#we are literally doomed
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
Text
Christian nationalism is going to be the death of this fucking country.
Sincerely,
A Christian
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
i love you royal trio (minus akechi)
#i was listening to the world we knew by frank sinatra while drawing this to inflict maximum emotional damage 😔#royal actually shot me fifty times in the chest and slaughtered my entire family#i’m actually inconsolable over the ending what the fuck do you mean akechi chooses to die of his own volition rather than be manipulated#god it’s just. his character actually makes me violent and insane. they’re going to drag me kicking and screaming to the psych ward#he never had an ounce of control over his life. not even once. he was CONSTANTLY being yanked around like a marionette#until he was disposed of as another pawn in shido’s plan#and then out of some cruel irony he was resurrected even though he did not want to be alive#for once in death he would have found peace—only for that to be taken from him too.#and bc he thinks he’s worthless and his life is so easily gambled away he doesn’t view it as a major dealbreaker when maruki brings it up#“do you really think something as trivial as my life should stand in the way of your decision?” yes you fucking asshole#what do you mean he’s literally fated to die in every timeline? definition of doomed by the narrative#there’s not a single version of his story that doesn’t end with him being slaughtered#GODDDDD he makes me violently ill i hate goro akechi so much he’s so fucking selfish HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE THAT THIS DEAL IS TEARING ME APART#i was so tempted to get the bad ending just so that he was alive ☹️#he looked so happy. he was surrounded by people who loved and treasured him.no shido. control over his life. the ability to choose his futu#TEARS IN MY EYES MARUKI WAS THE ONLY VILLAIN WHO WAS LOWKEY MAKING SENSE 😭😭😭😭😭#my toxic trait is that i think maruki was right all along 😔#ALSO SUMIRE AAUUGGHHHH 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭#the survivors guilt literally eating her alive until the point where she gaslighted herself into thinking she was her sister. insane.#royal was so good bro i’m so glad i endured 200 hours of hell just to play it#terrible terrible ending with everyone going their separate ways and ren ending up in juvie for months#akechi actually being dead in the good ending is so fucked up 😭😭 i thought there was some way maruki could bring him back regardless#not ren hallucinating him in the last cutscene too 😭😭😭😭 “i still see your shadows in my room” ahh ending#persona 5 royal#persona 5#ren amamiya#akira kurusu#sumire yoshizawa#goro akechi#lotus draws
2K notes
·
View notes
Text
For those who doesnt have Twitter, I've recently found these. Please pls plss go check it out 😭
These storyboards has me in shambles
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/ae68843c543c49119f30cdc1ac8c4e86/ef9f216849cd3cd1-ea/s540x810/59ac3d5527ef9e27cbb2a974477d91bdd43c2a7c.jpg)
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/65e95d195d2b7ddf4586d64b81e99bae/ef9f216849cd3cd1-40/s540x810/70c657836261140bef84b41dd45856867932ea6e.jpg)
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/dd2be1ed22bd48cb0cb0a5e5fe76f6d2/ef9f216849cd3cd1-b8/s540x810/f83e22c3e289fe7c81ae66bf1d6cde9c7e028acf.jpg)
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/f7e4155e271c82423ba285fa0f8704c6/ef9f216849cd3cd1-59/s540x810/b5d400b18158cb0ee305d5b3f6dde36223af7da4.jpg)
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/81019860a96a20f83e61f76dd5d21f4a/ef9f216849cd3cd1-06/s540x810/8c054f1f33437f38d3c7ec656949dd8498a26fa7.jpg)
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/099dcdd53f0c7a03191c234fd272d833/ef9f216849cd3cd1-35/s540x810/42b3939e3766c5a00a832eb7658a1c785077b008.jpg)
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/a8ea4f7554a1d1cd49ece0b4f1c99e59/ef9f216849cd3cd1-88/s540x810/a19ef3741037f872e352a2ef29bffd8efc91875a.jpg)
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/0d87fd2c2f90a4ccc71d50a34f3795dc/ef9f216849cd3cd1-5a/s540x810/22368b78113740a9593b2e1085788031f4b5b72b.jpg)
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/a4c8970f31d794d59847f034e6e0fdba/ef9f216849cd3cd1-3c/s540x810/f755856614d94583f8dce660e45ee7225431b36e.jpg)
