A lot more Hades
Jan. 3rd, 2021 10:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
schneefinkSoo, the reason why I haven't been posting more about Hades is because between playing and taking way too many notes I found little time to clean the notes up for posting, but I should at some point and now is a nice moment.
25.12.
I made it out a second time – with the shield, again, and on god mode, again, but this time with Heat 1 because bounties. I brought Orpheus Eurydice's song and now he's singing again. I had a drink with Achilles and we chatted about Patroclus. (I could swear that when Patroclus first saw Zagreus wear the Myrmidon bracer he said something about telling Achilles he forgives him and would like to see him again, so it's odd now that Zagreus doesn't mention that, but when I wanted to look up the exact wording I didn't find it in the scene compilations I checked. Games as a canon are annoying.) And I met Thanatos twice more: the first time he showed up after Zagreus escaped for the first time he said something about being surprised Zagreus is still here, after he escaped, but "no matter," heh. I bet seeing Hades emerge from the Styx was a sight to see, though I'd be surprised if many saw it, besides Than. I wonder how much detail he knows about why Zagreus is still down here.
26.12.
I made it out with the gauntlets and the spear too, nice. Fastest time so far with the spear, mostly due to Triple Jab + Flurry Jab + Divine Strike + Merciful End & Thunder Dash + Static Discharge, that was nice. A+ moment after Hades was defeated after he refused to let Zagreus go see Persephone again: "Then, die, already. And get the hell out of my way."
Zagreus named the bone hydra Lernie :D
He also now has a lyre in his room after Orpheus suggested that he might try playing, but is not very good so far.
I only saw Patroclus once, he shows up very rarely and it's annoying ^^
Achilles thinks Zagreus is the good of blood and life, interesting! I look forward to Zagreus asking Achilles about it, he only saw it in the Codex so far.
I barely talked to Meg, I mostly saw her talking to Dusa, and also with Nyx and Achilles – they all seem to be telling her sensible things, so that seems good. Yes Meg I realize you're under a lot of pressure but you're still being very mean.
Thanatos showed up a few times, and it's always great. Those two boys are very confused and not sure what they are to each other. Thanatos: "Ugh, I don't know. Sometimes I miss not feeling anything. Can't always trust what feelings say. I get to thinking, are we only friends, or… look, this is embarrassing." Heh! More importantly, Zagreus finally explained why he's still in the Underworld after he found his mother, and that he's only able to visit her because he can't survive on the surface so he won't be leaving. Thanatos: "I see. Well then… that's good. That's good, because… it means that I won't have to track you down up top. Because, between us, I can only take so much of it up there." (Someone is writing the fic where Zagreus can survive outside and Thanatos does have to track him down, right?) And later Thanatos asks after Persephone again and says "If there's something more that I can do to support you in this, let me know, all right?" Aww.
[Ngl it's a bit annoying to quote so much, but because of the format, where I can't just go back and rewatch, I prefer it. Yes there are videos but everyone's game is different. I know there are ways to record scenes etc. but I haven't checked those out yet because I'm lazy in very specific ways.]
27.12.
I was so close to getting out with the bow!! Boo. I did make it out with the Fists, on Heat 1, even, I was skeptical at first but by now I like them a lot.
Favorite quotes: Zagreus telling Patroclus "Please open your mind to the possibility, nay the fact, that there are those who care about your wellbeing."
And Zagreus to Hades, after Hades scolded him for being late to their battle: "Oh shut up, and get your fork, and burn away that regal cape, and let's get to this, then. I'd no idea you had all these capes to spare! Must have a whole entire storage chamber full of them."
I finally managed to catch one of the legendary fish!! :D
I also liked Pat thinking about who gets to go to Elysium – warriors and kings, mostly, so the view of who is deserving is pretty one-sided.
The sunrise in Greece is still so beautiful. So is Persephone's house. I've heard that after the first ending that you don't get to see Greece anymore and that would be a huge shame.
28.12.
Two runs today, two clears, and delightful story content. Those two runs were basically my entire evening (late day at work and I'm still slow) but it was totally worth it.
First run, with Chaos Shield on Heat 2. That was a weird build, lots of Poseidon, including Curse of Drowning and Razor Shoals, and Divine Dash and Drunken Flourish and some other stuff, and I narrowly made it.
Before that, I finally discovered the weird pillars hidden by cloth in the courtyard, that Skelly said came from an impressed benefactor, and I love Zagreus' reaction:
"Let me guess… they want me to fight all the way through the Underworld, having used the Pact of Punishment over there to make the going even more treacherous than it already is, and if I succeed, they'll reward me with some sort of useless trinket?" He sounds so done!
Skelly: No, it's a big trinket. "Come on, what are you, scared?"
Zagreus: "Yes, a little bit, if you must know." Have I mentioned that I like him a lot.
Other quotes:
Chaos: "Son of Hades, should eventually you spawn your own offspring… I recommend maintaining sub-infinite distances with them in space and time. Even if they are most tiresome, there always seems to come a point when one wishes to be in their presence once again."
Asterius asking Zagreus what the surface is like, and Zagreus, after realizing that Asterius has never been outside because of the labyrinth: "[…] I haven't seen much of the surface, but… it's beautiful. Cold. When I'm there, though, I… feel out of place."
I also enjoyed Zagreus asking Hades why he didn't take away the weapons in the courtyard ("I'd be stuck."), and Hades claiming that "those cursed things […] go where they please. They cannot be contained. Like you." Hah.
Hades first claiming that he stole Persephone from Olympus to make Zagreus angry, but also asking him to ask her about what happened, because by now he's resigned to the fact that Zagreus will defeat him again eventually.
Poor Zagreus, he wants everyone to know that he defeated Hades, but it's a forbidden subject and barely even a rumor ^^ So he agrees to keep it quiet, for now. About defeating Hades, he admits to Achilles: "I didn't know whether I had it in me." But he did :)
Aww, Thanatos asking for confirmation that Zagreus will stay (apart from his "visits" to the surface.)
Zagreus: "I am. I figured it's the only way I could continue interrupting you while you try to do your job. You work too hard, Than, live a little, right?" ^^
Thanatos: "You'll have to show me what you mean by "live a little", though." I bet that can be arranged.
Zagreus got a music lesson from Orpheus, and they went for a drink in the lounge, that was nice.
Nyx insisting that she was true to Persephone, mm so much angst potential there.
And all of the above was just some excerpts from my first run & House visit! Very busy.
For the second run I unlocked the Aspect of Talos for Malphon and I love it a lot. Makes many things so much easier. This time I won with half my health and still had all three Death Defiances! Divine Strike was very useful, Divine Flourish was also nice, as well as Mistral Dash and Ares' Aid. I'm a fan of turning into a big Blade Rift.
After losing the last three or four times, this time I actually won a contest against Thanatos again! (Also a matter of opponents: witches are much easier to kill quickly before he gets to them than armored louts.)
Thanatos: "Outdid me once again, there, huh. Tsch. I have to admit, you're not as bad at all of this as I expected. First I found you, I was certain that you had no chance at all."
Zagreus: "I seem to have this whole easy-to-underestimate thing about me, based on a decent sum of my relationships. In any case, I always welcome your appearances out here. I know it's not been easy for you, Than."
Thanatos: "That's fair as an assessment, I would say. But then again, it's never been an easy time for me. I know I have to do my job. But I don't have to keep on helping you, like this."
Zagreus: "…What, you're telling me this is it? You're just going to leave me to my own devices, then, I've proved myself to you, something like that?"
Thanatos: "No, you deadbeat, I am telling you the opposite! Why do you think I keep on showing up? You may not really need me, Zagreus, but I will take these opportunities to help. I take it that's all right."
…soo I take pictures of conversations with my phone so I can type them up later. Feels like there should be a smarter way of doing this, heh.
The sunrise is gorgeous every time.
Persephone telling Zagreus not to visit her again – ouch!
