#heras fence

[altonfencing]

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[bugwolfsstuff]

Honestly the Dark gods AU should just be retitled The Hermes Fucking Snaps AU because he is the guy I think about the most and he is the most deranged in it

[caffeinewitchcraft]

The Hero and Hope (part 3/5)

(part 1) (part 2)

Summary: You've been adopted before. That's why you know better than to hope for another chance, especially a second chance with the Bahrs

-----

It’s not that you don’t want to be adopted. You just know that you’re not going to be. You’re the oldest in the orphanage, barely three years away from aging out. People don’t adopt kids your age, especially not obstinate, mean ones like you.

Besides, you’re a Hero. As soon as you master your power, you’ll be compelled to leave and fight evil anyway. That’s why it doesn’t matter if the Bahrs want you or not. You’re not somebody that’s supposed to have a family.

You barely remember the first time you were adopted. That was back when the Director of the orphanage was mean and biting. You have a vague memory of gold exchanging hands and leaving in the middle of the night. Your new parents barely looked at you and didn’t call you by your name at all.

You don’t remember a lot of that time. You were five and it was a struggle to go from living with a dozen kids to no one at all. Your new family gave you your own room in their small house and told you not to get underfoot.

The first time you ran away from their house, you didn’t get far. The baker in town brought you back to them and warned them about how kids your age are always slipping out when not paid enough attention.

“If you do it again,” the person who paid for you said, “you’re going straight back to the orphanage.”

And you do.

--------.

The day of the picnic, every kid wakes up early without being told.

You watch as Hera fusses over all the younger ones, straightening new shirts and brushing dust off knees. Josiah is reading one of the newest books Mrs. Bahr – Marie – brought, biting the skin on the side of his thumb. You snag Hera as she races to find Annie some ribbon for her hair.

“Hold up, let me brush your hair first,” you say.

Hera frantically pats the braids she slept in. “I forgot about my hair!” She turns large, watery eyes on you. “Islaaaa!”

You snort and help her unwind each braid. She decides to leave it down, charmed by the waves the braids left in her hair. Your hands don’t shake as you work even though your heart is racing. Today is the day of the picnic.

Today might be the day the Bahrs pick one of you to adopt. The younger kids don’t know that, the information carefully hidden from them, but Hera knows. Director Sarah knows. You know.

It’s been a long time since you felt this sort of anxiety. The second time you were adopted was just before the Winter and it wasn’t bad at first. The couple who adopted you ran an inn in town. It was exciting to have your own room and your new mother wanted you to call her Mom right away. Six-years-old and you were so excited just to be able to call someone your parent. This time you were going to listen. You weren’t going to run away or complain if their house felt too big and too lonely. This time you were going to get it right.

You didn’t think about what they wanted from you in exchange.

It wasn’t until the second week when they found out you weren’t really much use for anything that things started getting bad.

You breathe in through your nose and proclaim Hera’s hair finished. She thanks you and races off to find Annie, determined to put the ribbon she picked in the younger girl’s hair.

The Bahrs aren’t like the innkeepers. Whoever they adopt won’t be expected to know how to read or do math or how to take care of horses. If they are required to then Marie and Ivan will teach them first. Both have spent enough time at the orphanage for you to believe that. Isn’t it Marie who’s teaching all of you your letters? Wasn’t it Ivan who taught you how to better put up a fence?

Whoever they choose will be fine, you think. It’s both a relief and a sting. Whoever they choose will be fine. It’s just probably not going to be you. Not when Annie is so sweet and social and Hera is so strong and kind. Not when Josiah works so hard to soak up everything they have to teach him.

“Is everyone ready?” Director Sarah asks. She’s standing by the door. Her clothes are nicer than usual too, a dress made of a light blue fabric you’ve never seen before. Her hair is carefully combed back into an updo and fastened with a tie Hera made for her last winter. She runs a critical eye over all of you. “You all look very nice. Josiah, tie your shoes, please. Annie, leave the slate in your room, what you do if you lost it? Honestly…”

You let Director Sarah fuss over the kids, slipping out the door ahead of everyone. You don’t own a dress, but the button-down shirt is new and starched. Director Sarah helped you embroider bluebells on the collar and sleeves, and you think it turned out well.

You may not be getting adopted today, but you’re excited to see the Bahr family’s estate. The sun is warm overhead, the sky an endless blue. The summer is mild this year, perfect for a party. Isn’t that what Mr. Bahr – Ivan – told you to think of it as? A party. No strings attached.

A wagon comes up the lane. The Bahr family’s home is too far for the younger kids to walk to, past the town and closer to the Lord’s manor. They said they’d send a wagon for all of you, but something still clenches in your chest when you actually see it. Wagons are an expense the orphanage can’t justify, but, apparently, the Bahrs can.

The driver smiles kindly when he pulls up next to you. “Everyone ready to go?”

Before you can answer, the kids are pouring out the front door, chattering excitedly. You help Director Sarah lift the smaller ones into the seats near the front. The wagon is open topped, so Director Sarah can look over everyone sternly, twisting around in her spot next to the driver.

“No playing during the ride,” she instructs. “Mr. Dallen is very kindly driving us so you must listen to him, alright?”

Mr. Dallen also turns around. “I don’t have too many rules,” he says. He pretends to think, scratching his thick beard.  He grins “Don’t fall out!”

He’s joking, but that’s why you’re stationed at the back of the wagon. From your seat, you’ll be able to stop any roughhousing before “falling out” becomes a real danger. Already you’re eyeing the way Josiah is fidgeting. He’s incredibly calm when he’s reading, but otherwise he’s like a tornado. There’s a reason he’s the one that fell into the well in the first place. Hera sits primly next to him, her hands folded in her lap. You can tell she’s watching him from the corner of her eye. There’s a reason she’s the one who pulled Josiah out of the well.

Mr. Dallen directs the horses away from the orphanage, through the orchard, and along the road cutting through the fields. When you’re going to the forest to hunt, you take the narrower path that winds through the orchard and more directly into the tree line. The wagon is forced to stay on the wider road where the horses won’t sink into any mud and the wagon wheels won’t catch on rocks or dense foliage.

After the fields is the town. The kids wave to every Villager and Blacksmith they see. “Good day!” “Morning!” “We’re going to a picnic!” Hera pulls Annie back from the edge of the wagon before she tips over onto the street.

You slouch in your seat, wishing you were wearing a hat. While the first family who adopted you left town ages ago to live in the Capital, the innkeepers are still around. You don’t look as you pass their business and try not to listen to Josiah carefully sounding out the name of their inn.

When you open your eyes, Director Sarah is looking at you. You okay? She mouths. She wasn’t at the orphanage for your first adoption, but she was there for the innkeepers. You feign going to sleep. Just tired. She pretends to believe you and turns back to continue chatting with Mr. Dallen.

The kids are excited to go through the forest. Many of them are too young to even go into town with Director Sarah, a privilege you earn at ten years old, and they point to every bird, deer and mushroom they see amongst the trees. You let the sound of nature and the kids’ chatter lull you into a sort of meditation. The estate is only thirty minutes away now that you’re out of town.

You’re nearly dropping off to sleep when Director Sarah’s voice changes in pitch. Your sensitive hearing can pick up a thread of concern in her voice. What makes Director Sarah concerned, makes you concerned.

“—demons in the woods,” Sarah is saying very quietly. She glances out of her peripherals towards the back to make sure no kids are listening. If she notices how you’re only pretending to sleep, she doesn’t show any sign of it. “Shouldn’t we ask the kids to be quiet?”

“The Lord’s Knights have been patrolling,” Mr. Dallen says equally quietly. You can see him scan the trees for a moment before he smiles reassuringly at Director Sarah. “We’ll be okay so long as we stick to the road.”

“Alright.”

You keep a closer eye on the surrounding forest.

“There! There it is!”

Annie’s shout drags you attention from a (suspiciously) shadowed gully. The woods have thinned enough that hedges of the Bahrs’ estate can be seen. You’ve only been out this far once, a long, long time ago. You’ve never been past this point.

You’re just as surprised as the rest of the kids when the hedges give way to a castle.

That’s not a manor. You’ve never seen either, but you’re sure of this. Manors are supposed to look like the orphanage or any of the buildings in town, just larger. The Bahrs’ home has towers. The front doors are three times the height of a regular one and you can see that the handles and knockers are made of copper. The stone isn’t white like the castles in picture books, but it’s clean and neatly cut.

“Wow,” Hera breathes.

You agree.

Mr. Dallen directs the horses right up the main driveway, cheerfully explaining that the roses are the flower of the estate, aren’t they beautiful? Even Hera can only manage a faint noise of agreement, eyes wide on the house.

“The party’s around back,” Mr. Dallen says cheerfully. He clicks his tongue and the horses stop just short of the front doors. “I’ll take you there.”

Around back. You expect him to lead you around the side of the castle, past rows of rose bushes and the fountains that are tucked between the hedges. Instead, Mr. Dallen opens the front doors without knocking and directs everyone to follow him.

