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edgeray · 2 days

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mygod that siren Arlecchino fic you did is *chef's kiss* IMMACULATE!!! might i request a continuation, mayhaps? Arle mentioned that she'd follow the reader as they sail, so maybe she misses them and either tries to climb onto the boat or the pier where they're docked to see them again? either hurt/comfort or fluff, the rest is up to you!!! love your work and thank you for fueling my Arlecchino obsession :] also i might pop back in here once in a while, may i be moth anon?

The Sea's Calling Pt. 2

(Arlecchino x Fem! Reader)

A/N - Part 1 link here. Yes, you definitely can be a moth anon! Hi :D. I already added you to the anon list. To other anons that have requested and I haven't gotten to, I do see your requests and if you gave yourself an emoji/name I already added you ^^. Anyways, back to moth anon. <333 I'm so glad you enjoyed my siren Arlecchino fic! As my first request I was kind of nervous about it but I'm glad that you enjoy! I'm also really glad that you sent this request! I did always want to write a part 2 but didn't have the opportunity until now. Thanks moth anon, for the reuqest and for enjoying my works!! If you couldn't tell, I love the idea of found family pirates. One Piece did this to me. The ending turned out to be self-indulgent, forgive me moth anon ;) Even though it's short, this ended up being one of my favorites. Hope you like this one! Content warnings / info - monster x human, arle is ooc bc she's a siren, fem! reader bc pt.1 has fem! reader, suggestive at the end, 1.2k words

You used to think that the most beautiful thing out there was the sky and its stars–to you, nothing was more mesmerizing than them. They are so alluring despite holding this mystique, and they've guided humans on their naval journeys and inspired all kinds of stories of their origins. The stars were all that kept you company, even on the lonliest and coldest nights.

Now, however, the stars aren't your only company.

“Guys, I'm going to go back to the ship. Don't wait up on me too much,” you to your fellow pirates as you stand up from the stool. You drop off some extra coins on the baa counter, in order to compensate for the plate that you will be ‘borrowing.’ You pick up the plate of your half-eaten slice of meat pie and sandwich and head towards the exit before one of your crew mates stops you, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder.

“Turning in already? C'mon, stay a little bit. We've got enough money for a few more rounds of beer,” he says with a boisterous laugh. You chuckle lightly but shake your head.

“No can do, sorry. Got something to do.”

“Uh huh, like your little siren girlfriend?” Another crew member states, her teasing smile widening as you flush.

“One more? Jackie hasn't finished his story!”

“Let the darned woman go see her darn girlfriend, Goldie,” another gruffed with a shake of his head.

“Fine, fine, go on ahead. Tch, when will I get my own smoking hot siren girl?” Goldie huffs, and you snort. Likely never, but you don't tell him that.

“Thanks, I'll be back,” is all you say before rushing out of the door, nearly tipping over the plate before you balance it again. You wave them off and you make your way back to the docks. The walk is both short and long, and each step you take is filled with the excitement that buzzes through you.

Even after these months, being able to spend time with her feels like bliss, like you have just found treasure. Sometimes, you forget she's a siren, she's ever so endearing and follows you around like a puppy. Oftentimes, when you're on the boat, you talk to her as she lingers by. The night after you first met the siren your crew had banned you from jumping into the waters because you had developed a cold which infected a good chunk of the crew; the cold wasn't severe for anyone but still. Since you can't be in the water, you often just talk to her from the railings and she answers.

It's only when you're docked when you can finally touch her, but those times come rare. It can take days, sometimes weeks to reach an island to dock at, but when you do, you always take the time to sit by the shore.

Finally, you arrive at the pier. “Arle?” You call out, and you see a ripple in the water. Grinning, you walk to the ends of one of the docks, setting down the plate a bit away from you. You remove your shoes and set them far away. Perching on the dock, your feet dip into the cold waters and you shiver.

You see something gleam in the corner of your eyes, the familiar shine of her scales. You then remember the food, and you start. “Wait, Arle don't splash–”

Too late. Something erupts from the waters and launches into you, a cold, heavy weight thrusting into your body making you tumble on your back on the dock. Pressed between the wooden planks and the creature that straddles you, you can't help but laugh and raise your hand up to her face, the now drenched food forgotten entirely.

“Hey gorgeous,” you say as you stroke her cheek gently. She's the most beautiful treasure that you found among the seas. Arlecchino gazes down on you, her red pupils glistering as her arms wrap around your torso. She purrs, little fangs apparent as the tip of her tongue peeks out with her open-mouth smile.

“Missed you,” is the first thing she says, before she leans her body against you, nuzzling her face into your neck. Your clothes get soaked from her, but you pay no mind. You stroke her wet hair, carding your fingers through her strands before kissing the top of her head.

“I missed you too. Did you eat recently?”

Sometimes she'd disappear for a few nights to search for another wandering ship for her meals but she never fails to find your ship again. You haven't seen her for a couple days before you docked her.

Arlecchino nods. “Human food?” She questions. Her tail flicks, thumping against the wood out of eagerness. Although she enjoys the taste of cooked meats, beef especially, you don't believe it's as nutrition dense as… well, the main source of her diet, and it's hard to serve her cooked meat while on sea due to the issue of storing meat on ships. So, cooked meat has always been a treat for her.

You nod. “You want to try?”

She lets out an affirmative purr, and you help her sit upright in your lap. It's always a bit difficult considering she has a tail instead of legs, but she maneuvers her tail to encircle your waist, and you support her back with one of your arms. You silently mourn for your now soggy sandwich as you reach for the plate, using her tail as a flat surface.

“What is it?”

“Meat pie and a sandwich.” You take the fork and dig out the meat from the meat pie. Balancing the tender piece of beef on your utensil, you carefully guide it to her mouth.

“Careful, it's hot. And don't bite the fork this time,” you gently warn her as she eats it. She squirms a bit in your lap, an indicator that she's pleased with the taste.

“More?” You chuckle, adoring the cute plea in her eyes.

You scrape out more of the meat until she's eaten all of the pie filling, leaving you to eat the pie crust. You're still peckish, so you start eating your sandwich, but not before fishing out the thick slice of ham from it, and giving it to her. If it meant you could watch the way her expression lights up again forever, then you would endlessly eat ham-less sandwiches and savor every cheese and vegetables sandwiched in between wet bread.

“Did you like it?” You ask in between chews as she leans her head against your shoulder. She nods, and leans up again to place featherlight kisses on your neck. With the cold droplets of water and her frigid lips, it tickles you and you giggle. So adorable.

You freeze up when you feel her fangs prick your skin and she looks up to you for permission. Another mating bite? You nod, wordlessly giving her permission, and you suck in a harsh breath as you feel her teeth sink in. Purrs vibrate coarse through her mouth as she pulls away, lapping at the mark and the texture of her tongue invokes a throaty groan from you, your body trembling with pleasure.

Arlecchino leans away, but in her eyes, hunger burns in them. Her hands take purchase on your hips and she pushes your back against the planks. Her tail unwinds around your torso and instead coils around your ankles, securing them together.

“H-here?” You question, flushing. Her hands wander lower, the sharp nails trailing lower to your thighs, where faint scratches scatter.

The night that you first met her, she sang so beautifully for you. Tonight, you repay her back, singing out her name so tastefully.

#arlecchino x reader #arlecchino x you #arlecchino #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact x you #genshin x reader #genshin x you #genshin impact fics #genshin impact fanfics #genshin fic #genshin fics #edgeray.writes #edgeray.requests #edgeray.mothanon

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writingquestionsanswered · 2 days

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Character Backstory & How to Explore It

Anonymous asked: I keep seeing advice to "explore your character's backstory," but what does it even mean? It's not helpful when I'm already struggling to flesh a character out due to lacking ideas or not knowing what I want the character to be. Is there a guide on how I'm supposed to explore their backstory?

[Ask edited for length]

What is Character Backstory?

Your character's "backstory" is their past. It's the accumulation of places they've lived, places they've visited, who they've loved, who's loved them, situations and events they've experienced, skills and knowledge they've acquired... basically everything that has made them into the person they are at the start of the story.

Backstory and Internal Conflict

If you're writing a story that is fully or partly character-driven, meaning that who your characters are and what they do is important to driving the plot, you will want to make sure your protagonist and important main characters each have an internal conflict. An internal conflict is a problem in the character's heart and mind that must be resolved by the end of the story. In a story that is fully character-driven, this problem will serve as the story's main conflict. In a story that is partially character-driven and also partially plot-driven, this problem will coincide with the external conflict, which in this case is the main plot.

Fleshing Out the Backstory

We are who we are because of our lives so far, so you can look at who your character is (or who you think you want them to be) and start to look for things they might have experienced in their past that made them that way. For example, if you want your character to be a detail-oriented, goal-driven, ambitious person, can you think of what in their life so far has made them that way? Maybe they were raised by parents who struggled with details, goals, and ambition, and as a result the family was always broke, the house was always a mess, and bills were always unpaid. Growing up in that way was frustrating for your character, so they were driven to be different. They liked school because it was structured and wasn't home, and they strove to do well. This allowed them to get a scholarship to a top university where they did very well and graduated with top marks and a great job offer.

Figuring Out the Conflict, Emotional Wound, and Lie They Believe

If your character needs an internal conflict--which they do if you want your story to be partially or fully character-driven--you can look at your character's life and try to find something that, despite everything, isn't quite right.

