#I love this Hephaistos guy

[illegiblewords]

hi! i really love the lahabrea thesis series and i was wondering if there was ever going to be a next part?

Hi there! :D Thank you so much for writing in, as well as reading the archon thesis lol! I do mean to continue it technically, and tbh had meant to update a little after Abyssos was released. I have a lot of my analysis outlined. There were a few problems I hit at the time though that made me rage quit (intended temporary) through no fault of the material. 1) I had thousands of words of analysis written beyond what is currently posted in part five, including many screenshots with evidence. Tumblr would not let me save and deleted all of my work up to that point. I'd spent hours on it. I was so beside myself I had to step back. 2) I still have screenshots for evidence but the order is a little scrambled so I'll need to go back and figure out what to use where again. I took months to cool off from the anguish of losing my progress, and while I'm feeling more clear-headed now it's more a question of 'am I ready to dive back into the hardcore analysis or am I in storytelling mode and where do I want to spend that attention?' A chunk of my Lahabrea stories are on hold currently because I think further big lore developments are imminent, but I can do a lot of analysis with what we've been given at the moment. I have maybe two stories in-progress, but after them technically it would be reasonable to hit the Archon thesis again provided it's before the plot development I'm anticipating. And tbh I do think it's time to bring it back too. A lot of fandom seems to have been unsure what to make of developments with Lahabrea, Erichthonios, and Athena while the evidence around each of them has read very consistent (and interesting!) to me. So basically: this message was a good reminder and nudge to get back to it lol. I'd put it on the backburner of 'cool off from the anguish of being betrayed by technology to try again later', then didn't look back at what 'later' entailed. Like I said, got two stories I actively want to write at the moment but once I bang those out I'll circle back to have a look at the thesis again. Your asking 1000% made a difference, so thank you! <3

[aliciavance4228]

Before starting to talk about this subject I want to make one thing clear: Hephaestus is one of my favourite Greek Gods (either in Top 5 or Top 10), so I'm not writing this post because I dislike him, but because I cannot stand superficial/surfface-level depictions of greek gods' personalities, nor the simplification of them and the erasure of their nuances (either through romanticization or demonization).

I do appreciate the fact that a lot of people start to realize that the relationship between Aphrodite and Hephaestus was a disfunctional one and that both of them are happier with different people (Ares and Aglaea, respectively). However, the fact that many people are usually focusing only on Aphrodite's actions and ignore Hephaestus' abusiveness rubs me in a wrong way.

Now, referring to Hephaestus as an Incel or choosing to villainize him for that is not the best solution either. He wasn't the only god asking Zeus for a wife, nor the only one who presents a more or less misogynistic attitude towards women. We're talking here about Ancient Greece, so expecting the deities to act how we would expect them to act based on nowdays' principles and standards is unrealistic and juvenile. I would also like to point out the fact that Hephaestus is, according to Hesiod's Theogony, happily married with Aglaea, who is also described as his first and only wife. They also have four daughters according to Orphic Rhapsodies Frag. And yet he is the exact same deity that you guys claim to be an Incel, which is a contraditiction to the original meaning of the term. The word was ment to reffer to a category of men who blame their appearance for not being able to have sex (when in truth the reason why women don't want them is rather due to their personality and beliefs; and by beliefs I mean their tendency of objectifying women and having ridiculously high standards for their future wives while simultaneously getting offended when a woman has her own standards too). I can see Apollo and Hades falling into more Incel Stereotypes than him, considering the fact that one of them cursed many women for refusing to sleep with him, whereas the other literally had to kidnap a woman in order to have a wife. And yet nobody dares to call them Incels, just because they two aren’t described as being disabled nor falsely considered unattractive, unlike Hephaestus.

That being said, negating his wrongs and turning him into a woobie who did nothing wrong just because you cannot stand Aphrodite isn't a good way of perceiving their relationship either. While Aphrodite was indeed manipulative towards Hephaestus and her sleeping with his own brother in his bed was hardly admirable, I would also like to point out the fact that Hephaestus was pretty much toxic and revengeful towards her too.

Now, there are a lot of versions on how they got married as well as a lot of lost fragments, which leads to speculations rather than something 100% certain. So I won't talk about it purely because I want to avoid misinterpretiation and misinformation, and discuss directly about what intetests me the most.

Wheter or not Aphrodite willingly married him or loved him, what do we know for sure is that she preffered Ares more and had an affair with him all this time. Being cheated on is a form a betrayal from a partner, so Hephaestus being angry on her is understandable. However, instead of divorcing her directly, he decided to humiliate her in one of the worst ways possible before separating from her:

Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 14. 40 ff (trans. Way) (Greek epic C4th A.D.) :

"With cheek shame-crimsoned, like the Queen of Love, what time the Heaven-abiders saw her clasped in Ares' arms, shaming in sight of all the marriage-bed, trapped in the myriad-meshed toils of Hephaistos : tangled there she lay in agony of shame, while thronged around the Blessed, and there stood Hephaistos' self: for fearful it is for wives to be beheld by husbands' eyes doing the deed of shame."

On top of that, Hephaestus directed his wrath towards one of Aphrodite and Ares' daughters (Harmonia) and her descendants as well, despite the fact it wasn't technically her fault that she was fathered by his brother:

Statius, Thebaid 2. 265 ff (trans. Mozley) (Roman epic C1st A.D.) :

"The dread necklace of Harmonia . . . The Lemnian [Hephaistos], so they of old believed, long time distressed at Mars' [Ares'] deceit and seeing that no punishment gave hindrance to the disclosed armour, and the avenging chains removed not the offence [of his affair with Hephaistos' then wife Aphrodite], wrought this [a cursed necklace] for Harmonia on her bridal day to be the glory of her dower [description of the necklace follows] . . .

The work first proved its worth, when Harmonia's complaints turned to dreadful hissing, and she bore company to grovelling Cadmus, and with long trailing breast drew furrows in the Illyrian fields [the pair were turned into serpents in Illyria]. Next, scarce had shameless Semele [their daughter] put the hurtful gift about her neck, when lying Juno [Hera] crossed her threshold. Thou too, unhappy Jocasta, didst, as they say, possess the beauteous, baleful thing, and didst deck thy countenance with its praise - on what a couch, alas! to find favour; and many more beside. Last Argia shines in the splendour of the gift, and in pride of ornament and accursed gold surpassed her sister's mean attiring. The wife of the doomed prophet [Eriphyle wife of Amphiaraus] beheld it, and at every shrine and banquet in secret cherished fierce jealousy, if only it might be granted her to possess the terrible jewel, nought profited, alas!"

Furthermore, I would also like to emphasize the fact that Hephaestus had a considerable amount of lovers. And while timeline is another uncertain aspect and he might have slept with those women before he married Aphrodite and/or between the moment when he divorced her and the one when he remarried, the possibility of him cheating on Aphrodite isn't an impossible one. In this case, that could be taken as a Double Standard, and his reaction when he found out that Aphrodite was cheating on him would be completely hypocritical.

As I said, Aphrodite was abusive and toxic towards him as well. But deciding to solely demonize her instead of acknowledging that both of them were abusive and toxic towards each other -I don't like to use this term but I can't find another one for the moment- is purely slut-shaming. Some of you guys are complaining about how "Hera has no agency" and were praising Kaos for portraying her as cheating on Zeus despite the fact that this is out of her character because "He finally got a taste of his own medicine", yet when Aphrodite cheats on her possible unfaithful husband she's suddenly a whore. You guys want a goddess who can be sexually active without any sort of inhibitions, yet when Aphrodite is brought into discussion there's at least one person who won't hesitate to call her all slurs for that, whereas Demeter is turned into a prude on top of being a Helicopter Parent in many fanfictions and retellings (because apparently when a woman becomes a mother she cannot care about anything else).

So instead of choosing one extreme or another where a) Aphrodite is a brainless slut and Hephaestus a poor woobie or b) Aphrodite is a helpless victim and Hephaestus an Incel who deserved to be cheated on, perhaps it would be a better idea to treat them as humane, realistic figures, instead of some sort of cartoonish caricatures who can easily fit into whatever labels and tropes you want them to fit in.

[mask131]

You know, if there is a Greek god that rubs you the wrong way, or if you like one element about a Greek goddess but don't like the rest, and still want to write about them in your work or include them in your game or make a fan-art or whatever...

