#now laertes is also deeply flawed!

[laertesthelocalstranger]

"You're missing out. I'm afraid I have no choice but to name the skull patch Yorick." He's been taught about candle safety, alcoholism, sex, sleep, and breathing deeply all within the last month, but by god she knows her Shakespeare references.

Axel comes home to a dark apartment and a pair of near-yellow eyes reflecting oddly in the dark.

@laertesthelocalstranger

Axel noticed the eyes and paused. It took a moment before he decided the best course of action may simply be to turn on the lights and see what was going on. Maybe it was a lost animal or… a lost person. Not someone here to murder him. Why would someone murder him? Car troubles?

“…hello?” Axel asked as he turned on the lights.

[dootznbootz]

what are ur fave fanfic characterisations of penelope if any??

Okay, so like, in general. I'm so desperate for fics that are about Pen in general. I'll take really any sort of flawed and deeply characterized silly lady. give me headcanons about her that have nothing to do with Odysseus or Helen or Telemachus and I'll bake you cookies. (favorite color, mannerisms she has, phobias, scars, etc.)

So like, I'll take anything that just...really goes full throttle on HER characterization. like if she's quiet and thoughtful or the Chaos gremlin I see her as, as long as people show care and headcanons and go to delve into who she is as well, I'm happy. To me, I see OdyPen as "likeminded" and therefore, anything he would do? Yeah, she'd do it too. Both are smart and stupid at the same time. That's like, my ultimate fave characterization for her. I love my chaotic lil gremlin Water Woman and her equally chaotic gremlin husband.

That's my favorite. Hands down. I think it's so much fun when characterizing them both is to test out if "hey, would the other do that too?" while writing and working to be consistent with that :3

But as I said, I'm just desperate for Penelope stuff in general. and thankfully, just like Odysseus, (likeminded) she is also a "woman of many twists and turns" lol. There's a lot of different ways she is in the Odyssey. :) like it's honestly become my goal to have more things about Penelope in my writing than Odysseus to make up for others just...ignoring her. ;~;

Anything that has Penelope as "more than wife and mother" is fantastic. I've seen way too many basically place Penelope as this "Oh she's what Odysseus longs for!" and never go into WHY and/or about HER. Like, Odysseus loves his wife, absolutely fucking adores her. But there's a REASON why and that's because she's FUN.

Like fics with her being someone outside of what she is for Odysseus. as while I like OdyPen. I fucking adore it actually. I really hate seeing her as a prop for him. I mean my two fics that are up now are both OdyPen but I almost like, have Odysseus be the "secondary character" or like, "it's not about him. it may be his pov for some but It's about Pen, she's sick and stubborn and we're trying to take care of her". And even then, like with the sickfic, I wanted to show her being messy and imperfect and a persoonnnnn

I've found a few fics that have fun with her, but not as many as I'd like ;~; (those who do I love you)

and I mean anything. like, about her past, her siblings and parents, her feelings about motherhood, about Anticlea and Laertes, etc.

like an example I can think of, is when someone mentioned to me that their Penelope "always felt like she was in Helen's shadow". WHICH FANTASTIC!!! GREAT START!!!

But go into why and how exactly that takes form. :)

Is she grateful for Helen taking a lot of the attention? Feeling safer or a bit shyer and wishing to be left alone? Is she a bit scared with what happened with Theseus and Helen happening to her? Was she planning to be a Priestess of Athena before she married Odysseus?

Or was it something that bothered her? Made her feel "lesser than"? Did she resent Helen because of it? Did she WANT to be in the spotlight more? was she angry? etc.

lots of fics about her comforting Odysseus. understandable. but what about her? Does she wake up with nightmares? Thinking it was all a dream? Fear of the Suitors? etc. They are partners and will take care of each other.

stuff like that? What about cute moments of her being a mom to Telemachus? her and Anticlea weaving? etc. etc.

I always get a bit saddened when I'll talk to folks and they don't ever wanna go DEEPER about Penelope, but will about...practically anyone else... :') idk, it feels a bit like loving a doll that nobody else wants to play with? (some ofc, and I love you all who do.) and idk, gets a bit lonely playing with her and no one else wants to.

I mean, we have near nothing on Polites. (one line in the Odyssey) and people still have his past alllllllllll laid out. :/

I feel like some folks like "#odypen" more than they like "#Penelope" :/

Lil vent but I really don't like when fics (memes are fine. memes are fun) have this sort of "Penelope with her manchild husband Odysseus on a leash to keep him from being stupid" AKA the very same man who lead armies, is a king, came up with the Trojan Horse, etc. apparently needs his wife to act more like his mother and be like "nuh uh, no no Odysseus. No crime. Don't do that." as if she wasn't praying that the suitors died everyday and wasn't scamming people in the Odyssey

Sorry to go off on a vent in general, Dear Anon. But oof...Been a wee bit sad about it lately ;~;