#our shared blorbo emet-selch

[tallbluelady]

14. — bitter (for the one word writing prompts, please!)

"You know adding milk or cream will reduce the bitterness of the coffee, darling," Minthe said as Hades took a sip.

"I like it black." His face scrunched up after he took another.

She rolled her eyes. "If you say so..."

Thanks for the prompt!

[tallbluelady]

2023 GPose wrapped! With features from Kitali (@lilbittymonster) and Daedalus (@azure-dragonsinger)

[tallbluelady]

3. Breathing in your partner's scent while hugging them

After another day at the Acadaemia Hades was more sure that he was on the correct path. Today in the Words of Emet-Selch, they each connected to the Underworld to test their aptitude to it. And Hades had felt the boundless ocean of aether flow within him and through him and he felt alive. It felt far too soon when they ended the exercise and Hades returned to his almost insignificant self.

But after such an experience he also felt very tired. He stumbled into the apartment and found Minthe rushing to him. 

"Darling, are you alright?" she asked, cupping his face and looking in his eyes.

"I'm fine. More than fine. I'm just tired."

"What did you do today? You're never this tired after Acadaemia."

"We reached into the aether of Underworld, Minthe. I've never felt so alive." Hades picked her up in a hug and twirled her. "I'm on the right path for the Star, I know it."

"Oh, Hades, that's wonderful! I think your aether is saying otherwise, but I'm glad you've found your passion." Minthe kissed his cheek and they remained close.

He kissed her lips and cheek - the taste and smell of grassy herbs clung to her skin - but felt himself too diminished to match her replies.

"Let's get you to bed, darling."

Thanks for the prompt!

[tallbluelady]

an exploratory kiss, testing the waters between them

How sweet I roamed, or, rather, used to roam; once I was the perfect child of meadows of summer, but then the year turned, the light clarified and I saw the gaunt Erl-King, tall as a tree with birds in its branches, and he drew me towards him on his magic lasso of inhuman music.

Angela Carter, The Erl-King.

[tallbluelady]

Has your OC had to unlearn any cultural or societal messages about love and relationships as they have got older? Was this difficult for them?

Like, IDK how socially monogamous Amaurot was, but I do think that Minthe and Hades would have been better served if they didn't this expectation of one true loves and such. They simply cannot give each other everything they need in a partner. I think they were getting close to having a stable relationship in a polyamorous sense before the Final Days. But, uh, yannow. The death of the Star and how to prevent it drove them farther apart.

Thanks for the ask!

[tallbluelady]

OoO how's about "why can't I come with you ?"

"Oh, Elpis... it's been a minute since I've been there," Minthe said wistfully. "I can't believe I used to hate going."

"You're not coming," Hades snapped. Then he sighed, remembering what Hythlodaeus had told him. He changed his tone as he continued, "Fandaniel requested a modicum of secrecy as we interview the candidate."  

"Is that why you're taking Hythlodaeus with you then?" She was sprinkling herbs evenly across the bread dough. 

"Yes, in fact. Multiple Convocation members would cause a stir. Even in your case, enough people would assume it was about another Convocation member returning to the Star."

"Meanwhile, you and Hythlodaeus could just be taking a scenic little vacation." Minthe rolled the dough in a tight spiral. "He could even show you all the pretty little picnic spots dotted across the way."

Hades paused. "Is it truly that idyllic?"

Minthe nodded. "It is. Hermes' predecessors figured that if it was going to be so far from Amaurot, it may as well be a resort of sorts."

"And what does Hermes figure?"

She hummed, wiping the flour from her hands. "I can't say I know. He's not wont to have others review his creations. Which... I can't say I like."

"Maybe he's just skilled enough in conceptual creation to not need review."

"One man's skill does not absolve him of his biases."

Hades tilted his head at that. Minthe rarely sounded as serious as she was now. "Have you met him before?"

"Once. I had managed to peak at a concept he had made on a visit to Elpis. It... Hades, it looked like it would dissipate to the faintest breeze. Poor thing wouldn't survive 20 fulms without a minder, let alone on Etheirys proper."

"People make familiars to merely comfort themselves all the time. You've created private concepts to soothe yourself. Maybe Hermes just wanted something nice to look at while he worked."

"I sincerely hope that's the case. I shudder to think of something like that encountering the wider world as unprepared as it looked."

Thanks for the prompt!

[tallbluelady]

🖊 for Aoife 🥰

Aoife, oh Aoife. The only Minthe shard to trust Emet-Selch after an initial interaction. I do have to wonder if he tells her his name is Hades. With how close they get, and how he sees her as a bit of a rerun of his and Minthe's relationship, I think he'd actually prefer if she did call him Hades. In private only, of course. She does call him darling more often than not, which ultimately serves his nostalgia more.

Thanks for the ask!