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/45f637a838da387b3014442adff3d06d/ef9f216849cd3cd1-95/s540x810/716c11d7f395bf8e73070ccadc49ab185fb220c5.jpg)
Here's the link to the storyboards
I'd like to give my thanks to Zhi Khang & the other storyboarders for sharing us these 😭✨️
#soups' talk#Dont talk to me (talk to me) I'm grieving rn#oughhh...I've seen this now I'm dragging you all with me to the pits of doomed yaoi#They're literally “In another life I would've loved doing laundry & taxes with you” trope#we won but at what cost?#you guys know what Imma draw next (I'll work on my wips first)#transformers#transformers one#maccadam#orion pax#d 16#elita 1#b 127#optimus prime#megatron#bumblebee#starscream#soundwave#shockwave#sentinel prime#dpax#megop#opmeg#I woke up and got greeted with these#what a way to start the day huh😭#rollercoaster of emotions man#i need to be lobotomized
755 notes
·
View notes
Text
me whenever i see people write off annabeth as an annoying and controlling and crazily jealous girlfriend with anger issues. understanding that the foundation of the rhetoric is based off of annabeth's behavior toward percy and rachel is tbotl and tlo. except annabeth's behavior in those books is soley due to the surplus amount of traumatic experiences she's had. ranging from her parents neglecting to care for her well-being when spiders attacked her in the middle of the night as a seven-year-old. to watching everyone she's ever dared to care for die, abandon, or leave her for a better option. so it's much more likely than annabeth was expressing great mental and emotional distress during a period of her life where it was uncertain if the boy she loved would drop dead on his sixteenth birthday. on top of having to uphold a reputation as the best strategist at camp half-blood and devise a plan to fight in a war and save the world before she's a sophomore in high school. so the notion that annabeth is an abusive and toxic individual lacks the consideration that maybe she was just a child forced to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders at all times.
#why must people insist her values be based on her mistakes and imperfections?#to not acknowledge the nuances of annabeth's life and write her off as abusive is incredibly inconsiderate#particularly since that narrative is based of the behavior she present as a literal child#sometimes it feels people fail to consider that her familiarity rests in close relationships doomed to fail#that she only knew how to fight to survive before she knew how to love#and that she's a growing individual who actively works to improve herself#to reduce this annabeth to bounds of the narrative and deny her a positive character arc portrays a lack of empathy for her circumstance#you don't have to like her as a character#but to ignore her upbringing while praising other characters for overcoming their is incredibly biased#percy jackon and the olympians#pjo text post#pjo#annabeth chase#we stan the daughter of athena#we stan a legend#we stan annabeth chase#forever and always#annabeth#annabeth is a legend#annabeth is incredible#annabeth is amazing#i love annabeth chase
331 notes
·
View notes
Text
guys.... would you still love me if I was a Chrach shipper.....
This is for @martincrushcameback's apocalypse AU in case anyone is unfamiliar
This isn't connected to any specific event btw, there is no context AHAHA I just had this interaction in my head and it was driving me crazy so I gave in to the voices and drew it.
I feel its important to clarify I dont ship canon Zach with Chris bc canon Zach makes me want to commit a felony (/LH i am so sorry Chrach shippers) BUT THIS APOCALYPSE ZACH>??????1/11/1/2 POIGGHHEREHHRRRRRASDAS they are clawing at my brain someone PLEASE SEDATE ME
#wild kratts#littlecrittereli#chris kratt#wild kratts fanart#wild kratts au#wild kratts zach#zach varmitech#this can be read as good friends if you want too idc#THEY ARE JUST ALL THEY HAVE LEFT#IM CLAWING MY EYES OUT OH MY GODDDD#this au has me by the NECK#btw the name Chrach is so funny to me please can we just call them Crack shippers#or even better can we have a specific name for this paring#in this very specific au#like doomed yaoi or something#emotionally constipated x emotionally unstable#I've literally stated before I'm not into ships BUT THIS ONE HITS DIFFERENT OKAYYYY#(aroace is a spectrum and yes they are on there SOMEWHERE)#i am cringe but i am free
386 notes
·
View notes
Text
So. With chapter 520 in mind. In hindsight this is just. Really sad.
