#hermes.. i really love contradictions like that so much

[noxtivagus]

endwalker with "and when they depart upon this journey, it is beautiful. always." vs. "the end has come, and it will be beautiful!" 🥹

[kozykricket]

riddle me this. why is it that i feel terraria calamity mod overcompensates in QoL... yet i would so desperately want that level of QoL in MINECRAFT like

its weird. i understand that the average calamity player doesnt want to do much other than fighting, so the QoL lets them skip past a lot of things and makes the game generally flow a lot faster... but i wouldnt want that in vanilla terraria, because i honestly like the grind and... i dont think the game needs to compensate for it. cus like. the game already has tons of QoL and stuff. things are already nicely paced in terraria, and where there IS grind, it feels nice to me. maybe ive just spent so long with it that ive convinced myself that i love it, but i cant deny it feels lame as HELL to craft my hermes boots instead of venturing forth to gold chests

is it just that i have a much lower attention span in minecraft? that in terraria i am always actively having fun with something so i dont feel the need to speed up processes? i dunno. its just weird to me that . me when i play calamity and i inherently mine faster (yuck) but me when i play minecraft and i inherently mine faster (YES!) its also interesting how my criticisms of minecraft about like. i would not want to have to go on a stupid mangrove adventure sidequest to get increased reach from a crab claw... contradicts my enjoyment of that type of gameplay in the context of terraria i LIKE that i have to fish for certain things. in minecraft ideas im always saying "mm gimme more CHOICES for doing stuff like that, for like. getting more block reach" but in terraria when i see mods add more ways to get certain things im like bleh why. i like having to go on a fetchquest to find the item. i guess its just the mindset i go into each game with. terraria feels more like a metroidvania or roguelike in item collection and capabilities. but minecraft is hm eh my opinions on minecraft QoL are complicated. but my opinion on terraria QoL is that... its like. the dev team knows perfectly how to do QoL changes. but i think if they kept doing them again and again, they'd end up powercreeping the game. and i also... really wouldnt want to see the calamity ideas of QoL in the vanilla game. because the vanilla game is so much more than just rushing to the bosses dont let me craft an anklet of the wind with jungle spores, thanks. the design of the game is for me to go on a quest to find an anklet, not just to grind something else entirely. yes its another OPTION and options are good, but ... i dunno, OPTIONS can rub me wrong sometimes. even if theyre what i want in minecraft

[my-name-is-apollo]

Why is Apollo your favorite god? (And why is Hermapollo your favorite ship?)

Two big reasons: 1) he's the god of sun and music, two of my favorite things 2) he's The Pretty Boy of Greek pantheon

The first time Apollo appeared in PJO I loved his cocky personality a lot. And then I started reading more of his myths, glancing into his cults practices and all, and I found him to be really interesting. Like, he has so much more to him than just the cocky fuckboy trope he often gets put in. In a lot of his myths he's awe-inspiring and likeable too. Like he's done a lot of contributions to the mankind, he's a mama's boy, a good father and there are also myths of him being a lovely boyfriend. And one thing I like about him that sets his apart from other Greek gods is the way he repents after committing an extreme act. There are so many myths of his and they range from him being a fear striking deity to him being a blushing mess in front of his crush lol. I also LOVE entities that have stark duality and Apollo is exactly that. A ruthless destroyer to some and a gentle healer to others. You can see this kind of duality to some extent in every Greek god, but Apollo is like the peak of it imo. He has so many domains and a lot of them contradict, it's kinda crazy. He was super popular back then and people loved him and prayed to him for a lot of the things. He's just really very interesting and versatile and i love reading about how he was perceived and worshipped in those days. I'll stop here cause if i continue and get more specific this will be a long answer XD

To answer the other question, Homer made me ship them it's not my fault. The way it's said that Hermes continuosly loves Apollo, and how Apollo promised to never love any god more than Hermes? ❤️ (I also read a paper that delved into the homoerotic subtext of the hymn and that sold me) Also, get this - Apollo's signature symbol, the lyre, was a gift from Hermes. And Hermes' most prized possession, the caduceus, was a gift from Apollo. Their most famous attribute/symbol is a gift they received from the other 🥹 and they're opposite enough to fall in the opposites attract trope (the god who never lies and the god of lies) but they also have enough in common to be in the "rivals to lovers" imo. They do share a special bond and are seen hanging out together in the myths :3 I just think there's a lot you can do with these two! Also most importantly, none of them can die (unlike most other lovers of Apollo :')) and that's why they're my comfort ship.

[catofadifferentcolor]

Terrible Fic Ideas #28: Percy Jackson, but make it upgraded

As anyone can tell you, the more I love something, the more hypercritical I become of its problems. And while I love PJO and the entire crazy world Rick Riordan created, it is not designed for someone whose idea of a good time is picking out contradictions and logical fallacies in everything they encounter.

So I asked myself: what would it take to have a PJO that works for me on all levels?

Just bear with me:

My biggest problem with PJO is Camp Half-Blood, especially in light of HOO's New Rome, so about half my problems here involve upgrading the Camp to a small city (called New Athens, probably). It's still small and quaint compared to New Rome, but it houses more than a handful of kids year-round. Population of 500 demigods max, most of them under the age of 21 and most of the rest either camp councilors, administration for the strawberry farm, or elderly demigods who can no longer fight monsters on their own.

More than that, I want New Athens to be a little more, well, Greek. Yes, Olympus is in NYC, but all the signposts should be in Ancient Greek, and the town should be arranged like an Ancient Greek polis - temples, agora, theaters, the works. There should be temples and altars to each of the major gods at the very least, with the heads of each cabin serving as priests for their divine parents (very much a part-time role, even in ancient Greece).

Instead of cabins, the children of each god have little compounds set somewhat apart from each other, so that it is possible - if somewhat difficult - to spend all one's time only with one's siblings. There's a greater delineation of duties amongst the cabins, but in a less stereotypical manner than Rick fell back on in the earlier books. Poseidon's compound, for instance, is responsible for guarding New Athen's coasts and maintaining its small navy; Demeter's compound grows the food and maintains the weaponized plants; Hermes' kids manage the agora and make supply runs into human towns when necessary; Aphrodite's kids help Hephaestus' clothe and arm the camp, &c.

My other major issue is the very uneven distribution of powers among the cabins. Percy gets all the powers, which works if you assume he's destined for godhood, but other kids seem to get none at all. The powers the demigods get here should still be wildly uneven, but there should be a baseline for each - something passive, like the ability to talk to their parent's sacred animal, or being able to make really good jam (Demeter) or haggle with merchants (Hermes) or see in the dark (minor chthonic gods) - and more attention given to the less well-known domains of the gods. Some Hermes' kids are really good shepherds; at least two of Apollo's kids can turn into wolves, and there's always one who seems to have adopted some of their aunt's roles and serves as Artemis' priest in New Athens; &c.

There should also be more recognized children of minor gods. Not many, and they don't have their own cabins, but they do share compounds with the children of the gods their parents are associated with. This should be a point of contention, especially in cases where there are more children of minor gods than the god in question, and several have left the camp rather than be treated like servants by less decent cabin heads.

There should also be some legacies - not many, but a few, and most of those are second-generation children of other gods. Things like, IDK, a daughter of Apollo who's also a granddaughter of Ares, or a grandson of Hermes who's also the son of a wood nymph; or the rare kid who has two demigod parents. All of Dionysus' kids during this time period should be legacies, given he's largely stuck at New Athens.

All that being said, I imagine the books themselves going in much the same way, with some minor changes:

When Percy comes to camp in TLT, yes, he's Poseidon's only demigod child, but Poseidon's compound is not empty. A handful of water nymphs live there and one or two children of minor water gods - maybe a nephew in a son of Triton, maybe a daughter of Thetis who makes a big deal her half-brother was Achilles. Regardless of the details, Percy being Poseidon's son automatically places him in charge over the older, more experienced demigods and this is a source of contention for quite a while until Percy wins them over.

Annabeth is still Annabeth, but with more adults in camp she was better supervised and not able to do things like, oh, learn the wording of a Great Prophesy and spend her time trying to find The One. (She's still rough around the edges, but she's allowed to mature over the course of the story in a way I don't feel her character was able to in the books.)

There is no Percy/Annabeth romance.

There is, however, more flushing out of the minor characters, some of whom replace Annabeth and/or Grover on Percy's later quests. SoM should be an all water demigod quest given its title, and TTC should be an all female quest with at two Hunters, a daughter of Apollo, and Thalia - and Percy following behind for half the journey.

Percy also spends more time at New Athens - he draws in far too many monsters to be allowed to leave. He either spends weekends visiting his mom in NYC or she's one of the rare humans allowed to visit New Athens often. Maybe Sally can even be the grandchild of a minor god whose demigod parent left New Athens rather than be treated badly by the children of major gods.

I've been a fan of Percy/Apollo ever since stumbling across lorixjake's Reading Percy Jackson fic, so I'd like to shoehorn that into here, but it's not a requirement - though Percy interacting with all the gods (and befriending most) is. Once he's old enough, many of these interactions should turn into blatant flirting, some more welcome than others, because there's nothing gods find so attractive as power.

Lastly, when Zeus offers Percy immortality and Percy goes, "you know, I think I'd rather have you treat your children and the minor gods better instead," Zeus says, "No, you are too dangerous to leave mortal. You must ascend." And so Percy becomes a minor god at the end of PJO rather against his will and spends the rest of eternity badgering Zeus and the others into treating their children and the minor gods better anyway, which probably works out for the better considering the events of HOO.

That's all I really have. I do like PJO, but what I really want is expansion of the early world-building and greater acknowledgment of the darker aspects of the Greek gods than would be appropriate for the age level the books were intended for. As always, feel free to adopt the plot bunny, just link back if you ever do anything with it.

More Terrible Fic Ideas

[starry-blue-echoes]

Poor Emporio who's never seen the inside of a restaurant, let alone a house kitchen rolling up into the Cujoh household with a encyclopedic knowledge of what everything does, but no personal knowledge.

Think of a Emporio who both comes off as a rich kid (never cooked, never cleaned because Burning Down the House resets all messes, knows how to drive a car and can drive it better then anyone else, states he's flown a helicopter before) vs. Poor kid Emporio. The kid has never seen good steak, never owned a trading card that wasn't 50+ years old, eats stuff nobody would willingly eat - moldy bread? No prob. Just tear off the mold. No 5 second rule off the floor in this household. Eat it because who knows the next time one can grab food from the cafeteria might be. How to cover up crimes- he knows a lot of people who were unsuccessful at it, or gloried in it, so he can turn around and know what to do to cover it up.

Thus: Irene and her new-found friends agree- he's the abused kid of a Mafia/Yakuza/gang group boss.

I just... someone nourish this poor child. Please. Give him all the love and care. Let him and Weather Report cry their eyes out for the ones that are gone, and bring in a typhoon that screams sorrow and brokeness. And then, after that, let the sun creep in, and the clouds clear to a new day and a new family. Irene is and isn't Jolyene, but they both love him fiercely, and he is happy with that.

YESSSSSSSSSSSS

Emporio is just a mass of contradicting knowledge and habits and nobody fully knows what it all means. He’s terrifyingly good at taking care of himself and rarely asks for help, but he’s also so clearly way out of his depth and left floundering. It’s also obvious to anyone with eyes that he is incredibly starved of most social interaction and clearly really wants that, but he’s also absolutely terrified of strangers. He prefers hiding by walls and behind objects than standing out in rooms and is really really good at sneaking around

Everyone definitely knows he didn’t have a good life, but the specifics of the situation are almost impossible to pin down, especially when you throw in him omitting details about Stands

And the mafia/gang/yakuza thing…… yeah I can definitely see that connection being drawn. Hell, Emporio’s probably seen a lot of them in the prision, and he definitely learned some stuff from all his eavesdropping

Also that’s a bIG OL YES TO GIVING HIM FOOD

just. Imagine him and Jotaro and Irene and whoever else from the gang is there all together in the kitchen, making pancakes together. Or everyone having dinner together and Emporio being able to eat as much as he wants for the first time in his life. Or Emporio having a nightmare and Irene making him some hot chocolate with marshmallows to make him feel better. Or visiting Hermes family restaurant for the first time and being able to experiment with different foods. Or being able to just go to kitchen and snack whenever he feels like it without having to fear being caught by someone. Or-

Just. Emporio being allowed to live and be a kid

[peachblossom-odyssey]

You are my favorite Hades writer, I have reread your Hades fics SO MUCH!!! I was so excited when Hades 2 early access was announced, not only because I wanted to play it, but because there was a chance you might write a new Hades fic.

And then you did, multiple times!!! And I love and reread them a bunch!!!

I wasn't that familiar with the "protective siblings" "possessive partners" tropes, but now I'm HOOKED (and I'm blaming you! /joke).

I even read fics you've written for fandoms I'm not apart of, or media I haven't seen, purely because I wanted to read more of your writing!

How you portray possessiveness is so interesting, and in a refreshing way? Like, I wasn't the biggest fan of possessiveness in fanfics because it was usually one sided, and it always ventured into the possessive one being unfairly controlling. But I really love how you portray possessiveness because it's mutual! Or, even if it's mutual, I never got the "icky" feeling I sometimes get when reading other fics??

Anyways, I love how you write Ares, Hypnos, Hermes, basically every and each character, lol. I really, really enjoyed your fic called "A Question of Give and Take". I loved how you included Apollo! It's not really shown in game, but Apollo and Hermes were actually really close in myth.

I also really liked that you included the Dreamlands from Lovecraft! I'm not too familiar with Lovecraft, but I do know a lot about the Dreamlands, so it was so interesting/cool seeing it pop up!

ANYWAY. I'll stop rambling and actually *ask* you a question:

In some of your fics you mention that Hermes has mortal blood, this confused me because in myth Hermes doesn't have any mortal blood?

He's the son of Zeus and Maia. Maia was a Pleiades, and a nymph. She is the daughter of Atlas and Pleione. Atlas is a Titan, and the son of Lapetus (A titan, a son of Uranus and Gaia), and Asia (a Oceanid). Pleione is an Oceanid nymph, and the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys.

From my knowledge, Hermes doesn't have a mortal ancestor in the original myth? But, I could be wrong, and some authors might state that Maia was a moral. Or maybe this was changed in the game?

From my knowledge, the only Olympian with mortal blood is Dionysus, whose mother was mortal (Semele).

Or maybe it's just a headcanon you have! Greek mythology is flexible! Even the ancient Greeks changed things up! It's just something I noticed, and was momentarily confused about!

Anyway, sorry for how long this ask is! I just have a lot of Thoughts about your amazing writing!!

Aaaaah this made my entire day! I’m so happy you like my writing and I’m so happy I could make the possessiveness trope good for you ❤️. As for the Hermes thing, I always thought Maia was a mortal woman, I read that she was when I was a kid and then never came across anything to contradict that, at least not that I remember. If I am wrong, then whoops, but I still like the idea that he has mortal blood because to me it would add meaning to him and Dionysus being closer and more understanding of mortals than their fullblooded god kin. Thank you so much for the ask, it really did make my day!

[aotopmha]

Looking at Labyrinthos overall, there are a total of four chores you're given.

Go to a tour of Labyrinthos with the Loporrits and Urianger, go find 8 scholars that need help, carry boxes with Alphinaud and Alisae and kill stuff for G'raha.

They're all set to the tones of the same music loop.

At one point it just kind of became funny to me.

But out of all of those I feel like even just finding 4 different scholars with no chance of failure given to you would've made this section so much better.

In fact, I would rather have had a solo duty that went through a Dalamud fragment as a replacement for most of this.

But I also like to look for the good stuff within stuff I don't particularly like.

And I think it's a pretty common opinion that Urianger's reunion with Moenbryda's parents is the best scene to come out of Labyrinthos.

It makes so many people cry and it has gotten me many times, too.

Why, though?

Moenbryda was only there for a single patch before she was killed.

And I feel the answer is pretty simple: I think this scene is very good at validating grieving for a loved one.

It makes you understand what Moenbryda meant to the characters who cared about her.

And while we technically didn't get to know Moenbryda that well, we've spent a lot of time with Urianger and we care for him.

So it hits many really strongly.

So, imagine if we would've known her for the entirety of the ARR patch content and the game actually put in the work to make her a complete character?

This scene somehow manages to be one of the most memorable moments of Endwalker and it's not even perfectly backed up by substance.

I would put Fourchenault being proven wrong in second place in terms of important scenes in Labyrinthos.

I think it also isn't as earned as it could've been because I don't believe in Fourchenault's change of heart as strongly as I wish I could, but I absolutely enjoy him smacked in the face for treating his children the way he did.

They proved him wrong via their actions because that's how it works with him.

But one idea that struck me here is how similar he is to Zenos in one aspect: being absolutely awful at connecting with people.

Pushing your family away is not a way to protect them and is, in fact, unhealthy and hurtful behavior.

It's *understandable*, but so much busy work could've been avoided if Fourchenault explained himself from the outset.

And not even the big picture (because the enchantment the Forum created still worked at that point).

The two other moments that stuck out for me were much less significant, but still interesting enough that I feel like talking about them.

First, I liked that we completed the character arc for the Loporrits and they warmed up to the people of Etheirys.

Just like so many other characters, they struggled with actually connecting with people, placing duty above actual understanding and support of the people they were supposed to be saving.

They were basically another example of the similar struggles of Fourchenault and Zenos, an example of exploring what healthy human connections should and shouldn't look like.

Finally, I want to bring up what G'raha deduces about Hermes/Amon/Fandaniel.

I love the sort of karmic cycle Hermes is put in as a character. In every era, he has the same struggle. And in every era he finds the same answer.

And yet in every era he also does actually end up having hope.

I think it's part of why he ended up opposing Meteion, and why one of his final wishes before fading away as Zodiark was for you, for humanity, to prove him wrong.

And I love characters with contradictions within them like this.

