#REMEMBER THEM

[a-very-sparkly-nerd]

Zeus: "If you don't end him now, you'll have no one left to save."

Athena: "Finish it."

Aeolus: "The end always justifies the means."

Poseidon: "Ruthlessness is mercy."

Hermes: "You can be hurt or you can beat her. ... I'll help you conquer her."

Tiresias: "I see a man who gets to make it home alive, but it's no longer you."

Hestia, probably:

[tjspider]

Every Saga has that One Song

The one that you listen to more than the others. The one that you played on repeat when you heard it for the first time. What were those songs for you? These are mine:

[pencopanko]

Two more journalists killed by Israeli bombing

Quoting from Al Jazeera:

In the past 24 hours, six media professionals have been killed by Israeli bombing, including journalists Sari Mansour and Hassouneh Salim. They were hit by an Israeli air strike on the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. At least 55 Palestinian media workers have been killed since October 7.

[tunguszka20]

Athena: He's still a threat, until he's dead. Finish it. Odysseus: No. Athena: ... Athena: Are we gonna have a problem?

[father-wings]

The way Odysseus says "I am your darkest moment" after blinding Polyphemus is so funny

[mrskillingjoke]

I love the difference between the 'no' in remember them, when odysseus disagreed with athena

And the 'no' in odysseus, when the Dude asked for Open Arms.

Like in remember them it was strong, he screamed at a literal goddess and disagreed with her. He wanted to Show Mercy in a world without it and was ready to fight for this. Breaking Out of the Time-Stop thing and being stubborn and naive.

But in odysseus it's almost calmly and clear. He says it with such confidence without a second thought. I literally hear him smiling coldly at this Dude and kill him without any afford. He accepted that there can't be Mercy, Not in His Position as King and Not for people who already betrayed him.

This one Word is already showing so good how he changed and i Love it so much.

[fantasy-nerdddd]

In defence to Odysseus' highly stupid doxxing on Remember Them: Though that doesn't make it better, Odysseus couldn't know that telling Polyphemus his name would lead to anything but Polyphemus knowing who blinded him. The Cyclopes were all children of Gaia and Uranus according to Hesiod's Theogony. Polyphemus, specifically, was purely Homer's addition, as well as Poseidon being his father. To Ody's knowledge, both of Polyphemus' parents were buried deep in Tartarus.

[room-temperature-orange-juice]

Listing off Odysseus’s crimes in epic the musical

- starting off strong, infanticide: just a man

Dropping a baby off a wall is probably (?) illegal, but I’m not a lawyer so idk

- Disturbance of the peace, harassment: open arms

Odysseus threatens the lotus eaters for food and tells them he can and will burn down their home, mostly unprovoked. (The lotus eaters said ‘welcome’ and he immediately pulled out a sword)

- breaking and entering, thievery, killing a pet: Polyphemus

Yeah Odysseus kinda walks into this cave, kills an animal, takes food out, and only then notices that someone lived there. Credit where it’s due, no one else noticed, and he immediately backtracks, but it’s still probably illegal.

Assault? : survive

They do attack Polyphemus, but I’m not sure if I’m counting this, since it could be considered self defense.

Assault, maiming: remember them

Once again, not sure if I’m counting this, since it could be considered necessary force. Still marking it down, since he does blind someone and still their sheep

The ocean saga:

Fun fact! The ocean saga is the only saga where Odysseus doesn’t do anything illegal!

Drug possession laws, drug free zone laws: Wouldn’t you like

Odysseus takes and is in possession of drugs, that are likely not legal.

Breaking and entering, assault and battery: done for

While under the influence of Moly, Odysseus breaks into Circe’s palace. (I didn’t hear her invite him, so I’m assuming he just walks in unprompted) Odysseus also threatens Circe on her private property and summons a cyclops. I don’t know if summoning a cyclops is illegal, though?

