#adding a description was a little hard but i tried hahaha

[poohbea]

the time has come. ship. your. moooots!

ayye my tuuurn, didn't think my time would come so soon *dramatic gasp* ─ now unfortunately i couldn't put all my moots but i tried to fit as many of you as possible, mwah enjoy 🤎

@festive ─ kita shinsuke ☆ now even though im not an hq fan, i do pay enough attention to know how much you love kita hahaha

@okhotel ─ toji fushiguro ☆ toji's baby fr, it would be an insult to ship you with anyone else, also toji would murder me if i shared you with someone else... yes he's holding a gun to my head as i type this... yes please send help

@kazuwhora ─ kazutora ☆ how could i not, you're the designated tora blog KC hahaha, anything and everything tora i think of you

@sinssoul ─ aki hayakawa ☆ he's your beloved, you sin are the only thing i associate with him now

@dejwrites ─ shunsui kyoraku ☆ now we all knew i couldn't pair you with anyone other than shunsui, it would be criminal

@satorhime ─ gojo satoru ☆ you're my gojo girl fr, it was either him or maki since that's your girl atm hehe

@sailewhoremoon ─ sasuke uchiha ☆ the one and only man for sosa, other than maybe eddie (mayyybeeee) sasuke is your man period

@heartsfrommars (wifey) ─ me (obviously) ☆ do i even have to explain myself? but if we're being serious then i'd ship you with draken ☆, i just know he'd treat my baby right

@hellavile ─ eren yeager ☆ you're forever the og eren gyal in my eyes, mocha and eren is the otp, the power couple we all need in our lives

@eiflawriting ─ kento nanami ☆ you're nanami's wife, that is who you are to me. oh eilfa? yeah she's nanamin's wifey, oh nanami? yeah that's my girl eifla's hubby, please don't touch

@lawscorazon ─ trafalgar d. water law ☆ your life partnerrrr, who else would i trust with your heart and to beat that coochie right? no one, that's who

@koucaine ─ chrollo lucilfer ☆ i love to see you talk about your mans on discord, we love to see lumi gushing over her mans

@yoshimurah ─ tyki mikk ☆ the undethroneable, number one psycho and owner of that pussy

@maydayaisha ─ draken ☆ it was either him or south but you'll always be draken's black thottie to me and that is where you shall stay

@blueparadis ─ ran haitani ☆ i just know this ship is bomb, that this is the couple we need in our lives, I JUST KNOW IT

@snake-titan ─ jean kirstein ☆ something about jean that makes me think of you, probably your car dealer fic and i just know jean would treat you like a princess (as he should)

@venusflytrapstar ─ eren yeager ☆ he is how i've come to know you, your bimbo fics with him have made me biased, he's your meanie boyfie

@oxygenstarrved ─ reiner braun ☆ this is your baby, your teddy bear, your one and only, i can only ship him with you fr you really complete each other

@thetempleofnyx ─ kiyoomi sakusa ☆ those curls and those eyes, he's your sweetheart and you are his, a ship i will always support

@m9rcury ─ iwaizumi hajime me ☆ this is your soulmate right here, i wanna see more beach date pics asap. ahem im obviously better than that man, so choose me, love me, run away and rule the galaxy with me

@getoswhore ─ geto suguru ☆ this was a no brainer we know there's only one man for bella and that's sugu

[eddsworld-the-masquerade]

Blog update: “About” and “Characters” pages rewrite 

First of, happy new year everyone! Hoping this one doesn’t end me for good haha. 

As stated above, “About” and “Characters” pages have been updated with new info, character description, sheets and art (which you see in this post). You’ll need to open the blog in browser in order to view these pages. Keep in mind that it’s all subject to change given that the story is still in early development (I wrote down 1/4 of the script plan so far) and I might get rid of things I feel I can’t utilize properly. 

I’m also opening the ask box again, so if the text inspires you or makes you wonder certain things, you can drop your message there :) I can’t promise I’ll be quick to answer and I probably won’t be able to answer all of your asks but I’ll do my best to read through them all. 

Under the cut is rest of the concept art (and some of my rambling) so I don’t make the post too bloated to scroll through:

Edd’s style is still considered “weird” but in a more obnoxious and bold way. It’s screaming “Look at me! Look at me! I’ll have you look my way like it or not!”. I like the silly thought of him coming to embrace larger suits thanks to his sire. It is comfortable! And one of the kind - if you were wondering for what purpose Edd needs sewing skills, that’s the answer :)  

Tord lost his iconic sweater and scarf. I gotta say I wasn’t sure if bare chest idea would work out but I’m glad I tried it cuz heck yeah it did. Love it or hate it Tord doesn’t give a damn 😎   His fake horns are now slicked back which makes him look like a disgruntled kitten lol And I added a belt buckle, it’s a skull being crushed by a hammer (roughly designed after thor’s hammer as a nod to his origin); it carries a certain personal significance too 

Matt style is still inspired by vintage suits and illustrations but customized for personal taste. Like the vest being asymmetrical, or the suit being more “flappy” and with a big cutout on the back. It’s sort of a way of saying “I might be playing by the rules but I do it my own way”. He is ultimate bishounen now and his power is mesmerizing enemies with that iconic anime stare and sound effects (this is a joke, but a joke I love) 

Tom had it worst XD but also I had the most fun with him. The pale yellow parts on his body are supposed to be bone and um...shell...thing...you know when something spends a lot of time in the water in the open sea and you get it out and it’s covered in those THINGS yeah I can’t find the word but hopefully you got my point hahaha. It was hard to keep him as monstrous as possible but also recognizable but I think giving him the monster tom color palette did the job. Also yes he got scales. And the texture I did on his skin is supposed to be semi-transparent...like jello maybe? he’s hideous and a pain to color and i love him lol

I also did this little relationship chart to explain changes in the well relationships in-group! 