... Instead of rewriting the Greek deity and playing at AUs as if it was your OC, maybe... just look at other non-Greek deities and pick someone else?

As a big fan of Greek mythology I always very glad that so many people are willing to use and explore the Greek gods... But if it is to just reinvent everything and create gods as fictional as the Valar or the Faith of the Seven, it is not worth it. Just invent your own gods for your fictional setting - OR PICK A GOD FROM ANOTHER PANTHEON.

Because here's the thing: people seem to use the Greek mythology as the "default" setting when dealing with mythologies. But you know there are many more mythologies and ancient dead religions and polytheistic set of legends than Greek or Roman mythologies, right? I mean, people usually are aware of Norse and Egyptian mythologies too - but there's even MORE than them. There are THOUSANDS of gods to choose from around the world, so when you take one Greek god but because their characterization displeases you, you change the character entirely, it doesn't feel like "reinventing", it feels like you're a lazy person who didn't bother looking at all the alternative deities that were offered to you.

You hate how the Greek opposed war and wisdom through Athena/Ares? Take Odin: he is both the war and the wisdom! You don't like the animals of Aphrodite and thinks she would look cooler with cats? Just take Freya! You want an hermaphroditic visual but don't like the Greek character of Hermaphrodite? Hapi the Nile god rocks the beard-boobs-beer belly look! You want Persephone to be a guy? Yarilo is awaiting. You like the idea of Aphrodite-Ares couple but you wish they'd be one person? Ishtar is right there!

Seriously, if you force yourself to make Greek deity stuff, then you're just limiting yourself to one branch of an entire world-tree. You don't need to reinvent Aphrodite as being faithful or Ares as being peaceful or Hephaistos as being loved by all or Hades not scaring anyone. That's just creating false images of these deities, and forcing yourself to come up with the reverse of what they are, in terms of culture, history, religion and archeology.

Just... open your horizons. Search into other religions. Read about different mythologies. Heck you even have some public-domain entire fictional pantheons if you want to really god wild, like Dunsany's Gods of Pegana! So don't tell yourself "But I HAVE to do this with X Greek deity", because you're just lying to yourself.

[2much4me-4ever]

I can't get over how (intentionally) brilliant the lines from God Games are.

Apollo [I]

Athena apeals both to his reason ("they tried to do him worse") and his personal priorities ("the'yll thread with caution first", "sing another verse") as the god of arts, giving him both a solid argument and a scapegoat so he doesn't seem to shallow

Hephaistos [II]

Hephaistos is bothered by Odysseus betrail, and one of the most popular story's he is involved in is the betrail through Aphrodite's infidelity (she's his wife, in some versions), and being thrown from the Olymp becourse he was too 'ugly', only regaining respect for his craftsmanship.

Plus the wordgames!! ('trust is forged' and 'build a future')

(((Also, his voicing(?) just perfect. He seems to heave, and the voice sound a little mechanic? which could be playing into the disabillity he is sometimes portrayed to have)))

Aphrodite [III]

She hold a grudge against Odysseus for breaking his mothers heart, showing both her petty side and portraying her as a godess of all love. Additionally, we can't forget that this was shortly after the Trojan war, which she technically started by winnig a competition against Athena and Hera, so there is definitly bad blood between the two. (Still, a little dissapointing)

Ares [IV]

Brilliant! Part!

Ares and Athena are both rivals as the god of war and the godess of (battle) strategie, and their connection is portrayed perfectly by her challenging chant of his name at the beginning of his part!

He also doesn't really cares a lot more about the 'cowordly' tactics of Odysseus (Athena), which lessen the brutality and bloodshed of war. The vocalisation of ["didn't even TRY TO KILL SKYLLA"] is just *chefs kiss* (Still, he is a god of the people, and of armies and rebellion as a whole, so it makes sense for him to rafe at Odysseus betrail rather than the groups.

[Hera] V

Hera just Rocked

The motherly vibes, the royal tone. (One person on Tumblr said Athena listed traits of Zeus ["He's kind of funny","Eh"] to make Hera think of him before delivering the last (and first) blow, which sound plausible, but idk) There is not much to say, so straight toooo

Zeus [+I]

I think it's safe to say Athena knew (or at least guessed) her father woudn't be satisfied if he won. Zeus is made to portray a King, and those are predictable and prideful. She must have known beforehand he would let her 'play a game' or challenge something of her, and that he would be able to take that hit to his pride.

I think she gambeled that, while he coudn't just balantly favour her, or let her hurt his pride, a begging, (maybe half dead) daughter would be enough for his role to allow him to take mercy on her.

(Especally when all the other important gods are present)

(Not saying that he knew what she was up to, that guy definitly shat on her when he fired that lightning.)

[auxiliarydetective]

Who has the biggest Slay™? Poll number 1

Congratulations, you have voted on who will go through the horrors (you have voted, right???) - that means it's now time for the fun part of the Halloween Challenge: Costumes! As usual, I'm an indecisive little gremlin and so I shall now present you with the ideas my brain has come up with.

My beloved judges of style, please decide in the following pageant, based on... How fitting are the costumes? And of course... the funnies. Bonus for style points.

Day Twenty-Eight: Let’s Be Weird Together

We all know of an iconic squad that so many people are just dying to be a part of. Well, it’s your ocs and their friends chance! Day 28 is group costumes!

THE SECURITY/ENGINEERING CHAOS BUNCH

Gordon Malloy as Han Solo (he gets to be the cool one for once <3)

John LaMarr as Lando Calrissian (ladies' man much?)

Alara Kitan as Leia Organa (girl power dot com)

Raevyn Maumahara as Luke Skywalker (she gets to pass off her baton as a lightsaber, I mean, come on now)

THE A-TEAM

Hannibal as Egon Spengler (aka only braincell)

Face as Peter Venkman (the ladies' man, except a more successful one than Venkman is)

Murdock as Ray Stantz (autistic swag - he has a Slimer plushy that he carries with him)

B.A. as Winston Zeddemore nobody (he insists that he didn't agree to this nonsense and only participates once they let him cut off the sleeves on his flightsuit but he secretly enjoys dressing up)

Kit as Gozer (androgynous as heck, has declared war on gender)

THE DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY

Hogan as Athena (big brain strategy energy)

Newkirk as Hermes (god of thieves)

LeBeau as Demeter (goddess of harvest who is known to become pissed if someone messes with her family)

Carter as Hephaistos (Carter is a blacksmith, except he uses chemicals that go boom in whatever he forges, which creates fire, which Hephaistos is also the god of)

Kinch as Hestia (he is mama bear, period)

Vicky as Aphrodite (her faceclaim is Marilyn Monroe, she is beautiful as all hell - also a known seductress)

THE STRAW HAT PIRATES

Monkey D. Luffy as Mario (he... he IS Mario, okay? Fun guy, red color theme...)

Roronoa Zoro as King Bowser (Zoro would make a great fire-breathing reptile and he deserves to wear leather, spiky bracelets and a choker)

Nami as Princess Daisy (do I need to explain?)

Usopp as Luigi (Luigi is a hero too, okay?!)

