#you already do things that fall within their domains

[ghost-1-y]

Covenant

True Form!Sukuna x AFAB!Sorcerer!Reader

Content Warnings: (too many to count) MDNI, dark content, explicit sexual content, dubcon, sadomasochism, master/slave dynamics, reader binds herself to him as his slave in exchange for her life, penetrative sex, unprotected sex, double penetration (Sukuna has two cocks), oral sex (m! and f! receiving), throat fucking, lots of manhandling, HEAVY degradation (Sukuna is MEAN), humiliation, spanking as punishment, Sukuna does not care about reader’s pleasure, multiple creampies, lots of hair pulling, dacryphilia, reader does experience pain during this encounter (and Sukuna doesn’t care); mentions of reader going through sexual training, mentions of reader becoming a concubine, please read with caution, MINORS AND AGELESS BLOGS DO NOT INTERACT!!!

Summary: Having been one of the sorcerers of the Heian Era to attempt to eradicate the King of Curses from the face of the earth, you were the least bit surprised to find yourself awaiting death within Sukuna’s domain. What you didn’t expect was that the Disgraced One had other plans awaiting you, to which you selfishly conceded if it meant you were allowed to live yet another day.

Word Count: ~3k

Divider Credit: @/benkeibear

A/N: so…I’m not a fan of Sukuna (*cough* manga *cough*) so I made him pretty fucking mean in this (because lets be real, he would not treat you nicely, you’re lucky if he doesn’t k!ll you) HOWEVER True Form!Sukuna got me feeling some type of way (unfortunately I’m a little bit delulu and tend to think with my pussy). So please heed the content warnings in this, and please read with caution. 

Paralysis.

That’s what it felt like, an immovable body in the presence of someone’s indomitable will. It was a fearsome thing to behold – the vast difference in abilities between you and your opponent. Your mind, however, raced – memories of the life you lived beginning to dwindle in awe of the destruction that would wreck your body in the next coming moments, until slowly it became nothing but a darkness which was inescapable, with only thoughts of blood splatter and broken bones crushed under the weight of your own foolishness.

“Domain Expansion—” the monster before you uttered, a smirk on his face so vile that your muscles rebelled and brought you down to your knees, nerves igniting across your body in waves as you imagined the pain of death tearing you apart. He hadn’t even touched you yet, and you already felt the effects of your life being strewn into mere threads as he stood across from you.

“—Malevolent Shrine.”

A simple pattern of hand movements, really, yet its raw power was so extreme that it brought about what was considered to be the pinnacle of jujutsu. If your mind weren’t already broken from fear, you may have marveled at the intricacies of the domain. A Buddhist shrine, which was surrounded by animal skulls and, at the center, an open maw of teeth and tongue which was erected behind the Disgraced One. A glance around yourself, and you’d realize that your surroundings had barely changed – other than the obvious death which awaited you as your body knelt in defeat, but you did wonder if the blood which soaked the floor beneath the King of Curses was a bath of yours which had yet to be spilled.

You closed your eyes, awaiting a death so horrific that you hoped it would end quickly. Yet, as you waited, instead of feeling your body torn apart, you heard the footsteps of the monster walking towards you.

“You humans are pathetic,” it laughed, “thinking you stood even the slightest chance of defeating someone as powerful as I.”

You were shaking, unable to look up at him as he got close enough to touch you.

“However, an insect such as yourself seems to have some intelligence, you at least know not to look at me whilst I grace your presence.” The monster grabbed your hair, balling it up in his fist and forcing your head up. “Maybe you have some potential,” he mused, before throwing you back to the ground, causing you to fall on your side.

“Are– are you gonna kill me?” you asked stupidly, but the fear consuming your soul made you want this to be over with, to seek the sweet release that death would bring compared to being in such a malicious presence.

Sukuna chuckled, “good job, insect,” he mocked, “of course I will, I was just…interested in something is all.”

Your ears perked up, and a semblance of logic returned to you – your survival instincts kicking in after the sheer panic of being faced with death started to subside. You kept your head low, not wanting to upset him and lower your chances of escape – although really, you deemed it pretty much impossible in your current circumstances.

“Please, I’ll– I’ll do anything, I– I promise! If– if you just let me live, please–” you exclaimed, your words sounding like a broken record as you spoke. He threw his head back, a maniacal laugh escaping his throat.

“I love when you humans beg. It’s so sweet seeing your dignity, your morals, everything slowly dissipate as you plead for your lives, all replaced by pure cowardice.” 

“Please–”

He suddenly appeared before you, eyes boring into your soul, causing you to flinch while averting his gaze – “and what makes you think I should grant such a wish?”

His voice was cold, but, as he gazed at you more, eyes raking over your body, his demeanor shifted.

“You’re disgraceful,” he started, “perhaps I could put some use to that.”

You opened your eyes, but didn’t dare look up. Your neck started to ache from the angle you forced it into. Sukuna started walking back to where the shrine had been erected, before he turned and sat upon the maw that took up the inside of it. He performed a “come hither” motion with two of his fingers, and spoke.

“Stand up, insect, and come to me,” he smirked.

You did exactly as you were told, eyes trained on the ground as you stood up and stepped forward, only stopping by the time you reached the steps of the shrine.

“Kneel.”

You fell to your knees, and he grinned.

“I was right. You are disgraceful. You’d do anything to survive, like a goddamn cockroach,” he spat. Your face flushed in shame as you listened to his words, your hands shaking as you bowed before him.

“But, you amuse me,” he considered, “so, if you’ll do anything like you said, then you will become my slave. You’ll do everything for me– you’ll cook my food, feed me, clothe me, bathe me,” he continued, before an even more malicious thought came to his head, “and you’ll let me use you however I want.”

Your muscles tensed, but you nodded, breath shaky as you uttered an “okay”. Sukuna stood up and walked towards you.

“Then we will initiate a binding vow, in exchange for me not being allowed to kill you, you will become my slave and do everything aforementioned – all for my sake,” Sukuna proposed, “do you understand this set of conditions?”

You nodded, and accepted the conditions. Pitiful, you thought, but if it meant he couldn’t kill you, then it was worth it.

Right?

“Then gaze upon your Master, pet,” he commanded.

You raised your head to look at him, and, now that your anxiety had settled slightly with the threat of death no longer looming over you, you had a chance to fully take in his form. 

He was tall, and not in the sense of how humans are tall – fully standing, you imagined he reached just over three meters, and his build filled in his height extremely well, with his broad shoulders and toned chest exposed as the top of his kimono fell around his waist. Yet, what caught your attention was his arms – four of them which all boasted muscle and markings that matched the rest of him, with veiny hands and nails sharpened like claws.

He smirked as you looked at him, chuckling as your eyes focused on his torso, where a second mouth lay, the tongue of which stuck out in full view. You averted your eyes, blushing at the images that came to your head upon seeing such an anomaly.

“Oh? Does this slave already look fondly upon its Master? Have you no shame left at all?” he mocked, before completely discarding his kimono and fundoshi, completely exposing himself in front of you, before taking a step forward.

“I told you to gaze upon me, slave. Do as you’re told.” His voice was firm, and, not wishing to disobey him, you looked upon him once more, only for your jaw to drop at his…endowment.

He had two cocks.

One was above the other, and both were huge and fully erect. You’d guess that they spanned a length of nearly ten inches each, and were leaking copious amounts of precum from each tip.

“Prove your eagerness to serve me, pet,” he commanded, walking towards you so his cocks were hovering above your face. You stood up, having to be at full height to reach his hips, and hesitantly wrapped your hand around his lower cock, before realizing that you couldn’t wrap a single hand around him and have your fingers touch. You took your other hand and wrapped it around his second cock, before slowly stroking them along each of their lengths, lubing them up with his precum. His muscles tensed at your touch, but showed no other reaction. You licked carefully at the head of the first one, both hands stroking in cadence with each other, squeezing carefully as you became bold enough to suck the bulbous head of his cock.

“Good pet, you seem to know how to serve others well,” he grunted, crossing two of his arms before one of his free hands reached down to grab your hair, forcing you to take more of his cock as you stroked the other at a quickened pace. He moved your head along his length until you were gagging and coughing, “what’s wrong, slut? Can’t fit this cock inside that whorish mouth of yours? You’re more useless than I initially thought.” He pulled you off of him so you could breathe before putting his cock inside your mouth once more, forcing your head to bob back and forth along the length of his dick.

“Don’t worry, pet, I’ll train you nice and good so you’ll be able to suck my cocks properly.” 

You whined, the vibrations traveling along his dick, causing him to tense once more. 

“Yeah? Knew you’d fuckin’ like that, slut.”

You stayed like that for what seemed to be hours, with only the sounds of your mouth and his grunts filling the room, until he finally pulled you off of him. Two of his arms then grabbed you by the waist and turned you upside down, bending you at your hips so your legs wrapped around his torso, placing your cunt right above the large tongue that stuck out from his abdomen, holding you in place so your head was in line with his other cock – waiting for you to give it the same treatment as the first one. 

“Don’t be mistaken, pet, this is purely for my pleasure. I don’t give a fuck if you cum or not, understood?” he spat.

“Yes, Master,” you whimpered, and he licked a broad stripe up your pussy, the flat of his tongue easily engulfing the entire area between your thighs, causing you to moan out his title. He ignored your clit, instead deciding to lap up the juices weeping out of your needy cunt. You shuddered as you took one of his cocks in your hand, collecting the precum that seeped out from its tip and using it as lubricant as you stroked along his thick length, and again licked along the slit of it before taking the head in your mouth. Using your other hand, you brought both of his cocks together in your grip, pulling off of the first one with a lewd pop before tracing your tongue along both of the tips, earning a groan from him.

His tongue bullied itself into your tight pussy, stretching it beyond what you thought you’d be able to take, pushing it against your walls and curling it into that one sensitive area inside your cunt. His saliva mixed with your own sweetness as he slurped and sucked at your heat, his grunts sending vibrations up to your clit, causing you to moan. You alternated between his two cocks, taking one dick in your mouth and sucking at its head before moving to the other – both equally thick and heavy as you settled them into your mouth. You tried going deeper, but ended up gagging before even half of his length passed through your lips. Without any warning, Sukuna let out a low growl as his cum released into your mouth and spurted all over your face, leaving you a complete mess as he took you by the leg and dropped you onto the ground. 

Thinking you were done, you got up on your knees and bowed to him once more, expecting some form of dismissal for the time being until he called upon you again.

Instead, he pulled you up once more by the hair, causing you to wince in pain.

“What makes you think we’re done here, pet? Surely you don’t think that one round is enough to deplete me of stamina, do you really think so little of your own Master?” he sneered, causing you to shiver as you reminded yourself that he can’t kill you, that it’s okay. 

But then, he placed you onto his large lap so that you were on all fours while atop him, and took one of his hands to grip your jaw, while a second grabbed a fistful of your hair and pulled your head back, using his grip to open your jaw. He glared down at you before spitting into your open mouth, not caring that it landed on your lips as well.

Smack!

You jolted forward, the shock of the impact on your ass surprising you more than anything else, but then he landed another blow, and another, having fully wound his hand back before landing each spank on your now reddened asscheeks. Tears formed in your eyes, the pain too much for you to handle.

Smack!

Smack!

Smack!

“How pathetic, unable to handle the punishment I give you. I’m not even trying to hurt you, y’know, you’re just that weak, pet.” He emphasized his point with one last spank before rubbing his hand over each of your asscheeks, causing you to whine at how raw your skin felt underneath his roughened palms. 

“Now, are you going to be a good slut for your Master? Or am I going to have to punish you further?” he threatened, and you shook your head, tears streaming down your cheeks.

“I’ll– I’ll be good, Master, p-promise!” you stuttered.

Sukuna grunted in response, and took you by the hips and forced you off of his lap, turning you so that you were facing away from him. He hunched over you, his incredibly large frame engulfing yours as he rubbed his cocks up against your small, weeping pussy. Your heart rate quickened, not sure you’d be able to take the size of them both at the same time.

But, it seemed as though Sukuna was feeling merciful, and started by only shoving one of them into your hot cunt, sinking balls deep as he forced himself fully into you, not waiting for you to adapt to his size. His second cock found itself brushing against your clit, giving you small sparks of pleasure that offset the pain just enough for you to tolerate him. His thrusts were fast and harsh, pounding into you as though you were no more than a fucktoy for him to use.

Your breath caught in your throat, eyes rolling back as he gripped your hair with one of his arms and pulled it back towards him. Two more hands were gripping your hips as his cock slammed into you, with his other cock roughly sliding against your clit. You let out a moan, prompting him to use his fourth hand to cover your mouth, muffling the sounds that gurgled in your throat.

“Did I ever give you permission to make noise like that?” he asked, his grip on your hair tightening. You tried shaking your head, tears falling from your eyes as he continued pounding into you. “I didn’t, so be a good slave and keep your whore mouth quiet.”

He thrust harder into you, his cock twitching and throbbing inside your gushing cunt. With one final thrust, his cum exploded inside of you, filling you up until it leaked out of your abused pussy, triggering your own accidental orgasm as you writhed underneath his intimidating form.

“Such a fucking whore, cumming all because I filled you up. You’re like a bitch in fucking heat, a needy little fucktoy,” he growled, emphasizing his words with harsh thrusts into your messy cunt. He lined up his second cock, the head of it pushing against your already-filled pussy.

“Such a whore cunt should be able to take both of these at the same time, right?” he smirked, and you let out a muffled scream as he pressed his second cock into your tight hole, this time giving you a second to deal with the pain shooting through your lower abdomen, the stretch being way too much for your poor cunt to properly accommodate him.

“Shit– so fucking tight, can’t even push my cock all the way in. Gonna have to train you to take ‘em, slut – gonna become the perfect little concubine for me, aren’t ya?” He growled, emphasizing his words by thrusting his cocks deep into your pussy. You whined into his hand as you took the abuse he dealt to your pussy, the stretch nearly unbearable between the push and pull of his cocks, the sting of the each drag against your walls eventually melting into pleasure the more he fucked into you. 

He landed one last smack on your ass, which would’ve caused you to fall over had he not been gripping your hips so tightly, and, without warning, another orgasm ripped from you. You screamed into his hand, eyes rolling back as you were consumed by the sudden onset of pleasure which started in your gut and spread through your veins like wildfire. Your thighs shook, and with one last thrust into your poor cunt, he spilled his seed into your womb – his cock throbbing as ropes of his cum painted your walls white.

“Fuck–” he groaned, “maybe you do have a use, hm?”

You couldn’t respond, the aftershocks of your orgasm too much for you to adequately think, much less provide a reply.

“Don’t make me regret this, slave.” His grip on your hair tightened. “Don’t make me regret not killing you.”

His hand finally let go from being clasped around your mouth, and the rest of his hands softened their grip on you. You collapsed on the floor before him as he released his domain expansion, reveling in the sweet taste of life upon your tongue and in your soul as his cum leaked out of you. 

“Yes…yes, Master…promise you won’ regret it,” you babbled, reaching your hand in between your legs to push his cum back inside of you, not wanting to waste a single drop of your Master’s gift to you. You were happy that he was gracious enough to use your pussy as a cum receptacle – deeming you worthy enough to take his precious seed.

That was your only purpose now, after all.

Taglist: @k-a-t-h-r-i-n-a, @wow-im-gay, @peanutpunchy, @love-me-satoru, @perfect-again, @pastelbluecloudy3, @dinosaur-crime-scene, @llearlert, @thisbicc, @gojoscumslut, @everyonesfinaldestination, @leehoonii-i, @kyojurismo, @crazycatlddy, @briefrebelfanalmond, @izuoyarmin, @ahashiraswife, @d1gitalbathh, @homo-homini-lupus-est-1701

(if your name is crossed out, it means tumblr didn't allow me to tag you - apologies for the inconvenience)

Thank you for reading!

[foodiegoogie]

wonder what's in the cards for us?

james potter x ex!reader ✮ 1.7k

summary: you live in james’ mind, rent-free, even after all these years.

cw/tags: gn!reader (no use of y/n), lovers (mentioned) to exes to (???), muggle!au, modern!au, (sorta???) angst... w/ an ending (wink wonk), and as u can probably already tell, this is from james' pov :>

note: now i also didnt know what i was doing with this one even more than the other james fic i just wrote 😭 but thats fine, ive managed to churn it out at least! so to whoever comes across this, well.. i hope you give it a chance 🫶 bcoz james is a very lovesick puppy here despite the angsty vibe LOL and also, this is yet again based on another niki song called, "facebook friends" 😋 ENJOYY !

