#like circe i can see the confusion

[corvid-ghost]

It's such whiplash from going from my corner of tumblr to tiktok when it comes to odysseus

Like here (in my corner idk about the rest) its pretty common knowledge that what happened to odysseus was sa, and most of the stuff abiut him are based off of the Iliad or Odyssey (or epic) and yk people know what they're talking about

And then

Then I go tiktok and it's all "odysseus is cheating scum! Circe, Calypso, and Penelope deserved better! He did them dirty! And achilles and patroclus! Terrible person! Bad! They're the victims!"

Which wild take but ok

[dootznbootz]

Hi. I'm cyberbullying a long dead poet because of his shitty fanfic. Enjoy. I'd love it if you joined me.

(Before you get mad at me, yes, I know Eugammon of Cyrene is an important figure and all that. I'm sick with some sort of flu. Let me cyberbully an ancient dead fanfic writer in peace.)

[solxamber]

So, I have a request for Vil and (platonic) Crewel with a reader/yuu whose fashion sense is basically nonexistent. Like, for example, pants with full picture, coat of bright color with pad shoulders and most famous of them all, crocks with socks. ("You should try it, it's comfortable!" Reader/yuu at some point)

Fashion Disaster - Vil x reader, Crewel

I loved this ask! I hope you like it <3

Rest of the characters react: here

It all started with your arrival at the Mirror Chamber for a meeting with Vil and Crewel. You’d thrown together the first thing you saw in your closet, which just so happened to be a bright orange leopard-print hoodie, glittering silver leggings with a full picture of a unicorn galloping across your thighs, and, naturally, crocs with socks. But not just any socks—socks with flames on them. Yes, you thought it was a look. A statement.

Yes, crocs with socks. How had that ensemble survived into Twisted Wonderland? Mysteries abound.

You walked into the room with the confidence of someone blissfully unaware of the impending disaster you were about to unleash. "Hey! So what’s up, guys?"

Vil, who had been looking down at his phone, slowly raised his head. His expression went from neutral to horrified within seconds. His eyes widened like you had just committed an unforgivable crime in the fashion world.

Crewel, standing next to Vil, dropped his pointer stick in shock. “Oh, sweet Circe...”

“What?” You blinked, completely oblivious. “Oh, wait—do I have something on my face?” You wiped your cheek in confusion.

Vil was speechless, but you could practically see the gears turning in his head, trying to make sense of the monstrosity before him. Finally, he spoke, his voice trembling, “What… is this… abomination?”

Crewel chimed in, clutching his heart like he had just suffered a blow. “Pup, did you get dressed in the dark? Or did you get dressed at all?”

You looked down at yourself, frowning. “What’s wrong? I think I look fine.”

“Fine?” Vil echoed, his tone high-pitched in disbelief. “Fine? You look like a circus clown who just got into a street brawl with a technicolor vomit palette!”

You winced, shrugging. “But it’s comfortable!”

Vil took a deep breath, placing a hand on his forehead like he was trying to ward off an oncoming migraine. “Comfortable. You—You’re choosing comfort over aesthetics? Comfort over… dignity?”

Crewel stepped forward, eyeing you like you were some sort of lost cause. “The crocs with socks,” he murmured, almost to himself. “We have truly reached the end times.”

You held out your arms, trying to defend yourself. “Hey, don’t knock the crocs until you’ve tried them! They’re so comfortable!”

Vil looked at you like you had grown a second head. “Comfort?! These… shoes, if you can even call them that, are a crime against humanity. There are many sins in this world, but that?” He pointed at your feet as if they had personally offended him. “That is unforgivable.”

“I’m expressing myself!” you retorted, trying to defend your beloved flames and crocs combo. “It’s, like, a mix of cozy and edgy.”

“It’s a mix of atrocity and chaos!” Vil shot back, rubbing his temples. “I can’t believe this. How can you live with yourself?”

Crewel stepped forward, eyes narrowing at your glittering silver leggings. “Do these shine in the dark?” he asked incredulously.

“They do,” you admitted proudly. “Handy for late-night trips to the kitchen.”

Vil’s gasp was practically theatrical. “No, no, no… This… this is a crime against humanity, a crime against eyes. You have reached a level of fashion disaster I didn’t even think was possible.”

You puffed out your chest. “It’s expressive!”

“It’s revolting,” Vil countered. “I’m losing years off my life just by looking at it.”

You sighed, waving your hand dismissively. “Okay, okay, I get it, you hate my style. But this is just how I roll, you know? I like to stand out! You gotta admit I’m unique!”

“Unique?” Vil choked. “No. This is not unique. This is a fever dream. This is what happens when nightmares and bad taste have a lovechild!”

Crewel leaned over to Vil, whispering in horror, “I’ve never seen anything like it in my life, and I’ve seen everything.”

Vil placed a hand on Crewel’s shoulder, staring dead-eyed at your outfit. “We have to do something. Immediately.”

You looked between them, still unsure of what the big deal was. “Guys, come on, it’s not that bad.”

Vil snapped his gaze to you, eyes wild with disbelief. “It’s worse than bad! I’m actually offended by how you’re standing there as if you’ve done nothing wrong.”

Crewel nodded solemnly. “This is a rescue mission, pup. And you’re about to thank us for it.”

Suddenly, Vil’s face lit up with determination. “This… abomination cannot stand. I will personally oversee your rehabilitation.”

You blinked. “Rehabilitation?”

“Yes,” Vil said, voice firm. “You’re a danger to yourself and everyone around you. Fashion this offensive is a public safety hazard.”

You glanced at Crewel, pleading for help. But Crewel, instead of coming to your aid, smiled like he had just found the perfect opportunity for training. “Listen to Vil, puppy. He knows best. And maybe, just maybe, we can prevent another tragedy like this from happening again.”

“But—” you started, trying to defend your beloved crocs one last time, “what if I just—”

“No.” Vil cut you off, his voice final, as if he were delivering a royal decree. “From this moment on, you are banned from wearing crocs. And if I ever catch you with socks and sandals…” He narrowed his eyes threateningly.

“But I don’t own sandals?” you tried to protest.

“Good,” Vil replied sharply. “Keep it that way.”

Crewel nodded sagely beside him. “There’s hope for you yet, pup. Just… never again.”

Vil sighed dramatically, then placed his hands on your shoulders, looking deep into your eyes. “We will make this right.”

You smiled nervously, not entirely sure what you were getting into. “Okay, Vil, I’ll trust you… but just so you know, I’m still sneaking in my crocs when you’re not looking.”

Vil blinked at you, his grip tightening just slightly as he whispered in the most chilling tone you’d ever heard, “Try it.”

And suddenly, you weren’t so sure if he was joking or not.

By the end of the day, Vil had somehow convinced you to burn the silver pants, and Crewel was lecturing you on the importance of not traumatizing the general public with “fashion choices that could summon evil spirits.”

Vil looked at you proudly, eyes softening as he muttered, “Much better…”

And as you stood there in an outfit Vil had personally chosen, you couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks, Vil.”

Vil smirked, placing a kiss on the back of your hand, making your heart do a little flip. “Don’t thank me yet. This is only the beginning.”

Crewel clapped his hands together. “And remember, pup, no more unicorn pants, or I’ll have to report you to the fashion police.”

You grinned cheekily. “What, the fashion police, or you two?”

“Both,” they answered in unison.

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t help laughing. “Fine, fine, no more crocs and unicorns… for now.”

Vil gave you a long, narrow-eyed look. “We’ll see.”

But despite all the chaos, you could tell they both secretly cared. Even if they were ready to set your wardrobe on fire.

I didnt know if you wanted then seperately or together so i put them together. If you want then separately, just let me know!

Masterlist

[hp-hcs]

green eyed monster (part one of two) — yandere! jealous! fwb! theodore nott x gn! drunk! dumbass! slytherin! reader

theo’s just like…randomly the king of consent here? idk but i’m here for it!!! 👑

reader is like, really pushy, even when theo says no? like, it’s lowkey a side eye, ngl. but i asked my allo boyfie, and he said it was pretty par for the course for a drunk person to act this way so idfk 🤷 lemme know y’all

no actual smut yet! that’s in part two, which i’ll do my best to finish soon!

warnings: it’s literally just talking about sex for 1k words,❗️reader just sort of completely ignores the word no❗️, reader is under the influence of alcohol, threats of violence to reader, one minor instance of slut shaming, possessive/jealous behavior, underage drinking/teen partying

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

“Hi, Teddy! D’you wanna hook up?”

Theodore blinked as you stumbled your way through the Slytherin party’s crowds over to him. “Y/n, you’re drunk.”

“So?”