Zagreus: "[…] I haven't fought all this way, over and over again, only to turn back now. I need you in my life! How can you just… turn me away like this?" :(
Persephone: "My son… I know you've made hard choices and sacrifices to be here with me. And I'm forever grateful to have finally met you. But this is my home, now, yes. While your home is below. Please, if not for your sake, then for mine… do not return. I love you, Zagreus. Good-bye."
(There should be the fic where he listens, and the fic where she never says that and he keeps coming to visit her for years and years, and…)
I can finally give Thanatos ambrosia! "For all the times you've bailed me out, and just, all the times you've been around for me…" :)
Thanatos: "Ambrosia…! Zagreus, where did you even… don't you think this is a bit excessive?"
Zagreus: "You say that like it's a bad thing. Little bit of excess from time to time never hurt anyone I'm sure."
Thanatos: "Oh, you would be surprised. Though if you're going to embarrass me, you know what, I am going to reciprocate. Behold!"
And Zagreus got Mort, a stuffed mouse, aww. Which he immediately recognizes and proclaims himself honored, this is so cute.
Zagreus also went for a drink with Dusa, got warned by Meg not to use the Extreme Measures condition, bought an aquarium for the Lounge, picked up two new prophecies and fulfilled two - it's been a busy day! And a lot of fun.
29.12.
I decided to play without god mode again, because I don't want to be done with Greece too soon. Two runs: on the first I tried out Exagryph's Aspect of Eris, that one did not go very well because it took me a while to even halfway get the hang of when to move, when to shoot etc., not to mention remembering to reload. I died early in Elysium. Most fun moment was when Zagreus mentioned to Charon possibly asking Nyx about his and Hermes' cooperation etc. and Charon got so mad Zagreus changed his mind ^^
Back in the House, turns out Chaos tried to contact Nyx and Nyx will think about whether/how to get in contact with them, and Achilles talked about Patroclus again and how he wasn't originally sent to Elysium.
Next run, with the Fists' Aspect of Talos again. Fun, especially after I got Scintillating Feast early on, but I need to get much better at aiming my dash-strikes, they miss more often than not. I met Than again – he looks straight at me now sometimes ^^ Apparently Zagreus taking Mort – who Thanatos always used to carry around until he lost him – means Thanatos can "keep a better eye on you out there." I used Mort to summon Thanatos twice on that same run, once against the Hydra and once against Theseus, the delay makes aiming harder but it sure was convenient.
I also met Pat again, and Zagreus proclaims that him and Achilles staying separated is not acceptable to him and that he'll figure something out, and asks Patroclus not to give in to what he's feeling right now. "Achilles loves you still, like you don't know." "I love him still, in turn." Of course.
Zagreus also found out that Demeter called her lost daughter Kore, but that she called herself Persephone, and that therefore Demeter is his grandmother, fun. And after getting killed by Theseus – ugh – Hades warns him that if he keeps "meddling in matters that you cannot understand, [he'll] incur the wrath of Olympus on all that you hold dear. And, know that it is not for my sake that I'm warning you." Wondering who else exactly Hades was talking about – Nyx and her family? Meg?
Zagreus also had a conversation with Achilles about his relationship with Thanatos, that was adorable. "I think he cares for you more deeply than you know. You have a certain way, besides. It has been difficult between you two. And circumstances lately haven't helped. But, if you love him… follow your heart."
"Whoa, just a moment, there, I mean… I've never said something like that, have I?"^^
Convenient warning by the game not to keep giving him gifts if someone doesn't want to pursue the romance option.
Zagreus asks Thanatos why mortals grieve so much about death: "it definitely hurts there for a little while, but… it's not that bad." And is then horrified to learn about what mortals think: "But that's absurd. One life? Though… eugh. That's horrible, even to think about." And Thanatos says that getting the information out about what the afterlife is really like is slow going, but at least he gets to be the bearer of good news ^^
Meg also asks Zagreus about Elysium – okay, she mentions him dying there, which for her is practically the same thing – and apparently she's never been there, which makes sense on the one hand because her victims wouldn't be there but also means that she didn't even go exploring. She was almost not mean at all, so I gave her another nectar, and she just repeated that things can't go back to the way they were. "It isn't possible. We may be immortals but we're older now." "I'd hope we're wiser, too." Yeah, one would, but, heh.
And at the end – whoa, there's a lot of story in only two runs, and I'm still leaving stuff out, like telling Chaos about Nyx' reaction and Dusa mentioning her task to make the lounge nicer and that leading to yet another prophecy. Yet another prophecy at the very end, when Skelly asked Zagreus "to get me out of here. Permanently, if you catch my drift. This standing around stuff… just kind of wears on you, after a while, you know?"
[…] "Then you'd be dead, forever? You're asking me to kill you." Odd that he uses "kill" here, when usually in the Underworld that's not a permanent state at all, you'd think there'd be a linguistic differentiation but apparently not.
I also have a second save file where I don't get any permanent upgrades via the Mirror or unlock new weapons, just base strength and the sword and no god mode, and see how far I get. It's both good practice for basics, like aiming and evading etc., and a good choice for when I'm in the mood to kill some monsters but want to spend less time. Yes I could simply stop in the middle of a run and return the next day but I don't want to. Made it to Meg twice now, so I'm getting better! Zagreus: "Your whip's not been all that persuasive in the past" – look. It's canon.
30.12.
I tried out Coronacht with the Aspect of Chiron: very cool against fewer strong enemies, and I even got some nice bonus damage with Privileged Status and Demeter and Aphrodite on attack/special. But I still find aiming with the bow quite hard – in general, aiming after dashing is hard – and died quickly when I got some larger groups of enemies in Asphodel.
Then when I got back to the House Achilles told me he had a vision from Varatha: "As you may know, lad, I've a connection to the weapons that you use, having once wielded one of them myself. Of course not knowing its significance back then, but I digress. Sometimes, it… well, it keeps in touch. And I've a vision from it to impart."
Zagreus, correctly: "[…] That's… out of the ordinary, and also a bit concerning."
So Achilles saw Guan Yu, and also a vision of Zagreus being one of Varatha's bearers, which I'd guess has a different meaning than just wielding the weapon (must refer to Zagreus' own Aspect.)
Btw, I was amused by how Zagreus described awakening the Aspect to Achilles: "It revealed to me a form I'd never seen. Wielded by the warrior called Guan Yu. Handsomely dressed!" Priorities xD
So I tried out Varatha with the Aspect of Guan Yu: tricky because of the low health, and the life-draining spin circle takes a while to charge up, but still fun! I'll try it out more often; I tried it out for a second time soon after, after one run using the Fists with Aspect of Talos. I died in Asphodel every time today, apart from my first try with Guan Yu when Meg killed me, but I still had fun.
More story content! There is so much story content it's almost stressful keeping track ^^ Though mostly because I want to remember as much as I can for hypothetical future fic writing purposes. (Again, there must be a way to just record my game so I can rewatch & take screenshots etc. later, right? Will have to do research.)
Early hilarious moment, a scene with Hades when Zagreus jumped out the window, about how mortals become men more quickly, and: "This is the Fury Megaera. She shall accelerate the process in your case." That… could mean a lot, heh. (Also implies that they didn't meet as children, which I thought they had. Hm, is "Fury" something Meg always was, or became?) Zagreus' reaction was "We've put each other through a lot, haven't we, Meg," and yes, they have. "Professional distance is important," as Meg said later right before another fight.
Hades proclaimed his satisfaction that Orpheus is finally playing again, to which Orpheus replies immediately that he was motivated by the Prince and his muse, heh. Orpheus also composed a new song, nice.
And Zagreus voided Orpheus and Eurydice's separation order! After asking Nyx for help and Nyx confirming that he has the authority and telling him where to find the contract in the administrative chamber. Zagreus found the contract and asked Hades if he would "honor the new terms, or spitefully cheat me out of a fair deal?" Hades insisted he honors the rules but says Zagreus could never afford it, which gave me great pleasure when I just walked right over to the house contractor and gave him the necessary diamonds.
Zagreus also asked Hades about being a quarter mortal from his mother's side and if that's why he has red blood and his "propensity to die," but Hades seems to deny that; "Though, your meddlesome curiosity and constant need for affirmation must certainly be from your mortal side."
