#sort of achilles is a popular myth

[petrichormore]

Ghostie: “You should’ve dipped him [Dapper] in the River Styx like Achilles’ mom.”

Bad: “Yeah, but then I’d have to hold him by the ankles and he has really teeny-tiny ones. I’m afraid they’d snap off.”

[wolfythewitch]

Hiui it is 8am and I'm on the zcholl bus and my broam has not shut up about them

There's a lot of discourse about the achilles portrayal in the song of achilles which I agree with for the most part because the sanitization I feel erases the suffering of women and slaves the period was built on by minimizing the raping and violent nature of war hero achilles that Homer wrote - - however, I don't think tsoa ought to be read as a stand alone; tsoa is entirely written from patroclus' pov and I think that idealisation of the man is brilliant because of how grossly codependent they were

I think I really liked one redditors take on it, being [in context of 'the silence of girls'; a breseis pov of the iliad, where in achilles participated in the culture which used her as a bed slave of war] The tsoa protector achilles which defended women who mattered to him and was endlessly devoted, and the achilles that was complacent in the ritualistic abuse of the women he enslaved by pillaging their homes are both coexisting, and possibly one and the same

I personally view the Greek cast as sort of vocaloids, they're tools by which we understand the culture of the ancients, the way we envision their interactions is just a means for our practicing the pragmatics of how we come to understand the period

Okay frankly I'm not the best person to discuss this because I've only read like half of tsoa, but there's two disagreements I have I guess, based on what I Have read

One, as much it's not meant to be a standalone or something like that (to me, it is meant to be a standalone), because of its popularity in contemporary media it is being taken as one, and many people will have Achilles and Patroclus' image forever frozen as tsoa' portrayal. God knows how many comments I've gotten on my videos treating tsoa as fact. I can't really blame the author for that, but it is what it is.

Two, the idealization of man through patroclus' eyes would hold more weight if himself was not changed for the narrative either. Patroclus was a soldier, he was a healer, and he also had his fair share of women (who he slept with). Both of them did. Violence was not shied from, and slave women were war prizes. There are these insidious little rewrites throughout the story to further the narrative of Achilles and Patroclus' only loving each other, and in turn erasing what they've done to the other women in the story. (Taking in slave women because they wanted to save them is. A choice.) Deidamia in the myths, they range from at best her and Achilles falling in love to the point of intimacy, and at worst Achilles raping her. In tsoa, Thetis forced Achilles to sleep with her. Deidamia also forced Patroclus to sleep with her. That flip in the narrative is kind of fucked up, seeing as how both in the myths and in tsoa Peleus raped Thetis.

Trying to make a statement that it is written through the idealized eyes of man, well it doesn't really work here. If anything, it feels more like an author writing with the intent of not having her MCs be morally reprehensible. So Patroclus cares when the plot demands it (saving briseis, outrage when she is taken away. Asking Achilles to save the other slave girls) and not when it doesn't affect him (talking about his mother nonchalantly, questioning why thetis hated Peleus when he also acknowledged how Peleus was involved in her rape).

[ryebread-x]

Greek mythology relationships I feel like would make more of an interesting retelling or are sort of healthier than Hades x Persephone:

Some popular ones/Well known ones:

Eros x Psyche

Ariadne x Dionysus (or Dionysus x any of his lovers for that matter)

Apollo x Hyacinth (Same with Apollo x any of his lovers)

Penelope x Odysseus

Helen x Menelaus

Achilles x Patroclus

Eurydice x Orpheus

Ares x Aphrodite

Poseidon x any of his male lovers or Poseidon x Amphitrite

Some lesser known one:

Demeter x Iasion

Artemis x Callstio

Hypnos x Pasithea

Thanatos x Makaria

Hecate x Aeetes(In some myths, Hecate is credited as being Aeetes lover and Medea's mother)

Thetis x Eurynome(They are said to have raised Hephaestus in some myths)

Hephaestus x Aglaia

Iphis x Ianthe

Hercules x Hylas

Atlanta x Hippomenes

Another relationship suggestion that includes Persephone(while not technically myth accurate) :

Leuce x Persephone (Persephone is associated with the white poplar tree, which is the tree Leuce eventually becomes. They could be interpreted as a tragic love story)

Let me know if there are anymore I should add!

[johaerys-writes]

hey its the anon who was asking about achilles’ characterisation in the iliad! thank you so much for your answer, it was super informative and helpful. i think i very much had the wrong interpretation because i had a classics teacher for a year before my school scrapped the subject and they basically rambled about how achilles was a rapist and awful and went against the gods etc. without really going into the nuance of everything or explaining the context of heroes. i was kind of curious about your mention of hubris though? i thought that was a Big Thing in ancient greece because placing yourself on a pedestal above the gods was a guaranteed way to get yourself smote. sorry for acting like a student bugging their favourite teacher for an answer but you really do explain things so well 😅

Hubris is a big thing in ancient greece, you're right; there are so many myths where someone does something stupid and gets their ass whooped by the gods (e.g. Perseus and Andromeda, among many others). But it isn't exclusive to Ancient Greece. In fact, the idea of hubris may have started there, but it changed throughout the years and took different forms in literary tradition. In ancient greek mythos, hubris is usually violent or dangerous behaviours, such as extreme boasting, that are ultimately punished by the gods. In that sense, hubris is external, that means the punishment comes from outside. As cultures changed and the focus shifted more on the individual, hubris started being used to denote a personality quality of excessive pride and arrogance, which are big no-no's in Christianity. So hubris gradually became more of an internal thing, a cautionary tale to make sure the faithful stay humble and are rewarded in the afterlife. In the context of stories, that often comes with personal development of some kind, such as the protagonist seeing the error of their ways and changing their behaviour, which isn't really an integral part of ancient greek mythos as a whole.

Ancient greek hubris and christian hubris often become confused, and because we are taught that hubris is SO important to greek mythos, people try all the time to fit the Homeric works into these neat little boxes. The thing is that Homer does not fit into that; Homer was strange even when the works were written. The Iliad doesn't follow the traditional formulae of stories and myths that were popular at the time, especially oral poetry: it includes emotional change but isn't a story about personal empowerment; there is complexity and nuance in all of the characters but the characters are not idealised; it is a meditation on complex social and human themes such as the connection between rage and grief; it puts mortality, not morality, at the center of the story.

It shows how vulnerable the characters are through their rage or their grief or their passions in general, but the story isn't at all about characters being punished for their hubris or wrong-doings. For example, Agamemnon technically commits hubris in the very first book of the Iliad, when he refuses to give Chryseis back to her father and Apollo gets pissed off about it. This could be considered dangerous behaviour by ancient greek standards, and the Achaeans are indeed punished for it with the plague that Apollo sends their way. However, at the end of the day Agamemnon himself does not get punished for his transgression in any way. He gets everything he wants: Achilles rejoins the fight eventually, Hector is killed, Troy is sacked, he returns to Argos a victor.

Achilles, too, could be said to have committed hubris through excessive violence, when he killed so many people he clogged up the river and then fought the god Scamander himself; and yet he isn't punished by the gods or by the narrative, he is one of the few characters (perhaps the only?) that gets a redemption arc of sorts, by returning Hector's body to Priam and treating the old man with respect, thus showing us his generosity, his integrity, and the nobility of his character once again. And that's where the Iliad ends for him. Not with his death or with him killing even more Trojans or whatever, but with a poignant and moving scene between two people on opposite sides of a war, who have lost everything and yet still find this point of connection between them.

