EPIC Has A Character Arc Dynamic I Can't Explain In A Succinct Way, But It's One Of My Favorites And

EPIC has a character arc dynamic I can't explain in a succinct way, but it's one of my favorites and I want more media to do it. It's like...every character is simultaneously absolutely at fault and completely innocent. like, okay.... Odysseus sacrificed his own crew BUT he wouldn't have had to do that if Eurylochus had listened to him and left the cows along BUT Eurylochus wouldn't have disobeyed him if Odysseus hadn't betrayed the crew BUT Odysseus wouldn't have betrayed the crew if Circe hadn't sent him on a crazy mission to the underworld where he realized he needed to be hashtag Ruthless BUT Circe wouldn't have sent them there if Hermes never given Odysseus the power to stop her leading to him gaining her trust BUT Hermes wouldn't have needed to do that if Odysseus had just listened to Eurylochus and ran away instead of helping their friends BUT they wouldn't have needed to abandon their friends if Eurylochus had done better at keeping them out of trouble BUT they wouldn't even be on Circe's island if Poseidon hadn't attacked them, BUT Poseidon wouldn't have attacked them if Odysseus had just killed Polyphemus BUT Polyphemus wouldn't be blind if he hadn't attacked the crew BUT he wouldn't have attacked the crew if they hadn't killed his sheep BUT the crew wouldn't even be in Polyphemus' cave if the lotus eaters hadn't sent him there BUT they wouldn't have gotten the idea to go there if Polites hadn't been so insistent on being kind and asking for help BUT can you really fault a man who just got out of a ten year war for not wanting to see anymore bloodshed? But the most interesting part about it is that I don't think there's an alternate path. In any other story, you can say "what if x just hadn't done y?" One simple mistake in any other story could turn the tide. But the thing about greek mythology is that there's a heavy belief in fate. No matter what you do, you will always end up in the same place that was written in the stars. The inbetween doesn't matter. Odysseus doesn't have some sort of lesson to learn. In fact, none of this would have happened if Polites hadn't put the idea into Ody's head that he needed to be merciful. Now, again, I am NOT blaming Polites. I could write a whole essay on how every important member of the crew seems to have a different coping mechanism for how they dealt with the horrors of war but we don't have time for that right now. The point is; this was not preventable. Odysseus' journey involves getting from Troy to Ithica. Everything else is just a pit stop as someone ELSE's journey concludes. Polites is fated to die on the journey home. Elpenor is fated to die while drunk. Eurylochus is fated to be betrayed by a close friend. I suppose that's why The Odyssey is a tragedy

It’s pretty much canon that England would leave America for long stretches of time during his childhood (like in that Davie strip), but I’d like to imagine that he hired teachers and caretakers or nannies to actually raise America while he was gone most of the time.

Of course, because America ages a lot slower than a human, those nannies would get old and retire or die, and then England would have to replace them like goldfish.

Eventually America would get old enough to understand the concept of death, and England would start to get a bit careless about it, like:

England: America, where is that nanny I hired? I haven’t seen her since I’ve arrived.

America(physically around 13y/o): …England, she died like 2 years ago. You forgot to hire a new one.

England: ah.

Say No To This x Epic: The Musical

Eurylochus:

There's nothing like years out on the seas

Soldiers under stress meets someone looking pretty

There's trouble in the air, you can smell it

Captain faced her by himself, I'll let him tell it

Odysseus:

I hadn't slept in a week

I was weak, I was awake

You've never seen a king and captain more in need of a break

Longing for Penelope

Missing my kid

That's when Circe and her nymphs turned all my men to pigs, I said

Odysseus:

Hey there, lady of the palace

I'm so sorry to bother you at home

But I sent men to patrol, yet only one came back alone

She said

Circe:

All men have done us wrong

Beatin' us, cheatin' us, mistreatin' us

So yours are in their true forms

I'll never have open arms

Odysseus:

So I told her ‘bout my flower that lets me claim her power, she said

Circe:

It's like that, then

Odysseus:

I told her ‘bout how I had picked it with my bare hands

They were like god hands, she said

Circe:

From Hermes, then

Odysseus:

Then I said, "You should release my men"

She turned red, she led me to her bed

Let her legs spread and said

Circe:

Stay

Odysseus:

Huh?

Circe:

Hey

Odysseus:

That's when I began to say

Girl, what do you mean by this

Circe:

What do you mean you don't know what I mean by this

Don't you know I look so helpless

Your body should be saying, "Hell, yes"

Whoa

Odysseus:

No, I don't know what you mean by this

You want me to betray my wife for this?

