#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."

[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.

[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

[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.

[silvercaptain24]

Ending lines of every EPIC THE MUSICAL SAGA

The Troy Saga

“Don’t Disappoint Me…”

-Athena

The Cyclops Saga

“This is My Goodbye!”

-Also Athena. We won’t see her for a hot second.

The Ocean Saga

“Remember me…”

-Poseidon

The Circe Saga

“No she’s not a player she’s a puppeteer!”

-The Crew

The Underworld Saga

“I’ll become the monster.”

-Odysseus

The Thunder Saga

“Show her I’m the judgement call, the one who makes her kingdom fall!”

-Zeus

The Wisdom Saga

“Let him gooooo, please, let him go—“

-Athena! Good to see ya hon.

The Vengeance Saga

“How do you sleep at night?”

“Next to my wife.”

-Poseidon and Odysseus

[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.

[helpami-flaffy]

EPIC THE MUSICAL OPINIONS, VERY OPINIONS, VERY MINE.

IF YOU DON'T WANT SOME NEGATIVITY DON'T READ. THIS IS NOT PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE I SWEAR.

MOSTLY COMPILED AT NIGHT, SOME REVISION.

PLEASE DO NOT COME AT ME.

.....................

After this saga I'm left kind of perplexed about epic.

What is epic trying to say here? What's the musical's stance on ruthlessness?

Because it isn't very clear to me anymore.

Is it bad? Is it good and just? Is it a necessary evil? Is it worth becoming something monstrous just to achieve your goals?

The thing I'm trying to say is:

Is epic a tragedy or a triumph?

Until the vengeance saga I thought it was the former, but now I'm not so sure.

Throughout the story Odysseus takes desicions that either side with what I'll call the 'open arm mentality' or the 'ruthless' mentality.

He gets punished for both a number of times.

He kills Astianax so he doesn't have to fear his future vengeance.

He spares Polyphemus and that leads to 558 men dying.

He appeals to Circe's humanity and that leads her to freeing his men and helping him get to the underworld.

He sacrificed 6 men to Scylla and that leads to 'mutiny' and 'thunder bringer' where the rest of his crew dies and he ends up in calypso's island where she imprisoned him for 7 years.

First act of ruthlessness= good outcome

First act of open arms= bad outcome

Second act of open arms= good outcome

Second act of ruthlessness= bad outcome

(I forgot to add the sirens, that encounter is kinda strange tho.  Ody kills all of them but I wouldn't call that ruthlessness. Ruthlessness is doing whatever needs doing to get what you want. He needed to know how to get home, and killing the sirens after doesn't matter in that context. I guess it's good for future sailors? I'll count this as an altruistic positive I guess)

This breakdown isn't perfect, lots of other things happen and some things Ody does can't really be neatly categorized by this simple metric imo, but I'll continue anyway as it feels to me the story breaks down his actions in a sort of similar dichotomy.

All in all the 'good to bad' ratio seems pretty balanced, right? It's not always ruthlessness that wins the day, and 'open arms' solutions don't always work out.

So why does it feel like we're supposed to root for ruthless Odysseus? Why does it feel like the story wants us to believe that being the monster is a good if 'somewhat sad' outcome?

Why am I saying this? Well, it's 600 strikes.

Actually just- all the vengeance saga.

Why is what Ody does here supposed to be cool and awesome? Because, like, that is absolutely the angle here.

Complete with a, honestly absurd, anime power up and fighting-god-one-on-one moment.

Why does the story break down it's logic,  breaks suspension of disbelief (at least for me), to get Odysseus into a position were he can torture Poseidon into letting him go?

Wich?? Btw should not work??

Why is this how he wins?

Why are the ghosts of his friends and family no longer spectres of regrets for but terrifying promises of death?

What does this say? Was Odysseus wrong about their sacrifice? Was regret ever only a noose around his neck? I'm looking too deeply into this one lol.

In 'get in the water' we even get the obligatory appeal to Poseidon's mercy just to hammer down once again that 'open arms' doesn't work, even tho it's Athena's appeal to her father's mercy that set Odysseus free in the first place.

The saga ends with Poseidon asking Odysseus how he'll sleep at night after all of this and Ody, in admittedly the coldest line ever written on paper, says:

"Next to my wife"

...

This is cool.

Extremely cool even.

But that's kind of the problem I have with it.

The song ends in a badass way. This is meant to be the final zing to seal Odysseus' cool ass victory.

And in all of this, not once, does the story seem to recognize that...well...

Poseidon won.

Hell not even Poseidon recognized it!

