Epic The Ithaca Saga - Blog Posts

epic meme time partially inspired by Kaledya's wyfilwma: https://youtube.com/watch?v=hjhwg9FEkzI

An imagining I did of "Penelope's Axe"

(the weapon I picture her wielding)

I know my entire page is Critical Role stuff but I do have other interests— I had this idea and just need to get it out into the world.

Can someone please make an animatic of Jim and Claire from Tales of Arcadia using “Will You Fall In Love With Me Again?” From Epic: The Musical? I keep imagining Jim asking Claire after he goes back in time after the end of ROTT. It’s a little too perfect, I mean Claire was the one to say he shouldn’t stop trying to make her fall for him in other timelines.

I beg🙏

*inhale* *exhale*

I just watched and listened to all EPIC songs and oh my, I can't even describe how I feel after all that

i didnt even knew this masterpiece existed after I got to knew Would You Fall in Love With Me Again

I cannot express how badly I need someone to draw, animate, edit, or cosplay Dracula and Lisa seeing each other again in Hell after Alucard kills him, with Would You Fall In Love With Me Again? from EPIC.

You cannot tell me it doesn't match them perfectly.

i am in shambles, i've listened to the Ithaca Saga more times than i can count and i will never be the same

At this point m, what Odysseus really needs is a Theraphy Saga

Ramble on the Ithaca Saga!

The Challenge

Penelope! So happy to finally see her! Absolutely love her design guys what the heck–

Penelope singing “waiting” to the same melody as Anticlea (Odysseus’s mom) makes so much sense to me. When Odysseus left, they had to support each other and it makes sense that they bonded and confined to each other a lot on top of being family.

Hold Them Down

O.O

Honestly, wow. Just. Wow. 

I love how this song addresses how much of a threat the suitors were. They would not take no for an answer. They planned to kill Telemachus multiple times. And they would have forced Penelope if they could get away with it. The Greeks had really strict rules on hospitality

Also, I would like to add that I recognized wolfythewitch’s animatic from the way they drew the food and the suitors’ noses. I don’t know why that stood out to me so much

Great detail in how Antinous died by an arrow to the throat. Very accurate

Odysseus

BOSS BATTLE!!!

The chorus chanting “O-dee-sse-us” in the background THE SAME WAY they chant “Po-lee-phe-mus” in Survive from the Cyclops Saga was absolute gold. Because Odysseus is the monster now (rawr rawr)

He just had to get up and personal in “You don't think I know my own palace? / I BUILT IT!” Drama queen

Telemachus Telemachus Telemachus ! Probably my favorite character in Epic! Love his intro.

poor baby did not get the ruthlessness memo thou

I Can’t Help But Wonder

I refuse to rank the songs of this Saga because it may physically pain me, but this song is definitely one of my top ten for the musical

Absolutely bawled my eyes out when Odysseus and Telemachus finally hugged!

Love how this song shows the (new) bond between father and son. And it’s such a sharp contrast to the previous song; really emphasises how much his family means to Odysseus

Athena! Reunion! In the words of my friend, so glad that she has a physical reminder of how much she changed and the consequences she faced for going against Zeus in God Games. Also glad that Odysseus and she got to make up, altogether it’s not instant forgiveness. They both hurt each other a lot, but they mean so much to the other. <3

Would You Fall In Love With Me Again

Again, bawled my eyes out. 

Penelope and Odysseus dueting, chef’s kiss

I love the instrumentals in this song. Everytime each character speaks, you can really distinguish the viola and guitar and their signature motifs

Penelope testing Odysseus with the olive tree wedding bed was probably one of my favorite moments. 

How I think it went down:

While I love how everyone’s like “Penelope was testing to see if it was really Odysseus”, I think it would be really funny if Penelope immediately recognizes Odysseus, but Odysseus is being depressed, so she snaps him out of it.

