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quitealotofsodapop · 3 months

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The crew listens to Epic: the Musical.

MK's favorite song is Legendary.

Wukong identifies with Just a Man (not that he'll admit it).

Macaque likes Ruthlessness because he's an emo little stinker.

Sandy likes Open Arms (of course).

Tang and Red Son like Warrior of the Mind.

Pigsy really thinks the monkeys should take Luck Runs Out to heart.

Mei likes Keep Your friends close (a fun bop that belies danger underneath, just like her).

I have to be careful binging a new muscial (or in this case Saga) cus I end up playing each song on loop for hours. Opinions might change once the full and finished versions of later sagas are released.

I love all these hcs <3

Im imagining the gang likely sees/listens to Epic on the reccomendation of MK (who's currently on a Greek Mythology hyperfixation), and he gets them all to watch the full play - maybe in the future as a irl performance or film.

"Legendary" is SUCH an MK song. Both him and Telemachus growing up with the stories of someone dear to them and wanting to replicate their success. I could also see him really liking "Warrior of the Mind" with the theme of "some nobody" gaining the favor of a god (reminds you of anyone?) + SWK is infamously the personification of The Mind in Jttw so its a bonus. MK is smiling evily whenever a harsh plot twist occurs and his fam are shocked silent. >:3

Sun Wukong feels targeted personally with how many of the Epic songs remind him of his past. Ofc he starts crying halfway through "Horse and the Infant", and is inconsolable during "Just A Man" - verbally yelling "NO!" at the end. And like Nezha and Sandy is *silent* during Posideon's songs. Is super jazzed during the triumphant Ithaca Saga though! And feels mega catharic during "King" when Odysseus proves that he still rules to the suitors! He tries his best to hide how much the muscial is affecting him.

Macaque is a canon theatre Nerd - so he's already listened to the musical multiple times, but he's uber excited to see the live performance (and secretly bond with his found fam). Is rocking out during "Ruthlessness" and "Done For" in particular, so much so that he's fidgeting and dancing within his seat. He also vibes with "No Longer You" as someone with powers of prophecy. Is really amazed how much Wukong gets into the musical, but in retrospect understands *why*. Him and Wukong accidentally share a glance during "Would You Fall In Love With Me Again" and it gets a little awkward afterwards.

Mei is similarly excited to see anything with her bestie, so she tried her best not hear/see any spoilers ("it's a centuries' old story Mei" "Ssssh!! Dont tell me!"). She was shooketh by how hard the muscial goes. "Keep Your Friends Close" is her fave based on beat alone. She gets delightedly scared and amazed by consistent horse imagery used with Posideon (shameless link to my fave Animatic of "Ruthlessness").

Tang loves himself some historical and mythological adaptations, and is estatic that MK has given him an excuse to go see one! He's not as familar with Hellenic mytholgy as he is with Hindu-Chinese, but he knows enough lore to make the pog-champ face at every foreshadowing/reference. "Warrior of the Mind" really gets to him as a song about valuing your smarts. He also feels really empathetic for Calypso.

Pigsy only went cus Tang begged him. He feels super lost by the deep Greek lore he's missing, but he can get Odysseus's whole thing with trying to get home - but he def identifies more with Eurylochus. "Luck Runs Out" proves this to him. Later on he feels that the second-in-command was justified in having the soldiers rebel against Odysseus after so many losses (who wouldn't after losing all their friends?). Audibly gasps at the end of "Just A Man" - cus who would just do that!? Is a little freaked out by Circe turning the Athenian's into pigs - Eurylochus is depicted as partly-transformed, played by a pig-demon actor who was in super convincing human makeup in the previous sagas. He also gets protective feelings by-proxy seeing Telemachus's situation since the prince reminds him of MK. Is surprised by how much he likes the musical!

Sandy feels betrayed. This isn't like Disney Hercules at all! He does really enjoy Polites message in "Open Arms" and the later moments when the hopeful soldier's outlook is proven correct. He's a little overwhelmed at points though - he get eerily quiet during Posideon's scenes. He sobs joyfully when Odysseus finally makes it home and reunites with his family! :')

Because of this really good animatic/almost child-like depiction of Aelous by gigi; I can def see "Keep Your Friends Close" being Nezha's fave. It reminds Nezha of when he was far more carefree + has a solid lesson on about trust/"forbidden fruit". He also enjoys the more march-like tune of "Survive". He does however, freeze when he listens to Posideon's songs "Ruthlessness" and "Get in the Water" - he has been on the bad end of a sea god before and is quietly shtting himself for Odysseus.

Red Son goes in feeling like he could have stayed at home listening to the musical on his phone while working on a car instead. He is however blown away by the heavy themes and performances, especially "Warrior of the Mind" and Telemachus's situation - a prince forced to grow up fatherless and protecting his mother from suitors due to his dad pissing off a higher power? Hello?? Accidentally shrieks "YES!!!" when Athena becomes Telemachus's mentor/friend after "Little Wolf".

Princess Iron Fan I could see loving any song including Penelope (she empathizes with the Queen's situation hard), but unexpectedly enjoys "Keep Your Friends Close" - she's a fellow Wind Goddess at her core. It also reminds her of her not-so-little-anymore nephew.

DBK on the flip side loves the heavier songs like "Polyphemus" and "Ruthlessness". This man is a Posedion apologist. He does feels bad for Odysseus by the end though - man just wants to get back to his wife and kid dammit!

Bonus: The Spider Gang are watching the bootleg and Spider Queen agrees with Circe's whole girlboss attitude especially "Puppeteer". Scorpion Queen is Calypso in "Not Sorry For Loving You".

This got a little away from me - hope you enjoy!

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fangirlofallthefanthings · 4 months

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[*pats Odysseus's head* This bean can fit so many emotions in him] Odysseus slammed his bedroom door, rattling the pieces on his chessboard and the writing utensils on his desk. He paced the room, trying to calm himself down, but his chest felt tight, and his hands shook. A lump started to form in his throat, and tears began to collect in his eyes. He shouldn’t cry. He can’t cry! There was no reason to break over something he couldn’t change.

But he couldn’t help it. Odysseus sank to the floor, his emotions crashing into him as he curled into himself.

Odysseus heard a knock at the door, but he stayed quiet. He thought if he didn’t answer, whoever it was would leave.

“Odysseus? Are you ok?”

It was Polites. Odysseus immediately felt his throat tighten in guilt. He pushed him. He pushed his best friend. Odysseus could have hurt him! Why was Polites here? How could Polites be so stubborn to forgive anyone no matter what? He shouldn’t have to. Odysseus felt like he didn’t deserve Polites’s forgiveness so quickly.

“Go away,” Odysseus replied.

He felt the pang of embarrassment. His voice sounded weak and strained. It would be obvious to anyone that he was crying.

“We’re coming in anyway, alright?”

Odysseus looked at the floor as the door creaked open. He regretted not locking it as Polites and Eurylochus entered and sat beside Odysseus.

“I told you to go away.”

“We’re not going to leave you,” Eurylochus said.

“It’s not good to be alone when you’re this upset. You’re so out of it you’re shaking!” Polites added, putting a hand on Odysseus’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry…” Odysseus whispered.

Polites tilted his head. “For what?”

“I shouldn’t have pushed you like that,” Odysseus said, his voice breaking, “Everything these last few days was too much, and it all felt like it was crashing in on me, and I just… I don’t like her like that.”

“And that’s okay,” Polites said as he put his arms around Odysseus, “It’s no good bottling your emotions like that, alright? You have to tell us what’s wrong if something doesn’t seem right so we can help you.”

“We’re here for you, Odysseus,” Eurylochus said, “We’ll listen.”

“And we won’t think any less of you if you tell us how you feel. You’re our brother, Odysseus. We care about you.”

