#slay calliope

[arthurtaylorlester]

ok but hypothetically would hob and dream have to defeat (make amends with) dream's 7 evil (actually quite reasonable) exes?

[beckiboos]

BERWHALE THE AVENGER! My Ceremonial dagger *tells story of dad conning him to join the army with a fake prophecy*

Your dad sounds like a bit of a tosser to be honest

Yeah he is really

[helshollowhalls]

What do you mean Go-Getters is 'releasing in 2024' I need the whole song NOW to listen to on loop until I've wrung every last bit of dopamine out of it

[jittterbug5768]

Juliette: What’s up guys. I’m back.

Calliope: What the- you can’t be here. I literally saw you die.

Juliette: Death is a social construct.

[cohesively]

imagine being an actor on first kill cryin and shitting urself giving the performance of ur lifetime and people on the internet are like "first kill doesnt have to be good 😗 its campy and cringey and thats OK" like i'd kill myself if that were me 😭😭

[becausecosima]

Imani Lewis always slaying in her BTS content, feed us more!

#Like the person in the background, I would be respectfully looking too

From Imani’s instagram stories

[ourchunkysalsa]

yes i already made a playlist even though i’m only two episodes in. it’s a work in process but it’s good Trust me.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2KaBXS4WBeOCFTTzX6T1mS?si=FG_d4E-3S3iiEnu7c_A2Uw

[plxnetn1ne]

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

𝗵𝗼𝗴𝘄𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘁𝘀:

Scenery:

friends

altar

this action will have consequences

lake

london -- 1890

school

Niamhs trial

forbidden forest date

abandoned castle

unleashed magic

TOBBS

beasts class

toast

nighttime

dragon

Sebastian Sallow:

crucio.

outside the undercroft

distracting Scribner

casual poses

catacomb

imperio

man.

undercroft

take the fall

ahgedefw

AHFEUYHEFS

classes

ladies man

Calliope Venzak (MC):

siblings

mountain quest

murderous intent

azkaban

map chamber

bad ending

eepy

side profile

shes swell

slay

mirror

dark times

corpse

Thalia Venzak (MC):

avada kedavra

Penelope Venzak (MC):

greenhouse

library

Ominis Gaunt:

catacomb

hes eepy

Sebastian Sallow x MC:

crucio

valentines

mountain sun

detention

late night chats

hogsmeade

train station

for anne

first meeting

lalalala (okokokok)

red and purple

restricted section

sunny day stroll

the water is fine

lightning

rain

Poppy Sweeting:

dragon

Leander Prewett:

DADA class

Garreth Weasley:

potions class

feeding the beasts

walk away

damn

Anne Sallow:

incendio

sallow siblings

i just think shes swell

wives

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

[sculptorofcrimson]

Inspired by @sister-calliope !

Forgive me, a collection of random thoughts where I’m rambling again on traitor!Valdor…

