#icarus of crete

[thegarden-ofeden]

icarus of crete aesthetic

greek myths masterlist

“Never regret thy fall, O Icarus of the fearless flight, For the greatest tragedy of them all, Is never to feel the burning light.” oscar wilde

[pmamtraveller]

THE TRAGIC FALL OF ICARUS

The story about Icarus is very ancient and belongs to Greek mythology. In it, Daedalus and his son Icarus tell of the flight away from the island of Crete with the help of feathers and wax applied to make the wings.

Daedalus was an extraordinary craftsman and he had an apprentice, Talus, who was young, eager and quite clever. Daedalus grew jealous of his apprentice, and, in envy, he pushed Talus off the Acropolis of Athens. For this crime, he was exiled from Athens and fled south, eventually finding employment with the Cretan king, Minos.

So Daedalus made wings for himself and for Icarus, by fixing feathers onto a frame with wax. He warned his son not to fly too high, for the wax might melt in the heat of the sun… and not to fly too low, for the spray from the sea might wet the feathers and weight them down.

The young man, Icarus, was so elated with the flying that he forgot the warning of his father. He rose higher and higher until the wax on his wings melted into the heat of the sun, and they collapsed and he fell into the sea.

Of course Icarus eventually drowned and Daedalus was left alone, his precious son lost forever. The sea he fell into was thereafter called the Icarian Sea and the island not far from it called Ikaria.

The myth of Icarus has usually been interpreted as a warning against the dangers of hubris and an example of the lack of balance and of the need for moderation. But it is equally an example of ambition, greed and the will of man to go beyond his given limits.

The myth of Icarus has been rendered in countless varieties of art and literature over centuries. In each version, we see the human desire to soar beyond our circumstances and the tragic cost of unbridled ambition that we often cannot control. These new versions will continue to be mesmerizing to viewers and provide creative inspiration for artists.

[a-j-s-the-only]

Icarus, Icarus

how high you flew

when he told you not,

you soared, you soared.

I do not blame you,

for I know I would to.

[oannnes]

Statues of Daedalus and Icarus, in Agia Galini

[kiyomarus]

𝙄𝘾𝘼𝙍𝙐𝙎; 𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝙎𝙪𝙣, 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝙎𝙚𝙖.

𝐈𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐬, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡, 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐡𝐢𝐦. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐬, 𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞�� 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬. 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐁𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧; 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐬, 𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐬?

𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 - 𝐈𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐬'𝐬 𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 | 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟖 - 𝐀 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥'𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏 - 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬 | 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟗 - 𝐀𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨'𝐬 𝐅𝐮𝐫𝐲

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐 - 𝐃𝐚𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞 | 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟎 - 𝐒𝐞𝐚 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐒𝐮𝐧

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑 - 𝐈𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐬'𝐬 𝐅𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐬 | 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟏 - 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 | 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟐 - 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓 - 𝐎𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 | 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟑 - 𝐀𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐄𝐧𝐝

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟔 - 𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐨 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚 𝐆𝐨𝐝 | 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 - 𝐈𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐬'𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟕 - 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚 𝐄𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬

[emmyblogging]

Der Fall von Ikarus

Vor kurzem habe ich begonnen mir einen Einblick in die Welt der Podcasts zu verschaffen und da ich großes Interesse an dem Zeitalter der Antike und griechisch-römischen Sagen habe habe ich mir den Podcast „Einfach Antike“ angehört, spezifisch eine Folge in denen die Moderatoren über die Ikarus Sage sprechen. 

Die Ikarus Sage sollte soziemlich jeder schon einmal im Ansatz gehört haben. Kurz gefasst: der geniale Erfinder Daedalus und sein Sohn Ikarus werden in einem Turm gefangen gehalten, sie wollen entkommen, also baut Daedalus Flügel, dessen Federn mit Wachs befestigt sind. Er warnt den jungen Ikarus davor, während dem Flug bloß nicht zu nah an die Sonne heran zu fliegen und auch nicht zu nah an die Gischt des Meeres, da die Sonneneinstrahlung als auch das Salzwasser die Flügel beschädigen könnte. 

Die beiden starten ihren Fluchtversuch und genau wie erhofft funktionieren die von Daedalus entworfenen Flügel. Schnell wird Ikarus, jedoch, übermütig und fängt an, begeistert von der erlangten Freiheit, die Flügel unvorsichtig auszutesten. Gegen jegliche Warnung seines Vaters fliegt er höher und höher Richtung Sonne und dann geschieht das wovor Daedalus ihn zu warnen versuchte. Das Wachs schmilzt an und so wie die Flügel Federn verlieren, verliert Ikarus die Kontrolle und stürzt schließlich ins Meer. 

Natürlich gibt es wie bei so vielen Mythen verschiedene Erzählungen, dies sollte jedoch grob der gleiche Geschichtsverlauf bei allen sein. 

Nun ist die Frage, was bedeutet das alles eigentlich? Und wieso ist diese Sage, oder vielleicht auch andere Sagen, heute noch von Relevanz? 

