#(LOOK WHAT BEAUTIFUL THING ACHILLES CREATED FOR ME)

[deadbaguette]

I don't want to be repetitive but I love how you make the characters so tender and loving,,, so here's a weird request, do you have any scars hc? I mean, do (insert character) hide them? Or let their lover kiss and caress them? Oh, which characters I mean you say? Your pick, have fun!

It’s not repetitive at all 🥹 I love LOVE LOVE it when people describe my art as tender and loving because that’s absolutely my favourite thing to draw. But omggg scar headcannons … you just spoke to a specific part of my brain bcs I love thinking about scars, beauty marks, etc. I don’t have the time to make a fully fleshed out scar map, BUT alongside a small doodle for the character I have a definitive scar map for (Diomedes) I can share all the scars I hc and how they’re treated :D AUUGSGDH thank you for giving me the excuse to do this I always have so answering your asks <3

Scar hcs:

Firstly I think the only character I have a set in stone scar hc for is Diomedes! I draw him more often than I would like to admit, so the ones on his face are: one across his left eyebrow, one by his lip/mouth, one across the nose, one on the right cheek, one on the shoulder, one on the foot. He is the most scarred character I draw, and this is largely due to the fact that I hc him (it’s probably also to an extent canon) as reckless in battle. He’s not a pristine clean warrior, he’s all too familiar with blood and war. He carries the reckless scars he gained in Thebes with the other Epogoni throughout his adulthood, and for so long they served as a reminder of where he came from. Death and violence that’s haunted him throughout his entire life, and these scars are symbols of that. So, what’s a few more to gain in Troy? It’s not like it’ll make him look any less battle scarred if he gains a few more. He hasn’t had a good reason to care about his life until now, scars not only remind him of that but also make him feel like he can’t change it. But… I like to imagine the people that care for him (whether this be Odysseus, Sthenelus, or in an AU Penelope) treat them with such delicacy and care that it almost creates an entire other association for them. Sthenelus gently tending to a wound that will surely scar, so that when it does heal it no longer carries the association of a mistake in battle but instead a tender moment shared between them and them only. Odysseus and Penelope kissing the scars on Diomedes’ face is their favourite pasttime, because if he won’t love them (he feels indifferent to them), they absolutely will. A tender kiss to the cheek, a gentle kiss to just above his eye, a quick peck against the side of his mouth, a loving press against his nose that they would have to tiptoe to reach. Diomedes never felt any love, hatred, or feelings in general towards his scars. He never made any more to hide them, he wore what was convenient. If his new scars weren’t covered by the clothes he would wear, so be it. But in a way he’s grown to love them, or at least the memories and feelings they hold.

Will be more hcs below the cut!

Achilles is very unscarred. Like the only scar on his body by the time he was dead was the one on his heel. Patroclus is also relatively unscarred, but he has a few. There is one on his hand that Achilles loves to kiss, but like in a very specific way. I hc Patroclus to almost always the one to initiate the physical contact, and he tends to cradle Achilles’ face with his hand (literally one of my fav form of physical touch) and Achilles always leans into it and kisses the scar on his hand. Patroclus never really liked his scars, so he tends to cover them up. But I think I believe Achilles loved wholeheartedly every part of Patroclus and movements he’s spent with him and vice versa. Every scar he’s gained will have a story to tell, so even if Patroclus doesn’t show it to others, there is a story that Achilles will hear. It would be something as dramatic as gaining it in battle or something as small as “you got this when you fell from a tree? I love it.” They’re as much friends as they are lovers, and they actively choose to continue to be in each other’s lives. If this means sitting together recounting the tales of how Patroclus nicked himself carving wood a few years ago and scarred, so be it.

Hector… I need to talk about this one!!! So normal and sane about him. He’s undoubtedly scarred, what with him fighting at the front but he’s no Achilles. Hector hides his scars but not because he’s ashamed of them, it’s quite the contrary because he in a strange way enjoys looking at them, but rather that he knows it causes his family worry. Hector loves his family so much, and he sees the worry and sadness in their eyes when he comes back with new scars to Andromache. How she’ll stare at them like it’s another piece of him lost, and it won’t be long until he is wholly gone too. He hides them so she can focus on the him that’s there now, and comforts her saying that he will come back to her. When Kassandra looks at the new scars on his chest and she can’t help but sigh. She told him to be more careful, but truly in the end they’re both fighting a fruitless fight against the fates. Kassandra knows this, and she keeps count of how many her brother has until he gains his last lethal one. He’s hiding them so as to not cause his sister distress. She knows he will never believe her if she tells him what will happen to him, but she cannot help but mourn for the living man.

Agamemnon has quite a few scars. He’s the lord of men, the shepard of the people, and wealthy beyond what he needs. The scars don’t mean much to him, and if anything they’re even more a testament to his power. He’s no Achilles who can come out of battle unscarred, but perhaps that’s the difference in what makes him the leader of the Achaeans. The scars he bears are a symbol of his humanity and but don’t take away from his power and image. He SURVIVED these scars. But deep down? I do think it’s a little more complicated than this. I don’t think I’ve discussed Agamemnon that much, but I do find his character really interesting. His family name is uhh tarnished to say the least, but throughout all of it he’s had his brother with him. Agamemnon cares a lot about Menelaus, he goes to war for him, he sacrifices his daughter for him, and they endure 10 years of war together. Agamemnon maybe doesn’t care about his own, but he remembers every scar Menelaus has. Like that one scene in book 3 yk where he just starts doing all the dramatics of MENELAUS I WILL AVENGE YOU MY DEAR BROTHER and Menelaus is just sitting there… ever so slightly wounded… being like brother it’s fine and Agamemnon still goes like MACHAON DROP EVERYTHING AND TEND TO HIS WOUND IMMEDIATELY I WILL SLAUGHTER THESE DISHONOURABLE TROJANS FOR DARING TO LOOK IN YOUR DIRECTION MENELAUS. It’s just kinda silly and sweet how much he cares about his little brother. Ever scrape Menelaus got growing up I imagine it was Agamemnon tending to it, and remembers them all to prevent him getting hurt further. As an older brother, he made it his sworn duty to make sure Menelaus grew up strong and out of harms way.

[oceannicmuse]

“Sing, poet, the echo of my will.”

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Hey, Odesingers! It’s me, your Oceanic Muse, here to whisper in your ear and make sure you don’t sleep tonight.

This post is all about the worldbuilding behind my fanfic! To start, I need to lay down the basics: which universe I'm using, what version of it, the logic behind it, my interpretations, and how I adapted things to fit the story.

I know it looks like a lot (even split into two posts), but I really only kept the essentials that give structure to the fic. And I’m not saying this just because it’s my version, but this Percy Jackson AU has so much potential that I literally couldn’t stop.

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DISCLAIMER: English is not my first language, so all of this was translated with the help of AI and Google Translate. Please be kind!

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PART I — INTRO & AU LORE

ATHENIDE!AU

In this alternate universe, Percy Jackson ends up time-traveling to Ancient Athens, right after the competition between Athena and Poseidon for the city’s patronage. Percy emerges from Poseidon’s fountain—and everyone thinks they’re witnessing the birth of a new god.

Note: This is not the same as Surprise Child, a similar AU where Percy is Poseidon’s son (with Sally, though only Percy knows that). In Athenide, Percy is the child of Poseidon and Athena, hence the name Athenide (child of Athena).

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How does Percy end up in the past?

I like the idea that it happens after Luke’s sacrifice—one final act of revenge from Kronos. It makes sense both narratively (revenge) and mechanically (he has power over time). Plus, it opens doors for sequels involving Heroes of Olympus.

