#;;paradise lost || Calypso

[dadjokesbutgay]

Just tried to recommend Epic the Musical to a friend and its so funny cuz like my sales pitch boils down to, "oh yeah, Epic, it's light hearted and silly and it'll crush your soul to pieces and you'll hear one line and break down crying! It's so fun! Everyone dies! You'll love it!"

[daylesspax]

Dolled up and depressed Odysseus for the win

So uhh, yeah, I took this idea and ran with it

To be honest I just wanted to draw him in flowy fabric and all pretty… but yeah, as much as I love Ody being a sopping wet stray, I like him dolled up too <3

Some design notes:

I did some brief research (from credible sources) of Ancient Greek fashion to make his Ogygia design

What he’s wearing is a chiton (the white tunic/shirt he’s wearing) that is under a himation (the big ass blanket wrap lol) which is often how kings/upper class are depicted. These clothings are often decorated well with elaborate designs (the shells on the himation, the beading+shells to have the weight rest nicely over the body, etc.)

The rest of the embellishments like his laurel crown, collar/necklace, and bracers are inspired the descriptions in ‘Time’s Curse’ by ‘mydnyteraven’ on AO3 (check it out!) (also: during the cliff scene in ‘Love in Paradise’ will probably include him tearing off the jewelry out of anger, frustration, etc.)

I believe in at least one of my sources they said that Greeks often stayed barefoot when they’re home so… Calypso probably forces him to be barefoot

He has super long hair! Seven years is a long time! And Calypso probably prefers playing with his hair and braiding it and braiding flowers into it even though Ody doesn’t like it (and he will probably get a dramatic scene of chopping his hair off, Mulan-style)

Calypso put him in ‘her’ colors! (I’ve always imagined Ody to be blue-coded) showing, once more, the lack of control he has

His Ogygia clothes are much more fancy/gaudy than he’s used to, his clothing much more on par with a god’s! Ithaca (as far as I know) is a modest kingdom and thus, he wore modest clothing even as a king and he’s never wanted to wear more than that

It was a pretty long process to get him to this point, he clung to his rags until he physically couldn’t (or Calypso forced him) and he was just gradually forced to keep compromising until it wasn’t worth it to fight her

And that’s all I could think of so I hope you all appreciate my thoughts on this concept <3

I know people really like disheveled Odysseus but like, wouldn't it be worse if during his stay at calypso's island he's the most cleaned up and groomed he's ever been during his voyage. His hair is long and silky smooth, his beard is trimmed, his clothes are pristine and hang nicely from his body. Calypso treats him like a prized possession, and how could she possibly let it (her pet? her toy?) get unkempt and scruffy? Idk something about him having a complete lack of agency and no choice in even the way he looks and his stay in a supposed paradise reflecting on his person

[anotherlongstoryshort]

Things about the Wisdom Saga that have plagued me all damn day

Legendary

Whether intentional or not, Miguel's Telemachus really sounds like a younger version of Jorge's Odysseus. And that hurts.

"If I fight those monsters, is it you I'll find?" The layers. Could he go out and hunt for his father? Could he find his 'legendary' strength within himself? Or will Odysseus be the 'monster' he finds?

"Somebody help me, come and give me the strength" And his call is answered T_T

20 years.

Antinous fully interrupts this bop. Rude.

Ayron sounds legitimately scary and Telemachus taking a stand is so O.O

Little Wolf

I wanna fight this guy. Love that Athena agrees. (The beat of the song and sharp bursts of vocals really emulate blows.)

The quaver on "I don't know how".

Athena is immediately charmed by Telemachus' enthusiasm. She sounds so fond.

The fact she sees heart in him as an advantage when it was Odysseus choosing heart over mind that drove them apart. Guh.

Did she tell him to bite Antinous? XD

"Oh, maybe I pushed you a bit too hard." The change in her perspective is already so apparent - she wouldn't have admitted a mistake or miscalculation to Odysseus.

We'll Be Fine

"I had a friend before..." A FRIEND? FRIEND?!?!

An admission that she didn't fully appreciate what Odysseus was going through, that she feels guilty for having "missed it all".

It's unclear to begin with if she's come to Telemachus for Odysseus, or to try and replace him. Both are equally heart-breaking.

"I don't know who your friend is, I don't know what he's like" UNKNOWINGLY ECHOING HIS OWN THOUGHTS IN 'LEGENDARY'. NO IT'S FINE I'M FINE.

"The best day of my life because I got in a fight and I didn't die! :D" Telemachus, child, please.

"We'll be fine" using the same run as "this is my goodbye" T_T

Him immediately offering up friendship to Athena, like Odysseus once did, must hit her so hard. "You're a good kid." Yes he is - because he's more like his dad than he knows.

Love in Paradise

"Old friend..." FRRRRRIIIIEEEENNNNNDDDDD!!!!!

10 years.