“So I’m not going to sleep with you,” he said plainly, narrowing his eyes in confusion. “You can’t consent right now.”

You shrugged. “No worries. I can go find someone else.”

“No. You can’t consent to them either. C’mon, let me walk you back to your dorm,” Theo sighed, ruffling your hair and plucking the plastic cup from your fingers before chucking it in the trash.

“Oh, c’mon, Teddy- even if I can’t have fun with you, I still want to have some,” you whine, pouting at him. He rolled his eyes and started leading you through the crowded common room by the hand he had splayed across your lower back. “C’mon, Teddy. D’you at least know where Mattheo is?”

But the sound of another guy’s name coming out of your mouth immediately caused Theo’s calm and caring demeanor to shift into a hate-filled scowl as he stopped dead in his tracks and snatched up your jaw in his free hand. “Y/n. Don’t you dare. He’s off limits.”

“…Huh?” You blinked.

“Circe- do I have to dumb it down for you? If you do anything with Mattheo, I swear on my mother’s grave, I’ll make you regret it,” he hissed at you, grabbing your tie and tugging you forward. “Fuck, if you so much as look at Riddle—let alone touch him—I’ll carve out your fucking eyes. Got it?”

“Shit, alright, well- if not Matty, then Enz, I guess,” you suggested, entirely unperturbed by the threat.

Theodore was practically seething. “You’d try to whore yourself out to Enzo too? No. He’s also off limits.”

You startled at his sudden aggression. “Uh- Blaise…?”

“Off. Limits.”

“Even Malfoy?”

“Everyone.”

“Potter?”

Theo’s eyes narrowed. “Anyone you’ve ever met, or anyone I’ve ever met, or anyone I see on the street is off limits.”

“Does that include you?” You asked dumbly, your eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“What do you fucking think, darling?” He snapped, grabbing your hand and yanking you through the common room and down the hall.

“Ooh, somebody’s jealous,” you said in a singsong voice, grinning at him.

Theo sighed, his anger quickly evaporating at the sight of your dumb drunken smile. “Yeah, yeah. Shush.” He rolled his eyes fondly.

You both walked in a comfortable silence for a moment before you piped up again. “This ain’t the direction to my dorm.”

“No, I’m taking you back to mine. Don’t get your hopes up-” he added quickly when he saw you perk up with a tipsy grin. “We’re literally just going to sleep in the same bed.”

Your grin fell into another pout. “Dick.”

“That’s exactly what I’m not giving you.”

You giggled and leaned heavily against him as he unlocked his dorm door and ushered you inside.

“Theo- c’mon, your bed’s right there,” you pleaded.

“Yeah, and you’re going to fall asleep in it. That’s it.”

“Motherfucker- c’mon,” you whined. “Damn you for being so fuckin’…morally good an’ shit.”

“Don’t be a brat, Y/n.”

“Oh, shut up, bitch.”

Theo closed his eyes and let out a slow breath through his teeth. “I swear to Merlin- once you’re sober, I’m going to fuck that attitude right out of you.”

“Promise?” You asked cheekily, reaching out to smooth a hand over his chest.

“Salazar, you’re lucky you’re drunk right now,” he grumbled, batting your hand away and holding onto the sides of your shoulders to steady you before letting go to dig through his closet. He returned a second later to tug off your clothes and trade them out for one of his tshirts and a pair of his sweatpants (much to your dismay, as you’d been hoping for more to happen when he began undressing you).

Theo helped you into bed, pulling up the covers around you. He climbed into his bed behind you and wrapped both arms around your waist, burying his face into the curve of your neck. It would’ve been a sweet gesture, if his grip wasn’t painfully tight and possessive.

He stroked your hipbone with his thumb and pressed a kiss to the back of your neck. “Now go to sleep, tesoro.”

“M’kay,” you yawned. “G’night, Teddybear.”

“Goodnight, my pretty idiot.”

[thekissofaphrodite]

Heart of Stone

Jessica Parker Kennedy!Medusa X Blind!wife!reader

Summary: Humans after creatures were petrified by her blinding eye, but it seems like Medusa's heart of stone was fixed by a certain someone she calls a wife.

Warning: Flashbacks of Rape and Death of child (I think that's all)

Author's note: Percy Jackson this, Luke Castellan that. I'll take medusa.

——

"You think I'll hold a grudge on you just because you are a daughter of Athena?" Medusa said sweetly as she stared at Annabeth through her veiled hat whilst pouring freshly made lemonade into one of the cups.

Annabeth kept a neutral expression, carefully watching Medusa's movements whilst keeping an eye on grover, who munched happily on one of the snacks.

Medusa watched grover with a smile, barely glancing at percy.

"You like them?" She asked Grover, The Satyr nodded enthusiastically.

"My wife made them." All of the eyes were now on medusa's.

The trio shared a confused glance, Percy and Grover threw Annabeth a 'What the actual hell did she say?' and Annabeth threw back a much confused glance, saying 'I dont know either'

Percy was the first one to break the silence, His head still low as he played with the strawberry cheesecake on his plate with a silver fork.

"Er..Wife? you said...isn't that impossible since you're.. You know..." Medusa chuckled wholeheartedly, Annabeth just rolled her eyes and nudged Grover.

"She's blind.. The gods also punished her a long time ago.." After that statement, the trio immediately turned their heads, curiously sitting down and patiently waiting for a story.

"She was once a beautiful nymph that served Circe... Goddess of Aiaia. She was beautiful, then...Hermes.. The messenger God fell in love with her whilst he was still in a relationship with Circe, She rejected him multiple times, but in desperation he—" Medusa Inhaled sharply, Her fist curling up into a ball in anger, she was hesitating to continue the story.

"He asked Aphrodite to make him a draught so she can sleep with him..and it worked, When Circe found out she was so outraged and jealous that she poured every potion she had into her eyes..Her once beautiful green eyes, and cursed her saying 'You shall never see the light of day, Again' " The story finished, Annabeth, Percy and Grover went silent, Medusa however looked at the demigods, watching for any signs of mercy or pity in their eyes.

Then, the silence was interrupted by someone, behind the door.

"Emmy? I think the food you're making is burnt— I smell brownies— Oh! please tell me you're making them!" You. She were gorgeous, with waist length red hair and pale skin, a line of dark freckles trailing down your breasts and arms. you was wearing a floral dress beautifully. you almost looked like a goddess. If it wasn't for your grey eyes, that was once green that made you less perfect.

Medusa's expressions changed neutrally to cheerful. The trio noticed a pair of ring Medusa and Her wife had.

The blind woman, who was Medusa's wife, had a snake ring on her finger, while medusa had a simple gold ring with an emerald stone.

"We have visitors?" You asked, As Medusa walked towards you and looped her arms with yours.

"They're demigods, Dear" Medusa whispered to your ear, making you frown a little.

"I'll go back to the kitchen. You can handle them, yes?" Medusa nodded, and you a kiss on your cheeks before watching her wife go.

——

It wasn't that long when you heard screams and running footsteps, It was definitely the demigods.

Years after years, you lived with Medusa, The bravest warriors to the most cowardly men had stepped inside your home, and none escaped. Not with her deadly eyes.

But you knew those demigods don't stood a chance.

You stared at the blowing kettle, feeling the heat wash over you as sweat trickled down your neck.

And why should you and medusa hide your capabilities and powers when you two are far more superior?

You remembered it all too well.

Hermes drugged you and forced you into his bed, shamelessly raping you all over again until he's content, Circe in fury punishing you. You begged and explained, You really did...But she never listened.

Circe, Banishing you out of Aiaia... You being pregnant. You giving birth near a cave.. Your baby boy dying... Medusa finding you...

Life was hard.. The Gods gave no mercy and pity. But here you are. Still standing with the woman who saved you.

You heard footsteps coming upstairs. You smiled thinking that your trap might work.

"Do you find everything pleasant?" You whispered sweetly.

there was no response.

But then, someone grabbed you by your long hair and slashed your neck.

Medusa ran as fast as she could when she heard screams, But her heeled sandals failed her.

You were now lying on the ground, blood spurting out of your neck as you tried to gasp for air. Tears poured down your cheeks as you tried to say Medusa's name.

Medusa screamed. A blood curling scream as she fell down and held your body. The wife she had protected all these years. Her wife. Her soul mate. Her one and true love, Dead.

You tried to speak, but no words came out of your mouth. Instead, as you were dying, Your green eyes gained a clearer vision of your wife. Her beautiful face was crying, Snakes hissing as her hair..But you never mind, Her beauty never scared you after all. Her blue eyes looked at yours. As you slip away from consciousness, you can sleep peacefully after taking a look at your blue-eyed beauty.

