God Games | EPIC The Musical | Animatic

I’ve been waiting for this song to be released for so long! And now, my take on it is finally here! I ended up reusing my old animatic of the Hera, Aphrodite & Ares section because I just can’t picture it any other way. Even though Hera sounds a bit different from the demo version in her delivery, it still works.

It’s funny—my first Epic animatic was Hera, and I swear I had no idea so many of you would like my content. Even less did I expect that Jorge would commission me to make the animatic for the livestreams! Its like a wonderful circle! Never thought I would be here as it is. Thank you all for watching and liking my content!
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Music by Jorge Rivera-Herrans @JayHerrans
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For more of my works check here:

[cheezgam]

ANNIFLAMMA COOKED HARDER THAN ZEUS TURNING ATHENA INTO A MEDIUM RARE

[christianlecroy]

Love how Athena and Ares, both have snake forms. Shows their connection as war gods, while giving distinction between them.

[saffronique]

Love the touch that when Zeus snaps, all of the other gods look kind of startled and apprehensive other than Hera, who turns away because shes probably seen/been on the recieving end of her husband's anger dozens of times and isnt shocked that he lost his temper here

[FireAlder]

1:33 LOVE how Apollo's just smirking the whole time. Bro really is only here because he has to be he's just having fun XD

[WinglessMoonstone]

I love how Athena is standing before Odysseus in the flashback as her divine animal form, her presence absolutely chilling, dominating, eldritch... But Odysseus only sees his friend and lets her hold his newborn son. It's very beautiful.

[izices]

Hera being completely unsurprised by Zeus being a grumpy bitch, and Ares protecting the other gods gives me such life-

[kokokala]

Ares: "PATHETIC AND WEAK, LIKE HIS SON!"
Athena: "and I took that personally."

[RavenSutcliffe]

Okay so once again I have OPINIONS because this is absolutely amazing.

-The way Athena vanishes her weapons (and the coil of snakes!!! Omg) because she knows that to ask a favor of the King of Gods you have to humble yourself, and there's no greater humility for a goddess of war than laying down her weapons

-Zeus being so unsettling from the get-go. No, he's not going to SA Athena, but he damn well is going to make her Very Uncomfortable touching her like that. And the little cloud Odysseus while he's at it. Sir.

-The colored introduction of the god silhouettes with all the little details

-Apollo!!! Ohhhffgfs. Radiant and young and feminine and beautiful in every measure of the word, carelessly graceful in his movements, as befits someone with music as part of his very being; his sly little smile and the black tips to his cloak reminding you to tread with caution: he is still the god of plague, he is still the vengeful archer that will kill you for one wrong word. His expression letting Athena know that she made exactly the right argument, and the nonchalance is feigned.

-Hephaestus!!! I love the body type making sense for someone who is lugging metal around all day, and the prosthetic leg!! The anger in his face when he mentions trust, as someone betrayed by both his wife and his biological mother. The motion of going to cut the chain, as though leaving Odysseus to his own devices, and Athena snatching the blade right out of his hands to keep talking; he looks more resigned than anything, he's just tired of everyone's antics.

-Aphrodite's body type. Aphrodite's BODY TYPE!! The generous curves and the fact that she even has ROLLS!! The carelessness with her own nudity; in her own domain, why should the embodiment of beauty bother covering herself? Her nudity is not shameful, and it is not weak: it is power. The seashell bed in the middle of a little lake is such a great detail, and the doves. I adore the disgust on her face when Athena keeps trying to appeal to her; she's made her stance clear, go away. The expressions for both of them making it clear that they haven't been exactly on good terms since the golden apple debacle... The way she drapes herself over Athena to make her uncomfortable too, my house my rules, the harshness of her decision contrasted with the beauty of her face, and the extreme fluidity of her movements in the dark, a goddess born of the sky and seafoam...

-Athena's shock that Ares went to find her and not the other way around, and at the fact that he can interrupt Quick-Thought

-The detail of Ares hiding his face until his helmet is on, we can't let people know that the god of war is just as baby-faced as Apollo, and the fact that you somehow made him expressive despite that

-Both gods of war wearing similar helmets, concealing their faces the same way, showing the same eyes!! And yet at the same time, the difference: Athena the strategist has a pristine helmet, looks brand-new, while Ares the warrior, with his hotter temper, has one that's scuffed and battered, the feathers all broken, the dent above the eye he almost lost. They are and aren't the same, at the same time.

