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[fluffanonn]

The perks of having the King of Olympus as your father ⚡ (kinda)

[fluffanonn]

A writer friend told me something that broke my heart a little bit today; they're going to quit publishing their fanfic.

My instant thought was that they had been trolled or attacked or that something terrible had happened in their life because this person is so passionate about their writing. It wasn't any of that. Engagement with their works has been going down, as it has for many of us. Comments are like gold dust a lot of the time, and just looking through the historical comment counts on old fics on ao3 demonstrates this trend very clearly. It was not simply the comments dropping off which caused them to decide to stop posting, however.

My friend came across a discord server for their fandom (I should point out here that their fandom interest and mine diverged a couple of years ago, we stay in touch but don't currently read each other's posts because I'm not into their fandom and they would rather gouge their eyes out with a wooden spoon than read anything Star Wars) and specifically to share fic in that fandom. They joined, because we all love a good fic rec, only to discover that their latest multichapter fic, which has almost no comments and very few kudos, is being hotly discussed in this server as one of the best stories ever. Not one of these people has bothered to say this to them on the fic. When they asked, none of participants could see the point in telling the author of the fic they apparently loved so much that they love it.

This discovery has absolutely destroyed my friend's love of sharing fic. They share because they love seeing other people's enjoyment, and fic writers do that through comments and kudos/reblogs/likes because we don't get paid. There is no literary critic writing a blog post/article about how amazing the story is for us to copy and keep/frame. There is no money from royalties. All we have are the words of the people reading our works.

Those people on that server could have taken five minutes of the time they spent gushing about how amazing my friend's story was to other people and used it to tell the one person guaranteed to want to hear that praise how much they loved it. They could have taken a moment to express their opinion to the person who spent hours upon hours plotting, writing, editing, and posting those chapters. Instead, they deprived my friend of thing that keeps them sharing their writing, and in the process have killed their love of it. My friend now feels used and unmotivated.

I won't be sharing a link to their fic, they said I could share their experience but not their identity. I know they plan to post one final chapter. I know they intend to express their hurt at being excluded from the praise for the thing they created, and I know they intend to announce that as a consequence they will not be posting for a long while, if at all.

So please, I beg you, don't hide your love of a story from the writer. It's just about the only thing we have.

[fluffanonn]

Any chance we could get a fic of zeus, poseidon & hades bonding while exploring the mortal world? Pls i just want hades to dote on his lil bros, they all deserve it 🙏😭

here ya go, friend!

[fluffanonn]

No one asked for this but here I go ignoring 130 asks to listen to the lil voice in my head that wants to know what the allmighty big three looked like as babies (5 , 6 and 7)

[fluffanonn]

What do you believe the big 6’s relationship with Rhea is like? Zeus got to know her a long time before the other 5 did, and was kinda (but not really) raised by her. I could imagine say, Poseidon, holding a grudge against her. After all, having one baby eaten by Kronos is an unfortunate and tragic incident. Two babies? A coincidence, slightly unpredicted. Three babies? A pattern. The third should’ve never been eaten, let alone the next two. I would hold a grudge against her if I was one of them, I can imagine Poseidon would. Especially considering the only one she saved was Zeus.

i've thought a looooooot about exactly this, so thank you!!! and to summarize, the six's relationship with her is varied and complex. rhea and motherhood are obviously very closely intertwined, and important. but i also think that the trauma she suffered at the hands of her husband and the complexities of wartime really impacted how she interacts with her children. it's not necessarily healthy.

zeus is the easiest - he is her baby boy. zeus adores rhea, idolizes her probably a little too much, and is easily her favourite. she can't even deny it. their relationship is pretty strong and has been for a long time. the issue is that i think rhea tends to put the burden of the strain in her relationship with other children on zeus, hoping he can fix it for her, pitting him against them. zeus doesn't like to feed into it, but he is aware of it and it can be hard sometimes. she's not trying to hurt him, of course, but he's her little boy, a hero, a protector, and she wants him to solve it when he can't.

demeter also loves her mother a lot. being second youngest, in my interpretation, means that rhea is a lot closer to her too. demeter tries to emulate rhea in a lot of ways, and their connections through motherhood are significant. she tends to skirt by the complications the most actually, because she's beloved enough to earn rhea's affection and attention, but not enough to be the mediator.

