#The Saga of the Forgotten Warrior

[ihadacatonce]

Please read The Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series

[sirgwaines]

I need people to read the Saga of the Forgotten Warrior because I need to talk about Jagdish like I need to breathe

[evil-youth-messrs]

Okay so here's the list of moments in EPIC: the musical (in order) that make me go feral. Believe it or not, I tried to keep it as short and concise as possible but the albums are just too good.

The Troy Saga 💙

*tudududu dum tum tum tum tum*

what do you live for? what do you try for? what do you wish for? WHAT DO YOU FIGHT FOR??

PENELOPEEEE

who was that *CAWWWW* 🦅🦅

thisisthesonofnoneotherthan ~troooy's~ veryown prince hec!tor!

I could raise him as my own-HEE WILL BURN YOUR HOUSE AND THRONEE (the whole exchange) THIS IS THE WILL OF THE ✨️GODS✨️

but when!? does a comet become a meteor??? (both solo and ensemble versions)

six! hundred! men

and ithaca's waiting, my kindom is waiting, PENELOPE'S WAITIIIING for meeee

my second iiin commaaand

we're up, we're off and away we go (again both versions)

I'm fiiiiiiine, Polites 🙄

stay back!!! (lotus eaters: stay back~~)

you can relax my friend

*the intro and piano for warriors of the mind*

HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THE LESSONS I THAUGHT YOUUU

LET ME REMIND YOU

one day a boy came! for the thrill! a boy whose mind rivaled the boar's own wiiiiiiill

LET'S GO !!

*the entire chorus*

NAAAAAH DON'T BE MODEST, I KNOW YOU'RE A GODDESS

you are ~ATHEEENAA~ (*the growl* !!!)

if you're LOOking for a mentor, I'll make sure your time's well spent

*the chorus when they both sing*

*honestly every single line in this song*

The Cyclops Saga 👁

*the water droplets sound at the beginning*

loook at all this foood 😃

my name is nooooobody, nooooobody, noOoOoOobody

I'm so glad we see eye to eye

show me how. greatisyourwilltoSURVIIIIIIIVE

six hundred liiiives at stake

captain ENOUGH

*how the guitar fades in in remember them*

what do we do with our fallen friends?... remember them

*athena's piano and clock ticking*

HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN! THE LESSONS! I THAUGHT YOU?? he's still a threat! until he's DEEEEAAAAD

HEY, CYCLOPS!

remember them remember us REMEMBER ME

I'M THE REIGNING KING OF ITHACA I AM NEITHER MAN NOR MYTHICAAAL IIII AM YOUR DARKEST MOMENT I AM THE INFAAAMOUUUS. odysseus!

you were reckless, sentimental at best 😒

this way! you won't disappoint me, this way! you won't waste my time, thiiis waay

slefish and prideful and vain 🙄

YOU'RE NOT LOOKING FOR A MENTOR I'M NOT LOOKING FOR A FRIEND I MISTOOK YOU FOR A GENERAL WHAT A WASTE OF EFFORT SPENT

at least I know what I'm fighting for while you're fighting to be known

YOU'RE ALONE !!!

but not today for after all you're JUST A MAAAN

this day! you SEVER your own head, this day! you CUT the liiine

The Ocean Saga 🌊

*trumpetttt*

these ~waves~ and ~tides~

is it nature? or diviiiine?

COMRADES

full spead aHEAD TOWARDS THE ISLAND

an island in the sky 🤩

STOOOOOOOORM STOOOOOORM everyone grab a harpoooon!

we're in the home of the ✨️wind god✨️ we don't know for sure how many floating islands have you seen before??

captain HOW? much longer til your luck. runs. out.

you rely on wit and people die on it wooah

I took six hundred men to war! and not one of them died there. in case you needed a reminderr.

woooaahoookayyy? okay. thank you 🙄

*ambient intro to keep your friends close*

I don't know if you know this 🥺 but our path to home is blocked by an impenetrable stooorm 😔

*growly hahahas*

KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE AND YOUR ENEMIES CLOSER

if they wanna get the bag open you gotta say no sirrr.

open the bag, let's see what you got. NO! DO! NOT!

see how this bag is closed that's how it's supposed to be

I'm getting closer to youuuu PENELOPEEE

JUST KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN

wake up! wake up! odysseus, they're opening the bag WAKEEE UUUUP!

STOOOOfullOOOOspeedOOOOOaheadOORM

you're headed to ~the land of the giants~

OOOOOOOOODYSSEUS OF ITHACAAAAA do you know who I am?

PO SEI DON PO SEI DON PO SEI DON poseidon 😨

I try to chill~ with the waves

*THE GROWLY VOCALS*

that's right the cyclops you made blind. is mine. NO

the pack of wolves is swimming with the shark now

RuThLeSsNeSs is MERCY upon ourselves

you 🫵 are the worst kind of good cause you're NOT. EVEN. GREAT!

a greek. who reeks. of false righteousness that's what I HATE

I mean you totally could've avoided all this had you just. killed. my. son. but nOoOu 💅

it's the final crack we're 'bout to break the ice now

CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN!

when does a ripple become a tidal wave?

*somebody stop me I just wrote every line of this song*

The Circe Saga 🐷

The Underworld Saga 💀

The Thunder Saga⚡️+ The Wisdom Saga ⏳️

If you read all of that, thank you and honestly WOW.

[parismemes]

SENTENCE STARTERS FROM EPIC: THE MUSICAL - THE TROY SAGA

feel free to change/adjust sentences as needed !

THE HORSE AND THE INFANT.

"now we'll be the ones to slay." "do what i say and you'll see them again." "find that inner strength." "fight through every pain." "what do you live for?" "what do you try for?" "what do you wish for?" "what do you fight for?" "i fight for us." "i'm on my way." "who was that?" "i don't think you're ready." "i know that i'm ready." "what sort of imminent threat does he pose that i cannot avoid?" "if you don't end him now, you'll have no one left to save." "i could raise him as my own." "he'll find you wherever you roam." "this is the will of the gods." "please don't make me do this!" "the blood on your hands is something you won't lose; all you can choose is whose."

JUST A MAN.

"you're as old as he was." "will these actions haunt my days?" "close your eyes and spare yourself the view." "how could i hurt you?" "i'm just a man." "when does a man become a monster?" "when does the reason become the blame?" "forgive me."

FULL SPEED AHEAD.

"the problem's not the distance, it's what lies in between." "my kingdom is waiting." "full speed ahead." "we've run out of supplies to eat." "captain, what's the plan?" "watch where the birds fly; they will lead us to land." "there in the distance, i see an island!" "maybe they'll share some food, who knows?" "something feels off here." "i say we strike first, we don't have time to waste." "you and i'll go ahead." "we should try to find a way no one ends up dead." "we don't know what's ahead."

OPEN ARMS.

"you can relax, my friend." "i can tell you're getting nervous." "we'll survive what we get into." "tell me, is this how we're supposed to live?" "why should we take when we can give?" "this life is amazing when you greet it with open arms." "we'll be fine if we're leading from the heart." "we're only here for food." "stay back, i'm warning you." "i wish that i could say that i agree." "that's what we'd get with open arms." "i see in your face, there is so much guilt inside your heart."

WARRIOR OF THE MIND.

"have you forgotten the lessons i taught you?" "i see you changing from how i've designed you." "have you forgotten your purpose?" "show yourself." "i can see you." "how can you see through my spell?" "i was lying, and you fell for my bluff." "nice try, but two can play this game." "if you're looking for a mentor, i'll make sure your time's well spent." "we'll see where it ends." "i know we'll change the world." "maybe one day we'll reach them." "i still intend to make sure you don't fall behind." "don't disappoint me."

[wolfnight2012]

"We'll be Fine" is the new "Open Arms"

(but I don't think Telemachus will be a Polites-like character, though I do have suspicions that some of his songs/motifs/or at least one scene in the final saga all work as a call-back to Polites/Open Arms)

But anyways!

While I am not claiming a 1:1 comparison, "We'll be Fine" sees Telemachus in a Polites-like role with Athena, who has assumed a post-Troy!Odysseus like role in regards to her guilt over how she ended things with Odysseus in "My Goodbye"

We've got:

an ecstatic declaration of friendship (new vs established)

We've got the positivity/look on the brighter side/things will work out

AND most importantly (imo) we have the Call to Action! The "You have the power to change things/it doesn't have to be this way/life can be better if you work to make it so

Polites gets Odysseus to consider "Open Arms" at the end of his song (though, tragically, he dies before he can teach Odysseus how to effectively implement this belief system & Odysseus then fucks it up during the Ocean Saga)

Telemachus gets Athena to reach out to Odysseus. "Maybe, its time that you lend a hand/I don't think he'll mind"

Athena was not going to reach out on her own. (maybe it was pride, maybe shame, maybe she thought she'd thoroughly burned that bridge & there was no hope for reconciliation) but Telemachus helps her realize that is not true.

