#because he’s been TRYING to get through to him as Odysseus is changed by the loss and the influences of the people/gods around him

[keikoayano]

Thinking about the yearning when Eurylochus says “let’s just cut our losses, you and I, and let’s run”

He’s not saying to forget those they’ve lost, he’s not saying to undo what has been done, he’s not blaming Odysseus (at this moment) for the consequences of his decisions. He reminds Odysseus of this all, sure, but not to be negative or force Odysseus to confront what they’ve lived through. He’s begging Odysseus to see things from his point-of-view.

He doesn’t want to lose Odysseus on top of everything else, even though he’s watching Odysseus change in front of him from the captain that he’s known, from the friend that he’s known for years. He doesn’t want to lose what few men are left. He doesn’t want to lose another self-proclaimed brother - they’ve both lost Polites already.

He just wants to grab Odysseus and get everyone remaining home, even if that means turning and running

[antinousletmehit]

Pairing: platonic!Antinous x fem!reader/ Telemachus x fem!reader

Note: a chapter of this series will come out each day because I’ve already pre written this stuff PRE ITHACA SAGA so the future chapters regarding that may or may not be changed. Also I will go through readers and Antinous’s backstory as siblings soon.

THIS IS PART 3

Here’s where you can find part 2–> https://www.tumblr.com/antinousletmehit/771422711234887681/paring-telemachus-x-femreader-notes-first

N/N= nickname

────୨ৎ──── ────୨ৎ──── ───

Y/n strolled out of the hall, her smirk lingering from the sheer delight of watching Telemachus squirm. The cool, quiet halls of the palace gave way to the raucous noise of the main hall. Laughter, shouting, and the occasional clatter of a goblet hitting the floor filled the space.

The Suitors were sprawled around the room, gambling with dice, boasting of how Penelope looked their way and didn’t frown, and play-fighting as if they were on a battlefield. Plates of half-eaten food littered the tables, and amphorae of wine were passed around with careless abandon.

Y/n weaved through the chaos, dodging an overly enthusiastic shove between two men sparring with wooden swords. She reached for a cup of water from a passing servant’s tray, taking a sip before a familiar voice cut through the din.

“Well, if it ain’t little N/N!”

Y/n turned to see her brother, Antinous, standing near one of the tables, arms wide in mock celebration. He was surrounded by a few of the rowdier Suitors, his grin as sharp and confident as ever.

“Don’t call me that,” she said, though her tone lacked any real annoyance.

“Why not? It suits you,” Antinous replied, leaning on the edge of the table. “Little N/N, always poking her nose where it doesn’t belong. Tell me, who have you been tormenting now?”

“Who says I’ve been tormenting anyone?” she asked innocently, taking another sip of water.

Antinous laughed, throwing his head back. “Oh, come now. You have that look about you. The same one I get after outsmarting some poor fool.” He narrowed his eyes at her playfully. “Let me guess… Telemachus?”

Y/n smirked, leaning against a nearby pillar. “Who else? He’s so easy, Antinous. All I have to do is say a few words, and he’s blushing like a maiden on her wedding day.”

The Suitors around Antinous erupted in laughter, one of them slapping the table so hard the dice scattered. “The prince of Ithaca, reduced to a stammering fool by a girl!” one of them crowed.

Antinous grinned, raising his goblet in a mock toast. “Well done, sister. You’re learning from the best.”

Y/n rolled her eyes but couldn’t help smiling. “If I’m learning from you, then maybe I should start charging him for the privilege of my company.”

“That’s the spirit!” Antinous said, gesturing for her to sit at the table with him. “Why waste your talents on free entertainment when you could profit from them? You could even outdo me one day.”

“Outdo you?” she repeated with a laugh, setting her cup down. “Is that even possible?”

The two of them shared a laugh, their sibling bond clear in the way they teased each other. Around them, the Suitors continued their games and boasts. But in the back of Y/N’s mind, an image lingered—Telemachus, standing defiant despite her taunts.

Y/n leaned back in her chair, her smirk lingering as Antinous poured himself a goblet of wine. Around her, the Suitors’ voices ebbed and flowed in waves of laughter and drunken arguments, but Y/ns focus was on her brother.

He was always the center of attention, effortlessly commanding the room. He had a knack for it, a charisma that even she had to admire. Still, as much as she enjoyed their games, Antinous’s antics sometimes grated on her nerves.

“Do you ever get tired of playing king?” Y/n asked, swirling the water in her goblet.

Antinous arched an eyebrow, his grin unwavering. “King? No, sister. I’m merely trying to keep the throne warm for the day Odysseus never returns. Someone has to take charge, after all. And that old relic is too busy mourning a dead man than to choose the man who’ll have her to wife.”

“Is that what you call drinking, gambling, and pretending you’re invincible?” she quipped. Her smirk sharper than the edge of Antinous’s blade.

Antinous laughed, unbothered by her jab. “Careful, Y/n. Envy doesn’t suit you.”

“Envious? Of you?” She scoffed, though her smile betrayed her amusement. “I’d rather be the serpent hiding in the shadows than the lion roaring in the open. You should know better than anyone how that story ends.”

Antinous paused, his grin faltering just slightly. It was fleeting, but Y/n noticed. She always did. He recovered quickly, leaning back in his chair with an air of practiced ease.

“And yet, here you are, mingling with the lions,” he said, gesturing to the raucous crowd around them. “Perhaps you’re not so different from me after all.”

Y/n didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she let her gaze drift over the room. The Suitors were a sorry lot, drunken fools more concerned with games and glory than anything of substance. Telemachus wasn’t wrong to hate them. She hated them too, in her own weird way.

Her mind wandered back to the interaction with Telemachus, to the flash of anger in Telemachus’s eyes as she goaded him. It wasn’t the first time she’d pushed him, and it wouldn’t be the last. There was something about him, something raw and untapped, like a blade waiting to be sharpened.

“You’re quiet,” Antinous said, breaking her thoughts. He tilted his head, studying her. “What are you thinking about now?”

Y/n smirked, meeting his gaze. “Nothing you need to worry about, brother. Just thinking about how boring this lot is.” She gestured to the rowdy group around them. “Don’t you ever wish for something… more challenging?”

Antinous chuckled, leaning closer. “Challenges are for those who have something to prove. I don’t have anything to prove, I know who I am and I prefer to enjoy myself.”

“Of course you do,” she said dryly, taking another sip of her water.

Antinous didn’t press further, turning his attention back to the game at hand. Y/n, however, let her thoughts drift again, this time to Telemachus.

Y/n smiled to herself, setting her goblet down. The lions could keep roaring. She would remain the serpent, coiled and patient, waiting for the right moment to strike.

[l-egionaire]

My Warrior Penelope AU

Based on this post I'd done before. I've seen a lot of Warrior!Penelope AUs where the events of things are....pretty much the same as Odysseus's story. And while I can get why people do that, I wanted to give my own idea on how things might change.

At the start, things are mostly the same, besides Penelope being a chosen of Ares and more of a warrior, attracting Odysseus with her smarts and battle skills. Then, when the war breaks out, Penelope insists SHE go in Odysseus's place, citing numerous reasons (Helen is her cousin, Ithaca needs their king more than their queen, her not wanting their son to grow up with father). In spite of himself, Odysseus agrees to let her go, but does give her his bow as a parting gift to remember him and their family by.

The next ten years of war and the events through "The Horse and The Infant" and "Open Arms". play out the same way. But during her and her crews meeting with Polyphemus, rather than simply blinding the cyclops like her husband had, Penelope outright kills him with her spear....and then, in her wrath at having lost so many of her men because of their advice, she goes and slays each and every one of the Lotus-Eaters.

As she and her crew prepare to leave the island with the sheep they'd taken, a figure appears on the beach in a leapord skin tunic, the wine god, Dinoysus. He glares at her and explains that the Lotus-Eaters that she had killed had been HIS followers, and he was here to punish her for murdering them. As she was Ares's chosen, he couldn't outright kill her, but he could still punish her in OTHER ways. He then looked her in the eyes, and to her horror, she found herself suddenly surrounded by hundreds of horrible monsters, all having sharp teeth and claws, some wielding weapons. She withdrew her twin axes and began to slay them, some trying to hold her down or scratch at her, but she got out of their grasps and killed them with more ferocity until all of them were dead at her feet. Dionysis then smirked and snapped his fingers. The monsters then dissolved away....to reveal the bloody bodies of all her crew. Dinoysus claimed that he'd made her slay the ones who followed her just as she'd slayed the ones who followed him before vanishing. Penelope sank to her knees, her hands shaking and covered in the blood of six hundred men.

After a full day of crying and staying in a fetal position, Penelope took a ship and began to sail, trying to get home. Her lack of a crew forced her to stay awake nearly 24/ to keep the boat on course. And unfortunately, her troubles were only added to when she ran into a flock of Harpies. While she managed to fight off and kill most of them, they took most of the sheep meat she had and her food supply soon ran low even with rationing. Now close to starving and weak from hunger and sleep deprivation, she landed on the first island she could find. To her joy, the island was full of cattle....but in her hungry and tired state, she didn't notice the statue of the sun god. She slaughtered one prepared to cooked it....then, to her horror, saw the goldsn ichor spilling from its neck. Suddenly a massive thunderstorm blossomed out over the island. Zeus descended down from the Heavens and grabbed her by the throat. Saying how DARE she disgrace yet another of his sons by stealing his cattle. That she would need to be punished for her defiance of the gods, not just once but twice. He then got a lecherous smirk and said that the first part of her punishment would start now....and began tearing off her armor....

Once it was over, Penelope was once again left feeling disgusted, horrified, and broken, this time rushing to a river to scrub down every part of her body until she was raw. Even vomiting, the feelings of shame so intense. And she soon found what the second part of her punishment was when she boarded her boat, as the winds and waves were so strong that she was blown in one way, going farther and farther away from her home in Ithaca until she landed far away, in the Land of The Giants.

The Giants used their rocks to smash her ship apart and she spent the next ten years trapped in their lands. She lived like a rat, having to run and hide in caves and desolate places to avoid being eaten, stealing food from their huts and, in some harsh cases, being forced to kill their young when they discovered her.