Sanji as King Boo (the vibes are there, okay? it would work super well with his suit aesthetic)

Akaito Coraline as Princess Peach (Cora is royalty, okay??? Also, she would love to wear a princess dress even for one day and put SO MUCH work into her costume - alternatively, I could see her as Pauline)

@daughter-of-melpomene @thehedgehogat221b @starcrossedjedis @come-along-pond

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb: The god of the forge…Life was good in the Neosphere District. I’d made a name for myself as a renowned supernatural bounty hunter, holding the record for most harpies slayed. But the best part about living in the future? Avoiding the other Olympian gods. Banishing a guy from Olympus because he was “imperfect” tends to make one hold a grudge. Go figure. And no other god possessed the means to time travel. But I did. Thanks to the portal hopping device I forged.Yup. Life. Was. Grand.Until a bounty popped up on a certain love goddess. Aphrodite and I had been friends since we were wee gods. I’d be lying to myself if I never thought our “innocent” flirting banter were real on occasion—kidding myself if I said I never wanted things to go beyond platonic. Hence, why I recently kept my distance. For my own sanity. So, of course, I made the grave mistake of taking the godsdamned bounty.The goddess of love… Since reconciling with my son Eros, after centuries of bad mojo, I’d decided it was time to clean up my act. Ride the straight and narrow. My companion service, Sans Solo, became just the ticket I needed. And it allowed me to use my powers in disguise in modern California under the name Vena Milo. With the aid of my best friends, and fellow goddesses, the Graces, we ran a legitimate business. All was right in the world. Until the volcano god showed up. Hephaistos. Heph—a lifelong friend who never failed to confuse me mind, body, and soul. Especially when he showed up with a magical pair of handcuffs. His audacity pissed me off, but the mere sight of him, the smell of him, made my stomach flutter. That…I couldn’t deny. And when Heph's plan goes to Tartarus things got even dicier and we became...the hunted. -A cyberpunk fantasy Hephaestus x Aphrodite romance that defies myth but answers true love's call-

Review:

A new cyberpunk take on Hephaestus and Aphrodite? Sign me up! In a world where the Greek Gods live in the modern world, the god of the forge lives in the Neosphere District, a grimy, cyberspace time in the future. Rather than live in the modern world, Hep has decided to live in the future, a place where he can make a name for himself as the most renowned supernatural bounty hunter. Life is dirty, bloody, and good. Well it was until he gets the bounty for the one Greek God (or rather Goddess) he never expected to see... the goddess of Love, Aphrodite. Aphrodite is the Goddess of Love who currently live sin the modern world, after finally reconciling with her son Eros, she is on the straight and narrow, running her successful companion business. Yet she has one little secret... her powers are nearly gone... they’ve disappeared and she has no idea why. When her childhood friend and someone she’s had a crush on since forever shows up to claim a bounty on her after not seeing her for years... to say she’s mad is putting it lightly. Hep has always been in love with Aphrodite, but she is the unattainable, he’s tried to nip his crush in the bud. How can someone so beautiful and perfect love someone as grim, dirty, and scarred as him? When Hep shows up to collect the bounty for Aphrodite... things take a turn and he is definitely going to have to turn the client down... which means now they’re both on the run from the client who has now placed a bounty on both of them. Now Hep and Aphrodite must work together to figure out how to end their bounty, save themselves, and finally face the feelings they have for one another. They’ll have to fight off against hunters, harpies, ancient beings, old enemies, and vengeful individuals from their past. This was such a cute and fun retelling of the relationship between Hephaestus and Aphrodite. The romance was great and the chemistry between them was adorable. The cyberpunk storyline mixed in with Greek mythology was so much fun and definitely such a unique take on the story! I can’t wait to read the rest of the retellings from this author and see what her next couple/story goes!

*Thanks Netgalley and Carly Spade, World Tree Publishing, LLC for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[starlightnest]

The parallels between Hephaistos and the Phantom of the Opera (derogatory) are many and I'm pointing them out:

· I mean, the Opera had Erik, that weird guy who lives in the cellar and Pandaemonium has Hephaistos, that weird thing who lives in the cellar.

· Both would become homicidal for love.

· Both would throw a fit when disturbed but Erik drops a chandelier and Hephaistos goes on a killing rampage so okay I guess.

· You don't have the never to tell me that Hephaistos would not sing melodramatically

· They're both pathetic in a sexy way

[emetkoto]

rate your favorite ancients!

There's so few of em I'll go ahead and do em all!

You aren't gonna believe this. It's Emet-Selch

Hythlodaeus

Themis

Erichthonios

Lahabrea

Venat

Hesperos......he died for some dick and I love him forever for that! Also his fight ROCKED

Hermes...Sorry :( I'm not one of those ppl who hates him and thinks he's a genocidal maniac or whatever he just didn't click with me

Hegemone! I love lesbians. Could've done without the Cachexia tho

Athena....I support women's wrongs but this is a bit much

Do we count Hephaistos as a separate guy bc if so FUCK him!!!! YES I'm just mad my static disbanded before i beat him don't @ me

[link4eva]

Kiro’s R&S: Bystanders (Chapters 33-34) Translation [CN]

Hi, y’all! Just a couple of quick notes before you begin reading...

This R&S translation contains spoilers from the CN server for Chapters 33-34 which have not yet been released in the ENG server. So if you don’t wish to be spoiled then please don’t look below the cut! 

The next thing is that I don’t actually know any Chinese myself so this translation was done through the power of Google Translate and with a huge help from the lovely @keliosyfan​ . Thanks so much!! 

Hope you enjoy!~

No matter how the outside world changes, his heart is as pure as always.

[Chapter 1]

That experimental kid.

This is Hephaistos’ first impression of the new Helios.

He first saw this kid, not at the headquarters, but on the TV on the side of the road.

A blonde young man, with a soft smile within his blue eyes, sang a song in English on stage. The camera turned away from the stage. Fans screamed and waved light sticks frantically, the directors and judges on the side were all intoxicated.

Passers-by, who were attracted by the youth’s singing, gathered in front of the TV, obsessively looking at the shining star on the screen.

Only Hephaistos in the crowd stood by with cold eyes. He clearly understands the hypocritical admiration in front of him and what kind of fanatic power he will eventually integrate into his plan. This is the purpose of BLACK SWAN; to promote the symbol of “Kiro” to the public.

What’s so good about this kid’s singing performance? Hephaistos huffed and left uninterestedly.

But that impression would soon be overturned.

The dark alleys are not easy to navigate after the rain. The muddy water and blood mix together to form shallow puddles. Each footstep produces a sticky sound. Hephaistos ordered his men to clean up the mess. He looked to find the silver-haired young man walking out of the shadows and greeted him, “It’s done?”

Helios took a USB flash drive from his pocket and threw it to him: “It’s all here.”

“The new Helios’ methods are much more straightforward than I thought.” Hephaistos looked at the humble gadget in his hand, “It seems that working with you in the future should be easy.”

He stretched out his hand to Helios: “It seems I have forgotten to introduce myself. I am Hephaistos, but you’d better not call me by this name. It’s too confusing, and I’m not used to it.”

Helios glanced at the dark-skinned man in front of him. The other party showed him a friendly smile, but his gaze in the nightlight looked like a falcon locked onto its prey, making his nerves instinctively go on high alert.

He nodded but didn’t hold Hephaistos’ hand back: “There’s blood on my hand. Makes it inconvenient.”

Hephaistos expressed his understanding and stepped to the side: “Are you coming back with me to headquarters now?” 

“There’s something else.” Helios obviously didn’t intend to talk to him more, so he left.

Seeing Helios walking away, Hephaistos said: “I’ve heard your song.”

Helios paused and turned his head.

“Although I don’t have much appreciation for music, I still think it’s a good song.” Hephaistos lips formed a slightly playful smile. “Just thinking of someone who can write such sunny and gentle lyrics who is capable of creating such horror in a blink of an eye. I can’t help but feel goosebumps.”

Helios’ expression remained the same: “Are you done talking nonsense?”

“Is this really nonsense? I just thought I’d remind you,” Hephaistos gave a step back. “Since you have returned to the dark, don’t think of the light anymore.”

When Helios heard this statement, his gaze dropped slightly. When he raised it again, his golden pupils were sharp as blades, and they passed the corner of Hephaistos’ crooked smile. However, the murderous intent was taken back by him in an instant.

“Then, let me remind you. Before reminding me, do your own thing first.”

“Of course I will do my own thing.” Hephaistos held the USB up to him, “Don’t worry. You and I are in the same group.”

Helios didn’t respond to this “companion” who suddenly showed up. He didn’t look back at Hephaistos as he turned and left the dark alley. 

“Brat.” Hephaistos clicked his tongue. He added an attribute to his previous impression of Helios in his mind.

The experimental kid that is difficult to deal with.

[Chapter 2]

Hephaistos never felt that BLACK SWAN was set in stone. Just 17 years before, there was a rift in the organization and the eventual addition of Ares and Hades was the fuse that completely detonated the rift.

Although BLACK SWAN did not appear to have any anomalies on the surface, the undercurrent surging underneath the surface had long been divided into two streams by an invisible boulder, both heading towards different goals.

When Hephaistos stood in front of the diverging boulder, he didn’t take much time to think before choosing his own direction. After all, compared with Hades’s paranoia, another “new world” was attractive to him.

Even if his companion was the experimental kid who is difficult to deal with. 