( ♡ )

Amidst a desk full of open textbooks filled with dog-eared pages, highlighted phrases, and color-coordinated tabs lies a laptop—also opened, the screen glaring brightly within the dark confines of James Potter’s dorm room, with multiple tabs open on a browser; they consist of articles, research domains, and the like.

In front of this laptop is James Potter himself, staring right at the screen with a sullen look on his face. He has his headphones on (most likely listening to a song matching his mood), his forearms are placed onto the desk, and his chin is resting on them. It was easy to say that James was currently not having the time of his life trying to study for finals.

But then again, he was also currently not studying for finals despite being surrounded by his textbooks, along with the multiple tabs opened on his computer. No, he was staring right at an open Facebook tab, eyes darting over every single aspect of a specific profile as his fingers swiped up and down on the touchpad, scrolling through the profile.

He’s inherently aware that he should be studying, of course. Like many other college students think, the finals season was a force to be reckoned with, and it was absolutely critical that every spare time spent is for studying for the examinations. But as far as James was also aware of—he couldn’t sit still and be laser-focused on doing godforsaken tasks such as studying for his finals.

And so, here he was, scrolling mindlessly on your Facebook profile. Because, really, he tends to get into a sentimental mood whenever he studies. It’s either he’s looking at a photo album and reminiscing memories, grabbing random things displayed around his room and thinking about what they meant to him, or, you know, scrolling mindlessly on Facebook because that’s where his past connection with you is immortalized.

He doesn’t quite know how it all started—for one thing, he remembers being a highschool heartthrob, girls and boys alike falling at his feet. And if he was feeling particularly spunky, he’d entertain a few pretty birds or two. All the while, they had never meant anything to him other than an ego boost or just a mere distraction (which, he admittedly thinks now, made him a dick).

But amongst all of these flings, James remembers one differently than the others. He remembers you—you and your smile, your laugh, your ability to make him feel like he’s on top of the world, your ability to suddenly make everything good in the world only ten times better. He remembers absolutely everything about you. Both the good, and the bad.

He never tries to think of the bad, but even as he reminisces on the good times he’s had with you, it makes him feel just as sad as when he thinks of the bad times. So it’s a never-ending struggle against keeping you close in his memories whilst also being aware that it wasn’t right, it wasn’t healthy for him. Only fools have attachment issues with their highschool ex that they carry on to their college life.

Perhaps that was why it had all gone downhill for the both of you, he thought. As a young teenage boy capable of attracting attention from left and right, and regularly switching between person to person, he couldn’t handle ‘serious.’ He’d selfishly wanted you all to himself, but without the limits of commitment. Meanwhile, you wanted ‘serious.’ You wanted commitment. James was scared because he was unfamiliar with it all.

So naturally, you had drifted apart, never again boarding on the seesaw of your ‘relationship’ with each other. The one that bordered on the line between friends and lovers.

And in a petty attempt to ‘get back at you’ and forget about you wholly, James strived to disconnect you from across all his social media accounts, erasing any and every semblance of a connection between the two of you.

Well, all except Facebook.

It’s a guilty pleasure for him, checking on your Facebook profile every now and then. And each time, it comes to his surprise that he’s still even able to view your profile freely, as you hadn’t made the move to unfriend him like he expected you to. He feels lucky that he’s still able to keep up with your life despite not having to be in it anymore. But then again, you had always been kind back then; it’s one of the many other reasons why he still loves you, really.

But oh, how he wishes he was still in it.

James would never admit it aloud to anyone that even after all this time, he’s still not over you. Yet, at the same time, he doesn’t want to be over you. You were the next best thing to something he didn’t even know he was looking for at the time. He had underestimated how much of an impact your presence had made on him, regardless of how brief it was.

He misses you, so to speak.

It’s a pretty shitty feeling, to miss someone he can’t really see anymore, nor talk to or reach out to.

On some days, it’s easy to bear. College keeps him busy, his friends keep him entertained, and he’s been going out on a few dates, too - trying to find someone better than you so he can finally subdue the lingering feelings in his heart, and end this endless cycle of longing and waiting and loving.

And most nights, he’s able to sleep peacefully with dreams of a distant fantasy where he’s managed to finally find someone new, someone better. Someone else who could give him what you took back.

But on the other days and nights, James faces the harsh truths that there was simply no one better than you, and that a part of him will always long for you back in his life, right where you belonged.

And so, as he scrolls through your Facebook profile, and sees glimpses into your life nowadays, he can’t help but miss you more than he already does, unknowingly and unforgivably. Of course, he’s highly aware that shamelessly stalking you every now and then was incredibly creepy of him, yet, he can’t help it. He’s silently relieved by the fact that there appears to be no sign of you in a relationship at the moment, almost selfishly thinking, maybe I have a chance.

But he knows it’s a far stretch, knows that whatever the both of you had with each other was a thing of the past now; nothing but a fleeting memory. And now that he’s a little older and wiser than he was when he met you, James has resigned himself to the fact that he may never be with you again in the way he wants to.

He’s not afraid of ‘serious’ anymore, nor is he afraid of commitment, and he no longer blames it on his unfamiliarity with them either. Now, he wants it too.

But as always, he was late to realize it. And at the same time, you were no longer there to wait for him to.

And so, as James continues to pine after you even after all this time, he’s foolishly hoping that the two of you would cross paths again; get to know each other again, get to know him again now that he’s managed to grow into a better version of himself. He wishes that you’d met this version of him first, because maybe then, you would have stayed together.

But of course, as the harsh reality of things would have it, James is more than happy to just stay friends with you on Facebook. He’ll keep you close in his memories while silently hoping for a chance to try again. To try it all with you again.

Suddenly, he feels the desk shake from beneath him, a vibrating sensation that pulls him out of his thoughts of you. It comes from his phone, which now shows a wacky selfie of Sirius, indicating a call from him.

James stares at it for a few seconds, debating on whether he should answer his friend’s call despite the likely reason that it’s just another one of Sirius’ jests or drunk calls, or maybe even a butt dial. But he decides to welcome the distraction eventually, placing his headphones around his neck as he moved to grab the phone, pressing it to his ear.

“Hello—”

“OPEN THE BLOODY DOOR, YOU MORON! I’VE BEEN KNOCKING FOR THE PAST TEN MINUTES HERE!”

James nearly jolts out of his seat as he pulls the phone away from his ear by Sirius’ yelling. He has half a mind to yell back at him and explain that he was ‘in the middle of something,’ which led to his not noticing his friends’ knocking.

But he doesn’t find the energy to do it no matter how annoying Sirius was being. So, he sighs.

James hears the banging on his door now, and the yelling comes again from both outside his door, and the speakers on his phone. It forms an echo of Sirius’ voice demanding that he be let in, and it gives James a headache.

He calls out, “I’m coming!” in an annoyed voice, rushing to close the open tab of your Facebook profile on his laptop so he could finally open the door for his friend.

What James doesn’t notice though is that during the process of closing the tab, he’d managed to accidentally leave a like on one of your old posts. He never visits your profile again after letting Sirius come in and hang around his dorm for the remainder of the day. Thus, imagine his surprise the next day, as he opens the Facebook tab again, finding a message waiting for him, and from you.

hi james :) how are you doing?

And just like that, the inhibitions that had once held him back from indulging in his desires to try another chance with you are completely shed as James hastily typed out his response.

( ♡ )

surprise! it's an open ending ;) thanks for reading the whole thing <333 and as always, likes, replies, and reblogs are very much appreciated :] lmk what u thought abt this!!! <3

[danwhobrowses]

I've kept myself contained and (mostly) quiet as I consumed all of Downfall - knowing that each part would alter my previous perspectives and assumptions - but man, there is so much to discuss. Finally it's time to talk about it!

Spoilers for all 3 Parts of Downfall below

The TLDR of this essay is that it was awesome and it has both unraveled so much context while enshrouding so much more lore in mystery. The long answer is long so stock up on cake - but not Brennan's cake, he's very protective of it - or something to keep the energy up.

Let's start at the beginning: Tengar. What a start that was! The destruction of Tengar really does reframe the Gods from the get-go. They were lights, they were refugees, they watched the destruction of their home and the loss of their family just as mortals would in life, war, and Calamity - but in a place where those things had only just come into being. It poses many questions too; were they what the Luxon scattered themselves into? Is Dunamis the remnants of Tengar? Was Predathos - assuming that the 'fruit' was Predathos - a purposeful creation or one that got out of hand? We knew of two gods that it ate but there was more (Unless Predathos is Edun? It's definitely a theory). The prologue shows how the Gods ended up being forced into shape, how their traumas limited their possibility as they careened towards proto-Exandria. There's a parallel to be made with the Lights' response to escaping Tengar's destruction and several PCs', especially Bells Hells who are able or attempting to rise above their pre-defined traumas and unhealthy coping mechanisms, development and growth - compared to the gods who found themselves stuck in place: doomed to play the role and domain they became shaped into. It also makes me wonder about the Founding, Creation, and the Schism itself; did the Primes start creation in order to keep an essence of home (all the divine trees planted across Exandria could be parallel to the Orchard)? What are each Betrayer's views on mortals? Asmodeus and Lolth clearly have disdain for them, but Asmodeus hurts mortals with a 'jealously kicking down your siblings' legos' vibe whereas Lolth likes to make mortals look as ugly as she already sees them. In cooldowns it was mentioned that had Melora been willing to walk away from Exandria she might've been a Betrayer, so I wonder if all Betrayers are simply mortal-hating or some are just willing to just leave mortals behind? I remain super curious over what the Primordials' side of the story is too; asking Rau'shan and Ka'mort should be considered eventually, given how they have knowledge and experience with sealing Predathos, but how did they see the events leading to the Schism; was there a deal that was broken? Did the Primordials hate mortals? Were they aware of Tengar before the Founding? Did they aid the gods in adjusting to their fixed forms and domains? And did they treat them like children like the gods treat mortals? What in history is lies and what in history is lecture?

Then of course there's the mission itself, which commits to its title in many areas; the Downfall of a civilization and culture within Aeor, the Downfall of (more) Wizard hubris with the Factorum, the Downfall of splinter factions trying to end the war by thinking they're doing what the gods want, and the Downfall of the Primes' infallible reputation as their armies and followers felt abandoned by them, no longer willing to accept the 'I am the parent, you are the child' justification. In the end only the Betrayers succeeded because the city falls and mortals died, but they don't succeed enough because they didn't get the Factorum - and the Primes still cared enough for mortals to try and save them - and thus the Calamity resumes, which I suppose is another Downfall: they were once family and wanted to be family again, but the truce wasn't real. The Betrayers were planning to use the Factorum to win the war (perhaps the two who didn't show had a change of heart?), they wanted to go where the Primes would not because, at that moment, winning and being right was more important than family.

The characters to nobody's surprise are all fantastic; Ashley's Trist (Saranrae) and Noshir's Emissary (Proxy of Erathis) had my heart in a winch for all three episodes, reminding me of it every so often with a big squeeze of emotions. Laura's Emhira (Matron of Ravens), Taliesin's Asha (Wildmother), Abubakar's SILAHA (Corellon) and Nick's Ayden (Dawnfather) all flourished as their characters too, alongside Brennan's variety of NPCs both as mortal gods and Aeorians. I loved Trist's boundless compassion and her constant struggle with having to do something cruel to many for the sake of saving the people she loved, as well as being forced to choose between her mortal family and her infinite ones, I loved how Asha was prickly and cutthroat as Nature can be in desolation but also not without her own regrets, longings and her gradual softening towards the Emissary, I loved how Ayden was an embodiment of the Dawnfather's purest hope and desire to protect people - contained in the body of a teenage boy, I loved how SILAHA loved Aeor's culture and people so much that he couldn't even be angry at the archmages using their gift to build a weapon that could destroy them, I loved that Emhira played cold and detached in an effort to bond with her siblings but found that her connection to them shone greater in the more human moments, and I loved the Emissary's innocence, how with so few words you had an earnest encapsulation of what he was thinking or feeling, and how in death the deep bass became a childlike lightness when meeting the Matron in her domain. The short arcs each of these characters undergo was amazing to see and the combat the more they became divine was insane - like seriously Trist hit 500 damage from a Guiding Bolt! And Ayden's Sunburst killed 3 Dragons and more AT THE SAME TIME! And btw throughout all 3 parts the dialogue has been outstanding, good grief! You could make a small book of all the amazing, thought-provoking, and downright emotional quotes packed in these three episodes. These are true tour de force players, guided by Brennan painting a gallery of scenes as if he was speaking at the Globe Theatre.

I like that the Factorum Malleus is pretty blatantly an allegory to a Nuclear Warhead. With the problem being that dropping a nuke will only beget the sobering conclusion that it can be done again, by others too - much like the Ritual of Seeding: once you make god bleed, everyone will try to cut them. The Factorum should not exist just as Nuclear Weapons should not exist, and that plays a part in the horror of seeing Cassida present it to Trist as if it was a gift to win the war rather than a tool to kill her family, just as Oppenheimer saw the bomb as a means to end all wars until he realised after that it was just a new escalation to warfare.

We also found room for important non-God NPCs, mainly the tragic success and failure of two Aeorian Archmages: Selena Erenves and Cassida Previn. Both display acts of humanity which end tragically; Cassida fell into faith to save her son and was given the chance to try and erase the knowledge of the Factorum so that people could survive, but her good intentions was prey to Asmodeus' cruelty and she was tortured and killed for information that, had he maintained the Arcadia guise, would've been handed over willingly, then on the other side there's Selena, who accepted death and consequences before attempting to activate the Factorum while also successfully spreading the knowledge of its construction to every wizard in Aeor, effectively forcing the Primes into having to destroy the city, only to be embraced by Corellon, forgiven, spared, and left to live with her actions. It's ironic that Cassida was punished for her humility while Selena was spared for her hubris, and the only real reason for their fate is which god they were stood before at that moment. The celestials Garathran and Acastriel were solid obstacles for Brennan to flex his dialogue of embitterment and demonstrate humanity in characters deemed otherworldly but not so much human, Garathran's suicide was very visceral even if them killing themselves in front of the Death Goddess was dumb, and Emhira and Ayden both using themselves to shield a blow from Acastriel was great symbolism to pay off their arc of bonding as siblings. They and the Archmages also acted as a harsh reality for the gods that their 'children' don't want to be coddled anymore, they've grown enough to want to understand, and have at least a voice on the table. On the lighter side of NPCs, Slitch was a lot of fun, I hope he managed to survive - maybe ascending with the Matron since Emhira did willingly relinquish her mortal form rather than it being destroyed in the crash - and still serves the Matron somehow, he's just a funny lil' guy. Brennan playing as children is always gonna be heartwrenching too, but the Everchildren Haylie and Topher were both sweet and also so brave; they have their mother's courage, as well as her divine spark.

For the mortal god NPCs Brennan rightfully didn't have Arcadia (Ioun), Zaharzht (Torog), Umleta (Lolth) or Tishar (Grummsh) outshine the main cast, often guiding the story along or cracking wise with them, but that could not be helped when it came to Milo Cowst. Brennan's Asmodeus is spectacular, absolutely untouchable, and when I say that I mean every time he does something I want to punch his smirking shit-eating face so hard that my hand appears on the other side of his head, because fuck that guy! The continual torment he does not just to mortals but to his own family is just some absolute peak villainy; he conspired with the celestials to entrap Ioun and was willing to sacrifice her, his own sister, to get what he wants. He as Arcadia tried to convince Trist to go after her family, telling her 'I love you' just as Imri did before heading into the fire, knowing KNOWING that he was luring her away from Cassida - one of the few followers she had left - to try and run away with the knowledge of the Factorum, and then donning Trist's husband's shape while he revelled in getting Cassida to allegedly renounce her before eviscerating her at his feet for Trist to find, all this while he had already sent his forces to murder all the refugees in Hawk's Hill - targeting Trist's mortal family especially while this all happens - I hate him so much. As a side note, it's interesting how Brennan and Matt establish two different Major God villains in the world: Brennan's Asmodeus and Matt's Tharizdun. It's not a bad thing to have two godly villains, I shudder to think what would happen if they worked together (at least before the inevitable power struggle), especially since their villainy is in two different departments: Asmodeus is a villain to beings while Tharizdun is more a villain to the Material Plane, you could also relate that to Predathos who uses both of their methods in their own way. Since Tharizdun doesn't get as much in-person appearances atm Brennan's Asmodeus does truly feel like the absolute villain of everything right now, but Matt does have way more time than Brennan does to get his godly villain across.