Can't even focus(oof), I must be getting old…

~~~~~~~

Ramblings about Traitor!Valdor 

The most loyal of his servants, turned to treachery.

As a final insult, he kept the Apollonian Spear. 

So he could know forever what he could have had, what he could have dreamt, but never attaining it. Feeling human only when he kills, feeling joy siphoned from a dying Loyalist’s mind, feeling happiness only in the scant few seconds between one kill and the next. 

Maybe he’ll fight against the Emperor. Maybe he’ll die just like how the Thunder Warrior Primarch died, marching to battle with a doomed coup, knowing they’re here to slay him, knowing he’s here to die.

Maybe he’ll flee into the Webway. Maybe he’ll become the dreaded King in Yellow, but instead of reining in his efforts, instead of obeying his master’s will, the former Custodian will become blasphemy incarnate, here to break His throne. 

Or maybe Valdor will win the Blood Games, for one last time. He was His bodyguard for millenia, he knows when He’s vulnerable, he knows when He dies. The Emperor dies not with a scream or a warcry or a glorious, fateful death, but in silence, smothered by the hand of His formerly beloved servant turned assassin. The Shadowkeepers will tear him apart, of course, limb from limb and shred his auramite plate from plate, but He’ll be dead. 

Or maybe, just maybe, Valdor would do nothing at all. He’ll simply leave, his duty complete, the Custodes forever wondering what became of him, what became of the greatest of the Ten Thousand? Maybe he won’t try to avenge the dead. They’re dead, after all, and his sins would never be expedited. What use is vengeance to a dead man? Valdor is merely a sentinel, charged with observing while others acted. He had watched while the Cataegis were born, while they died, while he betrayed them. To watch, to wait to act, but this act will never come, this lost servant will never come home. Maybe he’ll settle down, in a distant cold star, reminding him of what he lost to gain the powers he had. Was the bargain worth the price? Was it truly worth the price? 

The First Custodian once lead the golden, he once served a god-king, before whom His words could fell an army. Now he walks alone, watching and waiting for a time that will never pass, clad not in armor but in furs and iron. The cycle ends where it began, beneath frost and winds so like Maulland Sen he could sometimes almost-dream of the thunder and the iron, that his perfect memory could fail him and he could almost remember what it felt like to dream, to be a young creature again, so full of ambition and possibility and words before the Emperor had laid down His claws. 

And finally, maybe he just might come crawling home. The old dog, having his fill of adventure and obedience, the prodigal general limping home with his head bowed and neck bared. Because what else did Valdor know? In truth, he do not really know where else he could go. He wanted nothing, he lived for nothing, he desired nothing save that of his lord, and that too was gone, by his own betrayal. 

He lived for the Emperor. He’ll die by Him too. 

Staggering home, his armor charred and cracked and missing in pieces, the Apollonian Spear dragged behind him like the limp tail of a dog who no longer wished to fight. They’ll bind him in chains and drag him before his former master like the traitor he is, and Valdor, obedient once more, no longer resists. The Emperor drags him home, and Valdor, quietly, without protest, without even a trace of hatred one would have expected from a traitor, accepts his endless penitence with grace.

He will never be forgiven. Not when he had betrayed Him so thoroughly, not when his sin could only be expedited in blood. The Emperor no longer utters the name “Constantin Valdor” with such adoration, in fact, He no longer utters his name at all. For a hero to be born, they must be preserved, their stories written in blood for a lifetime. Yet, till eternity ends, not a single soul would hear the name “Valdor” within the Imperium, even though he had fought and bled so vehemently for the Imperium. He will cease to matter, when his very deeds fade from the Imperium’s memory. Because while his penitence will never end, and the formerly glorious Captain-General will never be forgiven.

Some say that, for the great sin of his treachery, the Emperor removed all traces of insubordination from His favored servant. Some say He removed even what remained of Valdor’s soul, to ensure he would never be free again. For all He had taken from him, he still had plenty to lose, plenty the Emperor could seize within His golden claws and rip away.

