#this emerged fully formed from my head like athena

[jessicas-pi]

Obi-Wan is Korkie's father.

Obi-Wan is there the evening Satine flings her blaster off the edge of a waterfall with a bloodcurdling scream, standing three paces behind her and one step to the side as tears stream down her face. She swears on the blood of every child from the village that was slaughtered for daring to hide her—the violence will end. He does not miss the way her arms wrap around her middle, or the sparks of secondary light that have been flickering within her for weeks, and he knows why she is making this vow.

-

Obi-Wan is there the morning Satine stumbles out of camp with a crash, barely making it to the bushes before vomiting out the contents of her stomach. He follows her and kneels at her side, rubbing soft circles along her back and soothing away the nausea with the Force as much as he can.

“I'm pregnant,” Satine whispers.

“I know,” Obi-Wan whispers back.

-

Obi-Wan is there when they are trekking mile after mile, following Master Qui-Gon's Force-guided lead. He lets Satine take his arm to support herself when she gets dizzy, and gently reminds his slightly scatterbrained Master of their ever-more-frequent needs to stop and rest for a moment.

-

Obi-Wan is there for Satine to argue with, when the pressures and fears get too much. They argue about politics and about economics and about color symbolism in traditional art and about whether or not "Korkie" is a ridiculous name. At the end of the day, it never means much, and it seems to fray at Master Qui-Gon's nerves, but on the days when Satine takes the bait and dives into the argument, she always seems to sleep better.

-

Obi-Wan is there the afternoon at the riverside when it is just the two of them, and she finally cracks, the whole story spilling out. All he can do is fold her up in his arms and let her rage into his chest.

-

Obi-Wan is there when Satine freezes mid-pace, eyes huge. He is about to ask what's wrong, and Master Qui-Gon is looking around, casting out with his presence to find any danger, but then Satine grabs him by the wrist, painfully tight, and presses his hand to her swollen belly to feel the baby kick.

-

Obi-Wan is there the day they stumble upon a nest of venom-mites, and Satine is several months too pregnant to run. He snatches her up in his arms and sprints, following hot on Master Qui-Gon's heels. They escape, but only after he trips and falls, dumping them both unceremoniously on the ground and leaving a nasty gash on her arm. Obi-Wan apologizes. Satine brushes him off and demands he help her up. Her temper has been growing with her stomach.

-

Obi-Wan is there the day Korkie is born. He and Master Qui-Gon sit with Satine, letting her squeeze their hands until Obi-Wan thinks his is going to break and trying to soothe her pain with the Force. She clenches her jaw and does not scream, not even once—the bounty hunters have been getting too close for comfort. They cannot give themselves away.

-

Obi-Wan is the one to put the whimpering baby into her arms, wrapping the child in his own cloak. Satine is ghastly pale and shaking and Master Qui-Gon has a look in his eyes that Obi-Wan cannot quite decipher. He wonders how much the older Jedi knows.

-

Obi-Wan is there on the sleepless nights, when the baby is crying out for attention, and he is the one to pick the wailing child up as often as Satine is, humming soft songs he remembers from his days in the creche.

-

Obi-Wan is there to sit in gentle silence with the young mother through the early hours of the morning, draping his cloak around her so she can nurse the hungry boy in whatever little privacy she can get. More than once, they doze off together with Korkie between them, quiet and happy.

-

“I'm going to raise him as my nephew,” Satine sniffs one night, when she is too tired and worn down to do anything but weep silently over everyone she has lost.

“Not as your son?”

She looks up at him with a sigh that is too exhaused to be a laugh. “I have spent months on the run with a red-haired, blue-eyed Jedi Padawan. Can you imagine the speculations?”

-

Obi-Wan is not there when Korkie, ten years old, asks Satine if she's really his mother, and she softly admits that she is. She tells him a few things—when he was born, some of the reasons why she raised him as her nephew—but it is not those things that he wants to know.

“What about my father?” he asks.

The man who shares Korkie's blood is long dead, killed in the war, and never worthy of being called a father in the first place.

But family is more than blood, and in Satine's heart, the truth is fixed and firm.

“He was a wonderful man.” Slowly, sadly, Satine smiles to herself, dropping a kiss on the boy's forehead. “I hope you can meet him, someday.”

Obi-Wan is Korkie's father.

[marsti]

ok next im gonna do the socialstuck sprites... the theme is "precursors", websites that were functionally replaced by the current ones! my partners and i have been bouncing ideas off of each other and i think weve got a good lineup

man this whole thing is literally so much fun im just so excited to show it all wxcvbnqsdfg

[saltyoaktree]

don't want to write I want to think very hard about my fic until it emerges from my head fully formed like athena

[bookworm551]

A Few More Minutes | Neteyam x gn!reader oneshot

A/N: I took a month off and cut you bitches some slack. Tell a friend to tell a friend…I’m baaaack (but seriously, sorry I haven’t been posting like at all.) I’ve been working on a lot of stuff, but I’ve just been hitting wall after wall with each of my WIPs, but I read a poem on TikTok the other day called “Would I?” By Orion Carloto in her collection “Film For Her” and this little story popped right out of my head fully formed like Athena, so I hope you enjoy :)

Warnings: mentions of death and grief, mostly just fluff tho

Words: 2.3k

There was a comforting sense of consistency to your mornings. Every day, as Eclipse would end, the clan would collectively begin to stir, shaking off the remnants of sleep to start the day anew. Everyone was ready to manage the work that helped maintain the balance and livelihood of the clan.

It used to be that you were ready and willing to rise at the first sign of light to get things done. Now, you felt as though the end of Eclipse was a cruelty meant to pull you away from the warmth and comfort pressed against you.

Neteyam always woke up before you. You were never sure how long he would lie awake next to you, but every morning without fail, when you began to stir, he was already waiting for you to open your eyes. Many times, you were roused by his subtle movements—his fingers brushing against your cheek, kisses against your forehead, his body turning to press against yours.

That morning, it had been his arm around your waist pulling you closer. You were dimly aware of the small space between you and blindly followed his gentle prompting to curl up at his side. With your eyes still closed, you rolled over and reached your arm across his torso and pulled yourself closer to him.

Your head rested on his chest as his arm wrapped around you. His slow, steady heartbeat was lulling you back to sleep as his fingers gently stroked your back. You were at the cusp of unconsciousness when his deep voice broke the silence, "You need to wake up."

You groaned softly as you pulled yourself as close to his body as possible, one of your legs moving to rest on his. He was so warm, and you were so comfortable that you once again felt spiteful towards the sun for emerging yet again. "I am awake," you murmured, your voice raspy with sleep.

Neteyam gave a little huff of amusement and hummed. "I will know when I see your eyes," he countered. You gave another soft groan. Your eyelids felt impossibly heavy. You tried opening your eyes, but Neteyam's gentle touch and steady heartbeat made it even more difficult for you to shake yourself from your sleepiness.

"I am awake," you repeated, though you knew he wasn't going to let you get away with it. He didn't respond for a moment, and to your disappointment, his hand stopped caressing your back. His lips pressed against your forehead before he muttered, "You have to prove it."

You buried your face into his neck in protest. He chuckled softly, and you felt him press another kiss to your temple. "Come on now," he whispered, his lips right next to your ear. "You need to wake up." You heaved a large sigh and grunted in defiance.

In response, Neteyam brushed his fingers over your cheek. You could feel a subtle smile form on your lips as he traced the edge of your face and down your jaw. His fingers curled under your chin, gently tilting your head up to face him, and he pressed his lips to yours. It was a soft kiss, a lazy one, but you loved it. The hand on your back gripped you a little tighter, and your own hand that was draped over his torso slowly slid up his chest to cradle his face.

This was the surest way to wake you up. It didn't matter how long you had been together or how many kisses you had shared, his lips against yours always made your heart beat a little faster and your breathing quicken a little bit. And if his hands would begin to roam across your body, well, you weren't falling back to sleep.

You pulled apart gently, and you managed to slowly open your eyes to look at him. You had to blink a few times for your vision to clear, and when it did, you could see Neteyam's handsome face gazing down at you with a soft smile.

"There you are," he murmured as his fingers began brushing up and down your back again. You returned his smile and traced your thumb over his cheek. "I told you I’m awake," you replied, sleep still evident in your voice. He hummed in amusement as he look down at you in adoration. "So you did."

You took a minute to admire his face and to appreciate this moment between you. Waking up like this made you dread actually getting up every morning. If you could lay like this for the rest of your life, you would. You cursed the sun for forcing you to leave Neteyam's side every day.

