All My Stars

Thoughts, excerpts, ideas, loosely edited dialogue...Just another aspiring author. 

[backtosmallthings]

modern au! Aphrodite moodboard

[philosophiums]

Modern Day Greek Gods ↳Aphrodite

The girl who seems to be in charge of everything; she’s head cheerleader, lead editor of the yearbook, on the homecoming committee. Her favorite color is pink, and she seems to care more about her perfect curls than her grades. The girl who is at the front of every LGBT+ rally, because nothing is more important to her than the freedom to love. The girl who takes bathroom breaks to touch up her makeup. The girl who always carries extra tampons in case some one else needs one. The girl who pretends she doesn’t care because it’s easier. The depressed girl who pops pills to escape reality. The girl who needs to be skinnier, skinnier, nothing but bones or she’s not pretty. The girl who will rip out a boy’s throat for harassing another girl. The reckless girl popping her gum as she leans against her rebel boyfriend’s cherry red car. The girl who is always chasing something, though she doesn’t know what. They girl who smiles at everyone because she knows what a smile can mean to someone. 

[a-light-bulb-for-thought]

The Gods are on Earth

The beauties no longer fall to Zeus’s persuasive charms, they sneer and clasps their pepper sprays, fighting back the predator.

Broken marriages were all text book, Hera could advise them on anything, but help would not change her marriage.

The innocent maiden and aggressive conqueror was no longer romantic to Aphrodite; it was all a game of catch, even when they didn’t want to be caught.

Civilians strewn the land, their blood soaks the ground. This was the reality of war, Ares saw innocents not enemies.

The vanity of his company is lost on everyone; Apollo waits for those worthy to arrive, while he sits alone with his bay laurel tree.

Animals are disappearing from existence; Artemis looks away in horror at the decretive corpses on walls.

The world will always believe in Death, they’ve forgotten lightening and water Gods. Hades has won.

A Queen of Flowers and Death, Persephone is both the light and dark and wears the crown of black roses; there is no ‘ordinary girl’.

Oil, plastic and waste pollute the water and nothing Poseidon can do alone changes it. The water is sick, heavy and filling with Poseidon’s tears.

Wisdom and intelligence ran through the masses, picket signs, protests, riots. But what did Athena’s wisdom achieve when those in power have none.

The worker of metal and fire with the mutilated body and disfigured face, people didn’t stare, people didn’t notice. He was no freak anymore.

The mother keeps dust away her daughter’s room, awaiting her return. But the room is cold and wet with tears, Demeter’s daughter is no child no more.

The beeping text alert, the pinging email, messaging pop, the endless notification, constant updating and new models, technology had taken over Hermes life.

The troubles of his families blind Dionysus’s judgement, all can be cured and numbed with the taste of fresh wine.

We are the Gods.

Written by A Light Bulb for Thought

[its-caesar-bitch]

so i was thinking about another modern au where the greek gods have had to adapt to modern society and so they’ve picked up mortal jobs and hobbies and interests and i got really into it.

hermes is a late night comedian, since that’s the way that most information is transmitted nowadays, and he still gets to poke fun at his siblings.

poseidon is a high powered eco lawyer. he works on high profile cases along the lines of the bp oil spill. he has beach-side houses all over the world and enjoys thrill-seeking outdoor activities like cliff jumping and cave diving. 

hades teaches high school english, along the lines of the dead poets society. he lives near his school and brings his dog to school every day. he loves teaching british literature like shakespeare and john donne. his wife comes to visit him and they eat lunch together every day in his office, which always has flowers in it. 

apollo works as a librarian at a university, and he moonlights as a slam poet. he teaches archery at the local YMCA and stays in on weekends with a mug of tea and a good book or movie.

vesta makes ceramics professionally. she feels most at home among the wheels and glazes and kilns of her workshop. there are always candles lit in her apartment that don’t seem to go out. she loves hosting dinner parties for her friends, who are her true family. 

dionysus works as a bartender. he owns a vineyard on the side but lets other people handle the corporate side of things. his favorite part of acting mortal is getting to know the people who come to his bar and connecting with them. he never forgets a face and he has a wall of pictures of his favorite customers behind the bar.

