#I never thought much of Calypso

[silly-epicthemusical-confessions]

the four song anon sparkle

IM GLAD SOMEONE UNDERSTANDS ME. i actually have so many thoughts about those 4 songs because of how the fandom interprets it. yes, calypso is cursed to fall in love with heroes who wash up on her island, shes just lonely and what not, but it still doesn't excuse her behavior.

not sorry for loving you is one of the songs I love for its symbolism. calypso is apologizing. she is taking accountability and responsibility for her advances but still playing herself as the victim. she apologizes for coming on too strong, for ambushing ody. but still chalks it up to her feeling of love, not her choices and actions. which is more than what we get from zeus who believes it's his right, the suitors who do it because they can, and circe only does it for protection so her nymphes don't have to be in her position.

in love in paradise, when circe sings

It will be fine, dear Come back inside, dear Love of my life, come back to paradise

you can subtly hear penelopes theme with calypsos instruments. shes trying to become odysseus's wife so he will have to love her. she is doing everything possible to make ody love her. i like calypso but I don't trust the fans that ignore and excuse her actions. same with the circle fans

This.

[thisfeelslike-iykyk]

love languages ࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

pjo boys x reader (ft. percy jackson, jason grace, leo valdez, frank zhang, luke castellan, nico di angelo, will solace, ethan nakamura) backtrack: "hype boy", newjeans inspiration: I love thinking about love languages (little disclaimer that these are all obviously just my opinion)

percy jackson

giving: acts of service

how many times has this guy risked his life to save the world? percy jackson is a true hero, always putting himself in harm’s way to protect those around him, such as when he chose the prophecy to protect nico. he always takes risks to protect his loved ones, and he constantly puts others’ needs above his own.

receiving: quality time

I guess I based this off of percy spending a bunch of time with rachel before last olympian. but demigods are in constant danger, and percy would cherish every moment he spends with his partner because, unfortunately, you never know when it could be the last. I also thought about acts of service, since he was really grateful when annabeth and grover wanted to go with him on that quest in lightning thief.

jason grace

giving: acts of service

jason’s a giver. he literally joined the fifth cohort to bring back their glory. he sacrificed himself for piper (rest in peace jason, you deserved better) and his whole life has been about serving camp jupiter and later, camp half-blood too.

receiving: physical touch

this might be kind of controversial. I just think jason’s been in such a strict, intense environment since he was a toddler that he’s definitely touch-starved. he probably melts at any physical contact with his partner. I also thought about words of affirmation because he’s always been held to such high expectations, he’d really need someone just telling him they love him.

leo valdez

giving: gift giving

lowkey I put gift giving because too many people were getting acts of service. but genuinely I think leo would love making little trinkets and machines and giving them to his partner. he’s not great at being vulnerable with words or touch, so he shows his love through little actions. similarly, acts of service is also definitely a love language of his; think of everything he did to help calypso after all, even though I hate that ship.

receiving: words of affirmation

this is probably the one I’m most certain about. let’s be honest, leo’s been through so much shit, he’s been called so much shit, that he just needs someone to appreciate and love him and tell him that. plus, he’s so used to rejection that one “I love you” will send him into a spiral for days on end.

frank zhang

giving: physical touch

not entirely sure about this one, I need to reread heroes of olympus. but I bet frank would give the best hugs. you’d feel so safe and warm wrapped up in frank’s arms, and I feel like he’d be the most likely to be physically affectionate with others out of pretty much all the riordanverse characters.

receiving: words of affirmation

the second one I’m most certain about. frank is quite sensitive and definitely needs praise. not needs as in he’s an attention seeker, but needs as in he blushes bright red and smiles super wide when someone praises him. it just makes him feel so warm and fuzzy inside.

luke castellan

giving: acts of service

luke is like the embodiment of the statement “a hero would sacrifice you for the world, but a villain would sacrifice the world for you”. he did everything that he did in order to build a better world; I genuinely believe he thought what he was doing was right for the greater good. and he brought back the titan lord and fought a war for a cause he believed in--what lengths would he go to to protect his partner?

receiving: words of affirmation

luke’s never received any sort of praise or recognition; it’s part of why he resented the gods so much in the first place. if he could have someone with him just to pick him up when he’s down, to encourage him and shower him with praise and love, he’d be so happy. although I like to think he’s a touch-starved baby who’s really clingy with his partner too.

nico di angelo

giving: quality time

nico’s not a talker, he’d much rather listen or sit in silence with his partner. spending a lot of time with his partner would let nico feel closer to them. there’s a special sort of connection and understanding that comes from shared experiences. acts of service was also another contender. nico would do everything for those he loves. take bianca, for example, and how hard nico tried to bring her back in battle of the labyrinth.

receiving: physical touch

another touch-starved one. he was taken out of time for seventy years, came back and lost his sister in like five days, went through two wars, had to deal with coming to terms with his sexuality; the poor guy has been through tartarus and back (literally). poor nico. someone give him a hug. I also thought about words of affirmation, since nico constantly struggles with being isolated and would probably really benefit from some reassurance and support.

will solace

giving: acts of service

I mean, he’s literally a healer. he does everything for others. enough said, really. he puts others’ wellbeing first, and in the process sometimes overlooks himself and his own needs. which leads to. . .

receiving: acts of service

will is so used to people taking care of him that he never asks for help when he needs it. the little things, like helping him out when he’s tired, is the way to his heart. no one’s ever really looked out for him since he arrived at camp half-blood, and he had to take over the apollo cabin when he was barely a teenager. it’d be nice for him to have someone take care of him for a change.

ethan nakamura

giving: acts of service

I don’t know why so many characters have acts of service as a giving love language. maybe it’s because they’re heroes and fight and do stuff for their respective causes, so naturally they give off a giving or take-action vibe? but anyway, ethan fought and gave his life in order to gain his mother--and himself, honestly--more recognition. he takes action for those he cares about and always wants to defend his beliefs and help his friends, even though his ways may be a little questionable.

receiving: words of affirmation

really similar to luke. ethan’s always been undervalued and overlooked. he just needs validation and support. encouragement and praise would help him finally feel acknowledged, accepted, and valued.

I wanted to post this on valentine's day but I got too excited

divider by @cafekitsune

taglist: @loveinalocket, @raysmayhem-72

[helenofsparta2]

Percy did nothing wrong in Battle of the Labyrinth

Buckle up, this is going to be a very, very long post.

I’ve already made two posts about Percy getting blamed for things he had little to no control over, or some criticism just being extremely unfair towards him, but I’ve never really talked about battle of the labyrinth.

Especially on sides like tiktok, people really drag Percy for how he acted in this book, and I have never really understood why, so since Percy is my favourite RR character, I’ve finally decided to make a post trying to untangle this whole mess.

Generally I’ve seen three main criticisms against him in this book. If you know of others, please let me know.

Him & Calypso

His relationship with Annabeth

The situation with Rachel

Calypso

The criticism I’ve seen here is mostly based on these three topics:  

He didn’t immediately go back to Camp Half-blood

He forgot about Annabeth and his friends while spending time being happy with Calypso

He hesitated when Hephaestus told him he could go back & called Calypso his biggest what if

Let’s tackle these one by one.

He didn’t immediately go back to Camp Half-blood after waking up

Well, he … couldn’t.

Shortly before arriving on Ogygia, Percy had gotten burned alive with lava. A feeling he described as a pain “worse than anything he’d ever felt” (194) .  And He’d blown up a volcano, an action so powerful, the mortal authorities were forced to evacuate almost half a million people, which made ash fall as far as Lake Tahoe in Vancouver and closed off the Mount st. Helens area within a hundred-mile radius.  

Just a quick reminder of Percy’s physical state after all of that:

“I was really weak. I couldn’t stay on my feet more than a few hours. Whatever I’d done in Mount St. Helens had drained me like nothing else I’d ever experienced.” (203)

I woke up feeling like I was still on fire. My skin stung. My throat felt as dry as sand. (196)

I tried to sit up. My muscles felt like they were melting. (196)

I looked as if I’d lost ten kilos I couldn’t afford to lose.” (198)

My knees buckled, and I would’ve landed face-first in the grovel if Calypso hadn’t caught me. (200)

Maybe I was just really weak and thin (200)

Even after a few days/ weeks his legs were still stiff, and he was still getting dizzy from standing up for too long (203)

I hadn’t been in control of myself in that mountain. I’d released so much energy I’d almost vaporized myself, drained all the life out of me.

So, he was not able to physically leave, despite very much wanting to.

2. He forgot about Annabeth and his friends, while enjoying his time with Calypso

Also pretty easy to defend, because, again, he didn’t.

He never stopped thinking about Annabeth, and his other friends. Not once.

Even before waking up, Percy said their names in his sleep so often that Calypso knew them when he woke up (p. 199)

His first reaction to Calypso telling him that he could heal in safety was:  

“But my friends-“

“Annabeth”, she said. “And Grover and Tyson.”

“Yes!” I said. “I have to get back to them. They’re in danger.” (199)

He tried to use his empathy link with Grover several times on Ogygia to find out if he, Tyson and Annabeth were okay, but couldn’t make any contact (P. 203)

“I thought about Annabeth, Grover and Tyson constantly.” (P. 204)

The first thing he does after Hephaestus arrives on Ogygia is asking him about Annabeth’s well-being (207)

3. He hesitated when Hephaestut told him he could go back

This is the first time, the sentiment is somehow connected to the text, because Percy did hesitate for a little bit:

“I wanted to say yes. Of course I would. But the words were stuck in my throat. I found myself looking out at the lake, and suddenly the idea of leaving seemed very hard. (209)

Afterwards, he walked along the beach for several hours, thinking of what to do next (210)

But if you actually read the chapter, you very easily understand that Percy never really, seriously considered staying:

When Hephaestus insinuated, he might not return to camp half-blood he immediately said: “What do you mean? Of course I’m coming back.”