I also like how Penelope added "waiting~ for you" to contrast with Odysseus's "waiting for love"

I love how the last lines of the musical are “I love you”. It shows how much devotion Odysseus has and how much he cares for and prioritizes Penelope. The Odyssey could easily be argued for one of the greatest love stories, on both Odysseus and Penelope’s fronts.

buying him time

Waiting for you

Bros dad went for the milk

it was 12am. in front of my family. listening to ithaca saga. simping over these two men. i was definitely not rocking back and forth in equivalent to an anime highschool girl on her stomach kicking her feet up and down whilst twirling a strand of her hair.

I am so straight for evil odyseus and antinuous's voices

Kicking and screaming for the ithaca saga

Well, it's been a few hours, have I stopped listening to the new saga for even a minute?

Of course not, banish the thought, I am an autistic who's hyperfixated, this'll be the only thing I listen to for months, and after that you ask?

I'll do one of two things

1. Find a new greek mythology musical to spend months of my time carving into my soul

Orrrr

2. Continue carving this musical so deep into my soul I'll remember this when I'm dead

How we feeling Epic fans?

How am I you ask? Well I stimmed so much my hands went numb and then proceeded to bite both hands so much there's probably gonna be marks tomorrow

In conclusion, I'm fucking GREAT, better then ever even

How we feeling Epic fans?

How am I you ask? Well I stimmed so much my hands went numb and then proceeded to bite both hands so much there's probably gonna be marks tomorrow

In conclusion, I'm fucking GREAT, better then ever even

Odysseus after hearing the suitors wanting to kill his son and SA his wife:

Can you tell I love Epic the Musical

So not only is the song named ‘Odysseus’, like how every other monster song is named after the monster in it (See: Polyphemus, Scylla, and Charybdis), but the background vocals also chant ‘Odysseus’ like how ‘Polyphemus’ is chanted in the Cyclops saga, the beats of Odysseus’ arrows hitting the suitors are the same timing as the club hitting Ody’s men, and Ody aims for the suitors’s torches similarly to Scylla.

I could probably write a term paper about the similarities between Ody and the monsters, but these are the most obvious ones.

OK I'm probably not the only one who noticed this, but I was watching the epic livestream, and in My Goodbye, Athena goes "one day you'll understand, but not today for after all you're just a man." And you know what? One day, he does understand. When he's no longer a man, but a monster. Only then, when he (believes) he's lost his humanity, only then does he understand what Athena was telling him. But he can't, not while he was a man.

And of course then there's the whole cruel irony of Athena becoming more empathetic but that's a different post.

Anyway, I think Epic is pretty neat

Hello everyone! In celebration of the Ithaca saga release (and yes, I am still sobbing over that ending), here's an Epic au that's been rolling around my head for far too long! Enjoy!

In a few mythology stories, there is a theme of "if you kill a monster, you become a monster yourself." And, with the theme of Odysseus abandoning his humanity and becoming a monster being so prevalent in the second act, why not take it one step further?

What if, when Odysseus nearly killed Poseidon with his own godly weapon, some of that divine power found its way into Odysseus? What if the combined power of wielding the trident and the act of defeating a god and spilling his ichor ascended Odysseus unwillingly into godhood?

And, given what Odysseus was doing when he attained godhood, what of Odysseus specifically became the god of monsters?

By the time Odysseus has finished mutilating Poseidon and sails the short distance to Ithaca's shores, the ascension is already almost complete, despite Odysseus's resistance to it. When Odysseus finally sets foot on Ithaca's beach, he is no longer human at all. He is, in many ways, no longer himself.

Sure, he looks human enough at first glance, but his shadow writhes with twisting, monstrous forms, and his form blurs around the edges if one looks for long enough, as if he had to put conscious effort into appearing human.

It takes all of Odysseus's concentration to both keep himself looking human and to put one foot in front of the other, determined to ensure that the first time his family sees him again, they see him, not some monster.

But then, Odysseus finds the suitors. He hears Antinous speaking of killing his son and doing vile things to his wife, and suddenly, Odysseus doesn't feel like holding back the writhing, howling beasts under his skin anymore. No, no, he is going to revel in releasing them on these dogs.

