#THE ITHACA FOUNDATION

[cristinabcn]

PAKISTAN: A Visit to 14th Karachi Expo Book Fair Karachi

PAKISTAN: Una visita a 14th Karachi Book Fair, Expo. Center. Dra. Naila Hina Writer Asia Continent Manager, Dir. Gral. La Agencia Mundial de Prensa Pakistan. Columnista Pakistan, officially known as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia. It shares its borders with India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest, and China to the northeast.…

[yummymouthwash]

★·»—Dr. Simon glass—«·★

You ever just wanna squeeze the hell outta him until he shatters?

🦆

[brainrotcharacters]

whatever level of insanity odysseus was under when he spat "you don't think I know my own palace? I built it" I'm down

[sailforvalinor]

I was finding myself feeling a little bit empty after finishing the Ithaca Saga, because despite his guilt over his actions, Odysseus did succumb to the philosophy of Poseidon and the gods, he did embrace ruthlessness, and he did become the monster. Those are very much things that happened. Despite him getting back to his wife and son, something about him still feels irreversibly broken. But then I remembered Athena. Odysseus doesn’t quite realize it, but he did something nigh-on impossible—he changed a god’s mind. That’s just. Insane. Athena now believes in mercy and kindness! Athena, who is a goddess. Odysseus didn’t just change the mind of a single person, he actually shook up the foundations of the universe. Thanks to him, the way the world works might change. Ruthlessness might not be mercy upon ourselves anymore. He just hasn’t realized it yet.

[drumakun]

Since I can't post in ao3, and Idk wtf happened

Here's a fic I made (a song fic)

Hope y'all enjoy

ITHACA

Shadow Milk held his breath, exhaling slowly as he opened the doors in front of him. There stood a man by the balcony with long blonde hair, a flower crown, a long light blue and golden dress that matches the very heterochromatic eyes that he's been dying to see, a blue and yellow each in those beautiful eyes.

"Pure Vanilla..."

He called out to his wife, an endearing and loving tone, also filled with guilt after being apart for so long.

"Is it you? Have my prayers been answered?" Pure Vanilla trembled slightly with his hands on his chest.

"Is it really you standing there?..."

Pure Vanilla blinking.

"Or am I dreaming once more.."

As he walked slowly towards the man in blue. Close enough, Pure Vanilla brings a hand to cup Shadow Milk's face. Examining his features, and his expression.

"You look different..."

Pure Vanilla's thumb grazes over his cheek right under his eye, a visible dark spot

"Your eyes look tired..."

Pure Vanilla, not breaking contact, looks at him with eyes filled with woe.

"Your frame is lighter..."

Pure Vanilla's other hand caresses his cheek gently.

"Your smile torn..."

Pure Vanilla tilted his head slightly.

"Is it really you, my love?"

Shadow Milk shifted from where he stood, unable to even bring himself to avoid Pure Vanilla's gaze.

"I am not the man you fell in love with..."

Pure Vanilla's eyes widened.

"I am not the man you once adored..."

Pure Vanilla slowly lets go of Shadow Milk's face, looking at him with pity.

"I am not your kind and gentle husband"

Shadow Milk looks away from Pure Vanilla's gaze.

"And I am not the love you knew before..."

Pure Vanilla's expression, emotions circulating.

"Would you fall in love with me again if you knew all I've done?"

"The things I can't undo... I am not the man you knew! I know that you've been waiting... Waiting..."

"For love..."

Pure Vanilla's voice hitched as he calmed himself.

"What kinds of things did you do?"

Shadow Milk returned his gaze, somewhat murderous, as Pure Vanilla finds himself in a vision.

Bloodshed everywhere

"Left a trail of red on every island..."

Shadow Milk follows the path, Pure Vanilla's eyes following him.

"As I traded friends like objects I could use..."

Beasts and Ancients, heroes and villains, every cookie fell victim from Shadow Milk's arduous journey.

"Hurt more lives than I can count on my hands."

Shadow Milk trembling, looking at his bloody hands in shame.

"But all of that..."

Turning his gaze towards Pure Vanilla.

"Was to bring me back to you..."

Pure Vanilla's eyes were glistening. Returning them back to the bedroom from the vision.

"So tell me... Would you fall in love with me again? If you knew all I've done?"

Shadow Milk's hands clenching.

"The things I can't undo..."

Pure Vanilla's expression, now unreadable.

"I am not the man you knew..."

Pure Vanilla turned around, walking to where he once stood by the balcony.

"I know that you've been waiting... Waiting-"

"If that's true..."

Shadow Milk's eyes shifted his gaze towards Pure Vanilla, whose back was fully turned in front of him.

"Could you do me a favor? Just a moment of labor, that would bring me some peace..."

Shadow Milk, quite confused of a request by his wife, fully focused his attention on him. At least he should do this, to make his wife happy, after the long years they've parted.

"See that wedding bed?"

Shadow Milk turns his gaze at their bed, their union, their coupling. Their very foundation of love, but why would he ask about the bed-

"Could you carry it over?"

Shadow Milk's head instantly snaps his head to face Pure Vanilla again, face filled with dread.

Huh?

"Lift it high on your shoulders?"

What?

"And take it far away from here..."

The blonde wife turns around. Calm and collected is all what Shadow Milk sees, making him clench his jaw in frustration.

"How could you say this?..."

Shadow Milk asked, voice filled with dejection.

"I had built that wedding bed with my blood and sweat..."

Shadow Milk walks toward the bed, eyes focused with affection as he recalls their beloved memories.

"Carved it into the silver tree where we first met..."

Shadow Milk still focused, didn't notice Pure Vanilla's small smile as he observed him.

"A symbol of our love everlasting.."

Eyes now turned with frustration and rage as he slammed his fists on the foot board, his hair fizzing and bubbling.

"Do you realize what you have asked me?!"

His gaze shifting to Pure Vanilla.

"The only way to move it..."

As he stormed towards Pure Vanilla's line of sight.

"Is to cut it from its roots!"

Pure Vanilla smirks.

"Only my husband knew that!"

Closing the distance between them as he jabs a finger to Shadow Milk's chest.

