#using medusa to tell a story that not all monsters are true monsters | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

vase-of-lilies · 5 months

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❀ Pairing: Medusa!Wanda Maximoff x Blind!Reader (F)

❀ Warnings: Reader is “sacrificed” and “saved by Wanda”, so much fluff, really quick acceptance, sexual content, Wandas snakes have their own personalities and love to mess with the reader when she is just snuggling with Wanda or when she is just chilling (lol), fingering, oral (r receiving), Wanda just flicking our bean while out on the beach, the snakes calm reader down IDK OK,

❀Disclaimer The pictures only represent aesthetic and themes. There is no certain skin color, body type, ethnicity, or description other than Y/n and “you”. Credit to who made the pictures in the banner as well.

❀ Authors Note: I have started reading the story called “Stone Blind” and it is a re-telling of the story of Medusa and telling the “true” story of how she became the “monster” she turned into. I feel like that even though Medusa was assaulted, she deserves love and I think that having a blind reader would help her feel like she was loved based off of her personality, not of fear. This story is a little lighter than the others, but it still is dark with hints of kidnapping and captivity. I will also be keeping Stheno and Euryale, Medusa’s original sisters, just for the organization of plot purposes! There are quotes in here that are loosely based on “Stone Blind”! All credit to Natalie Haynes for the style of Medusa I use!!

It’s a cooler summer day in Greece, rain feeding the dry crops with much-needed food. The drought that Zeus brought to the mainland was devastating, causing crops, veggies, and fruits to cripple before they were ripe enough to pick. This was a punishment for the greediness the people were showing, thriving a little too much to the god's liking.

It wasn’t uncommon for the god to be selfish like this. He would often flood the fields with too much water, making them die equally fast. Your village was one of the many affected by this cruel situation. You later learn that Zeus had a bad day and wanted to take it out on someone other than his poor wife in the clouds.

These games he played were difficult to navigate, as the world through your eyes was sightless. Just like tinnitus in the ear, your eyes seemed to feel the same way; clouded and blurred figures with every movement of your eyes. You were born this way, and no amount of begging could have changed what you encounter daily.

However, with this blindness, your other senses are heightened. Your hearing was better than most, and you did everything possible to protect it as it was your most powerful sense. Every chirp of a cricket, creek of a door, a voice outside your home. You could hear it all.

It was a blessing and a curse at the same time. “She won’t even know we are gone, she can’t see us. Out of sight, out of mind.” This was the last thing you heard from your parents before they abandoned you. Your heart broke when you heard those words, never feeling such betrayal from someone you loved before. It was that moment that caused you to shut off your emotions to other people.

At the age you are now, it was difficult to find really anyone who would accept your blindness, and love who you were on the inside. What never occurred to you was the fact that you needed someone who felt the same. Someone who felt an insecurity that needed to be validated by someone similar.

This was exactly how Wanda felt. She was the youngest of the Gorgon Sisters, born a mortal human but was punished by a goddess out of jealousy and spite.

The goddess Athena was spoiled by her father, getting everything and anything she wanted with a snap of her fingers. When she was betrayed, she didn’t punish Poseidon, who in fact was the person who caused this problem in the first place. She punished the poor girl who was hurt by Poseidon, all because the situation unfolded in Athena's own temple.

Why did she choose Wanda to punish? Because she was mortal and did not have to suffer through centuries of war and turmoil. The night she went to Wanda's cave, her sisters were out hunting; gathering for their mortal sister so she could eat. Athena took this opportunity of Wanda's solitude to torture her, ripping every piece of hair from her head, forcing red, writhing snakes to take their place.

She was in pain for days, her scalp burning with every movement the snakes made. Her nights were spent screaming and sobbing into the darkness of her cave, her sisters trying everything they could to soothe her. They were only met with silence until the day she finally spoke up about who hurt her. Her sisters were angry with the sea god for even looking at their loved one. They had their own way of punishing Poseidon, but of course, the god couldn't care less. He was powerful and could do whatever he wanted, just like his niece Athena.

Some could say that Athena took pity on Wanda for what her uncle did. And to keep the other gods away from her, the powerful goddess turned the girl's beautiful locks of hair into a head of writhing snakes. This was for protection from her uncle and any of the other greedy and overpowered gods that rule the world.

No matter the tale that one has heard, what is true is that Wanda is now considered a monster just like her sisters. But who determined what a monster was? Was a monster someone merely different from you? Or was it men that made everything monsters? Men seem to be afraid of powerful women, or women with sharp teeth, wings, and tusks.

Monsters are misunderstood.

The two sisters are some of the most gentle creatures to adorn the earth's surface. Sure, they hunt animals and look a little scary, but they keep a flock of sheep, learn how to cook bread, and take care of their mortal baby sister.

The first time they met Wanda, Stheno’s talon gently brushed along her cheek, wiping away a tear that had fallen when she arrived on the sand. Now that Wanda is a grown woman, her immortal sisters adapted to her needs. She spent most of her time on the beach, but now spends her time in the depths of her cave, too scared to come out of fear that Poseidon will hurt her again.

Stheno and Euryale vowed to never let anyone hurt their beloved sister ever again. They hoped that one day she would find a lover who would be willing to love her for who she was. Someone she could grow old with, and love with every fiber (and snake) of her being.

The snakes… they each have their own personality. There are thirteen (13) in all. Wanda or anyone for that matter has named them or really knows the difference. However, the two snakes at the very front of her head, close to her temples are easily told apart. On the left, there is Fang. She has a visible attitude and can hardly believe her fate was to be on top of someone's head. On the right, there is Lucky. Just like her name, Wanda could tell that she felt lucky to be a part of her host. Fang was sassy and defiant while Lucky was just happy to be there.

Though the rest of the snakes are just as present as Fang and Lucky, they each have a mind of their own and tend to make Wanda laugh despite her fate. Their hisses of protest when Stheno says that it’s getting dark and to come back into the cave, or when Euryale asks Wanda for her help with something while the snakes are sunbathing. My god, do they love the sun!

You did too. It was for a much different reason than what a seeing person might believe. You loved the sun for its two main purposes; to light up and warm the earth. Now, that may be what everyone thinks of Helios, the god of the sun. But to you, it meant so much more. With no sight and just a blurry field of vision in front of you, the sun kept the colorful blobs of people and obstacles slightly more viewable.

Selene, the moon goddess was not your favorite. Although she lights the night, most occasions it is only a sliver of light. Once a month do you really get to enjoy the darkness with some light guiding you from place to place. On the nights of the new moon, you stayed in the comfort of your home for the night. Although you could not see the phase of which Selene was in, you knew the darker the next night got, the closer it was to a new moon.

On one particular evening, you were unaware that it was a black moon. Meaning it was the second new moon in a months time. It was getting dark, but you had the thought that it would be bright enough to make it home, only to make a wrong turn when a man pushed past you.

Villagers helped you put your fallen fruit back into your basket, and a kind woman gives gently places your bamboo guiding stick back in your hand. You thank them, but you missed the opportunity to ask them the direction of your home. Physically you knew where you were, but again, it was getting dark and you were all turned around.

Hoping for the best in a difficult situation, you chose to turn right. Usually at this cross road, you would be facing North and your home was East, so you would turn right. Unfortunately, this rocky path led you right to Poseidons’ sea itself. And the god was ever so pleased to have a clueless woman enter his domain. Coming up from the oceans depths, he approaches you in your wandering state.

“Can I help you find your way, miss?” The god asks. Your head follows the voice to the right, unaware of who asked the question.

“I may be a bit lost,” You say with honesty. “I was on my way back from the market, but stumbled and lost the direction I was going.” Explaining yourself to the stranger felt like the logical explanation, but Poseidon used your confusion against you.

“No, I think you’re in the right place…” He smirks, gently putting his hand on your shoulder. Your head snaps to the sudden touch, clutching your baskets handle a little tighter. Poseidon isn’t aware of your blindness, all you are to him is a means to an end. He is in debt to his father, Kronos.

Poseidon knew the moment you stepped foot on to his cool sand, he knew you were perfect. As a god, you think he would know everything about you, but you were very wrong.

“Here, let me help you find your way back to the road.” He says, removing one of your hands from the basket handle. You allow him, but you are confused as you continue to feel sand beneath the sole of your sandals. The moon was not there, and you were helpless.

Kronos, the god of time, was betrayed by his son. Poseidon decided to ask his father for time. All the time in the world, when he got ahold of Wanda. He wanted to spend every waking minute with her, fucking her and holding her when she is begging to see her sisters again only to drag her under the oceans surface when he is bored of her. Poseidon gets bored very easily, but Wanda’s pussy was different. Although his father did not question what he was going to use this time for, automatically a debt was owed.

Poseidon decided against using this time with Wanda, as her whining and begging becoming increasingly annoying. So he sent her back to her sisters to live in peace. That is, until Athena came along of course. He was adamant that he shouldn’t have to pay his father back since he did not use the time. Kronos lended him this time willingly without question. He was determined to get it back. And Poseidon had his sacrifice right in front of him.

His hand pulled you in the direction of a large rock by the edge of the water, a place that Poseidon remembers greatly. Andromeda was supposed to be sacrificed there, but Perseus swept in and came to the rescue, stopping a large sea monster with the help of Athenas spear and Artemis’s winged sandals. It was a shame to see such a beautiful sea creature leave the world in such a damaging way.

“Here we are, back on the road again, just a little further,” Poseidon says, his other hand taking the basket from your hands.

“Hey w-wait, I need tha-” You are cut off by a calloused hand clasping over your mouth.

“Just stay still and it will all be over soon.” The god whispered in your ear. Your breaths were staggered as you heard his words, confused by what he meant. Soon his hands were untying the soft rope from around your waist holding your silk toga to your body. The fabric fell to the ground, leaving you only in your under garments. You whimpered, trying to understand what is happening.

“Please, whoever you are, let me go. H-have my fruit, t-take the gold!” You fought hard against the gods rock hard torso, fearing for your life.

“I told you to be still!” He shouted. His arms wrapped your body and he threw you over his shoulder. Damp hair rubbed against your skin as you struggled and a chiseled arm wraps their way around your legs to keep them still. A hard hit to your barely covered ass made you yelp, and you tried scratching at Poseidons back. The immortal couldn’t feel pain, so he took no thought of it.

With little to no trouble at all, he put your squirming body on the sand and held his hand over your neck to keep your back against the rock. The power he had was nothing compared to your mortal strength. So he held you still by straddling your legs, while his hands expertly tie your wrists together with the very rope keeping your toga on.

“Please sir, please I’ll do anything.” You whimper as tears fall from your grey eyes. The god ignores you and takes the chain set under the rock by Zeus himself and begins to connect your now-restrained wrists to it. You were trapped, and you could only pray to the gods, any of them, to show you any mercy.

“There. No need to cry, little one. You are a divine sacrifice for a god that has a lot of power. Don’t struggle, it makes him angry.” Poseidon said, and he tightened his already perfected knot in the rope.

He stepped back from your crying form and looked up to the sky. “I come to give the debt I owe! Isn’t she enough, father??” He shouts his arms opening. The sea is uneasy, his emotions controlling the tide.

Thunder claps and you know Zeus is present. “No, brother. Not now.” Poseidon growls, the intention of this sacrifice going to his father, not his sibling.

The rain soaks into your skin and clothes causing the thin band holding your breasts and underwear to become sheer and see-through. Poseidon took notice of your exposed body and paused his message to his father. Making his way to you, he smirks as he sees you trying to move your wrists from the sturdy, iron padlock connecting them to the chain. “It’s no use, ομορφιά μου (my beauty).”

You don’t look at him, your futile attempts at escaping only end in failure. He growls when you ignore him, not acknowledging his clear compliment at calling you “his beauty.” Approaching you, he knelt down in front of you and roughly pulled you to face him by your chin. The moment his eyes met yours, an epiphany hit.

“You’re blind?” He asks, pulling his hand away from you like you were a leper. He knew his father would never take such a broken sacrifice. “Disgusting.” He spat while he stood up. He begins to walk away, your ears barely picking up on his steps thumping in the sand.

“W-wait! Wait please let me go! I wan-want to go home!” You shout his way, but the god only ignores you walking into the sea and leaving you exposed for anything.