For example,using the character from the earlier example, let's say because of the tumultuous situation, their parents had an awful relationship and eventually went through a messy divorce that was awful for the kids. Because this divorce had a profound negative effect on your character's view of relationships, this event caused an "emotional wound" that your character carries with them into adulthood. Ultimately, it gave them the mistaken belief that no relationship can withstand difficult challenges. This is the "lie they believe," and because of this mistaken belief, they can't let themselves get too serious in a relationship. If a relationship is going too well, they break it off before it can be ruined by difficult challenges.

Exploring the Backstory and Resolving the Conflict

Whatever else is happening in this story, part of it is going to be addressing this character's failed relationships as well as helping them to change before they self-sabotage the good relationship they're in now (or that they get into over the course of the story.)

You can do this by exploring the character's backstory, or in other words weaving in recalled memories, flashbacks, and explanations of what that childhood was like, what the divorce was like, and how it drove them to be ambitious and detail oriented. As they start to push their new love interest away, you can then examine the emotional wound of the divorce and the lie it led them to believe. You can illustrate ways in which they see that this thing they believe isn't actually true... maybe they see friends' relationships surviving difficult challenges just fine. Maybe eventually their own relationship survives an unexpected difficult challenge. As the story progresses and they see evidence that the thing they believe is actually a lie, their internal conflict resolves because they see that relationships can survive challenges--even difficult ones--and they can prove this change by staying in their relationship even if there are difficult challenges looming.

I hope that helps! :)

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

#wqaadvice

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jx3-xd · 2 days

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Hi, I was wondering if you could do a Vox x Reader, where Vox accidentally broadcasts a private, heartfelt message he intended only for you across Hell's airwaves. Embarrassed but touched, you find a way to reassure him and reciprocate his feelings publicly?

A/N: Yessss!!! Ofc! I feel like I actually did pretty good w this one ngl

Vox x Reader: Public Broadcast

Word Count: 840

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Vox was in his recording studio, alone oddly enough. When he had entered the room, his crew had asked to join him to help with recording, but he denied it and said it was something important and classified. Vox sat down in his chair, no paper in front of him to read, nothing on the teleprompter, no people behind the aux, no one and nothing besides Vox and the chilling air in the studio.

Vox pulled out his camera and turned it on, clearing his voice as he took a deep breath. He went over what he wanted to say in his head for a second, before shaking his head. ‘All I need to do is say what comes to my head, no pre-planned speech for them, just words straight from my head.’ He took another deep breath and clicked the button to begin the broadcast.

All over the pride ring people began to receive an ominous broadcast from Vox. Everyone listened in…everyone besides poor Y/N who didn't get the message. “Hey darling,” He started, thinking he had the camera prompted to broadcast only for his beloved. “I love you so much, ya know? I love you to Earth and back- better yet, to heaven and back- no no, I love you to infinity and beyond! You're so cute and adorable and I love everything about you. I love your cute eyes, I love your soft, cherry blossom pink lips, I love your death glares and your soft glances, I love your blush and I love all of your beautiful face. And oh my Lucifer, don't get me started on your moans in bed.” He rolls his head back and smirks.

All of hell is confused but also amused, most laughing at their screens ecstatically. Y/N was confused and looked over someone's shoulder to see what they were dying laughing at. They blush madly when they see their boyfriend making comments about how good they treat him in bed, how good their lips and tongue work their magic on his dick, how good their pussy tastes…he goes on and on and into more and more detail. Y/N was almost about to have a nosebleed and faint before they made themselves look away and put in an earbud and called Vox.

Still broadcasting, Vox picked up the call and saw it was from Y/N, confused as he turned off the stream and walked away.

“Hey mamacita, did you like the broadcast?” He says in a flirty tone. “B-babe- that went to all of Hell except for me-” Vox pauses and his screen begins to overheat. “Babe don't overheat just make sure the broadcast is off and I'm on my way-”

/ᐠ - ˕ -マ (imma start using kitties during the stories for time skips :D)

Vox was sitting on the floor when Y/N came inside his studio, curled up on the cold, tile floor and on the verge of overheating. They sat by him and made him look at them. “Hey, love, thank you for the broadcast. I saw some of it and you made my day, even though I was blushing so much, but it's alright that you accidentally broadcasted it to all of the pride ring.” “N-no it's not, I just made the biggest fool of myself ever…” Vox said, looking away. They made him face them and kissed him, pulling his screen close (look it's hard to make love to a TV-). They pull away after a second, a trail of saliva still between them both. “Vox, everything will be alright, okay love?” Vox nods, smiling a bit.

Y/N suddenly got an idea. “How about I go live showing everyone how much I just adore you, hm?” Vox perks up at the idea, smiling a bit. “Mhm!- i-i mean yeah, only if I can show them who you belong to my darling.” He says as he tries to stay confident and dominant. They giggle at his enthusiasm and how he tries to hide it for his ego. They both stand up and dust themselves off before going over to Vox's news chair.

All across Hell there was another odd stream that day, but not Vox rambling on about his lover, no no. This time, Y/N, his lover, leaned back in his chair, shirt stripped off and Vox on top of them. Vox bit and licked and sucked all over Y/N’s chest and neck and arms. He claimed them as his over and over and over, whispering sweet nothings to them in their ear while straddling their hips, grinding on their crotch slowly underneath the table. Y/N was steadily saying praises about Vox, about how he was such a good daddy and how he hit all the right spots over and over to the camera, eyes closed and face flushed. Vox finished up the broadcast by making out with you before cutting off the stream as he took you back to his penthouse and fucked you for a long while all over the penthouse.

“You're all mine, beautiful~”

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#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel x reader #vox x reader

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oldsongfromthevoid · 2 days

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Just gonna come out and say it--I'm really not vibing with the idea of Emmrich secretly being a skeleton or dead or possessed or whatever. Yes I know there's the concept art with the skeleton man, but that's just it: concept art, and one in a line of extremely vague looking characters who hardly match up to the line of characters we have now.

If Emmrich were dead and possessing his own body (like Audric in Tevinter Nights) or if he were to die in the story and be reanimated as a skeleton, that would be a MAJOR IMORTANT plot point for his character and for the story itself. That's like, Big Lore detail that would be reserved for a Big Reveal moment in the story. The devs said "not that skeleton, but we're not saying no skeletons." I highly doubt they would so flippantly hint at that kind of information for something that would be so important to his character.

Unless of course we're actually introduced to Emmrich with the knowledge that he is dead, in which case that's different. But just... the way they were so casual about that info while also being extremely close-lipped about all the character right now makes me highly doubt they were referring to Emmrich.

There's also this interview where Corrine Busche was explaining the direction they went with the romance in comparison to Baldur's Gate 3, and how instead of going for shock value they "want them to be relatable and fully realized. So they can get spicy, but in a way that I think people will actually relate to." Sounds to me like they're going more for realistic relationships than "strange and unusual."

Idk I could be wrong, and in all honesty having Emmrich be the same case as Audric would indeed be an interesting plot point. But with him being a confirmed romance option, I'm not convinced it's the case.

#song muses #k i'll get off my soap box #idk i just reeeeally don't like this theory and i'm desperately hoping it's not true #again not saying it isn't possible #i just don't think it's probable #also i don't want it to be true lol #emmrich volkarin #dragon age the veilguard #dragon age spoilers #delete later

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elumish · 11 hours

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I saw a post recent about the idea of, what happens after the revolution that some people are yearning for, and I have a lot of thoughts about that, but it actually also got me thinking about how a lot of people conceptualize government, and particularly how this shows up in books.

I've read a lot of books where someone is secretly or not-so-secretly the heir/rightful king or queen/the one true chosen leader/etc., and one thing that I see in a lot of those is this idea that government is its leader, and if you have an evil leader then the Government Is Bad and if you replace that evil leader with a good leader then the Goverment Will Become Good.

And there is definitely truth to the idea that an ineffective, immoral, greedy, cruel, etc. leader will generally lead to the government being worse and doing bad things, but a government is not simply the will of the person in charge taken form.

There are a few ways to think about a government, but I'd think of it like this:

A government is the services it provides, the rules it enforces, the external engagement it has, the people who decide all of that, the people who make it happen, and the fact that people agree that they are the government.

You'll see there that only one part of that is the leadership. Anyone can stand up in the middle of a town square or go on YouTube or whatever and say "I'm in charge and here are the four thousand rules that everyone needs to follow" and if they don't have legitimacy and enforcement power, it doesn't mean anything.

It also means that changing the head of state can't automatically change everything else. Most governments (especially national governments) have a large set of professional civil servants who do the business of government regardless of who is in charge, and that is a huge ship to resteer.

Often, the fastest way to resteer that ship is to literally fire everyone--and as we've seen in instances like the de-Ba'athification of Iraq, it can have massively negative impacts on the country and its ability to provide services.

There's a certain branch of fantasy that I've read where the government "is in charge" but doesn't seem to actually provide any of the services that exist in the world. There's a king or a ruling counsel or whatever--but there are no departments/ministries/public sector.

Who provides utilities? Who provides human services? Who collects taxes? Who manages the allocation of government funds? Who enforces regulations or laws? Who manages public spaces? Who delivers mail? Who prints money? Who facilitates relations with other countries? Who maintains public safety?

A lot of these stories act as though all of those things just happen, that they are self-perpetuating machines that have always existed and will always exist, and government is an unrelated piece of the world that is just there to look important and make decisions.

