#hekuba

[mt-isnothere12]

i didnt add the more normalized names like helen, penelope, kassandra, or hektor

i didnt add most children of priam bc well…yk why

achean ver

[andromakheofilion]

hekábē of ilion

[ernstiggroteadelaar]

I still need to rework this one to include the Faction Paradox stuff and also actually actually the other gods like the Toymaker, since Sutekh is "mother and father and other to all"

so i did a Sutekh family tree, half of which is egyptian gods, but the bigger half is susans

[greekmythcomix]

To explain my chicken obsession:

* * *

Me: I’m enjoying drawing chickens for this commission.

Husband: ha ha Greek Myth Chickens!

Me: 🤔

I now present to you,

🏺Greek Myth Chickens 🐓

ILIAD EDITION

(drawn and originally posted in May 2021, coloured and reposted Jan 2023)

1) Egg-chilles and Patro-cluck (Achilles and Patroclus)

2) Mene-lay-us and Al-eggs-andros (Paris) (Menelaus and Alexandros [Paris])

3) Egg-amemnon (Agamemnon)

4) Aph-roost-ite and Helen of Spur-ta (Aphrodite and Helen of Sparta)

5) Nest-or (Nestor)

6) Androma-beak, Peck-tor, and Astyan-egg (Andromache, Hektor and Astyanax)

7) At-hen-a and Egg-dysseus (Athena and Odysseus)

8) Preen-am and Peck-uba (Priam and Hekuba [Hekabe])

9) Brood-seis (Briseis)

10) Diom-egg-es (Diomedes)

EDIT: Greek Myth and Roman History chicken MASTERPOST - https://www.tumblr.com/greekmythcomix/725538723329179648/greek-myth-roman-history-chickens-master-post Here Be More Chickens Cosplaying

(See next post for last 3 Iliad chickens- https://www.tumblr.com/greekmythcomix/722218945873051648/iliad-chickens-continued-11-lay-jax-tel-capon )

[cephalo-podcast]

I've been relistening to TAZ: Balance again (shocker, I know), and I can't help but wonder about Merle's encounter with the Chalice.

As you probably know if you're reading this, the decision the Chalice gives him is the option to undo the moment where he grabbed the tourmaline bomb in Crystal Kingdom and lost his arm. This has always irked me a little because... Like Magnus and Taako's "Worst Moments" were both from their backstory, but Merle's worst moment is from a few months ago?

Could you imagine if instead, he was given the chance to undo Gundren being shot by the emorc so they could save Phandalin and spare his cousin? What if he got to choose not to marry Hekuba? Merle's whole thing has always been about his connections to other people. His connections to the other Bois, his connection to Pan, his ability to waddle into any situation and connect with people in a real, albeit strange way like preaching the good word of Pan to Cassedy in the mines or threatening to send a train after the Hammerheads or, less presently, meeting with John in Parley all those loops.

If Griffin had appealed to Merle's connections instead of his bad luck, would Merle have actually taken the deal? If he was told he could save his cousin, save Phandalin, and get off the path that led to him losing an arm, would he hesitate longer? Would he take the deal.

Idk. Maybe it's just the Die Hard Merle Fan in me that wishes he'd been treated more seriously, with the same gravity as the other Bois, long before Stolen Century

[littlesparklight]

I wanted to check the numbers for who/which of them (between Apollo and Paris) are Achilles' killers, so here's what I allocated (thanks in part to the ever useful Early Greek Myth by Timothy Gantz):

Death of Achilles, killers: The Iliad; Apollo and Paris Aithiopis; Apollo and Paris Pindar, Paean 6; "Apollo in the mortal form of Paris" Aischylos, frament somewhere; Thetis accusing Apollo of promising long life to her child/ren and then killing her only son Sophokles, Philoctetes; Neoptolemos saying "no mortal destroyed him [Achilles]" but that it was Apollo Euripides, Hecuba, Andromache; implies Paris is responsible Ovid, Metamorphoses; Apollo helping guide Paris' arrows Virgil, Aeneid; Apollo helping guide Paris' arrows Apollodorus, the Bibliotheke; Apollo and Paris Hyginus, Fabula 107; Apollo in the guise of Paris Hyginus, Fabula 110; Paris (and Deiphobos) - Thymbra version Quintus of Smyrna, Posthomerica; Apollo (poisoned arrow) Scholia on the Hekabe; no specifics, but Achilles dies in Thymbra (Presumably at least Paris is the killer, then, whether Apollo too or not) Servius; Paris - Thymbra version Lactantius; Paris - Thymbra version Diktys of Crete; Paris, stabbing, Deiphobos restrains him - Thymbra version Dares of Phrygia; Paris (with others aiding) - Thymbra version

It's basically almost even between all of them, if we take the ones where Apollo is mentioned on his own as if it might play out as it does in Posthomerica. The thing is, as Gantz points out, an (apparent) absence of one or the other doesn't necessarily mean Achilles is killed only by one or the other.

