#these are Ody's hands btw

[alexizhina]

hiii???? this is my first post and the first work that I will show here!!!!

they will never make me hate you eurylochus....... eury from closure au!!

[dooodle-bug]

The journeussy has just begun....

[spineless-lobster]

I find it really funny how, when holding dolon captive, odysseus and diomedes play a good cop/bad cop game with him

Dolon: PLEASE don’t kill me I am SUPER rich I’ll pay the ransom just don’t kill me please please please

Ody: Ohhhhhh don’t worry about thaaaattt we won’t kill you just give us some info

Dio: I will snap your neck

Ody: Hahahahaaa don’t listen to him. Tell me everything.

Dolon: *spills everything*

Ody: Okay great thanks! We still won’t kill you btw *wink wink*

Dio, spear already bloody in his hand: I didn’t kill him, it was the spear :)

[blessedbyahuntress]

Blessed by a Trickster

Chapter Fourteen: The Witch Gives Me a Souvenir!

Prev/Next

Warnings: Odysseus's shirt is unbuttoned, but I think that's it. A little spicy btw

Word Count: 1.4k

Listen to: There Are Other Ways

“Ody,” you hissed. “What’re you doing?”

Odysseus’s eyes flickered once to you, then settled on Circe. “I’m not sure I follow,” he said to the witch.

Circe smiled as you pressed your sword closer to her neck. She lifted a hand and snapped her fingers, curtains instantly drawing over the windows, floating torches replacing the sunlight.

“There are other ways of persuasion.” Circe slipped out of your grasp, causing you to make a low noise of annoyance. “There are other modes of control.”

Circe glided toward Odysseus, and you felt dread bubbling up in your stomach. “There are other means of deceit,” she continued. “There are other roads to the soul.”

Circe made a move to wrap her arms around Odysseus’s neck, but was met with you instead as you stood in her path. You glared daggers at the witch, sword pointed at your foe’s chest. Circe sneered at you and took a few steps back. 

“There are other options of passion.” Circe removed a circlet from her head, letting her hair flow freely. “You have so much left to learn!”

The witch was gone in a poof that smelled of sickeningly sweet flowers. 

“Want to save your men from the fire?” Circe questioned, voice now suddenly behind you. You turned to see Circe running her fingers down Odysseus’s neck delicately. She leaned in, eyes gleaming. “Show me that you’re willing to burn.”

You felt your gaze hardening as Odysseus ran his hands down his face. “Who’s to say, with all the mistakes I’ve made?” He groaned. “Will they be the last mistakes I ever make?” 

He didn’t even look at you, so you had to move around to get a good view of his eyes- huge, dilated pupils now filled most of his eye color, but you could tell that the lime-green had been replaced with a light pink.

Circe moved closer, and Odysseus let her, staring at her with a loving look. You nearly retched right then and there as Odysseus wrapped his arms around her torso, bringing her in so close that their noses nearly touched. You could hear Circe’s giggling. 

“There is so much power, so much power,” Odysseus said.

Hermes, you called in your mind. A little help here? 

You felt your mind sharpen, ears pricked for lies. You knew that Odysseus would never let anyone but Penelope touch him in that way. 

Circe pulled away a bit to give him a brilliant smile. “But there’s no puppet here,” she purred, running her hands down his chest and the buttons on his shirt. She twisted a nail around to undo it. Odysseus kept watching her face, body stiff as he stroked her hair.

“Stop!” You cried, shoving Circe away from your captain. “Get away from him!”

Circe scowled at you as Odysseus shook his head wildly, like trying to diminish thoughts from his mind. His eyes returned to their original color, pupils going back to normal size.

There was a moment of silence as Odysseus looked down at his unbuttoned shirt. His eyes widened with realization and he quickly turned to Circe.

“Back at home my wife awaits for me,” he said. “She’s my everything. My Penelope.” 

He raised his hand and swept it upward as if he could reach Penelope that way. “And she’s all my power. All my power.” He curled his hand into a fist. “But it’s been twelve long years.”

You lowered your chin a bit; you missed your queen, your best friend. You wished to talk to her again. 

“Twelve long years since I have seen my wife,” Odysseus repeated, slumping his shoulders. “And now the god of tides is out to end my life.”

You watched in shock as your captain got on his knees, beckoning for you to do the same. You let out an outraged huff and got down on one knee, sword tip digging into the pristine floor as you gripped it with both hands. 

“So I beg you Circe, grant us mercy, and let us puppets leave.” Odysseus wrung his hands.

Circe gazed down at you, ignoring the man completely. For the first time, respect leaked into her glare. She sighed, the edges of her mouth twitching upward despite the annoyed noise. She helped you up as she said, “Poseidon, eh?” 

You nodded numbly, offering your own hand to Odysseus, who grabbed it with a grateful smile.

Circe turned and marched back down the corridor. “There might be a way to evade him. There might be a way to get home.”

You shrugged at Odysseus and hurried after the witch. 

Your eyes flickered from tapestry to tapestry as you studied each and every one of them. There- Achilles getting dipped in the River Styx. A few tapestries depicted gods and goddesses as well. Artemis ran with her hunters, Ares charging into battle on a golden chariot pulled by skeletal horses. 

You caught your breath. The next few tapestries showed a few personal things- Polites holding up a vile as he murmured something to himself, Eurylochus carrying you out of the collapsing cave, Hermes smiling cheekily as he kissed you on the cheek. But the last one, it was awful. You with your bowstring drawn, aimed at a bundle hanging from Odysseus’s hand. 

You turned your head away, not wanting to look weak in front of your captain as his footsteps echoed a beat behind yours. 

“Though this other way’s very dangerous.” Circe’s voice was much louder than it had been in the throne room. “It might be your one final hope.”

You followed the woman into a room, blinking as you tried to take in the vast amount of potions around you. 

Circe grabbed a few, uncorked them, and poured their contents into a large culdrain that stood in the center of the room. 

“I know of a brilliant prophet,” she said. Circe reached out and grabbed a jar with a golden liquid that sloshed around inside. Instead of putting it in with the other potions, she pressed it into your hand. 

“Problem is this prophet is dead.” The witch grabbed a ladle and started stirring. “I can’t get you home, but I’ll get you to the Underworld instead.”

Circe moved to grab an empty jug, but you reached for it too. Grinning, you handed the jug to Circe. She returned your smile and motioned for you to keep holding the jug as she poured the new silverish liquid in. 

“I’ll release your men and I’ll get you to the Underworld instead.” Circe grabbed your wrist gently and led you out of the room through a different door. 

Odysseus seemed rather frustrated; he’d just caught up to the two of you. “Wait,” he said slowly. “You’re helping us.”

You sighed in exasperation and looked at Circe. “Forgive him,” you requested. “He’s rather slow at realizing these kinds of things.”

Circe only chuckled and kept walking. “There are many ways of persuasion. There are many modes of control.” 

Soon you emerged into the open air, and you breathed deeply, relishing the scent of flowers in bloom. 

Circe didn’t pause, giving a polite nod to a few nymphs tending to a garden on your left. “Maybe showing one act of kindness.” The nymphs glanced at you wearily, and you gave them a small wave to relieve tension. “Leads to kinder souls down the road.” 

Circe’s smile seemed to grow a little wistful as she said, “I remember actions of passion. I have been in love once before.”

You reached a pen that held four pigs. Circe gestured for the jug, and with a jolt you realized these barn animals were your men. 

Circe splashed a bit on each pig, stepping back as each grew larger, hooves turning to feet and snouts to normal faces with recognizable beards. 

