#listen i'm going to be very upset if you don't have another wholesome

[brokenpieces-72]

Mothers n Monsters

With Mother's Day coming up I figured I would include some wholesomeness involving the Hybrid 141. The following is inspired by @bluegiragi 's Hybrid au and includes @diejager 's reader character Hunter.

Mother's Day is something you are still new to since it was a holiday your biological parents didn't bother with. When you were in the program some of the other hybrids found mother figures in their retainers and mentors.

When it gets brought up in conversation and you learn more you start to wonder who exactly your mother is. Johnny's mom is definitely in there since she took you in. Hunter, you consider a parent because of how they've taken care of you in many ways, and not just you but the entirety of the 141. The last one you think of is Laswell since she'd been talking to you quite a bit to get information back to the program and keep you safe.

The question is... what do you do for each of them?

You ask Johnny for help with Mother's Day with his mother. Johnny often goes into whatever city is nearby and sends a few souvenirs to his mom, whether it's some trinkets, ingredients or even some alcohol. With it, he writes a letter, and you write one too. When the package arrives his mother smiles seeing the usual letter from her son, saying he's happy and grateful to have someone waiting for him to come home every day. What she isn't expecting is a second letter from you, and the adoption papers fully signed. In the letter, you tell her how happy you are to have a family not just on base but one waiting for you in Scotland. You've written about so many of the things you've done and all the things you're excited to do. You thank he for everything, letting you stay with them during the holidays, the extra clothes, and for becoming your new mother. She smiles reading through both letters, before finally looking inside the care package, seeing more than just knickknacks and the bottle of alcohol. You've left some drawings for her as well, of flowers you'd found and places you'd been.

Hunter is a bit harder. They're the kind of person who will say, "I don't need/want anything". You don't know what to get them so once again, you go around asking for help. Of course, you go to Johnny first, and he's a little confused at first. To his knowledge, Hunter doesn't have kids but when you explain your reasons that Hunter is kind of like a mom, he understands a bit better. Johnny has to think about it as well. He suggests coffee, as does Kyle. It's not a bad idea. You go to Price and ask him, and honestly he isn't sure himself. He settles with your help in the infirmary is probably enough. Next, you ask Simon. He also isn't sure but if he had to guess, probably less work needed to be done in the infirmary. Horangi straight up shrugs, not sure how to answer the question, though he figures that a massage or a few nights off would be a pleasant luxury. Konig did actually plan on getting Hunter something small for Hunter, not necessarily as a Mother's Day gift, but as a small thank you. A couple of chocolates couldn't hurt. You get Alejandro's input and it's one you can agree with, which is ensuring any and all prep work and inventory is completed ahead of time.

Rudolfo gives you a great idea though, the one you ask him for help with. Like Hunter, Rudolfo is human so he knows the drawbacks of being a human among many hybrids. You get one of those mugs, but make a custom label for it, and a bag of Hunter's favourite coffee and tea. For the next few days, you go to the other soldiers in the medbay to ask for their help in getting inventory and prep work done ahead of time, and they show you how to do all of it. When Hunter wakes up on Mother's Day they stretch, get out all of the sleepiness, and head over to the infirmary to get to work. When they get to the coffee machine they find the small gift and a small note. The note says, "Happy Mother's Day Hunter, I've gotten the prep work done in the infirmary the night before so you can have the morning to yourself. Enjoy." Hunter looks at the label on the mug and it says "The Beast".

Finally, there was Laswell, and once again you were a little stumped. You didn't know what she liked. Price is your go-to for this question, and he isn't entirely sure himself. He too, doesn't entirely understand the whole mom perception until you explain it. Not sure what else to suggest, he suggests you ask Laswell yourself.

Laswell comes to see you. These visits have become a bit more regular, to ensure the program has no reason to take you back. When you sit with her and go over the usual questions of, how are you, are you eating well, is everything going well on base, etc, you ask her what she would want for Mother's Day. The question catches her off guard a bit.

"Mother's Day? Spirit I'm not a mother." Laswell clarifies.

"You kind of are." You say. Laswell decides to humour you.

"How?" She asks.

"You always make sure we're okay on base, and have everything we need. You watch over us on missions, you come by to check in with me and make sure I'm okay. You've stood up for me before. When I saw my mother, and told you, you immediately called the program to tell them off for not telling us sooner." You explain. Laswell consider it for a moment and she gives you a smile. She didn't think of it like that, and honestly, she figured it was just part of the job and not much else.

"I think hearing all of that is enough for me." She tells you. "Thank you."

Note: Hey just wanted to chime in and wish y'all a good Mother's Day. I hope you're all doing well, and remember to take care of yourselves.

[star--nymph]

👀 for the wholesome oc ask meme: 1, 14, 15, 23 and 25 for your girl Eurydice (finding one that hasn't been asked already was like.. a minefield situation lol) Bonus: 3 for another character of your choice ✨

Aaaaa, thank you so much! And don't worry, I get it, trying to not ask the same questions is HARD.

Eurydice:

What is their go-to comfort food?

Peaches! Eurydice loves peaches more than anything. She's so pick about most food but if you manage to get something peach flavored, she'll devour it in seconds. Eurydice is the reason why peach trees cover Skyhold.

14. Quickly, let them give us some life advice!

"Hmm, many problems in this world would be solved if people stopped speaking so loud and listened. Important things are said but are lost over shouting and crying. Emotion gets in the way, yes? Yes. Stop it. Be silent, watch, and listen. Think. To be loud is to be a fool. Now, enough. I am busy. Leave me alone, yes? Yes."

