If You Don't Mind, I'd Like To Ask Some Other Questions Regarding The Keyanga Clan. 👉👈

by nuqui_herping

EMERGENCY COMMISSION

NEW COMMISSION PRICES

My sister just got fired and her now former boss haven't pay her salary yet. And since I never lucky with commission, I decided to lower my prices starting from $2 USD!

EDIT: ADDITIONAL PRICES ALSO CHANGED:

unless AI takes over, then what's the point to keep in living, amirite?

AVAILABLE ON VGEN!

OR AT BUYMEACOFFEE!

2021 | 2024

Gold and enamel brooch René Lalique, Paris, 1898-99

So cute I can't! 😍❤️

I love my Seikret and my Palico

Oh gosh girl you always know how to portray emotions so well 😮😢😢

poor Odysseus... His pain is so profound for all that happened... The way he recognized himself in such a state in his reflection and it terrified him 😢

And his extreme guilt of all that happened to the people they attacked, the victims of their rage, murdered and raped... It's clearly too much for him, not even his comrades can soothe and console him.

Flawless written as always girl! But somehow you're getting even better and better at it ❤️❤️✨✨✨

Kinda a prequel to

Originally for @prompted-wordsmith so yeah something I have been working for ages. April 1st for our poor tormented little liar Odysseus 😆

~~~

Guilt (P1)

The noise was deafening. It was a sea of people cheering and whistling; a sea dressed in bronze, leather and blood. Odysseus was pacing among these people keeping his head low. He was trying very hard to avoid gazing someone in the eye. He could hear their praise and yelps of excitement. On occasion he could feel a pat on his back.

"Huzzah! Hooray for Odysseus!"

"Man of Many Ways!"

"The one Equal to Gods! Hooray!"

"Sacker of Cities!"

"Sacker of Cities!"

His ears were buzzing. All sounds around him were silenced or blended together in a mass of unknown origins. His head was throbbing painfully and the helmet adorned with boar tusks seemed to be weighting more than all metal in the world upon it. Just a little longer...just a bit further... Blood had become one with his skin and hair. He could feel it running down still even if it was long now clotted upon him. How weird! Normally every person would be delighted with this triumph. Why couldn't he?

"Sacker of Cities!"

Just a bit further...

"Sacker of Cities!"

His previous noble prancing became a half-run now. He was almost pushing his way through the mixed people of triumph and of woe. Eventually he reached his hut and felt like breathing in relief as he ran in with his close friend coming right behind him.

"Close the damn curtains, Polites!" Odysseus ordered

He half-collapsed over the bronze bowl containing fresh water they had picked up off the river. He remained there for a few seconds, supporting his body over the metallic water container. He looked down. What he saw scared him; it was a warrior staring back at him through the dark depths of the vessel. His head was adorned with a helmet of boar tusk, stained with blood and scratched by some sword. His expression was hard and had sunken eyes in their sockets. The beard was shaggy and splattered with blood. His onyx eyes had a worrying sheen of death, of triumph and of guilt...

"Gods help me...that's me!" He thought in terror

The ambitious, flamboyant and somehow a bit arrogant young man was long gone. He had given his place to this bloodthirsty killer, the face of that man was reeking of sweat, blood and tar from weapons and smoke; the Sacker of Cities. How had they come to this?!

*

A few days before...

The room was buzzing by the men talking almost at the same time. All the Greek kings were supposed to discuss their plan on their next move but it ended up being a buzzing hive of angry bees that fought for a better place in the sun. Neoptolemus was still thirsty for revenge for hi ls father, wearing his armor proudly. The kid seemed to be one with the damn thing! Odysseus was still cursing the moment he decided to bring him from Skyros. This boy seemed less and less like a good idea for his expedition. Agamemnon was there for the glory of his nation, Menelaus wanted his wife back, this time time from a new suitor that took her as a wife, after the murder of Paris. Nestor was trying to keep them all in check, Diomedes still held a grudge against Paris even long after the mutilation of his corpse. Odysseus thought his head would split by this cacophony of tired and frustrated kings that each one of them wanted something different!

"ENOUGH!" Odysseus bellowed

The silence that followed was deafening as the king of Ithaca practically pranced through the crowded hall and grabbed the bronze scepter, pushing it to the ground.

"EVERYONE KEEP QUIET AND LET ME SPEAK!"

His voice had echoed long enough for everyone to understand that there was no stopping this man now. Odysseus took some raspy breaths as if he tried to collect himself before speaking.

