#i only knew this because i looked up the entired of the trojan war

[ohumokay]

The average experience between bsfs who are Epic Fans with mythology fixations:

[baejax-the-great]

Absolutely reeling.

So I knew that the origin of "Hector was a great man, moral, noble, better than all of the Greeks" began as Roman propaganda that somehow has made it to now, the year 2023, and is still taught to high school students.

What I did not know was why scholars shit on Achilles as vehemently as they did (and still do).

My copy of Fagles' translation of the Iliad has a preface by a different scholar who I'm not going to bother to name because he's an idiot (and idk probably dead at this point). I read the entire thing, absolutely baffled, because he would cite a part of the text (that I admittedly had not read yet! at all!), quote it, and then come to the most batshit interpretation based on that quote I had ever seen in my life. His general take was that Achilles was a sociopath who had no feelings for anyone other than himself and his own pride, and every action he took (until welcoming Priam into his hut) was done in service of that pride. To support this, he decided that Achilles did not see Patroclus as a person, but rather as an extension of himself, and thus someone injuring Patroclus was them injuring Achilles, and so he did not care about Patroclus, he only cared about his wounded pride.

Yeah.

That sounded wrong before reading the book, and while reading the book all i could think was, "Did we read the same fucking thing???" Put in context, those quotations still did not support his conclusions whatsoever.

But i cracked open Caroline Alexander's "The War That Killed Achilles" last night, and she solves this mystery of "Hector good, Achilles bad" for me right out the gate (which is good because so far I've only read the preface).

Western Europeans by and large learned about the Trojan war from Roman stories, which became fairly popular, and not the Iliad, which was not translated into French or English until centuries later. As mentioned, these were propaganda that cast the Trojans in a much better light than the Greeks because the Romans believed they were descended from Trojan refugees. This starts a trend that is still going on in scholarly circles as casting the Iliad as a war between "barbaric Greeks living in a shitty, lawless camp" vs "civilized, educated, weaving, real-wife-having Trojans," making the Iliad a tragedy in which Homer for some reason skewers his own people and their warlike culture as barbaric while propping up a dead, foreign city-state. This interpretation is still extant and was the postscript to another copy of the Iliad I have.

According to Alexander, scholars closer to Homer's time saw the entire war as a tragedy--both the destruction of Troy AND the destruction of the Greek army. While this is not covered in the Iliad, very few Greeks actually made it home after Troy. Some that did were then outcast (Teucer for example), some were murdered (bye, Agamemnon), some went on to create new kingdoms in other places (Diomedes), but by and large, there was no going home from that war. There was no great victory with all their loot. The entire thing was a disaster for both sides, spurred on by fickle gods.

Back to the more recent European interpretations of this story, one reason Hector ended up cast in such a "good" light, despite being a dumbass who wants to dishonor dead people just as badly as Achilles ever did, was in order to make Achilles look worse. Why was it important that Achilles becomes a villain in this story in which he is very much not a villain? Because Europeans were involved in so much war with each other and the rest of the world that a young, insubordinate man who criticizes his idiot of a commander, decides his life isn't worth throwing away for this war, and refuses to fight to sack a city was an affront to their values. Young men were to be obedient, follow their commanding officers, and colonize the world for queen and country. Achilles suggesting losing his life is not worth it to prop up Agamemnon's war is a dangerous precedent for all the good little soldiers needed to make their nations wealthy.

It's almost funny that these analyses propping up Troy as a beacon of civilization were made by people living in countries so bent on colonizing the world. They identified with the city being sacked and not the greedy sackers of said city, who they were much closer to. And Achilles, educated, morally rigid, emotional Achilles, is recast as a sociopathic asshole who doesn't care about anyone other than himself, unlike all of those other beacons of selflessness among the Greek leadership.

The tragedy of the Iliad is that Achilles is right, the war is pointless, Agamemnon did dishonor the shit out of him, and it doesn't matter because he's going to die in it anyway.

Frankly, given how badly his character has been interpreted for so long, I think the muses owe him an apology.

[streets-in-paradise]

In These Arms - Achilles x (Fem) Trojan!Reader

Warnings: Paris dumped the reader for Helen before she gets to meet Achilles. Includes break up angst + discussion of cheating.

Summary: Heartbroken and publicly humilliated after being abandoned by Paris, you seek peace in the promise of giving up on men without realizing the consequences of his actions would find you one last time.

Turned into a war prisoner and handled to the leader of the myrmidons, the unusual comfort of your master offers you a second chance.

Note: Inspired by two prompt lists by my dear friend @alysinwonderland-at-tea

Angst list - Prompt 4 " Everyone told me you were going to break my heart. I should have listened to them. "

Fluff list - Prompt 2 "I think about you. Ceaselessly."

Tags: @lovelybaka

If everyone else in Troy had reasons for sorrow, on top of theirs you were the most damaged. The man you loved had returned home bringing someone else on his charriot. A stolen queen, woman you didn't have the slightest chance of comparing yourself to given the charm of her famously inhuman beauty. Even when Paris never made any expressed promises priorly, love confessions had once been mutually retributed and you believed in that.

You trusted him going against the advice of many people who attempted to warn you. His own brother had told you that no matter how much he spoke of it, Paris knew nothing about love. Blinded by your feelings, you didn't care, and it turned out the worst mistake of your life.

" Everyone told me you were going to break my heart. I should have listened to them. "

It took you all the strenght you had left not to cry, but at that moment of confrontation it was him the one sobbing in front of you.

" I never meant to! Dear, what I felt for you was real … But it wasn't true love, and I had no way to tell the difference untill I meet Helen. "

You couldn't believe the excuse that was being given to you.

" It was for me, Paris … and because of you I think I will never love again. I gave you everything, but turns out all I am wasn't enough. "

The assumption seemed to have offended him.

" You know I don't mean that! Please, try to understand! "

" What's left to understand? You betrayed your homeland and you betrayed me. You too deserve each other, indeed: a cheater for a cheater … Lovely couple to doom us all! And me the first."

He gave you a hurted look, as if after what he did he still cared for your forgiveness.

" My heart breaks for you, and i am ashamed of myself for the pain i'm causing you … But what can shame do to stop the intensity of love? I would have never accompanied Hector to Sparta if I would have known there I would fall like this for someone else. I couldn't return pretending nothing have happened, and making you live a lie would have been even more unfair than this. You deserve better, I still hold good feelings for you. I swear it on these arms that had comforted you countless times before. "

Paris attempted to pull you closer for a hug, but you stopped him ríght away.

" You humilliated me in front of the entire city! And how strongly I wish I could get granted the mercy of never seeing you again, but Troy is not big enough for that. Blessed is the king of Sparta, who gets the ríght of spreading hate without having to see his wife in the arms of other man every day! Me, instead? I get doomed to watch you smile happyly from afar in the balcony of the palace alongside your mistress for the rest of my life. Do you call that justice, Paris? If that is your mercy, I would rather get your hate. "

In the most twisted way possible, the gods granted at least one of your wishes.

Promising yourself to never love another man ever again after your first love had ended so bitterly, you took the first step into the only path allowed for a woman in your position. With the help of Briseis, who remained your friend despite what happened with her cousin, you seeked to get choosen to take vows in her temple. It was a quick way to restitute your honor in the public eye and be left alone as well. Unfortunately, you didn't get to even try on the priestess robes before the concecuencies of Paris' actions reached you once more.

Greek warriors brought to avenge the husband of his new lover destroyed the temple, killing the priests and taking you prisioner. You would never get to see the great city of Priam again and, despite the sorrow you felt when thinking of your family, that also caused you a dark sense of relief. Because of Paris you have lost everything, even the most bassic of goods such as your freedom. Only after loosing so much, of hitting rock bottom, you had a real chance to be free of him.

Enslaved to Achilles, but liberated from everything you were before, the worst part was having to stand the provocations. The myrmidon enjoyed himself attempting to seduce you, but wasn't forcing you into his bed, and that worked good enough for you in that context.

At one given time you did found his teasing going too far, and only then you became fully honest with him.

" Why did you choose to love a god? I think you will find the romance one sided. "

It made your blood boil, even if you could tell he spoke to you like that because he had no idea of who you were despite knowing your name. Achilles believed to be teasing a priestess and in the discoverment of his mistake you ended up laying eyes on him for longer than you should.

He was wearing the same type of long egyptian styled robes Paris would typically wear in the domestic environment, keeping arms and shoulders covered while fully exposing the torso. It was matched with the same sort of long skirt made of light fabrics opened at the side for more cassual expousure. You could vividly remember he wore a black outfit almost identical to that one during the first night you made love.

And yet, that man looked nothing like him. His sun kissed skin and the sculpted muscles were as contrasting as his blond hair and blue eyes.

" I have choosen nothing, fate forced me to seek shelter in the cult of Apollo after being abandoned by the love of my life. I told myself that, if i could never love again, I could at least give my devotion to the regent god of my city. Because of you I never got to become a priestess, so now i'm a double spoil: rejected for marriage and dragged out of the temple. "

Although standing ríght in front of you, disbelief faded some of the cockiness.

" You won't be rejected here, that's a promise. I had a minor altercate with Ajax because we found you so pretty we both wanted to keep you."

He sat on the ground ríght next to you and observed you with tenderness before taunting you once more.

" Did I ruin your life, or arrived just in time to restaure your faith in men? I don't understand how a girl like you could think of running to hide inside a temple instead of getting herself a better man. "

You answered with the truth, but carefully crafting enough disdain.

" There was nothing I could have done to keep him with me when the competition was the most beautifull woman in the world. The majority of men would have done the same, and that's why I have choosen not to believe in any other ever again. "

Achilles wasn't expecting to find out he was struggling for the attention of the woman that the trojan prince had left behind in his pursuement of the spartan queen.

" Will all mankind pay for the crimes of Paris? That bastard is not even a man. You are so much better without him, consider that perhaps the queen has made you a favor. If he is your reason to give up on men, I have to say it's quite offensive for the rest of us. "

You could tell where his speech was coming and you tried to stop him.

" You would have given me to Ajax if Briseis wouldn't have ran away. I didn't left with her only because I have nothing left to live for. Living in Troy is unbereable for me, but at least here I don't have to worry about seeing them and that's the only perk i expect. Don't try to pretend you could be any different, specially when I'm here because you couldn't find any other more beautifull slave girl to claim yours. "

His hand was then on your face, lifting up your chin so your eyes won't leave his as his thumb caressed your lips.

" I think of you, ceaselessly. If there is any daughter of trojan judged more beautifull than you, I don't need to know and I don't care, because I want you over any other. "

Your hand followed his and pulled down, rejecting his contact.

" Sweet lies won't win me over, not this time. "

It frustrated him, but wouldn't make him desist.

" Would you believe me if I bring you his head on a spear? I can make him cry a painfull death to pay for your tears. Whatever vengeance Menelaus dreams of would be called mercy compared to what I can do to that trojan bastard in your name."

The strange rush of passionate defense encouraged you to reveal yourself.

" Revenge is not on my interest, all I want is to forget. Can you make me stop thinking of the first man who made my heart beat? The moments when we were happy still haunt me like a disease of the spirit, but then I remember someone else occupies my place now and it's like my heart gets eaten raw inside my chest. Pain and regret is all I have for you, son of Peleus. Paris drained me of anything else. "

Achilles got rid of his black robe and wrapped your shoulders with it.

" One night in my arms is all i think that would take me to vanish the memory of that fool from your mind. You haven't yet been loved by a real man: whatever he gave you would taste like few once you would have tasted me."

The fabric was still warm from the contact with his skin and he was holding both sides of it on top of your chest in an attempt of wrapping you tighter.

You didn't try to escape him that time and he used the new proximity in his advantage to trap you in his strong grip, pushing your body against his.

" In this arms you will find happiness again, if you allow me to show you how good I can do just for you. "

[seaofwine]

What do you like about the Odyssey? Besides some entertaining episodes (e.g. Circe or Calypso), I've never really been able to get into the Odyssey as a whole (I find the first 5 books especially dull). The Iliad really speaks to me more.

It's hard to really pinpoint what I like most about it but I love to talk about the Odyssey so I hope you like long posts hahaha

The first five books act as the exposition. When the Iliad ends, there's a general understanding that most of the surviving characters made it home. Menelaus and Helen have reunited, the catalyst for the Trojan War has been resolved. Agamemnon traversed the sea and made it back, and although he was killed by his wife Clytemnestra, there is no question about where he is; unlike Odysseus.

Telemachus has spent his entire youth without a father. When he finally decides to set out from Ithaca to find any leads on where Odysseus is, he is confronted with the fact that most everyone else has been accounted for. He sees Menelaus and Helen, the order of their kingdom, the comfort they have in each other and the bonds they have restored. Telemachus has known nothing but uncertainty, while his mother is forced to weave lies and deceptions to keep the suitors that plague their home at bay. The first five books really show how important one man can be when he is utterly lost, and what it would mean for everyone who loves him should he be found. These books also show the close interest that Athena, as patron of Odysseus, takes in his family. She steps into the chaos of Ithaca and gives Telemachus the inspiration to embark on his own journey, chasing the ghost of his still-living father.

When we finally reach Odysseus, he is not the same man that those who knew him in Troy described. They are the closest Telemachus can come to knowing what came of his father, but even they are separated by nearly a decade and the breadth of the sea. Penelope hasn't laid eyes on her husband in twenty years, there is no overestimating what that can do to a person's memory. Odysseus's first action is to cry. When finally Calypso is forced to allow Odysseus to leave, by order of Hermes, he makes his own raft and leaves at the first possible moment. He is fighting against the will of Poseidon, against the wrath he incurred, all alone. He has lost every single one of his men, every single person who could ever vouch for his identity, in a world where no one could recognize him, is gone. Despite this, he is still fighting to get back to Ithaca.

Odysseus is so utterly human in the text. When he is hosted by Alcinous, Odysseus asks the singer there to recount the story of the Trojan Horse. It's like landing at the doorstep of a stranger who graciously allows you to stay and immediately asking his DJ to play *your own* greatest hits - which in turn only upsets him. This also sets up the dramatic reveal of his identity (I like to imagine him looking around like, you guys remember this one? Yeah that's Me, I pinkie promise. Please give me 4000 drachmae and your best oarsmen (: ).

He recounts the story of how he got so utterly lost on the way back and one thing the Odyssey will tell you, to your face over and over again, is that Odysseus is a big time liar. But for some reason, his tale is so compelling it's hard to remind yourself of that when hearing it for the first time. Some points are so beyond baffling (like striking Polyphemus in the singular eye the poor sod has, and then once to the safety of his boat (which is on open water, the domain of said cyclops's father) loudly announcing his full gods-given name and mailing address, just in case anyone missed who it was) that it's like, yeah that was probably exactly what he did. This is the section of the story where we see Odysseus as he sees himself. This is his own reflection of the actions he made and the troubles that befell him because of it.

Odysseus is such a complex character that one of the epithets he is given is "polytropos", the many-faced or many-sided. Odysseus and his relationship to his own identity, which he can shed and don at any point that's convenient for him, is one of the main reasons I am obsessed with his story. This, and the exploration in an ancient text about what a close relationship with a deity, is something I am constantly thinking about.

[ragesingoddess]

I genuinely think one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the entire odyssey is in book 11 where odysseus travels to the underworld and the little reunion he has with many of the people with whom be fought along in the trojan war. Specifically the conversation he has with Achilles when they meet up because it is to me, a key in understanding the maturity of the odyssey compared to the iliad (the odyssey was supposedly written much later into homer's life) and it really showcases the tragedy of achille's entire charachter.

So basically odysseus bumps into achilles who's chilling with patroclus as one does, and after he greets him, odysseus basically tries to tell him that he has no reason to be sad that is dead, that by dying on the war he merilly fulfilled the prophecy he died for in the first place, ensuring that his name will go undying for the rest of the ages, that he'll never be forgotten, that he's placese himself in the front light for entire generations to come.

And achilles, achilles who came to troy barely an adult, achilles who stepped into a war he knew he would never leave alive, achilles who sacrificed his youth and his future on earth in a heartbeat for a chance to be known as a hero-

simply looks odysseus in the face and tells him he would trade a lifetime as a king of the underworld for a single day on earth working as a servant, unknown.

We spend an entire book that centers around Achilles and his unbending pride, a pride he fosters because he can't bare to stain the only thing he can save of himself; his name.

And then in an offhand scene in a book written years later, he simply looks the reader in the face and tells them he's regretted it.

[tyriq-edits]

In the Plain of Nysa

Millions Knives

Nai, the God of War

God of War and Vash’s twin brother

Younger brother of Tesla (Goddess of Victory)

Raised by Rem (Goddess of Wisdom)

Based on Ares and partly Demeter

Respected and rather well liked among the other Olympians (except Meryl)

After the death of his sister at the hands of mortal Soldiers during the Trojan war and Vash losing his left arm to the same soldiers, he became fiercely protective/possessive of his twin brother

Some time after the end of the Trojan War he built a giant "cage” under Mt. Olympus and locked Vash inside it for nearly a Millennium.

When any of the other Olympians asked him regarding Vash’s whereabouts he’d tell them his brother was travelling through the mortal realm, which seemed to shut the majority of the other gods up regarding this issue and the Golden Cage beneath their feet remained a secret only he and Vash knew about.

After Vash managed to escape the the golden Cage with the help of Meryl and Roberto, rather than an eternal Winter like Demeter in the Myth of Persephone & Hades, Nai, overcome with rage, created a giant war that would slowly spread across all of ancient Greece.

For more Information/lore about this AU just look at the in the plain of Nysa tag on my page or just send me an ask in my inbox.

As always thanks to my friend Stephan for helping me with this drawing of Nai and this AU in general. Please check out his art on instagram!

Please do not Tag this AU as Plantcest

[More ramblings about Nai’s design under the cut.]

Nai’s Design as you may have gathered is very much based on your typical Greek Hoplite Soldier

He was supposed to also wear a helmet but i was so proud of how the hair had turned out that I did not want to cover it up haha.

Around the time that this story takes place in, classical greece, bronze armours like these had actually fallen out of fashion in favour of iron ones so I just like to think that Nai, being over 1000 years old, is just very traditional or never fully mentally moved on from the Trojan War so he kept his old Bronze Plate Armour all those years while still adopting the newer Hoplite Warfare system (which used spears and Phalanx formations in comparison to the open battle fields and sword fights of the Mycenean Age/the Trojan War)

As for Nai‘s spear, an actual Dory could be up to 4 meters high, especially in the case of Macedonian ones. But making him run around with one of those would be impractical for many reasons as you may assume. The half-moon shaped spikes right underneath the actual Spear‘s spike is the part I stole from ancient greek hunting spears. The point of them was to keep wild animals like boars at a safe distance from you. Because boars, even if you pierce their skull with the actual spear‘s tip would just keep on running towards you even if it meant impaling their own brain on the entire spear Dracula Style. If you look closely you can kind of see it on the Meleager Sarcophagus.

[aeithalian]

Light Bringer thoughts

spoilers below:

So the fact that Virginia disappeared from the narrative after the first half of the book kinda threw me for a loop, but I suppose if she had gotten a subplot of her own, it would have felt like we were getting pulled from the action too much… because the Darrow/Lyria/Lys*nder side of the story was all one cohesive plot, and Virginia’s POV, had it been maintained, would have added a certain level of unrelated chaos, with the audience getting jerked away to Mars every so often. So while I missed her, I can appreciate why Pierce didn’t include her as much. 

