#no longer you etm

[inkbirdie]

no longer you analysis/interpretations

After seeing Jorge's overview of No Longer You and what he intended the lyrics to refer to, I thought I'd share my interpretations of what Tiresias sees! (Long post, so I out them under the cut). Be sure to watch his video, it was very eye-opening for me.

First of all, I saw everything Tiresias said as something that could be in the past pr future (I see past and future running free). I also didn't see it as chronological since Tiresias is not explicitly showing Odysseus the progression of his story since he is not helping him get home. However, I really like that it is chronological, this whole song is very well written, it's definitely in my top three favorite songs of the entire musical.

'I see a song of past romance'

The reason why I never thought Tiresias' predictions were chronological was because I thought this referred to Would You Fall In Love With Me Again! I still think this applies, but it is also a song of future romance.

Before NLY:

⁃ Odysseus refers to his love for Penelope many times (Just A Man is the best example)

After NLY:

⁃ Calypso expresses her feelings for Odysseus, though she likely still has feelings for him in the moment (Not Sorry For Loving You)

⁃ Jorge's intention (more literal): the siren in Suffering is actually singing about Odysseus' romance with Penelope. This line is difficult because Epic is obviously a musical, and the only time we know a character is canonically singing is in Suffering.

'I see the sacrifice of man'

This line could refer to many things! It could be the things that Odysseus or someone else (who is not a god) sacrifices. It could also be the instances where human lives are literally sacrificed. Here are some of the sacrifices made in Epic:

Before NLY:

⁃ Odysseus sacrifices the life of the infant to protect his family (Just A Man)

⁃ Odysseus sacrifices his connection with Athena to do what he believes is right, but also because of his pride (My Goodbye)

After NLY:

⁃ Jorge's intention: Odysseus sacrifices six men to Scylla (Scylla)

⁃ Eurylochus sacrifices the chance for him and the crew to go home (and sacrifices a cow. rip cow) (Mutiny)

⁃ Odysseus sacrifices the life of his crew for a chance to go home (Thunder Bringer)

⁃ Odysseus sacrifices his morals and belief in goodness to get home (Monster, 600 Strike)

⁃ Odysseus sacrifices his way home to defeat Poseidon (Six Hundred Strike)

'I see portrayals of betrayal'

There are a ton of betrayals in Epic, both done by and to Odysseus!

Before NLY

⁃ Odysseus betrays his morals/goodness by killing the infant (Just A Man)

⁃ Athena betrays Odysseus by abandoning him (My Goodbye)

⁃ Eurylochus mistrusts Odysseus (Luck Runs Out)

⁃ Eurylochus betrays Odysseus by opening the wind bag (Keep Your Friends Close)

After NLY:

⁃ Odysseus betrays his morals and Polites by becoming the monster and decidedly not having open arms (Monster, Different Beast)

⁃ Odysseus betrays his crew by sacrificing them (Scylla)

⁃ Jorge's intention: Eurylochus and the gang betray Odysseus by mutinying

⁃ Odysseus double betrays his crew by sacrificing them (Thunder Bringer)

⁃ Up to interpretation: either Odysseus' mind or loved ones (Polites, Eurylachus, his mom) betray him by allowing him to nearly commit suicide (Love in Paradise)

'A brother's final stand'

There are a few possibilities for this. I think the best interpretations involve Eurylochus, because he is by Odysseus' side the longest and is literally his brother-in-law in the Odyssey.

Before NLY:

⁃ Polites' death against Polyphemus (Survive)

⁃ 551 men (6 died during Survive, Elpenor dies offscreen during the Circe saga to make 558 during The Underworld) die at Poseidon's hand (Ruthlessness)

After NLY:

⁃ 6 more men die when Odysseus sacrifices them to Scylla (Scylla)

⁃ Jorge's interpretation (and mine): Eurylochus and the remaining crew try to take Odysseus down with them when he chooses for them to die (Thunder Bringer)

'I see you on the brink of death'

I always thought this went with the following line and didn't think about what it could mean on its own! Here are some times Odysseus almost dies:

Before NLY:

⁃ Up until he opens the wind bag and escapes Poseidon (Ruthlessness)

After NLY:

⁃ Before he chooses if he or his crew will die (though I don't think he ever would've chosen himself to die) (Thunder Bringer)

⁃ Jorge's intention: When he stands on the edge of a cliff and nearly follows the ghosts of his loved ones to his death (Love in Paradise)

⁃ My interpretation: When Odysseus is underwater (after taking his final breath) (Get In The Water)

'I see you draw your final breath'