Odysseus buried his head in Polites’s shoulder and allowed himself to fully let go. He wrapped his arms around Polites tightly, and Polites held him close as he sobbed. Odysseus felt Eurylochus hug him from behind, and the little prince counted himself lucky to have such good friends. He turned into a blubbering mess, barely able to get out words of appreciation between the hiccups and sobs. Polites and Eurylochus held him regardless until Odysseus could pull himself together.

Previous (2) || Current (3) || Next (4) Pt. 1

#tagamemnon #odysseus #polites #eurylochus #greek mythology #the odyssey #epic the musical #midieval au #epic the musical fanfic #greek myth fanfic #char writes #fanfic #adventure awaits

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dootznbootz · 28 days

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Mads, thoughts on this

I wanna kill how wrote this T T

not kill but I wanna CHAT 👀

The thing is? I truly do think Odysseus would feel absolutely guilty and like utter shit (I mean holy fuck, he's been forced into having sex by TWO different goddesses. that will fuck with ANYONE)

THE PROBLEM TO ME, is how this portrays Penelope's character as well. As though she wouldn't figure out something was eating away at Odysseus while they were alive. As though she wouldn't see Odysseus' shame and discomfort and realize "...something's not right. Go over that again."

The use of "She had spent her best years awaiting an unfaithful man." definitely comes off as shame and possibly even self-hatred to me. He feels guilty about it but also just needs her. He hid shit for fear of losing her. which *sighs* DOES feel like it could be something Odysseus would do. Don't get me wrong, Odysseus adores Penelope, absolutely treasures, respects, and worships her. But as I said, he NEEDS her. As wrong as it is, I think he would lie a little as if Penelope wouldn't find out if it meant she stayed with him.

"Please let me have the rest of my mortal life with you...do what you will when we pass but I am not alive without you" you know?

Which is why I just HATE how this makes Penelope look. idk if they DO plan to possibly have Odysseus have a wake up call with a possible "uh...dude, you were raped?" Odysseus: ...no, no, you don't understand. I still chose to do so as I had to save my men and I didn't try hard enough to leave Ogygia. "Would you have slept with them if your men weren't held at pig-point and you weren't literally held against your will?" Odysseus: Of course not! I only did what I had to and... "..." Odysseus: ... PENNY! 🏃😭

Also let's be real, a divorced Odysseus would be him crying in the shower and still have photos of his "ex" around his house.

skldf Imagine a part in the game like this scene with Odysseus as Peter B. Parker, Melinoe (hope that's her name I don't wanna look it up right now lol idk player character gal) as Gwen, and Penelope as MJ.

youtube

#Mad rambles #shot by odysseus #ask #aaronofithaca05 #penelope #odysseus #odypen #tw rape mention

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phantomdecibel · 1 year

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FUCK you: re-canonifies your Flower!AU

Anyways what if Polites actually still dies flower au au (bit o context in the tags, just so this drabble makes a bit more sense since it doesnt exactly follow canon aha-)

Rattlesnake Root

shield, step carefully.

Watching Ajax rush across the deck, calling out orders while cradling little Astyanax in his arms, the realization hit Odysseus like a brick.

This is what Polites had meant.

Eurylochus’s voice still echoed in his ears — but Odysseus wasn’t hearing any of it. Everything sounded muffled, like he was listening to (one of) his best friend chew him out from underwater. He must have started yelling louder, because the teenager glanced over at the two of them, something Odysseus hesitated to label as anything other than concern written across his face.

He wanted to yell.

He wanted to scream, keep shooting venom like arrows, jump up and pace, even.

Instead he stood, hands clasped over the rail, staring blankly past the blurred shape of his friend. It was both too loud and yet too quiet and annoyingly chilly and somehow everything was way too bright. It felt like there should be a storm brewing overhead, yet the only rain falling came from his eyes. The sun shone down unapologetically overhead, and Odysseus fought back an unintelligible scream.

This is what Polites had meant, what he’d pleaded back in that forest.

If you don’t talk to us, if you don’t trust us, then how can we help?

He’d thought he’d had it all under control, that his own hangups weren’t affecting anyone else, but clearly he’d been wrong. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or just plain ignorance, but Odysseus had fucked up, pushed too far.

He wanted to sob.

He was already crying, Odysseus realized in a vague, sort of detached way. His face felt… damp, and tight from the salt already starting to dry. Something hit his hand; again and again and again, and rolled down his knuckles.

Eurylochus yelled again, throwing his arms out, and Odysseus flinched.

How long had this been brewing?

How long had he been pushing his crew, his friends to the edge? For how long had he been pushing them to the side, ignoring their concerns and needs, forcing them to pick up his slack?

…when had his efforts to protect them start to hurt instead?

Slowly, Eurylochus’s face came back into focus.

His mouth moved and Odysseus could, technically, hear him still, but the words themselves were lost to the buzzing in his head. The tilt to his eyebrows would have looked angry — really, really angry — to anyone else, but Odysseus knew his friend. Eurylochus was angry, sure, but mostly he was just worried (and tired, so tired, and grieving, too). The man’s eyes glistened wetly, shining with unshed tears.

Odysseus barely noticed as he started to shake.

He did this. This was his fault, the result of his negligence. Polites was dead because of him, and now he was driving away the other person he should be supporting, looking after the most.

Odysseus clenched the rail tighter, clearly hearing it creak under his grip. Eurylochus’s voice faded in and out, nothing but background noise.

He’d failed.

Odysseus blinked once, twice, trying to alleviate the pressure growing behind his eyes. The tears, which had been slowing, built again, suddenly, and everything was just too much.

Oh. He dimly realized again. I did this.

And Odysseus…

…Odysseus broke.

Odysseus broke, tears falling like a waterfall. He choked on a sob, shaking violently, as his knees wobbled and knocked together. Eurylochus’s voice, angry and harsh, snapped back into focus, and Odysseus keened weakly.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, falling to his knees as he swallowed back another sob. “I’m sorry-“

Desperately, shaking all the while, Odysseus clutched at his friend’s chiton, head pressed to Eurylochus’s knee. “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry-“

Eurylochus’s angry rant trailed off into shocked silence as Odysseus tripped over his words. Apology after apology spilled from his lips as he sat shaking on the wooden deck of the ship, legs collapsed awkwardly beneath him. He didn’t dare look up as silence crashed against the ship like Polyphemus’s club crashing against men and stone, just kept choking out desperate apologies into the empty, oppressive air.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, sobbed, like a mantra. “I’m sorry,”

The moment seemed to stretch for an eternity; a terrifying, heart-stopping eternity.

He couldn’t do this.

Odysseus- he couldn’t. He’d tried, fuck he’d tried. Tried to carry every burden he could, tried to protect his people, and look where they were now.

It was all a mess, a fucking disaster.

And- and Polites was gone, now, really truly gone, never-coming-back gone.

Dead.

And Eurylochus would be too- not dead, not if Odysseus had any say in it, but gone, leaving.

Leaving him, because Eurylochus would do what was best for the crew.

Odysseus was just dead weight.

The leg he leaned against, clutched in desperation, was pulled back, and Odysseus let it go.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered again, trying and failing to blink away his tears as his hands dropped down to dig his nails into his own knees instead. Something thudded against the ground ahead of him, but all Odysseus could think was ‘this is it’.

This is it, this is where his friend, his last surviving best friend, his brother, even, left him.

And by the gods if he didn’t deserve it.

“‘msorry,” his words slurred together. “‘msrry’msorry,”

He deserved this, for hurting his friend and daring to proclaim otherwise. Why should Eurylochus stick around? Odysseus wasn’t worth the work. He hunched in on himself some more.

“‘msorry,” he might have begged. Please don’t go. You have every right to, but please, please. Don’t leave me. “‘msrrymsrrymsor-“

Odysseus coughed.