I LOVELOVELOVE getting outsider POVs of Darrow. Our only other one was from Lys*nder in Dark Age. When Lyria hung around and got to really know Darrow was when she was solidified as one of my favorite characters, for the pure merit that she was able to change her perspective from the myth to the man. It made me realize that more people would like Darrow if he wasn’t famous for war. That and I love the stark difference between how Darrow is in his own head and how he is to other people. It’s so much fun. Likewise, an outsider POV of Lyria was equally fun as well. 

Figment. It’s… I don’t know. I think I expected it to have a bigger payout? Or I expected Lyria to have it for longer. Figment was a really cool mystery that didn’t get fleshed out. But then I realized that the story didn’t really need another physically powerful female character. We have Virginia, Victra, and Volga for that. Aurae, Athena, Theodora (RIP), and now Lyria are a new brand of strong female characters that I’m really glad Pierce has gotten into a groove with - strong, empathetic women who don’t need to hold their own in a fight to be respected and awesome in their own rights. So no, I don’t think Lyria will ever be that ‘red god’ character people thought she might become, because that’s not where her strength lies. And who says Figment won’t return? (No, I don’t think Matteo left it in, but who knows)

I honestly wish Volsung Fá had been introduced earlier, I think it would have made him seem like a bigger threat. The fact that he was introduced as Atlas’ puppet, which was supposed to be this huge mystery to the Volk and the Ascommani, is something we knew the whole time, and decreases on the ‘drama’ of it, I think. I’m excited for an adaptation of him, though! The fear that he supposedly evokes is something that I was kinda missing, so I’d be excited to see it on a screen for a bigger effect. 

BREATH OF STONE HOLY SHIT this entire sequence was so good. I actually teared up. I was so excited. The ‘clang clang clang’ “confess”? Daddy Darrow. ohmygod. Darrow rediscovering his roots in the mines of Mars? A spiritual experience. AND he recreated the Trojan Horse moment from Red Rising and it was like a little part of me was healed. It was so good. That moment where he talks about the game he played with Eo as kids really got me because I think this is the first time in a while where he’s looked back on his memories of Eo and not thought about her death and her dream, but her life. I think he remembered why he loved her so much, and it made me like her a bit more too. But the power up moment. So good. Ugh. 

I’m gonna be honest. I saw Cassius’ death coming from a mile away. But it hit me WAY harder than I thought it would. I was never his biggest fan, even in Iron Gold, but I knew I was in for it when he rejected the ‘au’ honorific to Matteo, and I really started seeing his development. And his last words? Gut punch. I’ll never get over that. Formally rejecting Gold? Claiming Darrow as a brother in life and in oath? Declaring solidarity with the Republic? Yes, Cassius. Your honor does remain. 

The fact that Atlas died in this book kinda freaks me out, because I really thought he was going to be the big boss at the end of the story, because Atalantia doesn’t scare me enough just yet. But now that Lys*nder has the Eidmi, I’m getting a bit nervy. Lys*nder was fine before because he was never a real threat. But there’s nothing more terrifying than a man who has all the power in the world and doesn’t know what to do with it. 

My last thought: Fuck Lys*nder. This absolute pisspot. This pubic hair of a being. This man - no, *BOY* - is going to forever taint my idea of the word ‘honor’, not because he has any, but because he is a bastardization of everything honorable people stand for. He can say he has honor over and over again, but when it clashes with his reputation, he always fails to do the honorable thing. Killing your brother? Not honorable. Doing it for a weapon that will let you commit mass genocide? Hm….. not very honorable, methinks.

Predictions for Red God:

Red God is Darrow. No question. The term ‘red god’ has come up before, in direct reference to Darrow in Dark Age (someone was talking to Alexander) and I heard someone saying it might be Lyria, but honestly, I doubt it.

There are still a couple mysteries that didn’t get revealed that I was curious about: in Dark Age, Virginia says that the Pandemonium Chair was only ever used twice, once being on Lysander… so what was the other time? Similarly, when Atlas is getting un-carved from his Helios-doppleganger body, it’s mentioned that this isn’t his first time, and Lysander noted it as unusual. So what’s up?

I still really think that Lyria’s brothers were the snipers Darrow ordered to kill Lysander during the Long Night. We’ll have to see where that goes. 

Eidmi. It honestly feels too simple, and I’m worried that Atlas wasn’t telling the full truth. Bitch didn’t even have a plan for it, but the thing is, he was afraid of Atalantia having it, because he was afraid she would use it wrong. But oh honorable Lysander (please sense the sarcasm) I don’t really think you should be any less afraid of genocide just because you’re the one holding the trigger. I actually think he’ll try to use it on Luna first, but I don’t know if he’ll be able to get it that close to the planet itself. He probably won’t use it on Mercury, because that’s where he’s going to try his major rejuvenation efforts. And he’s more afraid of Atalantia than he is of the Republic, so Mars probably isn’t that high up on his priority list - remember, he thinks Darrow is dead, doesn’t know the Volk, Daughters, and Rim are all flying to protect Mars, and has wildly underestimated the power of the Republic. He might blame it on the Republic, in a last-ditch effort to get any Golds that haven’t claimed a side to do so. It's almost impossible to predict, because Pierce is inherently a very unpredictable author.

The Abomination is an interesting stone left unturned. The thing is, I thought Virginia might have had a chance to turn him good (?) before she tried to kill him, and I thought she actually could have done it if not for Lilath. Maybe she’ll use the PsychoSpike on him, and somehow implant memories of the real Adrius in him so she’ll have a chance to show him the love he didn’t have before. Because I saw someone say the same thing about wiping Lysander’s memories, but I really don’t think Lysander would take any chance he has for redemption, he’s already turned his back on ‘honor’ too many times. The Abomination, on the other hand, probably wouldn’t have done anything wrong had be been guided by a hand other than Lilath’s. I think there’s hope for him. 

I don’t think Rhonna is dead! No body, no death, especially with Pierce. In the Dramatis Personae, she’s described as ‘lost’, not dead. Chekov’s gun, and all that. 

Darrow better not die. Here’s the thing, though. If the Darrow we saw in Dark Age had carried over through Light Bringer, I think Pierce would be setting him up to die. But now that he’s got the Breath of Stone, the Path to the Vale, and the power given to him by letting go of his guilt and worry, it’s setting him up for a happy ending, moreso than I remember ever reading the rest of the series. I think LB!Darrow is the first time we’ve really seen him believe that he could also live. Remember, he’s always thought he’d end his story as a martyr for the Rising/Republic. But now I think he knows he can not just fight for more, but live for more too. Sevro said it well. We’re tired of this shit. Let’s band together so we can start living rather than surviving. 

[bighairybuffmen69]

Zeus’ Age During The Titanomachy?

This has gotta be worse than LO’s Trojan War continuity.

We know that Hades was canonically consumed by Kronos when he was six, and would be freed by Zeus thirteen years later, making him between the ages of nineteen and twenty-nine during the Titanomachy.

However, this calls both Poseidon & Zeus’ ages into question.

Rhea gave no indication in any of Hades’ flashbacks that Poseidon had already been born. Considering her kind nature, you’d think if Poseidon existed prior to the swallowing of Hades, the brothers would’ve interacted, as from a logical standpoint, raising them separately is strange and inconvenient. We also know that the two had no idea about each other’s existence before Zeus freed them, so I think it’s safe to say Poseidon was born after Kronos consumed Hades.

This claim is even supported by Poseidon’s wiki article.

But that would make Poseidon thirteen (at most) when the Titanomachy started.

Which brings into question…

Just how old was Zeus???

His flashback made him look 17-18

But, uh,

If Poseidon is canonically six years younger than Hades, and Hades was nineteen when the Titanomachy started…that would make Zeus around twelve-years-old at most during this flashback.

Now, to be fair, I know in mythos, a lot of the gods age very fast, but there has been zero indication that any of the LO gods age at an abnormal rate.

In fact, we’ve even seen children forms of both Hades and Zeus, implying they aged at a normal pace (before their aging “stopped,” which is a piece of world-building LO never really elaborated on?)

And this raises an even bigger question: how old was Zeus when he began sleeping with Metis? Because he was only actually legal (by US standards) for (at most) four years of the Titanomachy.

And even if we give Metis the benefit of the doubt and say she did wait till he turned eighteen (like a creepy old man waiting for a celebrity to become legal to sexualize her), she still slept with a young adult she knew since he was a child.

So, um…Rachel has unintentionally made Metis a groomer (or, at least I hope it’s unintentional). Now we know where Hades learned it from, I guess?

Sounds like a certain someone here, *cough, cough, BLUE KINGPIN, cough* doesn’t she? Was Zeus “extremely charming,” or are you just attracted to teenagers? 🤦‍♂️

I get RS probably wanted to make Hades nineteen at the start of the Titanomachy in order to parallel Persephone, but by doing so, she disregarded the ages of the other brothers, now making Zeus’ entire story even more disturbing, considering a thousand-something-year-old “girlboss” deity basically groomed him when the fate of the entire world was resting on his underaged shoulders.

As if 229 didn’t already make this line fucked up enough…knowing that Zeus could literally not have been older than thirteen during this flashback, that meant Rhea was telling her adolescent son to go seduce a grown ass goddess…

It’s clear making Zeus so young was not Rachel’s intention…but it is certainly food for thought regarding Lore Olympus’ piss poor continuity & overall writing.

[panatheia]

Okay im 3 or 4 episodes deep into Kaos, and I dont know of its a bad show or not, cause im enjoying it so far

Só here are my thoughts about it YAY (!be careful, if you care about spoilers)

First of all, Cassandra of Troy is a relevant character love that for my girl. Shoutout for the other Trojan women, Andromache and Hecuba, they are just so tired

Euridice my darling only wanted to move o with her life and curse the gods but nooo, she had to be hit by truck-kun and NOT be renewd

Orpheus dude is so real, if Riddy was my wife i would kms to join her

Also, can we all shit on Zeus head for a second? Bros an asshole wtf i totally forgot about that. Like, shooting your ball boys because of a watch? Being a total ahole to the only son that still visits you despite their stepmothers bitching? Planning to cause mass destruction, war and general mayhem in the Earth just because? Dude, get a hobbie

Now onto the Trojans 7 part omg i was so sad the entire time. When Theseus first showed Nax I took one look at that twink and I knee he'd die but I didn't think it would Hurt™ so much

Seriously, when Andromache is hugging him and he said that ir would all be ok, and cassandra screaming for them to run, thats when I knew that i was in for a tear fest. When Ari woke up to the screams of Andromache, I couldn't even see anymore cause i was crying a lot. And the way they hung the kids corpses from the wall in an allusion to Nax being trown from Troys gates as an infant (ody im looking at you), I was sad

Okay, moving to brighter topics, going down the underworld its such a fun bit! Hades and Persephone haven't done any godly bulshit and seem tô be the only healthy couple around this show so kudos for them

Riddy is having a hard time poor girl. First she dies. Then she discovers that she cant reincarnate. Then she has to work for 200 years. Then the food tastes like nothing. Then shes stuck with a annoying bitch at work. Godness, someone give her a break

Caeneus my beloved your myth is so sad you deserved better. I hope you can help little Nax and you lot in the underworld can be happy

Dyonisus has his priorities straight, ngl. Get a promotion, help the dude that makes cool music and most importantly, taking care of Dennis, the single most important character is this show

Going back to orpheus. Dude, not Cool taking your wife's coin so she cant cross. Not cool

And finally, Minos, you're a bitch and Ari, they could never make me like you, wdym "Your segregation is for your own benefit" girl

Anyways, soon I'll have more updates

[myburntwritings]

Write Up - Loop 1, Weds 12th April 2023

It's nights like this one that I wished I was a better artist, because I would absolutely be sketching the most glorious visuals.

My first loop was a bit of a mish-mash, as I wanted to try for the Persephone show, and knew I would have to run off before the end of the loop. Plus, nobody was entirely calling to me from the cast list. (Or, the problem was, everybody was calling to me.)

I entered through Troy on my first red ace in a while. But with most of my early loop favourites over in Mycenae (not to mention and Ali Agamemnon) I headed straight across the border into Mycenae. I was just coming up the pair of steps to the Mycenae doors when I had to jump aside into the railing as a Trojan Queen marched past me with a look of such determination that I got the feeling negotiations with Mycenae for stopping the siege on Troy did not go well.

Entering into Mycenae, I passed under the gates and immediately looked up the ladder, only to find the Watchman was not up there. They were also not in their hut. Not the biggest surprise, but it’s Milton, he’s usually out top of the show. I walked past the girders and suddenly stopped. Since when did Neoptolomus and Patroclus get a lamp? Nope. We found our missing Watchman, lying on his back on the girders, lamp hanging down as he peered around the empty Mycenae. His slow movements reminiscent of the soldiers moving as Watchman climbs to a vantage point to check the weather. I’ve always seen it that Milton’s Watchman is desperate to be considered a soldier, but isn’t. He wears a different uniform than the other Watchmen that separates him from the rest of the Greek army. These few moments of playing pretend while Neoptolomus and Patroclus are away are as close as he gets, and it’s a very relatable and personal level of heartbreaking in a show where most of the heartbreak is on a scale we cannot personally imagine in our lives. Most cannot realistically imagine how it feels to sacrifice ourselves to protect a city, or to watch our child be sacrificed for the will of a God. But we can all relate to the slow and drudging disappointment and pain that we are not considered the same way as others, others that we admire and adore.

But, I was not following Watchman. He went off to climb his ladder, and I waited for Will’s Neoptolomus and James’ Patroclus to start trying to beat the shit out of each other. (See, being a soldier isn’t so great, Watchman.) I didn’t follow them into the crate room after they’d been broken apart and given their orders. Instead, I stayed with Ali’s Agamemnon.

I may have had this thought before, but if I have, I don’t remember. I really like the fact that Agamemnon fights with his feelings about Iphigenia’s sacrifice on the girders. The girders are so symbolic of the war and the Greek Armies he had been made leader of, everything he has sworn to do for his brother. And yet, when he reaches the top, he can see his family in the palace. He has a perfect view of everything he has already given up for this war. It would be easy for him to go to the palace and announce the news of Iphigenia’s engagement to his wife and daughter himself, but he has been so removed from their lives these last ten years, that he instead lets their maid deliver the news. He knows he cannot be a part of their joy. He has been absent much of his daughter’s life, and yet, as he battles with himself, he can’t help but keep running up to the top of the girders to get one last glimpse of them happy.

Ali’s Agamemnon continued to emotionally destroy me as he carried out the sacrifice. Such adoration and affection as he greets Iphigenia at the top of the girders and kisses her forehead. His silent, face-twisting scream of anguish and pain as he pulls back the blade. Collapsing to the ground, clinging to his daughter before he slips back from the perfect vantage point to his happy family back down into the mud and grit of war, where his anguish is solidified into vengeance. Every minute taken from his time with his family, every sacrifice they have made will be thrown back on Troy in blood.

I joined their invasion, Artemis’ screams of vengeance ringing in my ears.

In the Troy town square, I followed Fania’s Hecuba away from the sacrifice of her daughter. I rarely follow Hecuba, but her devastation was so beautiful, especially when you get into Hesperides and you get the added symbolism of the petals of blood flowing out through her fingers. Giving birth to blood and death and pain. Just stunning.

I had planned on watching Jude’s Askalaphos for the second half of the loop, but he was off spying somewhere, and so instead, I watched some of Polydorus’ resurrection with little trips back into Hesperides to see if our florist had turned up. I then decided to run up to Klub to at least see a little of the blinding before returning to the square.

As I crossed the balcony and stepped through the curtains into the office, Hecuba was crouched on top of the desk, Fania cursing in rapid Greek.

There isn’t a lot of dialogue in this show, but usually I appreciate the text that I can add to meaning and emotions. I didn’t need to understand the text to add meaning and emotion with Fania. It was all in her tone, in her face, and the fact it was Greek and I couldn’t understand the cursing made it all the better. Like spells muttered in Latin sound much more mystical, curses uttered in Greek sound so much more violent and vengeful, the language of the Gods, borrowed by mortals when we have need of it.

Hecuba leapt down from the desk and went to the window, joined by Luba on one side, Cassandra on the other. Hecuba placed her hands on the glass, watching as Polymestor began to revel in his success, death dancing around him. Cassandra had her right arm stretched out in a curve, her hand on the glass. Luba had their right arm in the mirror position. Together, they became the curving horns of Moloch, ready to gauge and maim. Polymestor believed they had sated the beast, but had instead woken one far more deadly.

[knight-of-the-graces]

SO THE PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW. OKAY, THEN!

So, I'm not sure how coherent this'll be (because... I don't think I've ever really rambled about an AU in my head like this before, and I am sleep deprived with a migraine), but here's a sort-of-summary, sort-of-rambling-first-drabble:

Odysseus is so tired of this war. He wants to go home and see his wife and son. So, when he finds an infant just a bit older than his own son was when he left for war while searching Troy's palace... well, it'd be understandable for him to have a bit of a crisis over doing him harm. After all, he's looking at a boy the exact same age that he last saw his son, knowing that this boy's entire family is either dead or so to be, that this child is or soon will be an orphan because of Odysseus' plan.

No one could blame him for hesitating to kill a child who reminds him of his own, could they? Or for standing there for a few minutes, comforting an innocent child who reminded him far too much of his own? Or for, in the heat of the moment, making a decision that he knew could have terrible effects, could destroy his home and family and people, because for once in his life he’s going to let himself make the ‘wrong’ choice, to protect the one life in the present instead of the many in the future, to look into the abyss and refuse to let it change him any more than it already has, to act as a man —a father, even if not of this child— instead of as a general, a king?

Apparently a neglected Trojan girl with a knife she stole off a dead soldier, who sees only a Greek soldier holding her beloved nephew and not a man who’s decided to save this innocent life instead of take it, and ends up discovering paternal affection herself. And who has —just maybe— found someone who will believe her.

Not yet, of course. In the future.

First they have to escape Troy, with… an ally who most definitely did not intend to be one to two of Troy’s royals.

But, well. Things never quite go the way anyone intends, now do they?

Hey anybody want to hear about an ‘Odysseus adopts Astyanax and Cassandra’ AU idea I’ve got?

It’s, uh… I think it’s fun? And angsty, of course, but it’s Greek mythology and The Odyssey of all things so really, what do you expect?

[sodamnbored]

Jason and Juno

I just want to talk about them. I have so many feelings and I can’t find anyone else that cares about them. But, like, why not?

Because Rick ignored Jason in HoO and I still haven’t got my Roman prequels, that’s why.

I freaking love Jason anyway and I always have. And I admit, reading original PJO, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Hera, but we weren’t really supposed to be I don’t think. But Juno? Nah man, Juno is cool.

Everybody seems to write her off because she’s Hera and we all know Hera sucks, and obviously Percy and Annabeth don’t like Hera so makes sense that we kinda subconsciously take their lead. But Juno is cool - and I will absolutely fight that corner forever. It’s like, Ares was kinda a dick in many regards, but Mars was a good dad to Frank, Mars was cool too.

Juno was one of the only gods interested in actively helping demigods, particularly her favoured ones, sure, but she still tried to help. And she obviously cared about them too. Not just Jason, it was very evident she liked Leo a lot too (and I love that too). And we know - at least from ToA - that she had a soft spot for Frank too (and honestly who can blame her).

But yeah, so I actually dig Juno in HoO. She helped out, she was awesome, she was actively nice at least to Jason.

So that’s the first thing to get over. Hate Hera if you want to - but let me convince you that Juno is better. Re-read the books and look for her being nice and cool. Because it’s there.