On a similar note:

The Wisdom Saga as a whole argues for "Open Arms" over "Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves"

(Especially in regards to the saga's main character: Athena)

So! I spoke a bit about how Ruthlessness was not mercy upon Odysseus (or Athena) here, BUT, now that I think about it, it's not so much that the Wisdom Saga isn't about "Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves" but rather, that it IS about the sentiments expressed by Polites in "Open Arms"

(I've currently got a breakdown of "Open Arms" half-finished in my drafts, I'll link it here once I finish & post it)

But also!

The Wisdom Saga is the first saga, without a single song promoting Ruthlessness.

The Troy Saga has them using a wooden horse to kill sleeping Trojans & the killing of the infant + Eurylochus suggesting they "Strike first/raid the place"

The Cyclops Saga has Polyphemus trying to lay waste to Odysseus's entire crew + Athena telling Odysseus to finish off the threat

Ocean Saga has Poseidon

Circe Saga has Circe's decision to treat all strangers as possible threats to her nymphs & turning them into pigs

Underworld has Odysseus' decision to become the monster

Thunder Saga is the first saga where every song (except Suffering) explicitly promotes Ruthlessness

The Wisdom Saga breaks this pattern

Legendary:

Even though Telemachus is singing about fighting monsters, it comes across as very idealist. This is not an aggressive song. Telemachus doesn't sound blood-thirsty or vicious. He wants to live up to his father. He wants to be able protect his mom

He dreams of fighting monsters (an intangible threat for a kid who's never left his island) but it's clear he's never so much as been in a fight before (Little Wolf is the first time he tried it)

"So I could bring the world some light" vs "We can light up the world"

Little Wolf:

Once again, this is not an aggressive song (not on Telemachus' part)

Telemachus is being egged on/taunted by Antinous + the suitors on one side & encouraged by Athena on the other (both of whom are more aggressive than Telemachus)

Telemachus is on the defense. He's unsure. He never expresses a desire to kill/destroy Antinous beyond his desire to want to keep his mom safe

Athena comes to help Telemachus without seeking anything in return! She's not seeking a new warrior of the mind/A new kid to mentor (Telemachus shows none of the promise of his father)

She's simply giving her help. ("Why should we take when we could give?")

"Have you forgotten to turn off your heart" vs "One young wolf has a larger heart than all these men combined" she saw Odysseus' heart as a weakness/distraction, while now she realizes it can be Telemachus' greatest strength

Even the suitors!! Antinous just wants to humiliate/agitate Telemachus. He's being cruel, but not ruthless. He lets up as soon as Telemachus is defeated/shown his place. He's a "bully" but not a "monster" (at least, not yet[??])

Then we get to "We'll be Fine" which, as I mentioned above, is essentially the new "Open Arms"

We'll Be Fine:

Athena lowers her guard & essentially bares her heart to Telemachus! She tells him about this mystery friend, about her regrets, the (semi) truth about why she helped him! ("You could show a person that you trust them, when you stop and lower your guard")

Telemachus takes this trust & greets Athena with open arms, offering her his friendship, his comfort & his advice

His positivity echoes Polites' from "Open Arms" as does his belief (despite T. living under the stress of the suitors & P. having lived through a war) that everything will be fine

"Maybe, it's all gonna turn out great I know we'll be fine"

"Whatever we face, we'll be fine if we're leading from the heart"

"I know it's light you'll find"

"No matter the place, we can light up the world"

Tbh, even though it's not a direct lyrical callback, I'd argue Telemachus' advice for Athena to reach out to her friend "Maybe, it's time that you lend a hand, I don't think he'll mind" is a thematic callback either to "Here we have a chance for some adjustment, Give it a try, it's not that hard" (it's not to late to make things better via your own actions/choices) or "Kindness is brave" (you want good things to happen? Take that first leap. Don't react with fear/be paralyzed by regret)

Love in Paradise

Just like Odysseus is convinced to (at least) consider an "Open Arms" approach by Polites, Athena has been convinced by Telemachus to reach out to her friend

God Games

Athena decides she CAN "Replace [her guilt] and light up the world" by helping Odysseus

She leads from the heart with the other gods! ESPECIALLY with Ares & her declaration of Telemachus being her friend!

All 5 of her opponents respond well to Athena's arguments, she's not just using logic, she IS appealing to their heart/sympathy as well, because SHE is doing this from a place of emotion/caring

"He can still build a future with those who miss him" "His son's my friend"

"Never once has he cheated on his wife"

Once she wins, we get Athena "goddess of wisdom/master of war" once more.

She declares herself triumphant in Zeus' game & demands her prize (which sets Zeus off)

But when Zeus strikes her down, Athena humbles herself, she lowers her guard, she leads from the heart, and she doesn't demand. She doesnt even ask. She pleads for Zeus to let Odysseus go. Heart/affection on full display.

Athena gets NOTHING from this. She's no longer demanding for a reward/recognition as the witty winner of Zeus' game, ("I played your game & won" vs "Please, let him go") just asking for Odysseus to receive help

THIS is when Zeus relents. Not when he strikes her down so hard that Ares fears her dead. Not (and I hate using visuals to analyze MUSIC, but I'll give myself an exception) when Athena's armor starts to crumble. Not when she bleeds. Not when she crawls. When Athena pleads for Odysseus, that's when Zeus falters.

And

Don't read past here if you don't want spoilers/titles/speculation for upcoming sagas!

It works.

We KNOW Hermes will be sent to Odysseus to get him off Ogygia.

And, while it seems (at least to me) that in "Wouldn't You Like" Hermes appears to Odysseus of his own accord/for funsies, "You're being given one final option" (from "Dangerous") sounds like this isnt a social visit.

Hermes is here as a messenger. And I doubt the gods are going behind Zeus back for this one.

My guess? Zeus relents. With the caveat that they'll intervene to get Calypso to let Odysseus go BUT, he has to make it off the island/back home by himself.

But still. Athena's heart-felt plea works. Her pride as the clever goddess of wisdom who beat her father's game got her struck down. But leading from the heart & pleading for her friend's release succeeds.

And this is why I think (narratively) we need to close off the themes established in "Open Arms"

At the end of this post here, i talk about how it'd be nice to get some sort of closure for Polites' philosophy. Maybe with Odysseus' final confrontation with Poseidon. Maybe with Telemachus.

But after the Wisdom Saga?

I no longer think it'd simply be nice. I think its necessary for narrative closure.

The Wisdom Saga just showed us Ruthlessness was not mercy for Odysseus, who is tormented by the deaths of his crew & is now suicidal after being trapped on Ogygia for 7 years.

Ruthlessness was not mercy for Athena, who can no longer sleep at night.

Ruthlessness does not get results for any of the main characters featured in the Wisdom Saga

The philosophy Polites describes in "Open Arms" however, DOES get results.

Its what leads Athena to help Telemachus. Its how Telemachus convinces Athena to reach out to her friend. It's how Athena convinces the other gods (possibly even Zeus) to help/release Odysseus.

I now think we need one last callback to those themes. Either by Athena, by admitting she was wrong back in "Warrior of the Mind" and "My Goodbye" to demand Odysseus turn off his heart (she was not able to turn off her own heart!! She can't sleep at night! + heart is how she wins the God Games!)

OR by Telemachus, Odysseus optimistic son, who (as of the Wisdom Saga) has nothing monstrous or ruthless about him.

Maybe Odysseus gets carried away as he kills the suitors, or goes after someone who surrenders & Telemachus steps in to rein him in.

Maybe Telemachus simply reminds Odysseus of Polites.

Idk.

But I can't see "Open Arms" featuring so heavily in the Wisdom Saga's themes/narrative for there to be narrative satisfaction without one final, definitive callback in the Ithaca Saga

[shinjisdone]

To Soften a Warrior’s Heart (Vinland Saga; Thorfinn; Part 7)

In which you have joined Askeladd’s band…and grow closer to the Son of Thors. Though it is more difficult than anyone can could ever imagine…

[Headcanons of how it would be like to meet and crawl your way into Thorfinn’s heart (based on season 1; both platonic and romantic)]

Part 1 is here - meeting Thorfinn at the age of 14 and how he is at that age

Part 2 is here - meeting Thorfinn at the age of 16/17 + headcanons of growing closer (slightly following s1 story)

Part 3 is here - blooming friendship with Thorfinn (slightly following s1 story)

Part 4 is here - Thorfinn unwittingly opening his heart as he realizes he does not want you to die

Part 5.1 is here - sweet things Thorfinn would do for you (headcanons)

Part 5.2 is here - other seet things Thorfinn would do for you (headcanons)

Part 6 is here - meeting Canute and becoming his guard - Thorfinn accepts your relationship and bond

Part 8 is here - Thorfinn wins against Thorkell; Questioning your bond with Thorfinn

Part 9 is here - Meeting Leif and Thorfinn dueling Askeladd; Losing while Askeladd told him the truth of his constant losses

Part 10 is here - Thorfinn and you bound by heart; Promises of Vinland broken and abandoned

Tag list:

@luopenis , @jinsecho , @mitsureigen

[Mentions of murder, death, war, slave trade, harrasment against women and whatever awful things happened in the viking era. Only mentioned and used as examples. Mostly gender-neutral examples but female-leaning ones are there, too.]