You’ve never seen anywhere so grand. The kids follow Mr. Dallen in hushed awe, gaping at the marble staircase that bisects the foyer. There are two chandeliers to either side of the grand staircase that each send a spray of rainbow light across the walls. Is the manor a little bare? The walls empty of portraits and artwork? You eye a pair of crossed axes hanging just beyond the shadow of the staircase.

“They’re ordering portraits from the Capital,” Mr. Dallen says, gesturing carelessly to the space where a portrait of the homeowners might hang. Then under his breath, “Unless they hang more swords there instead.”

“Excuse me?” Hera asks.

“Nothing,” Mr. Dallen says cheerfully. He guides them past the staircase and a row of doors to the back of the house. The large doors at the back of the house are already open. Mr. Dallen cups a hand over his mouth and calls, “Ho ho, look here! Look who’s arrived!”

“Surprise!” Ivan shouts, throwing his hands up in the air. He’s standing on the stone patio just outside the house, but he’s not the only one. Mrs. Bahr is next to him, her hands clasped in front of her, beaming. Behind her is a dozen other adults. “It’s a party!”

“Welcome,” Mrs. Bahr says warmly. She’s dressed elegantly in a long, red tunic that’s embroidered with the Lord’s crest. The Lord is here as well, his golden hair and eyes unmistakable even amongst the crowd. “Welcome to our home.”

You’re already at the back of the group, but you hang back further as the younger kids cautiously step out into the sun. Your eyes flick from face to face. You recognize a few of the people. There’s the Baker from town and her wife, there’s the Merchant that comes through every third week, there’s the Villager that donates zucchini—

And there are the innkeepers who, once upon a time, told you to call them your parents. They’re older than you remember, light hair gone silver in the sun, but it’s them. They’re right by the Lord, eagerly waiting near him for the opportunity to talk.

It’s very clear what this is. You watch the kids stream out onto the patio to greet Ivan and Marie. The other adults study the kids like zoo animals, eyes flicking to their clean party outfits to their happy faces. This isn’t a party for the kids. It’s a party for them. They’re showing off to each other. Look at how great they are! They’re helping out the poor orphan kids! You’re very familiar with these sort of events from back when the other Director was in charge. You just didn’t think you’d ever have to be near one again.

You take a step back and are stopped by Director Sarah.

“It’s okay, Isla,” Director Sarah murmurs. You didn’t even notice her falling back to your side. Her hand is gentle on your elbow. “It’s not what you think.”

Not what you think? You watch the Villager who runs the general store ask Josiah about the book he’s reading. The Bahrs are proudly introducing Annie and Hera to the Lord. There is something different about it, but you can’t quite put your finger on it. All you can see is the way the adults are watching the kids. You breathe in through your nose like Ivan taught you. In. Out. “What is it?”

“Fixing my mistake,” Director Sarah says.

That gets your attention. Your eyes dart from the happy scene in front of you to Sarah and back again. With the white umbrellas over the food tables, the streamers strung between garden trellises, and the kids dressed in their best, it looks like a painting. In contract, Sarah’s lips are pursed and the shadows of the house make her appear more tired than she is.

“There’s a parlor,” Mr. Dallen says. You jump when he speaks and he grimaces apologetically. He jerks a thumb over his shoulder. “If you need to talk.”

Marie is looking over the heads of the kids to where you’re standing, a frown on her face. She mouths your name, concern in her eyes. Your jaw clenches when the Merchant steps in front of her, hiding you from view.

“Yeah,” you say. “Let’s talk.” You spin on your heel.

Sarah follows you silently. You feel wrong-footed and caged by the entire situation. This was supposed to be a picnic, wasn’t it? No strings attached? Your dress shirt is tight around your neck and you flick open the top button.

“I should have told you,” Sarah says as soon as the door closes. There are two couches in the room adjacent to a large window that overlooks the party. Neither of you sits down. Sarah folds her hands in front of her skirts. “I apologize.”

“What are they doing here?” you ask. You gesture to the window. “The Lord, I understand. He’s the Lord. But the Baker? The Merchant?” You bark a laugh. “They’re not here to adopt anyone.”

“Maybe not,” Sarah says evenly, “but they’re good connections to have.”

“Connections?” You scoff. You remember watching the empty road through that winter nearly seven years ago. “What good are their connections?”

“Annie loves baking,” Sarah says. She doesn’t flinch in the face of your anger. She watches you calmly and doesn’t so much as shift her weight when you start to pace. “The Baker is a good connection for her to have, even if she doesn’t want to adopt. Many of the shopkeepers in town are open to taking on apprentices.”

You falter. You didn’t think about that. Your eyes drift towards the window. You can hear Hera laughing and Josiah complaining good naturedly. You’re nearly 15, just a few years away from aging out. You can’t say you’ve never thought about the future before. “They said they’d be willing to do that?”

“Who knows what the future holds?” Sarah sighs and goes to take a seat on the sofa. She makes a sound low in her throat when she sits. “That wagon ride was not good for my back.”

“I don’t trust them,” you say. You stop pacing to sit opposite her. From this point in the room, you can see the party on the patio. They can also see you. Ivan doesn’t turn away from the dessert table, but you can sense his attention on you. You swallow. “We don’t need anything from them.”

“I agree,” Sarah says.

You blink. “What?”

Sarah laughs. It’s not her usual laugh that she shows the kids, gentle and fond and warm. It’s cold and a little sharp. You’ve only heard it once before when the snow finally melted, chasing the snow spirits away, and the town came to see what had become of the orphanage.

“You and I are a lot alike,” Sarah says. Her eyes drift somewhere distant. “Like you, I remember that Winter. I remember waiting for any sort of response to our pleas. I remember hearing nothing back. The helplessness I felt as our stores dwindled…” Her voice cracks. She shakes herself, swallowing hard. “Well. I don’t need to tell you what their lack of aid cost us.”

It takes you two tries to speak. Director Sarah feels the same way as you. “So why?”

“Why did I agree to the party?”

“Yes.”

“Because I need to forgive, not forget, if I want to fix my mistake,” Sarah says. Her lips thin. “I’m not perfect. Since I’ve been Director of the orphanage, there hasn’t been a single new hire. There have been no volunteers or extracurricular programs for the kids. I’ve kept us hidden.”

“You’ve kept us protected,” you say. Things under Director Sarah have always been better than what they were before. The kids are happier and brighter, and the pantry is always full. No one disappears in the middle of the night or dies under her watch. “We know you have.”

“I’ve tried,” Sarah says. She opens her hands, palms facing the ceiling. “I rebuilt the orphanage to be independent. I thought that if we were completely self-sustaining, we’d be alright. But in doing so I’ve hurt the children. The orphanage is not supposed to be forever. They need connections with people, with the town, for when they grow up.”

“That—” You don’t know what you’re going to say. You fall silent, your anger fizzling out in your chest. She’s right. As much as you want everyone to stay together, you know that can’t happen. What Sarah is saying isn’t wrong, but… “Today is supposed to be for the kids. Not for them to feel better about themselves helping the orphans.”

“The kids are having fun,” Sarah says. There’s a peal of laughter from outside as if to underscore her words. She smiles as she stands. “Kids includes you too, you know. Let me worry about the adults.”

You stand too. You know the conversation is coming to a close and that, soon, you’ll be expected to go out there with Sarah. “Um…”

“Yes?”

You nearly don’t say it. But the way Sarah is waiting for you to speak is so patient that you muster up the courage. “The innkeepers are here. They aren’t…?”

Again, you’re not sure what you’re about to say. There’s a sick fear in your stomach that they’re here to tell the Bahrs all about how awful you were when you with them. Maybe they’re looking for another kid to demand too much of. Maybe they’re here because, in the end, you didn’t mean anything to them and what happened between you and them doesn’t make a difference--

Even if you don’t know what you’re going to say, Sarah must. Her smile darkens. “I’ll take care of the adults,” she repeats. She smooths her hand over your hair when you follow her to the door. “Why don’t you stay in here for a moment? I’ll just have a word with the innkeepers.”

You wait in the parlor while Sarah joins the party. You twist your hands together to keep from picking at the embroidery on your sleeves. You almost want to stop Sarah from talking to the innkeepers. It was so long ago, before the Winter, it shouldn’t matter anymore. You’re being ridiculous to be so worried about them when there are bigger things going on. You—

Hera throws open the door to the parlor. Her braids are a little frizzy already and there’s a flush high on her cheeks. “Isla! We’re playing team tag and you’re the only one fast enough to catch Marie. Come on!”

You don’t have the option to say no. Hera yanks you by the sleeve out onto the patio. The guests are much more dispersed now, pockets of adults around this table or that. They’re not studying the kids now. They’re just watching them as they run to and fro across the lawn, bemused smiles on their faces.

Ivan cheers when he sees you. Like Hera, his face is bright red. “Isla!” he pants. “You’re on my team!”