The first thing he says, after Calypso offered him to stay forever on Ogygia was: “But… my friends.” (211)

His immediate verbal response after Calypso admitted she was in love with him was to say: “I can’t. I would never do anything to hurt you, but my friends need me. I know how to help them now. I have to get back.” (212)

We also need to consider his reasons for hesitating in the first place. He did not hesitate because he was in love with Calypso. Yes, he thought she was cute when she laughed, thought she was more beautiful than Aphrodite, and didn’t want to make her feel sad, but she is not the reason he hesitated. His biggest what if is not Calypso herself. His biggest what if is what she represents: Peace, Happiness, and a way to avoid the responsibility of the prophecy.

Through Stolen Chariot, we know that Percy’s biggest fear is making the wrong decision and dooming everyone he cares about:  

“I stood paralyzed. This was the moment I had always dreaded: the prophecy that was supposed to come about when I was sixteen. I would make a choice that would either save or destroy Olympus. Now the moment was here, and I had no idea what to do. The camp was burning. My friends looked at me, begging for help. My heart pounded. I couldn’t move. What if I did the wrong thing? (The Stolen Chariot)

The first thing Calypso says to convince him to stay is: “You could leave the fight to others, Percy Jackson. You could escape your prophecy.”(211)

He also considered the possibility that it might be best for his friends if they believed him to be dead:

“Now I found out I’d nearly destroyed the Northwest US and almost woken the most horrible monster ever imprisoned by the gods. Maybe I was too dangerous. Maybe it was safer for my friends to think I was dead. (208)” She was cute when she laughed.

 

And even if he did develop a little crush on her, which I don’t even believe, I just think he really liked her and felt bad for her, how would that be his fault or something we could blame him for????  Since when can people control who they have or don’t have a crush on???

And the most important thing is: he left. As soon as he knew how to, as soon as he was healthy enough, he left. He went back to his friends, missing out on a peaceful and probably very happy life, shouldered the prophecy once again, and left.

His relationship with Annabeth

I can not say enough how much Percy actually supported Annabeth during the course of battle of the labyrinth

He reassured her constantly, that she would do a good job in leading this quest, when she doubted herself: (“You’re doing great. Besides, we never know what we’re doing. It always works out. Remember Circe’s Island?” She snorted. (P. 120))

He hugged her when she needed a hug: Then she did something that really surprised me. She blinked back tears and put out her arms. I stepped forward and hugged her. (Chapter 4, P. 76)

He trusted her; despite knowing she didn’t tell him the entirety of her prophecy

There are only three points in which they have some kind of conflict in. One of them is the whole thing with Calypso, but I’ve already dealt with that. The other two are the scene after Kronos overtook Luke’s body and then the whole situation with Rachel.

The scene after Kronos overtook Luke’s body

One of the main criticisms people have of Percy here is that he didn’t comfort Annabeth immediately after that scene. While that criticism is somewhat true, it's important to note that he didn’t act out of any malicious intent. After Annabeth collapsed, sobbing with her head between her knees, he didn’t rush to her side—but this was not because he meant to hurt her.

Percy himself was shocked and traumatized by the experience

After she asked him what happened, Percy was as gentle as he could be when he told her: “He gave himself over to Kronos,” I said. “I’m sorry Annabeth, but Luke is gone.” (291)

He only snaps at her, when she continues to defend Luke and accuses Percy of wanting him to be evil: “You want him to be evil, is that it?” Annabeth yelled. “You didn’t know him before, Percy. I did!”  “What is it with you?” I snapped. “Why do you keep defending him?” (292)

If we’re being honest, there is nothing Percy could have said to her, which would have helped her, and with the history he has with Luke, I personally can’t blame him for not being able to comfort her about his death or being annoyed that she still defends him after everything

As a reminder, at this point in time, Luke had tried to kill Percy multiple times, told him that he should have died in Tartarus, tortured Annabeth and was completely okay with killing every single kid in camp half-blood

He still wanted to comfort her after that, but he simply didn’t know how to: I wanted to comfort her, but I didn’t know how. I still felt stunned, like Kronos’s time-slowing effect had affected my brain. I just couldn’t comprehend what I’d seen. Kronos was alive. He was armed. And the end of the world was probably close at hand. (292)

Avoiding an argument might have actually been the smartest thing he could have done after that

When it was time to continue on their way, he still treated Annabeth gently “I knelt next to Annabeth. “Hey, I’m sorry. We need to move.” (292)

Did Annabeth need someone to talk to? Yes, obviously. Was Percy snapping back at her unnecessary and the last thing she needed in the moment? Also yes. This girl has suffered an unimaginable lot in this book and all the previous ones, especially because of Luke.  I’m not blaming her here for the way she acted. She loved Luke, and this might be one of the worst fates imaginable for a loved one. Everyone would have cracked in one way or another.

But is it also insane to criticize a 14-year-old boy, because he did not properly comfort his friend, who grieved the death of a guy, who tried to kill that 14-year old boy for the last two years? Also, yes.

They were two traumatized teenagers with the weight of the world on their shoulders, in a very shitty situation, and I think blaming either of them for how they reacted in this moment is entirely unfair.

Overtaking her quest, by asking Rachel for help

So, I hope we all realize, that this is a stupid argument, and I don’t need to elaborate on why, right? Like, they needed Rachel’s help. Obviously, it’s shitty for Annabeth that she had to rely on a mortal girl, especially a girl with a crush on Percy, but that doesn’t change the fact that they didn’t have another choice. Rachel was vital for the success of their quest,

Percy also sometimes told Annabeth to lay off Rachel, but, like, Annabeth was acting mean towards her, and Percy is a nice person, who knows that Rachel didn’t deserve this treatment.

I think these are all of the criticisms I have seen, and as a really huge fan of Percy, I’m getting so tired of seeing all of them. Please inform me if I have overlooked any!!!

[crimson-and-clover-1717]

When I watched OFMD this year, I literally knew three things:

It was called Our Flag Means Death

It was a pirate comedy

It had been cancelled

I didn’t know Rhys Darby (‘that Murray bloke from Conchords’) or Con O’Neill (‘the weird guy from Chernobyl’) were in it until they came on screen. And please don’t stab in me in the face, but I had never heard of Taika Waititi. I’m very much not the target market for this show. Although I will say I think it’s universal in its exploration of the human condition. So if you’re human, the show is for you.

I knew nothing about budget cuts, editing decisions, or even at this point any circumstances around why it had been cancelled. I had not an inkling it was a romance. I had no notion it was going to overtake my life to such an extent.

I watched one episode a night for 18 nights (I know, I know… I binge-watched it immediately afterwards over two days, and haven’t stopped since). I also had no-one to talk to about the show as I watched the 18 episodes. No-one I knew had ever heard of it. I really was a blank canvas.

And this is what I thought. Other than finding Calypso’s Birthday a little uncomfortable on first watch (and that’s largely because I find torture, even the OFMD variety, difficult to engage with - I always skip the opening of 206 now), I saw no difference between the seasons in terms of artistic merit. It’s possible that because I didn’t experience an 18-month hiatus, and build up my own version of what season 2 should be in my head, I didn’t have any expectations to be knocked down. I just engaged with what they asked me to watch.

I fell in love with this show at ‘My name’s Stede. I’ll be your robber here today.’ I fell in love with Stede Bonnet when he did his little Scrappy Doo air-punch in episode two.

With regard to season two, The Innkeeper affected me so much I honestly think it altered my brain at a structural level. More so than The Chain sequence which is when I think this show started affecting my brain chemistry.

I also loved the development of Stede and Ed outside of their personas. The couch scene in Fun and Games made me believe in them as a couple in ways I hadn’t quite in season one because they were growing and being real with each other. I thought their arguments were so well-written. Man on Fire has one of the most authentic representations of couple miscommunication I have ever seen on tv. And I think Mermen is really good in doing what it needed to do, and did it well. How do you end a tv series that gives a satisfactorily emotional ending, but doesn’t give away everything in case there’s another season?

Ed’s journey in particular just ripped my heart out and then glued it back together. And seeing Stede continue to develop his very nonlinear understanding of the power of his earnestness and gnc self, whilst still sometimes wrestling with notions of traditional masculinity… I needed to grow a second heart.

When I learned of the financial and time constraints later on, I was shocked they had achieved such a high standard of tv.

Imagine my shock when I discovered the Canyon…

It’s fine if you don’t like season 2, or season 1, or OFMD at all for that matter. But if you want me to say season 2 isn’t any good, or as good as season 1, then you want me to say something that I have never felt to be true. When you experience it holistically like I did, it all hangs together beautifully.

[demigods-posts]

i was literally thinking about this earlier. the fact that percy referred to calypso as his biggest 'what if?' makes no sense because he was not tied to her. we could argue that he cared for her safety and reparation, which is proven by him planting her flower outside his bedroom and asking the gods to free her from the island a book later. but he didn't have romantic feelings for this girl. sure, he thought she was pretty, friendly, and he wanted to be there for her. but that doesn't equate to romantic attraction.

i'd argue his biggest 'what if' is miss rachel elizabeth dare. bc she actually challenged annabeth's place in percy's life. percy showed genuine interest in rachel. in fact, he spent the entire year after tbotl hanging out with rachel and ignoring everything related to being a demigod, which included annabeth. and the only reason percy never explored the option of pursuing her after tlo was bc she became the oracle and was given explicit instructions not to date. otherwise, percy would have had a difficult choice to make. annabeth was jealous for a good reason. tf lmao.

Y’all get mad at Rachel for cockblocking Percabeth, but you should really be mad at Calypso.

Rachel is actually an interesting character, with an arc that separated herself from Percy and she actually got to be her own person.

Calypso was written as an obstacle to keep the will-they-won’t-they going so that Rick could sell another book. She is there for one chapter, and doesn’t really do much for Percy’s arc except to give Annabeth a reason to be pissed at him.

She was then brought back in HoH because Leo “needed�� a girlfriend. She served no other purpose.

Something something female characters being written by men that only exist to enhance the arc of the male protagonist something something.