On top of that though, the relationship between Juno and Jason just makes me so happy and warm. I love it so much, even though I haven’t seen anyone else that seems to care.

Jupiter was at least as much of a dick as Zeus was - that’s something everyone agrees on I think. And I think a lot of us if not everyone can agree that he was a worse dad to Jason than he was to Thalia. And maybe that’s because he washed his hands of responsibility for him after he gifted Jason to Juno. (Dick move btw.) but either way, he basically ignored Jason his entire life and throughout HoO. He was hands down one of the most distant godly parents of the seven and of a lot of main heroes we’ve followed in the series’. So Jason couldn’t really depend on him for help or guidance an awful lot and basically felt like he didn’t have a father. But at least he had Juno.

Juno was a good patron to him. She helped him where she could. She actively and genuinely cared about him. She tried to make herself available for chats when he needed them as much as she could. Gave him presents (his gladius) and praise when he did well, pep talks for what was ahead. As pseudo foster mothers go, she really wasn’t bad. Closest thing Jason had to a parent, and yeah, he could’ve had worse. He did have worse with his alcoholic slightly off the rails actual mother who gave him away, and had worse in a dad who never spoke to him or saw him or lifted a finger to help him until the very last second and who also gave him away. I kinda gotta figure after that kind of treatment from both your actual parents, getting what he got from his patron was probably very appreciated.

And Juno/Hera is the goddess of marriage and family among other things. Throughout the series it’s pretty much her biggest hang up. And obviously she wasn’t always the best mother (poor Hephaestus) to her actual kids, but she kinda held Olympus together. Stopped them all tearing each other apart. Family was important to her and something she valued. Obviously she hated when her husband cheated on her and had someone else’s kids. Honestly? That’s pretty reasonable to be unhappy about. But she watched the rest of her family, literally forever, having kids willy nilly when they wanted to. Obviously Artemis didn’t, but she didn’t want kids and she had the hunters so that’s fine. For someone that loves family so much, it’s very possible she could’ve been a little envious of everyone else having huge families. She still had her Olympian family, but maybe she would’ve liked to have some demigods of her own, if it didn’t involve cheating which she just won’t do. She favoured original Jason and was his patron too, so she was happy enough to adopt them, but it still wasn’t something she did often. So she didn’t get a lot of mortal kids and might’ve felt like she was missing out. But at least she had Jason.

So, being given another little adopted demigod, hell yeah she probably loved mothering him. He was totally her kid. He didn’t have any parent or family to be there for him, she didn’t have any demigod kids of her own and knew she never will. That’s hella cute that they can adopt each other.

Everyone loves found families lately - well this is basically that. Kinda forced at first but doesn’t mean they wouldn’t grow to love each other. They helped each other, could depend on each other. Juno is literally the patron of Rome as well. So even if Jason hadn’t known from the off that he’d been given to Juno, he’d have still had the sense that she had his back along with the rest of Rome, so he might’ve asked for a little help or guidance before HoO, maybe while he was Praetor too. And Juno being New Rome’s patron would’ve probably kept an eye over Camp Jupiter and especially when Jason rose to Praetor she could’ve been paying more attention to him from then. Watched out for him during the Titan War.

I want to know more about them. Especially if Jason was fully aware that she was his patron the whole time before HoO. I want them to have had some sort of relationship. I want them to like each other at least a little. Nico and Hades got closer eventually. Percy and Poseidon (and honestly a bunch of the gods) got on well. Mars adored Frank. Aphrodite seems pretty cuddly with her kids in general. I don’t think it’d be a terrible stretch for Juno and Jason to have each other’s backs.

I want to know if Jason ever made offerings for her along with Jupiter. Burnt food at CHB for her as well as his dad.

I want to know if Juno ever helped him out on earlier quests at all, whether he knew it or not. If she ever gave him and maybe Reyna too, sort of a Praetor deal, counsel.

I want to see Juno fully lean into having Jason as her favourite, as her chosen hero. I want to see her lend some power to him when he needs it. I want to see Jason with the Blessing of Juno. How many demigods would’ve ever gotten that? That’s unheard of. I want it for him. I want to see him marching on Mount Othrys to take down Krios and topple the throne, not with the blessing of Jupiter (although I would also love to see him with that, that would be so cool!) but with the blessing of Juno, patron of Rome. I wanna see him monologuing Krios into intimidation like he did to the giants: I'm the son of Jupiter, I'm a child of Rome, consul to demigods, praetor of the First Legion. I slew the Trojan sea monster, I have the blessing of Juno: Patron of Rome. And she also happens to be my stepmom, dick.

I talked about it in another post before, him getting her blessing. Supposedly with her Roman counterpart she’s supposed to be militaristic, strategic, etc. A blessing from his dad would be like an explosion of power, don’t get me wrong. It’d be like Thor in Infinity War. Magnificent. He could totally burst into the palace and fry Krios and destroy the throne. But I think it’d also be pretty damn awesome if he got zapped with her blessing and became like the ultimate military leader (kind of like Frank with Mars’ blessing I suppose, but more strategic instead of hitting the protein shakes), leading the troops in the invasion and being a total Praetor before he even became Praetor.

Side note: It’s probably not possible but can you imagine if he got blessings from both of them?? I doubt you can have two at a time, but that would be spectacular if he did. Especially from Jupiter and Juno. He would be incredibly powerful, no wonder the Legion made a big deal out of him in the early part of the series. Always was a little disappointed we never got to see cool Roman Jason. I love Jason, I do, but he wasn’t exactly what we heard about in The Lost Hero and Son of Neptune. It never felt like we saw his full potential. So I’m just gonna sit in my corner and dream it up instead lol.

Anyway, this was purely for me because I have a lot of feelings about these two and I couldn’t find anything about them at all or not anything positive. But if anyone else likes them or has ideas or there is stuff you can point me to, please do, I want to get involved in it and find people that are into this so bad!

[streets-in-paradise]

The Man of Aphrodite

Troy (2004) Reader Insert Fanfiction - Part 21 

Word Count 10 K

Warnings: A bit of Eric Bana sneaking into my characterization of Hector ( just a bit, nothing to worry about)

Characters: Paris, Hector, Mycenaean Princess!Reader, Achilles (mentioned), Ereny (OC), Odysseus, Penelope, Telemachus, Melantho, Antinous. 

Pairings: Achilles x Mycenaean Princess! Reader, discussion of Hector x Andromache. 

Summary: The welcome feast begins and the lady sets up her plan, ready to end with all the disruptions causing troubles in what she wished could have been a calm visit to her relatives. However, the result of her schemes lays in the choices of Paris.

Notes: I’m so sorry for taking so long :( This chapter went trough a lot of rewrites untill i reached the final version. I promise the next ones will never take this long. 

Tags: @yerevasunclair @mysticaldeanvoidhorse @spideyanakin @spideyanakin-interacts @awakenedevildays @alaysha-of-middleearth​ @zoegarfield​ @rfkfan​​​

The feast was a merry occasion, foreigners and locals were sharing great food and entertaining stories as a pleasant startpoint for their transactions. Hector was the center of the achaean curiosity and he was asked many questions about the glorious tales being shared by his proud countrymen. Ithacans weren't far behind when it was about talking of the brilliant resourcefulness of their king, and so the fame of both heroes was being celebrated. 

Silent, but not inactive, the mycenaean princess had sporadic interventions on the conversations that were clever strikes manipulating her men into talking for her. She couldn't be the one directly contributing to make the glory of Achilles grow, talking about him with pride in public was too suspicious. Instead, she made others get invested in the telling of recent mycenaean war feats. He took part in all of them, so he would have to be mentioned as the most popular heroe on her land by the men themselves. 

It was presented as a matter of local pride, not the rambling of an enamored girl. She knew how to make her points be heard without letting those could be attributed to her. The men would argue and she would support, subtly putting in their mouths what she wanted to say. 

No one would notice, except for Paris, who had his full attention on her 

Less scandalous than before, the prince was one with her tactic of semi passive observation. Drinking, eating or pretending to care about the conversations were background activities masquerading his interest. If he wanted her before the party, seeing her arrival intensified the craving. Hector tried to explain to him in quick whispers that her looks were a political message. A stance for peace between nations that was most likely personal, the nice gesture of a lady who didn't want to be seen as the enemy. Warnings fell once more in deaf ears, the blue of the trojans fitted her perfectly. 

Paris acted as if all the horrors of the mycenaean crown were well paid with that beautiful image that he couldn't stop looking at. Sharing glances with her wasn't hard because she was sitting ríght in front of him, close to the local royals. 

Her coldness was his personal challenge and the goal was making her smile back to at least one of his imperceptible but provocative public flirting grins. He was ready to work for it the entire time, there was nothing else more interesting to do when the table was full of men praising each other's slaughtering in battle. 

The topic started to suffer changes only when she broke silence to question Hector on a simple detail. Her people were finishing telling one of their stories and there was a misunderstanding of oral traditions with the trojans. Paris thought she must have been as bored as him and started the controversy just to have something to do. 

" Retellings can reach your shores full of misconceptions." The young princess warned " There are people ríght here in Greece that would tell you my aunt was born from a swann egg." 

Penelope chuckled at the reminder of that rumor. 

" ... Others would tell you my mom was the rotten egg of the family. If I had to count all what people say of us as truth ..." 

Hector wasn't truly seeking to correct her, he just had the bad luck of doing a casual reference on the worst time. 

" King Peleus of Phthia received my father in his palace many years ago. It can be said they were friends and that is not a misconception.” 

She was doing an outstanding job pretending to be annoyed because a foreigner was explaining her own country to her. Hiding beneath that acting there was a consternated, confused girl trying to make her world make sense again. 

If Peleus was once a king, that would make his son a prince by birth and that simply couldn't be. Achilles wouldn't have hidden something like that to her. Maybe he was unaware of his royal blood, that was the most logical explanation that occurred to her. 

Unless he would have hushed the detail on purpose so she wouldn't get hopeful. Then the sayings of Odysseus would have at least a portion of truth beneath. 

Strangers exaggerating, that had to be the answer, and she had a vague idea of why. 

" Achilles is a traveling mercenary, I know this because my father points it out every single time when complaining about him. If that warrior wouldn't be a common man, then atta wouldn't be so spiteful seeing accomplishing wonders in battle. Agamemnon wishes Achilles was a prince! He would be way easier to predict and we wouldn't live in fear for his next move. " 

It was a perfectly logical explanation, but not enough for her. Before conclusión she needed to perform a verbal assassination to avenge herself for the nearly awakened doubts. 

" I understand other kingdoms can find demeaning for their greatest figures to be compared with a simple soldier. Kings here have been ashamed to see their champions fall by the blade of that vulgar man."  

" I have known men in the countryfield who I value twice my worth. '' Was Hector's comeback, faithful to his honorable reputation. " My father has no reason to lie, but yours wins from making everyone tremble upon his army because of that man. The things I'm hearing are certainly impossible, my lady. Epical descriptions to create magnificent tales. I have fought countless battles and I can easily separate truth from poetry. " 

The girl looked at Odysseus, who shared her same dissimulated amusement. 

" My father can't lie when he is angry, his mind gets numbed too fast. I would take one rageful rant of his as truth over your word anytime." She concluded, then proceeded to tease him just a bit more. " And by the way: we are not lying to you. My men are witnesses, not poets." 

" Both of you are ríght. '' Odysseus clarified, intending to put an end to the relatively calm altercate. " Achilles is terrifyingly good at what he does. Some things I have seen him do are impossible, but he makes the impossible look effortless. " 

The princess seemed satisfied until he redirected his speech to her. 

" The house of Aeacus is a dying bloodline and my friend is the last one in the line of succession. Theoretically, he is a prince, but he doesn't care at all. In order for that title to hold any value again he would need to marry and have a son, but the myrmidons have lost any hope that could happen and i don't blame them because i know him well." 

It felt like a slap in the face, Odysseus knew that all along and he wouldn't even bother on telling her if the trojan prince wouldn't have pointed it out. His warnings were made in the context of that hidden information. Interpreting everything he said to her in the light of the new facts made it all sound logical. 

She was angry and disappointed, unsure of who she should trust. 

" We are a dying bloodline, I'm the last one in my royal house. " She snarked back, trying to hide her bitterness. " Had I ever told you that the priestesses of Artemis have shown interest in me? Father has bragged about that for years. "

' Was she attempting to threaten anyone with that ? ', the king wondered, unable to hide some laughter. Locking herself in a temple so nobody would have her if Achilles wouldn't wasn't a possibility for her. 

" Temple life doesn't suit you, quietness and Isolation have never been pleasant to you." 

" Sparta is one of the biggest centers of worship. I would be close to Helen." She teased back, stubbornness making her sound almost as if she was convinced. " I am a little behind in praying, but the rest I can learn. " 

Penelope didn't want to allow the madness to escalate. Her husband was having a bit of a petty fight with their youngest relative and she was their middle ground. 

" Worry not, my dear." She attempted to comfort the girl. " Why the sudden pessimism?" 

She was about to explode

" ... Maybe because most of my suitors are noble breed RATS that can't wait to feast on my father's accomplishments."

At that point nothing would have made her shut up, but even in her rage she spoke with prudence. 

" That's the thing, Hector. When greedy arses want to take what belongs to you, they come to your country to fight. When they want to steal from my house all they have to do is pretend they are interested in me. The more intense it sounds, the faker it is." 

Paris couldn't tell if that was an angry callout for him or if she was subtly explaining why she consistently refused his advances. 

" Have you ever spotted anyone you find sincere, princess?" 

Her response was ambiguous, probably inspired by her momentary confusion. 

" Only once, but i have doubts about that one... " 

She was not talking about him, but he had no way to know and preferred to believe she was. 

"... Helen and my best friends are helping me to come up with a method that may help me out with that..." 

It was unfair, she knew it, but if she was going to remain upset she could at least do what she was meant to. 

Her plan to expose Paris and get him away from her once and for all couldn't be postponed. 

"... It's a test in the form of an hypothetical problem of multiple solutions..."

" Test me whenever you wish." He confidently suggested. " i'm ready for your trial and i want to succeed on it" 

Ereny, until then silently standing behind her friend, did her part doing the needed ethical warnings. 

" Good lord, there is no possible success in the Judgement. I see it more as a mental labyrinth where every choice leads to a different sort of imaginary doom." 

" Let me judge that." Odysseus recalled, feeling stimulated by the difficulty Implied in the description. " There has to be one correct answer and I will find it. I have been playing riddles with your princess for years." 

The lady dismissed the claims without objections. 

" Are you in, Hector?" 

He was starting to get sick of her challenging attitude towards him, but he could tell it was somewhat of a game for her. 

" That's not a question I need to answer. I believe in actions over games showing who we truly are." The eldest prince simply declined. " i'm a transparent man. Who you see is who i am."

" ... and you have nothing to prove, i get it. That's fine for me, i'm going to play with Paris." 

The room was paying attention to what was about to happen, never before she captured so many stares explicitly based on what she had to say.

Before starting she drank a sip of wine and begged for divine inspiration. Her storytelling skills were not famous, but it was something she felt a bit proud of herself.  

" I want you to imagine with me that you find yourself in an open, isolated spot from your kingdom. Nature surrounds you... " She started narrating, trying to create an immersive ambience. " ... Forget of your palace, your agora, markets and streets. You are alone, maybe going for a walk in the beach or in the woods near mount Ida." 

Her voice was sweet and inviting, it wasn't hard for the prince to get enraptured in the tale. He closed his eyes instinctively for a moment. 

" Are you there with me?" 

" No, you are on your own... but that doesn't mean you are completely lonely. You quickly come across a woman, a complete stranger. The sight of her overwhelms you and she understands it. Your eyes weren't meant to see her, but she needs your help." 

She stopped for an instante to create some intrigue, mentally vowing to who she was about to evoke.

" She is Hera, Paris, and she has a sacred mission for you." 

Paris opened his eyes like a marveled kid. 

" Why me? People don't come to me with their problems " 

" But inmortals do, alright? Just for the sake of this, imagine they do." She insisted, dulcifying her tone a bit more. " You have been selected as judge in an altercate of olympians, something Zeus couldn't solve because his answer would have been obviously biased. It is up to you to determinate who is the most beautiful goddess from up there"

“ That is not that hard” The prince optimistically commented. “ The obvious answer is Aphrodite because she is the goddess of beauty.” 

“ Has nobody ever told you that if something sounds easy, it is probably a scam?” Odysseus added, trying to guide the naive lad solely from the knowledge he had of her. “ Slow down, we don’t even know the rules yet.” 

“ Am I allowed to give a piece of advice?” Ereny asked her lady, obtaining an immediate approval. “ Rules are implicit, those emanate from the power imbalance.” 

" You are a mortal chosen to judge goddesses: expect gifts, not explanations. " The princess agreed, going further with the narration. " They all possess extraordinary means they would present to you in hopes of quickly winning your verdict." 

" With that attitude you wouldn't last a day in a temple." Odysseus mocked her. " I doubt priests would support that allegory of corruption." 

" Who says we can't consecrate games to the gods?" Was her quick comeback. " My friends and I were very inspired in the process of inventing this. It may be divine, they could have put the ideas in our minds themselves." 

" ... Face it, it is not for you." 

He wasn't talking about priesthood and she knew it. Their underlying argument was about her dangerous romantical life. 

An exhortation to give up and find someone else, give the men he brought there for her a chance. 

" This is a decision making method ironically based on choices, I bet they appreciate the circularity. " 

" A judgment tool built of judgements, it's insane. " Hector commented. " Well thought, still insane." 

" I love to receive gifts. Who doesn't love gifts?" Paris innocently recalled. " So far this sounds very fun." 

" As Queen of the Gods, Hera gets to make you her offer first. " She immediately continued. " ' Choose me, son of Priam, and I will make you the mightiest king that has ever existed.' says the goddess. ' With my blessing you will conquer the world." 

Hector bit his lip to hush a reaction produced by the instinctive guessing of where she got the idea for that first fictional divine gift. It was bait to spot men with the same ambitions of Agamemnon, possibly to avoid them if she had the chance. 

 She was perhaps scared of ending up married to a man who could be like her father, attempting to protect herself through that game. 

One furtive glance was enough to let her know he understood where that came from, but wasn't going to judge her for it. 

" Contestants approach you one by one. " The mycenaean kept narrating to Paris. " Ríght after Hera presents her case, Athena shows up..." 

" ... ' I will make you an invincible hero!' She promises ' With my wisdom and strength you will win all your battles.' "  

Odysseus was the one containing himself then, wondering if the idea of a perfect hero inspiring that part was born from a mix of his own fame and Achilles'. 

" In last place, Aphrodite appears to you, but she does so in very different manners. Softer, sweeter, intimate approach " 

It was the part meant to be played by Helen, the final of her own invention for obvious reasons. For so, the princess tried to make her justice by impersonating her impersonation of Aphrodite. 

Hoping to look as lovely as possible, she stared intensely at him before speaking. 

" ' Paris'." She called softly, something in between a regular voice tone and whispers. Loud enough to be heard in a room full of people, low enough to feel intimate. " ' If you choose me, i will find you a wife as beautiful as i am.Under my bliss you will win her love' "

The prince didn't get to talk before Odysseus started complaining. 

"That's a probability of one against two! It's completely unfair!" 

" Life is unfair, my friend. Helen had a probability of approximately one against over fifty when she got married." The girl lightheartedly replicated. " ... The choice here is simplified to three." 

" Hurting the pride of rejected kings can't be compared with angering two rejected goddesses." 

The girl listened him with a mischievous smirk

" ... I thought you said solving it was going to be easy for you..." 

