#currently playing with 'ananke'. :)

[sheeshiki]

haha remember that one time i attempted to make a comic because i kept thinking of noraxia dying and i wanted to emotionally express myself but eventually gave up on it bc No Time and No Motivation?

................. i'm doing it again but this time after finishing 5.3. fml this game kicks my heart around and tears it into a million pieces and it's not fair!!!!!!!

[liquidstar]

Between commissions I finally managed to finish this OC set of parent characters! If the looks aren't enough to show you who their kid is, the background colors match them ^_^ but of course more details below!

Name: Thuban

Name origin: The former pole star, before the north star (Polaris), it's name means "Large snake" and is referred to as the “Dragon's tail”

Pronouns: He/him

Age: N/A

Relation: Raised Polaris, though they're not related by blood and have a somewhat distant relationship, until he suddenly went MIA

Weapon: Spear (Same as Polaris's)

Ethos (Power): N/A

Flaw power is based on: N/A

Notes: Make no phallic jokes about the large snake thing and you'll be rewarded

Name: Ananke

Name origin: A moon of Jupiter, named for the mythological spirit of necessity, inevitably, and compulsion

Pronouns: She/her

Age: -

Relation: Bella's mother, she raised her to be a warrior

Weapon: Bardiche

Ethos (Power): Indomination (The ability to freeze the movement of objects and people, and lock them in place)

Flaw power is based on: Her strict enforcement of obedience through authoritarianism, and a lack of concern for the wishes of others

Notes: She believes in tough love. It's better in the long run to give your kid strength rather than affection.

Name: Rhea

Name origin: A moon of Saturn named after the Titan known as the mother of the gods

Pronouns: She/her

Age: 38

Relation: Saiph's mother, though she gave him up to the guild when he was very young

Weapon: None

Ethos (Power): None

Flaw power is based on: N/A

Notes: Was unable to take care of a baby at the time, and gave Saiph to the guild. She wishes she'd visited beyond that but it's probably too late now...

Name: Arche

Name origin: One of Jupiter's moons, it's name comes from the muse of new beginnings and is associated with springtime

Pronouns: He/him

Age: 7

Relation: Saiph's half-brother. Neither currently knows the other exists

Weapon: None

Ethos (Power): None

Flaw power is based on: N/A

Notes: He's just a little guy. He likes flowers and playing with toys. He wants to be a cool hero like his dad

Name: Poerava

Name origin: A star in Tucana, the Maori word for a black pearl of mystical beauty and perfection

Pronouns: She/her

Age: -

Relation: Al's mom. She mostly raised him on her own while her husband was with the knights.

Weapon: None

Ethos (Power): None

Flaw power is based on: N/A

Notes: Probably the best parent of the bunch if we're being real.

[keikoii]

Spirits of Sadira

(Fantasy, greek icons, +3.7k words)

It was 750 BC when the old infamous Mount Olympus crashed… The life of the gods that many worshipped has all been taken away within the span of a year. Although it may seem like it was a long time for an entire empire to crash, it was like it all crashed within a few days for those who suffered from the Dreums. Why don’t we go back to right before it started?

“Uncle, Maysie got out of her stall again, do you want me to go get her or can she free roam for a while?” Ameiah asked as she watched the Clydesdale she named roam around her uncles farm. “Let her free roam for the time being, let her go back in when she wants to.” Ameiah’s uncle said as he sharpened his sickle. The 19 year old girl nodded as her winged ears fluttered, the opal feather shivering from the soft breeze running through the air. The girl was born with a deformity, blessed with winged ears, dropped on the doorsteps of her mortal uncle by her father, Hermes, and her mother, Peitho, who happened to be one of Hermes’s consorts. They left her on his doorsteps with a note stating these words, almost bringing tears to the man’s eyes as the baby cooed. The man was heartbroken to find out what had happened for these circumstances to end up on his doorstep.

“Dear Antaeus… I know this is a lot to get bring on suddenly, but you will understand after reading this message… As you know, Peitho recently bought Ameiah into the world and everything was alright, until we noticed that towns here being deserted for no reason... cities and villages all gone after a peaceful day... Peitho and I started to investigate it... The Dreums are back... someone is harming Sadira… All the spirits are coming back, and they are claiming the lives of our people... Zeus and the others refuse to investigate this and believe us, so they casted us out. I knew that we were in danger, and it would break my heart if something happened to Peitho or Ameiah... So, I’m leaving Adeia in you care... by the time you read this, Peitho and I are in Sadira…”

Most of those that live near Olympus or know the history on it knew Dreums were not anything to play with. Dreums were vengeful brought back by hades during his reigning era. He brought them back in hopes of creating an army to overpower the city of Olympus. It worked at first... Until they came after him as well. It was like they couldn’t tell the difference over who ruled over them. Eventually taking his soul and bringing it to Sadira, the lotus tree of souls, everyone goes there when their physical body turns to ashes and forms the spiritual soul, floating away to Sadira in the partially abandoned land of Heraclea Pontica. After the down fall of the world, the leading gods, Cronus, Rhea, and Ananke All came together to form what is now known as Tragedy’s Heart, formed from the souls of Cronus, Rhea, and Ananke. Tragedy’s Heart collected every Dreum that had been roaming the lands and held them in the glowing heart shaped figure. They stored the heart in Sadira, in hopes that no one would find it. Unfortunately, Hades son, Plutus, had plan to keep his father’s plan in action and sought out for the heart, and eventually found it, shattering it into three pieces and spreading across the land of Olympus before he walked right into the Dreums, ending his fate and keeping his secret safe.

It had been 103 years since everything happened, leading up to current events. Dreums still roamed the world as we know of it and many souls would be added to Sadira day. Fortunately, Ameiah was unaware of this due to her uncle keeping her secluded from the dangers of the world. Ameiah was tending to the vegetable garden when you she heard giggling coming from afar. She was cautious as it sounded like two children, nothing like her uncle, she held her trowel up with weary as she approached the voice. She turned the corner of her house, dropping the garden tool as she witnessed to floating babies, with wings?

“Oh, my gods… What are you?!” She shrieked as the two figures stopped laughing and turned to her with a dumbfounded expression. “We’re Cherubs, duh! What else would we be?” one cherub with green hair said as the other, marked with grayish shade of blue hair said as if it was common sense.

“What is a cherub?” Ameiah asked the cupids as the two floating babies looked at her with a shocked expression. “You don’t know what a cherub is? Were cupids babies, we help people fall in love with their fated soulmates. I’m Beau and this is Honey.” Said the Green haired one, now known as Beau, and the blue haired one, Honey. Ameiah nodded in understanding. “So, why are you here then? Do you know who my soulmate is or something?” Ameiah asked as she dusted her skirt off, clearing the moist soil off it. “Oh no Ameiah, us and the world need you!’ Beau exclaimed as he flew around the young adult. “What do you mean the wor- Wait… I never told you my name...” Ameiah cautiously noticed as she picked up the garden tool once again, aiming at the Cherubs. “Wait! Don’t be frightened. I promise we mean no harm! We know everybody in the world, and we would especially need to know you if you’re going to be the world’s hero!” Honey explained, leaving Ameiah confused.

After Honey and Beau explained why they needed Ameiah as the worlds savior, Ameiah understood everything, quickly taking in the information as the cherubs lead Ameiah to a water. Ameiah took notice that the waterfall looked out of the ordinary as if someone just built it in the middle of nowhere. “Prepare for a drop!” The cherubs exclaimed at the same time as they pushed the girl into the waterfall.

Ameiah opened her as she blinked the darkness away, only to find two giant women standing above her, dressed in silks, one in a grayish green and the other purple. The women gasps and stood up all the way when Ameiah sat up, finding herself on a large bed, as if built for giants. Ameiah looked at giantesses with astonishment at their beauty. “… Who are you…?” the girl questioned as the women smiled. “I’m Demeter and this is Daphne! You must be Ameiah, right? Hermes and that snake, Peitho’s, daughter?” Demeter introduced as she hissed out your mother’s name. “You know my parents? How come they left me on my uncles doorstep? Did you bring me here?! Why am I here and what’s all this about ‘Dreums’ or whatever?!” Ameiah panicked as she questions the women. “Did Honey and Beau not explain everything to you?” Daphne questioned as she scolded the cherubs. “No, no, they did. I’m confused on why you think I’m the hero that going to defeat these Dreums?” Ameiah questioned as the two women helped her up. “In the prophecy, the child of a god and a consort born with winged ears is destined to be savior of the world form the Dreums. That is, you! It is Daphne and I’s duty to train you for the world, and that starting today. Come on! Up, Up, up!” Demeter rushed as she brought Ameiah to her feet, dragging her outside as she prepared different obstructions.

Within the span of 2 months, Daphne and Demeter endlessly trained the 19 year old as she gained skills and intelligence, upping in strength and personality as she was finally on her last obstacle, which happened to be a question from Demeter. “Why did hades turn on everyone?” The question stunned the girl as she pondered on the question. “How am I supposed to know?” Ameiah questioned. Demeter raised an eyebrow. “You have read the prophecy, right? You have been training for 2 months, yet you can’t answer this? Ameiah, don’t disappoint me please…”

Ameiah furrowed her eyebrows as she quickly got frustrated, she crossed her arms. “What do you mean disappoint you? I haven’t done anything at all and your already on my back about this question. This is supposed to be my last question, why don’t you let me have a break!” Ameiah’s tone increased as she got closer to Demeter, Daphne and the cherubs worried in the background. The two started to argue as the room reeked of tension. The bystanders biting their lips in hope that the arguing would come to see, only to see it get worse.

“Well, why don’t you go and fight the Dreums yourself?! Hopefully, you fail and get swallowed up by one of them!” Ameiah shouted as she stormed into the house, locking herself in her room. Demeter, Daphne, and the cherubs stood there with shocked expressions after hearing the words from the teens mouth, resulting in Demeter storming off to her room as well, slamming the door.

Hours later, Daphne convinced the cherubs to talk to Demeter while she talked with Ameiah.

“Ameiah, dear… I know that think Demeter is on you for not answering the question, but I promise you that she’s only looking for things in your best interest and I know you think that you can’t answer the question or that there’s no answer to it, but you can and there is an answer to it, it’s in your mind, you just have to find it.” Daphne reassured the teen as she sat on the Ameiah’s bed.

“But what if I don’t? and what if Demeter doesn’t forgive me for what I said, I know that it was pretty mean to say…” Ameiah frowned, scooting to the edge of the bed to sit next to Daphne.

“I know that she’ll forgive you, she used to be like you when she was a teen y’know” Daphne giggled as she tried to lighten the situation up.

“Really? Demeter, Goddess of the agriculture, fertility, the harvest, and the earth… used to be like me? I don’t believe it...” Ameiah questioned.