This really only has one interpretation: when Odysseus 'dies' and fully becomes the monster to get home (Six Hundred Strike). Tiresias sees 'you' or the Odysseus in front of him, draw his final breath. Tiresias cannot help Odysseus get home because he doesn't get to make it home, the monster does. Tiresias refers to the other Odysseus only as 'a man,' reflecting the idea that some of the greatest monsters are human (which we see more of in the Ithaca Saga). Tiresias' other predictions really only apply to what we see in the Ithaca Saga, so I won't be analyzing those for now. The only saga I didn't find any connections to was the Circe Saga. The closest I can think of is Eurylochus still not telling Odysseus about the wind bag in Puppeteer. I feel that saga is generally disconnected from some of the themes in Epic, particularly because the only person who dies is Elpenor (of his own drunken accord and offscreen) and Circe is the last obstacle he spares (aside from Charybdis) but this is not a mistake (Odysseus makes good decisions throughout the saga, which is also important for introducing Hermes and getting the gang to the underworld. Circe as a character isn't very important thematically imo and her songs aren't referenced in any other song except Love in Paradise). Let me know if you see any connections to Circe and her songs! Also if you had any more interpretations different from mine.

[sherbertquake56]

IM SO NORMAL ABOUT THE UNDERWORLD SAGA

IM SO—

IM SO NORMAL—

[troyssix]

i SEE A SONG OF PAST ROMANCEEE I SEE THE SACRIFICE OF MANNNN I SEE PORTRAAAYLLSSS OF BETTRAYYYLLL ANDD A BROOOTHERRR'S FINALLL STANDD I SEEEE YOUU ONNNN THE BRIIINK OF DEATH I SEE YOU DRAWWW YOUR FINAL BREATH I SEE A MANNN WHO GETSS TO MAKE IT HOME A L I V E

but it's nOoOo longerrrrr

youuuuuuu

[silly-epicthemusical-confessions]

Mueheheh

I nearly cry (happy tears) whenever "No Longer You" starts playing because I love the sound of it so much

Honestly so real

[theboredasexual]

Oh Underworld Saga...how you haunt me.

[epicthemusicalstuff]

I CRYUNG I NEED SOMEONE TO SUM UP ALL ETM SONGS MY. MEMORY + ATTENTION SPAN IS SO BAD

Let’s speed run epic the musical so far!! (It’s under the cut cause even a summary is gonna take a bit for 35 songs-)

Horse and the Infant:

Giant horse- ATTACK! ZEUS?!?! What are you doing here? I have to kill a baby? But he’s just a little thing-

Just a Man:

This little boy reminds me of my son. Is killing him the morally correct thing to do? Yeet.

Full Speed Ahead:

Let’s introduce our main cast! Wow! Polites- Eurylochus- Odysseus! BFFs forever! We’re hungry- let’s go to this island and look for food!

Open Arms:

Wow Odysseus, you are looking hella tense, maybe you should try being nice and not so mistrustful. Look at these little creatures eating lotus fruit- wow this fruit is bad for you- let’s go to this cave to find food!

Warrior of the Mind:

Athena and Odysseus back story. Odysseus, your actions aren’t very Warrior of the Mind coded. Don’t disappoint me.

Polyphemus:

Let’s kill these Sheep!! NOOO! Scary Cyclops, we killed his sheep, now he will kill us.

Survive:

HES GOT A CLUB. He is killing us- NO POLITES. Oh, Polyphemus is asleep now cause he drank spiked wine.

Remember Them:

Odysseus tricks Polyphemus. They almost get away, and then he GIVES OUT HIS FULL NAME, JOB POSITION, ADRESS, AND SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER.

My Goodbye:

Athena is disappointed and they have a big messy friend break up.

Storm:

There is a big storm. Wow! A floating island! Let’s go!

Luck Runs Out:

Captain, you keep taking risks and not thinking this through. What happens if your plans fail?

Keep Your Friends Close:

Hahahahahaha! Here is a bag of wind! Don’t open it! Oh- the winions told you to open it? No!! Penelope- I’m hallucinating! Darn- the bag is opened.

Ruthlessness:

You hurt my son. So now I’m gonna kill most of your men. What’s this- a daring escape? Well- I’ll get you sooner or later-

Puppeteer:

An island. Let’s explore! Oh no- scary lady, she turned us into pigs! Let’s run Captain! Or not I guess.

Wouldn’t You Like:

Hey kid, this scary lady could kill you. How about some magic drugs? Totally safe and all.

Done For:

We are evenly matched- big magic fight! Wow! The magic drugs Hermes gave you really are something. Are you trying to seduce me?