" My dearest divinity is a participant, I would be morally forced to pick Athena." 

" Congratulations, Odysseus! You just lost the love of Penelope and your kingdom!" She sarcastically exclaimed. " In a combinated strike of Aphrodite and Hera, your wife abandons you and the man she welcomes takes your place as king. Since the gift of Athena protects you in combat, you are most likely to die poisoned in this very same hall."

The macabre but flawless argumentation only stimulated him to take the insane speculation further. 

" You forgot Athena made me too wise to take the poison." 

" ... Then you are forced to exile and Hera doesn't grant you a new kingdom." 

" But he has a son!" Telemachus spoke for the first time, making the girl realize he was being unusually quiet prior to that. " I can reclaim the throne for him." 

" No, you can't. You better go hide because the new king wants you dead." 

Penelope was carefully following the chaos, waiting to see when it would get worse until she felt it was getting too far. 

" Impossible, no change of feelings for a man would make me forget my boy." 

" That is the point! You are not being yourself, cousin. Aphrodite drove you crazy. It's not you, the will of the goddess acts through you. She controls you like a doll."

" I believe Aphrodite would be the wisest choice." Paris interrupted, taking his stand " I know what you are thinking, hers is the less ambitious gift... but I have some very good reasons." 

" Please, enlighten us." The princess encouraged him sarcastically, hoping to hear the crucial mistake after seeing him make the obvious choice she was waiting for. " I would love to know what your definition of a wise choice is." 

" Ignore the bribe, it's justice. If Apollo would be a performer in a music contest, you would expect him to win. Giving the prize to the deity whose domain is being questioned seems reasonable to me." 

" Indeed, but don't hope apparent justice would placate the other two." She darkly clarified. " Sounding like a neutral judge will not save you, I want your personal reasons. What do you think you win with this?" 

" Unlike political power and militar wisdown, my sentimental life belongs to me only because I am not an eldest son. Nobody shall care for the woman I bring home if I get married, I will never be a king. Finally, I am not ashamed of admitting that finding love is a great goal I seek. I wouldn't stand being a powerful king without my queen, or the greatest army leader without love to fight for. What's the point of having all of that if you are going to be lonely? Even if I get disowned and my shots with the bow never hit the target ever again, I have a woman who loves me. I can start over." 

The heartfelt speech got many of the women present in different stages of commotion, some more dissimulated than others. With his honest answer, leaving the mask of a role to play behind, Paris captivated a good part of the audience. 

The mycenaean challenger was speechless witnessing how the prince ruined her scheme completely, and even sounded lovely while doing so. 

" ... Wonderfull, you are a man of Aphrodite in its purest form." 

Paris smiled, thanking what to him was an in point compliment. 

" Did I pass your impossible test?" 

" I guess you did... " She doubtfully concluded. " You understood it is not about finding a completely beneficial outcome and stayed true to yourself. The lascivious, selfish hedonist you appear to be; the man who has been my headache since your arrival, hides a lovely man full of love to give. The reasons behind your selection show a certain wishfulness for seeking love for the sake of love itself" 

" ... This is a frightening experience, I feel as if I would have been truly tested by celestial goddesses peeking inside my heart and communicating through you.” 

For some reason he didn't understand, she seemed to enjoy that observation.

" Thank you so much! I like to cause terror in the hearts of men, but that's very hard to achieve when you are a girl." 

" This entire exchange is grim and terrifying." Hector followed, seeing that he didn't have to hide his thoughts anymore. " I don't even want to ask what would happen next in the riddle if he picks Hera." 

She carelessly smiled before replying. 

" Wise choice, you better not ask about it because you are an heir prince and I don't want to give you nightmares." 

" I would never want Hera to kill you or exile you so I can be king" Paris told his brother regarding his own choice. " ... What kind of man would do that to his own brother?"

For the mycenaeans, that innocent comment was like a misfortunate invocation of ghosts from their past. It belonged to their local history, an obscure saga of it that the prosperous kingship of Agamemnon was supposed to keep buried and everyone tried to forget. The trojan prince had no way of knowing that with precision, but in his sayings the historical and cultural differences between nations became more evident than ever before. Neither their dressing style preferences or referenced local traditions were as exotic to the continental greeks as that simple observation. 

The trojans belonged to a different world, one where darkness and suffering seemed to come primarily from the outside. Hector was the one in the royal family forced to keep himself more in touch with that darkness and that had its effect on him, but also made him be more prepared with an encounter with the greek world. His brother was a mystery, even the young girl contextually leading the mycenaeans was surprised after finding him so unpredictable. 

Although it was a bit more than that what kept her thinking. 

Paris was allowed the privilege of naivety, not even in the sweetest stages of childhood she remembered to have possessed such unawareness of the ways of the world. He was probably sheltered by a father who didn't force him to grow up faster out of negligence or abusive behavior. He loved his brother and never felt the need to compete with him, he was never forced to fight because his kingdom had enough fighters. He was raised on an ideal of peaceful prosperity. What King Priam must have been wishing all his life for Troy found embodiment in the ways of his youngest boy. Hector, the eldest, had to take the role guarding what Troy is in its concrete existence.

One pragmatic, one and idealist, they were meant to complement each other in a cohesive work of two brothers ruling together despite only one could wear the crown. That was what his father wanted for them, the present and future of Troy preserved by his two sons. 

 They could never possibly understand tragedies like the carnage of Atreus and Thyestes. 

" Paris, I don't want you to misunderstand this but I have to say I think you must be a treasure for your people. " 

The prince wasn't the only one confused, disconcert ruled the room and some stiffed chuckles in the trojan side were still be heard. 

" You are the most Trojan thing Troy has ever produced, a miracle of your local politics. Do you have any idea of how many succession wars us greeks used to have before atta started conquering everyone with the hope of creating some damn unity? If we would have more princes like you, we wouldn't have lost decades fighting each other." 

It was the weirdest praise he ever received, but he accepted it gladly. 

" Nobody in Troy would ever believe you told this to me. " He frankly commented, a chill self deprecating joke that had its own dose of truth. " The princess of Mycenae thinks I'm a national symbol... Would you ever come to visit so you can tell that to my father in the face?" 

" ... Only if you come to my palace and tell my father some of the praise words about me you have been repeating. " She snarked back. " He wouldn't believe you either, I can imagine him laughing in your face. " 

" I insist on that. You are as smart as you are beautiful and you are the scariest woman I have ever met. That should be a matter of pride for your homeland as well." 

"... Yet I wouldn't consider myself a national symbol, I have no true significance for the political development of my city. Who you are as a person says a lot about Troy and the ideals in which your father's ruling is based." 

He was radiant with happiness, maybe ready to get a little cocky. It was a very easy turn for a shamelessly confident man like him. 

" See, Hector? I always knew it was a gift to our people, a joy to be around." 

The eldest prince chuckled before replying. 

" You are a gift to women, Paris. Of that I have no doubt." 

He made her laugh, even her servant saw herself forced to stiff her own chuckles. However, it didn't happen out of the textual meaning of the joke. 

Silly sibling bickering, Hector was for once being a bit more relaxed in public and that was fun to see.

The princess felt for once the need of making the youngest know she wouldn't be making fun of him anymore. 

" Don't worry, Paris. I'm speaking less as a woman and more as a politician would. " 

They shared a silent exchange of smiles until the uncontrollable laughing in the sitting crowd at the feast ruined the moment. 

She followed it's direction with her glance and found a young boy laughing at her carelessly and arrogantly. 

" Excuse me???" 

" Apologies accepted. " He replied in the same cocky spirit. " That was really funny, but really dumb... What can you know about ruling? Hey, can you both take the flirting elsewhere? You are ruining the feast... BORING!!!" 

Telemachus looked hatefully at him, almost as if he was craving to jump in defense of the honor of his guest relative but something else was stopping him. Ereny noticed it, but couldn't comment directly to her friend. 

The princess felt humiliated, mistreated like not even the most insolent of mycenaean men would ever dare to in their interactions with her. 

Compared to that kid, even Adrastus seemed nice. The worst part of his intromission was how a nice moment of sincere friendly approach she had with Paris was from then potentially to be confused with a flirtatious exchange initiated by her. 

" Odysseus, who is this insolent brat?"

" Antinous..." The boy answered on his own. "... son of Eupeithes. " 

The king reprobed the behavior, but he couldn't help to feel amused witnessing how the young woman was about to enter in an altercation with a child barely older than his son for a matter of a few years. 

The man who could be assumed to be the father was the noble that couldn't get his audience with the king because of the trojan arrival, the princess' temporary main suspect. 

It would have been wiser to start a conversation with him from the clear offense his son delivered on her. 

" Tell me, Antinous... Do you know who I am?" 

" The divine daughter of the great Atreide" 

He was teasing her, like it didn't matter at all because her father wasn't present. As if she wasn't worthy of respect when the head of her house wasn't watching. 

Reducing all her worth to Agamemnon was the worst crime anyone could commit when dealing with her. She despised it, it was a weakness triggering the most irrational rage. 

" Indeed. " She did her best to simulate calm. " I have to say you need some guts to insult me like that when my father is known as a man who dedicates his life to invading kingdoms, sometimes even without good reasons. I'm going to concede you that." 

Thinking she was done, he seemed secure of getting away with it. 

" Do you have any sisters?" 

" Not yet, my lady. " 

" I hope you never will." She replicated, in a dry but still mockfull tone. " No girl deserves the punishment of putting up with you before marriage would force her to.”  

Telemachus had to contain himself and not laugh to avoid choking with his food. 

She noticed that and it encouraged her. 

"Next time we will get the pleasure of receiving Odysseus in Mycenae, I want you to come here and watch how Penelope handles this whole kingdom on her own while he is away. See for yourself how much a woman can know about ruling. In the meantime, if both rulers agree, I would love to also get visited by your prince so I can show him myself how bigger kingdoms are ruled. My father and I would love to do it. After all, Telemachus will be a king someday. " 

The ithacan prince wished he could have stood up to clap, the brightness in his eyes was a silent equivalent of that. Antinous had no more arrogant comebacks to give, hurted in his pride on a perfect equivalent for his previous offense. 

Since he didn't remember much about Helen, the son of Odysseus and Penelope decided right there that the daughter of his mother's eldest cousin had to be his favorite cousin. 

They had to wait until people dispersed for dancing to share any comments about what happened. As soon as the music started the kid clinged to her and her servant friend, giving Paris a deathly serious stare indicating him to approach only at his own risk. 

After the brief misunderstanding they had before, the trojan abstained from trying because the possibility of being attacked by a child in public was humiliating.  

" It seems like I have found a personal protector for myself." The lady lovefully teased the little boy. " I have an entire group of companions keeping an eye on him, you don't have to. " 

" What you did was awesome. " He directly replied, regretting later "... I mean, your riddle was very fun for the banquet. Everyone was losing their minds, atta hasn't stopped thinking about it. I think I heard mom telling him to stop as they were getting up to dance." 

She chuckled with him before her answer

" I'm glad I didn't bore you as much as I bored Antinous. Although it seems to me that assholes like him don't stop at girls, they bother anyone they find available." 

He looked at her way too seriously for a kid of his age. 

" Don't tell my father, never. Eupeithes may be annoying, but they are friends." 

Ereny wanted to also do her part on comforting him. 

" That jerk thinks he has the upper hand now, but he will have to submit to you someday." 

" Or you can always befriend many slaves and prepare pranks in complete invisibility, making him feel like he is going insane because those can't be traced back to a particular infractor." The princess completed, referencing her own friendship with the girl. " If you don't like someone, make your slave friends befriend their slaves or befriend them yourself." 

" Did it work for you?" 

" My childhood rival is married to a Corinthian noble who deals with the trade routes, far away from me. " 

"Unless you are Achilles, never try kicking ass as first option." Ereny followed with her own recommendations. " If you are, then sure. Go ahead, kill anyone who looks at you in a way you didn't like. If not, it never ends well."

 The princess would have appreciated not to hear him being mentioned, but still defended him. 

" Eny, he is not like that!" 

" He is, he has anger issues. " She reminded her. " He is like... your father, but with slightly better morals. Why do you think they fight all the time? They are more similar than what they are willing to admit." 

After a lifetime making fun of Agamemnon's lack of self awareness that was a strong hit for her. 

What if, after all the struggling to do different, she had ended up falling in love with a man that was like her father? 

" You speak as if he would have killed the first jerky kid he came across with when he was a boy." 

Telemachus made his small contribution. 

" He killed the jerk or he used to be the jerk. I would expect either."  

Ereny had a subtle surprise for her friend: some in spot encouragement to fade the doubts she was feeling. 

"There must be a lot he hides to protect the people he loves. We have done it plenty of times too, like ríght now keeping Telemachus's secret." 

If he did hide the royalty in his origin from her, it must have been for a good reason. She had one when she chose not sharing Hesione's story with. She omitted it to protect him from a violent, intempestive reaction against the remaining men of her family. 

They were in love, just protecting each other from the past. She clinged to that thought, remembering he loved her and trusting on that. 

"... Do you love me?" Telemachus asked, confused. " both?" 

Only then they got back at the literal meaning of the conversation. 

" Of course, we are family. " The princess quickly added. " and i consider Eny part of my family, so you can do it too. " 

He smiled, a beautiful grin full of a happy confidence like feeling. 

The young slave girl felt wonderful 

" Guess what? You are my new favorite prince on the entire greek land. "

 A familiar voice interrupted when Melantho reached them searching for the girls. 

" I guess you haven't met many."

" What are you doing here?" Telemachus complained in return. " Party is over for you, go bother someone else. " 

" See? That's what I wanted to warn you about. " She said to the girls, as if they were friends already. " Everytime Antinous is near he gets fussy." 

"... Maybe if you wouldn't act like a princess all the time just because you are my mother's favorite slave "

"... Maybe if you wouldn't want to simulate a strength you don't have to compensate your father for your flaws." 

It was the peak of bickering between the children. 

" WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO TALK TO ME LIKE THAT?" 

Melantho surprised the adult audience with her reply

" NO ONE, I GAVE IT TO MYSELF!!" 

The young women began to understand why Penelope manifested such predilection for that little girl. She was not only quite clever, but a free thinker. 

" I bet you are here just to keep looking at Paris. " 

" You could learn from Paris, at least he doesn't care about what Antinous says about him. " 

They would never stop fighting unless someone would find a way to stop it and the princess was coming up with an idea to fix more than one problem. 

Antinous was of easier access than Eupeithes. If properly scared into talking he could reveal things his father never would. Forcing an interaction with that man had shown to be harder than expected, but his son was a little prick who wouldn't shut up.  

" Kids, calm down! We have a common enemy to defeat." 

The girl seemed careless about that call to cohesion. 

" Why? Antinous is not bothering me. I would wreck him if he tries, but he hasn't. " 

The lady was going to need a bit more if she wanted them to agree on working together. 

" Melantho, if you follow me on this I promise I will spend time with Paris just so you can come with me and talk with him for hours."

The girl's combative semblance was transformed due to the imminent excitement. 

The princess still needed to convince the boy. 

" Telemachus, trust me on this and I promise Antinous will be scared at the end." 

Not only she calmed the situation, but also got them on board to take roles in her attempt to investigate the economical conflict. 

There was someone else she wanted to recruit for the next step, someone on the trojan side. She spotted the princes in the crowd trying to determine who was the best fitting choice. Hector would have been the obvious, but he seemed tired. He was drinking and chatting with a few local aristocrats, not really engaging in what was happening. Pretty much as if he wanted that mandatory moment of the receivement to be over so they could pass to the important things and finish. 

And the poor guy didn't even know everything was an excuse, a deliberate fraud Odysseus pulled specially for him hoping to play matchmaker and get him a mycenaean wife. 

It couldn't be him, Hector already had enough bullshit to face, so she glanced at Paris. He was all about the dancing, shining like no other and cheering the place. 

His cowardice for fighting was compensated for in the most unexpected of fields, since he was one of the bravest dancers she had ever seen. Paris moved in ways no other man there would, with a natural grace and seductive charm that were his style. Attracting stares everywhere was his glory and the vibrant cheer he transmitted was excellent for the moment. 

" What a lifeful little man, isn't he?" The lady accidentally said to her friend. " I think I like Paris, not in the way he likes me, but still ..." 

" I'm counting points in his score today." Ereny mocked her. " For now, Hector is in the last position. Let's see if his numbers improve over time. "

Paris won a chance to be trusted by his own merit and the princess was going to offer it to him. Her servant girl stayed out only of the recruitment phase, since her lady needed to get to him alone. The road cleaned itself with each step she was giving towards him. People moved without needing to be asked, making her notice of how remarkably aware of her power the insular kingdom was. Although she didn't feel intimidated, it did make her remember a very important detail. 

Smaller the kingdom, faster the gossiping. Being invisible was easier in Mycenae. For ithacans, the coincidence of royal visits must have been one of the most exciting things that happened in some long time. 

As soon as the prince noticed her approaching on her own he made a signal to one of the wine pourers to reach them for drinks. She had him so distracted that he almost forgot of the libations. 

" Forgive me, I was caught up by your beauty. That dress seems to suit you better than the last time I checked. " He praised her ríght away. "But, of course, I didn't have a look from so close before. " 

" It's a miracle that it still fits. " She joked in return. " Odysseus was getting married when I finished it. " 

He smiled, but not exactly as a result of the joke. 

" It turns out to be true that you like seashells. " The prince pointed out, about her simple but well crafted belt. " From a mycenaean princess, the least I would have expected is a silver belt with delicate incrustations of jewels. " 

" I like to show that I can enjoy simple things. I'm not a bragger when it comes to wealth. " 

She deviated her glance towards the few trojan performers Paris had put in service to the feast alternating their songs with the greek ones from the local ithacan musicians. 

" I don't mean to brag, I made them work this time just for you. " He defended himself from the accusation. " Knowing of your deep curiosity for us, how would I resist spoiling you with some trojan music?" 

The speed of that perfect comeback impressed her

" It's beautiful, a very sweet gesture." 

" You knew ríght away that I was going to turn out to be a man of Aphrodite... Why did you play with me anyways?"

" It's true that I guessed the goddess, but you surprised me with the motives. I really don't mind the choice as much as I care for the why. The Judgement is a character test showing where the true priorities of a man lay between the three main goals they tend to seek."

Paris took her hand without breaking eye contact. 

" Would you dance with me?" 

The request was purred with the softest charm. 

" I would love to," answered the princess. " but i have work to do first." 

" Of what sort? Can I help you?" 

" I wish so, but that depends. Do you like children?" 

Paris wasn't sure of the direction that the proposition had, so he said the silliest thing that crossed his mind. 

" Why? Do you want me to make you some?" 

All progress made was at the edge of downfall, she got the sudden wish to smack him. 

" WHAT'S wrong with you?! Of course I didn't mean that!"

She grabbed him by the collar of his tunic, forcing closeness only to seem more menacing.  

" Listen to me carefully. Do you want to know why Hector was formally invited and you came here only as his companion? This is a fraud, Odysseus wanted us to meet because he wants me to become your brother's wife. It's up to us letting him out of excuses to keep you all here " 

Paris was greatly surprised with the news, but not precisely dismayed. 

" Done, he can't try to be a matchmaker for you and Hector if I'm here... Look at us ríght now, we are so close that I may just kiss you and people are surely watching us." 

She dropped him immediately and he felt slightly frustrated about that.