It's the point he has a job that is so antithetical to his beliefs. And that his mindset and principles keep him from doing his job "right".

His peer review skills are extremely compromised because that is what feelings do.

He treats Meteion just like other ancients do other creations with full awareness of it hurting her, but he still does it.

He's an absolutely fascinating contradictory mess as a character and it is all because he can't see beyond his very specific perspective.

I've gone into it before, but I think it's a super good analogy for how mental illness works because mental illness isn't actually cool, at all.

Nope.

It is miserable for everyone involved.

It is frustrating. It can make people absolutely insufferable.

That's why people often talk the big talk about supporting people with mental illness, but when the time comes and said symptoms actually show up and are "annoying", instead of offering patience, many answer it with prejudice instead.

Many people suffering from mental illness go on horrible paths and it leads to them doing horrible shit because it traps people in a cycle that is really difficult to escape from.

It often becomes an excuse, and when they start doing awful stuff, the victim becomes a criminal.

And many never recover or even just find escape by taking their lives.

And well, treating people suffering like this badly does not actually fix anything, especially not further suffering.

Fandaniel needed to be stopped, but this does not mean he needed further suffering as a reward. It's a case of needing justice that shouldn't become vengence.

Looping back to my general thoughts on Labyrinthos, though, I think 80% of it kind of didn't need to exist.

I really think there could've been much more graceful ways to put the important parts here into the story.

(And part of that grace is not looping one music track over pretty much the entirety of it.)

[royal-wren]

In a weird headspace this week. I'm thinking about a lot, mostly all about my stance on death. About how few really knew me that had interactions with me face to face. "You're always so quiet and reserved, I can't see you doing anything crazy" is always the first thing I hear whenever I say or do something that contradicts the image. Nevermind that I'm always the first to care less about so many things that others spend too much time on, holding them back in a way. I was in a lot of ways the definition of impulsive in a hazardous way that threw caution to the wind and just flew, sometimes literally.

I'm thinking about the positives and negatives that come with crossing over from ideation into action, how a potential sea/ocean deity said "No, you'll continue to exist despite your efforts, you're barely in the double digits you don't really know that yet." To come out in the middle of drowning after purposefully going very far out set on one thing, to go out and stop the misery that was so heavy like a crushing weight even then. To be struck after like an accident, I thought it was a more likely way to go than that would help so much with my limited options and not having the appropriate understanding about how stupid the idea was. I just didn't care and was tired of the pain, the fear, of hiding and escaping both literally and mentally. I was tired of being put down for the unchangeable, about what wouldn't go away, I was tired of not feeling right or like myself. That harsh period in my life gave me ptsd and c-ptsd, I still think of the terrible look in their gaze, the escalating voice shrieking and shouting, the physical pain and remaining hesitance I have with certain utensils for reasons.

I'm thinking about how my recklessness born from budding indifference from the first attempt on my life has affected me. It left me with so many marks, reminders of every time I did something like speeding down a sharp incline on a bike before flipping in the middle to get up close and personal with either concrete or stones. To cry for a moment as a kid before walking home without a sign of it and cleaning myself up bit by bit extracting anything left over like it was routine. I think about that every time my many, many scars come up with Hermes around that he loves. The talks we have about them, saying what I've always had to in the name of moving on in a way, "They show you've lived, that you still exist despite everything, your beauty comes from that instead of being free from every dark mark, the angry red line or the bright white raised line. You nearly have twenty anyone can see and you persist with a bit of pride inside. Ram-minded, stubborn to a fault but wolf-hearted, wild but thriving best with a select few and despondent when missing any of them."

I'm thinking about my main (and only) issue with death is the loss I feel upon absence from those I loved and still love despite their passing. There's an ache there where I felt full and comforted by their presence, the time that's a light, and the lessons and guidance I've had with the divine over death and loss, the pain of it all. The talks I've had and the comfort I was given from He/kate and Herm/es through dreams and meditations before I knew it was them and thought it a random occurrence or a random entity below their status by a long shot talking to me with passing assistance and parting wisdom.

I'm thinking about how I almost wish I turned sooner, the regret of not having the active, known conversations with Her/mes that I know both of us would have loved. To be there during my introspective years especially in adulthood nearly a decade ago that was wasted on the wrong partner. The ex-boyfriend that never had too deep of an interest in it and never knew what to say about my constant thoughts and the need to express a deeper understanding of the world, of life and existence. About my religious/spiritual experiences and my past that made me that way that I've unfortunately long burnt out from saying aside from the random flare of flame that stirs and makes me turn to him to talk. I just wish it had been a thing when it was more consistent when I was looking for something, for someone to talk about it with over the echoing silence like talking to a wall. My stances with life and death, loss and grief that are just me now, and the indifference they spawned in me for myself on a personal level. That I have a certain freedom that wants to live and continue on but on the same hand a lack of care if it would end suddenly outside of my hands.

The admittance that I'm strange, that I run now in a beneficial way to me in the company of deities and other entities who get it and have been there at times when I didn't recognize that they were. Interacting with me in ways that took so long to connect the dots and realize I've had others taking care of me and looking after me in times when I needed it. For someone so stoic, absent emotionally, and unphased usually, it makes me emotional. I am happy and at peace for the most part, and more than likely ready to run into the woods and never return and hang out with the chaotic three in nature and dirt divine all at a moment's notice if possible.

A certain longing for the time I know will come when I pass that we've talked about spending a lot of time together in the future. All in a way I really, really wish I could right now in a way I would with others in my life. I just want to run, to be with him and see him there in front of me and just hold his hand ig and be able to talk like I would with others important to me and hear him in the same way I would with others immediately after for a back and forth that's more coherent and consistent for flow.

[sapphire-dreamsky]

How It All Started

Starring: Poseidon [Definitively OOC] | Reader | OOC Aphrodite | Zeus | Hermes | Hades [Might be OOC]

Pairing: Poseidon / Reader

Synopsis: In which Poseidon has to rely on a book to learn how to properly court his wife after centuries of marriage. Dignity be damned if it means that he can become the perfect husband!

Part: 1 out of 6

Poseidon felt utterly humiliated as he glared at a poor innocent book. In front of him, was one of the most famous dating advice for novices that gods and humans alike would turn to in times of utter despair when they failed at getting their love interest’s attention. All gods were talking about it these days, claiming that it helped them to successfully secure a date with the women they had their eyes on for ages. Apparently, the book did miracles. Or so Hermes said when Zeus asked about it during their weekly ‘family’ dinner. His brother was immediately interested. Of course Zeus would be interested in these kinds of books. Poseidon had merely rolled his eyes and took to eating in silence. His brother was ridiculous. A god shouldn’t need such frivolous unnecessary things to court the women they love.

And yet, the proud god of the sea found himself looking at the very same book that he scoffed at during the ‘family’ dinner a week prior, in a dark secluded corner of the main library. Poseidon would be damned if a god saw him eying that book in public. His carefully woven image and hard earned status would never be able to come back from Helheim. He would be the laughing stock of the gods and the victim of sneers as they would murmur in faux secrecy, “not so perfect now is he?” Or “I knew it! He can't satisfy his wife!” 

And that was not something Poseidon was looking forward to. He could satisfy his wife. He knew that fact very much. But, who said that one couldn't become an even better husband? He was not one to shy away from perfection. And so, with that thought which contradicts greatly with his own set of values, he set off to his private study, the book securely nuzzled in his arms in such a way one could never see the title. He would rather swim in frozen waters than answer nosy questions from useless bottom-feeders.

If you want to know what brought this on, it's really just his wife. One day, as he was returning from yet another tenuous meeting with the others on the fate of humanity (Poseidon had half a mind to stop attending those too), he couldn't help but hear his wife speaking with Aphrodite. The latter did not attend the meeting this time, opting to instead catch up with the queen of the oceans on the latest gossip the goddess of love came across.

"He was so perfect! He brought flowers and gifts to his beloved hoping she would say yes! I heard that he was crying as he kneeled too! And then, when she was in danger, he swooped in like a knight in shining armour. So romantic! He truly is the perfect husband!"

Aphrodite was squealing in delight as she told the story of a knight (Poseidon could really care less about his profession) to his wife. To be honest, Poseidon could actually care less about the gossip. Humans did not matter to him. Whether they marry or not was not his problem. However, his wife's comment grabbed his attention.

"She is so lucky! To have such a man swoon at her feet like that and ask her to marry him in such a romantic way!"

"How did Poseidon propose?"

"I can't say. I know you. As soon as I tell you, everyone in Olympus will know this!"

"Just a hint!"

"Hmm...Well, there is nothing to say really. It wasn't like that human. Poseidon would never do that."

(Y/N) sighed in what Poseidon considered as a disappointment. There is a slight silence on the part of his wife. Poseidon shamelessly strained his ears to hear any additional comment from her. His proposal was romantic, no? The god remembered his proposal very clearly. 

It had been three years since Poseidon took an interest in (Y/N). At first, he didn’t think their relationship would draw on for this long. It was unexpected to even him how important she became to him. To him, she was a mere affair like so many before her. There were no feelings involved, she was exactly what he wanted in a goddess, they had a good time, she didn’t go and spread any unnecessary gossip that would impact on his image. The perfect one night arrangement for him. And that was all that it was supposed to be. However, unlike the many before her, he surprised himself when he kept on seeking her presence.

At first, he seldom sought her after their third night. While it was unusual for him to summon the same girl twice, even less thrice, four times in one month was too much. But he never wanted someone so much as her before. He never needed anyone like her before. He was fine in his underwater palace. He did not need any company. But then, the fourth meeting led to the many others before he could stop it. He became used to her presence in his rooms, in his kitchens despite having servants who could take care of cooking, he let her fill his plain lonely palace with light and happiness. 

Six months after their meeting, Poseidon found himself asking why. Why did he let this affair escalate so much? Why did he not throw her out as soon as she started sleeping the night away in his rooms? Why did he grab her wrist and drag her back in bed when she was about to leave three months into their arrangement? Was he that weak? Did it only take this long for the great god of the sea to fall for a mere goddess? How could he fall for someone so quickly? 

But three years later, as he watched her chest rise and fall after a night where they did nothing but read, he found himself content. For once in his life, he was perfectly satisfied with how things were. He didn’t feel the need to push her away. Nevermind how she managed to weasel her way into his mind without setting off his alarms. He didn’t need the specifics. So, under the light of the moon, he woke her up by softly shaking her, something he would have never done in the past. She was groggy at being woken up so suddenly, eyes squinting to look at the god amidst her still fuzzy  mind.

For an instant, (Y/N) feared her time might be up. Had he finally become tired of her presence? Did she overstep her boundaries and send him running? Would he kick her out with her things at this instant? Was the fairytale drawing to an end? Did the prince realise that she wasn’t fit to be his princess? (Y/N) braced herself as Poseidon opened his mouth. 

“Marry me.”

The girl didn’t even know if this was a question or an order. She didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or cry. He didn’t want to get rid of her! While the proposal was nothing like she had imagined and dreamed of when she was younger, in fact, how their whole relationship even started was nothing like she imagined and wanted, it made her so happy that she could squeal in delight and kiss him all over his face! But she miraculously managed to reign herself in.

“Yes.”

While their relationship was nothing like she had wished for as a young girl dreaming of romance after reading romantic novels, she loved him nonetheless. He was an ideal god but not an ideal husband. She struggled with his emotions or most appropriately, his lack of emotions, many times. He was so guarded that it was hard to differentiate whenever he was bored or happy. His mind was a mystery to her even after their 50th anniversary. But as they entered through their 100th-anniversary hand in hand, she was finally able to understand him a bit better. In return for her tremendous efforts at trying to figure him out, he opened his emotions slightly more. He smiled a bit more when it was just the two of them. Somehow, they made their relationship work against all the odds that were stacked against them.

Poseidon really did believe in all honesty that his proposal was romantic. The lighting from the moon, the sound of the waves crashing into the shore, it was all romantic!

"If you want to, I can give you some advice to spice up your sex life."

"Aphrodite!"

The goddess of love laughed as (Y/N) spluttered rejections through coughs and sounds of embarrassment. Poseidon huffed. There was nothing wrong with their married life, much less their sex life. Wasn't she satisfied with what he provided? The god of the sea rolled his eyes. Ridiculous, he thought as he marched in the opposite direction, completely forgetting of his promise to pick his wife up after the meeting. He was a good husband and an even more perfect god! He didn’t need any advice from anyone!

This matter shouldn't be bothering the ruler of the oceans so much. It really shouldn't. He was born perfect. He had nothing to be ashamed of or feel insecure about. He did not need to improve anything in himself. He was the perfection incarnate, the personification of ideals that all gods should strive to achieve! Therefore, the conversation should really not have bothered him as much as it did. But it did. Aphrodite’s words replayed in his mind accompanied by the jeering of the crowds that liked to gossip behind his back. While he knew all the rumours about him were founded on nothing but sea form, he couldn’t help but overanalyze everything (Y/N) did after they returned from the meeting in Valhalla.

And it certainly didn't help that after he forgot to fetch (Y/N) after the meeting as he promised to, she was pouting at him during dinner. When she would usually babble her day away to Poseidon, he was met with an unusual silence that he should love but instead, he found it unsettling. Coupled with his own brewing insecurities that he would never admit to, her silence did nothing to soothe his mind. 

So, it was with a confident stride that he walked to the library to get the book that could help improve his romantic gaps. If a god was to see him, they would believe he wanted to borrow a book anyway. Everyone knew the god had a thirst for knowledge. It would not be bizarre to see the ruler of the sea leave with a book in hand. His reputation was safe. Now, to figure out how to win his wife all over again (completely ignoring the fact that he never even courted his wife properly, to begin with! Hades can testify! Author didn’t make anything up!).

link to the masterlist for this series

[alluringjae]

until dawn - ljn

part I | part II

⤑ summary: basic number one rule of the museum is not to touch the art. but no one told jeno that falling for one of them isn’t allowed either.

⤑ pairing: jeno x female reader

⤑ word count: 14k

⤑ genre: fluff, humor, angst | broke architecture major!jeno, historical figure!reader, college!au

⤑ warnings: jaemin mentions onlyfans as a joke, references to actual historical figures (some try to flirt with jeno lol) and literature, explicit language

⤑ author’s note: wow, i’ve had this idea for almost two years! this one was inspired by one of my favorite childhood movies, night at the museum. it definitely required a lot of research and brainstorming, and finally i brought it to life! it was so fun to play around with the characters, and even if majority of them are real people, this is all still fiction.

i also wanna mention one of my moots, marge for enlightening me about her life as an architecture major.

⤑ taglist: @renjunniehome​ (dm me if you want to be added) 

⤑ leave me some feedback, constructive criticism or hellos!

Dormitory rent was another thing to worry about aside from the inflated university tuition per semester. Although he’s lucky to have his parents backing him up already on it, paying the monthly rent for his dorm was the remaining objective on Jeno’s list.

Plus, money for food. The man was a heavy eater, following the whole “gym is life” mantra.

Splitting it already with two of his dorm mates turned best friends, Renjun and Jaemin, his plate felt lighter. But the question still lies: where on earth was he going to get the money?

He’s practically checked out every available part-timing job in university and anywhere near campus. Barista at the same café Jaemin works at, teaching assistant for an art school for kids, convenience store cashier, library assistant, all taken in a heartbeat. The burden of his friends paying his debt these past months took a toll on him, almost to the point he almost considered making an Onlyfans.

“Yah, just find something else! Part-timers are in demand right now!” Renjun intensely closed his laptop before his older friend gets any suggestive thoughts.

“I mean, you didn’t work out your body to look the way it is for nothing.” Jaemin pitched otherwise, lifting the front back up. “When do you want to start filming? Loads of chicks would dig a piece of you!”

The contradicting opinions of his friends were like the devil and angel debating on his shoulders. Useless, he gave this worry a rest and returned to drawing new plates. A common thing when you’re an architecture major. Those deadlines were nearing. Looks like he’ll pull another all-nighter again.

Good thing most of his classes were late in the morning until 6 pm.

As if someone from above heard his petition, Jeno saw a help wanted sign posted on the bulletin board outside of the university museum. He initially went there to document some artwork and architecture models from Greek and Roman times, further analyzing how they’re still apparent in modern buildings.

The sign explained the need for one part-timer from any college to cover the night shift of the museum due to the current night guard’s full semester absence. He only had to come in 3x a week, choosing his days since he was still a student. Even the pay was above average, considering that most part-timers never go beyond midnight. Jeno would, on the other hand, always staying for his projects or gaming with the boys. Drinking sometimes during late-night Fridays with his entire college crew.

The pay would leave him a load of extra cash for himself, thus he sent an application to the museum office right before he left. A week later, while he was out with the boys, he got a text from the office that they wanted to meet him again for a final interview first thing on Monday.

Perhaps it was having architecture as his course and a healthy physique that landed him the part-timer position. Mainly, the latter because guards required strong endurance and fighting skills when worse comes to worst. It would start at 9 pm until 6 am the following day, and there was a designated uniform of it too. Blue blazer with matching trousers, white dress top, and loafers.

Aside from the typical museum etiquette the head director instructed him about, there was an unofficial list of tips written on paper given from the night guard on leave when the director handed you over his box of office-related things.

Only read at the night guard office once you’re the remaining staff left.

He did as he was told like an obedient son, flipping the succeeding page.

 To my temporary replacement,

This part-timing job is nothing regular than the other jobs. You’ll witness things as you’ve never imagined them to be, almost like witchcraft. You’ll be lost and maybe frightened, or that’s how I felt the first time because no one led me through it all those years ago. Lucky for you, I made this small guide on how to properly take care of the place that the other staff doesn’t know about.

Before you proceed, I request you take a 5-minute stroll around the lobby first to understand what I’m talking about. After such, go back to the office or somewhere quiet then browse through the guide as quickly as you could.

Art is timeless here, so they need to be taken care of.

Good luck!