15. Now you give them some life advice.

Eurydice, my heart, my love, my dear. So much of you damn life would be easier if you didn't just assume people's thoughts for them and then run for it. I know it's a defensive mechanism but MY GOD. STAY PUT WHEN YOU'RE UPSET DON'T RUN. HIDING IN THE FOREST AND LAYING FACE DOWN IN A SWAMP IS NOT A SOLUTION.

23. Would they prefer reading books or listening to an audiobook? Besides, would they rather read for someone or have someone read for them?

Reading on her own and reading to someone else. I think the person would have to have a very soothing voice to Eury if she were to enjoy being read to, one way or another. It would also take all her attention to do so. I don't imagine Eurydice is someone who could listen to a podcast or an audiobook and do something else.

25. If they had to prepare a conference, what would be the topic of discussion?

Oh I answer this one here but! I imagine Eurydice could have plenty of topics to do a conference with (if by conference, we mean she infodumps, answers two questions, and then leaves without saying goodbye to anyone). Other topics of discussion:

The Preserving of Elven Artifacts The Strengths and Limits of Weather Magic Healing Magic and when it crosses the line in Necromancy Rift Manipulation Why Halla are Good and the Best Animal The Protection of Halla and Dragons The Invention of Flying Magic

Let's see, how about Kassandra?

3. What is something they really like about themselves and what is something you really like about them?

I think what Kassandra likes about herself is that she knows how to give a good time. I don't think she knows how much of a bright spot she is to people, but I think she's aware that she has the power to make people happy and worry less. If she can do that for anyone, especially her best friends, by telling a good joke or pulling them into a dance, or just being generally silly until they crack a smile, she will.

As for me, I just. Love Kassandra a lot. She's my first oc from when I was fourteen (maybe even earlier) and I've put a lot of love and care into her. I'm super protective about her. I love that she's so loving, so confident, and such a hero dynamic but that she's also this hurt person trying to heal and she fucks up a lot because of her anger and frustration with the world. That last part is me projecting but that's the point of an oc, right? She's gotta lot to give and I just want to show her off to everyone and make them love her too.

[onewomancitadel]

You sure you wont give Spy X Family a try? Even just a look? I apologize if this comes off as pushy. I'm a fan of your story and just wanted to return the warm feelings it gave me by sharing something that I love. I'm sorry if you tried it and it's not to your liking. Just know that I love everything you do and your writing brings me peace & joy. I would never intentionally recommend you something bad. Thank you for listening to my ask and have a wonderful day!

Anon, I'm seriously not sure where I went wrong in my answer, because I was as kind as I could be whilst appreciating that you were enjoying something that might not be to my tastes. As I mentioned in the response to a mutual who said she enjoyed it, I might give it a try after I get my fic writing done.

Recommending things is always a gamble, especially to people whose tastes you aren't familiar with, and knowing how to recommend something is another issue. I get that it's vulnerable to talk about things you like, and that's why I would never be mean about something someone would go out of their way to recommend, but I don't know where the interests of my blog or my own writing would give away something like Spy x Family would be something that interests me. I have a bio listing the things I'm obsessed with that I would go out of my way to read/watch lol - so please don't feel bad.

Once I had it explained a bit (because, as I mentioned, I hate anything that could be called 'wholesome', and you're not necessarily to know that, but it's a way to get me to not watch something) I was a bit more receptive to it, but I can't guarantee I'm going to be into something, and that's neither my fault nor yours.

I also don't know who anons are when they send me asks (their background or whathaveyou, though I can sometimes figure out anon-to-anon), so I had no idea you enjoyed my writing and were looking to return something that gave you joy. I appreciate you sharing that with me and thank you for enjoying my fanfic. (:

You haven't offended or upset me at all. I'm always trying to figure out how to recommend things to my friends and I often enjoy even seeing their reactions when it's things they don't end up liking, because I like figuring out their taste, and figuring out where mine departs from theirs is a lot of fun. My Best Mate watched R/WBY for the first time recently, and I knew she'd love Volume 7/Volume 8 with Ironwood's fall, and I was very right. I also knew Qrow would be her favourite character and she would like Ozlem.

I was also correct about the things she disliked lol.

So yes, recommending things is always a gamble and it's not an indictment on anybody. If you wanted to share joy, hearing that you enjoy my story already has done so.

Have a nice day and take care. (: You don't need to be scared of me lol.

[vanishedangels]

My take after all that we said these past days regarding the way we -as a fandom- portrait Din and Luke in our creations is that if we start telling ppl that canon Luke would never be this or that, we're forgetting that we're pairing him with another character from the SW universe. In canon Luke is a single man, he had never been in a relationship as far as the story shows (I'm only taking the movies), he could easily be an aro ace character, which is so good, since representation matters.

Since I do interpret canon Luke as an ace man, that doesn't stop me from shipping dinluke where Luke experiments sexual attraction, I know my headcanons are not canon, the minute we assigned him a partner we're far from canon.

