#TW: references to SA

[vidorgoggles]

Weird misconceptions regarding Terra Grayson and Marky Murphy

(TW: Spoilers from some of the last issues of the Invincible comic, and references to a SA plotline)

Hey there.

I unfortunately don't use this blog a lot, man. But today we've got a curious think to speak about, 'cause this is really a case to study of how a fandom can collectively create some fanfic and turn it canon in their heads lmao.

Outside of jokes, this is a post about two characters who debut in the later part of the Invincible comic, the children of Mark: Terra Grayson and Markus 'Marky' Murphy.

These two are secondary characters in the part of the comic they appear in, but obviously get focus for being part of the Grayson family. If you ask me, I dig them both.

Terra is generally a fun character with her violent child antics, and it's thanks to her that we can get my favourite moments of the comic: Mark being a dad! ❤️

(Remember, child Terra loves violence)

Marky, on the other hand, unfortunately suffers from being related to a certain plotline of the comic, which I am not going to mention because everyone knows about it due to it being the most common spoiler. I want to speak a little bit more of that plotline another day, but since it's not the subject of this post I'll do a quick tldr: I generally find it very underdeveloped and I also think it's overhyped by the fandom due to morbidness, even though I understand why it's conceptually important for some people and respect their feelings.

But, apart from that, Marky is a character who had some good moments in the two final issues, and that has a lot of potential which I would like to see explored, if only in possible one-shots in the future or fanfics.

Now, since both Terra and Marky are characters from the final issues of the story, there are many random YouTube shorts and the likes spreading misconceptions about them (happens with everything related to the final issues, trust me). I consider it a real shame, since, as I have said, both characters are interesting to me, and I really would prefer the vision the fandom has of them to be as little tamed as possible. That's the reason why I have decided to make this post.

With that introduction done, let's go to the misconceptions:

'Terra hates Marky'

To explain to anyone who doesn't know the context: in the final issue of the series, after certain events end in Mark becoming the ruler of the (reformed) Viltrumites and deciding to leave Earth, Marky stays in the planet alongside his family for reasons I will explain later (it's related to other misconception). A particular consequence of this is that Terra and Marky grow up in different planets, although Mark and his family still visit Earth occasionally. During the final issue, Terra's whole life from childhood to adulthood is shown in two pages:

And since we don't see much of Terra and Marky's relationship afterwards (because unfortunately, even if I like them, they're just not much developed characters due to how rushed the final issues are), people have just assumed her opinion on Marky never changed.

I just don't think this is the story's intention: Terra is purposely being framed as immature (like any child) in many these panels. Of course a heated child would be mean, but that doesn't mean they would do the same as a fully grown adult.

Now, I think something that fuels this misconception is the reader's point of view. We know that later in the story Marky is very emotionally affected due to discovering the way he was conceived, so knowing that, in retrospective, 'He's not my brother!' seems like a bigger deal than it actually is. But in-story, neither Terra nor Marky knew of that by that point. Hell, we see Marky's reaction to Terra's words: he's just mildly annoyed, because the comic just sees this as what it is, a children's discussion.

And here Marky is also mean to her other half-sister, Molly. Do we assume he hates her for all his life too?

Now, if I may guess about Terra's feelings about Marky as an adult. I just don't think they know each other that much. They have grown apart, in literally different planets. She isn't close to him, but I don't think she hates him. I think this is supported by the next time she meets him in the comic: she barely recognizes him and calls him by his full name, Markus. To me, this just expresses distance between them.

And Terra and Marky not feeling close to one another is just very logical when one thinks about it. They were both raised in different planets, by different families, of course they would be distant. Terra's 'He's not my brother!' is the mean child version of expressing that idea to the public, in my eyes, not the setup for a life-long hatred.

'Marky hates Terra'

This one has some truth to it, to be fair, but I still think some people ignore any and all nuance about it.

In the final issue of the comic, this (unfortunately not followed on) moment happens just after the prior page:

Where yes, Marky heavily implies he is jealous towards Terra. However, I feel people in the fandom generally fail to take into account that the moment lets very clear this is far from Marky's most emotionally stable moment. Hell, he's saying far worse things about himself than about Terra. And he's also clearly regretful about many things he's done and said right afterwards.

Marky does have some negative emotions towards Terra? Yes (although not even that strong, again, he's feeling worse about himself). Do they stay there when he's calm and cold-headed? It's up to us to decide, but given that the last panel tells us that Mark and Marky are going to deal with their trauma and heal with time, I would like to think Marky just abandoned them eventually in any case.

'Mark abandoned Marky on Earth'

I especially blame the comic itself for this one.

One could start thinking this is related to a delicate subject, and perhaps start a discussion about forced parenthood, reactions to trauma or something similar. I may like to talk about how the comic handles those issues one day (I think it has problems related to that), but don't worry, today it won't be necessary.

Remember when I said Marky stayed on Earth for plot reasons? Well, those reasons are that his adoptive (and real) father, Scott Murphy, wanted to stay on Earth when Mark decided that the Viltrumites should leave Earth:

Mark himself expresses that he wanted Marky and his family to come with him, but he had to respect Scott's decision or else he would be literally kidnapping them:

And by the way, if you wonder, at this point of the comic Mark isn't that uncomfortable being around Marky. He lets him play in his house in the page above. Before he was also perfectly fine personally explaining him everything about Viltrumites (Marky didn't know beforehand) and afterwards he takes his time to say goodbye to him and his family:

And look, Mark is a flawed character (and I love him for that), but if I have to defend him and say he did the right choice in something, is in this. He didn't abandon anyone, he allowed Marky to live with the man who raised him before Mark was even able to know Marky existed, the one who Marky himself rightfully calls his real dad.