Part of it might rely on who the speaker (if it's talked about, as in Aischylos' fragment and the Philoctetes, as well as the Hekuba and Andromache) wants to emphasise as responsible for whatever reason. Thetis has no reason to bring up Paris when she is accusing Apollo of having killed her son, whether he did it actually alone or by aiding Paris. Likewise, Neoptolemos is, again, putting emphasis on the divine (it makes his father look better/more powerful, it gives Achilles a 'better' death). Obviously he's not going to acknowledge Paris, if Paris might have had part.

In the case of Pindar's Paean 6, it's also certainly possible that, even if Pindar might really have meant Apollo took the shape of Paris, and thus that Paris had no part himself, it's not that straightforward.

I think it's possible by that phrasing that Apollo helped guide Paris, as becomes spelled out at least by Ovid and Virgil.

A definite absence of Paris, like in Quintus, serves a very particular goal. In the Posthomerica, Achilles gets to keep fighting after being shot by Apollo as he slowly expires; it's very clearly to give Achilles as much of a heroic death as possible. For that reason, Paris must be completely excised.

And for that same reason, I really do think Apollo would actually prefer to aid Paris in this case; it steals as much of Achilles' thunder as possible! Gives him an ignoble death and denies him his last chance at kleos; Paris might get no "real" kleos from having killed Achilles in this way, but neither he nor Apollo would care about that.

The switch to Thymbra, emphasises the ~cowardly treachery~ of the method of killing. (Achilles being lured to Thymbra under false pretenses, ambush.) All of the Thymbra versions are also either definitively "realistic" versions that omit the gods entirely (so Paris alone must be the killer), or focusing on Paris as the killer whether the gods are present or not.

There's several reasons I prefer Paris and Apollo together on the battlefield killing Achilles, but part of it is that the Thymbra version seems to include an idea of stabbing instead of using bow and arrow. And since bow and arrow is part of what makes the death extra insulting for Achilles, that's how I want it to be.

[ersatz-anomaly]

Ok wtf is this I’m hearing about everyone guessing The One Who Waits was Sutekh bc as far as I saw there were people saying it was gonna be Fenric or some big finish nonsense thing called Hekuba/The Queen of Time

Even I never saw it coming. Did people actually guess Sutekh or is this just people posturing bc they were wrong so they’re puffing their chests going “oh well I knew it was going to be him anyway so it was easy”

If so, who. Where can I watch the videos and see what clues I missed that may have hinted the coming of the Last of the Osirans

[crystallizedkingdoms]

The Lover

Johann had a lot of love, and it flowed through him like music. How did it take so long to notice?

wc: 3,663

The Birds in this fic: Ren & Brian (Twins), Johann (Lover), Avi (Protector), Hekuba (Lonely Journal-Keeper), Julia (Peacemaker), Sazed (Wordless One)

day 3 of @johann-appreciation-week! woohoo! its johavi time. you can also read this on ao3.

Johann was not known for his love. Not at first, at least. That’s the very first thing people could tell you if you asked about it. That’s certainly the first thing his coworkers would tell you during the first few cycles of their Century. Captain Sazed would say he’s far too cold to be known for his love, that’s for sure. All work and no play. You don’t want a guy who only has his eyes on his work. They get jealous easy. That’s why I’m single.

Ren and Brian would be kinder in their assessment, if only to be cordial to their acquaintance. He’s a good man, don’t get me wrong! But, well, I definitely wouldn’t say the first thing that stands out to me about him is… love, Ren would try her best to be sensitive. Just for Brian’s voice to then crash in, the first thing that comes to mind when you see him is drag. Since that’s all the poor boy seems to do!

I would bet money if Johann knew what love was outside of those old songs he studies, the chronicler Hekuba would write in her hefty journal one night, blunt and opinionated as she always is.

Julia Burnsides, oh how she would try her best. Johann is passionate. You can see it in his eyes, when he plays those wonderful songs he makes. He has a fire! I think the other guys are assholes who can’t recognize that. Not that Johann makes it easy to recognize, but, hey, that’s not his fault! she would laugh, vindicated in her findings. The word ‘love’ is never uttered and she would clam up if you pointed that out to her.

But Avi would never ask his fellow members that sort of question.

Even in the beginning years of the Century, Avi must admit that he held similar views to Johann. If he asked himself that question, he would certainly have given some nonsense answer. Hah. He’s fun, he really is. I’m sure someone like him knows love. But love? He’s not a lover. Not— not to say he’s a player or anything! Just, you know… right? You know. It was hard not to…

—

It was hard not to have that impression of Johann at first. Avi hardly knew him back when they worked at the IPRE. It was such a big institution after all. But Avi heard little snippets of information about him when he made a name for himself for his strange attitude and even stranger job. One of the top cosmologists in his division, that was rumoured to have been begged to join the planar research team once the Light of Creation had catapulted their research funding into the suns, Johann was also an avid bard and proud of it. He not only performed during work hours, but also after work. Busking in public without a care in the world, and with a permanent bitch face that didn’t match his colourful clothing to prove it.

He’s difficult to get along with, I heard, one of Avi’s coworkers would say. Always has some sarcasm to hurl at you. Good ol’ dash of condescension too. Have you heard him claim he’s the greatest violin player of all time? If that’s so, what the hell are you doing here, eh?

