#Greece accomplished

[mytinystay]

HE WENT LIVE AT FREAKING 4 AM YOUNG K IS BACK YALL

[racecardilfs]

aegean - fa14 smau

fernando alonso x fem!singer!reader

summary: fernando alonso and his girlfriend break up, but is it really over?

warnings: angst no fluff! some slut shaming moments, fernando does NOT look good in this one, but theres more going on behind the scenes i promise xx

a/n: this has no specific face claim, and the songs mentioned are from a variety of artists! there will be a list at the end of the post ♡ there is a part two to this all planned out, it will be posted shortly, hopefully!

my masterlist ❀ part two

Twitter

Instagram

Liked by yourbsf2, carlossainz55, maxverstappen1, and 212,964 others

yourusername shout out to my girls 🫶 i love you forever!

tagged: yourbsf1, yourbsf2, lilymhe, alexandrasaintmleux, francisca.cgomes

yourbsf1: YOURE SO PRETTY I LOVE YOU WIFE!!!!!

yourusername: NO YOU!!

alexandrasainmleux: pretty pretty girl!!

yourusername: can’t wait for another date with you gorgeous 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩 charles_leclerc: excuse me? yourusername: you’re excused, vroom vroom boy 😒

user1: gorgeous gorgeous girls have breakup parties together

yourusername: you know it!!! user2: CONFIRMATION? IM DEVASTATED. RUINED. WALKING INTO THE OCEAN.

Liked by f1, astonmartinf1, and 375,599 others

fernandoalo_official Greece, you were beautiful🤩A few days off before it’s back to the track again! 🏎️

User3: Sir, I don’t know what you did, but you better fix it right the fuck now.

User4: how do you know it was his fault? we don't know anything yet User3: bc that woman is literally a saint, there’s no way it was her fault User5: don’t get me wrong, i love y/n so much, but there’s no way for us to know what happened. it might not have been anyones fault, and neither of them need this energy if they’re trying to get over their breakup :’( i’m rooting for both of them

Hater1: Always knew she was bad for you, congrats man!

astonmartinf1: see you soon, sir!

Twitter

Instagram

Liked by yourbsf1, charles_leclerc, maisiehpeters, and 264,978 others

yourusername been a little busy lately, but i’ve got something cooking for you all!

yourbsf2: love you so big <3

yourusername: i love you the biggest! 💓

alexandrasaintmleux: can’t wait for everyone else to hear it!!

user6: PLEASE TELL US WHAT YOU KNOW!!!! 🙏 alexandrasaintmleux: 🤫

user 7: oh… this is gonna wreck me, isnt it.

lilymhe: yeah… you’ll thank her though

user8: the last photo 💔 i promise it gets easier, y/n

Liked by yourusername

Liked by finneas, coltonherta, yukitsunoda0511, and 516,785 others

yourusername remember when i said i had something cooking? my album ‘aegean’ is out now. a lot of love and hurt went into this album, and now it’s yours. i hope it means as much to you as it does to me <333

finneas: it was such a blast to work with you on this album, lets do it again soon!!

yourusername: yes please!

francisca.cgomes: so proud of you babe, just lmk when you want to run away and elope!

yourusername: my bags are packed and waiting! pierregasly: guess i’ll just leave you both to it 🧍

yourbsf2: wow look at how cool and pretty and talented my best friend is, everyone!!!

yourusername: ugh i love you so much

alexandrasaintmleux: still so excited!!! can we please go get late night ice cream to celebrate

yourbsf1: seconded francisca.cgomes: thirded! yourusername: ok to the groupchat before this is a long chain xx alexandrasaintmleux: as you wish, babe 👩‍❤️‍👩

user8: oh my god???? surprise drop???? queen behavior

user9: i’m not crying, YOU’RE crying!

user10: ur crying too, dont lie! user9: ok yeah. have you HEARD aegean? how could i not be screaming crying throwing up.

Liked by yourusername, charles_leclerc, yourbsf1, and 228,531 others

lilymhe this amazing, beautiful girl did something amazing and beautiful again! y/n, i am so so proud of everything you’ve accomplished. please never let the hurt keep you down, because you are absolutely incredible. We will always be there to pick you back up if you need it! midnight ice creams with you are something i will cherish forever 🫶

tagged: yourusername, yourbsf1, your bsf2, alexandrasaintmleux, francisca.cgomes, maisiehpeters

yourusername: i love you sooo much lily <33333 thank you for being such an incredible friend

lilymhe: i love you forever 🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶

francisca.cgomes: pretty best friends stick together forever and ever

yourusername: men are temporary, girlfriends are forever

maisiehpeters: might need to move to monaco so i can come to every midnight ice cream from now on

lilymhe: you’re welcome every time!

user11: how do i get this kind of female friendship in my life? 🥺

yourusername: be kind, be yourself, and be open! your people will find you, user11 💕 user11: OMG HI QUEEN ILYSM KEEP BEING YOU!!! thank you so much!

Twitter

Fernando Alonso's Instagram messages

a/n: and that's my first fic! first smau too, so i hope the formatting isn't too bad? i love when reader is friends w the wags, but i also always love to have y/n have friends outside of the paddock, so i hope no one minded! sorry if any of the wags are ooc i just rlly needed a big group of girl friends for this and idk how normal people talk. also was this just propaganda for some of my fav songs/artists? maybe 🤭i'm actually super nervous about this, so i hope you all enjoyed!!! please send me any questions or comments you have!

the songs mentioned are:

While You Were Sleeping - Laufey

Black Hole - boygenius

Lovesick - Laufey

Goddess - Laufey

Wendy - Maisie Peters

anything - Adrianne Lenker

opposite - Sabrina Carpenter

Aegean - Push Baby

Mud - Delaney Bailey

things i wish you said - Sabrina Carpenter

(I Would Have Followed You) - Delaney Bailey

[coco-loco-nut]

Oblivious

pairing: Pierre x Reader

summary: sometimes it’s nice to hide in plain sight

masterlist requests open

———————

Maybe it paid off to be two of the more overlooked drivers in the paddock. Good enough to get points and renew your contract when it expires, but not the getting stalked by media level.

Truthfully, you and Pierre never tried to hide your relationship, it was just that no one cared to notice. They never paid attention to when you walked a little too close together, or how you looked at each other differently than the other drivers, or how you spend more time together than you should and shared rides at each other’s home races. Everyone simply assumed you were friends, and never thought of it again.

“Je t’aime, Pierre,” you squeeze his hand before letting go. He walked with you from your car to your motorhome, always wanting to be heard you.

“Je t’aime aussi, mon amour,” he smiles, watching you get into the motorhome safely.

It was finally the last race of the season, and both of you were ready for the winter break. After a smooth race, you jetted off with Charles the return home. Maybe not everyone was oblivious. Charles, Yuki, Daniel, and Lewis know, but that’s because they care enough to actually pay attention.

“I will see you in Greece,” Charles hugs both of you, excited for the next time he will be with you again.

“Can’t wait! I’ve been counting down the days,” you look up at Pierre who has an arm wrapped around you, tiredly smiling at you.

“I have too,” he leans down to quickly kiss you. Charles says one last goodbye before leaving the two of you to your drive home.

The time passes quickly and your wedding arrives. It’s a beautiful ceremony, and incredibly intimate, having only invited close friends and family. The reception, however, was wild. The party lasted last when you and Pierre left, but the videos and photos told stories.

You and Pierre didn’t waste time leaving for your honeymoon, you left the next morning for a month on various Greek islands. Simply enjoying each other and the free time before next season was everything to you.

y/username 🤍 end of a season, start of a lifetime 🤍

charles_leclerc so happy for you

y/username best month of my life

lewis_hamilton white is your color 🤍

y/username thanks lew 🤍

y/nfan the white 🥵

yukitsunoda0511 don’t be shy, post the party pics

pierregasly noooooo 😭

danielricciardo yesssss

y/nfan2 what do these men know 🤨

pierregasly a month to remember 🤍

yukitsunoda0511 how much of the first night do you even remember 😅

y/username not as much as he should 😂

danielricciardo pierre gaslllllyyyyyyyy

charles_leclerc an epic month 👊

alpinef1team admin feels like they are missing something, but hope you had a great trip 🤗

pierregasly we did 😊

user we??????

user so many drivers going to the beach during winter break

Of course, you and Pierre noticed that your relationship flies under the radar, so it is fun for both of you to not be as subtle with things.

“Mon Amour, I was thinking,”

“A dangerous thing,” Pierre smiles, his face inches from yours as you cuddle.

“I want to officially take your last name, like change my Super License. I already did legally, but I want everyone to know,” you tell him, but he just looks a little confused. You are getting tired of people not knowing and being shipped with other drivers.

“I don’t think you should change your Super License. Your accomplishments should be your own, and while I obviously am your biggest supporter, people will equate your successes to me because you share my last name,” Pierre disagrees.

“I know, but we are partners in life and everything we do,” you pout, a little sad he isn’t on board.

“I am proud to have you as my wife, but I don’t want people to think less of you for driving under my last name,” Pierre tries to back himself up but you just stay quiet. You get where he is coming from, but you are prideful.

“What about changing my social media?” you try another route.

“That I can agree to,” he moves his head slightly so he can kiss you. You are content to lay all day in his arms, but you are supposed to meet Charles later that night for a couples vacation to a ski resort. After another hour in bed, you drag yourselves out to get ready to travel.

“Look at that newlywed glow,” Alex hugs you when you board Charles’s jet.

