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slu7formen · 1 day

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Hellooo helloo, I love all your Luke stories so muchh!!

Could I have a request for Luke x Poseidon’s daughter reader something about her joining him even betraying her brother Percy because love prevails all so like their love is the most powerful thing of all.. hope that makes sense in a way hahaha okay thank youuu 😙💗💕✨

thank you so much for reading my stories, I’m so glad you like them ☺️

luke castellan x fem!reader

warnings: betrayal, reader’s kinda blinded by love but also kinda cute, little fluff at the end

reminder: english’s not my first language so I apologize for any spelling mistakes

₊˚⊹♡

Thirteen wasn't exactly the age you pictured discovering you were a demigod. Apparently, you had blissfully –or maybe obliviously— muddled through your first thirteen years completely oblivious to the mythological world that simmered just beneath your feet.

Your life had been a quiet one. Growing up in a sleepy seaside town, the rhythmic crash of waves against the shore was the soundtrack to your existence. You felt a weird connection to the water, an inexplicable pull towards the ocean whenever you stood on the beach. But you attributed that to nothing more than a love for swimming and a healthy dose of wanderlust, you thought.

Then came the satyr. Grover Underwood, a nervous wreck of a creature with a perpetually startled expression. You don´t remember much about your life back then, just the way he stammered through an explanation about Greek myths being real, your parentage being linked to a god, and the pressing need for you to get to a safe haven called Camp Half-Blood.

And now here you were. Years went by, living at Camp Half-Blood, and being the only child of Poseidon.

Camp was always bustled with activity. Laughter echoed across the training fields, campers sparred with celestial bronze swords. Yet, amidst the chaos, a subtle sense of loneliness lingered around you. You weren't friendless, not by any stretch of the imagination. You had a close circle of friends, but there was a specific kind of lonely feeling that came with being the only child of Poseidon at camp, a forbidden child.

The other cabins, they all teemed with siblings. —mostly—. Shared history, inside jokes, and the comfort of knowing someone else understood exactly what it meant to have the same god for a parent – these were things you craved. There was a gap, a yearning for a familial connection that none of your friends could fully fill.

Then came Percy.

His arrival at camp was nothing short of spectacular. A blue-eyed twelve-year-old with a knack for attracting trouble. During a particularly intense Capture the Flag game, Annabeth, a sharp-tongued daughter of Athena with a strategic mind, shoved Percy into the lake. The air crackled with gasps and surprises as a shimmering green trident materialized above Percy´s head, claiming him for Poseidon.

The revelation sent a jolt through you. You, the solitary child of the sea god, suddenly had a sibling. Percy looked up at you with wide, startled eyes, a mixture of awe and apprehension playing on his face. It was like looking into a mirror reflecting a younger version of yourself, the same confusion etched on his features.

Percy looked up to you with a hero-worship that both amused and touched you. He saw in you a reflection of his own mother, Sally Jackson, with her kindness and unwavering belief in the good in others. You became his confidante, his guide through the intricate social landscape of Camp Half-Blood.

But you weren't the only one who welcomed Percy. Luke, your closest friend at camp, was equally happy for your newfound family, —or so he faked it very well. Percy quickly found himself asking you both all the questions he had and spending all his training session´s with Luke.

You and Luke were a natural fit. Both of you skilled warriors, blessed with the agility of Hermes and the raw power of the sea. You sparred together often, your movements a dance of attack and parry, a language only the two of you seemed to understand. Your laughter echoed through the camp, and more than once, you caught Percy or other campers shooting you hesitant glances, not really knowing what your relationship was about, a thin line between friends love and-, other type of love, drawn in between.

And yes, Luke loved you, and you loved him. So much, that´d you´d be able to do anything for each other. Little did Percy know.

The metallic clang of your celestial bronze sword echoed through the silent woods, a jarring counterpoint to the chirping of nocturnal crickets. Percy, his breath ragged and sweat stinging his eyes, pushed back against Luke's relentless assault. Betrayal gnawed at his gut, a viper coiling tighter with every parry and thrust.

Luke, his once friendly face twisted with a manic fervor, pressed the attack. Every word that left his lips was a fresh wound: about the Olympians' manipulation, about the power promised by Kronos, about how this wasn't meant to betray him, or anyone.

Suddenly, the clang of steel meeting steel ceased. Percy stumbled back, his heart hammering in his chest, as Luke lowered his sword. A flicker of hope, fragile and fleeting, ignited within him.

"Percy," Luke said, his voice quieter now, a hint of desperation creeping in. "This is not what you want, trust me. Last chance."

Percy stared at him, the hope dying as quickly as it had flickered. How could Luke even suggest such a thing, joining him? Didn't he understand the consequences?

Before he could retort, a new figure emerged from the shadows of the trees behind Luke. His breath caught in his throat, eyes twitching as he tried his best to focus on the figure coming from the forest. You.

A flicker of relief washed over Percy as he saw you emerge from the shadows. "yn” he called out, hope blossoming in his chest.

You stepped into the scene, moonlight casting an ethereal glow on your features. But something was off. You weren't rushing to his side, face etched with concern as it usually was. Instead, you stood there, a strange stillness cloaking you.

"Percy" you finally said, your voice cool and controlled, lacking it´s usual warmth.

Confusion warred with the relief. "yn" he repeated, his voice unsteady. "Clarisse didn't – it was him" he stammered, pointing at Luke with his sword. "He stole the bolt. He's joining Kronos"

Percy expected outrage, surprise, anything. Instead, your expression remained unreadable. A shadow flickered across your face, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

"I know what he did" you replied simply. The calmness in your voice sent a shiver down his spine. The casualness of your reply was scary. It was like you were talking about the weather, not a world-shattering betrayal.

There was something wrong. Terribly wrong.

"Then help me" he pleaded, a desperate edge creeping into his voice.

You met his gaze for a long, agonizing moment. Percy saw a flicker of something weird in your eyes, something that made your pupils blown. But then, it was gone, replaced by a fire that mirrored Luke's.

A slow realization dawned on him, cold and heavy in his gut. You weren't surprised. You weren't angry. You knew.

Percy's heart hammered against his ribs. He saw the familiar hilt of your celestial bronze sword hanging loosely at your belt, the moonlight glinting off the polished metal.

"Percy, I can't do that" you said, your voice barely a whisper.

Percy understood then. You weren't caught in the middle. You weren´t with him, you were with Luke, all the way. The truth slammed into him, a betrayal far worse than anything he could have imagined. You were a traitor.

Percy felt like you'd ripped open a fresh wound in his chest and poured lemon juice in it. This sister, this family he'd thought he'd found at camp, meant nothing to you in the face of this rebellion? The anger coursing through him was laced with a bitter disappointment that gnawed at his insides. He'd trusted Luke blindly, sure, but you were different. He'd looked up to you, confided in you. The betrayal cut deep.

"You're with him?" he choked out, the question laced with disbelief and a raw, wounded vulnerability. He couldn´t wrap his mind around it.

"I'm not with him, Percy" you countered, taking a hesitant step forward. He flinched back, the movement a physical manifestation of the emotional chasm that had suddenly opened between you. The pain that flickered across your face was a punch to his gut, but he couldn't ignore the conviction in your voice. "We're together" you continued. "We created this."

Percy couldn't believe what he was hearing. You were so convinced, so blinded by whatever twisted loyalty you felt for Luke, that you couldn't see the bigger picture. "How could you?" he roared, his voice raw with emotion. "How could you do this, to everyone who trusts you? To the people who love you?"

You scoffed, a harsh, humorless sound. "Come on, Percy, you want to talk about betrayal? Let's talk about our father." The words hung heavy in the air, a challenge laden with bitterness. A sudden breeze swept through the woods, rustling the leaves and carrying the salty scent of the ocean as if a wave had crashed nearby. It seemed like even the sea itself reacted to your words.

"Let's talk about the gods" you pressed, your voice laced with a bitter venom. "They get bored at the Olympus, so they play their pretty games, making mortals fall for them and then discarding them like broken toys. Mortals like your mom, like mine. And they leave us, their children, to pick up the pieces."

Percy groaned in frustration. "They're not perfect" he admitted, "they're trying their best for us"

"Don't bullshit me" you say. The calmer your voice was, the more fear Percy felt. "I don’t wanna fight, Percy, but they couldn´t care less”

Luke´s face partially obscured by the shadows, but the jagged scar across his cheek was visible under the moonlight. It was a constant reminder of the failed quest Hermes had sent him on, a cruel mark of a father's neglect.

Percy's gaze flicked between you and Luke, a sudden understanding dawning on him. Your words, your anger, your sadness. It wasn't just about Kronos or overthrowing the Olympians. It was about a deeper wound, a festering resentment born from years of feeling abandoned by your father, his father too. He understood, but he didn´t think it was right.

"But you can't be serious" he finally choked out. "This isn't the answer. There has to be another way."

A flicker of sadness crossed your features, a stark contrast to the steely resolve you'd presented earlier. It was a fleeting glimpse, a crack in the facade you'd constructed, and it tugged at Percy's heartstrings. No, it wasn't jealousy or envy. It was a deeper, more profound sense of loss. You weren't angry at him for having a father who cared just a little bit, for having a family he cherished. You were simply… sad. Sad that you never had that, that your only family was Luke, and that his arrival, however welcome it initially felt, couldn't erase the years of loneliness you'd endured.

Percy´s eyes darted behind you, to Luke.

"Why are you dragging her into this?" Percy demanded, his voice tight with a mixture of anger and protectiveness. He knew you weren't the mastermind, Luke was the one who had poisoned your trust, manipulated your resentment.

"It's not that hard to understand, Percy" you answered before Luke could speak. Your voice held a quiet defiance, a loyalty that both warmed and stung him. "We're together" you repeated, the words laced with a quiet strength that resonated deep within him.

Then it hit him, another wave of realization crashing over him like a rogue wave. It wasn't just loyalty or a shared cause that bound you to Luke. There was something more, something deeper that flickered in your eyes whenever you looked at him.

"You love him" Percy whispered, the words hanging heavy in the air. And it wasn´t a question either, he knew.

A faint blush crept up your cheeks, but you didn't deny it. "We understand each other, Percy. We know what it's like to be unseen, unheard. Isn't that what love is? Empathy, understanding?"

A tear escaped your eye, glistening in the moonlight. Percy could see the pain, the longing in your eyes, how you clinged to the only thing that hugged you back; Luke.

“You’re blind” Percy whispered, hand instinctively groping to the handle of his sword.

"No, Percy" you countered, your voice soft but firm. "I'm awake. I see things for what they are. You know what it feels like, right? To have one person who understands you, who truly sees you" you continued. Your voice softened even further, a hint of vulnerability entering the equation. "Sally, isn't it?"

He flinched at the mention of his mother's name.

"That's love, P." you said, using the nickname you'd once shared. The sound of it sent a fresh wave of tears threatening to spill from his eyes, mirroring the glistening in your own. "And to me, to us" you continued, your voice barely above a whisper, "that's the most powerful thing."

Percy saw the love for Luke burning bright in your eyes, a love that had blinded you to the potential destruction you were embracing. He saw the pain of neglect, the longing for acceptance that fueled your rebellion. But most of all, he saw a glimmer of hope, a flicker of doubt that your tear-filled eyes betrayed.

The weight of your words settled on Percy like a lead blanket. He understood the path you were on, but he couldn't just let you walk away, couldn't let you be consumed by this darkness. The thought of ever having to fight you, to raise his sword against his own sister, filled him with a dread that eclipsed even the fear of facing Kronos himself.

With a desperate surge of defiance, Percy lunged at you, Riptide flashing in the moonlight. You reacted with lightning reflexes, a blur of blue as you deflected his attack with your own celestial bronze sword. The clang of metal echoed through the silent woods, a discordant note in the tense atmosphere.

The fight was short, brutal, and utterly one-sided. You were older, more experienced, and fueled by a burning conviction that mirrored Percy's own determination. A quick twist of your wrist, a disarming maneuver honed through years of training, and Riptide clattered to the ground several feet away.

Percy landed hard on the leaf-strewn ground, the impact knocking the wind out of him. He lay there, disarmed, defeated, and utterly heartbroken. Betrayal gnawed at him, a bitter cocktail of anger and sorrow.

A single tear escaped your eye, tracing a glistening path down your cheek. You knelt down beside him, your touch surprisingly gentle on his shoulder. "Percy," you said, your voice thick with emotion, "you're my brother. I don´t wanna leave you”

Percy looked up at you, his eyes red-rimmed and filled with a storm of conflicting emotions. "Then why?" he choked out, his voice hoarse. "Why are you doing this?"

"Come with me” you continued, your voice softening further. “Come with us, Percy”

A long silence stretched between them, punctuated only by the chirping of crickets and the rustling of leaves in the night breeze.

"I can't, yn" he said, his voice firm despite the tremor that ran through him. "I won't be a part of this, it´s not fair."

A flicker of pain crossed your features. You rose to your feet then, your expression unreadable again.

A curt nod was your only response before you swiped a hand across your cheek, wiping away the traitorous tear. Bending down, you retrieved your celestial bronze sword, the moonlight glinting coldly off its surface.

"Then I guess I won't see you for a while, little one" you said, your voice thick with a maelstrom of emotions. Percy almost flinched at the nickname, a stark reminder of the bond you once shared. The weight of his decision pressed down on him, a suffocating feeling that left him breathless.

Suddenly, a hand clamped softly onto your arm. You whipped around, eyes focusing on Luke, his face grim.

"We have to go" he said urgently, his voice laced with a barely concealed panic.

You glanced back at Percy, his expression a mixture of heartbreak and steely resolve. A million unspoken words hung heavy in the air, a silent plea for you to reconsider, to choose family over rebellion.

But your path was laid. With a final, longing look at Percy, you took a few steps towards a cluster of crumbling ruins that stood there sentinel. Luke reached for your hand, his grip tight with a mix of reassurance and desperation.

Percy watched, a cold dread settling in his gut, as Luke traced a final line, completing the arcane symbol etched onto the column. The air shimmered, a blueish light pooling in the center of the ruins. It widened, forming a shimmering curtain that pulsed with an otherworldly energy.

Luke leaned in, whispering something in your ear. You nodded, a faint smile gracing your lips for a fleeting moment. Then Luke, his face a mask of grim determination, looked back at Percy for a final time. And with a final squeeze of his hand, you both stepped into the shimmering portal. The blue light intensified for a moment, blinding Percy momentarily.

And then just like that, you were gone.

The portal spat you out in a blackness so thick it felt like a physical presence. The air was heavy with the smell of salt and wet sand. You stumbled forward, disoriented, hand instinctively tightening on Luke's. His grip was firm, anchoring you in the swirling darkness.

"Whoa, careful" he murmured, his voice a welcome sound in the suffocating silence.

He took a tentative step forward, then another, testing the ground. You followed suit, your steps hesitant and laced with a growing unease.

"Come on" he said, his voice tinged with urgency, "we gotta get to-"

He cut himself off abruptly as he realized you weren't moving. You stood rooted to the spot, your eyes fixed on something beyond him, your grip on his hand tightening almost painfully.

Luke turned you gently, his brow furrowed in concern as he gazed into your tear-filled eyes. The moonlight, pale and ghostly, illuminated the glistening tracks on your cheeks.

"Baby, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice soft but laced with worry. He cupped your face in his calloused hands, his touch a familiar comfort in the unsettling darkness.

You choked back a sob, the tears overflowing again. "Am I doing the right thing, Luke?" you whispered, your voice barely audible above the crashing waves. "I lost my family, again. Percy. He doesn’t-…”

The raw pain in your voice tore at his heart. He knew this path, this rebellion, would come at a cost, but seeing the emotional toll it was taking on you was a gut punch.

"Hey, hey, look at me" he coaxed, gently lifting your chin so your eyes met his. His gaze was steady, filled with a fierce loyalty that had always been a source of strength for you.

"We were on this path way before Percy arrived, remember?" he asked, his voice firm yet soothing.

You nodded slowly, a single tear tracing a path down your cheek.

"I need you to be strong for me, angel” he continued, his thumb brushing away the tear. "You´re what keeps me going."

He placed a tender kiss on your forehead. "I'll give you everything" he murmured, his voice a low promise. "I promise I'll give you the life you deserve"

Then, he trailed a line of kisses down your cheek, his lips lingering on yours in a final, lingering and sweet kiss.

It was meant to be a reassurance, but it sent a wave of conflicting emotions crashing through you. There was comfort in his touch, a flicker of the love you shared, but it was overshadowed by a gnawing doubt.

When you finally pulled back, a shaky breath escaping your lips, Luke took your hand, his touch gentle yet firm. He looked out at the vast expanse of ocean, then scanned the horizon.

You followed his gaze, squinting through the darkness. A faint flicker of white lights danced in the distance, a beacon in the vast blackness.

"Come on" he said, his voice tinged with newfound purpose. "We gotta get to the cruise."

#luke castellan x reader #luke castellan #pjo series #pjo #luke castellan x you #luke x reader #luke castellan one shot #luke castellan fic #luke castellan imagine #pjo x reader #pjo x you #luke castellan x fem!reader #luke castellan x female reader #luke castellan x yn #luke castellan x y/n #luke castellan blurb #luke castellan drabble #luke percy jackson

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boombox-fuckboy · 1 year

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Hey. Could you rec any podcasts with sapphic couples as their mains? Or a sapphic story. And so on. I only really know about where the stars fell and Alice isn't dead.

You're off to a strong start. Here's 20, there's more out there, but I tried to pick a variety. I'm going to put a ★ next to the ones I think will fit best, but they're all good.

Arden: (Fictional "True Crime", Investigative, Comedy). On the 25th of December, 2007, heiress and young actress Julie Capsom crashed her car into a tree and fled into a nearby forest clearing, leaving a trail that seemingly vanished into thin air, and a dismembered torso in the trunk. A decade later, Bea, the first reporter on the scene, and Brenda, a detective on the case, are hosting a true crime podcast about it, and neither is remotely impressed with what the other has to say. Arden is also a retelling of various Shakespeare plays.

The Author's Anathema: (Horror) Looking for some extra cash, and with some help from her girlfriend Eleanor, college student Natalie takes a small job to narrate an audiobook for a reclusive anonymous author. The book being a horror wouldn't be such a bother, but the stories within are... Familiar. Too familar.

The Beacon: (Urban Fantasy) Bee is a perpetually anxious university student who discovers she has the ability to create fire, and decides to start a podcast to find others like herself. She quickly discovers she's not alone, but a series of bizzare animal attacks suggest superpowered freshers are far from the only strange thing on campus.

