#you are allowed to only like greek mythology itself

[desmon1995]

The dichotomy of Fox and Luther

I think one of the weirdest things about the Warriors that even other pieces of media don't really contrast much is the unspoken compare and contrast between Fox and Luther that pops up ever so often in my head.

In the original movie, Fox actually sees Luther murder Cyrus and she basically blacks it from her mind to the point that Luther would have shot her if Cleon wouldn't have stepped in.

Within the concept album, the two are the only ones that make references to video games.

Fox introduces herself as not only the youngest, but makes a reference to the 1970s console the Magnavox and the video game The Odyssey which was one of the first RPGs.

What I really do like about this is that it just reinforces how much of a teenager Fox is but also foreshadows the immense growth that she's going to go through since most 1970s RPGs were very much create your own story types.

(ironically enough the Warriors themselves basically act as one gigantic RPG party and in Japanese RPGs it's pretty common for at least one character to die or sacrifice themselves)

Luther on the other hand predominantly talks about the 1980s video game Pac-Man where he views himself as the title character and the marginalized women he's assaulting as the ghost that need to be terminated by him.

Pac-Man as a character is characterized by his gluttony and the goal of the game is to severely cripple the ghost so that they can become devoured by him.

Ironically enough, Pac-Man is actually pretty fragile and after to hits he's done very much like Luther after everything is said and done.

Another more interesting aspect is that both Fox and Luther are based around mythological / biblical figures.

Europeans largely regarded Foxes as nuisances and within their own stories typically presented them as swindlers and more often than not as a stand-in for minorities (which is why many foxes were brutally hunted for sport).

However, indigenous Americans such as the Blackfoot tribe saw the Fox as a Creator deity that while something of a trickster, often did so to teach people lessons about the world and was said to be the embodiment of the Sun itself.

Fox is more or less all of the above because she is a marginalized woman, pretty coy at first, but ultimately ends up growing to be a guiding light for the rest of her crew to follow as she soaks in most of the lessons that Cyrus and a lot of her older peers have bestowed upon her.

Luther is obviously based around lucifer, but what many people don't know is that Lucifer is actually a Greek god specifically he's the god of the Dawn and his original role was to bring the day into night and vice versa.

It's why he's associated with light, but Europeans deemed that any figures and beans that were not a part of their theology either had to be eradicated or repurposed to fit into their very disjointed understanding of how the world works.

As such, Lucifer was merged with the the the Greek god pan (which was goat like) and that's how we have the horned goatman figure we know today.

In other words, Lucifer was colonized and turned into all things evil but eventually Europeans started to see him as some weird misunderstood necessary evil and started to embrace him and whoopify him.

I don't think I need to tell you how this relates to white supremacy because after the last election we all know that society has grown to not only tolerate but also reaffirm bigotry and White fragility.

The idea is that Luther exists because society allows them to end when confronted with what he does often makes excuses for why this is just the way things are or they just turn around and blame other factions of society.

Luther was always a character that was meant to be a product of his society and in a weird roundabout way he still is that in the concept album but is more horrifyingly real.

It's also interesting how their demise is also treated completely differently.

Fox dies a horrific death by being ran over by the station train right after she fended off her crew from Captain Victor,

Her death is the thing that allows the Warriors to escape and is meditated on not only in the same train home but during the finale.

Luther's death is off screen so he doesn't even really get to go out with the blaze like the shooting star that he thinks that he is.

I know that there are a few people that really wanted to see him get it good, but I almost feel like not giving him what he wanted is a much more satisfying conclusion

[olivsie]

Something I like about epic the musical is that it Gives it's changes to the original text an actual Purpose

( The first couple paragraphs are basically a rant regarding retellings. If you only want to hear about epic Skip to paragraph 4)

1. I am a bit annoyed by the lack of. Understanding as to why RETELLINGS aren't the most historicaly accurate things in the world. Sorry to break this to you, but that's both just how they work and I would guess how they reach success. Ancient Greece is a much different culture than our own, And most of us would be terrified to actually live back then. When you are Trying to create content That is based on ancient Greece And you want it to be successful/ At least reach a wide, and notably, MODERN audience. You're likely going to have to take some creative liberty And change a few things. Don't get me wrong, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LIKE RETELLINGS KNOWING THAT FACT ( Me personally, I'm not the biggest fan of Miller's novels Even though I do like epic) BUT IT IS SOMETHING TO BE AWARE OF. And because of that I don't think I would ever expect a retelling to be perfectly accurate And I don't. I had interest in mythology LONG before epic the musical But I didn't actually read the Odyssey until getting into epic. I did not expect it To be just like the musical, I knew Odysseus was going to be much more of an asshole, along with other characters. The odyssey and epic are different pieces of media to me And I am not less of a mythology nerd for liking epic ( Though I will admit that sometimes I take tiny little fun facts of mythology And like to think of them in the context of epic, but that's just for fun.)

2. The Only time being a fan of retellings is wrong as if you genuinely believe they are perfectly accurate And refuse to listen to anything else ( Which has definitely happened, And mythology nerds have the right to be annoyed at that)

3. Some people only like to consume real mythology media, Others like both real mythology and retellings, Others only like to engage with retellings (I would hope they have the self-awareness to know It's not real mythology, From what I've seen some do and some don't, Unfortunately)

4. Ok. now on to what the title of this long ass rant says

I like that epic the musical Retells the story, Not only to both cater to modern audience But Also with its OWN purpose of man versus monster.

Obviously, this is not the point of the original text. Mythos Odysseus does not give a single fuck About the stuff that epic odysseus does. I don't know why the creator Decided to rewrite it this way, (If he's ever said why let me know) But I would assume he wanted to make something about the oddessy And this was simply a very creative way to Translate that for modern audience.

I like this because, yes, holy damn. It does have changes from the original text. But it's not JUST changing it. It's changing it with a purpose

It feels reminiscent of some kind of Dramatic play. the way that epic characterizes.

Polites' kind nature is Representative of the Concept of being merciful Represented in his lines such as " This life is amazing when you greet it with open arms" /"There is so much guilt inside your heart, So why not replace it?"

While in contrast you have eurylochus with more ruthlessness and cautious nature, this is Found in some of his lines such as "You rely on wit, and people die on it" /"we don't know what's ahead" / "I say we strike first. We don't have time to waste so lets raid the place-" /"Let's just cut our losses, You and I and let's run"

And then you have Odysseus, the man/monster. The first act of this Musical is his internal struggle With what He should be On that scale. And the other characters Represent this struggle in the song monster

" Is the cyclops struck with gilt when he kills, is he up in the middle of the night? Or does he end my men to avenge his friend and then Sleep knowing he has done him right?

When the witch turns men to pigs to protect her nymphs, is she going insane? Or did she learn to be colder when she got older and now she saves them the pain?

When a God comes down and makes a Fleet drown Is he scared that he's doing something wrong? Or does he keep us in check So we must respect him and now no one dares to piss him off"

He then Applies this to himself

" Does a soldier use a wooden horse to kill sleeping trojans cause he is vile? Or does he throw away his remorse and save more lives with guile?"

And this marks his turning point of deciding that Ruthlessness It's ultimately worth it if it means Getting home, as aeolus says "The end Always justifies the means"

It's in my opinion, a very creative way to go about retelling a myth. Is it accurate? Absolutely not. For example, circe (From what we know) is not protecting When she turns men into pigs, For all we know, she could just do it because Shits and giggles.

Her character and most others in epic is changed from the original. But it's not ONLY changing for the sake of apeling to the modern Western audience and being successful like Many other retellings. It is also and mainly changing for the sake of influencing the plot that Jorge Rivera herrans crafted For the sake of Retelling epic. It is creative and I enjoy it despite knowing it's not accurate.

[room-surprise]

PSA: There are no Dungeons in Dungeon Meshi! They're labyrinths!

(WARNING FOR MANGA SPOILERS)

When the characters in the manga talk about dungeons, in Japanese they are actually using the word 迷宮 (meikyū) which means labyrinth. The connotation based on the kanji used is a palace or castle with many confusing rooms. The word “dungeon” (ダンジョン, danjon) is only every used in the manga’s title, when the narrator of the manga is referring to the title ("ahh Dungeon Meshi!"), or when Kui discusses dungoniums (ダンジョニウム/Danjoniumu) which she describes in the world guide as miniature dungeons, built to emulate a labyrinth.

The English loan word “dungeon” is most likely intended to catch Japanese reader’s eyes because it is foreign and exotic, and lead them into a false sense of security because of the Japanese pop culture perception of “dungeon” as a relatively harmless place where characters have formulaic adventures and gather resources as part of a game, or a game-like story.

“Dungeons” in Japanese pop culture can be sinister, but they have come to mean something as innocuous as “level” or “environment.” The early story of Dungeon Meshi is lighthearted and full of comedy, which reinforces this idea and leads readers to believe that the labyrinth in the story is just a generic backdrop with little inherent importance, like it is in many fantasy stories. However, Kui repeatedly suggests the labyrinth is not benign, that it is itself a monster and that anyone foolish enough to go into it is at risk of becoming food, and being devoured.

Before the word dungeon came to generically mean “place to exploit for resources” in fantasy fiction and gaming, its primary meaning was prison. So then the title “Dungeon Meshi” actually means “prison meal.” But who or what does the prison in Dungeon Meshi contain? Of all the people in the dungeon, who are the prisoners? And what does a “prison meal” really mean? A meal eaten by prisoners? A meal cooked by prisoners? A meal cooked using prisoners as ingredients? All of these meanings are implied and hinted at in the manga.