Now, you may be wondering where Marky's abandonment issues come from then? Well, Mark started visiting Earth far less at one point. I think the implications of issue 144 are a simple 'he's very busy', although I would like to think things like the fact that Debbie, William and more people must have died by the point Mark and Marky fight has something to do with him not wanting to visit Earth anymore. We can assume that a Marky with self-esteem issues due to learning how he was born and with no context of why Mark left him on Earth would (wrongfully) assume it was his fault, especially taking into account that by that point in time Scott and Debbie must be dead. Again, I wish this was more developed than it is in the actual comic.

Unfortunately, the comic fails to remind anyone of all the facts I have mentioned in the pages after the Mark and Marky fight, so of course people just take Marky's words in those pages at face value despite them being contradicted in the very same issue 144.

'Terra is an spoiled brat'

This one's just curious to me. It may be because I have a particular definition of 'spoiled', I guess, but I just fail to see this.

Mark doesn't really 'spoil' Terra in my eyes, to be honest. And I am not saying this to deny the flaws of a character I like or anything, he's far from a perfect character and I love him that way, but I just genuinely don't see this.

Terra's childhood is a pretty regular first world childhood with loving parents to me. I don't see how Mark lacks any discipline or is irresponsible as a father. In the two pages I have shown that sum up Terra's life, we can see him doing basic parenthood stuff like denying her things she shouldn't have (those adorable lava puppies), telling her things she needs to do (him telling her to learn how to fight would be the equivalent of an irl parent telling their children to do their homework) or scolding her when she's being immature (when she's mean to Marky).

I don't know, if someone wants to give me reasons for this, I'll listen, because nothing I have heard about this really convinces me.

'Terra never suffered/faced any difficulty in her life'

Um. Objectively incorrect statement, I don't what I can say about it lol.

Well, I lied. When discussing about this, I was told once 'But it was only this, though', because she was being compared to Marky, so trauma olympics I guess. I will elaborate more why this weird competition some people make up between Marky and Terra goes against the core themes of the comic at the end, but for now let's move on.

'Terra hates her father'

Alright, so at the end of the comic there's a certain conflict started by the Coalition Of Planets against Mark's Viltrum Empire:

And we later get to see Terra's reaction to it:

Which yes, feels like an underdeveloped (I know I am saying that a lot about events here, but it's just true lmao) father-daughter conflict, which I think is not very interesting due to how little it matters.

However, I can confidently say that people assuming Terra hates her father over this are just wrong. In fact, this conflict it's solved in the very next pages.

And even in Terra's page with Ursaal you can tell she feels bad for disagreeing with Mark due to her mannerisms and facial expressions, so this is just a little not much relevant part of the story blown out of proportion by some people lol.

It's even a little infuriating for me because, as I have mentioned, Mark relationship with Terra is one of my favourite things about the story, so I really dislike how YouTube Shorts and the likes spread misconceptions about it.

'Terra and Marky will compete to see who succeeds Mark as the ruler of the Viltrumites'

None of them seems even particularly interested in doing so from my point of view. Terra has issues with the way the Empire is going, shown by her page with Ursaal, and Marky spent his entire childhood light years away from them.

If you ask me, there may not even be a future ruler of the Viltrumites. Mark had to take the responsibility after his father's death because Nolan feared that without someone guiding them in the ways of compassion, they may fall in their old ways again. After Mark's rule, with a new generation of Viltrumites led in the right direction, they may not need a single ruler anymore.

But outside of personal readings, I have seen that people spreading this misconception usually prefer Marky to be the successor, which leads me to my final point.

Closing thoughts

The ending of the Invincible comic, with its many, many flaws, it's overall heartwarming and usually satisfying to me, but I think some people fail to see why.

It's not a happy ending because Mark has become stronger. It's not a happy ending because he's now a ruler. That's a responsibility, not a prize, and not even one he wanted to have before Nolan told him. It's a happy ending because he is trying to make things better, and because he's happy with his family despite all the difficulties he has faced.

And I point this out because it's important to understand why I am really annoyed by these misconceptions.

Some people have seen Marky, a clearly traumatized young man, and the answers they have for it is: give him something he can win. They want him to become the ruler of the Viltrumites, and may as well do it by winning an imaginary competition against his mean, spoiled half-sister who always had everything while he had nothing, never suffered a day of her life and is also ungrateful to everything her father does for her (I really hope I have showed why it's much more nuanced than that in this post).

Despite how little screen time it gets, the comic already has an answer to Marky's trauma, what he needs: time, healing. While the comic didn't manage to develop it nearly as much as I would want, I just hope people can see it once this misconceptions are gone (hopefully when the show reaches this point of the comic).

[genderbendqueen]

Ftm Danny being held by the giw for months/years and raped multiple times by the for science.

JLA saves him and he ends up in batman/bruces care. Slowly danny starts to heal

Flash forward to a few months later and hes not feeling well constantly sick and exhausted. Bruce gets him checked out and low and behold dannys pregnant.

Learning this danny locks himself in his room and shuts down. Dick who heard danny locked himself in his room but not why ends up climbing up the balcony letting himself in and just sits with the ghost boy.

Dick learns the truth and decides to share his SA that hes never told anyone else about.

