Ok maybe I do have more thoughts on the Medea interactions and how they reflect on Melinoe:
Iāve noticed that the discussion around Melinoeās morality tends to focus on her proximity to the Olympians but I think thereās also something to be said about the moral grey area that witches fall under. She didnāt grow up in the House of Hades or Olympus, she grew up in the Crossroads and her perspective is influenced by the guidance of witches. And while Circe and Hecate are a little coy about their misdeeds, Medea stands out as the one who really owns the darker aspects of her craft and talks about the suffering she inflicts with pride. In contrast, Melinoe isā¦not pure but very invested in the idea of doing the right thing and being in the right. So thereās this contrast between them, Melinoe clings to moral justification for her task while Medea isnāt held back by moral dilemmas.
And I think part of that is because Medea pursues her craft to satisfy her own vengeful desires while Melinoe hasnāt gotten to fully explore her identity as a witch yet: They both use their craft in vengeful ways but Melinoe always has this degree of separation from the root conflict. (Nemesis gets at this idea quite a lot actually.) The titans are retaliating for things her family did long before she was born, yet Melinoe is tasked with cleaning up the mess. And when she does take time to herself, she often feels guilty about it. In contrast, Medea gets the satisfaction of personal revenge and is content to use her curses on anyone who gets on her bad side.
Itās that intent that differentiates Medea from Melinoe, I think. No matter how impressive her feats, Melinoe is ultimately a weapon wielded by someone else and lacks pure intent of her own so she often hints at feelingā¦morally conflicted when talking to Medea. While Medea draws her power from the āblackest of intentā , it seems like Melinoe is forcing a tough exterior, filling a role that doesnāt always come naturally to her. And she wants to know how Medea manages to pull it off so seamlessly. Medeaās āwith practice!ā line is funny but also, if Melinoe is going to eventually become the goddess of nightmares, maybe she will get there with practiceā¦
I have a suspicion that her arc wonāt be about ābecoming the nicest person and making everyone proudā but instead, channeling her craft to achieve her own goals without seeking the approval of a higher authority or abiding by someone else's vision of the future. Not perfectly restoring the Age of Gods or the Golden Age of mortals but instead bringing about a different future. She may end up letting her compassion guide her but Prometheus doesn't call her an agent of good or evil, he calls her an agent of change. And it seems like witches in this game are portrayed as catalysts for transformation.
As her understanding of the world grows and shifts, I think itās interesting that Medea is one of the people Melinoe looks up to and confides in. She asks Medea these very earnest questions about mortals and gods and Medea grants her a joyfully bleak perspective every time:
Medea also has this consistent tendency to disregard mortal suffering, to compare them to livestock and talk about them in terms of how poison-susceptible they are. I get the sense that Melinoe's perception of mortal weakness is influenced by these kinds of conversations:
Melinoe's understanding of the world is shaped by an interesting range of perspectives and is somewhat...shaky and incomplete for now. I think she isn't quite sure how to reconcile her more compassionate impulses and the responsibility that she's dedicated her life to:
Although she adheres to a very black-and-white set of beliefs for the sake of completing her task, there's also hints of uncertainty in her conversations, especially with Medea, a more experienced and self-assured witch. I think Melinoe's character development has the potential to go in a lot of interesting directions!
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