#i love the ithaca saga

[kindlysludger]

i know would you fall in love with me again had its impact with the ithaca saga's release but hear me out with i cant help but wonder (spoilers for ithaca saga below)

picture: you are telemachus, 20 years old. you came home from a diplomatic mission to suitors cornering you to kill, saying theyd use you as leverage against the old king- wait. leverage? did that mean- and before you can process it there is a man with your eyes, covered in blood, nocking an arrow. the suitors are dead. the man shakes. you see stories coalesce into scars, time worn across his cheeks and eyes. you don't know how to greet him, but you think its poetic, this way. him saving you. his bravery in you- somewhere. you cant help but wonder if he couldve taught it to you easier. of he wouldnt have pushed you too far. athena hides behind a pillar. you hug your father. gods, this is your father. a man made into myth your whole life. you could weep- and then you recall. hes asking you to prepare mother for his return. he cries as he tells you he is finally home. you cry too- but you aren't sure where it comes from. not yet. and then as you walk off- you hear him speak to athena.

things make more sense. you wonder if the man made of stories could tell you his. all the time away from you. you wonder and wonder. all of it is within reach now. your father is home. finally home.

home feels more like home with the suitors blood staining its floors. staining your fathers skin. staining your own skin. home feels like waves of relief, crashing down onto a family that had been apart too long. your mother is happy. you have so much time left for more Home. you are excited to find out what that truly means.

[kaiotisk]

father how i've longed to see you!

[witless-winion1]

Telemachus, crying that he finally gets to meet his dad: “For twenty years, I never could outgrow you”

Odysseus, the short king, also crying: son, you are several inches taller then I am

[maplebitts]

Telemachus is having his Cinderella moment

[a-a-lost-munchkin]

I Can’t Help But Wonder

Odysseus, who just violently and mercilessly murdered 108 or so men, who claims in the next song that he’s no longer a kind or gentle man, actively listens to Telemachus and kindly and gently responds to everything his son’s expressed.

Telemachus asks, “Am I like you? Am I strong like you? Will you embrace me? Will you love and accept me as yours?” He says, “I’ve felt so alone.”

And Odysseus claims him in a heartbeat, answering, “My son. My boy. My sweetest joy I’ve ever known. I embraced you twenty years ago. I’d do the impossible for you. I’d die for you.” He says, “Seeing the men here today, I can only wonder what you’ve been through for twenty years. My son, you’re already strong. You’re my own. You’re not alone. I’m home.”

And then they fucking embrace.

[sylusbitch]

my favorite hc is that penelope was told by the ladies in waiting to go and stay in her room and not to come out for anyone

and she hears screams and whatnot and is like oh fuck now theyve done it, the suitors are gonna destroy the place

only to hear the screams lessen in volume and being like ? are they killing each other?

but then she hears a scream clear as day "THIS WILL BE YOUR FATE" and she's like🧍‍♀️no fuckin shot my husband is down there on a murder spree

and she immediately starts pacing back and forth like "LADIES HELP ME PREPARE I NEED TO LOOK DIVINE" and it's a full makeover sequence

and they're posing her and being like "hold on, tilt your chin up a little bit, turn to the side like 12 degrees- BOOM my lady you are serving such cunt"

and then they hear odysseus' loud ass steps going up the stairs and all the ladies scatter while penelope tries to look nonchalant like "AHEM....😳 is it you? have my prayers been answered?"

[brbarou]

over and over again

[sloanslone]

Last saga...

[time-for-opinions]

odysseus actually saying the word rape in the song freed me of all the discomfort hold them down made me feel

idk why but it's just so. sexual assault has always been something that should have clear boundaries - and instead, you see the people in power, people who should punish and uphold the law, shift around definitions and wordplay.

as if it isn't a disgusting violation of a person, of their life, of their trust.

metaphors are beautiful, they're my favourite figure of speech. but metaphors, skirting around the topic, when it comes to rape, is what, to me, truly makes that feeling of disgust and discomfort, and yes, even panic, rise.

because the truth is? i know there are people who can excuse and disregard "taking her love and more". not consider it rape. not consider it assault. there are, unfortunately, people who can disregard a metaphor this clear. justify it, even.

but most of those people can't justify the word rape.

I dont know if this makes sense. forgive me if it doesn't. but to me, the intense nausea that hold them down brought about was erased and hell, even comforted, by the rage and protectiveness and bluntness of that one line in odysseus.

jay did a fucking fantastic job.

[justsmth2]

quick odypen sketch from the ithaca saga

[honeyed-ghost]

I would fall in love with you over and over again.

[the-magical-beebledooble-fairy]

obviously Would You Fall in Love With Me Again has me in tears but I'm just imagining Telemachus standing outside the room, still covered in suitor blood, with his ear pressed against the door, absolutely losing his mind

[messymoonmad]

Since im not very normal when it comes to designing im always more efficient when i design straight up on an illustration so here goes the main suitors :

Antinous (lion🦁) : loud arrogant and imposing. Will laugh at your face and threaten you in cold blood.

Eurymachus (snake🐍): hypocrite manipulative conniving bitch. Will gaslight you with a kind smile. Hates mediocrity

Amphinomous (bear🐻) : he's the answer to choosing a man or a bear. Not inherently evil. He thinks the beggar is funny (not knowing its ody). He is just a guy who's easily influenced by his terrible friends.

(Credit to pinkcherry097 on instagram for the joke)

[witless-winion1]

post-Ithaca saga

Penelope: (sleeping peacefully in bed after some of the best sex of her life) (wakes up to some strange mumbling beside her)

Penelope: (looks over at her husband, who is dead to the world, but also-)

Odysseus: (cuddled up to her) mnnngnhmhhh mmhhhgmppmm… ‘mm the monster rawrrr rawr rawrr

Penelope: …

Odysseus: raaawwwrrrrrr

[blueeemoth]

Ugly crying

[meatmunching]

I just realized that even in the face of those suitors, Telemachus led with mercy.

Athena taught him to be merciful, to lead with opens arms

She tried to do right by his son… oh my heart