#odysseus father of memes

[katerinaaqu]

So spake he, and to him did Odysseus, famed for his spear, draw nigh, and take his stand before him, and Diomedes sat down behind him, and drew forth the sharp arrow from his foot, and a sore pang shot through his flesh. Then leapt he upon his chariot and bade his charioteer [400] drive to the hollow ships, for he was sore pained at heart. Now Odysseus famed for his spear, was left alone, nor did anyone of the Argives abide by him, for that fear had laid hold of them all. Then mightily moved he spake unto his own great-hearted spirit: “Woe is me; what is to befall me? Great evil were it if I flee, [405] seized with fear of the throng;, yet this were a worse thing, if I be taken all alone, for the rest of the Danaans hath the son of Cronos scattered in flight. But why doth my heart thus hold converse with me? For I know that they are cowards that depart from battle, whereas whoso is pre-eminent in fight, him verily it behoveth [410] to hold his ground boldly, whether he be smitten, or smite another.”

Oh gosh that moment from Iliad gotta be one of my favorites as Odysseus rushes to the rescue of Diomedes and then he is left alone to fight the Trojans and basically goes

"Shit...now what?!"

Hahahaha the dude is basically the creator of the meme

"The risk I took was calculated but man am I bad at math!"

What a Muppet! I love him! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[dootznbootz]

I fucking love Odysseus and Menelaus as a character dynamic so much. They are so so different in personality but in their goals they are so similar.

Both loving husbands and fathers. Willing to do anything and practically anything for the ones they cared for. Despite their differences in where their morals lie, this is something consistent and I love them for it.

[pennysucks]

EPIC THE MUSICAL SKETCHES I DREW AT SCHOOL 🥲

The images are kinda shit but I refuse to retake them 😝

[antiquityroadsshow]

[streets-in-paradise]

Troy (2004) Agamemnon is so like lotr films Denethor

[a-singing-carebear]

I'm reading this part, and my bookmark looked at me begging for this pun - I had too🤣

[nonbinarylocalcryptid]

I'm gonna give you all (and at the same time, write It all down for my future self) an inside of how my writing process works feat. ADHD and sponsored by the autistic hyperfixation of the moment

*insert Professor Layton puzzle music*

Picture the #daddy Odysseus AU/Astyanax lives, now think about the timeline, how does that work? Allow me to bring up the following points/establish some sort of timeline:

-The kid must be ten years old by the time Odysseus reach Ithaca or the math won't be mathing and we can't have that

-This whole scenario must be as much Canon Compliant as possible. "But Morgan, the Odyssey has many adaptations!" Well my fellow Tumblr users, that's why we are sticking to Epic: The Musical; that, greek mythology and the power of fanfic make a dangerous yet powerful combination. And memes, a lot of memes.

-Keep in mind Zeus wants Astyanax dead because "it's the will of the gods", aka I'm inmortal and bored and it's way more dramatic this way

-Poseidon wants him dead because Zeus wants him dead. Odysseus, dude, how do you dare to defy a god's orders by keeping a baby alive???

-So the father and son duo has pissed off two major gods, Eurylochus is having an aneurism, Polited welcomes the kid with Open Arms (evil laugh)

-The musical goes as we know but with a toddler, chaos guys, chaos everywhere, so much things to write...

-My brain keeps telling me Astyanax starts teething by the time they leave the island in the sky, so not only have Odysseus to keep an eyes on the bag-that-does-not-contain-treasure he also is kept awake by a crying baby

-Tiresias is quite surprised that Odysseus keep the kid but this is greek mythology and at this point, in John Mulaney's wise words, this may as well happen.

-Little Astyanax can't not hold a sword because it's way too heavy for him, but the Odyssey is dangerous so let's give him a KNIFE and a BOW

-Also he's sassy, like, really sassy

-Odysseus is doing what he can, but lmao, try to raised someone in the middle of the Odyssey

-Let's pepper in some beautiful moments of paternal love because that's why we are here

-Odysseus has the mission to raise this kid with the perfect balanced of the Ruthlessness nad Open Arms philosophies, which is complicated because he is busy dealing with crysis after crysis and it's also hypocrital of him, he's way more ruthless with every day it passes.