Dusa is renovating the lounge and Zagreus is helping, means I'll have to decide on a rug soon, hm.
Zagreus telling Dusa about Persephone being his birth mother (though he could have phrased it better than saying Nyx is not his real mother – to his credit, he usually does) and that he left to search for her was sweet. But Dusa already knew, "[…] I had heard about it, everybody talks, you know, from time to time?" Iinteresting. As a fairly small floating head Dusa would be great at eavesdropping (not that it's hard, with how Hades and Zagreus have been talking right in front of the Great Hall.) And she seems to be interested in gossip, judging from the many questions she asks once learning that Zagreus met his mother, including if she's with anybody ^^
Zagreus getting so annoyed by Tisiphone accusing him of being a murderer so now he tries to teach her to say his name is fun. "You really did say murderzer, didn't you? That's progress! Zagreus! I'm Zagreus, I'm not a murderer! Can you say Zagreus?"
31.12.
Several runs with no (or little) heat and no god mode and I only made it to Elysium twice. Also because I'm trying out weapon aspects that are still unfamiliar - it's not a big adjustment with Talos, but it is with Guan Yu, and as for Eris, I've never been that good with Exagryph. I like Talos and Guan Yu a lot! Just need more practice – and ideally, weapon upgrades, but I have to ration my Titan Blood.
Orpheus and Eurydice are reunited, nice :) Seems like Orpheus doesn't know it was directly because of Zagreus, and Zagreus didn't tell him either. Still Orpheus wanted to repay Zagreus for giving him the opportunity and for speaking to him all this time, but Zagreus refused: "Why is it always talk of payment around here? You're my mate. And your songs have lifted many spirits here, including mine."
When Hades confronted Zagreus about voiding the contract ("You […] used your own authority against me.") Zagreus responds "So what if I did? Just gives him a break from time to time. He's still your court musician, isn't he?"
Hades: "He is. And he knows better than to undermine me, I think. Out with you, then! I'll deal with your insubordination some other time." It occurred to me that that could have gone a lot worse.
I visited Orpheus and Eurydice together and was surprised that I didn't love their duet more. I like the song, but the second voice added very little to it and it was a bit disappointed.
Righter after that I found what I'm pretty sure was my first fountain in Asphodel. After about 90 escape attempts! There weren't any shades there, unlike in Tartarus, and iirc there aren't any hanging around the fountain in Elysium usually but in Asphodel specifically I'd think that fountains are a welcome reprieve from the heat that Zagreus never fails to remark on upon entering, so that was odd. Asphodel must have flooded a while back, for the fish to adjust – seems kind of unfair to leave the "average" mortal souls in a place like this, but clearly Hades doesn't care.
Speaking of fish, I finally – with the help of one of Charon's wells – discovered a fishing spot in Chaos' realm! Nyx also tasked me to restore the Elder Sigil so she can visit Chaos again, so now I'm collecting Darkness for that. Chaos' quote of the day/night/whatever: "Through the expanse of time, I often wondered, is it necessary to be fair? The immortals are my offspring; surely I should treat them equally. And yet I find that there is little sport in doing so." Heh.
I forged my first bond! With Charon, of all people – I thought I had a favor to complete first? Anyway, fun.
Hermes, to my great surprise, asked if Zagreus would prefer him to talk less, and then there was an actual choice whether to mute him next time or not, but I chose not: "Perish the thought, Lord Hermes. It's been great hearing from you from time to time."
Zagreus offered Achilles to try and void his pact with Hades, but Achilles didn't want him to: "I know you mean well, lad. And, from the bottom of my heart, where once it was, I thank you truly for the thought. However… don't exert your influence on this. Not now, at least. The Fates can twist intentions. I don't want to take the risk." Zagreus accepts the decision but says that he will asks again because "we have to find a way to fix this. Patroclus is waiting."
Asked about Patroclus, Achilles told Zagreus that their ashes were mingled together, and that he tried to find Patroclus or alter his pact before but that it's not that simple. "But I shall tell you what. When next you see Patroclus on your journeys, you keep speaking to him for me, won't you?" The inspiration for all the fic where Achilles and Patroclus use Zagreus as a go-between for more than words is very clear ^^
In another conversation Zagreus mentioned wielding Achilles' aspect of Varatha: "It… fills me with a hunger for battle even more so than usual. A bit of your fighting spirit, perhaps."
Achilles: "Be very wary of that spirit, lad. It was what brought me here before my time. Although that spear indeed once served me well. A parting gift from my old master Chiron. He cautioned me as I am cautioning you. Though, may you be a better listener." And Zagreus said that he can't imagine Achilles not being a good listener, aww.
No Thanatos today, but several good Meg scenes. Like her scolding Zagreus for having signed the Pact of Punishment: "Have you completely lost your mind? Or just trying to insult me?"
Zagreus: "Well if you're going to be so rude about it, maybe a little of each? Though, what do you even care which pacts I sign or don't?"
Megaera: "I'm not an idiot. I see what you're doing. You want to be punished? Then, come on."
I can't remember if she killed me in that fight, she definitely did once today.
Later, after I defeated her and found her in the lounge again, Zagreus tells her that they have to talk: "I still have feelings for you. At least… I think I do. Isn't there… isn't there someway for us to, you know… work through all of this?"
Meg: "In spite of everything that's happened, and that's happening right now? What are the outcomes, Zagreus? Either you eventually succeed, and leave this place, or else, what, exactly?" So she doesn't know yet that he can't survive on the surface! I forgot he hadn't told her yet. And/or, maybe she thinks that for Zagreus, succeeding means finding a way to stay up there.
Zag: "…I haven't thought that far ahead. But I don't think it has to be this way. I don't hate you, Meg. I don't think I can ever hate you." (Probably the only reason why Zagreus doesn't tell her here that he's bound to the Underworld, when he told Than, is because of the limited dialogue system.)
Meg: "…Despite my best intentions. Unfortunately, I don't know that I can say the same. Look, I'm at a very difficult point in my career. I need to focus on that now. Do we understand each other?"
Later, before another fight, when she asks him what he thinks he's doing:
Zagreus: "I think I'm going all the way to the top again, Meg. To find my mother. You won't stop me. Get out of my way."
Meg: "We both know that's not going to happen. Getting out of your way, I mean." Aww, she clarified that she didn't mean that finding his mother won't happen.
And Zagreus also asked Nyx about Meg: "Nyx, you've known Megaera practically forever. Well, before my time at least, so could you… tell me more about what she was like, back then?"
Nyx: "Ah-hahah. I am pleased to see the two of you on better terms of late. Megaera always was as she appears. Dutiful, and quite particular. Thoughtful and dependable. Respectful."
Zagreus: "Respectful. Definitely." xD
Though Meg was very respectful when Zagreus overheard her talking with Nyx that one time.
Zagreus has been doing some lounge renovations, to help Dusa and also, as he says when Meg asks if the rumor that he is responsible is true and why he would even bother: "Well, it's a popular locale for off-duty Underworld officers to take a load off between shifts, and so I figure… least I can do is pitch in and make the place a little better than I left it, right?"
Meg: "How very selfless of you, Zagreus. Soon doubtless it'll be your portrait hanging on that wall back there." He was skeptical ^^
Zag also talked with Dusa about the renovations and about working with Nyx, who ordered them, and if she's very strict. Dusa asked if Nyx has been criticizing her, and Zagreus tries to reassure her: "Hey, no, no no, it's not like that, it's just… a feeling that I've had from glimpses of the interactions between you two. I haven't always got along with Nyx, but I know she cares deeply about this House and everyone in it. Including you."
Dusa seems skeptical ("She cares about my work performance, that's for very sure, and I am doing everything I can to live up to and exceed her expectations, tell her that!") Meanwhile I'm very intrigued by the information that Zagreus and Nyx did not always get along that well. Hmm.
1.1.