Disturbance of the peace: no longer you

He just yells ‘WHO’ really loud, someone probably filed a noise complaint.

Murder on several accounts: Different beast

He kills several sirens here, to the point it is definitely considered premeditated murder

(Idk what he did in Scylla is technically illegal, but I’m still writing down manslaughter)

Assault and battery: Mutiny

Although it may be considered self defense in some courts, he definitely fights Eurylochus with swords, undoubtedly causing injuries

Manslaughter/murder: Thunder Bringer

“But we’ll die.”

“I know.”

Disturbance of the peace: Love in paradise

Threatening to kill calypso, although it’s definitely justified, and most courts wouldn’t hold it against him. Still likely illegal.

And that’s all the sagas for now. Tell me whatever crimes I missed, because I probably did miss a lot

[randomhuman45]

So I was relistening to Epic: The Musical (as one does) and imagining it on stage (as one does) and YO! Great idea!

Odysseus finds infant in blanket

Odysseus saves blanket after Just A Man

Blanket is on his person like on his belt or something and he constantly grabs onto it

Singing the line "I'm just a man" throughout the 1st act

When he tells his men not to kill the cyclops in Remember Them

Singing to dream Penelope "but I'm the same!!"

When he tells Athena he can't sleep at night

He or Posieden reach out to it during the lines "if you just killed me son// but no"

During Puppeteer while explaining he can't leave his men

In The Underworld "I keep thinking of the infant from that night"(x2)

Odysseus fully pulls out the blanket during the song Monster looking at in his hands in the line "What if I'm the monster?"

Just as Odysseus raised his arm out holding the baby out he does the same to the blanket but this time he visibly drops the blanket to the audience in the line "And if I gotta to drop another infant from a wall in an instant so we all don't die, then I'll become the monster!"

It would make that part just as visibly insane as the audio and thematically, how I see it, it's not until that part of the musical that Odysseus ever actually kills the baby. Throughout the 1st act Odysseus is very much emotionally and mentally in the middle of the song Just A Man as he constantly grabs at any and all excuses/potential paths to NOT kill the thing that he knows he NEEDS to kill. He's still arguing with the Gods that he can "raise him as my own... send him far away from home.... make sure his past is never known" at every turn.

It's not until he FINALLY faces all of the consequences of those choices, the consequences that Zeus warns him of "he will burn your house down ... he will find you wherever you may go ... the Gods will make him known" that he actually comes to terms with the fact that he WILL kill and he never truly kills that infant until he sings that line in Monster.

That's just how I see it, and I think the visualization of Odysseus carrying around that blanket and constantly grabbing at it until he finally kills it, the infant, and his guilt; would just be a great way to represent that on stage.

[mer-acle]

Something that won't leave my head is in Remember them, does Odysseus just... leave Quick Thought? Independently?

Like before he addresses Polyphemus there is no Quick Thought sound and Athena does not sound like she's done talking at all. To me it really sounds like he decides to cut her off and go back. But like... How? He's famously just a man and it's not like time passes but Athena has no reason to let him out of her mind in that moment if she really does not want him to do this.

Idk thoughts? Cos I don't think this actually happened but I also kinda think this happened and the idea that Odysseus can do that intrigues me.

[lulollymint]

Why yes, I've tripped and fallen into the Epic the Musical fandom---

Hello-- I am late. BUT! I bring you a fan animatic as an offering!

This is my take on the last scene in "Remember them", inspired by the so many awesome animatics I've seen so far. I have a few more scenes from other songs that I want to draw out, so I'll probably not finish this entire song until those get drawn out.

Art and video by me! I've been mostly on Youtube and Twitch (TamatheTamago) now, where I stream/post art and games. Come find me and say hello sometime! I'll be streaming more animatic art on some days.

[nyssasatelier]

But Captain, what do we do with our fallen friends?