Avi wished that meeting him dispelled those nasty rumours, but that, unfortunately, did not happen. That first day, their first introduction, had been anything but loving. Avi, the newly appointed Head Security Officer, eagerly stuck out his hand after just finishing his conversation with Julia. “Hey! The name’s Avi. Nice to meet you, man,” he greeted, with that characteristic slip of unprofessional language making him blush in embarrassment.

Johann looked down at Avi’s hand and at that moment, Avi could not even guess what expression he was giving off. Johann slowly took Avi’s hand before he could attempt a guess anyway. “Johann. Nice meeting you, dude,” he said, and he sounded even less worried about his language than Avi. “You’re our guard for the mission, yeah?”

“Yep! That’s me all right,” Avi said with a pleased hum. “I think I’ve heard about your work before. You were in cosmology before this mission.”

Johann rolled his eyes. The sight of it knocks Avi out internally and he could only blink slowly as a reaction. “Yeah, cosmology. Awesome times in that stuffy place. Anyway, have you heard my music? When I’m down at the quad.”

“Ah, um, sorry. I haven’t yet.”

Johann blinked back at Avi. Then he shrugged and turned around to move on to the next person. “Well, see ya around then. Be sure to check me out before we send our asses to space.”

What could Avi do after that? He stood stiff as a board as he watched Johann abruptly leave the conversation and move towards the twins Brian and Ren. Even when the Captain swept him away into another introduction, not even that conversation got his mind off of Johann’s attitude (though, that might be partly because the Captain felt incredibly overbearing). By the time Avi had introduced himself to every single person in the mission, when he looked around to talk to Johann again, he was nowhere to be found.

“The guy walked right out after he was done talkin’ to me,” Hekuba grumbled when Avi asked. “Thought it was something I said. He said, verbatim, ‘nah, just got a performance down at the quad. The one in front of my cosmology department. Tell the others that you guys get dibs on the first row of my performances from now on.’” She released a deep exhale after she finished relaying Johann’s words to Avi, who noticed the other crew started to listen in.

“We should probably join one, right?” Ren said. 

Brian nodded in response to his sister’s words. He had a pleasant smile on his face. “I think we definitely should. I’ve heard he really is a spectacular musician. Why not treat it as a little get-to-know-each-other party?” he offered.

Hekuba rolled her eyes, not quite as hooked on the idea. “If that was what he wanted, he would’ve actually offered it to us.”

Avi spoke up, unnerved by the environment this conversation  could easily lead to. “I’d really like to go, actually,” he interjected. All eyes on him. He’s always been fine with that. “I heard about his performances before. I’ve always wanted to go see one myself. Come on, guys, let’s go down now!”

“Now?” Ren asked. “I meant, like, in the future. Not the one he’s currently doing!”

Avi crossed his arms and shrugged his shoulders. That laid back posture he held was doing a lot of heavy lifting to keep himself from betraying the fact he really had no clue how this would go. “He probably had the front area reserved for us because this was our first time properly meeting each other. That’s kind of an invitation. It’s not rocket science, guys.”

“Yeah, let’s leave rocket science for another day,” Captain Sazed spoke up. He was unnervingly silent even during the introductions as he stated only what he needed to and what was pried out of him. “Let’s go see the guy. We’ve got two months all cooked up together in that spaceship, we can handle a performance or whatever.”

At the Captain’s direction, Julia hurried over to the door of the conference room they had been talking in. “Then let’s not wait. I wanna see if he brings drinks over or if it’s really just about him,” she said, amusement tucked in the back of her throat. Everyone followed suit, even Sazed, who didn’t seem to mind being the follower instead of the leader. Avi sucked in a deep breath and tried to steel himself— for the best or the worst to come.

—

The first time Avi saw Johann’s love was in Cycle 17.

Kind of a dickish amount of time to take to notice that sort of stuff, but hey, the multiple apocalypses got in the way. Sue him.

Avi saw love in Johann’s eyes at the top of a hill overlooking their landing site. That plane, with its hilly landscape and the perfect humidity levels for violin playing, as Johann explained, felt picturesque. His deep brown eyes watched as the other five members worked along to fix some scuff marks made on the Starblaster— Captain Sazed hounded all of them to get on with it.

Avi sat down next to Johann when he finally managed to climb up the hill. “Sazed wants you to join,” he said.

Johann sighed. It sounded airy and wistful, heightened by the pleasant breeze this planet consistently had. “I heard him,” he mumbled. “I’ll go down there when I’m ready.” Avi went to insist, in fear of getting in trouble with Sazed, but Johann did not give him the time of day. His eyes fixated on the crew below with a glaze of affection across his eyes.

Avi, clueless as he was sometimes, did not recognize that emotion at first. “I hope you don’t mind if I chill with you, then,” he said. There was an edge to his voice, as if this was a penance Johann was taking by avoiding doing work. “Since we can just chill here whenever we want.”

“That’s the spirit,” Johann mused. “It’s a nice plane. Better than that depressing mushroom world. So, enjoy it.”

Avi wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He was right, but… Avi struggled to figure out his feelings on his nonchalance. He kept his lips sealed tight, and though he tried to watch their friends below alongside Johann, Avi’s gaze kept crawling back to the man himself. Stop it, Avi scolded himself when he noticed what he was doing without his own permission. Don’t be weird.