I'm not even saying "OoOh if it was realistic Poseidon would have have won!" (Tho yeah, ask me about that, lol)

In the great ideological battle that's at the center of Epic: the musical, Poseidon was the ultimate victor.

Ruthless is what wins at the end, it's what gets Odysseus home. Odysseus might be a monster but he's a victorious one.

I feel people and the musical both don't really acknowledge that.

That even if Poseidon lost the battle he ultimately won the war.

Were is the irony? Where's the bitterness and sorrow? We're Poseidon's bloodied, mocking smirk revelling in his victory?

Is Epic a tragedy or a power fantasy?

[the-unknown-fandom]

(MY) EPIC Headcanons

I love Jorge work so much (Suffering/Puppeteer are my favorites). I also like to thank OSP for giving a brief summary of the Odyssey.

After Odysseus kills/murders the suitors he spends a month relaxing with his son and Penelope.

Odysseus tells Telemachus about his Uncle Polites/Uncle Eurylochus.

Odysseus tells Telemachus about his adventures.

Circe becomes an aunt to Telemachus and a mother figure to Odysseus (Because I said so). Even though Circe doesn't come to Ithaca she sends letters to them.

I'd d like to think Odysseus was a heavy sleeper but became a light sleeper during his adventures.

During the song 'Underworld' Polites was singing open arms, but was holding the baby from the song 'The Infant and the Horse'.

When Ody first met Penelope he LITERALLY tucked a hair behind his ear. Penelope found it cute. Telemachus gets that trait whenever he is flustered & reminds Pene of his father.

Hermes is the Grandfather to Ody. (When researching how Hermes is related to Ody it was tricky and I gave up).

Penelope is the man in the relationship (Change my mind).

Odysseus was scared as shit to go near water because of Poseiden. Took him a few years to heal from that.

Odysseus doesn't know this, but Athena thought Odysseus as a son, a companion, someone closes to her. Even after their falling out, Athena goes out of her way to protect Odysseus. Which is shocking even to the gods. Gods aren't really attacted to mortals.

During Thunder Bringer Zeus actually consider to spare Odysseus crew if Odysseus was to sleep with him (whether he wanted to or not), but Hera intervened. Hera is very protective of men who are very faithful to their partners (Ex: Ody). Plus she knows Odysseus will always stay faithful to Penelope and she loves that about him.

Helena of Troy (after being rescued) had nightmares, even with her husband she's still scared that Paris or any of the trojans coming to get her back to Paris. Menelaus really wanted to rip Paris part by part because of the pain he caused to his wife.

During his childhood, Telemachus would always sleep next to his mother, Telemachus always feared that one of the suitors would violate his mother when he wasn't there to protect her.

Hermes gave Odysseus magic weed- Athena almost beat the shit outta him for that.

(In the Odyssey) Hermes did NOT like Calypso after what she did to Odysseus. Ares had to restrain him from going after Calypso.

Odysseus learned some flirting tips from Circe that he tried to use on Penelope (It didn't work, but he did get a kiss!), Penelope tried the same and Odysseus was a flustered mess.

Athena checks up on Ithaca once n' a while, Odysseus knows this and always left a window opened for the Goddess to watch over his family and kingdom.

While Poseiden was attacking Odysseus for blinding his son, half of it was because he was claimed by Athena, but now because Odysseus wasn't claimed by Athena anymore, Poseiden could do more harm.

Odysseus is a short king (that we almost stan ✨️), he was at the height of his father when he was in his early teens. Odysseus was recored as the shortest king of Ithaca, his son being only 2 inches higher than him.

Odysseus comforted his sister about Eury's death. Eurylochus was married to Odysseus younger sister, Ctimene, making Eurylochus Odysseus brother in law (Odysseus actually helped Eurylochus marry his sister, because he knew Eurylochus was the right and prefect husband for his sister.

(Will update this soon)

[icouldtakethesufferingfromyou]

Please reblog for a bigger sample size!!

[s0lar5ystems]

What if there were two soldiers on the ship who slowly fell for each other through the time they were traveling.

They were friends through the war, always fighting together, each willing to tear through hundreds of soldiers to protect the other.

One joins Odysseus in the cyclops cave and barely avoids being crushed, receiving a slight injury. The other patches them up and they both move to the captain's ship.

They both survive Poseidon's attack, holding on to each other and the ship for dear life. After the incident, they grow closer and spend most of their time together.

One of them was in the scout party at Circe's and when Eurylochus returned alone, the other began pacing the beach and panicking with tears streaming down their cheeks. They eventually collapsed against a boulder and tried to push past it.