Oh, that was odd.

He couldn’t breathe, for a moment there, air knocked from his lungs as his chest collided with something warm and solid. Something strong tugged his forwards, pulled him tight against it.

Warm arms wrapped around his shoulders, and Odysseus suddenly found his head tucked into the crook of Eurylochus’s neck as he shook. He tried to choke out another apology, but Eurylochus held him too tightly to properly speak the words.

Oh.

Odysseus shook some more, hands slowly worming their way from his knees to clutch this time at the front of his friend’s chiton.

Eurylochus was hugging him.

Eurylochus. was hugging him.

Odysseus sobbed again.

“I’m sorry,” he managed to force out again, but Eurylochus just pulled him impossibly closer.

“It’s okay,” his friend whispered, voice hoarse. “It’s going to be okay.”

mans is a bit harsh on himself :,)

He doesn’t q u i t e get the point, but he’s getting there-

Anyways so flower au; asty lives and also @hahahaghosty and I are soft for lil ajax :P

I know I always say this, but they were a huge inspiration for this (bc they fuel me w like 75% of my writing ideas lmao-), so thank you a whole lot!! wouldn’t be possible without ya :) they're really fucking awesome, go check out their stuff!! do it- Do It Now-

anyways that all from me for now, thanks for reading :P

(me: check out the tags for some context :) also me: throws way to much shit in them-

just. just read the beginning and end and itll all make sense if u wanna)

#uggggghhhhh I copy-pasted this and it got rid of my italics sadge-#anyways I wanted a flower that meant ‘please don’t go’ or smthn but could’nt find one and didn’t feel like digging too much lol #yes I know lil ajax is not actually a teenager. no I do not care #anyways context?#poli nd odys kidnap/adopt asty. poli dies. euryl thinks they should get rid of asty odys disagrees. they’re both Super Stressed-#(nearly starved to death + Polyphemus + grief)#so they fight. odys has been pushing everyone away bc he wants to do everything himself #so he can protect the friends he has left. this only creates more stress for euryl (shocker)#lil ajax just wants to help out :)#so yeah that’s what’s going on-#listen euryl is soft for his friends 🥺#u can’t change my mind #that doesn’t mean he’s afraid to kick their asses (he will. absolutely). just that w poli the designated Hug Man gone he will step up to #(awkwardly)#offer some good ol comfort :]#…#Me whenever I write literally anything: anyways this is entirely @hahahaghosty’s fault :)#flower au #epic the musical #the odyssey #odysseus #eurylochus #polites #he’s mentioned but also dead sorry-#lil ajax #astyanax #both there for about a sentence lmao #no clue if they actually know polyphemus name but whatever #oh yeah also I’m imagining neither of them have slept for a while aha-#grief/mourning

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dhampiravidi · 10 months

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ancient greek/trojan war reincarnation au

After he'd torn his hair, beat his breast, and screamed his voice hoarse, Akhilleus was done living. He was alive, yes, and he would be until someone killed him, but he was done living. Patroklos, his lifelong love and friend, was dead, taken away from him forever. And it was all his fault. So once he could find the strength to stand, he put on the armor his mother commissioned for him and clawed his way through Hektor's people until the prince, Patroklos's killer, showed himself. He avenged his love. Then he took his anger out on those marked as the enemy until Apollo's poisoned arrow granted him the death he so desperately craved.

Once he reached Elysium, he searched for Patroklos, who embraced him. The man was sad to know that Akhilleus had suffered, but happy to see him again. The two were glad to be together. But Akhilleus missed the land of the living. He told Odysseus as much when the man visited the Underworld for answers on his way home to Ithaca. There was no lyre to play, no sunlight to enjoy, and really nothing to look forward to. But there was the River Lethe, the River of Forgetfulness that could wipe a spirit's memories in preparation for their reincarnation. Patroklos proposed that he and Akhilleus be reborn, for another chance at life. Akhilleus agreed to the plan, but he needed to make sure that he'd see his love again--all of them.

---

September 9th, 2006

"My thanks, Lord Aidoneus. You are most generous," Pogue whispered in Ancient Greek, eyes closed as his body repaired itself and his mind wandered to days past.

"Huh?" Reid and Ty had just come back from the vending machine. With one of their friends off on a suicide mission and the other in a coma, it was hard to simply sit quietly. But what else was there to do, other than take a few minutes to collect their thoughts?

---

Two Years Later

It was a shy kiss, one much softer than the first he'd shared with Jayn months before and the (technically not-first) one he'd gladly accepted from Caleb. But the moment his lips connected with Cassia's, long-forgotten magic sparked in the minds of the four young lovers. Jayn and Caleb regarded each other, first with curiosity, then with surprise, fondness, and a firm hug.

"Patroklos," Deidamia-Jayn murmured, "It's so good to see you again." She pulled back, and Patroklos-Caleb rested his forehead on hers as he smiled.

"What became of your son?" he asked her, and she frowned.

"Little shit gave me to his slave, Helenus. Not that the man wasn't handsome or kind, but--seriously?" She huffed, then looked over at the man who had fathered her child and joined her spirit with his.

Akhilleus-Pogue held Briseis-Cassia close. She was shaking, crying quietly. "You...y-you died, you both did...left me with them," she sobbed, and he didn't know what to say. He'd never been the best at consoling people. And she was right: he and Patroklos were her lovers, not to mention the only men who cared about her in the Achaean army. Once they died, she had nothing, and could do nothing but leave Troy for an unfamiliar man and his unfamiliar home.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, pressing another kiss to her trembling lips. She looked up at him, holding his face in her hands. Somehow, she managed to smile.

"You raided my city and treated me like your queen in Troy. And then you made sure I'd never be alone again. At least you did that much," Briseis-Cassia said, trying to hide her pain and shock. She glanced over at Patroklos-Caleb right when Akhilleus-Pogue did. With a small gesture, she told Akhilleus-Pogue to go on ahead. He let her go and took in the sight of a living, unharmed Patroklos-Caleb, his Patroklos.

"You're an idiot," Akhilleus-Pogue muttered before he yanked his childhood friend into a passionate kiss. It was so strong, Patroklos-Caleb groaned into it, slipping his hand into the shorter boy's hair to keep him close. They snapped and shifted, movements and sounds becoming more erotic and sensual than angry and mournful by the second. Even when they were both hard, they refused to part, so they didn't notice the girls in their own lust until they had all found release.

"What did you do?" Deidamia-Jayn asked Akhilleus-Pogue, once the four of them had all caught their breath, "They told me to go to the Lethe before I could be judged. I thought I fucked up so badly that I had to start all over." They laughed.

"It was Caleb's idea--"

"You said you didn't like being dead."

"I didn't! But I didn't want to live without you, either," Akhilleus-Pogue pleaded, "Any of you." Deidamia-Jayn squeezed his hand and leaned into him, the way she usually did when either he or she got upset. He kissed the top of her head. "I saw Hermes going by, so I asked him to ask Hades for an audience. I dunno if Hades would've agreed if Persephone wasn't there...He said we'd have to wait, but he'd let us live again, just once. But we wouldn't remember each other until we kissed."

"Good thing Cass wore her sexy lip gloss for you." The four laughed.

