#Myth bless you

[nom-the-noodle]

Curiousity Contains

To kick off the new year with something good, I finally finished a little vore story I've been working on for a couple of months! Featuring Casey and @madmythologist's Kage inspired directly by our collective scheming and RPing with these two. I love them so much and so I wrote a little thing about what happens when the nervous little borrower gets a little too curious about just how it feels to be eaten. Story below! Contains: Soft Vore, Non-fatal Vore, Hesitant Prey, Mouthplay, internals.

There was something on the back of Casey's mind. Granted there was always something behind those big eyes, but this time it wasn't her usual plights. It was something a bit larger, or more someone she was currently lounging on the chest of on this still evening together. 

Kage wasn't doing much, just calmly leaning back in his seat to enjoy the peace and quiet. His chest lifted Casey up and down like smooth clockwork, the borrower herself almost half curled up on her side against the half-elf. It was a rare opportunity of relaxation with nothing better to do for the little that remained of the day—a very nice moment to just exist. 

Still, something didn’t sit right here.

The quiet was the last thing on the little one’s mind, her ears more trained on a muffled rhythm just underneath her. It was a hidden comfort, nestled between just as steady breaths. A beat so slow compared to her own constantly ticking muscle. That’s what made it all so fascinating. Kage was just so… so massive. 

Granted, that was just a simple matter of perspective with Casey herself being the odd one in terms of scale. But from that same perspective, the humanoid seemed as vast as a field. And just as teeming with activity below the surface. It made the little one think; reminisce even of times when she had gotten even more enveloped in the man before. She wondered if-

“Wonder about what?“‌

  Kage felt the borrower flinch the smallest bit against him, her head jerking up like a rabbit to meet his curious gaze. In what he could confidently guess was her internal whirlwind of thoughts, loose lips spilled out a simple question to finally kill the silence. As much as the chance to breathe was appreciated, he was never one to turn down a chance for something interesting to occur. She was fast to figure out her slip up as seen by the hinted hue of crimson on her face. Kage was already preparing to guide her back from any backtracking she was able to do, but to his surprise that wasn’t the case after a signature pause to collect those racing thoughts.

”Just, how does it exactly feel when you swallow someone whole?''‌ Surprise caught both of them at the string of words that escaped Casey’s mouth. The man was silent for a brief moment, simply watching Casey’s body language. It made for a good indicator of if he actually heard that right as this was a subject the borrower rarely wanted to discuss and even rarer brought up on her own accord. It was most unusual, but not unwelcome.

”That is quite the odd question,“‌ Kage voiced with a quirked brow. ”One that doesn’t have that easy of an answer to explain, simply put.“ 

Of course this wasn’t going to be that simple, given both what exactly she was asking and who she was asking. She could already taste the embarrassment in the back of her throat rising like bile, but there was no shying away now from the topic. The canary had caught his curiosity. 

The plains shifted as Kage adjusted his position, straightening up just a hair more in his seat to speak more comfortably. Casey instinctively tightened her hold on his clothing with the movement, huddling back closer against his chest.

”I‌ do have to ask though, why would you be asking about such a thing?‌”

Why was she asking such a thing? Frankly put, Casey didn't have that clear of an answer for him at that moment. The question had just seemed to pop out after being most likely sealed by brambles of her own design. Her eyes shifted away from Kage's gaze for just a second to think up something rather than silence. 

"I, well," she stumbled on her words right into old habits. "I don't really know. It's just been on my mind for a bit. Sorry for bringing it up." 

He watched and more importantly felt her fold against him, a little bundle of worry clinging to his shirt. She wouldn't be allowed to hide from this discussion as a blackened hand came up from below her. Casey felt her grip loosen on the fabric and Kage felt small knees press against his palm. 

"Now now, none of that. If this has been something on your mind, then surely you have more to say than that." The words purred ever so slightly off the lips as he pulled her away from his shirt and more to his level. He was confident that he knew his little friend quite well, from how her eyes were constantly darting to and fro, to the unending hum in her chest that matched all those thoughts she kept to herself. Thoughts Kage was hungry to hear, fitting the subject being discussed that more often than not made the little one squirm at the mere acknowledgment. 

Casey knew that tone. She'd grown very familiar with the charmingly curious dialect of this man. It made the hair on her neck stand on end along with every single nerve in her skin. For better or for worse, she couldn't give a clear answer. She looked up at him and her mind just.... it went blank. Everything just went quiet, all her attention on him as she could just stare for a few seconds. Was there more to say? What answer was the right one, if any? She snapped out of her trance with a small breath, letting herself slide a hair more onto the platform Kage provided in his hand as he took her up. A few more moments of silence...

"Would- would you ever do it again?"

Now that, that was curious indeed. Kage hummed a note in seeming thought, a single raise of the brow showing any change in his expression. Tiny eyes could be felt trying to read his next move, listening for whatever he was going to say next. "Would I ever do it again," He took care in repeating it, now studying how Casey straightened up the smallest amount in his hold. "Do what exactly, hm?" 

He didn't need an answer. Casey knew that and now felt that Kage knew just as well as a chuckle rose up his throat. Not one of malice or mischief, but of knowing. "Well, even if I were to entertain this ah, hypothetical question, that doesn't answer why the sudden curiosity about it." A fair observation. The borrower wasn't being as informative as she could be. As much as she desperately wanted to be, but there just wasn't that simple an answer.

Or... was there?

She had tried to pick her words so carefully, dancing around a subject she brought up. It wasn't supposed to be this hard to just talk! She did with Maddie all the time, hell Maddie would have just blurted out the first thing in her head. That's what worked for her, well most of the time. The borrower shook her head. Stay on track. Just say it!

"I..." she paused one more time, the longest she had made up to this point. "I wanted- Well mostly thinking about- I was wondering what it was like inside-"

"Casey-" That soft call brought her attention back towards Kage's face, his smile softened. His hand gracefully pulled her away from his chest, bringing her now fully to eye level. Closer to that very mouth she had been dodging this entire time, still smiling.  The pause felt infinite, falsely judgmental within her panicking brain. Warm breath drowned all thoughts with his next words.

"Why don't we settle both our curiosities with a refresher?"

Kage could have sworn in that moment he heard something crackle in Casey's head at the suggestion. The suggestion made her entire body stiffen like a statue for just a moment in his palm. It was an honest inquiry, just as everything else he had been saying up to this point. Regardless Casey was a creature of nervous habits, hence her growing tense and stiff.Though it was slightly amusing to see it so closely instead of behind shaded stones and leaves. 

"You're not as good at hiding that curiosity as you think." He wasn't a fool. He'd noticed how she had been keeping a keen ear to his chest as they relaxed, how even now she was avoiding his gaze by watching his mouth. It was exciting, adorable even. "I wouldn't do anything rash, even though this is all rather tantalizing." Some of these words were a bit more punctuated than others, keeping the borrower's attention rather than scaring her off. Now it was just a matter to see if she'd take that invitation.

Tiny fingers curled in hesitation. Her heart jumped several times trying to climb out of her throat. She shouldn't have wanted this. Was she really going to go through with this stupid request? But as she looked past those perfectly white teeth and saw the shadowed purples and blues, there was no going back. Her head lowered for but a tick, slowly becoming a nod before looking back up at the ever looming man. "Please?... Just promise you'll keep it simple?" 

"Naturally." Kage couldn't keep that smile from growing twice as large at that approval. This wasn't something he was going to play with or take even the slightest bit for granted.

