"I see a song of past romance, I see the sacrifice of man, I see portrayal of betrayal and a brother's final stand. I see you on the brink of death, I see you draw your final breath, I see a man who gets to make it home alive but it's no longer you."

WIP of Penelope with her forever-unfinished shroud.

THERE ARE OTHER WAYS DID NOT GO WHERE I WAS EXPECTING IT TO OH MY GOD /POS

PENELOPE’S THEME AND INSTRUMENT?? ODYSSEUS BEING QUITE LITERALLY BACKED INTO A CORNER AND HAVING SEEMINGLY NO OTHER WAY TO SAVE HIS MEN BUT STILL NOT BEING ABLE TO BRING HIMSELF TO GO THROUGH WITH THE ACT (EVEN THO IT WOULDN’T BE A TRUE ACT OF BETRAYAL BECAUSE THERE’S NO ACTUAL CONSENT ON HIS SIDE AND IT WAS SOMETHING HE WAS ABOUT TO BE COERCED INTO)??? CIRCE BEING TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF BEFORE AND BELIEVING THAT “BECOMING THE PUPPETEER” IS THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP HERSELF AND HER NYMPHS SAFE SO SHE OFFERS THIS “ACT OF PASSION” TO STILL HAVE A FORM OF CONTROL, AND THEN SEEING ODYSSEUS IS NOT LIKE THOSE BEFORE BECAUSE HE’S SO IN LOVE WITH PENELOPE (WHO HE HASN’T SEEN IN 12 YEARS) THAT HE REFUSES HER OFFER AND PLEADS BECAUSE IT’S NOT WORTH IT EVEN THO THATS THE ONLY OPTION HE’S BEEN GIVEN??? HIM CALLING HIMSELF A PUPPET MAKING HER REALIZE THAT THIS CYCLE OF ABUSE AND CONTROL ISN’T WORTH IT ONLY TO COME TO A MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING BECAUSE SHE KNOWS WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE TRULY IN LOVE AND TO BE HURT, SO SHE OFFERS HIM AN ACT OF KINDNESS INSTEAD???

“Maybe showing one act of kindness leads to kinder souls down the road”

Here's my latest BSD x Epic vid. The Best of You. Chuuya is challenging his suitors, and telling Dazai he's not fooled by his beggar disguise, so he better win the competition. I didn't get to work on any videos over my break, so it's another snippet this week. Hopefully this weekend I'll get some more videos made.

odysseus refusing circe as penelope’s viola motif plays in the background is everything to me.

Okay but tell me why this part of Full Speed Ahead always gives me chills.

Like what? The longing, the excitement, the emotion. It always gets me.

Epic the musical Catifed: I remade Penelope’s Ref!

AAAAGHH DJDHFJRHJDHSHD OKAY OKAY, so Ive been meaning to redo her ref for quite some time now, and it happens that I’ve been stressed enough lately to draw her! She’s literally one of my very top comfort characters for me right now, to be fair all of my comfort characters are extremely important but for this situation I’m in right now the comfort I need is from people like Penelope or Willow (from Wings of Fire).

anyways this ref has really helped me decompress and calm down, drawing Penelope has made me feel so safe and secure, literally I love Penelope in Epic so much.

I looove how she is in Epic the musical? Idk I feel more drawn towards her and more interested in her then the Penelope in the Odyssey.

though I guess in general when I say “I love -insert character who appears in EPIC” I’m usually talking about specifically the interpretation of Epic. Though I do have a genuine interest in Greek mythology and I want to get into more media that’s about it, the specific characters I’ve grown attached to are the musical ones!

like- people need to understand that Epic isn’t just “the odyssey as a musical” it’s a transformative retelling! And in many ways is it’s own story.

like- I think everyone can Agree that Ody in epic is a lot more nicer and moral then Ody in the Odyssey,

they literally aren’t the same character, and I hate when I see people bash on Odysseus in Epic because of their opinions of him in the odyssey.

Don’t get me wrong I LOOVE LOOVE the Odyssey and Iliad and other Greek myths but that’s simply just not the fandom I’m apart of.

Yes, Epic is still based on the Odyssey and a retelling of it, but it’s still Separate, and people shouldn’t act like it isn’t or act like what happens in EPIC reflects onto the odyssey. Like- don’t say “oohh but Odysseus isn’t that bad because in Epic-“ Stop. Don’t say that.

if you see them as separate from eachother then it shouldn’t matter to you people’s takes of the characters in the Odyssey because they aren’t the same as in EPIC. And really that goes for everything?

I’ve seen people bring up PJO(somehow???) a lot or that Circe book (literally don’t know the name of it) in regards to Epic and say “but in this!” Like- dude they are literally different retellings and interpretations it’s not like every Greek mythology story is connected or idk- canon to the Original Myths??? And don’t get me wrong you can make crossover AUs! I honestly LOOOVE seeing all of the PJO x Epic things I see!

but anyways stupid ramble over, I LOOVE LOOVEE DESIGNING PENELOPE! AAGGHHDHDHD I wanted her to appear very regal and well kept, she is a queen after all. But further more Penelope in Epic is a character who isn’t much of a physical fighter, rather she stands back and watches with calculating eyes and prudence. She has an unwavering will and a strong composure in the face of 108 nasty Suitors. She’s wise and clever. With all of this I wanted to give her more lengthy and soft features, as Penelope is someone many don’t expect to expertly win a battle with wits. She simply just seems to be the face of royalty. But I also gave her a strong long/thick tail to show her strength, she absolutely can beat the shit out of you with that tail, but she won’t. Because she doesn’t need to, since she has other more “civil” methods of wits to break you down. but in general EPIC Penelope is more reserved and calm, she doesn’t need to gaslight you or manipulate you, she just needs to trick you. She’s understanding and gentle, yet serious and worried. she stands tall hence why I made her that height. she’s also one of Odysseus’s leading motives, and a major support for him. I wanted Penelope to come across as someone you turn to for guidance or you lean into to cry. She’s a sturdy yet soft shoulder to cry on, something Odysseus desperately needs. (also Penelope just HAS to be taller then Odysseus I’m sorry- if you don’t make Ody in epic shorter then practically everyone what are you doing? /j)

anyways thats my Penelope design!

doodling while sick godbless

“I keep on trying to embrace you both, why won’t you let me?”