[ivoryand-gold]

Epic The Musical Reaction: Thunder Saga ⛈️⚡️⛈️⚡️⛈️⚡️

SO many thoughts and feelings after the Troy & Cyclops Sagas (Jorge’s Version) and THUNDER SAGA. this is a LONG one, but i’ve put what i can put into words, so here my initial 24 hour-post release reaction! Spoilers galore ahead!

TROY

THE HORSE AND THE INFANT

the ensemble is *chef’s kiss*

i love how gentle Jay’s voice is when he’s singing “penelope” and “telemachus”

the battle clashing is so good!!

overall Luke’s voice is a little softer and feels less thunderous than og so i wonder if that was to contrast thunder bringer? not a complaint just an interesting choice!

don’t love the change to “i don’t think you’re ready” but the rest of zeus’ part is gorgeous

he sounds like a kid pleading, making thunder bringer even sadder when he does it again later 😭😭😭

JUST A MAN

instrumental has a chokehold on me and Jay’s vocals are so smooth

“the view” drop is a lovely choice

😭😭😭 “who’s fighting for his life” 😭😭😭

THE STRINGSSSSSS

od’s first “im just a man” being so soft and now in comparison to eurylochus’ version is devastating

FULL SPEED AHEAD

i like how Jay’s voice starts soft and builds power as he’s shaking the guilt of the infant in order to lead his men again

Armando is just so solid. truly the most consistent and solid vocals, which is perfect for the purpose his character serves in the first act of the story

i love every once in a while Jorge makes a surprising pronunciation choice that just tickles me

there were a few specific lines i was worried would lose their magic but “you and i’ll go ahead” still sounds perfect

again, ensemble is eatinggg

OPEN ARMS

Steven stuck out so much to me for some reason. more so when i listened on my tv, but still a bit on my phone as well. the mixing on him feels a little off compared to everyone else to my ear, which is odd compared to the bell-like perfect clarity the stolen version has. this isn’t a diss to Steven, he has a beautiful voice and is the perfect polites which may be why this production difference sticks out more than any one else’s. idk maybe i’m tripping but it feels like he lost some of the innocence in his voice as a result 🥺

i wonder if the lotus eaters sound a little deeper to distinguish them from the winions

i love the “nom nom nom,” “scary cave,” and “that way” 😂😂😂

WARRIOR OF THE MIND

Teagan is so solid it’s unreal, athena songs can’t help but be bops and aside from the “villain god songs” are my favs

thought it was “you lied to me,” not “enlighten me” until yesterday 😅

CYCLOPS

POLYPHEMUS

ik after the ts master’s heist that re-recorded masters have to be distinguishable for legal reasons, but it’s so interesting what and how choices were made here, such as polyphemus’ voice change

“watch out” and the mixing leading into Survive is perfection

SURVIVE

the fighting is excellent

OKAY GUITAR???

the harmonizing is stunning

the deaths are even more brutal 😭😭

ik he squished polites but polyphemus is so pitiful and they are in his house, you could never make me hate him in this version 🥺 (in hades 2 yeah fuck that guy lolol)

REMEMBER THEM

eurylochus screaming is very good

Jay’s vocals are DELICIOUS!! this song might be the biggest improvement for him.

the crew sounds more reverential and mournful while od grows in anger throughout which i like how that builds into the name reveal

GAH od’s no and athena’s no are both more terrifying now that they exchanged energy

background vocals during the build to his name reveal seem much more pronounced, which is interesting but i love it

“hey cyclops” really feels like the culmination of all the anger in this songs and then we get hit with the new “odysseus”

MY GOODBYE

platonic breakup song of my dreams 😩😩😩

oooh that growl on “waste” is everything

her disappointment is a little sadder in this one

nailed it, kept the magic, i have nothing but love for this song

RE-RECORDINGS OVERALL

Jorge’s vocals are so much clearer throughout and his acting is so much more nuanced! I didn’t have any criticism for the original version before, but having them to compare now makes me really appreciate his growth and depth of understanding of the character arc Ody’s on in the new ones.

the mixing is so smooth and I LOVE the new vocals for the ensemble

STRINGSSS

such a glow up on the cover art!!!

every song was either an improvement or just as good, but i need more time with open arms to decipher my full feelings on that one

i’m really glad Jorge did this.

