#I was going to include Hercules and his children

[doodlerose]

This is supposed to be children of Hero's who were killed by their parents, chilling in a field. Hopefully having a much peaceful afterlife compared to their lives.

Hippolytus- son of Theseus and the Amazon Hippolyte - who was killed by Poseidon as a wish from Theseus after being falsely blamed for Phaedra (Theseus's wife) suicide.

Iphigenia- daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra - who was killed in a sacrifice to Artemis in order to sail to Troy.

and Medea's and Jason's sons- who were killed by Medea for revenge against Jason, and after researching were not able to find definitive names for them in the play which is tragic. But I haven't read the play so I could be wrong.

Feel free to correct me if I got any information wrong :).

[tobiasdrake]

Here we go. It's time to talk about my personal fave. As I said before, this is my Main. In Dragon Ball fighting games, this is the character I seek out to play whenever the roster allows. Also arguably the character who's been done the most dirty by just about every form of Dragon Ball, manga included.

The vanguard of a brand new status quo and a brand new direction for what Dragon Ball would even be, washed away by the tides of a status quo resetting to zero.

We're here to talk about the champion of Satan City who carries the spirit of Dragon Ball in her heart: Videl.

(And that is one cookie to @jcogginsa who guessed it.)

Videl was a kid with a chip on her shoulder. I mean. How could you not be? Her father was the legendary world martial arts champion who famously defeated Cell seven years ago.

Don't pay attention to that. He just tripped for a moment. Once he got his second wind, he came right back and showed Cell what for! It was due entirely to Mr. Satan and nobody else that the Earth was spared from the apocalyptic horror that is Cell.

Look, he even said so himself.

Are you gonna call that man a liar? The man who defeated Cell!? I think we can trust Satan's word over yours.

This is the shadow that Videl grew up under. Raised in what had previously been called Orange City, but was renamed Satan City in honor of the world's greatest hero.

Or "Hercule City/Herculopolis" in the versions that edit out Satan's name.

As his daughter, Videl has a perspective on Satan that neither the world nor the audience gets to see: He's a womanizing playboy who cashes in on his world-savior fame for booty.

He also forbids his teenage daughter from dating by putting up the stipulation that any boy interested in her has to be stronger than him, the world champion - A stipulation naturally designed to weed out any possible suitors through intimidation. Wanna date Videl? FISTFIGHT THE MAN WHO DEFEATED CELL.

Oh, but he doesn't teach her a goddamn thing; At least, not anymore, as she does suggest there was once a time when he was her mentor. She's forced to study martial arts entirely on her own because her dad is utterly disinterested in her development in the art.

This is an angle on Satan we never get to see onscreen. Apparently he's pretty shitty about women. You know, I can believe that.

Videl, when we meet her, is trapped in an unenviable position as a martial artist. She hates what the fame of being a legend has done to her dad and wants to knock him down a peg, but she has no foundation to develop her abilities from. The one man who's supposed to be teaching her isn't doing it, and she's been passively discouraged from pursuing more esoteric martial arts because the world champion said that stuff's all fake.

Videl makes for a fascinating foil to Gohan, because they're both children living in the shadows of legendary fathers.

Gohan is expected to be Goku's successor, but wants to live a peaceful life of academia. Meanwhile, Videl is being denied the ability to become Mr. Satan's successor, but craves the opportunity to prove herself.

Nonetheless, both of these kids are prodigies. Videl has a wealth of potential. She doesn't even realize that, despite these limitations, she surpassed her father long ago. Despite being a self-taught teenager with zero comprehension of ki cultivation, Videl hones her skills and developers her art the only way that's available to her: By punching it out with armed robbers in the region.

Backpack Town isn't even her city! She's a one-woman SWAT team for the tri-state area.

As ambitious and driven as she is, Videl is also clever. The anime extrapolates the adventures of the Great Saiyaman into a several-episode arc as Gohan deftly avoids detection by Videl over and over again, but this has the knock-on effect of depriving Videl of one of her best moments.

Because she pegs him instantly. She was already suspicious of Gohan being the mysterious "Golden Warrior", when he tried to use his Super Saiyan form to disguise himself as a superhero.

Which also showed that she was open-minded about the other people who fought Cell. Satan says they were doing a bunch of tricks, but Videl's willing to consider the possibility that there exist people who can turn blond on command.

And then Gohan did this shit.

Because he was raised in the woods by the devil and Goku. Despite trying to keep a low profile, he has absolutely no idea what the baseline for ordinary human ability is.

So. Y'know.

That's pretty fucking suspicious.

Which brings us to Gohan's second outing as Great Saiyaman, and his first meeting with Videl under his new identity. Whereupon she, uh....

Plays him like a fucking sap. It's a great moment that doesn't get its due if it takes several episodes and misadventures for her to reach this point. Videl is exceptionally skilled in the field of paying attention to that time Gohan jumped thirty feet in the air and naturally drawing conclusions from it.

And also his voice and posture and other dead giveaways. Gohan sucks at secret identities.

He's just. So obviously Gohan. There's no way anyone would be fooled by this.

But she's not only adequate at seeing things with her eyes; She's also a legitimately brilliant martial artist in her own right. Due to her upbringing, she's had zero experience with ki cultivation for obvious reasons.

And yet she's talented enough and smart enough to pick up the basics of Bukujutsu in one day.

Oh, don't mind her; That's just Videl making a mockery of Tsuru-senryu by effortlessly devouring their signature technique. This is Goku's first Kamehameha all over again.

She may have started small but Videl learns fucking fast. She has all of the drive and the ambition that Gohan lacks. She wants to be part of this world, she has a ravenous hunger for self-improvement, she's clever and observant, and she picks up concepts insanely quickly.

Videl is fucking primed to be a key player in Dragon Ball's next generation.

...

So now we need to talk about what happened to Videl.

Videl has one major fight in the entire series: Her 25th Tenkaichi Budokai bout against Spopovich.

Which she absolutely dominates. She's stronger, better, and faster than Spopovich. Even the experienced martial artists agree that she's infinity times better than him in every way.

But there's something wrong with Spopovich. He's a decent martial artist, far from the top; He'd competed in the 24th Tenkaichi Budokai and made it through the qualifiers, but was eliminated in the first round. So, y'know, he had no chance in hell against Videl; She's already surpassed Mr. Satan, who won the 24th legitimately.

Uh, by virtue of none of the Kame-senryu or their rivals attending. Mr. Satan is top dog of the same weight class as Pamput from the 22nd.

But, despite being outclassed in every category, Spopovich is also a dead man walking.

He's similar to the Androids in a sense. Spopovich has no ki signature at all, nor does he get worn down by the damage he's taking. This is Vegeta vs. 18 and Piccolo vs. 17 all over again; He isn't feeling the pain from the hits she's landing on him, and so he's able to outlast.

But Spopovich isn't an Android. He's more like a zombie?

At one point, Videl cuts loose and breaks his goddamn neck. Because he's pushing her hard enough that she realizes she needs to go harder, but his body can't take harder. He isn't a match for her. He just. Isn't going down despite not being a match for her.

He can't take this level of force. But he and his ominously vacant absence of ki can put his head right back where it was and continue the fight, no problem. That's honestly scarier than if he'd regenerated.

Also despite not even having the barebones ki signature of a normal person, Spopovich can perform Bukujutsu and fire ki attacks.

Which a fighter of his meager ability shouldn't even be capable of.

All of this adds up to an unwinnable fight for Videl and the setup to... Something. This match has been criticized pretty heavily in the fandom because it gets pretty gruesome and doesn't have a payoff.

We've seen fights go fucking bad for our heroes before. Piccolo once broke all of Goku's arms and legs as well as shooting a hole in his chest, right here in this same arena.

But it's typically building to something. When our heroes get trashed, it's the lead-up to a reversal down the road. Maybe in the same fight. Maybe in a later one. And we seem to be heading in that direction?

After Spopovich and Yamu leave the tournament, we get VIdel a Senzu and she's right as rain.

Spopovich and Yamu steal energy from Gohan and fly off to Babidi's Ship so they can awaken Majin Buu. Kaioshin recruits the various protags to make that not be a thing that happens. And then. Something switches in the narrative flow of this arc.

You can feel it happen.

As our heroes prepare to pursue Spopovich and Yamu, Videl volunteers to join in as well. She's had her eyes opened to a whole new world or possibilities and is hungry to develop her abilities.

And. Then. One chapter later. It's suddenly decided that Videl will not be a part of this storyline after all, and she basically leaves the plot forever.

WHOOPS! Never mind! Didn't want this character here after all. Go home, Videl.

While her adversary Spopovich is unceremoniously unwritten from being a thing that exists.

Babidi just. Kills him. For no reason. Even though his job isn't done yet. Babidi's like, "Oh good, you collected a fraction of the energy we need; That's fine, you can be fired. I don't need anyone to finish the job."

