the parallels between Bean and Ender and Peter and Achilles?? *chefs kiss* gorgeous.

Bean and Ender both having traumatic experiences with people they trusted?? Bean and Ender being young geniuses??? Bean looking up to Ender for support and Ender turning to Bean to confide in him? god i love that SO much.

but also, Bean being overly protective of Ender but Ender barley noticing him at all?? there is no Ender without Bean but there is no Bean without Ender? i am screaming.

Bean seeing Peter as Achilles and Peter seeing Bean as Ender?? both of them seeing each other as a threat to their position???? fucking poggers.

and ACHILLES AND PETER holy shit i would need to write a thesis for them okay so:

Achilles and Peter are two narcissists and in different circumstances could even have their positions switched, Achilles fighting for “good” and Peter fighting for “bad”. in the end, it’s really just them trying to survive in swapped positions.

and in Shadow of the Hegemon i always assumed Bean was in Peter’s shadow but it could also be seen as Achilles being in Peter’s shadow or rather, Achilles IS Peter’s shadow. Achilles is Peter in almost every aspect, the parallels are so blatant they’re basically screaming off the page. Achilles could’ve been Peter in a different life and vice versa. but one of the things that makes them different is Peter having others he’s fighting for (his parents for example) but Achilles does not. Achilles fights solely for himself and always has and that has robbed him of his empathy.

Achilles is Peter’s shadow, the darker outcome of him that always follows. he’s a reminder of what Peter could’ve been. he’s a reminder of what Peter would’ve become if he’d killed his brother or hurt his sister. he’s a reminder of the squirrel Peter dissected in the woods. Achilles is a reminder of Peter’s morality and how easily that switch in his head could flip.

the reminder is always there, like a shadow. a constant and nagging darkness reminding you of who you could have become.