#A lot of people don't tbh

[nekohime19]

Mini Mac #7 : When you're emotionally allergic brother have a crush

Let's go for some brotherhood shenanigans! I like writing in Azure pov, it's fun to see them struggling to understand SWK!

“Brothers, what would you do if you wanted to court someone?”

Azure spat his wine and coughed, strangled by his own drink. He saw, from the corner of his eyes, the rest of the brotherhood have similar reactions. Bull King was leaning on the table, folded on himself, his coughs shaking the table itself. Peng threw his glass at the Monkey King, persuaded he was some sort of evil spirit stealing his skin (of course Sun Wukong evaded it easily). Yellow-Tusk dropped his glass on his lap, mouth hanging in shock.

“You're alright, brother?” Asked Azure once he regained a semblance of calm.

“Yeah, why are you asking?” Chuckled the great sage as he stuffed his face with fruits, mainly peaches.

“Because you just asked for advice on courting!?” Answered Peng, indignation strong in his tone.

“What's weird about that?” Questioned the sage with a raised eyebrow.

“Everything!” Shouted the demonic bird.

“Brother, you're interested in someone?” Asked Yellow-Tusk, and this was what they were all curious about. Sun Wukong, the most emotional allergic monkey in the world, the one obsessed with peaches and warfare, the one who never bothered with common demonic traditions before, was interested in someone? It sounded unreal, Azure couldn't even fathom how his brother would be when in love. In all honesty, he thought his brother was the kind who couldn't feel this sort of thing, the kind to not have any sexual or romantic desire in their life.

“Why are you all so shocked? I talk about him all the time! Maybe your old ages are catching up with you, brothers.” Azure ignored the comment about his age (and how it was quite hypocritical of the centuries-old monkey to make jokes about one age) and focused on what was truly important : Sun Wukong had talked about the person he was interested in and said person was a him.

“You did mention someone while drunk, is this it ?” Asked Yellow-Tusk with furrowed eyes. Now that he thought of it, Azure remembered his brother gushing about someone in his drunken hours, but he never took it seriously. Sun Wukong was the type to gush about anything, really. He gushed about a particular shiny rock last week.

“Yeah! Maybe, I don't really remember. But I'm sure I talked about him!” Laughed the great sage with a beaming smile.

“And so you wish to court this person? How long did you two even know each other?” Asked Bull King while serving himself another glass of wine.

“A few months.” Nonchalantly answered Sun Wukong.

“Isn't it soon for initiating courtship then?” Questioned the lion with an indulgent smile, he knew his brother wasn't used to the ways of courtship, so he probably didn't know demons waited for at least a year of acquaintance before initiating any romantic advances. “Are you even sure of your feelings?” In all honesty, if his brother was really serious about this affair, Azure would gladly encourage him. But courtship was no light matter, and the lion wouldn't want his brother to embarrass himself or this mystery person to be hurt if the sage's feelings changed in the middle of the courtship. The brotherhood knew their littlest brother well-enough by now, his interest was usually a fickle thing, never staying in one place, always wandering.

Sun Wukong put down the peaches he was eating, something he rarely did, and narrowed his eyes in thought.

“What do you mean by that?” Asked the golden-furred monkey as he tilted his head.

“What Azure Lion means is that courtship is no laughing matter, brother.” Explained the Bull King. “We never saw you being interested in anyone before, so it is surprising news. You have to make sure you are indeed in love before initiating any sort of courtship.”

“Well then how do I make sure I'm in love?” Questioned the great sage, Azure winced at this question. Love was a rather difficult topic for war-driven beasts like them, he threw a glance at Yellow-Tusk (the most emotionally sensitive of them) and hoped he would have some kind of answer to offer.

“Love can be different depending on the person, it comes in all kinds of forms. You have to question yourself. Do you feel excited around him? Do you wish to see him often? What kind of thoughts do you have about him? Are you attracted to him? You have to sort out your feelings.” Answered Yellow-Tusk, as always the wisest among them.

