but hey, it’s my first time writing for my baby, so that’s okay. Hope y’all enjoyed it anyway. As usual: Comments, reblogs, and likes are much appreciated! <3
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bet-on-me-13 · 7 months
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Httyd AU
So! Ghosts are nowhere near an Unknown Threat.
In fact, Ghosts and Creatures of the Realms have been attacking the Human World, preforming Raids on Amity Park, and stealing valuable objects and human food for just as long as they have been around. And they have been around for a while.
They first came into the Human Realm centuries ago, and so far Humans have been able to adapt.
Ghost Hunters are some of the most respected members of the Community. There are many different groups of them, and of these Groups the Fenton Family has always been one of the most famous and well credited of the lot.
They have been Hunting Ghosts since the days of their Ancestor, Jackson Fenton-Nightingale, who was the first of their lineage to change from Witch Hunting to Ghost Hunting.
In the modern age, Jack Fenton and his wife Maddie Fenton are some of the most respected Hunters in Amity. They have captured and killed more Ghosts and Realms-Beasts than anybody in the History of their Family. They have pioneered the new age of Ecto-Tech, bringing better and more effective weapons to the masses. They have singlehandedly managed to contain the Ghost Threat to the State of Illinois, and Amity Park in general. They are truly some of the Greatest Heroes of the Era.
The same cannot be said for their son.
Daniel Fenton has always been, well, Lacking, when compared to his Family.
He didn't inherit his Father's natural Musculature, nor his Mothers Prowess in Martial Arts, and while he is definitely an extremely intelligent boy, he does not measure up to the Intellect that the other members of his Family often achieve.
Even his sister, Jasmine Fenton, shows more promise than he does, and she isn't even a Ghost Hunter. Instead she devoted her life to becoming a therapist who can help those who have been affected by Ghost Attacks.
But Danny? He has never really showed much promise. He is definitely eager to prove himself to his Parents, but he never manages to help out in the field. Most of the time he even makes it worse.
And for Danny? It's infuriating! He has spent all his life trying to live up to the legend of his Family, trying to become a worthy Son. But he never succeeds.
He has made Tons of Inventions to help defeat Ghosts, but they were all thrown out because they were Non-Lethal. They always said that any Ecto-Weapon worth the materials it's made out of should end the Ghost before it has a chance to escape, so capturing them without killing them would be worthless.
But he wants to prove that his efforts are not in vain, if not to his family, than to himself.
So one night, as a particularly nasty Ghost Attack is going on, he rushes outside with a Weapon of his own Design. It was a Stun Gun, designed to hit the Ghost with a Beam of Pure Paralyzing Energy that would render it Immobile for hours. It was slightly large and bulky, but it still worked. At least, theoretically it did. He hadn't had a chance to test the Stun Gun yet, hence his little adventure.
He ran to the edge of Town, and tried to find a Ghost worth capturing.
Blobs? No, they've been caught before. Catching one wouldn't earn him any praise.
Skeleton? Those are a single tier up from Blobs, and not by much at all. Definitely not.
Ecto-Pus? Maybe, but it wouldn't be too useful for learning anything since it can't speak.
Spirits? They are the manifestations of Human Emotion, stronger than most other types of Ghosts, and they are suspected to be Intelligent. That's a good choice, it would probably be the best choice.
But there was one better. An Ancient.
The Ancients were the Ghosts that had been around for Centuries, possibly Millenia. They are Ghosts that are so Old, they have developed true Intelligence. Nobody had ever managed to kill an Ancient, they were too strong. The Ancients are the most Deadly, most Powerful, most Dangerous of all Ghosts.
If Danny managed to Capture one? He would skyrocket to Fame! He would be able to sit at the Lunch Table with the A-Listers, the town would stop seeing him as a disappointment, and his Parents would be so Proud of him! They might even come out of the Lab outside of Ghost Attacks to spend time with him!
So, he sat at the edge of town, watching the Portal that had opened up about a Mile outside of the City. He needed to be ready, in case an Ancient showed up.
Hours passed, and he was getting sleepy, when it happened.
"Ancient!"
The scream of warning came from his Radio, tapped into the Ghost Watch Channel used to keep track of Ghost Movements during attacks.
He looked at the Invasion Portal, and saw it. It was Humanoid, about 7 ft Tall, wearing Dark Plated Armor, with a Flaming Green Sword at its hip. Trying to stare into it's Face felt like staring into an Abyssal Void, with 2 pinpricks of Red denoting where its Eyes would be. The same Red Eyes all Ghosts had.
"Retreat! Retreat! The Fright Knight has emerged from the Invasion Portal!" Came the warning from his Radio. In the distance to his right, he could see the few Hunters who had been keeping watch on the Portal run to the safety of the Town.
Shaking off his fear, Danny rushed to his Target.
The Fright Knight was the most Feared of the Ancients, nobody had ever survived an encounter with it. There were even Rumors that it was the Leader of the Ghost Attacks, the coordinator.
And Danny knew that his Stun Gun wouldn't be enough to beat it. Not yet anyways.
So, instead of running directly to the Fright Knight, he ran to the small Open-Air Worksite that held his Parents' most Ambitious Creation. An Artificial Ghost Portal.
Years ago, his Parents had realized something. They couldn't stop the Invasion, because the Ghosts could never be cut off at the source. The Portal they used to enter the Human Realm was always a Natural One, it always closed after a few hours, so they had no chance of entering the "Ghost Zone" without immediately getting cut off from the Human World. Thus, they couldn't exterminate the Ghosts at the Source.
But what if they had a Stable Portal?
Then, the Humans could invade the Ghost Zone instead of the Ghosts invading the Human Realm. They would get an Edge in the Centuries old War.
But the Portal didn't work yet. They had been working on it for years at this point, but they had had absolutely no luck in making it functional. As an unintended consequence however, they realized that the Portal Frame was capable of generating Large Amounts of Energy, and it soon became the towns most Powerful Power Plant. It basically powered every home in the City, and powered the Shields that were put up above the Civilain Shelters during Ghost Attacks.
And Danny needed it.
His Stun Gun wasn't powerful enough to defeat the Fright Knight yet, but if he retrofitted it to draw on the immense power of the Portal Frame, it might be enough.
He rushed into the Open-Air Pavillion thay housed his Parents Portal Frame. It was an Immense Creation, semi-circular in shape but large enough that an entire Army could be comfortably Marxhed through.
He ran right to the center of the Device, pulling open a Panel in the middle of the Floor and fiddling around with the Wires for a minute.
It only took a short while before he had the Energy of the Portal Frame retrofitted to power his Stun Gun.
He raised the Weapon, and carefully aimed at the Fright Knight, still walking towards the Town.
He pulled the Trigger. And Everything went wrong.
The Gun didn't fire. Instead, he felt a rumble come from the Machine he was standing on, as lights began to light up on the edges of the Portal Frame. Somehow, he had accidentally rigged the Portal to attempt its activation Sequence when he tried to fire his Weapon.
Obviously, the Ring of activating lights had attracted the attention of the Fright Knight, and it had begun to move in bis direction.
In a panic he tried to fix his mistake. He moved around a few more wires, and tried again, and more lights turned on. He tried again, and suddenly a high pitched sound began to play around him.
He tried one more time, and help his heart leap with joy as his gun finally began to power up. He looked up to see where the Fright Knight was, and felt his elation drop in an instant when he noticed that it had already entered the Outdoor Lab Space.
The next few seconds felt like they took hours. He felt his heart stop as the Fright Knight began to rush forward. It was about to reach him.
Then, his Gun pinged to tell him they it was ready, and he pulled the trigger.
The world around him erupted in green Light as the beam from his Stun Gun fired out with much more force than it was ever intended to handle. The Beam of Light was so wide that it completely encompassed the Towering Fright Knight's form.
But at the same time as the Gun fired, the Portal finished it's attempted activation sequence. And the World turned green for a different reason.
Danny felt billions of volts run through his Body as the Portal activated, his screams being drowned out by the sound of Reality fraying at the seams as the Portal attempted to push through it.
But ultimately the Portal failed. It turned off, just as it was about to break through to the other side. The sudden burst of energy also seemed to affect the Stun Gun, as it blew up at the same moment the Portal turned off.
Danny was launched out of the Portal Frame, landing in the center of his Parents Outdoors Lab, unconscious.
It took nearly an hour before his Parents arrived, looking to investigate the sudden Portal Activation and Explosion. Whatever had happened caused a blackout throughout the entire Town, shutting off Ghost Shields and inciting panic throughout the City, meaning they had to wait hours before they could investigate.
They found Danny laying unconscious in their Lab, and called for someone to help him as they worked on getting Power back to the Town.
When he woke up, Danny was Reprimanded for his actions that night. Nobody believed him when he said that he had beaten the Fright Knight, and since communication went down with the Power, Nobody could confirm that the Fright Knight had actually been pushed back. It was far more likely that nobody had seen it after it entered the town, and it had left with the others when the Portal began to close.
But Danny knew what had happened, so the first chance he got, he escaped out into the woods surrounding Amity Park and began searching for his Target.
It took hours of searching, but eventually he found the Fright Knight, laying on it's side in the dirt.
Danny was elated at first, he had captured am Ancient! But then he took a closer look. He didn't know why, but for some reason he felt odd about the Ghost. He felt confusion, but not his own. Relief, but coming from somewhere else. Hope, but coming from Him. The Fright Knight.
In that moment, he didn't know why, but instead of dragging him back to the City or further restraining him, Danny pulled the Knight up into a sitting position, feeling it would be more comfortable like that.
He turned around for a moment to see if anybody was around, but when he turned back he was met with a terrifying sight. The Fright Knight was standing up, towering over Danny. He looked up to see it's face, and saw that it was glaring at him with an unrestrained rage.
Danny cried out when he was pushed to the ground, landing against a Rock, looking up in terror. The Knight took out his Sword, and before Danny could cry out in fear, it plunged the Sword down.
Into the Boulder next to Danny's head.
When he finally opened his eyes, the Knight was gone, leaving only the cracked rock next to his head and a sense of lingering terror.
In that moment, Danny only felt on things register in his Mind.
Where it's eyes always Green?
...
This got a little out of hand, but I hope you liked it.
The idea is that Ghosts have been attacking the Human Realm for Centuries, raiding the Villages to steal valuables and Human Food, terrorizing the world for years.
Hunters like the Fentons managed to contain them in Illinois, more specifically Amity Park.
Danny is Hiccup in this. He is the wimpy weak little kid that nobody respects because he doesn't live up to his Family Legend.
Fright Knight is Toothless, but instead of helping Danny learn how to ride Dragon, he helps him learn to use his newly found Ghost Powers. (Because I included the Portal scene for a reason, he became a Halfa and seeks out Frighty when he realizes hat he had Ghost Powers. He's kind of the only option after all)
If you didn't guess it, Pariah Dark is the Queen Dragon. He used his power as Ghost King to control every Ghost in the Zone, forcing them to raid the Human World and bring him offerings. He isn't obsessed with taking over the world, he is obsessed with being seen as a God, and Gods need to get Offerings.
When Danny hit Frighty with the Stun Gun, he knocked the Mind Control out of him and Frighty was freed.
From then on it would follow some similar story beats to Httyd, but also different.
Maybe the other Movie's could introduce other Characters? Maybe Freakshow is Viggo from the 2nd Movie?, or Vlad is Grimmle from the 3rd Movie? The Plots could fit as well.
If you want it to be DpxDc, you could say that the JLA thought the situation in Amity was handled and didn't think they needed to assist.
When they learn how bad it actually was they are freaked out. Especially since this was a Centuries Old Conflict that has been happening since before America was even founded.
What do you think?
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haru-natsuka · 2 months
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The Unending Daze Part 5 [END] (Malleus Draconia x Wife Reader x Ace Trappola)
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Chapter start after trailer*
>> Trailer <<
"My darling wife, the joy you have brought me throughout the years is without compare. Our children are fortunate to have been gifted with such a loving and caring mother as you,"
Malleus spoke with affection, his voice like honeyed words that melted the hearts of everyone that heard it. He leaned down to kiss your forehead, his warm breath brushing against your skin.