"So I guess that makes him you!"

His anger, gone as the breezy wind, as he looked at Pure Vanilla. His eyes shifted, sadly.

"Pure Vanilla..."

Pure Vanilla took a deep breath, tears spilled and dripping, as he exhaled slowly. With eyebrows furrowed with pain, looking at Shadow Milk.

"I will fall in love with you..."

Pure Vanilla shaking his head at the thought of losing Shadow Milk.

"Over and over again..."

Shadow Milk looks at Pure Vanilla with teary eyes.

"I don't care how, where or when!"

Pure Vanilla's voice raised in a high pitch, almost breaking.

"No matter how long it's been..."

Pure Vanilla, then, pulls him by his cloak, dangerously close to his face as Shadow Milk can see Pure Vanilla's face up close, filled with a teary fury.

"You're MINE!"

Pure Vanilla trembled, lips quivering.

"Don't tell me you're not the same person! You're always my husband and I've been waiting... Waiting..."

"Pure Vanilla-"

Pure Vanilla falls to the ground, his legs failing to support him from his outburst, his hands still clutching onto Shadow Milk's cloak.

"Waiting... Waiting!...."

"Pure Vanilla!-"

Shadow Milk kneels to comfort his wife, their feelings spiraling. Hugging his wife tightly.

"Waiting!... Waiting...Oh...!"

Pure Vanilla looks up to see and meets his husband with teary eyes, being cupped by the blue man to stop the tears from spilling.

"For...."

Pure Vanilla leans to Shadow Milk's touch as they can feel each other's breath.

"You..."

They both dove in for the kiss and unity they desperately wanted from each other for so long. The kiss lasted at least a good ten minutes as they looked at each other again and embraced one another. Tears shedding like waterfall, hugging each other tightly, as it is a joyous day for one another.

"How long... Has it been?"

Shadow Milk looks below to meet his wife's eyes, as they were both laying in bed, smiling at each other, as they embrace each other's company.

"500 years...."

He smiled as Shadow Milk reciprocated the expression.

"I...."

"I...."

Tears still falling from each other's faces.

"Love...."

"Love...."

As their foreheads touched, warmth enveloping.

"You...."

"You...."

[telemarketing101]

How the hell did odysseus defeat poseidon, the GOD of the OCEAN

The idea that Odysseus could defeat Poseidon, the god of the sea, makes zero sence to me. While Odysseus is undoubtedly determined to get to his wife and son, he is still a mortal man, one who, by the time of his journey is over 50+ yrs old and has spent 7 yrs on calypso's island with what i would imagine little physical activity. He definetly would not be in peak condition for battle.

Also lets not forget, Poseidon is a GOD, one of the Olympian rulers and among the most powerful deities in Greek mythology. Odysseus (a mortal man) being lost at sea already places him in Poseidon's domain, meaning the god could have easily ended his journey at any time. A single colossal wave, storm, or even a direct divine intervention would have sufficed to destroy Odysseus and his crew.

the depiction of their battle in Epic: The Musical is not what happend in the Odyssey. The idea that Odysseus could steal Poseidon's trident is just baffeling, Poseidon's trident is a symbol of his devine authority. It is unlikely that a mortal could simply take it from him. AND if such an event had occurred, the logical consequence would be crazy, how did poseidon not get revenge on all of ithaca after being stabbed 600 times is beyond me.

Additionally, the portrayal of Poseidon being impaled multiple times while Odysseus is just stabbing him while being like "how dare you kill my men" buddy how he didnt kill YOU is the real question. and even in myths where gods are wounded, such as Ares being injured by Diomedes in The Iliad, the circumstances involve divine assistance or special weapons. The idea that Odysseus could overpower Poseidon through sheer rage lacks a solid mythological foundation.

In the original Odyssey, Poseidon's role as an antagonist makes far more sense, he is not personally obssesed with Odysseus but is punishing him for blinding his son. His actions align with the nature of Greek gods, who often interfere in mortal affairs but rarely engage in direct battles unless provoked by another deity.

That being said, Epic: The Musical does take creative liberties for dramatic effect, and of course its not gonna be accurate, BUT it does not make any sence whatsoever. But the songs do slap, and i will be listening to Ruthlessness on repeat. GOODNIGHT

[iamnotshazam]

having a blorbo in greek mythology and epics is like the ancient world version of realizing the tv show had a different writer for the one episode your critter was wildly out of character and everyone is like "oh that's so them!" ??? did we watch the same show? helen of troy/sparta is a slut no wait she is a perfect woman no no she is a flawed human being no hold on she's a woman making her way in a man's world wait no she is the archetypal victim no wait-

not coincidentally i am reading madeline miller's the song of achilles for the first time and odysseus just showed up halfway through and odysseus'ed across the page so hard he made me fall in love with him all over again. achilles/patroclus is some foundational tragic queer romance, yeah i respect that, but odysseus. the laughing snake that tricks you into forgetting he is always ready to bite. my man

i bet he is a tricky character to write well but as long as he falls somewhere on the wile e. coyote <--> bugs bunny spectrum he is probably in character. because his character is to be tricksily varied. is he just a dude trying to get home? is he a larger than life hero? a rat bastard nobody can trust? the one male in hellas with a working brain who doesn't listen only to his dick or his overinflated ego? a wifeguy (positive)? a wifeguy (negative)? athena's special boy in this generation (telemachus and orestes wiping their noses on their blankets still)? or her latest mortal hackeysack, legs blurring in a looney tunes run between zany schemes, just a bit faster than the other doomed shmucks? all are intensely valid interpretations and go all the way back to homer 2800 years ago. incredible.

someone in the book is making fun of odysseus for bragging about how much he likes the ship, fresh from ithaca!! penelope modeled for the figurehead!!! he gets to see her while they're apart!!!! and that's why i set the book down for a minute. hgn. hdmahflshsk. odysseus sweetie pie i hope you still like it twenty years from now. the ghosts of my middle school english notes defining "dramatic irony" scream in ecstasy from the great beyond

[psychagoguedigitalmusical]

Epic: The Musical - Lyric Textual Analysis 1 - The Infant and the Horse

(Skip to the end if you want to just see my analysis of The Infant and the Horse.)

