#feat. cyclops

[a-bottle-of-tyelenol]

Not sure how to properly word this, but I find it really interesting how EPIC!Odysseus subtly equates himself to being among gods, particularly when it comes to empathizing with EPIC!Eurylochus.

In Luck Runs Out, Odysseus specifically tells Eurylochus, “I need you to always be devout and comply with this or we’ll all die in this.” and I find that particularly interesting because “devout” is most often used in relation to religion and belief, as is the structure of complying with the words of a god because death is the only other option. And he does this right after he announces to the world that he is “neither man nor mythical” which inherently puts himself above his men.

Odysseus has moments of hubris, absolutely, but a lot of his more outwardly notable moments of arrogance are replaced with scenes that prefer to highlight his grief and humanity instead (specifically, I think of when he announces his name to the cyclops). It feels like, to me, a lot of Odysseus’ arrogance in EPIC is less straightforward. It’s not him galavanting about how he bested someone, it’s more about how he holds himself and his status above others. That isn’t to say it no longer exists— quite the contrary, actually. Odysseus is objectively selfish, as is Eurylochus and the crew, but just like in the Odyssey, his hubris is absolutely his undoing; it just looks a little different here.

“I took 600 men to war and not one of them died there, in case I needed to remind you.” is a moment where, yes the praise is deserved, but I think it’s a good one to showcase where he subtly uses his own capabilities as a way to diminish the concerns of his crew. It’s important to remember that Odysseus was Athena’s favorite and there are many situations in OG source material where she either saves his life or gives him a leg-up on the competition that he otherwise wouldn’t have had, even in something as benign as a race or game. Odysseus absolutely deserves credit, as he is still very intelligent and Athena picked him for a reason, but I have no doubt in my mind that she was a large reason for why he was even able to accomplish such a feat in the first place. And yet, he attributes it solely to himself here.

Now, it’s pretty evident that the crew are largely unaware of Athena’s interference so I’m not bringing this up to say the crew would side-eye this. I mostly bring it up because of the fact that Odysseus did it at all and how it adds to a reoccurring theme of Odysseus insisting that he is a man while also likening himself as a god. Odysseus’ mantra of being “just a man” is largely not meant to be entirely literal and is supposed to represent his guilt, remorse, empathy, and love— characteristics that are mostly attributed to humanity— but I still think this goes hand in hand with Odysseus as a character wanting to have his cake and eat it too.

You can see this a lot in how Odysseus approaches the gods. In my interpretation, he thinks of himself on some kind of equal terms as them— he thinks that he can win Aelous’ game, he thinks he can outsmart Poseidon, he thinks that he can handle Circe, and he thinks he can argue back with Athena and directly disrespect her because they are equals— friends. Honestly, the only time he doesn’t really do this is in the beginning with Zeus and Astyanax, which is interesting because it is also his interaction with Zeus in Thunderbringer that seems to stop this mindset all-together (I don’t personally think that Odysseus believes himself to be equals with Poseidon in GitW and SHS, which is largely why I believe he won, but that’s a topic for another day).

(Also, outside of the story, you see it in how Jay gives him electric guitar (electronic music is associated with magic), waited like eight songs for the first time we hear Odysseus’ name (a decision similar to how we never actually hear ‘Zeus’ and is even highlighted by the way that he reveals Athena’s identity in Warrior of the Mind and not his own), and how he has a song with his name (just like the monsters do). This isn’t super relevant, I just think it’s interesting.)

Anyways, regardless of how right he is about these things (because, admittedly, he often is), it says a lot about him and how he perceives the situation he’s in that he can think these things at all.

Something else that’s interesting to note: likening yourself to a god, even indirectly, is really bad culturally. The gods find it disrespectful and that’s why you see a lot of myths or moments about people being punished for saying that they’re as or more beautiful than Aphrodite, as or more strong than Ares, as or more smart than Athena. In the Odyssey, Telemachus visits someone’s palace (I think it was Menelaus but ngl I don’t remember) and he whispers about how it must be what the palace of the gods looks like because of how glorious it is and he is immediately corrected because doing something like that is really bad and is usually/always seen as disrespectful to the gods.

Which brings me back to Eurylochus, a regular guy who has the experiences of someone without divine blood or intervention and also watches as his captain and king, even indirectly, puts himself on a level where he does not belong. Odysseus, as incredible as he is, is not nearly as divine as he makes himself out to be. He’s the great-grandson of Hermes— not the son, not even the grandson, the great-grandson— and he is the king of Ithaca, a small island that isn’t actually all that wealthy. In Ancient Greece standards, he’s not hot shit enough to warrant this belief, and Eurylochus knows that.

Obviously, Athena’s mentorship does change things a bit, but I wonder how much of Odysseus’ inherent belief that he is above his fellow man leaked into his behaviors. How obvious was it to Eurylochus, to his crew? How do you go from seeing someone like Achilles or Sarpedon with direct links to godhood that fell despite their parentage, and someone like Odysseus, who is touched by the divine but not even half as close as the others? How do you watch them fall and then see Odysseus continuously getting too close to the very things that have killed so many heroes before?

It isn’t just that Eurylochus is a normal man— it’s the fact that he views Odysseus as one as well, and Odysseus’ actions, despite what he continually insists throughout the show, do not portray that of a normal man. Normal men do not ask for direct help from a being that does not care whether they live or die. Normal men do not face off against fucking Poseidon without backing down. Normal men do not charge in against a sea witch without any aid and expect to win. Normal men do not get to make the decisions of fate— of who lives and dies— and remain blameless.

Odysseus told him to listen, yes, but he also put himself on to a pedestal that his crew had no way of knowing was true. To them, he was a regular man doing things that would have gotten regular men killed— and it did, it just wasn’t Odysseus who died because of it.

[rei-ismyname]

X-Men #10 Review

Raid on Graymalkin is over with a return to status quo ante bellum, at least for the Alaskan team's roster. That was just one incident in a cold war, and as Cyclops predicted, consequences come in the form of the O*N*E. Lundqvist and his fuckboys are using the raid as a casus belli. It's a siege, and aside from a few oddities it's the best issue yet.