After a few hours the two leave the room and talk to Bruce. Together they discuss all options and confirm that no matter what they would support him and after thinking on things Danny decides he cant go through with it.

An appointment is made and followed through, just like promised bruce and dick and there to support him.

[graboidmilk]

Full Chalcanthite LaFon Reference

Censored Nonsexual Nudity under the cut

Please remain mindful of the tags

Easterman's star reagent; his Magnum Opus. Focused, Obedient, Determined, Strong, and Durable, Chalcanthite was everything the man could've ever hoped for to endure the Trials, everything he wants a reagent to be.

Easterman's most oppressive failure; Volatile, Dependent, Aggressive, Uncooperative, and Obsessive. Chalcanthite is nothing other than a desperate, simpering dog begging for scraps.

Easterman wont let his training go to waste, however; he still has uses for such violence and loyalty.

Chalcanthite could never get away that easy.

Chalcanthite Mechanic Behaviours:

-Chalcanthite will never be released into an introductory level Therapy other than the (original) MK Challenge 'K9 Kennel Madness' and the (original) Therpay Trial 'Kill the Curiosity'

-Chalcanthite will chase any spotted reagents and attack for one and a half bars of health in Standard Therapy, three bars of health in Intensive Therapy, and instantly incapacitate a reagent in Psychosurgery Therapy (this does not apply to reagents with the ‘Last Chance’ amp).

-Chalcanthite will stop chasing a nonbleeding reagent 20% sooner than other grunts.

-Although Chalcanthite can not see in the dark, Chalcanthite can see reagents within 3 feet of nearby electrical sparks, including but not limited to: Coyle’s baton, Electrical floor traps, and random sparking wires across the trial setting.

-If Leland Coyle has already been released within the trial setting, Chalcanthite will voice an alert for Coyle at the sight of a reagent, attracting the Prime Asset to the location of the reagent found. This can be used by reagents to lead Coyle away from task-important locations.

-Chalcanthite has random patrol dialogue that triggers every 7 seconds. Most of Chalcanthite's patrol lines are loud and/or rambling, easily alerting reagents to his location.

-Chalcanthite will not fall for audio distractions from bottles or bricks. Attempting to distract him with this method will only trigger a specialized dialogue.

-Even if already chasing a reagent, Chalcanthite will switch targets if a second reagent hits Coyle with a projectile within his line of sight to instead prioritize the offensive reagent. This can be used by reagents to prevent Chalcanthite from attacking a reagent carrying task-related cargo.

-While Chalcanthite’s attacks do not cause bleeding, he is able to track the blood of reagents with the ‘bleeding’ effect until the effect has worn off, to which he will follow until the end of the existing blood trail before continuing his natural patrol pattern. It is not recommended for reagents to try and hide while bleeding, as he will be able to find them in their hiding spot. Chalcanthite, once within radius, will always follow the most recent blood trail, even if he was not witness to the initial attack.

-When stunned, Chalcanthite will remain incapacitated for twice as long as a regular member of Ex-Pop

-Chalcanthite responds normally to Blind Rig Mines.

-It takes Chalcanthite 2 hits to break through a locked door, and 4 hits to break through a Rig-administered barricade.

-Chalcanthite will completely lose interest in a reagent with the Heal Rig for 5 seconds if they deploy the poison gas within proper radius.

-When corrupted by a Jammer Rig, Chalcanthite's interruption consists of a seizure lasting 7 seconds. Visually, Chalcanthite will crouch down and frantically scratch at his head and ears, tail tucked against his body.

-Chalcanthite will not patrol near psychosis mines, and will actively avoid them if they are within his path- the only way for Chalcanthite to run over a mine is if a reagent lures him over one during a chase. Triggered psychosis mines will incapacitate Chalcanthite for twice as long as a regular member of Ex-Pop.

-Chalcanthite’s execution can be one of three possible cutscenes:

Chalcanthite beating the incapacitated reagent to death with his fists.

Chalcanthite straddling the incapacitated reagent before placing his hands on the reagent’s chest and forehead, proceeding to then rip their throat out with his teeth.

Chalcanthite straddling the incapacitated reagent before grabbing them by the head and repeatedly slamming their skull into the ground.

-If Chalcanthite and Coyle are roaming the same trial setting, an event can randomly be triggered when Chalcanthite and Coyle randomly walk past each other within a certain radius while patrolling. This event is a 5 second long physical assault consisting of Coyle using his stun rod to electrocute Chalcanthite's groin through his clothes when he tries to walk by, interrupting their patrol and thus offering more clearance for a reagent to sneak past. The dialogue paired with this event can also be used to alert reagents of Coyle and Chalcanthite's location. Chalcanthite cannot sprint for 5 seconds after this event. This event will not be triggered if either of them are already chasing a reagent.

[dootznbootz]

I went on tiktok to just watch some silly Odysseus videos but then I mostly saw people going like "Yeah, maybe Odysseus cried on Calypso' island every day but honestly he had that coming after what he did Achilles and Patroclous/Circe!!!" and "Everything that happens in Odyssey is deserved cuz he took Patrochilles to war!!!" and "I feel so bad for Circe and Calypso and Penelope, they deserved better!!!"

For fucks sake I beg you, read anything different from Millers bs and like educate yourself- And please stop goddamn saying that rape victim. deserved it.