“I call it pos-“ you cut Pierre off with a look that threatens divorce.

“Settle in, we will take of shortly,” Charles changes the topic, handing you a water bottle.

“Where’s my water bottle,” Pierre pouts at his best friend, wrapping an arm around your waist to hug you from behind.

“I like Y/n more,” Charles shrugs with a small grin on his face, causing you to laugh.

“Quit flirting with my wife,” Alex gives Charles a weird look, dragging you away from Pierre so the two of you can catch up.

The trip is amazing, you watch the boys wipe out and have fun before testing starts.

You and Alex are pro skiers, but the same can’t be said for Charles or Pierre. Pierre only fell a couple times, but Charles wiped out probably once a day.

On the last night you sit by the fireplace in your shared cabin, snuggled under a blanket with Alex as the guys finish dinner. Well, Charles is making some pasta dish while Pierre keeps the wine flowing to everyone.

“Sometimes I wish that the season never starts,” you rest your head on Alex’s shoulder, watching the fire burn in front of you.

“The peace that comes with the off season is nice,” she hums, understanding your sentiment.

“There is rarely time for things like this during the season, with Pierre and I both being on different teams, and it isn’t always easy to plan trips with you and Charlie,” you sigh. You love your job, and you have no plans of retirement yet, but the constant travel is demanding.

“Screw Pierre, I’ll be your WAG,” Alex squeezes you as the boys bring in dinner and more wine. You stand up to help them out, taking a couple plates from Charles.

“Mon amour,” Pierre lifts the edge of his fuzzy blanket for you to join him. You happily join him, his warmth enveloping you.

“Charles, this is heavenly,” you groan as you eat the dinner.

“When Ferrari signs you, you can have as much as you want,” Charles winks as you scoff.

“Please, Pierre is -as if not more- likely to rejoin Red Bull than for me to sign with a top team,” you shake you head, feeling Pierre lean away from you a little.

“Uncalled for,” Pierre says, a hint of laughter in his voice.

“She has a point,” Alex says and you turn to her, mock offended.

“Are you saying I’m not a good driver,” you gasp, she looks at Charles, unsure what to do.

“Y/n, you are a great driver, you just were in the wrong development program and are doomed to stay on midfield teams. Pierre, you might’ve chosen the wrong words in support of your wife,” Charles steps in, ending the playful fight.

“I’ll do the dishes while you talk shop, it’s my turn anyway,” Alex says, grabbing various plates from the living room and heading to the kitchen.

“Have you told your teams yet?” Charles asks, smiling to himself as he observes you and Pierre cuddling.

y/username hitting the slopes before testing 🎿🤍

alexandrasaintmleux best couples trip 🤍

user couples trip 🤨

danielricciardo where was my invite???

y/username my wifie, my WAG 🥰

charles_leclerc 🤨 MY WAG, you have your own

user alex and y/n skiing while charles and pierre probably kept falling down

charles_leclerc thanks for not posting the pics of me falling 😅

pierregasly thanks for getting my good side 🤍

y/ngasly every side is your good side 😘

landonorris what-

maxverstappen1 hold up, why’d you just change your username?

carlossainz55 i think we missed something…

lewishamilton you are just now realizing that they are together?

yukitsunoda0511 they literally got married???

pierregasly we never tried to hide it…

y/ngasly y’all are just oblivious af

user wait, they are so cute together, the otp we didn’t know we needed

user agreed, but I’m gonna need a timeline of their relationship

danielricciardo they’ve been together since 2018, engaged last season, married shortly after the end of this season

maxverstappen1 did all of our gossip sessions mean nothing to you???

[aphroditelovesu]

Kinktober Day Twelve — Exhibitionism

❝ — 🍷 lady l: day twelve of kinktober!! I hope you like it!! Also, art is not mine, credit to the creators, unfortunately, I couldn't find them. Sorry for any mistakes ❤️

❝🍷pairing: yandere!dionysus x female!reader.

❝warnings: smut, NSFW, vaginal sex, exhibitionism, oral sex (male receiving).

❝🍷word count: 1,130.

In ancient times, in the leafy hills of Greece, a fervent worship followed Dionysus, the god of wine, the party and ecstasy. Each spring, when the first sunbeams began to heat the earth, his followers gathered in ecstasy to celebrate his God in a spectacle known as Bacchanal.

The place chosen for this celebration was a clear in the heart of the forest, where centenary trees rose majestically around a rustic altar. Dressed with purple tunics and vine garlands tangled in his hair, followers of Dionysus danced and intoned songs in honor of the god of wine.

As the wine flowed freely into ceramic glasses, joy and passion took over everyone. Musicians played flutes and drums, and the flames of a large bonfire crackled in the center of the circle, casting a dancing light on the ecstatic faces of the participants.

Dionysus was represented by a young man, often chosen for his beauty and grace. He personified the god, and his followers paid homage to him, offering him grapes and wine. In the midst of the celebration, a reverential silence fell over the place when the young Dionysus ascended the altar and, in a gesture of divine communion, shared the wine with those present.

As the night progressed, the atmosphere became more intense and liberating. Followers danced barefoot, losing themselves in an ecstasy that connected them directly with the divine. It didn't matter their social origin, everyone was equal before Dionysus.

The Bacchanal of Dionysus was a tribute to the joy, vitality and strength of nature. In those moments of celebration, followers disconnected from the concerns of the everyday world, surrendering themselves to the power of the god of wine, in a search for spiritual transcendence through the party. And so, every spring, the Greek hills were filled with the singing, dancing and euphoria of Dionysus' devotees, in a festival that reminded everyone of the importance of celebrating life and the passion it offers.

You always knew that Dionysus was an armed exhibitionist and never had problems with that. Part because you were one too, but the idea of letting him fuck you in front of his followers was at least strange and a little uncomfortable.

His followers are all drunk, as they were always in the festivities, and they would hardly remember that, but you were still not sure.

Dionysus, however, already knew what he wanted and he always got what he wanted.

You on your knees and sucking him until you beg for him to fuck you in front of his followers. And he intended to accomplish this fantasy.

Dionysus stroked your face and removed a lock of hair from your eye and admired their color for a moment.

"On your knees." He said in an authoritarian way and you, not knowing how to react, obeyed him and fell on your knees to your God. You stuck your hand under his chiton and you stroked him as you felt his cock hard.

You approached more and pulled the chiton's fabric to the side, giving the complete sight of his cock for you. You could feel your salivary mouth and, without caring about the others, you licked the tip timidly. Your tongue moistened to the glans of his cock and Dionysus gasped.

You took his cock with your hand and suck him, swallowing the maximum of the length of the god you could handle. What was not fit in your mouth, you took with your hand and made light movements from top to bottom.

"F-Fuck!" Dionysus moaned and stroked your hair. The vision of you on your knees for him and sucking his cock was very delicious. He looked to the side and saw his followers observe you with interest. He smiled at them and drank a sip of his glass of wine.

You removed it from your mouth with an obscene sound and smiled to the god, your lips wet. You squeezed his cock and licked all the length, your tongue lingering on the glans. Dionysus moaned loudly and pulled you through the hair, forcing you to stop sucking it.

"Take off your clothes." He ordered and you, hesitantly, obeyed and slid your chiton through your body, giving the vision of your nakedness to all presents. Contrary to what you imagined, it filled you with desire and your core throbbed.

Dionysus removed his own chiton and stood naked too, he sat in the chair and slapped it lightly on his thigh. You understood what you should do and slowly, you took his shoulders, balancing, and after adjusting a little, your pussy was dangerously close to his dick.

"Ride me, sweetie." He whispered and you went down slowly, your cunt swallowing Dionysus's cock as you thrust his cock on you. You took a deep breath and moaned, feeling full. Dionysus grabbed your hip and gave a little push up, causing you to squirm with pleasure.

You moaned and squeezed the broad shoulders of the god and without caring about the crowd that watched you intently, you ride him. Your breasts moved as you moved your body and Dionysus kissed your neck, still squeezing your hip.

You whined when the god sucked the skin with a little force, definitely leaving a mark. You squeezed his shoulders and ride his cock frantically. Your cunt sucking his cock, your body receiving waves of pleasure with every move.

Dionysus looked around and smirked at his followers, who faced you with lust. Some drank his wine, others ate grapes and others kissed and touched.But they all had one thing in common, they never took the gaze from you.

"Your pussy is so good, princess!" Dionysus moaned and squeezed your waist, his head tucked between your breasts and licking your nipple from your left breast. You whimpered and felt your climax approach.

Dionysus threw his head back and moaned your name as he came inside you, his cum filling your tight pussy. You moaned and moving quickly on his cock, you came, your pussy clenching around him, cumming on his cock.

You clutched to the god, your body shaking a little. You did not dare look at others, not wanting to know what they were doing.

Dionysus lazily began to move inside you, his hip pushing up slowly. You looked up and looked at him in his eyes. He smirked.

"Our joke is just starting, princess." He drank a sip of his wine and kept moving his hip slowly. You moaned and grabbed him harder.

His followers never ceasing to look at his body.