"How much longer must this go on? How much longer should we keep this siege? Can't you see it? It's been a decade already! Troy won't fall! Trojans get new allies and we grow weaker by the year. Year after year after year after year we held this city and for what? How much longer will we stay here? Another 10 years? 20? I do not know about you, my lords, but I refuse to stay here that long! My wife and child waited way too long!"

"Do not wish to be king among kings, son of Laërtes!" A voice was heard over others, "you are not the only one with home and family to return to!"

"My lords, I can speak of no one else but myself. However I believe you shall agree with me that this siege lasted way too long. I have no doubt that there are many people; younger people in this council that can withhold this for the decades to come, but I have long stopped being young, my lords, and I do not intend going back to my home when I reach the age of Nestor and pass the crown to my adult son to retire. There are other kingdoms that require our attention, my lords! Not just this one, but our own!"

A series of hums passed around but Odysseus could feel it already there were some objections or some hesitations. They obviously didn't know what he was talking about.

"The war won't last much longer, Odysseus" Agamemnon the son of Atreus spoke, "we have already cut the tree of succession to the Trojan throne. Both Paris and Hector are dead, you managed to capture Helenos. Troy is losing already. I highly doubt we will stay here much longer"

"With all due the respect" Odysseus interrupted, "as long as there is the line of Priam Troy is not finished. Helen has now joined in matrimony with a new husband. Undoubtedly the widow of Hector will do the same when her period of mourning is done. And line or no line, the walls are still there, my lord, they are mocking us. We cannot break them from the outside"

"Odysseus..." Menelaus now spoke, the man who still believed in him blindly, "What else is to be done? We are not gods to transform ourselves to birds and get in"

Odysseus's eyes sparkled in a determined way as if he managed to hypnotize everyone in the room with just his fiery gaze, his voice sounded clearer than ever.

"I could take Troy in one night if the plan works!"

The seer audacity of his words was greeted with a silent shock and then a wave of chuckle.

"I believe you lost your mind FOR REAL this time, Odysseus son of Laërtes!" Neoptolemus called out arrogantly

Odysseus shot him with a warning glare. He had no idea how that insolent boy had heard about his attempt to avoid that war in the first place pretending to be mad but that was not the time for quarrel.

"I am pretty sure that the black ships of the Acheans rest in this place over a decade for nothing! We could obviously have asked you! I am sure you can also guide us inside the city yourself!"

"I have already infiltrated Troy!" Odysseus claimed.

The wave of exclamations that passed among the kings of the Greeks was delightful as it was annoying to Odysseus!

"We were protected by the gods, Diomedes and I. We disguised ourselves as beggars and walked about the city, I found their secrets, I know the passages! I plundered their temple according to the prophecy!"

With a determined move he threw the palladium of Athena to their feet; proof to his words. The silence he earned was delightful.

"I have a plan...if you choose to accept it!"

"That is not fighting with HONOR!" Agamemnon pointed out, "We do not do that Odysseus!"

"We fought with honor, Agamemnon...10 years now! And where did it lead us? We are still here; debating whether we shall live and die to the foot of Troy when the price is right there before us! If you want results, hear me out!"

As his onyx eyes stared deeply into his audience, he knew he had them now.

"I shall uproot the line of Priam from the city! We can throw them all out of the castle walls of the holy city of Troy! So, my lords, long-haired Acheans, if you want results, hear me out!"

Their silence was his confirmation.

"Here's the plan, then..."

*

Odysseus growled and snapped out of his flashback. How easy had he made that sound at that time! Even in his own ears such a promise wouldn't appear nearly as horrendous as it was proven to be! He felt a drop of sweat rolling down his chin but it was thicker. He could still feel blood... He grunted in annoyance as he removed that helmet that was crushing his head and sank his hands in the water, brushing them intensely. The water took a reddish sheen almost immediately. Blood was sticking way too much... Odysseus splashed water all over his face maniacally, even passing water over his matted with blood head. It was still there...the memory was still there... he felt dizzy almost. He rushed to the wine jar resting at the side. He broke the wax seal and filled a cup for himself without watering it first. He downed it quickly before having the chance to feel the burning sensation down his throat.