[marvelmaniac715]

I probably shouldn’t write for Doctor Who, because this is an overplayed trope, but here’s what I want for a potential multi-season companion. Her name is Callie (short for Calypso, which means ‘she who conceals’ but that’s just a coincidence…) and, personality-wise, she’s practically a stereotypical companion at first. Smart, witty, cheerful, reacts to the TARDIS with a typical “it’s bigger on the inside” but when she says it it’s almost like she’s making fun of the past companions. Her eyes are similar to Clara Oswald’s, she has blonde curls like River Song, which she keeps in two plaits like Yasmin Khan, she smiles like Rose Tyler, and the Doctor has an overwhelming sense of deja vu. She’s not much of a hugger, which the Doctor respects, but the one time she does hug him after a particularly emotional moment, he swears he can hear two heartbeats. That’s not the only thing - her eyes seem kind, but if you really look into them, there’s an iciness there. She’ll often smile to herself, like she’s laughing at a private in joke. She’ll often make herself a soup which smells just like a soup that can only be made with ingredients native to Gallifrey, and during her adventures with the Doctor things go wrong more often. She’ll push the Doctor to be more selfish because “you can’t save everyone”, and she won’t tell him much about her childhood. But then, one day, Callie starts acting even more odd. She responds to a question with “I’ve mastered it”, and the Doctor discovers that her ringtone is Saxon’s theme from when he was Prime Minister (“I was just a kid when Saxon became Prime Minister, that tune’s really nostalgic for me…”), then the truth comes out - Callie never existed; she is in fact the Doctor’s best enemy the Master (but you probably already knew that 😅). Her motivations are quite similar to Missy’s - she wanted her friend back, so she managed to make her newest regeneration a combination of every woman that the Doctor’s loved, and has drawn upon her knowledge of what the Doctor finds most appealing in a friend/romantic partner. When he tries to push her away, she gives him a look of mock-confusion and asks:

“What’s wrong, Doctor? I thought you were going to show me the universe?…”

Edit: I’ve started writing a fic about it :D:

[percabethsong]

I just read your warrior Penelope au post and I love how you explained why Penelope would go in his place because Odysseus is missing his leg, genius

Does it still take Penelope ten years to get back home after the Trojan war or is the timeframe shorter/longer? Is her journey back home similar to what happened in the Odyssey? And if so, does Odysseus get suitors at his door wanting his hand in marriage? How would he hold them off while he waits for his wife to get back home?

Sorry for the questions, late night thoughts go brrrrr

Unfortunately, the ten years journey home still happened, although some changes would be made. I think Circe's would be far more trusting of Penelope since she's a woman, although she would still have turned Penelope's crew into pigs, once Circe saw their captain was a woman and they respected her, she let them go easier and doesn't try to seduce her.

Calypso stays pretty much the same, though, it's Greek Mythology, pretty common to feel attraction to more than one gender.

I imagine Penelope, being Ares champion in this AU, may face things a little more upfront than Odysseus would, even though she's also smart and uses cunning sometimes.

The suitors is an interesting questions! I actually thought about this a lot. It depends how accurate things are with Greek Mythology/history. I often see in this AU Odysseus having suitors, which is a fun concept, but since I'm trying to make a version of this AU that would be more possible in universe (hence Penelope having to use her status as an Amazon to convince people she can fight as a woman, since they were some fem warriors in greek myths or general history, but it was difficult for them to gain people's respect), I would say not exactly. Odysseus already has a heir, and Greek Kings can rule without Queens. However, Odysseus is disabled in this concept, and Ancient Greece was a very ableist society. The exception often made were for war wounds, which Odysseus's wouldn't be considered. Odysseus is still very much capable to rule even if he can't fight, he has a sharp mind and Athena stays by his side helping him, which makes Odysseus a great king. However, it's a very hard thing to be respected as a disabled person in this time, even if it was a bit easier if you were nobility. Because he was the king and had a Amazon ruling by his side, people how doubted him kept their complaints to themselves in the beginning. But without Penelope people starting to question him more, especially after she doesn't return with the crew that left for war, making people more relentless. Then a group of men started to appear at the palaces, demanding Odysseus to choose one of them as an advisor and protector, since the queen had not return to fullfil this role. Odysseus not only very much does not need an advisor and protector, but is also aware of the men true intentions: once he chooses one, he'll be killed in a way that looks like an accident and the man he chose will claim the throne, since Telemachus is still too young to be king.

Regarding how Odysseus would hold them off... Hum, that's a interesting questions. I like to imagine he would invent a lot of little challenges for them, claiming he needs to test the skills of his future advisor, both physical and mental. He would come with a new game ever month. I can also picture him saying he would choose a advisor as soon as he finishes an marble sculpture of Penelope himself, without any help to honour his wife. Every night, though, he breaks a little peace of the stone, having to fix it and buying Penelope time. Or at least hold them down enough until Telemachus is ready to be king.

Don't apologise! I've actually never received these kind questions about a post and it made me really happy!

[bomber-grl]

Nico Di Angelo x Child of Medusa 🐍

Pairing(s): Nico Di Angelo x M!Reader

A req for @calypso-74213! Also cringe-ish warning

Everyone at camp is terrified of you

I mean its said that people are scared of what they don’t understand

And you’re sort of an anomaly

Not to mention that you’re able to turn ppl to stone, the only barrier separating them and you, bding your sunglasses

Also because you closely resemble humans/ demigods

Yknow, besides the snakes instead of/ amongst your hair, scales here and there, and your eyes

Especially since Medusa isn’t known to be particularly fond of men, so it leaves much to think about and question

Then again, Athena-

Anyway

Many aren’t fond of you, that’s a given. I mean many campers weren’t very welcoming of Nico and his status(?) as son of hades so I can only imagine the treatment you go through

I mean at least everyone has the decency to pretend to be nice to you

But the tension is still there

The first day you were introduced was by Chiron, usually he’d leave the camper up to the counselor these days but you’re a special exception (along with Percy)

So bam, new cabin for not a god but rather Medusa

I’d imagine a lot of discourse, especially since it’s only for godly parents and the whole pride aspect

But eventually, with much persistence from Percy and others who are willing to back you up, you get one

Which is only a result of them being proven wrong by your origins and proven to be a nice person

Also, might I add, you’re likely here because of being mortal/not completely monster and need protection like many demigods

Anyways, Nico isn’t at camp all that much

Especially since he has this idea that many people aren’t fond of him (which changes throughout the series)

When he hears about you through the grapevine he’s intrigued

He never thought that someone such as yourself would even exist but then again he could say that about the gods and Olympus

Only once he finds out that you’re treated like shit (at the start of your stay) does he go to find you and see what your deal is

And he’s pleasantly surprised

You pass all his standards

1. Don’t be an asshole

2. Don’t be an asshole

Oh, and did I mention don’t be an asshole?

You were more than pleasant to hang out with and he found himself looking for you amongst the crowds of demigods at camp

He looked forward to seeing you again

Only then does he realize how he’s fallen in love with you

He never would’ve imagined he’d ever fall in love with a son of Medusa, but here he is

He’s admittedly hesitant to confess to you

It’s so obvious too

You’re at the lake like you usually are

You tend to spend time there when you’re not having fun at arts and crafts or training with weapons

This is the time of day you two usually hang out and that’s only proven more by the fact that Nico is seated right next to you, gazing at you

Almost lost in thought but then you snap him back to reality- wondering what’s up

That’s when he just tells you, he almost shrinks away until you tell him that you reciprocate his feelings

He’s honestly shocked by the whole thing and just stares at you until you hesitantly hold his hand

From them on you’re officially boyfriends and he can’t emphasize how happy he is to have you

The sun isn’t always shining and so bad things are bound to happen, what’d you expect? You two are a demigod and a half monster (?)

Your origins might be a mystery but you know better than anyone not to fear the dark

So when Nicos having certain days where he’s struggling, he’s glad that you can embrace all of him

Change of tone but you and Nico are just chilling as Jules- Albert drives you places when Nico realizes something

He’s never seen your eyes, or rather, looked you straight on

I mean you’ve kissed, hugged, etc etc but he’s never seen you without your glasses

Which how could he? He’d literally be turned to stone

But that doesn’t stop him from wondering

His eerily long silence next to you prompts you to ask him what’s up

And finally after much convincing that ‘we listen and we don’t judge’

He tells you

And of course you laugh but just because you find it endearing that he wants to

Of course it’s something that never goes anywhere but if he asks a Hecate kid if there’s stone proof potions- well that’s none of your business

[somewhereincairparavel]

If Jason had been written to have atleast somewhat of a jealousy streak of Percy, then it would have made him more human tbh. Ironically I feel like the fandom would've been much more empathetic to his character, if he acknowledged that he envied Percy a little and then came to terms with it. We know that Jason's fear of being 2nd best is a very integral part of his character, I mean, Gaia taunting him with that in his nightmares was enough to reduce him into tears. and that's the ONLY time we've even remotely seen him cry. Percy had so many things Jason didn't have, a loving mom, a loving girlfriend who took a knife for him and never broke his heart, a loving camp that looked for him endlessly after he went missing, people ACTUALLY wanting him to survive because they care about him not because they need him for glory, etc. and if im being honest Poseidon wasn't even that bad of a father (for a big three god, atleast) tbh he still came to percy's 15th birthday, invited him to fishing, genuinely loved sally, she was probably the only mortal he fell in love with and it stayed that way, he was never rude to percy and stuck up for him etc. not tryna say percy had it easy or anything ofc he didnt, but there is no point in denying that he had a MUCH better support system than jason ever had.

The fact that Jason despite having none of these things was not even remotely envious of Percy made him appear like a bland robot with no emotional baggage

Compare this to Nico, who was rightfully a little jealous/idolizing Percy while simultaneously having a crush on him, also a little jealous of Jason because he was "the golden boy" who everyone respected, it made him have SO much depth and the fandom loves him (rightfully so)

also, leo. He was resentful of Percy up until blood of Olympus because of how everyone loved him, how Calypso fell for him almost immediately, etc. it's very realistic.Jason feeling a little resentful of Percy and then later talking it out would've made his character much less of a shallow stereotypical nice guy that ppl dislike.

maybe Rick could've expanded on Jason's jealousy of how quickly camp Jupiter accepted Percy and how quickly Reyna made him praetor, when jason himself had dedicated his whole life to it and was only made praetor in the last couple months, how camp Jupiter and his supposed friends never held a memorial for him even after they thought he was dead, etc. Also how Percy spent more time with thalia than jason ever did, we know he did feel a little envious since he mentioned how much he wished thalia looked for him the way she was looking for percy

I would've loved to see Jason being a little cold to Reyna too because of this and then they later talk it out, since it's VERY realistic, I was surprised with how quickly jason shrugged the whole Percy- being- a -praetor thing off, I thought he'd have felt a little betrayed by Reyna considering that they were childhood friends, and reyna never really sent a search party or something after him like annabeth did, gods, the amount of angst potential this man had i love him ugh

[imaslutforwritingshit]

Edward Cullen Imagine (XF!READER)

PART TWO

Warnings- smut, p in v, cunnilingus, faint jealousy (Jacob), passionate (lovey) sex

P.S I’ve actually never made smut where the characters actually loved each other😭 it’s mostly just desire. So this is actually kinda well written , just a foreword to the poetic shit she says.