I imagine Kronos couldn’t do this before because he was still inside Luke’s mortal body, which couldn’t handle that kind of power. So this happens right after Luke stabs himself but before he dies. Kronos probably didn’t overthink where in the past to throw Percy. In his logic, something like:

"Someone that loyal and rebellious wouldn’t survive the past alone—and if the gods kill him for being a threat, even better."

Side note: I don’t recall reading this exact setup in an Athenide fic, but I’ve seen it in others—like I Have Swallowed My Pride (To Say Goodbye) by BelleRosaBee on AO3.

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Is Female!Percy preferred?

Personally, yes. I feel like a female Percy would create a way bigger socio-cultural impact in Ancient Greece. A male Percy just wouldn’t shake things up the same way.

Also, I don’t think Athena and Poseidon would be as protective of a son. They’d give him chances to earn glory or divinity—missions, basically. But with a daughter, they’d be far more cautious, knowing what women would face in that world.

I also adore the fandom-famous (though non-canon) idea that Percy is Poseidon’s first and only daughter born mortal. Like—he simply could never have a mortal daughter before her.

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What’s her name?

Most people in the fandom go with Persephone since it works with the nickname Percy. Ariadne or Andromeda are also fan-favorites, though I think they work better as middle names. Penelope is a no-go—Poseidon wouldn’t allow that, thanks to Odysseus.

I love how in Of The Fountain by chaoticdumbassrogue in AO3, Percy says her name is “Percy Leia,” and the Greeks—unable to process modern names—interpret it as Perseleia, due to their dialect and ancient pronunciation.

Athenide is always used alongside her name, like Cronides for sons of Kronos, or Aphrodite Ourania. Sometimes people say Poseidonide, especially when praying to her in his domains or referring to her alongside her paternal sisters. But Athenide is more commonly used because she’s a phenomenon—a daughter born of Athena, a virgin goddess, with no physical union. She is her firstborn.

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Is she still a demigod?

Yes. Even though this is technically a rebirth, Percy is still the same person—just a time traveler in a new body. Her essence hasn’t changed.

She’s mortal because she was born a demigod. The Achilles curse, her beauty, and her power (canonically, people do mistake Percy for a god) make her seem divine, but she can still die. The gods, working with limited info, just assume she was denied her birthright—divinity.

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Does she eventually ascend?

Absolutely. Athena would never allow her only daughter to die—and Poseidon wouldn’t either, not after bonding with her. The gods also believe it’s her destiny to become divine, and eventually, Percy becomes a full goddess.

(I have a whole post coming up just for her domains—it was way too long to include here!)

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TO BE CONTINUED IN PART II

Where we talk about slightly more in-depth but still basic and techniques of the worldbuilding behind my fic.

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"I'm not a player, I'm the puppeteer."

[dootznbootz]

I went on tiktok to just watch some silly Odysseus videos but then I mostly saw people going like "Yeah, maybe Odysseus cried on Calypso' island every day but honestly he had that coming after what he did Achilles and Patroclous/Circe!!!" and "Everything that happens in Odyssey is deserved cuz he took Patrochilles to war!!!" and "I feel so bad for Circe and Calypso and Penelope, they deserved better!!!"

For fucks sake I beg you, read anything different from Millers bs and like educate yourself- And please stop goddamn saying that rape victim. deserved it.

Circe probably didn't give a flying fuck, Calypso is a rapist and abuser and Penelope deserved everything she wanted and SHE WANTED ODYSSEUS

I think I've had enough internet for today, imma go wash my eyes with bleach. Anyways sorry for ranting here, i hope you don't mind it lmao

It's alright. I absolutely understand the vents about the whole thing. :'D No one deserves to be a victim of such a thing no matter WHAT they've done. I hope your eyes are okay after the bleach

Like Odysseus does so many fucked up things but Calypso and Circe? He is the victim. Period. It's very clear that Odysseus is in extreme distress on Ogygia. And Circe wasn't some sort of FwB situation. There's fear and numbness in the language he uses when talking about it. There's so much victim blaming and it SUCKS.

Even then, Odysseus' journey was kind of about "temptation" or just straight up "Die or get out of my sea." From Poseidon. "I don't want you in my waters so I'm gonna try and give you things that will keep you on land or just kill you."

Immortal goddesses wanting you would be many people's dream come true but not for Odysseus. And I think that's the point. His determination, how he clawed his way back into the arms he never wanted to leave in the first place, is incredible. Many people would've given up and just started a new life but he never would because no life he could ever create would compare to the life he had before. Even if it's different, it's what he's always wanted.

He literally tells Calypso "I'm not stopping until I'm home. I don't care if I suffer more until I do. I'm going home."

“Mighty goddess, do not be angry with me over this. I myself know very well Penelope, although intelligent, is not your match                                          to look at, not in stature or in beauty. But she’s a human being and you’re a god. You’ll never die or age. But still I wish, every moment to get back to my home,                                                       to see the day of my return. And so, even if out there on the wine-dark sea some god breaks me apart, I will go on— the heart here in my chest is quite prepared to bear affliction. I’ve already had so many troubles, and I’ve worked so hard                                  through waves and warfare. Let what’s yet to come be added in with those.”

(Book 5, Johnston)

Circe's a goddess and what happened is nothing like Dionysus and Ariadne and Apollo and Hyacinthus for example. Circe never gave Odysseus a crown of stars and he would never go out of his way to kill 120 people for bothering her. They did not love each other and he can't refuse as she's a goddess.

If you interpret them sleeping together the entire year,(It's only explicitly said that they had sex once so that's what I go with personally.) that doesn't mean he was happy with it! Even then, the whole situation is not what a healthy FwB should look like! I'm asexual and even I know that no one in a FwB situation should have to BEG in any way that basically says "Please let me go or kill me" with supplication!!! The fact that he leaves so quickly he forgets one of his men? The fact that during Elpenor's funeral, he doesn't greet Circe himself? He was avoiding her. Wouldn't he want to get "one last night together" during Book 12 if they were fwb? 🙄

It's bonkers to me that people hate him for being a "cheater" when A.) having multiple lovers wasn't uncommon in Ancient Greece, and B.) the two people he is explicitly said to have "cheated" with, weren't his choice. He wasn't actively searching for pretty women either!!!

As mentioned, while it was common for men to have many lovers, Odysseus never had any listed unlike some of the other men. (not bashing any of them. I'm just making a point in comparison.) He also has no other children besides Telemachus in Homer's works. There's no evidence of him having other lovers other than speculation. (funny enough, I once read somewhere that the reason why Odysseus is so mean is because he doesn't "bond" enough with the other soldiers. 😂)

Does that mean he didn't have other lovers? Technically, Nope! It's just never explicitly stated either way. He has slaves but none were ever said to be concubines or that he sleeps with them. He has deep bonds with his fellow soldiers but that doesn't mean he sleeps with them. That doesn't mean people can't write or talk about him doing so even though it's not mentioned! Just like it also means that someone can write him not doing so as there's nothing that says it either way in Homer's Works! :D

It's fucked up when people say "He didn't try to leave Calypso enough" or something of the like. It just tells you how A.) they didn't read the Odyssey or have piss on the poor reading comprehension or B.) ...you should probably stay away from that person...

With Circe though??? I can understand the confusion but digging deeper and looking at the text, he wasn't having a good time. Or at the very least was walking on Eggshells the whole time. I hate bringing up that essay over and over again but like...I literally wrote everything there.

I also don't like how people take Circe's morally gray-ness away from her. Let her do something fucked up to be fucked up!!! Let her traumatize Odysseus!