The three episodes each had a unique flavour to them; Part 1 was very much about establishing the dynamics and setting the scene: Aeor in its militarized dystopian state and the characters as mortal avatars of a pantheon of siblings and lovers, refugee lights of Tengar, in a truce. Part 2 however flaunted the positives, negatives, and defiance of mortality; the Ars Elysia was wild as it was beautiful, SILAHA's monologue with Emhira was engrossing, and the episode excelled in showing the weight of knowing how many innocent, faithful and/or good people there were, paired with the horror of knowing how many lost faith in the Gods there also was, and the lengths both the devout and the undevout would go because of the Calamity's toll on them. And then Part 3 ramps up the tragedy to like 15: the dystopia dystopes again, the destruction destroys, and the disaster disasts, and we reach the boiling point of conflict for an episode that was a mammoth SIX AND A HALF HOURS! The visual of the gods slowly being forced to break from their mortal shells to keep fighting their creations, and each other, to different ends showed the physical and mental toll the mission had done to them, Ayden rapidly aging the more his divinity courses through him and Trist continually trying to hold onto mortality if but for a single second longer, and reaching a point of no return: a choice between sacrificing, at that point, one unknown god to potentially find a way to spare the rest of Aeor - as they had desired to do - or save their entrapped sibling - having already lost so many to Predathos and the Matron having replaced another - but doom all of its people by not stopping Selena's Wish, which she believed would be a victory rather than a damning of her city. Heartbreak after heartbreak, sacrifice after sacrifice, and betrayal after betrayal, but even in the dark and desperation there was still a faint measure of hope; a mother seeking to erase the scrolls to save not just her son but all families in her home, Primes seeking only to destroy a weapon and as the city falls offering acts of compassion where they could, and a Slingshot firing a Sending Stone across the sea like a shooting star so that a mother could protect her children one last time. It is the fact that the hope still existed that makes it a tragedy: it could have been prevented, but because of the way mortals are, and because of the way the gods are, it couldn't end that way. By Part 2 I was intrigued by the fact that the idea of the Divine Gate had started to take shape this early, the Calamity after all would last another century, but it was a greater surprise learning that by the end of Part 3 Aeor wasn't the start of the conversation but the conversation, the last straw. Everything leading up to the Divergence was the Primes attempting to corral their siblings - and the Chained Oblivion - so they could lock themselves away from their second home forever, for the sake what they had built, which was chronologically the final layer to the tragedy. The theme that will complete the trinity of tragedies would be the theme of sacrifice. The Emissary was Erathis' sacrificial lamb, how biblical it was that she sent her 'son' knowing that he would die because she was unable to defy her laws nor bear to watch her lover come to harm, just as biblical is how Pelor sent the best and most hopeful qualities of himself to try and help people, Asha sacrificed her mortal form to embrace Zaharzht even when he hooked and clawed her form away, SILAHA sacrificed saving Aeor like he wanted in order to save Ioun, and then all the Primes resolve to sacrifice their presence in order to protect what was left of what they made. The theme of sacrifice will be compared with the weight of whether it was worth it, but it's not something you can say was justified either way, Downfall doesn't feel like it should be about sides; it was always a Trolley Problem, it is a current fey-absorbing, war-criming, land-sundering elf mage who is trying to make it about sides.

On that note, we must wonder how Bells Hells feel about watching all this. I did like many others think about their reactions throughout; did Imogen think of her mother when watching Trist and Cassida? Did Orym relate to Asha given how stretched thin and pining for Erathis she was? Did Ashton perhaps relate to Trist a little having also felt broken and powerless, kept going by the support of their family? I know we joke about Braius probably having to be silenced for cheering and hollering for Asmodeus but did he really agree with all that? And will Fearne now worry about seeing Asmodeus' true nature, which she should (call them lawyers Dorian!), given how she has unwittingly (and I maintain that it was not said to be a pact, Fearne clearly didn't know it was one and Nanna Mori, who is versed in pacts, called it an 'invitation to trade') bound her soul to him for Dominox's dusty wikipedia page - which is more a redirect to a 2-line section in 'List of Demons Unaccounted for Since the Calamity' - that yielded less info than a Speak with the Dead spell with an Aeorian corpse did. Outside of individual thoughts, I wonder if the Hells collectively related to other events the Gods underwent; the loss and lack of a home, tension caused by one of them thinking they knew better, the constant attack of their sense of morality by others? Ayden's character may invoke an interesting pause - since the Dawnfather has been pretty cold and unkind to the Hells, mainly Team Trauma, and Deanna lately - I wonder if they acknowledge or soften towards this new light (pun not intended but welcomed)? I know he didn't show and wasn't gonna but I also wonder if the Hells kept looking to see if FCG was there, if only to get another glimpse of their fallen friend, or if any of them managed to spot FRIDA - who while we know is canonically present wasn't explicitly mentioned either.

I must admit though I'm in the camp of 'what does this achieve for Ludinus?' because Matt said in the Cooldown that there was parts that proved him right but honestly I don't see it. History knows that the Gods united to drop Aeor, but if anything the footage makes most of the Gods more sympathetic, even to the god-adverse Hells. Showing how they have been just as messed up, traumatized and conflicted as they are as they tried to limit the loss but in the end get put in a crossroads where they choose their family, without discarding or disavowing their creations because of it, isn't gonna endear them to Ludinus' already ill-thought plan. Honestly the only Prime Deity that seemed overly brutal was the Stormlord and like, why would you even try to use Control Weather in a storm made by a Weather God? In interviews Taliesin has mentioned that Ashton has conflicted thoughts on the humanizing of the Gods, though again I don't think it's in the way Ludinus expects - I anticipate that it's more of an 'it was easier to hate them when they were all-powerful, all-arrogant entities that ignored our prayers' kinda thing, having sympathy for someone they had grown accustomed to disliking - so I wonder if other members of the Hells have conflicted feelings and whether it smooths over their aversion or whether their resolve remains the same. I'm not saying they will, but imagine if the Hells decide to be more open to allying more with some of the gods because of this? Seeking the temple in Aeor to converse with them and get on the same page. They all seem pretty respectful towards the Matron already, but perhaps some focus on Corellon - if only to see if he rebuilt the Ars Elysia elsewhere for a post-Ruidus rager XD - and Ioun would be an interesting route; the Knowing Mistress would have answers for those seeking history and information, and the Arch Heart could have answers in curious and divine magics. In addition, imagine if the Everlight gains more followers through the Hells? She helped revive Laudna through Pike so the Hells shouldn't really have any negative feelings towards her, honestly I just think she deserves more followers after seeing all of this. Plus if they could get some of that Divine Prowess (Vitality and Potency at the least) for the final fight we could be in for some blockbuster and creative damage feats! Again, I don't see it as likely, but it's a thought. We could also entertain learning more about the non-god characters that survived; did the blood of the Everchildren continue to this day - there are theories they're tied to the Clay family? What did Selena do post-Aeor? Is Cassida's body still in a protective shield? These are questions fans would want answered that isn't 'was the silver dragon's name Bolo?'.

One has to wonder too if this presentation framed as validation for the atrocities he's committed just shows how divorced from reality Deludinus is. Was the point that 'they're family so they'll choose to save each other over entire cities'? Because many mortals would do the same in their position, the Hells themselves have inferred at times that they would prioritize each other over everyone else. You know what's not a way to avoid that dilemma? Unleashing a god-eating entity the gods even at the height of their power are afraid of! Because of this, Ludinus is painted as someone blind to the fact that it's his machinations that are trying to push the world into an even worse and bloodier Calamity than what he endured as a child, with him weakening the measures put in place to avoid such a thing rather than preventing it. Also he is almost like the Primes in that the people he's allied with secretly seek to remove him from the equation, though I think he's just arrogant enough to believe he can handle them. On the topic of whether Ludinus is Hallis Previn - spared by the Matron after having been healed by the Everlight - I'm not sure, it is possible but I don't think he needs to be Hallis, in fact it would probably be more interesting if he wasn't - since you'd have to jump through a fair amount of hoops to even begin explaining his motives and mindset.

But now we have to ask a question: what do we do now? The mission was to take down Ludinus, and we could still achieve that given how it's 10v1; but Orym isn't in the best of shape health-wise, the Toothy Maw and Dominox fights did cause a lot of the group's slots to be used up and Ludinus only really used 2 spells (Gate and Counterspell) since being encountered, deluded he may be but weak he is not. Laudna's haunting will permanently track him anyway and if he shows this to the world it'll likely emit similar results we and the Hells are having; some faiths may be shaken sure but others may be more supportive of the Gods. Right now there's no real reason not to show this footage. I suppose we could kill him and show the footage anyway - I mean it doesn't need to be shown by him explicitly - before handing it to Vassalheim or the Cobalt Soul's archive, honestly I would live for it if the first thing Bells Hells did after seeing the footage was Orym or Ashton just calmly walking up to Ludinus and decking him in the face, but the encounter in Aeor does feel designed for either Ludinus or the group to escape rather than fight to the death. Between the two, it would favour more for the Hells to stay; Aeor still feels barely scraped for them and Essek, who hasn't given Ashton any tangible answers about Dunamancy that he couldn't have gotten from a book yet - plus wild magic is rife within Aeor heck a beacon could be here, won't have much reason to stick with the Hells if they leave. If they don't use Essek's 'emergency escape' measure he's hinted at there could be something devised to let the group linger here a bit more such as finding the temple, the Ars Elysia, or another special room simply to explore more of Aeor - freeing the Stasis bubbles may not be the smartest or merciful option right now, given that all wizards within know how to make the Factorum. In terms of Ludinus, it'd be good to kill him now from a mission standpoint because he's the head honcho and the Hells need a big, convincing W to kinda make up for Otohan (which was more Matt's fault for rolling so high), but if we eliminate too many Exandrian enemies like Ludinus, providing that Liliana won't 180 again with him gone...which is a possibility, the endgame battle can risk turning into a more ugly Exandria vs Ruidus conflict rather than Life vs Predathos. So perhaps Ludinus should simply escape this time and we'll save the next major enemy to kill for Zathuda or one of the Five Imperium leaders.

Overall, and this won't be the last time we'll have to say it because some people have short memories and impulsive reactions, this is a prime example towards why we need to let CR cook. Yes, C3 has been scattered a bit, but this plot is a worldwide threat, which means you must show that it affects the whole world: this is a convergence of storylines from all 3 campaigns AND spinoffs, everything has its place and while we can be irked about the timing of things what we get is still pretty awesome. Just like the CK intermission, Downfall was an incredibly intricate and well-performed piece of narrative important to the main plot which honestly, as much as I still miss the Hells, could've gone an episode longer. Where we go next becomes further interesting because we have a greater grasp on the lore and characters of the gods, and it opens the door for more lore - such as what Corellon's strand of hair he left behind is - and context to be discovered in later episodes in this and/or later campaigns.

[tagthescullion]

I feel like Hades/Pluto only falls in love rarely, so even before the oath he always had less demigod children than the others (and even now that the oath is gone he won't have any more for a good long while) but when he does, he loves deeply.

Hades stayed with Maria long enough to have two kids with her, and he didn't leave in between like Zeus did with Beryl after Thalia was born. I read somewhere that he stayed with the di Angelos until Nico was a toddler; I don't remember if it's canon or not but if it is I think it fits. I assume he helped them get to America because travel overseas, especially to an enemy country, was, well, difficult to put it mildly (especially considering Bianca and Nico presumably couldn't go by either sky or sea). He personally warned Maria, and from the sound of it that was not the first time they were having a similar conversation. He offered to shelter her and their children in the Underworld, to build her an entire palace. He was so devastated by her death that he cursed the Oracle. More than fifty years later he was still grieving her so much that he sent armies of monsters to get Thalia in revenge for Zeus killing Maria. He had Bianca and Nico dipped in the Lethe, sent to the Lotus Hotel, sent Alecto to get them out of the hotel, got them into school with presumably all the Mist and paperwork forgery that entailed (although then left them to their own devices, instead of sending them to camp or something). Any other god would have stopped caring so much about their welfare once they were in the Lotus Hotel, and possibly before that.

As for Pluto, Hazel never met him until she was thirteen, but it seems that Marie didn't want him around anyway (in fairness, she might not have wanted him around BECAUSE he'd left her and Hazel, I don't know which came first). But when Hazel was born he was "so pleased and proud" that he offered Marie literally any wish it was within his power to grant, and even though he knew what she asked for would only bring trouble he gave it to her anyway. He had apparently had the Levesques under his protection all this time, which I think is why Hazel never mentions ever seeing a monster during her childhood, even though you'd think a child of one of the Big Three would be a major target. He personally came to ask Marie not to go to Alaska, instead of sending a minion, but did not force her not to go. He gave Hazel a birthday present of pencils and drawing paper - which means he already knew she liked drawing, so he'd clearly been keeping an eye on her. He intentionally turns a blind eye to Hazel's resurrection, despite it literally going against his entire domain and everything he stands for as the Lord of the Dead.

the thing about hades/pluto is that (always speaking of the pjo version ofc) he does love his children. hazel, bianca, nico. he has shitty ways of expressing things, undoubtedly, but he seems to be much more into what they do, where they are, and if they're okay! he protects them even unknown to them

did hades love maria di angelo? 100%, nobody would doubt that. when he's talking to her about taking them to the underworld or the casino, she's very comfortable, they're both very mushy, the kids are not paying attention (they would be if hades being there was such an uncommon event), clearly he's been around --if not as a family, then enough that the novelty of his presence has long worn off--

did pluto love marie levesque? idk. she summoned him somehow, not really looking for him in particular, but eh, you get what you get. he clearly has been following hazel's life, but his relationship with marie doesn't look as if it was ever loving. it's even implied marie only wanted him bc he looked "fancy" and she wanted to be rich, and a "queen", did pluto love her anyway in return?

[shanastoryteller]

Hi, I'm a huge fan of your Gods and Monsters series but I had a question: have you already written the piece where Aphrodite and Hephaestus fall in love? Bc I could have sworn there was one about that, but I Cannot find it so now I'm wondering if that's one of the things that isn't written/posted yet. No pressure either way, I just wanted to check!

Aphrodite is named the goddess of love and beauty by Hera, the queen of the gods herself, and is given a gleaming throne of pristine ivory in the pantheon.

Aphrodite is named the goddess of love, and many take that as an invitation.

She understands quickly that Hera has not only dictated her domain, but also offered Aphrodite her protection, however oblique. Hera’s power on her tempers greedy hands and greedy eyes, making them ask for what in other circumstances they might simply take, and she resents that it’s something she should be grateful for.

The sea that bore her isn’t even an option anymore. She feels Poseidon’s gaze on her like a snail crawling across her skin, leaving oozing evidence of all the places it’s been. She thinks that her mother would help her, but she does not know.

Amphitrite made her and left her and sent her to the pantheon, full of danger that she does not understand.

She’s known the sea and the sky but worries about venturing from Mount Olympus, where distance from Hera’s influence might embolden some of her suitors.

She is a daughter of Zeus and Amphitrite. Power comes to her as easily as breathing, but she has no wish to test that power against gods with far more experience than she.

Hestia’s fire is always warm and soft and no one dares approach her while she’s in its light. Aphrodite forces herself to stay in the oppressive heat far past the point of comfort, staying closer to the flame than anyone besides the hearth goddess herself.

“So you’re who everyone is talking about.”

She startles, turning, and is first faced with a broad, tanned chest, then lifts her gaze further to look into a face with dark amber eyes and hair as long as her own. There’s blood splatter along his neck and unease curls within her stomach.

“I can’t stay,” he continues, looking her over. She appreciates that he doesn’t linger too long in certain areas and looks her in the eye after. It’s a low bar, perhaps, but many fail to clear it. “You impressed my mother, which isn’t easy.”

“Lord Ares,” she greets. Hera only has one child – well, two, but only one that ever ventures onto Olympus.