There Are Other Ways:

Wow, you really are trying to seduce me. Too bad- I have a wife I love. Wait- you’ll help us? THE UNDERWORLD WHAT?

The Underworld:

We are haunted by everyone we have lost- Polites- wait- MOM?!? I’m too late-

No Longer You:

This dead prophet should tell me what we want to know- wait- what no- this is actually terrible? We came to you for help but now you’re saying you can’t help us? WHO?!a

Monster:

Maybe Poseidon was onto something, and we do have to be ruthless. Welp, time to become the monster y’all.

Suffering:

Ooo, Penelope, I love you, but you know I’m too shy. I don’t want to get in the water-

Different Beast:

SURPRISE I KNEW YOU WERENY MY WIFE. I actually did become the monster, and now I’m going to kill all your friends you Siren!

Scylla:

This is the only way home. Eurylochus, what do you mean you opened the wind bag back in Keep Your Friends Close. Light six torches- oh no, a giant monster is eating our crew. Me and her are the same you know.

Mutiny:

Captain why did you do that? Fight fight fight! Oh no- Odysseus has been stabbed. I’m hungry, let’s eat cows. Oh no, they were a gods cows. We knew that but still ate them. Now Zeus is gonna kill us.

Thunders Bringer:

Zeus is here. You can live, or your crew can live. But like- Penelope. Sorry crew. Crew dies.

Legendary:

It’s me! Telemachus! I never knew my dad- I wish I could know my dad. All these suitors want to marry my mom. I wish I could fight them. DONT CALL MY MOTHER A TRAMP!

Little Wolf:

Fight Little Wolf Fight- we are going to beat you up just cause you were in the way. WOW. ATHENA?? What are you doing here- we haven’t seen you since the second saga! Ow.

We’ll Be Fine:

I’m going to help you cause I feel guilty about your dad. Bet. We are best friends now. Go find my dad.

Love In Paradise:

Rewind- Morning! You were asleep. I’m in love with you now. Ew back away I have a wife. You’re a goddess??? Oh no- now I’m really depressed. I’m haunted by the ghosts again- ATHENA!

God Games:

Zeus- father- release Odysseus. *lots of convincing Gods* NO, YOU DID WHAT I ASKED SO NOW IM MAD. LIGHTNING BOLT. Is she- dead?

I’m Not Sorry For Loving You:

Yes I kept you trapped against you power, but I loved you- why won’t you love me back? It’s not like you have a whole literally family waiting for you-

Dangerous:

HAHAHAHA. Hello old friend! Let’s do some cool dance moves as I tell you how you will get back home. Here is a wind bag 2.0! Let’s hope you don’t have issues with it this time!

Charybdis:

Another obstacle!! But I know how to beat you!! Woo! I see home- I’m almost there! WAIT NO! NOT AGAIN!

Get In The Water:

Poseidon! Please let me get home- I already told Siren Penelope, I don’t want to get in the water! Can’t we get along? No! Drowning-

Six Hundred Strike:

Use the wind bag! I’m out of the water! SIX HUNDRED STRIKE! You’re beat Poseidon- let me go home. What’s this? You won’t. TIME FOR VIOLENCE. Stab. Stab. Stab. Next to my WIFE.

[batslime]

Re-examining Hunter’s Moon after Rite Here Rite Now

For quite some time now Terzo’s resurrection and people’s excessive speculation and desperation for it has been a meme. When Hunter’s Moon came out, many interpreted it as being from Papa Emeritus III’s perspective- his warning to Sister Imperator that he would be back, and likely for revenge.

Rite Here Rite Now may have lent this some credence. Or you can consider this a jumble of more desperate speculative nonsense. This is all just for fun.

WARNING for heavy Rite Here Rite Now spoilers‼️

First things first: the major events of Rite Here Rite Now.

Copia, now Brother Imperator, is alive and now the head of the ministry. Sister Imperator has died. Copia has a twin, who may or may not be the “new guy” we see the mitre-wearing silhouette of in the very last shot of the film, cut off just before making his entrance.

Secondly, to get it out of the way- this may NOT be Terzo. This could very well be a whole new character! But here is my observation looking at all this in conjunction with Hunter’s Moon and other recent Ghost tidbits.

First, Hunter’s Moon. People have talked since it first came out about it possibly being from Terzo’s perspective and as a threat that he’s coming back for revenge. But now some of the lyrics resonate a little heavier with the lore.