The memory fragments sounding so fraught and chaotic together, hitting harder because they're hitting Athena all at once. She missed a lot.

"She's my wife." "Anyways..." Calypso, girl, please.

Love that they're singing completely different melodies through the first half of this song for two reasons: because Odysseus is revisiting previous motifs, once more trying to hold onto the man he was, and also because it shows Calypso is not willing to compromise on what she wants.

"Last I checked goddesses can't die." We'll come back to this later.

Then Odysseus realises he is truly trapped and he sings along to Calypso's melody in muted horror.

POLITIES OUT HERE STILL HAUNTING THE NARRATIVE.

Just the words "open arms" are enough to confront Odysseus (again) with all he's lost. All he hears are screams.

And the one he screams out for is Athena.

"He needs my help." NO KIDDING GO GET YOUR BOY.

God Games

"Father, God, King..." There's a lot to unpack in that fun family dynamic.

"To untie apprehensions that were placed on that Greek?" Zeus is like, nobody likes that guy, why do you care?

The gods being called out like X Factor finalists is everything.

So there's a great contrast against the previous song - unlike Calypso, Athena is matching each of her singing partners with their tone and beat as she convinces them. She isn't winning by 'imposing her will', she's meeting them where they are.

Rational arguments work until Aphrodite, where Athena says "please" for the first time. She softens to appeal to Aphrodite, which is why Ares has to step in.

The way she says his name XD

Ares' lines sound like as much of a fighting chant as 'Little Wolf' did, which makes it all the better that the mention of Telemachus is what gets her to 'fight back'.

"His son's my friend!" YES HE IS. And Athena of all people declaring "a broken heart can mend" is fascinating. Can't help but wonder if she's talking about herself coming around to forgiving Odysseus.

"Never once has he cheated on his wife." Handwaving the source material is worth it for this line ALONE.

Zeus is so pressed by everyone openly knowing he cheats on Hera. Stop doing it then my dude.

Ares sounding genuinely concerned for Athena is doing things to me. Goddesses can't die, huh?

Her time motif flitting in and out like a weak heartbeat.

The soft piano of 'Warrior of the Mind', touching on a whisper of 'Legendary', then rising to a triumphant crescendo as Athena regains herself. I will be forever haunted by visions of Odysseus and Telemachus helping her to her feet.

And then, finally, she faces her own father and begs. Because Odysseus and Telemachus deserve a chance to be father and child.

The parallel, by the way, of Athena entering this saga to help an outnumbered Telemachus, and now closing it with him/Odysseus unknowingly helping her win her own battle too. JORGE HOW DARE YOU T_T

[thegremlininmyhead]

So the snippets that Athena hears/sees during the time dive are very specific to where she finds Odysessus after all their time apart

Aeolus' "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" and then Eurylochus leads a mutiny AND he is held captive by Calypso

Poseidon's "ruthlessness is mercy" and then Odysessus finally acts with that ruthlessness as a mercy on himself

Circe's "one wrong move and you're done for" and then Odysessus watches his crew make a fatal mistake by slaughtering the cow

Tiresias' "song of past romance" and then Odysessus is confronted with a siren taking Penelope's form

Scylla's "drown in your sorrows and fears" and then Odysessus finds himself on the edge of a cliff

These clips were chosen so specifically to make Love in Paradise even more devastating because they just reminding how much Ody has been through and how much he's lost 💔

[oddyseye]

EPIC is an absolute banger. The music? Gorgeous. The emotion? Raw. Jorge’s talent? Undeniable. The way Calypso is written? Tone-deaf, frustrating, and honestly pretty gross.

In Homer’s Odyssey, Calypso is not some sad, lonely girl with a “childlike mind” who just loves too much. She’s a vindictive, manipulative immortal who traps a traumatized war veteran on her island for seven years and forces herself on him. That’s not a tragic romance — that’s abuse. She’s not some misunderstood girlboss crying about unrequited love; she’s a literal predator. The Gods had to order her to let Odysseus go. And even then? She didn’t make it easy. She handed him an axe and made him build a raft himself. As if this 40-something-year-old man who’s spent a decade at war and has lost everything needed one more chore. She wasn’t helping him. She was making him earn the privilege of escaping her.

There is no ambiguity to her actions and Homer himself never once tries to justify her.

But in EPIC, we’re suddenly supposed to feel sorry for her. “Love in Paradise” paints her obsession as some dreamy, lovesick devotion. And it is creepy.

The problem is, this version of Calypso erases the reality of what she did. Jorge turns her from a vindictive, manipulative abuser into a sad, lonely girl we’re supposed to sympathize with. That’s not fair to Odysseus, and it’s not fair to male survivors of abuse. Men’s trauma is rarely acknowledged as it is, and here was an opportunity to tell that story honestly — and it got romanticized instead.