Helios had settled into the organization earlier than him. As one of the main members of the plan, his influence became more and more prominent. The identity of “Kiro” was already a burden to him. Throwing it in the trash is one thing but the reality is another.

A Lincoln slowly drove out of the hall, flanked by crowds. In the crowds, everyone was blurred by the drizzling rain. Only the swinging flashlights in their hands were visible in the night.

“WE LOVE KIRO” *Made some word changes here* Hephaistos glanced out the window and said, “I didn’t understand you at your comeback concert before. Anyway, it was just a farce made by Anole to solve his problem. That’s it, there’s no need to re-enter the stage-life at all.”

Kiro’s comeback to the entertainment world is a major event. It caused a lot of waves and rippled even in BLACK SWAN. But, given that Helios himself has always been a maverick and is now the leader of the organization, everyone only dared to talk secretly. However, Hephaistos is different. He and Helios have had a cooperative relationship from the beginning. Even before the two met, Hephaistos would’ve been happy to dance on Helios’ minefield of a temper.

“Or, did you come back because you still want to enjoy being a big star? Is it fun for you to watch those young girls scream for you?” 

“Shut up.” The man who was still smiling at the fans with an angelic smile was expressionless at this moment. When he heard this sentence, he did not raise his head and continued to tap the keyboard with his fingers.

“Ah, I understand.” Hephaistos suddenly thought of something and grinned. “You are all about that girl.”

Tap.

The crisp sound of the pressing of the ENTER key drowned out all the other sounds in the car cabin.

Helios looked at the calculation results displayed on the screen, his eyes dimmed: “I have my own considerations, and I don’t need others to interfere.”

“I’m not interfering. I’m just making small talk. I was bored anyway.” Hephaistos turned the steering wheel and drove steadily down the road. “Besides, I have to thank you for being “Kiro”, because otherwise, it would have been difficult for us to get an invitation for this banquet.”

Helios didn’t say anything. He quietly looked out the car window. A drizzle of rain ran across the glass, splitting his reflection in the window into countless fragments. At that moment, he no longer seemed to be a “Helios” nor a “Kiro”.

The two were silent for the rest of the way until the towering banquet building finally appeared in the night; like a dormant beast waiting for its prey to mindlessly walk into its trap. Helios just said in a low voice: “Since I’m going to act low-key this time, I can go in alone. You can station yourself outside.”

“No problem.” Hephaistos reminded Helios, “Leto’s tricks up his sleeve are almost all gone. It’s no surprise that this kind of madman will attempt anything at this banquet. Since you are going to bring QUEEN into this banquet, you must get her and bring her out.”

“Of course I will bring her out,” Helios replied, “As you said, everything we do is for the New World. In the New World Project, QUEEN is indispensable.” 

Hephaistos smiled: “It is all for the New World….right?” He pressed the pedal, “The time is near. Go. Don’t let your little dance partner wait for you any longer.”

[Chapter 3]

The rain has stopped.

15 minutes have passed since Helios and QUEEN entered the lobby. However, fans and reporters crowded around and were not willing to disperse anytime soon. Hephaistos, who had not received his next command, continued to hide in the crowd and wait. From time to time, one or two conversations of passers-by floated in his ears, nothing more than that surrounding the dazzling star and his dancing partner.

“Unfortunately I couldn’t see what it looked like….”

“I seem to have taken a picture but something was blocking the view.”

“I really want to be Kiro’s dance partner too!” 

Hephaistos raised the corners of his lips slightly. In the hall, everyone was so occupied with the scene in front of them, paying no mind to the trivial things in the outside world. Hephaistos didn’t know whether to think it ridiculous or sad. As he was looking around, there was a sudden scream coming from the door! *Took some liberties in translation here*

“What’s the matter?”

“What happened?!”

The reporters outside wanted to rush into the hall that was now filled with the scent of blood but were stopped by a line of uniforms that appeared out of nowhere. The perimeter of the building was quickly sealed off. A siege launched inward in an orderly fashion.

“Are the people from NW here too?” Hephaistos asked and a brief command came from his headset: “Leto has acted.”

“Can you handle it?”

“I was slightly delayed by Anole’s trick.” Helios’ sounded slightly out of breath, presumably because he was running, “He shifted into Leto’s form and garnered everyone’s attention. You don’t have to worry about the situation inside. Just wait outside.”

“No problem.” Hephaistos could faintly hear the screams from both his headset and from the inside. It was obvious that the situation inside was not as relaxed as Helios stated it to be. He stepped back slowly and informed Helios: “Right. People from the NW. Moving in soon.”

“....”

“You know?” Hephaistos was surprised for a moment but he also quickly figured it out. If Leto is gone, NW and the Task Force will naturally have to draw a clear line with the loser.

Everyone is in this melee, fighting for their own agendas. He is just a bystander in all this.

Hephaistos took advantage of the commotion and disappeared into the crowd.

Hephaistos didn’t wait long at the agreed pick-up location before he saw Helios walking over from the woods.

He is no longer the blonde he was when he was inside. His silver hair is sprinkled with star-dust like shimmer in the moonlight. It almost seems ethereal. The dried blood on his cheeks was the only indicator that he was in fact not an elven prince who came from the moon but rather a Shura* who had just returned from purgatory.

*Note about Shura from @keliosyfan​* 

The Shura that is mentioned is talking about the Buddhism demigod of war Asura. In Japanese, it's used to describe a person who has to fight an endless war against something in a relentless or inhumane manner. Hephaistos was making a comparison between how Helios (as blonde kiro) went into the banquet all nicely dressed and clean like an elven prince from the moon and then later came out with blood on his face (silver-haired Helios) as if he just fought some bloody battle which he probably did.

Continue

“Nailed it?”

“Leto escaped but he can’t go far.” Helios said faintly, “There is no way he can escape the dog.”

“Yeah. The rest is for the Task Force and they will have a headache. As long as our goal is achieved.” 

Hephaistos asked, “Where is QUEEN?”

“Sent her back.” Helios pondered for a while and decided to share some more information.

“After her Evol was retrieved, her strength became even more powerful and there was not much time left for us.” 

��I understand.” Hephaistos opened the door and motioned Helios to get in.

“Where to next?”

“Go to the temporary headquarters.”

After speaking, Helios climbed into the car. As he passed Hephaistos, Hephaistos suddenly noticed that the rain had stopped a while ago but Helios had water stains on his shoulders.

That seems to be….tears?

[Chapter 4]

The description of the bereaved dog is a bit too good. Under the first-hand news report of QUEEN and the live video uploaded by KEY, Leto’s true face was thoroughly exposed to the public’s eyes. As this is such sensational news, BLACK SWAN was naturally made aware of it.

At this time, many members of BLACK SWAN are on standby in the temporary base. Although they are scattered apart, the center of the crowd is still the young silver-haired man. It seems that wherever he is, he will be the most eye-catching light.

“I just got three pieces of news. One good, one bad, and one really bad. Which one do you want to hear first?”

“Say it if you want to, or shut up if you don’t.”

Hephaistos leaned against the wall and tsked boringly: “Then tell me the good news first. Artemis was also in the banquet hall at the time and was injured.”

Hearing that the members of the same group were injured, Helios didn’t even flinch: “Her life and death have nothing to do with us.”

“That’s true. As for the good news and the bad news, I’ll talk about them at the same time. The good news is that the Special Task Force has surrounded the orphanage. No matter how hard Leto struggles, he’s already dying. The really bad news is that even if he is dying, a dying beast may still be able to bite when crazy. He has threatened to kill all the kidnapped orphans if QUEEN won’t go to speak to him unaccompanied.” Hephaistos said this and paused deliberately.

“Don’t you worry about QUEEN?” 

When he heard the word QUEEN, Helios’ icy appearance seemed to thaw slightly before it quickly froze once more. After a moment of silence, he replied briefly: “I believe in her.”

“Believe in her?” Hephaistos thoughtfully said, “Indeed, if you don’t believe in her, there will be no way to continue.”

He didn’t say anything. Now that QUEEN’s ability has been recovered, this is also an excellent opportunity to observe how much her power can grow.

Hephaistos glanced at a huge device placed behind him. Its shape stood out from the dark environment that it was in. If Hades’s “Return to Zero Plan” was his answer sheet, then this device is of their faction. 

Hephaistos asked in a low voice, “When will our next step begin?”

“The next step is to be done by someone else.”