@in--somnium

#reincarnation au #achilles: thread #akhilleus #patrochilles #patroclus #patroklos #briseis #deidamia #greek myth #greek mythology rp #hellenic myth #ancient greece au #hellenic mythology #yeah they were all Hellenic & Jayn's Black but shh #in--somnium #no one asked for this #I didn't mean this as an actual thread just tagged u in case

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amazingmsme · 3 months

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THANK YOU FOR THE PROMPT it is very very cute and i will try to do it justice <3

ALSO I LOVE IT ALREADY 👀👀👀 that also reminds of a not-so-fun fact i learned that i don’t know if you know already, but maybe it’ll help with your au or just add more angst to the sadness fire. but i was watching jorge’s videos where he recaps each of the sagas and he’ll show bits of the script for certain parts, and during the recap for the cyclops saga the script says that polyphemus actually hits polites twice. after the first time, his body lands in front of odysseus and he calls out to him right before polyphemus strikes him again to finish him off. and jorge says that after that odysseus is just frozen in shock staring at polites’ body until eurylochus snaps him out of it in remember them. you’re welcome <3 - fluffvoid

YOU’RE SO WELCOME, I CAN’T WAIT TO READ IT! But yeah, I’m gonna need that fluff cause the ghost!polites fic is doing a number on me in the best ways

I know we’ve talked a lil in the dm’s about it, but I was fucking heartbroken when I made the realization that the soldier crying out for Odysseus in Survive was in fact Polites. & then I avoided that info until I was ready to face it like a man (animatics)

HE LITERALLY DIDN’T HAVE TO MAKE HIM GET CRUSHED TWICE WTF DUDE? I have so many thoughts & feelings about this, but why say them here when I’m gonna say them better in the fic? Idk how long the finished product will be, whether it’s gonna be a lengthy, gut wrenching one shot or a shorter series with longer chapters. Might also be fun to do a few drabbles in this au universe that take place when they’re all on better terms

#asks #anon ask #fluffvoid #epic headcanons #ghost!polites #fic in the works #polites #epic the musical #epic musical

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saltyblueshark · 1 year

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So you know how High Schoolers read the Iliad?

So, my class finished it a week or so ago, and we were doing a project on it. One of the options was to do a little bit of a writing project and I wanted to do an adaptation of Achilles' reaction to Patroclus' death.

So, I ask for you to leave your thoughts and let me know what you think!

I have so creatively called this “The one he loved”

All was quiet, he knew that the battle was getting heated around him, but nothing he hadn’t heard before. He was preparing to set off, set homeward, feeling certain that his decision was right. Aggression will only get him so far, he’d thought. Everything seemed to be flowing smoothly, perfectly as if the gods had intended for it to be that way. He sighed, staring out into the misty ocean, all was calm, at peace.

That was when he’d heard it. A sound so piercing that it could shatter even the finest of glass. It was a scream unlike any he’d heard before, but he swore that he’d heard before. Although his mind was racing, the only thing he could think of was Patroclus. “Oh gods… PATROCLUS!” He yelled, and ran out of his tent, he yelled, blinded by his fear. He ran to Odysseus, hot tears streaming down his face.

“Achilles… oh may the gods have mercy on--”

“Where is Patroclus? Is he ok? Why are you giving me that look?”

“Achilles… Patroclus is dead.”

Everything seemed to come crashing down on him. All time seemed to stop. Were the gods truly as cruel as this? The great Achilles fell to his knees, he was destroyed, crushed.

“Achilles…? Are you even listening?” Odysseus placed his hand on Achilles’ shoulder. “Take me to him… I won’t believe it until I see it for myself.” He knew what was coming. Achilles knew what he’d find, but there was a part of him that still had hope. He hoped that he’d see him standing there and waiting to hold him in his arms, hoping that he’d be there to let him know that he was ok. But deep down, he knew that that wasn't going to happen, that he’d be further heart broken by what he’d see.

Then came the moment he’d been dreading, the moment he’d hoped wouldn’t have to happen. He took a breath in, and exhaled as he prepared for the devastating sight. He felt the flow of tears starting as he approached. He fell to his knees next to Patroclus, pulling his body close to his.

“I’ll give you a moment.” Odysseus said, turning away and taking a short walk.

Achilles put Patroclus' hand to his face, trying to hold onto the memories for as long as possible. “You know, I’d always hoped this could last… The moment I’d told you I hadn’t wanted to fight, I knew you were going to do something like this. I’d known… but I had done nothing to stop you. I hoped that I could have avoided this… Becoming like every other hero, sad and alone. Oh patroclus… It’s my fault you ended up dead… It’s my fault…” He paused, and he let out what was a mixture of a cry and a laugh. “I loved you, you know… I would have walked to the ends of the earth for you… If I could trade my life for yours, I would in a heartbeat…” he hugged Patroclus’ body a little bit tighter. He then felt a hand on his back, as a voice, almost a whisper saying I loved you too. And there he sat, weeping like a child, for the loss of a comrade, his best friend, and the one he loved.

#the iliad #achilles and patroclus #Omfg did i write fanfic of the iliad for a school project!?#How did i get here?#creative writing #hehehe I'm so silly

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pandaemoniumpancakes · 2 years

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Arnold Böcklin, Odysseus and Polyphemus, 1896, oil and tempera on panel, 66 × 150 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

“My words so enraged the Cyclops that he tore the top off a great pinnacle of rock and hurled it at us. The rock fell just ahead of our blue-painted bows. As it plunged in, the water surged up and the backwash, like a swell from the open sea, swept us landward and nearly drove us on to the beach. Seizing a long pole, I pushed the ship off, at the same time commanding my crew with urgent nods to bend to their oars and save us from disaster. They leant forward and rowed with a will; but when they had taken us across the water to twice our previous distance I was about to shout something else to the Cyclops, but from all parts of the ship my men called out, trying to restrain and pacify me. “Why do you want to provoke the savage in this obstinate way? The rock he threw into the sea just now drove the ship back to the land, and we thought it was all up with us. Had he heard a cry, or so much as a word, from a single man, he’d have smashed in our heads and the ship’s timbers with another jagged boulder from his hand. We’re within easy range for him!” But my temper was up; their words did not dissuade me, and in my rage I shouted back at him once more: “Cyclops, if anyone ever asks you how you came by your blindness, tell him your eye was put out by Odysseus, sacker of cities, the son of Laertes, who lives in Ithaca.” The Cyclops gave a groan. “Alas!” he cried. “Those ancient prophecies have come back to me now! We had a prophet living with us once, a great and mighty man, Eurymus’ son Telemus, the best of soothsayers, who grew old as a seer among us Cyclopes. All that has now happened he foretold, when he warned me that a man called Odysseus would rob me of my sight. But I always expected some big handsome man of tremendous strength to come along. And now, a puny, feeble good-for-nothing fuddles me with wine and then puts out my eye! But come here, Odysseus, so that I can give you some friendly gifts and prevail on the great Earthshaker, Poseidon, to see you safely home. For I am his son, and he is proud to call himself my father. He is the one who will heal me if he’s willing – a thing no other blessed god nor any man on earth could do.” To which I shouted in reply: “I only wish I could make as sure of robbing you of life and breath and sending you to Hell, as I am certain that not even the Earthshaker will ever heal your eye.” At this the Cyclops lifted up his hands to the starry heavens and prayed to the Lord Poseidon: “Hear me, Poseidon, Sustainer of the Earth, god of the sable locks. If I am yours indeed and you claim me as your son, grant that Odysseus, sacker of cities and son of Laertes, may never reach his home in Ithaca. But if he is destined to see his friends again, to come once more to his own house and reach his native land, let him come late, in wretched plight, having lost all his comrades, in a foreign ship, and let him find trouble in his home.” So Polyphemus prayed; and the god of the sable locks heard his prayer. Once again the Cyclops picked up a boulder – bigger, by far, this time – and hurled it with a swing, putting such tremendous force into his throw that the rock fell only just astern of our blue-painted ship, narrowly missing the tip of the rudder. The water heaved up as it plunged into the sea; but the wave that it raised carried us on towards the further shore.” (trans. E. V. Rieu and D. C. H. Rieu)

#arnold bocklin #arnold böcklin #odysseus #ulysses and polyphemus #homer #odyssey #polyphemus

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booksandria · 2 months

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Odisseu de mil ardis - an Odyssey review

spoiler alert!

hi everyone! I'm all done with the Odyssey, finished on the last week of february! I'm all late with my last reviews, but thats life aint it. I enjoyed it very very much, which can be seen by how fast I ate it up (six days!). Its sooo much smoother than the Iliad, even if it can be a little repetitive at times as well. I have to admit, thought, that even then I still prefer Iliad, mainly because Iliad was more impactful to me personally.