I really need to learn how not to use up all my Death Defiances against the Furies *sighs*
I was fighting Tisiphone and wanted to use my Special and accidentally summoned Thanatos, who said "Zag, don't make me do this" when he appeared, and then I felt bad. (And surprised. Was it because it was Tisiphone/a Fury specifically?) I haven't summoned him since…
Zagreus confronted Achilles about the codex, i.e. Achilles, speculating that he is the god of blood. Achilles said that Zagreus has to be the god of something and that he was only speculating based on his observations, but Zagreus insists that he's not the god of anything. Hm.
Demeter: "Your father Hades and I share a common fate, each having lost a child fully grown; except that he's a hollow fool, whose child left! Whereas my daughter never would have. Ever!" So about that…
Aww, Hypnos makes Zagreus feel welcome when he comes back.
(Thanatos: "I don't know what's worse, dying repeatedly or Hypnos. Although, I guess I'm grateful for your patience with him, Zag." Heh. And just a little while later Thanatos does tell Hypnos "nice work."
Meg showed up in Zagreus' chambers. Zagreus said this is something he has to do and that she wouldn't understand. Meg said he wouldn't know, and that the fact that her sisters are involved now takes some of the pressure off her. "I'm saying… I know you're doing what you have to do, here, Zagreus. And, my sisters and I will always try to stop you. But I am only doing it because I have to. Understand?" Hey, progress.
(I could give her ambrosia now but I'm waiting until I meet her when she's less mean.)
The fact that Chaos can see through the Shield of Chaos is interesting and has potential…
Patroclus: "Stranger, I am warning you: If you keep showing up like this, I'm going to have to find a new nickname for you." Add it to the list, Zagreus has, what, almost two dozen by now?
Zagreus: "No need to go out of your way, there, sir. We're just acquaintances. I don't know anything about you, either." Weeell ^^
Patroclus: And you are better off. This place is for the greatest of the Greeks. Do I seem like the sort to fit in, here? Go on and chat with Theseus, or someone of that sort." Heh.
Right after, Theseus: "You shall never see the light of day as I once did! Uh, no offense, Asterius." xD
Meanwhile Hypnos wants Asterius' autograph, okay.
Achilles about Patroclus: "He was… one of the only men I knew who did not look upon me as a threat. He saw something in me I never knew was there. And in turn, with him, I felt.. how to describe it? Calm. Whole."
Zagreus: "Hah! I'm restless all the time. I can only imagine." I continue to be amused and intrigued by the fact that Zagreus has such a huge bed in his room yet never sleeps.
Also, even Dusa thinks that there has to be a way to help Achilles: "[…]He's been so loyal to this House, and he has to be your truest friend of everybody here. But he's the pity-party type. He needs someone to get him out of this!" Aww.
I love the conversations Zagreus and Thanatos have about mortals and death. Zagreus, still troubled about mortals believing that their life is all they have: "How do they live? I mean, I can't even imagine what that's like. I'd be a lot more careful, at the very least!" Hah.
Thanatos: "They live with all their hearts, or at least try. I think there's something to it, truthfully. Though, some of them, they fall apart. They get here without me. On their own, gripped with despair. If only they knew what your father always says about all this."
Zagreus: "What, you mean that 'there is no escape'? From what? The mortals are up there, not here. Not while they're technically alive in their sense, anyway."
Thanatos: "I mean, you can't escape your problems, Zagreus. You can run from your family, but you can't run from everything. You have no choice but to confront it, and work through it, sooner or later, one way or another. You, and all of us."
Zagreus: "…I'm starting to notice that, yes.[…]"
And immediately afterwards, because he listened, Zagreus gave him another bottle of ambrosia ^^ And then another one.
Zagreus: "[…] I should not have left the way I did, without letting you know. But when you found me, I … think that's when… that's when I knew. Or started to realize, you know?" Aww.
Shortly afterwards Thanatos appeared in his room. They finally figured themselves out and are in a relationship now :) I have less of an urge to write about that because there are definitely scene compilations etc. of that online, but it was nice.
So Nyx made the Chthonic Companions? And she built only a few of them, specifically to be given away? Hm.
Zagreus: "I have to say, and I do mean this as a compliment: It's hard for me to imagine Night Incarnate herself fashioning these little keepsakes to be given between friends." Not only you ^^
That she gave one to Thanatos is unsurprising, but if I remember my spoilers correctly Zagreus can also get one from Meg (also unsurprising), Achilles and Patroclus (hm, interesting, I can't remember hearing anything about Nyx and Achilles' relationship), Skelly (I thought Nyx had never met him before he showed up in the courtyard?), Dusa (?!), and Sisyphus (???). Hmm.
Zagreus overheard Meg talking to Hades: "…I cannot work with them, Lord Hades. Please. They don't respect my words, or even listen."
Hades: "Enough! Besides, Megaera, this is not your failing. It is mine. I must attend to these affairs more actively." Oh?
Meg: "…I've often tried, but never to a satisfactory result. You're asking the impossible of me."
Hades: "I am not asking, Megaera."
Poor Meg. Also, didn't Hades just say that it's his fault??
2.1.
I finally managed to defeat Hades without god mode on! I had turned it off and had no victories for about twenty runs – fittingly, right after Persephone told Zagreus not to come back anymore – and then I decided to try again with god mode, with Exagryph's Aspect of Eris, and made it.
And then I tried without god mode, with Aegis' Aspect of Chaos, and I won! I got lucky, I got Charged Shot and had Heartbreak Strike on the Attack and Curse of Pain on the Special, plus Tidal Dash and Hyper Sprint, plus some others like Dionysus' call and Unshakeable Mettle etc. Going into the Hades fight I had almost 300 health and three Death Defiances (two from wells and one from Athena), and I needed all three.
It's nice to know that I can do it! Don't care that it took me over a hundred escape attempts. I'll see if I try doing that with other weapons, or if I go back to using god mode + heat for a while to get more Titan Blood, probably the latter. So many cool Aspects to unlock/upgrade! Of the legendaries, I have used Guan Yu a few times so far (it's hard but fun), and I unlocked Gilgamesh but haven't tried it yet.
Main story, Zagreus returned to Persephone, then broke into his father's chambers (with the help of Achilles, even though "this can get me in a lot of trouble, like you've no idea. And not just me, so…") to find proof that Hades still loves her and found a wardrobe full of identical capes, of course because he burns them every time they fight ^^
Zagreus is so angry about the separation apparently brought on by a lack of communication, understandably so. "[…]this blasted family… it cannot just keep hiding from its problems! Running from them! We're stuck with one another, we… we have to do everything we can… for one another!" I love his passion (but I also kind of want fic where he does stop visiting Persephone and am now wondering how that could happen.)
Zagreus reunited Nyx and Chaos, that was nice.
Chaos' reaction to Zagreus giving them ambrosia was puzzlement about the apparent waste of resources.
Zagreus: "[…]But, though these offerings, I can express my thanks. That's worth it by itself."
Chaos: "…I see. So then, the action is akin to theft. For you are getting something in return that I did not intend to give." Heh xD
Later, Chaos calls Zagreus "my favorite among those immortals dwelling underneath the Earth," aww.
Speaking of Nyx, when asked about Charon: "Charon and I have not lately taken opportunities to correspond." Hm.
Nyx also said to Zagreus that she has "seldom encountered anyone so united with the Darkness of this domain as you are."
Next task, Achilles and Patroclus, but I think I need to talk to Patroclus a few more times. Recently when I visited his glade Patroclus said to himself that Achilles must hate him to have abandoned him here in Elysium :(
Dionysus got Zagreus' help to play a prank on Orpheus to make him think they're the same god, an allusion to actual Greek myth where they kind of were (it's complicated), nice.
Artemis: "Uncle Poseidon blessed you, didn't he. To think that big, fat oaf is your own father's brother. I'm told to be respectful near him, but it's hard." Artemis is great xD
The problem with dialogue pools: It sounds like Zagreus has still not told Meg that he actually found his mother already, which is a shame.
Tisiphone has learned how to say Zagreus' name! And then called him a murderer again, heh ^^ Well, small steps.
Zagreus seems unfamiliar with the terms of Sisyphus' punishment, odd.
Thanatos showed up a few times. My favorite was the time when after the green flash of light Zagreus said "Guh-dong," heh.
