#it would never be on delphi's list

[warlordfelwinter]

i know it's like. plot reasons and the witness had to use our ghost to win or the final shape wouldn't happen but.

it's a bit silly that the guardian's immediate reaction, after spending so long very specifically training in using strand to grab shit, to seeing their ghost up in the air wasn't to strand grapple them back to the ground before the link could be made

or barring that like if we immediately lost hold of strand after killing calus or whatever, doing the usual sort of double jumps and shit guardians are great at. like ghost wasn't that high up when we finally noticed. we could have grabbed him. why were our reactions suddenly so slow that we, the fucking young wolf, the god killer, the every other title, just stood there like a dummy until caitl was like "shoot your ghost" and we just. started to do that. without trying to get up there at all.

[bite-sized-devil]

Character Headcanons

TW: violence, GN! MC

Beelzebub:

☠️ Angry/violent headcanons:

The big cuddly teddy that occasionally threatens to eat you just turned into a big grizzly bear. And this time food had nothing to do with it, that is unless you count yourself as food. A little snack perhaps?

One second you were both laughing about what he would do if he had a cheeseburger for a head the next he was in his demon form baring his teeth at a demon you didn't know while pinning him against the nearest wall.

"Drop it." The words leaving his mouth as a snarl, one muscled forearm pushing further into the unknown demon's neck. His free hand holding the demons wrist in the air, twisting it painfully.

"I-I'm sorry!" The demon cries. His pleading eyes find yours over Beel's shoulder. Why is he apologising to you, you've never even seen him before?

"Don't talk to them. Don't look at them!" Is the answering growl.

You've never seen Beel this angry before, the air feels almost electric. Magenta vapours fill the space around him, his shoulders are hard and tense you think you could feel every rope of muscle that lined his back if you reached your hand out and touched him.

A whimpered sob brings you out of your trance. Beel's grip on the demons wrist has tightened, it's now twisted at an uncomfortable angle. The fist that was tightly clenched shut is now forced open.

A lock of hair, your hair, falls to the ground. Confusion befuddles your thoughts, how did he get that? When? And even more concerning was why? Your arms wrap around yourself, hugging yourself tight. You suddenly feel vulnerable, scared and unsafe.

"I d-didn't-" You hear the demons stuttering again but it's cut off by a harsh shove from Beel. He looks even more deadly, nostrils flared, normally kind pink hued eyes now darkened with rage.

"Stay away from them." He snarls again before leaning in until his mouth is close to the demon's ear. He growls a last word, lacing it with menace and possessiveness and then shoves him as far away from you as possible.

You're worry and fear disappear when you hear the last word he utters. It fills you instead with security, assurance, love and desire.

He picks up the lock of your hair and puts it in his pocket before turning back to you. His big arms, that could tear a man limb from limb, wrap around you gently and pull you into a warm embrace. Switching back to his human form, he kisses your forehead and says the word again. This time as a whisper only for you to hear.

"Mine."

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you liked it ☺️ Likes, comments, and reblogs are so appreciated! 🌻 Please don't repost, that shit won't fly here. I'll annoy the absolute shit out of you. If you would like to join the tag list please fill in my dumb little form.

I wasn't sure if I should tag you all in these so I wasn't.... But now I am? Ignore if you want! Sorry, sorry!

Tagging: @delphi-dreamin @sassykattery @alexxavicry @your-next-daydream @rosanism @marvelous-maniac @i-hardly-know @kyungjoon-do @ria-demon29 @itsmeninerz @allielozoya @spookyscaryskeletonn @zarakem @simpsations @soapbooger

[makethatelevenrings]

HAPPY 3K FOLLOWERS!!!! (Also congrats on making it to the halfway point of your thesis!)

For the bingo, could we pretty please get "Wanna bet?" with Dick Grayson?

thank you!!!! hope you like :)

want to join in the celebration? see the bingo sheet here

“I don’t know if you could tell but I just rolled my eyes,” you commented. A low chuckle sounded over the comms and then that warm, honey sweet voice followed.

“I felt a disturbance in the force,” Dick Grayson teased. “I take it you didn’t like that last joke?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, that was supposed to be a joke?” He snorted at your tone and you continued on, “I figured you plucked that straight from the shitty pun section of the Reader’s Digest.”

“I hate that you guessed that right.” A gleeful chuckle escaped you. Ever since Barbara told you that she needed to expand her operations and enlisted you to help, you never figured you would become Nightwing’s “person in the chair” but here you were, set up in your small Bludhaven apartment with various pieces of technology strewn around you and three monitors tracking crime reports in the city.

“Nightwing, we have an attempted robbery currently three blocks to your right on Roosevelt Avenue.”

“On it, Pythia.” The name came from being an oracle of Apollo at Delphi, something Barbara was very proud to come up with once you agreed to take over Nightwing’s operations so she could focus on Gotham.

Since starting this working relationship with Nightwing, you had become fast friends with the snarky vigilante and you appreciated his love and devotion to this city. You saw the risks he took and the people he fought. You saw it all from behind the screen of your computer and it broke your heart. You wished you could do more than give him information in an attempt to give him a leg up, but sometimes he came limping back to you with a black eye and that shit-eating grin and you were helpless but to apply an ice pack to his eye and bandage his cuts.

“Done and dusted,” he crowed. You sighed in relief and then let your lips curl up in amusement as you watched his fight from a security camera you hacked into.

“That was some fancy footwork there, ‘Wing. You trying to impress someone?”

“Nah,” he hummed over the line. “I’ve got my hands full already.”

You clasped your hands together and rested your chin on your knuckles, eyes peering at the map as you waited for a new dot to appear to dispatch him. “Hmm? I thought a charming man like you would never let himself be tied down.”

“I’m not usually the one being tied down,” he retorted. You stifled your laugh and played with the small silver band that rested on your ring finger.

“Oh, really? That’s salacious. I should tell the tabloids. Local vigilante spends his free time tying helpless folks up. Whatever shall we do?”

“Well, see, now I’m going to have to make sure you don’t spill my secrets.”

“You’ll never be able to silence me.”

“Wanna bet?” The rough, throaty tone that he spoke in made your body tingle and warmth flushed through your veins. You cleared your throat and studied the map once more. It was a slow, quiet night for once. Even though it was only two in the morning, he could afford to take off early.

“Come home and show me,” you murmured.

“Don’t have to tell me twice.”

Tag List:

@someoneimsure @perpetual-fangirl900 @visagebrise @cursedandromedablack @alexxavicry @the-wayward-daughter @raging-trash-of-mind @bunny-kawa @khaylin27

[camp-mithril-lake]

I finally had a Tarnma idea I might actually write. Most of them never go anywhere but this one is a mostly complete concept with beginning, middle, and end not just a few scenes.

It fudges the timeline a bit to have Tyrest occur before Pharma is pushed the final time that leads to Red Rust with some new flacoring of characters. He is still "famously Forged" and his location easily accessible in Autobot records as his posting isn't secret. Tyrest and Star Saber go to retrieve him, his consent not being a needed component. Tyrest does decide to wait until he is alone to do so.

The perfect time being when he has left Delphi to meet with Tarn for a delivery with the T-Cogs. The opener is literally Pharma freezing, and seeing a shadow of a larger mech in the approaching snow and slowly realizing it is not Tarn approaching or any of his team.

Then it immediately switches to an annoyed Tarn arriving at the meeting place to see Pharma absent and is ready to raise hell but notices a blinking through the powdering of snow and finds an online but uncalled comm unit that is Pharma's. This leads him to find a thrown open box of T-Cogs smeared lightly with Energon from the outside. It isn't immediately obvious with the fresh snow, but it is clear Pharma was met with someone unexpected, and there was some struggle before he was taken.

Tarn thinks that their deal may have been revealed and Pharma ambushed by his own, but that wouldn't make sense to leave valuable supplies behind. And if the Autobots were aware, then catching him relatively vulnerable would be more of a coup than Pharma who could have easily been snatched from Delphi without such a struggle.

Later, listening in on the Delphi frequencies it shows that Pharma has been listed as missing and that search parties are being sent out. Tarn feels a certain kind of way about this and prepares to investigate. He feels it is likely connected to him, and Pharma does know some that could potentially be risky, though nothing that would amount to a real leak. Plus, it feels like a slight for someone to be able to snatch his doctor unpunished. But then he gets a read on Black Shadow's signature, and that comes first.

Pharma eventually does make contact with Tarn, rushed and stranged over a quick message on the line he so rarely used. Kaon notes it is sent so quickly to avoid the time needed to be detected on a secure network. This intrigues Tarn as does the information attached. It is Overlord’s location and proof with a dated recording of his Spark signature. This is to lure him and his team to deal with Tyrest.

It last ditch effort by Pharma who is clinging to the need to do one thing right, desire to fuck over Tyrest/Overlord, a bit a vengeance, and certainty he won't survive long once Tyrest loses interests and "gifts" him to Overlord.