[khaire-traveler]

⚡ Subtle Zeus Worship 🦅

Falling asleep or meditating to the sound of rain

Playing in the rain; splashing in puddles, dancing, just having a jolly old time

Keep a picture of him in your wallet

Have a candle that reminds you of him

Wear jewelry that reminds you of him

Celebrate/display your achievements

Be kind to yourself

Learn to take pride in yourself; be your own role model

Have a stuffed animal of a bull, lion, or an eagle

Have imagery of eagles, storms, or kingship around (eagles are especially good in an evangelical household (US especially))

Collect rain water (you're welcome to use it for watering plants or the like)

Participating in voting, if able

Learning about and practicing healthy conflict resolution skills

Learning to compromise with others

Doing any kind of hard or challenging work that needs to be done

Educate yourself on your rights (legally); keep up to date on new bills and laws; join groups that support bills and laws you support, especially in favor of human rights

Support human rights, humanitarian, or natural disaster aid organizations

Volunteer at homeless shelters

Give a warm meal to someone in need

Donate items to thrift shops and shelters

Spend time with your loved ones

Honor your home; make your space your own

Express yourself in little, if you can't be open (wearing a bracelet to represent your gender, pride flag colored shoelaces, etc.)

Make a list of goals at the end of every month; the goals are things you wish to accomplish during the next month

Invest in your future; save money, apply for further education, look into future career ideas, etc.

Watch movies that inspire and empower you

Bake things with cinnamon and honey

Listen to music that feels empowering

Cloud-watching; maybe try to learn divination through clouds as well

Educating yourself on the history of Ancient Greece, especially the culture

Practicing standing up for yourself; asserting your personal boundaries; learning what your boundaries are

-

May add more later on! This is my list of discreet ways to worship Zeus, for the time being. I hope this helps, and enjoy! 💜

Link to Subtle Worship Master list

[kingaegond]

Young Gaius Julius Caesar x Reader (Eros)

Warnings: Innacurate history, Injury, Blood, P in V sex, +18

Gaius woke up in the middle of nowhere, from his calcullations, he assumed he was in Greece... The battle had been lost, but he would try again and again until he avenged his father Caesar, and then he would accomplish so much more. He wouldn't rest until he was Emperor.

He suddenly felt the warm liquid on his forehead and realized he was bleeding so he rested upon a tree, trying to gain strenght and come up with a plan.

-

She went out to pick up some berries, the sun was glowing in the sky and the day looked as peaceful as any other. She was walking around when she saw him. Eros. He was absolutely beautiful, he was dressed as a roman soldier, but his beauty was so, that she thought he must be divine. She hid behind a tree, she thought if he saw her, he would dissapear.

Then she saw the snake going closer to the man. She wanted to tell him, but if he was Eros, he was immortal, it surely wouldn't be a problem... But then the snake bite him and he winced in pain, he steadfastly held his sword and cut the snake in two, but the poison was already in his bloodstream.

She realized he was a human and ran to help him.

-

-Fuck… fuck...

The poison hurt, his leg felt on fire. He thought he was allucinating when he saw her. Suddenly, in front of him a goddess to take him to other realm. Her long hair traced all the way to her waist as the fabric of her white dress clung desperately at her every curve.

-Allow me... I can help...- She spoke sweetly.

He murmured a soft yes and the lady fell to her knees and started sucking the poison. Her hands on his leg and her mouth on his thight, he thought it must be a fever dream.

She sucked the poison and drank the blood, as she knew such thing could not harm her.

Gaius couldn't help himself and started caressing her soft hair as she drank him, his leg starting to feel better, the burning pain turning into burning pleasure as she drank more and more.

She suddenly stopped, sure he was no longer in danger.

-Thank you - He said as he caressed her face and cleaned his blood of her plump lips with his fingers.

-It's alright, you'll be well in a few days...- She smiled at him.

She help him stand and they walked to her place. It was small, cozy and near the sea.

She poured a glass of wine for Gaius and he drank.

-

A few days passed as they layed on the beach, drink wine and talked to eachother about things they wouldn't tell anyone else.

He knew he would have to return to Rome, but staying with her was all he wanted.

-

-May I take you to Rome? - He whispered behind her ear.

- I'll go anywhere you want me to. -She smiled.

Gaius kissed her hungrily as he had been wanting to do since he first saw her. She kissed him back, parting her lips as to allow his tongue. Soon, their clothes were on the floor and her hips were around his.

He put her on the table and started sucking her right nipple, she whimpered as he sucked and lapped at each of her breast. Then, he took her, using the table as leverage, he pounded into her. Both of them kissing away their moans as they pursued their peak again and again.

[mongpht]

Leona Kingscholar — language of flowers

all the same but in my tweet (+ pictures)

yellow gerbera flowers represent friendship and happiness and are great to send to your friends as birthday flowers or if you want to let them know how much you appreciate them

creme eustoma — which in ancient Greek essentially means “beautiful mouth”. means admiration and traditional values

calendula — a symbol of insecurity, jealousy, anxiety. now I'll tell you about the legend: according to one legend, the sun god apollo gave the calendula its beauty. four nymphs in love with him forgot their duties to the goddess diana, apollo's sister. their jealousy, quarrels, and the elucidation of relations also bored the goddess. angry diana turned the nymphs into four unsightly plants. apollo was upset that he could not resurrect the nymphs. then he decided to "revive" the plants by directing his rays at them. the miracle was accomplished: the opaque plants became bright golden in colour

solidago — successes

orchid represents love, luxury, beauty and strength. In ancient Greece, orchids were associated with virility. In fact, Greek women believed that if the father of their unborn child ate large, new orchid tubers, the baby would be a boy. these blooms are said to represent mystery, power, and sophistication. they can also convey a message of strength, determination, absolute power and authority. but also the black orchid signifies total submission and symbolises the high degree of trust you place in your partner

callistephus chinensis means wisdom and faith

galphimia gracilis — sorrow

black/maroon rose buds simultaneously symbolise death, grief and sadness and rebirth — new business, business success and travel

[uwmspeccoll]

Athenian Architecture

The Antiquities of Athens by Scottish archaeologist James "Athenian" Stuart (1713-1788) and British architect Nicholas Revett (1720-1804), originally published 1762-1830, contains five volumes. Printed in London by German-born John Haberkorn, this was to be his best-known work.

James Stuart and his friend Nicholas Revett embarked on a journey to Greece in 1751. Their mission was to record and measure antiquities, a task no one had accurately accomplished before. Despite facing numerous challenges, including threats from Turkish gangs, their unwavering dedication led to the first accurate survey of ancient Greek architecture completed between 1751 and 1754. 

The illustrations in the volumes are not merely decorative; they consist of meticulously etched and engraved plates featuring buildings, maps, plans, and friezes. These illustrations are instrumental in providing a comprehensive visual survey of ancient Greek architecture, allowing readers to appreciate the precision and scale of the antiquities documented.

The particular building featured here is the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, commonly called the Lanthorn of Demosthenes. It was built around 334 BCE and is the only surviving example of a choragic monument. This monument is situated near the eastern end of the Acropolis, one of Athens's most significant archaeological sites. In ancient Greece, a choragus was a wealthy citizen who financed a production at one of the city's festivals. The monument was originally surmounted by a bronze tripod commemorating Lysicrates’ sponsorship of the chorus that had won first prize at the City Dionysia festival.

Stuart and Revett were the first to recognize the story depicted on the frieze. It is the story of Dionysus, the god of wine and revelry, and the Tyrrhenian pirates. In the Hymn to Dionysus in the Homeric Hymns, the god is kidnapped by pirates who fail to recognize him as a god. The pirates attempt to bind him but are unsuccessful. Instead, Dionysus drives them to jump overboard. Once they’re in the water, he uses his divine gifts to turn them into dolphins, as illustrated here in the depictions of the monument's friezes.

View another post from The Antiquities of Athens.

View other Classics posts.

-- Melissa, Special Collections Undergraduate Classics Intern

[everlastiingiimmortals]

Notes on Dr. Ratio: Design, Philosophy, and Culture

That's right, I'm back with another big thinkpiece! This time, I'll be doing a very long overdue analysis on Ratio and drawing notes to the real-life inspirations behind his character. I'll be having quite a bit of overlap with existing headcanon posts I've made, so if there's anything I repeat I apologize. I'll do my best to link the major posts I've written before as they come up!

I'll be splitting this piece into three different sections: design, kit and naming conventions, and miscellaneous (that gorgeous E6, his personality and backstory, statues, etc). So, without further ado, let's begin! This will be lengthy, just as a general note, and has a lot to point to, so the notes will be bulleted.

Design:

To start, Ratio has an overall blue and white theme. This immediately struck me as very Greek, especially since the colors in his chiton are of a similar shade to the national flag of Greece.

He has a modernized and modified version of the chiton and himation or chlamys, all of which are traditional articles of clothing in Ancient Greece. The chiton is the blue half with the sleeve, and and the himation is the white cloth. Both are tucked under a zone (the girdle), with it only partially hidden on one side. Usually the whole belt would be hidden under the folds of a chiton, but HYV likes their belts. An interesting note regarding the himation is that it's fastened on his left shoulder, rather than the right as it would traditionally be done.

The button fastening Ratio's himation in place is actually a Roman button! An example of one can be seen here, in the Met.

The sandals he wears are more of Greek origin than Roman, I think. It was hard to find the exact type or name, but this site points to several examples.

Naturally, the owl pauldron is a reference to Athena (Minerva in Roman mythology), the Greek goddess of wisdom and strategy. This is a motif that also shows up on Ratio's codex.

His hairpiece is a representation of a laurel wreath, which were awarded to skilled, accomplished people as a symbol of triumph -- though usually intended for victors of athletic or musical and poetic competitions (and for the Romans, martial victory), they have also come to represent academic success and achievement.