The civilians and support staff ready for war

X-Men #10 follows on directly from Raid on Graymalkin with the O*N*E coming to punish the X-Men for stepping out of line. It's not entirely clear how much collaboration there is between Graymalkin (a private prison) and the O*N*E (a federal agency) but Ellis called it in and Lundqvist responded. Every agency seems to have a mutant office, though it's implied that their budgets have been gutted since Krakoa left this dimension. Over in Mystique, Nick Fury Jr is on SHIELD's mutant desk, but it's literally just him. This plot development was solicited and setup so it's good to see it being taken seriously. Uncanny is a different kind of book but their Sentinel attack was accidental - it explicitly treated Raid on Graymalkin as if it didn't happen. Actions need consequences and they've come to Merle l, Alaska.

In Scott's absence, Magneto is in charge and he orders everyone except him and Xorn to evacuate in their Helicarrier. That escaping by air is incredibly dangerous against a foe with local air superiority might be the first hint that he's not thinking clearly. Ben Liu and Jennifer Starkey, the 3K mutants, both object to Magneto's 'blaze of glory' plan in different ways. Ben calls him out as wanting to die though he doesn't exactly condemn him for it. He's staying and he'll use his untested reality warping power to do whatever he can. Jen appeals to Xorn as a healer and he says 'I save lives however I can but I don't tell people how to spend them.'

I've been vocal AF about how much I hate R-LDS, and that hasn't changed, but it's good to see it play out in escalating character beats. Mags' powers are still there, he just doesn't have control over it. Considering the global damage and godly feats he's capable of intentionally, the devastation he could wreak unintentionally could destroy the planet. He's always been willing to die for the cause, but here he's seeking it. That says a lot about where he's at mentally and I look forward to seeing where that goes.

I assume they were delayed picking up Quentin

Magneto's mental health issues will have to wait for a future issue, because the cavalry is here and he does not have permission to die, dammit! Scott has a plan, as ever, letting the old man know that Hellions Protocols went online twenty minutes ago. The main event begins as Lundqvist agrees to talk, after some posturing. This negotiation takes up the rest of the issue, but I appreciate taking the time to check in on the support staff and how they respond to stress.

I'm not sure why Lundqvist would agree to this tbh, or why he'd accept the Factory as the place to talk. It's not a neutral location at all and if the situation turns hot he's either dead or a hostage. He's certainly been more reasonable than previous leaders of the O*N*E, and he did end up as an intermediary between the X-Men and whoever he reports to last time. Maybe he sucks at his job, or maybe he doesn't really want to be doing this.

Toothpick bravado, nice!

Scott cracks a beer and throws one to Lundqvist as they chat in the kitchen. Accepting allows Scott to set the tone of the negotiation and challenges Lundqvist's authority. They argue over the justification for this operation, with the damage of the Raid laid out. Scott quotes the Hague Invasion Act, framing the X-Men as being justified in taking action to get one of their people back. Meanwhile Boom Boom, Fantomex, the Bedlam bros and Locus are attacking O*N*E facilities.

Lundqvist is stunned that Scott would portray the X-Men as equal to the US government, as a nation unto themselves. He emphatically rebukes it and gets a 'says who?' in return. Meanwhile, The Hellions (copyright pending) are wrecking more of the O*N*E's shit.

Lundqvist tries to ignore that argument, shifting the focus back to force. The X-Men don't have a chance, he asserts, so Scott brings up Marvel's greatest force multiplier - superhumans. The X-Men have many and the O*N*E have none. He doesn't outright say that they're allied with The Avengers, but he asks why they're not here to help.

Scott follows up with an excellent point - that Graymalkin is a private entity run amok. By conceding the Xavier issue he's able to establish that they're exceeding their mandate. He really leans into the cold war framing as we'll see, but he sets it up here. It's refuge in audacity, but it's also an evolution of the thinking behind the Extinction team - we don't want war but we're absolutely capable of it. If they won't stop persecuting the X-Men then they'll make sure doing so is not worth it. I enjoy this. Remixing old eras is one thing, but building on Gillen's Uncanny run and escalating it is another.

It's at this point Agent Fuckface finds out his budget is in deep shit. Multiple O*N*E facilities have been destroyed but nobody has been killed. The war remains cold. He is NOT happy and he's just starting to realise he's been played. He's really sweating now, literally. It's clever to have Scott employ this Batman gambit. It's really only possible with an in-depth understanding of how the government operates.

It might be a stretch to infer Scott knows about funding for mutant agencies and departments from this text alone, but I guess he doesn't have to if he's slashing the budget himself. After letting that sink in, 'this is what it looks like when you push me' - calling back to their discussion in issue #3.

Lundqvist has had enough of negotiating from a position of weakness, sticking a gun in Scott's face and demanding the destruction stop. Cool as a cucumber, Cyke denies starting a war and pivots to the most terrifying Cold War and beyond concept - Mutually Assured Destruction. In our world it referred to the nuclear deterrent - if a country fired a nuke they'd be hit with instant, automated retaliation. There's no incentive to attack if you die too.

Lundqvist thinks he's bluffing but Scott elaborates. If he's killed by a government agent then important parts of Washington DC cease to exist. He doesn't have nukes, he's got mutants - using Juggernaut (not a mutant but he's down for the fight) and Xorn as examples. Lundqvist says that would be the end of mutants - total extinction - and he's probably right, in so far as they'd try. Not without a functioning government, seceding states, and foreign powers taking bites out of the US. This is wild. Krakoa's deterrent was mainly economic but the threat was implied. Here it's spelled out. Mutants will not lie down and if you come at us we both lose. Mutually Assured Destruction.

At this point Lundqvist blinks, shocked that he'd kill all those people. Brah, you have no idea. Scott shouts in his face 'THIS IS HOW BRINKMANSHIP WORKS.' He pulls his gun to his forehead and declares his lifelong willingness to die for the cause. He knows they want to kill him but here's another reason why it's not worth it. 'My wife will know and she will grieve.' Threatening the whole planet with The Phoenix. It's about fucking time. The X-Men have been offering peace for over half a century and received endless genocide in return.

With that, Lundqvist gets it. It's not worth it, at least by his calculus. He'll tell his bosses and by extension the US government and military. They agree that it's not over, and Quentin immediately steps in to call off The Hellions. Even more than issue #3, the last time these two were face-to-face, this was a riveting dialogue and Mackay fully committed to gunboat diplomacy on steroids. It's in conversation with the last 60 years of X-Men history and really sells this dynamic as the 'what now?' after Krakoa. I have all the praise in the world for that - the writing was fantastic and the facial expressions were perfect.