Calypso apologizes for “coming on too strong,” as if her actions were an innocent misunderstanding. No. She didn’t just “push too hard” — she abused a broken man for her own selfish loneliness. The song treats her confession as tragic, culminating in her frustration: “Why in the world won’t you love me too?” But that frustration isn’t justified. It’s manipulative, as if Odysseus owes her love because she’s sad and lonely. It’s a narrative that too often gets applied to real-life victims of abuse: “Can’t you see how much I care about you? Can’t you just love me back?” Framing her desperation as sympathetic only romanticizes her cruelty. The issue? These words are carefully chosen to minimize her abuse. She reduces seven years of captivity to “coming on too strong,” as if her actions were an awkward overstep rather than a violent stripping of autonomy. The word “ambushed” is especially insidious — she uses it casually, almost like a joke, to hand-wave away the depth of her cruelty. The framing makes it sound as if Odysseus simply rejected her too harshly, as though her love was just “too much for him”.

Her final plea in the song: “Why in the world won’t you love me too?” …is the most manipulative moment of all.

The focus shifts entirely onto her suffering, centering her loneliness as the true tragedy instead of Odysseus’ years of despair. Her pain becomes the emotional core of the scene, while Odysseus — whose trauma, grief, and loss should be front and center — fades into the background. Calypso’s selfish lament distracts from the reality: she was never a victim. She was a predator who exploited a broken man to soothe her isolation.

It’s even more frustrating when you think about how Calypso is treated versus other female characters in the musical. Penelope gets a whole invented storyline about threats of sexual violence from the suitors — something that wasn’t in Homer’s original text — while Calypso’s literal abuse of Odysseus gets downplayed into sad girl hours. Make that make sense.

Calypso didn’t need redemption, and she didn’t need a ballad. She needed to be called what she is: a captor who preyed on a broken man.

And before ANY of you BRAINDEAD defenders come at me with the “B-but Calypso didn’t force herself onto Odysseus! This is a retelling that removed that part!”—no. You’re wrong. The lyrics in "Love in Paradise" and "Not Sorry for Loving You" make it abundantly clear that Calypso’s actions are still coercive and controlling, even if the story doesn’t explicitly spell it out.

“Soon, into bed we’ll climb and spend our time”. What exactly do you think she means by that? Odysseus outright says no — “Hell no, I could kill you where you stand! I’m no pet, I’m a married man!” — and her response isn’t to respect his boundaries but to smirk at his helplessness. She laughs off his threat of violence because “last I checked, goddesses can’t die”. Calypso knows Odysseus can’t fight her, can’t escape her.

She doesn’t care about what Odysseus is going through. She only cares about keeping him there.

Odysseus says no — explicitly, violently — but it doesn’t matter. She’s already decided how this story goes.

“So if I pushed you, Or if I came on too strong, Or if I ambushed you, For that, I’ll say I was wrong.”

Let’s focus on “ambushed you.” She’s admitting it. She’s admitting she forced something onto Odysseus he didn’t consent to — she just downplays it. Instead of accountability, she turns herself into the victim with: “I’m not sorry for loving you.”

This isn’t remorse. It’s manipulative. She’s telling Odysseus that her feelings justify her actions, as if the way she loves him matters more than the pain she’s caused. And then she twists the knife further:

“Why in the world won’t you love me too?”

This is emotional guilt-tripping. Calypso has kept Odysseus trapped for seven years, ignoring his grief, his trauma, his screaming memories of war and loss. Yet when he rejects her, she makes him the cruel one for not returning her love.

I actually really liked Calypso in The Odyssey because it didn’t sugarcoat her actions. The Odyssey shows that women can be just as awful as men. Coercion, abuse, manipulation, it’s all there. And it’s important to acknowledge that men can be victims of these things too. That’s real, it’s gritty, and it doesn’t shy away from difficult truths. What I loved about it is that it made me think. It wasn’t all about idealizing characters, it was about understanding that people, both men and women, can be flawed and capable of harm.

But then Epic came along and ruined her. They took the edge off her character, made her into this sad, lovesick nymph who just wants to be loved by Odysseus, and completely erased the fact that she’s an abuser. And that’s what frustrates me. Epic fans seem to ignore that critical part of the story. It’s frustrating as hell to see so many people romanticize this version of Calypso without any awareness of the actual harm she caused. Sure, if you haven’t read The Odyssey, maybe you won’t get it, and I get that. But the rest of you? You’ve had the chance to see the truth and still choose to ignore it because it’s more comfortable. You’re not interested in critical thinking or nuance, so congrats for missing the whole point of the original myth.

If you’re going to turn Calypso into something she wasn’t, at least admit that you’re not trying to tell an honest story anymore. Just be honest about the fact that you don’t care about male victims, or your own intelligence for that matter.

[sci-twi]

OKAY. The fucking ending of Get In the Water

Polites replacing “I” with “We” His fucking crew even after all this time- all the betrayal (on both sides of course) - everything they’ve both gone through are STILL cheering him on.