The characters in the story call the dungeon a labyrinth, which is a word that means a maze-like prison, specifically one that traps innocent young people and a man-eating monster inside. Both the monster and its food, the people, are prisoners… But which of them will die and be eaten? Who will escape the labyrinth in the end, and what will it cost them?

You’ll have to read Dungeon Meshi to find out!

======================

But so, you may ask, Mushroom, aside from all that stuff you just said, why does the dungeon/labyrinth distinction matter?

ARIADNE SPIDERS

(Using the cute version here to protect anyone with arachnophobia)

These are giant spiders that the elves use to produce silk, which they use to make the armor the Canaries wear. Though we don’t know for sure, it’s likely the spiders are domesticated in order to make farming their silk easier.

Ariadne is the name of an Ancient Greek mythological character, and may be derived from the Ancient Cretan dialectical elements ari (ἀρι-) "most" (which is an intensive prefix) and adnós (ἀδνός) "holy", but the exact origins of the name are unknown. It may be pre-Greek and not from the Indo-European language family at all.

Ariadne was a princess of Crete that helped the hero Thesus escape from the maze/dungeon that contained the minotaur by giving Theseus a ball of magic thread. 

The spiders in the manga have a pattern on their backs that looks like a maze, and their silk thread is the thing that protects the Canaries while they’re in the dungeon, and allows them to make it back out alive. The elves may consider the spiders “most holy” because they provide the means for them to protect themselves in battle.

Having the elves use a giant spider as a type of livestock might also be a playful reference to the drow (dark elves) of Dungeons & Dragons, since they worship a spider goddess, and Kui’s elves probably don’t worship the spiders if they’re using them as livestock… Though it’s also possible that they have a reverence for the spiders similar to the way cows are worshiped in parts of India, since some of elven culture appears to be based on South Asia!

THE CANARIES ARE BEING SACRIFICED TO THE DUNGEONS

Minos, Ariadne’s father, prayed to the God Poseidon to help him defeat his brothers and become king. He was sent a snow-white bull as a sign of the God’s favor. Minos was supposed to sacrifice the bull to Posiedon to show his gratitude, but because it was so beautiful Minos kept it, and sacrificed a different, inferior bull instead. 

To punish Minos, Poseidon made Mino’s wife fall in love with the bull, which resulted in her mating with it and giving birth to a half-man, half-bull monster, a minotaur that could only survive by eating human flesh. King Minos constructed a labyrinth to hide the proof of his family’s shame and keep the minotaur trapped inside it.

In order to avoid war with King Minos, the people of Athens made a bargain, and every few years they sent 14 youths from their noble families to Minos as a sacrifice. These young men and women were sent into the labyrinth, where they became lost and trapped, and were eventually eaten by the minotaur. This continued until Ariadne fell in love with one of the Athenian youths, Theseus, and gave him a ball of magic thread which allowed him to kill the minotaur and escape the labyrinth.

There’s many ways this tale parallels the story of Dungeon Meshi. The ancients used the demon to accomplish their goals, and eventually their use of the demon’s power and their failure to control it led to them having to imprison the demon in a maze, and conceal its existence from the rest of the world. Now the elves, the descendants of the ancients, regularly “sacrifice” some of the children of their noble families to the dungeon, in an attempt to keep the demon from breaking free and destroying the world…

(This is an excerpt from my Dungeon Meshi essay.)

[shaampoo]

OMG!?!??! I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS SONG (and AU), RIGHT NOW!!!

(By Lydia the bard

TINKERBELL VILLAIN SONG - Fall Little Wendy Bird Fall | Song by Lydia the Bard and Tony | Animatic

The title^)

First of all the cover art is AMAZING, Tink is SO pretty, the sparkle and lines on the wings, her grin, HER HAIR, HER EARS, HER DRESS,

Also, "Fall Little Wendy Bird Fall" is a great title

Now the video itself and its lyrics, i really REALLY want to just compliment every single frame of this video, its so beautiful, so well done, its like it was blessed by The Muses of greek mythology,

Okay so the lyrics at 0:45

"You dont seem to quite understand what is at stake,

This messed up little family that i had to make"

Not only is this line so beautiful with the way her voice sounds, its pretty much a nod to the fact Tink and her friends kidnapped peter pan and the lost kids to keep her and her friends alive

(0:55) \/

"If i could let them all go home please know that i would

But it'd do more harm than good"

Just Tink expressing her guilt that she and her friends kidnapped the lost boys so that they could keep existing, but like, JWHSEAJKHWED, she ofc doesn't want her or her friends to die, and since people are slowly not believing in fairies anymore, they're slowly going extinct, ALSO, Fawn and Silvermist are DEAD, so yeah, that messes with someones head

AAAALSOOOO, i LOVE their silhouettes, the height and weight differences instead of them all having the same height and weight like in the movies, plus, i LOVE that despite not looking like how they do in the movies, you can probably still tell who is who,

ALSO

Even if it wasnt intentional, i like how in kinda faraway shots, Tink has a more cuter roundish look, while in closer shots shes more edgy and more intimidating(? if that's the right word), kinda showing how others view her (kinda?) as a cute fairy, maybe underestimated, but yknow, close up, shes plotting to kill a child

(1:15)

I love how Tink is gesturing in this scene, cause 1. It conveys to the audience what she wants from the lost boys and 2. Canonically, when fairies talk, people usually just hear jingling of bells, so shes gesturing because shes also conveying what she wants to the lost boys

1:23

"Swear its nothing personal, its a necessary evil"

I just love this line because it is a necessary evil, she needs the lost boys and peter pan in neverland to believe in fairies so that they exist, and Wendy is pretty much a threat, since she makes the lost boys want to grow up with families,

Also, the lost boys look so cute in here, i cant remember their names tho, one is holding a slingshot, aiming at wendy, one is holding rocks , and one has a stick , so Tink just told these children to assassinate Wendy, or at least attack her.

1:35

I love how the kids explain that Tink make them do it, and Peter Pan just glares at Tink, and i love that I'm pretty sure that Peter isn't mad/doesnt blame the lost boys

As seen in this scene where Pete is smiling and stuff at the Lost Boys and/or at Wendy

1:55

I love how Tink refers to Wendy as a "Nasty little spark" because, a spark can turn into a fire, damaging a lot of stuff and people, pretty much saying that Wendy has to be snuffed out before she causes a fire,

"Setting fires inside my house is just not allowed"

Pretty much referring to the fact that Wendy, the spark, is creating a fire, aka, making the lost boys want to grow up and go back to the real world, making them not believe in fairies anymore, thus, making her and her friends die, which is, not allowed.

Also. the fear in Tink's eyes is so fear, her expression is on point, the mix of concern and fear is just, so beautiful, also i love her pointed ears

2:17

First of all, this screenshot does not do justice to the actual design of the mermaid (siren?), cause they are AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL, GORGEUS.

Also, the fact that Tink is persuasive enough to convince someone to kill Wendy in such a short amount of time is impressive, and the fact that the mermaids agreed so quickly is also impressive,

When it failed, the absolute horror and shock on Tink's face? Shes horrified that another plan of hers failed, and shes scared that her friends might die, like, wow

The despair on her face is just so...asdjwoaijdoiwajd

3:38

The fact that Peter Pan (i cant even give him a nickname cause Pete sounds different and P.P. is just wrong and Pan is just A Thing), first at the gust of wind that blows away the pixie dust (which keeps the ship afloat) he covered his eyes, maybe cause the dust or his hair in his eyes, then he looks at Tink in anger and shock and probably some confusion, then looks at Wendy, in concern and fear,

Theory: Pan knows that, since Tink doesnt want the lost boys to leave, and he knows that gust of wind was from the fairies, and Tink's dislike and hatred to WEndy, that Wendy was probably the only one not going to be saved, which is why he only looks at her and tries to save her (that or he's a SIMPPPPPPP /j)

3:50

The fact that you can see Wendy screaming??? Chills,

And the black screen right after, signalling Wendy's death is just amazing

Anyways, overall, what im saying is

THIS SONG IS AMAZING GO CHECK IT OUT, GO CHECK OUT THIS PERSONS CHANNEL, THEY HAVE GOOD VILLAIN SONGS, THEY EVEN HAVE ENCANTO!!!!

[elsa-fogen]

I really like your Artificial Demon AU, it just makes so much sense

Why would he kill overlords? Cause that's what he was trained to do How come he was so powerful when he first fell? Cause he was made to be that powerful by Sera And why would a person who died in the 1930s New Orleans have a name like Alastor? Cause that isn't true, he was never human, so why would he have a human name?

Like, something that has been bugging me a bit is that apparently in the canon show 'Alastor' is his original name, it's not an alias like with Angel (who's real name is Anthony). Which just seems so weird, it really doesn't feel like it should be his human name. Like, what kind of loving mother would name their son bloody "Avenger"? And where/how did she even come up with or find a name like that?

But in your AU, the name makes so much more sense! He's a ruthless killing machine who is 'avenging' Sera for the simple fact that she wasn't allowed to have exterminations. He's her retaliation, her revenge against them, and they had to pay quite dearly indeed.

Like read this and tell me it doesn't fit,

:Exerb from "The Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods, and Goddesses" by Judika Illes

The only odd thing might be that the origin is Greek, when the show itself hasn't really shown to have any conections with that mythology, but like, it's still his name in the canon show

i mean, name Alastor is a normal real name, and back in 1900s they didn't have internet to look up the meaning of the name. And even so, i've seen different readings of the name, also with positive subtext like avenger for the weak and something like that, which is kinda fits for canon Alastor (remember that pre-canon comic yeah)

But yeah, thank you! I also like that this AU origin of Al fits so well to his canon self.