Read PART ONE here ;)

I didn’t understand what he meant when he said that. I didn’t understand, until his cold fingers snakes down the bones of my hips, and he covered me with his strong body, like the crevices in my pelvic bone were made solely for his hands.

“You,” Edward strained, his voice gravely, unlike the normal smooth charisma he embodied. As he spoke in my ear, he pushed my shorts down with his thumbs, the cheeky underwear I had picked out this morning on a whim now on full display to him.

When Edward let his fingers graze the shape of my ass, his hand wavered on my skin, like every movement was delicate- and yet something he couldn’t contain. “You are making me lose myself. The way you sound, look, smell,” Edward inhaled sharply, grinding his hard cock across the sheer fabric of my underwear. The feeling sent shivers and tingles down the nerves of my stomach.

I wanted more. I’ve never wanted anything as much as I wanted this. His voice was amplifying my desire for him, each rough syllable a new jolt of electricity through my body.

Edward groaned as my panties rose up, his dick deeper in the planes of my ass. I could practically feel the veins of his body sliding on the skin of my ass cheeks.

He finished his sentence in a husky tone, each word getting harder for him to speak. “You make me want to do horrible things, Calypso. I want to be selfish with you. To you.” The lowness of his voice, if I didn’t know him as my boyfriend, would be straight up deadly- and terrifying.

My heart melted at the thought of Edward getting what he wanted, a strange mixture of lustful hormones and admiration for the words. Everything Edward has always been was good, and gentleman-like, and selfless.

So, yeah. I want him to be selfish. I want him to have what he wants, just for this evening.

I arched my back, pressing my entire ass against his erection. “I need you to be selfish, Edward. I want to see you lose control.”

Edward stopped moving for a second, breathing heavily over my body. I could feel his cock twitching on my underwear, and I bucked my hips backwards, urging him to keep going. He stopped my movement with a rough push on my hips, bringing my entire body to the cushion.

“Callie, Callie. I will never lose control.” he felt my body up, each grope electrifying my senses. “I desire ruining you. My body begs to. The amount of times I fantasized of killing you when I met you…You drive me insane, beautiful.” He paused, and I could almost feel a smile on his face. “But I’m not a dog. I wouldn’t eat you alive the first chance I get, for my own filthy benefit.” Edward bit his lip, tilting his head in a dangerously playful motion. “Unless, of course, you would prefer that. Canines?”

Realization dawned on me. Jacob. He was mocking me about Jacob. Where was this coming from?

“Edward, I don’t care about him. I want you.”

Edward draped his head by mine, the graceful stands of his hair falling on my cheek. “I don’t know why you enjoy that so much, Calypso. The thought of being weak. Under Jacob’s ruthless control.”

The words were true, but still irritating. I could only assume this fire of emotion was coming from his episode of lust, but my body was getting too many mixed emotions to understand how to feel about it.

Edward thumbed my panties now, sliding the strings down in a slow, taunting manner. “I know that animal would love to see you like that. Begging.” He snarled quietly at that, and took a quick breath as my underwear slid off my ass. “To see you asking him, pleading him to take control from you.”

I whimpered, a strange thrill coming from the anger in his voice. He was jealous- because he wanted me.

Maybe I’m sick for that having fueled my desire more.

But then again, maybe I’m sick for loving a vampire.

He kissed my shoulder blade, a soft contrast to the hardness of his words. “I’ve thought about tasting you for a long time.”

My blood.

A strange, unusual spike of fear entered my heart.

This was Edward. But he’s different now- fueled by emotions, unpredictable.

Is he gonna hurt me?

Edward kissed the small of my back, dragging his hands to my waist.

“I’ve thought about tasting you, Calypso. I just never said how.”

Edward grabbed my side, rolling me to be on my back. I stared at his eyes, animalistic and wild, blending in with the dark of the forest behind him.

“Spread your legs, my dove.”

My heart was pounding so fast, I could feel the pulse all over my body. Specifically throbbing in the area between my thighs, which I spread out per his orders.

Edward sucked in a breath in his teeth, the fangs in his mouth sticking out in a predatory manner. Only staring at my naked body, like the very sight was granting him vitality. He didn’t drop his frighteningly focused stare, and instead leaned over me, kissing my thighs. Each touch was tipping me over, teasing me in a painful way.

I remember what Edward had told me a month ago.

“So the lion fell in love with the lamb.”

I was indeed, a stupid lamb.

He grazed the skin below my stomach with his lips, tracing the lines of my hips with a trail of burning kisses. I was practically rocking my hips, a silent beg for more.

Edward pushed his cold, comforting hands on my hips again, forcing me down.

God, I could live in this moment forever.

This is my life now. He is my life now. I can’t see anything farther than this.

This is my past, my present, my future all encapsulated in one small, fleeting moment.

Edward stared at me, with intense, hot eyes, dragging on my breasts, my hips, and the slow trail to my clit. It would embarrass me- the heavy eye contact, with anyone else.

But Edward’s not like anyone else.

So I kept my gaze on him, as he kept his eyes on me, and let his warm tongue heat the area between my folds. I shivered from his godlike touch, unable to tear my eyes from the beautiful scene of his mouth on my body. He grasped my thighs harder, tracing circles with the perfect pressure on my clit.

As if he couldn’t control the quick movement, he snaked his tongue down to my wet opening, rolling movements inside of me. I mewled, gripping the sheets with white knuckles. My toes were already curling from the very idea of him touching me like this.

Edward bite down a little harder on the top of my pussy, licking my body like I was his last meal. Every touch was strategic, but am I surprised? He had 104 years of experience.

Orgasm was rising to my surface too quickly. I grabbed his hair, increasing the screaming thoughts of my mind, hoping he’ll understand. But the desire took over him- and he began flicking his wet tongue more, causing me to jerk my head backwards, clasping my thighs over his head.

“Please, Edward.” My gasps were filling the empty space, all of his movements sickeningly perfect.

He let go of me, the warm tongue exiting my folds, and I clenched my thighs together harder as he kneeled over me, his breath ragged and heavy. His lips were sleek with my fluid, and I felt my ears go red.

He was looking at me like I was the most beautiful thing to exist. He watched me, so intense that I could cower from his breathtaking gaze. Edward pulled his shirt over his head, the pale, shimmering color of his skin mesmerizing me.

The sun was out. Fading over the large pine trees of Forks- as if the universe had some perfectly divine idea of the first connection of our bodies.

His eyes were light brown in the sunlight, the lines of his abs sparkling in the warm orange of the sun.

“I’m crazy about you.” My confession was soft, so soft I wasn’t sure he heard it.

Edward slowly shook his head, but all I could focus on was the color of his eyes. It was the only thing tethering me from heaven.

He was a fallen angel, looking at me like I was the cure to his sin.

“Calypso. You are my destruction.” His breath quickened, his lean chest rising and falling with the pace of my own.

Edward’s mouth met mine one more time, one more soft, passionate time. I grazed my fingers over the muscles of his back, memorizing every part of this moment. Solidifying it in my nimble, mortal mind.

He let the tip of his dick slide on my wet pussy, staring at me with lustful eyes, eyes waiting for confirmation.

I nodded, biting my lip in preparation.

Edward let his thick shaft slide in my cunt, and I yelped, clenching his thick shoulders.

It hurt. His dick was so big, I was hardly prepared for it. But Edward, with the last remaining piece of willpower he had, slowed his movements, his hard body meeting the spongey, untouched area inside of me.

He hissed, dropping his body on mine, and he grazed his fingers through my hair, each thrust getting more powerful.

With that, I realized something.

Edward is a vampire.

A vampire with exceeding amounts of supernatural strength, and… stamina.

He showed no signs of reaching climax as he warmed my body with his cock, each stroke inside of me causing pleasure to shoot to my stomach.

I could faintly hear my reaction- unreal, loud moans that I assume the deers of the forest could hear. I mewled as he slowed down, pushing his forearms into the cushion. Edward let out a soft groan, stroking my face with his thumb. He repositioned his position, pushing his dick back in, and reaching new lengths of pleasure in my insides. I moaned, shamelessly, letting my fingers dig into his back.

The warm ball of nerves were heating at my core, a sign that I was reaching climax. Edward’s mouth dropped to my collarbones, sucking sharp hickeys as he thrusted inside of me, each movement rolling my eyes back.

I whimpered, stammering from the euphoria shaking my legs. “I’m-close…”

Edward moaned, a sound so beautiful I could’ve just watched him now, an artist and a masterpiece. He ground his hips to mine, hissing with the feeling of his body completely in mine. I let my hands fall over my head, closing my eyes to try to preserve the orgasm rising in my gut.

“No.” Edward’s voice was strained, the softness of his movements gone. Each thrust inside of me was hard, rough, matching his untainted desire. “Don’t close your eyes. I need to see you.”

I need to see you.

How could I love someone so much it hurt?

I opened my eyes weakly, meeting the heavy lidded, black pits of Edward’s. His abs clenched as he pushed inside of me, his hips bucking with a renounced speed. I gasped at the feeling of his dick hitting my cervix, trying to focus on his face, overwhelmed with pleasure.

“Please,” I begged one more time, the need for my climax forcing my legs to shake on his.

Edward managed a smile, and dropped his body again, fully covering mine. He rocked into me, and I whimpered in his ear, letting my hands drop over his neck.

Nothing has ever felt this good. Nothing will ever feel this good.

Edward groaned, the thrusts getting so hard it began to hurt again, with a strange, overwhelming pleasure that came with the pain.