When Ody returns with them, the pair hug for minutes and continue holding hands as the group return to the sea.

In the underworld, one finds their younger brother, who died recently from an unknown illness. They hide below deck, being comforted by the other, leading to the two sharing their first kiss. (Also the comforter was close with Elpenor and the two said goodbye)

The sirens take on the appearance of each of them in order to entice the other, but it's hard to fool someone with the image of the person standing next to them, holding their hand.

When they enter Scylla's lair, the one who lost their brother is handed a torch. The other is rowing or something. As Scylla begins to take the torch-holders, they realise what's happening and abandon their post, desperately sprinting to their love.

They are too late. All that's left is a scrap of fabric from their clothing that they tie around their wrist.

They fall to their knees crying, clothes stained with the blood of their love.

When Eurylochus attempts to mutiny, they are in support, tears pouring down their cheeks.

When he begins to lose, they step in and stab Odysseus. (Boom it's been Perimedes the whole time) Their hand shakes as they drop their knife, stumbling backwards but gaining their composure and helping Eurylochus up, supporting his mutiny.

They find the island and direct the shop towards it, tying Odysseus up when they dock. They help build a small fire and then the past day hits them and they break down. Eurylochus and a few other men comfort them but move to Odysseus when he comes to.

When Zeus gives Odysseus the ultimatum, he smiles, twisting the fabric around his wrist, resigning to his fate.

Knowing he'll see the love of his life again.

He falls into the water, chaos surrounding him as a small smile forms on his face.

He can already see him.

[mandlien]

Me hearing the Circe Saga again and pondering on the topic of what Odysseus is willing to do to return to his wife and son.

We know he is willing to kill an infant, but not to sleep with another woman. Even though he didn’t see any other way to actually save his men.

Later, he will become more taken with the “ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves” idea, but in this moment he is unwilling to do what seems the smartest choice. Why?

I think, in the end, it’s about who he’s willing to betray with his choices. By dropping the baby, he’s not betraying Penelope, but his own morals. By sleeping with Circe, he would be betraying his wife, and that’s something he’s not willing to do.

One thing that I’m curious about is what he would have done if Circe hadn’t decided to be merciful. Because to Odysseus, after what happened with Poseidon, I think it was much more expected that she would be ruthless than kind. “The line between naivety and hopefulness is almost invisible,” says Poseidon, after Odysseus says he is sorry and to please have mercy. He can’t expect that the next god like figure he meets that wants his men dead to be any different, even as he pleads.

I think that, in his mind, by refusing her, he’s also betraying his men for the first time.

In the end, even before the Underworld Saga, Penelope>his crew, especially after they betrayed him in Keep Your Friends Close. At this point, he’s willing to try saving them, but not at the cost of betraying his wife.

[corvid-blues]

YOOO EPIC THE MUSICAL x LIFE SERIES AU THINGGG

this post is made specifically for @patches4thechaos no one else (/j)

It’s kind of (???) like a masterpost of this AU, but like badly structured and I haven’t made good reference sheets just some color palettes next to some ok drawings I suppose (I am very much going to redraw them just not soon maybe idk) SO UH HERE ROLES AND WHY I PICKED THEM

Odysseus - Joel

Notes - Idk he was the only one I could safely use because he ACTUALLY HAS A WIFE. Also it’s fun to be different. Though using him as Zeus is also like really fitting. Oh well. You get all the trauma Joel.

Penelope - Lizzie

Notes - I’m sorry Lizzie you’re cool and badass but unfortunately you’re also Joel’s wife and Pen is Ody’s wife. I do like to dream you videotape him killing all the sutiors though.

Telemachus - Hermes 

Notes - I literally have no idea who this guy is except he’s vaguely bird-like from fandom perception and also Joel’s son. But he fits the son role pretty well from what I see. (He’s in Empires btw)

Eurylochus - Martyn

Notes - Bro needs more main roles- Like he’s the least popular Life Series winner (which isn’t a low bar all of them are like super popular) but honestly I made Ren Polities and was like “Welp the only only valid option for Eurylochus is Martyn” and rolled with it.

Polities - Ren

Notes - Ren is a happy-go-lucky joyous boy and I think more people need to recognize that like bro is walking through life confused af but dam happy about it I’ll tell you. Everyone is like “Red King angst angst angst” like he has no idea what’s going on at all times.

Polyphemus - Bdubs

Bdubs is the only viable option for Polyphemus like animal-obsessed and murderous? Who else? Also he has a giant horse demon.

Aeolus - Skizz

Notes - He seems the popular choice, and his goofy demeanor and angelic fandom traits really show why. I have a really vivid mental image of his giant angelic form flapping its wings and pushing the ships with giant gusts of wind. It’s my second favorite moment in all of this.