[celestialmark]

NEO CITY IN LONDON

okk guys so as most of you know i got to attend nct 127’s concert in london on the 7th and here’s my in depth experience and impressions of each members as promised :)

TAEIL: is an angel. he’s precious honestly. he’s just like how he is in nct videos. he has a really peculiar sense of humour which makes him even funnier and his gestures and facial expressions are exactly what you see in videos. his vocals are top notch wowza. his high notes are exceptional in bridges like chain, simon says, firetruck! what i remember the most about him is the part where he was asked to do something sexy and cute at the same time and this man licked his hand and did the peace sign after :)) said his iconic line “fans are our energy, we are always thankful and we love you.” love love loved him!!

TAEYONG: exudes leader energies all the way. honestly, the concert just really proved why all the members hold him in such high regard. his stage presence is so alluring and his voice is so clear and an exact replica of how we hear him in their songs. his dancing is oh my god absolutely dazzling and so smooth no wonder he’s a centre. he looks so good in blue hair his visuals are no joke + he spoke english a lot and did so well in communicating with the fans it was great. also his aegyo comes out in random bursts when you least expect it. it’s such a complete 360 contrast when he performs cos he’s so charismatic onstage but when he’s talking to fans, he’s a lil baby :( 100% precious. would definitely keep in my pocket.

JOHNNY: really really playful and dorky. johnny stays true to all the descriptions we’ve all read of him; funny and absolutely kind hearted. during their ments, he’s mostly the one who asks fans to get involved in their songs, i.e. doing the crowd wave or swinging the lightstick a certain type of way to correlate with their songs. he’s also very deep! one time, he talked about how open he felt within himself because he saw us being so open to cheering for them and hyping them up. also how could we forget— he clowned doyoung again and imitated his dance from masked singer and the crowd went balistic :))) also need to give him more credit for his singing as well as his dancing!! some fans in the crowd needed assistance since they didn’t feel too well and johnny openly asked for security and pointed out who needed help + voice slightly higher in pitch when talking.

YUTA: a crowd favourite! (he bias wrecked me the entire night). really really knows what the fans want and he delivered it so well in their songs. his smile is literally blinding and he had so much energy the whole night! his dancing is oof so so so fluid and the way he hit his high notes screamed effortless to me. you could literally see his passion burning as he performed onstage— intense and powerful. red hair suits him so much. his gestures during their songs were all captured so well by the cameras i’m pretty sure he stole everyone’s hearts that night. also his english is sooo sooo good. we stan this man.

DOYOUNG: another bias wrecker of mine. he’s beautiful onstage his eyes were literally shining i kid you not, so much so, i thought he was crying but really, they just had sparkles in them. his vocals, let me tell you, made all the hairs in my skin stand. he accentuated a lot of his notes and combine that with his emotions (esp, back 2 u— rip) really makes you think wow what a powerful talented man. i literally caught myself with my mouth open because i was so drawn to him. g o r g e o u s sweet man!!

JAEHYUN: wow this man. wow. absolutely ethereal in real life. his skin is so smooth and milky you could literally still see it miles away. his expressions were breathtaking, from his smiling, to smirking, to staring into your soul, you name it, he’ll just take your breath away. i’m convinced that man has no bones because his waves and his dancing were so fluid. the wigs were snatched with his vocals— so so good at maintaining his low notes and even better at reaching them notes so so high (timeless and no longer jdgsgsga). when he talks, his voice is actually a little higher pitched than what we expect it to be from videos and whatnot. will really steal your heart literally any day just by standing there looking all perfect.

JUNGWOO: precious precious precious. you know the way our baby gets nervous very easily? he said that he was nervous at the beginning but he felt so much better after seeing the lighsticks :(( his voice really really stands out when he sings, it just has that distinct sound that catches your attention. his smile is actually so pretty and cute! also his english was really good he had so much phrases and words up his sleeve and he spoke so well and without any effort. also dancing was phenomenal, very fluid and well delivered. we really gotta appreciate how he learned all of 127’s choreographies in such a short amount of time and dancing it all with so much ease!! we love love love :((

MARK: ok here we go. the first thing that caught my attention when mark spoke was his voice. it’s actually a tiny bit slightly higher pitched than what we hear from videos or their songs like jaehyun and johnny. but when i watched the videos i took, he sounds the exact same as other videos so i’m confused? regardless, mark proves he’s absolutely fully capable. he looked marvelous onstage and so comfortable there he literally does belong up there. he was so dynamic from his singing, rapping and dancing. he speaks really fast and i feel like his brain has no brakes so sometimes his words get jumbled around or he says the same thing twice in one sentence but it only makes him so much more endearing :( totally fell in love with him way more than i already have HAHAHA.

HAECHAN: oh my god this man. haechan’s voice is like honey okay, very very smooth and definitely one that you can distinguish right away. also watching him made me realise how not only should we praise him for his vocals, but also for his dancing. THIS BOY CAN DANCE. and may i add very very effortless too? he makes dancing look soooo easy and his footwork?? we should really consider putting him in the centre more and adding him to the dance line :(( his interaction with johnny are the most precious!! his skin glows it really really does he’s so beautiful :(

NCT127: overall, a team with really really good teamwork and unity. their choreographies were executed so well there’s so much hard work and late hours of practice evident in it. they all compliment each other really well, and for the members we don’t hear much from in their recorded songs, got other members’ lines or shared with them. THEY EAT CDS FOR BREAKFAST. they really outsold themselves— they make it all look so easy. all of the boys couldn’t stop thanking us and kept emphasising how it was their first time in europe and how it was all because of us that their visit to london was possible. they also kept reminding us to have a good time with them but on top of that, to mind ourselves and to be careful. all of their english was so so so good, they really did study so hard, they only needed the translator once. they’re very open with their gratitude to their fans and you could feel how thankful they really were :(( we tried to sing them a happy birthday but we weren’t in sync so jaehyun stopped us and counted us in so we could all sing together :)) honestly the sweetest souls ever!

pretty sure i repeated a lot of words and adjectives and i hope this gave you a good idea of the boys!! please do feel free to ask me anything if i’ve missed out on some things!!