Odysseus, still unseen by the suitors, lets his mortal disguise disappear in an instant, and a horrible roar has the suitors all stiffening with primordial terror, their minds frozen at the sight of something that their instincts screamed was a predator, unlike anything they had seen before.

The beast that they now beheld, which seemingly appeared out of nowhere, was horrific, with its body shifting and changing between all manner of monsters. One moment it was a hydra, then in the next it was a minotaur, and then it took the form of a chimera. The suitors watched in grotesque horror for a few seconds as the beast's body could not decide on a shape, its head and eyes and limbs always shifting, before the monster took a step towards them, its clawed foot shaking the ground.

At that, the suitors suddenly realized that this was real and that they were in a room with this creature. And then, all hell broke loose as the 108 suitors screamed with terror and scrambled away from the monster in all directions.

Then, the hunt began.

The monster chased them down the long hallways of the palace, killing any suitor it got its hands on. Some were shredded by its claws, others trampled under its feet like bugs, and some were even devoured with a single bite of its jaws. And all the while, The beast showed no mercy, no remorse, and no signs of that its bloodlust was even remotely slaked.

One suitor, when cornered by the beast, got on his knees and begged for mercy, only to be crushed with one swipe of a club that had manifested itself from the beast's body, which now took the shape of a savage cyclops.

Soon, blood painted the walls and floor of the palace, while the surviving suitors armed themselves for battle. After all, it was impossible to flee from the beast, so their only chance was to fight it.

However, at the armory, Telemachus appeared, back from his diplomatic mission and demanding to know what was happening, asking the suitors about the beast. Then, Antinous, one of the only surviving suitors, got an idea.

He ordered the others suitors to hold Telemachus down and tie him up as he explained his plan. They could still go through with their previous plot if they played this well enough.

After all, the beast out there was clearly either a punishment sent by the gods or a god in of itself. And the only way to appease a god was through an offering or sacrifice.

So, the suitors could present the bound prince to the beast as a sacrifice, which would appease the gods. After all, a blood sacrifice of a royal held great significance.

And when Penelope was mourning her poor, sacrificed son, Antinous and his men would be hailed as heroes by all of Ithaca for appeasing the monster, and Penelope would have no choice but to wed one of them.

Telemachus was screaming with rage and fear behind his makeshift gag as Antinous finished explaining his plan to the other suitors, who enthusiastically agreed to it.

Together, the suitors dragged Telemachus, his limbs bound with rope, out into the hallway, where it took the monster only a matter of seconds to find them.

Telemachus' eyes widened with shock at the sight of the monster, with its ever-changing limbs and body. The only constant feature on the beast was its ferocious glowing red eyes, which chilled the prince to the bone.

Antinous kicked Telemachus forwards towards the beast, sending him sprawling out over the floor.

"Great beast! We know not why you are here, but we humbly apologize for whatever wrong this kingdom has done to you! Please, accept this honored sacrifice: Telemachus, the prince of this land, and leave us in peace."

The monster, for the first time since it appeared, stood still, though its form still shifted fluidly. The suitors watched with baited breath as the beast ever so slowly inched forwards, towards a squirming and terrified Telemachus.

As the creature got closer, however, its form stopped changing as much, until its seemed to stabilize, taking on the shape of a giant human figure, but its body and face were featureless, simply a mass of shadows, except for its ever-present red eyes.

The now human-shaped monster picked Telemachus up in of of its hands slowly, handling him far gentler than it had any of the suitors. On the ground, Antinous and his men watched on in barely-contained excitement, overjoyed that everything was going as planned.

"I take it that you accept and are appeased by this sacrifice, great one?" Antinous, ever confident, spoke up.

The beast was still silent, giving no indication that it even heard Antinous, with all of its attention still focused on Telemachus, who was convinced that this was the end for him.

Gingerly, the creature rearranged its hold on Telemachus, until it was cradling him in its arms as a human would with an infant. The suitors look on in confusion, unsure what to make of this. What kind of monster cradled its sacrifice? Why wasn't it mindlessly slaughtering the prince just as it had the other suitors?

