So a while ago I saw orivode's post reminding us that in Greek mythology, everything is ultimately the gods faults
Which yeah, the gods play with mortals like little chess pieces
And at first I was like "yeah except the cyclops thing, that was Ody's fuck up"
But no, that was Athena's fault
In the beginning of my goodbye there's a part that goes "and I warned ya, and you failed the test"
She made sure they ran into polyphemus. Yeah, they might've run into him anyway, and yeah Ody DEFINITELY shouldn't have given him his name
But if Athena hadn't interfered because she didn't like Ody (who totally isn't her friend btw, jsyk, she def doesn't care about him beyond her own goals) wanting to be kinder, they might've been in and out with a few sheep with no problems
I've been thinking about that one for a while but it did recently give me Fun New Thoughts about god games (wisdom saga spoilers)
Disclaimer ig: I've only listened to the god games snippets so this is mostly based off those
So as others have said, having Aphrodite talk about Ody's mother means the musical acknowledges she's the goddess of all kinds of love, not just romantic love
Obvs Athena directly calls Telemachus her friend, and if I didn't make it clear enough above, despite what she said I think Athena does care about Ody (i think the whole "I'm not looking for a friend" part was her like, trying to keep up a Godly Reputation, or just being mean bc she was mad at him, or both), and it's her love for them that gets Aphrodite on her side
(also, Athena's "please reconsider this" sounds a lot like Ody's "please don't make me do this" to me)
Which brings me to the Fun New Thoughts about god games
Does Athena feel guilty for kicking off the whole train of tragedy? She's a god I'd actually believe would feel remorse. It certainly goes against the teachings she referred to in my goodbye, but we've already seen her flip on friendship.
Is this another case of Ody (and Polities, indirectly) (and probably Telemachus) influencing someone to take a chance on kindness, connection, etc., while he slides further away from those? Maybe the real tragedy was the friends he made along the way /hj
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Rejanis. Dealer’s choice. ;)
32. A kiss while someone watches
Regina barely slept last night. Actually, she hasn't slept well for at least a week. Her body feels sluggish while her brain moves fast, thoughts whipping by like she's in a car with a steering wheel that doesn't work.
She picks at her thumbnail while her friends gather into a circle, and Kyle places the bottle in the center—an empty wine bottle Regina had pulled out from the recycling bin in the garage.
Regina tries to think of a way out of this game but comes up empty; she's positive that if she protests, everyone will somehow, suddenly know.
They'll know that Regina's been spending her nights staring at her ceiling, trying and failing to think about anything or anyone but Janis. That she runs her phone battery down scrolling through Janis's personal and art Instagram accounts and her camera roll, full of photos of them together or just random photos of Janis, for hours. That last night, Regina hesitantly typed am I gay? into Google.
As Kyle and Karen make juvenile jokes about kissing, Regina gets the creeping, panicky feeling she did when she got on the biggest roller coaster at Six Flags last summer—like she's being strapped into an experience she doesn't want to have and handing the controls to her life over to someone else.
Kyle's big, boyish hand lands on her knee, and Regina jumps.
"You good, babe?" he asks, and Regina fights not to cringe like she does every time he calls her that.
"Good, all good," Regina says, hoping she sounds cool and casual. Not that she expects Kyle to pick up on any nuance in her tone.
They've kissed a few times, and it hasn't been particularly enjoyable. Kyle's lips are rough, and he presses in too hard, is too eager to use tongue. Every time, it leaves Regina with the unsettling thought that there is something deeply wrong with her.
"I'll go first!" Karen says enthusiastically, reaching forward and giving the bottle a spin.
Regina sits back on her hands, watching as the bottle slowly spins to a stop, pointing right at Kyle. All the eyes in the circle turn to her, and belatedly, Regina realizes she's supposed to give a shit.
"Watch yourself," Regina says, pointing at Karen. Everyone laughs, but there's a distinct tense energy in the room—probably because Regina knows for a fact half the people here have never kissed anyone.
Karen shuffles over to Kyle, resting a hand on his shoulder and leaning in. Karen, at least, has kissed a few people already, so she's playing for fun, not to increase the number of fingers she can put down during a game of Never Have I Ever.
The kiss is short and relatively chaste, because Regina knows Karen would never actually kiss her boyfriend, and certainly not in front of witnesses. But Regina knows she's supposed to be jealous, possessive, so when they part, Regina slides her hand into his and gives him a look.
"Sorry, babe," Kyle says sheepishly as Karen scoots back to her spot.
Regina presses a brief kiss to his lips and reaches for the bottle, saying, "I'm not watching you kiss someone else again so soon." In truth, she just wants to get this fucking over with.
Regina stares, almost hypnotized, as the bottle spins around and around. She's so focused on the movement that it takes her a moment to realize that it's stopped.
On Janis.
For a minute, Regina has no idea what to do. Of course she wants to kiss Janis. She thinks constantly about kissing Janis. She has dreams about kissing Janis. But she's spent every night for the last month praying to anyone who would listen that she could stop wanting. Stop wishing.
