mythopoeics

I'm trying to do an art project, and my charcoal keeps turning into feathers. What am I supposed to do with feathers?

[filter; private]
Dear mother, I'm doing an art project of your face. You'll never see it like you'll never see this, but I have to write it. Do you even care that I still love you? That I still try?

This is how I remember your face from my childhood. May you never see it.

This just in: I'm apparently a magician.

Don't think I'm going to run out of change any time soon if this keeps up.

What is this fuckery.

I had a dream that I was very small... Small like an ant. I was in a field. It started to rain, and I used a flower as an umbrella.

I don't know what it means.

So... work today was interesting. Every time I tried to gather ingredients to make something they turned into flowers. And not like, pretty flowers either. Nope, they were drooping daisies. And they got everywhere. Long story short, my manager told me to take some time off so I don't accidentally bake petals into scones.

It kept happening too. Like when I tried to feed the kitties. And on the bus. I'm almost afraid to change my clothes, but I'll do it. Showering might be weird, though.

[He and Aubrey had only met briefly and at random after the odd things had started. Cù Sìth didn't like those odd things either. It made it very hard to work (and play tricks on the children that came in). He had to use all his focus on behaving, on not getting distracted. Was it distractions that made these things happen? He couldn't quite figure it out but not letting things get to him and behaving monotonously help.

Until, hours after he had met with Aubrey, he found himself somewhere very dark. It wasn't cramped at all, a rather spacious walk-in, but it did smell a lot like shoes from where he was sitting. Contrary to what some might thing, he didn't want to chew them up. A hound he had been but he was a human now. He had some limits. But he did kind of want to bury them. Tie them up at random if he could. Pull some of the laces out as well.

And with that in mind, he got to work, uncaring of how he got there for now or even whose closet it was.

When weird stuff happened, the best response was to hang out with someone who was just as weird- namely CuCu. Not that Aubrey knew that he was Cu Sith, but whatever. Details, small details that didn't matter for now. The fact is they had been playing when Aubrey had decided shoving Cu Sith was a good idea- the next moment the hound had vanished and she had begun shrieking bloody murder all the way back to her place.

In fact she was close to hyperventilating. Who to call? Jim? Her father? She had just made someone disappear into thin air- that was basically murder, wasn't it? Oh god it was. She took a deep breath and called 911. "Hello? I would like to report a missing person-"

While it started coherent it dissolved into hysterical rambling and shrieking... that could easily be heard from inside her closet.

In the midst of tying a boot to the inside of a jacket, he paused to listen to that noise, curious of why it was happening. It didn't sound familiar at first, him being unused to Aubrey sounding so genuinely panicked. But as he listened, it did sink in. Before doing anything else, he finished what he was doing and then moved to nudge open the closet door.

"Stop being so loud."

And it was one of those moments that should've been video recorded and sent to America's Top 10 videos. Aubrey started, too startled and then she shrieked and threw the phone at him (the phone that turned into a duck as it left her hand).

Feathers, shoes, and swearing like no-tomorrow. It was a special moment.

There had been something beautiful about her aim. He saw it coming but it was coming in too fast and it struck him right between the eyes. He yelped and clasped both hands over his face while stepping right back into the closet. Karma had been waiting for him with one of Aubrey's nicer boots right behind one foot. And backwards he went, down on a pile of heels.

This day sucked. So much.]

[ Galahad didn't much want to get involved with Elaine, but his duty dictated that he ought to at least go check on her. The fact that she had been lacking as a mother did not mean he should be lacking as a son- that would be something that would be on his concience. He didn't want to sin when being a son should not be a chore.

It was though.

He knocked twice on the door (rapping the wood with his knuckles to avoid doing something to the door) of the address he had committed to memory and waited.

Nothing was allowed to be touched unless she wanted another snapping turtle on her hands. Elaine was doing better, truth be told, but she was still deeply frustrated because going to work was impossible. And then Hermes had come along and said the wrong things at first and she felt not shame but annoyance.