She should have guessed sooner. He looks so much like Zeus, except for Hera’s eyes clear in his face.

He waves dismissively. “None of that. We’re equals, aren’t we?”

Not really. The beloved child of the king and queen of the gods, the god of war, someone who does not even sweat in the heat of Hestia’s flame. And her.

“I suppose,” she answers. “How can I help you, Ares?”

“I just wanted to talk,” he says. “Rumor has it that you haven’t left Olympus. You may be a goddess of the pantheon on my mother’s word, but you have to cultivate worshippers just the same. They know you, but they do not what you will do.”

Neither does she.

“Can I go with you?” she asks impulsively.

It’s a stupid request. If Ares wants to overpower her, he will, and there won’t be anything she can do about it.

But he’s Hera’s son. That has to mean something.

“A battlefield isn’t a place for love,” he says, which isn’t a refusal.

“Of course it is,” she says, taken aback. “Otherwise what are they fighting for?”

Ares stares at her for a long moment. She refuses to do anything besides meet his gaze.

Finally, he says, “I can’t tell if you’re naïve or I’m cynical.”

“Love starts wars, but it ends them too,” she says. Maybe she is naïve, when she’s never even met a mortal herself, but with power over a domain comes knowledge of it too. “If not for love, why do men so desperately want peace?”

“Love means peace then?” he asks.

There is something heavy in that question, something she doesn’t understand, and it causes her to hesitate. But in the end she says, “Yes,” because it’s the only answer that can be true and she wants to be truthful to someone.

Ares holds her gaze then says, “You can come with me, if you want. It won’t be pretty.”

“Then perhaps they can use a goddess of beauty,” she says, excitement pulling her lips into a grin.

He shakes his head, but offers her his hand, and she takes it.

~

Under Ares’s protection, she feels as if she can finally breathe.

Aphrodite doesn’t know if Ares is aware that he is protecting her, since it’s less something he does and more something that is achieved through him existing, but she doubts the son of Hera is a dull man. That doesn’t seem like the sort of thing that the queen would tolerate.

Gods and nymphs and other manner of creatures still approach her, but all it takes is for her to hurry back to Ares’s side for them to abandon their pursuit. She’s not sure if it’s his parentage, his domain, or just the striking figure he makes on the battlefield, but they don’t follow her when she goes to him.

But she is not always with him.

Athena corners her on the city path. Aphrodite meets the goddess’s grey eyed gaze squarely. “You’re causing too much trouble.”

She’d seemed nice when Aphrodite first met her in the pantheon, but after Hera gifted her her domain, that kindness hasn’t resurfaced. She doesn’t take it personally, although she does wonder at its absence.

Athena, like Aphrodite, is a daughter of Zeus that has escaped Hera’s wrath through the virtue of being motherless.

Aphrodite is not motherless, precisely, but no one can know of her connection to Amphitrite, and it’s not like her mother stuck around long after bringing her into this world anyway.

“Ares said he doesn’t mind,” she says.

“Of course he doesn’t,” she sneers, looking her up and down derisively. “Everyone is talking about you and pursing you and nothing else is getting done.”

She draws her shoulders back. “That’s not my fault.”

Athena shrugs, not willing to say it is outright but clearly comfortable with implying it.

“What do you want me to do about it?” she asks, and knows it’s a mistake as soon as it leaves her mouth.

Athena doesn’t miss a beat. “Put everyone out of their misery and get married. They’ll cool off and get back to work if you’re ineligible, even if only in name.”

She’s not a goddess of loyalty, but the implication still stings. She’s been going through all this effort to avoid either bedding or offending everyone, after all. “I can’t just marry someone.”

“Why not? Hera will probably even officiate it, considering the interest she’s taken in you,” she says.

Before Aphrodite can respond, Ares appears at her side, slipping out of air as easily as taking a step. He’s covered in viscera and for a moment she puzzles over his newly red hair before realizing it’s soaked in blood. She doesn’t even want to know how that happened.

“Hello Athena,” he says brightly. “It’s so rare to see you outside of a library, we should really catch up-”

She disappears mid eyeroll.

Ares grins. “What did you do to her?”

“Thank you,” she says first, then, “I have no idea. She’s so angry. Is she not well liked in the pantheon?”

He shrugs. “Depends what you mean by liked. She makes a lot of enemies, but she’s not that bad. She gets frustrated a lot because she thinks she’s smarter than everyone around her.”

“Is she?” Aphrodite asks.

“Usually, yeah,” he looks around then bends down to whisper in her ear, careful to angle his filthy body away from her, “Hestia says that when she sprung from Father’s head, she took all his intelligence with her. Mom says that’s giving him too much credit.”

She laughs before she can think not to, then claps her hand over her mouth, as if Zeus is standing around the corner ready to smite her for mocking him. He is the king of the gods. Maybe he is always watching.

“It’s alright,” he says warmly, “just don’t repeat it where he can hear it. Or Athena. She’d throw a fit at the implication that her intelligence is anything but her own.”

If she ever decides to invite trouble rather than avoiding it, that seems like an excellent way to do it. “Are you okay? That looks messy.”

“Battle’s won, for now,” he says casually, rolling back his shoulders and wincing at the motion. “I’ve got some time before another one calls me there. I could use a good soak. Want to meet my brother?”

“Which one?” she asks even though she already know the answer. Of all his siblings, Ares claims only one of them.

“You don’t have to play dumb when we’re alone,” he says, which is suitably stunning that when he holds out his filthy hand, she doesn’t think to clean it before taking it. She hadn’t thought he’d noticed. “Come on.”

There’s the strange rushing sensation of being pulled along rather than moving herself. They’re in someplace dark, compared to the outside, and it takes her several seconds to adjust to the low lighting.

Everything glitters.

There’s shining metal twisted into exquisite shapes and liquid gold dripping like fondue and even the walls themselves shimmer in the light of the magma, the mica flickering silver.

There is a man with deep, dark skin and narrowed amber eyes. He has broad shoulders and a tapered waist and as her gaze drops even further, she sees the golden legs supporting him below the knee, as delicate and beautiful as all strange things scattered around his workshop.

“I hope that’s not yours,” the man says.

He has a nice voice. It’s low and yet it almost echoes around them. It takes her a moment to process what he’s said, and her confusion lasts only until Ares’s lips twist into a not quite smile and he replies, “It never is,” and she realizes he’s talking about the blood and worse covering Ares.

She wonders at her place here, what to do or how to act around this man surrounded by beautiful things who doesn’t even look at her.

Ares pulls his hair from its braid and blood splatters on the floor. “I’m going for a dip. This is Aphrodite. Be nice. Aphrodite, this is my brother, Hephaestus.”

“Goddess,” Hephaestus murmurs, inclining his head.

She returns the gesture, trying to untangle the strange frown and the look in his eye. It’s not like Athena’s anger but it doesn’t exactly seem friendly either. She’s still pondering it when Ares’s words catch up with her. “Take a dip where? There’s no-”

She turns to see Ares slipping into a vat of lava, fully clothed. The blood and dirt and everything else is burned away, along with every stitch of clothing he’d been wearing. He tilts his head back into the magma to give his hair the same scouring treatment.

“Water,” she finishes faintly.

“It never gets any less disconcerting,” Hephaestus says. The strange tone is gone and when she turns back to him, he’s smiling.

He has a nice smile.

“What are you making?” she asks. “Are you the god of creation?”

She’s said the wrong thing again and she’s aware of it as soon as his amusement dims. She desperately wants to take it back, to say something different, but it’s too late. “I am the god of nothing.”

“People pray to you,” she says. “I have seen them.”

Her temples are all still being constructed but several of his already exist.

“Mortals pray to lots of things,” he answers, going back to tinkering. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

“Yet,” she says. He survived being thrown from Olympus and being raised in the underworld and now he makes things he still hasn’t told her about. “When they pray to you, what do they pray for?”

“Same thing they pray to every god for,” he answers. She doesn’t say anything and he sighs. “It’s not exciting. Hotter ovens. Faster chariots. Sharper spears. My brother’s a better candidate for that one.”

Aphrodite turns to Ares, but finds him curled against the edge of the crevice, the lava lapping at his shoulders as he sleeps with his head tipped back.

“Heat always knocks him out. Hestia used to hold him as she sat it front of her fire.”

This time she knows it’s the wrong thing to say before she says it, but she can’t stop herself from asking, “How do you know? I thought that you didn’t come to Olympus.”

“Didn’t,” he echoes, “is a soft way to put it, when it’s can’t.”

Even nymphs sneak their way up the mountain. A god with temples, even a minor one, should be able to walk freely across Olympus. Then again, Hera insured he wouldn’t walk freely anywhere.

Or tried to. His shimmering gold calves are in defiance to that.

He clears his throat then says, “She told me. Ares badgered me into setting up a hearth in the center of the volcano, even though arguably the whole thing is a hearth, but,” he pauses. “She visits it, sometimes.”

Aphrodite is impressed. “I thought she never left her own hearth.”

“Any hearth is her hearth,” he says, shrugging.

He’s sidestepping her, but she’s brought up enough sensitive topics for now. “What are you making?”

“Nothing useful,” he says ruefully, looking around his workshop. “If I wanted to get more followers, I’d focus on making things people can use. A lot of these are godly tools – only we can use them effectively.”

“Will you show me?” she insists. “They’re beautiful.”

His lips part, his dark eyes catching hers, and there’s a breathless moment where neither of them move. Then he turns and says, “Sure, come with me,” and she follows behind him, watching the smooth gait of his handcrafted legs.

~

Next time she’s on Olympus, she goes to Hera to ask her advice.

Aphrodite is currently under both her and her son’s protection. This isn’t a decision it’s politically smart of her to make on her own.

She waits until Zeus has left. His absence tends to put Hera in a foul mood, considering what he’s likely to be doing out of her sight, but it’s worth that to make sure that they’re not overheard. Aphrodite doesn’t think that any advice Zeus gives will be in her self interest.

Hera’s might not be either, but so far whatever she’s doing for her own self interest has been beneficial to Aphrodite, and that’s enough for her.

She bows and offers her a bouquet of lilies that she’d picked herself, each one a bright orange reddish hue and perfectly in bloom. Hera reaches out to touch a petal, but pulls back and says, “Weave them into my hair while we speak.”

Aphrodite can’t help herself from being touched. Hera always does her own hair, not even allowing her servants to touch it. She delicately combs out Hera’s curls, giving her hair waves to match the curve of the lilies’ petals. Aphrodite tells her what Athena said to her, then waits.

“She’s right,” Hera says. “As the goddess of love and beauty, you’re inherently desirable. Until you make your own desires known, others can decide what they are, and decide that they qualify. Marriage at least sets your standards.”

Aphrodite frowns. “So you think I should marry?”

She shrugs. “Gods like to pretend that beauty is cheap and love is something bought.” Suddenly, Hera’s appointment of her domain makes a little more sense. “But if that were true, they wouldn’t be pursuing you so ardently. Marriage won’t change that. What it does is give you a tool that you can use.”

“That’s not very romantic,” she says, put out.

Hera laughs, tossing her head with the motion, and Aphrodite has to pull back to keep from crushing the flowers. “Is that what you value?”

“Yes,” she answers, but it comes out more like a question.

“Then that’s what you should marry for – romance. Apollo will likely come ahead on that scale.” She moves back in place so Aphrodite can continue. “There is a reason that as the goddess of marriage, love does not fall within my domain. Marriage is about getting what you want. Some want love, or beauty, and so that’s what they marry for. Other for money, for power, for protection. Decide what it is that you want and then marry the person who can give it to you. That’s why your marriage will be a deterrent to others. It will tell them what you value.”

Hera did not marry for love. Aphrodite doesn’t need to be a goddess of it to know that. “Do you think I should marry your son?”

Ares is the most obvious answer. She’s spent the most time with him, and he’s kind to her, and he protects her. He’s not especially romantic, but he cares for her. No one else pursuing her knows her enough to care for her.

“If he’ll give you what you want,” she says. Aphrodite finishes affixing the last lily to her hair, and she turns to face her, her amber eyes bright with an emotion Aphrodite can’t name. “Choose your spouse. We’ll hold the wedding on Olympus and I’ll marry you myself. No one will question it after that.”

“Thank you, Queen Hera,” she says.

When Hera walks away, it’s with fire weaved into her hair.  

~

Ares is silent for a long time when Aphrodite tells him that she’s looking to marry. She thinks he’s about to offer, and the ball of dread in her stomach is both surprising and informative. She loves Ares. She does not want to marry him.

This is an inopportune time for her to realize that.

“If we were to marry, would I find peace?” he asks. “Everything is so loud sometimes.”

Her heart clenches. In this moment she hates for the first time. Zeus did this to Ares and that makes Zeus her enemy.

“When you find love, you will find peace,” she says, placing her hands on his shoulders. “I can’t be your peace. If that’s what I was, you would know by now. But when you do find that person, that loudness will fade.”

There’s a pressure around them and centered in her head, giving her a searing headache, and then it’s gone and its only Ares’s hands on her elbows that keep her upright as she staggers, suddenly exhausted.

 “Your first blessing,” Ares says, smiling as she blinks up at him, dazed. “Thank you.”

“I didn’t know I could do that,” she says fuzzily.

He laughs. “You’re a goddess of the pantheon. There’s very little you can’t do. You’ll discover that in time.”

She thinks he’s trying to be comforting, but the idea that her abilities are beyond her own knowledge is terrifying. There’s a reason most gods have to earn their domains rather than be assigned them.

The problem is if not Ares, then who? It would be easier to narrow her options if she knew what she wanted, like Hera told her to do, but she doesn’t. She wants people to leave her alone. She wants to learn how to be a proper goddess. She wants to claw Ares away from Zeus’s grasp with her bare hands.

None of that is anything a husband can give her.

“Say that you’re willing to be courted and see what they offer,” Ares says. “Maybe you’ll know what you want when you see it.”

“But what if I don’t want any of it?” she asks. “Then I have to choose someone I don’t want.”

He hums, then says, “I’ll ask for your hand too, and offer more than anyone else. Then, if you don’t find someone you like, you can just pick me and we won’t marry. Mom will understand if I tell her.”

The thought of getting on Hera’s bad side is chilling, but if anyone can soothe her temper, it’s her son, so she agrees.

The news travels quickly, gods from all over climbing up to Olympus’s peak to ask for her. It’s spread to the point that she thinks some of them that are here don’t even want her, that it’s just a big show about what they’re able to offer. Which, of course, makes her choice even more difficult.

Ares, Apollo, and Hermes offer her the most, of course. They’re gods of the pantheon and have more influence and power at their disposal. But the minor gods still make a good show of it, stepping forward to off her castles and servants and land, nymphs even offering to grow a her a living manor from the forest and perfectly plump fruit every day of her life.

In one way or another, they all off her protection, luxury, and beauty. She struggles to find any of it of value.

She’s resigned herself to picking Ares just to get it all to stop when a hush falls over the crowd that’s then replaced with frantic whispering. They part like a wave retreating from shore and her breath catches in her throat when she sees who’s walking towards her.

Hephaestus is on Olympus for the first time since he’s been thrown from it.

He’s gilded gold as he passes by everyone else, his eyes on her alone, from his legs to the way the sun illuminates his amber eyes to the chiton wrapped snug around his waist with a golden belt. He could have worn a long robe to hide his legs. She likes that he didn’t.

He stops in front of her and she tries to think of something to say, but her throat is too dry.

“Goddess,” he murmurs, then pulls a single copper rose from thin air and offers it to her. “For you.”

She takes it, her fingers brushing his, and his hands are still warm like he’s just pulled them from the forge.

He came to the place where the worst thing that ever happened to him occurred. He’s given her a gift with no strings. He’s offering her only this – the skill of his hands and the bravery of his heart.

What she wants is someone who will take her as she is and grow with her, who will explain the world patiently and know her well enough to make her something beautiful.

She is the goddess of love and beauty. She cannot be bought with castles.

“Yes,” she says, holding the rose between their bodies as she pushes herself up to kiss Hephaestus in front of all of Olympus.  

 There are shouts of protests, people yelling in anger or betrayal, and Ares’s bright, warm laughter over it all.

~

Aphrodite expects Hera to be furious.

Instead the goddess says nothing of her choice, only holds the wedding as she promised. Zeus won’t even look at Hephaestus, but Hera stands in front of them and recites the vows for them to repeat back to each other as if it’s all normal, as if Hephaestus is just like any other god to her.

