#LISTEN TO THE WISDOM SAGA ITS OUT NOW

[r4d0m-13]

Ranting about God Games (Specifically Apollo)

I’m so normal about this.

So the live stream just came out and AAAAAAAHDA TO ESTHFRR DE H

ok.

So a lot of people are talking about how Apollo really didn’t even have much of an argument and really didn’t want to be involved much. I raise you, he wanted to make it easier for Athena. Apollo and Athena are Knowledge and Wisdom, they get along well. They probably have tea and talk about what budding civilizations will grow into mighty empires. And they have probably broached the topic of Odysseus multiple times, once Apollo had gotten over the sacking of Troy. (enough for Apollo to be familiar enough with him to USE HIS NICKNAME)

So when Zeus chooses Apollo to be one of the Gods who needs to be convinced, he has no idea what to say AND wants to make it easy.

Another thing is the visuals, (THE ANIMATOR FOR HIM DID SUCH A GOOD JOB AAAAA) every other Deity shows Athena have to visually struggle even just a bit to convince the others.

Hephaestus was not that big of a struggle, Athena has to maneuver her way through his forge to get through to Hephaestus. He and Athena have a more passive relationship so she has to navigate more carefully than she would for someone like Artemis.

Athena and Aphrodite have a much more antagonistic relationship. Athena has no interest in love as an Eternal Maiden. Aphrodite has always had problems with that in myths. So they don’t like each other. Because of that, Athena has to stop her from dismissing the conversation and get her stop and think about it. Ares interrupts and he and Athena have that sibling rivalry as they are both war gods and Athena is more favored. They physically fight and argue and Athena has to win to convince Ares and Aphrodite in extension.

Hera and Athena could have varied relationships, but they seem somewhat cool with each other so it’s just a dance battle. All Athena needed was one good move but she didn’t know what was good enough for Hera, so she went for the “He respects the sanctity of his marriage” card.

However for Apollo, they were just in a pleasant spot with him playing his Lyre while they talked. He put up a small qualm he could reasonably have with Ody, and Athena responded in kind. It was a short exchange as they both agreed that he needed to be let go but they needed to put on a show of disagreement first. He didn’t want to waste time while Ody was wasting away on the island and sent Athena off fast as he could.

YOU SEEE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.

[equestriagirl16]

Og joke inspo👇

[cassandra-silver]

Finally, I am happy to present to you my ...

EPIC: THE MUSICAL | ACT I [Character Design project]

I have been working on these for a long time and I am very happy with how these turned out. I am a huge fan of visual character design and I simply needed to do a full lineup.

Act II will follow shortly (it is all done except for Ithaca Saga, which I will add as soon as it drops.) Please enjoy, and read below for some thoughts and background on some of my design choices!

TROY | CYCLOPS ft. Odysseus, Athena, Eurylochus, and Polites

With Odysseus, I really wanted to emphasize his free spirit in this era and mark him as Athena's warrior, so I gave him a special belt and some armbands that represent her (this was inspired by some of @mircsy's work). He also has heterochromia; his left eye is green, representing his cunning, wisdom, and spirit; his right eye is gray, representing his ruthlessness and warrior side.

I simply love Athena in purple/gold. Her mask is a symbol of her invulnerability and comes off only during "My Goodbye" when Odysseus tells her that she's alone. Her cape can also transform into wings, and her eyes are actually golden without the mask.

I had to give Eurylochus his large anime sword (it's just as heavy as it looks but he likes it that way because that means no one besides him is strong enough to wield it ... I imagine Eurylochus can bench press at least Odysseus' and Polites' weights combined. He and Polites are also wearing variants of Odysseus' armor, indicating that they belong to the same army.

Listen, I can vibe with Eurylochus' giant sword but I draw the line at Polites with glasses, sorry. He still gets the hairband, of course. He's also dressed more casually, and without a weapon, because of his pacifistic outlook. He's the physically weakest among the trio by far but also still an inch taller than Odysseus (it's fine, Odysseus is still like 5'10, his friends are just all so freaking tall...)

OCEAN ft. Aeolus, Poseidon, and Odysseus

Not gonna lie, I LOVED designing Aeolus' outfit. She's playful and mischievous and loves to hang out in the clouds all day; her outfit is probably made out of clouds let's be real. Also yes, her image on the windbag moves to make cheeky faces.

Poseidon I cannot imagine without tentacles anymore thanks to @gigizetz's "Ruthlessness", idk it just fits him so well. He definitely got all dressed up to go and sink Odysseus' fleet that day, he has a reputation, you know? And he just likes the shiny gold and accessories; the ocean is full of them so why wouldn't he?

Edit: I actually updated this design somewhat significantly; if you're interested in the current one, check here! He still has a tentacle/monster form, but it's not his only one.

Since breaking up with Athena, Odysseus lost her belt and armbands. He's still wearing her brooch because he couldn't bring himself to fully throw that away as well yet. Polites' hairband around his wrist reminds him of what he's fighting for and what to live by ... for now (Poseidon is about to ruin this man's whole career...)

CIRCE | UNDERWORLD ft. Circe, Hermes, and Tiresias

I wanted to give Circe the "witch" vibe while putting a Greek spin on it and I actually adore her design. She seems both immortally youthful (something I aim for with all my god designs) and motherly. There she was, gathering some herbs when a bunch of strangers crash onto her island ... Oh well, at least this man was a good man this time.

Hermes is kind of just Hermes. I wanted to keep him shaded, a bit impish, and definitely up to no good. He's wearing the contrasting colors on purpose, by the way. And yes, his hat can fly on its own ... But for it to do that he'd have to actually be willing to show his face which he seldom does unless he really trusts you.

Tiresias is a soul, so he has the same kind of ageless youth as all my gods (something that goes for souls of dead people too, since I like to think they get to appear at whatever age they want after death.) He's looking a bit regal since he's a prophet, so I imagine regarded highly, even in the Underworld. Instead of the blindfold, his hood covers his face, adorned with a symbolic eye to identify him and his skill.

***

Well, that's it for ACT I, friends, I hope you liked these! I will upload ACT II asap. Please comment and/or tell me your thoughts about my designs! And feel free to ask any questions you may have! I would love to talk more about these.

[transbutchblues]

could you please elaborate on your feelings on the gods' characterization in the wisdom saga? Not forcing you tho!

sure! keep in mind that i love EPIC and that even if i complain about things here, i totally respect the choices that Jorge makes. it’s his musical and i admire all the work put in the songs.

disclaimer : most of the time i try to dissociate EPIC from the Odyssey in my mind, because thinking of EPIC as an adaptation tends to make me upset due to how different it is. but it’s also amazing on its own! there are creative liberties that i deeply love (like having Odysseus know about Scylla but not telling anyone, and changing the context of the mutiny), others that i don’t like that much but that i can get behind, and others that i really dislike. i understand why everything is done the way it’s done, but i still have opinions.

before talking about the Wisdom Saga i’d like to explain how i felt about the gods in the other sagas. as a classics student and a hellenic polytheist i tend to dislike most modern portrayals of the gods, mostly because they’re usually flat and lack nuance. up until this saga, i had never been disappointed by any choice done regarding the gods in EPIC. they were all so interesting.

i loved Zeus in Thunder Bringer. it’s one of my favorite songs, and i found that Zeus was beautifully portrayed. he’s the villain, sure, he offers an awful choice (for the second time), but the situation was created by Odysseus and his men. i loved the lyrics and their double meaning.