It's the final few panels that let it down. Last time, Scott had a full on panic attack after the situation ended. Anxiety and PTSD do not just go away and this feels like a missed opportunity to develop that further. Scott has just led a raid on a prison to retrieve one of his oldest friends, had a falling out with at least one other, witnessed horrors, been under psychic attack and a stalemate, then immediately after walked into the events of this issue. If that's not followed up on now, when the hell would it be? Sure, we can go there next issue, but it deflates the tension and character work for me.

Then Quentin asks if he was serious about the Phoenix threat and Scott says yes. He lets Quentin know that it's on him to defeat The Phoenix (his wife) if it comes to that. I find that very hard to swallow and at odds with the Scott/Jean/Phoenix dynamic we've seen so far. Sure, have a plan for Dark Phoenix, but wouldn't Jean just resurrect him? Thinking Scott was dead bought out Dark Phoenix the first time, but aren't we past all that shit? This is a different Phoenix, having been reborn, and a much more experienced Jean.

I don't buy that Scott would believe that, and I don't buy that he'd destroy Quentin's morale by putting it on him. Scott, of all people, knows that you oppose Dark Phoenix with love, not violence. Above all, I think Jean deserves a little more credit, especially from her husband. I'm starting to think it's more enjoyable to ignore From The Ashes cliffhangers. They have this habit of either being a fakeout or drastically exaggerating character and plot.

There's also mention that King Bedlam wants a very specific head in exchange for his services. No clues as to who, but the very notion doubles down on Scott playing a dangerous game. The Bedlams have been Hellion and X-Force adjacent for their entire publication history. KB was the lover of Tarot who was killed by Trevor Fitzroy. Tarot has reincarnated multiple times since then, but Fitzroy has been making a nuisance of himself by killing mutants in this run, so his head being the price would make sense. We'll see where that goes.

Without those last few panels this was the best issue yet, and a true paradigm evolution in the fight for mutant rights. It shows Scott Summers as wartime general and politician, judo flipping the consequences of Raid on Graymalkin from a position of weakness. This is why people look to him when they're up against the wall. This is the guy with more than 26 plans who's really had enough and is speaking the only language his enemies and oppressors understand. This is where Scott's efficiency and competence shines, but he isn't happy. The cold war continues but having invoked MAD, I have no idea where we go from here. Please no Dark Phoenix though. Enough of the past is being recycled already and y'all can do better, I know it.

[meraki-yao]

Epic the musical: Warrior of the Mind Telemachus

Holy shit I was singing We'll Be Fine and Warrior of the Mind back to back in the shower (don't judge me I'm a theatre kid) and I found another lyrical parallel that I haven't seen/noticed before

Warrior of the Mind:

Maybe one day they'll follow me and we'll Make a greater tomorrow, then they'll see I know we'll change the world 'cause we are the warriors of the mind Maybe one day we'll reach them And we can build their skills as we teach them If there's a problem, we'll have the answer We are the warriors of the mind

We'll Be Fine:

Maybe, to fall is to learn one way Maybe, it's all gonna turn out great I know we'll be fine I know it's light you'll find

Firstly, regarding "Maybe": in Warrior of the Mind, Athena and Odysseus are imagining a future where their skills and wisdom are needed and they can provide solutions and answers. Part of that came true during the Trojan War, but afterwards, Athena and Odysseus parted ways. But then you have "We'll be fine", and in Athena's verse, it was about her regret, instead of the future, she's looking at the past and wondering what could have been done to make things better. Telemachus, in the present, offers a solution for Athena to act on right now: The three maybes are about the future, past and present.

Secondly, regarding "answers": in Warrior of the Mind, Athena and Odysseus say that if there is a problem they will have the answers, but in the Cyclops saga we see them disagree with that "answer" is, which led to their fall out. That was a loss on both sides. But in "We'll Be Fine", Athena tells Telemachus her problem, namely her regret over abandoning Odysseus, and Telemachus, immediately, offers a solution, one which ends up working. And he knows that they'll be fine, and that's its light she's find. Telemachus gave Athena the answer to her own problem.

Thirdly regarding "I know": both Athena and Telemachus are making sure assumptions about the world: the thing is Athena's broader vision didn't quite come true but Telemachus' more personal vision for Athena's future did.

There's also the warrior of the mind motif/harmony thing that Jay talked about

So during their very first conversation (the little bit in Little Wolf doesn't count as a full conversation), Telemachus has unintentionally proved that not only is he a warrior of the mind the way Athena wanted Odysseus to be (note that the first chorus of Warrior of the Mind was entirely Athena's expectations on Odysseus), he was HER warrior of the mind that gave HER the answer to a ten-year problem she, the Goddess of Wisdom had. And that is a feat, which I think may be part of why Athena was endeared to Telemachus' view on life later on.

[gizkasparadise]

Xmen 97 has truly accomplished incredible feats:

-letting Cyclops go off for the first time in like 40 years

-having ace of base haunt all the millennials' narratives

-making Charles Xavier just the kinkiest lil guy

-ignoring wolverine

[helenofsparta2]

Rick did Jason Grace so dirty in HoO

Before I explain, I think I should establish that I really like Jason as a character. While he isn’t one of my favourites, he has really grown on me over the last couple of years. But he never really had a shot with the fandom, after his introduction in The Lost Hero, and after Son of Neptune and a lot of that has to do with the way Rick set him up for failure from the very beginning with a variety of writing decisions. The odds were really stacked against him.

Let’s first recap the very base of who Jason Grace is. He had an unstable mother, who gave him up to Juno when he was two years old, so that she could claim him as her champion. He is the only demigod child of Jupiter, and grew up raised by wolves, then later raised in a relatively strict military hierarchy since a very early age without any knowledge of his mortal family. He had to deal with all the pressure and expectations that came with who his father is. Over time he managed to become one of the two leaders of said hierarchy and has been committed to change its society for the better ever since. He led Camp Jupiter in the titan war and managed to defeat the titan Krios with his bare hands,  He is the long-lost brother of Thalia Grace, one of the more popular characters from the PJO book. He is extremely kind, protective, and loyal, and one of the most powerful demigods in the Riordan verse.