Ppl should write and draw whatever they want, still, and this is personal, I find really upsetting when Luke is forced to be a helpless little bird turned into a piece of meat who's only there to satisfy brutal men's appetite, and it hurts more when that man is Anakin or Din. In my case, it's not about purity culture, I do read dark content and I write Dark Luke, my problem is that for a year I've seen posts about these machos abusing Luke while I was scrolling the tag, this is not about fanfics, but about posts tagged as dinluke without any bloody TW at all. So, I don't read fics that explore Din as an aggressor, or Boba Fett, because I don't enjoy that at all, the poc being treated as predators is really hurtful. Tagging is important, I know how to use tags to avoid triggering content, still, Tumblr dinluke tag was full of that said content (out in the open) and we witnessed how those tropes grew until it became unbearable for some of us.

The good, refreshing, appealing thing about the original Star Wars trilogy is that Luke is not the typical toxic male hero from westerns, imagine being a girl or a boy back in 1977, you go to the theater and see this boy next door, watching the binary sunset, feeling that it could be you, it's not John Wayne, it's Mark Hamill, an average boy who craves for adventure, he's not in love, he's not there to save the day but in the end he saves it, he's not the man that turns every head when he walks into a room, he's awkward, hot-headed, stubborn, inexpert, he's starting his hero's journey and he could be YOU.

Star Wars subverted those toxic stereotypes, Leia is a princess, but in the story she's the one blasting their way out the imperial cruiser, she's not a damsel in distress, she's the rebellion leader, she's the one comforting Luke when they were mourning their people not the other way around.

What we do with these characters it's up to us, but I think we have a very good, wholesome ground to start creating positive content.

Expressions like "Fandom designated top", "Pedro Pascal is Latino but he's not a poc because he's white", "Din cut a man in half in that episode so he's aggressive enough to be an aggressor", "Dark dinluke is vanilla compared to jangobi or bobaluke" are only reinforcing the sexism, xenophobia, misogyny and heteronormativity in this fandom. So please, listen to each other, I'm evaluating my bias all the time when I read other people's concerns and I'm learning a lot, so thank you guys for expressing yourselves, it's been very helpful.

[beautifulterriblequeen]

"I have done it." - a TSOA Thetis meta

So I've been listening to the audiobook of The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller, for the past week or so, and I just finished the last 3 hours yesterday all in one go because I physically could not do anything else until I reached the end (except cry. I cried. a lot.)

I have two quick thoughts and then I'm going to Muse Deeply And Ramblingly about Thetis, Achilles' mom.

First off, The Song of Achilles is fanfiction. It is, obviously and patently so (at least to my eyes), and considering Madeline Miller's credentials (BA and MA in Classics), I assume that this literary framing was selected entirely and deliberately on purpose, in accordance with longstanding historical traditions. And I love and support her for this. It's amazing, it's brilliant, it's clever, and reading the one-star reviews for her book from people who don't understand this angle and are Affronted™ is some of the best evidence for its fanfic-ness. And also quite entertaining.

Secondly, absolutely mad props to the narrator, Frazer Douglas, who is more than capable of Doing All The Voices and makes everyone genuinely come to life with his voice alone. His soft British accent goes in a jaw-droppingly wide range of directions to cover everyone from the Thor-like Achilles to the breathy Briseis to the absolute death-metal guitar string screech of Thetis. I even heard an Aussie accent for one character, and another had a nearly undetectable Scottish accent that got thicker when he got upset. This man is just a delight.

If you have 11 hours to spare, give it a listen (it's just out there on YT). It's worth it for Frazer Douglas's voice alone, but you also get an epic tragic romance full of war and family drama and sad gay boys who would do anything for each other - and they do, repeatedly.

Alright, Thetis. Haven't been able to stop thinking about her all night/morning, so I need to write it out and see where I'm at. I'll do a cut for spoilers and cw stuff, because her story is uhhh, not happy.

spoilers for TSOA, going all the way to the end

cw: discussion of sexual assault, trauma, sociopathy, bigotry, manipulation of children

Thetis is a sea nymph, a goddess, who's just minding her damn business when this mortal dude named Peleus tackles her on the beach one day, using tips he got for how to catch himself a goddess-wife, because bros are pals like that for each other I guess. He assaults her, and the gods tell her she has to stay with him for a year because uhhh conquest and male rights, I guess. Sure. Thanks, guys, you're fab, love your system, so wholesome, very family oriented-

ohh I'm salty in here, wow who could have preDICTED

SO. So she grits her teeth and does her damned duty and stays for a year, and bears him Achilles, half-mortal, half-god.

A golden son with golden hair. Her hair is long and black like sea wrack. He does not look like her.

He can sing like an angel and play the lyre. She speaks with the sound of tumbling stones in the waves. He does not sound like her.

She got turned into an oven, a vessel, to create this kid. She's very salty about it, even for a sea nymph, and rightfully so. Lost a year of her life to this mortal asshole who just wanted to bone a goddess, and the product of that attack doesn't resemble her at all - only him. Only the mortal piece of shit who attacked her on the beach.

She shows up for events, she comes in like the estranged mom at a family reunion, gritting her teeth, speaking to no one, leaving as soon as she can. The only reason she bothers, is for Achilles - or is it?

Is it really? Does she love her son, or does she just hate his father more?

The book is told from Patroclus' perspective, as the boy who gets a crush on the godlike Achilles, and who is despised by his crush's mom. The layers of Patroclus' youth and perspective as a new and confused suitor really help to obscure Thetis' motives further. He doesn't know her, and he's actively trying to avoid her, or at least avoid angering her. And the best way to do that seems to be to stay out of her sight.

So, early on, it's hard to tell what Thetis is thinking. But in retrospect, I think she was primarily out for revenge on Peleus. She comes to see Achilles rarely, but she does tell him about prophecies and plans. She wants him to become a full god.

