#this is the best tagging game ever

[puhpandas]

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY SECURITY BREACH!!!!

[hermanubis]

Blood & Stars / Tears & Time

[rin-solo]

I love. LOVE. Get In the Water

It's one of the objectively best songs in the musical; I will die on this hill.

Poseidon was always, despite being pretty much the main antagonist of EPIC, a really underdeveloped character in my opinion. He just needed a little more nuance, and the fact that one (+ kind of one more) song managed to add so much to his characterization pretty much exclusively through subtext and implications is incredibly impressive writing. Because it did!

At the start, he's yet again playing games with Odysseus, the way he did in Ruthlessness. In both songs, he could kill him easily at any point, yet he chooses not to for the sake of playing games. In Ruthlessness, this becomes his own hubris as it leads to Odysseus escaping.

If you listen closely, at the start of GITW he already sounds slightly different. He's still trying to keep up this "God of Ruthlessness" front that he's so proud of, but he's no longer more or less carefree the way he was in Ruthlessness. He's been obsessing over this feud for ten years, and even if he would never admit it, it's actually clear just from his voice that he really is tired of it too. Not in the sense of it emotionally draining him the way it probably does Odysseus, but in the sense that it's a bother, a loose end in his life, a book that he finally wants to slam shut.

But he still has a reputation to uphold, and he still cannot close this book until Odysseus is dead, so he keeps up the game. Instead of just killing him, he's taunting him to kill himself. He might associate the idea of just striking him down with a sort of loss, like then he'd have to get his hands dirty. Then he's rambling about killing his people, his family. He's provoking Odysseus on purpose, likely trying to get him to snap back, to hate and fear him the way that Poseidon would think any mortal who has consumed this much of his time should. In his eyes, Odysseus deserves nothing less than to curse him with his last breath as his "darkest moment," the god who became the bane of his life.

And Odysseus replies, of all things, with ... sympathy.

Honestly, I don't blame Poseidon for being speechless for three full seconds. He literally just threatened to gauge Telemachus' eyes out the way Odysseus did with Polyphemus, and this absolute madlad of a man replies with an acknowledgment that he (might have) caused Poseidon pain too.

Now, I don't really think Poseidon was particularly hurt over Polyphemus' loss, or hurting in any way in that moment (if he were, I highly doubt he'd still be playing games, and he would've mentioned his son as opposed to speaking about his reputation.) But just the fact that Odysseus acknowledges that he might be hurting too is probably something Poseidon hasn't heard in ... who knows how long? His family is the Olympians. I don't think I have to say more.

It's actually more of a genuine apology than Odysseus' explanation in Ruthlessness ... (even though that was also a perfectly fine apology by Greek standards, as far as I'm aware.) Now he doesn't say "sorry" because he's still not sorry for hurting Polyphemus, since he still needed to do that in order to escape. But he expresses regret over the pain he caused in a more genuine way than ever.

I am convinced that Poseidon is utterly unfamiliar with sympathy or mercy. He's lived by his "Ruthlessness is mercy" motto for centuries, and he doesn't know anything else. No one would try to teach him something different. The other gods all live by this logic, even if he's the most vocal about it considering he seems to have made it his whole personality. Mortals wouldn't dare to question Poseidon in the first place. And barely anyone would be willing to treat someone with kindness who is in turn treating everyone around them with ruthlessness.

It's very likely that Poseidon hasn't encountered anyone like this until Odysseus. Ruthlessness is simply how he treats people and also how he expects to be treated back. The fact that Odysseus doesn't, the fact that instead of hating, fearing, or cursing him, he acknowledges that they have both hurt each other and that it doesn't lead anywhere to still pursue vengeance, must have triggered Poseidon in an unprecedented way.

To him, this was probably the most outrageous thing Odysseus could have said in that moment. And it throws him off so much that he is genuinely speechless, and then simply replies, "I can't." ... his most genuine-sounding line in the whole musical.

I cannot stress enough how much it threw me off to hear this line; in the best way imaginable, it doesn't sound like Poseidon. It sounds almost vulnerable. Almost human. Because he is genuinely at a loss so much that he forgets to put up his "wrathful god" facade for just one second. Standing ovation to Steven Rodriguez for his whole performance, but especially this part.