Btw that text on screenshot it actually made me think of Artificer from Rain World Downpour (spoilers don't read) she's a mother who lost her children to the local tribe of another species, and she's now avenging them, by killing every single member of that species, no even the specific tribe, she just started a goddamn genocide. She went so far, that she found and killed the king of that species who didn't even know her and didn't want to fight. And it backfires in the end, because she forever loses a chance to ascend and escape the cycle.

(end of spoilers)

is there a female counterpart for name Alastor btw? Because it would fit her.

[ironspdr6700]

WHY IS CLYTEMNESTRA JUST AND GUILTY AT THE SAME TIME (ACCORDING TO AESCHYLUS)?

Medical school, unfortunately, has been taking up more of my reading time than I'd like. But since we're on 14-HOURS blackouts now, it gives me time to at least read my favorite Greek tragedies in more detail. And of the big 3… My favorite by far is Aeschylus.

I recently read some passages from Gilbert Murray's book "Aeschylus: Creator of Greek Tragedy" and I can't recommend it enough for anyone who is a fan of the Oresteia, because you read Murray first and then you re-read Aeschylus in a totally different way and all the parts that seemed incomprehensible at first make sense. I've read a lot of posts here on Tumblr that defend or demonize Agamemnon or Clytemnestra or Electra, defending one, condemning the other or claiming that they are all equally bad, but I think the problem is that we read the saga of the house of Atreus from our modern perspective. And I think that shows that we don't know how to read Greek tragedies. Tragedy… AUTHENTIC GREEK TRAGEDY AS AN ARTISTIC CREATION, according to Aristotle, should provoke TERROR and COMPASSION in the viewer at the same time. Tragic heroes are different from the rest of traditional heroes because they are not worthy of being imitated, but are trapped in a situation that none of us would want to be in. And we regret that because if we were in their place we wouldn't know how to make a better decision.

Precisely because we are a modern audience, we feel more comfortable with Euripides' theatre, his criticism of mythology and the lack of ethics of the gods (don't get me wrong, I love his Medea and the Trojan Women, which is, in my opinion, one of the greatest treasures of universal literature), but we find it difficult to get into the thought of Aeschylus.

Because Aeschylus belongs to the last link of Archaic Greece, which was transformed into the Classical and rationalist Greece of Euripides, Socrates and Thucydices. Aeschylus was a deeply religious man who lived through decades of transformation: the passage from tyranny in Athens to aristocracy and then to democracy, the battles of Marathon and Salamis between the small Greek city-states against the "excessive" Persian empire and the beginning of the golden age of Athens marked his vision of the world that Divine Justice had an active participation in the world to always balance the scales.

And this also involves a transformation in the conception of Law and Justice in that period of Greek thought. Like the archaic idea that justice is only a synonym for revenge, it becomes a state-mediated process to maintain social peace. According to the archaic conception EVERY MURDER OF ANY MEMBER OF THE FAMILY MUST BE AVENGEANCE, it is not an option, it is an OBLIGATION. From that point of view, Clytemnestra has every right in the world to take revenge on Agamemnon for the sacrifice of Iphigenia, not even the Furies have anything against her because she is not Agamemnon's blood relative, which, superficially, would seem to close the cycle. The only problem is that this is a cycle of violence, and the more violence you add, the more times the cycle keeps repeating itself and the more the wheel of Ananke, the Need to satisfy the spilled violence, keeps turning.

Clytemnestra calls for help from Zeus, "Zeus, through whom all things come to an end", so that she can succeed in her plan. If Clytemnestra kills Agamemnon, it is because ZEUS HAS ALLOWED HER TO DO SO. In Aeschylus, no event ever happens that was not the will of Zeus. Zeus is the guarantor of destiny, the protector of supplicants, the guardian of hospitality… And he is also Zeus the Avenger, in charge of making sure that everyone pays for their crimes in due time. And Agamemnon has a long list of crimes to carry out, not just Iphigenia; as leader of the expedition against Troy, he has allowed the army to destroy everything during the siege, including the altars of the gods… the refuge for the supplicants.

"The altars and temples of their gods have disappeared; the entire race of a people has been annihilated."

Zeus, as guardian of hospitality, sent Agamemnon and Menelaus against Troy for the abduction of Helen:

"Paris, who, having been welcomed into the home of the Atreids, dishonoured the table of hospitality by the abduction of a wife."

But Agamemnon allows his army to GO TO OVER THE TOP IN REVENGE

"Paris will never boast, nor the city that was his accomplice, that the deed outweighed the punishment… he lost the stolen garment, and ruined the house of his parents along with his own country. WITH DOUBLE PUNISHMENT the sons of Priam PAID FOR THEIR GUILT."

So now it is Zeus, Suppliant and Avenger, who must again balance the scales.

"Now those who conquered my country are in turn sentenced by the gods."

As a second point in favor, Clytemnestra, at least in the first work of the trilogy, is more than just a woman, she seems more like she is possessed by a divinity:

"…say not that I am the wife of Agamemnon. That ancient and fierce spirit of vengeance that garnished the cruel feast of Atreus, that is he who, taking the appearance of the wife of him who lies there, avenged on a man the sacrifice of two children."

This was part of archaic thought, the idea of ​​demons or minor divinities that influence the thought or behavior or actions of human beings and also that the crimes of parents must be paid for by their children if they are not avenged. One of the most interesting posts I read is one that commented that, in archaic literature, one never knows exactly where human freedom begins and where divine will ends. BUT THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT FREE WILL DOES NOT EXIST AND THEREFORE THAT HUMAN BEINGS ARE EXEMPT FROM RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ACTIONS.

And this is where Clytemnestra also becomes guilty. First, because she murders Cassandra, a Trojan princess, a priestess, a slave who has no say.

"I am forced to suffer the yoke of slavery"

She treats her as if she were Agamemnon's lover, which highlights 1) Clytemnestra's hypocrisy, because she had also taken Aegisthus as a lover, and 2) this is more important, THE LACK OF COMPASSION. Greek tragedy must generate terror and compassion because they are the two emotions that make us human. Only the person who is authentically compassionate, that is, literally feels the suffering of others as their own, as a shared experience and inheritance, can be called an authentic human being in the highest spiritual sense of the word. Clytemnestra HAS NO PITY, on the contrary, she delights in the very violence she commits:

"She, after singing her funeral dirges like a swan, fell too, and lies there beside her lover. Delicious contentment that satisfies the pleasures of my loves!"

Clytemnestra triumphs as Iphigenia's mother, but fails as a queen, just as Agamemnon triumphs as a king but fails as Iphigenia's father. Clytemnestra does not care about the opinion of the chorus of elders, she does not care that Aegisthus establishes a tyranny and that the respect for majesty that Agamemnon did have for his subjects is transformed into fear, into threats of hunger and deprivation for those who oppose her.

It is true that Clytemnestra is justified (Justice in the most archaic sense of the word) in her revenge in the first act, but that does not give her the right to laugh, or even to feel proud of what she has just done. "For my own part, I boast of my work. If it were lawful to pour libations on a corpse, they would be just, most just on this occasion." Not even Odysseus, who murdered 108 people in his own house despite having received the approval of Zeus and Athena, takes delight in the slaughter, because "it is not godly to rejoice over the death of these men."

In the end, Clytemnestra does not seem to die for killing Agamemnon (that is Aegisthus). She dies for having killed Cassandra, as she herself prophesies:

"… when a woman pays for my life with her life, and a man atones with his blood for the blood of the unhappy husband of a bad wife… I ask you that my hateful murderers receive from my avengers the payment for the easy death of a defenseless slave."

And that is what leads Orestes to be one step closer to absolution than Clytemnestra will ever be. Orestes obeys Apollo's orders, but against his will, forced by fate, he finds neither pleasure nor satisfaction in matricide. It is the first step that will later lead him to be absolved by Athena. While Clytemnestra, even in death, has no compassion, she cannot forgive even her own son when he sees himself subjected to an unwanted fate.

[sorcave]

Gods like Chaos, Thanatos and Hades are all overrated. People talk about them like they are super strong and ultra mega powerful, or that Chaos is the creator of the world (he was not in any theogony), or that Thanatos and Hades were kind or better than other gods etc. The truth is we have almost nothing on these gods, so people create all type of weird fanfic about them. Thanatos and Hades are pitiless of heart, not kind, and Chaos is not the creator of the world. And neither are they strong either, especially Thanatos and Hades, who got their ass kicked by Heracles in different ocasions without the help of Athena, while Hades we have nothing substantial about him concerning any fight, and he was scared of Typhon just like any god beside Zeus.

And Hades is not the best candidate for the ruler of the world either, neither did he accepted the underworld out of pity for his brothers and yadayada. Zeus is far more capable than Hades, with Hades coming to Zeus multiple times to solve a lot of questions, even in his own domain.

Hades wanted judges to judge the dead. He decided to ask Zeus to recomend three sons of his for being judges. Zeus recomended Minos, Aeacus and Radamanthys. So Hades, instead of acting by his own, decided to rely on Zeus wisdom. Of course there is nothing wrong with that, but Hades is not more competent than Zeus like some think.

He asks Zeus to give him Kore as a wife, which Zeus does. Admittedly this is more as her father than as a ruler but may still count.

Leaving aside the moral objections to this (which, despite what some people will tell you, were clearly evident in Ancient Greece and are not modern inventions), this is generally how marriage worked in Ancient Greece - the father (Zeus) gives the bride to the groom, without her input or consent (and often, although not in this story, without the groom's either).

Just look at Hades. His story in modern media has nothing to do with death. In fanfictions like Lore Olympus and similar works, is all about him and Persephone, and there is nothing about death, that is just a side note. In Percy Jackson his main trait is that he is resentful that the other gods despise him, but he dont anything related to death either.

