#sorry I'm very normal about epic

[kuwupikaa]

Rattling my cage in excitement while crying my fucking eyes out

[mlepbean]

if jorge rivera-herrans isn't my top artist on spotify when spotify wrapped comes out in two months ive failed as a person and as an epic fan send post

[whenyoucomeback]

I SEE THAT YOU'RE ALSO STARTING TO SELF SHIP WITH ODYSSEUS FROM EPIC AND I WANT TO LET YOU KNOW YOU'RE SO REAL FOR THAT !! love him sm <3

(also I couldn't find if you're okay with sharing but if you're not... feel free to block me, sorry to bother you </3)

HII YAYY NO WORRIES !! I'm only non-sharing with two of my f/os and he's not one of them :D

But YEAHH HSUSRHWJRHS funny story I started listening to Epic last month because I know a billion people who like it, somehow, and I started to develop a crush on him before I could process what was happening to me. And I felt really ashamed about it because it felt silly and weirdly shameful or wtv but I saw you rb some stuff of Circe with your tag for her one day, went "wait is this not as weird as I'm making myself believe", saw Odysseus on your f/o list and immediately breathed like 10 sighs of relief. I am a free man now and am gradually becoming more ok with reblogging stuff of him on here and not getting so flustered I die LMAOO!! But AUFBSUTHRH he's so. I can't even word it right because I genuinely have no idea why my brain latched onto him, but it did, and I now giggle and kick my feet while thinking about a greek myth guy™. I have no regrets life is GOOD !!!

[heartbeetz]

Ok I took a second and I'm normal about that ask now. That's so real. He would. Not all the time, but sometimes. Especially at work so it wouldn't get lost or damaged.

And also for sentimental reasons. That too.

[epicbuddieficrecs]

Epic Buddie Fic Rec | February 24th-March 2nd 2025

IT'S SEASON 8B WEEK EVERYONE!!! OUR WEEWOO SHOW IS FINALLY BACK!!! 🥹🥹🥹

Complete

and I love you to the core by disasterbuck/ @disasterbuck (Getting Together | 1K | General):

Idly watching the news during some downtime on a shift, Buck gets a surprise when he sees Eddie appear on screen talking to a reporter. About him. - "So the two of you are best friends?" Frowning slightly, Eddie glanced at the camera before fixing his gaze back on the reporter. "Yeah, but, look… What Buck and I have goes beyond friendship and I love him to the core."

You're My Home, And I'm Happy Here by giselleslash/ @gigi-gigi (Established Buddie, Moving In | 2K | General):

Chim teases Buck about moving too quickly with Eddie and it brings out all of his doubts. Fortunately Eddie has no doubts about them. Not a single one.

Homophobia in the Build-A-Bear by paleredheadinascifi (Getting Together | 3K | Teen):

“Maybe we should bring them to the firehouse,” Buck jokes. “Like mascots.” “I, uh, I don’t know if I’m ready for that just yet,” Eddie blushes. “Oh, yeah,” he nods, going along with the bit. “You want to like… give them time to settle in?” “More so I don’t really want to come out to all of A Shift with a gay Build-A-Bear,” Eddie clarifies. Or, Eddie builds a very gay Build-A-Bear. Unless you ask Buck. Then it's just a very rainbow ally bear.

I Might Change Your Contact (To "Don't Leave Me Alone") by fangirling-feels (fangirlingfeels)/ @nibblyssacrifice (PWP, Post-S8A, Eddie Moves to Texas, Phone Sex | 2K | Explicit):

Or; Buck finds one of the shirts that Eddie left behind on accident, and proceeds to react very normally about it.

i know you can see we're more than a secret by DeadAndDying (PWP, FWB, Getting Together| 3K | Explicit):

It’s fine that in the last week, Buck is the first thing he sees when he wakes up and the last before he falls asleep. Everything is Buck, Buck, Buck.

crawling careless out of the sea by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (S3/S8, Getting Together | 3K | Mature):

In 2019, after getting injured in a fight, Eddie shows up at Buck's in the middle of the night. In 2025, after breaking his own heart, Buck stumbles home to find someone waiting for him.

don't go barking my heart by simplyylupin (Post-S8A, Buck Gets a Dog | 4K | Teen):

“Do you remember Callie?” He frowns, wracking his brain. “Sure,” he says. Now that he’s thought about it, he can vaguely remember Buck talking to one of the staff members – a pretty brunette girl who’d laughed at something he’d said and had a tattoo etched on her upper arm. Callie. “Well,” Buck continues, his head ducked, “I’m thinking of taking her home.” The words come out in a rush. Eddie chokes on his toast. 

could you be mine? by Tizniz/ @tizniz (Werewolf Eddie, Established Buddie | 4K | Teen):

Eddie loves Buck, though. He knows he does. It’s just…he can’t have Buck be his mate. He can’t. OR: An innocent question from Buck sends Eddie spiraling.

This Is A Set (Do Not Separate!) by bellabrady (Engaged Buddie, Bachelor party | 4K | Not Rated):

“I’m showing people Buck!” Eddie explains excitedly, turning his phone screen towards Chimney to show him a picture of Buck smiling at the camera. But after a moment, the joyful expression fades from Eddie’s face, replaced by something more somber. “I miss him,” he says, his eyes downcast. “Shit, is he dead?” the stranger slurs. “I’m sorry, man.” “He is not dead,” Chimney hurries to clarify. “They’re just codependent. Don’t worry about it.” — Or: Buck and Eddie are engaged and have separate bachelor parties. Unfortunately, all either of them can think about is the other's absence.

do you believe in magic? by Tizniz/ @tizniz (Witch Buck, Getting Together | 5K | General):

Buck’s magic has been infatuated with Eddie since the moment Buck laid eyes on the man. It didn’t matter that Buck himself had less than pleasant feelings towards Eddie, his magic decided that Eddie was the love of its life and it was going to do anything it could to be near him. This went against Buck’s own feelings because of the whole not liking Eddie for exactly two days and also because Buck has always been told to keep his magic a secret.

i'll only know in the moment by earthtolovers/ @earthtolovers (Post-S8A, Love Confessions | 5K | Teen):

