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Antinous, Calypso and Eurylochus: The Unholy Trinity Of A Fandoms Racism

Disclaimer: I am not excusing anybody of being intentionally racist that includes Jorge and the Epic Community. I am instead calling out how the treatment of these three characters feel routed in racism to me.

I am not trying to justify or defend Antinous and Calypso's abusive behaviour in the show.

I am not hating on anyone's thoughts and feelings on these characters but at the end of the day you can hate them without being racist about it. To add I'm also not saying Calypso and Antinous's behaviours should be ignored. I am also not saying Eurylochus shouldn't face criticism.

As a light skinned biracial person I am nowhere near qualified to be talking about this but I feel like it is important to use my privilege to call out frankly some of the very disturbing behaviour I've seen from the fandom.

With the disclaimers out of the way.

Tw: The following post will Contain mentions of Racism, Abuse, SA, Rape and Suicide. Viewer discretion is advised.

Introduction

Okay this is a post I didn't want to have to make but after spotting multiple red flags I can't stay silent.

At first I thought I was going crazy thinking and gaslighted myself into thinking nothing was wrong but now I can't deny it.

Epic The Musical has a racism problem both within the show and the fandom. Intentional or not racism is still racism and unlike with other fandoms this racism has gone unchecked.

Now there is a lot of racism in the Epic Community from the white washing of certain characters in fan art and infantilsation of many lighter skinned characters especially Polites.

Something I will absolutely cover in a Part 2 on Polites, Telemachus and Aphrodite.

In the mean time a good post that talks about this can be found here

However the problem I want to talk about in this particular post is.....

The handling of Antinous, Calypso and Eurylochus. Three out of Four of the only black characters in the musical.

Now I would include Ares except I haven't seen any extreme or disturbing behaviour towards his character or his actor so.....

The thing is I am all for colourblind casting but not without thought, time and research. If you cast a poc you need to be fully conscious about how it affects what you've written.

The problem isn't with Antinous, Calypso and Eurylochus being portrayed by three amazing talented black actors, the problem is the intense racial stereotypes pushed on them by the writing in Epic and the stereotypes pushed on by fans. Eurylochus I'd argue is more a victim of Epic fans stereotypes but Calypso and Antinous yeah their problems fully start with how they are written in the musical.

It's also not lost on me how the three most "controversial" characters are all black and how Epic Poseidon and Epic Zeus's actions get swept under the rug cos their "hot" white guys.

If Poseidon and Zeus's characters were treated the same, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

So with that being said this is going to be a long post so here's how I'm going to structure things.

First: I'll talk about Antinous, the stereotypes perpetuated in the show and then I'll talk about the stereotypes perpetuated by fans.

Second: I'll go into Calypso, the stereotypes perpetuated in the show and then the stereotypes perpetuated by fans.

Finally: I'll talk about Eurylochus, the stereotypes perpetuated in the show and then the stereotypes perpetuated by the fans.

Then I'll wrap up it up all in a neat bow and open the flaw to other fans. Seriously if you feel comfortable I really would love to hear from other poc Epic fans or just the poc community in general cos my voice on this topic isn't the one that matters the most.

With that being said let's dive into it.

Epic Antinous

His Portrayal In Epic

Epic Antinous to put it bluntly is not done well in the musical at all or done very sensitively. On paper he is shown in Little Wolf as someone willing to do anything to get to the throne, even hurt Telemachus. Sure Lengendary does hint at his intentions very clearly but that's as worse as it gets in the Wisdom Saga. But by the Ithaca Saga he is completely seeped in stereotypes in all the worst ways possible.

And what stereotype do i think is being perpetuated? Well to me Epic Antinous represents the dangerous trope of Black Men being portrayed as Predatory to White Women. I'm not saying you can't have black villians or even predatory villians, infact abuse has no race, gender or sexuality. The problem is that that certain marginalised communities have had these labels for so long placed on them in real life, mainly by the far right. Every day black people, queer people ectr are propped up as predators and groomers and Epic in terms of representation is not helping things.

And when the deed is done

The queen will have no one

To stop us from breakin' her bedroom door

Stop us from takin' her love and more

Now here's the thing sung by Jorge as a snippet it seems fine....

But when you hire a black actor with the lyrics unchanged....

It gets way more disturbing especially given the intense climate we are now living in during the 2020s. Racism is on a rampant climb and your not helping by making Antinous a black man thirsty for a married white woman.

Like I said I have no problem with colour blind casting but how it recontexualises the story needs to be considered especially with the political climate your writing your story in. Once a character is casted their race is the first thing people will see even subconsciously. Unintentional or not your story and the choices you make link to the time its being written during.

Representation matters and bad representation can cause irreversible damage.

Also I feel bad because Ayron wanted to be Tiresias but instead got Antinous and as soon as that happened Hold Them Down should have been rethought immensely.

(It has also been brought to my attention that in a now possibly deleted videos Jorge asked for a black accent for Antinous. That only adds fuel to the fire and is not okay at all. Casting is hard I get it but if you are specifically wanting to cast a black actor, research needs to be done and you need to you know actually consult with the black community. As I'm sorry but we as lighter skinned poc and white folk should not write or even attempt to write black characters without consulting the black community especially when it's for a project as big as Epic.)

Hold Them Down works until SA is added, practically I hate to say it for shock value and having Antinous a now black man sing it is icky.

Not only that but in the context of the story it serves not narrative purpose. We already know Antinous is a threat, Lengendary and Little Wolf proved that to us. It feels like its only added it to make Odysseus look good in regards to the murder of the suitors.

The only possible way Hold Them Down would work is if Antinous's character had not been made to be one note and you kept Calypso's abuse of Odysseus in the musical. They should have been parallels.

Not only that but it looks very suspicious that Circe and Calypso's abuse of Odysseus in the Odyssey have been cut and passed onto Antinous instead.

At this point Ayrons incredible voice is the only thing carrying what should have been a very enjoyable villain.

Instead Antinous reflects real life stereotypes of Black Men today. Angry, Violent, Predator to Woman and a murder.

He could have been so much more but instead he's become one of the hardest parts to listen to in Epic.

The thing is Antinous already had the perfect motive of wanting the throne and wanting power but instead Jorge went the more dangerous direction that will have ever lasting consequences.

One of my creative writing tutors put it best by saying.

"What ever you write in your story has to have a purpose of serving the overall plot. If it serves no purpose it should be cut out."

And to put it bluntly.

Adding the threat of sa serves no purpose to the story. We already know Antinous is an abuser and a threat. Telemachus would have been beaten to the point of death if it wasn't for Athena's divine intervention.

Also outside of things if Jorge really wanted to keep things as they are he should have stepped up to support Ayron and most importantly protect him from any racial abuse.

As far as I'm aware I have not seen him do that once. Jorge has written something that puts black characters under scrutiny. Therefore it is his job as the creator to protect the actors from any harm and consistently show them support.

You know who has done that? Ewan MacGregor

In 2022 actress Moses Ingram recieved horrible backlash for her role as the inquisitor Reva in the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney + Series.

Instead of staying silent Ewan defended Moses and called out all the hate against her.

Look I'm not asking Jorge to rewrite the musical and talk about Antinous's character. I'm asking him to protect his co-star and actor he hired and show up as an ally. This doesn't just apply to Ayron it goes for Barbara and Armanto too and even Earle.

And no skits don't count. If you want to have black actors in your cast you need to put in the work to protect them and make sure to avoid the typical harmful stereotypes portrayed in media. If you can't avoid stereotypes the bare minimum you do is protect them.

Antinous's Portyal By Fans

Oh boy where to start with this. If you thought how he's written in Epic was bad enough the fans just douse the flames even further.

Reducing Antinous to his shows character is partially forgivable but it's still problematic.

The main issue I see from fans is the glorified simping of his character and just sticking to making Antinous how he is the show. On top he's now the vicious angry black man with no depth or complexity.

Not only that but fan after fan draws him exactly like his va whilst Perimedes the other character he portrays is drawn as white.