We're just. We're not telling that story anymore. We already threw Videl in the trash; we don't need her nemesis. We're doing a different thing.

Also, because we still have too many characters in this scene, Dabra erases Krillin and PIccolo with magic spit that never comes up again or is meaningful in any way.

You'd think this would be, like, setting up something? Like. Having witnessed it ahead of time, Gohan's able to figure out something about the way Dabra's spit works. So when he fights Dabra in a climactic battle, he can turn this around.

Like when Goku was able to counter Tenshinhan's Taiyoken/Solar Flare in the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai, because he'd seen it before and understood how it works. That's usually what Dragon Ball does with this sort of advance notice of opponent abilities.

But. No. The most this ever comes up again is that it momentarily costs Gohan one of his gloves. It's just here to winnow down the cast because Toriyama brought too many characters to this scene.

You can feel the burnout taking hold. As janky as the Android arc was, the Buu arc's level of jank is through the roof.

And that became it for Videl. Denied any sort of payoff for her one fight and instead relegated to background character, Videl never got a chance to live up to the intriguing potential she was introduced with. She was the face of a new direction for Dragon Ball, a direction that ended up strangled in its crib as the series reverted to old ideas and old formulae - strangling her along with it.

Videl is a character I look at and can't help but wonder what could have been. What could have been if Gohan got to keep his focus, and Videl got to remain a key player in a story about him? What could have been if we got to see Videl developing her skills at the same fever-pace that she learned Bukujutsu with? What could have been if she got that rematch with Spopovich she seemed to have been promised by the narrative, and then got to stay involved throughout the Buu arc?

But I guess we'll never know.

[sydnieminty]

Ares, the god of war 🩸

Also including an Aphrodite ref sheet that I've had 90% finished for like the last 8 months but hadn't bothered to finish until just recently lol

Anyways buckle up because I'm about to start YAPPIN

I wasn't sure how this was gonna go at first because I don't have a lot of experience with designing male characters and it's not something I typically enjoy but I really like how he turned out and I really enjoyed the process. I was like wait this is fun actually, it's different than what I usually draw.

I've been wanting to do something with Ares for a long time because I think he's really slept on in the Greek mythology community. I think Ares and Aphrodite probably have the healthiest relationship in Greek mythology and I've always found it interesting that the ancient Greeks paired Love with War

I've seen people talk shit about Aphrodite like "oh she cheats on her husband, that's so shitty" like,, you mean the husband she was forced to marry? Ok... But on that note I think Aphrodite and Hephaestus's marriage is interesting and it is something I plan on doing something with. Hephaestus is another one of the few seemingly upstanding men in Greek mythology so I feel like he treats Aphrodite with respect and they find love between each other after some time, in their own way.

Something I always think about is Ares is such a good dad?? He's often depicted in statues with Eros and in war is almost always accompanied by Deimos and Phobos. like yes, spend quality time with your children, so cute <3 Also he supports his Amazon daughters. He unalives a man who assaulted his daughter and it pisses off Poseidon so bad that they INVENT court to put him on trial just for Ares to go "Yeah I did it, and I'd fuckin do it again" and gets acquitted

Back to my Ares design. I thought it would be interesting if his scars were transient, as in not really permanent scars but more like very slowly healing wounds filling with ichor. The only way he can scar permanently is if the injury is inflicted on him by another immortal...

Stole the glowy hair from Disney's Hercules because that shit is peak character design

I was not going to draw any helmets at first because... I didn't want to lol but I read that he like almost always had his helmet. Like he's showing up to fancy dinners carrying his helmet. So I was like okay fine have your emotional support helmet lol

His spear is a gift from Aphrodite, it has a little heart design engraved into it <3 I find Warlike Aphrodite VERY interesting and I like to imagine her having a surprisingly strong affinity for conflict

Personality wise, Ares tries to put up a tough guy "whatever. I don't care act" but he is actually very much a people pleaser and has a distinct desire to be accepted. He is keenly aware that he is not well liked among the gods nor the mortals. He is not the beloved, wise, tactical Athena. He is Bloodlust and Carnage, he is the ugliest sides of war. To most mortals he is a god to appease, not worship.

He loves his mother, and he is her favorite child. He has spent his life defending her, even as a child and even against his father. He is not well liked by his father, but this is typical of Zeus, who is paranoid that one of his sons will eventually continue the family's proclivity for patricide.

Anyways thank you for reading my essay. I will be making more Aphrodite/Ares content very soon. I hope you enjoy

[amphitriteswife]

📓Ror/ SnV characters as teachers/subjects pt2📓

🌸Tag list🌸: @miss-seanymph-pani @viostar2095 @nicasdreamer @vilereign @tinyy-tea-cup @monstertreden

Qin Shi Huang:

🧧he teaches Chinese (it’s a subject where i live).

🧧He isn’t serious at all and mostly just talks with his students about anything and everything

🧧Chinese is difficult tho so if you need extra help he has no problem giving you some extra lectures

🧧gets along great with most teachers….most.

🧧’where did you go on vacation sir?’ ‘China.’ ‘But you’ve been there like the last 16 years’ ‘yes.’

🧧he teaches his students Chinese curse words. He denies doing it tho, so if you get caught it wasn’t him.

🧧brings moon cakes and usually changes the lesson to a longer lasting lunch break

🧧legit sometimes forget to prepare lessons and just lets everyone go early.

🧧’oh mr. Poseidon gave yall a lot of homework? Don’t worry yall we’ll just watch some movies today.’

🧧 gives homework sometimes, but doesn’t get mad if u don’t make it.

🧧goes to all school events, trips, parties no matter what he’s always present.

🧧probably got in trouble with the principal. Doesn’t care. Why? He’s one of the most loved teachers and would be shame to let him go.

🧧’class i’m tired so imma let yall go early today’

🧧allows eating in his class, as well as phones. Man is addicted to his phone too so he don’t see a problem with it.

🧧good friends with budda and Hades. They usually combine classes for trips n stuff

🧧legit thinks that the school should have trips to China. Bro will have a whole meeting about it and won’t back down

🧧has like those learning posters in his classroom. It’s usually a map of China and some basic words or numbers.

🧧puts on some Chinese drama’s or series for the class to watch, even the mukbangs.

🧧He spends his lunchbreak in a restaurant, might flirt with the waiter tho. It’s a Chinese restaurant too.

🧧if he aint at the restaurant he’s probably buying things or just talking with student or his coworkers.

🧧gives his credit card to the students he trusts and asks them to but him something, yall ofcourse can get something for yourselves too.

🧧’sir, you just 3 lessons in a row. How do you have Starbucks? It’s a 15 minute walk’ ‘I have my ways…’

🧧Every time you see him he’s with another girl, man’s a player ok. He had like idk 4829173927293739 concubines, wives not included.

Loki:

🎭 surprisingly teacher literature.

🎭 ‘this text means that children are like monstors, if not, worse’

🎭 is either nice or very creepy. No in between.

🎭 makes a distinguish between students he likes and doesn’t like.

🎭 legit gets bullied by his students. ‘Sir who is Sigyn?’ ‘Oh that’s a very long and delicate story.’ He doesn’t want anyone to know his personal life cause it’s……personal.

🎭 ‘Romeo (Loki) was a fool for believing Juliet (brunhilde) would ever love him.’ The class probably knew about it and laughs at him.

🎭 bro legit ran out the room crying and shoved Hercules aside who was like ‘yo wtf just happend’ and just continued his day. Loki on the other hand was crying in the janitor’s closet about Sigyn.

🎭 Do. Not. Mention . Sigyn. His soul is to delicate to think about her.

🎭Has a picture of Sigyn on his desk and looks at it a lot. But tries not to show it.

🎭 Writes poems about Sigyn, sometimes some art or some flowers.

🎭If you spot some purple flowers on his desk it’s cause they remind him of Sigyn, if you ask he’ll lie about it.

🎭 Gives surprise tests, why? Cause he can. He only gives them to students who don’t do their homework.

🎭 If u like literature he sometimes asks you about your favorite poem and has a conversation about it. May include it in his lesson too.

🎭 ‘Can i use the restroom?’ ‘I don’t know can you?’ Type of teacher, only to students he doesn’t like. If you a good student he’ll let you go to the restroom.

🎭 He spends the entire 1st week after holidays just talking with students and not doing any work.

🎭 hates meetings. He never shows up for then what got him in trouble but he doesn’t care. He thinks that meetings are a waste of time and that all the stuff can be put in an email.

🎭he’s divorced ok. And Sigyn has the kids most of the time. So he is a mood swing, he doesn’t have them he just is one. The other day he all smiley and okay and the other he just depresso

🎭 needs therapy, maybe counseling, and meds. He’s over brunhilde tho, so now he tries to get Sigyn back,

🎭class, if bro is in good terms w his kids n ex wife bro can be the most chillest teacher, like buddha and qin level, but he first needs to be mentally stable.