The witch turned back to you and clasped your hands. “Maybe one day the world will need a puppeteer no more,” she remarked. 

You grinned like the Cheshire cat. “Or maybe one day, the world will need a puppeteer more.” 

Circe’s eyes lit up at your words, and you took your hands away from hers. You grabbed the forearms of two of the men, letting Odysseus deal with the others. 

The jar which withheld the golden liquid felt heavy in your satchel as you dragged them back the way you had come. 

You looked back once to see Circe mouthing the words, “Good luck.”

Taglist: @barrythestrawberry041 @thereigningking

[zarnzarn]

Random odypenath thought that I had today and needed to share.

Imagine this: Athena and Ody showing Penelope how they used to spar when training Odysseus, they spar a few times and times and Athena wins all of them, because duh, she's a goddess.

And Athena despite denying a lot is quite prideful, so she gloats a little saying that in over their 30 years of sparing Odysseus never once managed to beat her.

But we all know Ody is a little shit a heart, so he asks for another spar with her, to which she agrees without questions. Everything is going normally and Athena has him immobilized, she's ready to say that she won again, but then Odysseus suddenly kisses her.

It's nothing more than a quick peck, but this surprises Athena so much that she lets down her weapon and ends up letting Ody destabilize her making her fall down, giving Odysseus his first win against his teacher.

Athena's first instinct after falling is to look for Penelope, but to her surprise the woman isn't upset by the fact that her husband just kissed another person, she actually looks quite happy hiding her smile behind her hands.

"I won my love!" Odysseus says with the joyfulness of a child, practically jumping in the arms of his wife.

and Athena gets up and her mind still isn't quite sure if she's supposed to be flustered or annoyed.

And Odysseus just replies with his voice dripping with smugness that Athena herself had taught him that there wasn't such a thing as dirty tricks in a fight and that every tactic is valid if it helps you win a battle.

And Athena tries to argue against that, but she ends up lost for words because sadly she taught her little warrior of the mind too well and his argument was very solid. She ends up just huffing and saying that that was enough training for the day and she turns around to go back inside the palace. Odysseus and Penelope laugh themselves silly at their goddess's embarrassment, but nonetheless, they follow her inside.

Many hours later back at her palace on Olympus Athena freak out realizing that that was her first kiss and that oh my gods Odysseus had just taken her first kiss.

Anyway that was a lot of rambling that I probably won't manage to write into an actual fanfiction but I wanted the CEO of the odypenath fanbase to know

HI HELLO DANTSEM THANK YOU SO MUCH THIS WONDERFUL IDEA HAS BEEN ROLLING AROUND IN MY HEAD FOR AGESSS!!!!! sorry it took so long to answer my friend, I was tumbling it like a stone in my mind until it was perfect and shiny.

THIS IS SO. SO TRUE. OH MY GOD. even just odysseus and Athena sparring would be so cool after some 30 years of dirty tricks and training and fighting; all fancy footwork and fast attacks and smirks that have Penelope crossing her legs.

and of COURSE Athena cackles when he goes down- he learnt his trashtalk from somewhere after all- teasing him about how not even one win after all these years must SO grating, that it was kind of sad he hadn't even bested her ONCE.

penelope, because she is a rat, immediately goes oooooh while odysseus' mouth drops slowly open in offended shock, but still curled into a half-smile almost against his will. their eyes crinkle with their mirth even as Athena raises an eyebrow in challenge, because this is as known to them as breathing; not once had she ever mocked him without him springing to his feet and retaliating immediately.

(i imagine this is the first time they're acting this comfy again after the return; they were still tiptoeing around each other a bit emotionally till then but blood pumping + familiar ground of fighting means they're both open)

and he snaps up and swings out at her and athena parries with an amused, lazy smirk, that Penelope's husband matches with a wild blaze of teeth-

she's having the time of her life btw. Spartan culture still has its grip on her and seeing them fight, she is just. dying of lust on the side. dying, truly. between her husband keeping up with a goddess and the war goddess fighting on mortal soil at full power... poor woman's about to pass out from the heat.

they both get a good fight, spears knocked away and both of them reduced to a mad wrestle on the ground- but eventually, he grabs the wrong arm and she manages to pin him down, hands crossed and pulled in opposite directions, knee in the stomach.

she barely has time to grin in victory, ready to gloat, before his eyes flash with that spark of mischief she knows well and he's leaned up to press their mouths together.

she's so shocked that she barely registers movement until there's a foot in her abdomen and the world is upside down for a few odd seconds, eating dirt and then landing hard on her back, making her grunt.

"HA!" Odysseus shouts, eyes shining with victory and grinning wider than she'd ever seen him, pressing down his knees on her shoulders for three seconds before letting go with a whoop and running off so fast athena's left gawping at the empty sky, breath knocked out of her, cheeks burning. Her mouth is open in affront, at the blasphemy, at the fucking audacity- "Penelope, holy fuck, did you see that?"

Athena jerks at the queen's name and rolls up on one elbow, a mixed bag of furious on Penelope's behalf, a need for a commiserative do you fucking see this shit, and an odd need to start apologizing frantically, even though she did nothing.

But Penelope has her hands on her knees for support and is laughing behind one hand, face lined with mirth as her husband dances around her, hooting and hollering like he would have if he'd beaten her when he was twelve-

Athena's brain finally resumes its motions and she pushes herself off the ground with a scoff of disbelief, mouth still open. Her chest burns with a confusing cluster of emotions, now that the initial response to look for Penelope's reaction seems to be... unnecessary. Doesn't know whether to start shouting or lie back down and let Gaia take her out of embarrassment.

"I cannot believe you," She says finally. "I should set Diomedes on you."

Odysseus laughs and looks at her, eyes clear as he hangs off his wife. "Your top student, Athena, lover of clever strategies. No such thing as a dirty tactic, remember? I beat you, fair and square."

"Hah, please," She says automatically, waving him off, even as her chest pangs with something she's never felt before. "Not a person alive would call that a win."

She has never had a student best her. Not once. She has to swallow against a lump in her throat, eyes burning oddly even as she pastes on a teasing smile.

"-in fact, I have it written down, the merits of a good distraction, because you insisted-"

Athena makes the mistake of turning to glance to the side as she brushes herself off. Her heart skips a beat when she catches Penelope's gaze staring right back at her, no longer with the placidly uncaring look of earlier- eyes dark and expression calculating.

And then- Penelope smirks, small and dangerous, and raises an eyebrow. You liked it, didn't you?

"Training is over for today," She says, walking away quickly to the sound of laughter, and is subsequently heckled all the way back to the palace, the both of them cackling behind her all the way.

-

Later, she sits on her bed, getting all the way to taking off her armour and lying down, when the memory slams into her with full force, lips burning.

Her eye twitches. Her stupid fucking champion's idiot face swirls into mind, grinning like a maniac for finally having bested her and she snarls. She has no idea how to feel. Pride It was a good fucking tactic, too, which just makes her more annoyed.

Athena takes a deep breath in and out. Reaches for the nearest pillow.

The entire pantheon still wakes up when she screams.

-

"Why the fuck did I do that?" Odysseus says for the thousandth time, staring up at the ceiling with haunted eyes.

Penelope grunts unhelpfully next to him, almost asleep.

"She's going to get her bearings tomorrow and kill me," He says fatalistically. "Pallas Athena is going to beat me to death in a rage, because I am the stupidest creature alive, and- Penelope. Penelope. I kissed her."

"I know. Sleep."

"I'm not a dog!" Odysseus protests. "And aren't you listening? I kissed Athena."

