#aphrodite star

[bikiniarmorbattledamage]

This is truly stiff competition for the worst case of willful false equivalence we've ever seen.

So, for those not aware: Ongoing embarrassment to gamers and the gaming industry, Mark Kern (former lead on FireFall), has been desperately trying to get Gamergate 2 going on X/Twitter... well after others have given up. If you need to get caught up on Mark, I recommend this video by documentary maker and experienced game developer, Dead Domain:

One of the latest fiascos in this mix has been the comparison of responses to character designs from Hades 2 (Aphrodite, left) and Stellar Blade (protagonist Eve, right). The post isn't by Mark, but is part of the general harassment campaign he's trying to lead.

If you're somehow not familiar with Aphrodite, she's the Ancient Greek goddess of love, lust and hot girl shit. It is absolutely perfect characterization for her to show up to a battle (or anything else) nude but for her hair teasingly covering the intimate parts of her body. But the buried lede here is, you don't fight her in Hades and nothing about Hades 2 indicates she'll fight there either, she just likes the aesthetic and has no reason not to indulge.

Stellar Blade will release on 26 April 2024, so we can't really give an informed discussion of her character. But what we do know is the studio head is the illustrator from Blade & Soul, Eve is described as being a member of "the 7th Airborne Squad" engaged in an "operation to reclaim the planet from the Naytiba", and the promotion material promises "an enthralling narrative filled with mature themes, mystery and revelation. Embrace the relentless pace, with no time to pause between moments where critical, story-changing decisions are made."

It's to be compared to games like Nier: Automata, Devil May Cry 5, Jedi: Fallen Order and Sekiro. And the screenshots look like this:

And yeah, unlike Bayonetta she's not supposed to be an unstoppable force of nature (and fashion) who is immune to self-doubt, she's supposed to be the scrappy underdog last survivor of her team.

Weird they gave her a costume that conveys... the opposite of literally everything they're supposed to be trying to tell you about her.

-wincenworks

[divinecouture]

[forgotten-amongs-the-stars]

Lady Aphrodite

HOMERIC HYMNS. VI. TO APHRODITE

I will sing of stately Aphrodite, gold-crowned and beautiful, whose dominion is the walled cities of all sea-set Cyprus. There the moist breath of the western wind wafted her over the waves of the loud-moaning sea in soft foam, and there the gold-filleted Hours welcomed her joyously. They clothed her with heavenly garments: on her head they put a fine, well-wrought crown of gold, and in her pierced ears they hung ornaments of orichalc and precious gold, and adorned her with golden necklaces over her soft neck and snow-white breasts, jewels which the gold-filleted Hours wear themselves whenever they go to their father's house to join the lovely dances of the gods. And when they had fully decked her, they brought her to the gods, who welcomed her when they saw her, giving her their hands. Each one of them prayed that he might lead her home to be his wedded wife, so greatly were they amazed at the beauty of violet-crowned Cytherea.

Hail, sweetly-winning, coy-eyed goddess!

[aeb-art]

note: the following is three (almost four) years post-game

okay fine i'll just draw comics for my au since writing is so dang hard smh

anyways welcome to two coins! where loop shows up again but siffrin only got the one hat ending

edit: part two

[dea-syria]

“I,” said a voice—“I am Desire. In Greece I am revered, and there I am Aphrodite. In Italy I am Venus; in Egypt, Hathor; in Armenia, Anaitis; in Persia, Anâhita; Tanit in Carthage; Baaltis in Byblus; Derceto in Ascalon; Atargatis in Hierapolis; Bilet in Babylon; Ashtaroth to the Sidonians; and Aschera in the glades of Judæa. And everywhere I am worshipped, and everywhere I am Love. I bring joy and torture, delight and pain. I appease and appal. It is I that create and undo. It is I that make heaven and people hell. I am the mistress of the world. Without me time would cease to be. I am the germ of stars, the essence of things. I am all that is, will be, and has been, and my robe no mortal has raised. I breathe, and nations are; in my parturitions are planets; my home is space. My lips are blissfuller than any bloom of bliss; my arms the opening gates of life. The Infinite is mine. Mary, come with me, and you shall measure it.”

--Edgar Saltus, "Mary Magdalen"

[secret-agent-of-bullshitery]

If we got to see in depth, the repercussions of any of the demigods in pjo i think it'd be interesting to see Will's.

Will, who heals people, absorbing their pain, their wounds eating away at him, literally.

He can calm people down but at the same time, takes in their anxiety, causing him to go into panic attacks at random and develop anxiety himself.

His vein's turning dark as he's overworked by healing, his body growing weaker and weaker until his skin turns an ashy gray.

His body, littered with scars from the moments in battle where he cannot heal them and must bear the reminder of them forever.

He can heal wounds but not scars, he's terrified when he finds out at 12 years old, when he's healed an Aphrodite kid and they get upset with him because there's a deep scar left over on their skin, he's terrified at the reminder that, although he is half god, at his core he is human.

[vie2star]

[allgirlsareprincesses]

I am Venus: Folktale Motifs in Queen Charlotte

Adapted from my 2023 Twitter thread

How the love story of George and Charlotte subverts the classic animal bride and groom tales for a new generation:

We begin with clear swan maiden motifs, with Charlotte as the captured bride betrothed against her will. When the dowager princess refuses to allow her to wear the wedding gown she selected, this is stealing the animal skin (or power) of the animal bride.

What’s more, George’s mother insists she wear an English wedding gown. Clothing the bride claims her for the mundane world, separating her from her otherworldly home. In a typical swan maiden tale, she would flee the moment she recovers her stolen skin.

Then comes the first subversion of the tale: George gives her the option to leave, symbolically returning her animal skin and her power. And Charlotte chooses not only to stay, but also to wear her own wedding gown, thus claiming his world as hers.