In the small cottage, Medusa stood up, Your blood staining her hands as she glanced at the trio, She slowly walked towards them, and grinned.

"I don't mind three additional statues filling my home..."

A/N: FIRST MEDUSA FF. HOW DID I DO? I RLLY WANNA ADD TRAGEDY AND LOVE AT THE SAME TIME SO HERE WE ARE! I DO HOPE YOU LIKE EM!!

[circeyoru]

HEYY!! It's my first ever "ask" (or whatever you call it) and I'm sorry if my english isn't the best, lol. I just wanted to say how captivateing your writeing is!! I'm literaly IN LOVE with your "Unwanted soul" storie!!! I'm not the kind to read a lot, but when I see you posted, I waste no time reading it!

This is a bit random, and if you don't want to do it, I complitely understand!! I would just like some small headcanons where the reader, after they died, took the form of some kind if bird (I'm saying this, cuz my hazbin oc is actulay a raven, lol). Like, if hypoteticaly speaking Alastor would be fond if reader, would he ocasionaly preen her wings (like, when birds have to "shed" some feathers. Idk how to explain it, I'm sorry😭). Or like, what other ideas/headcanons you think that might fit

That's all I wanted to say and I hope I didn't bother you. I HOPE YOU HAVE AN AMAZIENG DAY/NIGHT AND (again) I LOVE YOUR STORIES <33

Oh my gosh!! Thanks for your high praise! (no worries about the English level, this is not exam or school or work, so don't stress it I can understand you just fine)

I think what you're asking for has been written before. It's called {The Raven's Deer}, but Reader/you are a younger sibling of Zestial and a Raven-type demon.

But I'll add on.

Since your wings are big, you use it as a warm blanket. When you have your wings out, Alastor would take on and cover himself like a cocoon. You eye him and he smiles back, then you two were back to doing whatever

Alastor LOVES collecting your fallen feathers and keep it somewhere like a prized collection. When you first found out, you took one of your larger and stronger feather and made it into a quill to gift it to him as an anniversary present. He didn't use it until you made him

On that note, whenever you were off to battle or in battle with your wings out and your feathers fall off. You can catch Alastor walking all over the place to collect your feathers. You and your enemy pause to stare, then Alastor waves you off and says he wouldn't be a bother, so continue fighting

You clean your wings, but it's a bit hard when it's literally on your back. Alastor volunteered himself immediately to help you clean, being as gentle as possible

When Alastor's in his bad moods, your wings actually calms him down. Almost instantly. You just have to partially cocoon him and he's back to normal

Your wings are strong enough for him to sit on one of them while you walk. While he doesn't do it, cause it's not gentlemanly, you actually do it behind closed doors like a form of training. He says it's like sitting on a fluffy cloud

Alastor knows you're strong. BUT! Wings can be a weakness too. And he doesn't want for yours to break. He take extra care to make sure no one is near your wings when they are out. You're confused since not a lot can harm your wings, but you let him do whatever

Another thing Alastor does. He hides behind your wings and act like he's not there. You move your wings away to reveal him, he follows it. He loves doing that

Last thing. Alastor adores cuddling you with your wings. He hugs you close, then you bring your wings out and hug him back. While he like giving and treating you with the best he can, he wouldn't say he hated the feeling of being hugged by your big lovely wings

Hope this is what you like! You can read the story or not. The add-on is not precisely linked with the story. Made it very very general.

Circe Y.

Other Works: MASTERLIST

[gothamite-rambler]

"I'm a poison... I couldn't save them," Nightwing cried, the fear toxin invading his mind.

A/N: Whelp, I cried while writing this… I kind of regret knowing so much lore about Nightwing, but that song from Epic the Musical: The Wisdom Saga really felt right for him, and I got this idea from a TikTok video too. Yeah, it fits perfectly. Love you, Nightwing.

Context: Scarecrow escaped Arkham and released a stronger strain of his fear toxin.

In the ensuing scramble of fear affected Gotham citizens and the batfamily trying to ease the insanity, Nightwing's mask is knocked off... and every fear, regret and shred of guilt is unlocked from his buried memories.

Barbara (on comm): Nightwing? Nightwing, can you hear me? What are you whispering?

Nightwing (whispering, slightly louder): All I hear are screams.

Barbara (worried): Nightwing, it’s not real.

Tarantula (in his head): Nightwing, get away from the ledge!

Nightwing stepped into the middle of the road, staring blankly ahead. His hands trembled with fear as he noticed a knife on the ground. In the pandemonium a stray weapon laid on the ground— but to Nightwing it was a visceral reminder of his worst nightmares. He picked it up, not as a weapon, but as a lifeline to his fraying sanity.

Red Hood (standing behind his brother): Nightwing, get out of the road.

Nightwing (voice trembling with fear and guilt): You don’t know what I’ve gone through… You don’t know what I’ve sacrificed…

Red Hood stepped back, confusion etched across his face as he observed Nightwing staring at his shaking hands, stained with phantom blood. His grip on the knife tightened, wavering between the urge to use it and the desperate fight to resist.

Nightwing: Every comrade I once knew… Every friend… I saw them die… And all I hear are screams.

Silence enveloped him, Barbara and Red Hood begging him to break free from the horror unheard. Yet, the only voice haunting him was that of Tarantula’s—it seeped into his mind like poison. She was behind him… she was too close.

Tarantula (in a fake sweet tone): It will be fine, dear. Come back inside, dear. Love of my life, come back to paradise.

Red Hood (who appeared as the Tarantula in Nightwing's confused and frightened mind) took hold of his arm. To him, it was a gesture intended to pull him to safety and offer assistance, but in Nightwing's eyes, it felt like an attempt to hurt him once more. He recoiled, wrenching his arm free and stepping back in fear. All he could see was her—the woman who had exploited him at his most vulnerable.

Nightwing (clutching the knife arm in fear): Please… don’t hurt me.

Red Hood (confused): Hurt you?

What he hears…

Tarantula (Circe lines): Think of your past, and your mistakes. They'll be the last mistakes you'll make.

Tarantula (as Red Hood) stepped closer, but Nightwing could only cling to the knife as his breathing grew heavier.

Nightwing: Please… Tara- Catalina… Stay away from me.

Barbara covered her mouth in shock, her heart aching to be there to help.

Red Hood: Catalina?

The image of Catalina grew clearer before him, her malicious smile reminiscent of that night weighing heavily on him. The pain surged as he brought the knife closer, the blade just inches from his skin.

In reality, Red Hood's heart raced as the truth dawned on him. He remembered the whispered rumors about this woman who had shattered a hero’s life—he never learned the hero's name.

Red Hood: Nightwing… were you…?

Nightwing (clutching the knife): Let me close my eyes.

Tarantula (as Red Hood spoke to Barbara, demanding to know who Catalina was): I know your life’s been hard; I’ll stay inside your heart.

Nightwing (closing his eyes): All I hear are screams…

Tarantula (creeping closer): I love you, my dear. I love our time here. Life would be so much worse—

Red Hood (but all Nightwing hears is Tarantula): Life would be so much worse if you had died.

Nightwing (forcing back tears): Just let me close my eyes.

Red Hood: Please stay away from harm. Stay in my open arms.

Nightwing (trailing off): All I hear are—

His eyes widened as he noticed the knife rising toward his chest. But then he froze in horror as he saw a young Jason standing before him—the brother he failed to save, the one he discovered was gone too late.

Young Jason: This life is amazing when you greet it with open arms.

Another familiar face appeared—Tim Drake at the age of loss, the moment he lost his mother.

Young Tim: How much longer 'til your luck runs out?

Nightwing: I’m sorry…

His mother emerged next, a visible head wound marring her beauty, her smile faltering, hands clasped as if praying.

Mary Grayson: Waiting, waiting, waiting… My baby boy, I’ll be waiting.

Nightwing (the knife trembling in his grip): I... took too long...

Young Jason: Whatever we face, we’ll be fine if we’re leading from the heart.

Within that torment, a version of Barbara materialized, a gaping gunshot wound in her stomach clawing at his heart.

Young Barbara: How much longer 'til the show goes south?

Nightwing: I can’t go on…

Current Red Hood (trying to remain calm): Nightwing, stop.

Barbara (on the comms, trembling): Nightwing, wake up!

Current Red Hood: Oracle, I got this!

The cacophony of voices began to overlap, engulfing him in chaos as he clutched his hair with one hand, the knife locked tightly in the other. Panic surged within him, his breath coming in quick gasps. Red Hood, witnessing the depth of his brother’s despair, realized the danger—the knife was raised, and his brother was on the verge of self-harm.

Current Red Hood (begging): Nightwing, fight it, please!

All he could hear were screams—cries, death—an agonizing paralysis that made him feel utterly helpless.