[This part will specifically mention: Death of character, Canute being slapped, pillaging, mention of Canute not taking care of himself to the point where he could die, slight gore, Thorfinn leaving you alone, uh oh its Thorkell time]

So It Goes On And On Not Knowing When It Went Wrong...

So. While things have changed a bit, all around everything still seemed the same.

Marching on and travelling by wagon is not bad at all, you noted, and so far nothing has really threatened the prince, that was constantly attempting to glance at your direction.

Ragnar is quiet all around except for the prince and Askeladd hasn't shared one of his 'great plans' in a while, too.

Thorfinn was as grumpy as ever, always by your side.

Yet the snow has gotten heavier.

It was worrying at best...the road to the king was long.

And the food was running low.

So I Just Feel and Feed The Blood That's Inside Me...

It was only a matter of time.

Of course. Askeladd being Askeladd, being the cunning and clever fellow he was, the leader of hungry, savage vikings would take all a single village had to feed his.

You heard the priest, who traveled silently along you with his alcohol in hand, shriek and call out. Björn quickly beat him into submission.

Ragnar argued to leave these good, religious people alone while speaking as little English as possible.

You were just glad Askeladd did not order you to 'help'. You'd stay far back, as far as you could, watching over the prince. You wondered if he could hear the same things as you.

The young man was hunched and not peeking at you for once. Even while no one was there, Thorfinn still insisted to sit close by you, squeezing you into the wall of the wagon and keeping Cantue a good distance away. He said nothing.

Just as the food arrived, he handed you meat. Telling you to eat while you could and that food was food. Canute got his portion from Ragnar.

You cared for your friend. Yet at times you observed his apathy that was as equal to enemies as it was to innocent people.

Still, such things are quickly forgotten. It isn't the first time, after all.

You got food, you got water, and supplies. You'll survive and so will the prince.

All was the same...including when Ragnar invited you once again to eat. Food was food and especially delectable when it was cooked safely.

You convinced Thorfinn to go. Whether or not out of trust and companionship for Canute and Ragnar or for the fact that was it was free and cooked food. Safely cooked food - miles better than charred fish.

Thorfinn pouts. He doesn't particularly care for 'lunch' but if one; you were to go and two; there was food, he'd have no choice but to oblige.

It was eerily similiar to the first dinner - Canute cooked while Ragnar helped set the table. Only would he glance at you from time to time, the smile on his face fading.

Whether or not you note that the man is not fond of his son - well, his prince, fancying you, is up to you. But know that he won't openly do something against his affections as long as they don't cross a limit.

He cannot have his highness believe he can just have you stay at his castle and marry you...

Thorfinn noticed too, and while he understands where the man is coming from, that does not sour his mood any less whenever Ragnar has to...scowl at you like that.

Canute is as shy as a maiden. He cooks and it is like he had forgotten about the pillage as he asked you bashfully how the dish was.

Soon the shanty is filled with conversation of the past until Ragnar was called out by the rest of the band. Eyeing the trio requesting for his presence, he promised Canute he'd return soon and for you and Thorfinn to continue protecting him.

With an narrowed gaze you watched them leave. The door was closed to keep the snow out. Their footsteps slowly grew quieter and finding the table to be cleaned already, Canute shyly attempted smalltalk with you.

You admitted to yourself that you were barely listening. When you looked into the faces of the men, the bandmates that you knew, you could only see Askeladd.

The table shook and rumbled as the men put Ragnar's cold body on it, more carelessly than planned. Askeladd glanced at them before gazing back to Canute with the same narrowed and focused eyes. The latter was trembling at the sight.

"It was an ambush." Askeladd began, continuing with an empty explanation and the request to keep moving forward. Whoever killed Ragnar must be on their heels - and with Thorkell in tow, they'd best hurry.

They leave shortly after with only you, Thorfinn and Canute staying. Your blonde friend said nothing as he prepared his things. Canute could only stare wordlessly at the corpse in the room.

There it was again. Maybe the sliver of compassion left in your heart or the knowledge that it is difficult to move on from death but it is a must anyway - no matter what the reason may be, you once again decided to appraoch the prince.

With a hand on his shoulder, you turned him to you. His dilating eyes couldn't meet yours. "Prince...what Askeladd said is unfortunately true. If we stay, we will all die here. It hurts, but we have to keep going."

It worked in a way as well...as if in a trance, Canute let you lead him out of the shanty by the hand and into the cold snow. His gaze, as wide as a deer's, was glued on Ragnar until he was inevitably out of sight.

The trance was quickly broken though.

The moment Canute was forcefully thrown into the wagon, he found his voice in an agonizing scream again. His big eyes shut close for the first time only to spill out tears as he yelled out profanity after profanity, order after order to have Ragnar not be left behind in some nowhere shanty but properly buried in honor.

The leader of the band made it quickly clear that they do not have time for funerals and honor - a mountain of a man with a bloodlust no warrior deities could match was after them - after him - so he could cease his bawling.

"Ragnar!" His name left his mouth again, his throat beginnning to hurt. If he himself could not stop his grief, then it was Askeladd leaving his face bruised in a hard slap.

"Ragnar is dead. No matter how many times you call out for him, the dead will not hear you. Not come for you nor help you."

Canute brought a hand to his throbbing, red cheek. The tears stopped for a moment as he stared at Askeladd in disbelief, voice shaking.

"...It was you..."

It was clear to everyone witnessing that there were more words to be exchanged, yet the man was faster. Without any hesitation he ordered for everyone to keep on marching no matter what. With a flick of his finger, he pointed back to Thorfinn and you, telling you to keep on having an eye on the prince.

You didn't know what to think. But as Thorfinn helped you up on the wagon and Canute silently hunched in his seat, you only knew you felt anger.

Keep Your Precious Justice To Yourself, Bud...

Only a few days have passed but each was as dull as the next.

Thorfinn and you still had the priviledge on sitting on the wagon next to Canute, who stayed hunched in his lone seat. He hadn't spoken a word ever since Askeladd's lesson of death.

The band's mood darkened like the grey and cloudy sky. Snow kept on piling and piling up and you often had the displeasure of getting off the wagon and pushing it through the thick white while Canute stayed put, not lifting a finger nor his head.

Thorkell was close - everyone knew. Besides the whsipers, only Björn spoke to the band's leader.

Thorfinn ate, slept and sat as if nothing was wrong. SInce the days have been quiet, he barely paid any attention to the prince, and would only acknowledge you. Though due to the gloomy atmosphere among the men, you barely were in any mood to talk and the blonde knew it.

At times he'd nudge you, asking how you feel. He shares his food, dividing it in two, or lets you drink fom his water sash. His blanket and cloak are, of course, also yours to share.

Yet he doesn't even lift a finger for Canute. The young man is grieving in solitude even while surrounded by men there to protect him. He does not reply nor answer anyone's call.

You take a part of the loaf of bread Thorfinn shared with you and offer it to him.

Thorfinn glares at the exchange disapprovingly. Still, he lets you do whatever you think needs to be done.

Even if he doesn't really get it or see it as neccesary.

It takes time, but Canute lifts his head ever so slightly before taking the bread. He chewed on it slowly.

The prince may not speak and seemed even quieter than he was at your first meeting, but he at least acknowledged you and your actions. Whenever the men realized that they would also have to look out for the young man - after all, he cannot starve or die of thirst or cold - they would turn to you for the task. Canute only seemed to accept your deeds and your words.

Ragnar wasn't here to baby him anymore, after all.

As heartless as it may sound, Thorfinn also saw Ragnar's actions as babying Cantue. And now, you are doing the exact same.

After some time Thorfinn would definitely whisper to you, whisper how you are smothering and mothering him. Look at the princess. He barely cannot eat or drink by himself. Another round of your kind and honeyed words will have him demand that you start feeding him as well.

Whether or not you shush or agree with him is up to you. But it cannot be denied that Canute cannot be left alone or else he would easily allow himself to die.

Some men gossip among themselves how you have taken Ragnar's position. None found any glee or schadenfreude in that fact, however, and were more focused on the inevitable meeting with Thorkell the Tall.

Higher Than The Sky And Deeper Than The Sea...

And so it came.

You remember it well. How Thorfinn, sitting next to you, grabbed your arm and shifted you closer to him. His cold glare was aimed at the road covered in snow in the distance and his voice was in a low whisper.

"We have to start looking out for the others as well." He began curtly and dry. Brief with his assumption that something was wrong here in the band, that none of the men liked where any of this was going.

They did not like the plan. The marching. The secrets Askeladd kept to himself and the feral giant hunting them down. It would only be a matter of time before a fight would ensue.

"Look out for yourself. Stay alert." He told you and with that, let go, as if nothing had been exchanged between you at all.

And just like that, it was like a prophecy.

The bridge the men were ordered to destroy was nothing but a pebble on the road for Thorkell. He and his men were visible over the hill and with just one swing of his arm, a spear impaled three men.

