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pinkcherryblossom18 · 5 months

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Selene

Oliver Quick x Reader

TW: Stalking, Implied murder, Implied suicide, Implied sexual intercourse, Major character death, Blood drinking, Oliver is a Creep as pure schedule.

Word Count: 1.9k

Oliver watches and calculates. That’s what he does; that's who he is but something is wrong when he looks at you. Something wrong in the way that he thinks—he can’t think. He can’t calculate and he knows that it’s your fault but he can still put this in his favor. He can still work this because you’re like the rest of them. A dog sleeping belly up, unaware of the snake nearby waiting to attack, to bite and give you every ounce of venom that he possesses.

It starts slow, an invasion that you can’t see because why would you? Oliver has watched you closely enough to know that you won’t see it coming because you’re always distracted. Reading, work, friends, parties that only people like you can get invited to because you’re around the right people. It’s something that shocked him when he started to research and observe you like some kind of tame animal a butcher is preparing for the slaughter. You’re not rich, the daughter of an American farmer and waitress who got hired at Saltburn by pure luck when you were eight. You grew up beside Felix and his sister, Venetia, for eleven years, only a year younger than Felix himself but perfect age for people like him. You know work, he’s seen your computer, full of files for Felix’s family that you work on like their personal assistant.

You won’t notice him because he won’t let you. He accomplishes such a thing slowly, methodically he starts at the root. Felix is sweet and he’s been looking for another pet project so Oliver makes sure that they meet. It was almost too easy to place that pin in his bike tire that Oliver had almost laughed while doing it. The Sun God Helios shined above him but all he could focus on was Selene who stood so beautifully in the moonlight that she herself was. Felix had waved him over, welcoming him into his little group of snobs and bootlickers who dimmed when compared to yourself who was typing quickly on your phone, ignoring all those around you. Oliver had found his seat right next to your own and froze when you smiled at him, shimmering silver meeting the cold blue of his eyes but he couldn’t look away until you did, blinking himself back into the reality of it all.

It had been a few sips into his second drink when you finally put down your phone, saying goodnight Mrs. Catton who was temporarily done with your services. You sighed and stretched, flinching when Felix jokingly poked your ribs. You glared at him and Felix only chuckled and went back to his friends, leaving behind his little servant to face the more socially inferior servants of his. Then your phone dinged and you groaned. “Do you mind if I take a sip?” You asked him, pointing at his glass of coke and rum. “I just really need a drink.”

He is frozen for a moment and Oliver isn’t sure if it’s part of his mask or not. “Uh sure,” he says after a moment. You smile at him and take his glass, sipping on the drink before placing it back down. He’s about to ask for your name—which he already knows by heart along with your middle name, last name and your parents names—when you take a nearby napkin and wipe the rim which is slightly smudged by your lipgloss. The sheepish smile you give him afterward sends his heart a fluttering and more plans and fantasies building up by the ton. He sticks out his hand toward you, a friendly enough gesture that you won’t know that all he wants is just to touch your skin. “I’m Oliver,” he whispers, like it’s a secret among people who like to scream from the heavens.

It goes from there after you give him your name. It's a sweet little thing, your name, as it falls from his lips. It was like it was made to be upon your lips and he takes every possible opportunity to say it. He says it the most whenever he’s in your dorm, studying, talking or just laying around in blissful silence. He strains to be in your bed, he has been multiple times but he wishes to be in it at night, asleep and with you in his arms. Watching as your chest rises and falls, your mouth part lets out small snores but he considers it a win whenever he watches you through your open window—it's an issue that he’s been trying to get you to fix but he hasn’t been trying that hard.

Felix is good enough as an excuse, the boy has found him to be a good little pet so far, always trailing behind, taking his scraps. Like Annabel, a product of Felix’s rendezvous and he takes that with a hint of alcohol and the intoxicating smell of perfume. He would have fucked her with your name on his lips had she not left, angry that she could’t use Felix’s charity as a way to get back at him. Will he be jealous? No. Neither of them are important enough to him for Felix to even feel a lick of jealousy.

Oliver knows what does make him jealous. What he can’t stand and what strains their relationship before he tried to step out of his shadows of a hidden servant and try to clean up Felix’s room. It starts out subtle. Small questions of where he was or where you were but Oliver feels a certain satisfaction at the pout, the furrowing of eyebrows or the small clenching of fists when either of you respond saying that you were with each other. Felix tries to keep you away from him but you always respond when he calls or texts because that’s who are. A people pleaser, a simple servant to any who call for you—it’s another thing that he’s planning on getting you out of but not know, not while he benefits off of it so much.

You stand with him, holding his arm, when he tosses the rock for his dad into the lake. Dead, that's what he told Felix to get him back into his good graces, and Felix believed him because why wouldn’t he? Oliver came to him in tears and an opening for a savior. You believed him because of his tears and because you know what losing a parent is like. Two years ago your father died from drugs, his now did as well. Sympathy is a better way into someone's heart than pity is.

It’s you who greets him after he passes his exams. Felix is right beside you but your arms are the first ones around him. He holds on tight and breaths you in with sharp inhales and stops breathing when you peck his cheek. Your lips are light against his cold skin and he feels heat all over when you pull away and Felix takes him in his arms. It doesn’t feel right but the gateway is presented to him and he takes it with great certainty of what he wants. What he will get.

You're in his dorm room helping him pack for Saltburn, rambling about everything there and everything that it contains like he doesn’t already know all of that. But he likes listening to you because you don't talk much, never have the time to. “You’ll love it, I know you will,” you tell him while folding one of his shirts. “There's this maze that is great to walk through at night because it's like the moon is always there, just watching you like the Cattons placed it there. Wouldn’t be surprised if they actually did.” You laugh and shake your head, not noticing that all he’s doing is watching you, barely even helping you pack his own belongings.