Eurylochus singing not from Luck Runs Out but Puppeteer- I want to believe that this shows a shift from the blaming/self-loathing tone of how he’d appeared in Love in Paradise. Ody had been triggered by Calypso’s words, so of course he’s going to be the one remembering Eury’s words of dissent, of doubt that ended up being true.

But here? It shows that even in death Eury still has his crew, his brother’s safety in mind. To remind Ody of all that he’s lost and learned- all they all have lost and learned- it’s not to shame him- it’s to drive him forward.

And finally, Polites and Eury and the entire crew joining Anticlea in Waiting… I don’t know I think it can mean a few things maybe waiting to see what he does- waiting to see how he will make his comeback like he always has. Maybe even waiting to see him again, but in that way of we can wait, but they (your son and wife) need you now.

His crew, Eury, they’ve always loved him, they had just been forced into the worst of circumstances and that will bring the worst out of anyone.

[gyubby99]

What if we didn’t hear Penelope in Love in paradise because Odysseus mentioned that she was “all his power” and as time passes in calypso’s island he felt powerless meaning he has lost all his power and hopes to get home? That’s why he was ready to jump off that ledge.

[lily-s-world]

I was listening to the Wisdom Saga for the millionth time like a regular fan, and I noticed something that, while it is pretty obvious now, I didn't catch it the first time.

In The Underworld song and Saga of the same name, the first chorus that Odysseus sings is the following:

They are literally traveling in the Underworld, which we can say is the Greek representation of what we commonly know as Hell. And Odysseus is tormented by the screams of his lost comrades.

Now, in Love in Paradise, Odysseus repeats a part of this chorus to himself:

While he is no longer physically in the Underworld, his mind is so tormented that we could say that he is going through Hell on his own. Odysseus tried to greet the world with mercy, and it cost him over 500 of his men. Then, he tried to become a monster, and that made him lose the rest of his crew and is now stuck in an island with no options to get out. This is the worst-case scenario. This is his personal hell. He feels as if he is traveling the Underworld again, only that this time it won't end because he can't physically move from where he is.

Also, when Calypso finds Odysseus on the ledge, she isn't the playful goddess we saw at the beginning of the song, and she doesn't ask him what he is doing there. Calypso is legit worried about what Odysseus could do, and she is trying to calm him down and convince him to go back to her:

This isn't the reaction of someone who is seeing that type of behavior for the first time. The calming tone, the assurance that everything is better because he is alive... Calypso has done this before with him. They had been in this situation before, probably more than once. Which means that Odysseus has been stuck in hell for months, probably years now. With only Calypso as his anchor.

If Odysseus has been going to that ledge for a time now, it is possible that the prayers to Athena started at some point and not when Athena heard him for the first time. From Odysseus point of view, his prayers had always been unanswered.

That scream for Athena at the end of the song, which was heartbreaking, by the way, for Odysseus is just another plead without response. He doesn't know what Athena is doing for him, what Athena is sacrificing for him... and he probably won't know it until he gets out of the island. Until he can get out of his personal hell.

[goldninja91]

Get In the Water Detail

So, I noticed something interesting about the final bit of Get In the Water that I kinda wanted to share. When Odysseus started getting flashbacks again, they're noticeably different from every other flashback he's had of those characters.

Every time Polites sings after his death, it's always been the chorus of Open Arms, the core of his ideology. At first it was a source of inspiration for Odysseus to be kind to the world around him as a way to honor his deceased friend, but over time the phrase "Open Arms" became nothing more than a burden to him, reminding him of his first failure since the Trojan War that cost him his best friend.

Likewise, Eurylocus had one bit of dialogue before Get In the Water, the chorus of "Luck Runs Out," with him questioning Odysseus's methods and leadership, reminding Odysseus of the rest of his failures when being confronted by Calypso.

In the Underworld, all the soldiers cried out "Captain, captain" as a reminder of both the losses at the hands of Polyphemus and Poseidon, with several members of the crew dying.

HOWEVER...

It's switched around in Get In the Water. Instead of Polites telling Odysseus to greet the world with open arms, he instead just says "You can relax, my friend. I can tell you're getting nervous..." Almost as if he sees Odysseus running himself into the ground and just wants to look out for him. Or it could be Odysseus remembering that "Open Arms" wasn't the only piece of wisdom Polites offered him in trying times.

Eurylocus, in turn, says "Look at all we've lost and all we've learned." While it was originally said in a more negative context with him trying to convince his captain to leave Circe's island while they still could, here it's been framed as a way to motivate Odysseus, to literally remember "all he's learned."

His mom (Anticlea, I believe) says "I'll stay in your heart" as opposed to her "waiting" in Love in Paradise. When before she seemed so distant in waiting for her son, here she reminds Odysseus that she's always with him, despite her passing.