As swift as the wind, Thorfinn flung out his daggers and stood in front of you. Canute did not move a muscle at the men falling, nor did he look up to know who was here to 'save' him next.

People dying and fighting over being the 'escorts' and 'heroes' who have safely returned the prince to his king.

A quick arguement began before it became a full-out betrayal.

Not like Askeladd had not seen it coming.

Quickly he ordered Björn to ride off and bring the prince to safety - with you and Thorfinn on the wagon and tow as well.

The tables have turned and a manpower of over thirty are now after Askeladd's head and the prince's saftey. Feet stomped over the broken wreckage and soon, Thorkell stood before them all.

The bandmates hoped to switch sides and offer Askeladd's life as a token of loyalty. But your heart only gave out at the sight of the giant of a man.

No matter how you felt about Askeladd, the conversations you had with him...you could not forget his attempt at your life and all the things he had done to Thorfinn...you could not charge back down there and help him.

But Thorfinn could and would.

As he let out a scream, you held him back by his shoulders. The wagon was rushing away from the turmoil together with the prince and the priest...and more of the traitors came hunting you down on their horses.

"It's foolish to go back there! There's Thorkell, Thorkell! Don't you remember what he did to us last time?!"

Though, Thorfinn does not listen. He aimed at the oncoming men and their horses, shooting them down before they could reach you. Sparing one of the animals, he saddled on before yelling back at you. His face contorted in an rage you have never seen before.

"He is MY prey!!!" He shouted back, "You stay here! Kill anyone who tries to come near you!"

It is the first time where the young viking does not prioritize your safety.

As he charged back to the hill below, he shot down the rest coming for the prince - yet in his mind they are coming for you.

Even as they fell, he left you alone with Björn who is easily tempted by madness.

If he hesitates now, his revenge will be lost.

[idk whats up with me today, my english is just....bleh. I really mix up past tense and present dont ask me why.

More of a 'from plot A -> plot B' kind of thing. Not a lot happens unitl then...]

[kirbybecomesastarwarrior]

Okay everyone it's that time again lore drop...

Before the events of Nightmare's defeat... Sir Arthur and a scouting party were sent on a crusade to find the legendary sword Excalibur. But in reality, the scouting party was ordered (by Sir Uther) to secretly murder Sir Arthur. (Why you may ask a lot of reasons)

(This contains some lore from the Kirby light novel Kirby: Meta Knight and the Knight of Yomi)

But the aforementioned cave: where Excalibur was said to be located. Contained a rift to Yomi (created by Morpho..), the would-be assailant (& Sir Arthur) are pulled into the underworld... They are all scattered about the land of the dead...As the story goes: those who are in the land of the dead for three days become... permanent residents.

Being strong-willed enough Sir Arthur was able to retain their physical body and soul... however, he was horribly lost in the lowest level of Yomi (where the most devious monsters dwelled...)

Sir Arthur had been lost in the land of the dead for 120 years. Everyone had assumed he had died... However, this did not go unnoticed by Morpho... who wanted to make a deal with him...Seeing that he had endured for so long... (If they were lucky)could be just the soul (Sir Arthur's) they need...

Not only was he able to get his ticket back to the living world but also... Sir Arthur was able to find something he had long lost... for you see...he and the scouting party weren't the cave's first visitors.

(not sure if I should still @kirbyoctournament but Celty is here so I'll do still :3 )

Guess whose fault it for for Morpho Knight roaming about in the living world!

Sir Arthur is eventually able to tell them (which is what transpires above). Sir Arthur hid this well (until this point) but there was only one person he could not fool, his boy...

Man of the House part 1 (cut song) from Epic the musical

Spoiler Warning: keep reading for content & drawn images

(Sir Arthur got a cracked Warp Star syndrome, like Lady Celestine!)

Meta Knight & King Dedede: From One King to Another "Man of the House"

When I first came up with this I was trying to figure out... "who on earth is Meta Knight singing" and "Who's going to sing the backup vocals..." then I realized this would be the perfect chance to showcase King Dedede & Meta Knight's friendship. This is after the whole redemption arch of King Dedede near the end of the story arch... after the Forgotten Land Saga.

For those who are not that familiar with the KBASW lore. Meta Knight's story arc is meant to end with him becoming the new leader of the GSA. It ties the anime lore and makes it a major part of the story... along with Sir Arthurs deal with Morpho Knight~

Being an astral born without a warpstar (proof that he was a monster created by Nightmare...) was going to be killed the moment he (Mt) was born (by Sir Uther of course the little rat). But one lone Star Warrior believed otherwise, stopping the execution and convincing the Ancients to spare the infant.

Sir Arthur gifted his original red cape to Meta Knight to give him hope that he could be a hero too! MK was trained & raised by Sir Arthur... so he's more than just his mentor... his hero... his dad. Making it all the more heartbreaking to see Sir Arthur growing weaker by the day...

This is where the whole emotional meat & potatoes are in Meta becoming the leader of the GSA lie...( his dad is growing weaker and everyone is looking to him to take up the mantle) At the point of the story, everyone sees his potential everyone except himself...

That's where King Dedede comes in...

King Dedede gives Meta Knight the final push he needs to make him realize he is worthy and deserving of the position. After Escargoon leaves him, he sees Meta Knight as an irreplaceable person. However, this happens... but despite ensuring Meta Knight's departure from Dreamland he still does it.

Reminding him that he managed to help a raggamuffin like him become and grow into an acceptable leader surely he'd be as incredible as the leader of the GSA. Giving him the reassurance he needs to go after it.

It's a really meaningful conversation because Meta Knight and King Dedede have been helping each other grow throughout the series. Throughout the story, they realize how similar they are to each other... and ultimately become one another's rocks.

They're basically two growing kings coming into their roles. That is all I'm going to reveal before I spoil anything else.

Hope you guys enjoyed it the aske box will get reopened tomorrow!

[cyanide-sippy-cup]

Happy Wisdom Saga day! For the fun, I spent multiple hours creating this- Every time Epic calls back to a previous song: a very non-exhaustive list. First is what I noticed by ear and second is what Jorge has said on the topic at time of writing. The order is merely the order in which I wrote my notes. Wisdom Saga spoilers ahead!

Survive calls back to Zeus' verse in The Horse and the Infant. Suffering also calls back to this verse with the "he will chase you high and low".

Ruthlessness calls back to Full Speed Ahead with the "43 left under your command".

Mutiny, Scylla, KYFC, and Underworld all have the crew sing "Full Speed Ahead".

The way the crew sings their "oh" in Remember Them gets called back to in Different Beasts and Monster.

The way Polyphemus sings "nobody" in Remember Them mimics how Odysseus sings it when he gives him the wine.

"Let's grab the sheep and away we go" mimics the "we're off, we're off, and away we go" from Full Speed Ahead.

Remember Them plays Athena's motif along with the returning "have you forgotten the lessons I taught you?"

Remember Them features a musical version of "we're off, we're off, and away we go". Odysseus also says "I am your darkest moment" which Poseidon will call back to later.

My Goodbye does the "Just A Man" thing and calls back to the long "miiiiiind" with "goodbyyyyyye".

Storm plays Aeolus' motif.

Puppeteer opens with a tune from Full Speed Ahead.

When Eurylochus gets shut down by Odysseus in Puppeteer, he says "okay" the same way as in Luck Runs Out, accompanied by the same music. In the same vein, the way Ody says "what" to the lotus eaters' "it's treasure!" is similar to his "what" when Polyphemus decides to kill him last, accompanied by his motif.

KYFC, Suffering, and pretty much every other song with any hint of Penelope do the "Penelope~" thing and all I can think every time is "banana peels~"

When Eurylochus opens the wind bag, the crew sing Storm and Full Speed Ahead.

ALL I GOTTA DO IS OPEN THIS BAG

There Are Other Ways calls back to Puppeteer with "don't be afraid", Wouldn't You Like with "so much power", and Just A Man with "I'm just a man" and "forgive me". Penelope's theme also appears instead of the outright "banana peels~".

There is a motif that plays at the very beginning of The Horse and the Infant that plays all across the musical, including Warriors of the Mind and Underworld (and more that I didn't write down).

Underworld calls back to Full Speed Ahead and Just A Man (and the way they sing "558 men" made me think of Perimedes lol). It also has the crew sing "captain" like when they were dying in Ruthlessness (Jorge wth).

POLITES NOOOOOO 😭

Eurylochus' "forgive me" in Scylla mimics the "forgive me" from Just A Man.

Mutiny opens with the Luck Runs Out motif and has them sing the "please don't tell me you're about to do what I think you'll do" bit but reversed. Eurylochus sings about the cows and their hunger to the same tune as Zeus' verse in The Horse and the Infant/the opening of Survive.

HE'S JUST A MAN

Thunder Bringer has Odysseus beg "please don't make me do this" like in THatI and features Just A Man's "when does a cabbage become a meteor"/ Suffering's chorus.

