Holy shit, y'all, go see Cocaine Bear if you can. That movie was fucking AMAZING.

historians will see a girl leave a note for her paramour to fossilise over billions of years just so she knows she misses her and say they were good friends

EDIT: DO NOT TAKE MY WORD AS THE 100% TRUTH!!

I took some classes and wrote a paper about ancient Greek culture, but I am in NO WAY an expert. Please read through the reblogs to see some good criticisms and discussion about this topic further. My point overall stands that you can't apply modern rules and standards to ancient stories, but my evidence is undoubtedly flawed!

I'm seeing everyone pointing out the possible issues with Epic the Musical's deviation from the original story of Circe and Odysseus, and as someone who's studied Ancient Greece/ancient Greek myths a bit, I wanted to say some stuff about it. This will be a bit of a long one, so apologies for my rambling!

Note that I'm not trying to shit on SA survivor's perspectives and (completely valid) arguments. I'm just trying to offer some context surrounding the original myth and how it fits (or rather, doesn't fit) with a modern audience. If I'm wrong with any of this, feel free to call me out! Criticize the shit out of me! I like learning about Greek culture and myths and would 100% love to hear other perspectives on this.

So, a few points about Ancient Greek myths to kind of explain the context around Circe and Odysseus:

Greek myths generally did not have good views/depictions of women. Women were almost always depicted as conniving, selfish, sexually insatiable creatures. To largely summarize the process within actual Greek society, women had three/four stages in their life: child, dangerous/wild virgin (after first menstruation), married woman (whose wildness was tamed by her husband), and then a "real" woman (a mother). There are a few deviations from the "evil" trope, the most prominent of which being Penelope herself—she's basically the ideal Greek wife, staying loyal to her husband for 20 years and all that.

Adultery only applied to women. Husbands cheating on their wives wasn't merely tolerated, but expected. Marital sex wasn't seen as enjoyable, rather something that had to be done for the sake of reproduction and continuing the bloodline/securing inheritance. Men cheated on their wives with various kinds of prostitutes, concubines, mistresses, etc, but sleeping with unmarried women (that weren't specifically prostitutes) or married women was looked down upon. Women didn't have this same standard. They could only sleep with their husbands, hell, their husbands were pretty much the only men they could even interact with (excluding family, obviously).

The original myth has Hermes very plainly lay out how Odysseus' confrontation with Circe will go: Odysseus will eat the moly, draw his sword at her, she'll proposition him, and Hermes directly tells Odysseus to accept. Basically a "sleep with her if you want your men to live" situation. (See this post for more specifics on this).

So, let's apply this to Epic: The Musical. Here's some reasons I think may explain the Circe myth being changed:

The Greek "women being evil" stereotype is... problematic. While I 100% understand that it's important to acknowledge male victims of SA, I don't think the original myth was focusing on Odysseus being a victim—I saw it more of an emphasis on Circe being a sexually selfish woman, as all Greek women were believed to be. Changing Circe to be less conniving and evil deviates from the concerning Greek stereotype.

The SA in the myth is not actually very clearly SA. Yes, with a modern perspective, it absolutely is sexual coercion, but for Greeks, not so much. It made sense to them that sex could be transactional. It's already been established that Epic, while still generally accurate to the original myth, does change things relating to morality/themes in order to better align with modern Western ideas (i.e. OG Odysseus not being as remorseful and merciful, as that was expected of a Greek hero, but Epic Odysseus having more empathy because that's more modernly heroic). If something from the original myth doesn't translate well into modern culture, then it's understandable to want to change or omit it.

In the case that the original Circe myth wasn't SA (I'm not saying one is more right than the other, I'm just covering all the bases), then it wouldn't even constitute as cheating. Like I described earlier, it was perfectly acceptable and expected for men to sleep with women that weren't their wives. Plus, being a goddess, she's already kinda exempt from being blamed if Odysseus slept with her—only women are ever really blamed for sleeping with (or being SAed by) gods, and even then, their husbands sometimes don't even give a shit. But modernly, we would not see it that way. To us, it's not societally acceptable for a married man to sleep with another woman (without his wife's consent, at least). While Ancient Greeks viewed Odysseus as a good (or at least okay) husband, a modern audience wouldn't. Making Odysseus loyal to Penelope and not sleeping with other women (assuming this wasn't SA, but again that's one interpretation) makes him the good, loyal, empathic, modernly heroic man that Epic is clearly aiming for. Repeating my last point: If something from the original myth doesn't translate well into modern culture, then it's understandable to want to change or omit it.

Applying modern perspectives on Ancient Greek society and mythology isn't worth it. Like, we all joke about Ancient Greece being super gay, but they didn't actually like gay men. Homosexuality was literally only acceptable when it was between a young man and a prepubescent boy (it was called pederasty if you want to know more) or between women (they only considered penetrative sex to be 'real' sex so they didn't really care what women did with other women). Y'know the Hades and Persephone story? Like, the original one with the kidnapping? Yeah, that was normal. The myth of Demeter and Persephone is tragic, yes, but it was so normal that wedding ceremonies often included references/recreations of it! Girls got married off ASAP after their first menstruation to men of at least 30 years old. We don't tolerate that shit today (for the most part, at least)! But it was normal in Ancient Greece. Applying modern rules and standards to ancient culture just does not work.