The insistence that he has to enjoy the fight. That he has to find fighting fun.
The way fighting was really the only thing he was allowed to do, his mother beating him for even daring to play kendama with his friends, so he adapted. And started to find it fun. Because, once again, it was the only thing he was allowed to do.
#lookism#lookism spoillers#lookism 520#gun really just makes me really sad#he was so young then#and he STILL is so young. Only 19/20#I think most of the fandom forgets that when they talk about him#he only just left his teenage years behind him#and now we know that he didn't have any childhood at all#literally bred to be a weapon and not allowed to do anything but fighting#getting rewarded for doing wrong and beaten up for doing good#he really was doomed from the start#gin posts lookism
97 notes
·
View notes
Text
As so many of you are filling my inbox asking about salad and why I found the fact they had two types of salad for dinner in the Buck and Tommy dinner scene so funny, I'm guessing you're new to the 911 fandom - Welcome if so! I am going to give you a very brief rundown of salad and Buck and Eddies various relationships, but @clusterbuck is actually the keeper of salad theory and you can find far more detailed analysis over on her blog than you’re getting from me here!!
I can't find gif of the actual salad moments so have pictures!!
Chris smashed salad bowl that he is making a salad in with his dad in season 4 (in Breaking point) - when he finds out about Ana being the person Eddie is dating.
We have Ana turn up at the firehouse with Chris during the black out in 5x02 with 5 - yes 5 - types of salad When Eddie has his second on screen panic about Ana - when Ravi mistakes her for his wife.
Then in 5x03 just before they break up - Eddie, Chris, and Ana are at the dining table in the Diaz house and they are eating fruit salad
Then in 5x05 we have Taylor with her prepackaged fruit salad breakfast the she has 'made' for Buck when he gets home
she is making a bean salad in 5x09 during the most awkward I love you scene in the history of television!
Then we have a caprese salad in front of Natalia during the Dinner Buck cooked for her in 5x17 - when she finds out about various aspects of Bucks past and present - Taylor on the tv and Kameron turns up
Then in 7x07 - when Eddie is daydreaming of a do over with Shannon during his lunch with Marisol they are eating a salad
then we now have Buck and Tommy eating two different types of salad (a pasta salad and a salad salad) on their dinner date
so basically it's become a bit of a running joke that if salad is involved with Buck or Eddie and one of their dates (especially in their own homes) , the relationship is doomed!