“Just ask yourself if you like him like any shiny pebbles you always brag about or if you want to fuck him.” Added Peng while he took a new glass of wine.

“Does it really have to be sexual?” Sighed the sage with narrowed eyes, unbothered by the bird's rather crude words.

“Like I said, love can come in many different forms, it doesn't have to be sexual, but it is good to ask yourself if it is.” Replied the elephant.

“Okay, I get it. I mean I don't even know if we could have any intercourse, it wouldn't even fit.” Chuckled the great sage, Azure Lion raised an eyebrow at that, he knew his brother was shameless but this was rather crude compared to his usual humor.

“What, you think you're too big or something?” Snorted Peng, obviously mocking the golden-furred monkey for his outrageous confidence.

“Obviously I am.” Huffed Sun Wukong with the utmost seriousness, Peng choked on his glass and barked a laugh. “Do you even see me, Peng? I'm obviously too big for this.”

“I would prefer if we do not see how big you are, brother.” Winced Azure, not wanting this fest to turn into some dick-measuring contest. “How about you just make sure you're in love?”

“Yeah, I'll do that.” Shrugged the golden-furred monkey as he sat up and stretched. “In fact I'm gonna head back and see if he's still awake, maybe he'll want to see the moon again tonight.”

“Alright, stay safe, brother.” Called Azure as he watched the sage jump on his cloud.

“Who knew the Monkey King could be interested in courtship.” Huffed Peng once Sun Wukong disappeared from view.

“Truly surprising news.” Agreed the Bull King.

“I hope the person he's interested in will share his feelings.” Sighed the lion.

“Don't be such a worrywart, Azure. Even if he's a fool , I can admit this guy didn't gain his title of Handsome Monkey King for nothing, the man he's pining for will be at least intrigued by his good looks.” Replied the demonic bird as he rolled his eyes.

“That is true, in fact weren't you the one who was a bit infatuated with the simian when you first met?” Lightly teased the Bull King with a knowing smirk.

“We promised to never talk about this.” Groaned the lion. “I was young and easily swayed.”

“Fooled by appearances.” Snorted the bird. “I'm more intrigued about what this madman would do for courtship, and if it ends well, what kind of person could even love this chaotic mess.”

“It'll certainly be interesting to see.” Chuckled Yellow-Tusk.

+ memes

++ cut scenes

SWK *at one brotherhood fest* : and I found this gray rock who reflected the light in such a way it made it look as if a rainbow was dancing on its surface! 🤩

Azure *with a tired smile* : That is impressive, brother. 😀

Bull King *at Yellow-Tusk* : how many rocks did he mention in the last hour? I lost count around five. 😑

Yellow-Tusk *at Bull King* : 45. 😐

Peng *after noticing there wasn't any wine left* : Just kill me already. 😩

Young Azure *looking at SWK playing with his monkeys* : He's such a benevolent King, truly responsible, and very handsome too. 🥰

Now Azure *looking at SWK throws up after drinking three sort of alcohol at the same time* : we will never talk about my crush on him ever again. 😩😐

SWK *after considering Peng suggestion of inrercourse a bit more* : But I think that if I used magic I could somehow make it work. I mean magic can do a lot of things, so I'm sure I could shrink myself to the size of a doll to do it. 🤔

DBK *baffled* : Why would anyone want to be the size of a doll during intercourse? 😳🤨

SWK : why wouldn't you be the size of a doll with someone like Macaque? You are weird if you keep your actual size during sexual endeavors. 🤨🙄

Peng : You're the weird one here, what the actual fuck? 😶😨

Azure : I don't even want to imagine what you would do with such a tiny size during sex. 😰

Yellow-Tusk : How about we change subjects? 😩😬

Azure : I didn't know you were gay, brother 🤔

SWK *thinking gay only means cheerful* : of course I'm gay, I'm always the life of the party! 😆