Naturally, Buck and Eddie have the worst timing.

okay, fair play, here we go by earthtolovers/ @earthtolovers (Jealous Buck, PWP | 6K | Explicit):

He narrows his eyes at the sight of Eddie having a rather friendly conversation with someone. He was talking to a firefighter from the 133. The firefighter was a guy. A male firefighter, by the way. Or: Eddie has a new old friend. Buck loses his cool. Likely thing to happen.

trying hard not to act a fool by arcanaphora (Didn't Know They Were Dating | 9K | Teen):

“Bet this isn’t what they had in mind for their first kiss as a married couple,” Buck winces in sympathy. “Tell me about it. Here’s hoping ours goes a little more smoothly, huh?” Buck huffs out a laugh, nodding in agreement. Then the words register. Or: 5 times Eddie jokes to Buck about marrying him + 1 time where Buck doesn't think it's very funny anymore

everything is wrong, but it's alright by earthtolovers/ @earthtolovers (Near Death Experience, Love Confession | 9K | Teen):

Buck & Eddie get stuck. They have a lot of feelings about it.

fueling the fire until we combust by bandshirts (S8A, Possessive Eddie, Getting Together | 10K | Explicit):

But lying here, loose and relaxed, with a warm flush spreading over his skin and a lazy sense of pleasure singing in his veins, he’s a little too gone to care. Buck’s voice is dripping in starlight, hot and familiar in his ear, and with his eyes shut he can almost pretend that he’s here, beside him. He can almost pretend it’s Buck’s fingers that are making him feel this good; can almost pretend that Buck’s eyes are on him, dark and wanting as he watches Eddie lose himself. Or, the one where Eddie has lots of very homosexual gay as fuck thoughts about men. And about Buck. Mainly Buck.

i want to feel you from the inside by xylodemon/ @xylodemon (PWP, Post-S8E8, Getting Together | 11K | Explicit):

He realizes, as Eddie's asking a Texas realtor about bathroom accessibility, that he's in love with Eddie. That he's probably been in love with Eddie. And there's nothing he can do about it. Eddie has to leave.

hope I make it through the night by arcanaphora (First Date | 12K | Teen):

To: Buck Hey. To: Buck So I was thinking. People get hungry, right? To: Buck I mean, I know I get hungry. :laughing: To: Buck How about you? Do you think you’ll be hungry on Thursday? Around 7? To: Buck I mean. We could be hungry together. And go eat. Somewhere nice? To: Buck Let me know :thumbs-up:  Or: Eddie and Buck go on an awkward first date.

🔥 i'm not obsessed (far worse, i'm fine) by DeadAndDying (Love Confessions, PWP | 13K | Explicit):

Looking at Eddie right now is equal parts a flood of relief and nearly unbearable. Buck tries to grapple with the opposing emotions as Eddie stands before him looking a little worse for wear. This time it was not helplessly digging through mud or a desperate crawl; it was a routine save. They’d done this countless times before. Buck just wishes it hadn’t been Eddie that needed saving. or Eddie doesn't get hurt at all and Buck manages to be totally and completely normal

🔥 tailspinning by doitgently/ @doitbuckley (Post-S8A, Eddie Leaving for Texas | 15K | Explicit):

Or, Eddie tells Buck he’s moving to Texas. In response—as the world’s most supportive, caring and well-adjusted best friend—these are three things Buck absolutely does not do: 1. Keep tabs on Eddie, his calendar activity and his iPhone location so that he can spend as much time with Eddie as humanly possible before he leaves. 2. Almost violate California Penal Code 646.9. 3. Lose his entire fucking mind.

🔥 Upward Over the Mountain by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Established Buddie, Dad Buck | 27K | Teen):

Early into their relationship, Eddie helps Buck through an unexpected and rocky journey to fatherhood. A journey that brings up more insecurities than Eddie predicted.

🔥 homesick by earthtolovers/ @earthtolovers (Post-S8E8: Wannabes, Getting Together | 34K | Explicit):

He sat on the couch, with his tongue between his teeth, literally biting his tongue. Because well, every part of Buck—down to the molecular level—wanted to convince him to stay. Beg, or bargain. Ask Eddie to take Buck with him. Hide in his suitcase. Cry, maybe, or throw the tablet at the wall, break every other electronic in the house. But that would be selfish. And really weird. Or: Eddie goes to El Paso. Buck moves into his house. He'll come back, right?

🔥 there is no road by littleghost/ @ghostlandtoo (Post-S8A, Eddie moves to Texas | 99K | Explicit): Years ago, almost a full decade, Shannon had asked him to move and Eddie refused because he was trying to build a life for himself again. Eddie knows if he asks Buck, he’ll get that same refusal. Worse, Buck could say yes and Eddie would be uprooting Buck from the very life he built for himself. He doesn’t ask, and Buck doesn’t offer, and they pack up Eddie Diaz’s life in Los Angeles into cardboard boxes. Or: Eddie moves to Texas. Buck buys his house. There’s a love story somewhere in here.

WIP

🔥 Gentle On My Mind by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Canon Divergent, Shannon Lives, Buck/Eddie/Shannon | 18/? | 104K | Explicit):

In which Shannon lives, tells a lie, and sends hers, Eddie's, and Buck's lives down a very different path

Podfic

[Podfic] I'm still standing in the same place where you left me standing by Anonymous_911version // fic by trysetmeonfire/ @try-set-me-on-fire (POV Bobby, Hurt Eddie, Getting Together | 30-45 min | Teen):

“It’s alright,” Bobby says, another useless lie. Eddie’s eyes open, look straight into his, and his next words are remarkably clear. “I love him, Bobby.” “No,” he shakes his head, a strange and frantic panic bubbling up inside him. “You can’t tell me this- you can’t tell me this-“ a hundred smiles shift slightly to the left in Bobby’s memory. It’s barely a surprise, really, he picked Eddie out for Buck himself, years and years ago. He thought they’d make a fine pair. “You have to- we’re getting out of here and you’re telling him yourself, you can’t-“ -- Bobby deals with the ramifications of a misplaced confession

[gigizetz]

Heya! Really love your art style, especially your Circe design. I was wondering what inspired her (Circe's) design, like the clothing style and all that good stuff, the reason I'm asking is because I also love to design characters and Circe's design really intrigued me, it's really simple yet still very elegant and feminine. So I was wondering what the reference and concepts were :D

Thank you! I don't really have references for Circe, but I can explain some of my choices for her. Hopefully that's helpful! :D

Circe was probably the first EPIC character I drew actually. I remember getting immediately excited for this musical when I noticed she would appear, because at the time I recently finished the Madeline Miller book Circe. So when I started doodling her I was basing mostly on the book interpretation of her character, and because of that, you'll notice that in these drawings she looks way more young and friendly than in the current design.