The Department of Variance of Somewhere, Ohio: (Weird Fiction, Horror, Sci-Fi) On day one of a new job at the Department of Variance, in the middle of her workplace orientation, Jasmine's new workplace goes into lockdown. Guided via walkie-talkie by Scarlet, an experienced security officer, Jasmine must make her way down 20-odd shifting floors of strange entities and experiments. Ideally without becoming one of them. As a disclaimer, this one is the only addition to this list that isn't actively romantic yet, however there are canonically sapphic characters, and I am fairly confident it's headed that way.

★ Elixir: (Urban Fantasy, Romance) Set in a fantasy world's equivalent of the american prohibition, lawmakers daughter Elsie approaches someone unexpected in search of her missing sister: Vera, an alchemist and propriator of the local now-elicit hush bar.

The Far Meridian: (Magical Realism) An agorophobic young woman wakes up to discover her lighthouse home has moved overnight. It quickly becomes clear this isn't a once-off, and she decides to use this as an opportunity to search for her missing brother, having some strange encounters along the way.

Interference: (Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Romance) Jacq is a D&D podcaster. Geneva is an orc scientist studying ancient human ruins the next world over. What happens when these women from different realities begin picking up each other's broadcasts?

Khôra Podcast: (Sci-Fi) Somewhere between adapted from and inspired by various greek myths, Khôra follows four women who deserved better (Atalanta, Echo, Medea, and Medusa) on a grand space adventure to find the golden fleece while keeping out of the reach of the olympians who own and run the galaxy.

★ Mabel: (Mystery, Supernatural, Horror, Romance). The live-in carer of a dying elderly woman attempts to contact her granddaughter, with little success. The contents of voicemails only get stranger, and what starts as a subtley creepy mystery-horror develops to poetic lesbian fae body-horror.

★ Midnight Radio: (Light Supernatural, Romance). Sybil McIntyre, host of the ever-popular 1950's nightly radio hour, begins exchanging letters with an old fan who has reluctantly returned to visit Sybil's beloved town.

Mina's Story: (Sci-Fi, Romance Elements) Still dealing with a major loss in her family, a young woman volunteers for a long-term cryonics project. The episodes are her audio logs after waking up each time, always the same place but centuries after she went to sleep. A story about grief, change, and the intersection of past and future.

Mirrors: (Sci-fi, Mystery, Supernatural). The audio journal of three women from different periods (past, present, and future) who seem to share little in common bar the strange inhuman, ghostly figures they have started seeing.

Night Life: (Supernatural, Noir) Utterly wacky one-episode story (more of a short audio movie) about an ex-vampire hunter turned private eye who finds herself dealing with the shenanigans of mafia and vampires in the wake of an upcoming mayoral election. Find it on the feed for The Lightning Bottler.

The Night Post: (Supernatural, Mystery). The conscripted couriers of Gilt City are both respected and shunned, integral to the city's function, but inexplicably tied to the supernatural. It's not something they like to talk about. When his husband goes missing on the job, Milo is called to take over. Clementine took over from her father a long time ago, yet recently someone else with her face has been delivering her own unsent letters. Val's not going to discuss how she ended up there, but she will absolutely open people's mail (filled with their own supernatural tales) to read aloud.

Palimpsest, Season 2: (Horror, Romance, Fantasy Elements). Set in the 1800s, a young woman becomes the maid to a supposed fairy noblewoman, who is being kept as one of many "denizens", living curiousities, in a large house. Each season is a different story, this is Season 2.

★ The Pasithea Powder: (Sci-Fi, Thriller?) The last major interplanetary war was full of atrocities, but none more infamous then the creation of Pasithea Powder, a memory altering drug which was used to horrible effect and landed it's entire team of creators in prison. So when decorated war hero Captain Sophie Green sees one of them wandering free, worlds away from his prison, she gets in touch with a very old, estranged friend: one Dr. Jane Gonzalez, who's behind bars for the very same reason.

Starship Q Star: (Sci-Fi, Comedy) The small crew of a tone-deaf space agency's attempt at a PR mission wake up at Mars to discover that they - and the one botanist abandoned on Mars base - are now the last surviving members of humanity. Co-captains and ex-girlfriends Aurelia and Sim must now dedicate themselves to protecting their crew and finding a new home, but they're rarely on the same page about how best to do it.

★ The Strange Case of Starship Iris: (Sci-Fi) When the shuttle carrying the crew of scientific research ship Iris explodes, Violet Liu finds herself stranded in space, the last survivor with no way out. Until her emergency broadcast is picked up by a passing ship. But the crew aren't who they seem to be, there's more going on here than anyone knows yet, and Violet must decide who she can really trust.

Unwell: (Supernatural). Lily Harper revisits her supposedly haunted childhood home to help take care of her aging mother. The house is weird, sure, but there's something far stranger haunting the town of Mount Absolm than simply ghosts.

Weaver: (Supernatural, Romance Elements). The musings of the entity within the old house about the girl she fell in love with (the only thing she can remember), and her two new coinhabitants, who do not yet know she exists.

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fantastic-nonsense · 5 months

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honestly I think if you complain about Star Wars focusing too much on the Skywalkers because "the galaxy is bigger than one family" and "not everything has to be connected" you have fundamentally missed the point George Lucas was trying to make with the original movies.

Star Wars is VERY deliberately an optimistic, cyclical, and myth-based family drama structured around a single family's story, and that purposefully generational story is the story George Lucas saw as the core point and purpose of Star Wars:

“It’s the missing link,” Lucas says. “Once it’s there, it’s a complete work, and I’m proud of that. I do see it, tonality-wise, as two trilogies. But they do, together, form one epic of fathers and sons.” [x] The first three movies had all kinds of issues. [Disney] looked at the stories and they said we want to make something for the fans. So I said all I want to do is tell the story of what happened. You know, it started here and it went there. It's all about generations and it's about, you know, the issues of fathers and sons and grandfathers; it's a family soap opera. I mean, ultimately. We call it a space opera, but people don't realize it's actually a soap opera. And it's all about family problems — it's not about spaceships. [x]

He also wrote Star Wars for the express purpose of attempting to teach people that everything is interconnected and everything we do has an impact that resonates beyond our own lives:

Paul Duncan: "It takes a lot of people to build the ark." George Lucas: "Yeah. And it needs to be done through reason, love, and compassion, not through force. The films are trying to stress the idea that everything is interconnected. I like to make movies that are complex, but it's not obvious to people unless they start digging into it. Most people don't realize it and can't grasp the whole entity because they're focusing on four or five pieces out of 200, and often they don't want to hear about the other pieces because it requires additional thought and ideas outsides of the films. There are cycles and cycles in the story and the characters throughout all six episodes. There are cycles of the same thing being repeated over and over with different groups of people, and the outcomes change because the characters have grown or changed over the story. The repitition shows the characters' development. [x]

GEORGE LUCAS: At some point you do have to become an independent person. And it’s about learning to let go of your — your needs, so to speak, and — and think of the needs of others. BILL MOYERS: So “Star Wars” is — yes, it’s about cosmic, galactic, epic struggles, but it’s at heart about a family. The large myth set in a local family. GEORGE LUCAS: Well, in most — most myths center around characters and — and a hero, and it’s — it’s about how you — how you conduct yourself as you go through the hero’s journey, which everyone goes through. It’s especially relevant when you go through this transition phase. Most societies it’s when you’re 13 or 14. In our society it’s sort of 18 to 22, somewhere in there, that you must let go of your past and must, you know, embrace your future and — and in your own self, by yourself, figure out what it is — what — what path you’re going to go down........... .......BILL MOYERS: And what do stories do for us in that sense? What do myths... GEORGE LUCAS: They try to show us our place. Myths help you to have your own hero’s journey, find your individuality, find your place in the world, but hopefully remind you that you’re part of a whole, and that you must also be part of the community, and — and think of the welfare of the community above the welfare of yourself. [x]

Lucas structured this tale in two ways: through Anakin's deconstructed hero's journey (in the form of a Greek tragedy) and Luke's straightforward hero's journey (culminating with Anakin's redemption) and showing us how this one family's multi-generational story had a huge impact that went beyond their own lives and echoed throughout the galaxy. That was the point!

While there are plenty of other stories not centered on the Skywalkers that can and should be told within the universe, ultimately people need to keep in mind that Lucas was not shy about his intentions in making the movies: he WANTED to write a straightforward retelling of "old stories," and he wanted to do it through the lens of a personal family narrative.

All of the Star Wars material that focuses on non-Skywalkers (which has ALWAYS been around, Rogue One and TLJ and The Mandalorian and Andor and etc etc etc were NOT the first ones to do that) is great, but it's a bonus! An add-on to the core story and point of the franchise! It's not that they're unimportant, because they're not, but at some point it should stop surprising people when the Skywalkers and/or the events of the original six movies get referenced or utilized.

It just bothers me when I hear these complaints because like...if you don't like the Skywalkers, why do you even watch Star Wars? None of those other stories would exist without them! Please just go enjoy another sci-fi franchise and stop complaining that the main characters of Star Wars are being focused on or are popping up in places it makes total sense for them to be!

#me beating people over the head with a stick: 'IT'S A CYCLICAL FAMILY DRAMA LEAVE THEM ALONE!'#star wars #sw fanwank #anakin skywalker #luke skywalker #leia organa #padme amidala #sw meta

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ghcstao3 · 5 months

Note

oh my god i literally just checked a second ago and they were not, but thank god i have notifs on hehe. ok for starters im so sorry abt the absolute spam i just gave you. second as i was going thru literally everything i was thinking abt ghoap and narcissus and echo, but like happy ending... bc it really is a tragic tale and ghoap deserve better :')

the happy-ending, ghoap-ifying of greek myths is so real honestly

Maybe John hadn't been completely blameless, but it wasn't—he wasn't at fault for someone else's advances. He wasn't—he didn't deserve this.

To have his own voice stolen. His own expression. John never meant so much harm as to be cursed with such a cruel punishment.

Forced to only ever be able to speak when spoken to, and even then only to repeat those words back. For John, it's a worse fate than death—particularly when he finds himself having fallen for a mortal man.

Of course, the man—Simon, as John has overheard in spying on a group of hunters, as John has repeated quietly to himself every chance he had gotten—doesn't know of his existence. So when he gets separated from his group, lost in an endless forest, John wants to feel bad, but he doesn't.

Because it means just maybe he'd finally have a chance. If Simon could love him back...

"Hello?" John hears Simon call out. "Is anyone there?"

Unable to help himself, John calls out with the same words. He still hides, has to—but he'll call attention to himself anyway, in the hopes Simon might pursue him.

There's a drawn out pause. John thinks Simon has already caught on.

"Show yourself!" Simon shouts, and John parrots.

The crunch of foliage beneath Simon's steps gradually sounds closer to John, but not close enough. John wills Simon to speak again, and before long, he says,

"Whoever you are, come with me this way."

It's the final pull for John. With Simon's words on his lips he reveals himself to the man, a bright smile on his face.

Simon startles with John's appearance, but he doesn't back away, or go on the defensive. He just stands with his head tilted in curiosity, brow furrowed with a confusion John wishes he could smooth out with his thumb.

"Who are you?" Simon asks.

John hates that all he can do is pose the same question.

Simon's frown deepens. "Are you doing that on purpose?"

His smile all but fallen, John shakes his head. He's beginning to realize with great anguish how foolish he'd been to believe Simon could love him back at all, let alone with his affliction.

But Simon steps forward, toward John.

"Has it been this way for a long time?"

John nods. "...a long time," he sighs. He hangs his head, gaze falling to the forest floor—but not for long, as Simon grows ever closer and tilts his chin up with a hooked finger.

This close, John can see just how pleasantly warm Simon's eyes are, as dark in colour as they may be.

"Could I possibly help?"

John blinks up at Simon, wide-eyed. He'd never known mortals to be so generous, not to a complete stranger. "...help?"

Simon nods.

John gapes. After a moment he shrugs, then pauses—nods back.

The corners of Simon's lips twitch upward. He shrinks away from John, but takes John's hand as he steps back.

"Help me return to the group first," Simon says. "Then we'll... we'll see what we can do."

Simon begins walking, John trailing along beside him, but suddenly stops in his tracks to turn to John for just a moment.

"Thank you," he says.

And as John repeats the words, he knows the sentiment isn't from Simon—it's for John to use.

It may not be reciprocated love just yet, but... it's a better start than John has had in a while. He'll gladly follow Simon anywhere, even if he's never relieved from his hex, because despite his frustration at not being able to form his own words—it's the first time he's felt properly heard, properly understood since he'd been cursed.

#ask #a little communication goes a long way #so many problems solved just like that #simon ghost riley #john soap mactavish #soapghost #ghostsoap #ghost x soap #ghoap #alternate universe #writing

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eeunoia · 11 months

Text

ENHYPEN Mini Series

E N H Y P E N as Greek Myths

NARCISSUS & ECHO

pairings: kim sunoo x reader

synopsis: you’ve always been love struck with kim sunoo’s beauty. your love for him is undying and once said, its like echo that kept on repeating and repeating. what happens when finally, you caught his attention? this time in a good way.

word count: 10k

important note: i originally planned to write enhypen as greek gods but then i didn’t find some love stories that i like so i end up using some love stories that aren’t greek gods. also these are like modern versions of greek mythology love stories.

warnings: grammar errors, not proof read, very rude kim sunoo, curses and foul words, angst. let me know if i missed some!

note📎: inspired by a walk to remember movie. if you haven’t watched that yet, check it out! i hope you guys liked it! it really means a lot to me whenever you let me know what you think about them, re-blogs and comments are well appreciated. btw, i love you guys and thank you for supporting me up until now. have a nice day/night! 🤍

permanent tag-list:

@rubyanne @map-of-border @hwangjangmi @crjwon @love13tter @classicroyalty @angel-hybrid @bridgebridgebirdiebridge @hime98 @moonsclover @ddeonubaby @yeoungie @acciomylove @mymeloem19 @jvngw0n @dreamyenskz @minamoons @clar-iii @herasalvatore @nyfwyeonjun @rcveribin @yizhoutv @one16core @soobin-chois @kyutiepeachy @chareadingpurposes @hwalllllllelujah @solelyenha @90sni-ki @nourhan-8 @nikipedia07 @yangbreads @drunkjazed @kimmchijjajang @hoonbrry @axartia @all4haru @hiqhkey @sta-rie @purplepuppychild @iceeee @wtfhyuck @tobiosbbyghorl @edensgardenn @nikililmj @ayayiiie @moonlightisland @simpforniki

"Good morning students of Hybe University. This is the president of your Radio club wishing you a wonderful day. And for that I have a short message for everyone." you have a small smile over your lips as you read those lines for the morning message for the students. It was a project of the audio-visual club to have this messages at morning to spread good vibes.

"Quote of the day, 'Love the person inside you.'" after you utter those words, one of the club members then played a short sound as an effect.

You are the president of this club and was voted to be the voice behind it. The first time it was announced to you still lingers over your head. It was a memorable one. You feel really honored.

"And to end this, I want to leave a special message for our sunshine Kim Sunoo," a bigger and warmer smile appears over your lips after saying his name.

A lot of students, if not everyone yet, knows how head over heels you are to the campus crush. Of course, a lot of students admires him and the line is just up to the mount everest. So you do these routine in order to somehow cut in that line. Work smarter, not harder, that's what they say.

"Remember to smile!" you said hoping that short message do remind him to smile like how thinking of him makes you smile.

‘✓ Give short messages for Sunoo.’

You had this list you made that consist of things you wanted to do. There’s a lot of them and most of it involves Kim Sunoo. You’ve read somewhere that having this lists can help you feel more motivated in life. To have things to look forward for.

The session got wrapped up like how it always do. You complimented your team for doing such an amazing job for assisting you and they did the same thing back to you. As you all walk back to your own classes, you try to roam your eyes around to look for someone.

Your eyes found him too easily as he have this different aura from anybody else. It was too easy for you to tell that it was him even if he's not facing. Just by looking at his hair, the way he stands, his broad shoulders and good body proportions. Not to mention the eyes of the students around glued at him completely. Some people who passes by even greets him just to catch his attention even just for a while.

"Hi Sunoo!" your tone sounded too energetic. He glanced at you and his eyes were emotionless as always. His stare didn't even last for a long time and it teared off of you then back to his friend who greeted you back.

You gave him a wave and focused on Sunoo once again. He's back on getting his morning books from his locker to prepare for class.

You trapped your lower lip over your teeth and hesitated whether to talk again or not. In the end, you decided to try and bother him once again.

"How was your sleep last night?" you asked and even rested over the lockers to get a grip over his stare.

"Terrible."

'He responded!' you almost scream in joy. It was just one word and he was definitely pissed, but who cares? The fact that he responded to you is already a progress.

You cannot hide your smile. "Why? What happened? Do you need anything?" you said continuously, questions followed by another questions.

He lets out a strained sigh before facing you. His cold eyes intimidated you, but you kept your stand. He was always like this and you're already used to it.

"Do you want me to get you anyth-"

"I want you to fuck off." his rude remark made your smile fade. You can feel your eyes starting to water and your mind slowly floating out of embarrassment. Eyes of students around that heard what he said watched you with shame and pity.

Jungwon, Sunoo's friend, quickly grabbed him over his shoulder to calm him down. "Hey, don't be rude." you heard him whispered over his friend.

Sunoo shrugged his hold off while keeping his cold stares right at you. He rolled his eyes and then started walking off. Jungwon tries to call him, but as expected he didn't listen. He turned over you and smiled apologetically.

You quickly flashed him a soft smile despite the tears forming at the side of your eyes.

"I'm sorry about him, Y/n. Seems like he woke up in the wrong side of the bed." he said.

You gave him a nod, "No problem! I'm at fault to for being too pushy. I should've gave him space after he said that he slept terrible."

Jungwon smiled a little, "No, he still have no reason to be that rude." he draws in a sigh, "Anyway, see you at class." and he waved before he exits himself.

You waved and your smile slowly faded after he started to walk away. The words Sunoo said kept lingering over your brain. He's always rude to you, yes. But he seems to be get more rude as days passes by.

Your friend arrived minutes after and you both walked towards your class without her knowing what happened. You decided not to tell her to avoid any more commotion. Your friend is a little troublemaker and she hates it whenever you're getting bad treatment from anybody. She will mess with them with no hesitation.

When you entered the room, your eyes darted automatically at Sunoo's chair. He have this serious face while girls from your class surrounds him. They were giving him some things they probably prepared for him. He seemed uninterested and just trying to kept his cool.

"Ooh, Mr. Popular is surrounded by hyenas again." your friend commented and even pointed his direction. You put her hand down and shush her.

"What? You won't go and join?" she teased. If only she knows what happened a while ago, she's probably storming over Sunoo to start a fight without and not like this. But you guess this is better than having her fight with Sunoo.