Some say the mute Captain-General no longer speaks, in fact, he no longer communicates for fear of whatever heretical taint had led him down such a cruel path. Not a single word save a nod or bow for his lord. Nothing left of the man once known as Constantin Valdor, nothing behind those dead eyes except for resignation, resigned in the same way a badly beaten dog shows its belly, nothing left except for obedience in a mind too broken to even hate. Nothing more than an automaton marching on an endless crusade. A crippled bird, that having tasted freedom, still chose the bars of its cage.

[homestuckexamination]

Psssst, to the person who sent me an ask about the Princess from Slay The Princess a while back, I'm posting this without answering the ask to be the least Spoiler-y possible because I think this is a very fun game for people to experience blind, but-

The Princess and the Main Character are very likely a Muse and a Lord respectively, with the Princess likely being the Lord to the Main Character's Muse. Ironically there's a certain mirror to the case we have in Homestuck, how Lord English just has things fall into place passively despite being Active, while Alt Calliope actively draws the curtains on the story- There's a part in particular where the MC's Passivity and the Princess' Activity are very explicitly mentioned, so that fits quite well.

As for the Aspect, that's a more difficult one but... Honestly maybe actually Space and Time. Time as Pacing, Change and Death, and Space as the Setting, Creativity, I think- Wait. Wait.

FUCK.

THEY ARE A LORD OF TIME AND A MUSE OF SPACE TOO??? HAHAHAHA LMAO- They may actually genuinely be-

Heart/Mind Duality could also probably work, and to some extent, Void/Light is also compelling, but... I think I'm really gonna go for Time/Space.

[princessmeepa]

Is it me or dose all the the goddesses from LO clothes look bad on them (except for Pink RS, who is the only one who has nice and cute girly clothes.

All the goddesses dress like what will Kim K and the other celebrities would wear and it looks bad on them (except for Aphrodite’s baby doll dress and Daphne’s dating dress or Minthe just slaying away her outfits) and Pink RS of course is a Mary Sue and needs to wear cute clothes to make her look stand out. I am going to give some the style of my goddesses to make them look like what they represent and not butch of color Kim K wanna be clones. Here we go!

Amphitrite: some cute and sexy swimsuits or a beautiful mermaid tail dress, because she is the Queen and goddess of sea, after all and she will be covered in pearls, starfishes, bubbles and seashells.

Aphrodite: her outfits are going be look like Jessica Rabbit, Holli Would, Marilyn Monroe and Victoria's Secret Angels, because she is the goddess of beauty of course and her themes are going to be pink, with some hearts, pearls and roses.

Artemis: her look is going to be more of a wild tomboy look and it’s going to make her look like the girl version of Peter Pan and Robin Hood and not dress like she is going to hang out with her girlfriends at yoga. Her theme is going to be green for hunt and blue for the moon.

Athena: will dress mostly like a school girl or teacher, but she has some very cool and bada$$ clothes that will give her some wonder woman vibes.

Calliope: I think she will look cute in a Ballerina Outfits.

Demeter: will have a very pretty traditional toga that shows her lovely chest and she can wear a cute farm girl outfit or a housewife, with corn and poppies in her golden hair.

Daphne: I would give a ballerina tree style look or give her some cute spring related dresses or Lana Del Rey style look.

Echo: I will give her the ballerina look.

Eos: she would wear super sexy clothes to get all the sexy young men attention.

Eris: I will give the sexy black dress with gold that will give her the bad girl It girl look and not the some blond chicken thing.

Hebe: I will give her some cute and pretty youthful dresses or a Melanie Martinez outfits, because she is the goddess of youth and give her color theme orange, because orange means youth.

Hecate: I will give her the super cute and pretty magical girl outfits and sometimes a witch.

Hera: she will dress more like a bride or wear traditional brides dresses from all over the world, because she is the goddess of marriage.

Hestia: I would make her look more of a comic book superhero look with fire theme and she would dress in a 90’s work out outfit for health and a housewife look, when she is at home.

