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templeofelysium · 20 days

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worshipping the chthonic gods

first, a note on cthonic vs ouranic: the line between these gods is one that is not really as stark as it can be portrayed. many gods have both ouranic and chthonic aspects, and neither make them any more "good" or "bad" than the other. chthonic gods are not evil gods, at least no more than any ouranic god. all deities have the capability of doing good and evil, but are largely ambivalent in nature. the advice listed below is not set in stone, simply provided as gentle guidance. if you have suggestions, feel free to add them in the comments/reblogs! :)

LIBATIONS/OFFERINGS

In Ancient Greece it was very common for offerings to the chthonic gods to be given in the form of libation--a drink (or any liquid) poured into the ground. Solid offerings, like food, were often burned in their entirety to ash or left to rot, instead of being partially shared by the offeror. Incense was not as commonly used since the smoke travels upwards, towards the heavens.

I suggest disposing of/keeping ashes and rotted food outside or burying them, seeing as chthonic sometimes refers to "-of the earth." This would be similar to how curse tablets were treated in Ancient Greece, as Hermes, messenger of the gods, would deliver them unto their underworld-ly receiver from there.

If you can't do that, consider pouring your libations down the sink or flushing them down the toilet (ONLY do this with water-based liquids, oil and honey will clog up your sink in no time flat). It's not ideal, but it gets the job done.

Common libations include: coffee, blood (animal or your own, we'll get to that at the end), honey (instead of wine), milk

Common offerings include: meat, barley/grain, oil, cheese

PRAYER

In many cases, prayers to ouranic deities are directed upwards, into the sky or delivered unto the wind by voice, song, or some sort of poem. In the case of the chthonic gods, we should be directing them downwards, towards the underworld where they reside. This may include extending your hands with palms facing down, putting your head down, or just imagining your prayers being sent below. The only exceptions to this may be Persephone, who resides in the heavens for half of the year, and Hermes, who can be considered both ouranic and chthonic.

Other recommendations I can make are: light a candle, even if you're not going to use it for pyromancy; light some incense (I do this for focus and cleansing, not so much for the deity); and perform it at night. It's not mandatory, of course, to perform your prayers at night, it's just that in antiquity ouranic activities (festivals, prayer, etc.) were done during the day and often directly enshrouded in sunlight. We can assume, therefore, that a chthonic prayer or festival should occur during the night, especially if being directed towards Hekate or Nyx.

ALTARS/SHRINES

In Ancient Greece, temples to the ouranic gods were constructed so that their doorways would directly face the sun, thus illuminating the inside (and often the main statue(s), too). We can assume, then, that our chthonic altars/shrines should be located somewhere out of the direct sunlight. This can be in a dark spot, like a closet or isolated room--or it can just simply be in a corner furthest from the sun's rays.

Again, there may be some exceptions to this: Hermes, under his ouranic epithet(s), Persephone, for her time in the heavens, and Hekate, for her association with the moon.

DIVINATION

For the most part divination with the chthonic gods is conducted in much the same way as with the ouranic. Of course, when calling upon these deities you'll want to face towards the ground, and perhaps even conduct these sessions in partial darkness. Again, maybe you could light a candle or even pour a libation before a really big reading.

I mostly use pendulums and tarot, but I've been experimenting with meditation and have had some luck. What works for ouranic deities should work just as good for chthonic, you just might have to shift your approach a little.

Some good tarot spreads for working with chthonic deities:

"Fork in the Road" spread-- for Hermes or Hekate

"The Tower" spread-- for Hermes or Hades

"The Self Exploration" spread-- for any

"The Bat" spread-- for Hades or Persephone or Nyx

EXTRAS

--Consider offering blood if you're able! Animal blood that is sourced from ethical farms is neither morally reprehensible or illegal and can be sourced from a variety of places. Offering your own blood is also a possibility, but for this I would not recommend more than a pinprick. There are limits to how much pain you should be incurring on yourself for your deities. If you have to check your blood sugar often, maybe you can soak up excess blood with some cotton and bury it outside. Make sure to always clean your wounds properly and do not engage in this behavior for the purpose of self-mutilation. That, I can assure you, your deities would not appreciate. Don't be stupid.

--Snakes are commonly associated with almost all chthonic deities, or just the Underworld in general. We see this the most with Hermes, who is pictured with two snakes wrapped around his caduceus. The god Asclepius is also pictured with a staff with a single snake on it. Asclepius is the god of medicine, and (before being deified) was killed by Zeus for making people practically immortal.

--Chthonic deities are the best places to turn to for spirit work, protective, and baneful magic. You're looking to contact a spirit? Turn to Hades. You're looking for protection against spirits/demons? Turn to Hekate or Hermes. You're looking to cast a curse? Turn to Persephone or Hekate.

dividers by @vibeswithrenai

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alexiapp · 9 months

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𝐕𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: mostly smut so minors DNI !!

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Your fiancé decides you two should take a little vacation that let’s you two break lose.

_____________________

You and Alexia haven’t seen each other for a while, with you busy with work and her as well busy with football.

You were sat at home finishing any last work you had on your laptop, when you heard the front door slam.

You jumped, at the loudness of the door. It soon followed with the fridge opening and slamming shut.

You walked out the office to the kitchen, when you saw the blonde chugging water.

“Hey, baby your back already ?” You asked timidly.

“Yep” The hazel eyed woman said grumbling with a frown on her face.

You slowly walked towards her.

“Ale what’s going on ? Tell me babe” You said bring your hand to rub her back.

“I’m just so stressed, I just need a break i need to get away with you” She said looking at you, hearing the sadness in her tone.

“I would love to do that with you. I’ll do anything that can make you feel better love” You said to her, smiling at her with a loving gaze.

“Let’s go then” The hazel eyed woman said.

She grabbed both of your hands in her large palms and brought your hands to cup her face.

“W..what ?” You said with confusion.

“Let’s take a vacation, together, you and me.” She said trying to encourage you.

“But Alexia that means you missing out on-“ The older woman cut you off.

“I don’t care, i need a break with you. Let’s go to greece or Italy wherever you want to.” She said eagerly.

“I would love to go to Greece babe, I’ll call my job and call out” You said simply.

“Thank you, Thank you bonita” The hazel eyed woman said repeatedly bringing you into a messy kiss filled with excitement.

“Cmon ale we have phone calls to make and packing to do.”

____________________

𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐞

You and Ale were sat outside a body of water resting and looking at the view.

Alexia slowly brought her large hands to your thigh, “You look stunning mi amor” She said in a cooing tone.

She brought her lips close to your earlobe kissing down your neck.

“Ale” You said in a pleading tone using your hands to push her chest out of the way.

“I can’t help it, you look to good” she said trying to chase a kiss from you.

“At least let us wait until we get back inside baby” You said in a giggly tone.

“Okay, well let’s go inside” She used her strength and picked you up.

To which you yelped in surprise at her strength.

___________________

𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞

Alexia plopped you on the bed and slowly followed suit to crawling until her body was hovered over you.

“That bathing suit is driving me insane bonita. I hope you packed more” She said in a low tone.

She grabbed your face in her large hands, pulling you in for a teeth-classing kiss.

The blonde slowly brought her lips to your neck kissing you softly, and slowly. Your breathing quickened at each sudden action.

She finally reached your pulse making you moan loudly.

“Ale, por favor” You said with a pleading look on your face.

“Please, what bebe ?” She said with that stupid smirk on her face.

“Please, make me feel good” You said biting your bottom lip squirming, under her hold.

“As you wish” She said in a seductive expression. She brought her thumb and pointer finger to pull the strings of your bikini top with swiftness.

As she did so she continued to kiss your neck occasionally sucking and biting, that you knew for sure would leave marks.

You threw your head back moaning lightly. The older woman then slowly kissed down around your chest. She used one of her hands to need your breast in her hands. Making you melt like into her touch.

She popped one of your nipples in her mouth, licking and sucking.

“oh my god ale” You said throwing your head back in pleasure moaning loudly.

Her hazel eyes flicked up making eye contact with you.

She then kissed down your abdomen occasionally licking.

She lifted one of your legs over her shoulders and soon kneeled off the bed.

She slowly needed your thighs, massaging you.

She brought the tip of her nose to touch your slit making you groan wanting more contact.

The hazel eyed woman brought her tongue to your clit, licking lightly swirling her tongue around.

“Yeah, right there” You said sitting on your elbows bringing your hand to her head.

She licked a large strip of cunt and then began to suck, harshly.

“You’re doing so good Ale” You said between moans your breathing becoming unsteady as the pleasure increased.

The blonde brought her finger and pumped into you as she continued to lick.

“I’m so close Ale” You said whining trying to encourage her.

She continued to go fast You used your hips to grind to her face trying to chase your orgasm.

“I’m about to cum Ale” You said moaning, your face screwing in pleasure.

“Cum for me, amor” She said in a husky tone to which she continued to lick and pump her fingers through your orgasm

You soon released, Moaning a soft ‘Alexia’ and flopped down on the bed in a daze.

She slowly climbed up the foot of the bed looking at you.

She slowly brought the two fingers that had your slick on it and brought it in her mouth licking it clean. She popped her large fingers out of her mouth groaning at the taste of you.

“You taste amazing mi amor” she said chuckling lightly almost teasingly.

You reached up and grabbed her neck and pulled in a kiss, still hot and bothered.

“I wanna make you feel good to Ale” you said looking up in her eyes.

“You don’t have to bonita” she said pulling away.

“ I want to” you said with pleading eyed.

She gave you a light nod to which you flipped both of you over, moving on top.

You brought your fingers to her chest dragging your finger down to her abdomen, making her abs flex under your touch.

She looked at you with hooded eyes. You grabbed one of your fingers and licked with your saliva, your fingers hovering over her sex.

You then began to pump your fingers.