Idk, I kind of hate that I'm "known" for this but I relate to this idiot asshole a lot and it means a lot to me that his story, despite what happens to him, has a happy ending :'D

[boringbones]

What type of player are you?

I’m almost never one hundred percent satisfied with my game. When I am satisfied, I start looking for a flaw to "fix." For this reason, and others, I end up not fully enjoying the gameplay. It’s my Achilles' heel. The two images above are an achievement I reached.

Let me explain: In the first image, my game is running at over 100 FPS without any filters (maybe just an SSAO to better harmonize the scene elements and add a bit more depth), while in the second image, my game is running at around 55 FPS but with a ton of filters. Both are in small maps.

I’m always weighing what’s better or worse, constantly balancing things out. On the one hand, I’m proud that I managed to make the game look incredibly beautiful with a single lighting mod that makes it seem like it's full of filters but without the heavy processing load of those filters.

On the other hand, the filters in the second image are applied to my previous lighting mod, which was a bit more "balanced," so to speak. In other words, the elements between the filters and the lighting work more "harmoniously" together.

But when we’re trying to create this ecosystem, we need to think broadly. In other words, if I apply my new lighting mod to the second image, the result will be completely different (which doesn’t necessarily mean better), because I’m designing the neighborhood based on what I see with the filters. If I remove them, it turns into a strange mix.

Meanwhile, the first image was created with this restriction in mind, and it was necessary to harmonize all the elements (meaning recoloring plants and buildings based on what the game was showing me). If a player uses this neighborhood with any lighting mod other than mine... the result will be disappointing.

What I’m trying to say is this: Often, as creators, we strive to present the best and most complete version of our work to the world, and that work depends on a combination of factors to represent the vision we have. These factors involve the colorimetry of the environments (i.e., the colors and textures we apply to buildings), the colorimetry of the plants, terrain, and streets. This means we apply modifications to all these elements based on our vision, and if the player is using any other mod or set of filters, they may never see the same thing. In some cases, this can be good, but in most cases, the result just feels “off.” For example, in the gif below, the filters I’m using are the same, but the lighting mods are different. Both are my mods.

While the first leans toward a softer tone, the second ends up highlighting a green tint (almost like the Matrix). I like both, but I have a preference for the less greenish tone since all the elements in the scene seem to blend better with the environment that was built.

However, see what happens when I show the same neighborhood without the filters. In other words, it wasn't designed to be viewed without them. The colors and textures (even with two different lighting mods) no longer convey the same visual quality with which it was originally envisioned.

Pleasantville carries the quality of having been designed with only the lighting mod in mind, without any filters.

And the result looks charming! I know I’m emphasizing a rather curious point, but what I mean is that building neighborhoods is complicated when we consider all the necessary elements to create harmony within the scenes. When we creators recommend that you use a specific set of mods or filters, it’s not out of vanity, but so that you can see the world we’ve created through the correct lens. Otherwise, what was meant to be a greenish world might look too rocky, and what was supposed to have a nostalgic tone might end up looking like a strange mix of elements.

In the end, the question I ask is: What type of player are you? A player who cares about these little details, or a player who thinks these concerns are irrelevant and do not interfere with their gameplay?

To sum it all up: To achieve the ideal visual, each mod or adjustment needs to be considered as part of a broader ecosystem. It’s not just about adding or removing filters, but about how all the elements (lighting, colors, and mods) interact and harmonize within the scene. By customizing the game to reach this level of quality, we may end up making the experience unsatisfying for those not using the same adjustments. This quest for perfection can be a solitary journey, though it is a fun and laborious one.

[patrochillesvibes]

Some of your Patrochilles headcannons? 😋

Since you weren't specific, I'll give you a range:

1. Sorry Supergiant Games, but Achilles is not a Thor knockoff. Besides the lack of modern nutrition and healthcare, his descriptions (e.g. swift-footed) invoke imagery of a gymnast. Grace and agility are the domains of gymnasts. Female gymnasts are typically about 5'. Male gymnasts are about 5'3".

Now say you want to counter me and argue that his epithets are about running. Fine. Even better. Runners are fucking short!! With the exception of some sprinters for the very short races (e.g. Bolt), runners aren't big. Think about the physics. Height creates drag which reduces speed.

I think you need to unlearn Western beauty standards and toxic masculinity.

So here are my hcs for height (left Iliad, right modern AUs):

Patroclus' height is debatable. Given that he was a great wrestler, I made him big.

2. A bit more on physical characteristics:

Achilles - Achilles has really nice curls (3A or 2C) that are golden blonde. He keeps his hair long down to his shoulder blades or mid-back. He has green eyes. His body is toned and sleek like a runner. Not a lot of bulk to him. He can’t grow a beard for shit. Or chest hair (his body hair is very light blonde and fine). Yes, he does shave his chest. And Pyrrha will shave her legs. He has golden skin. In Iliad/TSoA/Hades Game the skin tone is borderline unnatural looking.

Patroclus - Patroclus has wavy/curly (2B or 2C) that are very dark brown or black. He keeps his hair short. He has brown eyes. He has facial hair like Dev Patel in The Green Night (I like his hair for Pat too!) and a tasteful amount of chest hair. He is muscular. This is close to what he looks like (though a bit more muscular than the model and with a little more chest hair tool). In my head while I was reading the books, I pictured him with olive skin. But I am a very big fan of Black Patroclus!! Overall, he is very average looking.

3. I'm taking a page out of @darlingsart book and saying Achilles has a bellybutton piercing. It's very blingy, very VMAs Britney Spears.

4. Achilles is professionally skilled at blowjobs. I'm talking expert-master level. As I mentioned many times before, Patroclus is hung. 9 inches and thick like a coke can. Sinking something with such girth down your throat takes practice.

5. Achilles is bigender. He is both a man and a woman. He is not geNdeRfLUid. He identifies as both genders. Sometimes he's a guy, and he likes to be called Achilles. Sometimes she's a girl, and she likes to be called Pyrrha.

At times gender can definitely be a source of stress for Achilles. He loves having a boy pussy and a girl cock, but sometimes he wants a girl pussy too. And boobs. He’s greedy and it can be frustrating that he can’t have it all at the same time.

Patroclus doesn’t really understand Achilles’ ‘gender thing.’ He sees Pyrrha as more of a roleplay persona than an actual gender/person. So you could say he’s a bit transphobic. (I'm also a huge huge huge fan of trans Pyrrha)

6. Achilles could best be described as a feral housewife. “He doesn’t cook, doesn’t clean...” type except undomesticated. Anger issues and the inability to keep his mouth shut means he’s incompatible with the modern workforce. He’s also incredibly spoiled.

I agree with some authors that he could be a singer/musician, dancer, gym instructor, dance instructor, model, and professional athlete. But your typical 9-5 does not work for him.

Patroclus would make a great doctor (my preferred profession for him), veterinarian, or EMT. I can also see him as a lawyer or firefighter.

7. Patroclus is a Soft Dom/Daddy. Achilles is a brat (sub). Achilles typically bottoms but only because he’s a needy cockslut. They are exclusively monogamous. Achilles is Patroclusexual and Patroclus is into feet (bisexual).

8. Achilles can’t sleep without Patroclus. If Patroclus ever has to go on an overnight work trip and he can’t bring Achilles, he has to stay on the phone with Achilles until he falls asleep. Achilles is usually a hyperventilating sobbing mess.

9. On the rare occasions that Patroclus had to shave his beard, Achilles was left sobbing. Inconsolable. It was like the end of the world for him.

10. I have a lot of thoughts on cooking. Iliad/TSoA/Hades Game Achilles can do basic cooking (especially soups and stews) and grilling. This was learned on Pelion. He cannot bake. Like at all. Yeast won’t rise. Sugar and salt will be mixed up. Baking powder and baking soda will be mixed up. It’s a disaster.