Unfortunately for them, Hector was one of the near witnesses. Lacking context for what he saw made him fear the worst and his worries escalated once the pair disappeared from his visual range. He was no longer in the mood for parties, not even able to pretend he wasn't in a state of alarm. His disconnection with the surroundings was, however, easier to conceal in the festive environment full of distractions. 

At least he hoped so, until someone else attempted to cheer him up. 

" Don't worry for them, Paris is not her type. She prefers them braver. " Said the King of Ithaca, coming from behind with his usual snarkiness. " In fact, I am not completely sure if he is safe with her." 

The prince smiled to himself. 

" The resemblance with your wife it's outstanding... I only hope it includes her prudence, for the wellbeing of us all." 

" She would never harm you, that girl is obsessed with Troy.” Odysseus followed, ready to quickly elaborate in the matter. " ... In a positive way, it could be said that she inherited the reverse side of the paternal obsession. To her Troy is the magical kingdom of her childhood dreams. She would never do anything to endanger you and she is also very aware of her worth. "

Only Odysseus could have been able to disguise his intentions so effectively. The talk advanced in the same direction, but it truly felt as if he was merely giving words of comfort to calm his guest down. Hector wasn't fully convinced, since the King didn't know Paris as well as him. The princess of Mycenae wasn't the first honorable girl in his way and that has never been an impediment for him before. 

He couldn't just talk ríght there about some of the most despicable actions in the licentious history of Paris' nocturnal adventures. That girl wasn't even the most scandalous of his seduction targets, only one of the most dangerous. Hector had spotted him before going after servant girls, married women and even priestesses.No matter the context, his brother would always spot the cutest girl in the room and end up running after her. If he would have known of the danger they would be facing, he would have left him in Troy. 

Seeing them return in rushes and giggling to mix themselves with the dancing people wasn't tranquilizing either. Not at least until they abandoned the activity to get back with him.  

" Hectoor!!!" The princess cheered his name, her voice sounded musical-like. Something in between speaking and singing that was very sweet to hear. " I have great news for you."

Paris smiled innocently at him. 

" Guess what? We are working together on a scheme to investigate the contrabandists. If ithacans know something about that, we will figure out soon." 

Hector was in disbelief, a positive one for once. 

" Working together, you said?" 

" Yes, what did you expect? Us passionately making out somewhere in the palace? " She mocked him. " I only do responsible mischief, like figure out ways out of potential political crises. "

" Better say trying to rule two kingdoms behind everyone's backs. " He corrected her. " I appreciate it, but you can't personally arrange the fate of everyone. " 

The princess responded as if she felt specifically attacked. 

" Are you going to tell me that you have never attempted things behind your father's back when times are difficult? " 

The expression in his reaction was a strong negative. 

" What is wrong with you? You always must interfere whenever he is about to do something stupid! " 

" Even on the occasions when his choices make me angry, I respect those because that is what I have to do. " 

She couldn't believe her ears. 

" ... If i was a man with half of your power and credibility..." She lamented, ironically. " I'm committed to protecting the last drops of common sense in my father and when those can't be saved I often see myself forced to act in the shadows. I'm used to doing it and I want to teach Paris how it's done because I think there is a lot of wasted potential in him. " 

" Just like you told me, I'm using this trip to learn. " The youngest prince concluded. " Only learning from a brilliant greek lady." 

" Be careful with that," Hector warned." her vanity is on her mind. " 

" As yours must lay in your arms. " The lady snarked back. " Strongests in Troy, legends say. " 

She began to tap his ríght arm with the tip of her index finger in an annoying way. 

" What are you doing?" 

" Research... " She simply explained, then proceeded to grab him with full hand. " I would say it's at least twice smaller than Ajax, almost the same size as Achilles… Almost, his are still bigger."

Hector looked at Paris, who seemed about to burst into laughter. 

" I feel like a prisoner about to get sold in the market." 

She reacted in the same amusing tone. 

" Ajax likes to hug, Achilles made me bathe him once as a reward to satisfy his ego. Carelessly touching heroes is the only thing I do that sometimes impresses the people." 

A friendly pat on his shoulder pointed to the end of her examination. 

" I may not have the strongest arms, but i'm pretty proud of my chest." Paris commented, acting casual. " Do you want to lay your hands on me and feel for yourself?" 

The maiden made of stone most thought she was made a stellar appearance. 

" I had enough when I was threatening you." 

The letdown would still make him look cute.

" This isn't working, isn't it?"

" No man ever has attempted to seduce me so openly and persistently, I give you credit for that." 

He began to feel defeated, but she didn't want to make him feel bad about that. 

" However, I would prefer if we stay as conspiracy partners. It's not only beneficial, but more entertaining." 

She made a brief pause before getting into the most delicate topic 

" I will never be a fun lover, but i do well with political intrigue. Would you switch an useful alliance for an awkward first night with me? Because that's what you would be getting. "

Hector couldn't believe what he was hearing, a princess speaking in such frank terms was awkward on itself. 

" Don't judge me, he has to know about what he is exposing himself to. I'm clueless in bed, he is clueless in politics. Which one of both is actually more useful ríght now? " 

" I would never judge you. " Paris interrupted. " Don't judge yourself so harshly." 

" Save yourself the letdown, i'm said to be the coldest bitch in Greece and that reputation has saved me troubles" 

" ... I bet you would find it unfair after getting to know me. There is no such thing as a cold woman, that’s what careless lovers claim to comfort themselves.” 

" You are second born, I'm an only child. What I have between my legs is worth more than your life..." She harshly concluded. " As a maiden I'm valuable and I am not stupid enough to give that away to a pretty trojan boy." 

Paris didn't seem as offended by her words as she thought he would. 

" So, you find me pretty."

" It feels to me like you want to compete against Helen for the ' most beautiful person' award. " She mocked him. " You are pretty enough to stand a chance, but she would wreck you. " 

" Is she really as ravishing as rumors claim? You greeks can't be trusted, Hector spotted you exaggerating about Achilles." 

She chuckled carelessly before replying

" If you think I'm beautiful, she will change your life. When she got married father was so happy because he claims she was blocking suitors for me." 

" I guess it was not the only reason. '' Hector casually commented. " Your aunt and uncle being together brings the family closer. " 

Strong, loud laughter came out of her that she couldn't control, although she didn't even try.Once more, the men wondered what was wrong in the sayings. 

They were so nice, they had no idea. 

" You two are the funniest, most likable princes I have ever met... My stomach hurts from all the laughing!! 

She had a few more chuckles and they had no idea of what to do. 

" Are you alright?" 

" Yes, Hector. I'm not drunk, if that is what you are implying. "

She glanced at him with an amused expression as an idea was coming to her. 

" In fact, I'm going to prove it to you: let's dance. Do you think I haven't noticed that only Penelope has got the chance so far? You are disappointing all those ithacan girls who want to feel the grip of your famous arms. "  

Hector didn't mind the tease. 

" I can live with that, I didn't come here to impress women. I had enough with your servant and some maids of Odysseus looking at me as if I was the first man they had ever seen. "

" That wasn't personal. Eny only found you overwhelming to look at." She defended her friend. " I don't. Just like Achilles, you aren't that impressive to look at no matter how great you fight."

She had the feeling of being back at her formal dancing lessons from when she was still learning how to behave like a princess. The strict tutor would have been pleased watching her dance with Hector. Neither with him or Paris she showed her true level of skill, what she learned far away from those classes,a secret that had no place there. However, alongside the eldest brother her will to incarnate a perfectly well behaved princess was stronger. They didn’t seem like two persons having fun, more like two royal heirs in a meeting salute. It was alright for both of them, since they needed some calm. 

Although she had more fun with him. Paris gave her the strange sensation of being dancing with a man that was moving for her as well as with her. He wanted her to look at him and admire his body in aesthetically pleasant movement, trying to make himself be noticed like a palace concubine sent to entertain the guests. It was like seeing herself in a reverse mirror, a man trying to use on her the same seduction tactic she once tried during the only time ever when she felt desperate for masculine attention. Paris was less cautious than she was, but his intentions were similar. Having the inverted perspective made her consider that she perhaps owed Achilles an apology for her behavior back then, although it was a bit too late for that. He wouldn’t care after all what happened between them later, she was all his with his complete awareness of that. 

Yet there she was, dancing with the heir of the trojan crown as if that welcome party would be the receivement of her newest suitor. 

“ Why are they staring at us?” She murmured, with annoyance. “ Paris was doing more scandal and I didn't see so many caring for that… Even your men are looking odd.” 

Hector chuckled and she noticed a vibrant sparkle in his eyes. 

“ You of all people, Greek Queen of Riddles, can’t see why? We are two heirs holding each one a half of the world.” 

It was obvious, but she wasn’t expecting it coming from him. 

“ I’m aware of that, but your brother…” 

“ Paris has no access to the throne, no formal right to you… Some believe I do, and those are not only greeks.” 

The news was completely unknown for her and he seemed perhaps a bit proud of surprising her playing her own game. 

“ Why would anyone in Troy want to see you bring home the daughter of the man that seeks to destroy you?”

“ If I had one talent of gold for each time I have been advised to reach Mycenae with a wedding gift…” He honestly declared. “ They think that it would be the final victory for Troy because I would be the man of the marriage. If the news about your cultural infatuation with us reaches them, the people in the council believing this may try to convince my father about it.” 

“ Don’t worry. I bet the same man who raised Paris would never force you into an arranged marriage.” She attempted to comfort him. “ I wouldn’t want me as a wife either, if i were you.” 

“ You are the gift of Hera.” He quickly recalled. “ A riddle within the riddle, it was a warning.” 

“ Pick me and you will get the chance to become the most powerful king the world has ever seen… only for the modest price of becoming Agamemnon’s personal battle slave until he would let you rule.” 

Exactly as he supposed, he wished some of his father’s close friends would be listening to that girl. 

“ I must suppose you want to save me from that horrible fate.” 

She was not going to answer that. 

“ Who is Andromache? Paris told me about her and it seems that someone has a crush…” 

“ Are you accusing me like a mean little girl?” Hector affirmed in an ask, evidently amused. “ I see you interact with others, why do you act so childish only with me?” 

They were bickering like Telemachus and Melantho for no need reason, she should have been explaining to him why. 

“ Is your girl an amazon princess? Many people in Greece claim that you won the love of one.” 

“ I’m serious.” The trojan insisted. “ Why me?” 

She stopped moving, frozen by the question and the realization that she would have to be sincere. 

“ Maybe because I grew up in your shadow, you are what my father thinks I was meant to be if I would have been the boy he wanted. I get competitive with you because, only if I feel I'm winning you, I prove him wrong. “ 

Nothing he could have possibly said would have been a proper answer to that, so he stayed in silence. To his surprise, she clinged to him in a quite friendly hug. 

“ Hector… “ She added, whispering in fears anyone else would hear. “ Although you are a son, you have the spirit of an exhausted daughter struggling alone and I relate to that.” 

He smiled and her soft laughing followed not far behind. 

“ You may be a daughter, but you have the spirit of a firstborn prince consumed by the weight of his crown and I also relate to that.” 

Hector gave her a gentle peek in the forehead and she released him with a smile. Under the distant but expectant surveillance they were being submitted to, they choose to abandon the activity and walk away to keep chatting. Many, the deceiveful local king included, may had perceived the wrong energy but their closeness was so strictly non romantic that they didn’t consider it. 

“ So, tell me about your girl. “ She insisted once more, teasing him in a more friendly tone. “ When is the wedding? Do you have one scheduled? Don’t make her wait if you know she is the one.” 

“ Would you ever let it go?” He complained,although she knew it was not a severe observation. “ I can always start making the same sort of questions and assumptions about your personal situation.” 

The suggestion sounded plausible to her. 

“ Me? What would you find so interesting in my boring life? I already told you everything about my ‘ situation’. I don’t have herds of infatuated men coming at me, only my greedy suitors who think like those fool men in Troy wanting you to take me.” 

Like her moments before, he showed himself far from satisfied with that. 

“ I highly doubt the most beautiful girl in the feast lacks real prospects.” 

Unexpected, but she allowed it because she knew it was a clean compliment. 

“ So, you think I’m pretty.” 

She made him laugh by quoting Paris on purpose. 

“ It’s an objective fact. Troy’s tallest mount is the Ida, my name is Hector and you are beautiful.” 

“ I suppose I should say some objective facts about you.” She oddly but gently thanked him. “ You do look more handsome in person, but you have to work on your movements outside of battle. “ 

“ So, what about you?” Hector asked, making a truly hilarious impersonation of her voice. “ You must have someone in mind.” 

Her chuckles were uncontrollable and she was barely able to believe that was the same man from a while ago. 

“ You are actually good at impersonations! Finally a human fact about you.” 

“ I’m waiting for yoours.” He copied the musical tone that caught his attention before.” Who is your secret crush? I bet you have one.” 

He was being as annoying as she was just to make fun of her and her insistence about wanting to know about Andromache, but that inspired her a little experiment. 

“ It’s Achilles.” She whispered, acting out as if she was following Hector’s joke instead of talking the purest truth in an exaggeratedly comical way. “ I often fantasize about sitting him on my father’s throne so I can sit on those glorious thighs while he holds me and whispers to me how much he loves me in ways no one would ever believe coming from him. I have an emotional void that will never be filled, except by an older man telling me that I'm pretty and he would kill for me even despite I don’t want him to.” 

Hearing her say that with a serious tone made him break the character. 

“ That was…, I could have never thought you would… “ Hector tried to answer between chuckles. “ It’s the most insane joke I have ever heard from the mouth of a noblewoman.” 

She smiled, relief mixed with gratitude for the compliment. 

“ Fame is unfair to you.” He added in conclusion. “ Princess, I’m afraid I could also laugh with you to the point of stomach ache. “ 

[where-theres-smoak-2]

Darkling Character Analysis

Full disclaimer, I’ve not read the books, though I have ordered the first so I am hoping to have read that soon. But just so you are aware this character analysis is based entirely on the show version of the character. Obviously there will be spoilers for all of season one. Also I just want to say that my aim with this analysis was to sort of get into The character’s head and so alot of this is just what I think the character might have been thinking, feeling and what his motivations may be, it does not mean I agree or disagree with his actions. When I am giving my view on his actions I will try to make it as clear as possible. Also this is just my interpretation of the character and my own opinions on the character, it is ok if you disagree. So obviously this is an analysis of the character The Darkling but I am also going to be talking about his relationship with Alina so I guess its also a sort of analysis of their relationship too just solely from Aleksander’s side of it. I will be using all of the names he has interchangeably because he has so many that I don’t know which one to stick with (seriously haven’t seen a character with this many different names since Jace from Shadowhunters) so sorry if that’s annoying. Fair warning this one is probably the longest analysis I have ever written and they are usually pretty long so I would suggest if you are going to read this maybe get some beverages and snacks first. I mean I think it shows how compelling and interesting a character he is that I was able to waffle on as long as have about him. But yeah its long. Of course you can also always scroll on past. But if you would like to read it then the rest is under the tag. 

Ok so first off I think the show does a really good job of building up the character in the first episode by giving us some information on The Black General before we and Alina officially meet him, they really give the character this air of mystery by giving us only a small amount of information about him but also by not letting us see his face. We get small tantalising glimpses of him, a shot of his boots in the mud, his carriage passing by, the back of him with his cloak billowing in the wind as the skiff enters the fold. It’s just enough to peak the audience’s interest. But most of what we learn in episode one is from what other character’s tell us. The very first mention we get of The General is from Mal and it’s a very small detail but I actually think it can tell you alot about The Darkling’s character. When Mal and Alina come across the Grisha practising Mal says ‘They’re always picking on us when their General’s not around.’ This seems like such a throwaway comment designed to show us how the First Army feel about Grisha and paints this picture of the Grisha thinking they are higher and mightier than those who are not Grisha. But it actually suggests that if they only do it when The General is not around then he does not tolerate Grisha bullying First Army. That he doesn’t think its ok for them to act like they are higher and mightier than those who are not Grisha and that he believes in humility even. Which I think is really interesting. This tracks with Nadia’s comment later in episode three when she says that General Kirigan insists that the Grisha eat peasant fare to keep them humble. Yet while he encourages humility he also makes sure that the Grisha have everything they need in order to flourish and he obviously cares a great deal about the Grisha, I feel like rising the Grisha up and making them strong has been pretty much his only drive and motivation over the hundreds of years since the fold was created. 

The other thing we learn which is repeated a couple of times by a few of the characters is that The General cannot bring down the Shadow Fold. In fact I think there are two conversations about it. The first between Inej, Jesper and Kaz when Jesper asks why the General hasn’t taken it down to which Inej replies ‘Have you ever put out fire by adding more fire?’ The other conversation is more flippant and is between Dubrov and Mikhael, where Mikhael sarcastically says the General is there to save the day and Dubrov asks if he’s going to tear down the fold. So on two occasions we have characters believing the General is powerful enough to fix the problem of the fold only for them to be corrected and told that he can’t. It seems like the show wants to make it very clear that the General will not be destroying the fold and I could be reaching here but this could be foreshadowing for later when we learn he doesn’t desire to bring down the fold.       

Of course even after the first episode the character of the Darkling still remains a bit of a mystery. He’s the kind of character where the more you learn about him the more questions you have. This tactic of giving us small pieces of information about him, just enough to keep you interested continues throughout the season and of course you have the twist in episode 5 where its revealed that he’s the ‘villain’. And yes I did put villain in quotation marks because I personally feel like its too simplistic a term to use for the character. I do feel like he’s more than just a two dimensional villain and there is alot of complexity to the character and his actions just for him to be considered the ‘bad guy’. 

So lets have a look at some of those actions and think about what might have been his motivations and what he might have been thinking and feeling. I want to start with one of the more controversial of his actions and as a warning this is a sensitive topic. One of the earlier things we find out about is that General Kirigan gifted Genya to the Queen. I’ll be honest when I first watched this scene I was so caught up in the new character and what was going on in the scene that I didn’t think much about Genya’s comment about being a gift to the Queen but when I thought more on it later I realised that it was a rather dark idea, that you could gift a person to another person. It becomes especially darker later when you find out what Genya suffered at the King’s hands. I kept wondering a few things, one being why the General would gift a child to the Queen in the first place, two whether he knew what the King was when he put Genya under the royal family’s care and three if he didn’t why he didn’t remove Genya when he discovered what was happening with the King. I do feel that we didn’t get enough information in the show (I don’t know if there’s more information in the books) to really answer these questions but I’ll give it my best shot. Firstly why would the General gift a child to the Queen? Well I actually think this one is easy to answer, he needed a spy within the Royal Family. We know that Aleksander has suffered and been betrayed by a king in the past. He won the Old King a war and in turn that King turned on not just Aleksander but on his people too. I feel like Aleksander was blindsided when this happened and he just didn’t see it coming and because of that his people were slaughtered. It would make sense then that the General would want to keep an eye on the royals and get a warning if they were planning on turning on Grisha again. I also think this is why they refer to Genya as a ‘gift’. That was just the wording the General used to manipulate the royals. Here’s a gift that I am granting you out of respect and to honour and please you, is going to go over a lot better than hey here’s a spy I want in your household. Genya is essentially the General’s trojan horse. As for it being Genya as oppose to someone else, like a trained adult Grisha, well I think that’s because it would be easier to get the royals to take a child into their household than an adult, even as a gift. They will be alot less suspicious of a child than they would an adult. Also they might bond with a child and therefore treat them as more of a confidante as time goes on. As well as that Genya had a very specific set of Grisha abilities that made her perfect for a vain Queen. I may be wrong on this one but thinking back to my history education I think I remember being taught it was fairly common during the time period if a young lady was discovered to have a particularly special talent, like say singing for example, they may be given as a gift to the Queen as this may gain favour for the maiden’s family if she is made a lady in waiting. So if I am right about that then whilst it might seem strange to us it may have been a fairly normal practise to the characters. I mean Alina didn’t seem shocked when Genya said she was a gift to the queen it was learning about the King that upset her. 