 Park Sanghoon

Night Guard on Leave

 Nothing could’ve prepared Jeno for what’s to come once he unlocked the office door. They say that art brings so much color to our life, allowing us to feel all sorts of emotions in a glimpse. But no one ever interpreted art to be literally alive and walking in the halls.

Behold, random wax figures and marble sculptures that he’s seen in the past roamed the hallways, as well as the paintings were interacting with each other side by side. Even the standee of a puppy from the entrance played fetch with one of those sculptures. He swore he looked like Hermes the messenger god from his arrow headpiece and sandals.

It made more sense why the guard on leave explained his feelings during the first day because it resembled Jeno’s. But unlike that guard, Jeno sucked it up. No one ever does well on the first day, even if others say otherwise. The first day was a learning experience, so he collected his thoughts even though the goosebumps triggered his body during that one rotation.

There was an indoor garden, already locked by the day guard earlier. The only room without any art piece, where students lounge to study the plants or relax in nature.

The sculptures section ahead, showcasing various fictional figures specifically from Greek mythology, chattered away about family drama and beliefs. The sculptures of Hades and Zeus, according to their title plate, argued relentlessly about power while Athena always intervened by shouting or even throwing arrows or daggers to any of the lightbulbs there.

That was one rule in the guide, but Jeno didn’t know yet until he came inside the room and swerved the attention of the arguing duo.

“Well, what do we have here?” Zeus, in the center, straightened his posture on his throne to present himself in a more regal way. “Are you perhaps the temporary replacement of Sir Sanghoon?”

“Sir Sanghoon’s stand-in is rather good looking, don’t you think?” Hera mused, stepping down from her throne beside Zeus to take a closer look at the taller male. Her cold fingers trailed his jaw until his chest, where his heart was beating intensely. She even pinched his toned bicep, mouthing wow.

“Truly handsome you are, my dear. So full of life, please introduce yourself to us.”

While Jeno introduced himself to everyone in that room, he answered any sorts of questions they had for him too. From his age, educational background, hobbies, Aphrodite just had to ask him if he had a girlfriend because he was that handsome.

“Nope, I’m single. With my degree in architecture, the requirements are so heavy I can’t even try dating.”

Mentioning his degree excited the gods, telling him how their people created and designed all these temples to house them and perform rituals. They loved it so much. This was a copy-paste of what Jeno learned from his history classes, and for a first, he’s hearing the perspective of the Greek gods.

Mind-boggling that he hasn’t fully freaked out yet. That’s what Athena anticipated when Sanghoon told her about his short leave, putting her in charge of everyone for the meantime while the replacement settled down.

The college museum was built during the late 70s as a gift from one of the alumni. It was for the purpose to preserve history and educate college students outside the classroom. The Greek mythology exhibit was the oldest one, making Athena have more seniority. Over her stay, she’s seen every new guard lose their senses during the first night. Some not even returning for a second night. She got used to every outcome, and so far, only 8 people lasted after the first night. A couple of students in the 70s and 80s, Sanghoon in the 90s, and now Jeno was one of them.

“Jeno, aren’t you terrified by us? You just got a job in a museum that comes to life every night, and it’s not a normal thing.”

“Well, I’m still shaken up about it. But it’s my first night, and it’s when I learn everything about the place from head to toe. Plus, I really need the money.”

“Money for what? But you’re young, a student even!”

“Yes, I am. However, I do pay for the rent in my dorm. So, this job is like my first big responsibility, and I want to perform well.”

Athena commended his sense of authority, capable of leading himself. She noticed how well-spoken and poised he is, respecting and listening to everything the gods and goddesses said even if they were nonsense. She never liked to compromise with her power, taking a while to like Sanghoon back in the day. Though Jeno looked like a natural leader on his first night. If he could take care of himself well, he’s skilled to take care of the rest in the museum as well.

Plus she had full control on the nights he won’t be there, especially the weekend.

With his potential, Athena mentored him the entire night about the gist of the entire museum. Every upcoming leader needs an intelligent mentor, right? She was naturally gifted with worthy leadership skills, managing Jeno like her own child.

Athena explained how the museum came to life, which was through a royal golden plate from the Oriental room. It was a gift from a popular sorceress in China to an affluent family from the Han dynasty, who wished them a long life after she was saved from invaders due to them. The plate preserved over time, becoming an artifact. Its power remained immortal, mutating to bring life wherever it goes. In this case, the museum since its arrival in the late 70s as well.

“That’s why the Oriental room must be locked always so no one could touch or break the plate.”

After she ordered Jeno to lock the mentioned room, alongside the Foreign Art Exhibit Room which he checked out for his class, she led him to the best view of the entire museum. Center of the second floor, where stairs were on both sides. Jeno marveled at the vivacious atmosphere, witnessing actual art living, breathing, and enjoying themselves.

“Unreal, right?” She leaned in the railing, scanning through the chatty paintings.

Jeno also leaned down, deep in thought and wonder. “Absolutely, Athena. How come no one knows about this? Art coming to life? It’ll invite more students to the museum.”

“That goes against a golden rule as a night guard in this museum.” She replied bluntly. “The life that goes on inside this museum at night must remain a secret to the public.”

Jeno predicted this kind of response, having watched too many films where anything supernatural mustn’t be revealed. Although he liked the advantage of knowing something this powerful, he’d never abuse it.

Athena’s intellect was beyond the world, seamlessly reading Jeno’s expression and what he was thinking. He had good intentions even if he’s a bit mischievous. She needed to keep a keen eye on him, but for now, he needed to explore on his own.

“Anyways, Sanghoon still left out some other details. So if you have any questions, I’ll be at my exhibit trying to shut my father and my uncle up again.”

“Can you not use any weapons to do so?”

“Can’t make any promises, Jeno.” She slyly cracked her knuckles and neck as if she was fighting another battle.

Jeno was silently left with himself, finally browsing through Sanghoon’s guide while seated in one of the museum benches.

It consisted of 25 rules, wherein the first two rules consisted of locking up. One, for the doors and gates of the museum, so no art piece could escape. If they do, they will turn into dust when the sun is out according to Athena. Two, locking the Oriental and Foreign Art Rooms, which was already done.

Rule #5: Let Mochi the puppy from the lobby tag along with you; feed him treats if you have any.

On cue, the little guy barked from the corridor and raced to his side. Jeno carried him, babying him for a little and letting him lick his face a few times before putting him back down. He’s surely going to the pet store first thing in the morning with the museum allowance the director gave him.

Since he was on the second floor, he read and followed the rules that fit in before returning downstairs. On the other side of the floor were the wax figures exhibitions: one for prominent men in history while the other for prominent women. Well, more people to get acquainted with.

It’s the exchange of gasps and profanities he received when he chose the latter room. Seeing their faces, these were women he’s learned in school and online. Now in the (fake) flesh. Except for one girl he’s never heard of, unbothered in her corner sketching her life away in a sketchpad. But before he could check who she was, a suggestive touch on his arm distracted him.

“My, oh my, Hera wasn’t lying when she said that the new night guard was a fine specimen.” By her dark blue eyeshadow and eyeliner with the snake-like crown, Cleopatra studied him like he was one of the most renowned art pieces. Even patting his chest, abdomen, and arms with both her hand, Jeno caught a suggestive glint in her eyes and a smirk across her red lips.

Rule #13: Reject Cleopatra’s seductive advances at all costs.

“Goodness, Cleopatra. It’s only his first night, and you’re scaring him.” With her accent, round eyes, and a chic formal outfit, she carried a posh aura while unhesitatingly scolding the Queen of the Nile.

“Come on now, Diana. He’s stunning, who wouldn’t go after him?” If no one knew her, you’re not reading up on your world history. She’s said to have been a lovely and intelligent woman, gone so soon. Jeno definitely understood why after she detached Cleopatra’s raging hands off him.

Rule #14: Treat Princess Diana and Hera like your own parent.

“Your highness.” Jeno nodded at her out of respect, only making her chuckle uncontrollably.

“No need to address me like that, love. Now, come here.” She widened her arms for Jeno, hugging him amiably. He sensed her motherly warmth, accepting such a gesture. “You remind me so much of my youngest son, Harry. Welcome to the night shift of the museum, love.”

Similar to the Greek mythology exhibit, he introduced himself and responded to any questions that the women wax figures may have. Good for him, they weren’t crossing any borders and kept him at ease.

“A student like you working at night to pay rent?” Katherine Johnson, an African-American NASA mathematician whose calculations led to the success of a lot of famous spaceflights, cannot believe her ears. Students must only focus on school, nothing else. “What about your studies, boy?”

Rule #15: Engage in academic discussions with Katherine Johnson whenever you can.

“Most of my classes are in the afternoon, Miss Katherine. So I’ll sleep in the entire morning later and study during my breaks.”

“Mr. Jeno, what do you like to do outside of work?” Anne Frank, a German-Dutch teenager whose revolutionary diary that documented her life in hiding from the Nazis gained popularity worldwide after publication dreamily asked from her section of the exhibit. Her life was robbed of greatness merely because of her religion and war.

Rule #16: Bring delicious food or gifts to Anne Frank.

“Well, I like to bike with my friends, exercise, and draw whatever comes into mind!”

Everyone he’s met so far acquired pleasure in knowing about who he was and his passion for architecture, ridding the “freaking out” phase Athena assumed he had. Yet not everyone in this exhibit bothered to give him a shot.

Jeno’s attention from Anne talking about her crush towards Peter van Daan, a teenage boy who lived with her, switched to the section beside her, where an unacquainted figure was zealously sketching as if something was due to the following day. It reflected how he’d look when he’s cramming one of his plates due to first thing in the morning. While he properly excused himself, he quietly gazed at the way this woman scrunched her eyebrows when she erased something then drew it again. She was someone he’s never seen or heard before, reading the information plate in front of him about her.

 (Y/N) (Y/L/N), Explorer and Author. (1854-1900)

 Wealthy women in the Victorian Era only served one purpose in society: marry a man from a prestigious family, have his children and join whatever interests they have. However, for (Y/N), she wasn’t going to conform to those standards.

Born into the affluent house of (Y/L/N), she was the youngest of 8 children. She was said to be the kindest and sweetest sibling out of everyone, not capable of hurting anyone or anything. She said it herself that she can’t throw away a dying flower because it’s too painful. While 5 of her older brothers were sent to school, she stayed at home with her 2 older sisters Cecilia and Amelia where she learned how to play the piano and take voice lessons from impressive teachers. Due to the huge age gaps between them (12 and 8 respectively), she never felt close with them. She was only closest to the 6th and 7th siblings, her twin brothers Benjamin and Liam whom she only had a 2-year gap. She was also best friends with one of the scullery maids her age, Lily, because she found her amusing that than the boring rich girls her mother forced to interact with.

The moment it bothered her that she wanted to live a more meaningful life was when Amelia got married. She was 12 years old at the time, and it left her as the last unwed daughter in the family. Badly did she want to revolt, which she gradually did. Instead of practicing piano, she’d sneak in to read every book in her father’s office. She secretly studied the notes of her older brothers from school and even dressed as a boy numerously thanks to Benjamin and Liam to join their classes or field trips.

This was her routine up until the age of 18 when she stomped her foot down and expressed to her parents that she wasn’t going to let Victorian society dictate her. The night before her parents were bound to send her to her great aunt’s home down South to sort her out, she successfully snuck out her house thanks to Lily, Benjamin, and Liam. It’s another good thing that she saved a lot of money for that moment.

Off she went across Europe first, then sailed to America and even parts of Asia. Initially under the name Lilibe, coined from picking the first two letters of her brothers and best friend, she documented her days and nights through her journals and sketches. Over time, she sent them to her brothers for publication. It started the franchise, “The Adventures of the Young and Free Lilibe”. There are 10 books under it.

She learned French, Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, and Korean by herself as she made friends from those places. It was rare of someone like her to be fluent in Oriental languages, surprising locals every time she spoke to them. She was the only explorer to vividly describe life in different Asian lands in English, talking about their history and culture. With her accurate drawings of diverse citizens and their daily lives, it educated a lot of those living back home in Europe about them rather than speaking lowly of them.

In Seoul did she stayed the longest until her death from pneumonia at the young age of 46.

In her posthumous work, Finding Me, did she reveal her real identity, dedicating it to her parents whom she apologized and expressed her love for them despite everything that occurred between them. She talked about the last years of her life in Seoul, how locals were so nice and inviting to her, and how she adopted kids instead of having her own through the years.

“It’s not because I never found love in men. It’s more like I found love in doing things I’m passionate about. Traveling, learning new cultures, it outweighed the human need of romance.”

Due to her thrill in taking risks and embarking on wondrous adventures, it brought inspiration to a lot of young girls pressured to marry at that time to pursue what they really want.

 A remarkable background you had, Jeno contemplated. How come no one discussed her in his classes?

You kept brushing the bangs of your hair back as it fell repeatedly. But you got irritated instantly because it sabotaged your drive, you brought out a hairpin from her desk and attached it on both sides. But when you shifted your angle of focus, the corner of your eye locked with Jeno’s attentive gaze.

He didn’t flinch, even he should’ve. He wasn’t one to linger his look on anyone’s physical appearances, but your story and the passion on your face as you sketched mesmerized him. He was charmed, to say the least.

“Uhm, hello there?” You broke the silence due to your uneasiness about it. What’s his deal?

Jeno bowed, reintroducing himself to you. As soon as his presence settled in the room when Cleopatra attempted to hit on him, you could’ve cared less. Though this man was a first for you, a first in a long time as all guards would feel intimidated by you during the first night. Even your sharp tongue didn’t faze him. “Staring is rude, sir. Didn’t your mother teach you manners?”

“She did,” He wandered through the exterior of your section, by the fence that separated you and him. Not breaking eye contact, his eyes turned into moon crescents as he smirked with trouble. “Though she also told me to appreciate the art too.”

Snorts noisily exhaled from Cleopatra, who took the center section of the exhibit, succeeded by Princess Diana’s whispered gasps and Katherine’s side-eyeing Anne beside her while she taught her math. That was an odd way a guard conversed with you, but Jeno was merely doing what the rules stated. Partly, he was impressed with his cheesy pick-up line, partly embarrassed because he’s never spoken like this to anyone.

Rule #17: Act playfully around (Y/N) (Y/L/N) to break the tension; she’s a harsh one.

There was irony between the information he read about your life versus the wax model. Even when you faced sexism and ran away according to your history, never were you impolite to anyone in your life. You couldn’t even kill a lurking fly when it roams around your food! It showed Jeno a possibility that as much as you’re just a wax version of someone famous in the past, maybe the external environment around you had a heavy influence too.

“You fool!” His confidence exasperated you, urging you to persistently throw balls of paper with your failed sketches at him. No one dared to talk to you like that, most especially a night guard. “Take that for your comment!”

If you thought he’d scram away and act repentant, you were proven wrong. His reflexes were parallel to a spider, capturing every single paper ball without fail. Up and down his body went, one arm held on to them and no more were left on your part. Never a single defeat during the first meeting in years, but that seemed to alter now.

“Give up already, Ms. (Y/L/N)?” Jeno remarked vibrantly as he discarded your mess in the trash bin behind him. If he managed to get everyone to like him tonight, he wanted to make sure to have you onboard too.

Whatever agenda he had, you weren’t up for it. You’d treat him the same way you usually treated Sanghoon for the past 20 something years: cold and ignorant. From your stool, you left your comfortable position to come face to face with this man. He better be grateful for that barrier in between you, or else you would’ve caused mayhem.

“Never in your wildest dreams, Mr. Lee.” Your mouth gave a half-smile, clenching on the bars to liberate your annoyance. Before you could fend back, that’s when Princess Diana intervened between your heated dialogue.

“Oh heavens, children!” She stood by the barrier, mostly to protect the newbie Jeno with her body. “(Y/N), he just wanted to know you. Must you be so cross?”

This Princess Diana embodied all the traits the real one had: soft-spoken, intelligent, and protective. She’s gotten so used to your gradual temper, staying on standby whenever anyone tried to mess with you. Even if it was harmless, you could get so mean!

“Diana, he was mocking me! Saying such a sleazy phrase as if to amuse me, ha! Not a chance, I hate people like that.”

“Not us women though; you just despise men in general.”

“And you’re absolutely right!” With a smug smile, you greedily rejoiced. “Anyways, escort this disgrace out. I’m not in the mood to get angry when I have a lot of inspiration on mind right now.”

While you resumed your sketching to let go of that extra steam, Jeno was left with Diana who apologized on your behalf. Your pride was too high to do that, and as the motherly figure among them, she always took care of things in your exhibit.

“I’m so sorry for that, Jeno. She’s not really like this, but I know how much you tried your best. It was quite a fresh spectacle honestly.”

Whatever was responsible for your abrasiveness, Jeno yearned to know. He couldn’t understand who you were yet even knowing your life story. All he wanted was to get along with everyone. It was the key to successfully maintain his job for the next 6 months.

“How can I make her come around then?”

A demanding question that no one had a solid answer to. Diana recalled how much Sanghoon didn’t let your dislike for him get to him, maintaining a respectful boundary in between each other after his past attempts. Though with Jeno, observing how he riled you up and your focus entirely on him, she hasn’t seen anything like it since the 80s.

There was something in Jeno that may just get you to warm up and return to your kind nature.

“Aside from acting playful, as Sanghoon recommended, I can think of two ways, love.” By the doors of her exhibit, where Jeno was already waltzing the corridor to visit other rooms, she suggested smartly. “One, argue back to her opinions. She hates whenever anyone tries to get her way, but boy, you’re just as wise as her. No one was brave enough to peeve on her until you came.”

“How about the second way?”

“Do your research, love. Aside from libraries, you have those small technology devices that allow you to search up anything.” She tousled Jeno’s brown locks as if it were her actual son’s. Some habits just don’t die when you do.

“Brush up on your history, Jeno. Not only will it help you with (Y/N), but it’ll serve purposefully with the other art pieces here.”

Boy, he was ready to crash in his bed for a few hours after all those interactions. His introverted nature required to be revitalized.