athena teaches middle school social studies/history because she’s discovered that she really enjoys working with children. at this age she can impart wisdom upon them and teach them logic and reason before they are too swayed by the opinions of the world.

zeus is a con artist and art thief. he never stays in a city for more than a week, but he has someone new in his bed every night. he frequents casinos and clubs and owns a villa out in California which is filled with more famous works of art than he ought to have.

hera is a very bitter and sarcastic wedding planer, like james marsden in 27 dresses minus the journalism bit. she is most famous among celebrity circles for having just the right “touch” when it comes to decor and menu planning and floral arrangements. she charges a ton but can work magic, from short-term planning to getting the bride’s wishes just right. she doesn’t believe in the sanctity of marriage but it has bought her summer homes in hawaii and costa rica so she’ll sell the idealized vision.

aphrodite runs several dating sites like eharmony and okcupid, but also some like ashley madison that facilitate affairs because she rules more over the sexual side of things than the love side, despite her image to the former. she loves rap and hip hop and takes kick-boxing classes and always looks like she has makeup on. she anonymously supports planned parenthood because she wants to support safe sex and allow people to find the information and resources they need. 

artemis owns a climbing gym and leads outdoor climbing adventures for her clients and also her buddies. she has tons of tattoos and piercings and a secret love for pop punk music like fob and p!atd. on the weekends, she runs lgbtqia+ support groups for children and teens in her neighborhood, and always lets them climb for free in her gym.

hephaestus owns a tattoo parlor and has a reputation for the most lifelike tattoos that always seem to be exactly what someone had in mind, as if he magically could see their thoughts. he’s a total teddybear and has a penchant for classical music and teaches at-risk children in his city how to repair bikes and cars on the weekends.

[just--a-small--town-witch]

The old gods are not dead

I hear Athenas war cry in the shouts of protests,

fighting a war now closer to home,

I see her in the young women with picket signs

clenched tightly in their fists

Hera curses the names of the abusers

The ones who break families and marriages

Her voice heard in the wedding bells of young lovers

Poseidon now resides in a beach home

Going out every night to pick of trash left by the day

Shooting daggers at the drunk men letting their bottles be swept away

Demeter can be heard cursing the politicians refusing to believe in global warming

Names of scientists and studies on the tip of her tongue

She is found teaching young children how to grow their food at the community garden

Ares is found on the front lines of a different war, not fighting but protecting the innocent

Guiding classrooms of children away from gunfire,

His shield protecting the terrified

Apollo can be found at opens mics

Reciting his latest works

Or walking down the street in docs on his feet and a guitar on his back

He knows he’s the coolest

Artemis is seen on the streets

Her bow and arrow have long left her

Carrying nothing more than a knife and mace

She hunts a different kind of monster now

Hephaestus resides in a workshop at all hours of the night

Creating custom pieces for the right price and a warm smile

The hammer making him feel invincible

Aphrodite’s song is heard in the breathy kisses of teenagers

Shes found walking down the street, lips a blood red

Punching the men who dare disrespect her  

Hermes is seen with a smirk as he walks long well-traveled roads

Delivering the messages of those needing to be heard

Traveling, telling stories, and wearing out another pair of shoes

Dionysus’s voice heard only over the pounding bass in the bar

Keeping watch over young girls drinks

Dancing, partying and living as he throws another one back

Hades is seen weeping over the graves of those taken much to soon

Looking to his wife for comfort

He’s long lost his faith in humanity

Persephone found in the gardens beside her mother in the spring

Brushing off girl’s dirty knees and putting flower crowns on their heads

She can be seen holding onto hades as he mourns the loss of life

Hecate will be found running metaphysical shops

Bringing hope to powerful women wanting more

Selling potions, nobody thinks will work

And collecting graveyard dirt for a new spell

Zeus is watching over everyone

Watches Athena cry

Hera curse the men, he being one of them

Poseidon’s glares

Demeter’s harsh words

Ares raising his shield

Apollos singing

Artemis as she tracks a new beast

Watches Hephaestus work

Sees Aphrodite punch

Hears Hermes words

Sees hades weep

And Persephone plant and comfort her partner

And grins as Hecate keeps magic alive

The old gods are not dead

They are alive

And they are watching

- Sayali C.