This should have easily made him into a fan favourite character. But what happened instead was for him to become the least favorite member of the seven, to be considered boring and skippable by a lot of fans, and to even get a lot of haters. (I know especially here on tumblr a lot of people really love Jason, but I’m talking about the more general part of the fandom, and I don’t think anyone can deny that Jason gets quite a lot of hate there.)

So, what went wrong?

I think there are three main reasons for the dislike he receives.

Telling, and not showing on part of Rick’s writing

A constant forced comparison with Percy

A lacking character arc in the hoo books

Let’s start with the first one.

Telling, and not showing

Piper’s and Leo’s POVs did him a huge disservice in that regard in the lost hero. During the entirety of the book, Piper wore rose-tinted glasses when it came to him. There is barely a chapter without her glazing Jason, or commenting on his looks or generally how perfect he is. Leo deals with a lot of insecurities and, while not as extreme as Piper, puts Jason also on a pedestal in his chapters. This was, for one, quickly becoming repetitive, but also put a lot of expectations on Jason, which are impossible to meet for any character.

It doesn’t help that Jason didn’t achieve all that many impressive feats in The Lost Hero. He didn’t do nothing, but in comparison to Leo and Piper, he gets a bit overshadowed.

Leo pretty early on established himself as a mathematic genius. He repairs Festus, saves Piper and Jason from the cyclops, and fights against Khione at the Wolf’s house.

Piper uses her charm speak to convince Boreas and his sons to let them go, frees Leo and Jason from Medea’s control, breaks Hera’s cage together with Leo, and is able to revive Jason after he accidentally looked at Juno in her divine form.

Jason, meanwhile, defeats a venti at the Grand Canyon and saves Piper’s life, defeats Lityerses and Midas, and defeats Encaladeus with the help of Zeus.

Don’t get me wrong. Those are great accomplishments and put Jason at the very top of the demigod power hierarchy, but with the way everyone talks about him, and with the standards we already have for children of the big three as readers of PJO, he just falls a bit short. Especially when you focus on top of that on other moments in that book where he gets knocked out by the cyclops or looks unprompted at Juno in her divine form, to list a few examples.

Despite this, his actions and abilities would have probably still made him into a fan-favourite character, if there wouldn’t have been this constant comparison with Percy.

A forced Comparison

Jason and Percy are getting compared in the hoo books in a very obvious way. They are set up as equals by Rick with its entire premise in the first two books and the weird rivalry thing he wrote in Mark of Athena, which is, I think, the main reason why Jason is so disliked.

Percy Jackson is probably the most popular character within the Riordan verse. The only characters who even come close are Nico di Angelo, Leo Valdez, and maybe Annabeth Chase. He is the main character for the entire prequel series, and had much more time to develop and for the readers to get attached to than any other character.

This was a lost battle, even before the first chapter of the lost hero was written. By the time, Percy and Jason meet, Percy was the main character, or at least one of the main characters, in 11 adventures, if you include the short stories, while Jason was one of three POV characters in a single book. A book, where he had amnesia for the entirety of it. People are protective of their favourite characters, and if you make a direct comparison between the most popular character in your franchise and some new guy, even (try to) establish them as equals and force them to have a rivalry, people are naturally going to develop a dislike for the new guy.

And Rick certainly didn’t help matters with the way he wrote them.

At the end of the lost hero, Hera tells Jason, that he is going to be the leader of the seven, but we know he isn’t. We, as readers, who have followed Annabeth and Percy since they were 12 years old, know that he doesn’t deserve this role, judging by what we have seen of him.

Even if he were to be portrayed as strong as Percy in the following books, it would feel undeserved. While we have seen Percy fight the many monsters and titan’s he did in the PJO books, and seen his growth in both power and character, we only get told that Jason defeated Krios with his bare hands. There isn’t even a flashback in either his or Reyna’s POV chapters of the incident, which could have at least elevated this accomplishment.

And then, Rick publishes Son of Neptune and every possibility of Jason being on the same level as Percy gets instantly flung out of the window.

Percy is the MVP of that book. Frank and especially Hazel are awesome, absolutely no discussion there, but for me at least, Son of Neptune was really Percy’s time to shine.  (Though I have to admit, I’m pretty biased towards Percy, so that statement is probably really subjective.)

Even before he leaves for the quest, Percy already killed one gorgon, demolished the romans in the war games, sees through Octavius’ performance, figures out what happened with the golden eagle and proves his selflessness by choosing not to take the gorgon blood to recover his memories. Then later he tricks Phineas in what is for me one of the coolest moments in the entirety of hoo, fights an entire army, destroys a glazier, defeats Polybotes basically by himself and, again, makes a fool out of Octavius in front of the senate, and all that after Rick already nerved him by removing the curse of Achilles.

Comparing especially the fights against Polybotes, and Enceladus respectively does Jason absolutely no favors.

Jason fought good, he fought greatl even, he had this very cool moment with his speech explaining who he was and boasting of his accomplishments, but in the end, his weapon got destroyed and he had to pray to his father to kill Enceladeus with a lighting bolt. That was an amazing feat for a demigod, absolutely no discussion, but really pales in comparison to Percy’s fight at the end of Son of Neptune.  

Percy absolutely bodied Polybotes. I don’t even know if he received a single injury in this fight. The “help” he received from a god was him smashing the decapitated head of Terminus into Polybotes. Like, Terminus didn’t do shit in that fight.

You can’t describe two characters as being equals and then portray so huge differences in their accomplishments.

Yes, Hazel and Frank also often say that Percy is powerful, or a good leader, or handsome, or smart, in a similar way to how Piper and Leo describe Jason, but with Percy it feels more like a reward as a reader. Because we have already seen him be all of that in the original books. It’s just acknowledgement and no new information.

Also, the absolute dissonance between Jason’s disappearance and camp Jupiter’s reaction also doesn’t help him. How can we believe that he is a leader of the same calibre as Percy, when most of the people in the camp he has lived in since he was four years old, don’t even care that much about his disappearance and are so quick to replace him? (Even worse, they replaced him with Percy) I know that this is just the way, Camp Jupiter works, but simply as a narrative choice, it’s very questionable.  