“Callie…” His voice was soft for the jerk of his hips, a warm sensation rolling over my body.

“Edward!” I squirmed, peak taking over my nerves.

“I know, love.” Edward’s breaths were fast in my ear, the jerk of his hips creating the sounds of skin slapping throughout the room. He let a heavy groan slip from his lips, and I felt the leak of precum making the inside of my pussy even more liquid.

“I’m going to-” Edward’s voice was nothing more then a raspy groan in my ear.

“Please, please!” I whimpered again, clenching my legs around his abdomen to avoid the painful desire of climax. He had edged me on for so long, I don’t think I could’ve waited anymore.

Edward’s movements turned hard, fast, a ripple of sensation arousing my body again. He growled, our skin smacking together with new volume, and orgasm blinded my vision, making me roll my eyes back, and arch my back until my clit touched the root of his cock. I screamed, scraping my nails on his back until I could’ve been sure there was blood.

Edward didn’t protest; in fact, he thrust harder with that, each movement causing him to heave breaths, the warm air hitting my ear. He moaned, a vibration in the mess of my hair, and quickly pulled his warm, wet body from my own, shooting strings of hot white on the base of my stomach, dripping down my sensitive cunt.

Edward rolled off of me slowly, collapsing on the small couch, both of our bodies reeling the affects of the tiresome fuck. I attempted to catch my breath, feeling my heart beating so fast I couldn’t hear the birds chirping anymore. Hesitantly, I turned my body to meet his, but Edward was already staring at me, the warmth of his expression a relief to me. He bit his lip, his chest rising the similar pattern mine was.

I processed everything, opening my mouth to speak, but not understanding how to phrase it.

“Edward?”

He smiled, the soft, mesmerizing action in my peripheral. “Yes?” The melody of his voice still left me catching my breath.

I couldn’t say the words. They rung in my mind, an untamable message dancing through my heart.

Three words.

I love you.

Edward let his eyes fall on mine, hearing the silent plea of my mind.

“I love you too, Callie.” His mouth was parted, and his lips were red from before, and he read my mind and read those words. I couldn’t help it when I draped over his body, kissing him like it was the first time all over again.

He snaked his arms over my bare body, his smooth knuckles tickling my spine. His lips draped over mine as if we were two puzzle pieces, separated for too long, and now here, and alive, and in love.

I loved Edward Cullen. I had the very first day I met him. And even if I die a mortal, holding the hand of the boy who will exist forever, I know I’ll live until the day he ceases to.

I’ll live in Edward’s heart,

And he’ll live in mine.

Because that’s what love is, right? A taste of forever.

And we were forever.

Okay that’s it byeeee

I am super open to constructive criticism and feedback, as well as recs. Thanks for reading ! :> <333

[jarondont]

Aftermath (odypen fanfic)

TW: mentioned SA and (according to my friend) slightly (and I mean SLIGHTLY) suggestive

[I was pretty proud of this one so I wanted to share :D]

[credit to @dootznbootz for the Water Wife™ headcanon]

The palace halls were deserted this time of night. The two lovers had taken an evening stroll — more like midnight stroll — and were still drenched from the creek. It wasn’t her fault, she insisted — Odysseus started it. Had he never smugly commented about his “godlike looks,” Penelope might have not used her naiad powers and they both would probably still be dry. But no.

That lovable little bighead, she thought to herself, smiling.

“What is it?” he asked from beside her. She snapped out of her thoughts and glanced at him — then, seeing his cocky grin, looked back down. Her cheeks felt hot.

“Oh, nothing. Just thinking about how embarrassed you looked after the creek incident.”

“Did not!”

“Did too.”

“Did not!”

“Quit arguing like a child,” she chuckled.

He pretended to pout, softening his expression like a little pup as he always did to persuade her.

“Don’t make that face at me.”

His grin returned, wider this time. “Why not? Too gorgeous for you?”

She stopped walking and playfully shoved his shoulder into the nearest pillar. Before she could say anything else, he grabbed her arm and pulled her close. For a second, they stayed there, looking into each other’s eyes, barely able to breathe.

She eyed his lips. He eyed hers. She inched her face closer, almost closing the gap between them —

“Wait.”

Confused, she pulled back. “What?”

Odysseus was trembling. His breathing was shallow and uneven, his skin pale. “I just … I can’t.”

“Why not?” Penelope’s brows furrowed. “Odysseus, what’s wrong?”

He didn’t respond. His chest was heaving, his eyes flicking wildly from one spot to another — looking at everything but her. And he wouldn’t stop shaking.

“Odysseus. Ody, look at me.”

He did, but his eyes were wild.

“You can tell me if something’s bothering you. Did I do something? Say something?”

“No — no, I …” He trailed off, shaking his head.

“It’s okay, Ody. You can tell me.”

“Ca — ” his breath hitched. “Calypso,” he breathed, barely audible.

“What — ” Suddenly, Penelope understood. She’d heard that word before. Calypso wasn’t a what.

She was a who.

“Another woman?” Penelope took a step back. “Is that what this is about?”

No response. Just more ragged breathing.

“Answer me, Odysseus,” she spat angrily. “Who is this woman you slept with? Why did you choose her over me?”

His eyes widened more, suddenly flicking up to meet hers. “No! No, it’s not like that. She — ”

“What’s going on, Odysseus? What else haven’t you told me? What else are you hiding?”

“Penelope, listen — ” He paused, choking a little as tears formed in his eyes. “I tried to stop her but she — ” Suddenly, he dissolved in tears. “I’m so sorry.”

Oh.

Penelope’s heart dropped. He didn’t choose Calypso over her — no, the reality was much worse.

She stepped closer again. “Ody, it’s okay — ”

“No. No, it’s not. I’m sorry.”

Reaching out to touch his face, she repeated, “It’s okay — ”

But he jumped away from her hand like it was the point of a sword.

“Don’t touch me.”

She froze, realizing why he said that. “I’m sorry, Ody — ”

His expression softened. “No. I’m sorry. I — ” his voice caught in his throat as his eyes widened again.

“I have to go,” he said, slowly backing away.

“Odysseus — ”

“I’m so sorry.”

And he turned and sprinted away.

•••

“Odysseus? Ody, where are you? Odysseus!”

Penelope ran through the halls, almost tripping and cursing at her dress for being so long. She called her husband’s name over and over again, worry blossoming in her heart like a poisonous flower.

She checked the gardens. Nothing.

She checked the main hall. Nobody in sight.

She checked the courtyard. Completely empty.

Where was he?

Realization struck her — there was only one place left.

Panting, she knocked on the bedroom door. “Ody? Ody, it’s me, are you in there?”

No response. She was about to knock again but then —

Sniffle.

Her heart felt like it had been ripped into pieces. Just that one sound made her knees feel week. Odysseus was crying — because of her. Because she decided to do the one thing that made him uncomfortable — touch him.

Although, she thought, Odysseus had never acted like this before. If anything, they both loved curling up on that wedding bed of theirs and losing themselves in love. It made them feel … intertwined. Not just their limbs. But their hearts. Their souls. Like two olive bushes — one tame, one wild — growing from the same stem with their branches wound together so tightly that nothing, not even the wind or rain, could pass through.

Now, it felt as if someone was hacking at the wild branch with an axe, trying to cut him off from his stem and pry him away against his will. That someone was Calypso.

Or maybe — Penelope dreadfully thought — it was herself.

Either way, she could not let him feel like that any longer. She opened the door, stepping inside.

“Ody?”

Another sniffle.

She gently closed the door, then followed the sound to behind the bed. Curled up in a corner was the king of Ithaca — shaking, sobbing, choking on his breath with his head against the wall and knees tucked into his chest.

“Odysseus.”

A pained groan escaped his throat as he winced. His eyes were shut tight, his skin dripping with sweat and tears.

Her gut twisted. What was happening to him? “Odysseus. Ody, wake up. Please.”

“Enough, goddess,” he croaked quietly. “Please.”

“What — Odysseus, it’s me —”

“No!” His body twitched as if someone had sent a bolt of lightning through him. His brows furrowed in pain. “You’ve — you’ve hurt me enough. No more — no more games. Please, I beg of you.”

“Odysseus! Please! Wake up!” she cried, crouching down and desperately taking his face in her hands. She could feel tears forming in her eyes, clouding her vision. What must he have gone through to get this upset?

His eyes still squeezed shut, he jumped away from her touch. “Get away from me!” he yelled. “Please — leave me alone. Let me — let me have one peaceful night. One. Please —”

“ODYSSEUS, IT’S ME! It’s Penelope! You’re home, remember? You’re safe. Please, come back to me.” She choked, the tears flowing freely down her face now.

His eyes flew open as he jolted awake. At the sight of her, his breath hitched. “Penelope,” he whispered. “It’s you.”

She nodded, smiling through her tears. “Yes, my love. It’s me. You’re home.”

For a second, he was silent, taking in everything about her — her face, her electric blue eyes, now overflowing with tears. She held his gaze, watching him realize that this was Penelope — his loving wife. She’d never hurt him. Never.

Suddenly, he threw his arms around her, dissolving in tears again. She hugged him back, her fingers combing his sweat-soaked hair as sobs racked his body. She fought the urge to cry with him, knowing that she had to be strong for the both of them if she wanted to help him.

“It’s okay,” she whispered into his ear over and over again until he had somewhat calmed down. “You’re okay.”

He waited until the tears stopped flowing, then let go and met her gaze again. “I’m sorry.”

“No.”

“I’m sorry, Penelope.”

“No, I’m sorry. I made you uncomfortable. I won’t touch you anymore —”

“No!” he exclaimed. “No, please do.” His eyes glinted with longing. “Twenty years I have been starved of your touch. I can’t hold back any longer. I just — it’ll take some time for — for me to get used to it.”

“Take your time, my love. I’ll be right here by your side.”

He nodded, biting his lip as his eyes moistened again. Burying his face into her shoulder, he sat with her in silence.

After a moment, Penelope spoke. “If you ever want to talk about it —”

He shuddered.

“You don’t have to,” she stammered. “Talk about it, I mean. I know it’s hard. I know you’re hurt. But if you do —”

“No, I do. Just — give me a second.”

“Take your time,” she repeated.