The only modern work that incorporates Death with Hades as the main thing is Hadestown, where he is enslaving the dead.

For what i have seen, people like Hades because of his supposed gothic aspect, Persephone, and him not being Zeus. Not because of death, or to find comfort in death.

Thanatos is not the "god of something", he is Death personified. He is literaly death itself given a face and body. Hades is more properly a god of "things", and that includes Death. Thanatos is a servant of Hades.

Hades was sometimes show even above the Moirai, in this case he would have even control on how long people live, and when they should die. This was not a common depiction, but it existed.

Hades also choose the judges of the Underworld (but based around Zeus decision), he gave everything there its place, etc. Hades is a god of death, there is no need to be to formulaic, like "oh he is not the god of death".

When Hades appears in mythology, is dealing with death related matters. He sent out ghosts to punish people that did not buried the dead. He allowed some people to ressurect. He was also against people ressurecting others without his permission, like Asclepius. Etc, you get my point.

But in modern adaptations he either wants to overthrown Olympus, or is only about Persephone. Altrough the second one is accurate to myths, neither of these things have to do with death related matters per se (because he being god of the dead is only used as a background, like "he wants to take down Olympus because he hates ruling the dead").

In Hadestown, Hades main conflict is at least related to death. "What happens when people die", they became slaves of Hades (in Hadestown of course, not in greek mythology). It explores Hades relation to dead people and how this will be corrected in the end of the play. Way better than the other examples, even if not accurate itself.

In both cases, Death is just the background of the god, "oh he dont like the world of the dead". But his main purpose is to overthrown Olympus, a thing that has nothing do to with him being ruler of the dead, since any god could try to overthrown Olympus for other reasons, is not something tied to death.

I would say his best portrayal is the books Percy Jackson, but still is far from great, since being god of the dead is once again used as a background for the character main conflict (his rejection by other gods), instead of being the main thing he does. In most Hades myths, beside the Persephone one, his main concern is to keep the dead, dead (thus he killed Asclepius who was ressurecting them), or to change things in the Underworld (when he elevated sons of Zeus as judge), but that is rarely brought up in modern adaptations.

[kiaratheronappreciationweek]

We're on Day 3 of KTAW now, and there are two amazing themes lined up for you!!

As everyone who has ever read the series knows, Kiara is a polyglot. With a real passion for languages. So much so that she has managed to learn not one, not two - but ten of them!!! So tomorrow, we will be focusing on Languages!

Kiara's home, Castelserraillan, is also well known for its vineyards. Her mother Joelle was the main force behind this particular passion, and the entire family has an extensive knowledge on the subject. In fact, Kiara had even told Drake once that she "prefers wine to cocktails". So it is only fitting that we have a theme revolving around the subject of Wine!

Any content is welcome!! Just make sure your work centers Kiara, and presents a positive depiction of her. Fic, art, meta, headcanons, edits, icons, interactive media, even simple character appreciation posts!! We also accept WIPs, so if your piece isn't entirely complete by the end of the week, fret not - you can still send us the WIPs!

The themes are simply inspirations. If you bring a piece for one of the days later, it's entirely okay...just make sure you tag the posts with the day you meant it for! We will always be keeping a bonus week in case you couldn't complete the piece during the week itself, so our official deadline for pieces will be June 1st!

We'd also like all of you to know that KTAW 2024 will be open ALL YEAR ROUND. So if you're unable to finish a piece before June 1st, pls do send it whenever you're ready to (and tag us!), and it will definitely be up on our masterlist!!

Be sure to follow these rules while making your posts:

1. Use the tags #kiaratheronappreciationweek and #KTAW in your posts. Make sure to tag the day as well (#KTAW Day 1, #KTAW Day 2, etc)

2. Tag @kiaratheronappreciationweek as well as hosts @lizzybeth1986 and @sazanes in your work!

Fan Community blogs are super important to our promotion of events, so we'd definitely love for you to check out some of these awesome blogs and their challenges:

@choicesficwriterscreations - Primarily fanfic and fanart (no AI allowed). Check out their rules and roster of events!

@choicesmonthlychallenge and @choicesmaychallenge24 - Any and all content welcome! This month's prompts are delightfully Greek mythology-themed!

@choicespride - Any and all content welcome, as long as it centers LGBTQ+ characters and/or themes! They will be hosting this year's pride event soon!

@choicesholidays - Any and all content welcome, as long as it is centered around one of the holidays listed! Currently, they are hosting Spring Fling!

@choicesprompts - Any and all content welcome! Currently no events, but you could check out all the cool stuff they've been up to so far!

@choicescommunityevents - Any and all art welcome as long as it is on-theme! Currently hosting the AAPI Heritage Month!

SO excited to see all your entries!!!

Happy Kiara Theron Appreciation Week, everyone!!

[adachimoe]

PSC Eps 20, 23, 24 "Ah-ha, I SEES it!"

Last time: Ep 1 + Explanation, Eps 2 + 4, Ep 5, Eps 6 + 7 (no Q&A), Eps 8 + 9, Eps 10 + 11 (plus PSC Cafe), Eps 12/13/18/19

Some paraphrasing cause the full answer to the "Aigis reloading" question is truly entirely too long to just say "she has [x] many bullets" lol...

Episode 20

Q: What do the members of S.E.E.S. in Persona 3 do during the Dark Hour when they aren't exploring Tartarus? A: They're usually just sleeping for 3 reasons. #1, you can't use any electronics for a long period of time, so you might as well just sleep. #2, people in sports clubs have practice in the morning and it's rough if they aren't bed by midnight. #3, it's inefficient to do things during the Dark Hour that you'd do normally because you get fatigued quicker. Q: Aigis has various weapons, but where on her body does she store spare bullets to reload with? A: She doesn't carry any spares. In the lore, her drum magazines store 60 rounds, one per arm, for a total of 120 bullets. When she's out of rounds, she probably resupplies at the dungeon entrance. In P4 Arena onwards, Aigis's has a new chassis. The bullet caliber and specifications are the same, but the big difference is that it doesn't allow for external magazines, so the bulkier part of her arm guns store helical magazines that can be preloaded with a quantity of bullets equivalent to the max capacity of the old full size magazine. In fact, even in P4 Arena, she is limited to 120 bullets.

The part of her arms that's been made bigger in P4 Arena is her uhhh robo-wrists:

Q: I like the piano piece that plays in Chagall, but I don't know the name of the song and I couldn't find it on the OSTs. What is the name and is it on a CD? A: It's not a BGM but classified as a sound effect called "Inside of Chagall" that combines the music that the owner Mumon plays in-universe in the store with the sound effects of other customers eating/drinking, etc, as part of the environment. It's not on any soundtracks because it was intentionally processed to sound like it plays through speakers and it's only 30 seconds long.

Episode 23

Q: Why does Junpei wear that hat everywhere he goes? He wears it at dorm, at school, on the beach, even in the hot spring! Is it something sentimental? A: Simply put, he's a baseball nut. He enthusiastically keeps tabs on the outcomes of not just Japanese pro games, but even Major League Baseball. It might look like he's always wearing the same hat, but he might have a bunch of different versions that just look the same to an amateur. As for wearing it at the beach and in the hot springs, I think he does that because really believes that being incredibly stubborn is one way to be cool.

Reading this made me think of the "Ooh Mr. Darcy" comic but with Junpei...

Q: It looks like Jin gets weapons for Strega, but how does he get guns and bullets for Takaya? Is it a modified model gun? Does he steal stuff during the Dark Hour? A: Takaya's gun and bullets are real, but they weren't obtained locally. Strega took them with them when they escaped from the research lab. They have a moderate supply of those things, the Persona suppression drugs, and some other things that they use little by little. They won't be able to restock if they use everything up, but Strega knows they don't have much longer so they think the supply they have is good enough. Q: Was there a motorcycle you referenced for Mitsuru's motorcycle? A: It's not the exact same since it's been modified to work during the Dark Hour, but her motorcycle is modeled off of the limited Ducati MH900e.

Episode 24

Q: The Personas in P3 come from Greek mythology. What were the reasons for each of the character's Persona being selected? A: For two reasons. Firstly, there are a lot of Greek Gods who are relatively popular and have symbolism that coincides with the game's themes - Thanatos, who represents death itself; Orpheus, who has the so-called "Descent into the Underworld" myth; and many others. The other reason is that the first Persona game was placed as an "Ibunroku" - an "Alternate/Unusual Tale" - in relation to the "Shin Megami Tensei" series. In order to differentiate them, the first Persona game incorporated Greek myths which hadn't been used much in SMT. Persona 2 did the same. Thus, Persona 3 carried on the tradition.

(I'm fairly sure the fan was asking the reasoning for why each character had a certain Greek myth? Also, the full Japanese title of the first Persona is "Megami Ibunroku Persona".)

Q: Where does SEES keep their Evokers when they don't go into Tartarus during the Dark Hour? A: There was no set storage place when they only had a few Persona users. Around the time they began exploring Tartarus, it became a rule to store them in the operations room. Q: What's with the uniforms on display in Aigis's room in her max Social Link event? Are those uniforms being stored for students? Or are they all spares for Aigis if hers gets torn? A: As you can tell from the game, they're all the same size and all look the same; they're all spare uniforms for Aigis. Aigis's form might be similar to a regular human, but her body structure, behavior, temperature/heat, physical abilities, etc, all differ so her uniforms are specially made for her, down to the last detail.

[thewitchoftheweed]

Hello again! I wonder if you got my previous ask about the leg wrapper for Narinder I got from. I also hope you're alright.