Circe probably didn't give a flying fuck, Calypso is a rapist and abuser and Penelope deserved everything she wanted and SHE WANTED ODYSSEUS

I think I've had enough internet for today, imma go wash my eyes with bleach. Anyways sorry for ranting here, i hope you don't mind it lmao

It's alright. I absolutely understand the vents about the whole thing. :'D No one deserves to be a victim of such a thing no matter WHAT they've done. I hope your eyes are okay after the bleach

Like Odysseus does so many fucked up things but Calypso and Circe? He is the victim. Period. It's very clear that Odysseus is in extreme distress on Ogygia. And Circe wasn't some sort of FwB situation. There's fear and numbness in the language he uses when talking about it. There's so much victim blaming and it SUCKS.

Even then, Odysseus' journey was kind of about "temptation" or just straight up "Die or get out of my sea." From Poseidon. "I don't want you in my waters so I'm gonna try and give you things that will keep you on land or just kill you."

Immortal goddesses wanting you would be many people's dream come true but not for Odysseus. And I think that's the point. His determination, how he clawed his way back into the arms he never wanted to leave in the first place, is incredible. Many people would've given up and just started a new life but he never would because no life he could ever create would compare to the life he had before. Even if it's different, it's what he's always wanted.

He literally tells Calypso "I'm not stopping until I'm home. I don't care if I suffer more until I do. I'm going home."

“Mighty goddess, do not be angry with me over this. I myself know very well Penelope, although intelligent, is not your match                                          to look at, not in stature or in beauty. But she’s a human being and you’re a god. You’ll never die or age. But still I wish, every moment to get back to my home,                                                       to see the day of my return. And so, even if out there on the wine-dark sea some god breaks me apart, I will go on— the heart here in my chest is quite prepared to bear affliction. I’ve already had so many troubles, and I’ve worked so hard                                  through waves and warfare. Let what’s yet to come be added in with those.”

(Book 5, Johnston)

Circe's a goddess and what happened is nothing like Dionysus and Ariadne and Apollo and Hyacinthus for example. Circe never gave Odysseus a crown of stars and he would never go out of his way to kill 120 people for bothering her. They did not love each other and he can't refuse as she's a goddess.

If you interpret them sleeping together the entire year,(It's only explicitly said that they had sex once so that's what I go with personally.) that doesn't mean he was happy with it! Even then, the whole situation is not what a healthy FwB should look like! I'm asexual and even I know that no one in a FwB situation should have to BEG in any way that basically says "Please let me go or kill me" with supplication!!! The fact that he leaves so quickly he forgets one of his men? The fact that during Elpenor's funeral, he doesn't greet Circe himself? He was avoiding her. Wouldn't he want to get "one last night together" during Book 12 if they were fwb? 🙄

It's bonkers to me that people hate him for being a "cheater" when A.) having multiple lovers wasn't uncommon in Ancient Greece, and B.) the two people he is explicitly said to have "cheated" with, weren't his choice. He wasn't actively searching for pretty women either!!!

As mentioned, while it was common for men to have many lovers, Odysseus never had any listed unlike some of the other men. (not bashing any of them. I'm just making a point in comparison.) He also has no other children besides Telemachus in Homer's works. There's no evidence of him having other lovers other than speculation. (funny enough, I once read somewhere that the reason why Odysseus is so mean is because he doesn't "bond" enough with the other soldiers. 😂)

Does that mean he didn't have other lovers? Technically, Nope! It's just never explicitly stated either way. He has slaves but none were ever said to be concubines or that he sleeps with them. He has deep bonds with his fellow soldiers but that doesn't mean he sleeps with them. That doesn't mean people can't write or talk about him doing so even though it's not mentioned! Just like it also means that someone can write him not doing so as there's nothing that says it either way in Homer's Works! :D

It's fucked up when people say "He didn't try to leave Calypso enough" or something of the like. It just tells you how A.) they didn't read the Odyssey or have piss on the poor reading comprehension or B.) ...you should probably stay away from that person...

With Circe though??? I can understand the confusion but digging deeper and looking at the text, he wasn't having a good time. Or at the very least was walking on Eggshells the whole time. I hate bringing up that essay over and over again but like...I literally wrote everything there.

I also don't like how people take Circe's morally gray-ness away from her. Let her do something fucked up to be fucked up!!! Let her traumatize Odysseus!

Idk, I kind of hate that I'm "known" for this but I relate to this idiot asshole a lot and it means a lot to me that his story, despite what happens to him, has a happy ending :'D

[ricksanchezbignaturals]

getting mouthwashing on my fyp now and if i keep seeing people say "grape" or fucking "🍇" im gonna go ballistic

[lordgoretash]

The fact that DAI romanticizes at least three different sexual relationships between a mage and their captor, while actively sweeping the rampant sexual assault in the Circles under the rug, is... really something.

[cosmicsproutcake]

I don't know if I've mentioned it on here before, but I've mentioned it elsewhere, that I probably wouldn't be able to maintain a relationship, romantic or otherwise, with an anti. Whether they're the feral ''kys'' type anti or not.

A lot of people seem to misinterpret that as me letting pointless fandom drama control my relationships, but that's genuinely not the reality. Fictional squicks are not the issue here; the treating fictional anything like it's comparable to my lived trauma is, and that is a thing that all antis do.

I don't care if lolicon and incest fiction makes you uncomfortable, you are allowed to be uncomfortable, but the reality is this shit is fiction, and fiction is not the same as 13-17 year old me getting sexually assaulted by multiple different adults on multiple different occasions.

I simply would not be able to maintain a relationship of any kind with someone who thinks a fucking drawing is in any way comparable to what those men did to me!

[lyculuscaelus]

A Delicate Copy

(AU; a pretty old one-shot, finally got the time to upload it on tumblr)

Nobody greeted him “morning” this time.