With his new permission, the half-elf took some lead as his hand tilted upwards with precise movements. Casey could tell he was slowing them intentionally, an effort that was helping the herculean task of easing her nerves. These hands were in safe hands. Hands she had been starting to learn how to navigate like any branch or platform. But whether it was mishap or intentional, the borrower allowed herself to fall forward towards his face. She caught herself on his upper lip, Kage feeling the slightest tickle at a fumble right under his nose. 

"What was that about keepings things simple?" The little one's breath hitched with the words that barely stretched the skin under her hands. She was close enough to feel the vibrations travel up her arms and down her arching spine. But she didn't back out of this precarious spot, but embraced it. Rather than push back, one of those hands transferred to the bottom jaw with a featherlight brace. All she had to do now was...

Kage waited. Waited for that next move out of Casey's curiosity. He could catch the smallest trance of a scent of her being this close. Earthen, but with a pleasantly light sweetness to it. It only made her all the more enticing to indulge. So when one of those miniscule hands added the faintest pressure, the giant let his lower jaw collapse as she pried the gates open.

Warmth was the first thing to tingle at the senses. It radiated along her exposed arms, swirled around her neck and practically kissed her cheek. Unlike the man's gray complexion covered in black lines, a blue tongue surrounded by purple walls greeted her inside. She'd seen glimpses of the unusual hues whenever he spoke of teases and the occasional taste, but never this intentionally. Never this closely. 

Was it this colorful all the way down?

Casey sucked in a breath, fighting the urge to shiver at the sight before her. Was it too late to turn back? No, she had to commit. Needed to so the thoughts weren't eating at her. Ironic. Carefully the little one shifted and allowed herself to begin leaning past silver lips. Over incisors that nearly glistened along with canines to match. Thin trails of saliva traveled from these pillars and connected to the bottom matching set. Together they could combine to make a devilish smile, but also would have no problem leaving their mark on her fragile body if he ever chose. 

The more she leaned in, the more those teeth drifted apart as Kage's mouth only opened wider. The man remained very still, breathing through his nose as his mouth was occupied with a guest. There was a part of his mind that clicked on, something that was making his mouth water a hair more and his own heart pulse a bit faster. Hunger perhaps. Something primal about having something so small soon pressing a warm albeit shaking hand onto the flat of his tongue making him only want Casey more. And once that contact was made, it was oh so sweet as honey.

He could feel the back of his mouth watering all the bit more, leaving her with a very slick surface to explore. She was hesitating, rocking slightly along his bottom teeth. That hand pulled back slowly away from him, but there was no getting out of this. That tongue followed her out in its own curiosity, lightly pressing into her front. The little squeak she made as she caught herself along it was adorable Kage would have loved to admit.

The feeling still lingered on her palm as she pulled away from that muscle for a moment. Slick, warm, alive. She could only put a few words to it before she got familiar with the feeling again as Kage stuck his tongue out for a proper taste. Now it was all that flashed into her brain as her upper half held onto it. The flesh was warm to the skin with a radiating heat, settling the shivering of her arms and nerves. She didn't fight or push it off in a fit of panic, instead letting herself be taken and tasted with a press. The spit seeped into her sleeves and shirt, no doubt bringing more of her flavor out. Casey ponder for a bit what he could possibly be-

A hum broke the silence as Kage purred, the sound coursing up Casey through him. He slowly pulled back and flicked his tongue back inside, but not before catching a final peck of Casey's red scarlet dusted cheek before it disappeared. 

"Hmmmm, honey." The words flowed off like the food itself, sounding far from displeased with his findings. Casey watched that smile from right in front of her, demanding her full attention in its proximity. She held her breath, waited in both fear and unexpected anticipation. Waited for those jaws to lunge forward and claim her. 

Luckily while that wasn't the predator's style, he wasn't going to delay for much longer. His hands cupped her against those lips again, parting again without her 'assistance.' She nearly fell over, catching herself in her arms and holding onto the bottom row of teeth. Again she was met with that overpowering warmth at her touch, calling to something deep within. A calling to the dark and the shelter it could provide once she crawled inside. 

With a final gathering of  what little courage she had, Casey pushed herself up and pulled herself forward into that lavender den. Not a moment after did Kage finally pull his hand away from his face, leaving her legs to dangle out of his mouth. The urge to regain her center of balance was aided by the impulse to tilt his head back to bring Casey those last centimeters over, sliding past the gums and into his jaws. 

Now, Casey wasn't completely a stranger to this man's maw. She had watched it as he sang and purred out his words, teeth flashed in a knowing smirk. Her sister had gone into detail countless times about this very place when she tested her luck against the giant. Now the difference between story and reality was staring her right in the face to marvel at. 

The space was incredibly dim, only speckles of light caught in the spit-shined interior.  Cool colored flesh was glazed on every surface, making everything slick and slippery to the touch. The air was much warmer, smothering those cold chills with its heat and clinging to her tiny tiny frame. Half of her was already soaked with spit, knees and arms sinking into his tongue. It was so much to take in for one small borrower, too much.

Wide eyes went wild and her heart banged against her ribs begging to get out. 

This was wrong. 

This was so, so wrong.

Casey knew better than to do something this dangerous. It was one thing to think and ponder about what it was like inside, but this?! This was crazy! She had let herself get talked into stepping right into a mouth! A mouth that belonged to a person she had seen eat people like her with expertise! If he wanted he could just bite down and swallow whatever was left of her down into that chasm at the very back of the throat. She could see it, expanding and contracting just waiting to close in on her like a cornered animal.

She needed to leave. She needed to spin around and get out before it was too late. But everything was frozen. Something kept her here at the mercy of Kage's maw. What was going on? How did she let herself get this far? All these questions were buzzing like angry hornets in her head, burning her ears with stinging static.

On the outside, Kage paid very close attention to the mass inside his mouth. He didn't move nor breathe too loudly lest he make the terrified tiny in his mouth jolt. He knew Casey, her tendencies. How easily she was to scare and expected the worst possible outcome. Normally this was just another thing he could use to get under her skin and make her tick, but now it was a reason for worry. Worry proved warranted as he caught the smallest sounds of hyperventilating behind his lips, the salty tang of fear on his palette. On his tongue she grew stiff as a board, her breathing quickening with jumbled words he couldn't translate.

Panic. 

Everything stopped for a brief moment for the dark elven man. As undesired a reaction as it was, it sadly wasn't an out of place one. His first thought was to call her name in reassurance, but that was quickly ruled out as speaking was out of the question at the moment. His words were one of his most valuable tools, but thankfully they weren't his only trick. A flick of the fingers and the smallest twitch of his throat, a simple prestidigitation allowed the breath he had been holding onto chill and lightly wash over. 

Wind softly blew onto her pale face and made the damp tips of her hair sway. It was enough to pause her catastrophizing episode, senses coming back down from the spike of terror. Breathe. She needed to breathe. Once her chest was rising and falling at a regular pace, her vision was starting to adjust all the more. The colors were just a bit brighter, shadows less suffocating. Everything had remained still, Kage hadn't done anything when he had the opportunity. Everything was ok.

The relief washed over Casey, tense muscles unlocking and relaxing. To be honest the warmth may have helped with that as it creeped in the longer she crouched here, but she couldn't stay like this forever. The little spelunker inched around, light touches carefully tapping along Kage's tastebuds. She could see the corners of his lips pulling up and shifting the lights ever so much. At least there was no denying he was enjoying this little adventure.