When Telemachus says "give me a sign", Athena's motif plays. This also plays across this saga in We'll Be Fine, Love In Paradise, and God Games (except in GG it's a choir version).

Jorge said there's a sound effect for whenever Athena pulls someone into Quick Thought (I think that's what it's called). This plays when she helps Telemachus in Little Wolf.

The way she sings "apaaaaaart" in We'll Be Fine is reminiscent of the "miiiiiind" from WotM.

When Telemachus' verse begins in WBF, the Warriors of the Mind music begins playing. When he sings "you're my friend, I couldn't ask for more" he sings it similarly to "I wanna be legendary".

Ugh. Love In Paradise calls back to Remember Them, Keep Your Friends Close, Ruthlessness, Done For, No Longer You, Different Beasts, Scylla, and Mutiny. This song really turned around cause when it began, I was not a fan (can you tell why lol).

When Odysseus tries to jump off the cliff, the music from the opening of Polyphemus plays. We also get Underworld references with "all I hear are screams" and Ody's mom, as well as Open Arms and Luck Runs Out.

Have to break character here but "she's my wife." "...anyway-" made me snort so loudly.

"I'm not your man" is "I'm just a man".

Athena says "Odysseus" in God Games like how the crew does in Remember Them and Different Beasts (yknow, after the "oh, ooh oho" segments).

Thunder Bringer plays when Zeus introduces Hephaestus and of course when he murks Athena.

I never noticed before but Athena actually pulls Aphrodite into Quick Thought to ask her to reconsider and thEN ARES BREAKS IT/USES HIS OWN THING?? AND THEN ATHENA OVERPOWERS IT TO SAY HER PIECE??!! GOD GAMES IS AWESOME WHAT THE FUCK.

When Athena is "killed(?)" by Zeus, a piano version of Warriors of the Mind plays, as well as a quick "I wanna be legendary".

According to Jorge, Penelope's instrument (a viola) does not appear in Suffering but rather a mallet, as it is still the instrument of SOMEONE he cares about (Polites :(((), just not his wife.

The musical features a "Danger Motif" that appears whenever there is a threat. This can be heard when the men attack the city in The Horse and the Infant. In Ruthlessness, Poseidon's name is sung to that tune as he is a very present and very powerful danger.

Circe has a tune/kick drum combo that repeats across all three of her songs.

During Odysseus' speech in Puppeteer, a lyre is used, indicating that Hermes is listening in.

Eurylochus doesn't have an accompanying instrument of his own, however he does always have the voices of the crew to harmonize with him since "he always tries his best to protect them". Jorge wth.

When Eurylochus pulls his sword against Odysseus in Mutiny, an electric guitar is used (Odysseus' instrument) as he is trying to take Odysseus' place. JORGE. WTH.

When Odysseus tries to reason with Eurylochus as his friend in Luck Runs Out, it has the same type of progression as Open Arms, showing that Polites' belief still holds over Odysseus.

[inspirationalucky]

🐎 EPIC: The Musical: Act One, The Troy Saga sentence starters. Because the lines are just That Good. Going by the exact lyrics mostly, definitely change things to fit your muse's situation<3

The Horse & the Infant

"Ten long years they've killed us slowly."

"Your family wonders where you've been."

"They're growing old, and yet you're still here."

"Do what I say and you'll see them again."

"What do you live for?"

"What do you fight for?"

"I fight for us."

"What is to come cannot be outrun, can only be dealt with right here and now."

"Say no more, I know that I'm ready."

"I don't think you're ready."

"What sort of imminent threat does he pose that I cannot avoid?"

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

"He will burn your house and throne."

"He'll find you wherever you go."

"This is the will of the gods."

"Please, don't make me do this"

"The blood on your hands is something you won't lose, all you can choose is whose."

Just A Man

"I look into your eyes and I think back to the son of mine."

"You're as old as he was when I left for war."

"Will these actions haunt my days?"

"Is the price I pay endless pain?"

"Close your eyes and spare yourself the view."

"How could I hurt you?"

"I'm just a man who's trying to go home."

"I'm just a man who's fighting for his life."

"Deep down, I would trade the world to see my son and wife."

"When does a man become a monster?"

"When does the reason become the blame?"

"Forgive me."

Full Speed Ahead

"Six hundred men under my command with only one goal in mind: make it back alive to our homeland."

"The problem's not the distance, it's what lies in between."

"My kingdom is waiting!"

"We've run out of supplies to eat."

“Curse the war, our food store’s depleted.”

"Watch where the birds fly, they will lead us to land."

"Look! There in the distance!"

"Maybe they'll share some food, who knows?"

"Something feels off here."

"I say we strike first, we don't have time to waste."

"Gear up, you and I'll go ahead."

"We should try to find a way no one ends up dead."

"Give me 'til sunrise."

Open Arms

"I can tell you're getting nervous."

"Do yourself a service and try to relax, my friend."

"I know that you're tired of the war and bloodshed."

"Is this how we're supposed to live?"

"Why should we take when we could give?"

"You could show a person that you trust them when you stop and lower your guard."

"We're only here for food."

"Stay back, I'm warning you!"

"If we don't get back safely, my men will turn this place into blazes!"'

"This life is amazing when you greet it with open arms."

"It's a lotus, it controls your mind and never lets you free."

"That's what we'd get with open arms."

"I want to show my friend that kindness is brave."

"We'll be fine if we're leading from the heart!"

"I see in your face there is so much guilt inside your heart."

Warrior of the Mind

"Have you forgotten the lessons I taught you?"

"Have you forgotten to turn off your heart? This is not you."

"I see you changing from how I've designed you."

"Have you forgotten your purpose? Let me remind you."

"I had a challenge, a test of skill."

"Maybe one day he'll follow me and we'll make a greater tomorrow."

"I know he'll change the world."

"If there's a problem, he'll have the answer."

"I know you're watching me, show yourself!"

"How can you see through me spell?"

"I was lying, and you fell for my bluff!"

"Well done! Enlighten me, what's your name?"

"Nice try, but two can play this game."

"Nah, don't be modest, I know you're a goddess!"

"So let's be honest, you are Athena!"

"If you're looking for a mentor, I'll make sure your time's well spent."

"I still intend to make sure you don't fall behind."

"Don't disappoint me."

[epic-kotlc-crossover]

Warrior of The Mind

This is the fifth chapter of the EPIC/ KOTLC crossover! Hope you like it :D (It's also the last chapter in the Troy saga! Onto Cyclops!! That'll start getting posted on Monday)

Tags: @justalunaticfangirl @myfairkatiecat @bookwormgirl123 @thesfromhms @ham-cheese-toastie

Tick

Tock

Tick

Tock

That was the first thing that should've alerted Fitz to Athena arriving.

As he stepped away from Dex, promising to 'greet the world with open arms,' time seemed to slow.

That was his second sign. As the goddess descended gracefully down in front of him, war helmet on as always, he'd expected congratulations for winning the war.

Or killing the infant.

"Athena!" he called out with a smile. It faltered after seeing her stormy expression.

"What is going on with you? Have you forgotten everything I've taught you?" She snapped. Fitz frowned. He couldn't think of anything he'd done that would've disappointed the goddess. "You've softened, Fitz. Let me remind you."

Athena waved her hands, and Fitz's vision darkened, and all he could feel was the whipping of cold wind.

Goddess of wisdom... master of war... the words seemed to echo through the blackness.

I had a challenge! A test of skill! The blackness dissapered with a flash of light, and Fitz found himself looking at a very familiar man.

But then a boy came, for the thrill! Fitz realized with a start that the man was him, only twenty years before.

He was watching his first meeting with Athena.

"Show yourself!" The younger Fitz called out, and, after a pause, added, hesitantly, "I can see you."

The air in front of his younger self rippled, and Athena appeared. She hadn't changed, Fitz realized, in style or ideals.

He watched the interaction, staring at himself fondly.

That Fitz didn't know about everything that was going to happen. He wasn't guilty. He didn't lie awake at night, thinking of everything he should have changed.

Why was Athena showing him this?

She'd said something about 'growing soft,' but he didn't understand how. Fitz had been to war—and killed so, so many people—what could've set this off?

"Don't be modest, I know you're a goddess, Athena." his younger self proclaimed with a self assured grin.

Athena straightened and offered little Fitz a hand, replying, "I'd be happy to be your mentor—"

"Or a friend?" Fitz interjected hopefully. Athena shrugged noncommittally.

"We'll see how it ends."

Another flash of light and scene changed again, to him and Athena walking down a dirt path that Fitz knew led to the sea.

He could remember them talking about changing the world and making everything better. At least that hadn't changed.

"Why are you showing me this?" Fitz yelled out over choruses of 'we are the warriors of the mind!'' "Athena?"

Everything faded to black once again, and Athena appeared in front of him.

"I still intend to help you, Fitz. Don't forget that you are a warrior of the mind. You need to focus and turn off your heart. Emotions complicate things. Your heart is not the decision maker. You are."