Towards the last hours of his shift, the art pieces who’ve strolled in the first floor lessened his plate by not leaving any major clutter behind. As if she listened to him, Athena didn’t break any lightbulbs too.

His main highlight would be meeting the men of the historical male section, who flaunted a more humorous ambiance. Freddie Mercury from Queen insisted he drink a glass of his wine and to bring more wine next time, which he denied since it would against Sanghoon’s rules. King Sejong the Great and Martin Luther King Jr. argued back and forth over the most random things (pineapple on pizza specifically), while Steve Jobs mediated whenever one crossed the line. Meanwhile, William Shakespeare was too preoccupied in his writing and speaking to himself about his books, wondering how to improve them.

During one of his breaks today, he multitasked drawing a new plate with his research on every art piece to know them better. He started with the exhibit of sculptures of the Greek gods and goddesses, which were Zeus, Hera, Hades, Athena, Hermes, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Artemis, Dionysus, and Circe. They weren’t the complete roster because the rest were in other museums across the globe, as said by Athena before sunrise. The majority of them he knew what they were in charge of, but the rest were foggy to his knowledge. Typing away and jotting notes down, he started downloading his favorite jazz songs too.

Rule # 4: Play jazz music to the paintings on the first floor so they can relax and dance within their frames.

Circe is a minor goddess, the daughter of the sun god Helios. She’s recognized for her versatility in incantations and herbs, capable of transforming people into animals. From Jeno’s perspective, she’s mostly within her space with her journals and magic wand, trying new spells or combinations of herbs. For the latter, he had to keep a closer eye on.

Rule #9: Don’t let Circe, god of potions, into the Oriental Room to get plants and herbs.

He discovered that Dionysus is the god of wine, happiness, and theatre. That’s why every god in the exhibit had full wine glasses during their gathering. It also added up why Freddie Mercury always comes to him when his bottles run empty, though he mustn’t go overboard.

Rule #18: Make sure Freddie Mercury doesn’t get too drunk from the wine of Dionysus; he might make numerous scenes if he does.

After his lone studying session, he took a short trip to the pet and convenience stores to buy food. He got a dumbfounded look from Jaemin back in the dorm room, who was studying for one of his quizzes in Biology in a couple of hours.

“Woah what’s with this stash? Is it for yourself or something?”

“The museum surprisingly has a lot of tasks needed to be done at night. And no, not from my wallet but the allowance they gave me before you get a heart attack.” Jeno plopped on his solo bed, covering his face with a pillow.

“Thank God.” A relaxed sigh escaped Jaemin’s lips, taking back his balled-up fists meant for his roommate. “I think I would’ve stormed that boring museum if they made your broke ass spend a cent.”

“Boring?” Jeno removed the cushion hastily, eyeing his busy and coffee-high roommate. The scent of black coffee from his mug spread in the room, assuming that this upcoming test was testing his roommate’s patience again.

Not even trying to look at Jeno while reviewing his handwritten notes, Jaemin continued giving his opinion. “Museum culture is dead, Jeno. Not everyone has the time to roam around one, plus people can always look up the artifacts online these days.”

People were entitled to their own opinions on numerous things, though Jeno begged to differ with his roommate’s. Especially after witnessing the magic of the night shift, you shouldn’t merely judge a book by its cover. In this case, you shouldn’t judge an artwork or art piece merely on its history and legacy.

Maybe because his roommate was in the science department, he thought this way. A lot of art students regularly visit the museum both for fun and for their classes, and Jeno was one of them. Though he was too sleepy to explain his side, he let it slide for now and snoozed throughout the late afternoon.

An hour before the start of his shift, Jeno promenaded the emptying museum to inspect anything else he might’ve missed out on from last night. There were two areas according to his rotation, both in the first floor.

One was the Diorama Room. Divided into 4 sections, highlighting some of the well-known ancient civilizations in world history. Ancient Egypt and Ancient China to your left, Ancient Rome and Ancient Maya to your right. They acted as if they were the actual people during those times, giving Jeno a laugh when they cracked jokes in between. Such tiny figures, yet the rule for them said otherwise.

Rule # 7: The small figurines in the Diorama Room are feisty, so make sure they don’t fight with one another again.

The remaining room left was the Theater Room. He’s never been here, though his art friends have for film festivals held by the university.

The interior of it was set to look like an actual cinema place you’d see in a mall. There was a mini lobby with a few posters of iconic films over the years. Singin’ in the Rain, Back to the Future, Titanic, those were some framed and hung on the wall. There were two other doors there: one leading to the chairs and the other where the movie projector was. The latter room was pretty riveting, wherein you can choose to watch old short films through an 88mm film projector or switch to a cd player for the newer releases.

Back to those posters, they weren’t an exception to the magic and a simple rule was left for Jeno to do.

Rule # 10: Chatter with the movie posters in the lobby of the Theater Room; they love meeting new faces.

Since there wasn’t anyone checking out the Art Rooms on the second floor, he closed them. Though as he was about to lock the Oriental Room, the ravishing plants around the royal plant appealed his interest. Said to hold magical properties from his research, Jeno was reminded of another rule to keep in mind for later.

Rule # 3: The fake flowers in the Oriental Room come to life too at night, so when no one is lurking, water it diligently.

Instead of lounging at Sanghoon’s office first, he brought his important items to the front desk of the lobby and continued sketching his plate. He wanted to watch the art come back alive with his two eyes. Usually, he’d have coffee when he does his work, but due to another crucial rule in the guide, he’d rather not take the risk.

Rule # 6: The lobby room can get rowdy, so keep any drinks away from important items.

On the dot, the cries and yawns from the art pieces around him reverberated. Closing his sketchpad, his night guard mode was on. Connecting his laptop on the aux cord of the museum speakers, he tapped play on his playlist of jazz music that’ll last for the entire shift duration. As the first notes flooded the entire vicinity, sounds of joy left the lips of each painting. Some were humming, dancing, and even singing along.

“You can never go wrong with Frank Sinatra!”

“This Jeno lad really did the heavens’ work quick!”

Having the sense of accomplishment on his sleeve, the small barks of his fluffy pal reached closer to him. As he kneeled to find him, he was only taken by surprise as Mochi excitedly jumped on him. Tumbling over, Jeno chuckled innocently as Mochi licked his face numerously. This puppy was friendly, easily liking everyone at first sight. He wasn’t as choosy like Daegal, the puppy of his friend Chenle studying Business Management.

Once he composed himself and cradling the dog like his own, he fed him a dog treat from the desk.

“Good boy, Mochi!” He rubbed his fur while the puppy happily munched on it, ready to fulfill more of his duties.

He skipped the Greek mythology exhibit since Athena was doing a good job not letting anyone go overboard with their powers, though he’ll check in again in a few hours. He met the posters of the theater room, who were celebrities he grew up watching on tv. Sanghoon was right; they were the kinder group in the entire museum because they were more laidback.

On to the second floor, all the female wax figures lounged by the male section due to another lecture from Shakespeare. Although the guide informed him that most of the time it could get boring, this lecture was more stimulating. On his platform, he elaborated with conviction the lines of one of his famous books, Romeo and Juliet. A must-read book back in his high school days, there’s no way Jeno could’ve missed that out.

From the looks of it, Jeno perceived that Shakespeare was performing spoken word poetry due to him reading only Romeo’s lines while Cleopatra read Juliet’s beside him. This kind of show was one of the sources of entertainment to these figures, so Jeno leaned by the side of the door to listen. After all, the famous author of it was a few feet away. Cleopatra channeled such a naïve character to her ability, absentmindedly saying as she clutched her chest.

“O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet.”

“Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?”

“'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man. O, be some other name! What's in a name? That which we call a rose-”

The flow of an engaged Cleopatra was abrupted by the loud yell from Shakespeare in front, specifically to an amused Jeno. “Jeno, my boy! Welcome back!”

Such an announcement diverted everyone’s attention to the back, some running to Jeno to give their respective greetings. It’s rare for everyone to feel at ease with a new guard, taking them weeks to approach them due to the intimidation. Though Jeno’s bright presence felt welcoming, so they accepted it. Perhaps it’s because of his youth, it reminded them of theirs too.

Shakespeare highly requested (or forced) Jeno to take his part as Romeo, intrigued to watch someone younger read his lines. Since most of the male wax figures were aged, it never satisfied Shakespeare so he jumped on this opportunity as quickly as he could. With the roaring cheers from the other figures, Jeno might as well give it a try. It wasn’t like his friends were here to clown him like they usually would if he did something humiliating.

Jeno shockingly liked this activity as he wasn’t much of a performer on stage, but someone who does the behind-the-scenes of it. He realized as he read the lines from the book Shakespeare asked him to follow along with why people held university-wide spoken word shows a few times per semester. He was no actor, but it’s delightful to have tried it at least once in his life.

“O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?” As if the edge of the platform was the balcony of Juliet (or Cleopatra rather), he knelt as he ardently spoke his lines. He’s emphasizing this rush of uncontrollable desire for her, rambling whatever he would do to get the girl.

“What satisfaction canst thou have tonight?” Cleopatra questioned from her chair, inching closer to the young boy. Even outside character will she attempt to charm Jeno, but Jeno was quick to catch it and kept his distance.

“The exchange of thy love's faithful vow for mine.”

“I gave thee mine before thou didst request it, and yet I would it were to give again.”

“Wouldst thou withdraw it? For what purpose, love?”

“But to be frank, and give it thee again. And yet I wish but for the thing I have. My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep. The more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite.”

Everyone was condensed by their top-notch acting, as if this was the actual play unfolding before them. Jeno wasn’t so sure how he got himself in character without preparation, yet he felt what his character felt. He comprehended the material a lot better now than when he was still in high school.

However, there was always that one killjoy to ruin the heartfelt mood.

“How dumb is it to say that you’re in love after the first glance?” You opposed, putting the spotlight on you. This book was said to be a classic in literature, but as you matured physically and mentally, you could no longer agree with it. “Isn’t love the same thing that killed Romeo and Juliet in the end?”

Remembering what Princess Diana told him, he wasn’t going to let this pass. He wanted to give a piece of his mind too, caring less if the show must be paused. “Love is an emotion we don’t ask to feel. It’ll come to us when we least expect it, even when the timing of it can be crucial.”

“Of all the people Juliet could’ve gone for, it just had to be the enemy.” In all the years you’ve been brought to life, no one dared to test your opinions because they were aware of your intelligence, from the streets to the books. When someone bark, you’d bite back. Hard. “With all due respect, I love your works, Shakespeare. Yet the fate you’ve given these two at a young age was grave, could’ve you given them a better outcome or another character to love instead?”

“Giving them extra characters to love won’t address the horrific life fact that love can be dangerous. Regardless of what status you’re in, you can’t stop the attraction towards someone. The heart wants what it wants.” Jeno pressed his hand to his chest, pumping it a bit. Unknown to you and him, the audience found more entertainment in your argument. Anne, who was munching on the popcorn Jeno gave her earlier, passed the snack to Katherine who just couldn’t stop watching.

If this man wanted a challenge, you’re all ears. Who was he to compete with you? Was he not intelligent to know who you are?

“So are you insinuating that we just go with the flow? Be a slave to our emotions too and let them dictate our next motives?”

“Slave is such a strong word to use, (Y/N). But it’s not like we can’t choose who want to love because we actually can. In this case, Romeo chose Juliet and vice versa.”

“But what happens if the person you choose doesn’t choose you in return?”

“At least you tried your best, right? It’ll hurt like hell though, but it won’t last forever.” From his kneeling position, Jeno strutted his way with confidence. Trying not to let it mess with you, your extreme stare at him as if they’ll shoot lasers. Inches away from you, Jeno declared. “Love always has risks, that’s a given. Romeo and Juliet still tried and followed their hearts despite the downfall. But it was a needed downfall to get the message across.”

“No one would be that foolish to risk their lives for love though, right? Life is so precious, why would they do such a thing?”

“Even if they knew what their lives were without each other, they still preferred living a life where they were both in the picture. Therefore, they tried all they could that time because the regret of not doing anything at all carries a heavier burden.”

Whenever anyone argued with you, their debating points they spat back would further piss you off because most of the time, it never made sense. Back when this rude man told you to go home and be a wife in your earlier years of exploring, you civilly told him to fuck off, kicking his balls because he cornered you in an alley. For the first time, a man who tried to challenge you actually made sense. Was it because he lived in a modern time, where minds were more open? Because of the amount of sexism you faced in the past, you’ve turned a blind eye to the current period.

But your high pride maintained, not submitting into anything he said. “I still think it’s stupid to risk your life for love. There’s no such thing as having only one true love anyways, and you have to be alive to see it.”

“Fair point, but again, the feeling of regret and carrying it your entire life doesn’t fade easily. It’ll make you reflect on the what-ifs, and it’s heart-wrenching.” Jeno digressed, walking around you in circles. He’s intentionally trying to drive you mad, but he could care less. He wanted someone to put you in your place and open your mindset. “The question stands: would you rather try and go for it even knowing its risks or regret not even trying for the rest of your existence? Quite ironic for me to ask you that, don’t you think?”

Past the information board, Jeno researched more of your life history online. Your whole life was grounded on risks, from breaking the standards of your society, leaving your family and home country, to fending yourself from disrespectful men. Rather than living the original life expected from you, you chose not to because it didn’t make you happy. Such a risktaker he knew you are, but with the topic of love, he wondered why you were on a fence with it. Though some records stated you’ve had rendezvouses with a few men in your journeys, love was never in the equation. The single life was what you chose and you were more than satisfied, plus your adopted kids filled that supposed void anyways.

This man may have studied your history, but so much he still doesn’t know. Information that never made the books because you chose not to write or tell anyone about it. Aside from the discomfort growing in your chest, everyone else felt the awkward tension when you were lost for words.

Never been defeated in an argument, until tonight. Your mind lost its drive and willpower.

“Touché, Lee Jeno.” Indeed, his name you’re acquainted with. Numerously passed around in your exhibit, mostly from the lips of Cleopatra, who’d fantasize all the graphic things she would do to him. Too much information, least of your interest. “Please excuse me. I’d like to work on my sketches to ease my mind.”

As you quietly exited the room, an all too familiar sculpture leaned against the railings overseeing one side of the museum. Just like you, she hated accepting defeat or compromises. She always rooted for you to win. With a faint chuckle, “Facing a loss for the first time, I see.”

“Don’t even lecture me about it, Athena. I’m still fired up, and I need to relax.”

“Jeno is a different breed, isn’t he?” She stuck to your side, strolling wherever your feet led you.

“Different as in he’s a man? Yes. What else is there to it?”

“Men these days aren’t as trashy as those back in the day though. Shouldn’t you give him a chance?”

“Last time I did, it destroyed my heart. I’m not allowing myself to let men in even as a friend, Athena.”

She knew exactly what you were referring to, not touching on it further. No way will you let heartbreak or disappointment from men bother you. Even Sanghoon’s sweet company took a while to tolerate. You really needed to sketch this out on your pad right now, excusing yourself from Athena’s presence. Isolation wasn’t new to you; it’s what’s protecting your entire being. Immortal as you are, you had to recover from the past pain so the next decades won’t feel as brash.

You hoped to return to your old self when you were a fresh new figure in the 70s. So naïve, only proud of your accomplishments, and purely happy.

While Jeno continued to finish his scene in respect to Shakespeare, he received a standing ovation for his mini-show. Cleopatra didn’t expect such talent from him, growing fonder of the younger male. Whether she seduces him or not, he was never afraid to try new things and she liked that about him.

“Bravo, love!” Princess Diana praised, clapping at him.

Although Jeno appreciated all this positive attention, his thoughts bounced back to your and your stance on love. The debate earlier was just out of being playful, interested to hear your opinions. Though, he’s worried that he might’ve offended you. It may have been time to finally witness something like that, but then again, he was sure he touched something personal to you. No matter how you tried to fight it off, your eyes can’t lie. Staring down at him, there was pain beneath it. Your eyebrows scrunched to the center, thinking deeply yet remained utterly speechless.

A win he didn’t feel good about.

“It’s time she encountered something new in the years she’s been here. Give her some space tonight, then try again to reach out to her. Kindly this time; I’m not in the mood for another brawl that could end up like the Greek gods’ past fights downstairs.”

These clever words shared by Katherine loitered his mind for the rest of the night, eventually going back to finishing his current plate since everyone was behaving well. As great it is to get the approval of the majority, he tried brainstorming ways to make you like him too.

He understood the whole “men are trash” concept in today’s modern society, but if he could prove it wrong to at least one person, it would be you. Whatever is holding you back, he only hoped that you’d let it go. Questionably unsure as to why he was so persevering, he concluded that it was so he could perform his job better as the night guard. Set higher standards than Sanghoon even.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Weeks passed, and his attempts continued to be unsuccessful.

The capability for you to ignore his efforts remained strong, whether he was pestering you over small things or debating with you again about anything. Life, books, morals, the two of you always head butt each other. Anything good he did, you searched for a flaw in it. Whatever acts he’s tried and continued trying, not one flinch from you ever.

Even if that’s his state with you, his job no longer felt stressful nor strenuous. He’d try to sleep more on days he was off-duty. Although the fatigue of staying beyond his usual sleeping time was inevitable, he compromised to take a nap lasting an hour or two when the art pieces weren’t acting frisky.

Plus, there have been multiple times they adapted to any alterations so his physical well-being wouldn’t fall sick. Per order of Princess Diana and Hera, who by instinct became his motherly figures here, only wanting what’s best for the kids.

He became accustomed to everything that went on at night, discovering things on his own without Sanghoon’s guide. Anne talked about how much she missed biking in her neighborhood, so one night, Jeno snuck his bike inside and let her use it around the first floor. With proper monitoring so none of the paintings would be unbothered or pieces wouldn’t tumble.