Again, its funny to do a spoiler alert on a 3000+ yo book, but anyways lol

The thing with Odyssey, for me, is that I expected much more from it. Not to say its bad, because that would be a sacrilege. I just put too much expectation into it I guess, but still enjoyed. I love Odysseus, i love poor baby Telemachus, and i love, absolutely love Penelope. She is everything to me.

The coolest thing about this poem, compared to Iliad, is how we have more than one narrative going on, the first one being what we call the Telemachia, the first four books in which we see up close just how devastating Odysseus absence was to everyone in his family. The of order things is completety desmantled, especially now that the suitors are causing trouble and breaking every social rule they can. In this part of the story, we see this boy, Temelachus, who grew up without his father in this society, where gender and social roles play such a vital part of life and where these things are taught to you by the parent of the same gender. Not only he didn't have his father, he also didn't have his grandfather, who was so depressed by his only son not returning that he moved away from their house. And now, to make matters worse, he is the only man in the house trying to handle this impossible situation and failing miserably.

In this side of the narrative, we still have my darling beloved Penelope, Odysseus's wife who was left home when he went to war. It's very moving and heartbreaking that she spends 10 years of war worried about Odysseus dying, then 10 more not knowing if he would come back or not, but waiting for him nonetheless. Not only did she raise her babyboy all on her own to the best she could, now, when the story starts, she is faced with the most dreadful of the situations. The vultures are destroying her husband's house and seeking to marry her, not for who she is, but because of her social position. She has no power to stop it, so all she can do about it watch as they do and cry for Odysseus's return. The thing is, she is absolutely bright and astute and she does buy a really good time for Odysseus to get his shit together and finally come back when she tricks the suitors FOR THREE YEARS with the weaving of a funeral shroud for her old old father-in-law. Anyway, she is everything and I want to marry her too (but I would treat her right)!!!.

Anyway, the second narrative is the one we started reading for, that is Odysseus's return. Kinda funny that we only see the titular character by book five and the first scene hes in, hes weeping because of how much he wants to go back to his family and his homeland. Poor sad man. To be honest, I kinda hope Ithaca has some good therapists, because boy oh boy, isnt this man traumatized? He was:

Forced to fight a war he didn't want to (more or less lol)

Had to leave his beloved wife with their newborn son behind (like, really, Telemachus was one month old when Odysseus leaves, he missed EVERYTHING)

Spend ten years fighting in said war

On th way home, he had several of his men dying horribly (most of them being eaten by monstruous beings or drowning at the sea or suffering the wrath of gods)

he had kinda coercive sex with two goddesses (the power dynamic is truly to consider), very dubious consent (but they are goddesses, so i suppose its expected?)

Lost all geras he won in the ten years of fighting (im still wondering what happened to all the women he eslaved... All dead too, I suppose?)

Many humiliations and hard choices

This guys PTSD must be WILD.

This two narratives converge together once Odysseus finally makes it back to Ithaca and now needs to plan out his revenge on the suitors. What a sweet scene it is the one where he meets Telemachus for the first time in twenty years, I imagine how hard it was for Odysseus to hold himself back so he wouldn't reveal his identity before it was time. I wonder if he looked at his sons face and saw a younger version of himself, or if he looked for all the baby traits he remembered in a man's face. Lovely. The massacre scene was pretty satisfying, not gonna lie, even if it was kinda horrifying as well (particularly the twelve girls, like, I'm pretty sure I had read they were forced to have sex with the suitors...). Anyway, book 23 is THE BEST, i love Odysseus and Penelope's reunion, i love everything about this book, i love her testing him, i love him getting mad at the thought someone else knows about their marital bed, i love how they both cry as they kiss and hug, i love everything about it. Book 24 is also sweet, his reunion with his old old dad. And like that, after 20 years, my boy Odysseus gets back home and gets to reclaim his social position and his home.

Again, I have to say that, while this is a wonderful story, i still prefer Iliad over it (though is merely personal preference, Iliad's themes touch me more profoundly than anything). Still, I recommend this book to everyone! It's great! It has a neat balance between heartfelt moments and comical ones, and it's so cool to see so many tropes and things that are part of our imaginary in their original form, as it all began.

Anyway, that's all folks. Penelope, if you're reading this, i love u, let's get married on may <3 <3

#bookblr #books of 2024 #gia reads #readerblr #readers of tumblr #feb 2024 #the odyssey #odyssey #homers odyssey

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annabwths · 2 years

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favorite lines from the lightning thief musical:

"look! i didn't want to be a half blood"

"i didn't want to cause trouble, trouble / i'm less a player and more the played"

"grover you are a good friend / aw, dude i'm your only friend"

"i've heard much about you, percy jackson / that's very dedicated for a substitute"

"you think i'm trouble just like everyone else"

"so if you think you are a half-blood, better get headed to the exits now / cause folks will think you're lying, better run and don't start crying / cause you're monster chow"

"stick around and maybe you'll learn from me, this ain't odysseus' odyssey"

"nobody listens to me, they never listen / nobody listens to me they never listen, oh (dude you got expelled)"

"i'll show you where i met your dad, he'd be proud of his son"

"normal is a myth / everyone has issues they're dealing with"

"the things that make you different / are the very things that make you strong"

"awesome! hey, ground beef!"

"am i dead or am i dreaming"

"oh look, a strange man in a hawaiian shirt"

"i've never seen a face as beautiful as- / you drool when you sleep"

"did you say half-god? / yeah and i half-care"

"you say the gods are real? then how could they let that happen?"

"so if my dad's a god, i'd like to know which one, he's got a lot to answer for"

"all this time i thought my dad was some deadbeat turns out / he's a deadbeat god"

"and if they don't? / then no one can blame you for holding a grudge so hey, you're not alone"

"prepare to be pulverized, newbie"

"what about me, i don't know my talent yet / i have a special job for you, go to the boys bathroom / and? / stay there? it's your first day, we don't want you messing things up"

"maybe the minotaur died from a case, of laughing too hard from seeing your stupid face"

"look, captain crazy but the flag ain't here, you've got some issue with me it's pretty clear"

"why is everyone scraping part of their plate into the fire? is the food here really that bad?"

"oh things couldn't be worse, when your parents run the universe"

"chiron! who's your dad? / oh, well, my father is kronos. remember my lecture, he ate his children"

"so my dad is some god, that's great i guess, did he not want me or not want the stress? too bad he's the worst and my life is a mess, oh no"

"everything i ever do is wrong, never find where i belong"

"i never try to do anything, i never mean to hurt anyone"

"but no one will ever take my side, all i ever do is take the fall"

"and now i finally find a haven, somewhere safe, where i can stay, until it's: pack your bags percy bow go your own way"

"all you get are bad grades, a bum rap, a bad rep, and a good smack and no friends, and no home, and no mom... she's taken away"

"you need me too, seaweed brain"

"i've got mad battle strategy, my mom will be impressed"

"shoes. awesome. / shoes with wings? now that id awesome!"

"look for DOA records / it's a record company? actually i am not surprised"

"guys, we just exploded a bus"

"we're lost in the woods, somewhere in new jersey and we're never gonna make it to LA"

"i am not saying sorry to a squirrel"

"i've always been a smart girl / but smart girl only gets a girl so far"

"my grand plan is that i will be remembered"

"always been a tough girl, cause most girls never win if they're polite"

"and your step-mom treats you like a freak, and your dad won't give you the time of day, and your mom won't trust you with a quest, so the best thing you can do is run away"

"all your worries come in flurries, but we bested freakin' furies!"