But just as you were getting used to this blissful scene, your old friend, Ace arrived in an unexpected turn of events. He claimed that he was your husband, which left you perplexed and bewildered.
"Wait a minute, that's not right! I'm your real husband! He's just trying to manipulate you with a dream. Wake up, now! Our children need you! I need you, Y/N!"
You were unsure how to proceed, caught in the middle of a confusing situation. In this situation, you feel conflicted and uncertain about whether your old friend or your darling husband had spoken the truth
>> PART 5 <<
"Ace," Even as you attempted to speak firmly, a deep yearning and sorrow filled your voice. "Your presence is not needed here," you dejectedly said, your eyes fixed on the ground. No, you had never meant to say that, you really wanted him to take you away from here but you knew, deep down, that this was for the best.
"What did you say?" Ace asked frantically, gripping your shoulder tightly as if trying to bring you back to your senses. "He tormented you again in this dream, right?" He demanded, but you remained silent. Ace frowned as he understood your response.
"I will bring you back. Every single time, every single dream you trapped in, I promise to free you. I promise our children that their mother will be back!" He exclaimed desperately again, his hold on your shoulder tightening even further as he tried to tug you back to reality.
He tried so hard to hold his tears. He could not take it anymore to not have you by his side. For a decade, he had tried to get you back but he failed so many times as he was not powerful enough at using his magic. Even his unique magic was useless to save you.
'I'm your husband but I'm so useless'
"I miss you, love..." Your heart wavered. "I miss your cooking, I miss your laughter. I miss your hug. I need you. We should not give up," His hold on your shoulder loosen as he pulled you into his arms and desperately held you close. "Don't give up on me, please"
There was a moment of silence as you hesitated and reconsidered your decision but you must choose the best action among the worst. "Ace, listen to me, please" Your firm voice softening slightly as you figured that you need to explain to this husband of yours the consequence of his action.
"We cannot fight Malleus. We've tried to escape so many times but we never succeed. I'm worried about you and our children's safety, Ace. I remember all the pain you need to bear just to save me. What if Malleus after you and our children in the real world. I'm very afraid, Ace. I want all of you to live well."
You gently placed your hand on his back, trying to offer him reassurance as the memories of him trying to save you from the endless dream played in your mind.
Ace took a deep breath, trying to keep his composure. He had not expected this conversation to head into this direction. "I know that we cannot defeat Malleus. The dreamscape is a powerful realm designed to keep you trapped."
"However," he continued, his tone growing firmer, "I refuse to abandon you either. We may not be able to defeat Malleus, but that does not mean we should give up. Instead, we will continue to search for a way. Even if it takes until the end of time, I refuse to give up on you. I will never sacrifice my wife."
He repeated, his resolve growing stronger with each word. You clenched the pendant tightly in your hand upon hearing his words.
"Well, well, well... I was wondering what had slipped into the area..." A dark, sinister voice filled the area with a sense of dread and urgency. Both of you tensed up with the sound of his voice and Ace tighten his hold around you as Malleus appeared before you. His bright, green, vertical-slit pupils shot daggers at Ace, visibly infuriated upon seeing him with his arms wrapped around his darling wife.
"You... Trappola... Do human don't understand the word of giving up. You stepped into my castle without permission not just once, but multiple times... That's too rude!" Malleus stated, his voice dripping with annoyance and hostility.
His tone made it clear that he had little patience or tolerance at this point. Thorns even started climbing up the wall of the castle. The atmosphere itself was growing darker with each passing second. Malleus power was overwhelming.
"It's alright, it's no big deal." Malleus stated confidently, with a smug and confident look on his face. "This is my magical realm, so I can make my own laws and decide how to punish any uninvited guest."
He had been far too kind and lenient towards Ace all the time, allowing him to come into his realm so many times without any repercussions. He figured it was time to put a final end to this situation. A magic circle form over his hand as he aimed it to hit Ace. He caught the look in your eyes.
'The same look as the night I take you. Look into those eyes. The very eyes that rejected me again and again.'
"Whatever, it's the same thing. No matter how many times he comes, uninvited guests will be turned away. Over and over again..." As he about to hit Ace, you screamed at the top of your lungs.
"Malleus, I choose you!" Ace's eyes widened in shock and disbelief with your declaration.
"No- Y/N-"
"HahahaHAHAHAHA I know you are smart. My darling wife, the joy you have brought me throughout the years is without compare. Our children are fortunate to have been gifted with such a loving and caring mother as you,"
Malleus spoke with affection, his voice like honeyed words that melted the hearts of everyone that heard it. He used a powerful gust of wind to throw Ace away as he came closer to you, his smile widened, his cold, ruthless demeanor unchanged as he stared at you tirelessly. He leaned down to kiss your forehead, his warm breath brushing against your skin.
"Wa-wait a minute, that's not right! I'm your real husband! He's just trying to manipulate you with all of these dreams. Wake up, now! Our children need you! I need you, Y/N!"
Ace desperately tried to make his way back toward you, but before he could, Malleus snapped his fingers and a powerful burst of magic unleashed. A dark, sinister essence surged through Ace's body and he was instantly transformed into pieces of wood, crumbling and disintegrating right in front of you.
The cruel and cold-hearted display of power sent a jolt of fear and panic through your thoughts. You were left stunned, horrified, and speechless by the sight before you. You just realised that you had just lost your husband to the cruel hands of Malleus.
"Sometimes, my creations do get out of character, my darling wife." Malleus stated, calmly and casually, as if it was not a big deal. "I apologise for that. Oh and you don't need this, don't you?" He took the pendant from your hand forcefully and burned it casually without care of your frightened gaze.
"You shouldn't care about someone who died, after all..." He laughed and grabbed your chin, bringing his face close to yours as he enjoyed your fear.
"Your happy ending would only end with me, my darling wife. Until then, succumb to this unending daze with me." He whispered sweetly near your ear.
[THE END]
@d3sperate-enuf
PART 4 <<
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yuesya · 9 months
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The sudden earthquake is… not entirely unexpected, in retrospect, although it’s certainly overkill. Suguru knows that Satoru has a flair for the dramatic, and Shiki is always eager to join her brother’s chaotic schemes. Without a voice of reason around to run herd on them, those tendencies of theirs are probably even worse in this world.
… In this world where Geto Suguru is dead, killed as a curse user intent on committing mass slaughter. He still has trouble imagining what his alternate self was thinking, honestly. Sorcerers are only a minuscule portion of the entire population; what did he think would actually happen if he’d somehow managed to succeed in basically wiping out humanity?
Utterly inconceivable.
“That was Gojo-sensei, right?” Itadori’s voice sounds from behind one of the makeshift barricades. The Itadori in this world is a little more jaded and solemn than the cheerful first year student that Suguru remembers, which is… saddening. But then, considering the boy’s experiences –Yoshino dying, Satoru and Shiki being sealed, Nanami dying, Kugisaki in a coma, Sukuna using his body to kill and kill and kill in Shibuya… and, more recently, Sukuna switching to Fushiguro as his new host…
It’s a miracle that the boy hasn’t broken beneath the pressures and horrors of everything that’s happened since he became a sorcerer. He’s a strong, resilient boy, although Suguru dearly wishes that he hadn’t been tested in this way.
“Seems about right for Gojo,” Tsukumo responds. The tall woman stands up, brushing off dust from her hands. There’s a large scar down her midsection, courtesy of the fight against ‘Kenjaku,’ but between three Special Grades, they’d been able to win decisively, even though the slippery man had managed to escape at the end. “Can’t imagine it being anyone else.”
Boy had it been weird, fighting ‘himself.’ The memory of the fight is enough to make Suguru cringe. He knows that it’s not actually ‘him,’ but seeing his body being saying those sorts of things and making those expressions…
If Suguru’s Satoru or Shiki had been here to see it, they’d never let him live it down, gods.
“Thank you for unsealing Gojo-sensei,” Okkotsu nods towards the angel-winged girl drifting down from the sky. Kurusu smiles, making an ‘okay’ sign with her fingers. “… Where is he, though? And that earthquake just now, too… is he–”
Suguru’s head snaps up; Tsukumo looks up, too, half a beat behind him.
“He’s here.”
Satoru’s teleportation is a thing to behold. One instant, there’s nothing in the air above them, then in the blink of an eye, he’s standing there. Prison Realm clearly hasn’t been kind to him and Shiki. Satoru is definitely looking a little ragged, and his clothes are significantly tattered. But despite that, he looks down upon them with glowing eyes, calm and confident–
A single blink. His composure wavers, and breaks.
Then, he’s standing right in front of Suguru. The suddenness of the motion causes the dimension-hopper to startle, taking half a step backwards–
“… Suguru?” Satoru –and there’s no doubt that this is all Satoru, even if he’s not Suguru’s Satoru– frowns. His Six Eyes gleam, sharp and analyzing. “No. You are, but you’re still not…”
“Bit of a long story,” Tsukumo cuts in. “In short, this is Geto Suguru from another world parallel to ours, where he decided to go the path of teaching like you did instead of bloody revolution.”
“Can you please not put it that way?” Suguru rubs a hand against his forehead, distinctly pained.
“What? I think that summary explains things pretty well. Right, Gojo?”
Satoru hums, straightening up with a thoughtful sound. “Huh… from another world, you say?”
“Sensei!”
“Sensei!”
The students finally catch up to them, swarming around Gojo-sensei like excited puppies. It warms something inside Suguru’s chest to see them like this –the students of this world are (understandably) wary of him, given his alternate self’s actions, but it’s clear that they care for and trust their Gojo-sensei.
He’s not surprised, when Satoru pulls him aside for a private chat, eventually. If the relationship that he and his sister had had with their Suguru was anything like what he had with them back in his world…
No, Suguru definitely isn’t surprised.
It’s also a good chance for him to ask his own questions, because this confusion has been gnawing at him for a long time. “How did Kenjaku get the drop on you, with Shiki watching your back?”
The familiar-unfamiliar man tilts his head. His lips move, forming a single question that makes Suguru’s blood run cold.
“Who’s Shiki?”
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esther-dot · 4 months
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Cinderella
Cinder-Jaehaerys 5k by @wendynerdwrites
A gender-flipped Cinderella Story
Lavender's Blue 4k
Once Upon A Time, in a faraway kingdom, Sansa Stark was humming a song while she swept the floors of Winterfell. Her face was covered in dirt and ashes. Her hands were dry and wrinkled from washing clothes and doing the dishes. But her hope and kindness had not been damaged by all those years of being ordered around by Ramsay Bolton and his girlfriend of the week.
The Weirdwood, the Wolf, and the Glass Slipper 5k
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a girl who loved her father very much….A Cinderella version of Jon/Sansa, mixing elements from the Cinderella stories as told by the Brothers Grimm and the film Ever After.
Together All the While incomplete 28k
Sansa Stark wanted to keep her household together. She borrowed a dress. Prince Jon wanted to escape his fate. He stole a horse.
Cinderella gifset by @yenstarkofrivia
Allerleirauh
Past Our Satellites 140k
Inspired and loosely based on the tale Thousandfurs (from Allerleirauh: All-Kinds-of-Fur) and Cinderella by the Brothers Grimm Rough summary of the tale for those who are unfamiliar with it: "A king promised his dying wife that he would not marry unless it was to a woman who was as beautiful as she was, and when he looked for a new wife, he realized that the only woman that could match her beauty was his own daughter." (from Wiki)
Princess Furball 9k
When Sansa's father announces his intent to marry her, she attempts to trick him out of it, demanding impossible gifts. When her father inexplicably succeeds in fulfilling her requests, Sansa fakes her death and flees her father's kingdom in a coat of many pelts. Sheltered by her trusty direwolf, Lady, Sansa is found by the prince of a foreign realm, who christens her "Furball". The former princess hides out working in the king's kitchens as a curiously humanoid animal as war looms. But things change when two kings and a prince die…
Swan Princess
The Little Bird Princess 18k @captainbee89
When Rhaegar defeated Robert Baratheon on the Trident, he only spared Ned out of love for Lyanna. And on the condition that Stark's eldest daughter would one day wed his son and quell the fighting between the North and the Crownlands for good.
