Post Examination: Hanged Thunder [updated Jan. 1]
So there's this Jupiter girl, with purple hair. Hermes knows of her through Cyrus and Mars and Saturn. He's excited and pleased with himself that he met the last of the planetary trio, and will laugh endlessly that she called him a creep.
With Jupiter: (g3_jupiter)
The funniest contentment.
There isn't a big metaphorical story to what he said to her. They get into a discussion about Saturn, and Hermes reassures her that it's one they both know, with lapis blue hair, pathetic spindly arms, and, to quote, "he had never been noticeably castrated." That last part is referring to Saturn, the Galactic, rather than any past references to Saturn, the Roman god. Saturn, the Galactic, is ridiculously feminine in appearance (after two years some people still believe he's a girl), and Hermes is just poking fun at that. Also, after Uranus the potential loss of a sexual organ continued to be a pretty big scare.
Hermes' line of "You'll catch up to her in a while" is a veiled threat, yes.
He meets her again when commenting on my doodle showing a rendition of my primary character's doodle and handwriting styles. Hermes offers her a place at Le Beau Pays, and Jupiter demands that both he and I promise that if she goes there, she'd someday meet her fellow commanders. Hermes agrees upon the River Styx, the highest, most sacred oath of the Olympian gods. Why does Hermes agree so severely? She didn't set a time clarifier. Jupiter never said that she must someday meet them again. She will someday meet them, in that she already has. She will someday meet them, when she dies. Jupiter didn't give a place clarifier. She just said, "if I go there." She will someday meet them, and it can be anywhere. She will someday meet them, as she already has, at the Galactic HQ. She will someday meet them, for a meeting. She will someday meet them, passing on the streets. So many loopholes you gave him, girl...
Then they get into a discussion of if they find the other attractive. The verdict is very obscure.
Hermes almost leaves her wanting to scream to Cyrus to hurry up and destroy the world. If it makes you feel better, Jupiter, there are parts of nearly every woman he finds attractive. He's more into their minds - beauty and shape are more Apollo's thing. Hermes likes you strictly for the lawls you give him. Oh, and the whole "Meet me there" line of Hermes'? Yeah he was talking about death. Then it goes further with Hermes getting her snot and tears on his scarf. Jupiter, something in you has caught his attention. That is not necessarily a good thing.
Also, Hermes' remark of "Easy and desperate"? Not a sexual commentary. He finds Jupiter very easy to read, especially what made her cry. Desperate...when you join Team Galactic, affection of any sorts = no no. He's vaguely laughing at pointing out that he understands the buildup. Him saying "My opinion of you can hardly be better."? You've got honest support in the Olympian business, Jupiter! As for his "You move fast" comment? It COULD be a compliment...she mentioned that Cyrus would find what they'd been doing very sinful, talking about Hermes having a certain degree of purity, asking before if he understood the concept of sin. He was playing around with the interpretations, basically saying, "Going for sex already?" Fun, suspicious times. Lastly, the random kissing? He knows that's what she needs, and has his own reasons as well.
Lastly, a few things related. Hermes indirectly killed Mars, the bringer of war. He did the same to Saturn, the bringer of aging. Only Jupiter, the bringer of contentment, remains alive, and of those titles, only hers is positive. Cyrus mourned for the death of war and aging. There's some meaning, I think.
Actually-really-lastly, his expression debut was, um, false sincerity. That's Bolo's most common face, except it's honest on him. Later, Hermes tells her that he wants her to, "never forget the thunder before you hanged yourself." Yes, that's concerning his name for her. The thunder = warning/foreboding, primarily - it's also...not Jupiter, but who she really was. The hanging = Team Galactic + Cyrus + practically throwing herself away to become a mere extension of Cyrus’ will and casting aside who she used to be, all the hopes and dreams she had in the past and trying to suppress and forget who she had been before. The 'death' is partially literal and partially metaphoric of a big change.
I lied. Things just keep happening.