A few seconds passed as he steadied his emotions. Separating himself from the embrace, he took a deep breath. He couldn’t meet her eyes.

“It wasn’t just Calypso. Before that … Circe.”

Oh, gods. Penelope felt dizzy.

“But at least I got something out of that. Hermes told me that for her to release my men, I — I had to allow myself into her bed. So I did, reluctantly.” His voice cracked. “It worked. She released my men and sent us on our way to the Underworld. I thought that would be the last of it.”

Penelope started to take his hand in hers, then stopped herself. But Odysseus looked down, then took her hand instead. She smiled at him comfortingly.

“Calypso was a different story.” He swallowed. “After my ship was struck down by Zeus, I washed up on an island. She greeted me, appearing kind at first. She gave me shelter, food, clothing, and company. One day, I told her that I must be on my way. But she —” He hesitated. “She had different plans. ‘I gave you everything I could. It’s time you repay me.’ I agreed. ‘Anything, goddess.’” He paused. “I wish I had known what she had meant.” His voice cracked again as he finally met Penelope’s eyes. “I’m so sorry, my love.”

She shook her head.

“I'm just a man, Penelope. A mortal. I was no match against this goddess. I’m so sorry. Every night, no matter how hard I resisted, she’d — she'd force me into her bed; every night after … her, I’d lie awake thinking of you — of how I betrayed you, even when you were waiting for me for all these years —” He choked, letting out another sob.

She wrapped her arms around him again as he whispered, “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t, Ody.”

Silence fell again between the two as he composed himself. Penelope spoke again — “This happened … every night?” she whispered.

He slowly nodded into her shoulder.

“For how long?”

No response.

“Ody —”

“Eight years.”

Gods.

Now tears fell from her eyes too as his fingers dug into her back, desperately grasping for her affection. The realization that this — being forced to betray his beloved; not the monsters, the gods, or anything else he faced — was the worst he could have ever suffered.

For eight years. Penelope felt sick.

“I’m so sorry,” he kept saying, but she only shook her head.

Her heart shattered. None of this was his fault; why was he apologizing? And this was nothing like the Odysseus she knew. Odysseus was a hero — strong, brave, and cunning. No, this was … broken. A man who had been through far more than he let on; far more than he deserved.

Even heroes need to be consoled sometimes, she figured.

They sat like that for a while, taking comfort in each other. When they finally parted, they both felt different — healed.

All that was in the past now. They had each other now, as they always would. They were safe. They were home.

They were together. And that’s what mattered.

“Penelope?” Odysseus asked.

“Hm?”

“Thank you.”

She only smiled.

That night, the two of them fell asleep in each other’s arms — the two olive bushes, intertwined again at last.

Never to be separated again.

[cynthiav06]

Do you think Jason and Percy's "friendship", which everyone portrays in the fandom, is overrated? Frank seems TO BE LITERALLY PRESENT HERE! And, I admit, is Jason not exactly the character that hooked me? That is, from the "lost" trio (Piper, Leo and Jason) No one got me hooked. I didn't give a damn about them, and now I don't care about them. But Frank and Percy's friendship is in the book son of Neptune.🛐 . I would like to ask you about this

I will be the first one to admit that out of all the glaring problems of HoO, the most overlooked one is that there's no proper exploration of interpersonal relationships between all the characters especially when it comes to Percy. But I swear, soN relationships were done so well. The trio of Hazel, Frank, and Percy is absolutely phenomenal. (Hot take: I like this trio more than I like Percy, Grover, and Annabeth's og trio. Go figure). Anyways, let's do this one by one. [This is going to be long cause let's admit it the entirety of SoN is just Percy, Frank and Hazel bonding and it's the best thing Rick has ever written]

Only Frank and Hazel are ever stated to be his best/good friends, and they openly interact that way throughout the books. It's the only consistent thing in all or HoO. The fact that Percy and Frank's Riordan wiki has them both in each other's family sections and labeled brotherly is one of only redeeming things about the wiki.

Up until House of Hades, Percy's interactions with Leo are practically nil, nor does he have many opinions on Leo other than the fact that he makes good inventions. Then post HoH, there's this ridiculous conflict shoved between them over Calypso that is so absurd I won't waste my breath talking about it. Leo didn't much appeal to me either because of some of his obnoxious behavior and the way he treated Frank just pissed me off. And then him blaming Percy for the Calypso thing was just the final straw. The only thing I like about Leo is his genius and loge for inventions.

The same goes for Percy and Piper. Percy practically has no opinion on her aside from the fact that she is an ally of his. Piper, on the contrary, has MANY opinions on Percy, most of them wrong. Especially the part where she says Percy needs to be leashed and Annabeth's the one to do it and Annabeth just fucking agrees? But never mind, let's move on. My thoughts on Piper are complicated and she is one of the characters I can say I actively disliked. But that could be a whole separate post.

Then there's Percy and Jason. They are paralleled a lot, but their differences are quite prominent as well. There's a two-way insecurity/envy there, and it is never properly resolved. Percy has decent information about Jason's past. Jason has little to no information on Percy's past, just like everyone else. Aside from that moment underwater in BoO there's little positive interaction between Jason and Percy; their one or two prior conversations are either neutral or combative due to them being pit against each other either by the narrative or their own conflicting opinions. But their relationship has the most potential; Jason I do like a lot and the things he could have been. He and Percy could have been very good friends if they had shown any such inclinations but the way Jason was left un-nuanced in terms of his buildup and depth at times and their relationship being left underdeveloped and raw really got in the way of any developments. But the fandom's reason for hyping them likely has to do with the unexplored depths of their paralles and their contrast in choices, motivations and end results of their struggle. That and they are a recently popular ship so their's your answer for the hype.

So, to sum it up, Percy considers the lost trio to be allies/friends at best or, at worst, he has no much opinion of them. But there's more of a link between Percy and Jason than there's between Percy and the other two members of the Lost Trio. Which is that Jason is Thalia's brother. Thalia is one of Percy's close friends and his cousin and Jason is HER younger brother which makes Percy slightly more inclined to think of Jason as a closer friend than the other two, not necessarily because of his own relationship with Jason but because of who he means to Thalia. Percy "fatal flaw loyalty" Jackson taking it up on himself to keep Thalia's brother safe is something extremely plausible and very in character for him despite barely knowing Jason.

Now to the main point: I love love Percy and Frank's relationship. Like they are so fucking iconic as best friends and no one even talks about it. And I have been wanting to make a post on this for ages. Thanks for giving me the extra push for it, Anon.

The way Frank and Percy meet and just immediately have each other's back; chefs kiss. To me Frank and Hazel are the two people who immediately return Percy's loyalty while Percy's first meeting with anyone else is always about them being suspicious of Percy. Percy saves both Frank and Hazel from the monsters soon after their introduction. Frank is absolutely in awe of Percy and grateful to him for saving his life. For the first time ever, Percy's good act is instantly rewarded when Frank offers to vouch for Percy in Camp Jupiter before Reyna cuts him down. Percy, despite learning of Frank's low rank and not so good reputation, is completely unbothered and fully supportive of Frank.

1]Now, if you remember, Frank takes the vials of gorgon's blood that technically are Percy's by right because Frank thinks one of them might help with his curse. He is so guilty about it from the start. He doesn't think Percy noticed that he took them, but obviously Percy did, and he later brings it up with Frank not to criticize him but to ask him to keep it safe for him. Frank is so completely moved. Because he believes no Roman given the chance to have these vials for themselves would give it up and especially with Percy's mind and memories being in the state that they are, he definitely needs them more and yet he willingly gives those up.

I just love that interaction. Cause for once, someone doesn't think the worst of Frank or look down on him, despite how powerful Percy is. In fact, Percy even actively believes Frank did it to protect Percy, showing Frank that he thinks the best of him. Frank is so extremely guilty, and he immediately makes sure that he won't use the vials for himself or for anything else until he has Percy's say-so.

2]Just before that interaction is the one where Frank confides in Percy about his mother. His first instinct is to lie, but then he looks at Percy and is unable to [its practically canon that people just divulge their secrets and innermost insecurities when Percy is looking at them and it's the absolute funniest thing everytime.] He tells Percy the truth of what happened to his mother Emily and how she died in the war. And is immediately relieved cause Percy doesn't offer any platitudes or words of consolation. He just listens and nods, and knowing Frank doesn't want to linger on the subject, he immediately changes it.

3]Frank is the one to base their whole plan on Percy. When even Percy, because of his memory loss, isn't sure he could control the cannon, Frank believes in him, and Percy immediately backs up Frank. And when Percy does succeed in exploding the cannons and Frank looks at him to lead, Percy immediately tells Frank that it was his plan and that he should be leading the attack and gives Frank all the credit. The trust these two have in each other is insane. To have a friendship like these two.

4]Later on, when Mars arrives, everyone but Percy kneels and only and only when Frank asks him to kneel does Percy kneel. The whole segment of Mars talking and Percy being snippy and Frank's entire inner monologue about not wanting Mars to kill Percy and being so fucking worried about Percy and confused as to why Mars isn't immediately furious was just so hilarious.

And the way Frank just asks Percy if Riptide can do a grenade form after he sees Mars turn his grenade into a ball point pen and Percy is just so fucking offended and asks Frank to shut up has to be one of the funniest interactions in the book. Like look at this; Frank is so hopeful and Percy is so insulted that he would have anything in common with Mars. I don't know why but I absolutely love this interaction.

5]Percy doesn't want to go on the quest, but he doesn't want to leave Frank and Hazel alone, so he tags along immediately. Not because Mars asked but for Frank. Despite receiving the message in his dreams about Annabeth asking him to stay put, he immediately prioritizes his their safety over his own reunion and memory recollection and if that isn't Percy being Percy then I don't know what is.

The way all three of the SoN trio just completely hit it off almost immediately and the way they mesh together so well for such a treat to read. The whole book is just all of them being iconic individually and then as a trio. The best book in HoO by a landslide no questions asked. Some parts of HoH come close but overall it's the best book, in terms of writing as well as character consistency.

6]The way Percy hates Spartus monsters, but when Frank is the one controlling them, he is okay with them after one assurance from Frank. Percy is also completely amazed when it beats the Laistrogonyans. My point being that even before Frank got his gift, Percy completely respected him and his judgement and was completely supportive of Frank's plans and his leadership.