“Yes, yes, she was the sassiest and brattiest teenager known in her age, no one could convince that girl otherwise when it can to things she wanted or didn’t like!” Daphne exclaimed as the laughter died down.

“Now why don’t you go and apologize before she really doesn’t forgive you?” The goddess suggested as she stood up and opened the door. Ameiah nodded as she walked out of the room and knocked on Demeter door.

“Hey Demeter… I’m sorry for yelling at you like that... I never meant it and I shouldn’t have said it... You’re like a mother to me, you really are, you helped me train to defeat the Dreums… Do you forgive me...?” Ameiah confessed as she hoped Demeter was accept her apology, only to be met with silence…

Ameiah huffed with sadness and disappointment as she turned around and walked away, only to a soft voice coming from Demeter’s room. “Of course I forgive you, come here...” Demeter forgave with a small smile and open arms. Ameiah smiled widely and rushed to meet her embrace.

A 2 weeks later, Ameiah was set on her mission and was on her to find all three pieces of Tragedy’s Heart with Daphne and Demeter. Fortunately, they have already found one piece. Every time they encountered a Dreum, they used the piece they found toward them off. Finally, after another week of looking for all the piece for the heart, she found the second piece in the land of Pagasae. All that is left is the biggest piece, but there seems to absolutely no clues on it, as if it doesn’t exist.

After a few days of rest, of course after defeating some Dreums that dared to cross their way, Ameiah, Demeter, Daphne, and the cherubs we figured out why they couldn’t find where the last piece was. It was the middle of the night when Daphne and Demeter were examining the map when the wind blew the sacred paper out of the women’s hands, flying into the fire they had used for a source of heat and light. The two women gasped as it landed in the blaze, only for it to remain untouched, and instead, revealed a hidden cave in the center of… The Realm of Elysium? The realm of Elysium was Demeter’s domain. Surprisingly, Demeter raised an eyebrow in confusion as she had no knowledge in the last piece being in her domain. Daphne laughed in shock and surprise as she went to go wake up Ameiah. Ameiah woke up with a sweat as Daphne shook her from her sleep as Daphne explained what had happened, Ameiah’s fatigue completely vanished as she sat up all the way.

“Really?! That’s amazing to hear! We’ll set out first thing in the morning!” Ameiah exclaimed as she moved to tuck her left back in the makeshift bed. Daphne nodded and went back to Demeter who had gotten the untouched map out of the blazing fire.

The second the sun has shown its face in the horizon, the cherubs were the first to wake up, soon followed by Ameiah and Demeter. Demeter took it to herself to wake up the not-so- morning person of the group, leaving a tired and grumpy Daphne to brush the dirt of her silks.

It had been no more than five minutes to get to Demeter’s domain, as she had the ability to transport herself and anyone, she wanted to it in the matter of minutes. Ameiah opened her eyes as she took in the botanical scenery around her, finding all diverse types of plants and trees of the sort. There had been a long pathway to where the last piece was according to the map.

The five people had started the journey as soon as they had refreshed themselves and freshened up. It took 6 hours to get at least ¾ of the way as all of them had the courage, only to be stopped by a large horde of Dreum. It took energy and at least 30 minutes of their time to defeat the horde. As the group got closer, the more hordes and herds of Dreums there were. It was vividly taking a toll on the group as they grew weaker on their own, Demeter’s and the Cherub’s powers coming to their limits, Daphne’s, and Ameiah combat skills weaking in strength and the two pieces of the heart they obtained, powers weakening in strength as well. They had finally gotten to where the map had shown where the last piece was. It was the top of Sadira…

Before anyone could produce a plan, the serene sky had washed over with a moody and mourning color. As the group was focused on the sky changing, there was a low rumble in the area as Sadiras branches were losing souls, only mean one thing… The group turned their heads with a horrified and shocked expression as they noticed a large horde of Dreums surrounding them, inclosing them in a medium sized space.

The group collectedly worried for the future of their lives as the circled continued to shrink. Demeter and the Cherubs were running out of power, blinking in and out. Demeter produced a quick plan as she called out to Ameiah, catching her attention as she signaled to Ameiah to jump. As Ameiah listened and jumped, Demeter spawning thick vines under her to shoot her to the top of Sadira. Ameiah quickly understood what she needed to do as Daphne and the Cherubs kept trying to use the pieces of Tragedy’s Heart to ward the Dreums away, sadly failing as the Heart’s power faded, the glowing gem’s light going in and out as they huddled up to Demeter in hopes of them helping each other.

Ameiah quickly grabbed the last piece as she made her way down the tree and into the circle with the rest of her group. She held the heart up and quickly reached for the other fading pieces, connecting them together. The group had watched the Heart glow with life for a few seconds only to completely shut off, the groups smiles left their faces and disappointment washed over.

The Dreums got closer as the five huddled up together, The Cherubs whining as they huddled in between Demeter and Daphne’s arms. Demeter and Daphne holding each other as the wind blew through their hair. Ameiah searched in panic as she picked up the Tragedy’s Heart.

“No, no, no! why isn’t it working!? It’s supposed to defeat the Dreums, why isn’t it working!” Ameiah panicked as she grabbed the heart, shaking, hoping for some sort of glow. Demeter looked at the girl with sorrow as she put her hand on Ameiah’s shoulder, pulling her into Daphne’s and her embrace. Ameiah fell into her embrace as she had a look of defeat as she embraced the goddess back, eyes still locked on the dull heart.

The Dreums approached the sorrowful group and eventually swallowed them up. The group turned to stone as every detail in their face was captured. The statues eventually started to ash away, turning to dust as the ashes flew into the air, glowing a bright blue. The souls flew into the air as their souls flew into the direction of Sadira. The groups souls had already landed on the branch, their souls turning into the very leave that makes the tree soul wonderful. The Dreum start to speed away looking for next people to avenge when suddenly, a bright glowing light blared across the realm, decimating all Dreums in its way… Tragedy’s Heart’s life had come back, fulfilling its duty, and succeeding the reason it was created.

Every soul that had been taken and turned was falling from the branches of Sadira, much like the autumn leaves of a tree in fall. Everything had been restored as the cities had been inhabited ad ridden of life was full and lively. The realm of Elysium’s plants color had been restored as the plants and shrubs practically glowed with life.

All five of the members had reversed everything they needed as their statues reformed, and eventually turned back the original materials, skin, fabrics, all sorts of thing. The former statures, now people stayed still before their chests finally breathed out, indicating life in the people. Ameiah opened her eye and looked around, reveling in the restored scenery. She smiled and laughed in a victory as she felt the rest of her friends chest move against her and knew they were alive and alright. The rest of the group moved as they relished in the new scenery and smiled along with Ameiah. After a minute of regrouping, Demeter transported the group back to Mount Olympus as they looked at the scenery. Buildings destroyed, palaces turned to rubble, but the people had been restored as the city was partially thriving like once again.

It took a few hours but eventually, Demeter took the group to Daphne’s cottage, where the Cherubs had originally taken Ameiah to after shoving her into the waterfall. Ameiah had been chatting with the group for hours on end when suddenly a knock on the front door was heard. Ameiah offered to open the door as she walked to it. She opened the door with a smile before it shrunk with a confused look.

At the door, A woman and a man stood there with heartfelt smiles. Ameiah noticed that man had winged ears just like her and that the woman had looked closely related to each other as she connected the dots.

“Mom? Dad?” She questioned as she stood at the door. Demeter and Daphne overheard her words and perked up, speed walking to the door. Daphne squealed and moved to hug the man as she hugged him tight. The man chuckled awkwardly as the woman next to him looked at him with a dangerous look. He opted to give Daphne a quick side hug and shrugged her off and waved to Demeter.

“Yes sweetie, it’s us! I’m so proud to see you all grown up!” the woman smiled and hugged Ameiah. Ameiah laughed in relief as she watched to the two people, finding all the similarities and differences between the two adults. Demeter offered to let the inside for a drink and to get to know Ameiah and vice verses.

“I’m so glad I got to finally meet you… I really am” Ameiah smiled as she hugged the two. The couple hugged back tightly and smiled along with Ameiah. All three of them walked out of Demeter’s home after saying their goodbyes. Hermes held Ameiah’s shoulder as they transported back to Ameiah’s uncle, and Hermes adopted brothers house.

As they all got to the porch, Ameiah knocked on the door, expecting there to be no answer due to her uncle usually going to sleep around sundown. Surprisingly, he immediately opened the door as he looked for Ameiah immediately, squeezing her tight when he noticed her, checking her for any injuries. He almost shed tears when he finally noticed the couple standing behind her as she stepped to the side.

Hermes immediately moved to hug his brother long and tight as they patted each other’s backs. They finally let go of the hug after a few seconds and Peitho stepped to hug the man as well as he welcomed her. He asked the family to come inside, and mostly asked Ameiah to explain why she disappeared out of nowhere and didn’t come back for months on end.

As she explained everything that happened, she asked her uncle if she could live with her parents now, of course offering to visit often and help take care of the animals in the barn she had been helping at since she ever could. The man hesitantly agreed and made her reassure that she would visit him. The family decided to stay with the brother for two weeks to catch up.

The family left after two weeks and often visited as Ameiah got used to her new scenery that she could now call home.

The End…

Spirits of Sadira…

[just-call-mefr1es]

(answer each individually) Out of Hypnos's 1096 moons, The major moons are only 8 moons. 5 females, 3 males. Those 8 are the only moons who have retained their personality even after being hypnotized. The Names of the moons are; Achlys, Ananke, Hemera, Nyx, Pontus, Mnemosyne, Menoetius, and Orion Females are Ananke, Hemera, Pontus, Orion, and Mnemosyne.

Males are Achlys, Nyx, and Menoetius. ---- Mnemosyne is the closest moon to Hypnos. She's the oldest of the Hypnoian moons and the main one that can be seen from a telescope. Mnemosyne used to be a dwarf planet, and was the first current-era moon that was hypnotized by Hypnos, and treated with absolute care by Hypnos. Hypnos always takes Mnemosyne's side when she is in conflict, and has always given her as much love as she can. That's right, we have another case of LESBIANS in the GAYnarum system.