“Oh bebe” She said moaning in pleasure.

Which only encouraged you to move faster and bringing and second finger.

She threw her head back and bite her lip.

Groaning in her pleasure the blonde woman drew her eyes down, watching as you fucked her with your fingers, that actions alone bringing her close.

She brought her tattooed hand to your face and pulled you into a messy kiss, sucking your bottom lip and bringing it in between her teeth as she pulled away, reaching her high.

You brought your fingers that had her slick on it to her pillowed like lips and said “Suck” quietly.

To which she sucked on your fingers seductively, with blown out pupils.

You both collapsed on the bed.

The air filled with silence until The older woman spoke up and said

“Round Two?”.

#barca femeni #woso x reader #woso community #woso imagine #ask me stuff #barca #woso #la reina #woso fanfics #ask me anything #alexia putellas one shot #alexia putellas imagine #alexia putellas x reader #alexia putellas #woso blurbs #woso one shot #woso soccer #woso couples #woso smut

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cx-boxbox · 3 months

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Short landoscar drabble inspired by the picture taken outside of the McLaren motorhome (~500 words):

Oscar jumps when the alarms start ringing, and his first instinct is to get the fuck out of here.

He doesn’t go with his first instinct.

Taking the steps two at a time, he bursts into Lando’s room, throwing the door open like a crazed man. And sure enough, Lando is right there, curled up on his tiny bed and sleeping through the alarm like it’s a lullaby.

Oscar’s eyes land on his socks. Interesting choice of footwear you got there, mate.

“What the fuck. Wake up.”

Well, surely a moment or two to catch his breath… and stare at Lando in his cutest, most vulnerable state wouldn’t hurt.

The alarms are still going. Lando is still sleeping.

Oscar exhales. “Oi, mate, you’re really not making this easy for me. If I pull a muscle and don’t make it to quali, I’m blaming you.”

Swiftly, he grabs Lando around the waist and hauls him up, practically tossing him over his shoulder. Thank fuck, his teammate is tiny. Three apples tall.

Lando immediately startles awake and scrambles for purchase, screeching, “Oscar?!”

At least, he’s not struggling against the hold Oscar has around his upper thighs.

Oscar ignores him and the fingers digging into his back and just the fact that he’s carrying Lando out like a groom would his bride in Ancient Greece or something.

“Oscar, my shoes!”

“No time for that,” Oscar replies. It’s Lando’s fault for taking them off before wandering about and then promptly falling asleep. He should be grateful he’s otherwise fully clothed.

Lando whines sadly.

“I’m going to put you down now.”

He whines again. “I’m actually rather comfy. The view’s pretty nice too.”

Fighting his blush, Oscar gives Lando’s butt a little pat in response and carefully sets him down on his feet, aware of the gravel and the thin material of his tiny socks. Lando looks disheveled, and his cheeks are pink, like being tossed over Oscar’s shoulder like a sack of flour somehow caused all the blood in his body to rush to his head.

Unable to contain himself, Oscar bursts out laughing at his teammate just standing there with his hands on his hips, looking very much like a small disgruntled kitten in skinny jeans and ballerina socks.

Jon hurries over, glancing between them, and says, “Oh my God, I was looking for you two- Lando, where are your shoes?”

Lando glares at Oscar, who wheezes. It’s not even that funny to begin with, but there’s a camera right behind them.

“Mate, your ballerina socks are going to go viral,” he manages to say at last, wiping a tear. Just to be a shit, he quotes, “‘And it’s all too much for little Lando Norris, twenty-four years old. He just needs a bit of sleep.’”

“Are you quite done?” Lando huffs. The back of his left sock fell when Oscar put him down, and he fights the urge to crouch down and fix it for him.

That would be kind of weird for teammates. And extremely intimate.

“Yeah, I’m done.”

He and Jon proceed to tease Lando relentlessly about his socks.

But once the fire is cleared, Oscar still plucks Lando up off the ground the moment he begins complaining about how much his feet hurt.

#ln4 #op81 #my fics #landoscar #twinklaren #my drabbles

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gemsofgreece · 1 year

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You really should know about Storm "Daniel"

Unlike how much all of us Greek blogs notify our tumblr communities about the regular (at this point) arsons wildfires afflicting Greece, we did not say much about the floods the country has been suffering from right now. There was a mention here and there and I even made a joke post as the storm was starting but not a lot of stuff in general. So, I think there's a couple of things you should know and I feel like I could address about it and actually it's not just about Greece. So I believe this could interest a lot of people and it should be something known worldwide.

In the beginning of September there was an alarm about an extreme weather phenomenon forming above the Ionian Sea at the west of mainland Greece. In truth, the phenomenon was not caused by the climate change. It was just a very rare occurence where a high pressure atmosheric system was sandwiched between two currents of low pressure. Low pressure systems are the ones resposible for stormy weather while high pressure systems generally create stable weather. As the low currents encircled the high pressure system, the storm that had started forming became unusually stable for a storm. As a result, the storm moved northeast above Thessaly and other regions of the central part of Greece and... just decided to stay there for an indefinite amount of time. Furthermore, because it's September and the Ionian Sea had warmed up throughout the summer, the medicane (Mediterranean cyclone) gained tropical features as it was forming, pushing its intensity to extremes unknown to this area.

The storm remained above all of central Greece for about 4-5 days but at the meantime it was causing side-storms in neighbouring countries, such as Bulgaria and Turkey. Both countries suffered from floods causing damages and deaths.

Istanbul, Turkey (CNN).

Tsarevo, Bulgaria (CNN).

Four people died in Bulgaria and seven in Turkey.

But like I told you the core of this was exactly on top of Greece's central mainland and islands. So what happened there? I happened to experience this shit first hand. My recollection of it is that it was unlike any other storm I had experienced before. My knowledge on meteorology is not very advanced, however I believe due to the high pressure part, there were actually no winds at all - or they were insignificant, so it wasn't like what you might have in mind as a conventional cyclone. It was a rainstorm but it was like a rainstorm from hell. The crucial part is that in Greece summer violent rainstorms may last for about five minutes but certainly not for five days nonstop. There was no pause, not even for a second. It kept pouring and pouring in indescribable volumes, without decreasing or slowing down, not for a moment. The fourth day it started taking short breaks.

As a person with a phobia of lightnings since childhood, I kept wearing earplugs throughout all these days. For four days, ten seconds did not pass without at least one lightning shrieking exactly on top of our heads. In the end, I am dead serious, I think my lifelong phobia has been cured somewhat due to this extreme exposure that eventually had a numbing effect. I think only the first day there was a record of 7,000 lightnings. I believe there must have been dozens of thousands overall. The lightnings also caused fires but the downpour was so overwhelming no fire could ever stand a chance.

Whether during or after the rains, what I was seeing outside was post-apocalyptic. The only thing missing was the zombies. It really looked like a background from a videogame, including a constantly lit up sky. I was not in danger though people dear to me were. The worst for me was a huge fall in the quality of living but that doesn't matter. The rains caused severe destructions across cities and villages. They caused floods, they broke bridges, they broke a massive number of roads, they made walls collapse, they destroyed springs, they damaged water and electricity outlets entirely, they drowned flocks and flocks of animals, they destroyed mountainous and coastal villages alike, they made cars float and fly over each other and they uprooted houses.

Village in Mount Pelion, Greece.

But that's not the end of it. Four days later, the storm moved southwest towards the Ionian sea, basically to the place of its original formation. It side-swept over Athens in the meantime, flooding the city, but that doesn't mean much since I could cry and Athens would still flood with my tears. Anyway. AFTER the storm left, the floods caused by it started multiplying and expanding. Picture that: a crystal clear sky, a bright sun and your phone screaming state alerts about evacuating your village or town because a lake has launched at you! Here's the thing: Thessaly is a massive plain surrounded by a ring of mountains. Half of those downpours fell right on the lowlands causing floods and destructions the first days. The other half however fell on the mountains, filled the streams heading down and they all met up and filled the lakes and the large river of Thessaly, Pineios and they all basically exploded the next days. Pineios especially exploded both in its western and eastern part, sinking the entirety of Thessaly's plains under water. As a result, floods were actively taking place days after the storm had ended and the weather was good. The phenomena have only started subduing since yesterday.

The overflowing of the river, trapped by the mountains.

Farmers won't be able to work this year and next year is questionable as well. There are huge concerns about various epidemics breaking out as more and more dead animals are found in the waters. Entire villages are under the water. There are estimations that some villages in west Thessaly might have been lost forever and their residents will have to move elsewhere. Sixteen people have died from the rainstorm and the floods.

Actual villages in Karditsa, Greece.

A more longterm danger is that the ground received such an unnatural amount of water that it might have been severely eroded and destablised, making it vulnerable to natural disasters I don't want to utter. Many roads are either broken or bloated and Thessaly has been cut out from communication and transportation with the rest of the country. To this day, there are maps guiding people how to drive from North to South Greece and vice versa by entirely skipping Central Greece! (Hint: they will have to drive through Epirus, aka western Greece.) The first days there was also complete isolation from what was happening in the country and the world and also the very regions we were in as we had no electricity and our only chance was getting a call from somebody being elsewhere and telling us what is going on.

Volos, Greece (CNN)

Many regions have received within 2-4 days 55 times their monthly amount of rain or more than twice the yearly amount. Greek meteorologist Christos Zerefos estimated that such a phenomenon occurs every 300-400 years. Meteorologists were alarmed internationally - with Germans and Americans reportedly saying they hadn't studied such a phenomenon again in their career. Its intensity was record high in the history of Greece and right in the top of Europe's as well. They also agreed that such a phenomenon would be devastating even if it had hit the most advanced and prepared country.