Fans can create what they want but the only person I have seen truly break the bounds of what Jorge wrote is the voice actor himself.

Ayron did a cover remix of Just A Man but added a sense of tragedy to Antinous's character and him losing himself to pursuing Penelope and the throne. This cover lead to loads of fans doing incredible interpretations. Not only that it has a black person's voice and handles his character much more sensitively. I'd go a step further and say this is how he should have been handled.

Not only that Jorge actually showed him support on that post. More of that please.

As I've said though people sticking to how Antinous is portrayed in Epic is partially excusable due to the writing but what is not excusable is

Reducing him to just a hot evil guy.

I am not saying your allowed to find Antinous and in turn Ayron "hot" or "attractive" but what I am saying is you need to be more mindful in how you handle it.

I am Aromantic and Asexual so maybe I'm the wrong person to be talking about this but there's a point where attraction or simping can become something more dangerous.

To me the Epic Fandom has already reached that point especially with a lot of white fans.

Now I know Poseidon and Zeus are simped to the point Stephen Rodriguez (Poseidon's Voice Actor) has had to block Epic tags but for Antinous and in turn Ayron it takes on a whole different meaning.

People are like "Why is he evil yet so hot?" and "It's a crime a voice this good sung Hold Them Down." Yet I have never seen "Zeus's voice is hot in God Games, why?" Or "Poseidon is so cruel for what he did to Odysseus why is he so hot?"

You only see people questioning and cursing hotness when it comes to Antinous and because people also comment on his singing voice........

Unintentional or not you are in the danger of falling into fetishising Antinous.

You are allowed to find him hot but it's important to be mindful of what you say.

Antinous should not have his appearance separated from his personality and besides Ayron is a human being. He is a talented human being too.

It is important to be mindful how we talk about Antinous the character and Ayron the actor.

We can not be fetishising black men in 2025 people!

(Ive also heard from other bipoc folk that there's the issue of certain ships being used to fetishise Antinous even more. Nothing wrong with shipping characters but be mindful especially when it comes to that)

That being said Antinous is more than a "hot" black man.

(Also as a Disabled person please look into the Disabled Villians Trope. Not to name, names I'm partially guilty of it myself but I've seen so many depictions of Antinous scarred up or with one eye missing.)

Alright now an issue I will delve into more when it's Calypso's turn cos it relates to her even more.

How come you have other God's like Zeus who literally makes similar references to sa

Pride is a damsel in distress

Hiding away where only I can undress her

Try all she can not to confess

In the end, it's all the same once I apply all the pressure

And Poseidon who literally threatens to gourge out Telemachus's eyes.

I'll take your son and gouge his eyes

That is, unless you choose to die

Don't get talked about but Antinous does. SA isn't the only form of abuse out there. For years of my life I had to deal with cat calling everyday in the school corridors.

So how come SA is seen as the only terrible thing. Poseidon grows an unhealthy obsession over Odysseus in a different but just as bad way.

I'm sorry Zeus and Poseidon deserve to be talked about and hated on just as much. Why is it only Antinous and Calypso?

Trauma adds a lot to people's responses I get that but you can't talk about one form of abuse and ignore the others.

The hate for Antinous is well justified but it's important to be conscious of how you react to his character and how you talk about him.

Alright moving on.

Epic Calypso

Her Portrayal In The Musical

Ah Epic Calypso, the bane of my existence. She is not only a wasted antagonist but one thought out very poorly in my opinion.

I am angry, very angry and disappointed over how her character was handled in Epic.

Before I get into the racial stereotypes I just need to get this off my chest.

This might be a very bold statement but Epic Calypso has to be the absolute WORST written character I have ever seen and Not Sorry For Loving you is the WORST written song in the entirety of Epic and just in general.

I don't even know where to start but a good place would be to talk about how to me Epic Calypso is not only written inconsistently, she has no character at all. This is sadly how a lot of black characters written by white or lighter skinned folk alike can turn out.

You have hired an extremely talented actress in Barbara Wangui and do nothing with her. Honestly it's a credit to Barbara she managed to put her soul into what was given.

Like Orgyia as far as I'm aware is such an essential part of Odysseus's journey home to the point it needs a Saga of it's own.

It's like if George Lucas made A New Hope and then instead of making Empire Strikes Back skipped straight to Return Of The Jedi. What Luke goes through in Empire and the revelations he finds out shape his character in Jedi. We wouldn't have that same emotional weight in Jedi if Empire hadn't been made.

(I am not shading the animator this is just a visual aid.)

Compare the two especially if your a Star Wars fan which makes you feel more, which do you connect with?

The thing is other female characters like Athena and Circe are given proper development and arcs but Calypso is given scraps with any character she had in the Odyssey being given to Antinous instead.

So yeah my first gripe is hiring someone as talented as Barbara and shoving her to the side.

Now onto the real jucy meat.

It's bad enough that Jorge cut away those seven years for fans to fill in with speculation but what's even worse is....

Taking an abuser and kidnapper who's well known as that and making an entirely different character!

Here's an amazing post discussing Calypso's character across adaptations and some of the repercussions of Epic

Calypso in Epic is a possessive kidnapper and is abusive like Antinous, like Zeus as seen by

Anyways, I've got all you could want here

All you could need here

Just you and me, my dear, my love for life

Soon, into bed we'll climb and spend our time

Like she's still doesn't have good intentions. She wants to keep Odysseus with her and never thinks about what he wants. Even during the cliff scene she makes it all about herself.

So at the core regardless of Jorge's intentions Calypso's orginal character is still there. Like for example The Hunger Games movies have been toned down alot upon adaptation but the core of the orginal message is still there.

Love In Paradise portrays Calypso as a dangerous sinister kidnapper who only thinks about her self.

But then a saga later, what we set up with her is gone as Not Sorry For Loving You is set up as a tragedy where Calypso has been left heartbroken by Odysseus and his refusal to love her.

I hate that I fell in love with you

Hate that I fell in love with you

Why did I fall in love with you?

This is not portrayed as the triumph it should be instead it puts the abuser/kidnapper and the centre of the song and tries to make the audience feel pity for her, a complete opposite of her menacing introduction in Love In Paradise.

What makes this song even worse though is that Jorge wrote this as a break up song instead, completely ignoring the fact that Odysseus is not breaking up with Calypso he's literally gaining his freedom after she imprisoned him there for seven years.

Seven years, she's kept you trapped, out of your control

Time can take a heavy toll

It's clear from these screenshots Jorge wanted to write a tragic love story not even attempt to adapt what happened in the Odyssey.

The thing is there are thousands of characters in the Odyssey to project onto Odysseus, Telemachus, Polites heck even Eurylochus and out of all of those you chose to project your experiences onto a CANNONICAL abuser.

I have written poems and even songs about my own experiences but putting personal experiences in a musical like Epic is a different case entirely. It's suppose to be an adaption, a loose one at best but still an adaption.

We'll cover more of this in the fan section but despite his intent, Calypso is not a quirky, fun cutesy character.

Multiple abuse survivors including myself have talked about how manipulative and gaslighty Calypso feels in both her songs.

I even showed a creative writing class mate of mine the lyrics of nsfly and she felt grossed out.

Its worse knowing the way Jorge designed the song and that the NSFLY motif shows up in Would You Fall In Love With Me Again. Grouping NSFLY with Thunderbringer and Ruthlessness suggests even if unintentionally that Odysseus hurt Calypso and that she was just another life he ruined.

So adding this all up

We have

1: A white man's experiences being projected into her songs

2: A character who in the source material is not only an abuser and kidnapper but she sa's Odysseus too.

3: A female character shoved to the side and given barley two songs to cover her important arc compared to Circe and Athena who get whole sagas.

Then you add in the factor Calypso lives on a tropical island and has now been casted as a black woman...

It's a similar issue with Antinous but in a different way.

Not only do you have another trope of a black person being in the role of captor/abuser. You have something else too....