“Someone else? Is it me? I’m not good at this high-precision work.”

“Of course it’s not you.” Helios glanced at the time. “He’s almost there.”

Ten minutes later, the man Helios had in mind pushed the door open.

Hephaistos didn’t expect to see Ares, the traitor of BLACK SWAN, at the temporary base. He was astonished like everyone else for a moment. When he saw Helios’ unsurprising expression, he quickly calmed down.

Helios said that the person who will take over this next step is actually Ares? In other words, the two of them had been conspiring since a long time ago. He should’ve known sooner.

He even suspected that maybe Ares’ “rebellion” was also the plan made by these two.

Hephaistos looked at the man in black who had walked up to Helios step by step, his palms involuntarily started to sweat. He couldn’t help the way the corners of his mouth rose.

Forget it. No matter what these two have in mind, as long as the goal is achieved, he didn’t care that Ares had returned once more.

After thinking about all of this, he coughed slightly and expressed his greeting first: “Ares, welcome back.”

[Chapter 5]

Leto disappeared. Hephaistos was a little surprised when he heard the news and felt it was reasonable.

As a member of the New World Project, he firmly believes that the power of QUEEN is the key to opening everything. No one can predict how huge a door this key can open and what kind of world will be behind that door. Leto’s disappearance is nothing more than a small experiment to test the power of QUEEN. When her power really breaks through, it will be….

Hephaistos turned his gaze back to his hand holding a photo.

Originally, he did a little research out of curiosity about that girl. He didn’t expect the results of his investigation to be so interesting.

The picture shows a couple embracing each other. Except for the man’s eye-catching silver hair, the two are no different from any other couple in the streets. The girl raised her face slightly, with a bright smile, while the man’s eyes were filled with indefinable affection. It was definitely not the expression that someone monitoring QUEEN should have. It was not for show but rather pure love straight from the heart. 

Even Hephaistos, an outsider, can see the attraction and bond between the two.

“So,” Hephaistos whispered, “No wonder you didn’t let me be nosy at the amusement park. No wonder you insisted on taking her in during the banquet. And no wonder you would be so confident in her.”

Hephaistos once thought that loneliness was the true face of Helios, and the sunny “Kiro” on the screen was a mask he wore. But the soft murmur of the silver-haired youth in the car on the day of the banquet, the tears on his shoulders, and the photo in his hand completely broke this perception.

It seems that his impression of Helios can be rewritten again.

Hephaistos felt that until the arrival of the New World, he could use this observation as a leisurely pastime, adding a little bit of fun to being a bystander.

Even if you are in a chess game.

Plunk.

A soft sound from the device behind him interrupted Hephaistos’ thoughts. He walked towards the device and the flickering signal jumped between his pupils. For a while, he truncated through these light spots and saw the endless world.

Hephaistos smiled to himself.

Forget it. No matter what kind of lingering past, what kind of feelings, bond or obsessions Helios and QUEEN have, they will be crushed by the New World the moment they face the end of truth and evolution.

“This is real romance.” Hephaistos sighed and lit the photo without resignation, and threw it in the trash can.

[END]

[dionysianfreak]

okay, which idiot decided that science disproves religion. because it's genuinely so fucking stupid and I'm gonna tell you why I believe that. (this post is UPG and my opinion/beliefs only)

the gods are SO obvious !! They're EVERYWHERE, we've just gotten used to living in Their world !! the Gods are all around us !!!! LOOK AT THE EARTH, LOOK AT THE WONDERS OF NATURE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SCIENCE !!!! THAT is the Gods ! They're literally ALL AROUND YOU working to make these absolute MIRACLES happen !!

see that dandelion in the sidewalk you decided not to step on ?? a lovely little nymph is probably so grateful you didn't crush her creation. see the clouds ??? those things weigh literal tons and are FLOATING ABOVE YOU ?? and moved by air ??? seems divine asf to me. caterpillars literally liquify to turn into butterflies ??? and we're like "seems right". things aren't suddenly not magical when science or "logic" explains them, it's just been explained to you in a way you can understand. the Gods are in science (HEPHAISTOS ANYONE ????????) and They're in logic. They ARE the logic ! They ARE the science !!! how fucking beautiful is that ?

people harp on ancient worshippers of religion for seeing it at literal, believing the Gods directly influenced the world around them. i offer the question of "why did we stop believing that ?". the ancients lived on the same earth, and saw the same wonders we did, and recognized the absolute miracle that is earth. now, we can explain how it works, but that will never erase the fact that the earth IS a miracle and will be forever.

the Divine never left, we just found a way to explain Their world in a way we can understand.

often people think science disproved religion or that science is bullshit because of religion. science can co-exist with religion in many ways, and I can't believe so many people are against it. of course, it's up to personal choice and belief, but ????? guys. why the hell would we pass up an opportunity to learn about the world we live in ? learn about the world the Gods gave us ? understand the way the Gods wired the world and how They keep it running ?

i, for one, LOVE science and ADORE my religion, and they co-exist as one. i love learning about how the world works, and knowing that we may never know it all. my religion in the physical world is explained to me by science, and science helps me understand my religion and my beliefs more and more. so, I invite you to think on it ! challenging your beliefs builds a foundation for stronger belief. experiment !

ty for coming to my (upg) TED talk :-)

[mask131]

We have all been talking about how bad Greek mythology representation the Disney "Hercules" movie is, but I want to stress out something very precise. An association shown in this movie that is often repeated in a lot of bad mythology works that show they do not know their source material.

I am talking about Disney-Hades' association with fire. Not only is it just the most anti-Hades thing to have him with a fiery temper - because Hades in Greek mythology was precisely an emotionless god, a stoic, hard, cold and shadowy figure, who only rarely got angry and only under exceptional cases (the two only cases where he got angry to my memory are the Persephone stuation, and the Asclepios one). But it also makes us believe that "fire" meant the same thing for Greeks as it means for us.

By that I mean: Hades as the god of the underworld can't be FURTHER away from the symbolism of fire in Ancient Greece. In Greek mythology, fire is life, action and emotion. It is the fire of the forge and of Hephaistos' crafting. It is the fire of Helios the sun. It is the fire of Hestia, the hearth of the home. It is the fire of Eros' passionate love. But one thing that is made clear in Greek mythology is that the underworld, and the realm of the dead, is a place with no fire, no warmth, no light. It is darkness and silence and coldness - the very antithesis of what life is supposed to be.

In fact, it isn't just a misrepresentation of Greek mythology - because a lot of Indo-European mythologies share this concept of the underworld as devoid of fire and light. From the Mesopotamian Underworld where the dead eat dust, to the cold and damp realm of the Norse Hel, in the ancient world fire was NOT associated with afterlife in a single way.

No need to tell you that Disney's Hades was actually more influenced by the Christian Devil than by the actual Greek figure of Hades - to the point that his early concept art has him in the traditional "red devil outfit with horns and a tail". And the heavy presence of fire in his character is a leftover of this very Christian take on the character - since he is supposed to be the "bad guy of the underworld", and so we jump on the "fiery hell" of the Christians.

There's no fire in the Greek Underworld - except for maybe the Phlegeton river, probably the only fire within Hades' realm - as the whole thing was that you became a "shadow" in the Underworld, and wandered for all eternity in the darkness, robbed of your voice and memories (unless some kind hero came with some blood to feed you). Well, its a tad bit more complicated than that but the idea stays - no fire in the underworld. Fire belongs to homes, to love, to forges, to the world of the living, not the one of the dead. Heck, according to the Prometheus myth, fire was originally from the realm of the IMMORTALS and the sole property of the gods of OLYMPOS! It was what made humanity closer to the gods (aka closer to immortality, aka further away from mortality). The idea can't be clearer: in Ancient Greece, fire was life.

[aetherstorms]

Pandæmonium has left me with so many questions.

Who is modern Lahabrea? Not this calm and collected, basically emotionless guy. Our Lahabrea acts more like Hephaistos, but without the Athena obsession. But he’s also an unsundered. Did the obsessive behavior grow back? Did he remerge with Lahabrea at some point? I mean, I swear that’s Heavensward Lahabrea’s voice that we hear in the final fight, so.....

Hephaistos spoke like Athena loved her son. Speaks as if he loves his son, even though they both used him or planned to. Did Athena truly care? I assume at one point Hephaistos did--when he was still part of Lahabrea, at least. Did Athena love her husband, or did she just use him?