Circe - Gem

Notes - Actually, I can’t take credit for this one, I saw someone with a different EPIC AU who put her as Circe and using skulk instead of seduction in There Are Other Ways and I was like “GENIUS” and stole it. She fits pretty well.

Hermes - Scar

No other viable option. Especially the fandom meme of Hermes selling drugs to Odysseus, seems like something Scar would do. Also the fun beat and Hermes’s other song “Dangerous” is definitely his vibe like seriously.

Tiresias - Grian

Notes - I have so much unnecessary angsty lore that has nothing to do with actual Tiresias like he was barely twenty when he died but grew up in the underworld, he was forced into being a preist to the Secret Keeper (watcher robes and stuff) and is familiar with a lot of the gods because he’s a prophet. I also have a bunch of desert duo shit (obviously). 

Siren - BigB

Notes - Honestly an arbitrary choice, but my main inspiration was Double Life and how he “pretended” to be Grian’s soulmate. Like, this is a completely different situation but like same concept. Ha you fuck up big time B.

Scylla - Pearl

Notes - Look the giant serpent heads are Pearl’s wolf pack Joel’s head is illuminated but the blood moon reflected in the water before they dock and walk through a dark cave and like his face is bathed in the blood of the moon and in the end the blood of his comrades THE SYMBOLISM. The “drown in your sorrow and tears” LIKE DOUBLE LIFE YALL I CANT.

Antinous - idk honestly

Notes - HE’S EVIL AND A JERK IDK

Calypso - Iskall

Notes - Yoooo our one of our only non-lifers- I guess he doesn’t really count for a Life Series AU but like he was too perfect Calypso being like “Noooo why are you breaking up with me” and Odysseus being like “WE WERE NEVER TOGETHER” real Iskall and Joel coded relationship.

Zeus - The Secret Keeper 

Notes - The only problem with this one is Thunder Bringer because he seems a lot more like just a guy there (an all powerful jerk guy but that’s besides the point) and less like an omnipotent divine deity which is what I was going for with the Secret Keeper in the Horse and the Infant and God Games.

Athena - Cleo

Notes - I saw her sometimes depicted with snake hair like Medusa and ya know Athena turned Medusa into a gorgon so I thought “Hey what if Cleo was Athena and her hair turned into snakes when she’s angry” like in My Goodbye and the “hold your tongue” scene in God Games. I gave her dreads so it’s a smoother transition.

Poseidon - Etho

Notes - Another arbitrary choice! I must blame this on my Ethubs brain like this AU is actually mostly based on Last Life (or at least the relationships) so like red life Bdubs being almost killed by Joel would really piss him off. But also in Limited Life Bdubs is technically Etho’s son so you could take it as that. (Sorry Boat Boys shippers I actually really considered putting him as Calypso)

Apollo - Jimmy

Notes - Now we’re getting into the really arbitrary choices. This was mostly a color match, and Jimmy seems like the kind of guy to own a bunch of cows and throw a hissy fit when one of them is killed. 

Hephaestus - Tango

Notes - Actually, I had Tango for Hephaestus in my head for a while. Idk he just has inventor vibes that would very obviously be angry at Joel’s basically sacrifice of his entire crew.

Aphrodite - Scott

Notes - This was mostly an excuse so I could put Scott in like flowy beautiful clothing also he seems like the kind of guy to be the god of love like bro is very gay.

Ares - Impluse

Notes - I… have no good reasoning for this. Impulse in my head is actually one of the chillest of all the Lifers but he seems like he could get very scary if he was ever actually angry.

Hera - Mumbo

Notes - And here we are, the winner of all the arbitrary choices I made for this AU. Man. Idk he had that one hipster outfit and Hera gives off very 80’s hipster vibes. Maybe that’s what he’ll wear. Huh. This only came to mind like now

This was all supposed to be meant for just me so if it’s confusing then uh sorry

Bam the ok references I have you didn’t expect me to have every character did you naw I’m too lazy for that

Don’t mind the terribly scribbled notes on any of them either pfft um

a couple doodles (Scar cameo lol) (click for full image on the second one)

Looking back on it I made those references MONTHS ago Ren’s cape looks so goofy

Less of a Life Series AU and more of a Hermit-Life-Empires AU um IM STILL CALLING AND TAGGING IT EPIC THE MUSICAL x LIFE SERIES THO

And I swear if you make any fanart tag me or I will hunt you down (/lh) (Probably not gonna be fanart but JUST IN CASE)