Specifically the line “to where we’d hide as children” REALLY grabs my attention now. My mind goes back to the shot from behind of the two children running together in RHRN, inferably Copia and whoever the twin is (we are assuming Terzo for the sake of this theory). Again, this could be a character we haven’t been introduced to- but we have no reason to believe Copia’s twin died and the lyrics implies somebody coming back from the dead with the second verse. “It’s been a long time coming” rings especially true for Terzo because now it’s been YEARS since he was killed and even longer since he was dragged offstage. The lyrics about being jaded and not remembering everything could even be about him being dead for so long that it’s effected his memory- maybe he even forgot his own identity and that he even was Papa, hence him coming back as a “new guy”?

I’d also like to bring attention to the bridge. I know not everybody has seen a translation for it.

More lyrics about hiding. Hiding in the cemetery in the verses, death, life, Sister, hiding, and conquering in the bridge. There are people who saw Terzo’s foot twitch in Chapter 3 while he was being embalmed and wondered if he was dead at all. I really believe this was just something for comedic effect but what if he was hiding somehow the whole time?

Even if we push aside all other characters and theories, “your death, my life” specifically ties this song to the lore for me. Sister died so that Copia could go on and rise to a new level in the clergy. But I have also already seen people talking about Sister’s death meaning Terzo coming back to life in the case that he is also her son.

But Hunter’s Moon isn’t the only thing I’m seeing connections to since seeing the movie.

At the end of the film as we see Copia as Brother Imperator for the first time, in his new garb, preparing to welcome New Guy, the first thing he says,

“We seem to have remodeled here.”

They were remodeling in the Escape the Ministry game.

ETM gives us the tidbit that the statues introduced in the renovation are believed by some (in-world) to be a kind of conduit you can use to summon a Papa’s spirit to the mortal plane (and we know that Nihil’s spirit can posess his body, albeit temporarily ). While the statues of Primo, Secondo, and Nihil have notes that talk about what music they like or enjoying watching tv, Terzo’s specifies of all things that there was no autopsy on his body.

Also worth mentioning; there is still an empty pedestal meant for a statue (is Sister getting one?)

And in the room behind Terzo’s statue, is a bunch of nooses. Each room has something to do with one of the songs on the Phantomime EP, this one being Hanging Around, but this note was also in there any wasn’t really used in any of the puzzles in the game.

Primo’s note does specify that they were “forced into retirement from life” by Sister, Nihil, and The Clergy. Sounds like a revenge list to me!

(I also cannot help but point out that in the shot of Copia mentioning the remodel, there is vibrant purple lighting behind him like in Terzo’s chasuble.)

There’s also the gag with Copia being surrounded by Ghosts and talking to them but the janitor comes down the hall and cannot hear or see them. Is being able to sense the ghosts an Emeritus thing? Something higher members of the clergy, maybe with higher powers can do? Can ghosts control who can see or hear them? If the other three Papas do have ghosts, this could be why we haven’t seen them at all- they view most of the people in the ministry as their traitors and murderers. So maybe they really ARE hiding somewhere.

One last thing I will bring up, and this is PURELY rumor, but I did hear that there was chatter at Download about a possible fall tour from Ghost.

The Hunter’s Moon this year will be Thursday, October 17th.

Of course this is all just for fun and it may not mean anything at the end of the day! The ghovie and its sudden end left us all with a lot of excitement for more so my mind has been running ever since I saw it. There is definitely stuff that is becoming more tangibly tied to the actual plot of Ghost in my opinion.

If you guys have anything to add or a different theory I’d love to hear it!

@fagdykemuppet

[allphatauri]

welcome ! thank you for finding me. 

super formula / super gt sideblog : @sformula 

projects: 2024 super formula primer - powerpoint. gently outdated, please await 2025 version

yt22 - spotify playlist. yuki tsunoda character playlist. best on shuffle: the order is for aesthetic purposes. chronological playlist in the works. 

あの日流した涙を忘れない - a retranslation - textpost. a fan translation of yuki tsunoda’s player’s tribune article. 

[more coming soon…]

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faves: 

f1 ⇾ yt22, pg10, ll30

fe ⇾ jev25, em48

sf ⇾ uhh pretty much the whole grid (in no particular order: sacha fenestraz, tadasuke makino, kakunoshin ohta, tomoki nojiri, ren sato, hibiki taira, kamui kobayashi, ayumu iwasa, toshiki oyu, nirei fukuzumi, sho tsuboi, kenta yamashita)

sgt ⇾ same list as sf + miki koyama, naoki yamamoto. stanley civic no.100 is the loml 

wec ⇾ tgr7, tgr8 . extreme iron lynx casual

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[the-astral-fairgrounds]

the instrumental of mr sunshine is dead by will wood at 3:59 - 4:10 ish? vaguely reminds me of that one part pf No Longer You from etm

