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#Persephone brought up a fair point
monstrumpuella · 1 year
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Magical lady?
Don't you mean Powerful Goddess
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genericpuff · 5 months
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I'm not sure if you've answered this question before but what were some of the things that made you interested in Lore Olympus in the past and at what point did you lose interest?
I adored the art in the beginning, and just like, the really warm-feeling romance that just had me feeling so giddy reading it. There were some red flags in the beginning like the age gap, but I kinda fell for the same mindset of "well they're gods so what does it matter" (obviously I can't in good faith use that argument anymore because if the age gap didn't matter then it either wouldn't exist or wouldn't be brought up in the first place lmao but it took me a while to realize that).
Now, to be fair, LO was also one of my first introductions to webtoons as a format, prior to that I had read mostly manga and left-to-right indie webcomics (i.e. comics that were hosted on their own site) and I was still in the early years of my own development as a writer and artist (I still feel like I'm early in that development tbh) so of course there were undoubtedly a lot of obvious flaws that went over my head (and I was younger and inexperienced so I wasn't as critical of what media I was watching / reading as I am now) but that's been half the fun of catching them now - it's given me a lot more perspective and helped me hone my own skills in my writing by analyzing what's wrong with LO and brainstorming on how those problems can be avoided.
But then there was the Act of Wrath plotline and I was completely sold on it being gold. Anyone who's read my original work knows how much of a SUCKER I am for "dark alter ego" plotlines, I eat that shit up like junk food. But what I like about the dark alter ego tropes is when they're used to explore the subconscious, question one's morals and true identity, etc. That was what I was hoping for and expecting with the AoW plotline in LO - that her "dark self" was gonna be a reflection of how she felt "held back" by her circumstances in the Mortal Realm, and her wrath being something she could use for retribution (in a "do no harm but take no shit" kinda way). Especially with how naive and innocent she was in the beginning, I loved the idea of her slowly coming to terms with her "darker" side and learning not to suppress her emotions until they had nowhere else to go and exploded (which was how I interpreted the AoW).
So when it didn't do that, or even explore an ounce of nuance regarding her relationship with her wrath, I was very disappointed to say the least. When Eris was revealed to be the one who "blessed" her with wrath, that was when the rose colored glasses started to fall off and I realized "wait, does Rachel not have an actual plan for this whole Kore vs. Persephone thing???" And now her wrath is literally just there to... give her the power to bully people?? It just feels so disheartening to see such potential squandered.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not gonna chastise a story if it doesn't go exactly where I want it to go, there would be no fun in that anyways (and that's what fanfiction is for lmao). But when a story is leaving very interesting but connectable breadcrumbs that are VERY clearly leading you somewhere and then just... doesn't, that's when it's disappointing and unsatisfying. LO feels like a "creator vs. the reader" story in the worst way possible, where it's constantly leaving breadcrumbs, getting pissed when the audience "figures it out", so then it overcorrects and tries to "subvert" itself to keep the readers "on their toes"... but the problem is that all it really does is punish the readers for paying attention and investing themselves in the story by giving them a worse story. It's like Rachel's getting mad at people for figuring out a story that she's writing and hinting towards.
And this has been going on for YEARS now, it's like a Shepard tone where it sounds like it keeps getting higher and higher in pitch but then doesn't actually resolve so your brain is just scrambling trying to figure out what in the world it could be "building up to".
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There's nothing. It's not building up to anything. It's just constantly putting down new plot threads that are slightly altered versions of previous plot threads and expecting you to keep following along while it makes a mess of itself. It feels like you're going somewhere but you're actually still just running in place. It's just Rachel never learning how to progress past the middle school writing level of "and then this happened and then this happened and then this happened". Not only is it disorganized writing, but it's just... it's so boring. Nothing's exciting or interesting anymore when it keeps distracting itself with shiny new plotlines and characters that never get resolved.
It's like when you were a kid and thought "man , when I grow up, I'm gonna eat nothing but chocolate cake and ice cream every day forever!" and then you get older and you realize you were being silly because eating nothing but chocolate cake and ice cream every day 1.) isn't good for you and doesn't feel good, and 2.) the appeal and novelty of it wears off if you can have it any time you want, it doesn't feel as special anymore as it did when you were a kid and having those things was a treat.
To compare this back to LO, none of its "reveals" feel like treats anymore, they feel like just another half-assed attempt to keep people interested. It's clickbait.
And don't get me wrong, you CAN totally subvert the breadcrumbs you put down for your audience and go in a completely different direction than where the audience was expecting, but it takes a shitload of skill and thought to do it well. Attack on Titan is one of the best recent examples of a story appearing to completely throw out its original script halfway through, only for that script to actually still be relevant in a very complex and thought out way. Especially when there ARE hints towards the big "twist" that make you go back and rewatch it and realize "WAIT, THEY'VE BEEN GIVING US THE ANSWERS ALL THIS TIME?!?!"
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(it would be TWO MORE FUCKING SEASONS before this ending would make sense, that's fucking GENIUS foreshadowing and in the CREDITS SEQUENCE LIKE ?? IT'S SO BLINK AND YOU'LL MISS IT HOLY SHIT-)
Evidently Rachel does not have that skill and is not willing to put in that thought; maybe she could some day, but I don't think she's learning it on the job as well as she thinks she is.
And it's disappointing as fuck because it could have been so much better than this. Rachel is literally the only one getting in her own way of LO being something truly great.
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alabasterpickles · 1 year
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hi i sent an ask about persephone and hades a lil while ago!! heres some questions i had :3
1. how did they officially meet?
2. what were pain and panics first impressions of persephone?
3. persephone looks older then some of the other gods (like hera and aphrodite) is she older then them? i really like that you gave her some wrinkles :]
4. any issues that come up in p/h's relationship? like goals, little pet peeves, etc
5. how angry has persephone seen hades get? and vice versa, how angry has hades seen persephone get?
- 🖋️
Hey!! Glad to have you back!!
1. I have this idea that their meeting is almost entirely by chance, in the series he loathes spring and tries to sabotage it and I really want to channel that energy into my funny little AU (which actually takes place post film) 😂 It’s during Spring that he officially runs into he, she’s just doing her Cthonic goddess thing and Hades is up top causing problems as per usual, when he sees her manifesting apricots on a tree, aaand obviously an unattended goddess is fair game! Sidenote but I like to think Eros is the one that gives him the low-down on who she is, kind of encourages him to make a move, mostly because it’s a welcome distraction and keeps him out of his hair.
2. They were extremely weary of her at first, the assumption was that anybody Hades brought home wasn’t going to be nice to them. Once they realize that’s not the case she pretty much becomes their favorite person.
3. Thank you!! I have gotten this question a lot! I like to think of Hades being somewhere in his early to mid-forties, and it just felt right to put Persephone somewhere in her thirties (leaning toward 33-34). I imagine her being quite stressed and possibly overworked most of the time, which has imbued in her a kind of maturity that makes her age difficult to peg on face value. Since I’m working with Disney logic rather than historical accuracy, I figured that was an appropriate age! I wanted her to be young enough that she found Hades’ idiosyncrasies endearing rather than immature, but still old enough that she wouldn’t be intimidated or put off by his outbursts. I don’t envision her being older than either of them, no, actually the opposite! But her job is much more “hands on” which I think makes her appear a little more weathered, if that makes sense?
4. Oh this is a fun one!! *rubs hands together evily* So naturally there’s issues because they are so different from one another! On one hand, I imagine Hades’ impulsive and impatient nature (along with the way he tends to take his frustration out on his poor minions) is a point of contention between the two of them. My Persephone’s personality is very dry, deliberate, even tempered and easy-going. She’s not easily irked, but I imagine when she is pushed into a corner her temper can be pretty ferocious. My mom always likes to say that spring “comes in like a Lion and goes out like a lamb” 😂 which is a very fitting description of this Persy! She doesn’t necessarily agree with Hades’ initial style of management, which obviously softens up over time as their relationship progresses. When it comes to goals! Persephone loves her solitude and independence, she’s a free spirit and the idea of being tied down bothers her. She doesn’t prefer the company of the Olympians and she finds their social politics/drama incredibly draining so I think the one major issue she would go into that relationship having is this fear of losing her autonomy and being trapped in an exhausting relationship. She waffles a little in the beginning, not quite committing to her feelings for him because she likes not having to be beholden to anyone. Hades’ goals I imagine change once he prioritizes her company. I think he’d be willing to give up his desire to overthrow Olympus to keep her around, so I definitely don’t think there’s much holding him back from being with her. After his massive blunder in the film, he has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Although I see them changing perspectives on eachother’s stations and therefore developing a deep respect for one another, I do think Persephone’s holistic lifestyle would get on Hades’ nerves in the beginning, and vice versa. They manage to find a balance that works for both of them. I also think Persephone would initially find him a little dishonest and pushy which would drive her crazy, as well as the way he picks on Pain and Panic. He doesn’t have an off-button either which she’d have to get used to. In the end though, they’re both the black sheep of the Pantheon and they find comfort, solace and understanding in one another. ❤️
5. Hades’ fuse is so short it’s practically nonexistent, so I imagine Persephone has seen him get angry a lot, but in my head I like to believe the angriest she’s every seen him was when he was coming to her defense against her mom (which is a sort of long story I’ll save for another time!). I think it’s the first time she feels it’s genuine, not simply an overreaction or irritation, but like actualrage. For Persephone, since her buttons are so hard to push, he’s probably only seen her truly angry a couple of times. I envision her being seriously unreasonable when she gets to that point though, and it takes her a while to cool off. I don’t have a specific event in mind for this (yet!) but I think one of the times she’s been absolutely livid is when he first draws up the agreement with Demeter to keep her for half the year in the Underworld. She hates the idea of feeling like someone has more control over her life than she does!
I hope that answers your questions!
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wolffoxnation2 · 4 months
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More W.I.Ps Yay
Psychopomp
Summary: Travis has psychopomp powers, Connor likely does too but no one knows other than Travis himself. Travis decides to summon Luke for some reason.
Notes to myself:
[the no good bad evil oneshot about Luke and Travis]
[Travis summons Luke]
[Make sure there has to be a lifeline that keeps Travis alive during the ritual.]
[Have his lifeline accidentally be Katie]
[Have Katie show up near the end]
[He compares the whispering to Katie talking so much, and that causes things to spitball and anchor his life]
["Great, just what I needed—Katie's voice in surround sound," he grumbled, a desperate attempt at humour in the face of the spectral onslaught.]
[Diaktoros- Guide, Messenger]
[Athanatos Diaktoros- Immortal guide]
["What are you doing?" Luke said
Travis rips the blanket off himself and throws it on the ground, suddenly disgusted by its existence.
"Don't throw my blanket".]
[Have Travis have a panic attack when Katie arrives because he's so scared of what she thinks]
[Have Travis refer to him and Katie as a demented demigod Persephone and Hades]
Small extract:
"Hey..."
"Mmm...five more minutes," I mumbled, trying to get at least a few more moments of sleep. The last few nights have been sleepless and filled with tossing and turning, nightmares and a bunch of other stuff I don't wanna talk about; sleep was something I really needed right now.
"Hey, Trav."
I shoved a pillow over my head. "Go away". I don't care if it was Cecil, Chris, or Connor—wow, there are alot of C names in this cabin. What is Hermes' deal with names that start with a C?
"Travis Thomas Stoll. Wake. Up. Now."
That wasn't even close to my middle name. I don't even think I have a middle name. But before I could even point that fact out, a small fist decided to acquaint itself with my stomach.
So it was Connor.
That little shithead.
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2. Who is the monster? the children?
Summary: Magnus Chase/Norse myth oneshot of Loki's 'monster' children being brought to Odin. From the third person view of Hel.
Notes to myself:
[F you Odin]
[Think of a nickname for Jormungandr because I ain't calling him by his full name for the entire shot.]
[Forgot Hel was the youngest midway through this, so let's pretend Hel is freakishly (horrible phrasing) strong]
[Technically, a monster isn't a bad thing to be. It just has bad associations]
[Fun fact: Monster derives from the Latin monstrum, itself derived ultimately from the verb moneo—to remind, warn, instruct, or foretell
[höggspjót—chopping spear. It takes its name from Old Norse högg, stroke, blow, slaughter, beheading and spjót, "spear]
[They are so gonna use that on the snake :(]
Small extract:
 She assumes they must be young because they are only as big as Fenrir. Not as big as her mom or other Jotun.
Jormungandr hissed in her arms. She was playing with him when the warriors came with their pointy weapons and red faces, so he refused to let go of her. Even when the warriors pointed their höggspjót at him and
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3. Wine Child: chapter two draft 4? Fuck what number are we on?
Summary: Percy's pov of the de aged Mr D fanfic. Hebe shows up, dumps 8yr old Dio at camp. Ruins Percy's date. Dives into Dio's demigod trauma.
Notes to myself:
[Work on chapter title]
[Dio has a sword, where does he get the sword? fuck knows. Hebe gave the 8yr old a sword for funsies]
[He's wearing a girls outfit and has wild curly hair]
[make him punch Percy in the balls]—has been changed to Will now.
Small extract:
Did I mention that she's holding a very alive-looking, violently squirming gym bag?
"Well, it's a funny story, really." She said, which meant in god language: It was very much not funny, but you better laugh or I vaporize you.
She twirled the gym bag in her hand as she talked, pulling it up by the straps and tipping it upside down like a very angry yoyo.
Whatever was in the bag really didn't like that, which to be fair, I'd be pretty cranky if some goddess shoved me in a gym bag and then started playing with the bag like a yoyo.
"What I didn't account for was how whiney he was. So then I thought, hmm, where was the best place where he could learn to appreciate youth? Nowhere else but summer camp!" 
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rottingsparrow · 2 years
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Part 4! Of rereading Lore Olympus. Ep 31-40
Gotta be real I keep forgetting to post these even tho I'm reading them but it's fine. Obviously I won't finish before the end of the 2 week break (this Saturday) but after this I may start reviewing episodes as they come out, who knows. Last part:
Ep 31
Theres so many other reasons you shouldnt work together but ok
Also shes literally so smart right like thats canon
Artemis is cool hera,,,sometimes
Which two sons i wish i knew the lo family tree as opposed to the real one yknow
How do heras powers work she felt her pain but doesnt know who??