this all fell apart in God Games, for me. it just didn’t feel like the same Zeus anymore. and as much as i try to dissociate EPIC from Homer’s epics, i love the Iliad and the Odyssey too much not to point out that Zeus would never be like that. in the Odyssey, Zeus immediately agrees with Athena on the fact that Odysseus must be freed from Calypso’s island. Poseidon is the only god who really wants to stop Odysseus, Zeus doesn’t exactly care about him. he knows Odysseus’ fate and he won’t go against it. besides, Athena is Zeus’ favorite daughter in Homer’s works. he loves her. he doesn’t like it when she defies her, that’s very clear in the Iliad, he even threatens her when she does that, but he loves her dearly and he gives her nearly everything she asks for. he would simply not strike her down like that. and Zeus has no reason to go against his own word. if he sets a challenge, he respects the terms. he’s a fair god, he’s a ruler, he’s all about divine justice. i don’t mind changes, but i dislike these ones.

and Athena… Athena was always the deity i felt the less sure about in EPIC. don’t get me wrong, i love her in the previous songs. but i never knew where exactly her character arc would bring her and i felt uneasy. now i know i was right to feel this way.

there had to be an explanation to the fact that Athena hadn’t helped Odysseus during the years he was imprisoned by Calypso. i understand why in EPIC, this explanation is that Odysseus and Athena fought and fell apart. in fact, i love My Goodbye. i think the way Odysseus is portrayed in the Cyclops Saga makes him way more of an asshole than he is in the Odyssey (and that’s alright by me!), because he’s stupid and hubristic and he refuses to listen to Athena. in the Odyssey, Athena never abandons Odysseus, she helps him during his entire journey. but if he had talked to her like he does in EPIC, she probably would have left him! i find their fight interesting, how cold Athena can be, how betrayed they both feel.

but! here comes the Wisdom Saga. and i love Athena in Little Wolf. i like her in God Games too. maybe even in Love in Paradise. but i can’t get over We’ll Be Fine, it just doesn’t sound right to me. i like Telemachus. but i hate that this is how Athena suddenly decides to go back to Odysseus. "i could sleep at night", really? why would she feel guilty about leaving a hero who refused to listen to her? i enjoyed how cold she was in My Goodbye, it was an interesting choice, and i would have liked for her to remain this way. or to change more slowly. the loneliness aspect could have been great if it had been explored more in depth (which i know wouldn’t have been possible since she doesn’t have enough songs to allow for slow character development). this just felt rushed and strange.

i would have liked for Athena not to reach out until Odysseus does. the moment where he cries out her name at the end of Love in Paradise is heart-wrenching, i love it. that’s when i would have loved for her to suddenly hear him and go back to him, instead of already being there. that would have been a moment where she could have decided to help him despite what he said and did, because she still cares about him and she sees him being so desperate. that could have been a moment where she feels guilty or lonely.

i know it’s done that way so that Telemachus saves Odysseus’ life by giving advice to Athena. it’s fine, it’s a nice idea. i understand why people like it, and i’m glad they do. it just feels off to me.

regarding the other gods: firstly, Calypso is great and i love her! now, on the other ones: i think instead of all this weird Zeus portrayal in God Games, it would have been nice to mention Poseidon. if there had to be a reason for Zeus not to want to release Odysseus, it could have been something to do with his brother. Apollo’s appearance felt unnecessary, his argument was weak, i’m still glad he was there but i didn’t love his portrayal. my opinion for Hephaestus is similar (though i liked his portrayal better, he just felt unnecessary), with another thought: i’m already starting to see more art of him and i really wish people would depict him as disabled, because not everybody does. i liked Aphrodite’s and Ares’ part, and Hera’s was fun. i don’t necessarily like the overall vibes of God Games but that’s just a matter of my music tastes, there are multiple songs in EPIC that i don’t really listen to because of that while still enjoying their role in the storyline.

obviously most people disagree with me, and i’m glad everyone seems to love that saga. some parts were just really not for me, namely, We’ll Be Fine, the beginning of Love in Paradise, and the end of God Games.

[dukeyeatsdeodorant]

Whenever Roman gets a new interest/hyperfixation he likes to put Virgil through it so he can talk about it to someone without worrying about spoilers.

Roman: VIRGIL!!

Virgil: Yeah, what is it now, Princey?

Roman: Welll, the Wisdom Saga came out and YOU have to listen to it with me and hear my theories!

Virgil:..What is this one again?

Roman: Its Epic! The Musical, remember? I can sing some of the songs, maybe that will jog your memory!

Virgil: NOPE! I remember! Please don't sing right now-

Roman: Fiiine, I won't. But, I will sing along to the Wisdom Saga and you can't stop me!

Virgil, groans: I won't be able to hear the actual music.

Roman: I'm not THAT loud.

Virgil:

Virgil: Whatever helps you sleep at night.

Roman, dragging Virgil to his room: No time for sleep!!

Virgil, letting himself be dragged, playfully rolls his eyes.

[thinking-through-some-things]

Curious about your EPIC rework because I was also disappointed by it

like i mentioned in my other post here (before i gave up), this definitely isn't the only possibility; you could focus the musical around something else. for my version, though...

as i said, i would build the musical around the idea of duty vs desire, and tie that into mercy vs ruthlessness. i think it would focus less on odysseus's guilt overall, which seems to be the real focus of the musical, and focus it more in this direction. still plenty of angst, but a little more pointed.

a lot of my changes probably take the musical further away from the odyssey. i'm actually not too concerned about trying to faithfully follow the source material; i think it's more important to actually tell a coherent story, and when you're abridging the material, you need to cut stuff. just be clear that's what you're doing.

(also i'm not going to cover everything i think needs to be fixed. mostly just elements to support my theme.)

i think it's a given that the saga format doesn't work for the final draft of a musical. no shade, it was a really smart way to gradually release the musical. ultimately though, it limits the story because then they were blocked into sticking with a theme, and you end up with too many epic finale songs... but i'll stick with it to help organize here. i'm just not sticking with a "theme". mostly because i'm getting rid of the wisdom saga to better distribute its songs.

unsurprisingly, i've written far too much and it's poorly organized, so this is just act one. i'll reblog with act two.

act one

overall, i would say act one is by far the stronger of the two. i'm probably going to cut at least 30% of the current act two, but act one mostly just needs editing. some songs might need more work, but mostly they still get to stay in the same place. add some spoken dialogue and you've got a pretty decent start.

the troy saga:

most of the troy stuff is fine. i think it helps to set up this idea of ruthlessness, and shows the peacekeeping side of odysseus. could it be stronger? yeah. but i like it setting this whole thing up. i have 2 main changes here.

1) every time odysseus mentions penelope and telemacus, he needs to mention anticlea. the musical has a bad habit of not introducing characters/elements until they're relevant, and i think it suffers for that. including odysseus's mother in the list of people he wants to get home to makes her death more impactful. i was so confused when she showed up the first time; she needs to be in here from the start.

