voidpacifist

[voidpacifist]

on greek mythology, media literacy, and puritanical fandom culture

I was just on the phone with a friend the other week discussing some major differences between EPIC: the musical, and homer's the odyssey and the iliad. and I noticed something very interesting about the way the broader group of greek mythology enjoyers contrasts the EPIC fandom. mainly about how they approach character analysis, or rather, character judgment.

for example, I'm gonna use odysseus here not just because he's a favored character of mine, but also because he's the best illustration for this. odysseus in homer's canon and in the broader "extra-homeric" canons (ie, iphigenia in aulis, achilleid, aeneid, etc) is a liar, a cheater, a murderer, among other things. odysseus in EPIC's canon is a man who is faithful to his wife, a half-truther of sorts, and still a murderer. but there's a MASSIVE gulf of understanding and interpretation between these two versions of him.

jay rivera-herrans' depiction humanizes him quite a lot, and also fills in the gaps of understanding we have of his motivations and emotions surrounding his actions throughout the odyssey and perhaps even the iliad, but even then, it doesn't account for all of it accurately because EPIC is not a line for line retelling of homer's work. in fact, one could argue it's an entirely different story about an entirely different person. meanwhile, homer's depiction of odysseus, while similarly homesick, is, if we're also taking into account the extra-homeric stories, a generally dislikeable guy all around.

many EPIC fans choose to ignore this or outright don't know this version of their beloved protagonist exists. and many greek mythology fans are annoyed by the lack of understanding for what they believe to be the "real" odysseus. it's a very polarizing space to exist in when you're a fan of both classic greek mythology and EPIC (me!). having conversations about beloved characters is a bit like being a lawyer for a war criminal.

but what I've noticed in both spaces that is similar is just how much of a rigid lens people have developed for picking their favorites. it kind of reminds me of how people these days have to know what the latest scoop or controversy is with the artists or public figures whose content they consume before consuming it. which, in my personal opinion, feels like a quite strange way to approach fictional characters, but alright. the point is, cancel culture (for lack of better terminology) has been levied against not only people who never existed, but people whose stories took place thousands of years ago. it is not only anachronistic to do this, but also shows a vast inability to bring nuance into conversations about the ancient greek figures we know and...love? hate? who's to say, really.

so here's a harsher example. the very first line of the odyssey says "tell me about a complicated man," but then odysseus is oversimplified by both his glazers AND his haters. his entire personality is made one dimensional by either group and it erases the rest of him, turning him into someone who is only capable of existing within inside-the-box perceptions of him. there is a fundamental misunderstanding and even a disappearance of his humanity. therefore, conversations about his downfalls or his merits only spirals him to one side of the "moral scale" or the other. how is it that we have such simple takeaways about a "complicated man"? how is it that we have become homerically illiterate?

well, in my opinion, it has much more to do with the world around us. there's a MASSIVE upswing in conservative and religious ideals permeating different spaces, and not just in the U.S. (and I'm saying all of this as an american christian btw so don't get defensive with me yet). our inner worlds are becoming more and more divided while our outer world is becoming bleaker and bleaker. we no longer know how to exist in a mindset that isn't black and white because that is the kind of dystopian present day we're existing in. and at the same time, bolder self expression is becoming more and more uncommon, so while our inner worlds get more polarized, our outer world gets more grey.

it's why we can't understand nuances when it comes to fandom spaces and fictional characters anymore. because we do not know at all how to do that without almost instinctively wanting to bring "accountability" to figures that literally cannot account for their own actions. odysseus of ithaca is not going to get onto twitter dot com and write a notes app apology for the sacrifices of iphigenia, polyxena, astyanax, or the six hundred men under his leadership home, nor for his infidelity (the telegony). hating his actions is all valid enough, because his actions in many cases are detestable by today's view of what is and isn't moral. but to surmise his whole character by those actions completely obliterates his personhood. AND this same harsh divide between how his character is treated is nowhere near what some of the other achaean war criminals heroes receive in fandom spaces (I'm looking at you, patroclus).

also, in the name of taking a moral high ground, we've lost the art of appreciating art! fandom culture is so fun because it is so fluid, and the ancient greeks were experts at fluidity. were their standards for being a good person totally fucked up? yeah. did they also pioneer shipping and debates over which storyline was "canon" or not? sort of, yeah. you could say they did it first. the point is, approaching a world and mythos that is so fluid and flexible with the judgment call of a puritan is going to make having constructive discussions about the greeks very Very difficult for you, I fear. and the same thing goes for other fandom spaces like with EPIC or madeline miller's stories, or other greek retellings and published fanfics (essentially). learn to be critical of the characters without erasing their personhood, and learn to acknowledge their personhood without erasing the actions and events that make them messy!! I'm begging!!!