In a sense, you were grateful that you were no longer Poseidon's sacrifice. But you were still stuck in your current situation, so you went to your last resort. You started to call out, shout, scream, to anyone who you thought could save you. An hour had passed and your voice was nothing more than a croak.

You were starting to believe that you were going to die on a God's beach with no one in sight to help you. However, someone was watching from afar. A woman who fears to look at you without the knowledge that you are blind. But she was in the same position as you, and she wanted to help you. Yet, she hasn’t had anyone to keep for herself.

So she considered. Would she be just as evil and selfish as Poseidon for taking you? Could she make you believe that she rescued you and instead not let you leave her cave? Stheno and Euryale would most likely not approve, Wandas sisters love her and only want what is best for her. The snakes on Wanda’s head hissed in question, Lucky gently rubbing her scaly head against her cheek.

“I know, I really shouldn’t. But she was a victim of that retched god too. Maybe I can finally feel in control… when I am in control of her? I- I don’t want to turn her to stone…” Fang hissed in response, her tongue tickling her opposite cheek. “I could blind fold her, and you’re right, she needs someone to take care of her. She looks like she’s about to die right there. That bastard…” Wanda says to Fang, starting her journey from the beach's small cliffs to the rock you were restrained to.

Before she makes it to you, she gathers the fruit that fell when the god took you and sets them back into the basket. Then she reaches for your discarded dress and picks it up as well. Finally, she reaches you. Her heart breaks when she sees you. Your wrists are rubbed raw, blood soaking the brown rope surrounding them, tears are stained on your cheeks and your eyes are closed.

Wanda rips a piece of cloth from your toga and kneels down next to you. Peacefully asleep, you are still as she ties the cloth around your eyes. With the blindfold on, Wanda leans her head down to the rope encasing your injured wrists, one of her snakes near the back of her head — the one with much sharper fangs — begins to chew on the rope. The rope broke free and your arms fell loosely to your lap.

The smallest whimper left your mouth, exhaustion keeping you fast asleep. Wanda admired your stoic look, your exposed chest moving up and down slowly with each breath you took. She sighs softly, knowing how it felt to be left exposed, for anyone to come across. Her empathy grew as she looked at you, your nipples were seen through the sheer fabric of your strophic (greek bra) and the wind nipped at your skin causing goosebumps to pebble.

Shaking her head and mentally cursing the sea god, she wraps the fabric of your dress around your body; Adding a length of seaweed to keep it secured to your waist. Oh so gently, she lifted your unconscious body into her arms smiling as your head rolled against her chest. Lucky and Fang were eager to meet you, both of their heads trying to get as close to you as possible.

“Hey, you’ll get to meet her when we go back home, ok? I promise,” Wanda chuckles, and the snakes pull their bodies back to their place closer to her scalp.

The journey to her cave was not very far, just around the bend of the cliff. North of where you were destined to be sacrificed. She took care with each step taken, making sure that her prized possession was still asleep, and comfortable. Lucky and Fang looked over you as you slept, keeping their distance until Wanda let them say hi. As scary as they may look, they are all puppies at heart.

Chills crept up your spine as Wanda entered the cave with you in her arms, and goosebumps began to pebble on your skin. She takes notice, gently laying you down on her straw bed in the dim fire-lit cave. Your head lulled to the side, causing Wanda to jump slightly, forgetting that you had the blindfold on to protect you.

Stheno and Euryale were surprised to see another woman besides their little sister inhabiting the cave, and they curiously looked over your unconscious body.

“Wanda? Who is this sleeping woman?” Said Stheno, creeping quietly behind her sister.

“I don’t know her name yet, but I saved her from an untimely death. Poseidon had gotten ahold of her, hoping for a sacrifice, but was unsatisfied by her,” Wanda explains, sighing as she drags her knuckle down your lightly textured cheek. “That bastard is nothing but trouble.” She sighs, trying her hardest to not look at her sisters, understanding that even immortals can turn to stone with one gaze at her eyes.

Euryale eyed Stheno, worried that Wanda may be turning into someone she swore to never become.

“Did she come willingly?” Euryale asked, settling her wings against her feathered back.

“She hasn’t woken up yet, but I am sure that she will understand, right?” Wanda was anxious about your awakening, your acceptance of your stay was appreciated and not feared. “Should we wait outside until she wakes up?”

Wanda's older sisters nod their heads. “I don’t want to frighten her when she opens her eyes. I believe we would be some of the last monsters she would want to see.” Of course, they don’t know that you are unable to see…

“I will go tend to the sheep,” Euryale said.

“I will go set up a fire on the beach and start cooking your meal,” Stheno said, both creatures leaving to do their tasks.

“And I will go help, and wait for my sleeping beauty to awaken.” Wanda says with a smile, softly swiping her thumb over your cheek.

~~~~~~~

The same as every other day, your eyes open to a blur of shapes and colors. However, this time is different- you are met with complete darkness, the atmosphere is cold and almost damp, and the scent of salt water fills your nose. There is cloth over your eyes, something you don’t take mind to. Trying to find where you are, you feel around your surroundings to retrieve your guiding stick only to be met with sand, small rocks, and straw. These sensations were familiar but not something you would regularly wake up to.

Standing up, you struggle to navigate through the cave you concluded you were in, reaching for a wall or something to stabilize yourself with. You let out a sigh of relief as your hand reached a rocky wall. Now you were stuck, you didn’t know what way led out of the cave.

“Hello?” You call out, your voice echoing through the cave. Your head turns in the opposite direction as you hear padded footprints against the sand. Your worries heightened, unknowing of the person approaching you.

“Hello dear, I’m so glad to see that you are awake, how do you feel?” The smooth voice of a woman is heard. Gentle, yet assertive. Confusion melts across your face and you take an unintentional step back, causing a slight hissing from the woman in front of you.

“I- I feel fine, wh- where am I?” You ask, distressed and scared. Being unable to see every day was fine with you, as long as you knew where you were. That fear skyrocketed the moment you woke up in a new environment.

“No need to worry about that, sweetheart. Come with me,” The woman said, and with a soft hand, she grabbed yours. The unexpected contact started you, but you followed nonetheless.

“Who are you, a-and why am I here? I want to go back to my home, please.” Cracks in your voice made Wanda turn to face you, only to be met with tears rolling down your cheeks.

She sighs and stops just at the entrance of the cave. “Oh, sweetheart, don’t cry, you are safe here now. That god won’t get you here.”

“God?” You don’t remember what had happened the night before, your memory fogging up after falling at the crossroads. “What do you mean, “safe now?” I just want to get back home, the fruit was so expensive.”

Pulling away from Wanda, you grab at the cloth around your eyes. The fabric falls from your head and hits the ground faster than Wanda can stop you. Panic fills her system, and she quickly turns her head away from you, her head of red snakes following.

A soft red tendril of energy hits your temple, and you fall unconscious. Before your body hits the ground, Wanda turns and catches you just in time. Guilt takes over her as she looks at your sleeping form, Lucky and Fang are equally as concerned for you as their host.

The scaled head of Fang nudges against Wanda's cheek, a small hiss emitting from her mouth. “Yes, she’s ok. She was nervous and wanted to see where she was, I know that. Im just going to put her by the fire until she wakes up.” She responds to Fang, her little eyes rolling as she gently taps his head from getting any closer to you.

As gently as she can, Wanda lifts you into her arms and brings you out to the fire that Stheno lit. She sits down and lays your head in her lap, softly brushing a few grains of sand from your cheek. A groan emits from your closed lips and you subconsciously roll your body closer to the warm fire. It brings you a sense of safety a blanket could never do justice.

But the feeling of being so close to Wanda felt just as safe, even though you did not know where you were or who you were even with. Her presence gave you a comfort that you hadn’t felt before. Her soft toga rubbed against your cheek, and you nuzzled into it subconsciously. Wanda’s lips turned up into a smile, petting your hair with a gentle hand. The sensation begins to wake you up, pulling you from your forced slumber. Slowly your eyes open, the dull shade of yellow filling your blurred and confined field of vision.

The blindfold was still on, however, you didn’t mind this time. Whoever’s hold you are in made it clear that they do not want to be seen. Although you are unable to see, you keep your eyes glued to the fire in front of you, the light slightly dimmed by the blindfold.

“Are you awake, dear?” Wanda’s voice sounds from above you, and you nod your head that lays in her lap.

“Who are you?” You ask, your voice filled with curiosity but not fear.

“My name is Wanda, and you are here with my sisters Stheno and Euryale. You are safe, sweetheart.” Wanda responds, her knuckle softly dragging down your cheek. She smiles as you begin to sit up, allowing you to fully sit next to her.

Your next question was quick to exit, “Where are we? I was on my way home but was turned around,” You explained your situation, leaving out the part where the god almost sacrificed you to his father but left you for the dead when he decided you were not good enough. “I hear water,” You point out.

“Yes, we are on the beach a ways North from Athens. You needed help, as when I found you, you were chained to a rock,” Wanda said bluntly. “But you’re safe now,” Her snakes hissed at the thought of the woman in front of them being used as a sacrifice, but Wanda was quick to hush them. “And what is your name, sweetheart?”

The feelings of the rope around your wrists caused you to cringe in disgust, your arms wrapping around yourself.

“R-right…” You respond, trying to get the thought of death from your mind. Shaking your head, you sigh softly and lean back on one hand, answering Wanda's question, “My name is Y/n.”

“What a beautiful name, but I think I’ll stick to calling you sweetheart. Is that alright?” Wanda asks, her finger softly brushing over the exposed skin of your arm. A small smile grows on your lips and you nod.

“I don’t see why it wouldn’t be,” You say, a small giggle leaving your mouth. “I- um, I do have to ask. Why am I blindfolded?” The question was burning at the back of your skull for what seemed to be hours. From the first time you woke up to now, you had been aching for an answer.

Wanda hesitates. When she was turned by Athena, she never looked at her sisters. Even though they were immortal, they could still turn to stone if they met her gaze with their own. You hear a soft sigh and her soft voice tainted with sadness answer, “There is a dangerous creature around here that has the ability to turn any entity into stone once you look into her eyes. I cover your eyes for the purpose of protection.”

“But I can’t see,” You protest, reaching for the fabric. Wanda's hand wraps around your wrist as she stops you. “No, you don’t understand, I can’t see, even with the blindfold off. I was born blind," you explain, trying to help the woman in front of you understand that you were not in danger.

“Blind?” Wanda asks, your hands falling into hers as you move to your knees. “Meaning, you are unable to see anything?”

You nod, hoping she can see you. “Yes. There are only blobs of color here and there, but other than that, I can’t see a thing.” It was always difficult to explain what you could see. There was no reason it should be this hard as you could always say: ‘I can’t see anything,’ but you always go to the ‘blob of color’ explanation first.

“I don’t want to risk it, sweetheart. Blind or not, we don’t know who is not affected by her power,” She pauses, “Ive only just begun to get to know you, I don’t want to talk to a statue of such a beautiful woman.”

You feel heat rise from your neck, to your cheeks, all the way up to your ears. Her compliment makes you smile brightly. “O-oh, thank you…” You say, shyly looking away from her. “I understand, but, I really don’t think I will be affected, honestly!” You attempt to grab the blindfold again, this time successfully ripping it from your head. The fabric falls to the ground and you blink to allow your eyes to settle back to normal. “If I can’t see the creature, I don’t think it will be a bother,” You smile.

Wanda sighs and closes her eyes, pulling her gaze away from your beautiful figure. She hums as she feels your hand against her shoulder, your thumb softly rubbing over her skin. “May I feel your face? I would love to have an idea of what you look like to others,” You ask her, not wanting to seem too forward with your request. “Only if you allow it…”

Wanda keeps her head down, her snakes moving down to your hand to move their little tongues over your skin to learn more about you.

“Oh, oh? What are these?” She hears you say. She is taken aback by the giggling she hears next. “They’re tickling me,” You say, your sweet laughter filling the air. “Is this your hair?” Your finger hovers in the air just above her shoulder and the rest of the snakes lick it as well.

Wanda’s silence is enough to answer your question.

“I wish I could see them, they all seem so gent- ow! Except this little one,” Fang, still a little nervous to be around a new face, bites down on your finger. It was not as painful as you thought it would have been. Wanda jumped at your pain and immediately tapped Fang’s head to discipline her.

“No biting! She is a friend, not an enemy!” Wanda whisper-shouts at her, and you giggle quietly to yourself. “I apologize for her behavior, she knows better.” The snake hisses in return and she sighs as she moves her gaze up just a little bit. Her eyes land on your beautiful breasts, your nipples showing through the thin fabric of your toga. Wanda knows she should not be lusting, but she can’t help it.

You tilt your head at her scolding her head of red snakes, and your hand falls. “I don’t want to intrude on your home. Thank you for saving me, Wanda, but I best be on my way,” You say, standing up. Carefully, you try to reach around for a stick of some sort, nothing close to you. All you can do is stand awkwardly, trying to keep calm as you listen to the waves crashing against the sand.

“No, you need to rest, sweetheart. You’ve had a long day, so why don’t you sit down and we can eat? Stheno has made some bread, and the chicken is just about done.” Wanda tries everything in her power to make you stay, not wanting to force you just yet. In her mind, she knows she will make you stay.

Your stomach rumbles, and Wanda chuckles. “It seems like your hunger has spoken for itself, so lets sit you down again.”

Before Wanda is able to help you sit down, or protest about anything for that matter, you reach up to feel her face, your eyes meeting hers. Although you were unable to see her beautiful green and red mixed eyes, she saw your grey ones. Your irises held no color, and a scar-like line of [your original eye color] strikes through your right eye.

You didn’t turn to stone…

“Wanda… Wanda look!” Stheno exclaims. The woman you are looking up at tilts her head, her power not working on you.

“What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?” You ask, retracting your hands from her cheeks. Instantly, she pulls them back.

“No, no you didn’t hurt me, sweetheart. I- I am just surprised… my power, it didn’t work,” She says, churning confusion inside of your head.

“Power?” You pause, putting two and two together. “The creature you mentioned… the one that can turn people to stone, you are her… aren’t you?”

Wanda nods, your hands moving with her head. “Yes, and, I was trying to protect you, but-”

Your thumb gently brushes over her lips, the rest of your fingers ghosting over her facial structure, sculpting a picture in your mind. “I’ve only heard legends of a so called “monster” in these parts. But I have yet to meet a monster… Besides that god that tried to sacrifice me of course, but you? You are no monster.”

Your words made Wanda's heart melt. She has me wrapped around her finger already… there was no way I was letting her go. Her inner thoughts were loud, and she smiled softly as your fingers grazed her lips again.

“I’m very. Much aware of my inability to see what most people can with their eyes. But…” You pause, your hand cupping her jaw. “I do see your heart, and I think you’re absolutely beautiful. You took me in when I was vulnerable and scared, and I can’t thank you enough… You are no monster, Wanda.” You whisper, smiling as you feel Wanda’s arms curl around your waist, pulling you against her body.

“We’ve only just met, sweetheart…are you already falling for me?” Wanda teases, making you giggle as you lay your hand on her shoulder and drop your head to her chest.

“I might be… or I might just be hungry,” You prod back, your stomach doing somersaults as her lips press to your forehead in a soft kiss. “I hope its the former…”