Hermes the messenger god was fluent in every language possible, so every so often, Jeno would freely speak to him in Korean because sometimes he felt he could explode by the amount of English he used every night. Bilingual things, you know. He knew you were multilingual too, but for obvious reasons, he couldn’t converse with you.

Because Jeno was heavily favored, that should’ve been enough to push through his night shifts before the end of the semester. In addition to that, the hourly rate was above the average of whatever Jaemin or Renjun was earning. For the past 2 months, Jeno paid upfront first, even paying back all his debts. It almost made Renjun want to switch jobs with him.

“Trust me, Renjun. You don’t want it, being the lowkey scaredy cat you are.”

Work no longer felt like work, and that’s what everyone aspired to feel. Nevertheless, he tended to worry over you mid-shift, glancing at you from his side view. Sketching, reading, and writing were your default actions. No matter how many times he said to himself not to let your dislike for him affect him, it’d always backfire.

Why were you so cold?

What made you lose your fire from all the research he did about your lively personality?

When morning arrived and he gathered his stuff, you’d be the last thing he’ll check on. Frozen in your standing pose, smiling as you held a book and a pencil, he detected how fake it was. Bystanders would only assume your happiness was from your achievements, though Jeno’s gut firmly pried that something grand overpowered that happiness. And definitely, not in a good way.

Out of all the art pieces, he investigated on you the most. Skimming through every material in the library, endless searching on the net, even asking professors from the History department thanks to Renjun, he did whatever he could. People may already think he was obsessed with who you are, but only little did they know.

Another plate was done and submitted, and he promised himself to look you up one last time before surrendering. For someone who’s rarely given up on a challenge, this one was really out of his control. Maybe he should follow Sanghoon’s footsteps now.

You lived centuries before him, and there’s limited material of you left. Rather than learning of your adventures again, he dug through what things you liked over your life. Maybe by giving one of them, it’ll lessen the tension from a 100 to 99. Maybe you preferred gifts over words, he’ll never know until he tried.

Boom.

According to one of your journal entries, there’s a fond liking you’ve acquired for lavender roses from Benjamin and Liam when they visited you in Paris in secret because of how much you missed them. It went both ways, praying your family ties could be recovered.

It’s a good thing he needed to refill his stock of items for the art pieces so he could pass by the flower store a few blocks away from his dorm. That night, without further words, he graciously offered you a fresh lavender rose in between your new sketching session.

“I may not know exactly why you’re spiritless around me, but with this rose, I hope we could work something out.”

Your frigid face of disdain, keeping your chin high and squinting your eyes with judgment, began to crumble down.  Of all things as a peace offering, he gave you that? Then again, it’s not like he knew that an item you liked so much became something you’ve grown to hate and why so. No history books could teach him that.

Vulnerability was a normal thing, yet feared by many. Once one uncovered your weak spot, they could harm you. You still couldn’t trust Jeno fully, not willing to show your helplessness nor were you ever going to tell him. Hidden from his knowledge, everyone else including Sanghoon were familiarized as to why this kind of flower tormented you.

You sprinted like thunder out the exhibit room to wherever it’s private to control your senses. You may not have a physical heart, but your emotions were just as actual as a human’s. You needed to regulate your panting breath. In the past decades, you’ve not shed a singular tear but the cycle broke when they streamed out your miserable eyes like a flowing river. Quiet sobs, an empty corner near the fire exit was where your wobbly legs faltered, the painful memories of the past replayed in your head. Once beautiful, but now an agonizing reminder of what could’ve been.

Katherine, Cleopatra, and Anne were swift on their feet to hunt you down, anxious of what you may do next. Seeing or the mention of these flowers still affected you despairingly. Sanghoon must’ve forgotten to write them down, or perhaps he didn’t know either about this fact during all the years he’s worked there.

It’s one of the biggest secrets of his museum. By the clueless face Jeno had with his eyebrows raised, mouth, and small eyes slightly open, he repeatedly asked what he did wrong and adding that he never meant to harm you. Indeed, they knew that yet what occurred involved a secret in the list of museum secrets. Confidential only between art pieces according to Athena, none of the male wax figures spoke a word, only pitying the boy.

“I wasn’t here yet that time, but they said that it was once beautiful, but now it’s a rough period.” With hesitation, Princess Diana chose to reveal it to rid Jeno’s misery. She didn’t mind having to argue about it with Athena later on, as this may further affect the two of you later on.

“A long time ago in the early ‘80s, there was a night guard around your age named Junmyeon. Also, a college student, trying to make ends meet. He did it for 3 years until he graduated. Though within his stay, not only was he such a delight to everyone, he broke a golden rule in the guide. I believe you do know the guide much more now, Jeno?”

“Yes, I do, Princess Diana. Memorized it even, but which one specifically?” Jeno’s desperate eyes pleaded, only hoping for the best and to fix what he messed up.

“You can form friendships with the art pieces, but nothing more.” Princess Diana replied bitterly. “Junmyeon was an aspiring painter, a different path from his business-oriented family. He was seen as the black sheep. She resonated with him, sharing the burden and lifting it by doing whatever fun they could in the museum. In time, they both fell in love with each other; they were each other’s first loves.”

“Why must something beautiful like love be broken? It’s not like you can control it. That golden rule makes no sense.”

“It does, unfortunately. Wax figures like me cannot age, while humans like you can. None of them could accept the reality, always pushing it away. Until Junmyeon’s last week in university, he broke it off with her unexpectedly. From there, (Y/N) was heartbroken for decades. With heartbreak, giving the cold shoulder and bitterness followed. Then with the lavender rose you gave that she used to love became a flower that she associated with Junmyeon too because he gave her one almost every night for those past 3 years.”

Things finally added up, and the guilt in Jeno’s gut expanded. His major lightbulb moment was a major failure.

“Has Junmyeon ever returned to try and win her back?”

“Well, there was one time he did come back for an art exhibition for his paintings in the 2000s. I was already here, then he had a woman around his shoulder with an adolescent boy holding his hand. He roamed around our exhibit and kept gawking at (Y/N). We may be asleep, but we remember the conversations exchanged in the room. So, his son then asked him if he knew who she was.”

“What did he respond?” Jeno attentively listened, on the edge of such a hurtful tale.

“He knew her name, praising her for historical achievements. However, nothing as a former friend or lover. From what I predict, he ingested one of Circe’s potions.”

“But I thought Circe isn’t allowed to make potions for actual consumption. She’s not even allowed to enter the Oriental Art Room.” Jeno pointed out, overwhelmed at the puzzling past. Princess Diana was mindful that she had to stop spreading too much information, so she had to end her discussion with the lost boy.

“There are a lot of secrets about this museum, Jeno. Unfortunately, I cannot reveal to you to protect our peace.”

With due respect, Jeno quit his follow-up questions and concerns. The only thing he wished to do was mend his relationship with you. As vague as to where you even stood in the first place, he unintentionally crossed a line due to his selfish intention to befriend you.

“What can I do now, Princess Diana? You know I’d never push her buttons like that, even if I’m a whimsical person.”

“Oh, my boy.” Princess Diana soothed, holding both her hand on his sweaty palm and cupping his cheek. “For the meantime, give her space. No taunting for a while, and just observe her from a distance. Though do not fret the slightest; I’m sure she’ll be okay again.”

During that interval, you were hunched on the wall, bawling and weeping like the wound was brand new again. While Katherine and Anne stood by your side, on the lookout for anyone who’d be spying on you, Cleopatra knelt in front of you as your infinite tears gushed down.

“My dear,” She tried to wipe some of them while holding your hand. “It’s been years, and Jeno didn’t know a single thing. He didn’t mean to do it.”

“I don’t care, Cleopatra! He should’ve stopped trying to socialize with me because I won’t ever live down my experience with Junmyeon.”

“As if crying like this will bring Junmyeon back to your life,” Cleopatra exclaimed, holding in her temper. Acquainted with heartbreak, it’s awful that it changed you entirely, but you should’ve found a way to heal. Throughout your attitude change, it’s mostly you in pain, not those you inflict it to. “My dear, I love you a lot. But this Jeno boy is different, and you know it.”

“He’s still a nightguard, for Christ’s sake, Cleopatra.”

“You shouldn’t generalize that all night guards are bad just because of one encounter that occurred at the wrong time.” Brushing some strands stuck by your wet visage, she professed to you bluntly. “You’re never going to know how good Jeno is unless you slowly open up again, (Y/N). Not forcing you the slightest, but healing started once you’ve acknowledged the past and move on from it.”

“But I’m scared, Cleopatra.” You restlessly admitted, hunching even more against the wall. Your poor, metaphorical heart could only take so much. You barely expressed sorrow towards others as you always held a strong exterior, only letting it out alone. Not holding back anymore, Cleopatra brought you in for a hug. The last time she did that was the first night after Junmyeon left, calming your intensified emotions so you wouldn’t do anything dumb that night. No violence, just pure sorrow.

“My dear, it’s alright.” She whispered while stroking your back upwards. “But you’re a risktaker; that’s how people remember you. Now, you must challenge yourself to move on from things that didn’t work out. Because once you do, it’ll put your heart and mind at ease.”

“Do you think I’ll be okay again?”

“Yes, you will be, my dear. You are not alone, and never will be.”

Acting like the dutiful son he always was, Jeno distanced from you.

He still cracked jokes, chatted with the art pieces, and followed the rules, yet never did he utter anything to you. You’ve proudly anticipated it since day one, not wanting him up in your business or teasing you ever. But this time, it felt odd.

On nights he didn’t report, you’ve unconsciously wondered what he may have been up to. A job like this at his age was just as Sanghoon once said: nothing in the regular.

Was he with his friends?

Was he resting well?

From the moment you chose to let go of your limitations and old thoughts, it included your grudge against past guards. Asking for forgiveness to Sanghoon when he returns was on the top of your list, however, that’ll take a while to happen. In the start, you’re baffled as to why he no longer picked on you like every night he’s been present. Somehow, it became a habit you’ve gotten used to, having so many comebacks planned to fend yourself. But you didn’t want to concede to it, maintaining what was left of your pride since that breakdown.

While on the subject, you suspected if anyone told him anything that night because that also indicated the last time he reached out to you. By anything, it would be your unwritten past with Junmyeon. A part of yourself in the museum that you didn’t want to disperse like rapid-fire again. It would be the last thing you wanted Jeno to know.

To your misfortune, Princess Diana came clean due to your growing concern over it. Although your attitude changed and people got used to it, you could only blame yourself that you were responsible for Jeno’s change.

“All he wanted was to understand and enlighten us with his likable presence. Then with you, you were his challenge because of your high walls. Out of everyone, he tried to learn everything about you. From my observation, whenever he has a goal, he’s determined to achieve it.”

“But I’m trying to be better now, Diana. Why did he stop?”

“He may have determination, but he knows where the boundaries lie.” Princess Diana patted the side of your arm, giving you a half-grin. “It hurt him when he hurt you, even if it was accidental. So he opted to give you space; that way, you could catch a breather and he wouldn’t harm you anymore. It was what you wanted from the start anyways, right?”

A hard pill to swallow, though it was a fact. It’s just that now, you’re slowly willing to release yourself from the dark. It’s been decades, and more to come. Nothing can move on unless you do.

“Where is he, Princess Diana?”

Just as she predicted right on the edge, Diana completed the grin on her face and led you to the entrance of your exhibit. She may be younger than you, but you’re reverted in your twenties while she remained in her mid-thirties. Gaping the wide museum from the railing, starting from the painting exhibit in the lobby to across the other side of the museum, Diana spotted the black hair of the boy in the Foreign Art Room.

“Over there.”

Observing where her eyes focused, you caught a glimpse of a recognizable side profile. The owner’s eyes were completely taken by whatever he was drawing on the fold-up desk he brought out from the storage room. By the tedious action of his right hand going up and down, you’ve gotten so used to his part-time identity as the night guard to entirely dismiss his current status as a university student.

Architecture specifically as he first introduced himself to you. The same path your oldest brother, Christopher, worked in. The look of tenacity Jeno presented as his eyebrows continuously scrunched, his crescent orbs hastily spied his work for any unnecessary details and his veiny hands brushed his already messy hair, you were profoundly reminded of Christopher when he was designing his possible future house. You were 8 years old, and he was 22, who just got married. He explained how many floors it’ll have, what rooms to put and what extra furniture he’ll place to make it feel more at home.

Seeing how exceptional his art skills were, you started to sketch like him. With flowers first, it turned into bedrooms and sceneries of your neighborhood. You felt your shoulders rise in accomplishment when you were able to accurately draw people. As much as you credited Benjamin and Liam the most in your works, it’ll only be within yourself to know that you also held a soft spot for Christopher.

Excusing yourself to Princess Diana, you bravely yet quietly ventured into the Foreign Art Room. Hiding first from one of the cement columns, you resumed watching him sketch. Instead of a pencil, he used a black pen with a tip as thin as a pencil. Your assumptions would be it was for a class, basing it on him informing everybody earlier that he’ll be inactive for the remaining hours of his shift to focus on his midterm requirements. That must be difficult to balance, yet he still does everything expected from him. Maybe the second cup of iced coffee beside him stimulated his bones and mind, letting his imagination free.

Through the limited space, you tiptoed whilst holding the side of the column to make up his work. There were 2 and a half rectangular shapes stacked on top of each other, the third one he was still tracing. A sign encrypted with tiny written words you couldn’t decipher, the beauty and modernity of Jeno’s plate cannot go unappreciated.

“That’s absolutely beautiful.”

Sweet words you didn’t think would bounce back in the room, Jeno’s pace ceased whilst you hid again. Art pieces capable of walking weren’t allowed here, he locked the door even beforehand! Or he thought as he was rushing to get his work done because one of his terror professors moved up the deadline to tomorrow morning. Not even 25% finished, he petitioned for everyone’s cooperation just for tonight.

He used up his 2 days of not having the night shift for other projects, and not wanting to ruin his perfect attendance, he proceeded to show up.

The voices from the foreign paintings around him hushed for him out of respect. So possibly someone snuck in, his head looking around for intruders. But only did he quit it when he saw your blurry reflection leaning against the column. The glass windows slightly mirror back what it sees, without you knowing that.

Not to mention, the small bit of your lilac dress was left out. Of all people, it was you?

“Do my eyes deceive me or is Miss (Y/N) (Y/L/N) inside when she’s not allowed so?”

To break the killing tension, he tested the waves with an innocent taunt. Never did you reach out to him, so least to say he was entertained whilst keeping his distance.

Fixing your proud stance, you responded in a low baritone voice you used to persuade numerous men in her adventures. “Uhm no, I don’t know who she is.”

As intelligent as you were, Jeno was a few steps farther than you this time. Educated about the risky ways you’d get around and one of them was changing the pitch of your voice, he heartily laughed at your unsuccessful attempt.

“Okay don’t lie, (Y/N). I can see a trail of your dress and your cloak. Oh, your reflection too.”

Damn, you peeked a little to realize that he was correct. Hauling your dress back in to readjust your outfit, you pushed your hair back before appearing to him. Though when you did such, you didn’t suppose that he was practically beside you the entire time. Bumping into his towering stance of 5’10 while the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up, your proud posture loosened up. He even discarded his blazer. A few more inches, he could’ve cornered you on the column if you didn’t take another step back.

Has he always been this tall or were you so used to your boots having high heels under? Oh wait, maybe because you wore flats this time because it’s making your toes sore. Your head bowed from struggling to maintain eye contact with him, your palms caressing your cheeks that suddenly heated up. Clearing your throat, you straightened your back again like nothing happened.

Jeno thought otherwise, shrugging his shoulders as he chuckled. He’s never seen you get shy, not that it was a bad thing either. The temptation to play around it more was there, but he was running out of time for his assignment.

“Come in. I’ll let you off the hook this time.” His arms opened up, allowing you access to such a wonderful exhibit. Paintings from different European periods, miniature versions of famous infrastructures inside glass containers, and replicas of Greek columns in the front entrance, no wonder it’s important to protect them all.

“Are you sure?” Watching him return to his spot, which was a bench in the center of the exhibit with a table in front, it didn’t process that you were gawking at his toned back. His broad shoulders and the evident muscles in his arms while he stretched, your eyes were speedy to look away when he tried to take a glance at you.

“I don’t think the paintings here and I mind.” Sitting down again, he tapped the vacant space beside him. “Feel free to watch me draw if you want to.”

Settling by his side, he recommenced where he left off. Now with a closer view of his piece, it did look like a building as you thought. He was sketching the remaining outline of the 3rd floor of this hypothetical place, continuously checking his ruler to monitor if the lines were consistent. Able to pick up on the words of the sign beside the building, you wowed with one hand on your lips.

“You’re redrawing Seoul National University Museum of Art?”

“One of my plate assignments was to visualize a renovation of a certain place, so I chose the museum.”

“Why so?”

“Well,” Jeno shook his pen so the ink could come out. “This entire place comes to life with the royal plate, so I think we should expand the space and bring in more art pieces to life if we add another extra floor. A rooftop area for visitors and events would be fun. And definitely, we should modernize the exterior and interior a bit because it looks outdated personally. That’s also what my friends think too.”

Noticing the minor details of his plate whilst removing any unnecessary pens so it wouldn’t smudge, “Huh, I quite agree with you.”

For the first time since his night shift, you, (Y/N) (Y/L/N), came into an agreement with him. He became so accustomed to clashing opinions that now, you had no contrasting points to make at all. A good change perhaps was what he’s witnessing.

“Woah, who are you agreeing with me and where’s (Y/N)?” He creased his brows whilst locking eye contact with you. This time, you didn’t wince away and just nudged him on his shoulder to get back to work.

“Hush, Jeno. Isn’t that due later? Get to work, I’ll roam around here for the meantime.”

After decades in this museum, you’re enlightened with the foreign paintings in which some you’ve heard of in your younger years and some that were created beyond your time. The Birth of Venus, Liberty Leading the People, Girl with a Pearl Earring, there’s an advantage of learning about their stories that humans couldn’t interpret. Logical that this section must be off-limits because these pieces were extra special, yet there’s so much more than what meets the eye.