This isn't my idea (this is my idea) of fun 10k orphaned
Their eventual marriage is meant to strengthen the Northern/Southern alliance, but Jon Targaryen and Sansa Stark can hardly stop bickering long enough to make peace with each other, let alone their kingdoms. But it only takes a few meddling parents, suggestive friends, and a jealous sorcerer's magic spell to show this couple that what they've been dreaming of has been there all along.
Moodboard and ficlet by @otp-that-was-promised
Every summer since they were children, Princess Sansa and Prince Jon are brought together in hope that they will fall in love and marry, uniting their two kingdoms. When they meet for the first time, the royal children take an immediate dislike towards each other, but as the years pass they gradually fall in love.
Snow White
Younger More Beautiful Queen 1k by @captainbee89
If the rumours were true, Jon Snow would be Sansa's cousin, a suitable match in both name and blood. Together, they could bring the whole of the seven kingdoms together peacefully. With Jon, Sansa would be Queen. As Queen, Sansa could order the death of Joffrey as revenge for Ned Stark's death. And what of her other children? Tommen and Myrcella would be taken from her, labeled as bastards and stripped of all their prospects. How dare this silly little girl be the more beautiful Queen she had feared? She would not have it.
The Dragonknight 7k
The day that Sansa got her moonblood, Queen Cersei's magic mirror named her the most beautiful woman in the world. There was only one thing to be done with the imprisoned Queen of the North... the child had to die. Cersei hadn't counted on her twin's soft heart or the wolf in the woods.
Little Red Riding Hood
Throw me to the Wolves 2k
Winter had been hard on Old Nan and everyone in the village worried about her, so it was decided that Sansa should make the trip to her cottage on the other side of the woods to bring her some bread and ale. On her way there, she meets a stranger…
In the Company of Wolves 10k incomplete
Fair of face and kissed by fire, Sansa Stark is a force to be reckoned with—with a feisty spirit to match the flare of her flaming hair. Still, there’s no shortage of suitors vying for the hand of the eldest daughter of Ned and Catelyn Stark—but despite all their clever plans, Sansa vows she will only marry for love. A chance encounter with a mysterious stranger in the woods, sets her on a path of passion and dangerous intrigue. Is Jon her salvation or her damnation? Perhaps he is both.
Red Riding Hood Gifset by @dcbicki
The Steadfast Tin Soldier
Tin, Paper, Snow 17k incomplete
“Brave soldier, never fear. Even though your death is near.” The flames danced as high as a dream in a million, billion colours- scarlet, orange, purple, even blue, casting rich shimmering shadows on their faces and their hands and their hair. He steadied himself, stood upright, held onto her for dear life. "Would that we were made of glass," he thought. "Tin doesn't do well here. Nor paper." Higher and higher, the flames rose, crackling, singing. Tin, Paper, Snow, they whispered. It's time to let her go.
12 Dancing Princesses
Drifting through the halls with sunrise 3k
They were selfish girls, it was their choice that sentenced these men to death, month after month. The cycle would continue, soon the girls behind her would forget about the man on the stone steps, they would don their masks and new shoes and dance until the sun rose over the Narrow Sea.
The Little Mermaid
only a salt kiss remains ficlet by @flibbertigiblet
He was drowning, and then he was not. (He hears her before he sees her, his angel.)
wish i could be 10k by @theshipshipper
"Oh dear, you look cold," Queen Cersei said softly, floating next to her. "Come, come. Let's get you inside." The Queen led her into the dark cave, offering her a seat. "Now, then. I'm told you're here because you desire to be with your Prince?" She flicked her hand and an image of Prince Jon erupted from thin air. "Hmm. I see now... Quite a handsome fellow." Sansa couldn't help but smile at the sight of him. She'd wondered how he was faring after the shipwreck and ached to check for herself. She was relieved that he seemed alright. "My sweet summer child, you have it bad," Queen Cersei informed her, a smile in her voice. She blinked. "I -- what?" "You're in love," she clarified with a laugh before swimming towards a tall shelf in the corner. "I know exactly what you need."
Mermaids Have No Tears ficlet
Little Mermaid AU, specifically the Hans Christian Andersen version.
Gifsets: Part of Your World by @tatesharon The Little Mermaid by @swainlake The Little Mermaid by @dcbicki The Little Mermaid by @sardoniyx
General
Jonsa fairytale ficlet and gifset by @thewindsofwolves
Even though Sansa is now fourteen, she still feels a special enthousiasm for magic. And as Jon likes nothing more than pleasing Sansa, he shares the same enthousiasm. Then, as they are both bored during the great annual Christmas party hosted by Sansa’s dad, she asks her cousin to make one of his trick so the night can be less boring. Taking her outside, he brings her to the well, and asks her one of the ribbons she wears in her hairs. He asks her then to close her eyes and make a wish, before dropping the ribbon into the well. I wish we could go into an adventure.
The Snow Queen and the Huntsman Gifset by @dcbicki
Jonsa x Disney gifset by @amandapeetshusband
PRE CANON - WESTERN - FAIRYTALE - REGENCY - LITTLE WOMEN - HOLIDAY - SEASON SIX - ANNE OF GREEN GABLES - THE GIRL IN GREY -- next week -> POLITICAL MARRIAGE/MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE
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Note
FSM during march of the oni, how they feelin'?
Eeeeeee I'm so glad you asked because the thoughts I have had about this.
First of all some (potentially unnecessary) background info.
1. So Mystake is one of The Oni Warlords. This is canon. What isn’t canon is which one. While I haven’t fully decided on which one she’s going to be I’m leaning towards Venge because of a whole backstory and character arc that I haven’t written yet. But it’s not overly important right now.
2. Mystake and the Fsm have a parent-child relationship in this au. Mystake is also one of the people he learnt to fight properly from.
3. In this au the Oni Warlords are gods. But unlike Fsm, who simply can't die, they can be killed. However their deaths aren't permanent, and they always find a way to return, whether its by healing their own bodies, or by simply constructing new ones. Though depending on who kills them it might take longer to come back.
4. Because Mystake is a Warlord herself, it the other two they took around a thousand [the time may change] or so years for them to come back after she killed them. As a result, there was enough time between the Warlords leaving to chase the Fsm across The Sixteen Realms, and all three returning to the First Realm, that The Omega had time to rise to power. However, they were no where near as as powerful or beloved as the three Warlords were, so it didn't take long for them to be overthrown again, and The Warlords restored to power. The Warlords, along with the Fsm, ended the war between the Dragon and the Oni.
But The Omega had already gained a following of Oni who either did not want the war to end, or were outraged at The Omega being overthrown. So they bided their time, waiting for the perfect moment to get revenge on The warlords beloved half-breed. This revenge, of course, involved invading Ninjago. The reason there is such a large gap in-between the ending of the war [while I haven't got an exact timeline yet, I'm thinking it ended a few thousand years before Garmadon was born] is because they were waiting for a) the Fsm to be out of Ninjago and/or distracted (the Overlord's return fits this category nicely) and b) for a natural pathway to open between the First Realm and Ninjago (like the one in the Wailing Alps.)
5. Garmadon never died, and Mystake never died either (not that is would have been permanent if she had).
6. Wu and Garmadon lost their powers when Garmadon got banished to the underworld (this is also what caused the rapid aging). Since the Overlord's second defeat, they've slowly been coming back. But during March of the Oni they are on the same power level as a regular elemental master, otherwise the probably could've have taken out The Omega's army themselves.
So as of March of the Oni, the ninja are all fully aware of both Fsm being alive, and Mystake being an Oni Warlord. However, when the Oni attack, both of them are taking a vacation in another realm, so Ninjago City is still covered in darkness.
At this point Wu and Garmadon have switched to their true forms but with their powers being weakened, it only helps a bit. They are also trying desperately to contact either their father or Mystake through either prayer or magic. However, they don't succeed until they've already been barricaded in the monastery.
When the Fsm hears his children screaming in his head for help, he is understandably worried, it's not often that their kids are in true peril after all. When they finally manage to get the story out of their kids, they are furious in a way they haven't been in thousands of years. They quickly explain the situation to Mystake, who is (almost) as livid as Fsm, before teleporting them them to the monastery.
(They cause a lot of commotion once they get to the monastery. The civilians who had sheltered had not expected two massive beings to randomly appear in there midst. Especially since one looks similar to the beings they just escaped, and the other resembles the children of God. So it's up to the ninja to calm them down. Unfortunately telling them that the First Spinjitzu Master himself has arrived has the opposite effect, but at least they're less scared now.)
Upon arrival Fsm is momentarily thrown off by the civilians in the monastery, but they have spent their entire life being noticed and stared at, so the awe and fear that the civilians express doesn't bother him.
Fsm quickly transforms their clothes into proper armour (think crystalized style) and launches themself over the monastery walls and into the battle (Mystake doesn't follow him, she knows better than to get in the way of her child when he is on a warpath). Fsm proceeds to absolutely thrash The Omega and their army; burning them, freezing them, and throwing them off of the mountain. He makes the Oni regret ever conceiving this idea. The Fsm pays special attention to The Omega, and rips out their heart with their bare claws, because how dare The Omega think that they can just take his home, his family from him. They will pay for this in the life and blood, and no being in the sixteen realms can help them now. He will wipe them from the face of Ninjago.
And for the first time, The omega truly realises that just because the First Spinjitzu Master put an end to the war, it does not mean that they are a pacifist. It does not mean that they cannot rage with all the fury and savageness of a full-blooded Oni. They are balance incarnate, this does not make them good, and it's The Omegas fault for assuming that they were.
And so the Oni are banished and destroyed by the god of the land they sought to conquer. When the fighting stops, Garmadon creaks open the monastery gates to look outside. Fsm is covered in the Oni's blood, looking (and feeling) like one wrong move from someone is going to send them into a fit of madness. But they relax a bit at the sight of their eldest child safe. After making sure Garmadon is all right, the Fsm stalks back to monastery to find the rest of his family. And also to change out of their armour and clean up because there is blood in the seams and on his face and it's gross.
Once he enters the monastery he herds Garmadon, Wu, Lloyd, and even Mystake into the monastery, and they are wise enough not to argue with him. The First Spinjitzu Master is understandably agitated, and Mystake, Garmadon, and Wu know him, and their general Oni instincts well enough, to understand that they will barely be let out of his sight for the next few days (Lloyd, at this point, hasn't really experienced the full might of an Oni's possessiveness, but he will just have to get use to it).
Eventually the rest of the ninja sort out the civilians, and set them up in a nearby village while Ninjago City is still covered in darkness (the monastery has enough room for all of them, but the ninja aren't willing to find out what the First Spinjitzu Master will do to any "intruders"). At some point, Mystake sends for the other two warlords, who clear Ninjago City of the dark fog.
So yeah, Fsm is absolutely enraged that The Omega is attacking their home, and ends up reverting to the base instincts of 'defend your territory', 'defend your pack', and 'destroy anyone who harms them'. After he calms down he ends up a bit embarrassed about how he handled it, but before he can dwell on it too much he collapses from exhaustion.
But what a way to re-introduce themself to the wider population of Ninjago.
And in case you’re wondering where Morro is in all this, he's busy vibing with Nyad, who has all her memories because this au is incredibly self-indulgent.
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venusjeon · 1 year
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golden arrows
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the god Apollo is dared to seduce the first mortal his eyes set upon without revealing his identity, so changing his appearance slightly and taking the name of Hoseok, he crosses paths with you. but as it happens, the only man you say you'd ever lie with is Apollo... also, you're on a quest to steal his golden arrows.
