#verse: Odyssey

[cr-noble-writes]

Title: Argonauts Series: Odyssey Fandom: Mass Effect Rating: Explicit Characters: Alex Shepard, ME1 Ensemble, Aria T'Loak, Minah Atruzea Relationships: mShenko Tags: ME1 timeline, minor character death, canon typical violence, nightmares, male Shepard, Sole Survivor Shepard, custom background, paragade Shepard

Summary: Alex Shepard, his crew, and the quest to find Saren Arterius.

Notes:

I've been writing and rewriting this fic for about 2 years, and I finally decided that it is time to start posting it.

I want to thank everyone in the Dragon Effect server, and my besties, who have listened to me rant and rave and come up with increasingly angsty bullshit to put Alex through for the last 2 years. Truly, I don't think I'd have gotten this far without y'all.

This is still a WIP, and as of right now I am planning on posting every other week.

Extra thanks to @unfair-water-plane, @ad-astra13, and @mallaidhsomo for alpha reading, doc gremlining, and otherwise helping me stay motivated, and to Snarkelogist for beta-reading for me <3

Read Prologue here

Excerpt:

“Do you know why we’re here?”

Alex shrugs. “I know more than most of the crew. Covert pickup on Eden Prime. Testing the stealth systems in action.” He looks at Nihlus. Spectres are the galaxy’s best soldiers. They don’t ask questions like that without already knowing the answer. “But you know something I don’t, or we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“Yes.” The bass of Nihlus’ subvocals offset the tenor of his voice in a pleasant harmony. “I’m sure you are aware that the Alliance has been pushing for the induction of a human Spectre for years. I’ve been sent to evaluate your candidacy.”

[vintake-ss]

"Boy. When's your tramp of a mother gonna pick a new husband"

"Oowaooo"

Why is it giving High Schoolers going "ooooooh" after someone drops a yo mama joke 💀

Like

[gingermintpepper]

Okay, let's finally talk about EPIC's Apollo

I feel very compelled to say, first of all, that I do not dislike Epic. In fact, I am very fond of Epic and have been following its production and status very eagerly! I attend all the launch streams, I watch all of Herrans' update videos; I am, at the end of the day, a fan and I want it to be known that my words are spoken out of love and passion as much as they are spoken from a place of critique.

So really, what my problem with Epic's Apollo?

In the briefest possible terms; the choice to have Apollo be defined by his musical aspect in God Games is thematically strange. And not in the 'oh well in the Odyssey, Apollo was important to Odysseus and his family so it's weird that that wasn't kept in Epic' strange, strange in the sense that Odysseus' character arc since My Goodbye has been getting more and more obviously Apollonian and so it is positively bizarre that when we get to meet Apollo, the god seems entirely disinterested in him and his affairs. So much so that he is not even defined by any station that would indicate that he has been watching over and protecting Odysseus and his family.

What do I mean by 'Odysseus has been following an Apollonian arc'? I'm so glad you asked!

Remember Them is the last song in which Odysseus explicitly uses his sword until Mutiny where he must use it to defend himself against Eurylochus' blade. He uses it to help enact the plan to conquer Polyphemus and, due to Polites dying in that battle, Polites who wished for Odysseus to put the blade down entirely and embrace a post-war life, Odysseus also retires his sword. This is an action that symbolically separates him from Athena - and the image of Odysseus as a traditional warrior set for him in Horse and Infant - as much as My Goodbye physically separates him from the goddess and her war-ways - from this point onwards, Odysseus will no longer be leaning on Athena's wisdom or methods to solve his problems. Likewise, he will no longer be able to rely on her protection.

Odysseus thusly solves most of his upcoming problems through diplomacy and avoidance. He approaches Aeolus - a strange and ambiguous god (both in gender and in motivation) and appeals to them for help. Circe too, he approaches not with wishes to conquer or for revenge, but for the safe returning of his men and an alternate way forward. In all of these scenarios, there is some Apollonian element which is subtly interweaved alongside the influence of other gods; it is with a bow and arrows that Polyphemus' sheep is slain (and thus it is this Apollonian element which is at the root of Odysseus' spat with Poseidon), it is a vision of Penelope that warns Odysseus that his men are about to open Aeolus' wind-bag, Circe's peace offering to Odysseus is to refer him to a prophet of Apollo who has since died.