---- Ananke is the older sister of Achlys. The two argue a lot, with Achlys always backing down. She's also pretty strong, having half the strength of Chloris and Galileo. She is Phanes' only friend. Hemera is basically the Triton of the Hypnoian moons. She's not really interested in most of the talk among the Hypnoian moons unless she has to take care of her younger siblings (which she has a HARD TIME doing. 1096 moons is no joke.) Pontus is the drama queen of the main moons. She always likes to have the center of attention on herself and also put on shows for the younger Hypnoian moons. She may seem snobbish on the outside, but is a very nice girl on the inside. Orion is a metal music lover. She has alot of punk motifs in her design, and has a big rock personality. Despite her loud personality, she's very friendly! ---- Achlys is the younger brother of Ananke. He's a "rowdy guy' type of moon; always looking for a fight and rough-houses a lot of the time. Strangely, he gets along with Chloris for no reason at all other than interest. Nyx is an odd one. He never responds to anyone except his friend Menoetius. It was said that when Menoetius formed, Nyx oddly got attached to him. He even said he loved Menoetius. He's still a very odd one, though. Menoetius is Nyx's only 'friend.' Called Meno by Nyx, he's the second most knowledgeable one of the moons. He's usually at Nyx's side, always willing to share new information with him. Rumour has it he was one of the key factors to stopping the Moon Revolution. this took 3 hours lol

YAYYGGY MOONSSSS

im totaleby not gonna write down those names to givr to my future grandchildren because theyre so badass whaaaa

oooo another moon that used to be a olanet?:00 super cool!! and the first? aweosme! awwww i find it so sweet how hypnos cared for herr tbsts adorable💗💗 and what is with these damned gays bro😒🤬🤬 come on🙄🙄🙄 /j

oooo dysfunctional sibling relationship i hear?>:333 god i love those. WOAHHH!?? half the strength as choris n galileo??? wowza that is STRONG. holy fuck i already struggle with one sibling, i cant imagine 1000 or so more😭😭 oooo pontus��� character seems rlly neat:O id love to hear more about her cjsndmsms. so with orion!! i jeed to see her design n chew on her grrr

DAMNN achlys😵‍💫 thats fery interesting. nyx i already love you. bro got emotionally attached to menoetius when he first formed, and said he loved him??? cutieesssss>_< WIAHHH MENOETIUS SMART AS HELL (even tho hes second knowledgeable but oh well) bro was oje of the key factors of stopping the moon revolution ????? thats sick asf i rlly wanna see how the moon revolution plays out in the GAYnarum system💞

three hours😭⁉️ holy dsmn🤕🤧🤧

[abookishdreamer]

Character Intro: Theodon (Kingdom of Ichor)

Nicknames- Theo by the others

The Black Prince by the people of Olympius

Age- 15 (immortal)

Location- The Underworld

Personality- He's an intelligent young man with a nihilistic sense of humor. Far mature than his years he's comfortably introverted (but doesn't actively avoid people), mysterious, brutally honest, & non judgemental.

He has the standard abilities of a god except shapeshifting. As the god of reality, uncertainty, & fate his other powers/abilities include limited umbrakinesis, inducing the feeling of confusion or uncertainty in others, chronokinesis (not on par with his mother, but still quite powerful), reality manipulation, psychometry, and is able to communicate with his mother's sacred animal- the snake.

Theo lives in the Underworld with his mother Ananke (goddess of inevitability, compulsion, & neccessity).

His bedroom has a dark academia aesthetic with the color scheme being forest green, gold, cobalt, silver, and black. Many of his own original artwork & sketches cover the walls as well as renaissance paintings and posters of his favorite movies & musical acts. He also owns an antique record player (which he bought from Hades). There's also a bookshelf (built from obsidian) filled with many books, including pristine leather bound first editions.

Theo owns a pet- a dragon with pale silver-green scales named Amaris (who's usually his mode of transportation). Sometimes he likes to help out in his mother's herpetarium.

There's never a shortage of black liquid eyeliner, statement rings, & dark nail polish for him!

A notable feature of Theo is his impressive height. At the age of fifteen, he slightly towers over his mother at 6''3!

A go-to drink for him is roast coffee with just a bit of sugar. He also enjoys earl grey tea, beer, pomegranate cola, lavender tea, dark cherry cola, and taro bubble tea.

Theo is currently on break from school. The godly schoolmates he talks to the most include Koalemos (god of foolishness), Circe (goddess of sorcery), Dysnomia (goddess of anarchy & lawlessness), Cedalion (demi-god of smithing ore), and Telesphorus (Rusty) (god of rehabilitation). Other godly students include Eileithyia (Ella) (goddess of childbirth), Morá (goddess of babies & children), Eirene (goddess of peace), Philautia (goddess of self love), Eunomia (goddess of law & legislation), Eleos (Ellie) (goddess of mercy, pity, & compassion), and Eiresione (Ren) (goddess of offerings).

Outside of school he's close and hangs out with Ascalaphus, son of Acheron (Titan god of pain).

At school it's well known of his high grades in AP Philosophy, AP Calculus, and Underworld Studies. He's also part of the drama club & photography club.

Theo's even taking a few classes at the University like quantum physics, astronomy, & engineering!

He can play the lyre, trombone, and piano.

His favorite treat to get from The Bread Box is a small mushroom soup.

Theo is currently being mentored by Lachesis (one of The Moirai who's known as "the allotter.") He already knew that this would be the case of course! He's enthralled so far in his mentorship- even getting a brief look at the process of making lifethread! There was a time when Theo had a crush on her, having a few wet dreams after coming across a black and white nude portrait of Lachesis- her signature bouffant and long loose curls & sharp winged eyeliner.

He smokes cigarettes and a bit of pot. Ascalaphus once gifted him a Stygian Iron bong!

He's also fluent in Old Greek, Latin, French, & Minoan.

Theo is looking forward to his induction ceremony, especially since he knows that Achlys (goddess of the death mist, poison, misery, & sadness) will do his tattoos!

Theo is undecided about the feelings he has towards another schoolmate Heimarmene (Marnie) (goddess of shared fate). Aside from a brief interaction on the steps of the University during a particularly rainy day, they don't really socialize. At school, he'll often find himself staring at her or vice versa. He's had more than a few visions of them both making out.

His favorite dessert from Hollyhock's Bakery is the espresso chocolate cheesecake.

Some of his favorite musical acts to listen to include Pale Blu, Blood in the Water, Death Theater, and Discordic Harmony.

In the pantheon Theo greatly admires Hades (god of the dead), Erebus (god of darkness), Moros (god of doom), Momus (god of mockery, satire, & ridicule); loves watching The Agnostic Network, Hecate (goddess of magic & witchcraft), Nemesis (goddess of retribution); who he also used to have a crush on, Favian (god of philosophy); has a signed harcover & paperback copy of every book he's published, and Keres (goddess of violent death).

He has even dog sat Cerberus a handful of times, with Hades paying him 100 drachmas!

Theo has a complicated relationship with his mother. On one hand he admires her intelligence & respects the fact that she's taking responsibility when it comes to handling her mental illness and how she treats him like a mature young adult, but on the the other hand, he sometimes wishes that Ananke was the kind of mom that asked how his day was or made a home cooked meal or volunteered spending time together. For the longest time as a kid, Theo thought that Acantha, a lampade who works for Ananke, was his actual mom instead of being a glorified nanny! The two of them still have a pretty close relationship! There used to be times when Theo was the mediator between Acantha & his mom every time she'd have a violent outburst. In a weird way, he does know that his mother loves him.

His all time favorite meal (which Acantha makes) is a filet mignon (well done) served with sauteed mushrooms, blackened asparagus, & garlic mashed potatoes.

His all time favorite movie is Blooddancer! He remembers going along with Ascalaphus to the premier at the Agesilaos Theater in the Underworld!

In his free time Theo enjoys calligraphy, ink painting, skateboarding, reading, writing poetry, listening to music, drawing, pottery, playing video games, chess, lava surfing, poker, and basketball.

"A brutal reality is always better than a sweet deception."

[ixkhor-and-ambroxia]

*happily takes the Hot Chocolate & Blankets & enjoys them :)*

But yeah, that's exactly it (how the Titanomachy works around/responds to this... power)! And, yes... but no (to the "can they be killed" question/comment).

So I imagine immortal blood--ichor--to be somewhat/technically alive and extremely volatile when given the chance. Usually this whole... quirk of ichor is well-hidden and not even a thought to be crossed to most immortal/ichor-holder's lives, except for three very specific circumstances: during an immortal's birth/ascension, when they are fading/near death, and when there is an excess of ichor in a small space that allows it to form a bigger puddle. You see, Ichor has a Primordial--Primordial Ichkor--who was created by Primordial Khaos as the embodiment/anchor/bridge between an Immortal's Conscious and an Immortal's Domain, basically allowing them to live via their domain and--later down the line--Belief that they exist (to Non-Primordials), but at some point, It was forced to personify into a liquid that the Primordial Fates/Ananke/Primordial Khaos shoved into the newly-created Titans and started a new race of immortals that held a consistent form and needed something such as ichor to sustain them and their form. And Primordial Ichkhor was not happy about this change--especially since this whole thing reduced It to a formless thing that barely managed to have a conscience through its personified domain, much less continue to have fully-formed thoughts. And the more immortals who required Ichor, the more spread out Ichkor became--so, for its every waking moment (which is all moments), It has tried to escape.

With how numerous the Immortal Populations are is Zeus's reign, its barely more than a stir of defiance to the medium-known gods and a laughable thought to the Olympians, but during the Titan Age, Ichkor had a lot more conscious. It made things difficult during the War and many of the battles were actually ended/stopped when there was too much Ichor around that started attacking everyone so both sides had to flee (since you can't kill a liquid). So, in general, everyone had to be weary of drawing blood or be powerful/confident enough that it didn't matter (as often happened with Hyperion, Atlas, Iapetus, and Kronos), but Poseidon's conditions were different.

You see, back then the Elder 6 didn't have their official domains. Yes, they had their powers and vague affiliations that they have now today, but they were not yet concrete. Which left some wriggle room for them and I, as an author. And so I played around with it and decided to give Poseidon the powers of Life. But not the cut and dry ones, no, I mean the ones that I can get my hands dirty with. So I combined the ideas of Fertility God(desse)s, Hydropower & Currents, and Poseidon's many Fatherings of Otherworldly/Monstrous Creatures--along with some other things that I could probably name but this is already long enough--to create the general idea of Life flows inside them. Not specific Life, no, but Life as a concept and possibility. Life as in Energy and stuff (which is why it generally has to interact with outside things to combine into an actual being capable of being alive). And so this creates the extra circumstances.

When Poseidon bleeds, the Life that churns inside its ichor interacts with the normal world & combines into beings/plants/creatures of... various circumstances and shapes, but the ichor inside it remains and sustains it. Poseidon's abilities basically allow Primordial Ichkor to have a temporary form to wreck havoc in because Ichor is the main driving point of the being--well, until it eventually gives out on itself because it has no organs or anything life-sustaining other then Ichor which eventually runs out of the energy Poseidon's body gave it--and so, yes, these things can die, but they cannot be killed. They are Immortal until they give out on themselves. For this, Primordial Ichkor is grateful and usually tries to attack only the Titan Side as a little 'thank you' but, sometimes... there's nobody else around... and Metis is tired of cleaning up everyone's wounds.