DBK : how is being the life of the party related to you being gay? 🤨

SWK : What are you saying? Of course you're gay if you're the life of the party, that's obvious. 😉

Yellow-Tusk : I wasn't aware of this rule... 😅

Peng : You're homosexuality aside- 🙄

SWK *Who has never felt like this for anyone beside Macaque and thus doesn't thinks himself as an homosexual* : I'm not homosexual. 😀

Azure :?? 🙃

DBK :?? 😐

Peng :??😩

Yellow-Tusk :??😑

Ch1 / Previous / Next

[taliabhattwrites]

[sergle]

biting my fingernails down to the quick as I see the rare post being like "you bitches and your measly $20 donations think that absolves you of anything think again" gaining notes because you are all worrying me rn by discouraging smaller donations and implying that donating is supposed to be 1) some kind of moral absolution and 2) that it only works in large sums

[andy-clutterbuck]

Black T-Shirt + Sling | requested by Anonymous

[coulsonlives]

Googling "US election" and seeing the results so far like

[hopefully-helpful-daemon]

I'm always on my Bruce acted like Damian when younger shit, but I'm also on my Oliver was eerily similar to Cass when young bullshit

Look, that man might have been stranded on an island for a year(s) but no other person would get into that situation and decide that the most reasonable choice was to dismantle the drug ring on the island with nothing but a bow and barely any training.

So I like to think that Ollie was always a little fucked, just uncomfortably wrong in a way that most people wouldn't understand. that actually being why Bruce likes him when they first meet.

Him being unnaturally quiet, not when speaking of course, it's Oliver Queen, no one can get him to be quiet when speaking unless he wanted to, but quiet in the way of being able to sneak up on people without even trying. Just appearing in a room and scaring everybody, even when someone is keeping an eye on him, he'll inevitably slip away and reappear a few hours later in a place that he's not supposed to be.

when Bruce and Ollie first met, Bruce liked him because he kinda scared the shit out of him, there was a look to him that just set off of the warning signs in Bruce's head and of course that means that he needed to friends with Ollie immediately.

And later, when Bruce's mouth inevitably got him into trouble, he never had to worry about what would happen after he won because Oliver would always jump in first. people learned very quickly that you can't fuck with one of them without the other being there too.

in the first few months of Oliver being the GA, Batman comes to Starling for something and tries to slip away after being spotted, but Oliver is able to hunt him through the city. No matter what Bruce tries, GA is always two steps behind and getting closer. finally Bruce is able to lose him at the edge of town (Oliver doesn't lose him, he just knows that Batman is leaving and sees no reason to keep going after him) and decides right then that the Green Arrow is never allowed within Gotham, that no other vigilante is allowed in Gotham.

Years down the line, after the JL is up and both of them are in it, Bruce questions whether he should tell Ollie that he's the Bat, but Oliver already knows, has know since the first time that they fought side by side, because no one has fit so perfectly beside him since those days in school. the days that he was the blinding sunlight in front, the fist that everyone paid attention to, so no one noticed the dark shape in the shadows Oliver had cast, the knife that you didn't even realizes was there until it was being pulled out of your ribs. of course Oliver knew that Bruce was Batman, he would have shot him with an arrow on that first mission if he hadn't.

[falling-star-cygnus]

i'm watching s1 through s3A Teen Wolf compilations for background noise while i work on some side-projects and i lowkey love how Coach goes to Stiles when he wants to know something for or about the team 😭

-> "Stilinski! Jackson?" -> "Stilinski. What the hell is wrong with your friend?" -> "Who or what is that genetic experiment gone wrong?"

he might be profoundly disturbed by this little freak, but goddamnit he trusts his judgment and i love that ↑ he's also one of the few characters that has no shame in admitting how smart Stiles actually is, even if Coach also agrees that he doesn't apply it in the best ways all the time

[lazylittledragon]

As someone who read the second half of the Drizzt series as it came out (yes I'm that old lol), I just know you have thoughts about him/the books so PLEASE share! So glad there are so many younger DND players getting into it and keeping our lovely boy alive <3