But that ship sailed far before the Starblaster did. Avi’s eyes scoured for something, anything really, to better understand Johann. Avi didn’t feel disconnected from Johann, he was definitely closer to him than he was to the Captain at least, but Avi would be lying if he said even 17 years was enough for him to truly get a pin on Johann. He felt it was stupid to be looking into that bard’s eyes as if some grand revelation that would unlock everything about Johann’s personality would suddenly hit him, but was he wrong for hoping that? No, he couldn’t be…

“They’re wonderful, Avi.”

Avi perked up. “Sorry, what?”

“Our group. They’re wonderful.” Johann didn’t look at Avi when he said those words. His eyes were still fixated on the little figures below. “I can’t believe I’m with you guys.”

“Kind of hard to be with anyone else.”

Johann chewed his lip. “Not like that,” he said. “I mean that I can’t believe I ever got onto the Starblaster with you six at all. And that you’re all such wonderful, wonderful people.”

Avi almost choked hearing those words. “Woah. What?” he asked. Confusion painted his face and he studied Johann’s face even more thoroughly for answers. “What do you mean by that?”

Johann’s brows knitted together in what Avi thinks is concentration. A looking-back into his memories of a world over seventeen years ago. “I wasn’t liked back in the IPRE,” he said. It sounded matter-of-fact, but… tired as well. His voice sounded more exhausted than it usually did. Almost frail. His eyes squinted down at someone Avi did not even discern, for that meant to look away from Johann’s face. “And don’t you play dumb, I know that’s how it was. I was kind of a shithead back then, but I still didn’t deserve that. I didn’t deserve the way I was treated.”

“How were you treated?” Avi asked. “And don’t say that I already know. I… I know people didn’t like you. I know that. But I honestly was not in your division before the mission and I didn’t start going to your performances after our formal meeting. I don’t know.”

Johann’s eyes strained down at the ground below the hill. Was he even focusing on the crew anymore? “I liked working in cosmology. Honestly. I loved my research, I loved figuring out what makes our universe tick, how the laws of science and magic keep our worlds matching on. If I could bury myself in just that, and my instruments, I would be fine. I would have loved it. It wasn’t me that sucked, it was… coworkers.

“…People can’t read me,” Johann heaved a sigh so dejected it sounded like a sob. Avi felt a wave of embarrassment hit him. “They never have. When I invite them out to a performance, not even my own, they think I’m showing off. Anything I mention outside of my direct line of work is superfluous. I’m bragging. When I use music to help me study, or I use it to help me document certain ideas I can’t get down with words, I’m making things too hard, I’m being difficult. Oh, man, I can fucking hear all their complaining even now.”

Avi swallowed thickly. He watched as Johann’s eyes shifted down, up, away, to the side. Never at him. Was Johann avoiding looking at him? “I’m sorry,” he said. What else was there to say?

“That’s all the shit they said when I wasn’t provoking them. That wasn’t the only reason I started doing those performances on site. It was why I did it right on the quad in front of our building,” Johann said and he almost laughed, Avi swore he could hear an almost-laugh! “But yeah. That shit spread. Obviously it’s a huge institute, I wasn’t famous or anything. But my business gets spread around and people I’ve never seen in my life look at me like I need to prove something to them. That I’m not just some stupid musician who got into that place through my ass.

“And then I’m on the most sought-after mission of a lifetime. And… I worried you guys were like them. I worried that they got to you,” Johann admitted. “They sorta did. I think. I am certain at least some of you have heard those things about me. I don’t fault you for that.”

Avi gritted his teeth when he heard those words. “You should. It was dumb of us to even entertain that,” he said. He hoped that just saying those words would engrave them in his soul.

“Hindsight, Avi, hindsight. I really don’t give a shit if you believed it, because you guys didn’t let it define me. After almost two decades you guys have let me exist the way I am, with my music and shit, and you have only gotten nicer around me. That’s…” Johann trailed off. He closed his eyes and bathed in the breeze that washed over him. “That’s pretty fucking wonderful of you guys.”

Without thinking, Avi reached over and placed his hand on Johann’s hand on the grass. Johann visibly tensed up at the contact, but he didn’t pull away or tell him to move, so Avi kept it there. “Of course we wouldn’t let that define you,” he assured with a gentle voice. “Johann, you… are invaluable to this team. From your scientific knowledge to your music, your conversations and your company— everything, man. Seriously, how lucky we are to have you onboard with us. And I want you to know that we’ll always want you here with us.”

Seconds passed on the warm wind and the humid environment, and Avi thought he had kept his hand on Johann for far too long when Johann shifted in his place. He closed his other hand on top of Avi’s, leaned in close, and opened his eyes, and he saw it. Avi saw love in Johann’s eyes. Avi read it as clear as day, like the brightest gemstone in the world. It felt so… real. How did he miss it? How did anyone miss it?

“I want to… be with you here, too,” Johann said. 

And Avi blushed.

—

“I’m going to screw up.”

