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And Then Death

@i-need-a-chill-pill / i-need-a-chill-pill.tumblr.com

Welcome to my blog! I have no self-control so it will feature a little of everything. Thanks for checking me out!
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rollofleaf

Ok so I saw Aphrodite’s new design for Hades 2 and I need to talk about it.

First, hhhhhhh women…

Second, I don’t know if this is intentional but I’m going to assume it is, I love how Supergiant has dug into less well known parts of Greek mythology. Zagreus and Melinoë, for instance, are attested to by a single source each that give next to no information other than their parentage. And they did it again with Aphrodite!

Like all Greek gods, Aphrodite was referred to by different epithets depending on what aspect of her was being referenced. One of her less famous epithets was Aphrodite Areia (“The Warlike Aphrodite”), which places her role as a goddess of war as well as love. Worship of Aphrodite Areia was mostly limited to Sparta, Taras, and Kythera.

Aphrodite was originally introduced to Greece as the Phoenician goddess Ashtarte, a goddess of war, love, fertility, lions, and Venus, who herself was borrowed from the Mesopotamian Ishtar/Inanna, a goddess of war, love, fertility, Venus, and rulership. She was spread to Greece by traders during the Greek Dark Ages, first coming to shore in Cyprus and Kythera, both of which are often cited as her birthplace.

Aphrodite Areia was probably more faithful to her original interpretation, but most of Greece ended up sanitizing the war associations out of her. The Iliad, written while that was happening, goes out of its way to portray her as incompetent in battle, she gets stabbed in the wrist by Diomedes and told by Zeus that she doesn’t belong on the battlefield. It’s conspicuous enough to sound like a pointed statement from the author. I do find it very funny that despite trying to remove her associations with war, the Epic Cycle also makes her directly responsible for starting the most biggest war in Greek mythohistory.

I love that her design is shedding light on this lesser known aspect of her, her pose even seems reminiscent of the surviving statues of Aphrodite Areia.

Another little detail is her new face paint, which is identical to Ares’ in Hades! Aphrodite Areia is associated with Ares even more than usual (Ares and Areia are cognate words, both from ‘are’ for war or ruin). Of course, Aphrodite is often depicted as Ares’ lover so this choice just works in general.

Anyways some real good character design here. Also the hair censoring is so good.

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elvenmother

I work in gaming and do this all the time. I learnt long ago that no matter what games I name, when a guy demands I name what I'm playing, that they will shit on them.

So now I just make shit up when they try to "catch me out" and listen as they list how wrong I am and all the things wrong with something that doesn't even exist. It's a wonderful hobby and I heartily recommend it.

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noknowshame

why is religious Christmas imagery all so joyful and pleasant? where is the inherent horror of the birth of Christ? A mother is handed her newborn child, wailing and innocent. Her hands come away sticky. Red. Simply by giving her son life she has already killed him. He is doomed from the beginning. Her love will not save him from suffering. Because the thing cradled in her arms is not a baby, it is a sacrifice: born amongst the other bleating animals whose blood will one day be spilled in the name of what demands it. the night is silent with anticipation. Mary, did you know? That your womb was also a grave?

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kleefkruid

My dad was dealing with some mixed feelings so I told him "In therapy when something is too complicated to do a simple 'pro and contra list' we sometimes do an excercise where you imagine all these mixed feelings around a table in some kind of conference, letting each tell their bit and you leading the debate."

and my dad didn't really respond and just stared ahead so I kept preparing lunch. Until a few minutes later when he suddenly piped up: "I am having a bad time at the conference"

I too am having a bad time at the conference

Reblog if you too are having a bad time at the conference

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Instead of a stoic hero and a chatty villain or a chatty hero and a stoic villian imagine if they’re both chatty. Just, the villian trying their best to kill the hero while the two of them have a in-depth discussion about their opinion of pumpkin spice

Villian: *shoots laser* No but seriously orange is a really fun color

Hero, dodging: but your entire room? I’m not painting my entire room orange

Villain: *stabs at the hero and misses* well then why did you ask my opinion on paint colors if you’re not going to listen

The Princess Bride

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i dont think we give karl urban enough credit for his acting in this extended edition scene of eomer discovering eowyn in pelennor fields because. my goodness

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magic-gps

tags via @penandpage

Tags are fantastic, and if you’re on the fence about reading the books please know Eomer finds her before the battle ends in the original, and thinking she is dead goes absolutely feral on the enemy.

The narration is even like “newly king, Eomer says FUCK TACTICS LETS KILL ORCS, and it is not a good decision but he sure did make it emphatically.”

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