Hades wonders what the Fates were thinking giving such a destructive power to someone who's brain is constantly like 'ooh, shiny!' to literally anything and everything interesting/destructive that usually makes it bleed. Why, Primordial Fates, just why.

[Nyx agrees with that statement]

*appears on ur shelves*

Ya know what's a very interesting idea I've been playing with lately? Whenever its ichor is spilled, Poseidon's "blood" interacts with the life nearby it and merges with that to create terrifying monster-things which can be taken multiple ways: the serious, let's really get fucking into this thing and the crack, everyone's screaming and the siblings are just. Used to it.

Feel free to ask for more! (I need to get back into creating lore-)

*Hops on shelf next to u with blankets and hot cocoa*

In the Titan War, there was an unspoken rule when fighting Poseidon: don't draw blood

(Well, I guess it's okay if a little bit is spilled, but then u have to deal with a little *thing* snapping at your ankles. So it's a choose your own misfortune kinda thing ig)

Sei's siblings learned to keep an eye on him, cuz Poseidon is a little bastard with no regards for his own personal safety, and tends to want to touch any sharp and shiny object that comes in his peripheral vision, and his siblings are fed up with finding tiny monster droplet things running around.

Also, can these things be killed? Or are they just rampaging monsters until they harden and dry up?

I'm just curious

[ink--theory]

Manzanita “Anita” Idoya (Agent 4)

Tidbits

- 15

- She/Her

- Panromantic Asexual (in a romantic relationship with Shion and in a queerplatonic relationship with Ananke)

- The youngest and the shortest of the current agents

- Very touchy-feely, likes to show affection in however way she can to friends and family

- X in Rainmaker, S+ in all other modes ( doesn’t play often, when she does it’s usually with other ppl she knows)

- Mains both Trisloshers, Vanilla Carbon, and the Lunas ( can’t use any sort of charger for the life of her)

- Thinks of everyone in The NSS as the siblings she wished she had and like all the other agents, calls Cap’n “Gramps”

- Likes to think up of silly and ridiculous pet names for Shion in her spare time

- Only slightly knows how to read and write in inklish ( Marie has been teaching her)

- Has various little nicks and scars all over from her time as an agent ( as well as from various little accidents at work and everday life)

- Has 2 part-time jobs, one at a record/music store and another at Grizzco

- Has some self-esteem issues that she prefers to keep hidden from the others

- Is very close with Marie, usually goes to her when it comes to the more “heavier and deeper” stuff

- Loves Music, likes to ramble on and on about various obscure trivia on it to anyone who is willing to listen

[lilhemmo]

S U M M A R Y :

      “They just don’t understand us,” she whispers, her eyes faltering down to her bloodied hands. “We’re different, that’s all.”       She looks up at the statue of the terrifying figure of Hades, the god of the Underworld. The moonlight glints off of the marble as the cool air sweeps like a balm over her skin, the hair on her body standing on end.

      “They say that you’re a monster,” she smiles, her eyes shining under the stars, “but I don’t believe them.”

In other words, a retelling of the story of Persephone and Hades, in which Persephone can’t wait to get to the Underworld. 

last updated: august 4, 2019 more details under the cut:

MAJOR AUTHOR’S NOTE: you really do have to forget everything you think you know about mythology in order to read this without being super critical. the cast, for example, doesn’t exactly line up “age-wise” with how myths go, but it was fun and i picked who i thought fit best with the god/goddess that i chose. if you have any suggestions for the remaining/TBD characters and their roles, please feel free to send me a message! 

SUMMARY:  Hades, portrayed by Sweet Pea, is sent to rule the Underworld for his own safety after his brothers, Zeus (Reggie) and Poseidon (Jughead), tell him of a terrible prophecy which will ultimately result in his death. After a few hundred years, an unlikely mortal comes slipping through the Gates of Hades. She may turn out to be much more than she appears.

ao3 | wattpad | fic tag

fic master page | forbidden fruit details page

FIC IS UPDATED EVERY FRIDAY EVENING AROUND 9 PM EST (please let me know if you want to be tagged in future parts)

M A S T E R L I S T :

part one: the prophecy & the outcast part two: the downfall part three: the surface part four: the awakening part five: the disparity part six: the twins part seven: the warning part eight: the oracle part nine: the bolt part ten: the torment part eleven: coming soon! epilogue: coming soon!

C H A R A C T E R    C A S T :

ps links take you to a moodboard/picspam for the characters :) also note - some gods/goddesses are genderbent to better fit the casting roles!

MAJOR GODS/GODDESSES

persephone - lilith (oc) hades - sweet pea zeus - reggie mantle poseidon - jughead jones hera - veronica lodge artemis - cheryl blossom apollo - archie andrews dionysus - fp jones athena - betty cooper aphrodite - josie mccoy hermes - kevin keller ares - hal cooper hephaestus - fred andrews demeter - (no riverdale character, she is played by herself!) hestia - mary andrews MINOR GODS/GODDESSES

achlys: the goddess of poison - penelope blossom aether: the god of light and the atmosphere - TBD aion: the god of empirical time - TBD ananke: the goddess of inevitability, compulsion and necessity - hiram lodge khaos: the goddess of the chasm - chic chronos: the god of time - TBD erebus: the god of darkness and shadows - TBD eros: the god of love - TBD gaia: the mother earth goddess - TBD hemera: the goddess of daytime - TBD hypnos: the god of sleep - TBD nemesis: the goddess of retribution - alice cooper nesoi: the goddess(es) of the islands - TBD nyx: the goddess of the night - hermione lodge ourea: the goddesses of the mountains - TBD phanes: the god(dess) of light and goodness - TBD tartarus: the god of the inferno - TBD thanatos: the god of death - TBD uranus: the god of the heavens - TBD

A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY WONDERFUL FRIEND @thesweetestsweetpea FOR MAKING THIS STORY EVEN POSSIBLE. SERIOUSLY, WITHOUT HER, I WOULD HAVE STOPPED BEFORE I EVER GOT GOING. <3

current taglist (message to be added/removed):  @trash-trashington @blueboi-345 @sweetsserpent@omgspnfanfiction @bugheadworld360@myfavfanfix @fjziwnnfkcks@nohemi2500 @sophia-psycho4death@wintercourtsq @ellsbells2143@jezzabelleserpent @imyourliquor-youremypoison@serpentiinequeen @serpentcentral @reckless-love3210@brittanyvengeance @thatlittlesectoroftheuniverse@ansia-sapone@twopointthreefour @softpuregayangels@theheavycrown@fadingweaselpicklepurse @thick-madame748@oof-its-a-misfit@ominous066 @browneyesandsquishythighs@bettie-chachki-50-70@serenityofsuffering666@spsandfangsbestgirl2 @scorpionsuns@dwayyy @solosoulbrew@thebookfairy @kingbouji3@aliteralhotmess @rivendell101@southsidewrites @cactiem@reblogserpent @sweetsserpentine@worriestothewind@serpentnanarose @sweetpeasjelloshot@sweetpea-cc@cherysbombshell @beginningstofandom@southsidemistress@starryeyedparker @miffy-melly @exquisitley-obsessed@sweetpeasbabydoll @kinkysweetpea @writing-in-riverdale @the-gargoyle-queen @bitchiloveher @sweetpea-fvck@serpentsluttsstuff@sweetsfuckingpea @softherns@freakingbradleys @theangriestpea@sweetpeassweetpea@sweetpeasbellamy @inyourwildestdreamslove@sunshinechaos@stories-from-my-notebook@amazingphanisnotonfire-imagines@sweetserpents@fictionsofriverdale @buggiebreak @riverdale-events @otps-killing-me-not-softly @foxyfangurl@benhargreevestentacles @blush-and-books @helloscorpious@narvvi @fangirlfree @bvbblegvms@technoshuri @mari-cross@thedarksideofriverdale @griffins-and-gargoyles @melton-my-heart  @sweetfogarty @princesweetpea@xserpentlife @wayward-river @serpenthighkey @jinxfanfics @sweetpea-serpent-slut

[thehonestreader]

The Wicked + The Divine, Volume Eight: Old is the New New by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, Matthew Wilson, Clayton Cowles

Rating: D+

Every ninety years twelve gods of the Pantheon return. They’re loved. They’re hated. In two years, they’re dead. This volume takes us back to the times of four different Pantheons and shows how Ananke has played this same game for millennia.

--

Ugggggggggh. I’m over these books. But I’ve devoted years to them and at this point I feel like I have to finish.

This penultimate volume collects all the specials and, like Commercial Suicide, features a lot of guest artists, but unlike volume three, I liked all these different styles. I especially liked that I got to see more of Stephanie Hans’ art again. I remember liking her style back in volume three and it’s nice that this is the opposite of that. Her issue then was about Amaterasu, so the colors were very bright, and I remember liking how they all seemed to bleed into each other. It was beautiful. This one is darker, but I still like the effect.

1373 is my favorite story out of this. The time period, the art, the characters involved, they all worked together to charm me. My next liked is 455, I guess. It doesn’t do anything big picture except set up this animosity Ananke and Lucifer seem to have over the millennia, which explains why Luci was the first to die in the current Pantheon. I didn’t really get anything out of 1831. That’s the only issue I read when it first came out. 1923 is when things start going downhill, and they don’t stop after that. Gillen attempts to write the entire thing like a short story with a few panels of art here and there. I get why he did it, but that doesn’t make it any less terrible. The Christmas Annual feels like a waste. The funnies somehow manage to be extremely unfunny, and manage to be even more of a waste. I didn’t have very high expectations and this volume lived up to them.

There’s only one more volume left. I’m going to read it, I’m probably going to hate it, and then I can go on with my life and every once in a while think about the magnificence this series could have been if placed in better hands. There is always that small chance that the last volume will satisfy all my needs and blow me out of the water, but at this point it’s a slim chance. Let’s say, oh, fifteen percent.

-Review by C.M.

[sethnakht]

Rambling thoughts on Cass and on ending stories. 

THE WICKED + THE DIVINE #32, written by Kieron Gillen, art by Jamie McKelvie, colors by Matthew Wilson, letters by Clayton Cowles

This panel sort of has it all.

Spoilers beneath the cut.

If there's only one way to end a story, and that way is to stop telling it, will it be enough for Laura to have rejected godhood? Or will the other surviving gods, including the heads, need to follow her example to ensure that Ananke cannot complete her ritual?

One can imagine Baph being convinced; he never wanted to die, never had a choice, and this would return some choice to him. Cass as well - the hospital footage on Dio's phone might even suggest that she survives past all this into old age. But what of Baal, who has always believed he was a god? Who has sacrificed in belief? Sunken cost fallacy there. Asking this of the heads - even of those who never wanted this - would be a tall order, moreover - for without godhood, what would they be other than victims of decapitation and thus dead? (Not that they would last long as heads under Minervananke.) Or was Ananke telling the truth when she said the children would develop powers on their own without her - where powers is not equal to the trappings of the god she chose for each, where the latter can be rejected as story and the former involves discovering identity of a sort?