In this way, Apollo is walking alongside Odysseus for all of his journey after Athena departs - even in the Underworld, he is guiding him. It is Tiresias' proclamation that is the last straw for Odysseus, it is by the power of a mouthpiece of Apollo that Odysseus decides to embrace his ruthlessness. It is with the bow and arrow that Odysseus subdues the siren who sought to trick him, likewise, Odysseus does not attempt to undermine or escape the fate of paying Scylla's passage price - he knows of the doom about to befall the six men and quite unlike the rest of the journey until this point, he does not fight against it. This all comes to a head on Thrinacia where it is a blade which sacrifices the sun god's cow and brings destruction upon the crew once more.

My point with all of this is that when I heard the teasers for God Games years ago, it made perfect sense to me that Apollo would be Round One - he is not Odysseus' adversary and has no reason to oppose Athena's wish to free him. From other teasers about what will happen in the climax of Epic, Apollo will still be walking alongside Odysseus - it is Apollo's bow that Penelope will give the suitors to string. Likewise, it is Apollo's bow that will prove Odysseus' legitimacy and identity. That bow will be the power by which Odysseus hunts his adversaries and cleans out his palace - it is Apollo who is the avatar of Odysseus' ruthlessness, not Athena.

So tell me, truly, what was the point of having Apollo raise a non-argument in God Games? Why have him appear unconcerned, aloof and slightly oblivious? Why have him appear in his capacity as the Lord of Music at all?? And if the intention was never to make Apollo an active player in Odysseus' life like he was in the Odyssey, why keep Odysseus as a primary archer?

The answer of course is that Apollo is inextricable from the fabric of the Odyssey - his influence and favour exudes from Odysseus just as much as Athena's. In Athena's ten year sulk, it would have been Apollo who kept Telemachus and Penelope safe. It would have been Apollo protecting Odysseus from Poseidon's gaze as he travelled the seas (according to the Odyssey anyway)

Forgive me for not being excited about something that I thought was being purposefully set up. I was extremely ecstatic about all of the little Apollonian details that litter the sagas because I know where this story ends up (loosely) but all God Games did was reveal that maybe those Apollonian details were not intentional at all, but merely the ghost of the Apollo who persistently haunts those he favours, even if he cannot explicitly come to their aide in an adaptation.

[incorrect-spiderverse]

*On Earth-42*

Miles, while tied to the punching bag: "Am I being kidnapped?"

Prowler Miles: "No, no, no"

Miles:*pauses* "Can I leave?"

Prowler Miles: "... no..."

[doctorbeans]

epic the musical, the thunder saga: lip-reading, mermaid murder, extreme fishing tactics, emotionally bonding with an octopus (bad), guys who are more afraid of women than sea monsters, suicide via cow, only calling the homie by his first name when you’re abt to kill him, fucking with the sun, and a god who is going to kill you but is going to be so fucking horny about it.

[backpackingspace]

Wait going off the idea that Athena keeps things from her favorite people:

What does diomedes give her?

[dootznbootz]

Do y'all ever think about how it's possible that Zeus' first verse in Thunder Bringer is about Penelope and his second is about Odysseus?

She's a "Damsel in Distress" (She's cool af, she just needs some help and misses her idiot), the suitors are prideful and hope to do what Zeus is singing about to her. Pressuring her to choose. Her "true nature" is revealed when her trickery with the shroud is found out .

The 2nd Verse about how Zeus is also the God of Justice and punishing them for the crew's crime of slaying the cattle. Odysseus saves himself to see Penelope again, meaning his crew/people will die. They died for touching Helios' cattle. Odysseus also saves himself AND Helps Penelope by killing all the suitors for their crime of flirting with/bothering Penelope and making her cry, while also bullying and eventually planning to kill his son. Many of Ithaca's men are killed for their pride too. Thinking that they're worthy of Penelope when Nobody is. Flirt with the Wife, you get the knife.

Penelope and Odysseus DO take each others' suffering away when they reunite as well. 🥹

[raskolnikovsque]

Before the war, before we had to kiss Troy out of each other's teeth, we were a paradise. You were the only one I kneeled before.

Achilles to Patroclus.

[redeemed-wren]

Calypso is not a character that I LIKE but she is a character that I want to study like a bug

[iwriteunoriginalideas]

Hey so I got a thought nugget.

Please imagine a Hazbin Hotel/Odyssey AU where Lucifer is in the role Odysseus along with Lilith!Penelope and Charlie!Telemachus… that’s it that the thought…

This could also be fun in reverse with King of Hell Odysseus and Prince of Hell Telemachus and missing for 7 years Queen of Hell Penelope…

[sweetdreamsjeff]

The poetry that inspired Jeff Buckley

Aimee Ferrier

Sun 1 October 2023 21:15, UK

Voices as incredible as the one belonging to Jeff Buckley don’t come around too often. Unfortunately, after releasing one record, Grace, Buckley, with all his potential, was taken away too soon. At the age of 30, the singer went for a swim from which he never returned, drowning in the Mississippi River.