Leto: I will give her a pure white dress.

Leuce: I will give her the sea nymph look with pearls.

Persephone: I will give her the super cute baby doll dresses and other spring related dresses and a sexy black dress, that will give her the it girl.

Polymnia: I will give her the ballerina version of Phantom from The Phantom of the Opera.

Psyche: I will give her the pretty dresses with butterflies themed that will make her look like a butterfly/fairy princess and not RS just googled hot Cheeto girl clothes stereotype with that dumb Micky Mouse hair.

Selene: she would wear the super cute and girly nightgown that will give her the Wendy Darling look to compare to Artemis’ Peter Pan look.

Rhea: she will dress more like a queen and a mother.

Thetis: I will give her the cute girly dresses that will give her bubbly personality.

The Fates looks like Velma’s daughters and the furies look like color versions of Medusa or Medusa’s daughters. I will give mine a new look.

The fate sisters

Atropos: will wear a sexy and dark gothic dresses with a black gogo boots, because she is the oldest.

Lachesis: let’s get rid off the Velma look and replace it with a beautiful Lacey gothic corsets and some gothic themed clothes.

Clotho: she would wear a cute gothic version of Melanie Martinez or a super cute gothic schoolgirl uniform, because she is the youngest sister.

The Furies sisters

Note: each Furies gets a snake in her hair to represent her personality. The normal snake is Alecto, the scary snake is Tisiphone and cute snake is Megaera.

Alecto: will wear a red theme color, sexy and bada$$ clothes.

Tisiphone: would mostly wear pants and shorts and rarely wears skirt and she would wear something more bloody nightmare.

Megaera: she would wear cute and girly dresses with ruffles and some bows.

What do you guys think?

[necromancers-incorporated]

Magnus Protocol Thoughts So Far (by episode)

EPISODE ONE: FIRST SHIFT

1. Alice and Teddy obviously quite close

2. Reference to app — Colin outright angry at someone

3. Alice created them???

4. Alice spoken about Sam a lot

5. WHATS WITH THE FOOD LENA

6. Lena on about importance of organisation

7. Never getting out of here Colin?

8. Gwen vs Lena go go go

9. Alice accusing Gwen of nepotism

10. Pub name is Steward

11. DID THE WORK STATION TURN ON BY ITSELF LIKE THE TAPE RECORDERS

12. Response one to one? Hm? Old response department??

13. Colin what do you know about Freddy!?

14. Norris = Martin's voice – strangely human

15. Figure in cemetery = stranger and/or flesh?

16. Email from H? Who is H? Suspicious.

17. Gwen likes her job? Hates it?

18. Enemies to lovers Gwen and Alice go go go

19. Gwen vs Lena again go go go

20. Get her ass Gwen go get that job girlboss

21. What does climbing the ladder entail Lena? Hm?

22. Camera zooming noises!!!

23. Colin does not sound pleased about the app

24. Colin and Alice clearly close

25. Colin speaks German and is vegetarian funsies

26. AWFUL TERRIBLE THINGS LAND PEOPLE THERE WHAT WAS GWEN'S HELP

27. RED CANARY RED CANARY GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT

28. Mag Institute in Manchester?

29. PICTURES DONT WORK AND PARANOIA

30. Burnt down 20 years ago hmmmm

31. ASYLUM OR PRISON HM?

32. Brutal pipe murder stains?

33. Camera not working? Distorted?

34. Got doxed hm interesting interesting

35. Yes. Yes they should. Keep canaries above ground please.

36. EYES

37. Aw Gwen checking on Sam

38. Chester = Jon's voice saying GET THE FUCK OUT

39. What do you know about the institute Sam?

40. Hah! Gwendolyn

41. Hmmm Alice talking about having victims...

42. Colin talking to the fucking computers who are you trying to find

43. GWEN BOUCHARD FUCKING *BOUCHARD

**EPISODE TWO: MAKING ADJUSTMENTS

1. Gwen why do you know all this shit

2. Hm how long have you been there Gwen?

3. Obsession with perfectionism

4. What the fuck do you mean Lena is firing people!?

5. Why isn't Gwen respected? Hm? Nepotism reference again?

6. Alice's brother in a band?? Dredgerman?

7. Sam why are you so curious hm!?

8. DO NOT FUCK AROUND AND FIND OUT DO NOT

9. Ink5soul definitely going to come back, love them for that

**EPISODE THREE: PUTTING DOWN ROOTS

1. A dot jmj error? Hm? Colin thinks it's sentient?

2. Alice and Colin buddies love that

3. Colin doesn't like central IT hm I wonder why

4. Why is he so against giving the computer a personality?

5. Colin is so fucking Scottish istg

6. Dr. Samuel Webber has a grief counsellor

7. 13 Marigold Drive (Webber's address), 12 Castle Hill Avenue (Gerald Andrews), Madie Webber is deceased