And finally, his crew. Instead of crying out to their captain in vain, they reprise their chorus of "Odysseus" from Different Beast. While against the sirens it was more framed as Odysseus no longer resembling the captain they'd once followed, it's taken new meaning here. They're no longer calling for their captain to save them. They're reaching out to their friend, their leader, their *king...* Odysseus.

What ultimately brought Odysseus to his lowest point a mere saga before is now what he uses as the strength he needs to keep moving forward, no matter what. To face down the impossible odds before him, and finally return home.

[randomciabatta724]

Some other stuff that happens in the Lonely wolf AU (might change if I get better ideas)

Polites stays kneeled next to Odysseus' body, frozen in place, while the club keeps going down (Survive)

Athena screams at Polites (My goodbye)

Eurylochus becomes the new captain

Polites blames himself for Odysseus' death

Polites begs Poseidon for mercy (it doesn't work) Edit: I just got an idea that it could be something like "Please, Poseidon, we didn't mean to offend you and we apologize for hurting your son, isn't there anything else we could offer you instead of our lives?" And Poseidon just says no (Ruthlessness)

Wouldn't you like stays pretty much the same

Dead Odysseus appears (The Underworld)

Polites declares he will do anything to get the crew home (Monster)

Either both Siren Odysseus and Siren Eurylochus or just Siren Odysseus (Suffering)

Polites got all his mythology knowledge from Odysseus so he doesn't know everything, (example: he knows about the sirens but not Scylla) (Suffering/Different Beast, Scylla)

Not really knowing what they're up against, they try fighting Scylla, but once it starts going badly Polites decides to sacrifice himself to save the others (imagine him standing there, holding the only lit torch on the ship) (Scylla)

Eurylochus pulls him away, Scylla eats the arm holding the torch, Polites passes out from blood loss while Eurylochus is screaming "What were you thinking?!" and similar at him (Scylla, Mutiny)

Eurylochus tries to convince Polites to kill the cows and have one last meal together, Polites begs him to reconsider (Mutiny)

Polites begs Zeus to spare the crew and kill him instead, but Zeus refuses (Thunderbringer)

When Polites wakes up on Calypso's island, it truly sinks in that Eurylochus is gone. She holds him while he screams (Love in paradise)

With the crew dead, Polites loses his drive to get home (Love in Paradise)

Polites and Calypso develop an unhealthy attachment to one another (Love in paradise)

Unlike Odysseus' "All I hear are screams", Polites sees his dead comrades, watching him in silence

Athena decides that her best chance to get rid of the suitors is to find someone from Odysseus' crew that survived (We'll be fine, Love in Paradise)

The ledge scene still happens but it's a bit different (Love in Paradise)

Polites agrees to go back to Ithaca only after Hermes tells him about the suitors (Not sorry for loving you)

He gives Calypso his red headband so she can remember him (Not sorry for loving you)

Hermes gives him a blue headband (Dangerous)

Polites tries to convince Poseidon to let things go (it doesn't work pt.2) (Get in the water)

Polites stabs Poseidon until his arms go numb (might also throw some ugly crying in there) (Six-hundred strike)

Polites doesn't attempt the challenge both because he knows he can't pass (Growing up with Odysseus, I imagine he learned how to string his bow but can't shoot through the axes) and out of respect for Odysseus (The challenge)

Polites decapitates Antinous (Hold them Down)

Telemachus mistakes Polites for Odysseus (I can't help but wonder)

Polites delivers the news of Odysseus' death to Penelope and apologises in tears (Would you fall in love with me again)

Polites tells Penelope he's going to leave, insisting that there's nothing left for him in Ithaca and that he doesn't want her and Telemachus to be bothered by his presence while they're grieving (Would you fall in love with me again)

Penelope, not wanting to lose the only other person that could know how she feels and having a feeling that by "leaving" Polites doesn't mean moving away, asks him to mentor Telemachus. Polites accepts (insert very touching "You are wanted and you are needed here" scene) (Would you fall in love with me again)

Polites tells Telemachus stories about Odysseus and Eurylochus (future)

Polites starts learning how to play the lyre (future)

Polites has a garden with six-hundred stones, one for every comrade he lost and some flowers for Calypso (future)

Polites starts wearing a purple headband (future)

Polites and Penelope sometimes sit together in silence (future)

Polites doesn't know why he keeps living, he just does. With time, it gets a bit easier, but he still struggles finding purpose (future)

[ender-cloud]

I saw someone say that what if Polities voice is fading because Odysseus is forgetting his voice, I told some people this and we came up with a new theory.

So enjoy the theory and my explanation for it that I made late last night so its kinda everywhere

Ok ok, so What if Polities Voice fades because Odysseus is forgetting the idea of using Mercy and is no longer taking his advice to heart, forgetting what he said which is why the last time he hears Polities voice he only hears “You can relax my friend”

We can also see the growth throughout lyrics in the story!

First time we hear the Open arms idea is in song #4, Open arms, when Poloties is giving Odysseus advice that instead of leading with a ruthless, unhappy life to lead with a more open, merciful one instead!