you are right about poseidon, though. his resentment of rhea is profound and runs deep, and even though he knows logically that it wasn't actually his mother's fault - he cannot help but blame her for all his childhood suffering. he feels slighted. she figured out a plan in time to save zeus, but couldn't do so earlier? he's angry and hurting and he takes it out on his mother because she's the only one he can take it out on now. his inferiority complex begins here - not feeling good enough to save, not good enough as zeus, not good enough for her. he does not have much of a relationship with her, despite rhea's poking and prodding.

hera is very similar to poseidon. she's resentful about her childhood and blames rhea in part. she holds a lot of anger in her, particularly in her youth, that she also directs at her mom. the issue extends further because of how much people compare her to rhea. two queens, two mothers. people expect her to be just like rhea and she loathes that comparison, which forces her to distance herself from rhea even more. she tends to shirk her mother's attention and wants no relationship with her.

hades wants a relationship with his mother, but i think is often ignored or neglected. not so explicitly that he stops trying to earn her love and affection, but enough for him to feel like he could be good enough if he just tried a little harder. i personally headcanon there being some tensions between them over my interpretation of him being trans - not outright maliciousness, but a sort of what happened to my little girl mentality she cannot seem to shake and it bothers hades a lot. still, he tries. he wants his mom, but she struggles to connect with him in meaningful ways.

hestia is not full of hatred, but neither is she forgiving of rhea. she spent the longest in captivity, and while she does not necessarily blame rhea for it, she does blame rhea for how they were all treated afterwards. she despises how her mom treats some of the others - neglecting hades, antagonizing hera and poseidon, middle-manning zeus. she feels as though she raised those kids and that rhea does not deserve to be so demanding. hestia also feels like rhea has not once attempted to be a mother to her, instead forcing her into a role of second mother right away. hestia was already filling that role before they met rhea, but it was compounded upon afterwards. she deserved to be a kid and have a mom, too ;-;

this is not a slight against rhea. poor woman was forced to watch her children be consumed (and i assume after the first one was swallowed, the children they had afterwards were not her choice, necessarily). she was relatively helpless, and surely carries so much guilt over what happened to her kids. that's a lot of trauma, and is the reason it's so hard for her to truly be there for her children, but it doesn't mean her kids experiences aren't valid either. it's such a heartbreaking, difficult situation and i think feels real in a situation like this, with so much horror.

[fluffanonn]

Poseidon: I love all my children.

Percy, snorts: Sure you do. Do you even remember all our names?

Poseidon: Yes! I'll list them for you from oldest to youngest-

*3 days later*

Poseidon: -Percy Jackson, and Tyson. That's all of them.

Percy: I am both impressed and horrified that it took you 3 days to finish, just listing names. Or did you take a break to make it seem like you have more kids?

Poseidon, who went to lay flowers at the graves of his dead children when Percy went to sleep: Oh yeah, no. I took a break when you fell asleep! That was totally it, uh huh.

[fluffanonn]

🏛Hellenic cheat sheets🏛

In construction

Here are some cheat sheets with general information about the Greek Gods which you might find useful in worship but not only!

There is plenty of information I did not include. These are just simple cheat sheets. I could not fit everything in there but this might come in handy if you’re just starting out or want to get to know the Hellenic Gods.

For more information about them, I highly recommend you check out the websites or books I listed in sources!

PSA: Some of the things listed in offerings and associations section are more modern, thus could be regarded as UPGs/SPGs

⚡ The Olympians ⚡

Zeus

Hera

Poseidon

Demeter

Athena

Apollo

Artemis

Ares

Hephaestus

Aphrodite

Hermes

Hestia

Dionysus

Mount Olympus - Home of the Gods

Hyperborea

🦴The Underworld🦴

Hades

Persephone

Hekate

Hypnos

Thanatos

Erinyes

House of Hades & the Afterlife

🌱 Minor deities & daimones 💫

Nemesis

Eris

Phobos & Deimos - bonus info

Eros

Nike

Asklepios

Pan

Iris

Hebe

Priapus

Amphitrite

Aristaios

Thetis

Tyche

Mousai [Muses]

Moirai [Fates]

Charites [Graces]

Anemoi [The Winds]

🌾 Titan & Primordial Gods 🌌

Helios

Selene

Hekate

Eos

Leto

Themis

Rhea

Cronus

Nyx

Gaia

👑 Heroes & deified mortals ⚔

Achilles

Heracles

Asklepios

Ganymede

Dioskouroi

Adonis

Hyacinthus

If you like my content consider supporting me on: https://ko-fi.com/screeching0wlet

[fluffanonn]

Triton: Why is there a kraken in my room?

Kymopoleia: That's Charybdis, my new minion! Named after our dearest sister in the sea of monsters. Don't worry, she only bites on command.