And when the knock on the door came, Baldric yipped, Rhett lifted his head to observe and Elaine went to the door. Once seeing who it was through the peep hole she took a step back. And before touching anything, she took several deep breaths and then swiftly unlocked it, yanking it open.

"I didn't expect you."

Galahad tilted his head a little, betraying that he was a little bit confused as that sort of greeting but said nothing of what he was actually thinking. "No, I suppose not. I was merely passing by to see if you were doing fine. To see if you required something." Nothing more than a duty of a son to his (somewhat deranged) mother.

Galahad didn't seemed annoyed at having to do this, he might have felt so but his duty had never been something that annoyed him. Doing things out of duty was too natural for him.

Deranged was just a flavour she could provide. ...not that it was a good thing. She knew that. She nodded to his reply and took a step back, her nerves threatening to overtake her. Elaine wasn't a fool about what the state of her relationship was with her son. She had something to accomplish and she did. Then it was all on him to do what he was meant to do. That was the way it was. No warm fuzzies, no coddling or sweet tuck-ins at night. She was his container and he the answer to their problem.

Yet sometimes, she just wanted to grab him and tell him what a fat baby he had been and it had hurt like hell getting him out. "Do you want to come in? Please? Just for a moment?"

"Sure." Galahad would not refuse most of the requests his mother made of him, but he remembered now- so clearly, the loving whispers of Morgause against his brow when she came to check up on him during night. He remembered the encouragement of her words, the conviction that he was the right choice for the throne. Things not easily forgotten or dismissed. He missed being loved as a son.

"Is there anything you need?" He closed the door behind him with a nudge of his shoulder not wanting to risk anything again.

Morgause had been a true mother to her children, to all five sons. Even the one that turned on her later. Elaine could never even claim to be one-tenth that maternal. Babies were adorable but raising them...perhaps there were some good books about that somewhere.

With Galahad here and her building generally safe enough, she left the door unlocked for now. Closed was good enough. "Me? I'd like to go to work, that's all. Idleness isn't for me," she admitted. "I saw that your Bible was taken from you. I'm sorry. And I'd offer you something to drink but..." Well, they both knew why that wasn't possible.

Which would've been fine had Galahad not experienced Morgause's mothering. Now there was a bigger elephant in the room between them. "Please do not concern yourself." Politeness was always his default mode for dealing with most situations. Most. "I came to see if you required help with something, I believe I might have less trouble than you handling things." He lifted one hand, staring at his palm in thought and then curled his fingers. "If you find that acceptable."

Lord, his politeness would slay her one day. There was only so much a woman could take before she cracked a man over the head with something heavy. But today would not be that day. She nodded once more and then said, "You might end up changing something as well if you touch it so I'm not sure how much help you can give but...I think it's just nice that you came. Even for a bit."

Galahad rubbed the bridge of his nose, a sign that there was the vaguest hint of annoyance lurking. "It is no problem, I shall stay here for a little longer, in case you find something you urgently need and cannot grab yourself, yes?" He didn't really wait for a yes or no, instead he strode over to the couch and sat down. It was not a relaxed posture, he sat straight, looking at the coffee table and whatever had been left on it. Well, he had never been much of a talker in general. Now? Now it was just the same.

Except he felt like he couldn't even approach Percival without sinning. It bothered him. Galahad suppressed the urge to sigh, it wasn't like Elaine would be any comfort to him. Not then, not now, not in future.

And then Baldric attacked his shoes.]

[Being Theseus was fine and well. It explained a great deal of things, really. But sometimes, it was nice to be known as Drake Caine. Father of little Drake but preferably known as Liam for lack of confusion. Not that anyone was confused when the name was shrieked. It was nearly always because of him.

He wasn't the best of fathers and he was going to be a lot worse when he made his way to America soon but he did come around now and then. Leave his ex some money to cover any costs, bring gifts and stories. Barely age-appropriate stories. This time, there had been an outing, one that had been harmless. But what Theseus was about to do was not going to allow it to seem like that.