#government #worldbuilding

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uber-dawn · 2 days

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chat i'm having random thoughts about eos post-game and eevee protagonist. it's no secret that eevee is a popular pick for this game and imo no matter what you choose to evolve them into there's a very poetic explanation for each (though i'm not sure how well i can articulate my thoughts lol). like,

- Flareon: coming from a world of darkness and sharp hostility, the hero chooses to become a soft and fluffy fire type. the hero is so smitten by the sun in the past (and so horrified by the lack of it in the future) that they become a fire type to bring that warmth and light wherever they go! (plus flareon's my favorite :])

- Jolteon: similar to flareon, wanting to bring light to the people of the past. there's also something to be said about the fact electric type are immune to paralysis, as well as the idea that hero was gone for months after defeating dialga, then once they come back they're alive! they want to run, and jump, and celebrate that they're here!

- Vaporeon: the fact that Grovyle and hero were seperated in a storm, that they met partner for the first time on a beach, that the hidden land is across the ocean, (smth smth manaphy, ive never played that far), that water doesnt flow in the future, eeeeverything about chapter 5, and that the partner found comfort in the krabby's bubbles. water in eos is important when it comes to partings and reunions.

- Umbreon: they're a dark type. do i need to explain.

okayifyouinsist, hero comes from a world of darkness!! even if they don't remember it, that darkness affected them on such a deep level that their body never forgot! as well, umbreons and dusknoirs have lots of golden rings on their bodies, and umbreons have a type advantage against dusknoirs your partner still loves you in your new form, but everytime they look at you they can't help but remember Him, and shudder. it's about being forced to reckon with the fact you placed your trust in Dusknoir, and he took advantage of it and betrayed you.

- Espeon: right this wasnt just about umbreon. espeon and umbreon were made to be parallels; where umbreon has high defenses, espeon has a high special attack (+ dark type is immune to psychic). where umbreon has a type advantage on Dusknoir, espeon has a weakness. an umbreon hero will never trust Him again; and espeon hero chooses to believe in second chances.

- Leafeon: GROVYLEEE, it's about choosing to change your very dna so that you never forget your friend! in the short time you know him, you fully understand why your past self stood by his side! there's sorrow in that without your memories you'll never fully understand your relationship with him, but your soul remembers, and you still love your friend. deep down, a leafeon hero is ashamed they ever considered Grovyle a criminal, and wishes they could have had more time with him, in less dire circumstances. last note, the fact that the world of the future was so barren and lifeless without the sun, and the fact you become a leafeon to reflect how the future is alive. :)

- Glaceon: the fact that the hero comes from a world that was frozen, and still becomes an ice type, the future was cold, but a hero glaceon still found beauty in it. it's about remaining hopeful and that with or without fixing the future, you still need to survive in this world. it's about understanding your situation and making peace with it, while still striving to make it better.

- Sylveon: i remember that when fairy type came out, people were trying to justify why it was strong against dragon, and my favorite explanation for it was that in "fairy" tales, the hero slays the dragon. the sylveon hero did it! they slew the dragon, and their story has finally come to an end! as well, it's about wanting to give off a cheery look. it's about saying "don't look at the violence and darkness, look at me, smile! i'm here to help you!" (we'll have Explorers DX someday, trust 🙏. )

#hope this all makes sense it's literally 4 a.m. lmaooo #just randomly started having thought and want to know what people think! pls feel free to reply i'd love to hear your thoughts as well :)#there's some string thematic evolutions and some weak but there's no bad choices for a hero eeveelution #i think the ones most ripe for drama are definitely umbreon espeon and leafeon #like if dusknoir came back to the past to an umbreon hero #it's like 'what do you meannn you CHOSE to become a type that's strong against mine'#ughhhh it's so *clenches fist*#anyways hope this is coherent 👍 did not proofread 👍👍#pokemon #pmd #pmd eos #pmdeos #eos

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jonathan-cranes-mistress-of-fear · 2 days

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Things to note - from a "popular" fandom blogger

I absolutely memorize urls of people who are in my notes regularly

This wasn't always the case, but now tumblr tells you who is following or a mutual. I extra love those people

BUT I also have a special place in my heart for the lurkers or tumblr users who never follow, but regularly visit my blog

Yes please spam me with notes. This is not Instagram, note spamming only effects us positively.

Reblogs over likes yes, but I will be equally happy if you like 20 posts in a row even if you don't engage

Please engage though. Ask culture dying. We (usually) love when people ask us our favorite headcanon or for clarification on canon facts. If someone doesn't want asks, they usually say so. When in doubt, send in a comment. It's always welcome.

Just because I didn't respond within five seconds doesn't mean I'm ignoring you. I do have a life. But also, sometimes it's hard to respond for whatever reason (thanks autism) I do see your kind words and I love them. I'm not mad at you either. I'm just exhausted 24/7 However please understand that I do not owe you my presence all hours of the day. Yes, even if we are close friends.

Please treat me how you want to be treated.

I have almost 90,000 posts, mostly reblogs, but I have a lot of content and I do not mind you doom scrolling. In the same vain, do not assume I was the same person that posted one, two, five or ten years ago. Going through my blog to find "problematic" content only wastes time and tells me you think people are incapable of growth and change. Do better.

Keeping a schedule is tantamount to keeping people engaged and them building a following. Whether you post one a week or daily, or like me--almost hourly--people will come no matter your content if you give them a Reason to come.

No matter how unpopular the thing you are blogging about it's there is ALWAYS an audience. It's never a wasted effort to be creative and put your voice out there. Please, the fandom gets stale without new creators and ideas.

On that note, you are not stealing from another for making the same or similar content. That means you should gif that show that's already been gif'd dozens of times over. You should draw that comic of a popular headcanon/ship. You should write your story. As long as you are doing things in your own words/style and not outright copying word for word or sketch per sketch, you're fine. Two cakes are ALWAYS Better than one.

Being angry and spending your time hating/attacking/vague blogging about other creators only hurts you in the long run. jealously is a normal emotion, but when you let it take over your happiness you're only falling deeper into a pit that's already hard to get out of. (trust me)

Please, please, please do what makes you happy. Life should not be wasted on anger. You don't need popularity to be happy, sometimes it can be hella stressful. (take my word for it) Don't become the bully you wish you where in middle school. Spread kindness, support artist and creators. (this includes gif makers, image editors, amv makers, writers, OCs, etc)

Just. Have fun.

#I have no idea what to tag this as #okay tumblr #do your thing

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prettyboysdontlookatexplosions · 2 days

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having finished david j. skal's something in the blood: the untold story of bram stoker, the man who wrote dracula, i enjoyed it tremendously and learned a lot and thought his commentary was mostly good or at least interesting and bookmarked some quotes i intend to type up at some point. BUT i do have some dracula-specific nits to pick that i am going to share here because to be frank i think The Dracula Daily Community On Tumblr will be receptive to my complaints. spoilers relative to the current calendar point below the cut for dracula daily first-timers

1. i mentioned early on in my reading of the book that one thing that became very apparent to me is that a lot of the seward-van helsing dynamic sure feels like it can be read as an expression of the kind of relationship stoker desperately wanted to have (or wanted to believe he had, and perhaps even convinced himself he did have) with henry irving: a mentor-mentee relationship between two men where the older and more dazzling man has his peculiarities and eccentricities but also pledges to the younger and more worshipful man a sincere undying loyalty born out of gratitude for his stalwart service in times of old and of a general respect for what the younger man brings to the table. skal is careful not to argue too forcefully for any particular biographical reading but he is also not generally shy about tossing out possible emotional connections or sources of inspiration; for example, as he discusses irving's death, he asks whether, if irving really was a source of inspiration for dracula, on some level stoker's observations of irving's failing health in his final years may have spurred him to gift him a fictionalized immortality. given that, the more i read the more i found it just sincerely bizarre that the sewart-van helsing connection doesn't come up even once. my guess is that his reading of jonathan as stoker's self-insert (he doesn't use that exact phrase iirc but he says this pretty much explicitly but i have no idea where in the 580 book so... sorry) occludes the possibility in his view that any of the other characters are also self-inserts (my own hypothesis is that basically every major character in dracula is a self-insert to some degree or another lmao. it's a very self-indulgent book! i don't mean that in a bad way!)

2. skal talks a lot about stoker's lifelong Gender Weirdness, which resists a reading as simple or as definitive as "he's just gay" but comes up repeatedly (sometimes in ways i thought were kind of goofy, like in his discussion of the irish custom of dressing boys in girls' clothing until they were like 7... like if it's culturally normal then doesn't that just mean children's clothing is gender neutral until a certain age? if it's happening to all boys would it be expected to have particular effects on a single boy who is being treated the same as all other boys? idk....). like, he talks about a poem stoker wrote in college or thereabouts that is either gay or from the perspective of a heartbroken woman, he talks about his interest in the conspiracy theory that queen elizabeth was actually a dude, etc. it's a recurring thread in the novel. AND YET!!!!!! ...... absolutely no mention of mina being described by van helsing as having a man's brain and a woman's heart. he quotes the journal entry where stoker describes himself in similar terms but does not connect it to dracula even though it is IMO a MUCH more explicit and direct connection than many of the possible biographical connections he identifies. like idk if i'm just tumblr dracula book club pilled but to me this was insane lol. that's the most overt expression of androgyny in dracula and it just doesn't come up at all! this is related i think to the idea that jonathan is the only self-insert (see also the fact that he never brings up how integral mina's secretarial skills are to the plot when he spent much of his professional life exercising secretarial skills of his own...) and also to his general acceptance of the reading that dracula as a novel is only nervous about women (which it is lol) and not doing any other stuff with them (which it also is! see below...)