The column he summons in his Ultimate is a composite column, noted by the large volutes (reminiscent of an ionic order) as well as the acanthus leaf motifs similar to a corinthian column.

Similarly, acanthus leaves -- a popular design in Ancient Greece and Rome -- make repeated appearances on Ratio's outfit. We can see some sort of acanthus leaf with volutes on his belt buckle, acanthus leaves on his bracers, and also on the hem of his pants.

Throughout his clothing (particularly the flowy bits) we see endless vitruvian scrolls (also called wave scrolls) on his cape wings and the hem of his chiton. Though I didn't see anything suggesting symbolism, it was a very popular design in Ancient Greece all the same, and was thought to represent the Meander, a winding river in Turkey.

His alabaster headpiece looks nothing like him, but I wonder if it could possibly be modeled after Athena instead? The hair is long enough to be braided and curled into a bun, and it does look vaguely similar to some statues and depictions of Athena. It's hard to say.

He wears a signet ring! While the use of signet rings in academics is largely a tradition within the US and Canada from my research, they date back to the Bronze Age of Ancient Greece and were popular in Ancient Rome as symbols of status. Interestingly, Ratio wears his on his left middle finger, rather than his right (which would traditionally symbolize power and strength).

Ratio has a few gems on his person: an amethyst on his gold neckpiece (??? what is that thing, I still have no idea), and a sapphire or lapis lazuli on each bracer and sandal. Amethysts traditionally represent clarity of mind, while both sapphire and lapis lazuli can symbolize wisdom. Interestingly, all three stones have names of Greek or Latin origin.

Seriously, what is that neckpiece? It has wings that sit below the amethyst, and it occurred to me that it looks vaguely similar to a caduceus, with the chain being reminiscent of the intertwined snakes. It should be noted that the caduceus is not a medical symbol, as is commonly misunderstood here in the US, but rather a symbol of Hermes. It has associations with wisdom, eloquence, deception, and trade, which obviously don't all apply to Ratio as a character, but given his alignment with the Intelligentsia Guild/IPC and his role in the Penacony arc, it's interesting to note all the same.

His codex! This is actually a silly marble (??) version of a wax tablet, popularly used in Ancient Greece. Here is an example of a foldable wax tablet from Byzantine Egypt, but the general idea is the same. They were in Greece, too.

Kit and Naming Conventions:

First off, the man himself: Veritas Ratio. I've talked about this at length, so I'll link the most recent post on his etymology here.

His banner title, Panta Rhei. This is Greek for "all things are in flux," and attributed to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus. He was insistent on change and the idea of the world being in constant motion; that is to say, all things being in the process of becoming, but never realizing that final limit. This idea of people constantly changing and growing is something reflected in Ratio's philosophy as well.

Ratio's Lightcone is named "Baptism of Pure Thought," which is particularly interesting to his character. Baptism -- notably the act of immersing one in water -- is largely known as a Christian practice (which did originate in the Roman Empire!). While Ratio himself has never struck me as religious, it's obvious that his baths are an incredibly spiritual and sacred habit for this reason. It's cute lol

His Talent, Cogito Ergo Sum. This is Latin, and translates to "I think, therefore I am." This was most famously used in Descartes' philosophy. Descartes was a French philosopher around the tail end of the Renaissance, and is commonly associated with the rise of modern rationalism and epistemology -- both of these are central to Ratio's character.

Ratio's fifth Eidolon, Sic Itur Ad Astra. This phrase translates to "thus one journeys to the stars," and has its origins in Latin literature. Two noteworthy origins are Virgil, a Roman poet, and Seneca the Younger, a Roman philosopher and playwright. Given how he used to wish to reach for the stars (the Genius Society) and also quite literally travels among the stars, this is a fitting, if a little sad, name.

Ratio's (beloved) sixth Eidolon, Vincit Omnia Veritas. There's no literary or philosophical origin for this from what I saw. It simply means "truth conquers all," a nice, final declaration of Ratio's philosophy.

Miscellaneous:

Ratio's statues from his Technique have three famous real life references. I was unable to find the reference for the one where he's holding his book and lifting his hand up like he's giving a speech, but I saw some speculation that it was in reference to a pope statue. Nothing to really speculate on since I can't find a definitive reference. The flexing statue seems to be in reference to Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous flexing pose, which is certainly A Choice, but it does make sense given Ancient Greek celebration of physical fitness and athleticism. Ratio himself is also fairly muscular and fit, and in his backstory he was noted to exercise frequently on top of his studies, so depictions of said fitness is not surprising. The most important reference, however, is to the Discolobus, an Ancient Greek statue, which also ties back to the idea of athleticism and fitness.

That beautiful, beautiful E6. It's a direct reference to Michelangelo's David. Interestingly, Ratio seems to have quite a number of nods to Michelangelo. Beyond the amazingly lifelike statues -- which Michelangelo is famous for -- he was also known to be generally unpleasant and reclusive, which does fit with Ratio's personality.

The strongest and most important influence, however, comes down to Leonardo da Vinci, and doesn't have any direct references like the others. Rather, the ties to da Vinci come in Ratio's accomplishments, philosophy, and appearance. The both of them are incredibly skilled geniuses technologically and artistically, and have made countless inventions. Like da Vinci, Ratio is a polymath -- that is, a person whose knowledge spans many fields and subjects. This was a fundamental aspect of Renaissance humanism, which posited that humans are limitless in their potential and knowledge and that all should seek to better themself through education and personal cultivation. Through the idea of the individual pursuing their own development, humanists advocated for the autonomy, progress, and equal dignity of all people. da Vinci was one such humanist of the Renaissance; this is something I've said before, but it is absolutely fundamental to Ratio's philosophy and motivations. He is a humanist just the same as da Vinci. Given that Renaissance humanism was a philosophy revolving around the revival of Greco-Roman culture, it is no wonder that Ratio ties back to those influences so strongly as well. (As a side note, like Ratio, da Vinci was supposedly a very beautiful and graceful man, who had a particular fondness for animals.)

Overall, it's really interesting to see how each section can more or less divide his inspirations: his design being Greek, his naming conventions being Roman, and his personality and philosophy being the Renaissance, with only a little overlap. I've mentioned this in passing I believe (I can't find where I initially put it), but Latin overlapping with the Renaissance is actually a very fundamental aspect of education, given that Greco-Roman culture was seen as the pinnacle of philosophy and knowledge during that time in Europe, and knowing Latin was considered proof of a good education and social standing. All this is the reason why I argue for Ratio being a representation of the Italian Renaissance, rather than Ancient Greek and Rome on their own.

Honorable Mentions (not tied to the themes of his origins! Just fun things deserving of recognition):

Isaac Newton's apple in his idle!

Heart statue :)

Jojo pose statue

Jojo pose in his trailer thumbnail

I'll also plug my piece on his parents here, not because they don't tie to his origins but because they're not relevant to the analysis itself.

[stripeydnp]

my live phukbang thoughts

- dan making the joint smoking hand motion definitely means they have partaken now.. god i wish they would make a high video even tho ik they never would

- the love between phil and the they’re touching joke (knee verison)

- DAN DOESNR KNOW WHAT RANCH IS?????????

- oh god as soon as they said ipad i knew what was coming

- finally an official hashtag

- i was excited to see their reaction to their own underestimation but dan had to use “horny”.. i mean…

- dan calling him dear 😭😭😭 waa

- daniel needs to scrape his tongue (me too)

- THEY WENT TO GREECE TOGETHER? DID I KNOCK OUT AND MISS SMTHN? also the bracelet story is so funny classic dan moment

- phil so embarrassed by his bad purchase LMFAO CATFISHED he’s right tho dan would’ve laughed his ass off

- jump off “the bed”…. hehe

- AAHHAHAHA DAN IS SUCH A PRINCESS WITH HIS OH NO 😭 he needs his attention 👑

- forced to sarcastically say friend of the year meant to sarcastically say boyfriend of the year

- i love these two twinks who thirst over muscular men together but only want each other

- 🥹 phil wanted him to be happy more than anything. him feeling lost :(

- all of dans accomplishments and then phil saying he developed chronic illness in the middle 😭

- i’m sorry i let dystopia daily flop daniel i just couldn’t get into it 💔💔

- awww them just doing it for fun with no pressure is really what made it shine!!! their off the cuff banter and humor is what i love most ❤️ and it is always excellent in more casual videos

- this is getting me emotional they love us again

- IM SO HAPPY THIS TOUR IS GONNA MAKE THEM SO HAPPYYYYY YAYAYAYYYY

- pls pls just make more casual videos forever babies pls pls pls don’t script it more pls pls 😭😭😭😭 but make more viewers choose my outfits and do duo fits

- WE ARE SO BACK!!!!!

i love fhem

[nynaevedesign]

Lara Laurel Stems In ancient Greece and Rome, laurel wreaths or crowns were highly regarded symbols of honor and achievement. They were commonly bestowed upon victors in various competitions, such as athletic games, military commanders who achieved notable victories, and poets who produced exceptional works. The laurel's association with victory, excellence, and triumph made it a powerful symbol, representing the highest levels of accomplishment and recognition. Placing laurel stems in a vase will add a touch of greenery and natural beauty to your sims' interior space. The long, arching branches create a graceful and dynamic movement within the composition. Choose a vase that suits your aesthetic preferences and complements the overall decor of the room. Consider the size and shape of the vase, ensuring it is appropriate for the length of the laurel stems. Game-ready low poly, optimized for low-end computers. Base game compatible. You can choose if you want the stems in a vase or without. Set includes: Laurel Stems V1 | Laurel Stems V2 | Vase V1 | Vase V2 | Laurel Stems V1 + Vase | Laurel Stems V2 + Vase Download: NynaeveDesign.com

[streets-in-paradise]

By Duty and Chance - Hector x (Fem) Reader

Troy (2004) Oneshot

Requested by Anon

" (...) Soo basically anything you write about Hector is gonna be greatt. But i was thinking maybe that hector and reader are in arranged marriage ( yk enemies to lovers) but they end up falling for each other. "

YES, YES, YES!! ( ok, I'm gonna calm myself down now).