Marie sprints past, her skirts hiked up to her knee. She runs as if she’s in full armor, strides long and shoulders square. You wonder if she notices no one is chasing her anymore. “It won’t be enough!” she cries.

Josiah is laying on the grass. He chucks his fist in the air. “Go, Marie! Go!” He gasps for breath. “We’re unstoppable.”

“You’re out,” Annie tells him crossly. She’s also laying flat on her back, but seems to be faring better in the breathing department. “You’ve stopped.”

“Shut it—”

You scan the crowd. You don’t see the innkeepers anywhere, not even near where the Lord is sitting. You look over your shoulder back towards the house just in time to see Director Sarah disappearing around the corner. She’s talking to someone just ahead of her. Is she escorting the innkeepers out?

“Isla?” Hera slips her hand in yours. Her eyes are knowing. “You okay?”

You clear your throat, aware of all the eyes on you. You tuck  some hair that’s escaped her braid behind her ear. “Just trying to decide which team I should join.”

Ivan cries out in dismay. “Isla, please!”

Grinning, you join the game.

-----

(part 1) (part 2)

Thanks for reading! If you'd like to read the conclusion of Isla's tale before next week, please consider supporting me on Patreon (X)!

Up this week is a continuation of my Cinderella Retelling, Cinderella Doesn't Believe in Fairytales

[specialagentartemis]

instead of a born sexy yesterday thing Hera gets rebooted and Eiffel's like oh no... adoption instincts activated #(he died in the car crash) #Lovelace's team Figured It Out and got banished to the real bad place and she's back to drag Hilbert down to fix it somehow #Jacobi and Maxwell doing the world's worst straight couple impression but having a fantastic time not being at regular work #completely ignored in the background as Eiffel and Minkowski deal with the Problem of the Week

I still sometimes think about how well W359 would work in a The Good Place AU since Minkowski and Eiffel were already hired to torment each other. Minkowski and Eiffel get dumped into a neighborhood as assigned soulmates, Eiffel under false pretenses. Hera is Janet, obviously. Eris is Bad Janet. Hilbert is Michael and already on his second chance, which they don't find out about until Isabel Lovelace shows up in their nice, manicured neighborhood covered in scorch marks and carrying a pitchfork she stole from a demon demanding they help her rescue the rest of her friends. That's as far as my imagination ever went beyond that Jacobi and Maxwell are demons pretending to be another pair of soulmates in the neighborhood and doing a horrendous job of it, but Minkowski and Eiffel mostly don't notice because they've got their own problems.

[jessequinnfirstofhername]

The Rules:

Every twenty-four hours there will be another round. After every round, the ship in last place will be eliminated.

If there are multiple ships tying for last place, there will be a special elimination round. In these rounds, every ship in last place will be eliminated, even if all the ships have tied equally.

When there are only two ships remaining, they will face off against one another in a week-long poll to determine the victor.

If the ship that you consider the best isn't listed here, hit the 'you forgot the best ship' option and reply to this post with the overlooked ship. The ship with the highest 'write-in' votes will be added to the next round. Unless the 'you forgot the best ship' option is the least voted for, in which case it will be eliminated.Welcome to the fray, Kalluzeb!

This is all for fun. Don't take it too seriously ;)

It's sadly time for Kalluzeb to retire to Lira San, buy a nice house with a white picket fence, and adopt 2.5 kids and a golden retriever. Which is exactly the same as what they did in canon. Safe travels, boys.

Things are heating up, Round Six!

[jessicas-pi]

For the AU Ask Game

What about any members of the Ghost crew in a Jurassic Park situation?

this. uh. might not be what you had in mind? But it is situation straight out of Jurassic Park and it is the Ghost crew members and it's what I was inspired to do so I'm gonna say it kinda counts!

--

Hera had never regretted anything more than she regretted accepting this invitation.

She should have known better. She should never have agreed. But---but Sabine had been so happy.

Sabine hadn't been happy in a long time.

(It had seemed like she might be, when she'd had hope for finding Ezra, but... well. That hadn't gone very well. There had been an argument, and Sabine and Ezra hadn't talked in months.)

"There's this scientist," Sabine had said, when she was trying to convince her to go along with her. "He's been collecting bio-samples from parts of Mandalore since before the Empire glassed it. He's cloned animals and plants, and begun to repopulate one of Mandalore's moons with them. The whole thing is a park. There are species that were wiped out in wars almost a century ago. He's healing my home, Hera."

The problem was, cloning was not allowed by the New Republic, and they were trying to shut down the project. This scientist sought Sabine out, asking her to come see what was being done, hoping that having a war hero vouch for his project would help convince the New Republic to make an exception.

And Sabine had begged Hera to come along, too. The scientist had added that she could bring her son, that there was a petting zoo filled with cute little critters, that he would have a wonderful time.

At the time, Hera had thought it was perfect---they could bring Ezra, and Zeb, too, and Ahsoka, and it would be an opportunity to try and mend burned bridges and bring their family together again.

She was so, so wrong.

The animals---the big ones, the mean ones, the ones that the scientist hadn't mentioned---were loose. The fences were all down. The power was out. Zeb was stranded. Ahsoka was missing. And worst of all, her kids---Sabine, and Ezra, and her own precious little boy---were out there. In the dark. In a storm. Alone.

And Hera was stuck in this control building, with all the lights out, at the end of a long table, unable to do anything but eat half-melted ice cream and wish that they were all home.

(She would not be endorsing this park.)

[ljjsims]

Greek Goddess Legacy Challenge: Generation #5 Persephone: Complete

You may bow now: The Queen of the Underworld has arrived! Please welcome Persephone to the stage!

When you were younger, your mother used to call you little Kore (maiden). a name as forgettable as your mother seems to think you are. You love her, really you do, but you wish she wouldn't be so strict. You need to be inside the house before dark. Hell, you can't even leave your mothers property, because she is so scared you'll meet bad people… How are you supposed to know what you can bring the world if you can never try to become someone? You want to make a difference! So when you meet a young man standing at your mother's fence, you take your chance and tell him to take you home. Finally free from your mother's clutches you can finally discover the world and yourself.

Little bit explanation with the sheets: - First sheet is for describing your current generation, with the challenges you need to do each life-stage. Also, because I love the myths, a bit of mythological background. May it inspire you :) - Second sheet is the preparation sheet for this generation, with important characters for your story. It is technically optional, but I love seeing sims with a backstory in my world, so I would highly recommend it. - Third sheet is for your gens children. They all have their own little challenges if your interested in those. I try to make all of them a bit different from each other, so it doesn’t get boring. Your heir is also on this sheet, but I’ve put their challenges on their own sheets. Stay tuned for those ;) - Fourth sheet is completely optional. If you want sims with names from the myths and love making sims to see them in your world, this is for you! All with a little mythological background ofc, you know me.

Next Generation is Hecate! Previous Generation was Demeter First Generation is Gaia

The Greek Goddesses Challenge by LJJ-Sims is a challenge based on the ancient mythical creatures and stories from Greece. I fell in love with Greek mythology in high school and have not let that love go since. In this challenge you will follow 10 deities in their journey through life. Every goddess has a different take on and goal in life. Special about this challenge?  All your kids have little challenges of their own, not only your heir. These challenges are optional, so if you feel like these are too much or just too restricting for you: by all means let them go. I also have sheets for characters that you can make before you start each generation. This gives your challenge a lot more personality and makes it frankly easier and more fun!

A little disclaimer: because I made these gods and goddesses into a legacy challenge, the relationships in the myths don’t exactly match the relationship in this challenge. There is a lot of keep it in the family in mythology, to put it lightly. And apart from the fact that you can’t do that in the Sims, I don’t really like that part. So I didn’t include it, thus the inconsistency. An example: Ares is now Hera’s stepfather instead of her son, which she conceived with her brother  and husband Zeus. This inconsistency can also be found in the stories. It’s just based on and not copied exactly, as Sims live lives that are a lot shorter than those of immortal gods. And it takes a way from the creativity if we just copy the myths. Even if we wanted to do that, it’s quite hard, as every myths has its fair share of variations and some are just completely different stories.

I use the MCCC-mod to alter the length of life states. You can find the days-years ratio here: the boring stuff.

[umbran6]

The Perils of a Divine Childhood

Looping in @stillcarmine. You've awakened the beast. Specifically, my headcanon beast. I didn't want to reblog this in your post because I didn't want to override it. I'm riding on the concept that Leo is still a son of Hera but with a bit more of a twist than Leo being a biological child born from her breaking her marriage. Still, for those who want to see it, I have attached the link here.

In this situation, Leo is very different from my previous headcanon, in which he was Hera's champion. Instead of being a demigod chosen by Hera to act as her champion, Leo is born in a unique way akin to how Hephaestus was born from Hera. Hera resents Zeus for breaking his marriage oaths again and endangering Olympus by shattering the pact of the Big Three, an anger that burns her from the inside out. Thus, blinded by resentment and heartbreak, she decides to create Leo.