Modern AU Achilles can’t cook or bake AT ALL. He has no patience for it, so food is either burnt, overcooked, or undercooked. For the longest time, he thought the smoke detector going off was a food timer to let him know when the food was done. All his friends and family know this and will do anything to get out of eating his food. Except Patroclus. Pat will eat anything with a smile on his face. Of course, no one has the heart to tell him his cooking is terrible. Not that he would believe them because Patroclus already told him he enjoys his cooking and Patroclus’ opinion is the only one that matters. This is why you shouldn’t lie, Patroclus. You made your bed and now you need to lie in it.

You can find more of my thoughts under the my hcs tag.

Also, to anyone reading this ask... I got this ask maybe 2-3 days ago. Either yesterday or the day before I got 3 asks that have gotten lost in my inbox. If you sent me asks in that time period, please resend.

[iktend]

16, 21/22 and 30!

16: What piece was the quickest to create?

Currently my pieces take like 4-8 hours i think to complete. this one of young achilles took barely under 4 hours !

21: did you create any gifts this year?

i believe so, does drawing things based off of fics / aus count as gift?

we have this spy patrochilles for justvea

we have distasters doodles and comic for jo , this mermaid achilles doodle as well

i have lifeguard patroclus auhhh these are so old 😭😭 lord help me please

i drew runner achilles for Gold that I should redraw someday

im in 2 ✌️secret santas which i cannot post yet! Though ill probably only post one

i did a poll on instragram asking my followers if they got any gifts this holiday season, like 4-5 people said they did not, so i want to make some gifts for them too

22: did you get any gifts this year?

yes!! This lovely beauty dead draw from jo ♟️🤍

i got some art for artfight & my birthday as well, which is drawing ever so near so we’ll see how that goes 😼

30: share a sketch cause why not!

i think i did this a few weeks ago and forgot about him, maybe that’s why he looks so sad. cheer up man itll be alright

thank u for the ask ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و 🧡

[popodoki]

NSFW Birthday ficlet for @chafujimura aka Cha on the Catwin Discord, who requested some shibari xoxo

Sometimes, on very few occasions, Edwin can be downright impatient.  

The sight in front of him as he pauses his work and pulls his hands back loosens Edwin’s frown of concentration. The corner of his mouth rises in a pleased smile. “You look good like this,” he whispers, bending over to press a kiss to the top of his lover’s head, continuing with his nose buried in the hair behind the Cat King’s left ear, “but you already know that.” 

The Cat King’s fingers twitch behind his back, and his lower lip has been worried and bitten to a dull red throbbing. Warmth has spread in a deep red hue down his neck to his chest. A similar red blush paints and frames the wide grin that stretches across the Cat King’s cheeks.  

Red, red, red.  

Not quite the same shade as the many coils of rope adorning his body, but close. Close enough. 

Hells, the things Edwin wants to do, what he needs to do to his lover, right now.  

At the first purposeful touch of Edwin’s fingers, fingertips ghosting up the soles of his feet, the Cat King sucks in a breath and tenses up. Muscles slowly pull and tighten against bonds that offer next to no give. Soft tan skin presses against knots, shoulders rising as minutely as they’re able to, in response to the sudden sensation, body keying up to a new constant state of expecting something. 

“S’posed to be relaxing, babe. Remember?” The Cat King quips. 

Edwin tuts, then grins.  

He runs his hands up and down his lover’s sides, gently at first, but gradually deepening the pressure, making sure to press his palm along ribs. In a teasing pace, Edwin curls and drags his fingers across every knot and loop of rope they meet and pass. A single finger hooks and works its way in between skin and woven rope and lifts it just slightly, to then release with a small jolting shock to the Cat King’s side. Red creeps across the abused skin. Edwin’s rewarded with a moan offered to his own mouth.  

Shifting back and turning, moving all but his gaze away from his lover, Edwin orders the Cat King to move. “Up, sit up for me. Feet together, knees as well please, let me look at you.”  

He watches silently as the other follows his commands with an obedience as equally beautiful as his ever-present grace. Always so compliant for him. Edwin rewards his king with a kiss to one ear and a tender caress to the shell of the other one. Fingers trace across the Cat King’s nape as his lover sags in his bonds as much as he’s able, legs splaying open with a soundless shift of bedsheets. 

It earns him a swat to a thigh and a gentle reprimand. 

Edwin ignores his lover’s mumbled apology, and its amused undertone, in favour of reaching for more of the red rope. He stays silent as he uncoils it completely. He sits himself behind the Cat King’s back, holding a palm to his lover’s bound wrists to serve both as support and as a hold. 

His other hand falls to the back of the Cat King’s ankles, nimbly shifting and coiling the length of red rope above his achilles tendon, bringing and twisting the loop together around the front. Crossing to the other ankle Edwin loops it again, crossing again, and back again.  Again, again. He creates a fan of criss-crossed rope, pulling just hard enough to leave the Cat King’s lower legs spread apart a mere two inches, before weaving the remaining length around the Cat King’s thighs in an X and tying it off once he’s sure his lover is stable kneeling by himself.  

Next Edwin chooses two slightly shorter lengths. Unspooling each, he folds them in half and attaches one to the end of the other with a square knot, making a single longer rope to work with. It gets wrapped around the untouched space left on his lover’s thighs. The ends run through the bend, where Edwin deftly secures them. A new loop starts a few inches further down until in the end, three neat rows of red rope bind the Cat King’s thighs tightly together, and his red flushed cock twitches against his lower stomach.  

Red, red, red.  

The Cat King’s back hits the bedding. 

Giving into the urge Edwin pets from ankle to hip, fingers dipping down to trail gently back up a trembling inner thigh. The Cat King’s cock gets a gentle teasing smack, and Edwin notes but otherwise ignores the promising shine of pre-come teasing at the slit.  

He takes the remaining red rope and moves to the Cat King’s bound wrists now trapped between sheets and sweat-slick skin. Feeling for the golden ring at the center of the coils, Edwin wraps the rope around and runs the tail through it. Drawing it tight he watches carefully as his lover’s breath quickens, rapid short gasps and sighs all that can escape from his bound chest. Satisfied with his lover’s flexibility and certain of his preserved comfort, Edwin brings down his hand and secures the final bit of rope to the thigh binder he's made. 

He watches as his lover slowly adjusts, remembering to breathe, relaxing his muscles. Letting the ropes hold him, letting go of the built-up tension. The Cat King struggles, Edwin observes as his king can’t help focusing on the smallest move Edwin makes. Sweat beads on his skin, and the unyielding pressure of the red rope’s knots make his muscles bunch against his will.  

Edwin moves to the armchair facing the bed. 

The Cat King’s fangs worry at his red-bitten lips, head of his cock an angry red, glistening with pre-come now steadily dribbling out with every shake and restrained thrust of his hips, chafing the skin red against their bindings. 

Red, red, red. 

Edwin picks up his sketchbook and an ink pen. 

“Relax for me.” He tuts, as red ink fills the paper in scratches. 

[vostok3-ka]

Hi Aisha, hope you're having a nice start to your week! For the writer truth or dare ask game: 🦴🔪🌵(could be a character playlist or not)❄️(could also be something you wanna write yourself!) 🍄, and 🏜️. I'd add more because all of these are great but this is already one too many lol so feel free to pick and choose which ones you wanna answer, ofc<3

Hi Max!!! Thank you! It's Eid tomorrow so that's a pretty sick way to start the week ;) Thank you so much for the ask!!!