She has that same look in her eye that she had before while she does it, but Aphrodite barely notices it before her husband pulls her attention back to him, his promises of love and loyalty more worthy of her attention than anything going on in Hera’s mind.

She and Hephaestus walk down Olympus, hand in hand, husband and wife.

[anjellaufeyson]

RITUALISTIC SACRIFICIAL LOVE - Michael Langdon

It was the end of times, the apocalypse. Every person I stood with was backstabbing, prideful, and dull. I came from a wealthy family, yes. But I came from a family who had morals, rare but true. A traditional family that almost suffocated me with their rules. I played with my cross neckless, a gold chain laid upon my chest. I stayed true to my faith, as true as one could be in this state. 

“You–come with me, it’s your turn,” the man said in a deep yet calm voice. 

He gave me a weird feeling, like he was pure evil but his demeanor was indifferent. He ranged between the look of heaven yet his personality was on the verge of evil but stood on sinful. His demeanor could deceive even the best. I followed him into a dimly lit room, his hands lingered on the desk. He leaned over on it from the other side. “If you lie, I will know. If you try to trick me, I will know and this interview will be over and you will be left to die…now let’s begin. Do you believe you’re evil?” 

His words were so serene that you almost wouldn’t think to weigh what he was asking you to answer, “Yes.” 

The expression on his face changed, I’m assuming he didn’t expect that answer to leave my lips. “And why is that?” 

I stared at him, taking in every feature and every malevolent thing about him. “I’ve wished death upon everyone in this hellhole. I’ve come to even welcome the thought of death, as long as it means I wouldn’t have to spend another second here. But my God has kept me strong.” 

His gaze lifted, his eyes glared at me, “your God?” I nodded and a stomach-twisting grin arose on his face. “Do you fear during your time here you’ll fall into temptation?” He walked around the desk and stepped closer to me, closer than I was comfortable with. “I take it you’re aware of the seven sins?” I nodded once more, staring at him and the proximity we stood within. “Which one do you believe you’ll fall into?” His words came out slowly.

I took a step back and he followed, “Envy.” 

His hands hooked behind his back, “Is that right? Most would’ve said–lust.” 

I was hesitant to speak, where is he going with this? “I have no reason to say that, I’m ‘pure’.” Almost regretfully I’ve never gotten the opportunity to lose it before the end of the world. But maybe that’ll help my chances. “Is this interview done now?”

A smile appeared on his face as he brushed my hair out of mine, “So eager.” He finally stepped back, “Would you ever fall into such a deadly sin? The irreversible sin?” 

I shook my head, “I have no reason to. God forbid anything tempting enough would slither its way to me. Why risk eating the forbidden fruit when you’re already comfortable with the knowledge you already hold?” Years of catholicism will leave you using bible stories as metaphors. 

The glimmer in his eyes made me realize the difference between good and evil. His breathing became heavy, “Good answer.”

Assuming it was the last one I headed towards the door, “Did I make the cut…what was your name again, sorry?” 

He raised his head while staring daggers into me with his blue eyes, “Michael Langdon…and we’ll see, you still have one test.” 

I walked to my room and sat in silence, it’s either here or downstairs with the dumbasses I’m forced to live with. I opened the one book I had time to pack, and the rest perished. The bible clung to my hands. I closed my eyes and felt my breathing get softer and warmer. My body felt like it was falling into the depths of sleep. 

God, is this the biggest test of my faith? What is to come of me? 

As I begged in faith, my door creaked. Is this a dream? There entering my domain of solitude was a person dressed in a black latex suit. “What the hell are you doing in my room, get out if I wanted to join you guys down there I would’ve,” I said sternly. The person in the suit shook their head and stepped closer. 

I set my bible in the bedside drawer. The person came closer and it was like my being recognized the person who stood underneath the suit. The tall figure, the feeling that makes me question my faith. It was clear who this was. I took the mask off and it dropped onto the floor as I realized I had been right. “Michael?” I can’t even escape the evil of this world, even in my dreams.

A sinister yet heavenly smile laid upon his face. 

“What is your test,” I asked, a little too fearlessly. The control I had in my dream felt so real. “Is it based upon how humans only care for flesh in this time of desperation and frightfulness? How do they want someone to cling to, how their selfishness is almost pitiful?” I stepped closer and stared into his piercing eyes, “All of us are no better here than the corruption that lies outside these walls.”

He tilted his head a bit in amusement, “Your biblical nature is impressive. Though I’m sure my knowledge on it is more…profound.” 

“Ask away.” 

His eyes turned what I swore to be fully black. He looked so devilish, “How did Satan come to be?”

Easy, one of the easiest questions. “He was God’s favorite, pridefulness struck him and so did foolishness. He lacked what God had plenty of, power. He must’ve found it disappointing that his favorite assumed he was better than the almighty himself. Then he was turned into nothing but a fault in the world and its sins. That’s the best question you have for me?”

Michael glared harshly at me but also seemed as if he was trying to figure me out. “You’re not as persuaded as the others–they easily fell into sin during my visits with them. But you–you stay true to your morals and beliefs.” 

“My faith is not easily shaken.” I stood tall, almost sinfully proud. I glanced down at the floor and then back to Michael. “I think you should get going. There is no test to pass, if I’ve already failed I’m okay with that.” 

His hand raised and he dragged it along my shoulder, moving my hair. He leaned in close to my ear, and I froze. “This is the test your God has laid before you.” 

At first, I was confused but then I remembered what I internally asked God before he entered my room. “Would God bestow such an easy test such as this? This lacks temptation.” 

Michael touched my gold rosary and it felt like he tugged it a bit, causing me to move an inch closer. “Temptation is all around.” He moved his hand and suddenly his hair was shorter, he had a youthful look to him–something more innocent? He had a black cape and he was wearing some maroon.

“How did you–” I paused mid-question, this is my dream. Dreams are unrealistic and filled with illusions. I hated how attractive I found him. 

His hand raised and he rested his hand behind my head. “Rules are made to be broken,” his voice sounded so deceptive. As if he was leading me astray. He moved in closer, his lips inches from mine. “Sins are to be avoided, but if it’s so immoral then why does it feel so good,” he questioned. His words came out slowly and deeply. 

My body was falling into whatever trap he seemed to be laying at my feet. But I turned away, “Michael,” I whispered. His hand dragged itself along my skin to my neck. His rings were cold and I almost gasped at the exposure. 

“Don’t you see how easily the skin falls into sin?” An incomprehensible noise left my lips. “Speak,” he said and so I did. 

“Yes.” 

In a fast motion, he turns me around and pushes me onto my bed. My chest hit the mattress, even in quickness the touch was so gentle. His fingertips dragged along my back as he moved my hair off of my nightgown. 

How could I allow myself to get into this situation? How could I allow myself to not want to get out of it? “This is wrong, morally and strictly. The woman said physical contact between two people is forbidden and punishable by death.” 

A tiny raspy laugh escaped him, “Trust me, I outrank that command.” His hands feel around my waist and I’m about to push them away but he gripped my skin roughly. 

Michael’s touch was so delicate yet rough. Again, him being a constant continuation of good and evil. Innocent and tainted. My will couldn’t be this lost. I stood up and turned around to face Michael. “I can’t do this, it doesn’t feel–right.” 

Something almost hypnotizing showed in his eyes, “This is a dream. What do you have to lose? What moral codes are you breaking?” 

My mind was filled yet hollowed out. The scales were weighed in my mind and just like the other fools I am inferior to survive with–I fell. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him eagerly. He kissed back way more intensely. 

Michael pulled away and I watched as his tongue ran along his teeth. “Ah, every human remains the same. The only societal vice that stands till the end of time.” His head tilted as his thumb touched my chin and held itself there. “What a pity, I hoped you would’ve proved me wrong.” 

A hurt expression washed over my face, “This isn’t a dream…this is the test?” 

“Smart one aren’t you.” 

I moved away from my bed and slowly backed away, “You–you tricked me? I was just a pawn in your experiment.”

Michael followed me in a begging manner, “But don’t you see? You like everyone fell into your needs, and why shy away from that?” His deception rendered me silent. “You passed.”

A/N

What other characters would you like to see one shot on? I just do my current crushes, but I'll take recommendations. Hope you like this one, it's wordier ngl, I was trying something new.

[genshin-scenarios]

Feel absolutely free to ignore this, but after the corrupt!xiao fic I’m curious: got any corrupt venti thoughts you’re willing to share?

Corrupt!Venti AU

DISCLAIMER: the rest of this is just an AU setting! not canon-compliant + may reference SPOILERS in general for the archon quests and genshinlore

"My dear warrior, have you come to devote your voice to me?

Don't worry now! I'll make sure to put it to good use. With my help, your story will never fade from the songs of time. That is what my love can promise you. Have I ever led you astray?"

I can see this being caused by the defiled statue the Traveler found a while ago! Along with some other attempts from the Abyss to weaken the Anemo Archon's power...

Perhaps in this AU, Venti tried going against the summoning of archons to Khaenri'ah, which led to a warning/consequence from Celestia; tying the entrance to Celestia somewhere on Mondstadt, so that if their enemies were to seek it out, he would be placed under the burden of protecting them, for if not, Mondstadt would too be run down (punishing a god for his kindness... things like that)

ANYWAYS, in this case, I think if the Abyss did manage to weaken him enough, he'd probably sense his own corrosion coming and put Mondstadt into a timeloop as a last means of keeping his people safe + keep out the Abyss?

It takes the last of his power and he leaves to the outskirts, where he hides away in a hidden domain to 'rest', but of course he can't stave away the corrosion forever, and it takes form.

You're within Mondstadt during this timeloop, and are eventually led to the hidden domain because you're the only one that can hear a mysterious song calling out to you

Cue corrupted!Venti luring you in, because by now, he's not exactly himself anymore - dark purple energy replacing his previous anemo teal powers and the shade of his eyes

But it's Venti, and even if he's forgotten about his nation by now (only that they're locked away to keep them safe, in the illusion of freedom and peace), he remembers you.

...Well, he remembers his attachment to you, and asks if you'd like to stay with him there, in that domain. If you lend him your voice, perhaps he can figure out a way to keep you with him forever too! (Read: do not, he is stealing your voice as a source of power to use)

But perhaps even this is because a part of himself deep down remembers how he loved to hear you calling his name, laughing with him, and the way you used to look at him with...

"Is that fear in your eyes?" Venti hums, circling around you with lightness in his steps. He's in his archon form, wings brushing against your shoulder. You try not to think about the last time he showed you this form - back when it was a secret between the both of you, under clear skies and teal feathers that made your heart soar. The purple that cuts into your gaze sobers you. "Would you prefer if our new home was more reminiscent of old times?"

New home, as if he's already decided you aren't leaving now that you've found your way to him again. You briefly wonder if there's any ounce of the old Venti still in there, and if he was perhaps keeping you close to stop him from doing all this.

...Or maybe, he was asking you to keep him company before the world falls down, knowing that once the timeloop could no longer be sustained, even with his corrupted powers, you'd have to step up as a hero once more. Slay the monsters, free the kingdom. Save your friends.

With a lilting giggle, Venti covers your eyes with his hands. And when he takes them away, the domain has turned into...

Windrise? No, some condensed version of it, with azure skies and calming wind trailing on for miles. The tree still sits there. You remember the first time Venti introduced you to the sight.

He calls your name, and before you is Venti, still in his archon form, but with his blue glow and green eyes again. He gives you a cheeky smile, and you feel your heart ache.

"Better?" Venti cups your cheeks, stepping closer to you to place his forehead against yours. It's gentle, but you feel a foreign energy that's seeping away at yours, like it's trying to steal more away.

Like he can no longer love the same, needing to take something as a keepsake, before this illusion ends.

Maybe doing so in this form is an act of mercy to you. Venti's always been one to make sacrifices that were lost to the wind.

[juniorig0327]

Demigods and Domains

I'm pretty sure this is like pure fanfic stuff but I like the idea of it a lot. The idea that the reason Percy can control things like blood and poison is because while he was in Tartarus his domains evolved and expanded out of the ones his father gave him.

And basically its one of the reasons demigods are so powerful, because they can cross and seep into another God's domain (not easily of course) but they aren't restricted by being a god because they have mortal blood within them.

So that had me thinking a little bit. If Percy (and by extension other characters but it would be a little bit tricker to apply it to) falling into Tartarus where he is pushed to such extremes that the capabilities of his domains shift, then what the hell could he be capable of?

Not to mention possible blessings from the gods and Primordials. (Yeah this is lowkey apart of my Tartarus AU because I think I want to write that one first. Maybe I'll just switch and swap until I finish one lol).

Because I'm not gonna lie I could lowkey see Percy being offered blessings from multiple and I have a few ideas.

But just as a normal demigod what could he domains expand to? Would it be a stretch for fire to become apart of his domain due to the exposure and use of the phlegethon?

I've already thought about the basic things people usually do, pulling magma from the earth, ice manipulation, poison, blood, pulling water from thin air, etc etc.

But I want to do something different because I do want to incorporate "dark!percy" into it somehow.

But not like super op, edgy. dark Percy because realistically he wouldn't be like that. I just see him as more of "falling for you" type if you've ever read that.

So like if you have any ideas PLEASE comment I have none. I really just want to explore his powers out of the basics. (Maybe to can tap into different epithets from Poseidon and from other pantheons because syncretism??

[snowy-equinox]

Asking Deities for Help

Asking for help is a daunting task; even more so when you’re asking eternal supremely powerful beings. There’s a lot of worry and questions around which deity is best to ask and how to ask for help without offending. There can be a lot riding on doing this properly so you can get the help you’re asking for.

Today, we’ll be taking a dive into the process of asking deities for help.

The Main Tenets of Asking

These tenets apply to asking any type of spirit or entity

Give and take

The number one rule of asking for help is knowing that offerings will be owed. Though ‘the larger the ask the better the offering’ is a good guideline to follow, you don’t have to give Them everything you own. If all you can spare is a glass of water, that’s okay. The important thing is that you give what you feel is an appropriate offering.

Rely on relationships

Imagine an artist gets two messages asking for a special commission. But the artist is pretty busy, so they can only squeeze one request in. One is an internet stranger, one is a close friend; which do you think the artist is more likely to take?

The relationships we build can greatly affect how our requests are received. Many deities and spirits are more willing to go out of their way to help a worshiper they care about than someone approaching them for the first time.

This second tenet is especially important in our next section.

Finding Someone to Ask

The very first thing you should ask yourself is: Do you need a deity for this? Going back to the Second Tenet, if the task is within the capabilities of a spirit we already have a relationship with, we can ask them! If you don’t have any existing relationships with deities, go through your spiritual team (spirit guides, familiars, ancestors, etc) and see if any of them could be suitable for this task.

If you have an existing relationship with only one deity, you can consider if They might be a good fit. I believe there are tasks any deity can do, regardless of Their domains. If you’re suffering from a mental health episode, you don’t need to reach out to a new deity. Your main or patron deity is fully capable of comforting you and helping you.

Even if the domain doesn’t fall under Them, They might be connected to a deity that could help. For example, an Apollo devotee asking Artemis for help in their childbirth. The twin gods are very close, so Artemis is likely to favor Her brother’s worshipers like Her own. You can ask your main/patron god to persuade the other into helping you (i.e. ask Apollo to ask Artemis), or talk to the helping deity directly (i.e. ask Artemis yourself).

If you don’t have an existing relationship with any spirits, or you really don’t want to ask the spirits and deities you do have a relationship with, here are some questions to help narrow down your choices:

🔷 Whose domain does the task fit under?

🔷 Do any deities in the previous list have a connection with the deities I worship/work with? Are any of Them in the same pantheon at least?

🔷 What is my purpose in asking for help? Do I just want Their energy to help me achieve my goal and then say goodbye? Or do I want to form a relationship with this deity?

🔷 Are there close/paired deities I could ask for help from? (i.e. asking both Odin and Frigg for help in divination)

With your list made, find who you feel especially interested in, and ask.

How to Ask for Help

Let’s get this out of the way: Timing does not matter. This is not a spell, it’s just a conversation. It can be done during any moon phase, any day of the week, any time of day or night. Do not worry about if it’s the “right time” to approach that deity, unless you’re trying to be more formal.