Then, one day, after ten years, the goddess Artemis appeared before her in her cave. Ares had asked Olympus to give her freedom from her home and after agreeing, Artemis was there to assist her in getting home. The first step would be reversing her situation and making the hunted into the Huntress. The goddess gave her a quiver full of gleaming silver arrows and told her that, using her husband's bow, she would slay the giants as the quiver would refill itself over and over until she left the giants lands. Penelope thus took those weapons and her husband's bow and began killing the giants one by one, their men, woman and children, until their was no one to threaten her as she constructed a small boat to take her home. Artemis then appeared before her again and told her to sail every night, following the moon in the sky and she would arrive safely home.

She follows Artemis's instructions, eventually arriving in Ithica....and discovering to her disgust at den of betrayal. A group of men, having seen her husband as being weak for sending so many men off to die in war and taking so much time away from ruling to care for his only son, decided to work with corrupt members of his court and servants to slowly poison the king over the last ten years. Unfortunately, due to both Odysseus's hardiness to survive and a bit of divine assistance, Odysseus managed to survive their poisoning, though leaving him in a more abd more weakened state. They'd planned to use this day to strike the king and his son down and claim power for themselves...but Penelope arrived just as they'd been about to harm her husband. Filled with rage at seeing their hands on her beloved, Penelope raised her twin axes and slew every one of them. She'd killed 600 soldiers once. 107 were nothing compared to that. Telemachus returned home to find her holding up Odysseus. And, for the first time since she arrived at the land of the giants, Penelope removed her armors helmet to expose her face to her husband and son.

The reunion was full of love and tears and joy and sadness. But it was one they all felt was worth the wait.

[blessedbyahuntress]

Blessed by a Trickster

Chapter Nine: I Never Thought my Last Words Would be That Stupid

Prev/Next

A/N: Guys this chapter is so short 😭

Warnings: I changed so many of the lyrics of this song to fit the storyline better

Word Count: 750

Listen to: Ruthlessness

“Poseidon,” Odysseus breathed.

The man standing on the rocky shore of the island raised his trident, grey hair billowing in the leftover wind that was released from the bag.

“In all my years of living, it isn’t very often that I get pissed off.” Even from the ship you could still hear the voice of the imposing god. “I try to chill with the waves, but damn you crossed the line.”

You watched, frozen as Poseidon floated through the water toward your ship. “I’ve been so gracious, and yet you hurt the son of mine.” He smiled at your fearful expression. “That’s right. The cyclops you made die, was mine.”

“No,” you and Odysseus said in unison, both your voices laced with disbelief.

It was like that single word summoned the god, because he appeared right in front of you. You scrambled back as Poseidon continued in his booming voice, “I’m left without a choice, and without a doubt. Guess the pack of wolves is swimming with the shark now.” He swept his trident to the right, and several figures rose above the ship- six wolves made out of water, trying to swim while a shark circled the pack.

“I gotta make you bleed, I need to see you drown.” The god’s words cut through the visual, and you raised your forearm to block the water droplets that rained down. “But before you go, I need to make you learn how ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves.”

You took another step back, and then there were two, quite solid things- going shoulder to shoulder with you.

You looked around wildly and breathed a sigh of relief when you realized it was Polites and Eurylochus, both pointing their swords at the god that stood before you. 

Poseidon only sneered at the sight of the blades. He turned his attention to Odysseus, who was now unprotected.

“You are the worst kind of good, ‘cause you’re not even great,” Poseidon said, circling the captain. “A Greek who reeks of false righteousness- that’s what I hate! ‘Cause you fight to save lives, but never get the job done.” He raised a hand and curled it into a fist. “I mean you totally could’ve avoided all this, had you not killed my son. But no.”

Polites could see you shaking and turned you toward him gently. “Open arms,” he told you softly.

“No,” you replied in the same low voice as him. “That won’t work here.”

Your attention was jolted back to Poseidon as the god said, “Now it is finally time to say goodbye. Today, you die. Unless, of course, you apologize for my son's pain and all his cries.”

“Poseidon, we meant no harm,” you tried. “We only killed him to disarm him.”

Odysseus, nodding, added, “we took no pleasure in his pain. We only wanted to escape.”

Poseidon stopped and narrowed his eyes at the both of you. “The line between naivety and hopefulness is almost invisible. So close your heart the world is dark.”

The god raised his trident. “Die!” He screamed, bringing the butt of the trident down on the floor of the ship.

Almost instantly, geysers of water shot up and around the other ships of the fleet. You stumbled to the railing, knees weak from the thought of the deaths you might have caused. You could hear panicked screeching coming from the helms of the ships. “Captain! Captain! Captain! Captain!”

Poseidon waved his hand and all went quiet.

“What have you done?” Odysseus whispered, looking out at the destruction. The only thing left of the rest of the fleet were a few sinking sails and floating floorboards. 

“Forty three left under your command.” You could practically see the proud smirk on Poseidon’s face without turning around.

You felt a hand on your shoulder, and you glanced behind you, shocked; the hand belonged to Poseidon. “I am your darkest moment,” the god murmured. “The monster that always draws near.”

He raised his voice and took his hand off of your shoulder. “Any last words?” He asked grudgingly.

You had been eyeing the bag for a while, and now you lunged forward. “All I gotta do is open this bag!” You said triumphantly, untying the rope and flinging it open.

“What?” Poseidon thundered, but you were already speeding off on the newly summoned winds, leaving the god and his island behind.

You slumped back, closing your eyes and releasing a sigh of relief.

You wondered if you imagined the, “remember me…”

[quotidian-oblivion]

Six Hundred Strike Jetpack

That was a fucking awesome ass scene. The visuals and the music all went together so well and so cool!!

But, I wanted to see what other different approach could have been taken.

Just by listening to the song, closing my eyes and trying to picture how things could have looked, I feel like at the start, Ody is drowning. He's drowning and his eyes are getting so so heavy then... he sees the bag.

He sees the bag and, in desperation as he's losing oxygen, opens it. He opens it and the wind bursts, propelling him up as he's clutching the bag for dear life. And as he's going up and up (his still in the water, going up as Aelous's instruments go on), his facial expressions change. He goes from hazy, to active, to desperation, to fear, to pure unbridled anger. He will see his son. He will see his wife. And no fucking thing is going to stop him.

He doesn't look back, but he feels something. A hand. Several of them. All of them holding him, propelling him up with Aeolus's bag. The crew, Polites, Eurylochus, his mother, everyone he has lost. All of them supporting him, seeing how determined and how close to home he was when none of them were. They were here in spirit, but also in an ethereal, wind-like form.

So instead of jetpack, when I listen to the song, I'm picturing the 600 men taking some vague air-formed versions of their bodies.

And in the 0:22 mark when Aeolus's part shifts to the "six hundred men" chant, I can clearly picture Odysseus bursting from the water surrounded by the 600 men in wind-forms, holding him up and surrounding him, facing off against Poseidon.

That's when Odysseus says his piece and pulls out his weapon and attacks.

So Poseidon's storm - yes - is there, but right now, it's in the form of 600 men. And during the 0:52 mark when you hear that- that- (I'm not a music student, bear with me) water-crystal-ice-wind sound (nailed it), I can picture them rushing forward to attack Poseidon.

As Odysseus sings "For every comrade..." etc, I can picture the wind-forms attacking Poseidon ruthlessly, holding him down, hitting him, overwhelming him with wind and air in his lungs so he can't breathe, giving Odysseus the time to attack Poseidon, render him unmovable and weak.

And when Odysseus sings "Six hundred strike!", I can picture all the wind forms and Odysseus attacking him all at once, dropping Poseidon on the rocks.

And, once the instrumental calms down and the wind disperses, the wind forms leave Odysseus and transform back into the storm, blocking the way home. And this is because Poseidon caught control of it again. (I'd like to believe that the other wind gods including Aeolus and Hermes got convinced through Athena's fight to help Odysseus and that's what shifted the winds into the 600 men backing Odysseus up. But since they're in Poseidon's territory, he could snag the control back again). And the reason Poseidon's rendered immobile is because he's struggling to keep hold of the storm away from the other gods' hands.

So when Odysseus stabs him over and over, he can't do much cuz he's trying to keep control of the storm. So when he says "Alright!" I'd like to imagine him giving up that control and the other gods getting it back and moving the storm away. So then Poseidon has the power to heal himself since he's not struggling to keep hold of the storm.

Aaaaaaaaaand that's my take! Hope you like the vision too. I'm just a sentimental fella and I'd prefer everything coming together rather than a single... um, jetpack 😅

[adaedellta]

Epic the musical soulmate au

Where nothing changes but all the words make you a lot sadder

I’ve been on a soulmates AU kick recently and thinking about the Ithaca Saga so imagine a first words tattooed on your body trope with young Odysseus and Penelope and he’s a little intuitive having heard of Penelope and thinking she’s so cool then he sees her and gets this feeling she’s the one

Maybe it’s an Athena’s pupil thing maybe they’re such a perfect match for each other that he can feel it in his bones but he has this almost tangible cord pulling him towards her

But he’s there tryna wingman for Menelaus, talks to Tyndareus abt the oath idea and when the king responds well he maybe quietly implies he’s set his sights on Penelope, and maybe Helen and Penelope are somewhere nearby just close enough to hear Odysseus’ pitch but not so close they hear his goals(I can’t find a solid source online for their first meeting so I’m making stuff up) and after, penelope is intrigued by him and he’s somewhere close and she comments something like “he chooses his words well” to Helen. and he’s like stupid smart, trying to impress her, even his subconscious is focused on her and he hears and says something like “it’d take a fool to be insolent in your presence” to her

and it clicks in her head immediately that those are her words and without any shock or question she just says “you’re mine”

And they’re so sickeningly in love, they call back to their words often, he’ll say “I’d be a fool to___” and she’ll repeat “you’re mine” and almost never call him his name favoring lovey nicknames like “my love” and “my dear”

And when he goes off to war she says “you’ll come home to me, you’re mine” and he says “It’d take a fool not to return to your presence”

Then things go south, but through his journey it’s all he thinks, that he has a promise to keep. When he loses his crew, when he faces and befriends Circe, hears his fallen brethren and family in the underworld, the sirens song having an almost “I’m yours” tone as opposed to “you’re mine”, he evades Scylla, he makes Zeus’ choice, all thinking “it would take a fool not to return to your presence”

And calypso, she doesn’t have the words of a soulmate. it’s a fate confined to humanity, from when Zeus split mortals in two and forced their souls to be forever reaching to connect the puzzle til they finally unite. But she knows what they are. And just like her using his sleep-spoken trauma against him, calling back to his dead friends and family, she repeats “you’re mine” in love in paradise even dipping into “my dear” and “my love” despite his unending denial of her affections. It puts even more emphasis on his already rightful aggression and pain at what should only be said by Penelope

Then “I plan to put an end to all the foolishness” in dangerous he already wasn’t going to let anything stop him but now he’s willing to do straight up anything (and he does) to get home. He has a firm belief. he would rather be savage and merciless than be foolish because in his eyes there is nothing worse.