Nightwing (resigned): This is the price.

Tarantula (baiting him): We pay to live.

Nightwing (mindlessly): The world does not.

Tarantula (smirking, her voice more demonic): Tend to forgive. Do it… plunge the knife into your chest… for them.

Young Jason (bleeding): No matter the place, we can light up the world. Here’s how to start.

Young Tim (sobbing): How much longer…?

Young Barbara: Until we all fall down?

Mary (bleeding): Waiting, waiting, waiting…

Nightwing raised the knife higher, Red Hood's eyes widening in terror, sensing this was his only chance. He lunged toward his brother, but all Nightwing could perceive was his bleeding younger brother.

Young Jason: Greet the world with open arms, greet the world with open arms.

Nightwing tried to scream, but it came out as a weak whimper, charged with terror as he prepared to cut into his own flesh. Just as he was about to plunge the knife, something seized his arm, intervening in time before the blade could find its target. It was an embrace, but not Tarantula's—real and solid. The haze around him shifted from the ledge to the stark reality.

He wasn’t on that precipice anymore; he was in Gotham, in the heart of the street, the air thick with fear toxin. Red Hood, masked for protection, was the only one holding him. Nightwing trembled, fear and rage intertwining, the remnants of Scarecrow’s toxin gnawing at his mind.

Nightwing (voice trembling): Poison… I’m poison.

Red Hood (comforting his sobbing brother): You're not poison. You're nothing she told you. It’s okay… bro, I’m here. She isn’t here to hurt you… Nobody will hurt you.

Red Hood tightened his grip as Nightwing slumped forward, sobbing against him.

Nightwing (reflecting on those he lost or failed to save): I couldn’t save them… I couldn’t save them.

Red Hood (his typical jaded tone giving way to desperation): I don’t know if you can hear me, but you did everything you could, and you’re a hero. You’re one of the few people I can genuinely call a true hero. Please, don’t let the toxin take you down.

Nightwing (desperate, convinced he’s all alone): Forgive me… Forgive me…

Red Hood: I forgive you… because you're my brother and I love you.

Nightwing drew a deep breath, feeling a wave of calm wash over him. Though his mind was still shrouded in darkness, the presence holding him anchored him in reality, slowly dispelling the nightmarish visions that threatened to consume him.

Short Pt 2 coming soon

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Charybdis Reader

Adam has just defeated Zeus and he stands panting but alive. The first to notice something off is Brunhilde. Adam has far fewer injuries than he should actually have, almost as though someone took them upon themselves for him. Then the gauntlets crack. Charybdis appears, completely free from the curse that Zeus forced her to bear and is smiling wider than anyone would think possible for a child dying. “Thank you Papa, I don’t feel hungry anymore.” Her final words said she passes on

The reactions of the crowd, Adam, and especially the Valkyries who didn’t even know Volundr could be used like that

Especially the reactions of the gods when they learn just who that child was (Shive, Odin, Thor, and all the others but definitely the Greeks)

This is going to start off like the original one when Charybdis is partnered with Adam (because I’m kind of lazy).

-When the valkyries first found you, a small child just asking for some food, they instantly melted and took you in, assuring Scylla, who brought you to them, that they would keep you safe.

-Brunnhilde and Randgriz were furious to find out who you two were. They all knew of your ‘crime’ which they couldn’t even call a crime at this point, as you were just a child, desperate for food, and for your theft, you were cast into the ocean, trapped by Zeus.

-Scylla was the one who helped rescue you, after she took pity on you, seeing you as the thing you were, a child, trapped in the same strait she roamed after the jealous Circe transformed her into the beast she was today.

-You didn’t see her as a beast, you saw her as a friend, and the maiden who saved you, taking you to safety as she couldn’t bear to see a child in such a state.

-You had been adopted by the valkyries, becoming their youngest sister, the one they all doted on, treated you with such love and kindness and you never had to go hungry again, always making sure you had been fed.

-Your voracious appetite, which stemmed from not getting much food growing up, as your parents had both abandoned you in the sea, leaving you to perish or survive on your own, had calmed once you started to get food on a regular basis.

-You were a shy child, afraid of the gods, as they had done nothing but treat you so cruelly, never going anywhere without one of your big sisters by your side, and even then you hid behind their legs if someone approached, be it human or god.

-Hercules was distraught when he saw you with Thrud, giving you a bright smile and saying hello, as kids normally loved him, and you immediately burst into tears, apologizing loudly as you cried.

-The two tried to calm you down as you cried, Hercules confused as he had never met you before, and he froze, learning your name from Thrud, seeing that the one who had stolen his cattle during his labors, was a child, desperate for food.

-He had not known that you had been a child, the guilt eating away at him as his heart broke, as he knew that Zeus trapped you at the bottom of the sea where you had to create a whirlpool, just to try to get some food.

-He put his large hand on your head, ruffling your hair gently before he smiled softly, “It’s okay, I’m not mad. I forgive you.” You sniffled, shocked that he forgave you, and he quickly became your big brother shortly afterwards, as he wanted to make amends with you.

-The valkyries were not bothered by you bonding with Hercules, happy to see that you two were getting along, seeing that you were growing in confidence.

-When Ragnarok was announced, Brunnhilde gathered the valkyries, telling them all that they were going to help humanity by forming bonds with the human champions, to create a Holy Weapon, one that can kill the gods.

-Brunnhilde kneeled before you, after teaching you Völundr as well, and spoke, “Y/N, I will not force a child to fight, but I will ask if you want to fight against the gods.”

-The other valkyries expressed their concern over you fighting, you were strong, but you were still only a child, but you were being given the choice to fight against the gods who threw you away so cruelly so long ago.

-You swallowed, a little afraid before you asked, “Which god would I be fighting?” her smile surprised you, but also confused you just for a moment, before she answered, “Who else, the one who punished a child desperate for food, Zeus.”

-Your jaw and the jaws of the other valkyries dropped, hearing that she wanted you to fight against Zeus, to fight alongside the human warrior that she would choose to fight Zeus.

-You swallowed, a bit afraid, before you gave a tiny nod, not wanting revenge, but wanting to stop the cruel gods from hurting anyone else.

-When Adam met you, he was surprised to see a young child peeking out from behind Brunnhilde, and he instantly kneeled, smiling gently at you, “Hello little one, are you my partner?”

-You gave him a shy nod, taking his offered hand, holding onto it as he looked up at Brunnhilde who bowed her head to him, “This little one is older than she looks, just like the other valkyries. I am entrusting Charybdis to you, Adam.”

-He nodded, smiling down at you before he kneeled again, swearing that he was going to keep you safe before he opened his arms, hugging you to him and you fused with him.

-Adam walked out with a pair of matching apple red gauntlets, munching on an apple as he was introduced.

-The fight was, for the most part, one sided, Adam easily handling Zeus, punching him hard across the field with ease.

-Zeus then transformed again, morphing into his Adamas form, Adam froze, seeing memories flashing across his mind, memories that were not his own.

-Adam had to focus on dodging blows, landing his own, seeing the memories of a child, being abandoned by her parents, a child who stole a cow because she was so desperate for food and then was cast down to the bottom of the sea, forced to form a whirlpool, just to get some food.

-Adam clenched his teeth together, speaking to you, “Are these your memories?” he saw you floating beside him, hugging him around his neck, like you were scared, nodding into his shoulder.

-He punched Zeus across the field again, showing his strength as Adam put his anger into it as you faded, “Who did this to you?” your memories flashed across his mind, showing him that the one who punished you, a mere child, for trying to eat and trapping you at the bottom of the sea, was none other than Zeus.

-An almost evil aura surrounded Adam, his heart rate increasing as all he could see was red.

-As a father himself, he couldn’t even begin to imagine hurting one of his children like this, he couldn’t understand how anyone could hurt a child like this!!

-He felt you hug him again and you spoke, “Put the gauntlets together to fuse them!” he listened to you, putting his arms together and the gauntlets started to glow brightly, reforming into a different form, a re-Völundr.

-Only one of his arms was heavier as the new weapon was revealed, what looked to be a reverse drill, to describe it simply, with razors at the bottom.

-He squeezed, turning on the weapon and it began to suck in air, creating a vacuum, the razors turning like a chainsaw.

-Many gawked at the gruesome weapon, even Brunnhilde who then calmed, remembering that this is what you looked like when you were trapped at the bottom of the sea.

-Zeus was met with another harsh punch with Adam’s free hand before he tried to grab Zeus with the new weapon, to finish the job, but only managed to grab his left arm, tearing it to shreds.

-The gods were gawking, seeing the strongest of the gods being torn to shreds by a human with such a violent weapon, but it quickly sobered them up, seeing that the humans were going to fight and that they weren’t going to give up.