BUT THIS IS NOT THE END. The weakened Daniel seemed to slowly move towards South Italy but it decided to take a turn and headed south towards Libya and Egypt. Quite possibly, as the storm was once again travelling across the warm Mediterranean Sea, it was rejuvenated and gained even more tropical traits. Eventually, the medicane hit Libya with unprecedented force.

The cyclone travelling from Greece to Libya.

The toll it took on Libya is unspeakable. As I am writing this,

More than 5,226 people are killed and more than 10,000 are currently missing.

Like, can you wrap your head around what I am talking about? I don't see this shit being acknowledged enough across the world. I am checking this again and again, to ensure I am reading this correctly.

Daniel has officially become the deadliest medicane on record.

Eastern Libya, from Al Jazeera.

In the meantime, Greeks found opportunities to practice their favourite sport: political infighting. People who weren't even here when hell broke loose say that if this or that was properly done, we would not have problems at all. I even saw an idiotic Greek expat comment how "we got drowned in a little bit of rain". The truth is we should bloody thank our lucky stars and I say this with the entire awareness of half of Thessaly being currently underwater. It is true that Greek governments and people have done so many things badly, like building on top of streams and rivers, changing rivers' natural route, drying up natural lakes and all that shit that guarantees you are going to have massive problems once a serious storm breaks out. Also, the disaster revealed that there was once more a very questionable management of all the money given by the EU for anti-flooding measures after a previous flood (Ianos). Of course, I would be happy if at last we viewed this disaster as an opportunity to improve ourselves and the management of our land, however whatever happened these days wasn't the fault of anyone in particular. On the contrary, A LOT worse could have happened. A lot. Maybe Libya is not an indication because if Greece is not used to such extreme rain phenomena, then Libya is probably ten times less used to them, however we should not forget that this monster was STUCK at least five days over the heartland of Greece. For this alone we should damn be thankful we did not get it any worse and that the land endured in any way and of course now we have to correct old mistakes as well but let's do it united and determined and without wasting time once more in pointless infighting, which in this case might even be unfair. (In fact I think the thing we should blame the state the most about was not making it clear beforehand that this was going to be unprecedented, not just "very severe". They probably didn't want to cause panic and mayhem but still. We should know.) Of course I am not talking about how the state will treat the afflicted regions from now on, which is entirely its responsibility. And we should stand next to Libya. Greece has its wounds to mend but it should absolutely provide support to Libya. We know what this freak phenomenon was like.

I know this text is long but please consider reblogging this. We should know what happens on our planet. Thousands of people are dead from a freak phenomenon devastating regions across lands and seas. Also forgive any mistakes I might have made although I believe the information is correct for the most part. I didn't speak more about Libya because I don't know enough to analyze the situation as much. Perhaps there are ways of supporting the country too. As a last note, this phenomenon was not freakish because of the climate change - it was just a very unusual occurence. However, the - otherwise normal - warmth of the sea did feed and intensify the storm and the climate change might in the future cause these super rare, accidental phenomena to become more frequent.

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hxltic · 2 years

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CHIROPRACTOR BOKUTO KŌTARŌ

• Best friend/Tutor

• Warnings: grinding, pussy eatin!!, female reader (please don’t trust anything scientific I write, this is barely researched and I am not licensed).

• Summary: Bokuto wasn’t physically feeling well, but due to his good nature, pushed it aside. Although you were to help him with studies, you were far from blind. Luckily your major was almost perfect for the moment. He let you test your skills on him, so your hands roamed his body. Maybe it came off more sexual than intended…

“Ughhh…” Bokuto groans.

A creak sounds from far behind you, alluding at the door opening. The sound of the fan gyrating in the background of the apartment slowly dissipates with the air, you assume, because stepping out right after his hot shower then being hit with the cold is the least pleasant thing in the world to him.

You take a sip of the lemonade that resides on the coffee table in front of you. The giant living room TV played whatever sitcom was aired ever since Bo kindly got you as comfy as possible for when he got back, but with your head buried in a book and a gel pen in your hand, it was of no use to you. Finally dressed, he returned.

However, he returned with his right hand placed on his left collarbone, rotating the left shoulder accordingly.

“Are you alright?” You ask. You didn’t look up. Thank god for your intensified range of peripheral vision from reading, seeing the man beside you with naturally fallen hair and water droplets still journeying through curves of his body in full attention would absolutely break you.

Yes, he was your best friend—but you were still a woman with eyes.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Must’ve just overdid it at practice,” he casually replies. You recognized the tone. Despite his loud tendencies, he was being quiet with you because of the item in your criss-crossed lap. The word “just” also apprised you not to worry.

He leans back on the couch with his full attention gravitating towards you.

“Alright Professor, what’s first?” Professor.

Bokuto was the most careless person you knew. He was also the most careful person you knew. Yes he was clumsy, yes he lost things easily, and maybe doesn’t understand others—but he tries. Despite many beliefs, he was extremely attentive on and off the court; his ability to read the room peaks anyone you’ve ever held conversation with. Most of the time he just willfully ignores it. He cared tremendously for anything that was close to him, hence the low volume of the television and the torrential downpour outside to compliment his high focus to your efforts in helping.

He set the room right for you, cleaning up, and being on his best behavior. You doubt he would’ve done such a thing for Kuroo (because he knows of your high expectations for him and he wishes to please you), so you admire the ability to plan his day fit. And the special treatment.

You flipped the book to your right, letting him survey the page without having to crook his head.

“Geographical Impact on Culture Practices and Language,” he reads the subtitle. He then looks at you for confirmation.

“We’re starting with Greece. Then we’ll move to India, then China,” you declare.

“Alright, we’re moving east.” He nods.

You smile and praise, “A great start.”

You’ve come to find the way he learns best is when he knows he’s doing something correctly, and also when he gets something wrong. However with the latter, he has to wield some determination, otherwise he’ll just lose faith in himself. Luckily that has yet to happen.

———

Some time into the practice you recognize the progress that he’s made. With each tutoring he has almost doubled the amount of pages the two of you have gone through, gradually picking up more and more information to build off of. His vocabulary has undeniably grown as well.

“China—as a sphere of influence,” he briskly catches himself: “kept good look on the Mongols because they knew of their ravaging proclivities, while also having almost complete isolation from the rest of the world. The ocean, steppes, deserts, and plateaus were a sense of protection, starting with the Tibetian.” He recites. His notes were short but sweet, he clearly writes down what he doesn’t think he’ll remember. Other than that, he can take a swift look at the topic and depend on memory for the rest.

“Bingo! that sounded great Ko.” You take your glasses off and blink a little, cleaning them off with a handkerchief you keep around. They resume their spot on your nose.

At some point earlier you scooted a little closer, shoulder to shoulder, so you could hold the book and review his notes at the same time. The soap he used you could probably guess the scent of. Once you lifted off him for your lens cleaning, Bokuto runs a hand through his hair and exhales happily, content with himself. He hisses though, quickly contorting his expression to one of pain.

“Shit,” he curses. He attempts to soothe himself by rubbing slow circles on your previous spot. He said it wasn’t anything (even though you doubted his statement from the beginning), yet you leaned on him anyway. You hadn’t meant to hurt him.

“Crap- sorry, was I on it?” You already knew the answer, but it didn’t seem like it was hurting him. Maybe the pressure didn’t matter in the moment, but when your weight came off, the pain returned with what it yielded.

“I didn’t think you were. You’re okay, I’ll put something on it.” He reassures.

“How does it hurt?” He mentally processes your interrogation before answering, probably thinking if Biofreeze would work.

“…It feels tight. Like something is tugging on it and won’t let go.”

“Does it hurt when you tilt your head like this?” You make the movement. He then mimics your action and shakes his head no. “Try the other side.”

He holds a face of slight confusion while attending to your order. He rapidly forms the previous countenance, an obvious sign of discomfort.

“It looks like an overworked muscle, so you were right. But you still need to tend to it.”

Your advice runs through his ear but out the other. You notice his absence of mind and slightly press on the sore shoulder blade spot in front of you to remind him, then it sticks to his brain what he needs to do. Hell, he was an athlete. He’s been told at least a thousand times.

“Can you stretch it out for me?” He asks innocently. Why not?

“Sure,” you agree. “Stand up.”

Following your orders has become his second nature. He knows you wouldn’t sabotage him in any way, so there’s no reason to defy them. You stand behind him, then walk to the open space of the apartment while instructing him to lay down on his stomach. Watching him obediently get to his knees and his muscles involuntarily flex in the short-sleeve shirt he wears does something to you (you’ll never say what). He does a single effortless push-up down to the floor. He lays silently, with his cheek resting in folded arms.

“It’s kinda cold down here.”

“Whatever,” you giggle, and follow him down. Fuck, it is kinda cold. Anyway, you go to check to see how his body is aligned. “I’m gonna lift your shirt up, ‘kay? Just sit still.”

He hums in acknowledgement and you’re pretty sure his eyes close. Your fingertips find the end of the thin cotton that does great things for his sharp figure, and lift only the back part. He slightly raises his body from his core, allowing you to pull just a little harder and get past his waist, leading to finally slipping it up to his under-arms. He aggravatingly groans at the temperature below him. You try your best to remember the context of said groan, while also ignoring the thought of his carved chest pressing on the hardwood.

The small things he does that prove his pure strength get your mind roaming. Being able to do push-ups with quickness, having utter control over his core, lifting heavy things with ease—you need to get a hold of yourself.

You run your hands along the freshly-washed, soft, skin of his back. It was an awkward angle being on his side, so you hesitantly swing your leg over, and reside right before his spine ends. Please, please don’t come off the wrong way. He lets out a heavy breath.

“Lay your hands outwards naturally.” He shifts. His left shoulder blade was slightly higher than the right, showing clear tension.

“You’re right handed, correct?” You inquire.