She stared down at him for five seconds, but Fitz couldn't bring himself to cower. He would prove himself to her, just like he always had.The ticking noise slowly faded and as Fitz could feel himself return back to the ship, Athena sent one last message.

Don't disappoint me...

[coochiequeens]

As modern science and better archeology methods reexamine historical sites more of women’s history will emerge

by Sarah Durn September 27, 2021

  

The National Museum of Stockholm's Ride of the Valkyries was painted during the Victorian period, which saw renewed interest in Vikings. Fine Art Images / Heritage Images / Getty Images

In Atlas Obscura’s Q&A series She Was There, we talk to female scholars who are writing long-forgotten women back into history.

In 1871 on the sleepy island of Birka, Sweden, Hjalmar Stolpe, a Swedish entomologist turned archaeologist, discovered the lavish grave of a Viking warrior. Around the seated body were the remains of two sacrificed horses, as well as a double-edged sword, a scramasax (a long, thin knife), a bow, a shield, and a spear—every weapon known to the Viking world. It was an astonishing find, especially since Viking warrior graves rarely contain more than three weapons. There was also a full set of hnefatafl, the board game often known as Viking chess, which indicates the strategic thinking and authority of a war leader. A thousand years ago, the site would’ve abutted the Warrior’s Hall, where a garrison lived to protect the bustling Viking town of Birka. The weapons, game pieces, location: Everything told scholars that the man buried in what is known as grave Bj 581 was a prominent, well-respected Viking warrior. No one was really prepared when DNA tests were conducted in 2017 and a new story began to emerge. This was a prominent warrior, all right, but the occupant of Bj 581 wasn’t a man. She was a woman.

Viking historian Nancy Marie Brown’s new book, The Real Valkyrie: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women, explores what life might have been like for the warrior woman of Bj 581.

Using more evidence from the recent tests conducted on the remains, Brown traces her journey from Norway to the British Isles to Kiev then, finally, to Birka. Brown imagines the unnamed warrior meeting other prominent Viking women, such as Gunnhild, Mother of Kings, or Queen Olga, ruler of the Rus Vikings in Kiev. She also explores the Viking sagas and contemporary sources with a new lens.

How did you initially get interested in Vikings—and female Vikings in particular?

When I went to college, I actually wanted to study fantasy writing and, you know, learn to write like Tolkien. I learned very quickly that that was not appropriate for an English major in the 1970s, so I decided to study what Tolkien studied, and he was a professor at Oxford University, teaching Old English and Old Norse. So I started reading all of the Icelandic sagas that I could find in translation. And when I ran out of the English versions, I learned Old Norse so that I could read the rest of them.

One of the things I liked about [the sagas] the most was that they had really interesting women characters. There’s a queen in Norway who appears in about 11 sagas, Queen Gunnhild, Mother of Kings. She led armies. She devised war strategy. And then I was looking at the valkyries and the shieldmaids and thinking, you know, these are really interesting people that have always been considered to be mythological.

So when I learned in 2017 that one of the most famous Viking warrior burials turned out to be the burial of a woman, that just absolutely dazzled my imagination.

Is this the first confirmed grave of a female warrior that we have?

This is the one that has the best proof. There are one or two others that have since been DNA tested and proven to be female. But in each of these cases, it’s hard to say if the person in the grave, whether male or female, actually was a warrior, or if the object that we are interpreting as a weapon was used for hunting or for some other purpose.

In this case, it’s every Viking weapon known to history. So it’s such a clear result. And the DNA was so completely female.

When Stolpe discovered the Viking gravesite Bj 581 in 1887, he assumed the remains were of a man. That assumption was shown to be wrong 140 years later. Rapp Halour / Alamy Stock Photo

What do we know about the life of the Viking warrior woman in Bj 581?

In 2017, by testing her bones and her teeth, [scholars] could say she was between 30 and 40 years old when she died. They could also tell that she ate well all of her life. So she came from a rich family or maybe even a royal one. She was also quite tall, about 5’7”. By the minerals in her inner teeth, [scholars can determine] she may have come from southern Sweden or Norway, and also that she went west maybe as far as the British Isles before her molars finished forming. She didn’t arrive in Birka until she was 16.

We also have her weapons and a little bit of clothing that were found in the grave. And these link her to what is known as the Vikings’ East Way, which was the trade route from Sweden to the Silk Road.

We can link, through the artifacts and through the bones, that she could have traveled from as far west as Dublin to as far east as at least Kiev in the 30 to 40 years of her life.

How do we know that there were Viking warrior women?

They are mentioned many, many, many times in the literature. In most cases, they have been dismissed as mythological because, of course, we know warriors were men. But we don’t know that. That is an assumption that is based on traditional Victorian ideas that because women are mothers, they’re nurturing, they’re peacemakers, and they don’t fight.

That’s not historically true. Women have always fought. And they appear in most cultures until the 1800s, when Viking studies and archaeology pretty much started. So we sort of have this problem of bias in our earliest textbooks.

But now we have actual scientific proof of one warrior woman in the Viking Age. And as the scientists who did the study say they would be very surprised if she was the only one.

This small female Viking warrior figurine discovered in Harby, Denmark, has been interpreted as a mythological valkyrie. John Lee / National Museum of Denmark

There’s this assumption that the warrior men of myth must have been based on real people, but it’s not the same for the mythical warrior women. Why is that?

It’s just an assumption based on what people think women are like. Most of the material we have from the Middle Ages was written by men, and most of the material we have until the 1950s was written by men, and women are slowly making their way into the field of Viking scholarship. But many of them are still working under the assumptions that they were taught.

I noticed when I went back and reread some of the sagas in Icelandic that there wasn’t this clear distinction between the warrior women being mythological and the warrior men being human. When you actually look at the old Norse text, there’s a lot of words that have been translated as “men” that actually mean “people,” but it’s always been translated as “men” because it’s a warrior situation.

If you’re translating, you have to make decisions and sometimes your decisions have repercussions that you don’t expect, like writing women out of the history.

By the time Hjalmar Stolpe excavated Bj 581, he had become adept at recognizing where graves could be found in the hummocky Birka landscape. WS Collection / Alamy Stock Photo

Is it possible for historians to remove all of those biases?

No, I don’t think it is. I think we all are looking through our own lenses. But we have to revisit those sources every generation to see past biases. So when you have layer after layer after layer of removing biases, you may get closer to the truth.

What most surprised you in the course of researching your book?

One of the controversies right now in Viking studies is should we really be talking about men and women at all? Maybe there were all kinds of different genders. We don’t know if there were more than two genders in the Viking age. Maybe it was a spectrum.

If you look at this one group of sagas called the Sagas of Ancient Times that are often overlooked because they have all these fabulous creatures in them, like dragons and warrior women. It’s really interesting [because] these girls grow up wanting to be warriors. They’re constantly disobeying and trying to run off and join Viking bands. But when they do run off and join the Viking band, or, in another case, become the king of a town, they insist on being called by a male name and use male pronouns.

So it was very shocking to me to go back and read it in the original and say, “Wow, all this richness was lost in the translation.”

[that-tall-queer-bassist]

Live Reaction of my SECOND listen through of EPIC: The Musical

okay i want my Thoughts after finishing the first listen through today (over the course of a week) but i need to listen Again so here we fucking go peoples. Reblogging with each new saga to keep things organized a bit :)

The Troy Saga

we start!!

The Horse And The Infant

"little ajax stay back" 🥺

"You're not ready"

"I could raise him as my own" I WISH PLEASE

the whole section with overlapping dialogue of possibilities and the tragic ends they would lead to

i wanna know who that guy speaking was i don't remember

Just a Man

its so tragic how this infant reminds him of his own son like what the fuck thats so fucked up how could jorge do this to us. OW.

"close your eyes and spare yourself the view" Q^Q

this whole song gets me. especially paired with WolfyTheWitch's animatic to it. augh.

GOD knowing that all of these metaphors come back later and become Relevant i CANT OMG

"Forgive me" is probably the worst thing he could say because i do and i can't at the same time, but he's not asking me to forgive him, he's asking this INFANT who he KILLED AUGH

Full Speed Ahead

600 men. 601 with Odysseus

god this really is just setting the scene huh. and well!!

He really did wanna go home as fast as he could

OH MY GOD MY BOI I FORGOT ABOUT HIM AND HIS OPEN ARMS

his voice is like. angelic. wow.

"and if we don't return, then 600 men can make this place burn" i forgot about that woah

Open Arms

"My friend" my heart hurts

"This life is amazing when you greet it with open arms" oh sweet boy

the sound of a sword being drawn is so good omg

"600 friends are waiting for us to show our faces" XD bruh not subtle

EVEN LESS SUBTLE

Polites i love you

"My friend" you are friends yes please remember that please

Oh i forgot the lotus eaters sent them to "this food filled cave"

"I see in your face there is so much guilt in your heart" AUGH MY BOY

the repeating by odysseus...

"You can relax my friend" at the end like AUGH thats so GOOD and then the immediate next song being Warrior of the Mind !!! very good very tragic

Warrior of the Mind

immediately the music change raises the tension

the way Odysseus immediately knows who she is, hears or something, i love it so much.