Nyx: "You and my son… it pleases me to see the two of you have grown so close of late. Thanatos has always led a solitary life. He never would complain of it, and yet… I know he yearned for closeness, in his way."
Zagreus: "Thank you, Nyx. I think we each harbored feelings for each other for some time. We've finally been true about them." And then he agrees to Nyx request to take care of Thanatos because she fears he works himself too hard, aww.
Ares: "It is my understanding that you have grown rather close with Thanatos, my kin? A perfect choice of mate, though I confess I'd not expected Death to have affection for another save himself."
Ares, a little later: "Life and death are inextricable, and war is often what connects the two. Don't you agree?" …okay that sounds like a threesome solicitation xD
I'm still petting the dog regularly, though I have to admit not every time. Recently, the narrator: "The burning embers in the eyes of monstrous Cerberus, notorious hound of hell, reveal that he, too, is amenable to the pets of which the Underworld Prince speaks, and in fact is deeply grateful for the quantity of them." Aww.
I'm very curious how the relationship between Nyx and Dusa will continue to play out. Nyx really doesn't seem to like her, even forbidding her from approaching Zagreus etc. Odd. The lounge looks really good by now though! Next step, fireplace. According to the narrator: "The dead have utterly no use for sustenance, although they try to feast upon it anyway, as though imagining the customs of the mortal life brings them some sense of peace." Well, even if they don't need to eat, they might still have a sense of taste.
Zagreus' lyre playing is already much better, btw.
3.1.
It took me 107 escape attempts to bring the Queen home :)
After I defeated Hades without god mode the day before I got cocky and promptly died early a few times while using god mode. Then I decided to get the last normal boon of a god for extra gems, used Aspect of Nemesis for the first time and picked a bunch of Poseidon and Demeter boons for fun (and some Artemis), and to my own surprise made it to Hades. I was really curious if I had a chance! Instead, he just let me pass. Not that I want to complain…
The credits scene was beautiful, such a gorgeous boat ride. (Though I did wonder how they made it past the waterfalls ^^ And did Persephone really not know that everywhere else apart from her cottage was in deepest winter?) I'm sad that from what I've heard I won't be able to go to Greece again (there should be a gardening expansion!), but now the House of Hades has a garden so that's a consolation prize.
Persephone and Hades' conversation when she returned was also nice. Of course she greeted Cerberus first ^^ She also demanded that Hades apologize to Zagreus, which he did:
Hades: "Yes. I…Zagreus. I know there have been times… when I've let my mood reflect on you. I showed very little patience. Questioned your judgment, often, when my own was flawed. Thus, I apologize to you, my son. I have no excuses. And I ask no forgiveness."
Zagreus: "What about the part where you lied to me about Mother, do you apologize for that? Your foul moods, and venting them on me… I've long since come to expect that from you. And I resented you for it. But I always thought… you're honest."
Hades claimed that deceiving both of them "tore against my being. But it needed to be done," because he believed Persephone's decision was final and that she was better off without either the Underworld or Olympus. Not a very good reason imo.
Zagreus: "Well, you didn't need to vent all that inner turmoil onto me throughout my life. Though, I think I understand. I only wish I could have understood sooner." Understanding =/= forgiveness. Just before Hades let him go, Zagreus called him "an obstinate, overbearing, miserable excuse for a husband and father." It'll take a while for them to actually have some kind of decent relationship. (But I did take the opportunity to give Hades nectar for the first time afterwards.)
"So, uh… what now? I've grown so used to ransacking your domain, I think I' really going to miss it."
And Zagreus is officially employed as a security consultant now! Hades' reason, that he needs to keep uncovering security flaws, seems a little thin, since Zagreus only got as far as he did because of the Infernal Arms and the boons of the Olympians, and besides Hades could just permanently enable the Pact of Punishment conditions, but I guess Hades realized that this at last is something Zagreus enjoys doing and is good at. Plus, their fights can be father-son bonding experiences! At the end of which they kill each other, gods… Meanwhile Persephone has a good point that the Olympians would be suspicious if Zagreus suddenly stopped.
I was surprised that while Nyx seemed happy that Persephone is back, she was still standing in her corner. I expect that they'll be talking together next time Zagreus returns.
Zagreus is now Dusa's co-worker, which she's very excited about, aww. I used her Companion for the first time that run, that was sweet. He also asked her about gorgon language and Dusa mentioned that Zagreus has a surface accent, odd.
And Meg knows that Zagreus will be staying, now! Earlier I gave her ambrosia for the first time after a conversation about Tisiphone, with Meg mocking Zagreus for trying to teach her words ("Maybe, just maybe, you're projecting your own insecurities onto her a little bit? Tis can take care of herself. Always has. Talking's not her strong suit like it's yours. But if you, in all your wisdom, think you've got something to teach her, you go right ahead.") and Zagreus realizing that Meg must have tried before and failed. So I have her Companion now, but haven't used it yet.
Zagreus about his new job: "[…]before you ask, I'm not doing it for him."
Meg: "I didn't think you'd have it in you. To leave this place for good. But I didn't think you'd take responsibility for anything, either." Wow, thanks. "Anyway… we'll just have to kill each other more officially, I guess."
Other random favorite discovery of the day: Chaos' occasional commentary when Zagreus is using their shield ^^
So this got long... And I don't want to look up how many hours I've played so far and how many that is per day. But as LB and DD said, if I don't neglect important things because of it then who cares and if I enjoy it I should play as much as I want. (Admittedly I am behind on a few things, but I don't have that many spoons atm so I think it's mostly the method of procrastination.) And I am having a lot of fun :)
25.12.
I made it out a second time – with the shield, again, and on god mode, again, but this time with Heat 1 because bounties. I brought Orpheus Eurydice's song and now he's singing again. I had a drink with Achilles and we chatted about Patroclus. (I could swear that when Patroclus first saw Zagreus wear the Myrmidon bracer he said something about telling Achilles he forgives him and would like to see him again, so it's odd now that Zagreus doesn't mention that, but when I wanted to look up the exact wording I didn't find it in the scene compilations I checked. Games as a canon are annoying.) And I met Thanatos twice more: the first time he showed up after Zagreus escaped for the first time he said something about being surprised Zagreus is still here, after he escaped, but "no matter," heh. I bet seeing Hades emerge from the Styx was a sight to see, though I'd be surprised if many saw it, besides Than. I wonder how much detail he knows about why Zagreus is still down here.
26.12.
I made it out with the gauntlets and the spear too, nice. Fastest time so far with the spear, mostly due to Triple Jab + Flurry Jab + Divine Strike + Merciful End & Thunder Dash + Static Discharge, that was nice. A+ moment after Hades was defeated after he refused to let Zagreus go see Persephone again: "Then, die, already. And get the hell out of my way."
Zagreus named the bone hydra Lernie :D
He also now has a lyre in his room after Orpheus suggested that he might try playing, but is not very good so far.
I only saw Patroclus once, he shows up very rarely and it's annoying ^^
Achilles thinks Zagreus is the good of blood and life, interesting! I look forward to Zagreus asking Achilles about it, he only saw it in the Codex so far.
I barely talked to Meg, I mostly saw her talking to Dusa, and also with Nyx and Achilles – they all seem to be telling her sensible things, so that seems good. Yes Meg I realize you're under a lot of pressure but you're still being very mean.
Thanatos showed up a few times, and it's always great. Those two boys are very confused and not sure what they are to each other. Thanatos: "Ugh, I don't know. Sometimes I miss not feeling anything. Can't always trust what feelings say. I get to thinking, are we only friends, or… look, this is embarrassing." Heh! More importantly, Zagreus finally explained why he's still in the Underworld after he found his mother, and that he's only able to visit her because he can't survive on the surface so he won't be leaving. Thanatos: "I see. Well then… that's good. That's good, because… it means that I won't have to track you down up top. Because, between us, I can only take so much of it up there." (Someone is writing the fic where Zagreus can survive outside and Thanatos does have to track him down, right?) And later Thanatos asks after Persephone again and says "If there's something more that I can do to support you in this, let me know, all right?" Aww.