In this context, I've been thinking a lot about Cass.

Cass interests me because of her fraught relationship to stories. She is constantly subjected to bigoted, racist, transphobic, objectifying stories imposed on her about gender and ethnic roles, not least by members of the Pantheon like Amaterasu and Woden. She is a critic who sees through that bullshit. She's defended her own story and gathered tools of defense. She's a journalist who wants to expose truths.

She's also someone who wants change in the form of progress and who seems to have once thought the gods would be the answer, if her academic degree in Pantheon Studies is any indication. But the gods of this Recurrence are themselves mouthpieces for the very same BS she has been subjected to all along. No change she would consider meaningful is taking place; instead we get the eternal recurrence of the same. When the gods speak in tongues, Cass is told she should feel something and yet does not. There is a story that her body and mind should be a certain way being imposed on her once again.

Cass rejects this narrative. The gods are not saviors, they're entitled teenage pricks. Their powers are meaningless. How she understands this exactly is a bit unclear to me. Does she think that the gods have never effected any meaningful change over the course of history, that their presence has had no effect? That would be a strange position for an academic historian. It seems more likely that she rejects the idea that the presence of the gods is inherently meaningful, that their appearance points to a deeper meaning in the structure of the world. The fact of Recurrence would itself be as meaningless as a meteor striking earth, for instance - the presence of the gods would mark no portent, no messianic coming, but simply be a fact of nature.

The stories about meaning imparted by gods - she says this with the portraits of 1831 Woden (Mary Shelley) and 1831 Lucifer (Lord Byron) in the background, possibly also referencing any sort of aestheticism as such, any sort of idea that art as such is a replacement for political action - were therefore lies.

THE WICKED + THE DIVINE #2, written by Kieron Gillen, art by Jamie McKelvie, colors by Matthew Wilson, letters by Clayton Cowles

For Cass, “the personal is the political”. (I tend to think of her as the opposite of idk the long-nineteenth-century German notion of Kultur writ large, but that's another story.)

Cassandra wants to change the world. That makes her position is VERY different from that of David Blake, whose problem with the Recurrence seems to also be that the current Pantheon reflects a society he doesn't want. Where Cassandra seeks a progressive future - her choice of name for herself speaks volumes - Blake acknowledges that the patriarchy is bad because: war and because: not every man gets to be the father with all the benefits, but also doesn't seem to care to change the status quo. On the contrary, some of his remarks suggest that he thinks culture was superior in the Past and that the Present should be violently struck from the history books. Even after Cass ascends to become Urdr, and thus associated with the Past, her thoughts remain directed towards the future. "We're trying to give birth to the future using the language of our oppressors", she tells Dio:

THE WICKED + THE DIVINE #27, written by Kieron Gillen, art by Jamie McKelvie, colors by Matthew Wilson, letters by Clayton Cowles

Ananke, Cass tells Laura, is "god of fate". Cass is the naysayer who doesn't believe in fate. In a perverse move, Ananke makes Cass into a goddess of fate. Cass is the sort who takes any thesis you give her and represents the anti-thesis with a "fuck you". Made goddess of fate, her response is to use those powers to persuade an audience of her view that there is no fate. The gods are a false hope and offer no meaning: "The void swallows us. Nothing means anything. Everything is nothing. Meaning is irrelevant. It's so cold. It lasts forever. It's all there is. So small so alone. We only have each other. It's never enough."

This is kind of a Birth of Tragedy moment: man gazes into the void, sees the horror of life, realizes nothing has meaning, and is paralyzed from action. Nietzsche thinks the paralysis can be overcome with art, particularly when the principles of individuation (the Apollonian drive) and inclusiveness (the Dionysian drive) are fused in a way that moves us to see past our own individual selves and figuratively unite with a collective. Cass is very Apollonian in a sense - she's tremendously restrained, a storyteller as opposed to a dancer and musician; that line about "small" and "alone" also stresses individuality. It's no wonder Dionysus is in this Pantheon and in love with Cass, and even briefly able to make her connect with his hive-mind. But Cass pulls out almost as soon as she starts to feel it, claiming there are more important things to do. There won't be the kind dialectic reconciliation of their respective art drives that Nietzsche would claim to be necessary in this story, unless Dio isn't really braindead.

My point with all this is that if you read Cass' message as something to live by, it seems rather one sided and incomplete. Is there a message she isn't sharing?If nothing means anything, why bother to perform? Cass doesn't go beyond the negation of meaning to think about what to do with that, how to live with that; there's a sense in which she does what she previously criticized about the tongues by not doing more than imposing a story, by not showing how to move beyond a story. She doesn’t ask her audience to think, but to download.

Cass tells a story of meaningless that is received as a story and nothing more. Much to her disappointment, it doesn't effect the kind of instant change in people's attitudes and mindset that she seems to think art should be capable of if it is to have meaning.

THE WICKED + THE DIVINE #10, written by Kieron Gillen, art by Jamie McKelvie, colors by Matthew Wilson, letters by Clayton Cowles

Instead of being provoked into thinking, or paralyzed with realization, however, what happens is quite a bit worse: her audience treats her message as a product to be consumed. Cass is again subjected to this fate when she decides to forgo the use of tongues - of giving any sort of aestheticized pleasure to her audiences - and hold a normal press conference where she yells unvarnished truths. Not only are her words ignored - the press conference is turned into reaction gifs to be reposted and repurposed without any attention paid to the original context or meaning - she herself is reframed as dangerous for even attempting to displace Woden's reigning narrative that pleasure is meaning and meaning is meaningful no matter how it was gotten or who it happens to keep in power. Not only is Cass' meaning deliberately twisted in Beth's video / power grab, the Valkyries are openly praised for stunning and imprisoning her and the other Norns.

Is Cass herself nothing more in the story than a tool for thinking through what art has possibly become in the culture industry on a meta level? That would be disturbing. I want to believe the story will give her more, that the raft of friendship we see her building with Laura is not about to be dashed to pieces and writ as futile as Dio’s last act.

The comment to Dio about trying to give birth using the language of oppressors seems really important. One of the literal oppressors in the story is Ananke, the perverted mother, the one who kills children and the future to ensure her own continued survival. (Palpatine and Cylo arguably also play this role in Gillen’s Vader comic, the former by scheming to replace his apprentice/figurative child with younger children in order to extend his power, the latter by endlessly cloning himself.) Ananke lives by a story and she thinks the story will carry her on. She murders the children born of the gods both literally and figuratively, ensuring she remains the only child.

If Ananke's language is that of the oppressor - and if Ananke’s sister stands for desire, she herself apparently stands for necessity - Cass uses that language by negating it. Cass' negations are at times absurdly absolute. When Amaterasu - her anti-thesis in so many ways - tells her that everything happens for a reason, she counters with the absolute: nothing happens for a reason.

THE WICKED + THE DIVINE #15, written by Kieron Gillen, art by Stephanie Hans, letters by Clayton Cowles

Cass is right about Amaterasu in a lot of ways. Amaterasu basically seems to be saying that Hiroshima had to happen so that she could happen. There’s a line in Marx about history repeating itself twice, once as tragedy, once as farce. Amaterasu recreating an artificial sun over Hiroshima was not in the least funny. Everything happens for a reason is a convenient philosophy if history has largely been on your side. 

It's also rather determinist in a way, attributing necessity to everything regardless of how it affects people. Which makes Amaterasu's claim that Cass is an idealist who doesn't care about what happens to people rather rich:

THE WICKED + THE DIVINE #15, written by Kieron Gillen, art by Stephanie Hans, letters by Clayton Cowles

Amaterasu’s words are echoed later and more effectively by The Morrigan, who claims that her own choice to take away Baph’s choices was essentially the same as Cass’ choice to transform her girlfriends into Verdandi and Skuld. Cass protests that it was the logical, almost mathematically rational thing to do, which ... isn’t a great response ...

Speaking of idealism, Cass seems to impress Woden as well with the idea that she is a foolish idealist, whatever that means:

THE WICKED + THE DIVINE #30, written by Kieron Gillen, art by Jamie McKelvie, colors by Matthew Wilson, letters by Clayton Cowles

To say that nothing happens for a reason is not an idealistic statement by itself, though. If there's an ideal attached to it, it might be freedom - rejection of determinism. At the same time, Cass is certainly not an advocate for anarchy, as the vote on the Great Darkness makes clear. Cass thinks there is a right way to do things and a wrong way. If she believes that nothing happens for a reason because the idea of an inherent purposiveness to the world is a lie or a story we tell ourselves, her ideals also suggest that stories are part of who we are, that we are storytellers, that our minds are configured to see cause and effect, and that there is purpose to reflecting on what we are so we can do something with that. “I’m seeing patterns, but they’re the patterns I see” is a problem of which she is aware. There may not be meaning "out there", and that creates doubt - but it doesn’t keep her from doing.

Which makes it kind of a head-scratcher for me that neither Amaterasu nor Cass seem willing to acknowledge is that both of them can be right. We know this because Jon Blake - Mimir, a god of wisdom - puts forward a middle position:

THE WICKED + THE DIVINE #34, written by Kieron Gillen, art by Jamie McKelvie, colors by Matthew Wilson, letters by Clayton Cowles

It’s ironic that Cass, who claims nothing happens for a reason, is the one to fall for the idea that Ananke's machine must have a purpose, that it must do work. The machine does have a purpose - it misleads the gods, and above all, it has a purpose beyond its intended purpose, in that it keeps Cass inside, isolated, and distracted. Cass’ labor is sucked into the machine for the purpose of keeping the masses satiated and unthinking (Woden) and the perverse cycle of child murder uninterrupted (Minerva). The point being - someone had reason to hide the truth, just as she had reason to find it, and the recognition that stories are lies we tell ourselves for the purposes of survival doesn’t magically reveal truths or serve as an antidote or solution to the problems of society.

In this story about storytelling, this story about the meanings we choose to believe (“the personal is the political”, which full disclosure is also something I also believe), to act upon, to share or impose on the world and other people, the position that “nothing happens for a reason” is a difficult sell. Everything in this story was meticulously plotted, and any unintended effects on the reader can still be attributed to reasons. Given that the story is coming to an end in a very literal sense for both the reader and the characters, given that their story is to end a story, I’m really looking forward to seeing how Cass’ negations and ideals, how her approaches to art and stories are developed. 

[smallgayblanket]

Fresh Muse List

In case you guys were curious about my characters I have a big old list:

Egos:

Anti   (Usually the softer kind, has green emerald glowings eyes which turn staticy blue when hes vulnerable/being open/himself. He can be an asshole though and does in deed take out bad guys with his knife.)