2) to go with my theme, i would do this: the reason odysseus needs to kill the baby is because the baby would grow up to kill him; however, that doesn't necessarily mean ithaca would suffer. zeus can word it really carefully - i don't think that distinction needs to be immediately clear to the audience, but after you know how the story ends you can go back and realize that when you re-listen to it. this doesn't require much tweaking, but it helps to really set up the idea of making decisions for the greater good vs for selfish reasons (maybe he could have raised the kid? and only he would have died in the end? i want the audience to question this!)

moving into the second half of the saga, i think we need to introduce odysseus's men earlier. maybe a scene of him commanding them in troy? since i'm talking about a full musical instead of the current format, this might just be dialogue, not a song. but i think we definitely need a little more of polites before he dies. i don't really like having odysseus start out untrusting and jumpy, which is how he comes across to me in open arms. it doesn't make sense for this to be a lesson he needs to learn now, after being king of ithaca for well over a decade. originally i was just going to cut him, but my fiance persuaded me to let him stay. plus his death to polyphemus is a very brutal turning point.

instead, i would have a song/scene where we set up eurylochus and polites as odysseus's two advisors, two different sides of his leadership. you could rewrite open arms to fit here. polites argues for presuming peace, and eurylochus views things with suspicion and wants to attack first to keep the men safe. this really helps set up mercy vs ruthlessness. it shows odysseus is already a leader who balances peace and action, and it makes polites's death all the more tragic, because he represents the death of odysseus's inclination towards peace.

finally, i find athena's introduction and focus on being ruthless in this and the next saga confusing. she's mad at him for not being less emotional and more ruthless, but i don't see what that has to do with him being a "warrior of the mind". instead, i would make it clear that she thinks he isn't being cautious enough. she's mad because she thinks he isn't being shrewd, not because he's being nice.

athena and eurylochus should be coming from the same place: we need to be overly cautious and strike first, because that's how you stay safe. and rather than having a jumpy odysseus being taught to trust people by his soft bestie, i think he should be a general, exhausted from fighting for 10 years, jumping on the idea of relying on trust so he can relax and not feel so jumpy. his duty is to balance these two ideas, mercy vs ruthlessness, but because he chooses only mercy without remaining vigilant, polites dies and now he only has eurylochus to give him advice, meaning no one else is trying to suggest mercy. (i don't think eurylochus is bad - actually, he clearly prioritizes the crew and is always suggesting whatever is best for them. but often what is best for you isn't the best for those you come across, which is why it's the leader's job to balance those two things - again, the theme i'm going with in this version.)

anyways, athena needs to focus on pushing odysseus to be more suspicious and calculating, not more ruthless. she scolds him at all the same points, but now it actually makes sense. i don't love their flashback, but i don't have suggestions to fix it, so we'll leave it alone for now.

the cyclops saga

not too many notes here. getting to see the crew more gives it a little more weight (the stage production needs a tiny dialogue scene where you get quips and comments from nobodies so they're a little more recognizable when they die! make people even sadder!), but this is a really chilling series. the exposition bits need rewording (and again, a stage production has the benefit of 1) spoken word, and 2) stage directions so you can just show things happening).

odysseus's convo with athena needs work. as is, this doesn't seem like a good place for "what good would killing do when mercy is a skill more of this world could learn to use." this is supposed to be the stance athena takes at the end of the musical, but this particular act of mercy seems to lead to the death of most of his men in the very next act - which really makes it weird that athena apparently agrees with that sentiment.

i don't hate everything about this line, especially if we actually see athena ruminating over the line over the next 10 years. but it needs to be clear that it is not mercy but pride that leads to the death of his men. or, if we want to make it about mercy instead of pride, it shouldn't be as the sort of threatening brag that it currently is; instead, frame it as "even now, when we've beaten you, we're still choosing to let you live. because i, odysseus, king of ithaca, have chosen to show you mercy." obviously yes it's still his pride, but then when everyone blames his "mercy" for getting his men killed it makes more sense.

(coming back to really hone in on the idea that mercy isn't the problem here - maybe eurylochus notices something is off before polyphemus starts singing, tries to point it out, and gets brushed off as being too suspicious and bloodthirsty? yet again, i find the musical's stance on mercy confusing. is it good? they seem to want it to be - that's definitely what open arms implies, especially since it gets repeated so often. except the musical stresses that mercy is *why* everything went south here, and it rarely actually shows mercy working. it's confusing. i think this whole thing should feel more like odysseus was reckless, the only thing athena calls him that actually makes sense, and that's why this didn't work. the characters don't need to say it directly, but the musical needs to better frame it that way.)

(an aside, but they still grab sheep on their way out? obviously they're still starving but like. i'm side-eyeing the way everyone (in the musical) acts like he was so "merciful" for leaving polyphemus alive, but even after he learns the sheep are polyphemus's friends and their deaths are what drive him to violence, he still makes a point of stealing and killing them... this isn't a serious criticism i'm just poking fun at it. but hypocritical much?)

athena's anger in my goodbye makes no sense to me - not that she's not justified, but that her reasons make no sense. she calls him "sentimental" and "soft", but that's absolutely not the problem here. she should yell at him for being prideful and cocky. accuse him of sparing polyphemus just to feed his own ego, or of being short-sighted - she mentioned the danger of leaving him alive in the last song, why not bring that up again? why doesn't she scold him for foolishly giving up his name? it's really weird that she keeps harping on the idea that he's "emotional".

odysseus's retort is good, but also a bunch of people just died so it's weird that he's so confident about how right he is. "my friend is dead, our foe is blind. the blood we shed, it never dries" from the last song, and "unlike you, every time someone dies I'm left to deal with the strain" in my goodbye are really good lines. more of his position needs to come from his exhaustion, because odysseus is smart. he's a brilliant general. this does a better job of explaining why he's making so many mistakes early on, and why he's pushing back against athena so hard despite the fact that he just fucked up real bad. he was wrong. he should have acted faster like she warned him to. but making him a man, exhausted from a decade of fighting, desperately trying to grant mercy where he can? his pushback makes more sense.

also, him jabbing at her for wanting "to be known" and being alone? really weird. the musical frames athena as this loser whose only friend was odysseus. i don't get it. especially when you're calling her a goddess who doesn't understand feelings right before that? which is she, a powerful goddess or a lonely girl? stick with him accusing her of not understanding human emotions and interactions. it still gives her a reason to stick around - she can be offended by the insinuation that there's something she doesn't understand, and it gives her a reason to dwell on his comments and eventually change.

the ocean saga

eurylochus needs to call odysseus out; if he'd listened to him, if they'd acted faster against polyphemus, they might not have lost those men, including polites. obviously that might not be true, but it feels like that's what his position should be. it's really weird that they're nervous about the wind god because "your luck might run out" rather than "you did just make a bad call that got people killed". especially when odysseus says "i took 600 men to war and not one of them died there." sure, not there, but you just lost a couple to a cyclops. this more deliberate questioning makes the sidebar with "i can't have you planting seeds of doubt" a little more serious. it's not just "what if you're not lucky," but also "what if you're not as sharp? what if you're making mistakes and bad calls?" the luck thing works for the rest of the crew, but eurylochus's role in this musical is to question odysseus and challenge him as a leader, to make sure odysseus is doing what will keep the men safe.

eurylochus questioning odysseus more pointedly makes the betrayal in the next song make more sense. we should already have the sense that he's starting to doubt odysseus's judgement. his "luck running out" doesn't really explain why you're doubting him with the wind bag; but if you think he's hiding things or making bad decisions, suddenly it makes a lot more sense. i think the implication in the show is that it's just curiosity, and we don't even hear eurylochus asking about it. now, if we have already established eurylochus is already questioning odysseus's judgement, it's a little less weird when we learn he's the one who opened it.

again, we need a mention of anticlea, and she should sing with penelope and telemacus.

honestly? basic take here but i like ruthlessness. i'm fine with not changing my theme to use a better word because this one is a banger. and the one animatic with him as a creepy horse? more horse poseidon imagery, please.

i think poseidon needs to call out specifically how hypocritical odysseus is more. lean into that "false righteousness". the problem is that he isn't being "nice" or "merciful", at least not in those moments, not in how he's currently behaving. most of this interpretation is already there; honestly, just changing the delivery of some of the lines would go a long way. "you are far too nice" needs to have the last word almost spat out - poseidon doesn't actually think odysseus is nice; nice is just a word odysseus is hiding behind to justify his actions. i'm sure it could use more work, but at a glance i really like this one.

it goes without saying that the ending sucks ass though.