#this is only a semi serious theory - its just amusing that pretty much every time either Buck or Eddie have a salad with one of their dates#in their own home - things tend to go sideways or south prety soon after - it is very much a pattern;#Chris makes and then smashes a salad and two episodes alter we see him literally sitting between Eddie and Ana#Ana gets broken up with after bringing salad to the firehouse and serving Eddie fruit salad when he comes home#Taylor serves a fruit salad and two episodes later we see the cracks appearing in their relationship (the truth is everything) then#two episodes later Taylor makes a bean salad and says I love you and two episodes later Buck kisses Lucy#Buck serves Natalia a Caprese salad and she runs away - she comes back but two episodes later (7x01) Buck has broke up with her#Marisol and Eddie eat salad in the Diaz kitchen and two episodes later she walks in on him in the arms of another woman - who looks like hi#dead ex wife#and now Buck and Tommy are eating salad in 7x10 so maybe we need to keep an eye on 8x02 as it may well be a moment of doom for Buck#and Tommys relationship based on previous salad sightings - not saying it will be a break up but we may very well see major cracks appearin#salad theory#its laways two episodes later!#eddie diaz#evan buckley#911 abc#buddie#buddie and salad#right in front of my salad
175 notes
·
View notes
Text
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY FAVORITE TWINS, DIPPER AND MABEL 🩷💙
Bonus Comic Below
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/9c7fb988f3c81c30a7f19b7114b0d74d/b7bf0da6362e9460-d9/s540x810/633fa2fa69f157ebba6f1b603acaba9abfb03ff6.jpg)
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/db4baa0ab92f03f9953743cb98b1cc07/b7bf0da6362e9460-e1/s540x810/47eec4284ae9a9831bb9dd50e661e7df300b6621.jpg)
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/84a09af2d21576479b9049e830951924/b7bf0da6362e9460-c9/s540x810/f86c97901c830a0b859706262184a1b9fe8ea00f.jpg)
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/3a35a9bb8d8ae6914c108f987c8b27e0/b7bf0da6362e9460-27/s540x810/489e225c10193d341671db3b7357f664b0474959.jpg)
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/95e164f9f94eab270c8f865774e9ebea/b7bf0da6362e9460-f8/s540x810/7667601bea361251af5ebab69a4dfbc9832c9657.jpg)
#i apologize in advanced for any age related crisis— we are all old now#i thought it would be silly to redraw the poster from damvtf#these two are literally everything to me#gravity falls#dipper pines#mabel pines#starry art#in all honestly i didnt spend too much time thinking about their future designs.. that’s probably obvious.#i just know that dipper is doomed by the narrative to wear flannel like alex#i also love drawing him with acne scars because he’s just like me fr#i imagine mabel wears a lot of silly dresses like a librarian.. yall catching the vibe?#i also wanted to put something in her hair that wasn’t a headband so went with a bandanna ¯\_(ツ)_/¯#waddles is on her necklace of course#oh btw… the acne on dipper in the shape of a triangle is intentional LMAO
94 notes
·
View notes
Text
THE BOYS 4x06 | "Dirty Business"
#the way this season was promoted you would've thought they were gonna have more scenes together#the viclander dynamic y'all...so fucking good#doomed pseudo-siblings we fawkin laev yew#their scenes together are so nuanced that watching it through gifs literally does not do it justice#but i wanted to show the scene that is currently making me and oomfs insane#the boys#theboysedit#homelander#homelanderedit#victoria neuman#victorianeumanedit#tvedit#dailytvfilmgifs#dailyflicks#dailytvsource#dailtvedit#dailytvgifs
98 notes
·
View notes
Text
my live reaction to wwdits season 6 summarized
#ok the start of the season started off a teeeny bit slow (as usual)#but GODDAMN#episodes 2 and 3 were good as hell#A-tier potentially#i loooooved the baron cameo and the guide and guillermo’s new office job#i looove the nadja going out into the human world plotline too#tho nandermo being doomed by the narrative is so tragic#is it canon that they both have some verrrryyy complicated feelings for each other? yes#is it canon that they both like each other a lot more than they let on? yes#ESPECIALLY nandor he’s the culprit of this#but will they kiss? atm i am inclined to think no#judging by how it’s going so far especially#tho i know in my heart nandor cried in his coffin a little bit when guillermo left#quite literally the most doomed of doomed yaoi#what we do in the shadows spoilers#what we do in the shadows#what we do in the shadows season 6#wwdits#wwdits spoilers
70 notes
·
View notes
Text
paranormal brothers
WOO finally shigaraki twins art dump lesgoo
first off heres a facial study+headcanon thingy i did of these two cus theyre fun to make !!!
theyre not complete i think..? since i couldnt come up w anymore hcs 😭😭 i wanted more. anhways yeah also ofc things might change btw!
(this is actually a revised version but i dont wanna show yall the old one bc its bad hahdj)
anyways, doodles go!!!