-When Zeus lost and was beginning to fade away, you and Adam split, and Adam kneeled next to you, hugging you as Zeus looked at you in confusion, “Who is that? That’s not a valkyrie.”

-Adam put a hand on your head, soothing you, “You probably won’t recognize her, but this is Charybdis.”

-Zeus’ eyes went wide, seeing that the one he punished so long ago or stealing a cow during Hercules’ labor, was only a child, a young child, a hungry, abandoned by her parents child.

-Adam panted softly as Zeus slowly faded away, having beaten the strongest in Valhalla, much to the shock of everyone in attendance.

-The arena was so silent, as the shock was so great nobody could utter a sound louder than breathing, eyes wide, unable to look away from what they had just witnessed.

-As Zeus faded, so did the gauntlets, breaking into pieces, much to the shock of others. Brunnhilde gasped sharply, not even realizing it until that moment, that Adam was not as injured as he should have been.

-She saw the gauntlets chipping away, slowly fading as she and the other Valkyries realized what you had done, you used your body- the gauntlets, to take the more severe damage, protecting Adam.

-They had no idea that Volundr could be used like that, not even Buddha, who was watching with wide eyes, a feeling of dread building up inside of him as he realized that this technique was causing the death of child.

-Zeus vanished first and everyone was stunned when the gauntlets on Adam’s hands started to glow brightly and the shock grew when a child appeared before him, slowly fading away as well.

-Adam was quick to realize what you had done, taking the damage to keep him safe, but it was your smile, warm and bright, like you were truly happy, that stunned him, making his throat tighten, feeling tears welling in his eyes.

-You cupped his cheeks as the crowds were quickly alight with shouting, seeing a child, and many learned who you were, Poseidon’s daughter and the fearsome beast that Zeus trapped at the bottom of the ocean as punishment for stealing a cow.

-Hades had wide eyes, turning on his brother, “What is the meaning of this Poseidon? Why is your child fighting?!” Poseidon was just as stunned, he had honestly forgotten about you, after he deemed you weak, and after learning of your punishment, he believed you deserved it. To see you so strong and yet still so young now made his heart break- he felt anguish that he had abandoned you.

-The other Greek gods weren’t much better, Hercules was fuming, glaring harshly that you had sacrificed yourself, as he knew your desire to protect others, and he knew there was nothing that could be done as he held Goll who was sobbing in his arms while Brunnhilde was on her knees, her face buried in her hands as well.

-Ares didn’t care- tears in his eyes as he shouted at Poseidon, demanding to know why your father didn’t protect you. Hermes himself was furious, trying in vain to hold Ares back, equally as mad while Aphrodite had actually stood in rage, watching you disappearing slowly, furious that Poseidon had treated you so cruelly.

-Shiva was stunned stiff, he couldn’t even react, seeing that Adam’s partner was a child, Poseidon’s child, and how cruelly him and Zeus had treated you- you were just a little girl desperate for food after being abandoned! He didn’t even know he was silently crying, tears streaming down his cheeks, not hearing the sobs of his wives who couldn’t begin to even think about treating one of their kids so cruelly.

-Odin was furious, silently staring, he was a harsh person, but to children, Odin was very gentle, and to hear of another father treating their child so cruelly, he felt sick.

-Loki was nearby, strangely silent as he was biting his bottom lip, trying to hide that he was crying himself, at least halting his sobs, but not his tears.

-You cupped Adam’s cheeks gently as he wept quickly, trying not to sob, just letting the tears flow, your smile was gentle as you spoke, “I’m okay Papa, it doesn’t hurt- and I’m not hungry anymore!”

-Your words made throats clench as he cupped your cheeks in return, smooshing your cheeks gently, making you squeak which made him smile gently, not wanting you to go but there was nothing he could do to change it. The least he could do was send you off with a smile.

-He swallowed hard, as his throat felt tight, like he couldn’t even talk before he inhaled deeply, “I’m proud of you- so proud of you.”

-Your eyes lit up, happy tears coming to your own eyes, “Really?” he chuckled softly at your elation, giving you a small nod, “I am- I couldn’t be any prouder to have a daughter like you.”

-You smiled brightly, your tears finally falling as you closed your eyes, “Bye Papa- I love you!” he embraced you, feeling you crumbling away until his arms were soon wrapped around nothing.

-Adam didn’t blame Brunnhilde, as you chose to fight, and you were able to get your own revenge, at the cost of your life and keeping him safe, and others didn’t blame the Valkyrie, as this could have been prevented if Zeus, and especially Poseidon, hadn’t been so cruel.

-Your loss lit a fire under humanity, the other warriors furious, wanting to fight and survive for you, so your sacrifice wasn’t in vain. Many gods started to argue, wanting to call of the tournament and punish those who had done such terrible things, like Poseidon.

-Hercules immediately defected to humanity, declaring his intention to fight for humanity, as did Buddha, who was planning on surprising everyone later, but decided to do it now, to make more gods side with humanity in the hopes of halting everything.

-Hercules and Adam both comforted Brunnhilde, who could do nothing to halt her tears, she knew this was a risk, but she was in anguish that you chose to protect Adam and give your life for him.

-A child should never have to make a decision like that.

-It was with their support and encouragement that Brunnhilde stood strong once again, the tournament now halted as the gods were furious and wanting to call everything off as Odin called an emergency meeting with him, Shiva, and Hades to discuss the future of Ragnarok.

[yanderecrazysie]

Idol Chapter One: Suits and Combat Boots (Yandere Haikyuu x Reader)

Chapter Two: here

WARNINGS: swearing

“You really have to stop doing this,” your Aunt Rika sighed, pushing back her short black hair away from her face. She tossed you an ice pack and you placed it over your black eye with a hiss of pain at the contact.

“You should see the other guy,” you joked, leaning your head back into the sofa to soothe its aching on the cool leather.

“There are other ways to earn money,” Aunt Rika said, walking over to the couch and sitting on the arm of it, looking down at your splayed form.

“Find me a way that doesn’t need a high school diploma and isn’t completely miserable and I’ll apply.”

“Actually,” Aunt Rika said with a smile, “I’ve been thinking about taking on an apprentice.”

You sat up so quickly that it made your head spin, “There’s no way in hell I’m kissing the shoes of some up-and-coming brat.”

“You wouldn’t be,” Aunt Rika replied, “I mean, there will be some coffee runs, but I’ll be mainly expecting you to communicate with choreographers, marketing, and studios, keeping an eye on their progress, and things like that.”

“I don’t have any fancy degrees, though,” you said quietly, looking up at the ceiling, “You know I didn’t even finish high school.”

“I pick the requirements,” Aunt Rika said, reaching down and giving your hair a ruffle, “And I think you’ll fit the apprenticeship role perfectly. Maybe you’ll even be an idol manager yourself one day.”

“Ahhh, nepotism,” you laughed.

Aunt Rika’s face twisted a little, “Let’s just think of it as me giving a shot to someone that wouldn’t normally get one.”

You nodded, “I can go with that.”

“Let’s get you in a suit,” Aunt Rika said, a smile tugging at her lips, “I’ve always wanted to see you in a suit.”

“Sure, but I’m not wearing any of those fancy shoes. They pinch my toes.”

“What will you wear then?” Aunt Rika asked, confused.

You grinned and put your feet up on the coffee table, showing off your faded black combat boots, “Why, these of course, dear auntie.”

Your aunt’s face twisted again as she internally fought whether it was worth an argument or not. Finally, she let out a weary laugh, “You’ll be the most… interesting manager these boys will have ever met.”

“Hell yeah I will,” you said with a laugh. 

You didn’t expect to be woken up the next morning at the asscrack of dawn and dragged to a high-end boutique. Before you knew it, you were standing in front of a full-length mirror, trying not to fidget as a tailor buzzed around you like a mosquito, adjusting the fit of your future suit jacket and sticking pins here and there. 

You felt more out of place than ever before, a healing black eye peering at expensive and designer clothes on every side. Your teeth tugged on your bottom lip and you let your shoulders fall into a hunched position.

“Stop slouching,” Aunt Rika said firmly, sitting up in the nearby plush chair, keeping her critical eye on the tailor that flitted around you. “You need to look confident, even if you aren’t feeling that way.”

You grimaced at your reflection and straightened up, but the stiff fabric made it hard, “I’m going to look like a fu-” the tailor shot you a look, “-flipping penguin in this getup.”

Aunt Rika raised an eyebrow, “A very stylish penguin.” She sighed at your unenthusiastic expression and continued, “You’re going to be dealing with professionals who expect a certain level of… decorum. First impressions make all the difference in this field.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever…” you muttered, but you knew she was one hundred percent correct. If you wanted to actually have a shot at making it anywhere in this world, you’d have to look the part.