Then, the creature's gaze shifted from Telemachus to the suitors, filling them with an instinctive fear that told them to run. But before they could even take a step, a massive serpent's head shot out of the creature's chest, devouring all of them in a single bite. Telemachus, still bound and gagged, screamed with terror at the sight of it.

The beast, with Telemachus still trapped in its arms, started lumbering its way through the halls again, swiftly killing any remaining suitors it came across while the prince shook with terror in its arms.

After a while, the beast had finally killed the last of the suitors, leaving a trail of mutilated corpses and blood throughout the entire palace. There would be no one left inside the palace except for Telemachus and... his mother.

Telemachus came to this horrifying realization as he recognized exactly where the monster was heading. It was going to his mother's room, and the reinforced door would not protect her from this creature.

Telemachus renewed his struggles against his bindings, begging as best he could from behind the gag, "not her, please, not her!"

But the beast, of course, did not listen, and continued its path of destruction until it reached Penelope's door, still carrying the furiously squirming prince in its arms.

The doors, reinforced with bronze, did not stand a chance against the monster's strength, and Telemachus was forced to watch on in horror as his mother screamed at the sight of the beast, and he could do nothing as the monster grabbed ahold of her with a gigantic hand.

Telemachus had felt helpless and useless many times over the years as suitors invaded their home and disrespected his mother, but that was nothing compared to the sheer hopelessness and terror of seeing his mother struggling in the grasp of this monster and being unable to even move.

Now that Penelope was in his grasp, the monster slowly, almost gingerly, made his way to the throne room, trampling the scattered and bloodied corpses of the suitors that were in his path.

There, in the middle of the throne room, the beast finally sat down, halting its rampage through the halls of the palace at long last. Penelope and Telemachus, still trapped in the monster's arms, held each other as close as they could, trembling with fear at the massive, gore-covered monster that held their lives quite literally in its merciless hands.

(But little did they know that, as the hours went by, the monster would slowly shrink, diminishing in size, until it revealed a man, a very familiar man, underneath it all. And that man would like nothing more than to hold his family close for as long as he can.)

And that's all for this story! I might do a continuation if the inspiration strikes! Please let me know if you'd like to see a continuation!

And, as always, thank you for reading through my ramblings! :D

Bringing this one back to celebrate the countdown to the release of Ithaca saga! Only one more day left before the full musical is out!!

Another thought on Epic the Musical, do you want to know one detail that kills me every time?

If you look at the titles of the songs, the ONLY songs that are named after characters are songs that are named after monsters that are trying to slaughter as many people as possible (like Polyphemus, Scylla, and Charybdis). No human character or even any god gets a song named after them, only the monsters do.

But (MINOR SPOILER AHEAD), do you know what song 38 is titled? Odysseus.

Odysseus, the man made monster, who has become something so far from his own humanity that he is counted within the ranks of the terrible monsters that came earlier in the story. Odysseus, who will absolutely be trying to slaughter as many suitors as possible when he returns to Ithaca.

It's such a small detail, but it gets me every time I think about it! Because not only has Odysseus become a monster in the eyes of the other characters, but he has become one in the eyes of THE VERY MUSICAL ITSELF!

AHHHHHHHHH!!!

Another thought on Epic the Musical, do you want to know one detail that kills me every time?

If you look at the titles of the songs, the ONLY songs that are named after characters are songs that are named after monsters that are trying to slaughter as many people as possible (like Polyphemus, Scylla, and Charybdis). No human character or even any god gets a song named after them, only the monsters do.

But (MINOR SPOILER AHEAD), do you know what song 38 is titled? Odysseus.

Odysseus, the man made monster, who has become something so far from his own humanity that he is counted within the ranks of the terrible monsters that came earlier in the story. Odysseus, who will absolutely be trying to slaughter as many suitors as possible when he returns to Ithaca.

It's such a small detail, but it gets me every time I think about it! Because not only has Odysseus become a monster in the eyes of the other characters, but he has become one in the eyes of THE VERY MUSICAL ITSELF!