~~~~~~~

As the night went on, you, Wanda, and her sisters enjoyed the food. You were happy you got to know Wanda a bit more while you talked amongst yourselves. She told you about her troubles with Poseidon, and how she became the 'monster' everybody claims her to be. She mentioned how she is still mortal and will die a death as any other mortal would.

It saddened you that she considered herself a ‘monster’, but you comforted her every time. She was not a monster in your mind. She was a victim who was punished for someone else’s doing, as were you. Although it was Poseidon who made his father angry, he punished you by trying to sacrifice you. You found common ground with Wanda.

“I think we will head into the cave for the night,” Said Stheno, nudging Euryale. “Just be sure to put the fire out when you both are done.”

Wanda nodded at her older sisters, shooing them away as she turned back to you. “It is such a beautiful night… I wish you could experience it the way I am,” She said to you, her fingernails tickling your arm as you lay in her lap. Her heart flutters at the feeling of your body weight in her lap, it grounded her.

“I can see how beautiful it is by feeling it,” You turn your body so you are looking up at Wanda, her snakes curiously looking back down at you. “I feel a small breeze against my skin, and I can hear the waves crashing against the sand. I can smell the salt coming from the sea, and I can hear your breaths. All of these things are such a beautiful image to me.”

Wanda’s lips pull up into a smile, a real, genuine smile. It had been so long since she felt as happy as this. It had been so long since she felt so carefree. As you spoke about your experience with your other senses, Wanda softly caressed your cheek. She hums quietly as she notices goosebumps form on your arms. “I have taken my sight for granted,” She says suddenly, taking in everything you said about feeling everything surrounding you.

“To a deaf person, I have taken my hearing for granted as well, but I am grateful that I can hear your voice,” You counter her thoughts, wanting to make her not feel so guilty about her advantage of sight.

“Your thoughts are just as beautiful as you are, sweetheart,” Wanda pauses, her fingers moving from your cheek to your neck. Slowly she moves closer to the dip in your dress, your breasts now free from their undergarments, and lying loosely behind the fabric of your toga. “You have the body of a goddess, the mind of a sage, and such a sweet personality.”

Her hand gently cups your breast, nimble fingers rubbing over your hardened nipple, peaking through the white dress. Your hand goes to hers, holding it still. She freezes, “Can I see you, sweetheart? All of you?” She asks, knowing exactly how it felt being forced to submit to someone much more powerful than her.

As you sit upright, you untie the piece of seaweed holding your dress around your body, the sleeves sliding down past your shoulders finally revealing your round, perfectly shaped breasts. Wanda sucks in a soft breath, an aching in her belly starting to form. She needed you, badly.

From her crossed-legged position on the ground, Wanda moves to her knees. You can sense her shifting, and you look around to follow the noises. Wanda's smooth hands softly guide you to your back, laying you gently against the sand below you. She then slowly pulls the rest of your dress off, exposing the rest of your beautiful body. “You are even more than I imagined…” She whispers, leaning down close to your chest.

She presses a kiss to the valley of your bosom, moving her lips up your sternum and to your neck, hovering just over your jugular. You can feel her smile against your neck and you turn your head to expose more skin to her.

The goddess above you couldn’t hold herself back any longer. Looking at your perfect body from her perspective was riveting, and it drove her mad. Her breath fanned against your lips, your body frozen and waiting for her to kiss you. That dull aching in Wanda's core grew, and she leaned down to kiss you deeply. Your arms wrapped around her neck, and you giggled as some of her snakes licked your hands. But Wanda wanted something else.

Her eyes began to glow a bright red, her head of snakes wrapping around your wrists. You gasped but allowed it to happen. As she leaned down lower, her snakes held your arms to the ground, holding you open and exposed to Wanda. As she continued to kiss you, her hand crept down your belly and to the soft hairs of your mound. She rubbed your petals, smirking against your lips as she could feel how wet you already were.

“Mmm, are you all wet just for me, sweet girl?” She whispers against your lips, chuckling softly as you nod desperately. “Such a good girl,” Her fingers finally dip between your wet folds, perfectly rubbing your button of nerves. A moan leaves your mouth, your legs spreading to give her more access.

“Feels s-so good, W-wanda,” You whimper, never feeling such great pleasure before. Your back arched against the cool sand, your arms still pinned to the sides of your head. Squeezing your eyes shut, you saw starts as the tight coil in your core began to form.

“I can feel that you’re close, sweet heart,” Wanda mumbles darkly against your cheek. Your mind clouded with a lustful mist, your legs shaking as your orgasm came crashing down upon you just as the waves did the sand. A loud moan leaves your mouth, Wanda's name being cried out by the woman underneath her.

Your breaths come out in soft pants, gulping in as much air as you can as your orgasm calms down. But Wanda is far from done. Her snakes uncoil from your wrists and she moves her lips down your body, her mouth meeting your dripping folds. You let out a whimper, your clit sensitive from her previous ministrations. “Relax, sweet girl…” She whispers, “I need to taste you,”

Her lips close on your engorged clit, swirling her tongue in just the right way to make you moan her name. She spreads open your pussy with one hand, her fingers prodding at your tight hole with the other, and you jolt in surprise at the sudden intrusion. Wanda's snakes are quick to calm you down, their heads rubbing against your thighs in gentle circles.

“Such a good girl, taking my fingers so well,” Wanda says, two of her long fingers sliding into your soaking hole, a whimper leaving your mouth at the same time. “Keep making those cute little sounds, love,” She eggs you on and you give in to every command.

Your moans are music to her ears, the frequent movement of her fingers pulling each mewl from your throat. A ‘pop’ is sounded as her lips suctioned off of your clit, but returning soon after.

Her fingers move faster, and her tongue moving around your clit pushes you over the edge, causing your second orgasm to flow through you. Your juices squirt out of your quivering hole, soaking Wanda’s face along with some of her snakes.

“Oh… how beautiful, and delicious you taste, sweetheart.” Wanda smiles against your pussy, pressing her lips to the top of your mound softly and kissing up your body. Her lips wrap around one of your nipples, and your hand reaches to find her pussy.

“Wanna feel you…” You say, rubbing your hand over her belly and lower, finally reaching her pussy as you push your hand under her dress.

“By all means. You are mine and I am yours,” Wanda says, resuming the pleasure of your nipple.

You feel her clit, rubbing her in slow circles at first. Slowly, your fingers move to her hole as well, gently easing into her and smiling as you hear a moan from her mouth. The vibrations from her throat send more pleasure through your nipples, pulling more moans from your own mouth.

As you move your fingers in and out of her wet cunt, the palm of your hand rubs against her clit. You can feel her body shake, her breath quiver, and her breasts against your own body. All sensations you never thought you would love so dearly.

Wanda is close, and she leans up from your nipples to capture your lips in a passionate kiss, her hole clenching around your fingers as she cums. You swallow her moans, your free hand coming up to cup her cheek as you return the kiss.

“Wands,” You whisper, not moving away just yet. Gently, you slide your fingers from her pussy, bringing them to your mouth and seductively sucking her juices off of your digits. “Such a ravishing taste, my love,”

Hearing those last two words made Wanda's stomach do backflips. Belonging to someone was all she wanted, and she wanted you to belong only to her. “Your love?” She asks, pulling away just to see your lips move.