Take any misogynistic stereotypes. Woman are too emotional, needy, selfish, and bossy. That is something Black Women have to deal with but ten times worse.

Calypso now in Epic is all of those things even if there have been attempts to try paint that away. Black Women are constantly looked down upon when they express their feelings. I'm not saying other women don't have to deal with that but Black Women get the full brute force.

Worse is the fact that Black Women's feelings are dismissed and not taken seriously. Then you have Jorge calling her a child in an adults body.

It's all a big fat ball of stereotypes stired up in a pot.

We'll get into more later but Jorge by creating his version of Calypso has unintentional or not created a character who gets infantilsed for her actions.

But Mel. If Jorge doesn't feel comfortable adapting the sa Odysseus faced at the hands of Calypso and Circe he has every right to cut it!

Normally I would agree. If he didn't then go and write gang rape into Antinous and the suitors. I've seen people try to defend Jorge but ultimately there's no justification.

If kind of feels very icky that your comfortable writing explicit abuse from the pov of a Predatory Man but not the other way round.

I've got to say I'm not trying to slate Jorge here, it must have been very tricky to write from female characters pov and adapt a centuries old piece into a musical but there were solutions regarding both Circe and Calypso. Since this is about Calypso though we'll mainly focus on her.

1: Do Research and Interviews

This is the first thing a writer should look at doing if they're covering or adapting a topic they don't fully understand.

There is more then one form of abuse e.g rape, gaslighting, bullying...

Researching into this topic and talking to survivors who feel comfortable enough could have informed Calypso's songs.

As a writer myself I get the enthusiasm and urge to rush straight into writing but there's no shame to sit back and research into topics your uninformed about.

2: Have Calypso's Songs Co Written By A Woman

Right so this one might also stir up controversy but I think it would solve a lot of problems.

If you wanted to make Calypso a complex character with a complex backstory have a female voice help inform the writing process.

I know Jorge has done a great job writing a lot of the songs but it's okay to admit when you've hit a bump and reach out for help.

I think having that female voice would have made Calypso a better written female character and allowed for a more compelling antagonist.

I know this isn't the same as Calypso but when Casper Fox was writing stfs he actually got Tegan to write Persephones verse in this beautiful duet between her and Hades. It is nothing like the source material but at least a female voice was involved.

Listening to some of Tegans own songs you can tell the verse has her voice written all over it and it's all the better for it.

Calypso is missing that voice which could have helped.

3: Write Calypso's Songs In The Style Of All You Wanna Do

All You Wanna Do from Six The Musical is a master class in showing abuse in a way that isn't too "dark" to include. Katherine Howards story cannot be separated from the abuse she faced and the injustice she faced at 19 thanks to Henry.

So how do you portray all that in one song? Well you show subtle implications in the lyrics, choreography and the music.

I am in no way saying Six The Musical is perfect it has slight problems with it's colourblind casting too but at least it is not afraid to show what Katherine Howard went through.

Jorge used Hamilton as a framework originally so he could have used Six as well.

I know Epic has a long history but Six became big between 2017-2018

He could have used this as a frame work in rewrites.

If Calypso absolutely has to be toned down their are ways to go about that and All You Wanna Do is proof.

So in conclusion I think Calypso is written with a lot of careless thought and that should be acknowledged as her writing in Epic plays a massive role into why you get these mixed stereotypes of her from fans.

Like I said I understand adapting Calypso here couldn't have been easy but there are other ways to go about it.

At this point Barbara is the only thing carrying Epic Calypso. Without her all of Calypso's Songs would be on skip for me.

Calypso's Portrayal By Fans

There are two sides to Calypso's handling of by fans. I shall dub them

1: Infantilse, Glorify

And

2: Extreme Hate

I don't blame people who hate Calypso if we ignore the writing for a minute she is a very disturbing Goddess especially with the lyrics she sings. Also she kidnaps Odysseus and makes his imprisonment all about her.

So without that being said lets get into the first one.

I've seen a lot of people take Jorge's approach and turn Calypso into a victim. They turn her into this cutesy innocent woman who is just as much a victim as Odysseus.

It's so bad to the point there's a literal support group for her.

I am not saying it's wrong to make a group like this heck I'm a member of the Eurylochus support group but it becomes a problem when you do it for a character who is a cannonical abuser in the source materials.

There are no posts in this group treating her with nuance or acknowledging what she did their instead justifying it.

Calypso's imprisonment in Epic doesn't not at all excuse the way she harasses, gaslights and kidnaps Odysseus for seven years. He did not want to be there and she didn't care.

Not only that but it is low-key racist to infantilise a black woman and act like she doesn't know what she's doing. The infantilsation of Black Woman and the way their talked down to is a common problem.

When we people make mistakes they know what they're doing. Defending and babying Calypso regardless of writing does a lot of harm both racially and to abuse survivors.

But Eurylochus....

Eurylochus is not an canonical abuser. He doesn't kidnap Odysseus and bring him to the point of Suicide.

There's a difference. Please understand that regardless of Jorge's intentions Calypso is not a little angel and this side of the fandom needs to stop acting like she is.

Right now moving on to the other half. Now like I've said it's a hundred percent valid to hate Epic Calypso but there's a difference between hate and being down right being despicable.

I think the issue is that a lot of Calypso haters have their own abuse trauma and that because of Jorge watering down her character people want to use the Odyssey to fill in the gaps. The one place where she actually has a character.

There's nothing wrong with hating Calypso just as there's nothing wrong with hating Antinous but....

It looks a bit weird when you only talk about Calypso and Antinous.

Like with Antinous there's.

"Hate Calypso but I love Barbara."

"Calypso can burn with fire but Barbara's singing voice is amazing."

Not only that but there's people calling Calypso ugly when she's drawn consistently like her VA.

Funny isn't it how the villainous dark skinned characters are the only ones drawn consistently like their va's.

And

Calypso is the only God seen as explicitly harming Odysseus whilst the actions of the white God's in the musical like Zeus, Poseidon, Circe and Athena all go untalked about.

Circe never gets hate or comments about how she sucks.

Not only that but she attempted to mind control Odysseus into submitting to her. Isn't mind control as bad as kidnapping?

There are other options of passion

You have so much left to learn

Want to save your men from the fire?

Show me that you're willing to burn, whoa

So um yeah how come Circe gets let off for that?

You need to ask yourself why you feel comfortable only calling out Calypso's behaviour and not the other God's.

That being said the babying of Calypso is more the problem but so is people rushing to hate on Calypso and send people who like her death threats.

Moving on.

Epic Eurylochus

His Portrayal In The Musical

Before I start this analysis if you want to hear from the voice actor himself.

This is a great interview where Armando explains his approach to Eurylochus and his feelings on him.

Now going into Eurylochus's portrayal in the musical.

Believe it or not Eurylochus is one of my favourite characters in the musical as hes flawed, complex, selfless and stubborn.

His character arc essentially is him learning to try throw away his fear.

He is the embodiment of the Greek tragedy. Eurylochus tries to stand up for the crew, tries to protect them but he fails because unlike Odysseus he is not familiar with the divine. He is a man thrust in a world he doesn't understand.

Jorge wrote him pretty well I'd say as Eurylochus is not Odysseus's foil instead he represents a path Odysseus could have gone down if the fates didn't have a destiny for him. In Mutiny Eurylochus speed runs Odysseus's mistakes

Sparing The Cyclops < Sparing Odysseus

Killing The Sheep < Killing The Cattle

It's tragic as it shows how there was no avoiding tragedy once they all left Troy.

Eurylochus has a really tragic arc that makes me feel bad for him.

In fact Jorge actually does break away from one trope. The black best friend. Odysseus is his brother but Eurylochus is not afraid to call out Odysseus especially during Storm and Mutiny. Normally the black BFF or sidekick is there to support or be obedient but Eurylochus isn't he has his own thoughts and priorities.