I would kill for a comprehensive list of family tree and powers, dont even have to spoil powers just please i get so confused
Ep 32
Train ur fuckin dogs hades i think ive said that before
He changed skin color again but like not just light vs dark thats a whole diff shade of blue
Hehe threaten low class workers so cute and quirky hades
Why is uh psyche/whatever her nymph name is wearing more traditional clothes while not in the mortal realm
Love the dog
Hades has a point, even tho it makes no sense for him to have said that
Ok also point out in the like future episode he wants persephone to call him Aidoneus but doesnt like when others do it why
Thats my same thing with him calling her Kore like i know in the future its like explained or whatever but idk
Aphrodite has a point it was a favor in a way
A dumb way but yknow
I remember everyone losing it over the “im only interested in the dead ones” panel but looking at it its so lame LMAO changed his entire face shape for a panel
Ep 33
HECATE HECATE WOOOO
Im but a simple man
Hades texts like an old man i know he is one but
Also i am dying to know how his business works including as the god of the underworld like. Give me something
Then again, maybe i am a lil dumb when it comes to this
I always thought he was giving the little elevator friend a sugarcube lmao
I like how minthes ears react to her emotions
Stop fighting at work omg this would be the worst place to work at
“Hey can u do ur job”
Ep 34
Why this subplot ugh
The crown floats yet is sideways after she hits him
Also haha hitting
Also their relationship does confuse me just a tad bit yknow
All the clues were there hades you dumbass
“Cancel all my meetings” DO YOUR JOB
“This doesnt affect you in the same way” cause hes a man or a king or both but also kings seemed to get treated the same by their subjects until they are dicks and excute their power
From what ive seen
Then again we havent seen poseidon do that but that brings me to the point of I wanna see poseidon realm
thats . so creepy hades ew
“Smth must be done about this” like fair legal action right?....right?
Who reads newspapers these days anyways wait a second
Ep 35
See the laptop having news makes more sense like sure we make newspapers but ppl dont use em as often
“Biochemistry Theory” fun fact I switched majors to specifically avoid taking chemistry
What are they typing he just started speaking
What type of nymph is thetis bc i know minthe is a river nymph but thetis has fancy ears
They are so mean to each other lmao
The financial situation and the fact that they both are like sleeping with the kings confuse me why do both of them do it.
Like retrospectively i understand it but when i first read it i was like “are nymphs supposed to be like hookers??” so i was lost for a bit
“Hades micromanages computer usage” oh what a shit boss
Also the meal ticket she has a job sure hades gave it to her but
Idk maybe im slow
What an awful way to do a heart shape i just tried it wtf
“Crying is for wives” damn
Yes body issues that dont get brought up again right? Like she all of a sudden gets bigger boobs and i dont think hades pays ppl enough for cosmetic surgery
You guys know this is a work setting
Has rachel ever had a job bc this feels like a comical trope seen on tv the workplace drama yknow
LMAO IN THE LAST PANEL RACHEL FORGOT TO GIVE HER NYMPH EARS
Like fully normal ears i know its a mistake but its funny
Ep 36
“Not my circus not my monkeys” queen
Hades is it not your circus how dont involve hecate in this
“Stop starin at me with them big ol eyes”
Oof that does not look good on you, i mean why didnt you give her the coat
“I thought you didnt get jealous” ok she may have said that but literally everything about her contradicts that
And i love this part bc he doesnt call her crazy and they talk, i mean he hides some of the truth which like fuck him, and then they try to talk about the party and
Ugh i know minthe is supposed to be an antagonist but rachel does this weird thing where she tries to flesh her out, then realizes it would be an easy set up for a redemption arc and screws her over again
I know the ppl in the mortal realm are generally frightened of hades but why are ppl in olympus
“I wouldnt expect anything less from a goddess” so we are going to bring in the racism/speciesism that occurs in this story right
Its the middle of the day isnt he supposed to be in the mortal realm moving the sun or some shit
Ep 37
“Last night” Rachel its ok to space things out sweetie
Ok ok so one thing i hate about her characterization of apollo is he goes from being delusional to knowing what he did was at least slightly wrong and i hate both are fine stories but pick one he either is so infatuated with persephone that he thinks that they had a great time or he wants her for her power
And! A transition from one to the other would be fine, but she goes back in forth in his characterization
Little red vines look cool
Hehe cerberus
How did he escape tho
I love that dog
Ep 38
Oh its the greenhouse again
But this time it represents the evil feeling?
Idk but i like eye symbolism im lame lol
Why was she sleeping in the chair
When did she get those clothes i dunno if eros would buy her business casual
Artemis really sees all the signs and then goes “meh”
Like points out the possible crush on persephone just connect the dots they are so close
Why is there not more than one door
Why is no one getting off
How does rachel think train stops work
Ep 39
Also not thatanos with an undercut lmao
Ope its thanatos i mixed it up
Also minthe you just actively arent doing a good job like lmao how are you not getting fired
Hades smoking a cigar is so old and gross tbh
What an awful boss
That man has a point dont stand infront of the door
She gave her a little flower nice
Minthe i know ur being spiteful, weird bc hades explained shes just the daughter of a friend( i know its a lie but still) but just do your job
“It says restricted access but that lady says it was fine” i would just wait until someone came out theres no reason to go inside
Ep 40
Why would they not have a lock on this place actually
Why wouldnt she just leave the way she came
When did hades put on his glasses
How is it hades fault what
So many questions yknow for such a short episode
Also does this place not have security cameras in places that are tartarus
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elriell · 3 years
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Why Elriel is most definitely a Sleeping Beauty Retelling!
Since this was brought up a few days ago I cannot get the idea out my head that Sarah is basing Elriel’s story on Sleeping Beauty, and now we know she hid crumbs in her other books, alongside a quick browse of her pinterest boards it seems more and more likely! Especially since she loves her retellings.
A daughter was born, and they called her Aurora. Yes, they named her after the dawn for she filled their lives with sunshine. 
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Listen well, all of you. The princess shall indeed grow in grace and beauty, beloved by all who know her. She'll walk in springtime wherever she goes!
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There are so many parallels between Elain and Aurora, they are both beloved by all, kind creatures who thrive in springtime. Aurora is named for after the dawn because she filled their lives with sunshine, A) tell me this isn’t Elain and B) the meaning of her name;
Elaine as a girl's name is of Greek origin meaning "sun ray or shining light".
Yet another parallel is Aurora believing they still treat her as a child, who does that remind you of?
Oh, dear. Why do they still treat me like a child? 
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Even if love is full of thorns, I’d still embrace it. I know that in between those thorns there is a rose worth all the pain.
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Could this be any more spot on? We have spoken extensively about Elains, not only willingness to get her hands dirty but the pleasure she derives from creating something beautiful from her labour. If this isn’t a metaphor for Azriel and their future situation I don’t know what is... 
This is very important, it keeps getting brought back up in text to show us Elain is going to fight through the bad to get to what she wants. Her hands might bruise and bloody in the process but she will to do it to enjoy the fruits of her labour.
Which leads me to why even further than a Sleeping Beauty retelling I think it will be Elain saving Azriel and breaking a curse/spell. Let us look to SJM’s pinterest board shall we!
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These are just a few of the SB reminiscent pins she has saved, one of the more recent ones in the bottom right. Notice it is the girl saving the man, tell me you do not get immediate Elriel vibes from that, the roses, the colours.
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There also seems to be a lot of cursed/chained art too, I definitely think something is going to happen to Azriel that Elain has to save him from, my best guess would be Koschei. 
Elain’s story thus far has heavily emphasised on choice, as we have seen through her interactions with Lucien and their bond overall, hence why I think it will be her making the choice to save him rather than him coming for her.
He has already saved her, it is time for her to shine. It would also grant her the opportunity to explore her own agency, and not what is expected of her.
 A ray of hope there still may be in this, the gift I give to thee. Not in death, but just in sleep, the fateful prophecy you’ll keep, and from this slumber you shall wake, when true love’s kiss, the spell shall break.
I think that it is interesting considering she is a seer, that Sleeping Beauty has so many references to visions, fate and so on, after the Azriel POV where we are shown he clearly believes it is fate that three sisters would all fall for three bothers.
Almost like it is... Fate. 
This will be the ultimate moment where Elain gets to decide her future and potentially follow her own fate. Not to mention we know the Cauldron loves Elain and gifted her with her abilities, could this be another tie-in, gifting her the ability to wake/heal Azriel? 
But see the gracious whim of fate - why, 'tis the self-same peasant maid, who won the heart of our noble prince but yesterday. She is indeed, most wondrous fair, gold of sunshine in her hair, Lips that shame the red rose, in ageless sleep, she finds repose. The years roll by, but a hundred years to a steadfast heart, are but a day. And now, the gates of a dungeon part, and our prince is free to go his way. Off he rides, on his noble steed, a valiant figure, straight and tall! To wake his love, with love's first kiss, and prove that true love conquers all! 
Love’s first kiss? Could this be why she didn’t allow them to kiss in the hallway... Anything is possible but the parallels are certainly interesting at this point you can’t deny! 
Also here are a few more little crumbs she could have been planting through the series, the colours we most see Elain in are pinks and blues and the most run along joke through the movie is her dress being changed from one colour to the other... Nothing major but certainly interesting.
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These were by no means the only references to her wearing those colours I am just trying to be brief. 
Not to mention Roses really took a bigger role in ACOSF in regards to associating them with Elain, while she certainly had past references to them before but adding in her fathers gifts and Azriels gift both being roses. Hmmmmmmm.
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There was a few more little things but I would love to hear everyone else’s thoughts!!!! If not SB what retelling would you think? I am a die hard Hades/Persephone fan so I am sad that is already been done because LBR they are perfect for it hahah
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percabeth4life · 3 years
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Nico and Percy
Okay so I’ve received a lot of asks about Nico and Percy and how Percy treated Nico and someone else sent me a link to a post that had more stuff.
90% of the stuff I’ve seen is either inaccurate or taken out of context.
Lets start with the choking scene.
This scene happened right after Nico lied to Percy to trick him into coming to see Hades so that Nico could learn more about his mom. They were meant to go to the Styx in order to give Percy the Achilles Curse so they had a chance at winning the war. This resulted in Percy being locked up by Hades.
Nico did not intend for this to happen, but he did knowingly lie to Percy. Percy understandably did not trust Nico after that.
The mountain of darkness loomed above me. A foot the size of Yankee Stadium was about to smash me when a voice hissed: ‘Percy!’
I lunged out blindly. Before I was fully awake, I had Nico pinned to the floor of the cell with the edge of my sword at his throat.
‘Want – to – rescue,’ he choked.
Anger woke me up fast. ‘Oh, yeah? And why should I trust you?’
‘No – choice?’ he gagged.
I wished he hadn’t said something logical like that. I let him go. (The Last Olympian page 60).
As you can see, the initial action was taken before Percy was even awake. After he was awake, and got through his initial anger at the betrayal with Nico’s comment, he released Nico and they escaped.
He acknowledged silently later that he didn’t trust Nico anymore and Nico was aware that his actions meant he wasn’t trusted.
So the choking scene: not Percy being unreasonably cruel to Nico.
Threats is another common thing I see people bring up and... I’m genuinely baffled by that one. The closest I can think of is the scene I quoted above? But that doesn’t seem to fit? Anyone want to quote some threats Percy made to Nico? Because I don’t know any.
Next up! The claims that Percy said they should leave Nico to suffocate. Funnily enough he actually says the opposite, multiple times.
Percy stared at his jelly donut. He had a rocky history with Nico di Angelo. The guy had once tricked him into visiting Hades’s palace, and Percy had ended up in a cell. But most of the time, Nico sided with the good guys. He certainly didn’t deserve slow suffocation in a bronze jar, and Percy couldn’t stand seeing Hazel in pain.
“We’ll rescue him,” he promised her. “We have to. The prophecy says he holds the key to endless death.”
Is this first time kind? Not necessarily. But it’s certainly not saying to leave Nico. For multiple reasons, he didn’t deserve, Percy didn’t want Hazel to hurt, and (what he says outloud) Nico is an important figure in the war.
Percy also makes a comment later when they feared they’d be too late
The vision zoomed in again. Inside the jar, Nico di Angelo was curled in a ball, no longer moving, all the pomegranate seeds eaten.
“We’re too late,” Jason said.
“No,” Percy said. “No, I can’t believe that. Maybe he’s gone into a deeper trance to buy time. We have to hurry.”
Funny, this doesn’t sound like someone advocating to leave Nico to die. In fact it sounds like someone almost desperate to save him, or at least hoping strongly that they’ll succeed.
Interestingly there were comments about leaving Nico, but not from Percy. They came from Jason and Leo.
“Uh…” Leo shifted in his chair. “One thing. The giants are expecting us to do this, right? So we’re walking into a trap?”
Hazel looked at Leo like he’d made a rude gesture. “We have no choice!”
“Don’t get me wrong, Hazel. It’s just that your brother, Nico… he knew about bothcamps, right?”
“Well, yes,” Hazel said.
“He’s been going back and forth,” Leo said, “and he didn’t tell either side.” Jason sat forward, his expression grim. “You’re wondering if we can trust the guy. So am I.”
Hazel shot to her feet. “I don’t believe this. He’s my brother. He brought me back from the Underworld, and you don’t want to help him?”
Frank put his hand on her shoulder. “Nobody’s saying that.” He glared at Leo. “Nobody had better be saying that.”
Leo blinked. “Look, guys. All I mean is—”
“Hazel,” Jason said. “Leo is raising a fair point. I remember Nico from Camp Jupiter. Now I find out he also visited Camp Half-Blood. That does strike me as… well, a little shady. Do we really know where his loyalties lie? We just have to be careful.” (Mark of Athena page 125)
How interesting that they’re the ones making comments about leaving Nico...
Next of course I’ve heard the wonder bread brought up? And I had to key word search wonder bread in the books to figure out what that was about and it appears to be a single thought Percy had while they were trying to rescue Nico.
Nico started to crawl away, groaning. Percy wanted him to move faster and to groan less. He considered throwing his Wonder bread at him. (Mark of Athena page 357)
Percy did not actually throw the bread for anyone wondering, and I hardly see how the panicking thought of trying to get them all out of there and keep Nico from being noticed by the people he was escaping from is even something for you to hold against him.
Finally the thing I hear the most, Percy calling Nico creepy and spreading rumors.
Creepy is used in MoA 5 times, in HoH 2 times, and BoO 8 times.
In MoA it’s used by Percy once, and that time is describing Persephone’s garden, not Nico. This comment is also only made in his thoughts, not outloud.
Funnily enough Leo does mentally refer to Nico as creepy in MoA
Nico and Hazel shared a look, maybe comparing notes on their Hades/Pluto death radar. Leo shivered. Hazel had never seemed like a child of the Underworld to him, but Nico di Angelo—that guy was creepy. (Mark of Athena page 396)
In HoH it is used once by Jason in regards to Nico, not at all by Percy.
Nico gave him a thin, creepy smile. ‘Ah … that legend.’ (House of Hades page 164)
In BoO it’s actually used by Nico about himself.
By now, Will Solace realized just how creepy and revolting Nico di Angelo was. Of course, Nico didn’t care what he thought. But still …  (Blood of Olympus page 317)
And once by Reyna about Nico
Reyna had stitched up the gashes on his biceps, which gave Nico a slightly creepy Frankenstein look, but the cuts were still swollen and red. (Blood of Olympus page 140)
So uh, no Percy did not call Nico creepy. And I have found no evidence of Percy spreading rumors so like with the threats, feel free to find me quotes proving that claim.