So Homer, and especially the Iliad, breaks all of those norms when it comes to traditional storytelling, and that's why I think it's a work that still baffles and intrigues so many classicists. That's why in my previous answer I said that it's important to keep an open mind, and to try to avoid blindly applying literary criticism devices such as cause-and-effect analyses or importing modern moral judgement and anachronistic theories in works like Homer.

I hope this helped! I love talking about the Iliad so if you have any more questions I'd gladly answer them <3

P.S. WOW that professor really needs to get their facts straight lmao, I'm sorry your first contact with the Iliad and Achilles was through a lens like that. It always astounds me how little some people actually know about the subjects they're supposed to be experts in, like to talk about Achilles, a character from the ILIAD, and to refer to him as a "rapist", a thing that only appears in later Roman works which were basically ILIAD FANFIC LMAO, and BAD fanfic at that because it was essentially anti-Greek propaganda......... wow wow wow

P.S.2 unless the "rapist" thing refers to him sleeping with Briseis/a slave, which WOW once again extremely myopic take, very culturally and contextually tone deaf, I wish they actually do their research and stop spreading slander, that's slander, like come ON

[baejax-the-great]

I've read a few papers regarding this art of Achilles and Ajax playing a board game during the Trojan war, and though there aren't any existing texts from back in the day describing this particular myth, here is my favorite interpretation of this popular motif.

Achilles and Ajax sit with their shields behind them and a board game between them (in this version, they are calling out numbers and Achilles is winning). Achilles' helm sitting on top of his head suggests he is slightly readier to return to the fight if needed. In other versions, Athena stands behind Achilles and is urging him (possibly even scolding him) to get back to the war. There are references to the two of them being so caught up in this game, they are taken unaware by Trojan troops. Being Ajax and Achilles, however, they manage to survive.

My favorite interpretation is that this event is a non-Homeric myth of Achilles refusing to fight-- this time with Ajax joining him in that refusal-- over the death of Palamedes, who argued they should all go home from this pointless war, and whom Odysseus and Diomedes subsequently murdered, framing it to look like an accident. Achilles, who is generally depicted as very morally uptight regarding things like murder, opposed this action, and in this story was incensed enough to quit the fight over it. It is possible he was also influence by Palamedes being a close friend.

What is known from extant myths is that 1. Palamedes invented a board game while at Troy and 2. The soldiers became obsessed with this game to the point that 3. Odysseus was very ticked off at how much everyone was playing it rather than killing Trojans.

Thus, Ajax and Achilles sitting not only with their helmets off and shields on the ground, but specifically playing Palamedes' board game while Athena scolds them to get back to the war could be a nod to more quarreling amongst the Achaean leaders after the murder of Palamedes.

Soldiers quitting a fight over a moral disagreement (and eventually coming back to it) was a popular trope in stories of this time, and Achilles became the sort of catchall stand-in for this kind of myth. I think it's fun that in this version, he gives the other leaders a sort of "fuck you" by playing a friendly game with his good bro Ajax.

[thoughtfulfangirling]

Ooh @docholligay thank you for asking. Scrolling through my reads, my stand out favs for various reasons would be:

Lavinia by Ursula K Le Guinn. I would place this as historical fiction with magical realism elements (she meets a 'ghost' of the dying man Virgil who finds himself disappointed about how little thought he put into writing Lavinia and he tells her some of her future).

She Who Became the Sun even tho it was a reread. It's relevant tho because it's sequel came out this year and so...

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan. God it was so good! Right now this duology is my favorite book entirely! XD

Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Brennan. He makes the argument that people are fundamentally good and dispels a lot of myths surrounding popular arguments for why we're inherently bad. I think about this book a lot! I had to order a hard copy so I can reread it soon and highlight all sorts of shit.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. I'm not one to much follow authors from one book/series to the next, but I have a feeling I will follow her!

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert was a cute little romance I very much enjoyed.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt was such a lovely human story even tho sometimes the narrator is an octopus hehe

Lots more were very much enjoyed and great but these stand out!

[hematomes]

pspspsp i am asking u to info dump about greek myths rn bc i never got into em when i was younger bc i didnt know where to lear about them sooobbbsss

I FORGOR

okay so uhhh just a disclaimer while i am a greek mythology enthusiast i am also not a reliable source AVSJA and i mostly like. stories from different sources and different interpretation. like when i see a myth i like to just take it and be weird abt it

my favorite example: icarus. from the main source, he's the son of dedalus and they got locked in his father's labyrinth, right. and dedalus made wax wings for icarus, and warned him to not get too close to the sun, otherwise the wings would melt. but icarus did it anyway, and fell into the sea

on the other side you have 2 icons for the sun: apollo, the god of sun and arts, and helios, the literal allegory for the sun, who rode the solar chariot every day (hence the rising and setting sun).

what drew icarus to fly too high was hubris, kind of the arrogation of mankind & its consequences (im rly dumbing it down bc i myself am dumb btw. and french so. words. excuses). but i like to involve apollo and/or helios in that, and to extrapolate a lot, often with the common trope of love (not necessarily romantic or sexual) between a deity and a mortal. ik a lot of people who are into mythology (especially in the spiritual sense, but not just them) hate the "fandomification" of myths but i personally like being silly about it and actually often draw parallels between (extrapolated) myths and ocs and/or characters. icarus/apollo/helios make me think of xiaoventher for example!!! so im 0% normal about them:)

anyway yeah the main point is that my enjoyment of greek myths is kind of surface-level, i could brainrot abt certain stories like narcissus and echo but i might start vibrating out of existence. also find hades and persephone to have an amazing story but it was slightly ruined by the comic lore olympus 💀

however a few funny things imo: hephaistos (not 100% sure that's his name in eng.....) was so ugly his own mother, hera, threw him off a cliff as an infant. zeus has to put him in his calf to let him kind of heal??? athena was also born fully grown and with her whole armor from zeus' HEAD. insanity

BUT YEAH IDK I LOVE IT but i also have a very bad memory so. i did get a whole class studying the gods 2 years ago tho, that was so cool. but i never read percy jackson 😔

tbh id say reading ovid's metamorphoses that's really good!! it's kind of an anthology with a shit ton of myths, and one of the most popular sources so i rly love it <333 and there's also the iliad and the odyssey for troy's war (with namely achilles, ajax etc) and odysseus' journey from troy to his wife and kid. it's kind of hard to read imo, but sort of the base material so ZBDJZN

[amphiptere]

Does anyone have any good adult Greek mythology retellings recs? I have no interest in the Song of Achilles, found Circe to have lovely writing but lacking in sort of female solidarity, too slow and boring, and constant awkward inserts of Circe into myths she had no business in just to create some sort of plot, I also found Ariadne to be slow and boring and thought it also focused too much on less relevant stories and I disliked it’s Men Bad message as overly simplistic and boring (I posted a short sort of review/complaint if anyone’s curious), and I mostly liked The Silence of the Girls since I think it did a great job with its portrayal of women, slavery, brutality, and just the general levels of complexity and nuance were excellent, but it was too slow for me and never quite grabbed me. I’m interested in basically every story except maybe not anything more with the Trojan War since I’ve read enough with that lately. I just have had so little success with the books I do see recommended and that seem to be popular. So if anyone has read any other books and can comment if based on the above, I might enjoy them or not, I’d love to hear it!