⭐️ REMINDER: STREAM NEW VERSIONS ONLY FROM NOW ON SO MR JALAPEÑO CAN BE HELLA PAID YO ⭐️

now…

THUNDER

SUFFERING

i didn’t consider Jorge had lied about the sirens not being included until the end, so at first i thought it was a dream or something, but realized the heavy production meant some god/monster fuckery + the repeated trying to get him in the water + use of Penelope’s voice it became apparent to me just in time for the turn.

this song is so cute and ridiculous

the tonal dissonance was jarring but then on additional passes it’s so perfect to express how out of place what’s happening is. it’s confusing because it’s wrong

Anna’s delivery of “of course” and “oh no” are so playful, i love that he found an creative way to include more penelope

shy my ass lolol that was around when it clicked

also since they’re sirens, this is what he wants to hear most which is sad to think about if this is how he desires their marriage to be when he returns 😓. no matter of love or support can fix all the pain and guilt he’ll carry the rest of his life, but that hope is all he has

DIFFERENT BEAST

i love that “my real wife knows” is gonna probably mirror penelope saying something like “my real husband would know” in the ithaca saga

the layering of voices in the chorus

12 years or so is SO funny

i’d be scared so shitless

“nah you wouldn’t have spared me” and “let them drown” delivery

the crew’s turn from “we” to “he” then od singing “kill them all” before the following 3 songs is UNHINGED

SCYLLA

i was most excited for this song going in and was NOT disappointed!

scylla vocals in the backdrop to eurylochus’ confession feels reminiscent of puppeteer after his attempted confession with circe layered over. this time odysseus makes a different choice 😭

not much to say > i’ve got a secret > i opened the windbag > *silence* > light up 6 torches no words just ????????

DROWN - CHOKE - BLEED is so crunchy i want to mix it into my granola

the monstrous scylla belting is EVERYTHING and left me wanting so much more, so i guess i just have to repeat this song forever (but if Jay wants to release a Scylla extended cut i would be the #1 supporter)

“we are the same you and i” after his transformation into the monster is the stuff music is made for

MUTINY

luck runs out reprisal with the strings is gonna be the end of me

“crazy and mad”

he said gaslight me PLSSSS

eurylochus losing his mind with the loss of his faith in od will leave me in shambles for the foreseeable future

“SAY SOMETHING”

“I CANT” 😬😬😬

electric guitar is guitarringggg

there is no price he won’t pay- the moment of clarity for the crew

yeah od why did you think they’d still trust you lol

im still not over the fact that burr and hamilton switching it up at the end is what sealed their fates and i imagine the same will remain true of ody and eury repeating that devastating irony

i wasn’t sure who would win the duel or if they’d keep the cows in, so as soon as i heard that cow i was like it’s over they’re so cooked they can’t conceive of how bad this is gonna be. helios don’t play about those cows (even though i’m inclined to think Jorge is switching it to be apollo for the sake of simplicity for epic which would also explain why apollo’s part of god games is still unknown even though his part is first)

wind god/sun god is so special to me

eurylochus isn’t himself anymore, odysseus was his hope

“please don’t tell me you’re about to do what i think you’ll do”