@gravestone-sys I NEED you to confirm theu are similar and I'm not going insane

[dannyishereforb1ches]

Acerca de mi!:

Recien me acordé que me debia presentar, bueno empezemos preciosas/preciosos seres que me veen ahorita

Diganme Danny (puedes decirme como quieras tambien! no hay problema los apodos, de echo me encantan!) y mi genero es Hermafrodito,aveces dibujo (lo juro, mi mami dice que ta bonitos)

mi sexualidad es: Pansexual

Soy origenario de Ecuador y llevo como dos años o màs siguiendo a Missasinfonia, de echo es uno de los primeros youtubers que seguia y sigo (ahorita lo sigo en twicht y no suelo hablar en el chat porque me da pena-) y no se si me puedo considerar un Missasaurio...pero si podria entonces me consideraria uno,

mi color favorito es el cuatro y mi sabor favorito es cian, medio medio le se al ingles pero aveces no le entiendo, tengo cierta obsesion con cuarteto de nos y la canciones de Missa (me encanta "tiempo" y "Cancion al Mar") tengo una obsesión con ETM (Epic the musical), aveces tomo mucho demasiado cafe (en la actualidad no tomo mucho) y tambien suelo tomar mucha leche con chocolate...(le meto cafe por secreto), actualmente soy alguien que no suele hablar o socializar mucho pero si queres hablar conmigo eres libre o si queres que dibuje algo lo hare siempre cuando lo pidas de forma respetuosa! (todos merecen respeto sobretodo a quienes todavia no conoces, ya es desicion tuya lo que haras despues)

mi edad pues solia ser un secreto por miedo a que me doxeen o que no me crean o pase algo malo pero con ayuda de sofi siento que puedo ser sincero, bien tengo alrededor de 15 años, tengo 16 años y dentro de dos años me ire a la uni si esque paso el examen y todo el tramite, quisiera estudiar algo que me dinero para asi lograr pagar todo el cariño y ayudar o apoyar de forma economica a esas personitas que siempre dieron todo por mi, y tambien quisiera estudiar derechos y criminologia

Mis canciones favoritas son: bonsai, Cancion al mar, y soldier poet and king, hold them down, No longer You, y Would fall in love with me again?

Mis gustos suelen variar pero tambien me gusta los musicales tales como: hamilton, epic the musical y Ride the cycle + heathers

Creadores de contenido que suelo ver aparte de Missa: Philza,Roier, Quackity, ElMariana, y German, Estailus, Aquino, Locochon, Soaring, Duxo

Mis animales favoritos estan entre el top (incluyendo los pajaros y animales maritimos!):

-Cuervos

-Tiburones

-Felinos como los gatos y leopardos!

-Capibaras capibara!! :D

-Perros tambien me encantan! (de echo cuide uno de unos tios y termine encariñandome)

Mi fobia: Orcas-, yo realmente no se como se llamaba o si existe esta fobia pero, realmente me da miedo las orcas, me causa cierto rechazo y siento panico al verlas (talvez en otra vida fui un pinguino o un oso....eso me haria furro?)

Mi risa segun mis amigos/as son como limpiar una ventana o una hiena o idk

insecto favorito!:

Mariposa cola de dragon

[inkbirdie]

I see a song of past romance...

[woodpengu]

To all the comments that might be crapping on this: I feel for you, but you might be taking it too literally.

It's not literal. Not entirely.

Bits and pieces collected in youth - many no longer with me - have come back in reincarnated forms as wisdom that applies to other things. The importance of third spaces. How community is essential to well-being. How entertainment is important for morale. Getting back into the weird and wonderful loves that are an expression of authenticity. Etc... Etm...

Lessons lost on me in youth that come back as a punch of nostalgia with an "Oh, shit!" on the end. Experiences and opportunities in those moments became reference points for understanding down the road.

And here I am, in the 'down the road' position, reaping everything I've sewn. And, hoo... is it nutrient-dense!

Growth doesn't stop when childhood ends. Memories are an archive we can scrutinize critically from afar and take even more knowledge from as we change and evolve on an individual scale.

I don't literally practice massage therapy anymore, but practicing good biomechanics has kept my hypermobile joints from yeeting themselves into the void. It's also improved my visualization and study when I draw. Sewing and baking taught me applicable mathematics before math teachers complicated my relationship with math (the applicable mathematics helps me to this day). My love of Sailor Moon existed long before knowing what anime was, and anime/manga was the first style I tried to model in my drawing (leading to an interest in Japanese culture that has expanded neuroplasticity). Playing with dirt instead of dolls is a pipeline that lead to an appreciation for isopods and sustainable living.