i can't imagine anyone thinks that was a good ending. idk how to fix it because the current one is so bad it's hard to think of any way to have something good there. you just can't have the jaunty "open this bag" music in there at all. i know they like to mix in motifs and call back to other songs, but it fucking kills all the momentum in what is otherwise a very dramatic song - and we need to be able to take this song seriously, because it's what the entire rest of the musical is based on. i'm open to a completely different ending, but if you want it to stay relatively close to the current staging: poseidon and odysseus stare each other down. poseidon asks "any last words?" and you think odysseus is about to say something dramatic and instead... he yells "eurylochus!" poseidon is confused, but eurylochus responds with "captain!" and, understanding what he's asking for, throws odysseus the wind bag (he helped odysseus close it, so maybe he got it then, or at some other point, idk). and then odysseus opens the bag in poseidon's face. then everything poseidon does is the same, the effect is the same, you just don't get the musical equivalent of a wet pool noodle slapped across your face.

the circe saga

first! an addition! the musical wants athena to be a foil to odysseus, but they do such a poor job of exploring her character or logic at all, it just doesn't work. her character revolves way too much around odysseus. she says goodbye, and then we see her 4 sagas later (half the musical) where, apparently, she's decided odysseus was right because... maybe if she'd agreed with him they would still be friends. and then she defends everything he's done... look, i'm getting rid of god games, so i won't go into that now. yeah, odysseus is still what prompts her to change her mind in my version, but he's just the start of that journey. she's going to have other reasons. i want to add in a couple songs throughout the musical, just to show the transition a bit. additionally, they can help show time passing in odysseus's story by breaking it up a bit.

this first song is a small one. it's just telling us what athena is thinking and what she's going to do. it's basically her mopey and angry that odysseus insulted her. but she's a goddess of wisdom and intellect, so she's kind of intrigued - maybe there is something to learn about leading with kindness. i haven't decided how she ends up back in ithaca, but she's decided to investigate this. i know the popular (not academic, more fandom-related) interpretation of greek gods is that they're all stubborn and that's the whole point, but for the sake of this story and the theme (and also the character), i think athena should take the stand that if there is wisdom to be gained, it is her duty to learn it. again, this one is pretty short - a verse of angry, and then she talks herself down, and then she's setting out to investigate - a little bit to learn something new, maybe a little bit to prove odysseus wrong.

the athena song can also go at the end of the circe arc. i was going to put another one in there, but the pacing and time line don't match well, and monster is definitely the finale to act one. i wanted to fit something along the lines of the start of the wisdom saga in here, but i think i'm going to put it at the beginning of act two, so. only one extra song for now.

onto the actual saga: i think it's done pretty well. some of the phrasing is awkwardly fit into songs, but that might just be me, and it's overall not egregious. i will confess that "she had us in just two words" "come inside" "damn" does make me giggle every time like a 12-year-old boy. i didn't mention it in my post on the musical's women because i don't think the text directly addresses it, but there's a definite implication that circe is as harsh as she is to protect her nymphs from sexual assault, which they might have faced before. removing the undertones of that from her relationship with odysseus was the right call - i don't think that's a conversation this musical actually wants to have, and it muddles her justification for how she handles the men.

circe is also gives us someone to compare odysseus's leadership to; she's basically the only other leader of a cohesive group that we see. her harsh policy stands in direct contrast to odysseus's earlier choice to start with unchecked "mercy". in turn, her nymphs are safe. we see her later learn that there are times where you can extend mercy and trust, so she even has character growth. (you could make a very interesting comparison between circe & her nymphs and the sirens, but that's a discussion for outside of the musical, so i'll leave it for now.) i wouldn't be surprised if other people have criticisms, i just haven't been able to find basically any critical discussion of the musical, so.

you could mostly leave this saga alone, but i'm inclined to take my red pen and make some bigger changes. i'm just not sure how to. i really don't like hermes and the flower being inserted here - again, i think there's too much bloat in the musical of "oh here's a thing that's in this specific bit, clearly just because that's what happens in the odyssey, and then we won't talk about it again." hermes does appear in two songs, but actually, does he need to? i'm of the opinion that the musical needs fewer characters so that it can better focus on developing the ones that actually need to be in here. the only problem is that odysseus needs the flower from hermes to explain why he has magic in the next song. okay, so what if no magic is used, and he just uses his wit to convince her? except that's basically what the plot of the next song is. so at this point i've basically gotten rid of two songs and completely changed the third, and that doesn't really work. or need to happen.

i stand by wanting to remove hermes. i think you can just give odysseus some line to eurylochus about having heard about a plant on these islands that makes one immune to being transformed by magic for a time. i don't think it's important - it's literally a small, one-time detail just to explain why circe doesn't immediately turn him into a pig. he doesn't need magic in done for - he can just fight with a sword while circe is slinging spells at him. and then you can still go into there are other ways.

the one change that i think does need to be made is that odysseus needs to spend a year on the island. he needs to be stuck here. it does mean you have to basically cut the song in half, but that just means the second part, where circe decides to help odysseus, needs to be a reprise. i think you have circe trying to seduce odysseus, and then she's shocked when he rejects her. the difference is that he doesn't fully win her over; instead, she decides to give him and the rest of his crew one year. for one year, his remaining crew recovers on the island and rebuild the ship, helping the nymphs with whatever tasks they ask and basically proving "not all men" are terrible. finally, odysseus shows that there's payoff to being a merciful leader! he saves all of his men! as they're finally preparing to leave, penelope shows up, we get the reprise, and she sends them to the underworld. all is well!

the underworld saga

or, all is not well.

this is where i spell out my theme: while a good leader is merciful, mercy takes time. and that extra time can be detrimental to personal goals.

this is why it's important to mention anticlea earlier, and why the crew spends an extra year on circe's island trying to save the rest of the men. taking a year to save his men makes odysseus a good leader, yes, but it might have cost him a chance to see his mother before she died. it doesn't matter when she actually died in the odyssey - what matters is that this is really what makes odysseus question the cost of mercy. this is where he starts to put his own desires over the safety of the crew, because the cost of taking too long is suddenly real - as is the cost of taking time to be merciful.

i actually don't have too much to add. some edits might need to be made to fit with other changes, but overall it's fine.

okay, there's act one! this is definitely long enough, so i'll reblog with act two. suggestions and conversation are welcome; again, my fiance already changed my mind on one part. i haven't actually see any discussion on changes yet, so i'm happy to consider other changes, or for mine to be challenged (by something other than "actually this is perfect").

[keefessketchbook]

WISDOM SAGA THOUGHTS 🎉🎉🎉🎉

Guys, this saga had me in shambles. I had to wait til the morning of the 30th to listen so listening to it before breakfast WRECKED me.

Legendary 🐕

The instrumentals go so hard like it's so chill

In the first verse, Telemachus reminds me so much of Polites. like bring the world so light? open arms who?

the pre chorus has some of my favorite lyrics jay has ever written. like 'Cause I'm stuck with your stories/But no clue who you are/And no idea if you're dead or just too far/Somebody tell me, come and give me a sign/If I fight those monsters, is it you I'll find?