If he's 100% god, see, then there won't be any trace of his manipulative, gross, mortal father in him anymore. He will be fully hers. She's trying to cleanse her child of the taint of his father's mortality, because she feels tainted by it still. Elevate her son to godhood, and Peleus ceases to be relevant.

The gods are immortal, generally, and mortals come and go like the tide. They're not really important, and they blend together. One is as good - or as bad - as another. Until a specific mortal grabs Thetis on the beach, that is. That one mortal, oho boy, he made sure she remembered his face, but in the stupidest way possible. She just quietly decided to block him from the acclaim and renown that his son might fetch for him, by removing him from his son's system and making Achilles 100% god.

The Greeks had a lot of names and nicknames for each other, and a common one was the patronymic. For Achilles, he was called "Pelides", meaning "son of Peleus". It was a part of his identity.

So. Everything she does in the book, before Achilles falls in battle at Troy, is aimed not truly at elevating her son for his own sake, but at destroying every bit of mortality in him, because she hates Peleus - and by extension, she hates all mortal men. Because, again, they're all the same to her.

There is no "Thetis" in "Pelides." Peleus just waltzing in here, taking what he wants, and getting immortalized in his demigod son's nickname?

Thetis: I THINK THE FUCK NOT

And that includes Patroclus. This kid shows up, playing nice to her son, and all she sees is another mortal man with designs on his mind. She's wrong, of course. Can't see past her trauma and rage. So she actively tries to split them apart, to drive wedges, to threaten, intimidate, insult. She isn't subtle, either. She is very blunt.

And there is a sort of patience to her actions. She could kill Patroclus anytime she wanted to. But she doesn't need to kill him - he's mortal already. And killing him would anger Achilles, her weapon of choice against mortal men. She wants her plan to go smooth. It's not about Achilles, yet. It's still about Peleus.

This gets pretty ugly when Thetis kidnaps Achilles right out of bed with Patroclus one night, after no doubt listening in with her powers and hearing Achilles say that if Patroclus' oath forces him to war, then Achilles will go with him. She spirits him away to an island kingdom and makes him marry and sleep with Deidameia, the overweening princess there.

Her motive, as stated later, is to keep Achilles from going to war, since that is where he is fated to die, and she has Other Plans. But the marriage really didn't need to happen for him to remain hidden. In fact, that's what trips her up when Patroclus finally learns where Achilles was taken: Deidameia's proprietary attitude over him when he bolts from the dancing girls where he's in disguise and runs straight to Patroclus. That, and her spoiled rich girl attitude through all the scenes that follow.

Thetis why.

She's trying to do too many things at once, and so she ends up not quite accomplishing any of them. She can't hide Achilles very well because Patroclus truly loves him and looks until he finds him. She can't scrape Patroclus off of Achilles' heart, either, because Achilles truly loves him, too.

And then there's the horrible reenactment of her own assault, which she foists on her son. Achilles doesn't want to sleep with Deidameia but Thetis bribes him by promising to tell Patroclus where he is. And then she doesn't. It's not quite the same as Peleus' assault on her, but it's still very horrible. Achilles doesn't want this, and she forces the situation anyway.

Way to learn from the past, Thetis. Oh, wait, no no, that's not what's happening - or is it? There's a little wiggle room here, where she doesn't force force Achilles, as she was forced. She uses a different technique. Her choices are still terrible and cruel, and she is still mostly thinking about herself. She's telling herself "I'm not like them, I won't do that to someone," and she doesn't, but she does something so similar and horrible that many people would see the two manipulations as effectively the same.

Don't tell Thetis that, though. She's trying very hard not to be her demons, and she'd take that feedback poorly. Unfortunately, she still has a very long way to go. Gods don't learn things quickly.

She shows up years into the siege of Troy to drop the prophecy bomb about "the best of the Myrmidons will be dead in two years, but Achilles will live," and Achilles and Patroclus literally sit around and try to guess who that could possibly be.

It's Patroclus, has to be, obviously, but these boys are so battle-focused that they don't consider that a soft dude who spends his time in the healers' tents to be the best of them all. War is all they've known, for ten years now, almost half their lives, and basically all of their romantic relationship.

But I love how this isn't Thetis's prophecy, she's just spinning it. She delivers it to make sure that Achilles hears he can live without Patroclus (ahaha SPOILERS), but at the same time, its wording honors Patroclus as worthy and good! And Thetis can't give the part of the prophecy she likes without giving the part she hates. The part that says that a mortal man is as honorable as her son, the son she has been trying to erase mortality from. What kind of prophetic bullshit is this??

But it serves her ends, so she does it. And apparently the boys never figure it out, so in the end it's just as well.

But then, the unthinkable: Patroclus appeals to Achilles, begs him as his most beloved to hear him out, trying to help, and Achilles listens... softens... and loses Patroclus. The best of the Myrmidons. And promptly falls apart in rage and guilt and grief.

The prophecy said he'd live. It didn't say how well, nor how long. I wonder, because the book doesn't say, how Thetis handled this part. Seeing her son drowning in his grief, seeing him slay hero after hero while hoping only to perish and end his lonely suffering. Did it occur to her here, how different his reaction was to her furious daydreams about news that Peleus had died, or to killing him herself?

She would have screamed with riotous glee, and the shores would've been devastated by her chaotic power.

Achilles was those shores, and Patroclus' death was his ruin.