8. More paranoia nice

9. Community watch you say?

10. Hmmm corruption vibes...

11. I feel like the garden might come back later like Ink5oul

12. ALICE STOP PREDICTING YOUR OWN DEATH PLEASE

**EPISODE FOUR: TAKING NOTES

1. Sam what are you looking into hm!?

2. MAGNUS AND PROTOCOL WHAT DOES THAT MEAN

3. Why were other people looking into it?

4. Alice what do you know about the Magnus Institute!? WHAT IS STARKWALL!? MASSACRE? PRIVATE MILITARY SHIT!? WHAT

5. Why is Gwen so against naming the voices too? She knows something I'm sure of it

6. Augustus hmmm who are you

7. Go old man go, go murder your teacher slay

8. STRANGE MUSIC YOU SAY HMM LIKE THE CALLIOPE

9. BEING PUPPETED ABOUT HM? WEB MUCH!

10. Evil violin man in the woods he will return again

11. The face of fortune? Is Fortune a new entity or something?

12. Player and instrument roles are blurred hmmmm

13. Hmmm murdering students HOW

14. Violin = ye old Grifter's Bone

15. Violin more like violence (aka mass murder)

16. Ooh yay more eye gore FUN

17. I wonder what the nephew did with the violin

18. WHAT OTHER STORIES HAS AUGUSTUS READ

19. Gwen and Alice's vibes I eat that shit up

20. LENA WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU KILL KLAUS!?

**EPISODE FIVE: PERSONAL SCREENING

1. What the fuck is wrong with you Colin (affectionate)

2. CAMERAS CAMERAS CAMERAS PARANOIA EYES EYES BEING WATCHED LENA IM WATCHING YOU

3. WHY ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT KEEPING SECRETS LENA HM?

4. Sam what have we said about fucking around and finding out. Just gonna fill it out anyway ffs goddammit

5. Lonely you say? Interesting.

6. ONE MAN'S TRASH IS ANOTHER MAN'S TRERROR TMA EP 5 REFERENCE

7. Why are all the posts deleted?

8. Voyeur? Hm. Ha. Eyes.

9. 2009? The same year you started your horror blog?

10. Oh they just found your address did they? Not raising any suspicions?

11. HA ITS THE SAME CINEMA THAT YOU THOUGHT WAS CLOSED HOW NORMAL

12. Adding "getting babadooked" to my vocabulary now

13. My guy is just insulting the cinema alright pal

14. Oh haha unintelligible hmmm. No.

15. ITS WHATS ON THE INSIDE THAT MATTERS IS IT

16. SAME OLD GUY DOING EVERYTHING

17. Stop it with the fucking "unintelligible"

18. SOUNDS FAMILIAR DOES IT HM I WONDER WHY

19. YES YOU FUCKING KNOW THAT ROOM OF COURSE YOU DO

20. Fuck off who is there watching you. I'll put money on the fact that it's Lena or smth

21. Oh, definitely not him posting that last message

22. More Alice and Luke, giving some real Tim vibes now. Living jn FEAR

23. Gwen stop lurking and being secretive

24. You're right Alice, something is very wrong.

**EPISODE SIX: INTRODUCTIONS

1. Aww sleepy Sam

2. Why are you warning him against the coffee Alice?

3. WORKED THERE FOR ALMOST A DECADE ALICE? SERIOUSLY?

4. Ah yes. The true enemy is the sun. Of course.

5. Sam is a cat confirmed (mlem)

6. NEW HIRE NEW HIRE NEW HIRE

7. Haha eating people. Fun. Christmas party episode?

8. Gwen is not pleased by the new hire, who is shocked

9. I've decided that Gwen = Jon, Alice = Tim, Sam = Martin

10. Fuck me I hate needles so much they freak me out god (haha phobias being played on now)

11. Needles is such a funky little guy he is trying his best and is so calm and chilled

12. Creepy creepy creepy

13. HOLES AND NEEDLES STOP PLEASE

14. Oh you grew up there? Are we gonna get some lore?

15. Ah. You are the reason it is unsafe.

16. WHAT DO YOU MEAN MARKED? MARKED BY WHAT?

17. Definitely feeding on something. Hahahaha. Stop.

18. STOP WITH THE NEEDLES IN EYES I FEEL SICK

19. Poor Needles no fear for you to eat :(

20. Needles is going to fuck me up

21. "You're clearly not well" STOP

22. This man has fear maths

23. Ha. Cuddles. No.

24. I feel very unwell

25. "Maybe they'll kill again" ALICE PLEASE STOP

26. IS THAT SCARY ALICE? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN THERE?

27. Ha. Lena the big bird.

28. CELIA FROM THE CULT WITH MELANIE AND GEORGIE

29. WHAT'S WITH THE FUCKING FOOD LENA WHY MUST THEY BEEN EATEN ON SITE

30. Why do you know what's in the interviews Alice? Why do you know it changed?

31. Nightmares?

32. Gwen is so fucking mean I love her

33. "Four weirdos in a basement reading scary stories" my my isn't that familiar

34. Celia = Sasha

35. Hm yeah sure you won't get attached Alice

36. Food as a love language Sam

37. ALICE WHY DO YOU HAVE YOUR OWN HIDDEN FOOD

38. Sam with a crush on Celia funsies

39. Tall Alice confirmed

**EPISODE SEVEN: GIVE AND TAKE

1. Celia why are you asking so many questions about the voices?