A lacking Character Arc & Amnesia

Coming to the last point. Jason’s character arc in the entirety of Hoo fell flat to me (Though, to be fair, most character arcs, if they even existed, fell flat to me in Hoo.)

His predominant character arc is him struggling with his identity, between being a roman or a greek. Now, this would be a very compelling arc, if we’d know who Jason Grace was as a roman. But we don’t. We know close to nothing about Jason’s life in New Rome. The only meaningful relationship he apperantly had was with Reyna, and he barely thinks about her in his povs, and even in Reyna’s chapters in boo we barely find out about their friendship. The entire camp turns against him in Mark of Athena. By the end of Boo, he still has not regained his entire memory, and never really confronted his past as a praetor. This is not a full, or satiscfactory character arc.

There are many other points I could name, like his relationship with Piper, or how him being Thalia's brother came completely out of the blue, or how he didn't built any meaningful relationship with characters who weren't Piper or Leo in the four books he's been in, but, to be honest, this post is already getting too long.

I'm just frustrated because he could have been one of the coolest characters in the Riordan verse, but he was really sat up to fail.  

[themildestofwriters]

Alternatives to Six Hundred Strike (ported from reddit)

There's been a lot of controversy about the first half of Six Hundred Strike. I'll admit, I'm not a particular fan of how it went down, but this is no shade at the animator -- they did a really good job and I did like it as an animation. I just didn't like the narrative of Six Hundred Strike, the jet-pack, and the like. So, this post is probably one of many talking about alternative interpretations for how Six Hundred Strike could've gone.

Godly Assistance. This is the most common headcanon: Odysseus was aided by the gods in defeating Poseidon. Top pick is usually Ares, though I've heard that Hermes could've helped out, or Hades, or even most if not all of the gods during God Games.

Anyone could come up with a motivation to explain any number of gods helping Odysseus.

Ares, because he was promised bloodshed and he will have it, or... because he respected Athena's sacrifice.

Hermes, because he is always helping Odysseus out.

Zeus, because he felt bad about what he did to Athena and decided to make it up to her.

The other gods in God Games, because, golly, Athena got them invested.

Yada, yada. Honestly, depending on what other sources of aid anyone ascribes to Odysseus, he probably only needs one god on hand to help, especially if we're going with the more "human" interpretation of the gods.

Poseidon's Trident. This one I feel like is under-considered. Poseidon's trident is a symbol of power, and I'm not just talking about in Percy Jackson. It is a weapon forged by the cyclopes which he uses as a catalyst for many of his godly feats.

It wouldn't take much to have Poseidon's trident be an object of power in and of itself. And, if it is, that means if Odysseus gets that trident out of Poseidon's hand, he's taking away a source of Poseidon's power. Furthermore, you could even have Odysseus himself empowered upon wielding the trident, which, if he takes it *during* the battle itself, would better justify how he was able to defeat Poseidon.

This can be alluded to without being stated in the animation. All we need is a look of "oh shit" panic on Poseidon's face when he's disarmed. It would give us enough information to know that losing his trident is a big deal -- and it can be foreshadowed in the Circe Saga if Odysseus disarms Circe's wand / staff in Done For.

Spirit of the Dead. Someone mentioned that Odysseus has his choir back up during Six Hundred Strike, and it wouldn't be that hard to assume that Poseidon summoned the spirits of the dead to torment and drown Odysseus.

"But the dead are Hades' domain!" Yeah, but they're also the dead who died at sea -- or at the hands Poseidon's own son. Polites and the six others who died at the hands of the Polyphemus. The five hundred and fifty who died at sea. Though it was Zeus' lightning bolt, you could argue that Eurylochus and the rest of Odysseus' crew still died at sea. And I'm sure we all know that Odysseus' mother drowned herself at sea, too.

About the only person who didn't die at sea was Elpenor, but, considering Odysseus' mother is there, he was easily replaced. Honestly, just makes the tragedy of Elpenor even funnier. Bloke didn't even get to invited to the fight.

Anyway, how does this help Odysseus? Well, what if whatever spell Poseidon was using to conjure and enthrall those who died at sea was, in part, broken by Odysseus opening the wind bag? Or, following my discussion of the trident, what if Odysseus disarming Poseidon broke the spell? Or, what if Odysseus wielding the trident himself broke the spell? As much as some might hate Odysseus, everyone would hate Poseidon more. It would take no convincing for them all to turn their wrath upon Poseidon.

The Wind Bag. Who knows? Maybe there was something more to the Wind Bag than just holding the storms of Poseidon inside. Regardless, opening the Wind Bag could've served Odysseus more than just serving as a jet pack (which, by the by, could still be a thing, just... maybe he's clutching onto it, instead of wearing it upon his back?). If the opening of the Wind Bag was surprising enough, and Ruthlessness showed that it could be, it very well could've distracted or even discombobulated Poseidon enough for Odysseus to act.

In Conclusion. In my platonic ideal of Six Hundred Strike, it would be all these elements that came in clutch, one after the other, that ultimately helped Odysseus defeat Poseidon. Ares would give him his second wind, which lets Odysseus get the second wind bag, and using the second wind bag (and the strength Ares gave him) he would've disarmed Poseidon. Then, wielding the power of the trident, he and the six hundred spirits at his command would've just beaten the shit out of Poseidon. And all of this segues nicely into Odysseus stabbing the shit out of Poseidon.

[cynthiav06]

I loved the Vengeance saga, an absolute banger. Might be my second favorite after the Wisdom Saga, but here's the thing:

Odysseus wounding Poseidon or even being able to use his trident or trapping Poseidon amidst the storm is all extremely unlikely as in impossible even in the Epic canon.

Before everyone starts a riot, here's why.

Poseidon is a god. Not just any god either, one of the Elder Gods (as in first olympian gods). In fact before the Dark Ages of Greek, from at least Homeric Era to Classical Era, Poseidon was called Wanax or was at least heavily associated with him by the Myceneans and was the old King of the Gods according to them. But I digress.

Point is Poseidon is basically an Eldritch horror on legs while Odysseus, despite his brilliance and strength, is just a mortal, not even a demigod, a human. Albeit one blessed by the wisdom goddess.