Ich möchte da gerne mit einem Anhaltspunkt seiner Zeit beginnen. In vielen griechisch-römischen Sagen, wenn nicht sogar der großen Mehrheit, ist die Hybris ein zentrales Thema. Das Wort Hybris kommt aus dem Griechischen und bedeutet so viel wie Hochmut. Die Hybris ist ein wichtiges Thema, da sie in den Sagen sehr oft den menschlichen Charakteren zum Verhängnis wurde, da sie sich über die Götter, ihr Schicksal oder die Natur selbst stellten. Als Folge dessen werden sie von den Göttern oder Naturgewalten, wie im (wortwörtlichen) Fall von Ikarus, bestraft. 

Hier kann man die Sage trotzdem auf viele Arten interpretieren, ob es Daedalus war, der die Natur mit seinen Erfindungen herausfordert oder Ikarus, welcher sich selbst oder die Sicherheit der Flügel überschätzt. Es könnte auch die Lehre enthalten dass man auf seine Eltern hören sollte, da diese schon wissen was richtig ist. Auch das ist möglich, wenn man bedenkt welch starke Bedeutung Familie in der Antike hatte. 

Fakt ist, dass die Sagen von Daedalus und Ikarus bis heute eine gewisse Relevanz beibehält. Künstler verschiedener Epochen zogen die Geschichte zur Inspiration so etwa gibt es verschiedene Steinreliefs mit Abbildungen der Sage, malte der Künstler Pieter Bruegel „Landschaft mit dem Sturz des Ikarus“ um 1555-1568, der deutsche Künstler Werner Holz malte „Ikarus - Symbolische Komposition“ (1983), die Schriftstellerin Eveline Hasler schrieb eine neue Version des Mythos anhand des Charakters einer Schweizer Juristin, die sich ihre Ziele zu hoch steckte („Die Wachsflügelfrau“, Zürich 1991). 

Auch die britische Band Bastille bediente sich der Ikarus Symbolik in ihrem Song „Icarus“, in dem es um einen Mann geht, welcher einen waghalsigen Lebensstil lebt, da er keinen Sinn in seiner eigenen Zukunft sieht. 

Wie man sieht beschäftigt die Geschichte von Ikarus auch heute Menschen und man kann diesen Mythos auf viele Arten und Weisen auslegen. Selbstüberschätzung, Waghalsigkeit, Überschätzung der Technik? Es ist alles möglich und vielleicht ist gerade diese Ambiguität der Grund warum Ikarus und seine Geschichte uns heute noch auf Trab halten.

Egal ob Bastille, Kontra K, in der Videospielbranche (Kid Icarus Reihe), in der Kunst oder anderen sowohl modernen als auch Medien anderer Epochen, das Ikarus-Motiv ist immer wieder zu finden. 

[chloehazeljane]

“When Icarus Fell” by Chloe HazelJane

Original Post On: chloehazeljane.com

Icarus had always been told the world was in his hands and there were no boundaries to how high he could go. He had never believed it, but now that he finally did, it seemed he was the only one.

“Icarus, come down!” The shouts belonged to his father, Daedalus. His voice was distant, almost as if it were a memory. Icarus paid it no mind.

They had fled the Labyrinth in a rush. Haste was required if one wished to escape Minos, the Golden King.

Icarus had found the concept of Minos’s power intriguing and often thought about it as he lay awake at night, listening to his father’s snores as they echoed off the Labyrinth walls. To be able to turn everything he touched into gold sounded at first like a dream come to fruition, but he supposed it was a curse above all else, for Minos could not touch people or water or food or anything else without it becoming the precious metal. Even a blanket would be no solace to the King. It must have been lonely.

“Icarus!” His father’s voice pierced through his head again, and he glanced down at the churning ocean below. He was growing too high—he knew that—but despite his father’s warnings that the sun would melt the glue from his wings, the pulse in his chest told him to keep going.

There was something about pushing the limits that sent flames through his bones and released the tension at the base of his skull. He was aware this wasn’t safe, but it was the knowledge of that danger that captured his body and took control of it. He pushed higher.

“Icarus!”

There was a sharp snap, and something hot licked at the bare skin of his neck. The wings had broken. He began his descent toward the water.

The legends would say this was the death of him, that he had ignored his father’s warnings, fallen from the sky in a ball of flames, and drowned in the sea and that was the end of it. They would be wrong.

He did fall from the sky, kicking and screaming, his body on fire as he braced it for death, but when he landed it was on neither land nor water. It was in the arms of the god Apollo.

Icarus shook his head as he was placed in a patch of grass on the ground. They were no longer anywhere near an ocean, instead positioned at the mouth of a cave surrounded by grass, trees, and hyacinths.

As he looked up to meet the god’s golden eyes, a wave of heat swept through his chest.

“You did that on purpose,” he said.

Apollo ignored the remark. It was almost as if he hadn’t heard it at all. “The sun is my responsibility, you know, but it will always be hot. There’s nothing I can do about it. You’re lucky I caught you.”

“Where are we?”

“You have a lot of nerve. Flying so high, demanding things from me…” Apollo clicked his tongue. “That’s why I couldn’t let you fall into the ocean like you were nothing. I believe you deserve another chance.”