Oliver can agree with you about the maze, it’s eerie at night but he finds that the moon hangs just right and its light is placed just right so that the shadows stay on his side. You take nightly walks in the maze, wandering around and going through the deadends so that you can relax against the prickly shrubbery and just sit. Sitting and thinking is all that you do in the deadends and Oliver can watch you forever while you do just that.

Another one of his favorite spots is the pool because that is when you smile the most out in the shine of the sun because even the Goddess of the Moon deserves to lay in the sun every once in a while. He watches you laugh with Venetia and make jabs at Farleigh while Felix sticks to your side like an awaiting master who stands patiently for his dog to make a mistake when they mess up. You never do though, Elspeth he estimates, has already beaten that out of you.

But his absolute favorite spot in the entirety of Saltburn is your bed, not as hard as the one at Oxford but not as soft as his own guest room bed is and you both like to lay down on his bed sometimes and talk like you did in Oxford. It’s the late nights that have no curfew that drive him to become bolder, to trace his fingers across your face and press his thumb against your bottom lip, driving down. You stare at him while he does this, waiting for him to make the move and follow his eyes with your own doe eyed ones, decisions are not something you make by yourself and he’ll take advantage of that at the moment—later he’ll make you more independent but just enough for everyone else not him.

Felix freaks when he finds out the truth just like he had when he found Oliver in your bed with his head between your thighs, hand in his hair pressing him into you further. Unlike then, he wasn’t happy about the reveal because this wasn’t supposed to happen, he wasn’t supposed to find out this way—ever actually. Felix doesn’t tell you about what happened which is a blessing in itself and so Oliver seeks comfort in you and wraps himself around your body. It’s anger that leads him to grabbing you roughly and taking what he wants—what is his.

His birthday party is a blast, filled with life with people he doesn’t know but the Cattons and a few others from Felix’s friend group who still had an animosity with him for a reason that separates him completely from them all. You included. Even though you don’t have money, you're close enough to Felix that it all rubs off on you in their eyes. You’re so far away but close enough to the sun but so was Icarus.

Felix dies with a horrible ease because even in death he has to go gracefully. Oliver finds you after he's shed his tears and crosses a name off of his list. The birthday present that you give him fills him up more than watching—having a hand in—Felix’s death ever could. You hold him throughout the rest of the night and he holds you in the morning when you see Felix's body, your own crumbling like a piece of paper and falling into his arms.

Death isn’t something you could ever handle, with your dad, Felix and then Venetia, he could only watch as you died next. Your blood is a drink that he has never tasted before but he can’t help but dip his fingers in it and revel in. It’s a delicacy that one could only come by once in a lifetime. So he watches you die and feasts upon your delicacy like a wolf upon an unsuspecting doe.

#oliver quick x reader #oliver quick #saltburn

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three-penguins-in-a-trench-coat · 11 months

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What would happen if the Gotoro Empire invaded Stardew Valley?

In the background Lore of Stardew Valley, there is a war going on between the Ferngill Republic, which Stardew is in, and the Gotoro Empire, in which Kent spent a long time as a prisoner of war. Well, what if the war went badly for Ferngill, and the Gotoro Empire ends up landing on the mainland?

Imagine Stardew Valley being chosen as a place for the D-Day invasion, and the top generals of Ferngill are just bracing for the impending invasion, but the army just... stopped. They can't get past this tiny town on their coast. They don't know what's happening, only that a hell of a firefight is going on in Pelican Town.

The Farmer is essentially an eldritch being, disguised in a mortal body, I'm sure through various contacts, such as Mr Qi, they could find out about the invasion of Stardew Valley. And they would be fucking prepared. Kent knows what the Gotoro Empire is like, and he canonically still has an entire armada of explosives and I'm assuming firearms stashed in his shed. He was a soldier, he would know at least some basic strategies to slow them down, and knowing Kent, he wouldn't just let them walk into his town and take over.

There's a small army of dwarves and shadow people living underground in the valley, if they were able to be convinced to help, they would provide substantial stopping force. Rasmodius, I'm sure, would have a few tricks up his sleeve.

Everyone loves living in the magical world of Stardew Valley, and they aren't going down without a fight. Kent would rig the beaches with explosives, and if he had enough ammunition, would probably be waiting with a small force from the town and local areas. Rasmodius definitely has a few tricks up his sleeve that would ruin the invader's day, and Mr Qi would probably plan some surprises that would be monumentally disastrous for the Gotoro soldiers.

And then there's the farmer.

Hopped up on Triple Shot Espresso and Magic Rock Candy, armed with Explosive ammo and wielding a Sword that can cut through stone with one swing, they would be a literal demon in a straw hat. The Rock Candy gives a +5 luck buff, bullets ain't gonna hit them. They'll all just curve around them, because the farmer isn't going to fucking die to some puny bullets. Stories would be told in the Gotoro Camp of a wraith sent upon them in the name of Yoba, literally untouchable by their weapons, and faster than the speed of sound. A banshee with bad taste in clothing and a sword covered in the blood of their friends and allies, they would be absolutely petrified.

And because it's Stardew Valley, the most hidden place in the world, no one outside of the Valley would have any clue what's going on. The Generals of Ferngill would never know, only that they had been saved.

I honestly love this idea so much and if this gets any interaction I'm absolutely writing a story about it.