The Land Rover was parked just before the boy's mother's place but Theseus was reaching in the back for a little tin of something special. And when it was found, he cracked it open. "Now, my boy, when we go in there, you don't say a word. You just look your solemn self and nod to whatever I say. And if you do this, I'll give fifty pounds." Then a smear of glitter went across little Liam's cheek.

Maybe there was just something in his brain that insisted on him doing such things.

Money was a powerful incentive, not that little Liam was thinking about money as he stared up at his papa. His twin was never willing to participate in these sort of things, so it was up to Merlin to get knee-deep in whatever shenanigans his father planned whenever he came to visit. Solemnly he gave a nod, wrinkling his nose when a bit of glitter was smeared across his cheek. He could understand something was going down. What was going to happen? No idea.

All he could think of doing was hum a particular song he'd heard tonight while his father turned him into Tinkerbell.

It was probably unfair to pick favourites but when Liam came along willingly, he had to dote on him more. Though he'd always bring something for his other son as well. It was fair and he could be that much.

"That's my boy," he murmured as he continues to place the glitter in strategic places. Then came out a little lipstick which was smudged just under Liam's chin and then on the back of his hand. "That should be enough. Now let's go see your mum and give her something to shriek about." That said, he unlocked the car and proceed to get out.

Merlin gave a firm nod and unbuckled his seatbelt before opening the door from his side and ... climbing down. He was a big boy now, and he didn't need any help (even if he left a trail of glitter behind). However, he was not old enough not to grab his papa's hand as they headed back into the house.

Years later, Liam would find himself on the car with his father in a similar situation (and an appropriate song in the background).

Theseus was selfish but not so heartless as to not be amused by that hand grab. Even if he never had that desired daughter, he supposed Liam and his twin were acceptable enough. They were good lads, each special in their own way. And they were a part of him that would live on when he was gone and forced into another reincarnation.

But such thoughts belonged elsewhere. Letting himself in, he called out to his darling ex. "We're back!"

Liam's mother, a plump woman with a sweet face rose from the living room, coming to greet her one-time fling and collect one of her sons. She didn't mind being a single mother, what she did mind was seeing her son covered in glitter...and "Is that lipstick?!"

Merlin shifted on the stop, lifting the back of his hand to wipe and just causing it to smear across more.

The boy was a natural at this. Theseus couldn't be more proud. "Today, one of our sons became a man," he told her, walking over to even try to give her a kiss. "You should be proud, sweetheart. You won't have to worry about this one being disgusted by girls at all."

Now, Merlin had seen his mother angry, but the way she began shrieking at Theseus was ... well. Epic. Survival instinct told him to release his father's hand and move aside while her mother threw things at the once-king of Athens. He considered that even after being told the truth, she was no less likely to stop yelling and throwing things.

...Being a kid was so hard.]

[ Things had not been going so well for Minos. Where as his sisters like Athena and Persephone had better temperaments to deal with things of this nature, he never would. He wanted to hurt people more easily, wanted to scold, ruin and destroy. He sulked, he scowled and he was doing both then as he had transformed three glasses of cognac into piles of worms (though one turned into a bottle of mouthwash).

It was going to be very hard to get through this without a drop of liquor.

On the other hand, Leukothoe was not having a problem. It was not that she was sweet-tempered, but rather she was so cold that few things moved her. It wasn't apathy, but something much deeper, something broken and twisted inside of her. (Wrong wiring of the brain?).

She came to him because he was her lord - Zurvan or not- she knocked his door without preamble and waited.

As he had never locked the door after coming home, he only had to call out. "Come in! And lock the damn door behind you!" He wasn't out of sight of the door and knew in the case of an unwanted guest that he would have time to react.

But who the hell wanted to visit him anyway?

Leukothoe opened the door carefully, taking a step in and then turning to look the door as he had instructed. It wasn't so much as wanting to visit, as being compulsed to visit. Her fingers itched for blood. "I apologize for showing up out of the blue, but it seems a lot of people are having trouble with... things." That she was here to serve him was obvious, why else show up? They were not friends, nor family.