Unfortunately they just don't come across well cos we never get Eurylochus's pov. Odysseus is shoved at the forefront of all of Eurylochus's songs even Luck Runs Out. We're never able to develop him with a short solo or anything because it's all Odysseus's pov. We see or well hear what Ody hears.

It also doesn't help that Eurylochus isn't just Eurylochus unlike Polites his instrument is the crew. Which means he embodies all their thoughts too.

Despite all that Eurylochus is compelling. Thunder Saga was so emotional and Armando's performance crushed me.

Also it is important to note that in the cut songs Eurylochus was ACTUALLY intended to be a villian. It is good that Jorge changed Eurylochus into a compelling character and strayed away from a villainous path. Things would have been so much worse if Eurylochus was another villian .

As that would mean minus Zeus and Poseidon, nearly all of Epic's antagonists would be black.

So we really dodged a bullet there.

Okay back on topic to Eurylochus's cannon Portrayal

The thing is although Eurylochus is built up very compelling it all comes crashing down due to one visual decision Jorge made.

Art by anniflamma

Listen this moment is completely out of character for Eurylochus. It feels like he's been possessed or something. That's not the Eurylochus I've been following.

Jorge has described Eurylochus as complex but this is not complex at all. It would be like if Return Of The Jedi had kept it's orginal ending of Luke becoming Darth Vader.

We've established that in the Thunder Saga Eurylochus has lost all hope and believes they're never gonna make it home. So then why does he attack Odysseus at the end of Thunderbringer? Thematically it doesn't feel right.

Armando puts alot of emotion into Eurylochus's words and the "But we'll die?" is not angry or confused. It's ACCEPTANCE. Eurylochus is making one last attempt to appeal to Odysseus's humanity but it's useless. Eurylochus is going to die and he sounds reluctantly accepting of that.

So why would you suddenly tone shift to Eurylochus straight up attempting to take Odysseus down with him. Instead of a redemption or having Eurylochus defend Odysseus you completely go against Armando's performance for the spectacle and have him attack with the crew.

I swear to you this one scene is probably where all the stereotyping of Eurylochus comes from.

I'm all for spectacle Anni's art is beautiful here but not at the cost of character.

Sure there's the moment Eurylochus spares Odysseus after Mutiny but now to the fandom you've painted him as an angry bitter selfish black man.

Jorge did not think that through. If he wanted Eurylochus to be complex he needed to make Eurylochus's last moments alive count and sadly he didn't.

Apart from that though the writing for Eurylochus is good. He's an interesting flawed character that for me has been really exciting to explore in my own fanfictions...

Now let's get onto the fans.

Disclaimer I've been trying to hold back but now well I might not so much. This is because mental health is very personal to me and I am flat out enraged by fan interpretations of Eurylochus.

Eurylochus's Portryal By Fans

A while back Danny Motta finally put out his reaction to Epic and released this poll. Sure we can't compare with other characters but if this doesn't give you a sense of how disliked Eurylochus is I don't know what will.

Seriously my favourite nickname for Eurylochus is the Epic Fandom's punching bag because that's how he's treated. He's used to shield all accountability from the other morally gray characters in the show.

Not only that but you literally can't draw art, make edits, make videos without the comments turning into a debate club. I've seen that with no else but Antinous and Calypso.

Art By Zwist and julsunart

Poseidon, Odysseus, Perimedes, you name it he's always blamed because of that cursed windbag whilst the white characters mistakes go ignored.

The windbag jokes wee funny at first but now they're old and annoying.

I'll go into this more but since the Thunder Saga Eurylochus's reputation has been smashed into the "selfish" guy that opened the windbag and killed the cow.

These two posts explain how the fandom misunderstands him really well.

1:

2:

If we get into all the ways Epic Eurylochus is misunderstood we'll be here all day so instead I'm going talk about some of the main issues I've noticed.

1: The Double Standard

Ody Vs Eury

What I've noticed is that Eurylochus's compared to other characters recieves a much more higher standard on him then all the other flawed characters in the show.

One form of racism still common today is placing higher expectations on people of colour and being less courteous when they make mistakes.

To get to my point Eurylochus like Odysseus is just a man and makes mistakes. They are parallels of each other and opposites.

Odysseus reveals his name and kingdom to the Cyclops putting everyone in danger. Eurylochus opens the windbag and carries that guilt with him the moment Poseidon destroys the fleet in Ruthlessness.

Odysseus distances himself from the crew and is willing to do anything to get home e.g trying to push through an impossible storm, sacrificing six men to Syclla, going nine days without sleep, torturing a God....

Do I need to go on?

Meanwhile, Eurylochus is a man doing all it takes to keep the crew happy and alive.

I just don't wanna see another life end

That's Eurylochus's goal and he takes it very seriously to the point that when the crew has lost all hope, killing the cow and having full bellies feels like more of a merciful death.

Eurylochus isn't an evil character, he's a tragic one. Every mistake he mistakes in trying to help the crew actually leads to their down fall.

1) He opens the windbag (A rigged trap) that leads to Poseidon.

2) Traumatised and scared of Circes's power he suggests they flee to protect the men left. (Which meant that he could have lost Odysseus if Hermes hadn't leant a hand)

3) He spares Odysseus in Mutiny not willing to kill his brother after everything. (Simillar to Odysseus sparing the Cyclops)

4) In a moment of hopelessness and vulnerability he kills one of Helios's Cattle despite the pleas.

He makes tragic human mistakes like Odysseus does, yet gets way more hate for it.

This is not a morality competition a lot of the crews problems could have been solved if Eurylochus and Odysseus actually communicated with each other so why is Odysseus the only one given grace.

If both Odysseus and Eurylochus were played by black actors then prehaps it could be shrugged off but at that end of the day. Epic Odysseus (A white man) is pitted for the mistakes he made whilst Epic Eurylochus (A black man) is consistently demonised.

You can hate Eurylochus but there's a difference between hate and completely misunderstanding his character.

Eurylochus is not the bad guy who wants to ruin Odysseus's life, he is a failed protector just as Odysseus lost ten years with his family because of his hubris.

Polites Vs Eurylochus

But Mel, Eurylochus is constantly pushing back against Odysseus?

Well you know who else does that?

Polites. Eurylochus and Polites push back against Odysseus they just got about it in separate ways.

Compared to Eurylochus, we don't get much from Polites but Open Arms establishes very clearly his goals and mindset.

Polites now that the war is over wants Odysseus to open up his heart and learn to trust again.

He's essentially Eurylochus's opposite.

Whilst Eurylochus wants to live with caution and fear, Polites wants to give the world a chance again.

BOTH EURYLOCHUS AND POLITES VIEWS GET THEM KILLED

Open Arms thematically works exactly like Luck Runs Out accept Polites succeeds where Eurylochus fails. Polites manages to push back against Odysseus's views. In Open Arms once Odysseus has revealed the true nature of the Lotus fruit, warning Polites that it's proof to not be trusting. Bright old Polites here decides to not only trust but ask the drugged up Lotus Eaters where to find food.

Lotus eaters

I'd like to show my friend that kindness is brave

Could you tell me where there's other food to eat?

It's right there in the lyrics, Polites as a friend is trying to prove something to Odysseus. The same way Eurylochus is trying in Luck Runs Out to get Odysseus to slow down and remember the dangers of the God's after some of them died on the last island to Polyphemus.

Polites's desperation to see goodness in the world and trust everyone leads him to his own demise at Polyphemus's hands.

We know the Lotus Eaters aren't to be trusted because one of them whispers.

The cave (Scary cave)

And Athena literally rebukes Odysseus in the following song.

Have you forgotten to turn off your heart? This is not you

So therefore it can be argued Polites plays a part in being responsible for his death and the death of the other crew at the Cyclops Cave.

Just as

Eurylochus opening the Windbag sets off a chain of events that lead to Poseidon.

Yet despite all this Polites pushing back against Odysseus is see as cute and heartwarming and Eurylochus is seen as annoying, whiny and selfish. Ask yourself why if you think this?