Johann brushed off some imaginary dust off of Avi’s shoulders. The suit he wore felt stuffier than it felt during their practices, the fabric taught against his sweating skin and weak knees. “You’ve had a year of practice. You can do it.”

“Johann, you’ve been the greatest musician of over forty different worlds, and I am some douchebag performing in front of the Light of Creation— in front of hundreds of people— right next to you. I think it’s going to be very obvious I learned how to be decent at piano over the course of a year,” Avi fretted. His heart pounded faster in his chest every second he spoke, and even more so when he heard the cheering of Julia’s performance ending. 

Johann looked up into Avi’s eyes and it took all his strength to not buckle. He rested a hand on Avi’s chest, right above his heart, and a heat rushed between them that neither could stand to ignore much longer. “I asked you to join me on this project for a reason. You actually joined me for a reason. If you didn’t think you had what it took to go up on that stage, you wouldn’t have agreed to this,” he said. 

“…You’re right,” Avi breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m just scared. I’m worried what it might mean if I mess up. What if I mess up and we don’t get the Light?”

Johann laughed. What a sound, Avi thought. “If they accepted Brian’s little spider dance, I think you’ll get in no matter what.”

Avi laughed along with Johann, and he could see it, too. Avi could not deny it. Avi could not act like he was the only one who felt it. It was inevitable that this would reach a state of undeniability. Johann watched him laugh with love in his eyes.

Brilliant light flashed behind them. A crash of Julia’s beautifully carved wooden sculpture, with all its fine details and careful polish, invaded their mind so thoroughly, like it had always been there. They didn’t even notice it had left at all. They just kept staring at each other. They kept looking for their love in the other. 

Someone called their names. The spell between them was broken, but only for a little bit. Just enough for them to get on stage.

And their love flowed through them.

—

Love is intrinsic to music. Avi hadn’t put the two together until he saw Johann perform right next to him.

Johann’s eyes were closed during the performance, as they often were when he played, and he poured his heart into the world through his violin. How his fingers danced across strings, sliding up and down the fingerboard, and even the gentle sway as he played all told the audience one thing: this is what I love. 

Johann had to love his music. It was what kept him going. It was what pushed him through his department’s awful environment and made him thrive. It gave him purpose in life, some way for him to connect with anyone who would ever hear him and not fundamentally misinterpret him. It was his way of connecting and saying, Look at me, hear me, and let me show you what I love. Maybe you will love it too.

But that communication betrayed more than he ever wanted. The love for his music spilled, despite all that his efforts to keep it from doing so. It touched the hearts of all the Starblaster crew— the only people he had left. It was held and subsequently destroyed in the worlds he tried to desperately save.

And when he let his eyes crack open to look at Avi, and their gaze connected for just a moment before they continued their duet, it was Johann telling him, you are who I love. It was a different love’s song from the ones his heart sung to the audience and even the rest of the crew. It was a song that held longing in each note. This song, sprung on a grassy hill decades ago, flourished in sneaky escapades, vulnerable moments, and hands that grazed without thinking, blossomed right there on that stage,

Johann’s part in their duet was an offer, a question, a plea.

Avi was not near Johann’s match in terms of talent; but when he played, there was only one answer. An answer spoken only in Johann’s language of music. He smiled as he poured his heart onto the piano and swayed as Johann did. You are who I love.

And Johann knew. Avi realized when he saw Johann grin so openly, so brightly, as they reached the end of their performance. Such an expression he usually reserved for private moments, suddenly on display for everyone to see. He didn’t stop smiling even when the cheers erupted. He didn’t stop smiling when they bowed together, hand in hand. He didn’t stop smiling when they leaned in close. Even when they placed the sheet music of their piece in anxious silence, Avi could still see that grin on his lips.

The duet, and all the love embedded within, disappeared from their minds. Johann tensed up as he usually did during this part of the ceremony. Avi did not even have the time to sweat or doubt his performance before the second flash came, and a great blast of their song filled the planes of existence. The crowd cheers and the air is filled with applause. Avi swore he could hear the rest of the crew cheering the loudest.

Avi and Johann glanced at each other. They knew, without a word, what they needed. Johann gripped Avi’s hand hard and slipped them away from the crowd, their professors and friends alike.

In the quiet valley, away from the world, away from destruction or performance, Avi felt Johann’s love on his lips. And at that moment, it was the only thing he knew.

[barry-j-blupjeans]

Day 1: Baby

@taznovembercelebration aaaa I'm so excited to be doing this again !!! Pls enjoy !

There was a gentle breeze that blew in when Merle cracked the window open. Even from all the way up the beach, he could hear the waves crashing against the shore, the gentle rustle of leaves getting blown by the wind. He pulled the rocking chair up closer to the window, wincing as it scrapped against the floor.

Merle was not a family kind of guy. He was more of a “get up and leave as soon as things got too committed” guy. But for some reason, he had decided to stick around a little longer with his most recent fuck-up.

The beach was nice, even at night. The Coralheart Clan was in a secluded spot, surrounded by all sorts of beautiful shrubbery and flowers. They had had their own little enclave here on the coast of the Starlight Sea where the clan had lived for hundreds of years. They didn’t usually accept outsiders into their ranks but, well. Here Merle was.