He attempted to contact the Autobots, but Prowl was currently possessed by Bombshell, and he was summarily dismissed, mocked, and told that it appears he was in good health after all befofe being hung up on. And he has to stop before he gets caught. He calculates that the DJD are the ones he can lure in the easiest and are the most likely to accept and respond to a message. Upon arrival, they are also the most likely to willingly take on Tyrest, given his very Functionist views and semi-alliance with Overlord, who was initially taken to experiment on One Percenter Sparks. If Pharma is lucky, he can escape on one of the ships there, and they'll kill each other.

I have a ton of ideas about backstory, a fun one I made for this fic that actually ties Pharma, Overlord, and Forestock together. As well as how Dai Atlus may have known some of Shockwave's Outliers, including Damus.

[rookiesbookies]

No real post bc Im working on an ask but here’s a teaser for a different fic im doing

Graves Niece!Reader x Konig (might turn into also an X Kruger x Horangi fic for this idk still writing it)

I think this is really funny, tell me what yall think!

This isnt the full fic

For the past couple of years, Graves had dedicated himself to taking care of his niece, a bright girl with a brighter future. As a high school student, she had always excelled, studying diligently and achieving remarkable results. Inspired by her legal guardian's activities, she had set her sights on a career in intelligence, the less dangerous side of the work he did.

Graduating with honors, she effortlessly aced every challenge that came her way, surpassing even the highest expectations. Her exceptional abilities did not go unnoticed, as she was scouted by both the FBI and CIA. Despite the potential dangers associated with such a career path, Graves never fretted. He knew his niece was as tough as nails and unwavering in her determination to work in the field she had chosen.

When she returned to his house after college, armed with the code names Oracle of Delphi and Kassandra, his displeasure was evident.

"Phil, please, let me work for Shadow. It's all I've ever wanted," she pleaded with her uncle, her voice tinged with desperation.

"But it's not our family's company, it's mine. And it's dangerous, I can't let you get involved," he responded firmly.

"Phillip, please!” she whined more, “It's all I've worked for, and we only have each other," she continued.

"That's exactly why I need to protect you from this life," he insisted.

She sighed in frustration, muttering, "I should have joined the CIA. At least they would have given me a tour before shutting me down."

“No they would not.”

“There you go, squashing yet another dream of mine.”

“The men who work in this sphere will not all be as caring for you as I am. I will not be able to protect you from them, dammit.”

“We both know this family only learns lessons the hard way. I want to see the base, at least. Who’s going to take on Shadow after you if not me?”

With a protracted sigh, Graves escorted his mid-twenties niece to the base, providing an extensive list of rules the night before. Recognizing the primal nature of his male-dominated workforce, Graves understood the scarcity of female interaction for his men and anticipated the allure of his niece's figure. Her captivating figure prompted double takes from frat boys, yet she remained steadfast in her pursuit of a 'real man,' dismissing brainless college boys with an occasional fling as insufficient. A brief dalliance with a Law graduate student soured when his self-righteousness eclipsed the capacity to love anyone but himself. In this enclave of primal instincts and complex relationships, Graves sought to navigate the delicate balance between protecting his niece and managing the untamed nature of his workforce.

Arriving at the base, she found herself pleasantly surprised. Graves had arranged for her to have a dedicated barracks, normally shared but now tailored to her needs, boasting top-notch amenities. The introductions with Graves' men were brief, conducted in a group setting. Positioned on a step, Graves gathered his team around him, assuming a commanding presence. The atmosphere buzzed with anticipation and curiosity as she navigated her new surroundings. The personalized accommodations and the commanding introduction hinted at the unique journey that awaited her within the military confines.

[khaire-traveler]

you get enough asks of people with similar questions and i told myself i wouldn’t add to the list, but i’m rly struggling rn.

i’ve been an active hellenistic polytheist for 3 years now, and an apollo worshiper for around 2.

yet, i haven’t really felt a connection to apollo for a year now. anytime i pray to him, it feels hollow.

i know that the advice people typically give is to move on, but i feel like then it’d be a waste. its quite terrible of me to say, but ive spent so much money and time setting up such a dedicated altar just for it to collect dust.

any ideas or advice? no worries if not. have a lovely day my friend :]

Hey, Max, thank you for the ask! I apologize for the delay.

So, I originally wrote a whole ass post that had paragraphs of information, suggestions, and advice, but Tumblr hates me and decided to just crash and not save literally any of it. 🙃 I'm hoping I can give you good information regardless of this setback. Also, please don't feel bad about asking questions; I honestly enjoy it, especially since some information can be hard to come by. All my information is merely advice and suggestions based on my own experience, but I hope it's helpful to you - and maybe even others - regardless.

The first thing I'll do is share some links that could be helpful for you. This one talks a bit about Deity Disconnect™ - something that I feel I can safely say has happened to every pagan and polytheist. Sometimes faith and spirituality come in waves, ebbing in and out as naturally as the ocean, but it doesn't always mean that a deity has left us. If you'd like to try reconnecting with Apollo through bonding activities and the like, this link and that link both lead to posts that mention some ways you can bond with a deity. Although I'm not sure if any of these will be helpful to you, I hope that they are. 🧡

I feel it's also important to mention that many devotees of Apollo find it difficult to connect with him during the winter. For me, I feel the feeling of disconnect begin as early as the middle of Fall and stay as late as the very beginning of Spring. Many attribute this to the myth of Apollo leaving for Hyperborea and leaving his seat in Delphi for Dionysus to temporarily take over. If you've been trying to reconnect during Winter, or even potentially Fall, the disconnect from Apollo may feel even stronger than usual because of this. I would wait to readdress this issue with him until Spring rolls around, personally, just in case this disconnect could be contributing to your problem at all.

Along with all that, I'm inclined to ask whether you've addressed this topic with him directly. Have you been able to communicate with Apollo directly about this and get his thoughts? In my experience, deities will typically let you know if they're stepping away, rather than yoinking away super suddenly and without a given cause (or at the very least, they are more than willing to provide a reason if you ask them); this tends to be especially true when it comes to deities you've been very close with in the past. If you haven't already, I'd highly encourage you to speak with Apollo in a format that allows him to provide a response to your questions, such as divination or meditation.

I do also have to say that sometimes deities leave but return later. It's entirely possible he is simply taking a break or stepping away temporarily. Maybe he feels you need to focus on other deities more at this time or he has simply taught all he can (or all that's relevant) at the moment. He could return full force later on in your life, be it a few days from now or a few years. This is something I'd ask him about specifically in order to clarify his intentions.

Ok, but what if he really is leaving and doing so in a more permanent fashion? Well, in that case, I encourage you to do whatever feels right for you. Take down his altar, or leave it up; it's entirely your choice. Even when deities leave our lives, they never truly leave, and most of the time, if we need a deity's help, we are still welcome to call upon their aid, even if they've "left". It's also possible that he is still ok with you worshipping or venerating him, even if he does choose to step away. There are some deities that I mostly just venerate but don't do much else past that, and that's perfectly ok. Sometimes it just feels nice to acknowledge a deity and show them appreciation, even if you're not particularly close to them. These are all things you need to have a direct conversation with Apollo about, however, as I cannot speak for him or what he is comfortable with.

Although it can feel like a waste of time, energy, and hell even money, please do remember that it is never truly a waste if your relationship to Apollo meant something - and still means something - to you. You put genuine time, love, and care into the altar you created, and regardless of what happens going forward, I'm sure he still appreciates that. It's important to know that when a deity feels the need to step away, it's not because they stop caring for you or the time you've spent together; they simply feel it's in your best interest for them to be more distant for the time being, but regardless, they are still there. They are still present in the world and life around you. Apollo can still be felt in the warmth of the sun on your skin and the rush of excitement you feel when the beat of music reverberates in your chest. He is still near, even if he feels far. He is still there, even if he feels absent. These are not things you're required to focus on or even acknowledge, however, if it makes you uncomfortable or you'd rather terminate your relationship with Apollo. I just figure it may be comforting to hear.

If the following doesn't apply to you at all or you simply disagree with my perspective, please feel free to completely disregard all this; it's heavily based on my own personal experience and beliefs. Do you work with Apollo or worship him? I know it sounds rather silly and somewhat ridiculous to ask, but I have personally noticed a significant change in my deity relationships when I focused more on worship than work. I have noticed that, a lot of times, deity work can end in that deity eventually departing because the things you're working on can eventually be resolved or improved enough that you no longer need them. To me, personally, deity worship often has a more permanent meaning, although that obviously doesn't ring true for everyone. If you were doing deity work with Apollo, it's entirely possible that he feels he's helped you the best he can with whatever you originally reached out about and has decided that you no longer need his assistance or guidance. If that's the case (which it obviously could not be), then you can absolutely ask him if he's comfortable switching your relationship to something that is more long-term worship based rather than short-term "please assist me with this specific thing" based. And since I'm sure someone will mention it, I do want to acknowledge that there is nuance in every type of deity relationship, and you can absolutely have a long-term "deity work" based relationship and a short-term "deity worship" based relationship. There are exceptions to everything, and everything contains nuance and complexity. I don't want to discount either of those things; this is just me sharing something based on my personal understanding, and no one has to take me at face-value.