And then In Remeber them, after Polities dies, when Odysseus talks to Athena he says “When Mercy is a skill more of this world could learn to do” and in Luck runs out he tells Eurylochus “I still believe in goodness, I still believe we can be kind, lead from the heart”

BUT THEN! IN UNDERWORLD SAGA WHEN WE HEAR POLITIES HIS VOICE IS FADED, at this in the point Odysseus has already met Posedion “Ruthlessness is Mercy” and has heard his crew blaming him for their deaths, already doubting Polities advice

Then theres of course Monster, getting rid of that Ideal of Mercy, with Different Beast Odysseus showed no Mercy to the Sirens because he “can’t take more risks of not seeing his wife” (also just the entire Thunder saga in general) yet he still dosent bring himself to fight Scylla, not being able to fight a monster, perhaps because he knew it was a lost cost either way.

Also he still debates for a bit if he should show his crew mercy, knowing what he truly wants but not wanting to voice it, not wanting to accept that he cant show them his mercy, leading to their deaths

AND THEN IN LOVE IN PARADISE WE HEAR POLITIES AGAIN! This time he’s more faded, Odysseus has been betrayed by people he thought were his friends, he is almost constantly SA’d (in the original Odyssey and Hints to it in Epic) by Calypso every night, and is loosing his hope in humanity.

Then, of course, the Vengeance sags. Where, for the last time, we see Odysseus try to accept Mercy, trying to hold onto the Ideal, but it doesn’t work. Poseidon doesn’t listen. This is the last time we hear Polities, but it’s not the normal piece of advice he gives, it’s “You can relax my friend” because Odysseus isn’t planning on using Mercy anymore. He has tried time and time again just for nothing to work.

This leads to the end of 600 strike, even after He won he didnt give Poseidon any mercy whatsoever.

AND THEN WE GET TO ODYSSEUS (the song) WHERE THIS ALL COMES TOGETHER!

The fight with the Suitors has many parts but theres 2 important ones. The first one is the obvious one, Eurymachus trying to reason with Odysseus, using the Words “OPEN ARMS” which is something Odysseus has rejected, choosing to kill Eurymachus instead (i heard people say its a trigger word now and it made me giggle)

And then theres the end of Odysseus, when Telemachus attempts to reason and give the suitors Mercy, in which we get the nail of the Mercy coffin with the lines “Mercy? MERCY! My mercys long since drowned” (Poseidon putting thr thought of Ruthlessness in his head) “it died to bring me home”

This is where we truly see that Mercy isnt even a thought to Odysseus, he has completely forgotten and pushed aside what Polities had told him (which might be a reason we dont get a polities moment in the final saga)

Also in this same song, Odysseus says that they “Filled his heart with hate” going against what he had said in Luck runs out, he is no longer penelopes “kind and loving husband” (WYFILWMA) because of what happened to him during the journey

[thrpr0phetuseek]

(Typing this here since I don't know if your messages are working yet *sobs* /silly)

ooc: remember how I mentioned Odysseus being afraid of getting stuck on land? Originally, I planned to have it be caused by Poseidon (hence the short comic), BUT I think I found a better alternative that makes it worse.

Calypso.

Odysseus slowly lost the ability to shift his legs. After the cyclops saga, they became harder to balance, and often, he would be forced back into his tail without a choice, but by that point, he would've had absolutely no way to shift his form.

Completely and utterly trapped on her island, dependant on this woman to carry him around and all while the sea refuses to let him leave when he manages to get to it. That helplessness terrified him. Adding to that breakdown he had in "Love In Paradise"

While now he can shift freely, so I doubt that this fear applies much anymore - it is still a fun concept. Anyways, thanks for listening to my ramble /silly

ooc: aaaaa I love this. Living for the Ody trauma-drama. Comes in the shape of a llama!

. . . you can tell how much sleep I got /silly

Disappointingly my messages are NOT working yet, but I’m very glad you sent in your ramble- so here for this.

But then what’s the trauma-drama with Poseidon? Better question- what was it originally?

I’m gonna start bribing all my moots first their character lore, this is the best! >=}

[microwavesaferat]

This is a different topic than my usual stuff, but I was relistening to Epic: The Musical and wanted to talk about my personal interpretation of Calypso's character both within and out with the musical.

So a couple things to consider when going into this:

The original material and the biases/lense that it was created through

The long game of telephone that has moulded the current view of her character

The changes made from the Odyssey to Epic

In the original material, Calypso is trapped on the island of Ogygia for supporting her father, Atlas, in the battle between the Titans and the Gods. When Odysseus washed up on her shore, she took a fancy to him and proceeded to attempt to court him. She did not take no for an answer and in fact cast spells on him through song to force herself onto him. It is noted that, later in his stay on the island, Odysseus would spend most of the day crying on the shore before being forced into bed at night.

TLDR: in Greek Myth, Calypso is a horrible person.