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/770e14b09670d512efe6c8880eecbea9/493a4ec900cc1834-ef/s540x810/dd073c863606b926ac7883a39328f93a9632d742.jpg)
andddd old art from 2022!! which u can tell cus of the age hc lol.(
#ah yes mhas finest toxic doomed siblings#the first image was drawn right after 407 dropped :]]#(pls ignore the hole hand mistake asdfgh)#yall dont know how ECSTATIC i was when we FIANLLLYLYLYY got their backstory#i literally had been bitching ab it for a year on twitter ahhhh#it was so sooooo good#it actually made me get interested in afo cus i did NOT gaf ab the guy lol#but at the same time that was a mistake bc there is so much to unpack w this character#i still care ab his brother more tho !#not afraid to show my favoritism tehee#we dont know much about yoichi afterall soo#my hero academia#boku no hero academia#mha manga spoilers#mha all for one#mha afo#yoichi shigaraki#shigaraki yoichi#i actually bought into the 'theyre twins' hc at one point cus it made sm sense#but them having an age range was more popular so i just went w that instead#bnha#mha#also ik afo having preferred prns is nuts but he rlly doesnt care#dahlia.art
295 notes
·
View notes
Text
compiled whatever this is (and I run out of tag space)
meh HoT gifs (3/?)
#alek gifs#ninjago#ninjago krux#ninjago acronix#hands of time#time twins#alternate title to this series is : stuff i noticed after watching this season 10 whole times#okay actually thats a lie. i realized this the 3rd time around#i think of acronix and how he barely makes any decisions for himself and i go crazy#ppl equate that with him feeling forced to do stuff.. uh hes always been a follower guys!!#cue him calling wu “master wu” even after the twins betrayal. him liking machia bc shes “mean” and bossy#he has no issue with following orders lol. prepare for a long acronix rant one day#contexts -> gif 1 barely counts i just wanted to include him looking at krux. he does this a lot during that fight#gif 2 is before they kill blunck and raggmunk (idk how to spell their names still ... sorry)#gif 3 is before they were going to kill wu in the golden hour legacy short. which is canon !!#gif 4 is before they sent themselves into the temporal vortex#that one post that was like “are we still doing revenge? yeah? cool” bc thats basically acronix#there is something fundamentally wrong with these two's brains but idk how to describe it#krux who literally lost his mind after losing his brother to the point he adopted an entire identity#“he just needed to go undercover!!” counter point as soon as acronix came back he was unable to pretend to be saunders. he acted super weird#like when kai was in the museum he couldnt pretend to be this person he wasnt. acronix was back !!! so was he. krux was 100% going to kill#the smith sibs if maya and ray didnt comply. also.. canonly they knew him when they worked as teachers back in s3. he watched them grow up#and pretended all was well meanwhile their parents were being forced to work and slave away to build the iron doom. he is not normal#then you have acronix who thrives off of violence and is described as throwing himself into battle like a blunt object. has no regard#for himself as a person and just takes (almost) everything his brother says as gospel. s7 couldve done smthn really cool with how#the only thing the twins ever really disagreed on was technology. also ive went on a semirant about how krux's hatred for tech was misplaced#hatred for losing acronix. wanted to travel to the pre modern era? okay well whyd he pick 40 years ago specifically. also NOTE that they#went back after their past selves had lost. they wouldve faired better if they went and helped their past selves. also the reversal blade#had already fallen so when the twins went back in time there was two kruxes. he literally went back to when he had been all alone for the#for the first time. he went back to when his life was ruined and his brother was gone!! but he had nix with him this time . ughdhf
56 notes
·
View notes
Text
So... Apparently UA s4 is a massive flop.... I'm not saying we need to start bullying* showrunners and writers and networks/streamers (*putting pressure on them to do right by beloved pieces of media with passionate fan bases so much so that they feel they'll get the guillotine if they do anything less than perfect and justice by the story/characters) but.... We need to start bullying showrunners and writers and networks/streamers again. These mfs have gotten too comfortable
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/5e98c3b673347ddcbec7b46cb48b5bd5/5bd28f782f4d405f-2e/s540x810/c322496a380c6d009b43e7aa9c44504d9d9cbc13.jpg)