ALSO THIS SONG HAVING THE MELODY FROM FULL SPEED AHEAD THE "polites gear up, you and i'll go ahead" PART

the chorus i love because it references all the monsters Ody has had to fight

The second verse is so like real. like Telemachus is just singing his heart out about his problems

The suitors sound so much like the sailors, which hurts my heart. like these are the voices of the men that were friends with ody. now they are tryin to get his wife

Telemachus' last line is sending me like "If I fight this monster/Is it you I'll find?" like bro you find his old bestie, badass senorita

Little wolf 🐺

So this song sounds really good musically. I can see the evil sutiors from the "dark" and "evil" sounds jay uses

The chorus/ what the suitors are chanting is really cool

Athena coming to his rescue has my whole heart like its so cute

Telemachus is just a little baby like he's my little boy

love Love LOVE how athena turned the suitors chant into her own like she's in his corner rooting for him

Also Teagan's riff is so prettyyyyy

We'll be fine 👍

This is my favorite song in this saga. I just wish it was longerrr

Like Athena literally describing Ody and comparing him to Telemachus is just so sweet

Also the lyrics call back to my goodbye because ody said "What's a title that a goddess could lend/ If I'll never sleep at night?" and in this song Athena says "Maybe, if I helped you reach your goal/Life could be that bright/I could sleep at night"

Telemachus is just so gentle with Athena, I think that is what she needs because i guess she thought Telemachus would hate her because of what she did to his dad but Telemachus just has so much Polites energy like bro is precious

THIS LINE SPECIFICALLY "I don't think he'll mind/If not his friend, then mine" 😭😭😭😭😭

Both of their voices blend so well together like its so cute

"You're a good kid" AHHHHHHHHHH

Love in Paradise 🏝

Athena calling him old friend has my heart

The callbacks to the other songs is just amazing. they blend so well together, i kinda want to make it my ringtone

Calypso's beat is so good like its so beachy and calm

the "did you know you talk in your sleep?" line reminds me of the scene from PJO from the 4th book when Percy wakes up on Calypso's island

the silence after "she's my wife" is soooo funny to me

Calypso's verse is so good like the notes and beat are so pretty

the goddess can't die line beat is soo good like her laugh is so pretty

THE TIME JUMP !!!!!!

Ody calling back to the underworld lyrics is amazing to me

THE STAY IN MY OPEN ARMS LINE HAS ME DEAD LIKE DON'T DISRESPECT MY POLITES POOKIE

I literally was thinking last night, 'if i hear polites in the wisdom saga, i will be losing my shit' can confirm, have lost my shit

Polites, Eury, and Ody's mom's voices all blend together so well like OMG it hurts

and Ody calling out for Athena is so cute like for once he's admitting he needs help

So, this saga is officially my favorite. I'll post god games soon. That one has a lot more to unpack. I love this community sm. Kinda sad that we didn't get to hear any Penelope tho.

Stay weird, guys

[drakothedragon55]

Already subjected my discord mutuals to this. It’s your turn, Tumblr!

Over the span of like 3 days, I listened to the entirety of Epic: The Musical (or what’s released of it, anyways. Iirc there’s two albums yet to be released.) And now I’m gonna pick my fave and least faves. Because why not <3

The Troy Saga Fave: Open Arms. It’s iconic, the dude who voiced Polites did great, and it’s referenced a ton in other songs. Least Fave: I guess Warrior of the Mind, if I had to pick. Idk. I like the Troy saga.

The Cyclops Saga Fave: Survive. That, and Polyphemus coming right before it are such good songs. The pure terror in their voices around the end of Survive were just chef’s kiss Least Fave: My Goodbye. It made me dislike Athena (until the Wisdom saga, at least) ;-;

The Ocean Saga Fave: Luck Runs Out. It’s also referenced in future songs (I think?) and it’s pretty catchy imo. Least Fave: None. If I HAD to pick…ig Keep Your Friends Close? Ocean Saga doesn’t have a single bad song. Change my mind 😎

(More below the cut. Tis’ a long post)

The Circe Saga Fave: Done For. The part that went “Hermes gave you that didn’t he” “lol yeah. But still-“ (paraphrasing) was great. Least Fave: There Are Other Ways. Nope nope nope nope nope I got no idea what’s going on back there but it sounds like she’s trying to charm him. Nope.

The Underworld Saga Fave: The Underworld. The faint reprise of Open Arms gave me chills. Least Fave: No Longer You. Underworld also has no bad songs. I just had to pick one. Sorry :(

The Storm Saga Fave: SCYLLA SCYLLA SCYLLA— in all seriousness, Scylla is what got me into listening to the whole thing. I love it to death. It’s my discord status too. Least Fave: Mutiny. Started out strong. Kinda lost its charm after the actual mutiny part. Maybe I’m just an Odysseus sympathizer haha.

The Wisdom Saga Fave: God Games. Athena redemption ark real!! She actually called Ody’s son a friend, too 🥺 Least Fave: We’ll Be Fine. Apparently it wasn’t very memorable as I listened to it an hour-ish ago and I already forgot how it goes.

[thealmightyemprex]

Fantasy Month: Epic the Musical

So we are starting Fantasy Month .....With a bang .We are also starting 2025 with my biggest obsession of 2024 ,Jorge Rivera-Herrans's beautiful concept album :Epic the Musical

In these series of concept albums released from 2022-2024 ,we follow ODysseus (Jorge Rivera-Herrans ),soldier in the Trojan War and King of Ithica ,trained by Athena ,the Goddess of Wisdom (Teagan Early ) as he attempts to return home to his wife Penelope (Anna Lea) and son Telemachus (Miguel Veloso ) but his path is blocked by powerful Gods and vicious monsters ,and Odysseus is pushed to his limits as he desperately tries to make his way hojme

So Epic is a thing due to social media .For several years the creator Jorge Rivera Herrans has made shorts detailing the progress and even went to tik tok to get the performers for the musical.The musical is appropriately based on the Greek Epic,the Odyssey by Homer .This 40 song beheamoth was released as 9 mini albums called Sagas :Specifically Troy Saga ,Cyclops Saga ,Ocean Saga,Crice Saga ,Underworld Saga ,Thunder Saga ,Wisdom Saga , Vengence Saga and finally Ithica Saga .All Sagas have been released ,and yeah if you havent listened to this ,,,,,umm do,go on Spotify or whereever you listen to music ,its pretty damn good

Now full disclosure,I was completely unaware of the musical till a few months ago (I dont use Tiktok),around when the Thunder Saga came out ,stumbling upon the fact there was indeed an Odyssey musical .....And I kind of fell for it instantly .One of the things that got me into Att is the ODyseey ,I read it in High School ,and I would doodle monsters all the time due to it .Its one of my favorite stories so hearing it get this wonderful musical adaptation is dream come true ....The fact it is REALLY GOOD is just the cherry on top

Now heres the thing,the creators do intend to expand on this in some way ,and there are unclear moments in music but are clearer in the streams which has captions and animations for visual aid .....But we will ignor all that cause I think a lot of people will come for the music unaware that theres more stuff.Do stick out the streams.....Also the fan animatics are really good,support youtube animators

Im not really a music expert ,but this musical does a lot of clever things musically ,with each character being rpresented by an instrument , ODysseus being rpresented by a guitar ,Athena being piano,etc .What I find really cool is the Gods and Monsters who are other worldly are rpresented though synthesizers and electronic music ,including Hermes the Messenger of the Gods having this sort of 80's synth pop feel to him .I also like how the first monster they fight,the Cyclops has this heavilly modulated deep scary voice .I also think musically this reall rewards relistens ,cause you notice little themes and parts from cetain songs ,and for me songs I thought were OK got much better on relistens (Im not the biggest fan of Just A Man.....But I teared up when I heard the melody in the final song )

So the cast and characters are hard to talk about cause like a good epic,theres a LOT OF CHARACTERS .Just gonna say .....All the cast is amazing ,giving the drama and the music its due,so heres what Im gonna do......Im gonna split the characters into sections : Encounters ,Antagonists and Protagonist

Also not gonna talk about the Gods who just appear in God Games or the suitors ,they all do great ,theres just not much to say .Also I dont have much to say on the Sirens or Cyclops other then I think its cool Anna Leah and Jorge Rivera-Herrans,voice monsters and the two most important characters