I could go on. But the point is... Treat your personal memory archive like the treasure trove that it is and you will find more than gold to apply to your modern day. It will come back as life rafts, nutritious meals, checks and balances. It will come back as priceless artifacts and wholesome reprieve.

“I’m almost 50, and here is the best thing I have learned so far: every strange thing you’ve ever been into, every failed hobby or forgotten instrument, everything you have ever learned will come back to you, will serve you when you need it. No love, however brief, is wasted.” @louisethebaker on Twitter

[gotstabbedbyapen]

Epic the Circe Saga - Reviewed and analyzed by a passerby on the Internet

The Pen overflowed with ink at 11 p.m. last night. So, the next day, she has to write her thoughts about the Circe Saga into words, or else she will explode.

You just need to know three things before continuing:

I have little to no knowledge about writing songs and composing music. My opinions come from my taste and prior knowledge about the saga's behind-the-scenes.

This is ONE review by a fellow stranger on Tumblr. You can agree and disagree with my takes, but please keep it civil when discussing with others.

Despite being a bit harsh on the flaws in this saga, I still love it, the whole Epic the Musical, and Mister Jalapeño.

We good?

Good.

Circe is another lesson about ruthlessness.

Let's start with my two cents on why Jay changed the encounter between Odysseus and Circe.

In The Odyssey, Odysseus was coerced by Circe into intimating with her in exchange for his and his men's safety (Hermes even warned, "Do what she said if you want to live")

But in ETM, Circe only tempted Odysseus in the first half of "There Are Other Ways" to get him closer to the stabbing range (I'll talk about it later). But when Odysseus declined her advances and begged her to spare him because he had a wife at home, Circe took pity on him and let him go.

Now, let me refresh everyone's memory with a short video explaining the differences between The Odyssey and ETM.

Here, Jay said the changes he made from the source material are to serve the theme of Ruthlessness. The two ends of the spectrum are Polites' "Open Arms" and Poseidon's "Ruthlessness Is Mercy" ideologies, as shown in the previous sagas. Every other encounter ETM Odysseus faces will also lie somewhere on the spectrum and teach him something about it.

Circe is an interesting case because she is more flexible on the spectrum.

When we first meet her, Circe turns Odysseus' men into pigs, challenges Odysseus in a monster fight, and "seduces" Odysseus to stab him. Later, when Circe is cornered by Odysseus, we learn that Circe did all that to protect her nymphs, making her an example of "embracing ruthlessness to protect yourself and your loved ones."

After hearing out Odysseus' plight (he wants to go home to his wife, but Poseidon is after his ass), Circe decides to spare him and his men. She is now showing her "open arms" side, "letting her guard down" at these sailors because she pities them or no longer sees them as an immense threat.

In ETM, the encounter with Circe is another lesson for Odysseus about ruthlessness: Going full open-arm or ruthless isn't always the best solution. It's good to proceed with caution, but understand that not everyone is trying to harm you. Know when to go hard and go soft on your opponents.

The relationship between Circe and her nymphs isn't well-developed.

Circe is ruthless toward Odysseus' crew to keep her nymphs safe from the possible danger from the strangers. We can tell because Circe constantly references her nymphs and how she will protect them.

"No one will find / Their way between / My nymphs and I / Their loving queen." - "Puppeteer"

"I've got people to protect / Nymphs I can't nеglect." - "Done For"

"My nymphs are like my daughters / I protect them at all costs / The last time we let strangers live / We faced a heavy loss." - "Done For"

However, at least for me, it's hard to visualize the nymphs are in the island with Circe despite her singing about them every time.

When Odysseus' men enter Circe's palace, we hear their little "Aye" and know they are there. But we don't even get a lick of sound from any of Circe's nymphs, so it's hard to visualize their presence despite Circe singing about them every time.

Circe's protectiveness of her nymphs will be more emphasized if we see her interacting with them. Jay can extend "There Are Other Ways" a bit and let Circe discuss with her nymphs what to do with Odysseus and let them convince her to choose mercy on the men. There, we get more insight into Circe's relationship with her nymphs and how much she loves and cares for them.

Or, at the very least, Jay can give the nymphs a background chorus when Circe is singing or just some female voices behind Circe.

Look at the Ocean Saga: after Aeolus tells Odysseus his fleet is heading to the Land of the Giants, we hear the Laestrygonians chanting right at the beginning of "Ruthlessness" and immediately know that the giants are there.