Jameson Jackson  (Mute but does actually still have a voice- his vocals are in ruins and he's kinda dealing with poor eating making him dangerously skinny. He works as a bartender and has silver tipped brown hair that's a little bit longer than the others.)

Crank  (Robot Ethan ego. He’s an utter mess- eyes sometimes fizzle out, joints stiff, has emotional issues. He also has a corrupted voice in his head that is real nasty when he pops up and sometimes takes over their shared frame.)

Blank  (Fricking soft boy, his aura is hard to control and sometimes controls him. He has a rare heart issues which makes him prone to fainting and collpasing without much warning.  Still, he tries.) 

Jackieboyman   (Super hero boy! Super buff, caring, kind, and tol.  Lilac/Gold eyes. Little odd strip of red in his brown hair. The best voice.  Works as a gas station worker to hide his identity (he looks great in the blue button up and glasses.) He.’s ftm trans. Sometimes I HC him as a phionex other times he has pretty golden whips of light.)

King of the Squirrels   (Otherwise known as Simon. He’s a hybrid, Tail, ears. Omega. Very sweet, little skittsh and frzzled. Wears glasses and cozy sweaters- likes making nests and being out in nature. Loves PB but is actually allergic..doesn’t keep him from eating it though.)

Henrick Von Schneeplestien  (Grumpy german doctor who lives off of coffee. He is willing to assist those in need and really needs to sleep.)

Chase Brody  (He’s got his youtube channel and a bunch of positive vibes! He’s strugglign sometimes with depression but its not always so bad. Sometimes he had real bad migrains though, and he also suffers from chornic fatigue making his days shorter or hard to get teverything done.)

Wilford Warfstache  (We know him, lover of bubbles and pink. Talks funny, loves candy. Chubby man.) 

Yandere  (Nonbinary somewaht MTF.  They’re a real cutie, will punch dickheads without a sweat and really just want someone to be their senpai and let them fall for them head over heels without running away..) 

Were-Eth  (Ethan got bit by a werewolf and now deals with that. Basically an Ethan muse with a small twist. He’s absoultely adorable with the tail and ears and sharp teef.)

Mark  (Abused and kidnapped by Author My Mark is a little bit softer then the guy he’s based on. He’s a little bit shorter and alot more anxious and unsure of himself thanks to Author breaking him down. He’s vcovered in lots of scars spescfially his wrist’s and does not like water much. )

Bing.  (Tries his hardest to be good, bit glitchy but he’s chill. He tries to skate, and jokes wen nervous. He’s pretty sweet though.) 

Edward Iplier  (Absoulte adorable dork, He tries to help everyone and anyone no matter what- I’ve kinda fallen in love with the idea of him only having one arm but that’s only one of many ideas. He loves space, he’s chubby and also loves food. He’s got a prety neat aura ablity too.) 

Robbie.  (Soft grape zombie boy. He’s sweet and innocent as ever. He’s easily th e shyest of the bunch and doesn’t always talk to much. He loves getting affection though and is always eager to please.) 

And meet my OCS! Some of them are old- and alot of them are new! There's a little description for each just to get your interest~

Quinton  (A Hybrid of Demon and Angel otherwise called a Guardian.)

Ori ( Very pure angel boy AU of the angel half of Q - a little androgynous when it comes to clothing he/him sometimes they/them.)

Zeno  (A DJ with a somewhat secret love for dancing too. Only has one arm.)

Lumi (Ghost boy- literally- he died and he’s kinda like Danny phantom in reverse- he can turn solid but eventually has to rest and turn back to being unable to interact with objects)

Eztli   (Pretty grump guy who was cursed by a witch to be immortal- although it made his blood kinda..weird..)

Gallio (Strawberry Hipster guy- A photographer who also has hypoglycemia)

Aomi (A blackberry witch- hes not very great at spells yet but he tries!)

Lucas (A moonstone gem perma-fusion. Quite a nervous wreck.)

Eme. (A smart scientist. Human. Nothing special.)

Chris. (Camp leader! He’s based off David from camp camp but hes far more buff and hes not so over the top. He has his own green house and is part dryad.)

Alex  (A very confused, overly optimist Alien who doesn’t know what they are. Come from the planet Eutychia)

Locus  (Fish boi!  Transparent fins, glowy patches, plays harp + loves music)

Lir(A Tiny Octopus/Human boy!!)

Reese (Passionfruit bab! Literally. He kinda contains passionfruit pulp but don’t cut him open!!! :< Or do if you want weird angst >_>)

Benji (Strawberry shortcake boi- Cursed tape /bandages. Demi half god. One eye. Uses notes to communicate but also sign. Really. Good sweets maker)

Small bois- These boys are pocket sized! though sometimes I do like to think about them being human sized ^^.

Kiyan. (A little assistant android. Created to assist! He works at a post office currently. Pronouns do not matter to him though its usually he/they/it.)

Tobias. (Made of hair gel. Eats soap. Someone stop him before he gets a tummy ache. He/him.)

Hinto  (Guy made of foam slime- He was kinda based off Remy aka Sleep from the fanders.)

Glowstick bubs (They are tiny boys who glow like well- glowsticks but also lavalamps, very pretty to look at. and theyre nocturnal!)

Theo(A tiny ink creature. He makes a mess but hes adorable.)

JellyBubs! (A collection of tiny sentient jelly babies, The main one being strawberry aka Jeri. They dont mind what you calm them but usually they works best.)

Miel (A tiny little bee boy! He makes honey.)

Moyachi  (Cactus boi!! Loves water and has clear/lime green tinted aloe/herbal helpful blood. Spikes up at defense from bad people)

Apocolyse Squad:

Long story shot: The planet Keres,  Left uninhabitable after the invasion that ruined the air and killed almost the entire race. I have loads of stuff to talk about for this gang of 6:

Sameal o’Ceirin (Being of smoke- partly blind.)

Mallory Thomas (Part cat! Can talk to animals. Nonbinary/genderfluid.)

Hamrish Benat  (Also goes by Hami/Hayden. He/him. 4 eyes, soft tongue. PTSD. Super soft boy. Loves soap cutting videos (and doing it himself) and bears/plushies - Has an arrange of cute face masks. Is a trained nurse and learning to be a pediatrician.)

Joshua who cares (An asshole lets leave it at that.)

Andy Peters (Strong, kind. Kind of like Tyler Scheid, He/him.

Adrian  Géarán  ( Real anxious. Gets bullied alot. bit of a weakling/cry baby to some. Has a pretty shit immune system struggles with food and sleep.. He has a Demon esc-Tail, fire abilities, likes to make little robots. He loves iron man. He/him.)  

Liren Pichi (Deaf peaches n cream boi- Nickname Pichi.  He wasn’t part of the squad- however he did end up landing on their planet- he had some rough encounters with the aliens ^^)

Neighbours AU:

These guys all live in the same little  cul de sac

Lynx is from planet Ananke.

They all live on the new homeworld, Ermioni. (Its basically earth just a few more creatures live there and the government is less of a mess.)

Lesbabs:

Blake Aglaia  (She/ her.  A human with a gift of being able to put emotions into glass balls..)

Lynx ?? (She/her/they/xe/ xir  An alien and human, the alien somewhat resides inside its host but they coexist. Sometimes goes feral)   Alien half likes to go by Perse  (Percy)  They have cool looking saliva- viens that run down their arms that are pretty cool- sharper nails/claws? Tendrils. Large ol mouth. Lots of point ass teef.

Demon fam:

Hyacinth ( A six-armed demon. Grows flowers on his skin based on emotions. He’s a huge mother hen, will care for anyone. Enjoys cooking and gardening and children.  He/Him)

Rhys  (They/Them. A Demon with a great curiosity about humans) Feri  (The sibling of Ryhs)

Anthos (Rhys and Hy’s summoned accidental toddler.. He has a cute tail and tinnny horns.  He/him)

Roommates:

Douglas Connelly  (He/Him A regular chubby human bean! Loves baking and music.)

Donovan Amores  (He/Him/ Real fricking cool and smokin hot Bartender with a love for dogs. Dougs roommate. Has glowing fuckin orbs- donates his heart- is smooth as fuck, background heavily Spanish (moved when young.))

Haris Alaksim Real name (lost in translation  (Huitzilopochtli God of sun and war) ) - A god whom Dono is very close with and donates his heart two one every 3 years during the day of the highest sun. He is a god / Mouros.  Donovan refers to him as “Dios gentil”  or “ Viejo colibrí sabio”   (“El viejo colibrí sabio es un dios gentil” (The old wise hummingbird is a gentle god.)

Donovans Family

Rem (They/He/Him Looks after magical creatures- Cane is from Haris)

Oscar  (He/Him.  Not sure what trinket or power but He’s just a casual store worker w/ good arms. Surprisingly good with knives- perhaps has one from Haris?)

Nicole  (She/her/they/them.  Makes clothes..possibly got some ability to do with seasons..?  Perhaps earrings or a bracelet from Haris)

Javi  (Makes jam, cute boy, wears cloaks. Has a cute little jar necklace  ^ a proper sized magic jar.  Doesn’t mind whatever pronouns but usually prefers he/him/boy.)

Luca (FTM Trans bookkeeper- Talks to Haris most often and likes to ask questions..Has precious books…Possibly a special pen..)

Forest bois:

Cypress (The soul of the forest - Mentor of Rem. Doesn't mind what you call him but usually leans masculine.)

Unicorn boi (Yet to be fleshed out. Hes got very rare blood- lost his horn and lives with a giant inside of a bubble?  He/him/it)

Fyn. (Mushroom boy. Protects a gate. Lost his twin in a fire caused by humans.. He/him)

Fie. (Bat boy. Love fruit. Is ironically scared of the dark- shy but cute. He/Him)

Moh. (Fairy/incubus hybrid.  They/them)

Tucker. (Bunny hybrid- cool guy with bunny ears and a tail. Soft white patches on his chest. Got a bit of an attitude but is chill- is also friends with Ainsley. He/him but is usually mistaken for a girl because he by bunny standards is..)

Ainsley. (Fawn boy. Wears glasses. Much like a deer, skittish and nerdy and keeps to himself. Tries to keep Tucker out of trouble but usually ends up dragged along instead)

Experiments:

Izekiel  Iris (A being of Paint!  Stutter, anxious, hallucinates. Zones out alot. An amazing artist though. He/him though has feminine tendencies.)

Matty   (An experiment, part human, part lizard, part dragon. Much smol and cute. Hes very quiet, selectively mute on occasion. Lots of scars and trauma, scars on his arms and constantly needs to wear bandages. Very easily tired. he/him.)

