Lucimea66 - Lucimea66

every friend group should include...

{insp: ✦ ✦}

Eddie's April Fools joke would be him bringing Steve a baby that he's watching while he volunteers at the foster center (because kids aren't as judgemental as adults and he can actually do some good without getting nasty looks or whispers about satanism and murder behind his back).

He'd show up at Steve's door and hold out a wide eyed, rosy cheeked, somewhat confused baby like, "Steven, I know it's been a few months since our night of passion, but she's yours. I'm taking you for all you're worth!"

And it's such an obvious joke. Such an obvious prank. He'd just been taking this kid out for a walk and getting some fresh air.

But jokes on Eddie, because Steve wouldn't even think before lighting up, reaching out, and snatching the baby to his chest like oh aren't you so sweet, do you want to come inside? Yes you do!

Eddie tries to explain that it's a joke, but Steve just grabs his hand and squeezes it tight and the words die on his tongue.

"Bah phhhfp," said the baby, giving Eddie a look like, dude, you've got it bad.

Steve didn't drop his hand. His fingers were warm and strong against Eddie's. "Where'd you find her?"

"... foster?" Says Eddie. "I'm uh. I'm watching her?"

"And you brought her here?" Steve's eyes crinkled at the corners. His smile was sunshine.

Eddie opened his mouth. Closed it. Nodded. And then nearly fell backwards when Steve brought the hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to his knuckles.

"Glooof," said the baby, staring at Eddie. You're an idiot if you don't make a move right now.

Thankfully, he didn't have to. Not when Steve was giving him a tug over the threshold.

"C'mon. Let's get you both inside. I think she needs to be changed. You got a diaper bag hiding somewhere under all that leather?"

It was meant to be a joke. It doesn't land as one. Because somewhere in Steve's head, the paternal switch is cheering, lit up so brightly. Free baby? And the person he liked brought him the baby?

Well. Then there's only one real solution to the problem.

(For Eddie, that solution hits him just as quickly. Especially when the guy he's been in love with since the sixth grade is holding a baby to his chest, shirt speckled in spitup and drool, making coffee the next morning, smiling across the kitchen at Eddie so softly and sweetly. Well. He was done for long ago. Might as well fall all the way.)

Ten years later, Eddie and Steve are sitting on a park bench watching their daughter April try to sacrifice her stuffed bunny on top of the jungle gym.

"You do realize that she was supposed to be a joke, right?" He'd say to Steve, a little teary eyed and so unbelievably happy.

"Jokes on you," Steve would reply easily. "Because I kept you both."

Jokes on him indeed.

Hello! Happy Hallow’s Eve. I’ve been working on this mini-comic, Ghost Stories, for a couple months between other stuff, and I’m happy to finally be posting it near Halloween. If you’d live in Philadelphia, you can buy a physical at Atomic City Comics or Fat Jack’s Comicrypt! The mini-comic is 4″ x 6″ with 13 pages. [[ Edit: It’s now also available on my Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/529105780/ ]]

I hope you enjoy reading this short story as much as I enjoyed writing and drawing it.

Content Warning: abuse, alcohol, death, depression, suicide

Do you think that grrm meant Lyanna to parallel with Helen of troy?

With Rhagar being obsessed with prophecy which compelled him to "steal" Lyanna it seems very similar to Paris and Helens relationship, especially with the starting of a war and Robert ( who in this case is both Agamemnon and Menelaus- with cersie killing him and all)

it does not align perfectly but with Sansa's own connection with the whole little finger pomegranate = underworld thing it creates a very interesting contrast as both Pesephone and Helen are considered the daughters of Zeus.

I am sorry if this does not make much sense english is my second language and I very much enjoy your metas!

Hi anon!

(Please don't apologize, and thank you so much!)

I do think that GRRM is very intentionally creating literary and mythological and biblical parallels all over the the book series, and some are more overt than others. It's all about storytelling as a larger theme within the series, as history, romanticized legends, fiction, even outright lies.

Lyanna as Helen is certainly one such allusion, and it works beautifully with how romanticized the story is on all sides - obfuscating the much rougher, political truth beneath.

Other allusions include Agamemnon and Iphigenia in various father daughter relationships, chiefly Stannis and Shireen (but also Ned and Sansa). Or Persephone and Hades, as you mention. Sansa and Littlefinger create an obvious reference to the concept of a stolen daughter, while Catelyn/Lady Stoneheart and Arya reflect other aspects of the story, the maternal figure turned wrathful, the daughter who must return from the underworld to give her peace. The connection to the seasons obviously suggests that there may be an even larger reference at play to the Long Night, some forgotten tale of theft and grief and wrath.

GRRM has also directly referenced his admiration for the confrontation between Hector and Achilles, to illustrate his "the villain is the hero of the other side" approach to conflict.

Basically, when in doubt it's not unlikely that a recognizable parallel is intentional. It may just be a passing nod to similar themes, as opposed to a blueprint for an exact copy of the plot, but in many cases he seems to want us to keep these ancient stories in mind.