#circe and underworld are next

[inspirationalucky]

🦈 EPIC: The Musical: Act One, The Ocean Saga sentence starters. Going by the exact lyrics except for a few lines here and there, but definitely go ahead and change things to fit your muse's situation<3

Storm

"Is it nature or divine or a blessing in disguise?"

"This storm's our final fight."

"There's no time to die."

"Brace for a storm, the likes of which we've never seen before."

"With home so close, we must keep pushing forward!"

"Have them follow my ship, I'll ensure that we prevail."

"We're taking too much damage to survive!"

"We'll beat this storm!"

"What do you have in mind?"

"We're gonna shoot for the sky."

Luck Runs Out

"Please don't tell me you're about to do what I think you'll do."

"You've heard the legends, this proves they're true!"

"I'm gonna climb to the top and ask 'em for a hand."

"You could be caught off guard and lose your life."

"Don't forget how dangerous the gods are!"

"Have faith, friend, we've come this far!"

"How much longer 'til your luck runs out?"

"You rely on wit, and people die on it."

"I still believe in goodness. I still believe that we could be kind."

"What will we do when it tears us apart?"

"Where is this coming from?"

"I just don't wanna see another life end."

"And suddenly, you doubt that I could figure this out?"

"How much longer 'til your great days cease?"

"How much longer 'til your strength takes leave?"

"I understand that we're tired, I understand that we're fazed, but don't forget how much we've already faced."

"I took 600 men to war and not one of them died there, in case you needed a reminder."

"If you'd like to speak more, let me pull you aside then. I need to talk to you in private."

"I can't have you planting seeds of doubt."

"I need you to always be devout and comply with this or we'll all die in this. Okay?"

Keep Your Friends Close

"Out path to home is blocked by an impenetrable storm."

"Let's play a game!"

"And if you win, you will get what you're yearning."

"All you gotta do is not open this bag."

"Sounds too easy. What's the catch?"

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, never really know who you can trust."

"Sometimes killing is a must."

"'Cause the end always justifies the means."

"Friends turn to foes in rivalries."

"I can't wait to make some new memories."

"Time for me to be the father I never was."

"Why are my eyes and my heart and my soul so heavy?"

"I keep on trying to embrace you both, why won't you let me?"

"So much has changed but I'm the same."

"If I had to guess? You're headed for the Land of the Giants."

"ODYSSEUS OF ITHACA! Do you know who I am?"

Ruthlessness

"In all my years of living it isn't very often that I get pissed off."

"I try to chill with the waves but damn, you've crossed the line."

"I've been so gracious and yet, you hurt this son of mine!"

"I'm left without a choice and without a doubt."

"Guess the pack of wolves is swimming with the shark now!"

"I've gotta make you bleed, I need to see you drown."

"But before you go, I need to make you learn how ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves."

"You are the worst kind of good 'cause you're not even great."

"A Greek who reeks of false righteousness, that's what I hate!"

"You fight to save lives, but won't kill and don't get the job done."

"I mean, you totally could've avoided all this had you just killed my son. But no!"

"You are far too nice, mercy has a price!"

"You reveal your name, then you let him live?"

"Unlike you I've got no mercy left to give."

"Today you die. Unless, of course, you apologize."

"We took no pleasure in his pain, we only wanted to escape."

"The line between naïveté and hopefulness is almost invisible."

"Close your heart, the world is dark, and ruthlessness is mercy."

"Forty-three left under your command."

"I am your darkest moment, the monster that always draws near."

"Any last words?"

"Remember me."

[verchknyaz]

Daddy’s ODY IS HOME 💥

I hope you enjoyed the final saga of the King of Ithaca story as much as I did.

I'm sure this is not the end and there will be many more amazing musicals, so I’m not saying goodbye forever. It’s just “see you soon” :)

Thank you for coming, thank you for staying, thank you for watching the show 🫶

[celesrangeepic]

Ithaca Saga Rankings:

My personal rankings are:

1. Would you fall in love with me again -AUGH IT WAS SO SWEET and the harmonizing?? The lyrics?? The instrumentals??

2. Odysseus - Love how Odysseus is in this, the part where he calls Telemachus “My Boy” and the bloodshed?? The screaming, the guy who couldn’t say mercy??

3. The Challenge -Penelope solo song!!! Vocals were incredible like always, love the lyrics - especially with the shroud part, so sweet.

4. I can’t help but wonder - I LOVE TELEMACHUS AND ODYSSEUS BONDING, I didn’t think that it was on the same level as the other songs, it felt a bit…out of place in the sense that the rhythm & beat didn’t seem consistent

5. Hold Them Down - don’t get me wrong, this song is incredible. An incredible villain song, but the animatic plus the lyrics made me sick, props to Jorge for showing how the suitors were in The Odyssey but genuinely made me sick (especially with my own trauma with SA) so it’s last, unfortunately

Feel free to reblog with your rankings!!