He woke up on an unfamiliar beach. The sand felt different—coarser than the one he used to sit on in those last seven years. The air smelled misty, unlike the clear sky that used to embrace most parts of the island with her warm arms, a cycle lasting for seven years. He saw the trees growing in bloom, but they did not remind him of his homeland—for he didn’t find that forest anywhere, nor did he see his beloved Mount Neriton. There were only mists, mists that used to arise from the wine-dark sea, mists that used to hide the face of death where gods were lurking, mists that used to give way to the warmth of a cave, in the past seven years.

And that was when he finally realized he was lost. Again.

The tired mariner crumbled on the beach, and sobbed.

He didn’t check what his tears were made of, for he knew there was nothing but pain in them. Pain as found in the glimmering reflection, pain as found in himself. Twenty years of pain condensed into one single teardrop, and he held up his hands to wipe it from his face.

But he sobbed still.

He did not see the herd of sheep coming. He did not see the young man cloaked in a kingly air walking. He sobbed until he felt himself melting, and that was when he stopped, for his sorrow had brought him burning rage. Rage for an unjust promise.

“Where did the Phaeacians send me? What country have I come to this time?” he roared, clenching his fists. “Why did they leave me here—with all this treasure I cannot protect? Have those Phaeacians not promised me to send me home—to my homeland where I came into being? And now what foreign land is this? Those idiots…they did me wrong indeed. May Zeus, god of suppliants, grant them a punishment that is only too proper for them…but for now, let me just count these gifts, in case some of them happen to be missing.”

And so he counted. The tripods seemed untampered, and the cauldrons looked fine. Gold and silver, and all this splendid clothing—surprisingly, he found nothing missing. Then he rose to his feet, and again he wandered, on this unfamiliar beach, with a heart much-enduring he let out another wail of sorrow, another stream of tears.

And then, the young man came forward. A cloak across his shoulders, A spear in his hand—the tip seemed somewhat strange—the young shepherd stopped, and regarded him curiously.

“Friend,” he addressed the young shepherd quickly, wiping out his tears when his eyes were not coping. “You’re the first one I see here. Will you promise me no harm, if I greet you with open arms? For I’m entreating you, like I would a god, to save me, protect my goods, and keep me in good company. I’m begging you, as a friend on his knee. Now please tell me everything, so I can understand—what country have I come to? What people have I met? Is this a sunny isle, or a headland of the mainland reaching out to sea?”

“Stranger—are you a fool? Wait no, I don’t think you are, so you must be a traveler from a distant land,” the young man answered him, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “But I’m sure men from different places have all heard of this island—because of its fertility? Maybe. But it’s a rugged place not fit for herding horses. You can find crops and grapes here, though, but it’s not like they’re uncommon. So I suppose it’s because of its heroes—stranger, do you happen to know the great Argonaut Laërtes, or Odysseus the sacker of cities? This is where they come from—such a place well-known, for I’m sure even lands far as Troy would still recognize the name ‘Ithaca’.”

He twisted his head, searching for memories. Ithaca—a name he had whispered so many times, to the goddess waiting in her cave, to the king sitting on the Phaeacian throne, in the songs he had sung in his pleading. He felt his lips lifting as joy swarmed up in his chest, but something about this place seemed strange…it still felt foreign to him, for some reason.

So he answered carefully. “Ithaca—a famous name indeed. I’ve heard of it even in wide Crete, somewhere far across the sea. Ah, so I’m finally here in person, with all these goods of mine. But there is more that I left when I fled from my city, when a dear son of Idomeneus fell to my own hands, for that swift-footed Orsilochus wished to take away the spoils I had won at Troy, for which I had suffered so much already—in the devastating war and on the dangerous sea. We struck him when he was heading home—me and my companions, with my bronze-tipped spear I ended him. But then I ran off to a ship, paying some Phoenicians to get me to other lands—I’d hoped they would take me to either Pylos or Elis, but the winds did not heed our command. And then here I was, worn out by exhaustion, laid low by sleep. But when I woke up, I found them all gone—and now it’s just me, alone with all my goods, here on this foreign land, seeking help.”

The young man smiled, and replied with a hand reaching out to his left shoulder. “Surely, Odysseus, one’s cunningness must be so wily if he is to outwit you—even for a god.”

He felt a jerk in his heart. How would a young shepherd like him see through his disguise?

“Yes, I know who you are—that pair of eyes I have indeed seen and heard of,” the young man continued gleefully. “But come now, Odysseus, do you really think there will be a celebration party waiting for you here? No, you will find troubles in your home, and I fear even you cannot defeat them this time.”

“What trouble are we speaking of?” Odysseus asked tentatively. “Then again, something feels wrong about this place already. If it is indeed Ithaca you’re speaking of, I don’t find any evidence—”

“You’re always thinking like that, aren’t you?” the young shepherd giggled. “No wonder people call you polymetis. Anyone else would’ve rushed to meet his wife and children—but not Odysseus. No, he’d test everything with trickery first, then he’d observe his wife himself, seeing if she’s still the Penelope he knew of—the answer is yes, even if you’d like to see for yourself. She still remains your wife—though not for long. At this very moment there are one hundred and eight suitors reveling in your house, spending your wealth as they wait for your wife to reconsider her marriage—a proposal she’s been denying for three years straight.”

He felt delighted, somehow, knowing that Penelope remained his own, even when he didn’t belong to Penelope alone anymore. For days he had been wondering if Penelope would find comfort in the fact that she didn’t have to wait for him any longer, and now…he could finally find out for himself.