"look, the gateway arch! / look, a lady with a puppy!"

"do we have enough drachmas for an uber?"

"why, my brother and i arrived just yesterday: may first, 1939!"

"this is....scary"

"and maybe if i'd been a little bit braver, maybe if i stayed behind to fight / but maybe doesn't let me go back and save her, maybe doesn't make it alright"

"no hope of survival, you're dead on arrival"

"i ferry the souls of the newly deceased, i got a sweet ride, it was newly leased"

"who has two turntables and three sick heads? everybody give it up for dj cerberus!"

"what belongs to the sea can always return"

"it's a seashell...no. it's a gift from a god"

"maybe my dad wasn't always there, maybe he never knew how to care / but hey, that's life and life ain't fair"

"plus a half-goat with a great goatee"

"cause you're the two best friends this screw up ever had"

"you may be a god but you're going down all the same"

"you think the god of war is afraid of a little water? / how do you feel about a lot of it?"

"i've been here since i was a kid / i did everything they ever asked, yeah i did"

"it doesn't pay to be a good kid, a good kid, a good son / the gods were never on our side, so i think it's time we watch them fall / and soon you'll see what i did, soon they'll be no gods at all"

"don't feel bad cause we're usually about to die"

"no i'm never gonna once have it easy, i'll make mistakes, but my own and it frees me"

BONUS TRACKS:

"we don't know who to blame but it's a battle all the same / and it's real this time it ain't some game"

"percy will find a way / don't make me gag, percy couldn't find his way out of a paper bag"

"my mom doesn't believe in war / oh, yeah? then why does she keep texting my dad? / woah"

"this fight is gonna be one hell of a clencher, prissy percy's gonna lose his poseidon adventure"

"he must be protected / i won't be rejected"

"i may fail but that doesn't mean that i won't try"

"the weight of the world's on my shoulders / like atlas is crushing me down / we're not brave, we're not strong, we're not soldiers / my heart's just a drum and damn does it pound"

"i'm not leaving your side 'til we find what matters / i'm not leaving your side 'til we're back home / i'm not leaving your side 'til you're remembered"

"guys, calm it down with all life's stresses / it ain't worth cleaning up your parent's messes"

"it's not every day you get a veggie burger from a god"

#chan.txt #percy jackson #percy jackson and the olympians #pjo #pjato #percy #hoo #pjoverse #riordanverse #annabeth chase #annabeth #pjo memes #pjo series #pjo musical #the lightning thief #the lightning thief musical #long post

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whatshouldwecallhomer · 4 years

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@ everyone in the last post pointing out that Odysseus slept with other women while he was trying to get back to Ithaca like it's brand new information: first off, we know, thank you, we've read the damn book.

Secondly, have you read the book? In neither case is Odysseus' tenure with Circe and Calypso portrayed as fully voluntary - he's an outright captive of Calypso and spends all his free time crying and staring at the sea. Things didn't get off to a great start with Circe either. I feel like the modern interpretation of the encounters with the goddesses in the Odyssey make it out as though Odysseus was just screwing around for the ten years between the end of the Trojan War and his homecoming, but that is reading against the text pretty significantly. I'm not saying there's 0 textual support for that reading but there's much much more in the opposite direction. The Odyssey is a nostos story - it derives its narrative tension from Odysseus' struggle to get home, so the story doesn't happen without the challenges he faces along the way.

Third - when you reduce the episodes with Calypso and Circe to "Odysseus is a bad husband because he cheated on Penelope", you're missing a really interesting parallel to the Iliad, where the events of the story are precipitated by a fight over a captive woman. We don't actually get very much of Briseis' perspective, despite the fact that the story couldn't start without her. She has very few lines of dialogue. But when we get to the Odyssey, now the story starts with the main character who is essentially powerless in the role of a slave concubine. Do the gender ramifications there not make your head spin? In the Iliad, a straightforward poem about straight shooting heroes, which romanticizes war as much as it critiques it, the experiences of the war captives is all but absent. In the Odyssey, we see the aftermath of war and its impacts up close and personal, although the narrative comes at it at an angle (incidentally, the way Odysseus himself comes at problems). If you don't want to examine that because you think Odysseus was a bad guy for cheating on Penelope... okay? That's your prerogative I guess. You're missing out some of the best stuff in the poems though!

(Incidentally I'm not saying Odysseus is a *good* guy, either - he's a man of many ways, as Emily Wilson put it, he's "a complicated man" - but that's what makes him so interesting! If he were 100% wholesome and Unproblematic, we wouldn't be reading this shit 2800 years later! Trust me! There are some extremely boring ancient works I've read where everybody does exactly what they were supposed to do! I'd rather read the Odyssey!)

Fourth, and I don't exactly know how to frame this, even if you take Odysseus' captivity with Circe and/or Calypso as infidelity... that doesn't actually mean that he and Penelope don't still have this crazy powerful bond! He deploys all his cleverness to escape from Calypso (even though she offers him immortality!) and then from Circe (in part) because they can't offer him the like-mindedness he has with Penelope! He leaves because he wants to go back to Ithaca, his kingdom, and his family! And it's not some kind of secret affair! Odysseus TELLS Penelope about both of them the same day she finally recognizes him and they reunite! If it is infidelity, it doesn't compromise the foundation of their relationship.

Sorry for the long post y'all but I could not let this go

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cherrymf15 · 3 years

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My thoughts on The Song of Achilles 24 hrs after it destroyed my soul as I needed time to fucking process

If you don’t want spoilers from the book please don’t read!

WHY IS EVERYONE KILLING THE GAYS?

Die Patroclus' Dad. Your son is a bean and you do not deserve him you little bitch

Die Thetis until like the very last page literally, but I appreciate your work for the gays when you weren't a bitch

Die Agamemnon cause just fuck you dickface

DIE PYRRHUS PATROCLUS WAS NOT A BLOT ON YOUR FATHER'S HONOUR YOU FUCKER

Odysseus, I have read Circe so I know you kinda fucking suck too my guy but I appreciate you trying to get Patroclus' name next to Achilles

We also appreciate this man for essentially comparing Achilles and Patroclus to him and his wife

Also, Phoinix with his story about Meleager and Cleopatra and staring pointedly at Patroclus made me happy but also killed me

Bri is a queen and deserves better than what she fucking got. Fucking Pyrrhus and his bitch boy antics

Childhood best friends to lovers is like my favourite trope so just yes

Patroclus seeing Achilles fight for the first time and literally imagining him handling 20 guys easily: *under his breath* fuck me Achilles: What was that? Patroclus: I said fight me

That scene where Achilles just literally drags my boy off his chair was so cute but it also made me laugh so fucking hard

Achilles waiting for him instead of going to Chiron JUST KILL ME

Their first kiss and Achilles running made me scream like no the love of your life is right fucking there child, but Patroclus going anyway despite not knowing how things were after the kiss ahhhhhhh

"Patroclus I have given them enough. I will not give them this." Yes baby don't let them stop you be as gay as you fucking want (leave that to the shitty fates and your mother)

Achilles first instinct when seeing Patroclus' body to be to slash his own throat caused me to throw my book. Just anything to do his with reaction made me throw my book. Especially the ashes thing man

I'm skipping a whole bunch of stuff cause this is quite long already but imagining Achilles finally being at rest and relieved that he'll get to see Patroclus again only to still be alone but it's not like he can go back and I just sob

and Patroclus not being at rest till people know that he and Achilles were together killed me cause he was always so worried about being fully found out when they were alive but dead he was like no let the fucking world know I loved him and love him still.