[Ngl it's a bit annoying to quote so much, but because of the format, where I can't just go back and rewatch, I prefer it. Yes there are videos but everyone's game is different. I know there are ways to record scenes etc. but I haven't checked those out yet because I'm lazy in very specific ways.]
27.12.
I was so close to getting out with the bow!! Boo. I did make it out with the Fists, on Heat 1, even, I was skeptical at first but by now I like them a lot.
Favorite quotes: Zagreus telling Patroclus "Please open your mind to the possibility, nay the fact, that there are those who care about your wellbeing."
And Zagreus to Hades, after Hades scolded him for being late to their battle: "Oh shut up, and get your fork, and burn away that regal cape, and let's get to this, then. I'd no idea you had all these capes to spare! Must have a whole entire storage chamber full of them."
I finally managed to catch one of the legendary fish!! :D
I also liked Pat thinking about who gets to go to Elysium – warriors and kings, mostly, so the view of who is deserving is pretty one-sided.
The sunrise in Greece is still so beautiful. So is Persephone's house. I've heard that after the first ending that you don't get to see Greece anymore and that would be a huge shame.
28.12.
Two runs today, two clears, and delightful story content. Those two runs were basically my entire evening (late day at work and I'm still slow) but it was totally worth it.
First run, with Chaos Shield on Heat 2. That was a weird build, lots of Poseidon, including Curse of Drowning and Razor Shoals, and Divine Dash and Drunken Flourish and some other stuff, and I narrowly made it.
Before that, I finally discovered the weird pillars hidden by cloth in the courtyard, that Skelly said came from an impressed benefactor, and I love Zagreus' reaction:
"Let me guess… they want me to fight all the way through the Underworld, having used the Pact of Punishment over there to make the going even more treacherous than it already is, and if I succeed, they'll reward me with some sort of useless trinket?" He sounds so done!
Skelly: No, it's a big trinket. "Come on, what are you, scared?"
Zagreus: "Yes, a little bit, if you must know." Have I mentioned that I like him a lot.
Other quotes:
Chaos: "Son of Hades, should eventually you spawn your own offspring… I recommend maintaining sub-infinite distances with them in space and time. Even if they are most tiresome, there always seems to come a point when one wishes to be in their presence once again."
Asterius asking Zagreus what the surface is like, and Zagreus, after realizing that Asterius has never been outside because of the labyrinth: "[…] I haven't seen much of the surface, but… it's beautiful. Cold. When I'm there, though, I… feel out of place."
I also enjoyed Zagreus asking Hades why he didn't take away the weapons in the courtyard ("I'd be stuck."), and Hades claiming that "those cursed things […] go where they please. They cannot be contained. Like you." Hah.
Hades first claiming that he stole Persephone from Olympus to make Zagreus angry, but also asking him to ask her about what happened, because by now he's resigned to the fact that Zagreus will defeat him again eventually.
Poor Zagreus, he wants everyone to know that he defeated Hades, but it's a forbidden subject and barely even a rumor ^^ So he agrees to keep it quiet, for now. About defeating Hades, he admits to Achilles: "I didn't know whether I had it in me." But he did :)
Aww, Thanatos asking for confirmation that Zagreus will stay (apart from his "visits" to the surface.)
Zagreus: "I am. I figured it's the only way I could continue interrupting you while you try to do your job. You work too hard, Than, live a little, right?" ^^
Thanatos: "You'll have to show me what you mean by "live a little", though." I bet that can be arranged.
Zagreus got a music lesson from Orpheus, and they went for a drink in the lounge, that was nice.
Nyx insisting that she was true to Persephone, mm so much angst potential there.
And all of the above was just some excerpts from my first run & House visit! Very busy.
For the second run I unlocked the Aspect of Talos for Malphon and I love it a lot. Makes many things so much easier. This time I won with half my health and still had all three Death Defiances! Divine Strike was very useful, Divine Flourish was also nice, as well as Mistral Dash and Ares' Aid. I'm a fan of turning into a big Blade Rift.
After losing the last three or four times, this time I actually won a contest against Thanatos again! (Also a matter of opponents: witches are much easier to kill quickly before he gets to them than armored louts.)
Thanatos: "Outdid me once again, there, huh. Tsch. I have to admit, you're not as bad at all of this as I expected. First I found you, I was certain that you had no chance at all."
Zagreus: "I seem to have this whole easy-to-underestimate thing about me, based on a decent sum of my relationships. In any case, I always welcome your appearances out here. I know it's not been easy for you, Than."
Thanatos: "That's fair as an assessment, I would say. But then again, it's never been an easy time for me. I know I have to do my job. But I don't have to keep on helping you, like this."
Zagreus: "…What, you're telling me this is it? You're just going to leave me to my own devices, then, I've proved myself to you, something like that?"
Thanatos: "No, you deadbeat, I am telling you the opposite! Why do you think I keep on showing up? You may not really need me, Zagreus, but I will take these opportunities to help. I take it that's all right."
…soo I take pictures of conversations with my phone so I can type them up later. Feels like there should be a smarter way of doing this, heh.
The sunrise is gorgeous every time.
Persephone telling Zagreus not to visit her again – ouch!
Zagreus: "[…] I haven't fought all this way, over and over again, only to turn back now. I need you in my life! How can you just… turn me away like this?" :(
Persephone: "My son… I know you've made hard choices and sacrifices to be here with me. And I'm forever grateful to have finally met you. But this is my home, now, yes. While your home is below. Please, if not for your sake, then for mine… do not return. I love you, Zagreus. Good-bye."
(There should be the fic where he listens, and the fic where she never says that and he keeps coming to visit her for years and years, and…)
I can finally give Thanatos ambrosia! "For all the times you've bailed me out, and just, all the times you've been around for me…" :)
Thanatos: "Ambrosia…! Zagreus, where did you even… don't you think this is a bit excessive?"
Zagreus: "You say that like it's a bad thing. Little bit of excess from time to time never hurt anyone I'm sure."
Thanatos: "Oh, you would be surprised. Though if you're going to embarrass me, you know what, I am going to reciprocate. Behold!"
And Zagreus got Mort, a stuffed mouse, aww. Which he immediately recognizes and proclaims himself honored, this is so cute.
Zagreus also went for a drink with Dusa, got warned by Meg not to use the Extreme Measures condition, bought an aquarium for the Lounge, picked up two new prophecies and fulfilled two - it's been a busy day! And a lot of fun.
29.12.
I decided to play without god mode again, because I don't want to be done with Greece too soon. Two runs: on the first I tried out Exagryph's Aspect of Eris, that one did not go very well because it took me a while to even halfway get the hang of when to move, when to shoot etc., not to mention remembering to reload. I died early in Elysium. Most fun moment was when Zagreus mentioned to Charon possibly asking Nyx about his and Hermes' cooperation etc. and Charon got so mad Zagreus changed his mind ^^
Back in the House, turns out Chaos tried to contact Nyx and Nyx will think about whether/how to get in contact with them, and Achilles talked about Patroclus again and how he wasn't originally sent to Elysium.
Next run, with the Fists' Aspect of Talos again. Fun, especially after I got Scintillating Feast early on, but I need to get much better at aiming my dash-strikes, they miss more often than not. I met Than again – he looks straight at me now sometimes ^^ Apparently Zagreus taking Mort – who Thanatos always used to carry around until he lost him – means Thanatos can "keep a better eye on you out there." I used Mort to summon Thanatos twice on that same run, once against the Hydra and once against Theseus, the delay makes aiming harder but it sure was convenient.
I also met Pat again, and Zagreus proclaims that him and Achilles staying separated is not acceptable to him and that he'll figure something out, and asks Patroclus not to give in to what he's feeling right now. "Achilles loves you still, like you don't know." "I love him still, in turn." Of course.
Zagreus also found out that Demeter called her lost daughter Kore, but that she called herself Persephone, and that therefore Demeter is his grandmother, fun. And after getting killed by Theseus – ugh – Hades warns him that if he keeps "meddling in matters that you cannot understand, [he'll] incur the wrath of Olympus on all that you hold dear. And, know that it is not for my sake that I'm warning you." Wondering who else exactly Hades was talking about – Nyx and her family? Meg?