As stated before, offerings are very important in this process. There should be two offerings made: one when you make the request and one after the request is completed. Think of the first like a down payment; you’re giving Them a little something now in thanks for listening to you. The second is the actual “thank you for helping me” offering.

Offerings do not have to be food or water; you can give objects like coins or a new altar candle, and you can perform actions like volunteering or cleaning their altar space weekly for a month. You can also combine these offerings, offering a plate of food beside incense, or a lit candle and a glass of wine. Again, it just has to feel like an appropriate offering.

For the actual asking, stay respectful and humble. Do not demand that They “must” do it, and do not threaten Them if They do not help you. Ask nicely, and be understanding that They may choose not to help you (which we will talk about later).

How to Thank Them for Help

Make sure the second offering is given promptly! Not only is it rude to make others wait, but the more time that goes by, the more likely you are to forget it entirely. Personally, I would say if you have the materials then you shouldn’t make Them wait more than a couple days; if you need to go out and buy what you promised, explain the situation to Them (with another small offering) and give Them an idea of when you’re planning on giving the ‘thank you’ offering. All in all, I don’t think you should wait longer than two weeks.

Be sincere in your thanks, and try not to tack on “it would have been nice if” statements. I would also not advise asking for more help immediately; it can set you into a bad habit. Even with proper offerings, the gods could get annoyed that you just want more and more out of Them.

Thank Them for Their help, give the offering, and close. Wait at least a couple days before asking for another favor.

An Example

I work an outdoor job, which means we get the day off for bad weather. One week, my partner was very stressed due to a class presentation on Friday. The weather was going to be touchy that day, and I really wanted the day to be called off so I could be home for him after his presentation.

I decided to ask both Zeus and Hera because:

☑️ I worship the Greek pantheon, which They belong to

☑️ I needed a rainy day, which falls under Zeus’ domain

☑️ I give a weekly offering to both, which means I have a small relationship built up

☑️ Hera, being a goddess of marriage, would likely be favorable to the request as it’s so I can support my partner

I lit a candle and offered Them some white wine when I made the request. I promised them a caramel apple if I got the rainy day; the next day when it rained, I made caramel apples and gave Them one with a prayer of thanks.

And that was that! Pretty straightforward and easy.

If the Goal is not Achieved

It happens. We don’t get everything we want, even if we ask the perfect deity and give the proper offerings and prayers. It really sucks, and it can hurt; why have the gods neglected us? Why won’t They help?

If your goal was not achieved, you can always ask the deity over divination. Be careful not to accuse or insult Them. Sometimes it’s out of Their hands (maybe another pagan petitioned their gods to give them the job), sometimes They don’t think it’s the best for us in the long-term. Or, maybe They wanted a different offering than the one you gave. They will have Their reasons, and you can always ask about them and go from there.

Asking deities for help shouldn’t be scary or intimidating. As my example showed, it’s actually pretty easy! Just remember the main tenets, to give offerings and rely on relationships; as long as you do that and speak kindly, you’ll be golden.

I tried to make this post comprehensive and beginner-friendly, but if anyone has questions, my inbox is always open!

[audreyscribes]

Ω PJO DEMIGOD HEADCANONS: ♟EREBUS: PERSONIFICATION OF DARKNESS 🌑

Author’s note: *put head into hands* Alright, so I may or may not have went off from the usual formula (Do I even have a formula for writing these at this point?) and I think I may have made the primordial demigods here more cryptid cause they’re the literal by-product of primordial beings that are also half-mortal? I won’t be including the usual blurbs at the ending cause all of them are probably pushing the word limit Tumblr has but worry not, I made up for it by putting more storylines into the whole thing. PRIMORDIAL DEMIGODS MASTERLIST: [LINK]

You’re a child of darkness. Quite literally. You were born in darkness and rose out of darkness; figuratively and literally. You were wrapped in the clothes made from darkness, a comfort to you as you were brought into a world with a cycle of light and darkness. You were born almost alongside Nyx’s own demigod, Erebus following Nyx’s example; however while Nyx’s demigod was born from curiosity, Erebus sired a demigod that while he was born alongside Nyx, her own child must have to be with them as well.  

You grew up relatively well and peacefully in the darkness, hidden under Erebus’ cloak of darkness. He showed you his domain of darkness, and the darkest region of the underworld where you saw and learned from the ghosts of the dead. 

One night, you were guided to meet the child of Nyx who is your other half, with Erebus telling you that much like him and Nyx were a pair, the two of you were a pair as well. 

You and the child of Nyx stuck together, with you either leading them somewhere or them following you, or you following them as they went from one place to another. This was true when the child of Nyx was ordered by her mother to join forces with the demigod child of Gaea and Tartarus. You knew the Nyx demigod yearned more for Nyx’s affection so they would follow Nyx’s order, regardless of their own violation and feelings. You decided to follow the Nyx demigod, hoping to protect her from whatever may happen; you only can hope that they would remember they could always hide in the safety of your darkness. 

As you can imagine, you can wield the darkness. It can range from simple shadow traveling to manipulation of it. However, your special trait is that whenever there is darkness, you can wield it; within objects to mould like clay, absorbing it, or even manipulating and peering the darkness within others. You can travel through the darkness but careful walking through it; unlike the shadows who have a tether to the world, the darkness is an entirely different domain. It is unexplorable, hides many things, and can cling to you in ways you will not be able to know.

As a part of Erebus and wearing the cloak of darkness cut from Erebus himself, you can relatively travel through the darkness in most domains (the exception of its opposite like light itself), but be careful in bringing others along with you for they may be lost into the darkness or be affected in the ways. 

You tell this power to the child of Tartarus whose power is similar to you, warning them when you both bring those who don’t belong in the same realms as you do (the other being the child of Nyx). When you warn them of the consequences, you are confused when you see the look of uncertainty and fear on their face, before they ask what happens if someone borrows your cloak of darkness. You mention that it would protect them to a degree but it would be little good if they’ve been already affected by it and continue to pursue it. 

Another ability you may have falls under Erebus’ other domain; the darkest part of the underworld. Many souls end up casted into the darkness for their crimes or end up lost in it. In a sense, you can summon the dead but those especially within those that reside in your godly father’s domain. 

A key feature about you, much like the child of Tartarus, the blacks of your eyes seemingly go forever with how dark it is. However, what different is that light doesn’t seem to touch you in a way like others. When the light touches your hair, it doesn’t shine or change like others do; your shadows seemingly dark than others. Fortunately, people don’t usually notice your shadows too much to see something is odd; and you can play off your hair being dyed which also doesn’t shine or filter light like natural hair does.

[alexanderlightweight]

cat boy Alec, with big fluffy ears and tail

-an excuse for magnus to call alec kitten? my favorite nickname magnus has for alec besides treasure and lovely... uh no thank you of course i'm not excited LET ME WRITES IT ALREADY BRAIN

i hope you enjoy this!

<3 lumine

maybe i'm a villain

is the title

-

Alec eyes the six shadowhunters that flank him and shakes his head, internally biting back his exhaustion.

“You’ll stay out here, until I’ve talked to Bane.” Alec orders and the hunters respond with concise, clear nods. Normally Alec wouldn’t detach from an official team — one sent from Idris no less — but as as head and Commander of New York, its Alec’s duty to pave the way for the clave.

Which mean this, meeting with the king of the East Coast for the very first time… and without even a hint of an invitation.

The clave has put Alec in perhaps, one of the most precarious positions he’s ever been in. It’s frustrating and insulting but the law is the law and so Alec will do the duty they’ve asked of him.

And then he’s going to go home to his Institute and write a detailed missive explaining every way the clave fucked up and ensure that every single Institute and clave elder sees it.

The clave is practically asking Alec to take the fall — ordering him to with fancy words and pretty calligraphy — and well, Alec always knew this was a possibility. He didn’t expect it — had been hoping it wouldn’t come to this — but Alec is still unmarried at twenty and has been finding ways to deny and ignore every single eligible candidate sent by his parents and the clave both.

So now, the clave has started to ask him for things that could — even by nephilim standards — be considered extreme.

They’re hoping to force him into a position where marrying is the better option but well… Alec would rather die on some convoluted mission for the clave than marry a woman.

As the clave is about to find out.

Alec will protect the hunters assigned to him to the best of his abilities, but they are not his hunters. They have sworn no oaths to him or he to them.

Alec will leave them if needed.

Their carnage and loss will be on the heads of the clave, not Alec and well, Alec’s has his own priorities.

Alec doesn’t disarm, but he takes only his sword and a dagger physically present. His quiver and bow will remain away until needed and Alec desperately hopes they won’t be needed during his meeting with Bane. If they are, it will already be too late for Alec.

—

Nephilim grace is the first thing Magnus tastes.

It’s a cool, almost glacier, presence. It moves nearly languidly through his subjects until it lingers on the steps to Magnus dais.

It’s with tempered curiosity that Magnus takes his first look at the nephilim intruder.

Soft.

It’s the first thing that Magnus catalogues.

Large, delectably looking cat ears with fur the color of an abyssal moth.

They’re elegant and pointed with little tufts that Magnus wants to curl around his fingertips and the crowd parts with a motion of his fingers. The hunter pauses at the foot of the steps and then slowly begins to ascend when Magnus crooks his fingers in demand.

He’s careful about it, hesitant without fear but a clear edge of wariness.

A predator entering another predators den… respectfully.

Magnus wants to feel if that fur and hair is as soft and lush as they look and then the hunter gets within a few steps and Magnus sees a thick, plush tail that is currently wrapped around a muscled thigh.

How sweet.

Magnus’ darling little hunter kept his tail to himself, not wanting others to touch him but also not making himself too large of a threat when entering Magnus’ territory. That he is clearly trying his best to not stand out or take up more attention than necessary.

It’s a pity then, that nothing he ever did would be enough to keep him from Magnus’ gaze.

— “I don’t often get strays in my domain.” Bane murmurs as he gets close and Alec feels the weight of Bane’s power — of his sovereignty — press down around him. Glamours have no place in Bane’s court. The fae and warlocks are all showing their marks and traits and Bane is no different.

His golden eyes are large and slitted, black and gold scales dapple his temples and his neck and his wrists and knuckles.

There are curled horned antlers coming from his head, golden veined and obsidian black and tapered to deadly points.

Alec swallows and stays where he is.

His ears twitch, flattening against his skull before he can help it.

No one thought to warn him how much Bane would be.

How gorgeous he is.

How powerful he is.

How glorious Alec would find him.

“Name and rank, little nephilim.” Bane tells him and for all that Alec knows he’s not small, he feels it in that moment, with the weight of Bane’s focus more encompassing than the entirety of the claves authority has ever been.

“Alec Lightwood, Head and Commander of the New York Institute.” Alec gets outside, throat tight in a way he doesn’t understand.

“You don’t have an appointment, Alexander.”

Alec hesitates, because he doesn’t hate the way that his name sounds when Bane says it and he also doesn’t want to argue with a Dominion king, especially not with one on their own territory.

“The clave asks for your pardon and that I be the representation between you and they. A team of six clave hunters, lead by myself, is requesting access to monitor and close a rift just past your wards.

“Do they think I’m incapable of taking care of my own territory?” Bane asks, voice even with a hidden danger that makes Alec’s mouth dry.

“No.” Alec says, because it’s definitely not that and also he’s pretty sure Bane won’t appreciate being told that this is probably Alec’s fault. That this encroachment on Bane’s territory is nothing more than the clave putting Alec in an unfortunate and almost impossible place.

Almost impossible, because they expect him to survive and immediately happily accept an engagement to ensure this never happens again.

There is a moment of pure silence and Alec wonders if he’d supposed to try and explain. Perhaps make something up or lie and he doesn’t notice how his ears fluff in annoyance before flattening against his skull when someone gets too close… it’s just. Alec doesn’t think it would be smart to lie to Bane.

“Come here, Alexander.”

—

After a moment of hesitation, Magnus’ hunter obeys.

As he gets even closer to Magnus and still further away from Magnus’ court, he relaxes.

It’s not much, but it’s enough that his tail slowly uncurls from him and Magnus catches the way the fluffy tip twitches, as if betraying Alexander’s anxiety.

And he is anxious.

Oh he’s hiding it well, but Magnus would only expect an idiot to feel confident and Alexander is quite clearly, not an idiot. Though he is something and considering the fact that Magnus has lived long enough to recognize when the clave is trying to subtle punish their active hunters. The clave likes to use downworlders to do their dirty work, but Magnus has never enjoyed being the clave’s tool.

“I think we can negotiate something between the two of us, personally.” Magnus promises and it earns him a nearly silent sigh of relief.

It’s a pity that relief won’t last for long.

“However even negotiations have a price—” Magnus smirks at Alexander’s suddenly narrowed eyes, “I may be known for my indulgences. Even the clave is quite aware of them.” Alexander grimaces but doesn’t deny it, “but I am not a gracious man. Therefore, if I’m going to let a pack of the clave’s miserable little beasts rampage through my territory, then I want something in return. I don’t do charity cases, Alexander.”

“Your price?” Alexander asks quietly, hesitantly.

“The clave has nothing I want.”

“Then?” His hunter asks, knowing that Magnus wants something or he wouldn’t have started this path.

“You.” Magnus says simply. “The night is still young but already it feels long and I rather enjoy the thought of being able to enjoy the softness of a pretty kitten on my lap.” Alexander’s eyes widen and his mouth parts but Magnus tuts, shushing him. “It would be the start, to opening negotiations. After all, I wasn’t even sent a courtesy message to let me know you were coming.”

Alexander glares at the floor at that, his ears twitching with clear displeasure at the blatant insult dealt to Magnus and Magnus knows this blame can also be places at the feet of the clave.

Magnus thinks he’ll need to make himself more clear.

To point out that at this rate, Alexander in his lap is the least of what will get Alexander’s team out of here alive, then, like an actual stray kitten, Alexander warily approaches him.

—

Alec isn’t sure how he’s supposed to sit in Bane’s lap, but he does his best anyways.

Hands dusted with scales reach out to grip his hips, guiding him close and up until he’s got a knee on either one of Magnus’ thighs. With his runes and training there isn’t even a burn in his muscles, but oh, it burns to feel Magnus solid and hot beneath him.

“Good kitten.” Bane practically croons and then — without warning — fingers are rubbing Alec’s ears and he keens.

Alec can’t help it.

He can’t help the noises he makes or how he all but melts into Bane, dropping against him with shuddering sides as Alec’s nerves are teased and petted and cosseted with the live wire of feeling that his ears currently are.

It’s a moment of time where thoughts don’t work and he’s still trying to catch his breath when Bane rumbles.

Alec aches to respond in turn and he can’t help the tiny, bitten back chirp that crosses his lips or the softest of purrs that Bane compels.

“Shall we start negotiations then, kitten?"

[esshetic]

APRIL ASTROLOGY : Star Gurlz

Hey hey hey, we have made it to spring, the first quarter of the year. Through the death cycle of wisdom and reincarnation, are we the same? Yes, but a little different also.

For this month, I want us to enjoy the present and not really plan for the future. There is too much going on outside that is beyond our control, so please ignore those quarterly reviews of goals and such. Those goals may have been set during a time when you had limited knowledge of what you wanted, or perhaps they may not be achievable in a year, and you need to spread them out over 3 or 5 years.

Nevertheless, it's not a failure to have not achieved what you set out to do within a specific timeframe. Having a goal and dream is like cosmic mail, a message from the future, giving you breadcrumbs on your path to where you will eventually get to.

The full Moon eclipse has opened up energetic awareness and brought things to light that you needed to pay attention to. This month is asking you to not bury your head in the sand but to keep paying attention to what was revealed. I see a cavalry, a holy cavalry, arriving. The solutions won’t be created by you; they will be received by you.

Life goes on, baby girl!

For the Signs:

Aries: April showers bring May flowers. This month will be emotionally draining. Ease up on yourself and go with the theme and mood of each day. You don’t need to have it all figured out and together in order to move forward.

Taurus: Weather is rain, rain, and more rain. April, for the most part, is in the fire of Aries, which is too harsh for right now. The energy is trying to keep you awake as you have a propensity to fall back to sleep. The energy is still going to be harsh, and it's time to face the music with how you really feel.

Gemini: I, I, I will, I do, I am. April for you is warming you up for your season as the sun is moving from your 11th to embark on your 12th house transit. Whatever comes this month, you got this. Every hit, you counter punch. The more the hits come, the better you get at counter punching. Finally, you feel alive!