A solution to his problems, that's what he saw. But wasn't she always that? His lips twisted into a smile, unkind as always, and he beckoned her near. "Yes, my girl, and I'm not excluded. How sensible it was of you to come see me. I always knew you had a good head on your shoulders. Not like my children."

Not any of them. For all he believed, they would fuck it all up.

"I am not having any problems as of yet," She informed him promptly, "What is it that you'd like me to do?" It really was that easy to settle into it. No need for reverence or further explanations- dry cut and efficient. That was her nature after the suffering she'd had.

She was strangely soothing, better than that wife of his from the old days. What a goddamn nuisance she had been. Minos felt tension leave him as he observed his solution.

"I need you to play secretary or at least that is what will be said when I go to work. You'll be handling everything that requires me touching something, at least in the office or out of view of the men. At home, you will attend to other things. Not fitting of your talents but you are required to do more than normally. And then, should a problem arise, I will send you out to take care of it."

And problems, in his shady line of business, did arise.

This was a satisfactory arrangement for her, Leukothoe gave the briefest of smiles before inclining her head, "As you wish." Because that is all that needed to be said, of course the first thing she actually did for him was to pour him a glass of brandy and place it by his side... with a straw.

Look at that. A straw didn't entirely suit the drink and felt silly but he knew he'd used it out of Leukothoe's sight and even if she saw, she'd never tell. Minos knew that much about her, knew how much she could be trusted.

It was so good to have reliable help.]

I woke up late, turned my alarm clock into an apple, turned my bagel into an apple, and then turned my wallet into an apple.

I just want to point out that Genesis doesn't actually mention apples at all.

Anyway, after sitting around for two hours I was able to finally get out the door.

[Filter: Charon]

Do you want to do something? Preferably something that avoids touching inanimate objects as much as possible.

[Phonecall to Osiris]

[Because Merlin was an awesome guy he gave Osiris his number after Donovan saved his life (and by save his life he means the man kept him for being run over by some grumpy driver that needed an extra shot of caffeine in his morning latte. Whatever, right?

Because he was an even more awesome person, he programmed the following ringtone with his name. Yup.]

Hello, hello?

Wow.

Now that I've stopped pushing that off, we can put that aside. I really just wanted to make a post because I felt bad about Merlin and the abundance of his comments everywhere. If we know each other, you should talk to me. Maybe I can finally make interesting out of this new revelation.

He could be calm at times, like when had been teasing his wife on Denver's post. Really, he was content much of the time until something went and stomped all over his feet. Usually this was family or one of Helen's so-called husbands.

And this time, it had been his American family, an unwanted call about his mother ending up in the hospital due to 'stress'. Did his father thing he cared secretly? Deep down inside? Hell, he barely cared about his old man, had lost respect for him. He was no Atreus, not the father who brutally could win respect from people. Who had fed his brother the man's own sons, had taken care of that cheating whore of a wife (no, no, he wouldn't call her Mother). His current father was nothing like Atreus.

And what did his mother have to be stressed about? That woman hadn't stressed for a good reason from the moment he started observing her.

He never made it through the entire call and his father would assume that his second-born son had just hung up on him. In truth, the phone opted to transform into a Magic Eight Ball. Glad to be off the phone, he observed what he'd gotten and then shook it, muttering about whether he'd get any peace in his life.

It reported back 'better not tell you now'.

[she was normally a very calm lass but she can't help but wonder what is going on. she was clearly missing out on something and it felt like a shame. her curiosity streak was begging she inquire and to make find out how she could get in on this randomness. after all, it wasn't like there were beasts around or evil hotel residents.

so on went her webcam just because she could. she wiggled at fingers at everyone watching and smiled]

So. Things have gotten very odd, haven't they? Is it just me and a couple of others unaffected? [a small tilt of her head] And how is it working? Does anyone know? Do tell me, please.

[she then waggles a finger] Or better yet, record what's going on with you and show me. And by that, I mean only if Khaos is fooling with you. I don't want to see something only you'll be proud of flashing about. [the things she expected, she thought with a laugh] Be good!

But that's all. I just really am very curious.