With that thought, you closed your eyes again and rested your head back down on his chest. "Let's stay like this forever," you pleaded quietly. He chuckled at you and pressed his lips to your forehead again. "If only we could," he mused. "But we can stay like this for a few more minutes."

You smiled at your small sense of victory. Under your ear, you could hear his heartbeat again, and your head moved gently with the rise and fall of his chest. His fingers still moved gently over the skin of your back as your breathing eventually began to match his own.

***

In the afternoon, when the day was at its hottest, the clan collectively took time to rest for a small period of time. Some slept, some socialized, and some attended to some easy chores. For you, it didn't matter so long as you were able to spend that time with Neteyam.

You were sitting on the floor as you braided vines into rope when Neteyam finally walked in. You greeted him with a smile and said, "There you are. I haven't seen you all day." He poured himself some water from a basin you kept and replied, "I have been out with my father all morning."

“Doing what?” You asked curiously. He shrugged. “Some scouting,” he replied. “We spotted some smoke in the distance and went to see what it was. There are more Sky People setting up near the southern end of the forest past the river.”

He took a drink and sighed before coming over to sit behind you. Wrapping his arms around your body and pressing a kiss to your neck, he asked, "And how have you been today, my love?" You smiled and let go of the half-finished rope to rest your arms over his. "Horribly lonely without you," you responded dramatically.

Neteyam chuckled in amusement at your theatrics and placed another kiss on your neck. He had been out in the sun all day, and you leaned back against him to enjoy his warmth. "I went hunting with your brother and a few others," you added. He hummed in interest and asked quietly, "Who brought back the most?" "I did," you stated smugly. He hummed again softly and mumbled, "Of course you did."

You turned your head to get a better look at his face. His eyes were closed, and he had a gentle smile on his lips. "Are you tired?" You asked, noting his sleepy expression. His little smile grew just a bit wider as he opened his eyes to look at you again. "A little," he admitted, "but I don't want to sleep. I just want to spend time with you."

You smiled as he kissed your neck again. Turning around, you wrapped your arms around his shoulders and moved to sit on his lap. His hands rested on your thighs as he gazed up at you lovingly. “You are so clingy,” you told him as you rested your forehead against his.

He chuckled and replied, “Yes, I am.” You rolled your eyes at him, but he tilted his head up to meet your lips, and you couldn’t help but melt into him. There was no urgency to your movements. His hands lazily moved up from your thighs to wrap around your torso while you exchanged slow, drawn-out kisses.

You cherished these moments, the few minutes you had to be alone together with no expectations or obligations. Some days, you would both spend time with his family or your family, sometimes with friends, but you both preferred the privacy of your own space to relax for a while before attending to any more work that needed to be done.

Outside, you heard the sounds of others slowly grow louder and busier, indicating that the collective resting time was nearing its end. You felt a jab of disappointment having only spent a few minutes with Neteyam, and soon, you would be expected to go out and continue your day until Eclipse.

Neteyam could sense what you were thinking, and he broke apart from your mouth for a moment. “We don’t have to go out yet,” he murmured softly, his lips brushing against yours. “I know,” you whispered, “but we can’t stay in here forever.” He huffed a small sigh and pressed another gentle kiss to your lips. “Just a few more minutes,” he told you.

You hummed thoughtfully for a second as he proceeded to kiss you again. “Okay,” you conceded with a smile. “Just a few more minutes.”

***

The day Mo'at died, the whole clan grieved. Being tsahik meant that she had been the mother of the clan, the bridge between Eywa and the people. She had passed in the early morning, which allowed time for the Sullys to mourn together and prepare her body for the burial.

In the late evening light, the clan was gathered around the hollowed out roots of the tree where Mo'at's body now rested. Leaves and pedals were scattered over her as you all stood with a single woodsprite in hand. It was tradition that the closest relatives of the deceased lower their sprite first.

First, Neytiri stepped forward, her face contorted in grief as she fought back her tears and placed her woodsprite on her mother. After her, Jake placed his own sprite down into the grave, and when he stepped back, Neteyam let go of your hand to release his sprite as well. His face was poised and composed as he stepped back to take your hand again.

When the rest of his siblings had lowered their woodsprites, you were next. You gave Neteyam's hand a quick squeeze before stepping forward to lower the spirit in your hand to rest onto Mo'at's body. As you moved back to stand next to him, the rest of the clan came forward to follow suit.

The funeral rites moved quickly, and after the sun had receded behind the planet in the sky, you found yourself back in your private tent alone with Neteyam. There was a heavy silence that had settled over the two of you. Neteyam was sitting cross legged on the floor staring absently at nothing in particular. You had brought a small platter of food back to share in private rather than with the rest of the clan as you usually did.

"You should eat," you told him gently, placing the platter down in front of him. Neteyam didn't even look down at the food, he just shook his head and replied quietly, "I am not hungry." You watched him carefully for a moment, felling conflicted on whether or not you should push for him to eat.

You raised a hand to hold his cheek and carefully turned his face to look at you. His eyes met yours, and you could see the exhaustion that weighed on him. All day, he had been perfectly composed in front of the whole clan, but now, he had dropped the act and was finally displaying the grief he was feeling. It broke your heart.

"I know this is hard, Neteyam," you said softly, "but you need to eat, just a little bit." He seemed to study your face for a moment, and a tiny, sad smile pulled at his lips for just a second before he squeezed his eyes shut and took an unsteady breath. When he opened them again, his eyes were shining with tears, and he brought a hand up to wrap around your wrist. "I don't know what I would do without you," he whispered finally.

His words made your chest ache, and your eyes were immediately filled with tears. "Don't think about that," you told him as you pulled him into a hug. "I am here now." He buried his head in your neck as he wrapped his arms tightly around your waist. It wasn't long before his breathing became unsteady and his shoulders began to shake.

You wished with your whole heart that you could save him from this pain. You felt completely powerless to help him. Mo'at had been old, yes, and it came as no surprise to anyone that she had passed, but no amount of time or preparation could save one from the suffocating effects of grief. Of course, you also mourned for Mo'at as well, but for you, she was the tsahik, a leader. For Neteyam, she was a grandmother, his family. Your own grief was nothing compared to his.

You continued holding Neteyam as he wept quietly into your collarbone, and you cried with him. Neteyam so rarely displayed this level of vulnerability with anyone, but you were his safe space, the one who knew everything about him. There was no one in the world he trusted more, and he loved you with his entire being.

You weren't sure of how long you stayed there like that before your tears ran dry and Neteyam's breathing steadied. Your hand rubbed up and down his back slowly in an effort to soothe him. There was a delicate silence that had settled over you both, and neither one of you wanted to break it.

After a time, you asked softly, "Do you want to go to sleep?" Neteyam didn't respond for a moment, but then, he whispered, "Can we just stay like this for a few more minutes?" You nodded and placed a light kiss on his shoulder.

"We can stay like this forever."

[happyk44]

Percy smiling at and waving goodbye to Nico at the end of the summer. The Hades cabin is spooky as hell but Nico seems happy. Some kids are calling him over. Percy is thrilled to know Nico is finally somewhere safe. Sure, the Underworld is probably good for him, more than any other person, certainly more than Percy, but it's nice to see him smiling, socializing with living mortal people, other kids his age.

So Percy leaves in the back of Paul's car, the phantom of Annabeth's kiss on his cheek, a wooden ring still clenched into his hands by Grover, and the image of Nico chasing after a few kids calling out to him.

All is good.

For two weeks.

Then he dreams. He dreams of a dark haired girl, dressed up like Victorian newsboy, glittering silver sword at her side. The moon is high. It casts an eerie hue on her tanned skin. Her eyes almost seem to glow in the darkness, like a bioluminescent fish deep below the water. Even the lines of her skin almost glow. Like she's something other than human.

Water rushes around Percy's feet. He looks down, and suddenly he's on a tree branch, staring down at the scene before him. The trees are filled with other people, young children and nymphs, and a rushing boy flies up to chuck another seven year old into the leaves.

The water is building.

"Why can't you stop her?" somewhere whispers as the boy pulls himself into the branches.

The water crests high as the girl miles below pulls to a stop in from a ring of cabins. The water looms, threatening.

"Have you ever tried to stop a hurricane?" the boy hisses back.

And the water drops.

Percy awakes with the taste of blood on his mouth and the sound of drowning screams, trapped behind doors, and the sense of violent furious rage tumbling wildly with the despair from loss.

Loss.

They killed my friend, he thinks, blearily. I was gone, and they killed her.

He breathes shallowly, trying to find focus. His friend? No. His friends were fine. All of them - Annabeth, Grover, Nico-

Brown eyes catch his mind, a quiet feminine laugh. Then a blistering sense of loss, despair. Anger. Standing alone at an unmarked grave.