As he stumbled to his feet, Icarus felt as if a haze had come over his mind, clouding his thoughts. “I did exactly what I was told not to do. I failed, and I was fine with it. I was fine with falling.”

“Good. You should be fine with falling. Those who never fail will never truly succeed because they will never be able to give themselves the room they need to grow,” Apollo said. “That’s why babies are born with their skulls in fragments rather than one fully fused bone. Their brains need room to grow.”

Icarus was unamused. “So I’m a brain?”

Apollo’s thin lips quirked into an impish smile. “Indeed you are. In this metaphor, at least. Because I’m trying to get you to understand that yes, you will fall as you just did, but later you might thank the Fates for it. Because it’s making the conscious decision to get back up that will make you stronger. He who never competes will always lose. Remember that.”

“A poet he is.”

“The Muses would be jealous.” Apollo’s smile had only grown, nearly becoming a smirk. “No, they are some of those I hold dearest to my heart, and I should be embarrassed as their brother and the god of song if I too were not somewhat poetic or dramatic.”

Icarus’s face was so straight it almost hurt. “Okay but you did knock me down on purpose, right?”

“Oh, my dear boy.” Apollo sighed somewhat wistfully. “Obviously. Even gods get bored sometimes. Now, come.”

As he followed the god through trees and over boulders toward whatever plan was in store for him, Icarus felt the weight he’d carried in his chest since Minos had first imprisoned him and his father fade. It didn’t move to the pit of his stomach or the back of his neck or the curve of his shoulders as it usually did, but it evaporated.

Yes, the Icarus who had taken flight from Crete would never be heard from again, but not in the sense the stories would lead the masses to believe. He hadn’t died the day he fell, but he had become a different person because, with his descent, he had found opportunity. With Apollo. And there were no boundaries to what the new Icarus born that day could do.

[luvtak]

corona borealis, lfx

✧ genre/tw rambly soul-crushing fluff, one sweet kiss!!, lovely as a pet-name, felix being an undeniably sweet bf like always and hearing a bedtime story <3 , largely unedited.

✧ w/c 952 <3

✧ a/n definitely not brought on by asea felix are you kidding... he's so lovely i just had to dawdle on about it somewhere so here you go! also, the thought of telling lix a bedtime story makes me wanna cry i hope i'm not alone. mwah!!

His arm is hot around you, keeping you safe from the scary silhouettes the shadows bring, and the night is breathing. A group of you had come to this little campground for a night away from the city lights, and while the two of you are alone you can still hear the rest of the boy’s nighttime sounds mixing in with crickets and critters. 

Your boyfriend stands beside you, listening intently as you tell him stories of the stars. Usually, these tales come from the comfort of your bed–rustling under covers and speaking into his mouth, sharing breath and love until you fall asleep, tracing false shapes in the plastic stars adorning your ceiling. But tonight, under the cover of a too cold darkness you tell him his bedtime stories beneath the sky. 

His face is tilted up, looking to see where your fingers are pointing, and the soft glint in his midnight eyes makes you pause. You’ve never known someone who looked so alive, someone with a sun for a soul. Felix has the brightest smile you’ve ever seen, alight with joy and senseless mischief–eyes wide with wonder at the constellations rising above him. 

Looking at him is dizzying; that feeling when you put your arms out and spin so fast you fall, a carousel going so round and round. You feel like flying, rising up like the moment Icarus’ wings took him up and away. 

Sometimes you wonder if it’s normal to feel like this… if everyone in love feels as though they are the creator, the inventor of such depraved desire and compassion for another. Surely, you must be the first–no one else had felt Felix’s fingertips on their skin or his lips sweetly drinking them in. How could someone say they’ve encountered a deeper love than this when your sweetheart is the embodiment of love, Venus as a boy. 

He turns to you in your moment of hesitation, smiling at you with all the care in the world. He loves you endlessly, burns for you and the soft caress of your affection. You can tell he doesn’t know why you stopped speaking, but he’s happy just the same–sharing your space and time, living in this moment with you. He remembers the first time you told him a story, speaking the words softly, he thinks he fell in love right there. 

“What’s that one?” he asks, catching your still raised hand in his own. 

“Oh, it's a crown, see?” you can see his eyes tracing the points, finding the shape that connects the points together. “It’s Ariadne’s wedding tiara, she was a princess of Crete who helped Theseus slay her brother the Minotaur Asterion. After they escaped the labyrinth, the prince left her on the Island of Naxos where she was found by Dionysus,” 

“He left her there?!” he gasps, your sweet boy forever confused by ill intentions, even in a story. 

“Yeah, he’s so lame, right? Anyway, after the God finds her on his island they fall in love and eventually marry… the crown was her wedding present, and after she died Dionysus flung it into the sky to honor her.”

Felix is quiet for a long time after this, inhaling the story with all the deference you deserve. After every narrative he takes his time to think about how he feels about it: the first time you finished a movie with him and he was quiet for fifteen minutes before he told you he liked it, he is like that now. Quietly staring at the sky, not ignoring you for his hand still made its path up and down your arm and you know if you called his name he’d answer, but you don’t want to interrupt his silent seeking. 