-Ares's personal offence here, that Odysseus's cowardice (as he sees it) cost lives, the way he's running circles around Athena with that terrifying fluidity that once again matches aspects of her, shifting and shifting to throw those failures in her face. But he's only able to do that while he's telling the truth, or something that could be close to it. Because Athena pounces and wins when he attributes that cowardice and weakness to Telemachus, and not just because that's her friend; it's because it's not true. That boy jumped into a fight with no training, with an opponent twice his age and twice his size, and 107 onlookers cheering for the other guy. He's exactly the kind of person Ares is (when he's not being vilified) and Athena pounces on that, on that crack, that mistake, with the colors around them reflecting that she's back in power, and wipes the floor with him.

-Love Aphrodite's little surprised face here, like she thought Athena was done with her because of Ares; how Athena's animalistic aspects crawl out from under her armor, making them both recoil, as though when she mentions "bloodshed" these two are going to be part of it.

-LOVE the detail of Ares shielding Aphrodite. In many animatics he hides behind her, and that's funny, but this fits him better. Of course the patron of the Amazons, the defender of women, the god who risked eternal punishment to kill his daughter's attacker, would shield his lover with his body. It's not even a question, for him.

-Hera's sheer size, her freedom of movement, the peacock feathers and cow horns, the way she's a goddess in her own right... Until she's once again suffocated with her veil, all of her own attributes covered up except a peek at the one that matches Zeus's, hunched over and suffocating with the weight of just being his wife instead of herself.

-The iconic moment of "wtf is this" of Athena trying to dance and getting more and more awkward as Hera refuses her thrice, going from that flawless spin to woodenly trying to move her arms; her little smirk when she hits where it hurts and Hera's baleful glare in her direction, committing her one last act of defiance just as the veil is fully over her are PERFECT.

-The size differences as Athena enters the court once again and the fact that Hera is standing apart from all the other gods is SUCH a good detail

-Zeus's hissy fit is amazing. The angry expressions remind me of how you portrayed Saul in "Shame", which is great because they're both going in circles with their irrational arguments, if for different reasons, that amount to "BUT I AM KING AND WHAT I SAY GOES!!!"

-THE! USE! OF! LIGHT!! Zeus's immense power finally bringing Athena's face to light; the bright golden contrast with Poseidon's black water while the fluidity is similar but not the same; the jagged edges of his shifting forms, from living storm to golden eagle to eldritch bull with human hands

-The four first gods: Ares with his invisible face but every inch of his body language becoming protective in preparation; Apollo shocked and visibly displeased that his father would go back on his word, but still holding something like hope; Hephaestus both angered and disgusted, because he knows firsthand what both promises and blood bounds are worth in this place; Aphrodite upset, protective with the hand across her chest, her fist clenched, but knowing there's nothing she can do, just like when she was bartered, her exhaustion showing around her eyes

-Hera hidden still, but not enough that her disgust and resignation aren't palpable, looking away from Zeus and from ones who still had faith. She knows him too well already, the oath-breaker...

-THE SHRIEK OF THE GORGON'S FACE SURGING FROM THE SHIELD AND THE BRIEF GLIMPSE AT ATHENA'S FACE BENEATH!!!

-Ares the protector once again, covering his brother and his lover and even the man who's supposed to be his rival even if he only has something as paltry as a cape, his body lending truth to the fear in his question; Apollo in complete shock that yes, Zeus did go there, even against his favorite; Hephaestus only more disgusted than before; Aphrodite terrified, sad, all rivalries forgotten.

-The contrast between Athena's eldritch form and the fragility of a young mortal man, the soft smile and even more obvious fragility of a newborn and the trust placed in her rendering her human-looking to match her heart in that moment I am SCREAMING

-The determination to protect, in that moment, that transposes to the present one; her black forms jagged and cut against the blinding light of her father but she keeps going, going, going; if not a shield, an owl, if not, a serpent, but she won't stop. And then herself again, even as she comes apart.

-The ruined clothes, and burnt flesh, and charred hair; she looks almost mortal, under Zeus's unyielding gaze, but she gathers the last of her strength to grab his wrist and plead...