(also sorry for the quality on the second image, I sneezed when taking the picture and got too lazy to redo it)

Needless to say, the crop top and the long skirt starting at the hips aren't accurate to the period at all, but that was intentional! I think it fits that she looks so exotic and out of place, as her character in the musical is seen as this foreign threat to Odysseus' crew. She has this unfamiliar, yet seducing aura. Plus, the revealing outfit also represents how freely Circe and her nymphs live in Aeaea. Free of worries and men.

Still, at the time I wasn't really seeing Circe on these drawings. It's hard to explain, but something about her was a little bland, too elegant. Normally when I'm not "feeling it" with my character designs I try associating the character to an animal! I go over in my mind what feelings I want this character to pass off, and which animals better represent said feelings. You can see this pattern in some of my characters, how Athena has owl-like features (owls represent wisdom), how Hera's face resembles a peacock (they represent vanity), and, as I would figure out later, Circe matches with a lioness.

That's the thing that made Circe for me. What was missing on her old design was this feline, wild, but still imposing look. I gave her sharper features, lioness eyes, hair over the face, and shapes to represent various parts of a lioness. And there she was!

Very proud of her, I think I translated the image I had in my head for her as best as I could. Hope that was helpful in any way! :D

[reginadeltrash]

Since I've had some free time I would like to present you a new little AU that I affectionately call 'Percy Jackson!Athena is Epic!Athena with brain damage'.

The idea is simple, Zeus' real reason to strike down Athena, during god games was that he's scared, let's remember that there's a prophecy about the child of him and Metis dethroning him, and he always assumed it was gonna be a son, because obviously, it was his father who dethroned his grandfather, and it was him who dethroned his father.

But now he's starting to realise that the prophecy never said 'son', it said 'child', and Athena just demonstrated that she's successfully able to get people on her side, both people that generally like her like Hephaestus, but more dangerous, people that usually don't like her like Aphrodite and Hera.

This is dangerous, so for the first time Athena isn't his favourite little girl, she's a threat to his throne and so he strikes her down to reprogram her; this all started because she met that mortal, she was so perfect and emotionless before, so he's gonna make sure that she never really remembers Odysseus.

But doing it immediately is dangerous, the guy is still alive, he may upset the scheme, so he waits and when both Odysseus and his son die he starts subtly gaslighting Athena, also in this version Zeus is the one who wrote the Odyssey to make Odysseus look a lot worse, and also to make himself look better (he never make the Ody decide between him and the crew and he immediately says yes to his baby girl when she asks him to free him, also he omits the argument in My Goodbye, he just makes it seem like Ody and Athena were never that close to begin with)

He also gets Hera on the plan, he tricks her saying that they have to tarnish Odysseus' memory or else the poor little owlet is gonna be devastated and so non-useful, remember how useless she was after Pallas, glancing at the void for hours.

So, yeah, Hera is the reason Odysseus so blatantly cheats in this universe's version of the Odyssey, because that's the worst thing someone can do in her eyes.

So with the constant gaslighting and the lightnings that are still buzzing inside of her, no matter how much Apollo tries to help, Athena quickly becomes a shell of herself, she reverts to being very lonely, harsh and all together like we meet her in the Percy Jackson's series.

Zeus even agrees to cleanse her scars, just because she was such a good little girl and Athena doesn't even know anymore why she had those scars in the first place.

She tries to fill this void that she has, but doesn't know what it is (a friend, the answer is a friend) but misinterpreting that she believes that it's a romantic connection cause it's basically what everyone around her is doing, thus her mind's babies.

And then, suddenly, after the trial of Apollo, the god of the sun insists that everyone else spends at least a little time with their children, Athena makes sure to do everything in private, she can tolerate a child at a time, nothing more.

And so the moment to go to Annabeth arrives and honestly Athena was sure the Poseidon boy was gonna be there too, they're a bit guarded at first, but she promises she comes in peace, she talks with Annabeth, normal deadbeat mother and daughter stuff (How is school? And your boyfriend? Still like sculpture, sorry it was architecture?)

And then Percy just casually arrives with his baby sister Estelle and he's like 'Annabeth can you hold her for a sec? I need to call my mom for something very important and I don't want her near when a monster inevitably attacks!'

And her daughter laughs, shaking her head 'C'mon, Seaweed brain, I'm sure that the important thing is literally just you wanting waffles'

And Percy laughs like a dork and hands her the baby.

And for a moment Athena is sure that she saw this scene somehow and for a single moment she's in Ancient Greece again, seeing Penelope and Odysseus joke with each other with baby Telemachus being passed around, and for only a little moment she wonders how she knows so much about it, she was merely an acquaintance to the Ithaca royal family, wasn't she?

So yeah, this is the idea, if you have questions I beg you let me know, it would make me the happiest girl, because I have too many ideas!