No, he thinks.

He's up before he can even fully process what he's doing, already shoving open the window and calling out for Mrs. O'Leary. The shadows swallow them both up and he lands in the middle of trees.

It's dark. He can barely see.

But he hears it. A quiet groan. He slides of Mrs. O'Leary's back and runs to the sound.

Nico is bleeding. His skin is ghostly white. His eyes won't focus. Instinct hits Percy hard. Water droplets pull off grass, out of thin air, and smooth gingerly over the deep claw marks across his thin chest. Monster dust sits nearby, along with his obsidian sword. It's weakly held in his outstretched hand.

How do you create blood? Percy thinks as he holds his hands over the last healing wound. The infirmary isn't very far, but mistrust encaptures him. The drips of Nico's blood clung to his hands begins to spread, thicker, wetter. It sloughs against the water shimmering against his chest. It sinks inwards.

Nico coughs weakly, but breathes. His fingers twitch.

Who, who, who? Percy thinks. Why, why, why?

Does it matter? a voice asks him from the back of his mind. There's blood in the water. Nico's eyes flutter as colour comes back to his cheeks. It's time to eat.

Water trickles around his ankles. Mrs. O'Leary yelps nervously behind him as it builds and builds. Percy hefts Nico into his arms, cradling him close as he can. As he walks towards the cabins, the water follows, rising and rising until its past his head.

He emerges from between the trees. Water tickles their leaves. Nico's hair floats. Water floods past him, pooling around the cabins. Slowly he approaches the Athena Cabin, visualizing Annabeth's form in his mind's eye.

No one will hurt her. No one will hurt Grover. No one will hurt Nico.

His family can't drown.

How do you stop a hurricane? Percy thinks as water builds higher and higher, pressing against doors and windows. It encircles each cabin, ready to pour in. Ready to drown.

Nico finally stirs awake and blinks weakly up at him. Confusion eclipses his face. Percy smiles kindly at him, stroking one pale cheek with his thumb, then gazes back towards the cabins before him.

Windows shatter and people scream.

You don't.

[silversiren1101]

Not-not tagged by various mutuals for this so I tried my own hand! Most of my OCs appear fully formed like Athena bursting from Zeus' head so instead I tried to dissect the subconscious inspirations that Mino could have been born from.

Aragorn: Look LOTR is the most formative piece of media in my entire life. You see a Rohirrim cavalry charge when you're like 8 and it imprints on you forever and ever, okay? Anyway, Aragorn as the natural born destined leader that spends the majority of his life denying and running from it, but has such a strong sense of duty and morality that he cannot in good conscience abandon those that need him? He steps up anyway despite how much he does not want it nor thinks he deserve it because he just can't let his companions/his love/the world fall? Mino is very Aragorn coded, lol. The destined Leader/Deity|King that embodies everything they avoid being and Do Not Want, and accepts in the end that heavy crown with duty and grace.

Jheraal: From Liane Merciel's, Hellknight! Mino already existed when I started reading this novel but a lot of Jheraal's characterization and Hellknights in general refined Mino more and more. Mino was an HK investigator only because this novel showed me that was a thing they could be, and same for the concept of Hellknight Foundlings! A lot of Jheraal's struggles being accepted and respected as a tiefling also play into Mino's own struggles as a ganzi.

Satine Kryze (-> Bo-Katan Kryze): Mino is both the Kryzes in a sense, starting off as idealist Satine that firmly and so stubbornly believes in doing things in the way she deems is right, no matter how much people fight and push against that and how difficult it is. She's clever and exceptionally diplomatic, ready to risk her own life and body to do what she thinks is right and bound by her duty to the people. Then, of course, Satine... I see a lot of what happened to Satine as Mino's own fate at the hands of House Thrune, but rather than death she instead takes on a lot more aspects of Bo-Katan.

Brigitte: Brigitte is way too cute and cool a character to be left in the cesspit that is Overwatch. Much of Brigitte's visual design has inspired Mino's, and so has the bright and peppy jock personality.

Shepard: Jaded military veteran leading a crew of people she cares so intensely about, becoming a special type of operative both bound by and outside of the law, having to deal with the mire of bureaucracy and resorting to a gun (hammer) when things must be done? Willing to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to get the mission done and save everyone? Lots of Shep in Mino.

Koby: I'm surprised I only found one anime inspiration! But Koby is my baby boy and as a long term One Piece fan, his story of wanting to be a Marine (which from the onset in OP the audience is pointed to see as 'the antagonists') and actually do real good and be a champion for justice in the people even in spite of seeing nothing but corruption from them thus far speaks a lot of how I view fantasy law enforcement and characters like that. Mino wanting to be a Hellknight and seeing it as her calling mirrors a lot of Koby's own ideals with the Marines, and both spend their years in each respective organizing emerging powerful, confident, successful in their dreams, and with a huge glow-up (lol).

[puckwritesstuff]

Can you tell us more about Loki and Sigyn's grandchildren and their relationship with them? And also the grandchildren's relationship with Nari and Vali. 💚

Okay, so here's the thing-- I generally don't have characters emerge fully-formed from my head like Athena, you know? I mean, there are things that I can infer by their backgrounds and situations, but I still need to do the work of building the character. For me, a lot of that comes from writing. Most of the character work I've done on Nari and Vali has been done through writing, same with Brandr, Modi, Magni, and Ummi. I've put work into writing them and existing in their headspace. To contrast, I know very little about actual characters from the myths like Idunn, Nanna, and Skadi. Even Baldur and Tyr, who have significant plot significance, I know very little about because I haven't really written them. It's even more difficult (in my opinion) to do this with child characters, who very often are simply functioning as "children". I found writing Heidi not significantly dissimilar from writing Nari the Younger.

Now, this being said, let's go through the process as I would to show how I would answer these questions.

So, I'd start with the tropes first. Now fiction is done best in contrasts, and I can clearly see that Angrboda would be a Grande Dame of a matriarch. Theoric as a grandfather, meanwhile, is extremely doting, but rarely present, as he is still busy running his fief. To contrast, while still remaining within character for the two of them, Loki and Sigyn would be more present, but would seem less exciting to them. That being said, it's established that Loki is considered the Ultimate Authority on magical things, and it's also established that he is actively teaching Heidi magic. I do think that she would be the only one he could teach, because Romulus and Remus would have Light Elf magic, and would need training from Vali's partner Alba to learn it. Sigyn, on the other hand, would be a much more stereotypical grandmother, trying to be like Frigga was for her children. While neither Sigyn nor Loki are the warriors they were in their youth, their magic has only grown stronger. Much of it is used in the pursuit of the affection of their grandchildren (Loki still desperately wants to be loved by his family and Sigyn just wants to see the children smile).

Now, in terms of Nari and Vali as parents, I have to consider what they thing their parent's weaknesses are as parents. For Vali, she considers her father somewhat overbearing and overprotective. Her relationship with her children, therefore, is a little more laissez-faire, and their natural mischievous nature (inherited not only from her, but from their grandfather) makes that a challenge for her. Nari, on the other hand, considers his mother to be quite strict, with a terrible level of expectations for him, and so he tries to encourage every whim she has, to try and be supportive of her. Thankfully Ummi and her parents have more of a sense of what Heidi needs to learn to be prepared for her future.

I also get the feeling that none of them are particularly interested in combat, but that may change as I get to know them better.

So, that's what I have for now. Thank you for the ask!

[bluesalinger]

ideas really emerge from my head fully-formed like athena sometimes guys i can’t even lie

[ivanaskye]

Anomander Rake has been alive for 400,000 slutty, slutty years

[il0vep0rtal]

(To the tune of I Wanna Be a Billionaire by Bruno Mars) I wanna go to Build-A-Bear so very bad

[jessicas-pi]

why does the story not emerge fully formed from my head like athena. unfair and rude. i would like to file a complaint.

[fireonolympus]

My method of OC creation is kind of like the birth of Athena: 

I get a splitting headache, slam my forehead against a desk a couple times and they emerge fully formed from my head.

[missluthorwillseeyounow]

Why can a fic not emerge, fully-formed, from my head like Athena migrained herself out of Zeus' skull?