"Kim Sunoo really do look like an angel, right?" your stares remained at the said boy while waiting for what's your friend is going to say.

She scoffed lightly and took another sip from her juicebox before talking. "Angel with evil inside?" she says.

Your smile faded at her remark and slowly turns your head at the side to face her. She doesn't seem bothered by your glaring eyes and just kept this innocent looking face like as if she didn't just bad mouth the love of your life.

"He doesn't have evil in him!" you defended the poor, innocent kim sunoo.

She gave you this unamused look, "Come on! He's so rude to anyone and you know that." she puff out a sigh then looked back at him. "Having a face like that is not an excuse on having a foul attitude. I don't even know why you like him, Y/n."

You pouted and rested your chin at the back of your hand then resumed on admiring him from afar. The view from the third floor sure is perfect for you to watch him play soccer without getting noticed or mistaken as a creep. It's p.e and you are excused due to medical issues. Your friend here gave an excuse that she's having terrible menstrual cramps just so she can skip it and be with you. Best best friend in the world, everyone.

"I wish he can notice me." you mumble, eyes not leaving Sunoo. He's to busy focusing on that stupid ball that you bet he doesn't have time to give care to those girls gawking at him.

He's indeed if not the most then one of the most popular guy here in your campus. He came from a good family, like the having multiple businesses and living in a big mansion type of good family. He's also pretty talented and active on school activities. Smart and to top it all up, he's drop dead gorgeous. No words could make a justice on how he looks good. Some people even says God really took his time on making him. You will surely agree. He's so perfect for you. Only, he's not that friendly and like what your friend already said, he's a little evil.

"What do you mean you wish? He does notice you, y/n. He already rejected you for.." she raised her hand and started counting with her fingers. You rolled your eyes and swat it away to stop her.

She chuckles, "..so many times! Just enough with him."

As obvious as it was, your friend is really not that supportive of your undying love for Sunoo. Ever since you made her aware of this feelings, she's already against it. Insisting that he will cause you nothing but pain. So far, you must say she's right. He's been so rude to you.

But your mother didn't raise a quitter! You will keep on trying and trying. After all, life is short. You just have to live it how you want it. Live it the best way you can.

After the p.e class, your classmates storms inside. They all looked exhausted and freshly showered. You pulled your warm smile when you see Sunoo walks inside beside Jungwon. His friend was busy talking about something while he's attentively listening.

Without wasting any time, you marched towards him while holding a water and gatorade just incase he wanted something with flavor. The class gave no care for your approach to the said boy as they were probably used to it. This isn't the first time you'll be doing this and honestly, it still make you nervous.

"Hi Sunoo! How's p.e?" you say full of energy.

Both of them snaps their head at your direction. Jungwon kept his smile and waved at you while the other one shows no expression over his face.

"Uhm, water or gatorade?" you asked and even raise both of your hands to show him the things you prepared for him.

Jungwon looked at Sunoo awkwardly then back at you. He didn't respond right away, but later on lets out a sigh before rolling his eyes.

"I already had water." he coldly said then walked away from where you are. He even slightly bumped over your shoulder.

You got stoned from your position and your shoulder fell together with both of your hands. You looked over your shoulder and saw him heading straight to his chair.

"Sorry about him, y/n. You know he's always grumpy after p.e class." he's giving you this apologetic smile for you.

You shake your head to let him know that its totally fine. You raised your hand and offered him the drinks instead. His eyes grew and shine after what you said then accepts the gatorade. He said thank you before you head towards your seat.

"What? You like Jungwon now?" your head snaps towards your friend when she asked that.

You frowned at her.

"No! Sunoo already had water so I offered him the drink."

She scoffed, "Why don't you go for Jungwon instead? He's nicer and looks so cute!"

You raised a brow at her, "(friend's name), you can't dictate what the heart wants."

She showed this disgusted face and roamed her eyes all over you.

"Wow. That's disgusting."

You draw another sigh and settle the bottle of water just beside your table. The next class pretty much started a few minutes after. It somehow made you occupied. Honestly, you aren't the studious type, but since Sunoo is so smart and always part of the honor students, you don't want to be left out. You try to study as hard as you can. Hard work sure pays you off since you aren't at the top of the class.

"Sunoo! Are you going to eat at the cafeteria today?" right after the bell rang, you quickly went to approach him.

He didn't glance at you, but you heard him let out a strained sigh. He fixed his notebooks neatly, "I always eat there, you don't even have to ask that every time." he answered with full sarcasm.

You pursed your lips and fidgets with your fingers. You felt embarrassed and hurt with the way he respond to you, but you try hard to shove it away. Pulling another warm smile, you nodded your head.

You saw a slight glint of amusement over his eyes. It vanished right away, but you saw it.

"O-Okay. Eat well, Sunoo!" his stares remained at you for a while before he tears it off from you.

He left the room without saying anything to you again. Your eyes followed him silently and you felt a presence behind you.

"You know what? I wish he choke on his food-"

"(friend's name)!" you shouts her name. She quickly raised both of her hands then lets out chuckles.

"Just kidding! Let's go eat already." she threw her arms over your shoulder then leads you back to the garden at the rooftop.

It was decorated by your batch and you are confused why no one spends time here. It's cool up there, have the best view of the school field and also peaceful. So in order to give justice in the beautiful place, you and your friend usually spends your breaktimes and vacants there.

"How was your check up last saturday?" your friend asked after you both open your lunch boxes.

Your eyes dropped to your food and unconsciously start to play with it. Her eyes remained at you and watches you carefully.

"Y/n..."

You puff a small sigh then smile at her. "Its still the same, (friend's name). I don't get why you guys still hope that something will change. We just need to accept it." you can feel the air slowly being stripped away from your lungs.

You hate talking about this thing as it always kills the mood. It makes your chest tightening as you saw sadness flickering through her eyes. You understand how she feels and all the people close to you. But these things aren't something you can control.

You sighed and lets go of your utensil to reach over her hand. You gave her a small squeeze then smiled at her assuringly.

"Please, let's just accept it and let me live the rest of my life happily. I don't want you guys sad, please." she gulps and the corner of her eyes started to water.

She closed her eyes and tears started streaming down her face.

"I just.." she says, "..don't understand why it has to be you. You're too kind and perfect. Why... you?"

You pursed your lips then reached over her face to cup it, "Everything happens for a reason."

"Whatever that reason is, its unexpected."

You chuckled and tears streams down your eyes as well. "Let's stop crying and just eat."

She sniffs and wiped off the tears a little aggressive. "You're the only one who made me cry." she mumbles before starting to eat her food.

You chuckles, "I'll take that as a compliment."

"Do you want to walk together?" you approached Sunoo's table after dismissal.

‘— Walk home with Kim Sunoo.’

This is honestly one of the hardest things written at your list. Not just because Sunoo doesn’t like you, but also because its impossible for him to walk with people other than his friends.

He was putting his things inside his bag before he glanced at you, eyes emotionless. He seemed unbothered and bothered at the same time by your presence.

"No." he coldly rejected you.

You pursed your lips. "Why?"

"Why do you have a lot of questions?" he started to sound pissed.

"I just want to walk with you." and you lower your head.

He stood up towering in front of you then smoothly hangs his bag over his shoulder. You raised your head to look at his pretty face. The corner of his lips slowly lifts, "Well I don't." his response make you feel like someone prickled your heart using a needle.

"Sunoo! Let's go?" his eyes shifted over to the person behind you. Probably one of his friends. He nodded his head and started going to that person without even glancing at you.

Your eyes silently follows him like old times until he totally disappears from your sight. The only thing that snapped you back to reality was when an arm suddenly rest over your shoulder. When you twist your head to look at the person, it was your friend.

“If he doesn’t want to walk with you, then I will!” she says, her tone sound a little pissed but you’re just glad she didn’t caused a scene. She must have been watching from a far.

You two then headed home, starting to chat about random things. It was always like this with her. Just pure fun and all. Whenever you’re with her, you don’t have to worry too much or feel awkward because she treats you differently. This is what you want. For everyone to act normal and not weird around you.

When you arrived at your street, your laugh slowly faded along with your smile when you saw a familiar built. He isn’t alone. A girl is smiling brightly while walking beside him. He still have this serious face, but it seems like he’s listening to her.

Your friend notice the sudden change on your mood and quickly followed your line of sight. She rolled her eyes and scoffed before gently grabbing your arm to pull you towards a different direction.

“Hey, calm down.” she says in a soft voice and handed you a water.

Your mind was still full with the memory of Sunoo and that girl. To some, it may seem like its just normal. But for you, its already a big deal. Sunoo isn’t the type of person who walks home together with someone other than his friends. He isn’t that friendly.

So to see him with her right after rejecting you really made you upset. Your friend sighs and taps your shoulder. “Don’t overthink it, y/n! I’m she forced him or something! Did you see his face? It was obvious that he didn’t like it.” she tries to comfort you.

A pout appears over your lips as your eyes slowly trails towards her. “At least she managed to walk with him.”

She sighed and rolled her eyes. “So? There’s always tomorrow! We have a lot of days left for school so don’t get down over it. Hmm?” she hummed and tried to encourage you.

A small smile slowly creeped over your lips. You are very thankful that you have her. Yes there are times she obviously shows how she disagrees with your craziness over Sunoo, but she still tries to be supportive whenever you need it.

You two walked towards your home after you finally calmed down. Thankfully, she managed to divert your attention towards something else. It didn’t spoil your whole evening.

The next day, you went early to school like usual and went straight towards the audio-visual room to prepare for your morning broadcast. You pull the paper containing your speech then you added your daily quotes and your message for Kim Sunoo.

When the clock strikes 8 am, you started the broadcast with some reminders for school activities and ended it with a short quote.

“And to our sunshine, Kim Sunoo. You’re four days away from your quizbee. Keep going and I know you can do it!” a small spread over your face after you finished your short message.

You wrapped it up and told everyone that they did a good job before you exits the club room to head over the lockers area. A lot of students are scattered around the hallways, but it was easy to spot Sunoo. You don’t have any idea how you can manage to do that all the time. Maybe it was a skill you developed for always looking for him.

“Hi Sunoo!” you greeted full of energy and with your bright smile. You act like as if you didn’t saw him with that girl yesterday and proceed on greeting him.

He didn’t spared you a glance, but you heard him letting out a strained sigh while continuing getting something from his locker. You shrugged it off and kept your smile.

You remembered the cookies you baked last night for him.

“Sunoo, please accept my—”

“Didn’t I rejected you already? Get lost.” your hand was stopped midway when he once again turned you down. It wasn’t something new, but his words still sting like a bee.

A small smile made it your lips, chest tightening. Even you yourself think you are no good for Kim Sunoo himself. It’s just, you wanted to feel something while you’re still here, while you’re still alive.

“I made this just for you. I figured you may be hungry while studying—” he snaps his head at your direction once again and glared. His jaw clenched.

“What language do you speak that you can’t understand a simple ‘no’?” he rudely hissed at you.

Here he is again, being rude to you. Just today was a little bit more harsher. It’s fine, you kept telling yourself but deep inside you know, it’s not okay.

“Get lost, I say!” he said.

You kept your eyes darted straight to his cold ones. They didn’t show any remorse despite the tears forming at the corners of your eyes.

Someone then interrupted and tugged him over his shoulder. “Dude! Say sorry to her.” it was Jungwon. His eyes looked so worried and apologetic when he glanced at your direction.

Sunoo clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes before closing his locker. “Whatever.” he mumbled then started walking away.

Your eyes followed him while still standing at your position. You are in shock. Embarrasment and pity plays through your mind. He’s always snobby with you, but this is actually the first time he’s been this rude towards you.

Jungwon walks closer and handed you some tissues. You quickly flashed him a smile and chuckles to make the atmosphere lighter.

“I’m sorry about him, y/n. He’s just really tired because he stayed late last night.” he said looking really sorry for what his friend did.

You shook your head after accepting the tissues he was handing. “It’s okay! Maybe I am really pushing myself too much.”

Jungwon pursed his lips, amused at how kind and understand you can be. He sighed and just smiled a little.

“Still, he shouldn’t be rude.” after he says that and comforted you for a while he left to go to class.

Your smile fell the moment he turned his back. You really don’t want to give up on Sunoo and you did said you aren’t the type who gives up easily but it sure hard. Really hard.

Just in time your head snaps over to your back when you heard someone screaming your name. It was your friend and she was running towards you. Chuckles escaped your lips while watching her struggle and almost stumble across the floor.

“Phew!” she sighed heavily and tried catching her breath. “I thought I'm going to be late!” she exclaimed with relief.

You help her get her stuff before you two head towards the classroom. When you arrived inside, you saw that girls from your class are around Sunoo. They’re trying so hard to get any response from him. You pouted a little, thinking that you probably looked the same.

You let out a small sigh then head towards your table that made her tilt her head in confusion. She took quick steps to catch up with you.

“Wait, you’ll just let them?” she sounded so surprised.

“I feel a little tired.” you tried to reason out and gave her a small smile.

Thankfully she read the room and diverted the topic to somewhere else.

The whole day was pretty much busy for you since you had a lot of things to do. Even if you want to approach Sunoo, you tried your best not to for two reasons. One, because of what happened at the locker’s area and number two, he’s busy preparing for the quizbee.

At the end of the day, you still asked him if he wants to walk home with you. The answer was the same so you just walked home with your friend. You have no problem with it because you do enjoy every time with her, but a small part of you really wants for him to walk with you. If he do it once, you’ll be more than happy. Not just because it was on your bucket list, but also because you really like him.

“Cheer up! You can always try tomorrow, y/n.” your friend threw her arms around your shoulder to start pulling you towards the direction of the gate.

You just smile a little and nodded your head. That’s the point. How long will you waste your time? You don’t have a long time remaining to this world. You are not sure if this whole idea is still wise. Is Kim Sunoo worth it?

After spacing out a little, you shrug and shove that negative thought away. You let out a big heavy sigh before smiling again.

Of course Kim Sunoo is worth it! He will always be worth it.

Weeks passed by with the same routine. And today, you ran a little late because you weren’t feeling well last night and slept too much. Thankfully, you made it before you morning broadcast. As always you read some reminders for the day and then your short quote for everyone.

“And to our sunshine, Sunoo. You make my dopamine levels go silly.” and with that you wrapped the broadcast then bid your clubmates to go at the locker’s area.

You pouted and glanced at the direction of his locker. He’s there surrounded and talking with his friends. You wanted to go approach them, but you have no enough time since you need to get your books for your class.

Someone approached you that made you tear your gaze away from Sunoo and his friends. You smiled brightly at the sight of your friend and she had her hand laid in front of you. Like as if asking you to lend her something.

You gave your a confused look and she did stared at you for a while before letting out a sigh.

“Give me your locker keys so I can get your workbooks for you. You can go and approach Mr. Popular.” she said in almost a monotonous way.

You giggled and hugged her before giving her your keys. She just shoo you away, acting like she’s not that affectionate over you.

You didn’t waste any time and just go approach Sunoo. He was listening to what his friends are talking about. He doesn’t seem bored, but he also not a talker.

The first one to see you approaching was Jungwon who quickly smiled and waved at you. That caused everyoneof them to turn and look at you, making you feel shy. Sunoo’s stare didn’t last long and he teared it off to go busy himself with rummaging through his locker. You sent Jungwon a small wave then looked at Sunoo.

“Hi Sunoo!” you greeted happily before trailing your eyes back over to his friends who are now watching you two.

“Hi guys!” you greeted them so just it wouldn’t be awkward and also to avoid being rude.

“Y/n, can you give me messages tomorrow as well?” your eyes darted Sunghoon when he said those words. He have this smile that makes you wonder if he’s teasing or being sincere.

Either way you gave him a smile, “Sure! I will surely read one for you tomorrow.”

“Me too! We have a basketball match tomorrow. Wish me luck, y/n.” this time it was Lee Heeseung, the captain ball of your basketball team who requested a message from you.

Even before you can say yes to his request, someone talked once again.

“Me too! We’re also part of the team!” Jake and Ni-ki said in unison that made you chuckle. They’re so cute.

‘✓ Make new friends.’

You smiled widely as you crossed that out of your list. It was so happy to have these type of conversation with new people.

“Sure! I’ll wish you good luck tomorrow.” you said with a sincere warm smile. The boys even cheered together that made you laugh once again.

While you are busy interacting with his friends, Sunoo suddenly felt irritated for an unknown reason. You are annoying already, but when you are like this around his friends you get more annoying. He isn’t sure why and he doesn’t know if he wants to know the reason.

You jolted when he abruptly closed his locker. It was a little aggressive that made you jump a bit. You followed him with your eyes as his friends tried to call him. He ignored them and just proceeded on going to class.

“What’s gotten into him?” Jake asked, totally clueless.

Jay shrugged his shoulders off then smoothly hangs the strap of his bag over his shoulder, “I’ll go to my class. See you at class, y/n.” he says and even playfully winked at you.

It made you chuckle and you bid good-bye to them too so you can go to your friend. She was done when you saw her and is watching from afar. She have this smirk over her lips that made you confuse.

“What’s with the smirk?” you asked curious.

She shakes her head side to side, “Nothing! I just realized its more fun watching from a distance because you get to observe things better.”

You didn’t totally get what she said, but she quickly dismissed the thought and start telling you about this movie she watched last night.

When you arrive inside the room, the whole class is still rowdy. Your eyes automatically searched for Sunoo and you saw him leaning over his table. No girls are around him. They probably realized he’s tired and doesn’t have the energy to deal with them today. You pouted and can’t help but to feel worried for him. Maybe that’s the reason why he reacted like that a while ago. He must’ve been tired. Being a smart student sure is tiring.

You sat down over your chair and your friend follows, still talking about her movie. You listened to her carefully and even comments from time to time. It was interrupted when your homeroom teacher went inside holding a folder over her hand. You looked at your friend and she did the same thing.

For some reasons, you felt a little nervous and curious of what’s inside the folder. The whole class was curious as well as they try to take guess of it. Some says that its your quarterly ranking. It made your heart stop for a while. ‘Isn’t it too early for that?’ you thought to yourself.

The teacher roamed her eyes around the room like as if checking if everybody’s present. When she finally make sure that you are complete she flashes a warm smile.

“I have here the list of pairs for your prom.” she announced that quickly made the whole class noisy. All of you cheered in happiness and relief.

“Omg! Y/n! This is really it! I wish my partner would be Ni-ki!” your friend exclaimed and even dramatically put her hands together then closed her eyes.

You laughed at her and also after seeing how the said boy turned his head at your direction. He probably heard his name being mentioned.

“I wish Sunoo is my partner!” you copied your friend and put your hands together, but unlike her you kept your eyes open then looked at Sunoo.