[darkmindsotome]

Risque Rouge pt15

Tagging: @umbralaperture​ @otome-smut-queen @silver-fox-of-azuchi @tsundere-mitsuhide @jennacat84

General warnings for the whole fic: Angst, some fluff, Mental health issues, emotional things, trauma, blood, death and possible triggers. Please read responsibly. 

Darkmindsotome Masterlist

---

Chapter 15

As plans went this had been perfect. It was an accident that could have happened at any time and in any part of the city. He was lucky to already know exactly where he could find a coach without its driver, all he needed was the perfect moment. Everything was arranged and it would have been considered simple bad luck that someone should be fatally crushed under the sheer force of the runaway horse dragging its carriage. It would have worked, should have worked.

Latour looked at the failure of what should have been a gloriously devastating demise. His eyes burned with hatred as he watched the female interact with the two men from his hiding place.

“Curses!” He hissed as his fist pounded the wall of the building before, he spun on his heel snarling as he walked away.

---

This had to be an out of the frying pan into the fire moment. Evie watched the two men in a silent standoff feeling completely useless. It was true she had run and she was scared. Yes, Comte had been part of the reason for that but he hadn’t hurt her. She did wonder about his approach when they were at the café but not once in all the times, they had been together, was he anything less than pleasant and kind.

Evie was more than aware he had every right to be upset with her right now. Acting the way she had must have truly hurt him. She saw the pained look in his eyes when she reflexively slapped his hand away. There was more there though, he had a melancholy look that was complete forgiveness. It was as if he would accept anything no matter how much it hurt him as long as it was what she wished. It hurt.

While her chest constricted in the grip of a coiling serpent intent on crushing her the man blocking her spoke.

“What sneaky games are you trying to play with this girl? Are you not entertained enough?” There was a tangible threat from the man shielding her from Comte. He was speaking without formality which could have meant he didn’t care to be polite to a potential menace but the fact Comte called him by name must mean they knew each other.

“I am not playing games, sneaky or otherwise. Genevieve is my charge and in my care.” Comte was smiling that same smile he had on his face when talking to Arthur.

“Then why was she so terrified of you just now?” Napoleon moved slightly and Evie had visions of this entire situation going bad fast. She didn’t know if Comte was aware of the look on his own face or if it was a miscalculation on his part because right now it was more taunting than intimidating. For all the mistakes made so far, she didn’t wish to have one result in a fight in front of her. She broke free of the human barrier, with pain lancing up her leg and placed herself between the two men.

“Please stop.”  She gave a quick glance to Comte over her shoulder before turning to Napoleon. “Thank you, Monsieur, you rescued me.”

To say Comte was stunned would have been a very accurate description right now. This woman really did seem to swing on a pendulum to the point where she was hard to predict. He thought he had scared her and she would not go anywhere near him so why was she standing as if to protect him now?

“I only did what anyone would do.” Napoleon seemed to be equally perplexed looking at the sudden change in the woman who was basically a trembling mess only minutes before. His green eyes looked behind her quizzically towards Comte who didn’t know what to say.

He had felt and still did feel terrible for how he handled everything back at the café. Hindsight has a way of making every situation seem like a bad move and he already was well aware even without the help of reflection that his approach was a terrible choice.

“No, you did more because you were the one to risk yourself on my foolishness.” Evie lowered her head the trembling in her body was still very likely to make a repeat appearance but right now she was determined to make sure nothing else happened. “What this man says is true. I am in his care, he is my sponsor. It was true I was careless and running but…”

“Evie.” Comte’s voice was quiet. His eyes fell on the back of her lowered head in awe.

She was hurt she had been scared and still suffering the aftermath of everything that had been said and done. He could feel it, he felt her swirling emotions as strongly as if they were his own, the pain in her taking grip on his own body. Still, she was trying to smooth over a situation that was nowhere near as drastic as she thought it was. A wry smile formed on his face and his expression softened as he watched her. She was stronger than she knew and so beautiful. Napoleon didn’t miss the subtle interaction and looked at the young woman in front of him as if he just remembered something.

“So, you are the Mademoiselle from the mansion?”

“You know me?” Evie looked up her emerald eyes finding his clear jade green ones.

There really was something about this man, it was different from Comte and also different when compared to the other soldier in the mansion. It was a quiet dominance that gave subliminal weight to anything he did, even standing still talking with him projected the idea you were talking to a born leader.

“Of you. Sebastian informed me of a new guest and said that they were a lady.” The air around Napoleon felt much friendlier as it seemed the misunderstanding from before had all but been forgotten. Evie looked back at Comte. He said he would tell the rest of the guests himself, not that she wanted to pry into why Sebastian had been the one to inform this man instead.

There was obviously a little tension between the two men, it wasn’t bad, but it was certainly one that came from a place of respect rather than blind trust. It was very hard to explain and she didn’t even understand how she could feel something so slight from people she had just met.

Uncle had always said she was very sensitive and observant but this was more, it was a feeling that she instinctively didn’t question. People talk about intuition but that had always seemed a little off to her. Even with a strong intuition it was easy to second guess and lose yourself. This was a profound sensation and it was strange because it felt a lot like being more than one person at once in her own body.

“Genevieve this is Napoleon, he is also a guest of mine.” Comte issued the late introduction after the conversation finally seemed to allow for it.

“Is there anyone in Paris who is not a guest of yours?” Evie’s question was out long before her good sense could talk her out of it. Her eyes went saucer round and she clamped her hand over her mouth. “Erm…”

By this point, Comte was used to her little outbursts. Whilst they still had a tendency to catch him off guard, he was inclined to look upon her fondly rather than feel the desire to chastise her. Besides judging by her reaction and the way she was currently looking she was giving herself a much harsher lecture than he could. While Comte and Evie were looking at each other a loud eruption of laughter burst forth from Napoleon.

“Pff -- Bwahaha!”

“I’m sorry.” Evie muttered her apology flinching when Comte placed a hand on her shoulder. Noticing her reaction, he retracted his hand. The brief touch of warmth he felt freezing over as he felt the penalty strike him as he feared it would if he hurt her. He tried to ignore the way that information sat like a steel weight in his chest. Convincing himself he should be content with simply watching her.