In Epic, some liberties are taken for a multitude of reasons:

Dramatic effect

Narrative flow

Thematic storytelling

Making it more 'PG'

The big one here is the last point, although Epic covers a lot of violent acts and tough topics, but some aspects do need to be cut in order to not make the musical too graphic. For example, in the original myth, Odysseus and Circe definitely have sex, in fact, she has a child with him. So Jorge trimmed down the complicated relationship Odysseus has with Calypso, that is perfectly fine, in fact, it probably works better in the medium than being 100% accurate.

To talk about the version of Calypso in Epic; she was cast away as a child and naively fell in love with the first person she saw. My interpretation lies somewhere in-between these versions. I believe she was isolated on the island (something present in both), but I do not believe she was entirely well meaning yet harmful.

Calypso, at least in my eyes, became obsessed with the first contact she has had in a century and did, like a school-child, gain a naïve crush. But I believe she was cruel and manipulative to Odysseus and is not free of blame for what she did.

Based on the lyrics present in Paradise, she does not reveal her Godly nature until after Odysseus threatens violence if she does not leave him alone, this is a threat to him. She will play nice as long as he does, but she always has the upper hand. She also uses his friends' words against him to manipulate him (open arms), plus she almost completely ignores everything he says during the song to continue her fantasy of a perfect couple.

In Not Sorry for Loving You, she sings a very half-hearted apology that sounds like a YouTuber apology video where she apologises for how he interpreted her behaviour (I'm sorry if my actions offended some people), she blames her actions on her own problems (I've been having a real hard time you guys and wasn't thinking straight). My interpretation is that, she is (as she says) not sorry and is fully aware of what she did, just hoping he would believe that she was simply trying her best and that he would choose to stay.

An important factor that stops Calypso from being 100% awful is that she is a goddess with a skewed interpretation of mortality and of human emotions. She doesn't understand why this is such a big deal to Odysseus to be faithful and get home soon, they have all the time in the world. 7 years is merely a moment in her lifetime. It is also important to note the general reception to Calypso's actions at the time of the Odyssey. It was common for mythological characters to take war brides and the like in many Epics, even Achilles has a bride given to him as a spoil of war. The use of an action like sex in the Odyssey is to demonstrate a power imbalance and a sense of ownership. Calypso takes Odysseus like a spoil of war because he has lost and the Gods have won. In the Odyssey, Calypso does not do this because she is a horrible person, but because Homer wanted to demonstrate the loss Odysseus has faced.

I also find it weird that Calypso is brought up so much surrounding the topic of consent when, in the original myth, Circe does the same exact thing. In fact, it's like her main thing. She turns Scylla into a monster for being with a man she likes, she turns a king into a beast for noting accepting her courtship and has sex with Odysseus in exchange for help home, giving him a child.

The changes for Circe in Epic work because Circe's job in the story is to demonstrate Odysseus's wit and his devotion to Penelope, so she can still help him after he proves he's 'not like other men' (he's a monster rah rah rah). With Calypso, you cannot make it so that she respects his choice, or that would make for a pretty chill 7 years.

TLDR: In both the Odyssey and Epic, Calypso is more important as an idea than as a character. She serves to show how far Odysseus has sunk, lost the war and has been taken as a spoil, defeated and broken.

[babushka-of-chaossss]

Something my sister pointed out to me

ok so in love in paradise while Ody is trying to jump off the cliff Calypso says something, she says...

"Stay in my open arms"

and then Polities starts singing Open Arms like in the Underworld Saga, then Anticlea, and then Eurylocus which made me cry. But the whole point was that Calypso said something that reminded Ody of everyone he lost...that made me cry today.

[arrowheadedbitch]

Okay, so my son of zeus au, yeah?

I made Denki friends with Hermes and I had hermes give him this fancy thieves knife, if you don't know

Well, one of the properties of this knife is that if lost, it will sprout wings similar to the ones on hermes shoes and fly back to you, specifically you, and it can squeeze through spaces it physically shouldn't be able to just to get to you

Well, I can't stop imagining a scene similar to Calypso's island in epic, you know the one. During "Love in Paradise" where Odysseus is threatening to jump off the cliff because trauma

Well, a lot of times I'll reimagine that as someone using themselves as a bargaining chip against someone who can't be killed, kind of like since you can't be killed and you love me so much, get me the fuck out of here or I'll kill myself, don't think I won't, I'm fucking crazy, dude

Well, naturally I've been thinking about this with Denki and SURE he could threaten to jump off the cliff too but I gave him such a pretty little knife to use! And yeah, he wouldn't die from that fall even if he wanted to since he doesn't take fall damage but SHE doesn't know that! Maybe.

Okay, so I'm imagining him pulling out the knife and pointing it at her, but then realizing that she's a goddess and immortal so, quick thinking and remembering she's enamored with him, he turns the knife around and holds it to his own throat

And he has to hold the knife tightly because it's realised that it's against its owner's throat and is trying to flap itself away.