Read your newest chapter and I must say, while you wrote the poisoning scene short and seemingly anticlimactic, it really sets up for the aftermath on how emotionally intense and chaotic it feels, really pounds in that Heket has fucked up BIG TIME. I am only a quarter spoiled by the fact that you planned to include her and the rest of the Bishops still in your future fics, but I still am nervous on their fates and how it will happen, until I remember that half people wrote in their fics that Narinder was either kicked out or walked out of the cult early on and made a life for himself outside it, and I wonder if that will be Heket's fate, along with Leshy, seeing that I have no idea how Narinder is gonna trust them anymore, let alone Hamal letting them anywhere near him. The dice is up to you!

On the other note, here are the first iteration of my first half of what I imagine your Narilamb shittens would be! Reminder that I will be adjusting details further down

Meet the Gray Sisters! Triplets so identical that they could swap places and you can't even tell, the only thing differentiating them when together is the color of their ribbons. I based them on the Greek mythology Gray Sisters, and their powers as well.

Triplet train! Left to right is youngest to oldest. The left one is Deino, middle is Enyo, right one the eldest, Pemphredo. Their nicknames are respectively Dei, En, and Pem. Grey wooled shittens with sheep body and hands and feline face and feet. I gave them white robes with a grey-brown wool lining, tied with a black skull at the collar. They wear those apron like undercover with warm grey color.

The triplets are color coded by the ribbons, corresponding to the Bishop siblings: purple for the eldest, like Shamura, the closest thing to cyan for the middle, like Kallamar, red for the youngest of the trio, like Narinder. Just like the Gray Sisters in mythology, the triplets share a single third Eyeball of Knowing, and the Teeth of the Beast. The Eye shows them events and grants godly knowledge and foresight, with the halo thing behind the head and black ichor bleeding, and the Teeth is the Godly strength that comes from divine lineage, seen with them overflowing with Fervour dripping out (I add the branch like ears from Narinder). They take turns using those abilities, so only one of the trio can use one of the abilities at the time. Once used, the Eye will seal itself and sink back in, leaving only smears of ichor in its place. The reverse of it opening is by appearing a slit wound that opens to an Eye.

The triplets as grown up versions of themselves! Identical triplets at birth, it is only when they've entered early teen did their subtle traits became more prominent. They've filled in roles befitting their namesakes:

Pemphredo "Pem", the Eldest. The Watcher, Warden, Guardian. "Pemph" means alarm or fright, "redo" is to see. Her senses are keener than her sisters, which allows her to catch disturbances in the surroundings slighter than the eye of a needle. She's quite sensitive to changes in the air, and is very perceptive with people and their moods, with the level-headedness to assess the dangers. She alerts the Lamb to dissension, spies, infighting, supply lines, statuses of the cult and followers, etc, keeps the rabble in line. Reliable and responsible since young. She's based on Shamura. Her staff can manifest an energy scythe blade and the charms hanging from it are Relics that can turn into demons, made and gifted from her younger sister. Favors the Eye most. Very silent despite being covered in bells.

Enyo "En", the Middle. The Warrior and Executioner. "Enyo" means horror. A battle junkie and weapon connoisseur, she collects weapons and is very knowledgeable in their use in every way. Her favourite main weapons are dual welding multi-bladed whip swords (based on Indian Urumi swords). The more difficult a weapon is to use, the more she delights in mastering and showing it off. Many fear facing her in the Fight Pit, as she loves to draw out her opponent's torment as a showmanship, especially for spies. She leads the missionary quests most of the time in an efficient and calm manner, in contrast to her usual cheery bloodlust. Based on Kallamar, and his antithesis also. When the need is there, she'll decisively take charge in the absence of Pem and/or her parents. She also deals in executions, both public and in private. Uses the Teeth of the Beast most.

Deino "Dei", the Youngest. The Witch, Curse-Maker, Medicine Woman. "Deino" means dread. Concocts a cure as well as a curse. Of all the shittens, she closely resembles Narinder the most, especially in regard of his experimental creativity and audacious boldness to try new things. She had an apprenticeship under Chemach for some time, and learned to make Relics from godly parts from her. Her body is hidden in layer after layer of clothes to hide parts of her bodies that were affected by her experiments, unintentionally and not. She is highly aware of how others are generally unnerved by her appearance and demeanour, and relishes in the fact. The only thing that keeps her barely in line is the disapproval of her parents and her siblings' nagging. She's not above using the creep factor to get what she wants from the followers.

All three of them strongly love and deeply respect each other and their parents, and as adults conduct themselves in a professional manner in front of the followers nost of tbe time. That said, the trio are not above teasing and ruffling each other's feathers, and give the parents a headache or two, mainly before their younger siblings arrive.

I hope you enjoy this! Will work on their designs more in the future, along with their younger siblings. Drink water and eat vegetables regularly.

These are great! I love the little triplet train of them as kittens; they're all so fluffy and cute.

It's really interesting to see your interpretations! Everything about them is neat: their names, the meaning behind them, their designs, their little resemblances to their other relatives. I love Pem's expression and finery; she definitely gives Oldest Sibling vibes. I'm especially amused by the idea of Enyo; I feel like she would both delight and terrify her Uncle Kallamar lol. I also find the idea of Deino apprenticing with Chemach to be super interesting! That's a fun twist on that lore.

Thanks for sharing these!

[winns-stuff]

LO RANT:

Because why not? I just don’t understand the way that fans think, on one hand we can’t associate or even compare Lore Olympus to the myths because they’ll say “well it’s her retelling she doesn’t have to do things exactly alike” but on the other hand when you’re talking about the story by itself they’ll then try to counter whatever argument against Lore Olympus by saying “this is what they did in the myths!! why are you guys mad at greek mythology??” so which one is it because it’s giving me a headache. I get so tired of seeing the exact same argument from fans it’s so redundant and I mean that in the nicest way possible, I’m sure a lot of you are great people but the things y’all say and do for this comic is insane.

Rachel is adding yet another sex scene and people are rightfully angry. We’re in the climax where the world is basically in an apocalyptic state and the gods are all in danger of having no mortals to worship them and give them any purpose and it’s all because of Persephone, no one is thinking “oh yeah this is the perfect time for intimacy” and if you wanted to give fan service to those who are craving it you should’ve did it in a more calmer setting?? No one is threatening Rachel and telling her that she needs to add these ridiculously high stakes to her comic which prevents her from smoothly writing NSFW of the main couple, she’s literally doing this herself which is one of the reasons why it gets so annoying whenever fans get mad at people for being upset or disappointed. She’s doing this to herself, am I saying harass the woman or cyber bully her? No but that’s not what a lot of these people are doing, in every single webtoon especially one as big as Lore Olympus you’re going to have people who view your content differently or disagree with the way you’ve written things. I’m not trying to encourage the idea of changing your entire story to bend to those people but a large majority of your fandom are starting to have the exact same complaints and it’s clear that your plots are not being fleshed out at all, these people are just asking (no, begging really) for a cohesive story not a masterpiece.

Which brings me to my next point, all of the criticisms and explanations many critics have been sharing are entirely valid. You cannot put a sex scene as a replacement to storytelling, it just never works since it adds virtually nothing to what’s happening. Especially right now when, like I said before, Rachel is starting to spiral the plot into chaos (I’m not being insulting by saying this it’s literally chaos it seems like all of the characters are in trouble) and introducing or welcoming back a lot of intriguing plot stories and characters that many people are excited to see. To make an odd and unnecessary shift to romance in the middle of absolute destruction is crazy, especially when none of it is earned. I’ve said this in my later rants but I’ll say it again because it’s true, the romance between Hades and Persephone has no stakes and it never will it seems since Rachel doesn’t even allow stuff like that to happen. Nothing about their romance keeps you straddled on for the ride or leaves you at the edge of your seat which is why so many people are bored with their dynamic if there even is one to begin with. Slow burns and other romances are all about the payoff that’s what everyone’s here to see, after chapters on chapters of wondering if their love will brave the dangers around them and between them we finally get our question solved with appropriate intimacy.

Lore Olympus as a whole rarely wants to develop actual relationships in real time, it only skips to “the good bits” while completely ignoring the fact that the entire bonding experience between your ships and your fans rely heavily on us actually witnessing their chemistry/bond and being shown why they should be together, not being told by forces outside of the relationship.

All in all the potential sex scene is just terrible timing on Rachel’s part and it should’ve been done while literally nothing was happening to avoid all of the backlash that it’s getting now.

[dootznbootz]

allow yourself to be a little arrogant! if you were to claim that you know more than most people about a specific character from greek mythology, which character would it be?

*puts on the hat of arrogance so I can take it off right afterward*

Penelope 😅 😂

Like most of what we find of her is in the Odyssey, and even then, in my opinion, Homer I almost feel purposefully makes her a bit of an enigma. As we're in Odysseus' "POV" most of the time, and it's kind of a "She tricks the trickster, she tricks the narrator, she tricks the suitors, she tricks the reader, etc."

But even with this lil bit of "sneakiness" with her, we still get so many hints of her character and who she is and I adore it 🥹

Even then she has a lot of background lore that is just SOOOO much fun to play with. Her being of Naiad descent (whether 50-75% depending on what myths you go with), her many brothers and one sister, Her dad being a racer, her being cousins with Helen, Castor, Pollux, Clytemnestra Sparta itself, And that's just background lore!!!! There's so much to play with and that makes it so fun!

And well, like, I KNOW I'm the reason for a big boom of "Water Wife" lol 😅 Were there "Naiad Penelopes" before I came back on Tumblr? YES! :D Absolutely! I'm definitely NOT the first "Naiad Penelope" person!

But I DID create "Water Wife" AND I know I help cause more Water Pennys to be in the world >:3 Even if folks weren't directly inspired by me, they probably got it from someone else who was! :3 and I know my headcanons are often being used by others.