Not to mention that Polites is never told he deserved his death for what happened on the Lotus Island whilst Eurylochus apparently deserved to die for the windbag and the wrongs he committed in the Thunder Saga.

I'm sorry the fact that Eurylochus out of our beloved trio is the only who gets harsh treatment and almost zero empathy is very suspicious. It's like double standards have been put on Eurylochus.

2: The Dumb Angry Black Man

As far as I'm aware there are no racial stereotypes in Jorge's writing regarding Eurylochus. Sure there were some present in the cut songs but as I said they were CUT SONGS. Cut for a reason because the songs robbed Eurylochus of any complexity.

All the stereotyping are from fans unfortunately all starting the moment the Thunder Saga came out. It is not a coincidence that all the disturbing jokes and hate started the moment Eurylochus got thrust into the spotlight. I got into the fandom between Cyclops and Ocean and never saw him discussed that much until Thunder.

Think about it?

People are only talking about Eurylochus because in the spotlight he went against the main character and stood up for himself after Odysseus killed six members of the crew without telling him. Not to mention his suicidal act of killing the cow which people always turn into a joke.

To me it feels like fans are only happy when the Black Side Character/Best Friend is only supportive of the white main character.

When he opposes the white main character he's the "aggressive" bad guy.

Fanon Eurylochus very much falls into this category. His character is seen as dumb and stupid for complaining about the lack of food. He's also seen as a rebellious boy that Odysseus has to talk down too.

Don't believe me?

Eurylochus is constantly seen as hypocritical, aggressive and dumb.

That is a stigma black men have to face alot.

In America tons of black men face violence at the hands of institutions because they "seem aggressive". Legit grabbing stuff from pockets could be seen as provoking police.

The fandom treats every mistake or move Eurylochus makes as villainous and holding Odysseus back therefore unintentional or not perpetuating that stereotype.

Not to mention the fat phobic nickname of "big back" and how he's seen as evil in full speed ahead from reminding Odysseus they need food.

Racism and Fatphobia connect very deeply. Funny how Eurylochus's hunger is constantly turned into a joke right?

So in conclusion the complex nature of Eurylochus is always seen in a very negative light.

3: Dehumanised And Mocked For His Struggles

Whilst people always manage to find Odysseus's humanity buried in the monster, understand why Poseidon was hell bent on revenge and that Athena abandoning Odysseus hurt her too. That same courtesy is never given to Eurylochus.

For some reason despite having the crew as his instrument and his own tragic arc. Eurylochus is not given the same grace.

From hunger to betrayal to suicide, no empathy is extended to Eurylochus. His trauma, his downfall is seen as the butt of the joke and almost entertaining.

In Mutiny and Thunderbringer, Eurylochus is brought at his lowest wanting to commit suicide with the crew as all hope is gone. Odysseus is willing to kill any one of them to get home, there's no food and they can't escape Poseidon. Worse is that the moment Eurylochus realises what he's doing he snaps out of his despairing trance.

Also Odysseus goes and proves him right as if almost revealing his true nature. Seeing no other option Odysseus sacrifices them.

Yet this tragic scene is always spinned into a victory for Odysseus, never a tragic death.

Eurylochus is flat out mocked for his line

But we'll die

And his lines during Mutiny are just as mocked when it's literally the words of a suicidal man being backed up by a suicidal crew.

How much longer must we suffer now?

Mental health matters until it's the flawed black side character who spirals am I right?

Don't believe Eurylochus's trauma is turned into a joke here's two examples. Fiy I'm not sending hate to these creators im just using these as a chance to educate.

This to me is a very clear example of the tragedy of Eurylochus being spun around to say. Oh poor Odysseus he had to deal with such an annoying older brother. No consideration that Eurylochus might be worried for Ody and the crew he's just seen as a annoying.

It seems to be a common trend to baby and demonise the crew especially Eurylochus. The thing is their not babies Odysseus has to put up with, their grown ass men. That is why seeing jokes like this spread around confuse me. Why do you feel bad for Odysseus having to deal with the crew but not the other way round?

This type of post has been all too common since the release of the Thunder Saga and it breaks my heart.

There is nothing wrong with being frustrated at the main characters plight but when that same empathy is lacking for the black side character it's a little bit sus.

"The audacity of Eurylochus to be angry at Odysseus for chosing himself!"

That's not what's happening in that scene and honestly it makes me feel bad for Armando. Armando puts so much emotion into each of his lines especially in the Thunder Saga.

It's why I'm always extremely uncomfortable when people mock Eurylochus's "Captain" and "But we'll die."

I challenge you the next time your listening to Thunderbringer to listen to the emotion in Armandos voice and ignore Jorge's visuals.

The "but we'll die" holds no aggression or stupidity. Eurylochus is done. He's trying to remind Odysseus of his humanity even though he knows its useless.

That ending to Thunderbringer is not something to mocked at all, Eurylochus if anything has accepted defeat. So why are you turning it into that.

If anything Eurylochus would agree with you all that he deserves to die, doesn't that tell you something?

Eurylochus is a human too and it's very suspicious to ignore that and use him to shield other characters from any accountability.

https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/our-strategy/becoming-a-truly-anti-racist-organisation/facts-and-figures-about-racism-and-mental-health/

Mental health matters and the way you all discuss Eurylochus's death and in turn mental health will have consequences.

As shown in the linked article black folk have the lowest rate of mental health treatment.

They're often shamed and judged for their struggles in real life, so hypothetically

Say a young black person comes across this fandom and sees a character who looks like them get mocked and dehumanised by the fandom for his struggles. Is that a good look?

Eurylochus in Epic has flaws but his flaws don't undermine his struggles. Just like how Odysseus deserves empathy even if his struggles stem from his actions of revealing his identity to Polyphemus.

I have to say that even though I'm a lighter skinned biracial person. The fandoms treatment of Eurylochus's mental state has even made me feel unwelcome and unsafe especially knowing Odysseus has sympathy for his suicidal thoughts but Eurylochus gets none.

Suicide is not selfish period yes it hurts people but it's also a lot more complex then you think. It is not something to joke about it. I honestly might make a separate post about this cos never mind SA the fandom doesn't tackle the discussion of suicide well at all.

Would you be suprised though if I said that Eurylochus's treatment gets worse.

4: Eurylochus Deserves.....

Fellow reader if you are bipoc or have trauma I advice to step back because what I'm about to share is very disturbing...

So before we get into the mega serious issue there's the minor thing of how whilst other characters get unique and fun designs Epic Eurylochus is consistently drawn the same as his va. The only slightly different designs are from people who give Eurylochus braids or curly hair to show that his hairs grown out. It's just, I've seen the creativity of Epic fans so it's a little strange to me that he only gets drawn the same.

Now onto the main thing.

"Eurylochus Deserves to Be SA'D for his crimes."

Recently Slime, an amazing content creator I know made an au called the closure au.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNHppw4JFYDjK-cvm28/

The closure au follows a scenario where Zeus becomes Eurylochus's, Calypso. He survives Zeus's bolt so is offered to stay on Olympus as his servant in exchange for Odysseus's freedom.

The problem is not with the au it's with the fans reaction. I have seen before Slime deletes them, multiple disgusting comments saying this about the au.

"Eurylochus deserves it."

I wish I was kidding but no, I've seen it for myself and so has Slime.

To put if simply if you feel sympathy for Odysseus and are angered by the abuse he faced at the hands of Calypso and then go around saying Eurylochus deserves to be abused by Zeus in that au then not only are you hypocritical and insensitive to surviors, you also have internalised racism you need to unpack.

No one and I mean no one, fiction or real deserve to experience abuse. PERIOD!

Eurylochus did bad things and his death in cannon was a consequence of all that. Even if it's an au, what Eurylochus went through is unjustifiable.

Violence against black people is a real serious issues and the way you talk about Eurylochus even if he's fictional has weight.

Please be considerate and more thoughtful and ask yourself why out of all the antagonists/morally gray characters in Epic, Eurylochus is the one provoking you to these kinds of thoughts.