She didn't go too far in, settling at the center at that tongue before twisting back around. One could only look at the back of a throat for so long before it may start calling. Kage's mouth stayed open, providing a toothy frame for her to look back out into the open world. Everything was still, relaxed. Simple. 

"I'm, I'm ok." Casey's tiny voice finally crept out, earning another cool breath of relief from Kage's throat. The man had been fully ready to spit her out if she wasn't ready, but the little one still was full of ways to surprise him. From her position she couldn't see the gleam of excitement in his eye, but could probably feel the saliva pool a bit more at her feet.

He let her settle for a bit longer, enjoying every tiny movement and way she slid around his tongue. Even with the slight itch of cloth and hair, that natural sweetness still dominated his taste buds. Intoxicating honestly and more than worth the stillness. And this was only the beginning of their little experiment. There was still a question to answer. Kage lifted a hand so it could be seen by his passenger, signaling what he wanted to do by an opening and closing motion with his fingers and thumb. If there were any objections, now was the time to say them. Silence, then a slightly firmer pressure in the crook of his tongue. 

"Ready."

The word was a hard one for Casey to say in full confidence. Kage was giving her every chance to walk away, to abandon this expedition if it was too much. Despite everything, Casey still had the final word in this. There was a comfort in that control, but it was still horrifying to wield. She was still letting herself get preyed upon by a silver tongued man. But, it would be ok. It had to be ok if she was careful enough. 

Slowly after the affirmation was said, the lights dimmed steadily as Kage closed his maw. Soon all of her sight was forfeit, hearing the softest click of teeth and leaving her in the damp darkness. Casey remained frozen, taking everything in to fill in the new gaps in the old scenery. Her heart banged against the muscle beneath her, even more so as it came to life and lifted her forward. A yelp sounded from the girl, squeezing that same platform as it adjusted. A soft chuckle echoed around her, feeling the very sound travel up into her body and to her ears.

It couldn't be helped. Everything about this was just so, was precious the right word? Feeling how the borrower had nestled in the center of his mouth? Hearing the little squeaks and whines even through closed lips? All while that natural sweetness translated all along his taste buds? It was all so delectable, delightful. A true treat for them both to indulge in. A playful nature crept more into Kage's movements, a smile creeping along with a hum. Much like how he was with his hands, his tongue played gracefully with his prey. He felt her grip tighten along the ridges, arms squeezing to keep from getting knocked about. Not that there were any complaints to be shared.

Inside his mouth that main muscle swayed and flexed around, cradling Casey about. Within the dark confines she felt every slick movement and curl that effortlessly glided her about. tastebuds pressed against her chin, face scrunching at the moisture left behind in its wake. Her grip didn't release off his tongue, squeezing the firm yet soft muscle in her arms and fingers. It acted as a guide, something to ground and navigate her through this little adventure.

Warmth.

Warmth was the first thing to cross the barrier. A heat radiated every surface that embraced her, cutting through spittle and clothing to her very core and sticking to her skin. It seeped deep within Casey, melting muscles of their tension. Visions of a burrow crossed her mind in comparison, somewhere just as dark and secluded intentionally. It was pleasant, for a moment drifting away from the reality that so startled her.

The floor rose and met with the roof of his mouth, her chest skipping a beat as a new element was introduced just as she almost settled. Any shove or shift to create space was only met with a deep pressure pinning her in place, squeezing a small noise out of her chest. It threatened to squeeze the air out of her as well as that sweet taste Kage seemed so keen on. 

With one action, Kage could feel the shape trapped atop his tongue. The small, alive shape huddled inside his mouth with a heartbeat that hummed at her core. He was half expecting to feel her starting to fight back, not unlike what her sister tended to do when in the same predicament. But to his pleasant surprise, there was no struggle from Casey even when he licked and tossed her about a touch more. As much as he pushed and prodded and explored her presence, she wasn't fighting him. Nothing more than a few wiggles and pushback to seemingly get in a better position, always clinging onto the very muscle assaulting her senses and indulging his.

This little game continued for a few more minutes. The elf's mouth was coated with a sweet flavor and Casey was coated in the saliva that pooled around. She was pressed once more as the giant swallowed down the collection, seeping the last of her resistance with it. As fast as it took her breath away it released it back, leaving the borrower sprawling on the 'floor'. Her heart raced, this time out of exhaustion rather than blind fear. She was hyper aware of so much. From the drool still clinging like thin sap to that warmth that has seeped and nestled deep inside her muscles. 

This had been so wrong before, so why did it now feel so easy? Easy to drift into the heat. Easy to sink into the slick surface. Easy to just... let Kage take her in. 

A sound of content slipped into the damp air as the mouth finally stilled, the worn-out borrower practically flopping along the tongue. Her eyes grew a touch heavier, the environment wanting to ease her to settle alongside it. But they weren't done. The question wasn't what it was like inside his mouth. It was...

"Kage?" 

Her voice was so small, even when it was technically coming from his own mouth. The air had gone calm as he felt Casey's settling, drinking the moment in. Out of all the places she could find herself calm, it was almost laughable. He gave a simple hmm in question, glancing down habitually. In the silence he could imagine her face flushed in red, trying to find the words she wanted to say on the tip of his tongue. 

"I can't do it alone." 

Kage felt Casey dig her face into the crook of his tongue, cheeks hot to the touch as she squeaked the words out. The corners of Kage's lips softened. They both knew what needed to be done. Casey just seemed to know that she needed a little push to continue, something they both knew he was more than trusted enough to encourage. He dared to speak, cooing the words out to glide over his passenger. 

"You're ok, just relax." 

Casey kept her head down as she felt the room vibrate with every letter, the words floating across the way to the cracks of light. She couldn't do it. She couldn't make herself go any deeper, latched onto his tongue like lichen to a log. She couldn't.... not without help. All she had to do was relax and let Kage take the lead once again. 

With the space faded again to black, Casey allowed herself to shudder and settle in for the ride. How was this going to go? What happened once she was taken deeper into his body? What if something went wrong? Paranoid thoughts that all wanted to spiral, only to skip like a record once everything resumed. 

Her heart jumped into her throat as the tongue rose then dropped into her stomach once Kage started to tilt his head back. Even as her arms wanted to grab onto her safety net, it would have proved worthless against the slippery and slick surfaces all around. There was little time to process and even less time to let anything other than flesh grab a hold on her. The pressure threatened to pop her head, but all that was released was a final cry out of Casey's mouth as she disappeared out of Kage's.

Well that was certainly a sensation. After licking his lips of the lingering sweetness Kage focused his attention on the lump in his throat. The borrower went down smooth as well, you know how the saying goes. To say he wasn't enjoying any of this would be just a plain lie. 

"There, simple." He hummed, easing back slowly into his chair. After many a thought of swallowing the little lady down, now it had just become a reality. He already knew she was delicious from previous antics, but it never went this far. A silent agreement between them until today, confirmed as she had slipped past his collarbone. It felt good. He felt good. 

Contently his attention drifted inwardly just as there was a minor disturbance in his abdomen. Again, he wasn't a stranger to the motions of having something alive inside his stomach. It proved to be quite the effective place to keep little things out of sight and out of trouble. Maddie had most certainly given him many a reason to exercise the role of predator. But this instance was quite different. It always was with Casey's involvement thanks to one key detail...