*The hat of arrogance droops a lil on my head so it becomes a lil bit of the sad arrogance hat*

I sometimes don't really like that I'm like, "the biggest, loudest Penelope fan", you know? ;~;

I know I'm not the only Penelope fan <3 I know there are others. Many lovely fans and creators :3 This isn't to negate them and the love and works. <3

But in fandom in general, In some ways, I...I'm a lil sad that like, a lot of the info that some people have on her in the fandom I know is because of me 😓 Like...Why did it take someone else to be a nerd about her for others to be a nerd about her, you know?

Like, it makes me happy that people are finally giving her love and seeing a lot more fics and headcanons with her as a focal point but like, I'm sad feeling like I started it in fandom (again, Penelope HAS been praised throughout the ages after all) recently. Why did it take ME to get others so nuts about her? Why do I see most folks caring about her simply because Odysseus and Telemachus do?

It's like, there are many Odysseus bloggers, there are a few Telemachus bloggers (Hi! :D ), but there are few, (if really many others) blogs that are like "most stuff I do is Penelope, Odysseus and others are there sometimes but It's mostly Penelope in here".

(granted I have not really...looked too much recently as it started making me sad to think about her not getting a lot of love) I am also very picky. I won't stand for cardboard Penelope who is only there to prop up her husband and/or thinks he "cheated" or have Odysseus cheat. Penelope, and women in general, are not props for their husbands/sons.)

As like, I got most of my info FROM the Odyssey AND just simply looking stuff up about her and Sparta and her family. And so I get this lil feeling of "...We both read the same book, why did it take me pointing out that Penelope is constantly wishing violence on the suitors for people to know that she does that? Why did you think that Penelope didn't come up with the archery contest when it explicitly says she did?"

And it's not like, even a feeling of "gatekeeping" or wanting to be like "You're a Penelope fan, huh? Well then tell me the names of all her possible brothers? >:(" It's more like a

Me: "I love Penelope!" Person:"YEs! I love Penelope too!" Me: "Yippee! Can you tell me about your Penelope? :D I love all Penelopes! I wanna talk about her!" Person: "Well, she's more quiet and reserved but that's her secret >:3 she strikes when you least expect it!" Me: "YES!!! That's so fun! I have her 'Likeminded' with Odysseus and she's silly, reckless, hotheaded just like he is :D Can you tell me some headcanons about her? What do you have for her childhood? I'm really excited!" Person: "Oh I don't have much for her childhood actually." Me: "That's okay! Do you wanna brainstorm together? Maybe bounce some ideas so you can get some down?" Person: "Oh no, that's okay. I've got all I need,as I really only have her when she meets Odysseus." Me: "o-oh okay.:'D "

As like...I dunno. When you love a character, you wanna meet others who also will ramble nonstop about them too, you know?

I sometimes feel like, idk, some folks are like "Think up Penelope headcanons for us! :D " especially as like... I've had that whole "Oh no, I've got all I need!" experience more than once :')

Ngl, like, part of the reason I go so "apeshit" about her is yeah, because I am, but also like, in hope more people will join me? Which yeah! People have! And that makes me happy!

But even then, I just... I DO like this joke, don't get me wrong, but with how whenever I fangirl about her, people are like, "Found Odysseus" and yippee! :D I think it's fun to be called Odysseus!

But also like...Why does it still tie back to him? Why is it still about Odysseus? (even my own tag of "Shot by Odysseus" is still technically about him! (I'm keeping it because I'm stupid but still)) Why aren't Odysseus fans called "Penelope" then? She loves him just as much, right?

I think there's more "OdyPen fans" than there are Penelope fans. Because most Penelope stuff HAS to do with Odysseus, and it's usually like, STILL centered around him. Which is really weird to me, as I don't know how you can be a big Odysseus fan without being an equally big Penelope fan. They are way way too intertwined to not be equally talked/headcanoned/etc. about in my opinion. They're like the same person imo in a way lol.

In my opinion, you cannot bring up Odysseus without mentioning Penelope, you cannot bring up Penelope without mentioning Odysseus.

It's literally like that in the Odyssey. (Explain that part of Homer's passage here.)

...So why are there so many fics with Odysseus doing so much without Penelope, and yet, very few Penelope fics that don't have much of anything to do with Odysseus?

*takes off hat of arrogance*

And like...I'm a goober just like every other fan, you know? I'm not some "mastermind". All my "good" headcanons are simply loving her and thinking about her often. It's...not hard to love a character. I just rotate her around a lot. :3

[chibsandchill]

Not in love

Fandom: Saltburn

Pairing: Oliver Quick x Felix Catton (brief mentions of past Oliver x Venetia)

Summary: Oliver reflects on his and Felix's relationship and comes to a startling realization that maybe there is no saving it.

Or,

The birthday scenes from Oliver's POV leading up to the maze, only with a slight twist at the end.

Warnings: A disgusting amount of Greek mythology references, Oliver, major character(s) death, spelling and grammatical errors, unreliable narrator, written from Oliver’s POV, descriptions of violence, description of metaphorical self-harm, mentions of drugs and alcohol, unhealthy relationships, toxic mindset, obsession, Oliver really really needs (needed?) a therapist, allusions to sex but no details

Masterlist

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

The clouds parted and there was light. Bright and wonderful, all for him. Even in a beautiful garden the rays strayed from the violets and the roses to spread its warmth to the weeds and the dandelions growing just outside the fence. 

You loved the sun, 

who wouldn’t? 

It brought warmth, life, peace and love, 

and thus, 

who would blame it for the fate of those who wandered too far? 

A simple dandelion who had only gazed at the sun from behind the fence wasn’t made for a life among the flowers, under the watchful eye of the sun. But still it looked. The roses stretched and giggled as they swayed gently in the wind, 

but the sun kept looking away. 

The garden was too pretty. The sun needed to see the ugly, to shine its light onto them too. It would feed on the darkness until it was full, and then it would retreat back into the garden to laugh and warm the flowers. 

The poor dandelion who had finally known warmth was abandoned. 

It hadn’t been dark enough to sustain the sun’s ever-growing want for ugly. Its warmth had brought out the taint, allowing the dandelion to thrive. 

It felt like a story from one of his old literacy classes in elementary school. Still,  It was true enough. Meeting Felix was like seeing the sun after an eternity of darkness and they were much like the sun and the dandelion, 

 only, 

Oliver was as ravenous for Felix’s warmth as Felix was for the darkness in him. Both of them tore and tore at each other to unveil more. It crumbled in their mouths like dust. 

But now the sun had found out the true nature of the dandelion, and for all the ugliness in the world it would not look at it. A flower in disguise, a lowly one but a flower nonetheless. Not pretty enough to line the garden beds or sprout from bushes, but not ugly enough to be torn from the root and thrown into the compost. 

Oliver stumbled through the party. His head pounded from the music, the spiked alcohol and the sweaty bodies that moved like giant waves. He was reeling. His hands shook, his eyes were red and his blood was cold as ice. 

It was his last night in the garden before the sun itself descended to burn him. 

Maybe the garden wasn’t an apt description after all. Perhaps his story was more like Icarus. Oliver had grown too bold in his want for Felix and had grown to love the feeling of burning too much to notice how close he got. He was cast from the heavens with the charred remains of his wings. Deformed and alone, he fell. The wounds on his back still weeping from when he stood in front of the Catton’s mirror and teared at his skin until his very bones were bared, until he bent and broke them to form his wings. The flaps of bruised skin stretched taut to give him flight, but had now been burnt to crisps. Flightless, he fell into the vast ocean of ravenous creatures who would do anything for Felix’s eyes to so much as pass over them – for them to be one of the crowd that he scoured for someone in. 

Venetia had warned him. ‘He never liked sharing his toys. Even the ones he doesn’t want to play with anymore.’ She would clothe herself in Daedalus’ colors but under the guise of care, she tempted him. Oliver would name her Circe, for he had given in, and had almost gotten caught. She would have him turned into a swine, just like Eddie. 

None of the guests knew who he was, so while her warning rang true, Oliver could never love another like he loved Felix. How could you compete with a bright burning star? By god, Oliver adored his sun, 

but you could never expect a sun to admire you back, 

but by god, Felix did. 

Did. Not anymore. The sun no longer shone for him. The rays reserved just for Oliver had turned cold like ice, like daggers they tore through his flesh until he was staggering, dazed and confused. Until all of Oliver that remained was a singular desire; find Felix. 

He stumbled past Venetia pressed up against one of the guests, and Harry who stared at her from across the room with red-rimmed eyes and full-blown pupils. The cold air hit him like a wall but he relished in it, it cleared his head, but made his heart hurt. He couldn’t stand the cold anymore. Felix was always warm. 

A hand dropped on his shoulder. It made him jump. 

“Hello Farleigh.” 

“How’d you know it was me?!” Farleigh pulled Oliver around to face him. His curls sprung free as he took off the donkey’s head. Oliver remembered how they felt in his hands, how it felt like silk slipping through his fingers. 

Oliver’s finger shook as he pointed at the ring Farleigh wore. “Signet ring.”

“God, you really do notice everything, don’t you?” 

Farleigh pulled out a baggy of white powder – cocaine–, shook it out on his hand before he snorted the messy line. The relief was visible. 

“Have they seen you yet?” Oliver asked. 

If Felix had seen Farleigh then maybe some of that anger could be shifted. Oliver hadn’t attempted to steal and sell family heirlooms. It wasn’t even that big a lie that his father had died, just a bit early. Eventually his father would lay buried in a grave. 

“Not yet.”

“They’ll go ballistic.”

“Doubt it.” Farleigh grinned. “They invited me.”

He laughed at the surprise Oliver felt. 

“God, the look on your face!”