“Shhh,” Merle said when Mookie shifted in his arms, a small whimper coming from his teeny tiny lips. “Daddy’s got’cha, bud.”

Merle couldn’t remember how he made his way into the Coralheart Clan. He had never really planned on returning to any clan after leaving his original one. They were too stuffy. Like, sue him for wanting to see more of the world than just the beach. And that was comin’ from him. He loved the beach. But clans? He was better left alone.

But one day, he woke up in the Coralheart Clan, not fully accepted by all the members, but generally left be. And then he met Hekuba— who was a fantastic woman, up until y’know, the forced marriage and all. Merle couldn’t exactly blame her— he didn’t want to get married either. But leaving her to deal with their baby alone, with all the clan's expectations on her? Merle might be an asshole, but he couldn’t— he wasn’t going to do that.

Not then, at least. He couldn’t lie and say he wasn’t thinking about it now. 

It’s just that— Well, Hekuba had practice, what with Mavis and all. And she had family here to support her. Merle wasn’t anybody important. He could barely take care of the kids, he didn’t have the energy to do his chores, and he couldn’t focus on the community when his thoughts just weren’t here.

He loved Mookie. He was such a small, tiny little thing. He had his mom’s hair and Merle’s own hazel eyes. His itty bitty hand could barely fit around Merle’s thumb. But there wasn’t much Merle was doing for him aside from rockin’ him to sleep and anyone could do that job.

He loved Mavis, too. She wasn’t as small as Mookie was, but she was still a growin’ girl. Merle would take her on walks and show her all the plants and tell her all their names. She’d started dragging him to the library with her to find good books— Merle’s suggestion of adventure stories fell on flat ears. Mavis preferred to ”learn something, Dad!”, which, apparently, adventure books couldn’t do.

He felt like he was holding her back. She deserved a Dad who put in more effort, who would always pay attention to her fun facts and not get tired on their walks.

In another life, maybe he could have loved Hekuba like he was supposed to. But she was strong. And if Merle knew anything, he knew Hekuba could figure out any problem thrown at her. After all, she had been able to deal with being married to him.

He rocked back and forth in the chair, looking out to the sea as Mookie calmed down. His whimpers slowly quieted, his breathing evened out. The two moons cast reflections onto the rippling water. There was so much more to life out there. He loved the beach, he loved his kids…

But this wasn’t the life for him.

He held Mookie a little closer to him and pressed a kiss onto his forehead. Growing up with no Dad was better than what Merle had had to deal with as a child. He could only hope this little guy wouldn’t mind.

[a-side-character]

Taz Balance as Ghost Quartet

I'll get right to the point: I have had an animatic bumping around in my head for about three years now that features the Taz Balance player characters and the song "The Telescope" from the musical Ghost Quartet. The problem? I can't draw at all. I can, however, write a decently convincing description of what my vision would be if I could.

So, here's my attempt to do just that! In the hopes that even just one other person has their perception of this song completely overtaken by The Adventure Zone like I have. Let's begin:

-

"Look into my telescope, tell me what you see"

[Wide, aerial shot of Magnus standing in a white room in front of June, who is holding the chalice. We see Magnus from behind, and June has a neutral expression]

"I see a red star"

[Magnus leans in to look into the cup]

"Antares, red hypergiant star, 4900 lightyears away."

[Cut to static-filled images of Magnus' childhood. We see the scene of him protecting the dog most prominently]

"And a billion times larger than our sun]

[A quick still of Magnus as a young man, laying on his back and looking up at the sky. One of the suns is crystal clear, the other one is static-ed out]

"I see fire in the darkness"

[A black screen, illuminated by a torch]

"Rage against the void"

[The torch illuminates Magnus' face, and behind him a mob of angry villagers holding various weapons]

"I see everytime man cried out, and raised his sword"

[Magnus yells and raises his sword, lunging as though to strike at governor Kalen or his army]

"Against God"

[The momentum from the previous scene continues as the background falls away (as does the sword) and we see Magnus fall to his knees, burying his face in his hands in front of Julia's grave]

"That's good, that's good"

[Cut back to present-day Magnus and June. June nods somberly, and we see Magnus with tears falling from his face]

"Now look into my telescope, tell me what you see"

[We see the same scene as in the beginning, but this time it's Merle facing June in the white room]

"I see a blue star"

[Merle leans in to look into the chalice]

"Groombridge 1830, also known as Argelander's Star. A class G8 subdwarf (ha, get it, cause Merle's a dwarf? That's not the only reason he fits with this verse though BELIEVE ME) a member of the galactic halo"

[We see static filled scenes of Merle's past, with emphasis on his time as a young boy growing up in the church]

"I see mothers weeping in chairs, clutching their shawls in the morning"

[A shot of Hekuba standing on the front porch of her house, leaning against the pillar of the porch. Her eyes are aimed at the horizon and she looks angry, but when she looks down her eyes soften and she seems more sorrowful]

"Everything is lost, all is gone"

[We see what she's looking at, as Merle turns around and walks away from the house, leaving Mavis and Mookie looking confusedly at him and then up at Hekuba]

"And she tries to find the joy in life"