The trip down was as quick as it was overpowering. The walls forced and squeezed unrelentingly all around the swallowed borrower. She couldn't see, couldn't move, could barely breathe in this ravenous chute. Everything overpowered even the pounding of her chest again as it all pushed her one direction and one direction only. Down. 

As sudden as the pressure had a hold of her it released, finally slipping into her final destination. She landed with a squish underneath, this space much more spacious than either of her previous lodgings. 

Even in the dark her eyes stayed closed shut within the bundle of nerves. She could feel it now, folds of flesh even more slimy and slippery smooth. She could hear every groan and squelch of the alien landscape, louder than her dampened breathing as she worked to pull herself together. 

This was it. This was what Casey has been so curious about, she was in a stomach of all things. Every instinct should have been scolding her for getting herself trapped down here, even willingly to boot! She could have just been content with Maddie's regaling, but oh no, she had to see for herself. The hell was she thinking?

"You're ok. Take a look." 

His low voice hummed from somewhere above, presenting a shift with it. A sense of reassurance and calm, a promise to ease her into something new with something familiar. A familiar feeling that kissed her eyelids and wanted her to peek into the darkness.

 To her surprise, a single blue bead of light bled softly. It was no bigger than her own palm as it floated before her very eyes. Casey had seen this very light many times, each with their own story behind them. Of secret serenades and dancing in the moonlight, of warm hands sheltering her from the cold. 

"Did you..?" Casey pondered aloud, hushing as she noted another light coming into reality. And another, followed by two than three twinkling all over. Each one brought a little more vision into the confined space, black giving way to plush blues and purple innards. The damp walls shone among twisting folds and bends, strands of clear fluid stretching between and pooling at the bases. Casey stared and twisted around to take it all it, forgetting that she was supposedly mortified by this place a few seconds ago. 

As Casey undoubtedly was taking in the scenery, her host was paying close attention to every little movement he could feel. Nothing like a little bit of magic to help keep his special guest comfortable. He could feel her start to move a bit more, unfurling from a lump at the bottom of his guts to situate. 

"Glad you seem to be warming up to the scenery." Kage chuckled, taking a hand to his abdomen in response to the sensation of smaller ones gliding all around. One could only imagine the slight surprise when he could have sworn he felt her pressing back into his hand, even through a natural border.

Something pressing back from the other side lulled Casey out of the slight trance the light had her been under. Her hands had wandered to trace along the winding surfaces, fingers pressing into the plush flesh ever so lightly. Thank god he couldn't feel the heat off her face in here.... could he? 

"I- I didn't realize." She admitted, though her hands still stayed along his stomach lining. Just another thing she hadn't realized about Kage to add to her accounts she supposed. "But um- How's it feel? From your side, I mean." As undyingly curious as she was about what was going on under his skin, she was just as concerned about what was going on in that head of his." 

Kage paused, a thumb casually brushing as he considered answering. She couldn't see the stupid smile across his face, absolutely delighted and smitten about this turn of events. Being able to hold Casey this close, allowed to keep her in a way that was originally seen as a nightmare by her kind. Little by little, day by day, years in the making, he had earned it. Willingly she allowed this, and so much more. But, that was a little hard to explain to someone you couldn't technically see at the moment. 

"Comforting I believe is the right word for it. He simply stated. "Tell me though, does this sate that curiosity of yours?"

The borrower grew quiet, looking back and fully taking everything in. It was much warmer here, easing her to lay back against him like she was doing not too long ago. Yes she was still damp to the touch, but that wasn't as noticeable with everything glazed in a thin coat that still shimmer under the now starry display of lights. Those ears trained back on the steady beats that drew her here, now much more clear as it lightly pulsed into the surfaces around. 

It felt... steady, secure. Safe. 

He felt safe.

"It... it does." She finally vocalized, pausing only to let a squeak of a yawn snake out. Fidgeting in an active mouth and fear really does wear a borrower out, combining with the alluring heat and plush dimly lit room. Those eyes felt heavy, fluttering and struggling to stay open now. "Um, Kage.... would it be weird if.."

A chuckle answered her before his words, rocking the room ever so slightly. "I'll let you out of your den after you get some rest, little rabbit. You're alright." 

And with that reassurance, both settled in for a spell, Casey drifting back off against Kage, and Kage more than comfortable in the silence with full feeling within. He could ask about her thoughts on the situation once she was all cleaned up. For now, both were more than content.

[yeyayeya]

Will forever be mad that MXTX dropped the fact that Hua Cheng had a female form and refused to elaborate

[mlady-magnolia]

I made another PJO girlie, Roman Edition!

Her name is Adonna Leighton, she’s a child of Venus, and she has a magical choker that gives her the ability to conjure up a pair of wings for a short amount of time and fly around like Cupid

[alexmey-does-an-arts]

GRRRRHHGHHHHHHH OPPY CHARACTER O FALL TIME.

[impossible-rat-babies]

ngl there’s something that hits in my favorite tropes of how the WoL is burdened with Knowing. like the apple in the garden of Eden—how nothing can go back to the way it used to be now that you are aware. and on top of that to be burdened with remembering. having all of this legacy entrusted to you; you are the keeper of these memories. this history. what a burden to be so trusted

[somedaytakethetime]

Shoutout to the fan account from which I found out that Kasper got MOTM for the pre-Christmas game because no one else will post anything of relevance..

[heavenscribbles]

Could've been sleeping but instead I drew bby yikes + their mom

[violetgarlends]

obsessed with those tgcf aus where the gods live into the modern world as an established mythological pantheon. the academic discourse would be insane

[mediocredoots]

Probably won’t finish this but I wanted to doodle Apollo. I hope that he has the cruel side he does in mythos

[loemius]

Foive Apollona bless the familia of all the world to be warm and safe for the holiday

khaire anon!! i think its you again, athens anon! i'm delighted to hear from you again after so long!! i hope you and your family are doing well, especially in this winter season when things get so cold and dreary. it's easy to feel lonely and sad this time of year, and i deeply hope that you and your family are free of those winter woes. i'd love to hear about how you celebrate if you'd like to share anything. my mom and i traditionally makes dozens upon dozens of cookies and homemade fudge to give out to our other family members, especially the older ones who don't cook. i cannot echo your sentiments any louder. no matter what you celebrate, may foive apollona bless you with a warm and safe holiday. and to you, anon, may you be blessed by foive apollona, king zeus, and all the gracious theoi with a warm, safe, and lovely holiday!

[nextinline-if]

Could I ask about the 5 gods please? is one of the gods a patron of assassins? or thiefs? how about the god of death? because no matter what personality mc have I will always pick these gods, ngl.

Yes! So, I'm going to add some of this information this week to a dedicated page on the blog. But, I'll share some details now.

There are other gods in the larger world but they aren't revered by Castelonians.

So, we have the 5 gods of Castelon:

Gaia, the Goddess of Life (also Protection, Fertility, Rebirth)

Letum, the God of Death (also Judgment, War, Grief, Pain)

Aurora, the Goddess of Dawn (also Light, the Sun and Sky, Poetry, and Literature)

Eurybia, the Goddess of Dusk (also the Sea, Dreams, Moon and the Stars)

Eros, the God of Love (Marriage, Friendship, Betrayal)

A few facts:

Over the course of the full game, there will be a chance to observe a holiday dedicated to each god;

Gaia and Letum are the parents of Aurora and Eurybia;

Aurora and Eurybia are twins;

each god has an item, for most a weapon;

they also have a flower, and a season (except Letum);

and then as I mentioned in another post, each god has an attribute that can be unlocked if you choose one of them. so you would get their attribute + the attribute "Faithful".