"She won't do anything," Penelope rasps, moving closer and draping one arm across his chest. "Also I know. I was there. You have not shut up about it since she left."

Odysseus groans and pushes his palms into his eyes. "Why didn't you stop me?"

"Honestly, I wanted to see if you had the guts," Penelope says, hiding a smile in his shoulder as he looks over to glare at her. "And I say this with love, sweetheart, but everyone has been waiting for this for ages. In fact, I have bets to collect tomorrow, do remind me."

Odysseus sputters. "Who 'everyone'?" He demands.

"Telemachus, for one," Penelope yawns. "And probably every being with a trickle of divinity in them and a couple thousand without-"

"TELEMACHUS?" Odysseus sits up, so incredibly offended that she chokes on her yawn and wakes up a bit more to laugh at it. "MY SON? HER STUDENT? MY OWN FLESH AND BLOOD-"

"He actually thought you two already were, I think," Penelope muses, tucking her hands behind her head. "He already knew how she stood in as my husband when times got... tough, during Troy. And the champions frequented our halls often at the start, and had many irritated anecdotes of how Pallas Athena absolutely doted on you, whispering wisdom and cheating in your fights so that you won."

"Doted?" Odysseus gawps at her. His cheeks are red. "As if, half the time she was yelling at me-"

"-And how she was cold and distant with her stewards, but always had time for her favourite-"

"I wasn't her favourite!" Odysseus protests, even as his voice cracks a bit in the middle, some small part of him still stuck in the moment where she had tossed him aside over that first slight against her will, that had grown roots believing all those years after that she had never looked back, and gone on to other students, other champions.

"Are you embarrassed?" Penelope laughs, pushing herself up. "Odysseus, come on, there is absolutely no way you do not know! I've heard all the stories of Troy and how much she did for you- Do you think interfering this much is the norm for gods? Would any patron stand up to Zeus in their favour? Would anyone know their champion's preferred fruit? That goddess is gone for you, take it from me and all her other incredibly jealous followers. Anyone with eyes can see it."

Odysseus frowns, feeling uneasy about the picture she paints, how any other woman would take it. "Penelope, I'm sorry if- you- there's nothing-"

"Ah, yes, how woeful that I don't the troubles of a normal wife with a husband blessed by a god," Penelope snarks. "Would have to deal with the incredibly cruel fate of watching my incredibly attractive husband fuck my incredibly attractive patron goddess, but no, I had to get stuck with the only two idiots who don't enjoy a good coupling and couldn't express an emotion if your lives depended on it-"

"Penelope! We're just friends!" Odysseus says loudly. "And more importantly, she's my goddess- the virgin goddess, if you've somehow forgotten- I would never-"

"Friends don't cuddle on the grass after spars and murmur to each other like that!" Penelope says louder, throwing her hands out. "And it's one thing for you to not know, you're married and dumb as a rock about it- what's her excuse for not knowing you're in love with her?"

Odysseus wheezes ungracefully, feeling somewhat like he's taken a fall off a tall flight of steps. "I'm not-"

"Oh, don't even try," Penelope rolls her eyes, sounding for all the world like they're having an argument about the curtains. All the women of the country would hate having to fight for their beloved's attention in the face of godliness, and here Odysseus has to deal with this woman sulking that he wasn't gone over- fuck, he can't even make himself think it. "You haven't heard yourself pray. Or talk to her. Or just talk about Athena in general."

"And, what," Odysseus demands, pushing himself up on his elbows, staring at her in disbelief. "You're fine with this?"

"Fine?" Penelope looks at him like he's the crazy one here. "I've been waiting for weeks for something to happen! Oh gods- do you seriously not know?"

"There's nothing to know!" Odysseus shouts. "I'm not- she's not-"

"Unbelievable," Penelope says, putting her face in her hands.

"What is wrong with you?" Odysseus bursts out as the craziness of the situation finally bursts upon him. "Are you mental?"

"How am I mental?" Penelope throws her hands up. "It's true!"

"It's-" Odysseus' denial dies on his tongue as his mind forces him to consider it without his consent, and. Well.

"You're mad," He says quickly, and flops back down face-first into the pillow. Penelope hollers in victorious, mocking laughter overhead and he reaches out to tickle her to get her to stop. She squeals and a smile catches on his lips- he's too weak to her laughter to not follow up.

"Is this- ah, stop!- the thanks I get?" Penelope demands a few minutes of struggling later, giggling still. "Just you wait- Athena! Oh goddess of the iron and loom, the spear and thread- AH!"

"Have you lost your mind?" Odysseus demands, shaking her by the hand over her mouth, half-laughing himself.

"Trust me!" Penelope drawls, eyes sparking with cunning. His smile falters in the face of it, beautiful though it makes her look, as the rest of the night comes rushing back and with it, the possibilities of absolute disaster that his wife was clearly heading towards in her delusions.

"Penelope, listen-" Odysseus sighs, but before he can say anything more, she's reached out and snapped off one of the branches from their tree.

"ATHENA!" She yells, loud enough that Odysseus rocks back from the force of it, then rocks back forward from the sharp familiar crack from the back of the room.

"I am not a dog!" Athena snaps, hands thrown out and curled into claws the way it only gets when she's really annoyed. Odysseus has one brief moment of considering wildly every direction he can fling himself towards to hide in the mere seconds he has before her gaze falls upon him, but it's already too late.

"YOU!" Athena snarls, still in her white robes, eyes blazing with anger. Odysseus yelps and scrambles backwards, pointing at Penelope with one hand and raises the other in mute surrender.

Athena growls like a lion and stalks to the bed, fists clenched at her sides. Her hair is raised up like a bush, as if she was running her fingers through it, making her look more crazed than he's ever seen her.

"I. Fucking." Athena slams a hand and leg down on either side of him, glaring still, making the bed shake as she climbs over him. "Despise. You."

Odysseus' words falter on his lips as he looks up at her, feels the pieces fall into place as fast as falling marbles seeing his own emotions reflected in her eyes- longing and confusion and hesitation and hilariously, the same little bit of disgust- and he reaches up the same time she leans down and-

Athena makes a noise and abruptly pushes her face off to the side so his lips drag across her browbone. He stares up at the ceiling for a few moments with the crushing anxiety of what did I just do, before he feels Athena shiver against him and automatically wraps all limbs around her in an embrace borne of some animal instinct to keep a person warm.

She obligingly shrinks down to human proportions and clings back. Every last argument, every last stilted apology feels like it pales in face of this embrace, like it finally has settled in for both of them that it's over. He no longer has to be her warrior, just her friend. That they'll be alright.

He has a feeling they both might be crying a little.

"See!" Penelope chirps and they both nearly jump out of their skin. "Told you."

"Yes, yes," Odysseus gripes, Athena scowling up at her grumpily. Penelope smiles wider and he feels them both soften grudgingly, Athena sighing as Odysseus pulls Penelope down to kiss her. "You were right."

"Hm," Penelope preens, rolling closer to both of them and throwing an arm over Athena's lower back. The goddess looks at her narrowly, and she grins back.

Athena huffs in acceptance and closes her eyes, shifting minutely to allow Penelope to stroke up and down her back curiously, playing with the feathers at the nape of her neck. Penelope's going to try kissing her tomorrow, she wearily thinks.

"You didn't win that round, by the way," She says suddenly and Penelope snorts.

Odysseus makes a loud noise of offense. "Of course I did-"

[pillowdrawz]

You know I like A Good cracship.

Meet Tianami ship child. Nanami Yomi

Mama Odie thought him everything about Magic btw

Yomi has another meaning and it relates to his powers.