I appreciate that Thetis did this though I think that was a nice moment when they both hated each other

In conclusion, they gay, I am in pain even 24 hrs after finishing this masterpiece. I will probably think about it and cry randomly for the next 20 yrs and I'm okay with that. I highly recommend this ride of knowing pretty much whats gonna go down but letting your soul be destroyed anyway

#patrochilles #achilles x patroclus #the song of achilles #tsoa #bookaholic #booksbooksbooks #books and libraries #bookworm #books #book #i am in pain #distress #this was amazing #this is not necessary but also completely is #i love this boy #just they gay

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dootznbootz · 4 months

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hehehee that writing ask: 3, 5, 6 and 7!

HEHEHE indeed!!! >:D Thank you, Niko!!!

3.) What loves do you tend to write about? (You knew which question I was DYING to answer >:))

Honestly? All of them! I do tend to write romance as the center but I think it's really important to show different "loves" going on even with the same characters. Honestly, for the romance, I like showing multiple as, for example, you should definitely consider your lover a friend xD can be kind of obsessed with them and "still get butterflies" in a way. (not necessarily nervous. as with "long time love" you shouldn't be nervous around your love anymore, but you can be GIDDY >:D ) I have a LOT of thoughts on how love and showing it :P I'm a very affectionate person so it's nice that it usually kind of comes easily to me :D It's funny because even though I was excited for this question once I tried to answer it, it was kind of hard to. As there is just... SO MANY FEELINGS ABOUT IT!!! I love people caring about each other!!! I love having "shitty moments" still being met with love as that's what matters! Loving people at their worst!!! TRUSTING that you CAN be not at your best and still knowing they'll be there for you? That you have them no matter what??? And this can be for ANY love too!! I just am a sucker for romance in particular for whatever reason :P Honestly I think what's most important in a way is the smaller moments. She looks between seashells to figure out which one will be "the middle pendant" and have him look at her so she can see which ones match his eyes best. They tell each other about each other's day and he's so excited to tell her that family friend's puppies have finally opened their eyes. SMALL MOMENTS OF "Hey! I care about you and I wish to share something with you/have a lil something of you" I love the little things!!!

5.) Would you rather write a happy or a sad ending?

Honestly, I'm a sucker for both depending on the context. I usually try to end on a "hopeful note" or at least let it be known that "It's bad now but it'll be fine soon." I mean...take the Telegony for example, that's a sad ending and I hate it. there's nothing really happy or hopeful about it. A "sad ending" I plan for a fic would probably be that "after the Palladium stolen" incident where Menelaus and Odysseus have a good cry about things. It's sad, they're not necessarily happy with where they're at right now...but they're both at least HOPEFUL and determined to GET that happy ending. That'll just be a moment of...bad. :D

6.) What POV do you like writing in?

I actually love switching from character to character >:D There's not many instances where I don't do that. (probably if one character is "secretive to the other" that'd be the only reason why but even then I'd probably write a snippet of the other POV as a "bonus" afterward :D I love having characters react to each other and have introspection about what's going on!!! :D

7.) Favorite description in WIP >:)

This is probably so far :D Yeah, she was just sick earlier so it's a happy moment!

He placed a few soft kisses on the once sweaty and pale forehead that he would push her hair away from. He cupped her other cheek, pulling her face closer to his own to continue his affection. The kisses only stopped momentarily as he could not hold back his grin as he squished his nose into her cheekbone, no longer red from fever but from joy. Her sharp teeth glinted as she giggled and squirmed. Her body was sore and moving so much hurt her ribs but she couldn’t bring herself to push him away. She leaned away from him, as his hair was tickling her; it only left her neck vulnerable. He nuzzled himself on the pulse point, the same spot he desperately felt during the past week. Her laughter, although still hoarse, was his goal; she truly meant it when she said she was feeling better.

That one's shorter. :D I have a lot of little bits here and there that I love but they're...LONGER and also probably a bit much :P as you know I like showing "love despite unpleasant moments". And she's stubborn and sick. I LOVE LIL SILLY AFFECTIONSDFK sj

#klsjd fI love them so fucking much.#Thank you so much Niko! :D #nikoisme #ask #Mad rambles #shot by odysseus

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neoptolemid · 3 years

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Neoptolemus super doc ? ??

ARE WE ABSOLUTELY SURE,, , ,, ,

uh okay, I pull together my super document of Pyrrhus, have pardon cause it's a bit old and i'm gonna spread it through like 3 or 4 posts probably , , so uh enjoy and I'm sorry for all grammatical errors

Skyros

Pyrrhus was born by the name Pyrrhus and this was based either on his red hair or due to Achilles name of Skyros being Pyrrha.

When it comes to appearances I generally describe him as a good mix of both Deidamia and Achilles’ traits, having inherited Deidamia’s red hair and Achilles Blue/teal eyes. He is around the middle of both of his parent’s height as I make Achilles 6’0 and Deidamia 5’3 when full grown, Pyrhhus rounds out to be 5’6. He also has a number of beauty marks which are similar to Achilles’.

It is unknown how long Achilles stayed on Skyros or when Pyrrhus was born. Either way Achilles did know about his son, we know this from the fact Achilles makes references to his son within the Iliad and Odyssey.

I like to believe that part of Pyrrhus growing up with his mother and aunts is that he has a lot of appreciation for women’s crafts and what they do. That he as a younger child would simply sit and be by his mother and/or aunts as they worked enjoying their company.

He would try his best growing up to join into their songs and dances, and at least once dressed himself in girls clothes to show his mother and aunts which got a good laugh out of them.

From Quintus ‘Fall of Troy’ we are informed that learning to fight and it was Odysseus and Diomedes who came with their black sails to ask him to join the war cause. He was promised to marry Menelaus’s daughter Hermione, he was also promised to have Achilles’ armor and gold, riches, and glory for coming with them.

While work will generally age him to being a young man or simply portray him to be very well spoken, if you follow along with the time line it is very possible that Pyrrhus is only 11 or 12 when he leaves Skyros, I tend to write him as being 13 for my own comfort.

Another thing to note form Quintus’s piece on Pyrrhus is they depict this being especially sad for Deidamia, she is written as having weeped and weeped. She doesn’t want him to leave because she doesn’t want him going to war and leaving her. She doesn’t want him hurt and she doesn’t want another person she loves leaving her again.

Deidamia Pyrrhus’s mother is written as loving him and I interpret bits of this story as Pyrrhus is the only tie to Achilles she has. Generally I prefer the idea that Deidamia did care for Achilles and so it did break her heart that he left and she had hoped that he would return eventually to her and their son.

Over the years she understood more and more that he would not return, so all she had was her son, and then eventually they come and take him from her as well.

Mattering on the version of the story, it is fully possible that Deidamia may have never seen her son again once he left the island.

Dawn climbed the wide-arched heaven, straightway they rose from their beds. Then Deidameia knew; and on her son's broad breast she cast herself, and bitterly wailed: her cry thrilled through the air, as when a cow loud-lowing mid the hills seeks through the glens her calf, and all around Echo long ridges of the mountain-steep; so on all sides from dim recesses rang the hall; and in her misery she cried: "Child, wherefore is thy soul now on the wing to follow strangers unto Ilium the fount of tears, where perish many in fight, yea, cunning men in war and battle grim? And thou art but a youth, and hast not learnt the ways of war, which save men in the day of peril. Hearken thou to me, abide here in thine home, lest evil tidings come from Troy unto my ears, that thou in fight hast perished; for mine heart saith, never thou hitherward shalt from battle-toil return. Not even thy sire escaped the doom of death -- he, mightier than thou, mightier than all heroes on earth, yea, and a Goddess' son -- but was in battle slain, all through the wiles and crafty counsels of these very men who now to woeful war be kindling thee. Therefore mine heart is full of shuddering fear lest, son, my lot should be to live bereaved of thee, and to endure dishonour and pain, for never heavier blow on woman falls than when her lord hath perished, and her sons die also, and her house is left to her desolate. Straightway evil men remove her landmarks, yea, and rob her of her all, setting the right at naught. There is no lot more woeful and more helpless than is hers who is left a widow in a desolate home."

