Hades Game - Blog Posts
malice / madness
can’t stop thinking about zag being subtly influenced by the boons he picks up… 👁
crossover where yuna tries to summon an aeon but accidentally summons a demigod from another dimension
Hades Animation | Glitter and Gold
There comes a time with any project where you have to be like “do I actually want to make an entire music video, or do I just wish an entire music video existed”, and sometimes you realize it’s the latter and it’s best to simply cut the project short. Anyway here’s this.
Fandom: Hades Song: Glitter & Gold by Barnes Courtney Programs Used: Clip Studio Paint (Animation), iMovie (Combining w/ SFX)
my patroclus piece for the @hadeszine :)
leftover sale is now open! Check it out if you missed the original sale: [link]
I’M FINALLY DONE WITH THIS
This was the original idea I had for that zag and his cult comic I did before changing it to be more comedic
I can't stop thinking about the rings on Hermes' fingers. I can't. Whats the story behind those? Did he start wearing them because Charon gave them to him as a job well done? The weirdest gift imaginable to your professional associate?
Did Hermes steal them to be a cheeky bastard and got them fitted and put them on for the jokes? Did he start wearing them apropos of nothing? Just happen to start accessorizing like his professional associate? Is it part of a shared uniform? Can we see the employee handbook?
Did Charon go out and get rings commissioned to look exactly like his for not one, but two of his partner in crimes' fingers, slide each lovingly onto Hermes' corresponding digits, and then gently hold his now bejeweled hands in his own to see how they match, knowing Hermes will now carry something of Charon with him when he leaves him for his dangerous work?
I'm just. Asking. Questions. But I swear to God, if we get Charon's portrait and he has a feather or an orange ribbon somewhere on his person, I will be inconsolable for days.
just doodling my favourite morons
hey all! as you may know, i'm participating in @northern-passage 's IF Raffle for Palestine!
i'm offering a half-body Hades style portrait; other than detail levels, i'm open to negotiate other details with my future winner
to recap: the raffle will run from June 7th to June 21st, raising funds for 5 specific campaigns. each donation of 5 USD/EUR with receipt will get you 1 ticket to the raffle and a chance to win prizes from over 50 contributors, including both IF writers and artists. more details to follow in a later post
below the cut i've included more examples to give you a better idea of what i can do. please note the disclaimer! other than that, see you on June 7th :]
some of my favorite post-game death screens from Hades
the family portrait at the end of hades makes me laugh
Zagreus please put your bigass spear away your mother and father just got undivorced
So, in the "Hades" video game (very light spoilers for Elysium) you play as the son of Hades, Zagreus, trying to escape the Underworld. There are different levels and the boss of the Elysium level (the afterlife for heroes) is Theseus PLUS the Minotaur. Apparently, Theseus found the Minotaur in the afterlife and Asterius (the Bull of Minos) now credits Theseus with "saving" him as a person in death. They're best friends forever now and it's kind of cute.
Zagreus receives "boons" from various Olympian gods on his escapes (it is expected that you die MANY times over in this game, it's built into the story) from the Underworld. There is a boon from Aphrodite called "Aphrodite's Aid" which inflicts "Charm" on your enemies, which briefly compels your enemies to fight for you.
I had this boon in the fight against Theseus and Asterius, and the "Charm" heart ended up hitting Theseus. I usually take Asterius down first, so the "Bull of Minos" had really low health. Theseus stabbed Asterius in the back with his spear and this ended up being the DEATH BLOW.
I felt SO BAD. It is the only time so far that I have felt sorry for my actions playing this game, like, "SORRY, BRO, I DIDN'T MEAN TO MAKE YOU KILL YOUR FRIEND AND PROBABLY REIGNITE OLD TRAUMA FOR THE BOTH OF YOU. IT'S IRONIC, REALLY, BUT MY BAD, MAN. MY BAD."
Last night I found my doc detailing various parallels between Achilles/Patroclus and Theseus/Asterius! I thought I would post the information from it here cuz it’s fun to talk about. Even though it’s been awhile since it came out, I guess there’s a general warning for spoilers if you’ve not finished the game yet!
The Obvious Similarities:
The distinct combination of emotional self-loathing blonde and their far more calm and rational brunette partner… Achilles and Theseus both fall into the category of “impulsive risk taker” as well, though Achilles has become somewhat calmer in his death (at least when around Zagreus).