It must've baffled her, utterly utterly baffled her. He would not be swayed from his course, to die and end, and then to spend his eternity mingled with Patroclus.

I imagine Thetis went through a very slow, angry, reluctant series of baby steps as she struggled to understand: Why is my son different than me? Why can't he see what I see? Why does he think he wants something I despise? But, see, she must have. Very quietly, very mulishly - gods really are slow sometimes - because of where she got to at the very end.

But there's one more piece to Thetis's puzzle of trauma and guilt and grief and anger: Pyrrhus.

Pyrrhus was the nickname given to Neoptolemus, Achilles' only child, with Deidameia. It means "fiery", because he was a redhead. And he had a prophecy, too: Troy would never fall until he showed up to fight there. So he went, when he was apparently 12 years old!

The book takes time early on to show how skilled Achilles was at that age, thanks to his god blood, so there's a case to be made that Pyrrhus had the same boon in his veins - knowledgeable and skilled beyond his years.

This, however, does not go well for anyone, because of one tragic difference between Achilles and Pyrrhus:

Of the two god-blooded boys, only one of them was raised with Thetis' help. And it wasn't Achilles.

Imagine: You've stolen your son from his teenage lover's bed, manipulated him into taking a wife, and your plan to make him into a full god is going swimmingly - until said teenage lover shows up. Achilles bolts from his wife to the boy he calls "husband", your pick of wives starts shouting pettily about all the secret plans she was supposed to shut up about, and in the end, Achilles leaves for the war you were trying to keep him away from all along - with his preferred lover in tow. And you're left behind with this prissy pregnant bitch, her doddering kingly father, and the house of cards holding up your grand plans. What to do?

Start all over with the baby, of course.

Except now, possibly, Thetis is even angrier at humanity than she was before! Twelve years to shape a bright young hero's mind with every little consideration you never shared with Achilles, because now the anger burns hotter than the pain. Whether she meant to or not, I think Thetis turned Pyrrhus into a monster.

He's written very differently than pretty much every hero in the Greek epics. His flaws are not the common sort: greed, selfishness, fear, horniness, cowardice. Oh no. Pyrrhus' flaws are violent, knowing no bounds, honoring no conventions. He kills King Priam of Troy atop an altar - and in one historical version he does it by using a baby as a blunt weapon. He takes a queen as a slave, sacrifices a princess atop his father's tomb, steals another man's fiancée because he wants her for himself.

What a charmer. In TSOA he's first introduced to us as a snotty kid who genuinely believes he can do Anything Tee Emm. So, since he holds his father's honor above all else, he denies Patroclus' name being added to Achilles' monument and therefore traps Patroclus' soul there, preventing him from finding relief and rest in the afterlife, separating him from Achilles. Pyrrhus did that on purpose - of course he knows how that works.

What stands out to me is that Pyrrhus' targets are, notably, not other heroes. His father faces Hector, Penthesilea, Memnon, Troilus. Pyrrhus attacks an old king, a baby, women, the helpless.

Pyrrhus attacks people who are very, very mortal.

He's no coward. He was one of the warriors inside the Trojan Horse. But the way he's portrayed in TSOA, he really seems to have adopted a big, toxic Us vs Them superiority complex. Humanity is weak and bad and terrible, and the gods are strong and powerful. And strength is goodness, see, because with strength, you can make bad things not happen to you.

By making them happen to other people first.

That is what Pyrrhus goes out and does, over and over. He wreaks horrible death and disaster and he thinks that's just the way things go.

Which, karmically, it is, because eventually he goes too far, and someone finally kills him for his atrocities.

That karma echoes, too: Pyrrhus' doom came when he stole Orestes' bride, Hermione and assaulted her, and Orestes, son of Agamemnon, killed him for it.

What is Thetis to do with that?

She has created the monster she hates most, and he earned the fate she wished for the worst of humanity.

It's unclear how much time passes at the very end of the book, when Patroclus' soul is trapped at Achilles' monument. Perhaps it takes Thetis a long time to seek out her son's grave marker. Perhaps she goes there immediately. Either way, it's clear that, deep down, she understands: Achilles was, all along, the better man.

Part of what made him better than Pyrrhus was Patroclus. Part of what made Pyrrhus worse... was Thetis.

She didn't know Patroclus was trapped there, but once she does, she begins to talk to him, to ask him for memories. She has to ask, because she cannot visit the underworld, and Achilles is already entirely lost to her. She held herself away from Achilles all his life, from his humanity, from his very human relationship and loyalty, and so she didn't truly know him. She never wanted to know that side of him, his father's side of him. But she formed Pyrrhus without any humanity at all - and he became monstrous.

Perhaps she truly doesn't know what she did wrong. Perhaps she's just lost, adrift, having no weapons to stab humanity with anymore, and she's tired.

Perhaps asking to hear of her son from the man who loved him most is as close as a god can get to asking forgiveness.

And bless Patroclus for having, in those moments, enough humanity left in his soul to share the Achilles he knew, with the woman who should've loved them both. He's in torment, alone, unable to move on or reunite, and he has no hope of that changing, and the god he hates most in all the world has come to him. He is angry, he is fearless. And he chooses to be gentle anyway. To give her the softest truths of Achilles' life, to show her how very precious and human he was to him.

Two broken people, one dead, one immortal, finding a single moment together over a man who was both god and man. And because of their willingness and determination to keep reaching for something better, even in extremis, they both manage to find a little more humanity. For Patroclus, it is his last. For Thetis, her first.