Anyway, I hope I was able to answer your question and give you some suggestions or advice that helps. Regardless, I hope you're able to figure this situation out and that Apollo can address you more directly about it. I wish you the best on your spiritual journey. Take care, and have a good day/night. 🧡

[hpsaffics]

✨ Femslash Fri: Holidays ✨

Happy Holidays! 🎁🎄🕯️

We wish everyone a happy holiday season with lots of food, love, and femslash fics! To help get this season started, the HP SAFFICS (18+) discord server presents Femslash Friday: a reclist filled with Christmas parties, mistletoe kisses, Hanukkah fluff, and more! See all previous rec lists in the WLW Library.

Currently: Happy Holidays Previously: Rare Pairs (see list)

—

💫 LONG (>10k) 💫

Trust A Few by @violetclarity [Hermione/Pansy, T, 13.2k] 🎄 Family drama and awkward holiday dinners

Hermione has a pregnant adopted sister, parents who don’t believe she’s bisexual, and a crush the size of the Great Lake on Pansy Parkinson. Taking Pansy up on her offer to be Hermione’s fake date to her parents’ Christmas dinner could solve at least one of those problems...but it could also make everything worse.

Blame It On The Mistletoe by @lipzlipzlipz [Fleur/Hermione, T, 12.4k] 🎄 Magical mistletoe and holiday parties

Magical mistletoe that rang a tinkling bell or showered confetti after a kiss? Hermione would’ve considered it fairly tame for a Weasley-instigated game if not for the fact that when it came time to kiss the annoying Fleur Delacour, there was no tinkling bell and no confetti.

—

💫 MEDIUM (3k-10k) 💫

Vaticination by kelly_chambliss [Minerva/Poppy, T, 5.9k] 🎄 Divination and Christmas musings

Poppy Pomfrey considers questions of epistemology.

Occlumency Lessons by WitchyLove14 [Hermione/Bellatrix, E, 5.2k] 🎄 Holiday smut and teacher-student relationships

Bellatrix was a spy during the second wizarding war and was pardoned for her crimes. Now, she is the DADA professor at Hogwarts and has developed feelings for a certain brunette of the Golden Trio. Christmas holiday sweetness and smut.

Into the Light by @a-loveunlaced, Charlie9646 [Hermione/Pansy, E, 4.7k] WITH ART! 🎄 Porn, domestic fluff, and Hanukkah traditions

Pansy love Hermione, her love as deep as the ocean and as tall as a mountain, but letting someone in about something so close to you is harder than it seems. Though the truth was she should know her wife and how the woman tended to take things in stride. This was Pansy’s and Hermione’s first Hanukkah together.

—

💫 SHORT (<3k) 💫

First of December by Calliopeia419 [Hermione/Narcissa, T, 2.8k] 🎄 Christmas decorations and established relationship

It's Hermione and Narcissa's fifth Christmas together, but there's still one box of decorations that they've never taken out of the attic. Hermione thinks it's about time.

The Insomniacs' Social Club by Delphi [Auror/Septima, G, 2.0k] 🎄 Insomnia and friendship over the holidays

"It began, like so many Hogwarts traditions before it, as a joke."

Ta Reine by @xslytherclawx-writes [Angelina/Alicia, G, 649] 🎄 Hanukkah fluff and getting together

Alicia knows she's obvious.

For Everything a Season by @broomsticks [Marge Dursley/Dolores Umbridge, G, 300] 🎄 Christmas and romance

There were many, many reasons why they would not work. She bred bulldogs, for Merlin’s sake. She broke at least one teacup a week, she snored like a herd of stampeding hippogriffs, and she never cleaned her hair out from the shower drain. Oh, and she was a Muggle.

—

🌙 Want more holiday femslash fics? 🌙

hoggywartyxmas (LJ)

Tags on AO3: Christmas | Hanukkah

WLW Library: Tumblr | Tag | AO3

basically what I've learned is there's not nearly enough femslash Hanukkah fics

[slipping-through-my-fingertips]

In My Head, I'm Yours

Chapter 9: Making All Our Plans in the Santa Cruz Sand

Trigger Warnings for a mention of relationship with a minor, non-consensual touching.

A/n: Next upload is the epilogue. Thanks for following along with this! I also have a one-shot set in this universe coming soon

AO3

He didn’t see her walk in. Why would he be hoping to spot her gray eyes in this crowd like Annabeth was hoping to meet his green ones.

Annabeth wasn’t even sure he would even want to see her.

Before she left, she confessed everything to her roommates.

Their movie night had just ended. Thalia was yawning and Leo was complaining that it was too early for her to go to bed. It was the weekend after all.

“I’m going to Santa Cruz,” she blurted.

“Excuse me?”

“What!” Leo exclaimed.

“I booked a flight before dinner.”

Thalia blinked at her. “I’m wide awake now. What the fuck, Chase?”

Annabeth swallowed. “I need to see Percy.”

“Why?” Leo asked.

“We’ve been sorta hooking up for the last few months.”

“What!” Thalia screamed. “And you didn’t think to tell me!”

“Us,” Leo corrected.

Thalia ignored him. “Me! Your best friend.”

“I—”

She cut Annabeth off, “I can’t believe this. I mean we talked about it but ultimately dismissed it because you were never affectionate around us. But maybe I should’ve seen it still.”

“You talked about it?” Annabeth questioned. “With who?”

“Piper, Jason, Grover,” Leo listed. “We all thought you’d hit it off eventually and apparently we were right.”

“Yet completely blinded to it having happened!” Thalia shouted.

“So tell us what’s going on,” she said, “why are you going to Santa Cruz?”

“I really hurt him the last time I saw him. I messed it all up.”

Annabeth told them everything. The hookups, their non-dates, the song, her graduation day, the fight, him leaving.

“I’ll help you pack,” Thalia said.

Just like that, she was forgiven for keeping this from her best friend.

“Hey wait a second,” Leo said, “we’re just gonna let this go?”

Thalia glared at him. “Yes, because I expect to be the maid of honor at the wedding.”

Annabeth blushed.

“And what do I get out of it?” He asked, “I want details! How’s the sex? It’s good right? I feel like…”

“Ew, why do you want to know what Percy's like in bed?”

Annabeth’s cheeks got redder. “No comment.”

“Oooo, so it’s juicy then. C'mon tell me!” Leo demanded.

She shook her head. Thalia pulled her to her bedroom, grabbing her suitcase and throwing it on the bed.

Leo, of course, followed.

“Seriously, Annabeth, just tell me…how big?”

He started moving his hands apart. Waiting for her to indicate when to stop. She never did. But her face must’ve revealed something because Leo knew exactly when to stop.

“Knew it! You want to talk to someone about this. How could you keep all these dirty secrets from me?”

Thalia was haphazardly opening Annabeth's drawers.

“Where do you keep the good stuff?” She asked.

“I don’t know what that means.”

“Sexy stuff,” Leo said, “probably in her closet, hiding in the corner somewhere.”

Both girls look up at him.

“What? Annabeth likes to keep that stuff to herself. Obviously it’s not going to be out in the open.”

Thalia went into the closet and found exactly what she was looking for. Meanwhile, Leo sat down on the bed with Annabeth.

“So spill it.”

Annabeth knew he wasn’t going to let it go. She glanced over at Thalia who was now throwing clothes into her luggage.

“It’s great sex,” she told him.

“Well duh!” Leo said.

“He makes me feel so safe, so…loved. He’s sweet and responsive and…”

“Fucks like a god?” Leo offered.

She punched him.

“You’re not saying I’m wrong.”

They even drove her to the airport. Wished her luck at drop off and made her swear to call them when it was all cleared up.

Their faith in her was overwhelming.

Luckily Delphi’s gig wasn’t sold out because Annabeth hadn’t thought to buy a ticket beforehand. She booked a flight and a hotel room but every Delphi show she’d been to was at a bar, no ticket required. She only felt a little stupid for not thinking this far ahead. It was an official tour after all, of course she needed a ticket.

She paid cash and went in. They were already on stage introducing a new song. One Percy and Piper wrote together recently.

Which meant there was a good chance it was about her.

The songs I wrote as your other are The best I’ll ever sing

She stood by the bar well after the show ended. The crowd was thinning and people were being ushered out. Annabeth wondered if she should take her chances at sneaking backstage or waiting by the stage door for them like the rest of their fans.

Not thrilled by the idea of being mistaken for a potential groupie, Annabeth chose the other option.

There wasn’t too much security. She went around the left side of the stage hopping over some metal chain. That’s all that was preventing people from going back there.

The stage crew was bustling around. Wearing all black, she tried to blend in with them. Her tight, sparkly black dress wasn’t really the outfit for moving instruments and laying out wires but no one spared her a second glance.