3. okay this is the wildest one for me. on the one hand sometimes i get very insecure and defensive about how we talk about dracula here because i'm like, idk can 7 billion people positing a single very simplistic exclusively regressive view of the novel's treatment of women really all be wrong? but something happened in this book that kind of strengthened my conviction that no actually the book is just not as straightforward in its treatment of women as many readers would suggest, which is that skal, who has devoted a considerable portion of his career to the novel dracula by bram stoker, actively misremembers a scene in the book in a way that aligns it more comfortably with the reading that dracula is a fantasia about punishing gender-transgressive women - discussing stoker's next novel, the man, he writes: "There is much consideration of how female dominance and male submissiveness might be balanced, without the New Woman hysterics of Dracula, in which Lucy shocks propriety by suggesting a woman might propose to a man and is summarily cursed with living death." but lucy literally doesn't suggest that! mina does! (august 10: "But I suppose the New Woman won’t condescend in future to accept; she will do the proposing herself. And a nice job she will make of it, too! There’s some consolation in that.") and while mina is temporarily cursed with living death, ultimately she is saved and gets to live happily ever after. i was like quite sincerely shocked by such a flagrant error about the text this guy is an alleged expert on (he is one of the co-editors of the norton critical edition); personally i noticed the mistake right away because every year on Mina Makes Fun Of The New Woman Day i get annoyed at the tag filling up with people who have never in their lives heard of a smart interesting woman who was not also aligned politically with the cutting edge of feminist thought, lol. i guess it really goes to show you the power of narrative that a particular framework for understanding gender in the novel like... literally overwrote the actual text in the memory of someone who has spent much of his professional life talking about this novel. but like i said i also found this in a weird way affirming because well like yeah... in order to simplify gender in dracula that much you literally have to be wrong about the actual events of the book lol...

it's occurring to me now that he also talks about bram's invalid childhood but doesn't connect that to jonathan's time as an invalid and subsequent restoration to splendid manhood... i'm not saying there is a connection but i am saying i don't think this is a less insane thing to posit than "is dracula immortal because he wanted henry irving to live forever," you know?... he quotes a guy talking about all the grown men crying in the novel as an example of arrested development connected to reading dracula as a fairy tale which overall is a reading i DO like but he doesn't also connect all the hysterical dudes to the gender stuff even though the novel definitely makes a point to associate sobbing breakdowns with women while also giving them to all its male characters... well whatever... the history was very fun to read and i do recommend the book if you've been curious about What Stoker's Whole Deal Was and i also did like some of his insights on dracula, like the aforementioned connection to stoker's love for fairytales (he points out that as in fairytales most of the main characters are orphans and i was like - oh! - my heart!) and his emphasis on stoker's love for the theater and for his childhood experiences of the christmas pantomime which i think really underscores my general belief that dracula slaps partly because it is, as i mentioned above, extremely self-indulgent and totally unafraid of showy tricks and melodrama (compliment!!!! i mean this as a compliment!!!!)... but yes i do think his analysis of the novel leaves something to be desired.

#dracula daily #media 2k24

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babyrdie · 1 day

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@annie-also-draws

I'm making a new post instead of reblogging because I was afraid this topic would be too long for a reblog lol! For the context of those who came to this post without knowing what we're talking about, it's about this other post here. I'm not going to put exact excerpts of everything I mention because I think the original post covers it.

And as always, my usual reminders:

I'm not a classicist or any other professional of that sort.

Disagree at will.

If you have something to correct or add, comment or reblog.

This post has a lot of details because I know that not everyone in these tags has read The Iliad, but they like to read posts about it, so I think it's good to provide as much content as possible.

But anyway, I guess the idea of Patroclus being sassy comes from Book 16 of The Iliad!

Typical portrayal of Patroclus

Patroclus is generally portrayed as a companion who balances Achilles's flaws: more patient, wise, approachable, and empathetic. This is also why Patroclus must be older than Achilles, because no matter how short the difference is, it's used as an argument for why Patroclus should be the advisor (and therefore the one who is listened to) even though Achilles is the one with more status.

Furthermore, Agamemnon generally had two advisors. One is Odysseus and the other is Nestor. And Nestor, a character portrayed as wise, thought there was a chance of getting to Achilles through Patroclus. This was because he knew that Patroclus would be more willing to listen than Achilles, and he was hopeful that, as he was someone Achilles would normally listen to, there would be a change in attitude. This happens in Book 11.

Nestor also doesn't appear to be the only one to have had this reasoning. Phoenix, also a character more wise than warrior, told the story of Meleager and Cleopatra which is a parallel to the story of Achilles and Patroclus. Although the text doesn't make it clear whether it's a purposeful attitude by the character or just a narrative parallel, I still think it's significant since Patroclus was present in this conversation and therefore heard Phoenix. This happens in Book 9.

Another example of Patroclus acting as a kind of "bridge" between Achilles and other characters is in the only line Briseis has, where she says that Patroclus promised that he would marry her to Achilles. The idea of marrying her captor seems horrible, but we have to remember that in the historical context Briseis would be safer as a legitimate wife than as a slave. I imagine she also didn't know about the prophecy that Achilles would die in Troy, so she probably thought she could ensure a stable life by doing so. This happens in Book 19.

Homer also has other characters emphasize how kind Patroclus was after his death. He also makes it clear that Patroclus was best able to control the agitated temperaments of the divine horses Balius and Xanthus. Overall, in The Iliad he's a controlled and pleasant character. That's why he's often portrayed this way in modern times too —because Patroclus is like that most of the time!

Patroclus' moment of aristeia

However, in Book 16 this doesn't happen. Patroclus isn't controlled, wise, kind or rational in Book 16. In fact, he's the opposite, he's almost a deconstruction of the character. This is ironic, since Patroclus' shining moment is precisely Book 16 — the moment of his aristea, that is, when a character proves to be the aristo, "the best". Ironically, his aristea happens in a setting where his personality isn't his usual self.

Achilles accepts the suggestion to let Patroclus go in his armor, but with one requirement: Patroclus had a limit on how far he could advance and, once he reached that limit, he had to return. He gives two reasons for this:

He's afraid that one of the gods on the Trojan side will kill Patroclus. Ironically, he even mentions Apollo, which later actually kills Patroclus.

He wants him and Patroclus to share the glory. This wouldn't be possible if Patroclus got all the glory. This makes me think that Achilles planned to return to war, even with Patroclus alive…after all, what glory would the two achieve together if not like this (since Achilles knew he wouldn't leave Troy alive)?

"[...] Once you have whipped the enemy from the fleet you must come back, Patrodus. Even if Zeus the thundering lord of Hera lets you seize your glory, you must not bum for war against these Trojans, madmen lusting for battle — not without me — you will only make my glory that much less… You must not, lost in the flush and fire of triumph, slaughtering Trojans outright. drive your troops to Troy— what if one of the gods who never die comes down from Olympus heights to intervene in battle? 110 The deadly Archer loves his Trojans dearly. No. you must turn back— soon as you bring the light of victory to the ships. Let the rest of them cut themselves to pieces on the plain! Oh would to god — Father Zeus. Athena and lord Apollo not one of all these Trojans could flee his death, not one, no Argive either, but we could stride from the slaughter so we could bring Troy's hallowed crown of towers toppling down around us — you and I alone!"

The Iliad, 16.101-119. Translation by Robert Fagles.

Achilles even makes a libation to Zeus, asking Zeus to guide Patroclus in the fight and bring him safely. Zeus accepts the first request, but not the second.

But Achilles strode back to his shelter now and opened the lid of the princely inlaid sea chest that glistening-footed Thetis stowed in his ship to carry, filled to the brim with war-shirts, windproof cloaks and heavy fleecy rugs. And there it rested… his handsome, well-wrought cup. No other man would drink the shining wine from its glowing depths, nor would Achillespour the wine to any other god, none but Father Zeus. Lifting it from the chest he purified it with sulphur crystals first 270 then rinsed it out with water running clear, washed his hands and filled it bright with wine. And then, taking a stand before his lodge, he prayed, pouring the wine to earth and scanning the high skies and the god who loves the lightning never missed a word: "King Zeus — Pelasgian Zeus, lord of Dodona's holy shrine, dwelling far away, brooding over Dodona's bitter winters! Your prophets dwelling round you, Zeus, the Selli sleeping along the ground with unwashed feet… If you honored me last time and heard my prayer 280 and rained destruction down on all Achaea's ranks, now, once more, I beg you, bring my prayer to pass! I myself hold out on shore with the beached ships here but I send my comrade forth to war with troops of Myrmidons— Launch glory along with him, high lord of thunder, Zeus! Fill his hean with courage — so even Hector learns if Patroclus has the skill to fight his wars alone, my friend-in. arms, or his hands can rage unvanquished only when I go wading in and face the grind of battle. aut once he repels the roaring onslaught from the ships 290 let him come back to me and our fast fleet-unharmed wtth all my armor round him, all our comrades fighting round my friend!" So Achilles prayed and Zeus in all his wisdom heard those prayers. One prayer the Father granted, the other he denied: Patrodus would drive the onslaught off the ships — that much Zeus granted, true, but denied him safe and sound return from battle. Once Achilles had poured the wine and prayed to Zeus, he returned to his shelter, stowed the cup in the chest 300 then took his stand outside, his spirit yearning still to watch Achaeans and Trojans struggle to the death.

The Iliad, 16.261-302. Translation by Robert Fagles.

