soarinsugar-homerblog - Tumblr blog

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I have nothing against EPIC, though I will admit that I’m not really a fan of it (I’m a stickler for the original epic and don’t really like changes to it, since I feel like The Odyssey is pretty perfect how it is. The songs are catchy though). It gives me the same vibe as when I was talking to a group of people and corrected someone on something about Greek mythology, to which one person was like “You’re a Percy Jackson kid, aren’t you?! Don’t even try to deny it!” …I had my translation of The Iliad in my bag. Was completely obsessed with The Odyssey.

I’ve had to block the EtM tag because it’s really annoying when I’m trying to find posts about the actual epic and everything is just about the musical and only the musical, but it’s still tagged as “The Odyssey”. It’s like people just… forget what actual Greek mythology is? Retelling and adaptations aren’t the same as the actual ancient literature. Hell, Jay even recently made a video talking about how EPIC is different from the source material and they shouldn’t be conflated. Yet, of course, Tumblr is full of comments trying to correct people on Greek mythology based on something that happened in a retelling. It’s frustrating to say the least.

pet peeve I didn't realize would become a peeve: people on tumblr talking about "The Odyssey" when they mean "Epic: The Musical"

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(Recently deleted my Tumblr account to reset my primary blog but I saved this rant so I could reblog it again ‘CAUSE IT NEEDS TO BE SAID)

THIS. The epic LITERALLY says he was unwilling and was suffering, and yet people will still try to twist it into that he was purposefully staying there to have an affair. What makes it even more disgusting is that the things that are said about Odysseus are often things that are said to boys and men who have been abused. That they were ‘lucky guys’ or that they must’ve been asking for it, which is so nasty.

It’s so strange to me the sheer number of posts you’ll see about Greek mythology that criticize male gods for raping mortal women, but the second it’s a goddess raping a mortal man he’s obviously an adulterer who was asking for it. I swear some people just forget that ANYONE of ANY demographic can be a victim. Women can be horrible too. Men can be abused too. Just because it’s statistically more likely for a women to be the victim of sexual assault does not mean that men are never victims, and it certainly doesn’t mean they don’t deserve the same sympathy and support for the trauma they went through.

Both Calypso and Circe are goddesses and hold power over Odysseus. In Circe’s case, he is practically given an ultimatum by Hermes: either sleep with her or abandon his men. Odysseus literally says he was scared when he walked in and had to make Circe swear an oath to not kill or castrate him. When he was leaving, he doesn’t just ask her to leave, he supplicates to her- something that is typically done when asking for mercy. With Calypso it’s even more glaringly obvious. He doesn’t trust her even when she agrees to let him go and it’s LITERALLY STATED that he didn’t want her and that he had no choice. If he refused, it’s very likely he would have been punished by her. I mean, Hermes straight-up tells him that he can’t refuse a goddess! Does that seriously seem consensual?! If you don’t have the option to say no, then you cannot give consent.

No, Odysseus couldn’t have just refused Circe. That would mean abandoning his crewmen. He wanted to save his men, and she made him pay for it with sex. No, he couldn’t have just sailed away from Calypso’s island. He had no supplies or vessel. Calypso was keeping him as a sex slave! It’s stated MULTIPLE times in the epic that she was keeping him captive! Hell, Athena even states that he WANTED TO DIE. Does that seriously sound like someone having a willing affair?! And no, just because Odysseus is a trickster with a talent for lying doesn’t mean he was lying about not loving Circe or Calypso. What would he have to gain from lying to the Phaeacians about it? The few times he mentions it, he ALWAYS mentions afterwards that they never swayed him and he didn’t reciprocate. Accusing a victim of lying or not trying hard enough to escape is considered victim blaming. Why should it be any different in this scenario?

It will never not frustrate me how many people are lack basic literary comprehension and are so willing to shame male survivors just because they don’t fit the typical profile of a victim. Leave my man alone, he’s been through enough!

“Oh we need more male S/A victim rep!” You guys can’t even handle Odysseus without insisting that him being trapped in a cave until he agreed to sleep with a woman or being put under a spell and coerced while under the spell was still him consenting fully shut the fuck up.

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what reading ancient poetry does to a motherfucker

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How to pass the time

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We love a girlboss and her malewife :3

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Jade/Jadestar my beloved, my first Warrior Cats OC I took seriously. Oh how you’ve evolved my girl!

Ocs come and go but the warrior cats character you create when you are 11 is forever

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My first attempt drawing a bull.

Guess what the next animatic will be? 😎

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odysseus is a wild character in general but one of my favorite things he does in the odyssey is when he’s at a banquet at alcinous’s palace, where nobody knows who he is, and after he beats everyone at sports he tells the bard to sing about how cool the trojan horse he made was

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do you people know how fucking difficult it is to be Obsessed with odysseus. like, not even epic the musical odysseus, just the odyssey odysseus. might as well stamp ''im a huge fucking nerd'' on my forehead what is this

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Penelope companion piece to my Odysseus artwork! This one is actually based on a traditional mixed media artwork I did of her last year that I can no longer stand to look at lol. The bird flying next to her is a greylag goose!

And here’s them together

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Redraw of an older Odysseus artwork I did back in November of 2022. Really like how this one turned out! The bird flying next to him is a hooded crow.

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Blog Info Post

Note (6/12/2024): Due to me not knowing you can’t change primary blogs, I deleted my account and have restarted this blog as my primary. I hadn’t posted much on this one, but if you do recognize any posts or reblogs from an earlier date, that is why.

Hello and welcome to my chaos. My name is Sugar and I’m a 19 year-old digital artist and animator from the United States. This blog is dedicated to the Homeric epics which I’ve had an unhealthy obsession with since I first read The Odyssey in 9th grade English class. Currently trying to learn to draw humans better so I can make as much self-indulgent fanart of everyone’s favorite war criminals as I so desire. Odysseus is my son and I will protect him at all costs. I also have a fanfic in the works called The Odyssey: Rising Tides which is a psychological drama focusing on Odysseus’ life in Ithaca after the events of The Odyssey. Please feel free to ask me anything!