Concluding all of this I will point out that prior to book 5 (TLO) Percy was doing everything in his power to find Nico and protect him. After book 5 Percy only had one physical altercation with him (when he was half asleep and right after the betrayal occurred) and otherwise did not hold it against him beyond having his trust broken. As time went on we know from Percy’s thoughts that he doesn’t trust Nico, but he makes no comments saying such and agrees to help rescue him and does everything he can to do so.
Their conflicts are understandable due to their history. Percy’s feelings on Nico are complicated but understandable and he has not let it interfere with their jobs, if anything it interfered in a negative way making them risk the quest to save Nico (though Nico was a key figure needed to succeed in the end).
Overall I don’t know where these claims come from beyond people wanting to find issues with Percy (to the point they make stuff up).
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solena2 · 3 years
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So.
Tommy isn’t Theseus. Every time I see Techno’s analogy about Tommy being Theseus brought up I’m filled with endless rage and I’ve DECIDED!
That it’s about time I explained just why it’s so objectively incorrect.
-
First: a bit of backstory on Theseus, because I doubt many of you actually know much about him beyond what Techno said in his “so you want to be a hero” speech, which left out a lot of relevant details.
Theseus was a demigod with two fathers and one mother. His fathers were king Aegeus of Athens and the sea god Poseidon, and his mother was Aethra, Aegeus’ wife. Aethra raised Theseus on her own, far from Athens to avoid him being assassinated.
Aegeus left him nothing but a sword with the Athenian crest and a pair of sandals, buried under a rock so no one else could get them.
When Theseus came of age, he took the sword and sandals and headed up to Athens, slaying various monsters along the way. (It pains me to abbreviate it that much, but Techno left out everything before the Minotaur so it won’t help me much in debunking his analogy.)
Once he got to Athens, he met up with his dad, chased out his stepmom Medea, (yes, that Medea) and killed some people. Then comes the relevant part.
Crete had won a war against Athens a while back, and because of this, every seven years Athens was forced to send 14 tributes to be killed by the Minotaur. (Yes, this inspired the Hunger Games)
Theseus decided he’d volunteer and kill the Minotaur, thus ending the tribute system for good and getting one over on Athens. He promised his dad that if he won, he’d come back in a ship with white sails, as opposed to the standard mourning black that signified the death of the tributes.
So he went to Crete, met king Minos and his daughters Ariadne and Phaedra, and got sent into the labyrinth. Ariadne gave him a magic ball of string that kept him from getting lost, allowing him to find the Minotaur and then safely get out afterwards, providing he could kill it.
He killed it, led his other 13 tributes out, and sailed back home. On the way, Athena told him to leave Ariadne stranded on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean, so he immediately did so, because Theseus was an asshole.
He got home, his dad committed suicide because Theseus forgot the white sails and his dad assumed he’d died, Theseus became king and married Phaedra, and then the fun began, because again, Theseus was an asshole.
First, he cheated on Phaedra with Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, so she left and took the kids. Next, he and his other asshole friend Pirithous decided to kidnap themselves some new wives. Theseus decided on Helen of Troy, who was a child at the time, and Pirithous decided on Persephone, which resulted in both him and Theseus getting stuck in the Underworld for a while due to pissing off Hades.
Once he got back up, he killed his son for fucking his wife, which is messed up on many levels, and then left Athens because his people were rightfully not super okay with that.
Then he goes and meets Lycomedes, who throws him off a cliff.
-
Next, let’s talk about Techno’s speech a bit.
He starts off by accusing Tommy of being a power hungry dictator (paraphrased), before asking him if he wants to be a hero.
Then, he provides what is apparently the archetypal example of heroism, something often associated with selflessness, kindness, and generally giving at least one singular solitary fuck about other people.
Theseus! Heroic hero who does heroic things, like, uhhh *checks notes* cheating on his wife, kidnapping children with plans to forcefully marry them, leaving people alone on tiny islands with no supplies, killing his kid, etc. etc...
So we’re off to a great start.
Then, he gives a short summary of Theseus’ life and times! He skips the first part of his life completely, which is hilarious to me because it’s the only time Theseus ever did anything actually heroic or selfless, and gets straight to the meat!
“Let me tell you a story, Tommy. A story of a man called Theseus. His country was in danger, he sent himself forward! Into enemy lines. He slayed the Minotaur! And saved his city. You know what they did to him, Tommy? They exiled him. He died in disgrace, despised by his people. That’s what happens to heroes, Tommy.”
-Technoblade
So first off, he doesn’t mention... really anything other than the Minotaur and the exile, which is leaving out a lot of relevant details, like why Theseus was exiled. (You know, killing his son in cold blood?)
Second, he doesn’t give details in general. Not that he should’ve given a full telling, or anything, but I’m always surprised by the shortness of this speech when I go back and listen to it. He pretty much just gives the barest bones of an argument and expects his audience to take it at face value. (Which they do, but it’s still bad practice)
From the more accurate (if still brief) summary if Theseus’ life I’ve just given, I’m sure you can see why this might be more than a bit dubious, as an analogy. Given cc!Technoblade is literally an English major, and doubtless knows significantly more about the myth than I do, I’d imagine this was never intended to be taken at face value.
Over and over again, c!Techno proves himself to be an unreliable narrator, and over and over again, the fandom at large takes his word as gospel.
-
Now, as far as a more in depth argument for Tommy as Theseus goes, I will attempt to debunk that as well, because there are some genuinely good points to be made.
First of all, most people make Dream out to be the Minotaur. Given the time this speech was made, I imagine Schlatt was the intended target of that, but with latter events in mind, Dream does make much more sense.
I’d say this is honestly pretty fair, but I don’t think Tommy takes the role of Theseus in that narrative. I’d argue he’s much more analogous to the role of Ariadne, giving the tools required to defeat Dream but ultimately not doing so through his own power, but because someone chose to take those tools and make use of them. This also provides the very interesting characterization of Punz as Theseus, which is an incredibly unique take that I hope some a Punz enthusiast does something with, because I don’t know enough about his lore to make a good analysis on that.
The idea of Schlatt as the Minotaur, as was probably intended by Techno at the time, makes much more sense, though I still think other characters fit the role better. Firstly, Schlatt wasn’t killed, he died of a heart attack, and if someone had killed him I think it’s more likely to have been Wilbur or Techno who did it than Tommy, as Tommy was still very hopeful and idealistic at the time, at least compared to his character now. You could posit Tommy as Ariadne again in this situation, given he was the one to mastermind the final charge, and though I think Tommy as Ariadne is an idea that’s worth further exploration, I’d say Fundy futs the Ariadne role here much better, with him giving the spy’s diary before being effectively shunned and left out in the cold by both Pogtopia and Manburg, much like Ariadne was abandoned in the original myth.
I’d posit the Theseus in this scenario as Techno, Wilbur, or possibly Philza, as they were the ones to actually kill things in the 16th, though Techno and Wilbur’s killings were more in the metaphorical sense, taking the second life of L’manburg.
As for the exile, Tommy exile was alike to that of Theseus only in concept. Both were sent from their kingdoms for a crime, resulting in a falling out with someone close to them, and had a precarious relationship with heights while they were gone, but that’s about where the similarities end and even then they’re superficial.
First of all, Tommy’s exile was far more because Dream was looking for an excuse to do it than because briefing actually means anything on the SMP, given how Dream had been griefing bases and blaming Tommy for it for a while before it went down. (Fun fact, Bad and Skeppy were going to burn one of his discs over this, but one of them got sick so they had to cancel the stream.)
Theseus’ exile, on the other hand, was entirely deserved, especially when you consider how serious a crime killing family was in Ancient Greek culture. It was pretty much the biggest no-no in existence, and I’m almost surprised he wasn’t just straight up executed for it.
Second, Tommy’s falling out with Tubbo was almost entirely due to outside forces, (Dream) rather than because anything Tommy had done. Though Tommy’s cavalierness towards the trial and attempts to threaten Dream with Spirit doubtless didn’t help things, Dream surrounding L’manburg in obsidian walls and threatening them to exile Tommy was entirely his own choice, and not something that can be pinned on Tommy, no matter what the apologists may say.
Meanwhile, Theseus’ falling out with Phaedra had begun long before his exile with him cheating on her. Him killing his son was merely the last in a long line of dominos to completely destroy their relationship.
Last, Tommy nearly killing himself is very different from Theseus being pushed off a cliff. Tommy’s near suicide was the direct result of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of c!Dream for what was canonically, I believe, several months? (Correct me if I’m wrong on that one.) Tommy almost jumping off a pillar because he was deliberately isolated from his support systems is nothing like Theseus being killed because he was a cocky asshole who thought he was god.
-
So that’s why I don’t think Tommy is anything like Theseus, and why I’m filled with endless rage by the completely uncritical acceptance of this parallel, but it’s not the whole reason it pisses me off.
It also pisses me off because, as stated earlier, cc!Techno is an English major. He knew what he was doing with this. The fandom’s insistence on refusing to acknowledge his character as an unreliable narrator is, in my opinion, acting as a massive kneecap to what could be a great analysis of how he thinks.
Specifically: why does c!Technoblade think Tommy is like Theseus?
Of all the Greek heroes to pick, why that one? Was it just the tantalizing opportunity to parallel Schlatt with a horned monster, or was it because c!Techno has some genuine in-character reason to think this myth specifically applies to Tommy.
Now, we all know people in the SMP have a habit of analogizing Wilbur and Tommy. The assumption Tommy wanted to be president, the belief that Tommy nominated Tubbo directly, the belief that he was intentionally deceiving Techno about Pogtopia’s intentions regarding Manburg... all of these stem from Wilbur. There are more cases of this, of course, but several analyses have been done in the subject already, and this is long enough without more padding.
So why does Techno think Tommy is Theseus? Well, it’s simple, isn’t it?
Wilbur is Theseus.
To be continued, because this is already too long and my brain hurts.
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trickfootpike · 3 years
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OKAYOKAYOKAY now that i've had a few nights to Ruminate here are way too many thoughts from 9/16's show -- fair warning that they aren't *super* coherent as a lot of this i just tried to loosely organize from dms i threw at folks night-of, but it is most of what i remember sticking out to me!
GENERAL THOUGHTS --
last saw the show in august of 2019 - back then i saw it up in the mezzanine, this time i was 7 rows back dead center in the middle of the orchestra. watching the show from the mezzanine feels like a god's eye view of the show while sitting up close in the orchestra is much more like being in the world of men, and how it hits in hadestown particularly is just nuts bc you really do feel like you're on the factory floor.
back in the London production i remember eva playing eurydice with more youth and hope to her, and when the show came to Broadway eurydice hardened. in a world with a pandemic eva seems to have actually shifted this back! Eurydice is still holding tightly onto Orpheus Knowing that the world is unlikely to be kind enough to let them have each other for long but she starts off less faithless than she used to, I suppose I would describe it? she's definitely played more open with others from the beginning rather than having it be something she has to really work towards!
WAIT FOR ME IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT FEELING FROM THE ORCHESTRA THAN THE MEZZANINE AND NOT JUST THE LAMPS. the lamps really only swing out to over the first 2 rows, speaking very generously, anyway. what i remember being most impactful from last time was how the whole theater rumbled as the walls of the set split to reveal hadestown. what i couldn't see and afaik no boot's been able to pick up is the the set ALSO SPLITS AND STRETCHES OPEN AT THE TOP. that awning that covers the balcony lifts and the wall of hadestown is revealed to stretch floor to ceiling and it is just so much, so fucking much oh my god i could not stop hysterically blubbering to myself watching hadestown stretch open like it is absolutely here to devour you whole. it makes you feel the immensity of The Wall. I've linked ig videos of the set pre act 1 and post intermission to give like the best perspective on it i can and tried to film them so they were zoomed as closely as to what my eyes were seeing as I could, but here are also some pictures!
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PRE ACT ONE
INTERMISSION
after our lady of the underground when eurydice comes back from hades' office and Persephone is finishing with her show, me being closer this time i was actually able to see amber's face during way down hadestown ii and flowers. and how she portrays seph's feelings re eurydice, it's like : genuine concern and watching over her when she first starts on the line, Quiet Seething and Jealous Rage as the fates' tattle "Hades put his hands on ya" that sticks for a While including the first half of flowers, but as soon as eurydice remembers the meadow her and Orpheus visited her heart just b r e a k s and you can see her wiping away tears. seph's just so caught in her own feelings of helplessness in hadestown. when hades tells her to stay out of him dealing with Orpheus all the fight just deflates out of her and the direct accusing look Orpheus gives her at the end of if it's true mixed with seeing his effect on the workers makes her physically rear back like she's gotten the fight slapped back into her
even with this audience who almost for sure has all seen ht before, there was still the loudest heartbroken gasp when orpheus turned. i know everyone calls this out but it still hit me hard that with a greater percentage of previous viewers in the audience it still hit us all like a fucking brick
and ofc. road to hell ii. it's a millions times more impactful than it already was what with the pandemic, making it through hard times and how they could be hard again but making the best of them even if it doesn't turn out well this time either. i was crying so hard last time but this time i was crying harder but also feeling like a huge weight was being like, very softly cradled in my chest to take some of the burden away
TOM'S HADES/HADES AND PERSEPHONE SPECIFIC THOUGHTS --
Tom's Hades whole tl;dr could be that Hades is a Performance. all those descriptions of him beign "jazzy" and "egodriven" are correct, but there is also this massive vibe he gives off that all his showmanship is there as a cover up for the very pessimistic man at the core of him. when him and persephone are getting along the jazziness is there for genuine playfulness with her, but apart from seph it is a purposeful exaggeration on hades' part to get Whatever it is that he wants. he is playing up aggression as king (see papers) and what he thinks as being suave (see hey little songbird) to maintain his throne and his marriage, and Epic III is the Destruction of that performance. Tom's Hades at the end of Epic III isn't trying to sell anyone anything, you just get to see the suddenly very scared and unsure heart of the man behind the performance of foreman and king. And oh boy is Tom's Hades at his heart unsure. He is so fucking pessimistic; back in Act 1 when Orpheus starts to sing Epic I he turns from Persephone even before she gets reminded of the world above and starts longing for it, because he already expects to see it coming and he doesn't turn back to her Ever Again, literally until he comes to get her in Way Down Hadestown. Not even when she gives him a kiss on the cheek goodbye. His Kiss, The Riot is him trying to figure out how the hell he's gonna be able to rebuild his performance after his whole kingdom saw through it, but he also ends it being so very certain that the deal he figures out for Orpheus Will end with Orpheus failing somehow. There is no doubt in this very pessimistic Hades that doubt will come in, whereas Patrick used the end of His Kiss The Riot almost like he was desperately trying to justify that his doubt came to him only in Persephone's absence
road to hell i: tom's hades loves cheering on the band so much he is Part Of The Problem that Hermes has to get to chill out and it makes so much sense for this jazzy dramatic motherfucker
balcony time (road to hell i until livin' it up on top): when they were upstairs playing dominoes they kept laying their tiles with these overexaggerated movements.. Like when they actually getting along they are so damn flirty and trying so hard to make each other smile and laugh and it is TOO CUTE
way down hadestown: Once Again "I missed ya" gives me no rest, mostly because Tom delivered it with this super coy and cocky grin and Amber immediately smiled back at him like Persephone couldn't help herself
chant i: is spent with him looking up proud into his creation while persephone is looking down with heartbreak and disgust seeing the workers as people in suffering and the ugliness of hadestown. as the song goes on he gets increasingly frustrated like a child who's super proud of the drawing he brought home from school that Persephone has nothing but terrible things to say about. when eurydice starts singing about her suffering seph throws out her arm and points to her like "see! See what you're doing!!" while hades is more in himself processing his disappointment, frustration, heartbreak, but over the next minute you start to see him Formulating A Plan as he watches eurydice. but he doesn't look entirely sold on going through with it until seph throws out her last verse in disgust. it was absolutely the straw that broke the camel's back.