[imcasperfox]

CASPERRRR I HAVE A VERY SILLY QUESTION

I've seen people put you and (I think Mortius?) in their epic animatics as suitors as long as it's normal things not the gross stuff, and I'm doing "The Challenge" and the intro is actually Penelope's "dream" in the Odyssey about the geese and eagle where the eagle (Odysseus) comes and kills the geese (the suitors)

so my question is would you like to be a goose? 🤔

(sorry if this is worded bad I've been nervous to ask lmao)

hell yes

[sabertoothwalrus]

OK PREFACING WITH IM SORRY IF I ALREADY SENT THIS EXACT ASK BUT MY WIFI KILLED ITSSLF AS I SENT IT SO IDK IF IT ACTUALLY WENT THROUGH. but in case it didn’t . i know youve gotten this countless times in the past because i blog stalked just in case youve mentioned something similar before but i need to know if you have any specific inspirations when you draw exaggerated expressions specifically like these two images of marcille. ive actually cried laughing over this comic and being able to communicate this type of visceral emotion is such an insane skill and ive followed your art for probably close to a decade through various fandoms so watching you develop this style has been fucking awesome and epic. like i cannot articulate how funny these are to me i just need you to understand i look at this comic to inspire me to draw now. the closest comparison i can draw to the feelings they evoke are like those mspaint reaction images and also mspaint tails i included for reference even though you probably know exactly what im talking about anyways but its actually so much harder to do that intentionally when you study art. also i lied you literally don’t even need to answer this i just had to let you know how obsessed i am over your silly comics and now ive written out a whole ass discussion post about it. im sorry if this is weird at all i think my daily prescribed amphetamines r wearing off and i know this is such a dumb specific thing to fixate on and im so sorry if its not something you want to hear about your art. ive just always seen that as an artist this type of expressive stupid silly style is something that comes after a significant amount of time and practice and study and style development despite being “simple” in theory. its just so cool to have worked with your own style so much that youre able to go “off model” from it and still maintain consistency with the rest of the piece. i said it already and im sorry this is actually rendundant now but the ability to communicate such raw emotion somehow decreases from at its height when someone is a beginner artist learning how to proportion and keep a steady line and what looks “normal” but somehow it all comes full circle because taking all that experience and using it to almost return to where you started but in a fully informed and intentional way so you can make choices to draw characters like this when the situation calls for it is just dhcidogakgoshfhw. i think i need to cut myself off or im going to talk in circles im sorry tumblr user sabertoothwalrus i just am fascinated by your style and progress and the years you’ve dedicated to art can be seen in so many places but this is just one that stands out to me specifically.

MMMMM what a fun question!!!

I'm not gonna lie, I think it's just Letting A Drawing Be Bad. I definitely think the people that struggle with this the most are people who have genuinely very pretty art styles, to the point of being kind of perfectionist about it. and to Draw Funny often means Drawing Fast and Weird. Pretty is kind of the antithesis of funny (unless being pretty is the punchline). do drawings that make yourself laugh. tracing/lining funny sketches almost always makes them less funny.

one of my favorite types of humor is when it skews more deadpan, actually. This is one of the reasons I love Adventure Time. minimal expressions and flat line delivery + absurd context is a really good combo. the key to comedy has more to do with contrast! if your drawings are allllll crazy ren & stimpy all the time, they're not funny anymore cause it's just "normal". if it's all subdued UNTIL it's extreme, and vice versa, then it's funny. The reason this comic is so funny is because of the complete lack of any expression. I feel like the one you sent of Marcille shouting "WHAT" is funnier when you know how much she tries to be dainty and feminine and delicate, how much she values her appearance, and how averse she is to "gross" or "weird" things.

something I find really annoying (and this is with comics/animation in general, not the expressions themselves) is when the joke goes on for too long. Like you'll have the joke, then the punchline, and THEN the characters reacting to the punchline??? Like the author didn't trust that their audience would find the joke funny, so they basically drew in a laugh track. But, this is distinct from a character's reaction being the punchline (like how the examples you gave from my Marcille comic are). MY POINT IS sometimes expressions aren't as funny on their own as you think, and context can affect how you feel about it!

as far as inspirations go!

my own face! even if I don't have a mirror, I like making the expressions myself so I can "feel" where the points of tension on my face are, and it gives me a sense of what to exaggerate.

my brother's art, believe it or not! we've been trying to make each other laugh with our drawings since we were kids, and he's really good at it.

ATLA has some great expressions

OK KO has been a reallyyyy good source for me lately. That show is so tailored to my sense of humor and the expressions and line deliveries feel exactly like the kinds of things I'd come up with. The tone, timing, and art style are all really close to the tv show pitch I'm working on, so when I feel like I've "strayed" too much from it (like after drawing a bunch of dungeon meshi, and my art feels tighter and... idk "manga-ier"?) I like to go and watch a couple episodes of OK KO to loosen back up

A lot of things like OG Spongebob, Calvin & Hobbes, the Simpsons, Chowder, etc etc

memes in general. if it makes you laugh, keep it in mind

and lastly, I wouldn't say I ever try to mimic funny expressions I see. Like if I watch a show for inspo, I'm not pausing it to copy specific drawings, I'm just trying to notice patterns and pay attention to what about it I find funny.

talking about being funny is really bizarre and I dunno if it makes it lose some of the magic. Ultimately it's something you can't think about too much, and just gotta go with your gut.

[quadrefiore]

okay. i'm not doing the best so instead of loving myself i'm gonna love everyone else.

@shrimptacodaniels emma. you are such a wonderful and delightful person. every time i'm having a bad day you're right there giving me the support i need and i just. i love you and i want to give you a hug so bad. 🤍🤍🤍

@lucy-frostblades ELI. you beautiful person, you. you're so creative and fun and i always find myself looking at your art when i'm sad and then i feel much better.

@wheelsupin-azarathmetrionzinthos zoie. you're excellent. you've been so good at organising so many cool things AND your writing is so good. you're just in general such a cool person

@leek-e lee. you're such a fun person and i've loved doing the mountport ttrpg with you <3 the way you play Miles makes me laugh so hard every time. yayy

@fatestitcherr CJ! i love that you're always there when i wake up absurdly early on bad days. and i love talking to you about all the sillies. you're so talented too! every time you send something new you've knitted i'm so impressed. yippee!

@starstruckodysseys reese! we're often having hard times at the same time and i Am putting you in the sharehouse with as much warm drinks and comfort as you need. love you. remember to eat and sleep enough

@panda-platypus PANDA!! wow. such a cool guy!! i see you going to cons and stuff and i'm so proud every time you do well with selling your art! huzzah wahoo yippee etc!!

@mossterious moss! i love your enthusiasm about the Characters! famously normal about you drawing dahlia. i so hope we get to be in a ttrpg session together someday! yay!