“They can’t have invited you.”

“Oh, Oliver. You’ll never catch on. This place,” Farleigh gestured to the grounds and the house, and the party, perhaps even to Felix wherever he was waiting. “you know, it’s not for you. It is a fucking dream. It is an anecdote you’ll bore your fat kids with at Christmas. Oliver’s Once-In-A-Lifetime, hand job on a hay bale, golden, big boy summer. And you’ll cling onto it and comb over it and jerk off to it and you’ll wonder how you could ever, ever, ever, ever get it back.  But you don’t get it back because your summer’s over. And so you, you catch a train to whatever creepy doll factory it is they make Olivers in. And I come back here. This isn’t a dream to me. It’s my house. “ 

Farleigh bent down, grabbed Oliver by the neck and forced him to look Farleigh in the eyes. “So whatever happens – I always come back. Try harder next time, baby.”

He pulled away and put the donkey helmet back on before leaving Oliver alone, but Oliver doesn’t care. Felix just walked past with India, who was dressed as a fairy, wings and tiny green dress. Felix isn’t as an actor as Oliver, who doesn’t miss the downturn of his brows, or the tension in his face as his eyes catch Oliver’s. 

His heart sped up in his chest. A reaction! 

They enter the maze. Oliver didn’t move. He needed a plan. Last time he had lied, made himself small and helpless, a broken doll that was just so sad and pitiful you couldn’t throw it away. Like one from your childhood that you found and just had to fix. A bird with a broken wing being nursed back to health by a loving hand. But they were beyond those lies now. Peel back the layers of deceit, and what was left? What was Oliver when he was left bare, but average? One in the crowd. He wasn’t poor, wasn’t stupid to the point of amusement, or smart enough to rely on in uni, he wasn’t handsome enough to be desired, not deformed enough to be taken in by Felix. 

Felix’s family needed darkness. They fed on it. Without those lies Oliver was a skinny little fucking rat without a sliver of meat on his body. Felix had practically devoured Oliver when the sweet lies about his addict mum and his dead dad spilled from his lips. 

But they were just that,

lies, 

and Felix was left to regurgitate, to purge himself of Oliver. 

It was betrayal. It turned the moments they shared together black, the sweet words they uttered into tar that stuck in their throats.  

What Oliver had was the wrong sort of darkness. 

The sort that made him pour a baggy of powder down the throat of his champagne bottle. 

He was too drunk to navigate the maze. He’d have gotten lost were it not for the trail of bottles and clothing and dollar bills. Fitting. Princess Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of thread to escape the labyrinth after slaying the minotaur, but this thread? No. Rather it was the minotaur who had left the thread so that Theseus could find him. What was one’s biggest desire but to be seen? Oliver saw Felix in a way no others did. Theseus saw the Minotaur for the half-human it was; a creature born of pride and greed. Even if Felix didn’t understand it yet, he had left that trail for Oliver to find him. 

No. Oliver shuddered at even thinking Felix was like the minotaur. To liken the sun with a beast that feasts on human flesh? 

He was the half-human beast–  more beast than man. But he was not a creature born of greed or pride, but rather this is what he had become. With his lies his head had been torn, for Oliver was forgotten and the minotaur, shielded in lies, was born,  and it had been replaced, but unlike Farleigh’s helmet, it could not be removed. And now Felix saw him for what he was, 

and yet he still left a trail for the beast to follow. 

It’s the moans he heard first. It’s not Felix’s best work, Oliver thought as he leaned against the hedge. He takes a sip of the drink, and it almost burns as much as his heart. 

Almost. 

And he can’t bear the sight of them anymore. Connected. Pressed up against the statue. It was intentional, Oliver was sure. A show of power. A sacrifice. If Felix hadn’t wanted to be found he’d have hid somewhere else in the maze, and not in the center which he’d made sure Oliver knew how to find.

“Felix-”

Felix jumped. 

“Jesus Christ! What the fuck are you doing here?!"

“I need to talk to you.” His voice slurred. 

India hurried to put her fairy dress back on. One of the wings was bent. Felix buckled up his jeans and glared at Oliver. 

“Were you spying on us?” India shouted. 

“No. I wasn’t!”

India started moving toward the exit. “You know what, you two are fucking gross.”

Oliver noticed Felix didn’t watch her leave. 

“Fucking hell, mate.”

“I’m sorry." His words almost come out as a whimper. “I wasn’t-”

Oliver walked closer to Felix, desperation making his heart beat like a tattoo against his ribs. It’s fucking painful how every muscle in his body screams at him to move, how his skin itches for Felix’s touch. Like an addict. 

“No. What the fuck is wrong with you, Oliver? Leave me the fuck alone!” 

Oliver shook his head. Some champagne spilled over his hand. “No. We need to talk.”

He tried to grab Felix’s hand but the man just scoffed and stared as his hand fell. 

“We can’t… We can’t, are you fucking crazy?”

“You can’t just throw me away.” Oliver walked closer, undeterred. 

Felix pushed him back. Oliver almost begged him to do it again, if only to feel his hands on his chest. It’s like a soothing balm, but the pain returns two-fold when the touch leaves. 

“Get the fuck away from me.”

Oliver staggered but something inside him broke. He flew forward and grabbed Felix by the shirt and pressed himself as close he could. Words were on his tongue, but Felix just smelled so good and familiar that it all fell away. The side of his face rested against his chest, but then the rot took root again. 

“Look, I just gave you what you wanted. Like everyone else does! Everyone puts on a show for Felix. So, I’m sorry if my performance wasn’t good enough.”

Felix was tense in his hold. “I think… I think you need to see someone. You need help, okay? Seriously."

“No. No, I don’t. I just need you to understand how much I fucking love you. You’re the only friend I’ve ever had, Felix. I mean, doesn’t this just prove how much of a good friend I actually am? How well I actually know you! I’m still the same person! Yeah? I’m still the same person!”

Felix looked at him then. The wilted flower forced the sun to look at it. To see. 

“I don’t know what you are. But I do know you make my fucking blood run cold.”

There was silence. 

Maybe it was then that Oliver finally understood that they could never come back from the betrayal. There wasn’t a way that they could walk out of that maze together. They wouldn’t go back to uni. Felix wouldn’t kiss him on the forehead, wouldn’t rest an arm over the back of his chair, or tell his friends off when they made fun of him. 

Didn't Felix see that Oliver did it all for him? That he'd bend until his spine broke so that he might have one more glance?

“I see.” He sniffled. “That’s okay.”

It wasn’t.

But it would be. 

Oliver wasn’t a fucking dandelion, or Icarus, or the Minotaur or Theseus. They didn’t carry the rot he did. The darkness. This wasn’t a story of bravery, of a daring escape, or a beast by others' makings. Oliver was like Tantalus. He fed Felix lie after lie and now he had been caught and sentenced to a life of being forced to watch Felix from afar. A curse worse than death. Each day he would suffer through seeing what he had, what he had lost. 

But Oliver refused to be like Tantalus, 

he wouldn’t allow himself to be banished to Tartarus, starving in a pool of water below a bountiful tree with low hanging branches. 

How would the garden thrive without the sun? 

Oliver took another sip of the champagne, still holding Felix to him. Felix wouldn’t give Oliver anything, so Oliver took. And he had taken and taken until Felix was hollow. But he wanted more. He would have all of Felix. Even the bones. 

The alcohol is bitter in his mouth. 

Then, in a daring move, he stepped ever closer and pressed his lips to Felix’s. Felix froze and tried to pull away but there was nowhere to go. The statue pressed to his back, Oliver to his front. But Oliver wasn’t deterred. His lips slanted over Felix. It was sloppy, poor form, but when he felt the slightest movement from Felix it felt like heaven. 

A burst of wind sweeping through his broken wings. 

Felix’s lips moving against Oliver’s lips were soft, unsure. Not shy, never shy. He allowed himself to be guided by Oliver. But then it changed. Felix’s movements were more forceful, a hard press of teeth and lips against Oliver to the point where his lips bled. Blood and champagne mixed between them. Tongues battled against each other. Oliver pulled back, allowing Felix to take his place as the one in charge. 

Relief filled him. 

His muscles shook with the effort to hold himself up. Even Felix began struggling. 

And then they fell. 

Perhaps it wasn’t like anything Oliver had thought of. 

Perhaps the truest version of their story is something in between. Something between Theseus and the minotaur and Juliet and Romeo. An alternative universe where Theseus fell for the minotaur, 

and the minotaur fell for him too. 

Taglist:

@fedyascoffin

[sangreprince]

Headcanons: Zagreus, The God

Who Zagreus is as a god is a complicated question, but one that boils down into a semi-simple answer: He is the god of blood, sweat, and tears. In other words, determination. This is gonna be broken into a few parts to avoid yapping so people can easily find the lore they're interested in.

1. Overview & Sources

2. Abilities

3. Personality / Alignment

4. Following

1. Overview & Sources Borrowing from his etymology first, I'm sourcing mostly from Dionysos by Karl Kerényi. A lot of what he is as depicted by SSG comes from that and I'm similarly drawing from those sources. There's other conflicting information out there such as some of the materials in the Greek Epic Fragments by Martin L. West, but I personally won't be referencing it since I don't believe much of that was sourced for his character in this specific portrayal. That said though, I do recommend people check it out regardless as there are some things in there that also seem to be the basis for what SSG establish (Such as some lines cited by Timothy Gantz). That said, I also borrow (what I can) from the Sisyphus epic as detailed in the Aeschylus, which you can find online under West as well. Mainly this pertains to not only his nature as the Son of Hades but also his specific function within the Underworld. My portrayal is kind of a mix of those sources, heavily inspired by the tones SSG set in their own interpretation of the mythology.