“As for this place,” the young shepherd continued, pointing to the west. “I bet you can’t recognize it because of all this fog—it’ll probably disperse any moment soon—see? Now it’s gone.”

And then Odysseus saw it—Mount Neriton, where the forest was verdant; Phorcys’s anchorage, with an olive tree standing at the harbor head; the Naiads’ cave beside it—where one would make sacrifices to the nymphs to grant their wishes. And as Odysseus beheld everything, he fell to his knees, kissing the fertile ground with great passion, and held out his hands towards the nymphs with an utterance of prayer. The young man watched him with interest. But when Odysseus finished his prayer, the young shepherd replied. “Now let’s not delay but put these goods in some hidden corner of this sacred cave. Then I’ll tell you all the details about the troubles in your house before you go.”

And they brought them all into the cave—the shining bronze and gold, the fine clothes and all other gifts—and then they worked together to move a rock in place to block the entrance. When they had finished their work, the young shepherd was the first to speak. “Now, Odysseus, you can begin to plan for the suitors’ demise. That is a task I cannot assist you—but know that you can always trust your swineherd and your own son. So, stop by his house before you head for the palace. You can learn about everything that transpires in your house there.”

Then the shepherd gestured to him to go.

And Odysseus nodded with gratitude, then walked away. He didn’t notice how the young shepherd stared at his back, how a smirk revealed itself on his lips, how he slowly walked up, a spear in his hand, and all of a sudden—

Odysseus found himself falling to his knees, his back bleeding. 

And then the pain suddenly struck.

He knelt down to the ground, gasping in surprise and anguish. He barely caught a glimpse of the young man pacing beside him, as the shepherd finally spoke. “Well done, Odysseus, you have left your back open.”

“Why…why are you doing this?” Odysseus growled, his voice failing. “Who…are you?”

“A son you never had,” the young man smiled ominously. 

“Te…Tele…?”

“No,” the young man cut him off, looking away in disgust. “No, you’re the farthest thing I have to a father.”

“But…but why?”

“Touch your wound, and you’ll find your answer.”

So he stretched out his right hand with effort, and found the wound he did. Strangely, he did not see any red stained on his fingers—for there was no blood at all. Instead, a drop of water dripped from the tip of the finger, falling towards the sands. “What is…happening to me?” he hissed.

The young shepherd pointed at him with the spear, letting slip his words with wings. “I see you’re a good lier…but not as good as him. I know what you are at first sight—a shadow, a counterfeit, a phantom made of cloud—”

“What?” he exclaimed, his eyes wide open.

“Yes, you’re no Odysseus of Ithaca…” the young shepherd crouched down, lowering his face of mockery. “You’re nothing but a mere eidolon—of the man who is supposed to be here. I see you’re sharing his memories, his wits—but the thing is, you lack his spirit. The heart of a man is built upon hardships he endured, not hardships he remembered. For him, it’s been nineteen years since he had seen his home; but for you, it’s been twenty-seven days only.”

“How could you possibly know?” he snarled, ignoring his pain. “Who are you to judge my memory? The things I recall—the things I feel—They’re so real to me. I can smell the scent of gore as faces of men were smashed against the walls in that Cyclops’s cave, see the rays of Helios diminish as we entered the realm of Hades, hear the war-cries as we clashed with the Trojans…I have felt the pain of losses. I have known fear. I have suffered and sailed through the toughest of hells…and now you’re telling me that all these memories are nothing but fancy?”

“First of all,” the young man rose to his full height. A cloud of gold suddenly enshrouded the shepherd. The next thing he saw, the one standing before him had become a tall woman, armed with a panoply, her spear blazing. Upon her helmet, the red crest seemed as if drenched in blood. On the face of her shield, the head of a Gorgon stood out menacingly.

“…Athena?”

“I am to judge as I say so.” the woman allowed a smirk on her lips. “Second, no, these memories aren’t your fancy—they’re just not yours to begin with. Third, you are far from the man you’re trying to impersonate. For that reason, I have no use for you to clean up the mess here in Ithaca. Now, look at my eyes and tell me—where is Odysseus?”

He gasped, and raised his head painfully. His strength was failing him. “But I am…Odysseus.”

“Don’t keep fooling yourself. What you bear with you is not yours, and I cannot let you take what he has from him—his form, his memories, his sufferings…and his wife, his son, his family. I cannot allow you to have your ‘revenge’ while the real Odysseus suffers still,” the goddess glared at him, her eyes gleaming with rage. “I’ll ask you again—where is he?”

The pain was working its way through his veins as he once again crumbled, this time breathing rapidly as he felt his life slipping away. He had never felt the brink of death so close to him…but then, what remedy could he possibly find to appease the rage of a goddess?

Goddess…

“I don’t know…I’m sorry…” the words sounded softer than a whisper. He knew that death had finally found him—a sacker of cities, a man of twists and turns…

…a shadow of this man, at least—

—he accepted his death like accepting his identity.

He did not see the fluttering waves, forming a near-smirk on the face of the sea.

He did not see the goddess of wisdom plunging her spear into the sands, calculating new wiles for her scheme.

He did not see the wife of Odysseus weeping by her loom, wherein a shroud had been woven, her time run out finally.

For at that moment, he had drawn his final breath already.

All of a sudden, the fallen body melted into a rising cloud, erasing any trace of recognition. A gist of steam rose up silently, taking away one last sign of its existence. Staring at the emptiness where a phantom of Odysseus had once laid, Athena already knew her answer.