“ODY-“ brb screaming crying throwing up

“im just a man” 😭

he didn’t even get to enjoy a final meal, they died for nothing and it’s so damn sad

the acting in this may be the best in the entire musical

“captain?” 🥺😭 his hunger is so great and his spirit is so broken

“WHO DO YOU THINK HE’LL SEND???” is so desperate and well delivered

⚡️⚡️⚡️THUNDER BRINGER⚡️⚡️⚡️

the thunder and chanting and electric guitar and percussion and LUKE’S VOICE and-

the lyrical implications are so appropriately horrible but the beat is seductive and his voice is so powerful and it slides and shoots like lightning strikes or thunder rumbling might- culminating into a banger that captures the king of the gods’ essence perfectly. he is divine judgment and i would say that he abuses that but he doesn’t even see it that way. you implicitly can’t refuse his power, you never had the option and it’s terrifying and so damn zeus.

i truly have no notes that aren’t appreciation and awe. i won’t declare so definitively out of awareness that recency bias is in play, but this may best ruthlessness as my favorite.

odysseus will hate rain and the ocean for the rest of his life, they mean one of the big 3 is coming to fuck up his whole life 😅😅😅

“tell me” and “enlighten me” have me so giddy, he’s enjoying himself so much lol

so many GORGEOUS line deliveries in this whole song. this entire song is GORGEOUS line deliveries. one of my favs is how “choose” and “you or your crew” is said like a gentle interlude for the showier singing but is the most devastating part. the climax is in the quiet for this song

“please don’t make me do this” callback is lethal. odysseus never would’ve made another choice but the way they respectively play out and how he feels about them are brutal.

“let me take the suffering from you” he’s drawing from the siren’s version of penelope to convince himself he can live with the guilt. he uses her as an excuse time and time again to do the worst things, so much so that that’s how he sees her now. he’s desperate for her to be that because how else can he face himself? the one time he looked inward he saw a monster, no wonder he always has to look to/for her.

“captain?”

“i have to see her”

“but we’ll die”

“i know”

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

they sound like scared children and i’m NOT OKAY. eurylochus gave everything for 12 years and odysseus told him he would do ANYTHING to save eury specifically when he risked his life for the pig-ified crew and not only was that not true, he ultimately chose to let him and 35 other men die in a final betrayal after withering his hope, faith, and mind. odysseus is devastated and racked with guilt but it was never a choice. he merely sees himself more honestly now, not the hero he saw in the mirror at the start of the journey, or even back on aeaea.

ik it’s the chorus but also it’s just like zeus to make it about himself again as he decimates these men. his all-powerful divine judgement is his right and stands as his thesis, as ruthlessness for mercy of self does for poseidon.

it sounds like a lullaby at the end like it does in THATI and Just a Man. innocence has died for the final time, there’s nothing good in him left to sacrifice. all he has is the hope that what’s left can still be loved and accepted by penelope because his love of self is gone. yet all that remains is selfishness. he’s calcified into himself, and this makes me hungry to re-read his character study in Circe by Madeline Miller because they do the same thing: Epic reveals this truth through his own perception of himself while Circe does it through the memories of those who loved him and most desperately wanted to the lies he believed about himself to be true.

FINAL THOUGHTS

i will NEVER hate eurylochus. he was top 3 before, but after this saga he is definitively my favorite character. were there devastating consequences to his actions? i mean yeah but also odysseus expected unconditional faith after making the original decision that put them in danger in the first place. his grief and/or pride (depending on how you interpret epic’s depiction of od) and ignoring eury/athena is what put them all in poseidon’s sights. he was clever, yes, but what did that ultimately amount to? it makes all the sense in the world that eurylochus lost faith in his cleverness when he saw the consequences and then just when od earned back his trust, he sacrificed 6 of their men without even trying to be clever. it’s all tragic and if you’re withholding criticism for od but can’t hold nuance for eury then we are having very different experiences, idk what to tell you lol.

danger motifffff

i hope the crew haunts od’s ass so we can hear them again, but either way what an expertly executed ending for those characters and that chapter of odysseus’ life. brava.

this may be the best saga. again- recency bias- but it’s certainly going to be one of the best when all is said and done. THANK YOU JAY. THANK YOU ARMANDO. THANK YOU ANNA. THANK YOU LUKE. THANK YOU KJ.