🦴- Boy howdy is there a piece of media that inspires my writing haha. I have quite a few that it's hard to put name to them all. Whenever I read a book or watch a movie/show I always feel like I take something away from them in order to incorporate into my own writing, but if I were to choose a few specific pieces of media that really inspire my writing, it would be Hannibal, what with the beautiful imagery and the way it is almost poetic in its brutality. I think the writers of the show did a really good job, and I just absolutely adore it. True Detective (season one) is also a piece of media that REALLY influences my writing. I adore the gothic vibes, and I love the way they make the characters human, realistic, with lots of flaws, instead of making them into heroes, and I am just in love with the very synesthetic feeling it gives, I myself am synesthetic and I think it really resonated with me in a way, and gave me a lot of inspiration as in how to describe scenes and emotions. Catch-22, both the book, film, and tv show, have all inspired my idea of Bucky in the war, and I have a few songs including Achilles Come Down by Gang of Youths, О как хотела мама by Shortparis, Две недели by Aigel, and O, Children by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, that heavily inspire a lot of my Russian-era Bucky Barnes writing, as well as, for some funny reason, the TV show Бригада. I just feel like the show really shows both the human and terrible, gritty side to organized crime that I am CERTAIN Bucky was involved in, in some way, shape or form. Another film/book that has, heavily and directly, inspired my both my fanfiction writing and original writing is the 2008 film, "Morphine" and the inspiration behind it, the novella by Bulgakov, Morphine. My fic Noch' Ulista Fonar' Apteka was very non-subtly inspired by Morphine, so much! AAAND- I better stop here before I write a whole essay about how media has influenced my writing, because I could literally go on forever and ever!!!! ;)

🔪- I think the weirdest thing that I have had to research for a writing project was for my fic Noch' Ulitsa Fonar' Apteka. I had to, somehow, figure out how to write drug addiction from a first hand perspective, and, of course, I myself have not, and never will take any form of recreational drugs, so I had to scout through many pages of google before finding this legendary gem of a website that has been a lifesaver for me. The website looks like it was made in 2008 and I honestly was a little worried about clicking on it, but it turned out fine haha. It has a bunch of really detailed first hand experiences with all sorts of drugs you could imagine, including withdrawal, good trips, bad trips, and coming down. I think I spent a few hours just reading and absorbing everything to try to write Bucky's experience, and honestly, I came away from the research with an even stronger desire to never try drugs, as most of the reports highlighted how the spiral began. But yeah! That might be the weirdest thing I have researched, unless of course, if you count the time I had to research equine veterinary care in 1980s Russia lmao.

🌵- Gilded Soul This is my favourite playlist I've created, and it's so gentle and sweet and I listen to the songs on it so often. I adore it so much! All the songs have memories and feelings attached to them and ugh- my favourite. Hope you enjoy too ;)

❄️- Oh my God I know exactly what this fic is. I really, REALLY want a fic dealing with the aftermath of Hydra and Department X/The Red Room's brainwashing on Bucky in TFAWS era, but in a way where it doesn't become the point of the fic, and is just like a part of him in subtle, slightly noticeable, and not overwhelming way. I want to see him struggle and yet stay strong, stay independent. I want to see him have realistic feelings towards things like therapy and such, considering the time period he is from, and the fact that he's probably been abused in such settings before. I want to see him make bad, unhealthy decisions while still remaining himself. I want to see him smoke his anger away, I want his staring problem to be addressed subtly as a leftover from when he was trained to look straight ahead while in parade rest, I really want to see him have headaches, mild psychosis, and all the realistic after-effects of electro-shock therapy, and yet, I really do not want to see it in a way that makes him dependent, or child-like. I want to see him get up, grit his jaw and move on. It isn't the healthiest way for somebody to cope, but it's the way I am guessing Bucky would cope. I want a fic that has an overarching plot where these issues are a subplot, as not to make it ALL about his recovery, instead being interesting and realistic in the world that he would be living in. I feel like I have said realistic so many times, and that is the core of it all. I want it to be as realistic and true to comic/film character as possible. I might not make much sense but yeah! That's what I really want to read, and I don't know who would be the best writer to write it!

🍄- OOOH I like this one! A headcanon I have is that Bucky and Natasha dance a lot. They are both trained dancers, and they love it, and they just put on gentle, nostalgic Russian music and dance so prettily together when they are alone!

🏜️- Oh for sure the types of comments that point out what affected them personally. I really want to connect to people through my writing and whenever somebody comments that a certain bit made them feel in a specific way I just absolutely melt in joy and delight!!!

Thank you so much for the many questions again, this was SO much fun to answer. Hope you have the loveliest of days!!!

[leynaeithnea]

watched some more animatics from your playlist btw and you're not escaping my brainrot sorryy

I liked the Scylla one , it had this bloody terrifying vibe to it that I really enjoyed and also I liked that the central part of Scylla's body, the one that resembles a human being kinda, was not done so that she just looked like a normal beautiful woman but she actually looked a little weird , like a creature ( at some point she even tilts her head like animals do and it's so cute kaksksksk )

The animatic that made me really lose my mind was the one for mutiny though, it was so good!!! The characters are so expressive ?? Their faces convey so much emotion?? Damn???

It immediately starts super great with eury panting so hard it looks like he's on the cusp of having a panic attack while he looks around at all the blood and the wreckage Kakdksksksj YES

He's so mad and then he gets out his sword to fight and does that thing where he drags his sword on the floor that is so extremely kaksksksjs YES YES

Then there's this shot right before they start fighting where you see both Ody and Eury and you realize how physically bigger eury is and it makes so much sense bc in this duo Ody is the mind and Eury rhe muscle! His right hand man! And yet Ody is not scared , he is actually sure he can take him ( hubrys again? A little ) and he does! The fight is so good bc ( again , I might be overanalyzing here ) you see how eury puts all his strength in every attack, like he puts his sword over his head and then hw swings it down towards Ody , he's all raw power and anger. Meanwhile Ody is all strategy, he's smaller but also quicker , and used his advantage to slash his opponent in few but calculated places, he slashes his back so that handling the sword will hurt and gets his eye so that eury can't really see that well

Also don't know if this is something intentional or if I'm making it up but while they are in the sun god's island eury's eye is bandaged ,and I'm thinking maybe it simbolizes that he can't really see straight anymore ? so blinded by the hunger and all the pain that he can't see just what he is about to cause? The danger he is about to face ?

And I also like how Ody is tied for this scene and how he bargains with Eury but is also trying to break free so that he can stop him creating even more tension during the scene bc you really want him to get free and intervene but he's too late

Mmmh yeah I think I'm done for now aksksks please add your thoughts if you want bc I'd really like to know what you think :)) <3

watched some more animatics from your playlist btw and you're not escaping my brainrot sorryy

I do not wish to escape it, rather dive into it head first :)

( at some point she even tilts her head like animals do and it's so cute kaksksksk)

ITS SO CREEPY RIGHT, great animatic

like he's on the cusp of having a panic attack while he looks around at all the blood and the wreckage Kakdksksksj YES

THE ANGST; YES ITS SO GOOOD

Then there's this shot right before they start fighting where you see both Ody and Eury and you realize how physically bigger eury is and it makes so much sense bc in this duo Ody is the mind and Eury rhe muscle! His right hand man! And yet Ody is not scared , he is actually sure he can take him ( hubrys again? A little ) and he does! The fight is so good bc ( again , I might be overanalyzing here ) you see how eury puts all his strength in every attack, like he puts his sword over his head and then hw swings it down towards Ody , he's all raw power and anger. Meanwhile Ody is all strategy, he's smaller but also quicker , and used his advantage to slash his opponent in few but calculated places, he slashes his back so that handling the sword will hurt and gets his eye so that eury can't really see that well

YOURE SO RIGHT OMG, also i think like, ody in Homer IS one of the best fighters only second to Achilles or smth like that iirc, so he 1000% CAN Take on Eury, im gonna yap about that in my mutiny post when my hands stop dying bc i have a LOT to say about Mutiny

Also don't know if this is something intentional or if I'm making it up but while they are in the sun god's island eury's eye is bandaged ,and I'm thinking maybe it simbolizes that he can't really see straight anymore ? so blinded by the hunger and all the pain that he can't see just what he is about to cause? The danger he is about to face ?