♔ PAIRING: apollo!hoseok x mortal!reader
♔ GENRE: greek mythology, historical & bet au, adventure, fluff, humour
♔ WORD COUNT: 9.6k
♔ WARNINGS: religion themes, drinking, swearing, period-typical sexism, animal hunting&sacrifice, nudity, kissing, mentions of non-consensual sex, sex happens but no smut soz, murder
♔ BETA: @yoonoclock <3 thank you so much again !!
♔ AUTHOR'S NOTE: nvm the fic can we appreciate the banner bc i kinda served with it. no but this has been in my wips for almost as long as i've had this blog so i'm v excited for you guys to read it :D
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Heroic Age
Sing to me, ‘o muse, the song of a priestess who was loved by a god willing to forgive her wicked crime.
It was a peaceful night on OLYMPUS, the home of the gods, where everyone had gone to sleep hours ago under a black sky dusted with stars.
Everyone save Apollo, Hermes, and Dionysus, who refused to be parted with their jug of wine that refilled on its own so the party should never end. So much of it had they consumed, though, that even the god of the drink had come to neglect his cup, slumping over the table while his half-brothers slouched on their chairs.
But what they were yet to lose was their sense of humour, as they teased each other about their tragic love lives. Now, it was Apollo’s turn to be taken the piss out of.
“At least the objects of my desire run towards me, not away,” laughed Hermes. “What was that nymph’s name, Daphne?”
Apollo gestured his discrepancy by waving his index finger side to side. “That was the doing of that winged fuck, Eros.” Famously, he had struck Apollo’s heart with an arrow that kindled love and Daphne’s with one that banished it. Pursuing her through the forest until she begged to be turned into a laurel tree to escape his advances, Apollo learned never to get on the wrong side of the god of desire again. “He’s always had it in for me, I tell you.”
“Sure, yes, blame him,” twice-born Dionysus said, cheek still glued to the table. “We can all play that game.”
Hermes nodded. “Admit it, brother, only the thrill of consorting with an immortal draws them to you. And it fades quickly once they realise you can’t pleasure them in bed.”
“Oh, you tell yourself that’s it.”
“I bet you my herald’s staff.”
“Bet what, exactly?” Apollo scoffed. “It’s not like I can stop being a god. Your joke of a point cannot be proved, you fool.”
“Except, it can,” Dionysus said as he sat upright, but Apollo didn’t understand, so he sighed, “Isn’t intelligence supposed to be one of your domains? We’re no strangers to changing our appearance so that mortals can’t recognise us, so seduce the first one you see without revealing your true identity. It will confirm they’re not pretending to love you just because you’re a god.”
“Another of my domains is prophecy, you seem to forget. I can’t lie. Otherwise, who would believe my oracles?” Apollo pointed out, then smirked. “It’s also why I can be trusted when I say you two are my least favourite Olympians.”
He was allowed to joke, right?
“More merit if you succeed. Which you won’t, of course,” Hermes said with a smile shared by Dionysus.
Apollo pursed his lips. He was aware the wine was to blame for his taking offence at the mocking tone of his brothers, but he couldn’t help his own pride.
“Very well. Kiss your staff goodbye.”
He would show them.
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Past noon the next day, shining Apollo descended from the summits of Olympus having taken the likeness of a youth whose good looks equalled his—physical attraction was after all a part of love, as was Aphrodite’s other realm, beauty, a part of Apollo’s identity.
He would take the name of Hoseok. It meant ‘a name known throughout the entire country’, so it could perfectly be a new epithet of his, like Phoebus or Delius were. Yes, not a lie. All good. So, Hoseok chose a forest near the city of TEGEA to wander through, hoping to come across someone. That someone was you.
Bowstring drawn and arrow aimed at three sword-wielding men.
Without a second’s delay, Hoseok made appear his golden bow and arrows, known to never miss their archer’s target. Surely coming to your rescue would be a good start? Except... you might need none.
The men were close enough to trust their own weapon outdid yours, failed to consider you’d move fast enough to dodge the sharp edge of their bronze swords and that by grabbing your arrow by its shaft, you’d manage to graze their skin with its tip, forcing them to step back with a grunt.
Unwilling to wait and find out how they’d counterattack, Hoseok nocked and then released his own arrow, which as intended, landed right before their feet in the form of a normal wooden one.
You turned around with a frown. Who–?
“That can’t be fair, three against one?”
The sound of the men fleeing behind you at the sight of this stranger halted your thoughts. His face certainly did too, as well as his bright hair that shone under the sunlight like spun gold. With a satisfied smile, he stored his weapons in the quiver he carried on his back and approached you, chest slightly out as if he owned the forest. From each step he gave seemed to spring a harmony that filled the air, but you still gripped your bow, wary. He noticed. “I mean you no harm.”
Once he was in front of you, Hoseok was able to take a better look at your face, one he instantly liked. What a relief that bet or not, he’d pursue you. However, he also noticed your smile was forced, as though being saved was an inconvenience.
“Good to know. Thank you for the help. I’ve no time to lose but if our paths ever cross again, I promise to repay your favour.”
And just like that, you walked past him.
“Wait!” He turned around to catch up with you once he got over the unforeseeable blow. “Allow me to escort you out of the forest. There may be more bandits lurking about.”
“I don’t need your protection.”
Clearly... He chuckled, “But I might need yours.” Just not for the reason being discussed.
Now that he thought about it, was this the work of Hermes? After all, he was the one in charge of keeping roads and travellers safe, as well as thieves.
You looked him up and down while walking. A man with such a build, he certainly would not need help, and if he wanted something of yours, he could just take it—or try. So he really was just a kind stranger, huh.  “As you wish.”
Hoseok smiled, held hands behind his back. “Tell me, what is your name and where do you come from?”
“I am Y/N, and I’m a priestess of Apollo in PYLOS.” Hoseok almost gasped in delight. Well, this was fate!
Although based on the fact you dressed a man’s knee-length chiton and wore your hair tight up in a subtle bun, he’d sooner have guessed you were a follower of his twin sister, the huntress Artemis. The reason for it was probably that it was safer to travel as a man, but either way Hoseok was fucked. His priestesses were sworn to chastity.
“We are a long way from Pylos.”
“And going further away north-east, I know. I’m… on a quest.” The stranger’s visible intrigue pressured you into providing some context, “My younger brother Jungkook is a servant at the royal palace, and two days ago he was charged with treason for trying to murder the prince, of which I believe he is innocent. We weren’t allowed to speak but he’s a sweet boy, such evil would never cross his mind. He’s being kept in a cell now, awaiting an execution only I can prevent, for the king said he’d be pardoned if in seven days I brought him Apollo’s golden arrows...”
Hoseok had to stop himself from making a dramatic halt. If Jungkook was indeed as innocent as you claimed, you could pray for him to aid your brother either by lending you the arrows or making the king see reason. You needn’t be on a quest. Unless, “You mean to steal them.”
“I’ve no choice,” you said bitterly with your eyes cast down, ashamed all the same. Priestesses were supposed to honour the gods, yet you were about to rob one of them, yours. It was a blasphemous defiance, hubris, but also the only way to save Jungkook. You glanced at the stranger, wondered whether he was contemplating stopping you. “I bet you regret scaring those three robbers away earlier. It is odd that I haven’t rightfully been struck down already with a golden arrow shot from the Heavens for what I’m about to do. I know I’d deserve it.”
Hoseok understood your hands were tied. It was not you whom his anger was directed at, but the king, for sending you off on such a mission. He’d deal with him.
First, though, came you. No matter your circumstances, you were the first mortal he’d seen, and he’d already decided where to display Hermes’ staff in his palace in Olympus.
“Maybe Apollo has looked into your heart and seen it is pure, and will punish that who is making you do this instead. If only you pray so to him.”
You scoffed. “I think he has more important things to do than listen to the prayers of a nobody.”
A nobody? But you were one of his priestesses! There were few mortals dearer to him.
“I assume, then, that you’re headed to CORINTH.”
“Correct. I’m to catch a ship there to cross the gulf. But enough about me. What do they call you, and why do you find yourself in this forest?”
A forest that, you’d failed to notice, was crowded. Nymphs of nearby trees, flowers, lakes, and springs, all gathered to stare at Hoseok in awe as he walked. Animals too. They could see his ethereal self under his disguise, yet dared not approach him, hiding instead from your sight. Were he not busy, he wouldn’t mind lying there to sing and play the lyre for them.
“I am Hoseok, and my brothers… want me to meet a girl. I was on my way to her.”
“A girl? Do you mean, to take as wife?”
Hoseok astutely answered the first question only, “Yes. I’m told she will likewise be in Corinth.”
“If you can keep up, I’d not mind a travel companion.” Hoseok was about to say keeping up was not a problem with him when he realised the animals were dispersing and the nymphs forming a crowd ahead. You followed his gaze and groaned. “Another obstacle? Who am I, Theseus?”
Hoseok laughed, “Every hero faces challenges.”
Thief, rather. Though being called hero did make a flush creep across your cheeks… until reaching the hubbub, where all colour drained from them. The nine Muses were there, a youth knelt and clasping the knees of one of them in the manner of a supplicant.
“Please,” he begged, “I didn’t mean it, it was just a jest!”
They weren’t moved by his tears. “All here heard you set yourself above shining Apollo, speak ill of him. It is only fitting your mouth be sewn shut with a lyre’s string as punishment.”
Hoseok raised his eyebrows, amused. Nice one. He wished he could be there in his real form to do the job himself. But seeing you attempt to gulp the lump in your throat beside him, he could tell you were horrified. Did you fear to share the same fate? You would, in truth, had Hoseok caught you trying to steal his arrows, but now that he knew your justification and was set on seducing you, a different future was to be woven by the Moirai.
He whispered in your ear, “I think I dropped my bag of coins back where we met. I promise I won’t be long.”
You sighed, “I’ll watch the spectacle in the meantime.” To know what to expect when your time came…
The fair-voiced Muses recognised Hoseok as he left, pretended not to. If he was undercover, he must have a reason, and they wouldn’t out him. They weren’t surprised when he returned as Apollo.
He appeared out of nowhere, the god you planned to slight, so beautiful your eyes almost hurt as when one looks at the sun—radiance shone from his head, his curly hair so bright that a golden crown must camouflage in it under the sunlight, much like Hoseok’s. Guilt stung your heart when his gaze found yours and he smiled warmly.
Apollo then turned his attention to the kneeling youth, who’d begun to sweat. “What do we have here?”
“This boy boasted he was a better musician than you.” The Muses laughed, and you almost did too. It was a ridiculous claim.
“Did he?” Apollo’s good mood seemed untempered. “Well, I’ve no time for a music competition, so shall we just agree you’re in the wrong?”
The youth was quick to nod, yet dared not look away from the ground. “Y-Yes, Phoebus!”
“Do you regret your crime?”
“Awfully, lord, I do!”
“Well, tempted as I may be to make an example of you, today I’m feeling merciful. You’re forgiven.”
There was a pause in which the whole forest fell silent, asking themselves if they’d heard right. A god letting pass an act of hubris was unprecedented. You held the air in your lungs, unsure whether to release it in relief, as this might just mean your venture wasn’t doomed.
“Forgiven?” Even the Muses were dumbfounded.
“It’s not often mortals show remorse, so as long as they do, there’s no need for harsh punishment. Especially if they’re pretty.” Apollo glanced at you, making your lips part, before turning around to face the youth again. “Pour a libation for me and we’ll call it a day, eh?”
Later, long-winged Selene was pulling the moon behind her from the chariot she drove in the sky to bring the night when thanks to Zeus’ sacred laws of hospitality, xenia, an old couple near ARGOS was happy to feed you dinner and provide a bed for you to sleep in—one you’d have to share, which was absolutely fine and not the cause of your arisen nerves.
But once lying on it, the tension in your muscles weakened as you listened to Hoseok play a soothing melody on a lyre he’d found in a chest, and a faint smile settled on your lips.