Anyways, I'll shut up now! I'm gonna go keep listening to The Circe Saga lmao

i feel validated

just finished www #23: on your way, and i have many thoughts. all of them make me want to cry.

ame knowing as soon as she got back to the cottage that her actions had burned a bridge, not just with the citadel but with one of her best friends, and yet still needing to complete her tasks as the witch of the world's heart. the spirits she awakens so as not to leave the cottage untended or unprotected, and the way she asks and does not take. the note she leaves, should her friends make it there.

eursulon in the fire, followed by the man in black, who is a brother in the way all spirits are brethren, but not the sibling eursulon seeks. leaving through the burrow, fighting monstrosities, and seeing the citadel raze cities to ruin beside a jungle of rot. finding the tree. his tree. the tree that is emblazoned on his shield, his coat of arms, what he fights to protect. and inside... his sister. a family she made for herself.

and suvi. hurt but still afraid that ame will die if she stays. determined to not let that happen. conversations with steel where she says that another wizard said that the wizard sly lied, or did not tell the full truth. commiseration, but suvi holds back the full truth, and suspects steel of doing the same. an airship to fly north. to protect ame, yes. but the mage armor mean that no creature or spirit or witch will ever be able to touch her again. broken trust, if not broken love.

and through it all, the thread that the citadel represents a threat to the world's heart itself, and to all spirits beyond. the council of elders wishes to neutralize that threat. grandmother wren did not.

questions moving forward: what is the true purpose of the war on gaothmai being waged by the empire? why does kalaya's family look like suvi? is suvi going to have a villain arc? i have my theories, but i'll get into those in other posts.

thank you to the worlds beyond number cast and crew for giving us this incredible story. i'm so excited to see where you take us next.

Guys I want Five to have the power to stop time so badly. I firmly believe he should be able to. This power should be something well within his abilities

He rewound time in s2…and this was different from when he usually time travels. This time, he wasn’t just some passive traveler travelling from point A to point B, he was directly manipulating time, controlling it. He was literally unravelling the timeline. AND if he really was the founder of the commission, he must’ve had a hand in creating the briefcases. I assume that’s what the handler used to stop time in s1. But this power wouldn’t be time travel, it’d be time manipulation

FIVE SHOULD BE ABLE TO STOP TIME

If you haven’t listened to the Underworld Saga yet, here’s your spoiler warning.

@thekingofworems @jarondont @aaronofithaca05 @nyx-of-darkness-1620 did y’all get a chance to listen yet? I need people to talk about this with!

Apologies in advance for all the capslock you’re about to see.

Y’ALL

I CAN’T

MR. JORGE, MR. JALAPEÑO

WHY MUST YOU BREAK MY HEART LIKE THIS

THE UNDERWORLD

POLITES?!?! THE EMOTION IN ODYSSEUS’ VOICE WHEN HE HEARD POLITES?!?! QUIETLY SAYING HIS NAME AS THEY SAIL AWAY LIKE HE’S APOLOGIZING?!?!?! DJFNSISYDJSUDB

ODYSSEUS’ MOM?!?!?! I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT!!!! “Even if you’re the last thing I see I’ll be waiting” “I’m right here mom, can’t you see me?” OH MY FUCKING GOD SIR!!!! JORGE!!!! “I took too long and ventured too far” SIR MY HEART IS BREAKING!!!! “I’ll always love you, I’ll stay in your heart” SIR YOU’RE DOING THIS ON PURPOSE!!!! THE SOFT LITTLE “bye mom” AS THEY SAILED AWAY?!?! FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY JORGE JUST BELTING HIS HEART OUT?!?! *HIGH PITCHED SCREAMING* ALSO, THE NAMES LISTED ON THE SONG INCLUDE WANDA HERRANS, ARE YOU TELLING ME JORGE’S MOM VOICES ODYSSEUS’ MOM?!

NO LONGER YOU

MASON OLSHAVSKY’S VOICE IS SO GOOD!!THIS WHOLE SONG IS PERFECTION!! “This can’t be, we’ve suffered and sailed through the toughest of hells, now you tell us our efforts for nothing” EXCUSE ME MR. HERRANS WHAT THE HECK! “I see your palace covered in red, faces of men who had long believed you dead, I see your wife with a man who is haunting, and man with a trail of bodies” THE FORESHADOWING?! THE WAY ODYSSEUS REACTED WHEN TIRESIAS SAID HE SAW PENELOPE WITH A MAN WITH A LINE OF BODIES?! HIS OUTRAGED “WHO!!!”SIR?!?!?!?! THAT’S YOU MY GUY!!! YOU’RE THE HAUNTING GUY WITH A TRAIL OF BODIES!!!