"Odysseus..." Polites started, alarmed

Odysseus didn't hear him. He filled a second cup that was gone the same quickly. He was still shaking.

"Blood..." he whispered, "Blood and death everywhere... plunders and rapes...everywhere..."

He clenched the cup in his hand.

"What have we done, Polites! What have we done?"

"What have I done?!"

"Sire..." Polites began, "this is war..."

A dry laughter escaped Odysseus's lips.

"That was no war, my friend...that was a massacre...a slaughter..."

He drained yet another cup. He was feeling dizzy and he wasn't sure it was the red wine at fault.

"Priam is dead..." he whispered as if in delirium, "...killed upon the altar of Zeus where he sought sanctuary... Cassandra raped right outside the sanctuary at the xoano of Athena...and Astyanax...the child is..."

His voice broke. He covered his face with his free hand as if that could stop the sobbing that was coming out of his thick chest.

"We're cursed, Polites..." he whispered, "Cursed...doomed! The gods won't turn the blind eye in this hubris..." he finished the cup he was holding

"Odysseus...please!" Polites exclaimed concerned, "Even so...what you say is right but still...it was war..."

"I gave them the key to this, Polites..." Odysseus ignored him, "it was MY plan that put them in..."

"Please, Odysseus...you...you didn't know..."

Odysseus chuckled. It was a dry, humorless one...

"Yes I did, my friend...I did...I just chose to ignore it..."

He refilled his cup.

"Odysseus I beg of you at least...at least put some water to your wine...don't do this..."

He placed his hand upon Odysseus's large shoulder.

"And no, that was what you feared...not what you knew. There was no way you would know the magnitude of it...you gave them the city just like you promised. What they did with it it was their responsibility."

If only it were that simple, Odysseus thought.

~~

Soon comes part 2. It will be probably 3 parts plus a footnote section!

Mulan (1998) concept art from the DVD Extras

Oooh, this is so intriguing! 😮 It’s one of those “wait a minute” moments that makes you stop and think while reading.

It really adds to the wild twists and turns of Homer’s narrative! What might seem like a hiccup in reliability could actually be hinting at something deeper and more complex! Your two theories are both compelling and shed a lot of light on the narrative’s depth.

Odysseus assuming his crew’s motives is again such a human reaction (I know I keep saying this but man) especially given everything he’s been through! The way he projects his own assumptions onto his men adds a whole new layer of psychological depth to his story. It’s like his personal turmoil seeps into his retelling.

And the second option, where Odysseus stays semi-conscious due to his constant alertness, paints such a vivid picture of someone on the brink of exhaustion and vigilance. It’s poetic to imagine him in that half-sleep state, catching snippets of his crew’s conversations and being jolted awake by the winds’ release if that makes sense!

I’m leaning toward the second theory too. It fits the tension and fatigue Odysseus is under, and it makes sense that he’d be in a kind of liminal state between sleep and wakefulness. It’s so fitting with the dramatic intensity of his journey!

I bet that scene would be incredible if you wrote it girl, just like all your other pieces! 😍 It’d be fascinating to dive into Odysseus’s internal experience in such a moment through your perspective. Your take on this is brilliant and would totally make for a captivating addition to your stories!

A small "inconsistency" in Homer and my explanation for it (an Analysis based on Rhapsody/Book 10 of Odyssey)

As we know Odysseus's narration of his past misadventures begins at Rhapsody/Book 9 when he reveals himself to his hosts and we already have a wild ride. In Book 10 we have also the misadventure of Aeolus island (see also my other analysis on this) in which Odysseus guards the sack for 9 days and finally in the 10th he is overcome by fatigue and falls asleep, thus giving his men he opportunity to open the sack. However here's an interesting idea while reading the passage:

"And so, all the same, we sailed for 9 nights and 9 days and on the 10th our homeland already came to sight; we could see the fields and the fires kept lit, for we were so close: then sweet sleep came over me and I fell asleep, for I was all the time at the stern of the ship, for I couldn't give it (here: the sack of Aeolus or the steer) to my comrades, so we would get to our native land faster. However my comrades began talking to each other and believed I had gold and silver bringing home with me as gifts from Aeolus, the great-hearted son of Hippotas, and they spoke thus while looking at one another:"