There were some familiar voices up ahead.

“Stage door time!” Jason shouted, “get dressed and let’s go.”

“You two go, give me a second,” Percy said.

Annabeth shivered. Just hearing his voice was enough to send her body into shock.

She was a goner.

Annabeth hid behind an open door when Piper and Jason walked out of the room. They were heading outside. Leaving Percy alone.

When she peeked inside the room, Percy had yet to change out of his stage clothes. The door was wide open so she knocked on it. This was it.

He turned. “Annabeth?”

“Hey, Percy.”

“What are you doing here?” He asked.

His eyebrows furrowed.

Percy didn’t seem upset, just confused. Might as well just jump straight into it.

“I was wrong,” she said.

“About what?”

“You,” Annabeth’s voice squeaked. “I was wrong about you.”

“What you thought I’d break your heart and instead you ripped mine out of my chest?”

So maybe he was upset with her.

“I…”

He stood up.

“So you’re wrong, about what exactly?”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have eavesdropped on you or I should’ve admitted that I overheard you talking about the tour, I had no right to get mad at you for something out of your control. You were going to tell me and I shouldn’t have…well I should’ve done a lot differently,” she said, “I should’ve told you how I felt, I shouldn’t have hid it for so long, I shouldn’t have let myself become self-destructive like I always do…”

Percy was standing directly in front of her now. He put his hands on her shoulders; she couldn’t look at him. Funny how earlier she would’ve given anything to have him look at her and now she couldn’t meet his gaze.

“Annabeth,” Percy said. “Look at me.”

She did.

“I accept your apology.”

The relief she felt almost made her collapse. But Percy was holding her up.

“Thank you,” she said, throwing her arms around him.

She breathed him in. She promised herself to make this right.

“Come with me, we should have a real conversation about us,” he told her.

Annabeth fought the urge to grab his hand as they walked towards the beach. They snuck out a different exit and avoided the fans outside. She wondered if Delphi was big enough for the fans to speculate why Percy skipped the stage door.

Unsurprisingly the beach was abandoned. The tide was coming in but there was still plenty of dry sand to sit in.

It was chilly, Annabeth rubbed her arms.

“Here,” Percy handed over his flannel.

She smiled, “thanks.”

“You wanted to talk,” she said, “about this…us.”

Percy took a deep breath. “Let’s make some plans.”

…

“Permanent ones?” She asked.

“Yeah, you said you would do things differently, so how should we do this differently?”

“Well, for starters” Annabeth said, “I’d take you on an actual date.”

“Oh yeah?” Percy said, “and what if I want to take you out instead?”

She was blushing. Even in the dim light, he could see her reddening cheeks.

“A is date first on the agenda, we can argue in front of the waiter about who pays.”

“Deal, what’s next?”

She grabbed his hand, “communication. That was our downfall, I didn’t tell you how I felt, I avoided conversations that scared me, and I kept things to myself because I was asking for this to fail because I was terrified of you.”

“As much as I want to know about these feelings of yours, trust me we’ll get to that,” Percy told her, “why did I terrify you so much? Am I that scary?”

Annabeth sighed, “might as well get the heavy stuff out in the open huh? Didn’t help to keep it in last time. I had some bad exes before you.”

“Haven’t we all?”

“I guess so,” she said, staring at the waves, “Travis was just a troublemaker, my bad boy phase as Thals would say but really he was just slightly klepto so he got me into some bad spots when I was in high school then I met Luke. First red flag should’ve been how he pursued me when I was still sixteen, just weeks after breaking things off with Travis. Luke had recently graduated from my school so we knew each other. He came to my debates, to football games, and even tried to get me to invite him to junior prom. I let him pursue me, I think I just liked the attention. No one else was interested in me.”

Percy squeezed her hand.

“We finally went on a date of sorts, he called it a friend’s date, to the movies. Sat in the back,” her voice was growing quieter as the story went on. “He…”

“You don’t have to tell me.”

“He just felt me up but for so long I felt dirty. Used. The only reason he spent time with me was because…”

“He was a creep who should be behind bars?” Percy offered.

Annabeth nodded.

“You’re so much stronger than I thought, which is really saying something because I already thought you could judo flip me no problem.”

She laughed.

“Annabeth, I promise we’ll have better communication this time. We can come up with a safe word for when we want to just have a no-judgment conversation.”

“Like what?”

“Riptide,” he suggested.

“Because the safe word will prevent us from being pulled underwater? Prevent drowning and if we let the riptide pull us out to sea we’ll be safe?”

“Ummm yes, definitely that and not because it’s the first word I thought of.”

Annabeth laughed, “Seaweed Brain.”

Percy had to stop her laughter, if only because it made him want to make her laugh more and not because he was embarrassed to be laughed at. With Annabeth, Percy would do a million stupid things just to hear her chuckle.

“Alright enough, tell me about these feelings you have for me.”

She wiped her tears away and settled herself.

“I could fall in love with you, Percy Jackson.”

“Well good,” he said, “because I could fall in love with you, Annabeth Chase.”

“So, a date, open communication, and falling in love,” Annabeth listed, “sounds like a decent plan to me.”

Percy turned toward hers and cupped her face, he murmured against her lips, “sounds like a perfect plan to me,” and then he kissed her.

[legend-collection]

Hestia

In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Hestia is the virgin goddess of the hearth and the home. In myth, she is the firstborn child of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, and one of the Twelve Olympians.

Pic by Christian Baitg on Getty Images

According to ancient Greek tradition, Hestia, along with four of her five siblings, was devoured by her own father Cronus as an infant due to his fear of being overthrown by one of his offspring, and was only freed when her youngest brother Zeus forced their father to disgorge the children he had eaten. Cronus and the rest of the Titans were cast down, and Hestia then became one of the Olympian gods, the new rulers of the cosmos, alongside her brothers and sisters. After the establishment of the new order and in spite of her status, Hestia withdraws from prominence in mythology, with few and sparse appearances in tales. Like Athena and Artemis, Hestia elected to never marry and remain an eternal virgin goddess instead, forever tending to the hearth of Olympus.

Despite her limited mythology, Hestia remained a very important goddess in ancient Greek society. Greek custom required that as the goddess of sacrificial fire, Hestia should receive the first offering at every sacrifice in the household. In the public domain, the hearth of the prytaneum functioned as her official sanctuary. Whenever a new colony was established, a flame from Hestia's public hearth in the mother city would be carried to the new settlement. The goddess Vesta is her Roman equivalent.

Hestia's name means "hearth, fireplace, altar". This stems from the PIE root *wes, "burn" (ultimately from *h₂wes- "dwell, pass the night, stay"). It thus refers to the oikos: domestic life, home, household, house, or family. Burkert states that an "early form of the temple is the hearth house; the early temples at Dreros and Prinias on Crete are of this type as indeed is the temple of Apollo at Delphi which always had its inner hestia". The Mycenaean great hall (megaron), like Homer's hall of Odysseus at Ithaca, had a central hearth. Likewise, the hearth of the later Greek prytaneum was the community and government's ritual and secular focus. Hestia's naming thus makes her a personification of the hearth and its fire, a symbol of society and family, also denoting authority and kingship.

Hestia is a goddess of the first Olympian generation. She is the eldest daughter of the Titans Rhea and Cronus, and sister to Demeter, Hades, Hera, Poseidon, and Zeus. Immediately after their birth, Cronus swallowed all his children (Hestia was the first who was swallowed) except the last and youngest, Zeus, who was saved by Rhea. Instead, Zeus forced Cronus to disgorge his siblings and led them into a war against their father and the other Titans. As "first to be devoured . . . and the last to be yielded up again", Hestia is thus both the eldest and youngest daughter; this mythic inversion is found in the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite (700 BC).

Zeus assigned Hestia a duty to feed and maintain the fires of the Olympian hearth with the fatty, combustible portions of animal sacrifices to the gods. Wherever food was cooked, or an offering was burnt, she thus had her share of honor; also, in all the temples of the gods, she has a share of honor. "Among all mortals, she was chief of the goddesses".

The gods Poseidon and Apollo (her brother and nephew respectively) both fell in love with Hestia and vied for her hand in marriage. But Hestia would have neither of them, and went to Zeus instead, and swore a great oath, that she would remain a virgin for all time and never marry. In the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, Aphrodite is described as having "no power" over Hestia.

At Athens, "in Plato's time," notes Kenneth Dorter "there was a discrepancy in the list of the twelve chief gods, as to whether Hestia or Dionysus was included with the other eleven. The altar to them at the agora, for example, included Hestia, but the east frieze of the Parthenon had Dionysus instead." However, the hearth was immovable, and "there is no story of Hestia's "ever having been removed from her fixed abode". Burkert remarks that "Since the hearth is immovable Hestia is unable to take part even in the procession of the gods, let alone the other antics of the Olympians".