Why doesn’t Hephaistos have eyebrows? Lahabrea does. Was he just into shaving them at the time?

WHAT THE FUCK IS PANDÆMONIUM DOING IN THE AETHERIAL SEA?!

Why was Claudien heading for Azys Lla? Does Allag have something to do with this? Does Amon?! Far fetched I know, but he was definitely messing around with the dead to have brought back Xande. Hermes could easily have stepped foot in Pandæmonium at one point, even if he had no say in what went on there. That one holds the least amount of water, but still....why would the other crystal be in Azys Lla?

[nosafeharbour]

Pandæmonium: Abyssos thoughts/reactions

I haven’t typed up my thoughts on something like this since Werlyt, which goes to show the kind of way I’m feelin’ about it

Going into Abyssos I was really worried I wouldn’t like it... Asphodelos brought up some of my “oh, I really like Elidibus” feelings but in general I don’t have a massive attachment to any of the Ascians or Ancients asides from Lahabrea. So when Asphodelos threw some wrenches in with Erichthonios, being a “bad” father, Athena, I wasn’t sure if I would vibe with him..? I was really nervous they’d overly rely on twists and that it would dilute what should be Lahabrea’s The Dying Gasp/Seat of Sacrifice moment, y’know? I just wanted him to get the emotional closure that Emet and Elidibus did

And when I didn’t get attached to Elpis in the same way others did, this sort of felt like Endwalker’s last chance to really sell me on the Ancients past my initial story experience. It had a lot of pressure on it’s shoulders :(

BUT I REALLY LOVED ABYSSOS, I AM SO RELIEVED

- I’m glad Lahabrea is Hephaestus (Hephaistos? I need to get used to that) but we still got a twist..? I guess we don’t know how it will impact the future but it’s very interesting that he basically Sundered himself before Sundering was really a thing. I get the impression that his little lobotomy incident is going to have an impact on how he went off-kilter after the actual Sundering..?

- I call it a lobotomy as a joke but it’s actually so upsetting to think that if it does have a longlasting effect/come back to bite him in the ass... that he really did go through with that, admitting he was terrified to do so, in the hopes it would be for the best

- man

- The “...Say my name.” moment was so badass and I am so glad that not only did the Elidibus enjoyers get their moment, that it was as slick as it was. I really do love Themis a lot, and I was really glad that him and Lahabrea were proper colleagues

- The mention of Emet and Igeyorhm noticing the change in him was nice in both a “worried about him” way but also it kind of reminds me of Thancred in ARR

- I’m glad we could mention Thancred in a dialogue choice

- And speaking of me seeing all of this through my bias-tinted glasses, he really did end up with the Gaius vibe? Viewing this person who we suffered at the hands of through a different lens, seeing their attempts at having a good heart get ruined by their terrible actions. The WoL barrelling through the door ready to fight them, only to skid to a halt when confronted with a terribly sad and pathetic old man living with his regrets. WoL is understandably so bitter and on edge at the start, but like Werlyt, by the end is smiling and making little jokes

- man

- So Hephaestus of mythology is typically depicted as being lame/physically “deformed” or “ugly” and I feel like they kind of leaned into that with how Hephaistos looked compared to the older Lahabrea? To the degree I was kind of uncomfortable at first because he was obviously being painted as the crazy/evil/ugly version of an otherwise very classically attractive/sane guy, the way Lahabrea calls him all the parts of himself he is ashamed of... with the context of Hephaestus essentially being physically disabled in a way that is meant to be seen as grotesque, I was fearful it was gonna be lowkey ableist, but I think with the way things went, it wasn’t too bad. I think the first few shots of him were super unflattering on purpose, but when you saw him in the context of younger Lahabrea later on, he looked more like him and less like something that was meant to be jarring and negative. I dunno, it’s something I’m thinking about

- Like why does Hephaistos not have eyebrows, but Lahabrea does...

- Anyway,

- I CAN’T BELIEVE HE IS MAX HEIGHT... I even went to check the heights of the Elpis cast and he is the only one who is max height. I’m feeling so normal about it

- HEUGH

- I was pleasantly surprised at how much they mentioned Azem? It confirmed that Azem does know about us, which is absolutely fascinating and a lot of room for thought. I liked Lahabrea acknowledging them too, because that still fits in nicely with what I had in mind for mine :)

- I’m in bits, I’m sorry, just look at him

- I love this moment SO MUCH, the hostility is there briefly on both sides but Lahabrea immediately backs down like “no, you’re right”

- I got kind of emotional seeing him and Themis help us with the platforms in P7!! The chain motif and him being midway between sincere and rolling his eyes about it is very charming

- I really loved Hegemone and Agdistis... their music was incredible and they had the two most fun fights. I’m gonna have a lot more thoughts on them once I’ve worked through the immediate Lahabrea on the brain

- The first thing in the post-ShB world that really gripped me about Lahabrea was how the NPCs in Amaurot and Anyder talked about how loved and highly respected he was. So this got me in the same way, as did the mention of the rest of the Convocation being worried... people really did love him

- The way he can’t even look her in the eye as she passes on, but gives a simple thank you. I don’t know, I found it very fitting and poignant. I think this is where my heart started to break a bit

- NOT SURE WHAT I’M FEELING, BUT I SURE AM FEELING IT

- The Hephaistos fight... it was basically everything I wanted from a Lahabrea fight in this raid series LAUGHS... The fire imagery cranked up to 11, and I was dying for a remix of Thunderer because that’s the OG Ascian theme in my eyes. The other Ascian motifs were cool too

- My only concern was that it was too perfect but was ultimately not the big P12 Dying Gasp/Seat of Sacrifice finale... I wonder what P12 will be. I want to assume some kind of Athena/issue arising from re-combining Laha and Hephaistos, but my dream is something to do with “our” Lahabrea from the present

- You can see the resemblance best here, and I think in this scene they dial back on the shadows on Hephaistos’s face that had me worried they were going for “ugly on purpose”... he is in fact handsome too

- I don’t have much to say here I just think he’s very handsome

- AUGHHH this scene was good. I mentioned it before but I like the angle of “overworking and over-analysing relationships” they’re taking with him because it does feel like a nice parallel to Thancred

- I’m so curious about Athena... I do like her if she simply is as she’s presented at face value. I guess you could see it as kind of [wiggly hand motion] how they tried to make her out as pure evil bitch who wronged poor poor innocent Lahabrea, but I’m here to support women’s rights and women’s wrongs, y’know? I am fascinated to see if there’s more to it though, so I’m happy either way. I did want her to have possibly just girlbossed too close to the sun, so I’m happy she was twisted in the end

- The nods to the Ascian Prime stuff was really neat. The “I am become you, and we are become one” dialogue that Laha and Igeyorhm have in Azys Lla

- Not sure why Athena was white tho. The melanin went missing along with the eyebrows

- This was sweet because it really was the “smiling at Gaius at the end of Werlyt” energy. I can’t believe Albi would ever make such a sweet face over Lahabrea. Not forgiving, not forgetting, but finding a nice small moment of cheer at the end of the day

- This is the line that got me really misty eyed. It was nice recognition that Hephaistos is Lahabrea, and a nice moment for Erich

- I really, really love Erichthonios now. I wasn’t sure where I stood on him in Asphodelos? I had such a shaky experience with Endwalker, and spoilers, and my expectations, but the father & son dynamic panned out really well :) He is now in the same soft spot in my heart as Ryne and Allie

- I got his minion on my second run so I’m happy about that too

- I just really like this

- This is cute, too

- I AM ABSOLUTELY THRILLED TO BITS ABOUT THIS. My biggest wish for Pandæmonium was that it would tie back to present day; for me, delving into Lahabrea wouldn’t have the same emotional impact for me if it didn’t. To bring it back to Emet and Elidbus’s last moments, it’s their histories with us as Unsundered that give those characters their impact? So seeing Pandæmonium itself now tied in with the aetherial sea, mentions of the crystal wanting to be made whole again, and then mentions of the Sharlayan professor going missing in Azys Lla has me really excited... I don’t really mind what MacGuffins they use to bring back “our” Lahabrea, but I want it to wrap up with us making peace with all the different iterations of him. I think that would do him the most justice, narratively for the player, and for the WoL.