2. REFERENCING THE FUCKING FEARS ALREADY OKAY (defo tma Celia)

3. Big sister Alice

4. HILLTOP HILLTOP HILLTOP

5. WHAT HAPPENED AT HILLTOP

6. This one is reading a lot like the old statements

7. No name? Hm? A...stranger?

8. Another stranger? Interesting.

9. Weird fucking donations. OK.

10. Ha! Teeth.

11. Are these the kids from Dr. Elliott's class?

12. Haha. No keys. That's not disturbing at all.

13. All for a good cause? I think the fuck not.

14. MOULDY FOOD PLEASE NO

15. Okay. Stop. Freaking out with this claustrophobia.

16. Gunshots? Excuse me?

17. Very very much like the old statements. Celia, want to tell us something?

18. HILLTOP ON FIRE IS IT? OH. I WONDER WHY.

19. OH MY GOD WAS IT STARKWELL IS THIS THE STARKWELL GROUP

20. YOU RECOGNISE CHESTER'S VOICE!? FUCK OFF

21. NOBODY IMORTANT NOBODY FUCKING IMPORTANT

22. JON! WHY ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT JON, SAM!?

23. GWEN WHAT DO YOU HAVE!?

24. OH YOU ARE SHOWING ALL YOUR CARDS RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW BITCH

25. LENA WHAT THE FUCK

26. Okay so she killed him in self defence.

27. WHAT SOURCE GWEN!?

28. Ah. Of course. It's all for the job.

29. Oh, Gwen. Don't get involved. Please don't.

30. EXTERNAL LIASON? REAL WORK?

[midnights-dragon]

I honestly don’t understand why everyone is so obsessed with Elinor.

Like, we get it, she’s hot and badass or whatever, but she also emotionally manipulated and ruined Oliver’s entire life because she “felt like it.” She tried to force Juliette to drain Calliope (literally manhandled her sister and forced Calliope’s blood into her mouth), she guilt-tripped Juliette and tried to get her to kill an innocent woman and manipulated her into getting super drunk and killing a random guy when she knew that Juliette didn’t want to.

And before someone comes at me like ‘well Oliver did the same thing with Ashley’ - no, he didn’t. He killed her in the hopes that Juliette would give into instinct to help her, he didn’t try to force her to do anything, let alone manhandle her or put smear into her mouth against her will.

Adding on to what Elinor did to Juliette, she did a lot of gaslighting and guilt-tripping, made everything all about herself, and constantly told Juliette that she had to do something because otherwise Elinor’s future - not Juliette’s - would be in jeopardy. She also clearly threatened Ben’s life on multiple occasions (Juliette's best friend since childhood!) and trashed the pills that Juliette needed to feel even remotely okay. That’s like taking someone who has a broken arm’s cast away.

There are more instances of Elinor pulling the strings to her own favor in Juliette's life as well, you just need to pay attention while watching.

She also manipulated her parents into believing that Oliver was evil, causing them to literally banish and shun him for years. We got flashbacks and mentions of how she coerced Oliver into killing his pet turtle, Mr. Green, and manipulated him into killing their therapist, telling him that if he just drank from her, he'd never feel bad again (notice that she did similar things with Juliette.)

Again, she didn't have to do any of this - Oliver isn't even a part of the matriarchy, he was no threat to her or to her power. She simply 'felt like it.'

From the age of two, she 'just felt like' ruining her innocent twin's life. Even after Oliver's return in eps 3-4, she was still trying to manipulate Sebastian and Margot into thinking that he was evil. When she and Margot were driving to get Oliver - who had literally just been tortured - from the Burns, she kept trying to convince Margot that he was evil, that he was a psychopath, and got very frustrated and angry when Margot ignored her.

And even after destroying her brother’s life, that still wasn’t enough for her - she wants power so badly that she’ll ruin, manipulate, twist, hurt, and/or kill anyone in her way, no matter who they are.

That doesn’t make her a ‘hot power queen omg slay,’ it makes her a manipulative, power-hungry, murderous, abusive bitch.

Edit: a lot of people I've seen online have been saying that Oliver is just as psycho as Elinor is, and that they're both the same levels of evil.

I'd like to say that I don't believe that this is true, simply because it's pretty obvious that while Oliver is definitely seeking revenge in an insanely over-the-top fashion (by a human standpoint) we have to remember that psychopaths are people who show little to no emotion.