Traditionally, Hestia is absent from ancient depictions of the Gigantomachy as she is the one who must keep the home fires burning when the other gods are away. Nevertheless, her possible participation in the fight against the Giants is evidenced from an inscription on the northern frieze of the Siphnian Treasury in Delphi; Brinkmann suggests that the letter tracings of one of the two goddesses right next to Hephaestus be restored as "Hestia", although other possible candidates include Demeter and Persephone, or two of the three Fates.

Her mythographic status as firstborn of Rhea and Cronus seems to justify the tradition in which a small offering is made to Hestia before any sacrifice ("Hestia comes first"), though this was not universal among the Greeks. In Odyssey 14, the loyal swineherd Eumaeus begins the feast for his master Odysseus by plucking tufts from a boar's head and throwing them into the fire with a prayer addressed to all the powers, then carved the meat into seven equal portions: "one he set aside, lifting up a prayer to the forest nymphs and Hermes, Maia's son."[20]

Hestia is identified with the hearth as a physical object, and the abstractions of community and domesticity, in contrast to the fire of the forge employed in blacksmithing and metalworking, the province of the god Hephaestus. Portrayals of her are rare and seldom secure.[21] In classical Greek art, she is occasionally depicted as a woman simply and modestly cloaked in a head veil. At times, she is shown with a staff in hand or by a large fire. She sits on a plain wooden throne with a white woolen cushion and, Robert Graves declares, "did not trouble to choose an emblem for herself". Her associated sacrificial animal was a domestic pig.

Her Roman equivalent is Vesta; Vesta has similar functions as a divine personification of Rome's "public", domestic, and colonial hearths, binding Romans together within a form of extended family. The similarity of names between Hestia and Vesta is, however, misleading: "The relationship hestia-histie-Vesta cannot be explained in terms of Indo-European linguistics; borrowings from a third language must also be involved," according to Walter Burkert. Herodotus equates Hestia with the high ranking Scythian deity Tabiti. Procopius equates her with the Zoroastrian holy fire (atar) of the Sasanians in Adhur Gushnasp. To Vesta is attributed one more story not found in Greek tradition by the Roman poet Ovid in his poem Fasti, where during a feast of the gods Vesta is nearly raped in her sleep by the god Priapus, and only avoids this fate when a donkey cries out, alerting Vesta and prompting the other gods to attack Priapus in defense of the goddess. This story is an almost word-for-word repeat of the myth of Priapus and Lotis, recounted earlier in the same book, with the difference that Lotis had to transform into a lotus tree to escape Priapus, making some scholars suggest the account where Vesta supplants Lotis only exists in order to create some cult drama.

[ainulindaelynn]

WIP Game: ACO 7, 8, and 9 please??

Ahhhh, the ones I wrote first and am dying to publish xD

Unfortunately, they rely on earlier details to some degree, so I'm holding back for now. There's 60k+ words sitting among those at present and more I'd love to do with every single one of them.

This'll be lengthy since it's three!

----------

ACO 7 - Underworld

This is a complete rewrite of that segment. It isn't Aletheia who sends her there though; it's Pythagoras (the shitty dad we all know him to be), who wants that artifact from Cerberos. This is the bit that started my ACO writing... It came together in my head WAY before I finished the game and knew the details, so originally it was a workaround for the First Blade DLC. I felt if Ubi really wanted to force the issue, was a more obvious answer to the lineage question and we were going subterranean anyway... 👀

I've since changed course on that completely (redeemed Deimos gets to do the Macedonia DLC later, bypassing the issue), but its still a very smutty, sentimental, angsty piece, where she and Brasidas finally come to terms (too late) with what's between them. They're both able to help a LOT with each other's healing journeys and he gives her a tool that readies her for her confrontation with Deimos. Phoibe is also central to this one <3

A snippet:

"You don't know what a shield means, so don't lecture me on it," he snapped, tone suddenly vicious. "You've never been in the phalanx, knowing in your bones what's staked on it holding - on the one beside you holding. 'Foot beside foot, resting shield against shield, crest beside crest, helm beside helm'," he quoted, every word rising from the bedrock of his being. Then his voice softened in a way she hated to hear and when she glanced up his eyes were sharp. "I'll never forget the day they first handed it to me. I was a boy; it was as tall as I was. My commander told me, 'To hold this up is to hold up Sparta. Drop it, and Sparta falls'."

She shook her head, furious.

More of the same propaganda that threw innocent children from Taygetos and raised their killer a hero.

His voice was stern. "How many of my men died at Amphipolis?"

"You were the last. The seventh. The Athenians lost six-hundred."

He nodded, dismissive.

"And how many have fallen since?"

Her eyes narrowed, sensing the trap.

"I can't make you understand the way it is in the lists," he growled, stalking toward and around her, "but those men were mine. And I was theirs. I had sworn myself to them. Six Spartans and six-hundred Athenians, you say? It was by my command that they lived at Amphipolis. That was my responsibility to them. I made the decisions that kept them alive. I've seen each of those cross the river Styx alone. And I'll see countless more before this war is done. And that is my failure. I let my shield fall and they are the ones who will pay for it with their lives.

She shook her head, trying to understand. "You can't blame yourself for dying, Brasidas."

"I can," he said, voice sharp, "because I didn't do it for them. And I would make that same choice again, even against my oath." The anger left his tone then. "That is why I'm here, Kassandra."

----------

ACO 8 - The End

This one ties together the game's Family and Cult endings. I always felt really weird about the fact that Deimos just sits at home while you finish the other storyline. It's a quick rewrite of the Taygetos scene, adding layers from my personal Athens captivity portion and my background mental health and trauma-recovery. Then there's a brief split while Kassandra finds her last cultist (and Alexios spends time with Myrinne), and then they come together, travel to Delphi, and take on Aspasia as a pair. This sets the stage for the relationship they build going forward.

A snippet:

She’d been keeping an eye on him all afternoon, watching the restless tension of his body like a rope frayed down to its last strand, hopelessly taut and precarious. For her, every mile away from Phokis brought her down by a notch, but for Alexios it seemed to have no effect. At times she even worried it was worsening, waiting for some excuse to snap. 

“He looks like a wild boar…,” Barnabas said quietly, uncharacteristically. 

It seemed she’d finally found the one thing that tempered the man’s boisterous nature - fearing being overhead by the god of terror himself. She smiled at the thought.

“…Like one snap of a twig and the first unlucky bastard in his path will be sent skyward with his entrails on the outside of his body.”

She raised her eyebrows, amusement overshadowed by a long, contemplative exhale.

----------

ACO 9 - Post-Game

This one is all about family. Kassandra comes home to find her footing, finally processing everything, and stays with Alexios as he struggles to find himself in the absence of his entire identity. They become very close, despite the rawness of their relationship.

There are also some obstacles here, for example, Sparta sees only Deimos, the child they rightly rejected. He is an enemy and a lone wolf in collectivist Sparta, a tension Kassandra feels as well. Nikolaos also makes his return to Sparta and comes under the kings' judgement to atone for his desertion nearly a decade earlier. It's all very messy.

A snippet:

"I aimed at him to strike at you," Alexios said slowly, enunciating each word as if he were sharpening a blade, stroke by stroke, and watching to see what he evoked. "I want you to hear that. I need you to know it was personal."

Time slowed between them, frozen in the silence. She could feel every muscle in her body coiled tight at the confession.

In that silence he continued, each word carefully considered. "And at Pylos, when you leaped to defend him, you were like the goddess herself, full of righteous wrath. I knew it was true after that. And I slaughtered him for it - slaughtered him to get to you."

His posture was soft despite the words.

"Why are you telling me this?" she hissed.

"I don't want secrets between us, sister. If this is to work, there can be no secrets. Or at least there can be no lies." His eyes were gentle, his shoulders hung low, arms crossed as he leaned back against the stones.

She looked away, scanning out across the view. Her eyes closed for a second, breathing deeply.

"Who was he to you?" he asked again, this time more gently.

—————

WIP List is here for anyone interested :)

[bite-sized-devil]

Piggy Back Rides

You've had a particularly long hard day at RAD. Exhausted and dreading the walk home, you ask your favourite demon brother for a little favour.

Was going to do these in groups, but they just kept getting longer and longer. Apologies my fellow simps, please enjoy them one at a time starting with the eldest and finishing with the youngest.

TW: none it's pure fluff. GN! MC (Maybe a little suggestive if you like close your eyes and pretend?)

Mammon

"Come on Mammon, please!" Your voice coming out whinier with every plea that leaves your lips. You'd been begging him to give you a piggy back ride home since you'd both started walking towards the entrance of RAD.

"And why should The Great Mammon carry ya home? Silly human, what's in it for me huh?" The second eldest says with a clearly fake annoyed look on his face.

Fine, if that's how he wants to play, you know just what to do to get him to admit defeat and carry you home. You're sure he secretly wants to do it anyway. Turning your back on him, you pull out your phone.

"Ugh fine! Levi was here today, I'm sure if I promise him a game he'll be m-" You almost finish before Mammon is cutting you off and reaching for your arm.