Patroclus killed A LOT of people alone in his aristeia, but not just that. He's also described in a way that you wouldn't associate him with someone with a controlled temper. He doesn't seem like the calculating type of warrior, he seems like a more wild type. It can be said that Patroclus is really bloodthirsty in Book 16.

Hundreds of plunging war-teams dragging chariots down. snapping the yoke-poles. ditched their masters' cars and Patroclus charged them. heart afire for the kill, shouting his Argivesforward — "Slaughter Trojans!" Cries of terror breaking as Trojans choked all roads, 440 their lines ripped to pieces. up from under the hoofs a dust storm swirling into the clouds as rearing horses broke into stride again and galloped back to Troy, leaving ships and shelters in their wake. Patroclus— wherever he saw the biggest masses-dashing before him, there he steered, plowing ahead with savage cries and fighters tumbled out of their chariots headfirst, crushed under their axles. war-cars crashing over, yes, but straight across the trench went his own careering team at a superhuman bound. Magnificent racing stallions. 450 gifts of the gods to Peleus, shining immortal gifts. straining breakneck on as Patroclus' high courage urged him against Prince Hector. keen for the kill but Hector's veering horses swept him clear.

The Iliad, 16.436-454. Translation by Robert Fagles.

He's even compared to Ares, who in The Iliad is very clearly reaffirmed as a bloodthirsty type of deity. Even other gods don't see him in the best light. Although, of course, the comparison with Ares also serves to illustrate the character's warrior ability (in this specific example, speed). Menelaus, for example, receives the association with Ares as well and he's a good warrior..

Three times he charged with the headlong speed of Ares, screaming his savage cry, three times he killed nine men.

The Iliad, 16.912-913. Translation by Robert Fagles.

Achilles is the one remembered for what he did to Hector's corpse, but he wasn't the only Homeric character to wish to do so. He was just the only one who got to the corpse, and that's why he's more memorable. Hector wanted to do the same with Patroclus's corpse, even offering rewards to the Trojan who retrieved the corpse, and before that Patroclus wanted to do the same with Sarpedon after killing him. Hector was unable to do this because Menelaus saved the corpse and bought time for the Achaeans to help recover Patroclus' body. Patroclus also failed to get Sarpedon's corpse, as the Trojans stopped him.

But the Argives surged to Patroclus' savage spirit— he spurred the Aeantes first, both ablaze for battle: 650 "Ajax, Ajaxl Come — now thrill to fight as before, brave among the brave, but now be braver still! Their captain's down, the first to storm our wall, the great Sarpedon. If only we could seize his body, mutilate him, shame him, tear his gear from his back and any comrade of his who tries to shield his corpse— bring that enemy down witn ruthless bronze!"

The Iliad, 16.649.657. Translation by Robert Fagles.

That is, in Book 16, Patroclus attempted to commit the same crime as Achilles. And he would have committed it, if he hadn't been stopped. And while Achilles did this to Hector SPECIFICALLY because of Patroclus, Patroclus wanted to do it to Sarpedon because he "felt entitled" so to speak. It wasn't because he was angry, sad, etc, he was simply feeling like he could do anything.

Remember how I said that Zeus accepted Achilles' first request (to give glory to Patroclus) but not his second (to guarantee safety to Patroclus)? As I've already made clear, he did indeed give the glory, but he didn't guarantee the safety because Zeus is actually one of the reasons for Patroclus' death.

He kept them fixed on the struggling mass forever, the Father's spirit churning, thrashing out the ways, the numberless ways to cause Patroclus' slaughter… To kill him too in this present bloody rampage over Sarpedon's splendid body? Hector in glory cutting Patroclus down with hacking bronze then tearing the handsome war-gear off his back? Or let him take still more, piling up his kills?

The Iliad, 16.751-758. Translation by Robert Fagles.

He did it not because he was being petty or anything like this, it was just that Patroclus was destined to die and Zeus in The Iliad follows what is destined. For example, he wanted to save Sarpedon from Patroclus, but he didn't because Sarpedon had to die. So the reason Zeus quickly refused Achilles' second request is because he knew he couldn't compromise the fate. Later, Zeus declares Hector's destined death for having killed Patroclus. In other words, he's in fact doing this simply because destiny calls for this chain of events. It's not like Zeus wants Sarpedon dead, wants Patroclus dead because he's upset about his son's death, and then declares Hector dead because he suddenly decides he wants to avenge Patroclus.

In Book 8, Zeus is even described with a balance:

But once the sun stood striding at high noon. 80 then Father Zeus held out his sacred golden scales: in them he placed two fates of death that lays men low— one for the Trojan horsemen, one for Argives armed in bronze— and gripping the beam mid-haft the Father raised it high and down went Achaea's day of doom, Achaea's fate settling down on the earth that feeds us all as the fate of Troy went lifting toward the sky.

The Iliad, 8.80-87. Translation by Robert Fagles.

Just going a little off topic to try and contextualize Zeus because I don't want to make it seem like this is a case of "shit, damn Zeus!" His character here is sort of responsible for balance.

Anyway, Zeus chooses how to make Patroclus die. He makes Hector want to retreat, which consequently makes the Trojans retreat since Hector is the one leading them (in this scene, again the image of Zeus as responsible for the balance appears, since we have the phrase "He knew that Zeus had tipped the scales against him"). Zeus does this with the intention of making Patroclus disobey Achilles: that is, to go beyond the limit that Achilles gave him.

But Patroclus, giving a cry to Automedon whipping on his team, 800 Patroclus went for Troy's and Lycia's lines, blind in his fatal frenzy — luckless soldier. If only he had obeyed Achilles' strict command he might have escaped his doom, the stark night of death. But the will of Zeus will always overpower the will of men. Zeus who strikes fear in even the bravest man of war and tears away his triumph, all in a lightning flash, and at other times he will spur a man to battle. just as he urged Patroclus' fury now

The Iliad, 16.800-809. Translation by Robert Fagles.

Patroclus, in an inconsequential act, tries many times to attack the walls of Troy, but Apollo repels him on all occasions, shouting that not even Achilles is destined to conquer Troy, much less Patroclus. Apollo then incites Hector, who is uncertain, to kill Patroclus. In the confrontation, Hector's ally and half-brother, Cebriones, is accidentally killed by Patroclus as he attempts to hit Hector. And well, let's just say Patroclus's reaction isn't exactly the most honorable.

The sharp stone crushed both brows, the skull caved in and both eyes burst from their sockets, dropping down in the dust before his feet as the reinsman vaulted, plunging off his well-wrought car like a diverCebriones' life breath left his bones behind and you taunted his corpse, Patroclus O my rider: "Look what a springy man, a nimble, flashy rumbler! Just think what he'd do at sea where the fish swarm— why. the man could glut a fleet. diving for oysters! Plunging overboard, even in choppy, heaving seas, just as he dives to ground from his war-car now. Even these Trojans have their tumblers — what a leap!" And he leapt himself at the fighting driver's corpse with the rushing lunge of a lion struck in the chest as he lays waste pens of cattle— his own lordly courage about to be his death. So you sprang at Cebriones, full fury, Patroclus, as Hector sprang down from his chariot just across and the two went tussling over the corpse as lions 880 up on the mountain ridges over a fresh-killed stag— both ravenous, proud and savage — fight it out to the death. So over the driver here and both claw-mad for battle, Patrodus son of Menoetius, Hector ablaze for glory strained to slash each other with ruthless bronze. Hector seized the corpse's head, would not let go— Patrodus clung to a foot and other fighters clashed, Trojans, Argives, all in a grueling, maiming onset.

The Iliad, 16.862-888. Translation by Robert Fagles.

Ironically, in addition to Achilles dishonoring Hector's body (as Patroclus previously tried to do with Sarpedon), he also throws Trojan corpses into the waters of the Scamander River, precisely the reason that angers the god and makes him fight Achilles (and here Patroclus, also before Achilles, tries to throw Cebriones' corpse into the river). Patroclus' attitude of unnecessarily mocking an enemy (as Cebriones was already dead. It's not like it's a mutual provocation between warriors or anything, it's simply someone stronger humiliating someone weaker) is also something that Achilles does.

And then we have the other important moment. Apollo takes off Patroclus' armor and breaks his spear. Not enough, Patroclus is also stunned. The funny part is that even with Patroclus at a clear disadvantage, one of the Trojans doesn't dare to face Patroclus.

He was the first to launch a spear against you, PatrocIus O my rider, but did not bring you down. Yanking out his ashen shaft from your body, back he dashed and lost himself in the crowds— the man would not stand up to PatrocIus here in mortal combat, stripped, defenseless as he was.

The Iliad, 16.943-948. Translation by Robert Fagles.

As we already know, Hector hits him with the spear and delivers the deadly blow (as shown before, Hector wasn't responsible for the first blow. Patroclus was already injured. He delivers the fatal blow). While Hector is boasting to Patroclus that he defeated him (he was like "you idiot, you thought you were going to conquer Troy and screw my people! Oh, but you didn't! You must have come here under the orders of that damn Achilles, but now you're dead! Oh sucker, your body will be eaten by the vultures!"), Patroclus responds in the following way:

Struggling for breath, you answered. Patroclus O my rider, "Hector! Now is your time to glory to the skies … now the victory is yours. A gift of the son of Cronus, Zeus —Apollo — toothey brought me down with all their deathless ease. they are the ones who tore the armor off my back. Even if twenty Hectors had charged against me— they'd all have died here, laid low by my spear. No, deadly fate in league with Apollo killed me. From the ranks of men, Euphorbus. You came third, and all you could do was finish off my life . . . One more thing — take it to heart, I urge you — you too, you won't live long yourself. I swear. Already I see them looming up beside you — death and the strong force of fate, to bring you down at the hands of Aeacus' great royal son… Achilles!"