Has protective friends from the other side :)

Also mama's boy and he likes to fight in his feet or kick he doesn't want his hands getting dirty so he uses other weapon that doesn't involve Close combat.

(Nanami x Tiana and this is for fun cause we gon insane in Shibuya arc)

Long story short...Shibuya arc started and we gon insane.

[firinnie]

The Odyssey is more brutal than Epic the Musical part 42345

I would like to say that Ithaca Saga skips a bit from the Odyssey. You have some interesting facts.

Warning for brutality below! The original clearly states that Odysseus strung his bow, did Penelope's task, and killed the suitors with the same one. By the way, the bow was described as a palintonos, I found that means that it was specific, you had to pull the string other way. Most likely, suitors not had such experience and simply tried to shoot the wrong way. Or Odysseus was Luisa Madrigal.

The suitor who gets shot after he talks about "Open arms", I think, could be Eurymachus. In the original he says it right after Antinous was killd but Eurymachus tries to convince king that their leader planned everything and since he is dead now the killing should stop. We have the same logic in the song "Odysseus".

And as for the slaughter. The suitors were killed not only by Odysseus but also by his loyal servants - Eumaeus (raised like his brother, the whole book is about him), Philoetius and… TELEMACHUS. He is not a Disney Princess there.

Goatherd Melanthius is the one who finds the hidden weapon and wants to give it to the suitor. He used to serve them and give them the largest animals, he also tried to get Eumaeus into trouble with them. But fortunately he and Philoetius find him, immobilize and laugh at, and after the battle swineherd takes him on. Eumaeus (with the kind help of others) cuts man up alive and feeds him to his dogs, starting with the unfaithful collaborator's genitals. Melanthius' nose, ears, hands and feet were cut off, but his penis was torn out. It is not certain whether he was killed after that or was to exist in long agony until death.

Speaking of death, Melanthius' sister and eleven other maids who were hanging around with suitors were forced to clean up the blood and bodies, and then Odysseus tells his son to cut their throats. Telemachus considers this too mild a death and hangs the twelve women himself, instead.

Btw Penelope ordered her faithful servant Eurycleia to move the bed in front of her husband, not him. In the original and Epic his anger stems from fact that Odysseus thinks Penny changed the bed he built for one that can be moved.

The families of suitors want revenge and are ready to continue the fight. Antinous' father is killed by Laertes, father of Osysseus (hell yeah) but this small uprising quickly ends when Athena appears and pacifies the company. Athena also makes the night go longer so Penelope can enjoy her husband in peace. Epic leaves the gate open and the bridge between her and Ody burnt, that is very sad for me.

But well, I think these are the most interesting facts :)

[antinousletmehit]

HII!! (Same anon who sent the malewife Antinous and Calypso! Reader btw)

I had another idea and thought I should drop it here. So imagine reader is Odysseus' child right? When he get home, he slaughters all the suitors, but found Antinous missing. But then he heard his daughter call out to Antinous. Thinking the worst, Ody immediately went to her room.

However, when he arrived, he saw reader and Antinous casually making out despite the obvious bloodshed that was happening outside

Atp I should have a name, but I don't want to reveal my account btw I'm sorry if I send too much asks its just that there's no safe space for liking Antinous until I found this account 😞😭

Sighhhh we antinous fans are suffering

—-

The name cut through the noise like a blade, and Odysseus froze mid-step. His blood ran cold. His daughter’s voice—panicked and clear—called out the name of the very man who had disrespected his home, plotted to steal his wife, and helped lead the suitors. He dropped the lifeless suitor he had just skewered, his heart pounding with dread. Was Antinous harming her? Had that snake of a man dared lay a hand on his child?

Fury boiled in Odysseus’s veins as he followed the sound, his sword raised and ready to end another suitor if need be. He moved quickly, stepping out of the chaos and into a quieter corridor. Meanwhile, you and Antinous were locked in a world of your own. In the shadowed hallway, far from the carnage, Antinous had pulled you close. His lips pressed against yours, hands steady on your waist as if the war raging just feet away didn’t exist.

“This might be the last chance we get,” Antinous murmured against your lips, his voice uncharacteristically soft. You didn’t respond with words, just tightened your grip on his tunic and leaned in again. But you hadn’t meant to say his name aloud. Not like that. It slipped from your lips, heavy with emotion—and loud enough to echo down the corridor.

“Antinous,” you sighed as his lips brushed yours again.

Odysseus turned the corner at that exact moment, his eyes wild and sword drawn. “Where is he?” he growled, his gaze darting through the shadows for the fight he expected.

Instead, he froze.

You and Antinous broke apart in an instant, your faces flushed with guilt and panic. Antinous took a cautious step back, but his hands lingered at your waist, a defiant glint in his eye despite the bloodshed staining his clothes.

Odysseus’s expression shifted from confusion to disbelief to sheer rage. His grip on his sword tightened as his gaze flickered between you and Antinous.

“You—my daughter—and him?” His voice was low, dangerously calm, which was somehow worse than yelling.

“Father, I—” you stammered, stepping in front of Antinous as if to shield him from the wrath you knew was coming.

Antinous, to his credit, didn’t cower. He straightened up, his usual arrogance peeking through despite the sweat and blood on his face. “I think we’re past the introductions, King Odysseus.”

That did it. Odysseus lunged forward, and you had to throw yourself between them, pressing your hands to your father’s chest to hold him back. “Don’t kill him!” you pleaded, panic lacing your voice.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t gut him right here,” Odysseus growled, his sword aimed at Antinous’s throat.

Antinous, ever the bold one, smirked. “Well, if you kill me, she’d be pretty upset.”

Odysseus’s glare could have melted stone. You, however, were too busy internally cursing Antinous for his inability to shut up when it mattered.

Odysseus stared at you for a long moment, his jaw tight and eyes blazing. Then, with a grunt of frustration, he lowered his sword.

“This isn’t over,” he growled, pointing a finger at Antinous before stalking back toward the main hall.

Antinous let out a breath he’d been holding, then glanced at you, his smirk returning. “I think that went well.”

You smacked his arm. “You’re lucky I love you, you idiot.”

“Clearly,” he teased, leaning in for another kiss.

“Don’t push it,” you warned, glancing nervously down the hallway where your father had disappeared.

[wolfnight2012]

So is the fandom at large still characterizing "Open Arms" as the ~pacifism~ song or have we gotten past that?

Like, I don't know how keen Polites was for violence as a soldier in the Trojan war, since we meet him after the fact & lose him soon after.

But "Open Arms" doesn't tell us about his capacity for violence. It barely tells us about his thoughts on violence as an option.

The most we can infer from "Full Speed Ahead" and "Open Arms" is that Polites doesn't believe violence is the only option (or the one they should jump to first.)

But that's not even what "Open Arms" is about (not really)

"Open Arms" is about Polites noticing Odysseus' trauma & trying to help his friend heal.

The first lines of the song are:

"I can tell you're getting nervous, so do yourself a service"

Here "nervous" isn't being used to mean "scared" but rather "anxious" or "tense." I think Polites is calling out the fact that Odysseus is going 'fight or flight' mode despite everything being calm/no threat in sight.

He then tells Odysseus to have hope.