-To maximize ✨DRAMA✨, Astyanax must learn about what happened in Troy and who he is (because guys, this is greek mythology, let's make it dramatic)

-Astyanax's opinion of the gods is quite cynic (can't blame him *cough cough* Zeus *cough cough*), but he still likes a few

-Because of the point above, this smol boy filled with rage and raised by Odysseus (dangerous combination) it's going to have a certified teenage rebellion and flee away in the middle of the night™ after facing Scylla and right before Mutiny and Thunder Bringer. This way, he can have a yelling match with his father figure, and Odysseus will face his crew alone etc

-I'm still working out in the how, but Astyanax will go back to Circe's island, and Circe will give out some really good advice and a power up, maybe even Hermes would stir up the pot a bit because damm, this shit is hilarious may as well fuck it all up a bit more.

-Astyanax reunites with Odysseus while he is fighting Charybdis, beautiful father and son moment blah blah blah, Astyanax is still salty (cuz they are in the middle of the sea hehe) but the time away has allowed him to rethink stuff. He is also a little shit and always has been so expect a lot of jokes and dark humour about Troy (coping mechanisms and all that). Odysseus could barely handle his sarcasm before, now he has no chance, he rather fight Poseidon blindfolded.

-Talking about Mr Why Did You Blind My Son, they faced him together.

-As the chaotic little shit he is, Astyanax assists Telemachus in his fight against the suitors. Telemachus does not know who this feral kid is but this is not the moment to ask questions.

-Athena loves the little shit, much to her surprised.

-Angst with Happy Ending because of the power of fanfic and headcanons

-Everything else after this point is slice of life feat. comedy

-Odysseus and Athena reconcialiation of we riot feat. Telemachus' face when he realizes who his friend was.

-Maybe a young man Astyanax decides to reclaim his throne helped by Telemachus and backed up by Ithaca?

[urbestestwindgod]

tw for discussion of rape and all and a hot take i guess

ok i dont rlly like to get serious or anything on this blog but i just wanted to mention that even if it was left up for interpretation if calypso raped odysseus or not, the stuff she still does isnt okay. like she still holds him captive, she still harasses and tries to coerce him after knowing that he is married and doesnt want her. she holds him captive KNOWING IT MAKES HIM SUICIDAL. thats not haha girly things that called being an abuser. yes, holding someone captive and trying to manipulate them out of suicide (as opposed to support them) is abusive.

i know she has a pretty voice but like, did you think jorge would cast a random untrained smoker from an opium den to play her so we know that this isnt a good character? and also you can compliment people’s designs of calypso without being ok with rape, because its just a design, but when its “shes my wifey” and “ii love her” its suddenly not like any other epic villain simping because the thing is she isnt a god sinking his ships or lighting bolting his crew to death; shes sexually abusing him (i am also not going to debate if sexual harassment is different from sexual abuse because its not. even if she never raped him she was still trying to coerce him and harassed him; which is abusive)

if there’s anything i dont fuck with its sexual misconduct. rape, harassment, abuse, all of it. dont give me that shit. the only thing that irritates me more than “haha id dropkick that child in self defense” is any victim blaming or pro rape statement that i displeasurably have to hear. like back to “her voice is so pretty” or just “shes so pretty” hey yea thats what most male rape victims are told. that she was so hot though, so he must have liked it. shes not “just a girl” shes an abuser.

now i know people where a little peeved that jorge removed rape from the circe saga; but i think its reasonable why he did. the epic community is very connected and always has memes for the situations odysseus is in. which, when its haha his friend was killed by a cyclops, or his crew was killed by an angry father, or his men where turned to pigs, or haha hes sad at whatever fantastical situation hes put in; we can laugh at it. because not only is it not real because its a story, but also no one has ever been through that. no ones ever faced off a cyclops in a cave before.