You were still wearing your combat boots, though.

The tailor finished with your jacket and stepped back, arms outstretched, “How does that feel?”

You moved your arms up and down awkwardly, testing the stiffness of the fabric, “It’s fine… I think? I don’t know, I’m not used to this.”

Aunt Rika stood and walked over, circling you once and looking you up and down, “It’ll take some getting used to, but you look very professional.”

You looked at yourself in the mirror. The suit did look nice- black, sleek, well-fitted… it made you look older, more put together. 

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Aunt Rika led you next to the show section. You eyed the rows of polished dress shoes with utter disgust, already dreading what she was about to suggest.

“Alright,” Aunt Rika said, picking up a pair of fancy black leather shoes. “These will go perfectly with your suit!”

“No way,” you made a face, “My toes would just flat out die.”

Aunt Rika rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide a small smile, “You can’t seriously wear combat boots with your suit.”

“Says who?” you shot back, crossing your arms.

“Says common sense,” she replied, “But fine, let’s find something more… flexible.”

An hour passed without you agreeing on a single shoe. Your aunt eventually threw up her hands in the air and, surrounded by piles of shoes, said, “Fine! Combat boots it is!”

With clothes sorted, you moved on to accessories. Aunt Rika insisted on a simple, yet very expensive watch, and you reluctantly let her, not used to having so much money spent on you.

Even though she was your guardian and filthy stinking rich, Aunt Rika rarely spent extravagant amounts of money on herself or you. She preferred to live an average life or maybe she just didn’t want to spoil you.

But by the time you left the boutique, both of your arms were weighted down with shopping bags and you hadn’t spent a cent out of your own nearly-empty wallet. You hated letting people spend lots of money on you, but Aunt Rika insisted it was an “investment”.

As you both walked back to the car, Aunt Rika glanced over at you. “This could be a good opportunity for you. If you take this seriously, it could open doors for you.”

You dropped the bags onto the back seat of the car and avoided her proud gaze, “It’s just… a lot. I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“I’m here for you,” Aunt Rika said, giving you a reassuring squeeze of the shoulder, “We’ll take it one step at a time. I think you’ll surprise yourself.”

You nodded. Your aunt was doing you a favor by offering you this apprenticeship and not to another hopeful, more qualified person. This was your chance to prove something. To yourself or the world, you weren’t sure.

You climbed into the passenger seat and whispered, “Let’s do this.” You meant to say it to yourself more than Aunt Rika, but she looked over at you and smiled widely.

“That’s the spirit!”

Aunt Rika handed you a picture, "These are the boys we'll be working with."

You took the photo from her and looked down at it. The men in the picture were all clearly idols, with matching charming grins. You read the signatures scrawled across each idol.

Oikawa Tooru, Iwaizumi Hajime, Kuroo Tetsurou, Kozume Kenma, and Hinata Shoyo…

Little did you know, those five men would become your worst nightmare.

[marieisnothere12]

Things that happened in Epic: The Musical that differs from the Odyssey

Okay so spoilers for both obviously you have been warned. In addition, I dont remember everything so feel free to correct me or add smth you noticed!

Polites (Odyssey) dies bc of Scylla or Zeus’ bolt, not Polyphemus. He is in fact one of the men who gets turned into pigs.

Eurylochos (Odyssey) actually fucks things up—like a lot. He opens the wind bag and it was his idea to kill Helios’ sacred cattle. There might be other things but I cant remember.

Posidon never confronts Odysseus he just kinda messes with them but it’s not that direct. What occurs instead is a bunch of men die bc they literally went to the land of the giants (i cant spell their proper name so, canadians—get the ref?? Also, the giants couldve been norwegians. Confused? So am i)

Both winions don’t exist the lotus eaters are just ppl that are high asf

Also about Open Arms, instead of what happened there a bumch of Odysseus’ men got high and he had to drag them out

Songs 21 and 22

The distance between Troy and Ithaca is roughly 644 miles or 560 nautical miles, not 600 but I get why Jorge chose 600 i mean “644 miles of open sea” is a mouthfull

They stay at Circe’s island for a year, not like however long they did in Epic

Odysseus is CLEARLY faithful to Penelope in Epic. I say clearly bc Homer doesn’t know what r4pe is so it doesn’t help us (in the Odyssey, consemt w/ Circe was questionable depending on whos translation you’re reading and theres the telegony but Calypso was r4pe no doubt abt that)

In the Odyssey, Odysseus actually talks to the dead (his mom, Achilles, Agamemnon, Patroclus…) but in Epic they cant see him

That’s all i can remember rn and we still gotta wait for the Thunder Saga. All in all, Jorge did a good job adapting the Odyssey. I mean what’s fun abt the mythos is that it changes. I actually enjoy changes with the myths. However, like Mr Jalapeño himself said, “The Odyssey is cool expecially if youre in school.” DONT SUBSITUTE EPIC FOR THR ACTUALLY THING OKAY

[the-children-of-gotham]

Some people got confused on the newer electives at our school, so I’ve complied a list for you!! ^^

Strange Gotham University electives

Gothams Vigilantes and Villains: A crash course into both the protecters and destroyers of Gotham! It focuses on many topics including origins, first sightings, changes throughout the year (appearance otherwise), Suit designs, relationships with other hero’s and villains, etc

Batty gadgets and tech: A mini-course for engineering students looking into the schematics of Batman’s gadgets.

Villainous formulas: A mini-course for chemistry students analyzing things like Joker venom, Fear gas, and Banes venom.

Ivy botany: A unit in Botany class where we study the unique biology of Ivys plants as well as her pollens/spores.

Villain phycology: A unit in physcoanalysis where we look at what we know about the villians of Gotham and determine what went wrong in their lives and what we could’ve done to make them better.

V&V costume design: A mini-unit in cosmetics class where we look at the different suits used over the year and determine their effectiveness vs style.

And finally my personal favorite, Batfamily Conspiracy: It’s more of a club then a class, but a bunch of us get together every week and look at the facts and theories to try and figure out the identity’s of the Bafamily (and the Joker sometimes). The running theory is that Joker is Batman’s (who we believe is either Jim Gordon or a close relative of him) ex lover who took to a life of crime after being rejected and let down harshly by the man.

If you wish for more, I’ll see what I can do, but for now enjoy ^^ -Circe

[heliomanteia]

ngl its nice to finally see some actual analysis/understanding for Calypso compared to the rest of the fandom's immediate hatred and demonizing. All the other gods in Epic do just as terrible things to Odysseus but they get so much adoration from the fandom regardless of that. I'm just so confused on why the sudden hatred for this one goddess in particular came from. I could understand if it was just people reacting emotionally to Calypso's actions, but this feels different from that. What is it about this goddess that makes everyone react borderline violently?

"We need more complex female characters" — "you couldn't even handle Calypso" etc.

Calypso (overall but specifically her Epic self as the musical expands on her feelings) is very, very interesting to me.

I think part of the reason behind the fandom's reaction is the expected knee-jerk response to a character implied to sexually force another person. It's very hard for people to look past that veil and try to analyze the character beyond that surface level. I know that Epic is rather vague with what Calypso did/did not do but I choose to believe at least some physical intimacy is implied by both Love in Paradise and Not Sorry for Loving You. Even if not, it's still imprisonment — something very common in mythology, as you point out, though it's extremely rare that it's coming from a woman towards a man.

I don't know if it's deeper than that or not because Epic portrayed her pretty accurately to the source. People seem to very eagerly accept Circe and Circe's perspective despite it also coming from the place of power imbalance and intimidation, probably because the musical offered her narrative from a more sympathetic side. Maybe it's because most people sympathize with Odysseus? I personally think that he gets exactly what he worked for. I don't hate him but he's also not my poor baby boy either, #TrojanSquad

Also, I would be more willing to side with the "black and white" thinkers if this was a mortal character. Like, I understand people that have very strong feelings about Antinous (sort of, since Epic removed his young(er) age) because he's mortal and he's overstepping boundaries known to him and understood by him. But Calypso is a Goddess/Nymph and there's a lot of theory regarding the reception of the narrative of divine-to-mortal assault/enforcing of anything.

Calypso was not analyzed from her POV before Epic. In the Odyssey, she's a narrative tool: the perfect maiden (literally perfectly concealed! in ancient logic, any man would want her) who has not known anyone prior to Odysseus offering him dwelling, family, and immortality. Odysseus rejecting her is him rejecting every gift a man can have; much like with the Sirens, though then he was held back. The Odyssey is a big, long journey through various obstacles and rejection/overcoming of said obstacles and Calypso has no voice in that story, in a way. We knew nothing about her feelings aside from her showing frustration that Gods seem to have such an issue with Goddesses taking in lovers (much like you do, isn't it ironic).