Eurybia is probably the patron for most assassins and thieves, though that's not official. But, to be clear, Aurora and Eurybia do not symbolize "good and evil". I don't believe in a black-and-white world.

I love this ask 💜

[kyonite]

I know it's truly been like months since I talked abt the hg au sequel but it is alive and well, I just reread catching fire again and did my little beat sheet for exactly how I want things to go down in the arena! so that's fun. most of it was already like written I just needed to go in and make sure I got all the emotional beats from the book in there so that things make sense going forward. next up is a lil flashback scene for *, then the events of mockingjay. :) it's coming together, just slowly slowly slowly

[mymp3]

LUCA!!!!!!! im so excited for your art

AWWWW WTF THANK YOU ANON!! I didnt see til now wtf thats so sweet of you.

[princesssarisa]

In the past I've shared other people's musings about the different interpretations of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Namely, why Orpheus looks back at Eurydice, even though he knows it means he'll lose her forever. So many people seem to think they've found the one true explanation of the myth. But to me, the beauty of myths is that they have many possible meanings.

So I thought I would share a list of every interpretation I know, from every serious adaptation of the story and every analysis I've ever heard or read, of why Orpheus looks back.

One interpretation – advocated by Monteverdi's opera, for example – is that the backward glance represents excessive passion and a fatal lack of self-control. Orpheus loves Eurydice to such excess that he tries to defy the laws of nature by bringing her back from the dead, yet that very same passion dooms his quest fo fail, because he can't resist the temptation to look back at her.

He can also be seen as succumbing to that classic "tragic flaw" of hubris, excessive pride. Because his music and his love conquer the Underworld, it might be that he makes the mistake of thinking he's entirely above divine law, and fatally allows himself to break the one rule that Hades and Persephone set for him.

Then there are the versions where his flaw is his lack of faith, because he looks back out of doubt that Eurydice is really there. I think there are three possible interpretations of this scenario, which can each work alone or else co-exist with each other. From what I've read about Hadestown, it sounds as if it combines all three.

In one interpretation, he doubts Hades and Persephone's promise. Will they really give Eurydice back to him, or is it all a cruel trick? In this case, the message seems to be a warning to trust in the gods; if you doubt their blessings, you might lose them.

Another perspective is that he doubts Eurydice. Does she love him enough to follow him? In this case, the warning is that romantic love can't survive unless the lovers trust each other. I'm thinking of Moulin Rouge!, which is ostensibly based on the Orpheus myth, and which uses Christian's jealousy as its equivalent of Orpheus's fatal doubt and explicitly states "Where there is no trust, there is no love."

The third variation is that he doubts himself. Could his music really have the power to sway the Underworld? The message in this version would be that self-doubt can sabotage all our best efforts.

But all of the above interpretations revolve around the concept that Orpheus looks back because of a tragic flaw, which wasn't necessarily the view of Virgil, the earliest known recorder of the myth. Virgil wrote that Orpheus's backward glance was "A pardonable offense, if the spirits knew how to pardon."

In some versions, when the upper world comes into Orpheus's view, he thinks his journey is over. In this moment, he's so ecstatic and so eager to finally see Eurydice that he unthinkingly turns around an instant too soon, either just before he reaches the threshold or when he's already crossed it but Eurydice is still a few steps behind him. In this scenario, it isn't a personal flaw that makes him look back, but just a moment of passion-fueled carelessness, and the fact that it costs him Eurydice shows the pitilessness of the Underworld.

In other versions, concern for Eurydice makes him look back. Sometimes he looks back because the upward path is steep and rocky, and Eurydice is still limping from her snakebite, so he knows she must be struggling, in some versions he even hears her stumble, and he finally can't resist turning around to help her. Or more cruelly, in other versions – for example, in Gluck's opera – Eurydice doesn't know that Orpheus is forbidden to look back at her, and Orpheus is also forbidden to tell her. So she's distraught that her husband seems to be coldly ignoring her and begs him to look at her until he can't bear her anguish anymore.

These versions highlight the harshness of the Underworld's law, and Orpheus's failure to comply with it seems natural and even inevitable. The message here seems to be that death is pitiless and irreversible: a demigod hero might come close to conquering it, but through little or no fault of his own, he's bound to fail in the end.

Another interpretation I've read is that Orpheus's backward glance represents the nature of grief. We can't help but look back on our memories of our dead loved ones, even though it means feeling the pain of loss all over again.

Then there's the interpretation that Orpheus chooses his memory of Eurydice, represented by the backward glance, rather than a future with a living Eurydice. "The poet's choice," as Portrait of a Lady on Fire puts it. In this reading, Orpheus looks back because he realizes he would rather preserve his memory of their youthful, blissful love, just as it was when she died, than face a future of growing older, the difficulties of married life, and the possibility that their love will fade. That's the slightly more sympathetic version. In the version that makes Orpheus more egotistical, he prefers the idealized memory to the real woman because the memory is entirely his possession, in a way that a living wife with her own will could never be, and will never distract him from his music, but can only inspire it.

Then there are the modern feminist interpretations, also alluded to in Portrait of a Lady on Fire but seen in several female-authored adaptations of the myth too, where Eurydice provokes Orpheus into looking back because she wants to stay in the Underworld. The viewpoint kinder to Orpheus is that Eurydice also wants to preserve their love just as it was, youthful, passionate, and blissful, rather than subject it to the ravages of time and the hardships of life. The variation less sympathetic to Orpheus is that Euyridice was at peace in death, in some versions she drank from the river Lethe and doesn't even remember Orpheus, his attempt to take her back is selfish, and she prefers to be her own free woman than be bound to him forever and literally only live for his sake.

With that interpretation in mind, I'm surprised I've never read yet another variation. I can imagine a version where, as Orpheus walks up the path toward the living world, he realizes he's being selfish: Eurydice was happy and at peace in the Elysian Fields, she doesn't even remember him because she drank from Lethe, and she's only following him now because Hades and Persephone have forced her to do so. So he finally looks back out of selfless love, to let her go. Maybe I should write this retelling myself.

Are any of these interpretations – or any others – the "true" or "definitive" reason why Orpheus looks back? I don't think so at all. The fact that they all exist and can all ring true says something valuable about the nature of mythology.

[mask131]

The truth about Medusa and her rape... Mythology breakdown time!

With the recent release of the Percy Jackson television series, Tumblr is bursting with mythological posts, and the apparition of Medusa the Gorgon has been the object of numerous talks throughout this website… Including more and more spreading of misinformation, and more debates about what is the “true” version of Medusa’s backstory.

Already let us make that clear: the idea that Medusa was actually “blessed” or “gifted” by Athena her petrifying gaze/snake-hair curse is to my knowledge not at all part of the Antique world. I still do not know exactly where this comes from, but I am aware of no Greek or Roman texts that talked about this – so it seems definitively a modern invention. After all, the figure of Medusa and her entire myth has been taken part, reinterpreted and modified by numerous modern women, feminist activist, feminist movements or artists engaged in the topic of women’s life and social conditions – most notably Medusa becoming the “symbol of raped women’ wrath and fury”. It is an interesting reading and a fascinating update of the ancient texts, and it is a worthy take on its own time and context – but today we are not talking about the posterity, reinvention and continuity of Medusa as a myth and a symbol. I want to clarify some points about the ACTUAL myth or legend of Medusa – the original tale, as told by the Greeks and then by the Romans.