However, this is a very different Hera compared to Riordan's interpretation, a Hera who has matured beyond the days when white-hot fury would grasp her heart each time she saw another child of Zeus. She regrets falling back into her patterns of fury but knows that she cannot abandon Leo. She hides her pregnancy from the gods, but the night Leo is born, she does not repeat history. Instead, she spirits him away, entrusting him to Esperanza Valdez when her own pregnancy by Hephaestus turns out horribly wrong. Hestia is the only Olympian Hera trusts with the truth, for her sister had never betrayed her.

God? Well, whatever he is, he grows up as a rather unique child. Though he takes to machinery, it's more out of sheer desire to imitate his supposed mother than anything. Beyond that, he focuses on the sky - not the storms or the bolts of lightning that descend from the heavens, but the stars that glow at night, the gravity emitted by the planet he stands on, and the rockets alongside satellites that humanity sends out to reach beyond the blue horizon. Though he is not aware, his connection to the stars is perhaps not just a childlike wonder but him sensing his connection to his mother's domain.

He's wise beyond his years and does his best to be the picture of a perfect child. This budding desire to be seen as perfect spurs him to develop a social insight that, although most adults don't vocally comment on it, find disturbing. He also values promises yet knows there are times when people can't keep them or decide to break them. He doesn't get outwardly angry, yet the environment feels the subtleties of his frustration. Floating leaves suddenly fall flat to the ground. The kids who try to bully him suddenly collapse as if they had tripped on something. Nothing big, but Leo feels as if this is connected to him. Esperanza tells him that it's karma. And in a way, it is. After all, what is karma, aside from the divine consequences of a wrong? It's a mystery that Esperanza wants to keep, one that Leo is starting to unravel, and one that Hera pours gasoline into the proverbial fire.

He also loves being visited by his tia, who spoils him in multiple ways. She takes care of him, encouraging his creativity and intelligence by bringing him books from across the world. When he's old enough, she teaches him how to cook and use the knives he wields to defend himself. When he's old enough, she takes him for archery and fencing. She gives him sweets, gets him a book that catches his eye and takes him on field trips a bit farther than your usual visit to the local museum. She also plays a significant role in his education, teaching him the world's mythologies and history.

She also teaches him to control his power. He learns to keep things firm to the ground, allow balls to bounce higher than lower, and ensure that his arrows always shoot straight. Hera's smile is evident when a boulder levitates in front of her, carried by. Leo's power alone. He doesn't spill it to his supposed mother. After all, he promised to keep it a secret for Tia. And he always did his best to keep his promises.

Unfortunately, each Leo Valdez has a specific moment in their own life. If I may be so bold, it's their canon event. It all collapses when he's eight years old. In this case, quite literally. Gaea still visits him, warned by Medea, though she is clueless about the child's true nature. She swarms him, preying on his fears, and drives his senses to a panic. Instead of the warehouse engulfed by all-burning fire, the building collapses around him. It's not the ground burying him but gravity itself that shatters his surroundings. And with it, Esperanza is buried beneath the rubble, a victim to both her adopted son's power and Gaea's manipulations.

However, though some events resonate across the multiverse, there can still be changes. Leo awakens to a warm bed, and for a second, he thinks he's back in his room. He doesn't know that Hera spirited him away from the ruins, and that in the eyes of the mortal world, he died when the warehouse collapsed. He only thinks that everything before was a cruel dream. He eagerly anticipates his mom's arrival, hoping she will walk through the door and bring him to school, where he will sneak one of the books Tia gave him so the teacher's lecture doesn't bore him to death.

Then Tia walks through the door, and the illusion collapses as Tia hugs him. Everything is frantic as he can't control himself, that he should've controlled himself, that despite everything he learned, he failed, and he knows what happened to his mom, and —

He hates it. He hates that he failed. He hates that he lost control. This feeling crawls into his heart amidst the tears pouring from his eyes. And when he tries to bring back control, to stop his sobbing, and to sit straight like his mom told him to, a thought burrows itself in his mind. Never again. He could not lose control; he would not.

Days later, when Hera believes he's ready, she tells him the truth—not of his birth, not yet, but of the world of gods and monsters he lives in and the true nature of the enemy they now face. They don't know how long they have, but the least she can do is get him ready for the imminent return of Gaea. And though Leo still blames himself, he is in a better state of mind because of Hera's support, determined to prepare for the challenge ahead.

Now that I've carved out an image of this new variant of Leo, I get into speculation. This is because Leo is a different person compared to his canonical self. This is due to my decision to add some of Hera's traits. Her perfectionism and focus on promises—bits and pieces of those traits leak into Leo because of his true nature. And, of course, a focus on control. This flaw seems more natural for Leo - his life was ruined because he lost control, so an obsession with control and order would be a more organic fatal flaw that is both understandable in origins and significantly impacts the narrative.

There are a few routes I would look into with this Leo. Hera can train him before she brings him into Camp Half-Blood before Percy's arrival. Here, he can connect with Annabeth and Luke, forming strong bonds that will be tested or broken. When The Lightning Thief starts, he can act as a supporting protagonist for Percy, volunteering for the son of Poseidon's quest out of empathy for the trauma Percy went through. When Luke betrays Camp Half-Blood, Leo dedicates himself to hunting down the son of Hermes and stopping him from hurting anyone else. Of course, the plot of PJO still happens, but Luke is under more pressure because of Leo's relentless pursuit. Each time Luke attempts to gather more allies, Leo, with his enhanced abilities and connections to the gods, singlehandedly slaughters them when he has the chance.

Or, we can have Hera send him to monitor Piper and Jason when her trade gambit goes horribly wrong. Leo, in his unwavering loyalty to Hera, acts as her spymaster, keeping both demigods oblivious to his true nature while ensuring the quest is on the right track no matter how he may feel about the deception. This Leo is more isolated, for although he has acquaintances among the divine, he never makes a true friend and has no intention to do so as long as Gaea is still a threat to them.

This variant of Leo has a fatal flaw that makes him a unique social antagonist to some of the Big Three's children, for it can easily be triggered. His desire for control and his distrust for those who disrupt it. When his questmates deviate from the agreed plan or worsen the situation, Leo's response is not immediate anger. Instead, he strategically maintains a sympathetic and kind facade while planning and waiting for the right moment to retaliate.

Leo's respect for the gods, a trait instilled in him by Hera, often leads to conflict with demigods who are cavalier or dislike their distant parents. Unlike many demigods, Leo has no reason to resent the gods. He can empathize with those who have good reasons for their behavior. However, he does not fully agree with them, maintaining his own distinct viewpoint.

I mean, think about it. If Leo is involved in PJO, he will not share Percy's loyalty towards his friends, for he does not have that same unwavering trust due to his desire for control. When Percy sends Medusa's head to the gods? All bets are off. He decides to go with Clarisse to the Sea of Monsters and is barely restraining his fury when he realizes that not only did Percy and Annabeth follow them, but he missed the opportunity to kill Luke.

When Leo learns that the Giants plan to turn Piper into their spy, he immediately turns against her, for Enceladus can always pull Piper's strings. He beats himself up when the Argo II cannot make it in time and even more when the Eidolons make the first meeting of the Greek and Roman camps turn into a declaration of war. When Percy and Annabeth are about to fall into Tartarus, Leo does his best to fight against The Pit's pull, using all of his power and will to resist, yet for the sake of drama and irony, he still fails to save them. Rubs hands together - Oh that will be quite interesting to write.

Anyways, what take do you guys have about this? Please let me know because I can't get this idea out of my head.

[mydarlingdearestdead]

The Things We Do For Love - Chapter Seven

The mortal interpretation of an amphitheatre was a mere imitation of that in which the Olympians held council. Two plush thrones sat in the centre, separated from the lesser immortals by two ivory-gilded, waist-high fences, where Zeus and Hera took residence. Each of the remaining Olympians lingered and congregated as their own convenience. The disinterested retreated to the upper balconies, farthest away from the display, whereas the involved and engrossed strived to be close enough to feel the rush of air as the accused spoke. On this day, the trial of Hyacinth of Sparta, the lower rows were bustling and cramped.

With some prick of distaste, Apollo noted Hebe slipping into his favoured spot. It was of no matter, of course, as he would hardly take the role of audience in this play but, regardless, he reserved the right to his own emotion as a matter of principle.

Hades sat alongside Dionysus, whose goblet sloshed with each uncoordinated movement, having been called upon to speak on the matter of raising Hyacinth from Asphodel. Hebe, too, was released from her employment as Cupbearer to consult. Eternal youth, as you know, is her speciality. Ganymede, shrinking in the shadows by Zeus’ shoulder, had been all but commanded to replace her. He paled with each word from Zeus’ lips and the hands which carrier the cup of the gods shook ceaselessly. Hebe looked upon him, glancing over her shoulder, with something akin to pity.

“Today,” Zeus began- And Ganymede flinched-, “We’ll sit council on the case of Hyacinth of Sparta. Hades, Hebe and Hestia have been asked to join us as honorary members of the council. We will vote on the matter when Apollo rests his case in three days time. Questions and input are encouraged- You know the drill.” He addressed his son, “The council is in session.”