“Correct.” It comes out low and throaty, his face pressed to the floor. He was quiet every time you were around. He knew you appreciated few words—especially in a moment dedicated to studies and reading—so he’d trade out his loud self for your comfort, even if you didn’t mind the usual Bokuto that drew you to him the first time you met. He almost sounded tired.

You place your hands in the space between the scapula and press slightly. “Does it hurt there?”

“No ma’am.”

“So it’s only the left then. I’m going to run my hands along the bone while also pressuring the muscle. It’ll hurt a little, so just tell me when to stop.” Bokuto giggles a little, just airy enough to be able to hear. You don’t even acknowledge it because you don’t wish to be lead to the same sexual depravity his mind is situated in. Not like yours is any better.

You roll your hands through the muscle, upwards towards his deltoid, working it with a technique you were taught. This hopefully loosens it up the slightest bit if you were doing it right. You also tell him he could resume his previous position since you could sense how uncomfortable he was.

“Based on what I’ve gathered: not only do you constantly hit with your right hand, it’s your dominant arm so almost everything everyday is done on it. With your left, however, it’s not the main focus of what you do.” Your fingertips dig into his skin.

“I’m not sure what you necessarily work on in practice but because it’s not trained for nearly as much as your right, it’s taken a toll. The tension capacities are different. The scapula are naturally connected by the trapezius muscle so this is why it hurts to lean the opposite way,” you explain. You can almost feel his astonishment as he cocks his head behind him and looks you up and down through grey lashes. He still lays down, almost unbothered by you rubbing up against his bare back whenever you move.

“Y’know you never cease to amaze me? You know a lot about my body.” He compliments slyly. You blush at the word choice. He’s been very, very testy today.

You relent, “Not just yours, we’re all human Ko. Now take a deep breath.”

“Mhmm…Anything for you,” he states sarcastically. You could tell it was sarcasm, so why did it still affect you? You rise a bit on his back from the large breath. With a sudden press to the center, he curses in shock, then follows with an animalistic groan.

“Holy fuck, do that again,” he sighs. You press his head down between his arms, lift the left one behind his neck, and connect his hand to his right blade. You only tug a little, careful not to hurt him. Another faint crack.

He moans happily. You release him from your legs, saving the both of you from the suggestive position. It would only get worse from here, for when you needed him to turn over.

“Turn over, please.” He listens and grunts on his way up. Twisting his body over, now propped on his elbows, you could tell most weight was still shifted to his right arm. Bokuto rolls down to his back.

“You’re in charge,” he exhales, running his hands over his face. You knew he had to be cold, the previous warmth you provided was canceled out completely by the cool wood. This was where you’d have to straddle him again—except now it was ten times harder, ten times more suggestive—and you couldn’t stop the slight red from decorating your skin.

“It’s gonna be a little weird at first,” you warn.

“It’s only as weird as you make it,” he smiles knowingly. His knees come up, fully prepared for you to spread over him. Not to mention his chest was still out— It was far more entrancing than his backside. Nonetheless, you swing your leg over once more, and it takes everything in the male to not instinctively place his large hands under your lower thigh to help you. The first thing you do is pull the shirt as low as possible, attempting to cover any temptations.

“What? You scared of me?” Bo entertains.

You clear your throat more for stabilizing yourself, “No, it’s just not necessary at the moment. Left hand over your chest.”

“Sure,” he pushes incredulously, even you could tell he wasn’t the least bit convinced. You’re really fucking scared.

He crosses his left hand over his chest like a salute. His eyes never leave yours under long grey and black hair, except for when you order him to take another deep breath. You grab his arm and push left swiftly, but the pop sounds from his lower back. You must’ve pushed him too far left but he wasn’t complaining. “Sorry, one more time.” You lay forwards, building the strength to push more downwards this time into him, then finally get the spot you hoped for. His mouth opens for a moan again, nothing sounds but a breath of air.

“I would literally pay you for that. Is this just a secret talent?” He breathlessly questions.

“I major in exercise science, so we do a lot of studies on biology and human anatomy. The rest I just kind of guessed to be honest.”

Once he comes down from the feeling and opens his eyes to you still close on his chest, his head goes to dangerous places. Especially since you were smiling at him from your proud work and your back had a slight arch to it. This angle made your proportions completely surreal, your ass enlarging and your waist thinning at the hands of perspective. Of course, you did also just push with a significant amount of quick pressure directly into his groin.

“Okay, how does it feel?” You push up eagerly with your hands on his clothed chest. Your palms were perfectly atop his breasts.

“Like I need a cold shower.”

Surprisingly, you agree with this statement, it was good for the body and should be talked about more for people farther than athletes.

“Good. It’s great for relaxing the sore muscle,” You smile innocently. Ko laughs mainly to himself, “Yeah, it is.”

Your hair falls around your shoulders and over his head. His beautiful golden eyes were almost hidden by his long hair, but those large, expressive eyebrows could be spotted anywhere. They allowed you to read him like a book. At some point, your hands started slightly roaming the surface of his hard body, and your smile fell. You were subconsciously inching closer and closer to him.

Bokuto was disposed to let it happen. You’d been subtly rubbing up on him all day, and most of his words were limited because of you. God, how he loved listening to you go on and on about the subject he hated most, it made him at a loss for words; a rare feeling for someone who always had something to say. Your glasses framed your face perfectly, and your educated speech had him locked up in a poetic cage that you wielded the key to. The worst part is? He wasn’t sure if he wanted it unlocked.

You were already so close to him, his body, so when he brushed a piece of hair back with his fingertips and manually removed your glasses in a way that wouldn’t hurt you, you halted. It was almost like your conscious returned, telling you every bad effect possible. The angel on your shoulder was momentarily silenced by the devil, but finally broke free of the reigns just to declaim you the consequences of your decisions.

“Wait Ko,” you begin, “I-I um…don’t think we should.” You moderately shake your head. “It’ll change things.”

Your voice barely peeks above a whisper. He watched as the realization hit, your eyebrows upturned.

“Isn’t that the fun in it?” His eyes train to your lips before they finally find yours. “Things change all the time,” he smiles hopelessly. His large hand weaves through your hair and pulls you down to him.

Just like that, you were sold. Your full lips meet.

You moan gently in his mouth and fall chest to chest. Now your arch was fully purposeful. Pecks and sweet kisses dissolved into longer ones, it didn’t take long before he was sucking on your tongue like candy. You took up the job of twisting your head to search deeper into his throat, his current position rendering him unable to do what he desires to be doing to you. You think of the possibilities.

Maybe he’d take you on the wall with both legs under his control, slamming into you as you grab onto whatever leverage you could find. Or, he would bend you over in the shower with several fingers inside you and a hand on your throat, your body stuttering as the hot liquid runs down to the drain. You audibly moaned at this on accident.

Desperate, you grind down into him. His hands grip the fat of your ass, but he pulls from your puffy lips and away from your ruffled hair.

“Whatcha thinkin of? Can see it on your face.”

Your strong, independent woman composure was crumbling by the second above him, “Nothing,” you gasp, “just thinking.” He nips at your jaw, then follows down to your neck. He touches on a spot that’s always been sensitive, causing you to let out a keening whine, but he doesn’t say anything, so you assume he wants you to elaborate. You unintentionally moan, “Yes,” and he laughs into your neck.

“Tell me what about.” He’s pushing you further; seeing how much information he could get to leak out of you based off how far gone you were.

“You…touching me,” You reply, fully prepared for what he’s about to ask you next. You’ve read enough books to know. But that wasn’t the issue in question, it was how you’d reply. Would you crumble and shy away, or be bold and instruct him to give it to you? Would you elucidate it to him with the praising tone you know he adores?

“How was I touching you y/n?” Your name rolled so prettily off his kissing tongue. His grip on you tightened awaiting your answer, a problem beneath you that’s risen figuratively and literally.

“Um…” your blush spread so you tucked your face in his neck. “Your fingers were inside.”

It was a lot harder than it looks.

“Is that what you want?” A big grin spreads across his face—you can feel it.

“Yes.”

He finds your legs situated around his waist, sits up, and somehow comes to his feet. You were at least 5 feet in the air now. He casually walks to the couch and flips you on it, but a jagged edge cuts into your back.

“Book, ow ow-“ you wince in pain. By instinct you lifted back up, where he was already prying away the notebook hidden behind the pillows. He sends an apologetic smile and drags you along by your legs once the regained sexual drive returned. Next leaves your jeans.

Just waiting to see his prize, he gets them off quickly. The panties you wore were nothing absolutely special, but they were still lacy nonetheless; your previous being not finding a thong necessary on the way here. Bokuto could care less. The time you took thinking about it was the time he took to rip them off.

You scolded him for it, to which he responded “I’ll buy you any more you want” while punctually kissing your thighs. At the same time his fingers rose and spread your top folds, revealing the wetness you’ve gathered over the span of the past 10 minutes. He dunks a single finger in shallowly, then further pushes the digit deeper, and then turns it upside down so he could curl upwards. His large eyes focus on your heavy-breath reactions while his mouth licks away at your clit. The finger eventually comes out.

“Ko,” you utter. He hums in your pussy with his tongue swirling around. “You aren’t learning like this.” His throaty laugh reverberates up your center and through your body.

“Teach me.”

Once you get what he means, slowly, you reach for the casted away book as he holds your hips in place. It has proven harder than anticipated. His large arms encased your legs, wrapping around your thighs like a fucking present. You should’ve known he’d love it like this; it’s just you assumed he’d favor breathing.

Your glasses were in someplace on the floor elsewhere. Good thing you were near-sighted, but with how he was doing you, it would continue to be cumbersome. You open to a familiar page, already cracking when he sucks at your skin, but you resume a reviewing lesson nonetheless.

“Greece is—hmm—located in Europe,” you take a deep breath, “on the Mediterranean and just to the right of—“

“—The Italian Peninsula.” He completes. He slips two fingers in, scissoring you out and almost toying with you at this point. You were so, unbelievably wet.