Most specifically the question: Was Medusa raped?

Step 1: Yes, but no.

The backstory of Medusa you will find very often today, ranging from mythology manuals (vulgarization manuals of course) to Youtube videos, goes as such: Medusa was a priestess of Athena who got raped by Poseidon while in Athena’s temple, and as a result of this, Athena punished Medusa by turning her into the monstrous Gorgon.

Some will go even further claiming Athena’s “curse” wasn’t a punishment but a “gift” or blessing – and again, I don’t know where this comes from and nobody seems to be able to give me any reliable source for that, so… Let’s put this out of there.

Now this backstory – famous and popular enough to get into Riodan’s book series for example – is partially true. There are some elements here very wrong – and by wrong I do mean wrong.

The story of Medusa being raped and turned into a monster due to being raped does indeed exist, and it is the most famous and widespread of all the Medusa stories, the one people remembered for the longest time and wrote and illustrated the most about. Hence why Medusa became in the 20th century this very important cultural symbol tied to rape and the abuse of women and victim-blaming. HOWEVER – the origin of this story is Ovid’s Metamorphoses, from the first century CE or so. Ovid? A Roman poet writing for Roman people. “Metamorphoses”? One of the two fundamental works of Roman literature and one of the two main texts of Roman mythology, alongside Virgil’s Aeneid. This is a purely Roman story belonging to the Roman culture – and not the Greek one. The story of Medusa’s rape does not have Greek precedents to my knowledge, Ovid introduced the element of rape – which is no surprise given Ovid turned half of the romances of Greek mythology into rapes. Note that, on top of all this, Ovid wasn’t even writing for religious purposes, nor was his text an actual mythological effort – he wrote it with pure literary intentions at heart. It is just a piece of poetry and literature taking inspiration from the legends of the Greek world, not some sort of sacred text.

Second big point: The legend I summarized above? It isn’t even the story Ovid wrote, since there are a lot of elements that do not come from Ovid’s retelling of the story (book fourth of the Metamorphoses). For example Ovid never said Medusa was a priestess of Athena – all he said was that she was raped in the temple of Athena. I shouldn’t even be writing Athena since again, this is a Roman text: we are speaking of Minerva here, and of Neptune, not of Athena or Poseidon. Similarly, Minerva’s curse did not involve the petrifying gaze – rather all Ovid wrote about was that Minerva turned Medusa’s hair into snakes, to “punish” her because her hair were very beautiful, and it was what made her have many suitors (none of which she wanted to marry apparently), and it is also implied it is what made Neptune fall in love (or rather fall in lust) with her. I guess it is from this detail that the reading of “Athena’s curse was a gift” comes from – even though this story also clearly does victim-blaming of rape here.

But what is very fascinating is that… we are not definitively sure Neptune raped Medusa in Ovid’s retelling. For sure, the terms used by Ovid in his fourth book of Metamorphoses are clear: this was an action of violating, sexually assaulting, of soiling and corrupting, we are talking about rape. But Ovid refers several other times to Medusa in his other books, sometimes adding details the fourth-book stories does not have (the sixth book for examples evokes how Neptune turned into a bird to seduce Medusa, which is completely absent from the fourth book’s retelling of Medusa’ curse). And in all those other mentions, the terms to designate the relationship between Medusa and Neptune are more ambiguous, evoking seduction and romance rather than physical or sexual assault. (It does not help that Ovid has an habit of constantly confusing consensual and non-consensual sex in his poems, meaning that a rape in one book can turn into a romance in another, or reversal)

But the latter fact makes more sense when you recall that the rape element was invented and added by Ovid. Before, yes Poseidon and Medusa loved each other, but it was a pure romance, or at least a consensual one-night. Heck, if we go back to the oldest records of the love between Poseidon and Medusa, back in Hesiod’s Theogony, we have descriptions of the two of them laying together in a beautiful, flowery meadow – a stereotypical scene of pastoral romances – with no mention of any brutality or violence of any sort. As a result, it makes sense the original “romantic” story would still “leak” or cast a shadow over Ovid’s reinvented and slightly-confused tale.

Step 2: So… no rape?

Well, if we go by Greek texts, no, apparently Medusa was not raped in Greek mythology, and only became a rape victim through Ovid.

The Ancient Greek texts all record Poseidon and Medusa sleeping with each other and having children, but no mention of rape. And the whole “curse of Athena” thing is not present in the oldest records – no temple of Athena soiling, no angry Athena cursing a poor girl… “No curse?” you say “But then how did Medusa got turned into a Gorgon”? Answer: she did not. She was born like that.

As I said before, the oldest record of Medusa’s romance but also of her family comes from Hesiod’s Theogony (Hesiod being one of the two “founding authors” of Greek mythology, alongside Homer – Homer did wrote several times about Medusa, but only as a disembodied head and as a monster already dead, so we don’t have any information about her life). And what do we learn? That Medusa is part of a set of three sisters known as the Gorgons – because oh yes, Ovid did not mention Medusa’s sister now did he? How did Medusa’s sisters ALSO got snake-hair or petrifying-gaze if only Medusa was cursed for sleeping with Neptune? Ovid does not give us any answer because again, it is an “adaptational plot hole”, and the people that try to adapt Ovid’s story have to deal with the slight problem of Stheno and Euryale needing to share their sister’s curse despite seemingly not being involved in the whole Neptune business. Anyway, back to the Greek text.

So, you have those three Gorgon sisters, and Medusa is said to be mortal while her sisters are not. Why is it such a big deal? Because Medusa wasn’t originally some random human or priestess. Oh no! Who were the Gorgons’ parents? Phorcys and Keto/Ceto, aka two sea-gods. Not just two sea-gods – two sea-gods of the ancient, primordial generation of sea-gods, the one that predated Poseidon, and that were cousins to the Titans, the sea-gods born of Gaia mating with Pontos.

So the Gorgons were “divine” of nature – and this is why Medusa being a mortal was considered to be a MASSIVE problem and handicap for her, an abnormal thing for the daughter of two deities. But let’s dig a bit further… Who were Phorcys and Ceto? Long story short: in Greek mythology, they were considered to be sea-equivalents of Typhon and Gaia. They were the parents of many monsters and many sea-horrors: Keto/Ceto herself had her name attributed and equated with any very large creature (like whales) or any terrifying monster (like dragons) from the sea. The Gorgons themselves was a trio of monsters, but their sisters, that directly act as their double in the myth of Perseus? The Graiai – the monstrous trio of old women sharing one eye and one tooth. Hesiod also drops the fact that Ladon (the dragon that guarded the golden apples of the Hesperids), and Echidna (the snake-woman that mated with Typhon and became known as the “mother of monsters”) were also children of Phorcys and Ceto, while other authors will add other monster-related characters such as Scylla (of Charybdis and Scylla fame), the sirens, or Thoosa (the mother of Polyphemus the cyclop). Medusa herself is technically a “mother of monsters” since she birthed both Pegasus the flying horse and Chrysaor, a giant. So here is something very important to get: Medusa, and the Gorgons, were part of a family of monsters. Couple that with the absence of any mention of curses in these ancient texts, and everything is clear.

Originally Medusa was not a woman cursed to become a monster: she was born a monster, part of a group of monster siblings, birthed by monster-creating deities, and she belonged to the world of the “primordial abominations from the sea”, and the pre-Olympian threats, the remnants of the primordial chaos. It is no surprise that the Gorgons were said to live at the edge of the very known world, in the last patch of land before the end of the universe – in the most inhuman, primitive and liminal area possible. They were full-on monsters!