#stardew valley #stardew #sdv #stardew farmer #stardew kent #stardew au #stardew rasmodius #stardew mr qi #writers of tumblr #writeblr #story #storytelling

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ronmerchant · 1 month

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INVASION OF THE BLOOD FARMERS (1972)

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mariacallous · 8 months

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Russian troops entered Melitopol at the very start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, report journalists at iStories, the city has become a center of partisan resistance and simultaneously “the largest prison in Europe,” where Russian soldiers kidnap and torture residents with impunity. Meduza summarizes this latest report on Ukrainians’ lives under Russian occupation.

According to a new report by iStories, abductions by Russian occupation forces in Melitopol became widespread as early as March 2022. This is when Ukrainian activists launched the “Kidnapped Melitopolians” hotline to collect information about disappeared locals.

A woman named Natalia who works at the hotline told iStories that Russian abductions initially targeted people who worked in local government bodies. By the fall of 2022, soldiers moved on to school administrators and teachers who stuck to the Ukrainian curriculum. “Then came the farmers. There was a period when they kidnapped a lot of veterans of the [2014–2018 Donbas War]. And a lot of businessmen — they kidnapped them for ransoms,” explained Natalia.

Staff at the “Kidnapped Melitopolians” hotline have documented 311 abductions. More than 100 of these people are still in the Russian military’s custody, and 56 have gone missing entirely. Volunteers suspect the true number of kidnappings could be 3–4 times higher.

Landscape designer Maxim Ivanov and his girlfriend Tatiana Bekh were abducted in April 2022, near the outset of the invasion.

“We left the house, and I had a [Ukrainian] flag on my car. An armored personnel carrier was driving nearby, and I grabbed the flag and waved it around, shouting, ‘Get off our land!’ They stopped, about 10 guys surrounded me, and they threw the flag to the ground and stomped on it. They said, ’Now we’ll take you to reeducate you,” recalls Maxim Ivanov. He says he and Tatiana were taken to the local military police, where they joined other people arrested for pro-Ukrainian agitation or curfew violations. Soldiers beat Ivanov with rubber batons, forcing him to scream, “Glory to Russia!” The couple was released two days later after being pressured to sign a document stating they had no complaints about their detention.

Maxim and Tatiana were arrested again in August when they were caught posting leaflets for Ukraine’s Independence Day. Soldiers confiscated the flyers and searched Maxim’s mobile phone, finding messages he’d posted in a chatbot where he reported information about the movements of Russian troops and military equipment. Later that day, Ivanov was beaten at the police station and suffered multiple broken ribs. The next day, Russian soldiers moved him to a garage under a bridge, where they brutally assaulted him again.

“I realized that they might kill me right there and then. I asked for my phone so I could call my parents and say goodbye. And they told me: You’ll make due. You’ll croak, and nobody will know. Then they brought me to the garage and left me. I opened my eyes, and blood was gushing out everywhere. Everything around me was covered in blood,” Ivanov told iStories.

After five days, Ivanov and several other prisoners were taken to bathe. “There was just a hose with running water, but we were thrilled because it had been so long since we’d washed. I undressed, and [the guards] watching whispered to each other and said, “This one’s ready. Let’s take him away.” They probably saw that my back and ribs were all black and blue and decided I’d had enough,” recalled Ivanov.

All this time, Tatiana Bekh was confined to a tiny shipping container (smaller than seven feet by seven feet) parked on the military police compound. The couple was eventually transferred to a city police department, where officials continued to torture Ivanov, even using electric shocks.

Russian troops later released Tatiana but held Maxim for another month, continuing to beat him regularly. In late October 2022, they sent him away to Ukrainian-controlled territory, but he had to walk the 25 miles himself from Vasylivka to Kamianske, navigating a “gray zone” where artillery fire was ongoing:

I thought about asking someone for a bed for the night, but the village was dead. There was nobody there, and all the homes were destroyed. I went into an abandoned gas station and spent the whole night there. It was late October and cold. I found a piece of fiberglass and threw it over my legs. And the artillery fire was constant. It hit nearby, and I heard the earth crumble from the explosion. I thought that gas station would become my tomb.

Russian occupation forces also kidnapped a 23-year-old schizophrenic man named Leonid Popov, whose condition was in remission thanks to medical care, though doctors warned his mother that stress could jeopardize that progress. The first time occupation troops arrested Leonid was in May 2022. They held him at a military police center for three days. Leonid’s mother told iStories that “drunk Kaydrovites” (Chechen soldiers) tortured him, tying him to a wall, mocking him, throwing knives at him, and subjecting him to electric shocks. She says her son never understood why they even detained him.

Around the same time, Russian soldiers also abducted Leonid’s brother, Yaroslav, who said he was forced into a cramped jail cell with another 30 detainees. The guards later added a “drunk or mentally ill person” who didn’t stop screaming, and the men were told that they’d all be shot if they didn’t “shut his mouth,” Yaroslav told his mother:

And then this crowd of frightened prisoners started to beat the man. And when he started shouting, they just began strangling him, just to stop him from yelling. And the man died.

Yaroslav’s mother says she asked him what he did as this happened, and he told her that he turned to the wall and prayed to God for the first time in his life.

In April 2023, Russian soldiers abducted Leonid Popov again. Three months later, they dumped him at a hospital where he was treated for extreme emaciation. Nearly six feet, five inches tall, Leonid now weighed less than 90 pounds. His father was later granted permission to bring his son home, but troops again took him away that same day. Leonid Popov’s whereabouts are currently unknown. iStories doesn’t say what became of his brother Yaroslav.

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purple-goo-writes · 7 months

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Sooo currently obsessed with the realization that live action Thomas Curry is played by Tem, who also plays Boba Fett.

Meaning I can connect the universes through canon lore.

Aka Thomas Curry is a clone deserter who managed to get to Earth without being caught thanks to Earth being located in Wild Space.