[deinocheirus]

The reasoning behind the God’s designs part 1: Minerva, Jupiter, Juno, Mars, Vulcan, Venus, Mercury (NS/FW text warning)

Minerva: The first one I initially designed years ago, started off as me wanting to just make her a big ugly brain monster with a toothy smile (which ended up being the main design motif of the gods)

There is a myth that Athena-Minerva had a mother named Metis, who Zeus-Jupiter turned into a fly and ate to prevent the birth of a son prophesied to overthrow him (leading to her giving birth inside him and Athena/Minerva emerging from his head fully grown). The story ended up making me imagining her as some sort of botfly-like entity. Been wanting to make her chin more proboscis-like to make the fly thing more obvious and also makes her slightly elephant-like

Athena/Minerva is described as having blue eyes in sources so I guess I kept one thing about her appearance accurate.

Jupiter: the story of him accendentally vaporizing Semele when he revealed his true nature as a god + taking the form of rain when conceiving Perseus made me want to go with him being a living storm or lightening in some way. Ended up taking the form of a little ball because I wanted him to look as unlike his usual wise grandpa design as possible. Made his eye red cause the red spot on (the planet) Jupiter

Juno: Combined animals strongly associated with her (Cows, peacocks) into something that looks like “the queen of the heavens”, her horns being her “crown”, a "cape” like a peacock’s train. Wanted her to have somewhat of a cosmic look, since the story that the Milky Way was created from her spilled breast milk. The exterior of her cape is whiteish because at one point  I was going to try to make it look a bit like a wedding gown since she’s the Goddess of marriage, but i don't know how much that remained in the final design.

Gave her a lot of eyes cause her association with Argus/peacocks, often being described as “Cow eyed”, as well as her watchful nature.

Mars: There was no mythological basis for him being ape-like it just felt right for a war god. Ares and Mars traditionally are not strongly associated with phallic imagery (Mercury/Hermes, Dionysus/Liber, and Roman Vesta were much more so), but (Roman) Mars association with Virility and masculinity and (Greek) Ares association with being his family's embarrassment lead to his Priapus-like...anatomy. 

His helmet started off as a strange combination of a galea helmet and a handgun. His shape and cool scheme was inspired by hearts (mostly artistic renditions depicting them with blue veins)

Venus: Her (literal)fluid nature is both because beauty is subjective and depends on person to person so it made sense to make her shapeshifting...but also because in the most common story of her birth she was born from the seafoam that formed around castration of the personification of the sky Ouranos (ew...) and emerged fully formed from the water, hence why she's so..goopy and watery.

The black markings on her were initially inspired by the black “mask” on swans, symbol of love and beauty and are nasty birds, as well as Common Dolphins and marble.

She has a lot of different forms, but her one for Vulcan has no arms like the Venus de Milo, somewhat fits his artisan nature. Her form around Mars is based around the fact Aphrodite likely has origins as a war Goddess, maybe she likes Mars cause he keeps her closer to her roots.

Vulcan: Based very loosely off a crab, both because the disposition I gave him, as well as unevenly build arms (since he's a blacksmith). According to one source  he was associated with crabs and called “crab footed”, but I'm not sure if that was a source of inspiration I've forgotten about from years ago, or if it's a coincidence.

He is tripedal, both because the god has created wheeled auto-mobile tripods in mythology, and also because tripedal locomotion in animals and machines gives a limping gait. 

Mercury: Based off a tortoise since it's a symbol of the god and having a god associated with speed be a tortoise is kinda funny. Two mouths because he's the god of messages and a trickster. The feathery antenna and birdish look were based on Mercury’s  winged cap and sandals. Putting his eyes on his shell was a purely aesthetic decision but someone else asked if it was because he's a god in my setting who always backstabs and therefor has to watch his own back, which is better reasoning then what I had.

The rainbow color scheme was inspired by the other messager of Olympus, the Goddess and personification of rainbows Iris. The way the colors were arranged on him was inspired by parrots.

[raeynbowboi]

My Own Fakemon

I’ve always liked the idea of creating my own fake pokemon, but I absolutely and completely suck at drawing, so I kind of just have to describe the pokemon, their types, and their descriptions. The fakemon I’ll be presenting today are largely inspired by Ancient Greece, but like any Pokemon region, they are not all strictly beholden to this theme. My fictional Greek region would be Helatris, made from combining the Greek name for itself (Hellen) + Patrís, meaning homeland or birthplace.

GRASS STARTER

Seedyr >> Caprance >> Lechevre Grass >> Grass/Dark >> Grass/Dark

Ability: Overgrow Hidden: Prankster

Inspired by satyrs of Greek Mythology, it was decided to be a grass type due to the satyr’s association with woods and wilderness. Satyrs also have a reputation for being mischievous, or even deviants, as well as being drunkards. This penchant for naughty misbehavior is what led me to making the later evolutions into Dark types. Their names borrow from Seed + Satyr, Capra (the Genus for goats) + Prance, and Lech (a heartbreaker) + Chevre (French for Goat).

FIRE STARTER

Tauroast >> Furnox >> Minotorch Fire >> Fire/Steel >> Fire/Steel

Ability: Blaze Hidden: Rivalry

Inspired by the Minotaur of Greek Mythology, it was imprisoned in an elaborate labyrinth made by the inventor Daedalus. Its fire-typing is explained as the Minotaur being Bull-headed, mapping onto the Year of the Ox on the Chinese Zodiac. Its Steel-type is a bit of a stretch, but by giving it chains on its wrists and neck, along with iron hooves and metal-coated horns, it should work. After all, Lucario manages to be a steel type just fine enough. Its names come from Tauros the Bull + Roast, Furnace + Ox, and Minotaur + Torch.

WATER STARTER

Undiva >> Neeried >> Sirenade Water >> Water/Ghost >> Water/Ghost

Ability: Torrent Hidden: Soundproof

Finishing out our main starter trio, we have the water-type starter inspired by the tales of the Sirens from the Odyssey. Granted, yes I am aware that they started off as bird women, but Water/Flying would give it a dual weakness to Electric, which is the same reason Minotorch is neither Fire/Rock nor Fire/Ground. Its water typing is rather clear, as sirens are associated with the sea and treacherous waters. Their ghost typing is explained as their ghastly wails and haunting melodies being an otherworldly power, with the forms themselves resembling watery spirits or the drowned women of a shipwreck. Their names are inspired by Undines (Greek elemental spirits of water) + Diva (a famous female opera star), Nereid (a sea nymph) + Eerie, and Siren + Serenade.

Regional Birds

Prinzap >> Hellectros >> Impereagle Electric/Flying >> Electric/Flying >> Electric/Flying

Ability: Lightning Rod, Volt Absorb Hidden Ability: Electric Surge

Inspired by Zeus’ eagle, these electric birds take mild inspiration from the Thunder Bird as well. Their names are derived from Prince + Zap, Hellen + Electros, and Imperial + Eagle.

Socranium >> Platome >> Arischolar Psychic/Flying >> Psychic/Flying >> Psychic/Flying

Ability: Trace/Magic Guard Hidden Ability: Psychic Surge

Based on Athena’s owl, this three stage evolution is heavily inspired by the famous thinkers of Ancient Greece. Its names originate from Greece’s most famous philosophers: Socrates, his pupil Plato, and his pupil Aristotle. The secondary parts of their names come from Cranium, Tome, and Scholar. I did consider the much punnier Aristowl, but felt it was a little too much to sound like a pokemon name.

Other Pokémon

Woolfy >> Fleeceit Dark >> Dark

Ability: Illusion Hidden: Impostor

The first stage would look very much like a normal sleep, though close inspection does reveal it to be a wolf pup under a sheep skin. But the evolved form is even more dastardly, with the wolf much more visible, wearing the sheep skin as a disguise. Going from cute to sinister. Their names come from Wool + Wolfy and Fleece + Deceit.

Ponomino >> Pegazeph Flying >> Flying

Ability: Gale Wings, Guts Hidden: Aerilate

This two stage evolution takes inspiration from the mythical pegasus, with the first stage being a baby horse, and the second stage being fully evolved. In fairness, this could also be a Helatrian Ponyta and Helatrian Rapidash option. The names come from Pony + Palomino (a light, creamy-colored horse), and Pegasus + Zephyr, Embodiment of the West Wind.

Nymaid >> Koremos Fairy/??? >> Fairy/???

Ability: Adaptability Hidden Ability: Magic Guard

This pair of pokemon are based on the nymphs of Greek mythology, and appear in multiple forms based on different climates. Originally, I was just going to use actual types of Nymphs found in Greek Myth, but this felt more encompassing.

Grassland - Fairy/Bug Forest - Fairy/Grass Volcano/Ash - Fairy/Fire River/Sea - Fairy/Water Desert - Fairy/Ground Snow/Ice - Fairy/Ice Ruin/Cave - Fairy/Ghost

For the most part, I based the types on typography of the world. Their names come from Nymph + Maiden and Kórē (meaning girl or maiden in Greek) and Érēmos (meaning wild, uncultivated land in Ancient Greek). They vary by location and only appear on specific terrain tiles or specific routes. And yes, each form has a slightly different level-up moveset, just like Wormadam.