Zagreus also had a conversation with Achilles about his relationship with Thanatos, that was adorable. "I think he cares for you more deeply than you know. You have a certain way, besides. It has been difficult between you two. And circumstances lately haven't helped. But, if you love him… follow your heart."
"Whoa, just a moment, there, I mean… I've never said something like that, have I?"^^
Convenient warning by the game not to keep giving him gifts if someone doesn't want to pursue the romance option.
Zagreus asks Thanatos why mortals grieve so much about death: "it definitely hurts there for a little while, but… it's not that bad." And is then horrified to learn about what mortals think: "But that's absurd. One life? Though… eugh. That's horrible, even to think about." And Thanatos says that getting the information out about what the afterlife is really like is slow going, but at least he gets to be the bearer of good news ^^
Meg also asks Zagreus about Elysium – okay, she mentions him dying there, which for her is practically the same thing – and apparently she's never been there, which makes sense on the one hand because her victims wouldn't be there but also means that she didn't even go exploring. She was almost not mean at all, so I gave her another nectar, and she just repeated that things can't go back to the way they were. "It isn't possible. We may be immortals but we're older now." "I'd hope we're wiser, too." Yeah, one would, but, heh.
And at the end – whoa, there's a lot of story in only two runs, and I'm still leaving stuff out, like telling Chaos about Nyx' reaction and Dusa mentioning her task to make the lounge nicer and that leading to yet another prophecy. Yet another prophecy at the very end, when Skelly asked Zagreus "to get me out of here. Permanently, if you catch my drift. This standing around stuff… just kind of wears on you, after a while, you know?"
[…] "Then you'd be dead, forever? You're asking me to kill you." Odd that he uses "kill" here, when usually in the Underworld that's not a permanent state at all, you'd think there'd be a linguistic differentiation but apparently not.
I also have a second save file where I don't get any permanent upgrades via the Mirror or unlock new weapons, just base strength and the sword and no god mode, and see how far I get. It's both good practice for basics, like aiming and evading etc., and a good choice for when I'm in the mood to kill some monsters but want to spend less time. Yes I could simply stop in the middle of a run and return the next day but I don't want to. Made it to Meg twice now, so I'm getting better! Zagreus: "Your whip's not been all that persuasive in the past" – look. It's canon.
30.12.
I tried out Coronacht with the Aspect of Chiron: very cool against fewer strong enemies, and I even got some nice bonus damage with Privileged Status and Demeter and Aphrodite on attack/special. But I still find aiming with the bow quite hard – in general, aiming after dashing is hard – and died quickly when I got some larger groups of enemies in Asphodel.
Then when I got back to the House Achilles told me he had a vision from Varatha: "As you may know, lad, I've a connection to the weapons that you use, having once wielded one of them myself. Of course not knowing its significance back then, but I digress. Sometimes, it… well, it keeps in touch. And I've a vision from it to impart."
Zagreus, correctly: "[…] That's… out of the ordinary, and also a bit concerning."
So Achilles saw Guan Yu, and also a vision of Zagreus being one of Varatha's bearers, which I'd guess has a different meaning than just wielding the weapon (must refer to Zagreus' own Aspect.)
Btw, I was amused by how Zagreus described awakening the Aspect to Achilles: "It revealed to me a form I'd never seen. Wielded by the warrior called Guan Yu. Handsomely dressed!" Priorities xD
So I tried out Varatha with the Aspect of Guan Yu: tricky because of the low health, and the life-draining spin circle takes a while to charge up, but still fun! I'll try it out more often; I tried it out for a second time soon after, after one run using the Fists with Aspect of Talos. I died in Asphodel every time today, apart from my first try with Guan Yu when Meg killed me, but I still had fun.
More story content! There is so much story content it's almost stressful keeping track ^^ Though mostly because I want to remember as much as I can for hypothetical future fic writing purposes. (Again, there must be a way to just record my game so I can rewatch & take screenshots etc. later, right? Will have to do research.)
Early hilarious moment, a scene with Hades when Zagreus jumped out the window, about how mortals become men more quickly, and: "This is the Fury Megaera. She shall accelerate the process in your case." That… could mean a lot, heh. (Also implies that they didn't meet as children, which I thought they had. Hm, is "Fury" something Meg always was, or became?) Zagreus' reaction was "We've put each other through a lot, haven't we, Meg," and yes, they have. "Professional distance is important," as Meg said later right before another fight.
Hades proclaimed his satisfaction that Orpheus is finally playing again, to which Orpheus replies immediately that he was motivated by the Prince and his muse, heh. Orpheus also composed a new song, nice.
And Zagreus voided Orpheus and Eurydice's separation order! After asking Nyx for help and Nyx confirming that he has the authority and telling him where to find the contract in the administrative chamber. Zagreus found the contract and asked Hades if he would "honor the new terms, or spitefully cheat me out of a fair deal?" Hades insisted he honors the rules but says Zagreus could never afford it, which gave me great pleasure when I just walked right over to the house contractor and gave him the necessary diamonds.
Zagreus also asked Hades about being a quarter mortal from his mother's side and if that's why he has red blood and his "propensity to die," but Hades seems to deny that; "Though, your meddlesome curiosity and constant need for affirmation must certainly be from your mortal side."
Dusa is renovating the lounge and Zagreus is helping, means I'll have to decide on a rug soon, hm.
Zagreus telling Dusa about Persephone being his birth mother (though he could have phrased it better than saying Nyx is not his real mother – to his credit, he usually does) and that he left to search for her was sweet. But Dusa already knew, "[…] I had heard about it, everybody talks, you know, from time to time?" Iinteresting. As a fairly small floating head Dusa would be great at eavesdropping (not that it's hard, with how Hades and Zagreus have been talking right in front of the Great Hall.) And she seems to be interested in gossip, judging from the many questions she asks once learning that Zagreus met his mother, including if she's with anybody ^^
Zagreus getting so annoyed by Tisiphone accusing him of being a murderer so now he tries to teach her to say his name is fun. "You really did say murderzer, didn't you? That's progress! Zagreus! I'm Zagreus, I'm not a murderer! Can you say Zagreus?"
31.12.
Several runs with no (or little) heat and no god mode and I only made it to Elysium twice. Also because I'm trying out weapon aspects that are still unfamiliar - it's not a big adjustment with Talos, but it is with Guan Yu, and as for Eris, I've never been that good with Exagryph. I like Talos and Guan Yu a lot! Just need more practice – and ideally, weapon upgrades, but I have to ration my Titan Blood.
Orpheus and Eurydice are reunited, nice :) Seems like Orpheus doesn't know it was directly because of Zagreus, and Zagreus didn't tell him either. Still Orpheus wanted to repay Zagreus for giving him the opportunity and for speaking to him all this time, but Zagreus refused: "Why is it always talk of payment around here? You're my mate. And your songs have lifted many spirits here, including mine."
When Hades confronted Zagreus about voiding the contract ("You […] used your own authority against me.") Zagreus responds "So what if I did? Just gives him a break from time to time. He's still your court musician, isn't he?"
Hades: "He is. And he knows better than to undermine me, I think. Out with you, then! I'll deal with your insubordination some other time." It occurred to me that that could have gone a lot worse.
I visited Orpheus and Eurydice together and was surprised that I didn't love their duet more. I like the song, but the second voice added very little to it and it was a bit disappointed.
Righter after that I found what I'm pretty sure was my first fountain in Asphodel. After about 90 escape attempts! There weren't any shades there, unlike in Tartarus, and iirc there aren't any hanging around the fountain in Elysium usually but in Asphodel specifically I'd think that fountains are a welcome reprieve from the heat that Zagreus never fails to remark on upon entering, so that was odd. Asphodel must have flooded a while back, for the fish to adjust – seems kind of unfair to leave the "average" mortal souls in a place like this, but clearly Hades doesn't care.
