#tales from the gods

[worshippedraindrop]

.1

I erase Aire's memories of Winslow; I mark "making people forget" and realize I might be able to create memories as well.

I hear Winslow and Aire arguing one day, on the wind. Aire is begging for time that Winslow can't give him; for eyes that Winslow can't see him with.

They are a ways down the beach from the ship, out of sight of the other men, and Aire is hunched in on himself. Winslow is pacing; he's worn grooves in the sand, and he gesticulates wildly.

The rain is picking up; that's why I'm here, after all, but Winslow doesn't seem to pay it much mind -- not like he usually does.

"What do you want me to do, Aire?" he's demanding; his voice echoes around us like thunder as I sidle up next to Aire, "I'm not like you. I'm not like any of you. I have a family I belong to -- keeping me here is just keeping a target on your own back. Someone will find us eventually."

I do not know Winslow's story, but Aire must. He stares numbly at the ground.

"You're not so different from me," he mumbles, but the wind swallows up his words and Winslow does not seem to hear.

I don't like that. Aire gets so sad when people don't listen, and Winslow never listens to anyone. It's unfair that Aire should be so stuck on someone who takes him for granted.

"I have to go home, Aire," Winslow continues, "I have to clear my name. I don't have time to play these stupid games on this stupid island."

He swung around, and Aire flinched, as though Winslow looking at him now punctuated his words with violence. For a moment, Winslow just stared at him, and Aire shifted his focus to stare studiously at the ground.

Then, with a huff, Winslow stormed off deeper into the island. Aire was still for a long moment, and then he sighed, stepping back until he could lean against the trunk of a large tree, and slowly sliding down.

"I'm never gonna convince him," he said, not really to me, but not to anyone else either. I moved to stand next to him, leaning over.

For a moment, we just stayed there in the rain, and then Aire began to cry; it started as a shaky sigh, and then a trembling inhale -- and then it was agonizing wails, as though he'd been holding onto something for a long time.

He did this for a while; I finally sat down next to him, reaching out to pat his back until he slowly quieted.

"I don't want to feel this way anymore," he said.

And when Winslow returned, Aire didn't recognize him anymore.

[anthropolite]

Hey all! So, I recently got my hands on a copy of Tales from the Gods by AxoStories, a kind of storytelling/worldbuilding game which uses semi-random prompts to chart the tale of a god over many centuries of existence. Would you be interested in seeing a play-through (with Yali in the starring role, naturally) on Tumblr? If so, give this post a like!

[kekkuda]

this project is gonna be the death of me it is never ending but I’m locking in we ball

[the-golden-vanity]

Day 3 of our sailing voyage, somewhere off the coast of Long Island— I had a little friend with me at the helm. He stayed on our mainsail boom long enough to dry his feathers, and then flew off to wherever he was going.

[ltorekdraws]

looking back at reaction for my girldad von karma au (hes a murderer bwah bwah) i'm really glad that i wasn't around here on tmblr in my handsome jack fangirl era. unfortunately, i'm at it again, so. long live the king

fuck i love this guy oh my goddd pleaseee

[shinakazami1]

Drew Rhys in my fav trip outfit I had cus I knew he would look fab

[gingermintpepper]

In my Zeus bag today so I'm just gonna put it out there that exactly none of the great Ancient Greek warrior-heroes stayed loyal and faithful and completely monogamous and yet none of them have their greatness questioned nor do we question why they had the cultural prominence that they did and still do.

Jason, the brilliant leader of the Argo, got cold feet when it came to Medea - already put off by some of her magic and then exiled from his birthland because of her political ploys, he took Creusa to bed and fully intended on marrying her despite not properly dissolving things with Medea.

Theseus was a fierce warrior and an incredibly talented king but he had a horrible temper and was almost fatally weak to women. This is the man who got imprisoned in the Underworld for trying to get a friend laid, the man who started the whole Attic War because he couldn't keep his legs closed.

And we cannot at all forget Heracles for whom a not inconsiderable amount of his joy in life was loving people then losing the people around him that he loved. Wives, children, serving boys, mentors, Heracles had a list of lovers - male and female - long enough to rival some gods and even after completing his labours and coming down to the end of his life, he did not have one wife but three.