Woaaa thats fascinating it could be???? he got injured in the fight but the double meaning i can def see that in that...fascianting

And I also like how Ody is tied for this scene and how he bargains with Eury but is also trying to break free so that he can stop him creating even more tension during the scene bc you really want him to get free and intervene but he's too late

THATS CANON (stage directions during the livestream) ITS SO GOOD I LOVE IT ITS SO COOL HES TOO LATE ITS seigsegisegseugshe Ill have to go through the animatics later on to add my thoughts, maye Ill start a ask spam series on your blog one Im done with my thunder saga yapping :3 to keep this up a little longer

[villainsandvictimsalliance]

I had this dream where Achilles was just a teen living at the beach and the father was a scientist who invented a machine that helped you change forms.

It was not an accident when Achilles went inside the machine and started changing shapes. That machine had been built by a loving father with the purpose of releasing the beauty that threatened to burst his kid's body. And oh, how Achilles flew across that bruising sky among rainbow sparks chasing the trail the shapeshifting body created. There were wings and hooves, hair longer than the Earth, smiles wider than a mountain ranges. Achilles changed and changed, the body burned and burned. The features of that face were the ones of a lover, a child, the lady you passed down the street, the soldier weeping on the battlefield, the bird reaching its nest, the waves riding the wind, every surfer Achilles was friends with, every classmate, every teacher. Achilles was and was, 'til she landed in laughter and hit the arms of her father and used her boyish hands to clean the tears in her cheeks.

Do you think joy has a gender?

Achilles room had an aquarium on one wall. He liked to surf in the afternoon. If he climbed the aquarium and fell in it, the other side would be his father's lab. All the windows faced the sun and the sea. His father entered the machine a few minutes each day 'cause he wanted to look like a celebrity. They'd sit, his father showing Achilles men from magazines. I want his nose, he'd say. The father never faltered in his speech, no matter the form of his kid that day. Do you feel an adult yet, Achilles? Today are you just a little girl?

I dreamed Achilles got scared suddenly. The body returned to its caged form so fast, he reduced in weight and hidden under one of the lab tablets, Achilles cried.

Have your body ever ached with the strength required to keep all of you inside?

Have you ever felt the need to change who you are for the satisfaction of others.

Life can pressure you into your body or out of your body. I think both things are bad enough.

Some people want to gain muscle or lose weight or get bigger boobs or a straighter nose so they can correctly breathe or get a penis or change the color of their hair or get pointy ears or correct their vision or—

We are always ourselves. I am Achilles, because I don't know how to drive just like a kid, but I have my own bank account like an adult. I cry watching anime, I'm writing a thesis on linguistics. I dyed my hair, I removed my wisdom teeth, I am not my body, my body is me.

I woke up thinking "hey, the father started having fun, but soon the expectations of others and the standards strange to him pushed him on a path of self-destruction" and "although the machine is not the answer to Achilles' problems, it's the magical vehicle that gives the kid the strength to face the world and search for what he needs. Similar to a magical kiss that breaks a spell, there's real love in fairytales, so why there's wouldn't be real hope for us and our bodies?"

It's the closest I've ever been to explaining why I am agender. Where the concept should be, there is a void I don't know how to dive in. I am more than my body, my body is mine, I like my body, but it is not all there is. How do I feel?

I'm Achilles. I'm not sure there is a name for what I am or a term that can describe me (it's my first time living, you know). For now, I just want to fly in this sky and burn.

[kimium]

For the latest ask game: F, K, P, U!

(From this ask meme HERE)

Thanks for the ask, Shreedle!!! Always love your asks!

F. What's the longest you've ever been in a fandom?

That depends on what we mean by "been in a fandom". If we simply mean enjoying/watching a series then my two longest fandoms are Sailor Moon/Pokemon. If we mean creating content for it then my longest fandom is SDR2 (since 2016).

K. What character has your favourite development arc/the best development arc?

I think Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket has my favourite character development of all time. Picture this: it's early 2000s shoujo anime/manga. Your main heroine is supposed to be sweet, innocent, and kind. She's supposed to be caring, giving, and compassionate. When she meets her brooding love interest it's supposed to be her love, warmth, and giving of herself that wins him over.

Tohru Honda takes these tropes and turns them on their head. Now, originally the audience is met with the heroine I just described. However, as Fruits Basket goes along it cracks open the tropes by lacing them with one of the underlying themes of the series: Change is scary but we have to embrace it. Wishing for eternity will only lead to rot and decay of something good.

Watching the cracks form in Tohru as the series reveals her politeness is a defense mechanism as well as a feeble childish desire to keep her father alive. Watching Tohru slowly accept that selfishness isn't always inherently bad in regards to Kyo sent a shiver down my spine the first time I read the series.

I also love Tohru Honda because of Akito Soma, who is a character foil to her is Top Tier.

P. Invent a random AU for any fandom.

I think the best AUs are when everything is the same except for one minor thing, either for humour or drama. Anyways, here are a few that came to mind:

-KHR: Everything is the same except Shouichi uses a different flame (not Sun).

-Dr. Stone where everything is the same except Xeno/Stanley were dating Byakuya before the Petrification Event. Senku knows this but says nothing.

-FE Fates where the Trio don't make it to Nohr or Hoshido and are stuck in Valla (where time works differently).

(Also, this is an AU that I've already created with my friend M34GS, but I'm in love with our Twisted Wonderland "Sort of Saw Franchise AU". Same with our Bar AU.)

U. Three favourite characters from three different fandoms and why they're your favourites.

Okay. Well, I already talked explicitly about Tohru Honda who is one of my most favourite characters ever. I'll pick others but know she's on my top favourite character list.

First Character: Gojo Satoru (JJK)

Yeah, shut up. I know. This is a basic choice but let me explain. Before I knew his backstory, Gojo was a favourite because I am a Huge Sucker for Over Powered characters. Especially those with eye powers or who are confident because of their abilities.

However, what truly cemented Gojo as a favourite is his backstory with Geto. I love character foils but they're also Achilles and Patroclus coded. My heart aches when I think about how they're the embodiment of a romantic tragedy. Fandom jokes that they made their "KFC break up" everyone's problem but it's true. They're so entangled and in love with one another that they'll literally burn the world down together. And in a shonen manga no less! Truly, I've never seen two male characters so explicitly hinted to have been together in my entire lifetime of watching shonen series.

(Side note: Gojo's line "Love is the greatest curse of them all" from JJK 0 lives rent free in my brain. How can I hear that line with my own two ears and not go feral over it?)

Second Character: Vil (Twisted Wonderland)

Last year when I first got into the game if someone told me I would end up loving Vil, I would have laughed at them. I would have never expected it since normally Vil's character archetype (obsessed with looks/beauty) isn't my type. Usually because I think of characters with a mix closer to Asmo (Obey Me) and Cater (also from Twisted Wonderland).