You squirm in his hold and brush hair out of your face. He noticed how your eyebrows were forced upwards the slightest bit, resulting in a growing, complacent smile against your pussy lips. “Greece is surrounded by many little islands and water, therefore—”

“—Inducing maritime trade,”

“…And?” Your eyes shutter closed in the moment. The textbook was slowly dropping from your chest.

“Shipbuilding.” Breath fanned against your already extremely responsive body. Deliriously, you slightly open your eyes to find Kotarou’s jawline constantly moving with his pink tongue. He knew when to fill in the blank based off when you lowered the book to see him, expecting an answer. He’d never move away when speaking and just proceeded on with his job. So adroit, the male was—still tactful too, you had to be reading 10x less than your average speed.

You clear your throat, trying your best not to moan while reciting like earlier.

“The soil wasn’t ideal, so majority of the food was—“

“—olives, grapes, ‘n fish.” He was more muffled since the two fingers he had running through you were now pumping soothingly, and when he curled upwards again, the book slid off your breasts, prompted by the sudden arch you displayed, and even further bolstered by your fingers weaving through his hair.

“Great fucking job Ko, just like that.” The praise falls from your mouth and only provokes him to slurp and suck on your pussy harder. Of course, the words could’ve been relative to the studies, but both ways work. The squelch sounds relay through your brain.

His (somewhat) free left hand comes under your shirt, adventures it’s way past your bra. His large hand carries a respective imprint under your shirt. When he feels around the round of your breasts, he slows around your nipple, just waiting to suck on them when he gets the chance.

Feeling you up was his literal favorite thing ever. The thought of your hips automatically rolling up into his touch purely by will and desire fuels his brain in unimaginable ways. Calloused yet soft hands gliding along every curve and roll to memorize the trek of your body, the responses and reactions gathering into knowledge for reservation.

Your right leg was thrown over his shoulder, to which his bicep curled around to reach your upper body where his head dug through your lower. You were so close to nothing and everything, like something in you was held taut, just the interval alone precipitating another hiatus in your mind. His hand rolled around your breast almost as if it were a handle.

“That’s so good Kotarou, don’t stop—show me how good you eat it for me,”

He tried his best to circle his face around and flick the muscle over your clit. There wasn’t much room to move. An easy adapter he was, so he removed his digits and hugged you tight with twain arms. He held his tongue flat and idle, allowing full consent for your hips to gyrate and stutter on his face as you pleased. His long, variegated, fallen hair was threaded through your nails while he moaned himself encouragingly until finally, it snapped.

A loud stream of mushed words and imprecations poured from your lips and reflected off the walls into his covered ears. Unconsciously, legs locked around his head to prohibit his quit, and if your neurological clearheaded mind were apprised that the fingers drenched with your own slick were slipping over your abdomen, the feeling alone would’ve turned you over. However, it wasn’t, therefore creating the most mind-altering orgasm you’ve ever had.

All you could do was laugh whole-heartedly towards the ceiling at the whole thing as it washed over you. It was the epitome of cliche. You were his tutor, helping him out, and somehow ended up landing on the couch with his face betwixt you. His golden eyes were nothing short of a symbol of his happiness, proud of himself and you. You were definitely proud of him too.

No more failed tests!

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honeybeezgobzzzzz · 9 months

Text

𓅨 Eros: Chapter One

Eros: Married to Dream of the Endless, you find yourself sent back in time to Ancient Greece where you, unfortunately, meet Oneiros. Fresh off a divorce and drowning the sorrows of his son’s death by indulging in the Panathenaia, you find yourself trapped beneath the lustful gaze of your future husband. In your defense, he seduced you first…

Warnings: Language, Time Travel.

To Note: Morpheus x Wife!Reader, Time Travel, Oneiros is used for AncientGreek!Morpheus.

Word Count: ~2.9k

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You spent a lot of time staring at the throne adjacent to the intricately carved marble one depicting the helm of Dream of the Endless. It was more feminine, carved out of the same marble as the Morpheus’, but designed with a softer touch. It was a marble forest, twisting branches and flowers that were inspired by Fiddler’s Green, your fingers always ended up tracing little grooves and bumps absentmindedly.

“Hey boss lady,” You turned your head in time to see Matthew fluttering his way up to your shoulder. His feet clutched the fabric of your sweater and shuffled his wings, looking at the two thrones. “You know you’ve been married for like, two months… right?”

“Distinctly,” You answered dryly, having very vivid memories of your wedding night. You hadn’t left the bed for three days, and then couldn’t walk right for three weeks. Morpheus had been very smug with the way you hobbled around, while you felt like crawling into a hole in embarrassment. You’d married a voracious Endless that aspired to paint every millimeter of your body with his love, and ensure that everyone knew it. “But it’s not like I was born knowing I was going to marry an Endless and become the queen of a realm.”

“True, true,” Matthew echoed with a bob of his head. “But ma’am, has anything actually changed in your life? Ignoring the fact that you live here now…”

You thought about Matthew’s words. Not much had changed in your life save your happiness. You had only ever really felt happy when visiting the Dreaming, so there wasn’t much you missed in the Waking. The people in the Dreaming themselves had always gone to you for advice now that you thought about it. They felt confident speaking to you about their problems… so you had been their queen long before you became their official one.

“No, nothings really changed… and it’s just a title,” You mused softly walking towards your throne and running your fingers along the warm marble. Warm and cool, just like you and Morpheus. You were an unusual pairing and not one that you’d think would work in the first place. “Alright, I’ve stared at the thrones for long enough, it’s time to go outside and touch some grass.”

“Ya know I think Lord Dream could touch some grass time to time,” Matthew muttered from your shoulder. “He’s been kinda uptight lately.”

“Probably cause of all the changes, you know he likes things certain ways,” You said dryly, thinking back to all the arguments you’d gotten into with him just because he was being a giant dunderhead who didn’t want to listen to you and pretended that your opinion and decision didn’t matter.

“Yeah you might be onto something,” Matthew chirped in agreement. Exiting the palace, you wandered through the gardens while letting your fingers brush along the flowers and bushes of the garden. “But at least he’s trying!” Matthew added, trying to be positive about his boss.

“He got pissy with me because I wanted to take a walk in London by myself after we had lunch with Hob,” You couldn’t help but point out. “It was London, in the middle of the day when families were having picnics!”

“And we both know humans can be assholes,” Matthew reminded you. “The boss doesn’t have a lot of good experience with mortals to go off of.”

“Pretty sure I have more experience in the human department than he does?”

“Point,” The raven agreed, taking off and swooping through the limp branches of the weeping willow in front of you. You passed beneath the little tunnel of gnarled branches carefully grown and kicked out your foot. You’d been feeling antsy lately, cooped up and in need of stretching your limbs. Maybe you’d go for a swim? Morpheus didn’t exactly like you swimming in the Ocean of Dreams, but you and the entity had a pretty good relationship and she didn’t try to drown you when you went swimming. “He’s still gonna throw a tantrum.”

“And I dare you to say that to his face,”

“I’ll pass I like having feathers… and living in general...” Matthew shuddered to think what Morpheus’ reaction would be of learning he’d said that.

“It would be funny though,” You giggled to yourself, imaging the initial confusion that would cross Morpheus’ face… then perhaps just a hint of an eye tick, then the whole: you dare… Your husband was entirely too predictable at times and you found it very amusing. You were deaf to Matthew’s disgruntled grumbles and continued walking, not realizing that your feet were carrying you towards the beaches of the Ocean of Dreams.

“Holy shit,” Matthew’s curse behind you jarred you from your thoughts. It wasn’t hard to figure out what had caused him to curse, the Ocean of Dreams was churning in unhappiness. High above violent waters were storm clouds, flickering with lightning and letting out echoed of thunder. “Uh, you ever seen this before ma’am?”

“No,” You informed the raven, trying to see if you could feel what was wrong to have the Ocean of Dreams so agitated. “Matthew return to Lucienne, speak with her about this matter. Surely she has a clue.”

“Right on it, boss lady,” Matthew called before surging into the air and flying back to the palace as fast as he could. While Matthew was doing as you asked, you quickly hurried up to the waters edge. Oh yes, something had agitated the Ocean of Dreams, she was not happy. Without hesitation, you strode into the cold water, determined to figure this out. Morpheus was away on business, you could handle this, you could handle this.

When you were waist deep, you dove deeper, fully submerging yourself. The water, while a usual chilly cold, seemed to be colder than normal. Even the currents were stronger, more aggressive. You tried to look around for the physical manifestation of the Ocean in the form of your shadow figure, but you couldn’t see her anywhere. A smattering of bubbles escaped your lips as you sighed in frustration and swam further towards the depths. In your efforts to hunt down the physical manifestation of the Ocean of Dreams, you failed to notice that the currents were getting far too strong for you to swim through.

Now, you didn’t need to breathe oxygen thank to Morpheus making you immortal… but it wasn’t exactly comfortable holding your breath, or accidentally inhaling the salty water. So when your body began getting tossed and turned like you were in a hamster ball and it was being shaken, you started panicking. Floundering, the water around you began shifting from chilly cold to warm… and then back again. Cold. Warm. Cold. Warm. Cold. Warm. Your arms cartwheeled through the salt water until the temperature stayed warm and a bright light appeared. The storm must have finally disappeared!

You kicked your way towards the surface, hoping that Lucienne would know why the Ocean of Dreams had gotten so upset and the weather so irritable. The moment your face broke the surface you knew that something was very wrong.

First, it was way to hot for you to be in the dreaming. Second, it didn’t sound like you were in the dreaming. Third? When you opened your eyes you were most definitely not in the Dreaming!