"Think of all that we have been through, we'll survive what we get in to"

He then starts to call out Odysseus a bit more explicitly (and notice how Odysseus does not contradict him. After his first [and unconvincing imo] "I"m fine, Polites" Odysseus doesn't speak again until the lotus-eaters show up)

(Btw, if you wanna read my breakdown of Polites & Odysseus' relationship [as explicitly depicted in EPIC], I wrote a post about it here)

"I know that you're tired of the war & bloodshed" <-We the audience also know this: "Will these actions haunt my days/is the price I pay endless pain?" (Plus killing Astyanax messed him up)

"Tell me, is this how we're supposed to live?" <- Must we remain in that kill/be killed mindset, always on alert, always warriors first, men second?

"Look at how you grip your sword, enough said" <- I think we can infer that Polites is either calling out the fact that Odysseus hasn't let go of his sword since they left the ship (aka always in 'warrior mode' aka "is this how we're supposed to live?") OR that Odysseus is white-knuckling his sword, (aka he is nervous/ anxious/stressed about a potential attack despite no visible threats)

Either way, in Polites' eyes, this mentality is detrimental to his friends' mental and/or emotional health.

Then we get to the point where I think the misunderstanding started & ended up overshadowing the rest of the song:

"You can show a person that you trust them, when you stop and lower your guard" <- I think we can take this literally (lower your sword until you actually have need of it) or figuratively (be ~emotionally~ vulnerable by asking for help.)

"This life is amazing, when you greet it with open arms" <- It doesn't have to be "endless pain" Life can be beautiful, but you have to stop closing yourself off/seeing everything as a threat first

Polites is arguing that the world is not always out to get you. Sometimes people are decent. Sometimes they are willing (or want) to help you.

It's a bit of "Try extending your hand in greeting before reaching for your sword" (Not everyone will be friendly, but you won't know if you are aggressive from the get-go.)

And a bit "Life is what you make of it" (if Ody treats every stranger like an enemy, then that is what they'll be.)

"We'll be fine if we're leading from the heart" I talk a bit about this in my response here. TLDR; Odysseus is lying to himself when he says he can "Lead from the heart & see what starts" in "Luck Runs Out" because that is not what he is doing,(and his reward is the windbag betrayal) MEANWHILE he does successfully "lead from the heart" while warding off Circe's advances & it's what saves his men/gains Circe's sympathy.

"No matter the place, we can light up the world, here's how to start" <- Again, life is what you make of it. You can make it a good one; not everything is an enemy/potential threat. Stop being a warrior first & go back to being a man

Of course, this doesnt immediately work, because Odysseus greets the world with his sword when the lotus-eaters show up

(Tbh, I find it hilarious that the lotus-eaters' FIRST word is "Welcome" and Odysseus responds to a Friendly Greeting by drawing his sword)

Like, Odysseus is genuinely seeing a threat here, he IS scared "nervous"

His first words to the lotus-eaters is a demand/warning for them to "stay back" (and both their cute voices [going off audio only] or their canonical fluffy designs tell us these are tiny things. They have no weapons, they haven't indicated any aggression, but Odysseus is so high-strung he sees something he might need to fight anyways)

THIS is what Polites has been refering to. THIS is why he's so concerned about his friend. That is not healthy and Odysseus is buckling under the weight of living in "survival" mode/always being "on"

"My friend, greet the world with open arms" <- this isnt Polites horrified Odysseus is responding with aggression/concerned for the innocent lotus-eaters, THIS is Polites (knowing Odysseus is tired of war & bloodshed) reminding his friend that he doesn't have to put himself through this. There IS another way. These creatures could be friendly, "Maybe they'll share some food, who knows?" Maybe, maybe not, but they won't know until they extend a hand first & ask.

And Odysseus does it by half measures *cough* just like all his actions after "Just a Man"*cough*

He lets the lotus-eaters know of their plight "We're only here for food" and threatens them in the next breath "600 men are waiting/stay back, I'm warning you/my men will turn this place into blazes"

He doesn't even ask for food/help, he simply lets the lotus-eaters know they're searching for food, then immediately piles on three additional threats to make sure they don't try anything.

Then of course the lotus-eaters offer food, but not food they can eat & Odysseus becomes dejected (which I think implies he was [sorta] listening to Polites, or at the very least, is so tired/stressed/wrung-out that he was secretly hoping it could be as easy as Polites claims.)

And Polites tries one more time.

"I'd like to show my friend that kindness is brave" <- I've seen so many people call Polites naive. That his optimism is too extreme/and not fit for the world (or at least the world of EPIC) but i would disagree with this common interpretation as well.

Why is kindness brave? If Polites believed greeting the world with open arms would help them find ONLY friendly strangers (instead of hostile ones or outright foes) then why would kindness be brave. Wouldn't it simply be? After all, what's brave about a sure thing? What's brave about having a get-out-of-danger-free card?

Kindness is brave because sometimes you WILL be met with hostile strangers/foes. But you extend your hand in peace first anyways. You don't know for certain if you will be met with friend or foe. But that does not mean you walk around, one hand on your sword, seeing enemies at every turn. You greet the world with open arms & give strangers the benefit of the doubt first, THEN use force if necessary.

I see Polites' philosophy as similar to Waymond's from EEAAO in that regard.

Polites, like Waymond, is choosing kindness. Is choosing to be optimistic. Not because he is naive to the ways of the world, but in spite of them. That is how Polites fights against darkness & despair. He is not naive.

When Polites tells the lotus eaters he'd "Like to show my friend that kindness is brave" he knows he's taking a risk. That's why it's brave. He is extending his trust to these creatures in the hopes they'll help/they have no ill intent, BUT being Well Aware he could be met with the latter.

Just because he's optimistic about the outcome doesn't mean he doesnt understand the risk. To refuse to dwell on the negative doesn't mean you're unaware of negative possibilities.

Then Polites reiterates his advice "This life is amazing, when you greet it with open arms" because it doesn't have to all be war & bloodshed & stress. You CAN find goodness in the world, and you'll feel much better if you don't assume everyone & everything is out to get you. And he lets Ody know he's aware of what he's going through/what's upsetting him.

"I seen in your face there is so much guilt inside your heart" <- I genuinely don't know if the crew know Odysseus dropped Astyanax, every time Odysseus references the infant, it's vaguely or as an aside. But even if Polites DOESN'T know Odysseus killed an infant, he still has 10 years of war to draw from (plus the wooden horse/killing sleeping Trojans bit.) Like, Polites is aware of what Odyssues has done, he knows what Odysseus is grappling with. This is not a simple/superficial/naive call for Odysseus to 'cheer up!' Polites knows of the darkness weighing on Odysseus' shoulders & he's telling Odysseus he's allowed to put it behind him.

"So why not replace it, and light up the world" <- He's allowed. It's over. It's behind them. Polites does not want his friend to torment himself forever. Whatever he did, he can move on. He can be a better man that what he was forced to become while at war/Troy (remember, Polites is well aware Odysseus is "tired of the war and bloodshed".)

And how can Odysseus begin to heal from his guit/trauma?

"Greet the world with open arms" <- stop seeing every stranger as a potential enemy/threat. Open yourself up to the possibility that good things happen sometimes. Sometimes, people are kind

"Greet the world with open arms" <- and Odysseus begins to tentatively open himself up to the concept & take Polites' words to heart

"You can relax, my friend" <- you're allowed

Sidenote: I told myself this post would ONLY be about Open Arms (and this ended up being SO Much longer than I anticipated) but I have a few more things to say, so I'll try to be brief.

Warrior of the Mind:

I'm convinced Athena pops in when she does because Odysseus is listening to Polites. He's been eaten by guilt since Astyanax & shyed away from violence in Full Speed Ahead. His nervousness is not very "warrior of the mind" of him. YET Athena doesn't come in to scold Odysseus at any of these points.