Also I do wonder if some of the reason why he placed her with the royal family was because he believed she wouldn’t fit in with the other Grisha, she does say that she is almost as rare as Alina. I don’t know for sure but maybe the General suspected she would struggle with being different from the other Grisha and so decided the best way to help her grow and flourish was by giving a special mission of her own. 

Ok so what about question 2? Did he know what kind of person the King was when he placed Genya under his care. In my opinion I don’t think he did. I am basing this on how he always seems to want to make Grisha safe and wants them to flourish and also due to his actions with Alina when things between them became more intimate, we know that consent is something Aleksander cares about. So to me it would be out of character for him considering how much he cares about the Grisha and consent for him to knowingly put Genya under the King’s care whilst having the knowledge of what would happen to her. I feel like he would also consider it as a disrespect towards Grisha from the King for him to harm a Grisha woman like that especially as she was ‘gifted’ to them. Also when Alina herself asks a similar question in episode 7 when she says ‘did you think Genya was safe when you placed her under the King’s watch?’ To me I think the Darkling looked somewhat upset that she would think that he would knowingly put Genya in that situation. However I do think that by the time Alina was discovered and brought to the Little Palace he was aware of what was going on with Genya and the King as he makes that comment about Alina remaining at the Little Palace with him to train undisturbed. The way he said undisturbed made me think he thought the King might decide he wanted Alina and the General was warning the King away, making it clear that if he wanted the fold destroyed he would have to leave Alina alone. His actions here in protecting Alina also make me think that he didn’t know at the time of placing Genya with the Royal family what would happen to her. He doesn’t want to make the same mistake with Alina that he made with Genya. 

As for number 3, why didn’t he remove Genya from the King’s care once he did find out about what the King was doing? I saw a few comments about this. All of them saying the same that because he didn’t get Genya out he was as bad as the King and was complicit in what happened to Genya. But I actually think it’s more complicated than that. For one thing technically he did remove Genya from the King’s care when he had her poison the king and then made her Corporalnik. Though obviously he didn’t do it immediately. We’ve got no timescale as to when he find out so who knows how long they were planning this. But also there was one line in episode 3 that I think answers this question best, when the General says ‘I may lead the Second Army, but the King is still the King.’ Whilst the General is powerful he still only has so much power over the King. He needed the King’s permission just  to have Alina at the Little Palace and for her to train, which is what the demonstration Alina had to go through in episode 3 was all about. I don’t think the General had the power to just walk into the Grande Palace and take back Genya. The only way he was getting Genya out of there was by killing the King. Also correct me if I am wrong but I feel like what the King was doing to Genya was a large part of the General’s motivation for poisoning the King. I mean we weren’t given much information about the King other than what he was doing to Genya, which made me think that’s why he was poisoned as we weren’t told about any other bad things the King had done that might lead to the General deciding to poison him. I think once he found out what the King was doing to Genya he allowed her to be the one to carry out the poisoning knowing that she would want revenge rather than trying to remove her right away and potentially causing tension with the royal family and also making it harder if not impossible for Genya to be the one to exact her revenge on the King. I guess what I am saying is its possible that Genya was the one who wanted to stay because she wanted to be the one to kill the King. I mean that’s the impression I got from her conversation with Alina where she says ‘I waited for years for my chance at revenge.’ For all we know General Kirigan might have offered to remove her from the Royal household and she might have told him she wanted to be the one to help him take down the King. Whatever his motivations were and however much he may or may not have known I think we can all agree that him ‘gifting’ Genya to the Queen was a mistake. I personally feel like it was more of a similar mistake to when Alina burned the maps. She had good intentions, she did it to protect someone she cared about, but in the end she caused others harm. With Alina she wanted to protect Mal and her whole unit was killed. With Kirigan I think he hoped a spy in the Royal household would protect the Grisha but in the end Genya was harmed by the King. One question I do have is whether Kirigan feels any guilt over what happened to Genya, whether he regrets his decision. I mean we did see him protect Alina from the King when he insisted she remain at the Little Palace. But was that just because it was Alina, the Sun Summoner? What if it were someone else. For example say the King came to the General and said he had taken a fancy to Marie, or Nadia or Zoya, and asked for them to be sent to the Grande Palace, would the General have agreed or would he have made some excuse as to why they couldn’t go, maybe even sent them on an assignment to protect them? There’s no way we can really know the answers to these questions as we just don’t know enough about the situation. All we know is that the General ultimately decided to get rid of the King but even then we don’t know for certain what his motivations for that were.   

I suppose you could say that him plotting against the king and conspiring with the apparat to usurp the throne was also a ‘bad guy’ move. But to be honest after telling us everything that the King did and just generally presenting the royal family in a negative light, I was surprised that Alina had such a problem with what the General did. To me it didn’t make sense for her to be upset and using that against him. I mean after learning what he did to Genya I was fully on the Darkling’s side when it came to killing the King. If they were trying to present this as a ‘villain’ move on the Darkling’s part then they did a poor job of it because I completely understood where he was coming from with that one. 

I felt a similar way with his other big ‘villain’ move when he expanded The Fold into Novokribirsk. At first I found it hard to have sympathy for them considering literally a couple of minutes before we were being shown that the soldiers were planning on murdering everyone on the skiff as soon as it docked. Couple that with the fact that Zlatan had arranged to assassinate Alina and once again I found myself on the Darkling’s side, I mean screw Zlatan and his soldiers. It was another case of it wasn’t until I rewatched it that I realised the villainous part of what the Darkling did was that there were civilians in the city that were also killed. To be honest I do wish that the show had done a better job of showing those civilians to really get across the horror of what the Darkling did. I mean on a rewatch I could see a few civilians mixed in with the soldiers but they were blended in so were hard to spot. I guess that was the purpose of Zoya having family in the city, to tell the viewer that there were innocents there but I just don’t think it made enough of an impact. I feel like if they had focussed in on actual civilians running and being swallowed by the darkness as well as the West Ravkan soldiers it would have had a bigger and more horrific impact. Instead it just kind of came across as the bad guys who had been built up as being bad throughout the season, who were rebels and who had tried to kill the main character, were finally eliminated. Lets be real if Alina had been the one to take out those soldiers we would all have been cheering. Lets talk about Game of Thrones for a moment as an example (spoiler alert for GOT here) however you felt about the way Dany’s descent into madness was written one thing the writers did right in The Bells episode was focus on the civilians that Dany was killing on the ground. They cut away from Dany completely and stayed on the ground with her victims and so you get that impact of what she has done, you see the horror in what she has done and I think this is something that would have worked well with Shadow and Bone. If they had just cut away from the skiff for a scene showing the civilians, the victims that were being effected by what the Darkling was doing then I think I would have been more shocked and effected by his actions. 

Ok so lets focus back in on the character and talk about what his motivations might have been for Novokribirsk. Why did he expand the Fold and take out the city? Well again I don’t think its hard to answer that question. We have to remember that he is a General that is fighting a war on three fronts. He’s fighting the Fjerdans on one side, the Shu Han on another and then the cherry on top is that the West Ravkans are rising up in rebellion. It’s already hard enough having to fight two enemy countries without also having to split your forces again to deal with a rebellion. The General knows that they are already overstretched without having to split their force again to deal with Zlatan. So if you look at it from his point of view striking down Zlatan now before the rebellion gets too large is a tactical military move. Also the fact that it is such a violent move will act as a deterrent for any remaining rebels who might think of trying to restart Zlatan’s movement. As well as to Fjerda and Shu Han, a this is what we do to our own people when they act against us so think about what we might do to you if you cross us, kind of deal. As for the innocent civilians that were in the city well I think the Darkling would convince himself that it was a numbers game. He might have killed hundreds of civilians but as far as he sees it he has spared thousands of lives that would have been lost if they had gone to war with West Ravka. By now the General knows the cost of war, so to him sacrificing a few hundred civilians is worth the price of saving thousands of his soldiers. Of course there is another motivation for the General, one that is less military strategy and more personal and emotionally driven. As Kaz says he was a man fuelled by vengeance. These soldiers standing on the dock had turned their back on Grisha and even worse than that they had tried to kill Alina. In the scene where The Darkling is talking to the Conductor and the Conductor admits to agreeing to assassinate Alina for a million kruge you can see how angry this makes The Darkling. This idea that someone would harm Alina for something as material as money is unforgivable to him. I said in a previous post that I wondered if the General always planned to expand the fold into Novokribirsk and I actually think the answer to that is no he didn’t. I actually think he was trying to make up his mind about what to do about Zlatan and his rebels, its possible he had a number of strategies to go with and was trying to decide which to choose, with expanding the fold being the most extreme of them. I actually think this here is the moment he decides to go with that plan. As he walks away from the Conductor and the Conductor asks ‘tell me how I can help’ The Darkling replies ‘you already have.’ I actually think what he meant here was you’ve helped me make up my mind. Them daring to harm Alina was the linchpin.         

Which brings me to the next part of this analysis, The Darkling’s manipulation and relationship with Alina. One of the great things the show did with the Darkling’s character was making him so complex and nuanced that the audience is in very much the same position as Alina when that reveal is made about Aleksander being the Black Heretic. Just like Alina (if you haven’t read the books) you are left sort of blindsided. Also just like Alina the audience is left wondering how much of it was a manipulation. Was all of it part of his manipulation? Or were there some moments that were real? Did he care at all about Alina or was he just interested in her power? 

Well I will say this, while I do think he always planned to manipulate her, I don’t think he ever planned or tried to use seduction as part of that manipulation. I think we have to remember that he was waiting for the Sun Summoner for hundreds of years and I think he spent that time creating his plan for her and her power. We also have to remember that when he was creating this plan he was expecting to find a child. I think his plan was to earn her trust as a mentor and build a confidence between them. I think he planned to bring her up with his ideals, to bring her up believing the best thing was to use the fold as a weapon, to bring her up to always want to protect the Grisha and to bring her up to embrace her power. However this whole plan had a wrench thrown in it when he does finally find Alina and she’s not a child, she’s a grown woman and one that has been taught her whole life that the Sun Summoner’s purpose is to tear down the fold. Changing the ideals and beliefs of an adult is alot harder to do than a child. On top of that I think he does develop real feelings for her. But these feelings get in the way of his plans, which makes everything all the more complicated for him.        

Lets go to the moment they first meet. I do think right from the get go he is intrigued by her and mean I think when you watch the scene you are so focused on Alina and what she must be going through and feeling, how scared she must be being dragged in front of this powerful General that she’s only ever heard stories about, that we don’t think about what this moment meant to the General. I mean he has been waiting for this woman for so long. She could be the solution to all of his problems, a fix for all of his mistakes. She has been his one glimmer of hope in the vast darkness of eternity. And now she’s here in front of him. Jessie said in an interview that Alina felt a connection to Aleksander right from the beginning, but I think he felt a connection to her too. I think you can even see the moment they make that connection and it’s when he takes her wrist in the tent.

Once he takes her wrist they never break eye contact even as he draws her sleeve up higher, their eyes are glued to each other. Then they both pause for a few beats and again just stare at each other.

The tension between them is so thick it almost makes you want to yell get a room at the screen. It’s like they both suddenly felt something click between them, a oh I know you, kind of moment. But I also feel like Aleksander is a bit surprised by this feeling, he wasn’t expecting it. They don’t break eye contact until The General cuts her arm releasing her power and causing her to look down in surprise. But almost immediately Alina brings her eyes back to his. One kind of cool little detail I did notice is that you can see the reflection of the beam of light in both their eyes.

It’s like a thread connecting them both, I don’t know why but it sort of reminds me of that red thread of fate legend. But also with them both having dark eyes the beam of light reflected in them sort of reminds me of yin and yang. The other thing of note is the General’s facial expression when he sees her power. Whilst everyone else is looking on is awe and surprise, he looks almost content, definitely happy and maybe even a bit hopeful. To me he kind of looks like he’s just had all his prayers answered. 

I think Kirigan is further intrigued by Alina in episode two when she talks back to him with that rant about maybe he hasn’t found anyone with her power because they didn’t want to be found. I think its the first time in a long while that anyone has stood up to him and not just said yes sir. I actually found it really comical how surprised he was when she said no to him. You just know he hasn’t heard that word much in recent lifetimes. But I do think this plants those first seeds of him seeing her as an equal to him. I think this is where he starts to see her as not someone to bow at his feet but someone who belongs at his side. Then when she confesses that she hid from the testers because she didn’t want to feel even more alone I think he really saw something of himself in her. I mean you can see his facial expression shift. I think this furthers his idea that she is meant to be at his side, that she is the same as him and I think even at this early stage he begins to hope that maybe she is someone who will understand him as no one else ever has. In that moment he is determined to make sure she doesn’t ever feel alone again and that is why he tells her ‘you are Grisha, you are not alone.’ You can see from the passion in his voice when he says it that this is something very personal to him. 

However despite this connection he feels to her and the care I think he has for her too, he does manipulate her. I think one of the more obvious manipulations happens in episode 4 when he takes her to the fountain. Something that is worth noting is that before setting out on their ride Aleksander takes off his Kefta. Their Keftas in the show are presented as their armour, so I think it was a very deliberate move on his part to sort of send the message to her, look I’m taking my armour off for you and I am being vulnerable and open to you. He furthers this by giving her his name to create this familiarity between them. Then he takes her to a place that is personal to him and then he really gets into his manipulation game. Here’s the thing though, I feel like most of the time when we think of manipulation we think of lies. But sometimes the best way to manipulate a person is through twisting the truth and I think this is what he does here. From their conversations so far I think he has figured out that Alina feels like an outsider and that she fears being alone and not fitting in. I definitely think he uses this information to manipulate her by telling her the story about how he used to go to the fountain as a boy after he discovered he was descended from the most hated Grisha in Ravka and wished to be anybody else. He knows that Alina will respond to this story, that it will make her feel sympathy for him and also make her feel like he is someone who understands her and therefore someone she can trust and rely on. He is also most definitely being deceitful in that he knows she thinks he is talking about being related to the Black Heretic when in fact he is the Black Heretic. However that doesn’t mean that what he said was untrue. I really do think he used to go there as a boy and wish to be someone else. As for being the descendant of the most hated Grisha in Ravka well my theory there is that he could actually be talking about Morozova. In the flashback in episode 7 Aleksander says that he and Baghra are his descendants and that means that if he created the amplifiers than Aleksander could create an army. Baghra gives the warning that Aleksander will die like Morozova. This makes me think that Morozova died in quite an unpleasant way, maybe even killed because he was feared and hated. I mean sure the Black Heretic is the most hated Grisha in all of Ravka now, but whose to say there wasn’t someone who came before him? Another Grisha who was hated like the Black Heretic is now. And maybe when Aleksander was a boy he discovered he was the descendant of Morozova and that was a burden on him, so much so that he wished he was someone else. 

I also think he was being genuine when he talked about how he is never seen as the solution only a reminder of the problem. I mean we’ve seen this ourselves in episode one its one of the first things we learn about him, that he can’t bring down the fold. I also think he’s being truthful when he says they always need someone to blame but again he’s twisting this truth. Alina thinks he means he is being unjustly blamed for not being able to fix the Fold but I think he actually is talking about how the Old King turned on him. I’m also sure over the years many people have blamed him and the Grisha for all the ills the world has suffered. But I do think he really meant it when he told her that he wouldn’t let the world make her the new Heretic. I think making sure that doesn’t happen is something he cares deeply about and I think it shows that he does have some care for her that he is so determined that she doesn’t go through what he did with the world turning on him. 

Slight diversion here but I do want to talk about whether or not this hatred the world has for him is justified, I mean he did create the fold and that fold has killed alot of people since its creation. So surely just the fact that he created the fold is enough to solidify him as the villain. Well I think that depends on why he created the fold. I mean we get three different versions of how and why the Fold was created. The first one we hear is in episode 4 when Alina tells us the story that is taught to children in school. They say that history is written by the victors, and whilst I personally don’t think there were any victors in the creation of the fold, The Black Heretic disappeared with its creation, presumed to be dead, so the Old King probably considered himself the victor and was left to decide the history. Therefore this story was most likely the Old King’s version of events. In this version of the story it talks about how the Darkling hungered for more power after being made the Kings military advisor and this made the king fear that the Darkling would try to overthrow him. So he put a bounty on his head and that of anyone who stood by him. Eventually the Heretic realised he was outnumbered and decided to create an army using forbidden science. But he failed, creating the fold and killing himself and countless others. The second version we get is from Baghra and it is similar to this one. She says that he created the Fold to use as a weapon, that he tried making an army with merzost and that he didn’t think about what that would do to the people who lived there, that it turned the men, women and children into the Volcra. That she had warned him there would be a price and that he didn’t listen. She also says that he took a noble’s name to hide after. Baghra’s version paints Aleksander as power hungry and as someone who will stop at nothing to get what he wants no matter the cost. But there are somethings I think its worth noting about her version. The first is that it is very brief, sort of like the cliff notes version, as they are in a hurry and she needs to get Alina out of there pronto. She doesn’t have time to go into all the details so she tells her enough to convince her to leave. Which brings me to my second point, Baghra’s motivation here is to get Alina to flee, so logically the best way to do that is to tell her the worst parts of the story and leave out anything that might make Alina feel sympathetic towards Aleksander and therefore hesitate about leaving. Another thing to remember is that Baghra whilst she might know somethings wasn’t there for a lot of it, she didn’t see Luda killed by the soldiers just knows that she was killed and she didn’t witness the confrontation between Aleksander and the soldiers. However what she did see likely had an effect on her. There is one moment in particular during Baghra’s story where she becomes emotional and choked up, there are tears in her eyes and you just know she is reliving a bad memory and that is when she talks about the women and children who were turned into the Volcra alongside the soldiers. Think for a moment about where Baghra was when the fold was created. She was inside the sanctuary with the women and children who were hiding from the soldiers. Which means that she would have witnessed them turning into the Volcra which must have been a horrifying scene. 

Eventually we get to episode 7 and we learn what really happened when the fold was created and the story is more tragic that first told. I mean first you have the whole situation with Luda. He obviously loved her deeply and I can only imagine how painful it must have been to see her murdered right in front of him and to feel that guilt of her dying because she was protecting him. I mean the words ‘just mortal’ now make me want to burst out crying anytime I hear them. Then he gets to the sanctuary and there’s all these Grisha there that need protecting. I think he feels a responsibility for them. Then his mother reminds him that they are not fighters, they make things. Which gives him the idea of creating an army using merzost. It is worth pointing out here that when telling the tale to Alina Baghra says that she warned Aleksander that there would be a price for using merzost, but when you actually see the conversation what she says is that whilst the small science feeds them merzost feeds on them. This suggests that the price to be paid is by him. So yes he was aware there would be a price but he assumed he would be the one paying it. I think if he knew that the people inside the sanctuary would be turned into Volcra he might not have gone through with it. This is another thing that makes the story even more tragic. Aleksander was driven to create his own army by his wish to protect his people, but he lost control and ended up destroying the very people he was trying so hard to protect. Another thing I noticed when Alina is telling the story of the heretic in episode four when she gets to the part about the Heretic being killed along with countless other you can hear what sound like screams in the background, also Aleksander looks really sad and guilty. It is also right after that he says he had devoted his life to undoing the great sin aka the creation of the fold. We see this look of guilt again when Alina confronts him in episode 7 about being the one to create the fold and therefore responsible for the deaths of her friends and parents. You see him look to the floor.