“Calypso.”

…………………………………………………………………………………

(TW: implied SA)

He beheld the daylight blankly, trying to blink away the memories of the last five days. Or the last few years—the number had already lost its meaning here.

But he’d never thought the goddess would be cruel enough to lock him up in the cave for five days straight. Five days without sunlight, five days without fresh air, five days without mourning by the sea, whispering hopes of his homecoming.

The door was only opened when he was in need of food…or when the goddess was in need of him. 

Why don’t you just close the door forever, and trap myself in? Why don’t you just leave me here dying of hunger, or simply suffocating?

Is it really necessary to open the door again?

Odysseus shook his head, continuing his walk towards the shore. He didn’t turn to see if the goddess was following behind—he couldn’t care anymore. It wasn’t even the goddess herself who freed him—he just woke up finding the door open, and took his chance. And now he had finally come out, no goddess in sight.

I’d rather die than let you take possession of me. It’s a thought he had whispered on the first night, when he was asked into her cave. When he was forced into her cave. Only now had he realized, he had been so simple, so naïve. 

He did not die, but he had been her possession ever since.

Sometimes he would just hope that the goddess would be merciful enough to simply let him die an Ajax’s death. Sometimes he would think about casting himself into the neighing sea, wishing for an end to all this misery. But he would always restrain himself whenever he thought of Penelope. He just couldn’t leave her waiting forever.

“But you already did,” sometimes he could hear the goddess’s voice answering. “You failed your comrades already. What makes you think you won’t fail your family?”

Is that really her voice? Or is it just an illusion? He could no longer tell the difference. Reality had become the nightmare he woke up to, and he couldn’t find solace in his dreams either.

It’s as if I’m dead inside…

But deep down, he knew he was dead already. Dead to the mortal world he knew of, dead to the people he loved and cared for. If anything, at least he was not physically dead yet.

But after five days of that kind of treatment…he only hoped to be long dead before then.

What are those five days for?

He had no answer. Although…some trees did appear to be missing. He’d always notice it whenever there was a tree missing. It was like an instinct, something he had trained himself when he used to garden with his father. But that memory had seemed so distant as Ithaca itself—so hard to access now. 

He had just reached the shoreline when he noticed a spot on the sea. 

Is that…a raft?

A raft in full sail, steered by a person with an oar, three large sacks beside them…

But then he saw the goddess, waving at the person on board, a pleasant smile on her face, as the raft slowly sailed away. The person on board—a man, as he saw that now, his face seemed rather familiar. It was as if…

Wait.

Is that…me?

Odysseus almost called, and stopped himself in fear of the goddess. That man didn’t seem to notice him, but instead turned towards the brightening horizon, a brave new journey ahead…

What on top of Mount Neriton is going on here?

But then he found the goddess approaching. The smile on her face had somehow turned malicious, and Odysseus wasn’t sure if he’d want to find out why. The goddess walked up to him, and gave his shoulder a squeeze.

“Now that he’s gone,” the goddess looked beyond the wine-dark sea, beyond the lands and islands that had composed his wanderings, then whispered gently to his ears. “It’s like I promised, Odysseus of Ogygia: we shall have our eternity.”

[ipostdumbthings]

Astarion NSFW Headcanons with Reader

Astarion has explored sexuality fully in his past, but never in a way that he had ever had any control over. He was so emotionally detached from it that he never really considered what it was he actually likes to do with a partner. It never really mattered before.

Once he’s on his path to recovery, though, he finds he enjoys sampling all the options that are available to him. If you’re up for it he’ll try damn near everything. It’s almost like trying to shop with him: “A little of this a little of that, oh no, neither will do.”

The early days of this new adventurousness are largely left for less intense, light-hearted fair. He’ll happily suggest things like chocolate and whipped cream, after all, he gets to sample something sweet while you two are entwined together, why shouldn’t you? Exploring like this is pretty important in reframing what sex means to him. It lets him shrug off some of the burdens he’s always felt attached to sexuality, and turns it into something fun. Something blissfully free of anything outside of enjoying one another.

There is one notable exception, he won’t be subbing. He may trust you with all his heart, but trust doesn’t cure trauma. It may be something he’s willing to try eventually, but it will take years before he can even think about it without getting upset. Especially picturing the person who helped free him being the one to dominate him. That alone can be triggering for him.

That doesn’t mean he isn’t pleased as can be with bottoming or pegging. He is genuinely excited to be on either side of that specific dynamic, especially when you two are just having fun together.

Rough sex is also very much still on the table. He doesn’t mind you pulling his hair or scratching your nails down his back. Not to mention how precious he thinks it is when you bite him. He loves it when you do.

He is more than happy to play dom, truthfully he gets a lot of satisfaction out of doing it. It affords him the ability to set the pace for encounters, and lets him spoil you in all the ways he delights in. He’ll be a little tentative when you start playing those games with him, making sure you’re okay with everything and checking in constantly. He gets comfortable quickly when he sees just how enthusiastically you respond to him.

And he is very eager to take that sort of thing as far as you want. His favorite thing to do is tease you for as long as possible while he’s got you tied up. Really make you beg for him. He finds it deeply fulfilling to have the person he needs the most need him back.

He’ll never in your entire life turn down an opportunity to feed on you during sex as long as it’s safe to do so. Even if he’s already fed. His favorite is to bite right as you cum, so he can drink from you at your most heightened moment, and see you well and properly spent when he’s done with you.