Matching outfits. Pat and Achilles have a tragic reason for their clothing and armor to be mostly the same. Theseus and Asterius are just gay, on the other hand.
The rational calm dark haired ones both died in fairly tragic ways, though Pat’s death was at least honorable. Asterius down in the labyrinth absolutely miserable.
(A fun fact: Theseus tends to refer to him and Asterius’ past fight as if the two of them had always been on equal terms and had always been friends. The only time he doesn’t do this as far as I know is when presented with the yarn of Ariadne.)
Keep reading
who are thseterius and bareleifdrjas?
anon you have zero idea what youve just unleashed. (this little parenthetical was writtten after everything else in this post but this is focusing on thesterius bc it just got SO LONG. barreleifdrias will have to wait </3)
ok so. hades video game 2018. you play as a dude named zagreus fighting to escape the ancient greek underworld but the point is that when you get to elysium, the two guys blocking your exit are theseus, the theseus of minotaur and ship and labors fame, only hes an annoying pro wrestling vibes egotistical blond (/derogatory /JOKE) dude, and the minotaur, the cannibalistic half man half bull monster in the labyrinth, only hes a chill honorable (hot) dude named asterius. and theyre best bros!!!! despite their meeting and the myth theyre most famous for being theseus killing the minotaur, asterius and theseus are now super best friends. theyre so unlikely but the respect for each other is clearly so deep. reason one why theyre compelling.
here they are btw. (via hades wiki)
and its like, theseus is so annoying that general fandom opinion is that hes the worst character in hades, in a “you love to hate him” playful way sometimes, or real hatred depending on which circles of the hades fandom you trawl, but hes Written to be disliked. even tho hes the hero of the original story, a hero among the ranks of like, heracles and that ilk. and meanwhile, everyone loves asterius bc hes such a bro, hes so chill and respectful and honorable, so many people think hes hot, people are like “dump theseus you could do so much better”, hes such a fan fave. even tho hes the monster of the original story, the villain!!! that role reversal is so so compelling!!!!!! hades didnt even change anything abt their backstories on paper but their personalities are what makes it a sort of roleswap. like theseus’ only redeeming quality is that he loves asterius so much, and asterius’ only real flaw is that hes so dedicated to theseus lmao
(all these dialogue images via @/hadesgamedialogue here on tumblr)
and its especially cool in hades bc its like, asterius, the minotaur, the one that everyone in the hades fandom loves way more, is an actual person. the minotaur is half man of course. theres so much thats added to the story of theseus and the minotaur overall by making asterius a person. but so very few stories take advantage of it. hades game first opened my eyes to the potential of asterius being an awesome character and i love it so much for it.
and THEN through menu stuff you eventually find out how the minotaur got such a high standing in elysium despite being a monster, fighting side by side w his killer-turned-bestie, adored by a crowd of cheering fans that watches your every fight, and especially constantly talked up by theseus himself. and as it turns out!!!!! after asterius died, he actually ended up in erebus. no surprise there, why shouldnt a half-animal monster end up in tartarus 2 electric boogaloo. but then when theseus died, he thought of asterius, and decided that since "their fame and glory were intertwined" (according to the in-game codex), if theseus deserved elysium for being part of the legendary theseus and the minotaur myth, surely asterius did too.
can you fucking imagine??? youre famous for killing a monster, you had an epic one-on-one fight to the death, but then when you get eternal paradise for it can you imagine thinking "hey what happened to the monster. hey what if he was a person. hey what if he was a person i could have join me in literal ancient greek heaven." and the codex says theseus almost certainly risked his own spot in elysium for it — the guy writing the codex would know, he tried to get his own boyfriend into elysium but ended up having to stay in hell in his boyfriend's place. but no theseus literally just got asterius into elysium, kept his own place there, and now theyre basically gladiator celebrities living(ish) their best lives(ish). THE SHEER ROMANTICISM OF IT.
like i was saying before asterius has always been a monster, but now the man who killed him is also the man who first saw him as a person...... a person worthy of paradise, a person worth saving, a person who gave him a glorious fight for the ages, a person. circling back around the roleswap thing, like a comment on one thesterius fic i read puts it, the player hates theseus bc of his in-game annoyingness, but learns to see him as a person through asterius' eyes, through asterius' high esteem of theseus and theseus' decent treatment of asterius. and at the same time, asterius has always been seen as a beast, but it was only through theseus' eyes and esteem and asterius was able to see himself as anything more.