 I really do think that he has alot of guilt about the fold, he sees it as a mistake.  We see both Baghra and Alina make the claim, the fold was no mistake. But in episode 7 we learn that it was, Aleksander did not deliberately set out to create the fold. It wasn't his intention. It seems to me that he wanted to bend the will of the soldiers to his, to make them his own army, but I think he lost control due to the emotional state he was in at the time. I mean right before the soldiers were threatening to murder all the people inside, including his mother, and were mocking him about Luda’s death. He was grieving, he was angry and he was fearful for his people. We were told the fold was born out of greed but lets be real it was born out of grief and out of pain and anger and fear. 

So if he considers it such a big mistake why doesn’t he want to tear it down? Well I think its two fold. On one hand he might be afraid of what he’ll see. It’s like Kaz says to Zoya ‘it’s dangerous to go looking for the dead. What you see may haunt you for the rest of your days.’ Tearing down the fold will reveal all the destruction he caused to the land and to the people who lived there, he’d have to really confront what he did to his own people. But I think another motivator is what he said about undoing the great sin. I think he thinks if he makes the fold useful then at least it would have made the ‘deaths’ of his people mean something somehow. If creating the fold cost them their lives then maybe by making it a weapon that can be used to protect Grisha will make their ‘deaths’ a worthwhile sacrifice.

Ok so diversion over, lets go back to the Darklina relationship and how much of his actions were a manipulation. We’ve already established that he was being manipulative when taking her to the fountain and was telling her twisted truths. But if we stick with episode 4 there’s the scene where she comes to visit him at night in the war room. This whole scene I actually think he was being completely genuine. I don’t think any of it was part of his manipulation of her. First off is the way they are both dressed. They are both in their nightclothes which gives this idea of them being more intimate and more exposed to each other. I said above that the Kefta is seen as the Grisha’s armour, well here neither one of them are wearing their Kefta. They have both taken off their armour and are letting each other in. When Alina first finds him he is looking over the war map and you can see that he looks troubled, which you know fair enough considering he’s fighting a war on two fronts, having to deal with getting supplies through the fold and how to deal with the rebels. I love the way he looks at Alina when she comes in though, its just so soft and I feel like he feels instantly calmer when he sees her. But then he starts talking about how he’s been fighting the war alone and lost friends, about how their own people are turning on Grisha just as their kin once did and he is clearly thinking back to when the Old King was hunting him and his people. When the shadows start creeping in I think his pain is very real, I don’t think this was an act at all and once again if you listen closely you can hear those faint screams in the background. Then Alina dispels the shadows with her light and repeats his words back to him, ‘you are not alone.’ I think in this moment he truly does feel like he’s not alone. That he has found someone who understands him and who is his equal, who is like him. So he reaches out and cups her face and tells her he’s been waiting for her a long time. But then she pulls away and says she should go. I think Aleksander is afraid at this moment that he has frightened her away or that he misinterpreted the situation and he becomes very confused. So when she lingers at the door he goes to it and contemplates calling her back, just as she struggles with whether she should go back. But then she walks away and I think he thinks that maybe he was wrong and she doesn’t feel the same as him and he is a little angry with himself for losing focus and for feeling something for her and so he locks the door between them.  

Another question I asked myself was whether he always intended to put the stag collar on her and to control her powers. In my opinion this one has a bit of a yes and a no answer. I think he kept changing his mind. He clearly knew that by killing the Stag and putting the amplifier on her he would gain control of her powers. As I said early I think his first draft of the plan, shall we say, was to find the Sun Summoner as a child, to gain her trust as her mentor and teach her that the Fold is a weapon to be used as opposed to something that needs to be torn down. If he had found her as a child he would have had a lot more control over her and could shape her into what he wanted. However when they find the Sun Summoner she’s an adult and believes that its her fate to tear down the fold so he has to do a rework of his plan. On top of that he’s got this problem that she clearly doesn’t want to be the Sun Summoner she has no interest in saving anyone and she just wants to go back to being a mapmaker in the First Army. I think it is during that speech where she talks about him transferring her power to someone else that he starts to look into whether that is possible. But as he gets to know her more I think this changes again and he starts to feel things for her and I think he starts to believe that they want the same things and that maybe taking control of her powers won’t be necessary. I think the turning point for him is in episode 5. In the breakdown video of their first kiss Jessie says Alina goes to the General’s rooms because of what happened the night before in the war room where they had a moment in episode 4. Alina wasn’t sure what that moment meant and so she was seeking out Aleksander because she was intrigued and wanted to know if there was something there. Aleksander is once again clearly happy to see her but I do feel like there is some awkwardness there because of what happened in episode 4 and because he feels like he had misinterpreted things and maybe was too intense with her. It’s an interesting dynamic because as Jessie says in that video in this moment he is the vulnerable one. One moment in particular that I think shows this vulnerability is right after she helps him into his Kefta. Again going back to the whole the Kefta is armour thing. When Alina first enters the room like in episode 4 she is wearing her dressing gown she has come to him with her armour off so to speak. He is also out of his Kefta and this early conversation is playful where they are joking about Ivan and the Volcra. But after she puts the Kefta on him is when his mood shifts a little and you see him kind of tug the Kefta tighter around himself. I feel like he was trying to protect himself because the more time he spends with her the more vulnerable and confused he feels, he’s feeling alot of feelings he hasn’t felt in a long time and I think he knows by now that he is well on his way to falling in love with her and this scares him a bit because he has lost loves in the past. Him putting the Kefta back on is like him attempting to put that armour back on. There is another way of looking at it too though. It’s worth noting that on this occasion Alina is the one helping him put the armour/Kefta on, like she is the one giving him protection. Then he turns around Alina is alot closer then he anticipated and you can actually see him struggling to even form words. Then she leans in close to him like she's about to kiss him but changes her mind and walks into the other room leaving our poor guy more confused than ever. Then Alina makes the speech about how she finally feels like she is part of something bigger and that they can offer hope to the Grisha and to Ravkans. In this moment our girl was talking straight to our boy’s heart. I think this is all he has ever wanted to hear her say, especially the ‘we can offer hope.’ I think he really means it when he says it means a lot to him and you can hear the passion in his voice when he says ‘you mean a lot.’ Of course when she looks down he once again becomes afraid he’s overstepped, gone too far and so he tries to backtrack with ‘to everyone’. And well we all know what happens next. Alina kisses him and as he says after he is surprised and not many people do surprise him. I think there is something about this woman that just makes him lose all his senses until his whole world becomes about her. I feel like throughout episode 5 Aleksander feels like he’s gotten everything he’s ever wanted. Because maybe she does feel the same way he does, maybe she wants the same things he does, maybe he has found his life partner, another immortal who will always be by his side, finally he’ll never have to feel alone again. I think the moment I decided this fool was definitely in love with Alina was the look on his face when she enters the room and he sees her in his colours for the first time. After watching her demonstration I think he does see her as his equal. He’s in complete awe of her and the only time he looks away is to look at the Monarchs to see their reaction. Basically from the moment Alina kisses him to this moment where he is seeing her take command of the room and truly showing her power, having people bow to her, Aleksander is living his best life, he’s on cloud nine. 

Then he gets word that someone has located the stag. We don’t see the scene where he gets informed of this but you can imagine he probably can’t believe his luck. Not only are things perfect between him and Alina but now someone has found the amplifier. But I feel like he gets a bit of a reality check when he discovers that Mal is the one who found the stag and he’s now here in the Little Palace. I feel like Aleksander sort of came crashing down to earth here and realised he might have a bit of a problem. Once again he’s having to do a quick, rapid, rework of his plan. Which brings us to another moment where the Darkling is being manipulative. He uses Mal to find out what Alina’s favourite flower is. I mean I suppose you could argue that he’s only doing what every other person does when they want to get a gift for their crush and don’t know what would be best, ask the best friend. But all jokes aside this move was clearly calculative on The Darkling’s part. But I couldn’t help but wonder why he decided to use the Irises. What was his motivation here. It’s clear that he has already won Alina over seeing as she was kissing him not to long ago. Well I said earlier that I think he changed his mind about using the collar on her. I do think after their conversation in episode 2 where she talks about how she didn’t want any of it and could he transfer it he thought she was going to be a problem and difficult so maybe he should look into finding a way of controlling her power. In the beginning she was focussed on her old life and I feel like she didn’t have much loyalty or care for the Grisha, it took her awhile to accept who she was and she was also struggling to use her powers. All she wanted was to go back to Mal and I think this may be why, or at least part of the reason why The General takes their letters. For one he didn’t want her to go back to him and so making her think that Mal didn’t care would encourage her stay put and discourage any ideas of leaving. I mean given her comment in episode 3 where Alina asks Genya if anyone had ever escaped the Little Palace, which the General overheard, its not that surprising that he would decide to confiscate any of her correspondence out of the Palace in case she was organising a breakout with Mal. Secondly as I said she was having trouble using her powers and I think after reading the letters maybe he figures out that its because of Mal that she is struggling, so he either stopped the letters because he wanted her to continue feeling abandoned by Mal and therefore he was hoping she would shift her dependence onto him or because he knew if she let go of Mal then she would be able to control her power more and more power for Alina means more power for him to control. This was all very manipulative on his part and obviously not the actions of someone who cares about Alina’s feelings but at this point she wasn’t Alina to him she was the Sun Summoner, a tool to be used and he was thinking as a General who had people and a whole country to protect and if that meant putting the collar on this stranger then so be it. I think he set out to win her trust to make it easier for him to put that collar on her when the time came. But then as he got to know her more, started catching feelings for her and after their conversation in episode 5, I think he decided that maybe he wouldn’t need to use the collar after all. My theory is that he got her the flowers and he took her to the war room instead of the dinner because he was planning to tell her some of the truth. I don’t think he was going to tell her about who he really was and about him being the Fold’s creator but I do think its possible that he intended to tell her about the Stag and maybe even try to convince her about using the Fold as a weapon. So I think he just wanted to put her in as good a mood as he could if that makes sense, sweeten her up before he brought it up. Also telling her about the Stag means telling her about Mal. I think he actually felt a little threatened by Mal because having read their letters he knows how she feels about Mal. So he wants her attention as much on him as possible. I think he very much felt like his dream was slipping away. As for the make out on the war table moment, that could have also been an attempt to keep her sweet on him like the irises. But as I’ve said before Aleksander seems to lose all his senses when he’s with Alina. When he’s with her the only thing he’s focused on is her, and I personally think it was just a case of he really wanted to kiss her. Some of it might also have been to reassure himself that those feelings between them were real, especially now that Mal has shown up. I mean they are both so giddy and happy when they break apart for him to answer the door that I find it difficult to believe that the whole kiss was a cold manipulation, he was grinning like a school boy. My favourite kiss between them (as steamy as their make out session was) was actually the one where he comes back to kiss her one last time. This is right after he has learnt that she was the target of an attack that happened inside of his Palace, which is the one place where his people are supposed to be safe. I think in that moment he just needed to reassure himself that she is safe, you can see his desperation in the kiss. There was just something so soft and pure about it. If I am sure about anything is that one was definitely real, I may have small doubts about the other kisses but that one kiss was 100% true.   

Things only get worse for Aleksander in episode 6 when he realises that Alina is missing. I think how he behaves in this episode tells us alot about how he really feels about Alina. He becomes somewhat unhinged when she goes missing and only becomes more so the longer she is gone from him. His sole focus is on her and finding her, to the point where he kind of forgets about anything else as we see when Fedyor comes to report about Nina, The General has completely forgotten there were other missions and things he was dealing with. Later when he calls Zoya to tell her to prepare a team to track down ‘Alina’s abductors’ and she puts forward the suggestion that Alina ran by herself, he doesn’t even consider it a possibility. The idea that she would willingly leave him is just too hard for him to wrap his head around because as he says to Zoya he is sure he knows exactly how she feels. He is usually the composed, unfazed General but he very much snaps at this moment and I think reveals more than he intended to Zoya, who clearly looks surprised by his outburst. He even says himself with Alina gone he’s not himself, he’s feeling unbalanced and tense without her. So when Zoya offers to help him relax he tells her that he’ll relax when he has Alina. I think its important as well that he says Alina and not the Sun Summoner. It’s not the Sun Summoner he’s lost without its Alina. When he finally catches up with Kaz and is told that Alina fled on her own you can see how shocked he is at this.

 And even then he has trouble believing it because he once again asks where she is and its not until the line ‘It was pretty clear she wasn’t interested in being a captive any more’ that it begins to set in for him and you see his shadows creep in. After you can see the heartbreak set in and then the anger.

 This anger only grows when he learns that she is with Mal and that she is going after the Stag. I think he very much feels like everything has been snatched away from him in a blink of an eye. I think he is angry that he was blindsided by it and he’s angry that he let his feelings for her cloud his judgement and distract him from his plans. Because of his feelings for her he might now have ruined all his plans and, as he would see it, risked the safety of the Grisha in doing so. Naturally its back to plan A of forcing the collar on her, because no matter how he feels about her he can’t let that distract him from his mission to protect the Grisha again. 

However no matter how angry he is at her and how hurt is is that she ran from him, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about her. I see alot of arguments that he can’t have loved Alina because you can’t hurt someone you love like he did when he put the collar on her. But I’m calling BS on that one now because the people you love are the people who can hurt you the most, especially when they are hurt or angry. It doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t love you it just means they are human and make mistakes. However that doesn’t mean you should tolerate those mistakes or brush them under the rug, absolutely they should be called out for them and held accountable for them and I am really glad that Alina does do this. The Darkling's anger at her is what drives him to find her and to kill the stag himself so he can collar her and I think this anger builds up whilst he is away from her, again showing how unhinged he has become without her. But I feel like some of that anger ebbs away a bit when he does find her and once she is in front of him again. That moment when he finds her and the stag and Mal is hurt and he calls out to her that she can’t save them, that as powerful as she is she does not have the power to heal. He is obviously thinking back to Luda here. Because as powerful as he was he was not powerful enough to save her, in that moment he was utterly powerless to keep her from dying. I think despite how hurt he is he cares about her too much to watch her go through the same pain and grief he did which is why he offers to heal Mal if she gives him the Stag. The similarities between the two scenes (the one with Alina, mal and the Stag and the one with Aleksander, Luda and the king’s men) are clear and I think really have an effect on Aleksander. I think when he says that Mal was only protecting Miss Starkov there are two interesting points. One is the use of the term Miss Starkov. This is a name he mostly called her when they barely knew each other and I think he is trying to distance himself from her again by making things more formal between them. The other thing is that it draws a parallel between both Mal and Luda. Both Mal and Luda were just trying to protect the people they love and Aleksander clearly doesn’t think either one of them deserved to die for it so he lets Mal live. 

Another scene I want to talk about real quick is the one right before he puts the collar on her. This scene is eerily similar to when they first meet. Once again they are back in a tent. Once again the scene starts with the Darkling’s back to her and with Alina in the hands of a guard/s. I said before that I think alot of the reason why he decides to collar her is because she doesn’t share his views and he feels like he needs to control her so he can weaponize the fold and save his people. That he was angry at himself for believing she might be his equal and share his goals. I think this scene where he talks to her shows that. The fact that he lowers himself to her level I think shows that he does see her as an equal. Then he talks about how together they could end all wars and protect their own and asks isn’t that what she wants. I think he is still clinging to that belief that he wasn’t wrong and that they did want the same things and maybe some part of him was still hoping he might not need to use the collar. But then she asks if they are going to tear down the fold and you can see the disappointment on his face because he understands now that she won’t see it his way. So instead he deflects the question and I think this is the moment that cements his choice to collar her.  

Further evidence that he does still care about Alina comes when he puts the collar on her. This is obviously a very distressing and gruesome scene. What he is doing is obviously wrong and I think deep down he knows it too. He can’t bear to look at her as it happens and so her turns away and its the second time he does as he also looks away in guilt when he threatens Mal. I don’t think he can handle her looking at him like he’s a monster and he can’t cope with seeing the betrayal and hurt in her eyes. It is also worth noting that I think part of the reason why he goes through with putting the amplifier on her is like he said to Mal, he thinks that over the years she will come to forgive him. Now this conversation where he talks about how she might take years to forgive him but he had patience also tells us that the fact that he is hoping for forgiveness shows that he knows what he is doing to her is wrong, that it is something that will require forgiveness. When he comes to see her later in her tent, can we just talk for a moment how nice that tent was, I mean he really went all out for her with lace and flowers like he somehow thought that would make up for him fusing a antler into her collar bone, but again even the fact that he gives her all these nice things shows that he wants that forgiveness and the way he approaches her as well is cautiously, like you would a wounded animal. He knows he’s hurt her and made her angry so he comes in with sweet words of compliments, telling her how special she is, and very quickly comes to know that she’s not having any of it. I mean that look she gives him when he first comes in, if looks could kill he’d be six feet under now. But I really do think he did go to her just because he wanted to talk to her, despite his words to Mal about having the patience to wait however many years it will take for her to forgive him, he wants to fix things between them now. He doesn’t want her to be angry with him and he doesn’t want her to be in pain. He’s desperate to get back what they had in episode 5. Also I think its important that we remember that until that conversation with her in the tent he didn’t know that she had discovered who he really was, so when she ran he believed that she had ran because she wanted to be with Mal which I think contributed to his anger at her and his feeling of betrayal. He couldn’t understand why she would want to be with someone who he believes never appreciated who she really was and who is mortal and will eventually just be a blip in her very long lifetime, instead of being with him who is her equal and immortal like her. This is another occasion where I feel like he gets a bit of a reality check and realises that she didn’t run because of Mal, she ran because of his own lies. So all that anger he felt at her ‘betrayal’ was unjust. But then I think he feels a different sense of betrayal in how easily she believed Baghra. I mean looking at it from his point of view she didn’t come to him and ask for his side of the story or demand an explanation she just trusted Baghra and ran. He is clearly desperate to make her understand and you can see his composure begin to fail as he stands and tells her that everything he is ever done has been to make Grisha and Ravka safer. I really do think that line was true, he really does believe that what he’s doing is the right thing for his people and his country. You can feel his frustration and desperation continuing to build throughout the scene as he pretty much pleads with her to understand and can see that she doesn’t. I think the part that really hurts him though is when she says ‘we could have had this, all of it. You could have made me your equal, instead you made me this.’ This line is so powerful and I think its at this moment that he realises just how badly he has messed up. To be told that his actions are the reason why he hasn’t got her, the one thing he wants more than anything else in the world right now. Also the line of making her his equal I think would have hit him hard because he did see her as his equal and so I think he’s surprised that she believes that he didn’t make her his equal and then when she says ‘instead you made me this’ he realises that whilst he might have seen her as his equal he wasn’t treating her as one. His need for control made her a slave to him and I really think that in this moment he is realising that, I genuinely think this dumbass got so caught up in his own dream of what the two of them together could be that he didn’t realise that whilst he thought he was protecting her and helping her grow into this saviour for their people he was taking away her choices and he was making her feel like a captive, the dummy didn’t think to ask how she felt about any of it because he assumed he already knew, it was the same as what he wanted, to protect their country and people. So his anger when he says the line ‘fine make me your villain’ isn’t just directed at her but himself too. It’s not just his hurt and anger that she doesn’t understand his reasons and that she isn’t seeing it his way, it’s also because he knows it was his own actions that lead him to that moment when the woman he loves is standing in front of him and looking at him like he is a monster. He can’t go back and he can’t undo it and worse than that he can’t seem to get her to understand why he did it. I think he feels trapped and so the only thing he can be to her now is her villain. 