Encounters are the various random beings Odyssues meets on his journey

Aeolus-is the Wind God ,and I love Kira Stone's bubbly yet mischevious take.Keep Your Friends Close is a a highly underrated song in my oppinion

Circe :Is the most complicated of the foes Odyssus meets ,intially starting as an antagonist but becoming an ally ,I think this is an intriguing take on Circe and Talya Sindel is very great ,especially during Done For

Hermes :I just love this guy .The Messenger of the Gods is one of the few gods unambiguously on Odysseus side ,he has two showstopping numbers in Wouldnt You Like and Dangerous ,the latter is such a breath of fresh air after all the stuff Ody has gone through and singer Troy Doherty gives him such a fun chaotic energy

Tirisies:The spirit of a blind dead prophet ,Mason Olshavsky's voice skews younger then Id picture Tirisies ,but I actually dont give a damn cause his voice is gorgoeus and haunting ,and my absolute favorite song in the musical is No Longer You ,which is mesmerising and spooky and beautiful,I love it

Scylla :I considered putting her as an antagonist buuuuut shes only in one song and its actually a point Odysseus doesnt really fight her .A multi headed maneating monster that even the God Poseidon fears .Scyllas song is a hecking good villain song ,enhanced by the haunting and deliciously mallicious performance of KJ Burkhauser

Calypso: a Goddess who is obsessed with Odysseus ......I admittedly am not fond of this take on her .Her performance is great Barbara Wangui does an amazing job ......But I feel like she needed another song .Also I am Not Sorry for Loving you is the song I dont like ,though it has grown on me

Now lets talk about the main villains ,the Antagonists

Antinous-Leader of a group of rowdy suitors seeking to take the thrown of Ithica .Antinous think hes top dog ,and is certainly a vile despicable villlain,but what I love is for all his bluster he is just a bully ,though Ayron Alexander gives him a wonderfully sinister and tough performance.His two songs a re great too Little Wolf ahowing off his bravado but its really his villain song Hold Them Down that I love,being one of the most heinous villain songs I have heard ....With a great punchline

Zeus:The King of the Gods AND King of assholes .This is my absolute favorite depiction Zeus cause they dont hide the fact he is SUCH A DICK .What really makes him work is the performance of Luke Holt who gives him a very rich deep voice and a bombastic persona and it helps of all the villain songs,Thunder Bringer is my favorite

Poseidon:The main villain ,the sadistic and cruel god of the Sea ,out to destroy ODysseus for daring to wrong him .He actually appears very few times......But damn is he effective ,so anytimne I heard his voice ,I was like "Oh shit".PRops to Stephen Rodriguez,who kind of gives the Sea God a rock star feel .His raspy voice is very effective,especially in the fan favorite song ,Ruthlessness which is both a great villain song,a unique way of talking about the main themes of the story and just a fucking banger of a song in general

Protagonists-Who I see as the most important characters

Polites:The childhood friend of Odyssues ,and an etrernal optimist.I was debating whether to talk about him but he is important to the themes and story and some of the heaviest hitting moments involve him.Both him and his song Open Arms have grown on me and Stephen Dookie is very lovable in the part

Eurylochus -Is the right hand man to Odysseus .I like Armando Julián's performance ,and he is a very good foil for Odysseus ....But Ill admit I think other then Puppeteer which I love his songs are just OK

Telemachus :Odyssus son ,not in a lot of songs ,but I love his friendship with Athena ,Miguel Velosos voice is wonderful,and I thing he gives big Disney Prince energy especially in his big song Legendary

Athena :The Goddess of Wisdom ,talk about a character I did a turn around on ,as by the end she probabbly is my favorite character,she kind of has the opposite journey of ODysseus and I think that important to give a more solid view.All her songs from Warrior of the Mind to God Games have really grown on me .Teagan Early gives such a great performance

Penelope -Odysseus's wife .Penelope,like Poseidon is not in it a lot ......But they build her up like crazy ,you get her appearing in dreams and hallucinations even a siren impersonating her ,but we dont actually meet her till the end ,and she is so great,wont spoil anything but Anna LEah is especially good .Challange is a song I think Ill be relistening too a lot

Odysseus :Is on paper Odysseus could just be a badass hero .....But the underlining thing of the musical is...At the end of the day he is a guy who has seen traumetic shit and just wants to go home ,and is fighting with his own morals .Odyssues is a man forced to do some highly objectionable stuff ,stuff that takes a toll on him and yet he is always engaging .Odyssus struggles with can he be merciful in a world telling him to be cruel .Now intially I didnt like Jorge Rivera-Herrans voice,its sounded to young to be a warrior king oput through the wringer.....But honestly his voice grew on me and some of the best moments are just his acting especially his pain in Love In PAtadise,,,,,And his utter rage in both "600 Strike " and "Odysseus ".Hes also good at comedic moments ("All I gotta do is open this bag ""WHAT" is the funniest thing to me .Song wise I am partial to Survive (Wher Rivera-Harrens does twofer being heroic as Ody and fucking terrifying as the Cyclops ),Monster and Chyrbdis

I do have one more nitpick in that I feel the Wisdom Saga should be the begining of Act 2

Other then that ,I LOVE Epic,Ive enjoyed it for the last several months.I could probabably talk hours about my favorite songs and so forth but this review ends here.If you got anny Epic questions,ask away

@countesspetofi @the-blue-fairie @theancientvaleofsoulmaking

@themousefromfantasyland @ariel-seagull-wings @princesssarisa

@amalthea9 @barbossas-wench @princesssarisa

[lizzyscribbles]

Today’s MHA thought is brought to you as I watch the livestream of the Wisdom Saga from Epic the Musical. Go take a listen, I’m sure it’s gonna be great.

Honestly I have no transition into today’s thought so we’re just gonna move along here we go.

Lizzy’s MHA thought of the night: Yoichi and All for One’s relationship and why I think it’s brilliant.

Let it be said, All for One is a fantastic villain. I think he’s well written in the sense that I absolutely, positively, HATE him. He is an absolute asshole and he has very little reason to be. Does he have a tragic past? Ehhh, kind of? But I would argue that he started screwing people over in the womb, so I have a hard time feeling bad for him when it kinda seems like a lot of his issues were his own doing. But that’s why I like him, because he doesn’t have that super sympathetic backstory and he doesn’t have much of a reason to be an asshole other than “I want to win and see people suffer :D”. Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a sympathetic villain (see my posts on Touya and Toga) but I also love to see a villain that is just evil for the sake of being evil.

However, I don’t doubt that he probably has some kind of personality disorder, plus he did have to entirely raise himself, and if we pile the theory that quirks influence personality on top of it, you don’t get a pretty picture. It’s an interesting look at the nature vs. nurture debate in a world like this. It was a perfect storm of genetics and circumstances that made All for One, a terrible turn of events to be sure.

And yet, despite being twins, Yoichi doesn’t turn into a psychopathic maniac. It’s honestly wild, and a kind of psychological circumstance that fascinates me. And, let's be honest, it's not out of the realm of possibility that AFO is partially to thank for that. After all, he took care of Yoichi like, straight out of the womb. However, what gets me more is their relationship.

It’s messy, it’s toxic, and it’s a little weird, but it’s so unique because we rarely see it done like this. It’s codependency at its worst, more so on All for One’s side, though he’d never admit that.

It really begs the question, why? Why was All for One SO obsessed with his brother? By all accounts, his brother only ever stood in his way and screwed with his plans. He was a hindrance, even when they were kids, so why keep him around?