While he’s fine with you indulging in others, for the most part you’re going to be all he needs for a while. Sure he’ll test the waters with group sex, but if he doesn’t have the person he trusts most with him, he doesn’t have much interest. Whether or not that changes is up to the way you navigate your relationship. As long as you’re tending to his needs, he feels no real pressure to make any change in that regard.

He’ll always have a soft spot for deep and romantic moments of intimacy. Those moments when your souls feel connected and it seems like no one else in the world could ever grasp the depth of what the two of you share. He’ll go to great lengths to set up romantic moments like that for you, and if you repay him in kind you’ll never see more adoring eyes and a sweeter smile from him. It’s one of the few times he allows himself to indulge in saccharine sentiments.

[thepunkmuppet]

UGH I decided to rewatch That Scene in seeing red and all the spike stuff in the episode leading up to it, and just… it was so good. his and buffy’s characterisation, their performances, the writing, all SO GOOD. and then That happens and it’s all out the window for me.

not just because I personally hate seeing my favourite character (since I was 10) attempt to sexually attack my other favourite character, though yeah that might be a fucking factor jesus christ. but because it just doesn’t make sense. with spike, and specifically with spike and buffy, he can talk the talk and do nasty stuff in the bedroom all he wants but when it comes down to actually, genuinely hurting her, the end of season 5 onwards shows that he could NEVER. we actually had a tamer version of this in crush, when he ties her up. I’m sorry, but that taught him. there was a change from then on out.

yeah he has that mentality of “she loves me, she wants it”, and yeah that makes sense considering both his personality and the way buffy has acted within their relationship. and NO I’m not saying “she asked for it”, what I’m saying is she has on many occasions said no when she meant yes, and that has become pretty much the foundation and the appeal of their relationship for both of them. it doesn’t justify anything, it just means that it technically makes sense why a soulless and therefore selfish character like spike would take her actions in this way and push it to an extreme. but yeah personally it just doesn’t sit with me. it’s horrible.

if it had stopped before the bit where he pins her down, it would have got the point across. still nasty and horrible, still condemnable, but honestly just him trying to kiss her and her ending up falling on the bath and hurting herself would get the point across to spike, buffy and the audience in exactly the same way. it’s so unnecessarily brutal, and yeah, I know he’s a soulless monster, so I do sound like a bit of a knob, but genuinely he wouldn’t do that. after all that tenderness, all the genuine care he expresses for her with both words and actions from season 5-6… with her screaming and crying, there is NO WAY he would go that far, not at that point in his arc.

but that’s just my take I guess FUCK I literally HATE this scene what the hell

[prince-of-ithaca]

Guess who remembers some kin memories and now understands why I fucking HATE antimachus/sharpwolf

*pulling a “Steven Rodriguez sitting in the shower while crying”*

If you saw my other post about depressing ass kin memories this makes more sense😃👍

[transsexula]

I simply cannot take any video essay about Nosferatu 2024 seriously if they don't at the very least ONCE mention that our main girl was a child. A CHILD crying out for affection from anyone. The whole undertone of the 'relationship' between her and the count is that of a groomed victim and their groomer.

Yeah, it can be read as an allegory for women's sexuality and desires and repression but. I really do think you can't analyze this without taking into account what I saw was very clear reference to childhood trauma.

[aropride]

person sitting across from me in the library rn looks just like ex-oomf*'s partner it is freaking me OUT. no way its them bc why would they be in [town] and not [town on the other side of the state] but still.

[bl00dsh0tc0r3]

He didn’t force me. He just took me to a hotel when I overdosed and kept asking and crying until I gave in. But no ofc he didn’t force me

[belladonna-ismyfavoritecriminal]

Ooc: A list of Belladonna's current morals and the reasonings she would give for them (but she may not be a reliable narrator in all cases)

Would

• Murder

• Sell drugs

• Extort people

• Create biological weapons

• Sell to the highest bidder

• Threaten

• Run a gang

• Steal from anyone who had what she wanted even charity

• Go to great lengths to get revenge

• Torture

Would rather not

• Reveal Obsession's identity - Doesn't want Obsession to reveal hers.

• Hurt kids -Do I look like I want Red Hood after me?

• Betray anyone in her gang

• Underpay or treat her workers poorly -honey catches more flies than vinegar

• Eat zucchini

Would never

• Help the Joker -but would help kill him.

• Sexually harm someone

[mnty-bubblegmyum]

me and my friend quotes hehe

this finna be a series because. why not.

^ are from sincerely yours <3

------------------------------------------------------

momasia to ^finn: im gonna tell Polina you like little kids

^finn: well she's older than me so who really likes little kids then. jk i swear

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Ma'ati: (send video of her doing the tell your gf dance)

^finn: GYATTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Ashton: GYATTTTTTTT

^finn: we twins we got the same mind fr

------------------------------------------------------

^finn: HELP MY TOILET SEAT CAME OFF 😭😭😭

Ma'ati: WHAT 😭😭

^*inster photo of nasty ass toilet seat falling off the hinge thing idk I'm not an engineer man*

^finn: doulve it and give it to the next person I'm not touching that shit

------------------------------------------------------

^finn: my papa is my grandpa and he's gray asf from smoking 20 packs a day

momasia: DAMN

momasia: he running through those packs faster than me and Zion stopped dating

------------------------------------------------------

milo: yeah guys face reveal I just got someone to go to school for me cuz im not allowed to after selling drugs to elementary schoolers

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@honeychips-milo