Corvittles >> Raveness Dark/Flying >> Dark/Flying

Ability: Gluttony, Pickpocket Hidden: Gale Wings

This pokemon is based on the Harpies that were sent to curse King Phineus by assuring he never ate another bite of food for the rest of his life. It’s dark and flying due to crows being willing to eat about anything, and many moves such as Thief, Embargo, Knock Off,  Punishment, Snatch, and Pursuit are all great moves for the harpies that so brutally punished a mortal king. Their name combines Corvid (meaning crowlike) + vittles (food, slang for victuals), and Raven + Ess (a common suffix used to denote femininity) and also sounds similar to ravenous (meaning to have a large appetite)

Seerpent >> Oracoil >> Serpythia Psychic/Poison >> Psychic/Poison >> Psychic/Poison

Ability: Forewarn, Anticipation Hidden: Telepathy

Inspired by the Oracle of Delphi, also known as the Pythia, she was created when the god Apollo slew the Python, and she emerged from the dead snake. The pokemon uses design elements of the greek monsters the Gorgon or the Lamia to incorporate the serpentine origins of the oracle by making the evolution line a mix of fortune teller and snake. It’s also an underrepresented type combo, as Galarian Slowbro and Galarian Slowking are the other other pokemon that share this typing. The names combine Serpent + Seer, Oracle + Coil, and Serpent + Pythia. The Oracle of Delphi was always a woman, so this pokemon would be 100% female.

That’s all I have for you guys, but if this does really well, who knows. Maybe I’ll do a part 2. And if someone feels like drawing these fakemon, don’t forget to link it back to this post.

[365days365movies]

March 15, 2021: Clash of the Titans (Review: Part One)

Please. Let me write a Greek mythology movie. I’m tired.

I am SO TIRED of Greek mythology being so...misused. Do y’all realize how much potential lies in an adaptation, a PROPER adaptation of Greek myths? Because it’d be fantastic if done well. Look, I’m not a writer, let alone a script or screenwriter, but I could write a better adaptation of Greek mythology, I swear I could.

Full warning, you might wanna skip this part. It’s gonna be...REALLY long. 

So, yeah, this “review” is getting broken up into two parts. The first part here is really just a rant/hypothetical Perseus film that Id make if I had any screenwriting ability. Yeah, it’s basically a fanfic, so feel free to, like, not. Check out the Review here. Read ahead at your own peril.

You might be saying, “OK, bet; how would you adapt the story of Perseus?” Fair question, metaphorical yet judgmental person; how would I do it, exactly? Well, I’d mostly do it straight, to be honest. But you need to make this a cinematic adaptation, right? SO story changed need to be made, I get that. And I think that needs to start with the gods.

First up, you need Zeus, if for no other reason than to father Perseus. I do like the fact that he’s a patron for Perseus throughout these movies, but I don’t like Zeus as a straight-up dad. That’s for various reasons, but I’ll get there. Perseus’ main patron, instead, should be his half-sister: Athena.

Seriously, Athena needs to be a big part of this movie. She’s not exactly one of the biggest patrons for heroes, but she does like them. In the case of Perseus, she should sympathize with him. Perseus, after all, is one of the first major Greek heroes. Yeah, he really should be one of the first, and that needs to be fully acknowledged. Athena, in her LITERAL INFINITE WISDOM, should see the young demigod for what he could become: a bonafide hero. And so, she needs to be a part of this movie. One of her key allies should be...

Hermes should be, well, mercurial. Always moving, never truly still, because dude is CONSTANTLY busy. Not only is he a messenger, but he’s also the god of medicine, AND a psychopomp that escorts spirits to the underworld. Yeah, he wears a lot of winged hats. He’s also another extramarital child of Zeus, giving him sympathy for Perseus as well.

While he’s mostly a neutral god, he could also serve as a messenger from Athena to Perseus, delivering to him the gifts from the gods. He could even be the one who gets the Helm of Darkness from Hades, given his relationship to death and the Underworld. So, he’s gotta be in there as an ally of Athena. Hell, he could even be the one who finds Perseus and tells Athena about him in the first place. OK, Athena and Perseus now have an ally, so what about a villain?

Well, this movie had Calibos and technically Thetis, the 2010 had fuckin’ Hades (because of course they did), but no. Both are the wrong choice. The right choice here, in my humble opinion, is one that MAKES FUCKING SENSE.

Hot take: POSEIDON IS AN ASSHOLE. I realize that this statement has doomed me to a death at sea, but that won’t stop me from hiding the truth. Yeah, dude’s the god of the ocean, and of horses, but he’s also the father of countless monsters, nearly as horny as his younger brother Zeus, and the god of earthquakes. He’s a petty, tempestuous god, as angry and ever-changing as the ocean that he rules. And he’s ABSOLUTELY the right choice for a villain of a Perseus movie.

The movie would begin in the ocean, the source of all of the troubles in this movie. 20 years before the main events of the film, we emerge from the ocean and soar over an island, on which is a beautiful temple. Waves wash over the island, enveloping it. A woman’s scream is heard in the background, as we soar over the island, following an owl that is flying away from the island. As we fly over the ocean, narration tells us that this is a world of gods and monsters, and the owl flies over creatures in the ocean, like hippocampi and other such creatures. The owl flies over another island, which on screen text identifies as Argos. Here, a shower of gold dust flies up from a building. Perseus has just been conceived.

Cut to a day not too far afterwards, where King Acrisius is meeting with an unseen trio of women, in a cave on a mountainside. The king tells them that his daughter, Danae, has become pregnant, although he knows not by whom. The women reveal that Zeus is her lover, and that this will bring great ruin onto the kingdom of Argos, especially onto Acrisius himself. This is a big problem, too, as the kingdom of Argos worships Poseidon as their patron god. Acrisius, see, was planning on saving Danae for Poseidon, as a perverse offering to the god. But Zeus beat him to the punch, which has made Poseidon angry. And so, Acrisius sacrifices his daughter to Poseidon...by putting her in a box, which he casts out to sea.

Poseidon is about to destroy the box and Danae, who is still pregnant with her child. However, Zeus won’t have it, and in a battle between the two gods, a storm with golden lightning rages over the sea, and sweeps the box away, to the safety of an island where it washes up on shore, AWAY from Poseidon’s wrath. Zeus’ protection saves Danae, who has given birth to a son: Perseus. Poseidon, spurned of his revenge against his brother, makes a child of his own. But we only see its shadow beneath the waves. He’ll come back later.

Time passes, and a few things happen. The kingdom of Argos falls, and Acrisius is brought to ruin, as the mysterious prophetesses predicted. They are starved of fish, and the king is blamed, for condemning his daughter to death. He is driven into exile, and Argos is destroyed...by Poseidon’s mysterious child, who is only known by the name Cetus. The city still exists afterward, so that Perseus has a place to return to, but it’s wrecked.

Meanwhile, Perseus grows up, into a young man. He’s not particularly strapping, but he’s still surprisingly strong and hardy for his size. All the while, he’s watched over by a little owl, the same one we saw in the beginning of the film, flying over the ocean. Appearing below the owl is a rooster, which flies up next to the owl. Both of them watch the young Perseus, then look up when they hear the screech of a golden eagle, flying high in the sky above them. They look at each other, as the eagle flies up to the tip of a nearby mountain. The owl and rooster fly off, with the rooster flying higher than a rooster should be able to fly.

We follow them as they pass through the clouds, and they turn into their true forms: Athena and Hermes. They watch the golden eagle fly into a separate grand temple, as thunder and lightning appear. We’re not gonna see Zeus until nearly the end of this movie. Athena and Hermes discuss Perseus in Athena’s temple on Olympus. Hermes is a bit busy, so he’s off in a hurry, but Athena sits and ponders Perseus’ situation.

Perseus, meanwhile, has a different problem: surviving. Poseidon’s been particularly dickish lately, and the fish stock around Perseus’ island is low as FUCK. His mother, meanwhile, is older now, and struggling with her health. An old hermit walks into the village one day, and hears Perseus’ troubles. The hermit tells Perseus that the fish market is good near the nearby kingdom of Aethiopia, which includes a large and prosperous city that may also have medicine to help his ailing mother. Perseus decides to go on the journey there. As he leaves the hermit, we see the hermit’s eye color change to a sparkling electric blue.