Regina realizes that she's been frozen too long, and Janis is starting to shift uncomfortably. The only way out is through, she figures. So she crawls over, sets her hands on Janis's shoulders, and leans in before she has time to think about it too much.
It is absolutely nothing like kissing Kyle. Janis's lips are so soft, and she tastes like the Twizzlers she had been eating. She inhales just a little when Regina makes contact, so that Regina can feel it, and it takes all of her willpower not to shiver.
This, Regina thinks absently, is what it's supposed to feel like.
Regina's whole skin is buzzing like she's electrified, and she tilts her head a little so they fit together more seamlessly. It's like everything suddenly falls into place, and she understands what she's been missing this whole time when her friends talk about their crushes.
Janis tenses beneath her, and Regina pulls back abruptly, realizing with a start that she's taken way too long. There are a few giggles behind her, and she feels her face burn hot. Janis is looking at her, wide-eyed, an expression Regina has never seen before.
Regina hears a whisper behind her, maybe Gretchen to Karen, and she has to do damage control. Now.
Regina slides back to her spot in the circle, a coy smile forced onto her lips.
"I knew she'd let me do that," she says, like she's saying it only to Kyle but she makes sure it's loud enough for everyone to hear. "She's like, obsessed with me." She smirks and flips her hair over her shoulder and she feels sick, like she might throw up all over Gretchen's Steve Madden boots.
More giggles and whispers, but this time they're looking at Janis, and Regina feels a sense of relief knowing that it won't be her they're talking about at school on Monday.
Regina chances a glance at Janis, who is looking at Regina like she's never seen her before. Regina looks away, desperately trying to think of a way to let Janis know how much she didn't want to do that without toppling her carefully crafted house of cards.
Maybe it would be easier if Janis hated her, actually. Sure, it'd hurt, but maybe it would stop these thoughts. These feelings. It's you or me, Regina tries to silently tell her.
And Regina will always pick herself.
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All I hear are-
I'm not too sure why, but the song Love in Paradise really stuck a cord in me. Yes, pretty goddess, and friendship between goddess and man, and excellent story telling, and not to mention the vocals, but, it hit something deeper.
I too feel trapped in a hell, in a sense. One that often feels like I cast myself into. I'm trapped in a body that hardly feels like it's my own. I've sacrificed so much, only to end up in what seems to be another hole, cast off onto an island, isolated from everything. I too once hoped that this world was bright, that there was good to be found, if I just offered kindness and open arms, only for that part of me to feel crushed. My time now feels like my 'luck' is out, that the years i 'skirted by' are a distant call, full of nothing but judgement on how I never listened. I too am stuck waiting, waiting, but I don't know why, and I don't know what for. I can only stay stuck in a dream I can't escape, even though it's tearing my mind apart.
Um, anyways, excellent music, guys. I feel seen, likely in a way that none of that talented crew ever meant, but, I think that's pretty cool.
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3 7 17!!!
Hi!!
A song you’d choose to introduce someone to your favorite genre:
Uhhhh. I used to use Wanna Talk About Me to convince people country isn't that bad. It worked.
This is how I was introduced to it btw:
These days I'm more likely to recommend someone like Darius Rucker (Wagon Wheel, it was all over every popular radio station here a few years back) because uhhh I am not a conservative Christian anymore. It's been. Interesting. I hate it, honestly. I'm glad I know better now, but believing in something was simpler.
I was thinking the other day. That the fact that I don't want to let go of things like this is probably related to how the church told me to get rid of everything "demonic." I got rid of some comic books I loved because of that. They burned a tapestry I got on a mission trip (while we were still on the trip) because of that.
I don't want to burn it. I want to keep what it means to me and leave the bad shit behind.
Anyway. I don't know if most people know that Darius Rucker is black. I keep meaning to build a list of black country musicians, because they get a lot of flack from racists.
I don't actually have a favorite genre. This one is just inextricably linked with my upbringing.
A song you know every word to:
I'm slowly memorizing most of Dessa's discography, I think. Very thankful for the person who introduced me to The Bullpen.
Yes, it's Marvel. The editing is great. Shh.
Dessa has this line in Dutch that says
"I keep Pope in glovebox, Plath on the dash"
I think that's a good way to summarize her writing. There's a play on words every other line. It's the sort of shit I could probably write essays about. I love her.
You kind of have to be in a specific mental place to appreciate her, I think. I wasn't ready for her at first when another blogger on here started mentioning her. Most of her lyrics are kinda moody and jaded. It felt oppressive until I got sad enough.
She tried to write an upbeat song and came out with something melancholy. She kept trying and came up with one of my favorites, and she's still comparing love to a business transaction. I'm obsessed with her.
"Sealed with a kiss, signed with an epipen
You gotta tolerate some risk if you wanna make a margin
Wanna make a friend? We can live a little large and split the dividends"
Listening to an album feels like reading a book. I like to mix it up most of the time, but sometimes it's time to just listen to a Dessa album again.
If anyone wants a simpler option, I sang Can't Help Falling in Love to myself at least three times today. There's a lot of options here, really.
A cover song:
Haley Reinhart's version of Benny and the Jets. First time I'd heard a woman growl. I want bucketfuls of this please. I'm not kidding, please give it to me
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