🎭 one of his kids visited him at school and he started crying, so he spent the whole lesson with his kid and let the class go early

Brunhilde:

🪽 She’s the school’s psychologist.

🪽 Students as well as teachers can go to her with their problems.

🪽She has her own office where she talk with ppl

🪽doesn’t get along with the principal (Zeus)

🪽When you have an appointment with her she usually already sends an email to the teacher’s class you originally were supposed to be in so that you wont be marked absent.

🪽She is also present during the teachers’ meetings. She has a list of ppl who visit her and backs up those students.

🪽She also handles suspensions, especially if the student had talked to her before or visits her regularly.

🪽Her office had pictures of her sisters, some are also teachers and some are still students at the school.

🪽 She is happily engaged to Siegfried, who sometimes visits the school and helps out with functions.

🪽 Also tags along, but she usually tags along for amusement parks or museums, cause she doesn’t like being too far away from her sisters.

🪽 Sometimes takes students out of lessons to have a talk with them to make sure they’re alright.

🪽She also talks with ppl who have dyslexia or example autism so that she can make sure the student gets al the time they need

🪽She’s pretty chill actually, she likes hearing about her students doing better in school and is willing to do everything to ensure that.

🪽offers counseling, extra lessons and making sure that her students well beings aren’t neglected.

✨Note✨: hey yall its me again, i made a new one w other characterss, only i ran out of ideas so i may make some more though also thank yall for Reading this 🩷

[detectivejay]

Detective/Mystery Media List

Open to more recommendations if I’m missing any favorites I should check out, let me know! Particularly any other good Sherlock adaptations, but also interested in finding more female, PoC and/or queer-led detective media.

Watched/read/played/etc:

Sherlock Holmes (ACD canon)

Sherlock - Basil Rathbone adaptation film series

Sherlock - Granada, Jeremy Brett adaptation TV series (some episodes, need to rewatch) - shoutout to @thegreatandlovablespacedorito for reminding me to revisit this one

BBC Sherlock TV series

Sherlock - Robert Downey Jr movies

Enola Holmes (movies)

Moriarty the Patriot/Yuumori (manga and anime)

Ron Kamanohashi: Deranged Detective/Forbidden Deductions aka RKDD (anime, need to read the manga)

Hercule Poirot novels (not all but a large portion) - need to watch more of the TV show Spenser novels by Robert B Parker (not all but a large portion)

Auguste C Dupin - The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe (short story)

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (book)

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (book)

Case Closed / Detective Conan (anime, some episodes/seasons)

Knives Out movies

Psych TV series

Only Murders in the Building TV series

The Dresden Files books

Brookyln 99 TV series

House MD TV series

Monk TV series (watched some episodes)

Murder She Wrote (a few scattered episodes)

The Clue movie

Anita Blake book series (up to book 10)

Some Nancy Drew books

Ace Attorney video games (AA1-AA6 plus Investigations 1)

Professor Layton video games (not all but I believe at least the first 3)

Sherlock Hound

The Great Mouse Detective

Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century

Inspector Gadget cartoon

Scooby Doo cartoons

The Boxcar Children

Detective Pikachu movie

The Case Study of Vanitas (anime/manga)

The Millionaire Detective - Balance: Unlimited (anime) - @prapo237 got me into this one x3 so silly

Currently watching/reading/playing/etc:

Sherlock - Elementary TV series (on 2nd season)

Only Murders in the Building season 4 (TV series)

The Invisible Library novel series by Genevieve Cogman recommended by a friend IRL - up to book 6 currently, The Secret Chapter

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (video game duology, includes Herlock Sholmes)

Ace Attorney Investigations 2 (video game)

Persona 5 (video game) recommended by friends on the JR Discord

Sherlock Holmes and Co - podcast (seen a lot of posts about this, but I’m terrible at following podcasts so TBD, going to try some suggestions from @wasabitheweirdo to help with this)

To watch/read/play/etc:

My Dear Detective: Mitsuko’s Case Files manga suggested on the JR Discord

Detective L - Chinese Sherlock-inspired TV series on Youtube recommended by @meg-pond

Miss Sherlock - Japanese series also suggested by @meg-pond

Bodkin TV series on Netflix - Irish, female-led, recommended by @rubycountess

Columbo tv series

Murder on the Orient Express movie

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes film

Bonnie MacBird Sherlock Holmes books recommended by @romanathree

Soviet made Sherlock Holmes film recommended by @imlostatau on Youtube

Baskerville play by Ken Ludwig suggested by @wolfyraged

Without a Clue suggested by @helloliriels

Young Sherlock suggested by @helloliriels

Charlotte Holmes books by Sherry Thomas suggested by @lej418

Sherlock Holmes stories by Anthony Horowitz ("House Of Silk" and "Moriarty") recommended by @bringerofworlds

Miss Marple novels by Agatha Christie

Any other Agatha Christie novels I haven’t read (Sad Cypress recommended by @romanathree )

AJ Raffles books by William Hornung recommended by @romanathree

Dead Boy Detectives on Netflix

Elemental Masters by Mercedes Lackey

Holmes, Marple and Poe by James Patterson - curious to see how this book treats these original characters inspired by the greats, the new characters are Brendan Holmes, Margaret Marple (maybe related to Jane Marple?) and Auguste Poe (takes his first name from Poe’s detective, Auguste Dupin)

The rest of the Dupin stories

The rest of the Raymond Chandler books

More Arsene Lupin stories (including ones vs Herlock Sholmes)

Nero Wolfe novels by Rex Stout

Pet Shop of Horrors anime/manga recommended by @eden-falls

Otherside Picnic recommended by @eden-falls

Lonely Castle in the Mirror recommended by @eden-falls

Phryne Fisher's murder mysteries books and TV show recommended by @milenathebrave

The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison, saw this one posted recently by @seeingteacupsindragons and I'm curious so added it to the list

Magnus Archives horror/thriller mystery podcast recommended by @writingandwritten

[temis-de-leon]

The 12 Labours of MC

.

Good night! Or evening or morning; I don’t know where you are, but you get the idea.

We are here to introduce The 12 Labours of MC, a multi-chapter fanfiction in which the male!MC and his story are loosely based on the legend of Hercules. I take inspiration from the monsters and the lessons Hercules learns from these tasks and mix them with our dear silly little demons, angels, and fellow human.

As far as the story goes, after a damaging argument with his cousin and recently divorced ex-wife, MC finds himself working under Morningstar’s orders. He hopes his hard work and dedication can help show his remorse and clean his reputation, but his employer’s social circle doesn’t make things easier. That, of course, being his six brothers, a few friends, a literal child and someone who MC can only see as his boss’s boyfriend. Things only get more complicated when, as months go by, the people he works for start acting weirder and weirder.

More info, links to chapters and an important disclaimer down below:

Although I love mythology, my knowledge about it is very scarce, including Hercules’ legend. What I know is that Hera poisoned his mind, which made him kill his wife Megara and his children, and that this incident is the main cause of the tasks. I also believe he had quite an indecent relationship with his nephew Yolao during the whole ordeal.

I want to make clear that MC won’t be a very relatable character, since he’s going to be a beefy, violent and moody guy. Also, I absolutely won’t make him kill or abuse Meg and I will evidently take Yolao out of the picture. I pondered the idea of having him as the token annoying nephew, but it made me a little uncomfortable, so he’s gone.

I’ll clarify more as I upload each chapter, but these are the main issues.

And more about the MC: since Hercules was kind of a whore, I decided I wanted MC to be one as well, both for men and women, so he'll flirt with everything that moves <3

Asked to be tagged if you want to, love y'all

.

.

The Nemean Lion

Main Masterlist

[lemonhemlock]

Rhaenyra v Cersei: Battle of the Bastards

Lo' and behold, looks like I'm not done with bastardposting after all. For this piece, I would like to compare and contrast the two main situations that the general public has been exposed as far as the issue of illegitimate children is concerned within the ASOIAF-verse: Rhaenyra v Cersei.

The parallels are obvious. Rhaenyra has three bastard children, Cersei has three bastard children. Let's see how they handle it.

Rules

According to Westerosi law, bastards can't inherit. It doesn't matter if they're the husband's or the wife's, the King's or the Queen's. Children born out of wedlock to any spouse are explicitly excluded from the line of succession.

Only the King can legitimise bastards via a royal decree. Enough of these "Roose legitimized Ramsay" lies. It's patently untrue. Tommen legitimized Ramsay.

In order to be legitimised, the children in question first have to be declared bastards. You cannot legitimize trueborn children. You cannot secretly legitimise bastards. "Viserys claimed Rhaenyra's children were trueborn, ergo he implicitly legitimised them." No, he didn't. He never admitted they were bastards.

Why does this matter? Because it is unclear where legitimised bastards fall in the line of succession. If they maintain their place by birth order or if they are relegated to the back of the line, behind any and all other trueborn claimants.

There are no genetic tests available in Westeros. People have to prove adultery or rely on common sense.