[honeyblockm]

I absolutely NEED your takes on tsoa I think I may die if I don't hear someone else talk about it

well they're kind of /neg so if you don't want to hear me complain about it for a little while then probably scroll away sfjdkj

so like i don't think madeline miller is a bad writer. i think her writing is pretty banging actually. I just think some of the ways she took her book was a little. hmm. WELL. it wasn't for me ^_^. Also i didn't read the whole thing bc i did not have interest in finishing it but i have skimmed most of it. The way Patroclus is characterized irks me especially like bro... he got defanged (in service of playing into, in my personal opinion, some :| mlm dynamics). i really do prefer more the patroclus in the iliad where his relationship with achilles was on more even footing. and he was a warrior! a damn good one! and not at all immune to getting caught up in the bloodlust and violence of the war! the trojans literally have to have apollo kill him because he was going on a huge murder spree, achilles' armor or no! i can see what miller was going for w the stuff about portraying the brutality and cruelty of war ig but to me that's a really odd leap to make for the characterization of a main character. Patroclus is nice, ofc. i love that guy. but mannnn let him kill people let him be affected by culture of his time let him folly!

also i feel like the book wouldn't have gained mainstream popularity with the. ........... crowd if patrochilles' characters hadn't been warped into something that could be crammed into easily digestible weird gay tropes. (though i don't think this was the intention of madeline miller.)

next thing. ehehem once again the (sort of) sanitation of shitty aspects of the iliad like... briseis. idk. i don't always want to read the silence of the girls type bare and brutal recounts of all the shit that happened to women. sure. and i guess it mightve been a precipice point for a lot of people who want to enjoy the protagonists? but it also feels weird how it's glossed over like the book's going wink nudge don't worry guys patrochilles are one of the good ones unlike all the other greeks. there's nuance to be had, though tsoa just seems to skate around it instead.

and oh this is an interesting one kind of related to the previous point but the way most of the women are portrayed is a little.. well why are they all set up as antagonists of a sort (except briseis). why are women like deidameia and thetis set up as obstacles between the two protagonist's epic gay love story or whatever, with only the barest of sympathy for their positions in the world?

+ every time i go into the iliad tag i have to scroll past 294020 tsoa posts where everyone acts like a marvel character and honestly, things have earned my undeserved scorn for less. lol

sighs deeply. anyways. it's a fine book. it's literally fine. whatever man there's way worse books and i am speaking from experience. it was kind of fun i liked the odydio snippets. i don't think it's ruining greek mythology or killing people or whatever, I'm just too bitchy to set my differing opinions aside about it. i would know him by touch or whatever that one went is a pretty epic quote. i have another line from it in a tentative webweave document rn. it's pretty cool but i hope queer retellings of greek myths get better from here on out. grits teeth. whatever man

[jeannereames]

Have you read "Song of Achilles"? What do you think about it?

Overall, I liked it. Unlike some critics, I wasn't much fussed by the modernization of Achilles's relationship with Patroklos because, well, it's a myth in the first place. Myths always undergo manipulation each time they're retold in order to speak to the audience hearing it; she's just the latest in a string. She queered the story for the early 21st Century. I'm cool with that. I might have preferred she not draw the shade on sex scenes (YMMV), and show us a little more clearly why the two boys work as a pair. It seems more assumed than demonstrated because of course, they are. But I want to see why. Again, YMMV.*

That said, I DID have more serious issues with how she handled Achilles's mother Thetis--the same as I have issues with how Mary Renault handled Olympias. There's no evidence (at all) that Thetis disliked Patroklos--far less than the smear campaign the ancient sources took to Olympias (and Hephaistion). So the negativizing of Thetis, the sole major female character outside Briseis, by a female author (in this day and age) troubled me. I'm hardly the first to point it out, and I think Circe was an attempt to silence her critics.

For that matter, I was irritated with Pat Barker's handling of Briseis in The Silence of the Girls--supposedly a retelling of Homer from a feminist perspective that started well and ended in a confused mishmash. Briseis's story was eaten by Achilles’s. Maybe that was her point (the "silencing" of the girls), but she failed to underscore it well enough, imo. Achilles sucked all the air out of the room, as he tends to do--and got away from her.

By contrast, if you want to see a master of subversion, read Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad. It's not perfect, but when it comes to TRULY writing a book about subaltern perspectives on ancient epic, she nailed it. She not only flipped the narrative, but by the end of the book, she'd flipped it AGAIN.

Yes, it's Penelope's story, but Penelope lies (well done!) and by the end, Atwood has exposed that even a "feminist" retelling by centering an elite woman's voice is not that radical. She re-centers the (virtually) unnamed "Handmaids." Brilliant. But Atwood's take is also brutal, not lyrical or romantic, unlike The Song of Achilles or The Silence of the Girls, in places. ;) You won't walk away from Atwood drawing fanart. It's not that sort of book.

(Full disclosure: I've taught Miller (Song), Barker, and Atwood in a class on Greece in historical fiction, so I've done a lot of thinking about the thematic arcs of all three: where they work and where, imo, they fail.)

Anyway, I get that Miller sought to challenge traditional (straight male) readings of Homer with a queer-centered one. I'm all for that. I just found it unfortunate that Thetis was negativized when it wasn't necessary or in the original story.** (New info added below.)

This raises a complicated question about how female authors write female characters in ancient or medieval worlds, even fictional ones. There's some very good recent discussion by female SFF authors, including popular tropes that, while they might seem feminist on the surface...aren't. They can be rather shallow. Anyway, you can run a search for SFWA discussion of the matter.

An even more troubling trend among some female authors of historicals (and historical fantasy for that matter) is the vilifying and/or erasure of female characters. This comes up with Mary Renault, which can be a shock to some of her fans. (Seriously. Think about how she portrays not just Olympias but most women in her Greek historical fiction. It ain't pretty.)

Renault had issues with both gay activism (yes, really) and also with women, including other lesbians. Her attitude is reminiscent of the "Iron Lady" Margaret Thatcher. Women must become "honorary men" in order to be taken seriously and so they must denigrate other women. Renault's own words doing so are documented in her bios (Sweetman and Zilboorg). Nor has this really gone away among some women in male-dominated professions, unfortunately.

I don't consider Miller to have anywhere near the same issues Renault did. Yet even for writers who consider themselves feminists, it can be tough to recognize JUST how deep these hostile tropes GO. And so they accidentally repeat them.

If you're not familiar with the Bechdel Test, let me recommend it. ;) Film, novel...doesn't matter.

I hope that, even in a novel about a misogynistic society with two male lead protags, I did some justice to the women, especially poor Olympias/Myrtale. That said, were I to start writing the novels NOW (remember, I started them in 1988 when I was 24 years old), I would probably have centered Kleopatra and Kampaspe even more. You can be sure they have important stories, going forward. ;) So do a few other women.

--------------

*To be fair, some readers didn't like that aspect of Alexander and Hephaistion's relationship in Dancing with the Lion: Becoming. They wanted it to Just Happen Already! But I'm allergic to that sort of romantization; it feels like short-circuited characterization. So reader preferences can vary.