His life is noisy, spirited, and wonderful in all the ways a beautiful boy like him creates, your infatuation came in chaos–in mindless chatter and kitchen counter dance parties, but you fell in love in silence. In the moments when the world was quiet and all you could hear was his heartbeat, the drawling intake of his lungs filling and releasing. You adore his voice, but just existing with him, sharing the same air would be lovely enough for a lifetime. 

Finally, after minutes of staring ahead, he speaks–softly but with no less intensity, 

“If something were to happen to you I would make you into a constellation.” 

His eyes, bright with longing stare into yours, and you know he’s not being funny. He means it with all of him, means it with every atom of his being. 

Shocked and in love with him you laugh, bursting with fondness never hidden. “I love you too,” you say, for you know that's what he means. A love that spills from his veins whenever he thinks of you, so massive and consuming that the words aren’t enough. “I’d make a constellation for you too, it’d be the prettiest one in the whole sky.” 

When he moves closer to you, you can feel the smile radiating on his shadowed face–sweeping his grin over the plane of your cheekbones. Scorching your skin where his lips touch, a traveling forest fire of kisses. When his journey ends, sliding his mouth over yours the flames grow, getting taller and taller as his caress goes deeper. 

The night is chilly, but there is no need for a coat when his arms are around you–sweeping you into his embrace with only the stars to watch. 

“Lets go to bed, lovely” he muttered, breathing through open-mouthed kisses and shared smiles. Leading you to where your tent lies, to where stories and sleep await you–love and life and dreams filled with him, your constellation of a boy. 

© LUVTAK 2024

[hubristicassholefight]

Hubristic Assholes Tourney Round 1 Part 4a

Light Yagami (Death Note) vs Icarus (Greek Mythology)

Propaganda Below Cut (Beware Spoilers)

Light

Thinks he can rule the world single-handedly through fear and a magic notebook. It Does Not End Well.

He kills people for years thinking he's serving justice but really he just ends up serving himself and his ego. Gets so sure of himself that he thinks he's untouchable and that no one could possibly outsmart him (spoiler alert: someone does). Literally thinks he's a god. Spoiler: Gets killed by an actual god because said god just couldn’t be bothered to wait around for him to die anymore.

He decides he should be the God of the New World and that justifies killing whoever he likes for the 'greater good'. This eventually leads to his downfall; Light my baby my skrunkly my most awfulest man ever. If you've been on the internet for more than five minutes you probably already know why he's here but like. He is mister hubris. He is nothing but hubris. He kills people and its okay! Because he's god :) Haven't you heard :) God doesn't have to follow laws. Or rules. Or be a decent human being. And if you say he's wrong then well. You're evil! The way he thinks is so fucked up i want to put him in a jar.

mr thinks he knows everything & is better than everyone gets a magic notebook that lets him kill people from any distance as long as he knows their face and name. decides that means he's god now and kills criminals and people he decides are criminals (including people who were given verdicts of "not guilty"). when someone goes on tv and says he's evil his first instinct is to kill that person instead of, like, taking five seconds to go "is this bait?" (it was bait). he ends the series pathetic and bleeding out because it turns out god isn't immune to bullets.

Icarus

The OG

Most of you know the drill. He and his dad Daedalus get locked up for suspected conspiring against the king of Crete, but Daedalus, clever bastard that he is, builds wings for them to fly away on. Daedalus warns Icarus not to fly too high or the sun will melt his wings, and not too low or his wings will get wet from the sea mist. But Icarus gets basically caught up in an adrenaline high, and enraptured by the beauty and light of the Sun, tries to fly even higher. His wings melt and he, unfortunately, falls to his death. C'mon he's literally The Guy

[fangirl-writes]

You’re the voice I hear inside my head

Damien Haas x GN!Voice Actor!Reader

Warning(s): none

Notes: I know nothing about the process of voice acting so this is gonna be so incorrect, but we’re rolling with it.

Summary: You’re a voice actor on a new project and Damien can’t get your voice out of his head. If only he had a face to go along with it.

“The voice actor for Phoenix already recorded their lines so you’ll have their recording to play off of,” the director said, walking Damien through the studio.

“Okay, sweet,” Damien replied, almost bouncing with excitement to get in the booth.

He got cast to voice Icarus in a new video game in development called Fire and Brimstone. It was a Hades-like game about Icarus with many liberties taken and characters added.

One being the character of Phoenix, a fire deity and disciple of Apollo that Icarus meets on his journey and is the character's love interest.

Damien put on the headphones and set his script up.

“We’re starting on page 45,” the director said through the mic.

Damien gave a thumbs up and turned to the right page.

One of Phoenix’s lines was first so he awaited the recording to come through.

“Mortals don’t often enter this domain. What are you doing here?”

Damien’s eyes widened, and he near genuinely said, “Who’re you?”

The voice was warm, but had that hint of ice, creating the perfect voice for a deity. It gave him chills.

The recording went on, “I am Phoenix, the guardian of this temple. Who are you?”

“Icarus of Athens.”