- So overall, I am very pleasantly surprised. I like what they’re doing with Lahabrea, and I feel so engaged with this story now, in the way I had been missing since Werlyt/Bozja/Omega felt like they were for me, you know?

- I’m feeling so heartbroken over the whole “a calm heart stays the course” thing and seeing all these facets and fears to Lahabrea... what feels like reconciliation between him and his own identity, with Erich, but knowing there’s another tier to go, plus the Sundering. It has a good impact

- I was also gunning on this to help me get the vibe right for my Azem. I’ve struggled with their design for so long, and while this didn’t really include them + my Azem has a foundation away from Lahabrea, it did still help inspire me!

- I can’t believe I have to wait 8 months for the finale

- I also can’t believe a part of Lahabrea canonically said “Hehe.”

[pheita]

Happy STS! What greek god your OCs would be? I'm greedy and would like to hear of all of them :P @catharticallysarcastic

Hey @catharticallysarcastic, you are really greedy today but gave me a good idea for today's STS asks^^

Ok, so the full list. Oh boy, this is going to be long Sojan Well, with him being actually soft but gets scary and berserk when those he loves are in danger... I would go with Hades? Somehow Hades feels like the right pick here. Lyran This is strangely easy. Hermes. See, most see Hermes only as the messenger of Zeus and co, but he is a real good, patron of travelers and merchants and known to be a trickster here and there. Besides the fact, you often see him with a lyre. And with Lyran's love to travel and him being a little bundle of mischief here and there it fits. Arritit Funnily enough, when I read the ask, my first thought was: Arritit is Hera. It is really simple because just like Hera, Arritit is a powerful woman who knows what she wants, she is the protector of family and children, and you really don't want to get on her bad side. Niat Somehow my first thought was Artemis, but she is actually more like Athena. In a fight, you can rely on her coming up with ways to win on the fly, and she loves to read.

Ylva This was really toough, but I think Tyche fits. Tyche is the goddess of fate and with all those things that come down to fate in Ylva's life, it seems just fitting. Mithelia Oh, she is the actual Artemis. A good hunter, a funny companion, and asexual, and since Artemis is the icon of asexuals these days it really fits. And Mithelia can get really pissy if a guy thinks he can overstep his boundaries. Miada I am slowly running out of gods here. Anyway, I would say Aletheia, the goddess of truth who also had something to do with the seers and since Miada is a seer to a certain degree and the main partner of Sykova who is the strongest seer known... that fits. Sykova Prometheus. I don't can exactly explain why, but Prometheus. There is so much that started with Sykova and brought multiple big changes, so this just seems fit. And like Prometheus brought fire to the people and helped them become smarter that way (there are actually thoughts the fire was meant as a symbol for becoming sentient), Sykova's visions and actions steered everything towards the path they are now on. Fenor I would say Hephaistos? I mean Fenor is smart, can get lost in his research, and Fenor sometimes appears to be some sort of outside within the group. Bayeen Aphrodite. I can't explain it. It just popped into my head. Talaina Demeter, clearly Demeter. Talaina was meant to protect and nurture, but ended up being a force of destruction to protect the ones she swore to protect and... yeah.

[thirteenth-fangirl]

Sooo, Yesterday I saw the Aladdin-life-action-movie and I have a few ideas. So, if you didn't saw the movie, this is the movie in general : A thief called Aladdin is just living his life and he helps a mysterious girl who "stole" bread. The girls the princess, but he doesn't know that. And he gets her Arm-thingy (I forgot the english word for that) and says he brings it her back and he goes into the palace and brings it her back. But now he gets her hairpin and gets caught.

Long story short, he goes into the cave and gets the lamp and he wishes to be a prince so he can get close to that princess. And half the movie is awkward. And the villian also wants the lamp. And he manipulates the sultan into hating Aladdin. Also shortly before this, Aladdin and Jasmin (princess) had a romantic time and Aladdin got thorwn into the sea for some reason.

Somehow the villian got the lamp and wishes to be Sultan and the most powerful sorcerer the world has ever seen. (Also, the jeenie and the handmaid hat a love-story) And now we have woman power and Jafar (villian) is about to destroy everything so he wishes to be the most powerful creature on the earth.

So he gets turned into a jeenie. And happy ending and the jeenie gets freed by Alddin.

And I hat the Idea to do that with other shippings. And the first thing that came to my mind was Percabeth. So Percy's Aladdin and Anni's the princess. And I thought if Caleo-side-story so Leo's the jeenie and Kalypso's the maiden. But now we have a problem. The sultan and Jafar. So, in canon, the sultan's Jasmine's dad.

But I can't see Frederick Chase rule other a kingdom. So that's a no for me. But what about Athena? She definitely can (and will).

But she's a woman. But she's a goddes. And now I think of something. What if she turned into a man to rule other that kingdom, possible since she's a goddes. And Jasmine's mom died, so Fred's dead.

But Jafar? I have no clue. Maybe some mortal...

But I just got an idea about that : What about Luke? (Please don't hate me) Yeah, I think Luke would make a great Jafar.

Also, it takes place in Ancient Greece now, so deal with it. And I got an idea that Hecate, Hephaistos and Athena made jeenies so Athena would notice if someone's a jeenie. But she just want's the best fir her daugter so she goes to Aphrodite and asks her about that guy and Annabeth.

Aphrodite says she made those two for eachother and that the drama's about to begin.

Oh, Percy survive's being thrown into the sea, 'cause he' s a son of Poseidon and that's the reason the guards never caught him.

Could someone write this please? Thanks

[tiramisiyu]

【恋与制作人】 MLQC: Chapter 34 “Night Curtain” Summary

Translation Masterlist

Summarized Chapters: [to be updated]

Spoiler alert: Please note that all content in this post is content that has not yet been released in the global server.

34-2

Despite it being afternoon, it’s dark and thundering outside

In Shaw’s call, he also had MC bring her father’s notebook when she goes to the orphanage

Before heading out, MC hears a sound, goes onto her balcony, and sees Lucien on his balcony

They talk about the dark, gloomy weather; MC says it feels like an apocalyptic movie and asks if Lucien knows what’s behind it. Unfortunately, he doesn’t, though he says that maybe her power can light up this night

MC suddenly receives messages from Shaw, noticing key phrases “Leto”, “orphanage”, “copying Evol”, “Ares”, the last of which makes MC look at Lucien

Suddenly, the clouds split and the moonlight shines through, lighting half of Lucien’s face

MC asks about Lucien’s Evol

Lucien: After the ball ended, someone broke into Ultima Bioresearch Centre and took something away.

MC: Your Evol?!

Lucien: That was something I discarded, to begin with. As a half-finished product, it’s currently finishing its last mission.

MC: But Leto used your Evol to kidnap the children in the orphanage!

MC then apologizes for getting too agitated

Lucien: Nothing bad will happen. Aren’t you going to the orphanage now? So, nothing bad will happen. I believe in you, and you should also believe in your own power.

MC begins to head off

Lucien: It’s about to rain. I hope that when we meet again, you won’t be too drenched.

 34-4

As MC tries to catch a cab on the empty, rainy streets, Gavin calls – and MC notices he’s standing at the end of the road, so she runs to him

They talk about the orphanage matter

MC: I heard that Leto kidnapped the orphanage and installed a bomb, and he threatened the STF, requiring to see the Queen.

Gavin: Will you really go see him?

MC: Yes, I can’t leave the kids to be frightened the whole time. Plus… You called me because you knew I was planning to do so, right? No matter what Leto wants to see me for, I won’t be scared. Plus, with you here, nothing will happen.

Gavin: Don’t worry. I will protect you well.

They then drive off in Gavin’s car

MC expresses her surprise at Gavin’s new role as STF commander

Gavin: It’s not sudden. Some things are things I need to personally change.

MC notes that public view of STF has been changing a lot under Gavin’s new leadership

Gavin says that Leto must not have much time, as his copy Evol’s appearing is strange and he’s rushing to see MC – possibly because he can’t control or maintain the evol

An STF member calls in on walkie-talkie, saying that there’s a car accident in front; Gavin says to call an ambulance, leave two STF people on the bridge, and for the rest to head to the orphanage on another path

MC notes the change in him, from a sharp blade of the STF to the mature commander

Gavin asks a motorcyclist if he can exchange the car for the motorcycle, and the guy very readily agrees

(I must ask, MC why did you go out in only that dress when it’s raining…)

As they head off on the motorcycle, Gavin uses his Evol to block off the rain, and MC is reminded of when on another rainy day when he tugged her into the rain, dispelling her worries (don’t remember what this refers to)

“Right now, I was no longer weak, no longer crying, no longer needing his comfort to go forward. I could become… someone who could give him power and walk with him.”