** I recently had a chance to chat with a woman who knows Miller, and knows the Iliad extremely well too, and I asked her if she happened to know why Miller handles Thetis the way she did? She said it's because Thetis's entire goal is protect Achilles, and as a goddess, she had the power to do so--and saw Patroklos as very human and in the way. Ironically, that's exactly why Olympias clashes with Hephaistion in Dancing with the Lion. In the little short story "Two Scorpions" available on the website, I made that even blunter. I will say that, with more women in the story, I had the chance to show her protective side towards others at the court (not just Alexandros), that gives her greater dimension.

[wordsmithic]

That book sounds interesting!! Thank you for showing me! The blurb had me at "sunken city", haha; love that kind of setting.

As for your question, I should start by saying I'm Indian so I don't generalise! And if we're talking about books written by Indians (as in, not an English language book that is on the NYT best seller list and so people here are reading it too), then retellings of the Mahabharata in particular are very "in" for the last few years. Like most things they range from absolute waste of paper to genuinely good work.

(There's a YA/Marvel-esque original movie coming out soon too based on Hindu mythology, though that's an original script.)

Obviously while it's an understatement to say that Hindu mythology is very... alive (is that the right word?) here, there's also this sort of implicit understanding of 'original' and 'modern derivative', I think? So there's plenty of derivative work while the traditional stories are more "authoritative", if you'll excuse me using that word for mythology, haha. (And of course people will have problems if they don't feel the author has been respectful)

Hopefully, it turns out to be great! I really liked the idea of the sunken city!

I suspected you might be Indian because on Tumblr I've seen posts from Indian bloggers that alluded to retellings of the Hindu gods. I've seen there are recent Indian adaptations of the Mahabharata (and I would totally watch the Marvel-esque original movie you mention 😂). But I imagine you are, right now, talking about Indian retellings in the style of Madeline Miller's Song of Achilles but for Hindu gods and heroes? If yes, I had no idea such books were so popular in India! And to do it with gods that your nation still worships is such a foreign idea to me, really!!! My mind goes "how don't they find it offensive???" 😂 And when I saw the posts I was thinking "they have no problem with that?? how?? but they still worship these gods!! hoooow??"

My thoughts are such because in Greece the idea of retellings can feel a bit… sacrilegious, even if the book is somewhat decent. We also recognize the difference between the ancient and the modern when it comes to some adaptations but our ancient is kind of... left alone for so long, and we have devoted millennia to transferring it intact to the next generations. So our way is to just safekeep it and pass it on. Altering an ancient story for a modern audience feels like "smearing" the original. It's like trying to attach a Honda to a 2.000-year-old golden carriage. It spoils the beauty, purpose, and grandiosity of the carriage. So, when we are exposed to how other people write in a modern way about their old texts and gods, we project our own values there.

But, since the approach totally depends on the culture and how its people feel about the matter, I am obviously not the one to tell Indians how to feel! And I am fascinated by how Hinduism is incorporated differently into the daily lives of the worshipers, compared to the way Orthodoxy does it for Greeks as our ethnoreligion. (My mind is still blown from the cultural shock, though, give me some time 😵😂) The possibility of another bad Greek myth retelling makes my skin crawl but you probably have hundreds, if not thousands, in your own country! Wow... h-how do you deal with it without 50 psychotherapy sessioooons?? You are so brave??? (I am fine, I am fine 😂)

By all means, feel free to get in my DMs with some good retelling recommendations of ancient Hindu stories (trans. into English if possible because I don't know any Indian language(s) 😔) But if the good ones are not translated into English you can also tell me about them and why you like them! I am so CURIOUS!

[technospotatoes]

Anarchist Syndicate Codenames Analysis

OKAY so this is something I came up with on the fly and I spent about 1-2 hours on it instead of my lit essay lmao. I’m just focusing on the current members of the Anarchist Syndicate and how their Codenames correlate to their characters and what they could mean within context of the DSMP. 

Buckle your seatbelts, it’s gonna be a long one. 

Let me know your thoughts and opinions!

Techno: Protesilaus

1. A hero in the Iliad who was honored at cult cities in Thessaly (birthplace of Achilles) and Thrace (sired valuable mercenaries and soldiers)

2. Was the first to die in the Trojan war

An oracle prophesied that the first Greek to walk on land after arriving by ship would be the first to die. 

After killing four men in the war, Protesilaus was killed by Hector. 

3. The Cult of Protesilaus

A shrine in his honor

Organized games in his honor

Tomb was visited by Alexander the Great

4. Possibly distantly related to Heracles

Unclear

Protesilaus’ father was Iphicles: a half brother to Heracles

Analysis: 

Techno is a well-rounded soldier/fighter and often utilizes his catchphrase “Technoblade Never Dies”; so it is ironic that he would choose Protesilaus as a codename, even though he was the first death in the Trojan war. Given he was a talented soldier and killed many before his death from Hector, Protesilaus died in conflict, but his legacy lived on. The Cult of Protesilaus could be a subtle reference to the Anarchist Syndicate that he created with Phil, or a coincidence. 

Techno’s codename could be foreshadowing his fate within the SMP in future conflicts. If this is the case, Dream could possibly represent Hector, and take his final canon life/lives. 

Phil: Zephyrus

1. God of the West Wind

Known as the gentlest of winds

Messenger of spring

2. Reported to have many wives

Husband to Iris (goddess of the rainbow) 

Abducted the Goddess Chloris, and fathered Karpos 

Karpos was known for his beauty, also a living metaphor of the coming of spring and bearing fruit

Was said to be the father of Achilles’ horses (with one of the Harpes from the Iliad-- a seer)

Analysis: 

Phil is canonically depicted with wings, as is Zephyrus, so it is a cute little character detail. Interestingly, Zephyrus is the “gentlest of winds” and “the coming of spring”, which is ironic to Phil’s character who insights chaos (see Doomsday and interest in anarchism). It seems odd to me that a character who shows rather unpredictable qualities would choose a name that is synonymous with rebirth/new beginnings and peace. But he does want to revive Wilbur, bringing about a new beginning for him. 

What I think is particularly interesting is we can analyze from the familial ties. Zephyrus married Iris, goddess of the rainbow, which could very well represent Mumza (Kristen) AW. Zephyrus’ son, Karpos represents the coming of spring and bearing fruit; which in the DSMP lore could be connected to Wilbur. Wilbur’s one passion, bringing up L’Manburg could very well be a reference to this fruit. [Also, within the myth, Karpos’ mother Chloris could be the Samsung Fridge we all know and love.]

Ranboo: Lethe

1. One of the rivers of the underworld of Hades

Flows around the cave of Hypnos (meaning sleep, or hypnosis) 

Those who drank from it experienced complete forgetfulness

Lethe was also the name of the Greek spirit of forgetfulness and oblivion

2. Some ancient Greeks believed that souls were required to drink from the river before being reincarnated, so they would not remember their past lives. 

There is another river, Mnemosyne, which is the river of remembrance. (causing the opposite effect of Lethe) 

Souls are given a choice to drink from either river, and if they choose Mnemosyne, they become all-knowing and akin to gods. But they are not reincarnated.