MONSTER

I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS SONG SINCE I HEARD THE FIRST SNIPPET AND IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!!! OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL I HAVE NO WORDS!!! THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE EPIC SONG!!! I kinda knew that was gonna happen but shh 🤫

I’m not gonna talk about this song because if I do it will end up being an essay. Might make a separate post about it though.

I WILL BE LISTENING TO THIS SAGA ON REPEAT ALL DAY AND NO ONE CAN STOP ME!!!

Hey again reminder disney will very much profit off EM rebrushed, I know I myself at first said they probably wont or that they sold it but I think it was mostly off high excitement and shock because of the announcment, The first two days i took anything anyone said as facts but now that I'm a bit more regulated I can't see any way Disney won't get money off this

As much as mickey and oswald and some other fellas from games are public domain the propety of epic mickey, the world building, the story and beasicly everything other than them is still in the trademark jail and disney palm

So yea my offer from few days before still stands strong My dm's are very open and one word and "unpaid version" of the game Goes to ya when I get my hands on it and make sure it's safe

So turns out I will still be using this gif everywhere I go

I don't experience high emotion often but when I do I turn quite stupid

can i be honest. i am so over one piece posts because of oversaturation, i block the tag, but i will always visit your tumblr every so often because i love the idea and content of bepolaw so much. theyre so good and hot and wonderful. your content specifically. bepolaw real, even if idk jack shit about the series

anon's one piece:

maybe the real treasure were the bear best friends we kissed along the way

thank you so much for the message ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ makes me super happy that you check my stuff specifically and its an exception :)))))) thats very very nice ♥

homophobia (plot twist: theyre all gay)

Books of 2023. VILLAINS by V. E. Schwab.

Time for a NaNo Prep Reread! I love Victor and this vicious little family with my whole chest. This'll be my second time rereading VICIOUS, but only my first time rereading VENGEFUL.

GASP OMG YOU GUYS THIS TEASER POSTER FOR NINJAGO CRYSTALIZED DOESN'T HAVE WU OR PIXAL OR NYA OR COLE OR ZANE OR JAY OR KAI OR HARUMI OR GARMADON OR THE CRYSTAL KING I DON'T THINK THEY'RE GONNA BE IN THIS SEASON AT ALL !!! /s

Hi I really want to start tshots and am wondering how much the needles hurt? I'm a scaredy cat but would rather shots than patches... Your blog has helped me build the confidence to book appointments for gender affirming care

HI OMG FIRST OF ALL THIS MAKES ME REALLY HAPPY THTA MY STUFF ENCOURAGED YUO TO SEEK OUT THE EPIC GENDER AFFIRMING CARE U DESERVE,THTAS SO FUCKING COOL EEEEEE IM EXCITED FOR U ANON WTF!!!!!!!!!! ok and i was the exact same way before starting, being scared is SO NORMAL and all the loading shit seemed so confusing too but watching youtube videos of other ppl loading their syringes n shooting themselves (that sounds so funny ok wait) helped a lot to make me unscared bc they all are so chill ab it!!!! i think it depends on pain tolerance a lot but i also think that testosterone makes pain less… painful after a bit? my first shot surprisingly didn’t hurt whatsoever. the actual needles you’ll be injecting with are SOOOO SMALL like. think a third of your pinky finger? maybe? my injection needles are not even a half inch and i barely feel them, they go in Super Easy, especially bc stomach/thigh/butt/wherever u decide to inject will ideally have a good amount of fat to cushion it,at the very most you’ll feel a small pinch, i’m autistic as fuck so blasting music or having a youtube video playing has been super fucking helpful(i used to watch sonic boom and say ‘next funny thing to happen is when i’ll put it in’) ALSO ANOTHER RANDOM THING putting the needle in fast and injecting slow is the WAY 2 GO which i’m sure you’ll see if u decide to watch videos of like medical professionals or tboys giving tips bc hesitance will make ur brain hone in on the Needle Entering You

leaving q note that with everything going on rn on this webbed site that my carrd has my other art accounts on it. this is really the only one I kept up with but the other ones are ways to find me and partially kept up.

Was wanting to listen to the Underworld saga for the first time whilst I walked down to my bus stop but things didnt to to plan when I have listened to the first song non-stop on repeat. LITERAL CHILLS PLEASE. "THE UNDERWORLD" IS A MUSICAL MASTERPIECE. THE MUSICAL ITSELF IS A WORK OF ART BUT HOLY

AM I IN LOVE

Ill listen to the rest when I pull myself away from listening to that one song on repeat.

God the songs just keep getting better... AND THAT BEAT DROP NEAR THE END. MWAH. CHEF'S KISS.

Please please PLEASE. Give it a listen if you havent. The whole musical. You wont regret a thing.

getting for real nauseous thinking about sparrow oak