Eurylochus is more then the person who opened the windbag and killed the cow and he's not the only one who hurt/delayed Odysseus's journey so stop acting like it.

He is also not Epic's Aaron Burr (The two are completely different characters)

I could ramble about this all day but in short Eurylochus hate feels very deep wired in racism and double standards. Lord forbid a complex black character exists.

Conclusion

In conclusion it is okay to dislike certain characters in Epic. (For example I have a deep distain for Epic Zeus.) However what is not okay is having Eurylochus, Calypso and Antinous characters being the most hated without confronting why that maybe?

Why do you feel comfortable hating on Antinous but don't talk about Zeus? Zeus, who not only makes a sa metaphor in Thunderbringer but also is a child abuser due to deciding to assault and disable his own daughter.

Why do you feel comfortable talking about Calypso's abuse but ignore the way Circe almost mind controlled Odysseus?

Why do you blame Eurylochus for the 500 men and not Poseidon for striking the blow?

I love the Epic Community but if we don't acknowledge the racial stereotypes in the writing of Epic and the stereotypes/biases fans have towards the characters of Antinous, Calypso and Eurylochus. Then we are in danger of letting this behaviour continue.

Thank you so much for taking your time to read this post it couldn't have been easy. I hope you have learned something and understand my concerns.

For now though I want to pass the discussion on to the black community and black epic fans. I really don't want to speak for you. So if you feel comfortable please reblog this and correct me if I've gotten anything wrong.

I too am just a human and don't want to spreading misinformation.

Below in the comments I'll have more resources to check out.

And I'll try make a part 2 addressing the other bipoc characters in Epic.

Until next time,

Melody

They/Them

Tags: @beetloafuu , @daturarants , @livingdatura

[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

Hey there 🌍💙

I hope you're doing well. Today, I’m reaching out with a heartfelt request. My family is going through an incredibly difficult time, and I need your help to make our story heard.

🔄 A simple reblog of my pinned post can spread awareness.

💖 A small $5 donation could bring hope where it’s desperately needed.

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Even the smallest act of kindness can create ripples of change. Your support means the world—thank you for standing with us! 🙏✨

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[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

Epic Theories: Aeolus Was Working With Poseidon In Keep Your Friends Close

Disclaimer: The following theory you are about to read is simply speculation. Everyone has their own interpretations and that's okay.

Introduction

I love Epic The Musical it has its faults but it's music and story is brilliant. Although some ambiguous parts of the musical can be very frustrating there are other ambiguous parts that can lead to very fun speculation and theories.

I have four theories about Epic that I will a hundred percent stand my ground on. One of which is that the windbag test was a rigged test from the very beginning.

Now here me out. This maybe coming from more speculation but I think specifically what happened is that Aeolus rigged the contest to avoid Poseidon's wrath.

Picture it from Poseidon's pov. You've just found out your son was blinded by Odysseus Of Ithaca who is returning from Troy so you send him a storm.

Poseidon's "What!" seems more frustrated than confused at the end of Ruthlessness.

So giving the fact he often sends storms when he's angry I believe Poseidon already knew that Aeolus's windbag would be the one thing that could stop him.

If Epic Zeus can't take his own daughter beating him in a contest I can't imagine Epic Poseidon would be happy knowing that a "lower" Gods bag of winds can stop him from his vengeance.

When Poseidon knew Odysseus was missing he just waited at Ithaca for his return so you cannot tell me he wouldn't be prepared regarding the windbag.

Especially since it could destroy any chance of him getting revenge for his sons blinding.

Art By El_Crafts

Part 1: Poseidon's Plan

In the cut songs Poseidon appears to Eurylochus urging him to open the bag to "save" all his crew. Although it is not cannon I think as a song it can actually tell us a lot.

What if Poseidon is still here but instead of Manipulating the crew he manipulates Aeolus promising not to mess with her domains if she doesn't mess with his.

So Aeolus makes the pact with Poseidon and agreeing to give the windbag but setting Odysseus up to fail.

"Keep your friends and your enemies closer never really know who you can trust."

The very first thing she does to unsure Odysseus fails is to plant the seeds of doubt about his crew ensuring that he isolates himself making it more likely the bag will get open. The second thing she does is break the crews faith in Odysseus further.

Like I said Poseidon was watching Eurylochus in the cut songs so who's to say he didn't as soon as the storm started in cannon.

"It's treasure."

So if Poseidon feeds to Aeolus that the crew are losing faith in Odysseus all she has to do is get her servants to spread rumours.

This key rumour stirs up the crews mistrust of Odysseus and Eurylochus who is now torn in the middle between disproving the rumours and trying to snap Odysseus out of what ever Aeolus has done to him.

Also where does the windbag once it's open lead them too? Poseidon.

I feel like just as much as there's a reason My Goodbye transitions to storm, there's a reason Keep Your Friends Close ends with Poseidon's booming voice.

As much as I love Aeolus I've always felt something sinister underneath her mischievous style. Also Poseidon seems very prepared during Ruthlessness and Get In The Water.

Part 2: What About The Second Windbag?

This is the pure speculation part of my theory/interpretation.

By now your all asking one thing. If Aeolus rigged the windbag to please Poseidon why would she give out a second windbag that actually ended up saying Odysseus's life?

I actually have two answers here.

1: Hermes stole the bag given the whole God Of Thieves thing

Or the more likely option since we hear Aeolus's melody.

2: Hermes struck a bargin with Aeolus explaining his God Games absence.

As much as I would love it that Aeolus and Hermes had a boxing match, I think the second windbag was earned in a more civil way.

Hermes plan in dangerous seems very thought out for someone who wouldn't have much time. Given that there is as far as I'm aware no time skip between God Games or Not Sorry For Loving You.

So I believe that Hermes had this plan though out for the while. He's the God Of Travels and if we take the Hermes visits Calypso head cannons then he very likely knows where Odysseus was.

Relating back to Aeolus I believe that whilst Athena was pleading with dear old Dad, Hermes went to bargin with Aeolus.

Out of maybe guilt or a general curiosity about what Hermes planning Aeolus agrees probably aware Poseidon might already be angry about Odysseus having used the first one to escape during Ruthlessness.

Conclusion

In conclusion here's a rough timeline of what I believe is Aeolus's role in Epic.

-Polyphemus prays to Poseidon after Remember Them and Asks for Vengeance

-Athena abandons Odysseus leaving Poseidon an opening.

-Poseidon sends a storm.

-Poseidon blackmails Aeolus threatening her if she doesn't make trapping his storms a difficult test.

-Poseidon watches the crew deal with the storm and the events of luck runs out realising Odysseus's Crew doesn't trust him. He feeds this to Aeolus.

-Aeolus gives Odysseus the windbag planting doubts in his head about trusting his crew.

-Aeolus's minions spread whispers to spread chaos amongst the crew.

-Odysseus successfully guards the bag for nine days with no sleep.

-Eurylochus opens the bag out of fear for what "Aeolus has done" to Odysseus and to reassure the crew. (I'll expand in another post)

-(Underworld, Circe, Thunder and Wisdom Saga happen)

-Hermes during God Games prepares for the day Odysseus will be freed from Orgyia coming up with a travel plan.

-Hermes confronts Aeolus and asks for a second windbag. She accepts.

So there we have it. Hope you like my theory.

Until Next Time

-Melody-

They/Them

[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

Hey hey heyyyy! So I have been desperate for epic Poseidon angst and I CAN'T find any fics 💔 (I've read all of them and I need moreeeeeeeee. Please helpppll)

Hello kind anonymous let me plug two fics, one of my own and a brilliant one I found.

1: Polluted Heart

https://archiveofourown.org/works/67111102

I assume that if you've found my tumblr you've probably already read this but it was a short story I was rather proud of.

It follows Poseidon after Six Hundred Strike where after Odysseus left his mark he decides to go into exile.

His exile creates a void and in his absence mortals begin to pollute the ocean.

If my assumptions are wrong, give it a go.