And then he dies.

Basically, Hector had just stabbed him with a spear and was bragging, but Patroclus somehow still decided to use his last words to basically go "lol you really are an asshole. Know that I'm so badass that you just managed to defeat me because of Zeus and Apollo, I would have kicked your ass 20 times if it weren't for that. But don't twist your knickers too much because of this, idiot, Achilles is coming!" and proceeds to die. So yeah…at least no one can accuse Patroclus of not being able to be sharp when he wants to!

Summarizing what Patroclus did in Book 16, regardless of whether it was designed by Zeus:

He has the most deaths in a single book, and is described in a savage and bloodthirsty way while doing so. So it's not just that he's a skilled warrior, Patroclus is also not being his usual wiser, more controlled self while doing this. More than his skill, his bloodthirsty attitude is more remarkable.

He tries to dishonor a corpse, and then tries to throw another one into the water. None of these attitudes were considered morally correct, even by Ancient Greek standards. So no, it's not a case of "oh, but that's a modern morality"…it's not. The funeral was a very important thing, so preventing your enemy from having one wasn't seen in a positive light. It could even be seen as a contradiction to divine laws, something that Sophocles discusses in the play Antigone for example (In this case, the enemy who is denied his funeral is Polynices and the one who denies him is Creon).

He becomes careless and arrogant. He mocks the enemy when it's no longer necessary (Cebriones was already dead, for example), he advances further than he should, in general Patroclus keeps getting closer and closer to death the less rationally he acts.

He decided to use his last words to be as acidic as possible! Seriously, I know it's sad that Patroclus dies, but I find his last words hilarious. Dude was like "you suck and Achilles will kick your ass!" and then his soul left his body.

Conclusion

I guess another possibility is the Clysonimus incident. Regardless of how accidental it was, Patroclus as a child still killed Clysonimus for a silly reason (dices). This, at the very least, indicates that as a child at some point he became angry enough to have a conflict with another boy that would result in a death. Also note that I'm combining different sources in this account (which are in the original post), as not all of them explicitly state the name of the dead boy or the reason for the conflict. Anyway, the sources don't actually tend to detail the event…it's just a quick background. So it's not possible to have a good idea of how exactly Patroclus reacted and how the death happened with certainty.

But most people see this Clysonimus thing as just an extremely accidental death, so I genuinely think the reason Patroclus is sometimes associated with "sassy" is Book 16 although he wasn't 100% his usual self and there was divine interference in at least part of this (I'm talking about Zeus helping him have honor in battle, but also manipulating his death). However, gods interfering is a common thing, so Zeus also isn't THAT big of a detail. I doubt it's sassy thing is from another source either because the other sources for Patroclus aren't known as The Iliad.

And I don't know if people take this into account in the fics you've read, but Patroclus didn't mince words with that description either:

"No time to sit, old soldier dear to the gods. You won't persuade me. Awesome and quick to anger, the man who sent me here to find out who's been wounded, the one you've just brought in. But I can see him— 770 I recognize Machaon myself, the expert healer. So back I go to give Achilles the message. Well you know, old soldier loved by the gods, what sort of man heis — that great and terrible man. Why, he'd leap to accuse a friend without a fault."

The Iliad, 11.767-775. Translation by Robert Fagles.

In short, both the portrayal of Patroclus being kinder than other characters and him being somehow violent or sassy make sense. He is a balanced character. But, notably, him being bloodthirsty isn't typical of him, so portraying him as being that way 100% of the time would be a stretch. But yeah, he's definitely not an angel!

There are other things to talk about on the subject of Book 16, but I suppose I'll have to leave them for another post because they have no relation to the answer to this question and enter another territory. It also should take longer to write.

#Patroclus #birdie.txt #birdiethings

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rikeijo · 1 day

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Yuri!!! on stage pamphlet, Kubo Mitsurou - Character comments

Katsuki Yuuri

The character of Katsuki Yuuri, previously still vague, solidified in the scene in episode 4 when he touches Victor's hair whorl. That scene is also one, where I managed to express an idea I've had in my head for a very long time - I wanted to show something like a moment not connected to the main story, when their relationship changes, but not in a logical way. The same thing can be said about the scene in the last episode when, even though Victor is crying, Yuuri pushes aside his fringe and says "So you cry too!" - Yuuri has this very primal (原始的) characteristic of putting his own curiosity first before feelings of the other person, that's a desire he can't suppress. I think it was our intention to use this characteristic to make the viewers expect that he is surely going to act in a way they cannot predict. Throughout the series, Yuuri's character was shaped by misleading the audience to think they know Yuuri's personality and then showing them in each episode that they were not right about him. That's why the character turned out to be much more complex that we thought he would be in the first episode and I think the viewers can sense that the creators had a lot of fun writing him. We sometimes say that the characters are acting on their own, but in this case I think we were writing the character while being bossed around by him.

Victor Nikiforov

Just as it was with Yuuri, I couldn't fully grasp Victor's personality in episode 1, and so his character also solidified over time as I was writing the show. Beginning with the scene in episode 4 when he told Yuuri "I'm not going to hold back" during their conversation on the beach, and then when he was "really hurt" after Yuuri touched his hair whorl, little by little the underlying kindness Victor possesses started to show up more, as even though he had no idea what Yuuri was really thinking, he wanted to get to know Yuuri better and Yuuri to get to know him better too. Actually, I also thought the fact that even staff members couldn't fully comprehend Victor's actions made him all the more charming. Because his actions were impossible to comprehend, the audience too has been watching the show without being able to form any strong assumptions about him and the sense of insecurity you've been getting while watching him was probably also a sign that you started to like the character... I've created Victor by trying my best to draw a cool and beautiful human being. I don't think however, that he could ever be mine. Yuuri also feels this way, but in Yuuri's case he was able to form a very strong connection with Victor thanks to skating. I was writing the show while thinking that I'd like the audience to enjoy the feeling that in every episode, together with Yuuri, they too get to meet Victor they've never seen before, as the relationship between Yuuri and Victor is forming - relationship that was only possible because Yuuri had skating as an excuse [免罪符, it means something like "get-out-of-jail-free card" - funny word choice, but Mitsurou really pushes here the idea that Victor was way out of Yuuri's league. ]

Yuri Plisetsky

In case of Yurio, his character as well as character design were very clear from the very beginning. He was very easy to write. He is my favorite type of character and based on my experience I was sure he's going to be popular. He is the type of a side character, who can outshine even the main character in terms of popularity, so I was careful not to make him "angsty" by e.g. giving him a tragic past or making him have a difficult family situation. With Yurio I didn't want his character to be someone who gets popular because people feel sorry for him, so I gave him family and coaches, as well as new friends, and wanted to show his strength by making him achieve even greater success while being in a relatively good place emotionally. I think I've managed to use the basic manga trope of writing about a strength of found family instead of real family without focusing on the tragic aspects of this trope.

Christophe Giacometti

Chris was born as an ultra sexy character, a character who is very aware of his "eros" and at the same time has the strength to not care when other people stare at him. I decided on the visual side of the character first - I gave him those curled and long, stunningly beautiful eyelashes because I wanted the audience to think: "How grateful we are that such a beautiful skater exists in this world at the same time as Victor!". I also wanted to show the gap between his super cute look with curly hair when he was a child and his present look and suggest that a lot of growing up happened there. While I was writing him, or I should say it was more thanks to the choreography and music we created, the charm that was radiating from him was neither masculine nor feminine, but simply Chris' charm. I personally wanted to make him a "skater who looks good naked" and was having great fun writing him.

Phichit Chulanont

With Phichit, I was aiming to create a pure and energetic person. I've actually heard Thai artists active abroad saying that they want to show everyone the new face of Thailand and also that there are certain aspects of Thailand they were only able to see after they went abroad. So, I felt that young Thai people right now are really making a lot of effort to reconstruct themselves, so I wanted to make Phichit a person who has the spirit to create new things. With the fashion he wears, I was aiming for something Harajuku-like.

Ji Guang-Hong

I've come up with this idea of a Chinese competitor, young but with good skills, as a counterbalance to the great number of overwhelmingly strong competitors who appear in the show. I wanted to make him a character who shows all the signs of becoming terribly good in the future if he continues to gain more self-confidence and experience. When it comes to his personality I was imagining him following the latest trends, like all the modern kids do, or maybe traveling to the USA off-season to train at the same rink with Leo, for example. I intentionally didn't make him really stand-out, because I think he is still at a stage before he can bring out his individual personality.

Jean-Jacques Leroy

Before we even started to think about the story, I effortlessly came up with lines like "JJ won't give up! He can't give up!", so JJ is the character who has already been well-defined even before he was created. We placed a very rough order for his song: a song which feels like it was written by somebody who could win a Grammy. The request we've made for the lyrics too wasn't all that specific but the finished lyrics were well... absolutely amazing! I wanted to make JJ into a character who would make the spectators sing that song while he skates his short program. He is too egoistic, so other competitors who can't get along well with him, simply can't get along well with him, period. He isn't the type who can become friends with everyone. However, he doesn't really care. I wouldn't say that he for sure isn't hurt at all by this though, if you look deep inside, but one of the incredible things about him is that he doesn't let it show on the outside.