There’s peace in silence while you wandered around, though it doesn’t hinder only at the art. Jeno hasn’t uttered a word since he got back to drawing, and once you asked him what’s doing now, still no answer back. Odd, he’s constantly awa-

Oh, my. You must’ve jinxed it.

Your eyes laid on Jeno leaning forward on his desk with his arms serving as his pillow, resting his head sideways. Soft snores and minimal movement in his upper body to shake the growing cold temperature of the room, he was sleeping like a log.

Putting into perspective, he hasn’t acquired enough rest specifically this past 2 weeks. The endless number of plates due making him work extra during his shift rather than sleeping in the slightest, exhaustion must be an understatement. Coffee no longer pushed him to his maximum for this week even.

But this was the path he chose, and it’ll have its challenges. Still, if you could relieve the stress in any way, you would. This would be one of the ways to repay for all the rudeness you’ve passed on him. Scurrying to his side, placing the plate on the side with his other things. You returned the caps of his open pens so they don’t spill. They must be expensive, recalling how Jeno shared the cons of being an architecture major to Princess Diana. One was the pens needed for sketching, and any tiny damages to them meant buying them again.

With his watch on clear display, he only had 2 hours left until his shift was done. Then, 4 hours until his plate assignment was done, and his current plate was far from done.

The blunt impulse to wake him up slithered your mind, though his calm state deflected your duty. As if you were on board a ship again for your explorations, you paid attention to the view with a relaxed mindset.

Lee Jeno specifically was the view.

His coffee-stained lips were parted and his sharp nose breathing in and out at a relaxing pace, he must be dreaming a happy moment the way half his lips curved into a smile. If he’s resting well, then you too would be calm.

Because of your past disinterest in him, only at this moment did you observe how sharp his jawline was and the cuts on his arms he sought refuge in. No matter how many times you tried to deny Hera’s compliments of him on the side, you couldn’t.

Lee Jeno embodied attractive features; both physical and emotional.

Back to his plate, it’ll put him at a disadvantage if he submitted the way it looked before he passed out. But you remembered all those extra details he mentioned and wanted to add to this project. Being an explorer, you documented all your ventures through words or drawings. You’re fast to adjust to anything new too.

For all the good he’s done for everyone, he only deserved some help in return.

Your version of help was sketching the remaining details of this plate, using other pens for more emphasis. It’s a risk also, but no way could you turn a blind eye on Jeno this time.

Around 5:30 am, Jeno’s eyes blinked open due to a brightening light from the outside. Stretching his limbs, he finds a velvet cloak wrapped around him like a blanket. But before he could question it, he pulled his arm in to see the time on his watch.

“Fuck!” He cursed, realizing that his so-called 10-minute snooze break aborted.

“Oh my, you’re awake!” From his frazzled state, there you were. So put together yet active, some strands of your hair falling down your face even with your hair up in a ponytail. “How was your sleep?”

This whole time he could’ve been woken up, yet you chose not to. You’re aware of his deadline, yet you let him rest entirely. He could’ve burst out in stress, yet he didn’t. You and he may have started on the wrong foot, yet it’s impossible of you to do such an evil thing. He’ll just have to tolerate the outcome later today.

“Refreshing. I really needed it.” Packing his things in his bag and closing the table, you trailed along as he exited with you. Locking up, he has 30 minutes left to accomplish the cleaning. A long good morning indeed.

But his worry of that vanished when you admitted that you had it all covered.

“Everyone helped out in cleaning, plus there are no damages made either.” From your hand, you returned one of his keys that was on his guard blazer. “I double-checked the Oriental Room and locked the doors again.”

“Why are you suddenly so nice to me, (Y/N)?” He questioned with confusion, wearing his blazer again and patting away any creases. He placed your cloak over you again like a true gentleman.

Without a word, you simply invited him to walk you back to your exhibit as parts of the sun began to rise. As you returned to your section, your fellow figures readying themselves to pose again,

“It’s my way to apologize for my very rude first impression and the succeeding moments after. I was too cooped up in my past that I was too afraid to let humans in again, night guards in particular.” You admitted, removing your cloak and placing behind your chair like always. “I’m so sorry, Jeno. Everyone was right about you and your kind heart.”

“About time.” Cleopatra’s sultry voice cut in, laying on her day bed.

Before you had the chance to flip off, Jeno mediated swiftly. With a gentle smile, “No worries about it. I’m just happy you’re okay, after all you’ve been through.”

“Can we start over then?”

“Absolutely.” With his free hand, he brought it out. No matter what kind of introductions, shaking one’s hand was the best way to start a friendship. “Good evening. I’m Lee Jeno, the new museum night guard.”

“(Y/N) (Y/L/N), explorer and author.” Sighing at his humor, you still replied by shaking his hand. “And I believe you’re mistaken, Lee Jeno. It’s a good morning.”

Seconds after, you imitated your typical pose and smile. Only now, the latter was more genuine. Finally, a fresh start to end your agony.

Once the sun fully revealed itself, every figure including yourself froze back to sleep. Something Jeno wished to catch up on if it weren’t for his damn plate. He was so screwed, already contemplating his next steps if he does fail this class. The possibility of getting delayed in all aspects, he dreaded it already.

Heading back to his dorm, where both his roommates completely passed out from soju on the couch, he sat by his work desk and turned on his night lamp for more light since the sun wasn’t strong enough yet.

With another cup of coffee, he cracked the joints of his knuckles and laid out his pens. He had 2 hours left to submit this plate, and at most he should accomplish 50% of his initial plan. However, he didn’t anticipate such a gorgeous outcome when he brought out his plate.

Picture perfect of every detail he desired, even adding a rooftop area with that he’d love to have if ever the museum does go under renovation one day. Rather than setting the plate during the day, it was at night as the skies were dark and bright specks of yellow inside the building symbolized light.

So much for wasting coffee, he’ll just give it to Jaemin when he wakes up later. Below the final product, a note written in cursive was stuck on it.

 I knew you wanted to get this specific plate done, but you mustn’t compromise your sleep for it. It’s your inhumane professor’s fault!

To make up for my faults, I wanted to help you out. I paid extra attention to the details you spoke highly about, so I only hoped that I interpreted it correctly. It’s risky, but as someone who researched so much about me, would you be surprised that I did such a thing?

PS: Get back to sleep. I’m quite sure your desk is laid out the same way in the Foreign Art Room.

Respectfully,

(Y/N)

 Turning off his lamp, Jeno jumped the covers of his bed to continue his lost sleep. Without an ounce of care that he hasn’t changed into cleaner clothes, he’s relieved that he won’t flunk his class.

Most of all, he’s relieved that you’ve melted the ice in you and allowed kindness to come in. Jeno may never understand how hard that must’ve been for you, yet he raved you for it.

“Oh, (Y/N) (Y/L/N). Surprise is an understatement when it comes to you.”

[youwontlikethisblog]

Nicolas Mora is Better Than You

Up to this point Armando has been getting heavily manipulated by Mario a lot. However I find it wonky this time around how many times Mario changes tactic.

One moment he brings out the emotional part of it all by joking that Armando looks heartbroken and distraught over their[Betty and Armando's] breakup which just annoys Armando. When he realizes that this isn't working he bring the whole "The company! Millions of dollars! Your family!" and when Armando rebuts this by saying he can't take it anymore, the guilt and that he doesn't want to hurt Betty Mario strikes for the ego.

"Turns out, Nicolas Mora is better than you." he says and Armando reacts furious. "Yeah that hurt didn't it? Well just imagine how much it'll hurt when Betty and Nicolas take away Eco Moda and your entire family finds out you handed it to them."

The conversations goes in circles and Armando argues that he can't take any more kisses, he begs that he can't take kissing her anymore.

Let's go back to a few scenes, in that exact day, when Mario and Armando were in production talking about the plan like they didn't have hundreds of witnesses hearing them talk about it. Mario pointed out that Armando hadn't been complaining at all over the kisses, at least not like before "I think you're starting to like this a little too much."

"No you see, it's like boxing. At first the first hits hurt but by round two you're already numbed to it so it doesn't hurt. The most important thing is to make it to round three."

"Yeah but you can still get knocked out before."

If Armando is saying that he is numbed to it, though we know that he's no longer focused on the physical aspect of Betty but rather what he feels when he kisses her(I mentioned this in the post La Arrogancia De La Niña), though he sometimes still struggles to accept her "ugliness" when he kisses her, why does he say "No more kisses!"?

These kisses are awakening something in him that he has been unaware of until now. They make him feel guilty for enjoying them because he feels like he is doing so in only a malicious way. They are kisses of deception and cruelty and here he is finding something in them that make him feel something deeply in him and he enjoyes it.

The begging for them to no longer happen is not really for the "ugliness" of Betty but the ugliness of what he's doing to get those kisses and how deeply they are affecting him in his life(when he kissed Marcela after the first sober kiss with Betty. I talk about in the post La Arrogancia De La Niña) and he no longer wants to feel what he feels. He is refusing to feel what he feels. He tells Mario that he had wanted to fix everything with Betty in the office for that reason but before Betty left he told her he wanted to drive her home so they could talk on their way there. Again, Armando continues to contradict himself when he talks to Mario about the situation.

Mario then repeats the same thing Armando told him except he compares it to a dentist.

He's numb to it by now. He pumps up Armando and he leaves.

Ever since Betty broke up with him he's been off. He has been somber, like he was the day that it was official that Terra Moda was moving forward with the seizure against Eco moda.

This following scene is honestly the whole reason why I even went back from the start to pick apart Armando's character because up to that point I wanted to bury him after I made him dig his own grave.

Armando calls Betty's house phone and her dad picks up.

Betty had been talking to Nicolas and lecturing him about the cell phone and was helping to set up the table for dinner when Don. Hermes tells her her boss is on the phone asking for her.

As they speak on the phone Don. Hermes tells Betty that if they are going to speak that he needs to come in, Nicolas then says "Yeah tell him to come in we'll invite him for something to eat."(he is so sweet) and Armando asks who she's with.

"My dad and Nicolas."

"Ah, What a shame, am I interrupting something?" he asks rather aggressive.

Hours before he heard Betty get upset with Nicolas because some other woman had answered his cell phone.

I think it's extremely important to note that Armando isn't aware at all that Betty isn't in love with Nicolas, that she isn't fawning over him, and that they are honestly just a really cute pair of friends who deeply care for one another. He wholeheartedly believes what Bertha told him regarding Betty's love life. So Nicolas isn't just a potential boyfriend but in his mind, Betty's soulmate and because of what Mariana said he also believes that they will end up together and even if he doesn't understand why that upsets him to the degree it does, he is sure that he doesn't want that to happen, not only for the sake of Eco Moda(his distrust in Nicolas(Post Nicolas Mora, Un Amigo and part 1-2 of Betty, My Betty!)) but for the sake of his heart. So his dislike of Nicolas is a very serious one that he has been harboring since the day he found out about him being a romantic partner to Betty(which has been like little over a week lol or am I missing some time stamps here?).

As Betty leaves her house to speak to him she seems nervous and anxious while trying to stay composed. She doesn't go into his car and instead by his door she squats down to speak to him but Armando orders for her to get in, not as her boss, but as her boyfriend and this is where we begin to see a very... como se dice, important red flag. This harboring of feelings against Nicolas and his refusal to understand his feelings towards Betty ultimately are what drives him mad and not his love for Betty. His love for Betty is what made him feel alive but the fact he harbored so much animosity and hatred against Nicolas, his distrust of Betty's faithfulness, and his refusal to understand his feelings towards her are what really made it all explode.

This is where we begin so if you want to take a break, take one. It's a long one.

Armando holds the picture of AA and takes a drink from his bff(whisky bottle). Betty steps out and walks down to his car and he watches her until she makes it to him.

"What can I help you with?"

"Why don't you get in the car?"

"See what happe-"

"Betty get in."

"Yes sir."

"Betty why are you avoiding me?" he does seem honest in asking this question and it sound heart felt.

"Sir I think what I said in the office still stands, we have nothing to talk about." She says looking at her house in turn Armando turns to her house as well. "Nothing has happened between us. It's best that we continue just like before."

"Betty but how can you say that to me like that, so cold?" He looks her down. "Do you not have a heart? How are you capable of telling me to just forget, that nothing happened between us?" He asks hurt while Betty continues to look at her house. "Are you listening to me?" He asks frustrated.

"Yes sir, I am listening to you."

"Well it doesn't look like it." He throws his hands in the air and drops them with a slap onto his lap and stares at her, hurt. "You're worried about your house, looking over there the whole time. What? Does it bother you that Nicolas can see us? Or what?" he crosses his arms over his chest.

"Nonono, Sir. It isn't that. It's just that my dad said if we were going to chat for us to go inside."

Armando asks her if she wants him to go in there so they can talk about their relationship in front of her father and Nicolas.

"No sir. It's best if we leave here."

"Are you sure it's because of your father." He looks down at her. "Or Nicolas." he says with his mouth tight.

"No because of my father. Nicolas knows I'm out here talking with you."

"What did you tell him?" he ask rather quick with a angry tone.

"Mhmm nothing." Betty shakes her head. "we were talking about other things when you got here." Betty looks behind to her house.

"And what? He's waiting for you?"

"Yes but that doesn't matter. Lets go."

Before he turns on his car he turns to the front, then turns back to stare at Betty and then back to turn on his car, whoever the expression remains the same; anger. At first he was solemn, he wanted to talk to her but as soon as he heard Nicolas was in her house(when he heard his voice through the phone) he was in a terrible mood. When Betty stepped out he order her to get in his car. When she got in he was willing to talk but as he saw Betty's nervousness he attributed this to her being nervous that Nicolas would catch them, therefore confirming that she had something going on with him so he's pissed.

Armando pulls onto the side of some street "And what Betty? Will it be that you feel more at peace here and can concentrate in the conversation, hmm?" she nods.

As they talk Armando sounds very rehearsed. Like he knows exactly what he saying and has thought it all through, which is a very different tone of voice he had in the office and the previous times.

Betty again tries to reason and tell him that what they're doing isn't correct.

"[..]I also feel like I'm in hell whenever I run into Ms. Marcela I feel like I'm burning," Armando stares at her intently, he has a slight crease between his brows and seems surprised to hear Betty confess that she feels guilty every time she sees Marcela, a woman who has treated her so poorly. "condemning myself when I see what I'm breaking up. When I see I'm betraying so many people. No, sir, I feel really bad."

"What's stronger? What you feel for me and what we've lived?" At the end of his question his expression changes to a hopeful one, to one that is sweet as his glisten and there's a slight upturn to the corners of his mouth.

"Of course what I feel for you." She says.

In his response you can hear that manipulation at work. You can hear how rehearsed and detached from emotion everything is.

When he leans in to kiss her at first, for a second he seems hesitant but soon he gives into the kiss. Take into account that he hasn't looked at the picture of AA since he was waiting for Betty outside of her house.

Now they kiss and they kiss for a good ol' while until Betty taps his shoulder repeatedly for a second or two and he pulls away. Armando tries to reason with her as to why they should continue their affair, he tries to explain that he can't break up with Marcela and why. His body language is all indicating his satisfaction with how things are turning out. He tries to play the concerned and pained expression because he can't break up with Marcela soon but when he begins to talk about the company's struggles you hear that sincerity and see it as well. He feels confident that he's go it all under control. However, Betty refuses once more to get back together. As Betty agrees now and tells him that it would be terrible if Marcela ever found out and they broke up because of it; he turns his face away from her and smirks.

"I understand sir, that's why it's best we end this." Now he turns more towards her and pulls from his seat as he stares at her with flared nostrils and wide eyes.

Armando gets frustrated and tells her "I'm not saying let's end things, Beatriz" He says between clenched teeth. "I'm saying we have to be careful. Let's understand things, yeah?"

Armando has had all day to marinate in the situation and think of how to get her back. He has definitely dealt with his guilty conscious which is what pushes him to not want to continue the relationship built on deception and lies and this scene shows us the nature of his manipulation and how good he's at it. If you aren't paying attention you truthfully think this man is just coming up with it on the spot but he shows his true colors sooner rather than later.

"It's better for us to end things before it gets worse."

"N-no Beatriz don't leave me."he pleads and in a millisecond his tone of voice changes and he repeats. "Betty don't leave me, please don't leave me" and he leans closer to her and kisses her and they start kissing again ;)

Now this is what really made me go back. He no longer is behaving cocky and being manipulative in just this short lived sentence he has a look of plea in his eyes, he places his fingers on Betty's lips and stares at her and then he resumes to seduction.

In a matter of seconds as he realizes that Betty is not convinced to get back together there's something inside of him that screams for her and the need to be close to her and again we are shown this and shown how good Armando is at avoiding his feelings in an instant. He begs for her to not leave him and we get two very different "Don't leave me" in an instant to be able to determine which was the honest plea and which was the manipulative/seductive plea.

This time however they're interrupted by Roman and Co. as they start to make fun of Betty and say very disrespectful things like she's the ugliest woman in the world, that she had to get somebody else from a different neighborhood to notice her ect.

Armando get's out of the car and listens to what they're saying(I do believe that he is a hypocrite because he listens to his best friend make the same jokes and he doesn't do anything except sit there and take it. I mean he does get mad at him but he never says anything about it. Maybe the reason why he got so angry here is left over anger from Calderon?) as the keep making these jokes. After one of them mentions that Nicolas was the one that was courting Betty and that he now had competition Armando walks around his car and removes his glasses(the true victims of this show tbh Both Betty and Armando's glasses are.)

"No seriously how did you get such a man? […] What are you seeing her devine?" and badabim badabom fists are thrown, kicks are thrown, mans is being held back by two other goofs while some short dude punches him, he frees himself, Betty is trying to get the mans some help and then Don Hermes shows up and fights them off like a true hero.

Betty stands behind them, closer to Armando while Don. Hermes shares words with Roman and Co.