2: Waves Of Mortality

https://archiveofourown.org/works/67637186/chapters/174832456

This is a work in progress fic that is not getting the love it deserves. The premise lowkey slaps.

It's basically a what if Poseidon was punished for attempting to kill Odysseus again?

In this he gets a fate worse then six hundred strike. Zeus comes down and restrains his powers before turning him mortal.

The twist is that Poseidon can only end his banishment in two ways either Zeus himself removes the shakles and spell placed on him or Poseidon puts a side his ruthlessness and makes a mends with Odysseus in two years.

That's all, I wish I could recommend more but Epic Poseidon sadly doesn't get the exploration he deserves in Fanfictions.

If there are anymore ill recommend.

That being said I do have two Epic Zeus Angst Fic ideas that can have a bit of Poseidon Angst on the side so we'll see.

-Melody-

They/Them

[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

Polluted Heart

A Poseidon Angst One Shot

Introduction

Hello everyone. So this one-shot is one I've been holding in the back of my mind forever as it was for a creative writing assignment. Studying a creative writing degree has taught me so much and I knew I wanted to right something Epic if I got the chance and well I did.

The assignment was to blend fact and fiction with a 2000 word count so let's say a lot unfortunately had to get cut.

Polluted Heart is a story exploring the parallels between Poseidon's wounding in six hundred strike and how mortals wound the ocean today. With how Poseidon is characterised in Epic I kept thinking about how he would react to the state of the oceans today. We joke Poseidon hates the billionaires but I generally thought it was something worth exploring.

How will Poseidon feel knowing that his defeat to Odysseus has set the mortals to be nothing but disrespectful to his land.

Not only that but what if his humiliation caused him to swap with Odysseus. Odysseus became Ruthless whilst Poseidon becomes a coward who flees in order to avoid any conflict.

So yeah this piece explores that but I might be up for exploring the concept more depending on how I feel

With that here's the fic. If you read I'd love your thoughts this is the first time I've used first person point of view and it was nerve wracking to say the least.

___________________________________________

https://archiveofourown.org/works/67111102

My Poseidon and Amphitrite designs for the fic.

___________________________________________

Conclusion

Will I write another Epic piece for a creative writing assignment? Who knows. What I do know is that I have lots of fics w.i.p including Ruthlessness Is A Mercy Chapter 2, A Stories From Styx Songfic Parody where Ctimene gets her very valid villain arc, a crossover between Epic The Musical and Doctor Who and another Two Shot which will contain the adventures of Eurylochus and Odysseus's daughters as they time travel.

I'm very busy but I promise that you will not be starved for content.

Until Next Time,

Melody

They/Them

Art by @ns2dstudios

[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

I hope this message finds you well. I am Mahmoud, a 26-years old father from Gaza. My beloved wife gave birth to our first baby during the war, filling our hearts with joy and love. 🥰🥰 Yet, I am really concerned about the my kid's safety and future. I want him to live the life that I never had. 😔😔 That's why I have created a GFM campaign to evacuate Gaza and build a better future for my family elsewhere. I will be eternally grateful if you care to donate or share my story for other people to see. 🙏🙏

https://gogetfunding.com/help-mahmoud-and-his-family-2/

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[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

Ruthlessness Is A Mercy An Epic The Musical Two Shot Chapter 1: The Transformation

Introduction

Hello Epic Fans. I'm very excited that after months of writing and editing I am able to present to you my first Epic Two Shot, Ruthlessness Is A Mercy. An au inspired by @silvercaptain24 who originated the idea of Odysseus being turned into Poseidon's son.

Design wise I was also inspired by @tagzpite creator of the Fishysseus au and @mydnyteraven

But yeah this concept was super fun to explore. The idea of Poseidon stripping Odysseus of his agency and making him take Polyphemus's place is fascinating. I do admit the second chapter was a lot harder to write but I made sure to add alot of horror.

Another I made sure to do was differ my au from Silvers. So I came up with a lot of fun lore like how drinking God's blood will determine if your worthy of becoming a Gods child and how the other God's are powerless to interfere.

Also thought it would be fun to add reactions for Odysseus's loved ones and explore the aftermath of Thunderbringer.

Main focus though is making Odysseus suffer.

I hope you all enjoy the first chapter.

___________________________________________

https://archiveofourown.org/works/65769379/chapters/169382506

___________________________________________

Conclusion

Trigger warnings are in the tags but I hope you all enjoy the Odysseus whump. I'm very proud how it turned out and I'm excited to get working on editing Chapter 2 once I find some people to beta read.

Until next time Epic Fans

-Melody-

They/Them

Art By Anihoa Velasco

[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

PSA

So, don't usually make posts like this but I'm seeing a disturbing repeat from previous fandoms and feel a need to say some stuff.

Art takes time, a lot of time, and animatics are essentially drawing illustrations repeatedly over and over until you reach your final result.

Harassing artists WILL NOT get you art faster. Disrespecting artists will not get you specifically the art you want.

Excitement is fine, showing your love for a specific subject of the artist is fine, even encouraging. But. constantly going 'when is x coming out' 'you need to do more of y' 'Is z dead?' is discouraging as fuck and is more likely to kill the art you supposedly love.

Also, the artist has their own vision of things. if you want their content, you have to accept how they want to produce it. You are not their boss, you are not paying them. you are a passive consumer of their product, who makes a conscious choice to consume that product. Unless you are paying them to make that animatic, you have no right to dictate what 'should' be in it.

It feels like everyone either forgot or is too young to remember what happened with Szin and why they left the Hamilton fandom. And it's a prime example of what's happening now.

Artists are people, they have lives outside of your fandom and what they draw is as much based on what they like as what you consume is based on what you like. And if you constantly harass them to draw one subject, all that means is they won't like that subject. and SURPRISE! you don't get the art you like anymore.

You are in the internet, you are in public. Think about how you would feel if people heckled or mocked you in the middle of your school hallway, and that is exactly what you are doing to these artists.

Also to those losing their minds about Penelope being naked in Anni's animatic, this may be shocking but that's how people tended to sleep back then. Oh no, gods forbid people see boobs.

(This is obviously mostly directed at Epic, but this applies to most other fandoms too. If demanding things from people in a hallway at school can constitute bullying, so to can the same behavior online. yall aren't in a private space, conduct yourself better.)

[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

As this should be called out

This is literally the Epic fandom

[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

Epic The Musical- The Meme Saga

Introduction

Hello old friends. Sorry I've been inactive, University has been keeping me terribly busy. To make it up to you all I have been compiling a group of memes that'll make you all laugh. I'm not gonna explain the memes I'm just gonna let you all sit with them.

I promise I'll try share more Epic content soon but alas I've been busy trying to finish my Ruthlessness Is A Mercy two shot as I want to put it our there for you Winions. Especially after your support for Eurylochus's God Games that means so much to me.

But here we go enjoy the laughs.

P.s: All Animations Used For The Meme Will Be Credited.

1: Everywhere I Go I See

Epic! Hermes

Every Hermes canonically is just Troy to me that's who I see now, sorry POJ fans.

2: The Red Eyes Won't Leave Me Alone

Can I please have one Fandom where Red Eyes appear and they're actually explained. Also can the red eyes just leave me alone. I don't need sleep I need answers Odysseus became the monster isn't a good enough one for me. 😭

Animations by: ns2dstudios , Drawing_Angie, @vladislav.arthouse, @LTHS.Studio

3: When Poseidon Simps Get Fed

Honestly this one is pretty self explanatory. I personally do not simp for any of the God's but I was feeling a bit woozy in the chest from that close up. Poseidon Simps definitely ate that shot up hard.

Animation By: ns2dstudios

4: My Reaction To Six Hundred Strike Memefied

Even Gwendy said that this scene was exciting to animate. I couldn't help but agree as unfortunately yes Stephen has a banging voice but I have hated this mf since he first showed up at the end of Keep Your Friends Close. Poseidon is so stupidly petty and the worst Father in existence well second to Zeus so I absolutely revelled in his suffering.