Vil took all my expectations and threw them away. To start, Vil is a hard working, dedicated perfectionist. Vil doesn't accept anything less than his best effort because he has clear goals in mind he wishes to accomplish. Also, Vil doesn't consistently berate people for not understanding subject areas he's an expert in. One character trope I hate are smug characters who think everyone is "an idiot" because others don't know what they're talking about. Vil doesn't do that and instead will guide others (even forcibly) through the steps.

However, what drew me closer into loving Vil is how he is an excellent commentary on society's immense pressure on famous people. Can you even imagine from day one knowing every little thing you do can be picked apart or held against you? Society already demands we live up to impossible standards and that goes double for famous people. Watching Vil feel like he has to constantly be "Vil the super model/actor" and not "Vil as a person" is what drew me into his character.

Third Character: Sakura (Cardcaptor Sakura/Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles)

There is just something about Sakura as a character, regardless of iteration, that draws me to her. I think it's her strength of character and the refusal to give up on herself/others. I also admire how CLAMP writes Sakura as a character with convictions. Her goals remain and never waiver even in the face of any challenge. Finally, there is something fun about seeing the differences/similarities presented in Sakura a child in CCS to Sakura a young adult in Tsubasa.

[narwhalandchill]

the narwhal and/or childe >:)

where do i even start. my beloved. dearest. just an innocent lovely piece of the vast cosmos. a beautiful creature thats done nothing wrong ever in its life. is it such a crime to be hungry??? to be starving???? looking for a snack perhaps?? are french people really that important in the grand scheme of things?????? 🤔

anyway. like just the fact that this is genuinely the most stunning design this game has ever made for a non-human creature in terms of both visuals and audio (HAVE YOU HEARD IT TALK!??!?!?!?!?!??!! the whale calls the sonar clicks that one borderline growl-like sound at the very beginning of the boss fight its just??? oh my goddddddd). the narwhal is just genuinely breathtaking on that front alone. the boss fight design kinda sucks bc its just swimming away from u all the time i admit that its kinda just wenut but cunty but. i do adore just. watching it move its so ethereal 😭😭

and then theres the small tidbits of lore we have for it and its connection to childe when like. i have an Incredibly specific achilles heel for this kind of eldritch being (utterly alien but nonetheless not malicious in its true intent; simply comprehending the world at a completely different scale than the small creatures that fall on its path) and ESPECIALLY any sort of destined link and bond between such creatures and a mortal and like. this trope has been a thing for YEARS for me. and then its fucking happening for the character thats been the most rent free for me in all the time ive played genshin????? oh yeah its so fucking over im in love with the narwhal. like its creating a world!??!?!?! its creating an entire world inside its stomach!???? to create a world it could protect from the cold unfeeling universe for good???? after its entire existence has been defined by a lonely voyage through the cosmos witnessing the rise and inevitable fall of world after world??? and all it could do is weep ceaselessly for each and every one????? HELLO???????? im going to start a cult

also ngl just the sheer fact that its. well. a whale. is also just an emotional 1hko bc like that is Very much an animal where it inherently adds this weight of their sheer size and age and intelligence that makes this little human Feel things. so like. yea the narwhal has a fuckload of things going for it and thats why it just instakilled me and now its just. my beloved. if ajax is my parasocial comp het boyfriend the narhwal is my non gender specified all devouring eldritch wife yes that makes perfect sense dont question this. thank youuuuu. yes watching them beat the shit out of each other in the cutscene (and knowing it went on for 45+ days before that) was very conflicting because of that. why are you fighting we should kiss 😭 im super normal as you can see.

it does rly depress me that in the AQ the narwhals general significance was ultimately just sidelined and turned into an afterthought both in terms of what it is as an independent thinking and feeling individual as well as just. the way hoyo rly didnt expand on ajax' connection to it much at all other than introducing the barebones concept. but its STILL the good fucking food to me. its Never been just a pet to me even if to 99% of the fandom skirks words will just be forever at face value but. whatever. i will love it even more to make up for thsi injustice🥰

[swearphil]

Happy nice ask day to you in return! What’s your favorite book of the year so far? And/or what’s currently on your tbr list? 👀

thank you for sending this, friend! I looked at my list of books I've read this year and I've got four books that have been my favorites so far!

in the order I read them this year:

Loveless by Alice Oseman: I've been meaning to read more books with aroace characters, and I related so much to Georgia! it was really good for me to read

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin: this book! this book! it was on my radar because both John and Hank Green recommended it. I wasn't completely sure if I would like it because all I knew about the plot was that the main characters created a video game and video games aren't always my thing. but oh my god I enjoyed this book so much! at its heart, it's a book about creativity, ingenuity, friendship, pain, and love as you follow Sam and Sadie through their years of friendship. I love how the story is told - mostly in chronological order with some flashbacks to understand Sam and Sadie as kids and some brief looks into the future that frame some of what's happening in the present. and there's one part in particular where I cried so hard. I was bawling and there's a part of me that still refuses to believe what happened happens. it's told beautifully though, so I appreciate Zevin for that beauty in devastation.

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune: this book had been on my tbr ever since I'd read The House in the Cerulean Sea. I think I held off for awhile because the book involves death, and I wasn't ready to read about death. but I finally read the book and I loved it! Wallace, Hugo, Nelson, Mei, and Apollo mean so much to me!

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller: another book that had been on my tbr for awhile. I know how this story ends, so I knew from the beginning it would end in tragedy, but I was really excited to read Miller's take on Achilles and Patroclus's relationship. it's achingly beautiful, and the more I read, the more I wanted the ending to be different, but of course it wasn't. yes, I cried.

and here are books I've checked out from the library that I might return without reading because I'm busy with my new job but I'll check them all out again later:

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie

[hornyforpoetry]

Reading journal // "Oriental Tales" // Marguerite Yourcenar

Genre: myths and legends, fairy tales

Year of publication: 1938

Read between 07/07/2023 - 09/07/2023 (European calendar)

Review: "Oriental Tales" is a collection of short stories inspired by oriental fairy tales. Yourcenar explores the beauty of the storytelling tradition of various Balkan countries and the Far East. Greece, Serbia, China, Japan, India, all are explored in turn in the form of rewritten legends.

  What attracted me in the first place is the way the author adapts the language according to the story. Each prose preserves the mode of expression and the regional atmosphere from which the inspiration was taken. The delicacy of Japanese and Chinese storytelling alternates with Greek and Serbian mythology and nostalgia. At the same time, they all retain a special lyricism, specific to Yourcenar.

I'm a big fan of Far Eastern stories, so my favorites were "How Wang-Fô Was Saved" and "The Last Love of Prince Genji". The first one I interpreted as an allegory of the death of an artist. Wang-Fo is an artist who sees the world with a different eye and manages to find beauty in every thing in the world. The perspective is not shared by those around him, however, and he is accused by the Emperor of deceiving him and creating a false image of the world. As Wang-Fo finishes his last painting before his hands are cut off and his eyes burned, the room he is in floods and he is taken away in a boat by his former disciple. The image of his disappearance from the world of the living overlaps with the image of the newly finished painting.

  "The Last Love of Prince Genji" is inspired by "Genji Monogatari", an 11th century Japanese novel about the love affairs of Prince Genji, a native Don Juan. The author of the original novel skips over Genji's last years after the death of his wife. But they are reimagined by Yourcenar in a delicate story about the ephemerality of all things.

Although they did not particularly appeal to me, the Greek and Serbian stories have their own special charm. In "Marko's Smile" for example, I discovered a quote that haunts me even now: "The Iliad” lacks the smile of Achilles." In "Our Lady-of-the-Swallows", Yourcenar brings an interesting view of the creation of the world, suggesting that when God created the angels, he forgot to give them all wings. The wingless angels came to earth and turned into Olympian gods and nymphs. In "The Man Who Loved the Nereids", a man looks at a mute beggar as he tells his interlocutor about how that man met the Nereids, who stole his voice. At the end, he expresses his jealousy towards the beggar because he had the chance to see the most beautiful women in the world with his own eyes.