AHHHHHHHHH!!!

I wrote down my thoughts on epic and when I when I was watching it for the first time yesterday:

just if yall wanted to know :3

I have been putting off listening to epic : the musical (much like I do with everything else in my life tbh) and now that I have done it, all that I can say is that my life has been changed, and I am drowning in my tears.. 🥹

POSEIDON (and Jay) part 2

It is from my AU where Jay is the reincarnation of Odysseus and Poseidon is still afraid of him XD

Also inspire by Steven's video and a Jay reel. No me termina de convencer los colores de mi Poseidón, puede que lo cambie.

It's so important to me that the musical ends with "I love you." Because that's what it was all about, wasn't it? Epic is about the love Odysseus has for his wife and son and his desire to get back to them. And the Ithaca Saga goes, "It was always two sided. They love him too. Penelope has loved him this entire time, and no matter who he is now, she loves him. Epic begins and ends with their love." I adore it

Penelope “you’re always my husband” and Odysseus “next to my wife” of Ithaca everyone

I’m afraid they invented romance actually

"I know how these arms have held me, and will again. These things are you, my love, and I know them."

Sobbing, screaming, writhing on the floor and throwing up I love this I hate it it broke my heart it solved all my problems it defines me I want it on my obituary

If people keep having amazing ideas I'm never going to get any of my WIPs done. Here's a oneshot of @bigidiotenergytm 's Vasileios (transmasc Penelope) reuniting with Odysseus

-----

Through twenty years of solitude Vasileios had suffered since Odysseus' reluctant call to war. Ten years of uncertainty since the news of Troy's fall. Four years of tension with the arrival of the suitors, and three years of bitter mockery of what should have been a wonderous gift from the goddess Aphrodite. And yet, Vasileios had never been more terrified than in the hundred seconds since Telemachus had announced the arrival of Odysseus.

It wasn't that he didn't trust his husband. They'd made vows to one another. Even after twenty years, he was home. Odysseus had built their wedding bed as a monument to their immovable love, built him a palace around that wedding vow. If, after twenty years, he was still the man who'd loved so fiercely, he could surely accept this.

But, said a treacherous voice in his mind, those vows had been made to Penelope, not to Vasileios.

The door creaked open. And there he was.

Odysseus.

The first thing Vasileios noticed, to his shame, was how frighteningly small his husband was. He looked as though he'd been hungry for a very long time. His beard, though roughened by sea salt and a few days longer than usual, was neatly trimmed. Where had he found himself, Vasileios wondered, that he would care for his appearance but not for his health?

His eyes were hard, framed by dark circles, and angry in a way that had never been aimed towards his love.

"Who are you," Odysseus demanded, a hand clenching the bow at his hip as the other hovered over the quiver at his other side. "What have you done with her? Where is my wife?"

A lump formed in Vasileios' throat.

"I remember once," he said softly in lieu of an answer, "beneath a certain olive tree, that you made me a promise. Do you recall what it was?"

Odysseus' hand lowered slowly from the bow, confusion furrowing his brow.

"We promised to love one another, then and always, no matter... no matter..." Vasileios blinked rapidly.

"No matter how life changed us," Odysseus finished. His body slackened as the tension left him in a rush. "Penelope? Is that... are you...?"

"Vasileios, now," the king's consort explained with a watery smile. "I know it's... rather a bit more literal than we meant it then, but I hope you can still see that I am me."

Odysseus dropped the bow. It clattered to the floor, echoing his footsteps as he crossed the room. He raised a hand, slowly, gently, as though afraid to frighten him.

"...there is a lightness in your eyes I can't recall ever seeing," he said, brushing a hand over Vasileios' clean-shaven cheek and down the well-groomed beard at his chin, "although I dreamt of them every night."

Those gentle fingers brushed a tear from Vasileios' cheekbone.

"You look different," Vasileios noted, before chuckling in embarrassment. "Though, I suppose I'm not one to talk, am I?"