Now you may be asking, what about the accelerated aging of the clone troopers which make them age about 3 years in one? Well I say fuck that canon and submit my own head canon that the reason they aged so rapidly after coming out od the cloning pods is because of hormones and chemicals laced in the Ration Bars specifically made for the Clone Troopers from Kamino. So a clone who has stopped eating them for a while slows down their aging to normal means.

Now back to my point- this means Arthur Curry is the son of a clone and an Atlantean, which helps explain why he is so fucking more then most atlanteans outside of just because he is royal blood and a hero. Cause Jango Fett is a hienz 57 thanks to the GFFA policy of humans fucking anything vaguely (and sometimes not) humanoid looking and I'm pretty sure he counts and primarily near-human instead of full human. Especially given some of the mutations and defects that possibly popped up during the cloning process. (Also pretty sure the Fetts were already mandos just ya know farmers before Death Watch fucked shit up. So there is also him being a heinz cause Mandos in fanon (and possibly canon) will fuck who ever didn't manage to kill them. Plus Fanon likes Mandos being not primarly human, so theres also that.)

So Arthur has a little extra boost with that and the fact that the troopers are Genetically Altered Super Soldiers. Therefore some traits can possibly pass to offspring. Not all cause it's more conditioning but his body would be predisposed to gain muscle and have stronger bones, better constitution and just stronger then average human.

Now what if Thomas manged to get a signal out to any other surviving clones or deserters? Arthur grows up with a bunch of near identical uncles (and aunts for the few Sisters amongst the Brothers) who have insane stories, odd names, a wide arrange of skills and secret stash of armor. Also who train in their spare time cause paranoia.

The JL find out about his extended family during something like the Reach invasion or something. Omg possibly fucking robots. Arthur like "Oh I know some specialists."

And calls in his dad and family.

#dc x star wars #star wars clone wars #dc #dc au #star wars au #justice league #arthur curry

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642spaghettiprincess · 10 days

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Berry Crawler AU-

(Another Smiling critters au)

This is based off of my book series, Misery series. (1)

"A toxic waste known as Chemical B.Y entered the water system to local farmers water systems and changes the DNA of any Fruit/Berrys into viscous predatory monsters that takes 2 weeks to grow. The "seeds" sprout into the stomach and the roots work their way up to the brain such as damaging bones, organs, or the blood system. once the roots are at the brain, they dig into the brain and they start to sprout leaves and "flowers". The flowers eat their way out of the skull and "bloom" in a 6 meter radius attacking other victims like animals or humans then the flower dies and becomes fruit with teeth eating any living thing in its path. By this time the human is a walking corpse being controlled by a invasive plant. Once the human is dead, the mother plant dies off and more plants are born."

This time, they are all suriving in a world without produce nor access to city water since its contaminated.

Let's see how many days they can live for in this nightmare of a world.

Its only summer afterall.. 😅

#smiling critters #poppy playtime #poppy playtime oc #smiling critters oc #Berry Crawler AU

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ratsoh-writes · 1 month

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Masterlist 34

(****) = suggestive

General

the longest they've gone without doing the do (lf ot)******

most excited to go on a rollercoaster

SO wants company when upset, but doesn't want to talk (fs ut sf)

crush asks to pet their gaster blaster (lf st ul)

their favorite flower/fruit goes extinct (farmers + dt)

the rich boys have a SO who isn't used to money being spent on them (lf drt)

hogwarts houses (uw ht flt bt)

when their shop got broken into

his pet traps SO

crush accidentally burns themselves (ut uf ht)

SO is affectionate after he wrecks them (ut uf hf ht fsg)****

his pp gets bigger/smaller (gears maple)*****

alien invasion (sf hfm tt dt)

SO is temporarily blind

SO can flirt but cant be flirted with (mf lf lsf uf)

SO jokes his dong is too big (nt ft)****

SO wears thigh highs and his shirt (lf mf +brothels)****

they're cursed with the truth (marcelo papyrus captain chaos red)

the bauble and flavor siblings home

wedding vows (fsg fsr)

gaster comes back from the dead

doing a presentation (nt ff hfm fs sf)

gay sex wins, fatality (brothels + fsg lf)**

monkey paw clown nose

he's cursed to speak backwards for a week

board games (brothel + bf fs)

pigs blood (drf tht fs ss lf)

non sexual intimacies (brothel + fs bf)

kid comes home with disrespectful date

object becomes sentient (flt ss gt hfm bs)

voice actor SO (uf lsf mf lf fsg)

karen fights for them (basil Sugar, Pluto, Peaches, Cider, Compass, Sparks, Finn, Quill and Papaya)

their brother is lv sick (fsg sf)

first date (cash mutt weasel pesto gold coffee)

tv laugh track (tht ut)

SO has vertigo (bf + brothel)

SO has a cursed job (ut bbt os)

crush accidentally burns themselves (ht uf ut)

SO is dazed after getting railed lol (ut uf ht hf fsg)****

Interactions

how the ut uf us bros handled meeting their horror counterparts

Worldbuilding

what was wines and coffees mother like?

the horrorfell civil war

strongest and weakest ten update

other heat cycle species seasons**

more snail breeds

how the old farm aus are doing without the monsters

temmies children kevin

difference between fae born monsters and normal ones

night sky in ebott

can skeletons choke

Heat changes (all)****

How many fingers to kitsune have. And more wing info for birdtale

spunions axelaterals and lavender quarts

sky serpents, and what form do slime monsters take

how does one become a prince

pet taxes and registration

animal bias and needlecones

fire elementals dealing with rain and ebotts grade system

why is dual colored magic "ugly"

ogres swiftees bugbear

skeleton bones vs human bones + how breaks heal

how smooshable are the skeletons (featuring quill)

fortune telling?

