(I need to make stamps for this fandom, these is ALL I could find on Tumblr, we're cooked)


EPIC THE MUSICAL

STRAIGHT FROM THE WIKI

EPIC: The Musical is a nine-part series of concept albums (referred to as "sagas") with music and lyrics by Jorge Rivera-Herrans. A sung-through adaptation of Homer's Odyssey inspired by musical theater, it tells the story of Odysseus as he tries to return from Troy to Ithaca after the ten-year-long Trojan War.

Along the way, he must face gods and monsters that attempt to prevent him from returning to his wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemachus.

GO WATCH IT

This is a popular musical. As you may know, other popular musicals are a thing, such as Hamilton, Heathers, Be more chill... And you know what all of these have in common???

THEY'RE RELIABLE WITH THE LADIE-

Wait, no, wrong sentence. I meant to say:

PEOPLE HAVE MADE ANIMATICS FOR THEM.

You can watch the full musical with visuals as if it were a movie!! (And, I promise, even if they're not fully animated, it will be better than 99% of animated movies coming out right now)

ALL HAIL SIMON SAYSSZ FOR MAKING THIS AMAZING PLAYLIST

Grab some popcorn and a drink, sit for two hour, THEN come back to my shrine. I promise you won't regret it.


WHY IT WORKS

    List of reasons:
  • A musical is a really interesting way of adapting this work because. The Odyssey was originally a POEM passed down orally, relying on rhythm, meter (dactylic hexameter), and repetition to help performers memorize and recite it. That's why the work repeated phrases such as "When the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared" (which I absolutetly despise because IT'S SUCH A JUMPSCARE. EVERY. TIME.) that were conviniently the right number of syllables.
  • Now, what can you do with a musical??? POEMS WITH SOUNDS IN THE BACKGROUND (wait- I've just been told that's called a song). And, also, something that happens in musicals and is pretty exclusive of musicals IS LEIMOTIFS, the repetitions I was talking about!!
  • Now, I'm not saying the animatics are a part of the musical because most of them aren't official and just made by and for fans, BUUT the ANIMATICS MAN, they make the musical experience so much better. Gigi, Neal, WolfyTheWitch, Ximena, Mircsy, Crashite, AnniFlama, TheArteest, Dutevox, Clover, Xieru, Rosarix... and many more!!
  • The adaptation itself. Is it accurate?? Eeh, like 70% (if we ignore that in EPIC the story happens chronologically, and it's JUST the Odysseus in the sea after the Iliad). The original story is MESSY, with like 100 authors contradicting themselves (just like with every single myth), but the message is there!!
  • The theme is also, I believe, very ancient greek, with it talking about embracing ruthlessness, prioritizing your health over other people who don't deserve it (no, the crew didn't deserve to be saved, I hate all of them (except Polites, Perimedes and Elpenor, my sheilas), and I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL). But it's also about love and loyalty to those who do love you back and are loyal to you. Love is what drives Ody to push forward.
  • Gigi's Circe. Dutevox's Telemachus. Zieru's Hermes.

END OF LIST.


ODYSSEUS' CHARACTERIZATION

So, he's a nice guy. A babygirl, if you will. A malewife who didn't want to go to war. That's how EPIC depicticts him.

Some people are mad at this because Odysseus in real mythology he's a little messed up. They have valid opinions, and I am in no way cultured enough to say that their opinion is wrong. HOWEVER, I will do so anyway. Their opinion is wrong. Because I can answer their argument with:

Aren't we all? (especially, and I mean ESPECIALLY, in Ancient Greece)

You want to know who started all this? Who started to “make Odysseus look nice” in the first place? It's Homer. THAT'S RIGHT BABY, IT WAS HOMER THIS WHOLE TIME.

Non-homeric Odysseus does things such as kill people mercilessly from the start (e.g. Palamedes, which, I mean, he deserved it 100% and all my homies hate Palamedes FOR TRYING TO KILL A FUCKING INFANT TELEMACHUS, WHAT THE HELL), attempt to murder Diomedes, his best friend from the war, when stealing the Palladium because (???, then volunteer to kill Astyanax, cheat on his wife with a bazillion women plus Circe and Calypso... He would also be characterized as being a coward for fighting from afar (aka being an archer).

MEANWHILE. You don't hear any of this in The Odyssey (which is such a fun read except for the rosy-fingered Dawn jumpscared). Homer purposfully hides or changes this information so Odysseus is never to blame. Homer also gave him a spear, so he would not be a coward anymore. And his love for Penelope is STRONG. He never once cheates on Penelope. He doesn't have any kid other than Telemachus. In The Odyssey, it's made VERY clear that his relationships with Circe and Calypso are forced.

And I want to continue talking about this in another paragraph to really expand on this. Odysseus doesn't have that "aah, I'm just a man but I love my wife so I can't!!" moment. He is not given the opportunity to say no. When Hermes appears, he makes it very clear that Odysseus has to sleep with Circe.

The story begins with Odysseus reaching an island (I don't remember where exactly) after escaping Ogygya. And the way he talks about Calypso breaks my heart. It's just two sentences, but they've stuck with me:

Sitting upon the beach with his eyes ever filled with tears, and dying of sheer home sickness; for he had got tired of Calypso, and though he was forced to sleep with her in the cave by night, it was she, not he, that would have it so. As for the day time, he spent it on the rocks and on the sea shore, weeping, crying aloud for his despair, and always looking out upon the sea.

NOBODY EVER TALKS ABOUT THIS AND IT MAKES SO GENUINELY ANGRY. Homer is not subtle, it's not something you can simply brush off or some grey area where you don't know: Calypso raped Odysseus every day for seven years. You may still like her, you may have different interpretations. For example, Antinous, he's fucking trash and an excuse for a human being who raped many of the maids and plotted to rape Penelope as well and hurt Telemachus. And I made Antinous best boi in my AU (because it's a reverse character arcs AU, and I took everything that made him him and flipped it around! He's the opposite version of himself). But if you're going to talk about Homer's Calypso, you cannot erase the fact that she raped him countless times simply because she was a goddess and had the power to do so.

I've seen so many people on TikTok (because of course it's TikTok) with people commenting things like "YES, Odysseus our loyal king!!" and people replying with "uuhm, actually, in The Odyssey-" AAAAAAAAAH, SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU HAVEN'T READ THE ODYSSEY, YOU'RE TWELVE.

ANYWAAAAAY. That's not important in EPIC:TM because it's not canon. Calypso is simply alone (which she isn't in The Odyssey, btw, she has tons of nymphs) and manipulative, but she is morally grey there, so I'll let you have your own opinions on her.

This section isn't about her. It's about Odysseus. The point I was trying to make is that EPIC clearly follows The Odyssey's characterization, so I don't see treating him as the bbg he is as something bad. It's a 3000 year old fictional character! It doesn't matter! Have your own interpretation! You are ALLOWED to have headcanons.

In my opinion, Odysseus' personality is great, and his character arcs are beautiful.