Yet, his legacy lives on as one of the most influential artists to emerge from the 1990s, and his music is widely celebrated today for its emotional and lyrical complexity. Not only did Buckley possess an otherworldly voice, but he was also an extremely gifted guitar player and writer, with all his talents combining to create a masterful body of work.

Even when Buckley was covering other artists’ songs, such as ‘Lilac Wine’, ‘The Other Woman’ and ‘Hallelujah’, he imbued the pieces with his own distinctive style. Yet, his penchant for covers wasn’t a reflection of an aversion to writing. Buckley knew how to pen a stunningly poetic track, with songs like ‘Lover, You Should’ve Come Over’ and ‘Morning Theft’ suggesting that even if Buckley didn’t have the vocal pipes he was gifted with, he’d get by just fine as a writer.

Buckley took inspiration from many different writers and musicians when writing his own songs. Musically, Buckley looked back to folk artists like Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan and, of course, his own father, Tim Buckley, from whom he was estranged. Elsewhere, he loved the work of Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the rich tones of Nina Simone, and Led Zeppelin, calling Robert Plant “my man”.

However, when it came to his literary inspirations, Buckley had an extensive book collection, which he no doubt looked to for ideas when writing his lyrics. He owned a lot of poetry, with Rainer Maria Rilke proving to be a particular favourite. Not only did Buckley own Dunio Elegies, Rilke on Love and Other Difficulties: Translations and Considerations Poems from the Book of Hours, but he also owned his epistolary collection Letters to a Young Poet.

Buckley was also a fan of the classic American poet Walt Whitman, owning Leaves of Grass and From the Soil. Of course, no poetry collection is complete without copies of Arthur Rimbaud’s A Season in Hell and Illuminations, alongside some Charles Baudelaire – Buckley-owned Paris Spleen. The singer also owned the Selected Poems of confessional poet Anne Sexton and modernist writer T.S Eliot.

Check out Buckley’s complete poetry collection below.

The poetry that inspired Jeff Buckley:

Dunio Elegies – Rainer Maria Rilke

Poems from the Book of Hours – Rilke

Rilke on Love and Other Difficulties: Translations and Considerations – Rilke

Leaves of Grass – Walt Whitman

From This Soil – Whitman

The Odyssey – Homer

Early Work, 1970-1979 – Patti Smith

You Get So Alone at Times That it Just Makes Sense – Charles Bukowski

Selected Poems of Ezra Pound

The Complete Lyrics – Hank Williams

A Haiku Journey: Basho’s Narrow Road to a Far Province – Matsuo Basho

Paris Spleen – Charles Baudelaire

The Captain’s Verses – Pablo Neruda

Selected Poems – T.S. Eliot

A Season in Hell and Illuminations – Arthur Rimbaud

Writing and Drawings – Bob Dylan

Ode to Walt Whitman – Federico Garcia Lorca

New Poems: 1962 – Robert Graves

Fear of Dreaming: The Selected Poems – Jim Carroll

Selected Poems of Anne Sexton – Anne Sexton

Selected Poems – John Shaw Neilson

Selected Poems: Summer Knowledge – Demore Schwartz

The Collected Poems of Frank O’Hara – Frank O’Hara

Poems – Pier Paolo Pasolini

Space: And Other Poems – Eliot Katz

Tim Buckley Lyrics

[cr-noble-writes]

Title: Argonauts Series: Odyssey Fandom: Mass Effect Rating: Explicit Characters: Alex Shepard, ME1 Ensemble, Aria T'Loak, Minah Atruzea Relationships: mShenko Tags: ME1 timeline, minor character death, canon typical violence, nightmares, male Shepard, Sole Survivor Shepard, custom background, paragade Shepard

Summary: Khalisah bint Sinan al-Jilani crosses a line, Alex gets a new living space on the Normandy, and Kaidan makes a friend.

Notes: Shoutout to my beta, who by some miracle made it so I could still post today despite the fact that I sent over the chapter today after forgetting that this week was posting week. You're awesome, and I appreciate the hell out of you! It's been a time y'all.

Start at the beginning Read latest chapter

Excerpt:

At least it’s quiet when he steps off the elevator. He takes the few steps to his door, and his hand is already raised to the access panel when he remembers the XO’s quarters are no longer his. Ambassador Udina had tersely informed him that his personal belongings had already been moved.