To be honest, I’m not entirely sure. I think a part of it is Psychological Reactance (which I talk a bit about in my post on Toga), basically, it’s a common reaction in humans when you tell them they can’t do or have something. It’s often rooted in control, we don’t like to loose control of anything, and so we automatically act out to make sure our control is preserved. It’s emotional and behavioral, and we know All for One LOVES his control just as much as he loves his quirks.

And you know what else he loved? He loved Yoichi, and in a way he could never love anyone else. And maybe Yoichi loved him too, I think he did, but he loved him enough to tell him he was utterly wrong even when his brother wouldn’t listen. So, here’s this one thing he genuinely doesn’t want to loose because it’s the one thing he can never replace and it wants to leave?? Excuse???

Here’s what I think, I think Yoichi was the only thing he ever really lost control of.

Yes, I think his twisted sense of love had a part in him chasing his brother across generations, but I also think All for One could not handle the idea that he lost control of something he actually cared about.

We see in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs that our most basic needs above physical are relational. Family, friends, safety, belonging, those aren’t things that are plentiful when you’re a dictator. Yoichi was there with him from the beginning, he fulfilled that need in some capacity.

We’re all afraid of losing things, especially those we love the most, it’s human nature. No matter how powerful you are, you can’t substantiate real human connection.

The day All for One lost Yoichi was the day he lost the only genuine relationship he had, it’s not surprising he spent the next few centuries trying to get it back.

…

I had fun with that one! Imma do one one Yoichi one of these days, because I love him and he deserves it, but for now I’m gonna go enjoy the Wisdom Saga and plan out a little Yoichi one shot I’ve had bouncing around in my head for a while.

[kopi-fisher]

EPIC The Musical: Songs 1-30 & Album 1-7 Raiting

Previous Post/List: https://www.tumblr.com/kopi-fisher/758084498477940736/before-the-next-saga-comes-out-i-wanted-to-get-my?source=share

Now that we have been blessed with the Wisdom Saga, its time to update the overall song and album standing. This time around I am going to do three lists, albums, songs within specific albums, and all songs. Obviously, I love all the songs and albums, so this is me organizing them based on my overall favorites to favorites. Please comment and let me know what you think, or reply with your ranking 😊

Albums ranks are based on overall repeatability and the overall number of best songs:

Wisdom Saga

Thunder Saga  

Underworld Saga

The Ocean Saga

The Cyclops

The Circe Saga

The Troy Saga

Songs within the sagas:

The Troy Saga:

Full Speed Ahead

Just a Man

The Horse and the Infant

Warrior of the Mind

Open Arms

The Cyclops Saga:

Polyphemus

Remember Them

Survive

My Goodbye

The Ocean Saga

Keep your Friends Close

Luck Runs Out

Ruthlessness

Storm

The Circe Saga

Puppeteer

There Are Other Ways

Wouldn’t You Like

Done For

The Underworld Saga

No Longer You

The Underworld

Monster

The Thunder Saga:

Scylla

Mutiny

Thunder Bringer

Suffering

Different Beasts

The Wisdom Saga:

Love in Paradise

God Games

Legendary

Little Wolf

We’ll Be Fine

Overall Songs 1-30. These are based on how often I listen to them, as well as their overall ability to stand alone without the other songs in the saga. (Keep in mind that just cause a song is lower on the list, does not mean that it is not a good song. Everything that Jorge has made has been fantastic.):

Love in Paradise

God Games

No Longer You

Scylla

Just a Man

Keep Your Friends Close

Mutiny

The Underworld

Puppeteer

Legendary

Full Speed Ahead

Ruthlessness

Thunder Bringer

Suffering

Little Wolf

There Are Other Ways

Remember Them

Polyphemus

Survive

Done For

Monster

Different Beasts

Luck Runs Out

Wouldn’t You Like

We’ll Be Fine

The Horse and the Infant

Warrior Of The Mind

Storm

My Goodbye

Open Arms

[ask-emile-sdv]

we should go on a date! i know a great spot: the epic the musical livestream tomorrow night (i wrote this as of 8/28) (im not indoctrinating you into my obsession i swear) (please dont call me a theater gay my partner already does TvT) you can hear calypso go ALL WE COULD WANT HERE ALL WE COULD NEED HERE or telemachus going I KNOW LIFE AND FAITH ARE SCARY BUT I WANNA BE LEGENDARY or even zeus singing. zeus's main song is very zeus btw but god games isnt just zeus's song its a song where he gets his kids and wife to be pit against athena its p cool (APHRODITE YOUR LITTLE HIGH AND MIGHTY ODYSSEUS CLAIMS TO LOVE HIS MOTHER BUT LET HER DIE OF A BROKEN HEART HE WAS BUSY FIGHTING MORE LIKE BUSY SPITING THE CYCLOPS LET HIM FEEL THE PAIN THAT HIS MOTHER FELT AND ROT) augh uh. one sec. lemme actually do smth coherent

EPIC: The Musical is an Odyssey retelling and adaptation made by a young man Jorge "Jay" Rivera-Herrans. It started out during lockdown because he had another musical he was working on but due to COVID restrictions it made him and his then-crew unable to continue working. During COVID, however, he wanted to make another musical. And so, for over four years now, he has been writing, casting, and recording EPIC: The Musical. It is a musical sectioned into sagas, five of which being in the first act and the other four being delegated to the second. There have been six sagas released thus far, with the Wisdom Saga, the seventh saga, being released on Friday, August 30th.

Jay has explicitly stated in his videos about the creative process that he takes heavy inspiration for how he conveys plot points and the like from anime and video games, more heavily the latter as he is attempting with EPIC to create a musical that feels like a video game. The way he does this is by giving each saga a boss battle, each with such powerful music to match. In Poseidon's "Ruthlessness" he preaches to Odysseus the true meaning of this world: ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves, a message that sums up the entire theme of the musical and that is repeated throughout. In Zeus's song titled "Thunderbringer" it repeats his brother's preaching but he didn't explicitly tell him, more showed him by forcing him to choose between making it home to his son and wife--something he said he'd trade the world for in the second song--or saving his crew that had just mutinied moments before. And by the end of the musical, Odysseus has internalized every boss battle and we get to watch him become the final boss from the perspective of those who tried to wrong him and that are getting punished for their actions. By the end of the musical, Odysseus is a heavily changed man and the final song is titled "Would You Fall In Love With Me Again" which is a song to his wife, Penelope. She shows up often in the musical, not often physically, but often pops up because Odysseus proclaims that all he wishes to do is to see his wife and son. Jay assigned each character an instrument, and while I cannot recall each off of the top of my head, Penelope's instrument is a viola. In act two, when we hear the song "Suffering" we can hear something is off because yes this is her voice, but her viola is missing. That minor detail is enough to set off alarm bells in many a fan's head, and it did!

Back to the end of the musical, we get to see a reunion between two lovers, but only after what is a reunion for one and a first meeting for the other--the song between Odysseus and Telemachus, his son. It is one of the most heart-wrenching songs in the musical, just the snippets are enough to move to tears. Odysseus's assigned instrument is a guitar, and for the first time in a while, it is a quiet tune that plays on the guitar used in that song. Just that guitar alone hurts to listen to, at least for me. Anyway, I've waffled on more than enough! Sorry for the ramble, wanted to do something a bit fancier than what i tend to do.

I’m sorry- a date?!

Well- uh- I don’t think we’re THAT close!!!

But… Greek Mythology sounds cool I guess. Even if I’m not really a musical guy. Besides, someone has to look after you, hm?

I GUESS if I have time I might listen…. Only because I don’t have anything to do!