hey little songbird: THO IT SOUNDS SO SEDUCTIVE ON AUDIO. OML DOES IT LEAN INTO EURYDICE'S "STRANGE MAN" DESCRIPTOR. HADES IS LIKE THE CREEPY SALESMAN ON THE CORNER WITH WATCHES AND A TRENCHCOAT. BUT HE'S SELLING HIS SHIT WELL, HE'S JUST ALSO A WEIRDO
Why We Build The Wall/"Behind Closed Doors": That followup on hades' threat when eurydice arrives in hadestown. as hades goes to the stairs he like not whacks, but definitely nudges seph's arm harder than Patrick does to get her attention. when he did she Startled and laid her hand over her arm where he'd tapped her like she was overwhelmed by just that touch........ but then she turns around and watches him take Eurydice up and when he opens his coat and she Realizes you see her whole body go slack. once eurydice goes past the office doors hades turns and lingers staring pointedly down at seph, for *seconds* whereas with patrick i remember it being more of a pointed glance. it drills home that hades is doing this specifically to spite seph and he wants her to know it. and you can see amber discreetly wipe her face before she turns back to "does anybody want a DRINK." there's less direct seduction between hades and eurydice but more explicit threat between hades and seph about eurydice
papers: actually isn't too much Bastärde as it is his Performance. HOWEVER, the way he directs the workers to beat Orpheus is chilling. Like patrick he hangs around, but he's watching until the last 10 seconds so it's way longer. And he makes like the smallest gestures with his hand to direct the workers to the different stages of beating Orpheus, fuck it was twisted
how long: how long actually starts with seph and hades seemingly coming to each other on a similar page - hades came out pensively fiddling with his wedding ring and Amber delivered "I know" like seph was already past the eurydice situation. this also could have been a product of time and seeing how actually little he did "seducing" eurydice lmao
chant ii: very much Hades Sees Orpheus As A Threat™️ (more on this further below) , also dare i say it but tom kills I CONDUCT THE ELECTRIC CITY
epic iii: oh man oh man. he looks so untouched until Orpheus starts the lalas and he goes from completely passive unimpressed face to like. his body unfolds on his stool and his hands go slack and he looked between Orpheus and Persephone when he asked where Orpheus had gotten his melody. he asked it a lot softer than I expected him too as well. a big part of the audience actually laughed when Hades sang his lala because Tom cracks his voice during it but it petered off into sniffling when they realized why and then we were all just crying together as persephone placed the flower in his vest.
lovers desire: SOME VERY CUTE STUFF. hades' performance is broken but tom's hades is still a Jazzy Jazzy Man at heart and they're like 100 times more playful with each other - they're both giggling and grinning their asses off while they dance together and give each other these like nudges to the next series of steps and it was adorable and I was discretely sobbing. they both played it like they knew how to do this dance with each other better than they knew anything, the little nudges were like..... them playing inside this dance they already knew so well? Like more overexaggeration to make each other laugh and just revel in this wonderful thing they've rediscovered- specifically I remember that Amber raised her skirt soooooo high when she was doing the curtsey and Tom was like waggling his eyebrows at her and adding extra flourishes with his hands and widening his eyes super big everytime he pulled off a move (the funniest ones were when they do like the two-step where they move one after another in sequence and he's copying her moves in reverse and oml it was just adorable). When Seph had the move where she pulls their linked arms over his head to tuck him into her I remember that was the one part where he wasn't doing this goofy act but his expression straight up melted and he looked so smitten. and when it's the last bit of the dance and he spins her across the stage, seph's face breaks open with tears his expression responds with like this mix of heartbreak and "ohhhhh no baby please don't cry" as he moved across the stage to quickly take her into his arms for the dip at the end
AFTER this when orphydice has finished promises and right before Orpheus turns to ask Hades if they can go, they come out of slow dancing to the side but are still super wrapped up in each other - seph wraps herself around one of his arms and presses herself super close and Tom leaned down with this little smile like Hades was gonna try and steal a quick kiss, but then he hears/sees out of the corner of his eye/senses or something Orpheus approaching and pulls himself up and formal to be the king. When he says I don't know and seph wrenches herself away from him to the other side of the stage to firmly stand behind Orphydice he gets this look of Extreme Frustration on that she's still not standing with him and these damn kids are still more important, bc even with character growth he still is a petty selfish bitch who does not like to share lmao, he's just getting that he Has To now
wait for me ii: Hades stays onstage by the microphone stand to the left to watch Hermes deliver his judgement to orphydice/seph/the workers and watching Tom during this was a Treat. this is the first time he's seeing how orphydice and esp Orpheus function when he's not involved to terrify them. they're so sweet and so good, and they have what looks like so much unwavering faith in each other unlike him and seph, maybe they really could... so when he delivers "i let them try" that last word is stretched with so much wonder. he's getting this first glimpse into feeling how everyone else felt when orpheus sang of how the world could be that isn't just focused in about how he feels about persephone, which always drives him - now he's having to deal with the Greater Implications and orpheus' seemingly unbreakable faith in a better world rocks him to his core. that certainty that orpheus would fail gets shaken as he watches them and when Seph asks him if he thinks they'll make it, his I Don't Know is 1/2 defensive and 1/2 actual uncertainty. he still hates to be wrong but he's wondering if his beliefs about doubt will turn out differently this time. he isn't optimistic about it by any means but orpheus, eurydice, and the workers' response to them both does give him pause
meanwhile in hades and persephone's section, on a personal level they deliver their lines to each other like they're a great deal more nervous about what next fall will bring than i've seen and heard before - something I'm thinking stems from hades' worldview being so suddenly shaken and seph too being a little more vulnerable?
MISC THOUGHTS
Tom seems to be leaning into Hades not having done anything with Eurydice other than tempt her down - once she's in Hadestown even during Why We Build The Wall he drops the salesman croon entirely and when he does rarely speak to her/about her it's commanding as a king who sees her just as another object under his possession, with very little interest in her for anything at all beyond that. he was just going after the goal of making sure Seph knew he had Options whether or not he actually pursued them
tom is super dedicated to how power-hungry hades is. I remember when I saw Patrick during chant ii he was playing hades as more affected by how much seph seemed to care about the workers now and desperately trying to get her attention back (even negatively), Tom was more consumed in seeing Orpheus as a threat because of how effectively he had turned his "children" on him. He knocks Seph down in those "shackle her from wrist to wrist" less as a personal petty attack to her like Patrick does and more like to try and destabilize her as someone backing Orpheus up. Tom's Hades perceives Orpheus as a Threat no matter how much he plays up his Performance as Nonchalant Jazzy King. he really emphasizes Hades' relationship to Orpheus whereas Patrick played more into his relationship with Eurydice, which makes so much sense what with Tom's Hades being a pettier more egotistical messy bitch obsessed with his kingdom and Patrick's Hades' obsession being his wife and Hadestown being like, this side-effect of being a god that he just couldn't help, he Had to build and strive for power whereas Tom's Hades reveled in it and wanted it. Instinct versus drive I guess. one of my buds put it super well as: "Patrick!Hades sees everything as a threat to his power Tom!Hades is so certain of his power that he can afford to be somewhat nonchalant but the fact that Orpheus alone is his main genuine threat is fucking brilliant"
and ok for now, that's what I've got! if anyone wants any clarification or wants to ask details about specific moments I didn't put in here feel free to shoot me an ask!
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genericpuff · 7 months
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To be fair, a country can have more than one head of state. Political systems aren't as consistent as we might think them to be and even absolute monarchies like Spain have a prime minister. Then you have things like elective monarchies and hereditary republics. From what I remember, the idea of an election isn't even really treated as that big of a deal... but that right there is the problem. The first and I think only time it actually gets brought up is when it's introduced for a single panel, and even then, it's only in relation to Persephone's trauma. No one really comments on it afterwards. Even in Apollo's own episode, he very briefly comments how he could do a lot as king—not president, but king! Ergo, overthrowing Zeus. So either the whole president thing was a dropped plot point or Rachel couldn't think of any other reason for Apollo to be on a giant poster.
Regarding Eros' comment, Apollo is the god of medicine and the literal god of doctors is his son. Even if Asclepius himself doesn't have a bad record, he'd have reason to be wary. It's why I don't blame Hebe for automatically believing Apollo that nothing can be done about the poison after he simply touches Zeus, given what one of his domains is.
And speaking of Hebe, again, to be fair, a lot of people don't notice their surroundings when they're grieving and her back was clearly turned anyway, so I don't think this should necessarily be a strike against her. I honestly didn't find anything off about Apollo gaslighting her either (I mean, besides the obvious; gaslighting is horrendous) and he'd also just threatened her, so I don't blame her for running away either. Plus, the episode just ends with her noticing the snow soon after, so it's not like we get her thoughts on this one way or another. I don't have fastpass, though, so does it show her actually believing she'd somehow poisoned Zeus in a future chapter, or...?
Hebe poisoning Zeus also wouldn't necessarily be outside the realm of possibility either if Apollo were to argue she did it for Hera's sake or something and then she just snapped. That said, it is still ridiculous she's the first deity he would frame, rather than someone alot more believable, like Ares. Didn't Zeus sleep with Aphrodite that one time? And we know how protective he is of Hera. Or hell, if he wanted to topple the current monarchy entirely, he could've just framed Hera herself! Maybe even Hades!
And if this were any other comic, I'd say Apollo returning to the scene of the crime and then calling the media is just him being a narcissist, because some narcissists can be really, really dumb. But the chances of it being framed that way are practically at the bottom of the Aegean Sea. Even a single panel of someone asking why Apollo called a journalist first is doubtful.
But yeah, not trying to slam you or anything and sorry if it comes off that way. I really like your analyses and I love Rekindled, I'm just trying to offer a few explanations here. I do agree with you overall, though! Rachel has alot of great ideas, but the executions of said ideas are just terrible.
Okay so, while I really appreciate the amount of effort you put into defending these points and I can totally get the points you're trying to make in many of them (and yes this is the part where I respond with my own points, as we do) I think the fact that you presented all of these "well to be fair" talking points is just highlighting and further proving LO's biggest problems in its writing, one that I've talked about before on here but I think bears repeating.
And that's the fact that we (the readers) have to make massive assumptions just to make the plot make sense.
Yes, to be fair, there are government systems that run with a dual-system of monarchy + diplomatic government, but there was never any implication of this being a thing in LO until all of a sudden Rachel dropped the "Apollo for President!" plotline in S3.
Yes, to be fair, Apollo is the god of medicine, but we've never seen him actually fulfill a single duty regarding that, Asclepius is far more qualified as an actual doctor than Apollo (*from what we've been shown), who we've only ever seen apply a bandaid to Persephone's hand five years ago.
Yes, to be fair, people in shock may not take in their surroundings fully, but it seems really silly to have Hebe positioned in front of a window that has a FULL VIEW of what's going on outside and still have her just freeze in time when she's offscreen so she doesn't see or hear anything that's going on just several feet away through a sheet of glass. Just get rid of the window and find another way to force Eros and Psyche into confrontation with Apollo.
Yes, to be fair, Hebe could have a motive, if she were written as someone with some vendetta against Zeus. But she wasn't. That version of Hebe does not exist and, as you said yourself, there are way more gods who would have reasonable motive to poison him. We've only ever seen her dote on him and love him unconditionally as her father, and we've even seen scenes of them in S1 where they have a functional father-daughter relationship (if anything I'd be more inclined to believe she'd have a vendetta against Hera for being an alcoholic mom during her childhood but I digress).
Through all of these "to be fair's" when do we actually stop and ask ourselves why we have to constantly have the benefit of the doubt and jump through all these logical hoops to make sense of the plot to begin with? Again, all this just lends to how poorly structured and written the comic is, and all of these 'to be fair''s you've presented cannot reasonably apply to LO because LO never wrote those things. They never showed Apollo being an actual god of medicine, they never showed Hebe having ill will towards her father, and they never showed Olympus running with a monarchy + presidential government system. So to fill in those blanks ourselves is to do the legwork for Rachel who's only managed to write half a plot. It's why it's so jarring for random plot points like this to happen because it's just like "wtf do you mean Apollo is running for president? He can just do that??" That's not something that should be established five years in, it makes it really hard to just give benefit of the doubt because if that was something that actually existed in this world, it should have been established ages ago when the foundation for the story was still being built. We're in the endgame now, this is NOT the time to be throwing in new random plot threads pulled out of thin air.
This is what I mean from my essay post earlier that Rachel constantly fails to provide context for things she's trying to say, while overexplaining things that are already being shown onscreen. It's completely imbalanced between what we have to know and what could have stayed on the cutting room floor, and it makes for a messy story where people have to make gracious assumptions and do all the thinking for a plot that was never fleshed out to begin with. Why should we as readers have to do all the thinking for Rachel's lack of storytelling ability, when she clearly couldn't be bothered to put any thought into the narrative or the worldbuilding or the characterizations to begin with? It's lazy low-effort writing.
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mrsgiovanna · 3 years
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The Beguiling (Hades! Don Giorno x Persephone! Fem! Reader)
This concept has been on my mind for the longest time. This is loosely based off the lore of Hades and Persephone, set in a modern mafia AU, with Giorno as Hades and the reader as Persephone. 🥺💖🐞
TW: Kidnapping, yandere themes, manipulative behaviour, disordered relationship dynamics
Word count : 6.3k
“The truth of the matter I believe to be this. There is, as I stated at first, no absolute right or wrong in love, but everything depends upon the circumstances, to yield to a bad man in a bad way is wrong, but to yield to a worthy man in a right way is right.”