[curiouslymyown]

I don’t want it to be over :(

[aaasdgnklm]

tw for *described* blood and gore, stabbing, drowning (mentioned)

spoiler alert for epic : the musical the vengence sags

———————————————————————

OH MY GOD

THE VENGENCE SAGA

holy SHIT guys its WILD

ok ok so not sorry for loving you was oretty much what I was expecting calypos va is amazing and the song is so pretty and I almost feel bad enough for her to like her

dangerous was a BANGER I didnt know about the more calm bits at the beginning and end and the pause when the crew usually replied in the 600 lives bit fucking HURT but then hermes shows up and its like WOOOOO PARTYY FUCKIINGGG TIMMEEE AM I DIONYSUS OR WHAT CAUSE WE ARE HAVING A RIDEEEEEE!! the anamatic with ody fighting all these monsters and hermes busting it down was HILARIOUS I love him SO MUCH troy eats every time and its amazing

charybdis was EVEN BETTER THAN I EXPECTED tbh ik a lot of people were really excited for get in the water and dont get me wrong I was too! but I was REALLY excited for charybis and it met my expectations perfectly the vocals and how just fucking DONE ody sounds is PERFECT I love it

get in the water. holy SHIT get into the water. it was what we knew was coming UNTIL IT WASNT AND THEN IT HURT THE BIT WITH HIS DEAD CREW/FRIENDS/MOM WAS OUCH and a fucking jetpack I CANNOT take that seriously bcuz omg thats so funny that he used a JETPACK to fight posideon AND IT WORKED

six hundred strike ima be honest didnt love the 3d render thing it wasnt for me but the water physics were sick but the MUSIC IS AWSOME I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY EEEEEE

first off the crews voices coming back to accompany odysseus as he avenges each of them is GREAT but then

then

the end

HOLY SHIT THE END I

I dont even KNOW what to say because OH MY GOD

posideon basically saying yeah whatever you win but ur fucked you dumbass and ody replying with youre calling that storm off. and posideon going or what bitch

and then the danger motif starts

AND THEN ODYS FUCKING RAMPAGE

STABBING HIM OVER AND OVER AGAIN WITH HIS OWN TRIDENT

THE PRONGS TEARING THROUGH HIS LUNGS FILLING THEM WITH BLOOD INSTEAD OF WATER HOOKING BEHIND HIS RIBS AS HIS OWN TRIDENT SINKS INTO HIS IMMORTA BODY OVER AND OVER HURTING MORE THAN ANY MORTAL WEAPON COULD

and the things odysseus is saying? holy fuck theyre almost more painful then the trident because DAMN

you can hear all the rage, the misery, the grief, every single goddamn thing odysseus has been through every person hes lost every person hes fail every. single. emotion. odysseus has felt is so raw and painful and THERE and its awful and amazing and its perfect for that moment

and th animation for that portion is amazing too. the glowing stripes on posideons sides and the flashes of lightning and the blood on the trident and the way posideons body lurches as odysseus stabs him AH and ofc that final line. THAT LINE HOLY SHIT

“with everything youve done… how will you sleep at night?”

“next to my wife.”

so good. im in love.

[nexxocatt]

ETM ACT 1 RANTS

So, I thought, since ACT 1 of ETM is now officially done,,, why not talk abt it? Y'know, for fun? Cause I have some thoughts😇 Let's begin, shall we?

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Also; TW: Mentions of death, violence, swearing (I think that's all. If you feel triggered, feel free to click off!!)

TROY SAGA

I have a love/hate relationship with 'The Horse and The Infant' tbh, like YEAHHH NEO AVENGE THE HELL OUTTA ACHILLES!!! But also oh Jeez, Zeus wtf man. Also when I replayed the whole ACT I was really scared that it was playing 'Monster', since they start with the same opening😭😭 (And yes it was on shuffle)

I FUCKING LOVE THE VOCALS IN 'JUST A MAN' Like oh meh Gods who possessed Jorge to sing like that, holy moly (hehehe refference). But yeah, very heartbreaking song, especially when that "when does a man become a monster?" part hits. AND THE "FORGIVE ME"S😭😭

In 'Full Speed Ahead' I love how Ody says "Polites!" cuz like THAT'S HIS BESTIE!!! YAYYY :D Also, I saw a tiktok that was depicting the last part (when Ody tells Polites to get ready cuz they're going over to that island, and Eury is like we don't know what to expect) as the trio with the 'Pessimistic Realist'(Eury), the 'Realist who doubles as a Sunshine Protector'(Ody) and, ofc, the 'Sunshine'(Polites) ((And Ody lowkey becomes a mass murderer when Polites gets hurt))

I swear 'Open Arms' will forever be my fav song on this Saga, I just LOVE how Polites is like a supportive bsf to Ody and is trying to get him to approach the world differently. The Lotus Eaters were probably so happy to get them to face Polyphemus so that they won't have to worry abt him

I hate & love at the same time how Ody shows one act of kindness and Athena's like "🤨📸 Are you slacking off work??? Nahhh, not on my watch." But also the hopeful "Goddess and man, bestest of friends!" and then the broken "Okay :')" break me everytime cuz like Ody really just wants to get close(platonically) to Athena😭😭

THE CYCLOPS SAGA

I hate how Polites is like "I can't believe there's so many sheep here, just for us! :D" like buddy, do NOT believe it😭 Also I believe in the headcannon that Polyphemus was really about to let them go before Ody hit him with the "Eye to Eye" verse

Didn't realise that in the opening of 'Survive', the ensemble sings the sylables of "POLYPHEMUS" before a video pointed it out (I believe the name was 'Epic: The Musical but only when someone's name is said' and it had the opening of 'Survive'). Also can we just agree that the broken "captain" in 'Survive' and the several "CAPTAIN!"s in 'Ruthlessness' are gonna haunt Ody forever😭🙏

I truly believe that in 'Remember Them', Ody was really about to just leave before Athena showed up and he decided to reveal his name, home address, and social security number to one of his enemies🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ But can you blame him tho?? Like I find it pretty reasonable to let your defeated enemy know who they messed it, so that they won't fuck with you or anyone you hold close again.