AND THATS NOT EVEN ALL. this is all the backstory stuff, everything that takes place off-screen before the player even shows up. but zagreus (the player character) shows up and hes a polite guy so hes very nice to asterius bc asterius has been nothing but nice to him, even if they do have to fight often (bc asterius is both a miniboss on his own and the regional boss alongside theseus), its more like friendly and respectful sport than anything by the time they get to know each other. but theseus is constantly insulting zagreus bc of his own skewed sense of honor and dedication to the gods bc of theseus' own willful misunderstanding abt who zagreus is. that isnt super important but the point is, when theseus sees asterius, his bestie, being friends w zagreus, the guy he despises, guess what happens.
thats right. the "asterius is cheating on me 😭😭😭😭" arc. bc theseus is so sad and pathetic that he cant conceive of his bestie having any other friends. asterius Must be abandoning him to marry some other guy who is just so much nicer and cooler than him. and so theseus has a temper tantrum abt it. im bullying theseus rn bc hes a loser but also i dont like how relatable his feelings are during this arc.
if theseus sees asterius as a person worthy of love, then its also the same vice versa: asterius is the first person to see theseus as a real person Also Worth Love. hes not a monster, in fact hes a hero. he should be adored by all. and he does have his supporters in the arena! but do they like the real him? hes deeply annoying. he talks too much. hes desperately clingy to what friends he does have bc he just has so few of them. all of his relationships have ended Awfully, and it was his own fault for reacting so strongly and passionately to the things around him.
he and zagreus are actually kinda similar: theyre endlessly kind to people they deem worthy of it but also scathing to people they hate, theyre both accomplished warriors, theyre extremely stubborn (zag keeps trying to escape the underworld no matter how many times it takes, and theseus keeps meeting him and trying to stop him every time no matter how many times he loses), etc etc. but unlike theseus, zagreus is so charming and friendly. theseus tries so hard to be charismatic, but everyone flocks to be friends w zagreus after like a single conversation, and theseus only has asterius. so its very easy for this deeply insecure guy — no matter how he tries to cover it up by a massive ego and a constant barrage of insults toward zagreus — to believe that asterius might see zagreus as a way better version of him, and break up w theseus and go date zagreus instead. and zagreus does nothing to discourage this notion lmao. (honestly most hades players wouldnt have done anything to discourage this lmao. ive seen so many memes, such as this post, abt wanting asterius to just divorce theseus and "get himself a better man" and date zagreus already.)
and honestly its like, as zagreus himself says in a different dialogue, theseus took asterius up to elysium yes, but like, theseus also killed asterius in the first place, so they should be even. but its not just abt that for asterius. its abt how during their fight in the labyrinth, asterius got to at least experience once during his life what it meant to meet someone as an equal. its abt how theseus was the first person who saw him as a real person, not a mindless bloodthirsty beast. its abt how theseus took asterius to elysium, yes, giving asterius the chance to spread his wings and figure himself out and truly live, in a way he never would have been able to in erebus. its how theseus gave asterius the chance to experience friendship and love. so asterius, of course, doesnt gay divorce. he says this.
“he doesnt even understand it” and its literally so true. zag doesnt understand any of the things abt theseus and asterius being the only people to really understand each other and stay, despite everything repulsive abt the other, and be friends. i would bet the average player doesnt understand it either (see all the common hades fandom opinion “asterius dump theseus already”). but asterius understands it. he reminds theseus of this shared understanding. no matter what, no matter everything that should have come between them long ago, no matter anything that theseus fears might come between them now, asterius and theseus are a pair. its always theseus and the minotaur, their names together have gone down in legend. their theme song in hades is even called the king and the bull!!! bc theyre a matched set, theyre hero and villain, theyre inseparable, theyre gay.