Just because I'm a simp, the enemy vibe was reduced a bit and the core conflict happens more on them falling at different paces. She was once on the geopolitical enemy side, cause she is a greek, but the marriage happened as a first step of negociations with another greek kingdom acting as nexus before the peace mission in Sparta.

Warnings: arranged marriage, reader starts fancying Hector before he gets into her. Pre war, but it adresses the political situation going on in Greece at the start of the movie and includes mentions to some Iliad characters that weren't in it because she is from Pylos and the movie showed nothing of Nestor's kingdom.

Summary: Your concerted political marriage to Prince Hector of Troy starts as a total disaster. Ashamed of your growing interest on him while the sorrow of a lost love keeps him distant, you focus on proving him you are a fitting wife to deal with his domestical problems before the conclussion of the peace mission started with your union would signal your first political act together.

Back in Greece for a diplomatical trip to Sparta, you come across a souless marriage product of another arrangement and the impact of that meeting calls you to redefine your relationship.

Note: Inspired by the arranged marriage prompts by @creativepromptsforwriting

" My love for one person could never trump the love I have for my people."

Tags: @g-m-kaye @thorsslxve

Sailing away for marriage so nobody else would have to do it for war was a noble act, but you were given the most abnormal circunstancies for the development of the plan.

King Menelaus of Sparta had had finally convinced his brother of creating an alliance with Troy, but the sons of Atreus weren't trully well versed on the language of peace. For so, King Nestor of Pylos offered himself to start the arrangements hoping to accomplish better results. As the only of his daughters available for a political marriage, you were selected to represent the first collaborative gesture of the greeks.

Once Prince Hector of Troy would have made you his wife, he would be in optimal conditions to deal with the Atreides and pact peace as a royal with bonds to he land already established. You father and his were of similar ages, they knew and respected each other despite of standing in opposite sides of the world. It made perfect sense that you would be given to them as a good will present to start the negociations.

The journey was too long and the advice of Nestor was required by the mycenaeans for the ongoing war on Thesaly. Without him, Agamemnon wouldn't be able to persuade Achilles to do his part in the way it would be commanded for him to do. Since your father couldn't split himself in half to attend the needs of each king, the leadership on the diplomatical mission was given to one of your brothers. Antilochus, favorite of the king and your people, delivered you to Troy doing his best to provide a supportive company for you in the difficult time. However, knowing that your father wouldn't be there increased the transactive feeling of the situation.

It was all a bargain between nations, and you were an object being moved from one place to the other.

Bonded for the rest of your life to a man your parents didn't even bother in meeting face to face.

Fame spoke wonders of your future husband, so worthy of trust that your father felt relieved and genuinely happy when the news of Priam's acceptance for the proposal reached Pylos. Hector was claimed to be the sort of man that any father could want for his daughter, that all mothers would feel proud to call their new son, and any respectable lady would dream of marrying. You got sick of being congratulated for having to move to the opposite corner of the world for him. While they were celebrating, you were aware to be essentially loosing your family to live arround strangers for the future chance to share a throne you never wanted.

You hated it and you thought you hated him, untill you saw him for the first time.

Hector was the most handsome man you ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on, but he advanced towards you with the calm resignation of a man sentenced to death. He did a great job restricting himself to the formalities, but that was all. In fact, it could be said the meeting had subverted expectations. Charming him on that occasion was your task as the lady of the couple, but he managed to awake a bit of your interest without even trying. While Antilochus noticed how your complaining reduced after meeting your fiance, Paris was struggling to get a smile out of his brother by doing cassual jokes about your beauty.

Polite indiference was all you got from him, even in the day of your wedding. His kiss after sweeping off your veil felt like a handshake to seil the political deal. Logically, you weren't expecting him to hold any feelings for you, but stumbling with his coldness was frustrating. At least in a surface level, you were starting to like him, but you didn't want to humillate yourself trying to make him like you.

Nightfall brought the end of the first day of celebrations, and for the first time, you were meant to be all alone with him. Trojans had similar customs for their hymenaeus, only that the choir of girls following you with torches to light the way to the thalamus was more espectacular than what you would have pictured back in Greece.

It was a magnificent display, romantical sight that contrasted with what was about to happen in that bedchamber.

Lookwise, you were very proud of yourself once the maids finished to prepare you for him. You hair was perfect, your smooth skin impregnated with a delicious perfume, and the thin white nightgown you were wearing was the perfect balance between coverage and exposition of your body. Enough to guess what awaited underneath, but discrete enough to not present yourself naked in front of him.

The color simbolized the purity you were meant to give away for the prince's consumption in the consumation of the marriage. Many greeks would have claimed they wanted to switch places with him, it would have been a joke in the friend group of your brother if they would have seen your transformation and you chuckled to yourself thinking of that as you nervously awaited.

The arrival of your prince changed everything. Amazement of him was strong in your virginal perspective. His toned body was considerably more exposed than before, since he was then only wearing the skirt typically matching his armor, and the perfumed oil freshly applied was giving a subtle shine to his skin. You could have started to feel lucky despite your understandable nerves, if he wouldn't have appeared to be so unaffected by the sight of you in comparison.

A brief look and a smile from afar before proceeding to sit on his side of the bed was all he had for you while your eyes unwillingly feasted on his image. His feet were still touching the floor and he seemed absorbed in some contenplative thinking while staring at the opposite side of the room.

Desperate to break the awkwardness, you attempted to get his attention hoping to help him relax. As a start, you kneeled behind him to caress his neck an shoulders.

" This isn't working. " You commented in a friendly mock. " Normally, the woman is the doubtfull one and it's the man's work to talk her into it. "

Hector was perfectly able to feel the squeeze of your front against his back, how you played with him in a convincing performance of your duty as wife.

" We have to be married, but we don't have to pretend a passion for each other that is clearly not there. "

His warning didn't work to completely dissapoint you.

"I'm just trying to be nice." You excused yourself in a sweet tone. " If it works as consolation, I was the only option Pylos had to offer. I have seven brothers and two sisters: one is already married and the other one is twelve years old. Father convinced me to get here only so none of my brothers will ever have to fight you. "

That simple reference to your family life evoked something stronger than mercy. A memory of someone he loved.

Andromache was a princess and once a sister of seven brothers that had fallen in battle. The reminder that you were just trying to stop the same tragedy from falling upon yourself acted as small comfort for his crushed heart.

She would understand.

" It's not your fault, I accepted the sacrifice. " He vaguely explained. " … My love for one person could never trump the love I have for my people. "

In that simple sentence, he let you know there was someone else in his life before the arrangement and that was the cause of his distant demeanour.

You hugged him from behind with comforting gentleness.

" I was starting to wonder why the brave trojan warrior that almost all greeks fear to face seems so afraid of facing me. " You teased as reply. " Nobody would expect Hector of Troy to flee from the touch of his wife like he has never done for the strikes of the enemy. "

The provocation didn't cause the wanted effect, slnce he didn't mind to live up to his legend in the intimacy of the room.

" I think this is a space safe enough to leave my pride behind. "

He had a point, but he would have to listen yours.

" All I'm going to ask you is to accept you are stucked with me. It's not much, ladies all over the world pretend for husbands they don't like all the time. "

You gave up, collapsing on the matress to bitterly claim your side of the nuptial bed.

" … They fake ecstasy while the strangers on top of them lascerate their virgin insides with their careless thrusting. Women can hold their pain perfectly pretending it's pleasure. You, my friend? All you had to do was giving me a decent kiss for the public to cheer, and you couldn't even do that because you are just so heartbroken. Do you get the cruel irony here? "

Hector followed you, watching you closely as he meditated in your words.

" I have nothing to reproach, you were a flawless bride, but I broke a third fraction of my moral code today. This marriage confronted two of the three rules in it and I had to choose which one I could still follow: to defend my country, I had take a woman I don't love."

He approached a bit closer to kiss your forehead.

" I'll allways respect you, but ríght now I can't be the husband you expected. You have my word, I will do my best, but for a while I believe my company won't be much comforting. "

You turned arround so you could be the one avoiding him.

" I never said I wanted you, I just hoped we could resemble a marriage. "

That wasn't how things were supposed to be like. Despite you weren't a hopeless romantic, you never imagined you would end up with a man who didn't feel the most elemental attraction towards you. Lack of desire in an arranged marriage wasn't supposed to flow in that direction, but the other way arround.

A wife shouldn't be seeking the attention of an indifferent husband instead of commiting to his desires. That wasn't what you were prepared for, since you always guessed it would be expected of you to be sexually required even in a loveless marriage. Rabidly denying your discovered attraction for the heartbroken prince was all you could do to protect your pride after realizing you were useless to him on the most bassic function of your union.