Even before 'My Goodbye', when Athena said "don't dissapoint me" in 'Warrior of the Mind' I was like "Then don't be dissapointed! How 'bout that???" (As you can tell I'm fed up at Athena's reasoning for leaving Ody. And then she has the AUDACITY to call Telemachus her friend and then disregard viewing Ody the same way🤨📸)

THE OCEAN SAGA

I relistened to 'Storm' during a school roadtrip, when it was raining heavily, and LITERALLY AFTER the song was done, the rain stopped😨😨 Also love the addition of trumpets to show that it was Poseidon who started the storm(cuz trumpets are his signature instrument if I remember correctly)

I feel like 'Luck Runs Out' is heavily skipped troughout the musical, but it's a really cool song that just radiates "Odysseus No. Odysseus YES" energy

'Keep Your Friends Close' is my fav song in this Saga bc I really love whoever sings Aeolus' role😍😍 Also the "Everything changed since Polites" line made me audibly and visually scream😭 Like okay, BOLD😤😤

I will always laugh at the "ALL I GOTTA DO IS OPEN THIS BAG" "WHAT" part😂😂 Like he just lost 557 men and he just BOLTS IMMEDIATELY. And I was really confused when Poseidon said "I mean you totally could've avoided all this, had you just killed my son", cuz like, wasn't it in the prophecy that ody was meant to blind Polyphemus, not kill him?? (This is not meant to show hate to this specific part, only to show hate to Poseidon, bc he gave PTSD to my fav boy and was wrong at the same time😤)

THE CIRCE SAGA

I immediately started crying at the start bc the opening instrumental sounds like the "Watch where the birds fly, they will lead us to land. There we'll hunt for food, my second-in-command" in 'Full Speed Ahead' and it really shows that now there's just the two of them, Ody and Eury, 'cause they lost Polites(whom I'm still mourning). Also the "What" and the "Damn" Ody says during Eury's explaination are giving me life😭🙏

I saw in an animatic of 'Wouldn't You Like' by Ximena Natzel on YT that at the last chorus Hermes was just throwing Ody around in the air and I feel like the "Oh-woah"s Ody sings are him going along with whatever Hermes is doing and he's enjoying himself🥺 (But not for long)

I have no idea what to say for 'Done For' other than I think it took over the entire fandom when it released on Feb 14th. I love how Circe immediately knows that Hermes gave Ody the Molly flower and Ody's like "Alr ya caught me, but hey, Imma still defeat you"

I also don't know what to say about "There Are Other Ways" other than the "Or maybe the world will need a puppeteer more!" part is making me question my sexuality😳 (ofc I won't steal Talya from Jay but I'm just saying). Oh also the "12 long years" part definitely took over the fandom at that point😭

THE UNDERWORLD SAGA

I made the BIGGEST mistake of listening to this Saga on a school roadtrip (the same one I was on when relistening to 'Storm') and almost CRIED MY HEART OUT when I heard both Polites and Anticlea's parts😭😭 there's also a sound on TT where it first shows Polites' part in 'Open Arms' and then in 'The Underworld' and I'm crying so hard😭😭😭😭

I love Mason's voice when playing Tiresias so much ong. Also: "Who?" Odysseus asked calmly. LIKE FOOL IT'S YOU!!!!

I love the song 'Monster' so much, mainly for the fact that Ody's asking himself if the other beings they encountered along the way feel as guilty as he does. I also feel like Astyanax is just vibing to the song and Hector's like "That's literally the guy who killed you???" And he's like "Womp womp. This song's fire!!" (Cringe, Ik, but you can't stop me)

On a last note: JORGE WHEN I CATCH YOU JORGE- /j

But seriously, you wound us, Mr. Jalapeño; YOU WOUND ALL OF US.

Hope y'all enjoyed my rant🤪🤪

[honeyteller]

Y’all don’t understand how strong my epic the musical fixation is going. /silly anyway, y’all know how each saga is associated with an emoji?? Like Circe was a pig, Ocean a wave, etc. ? I thought the Wisdom Saga was gonna be an owl until Jorge revealed it’s a hourglass. Still super excited for the wisdom saga. :))

[thefightisntoverme]

As a helpful tip for anyone looking for a full Playlist on youtube. I have updated mine to include the vengeance saga.

Here's the link:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiLx5newaBAAyUK3BIufe2b1nme3_oBoA&si=15TRV2l3WFz8OntX

[charowon]

Something that occupies my mind:

When we think about Odysseus' choice to withhold information and use six men as meat shields, the first instinct is to think that the betrayal lies in something simple like "not trying something else to get past Scylla" or "not being honest with the crew and giving everyone an equal chance to survive or die in the encounter". But the betrayal doesn't seem so bad through that lense, after all, hey, people would have died either way, right? Wrong.

The real betrayal in lying to them isn't just that.

I think the real betrayal is that (by doing this) he took the decision from them to not sail through Scylla's lair at all.

He erased their choice to GIVE UP.

Because Odysseus, more than anything, wants to go home. Wants to get to Penelope and his son.