Cancer: April will be sweet for you, sweet and steady. The moon, your domain, is at its highest performance of a solar eclipse, and it will be business as usual for you. You don’t scare easily and take everything as it comes.

Leo: In April, you are a star, girl! I don’t know what this means; it just came to me. I see an idea coming together with friends or people you admire. The sun is moving through your 8th and 9th house, and it's about someone coming to you with an idea that will make you feel excited. Dust off that note book of dreams and Ideas, its is in there!

Virgo: April showers for you too. I am seeing some sadness in the romantic department, perhaps someone not meeting your high expectations. If not romance-related, I am also seeing something falling apart that you are trying to keep together. It's already fallen apart, and you have to let the pieces that are missing go. You didn't really need them.

Libra: April will bring you some much-needed relief and guidance from a good spirit. Someone has your back and is in your corner, fighting for you right now. This guidance is coming through as career-related; a promotion or career recognition is coming your way.

Scorpio: April will also be pretty sweet for you, like Cancer. There is peace around you while you wait for your illumination at the end of the month. The worst that could have happened has already happened, and it does not feel as devastating as you thought it would. Now, let's wait and see.

Sagittarius: April will feel confusing for you, with conflicting energies trying to influence you. You don’t know what to think or what to do. It will feel uncomfortable to sit in this confusing energy, so if you can’t ignore it, move your body! Get away from the stress around you.

Capricorn: April is looking like a good month for movement, physically. If you are getting ready to move house, then the one you pick is the one you should move to. Don’t wait; there is not something better. April will also be a joyous month for you and your family.

Aquarius: April will be fine for you. I can see that you are worried about a few things, but it's all going to be okay in the end. I sense a lot of worry coming through about various things going on in your world that has you losing sleep. I just want to let you know that everything is going to be okay.

Pisces: April showers fertilize the ground for the next sowing and future reaping. There is disappointment with things as they are showing right now, but it's for the better in the long run. I see that you are settling for less, what is practical and easy, and not what your heart truly desires. The tears are to break open your heart and reveal your truth to you.

[thepaintedlady00]

So I have a request female human reader/morpheous

She met morpheous because she’s a friend of Constantine she basically helps organize everything while she’s working (almost impossible with the mess she leaves) one day due to Constantine work she ends up in danger basically a demon looking for Constantine tries to kill her morpheous happens to save her because he’s also trying to contact Constantine about something he needs to know. She totally falls for morpheous but is really hesitant because he’s basically out of her league so they both kinda dang around each other I tol Constantine blow up on her and him to just get together 🙄. She’s basically Cupid here. They start dating. A few weeks she start getting random calls but nobody answers when she picks up she thinks nothing on it. Also start to feel watched but she thinks it just her being tire one day she gets attacked turns out her ex abusive boyfriend got out of jail and is looking revenge things get bad when he get into her apartment one night . Enter Mathew that goes directly to the dreaming as fast as he can.

We all know Morpheous will go feral because this ass was one of her lovers and also treated her badly. Much more when she had already told him about her ex and how much damage he had done to her psychologically and physically. Morpheous deal with him and later on come back to be with her 🥺

Bestie you're just always on point with these! Like this is beautiful and I hope you love it as much as I do!

Working for Johanna Constantine was a struggle. On good days you'd be dealing with a massive pile of bullshit she'd insisted was all important and spend hours organizing it as best you could only to find more things stuffed away. On the bad days, like this one, you found yourself running for your life as a massive stinking demon chased you.

You moved around the storage space, taking sharp turns and doing everything in your power to evade and hopefully lose this thing. However, you weren't exactly good at this sort of thing. Running, life-threatening scenarios, demons all that was the kind of thing you'd spent a great deal trying to avoid. Avoiding trouble when in bed with a Constantine was, as you'd learned, impossible.

A stray box took your feet out from under you and you hit the floor hard. Your head rattled as it hit the ground and your vision was swarmed with blurry shapes and fuzzy circles like TV static. With a groan, you somehow managed to sit up just in time to watch the demon leap over the box and land on top of you. It shrieked loudly in your face, spit and what you'd hoped was mucus of some kind landed on your cheek. It grabbed hold of your legs and began pulling you with it, dragging you back toward whatever hellscape it'd been summoned from.

Screaming and writhing trying to fight free you didn't notice the figure in black until he spoke. "Release her demon, and I shall merely return you to Hell."

You looked down the long hall of storage units at the ethereal man that stood, unbothered by the creature. The demon roared again, gripping your legs harder as it tossed you into the wall and darted off toward the man. You raised your head and shouted a warning toward him. "Look out!"

He hardly needed it. With one wave of his hand, the creature was surrounded by glittering sand and vanished. Your mouth fell open as the man regarded you with a stoic look. "Are you harmed?"

"No," you answered, quickly snapping yourself out of thoughts of his handsomeness and rising to your feet. You put pressure on your ankle and fell forward, straight into the mans waiting arms.

"Constantine feared you'd found trouble and sent me to check in on you."

"That's good," you said. "I probably would have been eaten or something if you hadn't showed up."

"It would not have ate you," the man replied. "It wanted to drag you to it's domain within Hell to make you it's bride."

You made a face. "Oh... ew... well thanks for not letting that happen."

He bowed his head. "I will take you to your employer. I presume she will have the necessary equipment to treat your ankle."

Johanna had been less than thrilled at the sight of you covered in grime and spit and limping. She'd thanked the man, whose name you learned was Dream, and assured him you were in good hands. This, you believed, was the end of it. Your ankle would heal, and things would go back to normal.

Normal was not this. Dream stood in your home, quietly observing your trinkets and portraits while you nervously offered him tea and cake and just about anything you had on hand. He refused, of course, not out of disgust but rather a disinterest in human food which was a point he made sure to communicate to you with a simple deadpan of, "I do not eat."

You couldn't help yourself, the longer you watched him the louder the thoughts of appreciation of his beauty and elegance grew. He was unlike anything, anyone you'd ever seen. Dream was not just physically the embodiment of how you'd imagined angels would appear but had a voice smoother than honey or fine silk, a voice that you'd only be able to describe as other. He looked over his shoulder at you, those eyes... starlit and cosmic capturing you in an instant. "Are you well?"

"Yes!" You practically shouted. "You're fine - I'M... I'M fine."

One of the corners of his mouth twitched into what you'd describe as a smile. "I simply wished to check in to make certain no more demons came looking for a blushing bride."

You laughed, of course blushing at just his voice. "I haven't seen any... or I don't think I have. I guess I wouldn't really know until the last minute."

"The smell would give them away." Was that a joke? You wondered as you quietly laughed.

"Thank you for checking on me."

He looked away the expressionless look on his face that he'd had the entire time he'd been here faltering for a moment. "I confess I have been keeping a close eye on you since we last met."

You wracked your brain trying to remember a time you'd seen him over the course of the week. "I... I'm sorry I didn't notice you."

"You wouldn't," he answered. "I was not physically present, but my raven made certain you were safe."

"Your raven?"

"That'd be me," a new voice said from the windowseal.

You jumped, instinctually moving closer to Dream's stiff form. "Oh my god!"

The black bird tucked it's head in a bit. "Sorry, I forget how startling that can be."

It took a minute or so for you to fully process that there was a raven in your flat... and about five more to process the fact that it'd just spoken to you. "I... Sorry... I wasn't exactly expecting you to talk."

"Perfectly understandable," the bird said, flying into your home and looking at the magazines on your coffee table. "Names Matthew."

"Matthew... I have to admit I that wasn't what I thought your name would be."

"Yeah, kind of a lame one for a talking raven," he agreed. "But you can blame my mom for that I guess."

"So all ravens talk?"

"No," Dream answered. "Matthew was human once, before he became my raven."

You nodded, even though it was obvious you were very confused. "Right. Well, thanks I guess for checking up on me."

Matthew cawed, flaring his wings out. "Well there was something else we came here for, right boss?"

Looking up at Dream you smiled. His face revealed nothing as he replied, "No. I do believe we are finished with our task."

"Oh," you whispered, slightly disappointed. "Well, thank you again. Maybe I'll see you or, uh, Matthew around sometime."

Dream said nothing more as he and the bird quietly exited your flat. Unbeknownst to you, Matthew berated the Dream Lord all the way back to The Dreaming and for days after. He'd planned on inviting you to see his realm. He'd seen your dreams, mystical and magical, and everything you found beautiful, and he instantly thought you'd enjoy seeing a land of true magic and beauty. A land that would match your own enchanting smile and mystical laughter.

Time passed as it always did, you worked closely with Johanna and on occasion, Dream would lend a hand in finding certain artifacts or warning against demons. The two of you spoke often on those rare instances, so often you'd learned much about one another. Johanna insisted you'd grown a rather obvious crush on the ancient being, which you'd not denied but rather reminded yourself of the reality. He was a king, a god, an Endless. He'd hold no romantic interest toward you, a human.

When Dream did finally invite you to his realm it was something you'd never forget. The shimmering black sand of the beach, the intricate ivory gates, the houses belonging to Cain and Abel as well as their golden gargoyle, the bridge, and the bright fields with flowers that had long been extinct. His palace was grand and spectacular. White with gold and ceilings of stars and windows of stained glass. You loved it here, every moment.

Lucienne had been waiting for you in the library, happily explaining everything she could and leading you and Dream through the near-endless shelves all full of books. It was more than you could have ever imagined. Dream assured you that you'd be able to return whenever you wished and he'd held to that. Every night you came back and read a book alongside him. Every night you fell more in love with him than you'd ever thought possible.

You hadn't planned on telling him that, but Johanna had other plans. Devious Constantine plans. She's gathered you and Dream together to help her find some information and when both of you were lost in your respective spell books she loudly proclaimed you'd told her about a sex dream you'd had of the Endless being.

Mortified you sat frozen, glaring at her, while Dream calmly stated, "I would remember that quite vividly, had it happened."

Blushing you shook your head. "What the hell Johanna?"

"Well someone has to make a move or you two will just be skirting about each other for eternity!"

The incident, as you called it, was horrifying, but ultimately did lead you to admit your feelings for Dream and him doing so to you. Dating him was hardly any different than what the two of you usually did before, only now there were stolen moments of soft touches and tender kisses and... after a few months, intimate experiences that had your legs shaking days after.

Life was going well until you began receiving calls from an unknown number. Whoever it was never said a word, but each one made you feel sick. Soon every time you were out in public you'd be tingling with the horrid feeling that you were being followed, and watched. It was driving you crazy and Dream took note. He offered to send Matthew to stay with you when he could not to help ease your mind and quell your fears. Neither of you could have known how the simple act would save your life.

You'd just gotten home after a long day and you wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed to join your boyfriend in The Dreaming. From the door, you could hear Matthew perch in the window as you shed your coat and made your way to the kitchen to put on a kettle for tea. You didn't make it that far when a pair of arms wound around you, covering your mouth and dragging you through the house as you threw yourself around trying to break your attackers hold.

Matthew cawed and swooped down to attack the man that held you, but quickly realized he was of little help and fled to get Dream. It was then that the man spoke, revealing him to be your ex-boyfriend and a man that should have been in prison. As he talked you went still and in turn his hold on you loosened enough for you to throw your head back into this nose and break free.

You ran to the bathroom, locked the door behind you, and crawled into the tub, covering your ears with your hands and quietly praying Dream would come soon. In your state of adrenaline and fear you hardly noticed the black-clad being until his hands carefully reached out and touched you. You sobbed into his chest as he took you to The Dreaming and helped settle you into the bed.

On another night he wouldn't hesitate to sit beside you and comfort you until you fell asleep naturally. But on this night he sprinkled a pinch of sand over your eyes and tucked you into the bed. On this night he would deal with the man that had caused you so much pain and doubt.

He was still in your apartment, throwing himself at the bathroom door and taunting you when Dream returned. He opened the bathroom door and let the man fall to the ground in front of him. As he gazed up into the pitch-black eyes of Dream of the Endless the man scurried back like a frightened mouse. "I was beginning to fear we'd never meet."

"What the fuck are you?"

"I am Dream of the Endless and you have wronged one I hold most dear." He walked forward, darkness following in his steps. "And I cannot allow such to go unpunished."

"I didn't do anything!" The man insisted. "That bitch is a liar! She's crazy!"

Dream stepped onto his knee, listening to it crack beneath his boots. "Enough. Your lies will not sway one such as myself. Pitiful and hollow being that you are. Loveless and joyless... You never deserved her. Not her touch, nor her kind words, not even a moment in her presence."

The man would beg and plead, and Dream would let him. He'd listen to every word and he'd cherish each one, for he knew exactly the kind of pain he'd put you through. He knew every word you'd said to beg him, to plead with him for kindness and mercy, though this... creature would give you neither. When the majority of his bones were broken, either by an act of violence meant to harm Dream or by a mild movement of the Endless, Dream at last relented. "You will never see her again. Never touch her, hear her, or smell her. You will leave this place at once and you will never return. From this moment on you will live every moment of your life haunted by the pain you forced her to endure. You will know no moment of peace, no semblance of mercy or kindness. Even your begging would not be enough to sway me."

Dazed and confused and broken your ex would wake up in a hospital far away from your town. He'd not remember that night, but he'd live each moment in pain and anguish. Every night he'd dream of the King of Nightmares and hear his curse. He'd not live long.

Dream returned to your side, quietly pulling you into his chest as you stirred, kissing his neck and nuzzling your face into his soft messy hair. "Did you just get done working?"

"Yes," he answered. "Go back to sleep my love."

You looked into his eyes with still heavy lids. "Did something happen tonight?"

He tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know," you answered. "I think I had nightmare."

Dream's arms wrapped even tighter around you as he pressed his head to yours. "Go back to sleep. I will kill any nightmare that dares touch that beautiful mind of yours."

You giggled. "That's a bit extreme. Maybe just a stern warning would be better."

"Anything you wish, my love."

[thewritersaddictions]

House Heisenberg: Karl Heisenberg- Scary Truth Part 2

Pairing: Karl Heisenberg x pregnant!Fem!Reader

pov: Reader

Warnings: Pregnancy, anger, mention of other resi 8 village characters, crying, confusion, Pregnancy scare, scared reader, pregnancy bump, confused Heisenberg, slight anger, a little bit of blame, fluff, cuteness, father material, slight smut, 18+, teasing, semi-public sex.

Summary: Afraid of telling Karl you are pregnant, so you wait til you can't hide it anymore.

A/n- firefly-graphics fro dividers

WC- 2.6k

Resident 8 Master List // House Heisenberg Master List

Everything was normal, until it wasn’t and I freaked out. Until I noticed that my period had yet to come and I was already late by a few days. The panic running through my body was enough to get me out of bed. Empty bed, I knew where Karl was every morning, he’d draw out a new design and have to create by the end of the day. Testing out the best of the best ideas.  

But this morning was different for me at least. Normally I would groggily make my way up to him, climb into his lap and warm myself back up. Instead, I rushed to the bathroom. The small and frantic reflection looking back at me nearly made me cry right there.  

No such thing has pregnancy test here in the mountain valley. Donna was the only person I could think of going to. Donna may have been the only person that I trusted. There wasn’t a chance I was going to tell Miranda about this, or about the potential new life that might be coming to the small town within those scary mountains. She’d scam me out of my potential baby.  

So, Donna it was. I gather myself up off the bathroom floor. Wiping the tears had managed to fall off my cheeks. I opened the door, and gathered what I would need to get over to Donna’s. A thick winter jacket, and my favorite pair of boots. I walked out of our bedroom. A soft morning glow was beaming into the room where the windows hadn’t been covered.  

I walked up to Karl. “Morning, love. I’ve got to go to Donna’s she needs some help with something.” I said as I kissed him nicely on the forehead. His arm coming to wrap around my waist, not yet letting me leave. “What do you mean she needs help? Donna never needs help that’s what she’s got her creepy ass dolls for.” Karl says reminding me of the creepy dolls that are littered around her domain. I tried to wiggle from his grasp but those strong arms kept me right by his side.  