Poseidon is a God of storms. And sure Epic might have some different connotations but apparently not cause Hermes himself quotes in track 2 of Vengeance saga Dangerous that no mortal can survive Poseidon's storm I.e he created it so he's the stormbringer confirmed. Plus, Odysseus himself does say that he will make Poseidon stop the storm.

That aside, Poseidon is literally the God of the Seas. No god, not even Zeus, can beat Poseidon in his own bloody domain. So Odysseus has no chance.

Even if Odysseus trapped him on land, Poseidon can create earthquakes with his trident, which is also prominent in his lore. So that's a no, no.

Sure, Odysseus could have made Poseidon drop his trident, but even if that happened in no scenario, would Odysseus be able to lift it. Poseidon's trident was forged by elder cyclops and is one of the three absolute weapons of power in Greek myths ( the other two being Zeus's bolt and Hades's Helm). These weapons were designed specifically for these gods and obey none other. Not to mention it weighs a lot, i.e., "only a god can lift it heavy."

In the impossible scenario that Odysseus lifts it(by some miracle or other), Poseidon could just summon it back to his hand.

For all those saying maybe Poseidon can't do close combat, he has fought titans. He has to all but breathe strongly in Odysseus's direction, and Odysseus will literally die, which is why Odysseus's survival is Odyssey is such a legendary feat.

It also beats the point of Odysseus's legends. Odysseus is the King of Ithaca, sure, but he's no demigod. He doesn't even have any special abilities aside from quick thought or the occasional godly assistance. He's basically a mortal that achieves things everybody, even demigods, failed at all through his wisdom, wit, and trickery. He is only human, but his mind is what makes him on par with the divine.

Odysseus resorting to physical fighting against a literal god goes against his very nature. Odysseus is the smartest Greek hero, a strategist, a manipulator, and he knows very well how to play to his strengths.

In the original works, Odysseus escapes Poseidon the second time due to intervention from both Athena and Ino. Ino is the goddess of protection, especially the protector of sailors. She gifts Odysseus with a veil of protection. And Athena pulls her usual strings.

This is Odysseus playing to his strengths. He has the situation in his favor, a plan as he has convinced these gods either with his past deeds or his unbreakable will to intercede on his behalf. By manipulation or sincerity, doesn't matter. He lies, manipulates, tricks, and thinks his way through, so he would never ever resort to a 1v1, that too physical with a god.

[Circe was a special case. He had the blessing of molly on his side due to him earning Hermes's favor. Through a plan]

I love Epic, I do, and I love Jay even more. He's phenomenal and Epic the musical is an absolute work of genius and I know he said he is taking inspiration from video games and anime which might lead to some divergences but this is a bit too big of a liberty from both the source material and the essence of Odysseus. Sure, it's enjoyable and badass, but it's a disservice to the original Odysseus in a way.

Just wanted to give my honest opinion cause I love Epic so much, especially with its imperfections.

[tsarisfanfiction]

Breaking Hearths

Fandom: Trials of Apollo Rating: Gen Genre: Family Characters: Hestia, Zeus, Rhea, Apollo Hestia's job is to keep the home and hearth together. @toapril-official TOApril day 17 - Scapegoat / A Repeat of History.

The Hearth was taken for granted, not quite ignored but not the focus, either, providing a warmth that would be noticed in its absence but was normal in its presence, nothing special.  Nothing that needs paying attention to.

That near-obscurity was where Hestia had faded to when she had given up her throne in the name of peace, permanently altering the balance of Olympus but above all keeping it stable, keeping it going and stopping it from tearing itself apart from within.

There wasn’t much she had the power to stop when it came to external threats, but when her family tried to tear itself apart from the seams?  That, she could stop.

Her power, her throne, she had handed to Dionysus, but power was not always the answer.  Sometimes, the answer was in humility.  Keeping the hearth, the home intact wasn’t a feat that could be managed with displays of power and clashing.  It took compromise, quiet reasoning and respect to truly keep a home together, because the home was greater than any single part that resided inside it.

That was Hestia’s job.  She’d done the fighting, stood on the frontlines with whatever weapons she could get her hands on at her disposal and thrown herself into the fray knowing that it was fight for her survival, her family’s survival, or their early existence in their father’s stomach would seem like Elysium compared to their fate.

They had won, but it was an experience Hestia had no intentions of repeating again, except it had, almost, with the giants, before Olympus finally, finally, settled into their home.  And it was peaceful.

Hestia was going to make it stay peaceful, wherever it fell within her abilities.  Compromises, whispers from the flames, watching and making sure that no matter how much Olympus bent, it never broke.

It took some sacrifices.

Inaction was at times as powerful as action, and it was that that Hestia wielded the most.  She watched and didn’t offer help as the other gods protested at Zeus’ ruling, despite the fact he was nothing like their father.  They tried, and they failed, and they were punished.

Hestia didn’t know if she agreed with the severity of the punishment, but she didn’t disagree with the act of dissuasion.  They did not need another war, not one that pit god against god and tore the heavens asunder.  Zeus was reasonable, could be reasoned with, and for as long as that held true he was their better option.

It slipped away from her.  She watched, and she stayed silent, stayed out of the way as Olympus continued, as Zeus thrived at its head, but for all her watching, she missed the signs.

Perhaps it was because she was always watching that everything seemed fine, that Olympus was strong and under control.  Perhaps she should have closed her eyes for a while, like their mother, except that meant abandoning her post, abandoning her home, and that went against the core of Hestia’s essence.  Rhea could float around, disappear for millennia, and then reappear when she wanted to, but Hestia couldn’t.

Hestia’s awakening came with Apollo’s punishment.  It wasn’t the first time Apollo had been punished, nor even the second, but while the last two had been understandable – killing the cyclopes had been a heinous crime, and trying to overthrow Zeus and sending them back into another war was equally terrible – this one Hestia couldn’t understand.

This one scared Hestia, because it was the worst punishment yet, all but akin to murdering his own son, and it uncomfortably echoed their own father.

Zeus couldn’t become like Kronos.  He couldn’t, because if he did then they needed to do something about it, and doing something about it meant another war, meant repeating the hell that had been Olympus tearing itself apart from within, the Hearth spluttering and dying as the home tore into pieces.

