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He kisses Henry until it feels like he can’t breathe, until it feels like he’s going to forget both of their names and titles, until they’re only two people tangled up in a dark room making a brilliant, epic, unstoppable mistake.

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RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE (2023) dir. Matthew López

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Achilles & Patroclus (2021)

Of all the art I've made, this is one of my most beloved pieces. I also created a plate version for a double-sided acrylic standee that had one side in the red-figure and the other in black-figure style painting.

Also I've never really spoke about it before, but I always wanted to make a Hector and Andromache piece to pair with this. Never got around to it, but maybe one day I will.

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Jumping around and spinning whenever I find a new mythological couple that fits this format

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It’s unpredictable and it’s intoxicating and it’s fun, because Alex has never met a challenge he didn’t love, and he—well, Henry is a challenge, head to toe, beginning to end.

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Love is in the air 🖤🗡💀

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I LOVE PATROCLUS AND ACHILLES.

in the Iliad, my guy Achilles literally refused any kind of compensation for Patroclus’ death (some times in Ancient Greece people can get partial inadequate compensation for the loss of a loved one, but compensation was more for murder without wartime) and instead dammed up the River Xanthus with the corpses of Trojans, literally kills Hector and pierces his ankles (to remind ppl that the Trojans legs were not fast enough to outrun Greek feet) with strips of oxhide, AND DRAGGED HIS NAKED BODY AROUND THE WALLS OF TROY. Day after day, again and again, making Hectors parents watch. This is especially brutal considering the Greek burial rites and culture surrounding the dead, Achilles was doing the MOST. And that was still not enough for him, because Patroclus would still be dead

And this is only after Patroclus’ death, this is not concerning their life brought up together—after Patroclus killed another boy accidentally and was adopted by his brother Peleus and raised alongside Achilles, or through their many years of partnership, battles, and more.

DUDE AND THE PETNAMES. “Beloved Patroclus” “Dearest friend” and my favorite one: “my hearts desire” THEIR RELATIONSHIP WAS PEAK

Some ppl say it’s romantic and some don’t, in Ancient Greece relationships between men, DEEP friendships were not uncommon. Maybe because a mix of different social norms, or because of how the idea of gayness we have now is not the same as it was before, so maybe in their terms they were just good friends, could be reflecting the cultural norms of deep male friendship in Ancient Greece

But when they were shown, relationships like that were often characterized by mentorship/camaraderie, and sometimes romantic elements, tho they did not always conform to modern definitions of romantic/sexual relationships. The terms and concepts of sexual orientation as understood today did not exist in the same way in ancient Greece,

BUT THEY CAN ALSO BE SEEN AS ROMANTIC through several key points whoch show their emotional intensity n depth. Like first of all, Homer's affectionate language which suggests an intimacy beyond friendship. Secondly, their emotional dependency is EVIDENT when Achilles withdraws from battle due to his bond with Patroclus, and then when Patroclus wears Achilles’ armor, which is almost like symbolizing a merging of their identities.

Another one is what I mentioned before and it’s the intensity of Achilles’ grief after Patroclus’ death, indicating a love that transcends normal friendship, as seen in his mourning rituals. Finally, Achilles’ enduring honor for Patroclus after his death.

I won’t 100% say they were together, BUT I WILL REPOST AND DRAW GAY FANART OF THEM but it doesn’t matter. the bond between Achilles and Patroclus is one of the deepest kinds of partnership and loyalty.

Achilles’ grief over Patroclus’ death is profound, the language used by Homer makes me fucking scream as a classics lover, the emotional depth and loyalty displayed can FUCKING KILL YOU!!!

thank you for reading my rant

READ THE ILLIAD pls

Also the colors mean nothing they just pretty

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thinking about these two again sigh

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Achilles & Patroclus | Alexander & Hephaestion

"As we know, the ashes of Achilles and Patroklus were mingled in one urn. Not even a god could sift the one from the other."

― Mary Renault, Fire From Heaven 

"At their tombs in Troy, Alexander and Hephaistion had sacrificed together. Wound Patroklus, and Achilles will have your blood.”

― Mary Renault, The Persian Boy

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before the hammock 🍃

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help all i can draw is domestic firstprince!!!!!

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Red, White and Royal Blue (2023) + text posts

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LNC: ALEX CLAREMONT-DIAZ (IN.SP) | Henry [x]

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LNC: HENRY FOX MOUNTCHRISTEN WINDSOR (IN.SP) | Alex [x]

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oh, sweet valentine, be mine 🩷❤️ (inspired by those old Whitman's chocolates ads)

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Love them so much

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Patroclus is a bad-ass

 So like, Patty-Cakes regularly gets boiled down to “Achilles Best Friend/Dearest Companion/Lover whose death is the catalyst for Achilles entire story-arc as well as the rest of the Iliad” AND NOTHING MORE. But I am here to tell you that Patroclus is one bad-ass motherfucker and he’s not just the love interest and he’s super wicked awesome.

