#not knowing whether or not he wishes he'd killed them to spare them the mercy of dying in the desert

[newvegascowboy]

part of making Cato was bc i wanted to give Red a love interest (which im still working on) but it also gives me a way to get Red to Phoenix post game. Cato like haha btw i know where your mom is. also you have three siblings and Red is like WHAT

[asofterepilogue]

I deeply love the epic musical but I have one big and unfortunately pretty central issue with it, and it's that it often seems to conflate kindness and stupidity.

odysseus' mistake wasn't sparing ("sparing") polyphemus, it was going into a cave full of food when he knew something was off about it from the beginning, and then giving the cyclops his real name when he had already won. it wouldn't have mattered that polyphemus was still alive if odysseus had just stuck to his brilliant original plan. polyphemus had to live long enough to move away from the exit that he was blocking, and going back to kill him once he was awake would have been incredibly dangerous, and hard to justify when he'd already so easily killed 7 (14?) men. mercy didn't have all that much to do with it, even though odysseus, athena, poseidon, the crew - the narrative itself at times - all later insist that's what doomed odysseus.

still, the lesson odysseus somehow learns from that is that he needs to be ruthless (which he already clearly is! he might hate it, he might wish he didn't have to be, but he is, at the end of the day, ruthless enough to murder a baby). but when it actually comes down to a choice between mercy and ruthlessness (and not just... a test of whether he can keep his mouth shut), mercy does a lot more for him than ruthlessness.

he's at his most callous in scylla's lair, and how does that work out? he makes the crossing, sure, but his crew attacks him, knocks him out, and takes the opportunity to do the most insanely idiotic thing they possibly could have, which ultimately sends them to their death, and odysseus to 7 years of suffering.

in contrast, odysseus gets help from circe. he chooses to go back for his men, he chooses not to lead with violence, he chooses to appeal to her mercy, and she ultimately chooses to be merciful herself. that's the only time odysseus and his crew aren't worse off having stopped somewhere. and it's not because odysseus was ruthless, it's not because he put his emotions aside, it's not even because he tricked anyone into anything - it's because he was unselfish and honest (but not completely stupid! he didn't provoke her, he used the moly well, etc.), and was met with kindness.

the implicit false equivalence between kindness and stupidity is even more jarring once you get to the wisdom saga, because athena is learning the exact opposite lesson. she's much kinder to telemachus even though he never seems as promising a "warrior of the mind", she sounds downright nostalgic telling him about odysseus, she admits she hasn't been sleeping well since she and odysseus fought.

she chooses to help odysseus not because she can use him for her own glory, but because he's her friend after all, and he's suffering.

and she doesn't win the god games by being ruthless (as in, cruel to her opponents) but by being smart. you could argue she's manipulating them, but I think she's just trying to find what would sway them, and she's not dishonest or mean about any of it. she can be smart without necessarily being ruthless!

there are still two sagas left, so maybe odysseus won't finish the story thinking he has to be the monster every time everywhere if he wants to win (though considering the snippets and tracklist... yeah I'm gonna doubt that). either way, I know I'll love it. I just don't love the casual way wit and callousness get conflated throughout what we've seen of the musical so far.

[the-nexus]

Lips hover mere centimeters away from the king's hand, as his newest personal guard stands bowed afront him with said hand cradled gently within his own. Though all eyes are on them, waiting for the moment Alastor would be officially sworn in, Alastor's eyes rest solely on his king with a most... intrigued and almost criminally hungry look. "My liege..." A grin, as he plants a chaste kiss to his glove, "Rather... Your Majesty~ What an honor to be chosen by you. Rest assured, I shall not fail you."

@tenebriism || Alastor

So often did Lucifer find those brought before him quivering in fear, pleading to be spared until their voice had grown hoarse. But from the moment this pretty red deer had been placed in his presence, not a drop of respect was shown to the King. He playfully mocked him, teased him about his height. While Lucifer was more than capable of destroying him with a snap of his fingers, he abstained.

This one showed character.

Unlike many, Alastor didn't kiss his ass to get in his good graces. He was being true to himself, which Lucifer found to be a very refreshing change. He was growing so tired of the fakes roaming his palace—his kingdom. He needed a change and true honesty in his life. And it seemed he'd found it.

As he looked upon his new guard, his hand-chosen knight, a grin remained plastered to his features. Oh, he did enjoy that look in his lovely scarlet eyes and he drank it in while heavily concealing his direct interest in him. Whether Alastor wished to kiss him or kill him, the short king cared not. He welcomed the idea of the other attempting either.

"Oh, you'd best not fail. If you do..." His grin faded and his once yellow eyes were engulfed in crimson. "I'll see to your punishment personally. And I'm not known for mercy." His voice was low, mixed with a wicked tone that made a few others, who had gathered for the ceremony, clearly unsettled and nervous.

But the look in his eyes would tell Alastor this was merely show for the crowd. Couldn't let anyone know just what the king truly thought of his new protector.

A beauty, yes. But honest.

And fun.

"Your majesty, lords and ladies of the court, we welcome Sir Alastor amongst the King's guard!"