And y'know what, just because he's a cultural darling, I'll put Achilles up here too because that man was a Theseus type where he was fantastic at the thing he was born to do (that is, fight whereas Theseus' was to rule) but that was not enough to eclipse his horrid temper and his weakness to young pretty things. This is the man that killed two of Apollo's sons because they wouldn't let him hit - Tenes because he refused to let Achilles have his sister and Troilus who refused Achilles so vehemently that he ran into Apollo's temple to avoid him and still couldn't escape.

All four of these men are still celebrated as great heroes and men. All four of these men are given the dignity of nuance, of having their flaws treated as just that, flaws which enrich their character and can be used to discuss the wider cultural point of what truly makes a hero heroic. All four of these men still have their legacies respected.

Why can that same mindset not be applied to Zeus? Zeus, who was a warrior-king raised in seclusion apart from his family. Zeus who must have learned to embrace the violence of thunder for every time he cried as a babe, the Corybantes would bang their shields to hide the sound. Zeus learned to be great because being good would not see the universe's affairs in its order.

The wonderful thing about sympathy is that we never run out of it. There's no rule stopping us from being sympathetic to multiple plights at once, there's no law that necessitate things always exist on the good-evil binary. Yes, Zeus sentenced Prometheus to sufferation in Tartarus for what (to us) seems like a cruel reason. Prometheus only wanted to help humans! But when you think about Prometheus' actions from a king's perspective, the narrative is completely different: Prometheus stole divine knowledge and gifted it to humans after Zeus explicitly told him not to. And this was after Prometheus cheated all the gods out of a huge portion of wealth by having humans keep the best part of a sacrifice's meat while the gods must delight themselves with bones, fat and skin. Yes, Zeus gave Persephone away to Hades without consulting Demeter but what king consults a woman who is not his wife about the arrangement of his daughter's marriage to another king? Yes, Zeus breaks the marriage vows he set with Hera despite his love of her but what is the Master of Fate if not its staunchest slave?

The nuance is there. Even in his most bizarre actions, the nuance and logic and reason is there. The Ancient Greeks weren't a daft people, they worshipped Zeus as their primary god for a reason and they did not associate him with half the vices modern audiences take issue with. Zeus was a father, a visitor, a protector, a fair judge of character, a guide for the lost, the arbiter of revenge for those that had been wronged, a pillar of strength for those who needed it and a shield to protect those who made their home among the biting snakes. His children were reflections of him, extensions of his will who acted both as his mercy and as his retribution, his brothers and sisters deferred to him because he was wise as well as powerful. Zeus didn't become king by accident and it is a damn shame he does not get more respect.

[clockworkreapers]

Highly requested comic from TFTGS Bedside Manor

[ineffable-romantics]

"The plans for Armageddon are going wrong. Only Crowley and Aziraphale working together can hope to put it right."

So what you're saying is:

[worshippedraindrop]

Directory

Tales from the Gods is about change; specifically, it's about myths that come and go, and how that shapes the god they're about. This is represented by gaining and losing relics, skills and followers, and also by the creation and scrapping of "sagas" and "myths".

The current sagas & myths about Evloyia can be found [here] and in the sidebar. The characters in her life are [here], as well as her [relics], her [skills] and the things that [symbolize] her to her followers.

Things that used to be a part of her but that have been lost to time will be tracked [here].

[anthropolite]

19. An immortal comes to you for help. What do they need? What do they offer you in return, or what do you demand from them in exchange for your service? What makes you decide to help them? Check a Skill. Unsatisfied with the results of their attempted coup, Chryse has turned her hand to necromancy. Undead minions gather in service to her will. And yet, Hades is a jealous king, who does not readily tolerate the abduction of his subjects. Already having ample reason to oppose her, and with my very image serving to repel these restless dead, I am happy to assist... on the understanding that I might someday ask for a favour in return. This replaces Saga 4

[antimonys-stuff]

anyway what I'm saying is BISEXUAL Icarus who in his mortal life fell (quite literally) for the splendor of Apollo in his chariot, and in his death falls in love with the princess of the Underworld, who also shines in her own way

[ducktollers]

undying tales - red panda (1/15)

[acepodcastweek]

Did I miss your favourite? Let me know!

Wondering where Jon Sims is? He is too powerful and would skew the poll, but rest assured I have not forgotten.

Don't know any of these? Pick a show and go listen!

Want to know more about Ace Week Fiction Podcast Festivities? Click here.

[jinkitsuragi]

yanking her chain a little 💖

[koalchicine]

The births of two gods.

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Happy 8th Anniversary, Tales of Berseria!!

(See the backgrounds under the cut)