Georgi Popovich

We aimed to express different kinds of love and here is the type of competitor who puts all the emotions he's experiencing after he broke up with his lover into his performance. I was thinking that maybe in a country like Russia nobody would have a problem with him doing something like that and so I gave him this kind of artistry, different than the artistry Victor has. And again, also compared to Leo, he's a different type of artist. Georgi is very serious about practice and listens to what his coach says too diligently. But I think he loves himself the most, more than anyone else. He is a narcissist, so he loves his lovers very much too, because they love him. I think that's why he reacts with this "I am the one who can protect you!" thing after he gets dumped. The ability to transform all these feelings into a performance is his strong point.

Nishigori Takeshi

Nishigori was created because I wanted to introduce a point of view of somebody who has gave up on skating. He is also a childhood friend of Yuuri and somebody, who has been watching him from a very close distance - so he's a character with a quite complex setting. He is the only married man [in the show] so I wanted him to be masculine and not somebody who fret over things a lot. I also was thinking that the reason why Yuuri didn't want to go back to his home town for such a very long time, is because of Nishigori and Yuuko. When it comes to Nishigori and Yuuko's relationship, I think Yuuko is the one who started it. She didn't confess her feelings directly but I think it was probably very clear that she likes Nishigori. Because men from Kyushu don't go after a girl who they know they don't have a chance with. They never try to reach a "flower that grows high on a mountain top [an idiom representing a unattainable goal] (laugh).

Leo de la Iglesia

Leo, who was looking up to Victor, is the only competitor who choreographs his programs by himself. He wants to leave no doubt that he is self-producing his programs - he wants to skate his own choreography to the songs he likes to truly bring out his own charm. When it comes to figure skating in the USA, there is a lot of strong competitors in different parts of the country and so there are also skaters of different races. I think there is that conviction that to be able to show your own strengths in these conditions, the most important thing is to express the "I'll be saved by the things I love" core part of you. Leo can't for example jump quadruple jumps yet, but instead he wants to find his other strong points and show them - I wanted him to be a strong person in this way.

Minami Kenjiro

A skater who just made his senior debut, Minami-kun, was created because, just like Yuuri looks up to Victor, I wanted other Japanese skater to look up to Yuuri and Yuuri to be aware that there is somebody who looks up to him. Yuuri had a very bad start at Nationals, so Minami has already won with him once, but I thought I wanted another active competitor to tell Yuuri that he wants Yuuri to continue skating. And so I gave him this pure personality, the kind that Yuuri doesn't possess, so he can yell "I will definitely win with you!". Because of that, he became a character like a classic shonen manga protagonist. And because he has the vibe of anime protagonist I also gave him a matching haircut. I created him feeling that "If Yuri!!! was a shonen manga Minami would definitely be the protagonist".

Otabek Altin

He is a stoic, rugged and serious skater. A type of man who doesn't go to gatherings with other skaters. He left his family and was moving from country to country throughout the course of his training, so he had to wait a long time for a breakthrough. While training, separately from skating, he was also making friends among local musicians, so he has a lot of companions, who are important to him not only in Kazakhstan. He is the type of person who you can trust. He doesn't talk much and doesn't use social media much. But somehow you feel that he can for sure make a lot of progress. He also has this idea to do things that other people don't do. That's why I think that [since he started till the moment we meet him in the show] he's been treating skating very seriously. Otabek is more of a warrior or a soldier than an artist. I see him as this kind of person, who respects competitors who aren't on a level playing field with him and he treats them like comrades-in-arms. That's why, after he met with Yurio at a summer camp and saw his strength, he decided to find his own style of fighting, other than ballet, and he never forgot Yurio, who also had a soldier-like dream.

Michele Crispino

I think Michele loves his sister too much and that's why he doesn't really want to change. He has the skills and skates very good. That's why he managed to get to the GPF and is a very strong competitor, but there's also something missing there and he can't really break through. I wanted to show that his love is of a different kind than the rest of the cast's. I think the kind of love he has for Sara is a little bit different than familial love, but well I think that in his mind Sara is the only person he can trust. But Sara herself thinks she needs to change. I wanted to highlight this change by making Michele a tough/traditionally masculine guy. I was thinking that I want him to use the emotions he has because of his sister to have the break through even if these emotions are not necessarily positive. It was fun writing him.

Lee Seung Gil

SeungGil says pretty harsh things and has the most athlete-like mind of all the skaters. The pressure he is under is huge so, as the real athlete he is, to protect himself from being influenced by this pressure, he doesn't do any fan-service. I think that he is simply a stoic competitor, but because during interviews he says things like: "Is it really necessary for me to answer questions like that?", people misunderstand him and tease him for being cold. The story that I was thinking about for him is that he competes with this stoic attitude, but he knows that if he doesn't become more expressive, he can't win, so he chose a song and costume with an element of surprise. I think this gap is where his charm is. I think he, in his everyday life, isn't interested in things other than skating and usually wears clothes his mum bought for him, or jersey.

Emil Nekola

There are a lot of characters who stand out, so I wanted to design one, who doesn't, and instead simply has a sunny disposition and is like a younger brother or the kid in a group. Skaters from Czech Republic are popular so I thought that it will be a good match to his personality if I make him Czech. The image I have for him is that he is friends with Michele and is the kindest person among European skaters. I was thinking to make him "a big guy who you can depend on". He is very good at physical activities, so I think if, in addition to skating, if he decided to do snowboarding or extreme sports he would be pretty good at them too. He himself isn't really fixated on skating and has a lot of other things he likes to do. But right know he is focusing on skating. That's why, unlike Michele who is like: "Skating is the only thing I have in my life", Emil has a very good way of dealing with the pressure - he is a clever guy.

Closing comments

The things to enjoy while binge watching all episodes

At the end of ep 10, it was revealed that Yuuri at the banquet actually asked Victor to be his coach. If you re-watch the show from ep 1, while having this in mind, the relationship between Yuuri and Victor will surely appear very different. In the beginning of ep 1, when Victor ask Yuuri "Do you want a commemorative photo?", to him Yuuri wasn't someone who really stood out from the crowd. But then, he watched the video of Yuuri skating a perfect copy of his "Stammi Vicino" program, while having some prior knowledge of Yuuri from the "be my coach accident" at the banquet. And as the story goes, because of that Victor's got certain ideas and decided to travel to Japan. If we look at the events from Victor's perspective, it must have been very weird for him, because Yuuri himself asked him to come, but after he came Yuuri met him with this "Why are you here…?" reaction. I think you should be able to enjoy the story even more, if you change the perceptive you watch the show from when you re-watch all 12 episodes at once.

To fans…

I think without both the fans who were supporting us and the staff members who participated in production, we wouldn't be here today. I can't thank you all in person, but we are thinking of doing something, so you can enjoy the world of Yuri!!! even more, as a thank-you gift. I'm looking forward to your continuous support of Yuri!!! on ice.

#yuri on ice #yoi_full translation #tr_kubo mitsurou

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daphnethebanjolover · 1 day

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Thoughts on Inside Out 2

Also known as Pixar Showing Off Their CGI Again

Pretty sick how you can see multi-color memories in the first scene as a follow-up to the end of the first movie where they discover that memories can be associated with multiple emotions.

It only took a few seconds in the pit for me to remember that Bing Bong is fucking gone.

"I'm Brie." "I'm Grace." "I'm gay." "You're purple." -Me, too quietly for anyone to hear (in case you can't tell, I still think about IF sometimes)

Maybe adding a "We're Blasting Off Again" chute wasn't the best idea.

In the scene right before they pull into the high school parking lot, you can already see orange buttons on the console.

The shot of Joy being like "There's nothing to worry about" while there's literally a wrecking ball in the window should be a meme.

It's very fitting that they made Anxiety just a creature.

Embarrassment might be big, but he's just a lil guy.

Then there's Envy, who actually is little but not in a cute way. More like an Aquamarine from Steven Universe way. In fact, she might just be Aquamarine.

Le Console App

They have an old lady living in the closet.

Biggest jumpscare of 2024: 2D animation in a Pixar movie.

Second biggest jumpscare of 2024: PlayStation graphics in a Pixar movie.

Anger just said, "FUCK DA POLICE."

I wanted Sadness to show up in headquarters and say "Surprise, motherfucker."

I was the first person to laugh at the Sar-chasm, and then everyone else started laughing. I feel like that happened multiple times, actually.

After Anger called Joy delusional, I fully expected her to say "what the fuck did you just say to me?"

Let Joy say fuck.

How self-aware of Disney to include a scene in an animation sweatshop.

I was wondering how they were going to top Riley running away in the first movie. Turns out the answer is breaking and entering.

Why does a fanny pack from a preschool kids' show have that much dynamite in it?

Anxiety? Did you mean Sonic the Hedgehog?

So what I'm getting is that the moral of the story is I Am All of Me.

You wanna talk anxiety? Let's make Inside Out 3 about Riley getting her driver's license.

Overall, 9/10 movie. Pouchy <<<<< Toodles

#inside out 2 #thoughts

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petew21-blog · 14 hours

Text

The curse of Hecatoncheires

Zayn shouted at us: "All is set guys. Let's get to the table"

Me:"Can't we just play Dungeons and Dragons just as we always do? This seems complicated. It will take us much more time to learn that then playing"

Zayn:"No, we're gonna play this. It's basically a modified version of what we always play. But much more fun."

Alex:"Ok, let's play before the weekend ends. I really wanna do something fun instead of just sitting here."

Zayn:"Oh, you're gonna have enough of fun today.