Epic explores her as unapologetic and her feelings as genuine while also showing her actions as wrong (though she does not agree). I love it. Love fucking sucks sometimes, you know? People do cruel, horrible things justified by love (even Odysseus himself, Mr. "I will do anything to be with my wife, even war crimes"). There's so much to explore about her character because she literally has close to no known lore.

Thank you for sending it in, I'm rotating her in my head.

[therabine]

We've got some new cover art and as someone who works in digital media and deals with AI content on daily basis this new cover for Troy Saga set off an alarm in my brain. Naturally I sank into an analyzing spiral, because that's just how my brain works.

"Looks like an AI art with repaints on top" I thought to myself, but to be sure I've checked it with different AI recognizing software (remember kids, if you use AI to generate your art, other AI can reverse engineer the process and identify it!). But so can a human eye most of the time. Pay attention to the combination of these identificators:

- weird blur

- different lines of horizon in one image

- bonkers anatomy/construction errors

- high contrast

- a lot of nonsense happening in the background

The results of AI checkup on the new Troy cover art were mixed

"Okay, let's check out the original Troy Saga cover, I like this one"

Yep, it has no out of place blur, the wooden horse's anatomy doesn't weird me out, the backgrounds look nice, deliberately painted with attention and care, I can make sense of the individual strokes. Good to know that my eyes are still good for something.

"Just to be sure, let's check out the Cyclop's Saga"

Okay, now it's proper weird. Maybe the Hive is off caliber? Wait five minutes, let me make a quick AI Thunder Saga cover art.

Nope, still works. What about other covers?

Fascinating! To be honest Circe Saga cover art doesn't look like Ai to me (all three animals are drawn with nice proportions and the lion is probably drawn with the help of Symmetry tool in Procreate, AI is surprisingly shitty at doing perfect symmetry).

Maybe it's the style of the artist that's confusing to the AI detector? Zwist seems to be particularly fond of whirlwind designs in all of her artwork (bad AI art often does weird stripes and whirlwinds, especially when you're trying to generate something which doesn't have a lot of references for it in the dataset that AI is trained on). Let's run Hive on her original artwork with a lot of whirlwinds and a wonky tree.

...okay. Now that is weird.

Look, I'm not saying that Zwist is a bad artist or something, using Ai isn't against the law and she clearly can paint better than I do. She is talented, go show love to her original artworks that are not Epic related. Hell, I can't even prove with 100% certainty that AI was used at all. Just because I don't like the new Troy cover art doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy it too.

But the whole situation is fascinating to me. A lot of people on insta ask if the new Troy cover is AI, only to be shut down by fans who scream "no, that's just her artsyle and X confirmed that it's not AI, you are just haters".

YOU ARE NOW IN THE UPDATED PART OF THE POST

Special thanks to the people who shared the link to the new Troy Saga cover art speedpaint for erasing my doubts and providing a respectful conversation in the comments.

Watched through the speedpaint a few times, trying to figure why the end image became unsettling enough for a lot of people (myself included) to assume it's AI.

My guess is that Zwist has developed for herself an intricate decorative style, but isn't very familiar with so called 'academic' art.

Why do I think that? Well, I wanted to see how artists of the past depicted the wooden horse, and do you know what image you see when you type up 'Trojan horse' into Google? That's right, it's the giant prop from the movie Troy (2004). And you know, no shame here, using references to draw something you've never seen before is good, I'm just shocked I didn't recognize this design sooner it's very cool. What I really like about it is that it really looks like it's been made rather fast from the scraps of the broken down ships and yet it still resembles an actual horse. Look at the cute pointy ears! Look at the mouth of it! This gorgeous posture!

What's even better, it still exists somewhere in Turkey (well maybe not the actual prop, but the full size replica of it), so there's a ton of photos from different points of view. My best guess is that Zweist used this one as a reference for the new Troy Saga cover:

And here's a problem - this is a very complex structure to draw. Not only that, but Zweist also uses two light sources - moonlight from above and the light of the fire below, which means that we have two different sets of shadows emerging from these light sources.

Unlike all other covers that are very decorative in nature, this one is attempted to be very realistic, almost cinematic in its use of lighting. With all that extra complication it's easy to set yourself up for failure and get too much in the details while losing the larger shapes.

Unfortunately in her simplification of the original reference Zweist completely neglects all the intricate shapes and planes that make up the wooden horse. She forgets that wood cannot bend in circles like that, or that unpolished wood is a low-reflective surface (which means that even the lightest spot lit up by the firelight will be darker than the light on the sand/marble/metal coming from the same light source). It seems like she doesn't analyze the shape of it at all, so we lose the majestic posture and the shape of the horse head.

Just for the fun of it I used 1,5 hours of my time to photobash the reference photo into the original Zweist background. It's very rough (I literally painted everything using nothing but a standard Photoshop round brush and a computer mouse), but I think it gets my point across.

I'm too tired to redo the background and this post is already ridiculously long. But I think that it suffers from the same problems - lack of research and care. Those are just some random shapes taking up space. I get that it's supposedly a burning Troy we see around, but does it look like anything to you? I mean really? Again, it's just a shapeless mess. And all of that could be avoided with a bit of extra research and analysis. There's more to the ancient ruins that the same set of columns over and over.

So, what is can we learn from it? What is the conclusion?

Zwist is a talented young artist, but painting "realistically" isn't her strongest suit. You may like her style, or you may not, but I think there is a difference between "doing it your way" and "trying to succeed and failing". She may try to learn from this situation in two ways: 1) work around her stronger sides making the next covers with simpler designs and less intricate lighting or 2) practice the more realistic style and get better at it.

I don't know the exact reasons why the AI recognizing software flagged some of her work as AI generated. But I think that if it's not just your audience who starts to wonder if you used AI, but you somehow manage to confuse the very program that detects AI, then you've got a problem with your art.

If we want to beat AI companies in their game and stay relevant as professional artists we can no longer produce mindless art. We can no longer afford to produce sloppy work. As sad as it is, within next 10 years there is going to be a large shift in understanding and producing art as we know it. If the art we create can be easily replicated by AI or will look like it's been made with AI, then no one would bother to commission art from you. We have to adapt, to find new ways of exploring our creativity, perhaps even to create a new visual language of expressing ourselves.

In the end of a day human art always beats AI art. You know why? Because AI is not really Artificial Intelligence. It's just a very complex algorithm that is good at recognizing patterns. That's all it is. It doesn't have a conscience, it has no context for the human experience, it cannot think, and most importantly - it cannot invent.

So I want to end this post on the hopeful note - the art will survive. The artists will survive. And if we can learn anything from this situation is that kindness and open dialog is the vest way to deal with confusion. Once again I want to thank everyone who was kind enough to comment on and engage with this post. It grew out of love for something that is deep and personal to me (Epic) to a larger discussion of the changes in the world of visual art (something I love and care for even more). Hope this update spawns more nuanced and respectful discussion on the topic!

[schoolchaos]

Say No To This x Epic: The Musical

Eurylochus:

There's nothing like years out on the seas

Soldiers under stress meets someone looking pretty

There's trouble in the air, you can smell it

Captain faced her by himself, I'll let him tell it

Odysseus:

I hadn't slept in a week

I was weak, I was awake

You've never seen a king and captain more in need of a break

Longing for Penelope

Missing my kid

That's when Circe and her nymphs turned all my men to pigs, I said

Odysseus:

Hey there, lady of the palace

I'm so sorry to bother you at home

But I sent men to patrol, yet only one came back alone

She said

Circe:

All men have done us wrong

Beatin' us, cheatin' us, mistreatin' us

So yours are in their true forms

I'll never have open arms

Odysseus:

So I told her ‘bout my flower that lets me claim her power, she said

Circe:

It's like that, then

Odysseus:

I told her ‘bout how I had picked it with my bare hands

They were like god hands, she said

Circe:

From Hermes, then

Odysseus:

Then I said, "You should release my men"

She turned red, she led me to her bed

Let her legs spread and said

Circe:

Stay

Odysseus:

Huh?

Circe:

Hey

Odysseus:

That's when I began to say

Girl, what do you mean by this

Circe:

What do you mean you don't know what I mean by this

Don't you know I look so helpless

Your body should be saying, "Hell, yes"

Whoa

Odysseus:

No, I don't know what you mean by this

You want me to betray my wife for this?