- Plato, Symposium
Being the Don of a mafia is a difficult task, being so far removed from everyone and everything else. Some would even say, its like being part of an entirely different realm…
Extremely beautiful but entirely unapproachable, Giorno didn’t appear in public very often, the burden of running the organization had brought many threats to his safety. Granted, he was able to thwart any plan to even remotely harm him, but one doesn’t have time for such annoyances when you wield as much power as he did. Taking over something so big at such a young age changes a person, and Giorno was no different, he was always seen as aloof and calculating, but there were other dimensions to his character that he was painfully aware of, but would not reveal to anyone else… yet.
“Don Giovanna, are you ready to go? The driver is ready for us,” his consigliere spoke in an even, respectful tone while addressing his don.
“Yes, we can leave, have you informed Fugo of the change in our plans?” Giorno’s voice was monotonous, soft and polite, but conveyed no emotion. The task at hand today was not a pleasant one… he hated having to deal with defectors and had avoided it up until this point. This case was different… the defector in question was your brother. You had always held a special place in his heart ever since he encountered you upon taking over Passione. You were always kind towards him, and all your conversations had brought about a sense of peace within himself. Nonetheless, he dismissed it as a simple juvenile crush, and continued with his mammoth task of remolding the diseased organization, excising the ‘tumors’ to allow for a healthier, better, stronger Passione to emerge. Sacrificing his youth, his personal life and precious friends in order to attain his dream, he was not going to let anyone destroy everything he had worked so hard to create.
As the years went on, there were many times that your path had unwittingly crossed with the young don’s which only intensified his feelings for you, but given the nature of his lifestyle, he tried to convince himself that loving you from afar would be good enough, but Giorno’s resolve- unshakeable in every other scenario- was quickly waning in this regard.
Meeting with your father was painful, his demeanor reminding Giorno of a shadowed figure from his past who had changed his life forever.
“He’ll have to be dealt with, you understand this, correct?”
“I’m aware of this, Don Giovanna. I… I’m willing to take any punishment you see fit… please keep my daughter out of this… I can stake my life on her innocence in all of this,” your father spoke emphatically, desperate to protect you, appealing to the don’s humanity. Giorno furrowed his eyebrows, surely your father knew he wouldn’t harm you in any way- was it normal for people to be this terrified of him? The sharp slam of a door and a greeting from a honeyed voice snapped Giorno from his thoughts.
“I’m home, I hope you’re hungry, I’m making octopus salad, squid ink risotto and I’ve got chocolate fondants for dessert… oh goodness! Don Giovanna- I’m sorry… I, um…” you stuttered embarrassingly as your gaze landed on the blonde’s handsome face and shifted to the ground immediately. Before Giorno could answer you to try and quell your discomfort, your father interjected, sending you away from the room. The young don was completely awestruck by your ethereal beauty, as if you had been crafted by the gods themselves, descended to create joy in an otherwise dull world. He made a silent promise to himself- he had to have you as his own.
“(Y/n), please give us a moment piccolina, I’ll come to you as soon as we have concluded our meeting,”
“Of course, please pardon my interruption,” with a small nod of your head, you took your leave, wanting to start making the dishes you had just rattled off. As you busied yourself with your preparations, your mind kept returning to Giorno, he was always calm and pleasant, but you hadn’t seen him with that kind of expression before. The fact that you hadn’t seen your brother in days didn’t bode well with today’s events… you hoped he was okay, but you experienced first-hand how aggressive he could be, something, you were told, he had shared with your mother. You didn’t have much of a relationship with her as her job had taken her away from the family a bit too much. You understood now that you were a young adult, but your emotions still vacillated between acceptance and resentment when you observed the families of your friends.
“You know… because of the difference in our ages, you’ve always told me that you cared for me as a father would care for a son, as a result, our relationship has always been cordial… its allowed us to speak frankly as we have always done in the past,”
“Yes, Don Giovanna… this is true.”
“Please, I’ve told you many times before, call me Giorno…”
“Alright… Giorno,”
“Good, good, see? That sounds better already. As I was saying before, if your affections for me run that deep… accept me as a son-in-law and allow me to marry (y/n) and you will never have to worry about her safety again. Nobody would ever think to harm her if they have to contend with me first,”
“What? Are you asking for permission to marry my daughter? I don’t think she has even considered something like that… you’ve barely spoken to each other…” your father was battling to make sense of Giorno’s request, if one could even call it a request.
“I don’t think you understand the situation you’re in… your son has singlehandedly created a colossal mess; we’d be in the middle of a turf war if it wasn’t for the quick thinking of my consigliere. That’s not to say other people wouldn’t want to exact their own personal brand of justice. I can guarantee you though, if she’s under my care, none of those things will ever reach her.” Just as the consigliere was about to speak, perhaps, an attempt to rationalize with the don, a sharp sideward glance from the latter had left all suggestions unspoken. The silence in the room was palpable… uncomfortable, until it was broken by Giorno.
“I’ve loved (y/n) for as long as I’ve known her, the best place for her would be with me, my strength is unparalleled… this is probably a lot to take in right now, I’ll allow you some time to come around to the idea, I’d hate to have to take her by force, but, if that’s what it will take…”
“Are you threatening me Don Giovanna?” asked your father with a restrained bite to his voice.
“Of course not, I’m merely making my intentions clear, my reach spans well beyond anything you could ever imagine… well, I’ve said all I need to in this instance. I’ll be back for her in three days, I trust you’ll be able comply with my suggestion. I’ll be taking my leave now.” With a flourish of his cerulean blue coat, Giorno and his consigliere left your home. Your father cursed his position, but there was little he could do about it. Finding you blissfully tinkering in the kitchen, his heart broke, knowing already that this was one of the last times he would be seeing you like this… or at all.
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“You don’t agree with what I’m doing, do you, Lorenzo? You know I’m good at reading people, although you’re not even trying to mask your disdain,” asked Giorno, breaking the silence on the drive home.
“Well, if I’m allowed to speak freely, I don’t think you’re going about this in the right manner. She’s going to be terrified and resentful because you’re effectively abducting her, so in brief, I don’t agree with this at all,”
“Fair enough, and for the record, obviously I’m aware that she’s going to hate me… at first anyway, but she’ll come to understand eventually. Anyway, what’s done is done, in three days, I’ll be bringing home my goddess.” Giorno turned his attention to his phone and with that Lorenzo had backed off, knowing from years of serving Giorno that there was no talking to him when he resolved to do something.
“Father, you’re so quiet… did something happen?” you asked, part of you not wanting to know the answer to that question.
“It’s a mess, but don’t worry about that, I’ll handle it. There is something that I have to speak to you about though… it’s about Don Giovanna, he would like to see you in a few days, nothing serious, just be sure to keep your schedule open for the day,” your father explained, only divulging half the truth of your situation.
“He wants to see me? Do you know why? Have I done something wrong?” you were curious as to what Giorno could possible want with you.
“Of course not dolcezza, he just wants to have a chat with you, I think he’s just making sure that you’re alright… that’s part of why he was here today.
“Oh, alright, I’ll be available. Anyway, dinner’s ready, once you get washed up, we can eat,” you glanced up at your father to see his face contorted in grief. “What’s the matter? I know you don’t like talking about things that have to do with your occupation, but you’ve been like this ever since Don Giovanna left,”
Being too much for him to bear, he pulled you into a vicelike embrace, almost as if you would disappear if he let you go, which was not entirely false. “Aww, it’s okay dad, everything will be fine, come on, the food’s getting cold, you need to eat,” with that, you both ate in a comfortable silence as you always did, before you both retired for the evening.
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While you tried to prepare yourself for your “meeting”, your soon to be captor was busy creating your sanctuary, or rather, overseeing the creation of your sanctuary- there was no reason why your surroundings couldn’t be as beautiful as you were, his aim after all was to get you to fall in love with him. Large, glittering mirrors with gilded frames adorned the walls of the hallways that lead to your room. Inside, was everything one could ever hope to have; an extensive closet filled with things that were made especially for you, various trinkets and baubles carefully selected for you, state of the art electronic devices, albeit with restrictions on the amount of things you could access… just for the time being though. If you were to start off as a bird in a cage, it should be a bejeweled cage worthy of a rarity like you.
As it got closer to the time you’d be seeing Giorno, your nerves started increasing exponentially, you knew that under normal circumstances, having to meet with someone like him without knowing what the subject matter would be was intimidating, but this feeling was something else altogether. As if something in your gut was telling you to cancel- to run- but you dismissed those feelings, and prepared yourself for the engagement.
“Buonasera cara, you look especially charming this evening…” he greeted you with a velvety voice that masked the true nature of him being there.
“Buonasera Don Giovanna, thank you for the compliment,”
“Shall we leave, (y/n)?”
“Um, okay… I just need to fetch my things and let my father know that I’m leaving…”
“Alright, perfect, actually, would you mind if I followed you? I’d like a quick word with him before we leave,” his expression was so charismatic, you felt guilty for not inviting him inside immediately.
“Of course, I’m sorry, please do come in.” you say as you stepped aside to make room for Giorno to enter. You lead him to the study and went to fetch your coat and purse to go, giving yourself a onceover in the mirror to make sure you were presentable and with that you kissed your father on the cheek and left.
The restaurant that you and Giorno went to was completely empty except for a single table set up for you both and the staff that were going to serve you, you found it odd, but dismissed it as one of the nuances of leading a mafia, privacy was of utmost importance. Ever the gentleman, the young don pulled out your chair for you and seated himself across from you.
“Thank you for agreeing to see me (y/n), I appreciate you taking the time to do so,”
“Of course, although I have to admit, I’m a little confused as to why I’m here,” you say with a nervous titter. The waiter brought a bottle of wine to the table, probably preapproved by Giorno already, and with a small nod, it is poured out into the awaiting glasses for the two of you.
“You will understand soon enough cara, come, lets toast to something… ah! To new beginnings…” he suggested with a sardonic smile.
“New beginnings? Okay… to new beginnings, salute!” with a confused smile and a delicate clink of your glasses you both took a sip of your wine. As the night went on, you were having a wonderful time, however, it seemed like your alcohol was getting to you faster than usual.
“Are you alright, cara, you look a bit out of sorts, come, I’ll take you home,”
“Thanks Don, I… I’m sorry I don’t know-” before completing the rest of your sentence, your consciousness faded and you fell into a strong pair of arms. Giorno sat you back down and made a quick call to his driver before picking you up again and placing you in the awaiting car to take you to your new home. As he gazed lovingly upon your face, he knew that the road is going to be a tedious one, but you would love him one day.
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Your head pounded incessantly as you tried to open your eyes. The sensations on your skin were unfamiliar- soft, silken, so inviting, lulling you back into the deep slumber you were trying to break. Was this a dream? Your eyes finally opened to an unfamiliar room, you gathered the courage to sit up in bed, still unsure if you were in a dream or not and tried to rub the sleep out of your eyes. Looking around the room, feeling a sense of panic enveloping your very existence, you ran towards the large, ornately carved door to try and leave the room, but it was locked. The windows, it seemed, were crafted from reinforced glass as they would not break regardless of what was thrown at them. Left with only one option, you began to cry out for help, surely someone would be there, it was too well kept to be an abandoned building.
Listening to the commotion from outside the room were the guards and servants tasked with making sure your requests were fulfilled, but more importantly, they needed to ensure you were safe and didn’t escape. Giorno had a way with people, a charisma that both scared and enchanted those around him. Disobedience was not even a fleeting option for those who served him, partly out of fear, but mostly out of devotion to the young don. Giving each other a knowing glance, your guard decided to call his boss to come and subdue you before you had hurt yourself.
Your throat felt raw from the shouting and hyperventilating, your skin shimmered, veiled in a thin layer of sweat and your eyes shifted this way and that, trying to spot something you could exploit to leave the room while your captor was away. It dawned on you that as terrifying as it was to be in that place, it would be even worse if you had to face whoever was holding you there, choosing rather to contend with the fear of the unknown, than putting a face to your jailor. As if even thinking of something willed it into existence, your worst nightmare materialized as you heard the door being unlocked.
“Tesoro… please stop, you’re hurting yourself,” your eyes widened when you heard the velvety voice addressing you with such tenderness.
“Don… Giovanna? Where am I? What are you doing here? Please, I need to go home, I don’t know who brought me here…” you could barely articulate yourself with your shaky voice.
“I know that you’re extremely scared and confused… there’s so much I need to explain to you… but please, first, let me look at your hands, you are hurt, I can take care of that,” it was only after he spoke that you saw the bruises blooming on the delicate skin of your hands and arms. You still stayed rooted to where you were, but Giorno inched closer, materializing GE to heal your injuries. His heart stung when you silently grimaced at the pain of his ability rejoining the blood vessels that had broken, but he hated seeing your beautiful skin being marred like that.
“Don…”
“Please, call me Giorno…”
“Okay… Giorno… can we go now? I need to go home, if we stay any longer the people who put me here might come back or send others, I…”
“Tesoro… this is your home now… the person who brought you here was me… what is the last thing you remember from yesterday?” The young don circled around you and sat you down next to him at the foot of the bed.
“Why? Why did you bring me here? Are you insane? I can’t stay here, I… don’t understand what the hell is going on! I need to call my father,” seeing you start to get agitated again, Giorno pulled out his phone and motioned for you to take it.
“Here, call him, he has already agreed to this arrangement. You’re not safe my love, I’m sure you know about the recent transgressions courtesy of your cretin of a brother. People are angry and want revenge, and unfortunately you’re in the direct line of fire. So it was decided that you would come and live with me, you’ll find all your belongings here already, mixed with things that I believe you would like. I will give you anything your heart desires, lavish you with all the love and attention I can. All you need to do is stay here… near me… nobody can challenge me…”
You heard the words, but nothing was making sense to you. You decided to take up your captor’s offer to speak to your father, who confirmed his entire story. Feeling dejected, empty and completely alone, you sank to the floor as violent sobs wracked your body. Seeing you in this state filled Giorno with dread as he lifted you off the lushly carpeted floor, but he knew he would be able to get you to love him eventually. This was this the initial shock; he was willing to wait for you to acclimate to your surroundings.
Thus began your life of isolation… your routine, if you could even call it that, consisted of waking up in your palatial room, begrudgingly having breakfast with your green-eyed abductor and sulking around for the rest of the day. Giorno put a lot of effort into making sure that you were comfortable and tried to interact with you as much as his schedule would allow him to. Initially, all of his attempts to speak to you were ignored, you wondered if the awkward silence even bothered him at all, but he always had a peaceful expression on his face. If nothing else, he was very patient with you, and at times you tested his patience on purpose, goading him to anger, in those times though, he simply left you alone in your room, not allowing you to leave for a few days, instructing your handlers to confiscate your electronics, not even offering you a sliver of human contact… you needed to think about why you were in that position after all, so there could be no distractions whatsoever. Those isolation periods would thankfully not last long enough to tip you over the edge though, and like a ray of sunshine after a storm, he’d come to unlock your doors and add color back into your world. You always were more affectionate towards him after a few days on your own, which, you reasoned, was due to the lack of any interaction at all as opposed to having any genuine feelings towards him. Giorno wasn’t picky though, he accepted your gentle touches and embraces all the same, one day… soon… you would undertake those gestures solely on your desire to do so.