I hope you like Epic: The Musical (if so, you're in good company here), because we're gonna be talking about it here. We're gonna be talking about it in depth, and we're gonna be talking about it a lot. And we're gonna be talking about it for quite a while.

As I mentioned in yesterday's blogpost, one of primary approaches in the development of Psychagogue: A Digital Musical is through a close and thorough analysis of Epic. Eventually, I plan to analyze other seminal works of musical theatre and miscellaneous other specific relevant works. In a sense, I know I like the body of Epic, but in order to create something, I need to understand its bones, its sinews, its nerves and muscles. By surgically extracting key information, I can study the specimen to build up a foundation to understand why I like it and use that framework to reverse-engineer them to create something of my own.

Like any good house, I am building on a solid foundation of bones. In this case, the bones are the basic storytelling elements of the narrative. Specifically, the text itself. And if you haven't done a lot of literary analysis before, that's okay, but I will say now that whenever I use the word "text" in this blog, I am being deliberate with its meaning. I mean "text" in this case to mean the explicitly written words that compose the work. If that seems obvious, then consider what text isn't. Text is not subtext. Text is not an implication (even a really strong one). Text is incontrovertible, an undeniable fact of the narrative. You can have implications and interpretations that are supported by the text, but I am making that distinction here early on. If we use the show-tell dichotomy, text is the explicit tell. Subtext is the implicit show.

With that out of the way, let's take a look at this S✨P✨R✨E✨A✨D✨S✨H✨E✨E✨T

I might change the format for later entries, but for now, the spreadsheet is divided into 5 main sections:

Song info - Basic information about the song including its title, a link to listen to it, and a link to the full lyrics.

Core elements - I have a running theory that every narrative-driven song (that should be like all of them in a Musical Theatre context I think?) has a core conflict, a resolution of some sort, and the central philosophy, tension, or question can be identified within a single quote. This often, but not always, is the title of the song itself.

The Narrative situation - In what ways does this song actually move the plot forward. Like, what literally happens in this song? Unfortunately, 40 songs in a row about some people in a blank white room singing about their feelings wouldn't make for much of a story. In the context of a musical, I will be working under the idea that they are purely told in song, without any non-song connective tissue. If you go see buy some tickets to your local theatre's staged production of Legally Blonde: The Musical or something similar, you'll likely see a hybrid approach, but I'm going to take Epic's approach on this one and keep everything song-only. (That's right, that means no ARG either. Probably.)

Factual Character information - What do we learn about these characters? Factually, demographically? What contextual information do we actually have about this person singing about his feelings? Odysseus is a soldier from Ithaca. Zeus is a god from Ithaca. Morvic is an adolescent from a small coastal town.

Character relationships/philosophies/perspectives - Similar to factual information, but more about how each character interacts with the world around them. What do they believe in? How do they feel about the situations and characters around them?

With the preamble out of the way, here's the actual results I came up with. Note that this phase of analysis focuses purely on the lyrics of the songs in Epic: The Musical. (This also means that yes, at this phase, the information here will be obvious. You might look at these results and think "duh". That's intentional. This analysis is important as part of the overarching effort of understanding the writing techniques Jorge Rivera-Herrans is using to make information obvious.) For now I am not touching on any musical motifs (yes, Penelope's leitmotif can be heard in the pause between lyrics, yes Odysseus is definitely thinking of her in that moment, no that is not directly stated or implied by the text of the lyrics. Implied by the text of the music itself maybe, but that's a conversation for another day.)

Without further ado:

Epic: The Musical - Lyric Textual Analysis 1 - The Infant and the Horse

Central Conflict:

Odysseus is faced with a difficult choice. He either has to kill a defenseless baby or allow his home and family to be completely destroyed once the baby grows up. He loves his family dearly but is distraught at the idea of committing such an act.

Resolution:

Odysseus must make this difficult decision right now.

Thesis Quote (Fundamental question or philosophy):

"It's just an infant, it's just a boy"

What factual information do we explicitly learn about the situation?

Odysseus and his men have been at war against the Trojans for 10 years

Right now, Odysseus and his crew are beginning to execute a decisive counterattack.

Odysseus and his crew are planning to enter and take the city.

Odysseus' attack becomes interrupted by some unknown force

Odysseus gets a vision of the future from the gods. This future is certain, but can be changed if Odysseus takes action right now.

Odysseus must kill Prince Hector's son in order to avoid the future that the vision shows.

Prince Hector's son is a baby

If Odysseus does not kill Prince Hector's son right now, the boy will grow up and enact vengeance upon Odysseus. Specific consequences include, but are not limited to destroying his home and killing Penelope.

If Odysseus attempts to circumvent this fate another way, he will fail. The gods themselves will ensure that if the boy lives, that this fate will come to pass.

What factual information do we implicitly learn about the situation?

Troy has had a slight upper hand in the war up to now.

The crew's attack on Troy is successful.

What factual information do we explicitly learn about a character?

Odysseus is a soldier in a war who has been fighting against Troy for at least 10 years.

Odysseus is a noble of some sort.

Odysseus has never been in a situation where he has had to consider killing a defenseless baby.

Many of the men in the crew have families at home.

What factual information do we implicitly learn about a character?

Odysseus is the commander of a group of soldiers.

Penelope and Telemachus are Odysseus' family members.

Zeus is a god, but not the only god. He has powers including knowing information about people's lives and the ability to give people visions of the future. The gods interfere in people's lives.

What information do we explicitly learn about a character's relationships, perspectives, or philosophies?

Odysseus considers the soldiers under his command his brothers.

Odysseus is motivated by his connection to Penelope and Telemachus.

Zeus doubts Odysseus' ability to make the difficult decision in choosing who must die.

What information do we implicitly learn about a character's relationships, perspectives, or philosophies?

Odysseus is an effective commander who has the trust of his men.

Odysseus has and values inner strength.

Odysseus has and values pride.

Odysseus values the ability to fight through pain.

Odysseus understands that it is important to have a motivation in order to keep yourself going.