It's only when Odysseus sings Polites' chorus back to him, signaling he's opening himself up to the concept of open arms that Athena makes her entrance.

Polyphemus:

I'm not asserting this, but I think the argument can be made that Odysseus checks out the cave because of Polites. Like, either:

A.) He's giving Polites' advice a try here & now by trusting the lotus eaters/that they mean no ill-intent OR

B.) (less likely probaby??) His friendship/affection for Polites is the sort where he wants to please him. Polites is set on trusting the lotus/showing Odyssues "another way" & Odysseus will humor him because it's Polites asking

(Tho obviously the other explanation is that they are just THAT desperate for food & Odysseus doesn't think they have time to go searching for yet another island when this one (the lotus eater one) already turned out to be a bust

Underworld:

I feel like the general consensus for Polites' section of "Underworld" is that Polites died still seeing/believing in the good of the world OR that his dying wish was for Odysseus to chose nonviolence/pacifism???

(But as you can tell from *gestures at this entire post* I don't subscribe to the idea that "Open Arms" is about nonviolence. THEREFORE)

We know Polites last words/action in life was calling for Odysseus. And, imo, Polites' dying wish was for Odysseus to heal. If "Open Arms" is about Polites' calling out Odysseus' stress/trauma & trying to coax Ody to approach life differently so he can start to move on from the horrors of war.

Then that means, in death, Polites is stuck hoping Odysseus heals. Over & Over Polites sings for his friend to let go of his guilt & try to build a life worth living (not just one have to survive in)

And THAT imo is 1000x sadder than a call for pacifism. Because Polites' dying wish doesn't come true. Odysseus' mental/emotional health grows worse & worse. He pushes everyone away in the Ocean Saga, to the point that his crew of 10 years starts to doubt him! He already "can hardly sleep" in the Circe Saga. The Underworld Saga almost destroys him and it only gets worse from there!

In the Underworld Odysseus is confronted with Polites' love for him. His desire for him to get better. His hope for Odysseus to find peace/happiness.

Polites loved him soooo much, his Final Thoughts were concern for his friend. (Then Ody gets to hear from his mom, who loved him so much she died waiting for his return)

No wonder it breaks him.

[Anyways, if you wanna see my (much shorter) post over how the Wisdom Saga basically argues for/confirms Polites' philosophy Was RIGHT, you can find it here]

[vroomian]

In the epic au what's like the pivotal moment for oddyseus when it comes to yrz? what's the thing that changes his impression of him?

(me listening to six hundred strike on a loop: this is going to fuck ody up huh)

okay so ody's not going to kill yrz outright. yrz is guilty of doing nothing but his job, taking care of ody's family when he couldn't. not to mention that yrz is the only son of one of ody's lost comrades (who specifically asked ody to look after yrz when he returned to ithica btw)

but that doesn't mean he likes yrz. at all. but yrz is definitely not going to get in the way of ody because him being home means penelope is happy and telemachus is happy, and so yrz is happy. he makes it his mission to catch ody up on the changes in the kingdom, organizing ody's life to make the transition into being king again as painless as possible. so ody is just sitting there, seething in resentment because of yrz's competence but can't really do shit about it???

then one night, ody has a nightmare so bad he actually attacks yrz (thinks he's Poseidon maybe?)(why was yrz there ?? idk late night paperwork together lol), and it's only through hera's blessing that yrz survives. ody wakes to yrz 's blood on his hands, and yrz's gentle hands and voice. there's no blame in him. ody is handled delicately, escorted back to his room and the arms of his wife. ody waits for yrz to condem him to her -- but he doesn't even mention. It's dark enough that Penelope doesn't notice the blood.

ody buries his head in penelope's hair and weeps. yrz's wordless acceptance of ody's monstrosity has wounded him more than any moment on his long journey.

[assortedvillainvault]

I said I was gonna request you, and i'm finally here. Can I request more fluff Headcanons for Facilier, Headless horseman and Horned king?? 🥺 Thank uuu 💫💫 hope you're doing amazing btw <3

BUBBLY i'm so so sorry for the wait on this, I've done nothing but rotate this ask in my head for 12 months, please enjoy-!

FLUFF HEADCANNONS

Dr Faciler:

- This MAN-

- Smooooooth as butter in a slow warmed skillet in summer.

- He’s an elegant chaperone draped in shadow, a hand in the darkness, a gentlemanly escort through the city streets, he’s basically able to hear you through every dark nook and cranny in New Orleans and assistance for anything is only the bat of an eyelash at a dark alley away.

- There’s. There’s so many petnames. The way he purrs ‘Darlin’’ feels like some kind of sin.

- You better believe half of New Orleans owes him a favour or two, so when he decides to take you out on the town, you’re getting nothing but the best service. It may not be the kind of highfalootin’ places he feels you deserve, but hidden in alleyways and in cellars lives New Orleans most raucous, lively, swingin’ nightlife and you’ll both be dancing till your feet fall off.

- Even as you both go for a pleasant walk around town, his ceaseless fingers are dipping into pockets and swiping passersby to get you something nice.

- While you’ve grown used to the sensation of being watched from the darkness, Facilier started taking pains to steer you away from where the city borders the bayou after you told him you felt watched there too.

- Mama Odie has her ways of keeping tabs on you both – and the horrified look on Facilier’s face when she hollered across the river “Stand up straight!” and “Y/N better be eatin’ right!” and “I better see some grandbabies!” (regardless of gender, she has her ways) was priceless.

Headless Horseman:

- Though he can vocalise, it often hurts, so when you appeared with a book on sign language he couldn’t help but sweep you up into a tight embrace.

- You’ve gotten familiar with the signs for ‘hello’ and ‘come here’ and ‘I love you’, the last being something he takes great pride in making you blush with.

- If you don’t know how to ride, he’ll teach you, though you know for a fact his horse Alpatraum only tolerates it because the Horseman is there to supervise. You’re getting thrown otherwise.

- (since learning said horse has a severe weakness for sugar cubes you’ve been graduated from ‘annoyance’ to ‘my annoyance with snacks’. He’ll let you pet him eventually, don’t worry.)

- If you have your own horse, it’s romantic nighttime rides through the woods as far as the eye can see. But HH's favourite is when you smirk and dare him to catch you, taking off at a gallop and laughing as he races in pursuit, the horses hooves like thunder as he gives chase.

- He loves it when you get chilly, because it means he can wrap you up in his cloak and snuggle in the saddle.

- Lowkey loves it when you carve him new faces/heads for halloween, though does have a slight caveat that you please keep the design somewhat frightening. If he’s left with the hello kitty pumpkin again yes he’ll begrudgingly wear it because you worked hard on it but you’re getting stuck up a tree as penance.

The Horned King

- Tf do you mean fluff he’s cold he’s hard he’s ragged he is terror he is death whispered on the wind-

-If you kiss his hand he nearly pitches over.

- The longer you’re in his company, the more you can observe his mocking use of endearments become ever so slowly more sincere, until only he is allowed to call you sweet things – which becomes a rule enforced with ruthless efficiency in his castle.

-He enjoys walking and talking with you, which is good because you’re the only person on the goddamn planet that can convince this lich to leave his depression hole of a private tower and get him to experience a change of scenery. Even just around the parapets would be enough, and then he gets to offer you his arm for the uneven ground and have you lean on him and oh, yes absolutely dear we can make this a daily occurrence-

- His major love language is quality time – simply being in your presence is enough to soothe the hard edges of any day. His favourite thing is just the two of you existing in the same space, quietly doing your own thing, and maybe settling in for some idle handholding just to make things Perfect.