“This song… I once heard Apollo play it,” you confessed. Given Hoseok was the author of it and had taught it to no one yet, he frowned. He was certain he’d never met you before that day, so how could you have heard him play it?
“When?”
“I was a child. Jungkook and I were playing in the forest outside of Pylos when we heard it. We followed the sound and found Apollo sat against a rock with all sorts of animals surrounding him, listening to him play and hum. It was lovely.”
Even though the gods were known to harshly punish mortals who spied on them, Hoseok smiled too. He played often for the animals, so he didn’t know which specific day you were talking about, but he was glad it served as a happy memory that eased your journey into the embrace of sleep. Although it probably had to do more with your brother.
Hoseok couldn’t blame you, as he also loved his sister deeply, had even slain a divine creature for his mother once. Family was as important to you as it was to him and for that very reason, he realised then that Hermes’ staff was already lost to him. There was nothing else you could afford to care about.
Little did you know, there was nothing else Hoseok chose to care about but you.
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Early the next morning, you reached Argos, only that you went around instead of through it.
The great city wasn’t closed, but the old couple had warned you Apollo had stung its citizens with his arrows of pestilence because their queen had neglected him in her devotion, sacrificing to all the gods but him. She should’ve accounted for the detail that while one of his sides was healing and medicine, the other was plague and disease.
Hoseok didn’t regret it. It was her fault her people were suffering. But the grim look on your face when you’d been told… He knew the news had cancelled out the hope born inside you yesterday and that you’d immediately asked yourself that if he’d done that over some sacrifices, what would he do to you for stealing from him?
Midway through the day, while hunting for lunch, he decided to lighten the mood.
“But why not? Most priestesses don’t serve for life!”
A part of you hoped Hoseok was exaggerating his dismay at your refusal to marry not to make you laugh, but so you wouldn’t suspect it was in fact real– No. There was no sense to that thought. Where did it even come from? You were a priestess, he was to be married, and you didn’t know each other.
“My family would have to come up with a dowry and they can’t afford it.”
“I think any is a small price to pay for a man to keep your bed warm.”
Oh… so that was it? He was indignant you wouldn’t know such pleasures? You’d never craved them, honestly, rather thought they were only possible for men. Interesting. But not important right now, as opposed to the rabbit moving about in that bush. Nocking an arrow on your bow, you whispered, “The only man I’d ever care to sleep with anyway is Apollo."
Hoseok felt smug for a second, as he followed your step, then reminded himself this was bad. You were supposed to fall for him, not Apollo. “I’m sure every man back in Pylos prays daily that you quit priesthood.”
A snort betrayed you and the rabbit darted away from the bush, so seizing the chance, you released the arrow and assured lunch. “Thanks Apollo!”
“Don’t mention it–” During the short duration of a missed beat, Hoseok’s heart had forgotten that it was common for mortal archers to thank him, the god of archery, when they hit their targets. Sweet merciful Zeus! Why was he on edge? “Uh… D-Don’t mention his name. We don’t want to summon him, do we?”
Before heading to the lifeless rabbit, you nodded, figuring he was right. “I reckon you can’t wait to meet the girl your brothers want you to marry.”
Hoseok didn’t follow after you, instead watched as you picked up the rabbit and struggled to remove the arrow from its body on your way back to his side. By your tone, he could swear you’d spoken from a place of jealousy, distant as though it may be.
“I find I wouldn’t mind if the trip to Corinth lengthened.”
You looked up once near enough to tell him you would, but the words flew away from your mind the moment your eyes landed on him.
Hoseok was pleased he’d taken this appearance. You were mesmerised, eyes narrowing, likely wondering how you hadn’t noticed until now how attracted you were to him!
Or not. “You’ve a spider crawling up a curl.”
Hoseok was starting to think Hermes and Dionysus were right… The warmth of his divine presence tended to do the job for him, his wit and charm really played a secondary role. Now, he was forced to give up the former, but you, Hoseok feared, were proving to be either immune to the latter or remarkably good at pretending so.
Or maybe it was his fault fully… Just, why the hell did he get so nervous around you?! It was like he couldn't muster a grain of confidence. He’d have to make an effort for the first time not just to flirt, but finish a conversation feeling like he had things under control. That he was in charge.
It wouldn’t help that he wasn’t used to being treated as an equal by a mortal. Much less given commands. ‘Skin the rabbits while I gather some wood’, ‘Burn the fat and bones as a sacrifice to Artemis, will you?’... Even when he’d offered you his share because he, as an immortal, didn’t need food to survive, you’d responded with an assertive ‘Eat’. Not to say he didn’t like it. It was amusing, in a way.
But passing by a small lake fed by a waterfall, Hoseok decided it was his turn.
“Fancy a swim?”
“Sure. And to be fed grapes, while I’m at it,” you chuckled, under the impression Hoseok was joking until you turned around and saw him getting rid of his chiton. Your eyes widened like those of Athena’s owl at the sight of his bare body, looked away only once you’d fought through your shock. “My brother’s life is at stake. If you wish to stay, then this is goodb–”
“Oh, come on, just a quick dive. When was the last time you bathed?”
“Back in Pylos.”
“Thought as much.” You discreetly smelled yourself and at once agreed hygiene shouldn’t be neglected. There was just one thing… and by the way you kept quiet, Hoseok noticed. “What, you’re afraid of water?”
“Not water itself, but drowning.” You played with your fingers, embarrassed to say, “I can’t swim…”
A loud laugh made you snap your head towards its source to see Hoseok approach you naked without any shame. To your own surprise, your feet rooted to the ground instead of stepping back as he promised, “I’ll hold you.”
Never would you have imagined you’d strip naked before a stranger and get in a lake with him, but there was something about him that inspired trust. You knew he wouldn’t take advantage, his gaze keeping away from your private parts proved it so. When the two of you slipped into the water, Hoseok kept a firm grip on your waist, even though you managed to touch the bottom if you stood on your tiptoes. For a second you wished you didn’t, so he could hold you even closer…
“Loosen up, Y/N, you’re as taut as a bowstring,” he said in a low voice, as he was so close he needn’t be loud, and you swallowed hard while nodding.
He next told you to move your limbs about and before you knew it, you were swimming and splashing him and giggling.
The dark began to skew the sky with stars sooner than expected, though, and you blamed the pleasant time spent at the lake for it. You were supposed to sleep in Corinth, where the festival of Aphrodisia was being celebrated, but the city was so far that you were going to miss your ship at dawn!
Luckily, Hoseok had a plan.
While you were picking up some flowers to present to foam-born Aphrodite for lack of a proper offering, he snuck away into the forest, somewhere you wouldn’t hear him summon his kin. A mention of Selene’s name was enough for the goddess to have her white horses land before Hoseok.
Elbow resting on the edge of her chariot and palm holding her jaw, Selene sighed, “I’m busy, Apollo, in case you haven’t noticed. Night doesn’t just come on its own.”
“Speaking of which, I need you to hold back the moon until we get to Corinth, me and–”
“Your priestess, yes.” Selene smirked when Hoseok frowned. “It gets boring up there. One resorts to gazing down, and your lame attempts at seducing this girl provide the funniest distraction.”
“Will you help me, or not?”
Selene laughed, “Gladly.”
And so it was that you reached Corinth before midnight, hair however completely dry as the day had lengthened by many hours. You could piece together no explanation for it, so it had to be what Hoseok mused, that the gods must be making mischief.
Despite the late hour, the streets were crowded with pilgrims who sang hymns to the goddess of love and beauty, and every column of every building was entwined with flowers. The air was also perfumed with the scent of cinnamon but as a priestess, you knew that was to mask the spilled blood of the animals being sacrificed outside the great Temple of Aphrodite, that you entered to leave your modest offering.
Hoseok waited outside, and scoffed when he spotted a familiar face dancing in the crowd, a garland crowning his head. It was the mighty messenger Hermes—or Taehyung, as he liked to address himself when mingling among the mortals in such form.
“Didn’t take you for a faithful follower of Aphrodite’s, little brother,” Hoseok laughed when they stood face to face.
“Well, you know her. She’s likely to welcome me back into her bed if I sing her praises. Literally.” Taehyung looked around to make sure no one was paying attention, made appear his herald’s staff out of thin air. “I hope you haven’t forgotten about our bet? Your priestess will die of old age before you make a move on her.”
“Love isn’t born in a day,” Hoseok retorted in his defence, ignoring Taehyung counting to two with his fingers. “Besides, she’s on a mission of her own, it isn’t currently a prime concern of hers. Be patient, I have no deadline.”
"Even all the time in the world won’t be of help to you, Hoseok.” Taehyung patted his shoulder before joining the dancing crowd again.
Soon, you walked out of the temple and came to a stop in front of Hoseok, too quiet. He frowned.
“What is it?”
You looked everywhere but at him. “She must be waiting for you, the girl you seek to wife.”
Ah, jealous? “I think she’ll be pleased if I keep you company until your ship sets sail tomorrow. Make sure no harm comes to you.”
Since you did want to be with Hoseok for a bit longer, the corners of your mouth quirked into a smile.
The night was spent in a cloud of food, drink, dance, song, and laughter. You loved Jungkook dearly, but it was alleviating to set aside the anxiety suffered for his fate, as well as yours. Wine was good at that, casting away all the bad from one’s mind.
At some point, Hoseok decided it was bedtime. Relying on xenia and the generosity of strangers, he knocked on the first door he saw and a family surely opened it to welcome you in. They showed you to a spare room after some chatting and the second you were alone, you wrapped your arms around Hoseok’s neck and made your lips join.
He was taken aback, but readily licked both your lips before kissing you back ardently, like you were the goddess and he your worshipper. You closed the distance between your bodies to melt into his warm embrace. Hoseok knew you craved him inside, so as a tease, he slipped his tongue in your mouth when you relaxed your jaw and slid it across yours as his cock would. That caused you to moan, and your core pulsate with lust. This might be one of your last nights alive, so why not treat it as such and give in to your desires? To the sweet passion Hoseok stirred inside you?
You would’ve, had he not suddenly pulled back.
Your mouth tried to seek his, even let out a few whines, but he wasn’t having it. Why? Why too did he look like he was suppressing annoyance?
Hoseok did want to savour every sweet bit of you, but what he’d tasted on your tongue was an abundance of Dionysus’ wine. In truth, he only needed take a look at you, so drunk you could barely stand, supporting your weight on him not to stumble. Hoseok sighed.
As a god, he wasn’t subjected to the laws of man. They didn’t apply to him, nor did their morality, so plundering you in that state wasn’t a crime. Mortals were created out of clay to serve the immortals and be playthings to them… and yet Hoseok wanted to earn your love. Not because of the bet, which meant less to him the more time he spent with you, but because he was catching feelings himself.
Besides, none of this was real to begin with. You were just convinced you were going to die, hence why you were doing what you normally wouldn’t.
“Not like this, Y/N.” And carefully, he led you to the bed, where you fell asleep in a matter of minutes.
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Your eyes fluttered open when Selene’s sister Eos cast open the gates of dawn.
An ache grounding into your temples, you sat up only to realise the other side of the bed was empty, thanked the gods for it when memories of the previous night resurfaced and embarrassment drowned you. What had you done?
And more urgently, what time was it?
You couldn’t risk missing that ship, so you slapped your own cheek—yes—and pulled yourself together, dismissing every thought that didn’t include Jungkook before joining the family for a quick yet lively breakfast.
The walk to the port was however a quiet one, where neither you or Hoseok seemed to know how to get rid of the awkwardness, and because of that, it was disconcerting when he held your hands once stood by the ship you were to embark, so tenderly like they were injured and he didn’t want to hurt you.
“I want to come with you.”
It took you a second to react. “No. We don’t both need to suffer the wrath of a god.”
“But I won’t let you die.”
You withdrew your hands, smiling wistfully. “My death is not for you to impede.”
Hoseok bit his tongue. “Have faith. We will meet again.”