Analysis: 

Now here is where this stuff gets interesting. Ranboo’s character is notorious for his memory deficiency, which is a direct call to his codename, meaning “forgetfulness”. He states that the cause of his memory loss was due to a traumatic incident-- Ranboo doesn’t remember his family, where he comes from (etc). In popular myth, souls must drink water from the river Lethe to forget their past lives if they choose to be reincarnated. My theory is that Ranboo died before joining the SMP plot, and most likely consented to his memory loss to be brought back to life; likely an offer from Dream. Rather than moving on to the afterlife (“drinking from Mnemosyne”), he chose to be someone’s attempt at revival. Knowing that there is a river that brings about the adverse effects of Lethe, we can theorize that there is some hope to recover Ranboo’s memory. 

Now that person who revived Ranboo could be Dream, Schlatt or Foolish. Dream, because he wants to bring Wilbur back and is keen to experiment, Schlatt, because of his knowledge and curiosity of the revivebook, and Foolish because he is known to be a god of death. 

Ranboo’s enderwalk state can also be tied to the word “oblivion”, which means he is unconscious or unaware of what is happening, even though he may retain information from those events. Dream is likely in control of when Ranboo enderwalks, or they can see through each other’s eyes in those periods. (See when he visited Dream’s hideout, and recalled his Attachments speech. See also Ranboo’s prison hallucination, despite never actually visiting)

Niki: Unknown/TBD

Potential names I think are cool: 

1. Rhamnousia/Nemesis

Goddess of revenge, or those who succumb to hubris

Niki seeks revenge on those who did her wrong... Specifically Tommy

2. Persephone

Queen of the underworld

Lover of Hades, and chose to live with him

Niki chose to join the syndicate of her own accord, and feels wanted and appreciated there

I believe that Niki has an important role to play within the Syndicate, and we shouldn’t underestimate her ability. This is a setting that is very appealing and redeeming for her character. and Niki has also voiced her opinions on revenge and being spoken over in the past-- so it would be satisfying to choose a codename that resonates with those values. 

Unknown: Harpocrates

1. God of silence, secrets and confidentiality

2. Adapted by the Greeks from the Egyptian god Horus the Child

Who represented the rising sun

3. Father was Osiris, the original divine pharaoh of Egypt

4. Culturally represented by roses

Often found painted on borders of ceilings of rooms intended for the receiving of guests. 

A sign that topics discussed within the room are not to be shared or repeated outside the room 

Roses symbolize confidentiality

5. Could also represent childhood, or childish joy, 

Statues of Horus are described with a finger held to the mouth (egyptian symbol for child, Greco-Roman symbol for silence)

My personal candidates:           (in order from most to least likely)

Karl-- association with the Inbetween and the wither roses, events in the Inbetween are not to be mentioned to anyone. Karl is known to keep secrets (his secret library and time-travel powers)

Connor-- Knows Karl’s “secret” (possibly his time-traveling abilities-- not confirmed), and Tommy first confided in Connor with his “secret” that Dream revived him

Foolish-- His summer home is literally the depiction of ancient Egypt. He has also stated that he is a totem god, or god of death and new beginnings, akin to that of the rising sun. 

Hannah-- not likely, Techno referred to Harpocrates as a “he”, but she is strongly associated with roses. Is currently tied with Egg lore, and Techno does not want anyone with ties to the Egg. 

Callahan-- a silent character. Could possibly know more secrets about SMP members due to his often appearance. No current lore to show any motives

Quackity-- unlikely, due to his capitalism arc and lore coming soon, but he could utilize secrets and confidential information to his benefit… as a sort of “payment”

Fundy-- very unlikely, however fundy is known to be sort of childish. His father was Wilbur, the creator/original ruler of L’Manburg (See Osiris)

Harpocrates could also be a new addition to the SMP as well. 

[bigfirecreator]

Protector - Chapter 2

Virgil was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice anything before it was to late.

He looked around to find his headphones were lying on the ground next to him along with someone else.

“Oh my gosh are you okay? I am so sorry  I wasn’t paying attention.” He sputtered.

“It’s alright you seemed to be having a rough day from the looks of things and beside I shouldn’t have blocked your path…. Um Virgil correct?”

Virgil found him staring at the most popular person in school ever. Roman Mensch was looking down at him and was offering his hand to him. He quickly was pulled to his feet and was standing face to face with him.

“Yeah and you’re Roman correct?” he mumbled.

“Yes we have history together anyway I should be heading to class but maybe we could talk some more…. Also Happy Birthday!”

“How did you know it was my birthday?”

“Well two people are quickly making their way towards you with a bunch of balloons and gifts in hand so I kind of put two and two together.”

And with that Roman smiled and walked away leaving Virgil dumbfounded. He soon felt himself picked up from behind snapping him out of histhoughts.

“Patton what are you doing?”

“It’s a Birthday hug Virgil! Me and Remy wanted to celebrate so we got a bunch of stuff.”

Virgil looked up to find Remy had his hands filled with birthday presents and balloons but still managed to carry his Starbucks.

“Remy is all that stuff for me?”

“Of course it is your birthday and from the looks of things you are having a decent day so far…” Remy smirked and began to sip his drink a smile on his face.

“What do you mean?”

“Girl, it is so obvious you are in love.” Remy then handed him the gifts and slowly sauntered off.

Patton let out a squeal of delight.

“I’m so happy for you! Tell me more as we get to class the bell should be ringing in any minute.”

“But I’m not….”

~

He sat down and was immediately overwhelmed. Virgil’s teacher was weird and obsessed with myths and legends and a lot of the time instead of learning what they needed to they would end up on discussions involving unicorns,achilles, and etc. Today his teacher decided to talk about dragons. He let out a groan and put his head down and glanced up to find Patton giving him a concerned look. He was about to reassure Patton but all of a sudden the teacher was in front of his desk.

“Mr. Ladon would please explain why a Chinese dragon would be carrying a pearl?”

“Um...It was because after they reached a certain level they would obtain a pearl and they usually represented wisdom or power..” Virgil felt his heart speed up.

“You are somewhat corre-”

He didn’t wait to hear the rest he quickly left the room and made his way to the bathroom and he looked at his hands to find his fingernails had morph to claws. He was about calm down when he notice bulge on his back. He took off his hoodie and a pair of bat like wings stuck out.

Virgil didn’t know how long he waited in there but when he walked back into class he was given a lecture.

Today was going to be a long day.

~

By the time the school day was over all he wanted to do was go home and lock himself in his room forever but before he could a small pixie flew right up to him and handed him a paper of some sort. It contained an address and nothing else.

Virgil used his phone to help find the way. The building look like an ordinary thrift shop of some sort and the sign said closed but the lights were on inside.

“Hello?” The door was open but he didn’t see any one. He walked all the way inside and notice that everything was meticulously placed throughout the place. He found a person his age hunched over a desk mumbling incoherently and writing something.

“Um,excuse me.” The person jumped but once he looked at Virgil he relaxed.

“Salutations, I’m very sorry I lost track of time. Virgil correct?”

“Uh yeah and don’t worry about it you seemed busy.”

“This is just some paperwork that is due next month but there is no point in explaining, I am Logan Ophiuchus your trainer and if you don’t mind let’s get started.”

@emphoenixcat @mirror2thespirit @icouldhaveabettername @6tick6tock6 @creepyfloof  @cypriusgray @julia6181

[justgotham]

Evil seems to thrive in Gotham City. No matter what Jim Gordon or the GCPD sacrifice, the villains keep plotting and scheming to take over Gotham City – and take out the competition. In the Season 3 finale, Barbara executed Butch, so in retaliation, Tabitha electrocuted Barbara. Oswald commanded Mr. Freeze to put Edward on ice; a brain-washed Bruce stabbed Alfred in the chest; and Selina turned to Tabitha for guidance and an ally. Now, more than ever, the people of Gotham City need a Dark Knight to champion them – and they may finally get one in Season Four.