#I haven't even watched it bc I wasnt caught up with s3 but I just saw the reviews before I started#Seeing mutuals go wtf and was like yeah some shit def went down in this season but holy shit. They apparently just gave up entirely#Like literally just bc you do a decent job with one season doesn't mean you're off the hook... Keep that energy#Also everyone knew Netflix didn't want them to have another season but was basically forced by s3's numbers to do so#Bc they gave it 0 promo instead promoting ST the whole time which didn't need it so ppl forgot and then#Only giving it 6 eps and the fast turnaround considering the long strikes and writing period... It was doomed from the start#Uatv#Anyway! Embarrassing.#Good job! You blew it!#Ua#the umbrella academy#Umbrella academy#wow anna said something#anna's shitposts#We need to give them the one piece /cowboy bebop live action treatment.... Make them afraid to fuck up
106 notes
·
View notes
Text
The moment that made Bruce the man he is today was the moment his parents were murdered in the alley. He thinks that that moment for Tim had or will have to do with the deaths of his parents as well, like it was for him, for Dick, for Jason, all children whose lives were changed forever by tragedy. He doesn't realize that that moment for Tim was a decade ago at Haly's Circus.
Bruce thinks that he and his mission are the poison, that prolonged exposure will eventually drag Tim down into the darkness he resides in (or worse, like it did to Jason). He thinks of the child he once was, remembers that he became the Bat so that no other child might be suffer that same loss, that same transformation that he has. He doesn't realize that Tim's path was set from the very first day he can remember.
Tim doesn't know how to be any different. How to be anything other than a boy who deduced Batman's secret identity by accident. A boy whose heroes inspired him to become a detective, to pick up computer skills, to learn to fight. A boy who cared enough about two strangers at the circus to risk his life for them a decade later.
Becoming Robin was just the culmination. Becoming Robin is when everything that made Tim Tim started to make sense. The night in the alley was the night Bruce’s life changed, but that night at the circus was the night Tim’s life began.
#batman#tim drake#bruce wayne#dc comics#batman meta#this feels incomplete but i finally managed to put into words a piece of what i've been mulling over for a while now#lately all my tim meta keeps circling back to the idea that tim was doomed *to* the narrative#becoming robin was an unavoidable outcome and everything we learn about his life pre-alpod reinforces this including his circus trauma#and its interesting to explore how this trauma - literally his first memory - may have impacted his life and relationships#...something like that i'll figure out how to explain the rest later#decaying orbit theory
163 notes
·
View notes
Text
Elgnar'nan and Ghilan'nain, siblings of all time.
When Rook hurts Ghilan'nain and he is there! in an instant!!! to take her to safety!!!!! 'They stole Razikale from me.' 'A thrall is easily replaced- you are not.'
The tangible anguish in Elgnar'nan's voice at the end. 'My brilliant sister.' He was going to rule the world and she was going to have all the playthings she wanted. It was going to be beautiful and then you ruined everything and the pain? in his voice??
The way she knows she can seek comfort from him, the way he so clearly adores her (but still, he's almost begrudging about it-- such a relatable sibling vibe tbh) And if Ghilan'nain wants Rook's LI then Rook's LI she shall have!!
God Bioware no-one does siblings like you
#elgar'nan#ghilan'nain#dragon age: the veilguard spoilers#veilguard spoilers#da:tv spoilers#side-note I realised writing this that there are a BUNCH of gothic horror elements used in DATV and I kind of want to? make a post about it#I started making bullet points and I literally have 9 just off the top of my head#might revisit that when I finish my second playthrough#but yeah this sibling dynamic?? v gothic imo#It's the Needing each-other it's the 'we will make incomprensible horrors Together' idk#'I'm untouchable idc about myself but dear god don't you *dare* hurt Her' are you seeing my vision?#no wonder I liked this game so much?? I had no chance I mean NINE. off the top of my head??? I'm a gothic lit person I was DOOMED#dragon age#dragon age: the veilguard
50 notes
·
View notes
Text
EPIC!Polites had to die
(Hear me out!)