Triton: And why are there hippocampi in my dressing room?

Tyson: I needed to borrow your brushes to clean their gills! Too much pollution build up; it was making Rainbow feel sick.

Triton: And why is the Ophiotaurus in my dining room?

Percy: She was feeling lonely and depressed on Olympus so I brought her down here to feel better.

Triton: And why are there dolphins in my courtyard?

Amphitrite: Their home was destroyed; I figured you wouldn't mind.

Triton: Fine, just take over my entire house, would you?

Poseidon, helping himself to Triton's pantry: How generous! You always have the best snacks!

Triton:

Triton: I hate this family.

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Poseidon: Good morning, darling! How are you? I'm feeling fin-tastic!

Amphitrite: I can't believe I married you.

Poseidon: And what a lucky catch I was!

Amphitrite: Husband, I swear if you make another sea pun before I have my first coffee-

Poseidon: Ah, I sea. You're feeling crabby without your caffeine-

Amphitrite, grabbing her trident: I will hand you over to Oceanus on a sliver patter!

[fluffanonn]

there’s something about poseidon showing up for sally.

luke tells percy that they burn what they’ll miss most so that gods will know that what they’re saying is important so they’re really listen.

but sally burns ice cream. ice cream that she has no attachment to. it’s not even baby percy’s ice cream. it’s just random leftover ice cream that she grabbed from a pile of dirty dishes.

the ice cream could not be more unimportant to sally. in the grand scheme of things, the ice cream is nothing.

but poseidon comes to her anyway. he shows up immediately after probably the most lackluster offering sally could give. he shows up anyway.

just…there’s something about poseidon showing up for sally.

[fluffanonn]

BRO PLEASE PLEASE, draw Poseidon strangling Hades into a hug (maybe Zeus too but like also choking him ig?)

I NEED THIS (srsly you don't need to if you don't want to :>)

I LOVE YOUR DESIGNS OF THEM I WANNA THROW THEM INTO A BLENDER.

<3

I assume it’s modern au since you mentioned Hades too. Sooooo. Here you go! Big bro and his trouble bringer(s) XD

alt ver. + extra under the cut!

[fluffanonn]

Hi! I’m the ânon who asked about Poseidon! I simply wanted to ask as a second question how you imagines he sad his montreous kids since they’re not gods. And I agrée that he does love to sleep around lol!

Also how do you imagine his relationship to Amphi being like and with his daughter Kymopoleia because I think in canon he doesn’t like her much because of her chaotic nature :(

poseidon's relationship with his monstrous children, as far as i can tell, is the same as it is with most of his other children - in fact, i'd say we know more about his relationship with someone like polyphemus than we do many of his immortal children, say, despoine or rhode, and i think the relationship is generally positive. (in doing a quick search for this, i actually found out otis and ephialtes are said to be children of poseidon in some sources which is crazy kgjhnf)

as for kymopoleia, i don't think he dislikes her! i cannot find anything that suggests that he does, and in fact, he married her off to briareus who was a huge ally to the gods during the early days of their reign AND one of the strongest beings in their world, which to me feels like an honour he tried to bestow upon his daughter. in my thoughts, poseidon's laid back approach is what spawns his children's chaotic temperaments, and far be it from him to try and deny them that haha

despite all this, i imagine his relationship with amphitrite to be quite positive. we don't know a lot about them, of course, so a lot of what i have to say is speculation. i don't think amphitrite's lack of rage at poseidon's affairs is necessarily indicative of how she feels about them (most women would not be able to retaliate against their husband's mistresses, after all, hera being a rare exception) but i still like to think of their marriage as somewhat... open.

mostly because i have personally always headcanoned the sea deities as being far more fluid than other gods, in numerous ways including sexuality, and i think amphitrite would fit that bill as well. i like to think her appetites are almost as numerous as her husband's, she's just more careful about it. she can't be called loud-moaning for nothing, lol. (i know what it actually means, but its still funny to think about). of course, that's just personal headcanon at this point.

thanks for the questions! i really appreciate it :D

[fluffanonn]

When Poseidon pisses Zeus off...

Genesis thunderstorm looming over the Temple of Poseidon, Greece. Photo by @leva_alex on Instagram.

[fluffanonn]

Me when people demonise Zeus (they’ve read altered retellings of myths by modern writers and have never actually researched Ancient Greece and its culture, political system, beliefs and don’t want to look any further than the surface because talking shit is more fun than actually learning (please all I ask is respect for the king of the gods and the generations of people who worshipped him, give some respect to those people and their culture.))