During the week of partying you foud out you weren't the only greek struggling to capture the trojan sensibilities. Antilochus fancied the cousin of your husband, but the girl rejected his every attempt of flirting with frustrating disdain. Keeping the peace mission in mind, your marriage was the best possible outcome. If Briseis would have been to Pylos as your new sister in law instead, her attitude would have caused a political disaster.

The royalty of Troy habitated one strange reality in which their princess freely rejected men with amusing harshness while the youngest prince seduced the most beautifull women arround free of commitement during the celebrations for the heir prince being forced to marry you. It was as if Hector had to assume all the sacrifices so everyone else could live how they wanted. He was the warrior prince so Paris won't have to fight, he had lost the chance to marry the woman he wanted to get trapped with you in an arranged marriage so Briseis could remain a virgin as she had choosen.

The man was a sacrificial bull whose fate was never being questioned, as if he existed to save everyone else.

As his wife, at least in title, you were going to take his side. When the first voices of concern from his relatives started to raise given the obvious fact that he wasn't happy on his marriage, you were not afraid of speaking up.

" I have been going to the temple of Aphrodite every night to pray before reaching my bedchamber. " Briseis was once commenting to him, with sweet naivety. " We need a miracle, but I don't loose the hope for you. "

She meant well and you knew it, but you didn't care. Hector límited himself to thank her and smile, but you couldn't let it pass.

" How about some gratitude instead of your condescending prayers? Are you aware this could have ended up the other way arround, ríght? Under the rules of my world, you should have married my brother. Hector is stucked with me so you won't have to marry one of those warriors you look with pity. "

He couldn't believe what he had witnessed, and he felt relieved it was late enough after dinner for his father to have already retired to his bedchamber.

" You have no reason to scold her for seeking to comfort me. "

Briseis raised up from her seat.

" It's alright, cousin. I understand she is under a lot of pressure. "

If you would have to hear one more pityfull comment, anger would have made you burn on the spot.

" You wouldn't survive in Greece, girl! The life of wives there would slap you in the face and get you off your high horse. " You cutted her off. " Maybe your cousin knows it, and that's why I'm here. "

Paris almost choked in his struggle between drinking wine and stiffling chuckles, what made him an easy target.

" What's so amusing? In greek standards, you aren't even suitable for marriage. No father would give his daughter to a coward archer that only shows off his weapon for hunting. " You inmediately called him out. " I think you know that and marriage terrifies you. Charming the girls is way easier than proving their fathers that you are a man, and if the woman you sleep with is already married you don't even need to worry because the position is occupated. "

Hector slowed you down before your brutal honesty could bring chaos.

" What do you think you are doing?

" Being your wife. " You simply explained. " I couldn't help noticing that your family is a mess and I want to help you fix it. You need a rest, and some acknowledgement of your daily sacrifices ... not like any of them notice. "

The preoccupation sounded sincere and that impressed him. After all, he showed no early emotional investment in you justifying such loyalty.

" We like the mess, but thank you for trying."

For the first time since your wedding took place, Hector gave you a genuine smile expressing real complicity.

If not the wife he loved, he discovered you were at least willing to be a support in his domestic life that was different from the kind his family could provide. You were behaving exactly like your role and rank demmanded, only reproaching your surroundings because you two were the only ones submitted to such thankless pressure.

When Antilochus returned to Pylos with the crew that brought you to asian shores, Hector took the day off to be with you. The last reminiscense of your old home had left on that ship, so he conforted you by actively helping you to slowly build a new one. It was agreed that once you would be established, you would accompany him and his brother on a diplomatical tour bringing you back to Greece, but for that you had to be well adjusted to the new city and your husband.

Under that pretext he convinced himself for seeking to take you out in order to get to know you more. Excuses would pile up whenever he would decide to break the routine and show you some new wonder of his country you could experience together. The wound of his unfullfilled love story from the past remained fresh for a while, so he couldn't admit to himself that there was some interest for you already growing.

However, that didn't stop his father from trying to cassually interfere whenever he could against your mutual resistance.

Priam often approached you by himself to give you history lessons, advice, and all sort of support helping your cultural adaptation. He wanted you to autentically feel as his new daughter and, for the most, he was succeeding.

After one particularly stressfull morning Hector was returning to the section of the palace complex that belonged to both of you since the wedding and found you attending a visit of his father. The servants rushed to welcome him, but he commanded you shouldn't be disturbed.

The King of Troy was asking you news about the heroes emerging in Greece and you were storytelling for him.

" That is a complete misconception. " You were cheerfully correcting him. " Achilles isn't our strongest warrior, that's Ajax of Salamis. He is like a mountain made a man. So strong that a swing of his battle hammer can easily pierce shields."

Priam's curiosity got stronger after the correction.

" Rumours have come to my shores saying the Pelide is the greatest threat Greece has for my kingdom … What is then the cause of such notoriety? "

" He is the fastest: an hurricane bringing devastation wherever he is unleashed. " You completed the tale. " You will never see the lethal blow of Achilles coming before it's too late. King Agamemnon has conquered the majority of Greece by the edge of his sword, but they don't get along. The man holds loyalty to no country. "

The last part didn't surprise the king as much as it should.

" I guess greek heroes just can't compare to my son. "

His comment of pridefull parent purposedly encouraged you to ramble about the virtues of your spouse.

" At risk of ignoring some evidence, I think i will agree. Hector is the best warrior Troy has ever seen, but also a wise, noble, … magnificent man. Of such kind heart, and beautifull as an artwork of Apollo. "

You didn't realized of your mistake after delivering the last part of the sentence and covered your embarassement with laughter.

" … I'm so sorry! That was totally innapropiate!! "

Priam was smiling, easing you with his complicity as if you had given him exactly what he wanted to know.

" I can't blame you for rejoicing of your husband, that's how things should be. "

At that precise moment, Hector revealed himself to make you aware of his arrival.

" Most people would say Paris is the pretty one. "

Your shame was such that you would have wanted earth to swallow you.

" I was merely pointing out you perfectly fit the idea of masculine beauty preferred in Greece. "

" Are greek wives not allowed to like their husbands? " Priam teased you and glanced at his son with amusement. " I haven't visited the country in decades, but I was never aware of that. "

You tried to joke your way out of the situation.

" We are forbbiden from liking them in advance. "

Hector gave a few steps closer in your direction before replying.

" I'm not blind: I can perfectly see i'm married to a beautifull woman. "

Despite he had probably thought about that before, it was the first time he was saying it out loud.

The trip to Greece was a crucial point, not only for the mission started by your marriage, but but for your relationship on itself. It was meant to be structured in two phases. First, you were going to Sparta, where Menelaus would receive you and give you news of Nestor and Agamemnon. If the war against Thesaly was over and the rulers had returned to their kingdoms, you would continue travelling on land to visit Pylos. There, Hector would meet the rest of your family and your father would later accompany you to Mycenae for the hardest part of the tour. After Agamemnon would have accepted the terms of the concerted peace, you would return to Sparta and finish to settle the deal back where you started.

Frightening news for Troy was getting to hear Menelaus saying his brother had conquered the last corner of their country. Suddenly, Hector felt that the inconvenience of being married to a greek that was once a stranger seemed very small in the big scheme of things.

Only once he had the oportunity to dive into greek politics in person, the eldest trojan prince had fully realized what meant to be a son in law of Nestor. The eldest rulling king In the country was highly respected by everyone, and specially the Atreides. He was probably the onlyone whose opinion was completely trusted by Agamemnon, besides from his own brother, and that anecdotic detail was shared by the spartan king himself.

Relaxed on the political front, Hector found time to notice other things.

As intended welcome, Menelaus offered a great celebration that was an autentic show off his fortune. You were drinking, eating and dancing like you didn't properly do during your own wedding party. The promise you made when on the sea of keeping an eye on Paris so Hector could do the deals got sidelined by the mutual discovering going on between you and your husband. Too absorbed in each other to care, being an actual couple instead of an institutional facade.

For a brief instant that disrupted the cheer, he glanced at Helen quietly observing from her seat how everyone else had fun while her husband fooled arround careless of her. Then, Hector looked at you and realized how far you had made it together.

The woman he had in front wasn't the same he awkwardly danced with to keep the appearances on that farse of a wedding celebration. Lonely observant like the spartan queen, only daring to engage in the fun if dragged into it by her brother because she clearly felt she didn't belong there.

You have trully become his wife, his princess.

The realization came to him in the most unexpected moment, on a loud place very innapropiate to talk about feelings.

" Was that what you had in mind when you told me you wanted us to resemble a marriage?" He teased you in whispers, subtly pointing at the royal couple while purposedly leading you into taking a prudential distance from the dancing people. " I see them, and i'm so glad we didn't turn out like them."

It made you chuckle.

" It wasn't them specifically, more of an idea of how a loveless marriage works. "

Hector smirked and pulled you closer, attempting of letting you give in for a hug.

" I understand now what went wrong from the beggining. " He teased the reveal of his conclussion. " … You desired me that night, but noticed I didn't feel the same and that confused you. The uses of your home prepared you to give yourself to a man you wouldn't want, never to not be wanted. Or even less, to find yourself wanting the man rejecting you. It wasn't your fault, as it wasn't mine, but you closed yourself for self preservation after the embarassement you must have felt … And you shouldn't had to feel that way. "

You pressed one hand on his chest as a measure of distance.