After a couple of seconds, your heart dropped when your eyes met. He didn’t break your eye contact and just stared at you. Later on, he rolled his eyes then looked away. You couldn’t stop yourself from smiling in victory while your heart thumped loudly. That was so far the longest eye contact with him!

Now, you really wish he will be your prom partner. You know the chance to get him is so small, but you will still hold on to it even if its just .03 percent.

‘— Dance with Sunoo at Prom.’

If you two became partners, this is already sure to happen. That will be the best night of your life. You bet its wonderful to be paired with him. You wanted this because you want to have the most memorable prom. This will only come once in your life and you don’t even know if you’ll ever get the chance to have a dance with Sunoo while wearing a pretty dress.

You jolted when your friend suddenly held your arm and shakes you continuously. She got this excited look on her face while you have this confused look.

“W-What?! What is it? What happened?!” you asks a bit in panic. You roamed your eyes around to see if there’s something odd, but nothing. Some of your girl classmates are eyeing you with their mean look, but you didn’t give much care about it. The teacher in front are also busy reading the pairs for your class.

“You got paired with Sunoo!” she announced that caught you off-guard.

You gave her this look like as if you’ve been casted a spell and couldn’t react anything. She chuckled, finding you funny.

“You’re shitting me..” you said to her, trying to wait for her to say that she just got you fooled.

She rolled her eyes. Even if she hates Sunoo because of how he treats you, she still wants you to he happy and if it means having him as your prom partner then be it. She will always be supportive of you.

“I swear with my life, you are paired with Sunoo!” she even pulls Jay’s uniform who's sitting in front of her to catch his attention.

“Please tell her that her partner is Sunoo. She doesn’t believe me.” she says then smiled at Jay.

The boy looked confused at first, but then he gave you a smile. “You are paired with Sunoo. Good luck with that.” and he even lets out a taunting chuckle.

Your friend shoot him glares and even kicked his chair lightly causing him to stop laughing.

On the other hand, your mind is slowly going blank and you feel like you are floating. You couldn’t believe it. Maybe God really listened to your prayers and gave you this opportunity to finish your bucket list.

That explains the glares you are getting from the girls at your class. They proabably envy you for having him as your partner. A victory smile flashes your lips. You are so lucky.

Your have this smile on your face all day and you feel like nothing can even make your day bad. Just by thinking about having him as your pair is enough for you to be in a good mood the whole day.

Kim Sunoo as your prom partner. The Kim Sunoo. Wow. You are very excited.

Smoothly the week passed and now, you are very excited because its time for your prom practice to start. You are even hopping cutely on your way to the audio-visual room for your morning broadcasts. It was very obvious how happy you are.

“And to our sunshine, Kim Sunoo. You give me feeling I can’t put into words.” and then you wrapped the session up like usual.

Your friend was already waiting for you by the locker’s area when you arrived. She couldn’t help but to roll her eyes after seeing how wide your smile is.

“Well someone’s in a good mood.” she said in a taunting way.

“Of course! The practice for prom starts today! I can’t wait for it.” you sounded so excited as you start to go get your things.

She lets out a frustrated groan and leaned over the lockers beside you.

“Don’t even remind me about it! I feel so heart broken that I am not paired with Ni-ki.” she says, pouting.

You mirrored her face and slightly taps her shoulder, “Awe! That’s all right. You can just go and ask him to dance with you!” you tried encouraging her.

She smirked, “You are right! I won't let him rest. We’ll dance all night!” the plan of her made you giggled and shake your head side to side. The sound of determination made it even funnier.

“Oh poor Ni-ki’s feet. I feel bad for them.” you joked. She glanced at you then scoffed.

“Oh poor Sunoo’s feet. I feel bad for them too.”

You both laughed and teased each other even more, time slipped out of your mind. When the bell rang, your eyes grew and head looked over your shoulder to check if Sunoo was there. No. He’s nowhere to be found. Maybe he already went to class. A pout makes it way your lips when you realized you didn’t even greet him.

Your friend dragged you towards your classroom and your class then started. It went by too slow for you.

Finally, your most awaited time of the day came. The whole class was asked to go to the auditorium to go meet the dance instructor for the prom dance. You went there with a big smile and your friend couldn’t help but to tease you about it. Upon arrival, the instructor asked you all to listen about the orientation for the dance.

She walked you guys through the whole plan she have for the dance. It was wonderful. For you, its perfect.

“Okay! Everyone please go to your respective partners!” she says and even clapped her hands to make you move.

You stood up and started roaming your eyes around to look for Sunoo. It was easy. He’s heading your way as well, eyes looked serious and both of his hands inside his pocket. He looked handsome as always.

“H-Hi.” you greeted after he managed to get close to you.

He draws in a sigh then nodded at you. It was enough to make you feel crazy inside. Both of you listens to what the teacher will ask you to do next.

“Now hold your partners hand. You have to get used to it from now on because you’ll be holding that for a long time.”

The first task made you feel like you’re up in the clouds already. It was unexpected. You gulped feeling very nervous. You’ve never held his hand. It is one of your dreams to hold it tho and also part of your list.

Your eyes slowly trailed over Sunoo. When he faced you with that bored look, you couldn’t help but to bite your lower lip. He sighs and laid his hand in front of you, waiting for you to take it.

Carefully, you lift your arm and placed your hand on top of his. He rolled his eyes and held your hand tightly making your stomach churns, butterflies flying all over.

“Just try not to be annoying.” Sunoo mumbles and glanced away to avoid the awkwardness.

You giggled, “I promise to do good, Sunoo.”

‘✓ Hold Sunoo’s hand.’

And you are trying so hard to do that. While the instructor starts to teach you guys, you have your whole focus on her and to the dance. You shoved away the thought of having Sunoo as your partner for a while so you can give your whole attention to the dance.

On the other hand, Sunoo’s the one to give his attention towards you. He can’t help but stare at your serious face. A small smirk appeared his lips before he rolled his eyes off of you. He couldn’t believe what he’s thinking right now. He actually think you are pretty cute.

And that’s how the first day of your practice ended. The whole week, you just practiced and as day passed by, Sunoo came to observe you silently while you are too occupied by the dance. You are totally unaware of it. You are unaware that Sunoo, the cold hearted guy from your class starts to notice you more often.

“Where’s y/n?” he asks his friend when he noticed that your chair was vacant again for the fifth time. It was odd for him because its nothing like you to skip school for a long time.

“Worried?” Jungwon asked in a teasing tone.

Sunoo rolled his eyes at him then settles down to his own chair. “No. Its because I don’t have a partner again.” he made it sound so believable that his friend just nods his head.

As the class starts, his friend’s attention drift off of him. He trailed his eyes over to your empty chair feeling something in him missing.

The following week, your ranking was announced and sadly Sunoo’s rank went down. He seemed down because of it. You feel bad and wants to cheer him up so bad.

“And to our sunshine, Kim Sunoo. For me, you are sill the best.”

After the session, you bid good-bye to your club members and head over the lockers. You waved to your friend and quickly get your things to come and greet Sunoo for a bit.

“Hi Sunoo!” you greeted that made him glance at you.

Before he can shoo you away you raised your hand, showing your palm at him. He looked confused.

“Before you can send me away, I just want to personally tell you that you are doing really great. I am proud of you!” you said that made him surprised.

He’s been wanting to hear those words from someone for a long time. He was totally stunned. He looked at you, feeling this unknown emotion that occupying his chest after seeing you again.

You smiled, “I’ll take my leave now! See you at class Sunoo!” and you started heading towards the class without even glancing back.

Sunoo kept his stares at you, feeling a warmth that he was searching for. A smile made it over his lips and he closed his locker.

The discussion started when you arrived and you tried to focus hard because you missed a lot. You groaned lightly staring at the clock too often to check if its time for practice already.

“Ouch.” you gasped and quickly moved away from Sunoo when you heard him utter that for the third time now.

Its your prom practice again and you’ve been messing up the dance because you are out for a while. You glanced at Sunoo with a worried face.

“Sorry! I’m so sorry, Sunoo!” you said.

Normally, he would’ve been so pissed right now. But Sunoo doesn’t feel like that, instead he’s starting to get bothered by how you really got more pale after you missed school for a while.

He gulped and tried to shove it off your mind. Since when did he became so good at observing?

“That’s what you get for missing practices.” he says in a low tone.

You pouted and lowered your head, feeling guilty. Its not like you have a choice. You are sick. But of course, you didn’t told him that. You draws in another sigh to apologize again, but suddenly a pair of hands gently tugged yours. He held them placing one hand to his shoulder, then holding the other one.

When you lift your head, you saw him staring down at his hand that was holding your waist. His cheeks and ears red. You bit your lower lip, admiring Kim Sunoo.

“Next time, don’t leave me alone.” he mumbled and slowly stares at your eyes.

You blushed like crazy as you smile widely at him.

“I won’t!” you exclaimed.

He rolled his eyes then looked at the instructor to wait for the next step. Your smile then fell when something dawned on you. He may not mean to not leave him forever, he may just meant about the dance, but your heart aches after realizing you are leaving. You are leaving Kim Sunoo and everyone else in this world.

“Y/n! Sunoo is downstairs.” you heard your Mom said.

You abruptly stood up from your bed and eyes grew big at what she said. Did you really heard that right? Kim Sunoo? He’s outside your house?

You quickly head towards the window and you really saw him in front. With hurry, you checked yourself in the mirror and slight grunts after you notice how pale you looks. You grabbed your tint and put some on your lips.

“Sunoo! Hello!” you greeted him with a big smile.

Sunoo licked his lower lip and stared at you seriously. “Are you okay? You skipped school again.” he says straight to the point.

Your smile faltered. Its been three days of you skipping schools again. Sunoo can’t wait anymore and just went to check on you. He doesn’t care what you think about this or if you think he cares for you. He does! And he’s going crazy because you aren’t attending class.

“U-Uhm, sorry. Am I giving you troubles for prom practice?”

He didn’t respond right away and just stared at you. “Do you want to walk around?” he asks, licking his lower lip. He can feel his throat getting dry.

You roamed your eyes and it was dark already. “Okay, I will just get my jacket.” and he just nodded his head then waits for you patiently.

Sunoo tries to calm himself down. Its been a whole month after he starts feeling this way with you. At first, he tries to ignore it and tells himself that he’s probably just misunderstanding things. He can’t like you, moreso fall in love with you. He’s annoyed with you. That was the last thing he remembers. How come he’s here to come see you just because you skipped school? Why does he looks for you all the time? Why does he feel incomplete without hearing your short messages for him every morning?

“I’m here!” you announced happily and walked your way towards Sunoo with a big wide smile.

Sunoo gulped, ‘Yep. He’s definitely in love with you.’

You two walked towards the park and since it was already dark, there are less people around. Sunoo asked you to sit down by the swing beside him which you quickly obliged.

As you both stares at the sky above, you can feel your heart hammering. You can’t believe you are here with him, staring at the stars. You should’ve included this to your list.

“Sorry again for the practice. It must have been hard to learn the dances without a pair.” you apologized again after you remembered about it.

Sunoo seemed unbothered tho, he’s just staring at you with this unexplained expression. You tilt your head to check on him.

“Sunoo?” you tried to call his attention.

He gulped, “Do you want me to teach you what you missed?” he asked that made you excited.

“Sure! Is that okay?”

He nodded and stood up from the swing so he can stand in front of you. He laid his hand in front of you then you accepted it. Both of you stood at the middle part of the playground. You are smiling and blushing so hard at the moment.

He hums and placed you in front of him. Making sure he holds onto you very gently. It made your heart flutters and like butterflies flew out of your stomach. You can’t truly explain what you are actually feeling.

He continues to teach you the dance steps you ‘missed’. At one part of the said choreo, he turns you and then tugs you closer right after. He takes you over his arms, your distance were not evident anymore. Your nose almost touching his and if he leaned an inch closer, you are sure that your lips would touch yours. The thought made your heart thumper in both anticipation and fear. Anticipation because its Kim Sunoo. Fear, because you’re afraid once you get a taste you’ll crave more of it.

Sunoo stared at your eyes then he gulped, “I n-need to tell you something.” he says that made you nervous right away.

You are uttering a silent prayer that what he was about to say is not what you are dreaming and hoping for. It may sound weird, but that will seriously make you happy and sad at the same time.

“W-What is it?” No. You are not ready to hear it. Suddenly, a rejection sounds more okay, than an actual confession. Silly you, you thought to yourself, how can you think that Sunoo will actually confess and have feelings for you? He wouldn’t, right?

“I love you, Y/n.” he says that made your ears rings and your heart fell.

It happened. It did happened.

Your eyes burns of tears at the sides as you try to compose and get a hold of yourself. This isn’t what you planned for. And this is definitely what you expected for.

You slowly withdraws yourself from his hold, making the color drains out of Sunoo’s face. It made him wonder if he had said or done anything wrong for you to act like how you just did.

“N-No. Tell me you’re joking.” a pool of tears can be seen at your eyes and its honestly making Sunoo worried.

“I am not.” he says too firmly as he tries to get a hold of you once again. He didn’t succeed as you shove it away, making a small but hurtful emotion prickling over his heart. He couldn’t understand.

You stepped away with horror on your face.

“Y-You can’t love me.” you manage to say.

Sunoo furrowed his brows and his jaw sets, “Why not? Tell me!” he demands and grabbed your arm, this time succeeding.

“I am sick!” you burst out to him, tears now flowing freely over your face.

He was stunned and just stared at you, waiting for what you’re going to say next.

“I am sick and I am dying, Sunoo. Y-You can’t...” you cried, unable to even finish the words you are saying.

Sunoo on the other hand was at complete shock. Couldn’t find any words to say. His mind wanders off to somewhere far, but his hold over your arm didn’t loosened.

He shut his eyes after he snapped back to reality with your soft cries. He sighed heavily, trying to get rid of that heavy filling over his chest. He slowly takes you over in his arms and pressed his lips at your head, eyes starting to water as well.

“I am not going anywhere. You can’t tell me I can’t love.” he uttered seriously that made you cry even more while wrapping your arms around his waist.

The next morning, you haven’t slept good because what happened last night still lingers to your mind like as if it was a dream. Sunoo knew about your sickness. He confessed.

Your heart aches at the thought of it. How come one simple thing can change your view in life? How come one person can affect you this much?

“Took you long enough.” your eyes softens when you saw him waiting outside of your house.

He smiled and walks closer to come get your things from you. You watch him silently, wondering what he’s doing here right now.

“If you’re doing this out of pity—”

“What do you mean? I literally said I love you last night. What I’m doing is mainly an act of love and not for pity.” he says and gently grabs your hand.

You two started walking towards the school and your eyes can’t leave your intertwined hands. For some reasons, you have always imagined you two doing these things and now that it is happening beneath your eyes, you couldn’t believe it.

“Are we really walking towards the school while holding each other’s hands?” you can’t stop yourself from asking.

Sunoo scoffed, “Yes. What? Dreams really do come true, huh?” he tried teasing you.

To his surprise, you didn’t take offense out of it and just nodded your head. He smirked and caress your hand softly.

“We’ll do this every time you want.” and he leans in to place a soft sweet kiss at your forehead.

You arrived at the school and he walks you over to the audio-visual room so you can do your broadcasts.

“And to our sunshine, Kim Sunoo. You’re the best thing I have ever waited for.” and this time you felt your heart tugs. There’s this unknown satisfaction right after you said those words. Like you are very certain that he is the best thing, because he is.

When you went out of the audio-visual room, your eyes grew big seeing him leaning over the wall. He was waiting for you. He pushed himself off then walks towards you to get your things again.

“Hi.” he greets and then held your hand tightly. Your heart beats so fast and unconsciously roamed your eyes around the hallways. Students are eyeing you like they’d seen a ghost. Who wouldn’t be surprised?

Arriving at the locker’s area, he accompanied you and then you two walked towards class hand in hand. Everyone who you walk pass by are shock of the sight they are seeing. It was overwhelming for you.

You can’t believe you are capable of being this happy. Too happy, that you are slowly becoming more scared of tomorrow. Slowly you are starting to ask God of what’s his plan, what’s his reason for taking you the opportunity to live and long and spend it with your love ones. His reason why he let you meet Sunoo and fell in love.

The time came. Your body drops down and you are taken to the hospital. It was dreadful. Not only for you, but for your family and the people who cares for you.

Sunoo didn’t left your side. He just stayed there with you, accompanied and helped your parents to take care of you. They were beyond thankful. They can see how genuine his love for you.

“Hey, pretty.” he greets when he arrived your hospital room. He went close and dropped a quick kiss at your forehead then at your lips.

You smiled and his eyes roamed around, confused why your things are packed.

“You’re moving rooms? Are you all right?” he asked, alarmed of the situation.

You smiled and caress his face, “I’m going home. I’ll be resting there until...”

Your mouth hangs and words can’t come out of your lips. He pursed his lips and you can clearly see that he’s scared. Very scared. He sighed and cupped your face then pressed his forehead at yours. You raised your hand and pressed your hands over his.

“I love you. I love you so much.” he mumbles softly that made your heart crack.

“I love you.” you responded.

You stayed like that for a while before you’re ready to go move at your house for home medication. He helped you and your family settling down. Now, he comes visit you at your house every time. You are starting to be worried of his own health because he seemed to sleep less. He even have school.

“Sorry I can’t be your partner at prom.” you uttered one afternoon while you two rests at your balcony, staring at the stars.

He caress your shoulder while staring at the pretty stars above. His tears slowly forming at the corner of his eyes.

“Its fine, baby.” he says and kissed your forehead. “Its fine.”

The next day, it was prom night and you are brushing your hair in front of your mirror. Your mind is filled with nothing but Sunoo. He’s probably off to school for your prom night. He wanted to skip and just be with you, but you insisted for him to go. Its a one in a lifetime experience. If you can’t have it, at least he should.

Your head snaps over to your door when it opened. Your Mom enters and you can see that even if she’s smiling she have tears at the corner of her eyes.

“Hi Mom.” you smiled, just so she can feel better.

She approaches and just then, you noticed this pink lower part of a dress. Your brows furrowed as to why she have that thing with her. She asked you to stand up, and with no further questions you did. She made you wear that part of the dress. It was a detachable one. It’s your favorite color too.

You both looked over your full length mirror and she stared at you through it. This time, a tear successfully escaped her eyes.

“I love you sweetheart.” she mumbled that made you want to cry as well. If you’re having a hard time, you bet your parents did as well.

You hugged her and told her that you love her too. After calming down a bit, she asks you to come with her. Slowly, she guided you towards the backyard.

Your mouth fell when you saw that it was decorated. Some pretty lights surround it and a couple of tables and chairs were placed around. Its like as if there is a party.