Odysseus is highly confident of his own ability as a fighter.

Odysseus does not want to kill a defenseless baby. He wants to follow his sense of morality and does not have an inherent bloodlust. He would rather take on some amount of sacrifice than go against his morality in this way.

Odysseus is skilled at finding alternative solutions that do not involve killing.

Zeus is stubborn.

One thing I noticed was that the highest density categories for this piece were Explicit Narrative info and Implicit Character Perspective info. Makes I suppose for the first song, especially when the audience can reasonably be expected to come into the experience with some pre-existing knowledge. For establishing Odysseus, it was interesting to see what information was stated outright vs implied. I'll be curious to see how this proportion shifts from song to song.

If you're interested in ever viewing my analysis in depth, including the concrete lyrics backing each of these bullet points, as well as additional notes, I'll be keeping this spreadsheet link publicly available in View-only mode. Over time I will be adding more tabs for each song. My next post will be either another one of these analyses for "Just a Man", some Psychagogue world-building info I've been putting together over time that is almost ready to compile, or some musical ideas I was able to scrounge together.

Until then, that's all I've got for now.

[lapquang]

ASTROLOGY | CHIRON IN THE HOUSES (4/7)

CHIRON IN THE 4TH HOUSE Chiron in the fourth house represents a deep emotional wound, rooted in one's sense of family, home, and roots. This placement refers to the struggle to find emotional stability, when the foundations of the individual's life—symbolized by family and childhood environment—may be disturbed or damaged. Astrologer Ivy M. Goldstein-Jacobson compares this to a tree with twisted or broken roots, where finding stability becomes a lifelong challenge. Ancient astrologers such as Ptolemy, who saw celestial influences as both personal and karmic, explained this wound as inherited from ancestors. Emotional pain related to family can be considered a soul contract, passed down through generations. It speaks to unresolved ancestral issues, where family relationships or traumas become personal burdens. Babylonian astrologers—who linked the stars to the destiny of peoples—may have seen this position as a sign of ancestral pain, where emotional legacies are as influential as genetics.

From a spiritual perspective, as described by Evangeline Smith Adams, this perspective can imply a form of spiritual exile. The individual may feel pushed away or separated from the comfort of family, like Odysseus on his long journey away from Ithaca. This emotional exile prompts a profound search for a sense of belonging, often through healing family wounds or creating a new sense of belonging. The myth of Chiron, who was abandoned by his parents and raised by others, reflects this theme, emphasizing reconciliation with his roots. The Oedipus motif is also very relevant here. Chiron in the fourth house reflects this truth, indicating that unresolved family wounds will continue to exist until they are confronted. People with this placement may struggle with a sense of "belonging" anywhere, even within themselves. This can manifest itself through frequent moves or a deep sense of emotional disconnection from family, leaving them feeling unsafe or unsupported. Dane Rudhyar, known for his focus on spiritual development through astrology, sees this wound as an opportunity for change. He sees Chiron in the fourth house as an invitation to heal family rifts and build a new sense of belonging from within. Similar to how alchemists viewed chaos as the starting point of transformation leading to divine union, this position symbolizes the journey from emotional separation to inner emotional security.

CHIRON IN THE 5TH HOUSE The fifth house in astrology is associated with creativity, joy, and self-expression. When Chiron is present here, it represents a wound related to free creativity, whether that be through artistic pursuits, love, or even the birth of life. In the myth of Icarus, despite his talent for making wings, Icarus met with disaster because of an imbalance—flying too high toward the sun, then lowering too close to the sea. Similarly, those with Chiron in the fifth house may feel both gifted and cursed with their creative potential, unsure how to express it fully without fear of failure or rejection. Astrologer Thomas Ring suggests that this position often indicates an experience from childhood where creative joy is stifled or ridiculed, causing lasting blockage. This can manifest itself as a fear of failure in artistic endeavors or a shyness when entering into romantic relationships where vulnerability in love becomes too scary. In traditional understanding, the fifth house represents the "spark of life," but when Chiron is here, that spark is extinguished, causing self-doubt or untapped potential.

Chiron's experience in the fifth house can be compared to a garden that once bloomed but is now overrun by weeds, where creative impulses still exist but are suppressed by inner doubt, Past criticism or fear of vulnerability. This symbolizes the wounded artist archetype—someone who has great potential but has difficulty expressing it fully due to wounds left over from rejection or failure. In romantic relationships, this position can indicate emotional wounds related to romantic rejection or the fear of being seen through by others. These people may feel insecure in love, vacillating between grand gestures and emotional withdrawal, fearful of being hurt again. However, as Karl Ernst Krafft emphasized with his focus on the cyclical nature of creation, this wound often transforms into a source of regeneration. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, those with Chiron in the fifth house can experience a creative resurgence, turning their suffering into inspiration.

Chiron positioned in the fifth house represents the wounded inner child in pursuit of healing via creative endeavors. By acknowledging their sensitivity, embracing vulnerability, and confronting the possibility of failure, individuals can restore their creative potential. In spite of encountering various challenges, Da Vinci persevered in his experiments and ultimately created a remarkable work of art. The lesson here is that the pain of creating something meaningful can lead to overcoming the wounds that once hindered the individual.

CHIRON AT THE 6TH HOUSE Traditionally the sixth house is associated with responsibility and discipline, Chiron here marks a person who may sacrifice personal needs to fulfill responsibilities, often neglecting health or personal barriers in the process . It is related to health, service and daily habits. Like Virgil's Aeneas, who shouldered the fate of his people, people with this position often feel driven to serve others, sometimes sacrificing their own health to fulfill their responsibilities. In his foundational work on celestial influences, Claudius Ptolemaeus interpreted this placement as a karmic wound related to the body and normal aspects of life. People with this placement may experience chronic health problems, physical pain or psychological illnesses, all of which act as a form of spiritual cleansing, reflecting Greek beliefs - Ancient Egyptians believed that the body is a vessel for divine energy, vulnerable when imbalance occurs in the universe. These individuals may find themselves stuck in a Sisyphus-like loop, constantly pushing the boulder of responsibility up the hill, only for it to roll back down, trapping them in a spiral of overwork and self-neglect, often working in fields like medicine, consulting, or caregiving.