Next we see Fruit Maiden motifs, as Charlotte is twice prevented from picking her own oranges. In these tales, the prince cuts open two oranges before discovering his true bride in the third. When Charlotte finally picks her own orange, she once again claims her power.

Later, we see hints of Star Lovers. George has already mentioned his interest in astronomy, but now we see his observatory. This fascination with the heavens and his role as monarch suggests that he is a star husband and Charlotte is his mortal bride.

However, Charlotte also originally called him a beast or troll, and as we see more of George’s mental health struggles, we realize that he does indeed see himself as the animal husband, unworthy of his celestial bride.

When she discovers him in the garden calling to Venus, Charlotte explicitly associates herself with the planet and thus with the goddess of the same name. It turns out SHE is the star bride after all, and George is the mortal husband.

In fact, as the king associates more and more with his "Farmer George" persona, even using this knowledge to assist Charlotte in birth, it becomes clear he is the earthly husband, always digging down while gazing up.

He allows himself to be practically buried in the cellar under the doctor's horrible "treatments," and hides under the bed to escape the sight of the heavens. His only light is his wife, descended from the sky of her own choice.

Mythically, the monarch is the conduit between heaven and earth. When Charlotte the Star Bride meets George the Earthly Husband in the middle, two halves become whole, and they are able to rule together.

Swan Maidens, Star Brides, and Fruit Maidens are nearly always captive brides. Their agency is not a factor in most folktales, but Queen Charlotte turns this on its head by making its heroine a goddess, giving her the power and choice to love as she wishes.

This story's thesis is vital in today's world where nothing seems certain: that life is lonely, so if you are fortunate to find your person, you choose to love them even when it's hard and painful. That feminine desire matters at every age. And that love can work miracles.

[thrashkink-coven]

Doing research on Lucifer and seeing people asking all the time if Lucifer and Aphrodite are related and the answers always being “WHY would they be? They’re from completely different beliefs?? Just because they’re both connected to Venus? There’s no basis besides that,” and I roll my eyes into my throat so hard. Maybe soon I’ll do a post about Lucifer and Aphrodite and how they both have a common ancestor in Attar/ Ashtar, or how they both contribute to the larger persona of Venus. I’ve just seen so many comments from people baffled as to why so many Luciferians work with Aphrodite and why people keep asking this question as if the connection is crazy.

To make a lot of history painfully short, because the Gods are not human they can be multiple things at once. That doesn’t mean Aphrodite is or isn’t Lucifer, his mother, or his daughter. It means that Venus has many faces.

Inanna (Sumerian) -> Attar - Helel (Ugaritic, Canaanite) -> Ishtar (Mesopotamian, Akkadian) *All inspirations for the attributes and story of Lucifer through the Descent of Inanna and fall of Attar, both Inanna and Attar are sex changing* -> Astarte (Phoenician) -> Aphrodite - Phosphorus- Eosphoros- Hesperus (Greek) -> Venus - Lucifer (Roman- name used only to describe the astrological aspects of the planet Venus as the morning star, not a “character” or God himself) -/-> The name Lucifer is added to the Bible, creating his connections with Satan.

Lucifer as Helel, not Satan, retains his traits derived from Inanna (Pride, rebellion, rising/falling, sex and love) just as Aphrodite retains her attributes from Astarte and so on. This is why I always say I consider Lucifer to be the divine masculine aspect of the Venus godhood. Inanna represents love in all forms, other archetypes focus in on love in specific forms. Self love in Lucifer, carnal love in Astarte, vengeful love in Aphrodite Aria, etc. His name as Lucifer is relatively new in this timeline but his persona and characterization are very present further back in time, especially in relation to his association with snakes. I wouldn’t go as far as to call Lucifer and Aphrodite the same entity exactly, just as Inanna is not Astarte or Aphrodite. But all of these energies interconnect and build on each other throughout time depending on societies idea of righteousness. Don’t even get me started on the connection between Aphrodite, the nymphs, Hesperus, the graces, Lucifer and his daughters omg. I’ll definitely make a post about it at one point.

[starsthewitch]

More Aphrodite facts!! ^ ^

⭑ The Aphrodite of Knidos was sculpted during the 4th century BCE.

⭑ Aphrodite has 17 known children based on ancient literature and text! These children include Eros, Phobos, Peitho, Priapus, the Three Graces, Aeneas, Hermaphroditus, and more.

⭑ Some of her symbols include but are not limited to: Golden apples, the evening star, the number 5, eggs, and the triangle.

⭑ There is a flower named after Aphrodite! The Calycanthus Aphrodite, or also known as the sweetshrub, is greatly valued for its sweet and fruity floral fragrance.

⭑ There are actually more artworks of Aphrodite than any other classical mythological creature!

⭑ Aphrodite’s name has been spelled and officially recognized in many different ways! Some of these alternative names include Afrodite and Afroditi. In Greece, she is also known as Acida’lia which is derived from the well of Acidalius located near Orchomenos. This place is also known to be a place where Aphrodite used to bathe with the Three Graces. She is also known as Acraea in other temples and Ambologe-ra in Sparta.

⭑ Pomegranates were also once associated with Aphrodite!

⭑ When Aphrodite was created, she was immediately in her adult form. There are no records of Aphrodite in her infancy or childhood, nor are there any mentions of such in ancient Greek texts and mythologies.

[shinning-stxr]

"Love is powerful. It can bring the gods to their knees"

[butts-art]

Aphrodite

[scribble-kitti]

A couple dawing requests from Instagram the other day <3

[forgotten-amongs-the-stars]

i found the perfect thing for aphrodite's alter

[knightofthenewrepublic]

[octarinespill]

Alexandra Kadinopoulou - Aphrodite in the Night Sky, 2021