Apollo nodded, unsure of how to begin. He thought to thank his father may reveal the resentment bubbling beneath his skin and thus deemed the endeavour wholly too perilous. Eventually, he thought it best to just speak and see what came of it. “We, as gods, have often taken mortals as lovers.” He began unsteadily, as a doe finds balance upon foreign limbs he scrambled for purchase upon the slope of his words, “This is not unusual. For them, it is an honour and for us, an opportunity. An opportunity for a love that will not haunt us for eternity or a friendship without resentment. Take Athena for instance.” He addressed the grey-eyed goddess directly. The owl, residing on her shoulder, hooted as if indignant, “You adored Odysseus, did you not?”

Athena moved to reply, narrowing her eyes. Zeus, however, had not the required faith in his daughter.

"There was no case to make Odysseus immortal." He replied sharply, "This is a different matter."

"Odysseus also wasn't killed by the west wind in a blind rage." Apollo's voice, devoid of melody, rose like Poseidon's tide, "And if he had, you would not hesitate to appease her."

Athena rose her head. She did not protest, nor did her owl release any further ungodly noise. Zeus looked hopefully toward her gilded expression for a long moment. Something unspoken passed between the two, Apollo knew, though even he could not decipher the language in which they conversed. Silence, as someone had once told him, speaks more than the loudest crackle of thunder. Her spear head shone in the final strains of sunlight filtering through the columns, risen by her side. Zeus swiftly faced his son once more.

"What would your mother say?" He attempted, a white-knuckled grip on the arm of his throne. Ganymede, in the shadows still, stood flat-backed against the wall.

Apollo conjured an image of his mother- Lovely-haired Leto- and a soft smile grew upon his lips, "Why, father... If I didn't know better, I'd say you were deflecting." Zeus sneered and, cautious, Apollo retracted, "Good thing I do know better.

“My mother... Leto traversed the Earth in an effort to birth me and my sister-" He held a hand to Artemis, who instead rose and, beckoning him closer, brushed his cheek lightly. A gesture, perhaps, of lending strength. Without a word passed between them, she returned to her seat. Apollo, try as he might, powerless to decipher her action resigned himself to continue, "-And Delos became her sanctuary. Our sanctuary. My mother knew both love and agony..."

He turned from his father in a flash of clarity, seeking the goddess who sat silently by him. "Queen Hera,” He addressed her with an instinctively bowed head, “I will not say I do not hold resentment toward you for your treatment of Leto. But... But I have grown to adore you in every manner of the word despite. I think my mother would respect that... In the few moments before she turns me into a frog, that is."

An eternal moment passed between the council. Hera held Apollo's gaze, ox-eyes wide and inviting. Eventually, she parted her rose-petal lips in a reply, "I do not believe you to have answered my husband's question."

Apollo bowed to her- This, a true gesture of respect- And addressed his father once more, "As I said, my mother knew both love and agony in our birth. I do not speak of her love for you, Lord Zeus, because that is simply false, nor do I speak of the agony of childbirth as Lady Hera mustn't be blamed for that. Love for the children she carried-" Apollo spared Artemis another hopeful glance, "- and the agony resulting from the man who raped her. My mother, should she see me here today, would cheer in my favour."

An uneasy look passed between the remnants of Zeus' children at Apollo's words. They each looked to their father in turn, cautiously dissecting his neutral expression. Apollo remained, flawed confidence unperturbed.

Hebe was the first to shatter the fragile film of silence.

“The case to raise Hyacinth from the underworld, I can understand, but why immortality, Apollo? You said it yourself: Loving a mortal affords you the chance to love without an eternal obligation. Why mess with a perfect system?”

Her father bore down upon her disappointingly. Thunder crackled in the distance and Hebe, instinctually, shivered where she sat. Her wills, however, were stronger than her fear. She did not think for a moment to retract her question.

A small smile grace Apollo’s lips. He replied with dignity, “I soon realised that eternity without Hyacinth would be akin to eternal torture. Without him, immortality is cruel punishment.”

His melody returned and the words dripped from his lips as the sweet nectar of immortality might.

Athena, unimpressed by the proceedings, lay her spear across her lap and took to delicately cleaning the head. Ares looked upon her and began doing the same with the sword which hung at his waist, having taken her action as permission.

Zeus’ voice boomed amongst the council once more.

“We will reconvene on the second day of Thargelia… That if, if you haven’t anything else to say?”

Apollo plucked a minor chord with idly nimble fingers. Dismayed, he nodded in a vague dismissal. Zeus accepted this begrudgingly.

Masterlist

Ao3

[altonfencing]

Secure Your Property with Rental Fences: The Latest Trend in Property Protection

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In conclusion, rental fences have become a popular choice for property owners and managers who are looking to secure their properties. Whether you are securing a construction site, an outdoor event, or your business property, rental fences offer a simple and effective solution. By considering the purpose, size, durability, and cost of the fence, you can choose the right rental fence for your property's protection.

[jackietorrance]

Idiotic Designer

Wednesday Addams x Designer!Reader

In the middle of the semester, a dead soul girl had arrived, who caught the attention of anyone who was in the same environment and with you could not be different.

It was in another botany class that you saw the girl of so many rumors about attempted murder, this only contributed to getting your attention even more, maybe she could help you?

You were sitting together with Xavier at the same table, just waiting for the beginning of the class, but when the Gothic girl penetrated your field of vision, you knew what Xavier wanted. Another thing you knew was how much Xavier was different and smiling when Addams had enrolled in Nevermore, and you wanted to give a vote of confidence for him to have his initiative, so he soon got up and went to sit down with his ego friend who had his neighboring seat vacant.

But Xavier kind of didn't know how to take advantage of the moment, since your vote was instantly extinguished when Addams kneaded his drawn spider, one of the thousands of stupid tricks he had with him.

-

During the day of inclusion, you had been given Xavier's task, since he got sick and you were stupid enough to cover up your presence with some of your skills stolen from metamorphosis.

You were walking to Weathervane, since today you should be an employee of the place, it was not so complicated to locate in the environment since you had a strong friendship with Tyler Galpin. Both had more in common than they imagined.

It was on your walk to the cafeteria that you saw Wednesday talking to Enid about something, you resisted the desire to follow her to find out what you would do, since inside the mind of the little gothic, there was something that no one could ever understand, it fascinated you.

When you arrived at the scene, your task was just to serve the clients, as a helper for Tyler. But when the door bell rang again, you hurried to answer and come face to face with the Addams girl whose name you discovered to be Wednesday. Wednesday Addams.

"Good morning dear, is there anything I can be useful to you?" You said with the same cheerful face as always, that to her it sounded like pathetic.

“Tyler.” Wednesday said, dead.

“Unfortunately Tyler can't answer at the moment, can I help with something?" You commented, your smile becoming something mocking and your eyes shining red

"Pilgrim Temple, where is it?" Wednesday said introducing you to a map.

“Uh yes, he stays.." you say trying to find the exact location. "Here" you say and then look both sides trying to find some other presence in the place.

"I can take her," you said looking for some sign of affirmation in Wednesday's expression.

“I can get by on my own”

“Oh come on, I can help you, I also have a powerful little friend with me" you say and then half of your head is wrapped in a black goo, affectionately nicknamed "Zembluz", but you return to normal quickly, since no kind of demonstration of your abilities was allowed on this damn day.

Wednesday just continues with his look without any emotion in him.

“Please, my Hera, your nicknames for Wednesday

Wednesday turns and walks hurriedly to the door and looks at you again.

“We do not have much time”

You just smiled at her, according to the plan

-

“And here it is, it's like a house for me." You said removing some leaves that covered the passage.

Wednesday walks silently, a small hand being kicked out of his backpack. Then you follow Wednesday and enter the small fence, decreasing to only a small ball of gum that crawls all over the place and stops on top of one of the rotten boards of the place, soon returning to its original shape.

“Don't you have the like, the visions?" You ask

“They don't happen when I want, they are involuntary, and I venture to say that someone, or rather, something told you about it" The Gothic says threatening, giving a quick look at the appendix that followed her, like a pet.

“Me and the little guy have had several conversations, about us and about... you." You murmur and before Wednesday does something, a noise is heard up close. You quickly turn into the small mucus to prepare for what comes, although you know about everything, you would like to keep the fun of the mystery for Wednesday.

But when an old man, who looked like the "resident" of the abandoned cabin, appears, you relax and wait for Wednesday commands.

“Thing" the dark girl orders, and well, the appendix knew how to make the old man not bother for a while.

When Wednesday was about to cross the wooden gate, she slid to the ground quickly, and you were fast enough to hold it. And that's how it happened, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 1 hour and Wednesday woke up. You were sitting, leaning on one of the boards with a part of Zembluz transformed into an umbrella that you used to cover Wednesday, which was leaning on the floor, with your legs doing like two walls to protect it from anything.

With Wednesday's abrupt liftings, it ended up waking you and Thing who seemed so relaxed in the middle of all that rain.

