#anthousa

One person who should have been extra romanceable and two people who should have been romanceable at all. Xenia, Demosthenes, and Anthousa.🖤 For AC Odyssey Rarepair/Rare Character day.

What makes Odyssey so compelling as a fanfic writer is that it’s just SUCH a masterpiece and SUCH a disaster all at once. It’s hilariously aggravating. If you’re interested in a SAGA… I’ve got a hell of an example for you that I just can’t get over…

A while back I was working on a sequence around the Monger scenes in Korinth and got caught in a plot hole... I side with Brasidas there (obviously), but when it comes down to it, it’s a hell of a gamble, even for a great pair of thighs…

Unwilling to change course, I figured Brasidas is one of the greatest strategists of his era, right? Surely I can find a way to make his reasoning more compelling than “it’s secluded” 😑

But y’all….

Turns out it’s WAY deeper already.

No fabrication needed.

I started digging into what makes this cave sacred...

At first I was looking for records of the cave itself - it’s an odd city landmark, so I figure it’d be mentioned somewhere. Nope. Entirely fictitious from what I can tell. So then I needed to know why Ubi included this random-ass cave in the middle of town.

So my next dive was into Apollo and Aphrodite (the city’s main deities, but that was a dead end too.

I was ready to craft a complete smoke screen when I stumbled across another tidbit…

Through (WAYYY too much) research (especially for a fanfic I sincerely hope NO ONE reads 🤣)… I learned that Korinthia also served a local nymph called Peirene, who had a fountain in Korinthia. Ubisoft even included this fountain - it’s across from the Temple of Apollo.

This fountain was allegedly fed by an underground spring that came from Akrokorinth. This spring was the main site of Peirene’s worship. Curious enough, this spring is also on the game map… and it just so happens to be significant to the plot…the place we meet our favorite hetaera… Anthousa 👀

Coincidence? I think not.

Even more… our Sacred Cave sits loosely on the path between the spring on Akrokorinth and the fountain in Korinthia proper. AND its central chamber is full of water. This seems pretty decisive to me.

I’ve stumbled across a gem.

If Anthousa (and possibly the hetaera as a whole) revere Peirene and this cave is a place of a rawer connection to her, then maybe Brasidas’ plan is already deeper than I realized…

At this point, I think I have enough to craft something with actual roots.

BUT THEN….

Before writing the scene I went down to get a better look around and discovered it’s ALREADY being used for worship of a male deity. A HUGE snag in my theory.

That is… until I discovered the statue is Ares.

The whole thing was baffling, especially considering Ares’ common characterization and the reputation of Korinthia… The two seem very much at odds.

But ya know who in Korinthia WOULD worship Ares…? You know who would turn a sacred site of Peirene (the weeping mother) into an altar to the brutal, ruthless god of war, Ares?

The Monger 😳

And what makes Brasidas think we could easily lure the Monger way down inside a dark, secluded cave?! Because it’s a place he ALREADY goes.

My mind is blown.

Holy Hell… And there’s too many weird in-game references and coincidences… it HAS to be intentional… SOMEBODY PLANNED THIS.

Brasidas’ plan is fucking BRILLIANT.

It’s sheer, undeniable poetry.

What’s the ONE way you could kill The Monger while defying Anthousa outright and still earn her respect… still walk away with the information you need?

You could spill The Monger’s blood on the sacred ground he defiled in the name of brutality and bloodlust.

You could restore Korinthia’s most famous mother to her rightful place and wash away The Monger’s power with her sacred tears, reclaiming the place of her rawest beauty and restoring her worship.

You could let the literal gore of the Monger wash up into the fountain, a sign for the whole city that his reign is unmistakably ended.

Its so logical. It’s so ‘cut the bullshit and get straight to the heart of the matter.’ It’s so fucking Brasidas…

The longer you sit on it, the more thematically layered and gorgeous and brilliant it becomes. And it’s just plausible enough for the player to gamble on… exchanging Anthousa’s plan for something less theatrical, but more personal, more meaningful. And saving lives in the process. Its crazy enough to work.

I’m CONVINCED this whole web is somebody’s silent masterpiece. And yet somehow it never became more than subtext (excuse me while I shake my fist at the sky).

AND this SAME CHARACTER… At Amphipolis… takes my CASUAL COMMENT and is like, “Hey, FUCK strategy, let’s just run over there RIGHT NOW on a whim ‘cause you said so!!!”

Can you say plot hole?!

WTF Ubisoft?! 🤣

Odyssey… the perfect balance of STUNNING depth of detail and WILD, GLARING gaps… a writer’s playground! I’m completely hooked by the intricacy and completely frustrated by … basically everything else!