And as we see in the second half of Mutiny, Eurylochus is tired. He is so done. He doesn't have that drive. He didn't make the choice Odysseus made in Monster, to get home no matter what. If Eurylochus had his own little moment off-screen in the Underworld, seeing all the dead crew members, then it was probably him coming to the realisation that NOTHING is worth sacrificing themselves for, not even to go home. The rest of the crew is probably the same.

So if Odysseus had been honest with the crew or even just his second in command, there's a very good chance that they would have said "okay, cool, we had a good run, but we're done now with the journey. We're settling down on the next nice island we see. Bye". (Because why would you risk that at least six men die for sure, if you can just start a new life somewhere else? Maybe Circe is okay with some new roomies if they promise to behave)

And the only one who would never be able to accept the option of giving up is Odysseus himself. Because being away from home, away from Penelope is slowly killing him inside. (If the crew is starved and driven to madness by hunger, then Odysseus is starved and driven to madness by his longing for his wife)

So yes. He betrayed them. Hard.

But he would never choose anything different.

[clownzaf]

I LOVE THE JOHN CONSTANTINE AND TIM DRAKE CROSSOVER AUS!!!!!

So now think about this, a Tim Drake joins the batfamily late au where he was originally Constantine Prodigy “The Drake”.

He is a witch, but in the “herbs, potions and spells” kind. And Constantine sees that kid running around with her mother’s grimoire and a house full of haunted artefacts and he decides that even he is so much of an asshole to not offer this kid guidance.

So he takes the kid out of Gotham and starts teaching him the more he can about magic, and myths, and everything he knows. He goes that far to search people who knows more than him on some themes that Tim is connected to.

Ex: Gods.

John wanted to genuinely die when that kid he’s been having following around for 5 months turned out to be on Hera’s good side. Like, really good side.

A boy without the love of a family + AND HEIR??? He should’ve expected the altar and the devotion since the moment he met the kid.

He was, however, surprised when in the anniversary of Tim’s adventure with him a peacock appeared to him in the street and told him that the kid loved him like family. That, even with his twisted form of love, he has been the person who has showed more love to this kid on all his life.

He slept hugging the kid that night.

He called Wonder Woman the next morning (he hated every second of it but it was something that Tim needed)

But not everything good lasts forever. In the third anniversary of Tim’s journey, Nyx appeared to him with a mission. To be the next Robin and help her soldier with the darkness that has been consuming him lately.

So twelve year old Tim Drake packed up to his first solo mission. One that didn’t involve magic and that might last longer than expected.

John filled his the kid with all the protection he could and made him promise that if Batman ever do something to him he will turn him into a pig and then call Constantine who will ship his ass to Circe’s Island.

Made Tim promise to use his magic if he needs to. Screw Batman’s rule. John cares more about the kid’s life.

He also promised to go visit him every chance he gets.

And then they go on differents ways.

Tim lasted 5 years in Gotham. His hometown, but so so far of everything he considered home.

The gods didnt dare to put a divine foot on Gotham, it was the city of the Underworld. He alsocouldn’t use magic being Robin.

And he was so so far away from his dad Mentor.

Constantine came to Gotham at least once a month (unless he was doing some reckless shit or were in hell again) and every time he came to Gotham he spent at least 2 hours re doing all of Tim’s protective wards on Drake Manor and himself.

It was until after the BruceQuest (That was more of a Magic Quest with Constantine were they tried to prove Bruce was alive, where, and what kind of spell they needed) that Nyx presented herself again and told Tim that he mission was over and that he could choose between staying on Gotham or come back to the life he left behind.

He didn’t hesitate before hugging Constantine and telling him to bring him home.

He never shows up again in Gotham. The family thought he didn’t survive the Quest. Until one day there’s an All Hands On Deck emergency on the JL and Constantine goes with his presumedly dead protege

THE DRAKE.

[meteor752]

Epic the musical side story where Hades and Persephone get really invested in the story during The underworld saga, sorta small talk about the strange man for the next couple of years, and then freak the fuck out in the audience during god games when they find out not only is the guy still alive, he’s managed to piss off like half the pantheon

Just

“Hey babe?”

“Yeah Perse?”

“There’s like, a bunch of mortals here”

“Mortals? What, how?”

“Idk, they’re like, on some ship”

“Huh. Should I call Thanatos, have him take care of it, or should we just wait it out”

“Call Thanatos, best to rid the garden of any pests before they manage to kill your flowers”

“Pfft, alright. I’ll be right back”

“Okay- wait. A bunch of the dead are singing to him”

“What?”

“Yeah like a bunch. Who are they?”

“Uhh, most of them drowned, a few killed by a cyclops. One broke his neck?”

“They’re singing about a cyclops, about how he let one live or something”

“Probably one of Poseidons. Should I still call Thanatos?”

“No wait, I wanna see where this goes.”

“Alright.”

“An infant, what infant?”

“Maybe the cyclops?”

“OH NEW GUY! He seems important!”

“Also a cyclops victim. They seem close, what do you think friend or lover?”

“They’re Greek, it’s probably both”

“I don’t know how he managed it, but this guy brought down like, the entire vibe of the entire underworld. That shouldn’t be possible”

“Yeah. Oh who’s this lady now?”