YOU'RE SO RIGHT ANON I DO HAVE THOUGHTS ABOUT HIM

i just!!!! love him!!! so much!!!! he's such a treasure

idk if this is me just overthinking things but the fact that he's THE dnd hero but he's also like. a petite little guy and his defining character trait is being KIND and he loves his friends and he's very physically affectionate (which feels kind of crazy to me that the early books came out so long ago and he was always like that??) and his best friend is his cat and he likes to have FUN and he treats swordfighting like dancing and he STILL sought the approval of his family even after years of abuse aND HE JUST LOVES EVERYONE SO MUCH

he's truly the fantasy protagonist of all time i love him i need to kiss him on the forehead

[goodkenji]

Hermitaday #3: Zedaph

[calculatedklown]

It's completely baffling that Gortash is the only one of the chosen three with whom we don't get to have any dialogue regarding the information we uncover about him.??

Spoiler warning maybe lol

Like with Orin, we can mention her upbringing or the fact that she's a child of incest. Try to convince her that she's just been abused her whole life? Like obviously this changes nothing in the end. But it still matters that its mentioned.

Ketheric, we also can try and convince him to change his ways. Mention his wife, his religion, Isabelle. Literally mention everything we find out to try and convince him to turn a new leaf. Which also doesn't change any outcome. But I appreciate that its there.

But GORTASH??? We get absolutely NOTHING, it's absurd! It's baffling that we can't even touch on his backstory—like finding his parents,(possibly killing them depending on what you do) being sold to Raphael as a child, or the fact that he was scammed at one point. All the intriguing details we uncover about him lead to nowhere, and it's so annoying 😩

Like this isn't even just because I enjoy him as a character. It just seems like such a missed opportunity to find out more about him currently as a person!

The dialogue we encounter while trying to convince Ketheric and Orin reveals a profound insight into their true characters. Their reactions are telling and provide a unique perspective on who they are as individuals!

Ketheric fully recognizes the person he has become. He understands that he is a lost cause, fully acknowledging the wrongs he has committed and the irreparable damage he has caused. He accepts his fate without hesitation. Despite your words.

Orin lashes out in denial, and becomes completely manic (more so than her usual self). Completely baffled and distraught.

I want to know how Gortash would react if you brought up his parents or his childhood! It's a possibility he wouldn't be grateful if you slayed his parents; in fact, he would likely view any sympathy as a weakness and respond with anger or dismissiveness. Plus, we’ll never find out his true response to Durge after you say, “I always liked you.”

“Is that what you-”

I don't understand these missed opportunities with him?? Like I get keeping some ambiguity to an extent. Its why we will never get a clear answer into him and durges relationship…..BUT I WOULD LIKE A CRUMB OF HIM PLEASE!! I DONT EVEN NEED A KISSY SCENE! I JUST WANT ANY INSIGHT INTO HIS OWN OPINION ON HIS PAST IF ITS MENTIONED!

If you read all of this rambling…..please tell me what YOU think his possible response would be to any of these scenarios lmao please

[didyougaming]

Part of me is sad that this Twitter Hooligan has omitted the important Video Game Fact that should be accompanying this photo of my Perfect Son. This is at least partially balanced by more people getting to see him in all his glory.

[sideprince]

People will hate on Snape for being mean and sarcastic with children but he was mean and sarcastic with everyone. He was just treating his students with the same respect he gave everyone else, if you think about it.

[thepringlesofblood]

the vibe im getting from FHJY is that this is the season where they really lean into the high school aspect. that probably sounds bonkers since its called Fantasy High, but like. hear me out.

Freshman year, they come at high school from the "John Hughes" "80s teen movie trope" vibe, which is to say different from the real-world experience of high school.

it works great! operating in that frame of reference makes everything flow really well, and hits all the high-school-related-media notes in a very satisfying way while putting its own spin on it and not getting bogged down by the actual slog that is high school in reality.

there's still a lot of more modern inspo, but it stays in the kinda expectation-suspension-tropey area of how 80s movie high school works.