There are so many subtle as well as obvious signs. Percy being proud of Frank for making centurion, worrying if Frank got hurt when he got his mural, being concerned for Frank's grandmother and consistently bolstering Frank's self-confidence. He makes sure Frank understands how much he and Hazel need Frank and appreciate his leadership. And the way Percy is so proud of being related to Frank.

"You singlehandedly took out three basilisks while I was sipping green tea and wheat germ. You held off an army of Laistrygonians so that our plane could take off in Vancouver. You saved my life by shooting down that gryphon. And you gave up the last charge on your magic spear to help some defenseless mortals. You are, hands down, the nicest child of the war god I've ever met… Maybe the only nice one."

-Percy to Frank, SoN, pg.348

Coming from Percy who hates war gods especially Ares/Mars enough for it to overpower Hera's memory curse, this is extremely high praise. The way Percy is absolutely ready to throw hands with death to protect Hazel and Frank is just so important to me.

Frank being absolutely in awe of Percy, and having full faith in Percy's power even when Percy doesn't have it and Percy mirroring this behavior back is my Roman Empire. They are both the most suicidal characters in the book. I don't think we talk about how often Frank thought of dying and Percy is almost always suicidal (since 12 years old) but the way they both make sure the other won't die on their watch...it's the best written relationship in the entirety of HoO and you won't tell me otherwise.

The way Frank and Hazel both look up to Percy, how Frank was absolutely against Percy gambling is life and the fact that he is so proud of Percy that Frank points out the way Percy beat his father Mars to Mar's face with just so much sass is like the only proof you need. My guy was ready to back Percy till the end no matter what.

7]Obviously there's a reason why only Hazel and Percy know about Frank's curse initially and the fact that Frank trusts Percy so naturally and explicitly. Percy asks him to turn into a dolphin for the sake of his plan? Frank turns into a dolphin, no hesitation. Frank looking to Percy for silent acknowledgement whenever he tries something new with his powers and the fact that we know Frank wants to make Percy proud is just so fucking gut wrenching. These two are absolutely the inseparable best friends and I will forever hate Rick for not doing them justice.

8]Frank has seen Percy at his low when he is panicking and suffocating in the aquarium when they are captured and how he immediately does what he can to comfort Percy. He doesn't judge Percy for being so shaken by the whole situation, he completely understands and is so fully on Percy's side. The whole of SoN at times Frank was the one more fixated on returning Percy's memories than Percy was. The absolute devastated state that Hazel and Frank are in after Percy falls into Tartarus and Frank focusing on what Percy would want them to do. No one is doing it like them in the whole pjo series.

9]Also the whole Percy being slightly jealous and so in awe of Frank's ability and Frank just gaping at him cause to him, his gift is nothing compared to Percy's and that whole conversation is so hilarious. Percy calling Frank beast yet again but this time to tease him about how on the nose he was and Frank being flattered and embarrassed and immediately shutting it down gives me life. It's one of my favorite interactions ever.

All in all, Frank and Percy have similar issues and the way they mirror each other's positive and encouraging behavior to dispel each other's insecurities and the innate protectiveness for each other and the fact that they are both so proud they are related. The peak of brotherhood. The best friendship in the pjoverse to me. You cannot get better than this. Not to mention they both care so much for Hazel and are so protective of her and the way Hazel looks upto Percy always and relies on Frank for support. The best trio that ever trioed (could only be beaten by Lockwood, George and Lucy from Lockwood and Co.). There's not enough acknowledgement for these guys and the fandom really is missing out on the awesomeness of Frank Zhang.

I hate Rick for butchering Frank's character development in HoH that way. Frank so absolutely deserved to be Praetor but it should have been on his own merit, not because the blessing of Mars changed him the way it did. It's shit writing and just an awful message to give in general. The way Rick is fucked up all these golden opportunities and character potentials. To me everything after HoH is mostly non-canon anyway.

[justbelievinginmagic]

the sea & her moon. davy jones!kim hongjoong x calypso!reader pt 2 / previous drabble 1.5k words. barely edited.

“Ten years,” Hongjoong bit out. "It has been more than ten. years."

His look was not of devotion nor fear. It was of anger. One dark eye swirled like the clouds during a maelstrom. His eye-patch was a new accessory... and foreign to her, only serving to make him look less and less like the soft-cheeked sailor she had met long ago. His anger was equally strange.

She had never been on the receiving side of fury. She was the fury. She was the feared. She was the uncontrollable. The sea. A wicked thing. A cruel thing. A beautiful thing. But she was now simply a woman. Bound in her mortal form, trapped in the same bones that she had met him in. Her wine-red sea of a heart wasn’t endless in this form; it was a trapped organ; it toiled and bubbled and swallowed her up as its waves roughened with… guilt.

He glared as her eyes softened evermore.

“Ten years I devoted to the duty that you charged me,” his words were cutting like the pirate’s blade he now had on his belt.

Her Hongjoong had been a sailor, never a pirate. His lips twitched, a tongue rolling around his mouth as if the words that he spoke were acidic on his tastebuds.

“Ten years, I ferried those who died at sea,” he took another step towards her, nose scrunched. “And finally, when we could be together again!” His tone raised but he did not yell. “You. Weren’t. There.”

The blow to her heart was imminent. Her throat clenched, and her heart swelled like she was the beach at high tide. Flooding over her weak organ to choke her throat. Her eyes burned with salt; the very salt that made up her sea. And as much as she wanted to glance away, in shame, she did not. She couldn’t. Whether it was pride or love, Hongjoong wasn't sure. All YN knew was that she was staring at her Hongjoong - a form she had not laid eyes on in over a century and she wouldn’t let the image of him fade into the depths.

Oh, her sweet love. His face had been hardened by anger, by sorrow. Carved scars she had not bore witness to, had not kissed and soothed or bite and reddened.

She had never wished to leave him lonely; she had promised him she’d be there even if he didnt see her. She had checked in on him, bending the rules of the task at hand. She saw him while he remained blind. She had been there. Beside him, in the ocean foam, sailing beside him. Being sea-locked meant she would see him whenever she wished – it was her. He was never far. Every sparkle of the sun on the sea made her remember her treasure sailed somewhere in her waters. It reassured her while it had destroyed him.

Her absence had clawed at him; he counted down the days in marks on the lonely ship she had crafted him. The Halazia - the light she had told him. (For she thought him to be the moon and the sun.) 3,650 marks marred the wood.

He had long stopped when he turned the blade towards his own chest, carving out his traitorous mournful heart. And in the time afterwards, he had become a ruler in his own right. Cruel as the seas he said. The plentiful jewels and chains and rings and finery screamed his wealth. He’d been busy, gathering crew that were bound to him and the Halazia. They could never leave him now. And even with her in his grasp, behind bars, he faced her with a dark sneer. He wanted to look so different yet he was not. She knew him. His lone eye was stormy but she could see the familiar depth of the dark seas in them. The glimmer of light that reminded her of the sun shimmering off the horizon. His hair was no longer its long length; the mullet she had loved to run her fingers through was now shorn short. Spikey over his forehead. Earrings of aquamarine and gold sparkled in the low-candlelight of the brig. Freckles had kissed his cheeks over the years instead of her own lips. His lips… still had the same curve she dreamt about; his cheeks were still full and warm with anger.

Despite the burn of judgement, the rush of guilt, she felt in her heart a sigh of relief. Because it had been centuries and he did not succumb to the push and pull of the waves. He was not the very sailors he had once ferried. He breathed with the flush of life – even in rage, in scars, in riches. And she knew that all of this was worth it. Selfishly so.

He was alive.  

Immortal.

“Why weren’t you there?” His voice was still full of wrath, swallowing him up. But as he watched her stare at him with wonder, he couldn’t help but soften. His tone saddened at the end of his words.

And like an rip tide, he felt his emotions shift. His sorrow sparked into anger once more like a match to a cannon. How could she manipulate him so? Even now, her very presence made him melt, whine like a pup. His vacant chest shivered, fragile. He crossed his arms and glared. He wanted answers. That’s all he wanted. Why? Why? Why? She vexed him so much.

Licking her lips, she whispered: “Its my nature, Hongjoong.”

It wasn’t a lie nor an excuse. It simply was. She leaned forward, her face pressing into the bars that separated them. He tried not to flinch away; his face twitched.

“Would you still love me if I was anything but what I am?”

He jolted at that like a lightning strike in a storm. And instead of retreating, he took a step forward. His own face so close to the bars separating them. Hands intertwined over the rusted, barnacle-y metal. His hot humid breath felt like the kiss of life. She couldn’t help but embrace it. Humanity, her mortal form, made her relish these little things more than ever - even after decades of imprisonment. His eyes crashed and clashed with the waves of the ocean; she heaved in time.

“I do not,” he spat the words,” love you, YN.”

His words cut her. She had once believed no being could hurt her; she was a Goddess, a thing of power. Even in her mortal form, she held the cards of fortune. Words cried at her by mortals were follies. Silly and simple creatures acting out.

But he wasn’t a mortal anymore.

He wasn’t just a man.

He never had been.

He was her Hongjoong.

Tears slipped over her cheeks, big and fat as they poured over the shore of her cheeks. Drip, drip, drip. They joined the salt-water that broke through into the brig. The ship creaked a mournful sound.

He had never seen her weep. And he thought he'd never feel a stabbing pain in his chest again, but here his scarred chest ached at the sight of her tears. His hands trembled; he held on to the brig tighter so he wouldnt try to touch her salt-stained cheeks. So he wouldn't kiss away her suffering.

He sneered a look that was so alien to her and she realized now that she had done this. Made this.

Even in her attempts to keep her love by her side, she had somehow failed. She had thought he had known...

She felt the regret swirl; the guilt eat away at her heart like it was rock turned to sand. Her emotions were rampant as a Goddess. She knew this. Fleeting and fast, some said wild. As herself, as the ocean’s one and only, she came and went with the tides. It was nature. It wasn’t out of cruelty. Her waves had pulled her elsewhere while he waited. Waited. Waited.