Ground rules:

We play the story just as we always do

The dice is a way of deciding conflict. But in this game you're not playing against the game. You're playing against each other.

The conflict can be won by throwing a higher number then the other. If you throw a higher number you win what the other person bet in that round"

Me:"Bet? We're gonna bet? With what? We don't have anything."

Zayn:"Actually you do. You have your bodies, your body parts. You can bet them. And the winner has 3 options a) keep your part he won over you, b) swap his part he bet with you or c) donate a part to someone else"

Jordan:"Zayn, this has to be one of the worst game ideas you ever had. Not only it's complicated, but we're just gonna pretend that our parts are not ours but belong to someone else?"

We all started laughing except for Zayn. He was serious. He then threw a cube on the table. It was the same as ourselves we usually played with. But this one glowed.

Zayn:"I see the explaining of rules will be better to do during the game. Right?"

We started the game. Each of us had to bet a part of our bodies.

I bet my feet, Zayn his thumb, Alex wanted to bet his head but Zayn advsied him not to, so he bet his arm. And Jordan wanted to boycot the game as always so he bet his dick.

We play for some time like always. But then me and Jordan stepped on the first fighting platform. Zayn:"Ok, Jordan. It's your time to choose your oponent"

Jordan:"I choose you (he pointed at me). I want your smell feet haha" He then threw the dice with number 15. Fuck I have to throw higher than that. The chances aren't that big tho. I threw the dice and saw the number 7.

Jordan:"Haha. I win your feet!"

Zayn:"Ok now you get to choose a/b/c. A is keeping it, b is swapping it and c is giving it to someone else."

Jordan:"Fine. We'll I'm going with option a. I want to have extra feet."

Suddenly the cube shined brightly. Me and Jordan screamed in pain. I looked down and saw my shoes fall off. Jordan was screaming horribly. He threw always his shoes. His socks ripped and at the same place where his feet grew, another pair grew out. Oddly familiar pair. Jordan looked down in shock.

Jordan:"What the fuck!!! Zayn what the hell is this?! What did you do?"

Zayn:"I already told you the rules. So this is the first option. I wanted to make our game a bit more special, cause I noticed how you guys grew more bored each game we played. So this should be more fun"

Alex:"This shit is incredible" he touched my feet on Jordan's body. I could still feel them a bit but I couldn't move them. Jordan was speechles and touched them too.

Jordan:"Holy shit dude. I have two pairs of feet. I have your feet man! Wow. They're really big. And really smelly. Have you washed them recently?"

Me:"Hey! Of course I did. I just... sweat a lot. It's a condition. I can't help it."

Zayn:"Ok, you have to pick another betting part and then we can continue"

I picked my dick just as Jordan has.

We proceeded and then Alex got in a duel with Zayn. Alex won.

Alex:"Ok, so... I don't want to be a freak like Jordan. I want to swap our two parts"

They also screamed. Alex's arm disappeared and now instead of it only Zayn's thumb was visible. Zayn's arm now instead of his thumb grew out another arm. It was massively long

Alex:"Zayn, but you said we would swap the parts. I just wanted your thumb instead of mine not this shit. I look like a freak. And so do you..."

Zayn:"Well those were the rules. If you want to swap the identical part and not the one that was threw in as a bet, you have to say so. Ok my new part to bet is my index finger"

Alex:"Bet something meaningful atleast. You now have my arm to bet"

Zayn:"Ok, you're right. I bet my feet."

Alex:"Ok, I bet my whole leg, cause I don't want this game to last the whole day"

We continued. I couldn't really get of the chair without my feet. "Guys I'm gonna have to pee sooner or later. Some of you might help me."

Zayn;"Don't worry about it. We'll help you out somehow."

Now it was my time to battle someone. I picked Jordan and won. "I want to swap our dicks."

Jordan stood up screaming as his dick disappeared. He looked down and my own emerged. I looked down as well and saw his in the place where mine was."

Jordan:"Did you do this on purpose? I have to pee now dude."

Me:"Haha, yeah I did. I wanted to know if it would work."

Jordan ran (or limped with his new set of feet) to the bathroom and locked himself in:"Play without me. I'll be back soon"

We played the story for a while without any conflict, but now we had to wait for Jordan to come out. He really took some time in there.

He got out of the bathroom sweaty, smiling and with his shirt tucked behind his shorts

Me:"Dude, don't tell me you have..."

Jordan:"Hell yes I did. And I must say you have a magnificent dick. The cum shot on the wall is the biggest proof of it."

Me:"You're disgusting Jordan. What if I did the same?"

Jordan:"Don't act like you don't want to right now."

Zayn:"Guys, let's play, you can get even in another way."

Me:"Jordan, don't be a pussy and bet something big this time."

Jordan:"Fine I bet my lower body half, dick excluded. I'm keeping yours for a while"

Me:"Don't be a bitch. I bet my whole body without my head... And Jordan's dick"

Jordan:"Fine, well so do I."

Alex and Zayn just observed amused. We continued.

Now Alex dueled me. I lost. Jesus no...

Alex pitied me I think, but maybe missed his arm. "I want your body you betted to be swapped with mine."

I now had feet again, but lost an arm in the process. I could feel Alex's muscular body form under my clothes. I used my remaining hand and trailed the abs under my shirt and the beautiful pecs. Then I flexed his biceps"

Alex:"Enjoying it huh?"

Me:"Dude, I never knew it feels so good to be this tight"

Jordan threw the dice and this time - number 20

Zayn:"Shit. I thought it would take some more time before I had to explain this one. Ok, so now we all are under the curse of Hecatoncheires."

Me:"What's that?"

Zayn:"It's a beast from greek mythology with hunderds of heads, hands and legs"

Alex:"So what does that mean for us?"

Zayn:"You now have to throw 15 or above to not be cursed."

Jordan:"What happens if we fail?"

Zayn:"Well... let's play and see shall we?" Zayn diverted from the question

Zayn threw 15, lucky guy. Alex threw 5 so he was doomed. Jordan threw 19. It was my turn now. Fuck 2

Zayn:"Ok, guys. You now have to go next to each other. And hug"

We did so. Nothing happened at first, but now we were both stuck. We couldn't move from each other. We were merging. I just watched as Jordan's horrified face ran from the room and Zayn went to get him.

But me and Alex were still merging. Now our body had a massive chest made out of our two harlves. My other parts were moved to the left side while Alex's moved to the right.

We were left with one extra pair of lehs without feet and only one extra arm and a thumb next to my arm.

Our dicks grew out right next to each other.

I couldn't look at Alex. He was directly next to my head. Limiting to see. We tried to get to the mirror. But our movement was really unorganised. We eventually got there to see what kind of a monster we became.

What caught my attention was our new combined crotch

The lines of two dicks were clearly visible

I took my only arm and with my hand I grabbed our crotch

Alex:"What are you doing man? That's my dick!"

Me:"I'm sorry Alex, but that's our dicks right now. I can feel both of them"

We both put our hands on them. We both could feel every part of our merged bodies. But I could control only the left part and Alex controled the right side of our body.

Alex:"Well, shitting is gonna be interesting"

I could feel we were both horny. I was a bit more because of the fact that the dick on my side was actually Alex's and Alex now had Jordan's

I unzipped our jeans. Alex gave me an approving smile. I lowered to jeans to see the new creation now

Alex:"I can't believe Jordan's dick is bigger than mine. I always thought he was small."

Me:"Well yours isn't fully hard yet, so don't worry."

I grabbed his dick and started jerking it. So did Alex, but he was jerking Jordan's dick. The whole time we were moaning in sync as we both felt the same. We knew how the other one felt. And in sync we shot loads from our dicks"

Just as we finished Zayn and Jordan came back into the room

Jordan realising that it's his dick that Alex was now holding got angry and went towards UA

Zayn:"Wait, Jordan you can't touch them!"

Jordan ran straight to us and probably wanted to scream something but ended up being absorbed into us. The pain started again. Jordan now emerged between us. New arms grew out, new legs, my dick in the middle and Jordan's head right between us

Zayn:"That's what I was trying to tell you. It's called a curse for a reason

Our new body was now a mix of hands everywhere trying to feel everything. Jordan was still screaming. But me and Alex knew that it was the first massive wave of all our feelings combined. The more people were part of our body the more pleasure we had. It was ecstatic and overwhelming.

Alex:"Come on Zayn. Join us"

Zayn:"I would, honestly. But someone has to reverse this"

We sat down next to the table to continue playing. I now controled an Jordans left arm and Alex controlled his right one. Jordan was now trapped until we were joined by another person.

Zayn kept playing. Quite nervous from what he caused. He finished the game out of fear as he watched us enjoy the senses of our combined body

The game ended but nothing happened. We didn't care. We were now feeling amazing. All three of us.

Zayn:"I... I don't know what happened. I thought it would all revert back to normal."

We stood up and slowly crept behind Zayn reading the manual to the dice

Me:"Oh don't worry about that. We can sort this out tommorow"

Alex:"What a great game you set up for us"

Jordan:"Truly one of the best. And you didn't even get to enjoy it enough"

Me:"I think you should relax now."

We got really close and Zayn probably got suspicious, but it was too late for him. I grabbed his arm and that was all that was needed for him to merge into us.

Zayn:"Oh god, this really feels amazing. We can feel everything multiplied"

Hecatoncheire:"We are amazing. We love our body. We are Hecatoncheire! And we need more beautiful bodies to join us!"

#body swap #male body swap #male transformation #Body merge #merging #transformation

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