Sunoo then appeared at the side and you couldn’t find a word to say. Sunoo, who supposed to be on his way to prom is now standing right in front of you. He’s wearing his tux and looking so gorgeous as ever.

“W-What...” you managed to say.

He smiles, “I wouldn’t go anywhere without my partner.” he says and put this flower over your wrist before kissing your hand.

Then his friends and their dates appeared too. They are all smiling and you can’t help but to tear up even more.

“Our prom is where you are, y/n!” Jungwon says happily. When you glance at your best friend, she was waving crazily while crying. Ni-ki is standing behind her, towering over her.

Sunoo guided you at the center and the familiar waltz you practiced back then played. Thankfully, you managed to remember the dance.

“Thank you so much, Sunoo. I love you. You make me the happiest. You are my angel.”

He smiles, “I love you, y/n. You make me happy.” and he leans in to seal your love for each other.

‘✓ Dance with Sunoo at Prom.’

The days and weeks after are magical with Sunoo. You can’t ask for more. You are contented and happy with him. Somehow, you’re slowly understanding why all of these happened.

Love made you question God’s plans for you, and its also Love that made you realized what its meant for. You are meant to meet Sunoo because he’s the one who can make you the happiest on your remaining days, and Sunoo met you because you are the one to heal him. You are each other’s soulmates.

“I will be part of them once I leave this place. I will be always pretty and looking out for you.” you utter, even if you are feeling very weak.

Sunoo caress your shoulders and trying to look at the stars you are pointing at. He smiles, but tears formed at the corner of his eyes.

“You are always beautiful.”

You turns your head and look at him. You stared at his face, trying to memorize each and every inch of it. You don’t want to miss anything.

“I love you so much.”

Sunoo cries gently, couldn’t hold it anymore. He placed a kiss a your forehead before pressing it to yours.

“I love you more than words can say.” and with that he kissed your lips.

Everybody else already left and only some of your family members remains, but Sunoo didn’t mind. He sat there silently. He promised you he won’t be sad all the time, but that promise are already broken right after the day you left him.

He pursed his lips and caress your gravestone gently. A light taps over his shoulder sends a little comfort for him. He received those from your family, his family and his friends.

“Here, Sunoo.” he glanced over your friend when she’s handing him this c.d. Her eyes are puffy from crying too much, just like him.

He accepted it and stared at it blankly.

“Y/n asked me to compile all her morning messages for you before and she records more. She said so you can have something to listen to. She knew you’ll be very sad for a while.” she said, crying more.

Sunoo smiled a little and caress the thing that will be his savior and comfort while you two are away from each other. He stood up and once he was home, he went to play it.

First time he heard your voice again, days after you left was heartbreaking for him. He mourning and nothing can really comforts him, but your voice.

This audio record of your messages has become his source of strength. Your voice that he used to hear everytime, but now only an echo that serves as a reminder of your undying love for him.

—

main master-list

greek myth master-list

#enhypen #enhypenwrites #eeunoiaverse #eeunoia #eeunoiwrites #enhypen imagines #enhypen x reader #enhypen fic #enhypen kim sunoo #enhypen sunoo imagines #enhypen sunoo #enhypen sunoo x reader #enhypen yang jungwon #enhypen lee heeseung #enhypen jay park #enhypen jake sim #enhypen park sunghoon #enhypen nishimura riki

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6vaguebook · 2 months

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Excerpts from that Greek myth thing I'm barely working on PT.2

(All still from Ares's POV)

“Hephaestus set his hammer on fire, then frowned at it like he was wondering why someone would set his hammer on fire.”

“Demeter strapped a scythe to a tortoise’s back and let it roam around, looking ridiculous but very pleased with itself.”

“Grey-eyed Athena, they called her. More like no-eyed Athena, because she might as well have been blind.”

“ ‘GREAT WIND GOD AEOLUS!’ Hermes yelled, his voice echoing off the mountains. ‘I don’t know if you know this,’ he continued, not quite as loudly. Ares hoped he wasn’t rhyming intentionally. They were lucky enough not to be in a musical, and he would like to keep it that way.”

#Do #do you get it #Is it funny #Please tell me it's funny #please please please #greek myths #greek gods #Greek mythology #Hephaestus #Ares #Athena #Hermes #aeolus

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brechtian · 5 days

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Greek myth inspired media is so tired and overdone & i know this but man. echo & narcissus and Eros & psyche you will always be famous to me

#echo and narcissus play would go so hard

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merrivia · 1 year

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There’s something I find quite curious about the Captive Prince trilogy.

The lack, or paucity, of any references to religion. Or mythology or folklore. I find that a really interesting creative choice, because I think most readers feel the shapes of the fairytales and myths and beliefs that lie, like bones or the foundation of a building, under the surface of the story.

So let's discuss.

Firstly, belief systems. We know Akielos, much like the Ancient Greece it’s modelled on, has philosophers, even if we never hear about them in any detail.

We know there are Veretian and Akielon rituals regarding death. Aleron and Auguste are entombed, and so is Damen's faked body with Theomedes.

Akielon rituals are told to us in more detail via Nikandros:

There is an Ancient Greek death ritual called the ekphora, a “ritual procession of the deceased’s body from where it had been laid out to the place of burial”. The prefix ek meant ‘out’ and phora ‘to carry’ so it literally denotes the carrying out of the body to be buried. I couldn't find 'ekthanos' as a real extant word, but with the same logic ekthanos means out + thanos- a word that can mean immortal or death depending on how you might interpret the etymology of it.

It sounds like Nikandros completed a mourning ritual and lit something (a votive lamp?) symbolically (perhaps it symbolises the leaving of the spirit, as that which removes or leads out the immortal soul from the body, hence ekthanos?). I would assume it was a funeral pyre if it weren't for the fact that Damen's body was interred (could it have been ashes that were interred? That would be safer if you're going to fake someone's death, but that's honestly me very much extrapolating from nothing. Also damn, Nikandros loves Damen. My heart honestly feels so warm about him. If that happened, and he stepped up to light the pyre when Kastor didn't, than he really is his real brother).

But for all this, there is no sense of an afterlife nor praying to deities.

More after the jump:

Edit: Unless you count Jokaste’s note to Damen, which seems to point to Greek ideas of metempsychosis/reincarnation.

Regardless of that though there are no powerful institutions, no churches or temples, no religious figures to appease.

At first I thought there were no mentions of gods at all.

But there is.

Firstly in the very first description of Laurent in the baths:

And secondly, in the Akielon epic Erasmus sings:

There’s also an unusual mention of Nereus who has a collection of statues in his garden. At first, because Nereus was a Greek god and because it felt faintly familiar, I took it for a classical allusion then swiftly realised on googling that it wasn’t. Or at least I don’t think so? Someone enlighten me, and I'll edit if I'm wrong.

So I think we can safely assume Akielos once had gods, but the religion died out perhaps (thought not due to the rise of Christianity). And their pantheon may have been pretty much been the Greek one as the influence might linger in names like Nereus, literally a god of the sea (and Damianos from Damia, a minor goddess of fertility, and Nikandros which has a root in Nike, goddess of victory…).

Edit: having now read The Training of Erasmus, Nereus is a slave owner, and his gardens a place for young pre-pubescent slaves to have their initial training. Sigh. Reading that story really is just heartbreaking.

Keeping to the topic I suppose (even with the lingering sense of disgust that ran through me while reading it) did he collect statues that were relics of the times before and keeps them in this garden? You can see statuary fitting into this strange rarified space for the most beautiful youths. It could be some echoing of Roman pleasure gardens which generally had that sort of statuary? Or is it a mirroring of Renaissance Italy where they tried to recreate Roman gardens, taking classical statues from ruins to restore and place in them? Who knows!

Without being explicit, Pacat makes it clear that beautiful Laurent is classical-statue-beautiful. Greek god beautiful. A Ganymede, perhaps or an Adonis. And slave beautiful, too.

And, of course, Damianos has so many parallels to Achilles, from his unparalleled strength and prowess on the battlefield, to his ability to strategise as if Athena is guiding him, to how he can become blinded by rage. The warrior-hero.

Ultimately, I guess what’s interesting is Pacat’s choices. It’s really hard to avoid any religious references in writing, as these allusions are baked in so deep to language. Damen being made a slave is called a “living hell”. Laurent presents an “angelic countenance”. Damen "prays" the training arena is empty so he can escape. Orlant thinks that Akielos sounds like "paradise". Interestingly, all those quotes are from Captive Prince, and it seems as if, as Pacat went along, she steered away more and more from any kind of religious reference.

I mean, I get wanting to steer clear of religion. After polytheistic religions came the monotheistic- and then suddenly we have a whole heap of reasons why homosexuality is a sin. If we cut that off, and there is no spread of Christianity across Europe, it seems we get the bisexual culture of Vere and Akielos and Patras.

[Edit: But also sex as a sin in general does not exist. The policing of heterosexual premarital sex came into being to control reproduction, which in turn helps secure bloodlines in a patriarchal society. And so Pacat very neatly invents another social taboo as a substitute; the fear of bastardry, which means no heterosexual premarital sex EVER, and thus bisexuality becomes the norm (Damen is against this seeing it as potentially leading to situational sexual behaviour which doesn’t feel right to him).]

I also think it may have distracted from Pacat’s pared down yet evocative writing style. And added layers of unnecessary complication as the Veretian version of the Church would be another tricky, powerful and corrupt institution for him to battle and there really is no room for that in the narrative.

And just as a mini musing of a postcript, we know Laurent reads illuminated manuscripts:

We know these surely can't be prayerbooks, so I think we can assume that they are histories and works of poetry and stories.

Stories of courtly love perhaps? Fables, legends and folklore? Old Akielon myths? I would love to know what he read.

There are two French/European stories that do come to mind when I think of Laurent.

Beauty and the Beast, of course, with Laurent-the-beautiful and Damen-the-'giant-animal', and the trope of the kind-hearted lover who thaws the heart of the one who has grown cold and cruel.

And Reynard the fox, the trickster figure, whose "sly amorality" is "sympathetic as it is needed for his survival".

And whose main antagonist is, of course, his uncle.

#captive prince #meta #just my meandering thoughts #damen of akielos #laurent of vere

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archetypesanalysis · 3 months

Text

Why I believe Tech is alive

For this analysis, I will be referring to “Goddesses in Everywoman” and “Gods in Everyman” by Jean Shinoda Bolen. I will be talking about the Bad Batch Season 3 Celebration Europe trailer and the official Season 3 trailer. I will also refer to the titles of Season 3 episodes for this analysis. I will make some predictions for Season 3, so if you do not want to read into it, you can just scroll away.

We know the traumatising scene in “Plan 99” – Tech severs the connection between the cable cars and he falls. Hunter, Echo, Wrecker and Omega mourn for their fallen brother. However, many fans believe that Tech is alive, and he will return in season 3. I am one of those people. After watching the Season 2 finale, I mourn for the loss, but I also want to cling onto any possible hints that he is alive. With that, I delve deeper into archetypal psychology (while I was ill at that time), and I have discovered many interesting clues that make me believe that Tech is alive.

To the people who do not believe that Tech is alive and do not want him to return in Season 3 due to personal reasonings like finding meaning in death and dealing with grief, I understand and respect all your opinions. I just do not like the excuses of “we need more suffering” or “I like suffering” to “justify” why Tech should not come back in Season 3.

With that said, I am mainly using my understanding of archetypal psychology to explain why I believe Tech is alive. Some points have been discussed in my analysis of the 3 seasons, but I am going to expand these points here.

1. Voluntary descent into the Underworld

In the myths, most people descend into the Underworld involuntarily. This is done either through death or abduction. In psychological terms, people involuntarily descend into the Underworld when they go through a traumatic experience, or they lose meaning, hope or purpose in life. However, there are myths where people descend into the Underworld voluntarily.

Some heroes take on this journey with love as their motivation. In the myth of Eros and Psyche, Aphrodite ordered Psyche to enter the Underworld with a small box for Persephone to fill it with beauty ointment. This was Psyche’s fourth and final task that she must do if she wanted to reunite with her husband Eros. In the myth of Orpheus, he went to Hades seeking his dead wife Eurydice. In one myth of Dionysus, he entered the Underworld to resurrect his dead mother Semele. Besides love, some heroes are motivated by wisdom. In the myth of Odysseus, he ventured into the Underworld to seek help from a blind seer named Tiresias, so he could find his way home. In Roman mythology Aeneid, Aeneas entered the Underworld to seek the shade of his father, and he had a prophetic vision of Rome’s destiny. The journey to the Underworld is part of a heroic task. For example, in Greek mythology, the twelfth and final labour of Heracles was to capture and bring Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld. He was able to overpower the beast with his bare hands and bring it out of the Underworld, thus completing his twelve labours.

By enacting Plan 99, Tech voluntarily descends into the Underworld – and he is the only one to do so in Season 2. Meanwhile, the rest of the Bad Batch involuntarily descend into the Underworld through grief or abduction. Tech’s sacrifice is described as “heroic” and “intentional”, which are keywords for a voluntary descend into the Underworld. Besides, Tech is motivated by love and wisdom as he makes this descent. He wants to seek out information about the whereabouts of Crosshair and Omega, so they can finally reunite with Hunter, Wrecker and Echo.

However, voluntary descents are done at great risks for there is no guarantee of a safe return. As Tech voluntarily descends into the Underworld, his fate becomes uncertain, which will explain why ambiguous wordings are used to describe his fate: “he’s gone”, “he’s not coming back in this episode at least”, “sort of sacrifices himself”, “my life as a soldier has come to an end”, “it’s kind of a loss, it’s complicated (with averted eyes)”, “plummeted out of sight”, etc.

2. Broken goggles indicate dismemberment

As the Bad Batch mourns for their loss, Dr. Hemlock arrives to capture them. He throws a pair of Tech’s broken goggles to Hunter, saying that this is the only thing they could salvage from the wreckage. Judging from the state of the goggles, it seems that the goggles were smashed on impact and were later removed. Moreover, some fans see this as mirroring the last time we saw Echo after his apparent death in the Citadel, in which we saw Echo’s charred helmet being left behind.

The goggles have always been a part of Tech’s identity. He is the most recognizable for wearing it. Cid even gives him the nickname “Goggles”. Besides the goggles, his eyes also formed part of his identity. When Phee first meets Tech, she calls him “Brown Eyes”, hinting that she is drawn to his eyes despite all clones have brown eyes. Losing the goggles means that Tech has lost part of his identity, which is a form of psychological dismemberment. In Jungian psychology, anything that has been “dismembered” is thrown into the Underworld and it becomes part of our Shadow, which consists the parts we have deemed as unacceptable, shameful or even traumatic. I have seen fanarts about Tech being alive but he loses his sight, which can be considered as a form of physical and psychological dismemberment.

We have seen 3D models of Tech without his goggles, and he looks different from his usual look. When he wears the goggles, he looks friendly and approachable. Without the goggles, he looks serious and intimidating. We know that the goggles records everything, and in addition to giving Tech a friendly and approachable look, it enables him to get close to anyone and gather vital information. This is useful most of the time, especially during the Clone Wars as Tech acts as the bridge between Clone Force 99 and other people. However, this will become difficult during the rise of the Empire as the galaxy becomes more dangerous. A friendly look will likely draw unnecessary attention and people are more likely to pick on you. This may have been a problem for Tech in some mercenary jobs. For example, when Phee brings the Bad Batch to a cantina to purchase an artifact, Tech stays in the Marauder to provide them a getaway. I think Tech being assigned to this role is not just due to his piloting skills, but the fact that he looks “too friendly” to blend in with the crowd that mostly has questionable morals. Instead, Hunter and Wrecker are chosen as Phee’s muscle as they can blend in with the crowd so Lanse Crowder and his henchmen will let their guard down (as for Omega, she acts as Phee’s young apprentice).

If Tech needs to sneak in and acquire confidential Imperial files, an intimidating look will help. Without his goggles, Tech can easily take on the serious and intimidating look to blend it with the Imperials and/or scare off the low-level Imperials. This new look can also be useful for Tech to blend in with pirates, smugglers, mercenaries and bounty hunters – to show that he is someone you should not mess with.

I do believe that we may see Tech taking on a different look (and a different identity) in Season 3. I once imagined his new appearance to resemble a figure wearing black armour (quite similar to the one shown in the official Season 3 trailer). His different look may indicate that “the old friendly Tech is gone”, but this does not necessarily mean that Tech will be brainwashed by Hemlock and become a clone assassin. It will just mean that he has to suppress his friendly side in order to find Crosshair and Omega.

3. Tech’s archetype combination: Hades, Hermes and Athena

In my two-part character analysis of Tech (innate archetype and anima), I identify Tech to have three main archetypes: Hades (the God of the Underworld), Hermes (the Messenger God) and Athena (the Goddess of Wisdom).

Since Tech is innately Hades, this means that he is used to the Underworld as his exceptional mind already serves as his Underworld. Based on the footage shown in the Celebration Europe trailer and the official Season 3 trailer, I can see that each member of the Bad Batch is in their own versions of the Underworld: Hunter is loss of purpose, Echo is loneliness, Wrecker is monsters, Omega is abduction, and Crosshair is hopelessness. This leaves me a question: what is Tech’s Underworld? The answer is… I do not really know. His mind already resembles the Underworld and he can easily spend long hours by himself – as if he is familiar with this dark and mysterious territory. If you try to subject Tech with the Underworlds experienced by other members of the Bad Batch, he will most probably be unaffected by it. He is probably aware of these aspects of the Underworld, and he is not afraid to face them. Since the writers intended to bring the Bad Batch into the Underworld and keep them there for some time by the Season 2 finale, it would explain why they had to take Tech out of the picture. Tech would have made their journeys to the Underworld at least bearable and he would have brought them out of their dark places quickly. Without Tech, the Bad Batch would have to struggle for months (since there is a time jump hinted in the trailers). Moreover, Tech’s disappearance resembles Hades wearing the cap of invisibility – Tech has become Hades the Unseen One, “invisible” to everyone.

As Athena, Tech is a powerful strategist that gears towards practicality and pragmatism, which enables him to get an upper hand over his enemies. His craftiness and emotional distance can lead him to “do whatever it works” to accomplish his goals or defeat his enemies. With this in mind, I believe that Tech already has a strategy in mind when he decides to enact Plan 99. Although he is well-aware that his action will hurt his teammates, he does it because “it is the only way” he can succeed in his mission of finding Crosshair (and later Omega). In Greek mythology, Athena is the ally and guide of many heroes. When Heracles is tasked to capture Cerberus, Athena and Hermes act as his guides to the Underworld, helping him to complete his final labour. In orphic theology, Athena is depicted as a rescuer of Dionysus, the God of Wine and Ecstasy. In this myth, she managed to save the heart of the infant Dionysus that had been torn into pieces. She then gave the heart to Zeus, who sewed it to his own thigh, allowing Dionysus to be reborn. By taking these two myths into consideration, Tech takes on the guide and rescuer of the Bad Batch, who are heroes.