And when he becomes monstrous, how will he sleep at night??? “NEXT TO HIS WIFE” we all say in unison.

That’s not even mentioning Penelope, she spent 10 years pushing back the suitors, because Odysseus is coming home, she knows her husband, he is no fool. He will come back to her. She will not let anything go, and she will keep what is hers. The suitors all having an approach of having her turning their already flat chances into the negatives, especially Antinous’ threats in hold them down all having a message of taking from her where to be with Penelope is to give her all of yourself so she can do the same in turn.

And he absolutely fucks shit up, the suitors and their threats, the harm they’ve dealt to his family, the way they continue to try nothing but take what’s Penelope’s, what’s his. Their foolishness will not be tolerated. The actions they’ve taken to his wife, to his son, the greatest creation their love has ever made, they didn’t stand a chance against the guy who just fought god and won.

And then what everyone has been waiting on for the entire musical the absolute masterpiece that is would you fall in love with me again will never not be heart wrenching. He’s not just asking her if she could look past all he did, fall in love with the man he’s become. He doesn’t know if he still deserves her, if he’s too far gone to be worthy, He’s asking “am I still yours”

And she’s as cunning as ever, even after every year they spent apart she will always know exactly how to push his buttons, how to set him off, how to force him to convey his desperation for her, and hell she’s from Sparta of course she’s gonna be into him after all that. The second he turns his back in shame she’s probably twirling her hair and fanning her face knowing what he did all to keep his promise and return to her. And she gives him the reassurance that he needs, tricks him into proving that no measure of distance and time could ever take away or change what they have, and for the first time in 20 years he hears her say “you’re mine” and it shatters any apprehensions and self doubt because he’s still Penelopes.

And overall it changes literally nothing about the plot or the storyline and only serves to make things a hundred percent more sad and angsty

and I’ve had this eating away at my brain all through a piercing appointment and shopping with my mom and sibling all day I can finally rest now that it’s escaped my head

[beauty-and-passion]

And finally... the Ithaca Saga

We did it. We reached the end.

And we did it this year, in 2024! I suppose the moral of the story is: if you're truly passionate about something (and have big plans), you can do anything.

And by "anything", I don't mean just "finishing the concept album": I mean fighting against weather, bad luck and probably the gods themselves, to do what you planned.

I imagined everything, except that Mr. Jorge's plan for the final stream of his entire album, was to go to the goddamn island of Ithaca and stream there.

But, you know, it was right. It felt right. It was a very poetic choice, to bring a modern version of the Odyssey back home. To let the musical reach its artistic birthplace. And it's even more impactful that it wasn't just Odysseus' voice to (figuratively) return home: it was the entire story, through the voices of all artists involved.

However, since it's the Odyssey we're talking about, the trip to Ithaca couldn't have been simple either: what kind of boring story would it be, if everything went smoothly from start to end?

Greece's weather is overall warm, even in winter. However, there are the occasional storms/typhoons/rainfalls that last for a couple days and drown or destroy parts of the cities. And Jorge faced them not at the end of his trip, not in the middle: at the beginning, just in time to stop him from reaching Ithaca too easily.

And I believe this is all Ithaca's influence, because something similar happened to my father and brother. Last summer, they were supposed to visit Ithaca as well, but first found no available ferries, then the rain started to pour down, their car died on the nearby island, there was no available mechanic and when they finally found one, their car got fixed just in time for my brother to go to Athens and get his flight back home.

Sooo... it looks like Ithaca doesn't want visitors at all, no matter if it's summer or winter, and it does everything to keep people away - or at least, to make them have a small personal Odyssey before reaching it. Also because, according to the last shorts from Jorge, it looks like the weather changed into the usual warm, greek temperatures now. And he seems to enjoy his stay too, so I suppose the true obstacle is just reaching the island.

But enough about Ithaca, let's talk about Ithaca: there were huge expectations for this Saga. This is the final one, this is supposed to wrap up Odysseus' story and the last loose threads.

And it does. It takes its time to wrap up the last characters and it does it organically and coherently. There are no OOC moments - and this is a huge point for me, because my main complaint in the last Saga was that Odysseus moved too quickly from "let's try to discuss" to "stabbing time": here you can see and understand why he gets so angry and he even takes a few lines to further clarify his emotions.

The pace of this Saga is good too: there are no dead moments and the songs move smoothly from one event to the next. It surely helps that they cover a period of 24 hours more or less, but still.

__________________

The Challenge: this is the first time we actually hear Penelope. Not the one from Odysseus' memories, not a siren, not a vision, but the real one.

And the real one is truly the perfect woman for a clever man like Odysseus: she's intelligent, she's resourceful, she reads the signs and does the right things to buy more time. That's what she did in the Odyssey too, so it's nice to see this trait of her character here as well.

And even though the events here happen for slightly different reasons (in the Odyssey, the bow challenge was just another attempt to buy more time, while here it's something Penelope proposes right after the storm, as if she feels things are going to change very soon and her husband is coming back), it still doesn't sound forced or unnatural. It fits Epic's narrative, without damaging or going against the spirit of the original work. That's how you do a good rewrite.

One last thing about Penelope: I love how, with one single song, we can see her pride, her strength, her cleverness... and her love too. She herself says she didn't expect to end up like this, but for love, she's ready to do anything. Even waiting 20 years for a husband she doesn't even know if he's still alive, buying him time in every possible way and keeping on hold 108 dangerous, younger men who need just an excuse to rise against her and her family.

__________________

Hold Them Down: what did I say about that excuse?

Jokes aside, this is some powerful villain song and I ADORE it. The rhythm? Great, majestic, terrifying. The drums and the chorus are chilling.

But even more than them, it's the entire song, to be terrifying. And not because of its themes: it's because of the details.

Antinous doesn't just say "We will kill Telemachus and rape Penelope": he describes step by step what he wants to do. He presents a clear, precise plan of what he wants to do and how he wants to do it.

That's what makes it so chilling: how careful he is with the details. How he pondered about everything. His willingness to do all the things he says, without an ounce of doubt or fear.

And what's even more terrifying, is how Antinous' words are welcomed by the chorus of the other Suitors. There is no coldness, no shock, no fear: there is this palpable, growing excitement, that grows stronger the more he describes his plan. The chorus accompanies his words, anticipates them eagerly: they cannot wait to hear what he wants to do next.

And when Antinous says Penelope will be at their mercy after Telemachus' death, silence drops for a moment and the line: "And then we'll" is welcomed by pure silence. This perfectly shows how all Suitors held their breath, for one second, waiting for Antinous to say it out loud, to push his plan further and say what they were all thinking: without a man in the house, they could've had access to the queen's bedroom and body. They were waiting to hear it. They wanted, needed to hear more.

This is how you make a great villain song. This is how you build a terrifying villain: it's not just Antinous, who can stir up an entire crowd, by pushing on their primordial instincts. But it's the crowd itself, that welcomes the terrible images he proposes, because they were already in their minds. They were already thinking all of that: all they needed was someone to propose it out loud.

Of course Odysseus goes into full rampage mode after that: who wouldn't?

One last detail I appreciated a lot: the allusion about how the prince was on a diplomatic mission. Sure he was, that's how Odyssey starts: Telemachus leaves Ithaca to search for more news about his father, visits Sparta, Menelaus tells him about the Troyan horse and so on. It was a nice reference.

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Odysseus: a song better known as "Odysseus cleans his house from 20 years of filth".

I've already talked about the first lines and I appreciate them a lot, not just because they further clarify Odysseus' thoughts and actions, but also because they imply he spent some time in Ithaca before this moment, enough to see how the Suitors treated his palace. There's a huge lack of Argo, the only dog who lived something like 20+ years and died right after seeing his owner one last time, but I suppose that his dog's death would've sent him into ultraviolence mode instantly.

I lovelovelove the ensemble chanting Odysseus' name. It's solemn, it's ineluctable, it reminds me of old church hymns and I am a sucker for that stuff.

But I am also a very bad person, so when I listen to Eurymachus saying "hey, what if you spare us and welcome the world with open arms instead" and he gets slaughtered with a "no" as a reply, I laugh.

Yes, I am a bad person.

Okay, fine, we can acknowledge how this wasn't what Polites meant with open arms and how no one has been able to fully understand his mentality... but also, it works perfectly to show how Odysseus changed. In the past, he would've been tricked by these words - and it would've led to him losing more people he loves.

But after going through so much shit, he's not willing to trust others anymore. The time of open arms is gone forever. As he says, "And as long as you're around / My family's fate is left unknown".

And so, it's ruthlessness time. Because, as Poseidon told him, ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves. And Odysseus would find peace, only if he gets rid of all the dangers around.

Because come on, we know the Suitors would've found a way to still try to kill or hurt him and/or his family. They don't play fair, they said themselves. Sparing them would've only hurt Odysseus in the long run.

And if we consider the time period, killing all the opponents was all Odysseus could do, to regain control over Ithaca.