  Telling stories is a talent in itself. However, Marguerite Yourcenar managed to give them a modern, current look, while preserving their purity. This mythical world meets contemporary everyday life and creates the illusion of continuous time. Our so gray world suddenly becomes a land full of magic.

Rating: 8/10

Summer Reading Challenge

[c0nsequenc3s]

Got a few more tales for you all!! Figured I’d cover a few creation myths in this one. It’s been a long day, so I don’t think I’ll be deciphering everything, but I’ll summarize a few shits for you all. If you guys REALLY want to, I’ll decipher like one or two myths.

1. Vaius (that narrator guy or whatever) created the land of Vexes from darkness, which is described and pictured as some gooey shit. They basically make the land or something. Also they made this lil goopy guy named Raggnas who is their first born child.

2. Vaius isn’t very neurotypical and paces around the boarders of Vexes, making “The Encircling Sea”. The encircling sea is constantly moving at a rapid rate, btw. Vaius puts four people in charge of the wind— Euries, Cricuses, Saitaus, and Ippius. They all sail a different part of the sea, north, south, east, and west. They control the winds, which makes me think that the people of this “Vexes” land were somewhat conscious of meteorology, since the wind comes from the sea or something. Idk I failed 7th grade do I look like a fucking computer scientist to you

3. Vaius made three winged people and was like “ok whichever one of you can go touch the sun first when it’s at the highest point in the sky gets to hold up the mountain” so the first one (Kull) is like ok imma go right now and fly WITH the sun so I’ll already be up there with it by the time it reaches midday but then he fucking DIES because the fuck are you kissing the sun for?? You down bad for a giant ass star?? Anyways then the next one (Neiniss) is like ok imma go right before the sun reaches that cutesy lil high point so I get a head start but then she fucking DIES because what are you doing close to the fucking sun chat. Like. Girl bye. But the last one (Jaynis) was like this shit is dumb as hell why would I go up to the sun ITLL KILL ME and Vaius is like damn bro you’re smart you get to hold up the mountain

4. Vaius made a dome (aka the sky) to protect the people they’d eventually put into their world after they prep it, and they made two twins named Lus and Sai to pull the sun and moon around the sky. (Side note: the sun is described as being very dim, only noticeable as the brightest, largest star, while the moon is described as being hauntingly beautiful in its ability to illuminate Vexes. Vexes is always quite dark in every illustration, but in the way it’s dark on a full moon, yknow?) but then one day this evil guy named Yehxieale (who we’ll cover eventually) breaks through the dome Vaius made and snatches up Lus and Sai, and kinda morphs them together as one. Lus, the sun guy, would come out in the day to pull around the sun, while Sai, the moon girl, would come around in the night to pull around the moon. They both got super depressed because they missed each other and whatnot. But there’s also something really cool about this story, because the cracks in the dome Yehxieale made to get in got filled up by these real big eyes, who are super emotional and cry down onto Vexes when they’re sad. Their prince, Ciccinnius, is the one that makes them all cry— and lemme tell you. This fucking guy. Is. A. CRYBABBYYYYYY……….. but the cute thing is that when he’s crying (hence all the others are crying) only Vaius can console him. It’s super sweet, and it earned Vaius a title that roughly translates to “the rain’s lover” which I find adorable. But other than that, I can’t find any evidence of them being together, so it’s kind of an Achilles/patrochus situation. Will they, won’t they? I’m an unreliable narrator, who knows.

Sorry for the scattered nature of today’s update!! I had a super important meeting about this robot thing we’re working on (it’s called nano.tau btw, to all my nano followers who look forward to the new release of robots) and it’ll be EPIICCCC. Trust me. But I did my best to keep you all updated on this little niche mythology we’re all following now.

Doesnt Vaius look so emo here lmao

[asphaltvalkyrie]

I'm Writing Bout' the Book I Read

Figured I'd do that thing where I list the books I read in 2024... Or at least the ones I can remember.

My process for choosing a book is basically a combination of looking at reviews from trusted sources... and going into used bookstores and seeing what I vibe with. Also bookshop.org is a great alternative to Amazon and it supports indie bookstores.

H is for Hawk - Helen McDonald The author (a Cambridge scholar and falconer) coming to terms with her father's death through her relationship with her goshawk hunting partner.

Acceptance - Jeff Vandermeer 3rd installment of a trilogy about an alien… something that's not quite a place, not quite a creature and its interactions with some rather imperfect people.

The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller The story of the Trojan War from Patroclus' point of view.

Fun Home and Are You My Mother? - Alison Bechdel Bechdel's autobiographical relationships with her father and mother, respectively.

The Left Hand of Darkness and The Lathe of Heaven - Ursula K. LeGuin About a man living on a planet of people who have no gender except when breeding - and even then its random which partner is male and which is female each and every time, and about a man in a dystopian society who can shape reality with his dreams.

The Bird Way - Jennifer Ackerman Nonfiction studies of a few specific bird species and their many types of complex social relationships with others of their species.

Bonk and Fuzz - Mary Roach One about the science of sex and the other about problematic human/wildlife interactions, respectively.

Who By Fire - Matti Friedman An account/analysis of the time Leonard Cohen spent in Israel during the Yom Kippur war and how it affected his work.

Bittersweet - Susan Cain Nonfiction about how sadness and longing are actually healthy and productive emotions that humanity is made better by.

Skin - Roald Dahl A collection of deliciously dark short stories.

Never Home Alone - Rob Dunn Nonfiction about the most common bacteria, insects and various other creatures found abundantly in human habitats. A good

Other Birds - Sarah Addison Allen A magical realism story about benevolent ghosts and found family.

Monstress Volume 9 and The Night Eaters Volume 2- Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda One is a series about an extremely angry young woman/weapon/demonic vessel/refugee caught in the middle of a war, and the other about a pair of twins learning that their mom is a demon.

Annnd what I thought of them;

The Left Hand of Darkness was probably my favorite. Its an incredible story of what politics might be like if it were impossible to assign gender roles. Its also a study of the many types of love (friendship especially) and has some damn beautiful worldbuilding behind it.

Other Birds was my least favorite. My MIL wanted me to read it and I wouldn't say I hated it, but I felt condescended to by its predictable whimsy and general cutesy-poo-ness.

I read the Roald Dahl stories because I stumbled across Wes Anderson's The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar and Three More on Netflix (which was superb by the way.) I loved Roald Dahl as a kid. I think he helped create my sense of humor, and its hard to believe he wrote for children after looking at his other work.

Bonk was good for a very objective and informative, taboo-dispelling giggle, especially for a rather prudish ace like me.

I thought Fuzz and The Bird Way were a little lacking.

Fun Home and Are You My Mother? were both quite good. FH definitely made for a better story, but AYMM hit me very close to home emotionally.

The Song of Achilles was a unique treat - I know some purists hate novelizations of epic poems and sagas, but I really appreciated being able to fall under the story's spell of tragedy and irony without having to break that spell to look at footnotes or parse difficult language. Also gaaaaay.

Acceptance - This one and the rest of the trilogy are just a big, thick, and super entertaining stew of sci-fi and horror. Annihilation (the first book) made for a good film too.

Not totally sold on The Night Eaters yet but I trust Liu and Takeda.

...The others I really liked as well, but I can't remember much about them. Also I want to get back to my stupid boring gatherer's scrip grind on FFXIV. I hope future me enjoys this.