"Have you forgotten your purpose? Let me remind you." AUGH hes not a man, but a tool

He seems like more of a conquest or trophy than a person to her, which is fair given he's a mortal and she's a goddess but damn this really does just keep happening to him, being a gods plaything huh?

THIS CHORUS GOES SO SO HARD THOUGH

"Maybe one day he'll follow me and we'll make a greater tomorrow" the way she sings this makes my brain so happy

the whole chorus just scratches my brain in such a good way omg

the slowness. "show yourself"

HIS LITTLE LAUGH

the whole exchange honestly

"nah, don't be modest, i know you're a goddess, so lets be honest-" YES YES YES

"YOU ARE ATHENA" WOOOOOOOOOOOO CLAPPING CHEERING

his description of her is great

"goddess and man, bestest of friends!" "We'll see where it ends" "okay" asdghkjsa im wheezing

THEIR DUET

I LOVE THEM SO MUCH

"ending on "don't disappoint me" is so mean

[generallemarc]

There's a new MHA movie

Does this seem like a transparent attempt to milk the franchise one last time before it goes away for good? Definitely. Is this more of a violation of the canon timeline than even a post-timeskip One Piece movie? Absolutely. Is it really friggin' annoying that this will be the third time Horikoshi broke his "ok guys, this is really the last movie" promise? Probably not for most people but comedy comes in threes. But you see, I don't care about that. And do you know what I don't care about that? Three words:

Chris. Sabat. Villain.

For too long we've gotten complacent, accepting his role as the Stoic, Honorable Warrior/Hero in literally every shonen anime ever(as is required under Texas state law 1080, subsection SSJ paragraph 3). We've forgotten that, when we first got to know him watching Dragon Ball as kids, that this man was the living definition of evil-and-loving-it. And now we get to have that back. Unless the bastards at Funimation decide to utterly destroy their credibility(or they're not doing the same voice as All Might for the villain in Japanese), this new bad guy who's somehow turned himself into All Might's copy should have his voice, his iconic I-Am-Here voice. Am I getting a touch overexcited because its 4:30 am and I'm incredibly tired? Probably, yes. But I don't care. Because right now, I can't think of a better way for the MHA movie saga to go out with a bang. Except the ending of movie 2 was perfect but shut up ok?!

[boybff]

wait hiiiii hi hello bestie i didn’t know u like video essays!! i’ve been trying to find more to watch recently, do u have any other recs? about any topic 👀

HIIIIII bestie Robin, are you ready?? After harvesting my Youtube subscription and liked video lists here is what I have compiled. I'm gonna put my current top 5 video recommendations and then the rest of the list, under the cut, is organized by creator.

Why Are There So Many Confederate Vampires

The art of religious interpretation (midnight mass vs god’s not dead)

Defunctland: Walt Disney's City of the Future, E.P.C.O.T.

Hogwarts Legacy, JK Rowling, and Trans Advocacy

Cultural Inspirations in Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 1 - Water 

CHANNELS

biz barclay - hilarious, brilliant, my best friend who drinks wine and weaves me long insightful stories while sitting on the dresser or in the bathtub. The vast amount of knowledge, historical 

understanding snapewives: religion, fandom, sociology, & erotica

Goncharov (1973) video essay

The art of religious interpretation (midnight mass vs god’s not dead)

Xiran Jay Zhao - Author of one of my FAVE YA novels, “Iron Widow” (which is a MUST read). I always want more avatar content that focuses on cultural inspirations from trusted sources. Xiran taught me so much about the avatar universe I already loved as well as valuable critiques. They also do retellings of historical events such as- Bisexual Han Dynasty Emperors and Forgotten Warrior Queen - Fu Hao.

Cultural Inspirations in Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 1 - Water 

Cultural Inspirations in Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 2 - Earth 

Cultural Inspirations in Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 3 - Fire 

Fundie Fridays - Jen, a leftist queer feminist, and her husband James examine different aspects of Christian fundamentalism, American conservative politics and pop culture. She has remade a lot of her older videos so make sure to watch the updated versions! She was also featured in the Amazon docuseries “Shiny Happy People” which I would HIGHLY recommend. 

Vacation Bible School of Rock (3 part video series History of Contemporary Christian Music)

Ken Ham’s Creation Museum & Ark Encounter

Ask a Mortician - Caitlin Doughty!!! The adult Wednesday Addams we should have got. So compassionate, informed, and moving!! I love her work and she has taught me so much about what it means to have a relationship with death and grief. Her work deals with heavy topics and you can tell she does this work from a deeply respectful, informed place. 

The Lake That Never Gives Up Her Dead

Let’s Visit the Churches Made of Human Skulls

Why are Black and White Funeral Homes STILL Separate? With Dr. Kami Fletcher

Iconic Corpse Series

Princess Weekes -  Nuanced video essays on pop culture, race, feminism, and other social issues. Takes time to break down complex concepts, their origins and material consequences. The essay on confederate vampires and the connection later made to sci-fi media like Firefly were so paradigm shifting to me!

Why Are There So Many Confederate Vampires

The Magical Negroes of Stephen King

Ro Ramdin - Poetic, biting, and introspective essays on pop culture. 

Do Celebrities Hate Their Fans? (Doja Cat, Frank Ocean)

Hogwarts Legacy, JK Rowling, and Trans Advocacy

DefunctLand- History of extinct theme parks and themed entertainment experiences. 

Defunctland: Walt Disney's City of the Future, E.P.C.O.T.

Disney Channel’s Theme: A History Mystery

Mina Le - Fashion, movies and pop culture

WHY IS EVERYTHING SO UGLY: The Curse of Modernism

FAIRYTALE COSTUMES: it’s giving renfaire but why?

Quinton Reviews - Extensive videos covering niche topics, most popular for Nickelodeon deep dive retrospectives.

How Documentaries Lie to You

The ICarly/Victorious Saga Playlist

TheEpicNate315 - yea i fucking love endless hours of useless skyrim lore because the conspiracies are so deep and I have to do 0 of the research to get all of the information years of scouts worked to piece together! 

The Skyrim Mysteries Iceberg (Part 1 of 4)

The Fallout Mysteries Iceberg (Part 1 of 2, incomplete series)

Mike’s Mic - Silly, goofy, and thorough breakdowns of nostalgic TV shows

Any of his unhinged recaps - LOST, Pretty Little Liars, Glee

Tiffanyferg - Media criticism and commentary

Internet Analysis Series 

Zoë Ligon - sex educator, artist, and writer, who also owns SpectrumBoutique.com, a health and education oriented sex toy store. Such a special place in my heart for her!! Her bondage mini-documentary with Midori was so touching. 

Sex Stuff | Japanese Rope Bondage with Midori

Channels Newer to Me

Broey Deschanel - a mixture of film analyses, retrospectives, politics and just absolutely overthinking anything to do with pop culture

Elvis (2022) and the Utter Mediocrity of Biopics 

Meeptop - rambling about movies and stuff

Who is Dahmer Even Made For?

LadyJenevia - discussing entertainment media content including films, television series, etc. Expect to find reviews of recent cinematic releases, video essays on older releases, and interviews with talent from the film/television industry

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and The Art of Hiding in Plain Sight (Netflix Review/Video Essay)

As a disclaimer, I am not endorsing any creator fully and if you see someone you think I should not promote please reach out to me so I can edit this list. As a general rule of thumb the more I had to write about someone, the more informed the recommendation.

[wolfnight2012]

EPIC!Polites had to die

(Hear me out!)

Anyways, i talked a bit about how Polites literally moves the plot in EPIC ( here) but this time I'm sorta gonna mirror the arguments.

So, this is all gonna come across as Polites favoritism, but (though you don't have to agree with what I say) know my arguments are taken straight from the text.

So, why does Polites have to die?

Because EPIC cannot happen without his death (for two reasons)

Number One

As I state in my linked post, Polites is the only person Odysseus is shown to listen to.

Odysseus changes his mind/his actions 3 times in Act 1.

Zeus: Odysseus would not have killed that infant if Zeus did not tell him to. Zeus tells him the infant will kill Odysseus' loved ones in the future & with a heavy heart, Odysseus acquiesces.

Tiresias: Odysseus would not have become the monster if the prophet had not told him he would never get home + Penelope was with a murderer.

Polites: at the end of "Open Arms" Odysseus starts to seriously consider Polites' words (that's why he sings Polites' words "Greet the world with open arms" back to him.) Thats also why that's the moment Athena chooses to come berate Odysseus. Odysseus has been guilt-ridden since Astyanax, but Athena chooses this moment, when Odysseus is with Polites & listening to him, to tell him he's "forgotten to turn off [his] heart."

One of these instances is not like the other.

Unlike with Zeus or Tiresias, Polites is not threatening Penelope/Odysseus' family.

These are also not the only instances of someone trying to change Odysseus' mind (or trying to tell him what to do)

Odysseus disregards Athena's instructions to kill Polyphemus & when she doubles down on his recklessness/disappointing actions, Odysseus essentially tells her to fuck right off.