Think about it: he has been away for 20 years, leaving the island without an adult male ruler. Of course this led all other, younger men to become restless and prideful and do things they would never do, without a strong leader: like trashing the leader's palace or trying to hurt his family.

Odysseus' only way to regain control was to show everyone he was still the strongest. And the only way he could do it, was to get rid of all the people who were undermining his authority. This way, he got rid of the dangerous ones and taught everyone else a lesson: do not even try to oppose my authority again, because I am still the strongest man of this land - and therefore, the only leader.

__________________

I Can't Help but Wonder: so, right after showing everyone he was still the ruler and the stronger and so ruthless, Odysseus takes his time to softly listen to his son and tell him how much he loves him.

No, I am not crying, I got this song stuck in my eye.

But seriously: the softness, the love, the affection he holds for his son. And how this is all beautifully portrayed through Jorge's voice.

I know others already said it, but the way he modulates his voice is incredible. He really sounds older here, an old man talking to this young boy who is so confused and full of doubts about his own strength... and like the father figure Telemachus always wanted, Odysseus reassures him: he's sure his son is strong, he understands his pain and the troubles he experienced. And he loves him, with the unconditional love a father has for his child.

I said I am not crying.

The Athena part has been a surprise: honestly, I feared Jorge forgot and we would never see a closure for them, but we actually got it!

And it was a very good one: Athena asks if there is a world where empathy is stronger than fighting. A world where people can understand each other more and not always resort to violence and ruthlessness.

There's an implicit invitation in her words: would Odysseus help her pursue this world? Would he still be her warrior and work for this new, greater tomorrow?

And Odysseus refuses. He's too old, too tired. This world is too far beyond his reach. We are still trying to reach it and we are getting glimpses of it in our everyday lives.

Athena, thanks to her immortality, can live long enough to see this far-away future, but Odysseus? Maybe in the past, when he was younger, he would've loved to see it. Now he's had enough of adventures. All he wants is to finally see his wife again.

And Athena proves her growth, by that simple "very well". You can hear a smile in her tone. She's not angry at him, she's not resentful: Odysseus made his choice and she's okay with it. Their paths divide forever, not with bitterness but with understanding.

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Would You Fall in Love with Me Again: better known as "I am not crying, I said I am not, I just got the Odyssey stuck in my eye".

Odysseus reveals his wife all the awful things he did, he insists he's not the same man - Tiresias told him too, he's not the same kind and gentle husband he was and he will never be anymore: he's a man marked by hardships, by the war, by the world.

By saying it, he reminds me of the war veterans, the people who faced horrors and survived, to come back as changed people. Odysseus is one of them: the war left a mark on him and the following 20 years deepened that mark, made new ones, scars and terrors that will haunt him forever.

So of course he's not the same and he will never be: life and its hardships changed him too much to come back to the naive, younger man he was.

And yet, despite everything, Odysseus is still the same man. And Penelope proves it, through the bed trial. Again, I love how it has been used here: in the Odyssey, it was Penelope's way to be sure the weird beggar-looking guy who just killed everyone truly was her husband. Here it's her way to prove to him first that yes, he still is her husband. He may be rougher, more ruthless, filled with more regrets and anger than before... but he's still him. And she doesn't care what he did: all she cares about is that he's finally back.

Does that make Penelope a bad person too? Personally, I think it makes her more human. She spent 20 years imprisoned in her own house, with 108 possible predators trashing her place, desperately trying to buy more time for a husband she didn't even know if he was still alive, all while trying to hold the predators down as long as possible, so they wouldn't hurt her or Telemachus. Can we really blame her, if she doesn't care about what her husband did to come back, as long as he's finally back?

__________________

A truly passionate project

Epic the musical is a project overflowing with love. Every artist, every voice, every song is filled with passions and emotions and they shine here, in the final Saga, more than ever. Jorge's voice has been incredible, the way he went from sounding like an old father, to a younger man again. How we shifted from love and affection, to anger.

Penelope? Amazing, brilliant, incredible. All female voices are A+ and she's no exception.

The instrumentals? Always on point, they highlight the emotions and the mood of every song perfectly.

All the artists? Incredibly fitting, superb voices. Each of them did an amazing job with their characters, each of them brought their own spin to it and made them iconic. I don't think we'll easily forget characters like Hermes, Circe, Calypso, Athena, Scylla, Tiresias or Zeus. I know I won't.

And yes, I will fondly keep this version of the Odyssey close to my chest. It's so hard to find good modern versions, now that I found one, I won't forget it so easily.

__________________

The end?

The concept album is done, but that doesn't mean Epic is over. Jorge already said he wants to make videogames and, hopefully, give the musical some live adaptation.

So it's now right to say this is the end: this is the first step of a bright future for this series. And I personally can't wait for what it will bring.

In the meantime, as always, do not forget to stream the Ithaca Saga (and the whole musical for that matter), support Jorge and show love to all the people involved: they deserve it. Every last bit of love. It would be only fair, considering how much love and commitment they poured into this project.

That's why I would like to thank them all again for their hard job. It has been a truly wonderful journey and I can't wait for what 2025 will bring them - and us.

[kill-me-with-a-spoon]

I am here to rant about an admittedly small thing that only concerns the official animatic of "Odysseus" but I am working through my emotions so....

I really do not like this moment.

Telemacus being referred to as a warrior of the mind feels so cheap and unearned to me. But let's take it step by step.

What is a "warrior of the mind"

Athena sadly never gave us an exact definition but we have some things.

First, Warrior of the Mind:

> My life has one mission, create the greatest warrior

I had a challenge, a test of skill. A magic boar only the best could kill. One day a boy came for the thrill. A boy whose mind rivalled the boar's own will

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

From these we can gather that a warrior of the mind isn’t just a good fighter. They rely on their mind(duh) and problem solvers and very rare as it is implied that Odysseus was the first to accomplish Athena's challenge.

> Don't forget that you're a warrior of a very special kind. You are a warrior of the mind

> I know he'll change the world. 'Cause he is a warrior of the mind

> Maybe one day he'll follow me. And wе'll make a greater tomorrow

> Maybe one day we'll reach them. And we can build their skills as we teach them

From these we can gather that a warrior of the mind is meant to be a leader that can/will change the world, not simply through martial prowess but by leading the people.

But I think more importantly than that

> We are the warriors of the mind

Athena considers herself as a warrior of the mind. It is not just a title she gives to others but a title she herself has as well. So her declaring Odysseus as a warrior of the mind is her, at least in part, equating Odysseus to herself.

A brief look at Remember Them

> Have you forgotten the lessons I taught you? He's still a threat until he's dead

This is the only part of this song that matters to this discussion. Odysseus leaving a foe alive goes against Athena's teachings.

And finally My Goodbye

> You were reckless, sentimental at best

> Put your emotions aside. You're a warrior meant to lead the rest

From this we can gather a warrior of the mind is a general and one that can act without emotion.

These are just things Athena said, we can probably get more specific if we include what Odysseus does but it might also muddy the waters

Now which of these characteristics does Telemacus have?

Great warrior? No. He fought for the first time when he was 20 and lost to a normal man despite Athena directly helping him. (Yet, at most a few weeks later he was able to fend off several attackers at once. Must have been one hell of a training montage)

Clever/cunning? We see no evidence of that.

Leader? Telemacus doesn’t lead anyone. Sure he did go on a diplomatic mission but we literally do not know what he did.

Able to stay calm? He got baited into a fight pretty easily because someone insulted his mother. Admittedly Odysseus lost control like that after Polites's death which was also the first time he ever lost men but I think that was more extreme.

Telemacus doesn’t have any of the characteristics we know to be associated with a warrior of the mind. You can’t even argue he has earned that title by being wise and teaching Athena the value of compassion and trying to make things right as the first thing Telemacus does in Odysseus the song is kill someone by stabbing them in the back, only then does he offer them mercy.

Like I said, it just feels really hallow and nothing more than a moment for the audience go "Oooooo!" and "Yeah!"

[gnomeniche]

i am a eurylochus (from epic the musical) defender forever.

yes, he made deadly mistakes, but get this: so did odysseus. eurylochus is literally Just A Man, even moreso than odysseus. he doesn’t have the benefits of being a king with a capital-h Heroic fate and connections to the divine. he is trying his best to ensure the crew sees their home again while mediating their dissatisfaction and fear (getting into more interpretive territory but that could be a motive for opening the wind bag: to assuage the crew’s suspicion). eurylochus had all the reason in the world to be suspicious of odysseus’s decisions (many of them have unintended consequences!), and as a second-in-command, it is his Job to ask questions to ensure the leader knows what he is doing before the orders are executed.

and i think a lot of people miss that he has his own character arc implied in the background. he is just as affected by all the tragedy as odysseus. his changes of heart aren’t a sign of him being a hypocrite. he’s changing from everything the crew has been through, trying to learn from his horrible mistake with opening the wind bag by putting more trust in his captain. and the trust gets shattered when the king and captain decides to use his power to destroy his own people. he, odysseus, and rest of the crew ALL saw people die. they all went to the underworld. they all have people waiting at home for them. if you went into ANY of their heads, you would hear the “all i hear are screams / any time i dare to close my eyes” refrain. you need to remember this.

one thing about me is that i will always love a character who is a companion of a very powerful/significant Hero who is a) just an ordinary person caught up in the affairs of Gods and Kings and Monsters and Heroes, b) aware and wary of how much more power the Hero has compared to their less powerful comrades, and c) someone who chooses to put their trust in the Hero regardless but has their faith tested, possibly leading to a myriad of painful outcomes and betrayals depending on how careful/not the Hero is with their regard for their companions. it is an excellent character type. it reminds us that, as much as we put ourselves in the shoes of Mythic Heroes like odysseus, we would more likely be one of the ordinary people helping them and caught in the crossfire.

so, i adore how much epic the musical humanizes the crew and emphasizes their pain and desperation. i’ve read adaptations of the odyssey that make the crew out to be a bunch of idiots who ruined everything because they couldn’t just listen to their ruler. and i feel that type of adaptational decision buys too much into narratives of A King’s Rightful Power and Staying In One’s Place. odysseus can call the crew friends and brothers, and i believe epic’s version of him does see them as that, but he is the king and the captain. there is a power differential no matter what. so i love that i never get the feeling of “ugh what idiots these stupid underlings are” from epic. there are valid reasons why people lose trust in their leader, especially after a horrific war and on a difficult journey where people are dropping like flies. odysseus is still sympathetic, of course, but so are the rest of the men. i feel for all of them, and i think the musical is great for giving odysseus and the crew such a compelling relationship. and i love eurylochus because he embodies that relationship.