but people have been raped. men have been raped and heard the whole “shes so pretty and sweet thoo”. thats real. and with the circe saga jay knew that putting in rape, so early in too, that it wouldn’t be a plotpoint that fit in because that isnt an epic misfortune they face! thats a real situation; not the men to pigs and sea witch stuff, but being pressured and coerced into sleeping with someone? that is a real situation that real people are put in.

and i know male sexual assaults are iffy to people somehow. so lets say that a woman was in odysseus’ place and circe/calypso were men. does that make it worse? because both are bad. i dont fuck with rape towards ANYONE. regardless of gender, i dont think in 2024 we still should be debating is men can be raped

but back to jorge; i think he was brave for making love in paradise go how it did. i think even implying rape was a brave choice for the musical; especially with a very unserious and jokey fandom (not saying its not also serious but still) but even if you interpret that calypso never touched him. in the odyssey she did, and how tf do you LIKE a character who in the source material was a rapist? shes not “allowed to do bad” shes not “just a girl” shes a predator, and idn something about seeing her get support despite that reminds me of people like my uncle, my brother, my friend’s stepdad, a classmate or two. my uncle being able to have a restaurant, my brother having “a bright future” a certain classmate who got a girl pregnant and then went on to go to prep school. while she carried a child from a random guy in another state. you can support and joke about poseidon from epic and all, but when you start talking about calypso the same way you aren’t invalidating odysseus because hes not real. but you are invalidating countless real life victims.

and these are bold words from someone who isnt even mad about zeus of all people, because i know the culture he was from and i know that he was a metaphor/symbol to said culture. but the odyssey was a story with characters who survived by virtue of extending past that cultural bias. i can pull away from the odyssey as a piece of its time and understand that calypso wasnt probably seen as a rapist back then because the term didnt apply, but as a character i hate her like i hate theseus

and i know calypso was technically a goddess but that didnt mean much for her except immortality and being able to sexually abuse better. she wasnt worshipped (to my knowledge?) or exactly metaphorical. and epic is a modern retelling; so modern standards apply; shes a predator. i wont be taking any counter points because like i said dont do me with that shit

tl;dr your support for fictional rapists extends to what real victims have gone through, and check your lust because backing up every pretty voice/face is a rape culture classic

also im not saying that if you like calypso youre a pro rape asshole, dont think that. but i am saying youre not helping anyone and more hurting than anything by treating a character who is a sexual abuser like just another fantasy villain

[nikoisme]

Do YOU have any headcanons about the Ithacan royal family that you'd be willing to share? >:D

SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG!! I was super busy and it took me a while to type everything out (as you'll see)

Here we go!

-Odysseus was a little shit as a kid. Causing trouble and headaches.

-He inherited most of his mischevious nature from his mom :D But she did NOT encourage it too much.

-But Autolycus did. His relationship with little Odysseus was the "do you see this shit odysseus??"

-Eurycleia is the one who kept him in check.

-"Odysseus DON'T do that." "gET BACK HERE YOU JUST BATHED-"

-He DID eventually calm down as he got older. But he is still a shit at heart.

-Also he absolutely BRAGGED about his big ass scar he got from a boar.

-But it causes him problems for the rest of his life. Lots of pain.

-He started with running to exercise and strengthen that leg (all that running came in handy when he had to win the hand of a certain Spartan princess)

-Ctimene is almost as mischevious as him, she's just more discreet about it.

But she's definitely more collected than him.

-Ctimene and Odysseus got along pretty well as kids. Bantering good-naturedly and often driving their parents insane.

-Laertes is so easily frightened and often gets light-headed when he gets startled.

This backfired really badly for mischief-loving-Odysseus several times.

-Laertes taught Odysseus everything about plants and stuff, and it always kind of stuck with Odysseus

-Odysseus is short. Ctimene? Even shorter.

Anticleia is the tallest of the four. No one inherited her height.

-Odysseus loved swimming as a kid! He longed for the feeling he had when he was swimming as a kid, but after he got home he developed a crippling fear of the ocean.