Sailing away you pondered over how, if you ever did see Hoseok again, it would be as a married man. You’d rather rot in the depths of Hades’ dead kingdom.
For the moment, you prayed Poseidon was in a good mood and his waters remained peaceful as fortunately, your destination was another: the home of the Muses, as the cave in MOUNT PARNASSUS was known to be, and the place where Apollo’s golden bow and arrows were safeguarded when he had no need for them.
Merely crossing the gulf of Corinth would take you a full day, so in the meantime, Hoseok set off to Pylos. He wanted to get to the truth of the matter.
He found your brother guarded only by bronze bars, snuggled up on the cold floor of the palace’s underground cells. Apollo squatted next to him to tuck behind his ear the fluffy dark hair that covered his face, and a whisper of Jungkook’s name was enough to waken him.
Indeed, it was wide awake how he screamed and cowered at the corner of the cell.
“It’s been but four days, the king said I had seven! You can’t execute me yet, whatever the prince says!”
“I’m no executioner, Jungkook. I’m Apollo.”
“The new cook?”
“The Olympian!”
“Oh…” Yes, he should’ve guessed it was absurd for the palace’s new cook to come greet him in his cell. Wait– Did this man say he was Olympian Apollo? Jungkook rubbed the remaining sleep off his eyes and wondered how he could not have recognised those shiny blond curls! “Oh.”
The god barely stifled an eye-roll. “I’m here to hear what happened. Tell me, and know that I’ll see a shadow behind your words if you lie.”
Jungkook gulped. “I was wrongly accused, lord. It is the prince who should be sentenced to death.”
Apollo cocked his head to a side. “The prince?”
“I’m his serving boy. The other day, I overheard him plot against the king with his stepmother. Everybody knows they’re having an affair… Well, everybody but the king, of course. I was going to warn His Grace, but the prince caught me and claimed I was the one behind the plot. The king decided that I’d be executed in four days from now if my older sister Y/N failed to bring him–” Jungkook shut his lips at once.
“My golden arrows.”
Oh, no. He knew of your quest? “Y/N is a priestess of your temple here in Pylos! She’s devoted to you, of all the heavenly gods fears your wrath most!”
“I know.” Apollo stood up and gave him a reassuring smile. “As I know you are telling me the truth.”
At nightfall, you arrived in DELPHI, heart hammering its way through your chest, as on the morrow you’d reach Mount Parnassus and carry through your blasphemous theft.
The nerves were clearly not going to let you sleep, so there was no point in making use of Zeus’ xenia. Instead, you were waiting for the change of guards at the entrance of the great Temple of Apollo—where the high priestess Pythia served as an oracle uttering prophecies under divine possession—so you could sneak in. Once inside, you walked to the end of the naos only to kneel before a tall statue of Apollo that made no justice to his ethereal beauty, and raised your hands into the air with your eyes closed.
“Hear me, child of Leto, he who presides over this temple! If ever I’ve served you in the past, if ever you’ve loved your sister as I love my brother and would do anything for him, grant my prayer and… do take out your vengeance on me. But not tomorrow when I rob you of your arrows, only after I have saved my Jungkook from the sword. Please, heed me!”
“I’ve never known anyone so foolish as to announce to a god her plan to steal from him.”
Your eyes snapped open to see the Pythia lurking in the shadows behind the statue. Shit.
Coming to your feet, you wanted to reach for your quiver and cut her life short before she alerted the guards. You were in a sacred place, but what was one more unforgivable sin?
What stopped you were Apollo’s own lethal weapons, his golden arrows, magically appearing in her hands.
“Phoebus has cursed them. Any who isn’t him and uses them will perish,” the Pythia explained flatly, as if she was hearing his voice in her head and repeating them out loud. “He wants you to give them to your king.”
She handed you the arrows, at which you stared astounded. Apollo knew? Had heard your prayers?
“What of my fate?”
“No harm will come to you by his hand, or any other,” she promised. “You’re under his protection now.”
Tears quickly flooded your eyes and then streamed down your cheeks. Your shaky breath morphed into a laugh and your laugh into a sob, all out of relief. Hoseok randomly crossed your mind, and the next question you didn’t know whether was addressed to the Pythia or yourself. “But why?”
She approached and cupped your cheeks, using her thumbs to wipe your tears gently. Even if you neither knew nor trusted her, you didn’t step back. Her touch was warm, felt strangely familiar…
“Because he’s looked into your heart and seen his light.”
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Apollo was done with Hoseok for the moment. Or so he’d thought.
He’d meant to watch you from the clouds save your brother and be done with the ‘tomorrow I may die, so I’ll behave like nothing matters because nothing does’ cast of mind. He wanted to matter to you, to be loved by you.
Alas, his hopes and dreams were crushed.
The fifth day of your quest you spent sailing back to Corinth, but your sixth one, you finished entering Argos. Now, why in Hades would you do that?! Death dwelled in that city, had you forgotten? Or mayhap… you feared not disease, after being told Apollo would protect you.
Alright. He’d make you invulnerable like Achilles, then. No problem. He was about to when he saw two guards suddenly arrest you for no apparent reason in the middle of the street and drag you to the palace. Immediately, Apollo took the appearance of Hoseok and stormed off from Olympus—though really not that bothered in view of the fact that it meant he got to meet you again.
You, however, weren’t sure you were glad to see him. Not there, at least.
“Y/N, what a coincidence!” he joked before the guard manhandling him into the throne room forced him on his knees next to you. “Do you buy your vegetables here too?”
“Who is this?” the queen asked annoyed.
She was standing in front of the two of you, a small crowd of courtiers gathered as an expectant audience that seemed to be about to watch some spectacle. If only you knew what it was about. You’d been shoved there with no explanation, were about to demand one right before Hoseok showed up.
“He says he’s her companion, Your Grace.”
The queen frowned. “But the prophecy spoke of one only…”
Hoseok quelled a frown. Prophecies passed through him, and there was none yet that involved Argos. No, the city was supposed to suffer until he saw fit.
You, on your part, had had enough. Had wasted enough time. “I command you let us go right now! You’ve no reason to detain us!”
The queen scoffed, looking down both at and on you. “You command me, brat? I’d order your death if you weren’t already destined to have your throat slit at the sacrificial altar.”
What? In dismay, you turned to a Hoseok who seemed to not fear the queen of Argos at all, rather looked at her suspiciously.
“Perhaps if you were as kind as to tell us why, Your Grace,” he asked, disdain hidden behind his faked respectful tone. The queen wasn’t blind to it, but let it pass, choosing to just glare at him.
“Over the smallest thing, Apollo has cursed the whole of Argos with a plague. My seer claims the only way to appease his anger is to sacrifice in holy ritual the one person who dares enter the city.”
Hoseok almost laughed. Her seer was a fraud.
“Your Grace!”
Before you could even whip your head around, a guard had snatched the golden arrows from your quiver and walked over to the queen. You tried to stand up to retrieve them, but another guard held you down.
“What have we here?” The queen realised whom the arrows belonged to the second she had a closer look, gasped in shock. “It cannot be! Are these–”
“Mine.”
Everyone, including you, stared at Hoseok in disbelief.
The queen faced him. “So, you’re the thief?” Oh, no, of course! He didn’t know what had happened in Delphi, believed you’d stolen the arrows and would be punished by anyone who found out… Fool. Why would he cover for you? “Well, well. Apollo’s stolen weapons returned and a double human sacrifice… My loyal subjects, tomorrow Argos is saved!”
A loud cheer erupted, one you could still hear from the dark cell you and Hoseok were taken to by guards who then left to celebrate, trusting the bars to do their job.
You joined your palms and forehead with the wall, mumbled, “What use is your protection now that I’m stuck?” Hoseok knew that question was addressed at Apollo. The next one, however, asked as you turned around and walked up to him, was loud and clear and meant for Hoseok. “And what are you doing here? Are you mad?”
He flinched back, confused. Weren’t you happy to see him? “I came for you.”
You wanted to ask ‘What about the plague?’, but what instead came out was, “What about the other girl?”
Other… So you already considered yourself his?
Hoseok gazed into your eyes as he confessed, “My brothers wanted me to meet a girl, and I have.”
Your lips parted slightly. He’d turned down a possible bride in favour of you? He was mad. Mad enough to return whatever feelings you were struggling to suppress. You turned away from him, arms crossed. “A girl who’ll lead you to your death.”
Neither of you was dying tomorrow, Hoseok would sooner kill the whole of Argos than let anyone lay a finger on you.
“A girl who’d love me.”
Frozen in your spot, you daren’t turn around. Love was a strong word, and you’d known this man for just a few days. Eros’ arrow can’t have pierced your skin! Although… you couldn’t deny it must have grazed or scratched it.
“I don’t, I’m a priestess. What happened the other night… was a mistake. I’m sorry, I regret it.”
Since you weren’t looking, Hoseok allowed his lips an ironic smile. He could tell you were lying, trying to convince yourself rather than him. “You can both love Apollo and be in love with me.”
Shocked, you turned around. “Are you asking me to risk my position in order to what, be your lover?”
“It’s the gods who’ve brought us together,” Hoseok explained, walking closer. You held your breath, “who’ve shut the gates of my mind so I can think only of you. I believe the gods wouldn’t put your position in peril.”
And true that was. Priestesses were supposed to be spouses of the deities they served, so once Hoseok revealed his identity, you’d be relieved to learn your vow of chastity hadn’t been broken, as he was the only one it didn’t apply to.
You glanced down at his lips, then shook your head as though resisting a spell. “In my mind, there is only Jungkook.” The cell wasn’t too spacious, but out of stress you still paced around it. “And now we’ll die apart because I trusted a god who may have tricked me.”
Hoseok chuckled in the middle of the deep breath you were taking to calm down.
“You didn’t think I came here without a plan?” He walked over to put his hands on your shoulders and give them a gentle squeeze, putting an end to your pacing. “I’ll do everything in my power to reunite you with your brother. Do you trust me?”
You remembered when he told you to have faith you’d meet again. And you had. Besides, what other choice was there? “I do.”
Hoseok let go of you and went to lie down on the small bed, hands behind his head and eyes closed. “Then we’ll have to wait a couple of hours.”
You stared at him. He really didn’t want to just bed you, was actually looking out for you in a way Apollo was failing to. Or maybe he had sent him… Either way, Hoseok meant not to demand your love but deserve it, making your problems his like you shared a soul and body—and his, you realised then, you no longer wanted to resist.
“A couple of hours?” Hoseok nodded. “Well… it’s cold.”
“It is?”
You sighed, not knowing how to say it. “You once told me any is a small price for a man to keep your bed warm.”
Hoseok opened his eyes before the sentence was over and propped himself up on one elbow. You sat on the edge of the bed, a trembling hand rising that shyly caressed his cheek until he placed his own over it, and pressed a bit harder so you could really feel him, how hot his divine silver blood—known as ichor—was turning. You did, flashes of the night you kissed him making it into your mind. How his lips felt around yours, his tongue inside your mouth, your bodies pushed together…
Both leaned in at the same time, melting in a kiss that led to a night of pleasure dedicated to Aphrodite.
Meanwhile, Dionysus was doing his part.
Having taken the form he liked to call Jimin, he’d pretended to be a cupbearer at the feast the queen of Argos had held to celebrate the end of her punishment. No one noticed he didn’t belong as he poured his special, unmixed wine into the cups of every person in attendance, masking its strong taste with his powers. In a matter of hours, the whole court had lost their senses and passed out where they were, as mortal parties tended to finish in the presence of the god of intoxication.
Satisfied, he skipped his way to the cells, where he found you and Hoseok all cuddled up, skins glowing with the vigour you had loved each other with.
Jimin waved his hand and the cell’s door opened slowly, as though by a draft, but you turned around at once to see no one. “The gods be praised!”
Only seen and heard by a Hoseok who kept gesturing him to leave behind your back, Jimin laughed, “Dionysus, specifically.”