Anyways, i talked a bit about how Polites literally moves the plot in EPIC ( here) but this time I'm sorta gonna mirror the arguments.
So, this is all gonna come across as Polites favoritism, but (though you don't have to agree with what I say) know my arguments are taken straight from the text.
So, why does Polites have to die?
Because EPIC cannot happen without his death (for two reasons)
Number One
As I state in my linked post, Polites is the only person Odysseus is shown to listen to.
Odysseus changes his mind/his actions 3 times in Act 1.
Zeus: Odysseus would not have killed that infant if Zeus did not tell him to. Zeus tells him the infant will kill Odysseus' loved ones in the future & with a heavy heart, Odysseus acquiesces.
Tiresias: Odysseus would not have become the monster if the prophet had not told him he would never get home + Penelope was with a murderer.
Polites: at the end of "Open Arms" Odysseus starts to seriously consider Polites' words (that's why he sings Polites' words "Greet the world with open arms" back to him.) Thats also why that's the moment Athena chooses to come berate Odysseus. Odysseus has been guilt-ridden since Astyanax, but Athena chooses this moment, when Odysseus is with Polites & listening to him, to tell him he's "forgotten to turn off [his] heart."
One of these instances is not like the other.
Unlike with Zeus or Tiresias, Polites is not threatening Penelope/Odysseus' family.
These are also not the only instances of someone trying to change Odysseus' mind (or trying to tell him what to do)
Odysseus disregards Athena's instructions to kill Polyphemus & when she doubles down on his recklessness/disappointing actions, Odysseus essentially tells her to fuck right off.
Odysseus refuses to give Poseidon a real apology (not saying it would have saved his crew or not, but Odysseus clearly thought it would, hence him playing along)
Odysseus doesn't allow himself to be tempted by Circe in order to save his men (not saying this is a bad thing btw!!)
And then there's Eurylochus.
Eurylochus, notably, tries to reason with change Odysseus' mind a whopping Five Times in Act 1.
Full Speed Ahead: "We don't know what's ahead"
Remember Them: "Captain, we should run"
Storm: "Captain, we will capsize with these waves, our fleet will fail"
Luck Runs Out: (literally the entire song)
Puppeteer: "Think about the men we have left, before there're none"
And Odysseus listens a total of zero times.
And yet, unlike with "Luck Runs Out" when Polites tries to tell Odysseus to change his behavior/his mind/his way of thinking, Odysseus puts up a lukewarm resistance at best AND he sincerely considers Polites' words.
Number Two
Out of all the characters we've been introduced to this far (up to the Thunder Saga) Polites is the one who knows Odysseus best (AND the one he is closest to)
I know we only have 2-3 songs to establish Odysseus & Polites' relationship while Polites is alive (though he does very much haunt the narrative, even up to "Suffering" as Jorge recently-ish informed us) but OH BOY, is it Thoroughly established.
Full Speed Ahead:
The joy in Odysseus' voice when he greets Polites vs the more professional affection given to Eurylochus' entrance.
Not only the fact that Odysseus chooses Polites out of 600 men to scout the island with him, but that he choses only Polites. Either he can trust his life to Polites' skill as a warrior OR (more likely imo) he wants some alone time. And he feels he can be alone/himself with Polites.
Open Arms:
Polites immediately knows something's up with Odysseus but (unlike Eurylochus in "Luck Runs Out") he doesn't say anything in front of the crew, rather waiting until they're alone on the island. Either Polites has more tact than Eury OR (more likely imo) he knows Ody--enough to know he doesnt respond well to being called out in front of others or how to best approach a conversation about his mental state
Polites correctly calls out that Odysseus is tired of war (which Odysseus confirms in "Just a Man"), that he's stressed out ("Look at how you grip your sword, enough said"), and that something is eating at him ("I see in your face there is so much guilt inside your heart")
Odysseus never gets defensive with Polites or shuts down him down (unlike in "Luck Runs Out") despite the fact that Polites IS calling Odysseus out, (Just Like Eurylochus in LRO!) The most we get is a half-hearted/unconvincing "I'm fine, Polites" which makes ME think Ody isn't trying too hard to convince Polites, either because he knows he can't get one past his best friend or because he doesnt want to wear a mask, not around Polites.