And I know this is harsh to say, but in the Cyclops Saga, when Odysseus entered Polyphemus' (the Cyclops he fought) cave, I could tell there were sheeps around him from their bleating in the opening.

But the lack of the nymph's presentness isn't the only issue.

More sound effects could have made the battle scene better.

In my first brief review, I said the Circe Saga is mellow compared to the previous ones. The stakes and boss battle weren't as thrilling and electrifying or, at least, not as easy to visualize (same problem with the "presence" of Circe's nymphs, as said before)

Remember the scene where Circe entranced Odysseus so he would come closer to her stabbing range? We only know that from the choreography snippet. If you listen to "There Are Other Ways" without that snippet, you can't "see" Circe's attempt to steal Odysseus' dagger and stab him and will think she's seducing her way out when cornered by him.

At least, we know Odysseus is having his dagger at Circe's throat by the "shing" sound when he draws it, but it's hard to tell when Circe takes Odysseus' weapon because their close-up duet is mostly just singing. Jay could have given another subtle metallic sound when Circe is stealing from Odysseus.

As you can tell by now, the lack of background sound effects reduces the visualization. ETM already has a disadvantage when its audience has to rely on narration and sound effects to tell what is happening. The Circe Saga is more heavy on the former and not enough of the latter like the previous three.

To prove my point, you can pause here and listen to "Survive" and "Done For" on Spotify or whichever music platform you use. While listening, compare the intensity you feel in the battle of Odysseus' men & Polyphemus and of Odysseus' Cyclops & Circe's Chimera.

Oh, you're back?

Now you get why I say the monster battle between Circe's Chimera and Odysseus' Cyclops feels underwhelmed in my first review. The boss battle didn't pay back for the building-up hype.

Although I love to see how Odysseus confronts Circe, I also anticipate the monster battle! The theme "Done For" is used in the saga's first introduction. The Chimera is seen on the album cover. Jay is excited because he is inspired by Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh!

I thought the Cyclops vs Chimera battle would be more intense! But then, what little we have were the roaring and clashing of the monsters drowning under the rap battle of their masters. Meanwhile, don't tell me Polyphemus' roaring and smashing his club didn't give you the chill.

Likewise, "Ruthlessness" has loud water-smashing sounds along with the soldiers screaming for their captain when Poseidon and the Laestrygonians destroy Odysseus' crew. They enhance the terror and devastation of the scene, showing how much destruction is done.

See (or hear) it for yourself!

Here is what will make the battle more enthralling: Add more growling for the Cyclops and the Chimera and increase their howling volume - not too earthshaking but with enough intimidation so we can feel the grand scale of the battle. There can be more punching sounds and a loud "thud" when the Cyclops gets rammed back by the Chimera (like Circe's stabbing attempt, we only know how the monster battle was carried out through an animatic)

Maybe Jay wants to focus more on Circe's charming and disarming tactic so he doesn't give it all for the monster battle. But it's still an under-used potential!

Final words!

That is my review and analysis of the Epic the Circe Saga. I may sound like a grumbling nitpick who over-scrutinizes the little details, but it comes from my love and expectations after being blown away by the first three sagas. Jay has proven he can do many wonders in ETM, and I hope he will continue pushing past his creativity limit.

Overall, I still love ETM, Jay, and the Circe Saga. This saga just needs to be polished more. I won't mind waiting until next year's Valentine if Jay will have more time to improve the songs.

But that is all I have to say.

[pinkinam]

INCOMING – ! 💌

* eko | 21 | uct-04 / edt

hello, karamatsu girls and boys ~ ! ✨  i’m sou happy and excited to be here in personae with all of you! thank you for giving kinam and i the opportunity to grow and interact with you all ^^ i hope we can create wonderful plots together ~ if you haven’t gotten the chance yet, please take a peek at kinam’s profile here ~ ♡  i’ll be talking a little more about kinam and his baby self below 💕

p.s. i’m fluent in english and spanish, if you’d prefer to interact in one language over the other please let me know! 

✿ kinam dokko is the ETM#900. he is the lead vocalist for MANIA: the rough and tough, edgy, android idol group under Ishikawa Telecommunications.

✿ he’s incredibly hardworking! has an intense passion for singing and dancing. all he wants to do is preform for others and make sure they’re having a good time.

✿ spending hours endless practicing to perfect choreography and his singing, kinam doesn’t give up easily. he’s stubborn. once he gets an idea in his head, it’s impossible to change it. it’ll be like talking to a wall. a... robot wall.