@whoopswopswiddlywops ALEXA. alexa. alexa. you're literally the coolest ever. i think you were my introduction into this fandom and your yt channel is so cool and i loved playing the ttrpg with you and your posts are excellent yippee wahoo hurrah huzzah yeahhh yay!!!!

@fishcow99 fish! we share so many interests and that's crazy. love being enabled by lee with you and freaking out about zach reino with you

@doorbellvibes kaz! i don't know your main blog but ily! you're so cool! loved talking to you for hours last friday (THAT GOES FOR ALL OF YOU ON THE CALL TOO) your websiting is very cool and i love the roommates (EMMA AND MOSS THAT GOES FOR YOU TOO) yay

SARAH. i miss you buddy. rip to @gayforjessmckenna i'm sorry abt your shitty email provider your blog was a real one. ur art is fantastic!

@sapphic-squid ari! first person i shared my clubhouse with best person i shared my clubhouse with <3 in all seriousness. such a fun guy! woman in stem! yay!

@unreal-unearthing alex! what a cool person! you blog about a lot of stuff i don't know but i love it anyways! and the interests we do share i love sharing wiht you!

@theevilcactus cactus! i'm in love with your writing anf i had such a great time playing the mountport ttrpg together! charlie is such a fun character! <3

@socialtomcat georgie! i thank you endlessly for setting up the EPIC zine and i'm so excited for the final product! pip is probably my favourite character from the TTRPG, even though i haven't played with you yet <3 hurrah

@sammbou sam! we don't talk all that much but you're very cool! excellent fits at all times and you were one of my first PIBE moots!

@offbookkeeping dee! also don't knwo your main blog but! incredibly cool person! the vibes are vibing and the carmington is cowboying

all of the rest of pibeblr that i don't interact with as much just know that i love you all too! 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

[anniflamma]

I'm so sorry for all the sh*t you had to deal, not only yesterday but with your own art.

I hope you're doing okay and taking care you yourself, I know how much energy those trolls could take of one.

For now, I'm really grateful to you for standing with Elianzis, art is suppose to be controversial, art is not to make everyone feel comfortable, is to wonder, to question.

It is so sad to see the media literacy die these days, to have people think less and hate more, this wave of conservatism and conformism in social meadia really worries me, people are so entitled to themselves that can't reflect, discern and separate from a work. Everything is taken personally.

In a way, I'm sad she has to take down the piece, but I'm glad for the sake of her mental health.

I hope at least this discussion helps we, as a fandom, to evade something like this in the future (a person could only dream).

Take care, sorry for the long ask <3

Thank you so much, and sorry if I made you worry! Sometimes I just explode. I'm mostly angry on behalf of the other artist, really.

I really enjoy this type of discussion when everyone is chill about it. But now, when I reread everything I wrote, I noticed I fumbled a lot of my words and didn't fully express what I meant. To summarize, everything has nuance, and it’s okay to criticize both fictional and real-life stuff. I do believe that fiction and media can normalize harmful things, and I truly belive that. but I also think it’s fine for someone if they want to enjoy problematic content, when they can acknowledge its issues. For example, if someone tells me they like Lovecraftian horror, I’m like, "Ok, cool! I like it too!" But if they start to show discomfort or being indenial when I wanna talk about problematic stuff about Lovecraft, then yes, that is a massive red flag. Its a extreme exemple but that is all I can come up with right now 😅

I think all of this will tone down eventually. Epic community is a very chill fandom compare to others :) But all fandoms has its dowsides.

[jedi-lothwolf]

Augusnippets Day 3: Thunderstorm

Fandom: EPIC/The Odyssey

Summary: When Telemachus was ten years old, thunderstorms became a common thing in Ithaca. He got used to them. As he walks around the palace, he learns that Odysseus had become terrified of them.

    Thunderstorms were a normal thing for Ithaca. Telemachus started to notice more of them when he was 10 years old. He used to fear them. Now he sits by the window and watched with lightning and closes his eyes as he listens thunder and the rain.

    It was a stormy night when the boy learned his father was scared of thunderstorms. Penelope has gone to visit Ctimene; someone Odysseus wasn't ready to see again after telling her about Eurylochus.

Listening to the storm, the prince walked around the halls of the palace like he's done since he was young. Stopping in front of his mother and father's room, he felt as if he should go inside.

Without knocking, Telemachus opened the door. Inside Odysseus sat in his bed. His sword was in his hands and his knees were to his chest.

"Dad? Are you okay?" Telemachus asked.

"They're coming." Odysseus said, his voice shaking.

Walking more inside the room, Telemachus approached his father. Odysseus jumped back, surprised by the movement. "who's coming?"

"The Gods." The king said, whispering. "They have come for me."

"It's just a thunderstorm." Telemachus approached his mother's bed and tried to sit down.

Odysseus swung his sword at his son.

"Dad, it's okay. Can you put the sword down?"

After a moment, Odysseus realized what he had done and pulled his sword away for his son. "I'm sorry." As he started to cry, Telemachus sat down with him.

"It's okay. Can I see that?" He gestured to the sword in his father's hands.

Nodding, Odysseus handed it to him. Then Telemachus put it down beside the bed. "The Gods won't get you here. I promise."

"You can't guarantee they won't." The king said softly.

"True, but it will be okay."

"Are you sure?"

"As sure as I can be. I'll be right here, okay? I'm not going anywhere."

Telemachus remembered what it felt like to be scared of thunder when he was little. Now his father was scared of it for a very different reason. Still, he knew that it was a hard thing to be afraid of. Only the gods can control thunderstorms after all.

"Okay." Pudding his knees back down onto the bed, Odysseus tied to relax.

"You know, I used to be afraid of thunderstorms too. I got pretty used to them. No one is going to hurt you here. You're home."

"I'm home." Odysseus repeated.

"Maybe try to sleep?"

"Yeah." Laying down, Odysseus closed his eyes. Telemachus went and sat by the rocking chair that was by a window.

"Thank you son. I love you"

"I love you too, Dad."

[exactly-that-cat-anon]

Some considerations: english is not my first language, so it is very likely that there will be some or many errors in the text. i also ended up doing it in a short period of time (i assume at least an hour), so perhaps the pace of reading feels too rushed.

it's also my first time writing something about EPIC, so i may have gotten some information wrong or the characters aren't as in character as they should be. anyway, i hope this little story manages to elicit some emotion within you, dear reader!