“Suicide by drowning. Not sure. Maybe a relative”

“Yeah may-THATS HIS MOM”

“OH MY GODS. OH HE DIDNT KNOW OH LORD”

“Hooooooly fuck, what a way to find out”

““Here in the underworld the past is always close behind”. Think we should make that a slogan?”

“Then we’d have to credit him and stuff tho”

“Yeahhhh. Well, seems like this guy is sticking around for a few hours. Should I grab some popcorn?”

“Yeah I’ll grab the fainting couches”

~~~

“Okay what’s happening now?”

“He just stated speaking to Tiresias”

“Tiresias? He went all the way to the underworld to speak with a prophet?”

“Well he is quite good”

“Wait did Tiresias just reject him?”

“I think so? Oh wait predictions”

“Past romance, sacrifice, betrayal, and some final battle? Who the fuck is this guy?”

“Dunno, but he’s not going home that’s for sure”

“Palace? He must be a king of some kind then”

“Do we know the names of any mortal kings”

“Nope, so that didn’t help at-wait his wife is doing what”

“Ohhh, that must be rough, hearing it from a prophet”

“Okay this chanting is getting intense. I think I heard the word Scylla”

“I heard lightning bolt”

“That doesn’t bode well”

~~~

“He’s just, sitting there”

“Is he done? Should we-oh. No okay new song, let’s see what’s going on”

“Man this guy has it rough. Should we like, do something?”

“I mean, I’m not really the “bless the mortals” type of god. I mean I let a guy borrow my helm once, and I haven’t seen it since. I should probably check up on that actually”

“Yeahhh. They killed a friend of the cyclops?”

“That explains all the cyclops victims”

““Witch turn men to pigs”, you think that’s Circe?”

“Sounds like he-WHAT WAS THAT THIRD ONE”

“You don’t think-?”

““God comes down and makes a fleet drown”, I am most definitely sure!”

“Damn. Wait wooden horse? Oh, I know who this guy is!”

“Really?”

“Yeah he’s one of Athenas warriors! Ody something. Odyssen? Odyssa? Whatever, I remember the horse thing was a big deal when it happened, Ares was pissed, Hermes spread the word to all of mount Olympus”

“One of Athenas eh? Interesting. Oh yeah, the god was definitely Poseidon”

“How are you sure?”

“That line he just sung, “Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves”, Posy is always fucking saying that crap”

“500 men? Damn”

“Penelope, presumably the wife. Don’t know about the other guy tho”

“Either a son, brother, or lover. Or maybe just a friend I dunno”

“Another infant? What the fuck is wrong with this guy, pulling a fucking Hera”

“Gotta appreciate the determination of him”

“Yeah, but I think we’ll see him here again soon. If he’s pissed of Poseidon, and soon to be Zeus if Tiresias is to be believed, I don’t think he’ll get much further when he gets out of here”

“So we are letting him go”

“Yeah. Partly because I want to see what happens next. When he gets here we’ll ask him to tell the full story, from beginning to end”