[merp-blerp]

TW: Discussion of sexual assault and suicidal ideation

I've been seeing some debate about Calypso and whether or not she sexually assaulted Odysseus and I want to throw in my two cents.

I'll say straight out of the gate that I don't currently like her much. I feel pretty icky about her personally.

Comparing Ody's behavior in Epic prior to "Love in Paradise" vs during the song feels so... clearly different. He seems very traumatized by whatever has been happening on that isle. It almost feels out of character for him to consider dying instead of fighting to get home alive like he had been, but putting myself in his shoes I can see how he came to that through what's textually known. He has been trapped on that isle for 7 years—that's nearly a decade, with no way to get out, everyone he knows and loves dead or far away with no way to know where he is or if he's alive. While I obviously would never think that's a good decision, I can see how he got to the point of wanting to end it. And if he's been sexually assaulted like he was in The Odyssey, I understand it more due to how that can warp a person's mental health.

I've seen some say, "Calypso is just a sweetie who doesn't know how to love properly" (paraphrasing of an actual comment I've seen). Even if she really just doesn't know how to care for a mortal, as many of the gods seemingly don't, I think she understands her power over mortals with her "Bow down now to the immortal Calypso" comment. She also understands that Odysseus doesn't want her, with the first part of her response to Ody's threats being "Oh handsome, you may try". She knows that he may try to escape by killing her (even though she can't die). Honestly, why would she feel the need to trap him if she didn't know good and well that he would want to escape her? She knew what she was doing was something that would make him want to run. Calypso being a goddess automatically gives their dynamic a power imbalance of course. Even though the assault is only implied, the fact that she's trapping Ody against his will, super infatuated by him, and still says "Soon, into bed we'll climb and spend our time", makes me feel like the indication is clear. What's stopping her from trying to have "sex" with him (sex isn't sex without consent)? She's already ignored all his declines. She seems to think that forcing her "love" onto him will make him love her. Yes, she uses lovey-dovey language so I doubt it would've appeared violent, but sexual assault doesn't have to look violent and the perpetrator doesn't have to appear aggressive. It's telling that I've seen some say, "Save that energy for Antinous" because Antinous is much more obviously bad, but this kind of thing isn't always obvious. That kind of assault is still extremely traumatizing whether it's sugarcoated as if it's love or not. It's dismaying that some reactions to Calypso bypass her potential assaulting or "She's weird, but she seems to care for him!" And since the sexual part of the assault is technically subtext (for now, who knows about later), I'll say that even if Calypso didn't sexually harm him, she still forces physical and verbal intimacy onto him and traps him so he can't leave. We see that. That's still assault. The only reason why I don't feel similarly about Epic's version of Circe is that her intent wasn't to have sex with Ody but to distract and throw him off with talk of sex so she could stab him as he's vulnerable; Circe never wanted to have sex with Ody in actuality. Calypso's intent was romantic intimacy and she didn't care if Odysseus said no, she completely bypassed it. Calypso saying "You're mine, all mine" feels as threatening as Circe's "I've got you" was meant to be.

Anything can change between now and the next two sagas. It could either be fully confirmed or denied that sexual assault took place. I actually don't expect either, as I don't think Jay would go too deep into such a traumatic concept in Epic, but then again I also didn't expect suicidal ideation to be brought up at all and it absolutely shocked me when it was, so I could be wrong. But whether it's confirmed or not, I don't blame any Epic fans who don't like Calypso or even hate her over what she did and what it's implied she did. It's icky watching some fans tell others they shouldn't hate Calypso because of this or that as if this isn't a sensitive and complex topic. It's creepy. I don't think we should tell people not to hate a character associated with sexual assault. The sexual assault might be subtext, but subtext is important and sometimes is implemented intentionally. Not every part of a story is going to be given to you at face value. Just because "Epic didn't say that" doesn't mean that the implication doesn't matter. People interact with stories in different ways, so you can disagree with others—no one can take that from you, but you don't get to tell someone they can't feel a certain way about a character. I don't like saying this because I really shouldn't have to put it in this perspective for it to be understood, but I can't help but feel like if Calypso and Ody's genders were swapped some people would treat this implication differently. Sexually or not she hurts him.

Normally I don't like taking lore from The Odyssey and automatically applying it to Epic, as Epic has changed a lot of rules from The Odyssey because Jay wants to tell this story his own story. For example, I personally choose not to assume Eury and Ody are brothers-in-law in Epic like they are in The Odyssey because that hasn't been stated in Epic so far. But to me, the implications of Ody's sexual assault are there enough for me personally to think that it might take place in both stories. Jay seems to want Epic to be accessible to many people, so it doesn't surprise me that this element of The Odyssey was brought up in a more subtextual/"hinted at" way.

Calypso is a very interesting character, maybe the most out of all the Epic antagonists so far for me, but we don't have to think of her as not doing anything wrong in order to enjoy that character, her songs, her cute physical character design, or Barbara Wangui's beautiful voice.

[The remainder of this post contains potential spoilers for the unreleased (to date) Vengeance Saga under the cut]

[Edit: Now complete with some post-Vengeance Saga release points]

Another defense of Calypso I've seen is that in the snippets for "I'm Not Sorry for Loving You", Ody says he loves Calypso, but not in the way she wants him to. This could mean they're friends and therefore doubt about the sexual assault could be cast.

It's hard to assess this because the saga's not out yet, but it's worth remembering that abuse can come out of care, in a complicated way. You can care for someone so much you end up hurting them, usually out of wanting to control them. Calypso seems to fit that concept. And most Epic snippets don't give full context, naturally, so who knows why Ody says this at the moment. Maybe he means it, or maybe he's bluffing to guarantee he'll get what he wants (which is to be set free in this instance), like when meeting Athena, or to appease a god, like when "apologizing" to Poseidon in "Ruthlessness". And of course, victims don't have to hate their perpetrators if they choose not to. Odysseus can care about Calypso and she can still have hurt him really badly. Both of these things can be true.

The way I read it, Calypso doesn't love Odysseus like she thinks she does. She's infatuated by him and cares for him enough to not be obviously cold like all the other obstacles Ody faced initially are. She declares that she loves him as soon as he wakes up on her isle without knowing him at all. She didn't even know his name. The washed-up person on her isle could've been anyone and she likely would've "loved" them. Calypso only loves Ody because he stops her loneliness, not for who he is. When she begins to state that she loves him she doesn't even know him. Over the 7 years, she seems to have potentially gotten to know him a bit, saying "I know your life's been hard", but Odysseus himself asserts that she doesn't really know what he's been through. You can call someone (against their will, let me remind you) "my dear, my love for life" all you want, but that doesn't mean you love them. Ody's her first companion in years if not ever, of course she cares for him on a basic level. She won't kill him or let him jump off a cliff. But she doesn't love him or treat him like a human and obey his boundaries and wants. She treats him like an object or pet she owns and has to guard.

In "I'm Not Sorry For Loving You" Calypso says that Ody is all she's ever known because she was abandoned. It's understandable that she would latch onto a living creature after being alone for so long. But that's not necessarily love, at least not to me. If I love someone I wouldn't bypass their refusal to do something. And I wouldn't trap them with me and not let them go, even when they're about to jump off a cliff because they see no way out. I'm not sure if Calypso means to bring malice, she at least says she "bring(s) no pain", but she does regardless or if she intends to. Calypso hasn't had anyone in her company, let alone someone to love, for so long, maybe in her whole life. That's why she doesn't know what love is, so of course when she catches fickle feelings for Odysseus she assumes that's love and has no clue what to do with her "love", as she admits in "I'm Not Sorry For Loving You". Calypso's actions are understandable, but that doesn't mean they're excusable or not abusive. What she does to him is understandable, but selfish and only serves herself, which isn't what you do to someone you love. Note that the way I use understandable here does not equate to forgivable, it just means conceivable. And her apology to him really waters down the magnitude of her actions, saying she "pushed" him, "came on too strong", and that her love might've been "too much" for Ody.

I apologize for this being such a long rant, but I wanted to cover all the excuses for Calypso I'd seen and speak my mind on why I think they're misguided at best.

Post-Vengeance Saga Edits:

Now that The Vengeance Saga has been released, I can comfortably say that I still don't like Calypso, and I think this saga just encourages me to do that. I wasn't anticipating the entirety of "I'm Not Sorry for Loving You" to basically have been featured in the snippets. I was expecting the official song to give more context, maybe showcasing Ody and Calypso having a dialogue, but no! That was really it. And I'm honestly happy for it. It seems like the show recognizes that Calypso is in the wrong, with the way we aren't meant to really ruminate on Ody leaving her. The excuse I talked about above using the theory that Calypso and Odysseus would turn out to have been friends because he said he loved her? I just don't think that held much water by release. I particularly want to point out the way @gigizetz drew Ody's face as he leaves in the commissioned animatic from Jay's stream:

While I can't say for certain that he doesn't mean the "I love you" in some way... he doesn't look like he means it to me. There's no lovey-softness in his eyes, like you might have when you look at your friends when saying I love you. He looks beaten down. Tired. Above, I proposed that Ody might just be blowing smoke to further get what he wants from her. I don't think there's quite enough insight for me to say I was necessarily right on that, but Ody doesn't actually appear that attached to her, certainly not enough so for me to confidently say that I think his "I love you" is genuine. He doesn't even look like he'll miss her, he looks beyond ready to go as she shouts, not pained by her tears. Honestly, Ody might've just said that so she'd stop talking so he could leave. Now there is one more saga left, so maybe he'll wistfully mention or remember her, but I'm not really expecting it based on the official visuals that Jay okay'd. Humbly, I'll say that I don't think Odysseus feels much for Calypso. We don't get happy moments of them together and not even a proper goodbye filled with mutual pain. We just get her backwards apology that basically says, "Sorry I hurt you, but not fully. Shut up and let me talk about me and justify why I trapped you. Wish you'd stop rejecting me despite the fact that I've hurt you. Let me shout that I hate that I fell for you—only because this hurt me unlike I wanted when I kidnapped you—who cares if it hurt you." This moment is not at all a redemption for Calypso. It's her downfall. Her negative character arc. She didn't want to be alone so bad she trapped a person against his will and now she is alone forever (in this show). She can't even have Ody as a friend (and she won't accept purely his friendship anyway based on how the song ends). Who knows how different things would've been if she had just been more... normal when he washed up on her isle? The situation was tragic for them both in different ways, but I'm not sorry for Calypso. Calypso is so interesting as a character. Side-lining her actions just bards us from being able to assess her.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Epic What If:

(What if Telemachus Did beat Antinous in the fight?)