-Penelope and Odysseus didn't really fall in love at first. It was more vibing because they found someone on the same level. It's only later that they kind of thought "ah shit i think there's something else"

That feeling actually came to be when Penelope chose to go with Odysseus over staying in Sparta with her father. That's when Penelope realized that she actually loves him, and Odysseus too was like "ah shit."

-ANTICLEIA AND PENELOPE GOT ALONG WELL. Anticleia, who was also really clever, enjoyed Penelope's quiet intelligence and understood exactly why Odysseus loved her.

-I like to imagine that Ctimene married after Odysseus and Penelope got married, so she had the opportunity to meet Penelope

-Penelope loved Ctimene like a sister! It was almost like she was with Iphthime, and Ctimene definitely liked Penelope a lot as well

-Penelope is left-handed.

-Given that Penelope's mother is a naiad, she really likes water and often went swimming in the sea.

-While she can't breathe underwater, she can hold her breath for quite a while

-Odysseus sometimes accompanied her on her swims! Which is where she showed him how long she could stay underwater. The guy almost had a heart attack after not seeing her resurface for a while

-Odysseus got Argos some time before Telemachus was born.

-Odysseus was just walking around minding his business when a little puppy came up to him. He tried to shoo him away but the little thing was persistent. Odysseus thought of just ignoring him, but relented when the dog kept following him with no signs of stopping. He kind of admired the pup's determination and endurance, so he thought he'd make a fine hunting dog.

-Basically Odysseus and Argos are like the "Odysseus doesn't want a dog. Ends up with a dog anyway. Odysseus and the dog:" meme. You know it.

-Odysseus was always calm and calculating in any situation, but god fuck he was losing it while Penelope was giving birth. Just sitting in the courtyard and slowly losing his patience.

-He always wanted a son.

-He cried when Telemachus was born. That's a fact.

-Penelope got very sick after Telemachus was born and it took her a while to recover. Sickfic potential!

-Odysseus proudly presented his son to the owl that seemed to follow him everywhere. hmm.

-Said owl often sat on Telemachus crib and watched him closely

-Odysseus carved little toys for Telemachus, even before he was born

-Telemachus was a sickly kid

-And he gave Penelope too much worry after Odysseus left

-He was either sick or being a little mischevious playful toddler

-Someone constantly needed to watch Telemachus because he had a habit of slipping away quietly

-One time he left the palace as a kid without telling anybody and returned only when the sun started setting. He was somewhere doing kid shit.

-Penelope absolutely lost her mind in worry. Where is her son? What could have happened to him? Is he alright? What will her husband think if she loses their kid like this? She worried a lot about what Odysseus will think of Ithaca, her and Telemachus after he returns from the war. Does he still care? (little does she know Odysseus calls himself "Telemachus' loving father")

-She cried when Telemachus came back like nothing happened. His mother was sobbing and kissing him and holding him so tightly and he was like ":DD??? wha??"

-This was why Penelope was so worried when she couldn't find Telemachus that one time, and Eurycleia told her he left to find news of his father

-There were times where Penelope was.. not doing well. It often happened when there were no news from Troy. She'd hide away in her chambers and wouldn't see anyone. Only Telemachus, but even that was sometimes. But after the war ended and there were either absurd stories of Odysseus' travels or no news at all - she wouldn't see anyone.

-So Telemachus spent quite some time at Laertes'. But even Laertes was shrouded in grief, which was no comfort for the rather lonely Telemachus.

-Telemachus was constantly surrounded by sorrow and grief. This will come to shape him a lot.

-Telemachus has back problems. He slouches a lot.

-He is also really good with animals! Dogs especially love him!

-He grew up with Argos as a very young kid, but as he got older and suitors started arriving - Argos got neglected and Telemachus had no memories of him anymore since he was so young.

Part 2!

[amnenome]

I’m curious, in what song during epic would Penelope start her journey?

like would Odysseus be in Troy, Circe’s palace, Polyphemus’ cave, etc

Hi! Interesting question - I really haven’t thought this out at all so bear with me. This is an AU, so technically I could have Penelope do anything, but I think it makes the most sense that she would be motivated to leave when the first people start to return from the Trojan war. That’s probably when the suitors start to get more pushy, too, because before she could hold them off with the fact that the war is still going on and he’s still away fighting. Not that that stopped clytemnestra. Girlboss. ANYWAY I think she’d probably go only after the Iliad part is done.