She carves his name on the monument next to Achilles', marking and remembering him, and freeing his soul to join her son in the afterlife. She doesn't promise or claim the action. She does it silently, and tells him only when it is done, when it is unchangeable.

For a sea nymph, carving something in stone is a wildly powerful act. It is usually the act of centuries, of millennia, the slow grind of will. But Thetis, for once in her endless life, acts swiftly, on a mortal's timetable - as if honoring the short time that Patroclus had on the earth, and with her son.

She doesn't want to waste another moment - not of her time - but of theirs. Finally, there on the withering grass beside her son's memorial, she understands that her experience with mortal men is not a universal, that Achilles truly loved Patroclus, and that his love was pure and beautiful. That Patroclus adored Achilles, too, and never wished to possess him or control him, only to be allowed to remain at his side, no matter where in the wide world they might go.

No matter in any world, above or below.

She had tried to separate them in life, for her own vengeance. But with Patroclus' words in her mind, she could not in good conscience let them remain so in death. It would've been easy for any mortal to join them together again: a simple carving, a single word, and he would be free.

Easier still, then, for a goddess.

"I have done it."

Thetis did not deserve Peleus' attack. She did nothing to invite it. She struggled with rage and disgust for decades as a result. But the purity of the love between Patroclus, a mortal, and Achilles, a demigod, finally reached her heart, behind all its walls. Sometimes when we are hurt and cowering and lashing out at everyone around us, all we really want to hear is that, Yes, there is real love in the world, and it is beautiful and strong and unbreakable even by horror and betrayal and privation and death.

Love is stronger than the things that hurt us.

It's the end of the book, but it's the beginning of eternity for Achilles and Patroclus, and they get to spend it together because of her, despite all the cruelty and chaos she caused them before. So I hope it's the beginning of a new day for Thetis, too.

[mister-lady]

geez, i love your writing so much. water totally does have a taste tho. otherwise when you went to other places besides your house you wouldn't think that the water tasted weird there!!! which i'm now realizing might just be a me thing lol. anyway! if it's okay to send another prompt (i don't wanna overwork you!) then howa bout 9 with Remus cuz you said you didn't like him at first and the prompt says "forced to spend time together"!!!

*sobs* th-thANK yoUu!!!! And exactly!!!! Water has a taste!!!!! Janus doesn't agree tho smh. I definelty get that tho! One of my friends house that I go to I cant have their water cause it tastes funky to me dkkvkskg.

AAA ILLYYYY🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺💘💘💘💘💘❤💘❤❤❤💘❤💘❤💘❤❤❤🌟❤❤❤❤❤❤💘💘💘💘🌟🌟🌟🌟you're not overworking me at all!!!!!!!! I'm absolutely loving all of these thank you sososoo muchhh🥺🥺🥺🥺👉👈👉👈👉👈👉👈👉😭👈👈😭😭😭🥰🥰🥰🥺🥺🥺💘❤💕❤💕❤💕❤❤💕 this was super fun to do!!! Especially becuase I normally don't talk much about my enemies to lovers thing with Remus so it was kinda nice to almost project it onto here!!!🥰🥰🥰 Also sorry I got a little carried away while writing and it got a little off-topic from the prompt-

Prompt: A moves into a new apartment and wants to check out the closest dog park. Their dog loves it there, especially that one dog that seems to be there almost every time they go. With their dogs being madly in love with each other, A and the other owner, B, are forced to spend more time together as well

Warnings: strong curse words used a minor amount. Very small angst.

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

Matt had moved into an apartment, hoping to build up some money for a home. He was living the life though, being able to do things when he wanted, without people complaining at him. However, Matt had gotten a little lonely so he did the best solution! He got a pet. Now, Matt normally wasn't a fan of dogs, mainly ones that barked a lot, but when he had been searching through the animal shelter and found a very peaceful dog. It was maybe around 1 year old and it was a small poneramium. Normally small dogs barked a lot but this one was fairly quiet and Matt liked it for that. He named his dog Siskel. Since an apparment was a small place Matt had searched up local dog parks he could take his dog to and let it play for a bit and get some exercise. Matt was unbelievably happy when his dog had found another dog friend! He thought they were adorable together and seemed to get along so well too! What he hated was the rat-bastard that owned the dog. You know how theres the couple in movies that want be together but the parents hate eachother? It was essentially that for Matt, but it was one-sided. The other person seemed to find Matt amusing, even though Matt had often showed that he didn't care much for him. Sometimes Matt would feel bad for the way he treated the person, he never gave him a true chance. But then the person would say something that made Matt stop feeling as guilty. The downfall for Matt was that he had scheduled days that he could go to the park where he had free time so it's not like he could ignore the other guy either. Plus, he would feel bad for depriving his puppy of it's friend just because Matt had been salty.

Matt had currently been sitting on a bench at the dog park and was keeping a close eye on Siskel. He made sure to keep his dog on a leash incase it did go to do soemthing bad, he could pull it back, plus, he didn't have to worry about Siskel running off either. Matt could tell just by the way his dog acted, that it was impatiently waiting for it's friend to arrive. Matt was trying to take it's mind off of waiting for it's friend and was throwing a pinecone for his dog. He would use a toy but if another dog came up who knew wheres its mouth had been? Siskel knew not to fully bite on the pinecone, but it would still bark at it and pretend to play with it. Matt couldn't help but smile as he watched. Though, poor Matthew's smile didn't last for long as he felt the same ol' guy sit next to him. Matt knew a little information about him, like his name and such, but only because he had told him like Matt had asked.