“My love, Wanda,” You confirm, smiling as you lean up to kiss her again.

~~~~~~~

It is long past midnight, and Wanda has you in her arms, both of your naked bodies pressed against each other. With your head on her chest, you can hear her heartbeat, the soft thumping calming and lulling you to sleep.

“Thank you for saving me, Wanda. I- I don’t know what how I can express to you how grateful I am,”

That sparks an idea in Wanda’s head. You were a kind and loving soul, most likely willing to do anything to repay someone for their own kindness. So, she makes her plan fall right into place.

“Stay with me? Live here with me and my sisters? We all can tend to you, help you navigate, and we can even go to the village just East of here. But stay, please?” Wanda asks you, her lips gently pressing against your head as you think.

“I have no one back where I am from. They all shunned me because I couldn’t see. I can’t say no to such an amazing and thoughtful proposal as this,” You sit up, maneuvering your body to straddle her lap as she leans against the rock that was settled closer to the water. You nuzzle your face into the crook of her neck, Lucky gently laying her head on yours as well, and you close your eyes. “I would love to stay with you, only you. Forever.”

#Creatures and Foreigners #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda x reader #wanda maximoff #wanda x female reader #wanda maximoff fanfiction #wanda marvel #wanda x you #Scarlet Witch x reader #Medusa!Wanda x Blind!reader #Wanda Maximoff Smut #CAF #wanda maxmoff x y/n #wanda maximoff x female reader

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heliomanteia · 2 months

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My personal list of criticisms for the series because if I don't put these somewhere I will actually go crazy in my room within the panopticon. I thankfully saw some other people share their lists and here comes mine.

Here I'm looking back at the episodes with the perspective of the viewer who knows what has and has not been properly used.

I rewatched the whole thing so this is EP1 through EP8.

🔱 Episode 1:

The ADHD & dyslexia rep stops episode one like it was forgotten about. It will become a pattern.

I am very, very bitter about the introduction of the "not everyone who looks like a monster/hero is actually one" through Perseus' story because in the context of Percy's life, he is - at least in PJO - a hero. Don't make the boy doubt himself more.

If they did introduce the "looks are deceptive" idea, I fail to see why this was not alluded to later with Luke.

I feel like neither Nancy nor Mrs. Dodds are really given screen time enough to actually showcase how much of an impact both have on Percy's life.

I still hate everything they did to Gabe's character. RIP Sally's Jackson empowerment story.

Blue food. They never really explain why it's significant.

They had budget to showcase Percy's dreams but instead of obvious enough dreams with animals it's Exposition.

Sally knows too much. They messed up her role as a character by taking away her book archetype. She's going from The Guardian to The Knowledge Keeper to The Victim back and forth.

Percy figures out too much too quickly. It has been discussed back and forth, so just putting it down here.

They mention the Minotaur smelling Percy but they never use it to explain Sally's unnecessary marriage? Potential lost.

Looking back at the Big Bull fight, they really don't let Percy act. The luring trick is his thinking, not Sally's. RIP the horn getting stuck and torn away. I can't exactly believe a young teenager had the power to break off a giant horn, in the rain, in the dark. Bad execution, the tree trick is a way to showcase Percy's wits.

🏺 Episode 2:

I wish they let Percy be dark-haired desperately. Hair color swap is bad design-wise because there's already one recognizable curly-haired blond in the series (Will). It's just a disservice to the actor.

RIP blonde 'Beth. Annabeth being wrongly seen as a "dumb blonde" is half of her character's thing. If they thought it no longer worked for her, they needed to play off another "perceived stupidity" stereotype.

Ugh I wish they let Percy be alarmed around Dionysus because in the book his gambling & "familiarity with alcohol" trigger Percy's PTSD.

Percy's PTSD is not a thing.

So, after the entire season: They had no reason to hide Sally's survival from Percy. Them doing it never got mentioned again. Traumatize the boy some more why don't you.

Luke's speech about the importance of glory doesn't work because his failed quest is never mentioned.

I think Clarisse is a miscast. She's pretty whereas in the books it's sort of the whole thing that she's "big, ugly, and mean-looking". She's one of the examples of deceiving looks as we learn in SoM and later on. Making her pretty just makes her lose purpose.

RIP showing friendly interactions or any true bonding with Luke.

All of that talk about Annabeth's wits and strategies in EP2 only to have it never play a major role in the rest of the season. Told you it's a pattern.

🐍 Episode 3:

Annabeth's story keeps getting decimated. There's so much talk about her closeness to Luke, but there's no showing it.

Ugh, I dislike how they keep making Mrs. Dodds so neutral - enough to just tell Annabeth everything? This is a whole new character.

The Medusa reveal still sucks so much, the tension & suspense are just non-existent.

Upon rewatching, I'd say Medusa overall was a decent monster because she barely did anything but it felt like the entire story was offered up on a silver platter and got resolved too quickly.

"You can't ship the head off" makes no sense, none of Athena's arc makes sense in this show. They established that heroes earn glory through mighty deeds (such as killing monsters) and established that Athena cursed Medusa. Percy is for once right.

Overall, this is the episode where Percy's starting to take up the Exposition Character role and I really don't like that.

🌊 Episode 4:

RIP book Sally Jackson I loved you. Sally's starting to go down the "showing visual frustration towards her neurodivergent child" which is a) utterly out of character b) breaks down her arc even more.

The Furies, the Minotaur, and Medusa are not children of Echidna. The monster's great despite looking extremely boring, but her motivation being personal doesn't work in their specific case; they didn't kill any of her kids.

Small complaint but "a temple is a temple" isn't exactly making much sense. We just established Athena-Poseidon rivalry, we just announced that Athena's place is safe for everyone and protected from Poseidon's earthquakes. The idea to call upon a rival God sounds stupid.

Athena's portrayal is just horrible. She was written badly in the books, like most women, but the show's literally saying: Yeah she would gravely endanger her kid for the "mistake" that wasn't even hers. And... it is never brought up again.

Making Athena such a bad mother while Poseidon goes out of his way to save his child from death seems a bit eh.

I. Am. Tired. Of others. Telling Percy. How and what to feel! Please let the guy discover things on his own.

🏛️ Episode 5:

I will die on the hill of "Annabeth is not supposed to be the one to see the Fates and no, her closeness to Luke does not matter" especially when her and Luke's connection has been buried!

It's Percy's quest, it's his prophecy to handle, it's for him to witness the yarn being cut. It's for him to put things together. I do not get why they keep switching Annabeth and Percy's places in the plot.

So, the fugitive twist is abandoned and never handled again. This is a pattern.

It makes absolutely no sense for Annabeth to be talking back to Ares when she knows who he is and how powerful he is. They keep making her play Percy's part and him - play hers.

I mourn Annabeth's geekiness over architecture. The sole time she seems entranced by something that distracts her is Hephaestus' mechanical wonders which is engineering but not exactly book Annabeth's focus.

I am pretty sure Ares doesn't hate his children in the book, he's just a hard-to-impress dad that lets his children fight their own fights. Making him "hate his kids" added zero weight to his character.

Why is Percy mansplaining mythology to Annabeth.

"Seaweed brain" doesn't work when he just explained a myth to her while she stood there listening as if she has never heard it before.

Ares doesn't really have an impact on the three that he had in the books. This was supposed to be the moment Percy first learns his mom's alive. Since Ares was messed up later on too, I call it lost potential.

🎲 Episode 6:

There's no real reason to suspect Ares or Clarisse in the theft, that scene/realization are lazy cop-outs. They do not begin to suspect Ares unless they literally find the bolt.

Lotus Casino my detested. Worst case of "they already know it" that I've seen in this show. The Casino is meant to be a trap, they are not supposed to know where they are going.

Suspense is nonexistent. They literally figure out the lotus-eaters the moment they step into the place, this is boring!

"Wise Girl" doesn't work when they spent less time letting Annabeth talk the smart talk than Percy.

It has been said a multitude of times but the Casino is boring.

"If you don't know what chances do I have" pretty high ones because they've been writing you off as the wise boy, Percy.

Personal pet peeve: I heavily dislike Hermes' casting.

Hermes' scene is far, far too early in.

Arcades are not too old to put into a 2023 series, VR is lame.

Why is the "is it because of me?" scene so awkward, why are they making Grover feel guilty/implying he's guilty. It was literally not his fault.

Hermes' involvement is so messy, there's absolutely no reason for him to hold them back in any way.

THE SOLSTICE PASSING MAKES NO SENSE, IT DIMINISHES ALL STAKES, AND IT DOESN'T EVEN CHANGE ANYTHING

💀 Episode 7:

It has been discussed deeply but everything about Procrustes' scene was done with utmost laziness and letting him live when he was just proclaimed a murderer makes absolutely zero sense.

RIP Sally Jackson's entire character. Show Sally is not above stressing her 9 year old out, getting visibly annoyed by his "outbursts" (they are really tame), putting the blame on him instead of explaining things to him in a calm manner, and raising her voice at him. Not only is this directly polar to her book self, but it also finalizes the show's destruction of her character.

The Underworld: ugly, incomparable with the book's version, boring. All that CGI and they could only pull up a LOTR movie Isengard.

RIP court of Kings, RIP Fields of Punishment, RIP actual Asphodel Meadows, RIP Elysium. The Underworld is done lazily.

Sally Jackson would never let her child think she's getting rid of him. It baffles me that she's not explaining anything to Percy.

This is not Hades and you cannot at a gunpoint make me accept that this is the terrifying, glorious, intimidating God of the Dead that puts awe into Percy Jackson and terrifies his own child. This goofy mf is not Hades, this is clownery. Another utterly decimated character, entirely off-point.

"These grudges go on forever" is hilarious (/neg) to hear from a God whose children are canonically stated to hold grudges as a fatal flaw. They really can't get the single clearly depicted person right.

Percy single-handedly figuring out it's Kronos with no clues is undoubtedly the worst part of the whole season. Go home kids, there's no tension anymore.

I hate how little Annabeth matters in this show. Her tie to Luke is severed, Percy does her job retelling the myths, she's not obsessive about her interests, and she's not even there with them when the biggest revelations are made. Her sole function is carrying the invisibility cap around (and apparently her friends can't even explain that to Hades). The show has killed Annabeth as a character and it's sad.

⚔️ Episode 8:

Sword lessons are far too late in the season, they would do much more impact building Percy and Luke up if they happened earlier.

I know that in the book Ares' curse is largely forgotten about, but they could have easily included it into the fight.

I feel like Percy has never been explained that monsters don't exactly "die" because not once does he seem surprised that Dodds is back.

Olympus is ugly!

The whole Luke reveal is a mess. Percy jumps to the conclusion far too fast, his sole direct argument it is Luke is the shoes, but he realistically has no other reason to assume Luke's the traitor. He has just given Percy the reason why he kept quiet about Clarisse. Percy and his Super Knowledge I guess.

Luke having a portal-opening tool at hand ruins the whole purpose of Thalia as a character and narrative function.

RIP Annabeth's arc.

Oh, Gabe's story line is horrible. We know they purposefully made him non-abusive (c), meaning turning him into stone doesn't really do anything. Like, you just killed a guy; an annoying but non-threatening guy. Lame.

My overall impression was more negative than positive.

My main complaints regard Richard himself for his shameless misleading promotion and poor writing, the casting directors for missing the "vibe" with too many characters (actors have certain types of charisma and this show is hit or miss with them), the producers for slacking off with prioritizing CGI where it doesn't need to be, and for costume designers. Whoever worked on the Camp sets did a decent job, but the Underworld and Olympus suck so much it's unbelievable.

Doesn't work as an adaptation for me. I wouldn't give it more than 2/10 - only for some set designs.

#🏛️#pjo show crit #pjo tv crit #rr crit

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thissmycomingofage · 4 months

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Medusa's speech was so moving it made me cry. No jokes. When you know her story, when you know what they changed from the book, when you know the truth about the myth of her transformation... The screenwriters know the double meaning of everything she said, of how Annabeth's word hit her. Annabeth telling "you're a liar"??? To a SA survivor sharing her story??? That was heartbreaking to hear and I could feel the mix of hurt and being used to it in Medusa's posture and breathing!

Of course they soften the whole thing into some forbidden love story, but those who know KNOW what it truly is. And the writers know. That's why we don't see Medusa's head, I dare to say it's by respect (at least it gives a justification to what is probably mainly budget related choice). And it's all over the text : the way she talks about silence, and it being broken, how she was punished but not the man, how women in the person of Athena self-righteously judged her and condemned her...it's so good, it's so good.

And what she says matters and will matter to those kids. There's no celebration after her death, no glory, no pride. They all lash out on each others. Because what she said hurt a chord cause it's true. And we all know they'll learn to see it. (I need a shot of Annabeth shamefully looking at her mother's shield once Medusa's head will be back on it).