“Son of Daedalus?”

“You know my father? I’m looking for him. Have you seen him?”

“Yes. He passed through this temple not long before you. He asked for the gift of my fire.”

“Did he say what for?”

“No. Only that he would treat it with care. I guided him through the temple after. Where he went from here I cannot say.”

“Would you grant me the same kindness? Of leading me through the temple. I must find him.”

“I can see into your heart, Icarus, and I can tell it is true. I will lead you through the temple. But you must leave a tribute to Apollo, as your father did.”

The recording stopped, signaling the end of the scene and Damien looked up.

“That was great,” the director said. “We’re going to run through it once more, just for multiple options and then we’ll move on.”

They did so and Damien felt himself being captured by Phoenix’s voice.

Every day he went in to record his lines, he became more and more curious about them.

Which came to a head the day that they would meet.

"We're having Phoenix's voice actor, Y/N L/N, come in and record this last bit opposite you," the director said as Damien pulled the headphones off. "We want to try the dynamic to let you two play off of each other."

The last scene would be Icarus meeting Phoenix again after the deity sacrificed themselves to Apollo in exchange for Icarus' safe passage from Crete.

Icarus would travel to the underworld and ask Hades and Persephone to return Phoenix to Earth, in which they would give him the same task as Orpheus.

The player then has the option to complete the task and not look at Phoenix as they make the long trek out of Hades, without knowing whether the gods had kept their word, or to turn around and look at Phoenix, which would send them back.

This last recording would be at the end of the game, if the player succeeds in not turning around, that has Phoenix and Icarus seeing each other again after a portion of the game apart.

Damien was practically bouncing with excitement.

"You're in a good mood today," Shayne observed, smiling at his friend as they left the set of a Games video.

Damien nodded. "I'm meeting Phoenix tomorrow."

He wasn't shy about telling his friends at Smosh about the project and telling Shayne and Court about his small crush on the character (or their voice more specifically).

"Really?" Shayne said, eyebrows raising. "That's awesome."

“Who’s Y/N?” Angela asked, catching up with them.

“A voice actor I’m working with,” Damien replied.

“And who he’s got a big ol’ crush on,” Shayne teased.

He blushed as Angela said, “Aww.”

“I’m just excited to finally meet them. I kinda haven’t been able to get their voice out of my head.”

“Your the voice I hear inside my head,” Angela and Shayne sang in silly voices. “I gotta find you, I need to find you.”

Damien rolled his eyes good naturedly and smiled.

“I need to know what this mystery person sounds like now,” Angela said. “What was their name again?”

Damien had unashamedly googled Y/N after the director had told him their name.

They had voiced characters in some other video games, anime, even a few cartoons, which was cool. But this seemed to be their first larger role, which was also cool.

He definitely overthought everything the day they were to meet, nervous for some reason (it was the crush).

He dressed a little nicer than he usually wood, very business casual, put on his best smelling cologne, his hottest earrings, grabbed a cup of coffee on his way to the studio.

Were they already there? He wondered as he opened the door. Or did he get there first?

"Hey, everyone," Damien greeted, walking into the recording room. "Am I late?"

"Right on time," the sound operator replied. "Y/N's over getting coffee in the kitchen if you want to say hello."

Damien takes that as a cue and heads towards the kitchen...and almost chokes on air.

Y/N was the prettiest person he'd ever seen, the crush intensifying tenfold.

Damien blinked a few times and cleared his throat, making Y/N look up from stirring their coffee and smile.

"Hi, Damien, right?"

Their voice sounded the same but also different, but perfect. It made Damien’s heart flutter.

"Yeah," he replied. "Y/N, right?"

"That's me," they said, walking over to shake his hand.

It felt right when their hands slotted together, but Damien shook it off.

"Ready for this?" he asked, hoping his face hadn’t gone too red.

"Yeah! I've been excited to do this and to meet you," they said.

"Really?" Damien asked, a little too surprised. "I mean, uh, cool. Me too.”

They don't seem to notice and the two of them head back to the recording room.

“Okay, we’ll have Damien turn around and face Y/N when we give you the cue, that’s when you say your lines. Good?”

The two of them gave the director a thumbs up, which made them laugh as they did it at the same time.

Damien slid on his headphones and turned his back to Y/N.

He was nervous, wiping his hands on his pants and trying to shift into character.

Okay. You’re Icarus, who has just made the trek up from the underworld saving the deity you love and haven’t been able to confirm that they were following you, and you’re worried that when you turn around they’ll be gone. Got it. Okay.

“And action,” the director says, hitting record.

Damien waits a beat or two, heart pounding, before he takes a deep breath and turns around.

Y/N is standing before their microphone, headphones on and smiling at him. “Hello,” they say, voice shifting perfectly into character.

Damien lets out a relieved laugh. “Hi!”

It’s at this point that Icarus is to pull Phoenix into a hug, so Damien just pretends to pick someone up in a hug, grunts accompanying.

The two of them laugh, imagining how the scene would look in the game.

The recording stops and the director’s voice comes through, “That was good, but can we try where you actually hug Y/N, Damien? I think it’ll sound more natural that way.”