Perseus heads onto the seas, with a fishing boat leaving for Aethiopia. The second that boat hits the water, Poseidon senses the blood of Zeus on his ocean. Being the petty asshole he is, he sees his chance to finally exact revenge on Zeus for stealing Danae from him. He sends his child, Cetus, after the ship to sink it. We don’t see the  Cetus brings rough water with it. However, Zeus again protects the ship on its journey, and Poseidon’s SUPER butthurt now. He watches Perseus make his way to Aethiopia.

Aethiopia, in this movie, is a city that doesn’t particularly worship any one god. It’s not exactly the least theistic place in the world, though, because its residents will still fear any action that the gods take against them. That’ll come in handy later. Perseus lands there with the boat, and is immediately overwhelmed by the city’s grandeur. Additionally, he stands out here, as the people there are mostly, surprise surprise, black and brown in skin color. BECAUSE IT’S NORTHERN AFRICA!!! YEAH! Andromeda COULD BE BLACK, FUN GODDAMN FACT. Aethiopia was used to describe southern kingdoms below Libya, which was northern Africa! Come on, man!

While wandering blind through the city, Perseus bumps into a young woman, shrouded in plain vestments as she walks through the village. And it’s immediately love at first sight for Perseus, although the young woman seems somewhat nonplussed. This is the beautiful and radiant Andromeda, and YEAH! I’M RIPPING OFF ALADDIN A LITTLE! SUE MEI! See, Andromeda’s trying to explore her kingdom, as she’s been somewhat sheltered throughout her life, protected in the castle by father King Cepheus and shallow mother Queen Cassiopeia.

The two part quickly, but her visage remains in Perseus’ mind, horny Zeus’ kid that he is. He finds out who she is later on, considering what’s about to happen. See, there’s a festival going on, and it’s actually leading up to Andromeda’s 20th birthday. The overly clingy Cepheus honors his daughter unnecessarily, setting up an entire 2-week celebration leading up to her birthday.

During the nightly celebration, which Perseus attends, there’s a great feast. He bumps into Andromeda once again, and the two start talking. Andromeda is kind, if naïve, and wants to be a good queen to her people. However, she feels like a trophy, set aside for any given suitor wanting to win her heart. Perseus sympathizes, and feels a bit guilty, as her beauty was what struck him most at first, but has now begun to appreciate her as a person, over the course of this conversation. Said conversation is watched by Athene, in owl form once again.

The conversation’s interrupted by Queen Cassiopeia, who makes a speech about her daughter, and you know what’s coming here. She says that her daughter is beautiful, moreso than any of the Nereids, or anything that the sea could produce. And everybody laughs, it’s real funny, people agree...and then, we zoom over to a nearby fountain. The water begins to shake, and then, the ground itself begins to shake! Because Poseidon is the GOD OF EARTHQUAKES. COME ON, USE THIS SHIT!

Poseidon, pissed off, manifests from the water of the fountain, and we now see his visage in full for the first time, and it needs to be IMPOSING. He looks at the queen, and at Andromeda herself. He says that for Cassiopeia’s hubris, they are to be punished. Her child will meet one of his, the great Cetus, and then they’ll be able to compare “prowess and beauty”. This is certain death for Andromeda, obviously, and everybody knows it. This is to be done on her 20th birthday, or all of Aethiopia will fall. It’s then that Perseus steps in to defend Andromeda.

Poseidon looks at him, and says something like: “And look! As if to perfect this offering, Zeus’ bastard steps in the save the day! Well, child, do you offer yourself to me, after evading my justice for so long?” Everybody, INCLUDING PERSEUS, if totally shaken by this revelation. See, Perseus had NO IDEA that he was the child of Zeus. But he swallows his surprise, and offers himself in Andromeda’s stead. As Poseidon’s about to kill him there and then, he hears a hoot from the rafters, and sees the visage of Athena overlapping the little owl. Not comfortable with this situation, he offers a deal: if Perseus can complete a task for him, he will spare Andromeda’s life. Perseus accepts IMMEDIATELY, without hearing the task. And that task?

Kill the Gorgon Medusa, and bring her head back to Aethiopia before Andromeda is sacrificed.

Yeah, not good, and definitely unfair. Perseus isn’t exactly a warrior of any prowess, so this won’t end well for him. Poseidon laughs, and disappears into the water of the fountain. Silence befalls the hall, and all eyes turn to Perseus. Athena leaves, and flies up to her temple, angry and frustrated. She then decides that, if Poseidon is going to meddle in the affairs of the mortal world so strongly, then she will do the same. She finds Hermes, and the two start to conspire.

The next morning, Perseus heads out on the journey, although he has no idea what to do. Andromeda begs him not to do it, but he says he has little to lose. King Cepheus, humbled by Perseus’ intentions, promises whatever Perseus wants if he succeeds. Perseus states that he wants little, but will take assistance for his mother and village. It’s done. And Andromeda, to the surprise of her mother, almost offers her hand in marriage to her as well. But she stops short, still hesitant.

Perseus is about to go the distance, when a little owl catches his eye. Something tells him to follow the owl, and he does. Athena reveals herself, and Perseus is struck, not knowing what to do. She tells him to find the Greae, as they will tell him how to get to Medusa. He asks how he will get there, and Athena gives him his first divine item: Hermes’ winged sandals, loaned to him by the messenger god himself. The sandals will guide him to the location of the sisters. And Perseus accepts.

He makes his way to the sisters, the shenanigans with the eye stay about the same (it’s pretty solid in the 1981 film, not gonna lie), and from there, he finds out where to go. In the meantime, Athena’s and Perseus’ deeds are being noticed by the gods, eventually making their way to the three brothers. Poseidon is, of course, enraged at these happenings, considering them dishonorable to him, and also incensed as this is coming from Athena, a long-standing rival of his. Hades seems neutral about it. And Zeus...we’ll come back to him. Hermes, joined by Dionysus, speaks with Athena in Olympus, and delivers something to her to give to Perseus: Hades’ Helm of Darkness. He’s curiously chosen a side, but why isn’t known even to Hermes. Will that reason ever be revealed?

I have my reasons. Dionysus, also inspired by Perseus’ origins (which mirror his own as well), gives to Athena a wine-colored cloak, impervious to harm from all poisons and corrosive items. Inspired by this, Athena thinks on her history with Medusa. And, uh...remember that scream from the beginning? Yeah, Medusa’s “birth” coincides with Perseus’ conception. While Poseidon was...busy...Zeus went for Danae behind his back. And we’re going to sanitize Medusa’s origin...a little. But for Athena’s sake, specifically.

Poseidon raped Medusa. That’s a given. And Medusa was a priestess of Athena, but not a great one. Although Athena was angered at Poseidon’s actions GREATLY, the one who inevitably suffered for it was Medusa. Poisoned by Poseidon’s actions, she was transformed into her current form. And in this case, it’s not made clear whether or not Athena directly caused it...but it’s clear that Athena did nothing to stop it. This can be changed in some ways, but this is how I’m changing it for the movie. If you disagree, entirely understandable, I’m open to suggestions here.

OK, after that flashback, we see that Athena’s kind of ashamed of her actions, but not entirely. I realize that this is a stretch for Athena’s character, but this is a movie for wider audiences, so we’ll go for it. There’s a reason, I promise. Athena delivers the gifts to Perseus, which he finds once he’s left the cave of the Greae. That’s the cloak from Dionysus, the Helm of Darkness from Hades, and Athena’s offering, a mirrored shield. Perseus heads out to slay Medusa.

Poseidon, meanwhile, has his own ideas. He goes to speak with Hera, a shadow antagonist who’ll get her day later on. He persuades her to help take care of Zeus’ bastard son, and she reluctantly gives him permission to use one of her creations. What this is is left a mystery for the time being, but not for long. Perseus is busy flying with the winged sandals, and is thinking on how easy the journey has been. He’s getting a little cocky, in other words. But that’s quickly stopped when he’s blind-sided by something hitting him in the sky. He’s sent flying, and when he focuses up again, he sees what’s hit him.

YUP. HARPIES. Now, at this point, you may be saying: “365, you hypocrite! That never happened in the original story of Perseus! You sonuvabitch!” To that I say:

This is supposed to be a movie, and it’s gotta be a little exciting.

The origin of the harpies is entirely unstated, and Hera loved her some birds, so it makes sense that she would have some. In fact, I kind of want to make them women that Hera punished with this form, possibly for their association with Zeus at some point.

I’m setting something up, just trust me here.

Harpies as a concept are a familiar enemy to most audiences.

They’re cool, and an aerial battle’s even cooler here.

Perseus needs some mortal peril, because of something that’s about to happen.