Lemnos

Pyrrhus agrees to go with them and on the way they stop by the island of Lemnos to get Philoctetes. Odysseus makes Neoptolemus lie to Philoctetes because he knows that he hates Odysseus because he is the man who abandoned him on Lemnos and he knows that Philoctetes doesn’t want to go to Troy but back to Greece and to his home.

This causes a Pyrrhus strife because he has been taught to be noble up until now, in the play Philoctetes by Sophocles we are shown multiple times how this causes him strife because he is having to lie. Philoctetes also considers Pyrrhus to be a friend because Pyrrhus lies and says that he wants to go back home to Skyros because of the way he is treated by the other Greeks even though he hasn’t met any of them yet to our knowledge.

Good lines from this play that I personally characterize him are

‘It would have been better if i had never left scyros. Everything around me oppresses me ..’

‘He’ll (odysseus) claim i’m too soft-hearted’

‘I can’t. It is right and in our interest to listen to those in authority’

Some of the best development to see from this is how he was raised to be noble and how he doesn’t want to trick people or lie, he wants to be honest.

Another thing I find interesting to read from specifically this play is how Pyrrhus is very rarely called by his own name, he is almost always referred to ‘son of achilles’ and also in this play he is often referred to as ‘child’ or ‘boy’.

While none of these things are brought up as an issue in the play I do think it is a detail you can play with, like how it might weigh on an individual to be always referred to by your famous father or how people don’t recognize you by your name but by your father’s.

I think these are things that would weigh on Pyrrhus he wants to live up to his father but it also oppresses him to be referred in such a way. He wants to be like his father but he is still his own individual which he doesn’t feel recognized by as people continually anything but his own name.

To the idea of playing into the fact he is also often called ‘boy’ or ‘child’ These could be names that eventually upset and anger him. He is being dragged into this war like he is old enough to fight, which he is not and yet he is not recognized as such by those around him.

It is a case of a child feeling indignatinge by being called terms which denote being naive, though I like to think there is some justification for his anger because this isn’t just a small thing but he is being taken into a man's world.

In Philoctetes he is referred to by the name Neoptolemus, he was given this name by Phoenix, a man also considered to be a father by Achilles. Phoenix is one of the oldest men in the Trojan war and he is either involved with Pyrrhus coming from the island to Skyros to the war or some time later down the road. He gave him this name because it means ‘new war/warrior’ it is meant to reflect how Achilles himself was a young man when he entered the war.

It is honestly more common to see Pyrrhus referred to as Neoptolemus by the Greeks and Pyrrhus by Roman sources to my knowledge. (i’ll be using Pyrrhus just for simplicity)

Troy

There are a lot of various stories that have to do with the fall of Troy, we have records again from Quintus “Fall of Troy” and the “Aeneid” by Vergil. There are also a number of plays by the three tragedians of Ancient Greece(Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus) that have to do with the end of the war and various stories of the aftermath.

While Pyrrhus doesn’t appear in these very often they still help to give more insight to his possible character.

Pyrrhus makes a minor appearance within the play of ‘hecuba’ and is in the background of ‘andromache’, he makes no appearance within this story but he is directly related to things happening in the play.

Back onto the subject of the fall of Troy, he is regarded as the killer of both Astyanax and Priam. These are generally agreed upon details and sometimes Odysseus fills the role of Pyrrhus when the story decides they don’t want to introduce more characters.

He is generally described as being ‘battle-eager’ ‘Fierce-hearted’ and a few other epithets relating to fighting. In general he is not described as being worse than anyone else. The fall of Troy is a greek work and all the Greeks within this work are killing and fighting people. He is by all means a competent fighter within the text.

In the Odyssey when Odysseus goes into the underworld and speaks with the dead, and when Achilles comes to speak he asks about his son.

Odysseus describes him as

‘but I can tell you all about your son Neoptolemus, for I took him in my own ship from Scyros with the Achaeans. In our councils of war before Troy he was always first to speak, and his judgement was unerring. Nestor and I were the only two who could surpass him; and when it came to fighting on the plain of Troy, he would never remain with the body of his men, but would dash on far in front, foremost of them all in valour. Many a man did he kill in battle- I cannot name every single one of those whom he slew while fighting on the side of the Argives, but will only say how he killed that valiant hero Eurypylus son of Telephus, who was the handsomest man I ever saw except Memnon; many others also of the Ceteians fell around him by reason of a woman's bribes. Moreover, when all the bravest of the Argives went inside the horse that Epeus had made, and it was left to me to settle when we should either open the door of our ambuscade, or close it, though all the other leaders and chief men among the Danaans were drying their eyes and quaking in every limb, I never once saw him turn pale nor wipe a tear from his cheek; he was all the time urging me to break out from the horse- grasping the handle of his sword and his bronze-shod spear, and breathing fury against the foe. Yet when we had sacked the city of Priam he got his handsome share of the prize money and went on board (such is the fortune of war) without a wound upon him, neither from a thrown spear nor in close combat, for the rage of Mars is a matter of great chance.'

In general from the greek sources he is described as nobly.

He is noted for killing quite a few people during the fall of Troy but his most notable kills are Priam, who he kills within the throne room (to my knowledge) and Astyanax who is killed after Troy has fallen.

In the Aeneid by Vergil he is described in ways that frame him a more villainous or evil way

‘The fatal work inhuman Pyrrhus plies,’

During when Pyrrhus is about to kill Priam there is a line that I believe characterizes him as more of a tragic character than anything else. Before killing Priam, Priam berates him about how Pyrrhus is about to treat Priam because of how Achilles showed him humanity and how Achilles gives Priam his son’s body back. This is partly brung up because Pyrrhus getting into the throne room kills one of Priam’s sons in front of his face.

The line basically translates out to be Pyrrhus telling Priam that when he dies and sees his father to tell him of the terrible deed of his son, of how terrible his son is.

In the translation that I read they use the line ‘Tell him of degenerate Neoptolemus’

When in the context of the Philoctetes I think this paints Pyrrhus as being a rather tragic and sad character, because prior to going to the island of Lemnos Pyrrhus tried to act most noble, he wants to be noble like his father. When on Lemnos he has his morals questioned and is forced to go against his morales at the hand of Odysseus.

I interpret this as him vocalizing how he might be upset with himself as he is forced to look at the reality of war which isn’t noble or glorious at all. He wants to live up to the noble idea of his father and everything he is forced to do makes him feel terrible.

I personally think that Pyrrhus probably doesn’t know a lot about the terrible things that Achilles has done or he tries to ignore them. When fighting in the war he might realize his idea of his father might not truly be acturte, he was raised on stories from his mother telling him of his outstanding father.

In terms of justifying his actions during the war because going off my own headcanon he probably wouldn’t be so interested in killing so many people, I imagine he kinda just turns off his head and acts purely on his emotions and just acts like that of a soldier. (Is this PTSD?)

He follows the orders given to him and acts without questioning and lets all his emotions out. I personally don’t assign Pyrrhus that much pride but I like to think he inherited some of his fathers famous anger. All of his anger at what he is being forced to do comes out when he is forced to fight.

That is where the brutality of his portrayal within the Aeneid comes from.

#super doc sorry #my thoughts #my terrible terrible thoughts of my boy #I am sorry some of these thoughts are kinda old and need to get updated lol #neoptolemus #pyrrhus #the iliad #(I guess)#my super doc of all things

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