Surely enough, as the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months, you had warmed up to him, settling into an oddly satisfying domestic life with the don. The more of yourself you gave to him, the wider your world had gotten, until you eventually had free reign over the entire estate. You soon had come to realize that if you had just played your part, and listened to him, complied with his simple requests, his kindness towards you was limitless. Giorno had remained as attentive as ever, picking up on every little change on you from the subtle change in the color of your blush to the miniscule changes in the length of your hair after its trimmed, nothing escaped his well trained eye. He beamed when you started to wear the clothes and jewels he bought for you, seeing it as a sign that you were slowly starting to accept him. The truth of the situation was that you had, against your better judgement, fallen in love with this living deity.
“Giorno… the weather’s warming up quite beautifully, why don’t we train outdoors from now on instead of working out inside?” you suggested while you kneeled on the bed behind a seated Giorno as you undid his elaborate hairstyle and brushed out the product from his hair before he took a shower.
“Hmmm… alright bella, I suppose we could do that, I’m sure the fresh air would do us both some good,” as he got up, he bent down to place a chaste kiss on your forehead before heading into the shower. For a fleeting moment, you thought about your old life, you had earned back the liberty to speak to your family, well, your father, and some friends, but the fractured relationships weren’t the same. Pushing those negative feelings to the back of your mind, you waited for Giorno so that you could both go to sleep, but your heavy eyelids fell shut. His patience with you was never more evident than in these moments, never once overstepping your boundaries or initiating intimacy that would make you feel uncomfortable. Emerging to see your sleeping form, he pulled up the covers around you and climbed into the other side of the bed, facing you, he clutched your hands in his, allowing himself to close his eyes as well.
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“We’ve managed to locate her… you aren’t going to like this though,”
“Just tell me where my daughter is, I’ll decide the rest,” your mother spoke bluntly to her partner.
“She’s living with some mafia boss; I think he’s her boyfriend or something. You never see her out on her own, she’s always with him. I’ve got people watching your husband’s house, she’s only been there once, with the cocky bastard in tow. The security at his place is insane, worst of all, we think he’s a stand user,”
“Stand user? Don’t make me laugh, that means nothing, we’re stand users too, every ability has a weakness that can be exploited,” your mother lit a cigarette and took a long drag, musing on what her first move should be. After a moment of contemplation, she had her sights set on her old marital home, deciding that your father would be able to provide the most complete description of what is going on. She portrayed a nonchalant exterior, but your mother was very worried for your safety. She had a powerful stand of her own, in fact all the members of your family were powerful stand users- except you. Your mother worked closely with a foreign organization dedicated to studying supernatural phenomena as such, most of her time was divided between her travels on behalf of the organization and work that she would need to do onsite at their headquarters in Washington. Over her lifetime, she’s found herself in many precarious positions, so she decided it would be safer if she stayed away from the family in an attempt to keep everyone safe… upon hindsight, that was a fatal miscalculation. To describe her mood after speaking to your father as livid, would be an understatement.
Not wasting a moment, your mother called her associate and made her way to the don’s villa, hell-bent on taking you back from his dark clutches.
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“Bella, are you ready to go?” Giorno called to you as he pulled on his coat while you put on your last accessory. You never turned down an opportunity to go out, even though your outings became slightly more frequent, you were completely captivated by discovering the different facets to Giorno’s personality. As much as he was fervently observing you and curating an ideal world tailored to you, you were learning a lot about him and the circumstances that fashioned him in this manner.
“Yes tesoro, sorry for keeping you waiting… what is it?” you were met by a wide-eyed Giorno, and it hit you… Tesoro… the name trickled so effortlessly off your lips, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t really thinking…”
“Don’t apologize amore, as long as it’s you, I don’t mind…” he softly replied, as he stroked your cheek with the back of his forefinger. You heard a faint clatter accompanied by the ring of Giorno’s phone, informing him that there had been a security breach. The soft expression on his face was gone, as he gripped you with a protective arm.
Before you had time to ask him what was going on, you heard your name being called out by a voice you barely remembered, one you didn’t think you’d hear again.
“Mother?” your voice was a whisper. Your mother looked at you, disdain skewing her features before turning her attention to Giorno, whose grip continued to tighten around you.
“(y/n), I’ve come to take you away from here, it’s obvious leaving you in the care of your father was a mistake. And you, step away from her this instant, you will regret it if you don’t,”
You hadn’t noticed the swarm of black suits that had surrounded you all, ready to pounce at Giorno’s command. His intense gaze had not left your face while your mother spoke, searching for the slightest tell indicating you might have known about this, but you were just as perplexed as he was… the guilt of him doubting you twisting his features even further.
“It’s alright, stand down men… while you really have a nerve of breaking into my property, I feel that this can be solved amicably, I’d hate for (y/n) to have to contend with any discord between us,” he spoke with a calm, even voice but that didn’t match the fury brewing in his eyes.
“Amicable? You take my daughter away from her home and you still feel like this is something that can be talked out of? You really are a piece of work!”
“Better to be the overbearing lover than the neglectful mother…” Giorno’s tone was dripping with cynicism as he handed you to one of your awaiting guards.
“You sick bastard!” your mother cried out. As if being pushed back by a glowing force that you couldn’t quite discern, the young don was thrown backwards. You hated feeling so powerless. Giorno sat up and smiled mockingly, before launching into an attack of his own you assumed, as you saw a similar golden glow envelop his body, and the bodies of the security personnel backing him up.
“Please, stop it! All of you!” you wanted to run out between them but you were restrained by your guard. It didn’t take long for Giorno and his men to restrain your mother and her associate, taking care to leave them largely unharmed while you were still present. Giorno had made one fatal error though… blame it on overconfidence or his need to constantly check on you, he had turned away and left himself wide open for a last ditch attack from your mother as she broke free. At that very moment, your body moved itself before you could even think, and faster than you ever thought possible, pushing him out of the way with only a second to spare, as the attack hit the very spot he had stood on just a moment before, shattering the marble flooring on contact. The room was enveloped in silence, Giorno motioned for his guards to leave the room, as did your mother to her partner.
“(y/n) … tesoro mio… are you okay? You… you saved me…” he said as he kneeled next to your shaking, winged form, combing his hands through your hair as he tried to get a look at your face. You looked up to see Giorno with a wide eyed golden figure hovering over him, approaching you was your mother, with a luminescent humanoid woman matching her footsteps.
“Tesoro, it seems you’re a stand user after all,” mentioned Giorno, still gazing at you, this time with an expression you hadn’t seen from him before. Completely overwhelmed by the recent events, you sat for a moment, trying to regulate your breathing with the exercises Giorno practiced with you when your anxiety overwhelmed you.
“So these are what stands are… they look terrifying…” you say, finally managing to normalize your breathing and take command of your senses once again. “where is my stand then? I presume these two figures belong to you and mother.”
“Yours is different amore… are you able to walk? Come with me…” Giorno lead you to one of the mirrors so you could see how your stand manifested; you had large wings that had sprouted from your back, your eyes glowed colorlessly, and you had luminescent geometric patterns running down your face and body, akin to the patterns you would find on a circuit board. “You have what is known as a phenomenon stand, this means that it changes your body rather than manifesting a separate entity,”
“I see…”
“We can figure out the extent of your abilities another time, for now I need to see those injuries,”
“Excuse me? You’re not doing anything further with her, I’m still serious about taking back (y/n),” interjected your mother sarcastically.
“Are you trying to anger me on purpose? I loathe having to repeat myself. Do not mistake my unwillingness to kill you this very instant on anything other than respect for (y/n),”
“Likewise…”
“You’re both so selfish!” surprised to hear you raise your voice that much, both parties were stunned to silence.
“I’m a person with my own will, I have feelings, thoughts, desires, dreams… but neither of you bother to consider any of that… Giorno, you essentially abducted me, under the ruse of protecting me, I’m sure you would have found a way to keep me safe while I lived my own life, if it was that important to you, but you weren’t interested in that… if you had just approached me like a normal person, I’d still have fallen for you… well I guess now we’ll never know … And you… mother- I use that term liberally- abandoned me… abandoned us, I don’t care what the reasons were, you left me to grow up without a mother, and now you come here and ridicule me with this dramatic display of affection,” your voice began to crack but you wouldn’t let them see you cry, not so soon after finally finding your voice, so you left them there and went off to your special spot in the far corner of the estate. You knew that Giorno created that little piece of heaven for you strategically, as it was visible from his study, but it served as your safe place, and it was what you needed right now.
Giorno’s mind was clouded and he felt an uncomfortable suffocating sensation in his chest. Glancing at your mother it was apparent that your emotional outpouring had affected her as well.
“I think its best if you leave,”
“Wait, Giorno… perhaps this approach wasn’t the best way to do this, I underestimated you…”
“For the sake of curiosity, what do you propose?”
“That’s going to depend on how you answer my next question…”
“For someone with as few options as you have, you’re incredibly brazen,” shot back Giorno, clearly becoming tired of the conversation.
“I spoke to her father before coming here… he told me about my son… is… is he dead?” speaking earnestly this time, your mother steeling herself for what the young don would say to her. He observed her intently, debating whether it would be safe to divulge any information to her.
“That’s classified information,” he said, knowing full well that the idiot was alive somewhere, unable to be a threat to anyone again, unfortunately he couldn’t divulge this information to anyone. If she was smart enough she would be able to figure it out for herself, any more than that he could not offer.
“I understand… Fine, I’ll back off, (y/n) can stay here… but I need to speak to her, to explain everything, when she’s ready though…”
Giorno contemplated for a moment, feeling oddly moved by the change in your mother’s demeanor, he found himself agreeing with her, “Fine… I’ll allow it, but I can’t have you here, never again, if you need to see her, we’ll come to you… if that’s all, I need to check on (y/n)” Your mother took her leave, thoughts of the bizarre events of the day dominating her thoughts.
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You listlessly played with the water in the fountain you sat beside, eyeing the way the sunshine made the droplets that fell from your fingertips look like gems. Hearing the scrunching sound of grass being stepped on, you knew that Giorno was approaching you. Unwilling to turn around to face him, you continued to look at the water.
“May I sit with you?” his voice was tender and didn’t match his imposing figure. Looking up his striking face, framed by golden waves, you nodded wordlessly.
“Talk to me cara…”
“What do you want me to say?”
“What’s on your mind…”
You paused, thinking carefully before starting to speak. “There’s so much on my mind… I… I just can’t understand you. You bring me here under the most dubious circumstances, but treat me like I’m the center of your world. I want to hate you for taking me away from my world, but I’ve never felt as loved by anyone in that world as much as I do here with you. How can you look at me with eyes so gentle now, when those same eyes were ready to kill not even two hours ago? How am I supposed to make up my mind about you when your every action contradicts the next?”
“It’s simple bella… I love you… you’re above the rules I set for everyone else… my one weakness is you, I’m sorry, I just don’t know how else to be, it’s either everything or nothing. Perhaps, forget about what you think and focus on how you feel… You know, we aren’t that different, the two of us… so many parents between us and barely enough traits among them to make up one good guardian, having to basically raise ourselves, so much pressure from such a young age, being scared of what lurks in the dark, experiencing so much physical pain, you just become immune to it. I have to admit, I was jealous of that brave assault by your mother, I don’t know if anyone would do the same for me… except you of course… you almost died to get me out of harm’s way… and just when I thought I couldn’t love you any more than I do…”
The gentle way he cupped your chin, as if you were made of crystal, and the swirl of emotion in his eyes, compelled you to act on your impulses, kissing him passionately, releasing some of the pent up emotions and frustrations that have been building up for the longest time. His free hand curled itself around your waist, while your hands tangled themselves in his hair. Resting your forehead on his, you hear him murmuring affirmations of his love for you.
“I love you too, Gio,” the words just rolled off your tongue as if you were always meant to say them. Giorno, seemingly moved by your placid declaration, buried his face in your hair, inhaling the floral scent of your shampoo that he loved so much. What you didn’t see was the sardonic smile blooming on his handsome face. He always was a master at deception… although, it couldn’t be classified as deception if most of what he said was true… could it? He didn’t want to play the sympathy card today, but it was the only way he could firmly cement your place with him for good. Pulling away for a moment, looking at the love-struck expression on your face as you softly move your hand from his hair to his chest, he could see that you were finally complete- entirely devoted to him… there was no room for guilt this time.
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antiloreolympus · 3 years
Text
7 Anti LO Asks
1. Persephone’s character honestly just sucks. With everything that has happened I now see why Demeter was the way she was, her daughter has killed people and a nymph. “Oh I’m so naive and innocent but I won’t hesitate when I get tattled on for murder.” Like I know RS wants complicated more than 1 note characters but this is opposite sides of the spectrum.
2. what i dont get regarding LO is apollo's stupid plan is nothing to kronos coming back, who was awoken/revived by persephone's own lack of control, wouldnt that be even more valid of a reason to put her under lock and key? like she's genuinely a threat not just in her lack of control (which the comic frames as good) but she's creating more problems via kronos and having hades and co. being corrupt to keep her free of punishment. there is no peace and justice if she's walking free in the end IMHO.
3. ok but also with LO framing apollo as evil for wanting to overthrow zeus: it also frames zeus as corrupt and bad (despite no one minus hera and hades's personal grievances and i guess ares not liking him) so?? whats exactly the endgame supposed to be? hxp become rulers of all the realms? the monarchy is overthrown? hera rules solo a "yass queen" moment? you cant establish apollo is evil for wanting him out of power, but also keep saying zeus is a bad king! theres no happy ending for any of this!
4. I’m getting sick and tired of LO stans lying about the actual mythology just to make there shitty webcomic look better. Like one time i saw someone saying that they wished Apollo wasn’t evil in the comic so him and Hyacinth could be together (same) and you wanna know what a LO stan said? “You clearly don’t know anything about the myths Apollo killed Hyacinth in the original myths because a princess was also in love with him and Apollo being the selfish predatory bisexual yandere (yes they said yandere) he is decided to kill him because he’s a dick” they then went on about how Op only liked Apollo because ancient times ancient greeks where “barbaric”
(They where also low-key biphobic threw out the whole thing)
5. Does Persephone even feel guilty? Like now that the village people incident is known by the readers she doesn’t think about it or talk about it even tho it’s about her trial coming up. And then the other thing is that when it’s brought to light she turns someone apart of that team into a plant. She should have known something like that could have been coming since a -she killed some people and b she wasn’t punished for it. Like I’m sure Demeter promised she’d take care of it, but there’s only so much she could do. Like it’s fair Persephone committed a crime and used her powers for wrath and killed people. Like I know Zeus isn’t fair but still her life isn’t in “tatters”. Persephone cares more about not being like Hera enough and being called a “dumb village girl” once, rather than idk actual murder or taming her powers
6. its shocking to me that we're almost four years of LO and minthe is still more distinct than the actual lead. you see a red woman with pointy ears, a sleek business look, and a death glare, and you instantly knows that's her, meanwhile you see a bright pink, baby faced woman and instead dont know if its persephone, daphne, or some other random nymph OC someone made up. even Hera isn't unique anymore with Leto around. The majority of unique looks are villains and Hades, and that's it!