And then Odysseus goes all out to say something even more outrageous: "Maybe you could learn to forgive?"

... Which is when Poseidon snaps.

Kind of understandable, honestly. There's this mortal whom he has likely fantasized about seeing pleading, hate-filled, and terrified, cowering before him for ten years now ... telling him that he ought to learn something. Even hijacking his own motif and his instrument in order to turn it on its head, "defile" it if you will.

This f*cking mortal pr*ck took his own "Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves" catchphrase and turned it into forgiveness ... Of course, Poseidon is no longer hesitating; of course, he is no longer concerned with getting his hands dirty or not. He yells "DIE!" and unleashes his ultimate move (which is really overkill for simply killing a mortal if you think about it) ... But he does it anyway because this time he genuinely means it.

... That, and I am also convinced he jumps to that in order to simply shut Odysseus up, fearing what he might do or think if he lets him go on. Because you cannot tell me that Odysseus didn't actually reach him for just one moment. He was far too thrown off guard, far too vulnerable in that one second. That moment of kindness did something to him, and he hated it. He also probably didn't trust himself to be able to keep listening to Odysseus speak like that. So, he abandons his (still very technically feasible!) blackmail/intimidation and just straight-up kills him.

This simple exchange (my favorite moment in the whole musical, actually) tells us so much about both of these characters that it makes me want to skitter and squeal in excitement.

Here is Odysseus—the very same one whom Poseidon specifically tried to teach ruthlessness—becoming the first person in a long time to offer him sympathy despite how Poseidon himself showed him nothing but ruthlessness. And then one song later, here is Odysseus showing him the consequences of not accepting said sympathy.

Six Hundred Strike and what Odysseus does to Poseidon would've not hit the same, in my opinion, if he hadn't made this offer, if he hadn't given Poseidon this way out, even if no one watching genuinely expected it to work (probably not even Odysseus himself.)

Six Hundred Strike is not Odysseus exacting vengeance If GITW proved anything about Odysseus, it's that he does not want vengeance. He wants all of the hatred and pain to be over, to the point where he is willing to let go of, and I am inclined to say forgive Poseidon for what he's done to him. Six Hundred Strike is simply Odysseus teaching him this lesson that Poseidon couldn't have learned in any other way, because he has proven in GITW that he genuinely does not speak any language besides that of ruthlessness (more on that in this essay!)

It's just the perfect representation of how Odysseus has now finally learned the balance between mercy and ruthlessness, which seems to be the core theme of the musical: Both have their time and place; one simply has to be willing to act in both ways and know when to use either. No one extreme is the solution. I am genuinely exhilarated that Odysseus finally seemed to have figured out that it's been both all along.

[impossible-rat-babies]

vierapril day 26--weapon

"and failing that, i'll have my trusty warrior of light box the ears of all concerned."

[wistfulwatcher]

emily prentiss + leaving and coming back for her family

[salstray]

9 people I'd like to get to know better

((ima be real i dont have nine people to tag but i WILL Tag at least a few <3))

thank you for the tag @esorydoolb <3 <3 Love you <3 <3

Currently Watching: At this very moment? I'm discovering Slate, a Dead By Daylight streamer/youtuber. He's up in the other tab as I type!

sweet/spicy/savoury: sweet 100%. i had cake for breakfast yesterday.

current obsession: weeeell it might just be my boy (oc) Cobalt. I've been hyperfixating on him for AGES now and I just. Can't get him to go away ( i say as if I want him to ). I'm writing him as a vampire right now! got almost 13 thousands words, 10 thousand of which i wrote the first day i made the document!!

relationship status: single as they get. hoping for a boyfriend of some kind but. gotta leave the house for that.

last song i listened to: No One Will Save You by Aviators. Its a fan song for the game Bloodborne. Veeery good song. Popped up in my recommended again a week ago and been stuck in my head since!

Thank you again for tagging me!!!

Fellow Gamers I'd Like to Know: @killerspinal @captains-price @recklessgesture and anyone else that would like to round this up to nine so i do the tagging part right :]

ANYWAY LOVE YOU ALL BYE!!!!