“Only if you’re okay with it,” Damien replied, looking to Y/N.

They shrug. “Sure, why not. It will probably be more natural.”

So, the big mics are swapped out for smaller ones and the two of them step around the stands where their scripts are laying to stand in front of each other.

“Okay, action.”

Damien repeats his actions from before, turning around to see Y/N standing there.

But this time they’re closer than before, and he lets out an almost surprised gasp as Y/N grins and says, “Hello.”

Damien laughs. “Hi!”

Then he just scoops them up into a hug that makes them both laugh.

It should’ve been awkward, but it oddly wasn’t.

Maybe it was the two of them being in character, or maybe it was something else entirely.

Whatever the case, Damien didn’t fully let go when he set Y/N down, hands lingering on their shoulders, until the director spoke again.

“Great, that was great you guys. We just want to try a few more scenes with you together to see which versions we like the best.”

That’s how most of the morning went, the two of them bouncing off of each other as they read lines, doing their best not to ad lib since it was, after all, a video game.

They flowed together well.

When all was said and done, the director clapped their hands and smiled.

“I think that’s a wrap, you two! Great job today.”

Y/N beamed at Damien, who could’ve melted into a puddle at that moment.

“Hey, before we go, do you think we can get a selfie? I loved working with you and I usually get one with my cast mates after a project," Damien said, smiling.

“Sure!” Y/N replied, setting down their now empty coffee cup to slide up next to Damien for the photo.

He hoped he wasn’t too red as he lifted his phone and snapped a shot of them together, both grinning ear to ear and Y/N holding up a silly little peace sign that made him laugh.

“Cool,” he said. “You don’t mind if I post it when the game’s announced do you?”

“Only if you send it to me, so I can do the same,” they replied.

“Of course, what’s your number?”

Y/N told him and Damien quickly entered it in as a new contact, sending the picture as well in succession.

Y/N’s phone buzzed in their pocket. “You work fast,” they joked.

Damien chuckled. “If, uh, if you’re not doing anything after this, I’d love to take you to lunch. As a sort of congratulations on the project being wrapped. And I’d love to get to know you better.”

They smiled. “I’d love that.”

As it turned out, Damien and Y/N had a lot in common, besides their voice talents and their affinity for the thumbs up.

It was amazing how well they got on for only knowing each other for the one day.

After that, they texted frequently, and started hanging out more.

It effected Damien's mood and everyone noticed that he was happier as of late.

"How's Y/N?" Shayne asked, slyly, at Smosh lunch one day.

Damien looked up from his phone where he was, indeed, texting Y/N. "...fine."

Shayne laughed.

"You should totally just ask them out, already," Courtney encouraged. "Make it official."

"What? No, it's too soon."

"You guys are practically in the dating stage already," Courtney continued. "You even go on dates."

"They're not dates! We just hang out," Damien protested.

Courtney raised a brow at him. "Hanging out, just the two of you, having dinner and watching movies?"

Damien must've been red. "We're just friends!"

"But you want to be more, don't you?"

It was obvious. Obviously.

He'd had a crush on Y/N since before they'd even met and now that they were "hanging out" it was worse than ever.

But Damien wasn't great at gaging romantic feelings, let alone the feelings of someone that he liked in a romantic way. It was natural for him to feel like they don't feel the same way, right?

"I think you should go for it," Shayne said. "If it ends up bad, then you guys are early enough in the friend stage that if it ends the friendship, so be it, and if it doesn't, great."

He had a point there.

Damien hadn't know Y/N long enough for the end of this friendship to ruin him completely. Sure, he'd be sad, but he could bounce back from it.

Still, there was that fear.

"Maybe," he finally said, taking a bite of his lunch to avoid saying anything else.

Shourtney seemed to accept that as an answer and let the subject drop, but it remained in the back of Damien's mind for the rest of the day.

Every time Y/N texted him, he thought about it.

Heck, he even drafted a text asking them out but deleted it, deciding if he was gonna do it, he should do it in person.

He let it go all the way to the games release announcement and he finally posted that picture he’d spent more time staring at than he’d care to admit.

“Icarus is flying too close to the sun,” He wrote in the caption. “It was an honor to be chosen as the main character for this game and I can’t wait for you guys to get to play it.”

Y/N posted not long after him, a similar post with a screenshot of the release on Variety, a picture of themselves with a photo of Phoenix, a picture of them in the booth, and, of course, the one with Damien.

“Phoenix I’ll always love you but not as much as Icarus,” they wrote in the caption.

Damien liked it immediately and commented. “Fire (literally) 🔥

The likes and comments began flooding in so he closed the app and made his way to set for a games video.

"On the day that we're filming this Damien just announced he's the voice of the main character in the new game Fire and Brimstone!" Shayne said and everyone at the table clapped for him.

Damien smiled, not expecting the comment. "Yeah, it was a really cool experience to work on and I think everyone's gonna love it."

"You worked with Y/N L/N, right?" Angela asked and Damien immediately wondered if it was on purpose.