Ahead of the season premiere, Gotham showrunner John Stephens recently spoke with CBR about Bruce’s destiny, the Scarecrow’s fearful return and the coming of Solomon Grundy. And, he addresses once and for all, whether Barbara is actually Harley Quinn — and whether the popular character will even arrive in Gotham at all.

CBR: Last year ended with plenty of cliffhangers and various characters at crossroads in their lives. What was your mandate or main objective that you wanted to achieve in Season 4?

John Stephens: It’s a couple of things. One, we wanted to continue to deepen Jim Gordon’s character and find new complexities, sides and angles to him – and have him continue to compromise himself ethically. Then, we wanted to have Bruce take a couple bigger steps towards becoming Batman. We’re not going to get there, obviously, in this season, or probably the show. But, we wanted him to do things where the audience could look at him and say, “Oh, I see that’s where that piece of the Batman myth came from.” I think we do that over the course of this year. A couple of big pieces of that personality get put into place. And, also, you want to do it an unexpected way.

Bruce adopts a secret identity. What motivates him as he moves forward?

A couple of different things — the biggest thing motivating him at the beginning of the year is the knowledge of Ra’s al Ghul being out there, perhaps in Gotham. Bruce feels he needs to prepare himself for the day that Ra’s actually makes a move against him. That motivates him into taking a more active “vigilante” position in Gotham. While Bruce is doing that, he actually starts to see he physically has an effect on the city itself, apart from whatever Ra’s might be doing, and that it feels to him like he’s somehow making up for the murder of his parents. It starts to make Bruce think, “Hey, maybe this is the right course for me to follow.”

In the finale, Jim Gordon lost Lee and was infected by the Tetch Virus. Now, Gotham is once again under siege by supervillains. Where is Jim’s head these days?

When we find Jim at the beginning of the year, he’s in a particular position because at the end of last season, Oswald took advantage of all the chaos to seize power like never before in Gotham, where he wasn’t just the King of the Underworld. He made it in the legitimate world as well. What we’re saying is, he’s trying to unionize and legitimize crime. In a way, the GCPD is more on Oswald’s side than on Jim’s side. Jim, once again, finds himself fighting a battle for law and order in a city that doesn’t seem to care that much about law and order.

Oswald is no longer the man in charge. How does that sit with him? What’s his game plan?

At the end of last season, Oswald had the epiphany that it was his emotions that had weakened him. He took all of those emotions and pushed them down. He decided he wasn’t going to be that emotional soft person anymore. Part of that desire for everyone’s love, he felt was driving him to be the mayor. Now, he says, “I’m just going to be the person who has all the power and be in charge. I’m not going to let anybody get close to me ever again.” He’s doing that at the beginning of this year, becoming the most powerful person in Gotham, until somebody comes in who, once again, finds a way to pry open the manhole cover of his emotions and starts to let them out again.

Oswald’s emotional Achilles’ heel, Edward Nigma, is literally on ice. Once Edward defrosts, what becomes his top priority?

Vengeance is the number one thing on his mind. But what Edward quickly finds out is his time on ice had a negative impact upon his intellect. So, then, before he can get his vengeance on Oswald, he has to get smart again. That becomes his trajectory for a while as you have someone who knows he is the smartest person in the room, but just can’t think of any good answers.

Barbara experiences a rebirth. In what way does life after death change her?

It changed her in the sense that the passage through the Lazarus Pit changes anybody. Historically, it affects different people in different ways. With Barbara, it’s given her a connection to Ra’s al Ghul that is going to play forward throughout the entire season. It’s also given her a new sense of calmness that she didn’t have last year. There are hints of madness still buried inside of her, and we see Barbara far more in control of herself than she was in Season 3.

Viewers keep speculating that Barbara will transform into Harley Quinn. What kind of conversations have you had about that development?

It’s not going to happen. Let’s put it out there. The discussions we’ve been having is – Look, we know Harley Quinn is never going to be on our show. However, there are elements of that Harley Quinn personality that we have liked, that sense of fun and anarchy, that we said, “Well, we can actually have those qualities embodied in Barbara without actually having to do Harley herself.” I think Erin Richards carried it off really well.

How does Tabitha impact Selina now that the two are BFFs?

Again, this is also like the Bruce model. Because we always know where Bruce is going to end up, part our story is tracking a voyage towards that. We all know that Selina, in our show, is this street kid who is really tough. But, the Selina of the comic books is the Selina who is the world’s greatest burglar and has a taste for the finer things in life. Part of her evolution this year is surrounding herself with a woman who is physically able in terms of martial arts, like Tabitha. Then, there is Selina’s taste for the finer things. Both of those personalities start to get infused into Selina as we see her moving towards the Selina Kyle of the comic books.

Butch also gets resurrected. What is Gotham’s take on Solomon Grundy?

He rises from Slaughter Swamp. We’re saying his real name is Cyrus Gold. There have been various iterations of Grundy throughout the years. He has the same mental capabilities as the most well-known version of Grundy. The way certain things will change is there are moments when elements of Butch’s personality and memories will come back into the fore of Grundy. One of the themes for the show has always been the idea of the fluidity of identity, and the creation of identity. So, even when he gets reborn as Grundy, we’re asking the question of, “Is this Butch’s new personality?” Or, “How does he create a third personality that is part Grundy and part Butch?”

The Scarecrow is back. What is he doing to strike fear into the city?

At first, he gets co-opted by a gang who want to use his abilities to get back at Penguin. Unwittingly, they create a monster. They create Scarecrow. So, initially, he wants to get revenge for the death of his dad. But deeper down, he wants to deal with his own sense of fear. By doing that, he sort of highlights the fear that Jim Gordon is carrying around.

Every season, we’ve seen these characters grow and progress. How closely do you feel they are to becoming those iconic heroes and villains that audiences know and love?

It depends what you mean by close. Bruce is not going to be wearing the costume. Selina is always going to be steps away from becoming Catwoman. But, I do hope by the end of the season, you’ll be able to look at Gordon or Bruce or Selina and say, “Oh, now I can totally track the next three or four or five steps that will take them to the person they are.” There are enough building blocks that are there that you can do the math problem yourself, and see that it equals Batman at the end of the day.

[takaraphoenix]

Have you done Hermione?

Nooope, haven’t. Just Ron, Neville and Harry so far.

And Hermione. Due to me sorting Ron as a son of Athena and the simple fact that screaming “Athena!” for the clever one being really boring reasons…

None.

Hermione doesn’t have a godly parent. I mean, as a witch, she was born to two muggles too, not a wizard and/or a witch. So what if, in the world of Percy Jackson that translates to her being born to two mortals?

I mean. The PJatO universe operates under the false assumption that every hero has to be a demigod. They don’t. Jason had no godly parent and his Argonauting was pretty darn popular. Achilles had no godly parent and he rocked the Trojan War pretty fine. But for some reason, Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood only operate for children born to a god.