And I almost forgot but she does all of that for Sally!!!! She relates to Sally! It's not about still having a crush on Poseidon and seeing him in his son like in the book, it's about his mother. That way she confirms what Percy claimed last episode : he is Sally Jackson's son. That's why he trusted Medusa, and that's why she wanted to protect him like she knew his father wouldn't. And the parallels with the real Perseus who killed Medusa doing his father's bidding TO SAVE HIS MOTHER! I'm obsessed with it all.

And "Targeted by the same monster"...that's insanely good. And that really makes me wonder what they'll do with Gabe. Because in the way this is framed, Poseidon is far far worst. But if they go through with the original ending of his story, at least it'll be more than headcanon that Medusa, in her last act, protects Sally Jackson.

I have so many thoughts about this episode, it was so good, so moving, so smart

#percy jackson and the olympians #percy jackson #show: percy jackson and the olympians #character: medusa (pjo)#medusa #pjo/hoo #riordanverse #text #oli schist!

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hellomisst · 4 months

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Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes is such a missed opportunity that it is disappointing

I picked Stone Blind in the bookstore as a chill read, but I was expecting to be swept away like how Circe by Madeline Miller did. Stone Blind, according to the synopsis, is about Medusa and her story; it is a retelling, a reimagining. A "fresh" take. Well, for starters, it is not.

It is not difficult to please any reader like me. I never had a book completely disappoint me in all the years I've read. I'm 24 now, and I started reading books when I was like 10. All I want is for a book to entertain me enough to give my mind a leisurely ride while keeping it relaxed, to give me something new to think about and wonder for awhile, or to completely mind-blow me if it is really that good.

This book did nothing of any sort. There are a LOT of lapses in the story because it tried to do a lot of things at once, but it failed to neatly and cleanly pack it all up in the end. It seems that this book did not understand the Ancient Greek culture at all. Even the Greek gods did not seem to have any solid personality in this book. The characters all felt so shallow. Stone Blind is simply literally retelling what anyone with basic knowledge of the Greek mythology already knows, and put some dialogues there to fill in some blank spots.

Spoilers beyond this line.

Now, before we continue, let me tell you that I am not attempting to make an unbiased review of the book. I am writing this as someone who has immersed herself in Greek mythology as a kid, as someone who wanted a pleasant read while having her finals week in the university, as someone who simply wanted something new to think about, and as a woman who enjoys a good feminist retelling of a story of a woman in fiction who was demonized through out history.

Stone Blind promised a "fresh take" of Medusa, "the original monstered woman." As said, there was nothing fresh in the book's take. Nothing revitalized. Nothing reconstructed. The dialogues were mostly bland; the characters, barely there. It did not even feel like Medusa was the main character. It was basically a story of Athene at first, then Perseus. Many parts of the story were unnecessary to the point that you would forget something else happened because they were barely relevant halfway in the story and/ or in the end.

One good point I have for Stone Blind is that when someone is raped, the author really uses the word "rape". At first, I thought maybe this is the lack of creativity and/ or better words, but then I realized that she wants to say it as it is so that there would be no other interpretation, no misunderstanding, and no more debate as to what really happened. That is the only good point I have for this book.

But my main complaints? Let us enumerate them:

First, everyone—Panopeia (whoever that is in the story; the chapter was named Panopeia but it was not in the list of characters even when the olive grove and a random crow made it there), Athene, Hermes, and Gorgoneion (apparently Medusa's head but you would not know until Medusa gets beheaded and says it herself)—or shall I say, the author herself, kept forcing the readers to hate Perseus. Gorgoneion had chapters dedicated to shitting on Perseus: "You're probably feeling sorry for him now, aren't you? Poor little Perseus, the reluctant hero. Defender of his mother's honor. Boastful little fool..." Knowing that Gorgneion is Medusa's head might let us know that she hates Perseus because he killed Medusa, that is true. But the thing is, it is not only Medusa who keeps saying that Perseus is arrogant, whiney, incompetent, foolish, annoying, and more. Even Athene, as a narrator and a character, and Hermes said it. Basically anyone who has interacted with Perseus and narrated the story said it. So it must be true, right? But is that how you write a story? Sure, they all keep saying that Perseus is all that and does not deserve to be called a hero, but they fail to show the audience how! It keeps being said but it is not shown. The author wants us to hate Perseus by saying it but does not show us why.

This is where it feels like the book fails to understand Ancient Greek culture. The point about Perseus being an annoying and arrogant little prick circles around the fact that he wants to set out on a quest to get Medusa's head but he does not know what a gorgon is, what to do, where to go, and all that shit. He also "complains a lot" and when he got Medusa's head, he "liked killing people" and became "arrogant". First, honor and pride are the center of Ancient Greek stories, characters, and heroes. This is why Greek gods and goddesses intervene in wars and quests. This is basic in any Greek mythology thing! And even without these values, of course Perseus would not want his mother to be taken by any man, even by a king! Why would we fault Perseus with that? Gorgoneion kept saying in one chapter that had Perseus not intervened, the king would have grown tired of Danae (Perseus' mother) and would have cast her aside because he was not interested in her anyway; he just wanted whatever his brother, Dictys, had (Danae and Perseus was taken in by Dictys when they escaped Danae's kingdom long ago). But how would Perseus know that? All Perseus knew, as a 16-year old boy, was that their peaceful life was disturbed by a king and now the king wants his mother. What child would not want to do anything and everything to intervene, Ancient Greek mythology character or not?

Next, Perseus was sixteen! A child! An Ancient Greek child, at that. Of course, he would not know what a gorgon was, where Nereids lived, what he needs to behead a gorgon, and all those things. He did not grow up as a prince being educated on what gods, goddesses, and monsters looked like; he grew up in a fishermen's village learning how to live day by day beside a sea! He was well-taken care of by Danae and Dictys, of course he was mostly comfortable in life. Of course, he would complain when there are painful and uncomfortable moments in his quest! Anyone would! Anyone would grow frustrated and complain when they do not know stuff, but know that they have to do something or else their parent would be taken away, but somehow they keep failing and/ or getting lost! It was stupid, yes, to set out not figuring things out first, but if you were given only two months to do something known as impossible with your parent's freedom at stake and with no one else to support you (even Dictys did not speak against the king, his own brother), even you would go impulsive.

In moments in which Perseus does something abhorrent, his actions seem random and forced, just so they can say that he is bad. For example, Perseus used Medusa's head to turn someone to stone when they denied him food and lodging. They said he had to get the king's, Atlas', permission first and the directions they gave him was lengthy and confusing that it annoyed him, so he turned them to stone.

In the end, most of his being annoying and whiney can be attributed to the fact that he is just sixteen but he feels that he has to do something impossible to save his mother. His being arrogant can be attributed to the fact that he is just sixteen yet he killed and outsmarted gorgons with the help and favor of the gods. He was also mostly kept company by gods who are known to be arrogant. Now, I am not in any way defending Perseus—I know Ancient Greek men in the mythology are shitty—but this is how I view the author's persistent shoving in the face of Perseus being a prick. The author keeps taking Greek mythology out of context; Stone Blind keeps being pulled to modern world and standards that it cast aside the context and nuances of Ancient Greece and Greek mythology. It is not impossible to apply modern idealogoies like feminism in Greek mythology; Circe by Madeline Miller did it. Proper contextualization and a good understanding of Greek mythology can do the trick. And in the case of Medusa? It should have not been difficult at all. Common people on the internet have done it! Medusa has already become an icon for survivors of abuse and harassment. How did the retelling of Medusa's story in Stone Blind fail in this?

Second, how did a book claiming to put women at the center fail to write women in better light? Stone Blind kept trying so hard to say "men bad" but in the end, it seems like Athene was the villain and Medusa was no better than the Perseus she kept insulting; and no man faced any consequence nor retribution. Retelling and reimagining a classic, an ancient story already gives you the edge to make a difference, to send a better message, yet Stone Blind failed so miserably. Sure, maybe the idea was that, "if men can be so bad they can kill anyone, maybe my being vengeful and heartless as a woman is not so bad?" But if this is so, then it all becomes so wrong. How is Medusa's "killing" people "empowering" for women when in the end, she was just a weapon used by Perseus that she did not even have the agency to choose when and who to kill?

The root of it all was Poseidon. Poseidon violated Medusa in Athene's temple. But Athene cannot directly offend Poseidon, so she goes to Medusa, the easier target. Poseidon tricked Hephaestus to take Athene as a bride. Zeus blessed the idea. Hephaestus violates Athene. Athene takes Athens to offend Poseidon. And that is it. Athene did not even craft any long-term plan to take vengeance on Poseidon, the root of it all. And what of Hephaestus? What was the purpose of that scene!? Sure, that was part of the real mythology, but in this book, what was the purpose? If it was to show that even goddesses are not safe from the evilness of men, that even Athene, the one who cursed Medusa for Poseidon's sin, knew how it felt to be harassed, then why did she not change her thoughts about Medusa and her curse? Why did she not change her perspective on women? Because she is an Olympian and Olympians are arrogant? Or is all this just so that the author can retell the story of how Athens became Athene's, and then the olive grove, Elaia, can narrate a small part of the story that is not all that significant anyway? Such a missed opportunity to change the tides in Medusa's story. Women tore each other down; men stood unaffected by their own actions and the consequences.

Then there was also this small appearance of a woman who could have done something: Amphitrite, the wife of Poseidon. According to Stone Blind, Amphitrite was pursued by Poseidon nonstop until she gave up hiding and just gave in. So she knew how Poseidon is. And she knew Medusa caught Poseidon's eyes. The book said, "...she wondered if she should warn the Gorgons of the danger their sister is in." What was the purpose of this line, or the whole chapter's thought, for that matter? To show that the own wife of Poseidon became his wife because he would not stop going after her, even after rejection? To show that Amphitrite also went through what Medusa was about to go through? And then what? Nothing.

Gaia, the titan goddess of earth, was also introduced. During that pointless titan vs. gods war, Gaia was introduced as a mother who wanted to help her titan children, but was immediately defeated by Zeus through god-knows-what. And that war, my god, what was that for!? If that was only to introduce Gaia and allow her to get Hephaestus' semen (from Athene's discarded cloth when she wiped herself after the harassment) and create a child out of it for revenge to Athene, and for that child to grow and help in settling to whom Athens will go to, then it really was not that important. Because: how is this relevant to Medusa?

More on the lack of better characterization of women? Let us talk about Cassiope and Andromeda! Cassiope, and her husband, the king Cepheus, wanted Andromeda to marry Cepheus' brother, an old man. Andromeda vehemently refused, Cassiope felt her loss of power and beauty, and so she blasphemed saying she is more beautiful, if not as beautiful, as the Nereids. The Nereids got offended by her hubris and demanded Poseidon to punish their kingdom. The kingdom gets flooded, and they demanded a sacrifice as an offering to appease them: Andromeda. Andromeda, before getting eaten by the sea monster who was apparently Medusa's mother, gets rescued by Perseus... by using Medusa's head to turn the sea monster to stone. Andromeda, then, wanted to marry Perseus, but Cepheus and Cassiope have doubts. They are correct in having doubts in him, because in Stone Blind, Perseus is said to be bad. But Andromeda refuses to listen nor believe in them because she no longer wants other people to dictate her marriage, which is good for her! She wants what she wants. But in the end, she still is not better than Cassiope because she also believes Cassiope is at fault. She is, but Cepheus' inaction should have been just as bad. What makes their story difficult to follow is how women in this story immediately face terrible consequences for relatively small offenses, while men do not; and it is also women who punish and look down on them. And again, what was the purpose of Cassiope's vanity and hubris in the run of Medusa's story? To show excess vanity can lead to hubris and a godly offense? To make Medusa meet her mother? But then, what was the point of Medusa meeting her mother? For her to think, "Why did I not close my eyes?" Why not, indeed?

Do note that I know this all sounds like I am putting the responsibility on women, rather than men. But remember: the author kept explicitly saying "men bad" (and so far men really did bad things and/ or stood by on the side when something was happening, so that checks out); and if this is a book meant to focus on women and retell their stories, then women should have been written better and differently from their original accounts. But so far, nothing. They were all as they originally were. And they stood by, like the men, when something happened to their fellow women.