With Chiron in the sixth house, there can be a sense of never-ending vortex of responsibility, where no amount of effort seems to be enough, and health continually betrays them when strength is needed most. Perfectionism is a major theme. These individuals may set unbearably high standards for themselves, crave perfection in their work, health, or daily routine, and feel that they are only valuable when they produce tangible results. The body often becomes a battleground for unresolved emotional or psychological wounds, manifesting as chronic illnesses that do not respond to conventional treatments. Additionally, they may be sensitive to environmental factors such as diet, stress, and emotional states, which greatly affect their health. Galileo Galilei struggled with the constraints of rigid scientific dogmas, which represents the need for this position to be freed from overly rigid habits or beliefs regarding work, health, and service. The healing process for these individuals involves adopting a more holistic view of health. Carl Jung’s concept of individuation—the integration of the self—offers a path to healing where they learn to balance their own needs with their desire to serve others, ultimately finding peace within themselves and their work.

[worfs-glorious-hair]

Six Song Soundtrack Game — ✨Tav✨

Thank you so much for tagging me, wonderful @optimisticgrey

No pressure tag for @astarioffsimpmain @nashcandream @kepchupprabbit @saintsandsorcery @foxtatodreams @moonraevn @derryday and everyone else who wants to scream about their OCs! Definitely doesn’t have to be about your Tav/Durge if you haven’t played the game but want to join the fun!

Rules: Make a new post with links to music and/or lyrics describing the following about your OC...

While I do have my Multitaverse and Tav (i) to (iii) have all their own stories and themes am I today looking for songs that applies to each of them at the same time. The hashtag that I established for describing all of them on my blsky is ✨Folktav✨ (a word play on their background as ‘folk hero’)

Song that illustrates their themes in life

Technically the prompt is called ‘Event that defines character’s past’ but I don’t have a real backstory for Tav, only vibes and loose themes, so I changed it

On My Way To Somewhere by Eivør

I'm on my way to somewhere, I don't know where. I'm on my way to somewhere, I don't know how far [...] I'm on my way to somewhere, I have been walking for so long. I'm on my way to somewhere […] Still so many miles to go [...] So many things l'd like to know. I'm always on my way

Tav always wondered where they could and would belong in life, they were constantly dreaming and searching for a ‘somewhere’ that they could reach one day where they would find themselves as a person and as a druid. A place they could call home. It needed a mindflayer tadpole infection to find this place, which turned out to be not a real place but the friendship and the love of people whose chances of ever crossing paths with them were remarkable thin and still it happened.

How your character sees themselves

creature by half•alive

[…] Discovering the patterns of my soul and where it's placed […] I know I'm made of clay that's worn, blinded by imperfect form […] I am creation, both haunted and holy, made in glory […] Look inside my heart and find a perilous ravine. Carved within the beauty, the darkness in between. Standing in the balance of complete and incomplete. I identify the echo of what is and what will be

How others view them

The Sweet Escape by Poets of the Fall

'Cause you′re fearless in your love, devoted to compassion. The highest state of art. Piercing in your truth, sincere in all intention. The way you wear your heart, the way you hold my heart.

Their closest relationship (platonic or romantic)

Fair by The Amazing Devil

And she brushes her hand through his hair, he’s got so much fucking hair. And he holds her close just to keep the world at bay. And when they’re sure no-one can hear them, she’ll turn to him to say, she’ll turn to him and say: It’s not fair, It’s not fair how much I love you […] 'cause darling I was born to press my head between your shoulder blades at night when light is fading […] It’s not fair, it's not fair how much I love you, it’s not fair 'cause you make me ache you bastard. And he’ll say: Oh how, oh how unreasonable, how unreasonably in love I am with everything you do, I’ll spend my days so close to you 'cause if I'm stood here […] I’ll stand here with you

I fell in love with this song the moment I found it on a Gale playlist on youtube and since it was one of the very first songs I put on my playlist when the Gale obsession began last September lays it now at the core, the foundation, of how I see Gale’s and Tav’s relationship and what they want and need and get from it.

A major fight scene

I don’t have a song for a specific fight scene besides my in-game soundtrack favorites which are Elder Brain, A Threat from Nether Years (especially the last part from ~02:19/20 to 02:50) and Nine Blades (the part from ~04:05/6 to ~04:24)

End Credits Song

Would you fall in love with me again from Epic: The Musical, The Ithaca Saga

[…] Would you fall in love with me again, if you knew all I've done? The things I cannot change. Would you love me all the same? I know that you've been waiting, waiting, for love

[…] I will fall in love with you, over and over again! I don't care how, where, or when, no matter how long it's been – You're mine! Don't tell me you're not the same person, you're always my husband. And I've been waiting, waiting

That’s obviously self-explanatory: They will fall in love in every life where there is a Tav and a Gale. He is theirs and they are his. They will choose each other again, again and again. And it all started with Tav and their refusal to give him up and to loose him entirely. It all started with Tav’s devotion to the man they had pulled out of the stone a lifetime ago.

[iamthearrowking]

Hello!!!

I have a few interesting questions, feel free to ignore any you don't want to answer!

1. Has telemachus every reincarnated/have you ever met him in his reincarnated life(/ves)?

2. How did you find out you were Odysseus reincarnated? Was it a sudden realisation, or very gradual?

3. Do you have any tips/advice on learning astral projection/travel? (I'm a witch who has been STRUGGLING for years with this)

Hi!! Nah I love answering questions you're okay!!

Yes, Tel has reincarnated once before, but not this go-around. Penny and I don't want kids this life, so he's in Ithaca in the astral. Athena keeps an eye on him for us. He prefers it in Olympus, and I don't blame him.

2. Oh that's a fun story. So when you incarnate on earth as a human, the gods can't just bluntly fill you in once you decide to work with them on the physical, you have to ask before they'll tell you. That doesn't stop them from trying to nudge you into *making* those connections lol. For Penny and I, Hermes was acting really weird any time the epic soundtrack was played (He was dead set on Dangerous) and I was reacting physically to Calypso's name being said.