"Hey, Maaattttt!!" He chimed.

"Hi, Remus" Matt huffed.

Matt watched as the dogs quickly ran up to eachother and played with a pinecone together. It was very wholesome. However Matt casted a confused glance towards Remus, not understanding why he was so silent.

"You're quiet." Matt commented, while raising an eyebrow.

"I am?" Remus asked, as if he wasn't aware of what Matt was talking about.

"Yeah, normally you're rambling on about something that happened to you, or about how you poisoned your enemies cake or soemthing." Matt soon regretted speaking up, as he watched a very amused smile grow across Remus's face.

Remus gave Matt a very tight hug, causing Matt to squeak from alarm. Matt couldn't help but notice now warm Remus had felt and he could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

"Wh-.. what?" Matt questioned.

"You do listen!!! I was always afraid you never listened to my stories!" Remus seemed to be bursting with excitement.

"Well, I mean I kinda have too, you tail me around against my will." Matt flatly pointed out.

"Pssshh, yeah cuase you don't like me. Totally"

"I hate you. And why are you still hugging me??"

Remus withdrew and let go of the hug. Matt could've sworn he thought Remus looked a little upset for a moment, but if he did it was quickly replaced by happiness.

"You knowwww... it took you a little while for you to tell me to stop hugging youuu" Remus teased.

"You're honestly the biggest idiot I know and it hurts to be around you."

"You can insult me all you want but it's not going to change the fact that you like my hugs!"

"You're a lunatic and burn down places. The last thing I want is your hugs."

"Is that why you let me hug you?"

"I didn't let you hug me! If I did I would've hugged back. But I didn't."

"You let me hug you and you listen to what I say? Mmmmm... I'm pretty sure you like me."

"I don't like you, I'm just that lonely."

"Most people that don't like me get a restraining order, so you must like me to some extent, right?" Remus gave Matt a puppy-eyed look.

Matt groaned in annoyance. "I just might if I have to sit here any longer."

"That's not a no~"

"And it's definitely not a yes."

"Well, it's not a no, so I'll take what I can get."

"You're a dunce."

"I still don't see why you hang out with me so much then."

"Hang?? Out?? I-? Me??- with yOu??-" Matt stumbled over his words in aghast. "Okay, I certainly don't, and would never, hang out with you, Remus. You come up to me. I deal with it because for some stupid reason my dog likes your dog, and I do what's good for my dog because I have a little bit of common sense."

Remus pouted at Matt's little tangent and crossed his arms. "Fine. I won't talk with you then. Maybe then you'll like me more."

Matt shook his head, "Why do you care so much for whether I like you or not?"

Remus only glared at him and didn't respond. Matt decided to take the opportunity of peace and quiet, however, as time started to pass, he felt like something was bugging him. Like he was itching to do soemthing and he didn't know what. Like something was...off. He gave Remus a curious glance, wondering if he had done something, but by the looks of it he was behaving like a decent human being. If that was the case, then what was bugging Matt?? He had gotten what he wished for, had he not? He subconsciously gave Remus an almost longing kind of look, and Remus met his gaze for a split second, only to look away. Matt couldn't help but fear a pang of hurt in his heart, only to be quickly filled with frustration at himself. Remus complete was the opposite of a normal, decent, and civilized person. All he did was annoy Matt, so why did Matt feel bad? He quickly answered his own question. Remus hadn't done anything bad directly towards Matt, and Matt had acted like a huge douche towards him for no reason. Matt felt his eyes water up a bit at the realization and quickly blinked it away. He felt terrible for the way he had acted.

"I'm sorry." Matt spoke, his voice cracking a little bit causing him to inwardly cringe.

Remus looked at him, but gave him a questioning look as if asking him to go on.

"I'm sorry for being a massive and terrible douche towards you. You hadn't done anything wrong, if anything, out of all the things you've told me about I should be lucky that you didn't do anything to me and I'm really, really, sorry and I know that doesn't really change anything but I completely understand if you don't forgive me, and honestly with the way I've treated you I probably don't deserve your forgiveness." Matt had gotten repeatedly choked up as he spoke and had to keep clearing his throat or blinking away the water in his eyes in a sad attempt to hide what he was feeling.

Remus eyes had widened in surprise. That was by far not what he had expected at all. He didn't expect too much of an appology especially from Matt, so the heart felt appology took him a few seconds to process.

"..Matt?" Remus spoke.

"Yea?"

"Can I hug you?"

Matt quickly nodded his head and felt his face twist as he felt a few tears go down his face agaisnt his will. He didn't realize all the weird feelings he had subconsciously bottled up, but as Remus tackled him into a hug, almost knocking him off the bench they had been sitting on, Matt couldn't help but sniffle a little bit. He felt the warmth from Remus engulf him again, and his mind drifted to how nice Remus's arms and hands had felt to be wrapped around him. Matt tried to calm down his sudden emotions and breathed a little more slowly, and slowly slithered his arms up and around Remus's back and rested his head on his shoulder.

"We never speak of this to anyone." Matt mumbled.

Remus giggled and nodded his head in agreement, causing Matt to laugh a little bit himself.

"I knew you always liked me a little bit." Remus teased.