34-5

STF people meet up with Gavin at the orphanage, confirming that their assault preparations are set and positions of controlled STF people are confirmed

MC is shocked, remembering that Leto’s request was for the Queen to come in alone; Gavin says that it’s Leto’s request, but he doesn’t agree with it

MC convinces Gavin to let her go in alone since they don’t know Leto’s intentions and he has the children

Gavin relays the change in plans to the team, saying for one portion of the team to cover MC, and another portion to prioritize saving the kids

MC enters the building – with Leto not showing himself, she can only holler that she’s here

--

Lighting flashes as the rain batters nonstop

After some violin music, someone called “Zero” tells Victor that it’s almost time; Victor says he knows

34-7

MC is surprised when Shaw appears. He complains about her slowness and tells her to give him the notebook after everything is over

When MC asks about why he’s here:

Shaw: Right now, there isn’t a single person who can stay out of this. If I don’t intervene, this world is done for.

(To which MC says he’s exaggerating)

MC explains the STF’s role when Shaw asks if they’re using her to draw fire

Shaw confirms that he knows where the children are, and regarding the bomb, there are others who are more concerned about keeping this building together

Shaw hands MC a flashlight when they hear something, and MC sees STF people standing at the end of the light beam, their eyes mindless

Shaw tells MC how to get to the children and to not mind the other stuff – for Leto, wait until he (Shaw) gets her first

--

MC sees two identical rooms at the place Shaw indicated, and heads for the one where whimpering sounds are coming from

--

Ares walks into a room where Helios is, triggering discussion all around

Hephaistos looks at Helios, then says, “Ares, welcome back.”

Ares: How is it?

Helios: It’s almost done.

Helios then heads off to “deal with a small issue”

 34-9

MC finds a boy curled in fear in the corner and convinces him to go with her

The boy says that if they head out, they’ll run into the “uniformed people”. MC thinks it should be fine since Shaw’s there

The boy points out a second door in the room and says to go out from there, as the other kids are enclosed over there

MC notes that there has been no communication from Gavin on the microcommunicator he gave her, and is a little worried

The boy says that he thinks that all Evolvers are bad people because their powers can make them arrogant and selfish, to MC’s surprise

MC explains that aside from their powers, Evolvers are no different from normal people. The boy lets go of MC’s hand, then mutters about why Evolvers killed his family if this is the case

The boy’s body starts changing as he sinks into a crawling position, turning into Leto

Leto: Don’t bother with your fake mercy. Hand your Evol to me… I will tell you exactly how horrifying this power is.

 34-10

Leto says he called MC here to kill her and get her Evol; MC says it’s impossible to get an Evol from that way

Leto says that with the black box, he can get anyone’s power – MC wonders if he’s talking about the “pyramid black box” that she saw with Helios at STF, then at the evolution acceleration cabin

MC suddenly finds that she can’t move, and everything is quiet – Leto has stopped time

Leto then aims a sharp wind with ice at MC’s eyes when a white ripple spreads and stops Leto’s attack – MC’s power

Leto’s right eye becomes black, and attempts to command MC, and MC shuts her eyes in response as he continues his wind attack

A crack appears on MC’s barrier

Leto commands MC to hand her Evol to him as her barrier breaks, and MC feels like her power is draining away (and is shook by the powers that once protected her, being turned against her)

Leto prepares one more ice attack, when MC is able to get out one more attack that appears as a white wave, reducing the ice to powder

Leto is knocked out and MC gradually falls unconscious, the notebook falling to the floor

 34-12

MC has a dream about when her father was alive, where he hopes for her to meet someone she loves

--

Shaw: … A space Evol? He really is willing to steal anything.

Shaw finds the children and has them go with him

--

Gavin walks into the building and gives the command to look for the hostages’ positions, then says he will go find MC

--

Helios taps away on the keyboard, dismantling the last of four bombs

He looks on the wall where a green light flashes faster, then becomes red, then is extinguished

--

Goldman takes a stack of documents from Victor

When Goldman asks about MC, Victor says he (Goldman) doesn’t need to worry about that

--

Lucien regards a line that has already calmed down on a sensor

Lucien: This night truly does seem to be very long… Wake up soon.

 34-13

MC dreams of a long night with a rainstorm, freezing wind, and earthquakes, then wakes up

Leto picks up the notebook and reads it. Seeing MC wake, he expresses surprise that she’s not dead, then tosses the notebook and walks to her

Leto suddenly collapses, looking agonized and convulsing, and MC remembers Gavin’s words from before – that Leto got MC here because he couldn’t use the Evol that didn’t belong to him

MC says that what he’s done to Evolvers has no difference from Evolvers of back then (presumably those that killed his family), and even if he kills all Evolvers, he won’t get back what he lost

A black barrier forms over Leto’s body, blocking MC’s attacks, and he attacks with black wind

Leto: The Queen’s power will only wasted by you, so you’re better off handing it to me. I will use it to stand at the top of this world.

MC: Use? My power is born from love and becomes strong due to love. Love is a better method of resistance than hate, and it can attain a level of resistance that hate cannot. It’s useless even if you get the Queen’s power. Because your narrow-mindedness cannot bear this strength, just like how you can’t bear this copy Evol! Evols aren’t tools for you to gain power. You, who only aims for power, will forever only be ignorant and lamentable.

Leto continues with the ice attack

MC remembers when her father said that humans are weak, but love will make one strong and that this might be the greatest power of humans, and thinks of Kiro, Victor, Gavin, Lucien

MC dthat she won’t let the power born from love be used by him, and a white light wraps her up and attacks Leto

The black box tumbles to the floor, and the sky lightens

34-14

MC gets up; the black box has shattered; Leto is on the ground, his looks becoming old and wrinkled

Leto grasp at the box, going from surprise, to confusion, to relief, then laughing madly, seeing like he understood something

Black Queen MC and Anole appear; Anole gives the notebook to Black Queen

Black Queen mocks Leto for trying to get the Queen’s power; MC prepares to attack her, but Black Queen says that she’ll only hurt herself

Black Queen then attacks Leto with a black light ball, shocking MC, and Leto is gone, leaving just the black box

Black Queen: Why so agitated? I didn’t kill him. He will just exist forever in this world in an unliving form. In some ways, that could also be considered immortality, right?

Black Queen forms the black ball again, saying that it is the endpoint of degeneration, asking if she wants to try it

MC says Black Queen won’t kill her, since they’re one person

Black Queen: Do your best in struggling, for our futures. Soon, you will understand that I am the person who will save this world.

MC: The one who needs to struggle is you. This world doesn’t need people like you to save it!

Black Queen walks off indifferently, and MC collapses in exhaustion, seeing a rainbow outside. As she falls unconscious, she hears footsteps approach

 34-15

Two days since the events above

As MC cleans up her balcony, she glances towards Lucien’s balcony while children cheer about seeing seagulls

MC wonders why there are seagulls in the middle of the city

Victor calls, saying that he’ll go find MC; MC asks to meet at the café downstairs instead. Victor agrees succinctly, making MC feel like he’s a bit off today

 --

MC arrives at the café in advance, taking out the copy of her dad’s notebook she’d made before and wondering about its secrets. She notes that Shaw had told her before to give him the notebook after the events of that day, but in the end, he himself vanished. Plus, Black Queen wanted it too

MC wonders about how the STF didn’t seal up that old building after Gavin took the kids to other orphanages

MC flips through the notebook, finds nothing of note, and decides to take a nap

Victor looks at MC through the window of the café, not wanting to disturb her rest

Violin suddenly sounds, and Zero says “it’s time to set out”

Victor asks the staff to hand the paper bag he has to MC

Zero: You won’t say farewell to her?

Victor: No need for farewells. I will return very soon.

--

MC wakes up and opens the paper bag, finding pudding and realizing it’s from Victor. She looks around but (obviously) doesn’t see him