“Alrighty then”

~~~

“I swear if I get dragged out of the underworld for one of Zeus’ little games one more time this year I might actually start a war”

“Mum keeps staring at me…fuck she’s probably gonna try and talk after this, fuck meeeeee”

“We can escape in the middle of it, no one will know”

“Oh she’ll know. Do you know what this is about like, at all?”

“No, but I think Hermes might launch into the fourth dimension if he keeps vibrating like that in his seat”

“Yeesh”

“Hmm, odd. I don’t see Posy anywhere”

“Maybe he’s competing?”

“Nah, he always declines when Zeus asks, he hates it”

“Why were you not invited?”

“Dunno, probably has nothing to do with me”

“Oh it’s starting, it’s starting”

“Athena’s challenging eh? Interesting”

“Would love to know what any of this is about”

“Mortal lover? Demi-god child? Those are the usual subject”

“Yeah but that’s not Athenas thing. Probably something to do with one of her “warriors” or whatever”

“Apollo, of course. Always has to be apart of these things”

“The drama queen”

“Truly”

“Hephasteus and Aphrodite? That’s a little awkward”

“Weird lineup so far- fucking Ares? Yeah shes not winning this one, sibling spite is stronger than any argument she can give”

“Why would all three of them be included. I can feel the tension from here. I’m uncomfortable”

“And Hera? Yeah no she’s loosing for sure, Hera like not care less about any mortal, unless they’ve offended her”

“She might be convinced, just to spite Zeus?”

“That just sounds unhealthy on so many levels”

“Alright let’s see what this is about”

“Hold up, Ody?”

“Oh my gods. You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Well he was one of her warriors. Was he not?”

“I can’t believe he’s still trying to get home. It’s been like ten years, how the fuck”

“Well, if he pissed off Poseidon then he probably has something to do with it, the pissy bastard”

“Killed sirens. Why would you do that, so unnecessary”

“Sacrifice??? What the fuck is this man up to????”

“Didn’t we have a few Scylla sacrifices a few years back. Think that was him?”

“Holy shit we did. Yeah, Posy stays away from Scylla to the best of his ability, travelling in her domain to avoid him is not a bad idea”

“‘Phro is mad that his mum died? Girl you are grasping at straws, even more than the previous two”

“Hold up, why the fuck was I not invited?! He traveled through my domain, disturbed my souls, he even woke up Cerberus with his monster wailing, I should be apart of this!”

“I mean it’s a bit weak”

“I have more grounds to be down there than fucking Apollo. Like sirens? Come on man”

“Oh ‘Phro refused huh? Only got two, that’s kinda weak coming from Athena, she usually gets at least four”

“Is that cheating? Her quick thought thing. That cheating?”

“Are there any actual rules?”

“Just, try to win, I guess”

“Oh Ares turn. Wait she lost Aphrodite, this should be over”

“I think this is more of a personal thing. Like I said, sibling spite”

“Oh yeah, Scylla! Fuck this guy is getting around”

“Oh damn, that pissed her off”

“Guessing that the guy other that Penelope, Telemewhatever was his child then”

“Oh wait they yielded?? Huh, never thought that would happen”

“And, Heras turn”

“Yeah like I said she does not give a fuck. But it was a good run”

“Yeah, keeping her four out of five streak”

“Wait what the fuck was that”

“She- she actually yielded?”

“And for not cheating! Man I love this guy, I can’t wait for him to die”

“Only you babe. Wait holy fuck she won?”

“Oh Zeus won’t like- oh, just like I said. He’s pissed”

“Is he gonna kill her?”

“If he does I’ll just resurrect her probably. She deserves a better end, even if she is annoying”

“Well, should we go then?”

“Yeah I have some paperwork to- do I hear boss music?”

“OH SHES STILL ALIVE!!”

“She took a lightning bolt to the face and lived, holy fuck. Gotta respect it”

“I think, she’s actually convincing him? Never thought I’d see the day”

“Well, she’s his favourite child. I think if Ares tried something similar he’d just get struck by another lightning bolt”

“Well, that was fun. When I come back up for spring I’ll have to check with Hermes more about the details of what’s live, actually going on with this Ody dude”

“Yeah. Wanna stop for applebees before we head on down?”

“Yeah, but let’s go now cause mum is heading like right for me and I don’t wanna deal with that until another few months”

This was dumb lol

[toxinoire]

The craziest thing about Epic is that it didn't need Ody's canon to The Odyssey SA to show that Odysseus has lost his own autonomy anyway.

He embraces his side as "the monster" until you question, is he really? Or did he really have no choice?

Looking at the line of "I am not your kind and gentle husband" makes me think back to Just A Man.

It is shown that Odysseus really hates being soldier. He had no choice but to kill the infant because Zeus told him to. And Troy? If we look at The Iliad, he didn't want to go to war from the beginning. And this is the first real time he loses a part of him; his kindness makes him argue with Zeus, his gentleness makes him willing to raise the boy. But he couldn't defy the King of The Gods.

And then Polites tries to bring those parts back, even unintentionally. But Athena tries to tell him he can't do that--his mentor contributes to losing those aspects of himself.

Next is when Polites dies, and well, that's self explanatory.

Another is when Polyphemus kills some of his crew. Part of his identity is being a captain, a king. He knows how to lead people. But then shit went down and he slowly fails to be captain anymore.

And then Poseidon adds onto making Odysseus lose that side of himself more by killing majority of his men.

Circe's Island made him hold onto the scraps of being a captain he has left in him. But even so, Circe tried to lust him so she could kill him, which itself is bad. Though Circe lets them go, even though Ody was unaware of Circe almost killing him, that itself made him hold onto the husband part of him more. That's what got him out of it.

So the Underworld. He hears the screams of his men, and their last thoughts blaming him. Their last thoughts being "Captain, why would you let the Cyclops live when ruthlessness is mercy-" is them blaming Odysseus for their deaths. This makes him lose more of his captain side.

Then he sees Polites, and then his mom. He breaks down again after we last saw him do so in Troy.

And then Tiresias shows him his fate, which he misinterprets. Why? We all know the man is him, but why did he not think it was him? He was holding onto the husband part of him the most, so much that it blinded him.

So here comes song 20.

And in the Thunder Saga, we see him lose more of his gentleness and kindness. He's also barely holding onto being a captain by a thread.

Scylla is the entire explanation.

Mutiny is the last bit of that thread and it finally snapped during Thunder Bringer. He lost his leadership, he's no longer a captain. And quite frankly, it traumatized him so much already.