also since theyre really just the regional bosses of zone 3 of hades (almost all of the contents of this essay are entirely missable), they get a cool new best friend battle move called the “counterstrike”, where asterius charges into theseus’ shield to create a shockwave, after they reconcile. to go along with their previously established bestie attack “bullhorn”, in which asterius picks theseus up and literally throws him at zagreus. theseus is such a dork he literally shouts “counterstrike!” and “bullhorn!” when they perform those moves like this is some kind of anime. gay wrath moments <3
tl;dr: thesterius is the ultimate ship of all time. thankyou
A normal Hades run (but as soon as Zag gets to Elysium it turns into Mean Girls)
aka; art warmups for Regina Theseus Rights 👑✨
How it feels to take down asterius first
Would like this guy better if he didnt get help from the gods i hate this bitch
Finally played this game (watched as my neighbour did all the work while i chose between bonus doors)
This two are my favs, their vibes are good
If Zagreus was in PJO:
For context let me explain who Zagreus is first as his actual myth gets confused with the Hades game lore. Zagreus is the som of Zeus and Persephone (pre-Hades relationship) and he was considered Zeus’s favourite son, he was even considered as the next heir of Olympus. Hera ofc got angry ans sent out the titans to rip Zagreus apart but because Zeus mourned so much, he had Zagreus be reborn as Dionysus or reborn by Semele.
So this can go down two roads, Zagreus as Dionysus, or Zagreus reborn as his own God. If Zagreus was reborn as Dionysus in the PJOverse it would explain why he is so close to Nico. Why mr.D actually calls Nico by his legitimate name, because they are step-brothers. It could also explain a bit more why Mr. D was punished, beyond fawning for a wood nymph he want supposed to. Zeus probably couldn’t bare to see the son he once loved so much turn into the God of Chaos so he kept on banishing and punishing Dionysus throughout his life.
And as we know in the PJOverse the greek and roman gods can swap between those figures of themselves, and in telling of Zagreus/Dionysus they can also switch forms from a Burley bearded man, to a young fit man. Its also canonical Mr. D chooses to look rugged, so whenever he does appear as a more younger handsome man, could that just be Zagreus? But then their is also the other statement, what if Zagreus was reborn as his own god?
As I said earlier, Zeus would probably hate to face his son that he once loved so much, and fears Hera would kill him again so he sends Zagreus to the underworld to live with his mother and Hades as his new stepdad. Both Nico and Zagreus having a rocky relationship with their step-god parent would a a strong reason for them to meet each other as they are brothers from another mother. But with Zagreus living in the Underworld, he could help out Nico going back to tartarus under Hades nose to save Bob.
(Let me know if I missed anything myth wise or if ya’ll have some input too!)
I'm really pleasantly surprised that you answered :)
Of course, here are some materials from where I got information about Zagreus and Peitho!
For Peitho:
https://mirrorpalace.wordpress.com/2009/10/17/an-exploration-of-peitho/ - her research, which I really love.
And here is the stream of consciousness about her - https://mirrorpalace.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/thoughts-on-peitho/
They both don't belong to me.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/3093410 -the fanfiction in which she appears, just keep in mind that it can be very difficult and dark there - Nico Di Angelo becomes a victim. This fanfiction also doesn't belong to me.
Zagreus:
https://hades.fandom.com/wiki/Zagreus - his wiki page, though I can't judge how good it is, because mostly I just read fanfiction/posts on tumblr and get information from there.
and - https://www.tumblr.com/happyk44/tagged/Zagreus - there is also a lot of good material about Zagreus.
And here's one fanfiction - https://archiveofourown.org/works/47538967/chapters/119808652 - from there I draw the creepy and dark part of Zagreus. It doesn't belong to me.
I'm sorry if you get a little confused. I "collect" Character images from various sources, reinforcing them with my own thoughts. For example, Peitho in my understanding is basically the same as in "An Abyss for Atonement" with some additions and my changes. And if you were wondering why I see Percy as a legacy of goddess of charm and a chthonic god - the answer is simple - Percy is beautiful and charming,He is most likely one of the most beautiful demigods of his generation and he can convince you to do what he wants. And I think Percy has some kind of connection with the underworld, it's a subtle dark atmosphere and the fact that he likes to travel through the shadows. His connection to the underworld is subtle and not too noticeable, as if, funny to say, ghostly.