Now you might ask why Poseidon would sleep with a horrible monster, especially when you recall that the Greeks loved to depict the Gorgons as truly bizarre and grotesque. It wasn’t just snake-hair and petrifying gaze: they had boar tusks, and metallic claws, and bloated eyes, and a long tongue that constantly hanged down their bearded chin, and very large heads – some very old depictions even show her with a female centaur body! In fact, the ancient texts imply that it wasn’t so much the Gorgon’s gaze or eyes that had the power to turn people into stone – but that rather the Gorgon was just so hideous and so terrifying to look at people froze in terror – and then literally turned into stone out of fear and disgust. We are talking Lovecraftian level of eldritch horror here. So why would Poseidon, an Olympian god, sleep with one of these horrors? Well… If you know your Poseidon it wouldn’t surprise you too much because Poseidon had a thing for monsters. As a sort of “dark double” of Zeus, whereas Zeus fell in love with beautiful princesses and noble queens and birthed great gods and brave heroes, Poseidon was more about getting freaky with all sorts of unusual and bizarre goddesses, and giving birth to bandits and monsters. A good chunk of the villains of Greek mythology were born out of Poseidon’s loins: Polyphemus, Antaios, Orion, Charybdis, the Aloads… And even his most benevolent offspring has freaky stuff about it – Proteus the shapeshifter or Triton half-man half-fish… So yes, Poseidon sleeping with an abominable Gorgon is not so much out of character.

Step 3: The missing link

Now that we established what Medusa started out as, and what she ended up as… We need to evoke the evolution from point Hesiod to point Ovid, because while people summarized the Medusa debate as “Sea-born monster VS raped and punished woman”, there is a third element needed to understand this whole situation…

Yes Ovid did invent the rape. But he did not invent the idea that Medusa had been cursed by Athena.

The “gorgoneion” – the visual and artistic motif of the Gorgon’s head – was, as I said, a grotesque and monstrous face used to invoke fright into the enemies or to repel any vile influence or wicked spirit by the principle of “What’s the best way to repel bad stuff? Badder stuff”. Your Gorgon was your gargoyle, with all the hideous traits I described before – represented in front (unlike all the other side-portraits of gods and heroes), with the face being very large and flat, a big tongue out of a tusked-mouth, snake-hair, bulging crazy eyes, sometimes a beard or scales… Pure monster. But then… from the fifth century BCE to the second century BCE we see a slow evolution of the “gorgoneion” in art. Slowly the grotesque elements disappear, and the Gorgon’s face becomes… a regular, human face. Even more: it even becomes a pretty woman’s face! But with snakes instead of hair. As such, the idea that Medusa was a gorgeous woman who just had snakes and cursed-eyes DOES come from Ancient Greece – and existed well before Ovid wrote his rape story.

But what was the reason behind this change?

Well, we have to look at the Roman era again. Ovid’s tale of Medusa being cursed for her rape at the hands of Neptune had to rival with another record collected by a Greek author Apollodorus, or Pseudo-Apollodorus, in his Bibliotheca. In this collection of Greek myths, Apollodorus writes that indeed, Medusa was cursed by Athena to have her beautiful hair that seduced everybody be turned into snakes… But it wasn’t because of any rape or forbidden romance, no. It was just because Medusa was a very vain woman who liked to brag about her beauty and hair – and had the foolish idea of saying her hair looked better than Athena’s. (If you recall tales such as Arachne’s or the Judgement of Paris, you will know that despite Athena being wise and clever, one of her main flaws is her vanity).

“Wait a minute,” you are going to tell me, “The Bibliotheca was created in the second century CE! Well after Greece became part of the Roman Empire, and after Ovid’s Metamorphoses became a huge success! It isn’t a true Greek myth, it is just Ovid’s tale being projected here…” And people did agree for a time… Until it was discovered, in the scholias placed around the texts of Apollonios of Rhodes, that an author of the fifth century BCE named Pherecyde HAD recorded in his time a version of Medusa’s legend where she had been cursed into becoming an ugly monster as punishment for her vanity. We apparently do not have the original text of Pherecyde, but the many scholias referring to this lost piece are very clear about this. This means that the story that Apollodorus recorded isn’t a “novelty”, but rather the latest record of an older tradition going back to the fifth century BCE… THE SAME CENTURY THAT THE GORGONEION STARTED LOSING THEIR GROTESQUE, and that the face of Medusa started becoming more human in art.

[EDIT: I also forgot to add that this evolution of Medusa is also proved by strange literary elements, such as Pindar's mention in a poem of his (around 490 BCE) of "fair-cheeked Medusa". A description which seems strange given how Medusa used to be depicted as the epitome of ugliness... But that makes sense if the "cursed beauty" version of the myth had been going around at the time!]

And thus it is all connected and explained. Ovid did invent the rape yes – but he did not invent the idea of Athena cursing Medusa. It pre-existed as the most “recent” and dominating legend in Ancient Greece, having overshadowed by Ovid’s time the oldest Hesiodic records of Medusa being born a monster. So what Ovid did wasn’t completely create a new story out of nowhere, but twist the Greek traditions of Athena cursing Medusa and Medusa having a relationship with Poseidon, so that the two legends would form one and same story. And this explains in retrospect why Ovid focuses so much on describing Medusa’s beautiful hair, and why Ovid’s Minerva would think turning her hair into snake would be a “punishment fit for the crime”: these are leftovers of the Greek tale where Medusa was punished for her boasting and her vanity.

CONCLUSION

Here is the simplified chronology of how Medusa’s evolution went.

A) Primitive Greek myths, Hesiodic tradition: Born a monster out of a family of sea-monsters and monstrous immortals. Is a grotesque, gargoylesque, eldritch abomination. Athena has only an indirect conflict with her, due to being Perseus’ “fairy godmother”. Has a lovely romance with Poseidon.

B) Slow evolution throughout Classical Greece and further: Medusa becomes a beautiful, human-looking girl that was cursed to have snake for hair and petrifying eyes, instead of being a Lovecraftian horror people could not gaze upon. Her conflict with Athena becomes direct, as it is Athena that cursed her due to being offended by her vain boasting. Her punishment is for her vanity and arrogant comparison to the goddess.

C) Ovid comes in: Medusa’s romance with Poseidon becomes a rape, and she is now punished for having been raped inside Athena’s temple.

[As a final note, I want to insist upon the fact that the story of Medusa being raped is not less "worthy" than any other version of the myth. Due to its enormous popularity, how it shaped the figure of Medusa throughout the centuries, and how it still survives today and echoes current-day problems, to try to deny the valid place of this story in the world of myths and legends would be foolish. HOWEVER it is important to place back things in their context, to recognize that it is not the ONLY tale of Medusa, that it was NOT part of Greek mythology, but rather of Roman legends - and let us all always remember this time Poseidon slept with a Lovecraftian horror because my guy is kinky.]

EDIT:

For illustration, I will place here visuals showing how the Ancient art evolved alongside Medusa's story.

Before the 5th century BCE: Medusa is a full-on monster

From the 5th century to the 2nd century BCE: A slow evolution as Medusa goes from a full-on monster to a human turned into a monster. As a result the two depictions of the grotesque and beautiful gorgoneion coexist.