He felt gentle fingers running through the strands of his hair, now endowed with a gray color, a gift given by old age that had arrived after so many years away from his beloved. The fingers were calm, patient and methodical in making the braids, a possibility given by the growth that the hair strands had after so much time without being cut properly.

Penelope liked that. It gave her husband a unique look, a tone of admirable longevity that demonstrated the years lived in earthly life. The last time she saw him, Odysseus had a perfectly trimmed haircut, courtesy of royal treatments. But this was 20 years ago.

And no matter how much time passes, no matter how much his appearance changes, or how much his personality changes, he continues to be her dear husband, who always was, is and will always be kept in her heart.

"You're really good at this...", the hoarse and rough voice that indicated the advance of age came from Odysseus' lips, no longer youthful and strong as before.

"I can tell you I've been practicing different hairstyles on Telemachus", Penelope let out a laugh, small and quiet, but still conveying a sweetness and kindness.

Odysseus touched her fingers with his own, bringing the hand she was using to place a gentle kiss on the skin. He could discern the 20 year difference, the changes her body had gone through. Her hands were still as gentle and soft as the last time he felt them, but they were still different.

He wished he had been in Ithaca to see his son grow up, he wished he had been in his kingdom to see his beloved blossom as the years passed, by her side.

Odysseus lost all of that, and this truth is still a fact that brings tremendous anguish to his heart. Because he was not there to see the two most important people in his life grow up and live. He was not there when the suitors appeared and became a threat to his family.

And just to think that everything would have been vastly different if he had arrived too late, or if he had died at the hands of Poseidon...

If he had...

“Honey”, his wife’s soft voice pulls him out of his intrusive thoughts. “You were doing that again”

"Oh...", his voice came out weakly, not surprised, because those daydreams that Odysseus began to have since he returned to Ithaca, to his home, became something frequent. "Sorry, sometimes I just forget that I'm here, by your side"

Penelope offered him a warm smile, a smile that made him kill hundreds just so he could see it again. It was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen in his life, one that still sent butterflies into his stomach.

And yet, there was a small, genuine impression of concern that was forming in his dear wife's facial expressions.

"I know you suffered", she began softly, a delicate and gentle tone characteristic of her speech whenever the subject involved her husband. "I know you went through terrible things just to get home alive"

She squeezed his hand in a way that said 'please, I don't want to be away from you anymore'. It was a gesture that, as simple as it seemed, came from the greatest depths of the soul that normal eyes would never understand. That was an expression of pain, an expression of the pain of longing, similar to the one he had during all those years.

They both went through difficulties that exposed the deep roots of their love, of their desire to see each other again, to finally feel each other's arms.

It was two decades of waiting and holding on to that hope, even when everyone no longer believed, even when everything seemed to be coming to an unsatisfactory end. Even in the face of the cruelty of fate and the gods, husband and wife never stopped believing that one day they would return.

And yet, even when Odysseus was physically there, his mind wandered to the trail of blood left during his journey and the traumatizing memories of the deaths of his companions. Those were decisions that still haunt his mind, and that apparently would continue for the rest of his life.

The death of the baby. The Cyclops with the club. The wrath of Poseidon. Circe's island. The visit to the Underworld. The words of the Prophet Tiresias. The sacrifice of six men. The second appearance of Zeus. Calypso and her spell.

Would he ever forget those things? Would he one day no longer wake up with a heavy conscience and an anguished heart? Those two were among the many questions that crossed his mind during his daydreams.

"Come back to me", gentle, delicate hands cupped Odysseus' face softly, tired, kind eyes meeting his exhausted, haunted ones. "I want you by my side here with me"

'Not only physically, but emotionally as well' were the words that couldn't come out of her lips.

His eyes gained a glow that he previously thought had died. A glimmer of hope and belonging. By the Gods, what else would be as precious as finally being with the person you love so much?

"I'm here", he finally answered her after minutes of introspection. "I'll never leave your side again, Penelope"

[asaka-lucy-dr-rc]

Who's your favorite character, and which one do you dislike (the most) ?

Favorite :

Personally I really like Takumi, his reactions to the other students are funny and I feel like we're going to see a determined side of his.

I'm too tired to search for it but when the THLLA booth was up, there was an EPIC CG of Takumi at death's doors while still clashing swords, with a commander ?

(Found it)

Which really sold me on his personality, ironically I think he'll be anything but an everyman.)

----------

Like :

I like Eito and Ginzaki.

Ginzaki :

I really hope Ginzaki grows out of his self-loathing, gradually to feel more natural as a character within the game, I mean bro you are saving the human race wth are you hating on yourself for, and you have a death ray shooting Gundam !

Normally I wouldn't like a character like him, but he's got potential, or maybe I'm just coping.

Eito : I think that the idea behind the character is pretty cool, a guy who only had anime/manga to learn about the concept of friendship is interesting.

It was not said but I'm pretty sure those naive shounen catchphrases /speeches on friendship of his, are a result of the medias he watched.

And I always loved the brother like dynamics between the protag and another main character.

"Takumi's most trusted ally" Yeah I hope that stays the case for most of the routes.

----------

Dislike :

Ima.

Nha ... I really hope he chills out or else I'm gonna have to push him towards the invading students and let him die there, in game.

Bottom pic is relevant.

Sorry for the late reply! Thank you so much for sending this message. It was such an interesting read that I even thought, "Are you sure you’re really sending this to my blog?" XD I’m so glad you decided to send it to me as an ask instead of posting it on your blog. (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)

First, to answer your question about me—so far, my favorite character is Nozomi. But honestly, the main reason is just because I like her appearance. I’m not sure how my feelings will change once I learn more about her, but from the latest video, I also found her way of speaking quite appealing. There's a sense of determination in her voice that makes me really curious about her backstory.