“Ah shit,”

You spent a solid five minutes panicking about the fact that you were most definitely not in the Dreaming anymore. Morpheus was going to go ballistic when he found out. Then your panic increased because you didn’t know where you were, and you were in the middle of an ocean! At least you could see land, but it was a distance away from you. Still coming to grips with what you were dealing with because hello, some magic fuckery had just occurred and you were not kosher with it, you paddled towards a weird looking boat in the distance.

As you grew closer, you could hear shouting in a language you didn’t quite understand, and the sounds of screaming. Focusing on the words, the power Morpheus imbued within you shifted the strange words until you could understand them. Greek. A child had fallen overboard. Your eyes dropped to the water and you spotted a dark haired child splashing around violently. You didn’t think twice about quickly swimming towards the child as they disappeared beneath the surface of the water.

Dipping back below the oceans surface, you swam your way over to the squirming child, a girl. She was wrapped up in a beautiful white cloth that was currently hindering her ability to swim. You made to her and wrapped your arms around her thin body before looking up and kicking your way back to the surface. When your head broke the surface, you made sure you pulled the child up so her head too, was above the choppy waters.

She was clutching your forearm in a death grip, nails digging into your flesh. You were glad that she wasn’t trying to claw her way on top of you. Spitting out ocean water you’d accidentally swallowed, you began carefully side stroking your way over to the odd boat. You weren’t sure what was going to happen, given that people didn’t just appear it the middle of the ocean. As it turned out, luck was on your side and the greeks who hauled you and the little girl up onto the ship were entirely convinced that you were some lost noble… all because of of the clothes you wore.

Apparently only the rich and noble people of Greece could afford to wear purple clothing.

The boat was taking the little girl, a daughter of one of the nobles in Athens (how the hell did you end up in Ancient Greece?), home after visiting her aunt in Crete. She’d accidentally tumbled over the side and now refused to let you go for fear of a repeated event. So you were awkwardly standing around in your ‘strange clothes’ while the little girl held onto you like a baby monkey. At least when the boat docked at the harbor of the ancient city of Athens, in all its blazing glory, you were offered a cloak to cover your strange clothing.

Clearly the little girl you’d rescued came from a very rich family, because the carriage that you’d been herded into was lavish. You sat inside it while warriors on horses surrounded you, and spent a good twenty minutes trying to think of what the hell you were going to do, let alone say, because this was way out of your realm of expertise.

“What is your name?” Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. Well, they already thought you were some lost noble or princess… might as well play it off as some greek god blessing or something… hopefully the gods wouldn’t be too upset with you. Not that they would be able to raise hand towards an Endless’ wife…

“You may call me Elpis,” You told the little girl. “What is yours?”

“Kynna, are you the great spirit Elpis mama told me about?” Soft brown eyes gazed at you with such reverence, you wanted to say yes and make her dreams come true. But you couldn’t exactly claim to be someone you were not. You stroked your hand over her still damp hair.

“I’m afraid it is only a name sake,” You replied, lifting your gaze to see several grand buildings pass by as the carriage rattled and shook. “I was lost at sea but the gods brought me to you.”

“Well if you’re lost… you can just live with us while we find your family!” Kynna exclaimed with a wide beaming smile. “Panathenaia is starting tomorrow, they’ll be lots of parties and pretty dresses, and we get to give a new peplos to Athena!”

“I don’t think that will be up to me,” Your words didn’t hinder the excited babbles of Kynna, and while she continued to talk animatedly, you mulled over what you were going to say when you got to your destination.

You didn’t have to say much, the greek noble woman of Kynna’s family, along with the other aristocratic women from surrounding families living in the housing surrounding the communal living space and baths, were entirely convinced you were an aristocrat who had some how fallen overboard and lost most of her memory. You were fine playing amnesiac as it meant less questions. You just had to get used to a different lifestyle while you tried to figure out what the hell had happened to you.

A circle of woman around your age, Merope, Agapia, and Helike, had taken you under their wing while servants scurried about in preparation for the Panathenaia. Your modern clothes had been ditched for a silk peplum that draped around your body and showed skin in several places, and you’d been adorned with a multitude of jewelry by Kynna’s father for saving his little girl. In essence, you looked exactly like the woman everyone thought you to be: Elpis, a greek aristocrat with amnesia.

You’d spent the first couple of days hiding out in Kynna’s household, not sure of yourself and not wanting to make trouble for the family, but your trio of new friends had convinced you to come out to the communal space on the promise of seeing several handsome men and enjoyable drink and food. Eye candy and snacks, you were down for that. So you were walking with your gaggle of friends and contributing to the objectification of several fine greek men who had arrived home for the Panathenaia, when Merope had wanted to visit the sun room to see what special guests had arrived.

“Oh I heard Theos returned from Sparta looking for a wife.” Agapia gushed as she combed her fingers through her hair.

“Forgive me for not immediately fawning over this Theos… who is he?” You asked as Merope and Helike giggled.

“He’s Athen’s most prized warrior, competed in the last Olympic Games and won several events.” Agapia explained to you as your group walked beneath a trellis tunnel of roses. She went on to explain, in detail, every millimeter of the specimen known as Theos and by the time Helike was telling Agapia to stop drooling, you were very interested in seeing if this Greek was as handsome and strong as he sounded.

“Oh don’t stop now, you’ve gotten me interested,” You mused with a soft laugh while passing a group of men who eyed each and everyone one of you. Your laugh was like a gentle bell softly ringing and easily drew eyes. Helike rolled her eyes, Agapia was oblivious (far too busy drooling), and Merope fluttered her eyelashes but stayed silent.

“I am sure there shall be a man at the festival who willwin your hand, Elpis,” Agapia said while holding her hands to her chest. “Because while we all know that you’ve got heads turning, you appear to have very little interest in those we have crossed paths with so far. Mark my words, you shall find someone you desire by the end of Panathenaia.”

You rolled your eyes, you’d humor the women. They’d been so kind and generous to you despite you being a total stranger… but it wasn’t like you could admit that you were already married, and didn’t even belong in this era.

“As you say, Pia,”

“Oh, I can’t believe it!” Merope gasped quietly the moment you entered a large room with many lounging chairs and dozens of greeks laying about. You hummed in question and looked at her. “Lord Oneiros has decided to be in attendance!”

Something perked up within you at the mention of Oneiros, and your head snapped to the dark haired beauty in confusion.

“Sorry, did you say Oneiros?” You asked, your voice coming out in an odd tone. You’d heard that name before, when Morpheus had assisted Calliope upon hearing her call. She referred to him as Oneiros. Morpheus was Oneiros. How could he be here? The girls gathered around you and gestured to a corner of the room. Your eyes followed and you felt your heart freeze your chest. This wasn’t possible, was it?

How could it be that your dark and broody husband, was sitting in the corner of the room dressed in robes of black, complete with a laurel crown perched upon his midnight curls? You trembled in place, fighting against the urge to charge forwards and throw yourself at him because you really missed your husband and just wanted to go home. But as you gazed at the Dream Lord, you began picking up on his mood, his temperament. He was surrounded by a cloud of pain that you could feel in your heart, deep within his beautiful blue eyes was a raw hurt that nearly pulsated from his being. Oh. Oh fuck. Ancient Greece… Calliope the Muse… Orpheus. As if feeling your stare, sharp blue eyes shifted and met yours. No recognition could be found within their depths. He didn’t know you. But he was intrigued.

“I wonder who the lucky women will be this year,” Agapia softly wondered, the other two agreeing with her sentiments. “They say he is a voracious lover, indulging in the delights of many before finally picking the ones he desires.”

A dark eyebrow rose ever so slightly accompanied by the smallest of smirks, and something within you cracked. He was Morpheus, but he wasn’t yours. You felt like you couldn’t breathe and quickly tore your eyes away from those of the Dream Lord.

“We should fill our bellies before the rest of the men arrive, the gods know they’ll eat it all,” You rushed out, your heart pounding in your chest painfully. Herding your friends in the opposite direction of Oneiros, you were desperate to get away from the being that you, one day, would call yours.

Date Published: 12/30/23

Last Edit: 12/30/23

Masterlist | Next

#dream the endless #morpheus x reader #sandman x reader #dream of the endless x reader #dream the endless x reader #morpheus #the sandman #dream of the endless #the sandman netflix #lord morpheus

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postersofleon · 6 months

Text

The Benefits of the Ants

After traveling the world, a family of old wealth discover their daughter is quieter than usual. Despite calling her over dramatic behind her back, they still worry about her. In that worry, they bring a garden expert to fix up the green house they left alone. That's when Leon met the quietest girl he had ever seen, and he had to explain to her why he doesn't kill ants.

Content: fluff and slight angst

Notes: afab fem!reader; i literally dreamt this I don't know why; soft leon; reader is kinda immature; ada cameo because I love her (she is vibing); i think that's all?

taglist: @argreion

"Honey, what's wrong?" The husband asked the woman of the house. The wife replied with a pout, "No space for my shoes." It was unusual for them to fit after she bought piles and piles of shoes; Heels from France, sandels from Greece, and those flapper shoes his wife had grown intrigued to weak to make herself pretty. Odd little things that like that would usually cause a friendly discussion, but what bothered him was the home he left behind.

The once beautiful home just covered in spiders and dust bunnies, but at least the economic boom. His once ten year old child was now a strong twenty five year old who would marry and find the time to find a man. The man was proud of it, but... he was worried about his second child.

He didn't like being blunt in his life, but the second one, oh, she was his favorite.

She was exactly like his grandfather. Quiet and would only speak in small whispers. She wasn't loud as her mother, but still loud enough to not let a man push her over. Not as strong as her older sister, but still as tough as marble.

His youngest daughter was the star of his life and seeing this. Her sad demeanor just made the man ignore his wife's cries for things to be clean. "Butterfly," The man of the house held his daughter, "What's wrong?"

