#they're just so epic

[kekewshad]

The Final Torchbearer

More, I say.. because they are just so cool...

[wyrdhearth]

the runechild subclass is just too hot.

Beginning at 18th level, you can use a bonus action and expend 6 or more charged runes to temporarily become a being of pure magical energy. This new form lasts for 3 rounds plus 1 round for each charged rune expended over 6. While you are in your exemplar form, you gain the following benefits: You have a flying speed of 40 feet. Your spell save DC is increased by 2. You have resistance to damage from spells. When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher, you regain hit points equal to the spell’s level. When your Arcane Exemplar form ends, you can’t move or take actions until after your next turn, as your body recovers from the transformation. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

A BEING OF PURE ARCANE ENERGY. this girl can turn into doctor manhattan!!!!!

[autism-sprinkles]

I NEED to talk about ody and eury's conversation near the end of thunder bringer, like. dude they sound like Scared Children. those aren't men in war dude those are scared fucking kids. you can't tell me they didn't grow up together or Something.

"captain?," ",,i have to see her," ",but we'll die," ",,i know,"

YOU CANT TELL ME THEY DIDN'T SOUND LIKE SCARED KIDS :( THEY'RE SCARED AND THEY KNOW ONE OF THEM HAS TO LOSE THE OTHER QND THEY DONT WANT TO LOSE ANYONR ELSE.

AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN HUG OR ANYTHING??? THINK OF HOW MUCH SADDER ITD BE IF HE WENT ",,i know," AND JUST PULLED HIM INTO A HUG AND STARTED CRYING IM GONNA.

[kaahmbem]

legend has it that the young witch circe and the once beautiful nymph scylla shared a complicated past...

[nhura]

QUICK NO ONE'S LOOKING

(See readmore for thoughts, cope, bonus, etc.)

Anyone else up thinking about Ratio's big, strong, secure arms and how warm and all-consuming they could be in a hug or embrace. :/ Anyway

I just wanted to draw them being cute and seizing a sliver of a moment where they could have some PDA silly time without actually having any eyes on them. They're public figures and working adults with very clear boundaries between public persona and private life (to varying degrees of "in a sad way"), so while it may be in Aventurine's nature to constantly blur lines for various agendas and self-preservation (read: play "the flirt" without an aligned goal), I believe that in an actual relationship they'd be fairly private.

It's kind of fun to break your own rules, though! Ratio would be more upset about the consequences, though. He's a little bit of a hypocrite, which is devastating for someone of such discipline, but nobody's perfect.

I'm of the mentality of, "If you're tired of working on it, then just post it!", so here are some fun peripherals that I didn't feel like adding:

Some staff in the background sweeping up to evoke a blended sense of fragile privacy and liminal time.

A laptop on the aquarium/bar/counter because there's something fascinating about seeing people on their work laptops in public.

The rest of their clothes (casual friday)

[dootznbootz]

Odysseus always trusted Penelope. He was ordered to lie to her and it hurt him to do so. Penelope was distrustful of this stranger until she had absolute solid proof.

There are way too many people talking about how "Odysseus lies to Penelope. What a prick!" and it makes me sad/mad as that's not the case at all

The whole "Odysseus usually always has a reason to lie" maybe upcoming essay aside, He was literally commanded by Athena to not tell anyone. And it was with Penelope that he had the hardest time keeping up the act with. Not only because she's smart af and figured him out almost immediately (that essay coming soon too) but because he was trying to keep himself from crying with her.

I think people forget that he is disguised to look like someone else completely. If a random man claimed to be your missing husband, wouldn't you be scared/freaked out?

Anyways, the 3 most important people in his life are Penelope, Telemachus, and Laertes. He lies to all three.

Telemachus: Lied by letting Eumaeus answer him and still under the orders from Athena, did not cry or reveal himself until Athena allowed him to. (I read it as him being in shock. Last time he saw him, Telemachus' hand could only wrap around one finger and now he's as big as him. a bit shocking to say the least)

Laertes: He teared up seeing him but still decided to question and test his father, not by the order from Athena.

Penelope: He was trying so hard to keep from crying, tried to noodle his way out of lying to her, Under Athena's orders. still couldn't help but basically flirt with her.

Also to get this outta the way: No, it wasn't a matter of trust. He is shown to trust her right away. As this happens even before he gets the chance to speak with Penelope.

Staunch Odysseus glowed with joy to hear all this— his wife's trickery luring gifts from her suitors now, enchanting their hearts with suave seductive words but all the while with something else in mind.

(Book 18, Fagles)

If Odysseus does not trust her, why is he so happy to see her "flirt" with the suitors? It's because he KNOWS what she's doing and knows she doesn't actually want them. If he didn't trust her, he would be upset by this.

Now for the "it hurt to lie to her" bit.

Athena's command:

"Tell not a single person in the palace, man or woman, that you are back from your wanderings; but endure all vexations in silence and submit yourself to the indignities that will be put upon you.'

(Book 13, Rieu)

If you are my son—truly of our blood—                                            let no one hear Odysseus is back home. Don’t let Laertes know or the swineherd, or the slaves, or Penelope herself.

(Book 16, Johnston)

And the people he did reveal himself to, he only did so after being given permission by Athena.

Athene spoke to him. 'The time has come,' she said, 'royal son of Laertes, Odysseus of the nimble wits, to let Telemachus into your secret, so that the pair of you may plot the downfall and death of the Suitors and then make your way to the famous city. [...]

(Book 15, Rieu)

He talks to Telemachus before talking to Penelope.

I’ll stay here, so I can stir the servants even more— and your mother. As she laments, she’ll ask for each and every detail.”