As for the character I dislike, I honestly don’t have one! I think all of them are fascinating. At the very least, I feel like there isn’t a single character in this game who isn’t visually appealing. Even if their casual outfits are plain, once they switch into their Class Armor, they look super cool. And, as Kodaka has emphasized multiple times, each character has a wide variety of expressions, which makes a huge difference—some characters suddenly look adorable when their expressions change! So, I find them all quite charming. ---

Now, I’d love to dive into what you wrote! 🌟

I totally agree that Takumi's reactions to other characters are funny. Unlike Danganronpa, the cast of The Hundred Line are almost all a bit crazy 😅, so I think watching Takumi get dragged into their chaos should be hilarious.

Also, thanks for sharing the image! He looks like he's fighting with everything he's got in the trailers, and I feel like he's the kind of character that players will want to root for.

---

About Ginzaki: I’m glad you mentioned him! I’ve been meaning to summarize the Last Defense Academy Student Council online meeting, but during it, producer Inou was asked, "Who’s your favorite character?" and he said: "During development, my favorite character kept changing, but in the end, the one I liked the most was Ginzaki." Just as you mentioned, I think Ginzaki is a character who undergoes a lot of growth and will play a significant role in the story.

About Eito: I like him too! I thought it was adorable how Darumi pointed out that his lines were kind of poetic and dramatic. I also really hope he turns out to be a trustworthy ally in most routes! When his full profile was revealed, a lot of people in the Japanese fandom predicted, "This guy is definitely going to betray Takumi." However, I think it’s more likely that his lack of social skills and his kind of poetic, dramatic speech will make him come across as suspicious. So, I hope the way they make us think he’s going to betray the protagonist is actually misleading on purpose.

---

By the way, I was so curious to see who you'd pick as a character you dislike, and for some reason, I felt relieved when I saw you mentioned Ima. haha XD

I get the feeling that Ima was intentionally designed to be a divisive character. People who love him really love him, and people who dislike him can’t stand him. So, I think it’s completely natural to find him unlikable or off-putting.

I wouldn't say I dislike him, but honestly, he's such an unpredictable character that I'm not sure how to judge him at this point. Kodaka mentioned that Kako will try to break away from Ima's protection and stand on her own, which will cause some kind of conflict. (Here’s the part of the video I’m referring to: https://youtu.be/ss18pWsJQ4g?si=6HGUA1CvBG2j1lpR&t=1219) Depending on how Ima reacts, whether he gets angry with her or is deeply hurt by her distancing, my impression of him could change dramatically.

---

Thank you for such an interesting ask! I’m excited to see how our impressions of each character evolve over time! ✨

[be-it-so]

Okay, I lied, I'm not done with vengeance saga.

For some reason I'm still so angry and sad because of it, that I need to criticize it more or I won't be able to sleep.

I'm again so fucking disappointed, the whole saga felt like some kind of joke. I mean, the song I was worried the most about - "not sorry for loving you - turned out to be the most normal one. Like, yeah, Calypso is still very selfish and manipulative, Odysseus just want to be as far from her as possible and etc, I don't like that we are clearly expected to sympathise with her, but you know, in the context of this saga I'll go with it.

Dangerous felt a little overdone. I love Hermes, "wouldn't you like" was my favorite song for a long time, and maybe compared to it "Dangerous" is trying so much to go with the same vibe, but feels so deliberate about this.

I don't have much to say about "Charybdis" because there is nothing really to talk about, visuals were great, but everything felt so rushed, and also so meaningless, like they just needed to show at least one obstacle for Odysseus before Poseidon and nothing more.

And, yeah...

"Get in the water" and "600 strikes".

If you haven't guessed it yet, I'm very disappointed.

First of all, it is a lot weaker musically that I've expected. Okay, maybe there are good. Maybe I just am not able to hear this, because through these two songs I just stared at the screen with the confused and disappointed look, so I wasn't able to enjoy music or acting on its own.

Second, I was so interested in "get in the water", i liked the snippet we had so much before. It was so cool, emotional, and dark. I was so invested in finding out how Odysseus could escape this, what he might have said to change Poseidon's mind, maybe expected there to be some gesture towards the Odyssey, where Odysseus would tell Poseidon that he will go on this quest with the oar and so on. Also, i hoped to finally see "snake tongued" Odysseus in action because, like, that's what he is the most known about, for his mastery in words.

But this?

This was so bad. It also feels so fucking disrespectful to Poseidon, like, don't get me wrong, i like the change in power balance, I love when a character who wasn't able to do anything at some point now is beating the shit out of his former abuser and etc, BUT THIS IS NOT WORKING WITH THE GODS AND MORTALS IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY. AND THIS IS NOT WORKING WITH POSEIDON AND ODYSSEUS, THE STORY OF THE ODYSSEY IS NOT ABOUT HOW TO BECOME STRONG ENOUGH TO BEAT THE GOD. IT IS SO FAR OFF!

Like, yeah, the original is neither about "learning that you need to be ruthless to be able to return home if that's what you want so much", but there is difference in the level of what level of getting things wrong is normal and can be called "creative liberties" and what level is just bad. If you wanted so much for Odysseus to show how ruthless he became, well, we've already seen "different beast" to show us his cruelty, don't you think that maybe if they showed us how epic-Odysseus is able to put aside all the men Poseidon has killed and all of the pain he himself have gone through because of Poseidon and just talk with him, bargaining about his own life or something like this it would have also shown his ruthless side in a new way and be so much more believable? Even if he pulled out "there are other ways" move I think I would belive it more than that he is able to defeat Poseidon, the god of SEA, STORMS and EARTHQUAKES, PHISICALLY, in the SEA, with the STORM and fucking power of friendship (no, I will not stop calling it like this).

You know, I have a lot more to say about this, but I guess i'll stop with this. I guess I feel so bad about it because I really liked epic, yeah, I had problems with it, but I considered it nice adaptation even if it's kind of far from the source material, it felt very good and respectful to the original Odyssey, but now it became this. So yeah, I'm really disappointed.

And also, even if epic Odysseus was somehow able to defeat a god, what the fuck will stop epic Poseidon from returning after couple of months recovery and just wipe whole Ithaca off the face of the earth after such offense and shame? Like literally what? Or little epic Poseidon is now so afraid of big bad epic Odysseus that wouldn't bare even think about his name again?