Odysseus smiled, soft and small, as if the expression were afraid to show itself. "I am not the man you fell in love with," he admitted quietly. "It would be remiss of me as a husband to renounce my love simply because you are no longer the woman I married. But I ask, Vasileios, could you fall in love with me a second time, if you knew what terrible things I've done to return to you?"

Vasileios couldn't suppress a sob of mixed relief and empathy. "W-what sort of things did you do?" he asked, fighting to regain his composure. The hand retreated from his cheek.

"Reddened the sea across every island I landed upon," Odysseus declared in a dead voice, his eyes betraying the depths of pain he truly felt. "Sacrificed men I loved with all my heart, because the love I held for them could never compare to that which I hold for you."

Vasileios' hand was lifted softly, clasped between two worn with unfamiliar scars.

"The atrocities I've committed cannot be undone," Odysseus whispered. "Could you still love me as the man I've become, even if I am not your kind and gentle husband?"

Ah, this foolish man. Vasileios stood, pulling away from his touch and pretending it didn't burn behind his eyes to do so.

"If it's true that you have changed so irrevocably," he said, "can you do something for me? A simple task, just to bring me peace of mind?"

Odysseus looked at him quizzically, but with naked hope in his eyes.

"Will you move our wedding bed from this room, so that we might enjoy each others' company in greater comfort?"

The change was stark as the question visibly settled in Odysseus' mind. His gaze darkened with hurt, then with anger. His fists clenched at his sides.

"How could you ask this of me," he asked, the devastation in his voice nearly shaking Vasileios' resolve. "I built this wedding bed with my own hands, a monument to my love for you. I built a home around my love for you!" He was shouting now, anger boiling from the sea of sorrow. "A symbol of our love, our vows, to be as steadfast and everlasting as its very roots in the soil. And you ask me to cut it from those roots?"

Vasileios crossed the distance between them fearlessly, cradling the face of a man who still wore the blood of a hundred others as he stared into his fury with an anger to match.

"Only my husband would know this, or care for its preservation," he shouted in return, tears streaming down his face, "and you dare to try and convince me that you are no longer that man?"

The anger drained from Odysseus so quickly that Vasileios worried for a moment that he may faint. He tucked his king's face into his neck, burying his nose into curls crusted in blood and sea salt.

"I would fall in love with you a thousand times," Vasileios declared, anger at the loss of time turning to wetness on his face and in his husband's hair. "I will fall in love with the man you have become, and every man you've been for twenty years, and every man you will be until we both embrace the shroud of death."

Odysseus' shoulders shook.

"And I ask, husband," Vasileios continued, pulling himself away to meet the king's red-rimmed eyes, "can I ask the same of you? I am not the woman you loved. I am not your sweet and soft Penelope. I have changed much to keep this household safe, to bring myself some happiness in the face of my grief. I will never be her again, and I do not wish to be. Can you love me as I am, and for every man I will be?"

Odysseus pulled Vasileios' hands into his own once again.

"Vasileios," he said seriously, "if I am still the man you love, you cannot tell me you are not the person I married." He turned their hands over, tracing his partner's fingers. "These callouses from your weaving, I know them. I had memorized them a thousand times, so well I could follow a map of them more closely than any of Ithaca." His hand slid up Vasileios' arm to a spot on his wrist. "This scar from the knife you learned to wield in secret as a child, I know it too. This strength," he caressed his upper arms, "from decades of working the loom, I know how these arms have held me, and will again. These things are you, my love, and I know them."

Hands cradled Vasileios' face. Two thumbs traced the dark circles beneath his eyes, wiping away fresh tears. "I do not know this tiredness to your face, nor the wrinkles that adorn it. I do not know this grayness to your hair." Odysseus drew a tentative hand through the softness of his lover's mane. "But I want nothing more in the world than to know them as I know all the rest of you, my love."

Vasileios sobbed, finally caving to his desire to cling to Odysseus like a child. His husband's arms wrapped around him just as tightly, as though afraid he would disappear the moment he let go.

"I love you." It didn't matter who said it first. There would be plenty more to fill their lifetime.