A pout. "I..." She couldn't find the words to explain her frustration. Being back home should bring her happiness, but seeing old room of her childhood just covered with dust. Her old Barbie dolls just frozen in time, stuck in those positions.

It felt stupid to complain, so she just stayed quiet.

The family hired new maids to clean up the mess, cleaning the details as the man of the house stayed in the basement. Muttering an apology to the women when he came in and out of that basement.

"What are you going to do? Stay with mom and dad?" The eldest sister asked. It was not to offend her young sister, but it was worrying that she wasn't even trying to find a romantic partner. Love of a parent or even family is enough, but the youngest didn't even have a friend.

She sighed, "I, I don't know." She poked on a wet wall that the crew were painting, "I just..." Her finger was now that dark green color their mother loved. "I wish I can understand myself." Her index finger and gently rubbed together to spread the paint, "I'll be outside."

The father knew his daughter spent so much time outside, hiding away from the crew and her own family. Her childhood room was empty, ready to be decorated by her new interests, but the new issue was coming in. Four large walls weren't home for her anymore. Every Saturday, his daughter would hide away near the lake.

Thoughts went in and out of the man's head. How can he assure that his daughter will stay... at least near home.

Until that's when he had a thought.

The old green house.

You were about to go out, explore what else you could learn from this place until you saw a sandy mop of hair. From the distance, it looked like a guy - a young guy who was crouched down on the floor. Butt lifted up to the sky, which caused you to laugh.

Once hearing your laughter, the guy tried to stand up and smacked his head on one of those wooden tables. "Sorry, did I do something wrong?" This was a different voice that you haven't heard. You stepped back to give space to the guy. He sat up and looked up.

He was strange in a way. His blue eyes couldn't even look properly at you, "Um, hi." His legs crossed underneath him. "Ma'am." He added awkwardly.

"Hi?" You slowly said. You didn't know what else to say, so you just left the guy sitting on the ground. Maybe he had a good reason to be messing around down there, and who were you to judge him. Dad probably hired him.

Your boots stepped over the dead leaves, and a crunch appeared every once in a while. You opened the door and left to go outside the other place of the home. The green house was busy being taken care of.

It was exhausting once you lay on the ground of the tall grass. The warm sun was just keeping you a nice temperature. Away from the world by being in the world. You closed your eyes, and a shadow appeared, "Tell mom I'm busy." You muttered before opening your eyes.

Once you looked properly, you saw your father, "Butterfly," He sat down beside you and quickly followed his direction, "Can you help Leon with the green house?"

Immediately, your answer was begging to be a huge no. You didn't want to help a strange guy because... he was doing his job and you'll be the idiot asking him stupid questions. "Do," You played with your jeans, "Do I have to?"

"Please, I want you to make a friend." Your father patted your shoulder. He was pleading with you to give a stranger a chance.

"Fine." You forced those words out.

The next couple of days, you were forcibly hanging out with Leon, and you didn't want to be mean. He seemed like a nice guy willing to teach you about soil, but by the way he spoke to you: it was fairly obvious to tell this was just a hobby he kind of liked.

"You have to be gentle with the animals around you." Leon cleaned his face with a dirty rag. You two just sat on the ground as he gave you another lesson. "To plant. You need to understand that not all insects are bad for your flowers and such."

You nodded your head.

"Okay."

Leon smiled.

Little by little, you were getting used to his awkward smiles and his butt chin. Those were the first things you saw of him. His blond hair was his main focus, but it was always dirty with soil. A maid accidentally interrupted the pair to hand them glasses of lemonade, "Thank you, Ada." You whispered softly. Leon thanked her as well, and the maid left with a bow.

You thought about it for a second and realized what time it was. Lunch.

Leon clapped his hands, "So, we have to prepare the soil before we plant the greens." You lifted your sandwich you were eating, giving him the sign he forgot to eat again. Leon groaned softly, "Okay, okay." He unwrapped his plastic wrapping and peeled out a sandwich.

He smiled again at you.

You smiled back at him.

After all, being kind to Leon doesn't seem to have consequences.

Leon took a bite of his sandwich, his eyes were stuck on you, "So, why did your family move a lot?" You knew he meant well and didn't just want to pry on your life, but it was such a complicated answer that you didn't even have. "My dad's job made him travel a lot. He went to Spain and Africa a lot, but I was mostly stuck in the boat that took us place to place." You answered

His eyebrow lifted up, "Oh, that's interesting." Leon pinched the tip of his nose, "Where was your favorite place to go?" He asked.

"I liked..." You sighed softly, trying to think of a place where you actually remembered stepping out of the boat, "I guess I liked Brazil."

Leon's eyes widen, "Wow, so you really traveled everywhere, huh?" You nodded again, "I did," Your eyes trailed down at the insects running around them get food that fell. Your finger carefully floated around one of the ants to kill it.

"Don't kill it." Leon muttered softly.

"They bite." You answer back.

Leon broke up a piece of his sandwich and put it on the ground. In an instinct, you leaned forward to see the ants slowly move close to the piece of sandwich. "All living things have a purpose." Leon smiled again at you.

"Yeah, until the purpose becomes death." You put your finger to interrupt the ants, "Dad said death gives us pain and a friendly reminder that we are easy to be replaced." The ants avoided your finger and headed to get piece of sandwich.

There's was a small pause between you two. God, you sucked at conversations. "Sorry." You muttered softly.

"Well," Leon sighed, "Ants are needed in a garden. And it's okay." He ate the remaining of his sandwich and stood up. You broke a piece of yours and threw it to the ants. "So, now what?" You asked.

Leon smiled, "You," He placed his hand over your head, "You are great." In those exact words, you quickly understood the type of woman you were.

As the green house was slowly forming itself, you were seeing as Leon was carefully planting a green sort of plant with no smell or anything special. "Oh, what is that?" You asked. Leon covered the roots, "This is a Fidi." He said.

"Ooh," You leaned close to look at the plant, there was nothing that made this plant interesting, "So?" Your eyes slowly glanced to see Leon. The blond guy laughed softly, "Well, c'mon, you can't be mean with plants." Your finger gently moved a leaf, "What's its purpose?" You asked Leon.

"It helps heal wounds." Leon gently removed a leaf and put it in his mouth. You looked at Leon as he chewed it into paste. He pulled it out of his mouth, "The taste of it removes parasites from your body as well. It's a very beneficial plant to have around." Leon explained. He showed a small cut he had and put it on it. You couldn't help but giggled excitedly at what you saw, "And what? Does it help you?"

Leon laughed softly, "Yeah, it helps."

You two had your lunch again and juice served by Ada. Once you looked down again, you saw the ants there again, "Are they smart?" You asked Leon. Leon shrugged, "In my mind," He broke up a piece of the sandwich and gave it to the ants, "Once they recognized you to not be a problem, they'll stop biting."

Once again you followed Leon's actions, not because you believed him it was because he did it.

"Leon," You began slowly, "Why are you a gardener?"

Leon removed the green paste from his hand, "Well, I am saving up money to go to my police academy or to have enough money to live comfortably." Your cheeks warmed up, "A cop?"

Leon didn't seem like a cop sort of guy, he seemed happy enough to plant the dumb Fidi. Your head tilted a bit, "Why?"

Leon took a drink of lemonade, "Well, I like the idea of helping people." Your eyes looked down, you had your own experiences with cops, and they all vary. You met a blond guy who worked for rescue, he spoke firmly against your father and then a chubby man came and scream at your father again. Then a couple of cops who actually spoke kindly to her.

"Well, I hope you are a good guy."

He smiled again. Strangely enough, your cheeks warmed up for a different reason now.

Leon enjoyed his time with you nearly every time. You were still very quiet around your family, but you always smiled when he was around. When he had to do heavy lifting, you tried to help him lift the heavy stuff as well.

Slowly, the green house was filling up flowers, vegetables, and herbs. Which meant Leon's job was nearly done. You wanted to be nice for all of his actions, and so you decided to give him a small party. It was strange to give him a party alone so you asked your mother for help.

You didn't want to make Leon feel overwhelmed because you yourself would be overwhelmed by the attention. Ugh, maybe not a party.

You didn't know what gift to even give him. Slowly, you decided to gift him a bottle of whiskey from Mexico. Gah! Your feelings were completely simulating in the worst way when your eyes met Leon.

"Leon..." Your voice was nearly breathless as you approached him. "Here." You felt your ears burning up. Leon laughed awkwardly. He looked down at the bag, "Whiskey?"

You nodded your head, "Yeah, I... I know most people gift those things." Leon nodded his head as he slowly pulled out the gift. Your cheeks burned as he pulled out a 'Wow.'

You turned around, unable to look at Leon anymore. Gosh, Leon made you feel so many things, and it was... nice. "Looks expensive." Leon whispered softly. Another nod from your side. "It is..." Your fingers began to play the edges of your shirt.

Leon smiled, "Well, how about..." His own cheeks turned red, "How about you and I share a glass of it when I finish my police academy?" Your eyes turned into stars.

"Yeah..."

Life without Leon sucked. You didn't want to admit it, but you missed his conversation and his dumb goofy smile. At least Ada was good company, she tried comforting you yet it didn't feel the same. "I miss Leon." You mumbled softly to Ada. Ada nodded her head, "I can see that, miss."

Your father smiled. It was heartwarming to see you like this, "Butterfly, you can send him a letter."

"I don't wanna annoy him." You mumbled to him. Leon was going to be a cop so the idea of just sending a letter. It seemed childish when he just left two days ago. You went outside to the green garden, and those dumb feelings of sadness came.

Ada quickly followed you, "Miss?"

"I don't feel good, Ada." You mumbled softly. Your fingers began to rub with each other; it was the only way to ease you down right now. "I... really like Leon." Ada nodded her head, "I can tell." She smiled kindly at you.