Sophomore year is spring break! I believe in you! They're not at school! They're on an adventure!

They lean into being a teenager and coming-of-age themes a lot (obvs), but the only big reference point to the institution of high school is that it'll be worth 60% of their grade.

A huge point, to be sure, and the exact kind of objectively unfair but somehow not against the rules shit that happens in high school, but not the main driving force of the season.

arthur aguefort also does a bunch of wack shit but it's more fantasy than it is high school although its a lot of both.

they lean into adventuring as a set career path much more, with the school giving money for hirelings and offering a basic incentive for other students to go, so that's a loose connection to the real-world career counseling high schools have, but again, not the main thing.

VERY Important though: we are now very much in the present. The viral shrimp party, livestreaming Kalina, online banking, the epic of Gorgug building a cell tower? this isn't john hughes 80s town anymore, this is now. (at least in Solace).

Junior year

almost everything in the trailer is about academia

we've got the cool doodles-in-the-margins style art and intro

in the interviews and BTS (so far), the cast have talked a lot about what they were like in high school (not the 80s)

and the precedent that The Seven set where the MacGuffin was getting their GED? It's time.

we're getting into what is actually hell about high school - the institution itself. the arbitrary standards that academia in the US holds, and how it leaves behind, punishes, and fails its students in its extremely important role of preparing them for life as an adult.

i could talk about this all day, but personally for me the quote from the trailer that shot me back to my junior year of high school was "You have perfect grades, and it still might not be enough for you to graduate"

riz's arc this season is shaping up to punch me in the academia trauma and personally i can't wait for the catharsis

Brennan has shown time and time again that he Gets and wants to tell stories about the ways in which the US education system affects, hurts, shapes, traumatizes, changes people, and how they survive and recover from it and make their own lives. I for one am so so ready to see that reflected with the bad kids.

[royalarchivist]

This is what it feels like every time a new SMP has streamers I like

[onesnoopyaday]

I AM AT MY LIMIT

Snoopy #90

30/12/2024

description under the cut

[description: a cartoon-style drawing of Snoopy's head. Snoopy is a white dog with black ears. His eyes are shut and his mouth is a horizontal line. There are two large blue teardrops, one under each eye. The text "I am at my limit" is handwritten across the top of the image.]

[gingermintpepper]

As usual I read your tags always and so you said Apollo did not ask for resurrection of Asclepius and Hyacinthus so i just wanted to share this. About Asclepius death I read it on theoi.com, that earlier authors don't make him resurrect as a god but that's a later development mentioned only by Roman authors like Cicero, Hyginus and Ovid. But still Apollo has a role in Ovid's version

Ovid, Fasti 6. 735 ff (trans.Boyle) (Roman poetry C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) : Clymenus [Haides] and Clotho resent the threads of life respun and death's royal rights diminished. Jove [Zeus] feared the precedent and aimed his thunderbolt at the man who employed excessive art. Phoebus [Apollon], you whined. He is a god; smile at your father, who, for your sake, undoes his prohibitions [i.e. when he obtains immortality for Asklepios].

So here it is actually because of Apollo the decision was taken to resurrect him as god. And with Hyacinthus, I don't think I've read about Artemis playing the primary role. I know in Sparta there was a picture of Artemis, Athena and Aphrodite carrying Hyacinthus and his sister to heaven.

This is not on theoi.com but I saw on Tumblr it's from Dionysiaca by Nonnus

Second, my lord Oiagros wove a winding lay, as the father of Orpheus who has the Muse his boon companion. Only a couple of verses he sang, a ditty of Phoibos, clearspoken in few words after some Amyclaian style: Apollo brought to life again his longhaired Hyacinthos: Staphylos will be made to live for aye by Dionysos.

So since he is singing inspired by amyclean stories it probably means in that place it was believed Apollo was the one to bring back his lover to life.