It’s after this conversation that his demeanour towards her changes and you can see that he sort of stops trying to win her over. He’s not as gentle with her, I mean he ties her to the deck of the skiff and answers mockingly when she points out it’s not a good look for him with the ambassadors. I did notice though that after that conversation he seems to have trouble looking at her. When they are walking to the skiff and he tells her that Mal is being held captive and will be released if she does her part, he isn’t looking at her but straight ahead and this is something he does alot when he is threatening Mal. The moment when he takes off her cloak he does glance down at her. I seen alot of debate about that scene, as it does come across as having a bit of sexual tension in it and some people thought it was a rather sexy scene whereas others pointed out that he was holding her captive and mocking her. Me personally I actually think its both. People talk about how it has to be one or the other. But yes in that scene he is holding her captive and that part’s not sexy but there is a moment where I feel like he still feels that draw to her. Before reaching up to undo her cloak it seems to me like a hesitates for a moment. When he goes to whisper in her ear that he doubts they’ll notice her feet and I think he feels that pull and that attraction to her and he is really close to her, I don’t think he’s been that close to her since the war room in episode 5. You can see him lean slightly towards her and I think he really is struggling with the desire he feels for her which is why he steps back with the cloak rather forcefully, like he's having to force himself away from her again. It kind of reminded me of the scene where she helped him into his Kefta. So no the situation itself is not sexy but I do still think there is tension in the scene because the attraction they feel for each other didn’t just disappear despite how hurt and angry they are at each other. It’s like their words are saying one thing but their body language is saying another. 

When they are in the Fold again at first The Darkling avoids looking at her particularly when he is forcing her to use her power to create the tunnel of light. His focus is on The Fold. Again I think this shows that he is determined to not let his feelings for her get in the way for his goals, yet he knows he is taking away her free will and her choice and that’s hurting her so he can’t really stand to look at her. Its the same when she asks to tear down the fold and he answers why would they destroy the best weapon they have. Again he doesn’t look at her when he says it because he knows that he deceived her by letting her believe that was what they were going to do and he doesn’t want to see the disappointment and betrayal in her eyes. Again this is something he does alot and look, I love The Darkling’s character, I do, but that doesn’t mean I can’t recognise his flaws and for me I kind of saw him as a coward for this. I mean if you are going to deceive and manipulate a person and force them to do something you know they don’t want to do, then at least have the decency to look at them. He does however look at her when she tries to save Novokribirsk after he lets the fold consume it. He stops her and you can see the anger when he says they are traitors who tried to kill her and that this action was retribution. I think he hates the fact that she is trying to save the very people who tried to hurt her. But again he looks away from her when he sees the way she is looking at him and how horrified she is by what he has done. 

Their very last interaction is when she uses the dagger to cut the amplifier from his hand and shows him what she is and that she’s the one the stag chose. He sees this as her betraying their people which is interesting because at the end of the episode Alina says that Kirigan turned on his own people. So they both believe the other turned on their own people, the problem here is that I feel like Alina feels more loyalty towards the non Grisha Ravkans, she still sees them as more her people due to spending more time as just a ordinary mapmaker then as Grisha but the Darkling has more loyalty towards the Grisha. Its like how you know parents aren’t suppose to have a favourite child but we all know they do. Well I feel like the Ravkans are Alina’s favourite child and the Grisha are the Darkling’s. Of course they still care about the other but their ‘favourite’ is their priority if that makes sense. By the end of the season when we see the Darkling emerge from the fold I think he is feeling very angry and very betrayed by Alina, however I actually think the fact that she bested him has only made him look at her as even more of an equal than before. Not only is she someone who will stand up to him but now she has become someone who can match him. I do think he’s in this very complicated situation where he is on an opposite to the person he believes is essentially his soulmate. However as much as I think he does love her I still think he will put his people above her and so will continue to act in what he considers to be the best interests of his people. It also seems like he’s got some new powers and was able to create shadow soldiers which again is interesting because he basically just accomplished what he meant to do in the first place when he created the fold, he’s created his own army. 

Ok so that’s all for now to be honest I could talk about the Darkling forever but I think this is already long enough so if you have read all the way to the end thank you for your time. I am thinking of doing other character analysis posts so keep an eye for that if its something that interests you, I think I might do Alina next. I’ll also post my thoughts on the book once I’ve read it.        

[sassysnowperson]

💖 your angstiest nightmare fic please

Send me a 💖 and I'll share a fic idea I've had but never written.

Oh...dear. This is not my normal playground. But, that said (evil grin and plotty fingers) good excuse to have some fun. 

Alright, I’ve spent some time thinking about universes where Rogue One survives (don’t worry, it’ll get terrible, just give me a second), and those terrifying days when the plans are lost, nobody knows where Leia is. Like, how miserable would that be? You do all that, and then maybe it’s all for nothing, because the person who got your message got scooped up by Imperial soldiers. 

What if she never comes back? 

You see where I’m going with this, I’m sure. 

It got a little long, so the juicy details are under the cut. (TW Death, War Crimes, implied torture) 

Luke, Han, and Obi-Wan die before they ever rescue Leia. Jabba’s men rig the Falcon to explode, their infiltration scheme fails, SOMETHING happens and bam, they’re gone. Last of the Old Jedi, gone, first of the New Jedi, also gone. Leia’s trapped, and Tarkin has a fully functional battle station with no known weakness. 

And just to make it worse, lets say not everyone made it off of Scarif. Cassian’s gotta live, that man is Pain of Survival made manifest, it’s way worse if he doesn’t manage to sacrifice himself. Kay dies. Jyn too. And...Chirrut. Yes, I think that’s the worst combination. We’ve got guilt-ridden Cassian, traumatized Bodhi, and a completely bereft Baze who lost everything and it counted for *nothing.* Jedha’s still gone. Alderaan too. 

They broke ranks, stole half the alliance’s best personnel and then lost half the alliance’s fleet, and they *failed*. The Rebellion tosses them in a jail cell, and figures they’ll decide what to do with the turncoats later. 

Now, the upside is, there’s no Falcon to track back to Yavin, so Yavin has until Leia breaks. It’s enough time to evac, at least. 

Leia does break, eventually, I’m sure. There’s only so long anyone can hold out, when every lie she tells about where the base is means another planet, gone. Mon Cala, Chandrilla, Nab- 

Tarkin changes his mind about Naboo. He’s rubbing at his throat for weeks after. 

The Empire runs the galaxy, and there is. no. hope. 

Except. 

Cassian spends the first four hours of his imprisonment carefully drafting a mission report (on flimsi, they don’t trust him with a datapad). And in there is what Erso reported to him. There is a weakness. Somewhere in the core. The plans would show how to access it. But even without the plans...a sufficient explosion, detonated inside the core, should still do it. 

Cassian throws himself into planning the mission, scribbling it out on whatever he can get his hands on. He looks more than half-mad. Bodhi feels the failure as entirely personal. He feels helpless, he’s only made everything worse, and the universe  didn’t even have the decency to kill him for it. 

There isn’t anything he could do in the universe to do right by himself, but he drags the tattered remains of his consciousness together and helps where he can. Ship patrols, comm codes, standard battle station layouts. Baze, from his haze of grief and rage, spits curses and little else, at first. But eventually he realizes there’s some solace in vengeance, and he joins in. Squad makeup and weaponry and everything he knew from his dealings with Guerra. 

“Could use him, now,” Baze says, sounding almost regretful.

“He knows how to fight,” Cassian agrees.

Bodhi just flinches.  

They look like madmen, and their guards judge them as such. 

They’re not separated, though. And one month later Draven throws open the door of the cell and says, “Come on, then.” 

Cassian just gets up and follows immediately. Bodhi moves like a whipped dog, expecting to be struck. Cassian turns to him and says, his face made of granite and his eyes entirely blank, “If they were going to kill us, they would have killed us. They’re either going to offer us up to the Empire as a peace treaty, or put us to work.” 

“Please don’t say that first suggestion too loud, Andor,” Draven says, sounding pained. “I’ve kept you in the cell this long so they wouldn’t be tempted to lynch or sell you.” 

Bodhi, inexplicably, is relieved by that. It makes the sort of heartless sense he’s grown to expect from his superior officers. 

The Rebellion is almost entirely ship-based at this point. The remnants of the Mon Cal have nothing left to lose, and their fleet is turned to the Rebellion’s purpose. They are jumping frantically to stay ahead of the Empire that’s burning every safe place to the ground, struggling to find food and fuel and allies that would dare to provide either. It’s a desperate, hungry time, as they plan the counter-strike. 

Leia was right, though. The more Tarkin tightened his grip, the more people slip through his fingers. The Rebellion becomes a feral thing, full of soldiers who have already lost all there is to lose. 

The counter-strike isn’t neat, or elegant. It’s an ugly trojan-horse of a ground crew, Bodhi knew enough about the Empire’s transport logistics to sneak the soldiers in, along with enough explosives to blow up the moon the the Death Star wasn’t. It’s a slog of a firefight, but they punch their way through, into the core, and they wire up the explosives as quickly as they can. 

Next to Cassian, a young tech (seventeen when the Empire blew up her world) starts twitching, choking. Cassian looks up to find a black, looming figure silhouetted in the doorway, holding a shimmering red blade. 

Whatever charges they have, they need to set them, now. Cassian is reaching for the switch when a second red blade emerges, this time from the center of the figure’s chest. He collapses with mechanical moan, revealing a slim young woman, clad all in black, behind him. 

“Captain Andor,” Leia Organa calls as she steps into view. “Apologies for the dramatics, I’m afraid I’ve grown accustomed to using what I have on hand. If you can set those on a delay timer, I’ve secured our exit.” 

Leia is gaunt, sharper than Cassian remembers her. Well, they all are, these days. He dips his head. “I’ll remain behind to ensure they go. Please, do take my team.” 

“No,” Baze says, laying his hand on Cassian’s shoulder. “It’s me.” 

Cassian looks at the depth of loss in Baze’s eyes, and the grim determination there too. Cassian knows this is one battle he won’t win. 

“Of course,” he says, inclining his head. “May the Force be with you.” The words feel alien in his mouth, and Baze flinches. 

“Fuck the Force,” Baze declares. “I’ll be with me.” But then he freezes, and Cassian wonders if he’s hearing the same thing, I am one with the Force and the Force is with me. 

“Of course,” Cassian says again, and Baze gives him a crooked smile. 

“Raze their empire,” Baze orders. 

“I will,” Cassian says, and it’s a promise he intends to keep. 

He leaves, the last of his team to go, and Leia guides them all to the shuttles. They escape. 

Cassian hadn’t planned for an escape. His heart is in his throat as he watches the station, still whole, still whole, and then - white sears across his retinas, and he flinches away from the sight, even as he’s sobbing with the joy of it. He hears Bodhi on his right, breathing slow and steady for the first time since Cassian’s  known him. Leia, on his left, just gives a satisfied grunt.  

Cassian doesn’t look up, so he never sees the way Leia’s eyes don’t flinch away from the explosion. He doesn’t ever wonder why, if the light from the death star is so white it’s shading it to blue, Leia’s eyes are burning gold. 

[cryhardanddanceharder]

Andy’s headcanons because we need to talk more about her:

She’s 6732 years old. She says she doesn’t remember her age, and it might be true, maybe she forgot to keep counting, but she thinks she’s somewhere between 6500 - 7000.

She’s a warrior since she’s a teenager, because the time she was borned was the “eye for eye, teeth for teeth” period.

She’s more an action person than a word person, because her first language was everything related to gestual actions. She can read body language better than anyone, so she can make you feel the more comfortable or uncomfortable you ever felt in your life depends the situation. She does little actions to show her love.

She’s ambidextrous. She can use her weapons perfectly with each one of her hands. (and later write too)

She’s been worshipped as a goddess at least in two or threes comunities she’s been part of. She actually thought she was a goddess at the beginning, because she was the only one who couldn’t die. But then, when years passes and she’s the only one not dying, but she loses all the people she loves and trascend generation after generation, she stops thinking it like a goddess thing and starts seeing it as a curse.

She used to wear clothes made of extinct animals skin, necklaces made with teeth, flowers and horns crowns.

When she was a goddess she had slaves, but once she overcome her goddess complex and realises how wrong it is (because all humans are equal, they all die no matter their social status, their nationality, their religion, skin color, gender, sexual preferences) she stops it. She starts fighting against it, every time she can. She still fight against it in the present time (human trafficking). 

I feel like she could also been a slave or prisoner in some period time. Maybe as a punnish from her inmortality? Because mortals see her as a threat?

She loves storytelling and stargazing. That’s why in present time she loves to go camping, she loves sleeping outside. She’s so old that even she had seen the sky change. The stars constellations changes but she learns those changes. There is something comforting about stargazing, so she keeps doing it.

She has very good location sense. She can always find the way to get to where she wants to go.

She’s been there when the first language was created, that’s why it’s easy for her to learn new languages. 

She was there when the pyramids of Egypt were built, maybe she worked in the construiction of one of them (?

She’s gender fluid and bisexual (or could be pansexual).

She knew the Sahara dessert before it becomes a dessert. She knew it with trees and vegetation.

She loves horses more than (most) people. 

 She was the lider of the scythians.

Her name “Andromache” comes from all the legends, that actually are true. She’s the amazon who defeated Heracles and once upon a time she was married to Hector of Troy.

She was the one who trained the amazon warriors on how to be warriors.

She was a gladiator for some time and had fights in the roman colliseum.

She writes mixing languages, because why not? That’s how her thoughts are anyway, in mixing languages. “Let’s put this word in scythian, and that one in greek, and the other in saumerian or tamil, and let’s finish in italian because italy it’s actually the country i am at the moment”.

When she starts dreaming about Quynh she thinks she’s crazy, untill she starts dreaming about Lykon too. She tried to indentify wich languages they speak in the dreams, so she could learn them before meeting them. 

She met Jesus once. She doesn’t find him that special. He didn’t come back to life, at least not in the way inmortals do.

Lykon, Quynh and her have a chaotic dynamic. They always die to save the others, to save them from the pain; wich in some way it’s ridiculous because they are all inmortal. But they always fight about it like children.

She can speak all the languages (even those that are extinct), only she sometimes forget how to speak in some of them, but remembers once she hears someone speaking it.

She knows more way to kill than entire armies will ever learn. 

She can use any kind and type of weapon. She’s as good as archer as Quynh and as good as a sniper as Nicky, but if she can choose another weapon she will do because she prefers hand and hand combat. 

She feels every death. She might have been a warrior all her life, but she doesn’t take pleassure on killing. We can see that in the church scene, her face tells us all how much it takes from her to be that lethal.

She’s very protective of the others inmortals. They are her family. And she feels like she has to protect them, because she has been alone for so long that she doesn’t want to take chances on that ever happening again. 

She’s become more protective after Lykon’s death, because now they know even them don’t last forever. She wants to protect the time she has with the other and thinks the best way to do it is to be the one who always goes first. 

She hates to dream about Nicolo and Yusuf at the begining because it hurts her to see them killing each other. For someone who has been alone for so long, it hurts to see that. Because for her they are lucky to have started their inmortality together.

Lots of deaths and trauma. She probably been raped at least once. 

She died from dehydratation and hunger more times that she can count. That’s why she’s not picky with food, she’s happy as long there is something in front of her to eat. She can cook good enough, but she’s not fan of doing it.

She died from every tipe of weapon: spears, swords, arrows, axes, throwing stones, daggers, knives, cannons, guns, grenades, bombs. Also she died from being dismembered, from being hanged and burn alive.

Once Quynh’s is taken to her ocean prison, Andy was tortured and burned alive. They chose water methods for Quynh and fire methods for Andy.

She have tried to kill herself sometimes when she was depressed. They way i see it probably three times: one when she found out her inmortality and wanted to see how it worked, two when she lose her goddess complex and was tired of being alone for so long, and three after she realised that finding Quynh was impossible.

She spent lot of years looking for Quynh with Joe and Nicky, untill they realised it’s an impossible mission. She still checks new technological inventions and andvances to see if they have a chance. But as long as she knows it’s impossible and technology doesn’t help, even the marines and ocean experts says it would be easier to find something in the moon than in the bottom of the ocean.

The only time she prayed in her life was to ask for Quynh’s death, so she would stop suffering from constantly drowning. And for hers, because she doesn’t want to keep living without Quynh.

She keeps Quynh’s belongings saved in one of her fav caves.

She likes wearing things from the other inmortals because it gives her comfort and help her feel ground. She always wears Quynh’s necklace. And sometimes she wears Joe’s cap, Nicky’s hoodie, Booker’s jackets. She also shares t-shirts with them, or more like stole t-shirts from them.

Wars she probably fighted in: Achaemenid conquest of the Indus Valley, Corsica civil war, war between Corinth and Corzira, Expedition of the Ten Thousand, Latin wars, First Peloponnesian War, First medical war, Thasos Rebellion, Roman-Etruscan wars, Samos War, Second medical war, Wars of Veii, Trojan war, Sicilian wars, Alexander The Great  conquest of Persia, An Lushan Rebellion,  Mongol Conquests, Conquests of Tamerlane, Qing dynasty conquest of Ming dynasty, Dungan revolt, Hundred Years’ War, World War I, Russian Civil War, Ten Years’ War, World War II, Vietnam War, Afghanistan War.

Some modern revolutions and independence processes she possibly was/could be: French Revolution, Haitian independence, USA independence, Russian Revolution, Cuba revolution, LATAM independences, India independence, Australia independence, New Zeland Independence, Africans independences.

She died from electrocution, trying to find out how electricity works.

She died learning to drive a car and learning to pilot a plain. 

In World War II she was a pilot of the night witches.

Baklava and really anything that is sweet are her comfort food.

The first time she had ice cream she became a fan and only eat ice cream for like an entire year.

She likes percussion music: all types of drums, cymballs, tambourine, maracas, bongos, castanets.  

She likes theater more than cinema. 

She likes tea more than coffee. 

She can sleep everywhere. A chair? Good. The floor? Good. The earth and grass in the middle of nowhere? Good. A cave? Good. A tree? Good. The train. Good. A Car? Good. The bus? Good. A plain? Good. The couch? Good. An armchair? Good. All is good. Sleep when you can moto is big on her, because beds are a modern concept she still can’t fully incorporate. And without Quynh doesn’t feel like doing it. 

She’s very good on learning new things because she’s used to everything constantly changing. And when she finds something hard to learn she is patient, after all she has all the time on the world to learn it and master it (she’s kinda perfectionist).

She’s okay with technology, she could understand more if she wanted to. But she let’s Booker have that place and handle it, because she sense he needs to have something as his responsability to feel he’s useful to the team.

There’s personal things (clothes, weapons, paintings) of her in lot of museums. Joe and Nicky would try to recover some things of her (and them) from time to time.

Hard on the outside, soft on the inside. Ironic and dark humor.

She’s the best at dissapearing when the team takes time out of their missions, if she doesn’t want to be found there is no way you could find her.

She’s been nomad most of her life. She can’t stop moving. She loves traveling with no destination in mind, just for the act of it.

She gives up sometimes because she’s old and she’s tired, but if you give her a good reason to keep fighting she’s all in. 

She has the biggest heart (even if she tries to hide it) and actually loves humanity, if not she wouldn’t have fight for so long… and still does. 

(if you want to read more headcanons: here are the ones i have for Quynh)