-And when she falls she leaves a stain on his unblemished skin, a true sign of the gravity of what he's done.

This is absolutely brilliant and stunning, and I had to watch it four times in a row to find everything I wanted to comment on, just like with Ruthlessness. I want to EAT IT, your art is incredible and the detail you put in every little thing is to die for. The beautiful drawing of Apollo in all his pretty boy glory at the end to soothe my soul after putting it through the wringer (heh) is very appreciated too xD

No words left for how incredible this is 💖💖💖

[mikkelah.]

I haven't seen any comments about how cool Zeus's shapshifting from bird to bull is. It's so fantastic, especially because the color kicks in there too!

[Starrclown]

Details I noticed that I like:
☆ The shield turns into snakes, Athenas other signature animal.
☆ Apollo has what I think is a Hythathinsis (can't spell it but the flower) on his instrument. Cause of his dead lover.
☆ Hera being HUGE cause she's a MUCH MORE powerful God.
☆ Hera looking annoyed when Zues starts acting up.
☆ TELEMUCHUS GIVINGVHER

[joshleblanc]

I love when Athena is moving between the different 'arenas' to clash with the gods, she looks determined or ready to go. But when going to Aphrodite she just has a -_- face on like she's already tired of dealing with her.

[ranynightz]

4:15 I love how while the other gods are looking at Zeus horrified, Hera is turned away from him, looking more disappointed than anything. Almost like she knew Zeus would probably do something like this, and she can’t bear to watch. I love this animatic SO MUCH!!!

[pommyhck]

The way Hera looks like she's used to Zeus' behavior and anger while the others gods looks horrified hurts so much. HE IS threaten to act violently agaisnt her and abused her a lot in the myths and it's so sad. Ares' caring for Athena is also beautiful and sweet. AND THE FACT HE PROTECT ALL HIS SIBLINGS AND HIS LOVER WITH HIS CAPE! He is a protector and I'm so happpy to see it potreyed. All this animated is so good, no just looks amazing, but have so much meaning and subtext and thank you for that!

[micki.]

4:41 There was NO NEED for you to make Odysseus look so peaceful, beautiful, soft and overall HAPPY in this frame. How dare you! 😭😭 (thank u very much i needed that)

[hfar_in_the_sky]

4:20 Nice touch with the blink-and-you'll-miss it of Athena pulling out Medusa's head. At first you might think it's Athena screaming but it's only when you play it slow motion that you realize it's actually Athena flinching as she holds up Medusa's severed head, a reference to how Medusa's head is now a permanent part of Athena's personal shield Aegis

[foolslayer]

4:22 Awww, Ares, you do care... Also Athena's Gorgon shield using it's petrifying glare in an attempt to protect her is an insane detail.

[makaramuss]

I love how Athena seems trying to look brave and bold... until lightning hits and puts light to her eyes revealing horror in her eyes for what his father is about to do
first she looks like ready to hold her ground... but no she is frozen in fear.
also I love how aprhodite is behind Hephaestus at the end because despite loving Ares she is married to him so ofcourse she is supposed to be with her husband :D
by the way... ANGER in Hephaestus face... oh my god. Once again an olympian is tormenting a child of theirs and he knows how horrible it is

[GoingSwimmingly]

I appreciate the wording of the warnings lmao
"She's not just nude, SHES VERY VERY NUDE"
_Idk how you managed to reach naked squared but that cracked me up_

ALSO THE LIGHTING IN ZUES' ATTACK REVEALING ATHENA'S ACTUALLY CONCE4RNED EXPRESSION, , , AND THE WAY SHE STRUGGLED AGAINST HIS ATTACK???
Listen I say that as an animation nerd moreso than a viewer alone, THAT WAS SO GOOD!!! You could very much SEE the power in his strike, and how her shield wasn't gonna block it very easily if at all-

AND I appreciate all your designs and characterizations!!! They have their own identity almost, while expressing the emotions of the musical so expertly! Great job!

[Randomness_herelol]

1:14 i love how they look here 🤣 Apollo looks like he just did smth, Hephaestus looks like he is just there, Aphrodite looks confused, ares looks excited Hera looks done with everything and Zeus looks so proud

[GoofyHerbert]

WAIT THE WAY ARES SHIELDED THE REST THATS SO ADORABLE 😭😭😭😭😭😭