“No don’t be I – hahaha – I’m glad to see the shock didn’t do any damage to your body or conviction. Haha pardon. I like how honest you are.” Napoleon was struggling to stop himself from continuing his peel of laughter his shoulders were still shaking as he tried to stifle it and speak.

“If we are finished here, I think it would be best to return home.” Comte interjected which seemed to help Napoleon gather enough power to get his laughter under control.

“Home?” Evie asked curiously before taking an interest in the people around them. The gathering of onlookers was a little smaller but she was very aware that even if they had returned to their previous tasks they were still glancing in her direction.

Still, when Comte said home he meant the mansion and there was a feeling of chilling dread that filled her chest as she thought of that. Could she go back there and cheat what she feared most in her mind? Would she avoid being the source of someone else’s pain or would she fail and have another torment to add to her collection?

“Yes, we need to tend to that ankle of yours.” Comte drew a little closer, sensing of her rising anxiety.

He wanted to take her hand as he had always done but she recoiled at his touch and he did not wish to be an added source of her discomforts. He hoped that his words could be enough reassurance to her and she would choose to come back. He tried to ignore the selfish desire he had to be alone with her once more. He wanted to apologise properly and allow for dialogue to once more be open between them. He knew how detrimental the passage of time could be as it passed by removing the opportunity to speak freely. The only survivor of the situation being the air of extreme awkwardness that hung like a cloud.

“I don’t really…” Evie hesitated and winced again the pain in her ankle silencing her.

Napoleon hadn’t pushed for details and he was not stupid enough to get in the middle of a lover’s quarrel. He could see the concern in Comte’s eyes as he watched the young girl with black hair. He had seen similar looks in the eyes of men on the battlefield. It was a look of understanding your fate is in the hands of another and acceptance that their actions would define the world to come.

The woman was curious, it wasn’t that he was immune to her charms he felt them keenly drawing him in. It made him instinctively wish to help her. It was strange and he had felt something similar when he had experienced meeting Comte for the first time.  He took a certain level of pride in being a good judge of character and he found her to be interesting, honest and trustworthy.

“I’ll join you as well as I was on my way back anyway.” Napoleon spoke up in response to the idea of returning. He had been on his way back anyway so it was of little concern to him if he travelled alone or with companionship. If his presence meant that the young lady should feel more settled than if she were to travel with only le Comte for company then he considered it his duty to do at least that much.

“Did you not ride into town?” Comte enquired feeling a deflated sensation taking hold of him.

“Not today.” Napoleon didn’t seem to care or notice the shadows crossing the amber eyes of the pure blood Count. He did, however, slip his arm around the waist of the injured girl. He did it in such a way that it was completely natural, a silent declaration of the fact this is where it should be. Evie could not find the words to protest and found her weight naturally leaning on the strong arm around her as Napoleon guided her towards the carriages.

Comte knew it was to support her and help her. He knew it was a purely platonic motion and there was nothing meaningful about it. Logically he knew all this and still a dark whisper in his mind had him questioning every small glance and muscle twitch between the two now walking in front of him.

“Well isn’t that splendid?”

---

“So, it failed.” Amos sat mulling over the ill-fated news as he watched the foam dissolve on the head of beer in his glass.

“Yes. There was interference and the female found protection at the most inconvenient time.” Latour had appeared like a tempest and was working his anger out on a bowl of nuts crushing the shells in his bare hands, placing their contents to the side. He didn’t really like nuts, he didn’t really enjoy any human food anymore. It was all ash in his mouth.

Blood was all he craved to slate his thirst and fill his belly. Alcohol provided a change in pace, whilst providing natural cover from the passing observer. Cigarettes helped keep him busy, it was a throwback to his time as a human. Watching the curling smoke from the lit shredded tobacco, how it filled his lungs. It helped him focus, it helped him think and it blocked out some of the atrocious scents of the cattle around him.

“Not by the Reo’s doing?” Amos asked watching the bowl of mixed nuts grow empty. He was a little pleased that his disciple had learnt to vent his anger in a way that drew less attention to him. He remembered how troublesome it had been in previous years during training when he had been forced to keep a tight leash on him or risk exposure.

“No, it was another. One from the mansion although they are not part of the familia.” Latour reached a particularly stubborn walnut and after squeezing it towards its obliteration he finally seemed to relax.

“Did they suspect foul play?” Amos drank the dregs of his pint and scooped up a handful of the freshly shelled nuts on the table.

“No, My Lord” Latour confirmed what was possibly the only saving grace of the misadventure. Failure was not an option Latour knew it would spell the end of everything for him. His master had no use for tools that could not fulfil a task.

“Good, then there is still a chance we can approach the matter again.” Amos smiled the lamplight caught the very tip of his exposed fangs before he expertly moved his head playing it off as a trick of the light for anyone who might have seen it.

“What would you have me do?”

---

[bigskydreaming]

Sorry about the stupid question, but wasn’t Ares kinda evil? He was in Percy Jackson at least, and that’s about all I know about Greek mythology

Hahaha, I mean, yeah he’s not exactly misunderstood, as far as most takes on him go. Supremely douchey, at the least. But then again, that kinda describes the vast majority of the Greek pantheon, both major and minor divinities alike….so I mean, he’s got plenty of company. Like I know in the PJ series, Poseidon is basically a pretty decent god comparatively speaking, but like….nah, he was definitely a major asshole in a majority of myths he showed up in. Demeter would definitely make your crops wither if you tried making a case for him being an okay guy, for instance.

But the take on Ares in that post you’re talking about still fits because in pretty much any myth I can think of, Ares is very much the type to be fully convinced he’s in the right at any given moment. He’s definitely the hero of his own story, and everyone else’s, as far as he’s concerned. So he would def object to being cast as evil.

It’s kinda like….so I mean, there’s definite reasons why Ancient Greek culture centered a great deal of focus on two different (and usually opposing) war gods, whereas most cultures usually only had one, or at least one prominent one and then any other war gods being more minor, satellite deities, kinda.