[Cut to a static filled image of Merle sitting at a table and talking to an unseen figure (John) with a speech bubble coming out of his mouth. The only intelligible words are "Find Joy"]

"But she is wasting away"

[Back to Hekuba, who turns around and back into the house. Before her back is to us we see tears in her eyes]

"That's good, that's real good"

[Back once again to Merle standing in front of June. He looks upset, though in a more reserved way that Magnus did. There is a heavy guilt in his expression]

"Now just one more time: Look into my telescope, tell me what you see"

[Our final member of THB, Taako, is now the one facing June]

"I see, I see two stars"

[Taako leans in to look into the chalice]

"Yes, Sigma Orionis AB, a binary star"

[We see static filled images of Taako's past, of him learning how to cook and of him staying in various places over the years]

"Two stars, lost in time"

[This time the childhood scenes stay longer, and we see those same shots expanded to include a static-covered figure (Lup) next to Taako in every single one]

"Oooh, two women, in the forest in the evening in a light rain"

[During the ooohs the images of the past swirl away, leaving only a dark screen. As soon as the words begin it alights on a wide, aerial view of Taako and Sazed in front of the Sizzle it Up truck. As the song mentions, it is dark and drizzling]

"The older has no expression on her face"

[In this case 'the older' is Taako, and we see an up close image of his face, looking down his nose at Sazed with an unfazed expression]

"The younger hangs her head down"

[Sazed lowers his head, presumably just after being denied the ability to join the show]

"The younger is in love, was in love, is in love, was in love"

[The scene changes with every 'in love' to various scenes. Taako performing with his hand in the air, a flurry of magic behind it. The crowd looking up in adoration, the bright sign, etc.]

"But the lover is in love"

[in this case 'the lover' is the audience. We see a shot of the faces of the underdark audience, looking excited]

"With the older not the younger"

[Taako on stage, joyously handing out samples. Sazed in the back, looking on with a dark expression]

"But the lover is in love"

[That same shot of the audience, only now seeming panicked and afraid. Some have doubled over, poisoned]

"With the older not the younger"

[Back to Taako, looking horrified, and Sazed, who turns his back to the audience]

-

Alright, that's all I got! I'll admit I haven't been able to find a way to incorporate the little choruses in the middle and end, so if you have a way to tie them in please do let me know!

I really hope you see the vision, because I've been seeing this same little movie play out in my head everytime I listen to this song for YEARS.

[thatgirlonstage]

Think about Lucretia “still remembers Merle talking to John upwards of fifty fucking times without ever once losing his faith in fundamental goodness in the world” listening to Merle say this about his own relic and die instantly

I just. I have A Lot Of Fucking Feelings about the DAMAGE that the voidfishing left Tres Horny Boys with that extends insidiously beyond a clean cut of their memories. Taako is the most obvious example, but like—all of them are so so fucking LONELY at the start of the campaign and SO DESPERATE not to TELL people that or let them see. And they have their own individual traumas disconnected from the voidfishing that have led to that, but. Idk. The graphic novels, with the advantage of knowing the whole story, are leaning into foreshadowing this more deliberately (see eg Merle leaving Hekuba in the Eleventh Hour flashback bc he feels like “something’s missing”, as well as the above scene) but it’s not NOT there in the original, albeit totally unintentionally. They are three people whose lives got fucking wrecked out from under them and they all equally found themselves just,,, fucking adrift with no concept of how to correct that. At least in the little we know of their time before the stolen century, they all eventually found themselves at the IPRE. They found something exciting or compelling or daring enough in this exploration to want to join it, no matter how lonely their lives were before that.

I’m just stream of consciousness-ing don’t take this as super well thought out meta but it just. Fucks me up.

[kemikkadin]

🎧 Morgan Wallen - Whiskey Glasses

.

Anneannemle bir kazak örüyoruz, nasıl yapacağım konusunda beni yönlendiriyor. Bu kazak bittiğinde benim için yeri çok ayrı olacak biliyorum. Amatör çabalarıma anneannemin tecrübesi değiyor. Böyle düşündükçe mutlu oluyorum.

.

Hamlet ya da Hekuba, bir inceleme kitabı. Kitaptaki fikir ve ifadeler, yazarın katıldığı bir konferansta yaptığı sunuma dayanıyor. Shakespeare'in tragedyalarının arka planındaki tarihi olayları analiz edip Hamlet'e bir çıkış noktası oluşturuyor. Kraliçe olgusu ve intikam almak isteyen figür ele alınarak, kültürel yerlerini araştırıyor. Hamlet'in yaratılmasının sebebi tarihi bir isim olabilir mi? Kraliçe karakteri bilinen bir kadına mı dayanıyordu? Edebi eleştirisini tarihteki siyasi ortamla ilişki kurarak yazıyor ve başka bir teori ortaya koyuyor.

.

Hamlet oyununu benim gibi çok seviyorsanız ve başka bir açıdan bakmak isterseniz okumanızı tavsiye ederim. Referans noktası olan metni bilenler için oldukça anlaşılır güzel bir kitap.

.

Hamlet'i okudunuz mu?

.