Third, the characters are bland and are mischaracterized. The only good people depicted who are relevant to Medusa are her sisters, her fellow gorgons. They are also the only characters who have personalities. They even have more agency than the supposed main character, Medusa. Other than that, Perseus, we already talked about him; Dictys, introduced as a kind protector of women who wash up on the beach, but suddenly did not defend Danae when the king wanted her as his wife? He was kind enough to take them in, wise enough to move away from his king of a brother when he was clearly unwanted and it seemed he induces paranoia in him brought about by insecurity and envy; but when the king himself shows up and claims that he wants Danae, who Dictys said that he sees as his own daughter, for himself, he suddenly cannot speak against him? Changing a character's personality so suddenly to drive the story forward?

Now, about the gods. The gods, the Olympians, are only depicted as one thing: arrogant and prideful. All of them. Gods and goddesses alike. No other personality. And so when Athene and Hermes were made to banter, it comes off all wrong, weird, and irrelevant. Sometimes, the author tries to put humor in Athene, but it is just wrong and out of character. One time, the author made her whiney and childlike when she demanded a "thing" because all other gods have a "thing", it felt so out of character because throughout the story, she was just serious and arrogant. But then this scene happens just to show how Zeus made owls her thing. And owls did not even become relevant in the story (though a crow randomly narrated a chapter). This might have been there to show dimensions and depth of Athene as a character, but it just failed because: it did not become relevant.

The ending also felt so weird and out of character for Athene. Athene, the goddess of wisdom, literal brainchild of Zeus, who should be serious, sure, and always knowledgeable, for some reason, does not know the extent and capabilities of the curse she herself put on Medusa! What the fuck was that? She wanted Medusa to "change her back"; Athene accidentally turned a priestess of her temple to stone because the priestess looked into Athene's breastplate where she put Medusa's head. One, how does the goddess of wisdom accidentally turn someone to stone because she forgot she was wearing Medusa's head and regret it? Two, how does the goddess of wisdom not know her own curse that she herself put on someone? Three, how does the goddess of wisdom forget that that happened a century ago, and not know a century, a year is longer than an hour? And four, how does the goddess of wisdom, an Olympian, not know when a torch is lit not for her but for the priestess she turned to stone?

More than that, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, Athene wants a home, but not the temples nor Olympus. She felt homesick and lonely. But why? How? Nowhere in the story did it say nor show that she felt anything of the sort. And she opens this up to Medusa, and allows Medusa to turn her to stone. Why? In this kind of ending, what and where is the resolution?

Lastly, all Medusa was in this story is still a helpless gorgon whose agency in her own story was so minimal that she was not able to change her own fate. She even turned her own mother to stone, and then thought, "Why did I not close my eyes?" The same question I kept thinking of every time Perseus takes her head out of the bag and uses her as a weapon. When Medusa was first beheaded, she made sure to look at the ground only to avoid turning anyone else to stone, but wanted Perseus to accidentally look because she was so angry she wanted to turn him to stone. The first time Perseus took her out to turn people to stone, Medusa felt too powerful and seemed to regret it. I thought, as a revenge and to finally make her own move and decisions, she would maybe start closing her eyes whenever she is taken out by Perseus. But no. I thought, maybe it is because she claims to no longer be the Medusa who cares for mortals. Because a mortal killed her, she no longer feels sympathy and no longe cares when she kills mortals. Alright. But then, I thought you hated Perseus, so why allow him to continually use you as a weapon? Why agree to be used by him and help him succeed?

Eventually, I realized how everyone in the story is an unreliable narrator, especially Gorgoneion aka Medusa/ Medusa's head. That would have been fine if not for the fact that the characters themselves are mischaracterized throughout the story. And to make things worse, why are other characters, mainly men, and other storylines used for Medusa's story to progress? The only reason I can think for this is that the author herself does not understand Greek mythology, Ancient Greece, and the values upheld by Ancient Greeks (at least, in the mythology) well enough to apply modern ideologies in it and so she did not know what to do with Medusa in Medusa's story herself.

#stone blind #natalie haynes #medusa #greek mythology #perseus #mythology #circe #madeline miller #book review #olympians

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alexthegamingboy · 5 months

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Toonami Weekly Recap 11-18-2023

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Train Arc EP#03 (29) - Should Have Been: Whilst the Demon Slayers are asleep, Enmu instructs four vulnerable passengers to tie their wrists to them, fall asleep, and enter their dreams. Armed with an awl made of his bone, they must search for their spiritual core and destroy it, in order to render them incapacitated. Kyojuro's intruder finds his core, but his intensely strong spirit manages to stop her in the real world. Nezuko, who is unaffected by Enmu's Blood Demon Art, emerges from her box and tries to wake up Tanjiro. Though her attempts to do so fail, she is able to alert him that he is in a dream and trapped. In an ultimate attempt to wake himself up, Tanjiro draws his sword and slashes his own neck in order to regain consciousness.

Dr. Stone: New World (Treasure Island Arc) EP#48 (13) - The Medusa's True Face: Taiju begins freediving to retrieve the statues. Kaseki is revived, and with his help, Senku makes the drone propeller by coating feathers in plastic attached to a fidget spinner. Taiju collects all the statues, including an extra statue that has been petrified for years. In the citadel, Ginro is chosen to marry the Master. Moz deduces Kohaku is the infiltrator. Terrified of the Master's impending molestation, Ginro decides to use a gas bomb Senku made from vinegar, alcohol and sulphuric acid to cause the Master intense mental confusion. Entering the Master s room, Ginro encounters Ibara, who insists all girls traditionally must satisfy him first before marrying the Master. Exposed, Kohaku begins fighting Moz. Ginro neutralizes Ibara with the gas and discovers the Master was petrified years ago so Ibara could secretly take over. Moz is attracted to Kohaku for her beauty and strength and is irritated she rejects him for lacking honor. Ginro is fatally stabbed by Ibara but manages to tell Kohaku the Master was almost certainly Soyuz father. To save his life, Kohaku provokes Kirisame into petrifying them both, trusting Senku to find and revive them. As the weapon activates, Kohaku sees it clearly for the first time, a complex scientific device she dubs the Medusa, from a story Senku told her of the mythical Greek monster.

Slightly Damned Page 1111 - https://www.sdamned.com/comic/1111

youtube

#Toonami #Toonami Weekly Recap #Toonami Game Review #Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba #Demon Slayer 2 #Mugen Train Arc #Dr. Stone #Dr. Stone: New World #Treasure Island Arc #slightly damned #Youtube

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msclaritea · 8 months

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The Ancient Greek Goddess Chimera Embodied Fear of Females

"The Greek goddess Chimera, who was referenced in Hesiod’s seventh-century B.C. work “Theogony” and featured in Homer’s Iliad, was a monstrous composition of disparate parts that embodied an ancient fear of females.

Like so many other Greek goddesses, like Medusa, Lamia, Scylla, and Charybdis, she seemed to have been created out of mens’ fears regarding the power of females. She was a fearsome lion in front, a goat in the middle (which represented her ability to foster young), and became yet another terrible animal in the back, a dragon or snake.

She not only breathed fire, but was able to fly through the air and and ravage helpless towns. In particular, she seemed to have particular wrath for Lycia, an ancient maritime district in what is now southwest Turkey.

Pegasus (outer ring) an Chiera(inner ring) are depicted in this exquisite earring stud, now at the Louvre Museum. Magna Graecia or Etruria, fourth century BC. Credit: Marie-Lan Nguyen/Public Domain

That is, until a male, the hero Bellerophon, managed to lodge a lead-tipped spear in her throat and choke her to death. Interestingly, in Greek mythology, it’s always a male figure that kills a female goddess or other figure that seemingly threatens men or the status quo.

Of all the fictional monsters of Greek mythology—and certainly all the female monsters— Chimera may have had the strongest roots in reality.

Her portrayal was the subject of a recent article by journalist and critic Jess Zimmerman, who argues in “Women and Other Monsters: Building a New Mythology” that “women have been monsters, and monsters have been women, in centuries’ worth of stories because stories are a way to encode these expectations and pass them on.”

It is true that frightening female creatures feature in cultural traditions the world over, but Zimmerman focused on ancient Greek and Roman works of literature and art, which have had—by far—the most influence on American culture.

The fires of Mt. Chimera in modern-day Turkey may have inspired the creation of the fearsome goddess Chimera. Credit:

Several historians, including Pliny the Elder, argue that her origin is an example of a “euhemerism,” when ancient mythology might have corresponded to historical fact.

Indeed, the people of Lycia may have been so frightened by nearby geological activity at Mount Chimera, a geothermally active area where methane gas ignites and seeps through cracks in the rocks, that over time, the mountain, emitting angry flames, assumed the identity of a woman.

How women who historically are commonly classified as sweet and supposedly consistently even-tempered ever came to be associated with an feared volcano is beyond me. The small bursts of flames that came out of the mountain so spooked the local people that legends came to be created about them.

For ancient Greeks who came to tell stories about the monster, Chimera’s particular combination of fearsome and dangerous beasts and the domestic goat represented a hybrid, a contradictory horror that mirrored the way women were perceived as both symbols of domesticity and potential threats in much of Greek mythology.

Goat represents motherhood—and destructive ability

On the one hand, writes Zimmerman, Chimera’s goat body “carries all the burdens of the home, protects babies…and feeds them from her body.” On the other hand, her monstrous elements “roar and cry and breathe fire.”

She adds, “What (the goat) adds is not new strength, but another kind of fearsomeness: the fear of the irreducible, of the unpredictable.”

“To deviate in any way from the prescribed motherhood narrative is to be made a monster, a destroyer of children,” Zimmerman writes...."

The fact that Tom Cruise used the name of Chimera, a myth that embodied the fear of women, as a deadly virus in Mission Impossible, shocks me, not at all. That dude really doesn't like women.

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rphelperblog · 2 years

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Fantasy Au Rp Meme

Send REVERSE to switch the perspetive of the prompt

Wolf: My muse discovers that yours is a werewolf that they must marry

Vampire- your muse attempts to feed on mine only to find out that mine is a child of the night as well

Warlock- for my muse to come to yours for a spell

Curse- for my muse to discover yours is cused

Bewitched- my muse is spelled to fall in love with yours

Knight- for your muse to be a knight fighting for my muse [could be romantic or platonic]

Dance- for our muses to meet on a dance floor in a ballroom

Eternal- for our muses to fall in love knowing that we will be together for the rest of eternity

Fae- your muse tricks mine into joining the fae court

Arrow- for your muse to attempt to rob mine

Pirate- for my muse to be taken captive on a pirate ship

Scallywag- for your muse to take mine captive on a pirate ship without knowing mine is a pirate of their own

School- for our muses to meet at a dark academy school

Mate- for our muses to discover that they are mates

Parabatia- for our muses to be linked together magically as warriors

Prince- for your muse to fall in love with mine knowing or not knowing that they are a royal

Game- my muse figures out that what can’t be explained in the current situation was not real

Medusa- my muse is caught with yours against a monster as their friends or fellow villagers were stone

Sword- for your muse to hold mine and gunpoint

Garden- for our muses to meet in the royal guardians

Assasian- for my muse to catch yours in the act of murder

Spar- for our muse to practice sword fighting together

Guard- for your muse to be protective of my royal muse

Champion- our muses are champions of our people being sent for some sort of competion

Elves- for our muses to get lost in a woodland realm only to discover a new species that one of us may have the bloodline of

Tattoo- our muses discover a mark that your muse has always had is a map to some sort of precious treasure or artifact

Alien- for our muse to be on a spaceship together to fight the new planetary invaders

Ward- for your muse to search for a noble man only to have the door open by my muse

True love- for your muse to wake mine up with true loves kiss

Soulmate- for our muses to be born with a tattoo of the birthday of their soulmate that throbs when their soulmate is hurt after meeting them

Blood- for your muse to find out along with mine that they aren’t entirely human

Won’t allow distress- for your muse to save mine when they don’t at all look the part

Betrothed- for our kingdoms to need a marriage between our royal muses

Fable- for your muse to walk in on mine telling a fantastical story not realizing that it was about your muse

Galant- for our muses to compete with one another for the eye of a royal [romantic or platonic]

Bard- your muse is singing about a quest they had been a spectator on and my muse is besotted without realizing

grump- for your muse to be a particularly broody,strong creature who unknowling let on that she cares

Enemies to loves- your muse is a less then savory figure that mine came to kill and then fell for

Remember- for my muse to forget of yours existence only to have the magic of the curse fall

Competition- for your muse to have a ball for their hand and my muse to be one of the suitors [could be any gender]

Tournament- for your muse to fight in a tournament against mine to be an official knight