In my mind, I'm tryin' to go (go, go, go)

Then her mouth is on mine, but I still say

No, no (Penelope)

No, no (Penelope)

No, no (Penelope)

No, no (Penelope)

Odysseus:

After the witch tried to seduce me,

Which confused me, my wife is not named Circe

So yes, after this endeavor, I became a beggar

For everyone's sakes I had to beg her, I said

Odysseus (+Circe):

Circe, I hope my words get through to your heart

For twelve years, my family has been apart

Our trip at sea has started to run out of luck

You see, we pissed off Poseidon and now we're so (fuuuu)

Odysseus:

Yeah, so, we made the wrong god gain a strong grudge

All because we may have given his son an eye nudge

But man, I just keep dreamin’ of seein' my wife

If the tides ain't right, then I'll miss my child's whole life

Circe:

I heard his words and my heart begun to race

Poseidon's such a disgrace, he said

Odysseus:

Circe

Circe:

Still dressed, apologetic, a mess, he looked pathetic, he cried

Odysseus:

We must go, please

Circe:

So Poseidon's wrath won't let up?

Odysseus (Circe):

I didn't realize he was the father (stop crying gods dammit, get up)

It was mercy, not a bother (you are ruined)

Please don't leave me with him, helpless (He is helpless, how could I help him?)

Circe (Odysseus):

I'll give you what you want so you can be free (Penelope, Penelope)

Whatever you want, I've been swayed

You’ll be safe (Gods, show me how to go home to her)

Odysseus:

I just wanna go home to her

Circe (Odysseus):

The situation's not yet helpless (helpless)

And my heart is being selfless

Odysseus (Circe):

Please, show me how to get home to her (whoa)

How can I get home to her?

I started losing hope (hope, hope, hope)

Then Circe released my men like I knew she would (yes)

Penelope

Odysseus (Soldiers):

Penelope, I just said no to this

Although there's no way I can go (home, home, home)

Circe:

Well…

There are other ways back home

The fact that nations are, in essence, spirits that can take huge amounts of physical and mental punishment and still spring back into shape like humanoid slinkies. The fact that being in their presence screws with time and that the longer they are around an individual, the more that person's ageing and sense of time becomes distorted. The fact that humans can not mentally cope with such things and - if spending long enough with a nation - they can and will be driven to madness. The fact that nations choose spirits or animals as their companions instead, as animals do not have the mental faculties to worry about the implications of a slowed growth and immortality. The fact that nations have their own language that they are born knowing but them learning another nation's language is a genuine act of friendship.

The fact that nationhood is inherently alienating from the very people of their land. They are made of humans, but by design cannot be around them. The fact that all they really have is each other, and yet one of their primary functions is to be an arm of the military. The fact that we see over and over and over again nations bemoaning what a lonely life they lead, and how many of them turn to increasingly desperate or extreme measures to have some form of companionship. The fact that titles of siblings or children are entirely artificial, but they accept those titles for the feeling of belonging to the point where even acts of war can not separate some of those ties.

...Nationhood sucks. Is what I am saying.

INFP: I think I’m going crazy these days INTP: You’re not. See that man over there? *points at ENTP* He’s the definition of crazy. There’s no use in saving him INFP: *sniffs* People say I’m impulsive too INTP: No no now that’s impulsive *points at ESTP wheeling around in a grocery cart* INFP: They say I spend too much time alone INTP: Well that’s me. You can break my record of no socialising for two months straight if you want

So accurate

Overthinking bros

*INTP and INTJ, standing outside in the rain*

INTJ : Maybe we should move inside...

INTP : Yes, I was actually thinking about it !

*nothing happens, they’re still standing*

INTP : But on the other hand... wouldn't it be a too big energy drain ? I mean... maybe it’s easier to keep standing here, until the rain ends...

INTJ : Hmm... interesting theory, let me think about it...

*both enter into deep meditation, while it’s still raining*

INTP : ...however, maybe you were right : the best solution would be to move inside...

INTJ : Yes... I reached the same conclusion.

*silence. they’re staring absentmindedly at their wet clothes and shoes*

INTJ : So... when do we move ?

INTP : Let me think about it for a moment !

INTJ : Of course, let’s not make hasty decisions.

INTP : Above all, no precipitation, we have all the time !

*it’s now hard for them not to shiver with cold*

INTJ : Maybe... we should really go inside, now ?

INTP : I fully agree, let’s go !

*at the moment they’re starting to move on, the rain stops*

INTP : Ah ? What did I say ? We've almost made an unnecessary movement !

INTJ : Yes. Luckily, we’ve taken the time to think carefully... but now, we’re completely wet.

INTP : It’s very secondary.