Nes. (Based of off Crankgameplays as face claim but he’s basically his own thing at this point. He’s been through alot of angst and trauma and some really nasty stuff ^^’ (He killed his parents, the ice cream truck driver tried to abduct him, he was experimented on in a very bad place, and now he's an utter wreck who will cling to anyone who gives him the time of day. He has murder tenancies but is full of guilt and hates whenever he hurts anyone. Lots of panics. Very hard to handle if you aren’t patient.)

[ebbsfleetghost]

Waiting for another war and...

So... Baal.

[Spoilers for ‘Mothering Invention’]

It seems increasingly likely that Ananke or Minerva, not ‘the Great Darkness’, arranged the death of his father. And that she then used that guilt to manipulate him into killing children - killing babies - for the ‘greater good’.

Which was probably just a pack of lies. The Great Darkness seems to be a threat to Ananke / Minerva, not so much to Baal or the world in general.

(All of that leads onto one of the remaining unanswered questions: if Ananke’s sticking to the script, how can the darkness manifest during the recurrence at all? Is it just a puppet show to steer the gods? But, if so, why get Baal killing babies at all? To leave him fatally compromised and tied to her plan? Or just for amusement value?)

...but, y’know, this may have been a huge tactical error by Ananke.

Baal thinks he’s doomed and damned. He’s done unforgivable things and there’s blood on his hands that just won’t go away. But he’s still with us and still has a role to play in the last arc.

Minerva is still here as well, of course - and even if Laura, Cassandra and Baph/Nergal realise what she really is, they don’t have any appetite for killing 13 year-old children. Or ancient immortals who currently look like children.

Problematic.

If only there was a god who felt sufficiently angry and betrayed by Ananke and Minerva. Someone with great power, a grim, fatalistic commitment to a greater good despite what it does to him... and very few remaining qualms about killing children.

Hi there, Baal.

(Of course, this being a Gillen book it may get subverted. Or double-subverted. But we’re close to the end now, so...)

[popculturespiritwow]

THE WICKED + THE DIVINE 1831 AD: DO YOU WANNA BUILD A SNOW MAN?

But Who Gets Their Arm Cut Off?

The standalones function on a bunch of levels. First, there’s the story being told it and of itself: here, the last day of the five remaining survivors of the 1831 Pantheon. Second, there’s the actual story of these historical people which WicDiv riffs on in amazing ways because Kieron is just like that, my god the research it’s full of stars.  

(By the way, if you don’t know the historical deets, as I didn’t, and you haven’t read Kieron’s always great Writer’s Notes, the actual story is pretty much at least as brutal as WicDiv. Which is, um, a very high bar.)

Then lastly, there’s this story as an echo/hint of things to come/conversation partner with the ongoing tale of the 21st century Pantheon. Which in some ways is the part of these historical needle drops that I love the most. At my semi-laziest and super-Lost-iest I read them looking for clues as to what’s “really” going on here, bro. As a Star Wars obsessive-compulsive (we’re seeking medical status, join us and get the help you need finding the droids you’re looking for) I delight in nothing so much as watching different generations riff and echo upon one another’s stories.

(When I was trying to figure out whether or not to go to film school, my other option was getting a PhD in Old Testament. The Book of Genesis is basically the Star Wars of the ancient world, but with God.)

So we find in 1831 another god secretly working with Ananke against the rest (except now instead of that god being Woden, it’s someone working against Woden); some of the gods in complex pre-ascension relationships (ya think?), which once again begs the question to what degree “capacity to be manipulated/instability/self-destruction” is the criteria for election.

There’s also more generally Ananke mentioning some “forbidden fruit” which the gods then of course pursue to their doom. (She really does have a game plan, our Ananke.) And there’s that strange stone knife.

The story’s also notable for its gaps and fissures: There’s zero talk here of a Great Darkness, or of the gods having to sacrifice themselves to save the universe. That’s not to say it hasn’t happened, but especially coming right after an issue where Ananke rants about it, it’s noticeable.

There’s also all the material about the gods having children, and Ananke’s drive to kill them. That doesn’t seem like it’s relevant to our main story at the time, but get to issue #36, and suddenly, um, yeah.

And then there’s Proto(molecule)-Woden, who wanders away, seemingly having survived. Is that just a wonderful Frankenstein-with-a-slightly-happier-ending detail? Perhaps. Pretty much every minor passing character in WicDiv has eventually been given more attention, so maybe not. 

(Speaking of ProtoWoden, who freezes the lake after her transformation, is it me or is the whole 1831 story also kind of a riff on Frozen, with the far more believable twist that the other sister is not just a friend who wishes they could play more but a competitor who wants everything Woden has?)

(That’s such a fun thought I have this feeling it’s not original to me, maybe it’s something from Kieron’s Notes. All credit to everyone else!)

But ProtoWoden unexpectedly walking out of the story also highlights the other, greater part of the standalones -- they expand the universe. History in WicDiv is not a cover band, even a really good one. The standalones are like flashlights revealing an ever bigger and more wonderful and more cruelly tragic universe. The 21st century Pantheon and Laurephone may be crucial to the overall WicDiv story of violence and salvation, but I walk away from 1831 with Envious Inanna and ProtoWoden important parts of the imaginative topography as well. 

This is not The Force Awakens we’re reading, in other words, A New New Hope (though step away from the Death Planet and I don’t think that’s what Awakens is, either). It’s Star Wars Rebels, or that Rian Johnson trilogy that’s coming and will almost certainly melt the fanbros’ faces off.

Stepping back into the 1831 context itself, basically we’re reading a horror story within a horror story in which there are told other horror stories (and, depending on how you’re feeling about our own universe right now, maybe another layer of horror story beyond that). Oh, and that’s all within/alongside the ongoing horror story we’ve been reading all along.

It’s like Russian nesting dolls but the dolls are also swallowing us. Or Very Depressed Gaiman. Or clicking through to comments on Twitter.

Once Upon A Time

Once again Stephanie Hans takes on art duties and transforms the world of WicDiv into a spooky, dark fairy tale, complete with a masked witch, an other-worldly creature and a devil’s bargain.

(God, imagine if Once Upon A Time had had Hans on its writing staff the way the Star Wars films employ artists during story development...)

My favorite art choice is probably the Sexy Dr. Manhattan Frankenstein’s Monster. It’s uncanny, yet with that radioactive otherworldly glow comes a sense of its liberation. It is so very much not of this dark and twisty Pantheon world. 

That Last Page

I feel like Kieron is trying to tell us something...

It’s been more than a month since I recapped WicDiv. Some of that is other (make a living and justify my existence) projects.

But I’m also finding the closer we get to the end of the series the more I’m resisting entering into it. Each issue I’m actually kind of scared of what awful thing I’m going to find. (And man, 36 did not disappoint...OOF.)

But I’m going to try to get out all of Imperial Phase I next week, and hopefully Phase II pretty soon thereafter.

Thanks so much for reading. As far behind as I am on where the comic currently is, I find chewing over the issues with this blog to be such a great learning experience. For whoever out there maybe stumbles upon this, hope it’s the same. 

[abookishdreamer]

Character Intro: Aion (Kingdom of Ichor)

Nicknames- The Chronomancer by the people of Olympius

Dad by his daughter

Mr. Zodiac by Astraeus

Age- 35 (immortal)

Location- Queenstown district, New Olympus

Personality- He's very reserved, highly intelligent, and is most often a man of a few words. His relationship status is currently complicated.

He has the standard abilities of a god. As the god of time, eternity, & the zodiacs, he has a wide range of powers and abilities. They include chronokinesis (time manipulation). He could possibly be on par with the imprisoned Kronos (Titan god of the harvest, time, & fate). He can time travel but is unable to interact/change past events. When he goes forward, he'll only see "possible" futures. He also has the ability of psychometry, is able to communicate with/shapeshift into all species of snakes, is able to see the lifespan of others, has an innate sense of what a person's zodiac sign is, and has the ability of zodiac empowerment (that comes with a wide array of specialized powers!).

Aion's currently going through divorce proceedings with his soon-to-be ex wife Aisa (goddess of lot & fate). He made the decision to end their marriage due to her unwillingness to seek help on her gambling addiction & her frivilous spending habits. They share a daughter, Heimarmene (Marnie) (goddess of shared fate).

To make sure his daughter's life stays as normal as possible, he moved into a townhouse in the nearby New Olympus neighborhood of Queenstown. Eaglepoint Park is the buffer between them. The interior design is simple with cool shades of blue, gray, & white.

He's a collector of antique clocks and watches.

Though he can get around effortlessly with his time travel abilities, Aion prefers to live a normal life- getting around in his sleek high tech chrome silver sports car.

A go-to drink for him is a large roast coffee (no cream, no sugar) from The Roasted Bean. He also likes green tea, scotch, ginger ale, champagne, white wine, and martinis.

One of his tattoos is of his divine symbol (an ouroboros) on his back.

A favorite sweet treat of that he & his daughter like to make is an ice cream sundae (with large scoops of vanilla ice cream, lots of marshamallows, whipped cream, & caramel sauce). They eat it while watching sci-fi movies and TV shows.

Aion's man job is teaching quantum physics at the University. For other sources of income he models for Platinum Alchemy, The Black Label, Astra Tempus, & Shadow Specs.

A moment he often finds himself revisiting when traveling through time is the moment where he first met Aisa. Aion always stops himself from traveling into the future. He's scared to know if they actually go through the divorce or if she does get help for her gambling addiction.

In the pantheon he's friends with & greatly admires Coeus (Titan god of foresight, intellect, & knowledge). Aion's even been a guest a few times on the Nocturnal Thoughts podcast. Aion's also friends with Neicus (god of debate & appeal), Astraeus (Titan god of dusk), Nomos (god of laws), Selene (Titaness of the moon), Psionikós (god of the mind), Argía (goddess of holidays), Eváeros (goddess of air & the zodiacs), Isorropía (Isorro) (god of duality, balance, & equilibrium), Favian (god of philosophy), Horkos (god of oaths), and Hesperis (goddess of the evening & sunset).

Aion's "frenemy" is Ananke (goddess of inevitability, compulsion, & necessity).

In his free time, he absolutely LOVES football (soccer). Aion plays with Astraeus, Nomos, & a few other friends every weekend. He also enjoys working out, swimming, basketball, and hockey. His favorite moment is the time he gets to spend with his daughter- especially when they play video games (virtual reality) & laser tag.

He can cook a bit- with some of his popular dishes being garlic butter steak and scallops, basil chicken with rice & broccoli, and Greek lemon chicken soup.

Some of Aion's favorite take out dishes include pizza bianca (white pizza), shrimp puttanesca (with angel hair pasta), and an onion-teriyaki chicken burger with large calamari rings from Olympic Chef.

"Everything in life that is not eternal ends up being worthless."

[myfirstsearchengine]

Forever Makes Liars Of Us All Part I

Gonna analyze/annotate the first half of this issue, as it has so much stuff for just one post. This one will have a lot of references to old stuff, so it will be pretty long.