" Is this some sick test, Hector?" You called him out, distrustfull. " I'm not the wife you wanted, so I should never want you. I can't do it, that's not how the world works. "

Hector grabbed your wrist softly, gesturally inciting you to accept him.

" Then our world is upside down, but that's fine." He calmed you. " I thought I was respecting the honor of my maiden bride, only to find out she was the one waiting for me. "

You groaned with exasperation, unsure of how to make him understand the real problem going way deeper than that failed episode.

" … You have no idea of how frustrating it is to love you knowing I will never match your lost love. "

The exposure of your hushed suffering made him feel a bit heartbroken for you, but you were also confessing your love for him and that was enough encouragement.

" We needed time … I was not ready to love you, but I am now. "

His metaphorical use of the phrase merged all the possible forms of love he was feeling into one. To make your amazement complete, he grabbed both of your cheeks so you won't be able to escape the passionate public kiss he once couldn't give you on the wedding.

No choir of singing girls guided your way to the bedchamber that time, but you were following Hector and your hearts were beating as one.

[creature-wizard]

How conspiracy peddlers and cult recruiters make you *feel* like you're "thinking for yourself" when you're actually not.

I run into a lot of people who proudly insist that they didn't get into conspiratorial or woo belief through brainwashing, but through thinking for themselves!

Yeah, yeah, it sure felt that way, didn't it?

But is that really what happened, though? People who are really good at indoctrination and brainwashing won't tell you what to believe. Instead, they'll tell you that they're just going to show you the evidence and let you make up your own mind. And then, they show you the "evidence" they want you to see, curated and presented in a way so that the only conclusion you can make is the one they wanted you to make all along.

Let's say, for example, you have someone trying to convince you that ancient mythologies describe extraterrestrial beings visiting Earth. They might tell you that many ancient mythologies and texts describe beings coming down from the sky, and try to claim these beings are extraterrestrial aliens.

You might not notice that they're pulling a rhetorical slight-of-hand if you're unaware that:

"Sky god" can mean a lot of things, from a god of rain to a personification of the sun or even the very sky itself.

Not all gods are sky gods in any sense; EG, vegetation deities are very much associated with the earth.

Ancient beliefs were often rooted in animist worldviews and many deities actually embody aspects of nature, including the many of the gods they're trying to pass off as extraterrestrial aliens.

Myths and beliefs were constantly evolving and changing; just because some people believed things a certain way 2000 years ago, doesn't mean people believed the same things 5000 years ago, let alone 10,000 years ago. (Look up the differences between the gods of Classical Greece and the gods of Mycenaean Greece, for example.)

A text they're referencing reflects a very specific set of beliefs that have nothing to do with aliens, genetic engineering, or whatever they're on about. (The Book of Enoch has angels being horny, not conducting genetic experiments.)

Next, they might tell you that certain feats of engineering (for example, the pyramids) would have been impossible for "primitive" people to accomplish, and therefore must have required alien assistance. This might seem compelling if you don't know a lot about ancient construction methods, let alone how the ancient Egyptians were quite good at math, and how they experimented with and refined the designs of pyramids over the years. (The step pyramid and the bent pyramid are pretty much always left out by ancient alien theorists.) "Aliens built it" also sounds a lot more believable when you aren't aware that archaeologists actually found the villages the workers lived in while they were building the pyramids, and found actual graffiti left by workers inside the pyramids. At some point they might show you a set of hieroglyphs that supposedly depict flying aircraft. What they aren't telling you is that these are literally just two sets of normal hieroglyphs superimposed over each other because they filled in the original hieroglyphs and carved over them, and then the fillings fell out. Yep, it's really that simple. So this whole time, you feel like you're thinking for yourself when what you're actually doing is thinking on the rails they set out for you. You don't even realize you're being railroaded toward a specific conclusion because you're only seeing what they want you to see, the way they want you to see it. There are, of course, other tactics to make you feel like you're thinking for yourself when your thoughts are actually being railroaded. For example, you might be presented with a slurry of assertions, cryptic statements, and questions that are all designed to guide you toward a pre-determined conclusion. Here's an example I thought up off the cuff: Ancient pagans worshiped the sun. Secret societies know ancient truths. Why does Grandma Helen plant yellow marigolds? Just a coincidence? What does the name "Helen" mean? What other "coincidences" are there? Look for yourself. Think for yourself. Yellow. Where else can you find yellow? Grandma Helen could be the most run-of-the-mill Christian ever, but this rhetoric encourages people to see Grandma Helen, plus anyone who ever does anything with yellow ever, as some kind of cryptopagan. You aren't being directly told that Grandma Helen is a cryptopagan. Instead, you're being conditioned to perceive her as one by being presented with a limited set of assertions (some with actual truth behind them!), plus a means of continually reinforcing this perception if you accept the premise. The piece I wrote was inspired by QAnon, whose MO has been compared to an alternate reality game and noted to be that of a fictional plot device rather than a real whistleblower. This is an extremely good article on the mechanics of QAnon and how it tricks people into believing they're thinking for themselves when they're actually thinking exactly what Q wants them to think; I really recommend giving it look. So yeah, people who are genuinely competent at brainwashing or indoctrination won't make you feel indoctrinated or brainwashed - they'll make you feel as if you came to these conclusions on your own by simply manipulating what you're allowed to see and how you see it.

[genericpuff]

Based on the ask about the half greek person, as a greek person who lives in greece and who's whole family leaves here, I can see in Persephone's characterisation a lot of us here. I love how she may be naive sometimes, sheltered and all but by no means is she weak. She's feisty and can fend for herself. I also like how sometimes she is sassy (or cynical? If Imr describing correctly english isn't my first language).

In general, places locations etc feel different in LO rekindled - which by the way I've noticed the the mortal realm in LO feels very similar in almost every scene we see it idk how Rachel manages to make literal nature look static and uninteresting.

Tldr: as a greek person desperate for good representation I love this.

I read this back when you submitted it but haven't had a chance to respond until now ! I'm so happy to hear that our version of LO is also managing to be better representation. I'm not Greek myself and neither is my assistant, but we both have a lot of love for the stories and myths that come from Greek culture so I'm really relieved and happy to hear that those of you who are Greek are connecting with the work and find it to be more representative and accurate than LO was originally.

Ultimately Rekindled's version of the myth and stories that LO attempted to recreate is attempting to also be its own standalone thing, with its roots as a response to LO to be supplementary to the experience if you're someone who's read LO and was dissatisfied with its original interpretations. I don't want people to enjoy it just because it's "not LO", I want people to be able to enjoy it even as its own story! So it makes me so happy to hear that our efforts are paying off and it's actually accomplishing that <3

[supercalime]

“you can think your friends are hot and like, not want to pursue them, whether you realize you’re queer or not.” you are 100% right! as a queer person who finds basically everyone hot, this is so real!!! your whole rant is so real btw.

and i’ve been there, where i thought i had a crush on my friend after figuring out i’m queer cause we’re close and love each other, but then i reflected and realized, no i just love them as friends and also have eyes to realize they are hot. simple as that.

as a bucktommy endgame truther, i really hope the writers and producers are pressured to make b*ddie canon. but i won’t be upset if b*ddie happens but i hope they do it well and respectfully.

Im glad you relate, bestie!

The whole friendship being mistaken for romance is such a complicated, confusing and goes into so many areas of a spectrum that i can’t even get started with here.

But all I can say is that it all comes down to public enemy #1 and say it with me:

amatonormativity!

There are many kinds of love, and while they can be put into boxes, they can be interwoven into a complicated tapestry that can be impossible to define if you only see love as the 8 different categories from Ancient Greece.

This pressure of romantic love being put on a pedestal as the ultimate goal and accomplishment in life is very damaging in real life and I hate how this bleeds through so much through media as much as it does.

There are countless examples of movies and shows that put two characters together simply because they were the two mains who had a deep bond so to make it “concrete” they have to be romantically involved otherwise it wasn’t as “legitimate” as any other type of relationship. And I say this as an absolute sucker for a good friends-to-lovers trope!

Anyways, I’m like you, anon. A bucktommy truther who isn’t bothered if b*ddie becomes canon if it’s done well

[bangtanloverboys]

the artist and his prince

summary - being the second son of the king, taehyung is left free to do whatever he pleased. whether that be travel the world, lounge about like a cat, or be a patron the arts

pairing - prince!taehyung x male artist!reader

genre - fluff; royal au

word count - 2.3k

warnings - historical inaccuracies, autor knows nothing about art

author’s note - slightly inspired by this tumblr post 

Early on in his life, Taehyung knew he would never measure up to his brother, Namjoon. He was the perfect prince and heir to the throne; mastered sword fighting by 10, an accomplished diplomat by 15, and was a kind and just man. Sure, he garnered all of their father’s attention. But Taehyung was never jealous of him. 

No, in fact quite the opposite. 

He was thankful for him. For as the second son, he had all the freedom to do whatever he so wished. He spent his teen years traveling abroad; going from Greece, to Rome, to Spain, to Egypt, to India. By the time he returned home, he was in his two and twentieth year and was skilled in nearly six languages. But there was something Taehyung loved more than traveling or gold, or anything else in the world. 

Art.

Everywhere he went, he collected the most beautiful pieces of artwork he could find, commissioning dozens of artists for their work. It was something he remembered his mother instilling him, always taking him to art houses and shows. It was one of the few ways he felt closest to her after she succumbed to illness when he was nine..

Once he returned home, he promised to continue to fill the palace with the most beautiful art. Enter: you.