[kuuderepunkin]

Halo halo! If you could please, I'd like a match up for Bleach and/or BNHA (feel free to choose between them if you don't feel like both, or if that's too much). My pronouns are she/her, I'm pan, and I like all kinds of art, social sciences, animals, documentaries, and gardening. I'm scared of spiders and heights, and have strong opinions and little patience. If it helps at all, I'm also tall, round, and love battle axes so SO much.

Why yes, of course my dear!  I know (believe) you like Grimmjow and Bakugo so I will include some head canons catered to them below, after I do who I match you up with. 

Boku no Hero Academia Matchup : Ryuko Tatsuma

To be honest I match you with her because you two seem intellectually equal, you enjoy a lot of stimulating and enriching topics which I can totally see her being a woman of high education. She’s so kind and I can’t think of a better significant other than one who would cherish you and your interests.  She’s a bad ass woman, you’re a bad ass woman, you’re a bad ass couple- yet it’s so soft and domestic sometimes. 

Okay you cannot tell me this gal makes her own armor, which- to me- means she knows how to forge. So guess who’s getting you your very own battle axe? You observant and compassionate girlfriend Ryuko. 

She is an educated and respectful woman, and I can totally see the two of you having discussions about social sciences. 

Basically the whole relationship is enriching! A lot of your interest would align with things she would also be interested in or things she would love to partake in learning with you. 

Loves gardening with you, it super domestic and cute. She finds it very relaxing to spend time with you doing something so wholesome and relaxing. 

Just imagine waking up on Sundays together as you two walk to the garden to tend to your plants.

She comes home from her pro hero work sometimes and will join you in the garden, happy to unwind from the stressful work and listen to you talk about your day. 

Dates often include documentary cuddling nights, because it’s relaxing, she loves to learn, and she enjoys spending time with you no matter what you’re doing. 

She’s a great gift giver, often for you it’s flowers and new cute pots for your gardening. She also knows exactly what brand of art supplies are best for the area of art you enjoy doing. Only the best for her talented girlfriend. 

Ryuko is known to praise people for their good work, and being her significant other she’s going to let you know every moment she see’s you how wonderful you are. How you’re so talented and brilliant. 

As for your strong opinions she values that aspect of your personality, because it’s important to have your own opinions and views, and as a pro hero she has some strong opinions herself. She loves having intellectual discussions with you. 

And where you lack patience she has plenty for the both of you, but if you’re upset about something she won’t be little your feelings. She listens and often if you lose your patience she believes that it’s rightly due. 

She’s there to help calm you down and stand by your side. 

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez 

Trying to find out who to match you up with in Bleach was a little hard, because I just love ships with Grimmjow- and knowing you like him my brain wouldn’t let me think of alternatives too deeply. I did consider Harribel for the same reasons as Ryuko, strong intellectual woman who would like to learn your interests. But she’s also not as lovey dovey, in a sense? It’s hard to explain, and then I thought about Nel- Which would but cute as hell, but I feel like she’s a little too excitable to hold a relationship, at least with someone as smart as you? If that makes sense, I don’t see her having an interest in social sciences or having the patience for gardening?  So in the end I fell back to Grimmjow- the duality of man. Loud wreckless boy- who is actually calculating and observant. Big huggable oaf. 

He’s not a perfect lover either, since he doesn’t share every interest that you have, but sometimes that don’t matter in a relationship. (A lot of the time in my opinion, as long as their is mutual respect y’all don’t got to like the same shit) 

He loves your passion, meaning your strong opinions, because when you get into it he sees exactly how much your opinions matter to you. Loves that fire you get in your voice when talking about your opinions, the way you seem to light up like a fire sparks joy in him. 

He will listen to you talking about social sciences, and he might understand some of it, but for the most part you may have to educate him, but you get so passionate he doesn’t really mind having to listen to you explain things to him. 

Grimmjow is just very drawn to your passion and energy, because he is passionate as well. 

If you want to have a date night watching documentaries, he’s fine with that, but there’s a condition, you have to be resting against his chest as he holds you. 

He’s a big kitty, he loves physical contact with you. 

Your love of battle axes, may cause him to be a little too excitable and he will get you a battle axe and then offer to train you. But he gets a little to excited, showing you how you can use it. 

He doesn’t train in battle against you, he doesn’t want to get too into the battle and hurt you. But he does help you handle it, putting his arms around you as he helps you swing it in the “right” way. Aka the best kill strike. 

This boy may be a little self conscious, that you two don’t have a ton of common ground of things to talk about. And he worries you’ll get bored of trying to explain things to him, but he lets you know how he’s very interested in what you have to tell him. Hoping this will be enough to prove that he does care about your interests. 

Bakugo Katsuki 

Another boy who is great to see people paired with, and you my dear are no exception cause he’s loud and intellectual. 

He’s on par with your knowledge, and will have debates with you about social sciences. Bakugo is a smart student so you can’t tell me he would have some kind of knowledge about different subjects. 

And as a pro hero he has to have some sort of knowledge about social sciences. Even if it’s not his strong suit he knows enough to hold a good discussion with you and follow what you’re talking about. 

Not going to lie, he has some strong opinions, so if your opinions don’t align he may debate it with you. Not to worry this is not going to make him upset with you, Katsuki is just interested to hear why you have that view on a certain opinion. 

He’s not going to try to make you change your view, but if the debate does educate you enough to change to his side he’s pretty smug about it, feel free to lightly jab him in the side. 

He enjoys challenging debates with you but not to the point of arguing because he just wants to see you get passionate about your views and interests, he just doesn’t know how to place those feelings. 

I hope these are okay! I love you bb!!