When they run off Don Hermes asks what happened.

"The thing is they were being very disrespectful to Betty and I couldn't allow that so I got out of the car and a fight broke out"

"But what did they tell you?"

"Ay Dad, you know they always bother me for...being ugly." Both Armando and Betty share a loot.

I truthfully feel for Betty. I think anyone who has been bullied at one point or the other feels embarrassment for how they were treated9like it's our fault people are so cruel and superficial? Nah it's the fault for being so ugly on the inside) , especially when it happens in front of someone you like. Betty's self-esteem is really non-existent and for her to have something that she's used to happening to her happen in front of someone she thinks so highly of is mortifying and you can see that in the way she looks at him, embarrassed. It comes to no surprised that Betty decided to change her look after this night.

"I couldn't allow that. Betty must be respected, above anything, well I'll make her be respected." He says with authority. "You know?"

Don Hermes then tells Armando how embarrassing it is and that for that exact reason he doesn't allow Betty to leave the house so that she can avoid problems like those. It paints a very scary picture because it's true.

Don Hermes loves Betty a lot. She is his jewel but because of his distrust in people he keeps his daughter on a tight leash. As Betty mentioned at the start of the show that he[Don Hermes] wanted a good girl so he took her out of regular school and put her in a convent, that he wanted a smart and studious daughter and he got that. That it was time she started to live her life for herself, that she wanted to experience life. Even when Betty has lied and said she's stayed out for work related reasons he still gets upset and demands for her to be home at all times.

I'm not saying Don Hermes is a bad father, the contrary he's an amazing father however there must be a balance and ironically even though he has done so much to take care of his precious daughter Betty has still suffered tremendously because of love.

"[...] that's why I told you to make him go in so you could avoid these kinds of problems, Betty."

"No I was just passing by, it isn't Betty's fault Don Hermes."

"She knows this very well because I have prohibited her to be out here in the streets(she ain't for the skreets) it isn't the first time that we have problems with those guys. Nicolas has had to fight them before because of it-"

"Oh really?" He shifts on his feet and moves his hands from his hips to be clasped in front of him. "Nicolas?" he asks agitated.

"Yes and I've had to fight them myself too."

As they walk towards Armando's car Don. Hermes mentions that he wouldn't want his[A] girlfriend to find out about the fight and Armando tells Betty to continue to the car. He now starts to avoid the topic of Marcela being his GF in front of Betty since he now knows how much it hurts her.

When he drops them off at their house Betty stays for a moment longer in his car so they can talk.

"You shouldn't have gotten in a fight like that for me, it wasn't worth it."

"Betty, please, it was worth it," He sounds genuine. "I couldn't take it...for them to say those barbarities in front of you, for them to make fun of you. I don't know what happened to me I -I have never felt like that. I was so furious." Armando speaks of this like it was an outer body experience and he was trying to understand it himself as he told it. "I couldn't take it. They had to respect you." he now sounds angry again as he says that between clenched teeth.

Again as he says "me tenían que respetarla" is a possessive term. Armando implies that by disrespecting Betty in turn they were disrespecting him i.e. "what they do to you they do to me.".

Then his jealousy pokes through as he turns to her and asks:

"Hey eh, seems like Nicolas already defended you once before..."

"Um yes." He looks away from her and down(to his keys or hands). "Once before."

"So like, I've got competition... because that's what they said that before Nicolas was courting you and now it's me." His tone here is curious but timid as he asks her these questions. Unlike before when he first asked Betty about her having a boyfriend(Betty, My Betty! post) he sounded very angry as he asked her these questions, though curious, his tone later changed to calm and pretending to just be curious however we later saw him enter Calderon's office very happy and his tone reminds me of that. He isn't angry here but he is curious and timid to ask her this because he doesn't want to show jealousy or ask her the direct question that he wants: "Are you with Nicolas? Are you two together and in love?" because he knows he's asked this before and Betty always tells him there's nothing happening.

"Don't listen to them, Sir. They say that just to mortify, to playa round."

"Of course." Armando nods, unconvinced. He turns to Betty's house and then back to her. "What? Is he still in there? " he points with his head while staring at Betty who looks at her house.

"I imagine so but it won't be long before he leaves. He always leaves early." Armando hasn't taken his eyes off of her. It shows that he's really paying attention to any tail sign that would indicate that she's lying to him.

"Ah that's good, very good." He looks away from her. "Well I'll leave then." he turns to look at her again as if hoping for something else.

"Okay, are you sure you're fine, Sir?" He turns away from her and looks thoughtful for a second, debating whether to tell her or not. He finally decides to.

"No. No, I'm not fine." He says being vulnerable. "How am I going to be fine, Beatriz? I came here to talk with you because I've been really worried, I wanted us to reconcile, Beatriz. For us to get back together, for you to not leave me. I wanted us to fix everything and look at what happened...I'm leaving empty handed and with a face full of bruises." he chuckles in disbelief at the end.

"Sir you're not leaving empty handed." The music now changes to a "DUN" sound. "because I don't want to leave you either. We just have to be more careful. We can't go out as much. We have to restrain ourselves." Betty nods.

Now Armando's act of bravery and macho man has moved Betty. It has made her want him more. Why is that?

It's not hard to understand where Betty is coming from. In her respective work field she is confident in what she can and cannot do but when it comes to her person and her appearance she lacks any confidence. While she was stubborn to stick to her morals and her ethics at the beginning and not continuing the affair, now after his display of macho man she is weak.

She no longer cares about how badly it hurts her or how guilty she feels for the betrayal she's inflicting on so many people because her knight in shinning armor has defended her and hasn't made her feel guilty for it. Betty yet he has expressed how he couldn't take it, that he felt like if by disrespecting her they were disrespecting him. He made it so personal that Betty throws all caution to the window and decided to continue the affair.

"Betty... I-I feel so happy, so marvelous with everything you're saying. Betty we-we're going to have some time later on so we can be together." Armando is right back to being a liar, a stinkin' liar.

Betty lets out a sigh and nods. "Yes Sir because I get nightmares just thinking about Ms. Marcela finding out." Armando looks away with wide eyes and lets out a sigh of his own. "Um" Betty clears her throat. "Sir, Does Nicolas bother you a lot?" Armando searches her eyes and Betty continues. "It's 'cause I've noticed that whenever I or somebody mentions him you get indisposed."

He looks thoughtful for a second before responding "Look Beatriz, if you're telling me that there's nothing boing on between you two I-I don't feel bad." Notice how he doesn't make eye contact with her which is something he often does when he feels guilty for lying to her.

"I swear to you, Sir."

"Yeah?" She nods while he stares at her, again trying to find a tail sign that she's lying to him. "Betty, Betty, all of this makes me so happy." He reaches to caress her face with the back of his fingers. "your love..." his tone again changes here.

He tells her that from now on she'll tell everyone that Nicola's is her boyfriend that way Marcela isn't suspicious of them or anyone for that fact. Betty agrees to it but she herself doesn't feel uncomfortable with that.

"Well, I'd kiss you here but your dad could see us and well..." He looks at her relieved but trying to play it off.

Betty nods and looks behind him and then at him and leans to give him a quick peck on the corner of the lips. As she turns to exit his car he touches his lips and looks contentment.

As she walks to the side of his car to wave good-bye he watches her and shows a genuine smile and waves good-bye as well.

You know how I keep mentioning the drop off when Betty leaves and waves bye and how Armando behaves. Little by little we see the fake smile turns to a genuine one. We see him no longer look ready to bolt but him staying for a second longer, him staring and watching Betty with a look of peace and happiness.

What do we get from all of this?

While Armando did have time to rehearse what he wanted to say and most of his responses to Betty sound very rehearsed we get this moments where he is genuine and honest with her and you can clearly tell which of those moments are and which aren't.

Did he want the relationship to end? Yes. The guilt of hurting Betty is a lot and the interesting to note here is that while in the past he didn't care if he used his models for a quick affair with Betty he feels differently and the only logical reason for that is that he cares for her, like actually does, but that doesn't mean he's in love because he's not.

Betty here exposes her true weakness and that's her desire to be loved so even when she feels uncomfortable with certain things like Armando telling her to lie that Nicolas is her boyfriend, she agrees. Again this shows the power dynamic in the relationship and that Betty hasn't learned how to voice her feelings.

Betty's life is no longer changing just in her profession but a lot in her emotional and persona life and it isn't just because Armando is dating her but because these small things aren't normal in a healthy relationship. In this relationship with Armando she has learned to cater to all of his wants and wishes and at this point of the relationship Armando isn't focused so much on what Betty wants.

At this point it's' all very egoistical of him. He feels that Betty belongs to him and due to his ego he goes after her. He feels that Betty is only meant to be special toward him so he gets pissed at "knowing" that she could be that way with somebody else. He feels offended that Betty would think of him as a superficial man. He has made it all about him and though his guilt pushes him to want to not deceive her his ego is bigger than him.

In some redeeming way we know that Armando does in fact have feelings for her and that each and every time they spend time together those feelings just continue to grow and we steady but surely see that change.

However Betty needs a change asap and let her wishes and desires be known and respected just as she does for him and that's why it was so important for her to take him off that pedestal she had him in otherwise that relationship at some point would have ended even if she never found that letter.

[EDIT:]

Armando's rivalry with Nicolas is highlighted in these scenes. Here someone has done what he has just done. Here someone spends time in her house with her family while he doesn't. Nicolas is part of Betty's personal life and he experiences it while he doesn't. He only gets glimpse of it and instead of voicing any of this he just tells Betty that he believes her and drops the subject but Mario's words ring truth here.

Nicolas is better than him. Nicolas has defended Betty before he was in the picture. Nicolas has made himself part of Betty's personal life as a friend. Nicolas makes his[Armando's] money increase each day and the worth of Terra Moda as well. Nicolas manages to be inside Betty's house with her father, who doesn't trust anyone with his daughter, while he can't do any of that.

The harboring and animosity just continues to grow even when Betty says she isn't in a relationship with Nicolas, Armando hates him because he feels that in every aspect of the word Nicolas is a competition to him.

[EDIT 2:

When Betty said that he couldn't be interested in her because she didn't fit his ideal type of conquest he seemed offended, even when he told Mario that Betty had said that he seemed offended.

To Armando based on what Mariana, Bertha, and Mario have told him, Nicolas is Betty's soulmate and in the middle of riches they will end up together and there is a mutual attraction between Nicolas and Betty.

So if Nicolas finds Betty attractive as is(the night of the new collection launch when Nicolas went to pick her up with her dad he sent an urgent memo that he was Betty's boyfriend and was there to pick her up. Both Mario and Armando were witnesses to the door man delivering that memo to Betty and when she left Mario said that a man that desperate to pick up a woman as ugly as Betty only had one reason to sound that urgent; that the attraction was mutual) and he shows to be a lot smarter than him, a ladies man, and still takes notice of Betty, why wouldn't he feel like Nicolas is a competition?

This with the reasons mentioned above are a good cause for him to feel hurt over Mario telling him that Nicolas is better than him. They are fuel enough for him to continue with this sinister plan, despite the guilt.

[antiloreolympus]

11 Anti LO Asks

1. literally every interview, ask, and tweet we get from RS is nothing but a bunch of contradictions and her talking out her butt than actually knowing what she's talking about. i honestly cant take anything she says seriously because she'll just change it the next day.

2. ok but thats also what i dont get? bc as you said her long hair and red eyes are all tied to negative emotions ... but also at the same time is tied to her being hades' wife and the dread queen. isnt that framing her being with him and ruling the underworld as a bad thing then?

3. im all for joking around but assuming rs would put literally any symbols indicating which god or goddess it is is too much. the grapes are unrealistic :-/

4. I personally think that if Persephone really needed a relationship in her life Hermes would be a much better fit as he seems like one of the healthiest relationship she has with a person pronto. I guess that’s what you get if you don’t try to write him off as an emotional manipulators like every other love interests… Not counting Hephaestus cause she doesn’t even know him

5. why are the colors in LO so goddamn bright? is rachel's monitor not calibrated right or something

6. I don't see Hades' obsession over Persephone to be very cute or Persephone throwing everything she has or wants away for him as romantic, it just seems like these are two deeply troubled people who would only have a toxic, codependent relationship that's not healthy for either of them. maybe they could take a serious break from each other, revalue their lives, and get together years or even centuries down the line, but we know that won't happen.

7. i just know RS is gonna make it a "haha, gotcha!" moment when she makes demeter find out what happened to persephone and put all the blame on her like "see? you didnt prepare her!" or w/e instead of the fact rachel purposely made both persephone so comically naive and tbh stupid and the world so evil that even if demeter made sure persephone was battle ready she'd still get in trouble and/or harmed. rachel made all the cruel stuff happen to P and will still blame it on demeter no matter what.

8. is it just me or does it seem like the trial is a thinly veiled attempt of rachel trying to call out "cancel" culture and her critics? shes framing everyone who have legitimate concerns about the threat persephone is and the real crimes she committed as crazy and overreacting for it, and is just making up a bunch of canon breaking ideas to excuse or justify their actions instead of actually having stakes and a real story to tell. If LO ever had a direction RS has certainly lost it by now.

9. im sorry im looking at the panels melancholee-writes submitted and noticed not only is that not how you draw a pomegranate (what are those leaves) but the vines on her head change to three different colors. they go from a foresty green, to a more yellowish olive green, then to blue. im literally begging them to have a basic color sheet or something why is even the minor stuff inconsistent???

10. the wild part is you know if rachel kept the family tree intact zeus could have been the one to defend his daughter and vouch for her and hades but nah, why let her have any good family relationships and show zeus positively and take advantage of how close he is to hades? thats just silly.

11. what i find annoying (esp with lo fans) is they assume because its popular its good. like 50 shades sold over 150 /million/ copies, does that mean its better than actual literary classics that only sell a fraction of that? even its movie series made a billion plus profit, does that mean its the peak of cinema too? profits dont mean whats inside is good, often times it means the exact opposite, especially when something like LO has marketing team behind it while the rest struggle.

[toushindai]

Hades characters listed oldest to youngest according to me

Based on a combination of canonical text, myths, and outright headcanon. I'll try to note which is which.

Chaos - I mean, obviously.

Nyx - I imagine she's co-generational with (maybe slightly older than?) Uranus and Gaia, who are parents to the titans. (Or, to use the language of the game, I suppose, "the rest of the titans")

Charon - idk it just feels right. In Japanese, Hypnos refers to Charon as an older brother. (Thanatos, curiously, doesn't use kinship terms for Charon at all in Japanese.)

Aphrodite - I am committed with unwavering firmness to the headcanon that Aphrodite, like the Furies, is born of Uranus's castration rather than Zeus x the titaness Dione. You can't change my mind on this, don't try. I think that mortals may believe the Zeus/Dione story, though, given that Achilles calls Demeter the eldest upon Olympus.*

Megaera - First of the Furies... but Aphrodite is older. Given that I perceive Aphrodite as a kind of estranged sister to the Furies, this seems like the kind of thing that would annoy Meg to no end.

Tisiphone - I feel like outside of Hades Game I more frequently see the Furies listed with Tisiphone first, then Megaera, then Alecto. If that's meant to indicate something about their mythological ages, it doesn't seem to be the case in the game.

Alecto - Megaera calls Alecto her "youngest sister."

Thanatos - The Japanese text of the game makes Thanatos elder than Hypnos. By the way, I place the Furies as older than Thanatos&Hypnos mostly because Meg will use a nickname for Than but Than will only call Meg by her full name, which I've chosen to interpret as an age/respect thing.

Hypnos

Demeter - Achilles calls her the eldest upon Olympus, which I know I'm contradicting by having Aphrodite up above; see my note above&below on Aphrodite for all of that. That she is the eldest of the first-gen Olympians seems a fairly solid belief. In Japanese, she refers to Hera as older at one point, but unlike my surprise at the Japanese making Than older than the Furies, I think this is genuinely counterfactual to the reality of the game (and I actually F10'ed it).

Hades - game-canonically and myth-canonically the eldest of the brothers.

Poseidon - and doesn't he just have middle brother syndrome?

Zeus - game-canonically and myth-canonically the youngest of the first-generation Olympians, although he can be considered "eldest" in the sense that the other five mythcanonically spent their first years of life in their father's stomach.

Cerberus - Echidna's children were born around the time of the Gigantomachy, I believe...? I'm fuzzy on this bit.

Persephone - Placed here just because Demeter is older than the rest, though I'm not firmly committed to the idea that she's the oldest of the second-gen Olympians.

Athena - Second-gen Olympians are ordered based on feelings in my heart and nothing else.

Ares

Artemis

Hermes

Dionysus - Honestly in Hades Game canon Hermes feels a little younger, but mythologically it makes more sense to me personally to have Dio be the youngest of the Olympians, so.

Dusa - As Perseus apparently predates Theseus & the Minotaur. It seems that she didn't start working at the House until well after Zagreus's birth, however.

Asterius

Theseus - obviously co-generational with Asterius, but probably a bit younger?

Skelly (Odysseus) - Skelly's approximately here even if he is "Schelemeus," as the strongest statement in that direction is that Asterius recognizes the name, but this is MY post and I've put him here because I think he's Odysseus.

Patroclus - usually older than Achilles by a few good years.

Achilles - was already famous on Olympus before Persephone left it, but apparently was not in the House at the time, as he never met her until the postgame. Which indicates something spectacularly dreadful about how long Patroclus's shade may have been standing in line in Erebus.

Sisyphus - nb that Eurydice, Orpheus, and Sisyphus all seem to have met Persephone when they first came to the Underworld. For the sake of how I envision things, I'd actually love it if Sisyphus were much earlier in the whole business (an early Example of what happens if you cross the Olympians), but given that he apparently was in the Underworld during Persephone's original tenure, and Persephone's original tenure was long enough after the Trojan War that Achilles was already a well-known hero before said tenure began......

Eurydice - I place Eurydice as older than Orpheus just because she's a nymph.