[kingdoms-edge]

Today being the last day of 3ds online has me feeling very nostalgic and wistful. I love the switch but it does not have the magic of the 3ds. It's not just about dual screens, it was the accessibility. It was less expensive, more portable, had more cheap games you could play with your friends, and a lot of people underestimate just how fantastic some 3ds games are. Streetpass alone was a phenomenon, and along with 3ds menu themes, illustrates a sort of magic that I feel nintendo has been losing sight of since the switch.

With the way games are going in the modern day (higher price tags and system reqs, tons of focus on AAA titles, people needing graphics to be absurdly good for no practical reason), I find myself latching onto my older games more and more. Sure, some of it is a nostalgia-tinted lens, memories from a happier and simpler time of life. But that doesn't have to be a bad thing.

Even after the online services go down, I'll always be playing my 3ds until the hardware breaks to unusability and I can't find another one. I'll play locally with my friends whenever we can. I lament how things must change, but I go on anyway. Here's to my favorite console ever made, may it never really die.

[waspgrave]

Solas and Mythal’s relationship is that perfect blend of fucked up and tragic I have been wanting from them for a decade. The mother and her child, the two lovers, a queen and a general, the dog and its master, the servant and the lord. Love it. I knew I sensed fuckery with the way solas talked about her despite ‘burning her off his face’. Then to see him shrinking up in front of her, how he groaned ‘mythal’ in dread and even began to hold the dagger out towards her to take bc he knows he’ll do anything for her if she asks. man needs therapy for his absolutely disastrous and problematic situationship thank you for letting me watch your traumas unfold like that king

[zwierzodudle]

every time i get prae in the roulette i put off starting gaius' questline for another month (i will never start it)

[bigfootsmom]

tease/tidbit tuesday

No one tagged me but I’m still gonna post something anyways cause the laws of this land mean nothing to me. Have some more of buck’s oof ouchy broken ears:

The weight of a hand suddenly settles on Buck’s shoulder, sending a jolt through him as he jumps just about a foot in the air, heart pounding in his throat as he whirls around. He hadn’t heard anyone coming up behind him. That’s probably not a good sign.

Eddie is standing in front of him, arm still outstretched with his hand hovering in the air between them. From what Buck can make out of his face, Eddie’s brow is knotted with concern. Buck squints, willing the world to stay still for a second.

Eddie’s mouth forms the familiar shape of Buck’s name, his eyebrows drawing together to form a question. Buck can’t tell if he actually heard him, or his brain supplied one of many memories to fill the silence. Well, not silence, more like a buzzing so loud Buck has a half serious thought that somehow some of the bees had managed to crawl their way into his head.

“What?” Buck asks, his voice startling him as it bounces around the confines of his skull.

Eddie’s eyebrows climb up his forehead and his mouth moves again, his lips and teeth moving almost too fast for Buck to parse out the words. The mustache doesn’t help much either.

Tagging:

@usersiren @honestlydarkprincess @swiftietartt @holdmygum @maygrantgf

@lonelychicago @monsterrae1 @underwaterninja13 @father-salmon @devirnis

@giddyupbuck @princessfbi @homerforsure @mellaithwen @bisexual-buck

@boykisserbuckley @shyaudacity @eddiebabygirldiaz @thequeenofcarvenstone @smallandalmosthonest

@eowon @iinryer @try-set-me-on-fire and anyone else who has something they want to post!

[fghgfgf]

I FUCKING HATE JIMMY

[sakura-no-eclair]

my first birthday art for a Genshin character!

they are chib because I stopped drawing for too long apparently and suck now..

[vynnyal]

Turns out Sunlit Trail isn't quite done just yet, so after all that they just send you to a dead end 😂

[xxplastic-cubexx]

PROFESSOR X MARVEL RIVALS ANNOUNCEMENT REAL ???? ON MY BIRTHDAY ???

[bandi-fundi]

Hattie!!

[jellyaibo]

i wanna like. hold a funeral for this fictional crew man!

🫧🪥🌌🥩🎠