[decapitatedsnake]

My little (to no) context reaction to the wisdom saga 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

(I couldn't stay up to watch the live so I'm just listening to the music = no animatics)

[30th of august 14:58]

Legendary

. I mean I've already heard legendary but I'm excited

. Gorgeous music, I feel transported into like ancient greece

. This sounds amazing

. The guy who voices Telemachus (MICO?) is adorable

. I don't like the riffs but he sounds good

. Telemachus deserves the world

. "L-l-l-l egendary"

. 108??!

. Isn't he like 13 here? (anywhere from 12-15 i feel like)

. I don't think we got a snippet of the ending

. MAN OF THE HOUSE

. AHHHA

. 20 YEARS?? WHAT

. I can't tell if they said 12 or 20

."BOY" Lowkey scared me

. EXCUSE YOU SIR TRAMP?? WHO DOES HE THINK-

. Antinous didn't come to play DAYUM

. This is insane

. "Whatcha gonna do about it champ?" Jorge was totally right Ayron is such a good Antinous

. Awwww he can't do anything :<

. Wait?

Little wolf

. GET HIM TELEY

. I love Antinous's voice

. I really loved the snippets for this one

. "I'll teach you all the lessons your daddy never could" it's on sight actually

. And little wolf is just so ughh I wanna punch him

. ATHENA

. FIGHT BACK

. BAHAHAHA UPPERCUT?

. QUICK THOUGHT

. And he👏is👏a 👏bully👏

. SHOW HIM

. ATHENA IS SO COOL

. OMG OMG

. Her voice is stunning

. The animatics are gonna go so hard

. Awww

. Oh he lost??

. Telemachus:((

. I mean yeah why did she come to your aid?

We'll be fine

. We only got Teleys bit so I'm excited

. Oo start with Athena

. FRIEND??

. Don't make me cry

. "He was a lot like you" gee I wonder why

. GREW APART :((

. HIS LIGHT!!

. GLORIOUS VOICE

. WAITT THEY CHANGED IT

. "Or if hes worth the hype but" > " I don't know what he's like"

. Fair enough

. And they changed "Cuz I got in a fight, sailed to an island when I've never left home shores"

. Okay it's been less than 5 minutes please refrain on the whole "friend" thing rn lol

. God telemachus voice (I can't shut up they're such good singers"

. DUET!!!!

. YOU WILL BE FINE

. Kid? Is he twenty or 12 I can't tell

Love in paradise

. FUCK YES

. WAIT THE INTRO?

. THEY WERE AT SEA FOR 10 YEARS, damn

. THE MUSIC SOARING, IT'S SO COOL, ouch

. CALYPSO MY LOVE (only the epic version though) [Ik it's up to interpretation but for me she doesn't sa him in this version]

. She's my wife 🙂 anyway 🤨

. HELL NO

. Oh shit love in paradise is athena watching, not Odysseus's experience

. Like this is when they first met and Calypso and Odysseus have been together for 7 years

. 7 YEARS

. YEAH I SAID THAT, before the song did

. ODYSSEUS!!

. WHAT > THE LEDGE

. ODYSSEUS 😭😭😭😭

. Wtf I am not emotionally stable enough for this

. Open..... arms.. BRO

. HIS MUM, POLITES AND EURY AND PENELOPE AND ATHENA??? BROO 😢

. YEAH I THINK HE DOES NEED HELP UGH

God games

. Ooo very grand

. Athena get him PLEASE

. She's about that business

. YES GOD GAMES INTRO OMGG

. WAIT WERE GONNA HEAR APOLLO AND HEAPHESTUS I'M SO EXCITED

. THE LITTLE MUSIC CHANEGS ARE SO GOOD

. ZEUS VOICE IS SO AMASZNIGN

. "and me" 😎

. That is not how I thought Apollo would sound

. He's batting for the sirens?? Um Ig that makes sense

. Oh Heaphestus I totally thought that aphrodite was next

. Well she's level 3 anyway

. BRO HIS DAD VOICES HEAPHESTUS I LOVE THAT

. Wait Apollo and Heaphestus are very reasonable, good for them

. NOW THE ONE WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR (excluding Hera)

. OMG IT'S THE SNIPPET THAT'S THE FINAL

. Athena's voice is new?

. Hmm she rerecorded but they didn't

. DIDN'T EVEN TRY TO KILL HER

. Don't fuck with Telemachus in front of Athena

. "Ughh release him"

. HERA

. OH FUCK SHE'S PERFECT CMON

. RELEASE HIM

. ZEUS YOU DICKHEAD SHE'S THE GODESS OF WISDOM LITERALLY ONLY HER COULD BEAT YOUR GAME

. WHAT WHAT

. NO

. WHAT???

. WHAT'S going on

. The music is telling me she like survived whatever his ambush was

. Zeus....

.THATS THE END WHATT