Something had to happen.  Something had to stop it happening, but Hestia had no power, no action that she could do.  All Hestia had was compromises, inaction, bending so that nothing broke.

She didn’t need Apollo or her mother to tell her that wasn’t enough, any more.

[littleeyesofpallas]

At this point I've basically long since run dry on Bleach funfacts, certainly out of any that have any real weight in the broader readings of the series. But I do have one not-so-fun fact still left up my sleeve --a real dead end nothing contribution... So buckle up, I guess?

I apologize in advance if this ends up, like, I dunno, spoiling the aesthetic(?) if the Stenritter or the quincy for anyone. Feel free to just ignore this and move on if you're touchy about keeping your obsessive fandom experiences squeaky clean.

So, I noted back when I was combing thru Quincy terms, that it felt a little less than comfy that in addition to the general n*zi aesthetics Juugram's official title was in fact "Sternritter Grand Master" which felt, at the time, like an unfortunate coincidence that it would fall in line with the naming scheme of the K*K's nonsense titles like Grand Wizard/Grand Dragon, Grand Cyclops, Grand Magi and various other ridiculous sounding occultist LARPer horseshit they've cycled thru over the past century+. But I just kinda left it at that and didn't think to dig any deeper,

But then I was reminded that in the early days of the K*K one of their stated goals was to establish a white supremacist "country" inside the united states, and as they dabbled in this insurgency fantasy, they dubbed this goal of a secret, second, white nation within the confines of the USA, their "Invisible Empire"...

And although the word we hear throughout the TYBW arc is the German Wändenreich[ヴァンデンライヒ] from Wänden:“Walls” and Reich:“Empire/Realm,” the Japanese meaning underlying that term is [見えざる帝国]: “Unseen/Invisible Empire.”

In fact the white robes and hoods tradition stemmed from what were initially petty pranks(although they escalated very quickly in seriousness and danger) in which they would menace black communities and abolitionists by pretending to be the ghosts of dead confederates. In this capacity the imagery and language around them also evoked an "Army of Ghosts."

And although Bleach never properly addressed it, there was always this vague issue of the Quincy's ages... Those with clear backgrounds like Juugram and Bazz-B seem impossibly old. And we see that As Nodt is recruited on what appears to be his deathbed --in a hospital, on life support and in fear of dying, with a bible on his bedside as if ready to be read his last rites-- and of course the Quincy genocide of 200 years prior.

And tangential to this, we see the brief, if mostly pointless, return of the three dead Fullbringers --Ginjo, Tsukishima, and Giriko-- who all seem to have retained their memories and powers across the borders of life and death. (We won't ask about how or why their fullbring items are still usable)

Is it safe to speculate then that the Quincy are in fact a literal Army of Ghosts? It explains how they're able to go toe to toe with the shinigami in ways Uryuu's initial explanations of Quincy skills would've suggested wasn't possible. (i.e. that they were describes as being regular flesh and bone humans and only their weapons are actually supernatural, and thus they are not capable of particularly extraordinary physical feats, or blessed with any superhuman durability.)

And it also sort of makes more sense that rather than being a bunch of flesh and blood humans who survived losing the war, somehow spiritized themselves to get into the afterlife, and then hid for 999 years, that they could have just been humans who died first and were recruited as ghosts, having been spirited away into the shadow realm. Or Quincy that died with the full intent of reuniting as ghosts, having some kind of assurance that they would retain their memories and powers.

I like the former over the latter though, as it means the Ishida family really were the last living Quincy. But I do like the morbid idea of Yhwach commanding his army, Jamestown style, to kill themselves as the first step to them going to heaven. Only in this case the "kingdom of god" as they imagine it has to be fought for in the afterlife , because the shinigami already have a whole society there and need to be driven out first.

I don't think there've been any real allusions to Japans history of secret Christians apart from the vaguest superficial elements of the Quincy being Catholic coded and literally secretive, but it's not not evoked in all this ..

There is also a lot of "Knight" and "White Knight" imagery and titles evoked in the K*K's long history, and while that's absolutely vague enough to be handwaved on its own, it's all still very much adjacent to the themes of Christian invasion...

(This has nothing to do with anything I just had already slapped the uniforms pic together and wanted to use it somewhere)

So to sort of loosely review everything going on with the Quincy....

Catholic inverted priest frocks, crosses, silver and exorcisms, holy eucharist angel wings&halo final forms, blood eucharist schrift, conversion based recruitment policies, the whole "one kingdom under god" shtick, miracle baby son of god christ figure, explicit mention of monotheism

but then also 5 pointed crosses/stars and pentagrams,

victims of a genocide with a dr.mengele nemesis, YHWACH-v-YHWH

inverted Hugo Boss uniforms, german themed attacks, skills and tools, crosses again, explicitly evoking the Schutzstaffel with Yhwach's royal guard, and nonsense blood purity eugenics b.s.... weirdly not touched upon "black sun" or swastika imagery tied to Ichigo

For some reason a few loose threads of what appear to be Loius XIV and his sun god apollo fixation, purifying light and sun and stars motifs

YHWACH having big Backbeard energy, the literal evocation of Backbeard, being a western ghost army

and now these mismatched crumbs of what appear to be deliberate K*K references: ghost army, invisible empire, grandmaster, etc...

Like... I don't think this makes them worse, or paints Kubo as some kind of crackpot racist --in case my stance on his use of n*zi imagery didn't make that clear-- but like... I don't know what to make of it honestly... It's as inconsequential to the actual message or plot as anything else, including the n*zi stuff, but it just feels weird knowing it's there? Just sorta loitering around in the background??

Also the Quincy are just such a bizarre clusterfuck of unfocused nonsense ""themes"" with like zero actual content just in general. Given everything that's in that slurry I think that might be for the better? Because any coherent message drawn from all of these influences probably couldn't have been any good...

Anyway like I prefaced this whole thing with: this is just kind of a dead end. No meaningful conclusions. But also sorry if that feels like it leaves a stain on your favorite characters or anything.