OK. With that, the Harpies attack Perseus, and Perseus realizes that he doesn’t have a weapon to fight them with. He’s forced aground, on a seemingly desrted island. The Harpies fly off for now, ready to pick Perseus off later. Perseus, now stuck on the island, wanders around. At the same time, Zeus, sees this, and turns into an eagle once again. He flies off to a volcano, as an irritated Hera looks on. At the volcano, he flies into a cave, lined with veins of many metals. This is Hephaestus’ forge.

Hephaestus is another of those gods that I feel like never gets his day in court. There are many reasons for that, to be fair, but I’d like him to have a role in this story. He’s a relatively neutral god, mostly caring about his work at the anvil, moreso than anything else. I also like the idea of having him almost be a running joke in his scenes, in that he always comes up with devices far beyond their time. Like, at a certain point, he offers something for Zeus to give to Perseus, which he calls a “thunderblast”. And it’s a fucking CANNON, YEARS ahead of its time. You also see sketches for smaller versions, which are just straight up guns. But, y’know, eus will refuse that.

Speaking of that, THIS is the first time that we’ll see Zeus’ true face, lit by the light of the forge. And there are a few reasons for this, one of which being that Zeus’ casting should be a big name, and a surprise in marketing. But other than that, Zeus’ really shouldn’t have too much import in the story, outside of Perseus’ creation. However, looking at Hephaestus, who is himself a cast-out and neglected offspring of the gods, Zeus actually manages to eke out a little guilt for his actions for one. He asks Hephaestus to make something for him and Perseus. Hephaestus is hesitant, but agrees upon hearing about Perseus’ origins, because Hephaestus is ALSO HIS HALF-BROTHER...in this movie. Hephaestus’ origin has changed in different tellings, but I want him to be Zeus’ kid. So, yeah, Hephaestus agrees to make something...simple.

Perseus is on the island. There, he’s being watched by YET ANOTHER mysterious figure. Because, yeah, that’s how these people should work. See, there’s another benefactor for him that I want to bring in for various reasons. This island appears to have been inhabited at some point, but was abandoned for unknown reasons. Perseus wanders around, and stumbles upon a ruined Great Hall, open to the sky. He wanders in, nervously. But then, to his surprise, he sees a great feast before him, as a fire roars in the hearth at the end of the hall. He looks at the fire for a moment, and sees a woman tending it. But as the fire bursts, it produces a flash of light, and the woman is gone. Who was she, though?

The LEAST used and talked about goddess in all of pop culture. An unofficial/occasional Olympian, and far less popular than Dionysus, who usually takes her seat. I actually want her to have given Dionysus her seat, as she will be wandering the world, bestowing blessings on the households of those worthy mortals who honor her. To Perseus, she gives this gift, and this hall with maintain this gift in the future. This goddess is Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth and Home.

AND YES I AM AWARE OF HESTIA IN THE ANIME DANMACHA. Doesn’t goddamn count, because that obviously isn’t Hestia. The Greek goddess deserves some respect, as she’s literally the oldest of all of them, and was VERY respected in Greek culture, by LITERALLY EVERYBODY. So, yeah, Hestia’s going to appear here, ever so briefly.

The other reason for this is...well, the Harpies show up, as Perseus eats. They perch on the roof of the Great Hall, and watch him eat. He notices them, and as he reacts, they come down to take the food and attack him. Perseus realizes that the food has revitalized his weary body, and he runs. However, the Harpies prevent egress, and he still has no weapon. Until...

Thunder clashes, and lightning strikes in the middle of the Great Hall! The fire goes out, but light is coming from something in the center of the table, as Perseus and the Harpies look on. With the lightning bolt, there traveled a harpe, a type of sword, which is embedded in the table. But this is no ordinary sword, as it chines silver, almost blue in hue, as electricity arcs off of it. This is a divine sword, forged by Hephaestus on the order of Zeus himself.

But the sword is nameless...for now. Perseus uses the flashes of the sword to fend off the harpies. When one of them lunges at him, he quickly moves in response to it, and strikes it just, slicing off a wing. The other Harpies fly away in fear, but not too far. Perseus takes the opportunity, and leaves the great Hall, maybe grabbing some food on the way. Now armed, he has a way to kill Medusa, and to take her head. He heads to the island, with new purpose.

Meanwhile, in Aethiopia, the people are starting to panic. Remember when I said the city wasn’t particularly religious before? WELL THEY ARE NOW, since they’ve realized that they’ve profaned Poseidon with their arrogance. The vain Cassiopeia is now terrified, for herself rather than for her daughter. Cepheus is terrified for Andromeda, and Andromeda...well, Andromeda is putting hope in Perseus, but she is also prepared to sacrifice herself if necessary. But deep down, she doesn’t believe it will be, because she oddly believes in Perseus.

However, Cepheus won’t be able to hold off the hordes forever, It’s been nearly a week, and Andromeda is to be sacrificed soon. And if Cepheus won’t do it, the newly religious Cassiopeia and the crowd will.

Poseidon realizes that his plan with Hera’s Harpies didn’t work...perfectly. Damn, he’s still alive. Plus, the Harpies won’t get off of the island now, especially seeing that food seems to be magically appearing every night, due to Hestia’s gift. Maybe and island with magically appearing food beset by Harpies will, I dunno...come backcoughcogchJasoncoughcoughArgonautscoughcough. Nevertheless, Poseidon hatches another plan, a back-up plan to get revenge on Zeus and Perseus. He tells a nymph to “find him”. We’ll get to “him” later.

However, this is a problem for Perseus still, because he’s been thrown WAY off course from the island of Medusa. Even with the sandals, he’d be cutting it close to get back to Joppa with Medusa’s head. And that’s if he gets back with the head. Still a big if, that. In any case, he’s headed there to do what he must. He’s already faced the Greae and the Harpies, so, hey! Not too bad so far, right? Just Medusa next, and then a giant sea monster! Hahaaaaaaaaaaaa.

Well...whatever. For Andromeda, and for something else, he’s going to do it. Perseus looks at the sword, and wonders what’s up with the whole “Zeus is my dad” thing yet again, but shakes it off as he continues flying. Above him, an eagle flies. Said eagle is soon joined by an owl, and the two share a look as they follow Perseus. He’s close to the island, and Medusa’s island is prominent on the horizon, shrouded in a dark eerie fog.

Perseus lands on the island, after hovering above it for perhaps too long. This is, unsurprisingly, the same island from the beginning of the film, now in ruins. He gears up, and this includes the Helm of Darkness this time. He creeps into the temple, and is struck by surprise when he sees a Gorgon slithering next to him. OH SHIT

On first glimpse, the invisible Perseus notes that the creature is indeed monstrous, standing 6-feet tall, with snakes for her short hair and fang-like teeth protruding from her mouth. And while there are some details not actually in Greek mythology, I do like some details given in the films. Firstly, this Gorgon is armed not only with her looks and teeth, but bows and arrows, as seen as she takes an arrow, and coats in in poison dripping from her teeth.

Perseus realizes the danger that he’s in, but also doesn’t realize that this ISN’T Medusa. YUP. This is one of the Gorgons, but not Medusa. He approaches the creature, confident in his invisibility. However, he isn’t careful enough, and accidentally kicks a pebble. The Gorgon looks directly at him, into his EYES, and he’s paralyzed! But...he isn’t turned to stone, curiously. This is how he figures out that this isn’t Medusa, but simply another Gorgon. He also realizes how careless he’s being, and takes care to avert his eyes from the Gorgons and Medusa.

He gets over his paralysis eventually, then carefully makes his way to the main temple. On the way, he encounters another Gorgon, completing the trio of Gorgons present in mythology. He walks into the temple, and as he does, a door slams shut behind him. Now the Gorgons up until now have been monstrous and fairly tall women, with snakes for hair and hideous visages, but also with mostly humanoid bodies, with legs that they can walk upon. Medusa, though...Medusa’s different.

As the door closes, Perseus is clearly unnerved. The temple seems empty in front of him, but he also sees statues littered around it, clearly those of mortal men turned to stone by Medusa’s gaze. He walks carefully, and as he does, he hears a voice call out, asking who’s there. She can smell him, sense him, and he is not completely invisible to her. Perseus says nothing, as not to completely give away him position. But he is TERRIFIED, and the audience should be as well. Because we see glimpses of her throughout the temple. You ever see the new version of Disney’s The Jungle Book? Remember how they first showed Kaa?

In the same way, coils of a snake’s body are seen, slithering around Perseus, who’s looking for Medusa. All the while, a hissing voice speaks to him from the shadows. She recognizes that his patron is Athena, her former priestess. She explains her rage, both at Poseidon for what he did, and for Athena for abandoning her and condemning her to this terrible fate. She asks why he’s come, guessing that it’s to kill her. He confirms this, but upon hearing her story, expresses his doubts.