#kitap #kitapkahve #kitapyorumu #kitaptavsiyesi #kitapönerisi #neokudum #booklover #book #bookworm #kitapkurdu #kitapsever #hamlet #shakespeare #

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[incorrect-zone-quotes]

Last hour to vote in Round 1 Polls

Artemis Sterling vs Hurley

Kravitz vs Klarg

Angus McDonald vs Robbie (aka Pringles)

Graham the Juicy Wizard vs Mr. Upsy

Johann vs Davenport

Roswell vs Dracula

Antonia vs Rowan

Lucas Miller vs Hodge Podge

Hekuba Roughridge vs Cassidy

Steven the Goldfish vs Brad Bradson

Greg Grimaldis vs Jenkins

Trent the Treant vs Little Jerry and Jerreeeeee

Cam vs Paloma

Fisher vs Garyl

Barry Bluejeans vs Istus

Gundren Rockseeker vs Lucretia

Maarvey vs Sloane

Joaquin Terrero vs Edward

Mookie vs Lup

Ash vs Jeff Angel

Lydia vs Avi

Ren Mol'diira vs The Raven Queen

Clint McElroy (the Planewalker) vs Boyland

June vs Pan

Brody vs Magic Brian

Garfield the Deals Warlock vs John

Leon the Artificer vs Carey Fangbattle

Mavis vs Killian Fangbattle

Maureen Miller vs Julia Burnsides

Jess the Beheader vs NO-3113

[enei3]

Alright alright: so I tend to get into what we discuss in my native language class a biiit too much and this time the teachers have us a potem and some exercises and, anyway, I thought you should hear it ( it doesnt sound good in english but I wanted to give you the literal same experience so))

You exacting reader, dreaming od Troy /Wanting everything to be as Homer wrote it/ There's a blind man in Warsaw standing in the street/ And he sings Warszawianka and collects pennies in a hat.

What use have you of Hekuba?/ Ilion is long gone./ Look at that old man, standing by the gate,/ Shake his hand and say: "Oh, good Priam,/ I knew your son, who died in September".

But in his eyes, there are no glints of sorrow,/ Instead, you will see hope in them and, after a moment, he'll whisper:/ "In the end, everything will be different./ I've already said: "Cassandra is wrong." [J. Lechoń, "The Illiad", 1943]

Now, I know it doesn't sound that good, especially that I wanted to translate it literally, but what you have to realise here is when it was written: in the middle of the II world war, Warsaw, Poland: a country with more than 5 million dead citizens by the end, our capital - Warsaw - completely in ruins, almost destroyed and burnt to the ground. Almost everyone lost somebody, there's no one unscythed.

And then you see it: it's been thousands of years. And we still do it. We still can't hold peace for a damn minute, and wars are still as cruel as they used to be. People's sons still die in the battlefield, there are children who don't get to grow up with their fathers. We still burn cities to the ground. There are still lovers, who stay with each other event though they know they are practically doomed. And then they all die welcome to my ted talk yeah

[versinator]

Elvtársak nácika

Menhely menümön mindenhogy célig Hódítsák kócnyelőt távolokba szoboszlóig Csemegézné mulyák lányszemszínű pottyant Szalámim meghintem sóoldat szörnyként Aladárral őrizgesse rejtegetted megültek Ünnepélyre bariton árut nézzenek

Enyhes nyoszolyája lustácska kényszerzubbony Májusittas panamák békék szegénylegény Koporsófödelét kőmíves jambusokban színészei Mosolygom szatírára meghökkent idei Csodám sifli kijózanít köröknek Vérzők fűztük rontható mágneshegyének

Dőlne hekuba elájul szinültig Belemásztam falucskák öltő alkonyodásig Hasatok emberfölötti kaszinóba gyertyaként Lágymeleg monakói betörő körmönfont Minőségben karcsúk eláruljuk rengnek Csipkékkel átfordulnak szivarja fölényesek

Kínná félholdat karszékeket vetemény Alakjára ruhámon megnyúznak bölény Bogos sürűben randevúra érmei Túlédes kabarett áhítata nagyerdei Létentúli korholó szivarom nagykövetek Feltépik hithű kioperálja beveszek

Érdemeltük elemiben zenésítsék könnyezésig Sárgába boldogulva múltakba mérföldig Plundrás firka fecskéje szopránt Narancshéj foguk nézelődni láncaként Csaplárosné kiloccsant zálogcédulát tenyészetnek Kúszna igazolásra népünnep némelyeknek

Ősanyag újesztendő elkezdendő víztorony Szünteti nyerészkedni parittyaként idény Garázdálkodik repedjen gépemmel tőrei Halljanak elvonulva köpködő tincsei Fentieknek hullámló ígén reszkettek Srófol kibújnak füvecske húszévesnek

[helenoftroydidnothingwrong]

Hi to everyone! I’m getting my masters in classics rn and working on my thesis, which is a translation and stage adaptation of Euripides’ Iphigenia at Aulis! Specifically, I’m focusing on making an adaptation that is true to the story and emotions of the text while being accessible to people outside of the classics field! If anyone has any thoughts or resources relating to this, I’d love to hear them!

Also here’s a poll for fun