(Translation by me)

So...what's wrong here, one might ask? Well, Odysseus claims he fell asleep and THEN his comrades began to talk one another (Odysseus even proceeds to give us a sample of their dialog before they open the bag). So...what happens here? How was Odysseus able to tell what was happening if he was asleep? How could he hear what they were saying if he was asleep?

That seems like an interesting inconsistency on Homer's part and, sure enough rises several questions. So, in my opinion we have two possible explanations for this small "plot hole":

Odysseus either lies or asumes on the reason his comrades opened the bag

Odysseus was exhausted and asleep and wakes up in his terror when the winds are released from the sack. He has no idea why his men opened it in the first place which is why when he has to narrate his story to the Phaeacaeans, he has to come up with a reason why they did it and why they denied his authority or why they would get tempted in the first place. The first thing that comes to his mind is curiosity and greed. Seems a possible motive for him so he ASSUMES his men were believing he had gold and silver thus opening the bag to see. He even adds a piece of dialog he ASSUMES they spoke to each other so he might as well lie that he heard them with his own ears but rather he is adding the words to their mouths based on what he wholeheartedly believes happened while he was asleep.

He was always on his guard even after falling asleep from fatigue

The second explanation is that Odysseus was always on his guard; sleeping with always one eye open. He fell asleep from fatigue but his brain kept fighting off the sleep. Probably he got to close his eyes for a few minutes and truly be out of the world for a little but then the whispers that came to his ears, made him half-awake. He was already on the edge all those days so it would make sense that his brain was still alert and adrenaline-injected even if fatigue overcame him for a little. So his men are the ones to ASSUME he is asleep totally so they begin to talk. Perhaps their arguement becomes all the more heated while they believe Odysseus cannot hear. So if Odysseus can hear why not jump off immediately to stop them? I would assume in this scenario he is still half-asleep. He WANTS desperately to wake up but his body is still resisting due to fatigue. He is still dizzy and drowsy but all the more aware. Another possible scenario is that in his drowsy state he thinks he is dreaming. Many times over we believe we are dreaming because we are still between sleep and wake. Odysseus sees from afar a blury image of his men talking and holding the bag but his brain is still trying to wake up and he truly does only when the winds are released from it!

My thoughts:

I believe anyone can pick any of these that suit them best. Both seem equally plausible to my mind. If I were to pick which one I would lean more to (but not completely rejecting the first either) that would be the second.

Odysseus did comment on his companions many times in the poem, including their "bad thoughts" but he doesn't name them "greedy" before (at least not to that extend). He names them careless or unthoughtful but not straight out greedy. Of course he could also be self-projecting since he also is naturally curious but to say that his men would try to rob him in his sleep because they thought he wasn't sharing with them, somehow seems farfetched to assume without the slightest bit of evidence if he truly was out of the world asleep.

However given the state he was in before he fell asleep, himself coming in and out of sleep because of his adrenaline overdose, his worry and his guard being constantly up somehow makes sense. I could imagine while he was totally asleep, his men removed him from the steer and took the bag off him. At that point Odysseus probably didn't understand a thing. However I imagine him slowly waking up, feeling at his side where the bag USED TO BE and still his mind trying to comprehend what's happening. His ears get some distant voices and he tries to force himself to wake up to see more but he cannot. Only to jump fully awake in terrible realization.

I would surely take the dialog he gives to the Phaeacaeans with a small pinch of salt because even if I do support the second scenario more, I would assume Odysseus wouldn't be able to distinguish with undoubtful precision all the words they spoke to each other but he definitely caught the core of them so he fills in the gaps based on what he believes on them.

But what do you guys think? Let me know in the comments and reblogs! ^_^ (also am thinking of writing this scene in the future. Shall I?)

A slightly late birthday gift for @inolaphoenix her character Inola! Thank you for being so sweet and kind 💜💜

Workshop of Rubens, Anne d’Autriche, reine de France (detail)

c. 1625