 SO HERE IS WHY

When he was a kid he KILLED A KID OVER A GAME OF FINGER-BONES. Now granted, what we can glean from the information given is that it was by accident (he didn’t go into much detail what with being pre-occupied with being a ghost and trying to convince Achilles to bury him), but still– he was a kid and he’d already shed blood. That was why he went to live with Peleus and Achilles because Menoetius was like “Woah my kid needs some discipline or else he’s gonna go on a rampage soon– I’ll send him to Peleus, his son Achilles seems like he’s growing up to be a stable and kind young man!”

He was trained by Chiron. When he and Achilles were old enough they were carted off to go live in the woods with Chiron, a centaur who was famous for training the best Greek heroes of all time (and also famous for having said Greek heroes go bat-shit crazy later on and live tragic lives). And he only trained like, super fucking brilliant people so the fact that he trained Patroclus as well as Achilles TELLS YOU HOW AWESOME PATTY-CAKES WAS.

He was a fucking awesome warrior. Everyone seems to forget how fucking great he was because his boyfriend was like, the best warrior to ever fight shit, but he was one lean mean fighting machine. He took out his own demi-god, Sapredon, who was the son of Zeus. HE KILLED THE SON OF ZEUS. And when it was his turn to die THE GODS HAD TO STEP IN AND WEAKEN HIS ARMOUR SO HECTOR COULD STAND A CHANCE. Even then it was no good because Patroclus was like ‘Fuck off Hector you can’t beat me’ so the gods had to STUN Patroclus and make him all disoriented, and THEN they had to let another dude, Euphorbus, stab him and weaken him before Hector could take him down. AND EVEN THEN HECTOR HAD TROUBLE KILLING HIM.

He almost finished the war. He reached the walls of Troy and would have had them crumbling down had the gods not been like ‘NOPE’ and had Apollo literally not flicked him off the wall six or seven times.

His last words weren’t begging for his life. His last words were basically ‘Lol my boyfriend is going to be so fucking angry at you Hector you best watch your back, bitch’

Trojans confused him for Achilles. If you get confused for Achilles, take that as a fucking compliment

When Achilles died apparently the two of them along with Antilochus (perhaps another lover of Achilles???) hung out in the underworld together and chilled on an island. WHICH ACCORDING TO THE ILIAD IS DEFYING THE GODS, because apparently you’re not supposed to remember those who died before you when you go down to the underworld. But Achilles in the Iliad was all ‘Fuck that shit I’m going to remember my Patty-Cakes’. So Patroclus helped to defy Hades’ rules and was all ‘Yeah hanging out with my bros down in the Underworld hell yah!’

THE MYRMIDONS LISTENED TO HIM. They were the mightiest group of Greek warriors and they were under Achilles’ command, but they also listened to Patroclus BECAUSE HE WAS THAT COOL and Achilles told them to be nice to him.

He made Achilles, the best of the Greeks, the head honcho, Numero Uno of them all, fall in love with him. He must have been one specactular person to have such a volatile, angry, confused demi-god fall madly in love with him and die for his memory. Patroclus and Priam were the only ones able to calm Achilles and make him see reason; Priam because Achilles was reminded of his father when he saw the old king, and Patroclus because HE’S FUCKING PATROCLUS OKAY?

He convinced Achilles to do shit. No one else could convince him to do anything after he left the battlefield during his little teenage angsty fit– not Agamemnon, not Odysseus, not Phoenix, not even promises of untold riches. No, all that had to happen was the gods go down to Patroclus, give him an idea, and all Patty-Cakes had to do was go to Achilles, cry a bit, cuddle him and then ask him of a favour. AND ACHILLES WAS LIKE 'OMG YES BB OF COURSE OF COURSE’

He had the patience of a saint. He was stuck in the middle of all the squabbling and had to listent to everyone complain about each other, and he just sat and nodded along and offered silent support to those who needed it. And he put up with Achilles’ emo song-writing stage that he went through in the middle of the war. That takes patience and a good ability to tune shit out.

Achilles immortal horses liked him the bestest and they cried when he died.

In fact, everyone really liked him. All the Greeks had major respect for Patroclus; respect for him outside the fact that he was Achilles’ best friend so you best not fuck with him. No, they respected him for everything else outside who he was sleeping with. THATS PRETTY BOSS WHEN YOU CAN HAVE AGAMEMNON SORT OF NOT HATE YOU AT THE VERY LEAST

 So yeah, those are just a few reasons Patroclus is fucking killer and you all better recognize.