1. Cersei has a distinct advantage over Rhaenyra, since her children look like her. She can very easily argue that they favour her, as their mother, and this is exactly what everyone believes for years, including Robert. Since Jaime is the male version of Cersei, Joffrey, Tommen and Myrcella can look like no else. Catelyn's kids look like Catelyn and no one bats an eye. Only Arya and (to Catelyn's irritation) Jon look like Ned. However, Ned doesn't ever doubt his children are not his.

Rhaenyra's kids look nothing like Rhaenyra and nothing like Laenor. They, instead, share distinct physical traits with her sworn shield, a man seen very often in her presence. People are not idiots. There is no plausible deniability here. You can bet your bottom dollar that if Cersei's kids were, say, Dornish-looking, people would be calling her out for her bullshit.

There is a way you can reasonably get away with passing over your bastards as someone else's, but that is 100% not Rhaenyra's way. This is why Cersei is chilling in the Red Keep, living her best bad bitch life, while Rhaenyra is running away to Dragonstone when the rumours are nipping at her heels. They are not the same. There are no paternity rumours to quell Cersei's girlboss vibes. She is sly enough that even Robert is convinced he inseminated her (gross).

2. I'm not going to get into the intricacies of Ned Stark's Scooby-Doo, Hercule Poirot mystery plot of unraveling Cersei's misdeeds. Ned has his own beef with the Lannisters and is convinced they are up to no good. He investigates them like the meddling kid he is and comes away with a suspicion. He knows nothing (heh) for certain until Cersei verbally confirms it for him. yOuR bRoThEr Or YoUr lOvEr. boo!

Had Ned not been on the Lannister trail from the very beginning, a fair assumption can be made that he never even would have suspected anything untoward. He never questions the children's paternity when they visit in Winterfell.

Again, this is distinctly different from Rhaenyra's situation. No one believes Cersei's children are bastards,* whereas no one believes Rhaenyra's children are trueborn. Pretending otherwise is very, very strange.

*at the beginning of AGOT, at least

3. Robert claimed Joffrey all his life and specifically named him his son and heir in his will, under dictation, to Ned. In turn, Ned deliberately changed Robert's words and wrote them down as "my rightful heir".

This is a parallel to show!Alicent, who misunderstands Viserys' dying words and him naming his son Aegon as heir. If Alicent didn't have the right to muddle the King's meaning, then neither did Ned. However, no one in their right minds is arguing that Ned is a traitor to the Crown. I wonder why is that?

I have already pointed out the circular logic in arguing that Robert only said that because he didn't know the children weren't his.

4. So what does this mean? Can anyone just accuse anyone they don't like of being a bastard and, thus, endanger that person's entire social status?

No, of course not. But, unfortunately for Cersei, Ned and Stannis aren't just some randos in a tavern. Ned is the Hand of the King. Stannis is Lord of Dragonstone and on the Small Council. These two men have a stalwart reputation and are renowned for their obsession with justice, duty and, in Ned's case, honour.

If Ned Stark stands in front of the Iron Throne and proclaims Joffrey a bastard, risks his daughters' lives and literally ends up losing his head as a result of this,

if Stannis Baratheon sends letters throughout the realm claiming Cersei's children are illegitimate,

the people of Westeros are going to pay attention.

These two very important men using their public platform to denounce Joffrey and starting wars over this? Say what you will about them, but they are not oathbreakers and they are not liars. No, they don't come with DNA tests, but for a lot of Westerosi, this is enough. They believe it.

Is this foolproof? No, of course not! But it convinces enough people that they are willing to band together to support rival claimants to the throne, thus igniting the War of the Five Kings. Speaking of political headaches, this is a huge one!

That being said, while Cersei is playing in the Champions League, Rhaenyra is fighting for her life in the relegation zone. She doesn't even need a Ned or a Stannis to cast doubt on her because no one believes her kids are not bastards.

Moreover, Vaemond obviously parallels Ned in this story. He tells the truth in open court and loses his head for it. In the show, Daemon and Viserys play the same role as Joffrey. In the texts, Rhaenyra and Daemon are stand-ins for Joffrey. This is not meant to be a triumphant moment of girlbossery. This is an abuse of power and an act of terror.

All in all, I'm sorry to say, but Cersei wins this hands down. She is savvy enough in her choice of sperm donor and can maintain plausible deniability without looking like a goddamn clown and the entire circus to boot. She holds the capital and has access to all the emblems of state after Robert dies. In contrast, Rhaenyra is floundering across the Blackwater Bay, yelling at the dragon gargoyles that her children are trueborn.

Why is this issue important in the story?

a). No one has a problem with Jace being King.

If people had a problem with Joffrey being King, enough to go to war over it, it would be narratively inconsistent for them to just accept an obvious bastard as King. It would contradict the internal logic of the fictional world we're talking about. That's quite some level of suspension of disbelief just because some fans like Jace. This isn't about him being amiable or a good kid.

b). They're still Rhaenyra's sons / it's a Targaryen internal matter and concerns no one else / the concept of Jace being King doesn't personally affect anyone else, so why does anyone care?

Because it's the freaking law! The name of the crime Rhaenyra commits is high treason! Punishable by exile or death!

No, the crime is not adultery, it's not having bastard children, it's specifically putting said bastard children in line to the throne. In that, Rhaenyra is as guilty as Cersei is.

It absolutely does affect others, since Rhaenyra actively steals the inheritance of House Velaryon for Luke. How is that not a crime? I would even go so far as to say that Laenor and Corlys are complicit in it and should be punished as well.

Contrary to bafflingly-popular erroneous beliefs, the monarch can't just do whatever they want. Even in absolutist monarchies, the sovereign serves the vital social role of upholding the law and the rights of their subjects. Rhaenyra breaks said law by committing theft, murder, high treason and destabilizing the entire system of inheritance.

c) Rhaenyra breaks the social contract

Jock Locke argues for the "right of revolution" in the Second Treatise of Government. He writes that when the government acts against the interests of its citizens, then said citizens gain the right to overthrow it and replace it with an authority that will protect their interests.

I am not trying to impose 'progressive' understandings of the political process anachronistically, in a medieval fantasy; my thesis-statement is that we have already seen this concept at play within the world of ASOIAF: the Faith Militant uprising against Aenys I and Maegor due to their practices of incest and polygamy and Robert's Rebellion, caused by Rhaegar kidnapping a noble lady and Aerys II carrying out executions without due process. The people of Westeros are not unfamiliar with opposing monarchs who don't abide by the law.

The question of Rhaenyra having bastards is framed in a lot of commentary through the lens of her right as a woman to have extra-marital sex and not be demonised for it and to find fulfilling love within the constraints imposed on her by her station. While debating the personal individual freedom of women in a patriarchal feudal society is not to be side-lined, her fundamental fault is that she is demanding rights and exemptions for herself, while the rest of the country have to abide by an entirely different set of rules.

The laws of inheritance, as unjust as they may appear to our modern eyes, are in place to prevent crises of succession, violent conflicts or even large-scale wars from starting every time someone's estates are passed on. Illegitimate children suddenly gaining access to inheritances threatens the political and economical calculations that predicate many Westerosi marriages.

Imagine paying a handsome dowry for your daughter, just so her husband's bastard birthed by some high-born mistress to make use of his maternal family's resources and cheat your legitimate grandchildren out of theirs.

Imagine being married to some lord and now his random bastards threaten the inheritance of your lawful children. Because, hey, the Queen acts like this is fine! This is Catelyn Stark's worst nightmare.

You think you can just sue your husband? What a silly notion. You think you can sue the bastard claimants after your husband is dead? Tough luck, your liege lord may rule in their favour by taking a leaf out of Queen Rhaenyra's book. You think you can appeal to Queen Rhaenyra? How are you going to travel all the way to King's Landing? Good luck with that, maybe you're built different and don't die during this dangerous and expensive journey.

Is this fair for the illegitimate children? Hell no, but Rhaenyra and Viserys are not planning on reforming family law in any meaningful way, because they know what a hassle it would be and how much opposition it would meet!

It reeks of rights for me, but not for thee and I, for the life of me, don't understand the stronghold she has on the liberated feminist brigade.

and finally

d). The Green Coup is not dependent on the legitimacy of Rhaenyra's children.

No. But her committing high treason earns her an automatic disqualification from her right to rule, rendering her claim null and void.

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Wow! I loved that! Can I request a Part 2 of the Eri Reader with Platonic Yandere God and Human Fighters?