But Medusa...Medusa doesn’t really care. If this is a favored beneficiary of Athena, as she used to be, she wants him fucking DEAD. And she doesn’t care who he is, or what his mission is, or about his feelings. he’s going to turn him into stone, and display him in her collection, so that Athena can see something she loves turned into a monstrous form. And now, we see Medusa in full. And I gotta say, Harryhausen had it right. So did Warner Brothers in adapting it.

Half snake, half woman, with long, LONG snakes for hair, and a long snake body as well. She’s also surprisingly beautiful, as I actually do like the idea of keeping her beautiful, in a way to remind her of what she used to be. She’s armed not with a bow and arrow, but with a stone spear. And she’s BIG in form. Her head is still human-sized, but she was clearly a tall woman when she was human. She uses her body to rear up to terrifying heights, though, and Perseus can only see glimpses of her as she reveals herself.

She attacks him, and Perseus has to think fast. In the original myths, he gets her in his sleep. In the movies, it’s a combination of luck and mirrors. But here...here, it’s going to be different. See, we’re going with the old fallen pillar gag. Perseus enrages her, and tricks her into knocking over pillars of the temple that they’re in. She attacks with the spear, with statues thrown by her snake body, with her snake body, and also with an addition: spitting venom, like that of a spitting cobra.

But he manages to either dodge it, or block it with the corrosive proof cloak. All the while, he avoids her gaze, but his helmet is knocked off in the process. She can see him now, and that’s bad news. But only one more column needs to fall. Perseus tricks her into knocking the temple down around her, and she’s trapped in the rubble.

Perseus escapes, and the other Gorgons outside are knocked out by the debris. However, Medusa’s definitely not dead. He stumbles across her, under the rubble, and still enraged. She’s trapped now, though, and he can kill her easily. She actually asks him to, and he refuses at first. But Athene, in owl form, lands on a still standing pillar, in Medusa and Perseus’ eyeline. They see it, and they know that it’s a sign of what Perseus needs to do. Perseus closes his eyes. And he swings.

The blood washes over the sword, smoking. Now christened in an act of mercy and strength, the blue-silver turns to gold, and a name appears on the blade: Chrysaor (and yeah, I know Chrysaor was a dude, but I am TAKING CREATIVE LICENSE HERE). But Perseus is upset by this, feeling that he wasn’t a great hero at all. But Athena appears, and notes that mercy is also a quality of heroism. Something even the gods could learn (referring to herself, and her actions in reference to Medusa). He looks at her, unsure of what to think. 

Not that it matters, since he’ll never get back to Aethiopia in time to save Andromeda. And then...the rubble begins to shake. Perseus arms himself, and he points the sword at the rubble, expecting to fight a Gorgon. But instead, an unexpected creature springs up from the rubble: Pegasus.

YUP. I’M STILL DOING IT! I realize that Pegasus is NOT Perseus’ mount, but he is actually linked to the myth via Medusa. So, yeah, Pegasus is born of Medusa. Perseus looks at Athena, who notes that Pegasus looks swift, and seems to be a way back. Pegasus is also pretty grateful to Perseus, as he’s technically responsible for his freedom. So, yeah...he gets ONE ride.

Perseus puts the head of Medusa in the cloak of Dionysus, and gets on Pegasus. As Perseus takes off with Pegasus and Chrysaor, Athena looks at the body of Medusa. Zeus, as the eagle, looks on, and follows Perseus to Aethiopia. Athena stays behind, and then is joined by Hermes. He notes that he’s here for Medusa’s soul, as Hades has been waiting for her soul this whole time. There’s his ulterior motive. But Athena tells Hermes that she’ll be accompanying them. She will speak to Hades.

But enough of that, because Andromeda’s set to be sacrificed! The angry mob has hit a fever pitch, and it’s day before her birthday! Cassiopeia, now fully in the cult of Poseidon with the rest, brings her daughter to the rocks to be chained up. Cepheus tries to stop this, but the mob stops him instead, imprisoning him on the command of Cassiopeia. Andromeda is also taken captive, set to be sacrificed to Poseidon to gain his favor.

Perseus gets to Aethiopia, and lands near Joppa, the capital city. Pegasus takes off, bidding goodbye to Perseus, who thanks him. Pegasus has a date with a kid named Bellerophon. And Perseus is finally feeling confident. Although, he’s not entirely sure what he’ll do when he gets there. But he’s got the head, so what could go wro-BAM!!!

He’s blindsided, with a hit to the face by a rock! And here, we get a bit of an aside from the myth to add something. See, Perseus wakes up, as he’s been out for a WHILE. As he wakes up, he sees an old man, clearly bedraggled and haggard. The man notes that he’s awake after all, and Perseus notes that he has the sword and Medusa’s head in the cloak. This old man introduces himself as an old banished king. He explains that he is there to kill Perseus, on command from Poseidon. You see, he’s been given a chance at absolution, for offending him via inaction many years ago.

The two have a heart-to-heart of sorts, about the expectations of the gods, and Perseus asks why he hasn’t killed him. The king doesn’t reveal his full reasons, those being that Perseus is, of course, his grandson. But Perseus asks him to let him live, in order to save someone with the item in the bag. Curious, the old king looks in the bag...

Stone. And thus, Acrisus’ prophesied downfall is done. Shocked and saddened by this, Perseus nevertheless takes the head, his sword, and his sandals. and takes off to save Andromeda. More time’s been lost, and Andromeda’s lost her hope in Perseus, as has everybody else. By the time he gets there, Poseidon’s released Cetus, who can look however, but I will say I think the incarnation in the 2010 movie was pretty solid. Cetus heads off to kill Andromeda, under the watch of Cassiopeia and her cult of Poseidon.

But then, Perseus shows up to present the head, and sees Cetus having arrived to devour Andromeda. Instinctively, he presents the head to Cetus, and turns him into stone (because I think that’s a cool way for him to go). Andromeda is saved, but Poseidon is PISSED THAT HIS PLAIN FAILED. He rears up from the ocean, complete with earthquake tremors, ready to kill Perseus himself. BUT ZEUS IS FUCKING DONE WITH HIS BULLSHIT.

He steps in the way of Poseidon, and screams that there’s been enough damage done! At the first full appearance of Zeus, EVERYBODY in Aethiopia reacts. While everyone bows in reverence, Cassiopeia’s so freaked out that she runs away. She’ll be leaving the city altogether, and when she does, she’s watched over by a cuckoo (or a peacock). This is Hera, and as a god of women AND OF MOTHERS...she’s going to be punishing Cassiopeia for her deeds.

Zeus and Poseidon speak, and the two come to tentative peace. This is settled in the courts of Olympus, where everybody involved comes together to speak about this affair. They note that, despite Poseidon’s petty bullshit, something unique has happened. A mortal child of a god, spurned on by their actions, has managed to outsmart and defeat countless obstacles. And now, celebrated for saving Andromeda and the city of Joppa, Perseus is celebrated. Zeus predicts that he will be made king, with Andromeda as his queen. And this pleases Zeus greatly. Poseidon, still angry, is not convinced. But Zeus directs his attention away from Perseus’ celebration, and towards one of his children: Pegasus.

A new age is now dawning in the world of man, and in the world of gods. As Pegasus flies over the oceans, he flies over an island, as Zeus narrates on the nature of this new age of heroes. And as Pegasus lands, we see the city of Corinth in the distance. The narration concludes, as we are introduced to a young man, a prince named...Bellerophon.

Cut to black.

Well...almost. There’s a mid-credits scene, where a newly crowned Perseus goes back to his island with a fleet of ships to see his mother, and bring her to Aethiopia to live happily. And then, there’s an after-credits scene, with Athena. She’s looking at the mortal word, and looking forward to this age of heroes. She sees that some divine intervention may be needed in the land of Boeotia. She asks her attendant to fetch her shield. And Medusa, saved from the Underworld by a penitent Athena, brings her the shield, Gorgoneion, now adorned with the image of Medusa’s former self, as a reminder to Athena to be merciful. And off she goes, to help another burgeoning hero: Cadmus

AND SO THE AGE OF HEROES BEGINS

Alongside a theoretical franchise, of course.

If you read this nonsense, then...wow, why? But also, thank you! Mostly for putting up with my mad ravings. I’ll be putting the the straight-up review of this film later today, but...I really needed this off my chest. Any thoughts? Any ideas? Any criticisms? Any petty insults? I’ll take it, whatever it is! THanks again for putting up with this.

See you in the ACTUAL REVIEW!!!