most common ecto color (all monster types)

whos now the main mafia? (rps only)

common monster names

train system

EBOTT MAP first draft + where the skeletons live

more random monster behaviors

side characters

juniper devi argo

blight dwight their parents

more rich b*tches

Damocles Cassia (and vlock info)

Diane Swann (and vila info)

Royals

MEET THE ROYALS

what they look like

vamp and duchess' mates

Poseidon and Salacia's children

Undertale

sans kid is a changeling

fellswap red

mutt and oblivious SO

swapfell

mal and vila SO

cash and oblivious SO

Mafias

roulette comes back from the dead

angst

bruisers SO reveals they're a selkie

maid SO**

flavortale

taffy gets cheated on

Hadaltale

silex gets cheated on

outertale

Jupiter gets cheated on

fellswap gold

if wine and coffees mother had survived

coffees braces

the brothel

do they regret taking the lust serum?

did they have to take the lust serum

#undertale imagines #undertale headcanons #masterlist #masterpost

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jeannereames · 4 months

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Hello Dr. Reames!

Like many of us who follow you on this Hell-site we call home, I started watching Netflix's Alexander: The Making of a God. I'm an awfully shy person, and have been meaning to say hello, but a deadly concoction of anxiety and imposter syndrome has kept me away until a part of the docuseries lit a burning fire of a question.

I'm an Early Modern historian (18th century France), and although I have an obsession with Alexander the Great (going as far as begging my parents from around age 10 to 18 to legally change my name to Alexander) I never took a deep academic dive into the ancient Mediterranean world.

I think it was episode 2 where Alexander and Darius finally face each other at Issus, and after the battle Alexander has the captured "Greeks" (I can't remember now if he said Greeks or Macedonians) from Darius' army killed for fighting on the "wrong side." This kind of rubbed me the wrong way, especially when they switch to the talking heads and they kind of touch on it being known that people from the Greek poleis were mercenaries and were throughout the known Mediterranean world. That scene had a sort of 'Alexander as a Macedonian Nationalist' feel, and I assumed that Alexander was more open to the blending of cultures or at least there wasn't a single correct way to live and rule. That whole sequence of scenes felt contradictory: the mercenary system is well known yet a betrayal against "blood brothers"? Would Alexander actually have mercenaries executed for being hired by Persia?

Thank you for your time!

I'm glad you decided to finally step forward and ask a question! Nice to "meet" you.

Ah, yes, this is a matter of Real Politik.

After Granikos, a number of Greek mercenaries were captured, although their commander, Memnon, got away himself as he’d have been on horseback. Alexander had the men executed.

Greeks had served as mercenaries in Asia as far back as the Assyrian Sargonids. In fact, arguably, the archaic full hoplite panoply developed to fight on the broad plains of the middle east, not in Greece. (See John Hale’s chapter “Not Patriots, Not Farmers, Not Amateurs” in Men of Bronze, Kagan and Viggiano, eds., from Princeton; I find his argument convincing.) And, of course, Xenophon’s famous Anabasis told about the flight west of Greek mercenaries who’d served under Cyrus the Younger in his disastrous clash with his brother Artaxerxes for the throne.

For Alexander, the problem was that he—or really his father—had positioned this campaign as retribution against Persia for Persia’s earlier invasion of Greece, especially that under Xerxes. The invasion was, officially, under the aegis of the Corinthian League, with the Macedonian king just the hegemon. That made it a “Greek” campaign. This was all propaganda of course, but important for Philip, then Alexander, to maintain as it gave a patina of acceptability, not a naked power grab for more territory. While conquest wasn’t looked on then nearly as badly as it is now, it helped to have at least a plausible excuse.

His own troops included a number of Greek allies. After Chaironeia, they didn’t really have a choice. But a lot of Greeks were not happy to be in the Corinthian League. Sparta outright refused and would later be the center of an anti-Macedonian revolt.

At Granikos, the Persians had more Greek mercenaries than Alexander had Greek allies! (If one doesn’t count the Thessalian horse.) The optics were really bad. Ergo, as I think it was Carolyn who pointed out, Alexander had to send a clear message that fighting for the Persians against “the Greeks” wasn’t an option. In the Greek mind, mercenaries had always occupied a liminal status: not fully trusted because they fought for pay, but typically better than citizen troops, so used extensively post-Peloponnesian War. It was easy for Alexander to cast them as “just in it for the money” and as traitors to the Greek Cause. Like Thebes in the earlier Greco-Persian Wars, they’d “Medized,” which had a similar force to calling an American a “commie” in the 1950s.

The executions weren’t well-received in the rest of Greece, and resistance continued until it came to a head a couple years later with Agis’s Revolt (Agis III was the Spartan king who led it.). But Alexander was never afraid to send a harsh message when he needed to: Thebes, Tyre, Persepolis…. Philip did too. He could be just as brutal (Potidaia, Amphipolis, Stagiera), and Alexander learned well from him how to use carrot and stick.

So that’s what was going on there. Alexander was trying to turn Darius’ Greek mercenaries (who were some of the best troops in Asia Minor), and to send a message back HOME not to unite behind him and cut his supply lines. This was not successful; in fact, if Curtius can be believed, the Greek mercenaries were more loyal to Darius after Gaugamela than Bessus and friends. They figured they couldn’t go over to ATG, so they stuck with Darius who’d treated them well. Ironically, these same guys later did surrender after Darius’ death and were pardoned because, by then, showing clemency worked better for him than punishment.