[violentwavesofemotion-deactivat]

Aphrodite’s thirst was never quenched; it was cruel and dreamy. It was certainly the most splendid kind of thirst.

Arthur Rimbaud, from Selected Poems & Prose; “Silence and Sacrifice,” (via violentwavesofemotion)

[antlering]

Something that baffles me is when people compare Aphrodite to “bloody” goddesses (Anat, Inanna, Sekhmet, etc.) as a way to say Aphrodite is just a demure love goddess teehee, look how badass my warrior goddess is instead.

Aphrodite Ourania rose out of blood and the ocean and walked to land fully-formed. This Aphrodite is a Titaness, older even than the generation of Zeus. She has no mother. She is never an infant. She is the ultimate generative power, the fish, born from a male (upending societal norms) and wielding the power of creation and invention.

Aphrodite Areia is a war goddess - this is the title made famous by Athena and Ares, but Aphrodite does not get this title from her lover. She is a goddess of soldiers and fights on the battlefield of Troy. She is also Aphrodite Hoplismena, the armed, depicted in full armor with a shield and sword. This is the Aphrodite of Sparta.

Aphrodite Nikephoros is not only Aphrodite armored and armed, but Aphrodite commanding the power of Nike - Nike, the goddess usually found at Zeus’s side, ensuring victory. This Aphrodite is not one to be crossed on the battlefield, because you will not win.

Or maybe we just aren’t on the same page as the ancients when it comes to a “love goddess.” Aphrodite Pandemos is a goddess of frenzy, a goddess who incites war and madness, a goddess to whom it was said even the Fates would bend their will. To some Hellenes, Aphrodite was the goddess of creation because she is the spark of all love and desire - and to others, she was the creator of all.

There’s nothing wrong in calling Aphrodite a goddess of love - she is, truly. But this doesn’t make her timid. She is not clawless. She is a complex goddess, inextricably linked to the awesome war goddesses of the Ancient Near East. Do not dilute her just because you’re not familiar with her or with the domain of love goddesses. I know this may seem trivial to some people, but don’t reduce one goddess to make another look more powerful - they don’t need it.

[ccd022719-blog]

Question of the Day 2

What is the one thing you will never stand for? If you saw someone doing/saying this, you would be compelled to jump in and put a stop to it no matter the circumstance or consequence to yourself. 

[relatablepoetryandquotes]

via @defineyourgrind

[typewrittenword]

submission from wholecitiesmove

[relatablepoetryandquotes]

[ccd022719-blog]

Question of the Day

What is your favorite way to spend a lazy day? Mine is snuggled up in bed or on the couch with my family snacking, watching TV or reading, surrounded by comfy blankets and pillows, cocooned away from the world. 

[stormborn]

Sam’s in there. Yeah, Amelia’s in there.

[ccd022719-blog]

Random Moments from a Book I’ll Probably Never Finish

Tears stream down her face as I hold it between my hands. “What do you want? Fuck what anyone thinks, fuck everything and everyone else. Tell me what you want. Be selfish for once in your life! Don’t think about our careers or our families or even what I need. Tell me you want me, tell me to go to hell. Just please, say something, baby please?” “I can’t do this anymore, I’m sorry. I tried so hard,” her voice is choked. “Do what, what did you try to do?” I try to be calm. Shit, is she about to leave me again? I don’t know if I can go back to my pathetic life after everything. I don’t know how I can accept that this is really over. All this time, I’ve just been biding my time, waiting for the chance to fight for her, fight for us. I know I can’t continue to cause her pain like this anymore either, though. If she wants to go, I have to let her go. She takes a deep breath, “I tried so hard to stay away, to leave you alone, to let you go,” she’s crying harder now. I can barely understand her. “I didn’t want to hold you back or get in your way. I didn’t want to be the reason you looked back with regret, but I’m not strong enough. I need you. I haven’t been able to BREATHE for months. I know it’s wrong. I know you deserve better. I’m so...” My lips cover hers before she can apologize again. She wants this. That’s all I need to hear. She’s still crying, but she doesn’t pull away. I let go of her face and wrap her in my arms. “You need me? I’m yours. I’ve been yours since the day I met you. I need you, stay with me, be with me, I BELONG to you.”