And yeah, Athena is almost always considered the ‘good’ or ‘civilized’ goddess of war - even though she definitely had a nasty streak at times herself - but it was usually more like….Athena was the goddess of wisdom, of strategy and tactics, the incarnation of war with PURPOSE and intent. Like, she embodied war in the sense of….a definite creation of human civilizations, wars that happen because human minds and motivations decide okay, we are going to war and here is why.

In contrast, it’s not really so much that Ares was considered evil, as that he was seen as more…brutish, unreasoning, impossible to sway with talk of peace or treaties or appeals to an enemy’s sense of mercy or such. Basically, he was Athena’s opposite in the sense that he embodied war as like…a force of nature, almost. Something primal, senseless, bloodthirsty, the kind of war that no one truly wins, whereas Athena’s domain was seen more as like…’noble war,’ or war waged for ideals, honor, stuff like that. A little known aspect of Ares is that he was also at times referred to as the god of storms as well as war. Not the heavens or skies in general, like Zeus or other sky gods, but storms specifically. The natural disaster kind, just powerful and overbearing and impossible to tame, just like, the wild fury of mindless nature that the best you can do when facing it is look for shelter and try and wait it out as best you can. Like, a storm isn’t technically evil, but that makes very little difference when the end result is the utter destruction of everything in its path, you know?

Its also interesting to consider the role cultural bias plays in even ancient mythologies. Like how we talk about how history is written by the victors, they decide what gets remembered and in what light…that’s kinda a key component of the Athena/Ares dichotomy too. Its not really a coincidence that Ares is the older of the two…both in terms of worship, like in the sense that he was around and having myths told about him long before Athena arose as a popular divinity in Hellenistic cultures…and in the sense of like, how even in the myths themselves, or at least the myths that lasted and make it through the millennia in the form we remember them and tell them today, Ares is literally the older of the two, in terms of age, with Athena being born long after him.

Like, we talk about the Greek pantheon as the gods of what we usually think of as ancient Greece, like…city-states like Athens and the like, the Greek civilization that built the Parthenon and practiced democratic ideas and were famed artisans and such…but the entire lifespan of THAT ‘ancient Greek civilization’ is still only a relatively small piece of the overall history of the region. The Greek gods as we know them today, were around in various forms for literally thousands of years before that…or at least some of them were. The older Greek gods, culturally speaking, are the ones who are more linked to primal, elemental forces of nature, embodiments of the natural world moreso than specific cultural ideas such as art, music, beauty, wisdom/strategic war, revelry, etc. And over time, as cultures of the region mingled and consolidated and grew into the broader, more widespread civilization we tend to label ‘ancient Greece’ in most of our minds….new gods got added to their myths and merged with the older, more elemental deities into one cohesive pantheon. And that’s why the gods of natural forces like lightning, the sea, the earth, sky, the sun, etc….they were the oldest gods in the Greek pantheon, age wise….the children of the Titans, along with those Titans who’d sided with them in the war against their parents, like Helios, etc. And its these gods’ children, for the most part, who embody the ideas born of human cultures and civilizations, and thus make up the younger generation of Olympians, like Aphrodite, Apollo, Dionysus, Hermes, etc. And of course, Athena.

Ares and Hephaestus exist in a kinda weird, in between state, like one foot in one ‘generation’ and the other foot in the younger one…because they’re examples of deities who were around for a long time in previous cultures in various forms….but kinda evolved along with the changing ideals and priorities and focal points of the various Hellenistic cultures that told their stories. Or not evolved precisely, that’s not the word I’m looking for, its got some less than accurate or great implications here, but…like essentially, in their oldest, earliest remembered ‘versions’, the gods we know now as Ares and Hephaestus were primarily associated with natural forces, just like Zeus, Poseidon, Demeter, etc. Proto-Ares, for lack of a better description, was more a storm god than even a war god, initially, while Hephaestus was pretty definitively a god of fire. But for various reasons, their stories changed along with the cultures that told their stories, without ever actually replacing them with newer, younger, ‘gods of civilization,’ the way the older Greek gods replaced the Titans in the mythological cycle, and their children were destined to do the same to them. 

So by the time the Greek pantheon had solidified into the Olympians as we think of them today…..Ares and Hephaestus were added into the Olympian pantheon as part of the second generation of gods, like Aphrodite and Athena and Apollo….but were distinctly the oldest of that generation, the first sons of Zeus and Hera, and thus why they’d been around so much longer than the younger gods, mythologically speaking. And in the process, they’d ‘shed’ most of their more primal, nature-related aspects, as the storm god and fire god, and become more associated with where those forces led humanity once harnessed. Ares thus became the idea of war, but early war, as the emerging Greek civilization saw it, and by extension him…’primitive’ war, senseless violence and brutality that the Greeks of the more modernized era of Olympian worship saw themselves as having outgrown…and thus requiring the birth of a newer, younger, ‘more civilized’ god of war, a war god for the modern age of a more enlightened Greek culture and civilization, in their eyes….hence, the rise of Athena in both the myths and Greek culture as a whole. 

(Though technically, Athena’s actually one of the older deities of the region too, with roots tracing all the way back to the earliest Hellenistic civilizations, but she was ‘updated’ in much the same way as Ares & Hephaestus, but even moreso, to the extent that its much trickier tracing her all the way back to her earliest depictions). 

All of which is why I’d say its not that the idea that Athena = good war goddess/Ares - bad evil war god is necessarily wrong, per se….its more that its not the most accurate way of describing their dichotomy, and their relationship with the ancient Greeks of this era. The surviving myths we have most definitely characterize Ares as nasty, ill-tempered, prone to jealousy and fits of rage, always eager for a fight and hard to talk down from one….but also, he tends to be characterized as pretty stupid, overall, like…his only advantages tend to come from sheer strength and brute force, his willingness to inflict relentless violence without stopping or showing mercy, etc. And this is the part where I said its like how history is written by the victors. These are the depictions of Ares that survived til today more or less intact, widely proliferated, etc….even though Ares has had a very very long history tracing back thousands of years before those stories first were told, and has been many different things to many different cultures in all that time. 