Magician- for your muse to act as an entertainer and for my muse to realize that magic is the real root of your trick

Secret- our muses are secretly together though stations would not allow

murder- for your muse to take the identity of their dead friend or sibling to figure out what happened to them and ends up discussing with mine

Favor- my muse is a ruler offering a favor to yours in a competion

Poison- for your muse to catch someone attempting to poison my muses food

Fairytale- for your muse to send a surprising outfit and invitation

Metahuman- for our muses to be given superhero powers

Renegades- for your muses to have super powers that made our parents against eachother as villian and hero

Originals- for your muse to discover that mine is one of the originals of their kind

Siren- for your muse to get called in by mine’s siren song

Atlantis- for your muse to find mine and the under water city

Dragon- for your muse to discover mine has the power to switch from human to dragon form

Hero- for your muse to use their powers to save mine

Mask- for our muses to meet at a ball with masks obligatied

Commoner- for my muses father to send your muse away for their station and this is our last meeting

King- for our muses to plot together to kill the king

Ice- for your muse to have ice powers and my muse to see you use them

Magic- for your muse to catch mine doing magic which is outlawed

Myth- for your muse to be a creature of myth found out by my muse

Turn- for your muse to have turned mine into the creature that they are

Time travel- for your muse to unwittingly find mine after sending themselves back in time

Monster- for your muse to save mine from a monster

Hunters- for your muse to run into mine on a monster hunt only to find out that I also am tracking the same creature

Witch- for your muse to try and fall in love with mine in a numbered time because they have been cursed by a witch

Fire- for your muse to have fire powers that they can’t quite control in heavy emotional changes and mine get slightly singed

Telekentic- your muse is a telekentic who gets caught using their powers

Future- for my muse to react to your prophecy of the future after seeing a few times it come true

Fledgling- for my muse to be an elder vampire to takes pity on a newly turned version in your muse

Gilded- for my muse to discover that yours can spin straw into gold

Spinner- for my muse to have been abandoned by their father because of magic and meet yours who is an accomplished magic user years later for a cloak or another article of clothing being sewn

Jump- for your muse to have been tossed out of a book and into the real world or fantasy world of mine

Nightmare- for my muse to attempt to control your muses dreams

#open meme #open to anyone #open to all #open to anybody #open RP #ask meme #rp meme #roleplay meme #memes

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percabeth4life · 2 years

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Why is it a problem that Rick's portrayal was so inaccurate? (I know why but I'd love to see your view on this)

Rick's portrayal of the myths is a problem for various reasons, not all of these people really care about.

In terms of irl: a lot of people take what Rick says and quotes it as facts. Like genuine discussions on the myths have Rick cited as the source for stuff they say (not academically but publicly). It's something baffling and spreads innacuracies

In addition, the portrayal of the Gods as cruel, selfish, and petty (almost exclusively) causes various pagans to get hate. Some of my followers may remember the times I've gotten asks telling me the Gods are actually cruel and Rick was right, it's upsetting. Now, this is a common thing, not exclusive to his books, but his have the habit of portraying the myths as if those are facts even while mixing in fantasy, so it's hard for people to know what's the fantasy and what's properly sourced.

And on that note, the issue in book canon with inaccurate myths is... We don't know what's canon or not.

Rick changes myths, he makes some myths up, he uses characters from the myths and makes them good or evil as he feels like.

Calypso's myths are at least somewhat true, but the myths show that she r*ped Odysseus (describes him unwilling and crying). Is that the truth? She only released him in the myths because the Gods interfered, the Gods interfered with Percy too, did that save him from that fate or is she kind now? Or was she never cruel? We don't know!

He pulls only parts of the myths and ignores the rest, and when you're basing major parts of your stories on the myths that creates questions and holes because we don't know what's fact and what's not as far as the books are concerned.

Medusa who was born a monster came first, and yet the Medusa they met was the one made a monster, are they one and the same? Or different?

There are specific Roman Centaurs so I'd imagine theres and Roman and Greek Medusa, but he treats the Roman one as Greek.

The myth of Arachne is Roman, it's written by Ovid, does that mean that all children of Athena are also children of Minerva for the grudge on them? Or are Minerva and Athena viewed as the exact same to everyone despite how much the books insist on them being different?

Its just... If you know the myths his actions mean... We don't know what the myths are in the books. He changes too much, he gets facts outright wrong, he makes stuff up. Its not just filling in holes with interpretations like me and Izzy do, he outright makes up Apollo bullying Harpocrates, that's not a thing! He did it solely to make Apollo look worse.

And he doesn't know how the myths were read back then either. He acts as if Apollo punishing people for breaking oaths was bad of Apollo, and not them breaking an oath to a divine being after getting their end of the deal. That's a big no no guys.

So yeah, not using the myths accurately or not just sticking to making stuff up (one or the other) causes a lot of confusion for what is their history in PJO, he pulls from the myths but doesn't use them properly.

#glaxyjellyfish #life answers #thanks for asking!#rr crit #pjo #life rants

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random1amfics · 3 years

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Demon Tyrant of France (1)

Cackles echoed through the halls of Francoise Dupont, sending chills up every students' spine. The eerie variations of 'I'm back' that accompanied the cackles, sent all of the longer attending students of Francoise Dupont to stiffened in fear as if Medusa herself had turned them into statue. A figure clad in red and black stalked the halls, inciting surprise and terror at the sight of them for cackles and eerie voice belonged to someone much, much worse than the monsters from old stories.

The Demon Tyrant had returned.

In the classroom of students that had gained the nickname of 'Akuma Class' due to the large number of akumas from it, was one Chloe Bourgeois repeatedly hitting her head on the desk, groaning like there was no tomorrow. The other students, at least the ones who was in the school long enough, relayed horror stories of their (middle school/elementary) life and the reason behind Chloe's behaviour. They hope they can inform most of the others as much as they can before someone accidentally insults the Demon Tyrant and incite their wrath. The destruction they made in their anger left lasting impressions and nightmares for years to come. After an explanation, Kim had rushed out, saying something about offerings and sacrifices with a few following his example. Adrien sat in his seat, listening to Nino as he listed reasons why he should not anger this Demon Tyrant. He can't believe one of his classmates used to be like that.

"But why is the Demon Tyrant back to being you know? How do we know for sure that they didn't learned that being nice and kind is better?"

"Dude, listen, this is the absolute worst time for it to be over. We haven't been treating her nicely for the past few weeks. Yes, the Demon being all sweet and nice was weird at first but we have been taking it for granted and may have over done it. So Adrien, dude, I know you want everybody to be happy but the Demon can't be reason with, we can only try to appease her and hope for the best. As for why she stopped being nice and kind, Chloe?"

She had been the one to deliever the message about the Demon's Return to the class group chat.

She stopped her self-torture for a while.

"Fucking Granola De Vanilla couldn't hold out for a little while longer. I thought for sure, Lila Rossi would have made her crack but apparently, the rumours are true about the Demon having a skin of diamond. The bet they both had was about who could go the longest being great human beings. Now that FeFe lost, the bet is over, she has no reason to keep it up. At least, I will be spared."

"Oh please, you treated her like dirt for that first year. Don't you remember?"

"Yes but she expected him to get me to do something so he would win. She loves the challenge. She also basically did the same thing to him. I never actually went as far as to destroy one of her books. I really thought that would've been her breaking point."

"Oh fuck, I gotta find Alya and tell her about this." Nino exclaimed and rushed out.

Adrien seemed to have figured something out.

"Hey, Chlo, was my cousin Felix the one who made the bet with the Demon?"

"Yes, in fact they are best friends. Maybe even something more."

"Felix has a best friend? Why didn't he ever tell me about them?"

"Because Felix doesn't owe you anything, Agreste." A familiar voice came from the door. Adrien smiled, happy to see one of his best friends and turned to see Marinette who surprisingly was early to school. Except she wasn't Marinette Dupain-Cheng he knew. Her usual pink and grey colour scheme was gone replaced by red and black. A red blouse, black leather jacket and dark skinny jeans. Her hair was no longer in her signature pigtails and instead was loose and flow down her shoulders like an inky waterfall. She wore blood-red lipsticks and eyeliner wings so sharp it will cut anything. Her 5-inch heels made her taller but her confident aura made her seems even taller. She walked into the room, not even with a trace of clumsiness and all the grace and elegance of a ballerina. Adrein was stunned....and afraid. Marinette's eyes always held warmth in them but they were now icy and cold. Her smile didn't bring the usual bundle of joy and happiness to him instead, there was a pit of terror and despair in his stomach.

"Chloe," words rolled off her tongue like silk, "I hoped you enjoyed your time on the throne. But i would like you off it now."

"I really did. Thank you, your Highness, for choosing me to rule in your stead. It is a great honour to return the crown to its rightful owner." Chloe pulled a black velvet box out of her bag, and bowed her head, presenting it to Marinette. Inside the box was actually a gold diadem, decorated with rubies and sapphires. Anyone could tell that it was the real deal. Marinette put it on and seemed to relaxed as if the weight of the crown was something she missed holding.

"So, your Highness, what do you have planned?"

"Bold of you to assume that I am not just here to have fun until I can finally leave this god forsaken place, Bourgeois."

"You and I both know that now that there is nothing stopping you from retaliating, you are going to get back at who have wronged you. And you are going to have fun doing that anyways."

"True. Spoken like a true queen as always, Chloe."

"I am going to sit back and enjoy the show," Marinette went to her seat in the back where the class 'banished' her to,"for now."

Everyone quickly scrambled out of her way. Adrien looked at the normally pig-tailed girl, now sitting tall and proud like an Empress surveying her Domain. He wondered if this Marinette will keep the promise she made to him about Lila. They need to talk about it later.

#hbic marinette #bamf marinette #chloe bourgeois #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #felix graham de vanily

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ilovedainironfoot · 3 years

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You tell them about Greek Mythology, how do they react ? ( Elrond + Thranduil + Radagast + Gandalf + Gimli

( none of the gifs or pictures are mine )

asked by @iwenttomordor to celebrate my 100 followers \^o^/

WARNING : really slight mention of sexual assault in Radagast and Gimli part

Elrond

-when he invited you to Imladris he did not expect such a conversation when he asked you to speak from your world

-you have captured his attention from your first words

-because you are passionate about Greek mythology, it is the first subject you have chosen

-as you omitted to say that the stories were not true, he is shocked and horrified (the father of Zeus who eats his children, who cheats on his wife, all the curses that the gods cast)

-he clearly prefers that you are in Middle-Earth than in your world where obviously the gods are cruel and have no mercy

-he finally understands after several hours and then he becomes extremely impressed with the ability of humans to invent such stories

-Everything you say is written down, and since Greek mythology is full of stories and anecdotes, a new section of the library must be built to house the new manuscripts

-he is rather relieved that their gods are less...bizarre than yours

-he is not very surprised when you talk to him about creatures such as fauns, mermaids, gryffon, sphinx, since they have dragons and eagles that speak

-he insists on doing the illustrations for the books himself and it has become a game between you, to see him try to draw the strange creatures as you have described them

Thranduil

-he prevents himself from laughing, really he prevents himself

-you are into what you are saying but you are going fast so he really has a hard time following and understanding what you are telling him (this man died because he got an arrow in his heel which is the only part of his body that his mother didn't put in the water ? what ? )

-nevertheless, the fact that you are so passionate about the subject makes the discussion interesting, even if he often cuts you off because of anything he finds too strange

-his favorite story is that of Hercules

-the birth of some gods surprises him, like the birth of Aphrodite or Athena ( ok who is the baby who was sewn in the thigh of his father already ? )

-if he has guests and he doesn't like them too much, he will ask you to tell the worst stories from Greek mythology

Radagast

-he doesn't dare to say anything but as soon as you start talking to him about it, he thinks that you are either in shock of your arrival here or you have sniffed or swallowed something that you definitely shouldn't have

-he is really very uncomfortable

-but the moment you tell him about monsters like the Hydra of Erne, Charybdis, the Chimera, the Lion of Nemea, he thinks that you may have faced one of them and that these stories you tell are a way for you to overcome the trauma