It’s not the biggest invasion of privacy he’s experienced today, but it’s enough that whatever anxiety he’d managed to shake once again sits in the pit of his stomach like a lead weight. With a sigh, Alex lets his hand drop to his side and makes his way to his new home on the Normandy.

The Captain’s cabin is easily twice the size of the XO’s, split into an office and living quarters with a door between them. The office is austere and built to familiar Alliance specifications. The desk is built into the right wall beneath a few bare shelves. The wall ahead has an inset bookcase, which is also empty. The few print books Alex owns, and his stack of Justicar comics will never fill the space, contained as they are by a single box that sits on the desk next to a pile of datapads.

When this was Anderson’s office, the space had been used to its fullest. Alex unpacks the small, plastic container, and the contents don’t even cover a whole shelf. He slides the empty box under a corner of the desk and steps into the living quarters. Spartan as they are, they’re almost luxurious compared to what he’s gotten used to. There’s a double bed against the back wall with a night stand beside it, a large, inset armoire, which presumably already holds his clothes, a small round table with two chairs bolted to the floor, and another desk with a private terminal.

Alex’s eyes catch on the table. Sitting in its center is a scale model of Arcturus Station. During the year he’d spent training for his N7 commendation, Anderson had insisted that he, Alex, and Riley build the model together as a team bonding exercise. Between assignments and other parts of their duties, the three of them would gather at a table in the mess to work on it. It had been painstaking work, but it had effectively done exactly what Anderson intended. A year’s worth of memories, good and bad, stored in plastic pieces that weren’t all fit together perfectly and a paint job that left a lot to be desired. It would never be a work of masterful craftsmanship, and Alex would never admit it to Anderson, but he was proud of their shoddy little model of Arcturus.

[its-to-the-death]

Villain Song Showdown Preliminary Round #24

Top two will make it into the bracket

Songs below the cut

Daisy Daisy - Villain: Hal 9000

Agatha All Along - Villain: Agatha Harkness

Face Up, Face Down - Villain: Maximillion Pegasus

Gaunter O'Dimm theme - Villain: Gaunter O'Dimm

Prowler's theme - Villain: Prowler

Why Does the Huntsman Hunt? - Villain: Kraven the Huntsman

The Phantom of the Opera - Villain: The Phantom of the Opera

I Remember/Stranger Than You Dreamt It - Villain: The Phantom of the Opera

The Beauty Underneath - Villain: The Phantom of the Opera

[proxy-pages]

C-1 continues her travels meeting more new friends!

[umbane]

put your odyssey verses DIRECTLY into my hand

[prismaiden]

Iris Yellow– Passion

The sun hung low over the Aegean, its light turning brine into liquid gold. Kassandra stood bathed in the glow, her haloed form like a goddess kissed by starfire. Clutched in her hand, an offering of yellow irises, their petals soft and ruffled, in hues from buttercream to honey. At the heart of each bloom, deeper shades of amber and ochre spiralled outward in delicate lacework.

Anri took the gift with a quiet joy, her fingers deliberately stroking against Kassandra’s beneath the veil of green spurs. Between them, the air was sticky with nectar, heavy with unspoken words. Such was the atmosphere before any departure.

Murmuring her gratitude, Anri reached out to tuck a loose strand of Kassandra’s hair behind the shell of her ear. Already, her dark tresses had begun to stiffen with salt. Behind the misthios, the loaded and readied Adrestia loomed, riding the small, shining waves of the harbour. It was a good omen, perhaps, that the ship bore the name of Adrestia, the daughter of Aphrodite and Ares. Here, too, was a union between love and war.

“I will look at these often and think of you,” Anri said, her smile soft but touched with a trace of melancholy, her thumb tracing a slender stem. “And I will pray for you. For your every success, for your safe return.”

Soon the trireme would carve its way through the sun-streaked waters, and Anri would stand on the shore, watching until the ship drifted from view. For Kassandra’s part, should she choose to look back – and Anri sorely hoped she would – she would see her lover standing at the shore, the string-tied bouquet held close to her chest. The distance would grow, but the bond between them would remain, a thread stretching across the waves, golden and unbroken.

“When you do return,” Anri added, her voice slipping into a teasing lilt, “I will make love to you for five days and five nights.”

Over the sea of cheerful yellow faces, she gazed fondly at Kassandra. The cornflower blue of her eyes brightened, her smile shifting into one a little less forlorn.

“So hurry back, won’t you?”