7. I haven’t read the fast pass, BUT from the little snippets I’ve read, how can you have a timeskip with so much happening right now? Daphne is waiting for Demeter, Demeter is waiting for someone just anyone to notice she’s gone and a bird (like I thought that was gonna be a Hecate and Persephone bonding thing where Hecate would treat Persephone as an adult) Minthe is still a plant, like shouldn’t some of that stuff get addressed before they pull a secret wedding? Wouldn’t the fans actually wanna read a wedding? I know I shouldn’t say too much since I don’t have fast pass so my view shouldn’t matter this much, but I can’t imagine these plot points being done with proper care and planning. I honestly feel RS wants to shove as much HXP she can and then remember there’s like sometimes a plot to follow.
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rottingsparrow · 2 years
Text
Part 6! Of rereading Lore Olympus. Ep 51-60
On these next few parts i really just kept ranting oops. Also I just keep getting busier and forgetting to read more, but I haven't caught up with what I've read yet and that's the only thing keeping me going. Does anyone read these? Last part:
Ep 51
“What about my brother” artemis please its kinda clear at this point
So did hermes question anything or
“ i have no right to be jealous” yeah also theyre just friends dude
“Oh but hermes liked persephone” no hes a gay man argue with the wall(/j)
Why they got eels
I love how tall and slender hecate is seeing as like eventually everyone dissolves into one shape
Yes im over exaggerating what about it
Who are the fire people i love them
Bro imagine dying and like “finally free from this hell where i have to work all the time” only to be put to work when you die
“Everyone should get a fair trial with the king of the underworld” i agree but wouldnt that take forever too like there are so many deaths all the time
I literally get so tired of hades in this episode mfer has such a lack of control in his emotions
like . are you physically unable to have a conversation with her without losing it so you gotta ice her out??
“I cant accept gifts from employees” i mean yeah if they are trying to bribe you its just fuckin food man
Also this part minthe keep it in ur pants ur at work
Ep 52
Wow all women hate persephone bc shes so gorgeous so they treat her bad and like make out with her crush
My point got lost there but you get what i mean like women cant just exist they either are used to compare persephone and show how good she is or uplift her
Im not saying you cant have mean women please do but the way it all comes together just. :/
Persephone is like trying to hard to be nice and friendly and hades just kinda sits there like an idiot smh
Hermes my beloved
I want bakalava now
How would she have a driver's license demeter kept her in the mortal realm you think she would let her get that
Why do they want a car thanatos you have wings my guy
I mean. Did you die hades?
Also smth to ask before hand lmao thats on you
Hecate, agent of chaos, my wife, my everything, my-
Ep 53
I know hecate has reasons to do things but i like to believe she doesnt and she does what she wants
Theres no way minthe sounds happy on the phone when she knows its just hecate
Nah nvm shes probably scared of her
How. how does anything get done at this place
Hades can you. Can you treat her like a friend or even a worker instead of a crush its not that hard youre a big guy
I love the eels
The moment when the artstyle changes randomly and you have to get adjusted to a new one
Hecate is now a different shade of blue what
Fuck you hades putting all your emotions on a 19 y/o
Unfortunately he does treat her like any other of his employees hes just. A shitty boss
“Oh no she thinks im mad at her” yeah dude ur acting like a dick
Sorry this just pisses me off
“Shes like me” she just like me fr
Why is the building confusing what do they gain from that
Its actually so rachel doesnt have to remember the layout
Ep 54
“Is she angry” no shes tired wtf do you think
I know rachel tried so hard on the “please dont grab me” panel girl was sweating
Personally id just leave if i was the reporter but ig he needs smth
Asking for a statement isnt the bad thing its the grabbing and like pressuring yknow
Do they have close ties
I know its supposed to be casual but i wouldnt hold my mothers friend/ business partner. Whatever their lie was, like that
Idk how i would actually im going to be thinking of that
I do like how she has a trigger but im gonna be real i dont think its ever brought up again
Sure you could say she is just good at avoiding it but idk
“I dont always get to do what i want” you literally do unless it doesnt help the story
Rereading has made me see how many things are in place for the story that disappear when not needed
“Man im a lousy tour guide” and a lousy boss :D
I do just want to make sure you guys know how much i hate hades as a boss
Ep 55
Its a lobby. Thats funny ill laugh at that
“That not exactly what we do here” what do you do
I havent read greek mythology in so long
“They may become hysterical” please explain psyche i saw i reply talking about how we didnt see her reactions to phone
They were so right that mustve been fucking bonkers
How do they ease them into it? Do they go through all the years of technological advancements just quickly??
Who is hecate talking to
Let her get the jacket make hades pay the designer to make another one
Also only 3? Like 20 id get but 3? Nah
“Why is she employed here?” you were there yesterday minthe remember she got an introduction
I think hades needs an HR department yknow what
“ a coveted position” PLEASE JUST EXPLAIN THE JOBS AND THE WORK LADDER
I agree with hecate except no one treats it like a work place
Not even you really lmao
If they are scared of her why would they go bitch to her esp if they know she doesnt care
Small medium cause shes so petite but she has curves bc shes gorgeous and-
Rachel smythe sniped me :/
How did she put that on
Ep 56
Whose the green person in the back poseidon idk
Also glasses again :)
“Stop staring at me with them big ol eyes”
Yes i already made the joke its funny tho
meg/persophone is my otp /j
Seriously its already more healthy than hades gotta be honest
So nice of her to let her borrow it how is she gonna return it. They talked more im sure but its funny to think that she actually doesnt know who meg is
Why does his hair get longer in the mortal realm get up
Omg does he have extensions that would be so funny
“I have to have control” yeah you do its gross
I love persephone fury look tho
Wait why did her hair grow
I get like thats the style in that time or whatever but
“I for one find you terrifying” is such a cute line not gonna lie
Persephone why do you look like youre trying to kiss him
“How can she be doing better than me” because zeus is married
I feel like thats obvious
Blue nymph obviously evil she has to be shes a woman and-
But also i forgot her name. Tha. no uh
Its thetis :)
Ep 57
“My visions arent always correct. But they are most of the time” is such a sloppy line
Omg i forgot that hera was the reporter
Also idk how her visions work but couldnt it have been literally anyone? How does she think shell narrow it down
Persephone you are wearing a skirt thing be careful
Also. dont push off people chest just generally
Her hair got much longer but i can excuse this one bc shes using her powers and they tend to coincide
“I gotta inspect that volcano” yep. Sure is a volcano
“But once they die theyre all in service to the underworld for the rest of the eternity” is there a way to die after death bc that sounds awful
Ok but why do they have to wait how does that earn you money
Like no i get the like immediate ride for a obol or whatever but why 100 years. You lose out on so many laborers for a while that way
I love Styx hand in marriage
Haha why is she bald in the last panel
Ep 58
“Reminds me of a younger me” is supposed be like a red flag but was zeus not chill during his formative years
Why does he get so mad a her vision genuinely
Also like why he get mad about her guessing apollo
I know i know “reputation ruined and so is ours” people change yknow also i do second guess your ability to choose olympians
Spit on him queen
This is one of the spots where i feel like rachel was just pushing to make zeus a bad guy. Not like a dick but actually antagonistic qualities
“I prefer the financial benefits of ongoing unpaid labor” haha so funny /s go fuck yourself
Yeah theyre dead and have nothing else to do but damn
“Why would my mom hide it from me” i mean. Thats fair but youre the one that calls her like hovering so i doubt she wants people trying to sex you
I mean fertility doesnt have to mean sex its more than that also one second
Nvm i googled it i was gonna say hestia was a goddess of fertility but shes the goddess of home a stuff my bad
Arnold reaction meme
Oh why is it dangerous
No i know why lmao
Persephones jaw goes from ) to ] in a matter of seconds
“Just stay away from tower 4 until we get to the” THE WHAT??? THE WHAT
Thats not a joke the sentence ends there
“OH you said yes!’ to you helping her like friends do
Ok but how will he know its her
Ep 59
Yes persephone you communicate clearly!! Be healthy!!
I love the flower nymphs personally i know everyone says we dont see persephone be close with them but its the little things i think
“I literally have no idea why you want to be here” me either hades
Haha flower nymphs are dumb! Village people! Haha racism
No i know thats not what shes saying but the racism of nymphs is overlooked
Me, everytime she was handed something pomegranates: :OOOO ITS THE!! ITS THE THING
No minthe has a right to be upset id be pissed if id have to change someones entire schedule
Not the snapchat filter
Why is his name big spenda thats so funny
Ep 60
As someone who has been jealous before i have to say this isnt healthy
Like duh but so intense for someone you barely know
Hades, watching her in silence: wtf is happening
Im glad she realizes its unhealthy
Ok i know i said they dont ever bring up the “any time any place” question but they do here which reminds me that that deal should no longer exist now that hes her boss
I dont think hooking up is bad esp when they werent in a relationship tbh
Like now she is in a relationship so yeah its bad
I love snarky chat that is the most real thing in this comic
“ we need to do smth about persephone” or yall could do your jobs. Kooky idea i know
She is still flirting with thanatos which is bad
Yknow assuming the boundaries her and hades set was monogamy and no flirting
And yeah hes flirting too thats also bad
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anyoneseenadam · 3 years
Text
Home: Chapter eight
azriel x reader (acotar)
summary: (y/n) is a daughter of Persephone, still recovering from the trauma of her fall into Tartarus and doesn’t have time for a stupid, handsome, annoying, stunning, injured man. But now they’re stuck together in the middle of nowhere and there only chance of getting home is if she can heal him, and fast.
warnings: big spoilers for mark of Athena and house of Hades, also for the acotar series, eventual smut, blood, PTSD, graphic descriptions of violence, injuries and torture, enemies to lovers so az is a bit of a dick to start, swearing
word count: 1.6k 
a/n: ahhh this is the last part and I’m kinda sad but at the same time I don’t want to drag it out, I also have a new idea for a dorian x reader so it’s a good thing to finsih one but am still sad. I hope you enjoy I made it extra fluffy (also had a cheeky wee hint back to the first part)
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You were sat in front of a large mirror, taking in your appearance as you listened to the noise downstairs, the hustle and sounds of people speaking as they rushed about in preparation a sharp contrast to the silence of your and Azriel’s shared room. The girl looking back at you in the mirror was beautiful. Her hair was pinned up, revealing a long neck adorned with a simple necklace your lover had gifted you. Your skin was clear as well, any blemishes you had, any scarring from acne you had picked at, was gone, replaced by dewy, glowing skin. In fact everything about you seemed to glow, your hair was shinier, your skin had a new ethereal sense about it, and you looked more like your mother than you ever had before.
You heard a clatter of plates downstairs and bit your lip with a slight smile, running your hands over you dress. It was baby pink, as you had commented that white may be a little on the nose, with a deep V-neck and white and pink flowers trailing down the heavy skirt, you had picked it out with the help of Feyre and Mor who had dragged you out shopping, giggling when you had stared in shock at the sheer number of dresses you only believed existed on Pinterest. You reached over the vanity and picked up the delicate gold dangling earrings that you had ‘bought’ (Azriel had technically bought them but you certainly paid him back) and put them on, gazing wistfully at your now pointed ears.
So much had changed so quickly. Azriel’s family were extremely welcoming, instantly treating you like they had known you forever. You became incredibly close with Cassian and Nesta, much to Azriel’s amusement, as you bonded over books with Nesta and a general love of Azriel with Cassian. Nesta was officially sold on you when she finished ‘Call Me by Your Name’ the day you gave it to her, the two of you discussing it all night as you made promises to find a way to show her the movie. Rhysand and Mor treated you like a sister, the three of you soon teasing each other, Amren genuinely laughing when you let loose your more creative insults. The only one who seemed reserved at first was Elain, but soon the two of you were spending hours in the garden as you taught her about the different needs that different plants had and how to grow them most effectively.
Azriel had never been more in love. He already knew you were mates but now that it was official, and possible, he felt like he was on cloud nine. He was in love with how quickly you feel asleep in his arms. The way you lit up when talking about your passions, hands moving widely. He was in love with the way your eyes sparkled constantly now, only rarely being overcome with shadows, ones that he had learned to help dispel, you were laughing more and had even started showing your back again. When you went to the House of Wind to train with Cassian and Azriel one summer afternoon you had removed your top, leaving you in a simple sports bra, not missing the mix of pride and desire in Azriel’s eyes as you continued your exercises.
“Can I ask what happened?” Nesta had asked late that day, Feyre looking up from her book, Nyx cradled in one arm. You had explained, and after, when you expected to be pushed away, Feyre had simply passed Nyx to Nesta and wrapped her arms around you, holding you for a long while, even when the Illyrians entered the room. When she pulled away you noticed the tears in her eyes and offered her a small smile, as she whispered to you.
“You’re with your family now, nothing like that will ever happen again.” And then you were crying too.
Now you were sat in your low-back dress with your hair up, scars on display for anyone to see. You had been woken at nine am by an excited chorus of fae women and all but shoved into a bath, your hair washed, and skin scrubbed until you felt new-born. You had been brought a strong, dark coffee and some honeyed toast as you sat soaking in the bath, your friends moving about outside tidying your room and fishing out everything you needed, before you were pulled from the bath and forced to dry. When you had walked back into the room, you found Mor wiggling her eyebrows as she passed you a bag which, on further inspection, you found contained an intricate set of baby blue lingerie making you laugh loudly as you thumbed the material. They had then crowded you, Nesta drying and styling your hair as Feyre did your face, treating it alike one of her beautiful paintings, Elain painting and filing your nails as Amren and Mor sat sipping on champagne, both donned in beautiful, dark silk dresses, as they discussed the day ahead. You felt alike a princess when they were done and had commented as much, gaining you a glass of champagne and a comment on how you looked like one too. However they soon left, claiming there was much to sort out downstairs and that they had no faith in the boys to get it sorted.
Now you were sat alone, your gaze had moved to outside your window where light snow had started falling. You stood and moved the open window, perching on the ledge, smiling when a robin landed next to you, flying to rest in your palm, it’s ruby coloured breast not making you flinch. You still had nightmares as you were still part god and probably always would have the dreams you had grown used to; however you were making progress.