He disappeared then, and you and Hoseok didn’t hesitate to get out of there. What you did hesitate to believe was what your eyes witnessed once, in search of Apollo’s confiscated golden arrows, you entered the banquet hall. A whole court in the arms of Morpheus…
“There they are,” Hoseok whispered not to wake anyone, pointing at the end of the table, where the queen sat and in front of whom the arrows lied.
He walked over to get them, staring at the woman responsible for so much offence. Shielding the action with his body so you wouldn’t see, Hoseok grazed her arm with the tip of one of his sharp arrows, drawing blood. That was enough for her breath to still, her life to end.
You made it safely outside the city, near the house of the elderly couple who’d hosted you days past, even, but at some point you looked up at the moon and halted your rushed pace a tad abruptly, forcing Hoseok to do so as well since you were holding hands.
He frowned. “I don’t think this is the time to sightsee, Y/N.”
“But what’s the point?” you cried. “Pylos is more than two days away. There’s no way we can get there before sunrise.”
Hoseok looked up at the sky behind you, smiled. “Indeed. Though we might get there at the same time.”
You turned around for a peach-coloured sunlight to filter through the clouds and blind you.
Hold on, how could this be? It had been night for only some hours! And yet, before the two of you landed her chariot Selene’s sister, the rosy-fingered Eos. You held Hoseok’s hand tightly. In the presence of a goddess, one could not help but feel tense.
“You, child. Are you Y/N of Pylos?”
“I am, l-lady.”
She smiled kindly. “I’ve been sent to give you a ride, Y/N. I believe your king expects you.”
Relief washing over, you grinned at Hoseok, who caressed the back of your hand with his thumb. “This must be Apollo’s doing!”
“Must be, yes.”
You turned back to Eos and nodded. “Off we go, then, lady.”
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In about twenty minutes, people in front of the palace of Pylos were making space for the white horses to land their chariot.
Everyone stared in awe. Doubtless they’d thought you were going to fail, yet here you were escorted by a goddess, with Apollo’s golden arrows in your quiver, and… a foreign man holding your hand?
Once Eos had flown away to drag along the dawn to the West, you discerned on the judgemental faces of the Pylians the conclusions they had jumped to. Conclusions that were correct. You had given your virginity to a stranger, become a whore in the eyes of the world…
Hoseok was the one who let go of the hand he’d been holding ever since you lay together, and you missed his touch right away, like it was the air your lungs needed to breathe. He put some distance between you and with a respectful bow of his head—that was just for show—said, “After you, priestess.”
Eager to hold Jungkook in your arms again, you nodded, then led the way to the throne room.
The second you walked in, all heads turned to the king, who was sat on his throne on the top of some steps, looking at you in the same shocked manner everyone was. Nobody dared say a word. The only sounds in the room were first that of your feet taking you in front of the steps, Hoseok closely behind, and second that of you reaching into your quiver to get hold of the arrows.
The king leaned forward as though spellbound by the beauty of the deadly weapons, without taking his eyes off them ordered a guard, “Bring the boy.”
You turned to smile at Hoseok and he smiled back, but once you’d directed your attention to the door, he continued glaring at the greedy king. He obviously believed luck was on his side, given you’d come back from a suicide mission with a prize for him, but he’d soon learn the gods were not to be fucked with.
“Y/N!” Jungkook exclaimed as the guard dragged him into the throne room. Having eyes only for your brother, you didn’t notice the prince and his stepmother arrived next and took the king’s side while sharing worried looks. Hoseok did, sensed they feared Jungkook would reveal their plot now that he wasn’t going to be executed. You were about to go make sure he was alright, but the king’s voice stopped you.
“Uh-uh. The arrows first.”
Apollo’s curse in mind, you carefully presented them to him. Hoseok watched as he examined them while you ran to embrace Jungkook free of impediment, then passed them on to his son.
Who wasted no time in stabbing his neck with one of them.
Gasps and screams tore the silence apart, echoing as if they came from the stage of a theatre. In fairness, you might as well be in a tragedy play.
Shielding Jungkook with your body out of instinct, you kept still not to draw the gloating prince and his stepmother’s attention, eyes wandering to a Hoseok who otherwise walked over to you without a care for the blood crime just committed. The murder of one’s relatives was against the natural order, punished by the Erinyes themselves. Fortunately for the prince, he wouldn’t be tormented by the goddesses of vengeance, as the curse was already doing its work, causing him to choke in the midst of a speech in which he was declaring himself the new king of Pylos.
To everyone’s confusion but yours, he fell down the steps, lifeless before reaching the floor. His stepmother and lover shrieked, knelt beside him to try to shake him awake, but to no avail. It was then when she found you among the courtiers and through her tears and grief, glared at you.
“What have you done?!” she shouted, Hoseok alone noticed, surreptitiously curling her fingers around the shaft of one of the golden arrows scattered about. “I’ll have your head for this!”
What followed happened so quickly that you had little time to react.
Arrow raised in a fist, the queen lunged herself at you, but Hoseok stopped her right before she reached you by grabbing her wrist, and as she fought to free herself, he received a small cut on the hand. Eyes wide with horror, you gasped.
No.
No, no, no, no…
“Is his blood silver?” Jungkook whispered to himself, and after a second his words transformed from a distant, incoherent echo to a clear question. Upon realising he was right, you frowned.
Hoseok snatched the arrow from the queen and she stumbled backwards, glancing at the guards.
“Come to the aid of your queen, I command you!”
Despite their reluctance, they were going to, but froze when Hoseok nocked the arrow on his bow and this one turned from wooden to gold before their eyes… and not just that.
Something changed about his appearance. Was it the hair? The eyes? You couldn’t tell. It was subtle enough to miss it yet substantial enough to know that your Hoseok was actually a god in disguise.
No other than Apollo, in all his glory!
As you blinked a few times trying to make sense of it, he aimed his arrow at the queen, and playing deaf to her pleas, slew her. Of course, his curse wouldn’t apply to an immortal.
When he turned around, a sea of courtiers fell to their knees, but he cared only about you, standing there in shock. Suddenly taking pity, he didn’t look forward at all to telling you he’d tricked you because of a bet…
A man thankfully rose to his feet and approached him before he had the chance to open his mouth. “Heavenly lord! You’ve blessed Pylos with your presence to free us from a family unworthy of our throne. Tell us, what can we ever do to thank you?”
Hoseok– or Apollo? This was tough, since you could somehow see both at the same time... Well, whoever, replied, “For now, consign the bodies of these three to the UNDERWORLD with all proper rites and burn them.”
Had Hoseok’s voice always been honeyed? His words certainly were... Though looking back, he’d never lied to you, just tip-toed around the truth. Didn’t make you feel any better, but he was a god. What an insignificant mortal felt must be irrelevant to him.
The courtier nodded, followed along with everyone the guards who carried the dead royal family outside of the throne room. Only you and Jungkook remained. And him.
“Leave us, little brother,” you ordered softly.
“But–”
“Listen to your sister. Fear not, I won’t harm her.”
Jungkook trusted that, he just didn’t want to leave your side ever again. However, it became clear to him that defying a god was the stupidest idea when he met his eyes. There was a subtle threat reflected on them.
He didn’t need to be told twice to go then, and the silence he left behind was beyond tense.
You daren’t look at Apollo now that you were alone. The man you’d spoken so casually to, bossed around, shouted at, made love with. But when you did muster some courage, you realised he didn’t seem so different in appearance, it was just that you weren’t blind to his splendour anymore.
He beckoned you to come closer and you obeyed with your face cast down as, would he punish you for doing the king’s bidding and stealing from him, after all? To your relief, he only raised your chin gently to make you look at him, but your eyes instead landed on the small cut on his hand, and without thinking you held it to check whether it was deep, careful not to touch his blood as ichor was deadly to mortals.
“Y-You’re hurt…”
“This little thing?” Apollo smiled at your concern, as it was no more than a scratch. He blew his divine breath on the wound and in seconds, it healed completely. “I suppose I owe you an explanation.”
“You owe me nothing, lord.”
“Hoseok is fine. I rather like the sound of it when you say it.” He sighed when you just nodded. “We didn’t meet by chance, Y/N. Hermes and Dionysus dared me to seduce the first mortal my eyes set upon without revealing my identity.” Oh, so worse than you’d imagined. “It didn’t occur to me that you’d beat me to it.”
Your lips parted in confusion. “To seducing you? But I’ve done nothing but disrespect Apollo– I mean, Hoseok– Uh, you…”
He chuckled, “Believe me, I know. Without meaning to, you’ve bewitched a god well enough to make him overlook hubris. Do you know what that means?”
You shook your head.
“It means I am in love with you, and that I want you to be mine.” You avoided his gaze out of shyness, but he cupped your cheeks and kissed you like he had done back in that cell less than an hour ago, taking your breath away—only this time, you felt the heat of the sun itself on your lips. He pulled back only to whisper against them, “You know I do not lie.”
You did know that. But could you forgive so easily being deceived over a bet? Even the god of whom you were a priestess?
Truth was, it wasn’t just the fear of what then seemed to be a certain death by the hands of Apollo that drew you to his embrace the night before you left Corinth. Neither was it just lust in Argos. He’d earned your love, so much so that you’d agreed to become his lover, were likely going to quit being a priestess at some point to be wed to him. The bet was won long ago, he knew he needn’t claim your maidenhood for it, and yet he’d stuck around.
A different face mattered not.
He loved you, and you loved him.
“I am already yours.”
Hoseok hummed pleased before you kissed him, and you felt his smile grow under your lips. It made you smile too, and the two separated to laugh. Then, he headed to the steps to pick up his golden arrows and put them in his quiver.
“You’re leaving?”
“I must leave for Olympus. I have responsibilities I’ve set aside this past week, but I’ll come back whenever you utter a prayer to me. I promise.”
He saw the disappointment on your face and placed a hand over your belly, making you frown. “Intimacy with the gods always bears fruit. I can already feel twins growing inside you, and I cannot wait to raise them alongside you.”
At the thought of your children playing around the forest the same way you and Jungkook once did—or Apollo and Artemis, at that—you couldn’t help but smile again. Not to mention that you would not only preserve your position as a priestess, but also be revered for giving a god descendants.
Hoseok kissed you one last time, and when you opened your eyes, he was gone, but his warmth remained.
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another-lost-mc · 2 months
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Now hear me out- 😳
what if your oc's are in a top 5 star escape game? maybe is obey me universe... it has magic/curse spell on it.
They got to work together or the partner up randomly (idk). god pls let Tenebris and Azra partnered up together- who said that??
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Escape Room Challenges with the OCs
Featuring: Karasu, Zee, Azra, Tenebris, Metatron (+ canon cast mentioned)
Content: None. This is mostly chaos, silliness and Azra being his usual self.
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First, try convincing them all that an escape room is something they should try.
Karasu doesn't see the point of these types of games and assumes it's going to be a waste of time. He's also nervous because the rooms are randomly assigned and some of them (from what he's read) are way outside his skillset and comfort zone.
Zee feels the same way as Karasu, but he's not really nervous about it. It's more of an annoyance than anything. He's confident that any of the potential challenges should be feasible as long as his partner is tolerable.
Azra is just happy to have an excuse to be somewhere that's not work, but he'll get bored quickly if it's not entertaining enough. When they're told that one of the bonus challenges is having randomly assigned teams, he's the one that complains the most about it.
Tenebris is curious about the types of spells or puzzles that will be involved. He's also going to test the game's durability by stressing the anti-cheating measures with his magic. (He'll pay for damages to the facility after.)
Metatron has heard about these activities from other angels who visit the human world. He's excited for a hands-on opportunity to see what makes them so appealing. Depending on the type of challenge he's assigned to and who he's partnered with, he's either going to love it or hate it.
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Oh, and then there's the little bit of drama when the staff try to collect everyone's D.D.D.'s before they're allowed into the game areas.
Employee holding out a small chest: You can put your D.D.D. in here until the game is over.