Calypso's island, though this version makes Calypso naive, she, like Jorge said, is ruthless in her own way. He was trapped. He was probably still holding onto the husband aspect of him subconsciously, as to why he never slept with her. But it was buried pretty deep.

"All I hear are screams" Who's to say he hadn't been hearing this for the past seven years, but that day he was so close to losing to those screams. He lost his side of being a captain, he lost his side of being a friend, he lost his side of being gentle and kind.

So his side as a husband is all he could hold onto anymore in The Vengeance Saga. During Full Speed Ahead, we see his king aspect through the lyric "Ithaca's waiting, my kingdom is waiting" but in Dangerous, he has no more king aspect. It's just him wanting to be home to his family at this point.

And then he loses himself more in Six Hundred Strike, as he lost his last bits of mercy when Poseidon offered him none. All that's left of him is wanting to be with Penelope, and his hopes of finally seeing his son.

The suitors' plans had been horrible. But honestly, he would have killed them anway even if they hadn't planned shit. He lost his patience for threats, he lost his mercy, his gentlessness. He is still cunning, but he's gone. Odysseus, King of Ithaca, is gone. "Old king" He's still king by title, but can he really manage a whole kingdom anymore? Like he used to since he was thirteen?

If it had not been for Penelope, he never would have embraced that he, no matter what, is still just a man, no matter how monstrous. But he lost so much of himself, and he knows. He lost his own autonomy, he lost what he knew of himself.

Finally holding his son and his wife yelling at him made him understand that he's still human, but post Epic/The Odyssey the man is already so traumatized, that he most likely forgot so many things of himself. He lost what made him Odysseus, King of Ithaca, which is a BIG part of him. Odysseus, husband of Penelope, father lof Telemachus, is all that's left of him. While those may be the most important parts of him, he's still traumatized, and only knows of himself as a monster now.

He is, quite frankly, no longer him.

[nomotivationrn]

I was making the Ithaca saga and I messed up and now I don’t have red (I used a reddish pink haha) no more to make Circe saga, like the scarlet 😭😭😭

I want to make the thunder saga next (I’m got going in order haha)

Then Ocean saga

And the underworld saga

And so on

[madbard]

“Hunger is so heavy.”

I want to take a moment to rant about the role of hunger in Epic - specifically, the way nearly ever single saga is, at its core, a story about hunger and the way it affects us.

Let’s start with the Troy Saga. Odysseus’ men have won the war and are finally headed home when they run out of food. Upon discovering an island, Eurylochus immediately suggests they attack and take what they can. Right off the bat, the story associates hunger with violence. As we all know, Odysseus resists, and travels with Polites to the island of the lotus eaters - a society that has sacrificed their free will to slake their hunger for the glowing lotus fruits. If not for Odysseus recognizing the fruit, the crew could very well have met the same fate. Their hunger would have led to them losing their freedom forever.

Moving onto the Cyclops saga, the events of the Odyssey begin in earnest when Odysseus’ men slaughter Polyphemus’ sheep because they are starving. In response, Polyphemus decides to slaughter the entire crew and eat them instead - suddenly, theirs is not the only hunger that threatens their lives. The only reason they are able to escape is because Odysseus tempts Polyphemus with the “world’s best-tasting wine,” thus defeating the cyclops with his own thirst (I’m not going to differentiate between hunger and thirst here, as they are both intense physical cravings). Here, hunger is both a weakness and a threat. Giving in to hunger can lead to death and destruction, but hunger can also be used as a weapon, if you are clever.

Next up is the Ocean Saga. (This is where I start to seriously bend the definition of “hunger.”) This is the first saga in which food or lack thereof does not play a direct role. Here, Odysseus faces a new form of desire: exhaustion. Going back a bit, I described hunger as an intense physical craving for food. Well, what is exhaustion if not an intense physical craving for sleep? In this saga, Odysseus is given the chance to make it home. All he has to do is keep the storm trapped, and in order to do that, he has to stay awake. Odysseus resists his exhaustion for nine days, fighting off his desperate desire for sleep. But eventually, he relents and drifts off - which is when Eurylochus releases the storm and Poseidon kills all but 43 members of Odysseus’ crew. Once more, yielding to ‘hunger’ leads to tragedy.

Moving on to the Circe Saga, literal hunger plays a role yet again as Circe’s first move is to offer Odysseus’ men “something to eat.” The men soon discover that Circe enchanted their meal; upon eating, they are transformed into pigs - animals infamous for devouring anything in front of them. Here, hunger is portrayed as something animalistic, something which reduces the men from thinking, civilized beings to creatures, little better than livestock. Just a song later, though, Odysseus becomes powerful enough to face Circe when he consumes moly root. Notably, his consumption of this root was based on strategy, not hunger - a small but important distinction as it separates his consumption of the moly from his crew’s consumption of Circe’s meal. Wrapping up the Circe Saga, we have an entirely different kind of hunger as Circe offers to let Odysseus’ men go free if he shows his true colors in “acts of lust.” He refuses the promise of physical satisfaction because of his loyalty to Penelope, and in doing so, he earns Circe’s respect and assistance. Earlier in Epic, we were shown the power of hunger to inspire violence, tragedy and destruction. Here, we see it as an animalistic urge - the distinction between animals and men, then, is their capacity to resist such desires.

Writing this, the Underworld Saga was very frustrating for me because I could not find any significant references to hunger in any of the songs. Thinking back on it though, I wonder if that in itself is significant. The saga that takes place entirely in the world of the dead is the first saga not to heavily involve hunger or other forms of physical desire. Resisting hunger may be what distinguishes men from animals, but feeling hunger is what distinguishes the living from the dead.