"N-No, no MC. I'll do it! If anyone should give ya a piggy back it's me! I'm ya first man, aren't I?" The last bit comes out a little more questioning then demanding. Quickly spinning around to face him again you reach out your hand and cup his cheek making him blush furiously. You should have known he would react this way, he's a real softy under that pretend tough exterior.

"Of course you are Mammon, Why do you think I asked you first?" Smiling, you step closer to him, cocking your head to the side and beaming up at him as you say it.

"T-thats r-right." He stammers. His eyes are focused solely on your lips, face slowly leaning closer towards yours.

On tip-toes you lift up and ghost your lips over his. "If you give me a piggy back ride home, I'll let you... Kiss me?"

His eyes flit back up to stare into yours as he swallows loudly. Weighing up whether you're serious or not and deciding not to risk missing out on that particular goldmine.

The words "get on" barely leave his mouth before he's man handling you onto his back making you squeal his name in surprise.

He practically sprints the whole way back to HOL. Only stopping when he gets to your room, dropping both your legs without a word making you clutch his chest tighter so you don't fall on your ass.

"Mammon! A little warning next time maybe?" Annoyance lacing your tone. You let go of him once you steady yourself.

"Yeah, yeah, sure MC." He says hurriedly as he opens your door and drags you inside, the door slamming behind you.

"What's gotten into you Mammon? I thought you only got this riled up about money, it can't be because I said you could kiss me, surely?" You're questions bring another blush to his cheeks. Smiling cheekily up at him as he stands in front of you.

"I-" He beings to stammer but is cut off by your lips connecting with his. Caught of guard by your sudden action he freezes for a second, his lips unmoving against yours. Self doubt creeps into your mind making you start to break off the kiss, maybe he didn't want it after all?

Feeling your hesitation snaps him out of his initial shock, his hands come up to cup your face and he leans in as you go to pull away. You might have had to steal the first kiss from him, but he's never letting you go now that he has had a taste.

Likes, comments, and reblogs are so appreciated! 🌻 Please don't repost, that shit won't fly here. I'll annoy the absolute shit out of you. If you would like to join the tag list please fill in my dumb little form

Tagging: @delphi-dreamin @the-ghost-of-panda @ariamichel

[charlotterhea]

Rarepair Tag Game

Thank you for tagging me, @danpuff-ao3! 🥰

Rules: List the top rarepairs that you like outside of your OTP, and why you ship it! (Criteria for what makes a rarepair is up to your own discretion.)

Tagging: @cissykenway @snapeysister @echoofawind @giosnape @impure0purest @dilute-flower @enfinizatics @parumleo and as always everyone who likes to ramble a bit about their ships. There's too much arguing and too little gushing in fandom these days. 💙

I have to admit, I don't really have ships besides my OTP that I actively seek out and read or write so most of these are more intriguing to think about. Maybe I'll read a story or two about them someday but at this point, I've got still so many unread Snamiones on my reader that I hardly stray from them. XD

Still, there are a few I think are fascinating...

Severus/Sirius

Don't know if they are considered a rarepair but for me they fit the bill. ^^ I've actually written with them already but not really read much from other authors so I have a lot of feelings about these two idiots regarding my own plot (that I will at one point rewrite because I wasn't able to do it justice when I wrote it years ago). Occasionally, I am a fan of hate sex and while I don't really see that with Hermione and Severus, I can almost not picture Sirius and Severus anything different. They are the epitome of 'kill me or fuck me, there's no in between'. I love the fight for dominance and all the snarky and witty comebacks. I love how feral you can go with them. It's a ship best served rough. And if I like it a bit more palatable, I love to make them a threesome with Hermione (or a foursome with Hermione and therapy? ^^). She has a hard time keeping them from killing each other but she gets a pleasurable reward. :D

Severus/Filch

Similar to you, @danpuff-ao3, Delphi got me to love a ship that I will probably never write myself or read from anyone else but them. There's just no way anybody else could do it better. XD Filch is a rather unpleasurable character in canon since we only experience him through the students' eyes. But one has to wonder what kind of life he had and what's underneath all of that grumping and threatening. And who is a better way to explore that than Severus? I think they have a lot in common; if Severus were a Squib and lived amongst witches and wizards, I'm sure he would become even more like Filch than he already is. So it's intriguing (and quite hot) to put them in a culture dish, shake it a bit and see what happens - especially when Severus is still a student. It's not a ship I engage with often but I enjoy it every time I do.

Draco/Charlie

Never read or wrote anything with them, but @echoofawind put a bee in my bonnet when they mentioned it a while ago. 😂 The thing is: I don't like Draco. And I usually headcanon Charlie as being aro/ace and his life revolving solely around dragons. But I think I can make an exception with both when that exception is pairing Charlie with the only human dragon we get in the books. XD I don't know if I will ever have enough feelings for them to actually write about them but every now and then I think about what might happen on the sidelines of my Snamione plots in Romania. We don't know an awful lot about Charlie so there's a lot to discover there, and maybe he would be even able to make Draco a somewhat better person. That little shit could do good with falling in love with a bloke that he considers a blood traitor. And the ship promises a lot of denial and drama and I'm always down for that.

Neville/Draco

Same goes for these idiots. And I actually have written a longer story with them (it's not translated yet). My dislike of Draco wasn't always as strong as it is now (though I always preferred a more canon-compliant depiction of him and not the polished A+ student skilled smoothly perfect guy fanon often makes of him) and I have to admit, I had a lot of fun writing it. Neville and Draco are just funny as fuck! And that's all I need say about them. Except for maybe: the drama! Can you imagine Draco bringing Neville fucking Longbottom to present him to his parents? Or Neville bringing Draco fucking Malfoy to his gran? I ended my story before I got to that point of their relationship but tbh, sometimes I think about writing a sequel only for all of that drama. ^^

Lavender/Parvati

I never read a story solely about them but they are a background pairing in some of @morbidmuch's Snamiones and I always enjoyed the way they were portrayed. They are just sweet and wholesome and after sharing a dorm for seven years, I'm quite sure there isn't a lot that could get them to break up once they decide to be together. They just know each other, they've always been there for each other, and although I normally love the drama I sometimes enjoy some sweetness in between. ^^

Katie/Ron

Once again: Never read about them but they are a background pairing in one of my stories and will be in my current WIP. A lot of writers pair Ron with Lavender when they write Snamione but tbh, I don't think they would be happy in the long run. Ron never really was in love with Lavender and she deserves better than to be a number-two choice. So I thought about who else might fit Ron and eventually, I came up with Katie. She went through a lot in the war as well, all of that trouble with the necklace, being under the influence of Imperio, fighting with the DA... And she's a Quidditch player. I think she and Ron would have a lot in common and to talk about. They could be good for each other.

There are a lot more pairings that I like but neither of them are rarepairs. ^^ I'm surprisingly fine with a lot of the canon ships considering that Snamione is my OTP. Hinny is often a background pairing in my stories; I do love a good depiction of Romione (especially if it's a good depiction of how their relationship went wrong before she settles with Severus ^^); I have a soft spot for Remadora; Bill and Fleur are just a perfect match. But the above are some ships that I sometimes think about and if there will ever be a time when I've got enough of Snamione I might consider writing about them. ^^

[wildsupernova]

cupid’s chokehold. | steve harrington x fem!oc

summary: delphi walker’s world turned upside down when her brother was found dead. her entire life turned into a downward spiral into social suicide, from her mother’s self-destructive lifestyle and the steady loss of her best friend. when another boy goes missing a year later, she find herself caught in something far bigger than she ever knew, and she herself down a path to a brand new life.

cupid’s chokehold chapter master list

chapter word count: 2.8k

warnings: vulgar language, violence, descriptions of blood and injuries, alcohol/tobacco use, demeaning words towards women (ie slut, whore, etc), sexual content in future chapters

italics surrounded by ‘’ quotations are character narration

chapter one

*click*

‘I should preface this by stating one simple fact: Hawkins had always been a shitty place to live, even before all of the supernatural shit happened. The only difference was that it made things interesting.

‘Living in a place like Hawkins was like a slow suicide. Life or death could be determined by a price tag, and your position in the social hierarchy of the town was laid out for you since the moment you were born. Those who were lucky worked their way up through the social food chain, or, better yet, stayed out of it completely. Those of us who weren’t so lucky? One slip could send us tumbling down the rungs of the ladder in an instant.

‘My life at the top ended before it began. I was one of the unlucky ones, the ones who never even had the chance to get on the ladder. Life at Hawkins High was sink or swim, and my head was being pushed under water without a chance to breathe. Eventually, I gave up struggling and decided it was better to suffer in unpopularity than try to please people who wouldn’t hesitate to throw me under the bus the first chance they got.

‘Life has a funny way of throwing a wrench into your plans. Romance had been the last thing on my mind, especially with someone like Steve Harrington. We came from two different worlds, stood on two different islands a million miles apart. We were the last thing anyone in Hawkins would come to expect, and the first thing anyone at Hawkins High would come to loathe.