How does Thor, Zeus, Sasaki, Jack, Shiva, Buddha, Qui Shi Haung and Beelzebub feel about Reader using her Power to rewind their Opponent from Death? And how does Lu Bu (You don’t have to do him again if you don’t want to), Adam, Poseidon, Hercules, Raiden, Zerofuku (And I guess Hajun), Hades and Nikola feel about Reader rewinding them from their demise? (I don’t doubt Adam would feel incredibly honored that one of his children saved him, but incredibly worried over her health now that she’s suffering a high fever) it doesn’t help that a lot of Deities desire to use Reader for their selfish interest and would try to kidnap her (Which fail)

Reader mostly spends her time with the Valkyrie Sisters who are eternally grateful to her because they also rewinded them too from death (Goll is sobbing hysterically thanking Reader) who all like to dote on Reader with love, affection and treats

I love Eri SO much (She’s so perfect and her smile must be protected at all costs)

-You didn’t like this tournament, your family was fighting against each other, hurting each other, killing each other!

-You didn’t like it when Thor killed Lu Bu, you had brought him back, but cried for hours as you had thought that you had lost him.

-So many wanted to call this whole tournament off, seeing the anguish it was causing you.

-After each fight you would use your quirk to bring back the fallen opponent, as well as the valkyrie if a human was the one killed, doing it in the privacy of Zeus’ viewing room, as you were still being hunted by other deities, who want you for their own selfish reasons.

-However, with each person you brought back, your body was getting weaker. You would get a fever after each revive, each one worse than the last.

-Adam was nearly beside himself, in tears as he held your little hand at your bedside, Zeus sitting nearby, getting patched up, feeling guilty as well that he was the one who made this tournament.

-He wanted to end it, as did Brunnhilde, but the other gods, who were after you, demanded that the tournament keep going and they were left with little choice.

-Poseidon stunned all when he held you himself after you brought him back, holding you to his chest, listening to your breathing as Kojiro sat next to him. Poseidon had to admit to his former opponent, “You were quite strong human-err Kojiro.” Kojiro put a hand on the god’s shoulder, comforting him and Poseidon stunned everyone again by not saying anything.

-The fever you got bringing Hercules back was one of the worst, as you made it worse by sobbing so much that the valkyries in the infirmary actually had to sedate you and knock you out.

-Hercules cried as he held you when you woke up, clinging tightly to him as apologies fell from his lips like a mantra. Jack was so indebted to you, bringing Hercules back, hugging you once he was able to get you away from Hercules for a moment, his hug was so warm that you actually felt yourself dozing off.

-Shiva felt awful, making you cry, he felt so much regret as you ran to him, crying to see him in so much pain, using your quirk on him first. Once his arms were back, the first thing he did was hug you with all four of his arms, clinging tightly to you as he sobbed, apologizing.

-His family was quick to join in, including Rudra and the other strongest of the Hindu gods, giving you more family members.

-Raiden was silent as he held you to his chest, wearing a yukata as you were working through another fever, an IV in your arm as you were dehydrated from crying so much and from the fever.

-Buddha felt guilty, unable to face you after he had to kill Hajun, after he took over Zerofuku, killing Zerofuku along with him. You were the one to seek him out, Brunnhilde taking you to him, and he cried as you cupped his cheeks, comforting him when he should have been the one comforting you.

-Hajun and Zerofuku were now two separate beings, nobody was really sure how it happened, but they didn’t care. Zerofuku picked you up, once your fever was gone, spinning you around, holding you up above his head, your bright giggles filling the air.

-You were a little shy meeting Hajun, as he was new, and very large and a little intimidating looking, but he was so gentle with you, picking you up and hugging you to his chest, thanking you softly. Your little hands on his cheeks brought him so much happiness as he closed his eyes, allowing you to do as you wished, silently swearing his life to you.

-Qin Shi Huang knew regret, he had so many things in his life that he regretted, making you cry quickly topped the list as he held you tightly, sitting with you next to Hades who was just waking up in his own infirmary bed.

-Hades immediately called a meeting, absolutely furious that they all were putting you through something so traumatic.

-The gods who were after you were getting bolder, trying to break into the infirmary while you were resting, but those you brought back were guarding you fiercely.

-Beelzebub and Tesla were the last fight of Ragnarok, after you brought Tesla back, you immediately collapsed, your heart rate slowing from your fever.

-Tesla was the one who remained by your side, monitoring your vitals until Beelzebub came in, severely bandaged up and Tesla helped his friend to your bedside, to sit with you as well.

-Beelzebub couldn’t help but tear up, seeing you in such a state, feeling just a pure love for you, wanting to see you awake and happy again.

-The strongest gods immediately called a stop to the tournament while the valkyries were working hard to stabilize you, deciding that, as gods, they needed to step up and do what they should have been doing all along, managing the humans, guiding them, protecting them, and only punishing those who needed it.

-Many were annoyed at first, wanting to see more carnage, until the gods who had fought gave impassionate speeches, hyping up the gods to be the gods they should have been all along.

-The humans were quickly fired up, hearing the gods declarations, which shocked the gods but made them feel honored that the humans believed in them to help them, giving each other a second chance.

-Goll was the only one with you when you woke up 4 days later, crying harshly, but she was happy as she hugged you carefully, “They stopped the tournament! They’re not going to fight anymore! My big sisters and all of the gods and humans are safe!”

-You were quickly in tears again, hugging her tightly as she laughed warmly, the two of you celebrating that nobody else was going to be lost.

-Goll opened the infirmary door, once you were cleared, but given strict instructions to not use your ability for at least a month, which you pinkie promised to the nurses, after Goll told you what a pinkie promise was.

-Your eyes went bright, seeing Odin first and you immediately ran over, and he grinned softly, kneeling down as you leapt into his arms, no longer afraid of him as he held you tightly, a sigh of relief leaving him before he ruffled Goll’s hair affectionately, “C’mon, let’s go see the others.”

-You nodded and your face lit up when you saw everyone waiting for you, Odin setting you down and you ran for Tesla, as you hadn’t gotten to see him after you brought him back.

-He laughed warmly, kneeling down and catching you in his arms, hugging you tightly before he grabbed Beelzebub, pulling him forward and you hugged him around his knees, making him chuckle softly, patting your head.

-Ares picked you up, putting you up on his shoulder, “Come see all the hard work we’ve done, Y/N!” as they all headed out to the Greek pantheon, so you could see that gods were doing their jobs, helping humanity like they should be, working together.

-Zeus ruffled your hair gently, “It’s all because of you, Y/N, you inspired us to get off our butts!” your eyes sparkled up at him, “Because of me?” he immediately collapsed, holding his chest, unable to handle your cuteness as many others laughed at his antics as your family was quickly all praising you for your hard work in helping humanity, making your cheeks turn a bit red, bashful at their praise, but you couldn’t help but smile, feeling so happy.

[sixminutestoriesblog]

Friday the 13th

I wouldn't be much of a blog about folklore and superstition if I didn't take Friday the 13th into account, now would I? I also wouldn't be much of a tumblr blog if I didn't acknowledge one of tumblr's mini-holidays. So what makes Friday, especially the 13th one, so special and just how did it all get started?

Let's start with the number 13 since that's fish in a barrel. Or is it? For instance a lot of us were always taught that the number thirteen was considered unlucky because that's the number of disciples that sat down with Jesus for his Last Supper and obviously that didn't end well. In fact, in Victorian times, having thirteen dinner guests was believed to be courting death for you or someone else at the table.

On an interesting aside note, there was apparently a club in the late 1800s, started by a man named William Fowler that used to meet for dinner on the 13th night of every month to sit down to a thirteen course meal in room number 13 of the club Fowler owned. After they walked underneath a ladder to get to the table of course. Four US presidents, including our hearty Teddy R, were members at one time or another. The club was simply called, what else? The Thirteen Club.

There might be more to the number thirteen's public image than just a divine dinner gone horribly wrong however. Or - more than one divine dinner gone horribly wrong. Tradition has it that in Norse mythology, Loki became the thirteenth dinner guest to show up at the feast where he would then go on to trick Baldr's blind brother Hodr into killing him. Baldr's death was seen as the beginning of the end for the Norse gods.

Thirteen is also the victim of being the sibling immediately following the 'golden child' of numbers, 12. In some circles, the number 12 is considered the perfect number. There were 12 loyal disciples of Jesus, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules and 12 months in a year. What can you be after following such sheer popularity but unpopular?

The Code of Hammurabi, the oldest recorded set of laws, skips law number 13. Most historians chalk that up to clerical error but its enough to make others speculate.

Friday though is usually seen as a good thing, at least in our modern world where it marks the last day of work before a weekend of freedom for both workers and school children. There's even a chain restaurant named TGIF, the positivity associated with Friday is so ingrained. Friday, going back to our Norse myths, was also considered 'Frigga's day', an extremely lucky day to get married on since it was the day dedicated to the goddess of homes and families. By itself, Friday seems a perfectly fine day, even one with good associations.

Slip it back just a bit however and we're right back to the Last Supper and the subsequent 'Good Friday' and a crucifixion. Friday's bad timing doesn't stop there either. In some Christian traditions, Friday is also the day that Adam and Eve ate the fruit that got them booted from Eden; its the day that Cain killed Abel; its the first day of Noah's flood and its also the day the Temple of Solomon fell. None of those have actual dates in the Bible, much less weekdays assigned to them, but the tradition persists. By itself, Friday might squeak by but when you add a 13 on the end, suddenly its not getting off so easily anymore.