(Book 19, Johnston)

Odysseus is already sweating about having to lie to her

The next part would honestly be me just inserting almost ALL the text for this so I'll go into a summary. It's all in Book 19.

Penelope asks him where he's from. And instead of answering, it's a tsunami of compliments. Calling her flawless. Comparing her to a king. etc, etc,

Probably because he couldn't help himself and had to babble about how wonderful she is Who wouldn't? before finally ending with "Please don't ask me where I'm from. It makes me sad."

Penelope, probably overwhelmed by his praise, immediately goes into how "her beauty left with her husband. It did not. And where did you say you were from again?"

"Fine! I'm from Crete..."

And we all know that as soon as she starts crying, after a lovely description of how her tears "melted", he talks about how hard it was for Odysseus to hold in his OWN tears. Lying to her and being unable to comfort her was painful for him!!!

But though Odysseus' heart was wrung by his wife's distress, his eyes, hard as horn or iron, never wavered between their lids, so craftily did he repress his tears.

(Book 19, Rieu)

Even with him revealing himself to Euryclea, when she cried out to Penelope, Athena made sure she didn't hear! It's most likely that he wouldn't be able to tell her even if he wanted.

She spoke, and her eyes glanced over at Penelope, anxious to tell her that her husband had come home. But Penelope could not see her face or notice, for Athena had diverted her attention.

(Book 19, Johnston)

He desperately wanted to be with her again. Literally daydreaming about it!

At those words Dawn rose on her golden throne in a sudden gleam of light. And great Odysseus caught the sound of his wife’s cry and began to daydream—deep in his heart it seemed she stood beside him, knew him, now, at last …

(book 20, Fagles)

Clearly doesn't trust her. /sarcasm

It's PENELOPE that has trouble trusting him. And rightfully so! While she was very certain that was her husband, there was so much going on and of course, she's cautious! He looked like an elderly stranger at first, why is he hiding from her? He somehow took out all those men with only a little help, Athena isn't telling her anything, Helen was kidnapped and she did not want that to possibly happen to her too, etc.

He even understands her cautiousness to be reasonable.

As she spoke, lord Odysseus, who had borne so much, smiled and immediately spoke to Telemachus— his words had wings:   “Telemachus, let your mother test me in these halls. She will soon possess more certain knowledge. Right now I’m filthy, with disgusting clothing on my body. That’s why she rejects me and will not say I am Odysseus. [...]

(Book 23, Johnston)

He even trusted her completely to take care of everything while he was gone before. And he does again when he wakes up and goes to see his father. Telling her about how she too wise to need instruction

Odysseus (and Penelope as well) is well-known for his cunning tricks and how his loyalties are often blurred but one thing that is for sure about him is that he trusts and is loyal to Penelope full-heartedly. He spent every day missing her and their son and wanting to go home to her. The only moment we see his trust in her waver is during the Treebed scene, (which is what she wanted to test).

They are "like-minded". 😭

[haze-of-hyperfixations]

Eurylochus during Thunder Bringer:

[sunnymainecoonx]

I still refuse to say his name

It just feels like I'm gonna get cursed or something.....

[junocornkiwi]

"You can relax, my friend~"

Polites, lil' sunshine 🥺✨🤲 In my head his concept must contain lotuseaters and lotus fruit itself

BECAUSE of the reasons

and some long thing like a scarf hanging from one of his shoulders

And curly hair :3

Why does lotuseaters look like cats? Who knows, probably bc cats are as cunningly evil (I worship them still) they'd sent you to THAT cave just for fun too I suppose

Also, love his smooth palette

[front-facing-pokemon]

[tunguszka20]

Okay so I was watching @anniflamma's God Games animatic (the Hera one) for probably the 100th time, and I paused at one point for whatever reason, and I noticed a little detail.

This is when Athena says "Never once has he cheated on his wife", and I see the cocky expression on her face, like she knows that she won with that... BUT if you look at her hand, you can see she's like... Squeezing her upper arm a little?

Now I know basically nothing about art or how you portray stuff so excuse me if I'm wrong somewhere, but I think this might be like... Athena being a little nervous or something? Maybe? I'm not sure, but I really wanted to share this little... discovery.

These animatics are So. Freaking. Good.

[nocturnal-asshole]

Pondering

[silverwhittlingknife]

"the fault, dear Brutus -" (Julius Caesar)

Quotes from A Critical History of English Literature by David Daiches. Panels from Death in the Family, Under the Red Hood, Lost Days, and Batman and Robin.

[suckerforfluff]

ppl: discussing about which players should be shuffled for balance/self indulgence

me, holding on to the current teams for dear life: NO PLEASE DON'T TAKE THEM AWAY FROM ME i want red team to get worse. i want green team, full of lone wolves and natural leaders, to keep arguing with each other while still getting shit done. i want blue team to keep being stubborn menaces with the most tragically wholesome and efficient farming subteam LET ME KEEP THEM A LITTLE LONGER PLEASE I BEG

[earlgodwin]

"You have no regrets, do you, dear Juan?" "No burning ones, no."

[hellishattempt]

no, you don't get it. you DON'T GET IT. odysseus's mother's last thoughts being about her son is heart wrenching; odysseus's mother being voiced by jay's mom is overwhelming BUT YOU'RE MISSING SOMETHING

when she dies, jay will be left with the remnants of his mother soothing him, promising him that she is waiting for him. WHEN SHE DIES, he will still have this song. he will have his mother's melodic voice as a comfort in his grief.

THAT is what kills me every time. that is what sends me to the floor whenever the underworld plays.