In my mind, I'm tryin' to go (go, go, go)

Then her mouth is on mine, but I still say

No, no (Penelope)

No, no (Penelope)

No, no (Penelope)

No, no (Penelope)

Odysseus:

After the witch tried to seduce me,

Which confused me, my wife is not named Circe

So yes, after this endeavor, I became a beggar

For everyone's sakes I had to beg her, I said

Odysseus (+Circe):

Circe, I hope my words get through to your heart

For twelve years, my family has been apart

Our trip at sea has started to run out of luck

You see, we pissed off Poseidon and now we're so (fuuuu)

Odysseus:

Yeah, so, we made the wrong god gain a strong grudge

All because we may have given his son an eye nudge

But man, I just keep dreamin’ of seein' my wife

If the tides ain't right, then I'll miss my child's whole life

Circe:

I heard his words and my heart begun to race

Poseidon's such a disgrace, he said

Odysseus:

Circe

Circe:

Still dressed, apologetic, a mess, he looked pathetic, he cried

Odysseus:

We must go, please

Circe:

So Poseidon's wrath won't let up?

Odysseus (Circe):

I didn't realize he was the father (stop crying gods dammit, get up)

It was mercy, not a bother (you are ruined)

Please don't leave me with him, helpless (He is helpless, how could I help him?)

Circe (Odysseus):

I'll give you what you want so you can be free (Penelope, Penelope)

Whatever you want, I've been swayed

You’ll be safe (Gods, show me how to go home to her)

Odysseus:

I just wanna go home to her

Circe (Odysseus):

The situation's not yet helpless (helpless)

And my heart is being selfless

Odysseus (Circe):

Please, show me how to get home to her (whoa)

How can I get home to her?

I started losing hope (hope, hope, hope)

Then Circe released my men like I knew she would (yes)

Penelope

Odysseus (Soldiers):

Penelope, I just said no to this

Although there's no way I can go (home, home, home)

Circe:

Well…

There are other ways back home

[caramellcandy]

More from the Eurylochus Lives au but in this au Ctimene is a follower of Circe after she prayed for help with her and Eurylochus's daughter Elania who has witch powers thanks to Hermes. Worse awkwardly Circe is the one who has to tell Eurylochus, yeah your wife was pregnant before Troy and didn't tell you.

Other witch that saved Eurylochus is named Athea.

___________________________________________

When consciousness came to Eurylochus all he felt was confusion. This time instead of being on the soft sand he was on a soft and silky bed, looking down at himself he also realised he had been changed. Instead of his usual pauldron and purple chiton he was wearing a loose green garment. He groaned in pain.

"What? Where-"

"Welcome back to my home, Eurylochus. I'm afraid you'll be staying here for a long time." A familiar voice said.

He crained his neck up to see Circe but she looked completely different. Her hair was now up to her ears and it looked like it had been singed. Even more noticeable she had mutiple burn scars including one on her face. She also wore a more flowing gown and was holding a staff.

"Circe?" Eurylochus asked.

"It's me. We can talk in the dinning hall, the child who brought you here still hasn't awoken." Circe explained.

"Child?" He asked confused.

"Yes child but she's not just any child she's a witch. Your lucky she found you Eurylochus and tried her best to heal you. Unfortunately in healing you, she forgot to treat her own wounds." Circe explained.

Eurylochus then crained his neck to the side and took in the sight of the child who had found him. Banages were around the stubs of a missing thumb and finger. Her long ginger hair was matted and had a large silver streak running through it. Worse she had a large scar on her right eye. This girl had saved him despite him being responsible for the death of his friends. Worse she didn't even know him or understand how much of a monster he was.

"She should have left me to die!" Eurylochus said.

"You killed my Father's cow Eurylochus, death is not the right way to teach you a lesson." Circe explained.

"Wait, Helios is your father?!" Eurylochus asked, shocked.

"Yes and he's even more sentimental then me. Tying a man to his statue and killing one of his cows is the biggest insult one can give." Circe said, frustrated.

"I'm-"

"Sorry won't reverse what you did." Circe said.

"It's not fair though that I get to live but the men who had nothing to do with my mistake don't." Eurylochus argued.

"Listen someone changed your fate, I don't know how but they did. You have a second chance that rarely anybody gets. Your crew would want you to take it, Odysseus would want you to take it." Circe said.

"Odysseus is the reason I'm here. I hope he drowned painfully in the ocean!" Eurylochus said angrily.

"You have only yourself to blame. One mistake and like a coward you pass the blame back to Odysseus. If you had taken charge you could have saved all of them!" Circe hissed.

"I-"

"Like I said not here Eurylochus! Can you stand?" Circe asked.

Eurylochus tried to move his legs but it was like he was a stranger in his own body. His legs were parlazed he couldn't move.

"My legs! I can't feel my legs-"

"Nerve damage I suspect. Apollo should be able to help you. He helped run things whilst I was incapacitated. For now though." Circe said.

He blinked as he felt himself be levitated in the air. It wasn't the same as walking but it made him feel less useless. Eurylochus knew Zeus's attack had been bad but he now understood how bad it had been. He cursed himself for letting grief and anger consume him after Syclla. Circe was right Odysseus was partly to blame but it was mainly all his fault. He was the reason why Odysseus even had to choose.

"Anything else I should know?" Eurylochus asked.

"The lightning mainly hit your chest and legs so your lucky. You were very close to dying again, consider yourself very lucky. Men like you rarley get to survive." Circe said.

When they got to the dinning hall, Circe gently placed him on a chair next to hers. He was so hungry but he also had loads of questions that he needed answers too, one burning question in particular.

"By all accounts I should be dead." Eurylochus said.

"Yeah you should be but like I said somebody changed your fate."

________

Can't wait to write more of this au.

Especially after all the love with Eurylochus God Games.

Poor eurylochus is getting so much shit for killing the cow when when he just wanted to eat(and maybe die) :(

[alix-in-july]

the gods in Epic

I'm only going to be able to fully sort some of them because a lot of them appear only briefly

Zeus: Lion/Lion. Can you be a gloryhound if you're already "king?" Zeus doesn't play tricks but he likes games. He likes laying out all your choices and making you pick. These are all in the spur of the moment, though. When he gets pissed off, he just immediately smites you. And nothing pisses him off more than when Athena embarrasses him by beating him. He also likes being the "judgement call."

Athena: Bird/Bird. She sets up tests for people (the magical boar). She sees Odysseus, at first, as a project she poured time and effort into. She uses reasoned arguments to persuade the other gods. And she scolds Odysseus to turn off his heart and said his sentimentality is "not a teaching of mine."

Hermes: No idea, man. He's weird. He gives me Lion Snake vibes??? I'm really bad at sorting them because they confuse me. Hermes in the original was a Double Snake IIRC but this Hermes is just floating around trolling people with no backstory so I could see either.

Poseidon: Snake/Lion. His first words are screaming Odysseus's name: ODYSSEUS OF ITHACA!!! He then basically yells at him for an entire song and sinks all his ships but one. Snake:

In all my years of living/It isn't very often that I get pissed off/I try to chill with the waves/But damn, you crossed the line/I've been so gracious/And yet, you hurt this son of mine/That's right, the cyclops you made blind, is mine

If that's not a Snake primary, I don't know what is. That's basically exactly how I described myself a few posts ago. Just happily chilling UNTIL. Weirdly enough, he claims he wouldn't be mad if Odysseus had just killed Polyphemus instead of blinding him.

Circe: Snake/Snake. Her nymphs are like her daughters. She's only convinced by Odysseus when he sings about his love for his wife. She lures the men inside to trick them into eating the food and when Odysseus can't be beaten with magic, she immediately pivots to trying to seduce him. I could also be argued into Badger Snake.

Calypso: Snake/Badger. Snake for sure. From the jump she's singing about how Odysseus is the love of her life and that continues to be all she really sings about. Secondary was a bit harder but she doesn't lie or trick him like the Sirens and she doesn't use tools or arguments. She's just promising to take care of him and provide all he needs and trying to wear him down. She has that kind of Badgery softness even though she's a baddie.

Ares: Lion secondary. He is disgusted by Odysseus using cunning instead of just hacking and slashing everyone. I'm not sure of his primary. Ares focuses on Odysseus letting "his friends get devoured." But I think that could be Lion or Badger. Violence could also be his Lion cause, because he agrees once Athena says that Odysseus will make everybody bleed if he's released. I really want to say Double Lion.

Hephaestus: Badger/Badger I think, because he's most upset that Odysseus sacrificed his "cohort" and says, "Trust is not given, it's forged." He barely has any lines so this is tentative. We have a lot of doubles here.

Aphrodite: maybe Snake primary? Or else love is her "cause." She's most disgusted that Odysseus let his mother die waiting for him. No idea of her secondary.

I have no clue about Hera or Apollo.