-when you talk to him about all the horrible things that some gods have done (assaulting women for example), he is really not well because he thinks it might have happened to you, like for the monsters

-it was only after several hours, after having exclaimed how exciting Greek mythology was, that he understood everything and felt more than relieved

-he finds the story of Medusa too sad

Gandalf

-a bit like Radagast he thinks at first that you have smoked and that you are not used to it

-being convinced that every legend has a basis of truth, he takes your stories with care

-he will search all the archives of Rivendell, Rohan, Gondor and Lothorian to learn more about all these creatures you tell him about

-he finds certain gods detestable and makes this known in a half-spoken way

-his favorite character is Ulysee, for his ingenuity and trickery (even if he does not approve of everything the warrior did)

-there are so many things, stories, anecdotes, details in Greek mythology that he loves it when you sit around the fire in the evening and suddenly remember something and start telling him

-he finds many lessons to learn in your stories that he enjoys giving in a mysterious way

Gimli

-you are both in the tavern when you start telling some stories from Greek mythology

-he is so confused that he confiscates your drink and sniffs it, wondering what's in your mug to make you say such weird things

-he has nightmares for several weeks after you tell him about Styx, Hades and the underworld

-no matter how much you tell him that these are just legends, stories, he is not comfortable

-not to mention some of the stories where women are subjected to things that he calls abominable ( sexual assault, transformed into horrible creatures, married by force, etc)

-but he likes very much the stories of warriors like Ulysses or Achilles (even if he does not approve of everything they did)

-he tries to carve on wood the monsters you describe to him

#elrond #thranduil #radagast #gandalf #gimli

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inamindfarfaraway · 3 years

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In each PJO book Percy imitates the actions of a specific famous Greek hero who is tied to the narrative:

The Lightning Thief - Perseus (cuts off Medusa’s head; uses it to petrify the creepy abusive guy trying to possess his mother; is also a son of the Big Three named Perseus)

The Sea of Monsters - Odysseus (travels the titular sea; meets Circe after getting the magical item that reverses her transformation from Hermes; meets the sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, Polyphemus, etc.; Annabeth shares Odysseus’s fatal flaw and often does the exact same things he did, forcing Percy to react to those decisions and their consequences as well)

The Titan’s Curse - Heracles (meets Atlas on his mountaintop and holds up the sky for a moment; wields a sword Heracles once wielded; dreams about him; meets an ex-ally of his who is greatly influenced by his betrayal of her and explicitly notes that Percy is better than him)

The Battle of the Labyrinth - Theseus (goes through the Labyrinth; fellow son of Poseidon, which has been true for all books but here it seems a little more prominent, at least to me, with his concerns over Antaeus and Poseidon showing up to his birthday party and telling him he’s his favourite son)

The Last Olympian - Achilles (bathes in the River Styx and becomes invincible with one lethal weak spot; linchpin fighter in a huge war; Clarisse’s whole side plot is a direct parallel to Achilles’s story in the Iliad with Silena playing the part of Patroclus)

And he is ultimately better in character and accomplishments alike than all of them. Percy Jackson is the best of the Greek heroes.

#pjo #Percy Jackson #pjo percy #pjo analysis #percy jackson analysis

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in-2004-fandoms-and-counting · 3 years

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AU where Nico dies (don't hate me pls I'm sorry I love Nico and ship the hell out of Solangelo, this is just to allow for some dark AUs) transporting the Athena Parthenos in BoO.

(Sorry it's such a long post) Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, revered praetor and peace-loving daughter of Bellona, loses the ability to share strength. Now, when she uses her power, she saps your energy, draws on your bravery, and poisons your mind with horrific images. Nico's death has allowed suppressed traits to resurface and overwhelm all her progress since San Juan all those years ago. She picks fights. She becomes a dictator in all but name, abolishing the Senate and making War Games a lot more "realistic": weekly funerals become commonplace, words are spoken under breaths, and terror resides in the heart of every New Roman. And so, Reyna Ramírez-Arellano turns her brilliant mind and poisonous power to Gaea's aid. Gleeson Hedge doesn't seem more than a broken satyr at first glance, his smiles never sincere, his voice never loud, his bat never raised. But when he slips off into the wilderness, he does not sit quietly among the trees and reflect. He whispers into the trees' leaves, his twisted words echoing the bitterness that now consumes his being. He has been tricked too many times: Pan, forcing thousands of satyrs to lose their lives in their quest to find him when he was alive all along; Clarisse, who never tried to connect with nature or understand his own ties to the natural world, who teaches his child the game of death while Mellie watches, fading away, unable to fight back; the gods, who, in their promise of protection, conveniently ignored the nature spirits. He is bitterest about Nico's death: about all he could have done, about what the kid should have done. The glint in his eyes scares even the worst monster that Tartarus could send. But it is Gaea he turns his allegiance to. It is Gaea who promises that he will always be good enough for her. And so, Gleeson Hedge turns nature back to its true mother: Gaea. Hazel Levesque is not someone you want as an enemy. Her golden eyes, gold like the masks of the judges of the dead, seem to see everything. Her powers grow stronger, but now she is able to control them. One glance, and she can cause an entire legion to scream and writhe in agony as she manipulates the iron in their blood, twists their shining armour, forces weapons to turn on their handlers. She stops wearing normal, mortal clothes, and now she wears flowing dresses of molten gold and bronze that no spear could pierce nor hand touch. She calls on the remnants of metal in the cave in Resurrection Bay to rise, and rise they do, twisting and weaving together at her command to form a cathedral-like vault with a solid Stygian iron throne. At the front of her temple lies a chasm from which her first creation arises, complete and healed, at last. Alcyoneus clambers out of the pit, back with his mother's life and Hazel's burning desire for destruction. And so, after seventy years, Hazel Levesque joins forces with Gaea of her own free will. Frank Zhang's arrows are no longer aimed at Tartarus's monsters, but at the people he once considered friends. The ruins of the Zhang family mansion become a shrine to Gaea, the ancient walls falling in blissful happiness into the Earth Mother's embrace. Frank returns often with fresh skulls, unfailingly whole - his arrow pierces cleanly through the eye every time. His piece of firewood safe in Gaea's belly, protected where no flame could reach, he is unstoppable. His shapeshifting causes unforseen problems with the allies' plans, it's very hard to plan how to fight a lion when he could turn into a swarm of bees at any moment. He is the ultimate spy, a literal fly on the wall, and for once, he feels needed. He feels worth something. He feels as though he is good enough, something the gods could never give. All the gods ever did for Frank, he realises bitterly, is take. His mother. His grandmother. His self-confidence. His chance for a stable, loving family. Nico. And so, Frank Zhang finds a different kind of family, one that will not let him down, in Gaea. Piper McLean never wanted to be a tragic love story; that was purely for her mother's entertainment. She

cuts her hair short. She kills Gaea's enemies on sight. Her charmspeak forces even her old family, Camp Half-Blood, to turn against each other, brother against brother, sister against sister, until bodies litter the strawberry fields and the Big House crumbles to smouldering ashes. The gods have her no love. Their boundaries mean nothing to her any more. Her love extends to her favourite mother, her boyfriend, the rest of the Seven, Grover, Reyna and Hedge. Beyond that, it is poison. Gaea takes her hands, looks into her eyes, and tells Piper that she is more than the spawn of an unfaithful, air-headed immortal, more than the damsel in distress. She tells Piper that she is who she decides to be. And Piper agrees. Gaea gives her the opportunity to be out of others' shadows. Piper McLean takes the chance and joins with Gaea, her charmspeak almost her most dangerous feature, second only to her unbridled wrath when Nico's death is mentioned.

Jason Grace owes fealty to only one eternal goddess now. He scours the Underworld with Hazel and Frank, relentless like the wolves he was brought up with. He knows no bounds, his destruction barely controllable by even Piper and her charmspeak. He has obliterated entire cities, counties, even an entire nation. He feels no regret, no remorse, no nagging guilt. He seeks out and electrocutes homophobes as his powers grow in complexity, along with his ability to control them. No matter how much they scream, the same two words shoot from Jason's scarred lips like the lightning bolts he commands: for Nico. As the darkness inside him grows, the son of Jupiter advances on Olympus, eyes and hands blazing, to destroy his father, as one of Gaea's allies, as one of Gaea's found children. Jason Grace vows by Nico's soul and Gaea's love to destroy the gods who shamelessly abandoned them.

Percy Jackson has been close to the darkness before. As just one examole, he's controlled poison to choke the goddess of misery at the edge of Chaos. But now, Annabeth's words at the time - some things aren't meant to be controlled - strike differently. Percy doesn't follow rules any more. That brooding, troublemaking face now alludes to his new form: gone is the class clown, here is something more akin to a devil. Like Hazel, he has made hundreds of people and monsters shriek in pain as he controls their blood, contorting their bodies into unnatural forms and snapping necks with a mere snap of his fingers. If Nico's death is mentioned around the pair of them - Hazel and Percy - both turn on the individual, eyes smouldering with the deceitfully cool ashes of the fire of grief, and slowly unleash their wrath. Percy cannot be controlled. He wants revenge. Part of him wishes he had never given his mother the head of Medusa to kill Smelly Gabe; it tore him to pieces when he made the fluid in her head seep out of her eyes. But she wouldn't stop begging him to leave Gaea. She had to go. She was no longer loving him as he knew he deserved. Now, Percy Jackson takes his support from the mother he should have accepted long ago: Gaea.

Annabeth Chase did not accept powers from her new mother, her better mother. She chose to use her mind as her weapon and Gaea respected that. Gaea gave her the resources she needed to wreak havoc on mortals and immortals alike. Now, instead of studying for a stupid internship in a misogynistic, capitalist society, Annabeth unleashes her fury, her grief, her mind on the world. The gods deserve to pay for what happened to Nico. The demigods need to feel her grief. The mortals started this stupid cycle of overwork and inadequate pay. Annabeth is ready to work with the mother that respects her, that loves her, that nurtures her as she deserves. And work she does. Plan after plan is developed, improved, redrafted, mocked up, redeveloped, and finally executed with clinical precision. Her mind becomes what her enemies most fear, even above her reputation: first child of Athena in millennia to reach Arachne, retriever of the Athena Parthenos, survivor of Tartarus. And she laughs, laughs in a maniacal way that makes you want to take a step back as she strides towards you, grey eyes alight with an unnatural glint as you realise that she knows everything about you and she knows how this will end. She will not let herself or her friends die. She refuses to let another situation like Nico's death happen again. So, Annabeth Chase takes Gaea's resources and turns them into a mass genocide, executed with her new mother's blessing.

Grover Underwood leads the nature spirits now. He commands dryads to extend their unstoppable tendrils through the paths that Gaea forms for them, deep in the earth, then sending them exploding through the surface and reclaiming all that was torn from them under the pretence of friendship. His empathy link with Percy allows him some degree of control, both over the son of Poseidon and over naiads. Grover is betrayed and bitterly disappointed in Pan, in the gods, in demigods, in mortals, in Nico. And so, he turns nature back home with Gleeson Hedge. The hauntingly beautiful whistling of his pipes lures demigods, mortals, even gods to their doom. Apollo is the first to fall, trapped by the music of the satyr whose horns now make him seem diabolical as he dances in the flames. Grover Underwood finds his roots in Gaea and his revenge in destruction.

Leo Valdez wants to burn the world to ashes. There's not a moment he's not on fire, his hair smouldering, his skin aglow. At his feet lies Hera, trussed up like a rodeo calf, bound by the power of the guardian Leo knows he deserved as a child. There is no Piper with her charmspeak to free the ex-queen; at least, Piper is by Leo's side as he blasts her with his searing flames. There's a smile on Leo's face that rivals even Annabeth's as he torches cities, razes acres and lights up the sky with plumes of smoke and columns of fire. His reasoning feels etched into his heart: the gods let Nico die. The gods let us down one time too many. And so he lets the flames go. Gaea stands behind him, her hand on his shoulder, proud and respectful. She knows that he secretly enjoyed starting the war with New Rome. He has fire powers; it's only natural, and that Octavian is enough to drive anyone mad. So, Leo Valdez finally makes his peace with Gaea.

Will Solace goes out like a light as the news of his beloved's death is announced. He lies, broken and silent, in Gaea's arms, tears streaming down his face. He stirs only for Nico's name, and his eyes turn slowly to whoever dared say it. He reaches out an arm, eyes turning black, leaching all the colour from the surroundings as his whisper echoes: there is no hope. Behind him stands Gaea, a tear of her own on her earthen cheek. She feels his pain, raw and fresh. But she takes some of it onto herself. Will Solace shares his grief with Gaea now.

And so they stand, eyes alight and expressions dark and triumphant, by the side of the goddess who did not want to let Nico die.

Gaea smiles.

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