Animation By: @ns2dstudios

5: The Fandoms Reaction To The Windbag Being Opened

When I heard Odysseus's noo scream at the end of Charybdis I immediately thought back to my own reaction when the wind bag first got opened. Tbh though we were all Odysseus at that point as we thought well those who had no spoilers that this was the end of his journey. I love Eurylochus but I am never going to forgive him for destroying his only chance of surviving the show.

Animations By: WolfyTheWitch, @gigizetz

6: Mels Cooking With and Without Epic

Basically as a person with adhd I need music to stimulate my focus when cooking and nearly everytime I've blasted epic whilst cooking my food. Since Epic came into my life I've got better at cooking so I thought it'd be a funny meme. It's also a good indicator of how long it's taken me too cook lol.

Epic Cover Art By: artofzwist

7: When Zeus Simps Also Get Fed

Now again I am not a Zeus simp. I was more terrified of Zeus when he went beast mode but you can't tell me there weren't fans absolutely in love with Lukes performance and how Beast Mode Zeus looked. Plus if Poseidon gets a simp meme Zeus gets his own version too.

Animation By: @smoolio

8: Epic Fandom Vs Eurylochus

Oh Eurylochus buddy you do not deserve the hate that the fandom gives you. Honestly the Thunder Saga should be renamed to The Eury Hate Mob Saga. Armando gave such a good performance and yet everyone was just just tearing their teeth into Eury. This me represents that perfectly.

Art by: smoolio

9: Mel Totally Knew About Eury

To explain this is just my own reaction to when Eurylochus confessed. I had no idea and was a little disappointed in him but as a Eury Stan I forgive him and understand all of his actions.

Art By: smoolio, artofzwist

10: God Games Truama

I have no words this meme just came from my grief over what happened to Athena. When that line came up I full on sobbed. I'm never going to be over the end of God Games because of how traumatising it was. Epic fans don't lie I know you cried too.

Art by: El_Crafts, artofzwist

Conclusion

And that was the meme saga. I will absolutely share more epic memes because there's alot in my folder but yeah I thought it'd be fun to share with everyone else instead of just the people on the writing server.

Am I childish? Yes. Will I stop? No.

Honestly I've never had so much fun making memes.

Until next time,

-Melody-

They/Them

[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

To all Palestine supporters 🇵🇸

We need less than 230€ to reach our short term goal of 31k€‼️🇵🇸

Your donations are important to us and we appreciate them no matter what 🙏🇵🇸

We need you more than ever

Please help me reach our goal as soon as possible 🙏🇵🇸

⏫️⏫️⏫️⏫️

[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

🆘 🆘 A Call for Urgent Help for Our Family in Gaza🚨🇵🇸🍉

Dear Friends and Supporters,🙏

I am reaching out with a heartfelt plea for assistance. My family, consisting of five children and two parents, is in urgent need due to the ongoing crisis in Gaza for the second year of war.

We are struggling to meet our basic needs: rent, food, clean water, and medical expenses. Each day presents new challenges, and my priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of my children, especially after we are afflicted with the ongoing infectious diseases spread in the Gaza like Hepatitis C disease.

If you are in a position to help, any contribution would be immensely appreciated and make a significant difference in our lives.

Thank you for your compassion and support during this critical time.

We hope to help us by donate or reblog/share with others .

Every donation makes a different even if it a small.

Not: our account is Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #155 )

With gratitude,

Rewaa Amir,

This is our link if you need more details of our story 👇👇

https://gofund.me/16f342ff

⏫️⏫️⏫️⏫️⏫️⏫️⏫️⏫️

[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

⏫️⏫️⏫️⏫️

This

Friendly reminder

Idk who needs to hear this, but I feel like it's worth saying as a Villain Song Connoisseur(tm).

[Inhales]

YOU ARE NOT A BAD PERSON FOR LIKING HOLD THEM DOWN.

Yes, there's some rancid shit mentioned/discussed in the song, but that's part of what makes it so effective as a villain song in the story. Antinous is the type of villain who's just The Actual Worst, and needs a song as intense as Hold Them Down to showcase that.

Besides that, Hellfire from The Hunchback of Notre Dame is largely considered one of the most beloved Disney villain songs, and it touches on similar problematic subjects with a dash of Catholicism for ~extra flavour~. Granted, Hellfire is very toned-down compared to Hold Them Down because, y'know, Disney movie needs to be suitable for the Little Humans, but it's still along the same lines.

And plus, Jorge's an incredibly talented songwriter, JP is amazing with sound design, and with Ayron's vocals it's just a banger song, plain and simple. There isn't anything wrong with enjoying a good song in general. I don't doubt the possibility that some people would like the song for the wrong reasons, but that doesn't mean it's inherently immoral to enjoy a well-made song.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

🍉🍉🇵🇸

Hello dear ones

I am speaking to you from the midst of suffering and tragedy with a heart full of pain for what happened to me and my family because of the war in the Gaza Strip

My name is Mohammed from the northern Gaza Strip and I am currently displaced in a miserable refugee camp in Mawasi Khan Younis .. My family consisting of children and my elderly mother and father are suffering from all kinds of tragedy and misery as there is no food or medicine ..

It is difficult for me to ask for help as I was living in good financial conditions before the war but the circumstances forced me to ask for help

Please do not ignore my suffering and donate to me or share my story of suffering

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

‏Hello,

‏My name is Suhail, and I live in Gaza. My family and I are going through unimaginable hardships because of recent events. Our home was completely destroyed, and we now live in a makeshift tent that barely protects us from the cold winter nights or the scorching summer heat.

‏Every day is a struggle to meet basic needs like food, clean water, and medicine. Despite these challenges, we remain hopeful and determined to rebuild our lives and find stability for our children.

‏Your support, no matter how small, could change our lives. We are raising funds to build a safe shelter and cover essential needs for our family.

‏Together, with your kindness, we can create a brighter future and help our children dream again.

‏Thank you from the depths of my heart for any help you can provide.

https://gofund.me/63127503

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

Hello everyone ❤️,

My name is Majed, and my family and I are trying to rebuild our lives after the war destroyed everything we had, including our home.😔 My children are studying at university, trying to build a better future, but how can they succeed without a safe place to call home?🏠😥

Unfortunately, the campaign is moving slowly, and we still need your help. All we need is a secure home to protect my children and restore the safety we've lost.🙏🏻🇵🇸

As Christmas 🎄 approaches, a time of hope and love, we dream of a safe home to celebrate together. Your support, no matter how small, makes all the difference.

https://gofund.me/abbc2759

Wishing you a Merry Christmas filled with peace and love.✨❤️

⏫️⏫️⏫️⏫️⏫️

[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

‎‏I am mohammed ayyad of Gazans, living in very difficult conditions because of the war that the Gaza Strip is under. Since the outbreak of the war on the seventh of October we have been evacuating .

‎‏Then the journey of suffering and separation began,because my children were separated and evacuated from our home without covering or clothes., From here they became infected with diseases, and what increased our fatigue was the constant upbringing due to the different areas in which we were displaced, as we were displaced 9 times, and this was very expensive, the last of which was the 9th of this August from Hamad Town. In addition to that, we have lived in the summer season in a tent that did not exceed three meters, closed with nylon, so it is like an agricultural greenhouse atmosphere. It is very hot. All in all, we live difficult days that no human beings can afford

We have no work because of the war, and we do not have any kind of money and this is accompanied by a crazy and horrible rise in prices.

Although water is not suitable for drinking, this is the cause of many diseases

The last suffering is that we are out of Hamad without taking our purposes or our tents and now we are searching the earth in the roads and our children and our elderly parents are suffering..So we use direct donation including what they can or share links fully so people can know our tragedy and pain. Remember a small contribution can make a difference in the lives of many children who are dealing with their health condition all. Leave their details and make them happy with your generous contribution.

⏫️⏫️⏫️⏫️⏫️⏫️⏫️