- As a sidenote – you know the thing? With the gentle handholding and the little thumb-stroke over the back of the hand? Yeah. Yeah. That.

- Because he struggles with actually directly verbalising soft feelings (he’s allergic to announcing he’s secretly made of bone shaped mush), he’s come up with the genius coping mechanism of ‘Acts of Service – gaslighting edition’.

- Example:

- “...Sire did you order the men to renovate my room??”

- “The castle requires upkeep, my dear.”

- “...but the renovations seem to comprise of. Just my room.”

- “...Perhaps once the men and Creeper prove themselves deserving of leakproof roofs and sufficient insulation I will order their quarters improved also. Now hush.”

Once again Bubbly I'm so sorry for the wait, I hope you like these little bits!!

[o3o-lapd-o3o]

idea: (that really leans into the whole 'crack treated seriously' angle)

ares overhears zeus telling other gods about how poseidon is scared of ody and thinks it's the Funniest Thing Ever (bc ares and poseidon hate each other lol)

he then finds out about the whole 'fake friends bc blackmail to make telemachus happy' and goes 'yk normally i dont like mind games but this is also hilarious' and then joins in

athena: ares why are you here

ares: i heard that poseidon was scared of odysseus and Had to know more.

athena: then why are you STILL here

ares: look im normally anti-mind-games but this is so funny. please let me help

athena: you wouldn't know where to start...but fine. once. because it is rather humorous

ares: 'rather humorous' you encourage it

athena: ...

alternatively

ares: hey odysseus i know that my sister and i are hardly on the best of terms but btw what you did to poseidon is epic (and exactly what she promised) and the way he's still scared of you is hilarious

odysseus: uhm,,,thanks???

telemachus: dad you didn't mention you were ALSO friends with lord ares!!!

nearby, athena and penelope are laughing as they weave a tapestry

hey, hi, hello! i'm so so so sorry for such a late reply! (╥﹏╥) *shakes fist at tumblr for the lack of notifs* oh ares (and even maybe other gods) definitely get involved at some point 1. because yes seeing the mighty god of the seas (poseidon) at the beck and call of the mortal who handed his godly ass to him? someone bring the popcorn! but also 2. they're also interested/curious in said mortal, because hello? everyone at this point has heard/known of what ody got up to in the trojan war and then of course his whole journey home. they need to take a closer look themselves (what they didn't realise is that once telemachus has his sights set on making 'new friends' / meeting his fathers 'god friends' there is no escaping)

[arlecchinasmainblog]

HEY EPIC FANS!!!! ⬇️

(Angst under the cut)

So I was rewatching some clips from Bridgerton (specifically Queen Charlotte) and it made me think about Odysseus and Penelope Growing old. Odysseus’ mind escaping him in his old age. At first it’s just a few moments Penelope notices he’s not entirely there, but as he grows closer to the end, his moments of lucidity are few and far between. He has confabulations of his past, of men in his palace when there are none. Penelope and Telemachus try their best to help him, but rumors quickly spread of the mad king.

One particular instance that seals this suspicion is when Ody mistakes Telemachus for one of Penelope’s old suitors and absolutely flys off the handles. Luckily Telemachus is a strong enough man he can hold his own against his aging father, but it shakes him up. It’s the first time his own father didn’t recognize him.

Though, as his condition progresses, his wife and son learn better how to adjust. For example Pen will sometimes hand Odysseus a baby doll (a trick used on irl dementia patients btw) and tell him to take care of Telemachus for a while, this helps calm the man down temporarily.

[flicklikesstuff]

I love Rick so much ,

He’s so well done! And thank you for answering my previous one! And honestly I would love to see him a little unhinged (no pressure though, honestly I didn’t even think you’d draw to respond to my last one)

I just think Rick is so neat! He’s just! Awesome!

I know he definitely like wants to try and start anew, but like we saw what happened in chapter 7, he cares so deeply about people he considers friends as well. There was literally zero benefits to what he did with that but he still did it. And if he’s willing to do that, and his response to seeing a witch is to immediately attack. What would happen if his friends were in imminent danger?

The man is hanging on by a thread with his friends as his lifeline. You know he’s going to do everything he can to keep them safe

Oh and uhh maybe call me squiddles or somthing?

-🦑 this way I can be more recognizable

You’re welcome! I love receiving asks and it’s always a treat to see a new one in my inbox :3

Especially with an ask like yours that just digs into one of my fav characters? Yes please 🙏

(Btw, sure! I can call you Squiddles if you want. But I have other Anon asks as well and I won’t be able to tell which one yours are. I’m not saying you have to un-anon yourself if you don’t feel comfy about it, but you can alternatively just let me know if you’re the Squiddles within the ask ^^)

(Prison of Plastic Spoilers ⚠️)

Rick’s whole deal is so intriguing to me too. He’s awesome! He’s neat! He’s an evil wizard! He’s a silly ocean man! He fights with the power of friendship! <33

I love the way he was introduced as the typical guy you’d be highly suspicious of and think he had ulterior motives. (I certainly thought he did have other plans while reading). But no! He’s just someone with horrible people skills and a terrible backstory, while at the same time is also very selfless.

Like, dedicating his complete loyalty and the willingness to sacrifice his life for a girl who he just came to know in one day? And one who he hadn’t successfully befriended in that moment either?

For all he knew, he could’ve died in that one shot. You’re right, Squiddles. He would’ve gained nothing from that sacrifice but Rick still chose to save Molly. They weren’t even technically friends according to her, but DAMMIT, he STILL did it. AGHH-

I still think he’s someone who’s pretty slow to anger. You probably can yell at him all you want and his smile might falter for a sec before immediately grinning as he always does again.

But the one thing you just can’t get away with? Harshly and severely hurting his dearest friends. After that, you’re done for. You’re in the mercy of an experienced colloseum fighter who’s had blood spilt on his hands before.

…….

Side Note:

Chapter 8 fricking broke me, okay? Since I love the parallel with Molly and Odi of “trying so damn hard but it didn’t matter anyways,” I’ve interpreted his story not just as a fight for survival, but could he also have been a people-pleaser like Molly is as well?

Rick’s made friends in the arena to raise his proficiency stats right? But friendships can turn sour. That’s reality. Do you think he hangs on to all his strings regardless of how toxic it gets? He mentioned losing a lot of fights on purpose to boost his friends’ proficiencies. But really, are all those “friends” really well-meaning? Or do they take advantage of his inability to let go of his strings for easy points? Something like “I’ll break this bond if you don’t do in the arena as I say.” And because he needs all the proficiency he could, Rick’s used to tolerating it as long as possible?

You know how in the beach chapter, he instantly went: “Winning! I can win! If I win, then you will think I am cool.” Is he used to having to prove himself as a worthy companion? Because STOOOOOP-

Anyways, methinks it would be pretty badass if someone messed up so bad that Rick is the one who severed the string HIMSELF.