[radiantrookie]

Feats of the Reds and Blues

Sarge knocked out Tex

Donut killed Tex

Simmons mapped out the Teleporter Nexus

Sarge and Caboose fought the Zealots

They all survived a 10 megaton bomb which Sarge built

Caboose lifted Andy the Bomb

Tucker not only survived being impregnated by an alien but also became their chosen one

Caboose survived losing half a gallon of blood

Donut survived being crushed by a space ship

Tucker killed Wyoming

They toppled Project Freelancer

Lopez built a holographic chamber in seconds

Caboose revived the Epsilon AI

Tucker held off a group of mercs

Sarge outsmarted Wash

Grif survived an uncountable nut beatings from Tex

The Reds and Tucker killed The Meta

Donut survived being shot and bled out for a year

They defeated an army of Tex Drones

Caboose rebuilt a mech (Freckles)

Caboose is incapable of feeling fear

Caboose was unaffected when gravity was increased by tenfold

They killed Felix

Donut burned down an entire water park (Simulation)

Tucker punched a tank repeatedly until it exploded (Simulation)

They defeated the Blues and Reds (Simulation)

Tucker defeated a giant cyclops (Simulation)

Simmons figured out that the Cosmic Powers were actually AI pretending to be Gods (Simulation)

Donut defeated O'Malley Doc (Simulation)

Donut outsmarted Chrovos and Genkins (Simulation)

Lopez survived a black hole (Simulation)

Tucker became the second Meta

Caboose revived Tex II

They defeated the second Meta

[abduloki]

As a kid, I like Wolverine, because he does whatever he wants and go wherever he wants without anyone stopping him, acting on impulse. As an adult, I like Cyclops, because leading and managing a team, making hard decisions to ensure their safety is not an easy feat.

[venomspecs]

felt like translating a little bit of the preamble to the edition of the odyssey I own (very good translation with super insightful annotations btw):

Through all these tales we see the traits that make up the personality of the protagonist of the Odyssey. Odysseus is, at the same time, a liar and a generous man, he's cautious and brave, a smooth operator and a loyal husband. This is what's extraordinary about this stupendous character: he's not one-note, like Achilles, who only yields and is humanized at the death of Patroclus, hellbent on revenge, or at the tears of a supplicant Priam, this time moved by compassion by the suffering old man and afflicted by the thought of his own aging father Peleus. In contrast, Odysseus has a much richer personality. Throughout the poem he never stops thinking about returning home, he, however still takes on risky adventures, and while he is intelligent enough to trick the cyclops, it was him who couldn't resist the temptation of entering the one-eyed monster's cave.

One minute he's incredibly prudent (like when he covers his crewmates' ears with wax to resist the deadly fascination of the sirens' song while he gets tied up to the mast of the ship, following Circe's wise advice to a letter), and the next he's recklessly daring (like when he gets armed, grabs two spears and gets ready for the grueling and disproportionate feat of fighting rocky Scylla). Such is homeric Odysseus, a hero with a complex personality who acts in an equally complex epic poem wherein diverse legends have converged. While the Iliad tells of a mere episode of the Trojan War, which serves both as a setting and a cause of Achilles' rage and allows for war feats and human feelings and passions to be described, the Odyssey is the epic poem about a character who integrates not only the adventures he experiences, but also the actions of other characters into a narrative whole. Around the figure of Odysseus polytropos and polytlas, gather gods, beggars, suitors, loyal and disloyal servants, nymphs, witches, giants, cannibals, hospitable men, the souls of the dead, the caring nursemaid, the loyal dog and his dearest loved ones: his parents, his son, his loving wife.

Antonio López Eire

[space-bowl]

1. Cyclops (Narcolepsy Toad)

-

Hey! I'm taking a crack at an Inktober since my friend wanted to do one together. I will do my best to see it through, starting with the first one, feat. my AU version of Galaxy's narcolepsy toad :D

Here's the list for reference, courtesy of @teratopedia:

[tyrantisterror]

No Small Feat Art Pt. 8: The Castle in the Clouds Arc

By request, I’m gonna show off some of the artwork for No Small Feat, a Midgaheim story my friends and I told through the TTRPG system Fabula Ultima. I drew a lot of characters and monsters for it, and my friends - in particular, @dragonzzilla, @scatha5, and @dinosaurana - helped line and color them so we’d have cute little sprites to use on our online battlemaps, which really helped sell the whole “we’re playing an oldschool turn based RPG” vibe that Fabula Ultima’s system is going for.

In this part, we’re gonna look at the many NPCs introduced in the campaign’s fifth arc, The Castle in the Clouds.

This arc began with our heroes arriving in the town of Langchilde to find it partially demolished, and learned that the town - and its vault specifically - had been ransacked by a ogres, who were now congregating on a nearby island. Since the vault held one of the crown jewels, our heroes had to travel to the island to try and steal it back, which involved some sailing. And with sailing comes...

They faced a dreaded Aspidochelone (predatory turtles that disguise themselves as islands), slew a kraken, befriended a ciriencroin (big goofy armored eels), and mediated a singing context between a mermaid and a siren.

On the island itself, our heroes found a giant tower stretching into the clouds, and, with the help of Jack Giantslayer, ascended it to find a hidden castle in the sky, where the ogre prince Goligaunt announced to his subjects (and some foreign ogre ambassadors) that he had one of the crown jewels of Engelsex and was going to use it to make himself king not only of the ogres in the country, but of the humans as well.

Goligaunt was assisted by Fark, a swamp ogre whose special move in combat was chucking donkeys at people. His ball was attended by at least two ogres from outside of Engelsex - Thulsatea, a cyclops from Mediterra, and Utgar Thrym, a Jotunn from Germanor. These two were optional boss encounters that my players... artfully avoided (though they befriended Thulsatea and let her shine, so that was nice).

There was one more ogre on the island, too, but we'll cover her in the next section: the Bonus Bosses!

[spookystirfry]

Heya folks! As some have shown interrest in my lil nebula cyclops again, I though I would share my rudimentary ancestry for pathfinder 2e of them! As of now they only have lvl 1 feats and I'm sure the document is full of spelling errors, but I hope to update them with more stuff when my life calms down a bit. Until then though, if you wanna find out more about the nebula cyclops you can grab them from here

[nonbinarylocalcryptid]

ADHD study tip feat. my eternal hyperfixation in mythology:

Listen to The Cyclops Saga from Epic: The Musical in repeat while studying, especially the part of the fight. It hypes you up enough to keep on going.