There definitely is a part in the odyssey where Telemachus goes on a quest to find out what happened to his father, and interviews all the old Iliad heroes. Obvs this is different (it’s about Penelope), but from that you can sorta get a time scale. Menelaus returned last, maybe after a year or so? Pls correct me if I’m wrong I haven’t fact checked any of this. So in terms of epic, somewhere around the Circe saga maybe.

But this is Penelope’s story, so I’m not too focused on this aspect of it. And with all the travel time, searching, trial-and-error etc. it makes the most sense that Penelope and Odysseus would meet on Calypso’s island. He’s there for most of the ten years, so she has plenty of time to catch up.

TL;DR: My umbrella academy meme drawing doesn’t fit precisely into the narrative, but I just really really wanted to make that joke lol

[residentevillover]

Farmer catch the Ratgie! And the voices are confusing the hell out of them.

Also WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH HER BODY?!! Every single chapter I worry more about their health. Donna where are you? Did your Mother punish you by giving you more work?

This slow burn is going to kill me if I don't die of worry for Farmer.

Odysseus being trigger happy, I don't know if that is a good or bad thing. Stepping in the parental role with Rose little by little and worry about Mira getting mad at them for being late. The bit about Miranda being clingy and bad at being alone, yeah no shit, you let her alone and now she is a murderous cult leader and mad scientist.

The last part reminds me of the meme of 'Mom pick me I'm scared'🤣

Farmer's just going through something, she'll be fineee. If anything, she's going to be too busy with ratgie to really focus on what's happening to her body

As for odysseus.. Whew, odysseus you gotta be careful with your steps now because it'll be all the more harder to leave when people realize that you're the father of Mother Miranda's blessing

[dootznbootz]

Wdym by the fanon penelope mom thing? Sorry I'm very tired my brain isn't functioning rn lol

No, you're fine! I'm realizing that probably doesn't make too much with how like, I phrased it xD

Penelope IS a mother figure, she IS a mother. A very loving one at that. AND I could see her being a maternal figure for others around her.

I kind of realized I like, probably interpreted it differently than most as like, my immediate thought was "Mom Friend".

And/or basically "caretaker". And I kind of blanked out for a moment as there's a common "theme" I've seen in characterizations of Penelope that fucking PISS me off >:(

I've noticed in some fanfic/fanworks, Penelope is more like Odysseus' fucking MOTHER than his wife/spouse. Literally making Odysseus a "man-child"

This intelligent and cunning around 50 year old husband/father/king/warrior/general/etc. is maybe reckless and "chaotic" sometimes. (as is my Penelope. Likeminded) but for Odysseus to be portrayed GENUINELY like he's stupid (like not meme/funnywise. that's fine/fun) and for her to just be constantly cleaning up after him? That's not a partnership, that's basically being a Parent.

Please know that like, if you do have Penelope "be the one with the braincell" and/or is the more "thoughtful" one, that is fine. It's simply when it's to the point where Penelope's his babysitter that it bothers meeeeee

I've read a few stories where I could replace "Penelope" with Anticlea/Euryclea in terms of how he treats him. (though just with more romantic language lol) And I hate it ;~;

They are not like an old sitcom with "bumbling dad and nagging mom".

Penelope would never love or stand for that. And HE would never want to make her feel that she HAS to.