No. Why not also mortals with sight? Hermione is a mortal born with sight and with a slight capability to manipulate the mist she can see through, granting her access to Camp Half-Blood. But many of the demigods - much like many of the students at Hogwarts - reacted oddly to someone born to two mortals.

And that’s why she’s always studying, memorizing every single myth, every single method to kill a monster. She has to fight against her natural disadvantage of not being a demigod.

By doing so, she really-really-really befriends Annabeth (seriously, that friendship is a must-happen), because she spends a lot of time on Daedalus’ laptop to learn all those things. Annabeth would be like a mentor and big sister to her.

And then, after the wars, a vague PJatO version of Harry Potter happens and Harry comes over from the Roman camp, meets Hermione and Ron, befriends them both, suddenly Hermione has very reckless and rule-breaking friends and she complains about that to Annabeth over cocoa and all Annabeth can do is smile fondly and remember her time with Grover and Percy.

[justsomebucky]

Something Just Like This

Summary: AU. This is the story of an ordinary couple with an extraordinary love.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

Word Count: 2,652 (without lyrics)

Warnings: language, fluff, sarcasm, pregnancy, mentions of bullying, illness, and death, song fic style

A/N: This is my oneshot submission for the poetic noble land mermaid @whothehellisbella and her Bella’s Cool Time Summer Jamz Mix Writing Challenge. My song prompt was Something Just Like This - The Chainsmokers, Coldplay. I hope you approve and enjoy!

I’ve been reading books of old The legends and the myths Achilles and his gold Hercules and his gifts Spiderman’s control And Batman with his fists And clearly I don’t see myself upon that list

“We’re not on the playground right now, Wanda, we’re in Themyscira!”

You watched from behind the slide as your best friend Natasha scolded your other best friend. The three of you were playing superheroes, and even though you wanted to be Wonder Woman, Natasha claimed her first.  

“But Na-ta­-sha,” Wanda whined. “Supergirl doesn’t live in Themsc…Themysh…”

“Themyscira,” Natasha corrected her. “And it doesn’t matter, because you and Y/N are my group, and you follow me.”

Her head turned as she scanned the playground, apparently forgetting you were right behind her (even though you were sort of crouching).

Wanda nudged her arm, pointing to you. “Y/N isn’t here with us, she’s over on those stinky boys’ planet!”

Were you?

You looked around with big eyes. How were you supposed to know where the line was to Wonder Woman’s island? It all looked like the same playground!

“Y/N, come on, we don’t have time! Recess is almost over!” Natasha put her hands on her hips, and you knew she meant business. No one crossed Natasha at recess.

“It’s all right.”

The three of you looked to your right. One of the boys Wanda was talking about was standing there.

You stared at him in confusion. “What?”

He gestured around you both. “You can be on our planet if you want to.”

“Oh.” Your brows furrowed for a second, then you smiled. “Can I be someone from your planet? Someone cool?”

“Uh. Well, no one’s from the planet, it’s not like that, we’re just here to find a lost lightsaber.”

“A what?” Maybe this planet wasn’t for you after all.

“It’s sort of like a light-up sword,” he explained, his blue eyes brightening. “I can show you when we get back inside! I have one on my spelling folder!”

His excitement was weird…Natasha never let you get this excited about stuff.

You wanted to be excited about recess.

“So if I’m on your planet, who am I?”

“Leia!” he blurted out. “You can be Leia.”

“Leia? Who’s that?” You scrunched your nose at him. “Is she a bad guy?”

“No, she’s a hero. She’s Luke’s twin sister.”

“Oh. Who’s Luke?”

“He’s a Jedi, and he’s cool. Steve’s playing him.” The boy threw a thumb over his shoulder. “That’s my best friend.”

“How come you let him be the cool one?”

He looked like he didn’t know what to say. “I…I don’t mind Han. Han is cool, too.”

“What’s he do?”

“What do you mean?”

You shrugged. “Like is he a superhero?”

“Oh. No, he’s just a guy, he’s a pilot, but he helps a lot.”

“Y/N! Are you gonna play or not?” Natasha called from her spot in Themyscira.

“You don’t have to stay,” the boy said quietly, bowing his head. “I know it probably isn’t as cool as playing superheroes for you. It was just an idea I had.”

You glanced from him, to Natasha, then back again. A planet away from Natasha yelling at you sounded fun right now. “I can’t leave now. I’m Leia!”

“I’m Han,” he said, holding his hand out. “Han Solo.”

You didn’t see what all the fuss was about. He didn’t look like he had cooties, so you shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Han. I think pilots are cool.”

He couldn’t stop his smile. “My real name is James, but everyone calls me Bucky.”

“Bucky?” You liked the sound of that. It was soft, like his voice. “I’m Y/N.”

“Y/N,” he repeated, grinning at you. “Come on, I’ll race you to the spaceship!”

But she said, “Where d’you wanna go? How much you wanna risk? I’m not looking for somebody With some superhuman gifts Some superhero, some fairytale bliss Just something I can turn to Somebody I can kiss I want something just like this.”

You found your best friend standing at his locker, completely spaced out. He was staring with an unhappy look on his face, but you couldn’t see if there was anything in there that was causing this, or if he was just lost in thought.

“Earth to Bucky!”

His eyes met yours and he blinked a few times. “Hey.”

“Are you hiding something interesting in there?” You leaned over to try to peer inside, and you caught a glimpse of something familiar just before he slammed the door shut.

“No,” he sputtered, leaning back against the metal door. “I thought you had a student council meeting after school?”

“It’s over already,” you replied, shrugging. “Turns out half the reps are on the Prom committee, too, and they were more interested in going to that meeting.”

Bucky nodded, looking anywhere but you as he turned away. “Okay, well, I’ll see you around I guess.”

Yeah, he was acting really freaking weird.

You reached out a hand to stop him, touching his arm gently. “What’s the rush?”

He turned back, looking down at your hand and pulling away like it burned him or something. “I, uh…I have to get home. Sarah has a science project she needs help with.”

“Okay. I have to go tutor Sam anyways.”

If he was going to be weird about it, you’d let him be weird. He’d come around eventually. You shrugged casually, moving past him toward the exit, where your car was waiting.

“Sam? You…you tutor Sam now?”

Okay, so maybe you said that on purpose.

You had kept that tidbit from him, because he had this vendetta against the quarterback of the football team. He said it was because Sam once had people start calling him the Winter Soldier after he wore a heavy military jacket he’d gotten at the thrift store.

You kind of saw the point of his vendetta.

Bucky loved that jacket, and you had to admit it looked pretty cool with the red star on the left sleeve. He looked good in it.

But since that incident, he never wore it to school or anywhere else again, which was really kind of depressing. He should be allowed to dress how he wants if it doesn’t go against policy.

Sam wasn’t doing very well in physics, though, and the teacher had offered extra credit if you could help him out, so you agreed. It wasn’t like you sought out the chance to hang around him, though you certainly didn’t mind it. Sam was bright, funny, and kind, and you really couldn’t understand what had possessed him to mock Bucky that day.

Maybe you could convince him to apologize.

You looked back to Bucky. “Mr. Stark asked me to. He said that Sam asked for me. It’s not a big deal.”

“You realize that Sam has a giant crush on you, right?” Bucky shifted his backpack on his shoulder, clearly uncomfortable. “I mean, why else would he ask for you?”

“Well, thank you very much, best friend. It couldn’t be because I’m acing that class, now, could it?” You rolled your eyes and started walking away again.