I think this was the hardest of asks, but somehow, I liked it entirely too much. It's a bit out of box take, but I have already done one where I wrote Percy as a Legacy of Odysseus, so I think this fits too. Why do I have a feeling this is going to be a recurring theme for asks?
I am so terribly sorry for the delay but I didn't want to make the post without reading up on most of your suggestions; as I have said I was really unfamiliar with both Zagreus and Peitho.
As per anon's request Percy is a Legacy of Zagreus and Peitho through his grandparents. Percy Jackson as the Legacy of Zagreus and Peitho. [His grandmother Estelle was the daughter of Zagreus, and his grandfather James - son of Peitho].
Peitho is a very interesting deity. I suggest all readers check out at least one of anon's references. She is the deity of seduction, of persuasion , of divine charm and thrall. A force of passion and abstract power.
In certain versions, she is also an alternate representation of one of the Moraie. Lachesis, to be precise. She also used to represent the concept of everything that has happened before or has been till now.
Zagreus, though intriguing, is a bit more straightforward. I know I know I just called a chthonic god straight forward, but he is. Now, the wiki states that he is the God of Blood, but in one of the codex entries, Achilles says he is also a God of life.
He has connections with Styx and has traversed through Tartarus and here's a fun fact in the orignal myths Zagreus and Dinosyus are actually the same gods or at least father and son which would kind of create an extremely strange and entertaining dynamic but let's stick to game wiki. Not to mention the very newly layered dynamic now painted between Percy, Hades, and Nico.
Now think, Percy, eloquent and charming, words dripping with unspoken power. People think it's the tongue of the sea, of sirens, alluring and hypnotic, but it's far older, far more primordial, of Peithos, of divine eloquence, of persuasion.
Perseus Jackson, who none, not god nor mortal, can deny. Persuasion by words, persuasion by war , is it not all the same? Both reflect passion and thus reflect Peitho.
Perseus Jackson, beautiful and alluring, yet dangerous. Too sharp edged. Not a gentle beauty. A sharp, passionate, bloody beauty ,whether of sea or underworld we know not yet.
Percy Jackson, with midnight black hair, so vivid, so deep, that even the Lord of the Underworld balks at the resemblance, to his own line and that of Poseidon's.
Percy Jackson, who dreams and dreams yet again of things that have been, ages before or just now, it does not matter. He has my sight drawls Peitho , lips red with blood and rose, from somewhere far away, but perhaps Sally hears it all the same for she has it too, the gift of her line.
Perseus, whom Styx spares the fatal curse of Achilles not out of Roman interference but out of familial bonds, of primordial connections. The Underworld looks after its own, does it not? And Perseus Jackson is most certainly of the Underworld, will always be.
Percy, whose mind bends blood as easily as it would water sees not the gift of Zagreus, but a horror of Tartarus but he will come to see, after all blood is life and life is blood. Of blood and over blood child, that is your power declares Zagreus from the deepest caverns if the Underworld and Percy thinks he's heard the whispers of the pit but perhaps, just perhaps blood will serve him well, better than sea, better than water.
Perseus, whose call the rivers obey, the rivers of the Underworld. They recognize the blood of their own, do they not? They do, and they answer. They always will, and so will the dead if he dares call upon them. One day, one day whispers Achilles to Zagreus as they watch, the rise and triumph of the favored child of the sea and the Underworld.
Percy, who puts all in his thrall just with the green of his eyes and the smile at his lips. He sees not the divine Peitho in himself, but Aphrodite does not miss, neither do the Olympians.
Perseus, who teeters on the edge of mortal and divine as does Zagreus between living and death. Both, neither, one more than the other. Which one? We may yet see, but Peitho knows, and so does Zagreus. They do not say it, but the Olympians feel it. The wave of change.
Percy, who finds his way in and out of his uncle's, once and again, and then always. New ways and old ones, even forgotten ones. Perhaps Zagreus will be out of a job soon, thinks Persephone fondly. Not even the Lord of the Dead finds it in himself the words of chagrin.
That's all the thoughts I can think up at the moment but I will reblog with more I am sure cause this will stay with me.
I wrote it a bit too dramatically, but I think it fits well. All things considered. Also, anon, let me know if this was to your liking.
Also, I think Zagreus's dynamic with Nico could be super interesting, and maybe just maybe it deserves it own post.