The look of Karl not really believing me was what I was met with when I looked up at him. Long whisps of grey hair falling in front of his sharp features. I moved them from his face tucking them behind his ear. “I promise I’ll be back before you even notice that I’m gone.” I spoke. Cupping his cheek in my hand. The man was a burning furnace. Hot with every touch that I brought to his skin. He sighed heavily, “Fine, but take a Soldat with you at least for your safety.” Karl said, resting his hand on mine. I kissed him once more before I walked out of the workshop's doors with a Soldat trailing behind me.  

The walk to Donna's place was a cold and dark one. The valley kept most of the town in a pretty consistent darkness. Donna’s place wasn’t that much better. You could barely see it from the slopes of the mountains at Karls workshop. A large waterfall hiding the old home.  

When I reached the old home, there was Angie standing there in front of the door. She never gave me hope, nor did she like me very much. She eyes me as I walked up the porch. The Soldat standing just at the gates opening. “Donna?” I said the sound echoing through the homes walls, Angie was right behind me. “She’s in the living room, Y/n.” She said her voice high and even that echoed off the walls. The creeps and shiver climbed up my spine. I walked, Angie nearly busted in through the small door. Finding Donna right where she said she would be. Donna was sitting on the counter her dolls were surrounding her and now me.  

“What are you here for Y/n?” Angie questioned me, I swallowed hard. Donna turned her face still kept under the veil. “Y/n? It’s so nice to see you.” She said quietly. Normally I never really heard Donna talk but I guess in the presence of her own home she gave into the comfort of her own voice.  

“I needed someone to talk with about something personal.” I said, “Can I talk with you?” I asked. “Sure, Angie move some things for our guest to sit down.” Donna said. Within a snap Angie flew through the house moving the porcelain dolls out of the way. The jacket I had worn to walk to Donna I had discarded wrapping it around the chairs back, before taking a seat.  

“So, what’s wrong Y/n?” Donna questioned me. I sighed, thinking of my words carefully. “I think... Well, I want to think that I’m pregnant. But I’m not sure, and I didn’t want to go to Mother Mirandas. I just needed someone who I could trust and talk to about it.” I spoke. All the words falling out with a same cry near the end. I wasn’t able to see Donna's expression under her veil, but her voice gave it away. “Oh sweetheart. You and Karl? A mother and father!” Oh... This feels like a bad choice. “Did you come here to help me figure out if you were pregnant?” Donna asked. I only shook my head. My words I couldn’t trust right about now.  

Donna got up from the table, a little head nod to me. I followed behind her, that day she told me that I was in fact pregnant. Not with a boy or a girl, just told me that I was pregnant. ‘Are you going to tell him?’ She had asked me, I didn’t have an answer for her, I didn’t have an answer as I walked out of her home a bin of baked goods in my hands. The Soldat stood waiting, he looked so wasted. But still he stood and waited for me. I needed to tell him, but tell him right now. That was really necessary.  

So, the walk back was filled with rapid questions and thoughts. My own that were racing and the ones that I could only imagine that Karl would think of when I told him I was pregnant. The Soldat behind me sounded of broken metal scrapping against each other. It was making me more nervous the closer we got back to home.  

When I walked in the Soldat went slack. Tired I could only assume. I hadn’t notice that I had spent nearly all day at Donnas until the sky turned dark around me. Had the idea crossed my mind that maybe I wouldn’t need to tell Karl until it was absolutely needed.  

NO. 

No, it had crossed my mind. Crossed my mind so much that when I walked back into the workshop. Karl was right where I let him that morning, sitting there at the work bench working on yet another design for yet another creature. “Buttercup?” Karl said, I hadn’t been in the room for more than a few moments. “Yes sweetie.” I said calmly trying desperately to get my voice in control, along with the running thoughts.  

“You were gone all day long! You said you’d be back soon.” Karl said his voice was for the few times I had heard it was small. Quiet almost, like I had hurt him by being gone for so long. I smiled, at least he hadn’t asked me what Donna needed. I walked over to him. Climbing into his lap, like always he was warm to the touch and it had such an overwhelming sense of calm it brought with it. I fell right in to the normal way of our life.  

Without questions from Karl about my visit to Donnas. Karl let me sit right there, his hand coming to hold my gently up against his chest. The smell of metal and rubber coming into my senses lulling me to sleep that night. I never told him about finding out I was pregnant. It wasn’t something I had thought about when I was in his lap.  

-- 

Months went by, some slow some fast. But that didn’t stop the growing stomach that was becoming hard to hide. The restless nights I had of no sleep to point where Karl would no longer sleep in the same bed as me. Maybe the guilt of not telling him afraid of his answer had kept me awake most nights.  

Karl wasn’t concerned I had kept my morning sickness to myself in the earlier days but this was becoming worse and worse. Harder and Harder to keep to myself. Something broke though, the ability to keep it secret. Karl was down in the factory working on one of his soldiers. “Karl!!” I yelled from the elevator. “We need to leave for Mirandas meeting.” I screamed from the door.  

“GOD DAMN IT.” Was all I heard come from a lower level and then a clung of tools hitting the ground. Murmurs of what I assumed were curses to Miranda about her damn meetings, but I was already going back up the elevator. I giggled at the small notice that this child might just turn out a little bit like him. I had talked with Donna multiple times after she told me I was pregnant.  

Donna had become my confidant. She always looked at me, I could feel it when we were at meetings. A small smile could seen through the black veil. Today was no different, at least from Donna it wasn’t, but not from Mother Miranda. We were late like always. A welding hammer that was hanging off of Karls shoulder. Karl walked with a strong sense of power that hung loose around the both of us.  

I on the other hand was a mess. I had a strange walk that was starting to become hard to hide, and I only wore the loose-fitting clothes that I managed to find in Karls's closet. Mother Miranda gave me an odd look at first, then looked away. Her view only staying on her precious child. She talked of new projects for all of the child to do. She talked about herself, and how she needed a strong suiter for her new daughter.  

Then she looked over at me. Her eyes creasing with great force. Overprotective as always Karl was more than ready to fight her right there and then. “Whatever you’re thinking about I’d sit down son.” Miranda said, walking away from her grand stance. Instead walking towards me, I was scared, but not only for myself but for my unborn child. The fear that washed over my face was evident to everyone. A weary pair of eyes looked from over Miranda shoulders. Donnas.  

“Y/n.” Miranda said. I moved my gaze over to her. Regal and scary was mother Miranda and she used it in every way possible with anyone and everything around her, and I was dumb to assume I would be out of that realm. “You’re keeping a secret from us all.” She said standing tall in front of me. Her eyes grazed down my body, a small frame. It was hard to miss a growing stomach.  

“Yes, yes you are. You haven’t told anyone yet you are so far along.” She said her words etching themselves into my brain. I hadn’t meant for it to go down this way, and yet here I was standing in front of everything about to be exposed. 

“What is she talking about?” Karl asked, his voice dropping ever so slightly. A concerned feature etching in his beautiful face. I was at loss of words. This wasn’t the place. This couldn’t be happening now. The tears that I didn’t know were coming had come rushing down my face.  

“You aren’t the brightest are you Heisenberg?” Miranda questioned. “Your lovely pet here, has been keeping a secret from you. And from me.” Miranda continued on. The tears continued to and the heart stopping feeling didn’t stop either. “A secret that would be a wonderful new addition to our family.” Karl was twisting in his seat. A supportive hand coming to clamp around mine. A soothing thumb rubbing circles into my hand. “Tell him Y/n. Tell all of us.” Miranda said. Her arms opening wide showing off a room of awaiting people  

I stumbled over my words for the first few seconds. “Go on tell him.” I looked over at Karl through falling tears that he gently wiped away for me. “I found out only a few months ago. I had a little help I didn’t want to tell you and then everything falls apart around me. I love you too much to let that happen. But I... we are...” I tired the words were getting caught in the back of my throat.  

“Oh, just say it already.” It was an order, a snap coming from Miranda. A small huff, before the words fell from my lips. “We are going to have a baby. I’m pregnant and kept it a secret from you. I’m so sorry. I know it can’t take back all the time I wasted by not telling you. I swear I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was just trying to...” The words end in the back of my throat, cut off by the anger that was pouring out of Karl.  

Anger towards Miranda. Not me, not all. Nothing but sweets gazes. “You dare say that it was as secret from you. This baby isn’t yours. Did you help create it? NO, now keep your fucking threats to yourself. And your baby snatching hands.” Karl screamed out to Miranda. With a soft sweep around the room his gazed landed on Donna. Fear rooted from him to her. A straight line. “Did you help Y/n?” He asked voice still filled with rage. A small shake of Donnas head was all the conformation he needed. Turning to look back at Miranda. “And if you dare fucking touch Donna or her freak doll Angie, I swear to God Miranda I will bring earth and hell on your ass. Now stay the fuck out of my life and my baby's life.” With that Karl was walking us out of the door.  

The walk home was quick, and when the doors to the workshop closed. Karl was on his knees in front of me. Hands throwing off the long loose-fitting clothes from my body. I was still to stunned by his words and actions at the meeting to notice the warmth that was flooding my body. The warmth was coming from Karl. His hands slightly and carefully grazing over the growing bump. No bigger than 4 months along. “You said you love me.” Karl said looking up at me. Those eyes, the eyes I fall in love with everyday looking up at me. I only shook my head. “Can you say it again?” He asked me. I smiled a mending smile. “I love you, Karl.” I spoke. My small hand coming to cover his larger one.  

“Y/n, god look so good like this.” Karl said, a cheeky look in his eyes. “All pregnant, and round just for me.” He said pressing a little kiss to my growing belly. “You aren’t mad?” I asked, fear was always there bound to come out in moments of absolute peacefulness. “No buttercup. I’m not mad I know why you didn’t say anything I understand all the fears. But I’m here for you buttercup. I’ll always be here for you and my kid.” He said kissing my bump a second time.  

Completed on 12/29/22

Posted on 12/30/22

House Heisenberg-

[amelias-zelda-calamity-quintet]

The Dreeka & The Horned Goddess w/ Princess Zelda

Zelda: "You're curious about the Dreeka? I'd imagine if you've been looking into the Convergence they would come up. I can answer some questions, but the Dreeka are a secretive people. Fitting for the followers of the Goddess of Secrets.

"According to the stories we have from the Convergence and the Dreeka's records, at some point after the cycle began, the Horned Goddess showed Herself to a portion of the Sheikah and offered them Her boon to help preserve the stories of the Hero and the Princess. These people became the Drex, and then after the Convergence, the Dreeka. The boon the Horned Goddess gifted appeared very similar to that in the Sheikah, though with one key difference. Rather than crimson eyes, the Dreeka notably have purple ones as a part of their lineage.

"During the time of the Convergence, an ambassador of the Dreeka presented themself to the Hero, and served as his Guide during his quest. The two remained friends long after, and they were essential in brokering relations with our neighbors. Part of that peace was the construction of the Dreeka's libraries, one in every nation, to store the collective histories of our countries and the legends."

Marela: "A lot of people don't trust the Dreeka though. I know they're secretive, but that shouldn't make them unlikable."

Zelda: "It shouldn't. That reputation tends to have more to do with the other epithets the Horned Goddess has. Most notably, the Goddess of Monsters. It's said She had followers during the Convergence who were within the Blin family of creatures, among others. Many people have taken to associate that incorrectly that She Herself makes monsters."

Marela: "Well that's just rude. That's like when there was still a distinction between River Zora and Sea Zora."

Zelda: "Precisely the problem. But people are unfortunately easy to scare, and particularly these days with more monsters, too many people are willing to find an excuse rather than confront the truth."

Marela: "Oh, truth! You said that was an affinity of the Horned Goddess before, didn't you?"

Zelda: "I did. The Horned Goddess's primary epithet may the Goddess of Secrets, but Her affinity is Truth. According to the Dreeka's history, She uncovered the means of ascending to divinity, like the other Golden Goddeses, and left this secret behind only for Hylia."

Marela: "So she achieved ascension as well? Is that suggesting she's as powerful as the other Golden Goddesses?"

Zelda: "According to the Dreeka, yes. I will admit, Her affinity is incredibly powerful. Enough to have two material affinities as well as the divine one."

Marela: "Would that mean she has a portion of the Triforce? Not much of a Tri-force then."

Zelda: "Early history suggests that before we recognized it at the Triforce, it was simply called the Light Force. Perhaps a unified power existed before the Horned Goddess was ostracized by the divines as well."

Marela: "Hm. Wouldn't that be something. What were her material affinities?"

Zelda: "Most notably, Earth magic seems to fall in the Horned Goddess's domain. That would fit with Her prominent colors, She seems to favor purples. Other than that is Soul magic."

Marela: "Soul magic? How would that different from Spirit magic?"

Zelda: "A difficult line to explain. Spirit magic seems to have more to do with death and, well, spirits. Things that are already immaterial. Soul magic on the other hand influences largely the living. Things like, oh. Marela, your singing can provide a particular bardic inspiration."

Marela: "Oh, you flatter me. I do my best. Keep complimenting me, I like it."

Zelda: "Hmhm, you are quite talented at it. But to my point. Soul magic works in a similar fashion. As your singing can motivate a performance from others, Soul magic can too provide boons to the mind. Though this must be done with caution. Abuse of this magic can be used to puppet others as well. Likely the reason it goes understudied."

Marela: "That does rather put a chill on the mood."

Zelda: "All action is about balance. That's what the Horned Goddess's High Priestess says too. It's no different for Power or Courage or Wisdom. It's only that we've seen so little of this magic that its worse uses are what's focused on rather than the good it might be able to achieve with better study."

Marela: "I suppose. Maybe we should pay a visit some time to this library. Perhaps we could find some answers on our current problems."

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

Mark of a Hero (Updates on Tuesdays & Fridays, 1 of 9)

Hyrule is at peace, or so the Royal Family would have its people believe. Something is afoot in the kingdom, and someone needs to do something about it. Least likely would be Marksmen Link Sayre- a mercenary and monster hunter doing his best to get by. Until a job goes wrong, and he gets roped into the secret plans of Hyrule's princess. Now Link must play the part of the Hero to dive deeper into the mystery, and maybe stumble into a legend of his own.

AO3 - Wattpad

[moobloom-mention]

A Paradox [Warm-Up]

Summary: MK calls Nüwa out on her shit.

Content Warning(s): Talk of world destruction, but what's new

Word Count: 403

This is how I imagined the Nüwa S5 confrontation would've gone if it the show focused just a bit more on the philosophical/religious side of things.

Nüwa blinks. Sympathy lurks in her somber expression and MK knows not whether to dig at it or leave it to die with the shattered remains of his relief.

“Child,” she soothes. With her voice, once more the choice is made to remain ignorant to the spider web of cracks struck through the sky. “This is everything the world deserves. Perhaps even if a bit more.”

Teeth clench; anger is not an emotion he’s let guide his judgement before. And yet, venom crafts itself into his voice with a sense of ease. “To be destroyed?”

“No,” Nüwa hums, unphased. “To be reborn.”

“It won’t-” air draws itself sharply between his teeth. “This isn’t saving the world; it’s tearing it apart!”

Her smile is a cruel thing to observe; an olive branch that reeks of triumph like this is some game to win.

“Only momentarily,” her head tilts and he thinks it a mockery of thought. “Then the cycle begins again. Such is the demand of the Universe.”

“But-”

“Xiaotian.”

It’s a harsh sound, loud against the realm’s pale silence.

Like water, Nüwa's composure reforms itself and she offers a hand large enough to encase him. Still, she keeps her distance. “There are bigger forces even I cannot hold a candle to. Who are we to interfere with their wishes?”

Dread forms its home within MK’s heart, lungs seizing into his throat. This can’t- it can’t be it. This couldn’t be what the Universe intends for its domain. To destroy everything just to reform once again.

It would be irrelevant- pointless to call for its destruction in the first place.

“You’ve already interfered,” he whispers and his voice shatters. “If the Universe’s intent had always been for this world to cave into itself, there wouldn’t be a way to stop it. You-”

The sky rattles.

“You created an out.”

Nüwa’s lips purse and a petal of patience falls to the floor. “I would’ve never been able to fix the Universe in the first place if it didn’t intend for me to do so.”

Delirious, a laugh tears itself from his throat.

“You’re in a paradox,” the accusation rings because this isn’t fair. The Universe had never meant for MK to exist and reshape the world. Its apathy wouldn’t have allowed such a thing.

Nuwa had twisted fate to fit her morals; had interfered and justified it through the idea that she’d succeeded once before.