‘My life at the top began and ended with Steve Harrington. And his ended with me.’

⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⊲☾⊳⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯

‘It all started with the disappearance of Will Byers, and the town wide search to find him.’

There was nothing exceptional about the way the morning started. The buzzing of her bedside alarm clock barely pulled Delphi out of her sleep, causing a groan to fall from her lips as she rolled over on the bed to turn it off. While the temptation to simply roll over and go back to sleep remained the preferred way to start her day, she couldn’t afford another detention due to truancy, and another skip day would surely lead to a police visit. Begrudgingly, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, planting her feet on the ground with a grunt of displeasure.

Any other day and she’d make an effort to dress somewhat nice, but the hangover from last night’s pity party didn’t help her energy levels much. Searching through the piles of clothes that lay scattered across the expanse of the small bedroom, she tried to pick out the cleanest and least stained garments, which were few and far between. Her best option ended up being a loose pair of light wash denim jeans and a white t-shirt, dousing herself in perfume and air freshener in the hopes of hiding the alcohol smell that still lingered on her person.

A pair of boots and denim jacket was the last thing she added to the outfit before leaving the room and making her way down the stairs for breakfast. As usual, the cupboards were mostly bare, lined with only enough cereal and bread to get her through a couple more days. Even though she knew her mother probably wouldn’t read it, she scrawled a quick note and grocery list, leaving it on the kitchen counter.

A small bowl of cereal and another glass of whiskey drowned out the silence that had fallen over the house, the clacking sound of the bowl and spoon starting to become too much for her to take. Delphi dumped her uneaten breakfast down the sink and threw back the last bit of alcohol in her glass, deciding it best to leave her mother with whatever boytoy she’d decided to bring home last night and not bother with a goodbye or hello. All she did was grab her keys and bag and head out the door, slamming it shut with a loud bang.

‘My home life had never been good; absent fathers and alcohol made sure of that. For the longest time, my only escape had been school, but when high school became just as bad as home, life became a living nightmare.’

The walk from her car to the school was usually uneventful. The series of rules she followed helped avoid any unwanted confrontation; keep your head down, don’t push through any crowds, enter through the side door to avoid the cliques that hung out by the main entrance. It usually worked, but today Delphi didn’t have the same luck.

“Delphi!” She didn’t turn around at the sound of the voice, instead continuing to walk towards the school.

“Go away, Harrington.”

“Delphi, come on, I need to talk to you.”

“Really? After two years, all of a sudden you want to talk?” Delphi turned around this time, face setting itself into an angry scowl as she looked at the man in front of her.

“That’s why I want to talk to you. If you’ll just let me explain-“

“Explain? You had two years to explain, Steve. Two years to tell me why you ditched me with no warning to be part of the popular kids. I’m afraid your grace period for explanations ended a year ago.”

“Delphi, please-“

“No. I’m over playing games with you. Your reputation makes it very clear you have no interest in being friends with me anymore.”

“What’s going on here?” Two voices echoed through the air behind Delphi, eliciting a pained groan followed by the same annoyed smile that graced her face every time she spoke to the two people behind her

“Nothing. We were just talking.” Steve answered the question, hoping to diffuse the situation before it even started. Tommy and Carol only looked between the two, raising an eyebrow.

“Talking about what?”

“Nothing important. I was just leaving anyway.” Delphi offered Steve one last look, hoping he’d get the signal that she was in no mood to deal with him this morning. She shoulder checked Carol on her way towards the school, earning a scoff from her and a retort from Steve.

“Say hi to your mom for me, will yah?”

“Blow me, Harrington.”

The rest of the walk into school went by without a hitch. No unwanted interruptions by her tormentors, no unnecessary comments towards her. Just the same old uncomfortable stares she was given every morning when she walked in. She was able to catch up with Barb on her way inside, making small conversation with the girl before meeting up with Nancy by the front door.

‘Nancy had been the one who introduced me to Barb. Mike had been friends with my brother in elementary school, which inevitably led to a friendship between me and Nancy. I wouldn’t say we were as close as her and Barb were, but we hung out on occasion and stuck together most school days. When Nancy wasn’t around, Barb and I had each other, considering we were the types of people nobody particularly wanted to be around. Barb was strikingly average, and I was the one no girl wanted to be and no guy wanted to fuck, inevitably setting us so low on the social ladder we were practically buried underneath it. Turns out, Nancy had been one of the lucky ones.’

“So?” Barb nudged Nancy’s shoulder, earning a raised brow in return.

“So what?”

“She wants to know about your little fling with Mr. Perfect.” The disdain in Delphi’s voice was evident, even without the rolling of her eyes. Everyone knew that Steve Harrington and Delphi Walker hated each other, so when one was talking about the other it was usually negatively.

“There’s nothing to tell! He doesn’t like me in…that way.”

“Which way, romantic way or horny way? Because I’m pretty sure he likes every girl in a horny way.”

“Delphi!”

“What? I’m not wrong.”

“She has a point.” Barb leaned against the locker next to Nancy’s once the trio stopped, continuing to hold conversation while she grabbed her books. “Odds are he’s just trying to get into your pants.”

“All we did was make out a few times, it’s no big deal. Really.”

“No big deal, huh? Then how come he left this in your locker?” Delphi picked up a small, folded piece of paper that had fallen from the locker when Nancy opened it, holding it out to her between two fingers. Nancy merely gave her a look and unfolded it, flushing red before stuffing it away. “You better get going. Don’t want to leave Prince Charming waiting.”

“I’ll see you guys later.” Nancy shut her locker, turning to leave down the hallway.

“Don’t forget about us when you’re prom queen!” She just shook her head in response to Delphi’s call, turning around the corner and out of sight. Delphi’s smile dropped, trying hard not to show any emotion on her face.

“This isn’t gonna go well for her, is it?” Barb turned towards her, continuing to lean on the set of lockers.

“Probably not. It’s not Steve I’m worried about, though. He’ll do anything to save his reputation, so if Tommy and Carol don’t like her, he won’t hesitate to drop her faster than a dead rat.”

“What happened with you and Steve anyway? You used to be so close in middle school. You guys went to the 8th grade dance together, for God sakes.” Delphi tried to come up with a decent answer, words catching in her throat for a moment.

“We just…grew apart, I guess.”

“You don’t just hate someone when you grow apart.”

“You do with someone like Steve.”

‘I think that’s what hurt the most when everything started, losing someone you cared about as much as I cared about Steve. In middle school, sure, popularity was a factor, but it mattered so much less than it did in high school. Steve never cared who he was friends with, what girl he was talking to on any given day. We had been so close it was to the point of inseparable, as if we’d known each other all our lives. The one good thing high school taught me was that feelings don’t go away overnight. They stay there and they grow, like a virus or a plague. You let them sit for long enough and they mutate, and the next thing you know the boy you swore you loved since 6th grade became the one person you wished would crash and burn.’

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter. Hey, I have to get to class, but I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Yeah, see you, Delphi.”

The school day went by in the same, boring, slow motions it always did, leaving Delphi tired beyond belief by the end of the day. Hoping to avoid another confrontation like this morning, she left through the back doors of the school that fed out towards the middle school lot. The flashing of police lights from the parking lot caught her eyes, prompting her to walk to the fence in order to get a better look. She caught sight of Mike and his friends grabbing their bikes to leave for the day, but Will was nowhere to be found. She called out to the group, the three rushing over to her with bikes in tow.

“What’s going on, why are there cops at your school?”

“Will’s gone missing and nobody can find him. Apparently he never made it home when he left my house last night.” Mike was the one who answered, and the response he gave made her stomach flip and tie into knots. None of the boys seemed to notice, continuing rambling on.

“We’re gonna go out and look for him. Wanna come?” Dustin gave her what she called his ‘Award Winning Smile,’ calming her nerves only a small bit.

“No, I’m good, I should probably talk to Jonathan anyway. I’m sure he’s fine, but be careful, and do what the police say.”

“Sure thing, mom.” Lucas rolled his eyes at her and she hit him through the chain link of the fence, getting a laugh out of the other two.

“I mean it. You need anything, you know where to find me.”

That was the last thing she said before heading back to her car, trying to hold down the feeling of dread and pure and utter wrong that had now taken root in her gut.

‘In my entire time in Hawkins, only one kid had ever gone missing; my brother. They called it ‘The Case that Rocked a Small Town Community’ when in all reality nobody gave a shit. Jonathan, Nancy, and Barb had been the only ones who seemed to care, and I’d hoped and prayed none of them would have to go through what I went through. My brother’s disappearance was hard enough for me even when my brother and I hadn’t been particularly close, so I couldn’t imagine how Jonathan must be feeling. Will was his whole world, and to lose that is something I would never wish on anyone.’

Her hands shook as she drove home, trying desperately to keep her composure. She’d been trying to avoid thinking about her brother for over a year now, but it always seemed that something or someone loved to remind her. Whether it be the constant nightmares, anniversary headlines, the pictures on her living room walls, or torment from people like Tommy and Carol, there was always one thing or another that forced her to remember one of the worst days of her life.