Now before we start, I think it should be noted that while this doesnt seem like this would be a big deal. Trust me, this has some interesting Connotations

-Everything up to the start of the Wisdom Saga was basically the same. Telemachus ends up hearing Antinous comments and ends up challenging him to a fist fight.

-Though it starts with Antinous, mocking the "Little Wolf" Athena's intervention helps Telemachus even the playing field.

-Though instead of Athena realizing she pushed Telemachus too hard, something within Telemachus changes... instead of the punch that knocked him down, Telemachus lands on his feet... his eyes shift red (similar to his father's later down the line) and he nails Antinous in the throat, causing the man cough and hold his throat. Telemachus gets on top of the man and starts beating him with his fists!

-Athena noticed that all his strikes that he had been landing were all to vulnerabilities. Telemachus had his father's Strategic mind but his blood lust was different, it was ... could it be from Penelope? She was from Sparta. Could this boy have the rage of a Spartain?!

-The other suitors were stunned, unsure of what to do. Was Antinous, the one who was sort of the leader of the group really getting their ass beat by this squirt?

-Antinous' face was a bloody pulp, having difficulty breathing. He says he yields.

-Telemachus gets up, he yells at the suitors to take this man and leave.

-"Your stay in this castle is over

Make sure everyone hears,

If you want to try to get to my mother

I'll bring you blood and tears!"

-Telemachus basically saying none of them are getting through while he's around.

-And the suitors retreat. Taking the beaten man away.

-After they left, Telemachus falls to the ground, Athena does realize she did push him to hard.

-The song "We'll be fine" is played with only slight changes. But Athena says that those guys will be back and will be angry. So she tells him what he needs to do before she leaves to go intervene on Odysseus' behalf

-god games goes the same, and pretty much the Vengeance Saga is the exact same. Its only when the Ithaca saga occurs that there is a difference

-Penelope had heard about what Telemachus did and the castle was now getting cleaned up. Telemachus had actually Barricaded to ensure no one would be able to get in while he was 'Away'. Penelope sings about how the storm was a sign. But She doesnt sing the Challenge. She sings "Waiting." an altered version of the song. She doesnt pose the challenge, because the men arent in the castle anymore.

-"Hold them Down." is done differently. The men actually are attacking the barricaded castle. Antinous now with an Eye patch, is back and angry from his beating. He tells them that they will break through and kill the brat, and take what they want. Though when they finally get the door open, they rush in, only for Antinous to say his last line and get interrupted. By an arrow that pierced his patched eye. But it didnt kill him.

-The song is actually "Odysseus" It was Telemachus who was there, he had set traps and was fully equipped for war. He tells the suitors that this is their final warning. To leave the castle, return to their homes or else.

-The men laugh and say that there is only one of him and they charge. Telemachus retreats into the castle, where the traps were.

-Several suitors were killed by the traps. And Telemachus moved to the Armory. But something was killing the men far more brutally, something much more Agile and Brutal.

-Antinous, Melanthius, Amphimous, and Eurymachus, each had a small group of suitors. Though they commented that Telemachus and his traps arent the ones killing so brutally. It was then they hear Odysseus voice.

-Odysseus tells them that they invaded his home, they attacked his son, they tried to r*** his wife. Now he was going to make them pay.

-Eurymachus begs for mercy. But he and his group dies.

-Amphimous and Melanthius run into the armory and deal with Telemachus and his additional traps. Odysseus arrives and kills the Melanthius after Telemachus kills Amphimous.

-Odysseus asks Telemachus how many are left. "Telemachus asked how many he killed. "I think around 10. My traps maybe 20. Odysseus mentions that he has slayed 70.

They hear a brutal knock, it was near Penelope's room. Odysseus and Telemachus arrive. 7 men with Antinious remain.

"The old king is back from the dead.

You must be tired from your long trip back

Why dont you rest your head

While we go and make your wife arch her...."

Odysseus charges and stabs Antinous right in the gut Telemachus watched as Odysseus had slayed the other men so quick. Only Antinous was the last one alive. Antinous begs for mercy

-Odysseus did NOT like that. And proceeds to cut his head off.

-It was here that we get "I cant help but wonder" with a bit more mention of Telemachus and how proud he is of him, as well as Athena praising the boy. and then followed up by "Would you fall in love with me again." Between Odysseus and Penelope

[epicthemusical]

Familiar Longing

@fuckingdeadinsidetm for the inspiration so thank you!

Eurylochus takes a deep breath before heading over to his Captain's hunched form. He has to confess about opening the wind bag or else the guilt will strangle him. He looks down in shame as he starts to talk.

"Captain, I have something I have to tell you. I won't be able to rest until I do. Captain I-" 

As he is about to confess he looks up and stands there speechless. The rising sun hits the brown curls and gods when did his Captain's hair get so long? He is reminded of the times after he and Ctimene spent mornings on the beach as she ran through waves and sand laughing freely with a grin. She always ended up with her curls tangled up while covered in salt and sand. Every time he made sure to gently clean and untangle her hair as they relaxed together. The color is a bit off and it's still shorter than hers but it's still so familiar. He is broken out of his memories and longing by Odysseus' voice.

"Whatever you have to say can wait some more I'm sure. Go scout the island, we can't take any more dangers sneaking up on us."

"Yes Captain."

Eurylochus walks away shame and guilt feels like it's choking him but he does as he was ordered and gathered men before heading off to scout the island.

—----------------------------------------------------

Eurylochus stares down at the still form of his friend, his brother, his captain. He feels sick at the blood pooling on the deck adding to the sickening metallic smell from the 6 who had died. Thinking of that again has some part of him shrinking in on itself as the betrayal and guilt lay heavy in his chest.

“Captain?” He had felt so relieved that Odysseus had trusted him enough to still have him carry out his orders even after he finally admitted to opening the wind bag Eurylochus light up six torches. He had trusted him but he obviously chose wrong.

“Sir.” All he has ever known is being the second in command. He follows orders and keeps everyone safe. How was he supposed to lead, to be a captain? He doesn't have Odysseus to catch him if he falls anymore. What is he supposed to do now?

“Eurylochus!” He finally snaps out of it and looks up at the remaining crew to think they had started out with 600 men

“What should we do with the capt- with Odysseus?” He glances again at the unconscious Odysseus. It would be reasonable to kill him now after all they did just mutiny. Who knows what will happen once he wakes up but…he can't bring himself to let him die. Not only is he Eurylochus’ brother-in-law but he is also Ctimene’s brother. The thought of having to watch his beloved wife's face fall in despair when he has to tell her Eurylochus is the one who killed her brother…no he can't let Odysseus die.

“We need to wrap his wounds and tie him up. Make sure to tie him well. We all know how tricky he can be.” Many of the crew grumble a bit but do as they are told although they made no effort to be gentle. Eurylochus' hands tighten their hold on himself trying his best to ignore the pained moans from Odysseus as he is tied securely to the mast, his wound taken care of.

He hands out orders firmly despite the growing unease and uncertainty he feels. He can't let his weakness show now that he is Captain or else they will lose trust in him. Now matter how exhausted or how much he wants to break he cannot falter. He glances once again at Odysseus tied to the mast before making his way to his room. He knows that the captain's quarters technically belong to him now but it just feels wrong. That has always been Odysseus' room and he can't bring himself to change that because that would make it official. That would mean he has to fully accept what he had just done and he isn't ready for that he doesn't think he ever will be.

Eurylochus all but collapses onto his bed and stares at the ceiling almost feeling numb. He glances down at the blood still on him and the sudden grief overwhelms him as he starts crying. Once the tears start he cant stop as he lays curled up his body shaking from his sobs as he lets out all his pain. Polites would be so disappointed in them both. He told Odysseus that if he wanted all the power then he must carry all the blame but he can't bring himself to believe those words. How could he after he was the one questioning Odysseus time after time. His own doubt made him open the wind bag leading to so many dying. He has just as much blood on his hands as Odysseus, maybe even more.

He slowly calms down leaving only a hollow ache in his chest as he drifts off to sleep praying for a dreamless rest.

The next day he sits down by the mast watching over Odysseus. He still isn't awake just yet but he knows how quickly things could change with him. Eurylochus takes some time to really look at his friend for the first time in a while. Ever since Circe's island where he noticed how Odysseus' hair had grown longer and achingly familiar to Ctimene’s curly hair he has tried his best to not look too hard. He takes in the bags under his eyes and how skinny he had become. What draws his attention the most however is once again his hair. His hair had grown long and tangled but it is so painfully familiar even with the slight color difference it reminds him so much of his wife. He aches to thread his fingers through the knots gently untangle it like he often did with Ctimene at the end of the day. They used to talk and laugh about anything and everything while he helped calm her unruly hair that never seemed to obey. As he comes back from the memory the hollow feeling grows and he feels so very tired.

-----

They arrive at the next island and Odysseus is tied to a nearby statue as they find plenty of large healthy cows roaming nearby. Eurylochus notices Odysseus is starting to stir and he can't help but miss Odysseus, the Odysseus he had known and trusted with his life and the lives of the crew. When is the last time either of them have smiled or laughed? Perhaps it was before Polites had died which isn't surprising. Polites had always been the best of them, always so kind and positive. He was the glue that kept everyone together so when he died of course everything started falling apart. Odysseus groans as he wakes up at last.