Due to time constraints, and the desire of the showrunner to focus on Alexander and Darius, a lot of the details behind the campaign weren’t explored. So to the average reader, it looks like it was just Macedonians deciding to invade Persia because Persia killed Philip, although Philip says before he’s murdered that he wanted Alexander back for the Persian expedition. Not sure the casual viewer caught that. But this isn’t entirely wrong, as it really WAS a Macedonian campaign covered in the sheep’s skin of “Greek revenge.” Nothing is shown of ATG’s Greek campaigns, not even the infamous siege of Thebes because, again, the creators wanted it to be a clash of Macedon and Persia.

Alexander’s career is just so sprawling it’s really impossible to cover everything in limited time. But I hope that helps to contextualize why the Greek mercenaries were killed, and why it was presented as being traitors to the cause.

#asks #Alexander the Great #Alexander: the Making of a God #Greek mercenaries in Persian service #Memnon #The Corinthian League #Philip's campaign of “revenge” against Persia #Alexander's campaign of “revenge” against Persia #ancient Persia #classics #ancient macedonia

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legendofzoodles · 2 years

Text

LOZ Character Analysis/Rant

The Hero of Twilight

The core of his character is duality. You look at the official character art and you assume he’s this dark, serious brooding hero (and there’s a smidge in the form of the loneliness that comes with traversing the Twilight covered kingdom without anyone able to see you), but then you play the game and you realise he’s just as much of a dork as the other hero incarnations.

On one hand he’s the cool lone wolf type and on the other, he a soft farm boy who by simply walking into the room will make your pet love him more than they love you.