She was happy to see her mother’s car out of the driveway when she arrived at home, hoping to avoid any conversation about her day or why she seemed down or why another bottle of hard liquor was missing from the cabinet. The first thing she did was call Jonathan, intending to provide some comfort or support. He picked up after the third ring, voice strained.

“Hey, I heard about what happened.”

“Delphi, you really don’t have to get involved in any of this. It can’t bring up good memories.”

“Nothing brings up good memories anymore, but you were there for me when everything happened last year. The least I could do is return the favor.”

“Thank you, Delphi. You’re one of the only ones.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“There’s, um, a volunteer search party tonight. They need as many people as possible.”

“I’ll see what I can do. You’ll find him Jonathan, I know you will.”

“Yeah, thanks.” He hung up the phone without a goodbye. Delphi sighed, slumping down in the dining room chair. She ran a hand over her face and through her hair, trying hard to keep her composure. It was about to be a shit show come school tomorrow, and she didn’t have the energy for any of it.

All she could do now was help look for Will and offer support in any way she could. Whether that be helping Jonathan and his family or keeping an eye on Mike and his friends, she had to do something, anything, to ensure that Will wouldn’t end up like her brother.

The search party was set to head out at sundown, so she still had a few hours until she had to leave. Intending to finish some homework, she locked herself in her room and put on whatever rock record her hands picked out of the box first, laying back on her bed and staring up at the ceiling. She closed her eyes for what seemed like only a second, but when she opened them again, the sky outside had turned a dark blue, with only a sliver of sunlight still visible. She hurried through the house and out to her car, switching on the ignition and making her way out of the small gated complex.

There were still a few minutes left until the search would begin and, considering Mike’s house was on the way, Delphi decided it may be best to stop in and check on how he was doing. Losing two friends in the span of a year would be hard for any kid, even though Mike hadn’t been as close with her brother as he was with Will. Mike’s mom had always said she was welcome to stop by and see him, and since he’d said they’d planned on helping find Will, maybe they’d help her and join the search party.

Her plans were shattered the minute she pulled up outside of the house, eyes following the silhouette of a figure dropping from the second story window into the bushes below. She continued to trace his movements as Steve ran from the bushes and back to his car, driving away without making a sound. She slammed her head onto the steering wheel, cursing herself mentally for still caring so much about avoiding him.

‘That night had been the beginning of my downfall. I guess that’s the good that came out of a supernatural monster snatching kids up on their way home; you begin to believe that anything is possible.’

[edogawa-division]

Kaoru's Thoughts on Kanazawa Division

Wataru Sasaki

“Oh, it's this guy. Fucker tried arresting me for drug possession which was false by the way. Okay, so how it happened was I was in Kanazawa with Yuriko and Kanra when Kanra wandered off so I'm in this random cafe trying to locate her. I’m tired as fuck so I order the strongest drink on the menu but it just wasn't strong enough for me. So I take out a container filled with powdered caffeine and just dump a spoonful in there. Now the problem with that is that it looks a lot like a certain illegal substance at first glance. So to the whole cafe, it looked like I had just dumped cocaine in my drink. One call to the police later and I find myself in an interrogation room being questioned by this guy. I don't like how this guy is treating me ya know so I tell him to test the shit before you start coming at me with your stupid questions. One test later and what do you know? It tests negative for cocaine and comes back just as caffeine. I’ll forever savor the look on Sasaki’s face when he was told that. If you think he had it bad with me you should’ve seen his face when he found out Kanra destroyed a weapons trafficking ring he was investigating. The man looked like he was seconds away from screaming. Hehehe.” 

Kyler Aaron

“Damn it the Feds are here. You hack into the U.S Pentagon and suddenly you're on the FBI’s wanted list. I’m not going to pretend that I’m a fan of intelligence agencies but the FBI? I've got a bone to pick with them. Back before Yuriko was sent after me the Feds sent out a team to either recruit me or dispose of me.” Kaoru paused taking a deep breath. “That team never made it back. I retaliated by sending out a virus that completely fried the FBI’s computer systems to hell and back. I warned them to try that shit again and I’ll show them the full force of Delphi’s wrath. Now that was before Kyler’s time so I can't really hold it against him. Besides he seems to be disobeying his orders of guarding the ambassador for his more personal mission. Perhaps I’ll do him a favor and look into that for him”  

Joey Kurusu

“Oh shit, it's Joey. Unlike the other two, I'm cool with him. I actually know him by his gaming handle Quicksilver just like he knows me by 8Cloud. We didn't actually meet in person until Sasaki dragged me to the police station. He came in to ask Sasaki a few questions and it took me a minute to realize where I heard his voice before. I was like “Quicksilver? Is that you?” He actually jumped up when I mentioned his gaming handle. He was so confused about how I knew him by that name until he recognized my voice. Sasaki was so annoyed when we started chatting in front of him like I wasn't suspected of carrying drugs. Eventually, the test came back that I was carrying caffeine not cocaine and I was let go. I stayed in the station to talk to Joey until Sasaki and Aaron brought Kanra in. That’s when I learned what she had done.” 

Justice Shield

“I guess after so many criminals entering the D.R.B eventually more law enforcers would enter as well. As for me besides Joey, I don't really care much for this team. However, their reason for entering the D.R.B has made me keep my eye out in case someone truly decides they're gonna strike at the tournament. If someone does try anything well let it never be said that Wicked Requiem plays nice.”

[stoicbreviary]

Sayings of Myson

We know very little about Myson of Chenae (6th century BC), for though he was reported to have been the son of a tyrant, he lived the life of a common farmer. It is unclear if his home town was in Laconia, Crete, or near Mount Oeta. 

Plato, at least, thought Myson a better fit than Periander as one of the Seven Sages, and Eudoxus includes him on the list instead of Cleobolus. 

Though I am sure there must be some out there, I have over the years never been able to find a single image of Myson, from any period. Perhaps the very idea of a noble character from a humble background was the very reason that Plato preferred him? 

We are quick to honor mighty kings, clever scholars, or eloquent poets, but we too easily forget the true source of human greatness, the inner qualities of the soul, which never require a grand setting. 

When Anacharsis, another of the candidates for the Seven Sages, asked the Oracle at Delphi if anyone was wiser than himself, the priestess gave him a very clear reply: 

Myson of Chen in Oeta; this is he  Who for wiseheartedness surpasseth thee. 

Just as Socrates later wished to discover what the Oracle meant about him, so Anacharsis figured he should seek out this Myson, and found him working on his plow. As this was in the middle of summer, Anacharsis was confused, and said to Myson: 

Myson, this is not the season for plowing! 

To which Myson replied: 

Yes, but it is the season to repair it. 

It just goes to show how the preparedness of a farmer can outwit the perceptions of a philosopher. 

It is said that Myson, like so many men of keen insight, had a streak of misanthropy to him, for he he knew the wickedness that could so easily arise among crowds. Myson was once observed laughing to himself, and when asked why he was doing so while standing completely alone, he explained: 

That is precisely the reason. 

There is only one other saying regularly attributed him, but it's a good one: 

We should not investigate facts by the light of arguments, but arguments by the light of facts; for the facts were not put together to fit the arguments, but the arguments to fit the facts. 

One can only wish that far more "thinkers" understood why the conclusions should never come before the premises. It would save us so much unnecessary grief. 

[ignorantsackofeyeballs]

I haven’t eaten anything but coffee and pigeon food for three days. My mum has never been happier. I just wanted to feel what you feel when you say that you forget to eat. I want to so desperately break this chasm between us. To go from a stranger to your confidant, your safety and your lover. I stare at the milk scum on my coffee like the Oracle of Delphi begging for way to unwind time, rewrite the past and divert the river of fate. To break the cycles we are both stuck in. I am no prince, I bare no sword or knife to cut through our chains. I wear no howlite. I am not patient or as kind as I need to be. I have pledged my soul to the gods of creation. I beg to Hephaestus and to Demeter that I can grow. That I can build something out of the scraps of nothing. I write fragments of poems, paragraphs, lists upon lists of questions on marbled meat from my heart. Texts, I would send if I knew they would mean anything to you. Oh woman I dream to love I still don’t know you. I’m terrified I will never see you after date number thirteen. Each time we meet up you look more and more like your’e bleeding out. Maybe, that's all I am… a knife wound on your time. Would you heal if I removed myself? Am I splinter stuck in your side. I don’t need you. I don’t need your love, I was happy enough before. Yet, all I crave is just a sliver of your affection but I am hopelessly frozen with fear that your touch will fracture me. I fear that I disgust you, that my touch will only hurt you. I am begging myself just to trust you but I have never trusted anyone. I could barely trust you at date three and I’ve never felt more unsure than I do right now. Oh Eros, Oh Sappho teach me how to love? Sweet mother, I cannot weave - slender Aphrodite has overcome me with longing for a girl.