“He’s going to ask you to Prom,” Bucky called out behind you.

That stopped you in your tracks. The quarterback, the most popular guy in school who could have anyone he wanted, was going to ask you?

“Really?”

Bucky made his way to stand in front of you again, his blue-grey eyes searching yours. “Do you think you’d go with him?”

You eyed him back for a second, trying to decide how to word what you were about to say. It was something you’d thought about for the last year or so now, when you realized the truth about your feelings for him. Senior year was almost over, and your chance to tell him the truth was too.

He took your silence as a yes, and nodded, looking a little disappointed in you. “I figured. Well-“

“Actually,” you interrupted, putting one hand on your hip. “I was waiting for you to ask me, but you haven’t yet.”

“Me?” Bucky blinked at you in surprise. “I…I wasn’t planning on going to Prom.”

“Well then I’m not going either.” You shrugged again. “We can go see a movie or something.”

“You have to go to Prom, you’ve been talking about it for months now,” he exclaimed. “You can’t stay home. You even bought a dress!”

Time to take some action.

You couldn’t stop the smile from tugging on your lips. “Well, Buck, I would say I have a bit of a dilemma then. See, I do want to go, but I don’t want to go without you. So what do you say? Will you be my prom date?”

“You seriously would rather go with me than with Sam, big shot quarterback?” Bucky shook his head at you. “Why? I’m not nearly as cool. I’ll be a hit on your reputation.”

“James Barnes, if you think for one second that I give a shit about my high school reputation, you’re crazy.”

He was about to speak again, but you reached up and wrapped your hand around the nape of his neck. That seemed to shut him up as he stared at you with wide eyes.

“Wh- what are you doing?”

“I know you have my senior picture hanging in your locker,” you murmured, your fingers caressing his skin. “I don’t care if you aren’t quarterback. I’m not looking for someone to boost my popularity. I only want you. What do you say, Bucky?”

Before he could protest again, you pressed your lips to his for the first time, right there in the empty hallway. The kiss was soft, chaste, and far too brief, but you figured it proved your point well enough.

The blinding smile he gave you pretty much confirmed it.

I’ve been reading books of old The legends and the myths The testaments they told The moon and its eclipse Superman unrolls A suit before he lifts But I’m not the kind of person that it fits

“Oh my god, I can’t do this,” Bucky wheezed, grasping your free hand tightly. “What do I know about it? I’m going to be terrible…”

You made a face at him, pointing to the positive pregnancy test currently sitting on the edge of the sink. “It’s a little too late for that, mister!”

He didn’t reply, and you noticed that his skin was becoming a little ashen.

“Uh, Buck? You wanna sit down for a second?”

Bucky took you literally, and he let go of your hand as he slid to the floor, keeping his back against the bathroom wall. He stared straight ahead, unblinking, as he ran through all the potential terrors of parenthood in his mind.

You moved to sit beside him on the floor, stretching your legs out in front of you.

He grabbed for your hand again almost immediately, lacing your fingers together just as tight as before. His palms were clammy, so you gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Bucky, you’re going to be a great Dad,” you said in a gentle voice. “There has never been a moment since the day I met you where you’ve ever let anyone down. You’re smart and kind and brave and selfless, and those are all qualities that make up a good parent.”

“You think?” he breathed out, turning his head to look at you.

“I know so. Plus, I’m here too, remember? We’re in this together.”

His expression softened at that last part. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I- I didn’t mean to panic. I didn’t even stop to think how you felt.”

“It’s all right,” you reassured him. “I’m scared, too. This wasn’t exactly in the plan this early in our marriage. But you know what makes me feel less anxious?”

“What’s that?”

“Knowing I have you…knowing our baby will have you.”

The look he gave you now made you feel like you were the most loved person on Earth. He stood up and pulled you off the floor carefully, too, before enveloping you in his arms.

“I can’t wait to meet our baby,” he murmured in your ear.

Happy tears sprung to your eyes, and you squeezed him a little tighter. “Me either.”

She said, “Where d’you wanna go? How much you wanna risk? I’m not looking for somebody With some superhuman gifts Some superhero, some fairytale bliss Just something I can turn to Somebody I can miss I want something just like this.”

Your granddaughter held your arm to steady you as you walked through the uneven grass over to the headstone you’d become so familiar with over the years.

James Buchanan Barnes

Loving Husband and Father

It was too hard to get around on your own now, what with your arthritis always acting up. Lucky for you, your granddaughter offered to come live with you after she graduated college. It was so nice to have another person around to keep you company and help out here and there.

She was trying to save up a little bit of money, but she didn’t know you left everything to her in your will. When the time came for you to join your husband, she’d be well looked after.

That was all possible because before your husband had passed, he made sure you were well looked after.

Bucky had a long life, full of love, laughter, hard work, and some fun, too. When he fell ill, you worried yourself sick every day that it would be the last time you saw him.  Before he passed, he whispered something to you, something you could never seem to get out of your head. It comforted you daily.

“Grandma, what was Grandpa Bucky like?”

She’d heard the stories a hundred times before, but had told you once that she always asked because you always lit up when you talked about him.

“Grandpa was the best man I ever knew,” you said quietly, placing a hand on the cold stone. “He might not have been perfect, but who is, really?”

“He sounds perfect, the way you talk about him.”

You smiled at her. “Love has a funny way of making someone seem perfect, dear. You’ll find that out for yourself someday.”

“Mom always told me he was the best dad she could have hoped for.”

“He doted on your mother,” you agreed, bowing your head as the memories started rushing back all at once.

You remembered the day you found out you were pregnant…the trip to the hospital when your daughter was born…the look in his eyes every time he caught sight of you holding her…the two of them playing outside and laughing together…

Your chest tightened; you wished your husband was with you in that moment so much it physically hurt.

“Grandma, are you okay?”

After a couple of deep breaths, you nodded, meeting her eyes again. “I really miss him, sweetie. That’s all.”

You watched as she set the flowers she brought down against the stone. “I wish I could have known him.”

“Me too. You remind me of him.”

She wrapped an arm around you, and together you stood at the foot of Bucky’s grave. After a moment of silent contemplation, she pulled away.

“I’ll let you have a minute, Gram, I’ll go start the car. It looks like it might rain soon.”

“Okay, sweetie.”

You waited until she was out of earshot before you put your hand back on the stone, struggling to crouch in front of it and using the stone to balance.

“Hi, love,” you whispered into the wind. “I know it’s been a long time since I saw your face, but I have a feeling. I know you always told me I was paranoid, but I was usually right, wasn’t I? I have a feeling that my time here is at an end.”

You glanced over at your granddaughter, who was now patiently waiting for you in the car, before looking back at your husband’s name. You traced your fingers over the lettering gently, then moved to trace your own name, the death date blank for the time being.

It was weird to see your name on a headstone, but you didn’t mind so much, because it was next to his name. Your life was better than a fairy tale, all because you had shared it with Bucky.

His dying words crossed your mind again, and they felt really appropriate for this moment, so you repeated them back to him.

“Something just like this lasts forever.”

You stood slowly, hearing all the cracks and crunches in your joints and ignoring the pain shooting through your limbs.

“I’ll see you soon, love.”

The wind blew a little harder this time, sending a shiver down your back, and in that moment you knew he was waiting for you.

Oh, I want something just like this

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