Karasu: Oh, no thank you.
Employee: Sorry sir, but our anti-cheating policy clearly states that D.D.D.s have to be turned in before we can let you into your assigned game area.
Karasu: I don't plan on cheating and I would prefer to keep my device with me.
The employee who is clearly annoyed: Well, we can't let your group participate until you've all handed in your D.D.D.'s.
Azra and Tenebris are nearby trying (and failing) not to laugh, and Karasu reluctantly agrees to give up his D.D.D. so they can continue on to the game rooms. (No one has to know he still has an experimental prototype in his jacket in case he needs it.)
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Most Successful OC Pairs:
Karasu and Zekhan — They bring a well-rounded fountain of knowledge and various strengths/experiences to a challenge like this. They're a bit awkward around each other though. Well, it's more like Karasu is awkward because they don't know each other at all, and Zee doesn't really give a damn either way. As long as their escape room doesn't rely heavily on magic to solve, they'll be fine.
Azra and Zekhan — They're used to working together and between the two of them, they should be able to tackle most challenges without a problem. They're one of the possible teams that finishes first.
Karasu and Tenebris — Skill-wise, they bring a useful combination of intelligence and magical skill to whatever challenge they're faced with. Tenebris is easier for Karasu to get along with than the other two demons, and Tenebris is curious about the realm's various advances in technology. If the challenge requires exceptional physical strength (that can't be cheesed by magic), they're far less likely to succeed.
Azra and Meta — This can be one of the strongest or worst teams possible depending if they've already settled any awkwardness/hurt feelings since you-know-what. If they have, they'll probably complete the challenge successfully. If not, there's not a chance in hell they finish the game with so many unresolved issues between them to unpack first.
"Worst" OC Partner (even though he's probably the best one for this activity):
Azra — If he gets bored, he will suggest half-heartedly (to nearly anyone else, except for Lucifer/Luke) that they should just give up on the game and spend the rest of the time fooling around instead. He'll be genuinely surprised if they actually take him up on the offer. (Most of them refuse him outright, and the ones that are tempted are hesitant because of the lack of privacy. The staff are a total buzzkill about it too).
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Canon Teammate Compatibility
Unpredictable Results: it could be fine or it could be a horrible disaster
Karasu
Best: Lucifer, Mammon, Barbatos
Worst: Asmo, Belphie, Solomon
Unpredictable Results: Levi, Mephisto
Zee
Best: Satan, Diavolo, Mephisto
Worst: Mammon, Asmo, Belphie, Barbatos, Simeon, Raphael
Unpredictable Results: Beel, Solomon, Luke, Thirteen
Azra
Best: Mammon, Asmo, Satan, Luke, Mephisto
Worst: Lucifer, Barbatos, Raphael
Unpredictable Results: Simeon
Tenebris
Best: Lucifer, Satan, Diavolo, Thirteen
Worst: Solomon
Unpredictable Results: Mammon, Barbatos, Mephisto
Meta
Best: Beel, Belphie, Simeon, Luke, Raphael
Worst: Diavolo, Barbatos, Mephisto
Unpredictable Results: Satan, Asmo, Solomon
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Read more: OC Masterlist | Obey Me Masterlist
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monstersdownthepath · 11 months
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So what is Jandelay?
One of the earliest and longer-running mysteries in Pathfinder was the identity of the mysterious Jandelay, mentioned only in the statblock of the Oliphaunt of Jandelay. In Mythic Realms, it remained ambiguous if Jandelay was a creature, an event, a plane, or some other mysterious entity, with the only hints about it being the poem carved into the base of the enormous Spindlethorn:
Jandelay, proof against the Maelstrom, Jandelay, of green fields and faultless spires; No sane soul born dares trespass fair Jandelay For the Oliphaunt guards you always.
But five years later, (almost) every question about the mysterious Jandelay was answered in Planar Adventures! It’s a demiplane, but not just any old demiplane! It is a bubble of pure Law floating on the surface of the Maelstrom in stark defiance of the Maelstrom’s desire to subsume all that is back into chaos. It refuses the Maelstrom’s pull and instead exploits the source of all quintessence, drawing it out as needed in order to maintain itself for its unique purpose.
Also known as the Apocalypse Archives, Jandelay is a realm of rolling green grass fields with alabaster spires placed regularly throughout... and thousands upon thousands of stitched-together, chimeric and chaotic arrangements of various biomes, architectures, and environments. Whenever a Watcher places a Beacon of Jandelay down upon a doomed world, it marks that section of the planet for collection by the plane. When the world is destroyed by the apocalypse which summoned the Watchers in the first place, every area marked by the Beacon is torn from the world and placed on Jandelay, merged together with other marked sections with little regard for whether or not the arrangement makes sense, but the magic of the plane and the attentions of the Watchers maintains these sections even when they would have logically crumbled away or annihilated one another (such as if a section of glaciers ended up next to an active volcano). Sapient lifeforms preserved by the Watchers are combined into a Collected, a form of Outsider with the minds and memories of dozens or perhaps even hundreds of creatures, bound eternally to the stitched remains of the world they were “rescued” from and allowed to wander it, but no further.
It’s not directly stated if animal life is taken along for the ride, but what IS canon is that Watchers use their perfect memories and passion for crafting, as well as knowledge obtained from the Collected, to build facsimiles of various flora and fauna that didn’t manage to get saved, using their constructs to decorate the world-sections. Despite this adorable behavior, Watchers don’t exactly make for good company, so the Collected tend to live a lonely existence. It’s not like anyone really visits.
Any knowledge about Jandelay is understandably difficult to come across. How the Runelords learned anything about the Oliphaunt or the plane itself is a mystery that yet endures, because dimensional travel straight up does not work. Any attempt to use Plane Shift or ANY other form of dimensional travel to enter, exit, or even just travel around inside Jandelay fails if the user doesn’t succeed a DC 41 Will save (something the Watchers must be innately immune to despite their statblock saying no such thing, else they can’t escape or re-enter their own home if they roll lower than 15), and Gate or similar effects fizzle automatically without allowing a save unless the caster is Mythic or the source is an Artifact.
So to even know about it, your world will already have to be on its way out the door. You need to succeed a DC 28 Will save (or be immune to Inconspicuous) to see a Watcher, NOT freak out about it, then convince it to tell you a little about itself, and then further convince it to tell you about Jandelay... and if you want to GO there, that’s a DC 41 Will save or you simply can’t without burning another spell slot or resource to try again. And Armageddon continues to breathe down your neck as you try again! And if, by some miracle, you end up there? Well, good luck getting out with any swiftness, especially since you’d need to not only have more castings of Plane Shift, but a safe destination in mind to recollect yourself as you grapple with knowing your world is gone. That kind of thing changes a person! Is it any wonder why knowledge about Jandelay is so hard to come by, when the conditions for gaining even tiny scraps are so severe? (No, you can’t just summon a Watcher; they have far too many HD for anything lower than Gate to work)
It’s not super dangerous in the archives, at least. if you wanted, you could wait to get your slots and sanity back while looking at the past destroyed worlds. Maybe even find your own. The Watchers don’t attack creatures who merely examine the exhibits--that’s what they’re there for, after all--but any attempt to damage them and you’ll find out there’s a lot more of the creepy crawlies than you know about hiding just outside your senses.
And then there’s the Oliphaunt itself. Chaos made manifest, a mountain made flesh, a storm given purpose. It’s the Oliphaunt that protects Jandelay from all intruders, its own presence the one that imposes the travel restrictions for reasons that can only be guessed at (which means that if it’s NOT in Jandelay, one can travel there without making a save! easy, right?) and the greatest deterrent to the Proteans who’d otherwise object to Jandelay’s presence. The origins of the Oliphaunt, and of Jandelay, are stated in surprisingly plain terms: the Oliphaunt created itself, and made Jandelay soon after. Then, Jandelay itself birthed the Watchers to tend to it. The Oliphaunt is stated to be the incarnated form of the idea of the apocalypse; the manifestation of calamity and destruction on a planetary scale, drawn to observe its collection of destroyed worlds for its own inscrutable reasons.
It leads me to believe it was born shortly after the rampage of Rovagug, the collective dying gasps of thousands of worlds and gods coalescing into a single being, and it created Jandelay as a method to assure no more worlds would be forever lost and forgotten; something by no means canon, but it makes the most sense to me. What also is not canon but makes sense to me is that the Oliphaunt, as the incarnation of world-destroying calamities, should not be an entity the players can reasonably fight. We’ll see how I approach this particular challenge this Friday!
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I keep adding songs to my dp playlist for very specific amvs I construct in my head (as you do)
this is an old concept I built forever ago but this song drew it back out of me, and I want to revisit it
imagine if you will, Void Danny from Reverse Trio AU, in a timeline where the Phantom of his world (in this specific scenario it's Tucker) did not succeed and was killed by Nocturn
Nocturn at the height of his power is able to use his foot in the dream realm to clip through space, aka he can make portals, at first he just uses them to spread across the world, he teaches Danny to do the same
one day he lets slip that he can make portals to other alternate universes, and that when they are finished feeding on this world, they will move to another
at this point, with Nocturn growing overconfident and complacent, his grip on Danny's mind starts to slip, Danny starts to miss his friends, he starts to regret what they've done
in a moment of gathered willpower he decides to open a portal to a world where his friends are still alive, but midway through he hesitates, what will they think of him? he killed them after all, wouldn't they hate him? wouldn't they think he was a monster? he desperately wants to see them but he can't bare to have them see him this way
the portal opens, but it opens to a world of lush green leaves, a huge tree with a girl sitting beneath it, she has her hand on the trunk, she's crying
he recognises her
the portal had found a version of his friend who would not hate or judge him for what he had done, it found a version of his friend who was just like him
he speaks to this Sam and she tells him that he can't be here, that she killed him, his body was beneath this tree, Danny was her Phantom
he tells her where he is from, that he's escaped to find the friends he lost, he says she's not the Sam he knew, but she's clearly a Sam who regrets as he regrets, who wants what he wants, he reaches out his hand and asks her to come with him, they still have one friend left to find
she takes his hand
he opens another portal, this time to an Amity buried in sand, there's a boy holding a golden staff, he stares out over the buried ruins of the city, the grave of his friends and family, one he had dug himself with the whispers of Hotep Ra in his ear and the memories of an ancient king piloting his body, Sam was his Phantom
Danny and Sam reach out, they tell him to come with them, they'll find a new home together, in a world where none of them exist, a world that none of them have broken
he takes their hands
from here they can go anywhere, to any universe, to find a place for themselves where they are away from the influences that changed them, they are still monsters, in their own ways, with powers granted to them by those who changed them
Danny cannot survive without feeding off dreams, he roams through the dream realm every night, giving people pleasant dreams but leaving them tired and drained come morning
but he thinks perhaps if he feeds lightly, takes just enough energy from just enough people, if he makes sure to feed from different people every night, perhaps he won't need to cause anyone harm
Sam needs sunshine and soil to thrive, but she still has no sympathy for the humans who destroy nature, dragging anyone who threatens her into the ground with her roots
but maybe she can use her powers for something more, rejuvenate the land she walks on, find and connect with humans who want what she wants, they're out there, she knows, she used to be one of them
Tucker uses his magic to survive, to steal food and clothes and shelter for them all, he may have left his kingdom but he is still a king, why shouldn't he take whatever he wants? who are they to tell him no? he could crush them like bugs in his fist, they were only peasants
but does he need to kill them? can't he just take what he needs and make them forget? he has killed so many already, and for what? an empty desolate kingdom? he left that place for a reason
as the influence of their manipulators wanes, the people they once were slowly return to them, they will never be the same, they have been changed far too much, but they are together, and together they remember how to be people again, not quite the people they all once knew, but close enough to count
but eventually their guardians will notice they are missing, Nocturn will follow a trail through dimensions, he will meet others whose wards have disappeared, they will come looking for their disobedient runaway children, and they will destroy whatever lies in their path to get them back
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