Finally, we reach the Thunder Saga. The crew has run out of food for a final time, and in the grips of hunger, Eurylochus closes the cycle begun in the Cyclops saga when he slaughters the sun god’s cattle. At this point in the story, Eurylochus no longer believes they can return home. Eurylochus is exhausted, starving - he cannot bear to suffer any longer. Though Odysseus protests, Eurylochus insists that the crew cannot go on like this. They cannot survive much longer on these seas. His final defense as he slaughters the cattle? “I’m just a man.” The only person begging him to stop renounced his humanity in the Underworld.

Throughout Epic, hunger is a constant force. It inspires violence, steals free will. Submitting to it leads to tragedy, but it can also prove a powerful weapon. To resist it for a time is to be more than an animal. To feel it is to be alive. We cannot escape it forever, can’t fight it forever. In the end, we are bound by the needs of our fragile, ephemeral bodies. In the end, we must give in. And maybe, just maybe, that is what makes us human.

[blessedbyahuntress]

Blessed by a Trickster

Chapter Fifteen: You Know What Hurts? When You Don't Shut Up-

Prev/Next

A/N: Y'all ready for the Underworld saga! Trust me, I don't think you'll be prepared for what I have in store for "Monster".

Warnings: Basically the whole chapter is just Reader having a breakdown, so yeah.

Word Count: 990

Listen to: The Underworld

You held out a jar for Odysseus to pour half of the potion in. The liquid was thick, and when it sloshed around, you thought you could disentangle a few whispered words.

You shook your head. What a stupid thought. 

Walking along one side of the ship, Odysseus at the other side, you tipped the jar. The potion spilled out, turning the water a milky white.

Stalactites. Those were the first things you noticed. 

The water was glowing now, the only thing illuminating your path forward. You felt someone grab your hand and give it a tight squeeze. 

“Friends.” You snapped your head toward Odysseus, who now stood at the helm. “Circe’s instructions were clear. No matter what we hear, full speed ahead, until we find the prophet.”

Your captain gestured for you to come to his side as he continued, “my comrades, this land confuses your mind. So no matter who we find…” 

You jogged to where Odysseus was waiting. “Full speed ahead, until we find the prophet,” you finished.

Your captain gave an approving nod. “Good.”

And then the shrieks started.

You raised your hands to cover your ears from the horrible noise, yet the only thing your mind could seem to focus on was the howling.

Odysseus caught your wrist, looking deep into your eyes; you knew he could hear them, and that they were more unbearable for you than anyone else on the ship. He didn’t stop you as you curled into a ball.

“All I hear are screams,” you managed. “Everytime I dare to close my eyes.”

One of the cries had a recognizable voice, and you choked back a sob. Your little sister had died in a ranch fire- you could still remember the moment like it was yesterday, and not twelve years ago.

“I no longer dream,” you heard Odysseus say, but it seemed like he was far away from you. “Only nightmares of those who died.”

You rocked forward and backward slightly, tears streaming down your face as you practically relived the scene where Poseidon had drowned so many of your friends. “Nothing’s what it seems,” you wailed.

You were aware of someone’s presence next to you, taking your head to rest on their chest as they stroked your hair gently, murmuring comforting words. You relaxed as the sound of a beating heart anchored you to what was going on now, and slowly you turned your head up, catching a sight of Polites as he smiled down at you. He whipped your tears with his thumb, a familiar gesture as you leaned into his hand.

“This land confuses your mind,” he reminded you softly, as if trying to tell you that all the deaths you had caused were not your fault.

You burst out into fresh tears, sobs racking your body as you heard as clearly as Polities, “five hundred fifty-eight men who died under your command.”

Polites looked up from your face, eyes locking with Eurylochus. 

Polites pulled you in even closer, now positioning you so that your head rested in his lap. You went still. 

“All I hear are screams,” you mumbled, looking up at your friend despairingly. “Every time I dare to close my eyes.”

To your surprise, he leaned down to whisper in your ear, “I no longer dream. Only nightmares of those who’ve died,” he admitted. 

You slowly pulled yourself up into a sitting position and wrapped your arms around Polites. He decided right there and then that he wanted you to be the last thing he ever saw. 

“Nothing’s as it seems,” you whimpered.

“Nothing’s as it seems,” Polites agreed. 

The moment seemed to last for only a heartbeat before you pulled away.

“Waiting.” You didn’t have to strain to hear the voice. 

“That voice,” you murmured. “It can’t be.”

Yet there she was- Odysseus’s mother, your own mother figure, was sitting on the same old stool you’d offered her years ago to replace, time and time again, for the wood was splintering and rotting. Her white hair was the same color as the milky water you caught a glimpse of as you rose to your feet. 

“Waiting,” she said. You exchanged a look with Odysseus; he hadn’t moved from where he was standing next to you. 

“Mom?” Your captain’s voice sounded almost as broken as your own. 

“Waiting. Odysseus, Y/N, when you come home I’ll be waiting.” The old woman looked past you happily, focusing on a spot beyond your shoulder. “Even if you two are the last things I see, I’ll be waiting.”

“We’re right here,” you said softly, taking a small step closer. 

“Mom.” Odysseus waved a hand in front of her face carefully. “Can’t you see?”

“We’re waiting,” you and Odysseus uttered in unison. 

“I took too long,” you heard Odysseus whisper. 

“I’ll always love you.” You wanted to reach out, to tell her that you loved her too.

“We ventured too far,” you said, tilting your head away from your captain so he wouldn’t see that you were silently crying. 

“I’ll stay in your heart,” the old woman promised.

There was a long stretch of silence, the only haven you would have from the screams for a while.

“Bye, Mom,” Odysseus mumbled.

And then the howling was back, along with your pounding headache and heavy guilt that pressed against you.

“All I hear are screams!” Your words came out as more of a yell. You pressed your hands to your temples. “Everytime I dare to close my eyes!”

And then Eurylochus was behind you, taking your hands away from your head and massaging your temples with soothing circles instead.

This caused your voice to lower a fraction. “I no longer dream, only nightmares of those who’ve died. Nothing’s what it seems. But here in the underworld your past is always close behind.”

“Your past is always close behind,” you heard the rest of the crew echo. “Down in the Underworld!” 

Taglist: @barrythestrawberry041 @thereigningking @m-carriaga2021 @jackintheboxs-world

[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