My dealer: got some straight gas 🔥😛 this strain is called “the slaughter of the suitors” 😳 you’ll be zonked out of your gourd 💯

Me: yeah whatever. I don’t feel shit. 

5 minutes later: dude I swear I just saw that beggar hiding our weapons

My buddy Antinous pacing: Penelope is lying to us

okay so I was doing a Research™️ about ancient Greek etymology as one does and I found some Things that made me want to Violently Claw My Arms Off please allow me to force feed you my discoveries

So there are 2 words for "not" in ancient Greek, depending on the context: ou and mē. Having introduced himself in the Cyclops episode as " ou tis", or No-man, he then stabs Polyphemus in the eye. When Polyphemus' brothers come to check on him, they say this:

"... surely no man [mē tis] is carrying off your sheep? Surely no man [mē tis] is trying to kill you either by fraud or by force?"

Right after this, after the other cyclopes ditch Polyphemus, Odysseus's inner monologue goes something like this:

"Then they went away, and I laughed inwardly at the success of my clever strategem [metis]." (pronounced mEH-Tis)

Now, there's a difference between mē tis and metis. [mē tis] (pronounced mEH-Tis with a space between the syllables) is the literal translation for "no man". Metis is a word for extreme intelligence/cunning, which is something Odysseus is famous for.

Now, there are several examples of abuse of metis/intelligence in the Odyssey, but I think the juxtaposition between [mē tis], or the concept of anonymity, and metis, or extreme intelligence, is REALLY interesting. Odysseus's adoption of the title "No-man" was characteristic of metis--it was a really smart move that simultaneously hid him from the cyclops and avoided any future consequences. It was a highly effective strategy all wrapped up in a nest little package with a bow on it.

But when he revealed himself as Odysseus of Ithaca, effectively throwing off No-man (anonymity and [mē tis]), that was characterized as idiocy--he's essentially doxxed himself, and now he's doing to (spoiler alert) get tossed around the Mediterranean by Poseidon for the next 10 years.

This is really interesting because it lets you see the parallels/codependency between metis(intelligence) and humility. When Odysseus refused to allow himself to go unnoticed (hubris) he suffered for it. BUT when he declined instant glory/satisfaction (kleos) in order to achieve the long term goal of survival, he was rewarded with Athena's favor (pay attention. This part is important).

And this situation repeats itself MULTIPLE TIMES in the Odyssey--the EXACT SAME THING happens near the end of the book, with the suitors. When. Odysseus is dressed as a beggar and the suitors/Antinious are abusing him, he ACTIVELY CHOOSES not to react--he doesn't stand up and rip off his disguise and start hollering "TIS I, ODYSSEUS OF ITHACA! FEAR MY WRATH"

No. He sits there patiently and waits. He plans and schemes and quietly orchestrates their downfall without alerting them of it. Why? Because he learned his lesson the first time this happened. He buried his rage and adopted what was, according to Grace LA Franz, a more feminine form of metis, weaving a web of destruction for his enemies that ultimately resulted in their total annihilation (see Weaving a Way to Nostos: Odysseus and Feminine Metis in the Odyssey by Grace LaFranz). His patience allowed him to win the whole prize--no questions asked, no 10-year-long-business-trip strings attached--just the sweetness of a full victory. And he is, once again, rewarded with Athena's favor--both in the battle with the suitors and in the aftermath (cleanup/reuniting with Penelope).

This really reinforces the idea in the Odyssey that Odysseus's defining characteristic is not just his intelligence--it's his ability to learn from his mistakes. He used what he learned at the Lotus Eaters Island against Polyphemus--the Lotus Eaters drugged his men, so he drugged Polyphemus. He used what he learned from Circe and Polyphemus against the suitors--Circe used false sweetness and honeyed words to lure his men into a trap, so that's exactly what he did to the suitors. His hubris on Polyphemus' island cost his whole crew their lives, so he intentionally left well enough alone until the right time. He didn't just learn from his failures--he turned them into BATTLE STRATEGY.

i don't care what anyone says that is completely totally and objectively awesome

Alright, I'm done with the etm doodles for today, here's all of them

shoutout to my little sister for coming up with the single most adorable odyssey headcanon i've ever seen in my life

*odysseus voice* PENELOPE!!

EPIC the musical: Catifed Penelope design

I know I posted Telemachus’s design just yesterday but I really wanted to show off my Penelope design as well, since OML I LOVE PENELOPE IN EPIC SO MUCH. Actually I love all of them so much. My favorite characters in EPIC are definitely Odysseus, Penelope and Telemachus. If I had to chose one then I have no idea who is.

anyways I plan on redoing her ref, mostly to give her more accessories and adjust them a bit. I also want to very slightly adjust the saturation and contrast on some of her colors but other then that I’m happy with her design! I added some extra drawings I made of her since her overall physique and physical characteristics has gotten more clear since I made this ref about 3-4 months ago.

the most recent art of her here is the traditional piece.

FINEEE i'll draw your stupid greek mythology people