Post 2nd century BCE: Medusa is now a human with snake hair, and just that

[crispy-armpit]

✧ 𝖒𝖞 𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖑 ✧

ʏᴀɴᴅᴇʀᴇ ꜱᴇᴀ ɢᴏᴅ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

𓇼˚₊‧꒰ა 🫧 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚𓇼

⭒ 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘺: 10 dollars on a dare leads you to break one superstition that changes your life forever. you begin to learn secrets tied to your family and upbringing, at the cost of your freedom. who is this mysterious Anshumat, and why does he want you?

⭒ 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵: 𝘨𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘳𝘺, violence, implied stalking, kidnapping, choking, reader gets called a bride once

⭒ 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵: 1,418

⭒ a/n: yan sea god was inspired by an Indonesian myth called Nyi Roro Kidul! it's a really interesting legend if you want to learn more abt it ^^ also.... man tits...... meow..

will you venture down this path?

growing up, you would stay over at your grandmother's house every summer. her beautiful seaside cottage made the perfect accommodation for a family getaway. throughout your childhood, the superstitious old woman restricted you from doing specific things. rules like never whistling at night, don't open an umbrella indoors, etc.

you'd eventually found out that these were just scare tactics for children to make them listen. but there was one rule that your grandmother seemed to fear the most, a rule that never made sense... never wear white to the local beach. and when questioning her about the rule, she'd tell you the same story every time.

"long ago...

a cruel serpent god who once ruled these waters would rise from the ocean and into the islands, devouring innocent villagers and destroying temples along its path.

the gods and humans were furious at its actions. fed up with the destruction and death, they prepared a plan to thwart the serpent; a binding curse.

the serpent was cursed to spend its days rotting in a hidden island, where it was accompanied by its servants. it was also tasked with granting blessings to sailors passing through the rocky tides, where it weighed the sins of each individual to seal their fates.

but over the decades... the serpent grew bored and lonely. through a loophole, the serpent found a way to abduct humans. you see.. the serpent loves the colour white and pearls. so much so, it would use its voice, so alluring, to lure the poor victims who happened to wear such things. and once in the water, the serpent would drag the human to its temple where they would become its slave.. or worse...

its spouse."

here you are today, telling the same tale in front of your young niece and nephew. "well, that's one way to get bitches." your nephew, Keona laughs. a scoffing Kehlani adds on, "nah, who would want to marry an overgrown slimy snake?"

"hey now, take that shit to grandma. she just assigned me to be your storyteller," you shrugged. "and this story has a real reasoning behind it, ok?"

"what? sexy sea snake destroying villages?"

"no, it's so that little rascals like you..." you drill both your index fingers onto their foreheads, "are easier to find if you ever get lost at sea."

how did i end up here...

facepalming yourself, you sigh. you were disappointed in yourself. how'd you let those little punks reel you in a dare? where was the self-respect? the dignity? seriously, breaking your grandmother's number 1 rule for what? 10 dollars?

you walk along the shore while wearing a flowy white shirt and neck encased in one of your mother's pearl necklaces. the dare was simple: successfully walk down the shoreline without chickening out and boom— an extra 10 dollars into your wallet.

you'd prove to the twins that you weren't scared of a little bedtime story. buuut just in case you did happen to go missing (for reasons that are totally not hungry sea serpent related), you brought essentials in a bag, left a letter for your family, and are currently being watched by the twins.

laughing at yourself for the paranoia, you nearly reach the edge of the walk until you hear a feminine wail from between the hidden rocks. is someone hurt? the sound was coming from beyond your finishing point so it wouldn't hurt to check, right?

signalling the twins to come over, you bend down to their heights, "listen, it sounds like someone's in trouble past those rocks. so I want you both to go grab the first aid kit and call Officer Holden over, 'kay?" they nod and scamper off into town.

approaching the rocks, you peek in to find a naked... mermaid?! observing her, you notice the torn skin on her iridescent tail and warily walk over to her. "uh... hey? hola? salve? hallo? i'm ah— good human! no... nooooo bad.."

you notice the air seems to smell... sweeter?

the woman looks up at you from the sand with pleading eyes, "please— please help me! my name is Coralie, my master, he—"

"woah, it's ok! you're safe, help is coming. uh, your master? did he do this to you? are you an underwater criminal?!"

a distant melodious voice interrupts you. Coralie's previously pained face now warps into a sinister grin as her wound disappears. she crawls towards you as your vision fogs up and your knees buckle to the soft sand. the song lulls you into a deep sleep, your body now being pulled into the shallow waters.

you awake to the bright rays of sunshine and lungs filling in with fresh air. but the next in your line of sight knocked all the air out of your body again.

the luminous, barely-clothed body of an unknown man sat above you. his 9'7 self relaxed on the marble throne, with 2 pairs of eyes fixated on you. what the fuck is that?

you gawk at him, "holy mother of god..."

i'm not dreaming, am i?

his gaze shifts into amusement, "wrong. we gods do not have mothers. we were created."

"you're a... a god?"

"is it not obvious enough from my appearance? would you like to see another version of me?" the towering deity begins to warp into a feminine body as if it was melting and moulding itself. "is this preferable?" her new voice is flirtatious, genuinely curious.

then, she tries to warp into a third body. the transformation looks more painful than the one prior, it barely shifts halfway into a gruesome beast before returning back to its first body. he huffs while grasping his golden collar, "this... is not my original form. I have been cursed, long ago, to never set foot on human lands. this island is both my kingdom and prison."

you shakily stand up the marble floor, now noticing Coralie standing beside the throne with a pair of legs. slowly processing his words, you piece together the clues from his story and your memories of the abduction. this couldn't be...

"you are.. you're the sea serpent god! I can't believe grandma was right— shit, shit shit—"

he smirks at your panic, "correct. I am Anshumat; shapeshifter deity of the raging tides, granter of safe travels—"

"murderer and enslaver." you complete.

Anshumat roars, "correct again! you're on a strike, dear y/n. though trust me, my servants are treated well."

"..how do you know my name?"

"oh you poor thing, granny never told you? I know everything about you— a name is barely anything."

"told me what?"

"she used to be my cupbearer. until she escaped with that bastard traitor. isn't that right, Coralie?"

she nods, "yes, master."

"please sir, let me leave. my family— they'll search for me! I have a cat at home! I haven't even finished my favourite show.. so please..." you try to list more life goals.

he chuckled, "oh you are so amusing. and why would I do that? we've barely just been engaged, dear."

"what do you mean engaged?"

"I've been watching you since you took your first breath on earth, y/n. so imagine my surprise— to see you wrapped up in my favourite colour, like a pretty bride. you're my sacrifice."

fear tingles your spine, "wait, that was just a dare! i didn't really mean it!"

"doesn't matter. you will be my pearl."

"no! I have a family, a partner—"

"i said... it doesn't fucking matter." he slams his fist against the throne arm, "and you'll be seeing the head of that twat soon enough."

you don't give him a glance before you're turning your back and run down the staircase of the grand temple. careful not to trip, you focus on the flight of stairs, painfully aware of the loud footsteps approaching behind you. it doesn't take a second for Anshumat to pull on the collar of your shirt and slam you onto the staircase.

he sits atop you, lower region heavily grinding against your stomach. "get off me! don't you have hundreds of other options?! why me?!" you scream.

his bedazzled skin blocks your view of the sun, furious eyes glowing under his shadow, and sharp teeth bared into a snarl. "you do not get to leave me again. you will stay, and worship me. this island will be our eternal paradise."

large hands pressing against your throat, you struggle before darkness begins to cloud your vision.

"this time, you will live."