“If you’re planning on running away that ledge is too high,” You smiled as you heard his voice, turning to see your beautiful mate smiling at you.
“Maybe Cassian can come and fly me out,” you challenged,
“Ha, ha.” He deadpanned and you giggled, standing to wrap yourself in his arms,
“In my world it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the service,” you whispered into his chest,
“This technically isn’t a wedding,”
“That’s a fair point,” you muttered, and he smiled down at you,
“It would be a shame to deprive me of this sight, you look beautiful princess,” he spun you out of his arms and you giggled, making his heart swell with love.
“It would, wouldn’t it?”
“C’mon, we should go soon, Cassian’s already crying,” you laughed and grabbed his hand as he pulled you along and down the stairs. You gasped when you reached the bottom, there were flowers everywhere, the whole room transformed into a fairy wonderland that made you feel giddy. You smiled when you saw that Cassian was in fact, already tearing up as he stood to greet you, complementing you and thanking you for making his brother so happy, you had laughed and shoved him away in your emotional state, not wanting to cry so early, as you moved to the sink in the room that was spraying a fine mist of water, creating a rainbow.
“Oh Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, show me Nico Di Angelo, Camp half blood.” You threw in a golden drachma, the image wavered before revealing your friends and family on the other side, waving, and sending greetings. The inner circle came over and you all conversed for a while before Azriel was rather impatiently tugging on your hand and you moved onto the ceremony, with just your found families present. Having been raised mortal you insisted on exchanging rings, and Azriel was completely happy to oblige, obsessed with the feeling of pushing the ring onto your finger and kissing you, having someone that was wholly his, and who he was completely devoted to.
The rest of the day was spent curled under Azriel’s arm, sipping cocktails, and laughing as you were told all the most embarrassing things the inner circle could dig up. You ate delicious food and laughed with your friends, you heart aching at how naturally this happiness came to you now as you gazed at the man you loved.
You stood outside, breathing in the fresh air, and enjoying the slight chill that came through the thin shawl you had wrapped around you shoulders. Soon you felt a familiar hand press into your hip, pulling you into his side tightly. You looked up at him, still in wonder of how you landed such a beautiful man.
He caught your gaze, brushing a snowflake of your cheek and grabbing your hand, pressing a light kiss into the palm. “Penny for your thoughts?” He asked, gaze so full of love that tears welled up in your eyes.
“I’m just so glad you got stabbed,” you muttered, and he laughed before you continued, “I’m serious, I don’t know where I’d be if we hadn’t met, but you are everything to me and I’m so glad we pushed through, I’m so glad we fought to be together.”
“I love you.” He whispered into your hair as he pulled you in tightly, his scarred hands moving over your scarred back as you sighed, content.
“I love you.” You replied, pulling away and watching as a red admiral butterfly landed on a nearby poppy.
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peculiarbooklover · 3 years
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⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
*****5 Stars! 
“Love means opening your heart to another, no matter the consequences.” 
First off I would like to thank Disney and NetGalley for allowing me to read an arc of this book, I am so honored to be given a chance to give an honest review for this book. 
Go the Distance is a continuation of Disney’s Hercules but with a new twist, what if Zeus refuses to allow Hercules to live out his life on Earth with Meg? Hera comes up with a fair solution and that is to offer Meg a chance to prove her worth and earn a spot among the Gods on Mt. Olympus. This offer sends Meg off on a hero’s quest that will not only prove her worth to the Gods, but it will force her to do some soul searching herself and put her face to face with a past that she wished to keep buried. Now she must see if she has the ability to overcome her past and come to understand the true desires of her heart. 
This book is written so beautifully and written with the perfect pacing, I was hooked the moment I finished the first chapter. Hercules had always been one of my all time favorite Disney movies and the start of my fascination with Greek Mythology, I had watched it so many times I had nearly worn out my poor VHS tape. I found that this book was able to answer so many questions I’ve had floating around inside my head for years, which only added to my love for this book. Growing up I always found Meg to be such an interesting character with her sassy and sarcastic attitude, she was so unlike every other Disney heroine. As I grew older I had come to realize how relatable her character truly was, I was always left wondering more about her. What brought her to this point and formed her core beliefs and attitude towards life and love? I absolutely love how this book was able to go into detail about her childhood and how she was brought up and how that upbringing made her into the person she was in Hercules. 
Her character development throughout this book was so profound and much needed; her issues of commitment were put on full display and what brought them about and made them take root. Throughout her journey I loved seeing her peel back the layers of these issues one by one and put them on display for the readers--it made her so vulnerable and even more relatable than she had been in the movies. As children love was so straightforward and simple in our eyes, and as we grew older we realized that it was messier and more complicated than we expected, so if you were a fan of Meg when you were younger I think you’d very much enjoy reading this book as an adult. There is something very special about relating to a character you’ve loved so much as a child now as an adult. Like Meg we’re forced to question ourselves in adulthood and come to a similar understanding of what we want in life and what path we should take to get there. The process of understanding our own hearts is a quest in itself, just like the quest Meg had undertaken. 
I also loved the author’s ability to really get into each character; everyone was so perfectly written, in my mind I couldn’t help but read all the dialogue in the story in their voices. It felt so authentic to the movie yet also so unique. This brings me to another one of my favorite points of the story and that’s Hades. Not only was he so perfectly written, I couldn’t seem to get James Woods' voice out of my head while reading his parts, I love the character arc she had set out for him. With my love of Greek Mythology came a very intense fascination with the tale of Hades and Persephone, I remember when I was younger I was always a little upset that they never added Persephone into the story. So, when Persephone made her appearance in this book it made me so beyond happy! I loved seeing her love story with Hades play out in this particular universe, it was so unique and fun to be able to read. The way Hades and Persephone seemed to compliment each other so perfectly really brought the moral of this story to light--if someone like Hades could open himself up to love and allow himself to not only be vulnerable around the person he loved, but placed his trust in the palm of her hands, why couldn’t Meg be able to do the same with Hercules? Hades loved Persephone and that didn’t make him weak despite his reputation, it only made him stronger with her at his side. Thus proving that love does not make a person weak, it only makes them so much stronger than they had been alone. 
The title of this book, Go the Distance, was such an appropriate choice for this story because everyone has to go the distance in their lives to be able to not only find their true authentic self but to find the place where they belong in this world, just like both Meg and Hercules had done the same. Going the distance might be hard and scary at first, but one must have faith and follow their own individual path to get the answers they seek. 
This book was such an absolute delight to read, it brought back so much nostalgia from my childhood and I enjoyed being able to connect to this book and the characters in a new way. This is a book I would highly recommend to everyone, especially if you have a love for Hercules and Greek Mythology. It was such a positive and enchanting read and not one I would be able to forget. 
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sebbytrash · 4 years
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Riley
Summary - Sam is having one of those nights so you take him to your secret happy spot within the compound. 
Pairing - Sam Wilson x Reader
Warnings - None that I can think of.
A/N - Short but sweet.  written for Samtember for the “Riley” prompt @samwilsonfest
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It’s dark. The complicated kind, the kind that can go one of two ways, coax secret smiles and tentative touches or ragged breaths and haunted eyes. Neither are the kind you want, and so you sit idly in the kitchen of the Avengers compound, wishing for the first and avoiding the second. The coffee in your mug is cold, barely touched, sitting abandoned on the table beside your head.
Footsteps, quick but quiet, interrupt your thoughts about nothing and you sit up quick enough to forget about the mug and send it crashing to the floor in a wave, a sad brown sea of forgotten. 
Sam halts in front of you, wide eyed and wary, his muscles rigid underneath his shirt pulled tight across his chest. Oh, what a chest. “Shit. You scared me.” He says it like an accusation, and then bends to pick up the pieces of your broken mug as you slide off the table and hope that the ground will give way and let you be swallowed up if only to avoid his eyes.
“Sorry, Sam.” You say automatically, and then add, “In fairness, you scared the shit out of me, too.” You mop up the coffee with your sweater, stripped from you in a less than graceful motion and still, ignore Sam’s eyes. 
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m sorry, too.” He laughs low, stands with the pieces and throws them in the trash, you watch wistfully and half heartedly wish to be one of those pieces, anything to avoid Sam’s scrutiny in the dead of night, “I wasn’t expecting anyone to be up.” 
“Oh, you know me. Anything for the last slice of Bruce’s apple pie.” You stand, attempt to scoot past him to wring your sweater in the sink and brush up against that oh so lovely chest of his, feel the weight of your fingertips just aching to touch.
“Any reason why you were lying on the table like an animal?” He asks, amusement evident in his tone and so you look, finally, at his eyes and allow yourself a small smile, a tiny moment of self indulgence to get lost in the decedent walnut depths and find yourself somewhere along the edge of his lips. 
“I heard it’s good for posture.” You blink away your stares, pray that none of that want shows on your face, “Why are you up?” 
His face crumples, not into a feeling but out of one, it crumples into a blank dust and you wonder if you can catch the particles in your hands, if you can mould it back to that smile he had just for you. “Couldn’t sleep.” Is all he says and you know instantly that he’s having the second kind of darkness, forcibly stopping your arms from reaching for him when you see the sadness that hides in his eyes. 
“Riley?” You whisper it, like a knifed secret and he nods, once, the tiniest dip of his chin and you wonder how much it cost him to admit even that. You have no words to offer him, no wisdom or advice as you sit here avoiding your own traumas and so you grasp at something, anything, that might chase away the shadows behind his eyes. Finally, you consider it, your secret and it takes less than a second to know that Sam is worth the reveal of it. “Wanna come somewhere with me?”
“Sure.” Even he seems surprised when he agrees so readily, takes a step toward you, almost eager and you fight the urge to do the same, to finally find out what it would be like to have that marble-solid body pressed against yours. You mentally scold yourself for the constant turn of your thoughts, that even when he’s a little lost, you still find the time to admire.
You take his hand, a bold move your heart mutters, and lead him to the stairs, up and up and up you both go in the quiet echo, surrounded only by the memories and the glaring fluorescent lights. He lets you lead him without question, even when you pass the communal floors, still says nothing when the last floor dies away and the stairs continue and the cool air begins to spill in beside you. You thrust against the final door, using all your bodyweight to nudge it open and let the breeze dance along your skin.
Sam follows you out onto the empty rooftop, looks around in confusion, “I had no idea this was here.” 
“Yeah, nobody does, for some reason.” You walk to your spot, affectionately named but marked only by the memories in your eyes, “I come here to get away. Never seen anyone else up here.” 
You wonder if he’ll hear what you say without saying, how you’ve never, not once brought anyone here and yet here he is, brought on the basis of bad dreams. He looks at you and you think he just might. 
You sit down on the hard concrete and pat the spot beside you, slip your shoes off and wait until he sits with you, until his body heat bleeds into yours and then lay back. In an instant, the worries disappear, you feel weightless, the sky above you carries it all off and lets you float in the air in between the stars. It’s always like this for you, the sky and the stars, and sight of them here so unhindered by city lights and tall buildings, a solar dusted blanket that wraps around you each night. 
“Oh, wow. That’s a view, right there.” He sounds how you feel, and you try not to notice his arm pressed along yours, or the way he smells like hopefulness. 
“You see that one there,” You point, try to adjust your angle for him, “That’s Polaris. The North Star.”
“I see it.” He keeps his voice low like he feels the weight of the stars like you do.
“And that there, if you follow it, is the Little Dipper. And there is Cassiopia.” You whisper into the night, watch the breeze carry away your words and the night swallow up your ghosts. 
“I didn’t know you knew so much about stars.” He turns to look at you, his now russet eyes that look a little less sad than before, reflecting all that quiet endurance. You grin before you can stop it, the relief at having helped even just a little is simply too large and it overwhelms the rest. There’s just something about the sky up here, with all those stars and worlds and lifetimes in view that makes you a little calmer. Clearly, it was doing the same for Sam. 
“I dabble.” You blink at him, refusing to be the one to look away from that stare, “There’s something a little humbling about the sky, dontcha think?” 
He looks away and up to the sky, the stars reflect in his eyes like the night sky itself and you know then that you’ll never only see the sky again. Forever it’ll be, the sky and Sam. You hate how much you love it. 
He makes a noise of agreement and then, softly, he lets his fingers tangle with yours in that narrow space between you. Your heart leaps straight from your chest and dances among the stars. The breeze picks up, perhaps in response to your heart rate, and you shiver, a little from his touch and a little from the cool air, belatedly remember that your sweater was now a soggy heap in the sink and sigh. 
“Your cold.” His fingertips disappear and you ache at the loss and wonder if the moment is over now, if he’ll make you go inside but he simply slips his arm around you, and pulls you tight to him, letting your head rest in the crook of his shoulder, “Here, let me help.” 
If there’s a heaven, you think, it’s pretty damn close to this. Or perhaps, it’s less heaven and more purgatory since you both love it, and want more. Ache to be closer than even this. 
It’s hours, or minutes, later when the sky is a little less dark and a little more wakeful that he speaks, “Can I ask you something?”
“Hmm? Yeah, of course.” You say, distractedly, caught between the stars and his heartbeat and never wanting to return. 
“Why did you take off your shoes?” The question startles a laugh out of you, the unexpected pop to a dazed bubble. 
“Oh Sam,” You smile, tilt your head to look at him better, “How else will the stars get in?” 
He looks at you in buttery confusion, and then suddenly, like he’s never seen you before, or is seeing you anew. There’s stardust in his eyes and it’s spilling into yours, his moon-washed smile lights up the sky with his resilience and promise. 
“Sam…” You begin, and find the word itself swallowed by his lips, gentle against yours with the stars inbetween. He kisses you, all the weight of the sky wrapped up in it and you kiss him back just the same. All the months and weeks of restraint come loose in a tidal wave of want, and need, and love. It lasts a lifetime in a minute, so many unsaids and maybes passed between your lips and his. 
“I’ve wanted to do that for a while.” He sighs, forehead pressed against yours like he can’t bare to be apart now that he’s been this close. You know the feeling, fingers gripping his shirt so that the moon can’t carry you away when it leaves.
Still, the admission surprises you, having spent so long hiding your own feelings for fear of rejection, “You have?”
“You are hilariously oblivious, you know that?” He kisses away the protest, kisses you and shows you how much he’s been wanting it, you, and you feel every word of it written on your lips. Even the stars don’t compare. “Ever since I walked in on you trying to sneak that goat into Stark Tower.”
“Sam…” You laugh, both at the memory and of when, “That’s the day we met.”
He smiles, wisps of red and orange from the rising sun dance along his skin, his eyes alight with the fire from within, “Oh, I know.” 
Your heart lifts with the sun, a painted star on your soul that begins the new day, your new day. When you kiss him again, in answer to a question that was never asked, you feel the glow on your face and within your chest together, and are reminded, tenderly, that the sun is also a star. 
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