[voidpacifist]

do you think odysseus thought of iphigenia being led to her "wedding altar" when he brought astyanax to the walls of troy?

[voidpacifist]

now read it again!!

I have been informed by two people, one of them being my trusted friend and ally, that the idea that Calypso is cursed to be stuck on her island and fall for any man that lands on it... is from fucking Percy Jackson.

I already suspected so because whenever I saw people claiming she was totally cursed and couldn't be held accountable for her trespasses against Odysseus and likely countless other men, none of them cited a line that stated that. There is also no mention of it on her Wikipedia page either, and I knew that it would have been mentioned if anything was backing it. Like how any potential children of Odysseus with Circe and Calypso aren't technically canon because stories about them were written after the original poem and by different people but they were still mentioned in sources about Circe and Calypso.

Some of y'all are exonerating a fictional rapist because of a depiction of her you found in a children's book.

Goddammit Rick.

[voidpacifist]

The messenger of the gods has his own letter to send <3

the lovely lovely letter was written by none other that @_isaiahwinters on twitter, please check out his work!!

The full translated thing:

[voidpacifist]

“we need more complex characters!!” if Lost were released today all of the characters would be cancelled immediately

[voidpacifist]

DINNER IN AMERICA 2020 | dir. Adam Rehmeier

[voidpacifist]

if I remember correctly, a large part of her in the odyssey was just weeping so like,,homegirl was going through it

Kill me if you want but I genuinely hate how much of Penelope's emotions and trauma are shoved aside because of the "she's from Sparta therefore she must be tough and invulnerable" characterisations.

[voidpacifist]

good take

"Odysseus should only be the submissive one," "Penelope should only be stronger," "Only Odysseus is this pathetic for her—" No, no, stop. They are not only allowed one dynamic, they are not only meant to be put into a single assigned role within their relationship, they are equals, Homophrosyne, like-minded. They are like switches, they fluctuate, BOTH of them can absolutely be the domineering one and the pathetic wet cat, they are not restricted to one.

[voidpacifist]

hey white leftists

[voidpacifist]

every day I get onto this fuckass app and watch collective brain cells get lost in the EPIC: the musical fandom, so I (a fellow epic fan) am here to gently remind you that nuance exists! free yourselves from the false dichotomies you've created! learn the ancient greek myths AND let people enjoy things! become media literate AND have fun with new premises! defend your fav AND embrace criticisms of your fav! expand your minds!! I'm begging!!!

[voidpacifist]

You may think it cruel but when a white witch pisses me off I go through her etsy listings for native bird feathers and forward it to fish and wildlife services

[voidpacifist]

Hi there,

I’m reaching out with a quiet hope in my heart. These days are heavy, and my family is living through a reality filled with uncertainty—but I’m still here, doing my best to hold on and keep going.

If you have a moment, please check out my pinned post.

A simple share could help it reach someone who might be able to make a difference.

If you’re able to give, even the smallest kindness can bring light into the darkest places.

Your time, your voice, your compassion — it all matters more than you know.

With deep gratitude,

@nadinfamily

they're at a small fraction of their goal!! please share and donate if you can

[voidpacifist]

Hello my friend 💔

My family’s escaped Gaza, and bring them to safety

If you can read or share our fundraiser, it would mean the world 💛

Thank you so much 🙏 and my apologies if this ask is a bother.

@mohamad-family

I'll be sharing these here!

[voidpacifist]

reblog this and in the tags, write the band that comes to mind first when you think back to being 13 years old

[voidpacifist]

Sleep turns you onto a bad bitch.

[voidpacifist]

broke: odypoli were just best friends

woke: odypoli probably were more than friends, even if odypen is canon

bespoke: odypolipen but the odypoli is queerplatonic, the polipen is queerplatonic, and odypen is still, blessedly, canon

[voidpacifist]

It has been amazing to see how aids has been controlled, definitely a win for humanity