"Uhg my head...where are we?"

"The first island we found. It has this statue of the sun god and we found all these cows to eat."

"Don't tell me you're about to do what I think you'll do!" 

It hurts hearing his friend plead with those familiar words. He feels so heavy and he just wants to lay down and never move again but he can't not when he needs to take care of the crew.

"I'm hungry, my friend."

His stomach grumbles at the thought of finally eating and he knows the crew feels the same hunger eating them from the inside.

"And I'm tired.."

He is just so very tired. Tired of fighting, of thinking and hoping that somehow they will end up home again. He sees Odysseus start to struggle against the ropes.

"Please we can still make it home! We just need to keep going!"

How many times has he heard that? We are almost home, this is our final fight, our journey is almost done it has become a hollow statement at this point. Hope has long since been crushed. 

"Ody we are never going to make it home."

Why should he make himself and the crew suffer even more when they have meat to eat right here when they won't make it home anyway? A crew mate leads a cow to Eurylochus and he raises his sword.

"I'm just a man."

Odysseus manages to cut the ropes on a nearby rock and once free springs into action trying to stop Eurylochus.

"EURYLOCHUS NO!"

He is too late as the sword slices through flesh and golden blood stains the sword. He stares in shock at the gold. Why is it gold? A storm forms and lighting rumbles ominously.

"You doomed us...you doomed us all Eurylochus!"

Eurylochus looks up at Odysseus noting the terror hidden in his eyes and the red bleeding through the bandages. He has rarely ever seen Odysseus terrified like this and if his brother feels so now...what has he done?

"..Captain?"

He orders the crew to grab an oar and row for their lives. The anger and fear in his voice jolt everyone into action as they default to following orders as they had for over a decade. Eurylochus looks concerned at the still growing red spot as Odysseus turns and meets his eyes.

"Those cows are immortal, they are the sun god's friends. And now that we've pissed him off WHO DO YOU THINK HE'LL SEND?!"

Eurylochus pales as he realizes just how badly he has messed up. How could he have been so stupid?! No he knows why, he had given up on getting home and his hunger, always the damn hunger that screws them over. He should have learned from the cyclops cave. How could he have given up on seeing Ctimene again? More lightning crackles through the sky lighting up a form in the clouds.

"We're too late..."

Zeus descends from the thunder clouds as lightning continues to shatter the sky and cause ears to ring. He sees Odysseus stand as tall as he can considering the still slowly bleeding wound with determined eyes. That's always been his go to attitude when it comes to gods, he tries to appear confident and firm. Eurylochus can only hope his brother will find a way out as he usually does.

But will he? He has shown he is willing to sacrifice you if it means getting home.

Eurylochus can feel the exhaustion and hopelessness creep in again as Odysseus is finally given a choice, him or the crew. It's obvious that there it wasn't going to be a choice, not for Odysseus.

He doesn't really mind dying at this point but he regrets that the crew had to be included as well. That and no matter what Odysseus chooses, Ctimene will be heartbroken. He can't be sure that he won't give up again so it's best Odysseus is the one who lives because if anybody can manage to make it home it would be him. At least that way he can be sure his wife will have someone to comfort her.

".. Captain?"

He still finds himself protesting even with his heart not in it. He has to try if only for the crew around him.

"I have to see her again..."

"But we'll die."

What is it he told Odysseus? Ah yes If you want all the power you must carry all the blame. If the crew dies it won't be Odysseus' fault only his. He is the one that decided to slaughter the cow and doom them all. He sees Odysseus turn around to face him with teary eyes full of guilt and exhaustion, just like Eurylochus.

"I know."

Eurylochus breaks more at how broken Odysseus sounds. He is obviously grieving the choice he had to make. Eurylochus takes a deep breath and stands still accepting his death without a fight even as the others draw swords and rush Odysseus. 

Electricity hums in the air before lightning strikes and pain crackles through his body. As he starts to sink the pain dulls, his nerves having been fried beyond use. He closes his eyes and lets the darkness take him.

I'm sorry Ctimene...

[a-little-miffed]

EPIC Modern Retelling 

Featuring:

Poseidon, the sleazy CEO of an airline company

Athena, a wise and helpful employee 

Odysseus and co, a group of tired, disgruntled travellers just trying to make it home 

Other characters we’ll meet along the way :))

Odysseus is travelling home from a business trip with his best friends Eurylochus and Polites and a large group of their co-workers. It’s a long, complicated  journey with lots of connecting flights. He’s very keen to get back to his wife and son.  

They get on their first flight but they’re forced to take a diversion because the aircraft has run out of food 

Ody and Polites go and look for a snack in the airport café, it’s also out of food, they’re beginning to despair when a shady figure offers them a suspicious substance. Polites accepts but Ody is very sceptical. Polites tells him to chill out 

They find a load of lamb chops in a storage room somewhere which they decide will be good enough food, they’re about to board the plane again but an intimidating security guard won’t let Polites through because he’s carrying the lotus, they’re forced to leave him behind despite Ody trying to bargain with the guard who asks to see his passport, hence learning his full name

In doing so he forgets that the deal he booked initially was a group ticket and without one of their members the discount isn’t valid. Athena, the employee who helped him find such a smart deal in the first place calls him, berating him for being so stupid and telling him she can’t help him anymore. 

They take off again but the weather is treacherous so they’re forced to land. 

Odysseus tries to persuade Eurylochus they should talk to the employee at the desk to see if they can get them a flight on a slightly different route not in the storm’s path, but Eury is not hopeful that this will work. They’re given one ticket for all of them for a flight departing in nine hours. Ody gives it to Elpenor to look after while he takes a quick nap who gives it to Perimedes who gives it to wait I thought you had it! no you had it last! oh shit i think we lost it !!!

Long story short the flight is boarding while they’re scrambling to find the ticket 

Enraged, Odysseus contacts the CEO of the airline company and hurls abuse at him, demanding he gives them compensation, complaining about the security guard who stopped Polites (big mistake. That’s Poseidon’s son - a nepo hire.) Out of spite for insulting his son the CEO cancels all the tickets for the future connecting flights of most of Ody’s group. 

At the last minute Ody finds the lost ticket (it had ended up in Eurylochus’ bag) and some of them are able to run to catch the flight but most are not fast enough 

They end up stranded in the airport lounge at the next airport where an employee tries to seduce them all. Ody tries to ward her off but he is too weary from travelling

A kind employee with sunglasses notices his struggle and helps him, also buying him a coffee from the airport Starbucks to help him get his energy back 

Newly energised, Ody tells her to leave them all alone as they are all married, have been travelling for days and just want to get home to their wives and children. This causes her to take pity on them.  

She knows a retired employee who knows all the airline company secrets. So Ody and the gang go to visit him. As he’s leaving the airport he can finally get good signal, and gets the wave of irate text messages from his friends he’s left behind and one from his mum asking when he’ll be home

The retired employee tells them that no one has ever tried to travel that route in the history of airline travel, they’re crazy for trying and should turn back now before they get so angry at each other it destroys all their friendships  

Odysseus decides he needs a change of mentality and to be more ruthless like the CEO to get what he wants  

He’s able to have a brief phone call with Penelope that keeps  cutting out but she tells him to get home by any means necessary, even if it means leaving more of his friends behind   

The next employee tells him there is space on a flight for all his men but six. Rather than have an honest conversation about the situation he takes the six men into the duty free shops to distract them, tells them to chill out because the flight isn’t for ages then the rest of them make a run for it and get on the plane  

By the time they reach the next airport they’ve not eaten in nearly 48 hours but they don’t have the right currency to pay for food so Eury decides desperate times call for desperate measures and steals a beef burger from one of the restaurants 

The enraged airport manager comes to reprimand them, blaming Odysseus even though Eury stole the food. Eager to get these thieves out of his airport, he tells him there is one seat left on the next flight so he can travel alone today or wait until the next flight where there will be space for all his friends. Guess what Ody picks?  

Due to thunderstorms  however this flight is diverted and he ends up putting up overnight in a hotel somewhere where one of the employees keeps flirting with him despite him saying he has a wife 

But the bad weather persists and overnight turns into a few days 

Begrudgingly he rings Athena to try and get him a flight out of here. The signal is so bad she can barely make out what he’s saying. But she bargains with the other employees to see what they can do, in the meantime contacting Ody’s son to let him know what’s happened. When he finds out what Athena’s been doing, Zeus fires her (Poseidon turns a blind eye to that one) 

Hermes contacts Ody to let him know he’s finally got a ticket and drives him to the airport. On the drive he tells Ody honestly that it’ll be a difficult, tiring journey as seas are still rough. Ody endures it but before the last flight that will get him home, it is indefinitely delayed. There are two rumours among the passengers - one that this is due to rough seas close to the runway, another that the CEO shut down the flight in a random fit of rage (which he’s prone to). Ody knows which one he believes. 

Ody turns up at the CEO’s office and demands he lets him get home. When he refuses Ody starts smashing up everything in Poseidon’s office, decimating all the airline company’s IT and in turn their profits. The CEO relents and lets him go home first class 

Feel free to add on/elaborate!!  ( I wrote this in like an hour on a car journey lol) 

[corvisclouds]

EPIC: The Musical but there's Nothing Supernatural about it Part 1

This has been sitting in my drafts for weeks now, so I finally decided to just post it.

Basically, I was thinking about what EPIC's Odyssey (with a little bit of Homer's Odyssey mixed in) would look like if there was absolutely nothing Supernatural happening and decided to make a funny little plot outline out of it

TW: Minor talk of Drugs, Alcohol and Death

Troy Saga:

The Horse and the Infant: The Trojan war is a normal war between humans with no divine intervention. On the day of the final Battle, a thunder storm is brewing in the distance. When Odysseus climbs the palace, a lightning strike creates a shadow that scares Odysseus. After getting over his shock, he moves deeper into the palace, having heard rumors that Hector's son is supposed to be there. When he opens the door to the room, another lightning strike lights up the crib for a brief moment, which Odysseus takes as a sign from Zeus. He tries to argue, but the totally ordinary thunder storm merely continues to flash it's occasional lightning.