Apollo as god of order was very important so i think it shows how special these people (and admetus too) were to him that he decided to go against the order for them 🥺

ANON!! Shakes you like a bottle of ramune!! BELOVED ANON!!!!! I'm littering your face with kisses, I'm anointing you with olive oil and honey - you absolutely made my night with this because, not only did I get the pure serotonin shot of having someone interact with my tags (yippee, wahoo!!) I also got to have that wonderful feeling of "oh wow, have I misunderstood something that was integral to my understanding of this myth/figure this whole time or is this a case of interpretational differences?" which is imo vital for my aims and interests as someone who enjoys mythological content and literature.

I'll preface my response with this: Hyacinthus is by far the hardest of these to get accounts for because his revival itself, as you very astutely point out, is generally accounted for in painting/ritual format which muddies the waters on who interceded for what. I wasn't actually familiar with that passage from the Argonautica - and certainly didn't remember it so thank you very much for bringing it to my attention!

That said, what I've come to understand, both about Hyacinthus and about Asclepius is that in the accounts of their deaths, Apollo's position is startlingly clear.

For Hyacinthus, it is established time and again that Apollo would have sacrificed everything for him - his status, his power, his very own immortality and divinity. Ovid writes that Apollo would have installed him as a god if only he had the time:

(Ovid. Metamorphoses. Book X. trans. Johnston)

Many other writers too speak of how Apollo abandoned his lyre and his seat at Delphi to spend his days with Hyacinthus, but they also all agree that when it came to his death - he was powerless. Ovid gives that graphic account of Apollo's desperation as he tries all his healing arts to save him to no avail:

(Ovid, Metamorphoses Book X. Apollo me boy, methinks him dead. trans Johnston)

Bion, in one of his fragments, writes that Apollo was "dumb" upon seeing Hyacinthus' agony:

(Bion, The Bucolic Poets. Fragment XI. trans Edmonds)

Even Nonnus in the Dionysiaca speaks constantly of Apollo's helplessness in the face of Hyacinthus' fate where he writes that the god still shivers if a westward wind blows upon an iris:

and when Zephyros breathed through the flowery garden, Apollo turned a quick eye upon his young darling, his yearning never satisfied; if he saw the plant beaten by the breezes, he remembered the quoit, and trembled for fear the wind, so jealous once about the boy, might hate him even in a leaf...

(Nonnus, Dionysiaca, Book 3. trans Rouse)

And the point here is just that - Apollo, at least as far as I've read, cannot avert someone's death. He simply can't. Once they're already dead - once Fate has cut their string - all Apollo's power is gone and he can do nothing no matter how much he wants to. And this is, as far as I know, supported with the accounts of Asclepius as well!

Since you specifically brought up Ovid's account, I'll also stick only to Ovid's account but in Metamorphoses when we get Ovid's version of Coronis' demise, he writes that Apollo intensely and immediately regrets slaughtering Coronis. He regrets it so intensely that he, like he does with Hyacinthus, does his best to resuscitate her:

(Ovid, Metamorphoses Book Two. Apollo's regret)

And like Hyacinthus, when it becomes clear that what has happened cannot be undone, Apollo wails:

(Ovid, Metamorphoses Book Two. Apollo wept.)

Unlike his mother, Asclepius in her womb had not yet died and so, with the last of Apollo's strength, he does manage, at least, to save him.

(Ovid, Metamorphoses Book Two. Apollo puts the 'tearing out' in Asclepius.)

But it goes further than even that because Ocyrhoe, Chiron's daughter, a prophetess who unduly gained the ability to directly proclaim the secrets of the Fates, upon seeing the baby Asclepius, immediately prophesies his glory, his inevitable death and then his fated ascension:

(Ovid. Metamorphoses, Book Two. Ocyrhoe's prophecy. trans Johnston)

Before she too succumbs to her hubris and is transformed by the Fates into a horse so she can no longer speak secrets that aren't hers to share.