But the disdain for him that’s clearly visible in pretty much every surviving myth….that’s more about how like….the ancient Greeks telling those particular stories, recording them, passing them down….this disdain was basically their way of saying they’d outgrown Ares and the kind of senseless war he embodied, and why they ascribed to Athena’s more ‘civilized’ type of warfare, one that valued culture, and strategy, and tactics, and the OUTCOME of war, rather than the ACT of war itself. Essentially a culturally meta way of saying Ares’ kind of war, and wars of a type he would champion….this generation of ancient Greeks wanted to convey that all that was beneath them, that they’d evolved as a culture past that kind of senseless brutality and at this point had very little use for Ares and everything he represented.

(For the record, I’m not necessarily agreeing with their self-assessment, lol, as uh, lots of the wars conducted by the ‘ancient Greek civilizations’ at even their height, could still very accurately be termed senseless, brutal and bloodthirsty. Its more just about how any civilization that prides itself on well, how civilized it is, generally tends to look at what came before them as more primitive and uncultured. Whether or not that’s as accurate as they’d like to believe. Kinda like how we, as a modern society, would generally term ourselves more civilized and cultured than those particular ancient Greek civilizations, but uh, that doesn’t actually mean we’ve got a leg to stand on about modern warfare being any less senseless, primitive and needlessly violent than any waged 5,000 years ago, y’know? Anyway, this is purely an eye of the beholder kinda thing, more just about the kinda lens the myth-tellers of that era were viewing their gods and their stories through. Allegedly. I mean who the fuck really knows, I wasn’t there.) 

And just for the hell of it, by a similar token, it could probably be argued that the myths making a big deal about Hephaestus being so ugly and misshapen by Olympian standards…you could probably make a case for that having a lot to do with Hephaestus’ age, culturally speaking, and how he was associated as much with older ‘more primitive’ cultures as with the more modern age of Olympian worship. Just as Ares became less and less associated with storms and more tied to violent war, Hephaestus moved further and further away from his origin as a primal fire god, to a more specific, newly added niche as a god of invention, craftsmanship, a patron god to blacksmiths. There’s stuff that could be said about the correlation between fire as a potentially destructive force, an almost violent or ugly aspect of nature that only held ‘value’ to humanity once tamed and shaped into a controlled force that had something to offer human culture, in the form of how it could be used to forge weapons, craft new technologies, inspire innovation, etc. Like…the thing about Hephaestus the Olympian is he was a popular god, in the sense of having a big cultural impact, occupying a fairly large focal point in civilizations of the time. But he wasn’t necessarily a well LIKED god. Nobody was pouring out libations to him if they could help it, he was kinda…there, because he was useful and needed, while still being a deity and presence that wasn’t entirely comfortable to be around or in the presence of, sort of. Personally, I think that all links back to how he’s referred to as being hideous to look upon, someone the other Olympians didn’t necessarily want near the rest of them, even as they petitioned him to make them weapons….like, I think you can see here the vestiges of him as the embodiment of fire, even as he’s less associated with that in this time period, and his focus narrowed more specifically to what fire MAKES. Like, the general idea of him, culturally speaking, being that we need him, and we know it, but he and the primal forces at the root of his divinity are like….not something its a good idea to be entirely comfortable around? Kinda the awareness that no matter how far civilization had advanced by then, it was still understood that like….there was still something primal, primitive about fire, that was never going to be possible to fully tame, to make totally civilized. That it’s a force of nature that can be harnessed, but. Bah.

Okay so I’ve been writing all this while waiting in the doctor’s office because boredom plus I’m a slut for mythological analysis and theorizing, buuuuuut I have to go be like, a person with an actual to do list today so I can’t finish this right now but also I don’t know if I’ll get around to coming back to it and finishing it so I’m just posting it as is, for whatever interest it holds as is, because plus it’s not like…..this is the answer anon was likely looking for to a pretty simple question haha, I just like, get carried away when talking myth stuff.

Also standard disclaimer I have to put on all my myth posts apparently haha, I am not a scholar, fuck academia, all of this is just my own personal musings based on my own personal research just because, and no I will not cite sources because I literally do not have time, this is just me talking about shit that interests me and my take on it, I am not suggesting this is the right or only take or should be taught to impressionable school children, lol do not @ me about how I’m misleading the innocents of tumblr who trusted that I, random tumblr user, should be construed as the sole authority on this topic like. I have reasons for adding this disclaimer and they are the thirty thousand fucking obnoxious ‘fight me for being wrong about Loki’ notes the last time I thought waxing mythologic was a good idea, and I have no interest in a sequel to that. LOL. Disclaimer over. Find the post interesting and worth looking for more thoughts on similar or even contesting lines elsewhere, or like, don’t. Just don’t go looking for me as target practice because my nerd take was controversial, lol thank you and have a nice day.

[swampstriderart]

i worked SO fucking hard on this hahaha. I finished the coloring about two hours before the D&D session this guy made an appearance in. 

This is Mortilus, a lean, muscular medusa (he/him) who appears to be in his late 20s. He fights with a custom elven curve blade and shaved half of his snakes off (a very painful process) purely for the aesthetic. He’s a greater medusa, which in my campaign setting means that he has some sort of non-medusa parentage that is either a dragon, demon, or fae. Statistically he isn’t much different from a normal medusa (though he does have a few extra hit-die for an added level of oomph heh heh). The party caught him with his pants down, literally, but Mortilus doesn’t mind.

He was halfway through getting ready for a night on the town with his warlord boyfriend when the party arrived. Here is the description I gave them when they first say him: 

“Sitting in the vanity with his profile to the door is a lean, muscular man who appears to be in his mid to late twenties. His skin is rather pale but highlighted with purple along his cheekbones and up his neck. His hair is done up in extremely tight, long locs that disappear into the folds of his nearly-transparent gossamer robe. They are dark-colored braids of several colors from black to dark green that shine with specks of light as if adorned with stars. His legs, visible under the vanity, are bare save for elaborate, knee-height sandals with intricate, interwoven straps and tall heels. The heels are round, slightly-curved, and come to a very sharp point, and when the man looks up into the mirror you can see his eyes: they are a bright, acidic green that gleam in the dim light of the room.”