Persephone hinted at it first, saying she thought we may have been Ody and Penny, but Hermes knew for sure and wouldn't tell her. So I just asked Zeus if it was true and he confirmed it. Penny and I did multiple forms of confirmation and every result was a loud yes.

(Also Calypso and I are friends. The song everyone will think about is wrong, she didn't violate my consent and try to replace Penny. What actually happened was she thought I was dead, asked me who Penny was, and just kept me company until it was time to move on.)

3. Oh I feel that pain! Okay, tips for astralling

Disclaimer: All of this is from my experiences as an entity from Olympus with a human perspective, not a purely human viewpoint. Also, apologies for the info dump, I love talking about the astral.

I don't know what you've been trying, so forgive me if none of this is helpful.

The most important foundation to astral magic?

Energy work.

The astral is energy. By doing energywork, you are learning the feel of energy and what your energy feels like. This is the foundation of astral magic. You're becoming aware of your astral form by practicing energywork, and once you become aware of that, you can build up expanding that awareness out, like a render distance. However you want to practice energy work, that's what's gonna get you to the astral.

Other advice:

(All of this is focused on how the astral works, and assumes you do your energy work)

1.Don't listen to social media as if it was gospel *1. I used to be HEAVILY into the witchy side of the internet, trying astral "training courses", hours spent on r/astralprojection and it never helped. Not every method online will help, not every "listen to enter eternal bliss astral projection audio 160 ghz 100% works" video will work. Your soul has it's own way of doing things, and anyone who claims your way is wrong does not understand the astral plane. SM is best used to get ideas to try. Inspiration.

2. Have a location chosen, because I can confirm that "I want to go to the astral" is too vague for the human mind to understand. You do end up in the astral at some point, but the astral drops you in the "universal area" / The Abyss, since the abyss acts like an airport. You're there now, but where do you wanna end up?

3. You will not experience the astral the same way I, or Hades, or Dean Winchester will. Your perception of the astral is unique to you. The best way I can put it, is minecraft. You can change texture packs, but a wooden house will remain a wooden house. That is how the astral works as far as perception by humans.

4. It's not like the movies where you remain dead still and you suddenly float up, look back at your body, and have a hallmark moment. Most likely, you'll gradually become aware of your chosen location. It'll be jarring at first, the human part of your consciousness will instinctively tug back to your body. Grounding will benefit you here, and over time the human portion won't try and jerk back to what it sees as safety.

I can provide more information if you want, I just didn't want this post to be massive with rambling lol.

[howmanyholesinswisscheese]

okay hi hope you're alright :DD i have a question because i think I need to talk about this more so; top ten things that you imagine happening (good or bad) after Odysseus returns home

OK SO. I've spent a very long time thinking about this but I think these are the first that come to mind (in no particular order since I can't choose):

Odysseus and Penelope have INTENSE separation anxiety. They are a bonded pair. Do not separate. Telemachus is concerned for them both.

Ctimene (Ody's sister, Eury's wife) comes home from Samos and shit goes DOWN. She's not even in EPIC but I adore her. I need her to be angry and confused and sad and betrayed and torn between the return of her brother and the death of her husband, which she has long accepted but is torn open like a scab with Ody's return.

Some sort of ceremony for Odysseus's crew. Organised by Ithaca or maybe the royal family itself, I haven't yet decided. But they pay their respects. 600 men are down in the underworld with no fare to cross the river. Maybe Odysseus pays for their passage at last.

Penelope cuts and washes Ody's hair. It takes a long time, a lot of coaxing. Having something sharp so close to his neck terrifies him to the bone, but there are no hands he would trust more not to hurt him than Penelope's.

Odysseus takes long walks in the early mornings. He'll never outgrow the soldier's schedule. He passes the tree he and Polites used to sit and talk at, the clearing they took Athena's boar down in, the room where Eurylochus asked for his sister's hand, the field where Telemachus nearly died as a child, the beach he left for war from. There are so many memories tied to this place. He will never shake them. Ithaca is entrenched in his life before the war, its foundations sinking so deep into the thick mud that he will never pull it free. But he can build upwards, build new memories that do not sting with grief, so he does.

Telemachus finds Odysseus tearing a hay-stuffed training dummy to bits (like, sparring/training with it) late one night instead of sleeping. He asks if Odysseus would like to spar together instead. They do, and Odysseus recognises Athena's moves in his son. That's when he finally learns that Athena has been mentoring him etc. It's also afterwards that Odysseus and Athena actually have a proper talk.

Ithaca sacrifices to the gods in thanks for Odysseus's return. The royal family attends. Ody feels sick the entire time - the smell of blood, of livestock, of death, the sight of a bull's neck being slit, a sheep's bleat as it dies, it reminds him of the sun god's cows and the cyclops' sheep. He leaves early. Penelope can't feel her hand for how tightly he grips it.

Athena starts randomly attending family dinners. First, watching from the window in her owl form. Then Ody walks into the hall one night to see her and Telemachus chatting about the recent harvest. It's a strange thing to get used to. But they do.

I got to 8 and my creative brain went kaputt. But if I think of anything more, I'll rb with them.

TY for the ask <33

[perpetualdaydreamerr]

Upon the Eternal Shore: An EPIC the Musical Fanfiction (Chapter 5)

Snippets of the 7 years Odysseus spent with Calypso.

---

CONTENT WARNING: heavily implied r*pe, non-con, victim-blaming, emotional abuse, PTSD, descriptions of violence. Please consider before reading.

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Day 705

-

The majority of Odysseus’ days recently had been spent remeasuring the cliffside. He had long since accepted that this would be one of the more inexact parts of the map, given the impossibility of properly measuring and recording the jagged rocks and steep overlook above them. For one thing, he had been entirely unsuccessful maneuvering his log in between the stones. They were far too uneven- and his aerial view from the cliffside itself offered a decent enough idea of what it looked like from above. Enough to etch it in, anyways. But recently, he'd designed a more flexible measuring system. A series of rope, tied together in a net. Every square measured a half-log by half-log. It was hard to maneuver, harder to keep straight- but it was much more flexible for certain landscapes. It helped him clean up his depiction of the river’s bend, and it was a new tool for his ever growing arsenal.