Waiting was never her strong suit. The ocean was an impatient being. 10 years was both an eternity and a blink of an eye. And she had forgot to rush back to swallow him whole. But she was going to return. He hadnt left her mind. She thought he knew that. He was her light, her Moon. He was ever-present, there, even when she was gone. Her first and only love. He was hers. She had thought he knew.

She had never favored someone before. Never bestowed her affections so earnestly. She had never offered the task she had offered him to any other. The sea gave and took. YN never thought she had taken so much from him. She had stolen his mortality for their love. But she realized now in the pursuit… she had tainted his soul. And in doing so he saw his immortality for what it wasn't. A curse.

It hadnt been that… she hadnt wished that. It was supposed to be a blessing. Eternal love. Together. Sea and Moon.

But like many things, a gentle rain turned into a tropical storm without much warning. Two wild souls clashed. He had carved his heart out to be free of the torment of her absence. Heartbreak. His aching heart was locked up and tossed aside like a monster. Forsaking his duties, he plundered and pillaged and shanghaied souls who had passed at sea to join his cursed crew and ship.

He had buried his heart away on the very island they met so he’d never feel her again. That very action told her the truth. Her teary eyes rose to meet his gaze solidly. Assuredly despite her damp features. Her own hands rose to wrap around the prison he kept her in - a breath away from touching his own hands.

“Oh, Hongjoong,” she spoke his name soft and soothingly like a wave licking at the shore in the moonlight. He shivered and tightened his grip. Her sweet-salt burned him. Her tears bit at his open wounded soul and soothed it the next with her dulcet tones. His empty chest ached for its missing piece. Only proven, when she said:

“You don’t hate me.”

[toxinoire]

The craziest thing about Epic is that it didn't need Ody's canon to The Odyssey SA to show that Odysseus has lost his own autonomy anyway.

He embraces his side as "the monster" until you question, is he really? Or did he really have no choice?

Looking at the line of "I am not your kind and gentle husband" makes me think back to Just A Man.

It is shown that Odysseus really hates being soldier. He had no choice but to kill the infant because Zeus told him to. And Troy? If we look at The Iliad, he didn't want to go to war from the beginning. And this is the first real time he loses a part of him; his kindness makes him argue with Zeus, his gentleness makes him willing to raise the boy. But he couldn't defy the King of The Gods.

And then Polites tries to bring those parts back, even unintentionally. But Athena tries to tell him he can't do that--his mentor contributes to losing those aspects of himself.

Next is when Polites dies, and well, that's self explanatory.

Another is when Polyphemus kills some of his crew. Part of his identity is being a captain, a king. He knows how to lead people. But then shit went down and he slowly fails to be captain anymore.

And then Poseidon adds onto making Odysseus lose that side of himself more by killing majority of his men.

Circe's Island made him hold onto the scraps of being a captain he has left in him. But even so, Circe tried to lust him so she could kill him, which itself is bad. Though Circe lets them go, even though Ody was unaware of Circe almost killing him, that itself made him hold onto the husband part of him more. That's what got him out of it.

So the Underworld. He hears the screams of his men, and their last thoughts blaming him. Their last thoughts being "Captain, why would you let the Cyclops live when ruthlessness is mercy-" is them blaming Odysseus for their deaths. This makes him lose more of his captain side.

Then he sees Polites, and then his mom. He breaks down again after we last saw him do so in Troy.

And then Tiresias shows him his fate, which he misinterprets. Why? We all know the man is him, but why did he not think it was him? He was holding onto the husband part of him the most, so much that it blinded him.

So here comes song 20.

And in the Thunder Saga, we see him lose more of his gentleness and kindness. He's also barely holding onto being a captain by a thread.

Scylla is the entire explanation.

Mutiny is the last bit of that thread and it finally snapped during Thunder Bringer. He lost his leadership, he's no longer a captain. And quite frankly, it traumatized him so much already.

Calypso's island, though this version makes Calypso naive, she, like Jorge said, is ruthless in her own way. He was trapped. He was probably still holding onto the husband aspect of him subconsciously, as to why he never slept with her. But it was buried pretty deep.

"All I hear are screams" Who's to say he hadn't been hearing this for the past seven years, but that day he was so close to losing to those screams. He lost his side of being a captain, he lost his side of being a friend, he lost his side of being gentle and kind.

So his side as a husband is all he could hold onto anymore in The Vengeance Saga. During Full Speed Ahead, we see his king aspect through the lyric "Ithaca's waiting, my kingdom is waiting" but in Dangerous, he has no more king aspect. It's just him wanting to be home to his family at this point.

And then he loses himself more in Six Hundred Strike, as he lost his last bits of mercy when Poseidon offered him none. All that's left of him is wanting to be with Penelope, and his hopes of finally seeing his son.

The suitors' plans had been horrible. But honestly, he would have killed them anway even if they hadn't planned shit. He lost his patience for threats, he lost his mercy, his gentlessness. He is still cunning, but he's gone. Odysseus, King of Ithaca, is gone. "Old king" He's still king by title, but can he really manage a whole kingdom anymore? Like he used to since he was thirteen?

If it had not been for Penelope, he never would have embraced that he, no matter what, is still just a man, no matter how monstrous. But he lost so much of himself, and he knows. He lost his own autonomy, he lost what he knew of himself.

Finally holding his son and his wife yelling at him made him understand that he's still human, but post Epic/The Odyssey the man is already so traumatized, that he most likely forgot so many things of himself. He lost what made him Odysseus, King of Ithaca, which is a BIG part of him. Odysseus, husband of Penelope, father lof Telemachus, is all that's left of him. While those may be the most important parts of him, he's still traumatized, and only knows of himself as a monster now.

He is, quite frankly, no longer him.

[eternalartblock]

overanalyzing kyoko's letter because i have nothing better to do

im having a fucking field day out here.

so in case anyone reading this is unaware, campyfire recently dropped these:

there is a LOT to unpack here. i am losing it over the namedrop but i would mainly like to focus on psychoanalyzing kyoko because. i mean this is her letter, plus in context it wasnt really meant to be read by anyone other than herself, so its likely that shes being pretty damn genuine here. which means i get to look at it and read into it and convince myself even further that she is!!! not okay!!!!!!

We hope your adventures haven’t taken you too far.

“we” is likely referring to the rest of her family, so theyre probably alive and present. which is good because i would actually kill someone if she lost her sister and had literally no one else. i really hope they gave her some support at some point because it seems like she really needs it

Since you’ve been on your journey, I've decided to become an adventurer, just like you!

becoming an adventurer is a lot. leaving home and letting go of your old life is a lot. and kyoko did that because it was something her sister liked to do, because it made her look strong and brave and she wanted to be like her. she mustve really, really looked up to her :(((

…I was scared at first, but talking with them made me happy… really happy.

ok hold up. she was scared??? while she does seem scared for them, shes never appeared to be scared of them, so… why? maybe its because they just come off as intimidating to everyone? it could be like how several npcs in the manor thought they looked off. but that was after she first met them, plus they were definitely a doing a lot better back when they only had one sword. i personally think this might be hinting at some kind of attachment and/or vulnerability issues? idk it REALLY seems like shes got some shit going on, especially because of how she lets you vent about your problems but immediately changes the subject once she mentions hers in her manor dialogue. still not normal about that btw.

Things are weighing down on them though, I didn’t want to trouble them…

shes clearly worried about being a burden to player while theyve got so much going on. even though she has literally let them vent to her. while she ALSO had some shit going on. dont get me wrong, i get why she'd think that way, player IS visibly going through it and they dont need more things to worry about. but it would probably be worth it to at least ask if theyd be ok with listening to her talk about everything. theyre her friend, and theyve got quite a few things in common. they would understand.

I shouldn't give up. I know you're out there, so I'm going to be just like you and never stop trying.

aughhhh fuckkkkkk

the thing about having a loved one go missing is that anything could have happened to them. there so many horrible ways for calypso to have gone out, especially since kyoko has ZERO IDEA where she could have gone. and yet, she chooses to believe that shes still out there somewhere, because she knows her sister, and she knows that shes stronger than that. and she wouldnt leave her.

also consider: calypso's an adventurer. it would be normal to not hear from her for a while. so imagine how long it took for her family to even realize something was wrong. calypso has been gone for a very long time.

im glad kyoko's at least coping somehow... still think she should open up a bit, but its better than nothing. i really want her to get the support she needs, because shes clearly going through a lot, despite how cheerful she might appear. also i wanna know more about calypso, it seems like she was super cool.

anyways kyoko is the best and most well written block tales character. thank you for coming to my ted talk

[liliblogs26]

If they had kids, part 2

Leo… is interesting.

He’s a funny goofy dad. The type of dad to hold his toddler upside down by the ankles and toss them in the air!

He thought his kids how to swim by throwing them into the deep end “You got it, mijo! Just don’t die!”

Oh you’re getting bullied at school “just punch him harder, don’t be a pussy, mijo. Befriend or defend.”

“Hey! Hey! If you hit your little sister I hit you harder”

And he will pull out the chancla.

He would swap from English to Spanish so fast with them you’ll get whiplash.

If he’s filed with love, Spanish.

If he is pissed off, Spanish.

If it’s a normal interaction, Spanish.

But still a lot of English.

Leo wants his kids to have thick skin, and be tough, at least emotionally.

But he also wants them to have healthy relationships.

(I personally choose to believe Leo and Calypso break up one day because their relationship is seriously abusive. So keep that in mind from this point on..)

Leo knows how it feels to be in a toxic relationship, and he tends to romanticize things. He just wants his kids to not go though the same bullshit.

“Hey, if you’re dating someone, boy, girl, whatever. If they say mean stuff about your body. Run.”

He’s not as gentle as the rest when it comes to parenting but his kids have strong immune systems and a tough as nails. So I guess it paid off.

That’s not to say he isn’t loving, because he is. He likes to spend times with his boys, weather that be watching the game, or building stuff out back.

But he’ll also play with dolls with his girls, let them do his makeup and nails, dance traditional Latin dances with them.

By the time their four all his daughters know salsa.

Again none of his punishments are abusive, just a little old fashioned. The kids don’t feel abused. It’s just a spanking here or there, and he never uses to much force, just enough to make a sound. But he’d never really hurt them.