But that’s oversimplifying a bit.

~~~

Life was routine before the Twilight Invasion. Little village, little worries. Link spent his days working long hours at the ranch and the farms. On his days off, he’d spend his time sword training with Rusl, running errands for the villagers, hanging out with Ilia, playing with the village kids or spending some quiet time alone at home. Occasionally venturing out into the Faron woods.

Link wouldn’t have been bored of his life, he’d have been content with it. In the backstory I made up for him he hasn’t lived in the village all his life and has been part of the community for less than that. So for now he appreciates what he has.

He’s really close with Rusl’s family. To them he’s like the son who moved out but still comes round for dinner at least once a week and spends time with his younger brother, Colin. In the backstory I made up for him they practically raised him, so it makes sense that they’re the closest thing Link has to a family. He doesn’t have any (living) blood relatives around.

It’s pretty much established that he radiates big bro energy. Incredibly patient with the children no matter how bratty they act, he’s reliable in every sense of the word, thrives off responsibility and he’s a great role model with a big heart.

Life for the simple goat farmer was predictable, comfortable and peaceful. And he didn’t see any reason to ask for more than that.

But then the Twili invade Hyrule and his entire world is flipped on its head as he is thrust into a great conflict far bigger than himself.

So going off of the inciting incident when the Bulblin tribe raid his village and kidnap the children, Link would probably regret failing to stop them for most of the journey. I don’t know whether to go with the in-game events or the ones posed in the manga, but I don’t think it matters (his arm getting chopped off was cool though and fits with his lopsided Ordon clothing- the stitched green sleeve that’s belted around his torso). Either way, that guilt would motivate him for the first couple of temples in the adventure.

I found it interesting that in the game, he got dragged into the Twilight instead of passing through willingly. He ran up to the gateway without hesitation, but then stopped in his tracks when he saw the black wall. It’s not at all a bad thing though, that was a normal reaction for anyone to have when faced with the unknown. Referring to the backstory I made up for him, the reason he stops is because he recognises the patterns on the wall as similar I gave him ones adorn a few of the spellbooks he has at home (now’s probs a good time to mention that some of the spellbooks originate from the Interlopers).

Moving onto the titular Twilight Princess herself, Link would have disliked her at the beginning, because a couple things tipped off to him that something was up with her. Firstly she watched him get dragged into prison by the shadow beasts but didn’t help him, which will have made him immediately not trust her. Then she makes fun of him for having been turned into a wolf, talks down to him and basically treats him like a servant. Plus, after meeting Zelda she manipulates him into going along with her plans by impersonating his friends. At first, Midna was rude, uncaring to the world of light and only teamed up with Link to achieve her goal, essentially using him like a tool.

And he was probably very much aware of this and only stuck around because she know a lot about what was going on and could help him rescue the village kids.

Regarding the destiny stuff posed by the Light Spirit (I headcanon that this Link only worships the Ordon light spirit. It’s just funny to me), he probably didn’t have much of an opinion on it in the beginning, not realising the true weight of his new responsibility. Then again he’s not the type of person to get easily overwhelmed, so he would have come to peace with it pretty quickly, deciding to just to focus on one thing at a time and manage things as he went.

Sticking with Midna ended up being the right choice. With time she proved to not be malicious and willing to help out the world of light, as long as it furthered their goal too. Together they undid the effects of the Twilight and restored power to the Light Spirits. As Midna starts to warm up to Link, opening up about why she’s doing what she’s doing and telling him about what he’ll be up against, he in turn warms up to her (well, apart from when she left him alone in that burning building in Kakariko- I think it was the bomb shop guy’s house. That probably fueled a nightmare or two for him in the future).

Btw, Midna never hated Link, she distrusted him to start with, but didn’t harbour any genuine animosity towards him.

Moving on, how does Link feel about turning into a wolf?

At first it’s fucking weird. Definitely the strangest shit to happen to him, and that’s going up against competition like the hell spawn wall walking nipple chickens. The transformation came out of nowhere and before it was explained to him, he probably worried if he’ll ever be human again. That being said, he gets the hang of it pretty quickly- going back to my story- since he was raised by wolves when he was really young, he has a good frame of reference for how to maneuver in his new body. At first he probably didn't feel like himself and only saw the wolf thing as a means to an end, but gradually got used to it over time.

The awful experience of the villagers attacking him when he came back in wolf form is the reason why he keeps it his secret. He understood why they acted how they did, he had the animals to guide and comfort him (speaking to the villager’s pets for the first time must have been a lot of fun) and he doesn’t hold a grudge at all. But it still hurt. Particularly the memory of having Rusl brandish a flaming torch at him while his wife screamed in terror from behind, will forever haunt his nightmares.

Colin’s sacrifice when he shoved Beth out of the way and got held hostage had a big impact on Link. It shows Link the power of inspiring courage in others, makes him realise just how much Colin and the others admire him and it’s the moment that truly sets him on the hero’s journey. In another way it kind of robs him of his choice to back out of all this. Colin, despite having no power or skill to back it up, has the courage to push Beth out of the way and put himself in danger. The fact that Link inspired Colin, inspires Link to keep going with this quest.

Midna and Link probably assumed the quest was over when they collected all the pieces of the Fused Shadow, until Zant rocked up at the Lanayru Spring and undid all their progress. That must have been extremely frustrating for them, but what was even more devastating was what the Usurper King did to Midna. The rush to Hyrule Castle as the rain fell and the stupid monsters appearing making the piano track cut out for the battle theme, was the lowest point. By now the two could be considered friends and Link was pretty desperate in getting to Zelda, to the point of ignoring all the screaming townsfolk as he ran through Castletown.

Speaking of Zelda, how does Link feel about her? Well, a mixture of respect because she’s the Princess and indifference because they’re strangers, even at the end of the game. He pities her for her current circumstance, is grateful for her sacrifice when she saved Midna, and he wouldn’t be angered that she surrendered to Zant so much as underwhelmed. Like his predecessor was. He forgives her for it of course, and doesn’t blame her, because it was clear to him as he explored the land that Hyrule has been a state of decline for decades now. It’s not her fault she inherited a broken kingdom, and like Midna, would never wish harm on her.

However, he doesn’t have much faith in her army. His dislike for Hyrulean soldiers was kicked off when the cowards refuse to escort Ilia, Telma and the Zora Prince to Kakariko.

Next up, the Master Sword! Link’s opinion of it is that it’s an incredible weapon. It has only ever been exclusively beneficial to him: it’s a huge step up from the Ordon sword, it cured him of the shadow crystal curse and it’s able to revert the corrupted Twili back to their original state. He respects its power and thanks to the teachings of the Hero’s Shade, never relies on it or becomes overconfident in using it.

Oh gosh, ok now for the Hero’s Shade. So in my story Link has had a golden wolf appear in his dreams a few times throughout his life. He was never sure if it was friendly or not, but when it appeared to him for the first time in the flesh, you best believe he went after it for answers and only for it to shapeshift into a armoured skeleton and transport him to this dreamlike world. The skeleton said nothing as it began to attack the young hero, who fought as best he could before being knocked down and given a lecture about strength. From there he teaches Link all his advanced sword techniques, meeting with him at different points of the journey, also teaching him songs from his first adventure. Link assumes this spectre is mentoring him simply to better prepare him to defeat Zant and this Ganondorf because he’s the chosen saviour. It’s not until the final hidden skill has been passed down that Shade reveals his identity as his ancestor, the founder of Ordon Village and lays out his reasons for teaching him.

Que heartbreaking scene when he reveals that he’s been watching over the young hero all his life, add in some lore regarding their family, that he’s very proud of him and that now his soul can finally rest. Maybe have Shade phase into a more human appearance and give his descendant a long hug before disappearing into ghostly particles. (Sheesh, I need to write out a short story for that)