“Whoa! Wednesday! Are you okay?" You hurried to get up and help Wednesday, after all, she had fainted at once, and you logically worried.

“Here- I know what happened” Wednesday held the umbrella in his hand and took it. You followed her hastily and well, Wednesday owed you a story after all that.

-

After that day, your school life has changed, now, you have officially become a kind of partner for Wednesday in your investigations, now you spend more time with Wednesday than with your own best friend. Tyler had mysteriously disappeared and the murders of the monster continued incessantly, his cycle of friendships also changed, Enid and Eugene got closer to you, and Zembluz found a partner besides you to talk to.

“If in Rowan's mother's view it showed Crackstone, it is obvious that he will revive, that's clear, but how is he doing? Each part that the monster took from his victims forms the basics of a body, like Frankestein." You spoke to Wednesday while she read the book that Fester had shown her, and in the end, you served as Ali Nanny who has her queen as Wednesday.

“The monster is controlled by his master, and is faithful to him, I doubt that in Jericho he has some kind of resurrection technology, all this happens here." you just nodded.

In all this time of investigation you had begun to develop feelings for Wednesday's advanced intellect, his talent, his beauty, his murderous aura, but you were afraid that when the monster was captured she would completely forget about you.

You already knew that you had fallen madly in love with her, and the tendency was only to get worse, another thing you knew was that Wednesday would not get involved with absolutely anyone, but despite wanting all this mystery to continue, your desire for Wednesday's satisfaction spoke louder.

So despite being reluctant, you had to talk about everything, absolutely everything.

——————————————————————————————————

Hi ladies and gentlemen, English is not my main language, so I apologize if something is wrong. Thank you for everything

[voluptuarian]

On the topic of adults clinging to Percy Jackson and its ilk I've said before that I'm bewildered by people's insistence on wrapping up mythological stories as YA and kids books. Like there was a point where you had simplified kid's versions of these stories so that they could be introduced to the basics and then gradually grow into the full versions-- now people refuse to grow into the adult versions of anything but still somehow want mythology-based stories?

These are religious stories. They are Overwhelming concerned with sex and fertility, frequently extra-maritally and among figures who are aspects of each other or connected into a cosmic clan structure and so should be considered guilty of the all-terrible crime of "incest shipping." They discuss transgressive bevavior, both as destructive episodes that should be taken as an example, and those that should be tolerated as socially necessary. They preserve memories of wars and invasions, ancient attitudes on gender, hierarchy, power, and society that online puritans believe we've all moved far past and should performatively condemn, and enshrine the rule breaking and dishonest behavior of tricksters and liars. Lack of true canon, of defined boundaries, of real "moral lessons" are typical of these stories; so are multifaceted and deeply metaphorical meanings, complex cosmological symbolism, and "gray" characters with shifting loyalties and no concrete moral alignment. How does any of that translate to "comfortable pap to spoon feed to children and adults unwilling to develop out of infancy"?

As a sampling:

Zeus and Hera, siblings, marry; Hera gets pregnant on her own in revenge against Zeus' philandering; Zeus, head of the patriarchal oikos rejects the child from the house as illegitimate and hurls him to near-death and exile.

Isis and Osiris, siblings, marry; Set, their brother, murders Osiris for the throne and scatters his body parts; Isis searches for and reassembles the pieces, then has sex with his corpse and gets pregnant from the necrophilic incestuous encounter; the resulting baby, Horus, fights his uncle and becomes pharoah.

Shiva wanders through the world constantly erect, openly masturbating and seducing the wives of religious opponents; when said rivals try to defeat him by castrating him, his disembodied penis becomes cosmicly enormous and burns through multiple levels of creation, destroying everything it touches until a goddess can be summoned to "calm it down."

Brothers Hun Hunahpu and Vucub-Hunahpu annoy the fuck out of the lords of the Underworld, who challenge them to a game of ball; once the brothers accept the lords murder and behead them, and hang Hun Hunahpu's head from a tree; the head however turns into a fruit, the sap of which falls onto one of the lord's daughters who gets magically pregnant with twins; the twins go back to the Underworld to avenge the original brothers' murders.

As punishment for his impiety, the gods drive King Minos wife to an act of bestiality with his sacred bull; the resulting cross-species bastard--the Minotaur-- is hidden in a labyrinth where it cannibalizes human sacrifices taken from Minos' conquered neighbors until its half-sister helps kill it.

Apsu and Tiamat marry and produce children, who then marry and have incestuous offspring themselves; eventually those offspring revolt against Apsu and commit patricide; Tiamat declares war against them in revenge, but is eventually defeated by her children and grandchildren who outright say it would be unthinkable for a woman to rule over them.

Baba Yaga, the utterly amoral cannibal witch and probable former goddess, whose "house" (complete with fence of flame-eyed skulls) was likely a corruption of her actual burial platform and who acts as benefactor or villain based entirely on her own whims, serves as the fairy godmother for Russian Cinderella by burning the girl's step family to death.

After being torn to pieces and partially eaten as a baby, Dionysus is incubated in his father's thigh until Zeus can impregnate the princess Semele with him a second time; Semele herself burns to death after seeing Zeus in his full form, but Dionysus survives again; after a childhood spent disguised as a girl, Dionysus drives his aunts to madness-- during which they tear his cousin limb from limb-- in revenge for the family having rejected him and his mother.

The Milesians arrive in Ireland, a land already settled, and oust the existing inhabitants, finally winning ownership by dishonest legal dealings; generations later queen Maeve and her husband fight over who should be in charge in their marriage and she decides to solve it by stealing the neighboring kingdom's prize bull so she'll be the richer spouse; that move leads to all out war and amid the killing Maeve herself is defeated by her own menstrual cycle, because women just aren't designed to go toe to toe with men.

Cronos fights and castrates his own father so Uranus will stop constantly fucking his wife and let their kids actually be born; the penis falls into the ocean and produces Aphrodite, the unbridled embodiment of Uranus' insatiable lust unleashed on the world.

Mut, alone on an island in the primordial sea, masturbates into his own mouth and thus self-inseminates to produce asexually-but-not and has 2 kids that way.

Definitely the kind of non-challenging, family friendly, metaphorically flat, politically correct fluff I read when I don't want to encounter any "problematic" content or have a single thought beyond a comfy-cozy 4th grade level Ever, right?? 👍👍

[bugwolfsstuff]

About my Wine child fic, names are a fun way to show how Kidnysus sees each god.

Hermes and Haides/Hades are the ones that get named, this is a show of affection. He knows names have power (historically, especially with Hades) and he's okay with invoking them.

(Hades has a really sweet reason, and no it has nothing to do with Zagreus.)

Apollo and Artemis get Epithets. The twins get it because while he absolutely hates them at this point (this is shown through Will getting attacked in the 2nd chapter) he does not want to invoke their attention.

Hera also gets an Epithet though it's more because he's down right terrified of her and her attention.

I havent figured out where Zeus stands because Dio is still 8 and is mentally in the first week or so of the hard lonely part of his demigod life. So i'm stuck on the fence of whether or not he's completely lost faith in his dad at this point.

@thel1ghtningthief @smileyalater shall I give the 8yr old daddy issues or shall I bide my time and crush all faith in his dad later on in the fic

[half-truths-and-hyperbole-louk]

Louk's Bad Batch rewatch part 6 !!!

Y'all it's getting super close omg we're in feb now 🙃 lets goooo

Bad Batch 1x02

Tech piloting +10 points

I'll never get tired of Wrecker and Omega napping together 🥺

Echo and Hunter mom and dad 💕

our lil bby Omega stepping into the sun !!! soaking up the fresh air and playing in the dirt !!! I am going to sob 😭😭😭

"That would be dirt" ~ Tech 🤣

Tech: "we're all deserters now" Echo: 😮

Hunter stopping Omega from walking into the booby trap

vs Wrecker 2 seconds later...

SUU MY QUEEN 👑💕

Wrecker is eating a meiloorun 👀 watch out buddy Hera's coming for u

Hello yes who do I talk to about getting a Cut Suu & the batch history/flashback/how they met story time anything pretty please

Rex mention 👀

Tech 🤝 Omega casually dropping the biggest plot points like it's nbd

Omega meeting other kids that don't share her dna 🥲

"Uncle Wrecker!" I am totally normal about this

HER CHECKING BACK WITH HUNTER FOR PERMISSION 😭

ok but are we just gonna ignore the fact that Shaeeah looks completely different to tcw ??

Cut knows what's up with the Kaminoans 👀

Cut also knows what's up putting Hunter in his civvie clothes don't come @ me

Rampart 🤢

"Omega went out past the fence!" *bad batch enters dad batch mode* 🏃‍♂️💨

Cut is the daddest of the batch tho 🥺 he's parenting all of them

THEIR FACES WATCHING CUT WITH OMEGA I CANT 😭

For some reason Hunter is the same height as Wrecker in this scene ??? lmao

Omega taking her lil charm out of her hair 🥲

"Almost forgot how good of a shot you are" ~ Hunter @ Suu !! okay backstory PLEASE

Echo complaing about the imperial chaincode database vs Tech "it's ingenious" lmaooo

Hunter has the braincell rn

bro Hunter is literally growling at Tech for putting Omega in danger 👀 are we ready for his completely unhinged s3 arc??