YOU KNOW YOU FCKED UP BAAD IF HE’S THE ONE SNAPPING THIS BOND-

YOU’RE THE SCUM OF THE EARTH AT THAT POINT

[leynaeithnea]

Wow your post is really so good and also really really perfect so I'll try to not really add much to it and just sit here in awe of you jaksjsnnsns

Eurylochus begging to be gaslighted aaah and being the voice of the crew and Ody not wanting to fight him and Ody always being smarter than all of their opponents and bargaining even with Gods to protect his men but not anymoree aaaakdkksnsnsnsnsn

Also I agree , the big ass sword does look awkward and out of place but it also looks really cool so I understand Jorge's choice a little bit lol

(btw you worded everything so well !!!! )

"Don't make me fight you"=I don't want your blood on my hands SOMEBODY SEDATE ME THE ANGST IS TOO MUCH

( I have nothing to say for a good while here bc I was just soaking up your pretty pretty words and got distracted and didn't take any notes lol)

Eury being suicidal "we're never gonna make it home alive " I AGREE SO MUCH bc he never says " nah man don't worry there will be no consequences these cows are chill" he says " meh, we're desperate with nowhere to go, might as well eat and get killed for it " like HE KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN BUT HE'S SO DEFEATED KAKSKSMNS

Ody's like "this is the home of the sun god DON'T FORGET HOW DANGEROUS THE GODS ARE" but EURY ISN'T LISTENING KAKSKS AAAAH

We need a therapy saga FR

RECONSIDER HURTS SO BAD

The pause before Ody says home being bc he is taking a breath 'cause his wounds hurt I LOVE YOUR BRAIN SO MUCH YOU'RE SO AKSKSKKSJSJNAN

"people die like this"= trusting you, EXCUSE ME MISS YOU DID NOT HAVE TO GO THAT HARD I was gonna interpret that as " we die from the constant dangers and the monsters and Gods while the hope of returning home gets fainter and fainter and I'm tired of it " BUT THEN YOU HAD TO GO AND MAKE IT "we are trusting YOU and still getting our ass handed to us by all these monsters while we were SO SURE YOU COULD PROTECT US CAPTAIN, WHERE'S YOUR GUILE NOW SIR??"

Never stopped to think about Ody saying"we pissed him off", oh gods they're still in this together no matter what mwksksksksk AAAH

The full speed ahead thing being so sad bc it's useless jsjskksjs my poor Greek idiots trying to outrun the literal sky kamsnsnsn

I really wanted to make this much much shorter I don't know what possessed me lol ( might have been your writing girl, I loved this one so much I might frame it just you wait )

( Uhm girl don't worry??? This was majestically written?? Also spelling and punctuation is temporary Epic the musical is forever )

I'll try to not really add much to it

Im glad you did not follow through with this ssisegijsegijesg 25. Thunder Bringer

Thunder, war cry like chanting, a storm is brewing

The ENTRANCE the entrance of a god, the one true divine, the king of the gods…..The thunder bringer

Zeus is so fucking SMUG its HOT

the pause before Zeus starts singing, he doesnt even directly address or acknowledge Ody or the crew

"Pride is a damsel in distress, hiding away where only I can undress her, try as she might not to confess, in the end its all the same once i apply all the pre-ssure" ZEUS ZEUS YOU MFUCKER ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT SEXUALLY HARRASSIng PRIDE??? PRIDE??? REALLY??? ….yes yes you do and fuck thats the best musical characterization of Zeus imaginable, Jorge is such a fucking GENIUS I LOVE IT AT THe SAME TIME THIS??? PRIDE??? this pride is talking about Odysseus pride, his hubris, its talking about him trying to hide his pride, where only Zeus, the king of the gods can reveal Odysseus true nature "once he applies all the pressure"

The music is so good

"Thunder, bring her through the wringer, show her Im the judgement call the one who her kingdom fall Lightning, wield her, use and yield her, show her what she cant conceal for true nature will be revealed" THESE LYRICS "Thunder bring her" "Thunderbringer" "Lighting wield her" "lighting wielder" AAAAHHSUEHGSEUGse also yes, we continue to sexually harass Odysseus pride, because this a greek epic and this is Zeus, also "her kingdom" is Odysseus prides "kingdom" his hopes of making it home to Ithica with his crew? or the crews believe into Odysseus? mhhh

"Tell me Odysseus" ah yes he finally acknowledges Odysseus existance, also HE ACKLOWLEDGES HIS eXISTANCE Odysseus, king of ithica, the myth, the walking legend, even the gods know his name, for his whole crew to see (lets ignore poseidon for a second)

"If i were to make you choose, the lifes of your men and crew or your own" (just hypotethically of course..) "why do I think theyd loose?" because he has heard from Hades that he had a whole solo song in the underworld singing how he was the monster rawr rawr rawr sigjseigjse ahem, and maybe also because he made that choice back in troy when he choose to kill the infant…..odysseus will do anything he has to to get home…..

"Elighen me, King of ithica" smug mfucker i love it, taunting, maybe recalling what he said to polyphemus…just mabye….

"Since hunger was far to great, i wonder whod take the weight of the damned and suffer a gruesome fate" well i KNOW it wasnt you who killed the cattle, but youre their captain its on you to take responsibility for their actions and be the one to get punished so they can get home, they were desperate, theyre innocent, you know that, but someone has to pay…

back to the aweseome chorus "Thunder bringer, here to ring your ears until youre deaf with fear and spear you while your death is near" you must learn to fear and respect the gods. you will learn to fear us, your pride has no chance against me, im the king of the gods "Lighting wielder here to yield your time for you have passed your prime, sublime you for your act of crime" youre good days are behind you, youre old?? time to vaporize you

"Choose"….maybe the question wasnt so hypothetical after all "Choose?" ody….my boy, sounds so scared as he asks that

"Someone's gotta die today and you have got the final say" How dare he sing such beautiful vocals here, damnit Luke

"You, or your crew" CRUEL SO CRUEL

"Please dont make me do this, dont make me do this" THE CALLBACK TO HORSE AND THE INFANT ARG OUCH; HES IN SO MUCH PAIN

"When does a comet become a meteor? when does a candle become a blaze?" THE JUST A MAN CALL BACK OF THE CREW JOINING IN

"I can take the suffering from you" PENELOPE? where is she coming from???? how does that make sense???? is that a hallucination? is that Zeus trying to torture Ody a bit more??? need answers "When does a man become a monster? When does a ripple become a tidal wave? when does the reason become the blame? (let me take the suffering-) when does a man become a monster?" Now. this is the moment where Odysseus becomes truly a monster he willingly chooses HIMSELF over the remaining crew members. His reason (penelope) becomes the blame.

theres silence, and we only hear the thunder and rain

"Captain?" he knows what Ody will do, he had hopes for all of one second, its useless, Odysseus will always be their captain and their captain will choose his own life over that of his crew

"I have to go see her" yeah….

"but we'll die" just…resignation

"I know" Ody breaks, he needs more than one therapy saga, this man is haunted af …he points at his crew, Zeus is SMUG AF AGAIN and elevates into the sky as he gathers the lighting around his hands as the crew stares at odysseus in disbelieve picking up their weapons and going on to attack him, ody closes his eyes in defeat

the delivery of "true nature will be revealed", the grip IS SO GOOD ALSO YES ODYSSEUS TRUE NATURE HAS BEEN REVEALED THERE IS NO DENYING IT

lighting and thunder hits the ship before the men reach odysseus, they die and sink into the ocean, ody is badly wounded and sinking into the ocean, he reaches a hand out to the surface, towards penelope and telemachus, telemachus lullaby plays, his consciousness fades, there is no way he will get home now...right?

[pansyfilia]

odypen for shipping questions?

okkkkk (ty bambiii btw!!!!)

What made you ship it?

Deffo Ody's loyalty and their mutual wit/cunningness aghhhhh the FEELS my HEART I can't even

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

I loveee how Ody loves his wife, how close they are, how determined he is to get back to her. He is Whipped™️

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I usually see Penelope as cunning and wily as Ody, if not even more levelheaded and sensible. Also I feel some people ignore her half nereid thing which is really interesting in designs (u can see it in my arawen odypen au). Also give Penelope her thick calloused hands from weaving ok???? we love a strong girl