Sidenote: the Hero’s Shade/spirit of the Hero of Time has nothing to do with Midna and the Twili. She doesn’t know him at all and kind of watches his escapades with Link from the sidelines.

Link would’ve had a bone to pick with the sages who botched Ganondorf’s execution. Mostly due to how their failure ended up causing the downfall of both realms of Light and Shadow, but also thanks to Midna telling him her backstory (when it is revealed much later on that she’s the Twilight Princess). He’s allowed to take it personally because it ended up causing Midna to suffer as much as she did, and he now cares a lot about her. They also don’t do shit to help them other than tell stories and send them on a fetch quest to reclaim the mirror pieces, so I think Link would have very little respect for them.

Ilia’s lost memory definitely took a toll on Link through the latter half of his adventure and was a major source of anxiety. He worried constantly about it in between slaying monsters and solving puzzles, talking with Midna, Ranado, Telma even Shad about ways they could restore it. He probably didn’t spend much time with her while her memory was gone as to not confuse or overwhelm her, because it was painful for him and because he just didn’t have the time. When it is restored it’s like a huge weight is lifted off his shoulders and things go back to normal for the two of them.

Link likes the Resistance. A whole lot actually. They’re the only ones standing up and doing a damn thing about the current state of affairs, and they’re doing the fucking most, which is is more than he can say about those with much more power than them. Going quickly through the members:

Telma is like the teasing aunt who’s easy to talk to and knows when to set you straight. She can be a bit much for Link sometimes, but he enjoys her company and is grateful for her keeping Ilia safe.

Auru is like the no nonsense uncle who acts all strict and serious, but he’s a total goof once you get to know him better. He’s not really friends with Link, he’s more like a friendly acquaintance who’ll have his back no matter what and gives great life advice.

I see Ashei as a cold loner gothic type. Who’s similar to Link in the sense that they’re both people of few words, come off as kind of aloof in their mannerisms, they both believe that actions speak louder than words and they’re both tough as nails. That being said, Link is much warmer, slightly more talkative and more expressive than she is. Still, those two get along like a house on fire, able to skip the small talk in every encounter and act like old friends. I like to think that the reason Link only has one eye of the hawkeye goggles in LU is because he gave the other half to Ashei (she’s an archer as well as a swordswoman)- who in return gave him an ornate crossbow from her father’s weapon collection. Just imagine these two emo buddies sniping monsters with their long range weapons while exploring the snowy mountains together.

So...Shad. These two did not like each other to start with. I did say that during Midna’s desperate hour Link was solely focused on saving her, but I forgot to mention the one thing that did divert his attention. And that was overhearing Shad say in the bar that those who don’t know the city life do not know fear. Well, it was a horribly elitist for him to say and that small comment rubbed Link the wrong way.

From there Link avoided Shad’s company as best he could, because almost everything he said annoyed him (he’d say backhanded comments that sound like compliments about his strength but are really just pleasant insults). Which to Link’s credit, Shad did kind of look down on him for being a simple country peasant. They were kind of forced to work together to restore Ilia’s memory and access the canon in the basement, and that made them at least respect other’s talents. It would be a missed opportunity if Shad didn’t follow Link into the City of the Sky, and I feel like he would do that.

That way, their petty frenemy dynamic would eventually turn into a genuine friendship as they navigate the decrepit city together, maybe have Link save Shad a few times (humbling Shad) and have Shad gush adorably at every little thing (showing a side of him that Link finds he actually likes).

That being said Shad would absolutely pester Link for possession of the dominion rod. Link would always refuse of course, but that wouldn’t stop the scholar bugging him with every argument and justification he can come up with.

Goes without saying but Link despises Ganondorf and Zant. Not only because of all the suffering they caused, hurting his friends, surrogate family, tragedies like the death of the Zora Queen and taking over kingdom, but again everything they did really screwed over Midna. So he has no sympathy for Zant even when Midna pops him like a balloon, although the sudden violent action did startle him.

Also...can I gush over how amazing their bond is?! Watching them grow to really care for and depend on each other was the highlight of the game for me. The cute side glance they do when getting ready to fight Dark Beast Ganon is the best thing ever. Or when Link holds Midna bridal style after she shattered the barrier around Hyrule Castle with the Fused Shadow (just- I can’t, they’re such a great duo!).

So TP as a whole, Link definitely went through many hardships, but the quest as a whole improved his life. He’s now a famous figure within the kingdom with a fanbase in Castletown, he’s found a cool group of people he really clicks with and can go on adventures with whenever farmlife gets a little too boring and he’s connected more with his lineage. Zelda will 100% give him some sort of reward for all he’s done, I’d argue she’d knight him, as well as giving him his title as the Hero of Twilight.

That being said there are a couple wrinkles in this bright future.

Midna left. That’s a weight he’ll carry for the rest of his life and he’ll never get answers as to why she did it. Maybe I’ll do a character analysis of Midna to explain why, but for now know that it deeply hurt both Zelda and Link.

His past. Or at least the past I gave him. There’s a lot he doesn’t know like: who his parents were, what happened to them, where he came from, how he ended up in the care of a wolf pack and why they abandoned him (like his parents and Midna...oh geez). Those are answers he’ll spend his life looking for.

Miscellaneous things:

Link isn’t dismissive of magic. He doesn’t distrust it like the Ordonians, he has little to no problems or fears regarding dark magic and doesn’t look down on those who use it excessively or as a crutch. Quite the opposite in fact, magic fascinates him. He’s had an acute interest in it and those who can use it since he stumbled upon that chest of books years ago. Hardly uses it much himself because he’s...magically inept. Absolutely talentless when it comes to performing magic. There’s that and he also doesn’t use magic himself much because he’s aware of the consequences (learning these during his adventure, such as when the Lanayru Light Spirit gave him that freaky vision of the dangers of the Fused Shadow) of delving too far into what’s forbidden.

He may not use magic much save for the shadow crystal, but we can all agree that he doesn’t even need it. The. man. is. buff. My boi be over here throwing every whole ass goron on Death mountain to the ground, picking up huge iron cannonballs and bodying goats for breakfast. He can bench-press a mountain and this platform’s future.

Despite his humble upbringing, Link is surprisingly sharp with pretty good streetsmarts. He was able to learn the Hylian language fast despite being a (very) late bloomer, naturally good at problem solving and decent deduction skills. So don’t think he just sat there while Shad was chatting all that shit, nope, he clapped back with his own brand of wit.

Throughout the game you encounter a lot of dead people, like tons of wandering spirits and poes. Link is probably desensitised to them. I’ll say he stopped getting shocked or put off by their appearances upon visiting the Arbiter’s Grounds.

I have a headcanon that this Link is secretly a romantic. Not that he’s this amazingly suave ladies’ man (nah he’d be the opposite). It’s just that he doesn’t have much experience when it comes to love, his only exposure being Ilia’s old storybooks, Beth’s advice, anecdotes from his farm buddies and Rusl/Uli’s stories of when they courted. Beth and Ilia’s views would be pretty idealised and not so realistic sources of information, making him believe in things like love at first sight, soul mates- sappy stuff like that.

I can easily see TP Link being a popular figure in Ordon, with more than one secret admirer pining after the rancher. The reason they’d stay secret is just due to how unapproachable he comes off as to those outside his orbit and he doesn’t normally go out of his way to meet new people. Total sweetheart once you make the first move and get to know him.

Just don’t bug him while he’s doing his farm work, it won’t go over well.

~~~

Thanks for reading! Feel free to add your opinions in the comments, I’d love to read them. Also for the record TP Link has always been my favourite.

From Shadows is a story I made up while playing TP, here’s the origin story I made up for Twi:

Hero of Twilight Backstory

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