Orpheus - one thing I just remembered is that while Persephone was present when Orpheus attempted to retrieve Eurydice, she is surprised to find that he's been made court musician while she was out--perhaps meaning that Orpheus died after she left the Underworld.

Zagreus - wow, he's baby! Like I did not set out to make this post to prove that he's baby but apparently he really is baby.

---

* Trying to follow the game's style of reconciling disparate myths, my thinking is essentially that Zeus likes to lie and say that everyone on Olympus is related to him. Aphrodite rolls her eyes and plays along for the prestige; similar stories exist about Persephone, which is "why the myths we in the real world know say that Persephone is Zeus's daughter" (in much the same way that the in-game "Hymn to Zagreus" is "why the myths we know say that Zagreus and Dionysus are the same god"), but Demeter is less fond of those rumors and contradicts them at every opportunity.

[kleenexwoman]

WIP game: Five times Loki flirted with royalty, please?

Here are my assembled royal OCs! It starts out with Sif and ends with Tony Stark (I like my Tony/Loki to have serious theological implications for the future of humanity, thanks). But these are my babes in between.

Princess Skadi, played by Charlize Theron (I know she's Clea now, but I made this graphic before Dr. Strange: Evil Dead). Skadi is a Jotunn princess who comes to Asgard seeking revenge for the death of her father, Thiazi, who was actually trying to kidnap Loki (and bring him back to the Jotunn). Have an excerpt:

Mother and son sailed over fjords of ice one crisp day. The sky was clear and the wind was high, and the snow glittered bright below them. Sharp falcon eyes sought out specks in the snow, and named them. 

“I see a white fox chasing a white rabbit,” Loki called to his mother. 

“I see the fleas on the rabbit’s fur,” Frigga replied. “What else do you see?” 

“I see a reindeer cropping green moss from a gray rock,” Loki said. 

“I see the tracks the reindeer left in the snow,” Frigga replied. “What else do you see?” 

“I see a feather drifting in the wind,” Loki said, as a single brown feather flew past his eyes. 

“What?” Frigga’s falcon eyes rolled back in her head, and then she threw her great wing over Loki’s body. “Hang on!” 

“Mother!” Loki turned himself into a spider and scuttled under one of Frigga’s feathers just in time for her to bank sharply. “What’s wrong?” 

And it's a pain in the butt for me to italicize or bold on mobile, which is where I do most of my Tumblring from because my laptop is an ancient slow thing. ANYWAY

We have the three Greek gods on the right there. The Greeks invented orgies, the Romans added women. This is pretty much what I imagine Apollo to look like, African and golden. Jack Black just IS Dionysius for me now. I don't have as firm of a vision of Hermes besides that he's a silver haired twink, but this dude was giving off big Bottom Boi Hermes energy. Now, I know that Marvel plays even faster and looser with Greek myths, as they are well within their rights to do, but I'll also be ignoring pretty much all of that. As far as I'm concerned, the Greek gods work pretty similarly to the Norse ones here, they live on Titan and have a dimensional gate to Earth via the Olympus on Earth, and they're a dramatic and incestuous family just like in the myths.

Then there's Logi, who is the Jotunn god of fire. He's often identified with Loki thanks to Wagner, that asshole, but he actually beats Loki in an eating contest at Utgard. By the way, I haven't watched the Dark World and I don't really have immediate plans to do so, so if I'm contradicting anything in it, oh well. I know as much about mythology as the people writing this stuff. Love ya, Stan and Jack. Anyway, while Skadi is not really a goddess in this yet, Logi is a Jotunn god--my headcanon is that godship is named and planned among the Asgardians, whereas Jotunn are just born embodying their deific attributes. So Skadi was named Goddess of the Hunt, Skiing, and Winter for her exceptional skill when she was accepted into Asgard, but Logi, a Jotunn prince, embodies Fire and only Fire as he was born to do. I also have Utgart-Loki in here, who is Odin's old BFF from back when Asgard was just a mead-hall and Odin was allied with some of the Jotunn clans. As you can see, I'm giving some of Myth Loki's attributes and stories to him where they wouldn't make sense for MCU Loki.

Finally, we have Emperor Joseph Norton II. This part in the story is where I pay homage to my lady Eris. She drags Loki to the March on the Pentagon. I have to make this political, right? I always do. Hail Discordia!

[hqmillioncorn]

FFxivWrite: Day twenty 2.......Veracity

“I’m just a ragdolly-happy and smiling all day~”

Endwalker spoilers 

babycorn has a little talk with some of maizes weird friends and also gets a change of clothes !!! 

maizes friends are dolls

Babycorn’s head was spinning.

Well not literally but it almost felt like it. 

So many things were coming at her in so little time that she was getting very close to being overwhelmed. Not only was she in the distant past hanging out with Ancients, those Ancients also happened to be Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus. They were probably the only two people in the whole wide world that would be able to see through Babycorn’s fibs.

The other absolutely bonkers thing that almost knocked Babycorn off her feet was meeting Hermes and Meteion. This was the guy that was going to be Fandaniel???? And just who was Meteion?? How could someone as nice as Hermes become someone as chaotic and mean as Fandaniel??? 

What had happened???

Well, that’s what Babycorn was here to find out but it still didn’t make anything any less stranger.

It had gotten to be so much that Babycorn needed to excuse herself for a minute.

Emet-Selch was immediately suspicious that she was up to something but Hythlodaeus was insistent that he just let her go. “What harm could letting her roam around for a bit do? You’ve seen what Azem’s dolls can do-she’s more than capable of defending herself.” he assured Emet with a wave of his hand.

“That is not what I’m worried about!”

Babycorn nervously stood still, if she still had any braids she would probably be tugging on them by now. It was starting to feel like any second her cover would be blown and she had been feeling that since first arriving. Ever since they first started their journey to find Hermes, Emet had been pointing out inconsistencies between her and Azem’s other familiars.

‘Her clothes are completely different from the others. Are you telling me Azem just suddenly decided to change her style?”

“The nose is more like a button, the others have a triangle. Surely you’ve noticed!”

“Her ears are pointer than the others!”

“The eyes are nowhere near as vibrant!”

Babycorn’s confidence in her mission shrunk with every contradiction Emet-Selch declared. Lucky for her, Hythlodaeus was (mostly) on her side. She liked him better.

“You of all people should remember the entire week she spent working and managed to create a terrifying colossal doll in her sleep.”

“...How could I forget?” All three of them had gotten in hot water for it.

“Who’s to say she didn’t create this one in her sleep too?”

Boy she really lucked out that Azem apparently already had familiars that also happened to look like her. Babycorn couldn’t help but feel like her luck was about to run out. Especially with what Emet-Selch asked her before she turned her back to go and scream into a bush.

“If you are what you say you are-then you wouldn’t mind letting me talk to Azem would you?”

“Wha-?” What did he mean by that?!

“I would love to talk to her too! I wonder what she’s up to right now? We haven’t talked since yesterday…” Hythlodaeus wasn’t on her side this time.

Just when it seemed that Babycorn’s lie was about to fall apart, there was a high pitched voice behind her.

“There you are~”

Babycorn shrieked as she felt something touch her shoulder. She jumped away trying to put as much distance as she could between her and whatever had just snuck up on her. She would have fallen backwards if she hadn’t crashed into Emet-Selch.

“Oh dear! Did I scare you? I didn’t mean to! My apologies!”

Whoever had scared her didn’t look all that scary.

This was a doll, one of Azem’s. Somehow Babycorn just knew it. Maybe it was the little triangle nose, or maybe it was the stitches on her arm, or maybe even the bounce she had to her. Could have also been her innate connection to Azem, but who could really say.

Her hair was the same color as Babycorn’s and so were her eyes. No wonder they had thought she was one of her dolls when they first saw her. Emet-Selch was right about another thing too, the clothes this doll had on had a very distinct style. And that distinct style felt something along the line of Circus Clown.

The doll was also taller than her. That was kind of unnerving.

Babycorn nervously raised her hand in greeting. “H-Hi…?”

“Hello! It’s nice to finally meet you!” The doll flopped their arm up and waved sporadically.

Babycorn looked up to see how Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus were reacting to this. They looked like they were used to this. Which was expected. Emet bent down and grabbed the doll by the head, which they didn’t seem to mind. “And what are you doing here Sicily? Didn’t Azem take you with them on their travels?”

“Oh! She did! She did! But I got sent back to check how you two were doing!” Sicily wrapped her arms around Emet’s arms and then hung off of it using her legs. Emet tried his best to shake her off, he only managed to get Sicily off when Hythlodaeus grabbed her by the head too. “Maize heard you guys were going on some sort of secret mission and she wanted to make sure you were okay!”

Hythlodaeus was hard at work turning Sicily in circles like she was a wheel. This whole thing felt like something that happened a lot.

“Well as you can see we’re perfectly fine. Barring an unexpected guest.”

Hythlodaeus stopped spinning Sicily and gently put her back down on the ground.“If Azem isn’t busy could we talk with her! I’m sure Hades would love to say hello since he missed showing her off when she left.”

“No I would not-!”

Sicily covered her mouth to suppress a giggle, though she didn’t do a good job about it. “Sorrryyyy! She’s a little busy right now so it’s just little ol’ me!” She did a curtsy with both of her legs tangled together like a pretzel. Babycorn gulped, maybe she was wrong, maybe this thing was scary.

“Well drat. There goes your chance Hades.”

“There goes yours too.” Hythlodaeus had also not seen her off. They’d both been busy planning out their big Elpis day out. “As you can see we’re perfectly fine and in one piece. So you best run back to Azem before she decides to come here herself.” Emet turned her around with ease and pushed her away.

“Oh no no no no! I can’t leave yet!” Sicily walked over to where Babycorn had been frozen standing. Babycorn found that she wasn’t that scared now when Sicily draped her arm over her shoulder. “I have to make sure our new sister gets a proper greeting! Venice came too but you know how he is! Pfftt..!”

“Ah, that makes sense!”

“So that’s how it is…”

Both Hythlodaeus and Emet-Selch seemed to be in agreement. And before she knew it Babycorn was being dragged off to who knows where with Sicily.

“You know when I first heard your name I thought it sounded a little strange! But then I remembered our newest little brother! Oh! Asparagus is going to be so delighted to learn he’s a big brother now!” Sicily pulled Babycorn along, humming a little song to herself.

“Oh…” Babycorn didn’t know what to say. At least that did answer the question of why Emet and Hythlodaeus didn’t sound too shocked to hear her name.

———————————–        

Sicily had led Babycorn back to the building she exited when she first arrived in Elpis. There was another doll there waiting for them. When Babycorn first saw them it looked like they were trying their best to look cool by leaning on the door. Only to completely fail when someone opened the door to go through it. They ended up falling backwards, with the person who opened the door none the wiser.  

“Oh dear!” Sicily let go of her hand and ran towards the fallen doll. “Are you okay Venice? She tried to help him up but since they were practically ragdolls it took a few seconds of tripping up to get steady.

“I’m fine!” Venice dusted himself off and picked his fancy little hat off the ground. “Can we go back yet? I don’t like it here-everyone keeps calling me cute!!” Venice’s gaze trailed over to Babycorn, he raised a curious eyebrow when he finally saw her. “...Who's this? Is this who we’re supposed to take with us?” He concentrated on staring at her.

“Err…” It was making Babycorn nervous. On second thought, she would be a little relieved if these two would actually notice she wasn’t a doll.

“She looks a little unfinished.”

Well who asked you?! Babycorn wanted to yell but she couldn’t find the words to speak.

“Oh don’t be like that Venice! She’d probably really confused! After all, you and I were with Maize when we woke up. Why, poor Babycorn was here all alone in Elpis! Can you imagine how lonely she was before Emmi and Hihi found her!”

“I guess you’re right…” Venice looked a little sorry for her now.

Babycorn was a little worried. If she heard right then these dolls were going to take her somewhere else completely different but she needed to stay in Elpis and find out more about Hermes. The entire fate of the world was counting on her! It would be so easy to just stay here if she could tell them the truth but something told Babycorn that was probably a bad idea.

Babycorn noticed that Sicily and Venice were still talking with each other. They were talking about someone named Etna. Babycorn guessed that whoever that was must be yet another doll that Maize had made. It took a bit but Babycorn finally found enough footing to talk somewhat. “Um…If it’s alright with you…I would rather stay here?”

Venice and Sicily looked at her, weirdly enough Sicily didn’t seem surprised. She looked happy???

“Ooh…I knew it! You want to stay with them!” Sicily turned to Venice and whispered something to him. She wasn’t whispering very hard. “I told you! Those feelings for him must have come back again! That must be why Maize made a doll in her sleep again!” Sicily giggled to herself.

Venice rolled his eyes. “I’m gonna keep saying it. I think she can do better.”

“Huh?” Babycorn was really confused.

Sicily ran up to her and grabbed her hands. “You go ahead and stay here then! I’m sure Maize will sleep better at night if she knows her dear friends are all right!”

“Oh..kay…??” Geez how much of a worrier was this Maize person anyway? Emet and Hythlodaeus were just going to talk to Hermes about a job offer. What could possibly go wrong during that?

Sicily giggled and embraced Babycorn in a tight hug. It was a shockingly tight hug coming from a ragdoll. “Don’t worry Babycorn! We’ll all be back before you know it! Then you can say hi to everyone else! They're all going to love you sooo much!” Sicily hugged her tighter then let her go with another giggle.

Babycorn wanted to be hugged longer.

“But before we go…!” Sicily ran back to where Venice was standing and picked up a pile of something. She pushed it into Babycorn’s arms and she was finally able to see that what she was holding was a pile of clothes. “Here! I brought these for you! Even if you’re staying I think you should have them!”

Babycorn looked down at the clothes. They were a very bright color.

“They’re actually some of my extra clothes but since Maize didn’t know she made you she didn’t have an outfit prepared! You can wear those until we all go home together!” Sicily twirled around excitedly, she couldn’t wait to see what Maize would make for Babycorn. Maybe she should ask Maize to see if she could have a new outfit one of these days…

“...Thank you?” Babycorn was about to put them away where she put away most of her things until Sicily and Venice jumped in front of her.

“Waaaaaaait!!!!” Sicily waved her arms around, “You have to change into them right now! I want to see how you look in them! There’s an empty room over there! Maize went in there all the time to cry so I know no one ever goes in!” That room was a closet.

“Come on! I’m sure you’ll look great!” Venice looked as excited as Sicily now, despite his earlier aloof attitude.

“Uuuuuuuh…”

“Don’t worry!” Sicily and Venice pulled out matching knives. “We’ll make sure no one walks in on you!” By the way their eyes were glowing, they meant business.

“Okay! Right away! Let’s go!”

———————————–        

The costume ended up being a big hit with the Elpis crowd. Babycorn found herself agreeing with Venice as time went on. Too many people were calling her cute.

…But it was kind of nice.

It made her feel warm.

[lupin-the-3rd-case-files]

Episode 0: First Contact

Target: Cram of Hermes

I have mixed feelings about First Contact. On its own, it’s a pretty good tv special depicting the supposed first meeting between Lupin and his gang as they go after a treasure called the Cram of Hermes. However in the context of the overall continuity of Lupin, it contradicts their meetings in the Mine Fujiko tv series. This can be hand-waved as it being an unreliable narrator with Lupin and the implication it’s a fake story given to the reporter, but I like the idea that some of it was true. But I prefer the Lady Named Mine Fujiko version of their meetings, if I’m being honest. They can both exist in the continuity, but honestly if I got hung up on continuity on Japan’s version of a saturday morning cartoon I’d probably lose my mind.

The special is pretty laser focused on Lupin trying to get the Cram of Hermes and opening it. There’s very little in terms of subplots which honestly isn’t a bad thing. There’s also no one-off woman for Lupin to chase around so it gives plenty of focus to Fujiko and portraying their budding relationship. Jigen’s story works really well, even kind of lining up with how they act around each other in Jigen’s Gravestone. Goemon is the only one who kind of comes in out of nowhere in the last 30 minutes, but his arrival is foreshadowed by the Cram of Hermes and its special properties in the first place so I gave it a pass.

I’d like to also appreciate for a moment the portrayal of Fujiko as more than just a honey pot, implying she had real feelings for Brad. Her final revenge upon Shade makes it a good conclusion to the special in and of itself. It makes Fujiko a more nuanced character beyond “find rich man, seduce him, steal his money.” I love seeing her portrayed in more of a human light like this, so I’d like to give this special credit for being the first one so far to really do it.

If I had to complain about something however, I’d have to say this special does exactly what I was worried about in terms of animation when we moved to digital. The animation this time around is pretty and there’s very little stand out scenes. It’s not the worst I’ve ever seen, but it’s still a jarring difference from like Island of Assassins which was gorgeously animated.

The treasure is called the Cram of Hermes and it has little value in terms of money. It’s a tube made out of the same metal the Zantetsuken is made out of, and inside is instructions on how to make it. It’s useful but hardly worth a billion dollars. The special implies this heist is more for Lupin’s thrill and to avenge Brad more than anything, so to that end I’m not surprised. In the end, the scroll inside the tube is blown up. Which I guess doesn’t matter because this story could possibly not be true anyway.

What isn’t in the flashback is the credits sequence where Lupin and the gang rob the national reserve. Once again for the thrill of it, as he dumps the gold bars out of a balloon over the city. Lupin wins, but gets nothing as far as we’re aware.

Lupin’s Reward: $0 but a personal victory

I also don’t know if it was intentional but one thing that bothered me was George McFly’s character. First on the grounds that that’s literally the dad from Back to the Future and I find it hilarious that that’s just the most American name they could think of for him. Second, his design is reminiscent of Akechi Kogoro from the pilot film. I never saw anyone mention it, so I’m wondering if it’s just me. 

Anyway First Contact was pretty good. I’m happy I didn’t remember much of it because it was a fun ride to experience for a second first time. Next up is Operation Return the Treasure which I assume means Lupin will be getting $0 out of his adventure once again with a title like that.