Spoilers!

Cover

Everybody knows this, but it’s worth pointing out. The face tattoo is a skull, and it also has the 3 dots below the eye. Interestingly, it doesn’t have the 3 dots above Persephone’s eye. Although that may just be an artistic decision on McKelvie’s part.

Page 1 - 2

Nearly 6000 years ago, that’s sometime after 4000BC. That’s about 800 years before recorded history (the invention of writing). The only real civilization at the time was Sumer, and it was still in its infancy. 

Since this is before recorded history, it’s hard to tell what religion was like back then, and how myths worked, but the concepts of deities, and worship clearly existed before this. From what I’ve read, mythologies are more of a bronze age thing, given that writing was a thing by then.

“It’s never happened before”

Clearly a reference to the recurrent “It’s happening again, it’s happening now”.

We’ll infer what that’s really referring to later.

Page 3 - 4

Ancient Persephone (maybe, but we’ll call her that for now) says she’ll be dead soon either way. Does she mean that because she’s old, or because her godhood will consume her?

“There’s one crucial scene left between my sister and I”

It’s interesting that she refers to it as a scene. Even back then it was all about performances, and likely inspiration. 

It’s also intriguing that they are sisters. I’m guessing it’s not literal, given their different complexions.

Page 5

Gillen really loves his wordplay.

The knife is back! Or rather, it’s not back, in the future it’s back.

Page 6

The one with the blue eyes has a tattoo that kinda looks like Inanna’s star.

The one with blue-ish/green-ish eyes has tattoos that kinda remind me of Dionysus.

The one with orange eyes may be a fire/sun god.

The one that is covered the most seems to have green-ish eyes, but not just the iris. Perhaps an underworld god? They kinda make me think Morrigan.

Perhaps these are archetypes?  A love god (Inanna)

A sun god.

An underworld god.

An whatever kind of god Dionysus is.

Once again Ancient Persephone alludes to this being a performance. “The role” you have chosen.

Ananke seems to use these heads to keep herself alive. It’s unclear what kind of death she is preventing, whether it’s due to old age, or just their godhood killing them.

Given that is really ancient history, life expectancy back then was reaaally low. Like, a midlife crisis is when you are 17 low.

So the sisters and the other gods likely got to live to be that old because of their divinity. Perhaps they got to be 90? And then they died and were reborn to continue the cycle?

If that’s true, then the concept of a recurrence is likely older, but this is the first time it’s changing like this. 

Given that this is before recorded history, they got to change the story, as there were no records to contradict them.

Page 7

But then Ancient Persephone says she wrought all this. So the gods are her creation, in some way. So maybe this is not as old as I thought.

She mentions that she tattooed her work into reality, while she brings her hand close to her face tattoos, she likely means that her work is now ingrained in the real world.

I don’t quite understand what’s going on here. Although I guess if they are really gods, playing with the lives of others is pretty on character.

I think the “game of stories” means putting on a show, an act, a performance. But it’s still a game, so there are rules. And rewards, which is what convinces Ananke to play.

Although a game ends, how does this one end?

Page 8-9

Rule #1

Maiden, Mother and Crone.

From what I’ve read, it’s a pagan concept, usually attributed to Robert Graves (the author Ananke mentions in issue #9). It symbolizes the phases of the moon, as well as the stages of the female life cycle.

Since Ananke gets two, I’m guessing this means she gets to live twice. I’m unsure of the specifics, I’ll save that for another post. This clearly has something to do with the “I AM Ananke” we got in #33.

Rule #2

This is part of the recurrence myth, everyone knows this. I think she adds this rule so the gods have more information, but why? What does she have to gain from this?  Given that she created the god system, perhaps she is doing this to ensure their grand purpose still happens?

After #1923 I wasn’t sure if Ananke really needed 4 heads, or if she just needed 4 deaths.

Given that most gods are dead by the time the other 2 specials start, we can assume Ananke got her 4 heads. But in #1923 all gods are alive, and other than Morrigan, we don’t see her take anyone’s head. 

I guess Lucifer’s head is somewhere in the Lighthouse, but it doesn’t seem like it is a living head.

That’s still a mystery, but here Ananke flat out states that she needs 4 heads.

That comment of hers also seems to imply that both of the sisters, and Minerva are outside the 12, and that each has 4 gods tied to them. 

She also seems to imply that these 4 she needs are something other than her 4 heads, although she can use them for that. 

She seems to need these 4 to “win” the game. Perhaps this means she gets to live on, as both Maiden and Crone for another recurrence? Does this mean she has won every time?

Hmm, before which end? The end of each recurrence? That seems likely. Or does she mean something else?

The end of the game? I’m not really sure. We need more information. 

It’s interesting that she says “even if the gods do not consume the children”. So what happened with 455 Lucifer isn’t always the case, there is the possibility that they can survive.

I’m not really sure how to read that second part though. I think she’s saying the way the game ends is if her nature is revealed. So she’ll play badly, letting the gods kill her, and playing the “evil child-killing old woman” part.

I think the “choice” part means she was allowed to choose which gods to kill, but once she’s discovered she has to kill everyone.

Rule #3

Ananke getting to select the gods confirms that she does indeed choose who becomes a god and who doesn’t. She likely chooses kids that she can manipulate, kids she can read easily.

But I’m unsure what her endgame is, just living forever? How does she win every recurrence? By getting her 4 heads, and killing the rest before they discover her true nature?

And if she loses, what happens? Perhaps the Great Darkness? Maybe it’s not really an evil thing, but rather the return of the original recurrence? How Ancient Persephone intended?

I read WicDiv on Comixology, so I use the guided view. Which means I read the story panel by panel, without reading/seeing anything else.

When I first read the first panel, I thought it meant Lucifer, as they seem to be central to every special story, and it would explain why Ananke seems to pay so much attention to them.

But then Ananke said she awakens last. Just like Persephone. Except that Ananke implied that she had been looking for her for a while. So her being last isn’t necessarily always the case.

I’m a bit confused about the whole “Twelve gods” and where Ananke, Minerva and Persephone fit in.

In the 2010s, there are 14 gods. 11 regular gods, and Ananke, Persephone and Minerva.

Either, Minerva doesn’t count and Persephone is the 12th.

Or Minerva does count, but there can be more than 12 gods.

OR, Persephone isn’t “her god”.

The one who really awoke last was Urdr/The Norns. There’s some interesting panels that could be hinting that Cassy is not just another god, but we’ll get to that in another post.

Page 10

Once again the “game” is mentioned. And apparently they have collaborated before. 

I think this page kinda confirms that Ananke’s endgame is living forever, both as herself and as the maiden “Minerva”.

She says she can do this forever, but by the 2000s it clearly has taken a toll on her.

I already made a post about it, but Ancient Persephone’s line is a Journey Into Mystery reference.

Page 11 - 12

Once again, the serpent imagery, just like in issue #20 with Inanna. 

I can’t quite tell what she’s doing after each slice. Is she looking up?

If she is, then is she expecting something to happen? Like an “act of god”? (Lightning) Or is she just looking away from her “sister” dying?

Maybe she’s not really looking up? But rather, taking it in? Like a surge of energy from Persephone dying?

Hard to tell.

Rule #4

????

I wonder if every issue this arc will be split in half, half ancient history and half current.

I’ll do part two in a few days, and some of those extra theory posts as well!

[twatd]

History Repeating

Back once again with the renegade masters. WicDiv #35 is out and we're back with the ill behaviour – by which I mean, two essays looking at different aspects of the issue. Which means spoilers aplenty, starting now. D4 Damager, power to the people, and all that.

Alex: When The Wicked + The Divine’s first issue opened with the words "And once again, we return to this", it was fairly inevitable that, eventually, we’d be back. And 34 issues later, here we are. Issue #35 opens with those same words, that same striking full-page image of a skull, and is followed a three-page sequence that’s nearly identical in both issues.

I say ‘nearly’ because McKelvie has gone back and redrawn some elements of each page. It’s most obvious in the close-ups, and especially Minerva’s face. To my eye, she looks a little older – more in line with the modern-day Mini, in her early teens, rather than an out-and-out child – and like she’s doing a worse job of hiding her excitement about what’s about to happen.

I spoke to Jamie directly, and he confirmed that this was just a case of not wanting to use four-year-old work. In Minerva’s case, he doesn’t believe he quite had her design down yet. I can only imagine how tiny mistakes – the kind that are only visible to the person who made them – eat away at you, when something is out there as prominently and for as long as WicDiv’s opening sequence.

This isn’t the first time WicDiv has revisited an old scene to show us what really happened. I’m thinking of issue #20’s return to the apparent murder of Persephone in #11. But the reused art in that sequence was drenched in stylised pinks and blues, a variation on the sampling effect seen in Woden’s retelling of events in #14 – the first time the series played with reusing old art in a new context.

With this revisiting of the 1920s, the visuals are played completely straight. Matt Wilson appears to have reworked his colours a little – the shadows are little deeper, and there’s an added blown-out glow to the highlights – but at first glance, the overall effect is the same.

The effect is fascinating. By being presented with something so close to identical – and, at least in my case, so burned into my brain – the tiny differences immediately tickle at your brain. But when you get to the fifth page and the differences get significantly larger, it’s enough to blow those brains out your ears. (Not literally, thankfully – that fate is saved for poor sweet Susanoo.)

We see what really happened inside that summer house, and get a reverse of that final shot of Ananke, clutching herself and repeating “Once again, we return”. This new information changes the images we’ve seen before. Ananke’s seemingly genuine sorrow when the ‘20s gods blow themselves up, which was for a long while the red herring that led me away from believing she was a bad ‘un, now seems to be grief for her own imminent demise.

That’s a brilliant detail, which makes sense both times, in different ways. But I’m also interested in the broader logistics – knowing, four years ago, how to divide a page to leave space for a future revisit. In this respect, the #1/#35 sequence uses a similar trick to the #11/#20 one, splitting a single image into multiple widescreen panels.

Some of these panels, which get reused, contain key details – like Ananke’s face, in both of the examples above – while others show things that, looking back, seem like extraneous filler – rubble and smoke. These kind of empty ‘mood’ panels are a fairly rare occurrence in WicDiv, which is fairly committed to using its space as efficiently as possible, suggesting they were drawn with the retellings in mind.

I’ve written before – all the way back in 2015, following issue #11’s release – about WicDiv’s love of circle motifs. Back then, I read it as a sign that this was a comic about breaking free from a cycle, and with the cage currently tightening around the Pantheon, it’s hard to disagree with that.

But on the page, the effect isn’t oppressive. It’s beautiful. Like a song returning to its chorus, like a 1-2-3-4 beat looping over and over, symmetry and repetition are building blocks of the art that WicDiv celebrates, even as it shows us the increasingly dark side of its creators.

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