These things ultimately are important because it establishes two very important things: 1) Apollo can't do anything in the face of the ultimate Fate of mortals, which is, of course, death and 2) even when Apollo is Actively Devastated, regretful, yearning, mournful, guilty or some unholy combination of all of the above, when someone is dead, he accepts that they are gone. Even if he is devastated by it, even if he'll cry all the rest of his days about it - if they're dead? Apollo lets them go. In Fasti, when Zeus brings Asclepius back, he does not say Apollo asked him to - Zeus, or well, in this case Jove, brings Asclepius back because he wants Apollo to stop being mad at him.

(Ovid, Fasti VI. Apollo please come home your father misses you. trans. A.S Kline)

Even Boyle's translation which you used above in your findings hints that Zeus made Asclepius a god because he wanted Apollo to stop grieving. (i.e 'smile at your father', 'for your sake [he] undoes his prohibitions')

And like, Apollo was deeply upset by Asclepius' death - apart from killing the Cyclops in anger, in book 4 of the Argonautica, Apollonius writes that the Celts believe the stream of Eridanus to be the tears Apollo shed over the death of Asclepius when he left for Hyperborea after being chastised by Zeus for killing his Cyclops:

But the Celts have attached this story to them, that these are the tears of Leto's son, Apollo, that are borne along by the eddies, the countless tears that he shed aforetime when he came to the sacred race of the Hyperboreans and left shining heaven at the chiding of his father, being in wrath concerning his son whom divine Coronis bare in bright Lacereia at the mouth of Amyrus.

It all paints a very clear picture to me. Apollo did not ask for either of them to be brought back. Though bringing them back certainly pleased and delighted him, they are actions of other gods who are moved by Apollo's grief and mourning and seek to mollify him. Him not asking doesn't mean he didn't want them back which I think is a very important distinction by the by, but it simply means that Apollo knows the natural order of things and, even if it hurts, he isn't going to press his luck about it.

Which, of course, brings us to Admetus. And I'm really not going to overcomplicate this, Admetus is different because, very vitally, Admetus is not dead. Apollo can't do a thing once Fate has been carried out and Death has claimed a mortal but you know what he absolutely can do? Bargain like hell with the Fates before that point of inevitability. And that's what he does, ultimately for Admetus and Alcestis. He sought to prolong Admetus' life, not revive him from death or absolve him from death altogether and even after getting the Fates drunk, he's still only able to organise a sacrifice - a life for a life - something completely contingent on whether some other mortal would be willing to die in Admetus' place and not at all controllable by Apollo's own power.

All of these things, I think come back to that point you made - that Apollo's place as a god of order is very important and therefore these people are very special to him if it means he's willing to go against that order but, I also wish to challenge that opinion if you'd let me. Apollo's place as a god of order is very important and therefore, I would argue, that it is even more important that it is shown that he does not break the divine order, especially for the people that mean the most to him. The original context of my comments which started this conversation were on this lovely, lovely post by @hyacinthusmemorial which contemplated upon Asclepius from the perspective of an Emergency Medical personnel and included, in their tags, the very poignant lines "there's something about Apollo letting go when Asclepius couldn't that eats my heart away" and "you do what you can, you do your best, but you don't ever reach too far" and I think that's perfectly embodied with the Apollo-Asclepius dichotomy. Apollo grieves. He wails, he cries, he does his best each and every time to save that which is precious to him but he does not curse their nature, he does not resent that they are human and ultimately, he accepts that that which is mortal must inevitably die. There is nothing that so saliently proves that those who uphold rules are also their most staunch followers - if Apollo wants to delight in his place as Fate's mouthpiece, he cannot undo Fate. And, if even the god of healing and order himself cannot undo death, what right does Asclepius, mortal as he is, talented as he is, have to disrespect it?

The beauty of these stories isn't that Apollo loved them enough to bring them back. The beauty is that Apollo loved them enough to let them go.