Among his archetypes, I find that Hermes is the strongest in Tech. As the messenger, Tech can easily travel through different places to gather information, just like Hermes who can swiftly travel between Olympus, earth and the Underworld. As the trickster, Tech can sneak around, make an escape, steal data, hack into machinery and break through confidential files with ease. As the alchemist, Tech can create new things and strategies to help him and his teammates.

Hermes is known to be the guide of souls and the rescuer of the child. As a psychopomp, he accompanies the souls of the dead to the Underworld (psychologically, he is the archetype that helps people during significant life transitions). In his myths, Hermes has rescued Ares who was trapped in the bronze jar, has brought Persephone out of the Underworld, and has saved Dionysus at least twice. These two roles have been present in Tech since his first appearance. It is highly likely that these roles would become more prominent in Season 3. I believe that Tech would lead Hunter, Echo and Wrecker to rescue Crosshair and Omega. Once the team is reunited, Tech would become the guide of souls as he helps the Bad Batch (and himself) to find meaning in their sufferings, to integrate all aspects of themselves, and to be transformed by their journeys to the Underworld: Hunter would learn to embrace human seasonal changes and become a hero; Echo would learn to become more assertive and be unafraid to revisit his trauma; Wrecker would learn to think before he acts; Crosshair would learn to be vulnerable and let love be his motivator; Omega would become more mature and assertive as she guides others through dark times; and Tech would learn to be more in touch with his emotions.

According to Jean Shinoda Bolen, Hermes has the innate potential to become a guide of souls and a seeker of meaning. This potential can be unleashed by venturing down into the depths of the Underworld, which will lead a person to undergo a spiritual evolution. They will gain valuable insight from this journey and will return to pass down what they have learned. This is similar to Hermes bringing Persephone (the soul) out of the Underworld and back to her mother Demeter. This myth became the basis for the Eleusinian Mysteries, which was the most sacred and important religious rituals of Ancient Greece that celebrated the return of Persephone from the Underworld. The ancients believed that those who were initiated into the mysteries would gain a reason to live in joy and die without fearing death.

In Season 1, Tech is more focused on monetary gains to support the Bad Batch after they defect from the Empire. They start to work for Cid by taking up mercenary jobs. For example, in “Rampage”, the Bad Batch is tasked to rescue Muchi from Zygerrian slave traders, which is the right thing to do, and according to Tech, they can earn a decent amount of credits. In “War-Mantle”, when the team discusses whether they should deviate from their job and rescue Gregor, Tech reminds them that Cid will not compensate them if they choose to deviate, and they will go hungry without the money to buy food.

I believe Season 2 is when Tech starts to undergo a spiritual evolution. In “Spoils of War”, the Bad Batch agrees to Cid’s promise to free them from their debts if they succeed in retrieving one of Count Dooku’s war chests. Although Tech’s left femur is fractured during the mission, he is determined to retrieve the war chest and use the fortune for the team’s benefit. However, I believe Tech’s meeting with Romar is what changes him, which initiates his spiritual evolution. Romar has survived the bombardment of Serenno City, and he now lives in the woods alone. He is not interested in Dooku’s war chests, and instead, he is more interested in persevering his Serennian culture, which gives him meaning in life. When Tech manages to fix the datacore and restore data about Serennian culture, Romar is overjoyed because his life now has meaning once more – as if his soul is rescued from the Underworld. This may have initiated him into the Eleusinian Mysteries, giving him the reason to continue living in joy and gaining the bravery to help Tech and Echo to find Omega before the Imperials do. Before the Bad Batch leaves, Romar tells Tech that he is staying behind as he is a survivor, which seems to have impacted Tech. I believe that Romar has acted as a wise elder that sends Tech on the spiritual journey, making him realize that helping others is more meaningful than carrying out mercenary jobs to make ends meet. Even though Tech gains nothing from helping Romar, he finds it meaningful.

However, Tech is not as vocal as Echo because of his loyalty to Hunter (motivated by his Athena anima). Hunter wants the team to lay low and not get involved in the fight against the Empire. Tech knows Hunter has the team’s best interest in mind, so he does not object. Though, it is possible that Tech is starting to become frustrated. In “Faster”, Tech complains to Cid that giving Hunter and Echo the job to deliver 50 cases of nerf nuggets is a waste of their skills and talents. He also does not want to follow Cid for another mission, but he goes for it because of Wrecker and Omega. When they must win the race to free Cid and her debt to Millegi, Tech reminds Wrecker and Omega that Cid’s dealings with individuals of questionable integrity have caused her to repeatedly use the Bad Batch to solve her problems, which has become a problematic pattern. It does seem that Tech is starting to get tired of Cid and he begins to find this current life as meaningless. He probably wants more of this life but he cannot.

After Echo leaves the Bad Batch, Tech turns all of his energy to work, which is his way of dealing with the loss. I also believe that Tech becomes intensely focused on work because he is determined to fully pay off the team’s debt so they can be free and do whatever they want in life. Since Echo leaves to join Rex’s resistance network, which gives him meaning in life, Tech may have become more motivated to achieve that goal for the Bad Batch (and himself). However, by focusing intensely on work, Tech has become emotionally withdrawn, which leads to tensions and misunderstandings. In “The Crossing”, Omega thinks that Tech is unbothered by Echo’s absence and that he is unsympathetic towards her grief. When Tech realizes that his intense emotional withdrawal has inadvertently hurt his loved ones, he learns to understand himself better and learns to grow.

In “Retrieval”, the Bad Batch goes to retrieve the stolen Marauder in Mokko’s factory. Tech points out that Mokko appears to be using his power and means as a leverage over his workers, which consist of adolescent miners. He finds Mokko’s operation to be similar to the Empire. After the Bad Batch manages to free the miners from Mokko’s oppressive rule, Omega realizes that there are other threats besides the Empire. Tech reassures her that there are many good people out there like them. Their actions of liberating the miners have helped them to reconnect with their souls – they once again find what gives them meaning in life.

Since Cid refuses to help the Bad Batch after they lost the Marauder during the mission to acquire ipsium, the team begins to keep a distance from her. They probably begin to feel that Cid is taking advantage of them and she would never release them from their debts. In “Metamorphosis”, when Cid provides intel about a downed ship that they can scavenge for parts, the team demands a higher share of the cut and threatens to not return. Tech knows that their agreement with Cid is not mutually beneficial, but they cannot sever ties so easily because Cid knows compromising information about them. Hence, Tech proposes to treat this mission as their last for Cid – which means they are going for a strike. Perhaps Tech hopes that the strike can teach Cid a lesson, and it can give the Bad Batch alternative options to earn credits like working with Phee.

It does seem that all goes well once the Bad Batch teams up with Phee – they are taking on more meaningful jobs (which involve retrieving artifacts that are mostly culturally significant to the people on Pabu), and they now have the option to stay permanently on Pabu. However, in “Tipping Point”, Tech realizes that Crosshair is being held captive by Dr. Hemlock and that Crosshair has sent Plan 88 to warn them that they have been targeted by the Empire. Tech now probably realizes the severity of the situation faced by the Bad Batch. He is probably well-prepared for the possibility that he has to carry out Plan 99 if anything goes wrong. Surprisingly, Plan 88 is called “The Seeker”, which makes me believe that this serves as an initiation for Tech to become Hermes the Seeker of Meaning. After all, Tech is now motivated to seek out Hemlock and his base in order to find Crosshair.

When the mission to Eriadu goes horribly wrong, Tech realizes that he must venture down into the Underworld (the Empire) so he can seek access to the mysteries hidden in the forbidden depths of the Empire (since the location and purpose of the Advanced Science Division led by Hemlock are hidden). With that, Tech carries out Plan 99, which is equivalent to him being initiated into the Eleusinian Mysteries as he “no longer fears death”. Before Heracles descended into the Underworld to capture Cerberus as his twelfth and final labour, he was initiated into the Eleusinian Mysteries to ensure that he would be able to safely return. He was also accompanied by Hermes and Athena on his journey. Since Tech is innately Hades, he is no stranger to the depths of the Underworld. Moreover, his Hermes and Athena archetypes are powerful enough to act as his guides to the Underworld. With that, it is highly possible that Tech survives the fall as he undergoes a full spiritual evolution, and he would return wiser than ever in Season 3.

4. The Abduction of Persephone: Hecate, Helios and Hermes

In the Greek myth, Persephone was kidnapped by Hades with the approval given by her father Zeus. Her mother Demeter heard echoes of her cries and rushed to find her. Demeter spent 9 days and 9 nights searching for Persephone across the earth (Coincidentally, 9 days and 9 nights can sound like 99 – Clone Force 99, Plan 99). At dawn on the tenth day, Demeter met Hecate, the Goddess of the Dark Moon, Crossroads, Witchcraft and Ghosts. Hecate told Demeter that she had heard Persephone screaming for help but did not know what happened to her. She suggested that they both go to Helios, the God of the Sun who shared this title with Apollo. Helios, who had witnessed the incident, told Demeter what had happened. Feeling betrayed and grief-stricken, Demeter ceased functioning as the Goddess of Grain, plunging the earth into an eternal winter that threatened to wipe out the human race. No gifts or honours could appease Demeter as she made it clear that she would not allow anything to grow until Persephone was returned to her. Zeus finally gave in and sent Hermes to bring Persephone out of the Underworld and restored her to Demeter. After the mother and daughter reunited, Demeter restored fertility and growth to the earth.

At the end of “Metamorphosis”, Lama Su (Zeus) tells Dr. Hemlock (Hades) that he needs to capture Omega (Persephone) if he wants to control Nala Se (Demeter – though not as strong as Hunter) and force her to carry out a project for the Empire. At the end of “Plan 99”, Hemlock successfully kidnaps Omega, and Hunter (Demeter) is too late to stop him. Despite not knowing where Omega is taken to, Hunter is determined to get her back and he will not stop searching for her. Since the trailers show Omega’s hair has grown longer to resemble Emerie’s hairstyle, and that Hunter’s hair has also grown slightly longer, this means that Hunter has sent months searching for Omega. His armour becoming more worn out with colours fading away indicates that he has not stopped to rest in his frantic search for he does not want Omega to wait for another day – like Demeter did not eat, sleep or bathe as she searched for Persephone.

In the Celebration Europe trailer, Rex tells Hunter “That kid (referring to Omega) may be the key to whatever is happening on Mount Tantiss”. I believe this scene is from “A Different Approach”. We know that anything about Mount Tantiss and its experiments are confidential. When the ships heading to Mount Tantiss encounter problems such as extensive damage of the ship or hijacking, the Imperials will erase the databanks to prevent anyone from discovering the destination and the purposes of the experiments. The Imperials will also commit suicide, taking all confidential information to their graves. The databanks are also heavily encrypted, which provides extra protection for anyone who manages to retrieve them before deletion.

Based on Rex’s sentence, it seems that someone has provided him the information about Mount Tantiss and the experiments being conducted there. However, Rex only suspects that Omega may be related to the experiments on Mount Tantiss – which means they are still uncertain about her precise location (even though the audience knows that she is there). So, who could have sent such confidential information to Rex? I do not think it is Scorch or Emerie because if it was either one of them, they would have confirmed that Omega is on Mount Tantiss. Perhaps it could be one of the undercover clones working for Rex’s resistance network? It is possible, but any information about the Advanced Science Division (Hemlock, Mount Tantiss, cloning experiments, clone prisoners) are heavily encrypted and Hemlock is certain that nobody can break through these safeguards. However, there is one person proven to have the capability to do so – Tech.

I believe that Tech would take on the roles of Hecate, Helios and Hermes. As the Goddess and Protector of the entranceways, Hecate was worshipped in ancient Athens as a protector of the household, alongside Zeus, Hestia, Hermes and Apollo. In Hesiod’s Theogony, she was depicted as a goddess of great honour with domains in sky, earth and sea. By the fifth century BCE, she has taken on a darker depiction as the Goddess of Witchcraft, Ghosts and the Dark Moon. Some sources represented her as the guardian of the gates to the Underworld, or as the keeper of keys to the Underworld. As the Goddess of the Crossroads, she took the form of a triple-goddess or a triple-faced goddess. Due to her association with being ‘between’, she is depicted as a “liminal” goddess that has the ability to cross from the Underworld to the physical world with ease. She also acted as a mediator between the Olympians and Titans, and between the mortals and the divine. Her liminal role is reflected in a number of her cult titles: Apotropaia (that turns away or protects); Enodia (on the way); Propulaia/Propylaia (before the gate); Triodia/Trioditis (who frequents crossroads); Klêidouchos (holding the keys).

Tech may have taken the role of Hecate when he finds out that Crosshair is being held captive by Hemlock but he does not know where Crosshair is. This sends him on a journey to find him. It is possible that Tech would have come to know that Omega has been kidnapped by Hemlock. This would push him further to locate them. Like Hecate, Tech would stand on the crossroads between the Empire, the pirates and smugglers, and Rex’s resistance network. He would sneak into the Empire (the Underworld) to find any information regarding Hemlock and the Advanced Science Division, and then he would send that information to Rex, who would later inform Hunter about it. I believe that Tech found out information regarding Mount Tantiss and the cloning experiments being carried out there. He would have related this information to the Bad Batch’s discovery of a downed ship in “Metamorphosis”, in which the ship contained Kaminoan technology and a cloned Zillo Beast, which was later captured by the Empire. This discovery led Tech to theorize that the Empire destroyed the cities of Kamino to take control of its cloning technology for nefarious purposes. With that in mind, Tech would suspect that Hemlock is associated with these cloning experiments on Mount Tantiss, and that Crosshair and Omega are being held captive there. This information would give Hunter, Wrecker and Echo a different approach to find Crosshair and Omega.

Of course, suspicion would not be enough for Tech. He would need confirmation that Crosshair and Omega are on Mount Tantiss. He would also need the layout and floor plan of Mount Tantiss so he could precisely locate where Crosshair and Omega would be held captive. By studying the security measures of Mount Tantiss, Tech would be able to find the best infiltration point, devise the best method of escaping, and prepare for any traps that could hinder the rescue mission like the poisonous gas created by Hemlock in “Tipping Point”. He might gain this information through confidential databases or through a secret communication with Emerie and/or Scorch (though Emerie might be more likely). I believe “The Return” is when Tech reveals to the Bad Batch that he is alive. This time, Tech would take on the role of Helios as he could definitely confirm that Crosshair and Omega are on Mount Tantiss. He would provide the layout and floor plan of Mount Tantiss, allowing Hunter, Wrecker and Echo to plan out a rescue mission. I believe that “Infiltration” and “Extraction” would be the rescue mission, and Tech would take on the role of Hermes, or more specifically, as the guide of souls and the rescuer of the child. Tech would lead Hunter, Wrecker and Echo to infiltrate Mount Tantiss, and they would successfully rescue Crosshair and Omega.

When I analyse the Bad Batch arc in the Clone Wars, I discover that Tech has taken on the roles of Hecate, Helios and Hermes. In “The Bad Batch”, the Bad Batch, Rex and Jesse manage to infiltrate the Cyber Center on Anaxes, which the Separatists are using it to receive Rex’s battle strategy algorithm to predict the Republic’s tactics. When Tech hacks into the computer system, he discovers that the algorithm is not stored inside the center’s memory banks. Instead, the algorithm is being broadcasted from another planet called Skako Minor. This discovery is shocking to both Tech and Rex. Right here, Tech has taken on the role of Hecate as he is now at the crossroads between Anaxes and Skako Minor, and he is providing Rex a different approach to stop the Separatists from winning. Tech then takes on the role of Helios as he digs deeper and finds an audio signal that sounds like a human voice. Under Rex’s request, Tech sends a transmission requesting the person’s identity, which turns out to be “CT-1409” – Echo’s identification number. Tech also drops the voice’s masking so they can clearly hear that it is the voice of a clone trooper.

In “A Distant Echo” and “On the Wings of Keeradaks”, Tech takes on the role of Hermes. As the guide of souls, Tech brings the Bad Batch, Rex and Anakin to Skako Minor, which serves as the Underworld to Echo (and Rex). He flies into a storm but manages to safely land on the planet’s surface. When Anakin is captured by a keeradak, Tech gives the coordinates so Crosshair can shoot a grappling hook at the flying reptile, which allows Hunter to use it to track down Anakin. After rescuing Anakin from the Poletecs, Tech becomes the translator (or Hermes the god of speech) that helps the team and the Poletecs to understand each other. When Tech loses Echo’s signal, Hunter, Wrecker, Crosshair and Anakin begin to fear that Echo is actually dead and the Separatists are using him to lure them into a trap. However, Tech does not believe in that, and neither does Rex. This can be interpreted as Tech helping Rex to hold onto hope. After Tech and Rex manage to find Echo in a stasis chamber, Tech uses his expertise to safely disconnect Echo from the computer. Then, as droids begin to surround Anakin and the clones on a long narrow pipe, Tech uses a recording to summon several keeradaks, allowing all of them to escape using an alternate route. Thanks to his powerful Hermes archetype, Tech ensures that the rescue mission will be a success. As Hermes the rescuer of the child, he plays a vital role on rescuing Echo, who has the Persephone anima. I believe that he would do it again for Omega and Crosshair.

5. Tech vs Hemlock

Tech and Hemlock share the same archetype combination, but they take on different sides. Tech is the good Hades as he is willing to share his inner riches to others (as Hades the Plouton) and he is able to understand and respect other people’s decisions and subjective values (as Hades the Good Counsellor). Hemlock is the evil Hades as he takes on the archetype of the abductor and the shadow of the father archetype (or the Shadow of Zeus). The Empire and Palpatine, with all their might, power and control, represent Zeus. Imperials like Tarkin and Hemlock take on the Zeus archetype as they are prominent figures of the Empire (even having a meeting on the Summit, which is where Zeus resides on his throne). The Empire announces that the clone troopers will be sent for retirement, but they are acting out a terrible secret in the shadows. Hemlock represents the Shadow as he is the one requesting the Empire to send him dissident clone troopers for his inhumane experiments as he believes that eliminating them will not root out the problem of rogue clones within the Empire. Hemlock is abducting these clone troopers into Mount Tantiss, which is the Underworld. He even abducts Omega, who is innately Persephone, so he can force Nala Se to carry out an important project for the Empire. He even threatens to torture Omega for Nala Se’s defiance and failures.