Because we don't actually know a lot about the historical Zagreus and some of the information is conflicting, especially regarding Orphic tradition and his relationship / identity with Dionysos, most of my portrayal is going to be a mix of filling in the blanks with my own narrative based off of (primarily) the sources given. There's a lot of mixup there regarding Zagreus and Dionysos that I won't really be touching for the purposes of this blog. That said, I strongly believe in being authentic and respecting the source material! If you know of any good sources. That said, if anyone has any ideas or thoughts regarding this please let me know some source materials I can go over!! Mediterranean history and mythology is something I'm going to try and respect and acknowledge, even if some liberties are taken for the sake of distinction. Comments should be open for this so if you've got sources, feel free to paste them below!

I'm using these two sources alongside the story established by SSG to sort of form my own narrative with Zagreus. That said, if anyone wants to read them I'll source them here!

Kerényi, C. (1976). Dionysos : Archetypal image of indestructible life. http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA52740670

West, M. L. (1990). Studies in Aeschylus. In De Gruyter eBooks. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110948066

2. Abilities.

Zagreus is Hades's son. He is undying, unable to die except by extremely unconventional means that would sever his link to the cycle of life and death itself. But that isn't to say he can't be killed. He is still partly, even if only by a small margin, mortal. This allows him to be vanquished by any conventional means that would otherwise kill a regular human. Even if he's a god, he bleeds. He can be bested.

'Zagre' has its roots with 'zoë' and 'zoön', the Greek words for 'life' and 'living thing' respectively. I take this to mean he can be killed as any living thing can, a narrative the game-play supports. Taking a 'Yes and' improve approach to that, I also feel like part of what makes him formidable however is his influence over the blood of living things. This can extend to the ability manipulate the blood in an individual's body to a number of effects, such as making wounds that never heal on their own or stop bleeding. This would reflect the casting ability he has, and possibly was even one of the sources of inspiration for SSG in regards to that mechanic. Secondly, taking that prescient I'd like to think he could also control the flow of blood in a living creature to varrying effects. Heightening senses, accelerating heart-rate, even using the blood of living things to heal himself. But nothing on the level of say, water bending. His power is a lot more subtle than that.

Additionally, his name (and even Artemis in game) suggests he's a fantastic hunter. And that, I think, is where much of his actual formidability comes from. An exact translation of his name would be something like, 'catcher of game' and I think that's appropriate. He is a fighter trained by Achillies and a hunter favored by Artemis that cannot die. What makes him frightening as an enemy is the fact that, no matter what you do, he's just going to come back. And every time he does, he gets a little bit better at fighting you. And that should be terrifying, were it not the fact that Zagreus can be reasoned with. It would be a nightmare if you couldn't avoid him simply by laying down your weapon and engaging in a dialog. In as much a way that he is a god and an unstoppable force, he is still his own individual with principles. Among said principles is mercy, understanding, and compassion.

But to those that don't heed that? Zagreus is and should be frightening. Because he is stubborn. In that way he is Hades' son. And he will never stop until one day, eventually, he bests them. It isn't a matter of 'if', but when.

3. Personality / Alignment

As a god, Zagreus is... Fairly outgoing. He doesn't believe himself above anyone else, living or dead. In much the same way his name derives from 'living things', he's very compassionate towards mortals and doesn't place himself on a pedestal regarding them. If anything, he views his power as a god as a responsibility, a trait his Father instilled in him after much effort. In this way, he uses his power and influence as a god in service of the living despite being a chthonic god of the Underworld. But from a distance. He knows that power can corrupt, and his influence carries weight among the mortals that acknowledge him. So he prefers to be more of a distant but dedicated figure, one who only intervenes when inaction would be detrimental to all parties involved. Including his conscious.

For the same reason, he doesn't to reveal his nature as a god too often to those that don't already know. He understands that others might perceive him differently as just another being with their own agenda and morality if they view him through the lens of a god. They might think because he is a god and thinks these things, his opinion should be held with more regard than somebody else's. And Zagreus just doesn't believe in that. And more than that, it often introduces a power dynamic he simply isn't comfortable with in most instances.

4. Worship Zagreus is often misunderstood by mortals. Often, they see that him and Ares are close and, considering his affiliation with blood, make him out to be somewhat more of a sacrificial deity than he is. Mostly they perceive that he's the good of blood without contextualizing that he's more than that in a literal sense. Zagreus's domain more subtle, less 'blood and conflict' as it is 'blood sweat and tears'. He's portrayed as a stubborn, defiant, persistent and I'm inclined to believe he's the of god of effort and 'bleeding for your passions' so to speak.

While this does have relationships with conflict and battle, as you would naturally expect,  it's hardly what he represents on the whole. In regards to most of the people that follow him, he almost has this bitter and hesitant relationship. He doesn't necessarily endorse the collection of people who see him as a sort of god of passionate violence and bloodshed which. Is only a partial truth, and one he isn't fond of.

Ironically, a lot of the times the mortals he actually admires don't' even worship him at all. To an extent, Zagreus actually prefers this.  He doesn't seek worship. So when people actually come around and understand him and pray that fit that niche of being stubborn and passionate people who bleed for their convictions and invoke his name? He's' probably one of the easiest gods to talk to individually, as well as work with on a practical level due to his compassion and natural intuition.

[lavender-ages]

Chapter 1114 made me think (again) about the Great Kingdom and the ancient weapons so I've come up with a little theory (maybe not the most original)!

As many other people already stated, Poseidon is under the sea, Pluton is on the sea and Uranus is very likely above the sea meaning it could be in the sky (given also the name).

So what if Uranus is on the moon (where Enel and those little robots still are, as far as we know), or maybe it's the very moon itself. The moon can control the level of sea and the tides, so it could provide a way to stop the sea level changes, caused by Imu, along with the (correct) use of Poseidon and Pluton. Poseidon could help the people by controlling the Sea Kings, while Pluton could carry the land dwellers to safety and Uranus allows the sea level not to be too high, so it would a combined action with the goal of saving humans and all the other races that live on land.

This collaboration could be seen in the ways the 3 weapons are located because each of them stays in one of the 3 "levels" of the world (under/on/above the sea level); and maybe each of them is also kept in custody by 3 different people, and this is already confirmed with Poseidon (it's always a siren, kept in custody by the Fishermen) and Pluton (the blueprints were in Water Seven and it's located in Wano, so its guardians are humans and other land inhabitants). So maybe Lunarians and other sky people (ancestors of Skypeians and Shandorians) are the original guardians of Uranus on the moon - and we know there were real people on the moon, as we've seen with Enel mini adventures.

Now comes the last part of my theory: Poseidon, Pluton (Hades in Greek mythology) and Uranus are deities which (according to various versions) have one common ancestor in Gaea/Gaia, the Mother Earth. So this Gaea could be the one person who created the weapons even if this part isn't really clear in my theory, since you can't create the moon (but maybe Gaea could somehow change its shape?) and you can create someone (the siren Poseidon) only by birthing them, so we could also assume Gaea was a siren as well - kinda funny for a sea creature because she'd be the Mother Earth.

Or maybe (and this is what I believe as more likely) Gaea wasn't someone, but something. What if Gaea, Mother Earth, one ancient land where all races could live freely and equally, is the name of the Great Kingdom?

So the Gaea Kingdom could have built somehow the weapons (or taught special abilities to the first Poseidon, since you can't build someone lol) in order to counter the sea level changes Imu was creating during the war. As a result of the war and Imu's victory, sea level rose, the Gaea Kingdom was destroyed (and likely submerged) along with many other places, and the World Government built its top residence in Pangaea Castle - maybe a way to mock the old Gaea Kingdom, since "Pangaea" was the primordial super-continent in our real Earth, its name meaning "all Earth"; one last insult to the Kingdom which was the real all-Earth, where all the races lived in harmony.

Also, if the Kingdom was Gaea, there would be a complete representation of our solar system in One Piece history:

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn = the Five Elders

Uranus, Neptun (which is the Latin version of Poseidon) and Pluton = the ancient weapons

the Sun = Nika and Joyboy, the embodiment of the Nika myths

Earth (current shape) = Gaea Kingdom

Earth as the ancestral, big ocean from 4 billions years ago = Imu

[formulaheart]

I find it interesting in Greek Mythology that Hades is often pinned as cold, cruel and uncaring. Other major gods like Zeus and Poseidon are seen as more comfortable with the human race and kinder. When in reality both of them are far more careless with their human interactions. Zeus quite literally loves and leaves countless women, leaving a trail of devastation in his wake and disruption above. Poseidon holds grudges against every person who thinks about crossing him whether they deserve it or not, sabotaging them every chance he gets. Now there are versions of the stories where this changes, but the idea of it is mostly consistent.

Hades is commonly one of the only gods that can be reasoned with. In his tragedy, Orpheus sang out to Hades and Persephone, pleading with them to let him take his wife Eurydice back with him to the mortal world, and they allowed it as long as he trusted that she was there. One of Hercules' tasks was to bring Hades' guard Cerberus to Olympus, a lot of the time the story is told that Hades permitted Hercules to take Cerberus if he could defeat him, as long as he was safely returned. In the oldest versions of the myth of Hades kidnapping Persephone, Zeus tells Hades to take her, leaving out that she is unwilling.

Themes and death and the underworld are far closer and more human than anything the heavens or oceans could ever possibly present. There could not be anything closer to caring and compassion than what brings us into this world and takes us from it. Death is definite, but also deserving and possessing of miracles and the idea of death and being gone itself is what allows there to be an idea of life and being present here and now.

Don't discount myths of gods of the underworld for being cold and contemptuous. Most of the time they are the most compassionate and the closest to human you will ever find amongst the gods of old myth.