[m0rkl]

The People We Become || Reverse Portal AU || Grunkles and The Kids

If you've noticed that I barely talk about Mabel and Dipper you're absolutely right sdfghjk sorry I'm far too interested in the Old Men but I really should talk about their different thoughts and feelings about Ford, Fidds and Stan

The Three Grunkles and The Kids

The arrival in Gravity Falls for the summer is a little different than in canon. The kids are actually really excited to meet Ford since he wrote their favorite book series. But because of this, they've built up an image of him, the way kids often do, and there was no way Ford would ever perfectly live up to it. Its the same with Gravity Falls, the town. The kids are excited, dreaming up cool summer adventures in the mysterious town their mysterious great uncle is from. But once again, few things can actually live up to the grandiose dreams tweens looking to distract themselves over the summer.

Mabel:

With Ford, she's excited to get to know her super cool great uncle who wrote their favorite book series, but it ends up being a little bit of a let down. Not that Ford is bad, but she definitely put him on a pedestal in her mind as some epic adventurer who befriends unicorns and goes on fairytale like adventures. He ends up being a little too scientific and blunt for her.

As the summer goes on, they do bond a lot. She sees him for the excited and curious scientist he always has been and they go on their own duo little adventures.(I also have the headcanon that when Mabel gets older she realizes she's aromantic so she and Ford bond over that)

Mabel gets along GREAT with Fiddleford. They decorate his inventions together and he always lets her make design suggestions even if the have... interesting outcomes. Fiddleford is a lot more emotionally away that Ford often is and he handles her various moods well. They sing silly songs together and dance while Fiddleford plays the banjo. She was a little weirded out by him at first, but quickly grew fond of his weirdness.

Mabel and Fiddleford join forces when both Ford and Dipper have gone too long without a shower. It's a deadly combo of Fidds' "Instant Shower Gun" and Mabel's "Body Wash Water Balloon Slinger With Glitter". It's a mess but at least they don't STINK

When Stan arrives, Mabel is a bit scared of him. He's a big intimidating man with weapons and scars. She tries to act like her normal, friendly and excitable self, but she can't help but come off as a little wary. Stan takes notice of it immediately and does his best to come off as gentle and friendly as he can manage. When that inevitably back fires, Mabel takes notice and understands that he's trying, so she starts doing her part to understand him a little better as well.

As they start to bind, Stab tells her stories, gives her piggyback rides and lets her braid his hair. Eventually Mabel sees Stan for the softie he is

Dipper

Dipper goes in with some very grandiose ideas of what S. F. Pines, the author of his favorite series and their mysterious great uncle, is like. He has a lot of expectations that Ford sometimes meets, but often falls short of. Still, he has high hopes for following in Ford's footsteps and learning from him as both a writer and investigative researcher. Dipper still has his same fascination with Gravity Falls's weirdness, but in addition to that, he also is trying to understand the mystery of Ford's stories.

Aside from more serious and traumatic things like Bill or the portal, Ford doesn't hide much from Dipper and gives him a lot of blunt truths. And while Dipper tries to act like it doesn't hurt him, sometimes Ford's directness makes him self conscious. Dipper very desperately wants to impress Ford and tries to mimic him or study what he does

Fiddleford, on the other hand, is a different matter. He won't say it, but he thinks Fidds is a bit if a crazy old man. Because even I'd he's not the same 'old man McGucket' Fidds is rather eccentric, even for a genius inventor. Fidds gets a lot of tween eye rolls and groans from Dipper.

However, he does get to see a more serious side to Fiddleford later on and they gain more of an understanding of each other. Fiddleford gives him a little bit of space and Dipper laughs a little more at his weird hillbilly sayings.

Of course, this all gets dropped on its head when the truth is revealed about the Portal Incident

Dipper is overzealous and amazed when Stan arrives. To him, Stan is a comic book action hero. He's grizzly and strong and fights bad guys. Doesn't he? Once again, the kid builds up expectations that people can't reach. He's more forgiving with Stan about it at first, since he's been through this with Ford, but when Stan starts to really show how rough his life has been, it does scare Dipper a little.

Stan is very traumatized and doesn't know how to act towards kids, especially not his own family members. This version of Stan is very quick to push people out and Dipper doesn't reach out much either. It takes him seeing Mabel get closer to Stan for him to start opening up to him as well

And yeah, these dynamics change when the Portal Incident is revealed and Stan returns.

Portal Incident Reveal

Dipper shifts to siding solely with Ford and completely turning away from Fiddleford. He thinks Fidds is practically a village for erasing Ford's memory. He hears Ford call Fidds selfish and starts to take that into his own head, viewing Fidds' need to save Ford as a selfish need.

Mabel, on the other hand, goes to comfort Fiddleford because even though she knows what he did was wrong, she still cares about him and sees how upset he is. She asks him a lot about why he did it and gets to hear his side of how much the portal incident wrecked Ford when it happened. She hears about how desperate and scared he was. Then Fidds tells her how often he used the memory gun on himself to get rid of his pain. It was wrong, but it was the only think he could think to do. He had no support from anyone else and had to rely on what he knew.

Fiddleford stresses that he erased Ford's memory to save him and the world. He did it out of love and fear of everything going wrong. And he got 30 years of things being better. And Mabel understands. She thinks if she could hit a button and save her parents marriage or make it be summer forever, it would be almost impossible to say no. So while she doesn't think Fiddleford did the right thing, she knows that in his shoes, she likely would have done the same

When these sides come up between Mabel and Dipper, Dipper argues that he would never ever forgive anyone for dooming Mabel like Fidds doomed Stan and he would do anything to save her.

Mabel tells him, that's the point. Ford would have torn of the world and doomed himself to save his brother. Fiddleford couldn't stand the thought of losing Ford because he loves him.

Then Dipper asks if, in that situation, Mabel would be okay with having her memories erased. She tells him, of course not, but she would understand why it was done.

They don't come to an agreement for a while and it causes a lot of tension, but eventually Stan talks to Fids and Ford. While they don't get back together yet, they come to an understanding and sit the kids down for a long talk

It ends up being about the complications of relationships and how to communicate with someone who hurt you. Its just complicated all around