THAT'S what those tags were about. I do not like that way too often people write Penelope as though she simply exists to take care of Odysseus, to be his wife. that common dynamic I see is reversed in my one fic because I was honestly a bit frustrated. So she's the one that needs to be taken care of/helped. (I'm sorry I nerfed you, my darling!!!) They're equally silly and supportive

I went on a goofy lil rant but ye ;~;

[barbiegirldream]

where's my Song of Achilles anon at ! I read the book. liked some stuff didn't like other stuff. it was fanficition of a two thousand year old poem from a three thousand or more year old story. stuff gets silly. Odysseus was still my favorite he's always my guy. Anyway rest of my thoughts under the cut

I think I liked the perspective of Patroclus a really normal guy next to the warrior of the ages. One pov of a boy unsure of his place in the world surrounded by men older and claiming to be wiser and his godly boytoy.

this personally made me cackle. Patroclus is that oh my god get him some brown contacts please meme.

The myths were actually pretty good. I like how vague they were about Patroclus's mother there are like six different women in history claimed to be her it's really Patroclus's paternal ancestors that matter.

I think it's genuinely a major issue with the plot that Patroclus knew of the prophecy and still acted in accordance to Homeric Legend. I just think he should have found out right before but too late when they're in Troy already perhaps in an angry scorn from Thetis about he'll lose too.

Like you I also thought it was stupid as fuck how Patroclus was a totally useless twink. Didn't even know about legendary Myrmidons the fighting force named after his great grandfather mind you. The mythic ant stuff is literally his own family history.

Achilles being so nervous about the war only to fall into it so easily. Like a god finding their domain he was born for it. I really enjoyed the nitty gritty of war planning too. Him getting Achilles dressed the lips being the only part of him still soft. That was awesome why is that no quoted more. Achilles climbing onto Patroclus covered in blood like god that scene is going to be in my head on a loop. There is so much to it. Patroclus knowing him by scent and touch alone but what creature has come to wake him? Achilles so proud of what he's done seeing the revulsion in his lover who was so sure nothing Achilles could do would revolt him.

There could have for sure been so much more to a much more sensitive Patroclus being unable to love Achilles anymore and that's why Achilles stops fighting until Patroclus realizes he can't hold back his demigod lover from greatness. Taking the book in a radical direction but alas.

Brisies was very well done I appreciated her character a lot. I think it was a very good choice to expand on her mythos and remove a lot of the violence. People often read myths and go oh so he raped her when that's either not stated in the text/not needed to include other than their fetishes driving them.

ALSO so fucking annoying Patroclus doesn't die because he's no good at fighting he dies because Hector is Better. Hector is the sole reason the Acheans struggled. He was the Trojan Achilles idk how that point got turned into well Patroclus could barely hold a spear tee hee. Spending the whole book being like Patroclus can't fight ooh one of Achilles's generals is useless. To then be like jk as in accordance with the Iliad he's really good and killed a bunch of people is actually bad writing sorry. I did giggle at Apollo just fucking with him knocking him off the wall all pretty like just twirling his perfect hair.

Turning Troilus the son of Apollo who Achilles chased down tried to rape and then beheaded in the temple of Apollo leaving his mutilated body for his father to die and therefore the reason Apollo kills him into a random death cause the boy was an idiot. Like Troilus literally the Greek representation of losing a young son to unjust murder. Well okay then...

Thetis raising Achilles's son here is so perfect because that boy is rancid. He saw Agememnon and said I could do worse watch I'll go kill Hector's baby just for fun. And they really delivered on what a piece of fucking shit he was.

Thetis giving in, in the end was really good. Liked it

Overall I think the book was really good. I approached it from the knowledge this is taking thousands of years of myths and giving it to the perspective of a side character and I think it delivered.

[fantasywritten]

an independent, selective, and mutuals only multimuse rp blog. penned by allison.

previously found at multimuse-rp.

affiliated with @dcmur3 💕

fandoms include la casa de papel, supernatural, game of thrones, the 100, reign, atypical, stranger things, the last kingdom, never have i ever, the society, parks and recreation, the good place, star wars, the hunger games, les miserables, squid game, you, harry potter, the end of the f**king world, good girls, on my block, insatiable, lost, how to get away with murder, teenage bounty hunters, alexa and katie, and cuphead. also featuring fandomless original characters. please read rules before interacting!

Note: PLEASE feel free to continue any/all memes I answer as threads! All memes are always being accepted, regardless of when I reblogged them! In addition, all open starters are always open, regardless of how many people have already replied and how long ago the starter was posted. Thank you!