In a thread that demonstrates that a "nice little civilized conversation” between Hermes and Jupiter means she's frozen and cut bleeding in a thousand places, he constantly throws implication insults and multi-leveled cryptic metaphors at her, thoroughly baffling and enraging the hell out of her, leading to random failed!seduction attempts on her part and rolling into two-move Pokémon battles in which she puts herself to sleep, he talks about the relationship between the gods and man. In Rise of the Argonauts, this line is said by Jason: "If you honor the gods with your deeds, they will recognize you as someone who can stand for them in this world. Their power works through you. Inspires you." It's a partnership of sorts. Hermes simply exaggerated it quite a bit just to see what Jupiter would do.
Also, when Jupiter says she wanted to kill Uxie, the Being of Intelligence who gave smarts to the Pokémon universe, in the wake of the new world, Hermes is like, "well that'd be pretty symbolic...and literal," in that everyone would just prove themselves increasingly more stupid. Boo, individuality! Yay, hopeless devotion!
And there is a fire.
The fire that burned down the cold kitchen, in the thread where Hermes and Jupiter finally managed to have a nice, long chat without plundering arguments and maiming. The walls, the counters, the floor tiles, everything made from man melted and went up in flames. The ground and othersuch earthly naturalness remained completely untouched. That's Prometheus's fire. More information in my entry titled "Persian King." There was more to it before the fire, but Hermes is sad he was not able to enjoy cake.
A distance in contact...
An exchange:
"I'm glad I made you something I would never eat." - Jupiter
"Me too." - Hermes
Hermes did not eat the cake, Jupiter. He only ate most of the raspberries and almonds. He gave a piece to Rivai and Venus as an incentive for more information about the Pokémon world, and as a precaution for anything harmful Jupiter might have cooked in, since after the poisoning ordeal Jupiter knew how Hermes could be harmed. Rivai and Venus loved Jupiter's cake. They wanted more. Hermes will give the cake to whomever he wants to know of. Earlier, Jupiter commented that Hermes amusing himself by relaxing on a couch formed of air currents is a pointless display of power. He doesn't think so - the wind is moving in very precise, very swift movements, to such an extent that the air feels solid. If anyone moved their hand underneath him, the force of the currents would break their wrist. It looks harmless, but appearances are hardly trustworthy, especially when dealing with the Olympian trickster.
Trial by...never mind.
Further along, Hermes mentions his rape of Apemosyne and a trial. Since he's never going to tell the full story, I'll write down the basics here. Athena and Artemis are the patron goddesses of girls - for example, to quote a line from RotA, "Athena protects all maidens and defends the rites of marriage." They were upset over the rape and Athena organized a trial because dammit that was not justice. Artemis backed her up, but no one else cared, so the trial didn't happen. Athena got over it via a holy bolt of lightning to cleanse the girl's body. Artemis did not. In a flare of dangerously vague rage, she challenged Hermes to live as a mortal for four years. No wings or Olympus for you, and no powers, either! He agreed to it, on the condition that he'd retain his Spirit Sight and continue being able to guide the dead. In the end, it really wasn't much of a punishment, because she underestimated his amusement at the complex and joy of the difficult. He became a professional poker player at Skyros!
Then the god gives a gift.
The magnifying glass (as explained in my "Glass Between the Worlds" entry) shows all living things as wispy, indistinct smoke, often in fast motion. Jupiter asks how she's supposed to learn of his people when they're so blurry, and Hermes replies, "That's how they always are."
He's referring to their mental and physical activity, as well as their lifespans and spiritual haziness. The people in his canon make discoveries that set their minds in motion. It's a time of invention and new ideas. Aww, look, they invented democracy! People embark on awesome dangerous journeys going all over his world, and people traveling and running about all over the place. It's movement, physically, emotionally, socially. Also in that everyone mortal there is slowly dying, so they will be whisked away from life and lose their body. The spiritual haziness comes from what I read in an interview with Rise of the Argonaut's developers. They said that most of the people in the RotA world saw the gods as taskmasters, but the truth is that the gods "are the whetstones that sharpen the human spirit to achieve its full potential." In Rise of the Argonauts, the gods have a symbiotic role with man. Most of the people aren't aware of it, or don't see it that way. Their minds are a little clouded.
Et cetera of the awesome. You may reply out of character only.