Today was a break from the rocks. Instead, he'd taken to extending his hand dug-perimeter so that it cut through the center of the island. He was partially concerned that his measurements were off- resulting in his lack of progress. Forming a center line would at least give him another point of reference. Still, it would take hundreds of holes, each a few logs apart. Weeks of work.

The sun was slowly melting down the sky when he finally allowed himself an opportunity to rest for the day. Digging was always especially hard on the body- and he'd been doing it with such a ferocity that he'd practically blinded himself to just how bad the pain had gotten. His back was rigid and achy, his hands practically numb to sensation.

He fetched his map from nearby and allowed himself to sit down. The gentle breeze of the island tugged at the smallest of tears at the corner of the page. He peered down, letting out a slow exhale.

He let his eyes close for a moment. He was so very tired. He recalled an afternoon in Ithaca, when he'd helped lay the foundation for Penelope's garden outside of the palace. It had been meticulous work, ensuring every paver was completely level. He remembered looking down at his hands coated in calluses and caked in mud- how proud he had felt. It had been an honor to dirty his hands for her- to use his own sweat and labor to bring her joy. He had planted her the most beautiful orchids in the world.

The orchids on Ogygia brought him no such joy. As his eyes fell on the small representative feature on the map, he felt nothing more pleasant than utter indifference.

But as he stared at the symbol, he felt his chest grow tense. The garden, sketched in by his very own hand, seemed to form the letter “T”. It was hard to see at first. The end of the letter was spindly and faint, where the flowers ended at a stream’s edge. But sure enough- the flowers formed the shape of a long line, cut through by a shorter one.

His breath hitched. He bent over, narrowing his eyes at the paper.

Above it, to the left, the edge of a forest- an “L”. Unmistakably! A long, thin stretch apart from the rest of the forest by a few log measures, separated distinctly by a pathway. He hadn't considered it before, had naively overlooked it, but he saw it now.

Excitement grew in his stomach as he continued on, sprawling over the papyrus. Where a small bridge crossed over the river, an “X”. Where the river dipped down, a “U”.

“XLTU”. It didn't mean anything, not yet. He was missing letters, neglecting them somewhere. He felt his heart begin to race in his chest, beating so loudly it interrupted his thoughts. “P”, where the spring was- if one counted the road next to it. “P” for Penelope, he was so close to her, now. And an “H” beside it, the shape of a valley in between the hills. “E”- the jagged shape of the cliffside, jutting in and out. It was becoming so clear, now. He just hadn't seen it. He'd been too tired, too distracted to see it before.

“XLTUPHE”. Incoherent still, but closer. He could feel it, deep within his gut.

He wrote the letters in the sand, hands trembling. Something was still off. The “P”- perhaps a “T”, instead. The road, ignoring the spring. XLTUTHE

He sat the paper down on the sand, terrified he'd accidentally tear it.

Another “E”- the contour of the sand along the grass in the northwest- and another where Calypso grew fruit trees. The “U”, nonexistent- the river dipped too much, too unevenly to count it. He scribbled out his letters in the sand as he continued, writing out the new approximation.

“EXELTTHE”

He felt the air leave his lungs. EXELTHE. One extra T, but that was no matter, he'd contrived another by mistake. It said EXELTHE, clear as day, hidden in the contour of the landscape. “Exelthe”. “Go forth”. A command. A simple, but now painfully obvious solution. The answer. The key.

He could hardly catch his breath. Joy rushed into his body like a tide. The gods had been testing him for years- but he'd proven himself worthy, yet again. His wit had cracked the puzzle of Ogygia. He had won.

A laugh bubbled in his chest, trembled out of his lips. He'd done it. He snatched the map from the ground, quivering with anticipation. He attempted to stand up so quickly that his heel slipped in the sand and he fell. He laughed at the error- effortlessly laughed for the first time in years.

“Calypso!” He cried out, glee married to his voice as he sprinted through the sand. She was further down the beach, still in eyesight, preparing supper over the fire. His vision blurred as he kicked up the sand behind himself, holding the map like a fragile vase he was afraid to break.

He trembled with excitement as he ran towards her. A grin crawled across his face, pure delight rippling through his chest. “Calypso!” He cried again.

“Odysseus?” Calypso greeted him, standing and turning from the fire in front of her. She looked perplexed by his expression- by the look on his face, but he didn't give her the time to question it.

“I did it!” He announced feverishly, holding the map forward proudly. “It was a game- always just a game! And I solved it, Calypso!”

She looked back at him, feigning confusion. He laughed. “Don't play dumb- exelthe!” he said, pointing to the “L” of trees. “There's the L- and the T- I found all of letters-” he squinted, trying to remember where the second “E” had been hiding. “But I found it- see- there's the E!” He traced the letters where he found them, looking up occasionally to see her face. For once, he wanted to see her face.

“What are you talking about?” She asked carefully, her face contorted into a frown.

“You aren't looking at the map-” he tsked, shaking his head quickly. “Look- look, Calypso- it spells ‘exelthe’- now you have to say it!”

“What?” She narrowed her eyes at the papyrus. She bent her head down. She was playing him for a fool, hoping he hadn't really found the puzzle.

“Say it!” Odysseus insisted, his voice raising in volume, every word trembling out of his lips. “Say it! Say ‘exelthe’! SAY IT!” He was yelling now. He couldn't help himself. His entire body shook wildly.

She didn't say anything at all. Her eyes only met his’ again, big and sad. She looked as though she finally understood something. She looked as if she wished she didn't.

But she was cheating. He'd won, and she was refusing to admit it. He reached out, grabbed her wrist, yanked it desperately. “You're not saying it, because it'll let me go! It'll let me go home! I figured it out fair and square, Calypso! Say it, and- and I can go! It's too perfect! Look, it says it right there!” He shook the map in his hand, gripping her wrist tighter yet. “You're just not looking at it right, tilt your head-” he moved his other hand, took hold of her jaw, shifted the map.