((arguably!!)) Odyssues only goes to the cave/trusts the lotus-eater's information because of Polites (which is another instance of him being swayed by Polites or of the affection he holds for his friend being strong enough for him to want to please him)
Survive:
Polites' death is what causes Odysseus to freeze up/go into shock. Odysseus stops captaining his men & leaves them orderless (despite their pleas for him to resume command) solely because Polites dies (and we do have confirmation on this given that in the last live-stream, the stage directions during "Remember Them" tell us Odysseus is still staring at Polites' body up until Eurylochus snaps him out of it)
[edit]Underworld:
Odysseus becomes overwhelmed by the accusing voices of the underworld & starts to spiral (arguably starts having the beginnings of a panic attack)
Polites' voice snaps him out of it (listen to the change in the music/soundscape from "I keep thinking of the infant from that night" to "This life is amazing"
There is audible relief/hope in Odysseus' first "Polites." I hesitate to call it joy, but everything does become lighter
However, Polites CAN'T offer Odysseus comfort/support, since he's not really here/he's just a spirit stuck in his deathloop
Odysseus' 2nd "Polites" sounds dejected/small when he realizes Polites can't interact with him/stay
He was hoping for comfort/support! He heard Polites & the screams IMMEDIATELY quiet! His mood audibly lifts! Polites is canonically Odysseus' emotional/mental support, as seen in "Open Arms" (check out my super long post analyzing "Open Arms" lyric by lyric here) and by how we are shown/told he's noticeably changed in the Ocean Saga (both by Eurylochus suddenly doubting Odysseus + the lyric "Everything's changed since Polites)
So, why do I think Polites had to die to keep the EPIC plot as is?
Well, given the information we have (and including no further speculation or headcanons) we know five things:
Odysseus trusts Polites
Odysseus cares deeply about Polites
Polites can effectively tell when something is bothering Odysseus
Polites can call Odysseus out without getting shut out/down
Polites can get Odysseus to listen/change his mind
Which tells me, Polites could have likely prevented everything past the blinding of Polyphemus.
We KNOW Polites' death is a large part of what causes Odysseus to shout out his name ("My friend is dead") but beyond that:
If anyone is going to tell something is eating at Odysseus in the Ocean Saga, it's Polites. (No other crew member tries to figure out how Odyssues is doing mentally/emotionally OR figures out what's bothering him beyond "Everything's changed since Polites") If Polites is alive, Odysseus isn't carrying all the weight on his own, because Polites will notice & reach out
Polites has a track record of getting Odysseus to listen. If they need to talk to him, it most likely wouldn't be Eurylochus stepping up if Polites lived
Odysseus trusts Polites. If they still get the windbag, Odysseus is letting Polites take a shift
If Polites lives, the plot of EPIC is diverted during the Ocean Saga at latest. Either Odysseus isn't made reckless with grief/anger & thus doesn't reveal his name. Or he doesn't become isolated/succumbs to his stress (and thus allows doubt to sow within the crew) because Polites is there to reach out. Or he trusts the windbag to Polites & they make it home to Ithaca.
Polites has to die to cement Odysseus' downward spiral.
Thank you for coming to my tedtalk.
#wolf's posts#epic: the musical#epic meta#polites#*odysseus voice* you doomed them! you doomed them ALL polites!!#jk#but also like...we have confirmation of polites haunting the narrative up to the thunder saga!!#his death literally seals the deal on odysseus' fate#odysseus#epic the troy saga#epic the cyclops saga#epic the musical#musicals
55 notes
·
View notes