so far my ranking is reverse track order

i hope we get the wisdom saga sooner than later because i’m greedy for good art lol but i’d wait however long Jay needs for another saga as well executed as this one

10/10 acting, 10/10 singing, 10/10 production. so much heart, skill, and talent has been put into this project and i’m really happy to be on this journey of appreciating and analyzing it with y’all in real time ☺️

i’m most looking forward to calypso and penelope as characters, but god games, get in the water, and hold them down as songs in each of the remaining sagas. (also my boy hephaestus)

if you made it this far, holy shit thank you. if you have money to spare please sponsor a family on Operation Olive Branch, also stream songs with proceeds being raised for liberation (such as Revolutin’ by Amira Unplugged), and Free Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Tigray, West Papúa, Haití, Hawaii, Armenia, Uyghur, and Turtle Island til it’s backwards! None of us are free until we’re all free.

[nonbinarylocalcryptid]

Ok, so the prompt, from @bestiainfinita, is:

Now imagine if, while Polites is still alive, he would always carry and take care of Astyanax to help Odysseus. And it’s the same during the fight with the Cyclops, and when Polites dies, Odysseus is horrified thinking both died, and then realizing that Polites hid the infant within the food and sheep cause he wasn’t going to endanger the child by having him with him while fighting. Just imagine the amunt of pain and distress Odysseus would have felt, followed by an unbearable amunt of relief.

And here is my take:

He gave the child to Polites, his body was laying motionless on the floor. There was no sign of the child.

Polites was dead, was the child dead too? Was he striken by the cyclops' club? But he heard no cry, or did he?

Did he?

He failed. He failed to get his men home, he failed to feed them, he failed Polites and now he has failed Astyanax.

When would it all end? The pain. The suffering. Was he really lucky at all?

He kneeled to close Polites's eyes, a tear leaving his.

"Captain, where do we attack him?" Eurylochus' voice was heard through the cave.

"We gotta stab him in the eye!"

"YES, SIR".

He looked to the food, thinking about how to get it out. If each one of them took something, they could still pass through the little exits...

Their comrades didn't die in vain.

"NOW!"

The cyclops stood as tall as he was, with a sound of pain.

"Scatter!" Was his order, pleased to see that some of his men grabbed parts of the stored food nearby the entrance.

He wasn't doing less. Odysseus avoided the cyclops and ran for the exit, seizing the closest stored goods. They needed bread, and milk, but that they could get from the sheep...

And there, behind a casket full of vegetables, was a familiar blanket.

The tears came again, this time of relief.

Odysseus took the wrapped baby in his arms and kissed him on the forehead without much thinking. Astyanax was safe and sound because Polites had such a kind soul, why put him in danger? Better hide the child and fight.

He got to take the baby out of that god forsaken cave, so he grabbed a bag of grain with one arm and took Astyanax with him with the other, motioning to the entrance.

"Who hurts you". Was said.

Deep.

Menacing.

And then Eurylochus' frigthened whispering.

"There's more?"

"Hide!" Odysseus said in the same voice.

And then it ends with Odysseus doxxing himself as we all know.

[crownoflaurelandbramble]

Odysseus: I’m the reigning king of Ithaca! I am neither man nor mythical! I am your darkest moment. I am the infamous… Odysseus! Athena: What you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

[a-very-sparkly-nerd]

I think a big factor in Athena accepting Odysseus as her mentee again is that she realizes she and Poseidon are encouraging (read: forcing) him to do the same thing: Be ruthless and show no mercy. She just wraps it up in nicer words instead of outright telling him to be a killer like Poseidon (even her telling him to finish off Polyphemus in "Remember Them" isn't phrased quite as crudely and left just a tad more ambiguous than Poseidon's "if you just killed my son" in "Ruthlessness"). I like to imagine she's sitting there, realizes she and Poseidon are agreeing, and goes "...Something's not right."