Your cheeks burned with embarrassment, "D-do you think Leon knew?" Before Ada could answer, an ant bit her, "Are you okay?" You asked. Ada nodded her head, "Yeah, it just burns for a while." She whispered softly.

As the family slept, Ada grabbed her phone and sighed softly. "Wesker, the butterfly is trapped."

In the end, Leon never got your letter. Leon felt stupid to even have a crush on a rich girl so he never tried to call or check on you. He was hired to Raccoon City's police department, but it was too badly affected by a zombie attack. He was trapped in the police's parking garage and a dog attacked him. Someone shot the zombie dog and he looked up.

"Ada?"

#resident evil #leon kennedy #leon kennedy x reader #re2 leon

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joblrcensus · 8 months

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it’s time for the JOblr census results 🧡🙌

before we start i want to thank everyone who took their time to answer this silly little project, gathering responses from 203 baby boos!! it’s my first time doing this so hopefully i can bring some excitement with the results <3

so buckle up and let’s get into it

general questions

Which continent are you from?

Unsurprisingly, the majority is European with a total of 80.8% but it’s amazing to see that they’ve crossed the continent’s border and we also have 9.9% people from North America, 3.9% from Australia & Oceania, 3.4% from Asia and 2% from South America. No person chose the Africa option.

Which country are you from? (optional)

With this being an optional question, 162 respondents out of 203 opted to answer it. Let’s take a look at the top countries by number of people in JOblr (small note: I counted the few people who wrote England or Scotland as part of the UK answer)

Drumrolls 🥁…..

Finland - 29

UK & USA - 15

Germany - 11

Poland - 9

Italy - 8

Australia - 7

Sweden - 6

Austria, Spain, The Netherlands - 5

Croatia, Slovenia - 4

Czechia, France, Romania - 3

Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Hungary, Lithuania, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Ukraine - 2

Bolivia, Brazil, China, Estonia, Greece, Iceland, India, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Russia, Switzerland - 1

How old are you?

45.8% of us are between 18-25, following by 23.6% between 26-30, 18.2% between 31-45, 10.8% under 18 and two people who are over 45 years old.

Are you part of the LGBTQ+ community?

Remember when they said Joker Out are for the girls and gays? 🏳️��🌈

Well that was absolutely not wrong since 77.3% baby boos answered that yes they are part of the community, while 11.8% are questioning and 10.8% have answered no

tumblr activity questions

How do you participate on JOblr?

a majority of 98 people are mostly reblogging posts in the fandom but sometimes making posts of their own, 38 are only reblogging while 36 lurkers have stepped out of the shadow and made themselves known. The least amount of people (31) said to be active posters

Do you post any of the following?

It’s already known this fandom is mad talented and entertaining!! It’s always a joy seeing everyone’s creations and posts no matter the type. And the people who are only enjoying and supporting the content are just as important 🫶

Do you also post about Käärijä?

Since these two fandoms are basically overlapping, sometimes even seen as one fandom, I was curious just how much

50.7% also post about Käärijä outside of Joker Out, while 35% don’t post about him at all (or perhaps very rarely). 14.3% are mainly coming from Käärijä’s fandom

joker out questions

How did you find out about Joker Out?

Another unsurprising result, with 89.7% of us finding out about them through Eurovision. But it was really cool to see that there are people who discovered them differently. Ten people found out about them through Tumblr or other social media, to four they were recommended by someone and one through a music platform. The “other” option was chosen as well and included:

finding out about JO through Käärijä

through a music blog review

on slovenian radio

Who from the current members is your favorite?

One of the hardest questions but it had to be done

So Tumblr’s top favorite members areee:

Bojan - 69 votes

Jan - 42 votes

Kris - 40 votes

Nace - 35 votes

Jure - 17 votes

Have you been to a Joker Out concert?

I did not expect this one to be so balanced but I am pleasantly surprised! 104 people have been to a JO concert, while 99 haven’t. It often feels like you’re the only person who hasn’t seen them live yet but it’s nice to see that you’re not alone, so if anyone feels the same don’t worry our time will come too 🥹

If you answered yes, have you seen them multiple times?

Out of the 104 people who previously answered yes, there’s still a balance between those who have been to only one concert and those who have been to multiple

If you’re into RPF, which one of the most popular ships (according to AO3) is your favorite?

Another optional question where 181 out of 203 opted to respond to.

Oh boy, ooooh boy this was a tough battle. It felt like I was watching a horse race. I can tell you that all three ships have been at some point in the first place, or even equal. Are you ready to see the most interesting result yet?

Drumrolls again 🥁…….

BoJere - 58 votes

BoKris - 57 votes

Jance - 56 votes

The “other” option was also chosen and the following ships were included:

BoMartin

Jan/Jure

Kris/Jure

Nace/Kris

Nace/Jere

poly!JO

aaaand that’s it, you made it to the end 🫶 hope you enjoyed and why not see you on the next census!!

#sorry in advance for any grammar mistakes:))#joker out #bojan cvjetićanin #jan peteh #jure maček #kris guštin #nace jordan

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radioactive-dragons · 3 months

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How 2 win a fest skin contest on dragon neopets

Hi! So I've seen some discussion on fest skin contests, mostly about how some people just keep winning. I'm not here to discuss about whether anything should be done about that, or whether that's unfair. I'm here to share some tips for people who struggle to get any fest win or honorable mention in.

Some background info: I've won a decent amount of contests so far. I don't win nearly every single time I enter a contest, but I do at least manage to land an honorable mention most of the time at this point. So take this post with a grain of salt, I'm not perfect, nor the best, just here to share what I've noticed from my festival winners as well as others.

So here we go!

Tip 1: Stay in theme

A lot of entries I see don't quite fit the idea of the flight that staff is looking for. Stick with the flight's general theme. For light that tends to be the color yellow, orbs and ancient Greece inspired ruins.

Some flights have very broad themes. Like water ranging from deep sea horrors to sandy shores, or nature both having a feral, wild aesthetic as well as a tropical, flowery one. But other flights, like wind and light, have a more narrow theme.

I've talked with some other skin artists about specific contest entries in the past, that we really wished would win, but doubted they ever would. Not because the art wasn't interesting, but because they fell outside the general themes we see in that flight. Sometimes we're surprised, and they win anyways, though!

Tip 2: study the masters

We're in our 12th festival cycle, which means there's 11 previous years to look through. This is a really valuable resource. Go through the previous years, especially the more recent ones, and take a look at what the previous winning entries were. You'll probably spot some common themes for each flight, as well as specific elements that reoccur in each fest again and again.

Whenever I sit down to make a contest entry, I look at the previous few years. Both to gather inspiration but also to study them. I don't just look at these skins, I pick apart their art style, the composition, the themes that they've used. And then I go ahead and bring my own spin on it.

Tip 3: Make it yours

Okay, yes, I know I just spent a while talking about staying on theme and referencing existing winners, but hear me out. Most of the winning entries I see (as well as most of my own fest winners) manage to walk the tight line between staying on theme as well as adding their own creative twist to it.

This is the part where I'm going to share some of my own examples, since I think some of mine show what I mean pretty well.

Solarium (brightshine 2019) | Starwood Monarch (starfall 2022) | C.A.C.T.U.S. (thundercrack 2022)

These ones still stay relatively in theme, but they also incorporate some of my own twists in it. Solarium's idea was a window to the sky, surrounded by gilded sundial-esque elements. Starwood Monarch is a pink arcane crystal butterfly. And C.A.C.T.U.S. is... well, cybernetic cacti tied into the dragon with some thunder clouds.

None of these are a carbon copy of the flight's themes, but instead incorporate the flight's themes into another concept altogether. Sundial sky, arcane butterfly, robot cacti.

And you can go pretty wild with this in some scenarios.

Fast as the Wind (mistral 2022) | Sunlit Streams (brightshine 2024)

Both of these incorporate something you really wouldn't expect from its flight. Cheetahs and koi fish respectively. I'm actually really surprised Sunlit Streams won since I felt it strayed too far away from light's general theming.

Fun fact, for C.A.C.T.U.S. and fast as the wind I actually came up with the name first, then based a skin around that name. I don't always do it but it's nice to get a cohesive package.

Tip 4: Keep it readable

A common thing I see in festival winners are that it's really easy to tell what they depict at an immediate first glance. A lot of entries that otherwise would be really good candidates fall victim to one of the following pitfalls.

They don't tint the lines and shadows

They don't have any line art separating objects from the dragon

They use a very soft brush for things that should appear more solid

Number 3 I see a lot with artists who are rather novel at (digital) art in general. This isn't a bad thing, but it does make the overall picture blurred and difficult to read.

For number 2, the fix is mostly to add clearer separation between the dragon and the object. The dragon base is a gray, but lighter and darker dragons exist. Having no (or very unnoticeable) lineart will make any very light color blend in with lighter dragons!

As for number 1... please tint your lines and shadows. Often they can be a noticeable deal lighter than what the default PSD has them as. Set your lines to multiply also, to make life less hard on yourself.

This means your art doesn't have to be perfect to win. My first two festival winners make me die inside every time I look at them.

Twilight Oracle (brightshine 2016) | Cinderleaves (flameforgers 2016)

I could list a bunch of reasons as to why I think these aren't too great, the shading being just one of them. But hey, they still won. And that's likely because they still follow these four principles at their core.

Bonus tip: have fun!

It's real cliche to throw this one in, but I mean it. If you're solely making fest entries to win, then not making it into the selection feels incredibly awful. It's art after all, draw what you love to draw. This is just my two cents on how to improve your chances at winning a contest.

I hope this isn't an unreadable wall of text and that someone actually got something out of this, thanks for reading!

#flight rising #skins and accents #fr skins and accents #fr skin contest #fr festival #tutorial #tips #i typed this up basically in one sitting lmao #go and make some cool skins

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