One of my players had... difficulty dealing with this description and had to take a minute to compose herself properly. It was most amusing. Mortilus then bought time to by moving around the room, completely nonchalant about the parties arrival, grabbed a few spell scrolls, and set about using them to turn the fight in his favor. He turned invisible, animated furniture to attack, and then one of the players attempted a persuasion check to get him to not do that. They rolled a nat 20, but alas nat 20s do not mean automatic success with skill checks and this isn’t my little pony: you can’t tell an evil being to step off with some honeyed words. I do have plans for that nat 20, if Mortilus survives hahaha. They then attempted to read his mind (he’s going to kill them) and used Suggestion to get him to stop attacking, which worked! He did stop attacking. His animated objects, however, did not. They knocked them out, freed mortilus from the spell, and then he tried to turn one of the other players to stone. That’s where our session tonight ended and I’m delighted with how things went hahhha. 

[dylannicknight]

Page 6. Serodiscordant

I was about to post this last night but was not able to due to my heavy work load.. haays..

A serodiscordant relationship, also known as magnetic or mixed-status, is one in which one partner is infected by HIV and the other is not. This contrasts with seroconcordant relationships, in which both partners are of the same HIV status.

As indicated in my description, I am in a serodiscordant relationship in which my partner is not HIV positive. When I found out that I am HIV positive and my partner left me, I decided not to be in any relationship anymore. I promised myself to just enjoy life and dedicate myself to my mom and dad. As time passes by that I am unemployed due to medical reasons and I have no source of income, depression is finally taking over me. Since this isn’t the first battle I had with depression and anxiety, I tried to socialize again in social media and tried to talk to people I don’t normally talk to. I tried to be cheerful as possible and I laughed so hard on every little thing.

I was then included in a chatroom full of people living in the south. Well… it’s kind of far as I am living in the north. But who cares, I’m making friends. I got to socialize with them and there are a few people who showed their interest in me. Oha! ganda ko noh?! char! But since I know for a fact that I am infected with this virus I pushed them away and did not show any interest. Until! I got to see someone in the chatroom. He looks so sweet. He looked kind of familiar. Probably resembling someone I know but what I’m sure of is that he has a lovely smile. Urgh! My weakness! But again, I kept telling myself not to as I have this curse running in my blood stream. So as much as I can, I tried not to stalk him in social media. But since we are in the same chatroom I get to see him online.. Always.. haay…

One day, they all got to hangout and of course, since I live far in the north, I was not able to join them. I saw in the pictures that he was there. And! Oh My God! Seriously! Someone is hugging my Mr.Smile!! How dare you! you! you! #$&%!!! Okay! Okay! He’s not mine… he’s not.. really.. No, I’m not gonna say it. I’m not hurt. huhuhu! Again, I closed my eyes. Thought of possibilities. Maybe, just maybe, it was a good thing. Mr.Smile don’t deserve someone like me. I mean why me? At that very moment I am sick, I am jobless, I am a pozzie, I can’t go out, I’m literally broke. Haay.. So finally.. I got over it. Besides, I didn’t see him showing any interest on that guy hugging him anyways. Haha!

One night, the guys are talking about dirty experiences. Lustful and sinful. I found it funny as some of those I don’t really know and have not experienced. Some I did. I’m interested in joining the conversation but I saw Mr.Smile is still online. Oh My God! hahaha! So I kept asking him to go to sleep as he still have work tomorrow but the truth is, I just don’t want him seeing me joining that kind of conversation. Then he said, Why do you keep asking me to go to sleep? Do you have a CRUSH on me? OH MY FREAKIN!… Shet! Am I that obvious? I felt like the whole world just dropped on me and that all people around the world are pointing fingers on me! My Gosh! oh no, I have to keep my cool so I tried to be cool and tried to laugh it out, Fuck! So I kind of thought of just riding on it as I was thinking that he was just joking. I tried to tell him why would I even have a crush on him? and if I do, then what? I tried to tell him I don’t know if this is crush or not? But every time he would tease me I would answer back as if I liked him. AMF! I kind of thought that pretending to like him is so difficult but actually, pretending that I didn’t like him is harder. Then he finally said the magic word. I LOVE YOU… Whether he meant it or not.. My whole world stopped… it’s like the clock stopped ticking and i stopped breathing and my heart kept pounding. All I ever wanted at that moment is to hear him say it. I no longer care if he meant it or not. and I just found myself replying… I LOVE YOU TOO.. Anlalandi nyo! hahaha!

The next day, I kept reading the conversation we had and I can’t stop myself from smiling and feeling all those butterflies flopping their wings in my tummy and all the stars sparkling in my eyes. I think I’m going crazy. Then I finally had the courage to add him in facebook. (yes! we were chatting in a groupchat but were not even friends in any social media haha!). The moment I added him he accepted it right ahead. GOSH! Were you waiting for me to add you? Were you actually checking if I will add you? I know for myself that I have a crush on you but did you really think I do? breathe! breathe! breathe! I never imagined that having a crush on someone so bad can actually cause a feeling of almost having a heart attack!

We chatted, exchanged numbers, texted each other, called each other and this time I know. I’m falling. The next day he told me that he’s going out with some friends. Nagpapaalam si koya?? haha! I just simply smiled and said its okay. He may come home late. And still I said, it’s okay. I mean seriously? Who am I to stop him? jowa? jowa? But I found myself.. waiting for him to come home. waaah! I’m so inlove na po! Then in the morning he called. explaining why he got home so late. Telling me stories of what happened. Then asking me, Why are you up so early? I answered, I haven’t slept yet. He then asked Why? and I just found myself telling him that I was waiting for him to come home. He then said it again. I LOVE YOU.. I really don’t know what with him and I’m not really sure if he meant it or he’s just drunk. You’re just drunk I said. And he responded, no.. I really do.. I’m drunk but I definitely know what I’m saying. Then for some reason, I felt sad. So before feeling depressed. I held on to all the courage I ever had in the world to tell him. That I am HIV positive. I told him that I dont really know how he feel for me and I don’t really know if he like me or not. If he’s not interested in me then it’s okay. If he like me, then I’m already saying that I am sick before he falls on a deeper emotion. It was a sad confession of a sick guy. I know, I know.. I immediately cut off all the happiness in me, in us. He then called and said he read my messages confessing about my status. He said he just closed his eyes and felt sad. But then he said, he thought about it and it’s okay. He then said we can’t really choose who to fall in love with and in your case, I fell in love with you. (Ganda ng lola nyo!).