CURRENT HIGHEST ACTIVITY MUSES (last updated 1/25): Odysseus, Sejanus Plinth, Peeta Mellark, Katniss Everdeen, Plutarch Heavensbee, Haymitch Abernathy, Uhtred, Leofric, Father Beocca, Edward of Wessex

rules || muses || open starters || memes

OTHER BLOGS: @kingalfrcd / @dualitytransformation / @inkymonsters / @thehumanpuzzle (currently on hiatus)

[cjbolan]

For the ship bingo thing, Odysseus and Penelope?

I just love how LOYAL these two are to each other!!! 20 years they'd been forced apart by both war and the gods...

Odysseus braves every obstacle known to man to reunite with his Penelope. Even while he's forced to sleep with 2 goddesses -- he still thinks about Penelope and even weeps over being away from her. I think many people forget Odysseus was basically raped, for that reason I hate some depictions of him as this cheating adulterer.

Meanwhile Penelope keeps rejecting and holding off countless suitors by using her wits, in the hopes that her Odysseus will return. Worth noting how Odysseus and Penelope both had to use their wits, in order to get past all the obstacles in their story. Maybe that's why these 2 fell in love in the first place. And because Penelope still loves Odysseus, she raises their child Telemachus to love and respect his absent father, to the point Telemachus later goes searching for him.

BASED ON THIS MEME TEMPLATE

[embodies]

GORE   /   HORROR   PROMPT   MEME   —   send  🩸 for a randomly generated gory prompt OR pick a number for a prompt. ↪ @godsgun : 060. performance.

he is a spectator : this much is clear amongst the haze, for when dean looks downward he finds his wrists shackled, ankles bolted. he tugs at them briskly and receives only a stubborn clinking of metal in return, the nature of it somewhat ethereal. otherworldly. a trait he is all too familiar with. weirder tales have unfolded. taking in his environment one sense at a time, he notes the chair he is tied to is velvety, crimson and prismatic all at once. there are hints of something amiss, swimming in his peripheral vision, never still. he hears symphonies.

enchanting and dulcet ( nothing like the rock music that forever reverberates his travels ) he cannot help but to look to its melodical source, odysseus led by sirens. crash into the shallows. he sees mari, has to narrow his eyes to slits in a double take and for good reason : uncharacteristically, she is on a stage, clad in ballet gear. dancing daintily, all poise and pirouettes and pinch me, i must be dreaming. a black swan has never been so haunting. her efforts elevate as the song reaches its crescendo, the movements swelling in intensity, the atmosphere taking on an air of frantic decay. his wristholds burn, skin searing, bracelets of hell securing him. she is dancing, spinning, turning, a whirlwind of emotions and with each three - sixty spin her face changes.

like a carousel of photos flickering, he witnesses her undoing.

her hair falling out ( it burns ) and maw unhinging, she is a ravenous snake, feet bleeding from exertion, fingernails extending into spidery limbs, her skin melting off her like wax ( she is a doll, a statue, a figure of niceties ) and—

the curtains drop.

he is unnerved, once again clawing at his bindings, when the tassels unspool themselves from the stage curtains, take on lives of their own ( she is a snake charmer, is he part of the show ? ) and rear their ugly heads. then, the ropes fold unto themselves, tighten. they become nooses. he has a flashing vision ( feverish, fleeting ) of himself as a puppet, wooden joints, faded paint, suspended upon strings. when he looks up, mari is the entity in control of his lifeless body, spectres of her long - forgotten father dancing like birds around his head. the thought brings horror like no other, if only he stopped to wonder why.

she unsettles him.

when he wakes up ( because of course it was a nightmare, surely not steeped in reality ? ) he is drenched in sweat and gasping, hands white - knuckled into hotel room bedsheets.

his first thought is that he should lay off the alcohol right before bed : his dreams are getting more and more outlandish and he can't imagine a nightcap turning into several slurred whiskey orders across the bar can be helping that.

his second thought is that mari dai is staging a performance.