She didn't respond. Tears welled in her eyes, but her tongue remained mute. She didn't pull away.

“You put those damn letters there!” Odysseus cried, his voice raising an octave. “You left that message, and now you want to take it back because I figured it out! Say it, damnit!” He dropped the map, took hold of her shoulders, shook her.

Calypso’s voice was cautionary and soft. “...I can say ‘exelthe’ if it pleases you, Odysseus-” His breath hitched when the word left her mouth. The code word- the solution- spoken by the goddess herself. He looked around wildly for some consequence of it. A ship, or a clearing in the water, or some sort of sign. The sun glistened the way it always did. The clouds looked all the same. It was the all too familiar island, without change. “...But there's no… puzzle here. There's no game. You haven't found anything. Whatever you’ve created in your mind- it's not… real.”

He let go of her shoulders. He picked up the map. His vision blurred. The world felt as though it was slowly tipping- tipping over. He tried to find the letters again. They weren't as clear, now.

“It's not… real?” he repeated softly. “It's not… You're just saying that, aren't you? You're just tricking me…?” The enthusiasm in his voice had died. He looked back at her, wide eyed and pleading.

“I swear it by Zeus, Odysseus,” she said carefully. A vow. “It’s not a trick.”

A short, cough of a laugh escaped his throat. It wasn't real. Any of it. Any of the patterns he'd found had been merely coincidence or contrived. It was just a map. A highly detailed, pointless map.

“There's no answer.” His words came out in a rasp. His hands trembled on the papyrus. His knees sank into the ground before he realized he was falling.

A shrill, guttural eruption tore through his throat. His own voice echoed in his ears, burning with agony. His hands clutched the papyrus and gripped it- tearing it down through the middle. It was useless. Useless. There was no solution, no letters. He felt the lick of the campfire on the back of his hands- tasted the heat. He turned, threw the scraps into the fire.

“Odysseus-”

“It's not real!” he cried, tears choking out of his eyes, blinding him, spilling down his face. “None of it’s real!” He lunged for the stack of maps sitting against the tree. It never rained, they never soiled.

He threw one after the other into the fire. He screamed again. His body heaved back and forth, like a ship caught in a storm.

He watched every one of them burn. Ink, papyrus, weeks, months, years, curling into ash. The letters that have never existed, the hope he'd forced into existence, disappearing in a matter of seconds. The fire roared, devoured them. He only stopped screaming when his throat could no longer force a sound.

-

Link to other chapters

[brainrotcharacters]

"Friends again" is so romantic to me idk

Mind the lyrics referring to Penelope in I Can't Help But Wonder: "There's a girl I've got to see"

It could be that I'm just a sucker for friends to lovers trope. And I am. I haven't even completed Polin. But Odysseus and Penelope first met as a boy and a girl. Odysseus was expected to join the line of suitors for Helen but decided to dupe them all by beelining for Penelope.

Friends, in a world where they're prince and princess of their respective nations and held to particular standards and noble callousness. Friends who married, friends who fell in love, friends who ruled a kingdom of their own, and then the Trojan War haunted their horizon and Penelope must have felt "My best friend is about to leave me". Inversely, Odysseus's heart was breaking too, thinking "I'm about to leave my best friend".

Totally because I'm not listening to Would You Fall In Love With Me Again, but Odysseus and Penelope are both intellectual, cerebral people, yeah? They thrive in battle of wits, of tactics and strategies. Friendship, as an equally strong foundation to a relationship as the olive tree is to their marital bed, can't happen without communication. Which, in turn, can't happen without intellectual conversation. They already have a bond before Odysseus inevitably left for war.

One part in the movie that bothered me (/p) was the way every other character addressed Penelope as "queen". The suitors, especially. It's a title that blinds them. That Penelope allows to blind them, that they can have Ithaca, but they won't have the honor that she and Odysseus integrated upon it. One cannot be without the other, same with them two. Ergo, the suitors wouldn't have much of Ithaca in any way that mattered.

Odysseus, and arguably the only correct depiction of Odysseus, speaks "queen" with its due respect, reverence, and humility. Yes, there's a bias, they're husband and wife, and? A part of Odysseus being clever is recognizing that Penelope is the crown now, if not Penelope and Telemachus.

Friends. Despite the time and space apart, they're friends. Friends again, now that he's home. Now that they're together again.

[frankchurchillsaysrelax]

favorite epic: the musical songs from each saga

warrior of the mind (the troy saga)

remember them (the cyclops saga)

ruthlessness (the storm saga)

wouldn’t you like (the circe saga)

no longer you (the underworld saga)

scylla (the thunder saga)

legendary (the wisdom saga)

get in the water (the vengeance saga)

hold them down (the ithaca saga)

@userautumn you didn’t ask for this but i was inspired to add my favorites as well. god i love this musical! it’s not perfect but it is such a solid foundation.

[lordmartiya]

Again on Epic: The Musical. Or rather, on what Jorge could do next. And I hope it's a musical based on The Aeneid, for two reasons. The first is that I'm Italian and Aeneas' voyage to Italy is part of Rome's foundation myth, and thus Italy's as being Romaboos is part of our culture (seriously, you will find quotes and homages everywhere in Italy. Have you tried reading a science fiction comic book and suddenly have an alien general utter "Personally... I distrust the earthlings even when they bring gifts!" and IMMEDIATELY recognize where that sentence comes from?). The second, however, is the part where Aeneas' fleet goes to Epyrus to consult Helenus, last surviving son of Priam, augur, and king of the coastal cities since Neoptolemus got murdered, and find out where their destination mandated by the gods is... And thus pass close to Ithaca, as Helenus' Capital of Buthrotum is right across the sea. And when put in context with The Odyssey, that episode explains why exactly the young nobles of Ithaca collectively decided to commit treason by courting Penelope and sidelining the heir to the throne and why the people let them, they were utterly terrified as they knew there was an enemy kingdom just off the coast and an enemy fleet roaming the sea.

Imagine, the Trojans watching Ithaca in hatred to "Cruel Ulysses" but renouncing to raid it in revenge... And everyone there panicking because there's twenty ships full of people they know hate them just off the coast.