What might have helped seal the deal about Friday the 13th, in at least the European conscious , happened in 1307, when King Philip IV of France had the Knights Templar, one of the most powerful, wide-spread and well-known military organizations of the time, rounded up, tortured and put to death. The date? October the 13th.

It was a Friday.

[justamegafan]

Record of Ragnarok Incorrect Quote #8

Y/N’s Plan for Humanity to Win

Y/N came up with a plan for Humanity to win, it includes betrayal, cruelty, and using Humanity’s greatest weapon… Children (And has the Human Fighters turn into Children)

Y/N (Has the now turned Children Human Fighters in front of the Council):

Gods and Goddesses (Coming towards the Council ready to vote for the extinction of Humanity):

Y/N (To the Kid Human Fighters): There’s the enemy. Give them all you got! CHARGE!!

Children Human Fighters (Run towards the Gods and begin hugging them):

Kid!Lu Bu (Hugging Thor): I love you!

Kid!Sasuki (Hugging Poseidon): I love you!

Kid!Jack (Hugging Hercules): I love you!

Kid!Raiden (Hugging Shiva): I love glue!

Kid!Tesla (Hugging Beelzebub): I love you!

Beelzebub (Patting K!Tesla’s head): Aw, such a sweet little thing. Time to destroy your future (Walks off)

Beelzebub (Starting to not feel good): Feeling… Flu-ish (pants) Fever… Nausea… (Startled) Child germs… No! (Starting to become weak) Must… participate in… destroying… hu… (Falls to the ground in great pain) manity…

Gods and Goddesses (All lying down in great agony, pain and defeat from being hugged by the Children Human Fighters):

Brunhilde (Comes in): I’m afraid the voting has ended. And the winner is… Humanity!

Valkyries, Adam and Eve (Staring at all Gods and Goddesses who are all laying down in defeat just from the Child Human Fighters hugging them):

Y/N (Comes over): You know, for all their arrogance over being superior in power, for all their centuries to even eons of living, they had no immunity for the ‘lowliest’ of creatures: Children

Eve (Happy): Look’s like everything is going to be okay, which is the only way it should ever be!

Adam: Great. Let’s get our children back to normal and go to this ‘Movie Theater’ Y/N told us about and watch something nice then get some food

Buddha: Can I bring a laser pointer? I want to shoot it in Loki’s eye

Adam: Sure, why not

I think Adam would see Buddha as one of his children, same for Hercules…

[daisyishedwig]

So the biggest problem I think that Learn My Lesson has (and possibly the other Wicked Villains books (excluding A Worthy Opponent because it's a masterpiece)) is that the plot should center around the relationship, because there's not much plot aside from that, and yet there is a vibe that there's more going on, Hades is making more plans, but we don't know what it is and I am 75% of the way through the book. There's an implication that Wicked Villains Hades intends to kill Zeus, but given that I've read Neon Gods, I know that doesn't happen, because hes still alive for Dark Olympus Hades to kill him at whatever future point the Dark Olympus series begins.

Also, this is definitely just that Katee didn't have a completely clear picture of Olympus when she was writing Wicked Villains but it's so obvious how underdeveloped that part of Hercules and Hades backstory is. And not just the implication that both WV Hades and DO Hades believe the other to be dead, but the fact that Hercules is surprised that his father could resort to murder, implying that Noone has yet realized that Zeus killed his first Hera and that Hercules/Helen's mom is still alive when Hercules flies to Carver City which simply can't be true because I swear Helen mentions her dying when she was like 17 and Hercules is younger than her.

Also, Helen and Aris have yet to be mentioned, so it seems as though in this early iteration of Olympus and Zeus's family that his only children were Perseus and Hercules.

Like I know that she's by no means a fabulous writer, but she is a good one, and it's wild to see these early stories that don't quite line up with the level of plot she includes in Dark Olympus.

Also, I'm just hella confused on the timeline so if anyone has mocked one up, please let me know in case I'm simply misremembering.

[rukia-writes]

Can I request for ares x reader with triplet daughters who are extremely intelligent but also very naughty?

👧 👧 👧 If having triplets wasn’t hard enough; having them intelligent and causing mischief is going to be a HEADACHE for Ares. (It’s a headache for both)

👧 👧 👧 Like when people come to him saying his girls have been giving humanity wisdom and he believed they were HOME the whole time; or when he comes home and he can’t find his helmet because they needed it for their experiments. (Comes home and there’s a big ass laser in his backyard they take (Name)’s things too)

👧 👧 👧 Ares loves his girls to the moon and back but when he and his beloved just want a quiet morning and they both fall thru the floor and end up in the triplets laboratory without Ares or his beloved’s consent then he’s just a mess because he’s so proud but they did it without telling them. They just said build and so they did. (They are working on a Time Machine as we speak)

👧 👧 👧 the triplets absolutely will, 100%, without a doubt, use their similarities to confuse their parents. Works 90% of the time on Ares and he does have a bit of trouble telling them apart but he can differentiate between them.

👧 👧 👧 But it’s not all mischief with their intelligence they will help their daddy out anyway they can, like when someone wants to argue with Ares they will prove their point he’s (IF he’s right) and will take their father’s side. Yes that does include them putting their comments in the god’s council, they are smol but most gods agree with them because they are smart.

👧 👧 👧 depending on WHEN the triplets are born they would get a long with Tesla and the other scientists. Like they just spend hours talking about science, physics, and math. Of course, Ares doesn’t know or even suspect. Of course, if he finds out I don’t BELIEVE he would stop them from visiting, Ares would brag about how his children are too smart for the scientists and therefore would let them. It wouldn’t matter anyways because they would sneak off and build something to throw off Ares.

👧 👧 👧 Hermes loves them for sure. They are just like, like just like him and they love their uncle Hermes a lot. They definitely help him when they can like with music or with fixing stuff or just intelligent conversation. Zeus describes it as like the universe talking (he can’t keep up sometimes). And yes Hermes and the triplets will do a bit of pranks on people maybe Ares, maybe Hercules, maybe Poseidon. (They have pranked Poseidon successfully and to this day he doesn’t know who pranked him but he suspects the triplets)

👧 👧 👧 when they do naughty things (breaking the rules) Ares let’s his beloved take care of that and whatever they decide he’ll go along with. Sometimes, he will lay down the law but he’s also a bit more lenient. (The triplets give him those innocent eyes and it works on him and they know it)

🎀Rukia-Writes🎀

[underworld-guardian]

"I'm Cerbie, Cerbie Hound. I recently transferred to NRC from RSA. If you have a problem with me, then say it, don't beat around the bush like some stupid princeling."

Rules!:

No underage kids flirting with Cerbie, the owner of this account is an adult and will block your ass

No incest, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, racism, or any other phobia or hating on gender identity.

Please wait for owner replies, they're an adult and will get burned out, tired, or go do stuff offline on occasion.

No bullying

Cerbie will be in red.

The owner will be in blue.

Facts!:

Cerbie is a hellbeast beastman based off of Cerberus from the Disney animated Hercules!

The current avatar I'm using is picrew. If anybody wants, i can post the link

His family has served as the Shroud family's bodyguards for centuries, but have recently decided to give him the chance to learn more about the world, seeing as Idia doesn't really interact with people

He got transferred to NRC from RSA due to his temper and rebellious.

He's 7 feet tall, not including his ears

He's a junior and in Savanaclaw

He's often seen working out, ruff housing, practicing his electric violin, or tuning up his blastcycle

He's got tattoos and piercings, especially on his ears

His eyes are a bright crimson red, due to him being the first Hound in 40 years to be an only sibling, it's supposedly a curse.

It's inferred that his other two siblings (Hound children come in 3s) were consumed in the womb by him, and he still ended up technically a runt at birth.

His hair is jet black and done deathhawk style. (If you don't know that hair style, look it up.)

He has Doberman pointed ears and a slim long tail.

He's from the Island of Woe, but his family originated from the Sunset Savanah

He's in the pop music club with Lilia, Kamil, and Cater

His favorite food is Hellfire deep fried chicken

His least favorite food is fish

His favorite drink is Booberry Soda.

His favorite color is red

[muiltifandomnerd]

Adventures of Chika Hanabusa: The Restoration of Earth

Disclaimer: This book follows the events of Percy Jackson and Heros of Olympus fanfic, this fanfic will not include Trails of Apollo, The Kane Chronicles, and Magnus Chase.

Chapter 24: Gaia’s Guilt

Chika PoV

I went to sleep after the reunion party after Nico dropped the both of us back to my home even though it was the afternoon. I felt myself going back to the unconscious realm. The field is still full of different flowers and plants. I never thought that this place could be pretty. Guess who decided to appear before me, it’s the same being that terrorizes innocent people. Gaia seems to be wearing jeans with a green tank top. Her humanoid form is about 7 feet tall with brown hair similar to tree roots and she does have the hugest bust I see. I'm not going to lie, she's super attractive.