But he rolled with it. "Yeah, they're really cool as well, we worked together in the booth a bit and had some fun."

"Sweet."

"So, let's get into it," Shayne said before explaining the rules of Werewolf quickly, as it was a common game for the channel.

As fun as it was, Damien was definitely distracted the whole time, he just hoped that it didn't show on camera.

He couldn't stop thinking about them.

We still on for the coffee shop? Y/N texted later that day.

Damien's fingers hovered over his phone's keyboard, debating on what to text back.

I mean, of course he wanted to still go to the coffee shop with them, but he was planning on asking then. And he was nervous, debating on backing out, making some excuse as to why he couldn't make it anymore.

He took a deep breath.

You know it

Okay. There it was. No backing out now. Not unless he wanted to seem like a huge dick.

He could do this.

Right?

"I'm gonna do it." Damien said, seriously.

Shayne looked over at him from his desk. "Oh, shit, really?"

Damien nodded.

"Do what?" Spencer asked, leaning back in his chair and sipping his Mountain Dew Kickstart.

"He's gonna ask Y/N out."

"Really? Good for you, man."

"Thanks," Damien replied, but his nervousness was clear.

"Don't sweat it, dude, they're gonna say yes," Shayne said.

"And if they don't?"

Shayne shrugged. "Then it's not meant to be."

Damien was realizing he hated when people gave him the same advice he'd give them.

"Hey!"

Y/N brightened upon seeing him, breaking out in a smile as a greeting.

"Hey, I ordered you coffee, you wanted the usual, right?"

Damien nodded, sitting across from them.

He'd been nervous on the way there, but Y/N's demeanor had a way of putting him at ease.

“You okay?” They asked.

Damien’s heart soared. God they were perfect.

“Would you wanna go out with me?” He blurted, all the plans he’d made on the way over thrown out the window.

Y/N seemed taken aback for a moment, eyes widened at the outburst, and he feared the worst, but the expression soon cracked into a smile.

Their beautiful smile.

“Officially?”

Damien smiled. “Yeah. Yeah, officially. I want you to be my partner. Exclusively.”

They laughed. “Yes. Absolutely, positively yes.”

And that was a relief.

“Thank god,” Damien said, making Y/N laugh again.

They reached across the table and held his hand and Damien could’ve died happily right then.

“Hey, let’s take a photo,” they suggested, taking out their phone.

Damien eagerly leaned in for the photo, smiling broadly.

Y/N typed on their phone rapidly before handing it to him.

It was the photo as a draft for an Instagram story with the words “Phoenix + Icarus = ❤️‍🔥”

“That okay?” They asked.

Damien nodded. “It’s perfect.”

[tylermileslockett]

Week 6: FINAL ART THURSDAY Art Piece: Pitfalls of pride The art is complete! After guiding you through plans, sketches, and timelapses, we proudly present the final reveal—where imagination meets the mythic at Lockett Studio.

We prideful mortals display the ancient concept of hubris, a grave offense characterized by excessive pride and defiance against the gods and the natural order. hubris goes beyond mere arrogance, encompassing acts of boasting, insult, or violence that challenges divine authority. The consequences are tragic for us doomed mortals who succumb to it, such as Icarus who flies too high to the sun, Phaethon who thinks he can control the sun chariot of his father, Helios, and Niobe, who boasts of her children’s superiority. let our pitiful lives serve as cautionary tales against the dangers of unchecked arrogance.

I, Icarus, with my father Daedalus, imprisoned on Crete, yearn for freedom. My father ingeniously crafts us wings of feathers and wax to escape. As we take flight and journey out to sea, my spirit soars ever higher, toward the blazing sun, heedless of my father's warnings. Alas! The wax melts from Helios' fiery touch, and I plummet into the sea, my dreams dashed and drowned beneath the waves.

I am Phaethon, son of the mighty sun god Helios. To prove my worth, I plead to steer my father’s sun chariot across the sky. Despite his reservations, he reluctantly grants my wish. But my grip falters, and I struggle to control the fiery steeds, scorching the earth and endangering all life below. To halt the impending disaster, Zeus hurls a thunderbolt, striking me down and plunging me into the depths of the river Eridanus.

I am Bellerophon, the hero who tames the winged horse Pegasus. Together we vanquish the dreaded Chimera, a monster of flame and fury. But in my pride, I seek to soar to Olympus' lofty heights upon Pegasus' back, provoking the wrath of Zeus who sends a gadfly to bite Pegasus. I tumble down from the heavens, condemned to wander the earth, crippled and forlorn.

I, Niobe, Queen of Thebes and descendant of Tantalus, boldly declare my superiority over Leto, boasting that my fourteen beloved children outshine her mere two, Apollo and Artemis. Enraged by my hubris, Leto unleashes her divine twins to exact punishment upon me. Apollo and Artemis, swift and merciless, strike down each of my sons and daughters, leaving me shattered with anguish.