You were a local artist he came across at the first art show he went to upon his return home. You weren’t very popular, per se. A few people would stop and stare at your work, admiring it for a few moments before moving on. However, when Taehyung came across your work, he felt as if the air had been stolen from his lungs. 

It was a piece telling of the myth of Narcissus and Echo, with the young man draped across the rocks of the pond, lowering his face as close as he could to the water without causing it to ripple. It had been clear that he had been there long, for instead of strong, slender arms; Narcissus was thin and sickly. Already, daffodils had begun to grow over him. The nymph was in the foreground of the painting, tears streaming down her face as she screamed to her unrequited love, who now lay dying before her, unable to tear his attention away to save him. 

Taehyung didn’t know how long he stood in front of the painting, but he could not tear his eyes away. For to spend a second not appreciating its beauty, would’ve been a moment wasted. 

“Do you like it?” A voice pulled him from his thoughts. Turning his head, he saw you, a young man around his age, a small smile playing on your lips as you waited for him to answer your question. 

“Like it? I- I have no words for it! It's almost as if it speaks to my very soul! From the composition, to the subject, to the color. . . It’s a stunning painting. Do you know the man who painted it?”

You regarded him for a moment, stunned at his compliments before responding. “From what I’ve heard of him, he’s an old bat that refuses to leave his studio until his next masterpiece is done.” 

“Do you know where I may find him? I would love to speak with him.”

“Usually, he hates attending exhibitions such as these; stuffy society members critiquing his work as if they know the very thoughts in his head as he painted,” you continued, speaking bitterly. Taehyung frowned at the information, upset at the prospect of being unable to meet the artist before you laughed silently to yourself, holding out your hand, giving your name. “And he unfortunately also just so happens to be me.”

Taehyung blinked for a moment, his mind not processing the information. Before he knew it, he reached for your outstretched hand. “It is- it is an honor to meet you! My word, you almost had me fooled.”

Your grin grew wider at that. “Please, the honor is mine. It’s not every day a prince compliments my work. For which, I thank you for.” You bowed your head slightly. “Not everyone can say the same, failing to understand the basis of the mythos.”

“I couldn’t agree more; I saw so many pass your painting by, without recognizing the true tragedy of it all. Having Narcissus already dying, being consumed by the earth and Echo trying to pull him away to save him. . . What drove you to that decision?”

You turned your attention back up towards the art, quietly staring up at Echo. “In so many words, I know what it’s like to watch the one you love fade away from you, unable to stop them from their own undoing. Not being able to speak the words you truly want to say. . .” your eyes glassed over, as if recalling that very memory. “So what can I say, the story of Narcissus felt like a reflection of my own so. . . how could I not?”

Taehyung said nothing, simply nodding in some understanding, despite having no experience of such pain. He looked up at the painting again, following your eyes to truly see what you could. To see it through your eyes. For a moment, he almost saw you in Echo’s features. But in the blink of an eye, they were gone.

More people stopped beside either of you for a moment, before quickly moving on, uttering some words about it not being beautiful or questioning the subjects’ expressions. With each statement, Taehyung could sense you growing tense beside him, the stitching in your gloves stretching as you squeeze your fist tight. 

“I would like to hang this in my estate.” The words slipped by Taehyung’s lips before he could think.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I would pay your handsomely, of course. If no one would appreciate your work here, I can assure you, I will dedicate an hour of my day, every day looking at this painting,” he offered, hoping it would be enough.

You were silent as you narrowed your eyes at him, as if you were trying to detect any hint of a lie in his words. “Alright, but I have one condition.”

Ecstatic, Taehyung broke into a wide grin. “Name it.”

“I get to paint you.”

Intrigued by your condition, he agreed.  

True to his word, Taehyung bought the painting, hanging it in his private rooms so it would be the first thing he saw in the morning and the last thing he saw at night. And within days, you had come over, paints and easel in hand, ready to paint the younger prince.

It became apparent to Taehyung that you were unlike any other artist who had made a portrait of him before. Instead of having him in the most elaborate dress clothes, decorated with ornate jewels and dressings; you requested him to be dressed simply. For him to wear nothing that would even remotely suggest he was royalty. Taehyung complied, curious to see what exactly you had planned. 

“Do you have a conservatory?” You asked upon your arrival in the early morning. “Or a garden perhaps?”

“Yes, it’s just this way.” Taehyung gestured for some servants to carry your equipment for you before leading you towards the conservatory. It was a bit smaller than the one that was at the palace, but it was still well kept. Dozens of different types of flowers and other types of local flora were tended to throughout the year by his staff. Greenery grew from every nook and cranny, and whilst Taehyung wasn’t much for flowers, he enjoyed having color in his home. 

Once you set foot into the greenhouse, you immediately went to work; setting up an area for you to paint but a scene. You pulled around a garden table, setting it beside a rose bush. You stared at it for a moment, only to move it around again. Taehyung watched from the side lines, fascinated with your process. After a near ten minutes of pushing the table this way or pulling another plant that way, you declared yourself ready.

“I’d like you to sit there,” you gestured to the table, “you have the option of reading a book whilst I work or you may just sit there. Whichever you prefer,” you told him as you began to pull out your pencils. 

“Nathaniel?” 

“Yes, Your Highness?” His butler responded. 

“Bring me the novel that’s in the drawing room,” Taehyung said as he sat down.

“Of course, right away, sir.” Within minutes of leaving, he had procured the book Taehyung had been reading earlier that very day. 

He opened it, and began to read. A comfortable silence fell over the conservatory, only the sounds of your tasks filling it in. The sound of your pencils against the canvas, the occasional turning of a page, the gentle ‘hmm’ as your eyes flickered from the canvas to the prince. 

Taehyung could feel your eyes everywhere. He would occasionally spare glances at you through the corner of his vision, watching you as your eyes traced his entire being. From the curve of his neck, to the slope of his nose. The length of his arms to the spaces between his fingers. He could feel you everywhere. He had posed for hundreds of portraits his entire life. Never before had it felt so intimate.

After the first hour or so, you had the first sketch completed. You moved onto the paints, quickly mixing them on your pallet, before bringing them to the canvas. It was usually around this time that Taehyung grew anxious, no longer able to sit still any longer, wanting to watch the art process from the artist’s perspective. He barely opened his mouth to ask to peek at the product before you shushed him.

“It will be finished soon, Your Highness. You may see it then. Have patience.”

He could not believe it. No one had ever dared to speak to him in such a way, he was stunned into silence. By the time he shook himself out of it, he could see you smiling to yourself about your brazen words. It was then and there that something bloomed within his chest, he could not think to name the emotion, but he knew he could not dare to let you go.

A few more hours had passed and Nathaniel had brought Taehyung another book to read. Somewhere between Taehyung taking glances at you and getting lost in his novel, you shed your jacket, with the added paint stains growing along your sleeves, you looked more and more disheveled as you worked. But there was this gleam in your eye, glowing brighter and brighter. He’d seen that look before in many painters' eyes, the look of pure and utter passion. So much love and care for their work that it was overflowing from their very being. 

The look of a true artist. 

 The sun was now hanging low in the sky, casting long shadows and illuminating the conservatory in the golden glow when you finally announced yourself done. Taehyung rose from his seat, groaning as his stiff limbs ached after remaining still for so long. But he ignored the burning of his muscles, knowing that what you had created would’ve made it worth it. You turned the easel to face him and Taehyung felt like his heart soared.

You had painted the prince leaning forward on his elbow, the pages of his book kept open by his free hand. The pose was so informal, so personal, that he felt as if he’d walked in on a private moment with his own image! The flowers you’d placed around him spread out around his back, as if they were blooming out from his very body as he read. It looked so real, so life-like that he felt as if you had somehow, magically paused the moment he had just lived. 

He breathed out your name, turning to face you, where you were waiting with baited breath. Paint had found its way across your cheek and forehead, but you made no fuss of it, watching Taehyung intently as he inspected your work. “This. . . I have no words. It’s as if you captured my very soul!” He turned to look back at the painting, unable to process anymore words for your remarkable work. “You truly have a gift. . .” As you glanced away bashfully, he felt that feeling in his chest again. Like his heart was being squeezed, but it didn’t hurt at all.

“Thank you, Your Highness.” You bowed formally, but a warm smile on full display.

“I want to sponsor you.”

Your eyes widened at his words. Taehyung knew to be a sole artist’s patron was something to grow upon over years of friendship and reliability. Not something to be carelessly asked, for once it’s agreed upon, it’s hard to back out from. Any and all art work you would create would solely belong to Taheyung in his name. If you or he were to end the partnership, you would hold no claim to anything.

“I want you to make things for me, I want to ensure you have any and all supplies you may need. Anything you want, it shall be yours. Say yes and I swear to you, I will do nothing but honor your name and your work,” he pleaded. He needed your art in his life, this feeling in his chest he did not want to be rid of. All he could ever want was you. 

You gnawed on your lower lip, eyes focusing to the ground as you thought over his offer. Taehyung felt as if he could go mad as he waited for your answer.

“On one condition,” you parroted your words from your first meeting.

“Anything. Name it, and it shall be yours.”

Your hand came up to rest on his forearm. The feel of your touch burned right through his clothes, nearly having Taehyung ready to rip his sleeve off just to feel the touch of your hand against his skin. When your eyes met his, he felt as if he would melt right on the spot. “That I will not be one of your artists. I will be known as your only artist. So long as I may refer to you as my prince.”

“As you wish.”