SO pozzie brothers and sisters. My ever dearest blood siblings. There is still love despite of all the sickness that we have. Just like what a friend of mine said. Being HIV positive does not make you less than who you are. :)

We are now on our 16th month and counting. Love, if you ever found yourself reading this blog post, this is for you. I love you. :)

[littleangelicboy]

ALL THE EVEN NUMBERS THAT YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH

0: Height?-...5'0... 2. Shoe Size?-idk but SMALL -my friend is always like '!!! Your feet are so tiny it's so cute!!!' -WELL THEY DON'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT SMALL FEET SO!!! 4. Do you drink? -barely -that's just in general too -water? never heard of her 6) Age You Get Mistaken For? -It's always either younger or older than I actually am!!! Usually it's younger too!!! -someone thought I was 16 -and then someone else thought I was 13/14 -I'M 15 8) Want Any Tattoos? -NO THANK YOU I CAN'T HANDLE PAIN I CRY EVERYDAY FROM SOMETHING SHARP POKING MY FOOT IN THE CARPET AND I THINK IT'S A DEMON BC I CAN NEVER FIND THE SHARP THING BUT IT HAPPENS CONSTANTLY 10) Want Any Piercings? -not really -earrings give me anxiety -also I'm allergic to fake bitches so :/// -(no actually I'm allergic to fake gold and stuff and I can't have those cute tiny earrings I need hoops)12) Relationship Status? -So single and too ready to mingle 14) Biggest Turn Offs? -"You just need a little dick to help with that asexualness!!!" -"All aces need is dick!!!" -"You'll love it once you have it!!" -NO FUCKIN THANK YOU I'LL RIP IT OFF AND HANG IT ON MY WALL AS AN ANIMAL HEAD TO SHOW ANY DICK HOLDER THAT TRIES TO "FIX" ME WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THEM -also -"Hey do you like being choked?" -stay far away from me I stg I have claustrophobia and if you choke me I will never talk to you again MY GOD AM I SCARED OF SUFFOCATION 16) I'll Love You If? -you put up with me -lol its a hard thing to do especially when you know me irl like -I am the human embodiment of a koala -you can ask Hazuki, all I ever do is cling onto him and never let him leave bc I hate being alone 18) Most Traumatic Experience? -Hmmm-probably 90% of middle school -jk it wasn't THAT MUCH -ummm... -oh jeez... -huh... -probably everyday I saw my abuser at school -I had heart attacks on a daily basis -But also!!! -when the school was told and I was convinced no one believed me bc SOMEHOW NO ONE IN THAT SCHOOL "PLAYGROUND" -IN OPEN DAYLIGHT!!! -SAW HER BEAT ME UP -LIKE?!?! HOW?!?! 20) What I Hate Most About Myself?-everything tbh man -I need too much attention, I'm too much in general, I'm too hung up on my trauma, I'm finding new trauma, I am beyond in love with my fp, I freak out everytime my fp doesn't text me back in five minutes or less, I freak out and hurt myself all the time, I could go on 22) What I Want To Be When I Get Older?-hmm... I want to help people I know that...-But I don't know if I could handle the psych field -But I also don't want to sit through 13 more years of school to be a doctor -then again children learn better without trauma right? -hahaha 24) My Relationship With My Parent(s)? -Dad: working on it I swear-Mom: it's a relationship that consists of BURNING HATRED, empathy, and my favorite "I'm rotten child, I'm rotten child, I'm rotten child" everyday all day 26) My biggest pet peeves? -when I tell someone to stop and they DON'T FUCKIN STOP -OR WHEN I SAY "Hey can you not yell it causes a bad physical response?" -SO THEY SCREAM -AND THEN THEY'RE LIKE "Why are you in the bathroom?!" -MAYBE BECAUSE I'M HAVING A PANIC ATTACK AND YOU'RE LITERALLY SCARING THE SHIT OUT OF ME -"Why are you in the medicine cabinet?!" -BC I'M GOING TO HAVE A FUCKIN ASTHMA ATTACK FROM FORGETTING HOW TO BREATHE BC YELLING SCARES ME -anyways when people don't listen to me 28) A Description of the Person I Dislike the Most?-oh here we go :)-They are light skinned :)-kinda chubby :)-blue grey eyes and dirty blonde hair :)-hopefully they never see this :) -Bc I never added them back on snapchat :)30. What I Hate Most About School/Work?-fuck probably that they always assume I'm not paying attention or trying -I mean usually I'm not bc I expect to be dead -BUT IT STILL HURTS WHEN I AM!!! 32. What Words Upset Me The Most? -failure (my abuser called me that pretty much every day it's my number one trigger) -rebel (reminds me of my abuser) -idk that's it pretty much 34) What I Find Attractive in Women?-if they can just chill and roll with me -and not pressure me to do anything -call me bad but I don't like the whole 'I'm big and bad' bc once again reminds me of my abuser -But you know when they get excited easily that's adorable BC SAME 36) Where I Would Like to Live? -Ireland so I can finish this goddamn language and say "I'm bad with those" instead of "I'm bad with sitting" 38) My childhood career choice? -A singer/ballerina/marine something -I had a big obsession with animals and for the longest time it was just 'something to do with animals' 40) Who I Wish I Could Be? -ANYONE BUT ME 42) Last Thing I Ate? -Strawberries and Raspberries!!! 44) A Random Fact About Anything? -I have the biggest fear of bees omg I can't handle them keep them all away