Tech is the good Hermes as he is the guide of souls, the seeker of meaning, and the rescuer of the child. On the other hand, Hemlock is the sociopathic Hermes as he takes on the negative side of the trickster. This is evident when Hemlock pretends to be Hermes the rescuer of the child as he tells Omega that he is here to return her to Nala Se (like Hermes restoring Persephone to her mother Demeter). Although he is right to some extent, Omega does not want to go back to Nala Se because she does not want to be separated from her brothers, and she does not want to be turned into an experiment by the Kaminoans. Hemlock is aware of her resistance, so he resorts to kidnap her. Hemlock does restore Omega to Nala Se, but he actually traps both of them in the Underworld, preventing them from escaping and forcing them to do whatever he wants from them.

In the trailers, we see Hemlock walking beside Palpatine as he commences a project for Nala Se. It does seem that Hemlock has become Palpatine’s right-hand man, making him Athena the archetype of “the father’s daughter”. He upholds all of Palpatine’s commands no matter how horrible they are. Tech has this Athena archetype on him as he is loyal to Hunter, but he also has a tendency to deviate from Hunter’s orders when he thinks it is necessary. Besides, Hunter being a good leader also influences Tech to take on more positive traits of Athena.

Hemlock seems to know how to psychologically break the Bad Batch: he tortures Crosshair with an interrogation droid; he throws Tech’s broken goggles to Hunter and points out his failed leadership; he imprisons, restrains and tortures Omega until she starts to lose hope. Since Tech and Hemlock represent the opposite sides of their archetypes (good vs evil), I feel that Tech is the best candidate to take down Hemlock.

6. Tech’s wrath

I have seen headcanons describing Tech’s wrath as the scariest, and I agree. Although Tech is calm and collected, there are times we can see Tech holding back his anger and frustration. His exceptional mind is one factor why you should never hurt Tech or his loved ones, but I believe there is another factor – his Hades archetype.

In one Greek myth, Theseus and Pirithous both wanted to marry a daughter of Zeus. Theseus chose Helen of Troy while Pirithous chose Persephone (despite she was already married to Hades). They both enter the Underworld and become trapped there. One version of the myth stated that they sat on the rocks and snakes coiled around their legs, which turned their bottoms and legs into stone. Another version stated that Hades had prepared a feast and invited them to sit, and they unknowingly sat in chairs of forgetfulness and were ensnared by chains or snakes. Heracles later encountered them when he was on a quest to capture Cerberus. Heracles managed to release Theseus, though some of his thigh and bottom are left attached to the rock or chair. However, the earth shook when Heracles tried to free Pirithous, serving as a sign that he was doomed to stay behind because his desire to have the goddess for himself was extremely insulting. Taking this myth as reference, I feel that Tech would psychologically torture anyone who dares to hurt him or his loved ones – giving them trauma and possibly ruining their entire lives.

We know that Tech is very protective of his loved ones. In “Aftermath”, when a clone shock trooper whacks Hunter in the stomach with a blaster, Wrecker and Tech are angry and ready to square off with the shock trooper. I believe that Tech loses his cool when he is unable to prevent a regular clone trooper from knocking Echo out with a tray. He may have become violent, causing Hunter, Wrecker, Crosshair and Omega to stop the food fight, restrain Tech, and bring the unconscious Echo to the medbay. I do believe that the Bad Batch knows that it is the end of the world when Tech loses his temper.

I believe that Tech would play a vital role in rescuing Crosshair and Omega from Mount Tantiss. I suspect that this would happen in the mid-season 3 episodes, which are “Infiltration” and “Extraction”. This rescue mission could be interpreted as Tech’s wrath was upon Hemlock. Once the Empire realized that the Bad Batch managed to infiltrate Mount Tantiss and break out two clone prisoners, this would indicate that the security and confidentiality of the Weyland facility had been severely compromised. Hemlock would lose his job, high status, respect and reputation. He would also lose funding and support for his experiments. If Emerie Karr did secretly help Omega and Crosshair to escape, it would rub salt into Hemlock’s wound because she was his assistant and he trusted her. This rescue mission would ruin Hemlock’s life forever, stripping away his purpose and meaning in his life – as if Tech had dragged him into the Underworld and chained him there as punishment.

7. Tech already knew Plan 99 has to happen

This is my theory of what happened to Tech: he uses Plan 99 to fake his death and uses Hemlock’s overconfidence to his advantage.

As the Messenger God, Hermes can travel across the sky, earth and the Underworld with ease. As an archetype, he helps a person to be aware of the past, present and future (the sky is associated with the present and future; the earth is associated with the past and present; the Underworld is timeless). Since Tech has a strong Hermes, he is able to make connections with the past and present to predict the future, which makes him an excellent strategist.

In ��Tipping Point”, Echo seeks Tech’s help in decrypting data from a file aboard an Imperial ship carrying clone prisoners. After Tech manages to decrypt the data, he discovers that the Imperial ship was assigned to the Advanced Science Division, but there are no records of its location and purpose. He also discovers that the Advanced Science Division is headed by Dr. Hemlock, who has been expelled from the Republic Science Corps for his unauthorized and unorthodox experiments. Although Tech does not understand why clone prisoners are sent to Hemlock, but he is shocked to find that Crosshair is one of them, which indicates that Crosshair has turned against the Empire. Tech also checks all comm channels and finds a recent distress signal from Crosshair’s old code, which states “Plan 88 – the Seeker”. Tech believes that Crosshair is warning the Bad Batch that they have been targeted by the Empire, or more specifically, Hemlock.

Since clone prisoners are being sent to Hemlock, Tech probably believes that the Advanced Science Division is carrying out cloning experiments like cloning the Zillo Beast as they have discovered it in “Metamorphosis”. The Empire is now replacing Clone Troopers with Stormtroopers, so why would Hemlock need clones for? Tech would suspect that it has something to do with Clone X, a clone trooper with his identifying markings removed and is brainwashed to become an assassin. If that is the case, why would Hemlock be targeting the Bad Batch? Tech would suspect that Hemlock is after Omega because she has the unaltered genetic template of Jango Fett, which is why a bounty is placed on her head in Season 1. He may think that Hemlock wants the genetic template for his cloning experiments.

Moreover, previous records of clone prisoners reveal that Crosshair has been sent to Hemlock a few rotations ago. Then, the Plan 88 signal is sent recently, possibly from Hemlock’s base. Tech would suspect that Crosshair has heard that Hemlock is after the Bad Batch (especially Omega) and he manages to send them a warning. This would mean that their attempts to lay low have been futile. It is possible that their missions to Serenno, Coruscant and the downed ship with the Zillo Beast have caught the Empire’s attention. To make matters worse, they have left AZI with Cid, and AZI is a Kaminoan medical droid, which will attract Hemlock’s attention. Since they have crossed Cid by refusing to work for her, it is only a matter of time before she sells them out to Hemlock. It would be dangerous for them to step foot on Ord Mantell or to carry out any mercenary jobs because the Empire is now after them.

Since Hemlock is a high ranked Imperial, his base of operations would have tight security, and Tech may find it surprising that Crosshair managed to send the Plan 88 signal to them. Tech probably begins to wonder if Crosshair’s actions would serve as proof to Hemlock that the Bad Batch is alive, and he is now waiting for them to come and rescue Crosshair. This would serve as a trap as Hunter has suspected. Although Tech is determined to rescue Crosshair, they would have to do it in secret. Echo reports that Hemlock will be on Eriadu, and they can plant a tracking device on his shuttle so they can locate his base and Crosshair. It is a risky plan, especially with the knowledge that the Empire is targeting them, so everything must go smoothly. At this moment, Tech is probably preparing for the worst-case scenario. If the plan goes wrong, their position would be compromised, and Hemlock would suspect that they are involved in this because they have received Crosshair’s distress signal. Hemlock would have known about Clone Force 99 by now, and he would tighten all security measures, which would make it more difficult for them to locate and rescue Crosshair. Furthermore, a failed mission may result in all of them getting captured by the Empire, which is not an ideal outcome. With that, Tech is well-prepared to carry out Plan 99 if the mission goes wrong.

Surely enough, the mission does go wrong and Tech carries out Plan 99. Being the smartest one in the team, he would find a way to survive the fall. He also left his broken goggles at the wreckage to make Hemlock assume that he is dead and the Bad Batch did come back to retrieve his body (but they forgot the goggles). After all, clones do not leave their own kind behind. As the cable car speeds up and carries Hunter, Echo, Wrecker and Omega away, Tech probably would have predicted that Omega would get injured because she is not wearing any armour. This would prompt the team to bring her to Ord Mantell because AZI would know how to save her life. They would not have the time to search for Tech. Besides, with Hunter’s pessimism, he would assume that Tech did not make it, and as the leader, he would convince others that Tech is dead.

Now that the team is back in Ord Mantell, Tech would have predicted Cid’s betrayal. He also would have predicted Omega being kidnapped by Hemlock, which would force Hunter to join Rex’s resistance network for he needs all their help to rescue her. As Hemlock sees the grief on the team’s faces, he is convinced that Tech is dead. With the smartest team member ‘dead’, Hemlock thinks that he has won, and he is now unstoppable. He now has Omega, and he firmly believes that the rest of the Bad Batch will not be able to find out Mount Tantiss, where he has imprisoned her and Crosshair. After all, all data associating the Advanced Science Division is heavily encrypted and he believes that no clone can break through his security measures. This explains why he is not worried about the loss of an Imperial shuttle carrying clone prisoners and he disregards the possibility that the clones will have access to the confidential data. However, we all know that Tech is able to bypass his security measures.

It seems that Hemlock is overconfident of his abilities, and this would be his downfall. He certainly has underestimated the clones, especially on how paternal they can be. I believe that he also has underestimated Tech’s intellect. After using Plan 99 to fake his death, Tech would go on an undercover mission. He would take on a new identity and a new appearance. He would venture deep into the Imperial files as he searches for Crosshair and Omega. Once he found any information linking to them, he would deliver it to Rex, who would later inform Hunter about it. For now, all Tech needed was time and patience as he waited for Hemlock to become so overconfident that he finally slipped, allowing Tech to take advantage of it. Right now, Tech is playing a game of chess, and everyone has taken their designated positions, just as he has intended them to do. After all, he is the mastermind.

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authoratmidnight · 7 months

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that last post got me thinking about Greek heroes/characters who end in tragedy and, you know most people don't think of as a tragic character but 100% is?

Narcissus.

Literally all people really remember is 'he's the self absorbed guy who fell in love in with his reflection' which yes, did happen but, like, you wanna know WHY that happened?

He was CURSED.

Narcissus was a hunter, the son of, either a river god and a nymph or a mortal man and the goddess of the moon Selene, depending on the version. He was, by all accounts, very beautiful and men and women alike fell for him, but he turned them all down.

And it was turning down one of these advances that got him cursed.

I've read some versions that say it was him turning down the nymph Echo that got him cursed; and there's other were it was a young man that had fallen for him that he turned down he got him cursed(tho the Echo story still happened).

Either way, someone was turned down and, bitter and broken hearted, turned to the goddess Nemesis to curse Narcissus. And she did, she cursed him to never be able to be with the person he loved/to fall in love with his reflection. And so, the next time he saw his reflection in a pool of water he fell hopelessly in love with it.

And he eventually died, either b/c he just wasted away looking at his reflection, or because he straight up committed suicide. And then turned into a flower that bears his name.

And yet. Somehow he's only ever remembered as 'a self absorbed guy who fell in love with his reflection' and his name short hand for someone who is shallow and vain and self obsessed and generally just, all around negative connotations.

So not only is his story itself a tragedy in the confines of the myth (literally, all he did wrong was, turn down unwanted advances, and not even advances form like a god, just ordinary ppl), but outside the myth it's tragic as he's been reduced to 'hurr hurr guy who loved his reflection'.

#greek mythology #Narcissus #normally when the gods curse you it's cause you offended them in some way #but like #he didn't???#he just turned down some ppl which he's allowed to #also more important context is that he was just 16 #he was a kid #at least when he encountered Echo #it doesn't even specify WHY he turned down suitors #just that he did

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mask131 · 3 months

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The gods of Gaul: Introduction, or why it is so hard to find anything

As I announced, I open today a series of post covering what some can call the "Gaulish mythology": the gods and deities of Ancient Gaul. (Personal decision, I will try avoiding using the English adjective "Gaulish" because... I just do not like it. It sounds wrong. In French we have the adjectif "Gaulois" but "Gaulish"... sounds like ghoulish or garrish, no thank you. I'll use "of Gaul", much more poetic)

[EDIT: I have just found out one can use "Gallic" as a legitimate adjective in English and I am so happy because I much prefer this word to "Gaulish", so I'll be using Gallic from now on!]

If you are French, you are bound to have heard of them one way or another. Sure, we got the Greek and Roman gods coming from the South and covering up the land in temples and statues ; and sure we had some Germanic deities walking over the rivers and mountains from the North-East to leave holiday traditions and folk-beliefs... But the oldest gods of France, the true Antiquity of France, was Gaul. And then the Roman Gaul, and that's already where the problems start.

The mythology of Gaul is one of the various branches of the wide group known as Celtic mythology or Celtic gods. When it comes to Celtic deities, the most famous are those of the British Isles, due to being much more preserved (though heavily Christianized) - the gods of Ireland and the Welsh gods are typically the gods every know about when talking about Celtic deities. But there were Celts on the mainland, continental Celts - and Gaul was one of the most important group of continental Celts. So were their gods.

Then... why does nobody know anything about them?

This is what this introduction is about: how hard it actually is to reconstruct the religion of Gaul and understand its gods. Heck we can't ACTUALLY speak of a Gaulish mythology because... we have no myth! We have not preserved any full myth or complete legend from Ancient Gaul. The pantheon of Gaul is the Celtic pantheon we probably know the least about...

Why? A few reasons.

Reason number one, and the most important: We have no record of what the Gauls believed. Or almost none. Because the people of Gaul did not write their religion.

This is the biggest obstacle in the research for the gods of Gaul. It was known that the art of writing was, in the society of Gaul, an elite art that was not for the common folks and used only for very important occasions. The druids were the ones who knew how to read and write, and they kept this prerogative - it was something the upper-class (nobility, rulers) could know, but not always. Writing was considered something powerful, sacred and magical not to be used recklessly or carelessly. As a result, the culture of Gaul was a heavily oral one, and their religion and myths were preserved in an oral fashion. Resulting in a great lack of written sources comng directly from the Gallic tribes... We do have written and engraved fragments, but they are pieces of a puzzle we need to reconstruct. We have votive offerings with prayers and demands inscribed on it - and while they can give us the names of some deities, they don't explain much about them. We have sculptures and visual representations of the deities on pillars and cups and jewels and cauldrons - but they are just visuals and symbols without names. We have calendars - but again, these are just fragments. We have names and images, and we need to make sense out of it all.

To try to find the explanations behind these fragments, comparisons to other Celtic religions and mythologies are of course needed - since they are all branches of a same tree. The same way Germanic mythology can be understood by looking at the Norse one, the same way Etruscan, Greek and Roman mythologies answer each other, the mythology and religion of Gaul has echoes with the Celtic deities of the Isles (though staying quite different from each other). The other comparison needed to put things back into context is reason number 2...

Reason number two: The Romans were there.

Everybody knows that the death of Ancient Gaul was the Roman Empire. Every French student learns the date of Alesia, the battle that symbolized the Roman victory over the Gallic forces. Gaul was conquered by the Romans and became one of the most famous and important provinces of the Roman Empire: it was the Gallo-Roman era.

The Romans were FASCINATED by Gaul. Really. They couldn't stop writing about them, in either admiration or hate. As a result, since we lack direct Gallic sources, most of what we know about Ancient Gaul comes from the Romans. And you can guess why it is a problem. Some records of their religion were written in hatred - after all, they were the barbarian ennemies that Romans were fighting against and needed to dominate. As such, they contain several elements that can be put in doubt (notably numerous references to brutal and violent human sacrifices - real depictions of blood-cults, or exaggeratons and inventions to depict the gods of Gaul as demonic monstrosities?) But even the positive and admirative, or neutral, records are biased because Romans kept comparing the religion of the Gauls to their own, and using the names of Roman deities to designate the gods of Gaul...

Leading to the other big problem when studying the gods of Gaul: the Roman syncretism. The Gallo-Roman era saw a boom in the depictions and representations of the Gallic gods... But in their syncretized form, fused with and assimilated to the Roman gods. As such we have lots of representations and descriptions of the "Jupiter of Gaul", of the "Mercury of Gaul", of the "Gallic Mars" or "Gallic Minerva". But it is extremely hard to identify what was imported Roman elements, what was a pure Gallic element under a Roman name, and what was born of the fusion of Gallic and Roman traditions...

Finally, reason number three: Gaul itself had a very complicated approach to its own gods.

We know there are "pan-gallic" gods, as in gods that were respected and honored by ALL the people of Gaul, forming the cohesion of the nation. But... Gaul wasn't actually a nation. It was very much like the many city-states of Greece: Ancient Gaul was unified by common traditions, a common society, a common religion and a common language... But Gaul was a tribal area divided into tribes, clans and villages, each with their own variations on the laws, each with their own customs and each with their own spin on religion. As a result, while there are a handful of "great gods" common to all the communities of Gaul, there are hundreds and hundreds of local gods that only existed in a specific area or around a specific town ; and given there were also many local twists and spins on the "great gods", it becomes extremely hard to know which divine name is a local deity, a great-common god, a local variation on a deity, or just a common nickname shared by different deities... If you find a local god, it can be indeed a local, unique deity ; or it can be an alternate identity of a shared divine archetype ; or it can be a god we know elsewhere but that goes by a different name here.

To tell you how fragmented Gaul was: Gaul was never a unified nation with one king or ruler. The greatest and largest division you can make identifies three Gauls. Cisalpine Gaul, the Gaul located in Northern Italy, conquered by the Romans in the second century BCE, and thus known as "the Gaul in toga" for being the most Roman of the three. Then there was the "Gaul in breeches" (la Gaule en braies), which borders the Mediterranean sea, spanning between the Alps and the Pyrenean mountains, and which was conquered in the 117 BCE (becoming the province of Narbonne). And finally the "Hairy Gaul", which stayed an independant territory until Cesar conquered it. And the Hairy Gaul itself was divided into three great areas each very different from each other: the Aquitaine Gaul, located south of the Garonne ; the Celtic Gaul located between the Garonne and the Marne (became the Gaul of Lyon after the Roman conquest) ; and finally the Belgian Gaul, located between the Marne and the Rhine. And this all is the largest division you can make, not counting all the smaller clans and tribes in which each area was divided. And all offering just as many local gods or local facets of a god...

And if it wasn't hard enough: given all the sculptures and visuals depictions of the gods of Gaul are very "late" in the context of the history of Gaul... It seems that the gods of Gaul were originally "abstract" or at least not depicted in any concrete form, and that it was only in a late development, shortly before the Roman invasions, that people of Gaul decided to offer engravings and statues to their gods, alternating between humanoid and animal forms.