Just A Man/Full Speed Ahead: Nothing changes here

Open Arms: Like in Homer's Odyssey, the Lotus Eaters are men in this version. They're also completely drunk the entire time, as the 'Lotus Fruits' are alcoholic, because they've been on the trees for too long.

Warrior of the Mind: Polites stares confused as Odysseus seems to... argue with an owl? The owl is literally just sleeping in a tree and Odysseus is holding a totally one-sided conversation with it. Did he accidentally take a bite of the fruits while Polites wasn't looking?

Cyclops Saga:

Polyphemus: The cave they find is inhabited by the cannibalistic shepherd Polyphemus, an abnormally tall, muscular man, who lost an eye in a fight with a brown bear. He debated letting Odysseus and his men leave, as they gave him an abundance of wine, but then Odysseus just has to make that joke about his missing eye.

Survive: They fight Polyphemus, until he brings out a Shepherd's Stick (a very skinny club lol) and smashes Polites over the head with it, breaking his skull and killing him. Odysseus is frozen in shock and more of his men get beaten to death with the Shepherd Staff. That is when the excessive amount of alcohol inside the wine finally becomes too much for Polyphemus and he collapses into a drunken slumber.

Remember Them: Odysseus snaps out of his shock and orders his men to sharpen the staff into a spear. This leads to a group of grown men sitting around the blood soaked stick and trying to sharpen it with their giant swords, before stabbing out Polyphemus' remaining eye. They steal the sheep but when they leave the cave, Odysseus spots the owl in a nearby tree. Still fighting with himself between killing the 'Cyclops' and honouring Polites' view on life by choosing mercy, Odysseus impulsively shouts out his name for everyone to hear.

My Goodbye: The owl is back. And of course, Odysseus picks another fight with it. And now that owl is attacking him because he disturbed its nap earlier.

Ocean Saga:

Storm/Luck Runs Out: The storm they get into is completely ordinary. They spot the 'Island in the sky' through thick fog, not noticing the cliff that is connected to it just a bit farther behind.

Keep Your Friends Close: Instead of meeting the Wind God, Odysseus finds an abandoned camp on top of the overhang. He looks around for a bit, coming across a closed but full bag of something, just as the storm begins to lessen. Thinking that him picking up that bag is what made the storm vanish, he takes it back to his ship, telling his men not to open the bag under any circumstances. They end up opening the bag anyway, just as a second storm happens to be brewing above them.

Ruthlessness: They encounter a storm/typhoon that is even worse than the first one, but there's still nothing supernatural to it. Odysseus thinks it's a punishment from Poseidon anyway, remembering that Poseidon is said to have fathered Cyclopses and thinking back to the one-eyed Shepherd. He tries to apologize to the ocean, but it does nothing. Somehow, his ship makes it through, but all the other ships from his fleet are lost in the storm.

Circe Saga:

Puppeteer: They make land on a nearby island to replenish their energy and repair the damage to their ship. While the men are not turned into pigs (Eurylochus was exaggerating a lot), they are indeed drugged by Circe, the leader of the group of women inhabiting this island, who farm pigs as their main source of food.

Wouldn't You Like: The only male that regurarly visits the island without being drugged (not that he doesn't get himself high anyway) is Hermes, a normal human traveler, not a god. He just happens to be around while Odysseus and his remaining men get to the island, and since he loves to mess with people, he gives Odysseus drugs of his own (which he called 'Holy Moly'), claiming that they will help him 'defeat' Circe.

Done For: Circe is wondering who that high man is that just came into her palace, blabbering about her turning his men into pigs. She tries to throw him out of her palace at first, but even drugged out of his mind, Odysseus is still too strong and smart.

There Are Other Ways: They somehow end up in a compromising position. But then Odysseus starts randomly blabbering about his wife.

Underworld Saga:

The Underworld: Still high from the drugs Hermes gave him, Odysseus leads his ship into an ocean cave. Inside, the effects of the drugs slowly start to lessen, giving Odysseus hallucinations of his dead crew blamig him for what happened to them.

No Longer You: Tiresias is a cave-dwelling hermit, who doesn't appreciate his home being invaded by a bunch of high soldiers. In order to get them to leave as quickly as possible, he pretends to be a prophet, listening to what Odysseus wants and then giving him a bullshit prophecy to get him out of his cave.

Monster: Odysseus crashes from his high trip.

[stupendouspaintblob]

On the topic of fatal flaws and epic the musical:

I have been giving this a lot of thought lately, and this is what is going on. Epic Odysseus' fatal flaw is not necessarily the same as Homer's, obviously. Homer Odysseus does not go through the same character arc, and his flaw is hubris. Makes sense. Some people do characterize him with the flaw of curiosity or heroism, but honestly, in the ten year journey where he changes the most, hubris fits best. However, epic Odysseus is different. The biggest example of Homer Odysseus’ pride is the cyclops' island. However, his anger is further justified in epic by the death of his best friend, as well as bitterness and the spur of the moment, reckless decision in order to prove Athena wrong after being antagonised, getting abandoned and yelled at by his mentor in one of the worst moments of his life. The common fatal flaws of greek heroes are hubris, arrogance and loyalty among others. For epic, i entertained several flaws before landing on arrogance; the sheer confidence with which he approaches Aeolus, certain in his own abilities to convince the god to help them. He is arrogant with Athena in their song, and increasingly so with Eurylochus throughout the musical. Due to his love for Penelope and Telemachus, loyalty, especially when interacting with Circe and Calypso struck out, but anyone who knows the bare bones of the plot might argue in favour of arrogance.

For Eurylochus, it was somehow more difficult to chategorise. Homer' Eurylochus has the usual flaws; greed, arrogance, at least from what I can gather. But I read someone say that Epic Eurylochus' fatal flaw is, in fact, hunger. That makes so much sense, given how he is always the one to bring up food, or the lack thereof, as well as the fact that he literally killed Helios' cows due to his hunger and subsequently got everybody killed, BUT, what is he hungry for in his daily life? It can't just be food that is his weakness, obviously, but then what? Friendship, love, family, validation? Bottom line: I don't know. I could go one even longer about his arc throughout the musical and dissect each moment to figure out his flaws and talk about him in general because I adore his character, even if he is not necessarily a good person and though he makes too many mistakes because he is human and so inherently flawed, but I won't because this post is long enough as it is.

Polites was pretty straightforward; optimism. But, was it really? Indirectly, sure. His optimism, naïveté, led to his death. But at the end of the day, I think it might be his loyalty, maybe trust, that was his demise. I mean, the entire song, he's trying to convince Odysseus about open arms. He believes the winions, hell, it was his insistence out of concern for his friends that was, in the end, the thing that caused his death.

Then again, there isn't much difference between optimism and trust in both cases, so anything works.

[xandoria]

Penelope is Spartan

An overanalyzing of 'Would you Fall in Love with Me' from someone fascinated by the more domestic aspects of Sparta.

Something that I haven't seen Epic fans talking about is the fact Penelope is Spartan. They talk about the war effort, and how sometimes, a Spartan would kill a lover's enemies as an expression of love. They talk about Sparta's efficiency in battle and how Penelope could defend herself if necessary. But they don't talk about the other aspect of Sparta.

Penelope would have had an extensive education like most Spartan women, and she would have seen what happens when soldiers come home. Young girls were often the caretakers of physically able-bodied but mentally unwell soldiers who had just returned from the wars. She would have seen the night terrors, the shell-shocked, the flashbacks. The violent outbursts towards even family followed by the guilt when they return from the war in their mind. She would have seen the afterwards of war firsthand.

In 'Would you Fall in Love with Me Again?', Penelope is seeing her husband come home, haunted by things he did on the journey home, decisions he had to make in the Trojan War, the final screams of his crew and enemies alike. She knows he is different in spirit and body, but she also knows the horrors of war do not change who you are at heart if you are strong (Spartan belief, not my own).

His question is not a glorified 'would you still love me if I was a worm?' It is a beg for her to love him as a monster, because he truly believes he is a monster. Penelope doesn't see the monster. She sees her husband hurting and lashing out because while he was as prepared for what the war would do as someone could, no one could have been prepared for the journey he experienced coming home.

She sees her husband who has watched everyone he knew and loved die. Who lost their mother (and just found out according to Penelope). Whose son is over 20 years old, who he never got to see grow up. Who came home to find himself disrespected and betrayed by people he trusted to keep his kingdom, wife, and son safe: came home to another battlefield. His question is more like 'Is this another battle I must face to come back to you?'

But Odysseus has never been moved by words alone, and she knows from experience just telling someone the 'war is over' is not enough to ground them in reality. So she poses him a question for herself and him. 'Would you take our wedding bed away?' She knows it's impossible without destroying their bed, without destroying a symbol of their love. If he would do such a thing, he truly is not her husband: the war had damaged him too much, and she could not bear to face that battle, because it would be impossible to win.

But he doesn't try. He starts breaking down, getting angry at the mere thought of her asking him to do such a wicked act in his eyes. That is their love she is asking him to destroy. Penelope can work with anger: she's been toying with suitors for 20 years at this point and likely had to deescalate situations many times herself. And she knows her husband in ways he has forgotten he exists.

She matches his anger. She shouts right back at him, snapping him out of the spiral his mind is going through at the thought of her rejection, because to him, it was a rejection of his return. He is reeling from being tricked, because it was a trick. It has been 20 years: he remembered his wife was clever, but not how much cleverer she was then him.

She's saying 'you have committed acts of war, your hands soiled by blood I cannot imagine. But I do not love your hands on their own. I do not love the monster in your eyes alone, but your soul that remains full of love for me. Your hands have committed atrocities in the name of our love and returning home, your eyes' monster roars for me. No amount of anger, time, nor the gods themselves will take you from me.'

TLDR: Penelope has experiences with PTSD from warfare, and she won't let trauma keep her husband away from her.