The only time that we've really seen Elinor show emotion is for Sebastian, her father, or when she is losing the power that she has. However, we've seen Oliver show emotion on multiple occasions - he talks about love, he's open with Carmen, he trauma-dumps to Talia while tied up in her basement, comforts Juliette when she comes to him, and openly sobs when confronted by his parents. We can see that he has a lot of deep, emotional layers, that he buries and hides to keep himself safe from the world.

And how sad is that? That he was manipulated so badly at such a young age by the person who was supposed to always be there for him, his twin sister, that he has to hide all of his true feelings to protect himself.

[thecsquirrel]

Holding my Black queer girls real close today.

Representation really does matter and the fact of the matter is that it's just so nice to be able to see yourself on the screen- big or small. Yes, Black and POC folks understand the point of universal themes and how you can find parallels in stories that often lack us, but sometimes it's just nice to look at a screen and see someone that looks like you and sounds like you.

Personally, I have been waiting basically 84 years to see a badass Black Vampire/Monster-slaying woman on screen, ever since Rona showed up on season 7 of Buffy. Heck, I just knew we were going to get a spinoff about the Hellmouth in Cleveland and Rona was going to be leading the charge! Obviously, that didn't happen, but some 20 years later (holy crap!) in comes Ms. Calliope Burns/Imani Lewis and the possibilities were endless. The potential was there! I didn't need First Kill to be perfect, nor should it have to be. It was a fun premise that was focused on the characters who would otherwise be sidelined in other shows. And damn it, it was just fun.

The most hurtful thing of course is the very loss of a character like Calliope Burns, and the Burns family for that matter. The last few years of superhero films/tv shows have both given and taken away. Yes, we got the women of Black of Panther, Misty Knight, Monica Rambeau, Maria Rambeau, Ryan Wilder, Sophie Moore, Anissa, and Jennifer Pierce. That list has gotten a bit smaller and other than the BP women, the Rambeaus remain and even then Maria may just be a memory. (Ugh it hurts to write that.) I won't pretend that the entertainment business is easy, but it certainly seems like the stories and characters that are expendable, more often than not, belong to those of us often pushed to the margins. We cannot and we must not overlook the fact that First Kill had a dark-skinned Black co-lead, a Black woman showrunner, and a crew/staff full of women and queer people. Additionally, we cannot overlook that the folks making decisions about these shows tend to be cis white heterosexual men. It is really hard to make/keep diverse content if BIPOC arent' even in the room.

Anyway, deep sigh. I'm doing all this rambling to say that it sucks to lose this show in general. It sucks to lose this over-the-top, enemies to lovers to enemies fated love story. And it is extra awful to lose a young Black QUEER/LESBIAN character with so much potential. To get a character with agency and vulnerability. A character with some flaws but also with such strength. (And obviously, the accolades should go to Imani, Felicia, and the writers for not just creating some stereotype.) We deserve all the things. The great characters and even the crappy ones. We deserve camp and frivolity. We deserve to be superheroes and super villains. And again, we deserve all the things because our stories matter. And we should be allowed to escape into fantasy and build worlds upon worlds.

So, yes, I'm going to be cranky for a bit on this one because it feels like one after another. And to make matters worse, it feels like there's no place to go. HBO sure as hell ain't saving Batwoman, because they won't even let Batgirl (what in thee whole frak is that! I'm sorry to Leslie Grace.) see the light of day and Disney is too busy running paperbag tests (I will be mad about America Chavez's casting forever!) to be bothered. Although, crazier things have happened and maybe Netflix will be financially bothered enough to either sell the rights or give it a proper series finale. Give me a freaking 2hr movie at this point.

So, to my queer babies who feel like they are going through it right now, be easy with yourself. Kick and scream and fight and rage. Write and create and keep putting it out there in the world. And if no one has said it today: You Matter. Your stories Matter. You belong. And You have something to say.

[belle-keys]

Iliad Retellings, for better or worse