[kings-highway]

i think part of the reason Iwaoi has the ability to make me so feral has almost nothing to do with any romantic relationship but rather the fact that they are equals in almost every way and yet Iwaizumi must still feel like he is powerless. Like we know Iwa is good at volleyball he's the ace and goes on to be the trainer for the japanese national team. And we know explicitly that Oikawa is not a prodigy, his technical skill has never been what makes him a good player, he is not someone Iwa wouldn't be able to keep up with. So Iwaizumi probably knows Oikawa's limits because he knows his own. And even though the infamous knee injury is technically not canon we know he does sustain an injury, we know he stays up all night preping for games, we know he stays in the gym long after practice is over until Iwa drags him out. Iwa and Oikawa may be equals, but Oikawa is an Icarus. They both have wax wings but only one of them is going to fly too high and come crashing down again. And Iwa knows this. He knows every game, every push forward, every move Oikawa makes is almost inherently destined to end in a firey blaze not because Oikawa isn't good enough but because he's not programmed to feel satisfied. Iwa has to send him off to Argentina. He has to see him at the Olympics, he has to watch him push himself higher and higher and higher and he must just be screaming inside 'can't you see we're wax wings? we're not eagles or crows, we can't go up that high' and yet there's nothing he can do because Icarus doesn't listen. Not in Crete and not in Japan and not in Argentina. All he can really do is learn how to manage sports injuries, learn how to stretch torn muscles, how to recover broken bones and sooth aggravated egos and be ready on the sidelines with burn salve and love. Whether or not you like to consider the relationship as romantic is up to you but I for one cannot fathom a more heartwrenching story than that. Do you think Iwa ever wondered if he were capable of loving his best friend enough to change his nature? Do you think his efforts to do so would be unfair to Daedalus, as if Iwa would be able to love someone more than a father loves his son? Would he try anyway? Do you think Oikawa knows any of this? Or does he just think Iwa's concern comes from thinking Oikawa isn't good enough to compete with the birds? When Oikawa hits the ocean, do you think he'll realize it's not his fault that wax melts in the sun?

[pmamtraveller]

THE LAMENT FOR ICARUS /1898/ by HERBERT JAMES DRAPER

The painting depicts a scene from Greek mythology involving Icarus, the son of the skilled craftsman Daedalus. At the time, King Minos of Crete had imprisoned Icarus and his father on the island. Daedalus created wings of feathers and wax to escape. Icarus flew too close to the sun, disregarding his father's warning, causing the wax to melt. He tragically fell to his death in the sea, giving rise to the idiom "don't fly too close to the sun."

Draper's painting shows the aftermath of Icarus' fall. He is surrounded by mournful nymphs. One cradles him while another holds a lyre, beginning the lamentation. Icarus' tanned body starkly contrasts with the nymphs' alabaster skin, revealing his recent flight near the sun. Draper portrays the wings as still intact, contradicting the myth where the wax melted.

During this painting's creation, Draper gained recognition for his mythological themes, and he excelled in elegantly depicting human figures. This period marked the height of his career and popularity, even winning him the Royal Academy Gold Medal, where he exhibited frequently.

The painting serves as a tribute to his deceased father, who passed away in 1898, the year the painting was finished. It conveys profound emotions of loss, mortality, and life's fragility, reflecting Draper's personal grief.

[a-j-s-the-only]

I wonder how Icarus felt

as he soared higher than anyone else

falling lower to touch the salt of the sea

I wonder how Icarus felt

as he began his fall

was he lost in the bliss

of the wonders he saw, the wind he felt?

Icarus, Icarus

how beautiful you fell

[splendidgeryon]

"ICARUS" by Javier Trelis Sempere

Soft pastel, sanguine and acrylic on wooden board.

Gold background.

60x40 cms (16 "x24")

In Greek mythology, Icarus (Icarus) is the son of the architect Daedalus, builder of the labyrinth of Crete, and a slave girl called Náucrate.

[whencyclopedia]

12 Best Historical Fiction Books to Read

The AHE team live and breathe history, but we all have our favourite historical periods and authors. We thought it would be fun for each of us to nominate one or two books that we would recommend for the general reader as well as high school students.

History is the story of ordinary people being resilient, courageous, and determined during extraordinary times. And since studying history is not simply about memorising facts, we think that the characters in the books we have nominated will allow any reader to view history through the characters' eyes and as events unfold.

Become a Roman legionary for a day; solve the mystery of a stolen necklace in Anglo-Saxon times; go on a road trip through ancient Greece; gallop on a horse across the Scottish highlands with William Wallace as he fights for Scottish independence; discover the secrets of Carcassonne in medieval France; find out why Erik the Red was banished to Greenland; and learn what it was like to be a woman in biblical times.

Dylan Campbell - Media Editor

I would recommend Ariadne: A Novel of Ancient Crete by June Rachuy Brindel. In this story, Ariadne is the hereditary monarch, but her father, Minos wishes to take his role and overthrow the old Goddess religion, using increasing violence against the priestess. It is told from Ariadne's perspective. The story takes place during the Bronze Age of Crete and delves into an alternate history but still includes famous Cretan and Athenian figures like Theseus, King Minos, Daedalus, Icarus, and others. The author revitalizes an old Bronze Age myth and provides a new twist.

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