All of this put together explains why the gods of Gaul are so mysterious today.

#gods of gaul #ancient gaul #mythology of gaul #gallic mythology #gallic religion #gallic gods

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nausikaaa · 29 days

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WIP Wednesday

thank you to everyone who has tagged me these past few weeks, though I haven't had much to share! I'm still fiddling around with part two of my Trojan War novel, so here's some more Briseis.

Lyrnesses was not a rich city by any stretch, but every slave had their own room, handmade clothes, and went to bed at night with a full belly. To some that may have meant nothing. They were still slaves, and that was its own indignity that no amount of kindness could lessen, I had learned. But my own father, born to a wealthy family in Ethiopia, was taken by pirates as a child and sold as a slave. He arrived at Lyrnesses as a young man, where he was freed, eventually attracting the attention of my mother, who fought for her right to marry him, dismissing every wealthy suitor her father offered her to until he relented. They were a rare love match, and I grew up hoping to model their affection in my own marriage.

My father never forgot his mistreatment, and understood how quickly and startlingly a person’s fate could change, and so he was always kind to those less fortunate. I wondered if he ever could have anticipated how my life would turn out to echo his own, to be free, enslaved, and then freed again. But as a woman, I was never as free as he became, and knew I never would be. I would be forever tethered to that part of my life by the children I carried within me.

I thought of my mother. Her deft hands braiding my hair, her clear voice singing along to a bard’s lyre as she did so. My father crooning back to her, making her very name a song. “Hippodamia…”

“Briseus…” She would reply, and tug at one of my curls. I was named after him, and the reminder always made me grin.

a long discussion of Briseis's appearance, plus tags, under the cut:

Briseis is an interesting case when it comes to visualising her. Most greek myth characters are depicted as roughly the same as they're described, but Briseis is so inconsistent! she's described by Homer as fair, and by Ovid as incredibly pale. most renaissance depicts her as blonde, and Natalie Haynes describes her as such in A Thousand Ships. but plenty of more modern art makes her brunette, as she is in the film Troy and the series Troy: Fall Of A City.

and then there's Madeline Miller's The Song Of Achilles, one of the most popular books to feature Briseis, where she is black. I have issues with the writing of all the women in Miller's book, and dislike Briseis being presented as a commoner, who can't speak greek and worships foreign gods, when she was a Queen, and the Trojans had the same gods. not to mention that Miller also kills her off (spoilers? the book is over a decade old) when we simply don't know what happens to her after the Iliad. the entire point of my writing is to fill in that gap in her story.

anyway, i don't mind her being black, and like the art the book has inspired. though i've seen some people say they dislike this choice, as Briseis was a slave, but ancient Greek slavery was a very different concept from the slavery of America and the colonies, and less about skin colour than simply being on the losing side of an invasion or war. that isn't to diminish what those people must have gone through, but there are more slaves in the world right now that there were in any period of ancient history. my Briseis is also given her freedom before the story kicks off.

so in the end, i decided to combine elements of all these depictions. i like Briseis having African heritage like so much art depicts. i like her being pale and looking good in dark colours like Ovid says. so, my Briseis is half Anatolian, half Ethiopian, and has albinism. a mix of this sculpture and this model is pretty much exactly how i envision her.

as for the people who get up in arms any time any person with more than a slight tan is depicted in Greek myth tellings, quite frankly, i don't care to hear it. it's fiction. there are gods meddling in people's lives and you're critiquing the accuracy of someone's ethnicity? anyway, there was an African man in the Trojan War, Memnon, the son of Eos, the goddess of the dawn, and presumably he brought other African soldiers with him. freaking Aphrodite is an evolution of Inanna, a Mesopotamian goddess. Andromeda, the wife of Perseus, was from Ethiopia, and Poseidon is also said to be visiting Africa at the beginning of the Odyssey. the ancient Mediterranean was a melting pot of cultures that was well aware of northern Africa long before the Romans conquered Carthage- which is also visited by Aeneas and his fellow Trojans!

tags: @forabeatofadrum @j-nipper-95 @artsyunderstudy @that-disabled-princess @prettygoododds @confused-bi-queer @imagineacoolusername @ic3-que3n @aristocratic-otter @larkral @hushed-chorus @ivelovedhimthroughworse @shemakesmeforget @fatalfangirl @ebbpettier @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @cutestkilla @youarenevertooold @alexalexinii @shrekgogurt @bookish-bogwitch @thewholelemon @supercutedinosaurs @shutup-andletme-go @theearlgreymage @ileadacharmedlife @alleycat0306 @carryonsimoncarryonbaz @comesitintheclover @blackberrysummerblog and @orange-peony

#wip wednesday #my writing #andromache's child

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peachesofteal · 2 months

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Thank you for letting me ask you questions about your new hades fic. I really really appreciate it. I’ve always loved Greek myth and the paganism religion as a whole, it’s pretty much the only belief that’s felt somewhat natural to me. So, when I saw that you’re writing a hades fic, I think I pretty much shit myself in excitement. Lately I’ve been a really soft cod girl and frankly it’s leached into my other fandoms and I’m not 100% why it did but I’ve been having issues with myself where if I read a Fic and I can’t tell if they love each other or not I literally cannot stop thinking about it. Last time with dramione I think I only slept 2 -3 hours a night when I couldn’t get it out of my head. (I’m autistic, I promise I’m working on it. Fml)

I would like to apologise if any of my questions come off rude as that’s definitely not my intention.

One of the tags is bad bdsm etiquette and I was wondering if you can share if they are doing it ‘bad’ on purpose or is it more of a they will learn along the way type of thing? It’s obvious that she likes pain but that can always be done correctly (is that the right word?) and not badly? Or do they not realise they are doing it badly and will learn to still give pain but better?

(I think I’ve confused myself!)

Another question I had is if you think they truly love her and will see her as their equal as a wife? Or will it always be them and then + her?

If you can share , I’d love to know your thoughts and feelings. Thank you again for letting me ask questions.

Have a good day/night. ♥️♥️

Hi! This didn't come off as rude at all, don't worry! I'm happy to answer your first question, but I can't answer your second question because it's plot relevant and I don't do spoilers for my own fics. I'm sorry! I hope you understand.

Bad BDSM etiquette: At the club, Aselgeia, it's inferred that Simon is engaging in non consensual voyeurism.

John infers it here:

“We’ll decide what ye can take, when we get there.”

And then Simon appears here: “Beautifully done, darling.” Somewhere far, far away, in the last sliver of your sane mind, you realize it’s a different voice, a voice echoed in gemstones, ruby and emerald and pearl, before that too, slips into space, and you drift deeper inside the luxurious praise. A warm bath. A sunlit meadow with thousands of Narcissus dotting the hill, soaking up every ray. A golden fawn, taking her first steps to freedom.

And then John confirms it here, using we again:

“We need a yes.” He murmurs, cupping your cheek. “Persephone.”

which is terrible BDSM etiquette considering it was never negotiated or discussed. Bringing in a third without permission is a no no, for obvious reason, and they use subspace to essentially trick her into saying yes. Persephone craves pain, so giving it to her is not bad etiquette.

After that, everything goes downhill in second spanking/smut scene because proper BDSM etiquette is abandoned.

I felt like it was important to tag due to the nature of the initial scene, being in a club and what not.

#peaches asks #AIV(OFK)#AIV

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stargazingellie · 3 months

Text

lazarus is risen

chapter seven: perseus & andromeda – part one

(masterlist) (part 1) (part 2) (part 3) (part 4) (part 5) (part 6)

hello beautiful people <3 here is chapter seven !!

synopsis: After deciding to let Abby live, Ellie has returned to Jackson. But given everything she's lost, it no longer feels like home. She's sad, she's confused, and above all else, she is so, so very lonely. So when a group of strangers shows up and offers her a second chance, she might just take them up on that. Ellie must decide between staying in Jackson – and living with the ghosts of her past – or leaving in search of new meaning. Whatever she decides, her choice will have far-reaching consequences – not just for herself, or for Jackson, but for all of humanity.

Or,

Ellie saves the world, maybe?

(ellie williams x reader, post-tlou2, useless lesbians, slow burn, cross country road trip, lots of references to greek mythology, etc.)

Andromeda: Princess of Greek myth, famous for her legendary beauty. Chained to a rock as sacrifice to the sea monster Cetus.

[Lucy]

Besides the occasional infected, the trip had been relatively quiet. But, as with all things in life, everything is quiet – until it isn’t.

As she watched the raindrops pelt the windshield, Lucy recalled lectures from the meteorology unit in science class. Her teacher’s voice rang in her head: The climate and geography of the midwest make it prone to thunderstorms, intense precipitation, and tornadoes.

Indeed, it did. Thick, heavy drops of water littered the front window faster than the windshield wipers could get rid of them. Bright, forked bolts of lightning split the clouds and illuminated the otherwise darkened sky. Claps of thunder shook the inside of the truck so loud that Lucy could feel them reverberate in her teeth.

The truck crept its way down the highway, unable to go much faster than a crawl given the thick wall of water limiting visibility. To their left, periodic bolts of lightning backlit the skyline of a nearby city. Through the haze, Lucy could just barely make out the old green signs of the highway. Lincoln, ¼ Mile, they said.

“We’ll pull off and find shelter once we get past the city,” Jacobs yelled over the storm as he drove.

“Why not one of these buildings?” Lucy asked, gesturing down the off-ramp.

“We don’t know what’s down there. Should only be a few minutes. It’ll be safer further away,” Jacobs replied.

As if on cue, a loud pop! echoed from below the truck. It wasn’t thunder.

“Shit – ” Jacobs muttered as he tried to regain control over the swerving vehicle, until it gradually came to a halt. He groaned, then sighed.

“There’s a spare in the back,” he announced as he and Alvaro prepared to get out. “Stay put, this shouldn’t take long.”

They disappeared from view as soon as their doors were shut. Inside, the heavy rain continued to beat rhythmically on the roof.

Lucy sighed and sunk lower in her seat. “Great timing, huh?” she said, looking over at Ellie. Ellie didn’t reply, instead wringing her hands as she nervously watched outside. It was obvious she was on edge.

Lucy took note and said, “Hey, it’s just a flat tire. They know what they’re doing. It’s gonna be fine.”

Keeping her gaze out the window, Ellie heaved a deep sigh and said, “I know, I know, I just… I have a bad feeling about this.”

“What do you mean?” Lucy asked.

“Well, the cities can be really dangerous. There are some really bad groups out there, and sometimes they’ll come up with these schemes…” she trailed off, clearly remembering something unpleasant. She shook her head. “But yeah, no, I’m sure you’re right.” She turned to Lucy and forced a small smile. Lucy returned the gesture.

Then, the doors flung open, gloved hands reached inside, and all three passengers were ripped out of the truck.

The first thing she felt was the rain – so heavy and so cold. She had to squint to keep the water from dripping into her eyes. Within a matter of seconds, her hair and clothes were completely soaked through, chilling her to the bone.

She lost her footing as she was pulled from the truck, leaving her scrambling on all fours. Strong hands clenched around her wrists from behind, and she desperately tried to gain purchase on the ground as they dragged her away from the vehicle. When her captor came to a stop, Lucy was forced to her knees as the sharp, cold blade of a knife pressed against her throat. The blade was pressed so tightly to her skin that any sudden movement was sure to draw blood.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lucy could see her father in the same position as a second captor held a knife to his throat. The gloved hand holding the knife was attached to a tall figure wearing a dark, hooded cloak that obscured the rest of their body.

Through the watery haze in front of her, she could just make out Alvaro and Jacobs wrestling with two more hooded figures near the back of the truck. Lucy frantically looked around for their fifth member, but Ellie had been pulled to the other side of the vehicle and was nowhere to be seen.

“Ellie!” Lucy yelled, desperate to be heard over the downpour. She thought she heard a voice yell from beyond the truck, but it was impossible to be sure over the storm.

“Shut up,” a gruff voice from behind her said as the blade pressed deeper into her neck.

Without further outburst, Lucy watched Alvaro and Jacobs as they tussled with their opponents. The strangers were quick and nimble, deftly avoiding the officers’ advances. But the officers were built like oxen, so when they finally landed a punch the hooded figures crumpled to the ground in a heap of fabric.

With their opponents knocked out, the officers stopped to gauge their surroundings. Over here! Help! Lucy wanted to scream, but the knife at her throat kept her quiet. She had no way of knowing what had happened to Ellie, but she thought at least one of the officers would come to her and her father’s aid. She was instantly relieved when they looked in her direction. Yes, yes, we’re over here! She could have sworn she even locked eyes with one of them.

Needless to say, her stomach dropped when both officers disappeared behind the other side of the truck. She kneeled tensely as the cold rain poured down her back, listening for any sign of life.

Next to her, the figure holding her father shifted their weight. “Hey, what’s going on over there?” they yelled. No response.

“Hey, man,” they said to the person holding Lucy. “We should get out of here while we still can.”

“We can’t just leave them out here!” Lucy’s captor replied.

“C’mon, they could be dead already for all we know! You saw what those guys did to the others.”

Her captor considered for a moment. “Fine, let’s go,” they said, as they removed the knife from Lucy’s neck. “Blessed be the light.”

Lucy didn’t have time to question the statement before the hilt of the knife collided with her temple and everything went black.

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

Lucy was still in her wet clothes when she woke, and immediately she started shivering. Wrists shackled above her, she sat leaning against the cold, hard wall of what looked like an old conference room. She brought her knees to her chest in a futile attempt to hold onto whatever warmth she could.

The blow from the knife left a throbbing pain in her head and blurred her vision. She had to squint in the harsh fluorescent light. Blearily, she watched as someone wearing a dark hooded cloak entered from the hallway carrying a tray. The figure approached and knelt in front of her, offering a glass of water.

Lucy turned her head in refusal, too weak to say anything more than “Nnn…”

“Please, it will help with the pain,” a gentle girl’s voice emanated from under the hood. “I promise.”

Lucy tried to make out the details of the girl’s face. The lights were too harsh and the hood’s shadow too dark, but Lucy could tell the girl was quite young – maybe 14, if that. She looked sincere, and Lucy reluctantly sipped from the glass as the girl held it to her lips. Lucy accepted apple slices too, glad to have something in her stomach.

The girl looked behind her as if to check if anyone was there. In a hushed voice, she said, “When he comes in, don’t fight him. He’s nicer if he thinks you like him.” Three sharp knocks came from the door, signaling her time was up as she turned to go. “The sedative should help with the pain, too,” she whispered as she hurried away.

Lucy realized what the girl meant just as her eyelids grew heavy and she was pulled back into unconsciousness.

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

As the drugs wore off, Lucy groggily opened her eyes to find a man seated in a chair in front of her. Unlike the others, this man wore a crisp, pristine suit and tie, face clearly visible. He was clean shaven, and his long, gray hair was carefully styled so as to leave no stray hair out of place. When he smiled at her, she noticed his teeth were a harsh, abnormal white.

“Hello, darling. Welcome back.” He flashed that awful smile at her again. She was still having trouble forming words, so he kept talking. “My men tell me they saved you on the highway out there. Nasty weather, huh? Lucky we were there to help.”

Lucy furrowed her brows, trying to make sense of what he was saying. She knew she was probably nursing a concussion, and forming coherent thoughts proved to be an arduous task. “That’s… that’s not… what happened…” she managed.

“Mmm… must have been a nasty tumble you took,” he said, cocking his head. “Head injuries are no joke, you know.”

“I didn’t… f-fall…” she stammered as she glared at him.

“Ah, my sweet. Perhaps your memory will come back in time.” He raised his eyebrows and made a gesture of surprise with his hands. “Oh! How silly of me, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Keane. I run things here in the city. I’m looking forward to showing you around, once you’ve healed a bit.” He leaned forward and used his hand to caress her knee. Lucy tried to pull away, but there was only so far she could go with her back against the wall. “I think you’ll be very useful here.” He flashed another smile, and being almost face to face with it made her stomach turn. She spat in his face.

Immediately, his demeanor changed. The smile disappeared, his eyebrows lowered, and a cold, cruel look crept into his eyes. He calmly wiped the spit off of his face and leaned back.

“I see you’re not quite healed enough yet. Maybe next time I see you, you’ll remember how lucky you are to be here. Blessed be the light, sister.” He stood up and walked out of the room without saying another word. As he left, a large hooded figure entered, gloved hands wielding a thick baton. Lucy cowered against the wall as the figure swiftly crossed the room, coming directly for her. With one deft strike to the head, everything went black.

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

“Lucy? Lucy, hey, are you there?” a voice called, sounding far away. Hands gripped her shoulders and shook her back into semi-consciousness. In her half-aware state, Lucy saw the dark hood on the figure in front of her and struggled weakly to get away.

“N-no… get off of m-me…” she mumbled as she curled herself as far away from the figure as she could in her delirious state.

“Hey, hey, look at me.” The voice was soft. The figure removed their hood and gripped her face. Strong, calloused hands gently turned her face so Lucy was forced to look at the person in front of her. As Lucy’s vision focused, she found herself looking into a familiar pair of green eyes.

“Hey, it’s me. It’s okay. You’re okay.” Ellie talked as she unlocked the shackles above Lucy’s head. “I’m gonna get you out of here. Can you walk?” Lucy nodded weakly, but as Ellie helped her stand up, she almost collapsed.

“Woah, woah, okay. That’s okay. Just hold on, alright?” Ellie wrapped one arm around Lucy’s back and the other under her knees as she picked her up. With whatever strength she could muster, Lucy wrapped her arms tightly around Ellie’s neck. She tucked her face into Ellie’s chest to block out the harsh light that made her head throb.

Lucy was conscious enough to keep herself upright, but otherwise everything passed in a blur. She registered doors opening, strange voices, the sensation of being set down and picked back up again. Occasionally, Ellie would mumble something like, “Hey, stay with me, okay?” or, “Almost out, just a little further.”

Eventually, everything faded to quiet. Lucy felt herself being laid on the ground, head propped up on something soft and solid. She managed to open her eyes, and was met not with the harsh fluorescence of before, but with soft morning light peeking through a leafy canopy. Above her, she watched as Ellie smiled softly down at her. Lucy’s head was in Ellie’s lap, and Ellie gently brushed stringy pieces of hair out of her face.

“Hey, you’re okay. I’ve got you,” Ellie said. “We’re safe, for now. You can rest if you need to.”

Grateful for the invitation, Lucy didn’t fight it this time as she slipped back into unconsciousness.

#ellie williams #ellie williams x reader #lazarus is risen // ellie williams #the last of us #the last of us part 2 #tlou #tlou2

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