Odysseus refuses to give Poseidon a real apology (not saying it would have saved his crew or not, but Odysseus clearly thought it would, hence him playing along)

Odysseus doesn't allow himself to be tempted by Circe in order to save his men (not saying this is a bad thing btw!!)

And then there's Eurylochus.

Eurylochus, notably, tries to reason with change Odysseus' mind a whopping Five Times in Act 1.

Full Speed Ahead: "We don't know what's ahead"

Remember Them: "Captain, we should run"

Storm: "Captain, we will capsize with these waves, our fleet will fail"

Luck Runs Out: (literally the entire song)

Puppeteer: "Think about the men we have left, before there're none"

And Odysseus listens a total of zero times.

And yet, unlike with "Luck Runs Out" when Polites tries to tell Odysseus to change his behavior/his mind/his way of thinking, Odysseus puts up a lukewarm resistance at best AND he sincerely considers Polites' words.

Number Two

Out of all the characters we've been introduced to this far (up to the Thunder Saga) Polites is the one who knows Odysseus best (AND the one he is closest to)

I know we only have 2-3 songs to establish Odysseus & Polites' relationship while Polites is alive (though he does very much haunt the narrative, even up to "Suffering" as Jorge recently-ish informed us) but OH BOY, is it Thoroughly established.

Full Speed Ahead:

The joy in Odysseus' voice when he greets Polites vs the more professional affection given to Eurylochus' entrance.

Not only the fact that Odysseus chooses Polites out of 600 men to scout the island with him, but that he choses only Polites. Either he can trust his life to Polites' skill as a warrior OR (more likely imo) he wants some alone time. And he feels he can be alone/himself with Polites.

Open Arms:

Polites immediately knows something's up with Odysseus but (unlike Eurylochus in "Luck Runs Out") he doesn't say anything in front of the crew, rather waiting until they're alone on the island. Either Polites has more tact than Eury OR (more likely imo) he knows Ody--enough to know he doesnt respond well to being called out in front of others or how to best approach a conversation about his mental state

Polites correctly calls out that Odysseus is tired of war (which Odysseus confirms in "Just a Man"), that he's stressed out ("Look at how you grip your sword, enough said"), and that something is eating at him ("I see in your face there is so much guilt inside your heart")

Odysseus never gets defensive with Polites or shuts down him down (unlike in "Luck Runs Out") despite the fact that Polites IS calling Odysseus out, (Just Like Eurylochus in LRO!) The most we get is a half-hearted/unconvincing "I'm fine, Polites" which makes ME think Ody isn't trying too hard to convince Polites, either because he knows he can't get one past his best friend or because he doesnt want to wear a mask, not around Polites.

((arguably!!)) Odyssues only goes to the cave/trusts the lotus-eater's information because of Polites (which is another instance of him being swayed by Polites or of the affection he holds for his friend being strong enough for him to want to please him)

Survive:

Polites' death is what causes Odysseus to freeze up/go into shock. Odysseus stops captaining his men & leaves them orderless (despite their pleas for him to resume command) solely because Polites dies (and we do have confirmation on this given that in the last live-stream, the stage directions during "Remember Them" tell us Odysseus is still staring at Polites' body up until Eurylochus snaps him out of it)

[edit]Underworld:

Odysseus becomes overwhelmed by the accusing voices of the underworld & starts to spiral (arguably starts having the beginnings of a panic attack)

Polites' voice snaps him out of it (listen to the change in the music/soundscape from "I keep thinking of the infant from that night" to "This life is amazing"

There is audible relief/hope in Odysseus' first "Polites." I hesitate to call it joy, but everything does become lighter

However, Polites CAN'T offer Odysseus comfort/support, since he's not really here/he's just a spirit stuck in his deathloop

Odysseus' 2nd "Polites" sounds dejected/small when he realizes Polites can't interact with him/stay

He was hoping for comfort/support! He heard Polites & the screams IMMEDIATELY quiet! His mood audibly lifts! Polites is canonically Odysseus' emotional/mental support, as seen in "Open Arms" (check out my super long post analyzing "Open Arms" lyric by lyric here) and by how we are shown/told he's noticeably changed in the Ocean Saga (both by Eurylochus suddenly doubting Odysseus + the lyric "Everything's changed since Polites)

So, why do I think Polites had to die to keep the EPIC plot as is?

Well, given the information we have (and including no further speculation or headcanons) we know five things:

Odysseus trusts Polites

Odysseus cares deeply about Polites

Polites can effectively tell when something is bothering Odysseus

Polites can call Odysseus out without getting shut out/down

Polites can get Odysseus to listen/change his mind

Which tells me, Polites could have likely prevented everything past the blinding of Polyphemus.

We KNOW Polites' death is a large part of what causes Odysseus to shout out his name ("My friend is dead") but beyond that:

If anyone is going to tell something is eating at Odysseus in the Ocean Saga, it's Polites. (No other crew member tries to figure out how Odyssues is doing mentally/emotionally OR figures out what's bothering him beyond "Everything's changed since Polites") If Polites is alive, Odysseus isn't carrying all the weight on his own, because Polites will notice & reach out

Polites has a track record of getting Odysseus to listen. If they need to talk to him, it most likely wouldn't be Eurylochus stepping up if Polites lived

Odysseus trusts Polites. If they still get the windbag, Odysseus is letting Polites take a shift

If Polites lives, the plot of EPIC is diverted during the Ocean Saga at latest. Either Odysseus isn't made reckless with grief/anger & thus doesn't reveal his name. Or he doesn't become isolated/succumbs to his stress (and thus allows doubt to sow within the crew) because Polites is there to reach out. Or he trusts the windbag to Polites & they make it home to Ithaca.

Polites has to die to cement Odysseus' downward spiral.

Thank you for coming to my tedtalk.

[elliemarchetti]

Gwynriel Weeks Day 3

I really wanted to participate in this year’s @gwynrielweeksofficial, but since at the moment my free time is decidedly limited I opted for writing a collection of drabbles, a story that can be read all together or as standalones. I don’t know how many chapters I will actually be able to publish, but I present you the first, set after ACOSF and whatever happened in the last CC book (I haven’t read that saga and I don’t intend to, so I don’t know if the timeline is right)

Prompt: Confessions

Warnings: Angst

Words: 625

"I thought about you while you were gone."

Gwyn’s soft voice broke the comfortable silence, making him wince. Her words hit harder than any blow he ever received in his long life as a warrior, striking straight to the heart. He had found her on the stands of the training arena, her hair down, her feet bare and only a light nightgown to cover her slender body. The full moon made her look like a forgotten goddess he wanted to worship, a physical reaction that reminded him why he had to stay away.

“I feared you wouldn’t come back,” she went on, her usual sweet smell mixing with that of the alcohol she previously drank. Her teal eyes were wide, but uncharacteristically veiled with sadness, as if she still didn’t believe he was real and alive, next to her in the dark. Ever since Azriel had returned to the Night Court, they had never been alone. He had made up all sorts of excuses to postpone their private training sessions, and when she was with the Valkyries, he had let Cassian lead her training, for every moment he spent too close was a suffering, a test of his honour and morals.

“Do you want me to escort you inside?” he asked, when the absence of her words became too much to bear, ready to offer his jacket to cover her figure on the short journey. While he was on his mission, he had a lot of time to ponder. He usually liked the solitude, to be away from useless chatter and invasive questions, but the sound of Gwyn’s voice was music, the only thing capable of silencing the constant buzz of his thoughts and the fussing of his shadows. He had missed her incredibly, and when he saw her again with the other priestesses, the breath had left his lungs, making him gasp and eager to hold her in his arms, something he never did before and certainly couldn’t do at the moment, out of the blue.

In response to his question, Gwyn simply shook her head, the long hair escaping from behind her left ear, framing her face like a burnished cascade. For an instant, Azriel deluded himself that they were the only beings still existing in the world, light and shadow colliding with the stars as their only witnesses. He had to resist the impulse to retreat when she touched the tips of his flame-torn fingers with her own, smooth and tapered, and he had to will his instinct to not drag her on top of him and fuck her senseless. He wasn’t like those beasts who had violated her, but he was rough, and flawed and…

She’s about to kiss you, purred one of his shadows, the sound audible to him only. It was true, and as much as he had to, Azriel didn't stop it from happening. He responded to the delicate peck on his full lips as if he were afraid he might break her just by moving too fast, and he followed her lead with the fluidity of a centuries old spy.

“I’m sure Lady Elain is more capable than me, but after all the apprehension of the past few weeks, I had to do it,” she murmured when they finally parted, and something in Azriel broke. His detachment capitulated like the walls of a conquered city, and decades of repression resurfaced, freezing him in place. He watched her walk away, her back straighter than he would’ve expected, her pride intact. She was a force of the nature, incapable of regret, unaware that she had just left ruins and destruction in her wake.

“I thought of you too,” he whispered to no one, the words lost in the wind.