[geodetojoy]

so cozy in this inbox- you’ve even got fruit snacks in here! im stayin forever if that’s okay

rng selected questions from the “distracting asks” this time! and yes more proofreading yayyy

23, 18, 10, 15, 3

carry on fellow pb blossom member o7

hello again dearest mads!!!! little did you know the fruit snacks were a lure you have no choice but to stay now >:)

23. talk about a WIP?

oh man ive got a lot on hold at the moment, buuut ill go with my tati/barb painting im working on (that I believe i sent you the current version of- its been a bit lmaoo)

i mean first of all i just really wanted to give my girls at least a bit of happiness. is it temporary? in canon? definitely not. but they deserve to have each other to lean on and to feel safe with

and i really love the concepts of bi/aro barb and lesbian/aroace tati so. they dont have a defined relationship, they just love each other and thats all that matters.

ive got a few ideas in my head of how their relationship would come to be, but i think its something they both tried to view from analytical lenses if that makes sense? especially with barb, my poor heteronormative victim. she definitely does not like the idea that she might care for tati in a more realistic way than she did with curt until she tried to put her fears behind her and consider it from a position of just what would make her happy. when she realized the answer to that question was tati, she was both extremely relieved and utterly terrified. with tati, she was so afraid of how easily barb was peeling back the walls she had built up so meticulously, but after she realized that it was probably healthier for her, she accepted the care with loving, almost desperate arms.

they definitely started out as incredible friends, both being able to bond over their shared experiences of discrimination in their jobs over being women in the 50s and 60s in such male-dominated places of work. and for some reason, tati finds it extremely easy to open up to barb and barb just cares so much and just wants to take care of her so bad and that love is always reciprocated, out of fear of losing barb at the beginning, but then out of sheer appreciation and adoration as time passed.

theyre in an incredibly healthy relationship, both because they had no pressure as women to be devoid of emotion and because i think they would talk about their emotions sooooo much with barb as a scientist and tati as a healing trauma survivor.

anyways! got a bit sidetracked, but my WIP is a painting of them cuddling on a couch in their shared apartment :3 the blinds are closed, ofc, and the place is scarcely decorated aside from the necessary furniture, but to them its the most beautiful home ever because they have the other there with them

the idea for the finished piece is to have the orange glow from the sun beaming through the blinds illuminating the room just enough to see them, but have it dark enough to enshroud them in shadow, hiding from the rest of the world. but what we can see is safe, warm, cozy, and quiet :3

18. Dream Job?

Game dev baby!! I wanna make every single aspect of a game entirely on my own one day, but honestly id settle for doing any part of the process in a company or group as long as i can pitch in!!

10. Favorite animal?

im so bad at choosing just one. so im giving you two :)

fennec foxes and red pandas!!!!!

15. Favorite subject?

(im assuming this to be school subject bc subject in general is. entirely too vague lmaoo)

Any and all math!!! im a nerd from head to fucking toe and i am PROUD OF IT

3. 5 songs you have been recently obsessed with?

YIPPEE MORE MUSIC QUESTIONS I LOVE TALKING ABOUT MUSIC I LOVE

(btw one of these is gonna be an album bc it has five songs on it and i cannot bear to exclude others for the sake of putting all five of them)

DoNotReadMe.wav by Charlie Slimecicle. is anyone surprised by this? if so that means i need to post about it more

The Wisdom Saga from EPIC the musical!!!!!! been listening to it since its release im obsessed!!!!

Facade from Cinderella's Castle!!! its just!!!! gah!!!! it sounds so good!!!!

Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter. im blaming joel for this one even though it was like a month ago

Once in a Lifetime by Talking Heads. i thiiiink this is the one? if not they keep playing a song just like it at work and every time i try to remember it later to figure out what song it is i forget how the melody goes and i lose my shit but its taken over my every thought I JUST WANNA KNOW WHAT SONG IT ISSSSS

ty for the ask again mads!!!! love ya forever and always my pb blossom buddy <333333

[j-restlessgeek]

Hi Lovely Jay!!

3 12 23 32 46 for the ask game <3

Meow there 💛💛💛, awwww thank you for the asks 💛💛💛💛

3. What was the last song you listened to?

Little Wolf from Epic the musical/wisdom saga, its sooooo good and i had the saga on loop since I woke up 🥰🥰🥰🥰

12. Who are five (or more) people you want to hug right now?

Definitely the entirety of summer camp, my twin and thats about it, i really don't hug others that often 😅😅.

23. Do you believe in aliens?

Not in a action/scifi movie sense, but sure there must be extra terrestrial life out there, they even found proof of such. And the universe is huge and growing still.

32. If you could go anywhere right now, where would you go?

I really looove bamberg, its a town in germany. I have only been there once, its beautiful and has been completely spared from the war, its a lovely town, i would love to live there 🥰🥰🥰🥰 or going to a forest and walking without a goal really, just looking at things.

46. What do you need when you are sad?

Definitely space, like i need to sort my thoughts and feelings before someone attempts to comfort me or else I feel worse and pressured. I usually put on one of my comfort movies (my number one since years has been Tim Burtons A Nightmare Before Christmas, it usually always works) i also like a good hot chocolate to warm me and the chocolate is good to fill up the happy chemicals in your brain :3. And a good cry is helpful too, i am working on just letting them out (was not that good about crying in the past), I also like going on nightly walks but I haven't been in a while (because the last time ended horrible) 😔😔, but i really looooooove watching stars. 🥰🥰🥰🥰

Thank you these were nice 💛💛💛💛, i wish you a nice day 💛💛💛💛💛

[seaofside]

I keep getting online psyched to listen to Wisdom Saga....only to find out its not the 30th yet. Then I feel immense disappointment for another 24hrs as I listen to Mutiny and Thunder Bringer over and over. I NEED GOD GAMES AND LEGENDARY. Athena is queen.

BUT i now know for sure it's tomorrow and I'm going crazy waiting. Epic I <3 you. 😭���� I'm sorry for what my side blog will become in the upcoming week for those not following for epic. 🤣

[zeraorarb]

Thankies for tagging me!

Fave Color: Idk i rlly like purple, black and blue. But I don't mind other colors (expect the pics yellow)

Last Somng: The last thing I listened to would be I hear a symphony by Cody Fry. The last song I discovered would be the recent new album in Epic the musical, The wisdom saga. So the last song from that would be God games.

Currently reading: Nothing for now, but I had to recently listen to the audiobook of The Plague which is a mandatory reading for school.

Currently watching: Nothing much rlly. School is a bitch. But my friend recently introduced me to his fave Cronenberg movies and I want to try em out. (also twt made me watch minecraft: parkour civilization)

Currently craving: Chocolate...

Coffee or Tea: Eh Neither. I don't like either. I dislike hot drinks in general. Sides I don't need a caffeine addiction on top of everything else. (I think its a bit wild that caffeine addiction is so socialy accepted fr but nothing against plp who like it ofc)

not tagging cause I don't wanna bother but if u see it feel free

​༉‧₊˚.​ get to know me better !! ♡

— 𝜗𝜚 thank u @cosmiiwrites nd @queenofmistresses for the tags, my lovies <3 i love u both

favorite color? pink!! i love pink!! you know the colour of hello kitty’s bow? pink!! my melo? pink!! my socks rn? pink!! did i mention my favourite colour is pink?

last song? someday - from the zombies soundtrack (banger)

currently reading? i finished the hurricane wars by thea guanzon a few days ago so im using this as an excuse to tell you to read it n i loved it so much but im currently starting (only a chapter in) a feather so black by lyra selene

currently watching? i don’t think i am watching anything… i last watched the zombies movies though… (im not obsessed you are)

currently craving? NOODS ugh i could demolish some noodles rn

coffee or tea? yes.

@nebulacrumbs @blooming-crimson-flower @hellsgreatestslut @lilsleepybear1029 @ustulia tag you’re it <3