Literally this! Like many dislike Zeus who's the KING of Olympus. He's the one who balances everything in the Pantheon. A religious deity many worship still.

One time Hera with Poseidon Apollo and Athena tried to overthrow him and in the little time they managed to do so, Olympus was in the brick of a civil war fighting who's gonna be the next ruler.

Zeus breaking free from his chains showed them who's the most powerful and putted an end to the conflict, proving he's not only the strongest, but also the best ruler. He a mighty god to admire but also not to mess with.

Zeus is the embodiment of a righteous king in ancient Greece. And also my ancestors wrote him based on what kings did, even the bad things .Which also is? Having affairs to expand his lineage and exploit his power. Literally 90% of kings in human history.

Trying to "cancel" a religious figure is such a ridiculous thing to do so because he's not a character from a fandom but from an ANCIENT CIVILIZATION RELIGION.

[fluffanonn]

The failure of Greek myth retellings

This is a personal rant about how I, as a Greek and mythology lover, view these modern retellings and how they came out more as a disappointment.

Here are some examples of forced labelling from the book sites like Bookreads:

Do you see a pattern? Is not only they are telling the audience rather than showing how "feminist" are these retellings but also..

Man vs woman

According to the retellings all ancient Greek men are bad, sexist, misogynists, worthless, abusers and women are girlboss ✨. But it's obvious that humans regardless of gender are complex beings.

But when you read the Original epics you realise that women have as much importance in the story as men. But not in the way you are used to...

The women aren't afraid to speak their mind, they have agency, they are a driving force the admire, but it's not with shields, armor or physical strength. They are also showing it with kindness, empathy, cunning but also with anger, sorrow, vengeance.

Penelope, Electra, Antigone, Ariadne, Andromache, Helen, Cassandra etc. ARE strong women! They don't have to go to battle to prove it!

BUT that also doesn't mean we should glorify the women who are abusers and do wrong things!

Clytemnestra for example, exiled Orestes, had her daughter Electra a slave, showed proudly her Trojan women (also slaves) and killed Cassandra an innocent woman.. Do i understand how and why she acted? Yes 💯. Does this justifies her actions ? Of course no.

Medea, killed her brother and her children, and also poisoned Jason's next wife and her father because "she wanted to make him suffer like her". Do i understand why she did it? Yes. Does it justify to have everyone suffer because of one man? No.

Hera, punished several women and men alike because she couldn't do it on Zeus (because he is the king and stronger). Is cheating bad? Yes. Does it justify her to punish someone who was obviously a victim or was powerless against a god? No.

The retellings:

fail to do complex characters.

fail to let the audience come to their own conclusions who's right, wrong or neutral.

They fail to make daring characters without be labelled on a modern stereotype.

Fail to understand the norms of ancient Greece and how they shaped these stories.

Fail to realise that men and women are more complex than modern stereotypes.

I am not against retellings but do better! Making a great retelling respectful to the source and having complex characters with quality reading would be deeply appreciated.

And to the readers to not rely on retellings as "faithful resources".

[fluffanonn]

"Poseidon didn't assault Medusa she was born a gorgon."

Uhm excuse me, but you do know that there's no correct version in mythology, do you? 🙄

Imagine being offended by a Greek pointing out how Ovid’s Roman retelling—written centuries later—overshadows Greek mythology.

It’s almost poetic (pun intended) how a Roman author’s reinterpretation gets treated like gospel, while earlier Greek traditions are ignored. Ovid himself would probably find it ironic that his creative spin became the ‘definitive’ Medusa!

Just to clarify, if you’ve followed my posts, you’ll know I’ve always been respectful and open-minded about retellings. Mythology thrives on reinterpretation! But there’s a hypocrisy in how the media glorifies Ovid’s Medusa while ignoring actual victims like Danae and Andromeda, or turning Perseus—a selfless hero willing to sacrifice everything for his loved ones—into the villain. Ovid’s version is exactly that: a version. It’s not canon, nor was it meant to be, and treating it as such erases the complexity and diversity of the myths, including how Medusa was traditionally seen as a typical Gorgon.

[fluffanonn]

There are a number of Greek mythology books and Greek myth retellings on the market, and I’ve read quite a few of them. From the classicist Madeline Miller’s Song of Achilles to Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series, I’ve been through list after list of popular fiction. I’ve even meandered through Devdutt Pattanaik’s retelling and attempt to connect Greek myths to Indian mythology.

And while many of these stories can be fun and exciting, there’s something missing from 99% of the Greek retelling booklists—actual Greeks.