Tech, Echo: 😳😬 Omega: 👋😁

Echo peeking from the roof !!

Tech's flip !!!

Tech catching Omega !!!!!!!

Echo mom put Omega in time out 😞

Echo's scomp skills have grown sm 🥲

the way he balances the chain codes on his scomp hand 🥺

Y'ALL I FORGOT! I'm also doing a 'Wrecker hits his head count' for the first part of s1 and a different count for s2 later 👀 but we'll get to that hehe I hate it! anyway!!

Wrecker hits his head count: 2

(he bonked it on a pole this ep go watch)

Cut and Hunter wearing the same clothes is giving when ur mum dresses you and your siblings in matching outfits

Tech: "we can't get caught with these chain codes" 🤔 Echo: "we can't get caught at all" 💀 being mom is hard

HUNTER GIVING ORDERS WITHOUT WORDS AGAIN bfkwbxhabckw my fav

Tech to the rescueeee

If I had a dollar for every time Omega was in danger bc of a random imperial droid but is saved at the last second by Wrecker smashing it, I'd have 2 dollars... which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice

Omega's hand is so tiny in Wrecker's 😭🤲

Cut and Wrecker are wearing matching hats 💕

"but I want to stay with you" thanks I didn't need my heart anyway 💔

Suu owns my heart fr

"It responded to that" ~ Wrecker 💀

OMEGA SWEETHEART 😭😭😭 someone needs to hug her so bad she's just a baby can ppl stop upsetting her!! This is ep 2 plssss

Where is the Lawquane family? Are they safe? Are they alright?

Thanks y'all for joining again <3 I'm gonna have to keep it up bc feb is already going so fast?

Anywayyy ilysm 💕

[bellaswan-kinnie]

TTPD songs as characters from Greek mythology

I was inspired by the song Cassandra to find connections between other songs from TTPD and figures from Greek myth because it's not a Taylor Swift album cycle if I don't dedicate time to assigning each song to a fictional character!

I didn't do all of the songs because there's so fucking many so these are just the ones that first popped into my head... but there could possibly be a part two...

*TW: mentions of sexual assault and suicide

Fortnight // Clytemnestra

My husband is cheating I want to kill him

Of course I had to pick Clytemnestra for a song that references mariticide. Clytemnestra was the wife of King Agamemnon, the leader of the Greek forces during the Trojan War. Before setting sail, Agamemnon unknowingly killed a sacred deer of Artemis, and the goddess refused to let the winds blow any ships to Troy until he sacrificed his own daughter, Iphigenia. He told his wife and daughter that she was going to marry the great warrior Achilles, but instead, he sacrificed Iphigenia at the altar.

Clytemnestra spent the next ten years waiting for her husband to return from Troy. She began an affair with his cousin, Aegisthus, and together they plotted against him. When Agamemnon finally came home with the Trojan princess Cassandra as his war prize (yet another insult to his wife), Clytemnestra murdered both of them.

The Tortured Poets Department // Eurydice

You left your typewriter at my apartment Straight from the Tortured Poets Department Who else decodes you?

I chose Eurydice for this song only because I think she would relate to the shenanigans of dating a melodramatic musician. Eurydice was the wife of Orpheus, the most renowned poet and musician in Greek mythology. Most famously, when Eurydice died prematurely of a snake bite, Orpheus traveled to the Underworld and convinced Hades to release her. The god did so under the condition that Orpheus did not look back at Eurydice until they had reached the surface, but tragically, he failed. Orpheus was later ripped apart by the Maenads (female followers of Dionysus) in their anger at his unrelenting mourning.

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys // Hera

I'm queen of sandcastles he destroys

Hera, queen of the Olympians and sister-wife of Zeus, was the supreme authority on being delusional in a relationship. Zeus was notoriously unfaithful to Hera (the goddess of marriage?!!?), fathering a comical number of bastard children. Hera was in turn notorious for taking out her anger on the women involved in these affairs, regardless of their willingness to participate in them, and the children they bore.

Down Bad // Ariadne

How dare you think it's romantic Leaving me safe and stranded Cause fuck it, I was in love

I actually started writing this post because I was listening to Down Bad the other day and it suddenly hit me that this song is soooo Ariadne.

Ariadne was the daughter of King Minos and Queen Pasiphaë of Crete. She aided the Athenian hero Theseus when he came to Crete to slay the Minotaur. The creature was contained in an elaborate labyrinth, so Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of thread to help him navigate the maze. After he killed the Minotaur, Ariadne ran away with Theseus, having betrayed her family and her home.

The pair stopped at the island of Naxos, where Theseus abandoned her while she slept. She awoke and watched his ship sail away in despair (literally "waving at the ship"), but soon the god Dionysus descended from heaven and made her his immortal wife.

But Daddy I Love Him // Helen

I'm telling him to floor it through the fences No, I'm not coming to my senses I know he's crazy but he's the one I want

Talk about a love affair causing a big ol' ruckus! Helen was the queen of Sparta and wife of Menelaus (Agamemnon's brother). When Paris, a prince of Troy, traveled to Sparta, the two fell in love and she ran away with him back to Troy (there are versions of the story where she's abducted, but I'm not referring to those here). This set off what we know as the Trojan War, the legendary conflict between the alliance of Greeks and the people of Troy. Paris was ultimately killed and Menelaus took Helen back to Sparta. Obviously the happy ending for the couple in "But Daddy I Love Him" is not what awaited Helen and Paris, but the sentiment is there!

Helen also faced a great deal of judgement from both the Greeks and the Trojans. She was blamed for causing all of that death and destruction despite the Greeks' preexisting desires to invade Troy for economic reasons. She was later dubbed "the face that launched a thousand ships" by 16th century playwright Christopher Marlowe. The scrutiny Helen has faced is akin to the kind Taylor wrote about in this song, especially considering how both women were unfairly blamed for the actions of others.

Guilty as Sin? // Phaedra

I'm seeing visions, am I bad? Or mad? Or wise? What if he's written 'mine' on my upper thigh Only in my mind?

This one's gonna be a little uncomfy but just hear me out!! Phaedra was the wife of Theseus, the slayer of the Minotaur who earlier I mentioned had abandoned Ariadne. Phaedra and Ariadne were actually sisters, and Phaedra was married to Theseus later in his life. He already had a son named Hippolytus, who had taken a vow of chastity as a devotee to Artemis. In Euripides' tragic play, Hippolytus, Aphrodite was insulted by this, so she made his stepmother Phaedra fall in love with him.

Phaedra was so deeply ashamed of her feelings for Hippolytus that she became suicidal. Her nurse tried to help her by telling Hippolytus about it in the hopes that he would reciprocate, but he was disgusted. Phaedra then hung herself and tried to hide her reasons by accusing her stepson of rape in a note. When Theseus read it, he called upon Poseidon to kill Hippolytus.

... So if there was one character I could say experienced a similar degree of shame-filled yearning as Taylor described in this song... Phaedra would be her.

Who's Afraid of Little Old Me? // Medusa

Cause you lured me, and you hurt me, and you taught me You caged me, and then you called me crazy I am what I am cause you trained me

The most iconic female monster in Western culture, Medusa embodies the spirit of this song. "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" conjures up images of a terrifying, crazed female figure who lives in her lair and haunts the local population, similar to the infamy of Medusa and her Gorgon sisters during the mythical Age of Heroes. The Gorgons of Greek antiquity were described as hideous monsters with large tusks, golden wings, and snakes for hair, so terrifying that the sight of them turned the onlooker to stone. The demigod Perseus was sent to retrieve Medusa's head by King Polydectes as a ploy to get rid of him so he could marry Perseus' mother. With the help of Athena and Hermes, Perseus snuck up on Medusa while she was sleeping and decapitated her. He continued to use her severed head as a weapon to turn his enemies to stone, including King Polydectes.

The Roman poet Ovid included an alternate version of Medusa's origin in his narrative poem Metamorphoses. In it, Medusa was a beautiful maiden, most renowned for her luscious hair. Neptune/Poseidon violated her in Minerva/Athena's temple, and the goddess punished Medusa for this offense by transforming her hair into snakes. This characterization of Medusa as a victim of the gods' cruelty has become the predominant one in in our culture, and the idea of an innocent woman being turned into a monster by the powers that be is very resonant with "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?"

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived // Medea

Cause it wasn't sexy once it wasn't forbidden I would've died for your sins instead I just died inside And you deserve prison but you won't get time

There's so many songs on TTPD that are extremely Medea coded but if I had to choose just one it's definitely this (So Long, London is a CLOSE second. I mean... woman who sacrifices everything just to live in a foreign land with a man who doesn't love her... but I digress).