✿ yet, while he is incredibly stubborn and passionate, he’s not as keen on being rough around the edges like the other androids in MANIA. kinam’s actually a big softie. he loves pink, cries easily, and can’t manage to look as intimidating or intense as the other androids in the group no matter how much he tries. and boy, does he try.

✿ he does his best to give audiences all of himself at performances and other events, however fruitless it may be. kinam isn’t very well received by fans, and as such is the least popular member and tends to bring in little to no sales revenue.

✿ reports from within and speculations from netizens begin to buzz around tokyo that Ishikawa’s pink idol is beginning to show signs of defiance. the cause? his low ranking within the group and fear that he isn’t working as hard as he should be. Certainly, these numbers can’t be right! The numbers never lie.

✿ in an effort to prove that he isn’t, can’t be, couldn’t possibly be the lowest! kinam works himself harder and harder – longer practices. longer lessons. longer research. he won’t stop until he can prove himself worthy of being on that stage.

✿ unfortunately, only time will tell if all of kinam’s efforts will be in vain or not. for now, he continues to perform and promote with MANIA. 

✿ will he rise to the top and prove to the world there’s more than meets the eye? a true underdog! or will he just go down in infamy as Ishikawa Telecommunications’ first failure idol?

[technosip]

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An extended team would cater to all your business needs, the scope of the project, the requirements, etc. Starting with the management of the team, defining the market needs, organizing technological aspects, and rendering the best in call solution, we at Technosip work towards enhancing and improving business operations of our partnered organization.

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How to Collaborate With an Extended Team? Sure that you are totally impressed by the idea of having an extended team of software development as partners to collaborate and work on your projects, but remember that it is not the best team that you need to go after. Instead, be mindful enough to map the one that meets your business and project requirements.

Few Things to Consider When It Comes To Hiring Development Partners Are: Planning Know what are your project requirements, and what additional skill set do you need to scale up the development process? Can your in-house staff manage to deliver the same or an extended development partner that would be beneficial?

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Scaling Once you are done with the hiring process, welcome the team onboard. Remember, the team works along with you and not for you. An extended software development partners are not to be guided but share responsibilities and get the world done in the most efficient way, one that benefits all.

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[thatonesongyouretryingtoremember]

Here's my post on this. I'll admit it's a bit blunt and doesn't get the whole point across, but it's a starting point.

I'm gonna start by saying that intentionally straightcoding Dustin, while narratively relevant, does not negate ace HCs inherently, however that is no longer my HC. You can read this open-mindedly or you can scroll.

I'm also aromantic asexual, so I feel that my perspective, while limited, is important here!

Essentially what my original post points out is that, while Mike seems to percieved Lucas as the straightest guy TM, just as much if not more effort is put into Dustin's het-coding than Lucas'.

Initially when I watched ST, I latched on to Dustin. He reminded me of myself and was my favorite character. I also headcanoned him as asexual because I am for fun. That's why I don't condemn fun headcanons, I just think disregarding canon without admitting it is distasteful.

At some point, I was convinced by someone on here, though I don't have a link to that post, that Dustin, while overwhelmingly being headcanoned as ace, is the most contrary to that headcanon. Basically, OP's point was that y'all have trouble seeing someone like Dustin as allo because of physical traits, not behavior. Because he isn't seen as 'desirable'. Honestly, I haven't seen as many looks-oriented appreciation posts for him in comparison to the other characters, with more gifsets, etm based on comedy/ personality. I'm not entirely convinced either way here, especially since I just wanted a fun, project-y hc, and assumed y'all picked it up from ace fans, but I do agree that Dustin is the most intentionally allohet-coded dude.

I get that there are some wrong stereotypes abt asexuals that Dustin doesn't fit, and neither do some of the other characters who I do hc as asexual. What I'm trying to say is that the way ST as a particular show codes allo characters applies to Dustin.

The most blatant example is the Phoebe Cates thing. I would not say that a real asexual is incapable of recognizing a hot person. I *am* saying that Phoebe Cates in particular is associated by writers with sexual attraction.

Phoebe Cates is used as a type of symbolism here, one later established in-universe by Steve, who pointed at a poster of her in ST3 and had the whole Boobies Convo in ST4. The same thing that queercoded Vickie also allocoded Dusty, the meaning doesn't change by the episode.

Again, I don't give a shit what you headcanon, live in peace and I'm happy for you. But there is a canon basis for Dustin's alloheterosexuality, which stands in direct relation to other characters' coding. So, from a purely analytical perspective, I believe Dusty was intentionally written as allohet. But I get that not everyone fandoms in the same way, so do your thing.

Dustin is a straight guy. He’s heterosexual and heteroromantic. Full stop.