“Oh, why to thank you, demigod, for the compliment, I’m glad that you found me appealing. By the way, I heard everything from this reunion party” Gaia stares at me with tearful eyes. Oh no, she can hear my thoughts. Wait why does Gaia look sad than flight out evil or angry? She suddenly pulls me in for a hug and kisses my cheek. Wait what is going on, last time she was all like 'I hate humanity'? I think Mother got her crazy mood swings from Gaia, that's what makes Gaia scary. It's the fact that I'm dealing with a rated-R version of my mother.

"You poor children, I never know your godly parents are nothing but deadbeat failures. This entire time, I just victimized another species that were harmed by those golden-blooded idiots. I honestly just assumed your kind are nothing but a bunch of glory-seeking idiots like back in classical times like Achilles, Hercules, and other selfish heroes." Gaia kept hugging me to her chest, which was surprisingly comfortable.

“I wish you give demigods a chance before you start another war," I say in an annoyed tone. Gaia holds her chin as if she is rethinking her strategy in some checkers' game. Gaia just decided to give me another cheek kiss and kept on hugging me to death. What is with the Earth being very bipolar? Gaia is super confusing; Well, I guess even she is more alien than the gods themselves. Sometimes nature can be warm and sweet like a sunny day with birds flying everywhere and suddenly earthquakes and tornadoes happen the next second.

“Perhaps I should have, but I still want your kind to stop damaging and polluting my domain.”

“Of course, I do want to save the Earth from pollution, but I'm not going to kill demigods or humans to achieve that," I say assertively while Gaia just pats my head.

“We don’t need to do that anymore. Besides your kind burned me for it, so I learn my lesson" Gaia laughs at her joke while I facepalm.

“I’m not sure what to feel about you Gaia and I know that you are not sure about me. Maybe we can try to form a partnership. We need to trust each other; I don’t want to go through that scenario when you possess me to eat gods.” Gaia just starts sitting in front of me and staring at me, but it’s not in contempt. She looks deeply ashamed and remorseful about it.

“You’re right, we do need to trust each other. I’m very sorry that I possessed you to consume Nyx’s kids that day and that I won’t possess you again. This will be a very slow process.”

“You’re right, it will be a slow process. I’m willing to forgive you for that day, but I don’t want to go through that again. Please swear on the river Styx that you will never possess me to harm others again.” I bowed before while she still stared at me.

“Whatever you want mortal, I swear on the river Styx that I will only help you if your life is in danger and by your permission to do so.” Thunder strikes between us, signifying the pact between Gaia and me.

"Now then mortal if you are serious about your goal, seek the current Lord of The Wild, Grover Underworld. He has taken Pan's spot, and you must help him on his mission.” Gaia says in a low cracking tone that sounded like tremors.

“I will seek him, thank you for the meeting.” I still bowed while Gaia walked over to me and held me up like a little kid. She is super strong; I would not want to get into a fistfight with her.

"Now go mortal, I hope you are better than the others. Help me restore my realm. "She said and suddenly I woke up on Reyna's chest while she was sleeping on the couch. She must have taken a nap as well. I have no idea how I ended up sleeping on Reyna's chest. I guess the party took a lot from us. You know what, I'm still going to lay on Reyna's chest because Reyna looks super peaceful while she takes her nap. Plus, I don't want to be an annoying jerk to her, I proceed to lay my head on her boobs and try to fall asleep again. Gaia and I are still at an uneasy truce for now but maybe our relationship will improve with time.

[tonguetyd]

Hi bestie!! How about 3, 10, and 30 for the identity asks if you're still doing them?🌙

Hiiiiii bestie!

3) list your fandoms and one character from each that you identify with

OOF ok. Uh. Game of Thrones, Jon because I don’t know anything. Or Sansa because I am a slow learner and a stupid girl, but I do learn. …every fandom I’m a part of just flew out the window. Most of my personality is based on equal parts Megaera from Hercules and Belle from Beauty and the Beast so we’ll include those. …uhhh. Yeah. The rest are bands mostly so. That’s were we’ll leave it 👍🏻

10) do you have a creed?

AHHHH YOU WANT ME TO TALK ABOUT DBAJ POLICY DONT YOU!!!

So to everyone else who didn’t know me in 20…15? 2016? I basically took the concept of “treat others how you want to be treated” and broke it down into the much simpler “Don’t Be A Jackass.” (Or Jerk, if there are children around.) DBAJ. Pronounced purposefully wrong as Dee-BAG, because if you do not follow DBAJ Policy, you’re a d-bag. Hasn’t let me down yet

30) pick one of your favorite quotes

Just because I was watching a lot of Basement Yard last night and it’s been making me laugh all day: “bro, fuck Copenhagen. Go to Mystic Connecticut.” Not as profound, but sometimes the funny is what’s profound.

THANK YOU BESTIE 🥰🥰🥰

[twistedtummies2]

Gathering of the Greatest Gumshoes - Honorable Mentions

Welcome to A Gathering of the Greatest Gumshoes! During this month-long event, I’ll be counting my Top 31 Favorite Fictional Detectives, from movies, television, literature, video games, and more!

With that said, the countdown shall start tomorrow. Before we get to it, I want to go over some Honorable Mentions. These were Twelve Terrific Detectives who ALMOST made the cut, but not quite…

Benoit Blanc.

Combine Tennessee Williams with Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, and you’ll basically have Benoit Blanc. Played by James Bond himself, of all people, Daniel Craig, Blanc is probably the most significant old-school detective character to come out within the past few years. The central sleuth of the film “Knives Out,” and its sequel, “Glass Onion,” Blanc is a Southern gentleman detective; a slightly eccentric private eye whose somewhat cartoonish attributes bely a steely mind and equally iron-clad will. The films are actually inspired by Christie’s works, and give a sort of Americanized view of the same sort of fiction. They play out with a similar sense of humor and style, but with a few unique twists of their own. I’m mostly including Blanc here because I’m 90% certain that if I DIDN’T, someone would call me out on it; nevertheless, he’s definitely worthy of praise.

2. C. Auguste Dupin.

Of all the detectives to come throughout this event, arguably none are as IMPORTANT as C. Auguste Dupin. This French gentleman sleuth was the invention of my favorite author, Edgar Allan Poe, who wrote three short tales featuring this character. The Dupin Trilogy – consisting of the stories “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” “The Mystery of Marie Roget,” and “The Purloined Letter” – is widely considered to be the birth of the modern detective story, and Dupin is just as widely credited as the first proper detective character in literature. Characters like Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown, and the aforementioned Hercule Poirot likely never would have existed if it weren’t for Poe’s “studies in ratiocination.” While this definitely makes Dupin worth noting – especially since I am a huge fan of Poe, and two of his Dupin stories (“Marie Roget” is sort of underbaked, in my opinion) – there’s not that much to say about the character, and he hasn’t captured the public imagination as strongly as other detectives who would follow him. Therefore, I don’t think I can, in all fairness, give him a place in the Top 31. For being the first of many, however, he has at least earned an Honorable Mention.

3. Eddie Valiant, from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

I’m specifically talking about the movie version here; I’ve never read the (much darker) book the famous film is based on. On that note: “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” is a bizarre little picture, which combines literal cartoon hijinks with the trappings of a film noir styled crime story. The story focuses on hard-boiled detective Eddie Valiant – played by Bob Hoskins, in perhaps my favorite of all his roles (well...more like second favorite) – going through the wacky world of Toontown to try and solve the titular mystery. He’s joined on his quest by Roger Rabbit himself, Roger’s human bride, Jessica, and a talking taxi cab. (Because why not?) Throw in encounters with tons and tons of famous cartoon characters, from Mickey Mouse to Bugs Bunny and so many more in-between, and it’s not a surprise this film has become so beloved. Eddie, himself, is a really fun character; much of the joy of the picture comes from the fact Hoskins generally plays the character pretty straight, which makes his reactions to the zany insanity of the cartoon world around him all the more hilarious.

4. Encyclopedia Brown.

I felt I had to include at least one “kid detective” in the bunch, and out of all the characters I could have chosen there, perhaps none are more emblematic of the genre than Encyclopedia Brown. The titular protagonist of a series of children’s detective books, Leroy “Encyclopedia” Brown is a highly observant and intelligent young man, who sells his deductive abilities the way most kids stereotypically work lemonade stands. Encyclopedia is the son of a police chief, who works and lives in the fictional seaside town of Idaville, U.S.A. Despite his youth, Encyclopedia often seems smarter than his old man, as he is extremely skilled at noticing little details that other people miss, and thus uses these inconsistencies to piece together the problem. He even has his own Mini-Moriarty to match wits with, in the form of a cunning but nasty town bully known as Bugs Meany. (Yes, that is apparently his real name.) While not especially complex, the Encyclopedia Brown books are still staples of children’s literature, being reprinted and pastiched numerous times since the 1960s. When I think of kid detectives, he’s probably the first character that comes to mind.