Like Ariadne, Medea betrayed her father, King Aeëtes of Colchis, to help the hero Jason steal the Golden Fleece and then ran away with him. Medea was a powerful witch who used her magic and guile to defeat many of Jason's enemies for him. Euripides' tragedy Medea told the story of the downfall of their marriage ten years later. The couple was living in exile in the city of Corinth with their two sons, but one day Medea discovered that Jason had left and married the local king's daughter. If that doesn't sound like the smallest man who ever lived I don't know what does!

In her rage, Medea decided to murder Jason's new bride and her own children instead of processing her feelings by writing songs about them.

The Albatross // Pandora

Wise men once said "One bad seed kills the garden" "One less temptress, One less dagger to sharpen"

"The Albatross" references our society's history of demonizing women as harbingers of destruction. Just as Judeo-Christian mythology blamed the origin of sin on the first woman, Eve, the Ancient Greeks credited Pandora as the curser of humanity. Like Eve, Pandora was the first human woman, formed from earth. However, Pandora (and therefore the entire race of women) was intentionally designed as a punishment for men after Prometheus gave them stolen fire from heaven. The gods made her irresistibly beautiful and gave her a jar which contained all the evils and hardships of the world, which she then unleashed by opening it. Only Hope remained trapped inside.

I Hate It Here // Circe

Lucid dreams like electricity The current flies through me And in my fantasies I rise above it And way up there, I actually love it

THE introvert of Greek mythology was Circe, daughter of the sun god Helios and the Oceanid Perse. She's best known for her appearance in The Odyssey as the witch who turned Odysseus' men into pigs when they landed on her island Aeaea. "I Hate It Here" reminded me of Madeline Miller's version of the character, who was forced to live in exile but found comfort in her solitude through her magical craft.

The Prophecy // Achilles

Who do I have to speak to About if they can redo The prophecy?

Known as "the best of the Greeks," Achilles was a central figure in Homer's The Iliad, the epic poem set during the tenth and final year of the Trojan War. The poem depicts Achilles' wrath, most notably, following the death of his beloved companion, Patroclus.

Prior to the war, Achilles' mother, the Nereid Thetis, prophesied that he would either achieve glory and die young or live a long, unremarkable life. When the Greeks started gathering their forces to invade Troy, Achilles attempted to hide and avoid the war, but Odysseus sought him out because he was also prophesied to be the only way the Greeks could win against the Trojans. Achilles ultimately fulfilled both prophecies, defeating the Trojans' best warrior, Prince Hector, and then dying in battle.

In The Odyssey, Odysseus travelled to the Underworld and spoke to Achilles, telling him how highly-regarded he was among the Greeks and the dead. Achilles expressed his regret over choosing the short and glorious life, saying,

I would prefer to be a workman, hired by a poor man on a peasant farm, than rule as king of all the dead.

Peter // Penelope

But I let the lamp burn As the men masqueraded I hoped you'd return

Penelope was the wife of Odysseus, king of Ithaca and a key figure in the Trojan War. She spent 20 years waiting for her husband to return from Troy, and during that time her household was plagued by suitors (the men masquerading!!) who tried to pressure her into remarrying. Penelope remained faithful to her husband and came up with a clever trick to stall the suitors until Odysseus returned. She told them that she would choose her new husband after she finished weaving a burial shroud for her father-in-law, Laertes, but every night, she would undo most of the day's work.

Unlike Peter in the song, Odysseus did return to Penelope, but she didn't accept him until he proved his worth and his identity.

The Bolter // Daphne

Then he'll call her a 'whore' Wish he wouldn't be sore But as she was leaving It felt like breathing

The nymph Daphne was the daughter of the river god Peneus. She was pursued by many but wished to remain a virgin forever like the goddess Diana/Artemis.

The god Apollo boasted to Cupid after slaying the dragon Python, and in retaliation Cupid shot his arrows at Apollo and Daphne, but the one that pierced Daphne inspired repulsion instead of love. Apollo then chased Daphne relentlessly. The nymph eventually tired from running and she begged her father to save her. She then transformed into the first laurel tree, whose leaves represent victory.

Really the only similarity between Daphne and "The Bolter" is the running bit... but I had to!

[autumncrowcus]

"Although Athene's intimate connections with women are often unnoticed, to disregard them is to identify her with an exclusive bonding with men that is (as the reference to Penelope and Nausicaa suggests) foreign to her. How easily we are pulled to overlook this, to pull her into our struggle with male identification, to project onto her our ambivalence about women bonding with women. We use her as our scapegoat, when she might instead offer us a more complex image of the creative woman than is otherwise available. That she spends her leisure hours, her own time, in the company of women is suggested by the account of her playing in the meadow with Persephone and the nymphs and by the tale that it was while she was bathing with her favorite nymph, Chariclo, that Tiresias accidentally came upon her naked. These accounts seem to imply that Athene's essential self is a with-women self—a vision of Athene that has only recently become apparent to me.

"I therefore now attach much more importance than I had earlier to her close childhood friendship with Pallas, daughter of the sea god Triton by whom Athene was reared. One day as they were playing together, testing each other's skill at fencing, Athene inadvertently killed her foster sister. Grief stricken, she made a wooden image of Pallas which was at first set up on Olympus and later placed in the heart of the citadel of Troy, (Eventually the word "palladium" comes to refer to any statue of Athene in her aspect of protectress of the polis.) After the death of her friend, Athene becomes Pallas Athene. Pallas is more than an epithet or an attribute; as Guthrie says, "The one is her name as much as the other." Though it may be that originally Pallas was a warrior goddess among the invading Greeks who was then united with the Athene of Mycenean times, in classical Greece Athene is Pallas Athene. The double name suggests her two-sidedness: she is a goddess who has own anima, who is spirit and soul.

"'Pallas,' so Kerenyi tells us, is a word for maiden but not just an equivalent of 'Kore', it suggests a robust, fierce maidenliness. 'A distinct masculinity seems to adhere to this word even in its feminine form.' Kerenyi sees the term as referring to Athene's "androgyny," the androgyny celebrated in the Orphic hymn to Athene where she is described as 'male and female, begetter of war, counselor, she-dragon of many shapes.' I, on the other hand, see androgyny as misrepresenting the inner meaning of Athene's being Pallas Athene. Perhaps the whole point of Pallas Athene is to help us transcend the facile equation of strength and courage and worldly wisdom with masculinity irrespective of the gender of the bearer of these attributes. I see Pallas's strength and independence as precisely womanly, related to her being a virgin in the sense made familiar by Esther Harding: in-one-selfness. (The emphasis on her virginity is confirmed by the festival of the Plynteria at Athens during which the palladium is annually taken to be bathed and thus to have its virginity renewed—as Hera's is renewed at Kanathos.) I am impressed that it is Zeus who is responsible for Achene's killing Pallas (and later for the palladium being thrown from Olympus). Zeus, watching the two maidens playing, becomes fearful that Pallas is about to strike his daughter, and so interposes his aegis. Pallas, startled, looks away, and is fatally wounded by her friend. It was thus his masculine misinterpretation of their assertiveness as aggression, their rivalry as destructive, that caused the death of the feminine Pallas.

"The assumption which equates such courage and self-sufficiency as Pallas represents with the masculine is deeply embedded. It probably underlies the fact that the other Pallantes associated with Athene are all male. There is, for instance, a Pallas whom she kills in the Olympians' war against the giants, and out of whose skin she makes a shield; an Arcadian Pallas who is her teacher and the father of Nike, one of her own manifestations; and a Pallas who, in a variant account of her birth, is her father, a father who tries to rape her, whom she kills, and whose skin she again wraps around herself. In each case she takes their power and their name; in these version it is an explicitly masculine side of herself that is represented by her Pallas aspect. She has become Pallas Athene through (in clinical terms) an 'introjection of the father' (or of a father surrogate). This denies that both names, Athene and Pallas, refer to feminine ways of being in the world.

"Those variants confirm that Athene's relationships to women and to her own femininity are mostly hidden and need to be uncovered by careful research and interpretation. Athene, in a sense, represents just this: the repression of the feminine and the undoing of the repression as a soul task. Really to understand Athene demands a courageous examination of our own participation in misogynous self-denial. To recover the Athene who is mothered by Metis and not only fathered by Zeus is to recover ourselves. We need to begin by recognizing that Athene's separation from her mother is not hers alone, and that we delude ourselves about ourselves if we self-righteously condemn her for it. To get to the Athene who can connect us to a fuller sense of what creative womanhood may encompass than our culture's pieties comprehend means beginning with the father and with the myth that Athene begins with the father. As usual we can only start with the most familiar features of a mythologem and, by reflecting on them, discover their unfamiliarity and strangeness, their prehistory. As L. R. Farnell noted almost a hundred years ago, Athene’s character became 'deeper and more manifold' the longer she was worshipped—a truth whose pertinence I have only recently come to appreciate."

-From The Goddess: Mythological Images of the Feminine, by Jungian analyst Christine Downing