Today I bring you some retelling's of Homer's Iliad. Not all of these are particularly great, but I believe in a certain context, every one of these books can be enjoyable based on what you’re into. When I say “Iliad retelling”, I mainly refer to the general plot of Homer’s epic, but also as it pertains to ancient plays about the same epic by Euripides, Aeschylus, and Sophocles.

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

This is a feminist retelling of Homer’s Iliad from the point of view of Briseis and Achilles which focuses on the experiences of the enslaved women of the war. Look out for rape and slavery as major topics, and know that neither Achilles or Patroclus are the good guys in this book. This is my utmost favorite retelling of Homer's epic- it's raw, engaging, and adds something new to the story. Note that it draws more on Euripides' works than Homer's.

The Women of Troy by Pat Barker

The sequel to The Silence of the Girls, which focuses on what happens to the various women after the Trojan War and is told from the point of view of Briseis and Pyrrhus. It's basically a retelling of The Trojan Women by Euripides, and it analyzes the legitimacy of Pyrrhus' slaying of King Priam. It's like a very lengthy epilogue to the first book, but it's super introspective and was a relatively quick read.

Elektra by Jennifer Saint

This is based on Orestes, Iphigenia, and Electra by Euripides and Agamemnon by Aeschylus. It's about what went down during the war between Elektra, Clytemnestra, and Cassandra (favorite woman) and how Agamemnon's actions and overall shittiness ties them all together. Multiple POV book that's told in a way where it ends semi-anticlimactically, sure, but it's a book I've been waiting for because of how much I love these specific characters. Got daddy issues? This one's for you.

Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert

Sigh. So, this is an extremely loose romance and erotica retelling, and it’s a ménage-à-trois between Achilles, Patroclus and, get this, Helen. The plot is juvenile, the writing is overly simplistic, and the worldbuilding is ridiculous. But! There are two redeeming qualities about this. The first is that it’s quick and indulgent if you just wanna read something that’s not serious. The second is that Patroclus has an actual personality and isn’t just there to be Achilles’ shadow, which I liked.

A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

A feminist retelling of the Trojan War and its aftermath from the points-of-view of several of the women/female figures involved in the war: Briseis, Helen, Calliope, Cassandra, Hecuba, Andromache, Iphigenia, Eris, etc. The storytelling is non-linear, so each chapter feels like its own complete mini-story that details a certain aspect of the war. Of course, we get a lot of meta-commentary on Homer’s Iliad since the muse herself and some goddesses get POV chapters.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

You know this book, I know this book, we know this book. This is the story of Achilles’ life and death told from the POV of Patroclus. It’s also the story of their specific relationship, and it covers a lot of details about Patroclus and Achilles’ youth, Achilles and his relationship with his mother, all the angsty stuff that happened after Patroclus died. I have issues with this book so it’s not exactly a favorite of mine, but overall, there’s good writing here and its also very quotable.

[if-maggots-knew-god]

Speed character personality descriptions (but I refuse to take myself seriously like always)

Main characters:

“Venison” Birk: sopping wet pathetic man, begrudgingly the narratives “favorite” (help him)

Calliope Wright: spite incarnate, SO tired of everyone’s shit (acab)

Georgette “spots” Bailey: people pleaser, let her have a nap for gods sake, (acab)

Secondary characters:

Plague man/Victor: angry old gay man commits one million counts of arson

Razzmatazz and Lucerne: polyamorous lesbians just want to be dead in peace

Arachne: flipping off the sky (edgelord supreme)

Supporting characters/the rest of them idk:

Frank Solare: the Cheshire Cat if it had a gun, biblically accurate bastard (acab you spooky cop fuck)

Tetra Volkov: crossdressing priest like ok slay I guess, in love with the biblically accurate bastard

Elijah Williams: it bites and it bites and it bites and it bites and it bites and it-

“God”: you are not god, stop lying you overgrown Bambi, gaslights you for no reason

There will be more characters but I’m too lazy to write something about them