5. Jake Gittes, from Chinatown.

Jack Nicholson as a noir-style detective in some slick shades. (pauses) Do I really need to say anything else about why this one is awesome? I think that pretty much sums it all up in a nutshell. XD Honestly, more people are probably curious why Jake here isn’t in the actual countdown. Well, the fact of the matter is that I just don’t have a lot to SAY about Jake, and I blame this partially on the fact he only shows up in one movie. Most (though not all) of the detectives on the main countdown come from serialized pieces, having multiple episodes, installments, or general stories to their name. With only one film to his credit, Jake isn’t a bad detective, but it’s just hard to think of a whole lot to talk about with him, specifically, and he doesn’t stand out AS much compared to all the others who have so many appearances and so much more development behind them.

6. Johnny Dollar, from Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.

Most of the detectives to come are the residents of film, television, and literature, primarily. However, there’s one medium that I feel doesn’t get enough credit nowadays: radio. Back in the golden age of radio, especially in America, detective radio programs were VERY popular; crime and mystery were hot topics, and there were TONS of shows and detective characters to choose from. One of my favorites was Johnny Dollar. Dollar is an insurance investigator, whose desire to help his clients often leads to him taking on cases larger than one would expect, and he has to adventure and snoop around a great deal to figure out the problem and bring those responsible to justice. The character was so popular, they would even have him break the fourth wall of reality at times, with guest stars who literally just played themselves (such as Vincent Price, who, in one episode, joins Dollar as a guest, acting as both client and sidekick at the same time). The character was played by several actors over the series run, the most popular arguably being Bob Bailey, who tackled the role for five whole years out its near-fifteen-year run. Johnny Dollar was so popular he would later be adapted into a TV film and a graphic novel, but most people will remember this intrepid investigator best for his radio adventures.

7. Mark McPherson, from Laura.

Played by Dana Andrews, Mark McPherson – the NYPD police detective protagonist of the classic film “Laura” – is a character who is sort of in the same boat as Jake Gittes. I absolutely love this movie; much like “Chinatown,” I think this is one of the absolute best examples of film noir storytelling there’s ever been. Not only that, but the film actually works as a legitimate mystery, with a couple of surprising twists and turns; something a lot of people don’t realize is that noir-style detective fiction doesn’t always focus on the mystery aspect of things, so it’s cool to see something that does while having all the other elements of that field. I also find it interesting how Mark’s character develops across the film, particularly in terms of his relationship to the titular character. However, beyond all that…again, I just don’t have a lot to say about McPherson, so I don’t think I can, in good conscience, give him placement in the Top 31.

8. Mike Hammer.

One of the most renowned noir-style detectives, private eye Mike Hammer really does live up to his name. He was originally created by author and actor Mickey Spillane, who wrote for Hammer in a series of books. Unlike some other sleuths of the era, such as Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe (the latter of whom won’t be on this countdown, apologies), Hammer isn’t just a hard-boiled cynic with a biting sense of wit that’s as sharp as his mind. He is a person with an outright vendetta, who goes after criminals with a stone-cold sense of focus and intensity. He is fiery and ferocious, not simply stopping but ATTACKING crime, as he harbors a deep-seated hatred for those who hurt other people for their own evil ends. His sense of morality and justice is a bit more ambiguous than most, as he is willing to bend and even break laws in order to see what he perceives as justice done, but at the same time has great respect for the police and is a highly patriotic figure. There’s a lot of gray areas to Hammer that make him stand out amongst the crowd of snap-brim-hat-toting detectives of this style and period. The character has been played excellently by a few actors, including Humphrey Bogart, Stacy Keach (my personal favorite, pictured here), and – get this – Mickey Spillane, the creator, himself! Talk about great casting!

9. Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.

I already talked about kid detectives with Encyclopedia Brown, but we mustn’t forget the ever-so-slightly more advanced stage of things: teenaged detectives. When it comes to that sub-genre, few have been as long-lasting as Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. These characters were the invention of Edward Stratemeyer: he was the head of the self-named publishing company Stratemeyer Syndicate, and acted as its editor and chief writer. Stratemeyer first created the Hardy Boys under the pseudonym “Franklin W. Dixon,” then later – wanting to create a female counterpart to fit into their universe, to appeal more to ladies – also thought up Nancy Drew, under the pseudonym “Carolyn Keene.” These pen names were important, as they allowed later ghost writers and other creators to publish the characters under the same oft-used pseudonym, that way Stratemeyer himself wouldn’t grow overtired due to all the other work he had to deal with. (This was a common practice back in the day.) The Hardy Boys were made in the late 1920s, and Nancy Drew first appeared in 1930; despite this age, not only are books still published and reprinted featuring these characters, but they’ve even been adapted to other media many times! In fact, as recently as 2019 there was a new Nancy Drew TV series, and in 2020 Hulu began airing a Hardy Boys series! That shows you, doesn’t it?

10. Richard Diamond.

This character was the invention of Blake Edwards, who is probably best-remembered today – especially when it comes to detective stories – for his comedy film series “The Pink Panther,” starring the determined but utterly dull-witted Inspector Clouseau. Before the antics of Clouseau, however, Edwards put his spin on the film noir genre with the radio production “Richard Diamond, Private Detective,” starring Dick Powell (pictured here, in costume for a promo photo). The series was a sort of semi-satire of the noir-style detective story, with a sarcastic and often tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, but also with a dark and dangerous edge that was typical of the genre. Even though what happened in it could be very funny (one of my favorite running gags was Elmer Fudd himself, Arthur Q. Bryant, as the voice of Diamond’s conscience), and the plots were sometimes absurd, it didn’t treat everything like a joke. When things got serious, you never doubted people could be hurt or worse. The radio show was so well-received that the character was later adapted into a TV series by the same title, featuring David Janssen as Diamond. The TV version was even more deliberately campy in tone, with Janssen’s Diamond as a somewhat “softer” character than Powell’s. Both are great (though I personally prefer the radio version), and well-worth looking up.

11. The Question.

As I said in the rules during my opening post, superhero characters are not going to be included here…depending on which superheroes you are talking about. Many superheroes can qualify as detectives, when you get down to it; most, if not all, are essentially fulfilling that role in their universe, by tackling crimes and facing foes that typical police can’t handle. However, there’s a big difference between a character like, say, Wonder Woman…and a character like The Question. True name Vic Sage, the Question is one of those characters you can basically consider a “super detective”: yes, they are included in the vein of the superhero genre, but the way they work is more like a classic detective than someone like Superman or the Grene Lantern. I use the DC analogies, by the way, because that is the company the Question hails from: originally created by rival company Charlton Comics, the Question was one of many Charlton characters “adopted” into the DC Universe when DC eventually bought out said rival. With his faceless demeanor, courtesy of a special mask, the Question is just as much a mystery as the crimes he seeks to solve. One of the more interesting elements of the character is that he has changed quite a lot over the years, with different writers putting a different spin on Vic Sage’s core philosophies and the kinds of adventures he goes on. Indeed, nowadays, Sage is not the ONLY Question; for a brief time, Gotham City police officer Renee Montoya – who had developed a romantic relationship with Vic – became the second Question. In typical comic book fashion, however, this was later retconned and Sage put on the mysterious mask once more. I was sorely tempted to include this character in the main list, but I actually haven’t read very many actual COMICS with the Question, so I don’t feel like it would be fair to do so.

12. Vincent Price’s Version of “The Saint.”

Our last Honorable Mention is kind of a case of cheating, I’ll admit, and that’s the main reason he IS just an Honorable Mention. Once again referring to my rules, I declared that characters like Arsene Lupin or William James Moriarty wouldn’t count here: while they have detective ELEMENTS, those characters I feel are really very different. They are what I would call “noble rogues,” characters more similar to Robin Hood than the aforementioned C. Auguste Dupin. The Saint is one of those characters…in his original format. In the books by Leslie Charteris, from which he originates, as well as in many other interpretations, Simon Templar – a.k.a. The Saint – is the so-called “Robin Hood of Modern Crime.” He is a gentleman thief who commits crimes against other criminals, for noble goals of his own. This, however, was NOT the case in the RADIO version of The Saint, which starred Vincent Price in the role of Templar. In the radio version, the character was softened up to be a more typical private detective, whose title of The Saint came from his impeccable manners and many good deeds. I absolutely loved this radio show; it’s one of my favorite detective radio programs of the period, and among my top ten Price pieces. HOWEVER, since this version of the Saint was an outlier to basically every other take on the same character, I didn’t feel like this one really ought to count in the Top 31. Sorry, Simon. I still love ya.

Tomorrow, the countdown begins in earnest, with Number 31! For clues in this event, I’ll be using quotes uttered by each detective featured in the main list. CLUE: “Be careful, Brain! Those are probably priceless fake artifacts!”