Speaking of fish, I finally – with the help of one of Charon's wells – discovered a fishing spot in Chaos' realm! Nyx also tasked me to restore the Elder Sigil so she can visit Chaos again, so now I'm collecting Darkness for that. Chaos' quote of the day/night/whatever: "Through the expanse of time, I often wondered, is it necessary to be fair? The immortals are my offspring; surely I should treat them equally. And yet I find that there is little sport in doing so." Heh.
I forged my first bond! With Charon, of all people – I thought I had a favor to complete first? Anyway, fun.
Hermes, to my great surprise, asked if Zagreus would prefer him to talk less, and then there was an actual choice whether to mute him next time or not, but I chose not: "Perish the thought, Lord Hermes. It's been great hearing from you from time to time."
Zagreus offered Achilles to try and void his pact with Hades, but Achilles didn't want him to: "I know you mean well, lad. And, from the bottom of my heart, where once it was, I thank you truly for the thought. However… don't exert your influence on this. Not now, at least. The Fates can twist intentions. I don't want to take the risk." Zagreus accepts the decision but says that he will asks again because "we have to find a way to fix this. Patroclus is waiting."
Asked about Patroclus, Achilles told Zagreus that their ashes were mingled together, and that he tried to find Patroclus or alter his pact before but that it's not that simple. "But I shall tell you what. When next you see Patroclus on your journeys, you keep speaking to him for me, won't you?" The inspiration for all the fic where Achilles and Patroclus use Zagreus as a go-between for more than words is very clear ^^
In another conversation Zagreus mentioned wielding Achilles' aspect of Varatha: "It… fills me with a hunger for battle even more so than usual. A bit of your fighting spirit, perhaps."
Achilles: "Be very wary of that spirit, lad. It was what brought me here before my time. Although that spear indeed once served me well. A parting gift from my old master Chiron. He cautioned me as I am cautioning you. Though, may you be a better listener." And Zagreus said that he can't imagine Achilles not being a good listener, aww.
No Thanatos today, but several good Meg scenes. Like her scolding Zagreus for having signed the Pact of Punishment: "Have you completely lost your mind? Or just trying to insult me?"
Zagreus: "Well if you're going to be so rude about it, maybe a little of each? Though, what do you even care which pacts I sign or don't?"
Megaera: "I'm not an idiot. I see what you're doing. You want to be punished? Then, come on."
I can't remember if she killed me in that fight, she definitely did once today.
Later, after I defeated her and found her in the lounge again, Zagreus tells her that they have to talk: "I still have feelings for you. At least… I think I do. Isn't there… isn't there someway for us to, you know… work through all of this?"
Meg: "In spite of everything that's happened, and that's happening right now? What are the outcomes, Zagreus? Either you eventually succeed, and leave this place, or else, what, exactly?" So she doesn't know yet that he can't survive on the surface! I forgot he hadn't told her yet. And/or, maybe she thinks that for Zagreus, succeeding means finding a way to stay up there.
Zag: "…I haven't thought that far ahead. But I don't think it has to be this way. I don't hate you, Meg. I don't think I can ever hate you." (Probably the only reason why Zagreus doesn't tell her here that he's bound to the Underworld, when he told Than, is because of the limited dialogue system.)
Meg: "…Despite my best intentions. Unfortunately, I don't know that I can say the same. Look, I'm at a very difficult point in my career. I need to focus on that now. Do we understand each other?"
Later, before another fight, when she asks him what he thinks he's doing:
Zagreus: "I think I'm going all the way to the top again, Meg. To find my mother. You won't stop me. Get out of my way."
Meg: "We both know that's not going to happen. Getting out of your way, I mean." Aww, she clarified that she didn't mean that finding his mother won't happen.
And Zagreus also asked Nyx about Meg: "Nyx, you've known Megaera practically forever. Well, before my time at least, so could you… tell me more about what she was like, back then?"
Nyx: "Ah-hahah. I am pleased to see the two of you on better terms of late. Megaera always was as she appears. Dutiful, and quite particular. Thoughtful and dependable. Respectful."
Zagreus: "Respectful. Definitely." xD
Though Meg was very respectful when Zagreus overheard her talking with Nyx that one time.
Zagreus has been doing some lounge renovations, to help Dusa and also, as he says when Meg asks if the rumor that he is responsible is true and why he would even bother: "Well, it's a popular locale for off-duty Underworld officers to take a load off between shifts, and so I figure… least I can do is pitch in and make the place a little better than I left it, right?"
Meg: "How very selfless of you, Zagreus. Soon doubtless it'll be your portrait hanging on that wall back there." He was skeptical ^^
Zag also talked with Dusa about the renovations and about working with Nyx, who ordered them, and if she's very strict. Dusa asked if Nyx has been criticizing her, and Zagreus tries to reassure her: "Hey, no, no no, it's not like that, it's just… a feeling that I've had from glimpses of the interactions between you two. I haven't always got along with Nyx, but I know she cares deeply about this House and everyone in it. Including you."
Dusa seems skeptical ("She cares about my work performance, that's for very sure, and I am doing everything I can to live up to and exceed her expectations, tell her that!") Meanwhile I'm very intrigued by the information that Zagreus and Nyx did not always get along that well. Hmm.
1.1.
I really need to learn how not to use up all my Death Defiances against the Furies *sighs*
I was fighting Tisiphone and wanted to use my Special and accidentally summoned Thanatos, who said "Zag, don't make me do this" when he appeared, and then I felt bad. (And surprised. Was it because it was Tisiphone/a Fury specifically?) I haven't summoned him since…
Zagreus confronted Achilles about the codex, i.e. Achilles, speculating that he is the god of blood. Achilles said that Zagreus has to be the god of something and that he was only speculating based on his observations, but Zagreus insists that he's not the god of anything. Hm.
Demeter: "Your father Hades and I share a common fate, each having lost a child fully grown; except that he's a hollow fool, whose child left! Whereas my daughter never would have. Ever!" So about that…
Aww, Hypnos makes Zagreus feel welcome when he comes back.
(Thanatos: "I don't know what's worse, dying repeatedly or Hypnos. Although, I guess I'm grateful for your patience with him, Zag." Heh. And just a little while later Thanatos does tell Hypnos "nice work."
Meg showed up in Zagreus' chambers. Zagreus said this is something he has to do and that she wouldn't understand. Meg said he wouldn't know, and that the fact that her sisters are involved now takes some of the pressure off her. "I'm saying… I know you're doing what you have to do, here, Zagreus. And, my sisters and I will always try to stop you. But I am only doing it because I have to. Understand?" Hey, progress.
(I could give her ambrosia now but I'm waiting until I meet her when she's less mean.)
The fact that Chaos can see through the Shield of Chaos is interesting and has potential…
Patroclus: "Stranger, I am warning you: If you keep showing up like this, I'm going to have to find a new nickname for you." Add it to the list, Zagreus has, what, almost two dozen by now?
Zagreus: "No need to go out of your way, there, sir. We're just acquaintances. I don't know anything about you, either." Weeell ^^
Patroclus: And you are better off. This place is for the greatest of the Greeks. Do I seem like the sort to fit in, here? Go on and chat with Theseus, or someone of that sort." Heh.
Right after, Theseus: "You shall never see the light of day as I once did! Uh, no offense, Asterius." xD
Meanwhile Hypnos wants Asterius' autograph, okay.
Achilles about Patroclus: "He was… one of the only men I knew who did not look upon me as a threat. He saw something in me I never knew was there. And in turn, with him, I felt.. how to describe it? Calm. Whole."
Zagreus: "Hah! I'm restless all the time. I can only imagine." I continue to be amused and intrigued by the fact that Zagreus has such a huge bed in his room yet never sleeps.
Also, even Dusa thinks that there has to be a way to help Achilles: "[…]He's been so loyal to this House, and he has to be your truest friend of everybody here. But he's the pity-party type. He needs someone to get him out of this!" Aww.
I love the conversations Zagreus and Thanatos have about mortals and death. Zagreus, still troubled about mortals believing that their life is all they have: "How do they live? I mean, I can't even imagine what that's like. I'd be a lot more careful, at the very least!" Hah.
Thanatos: "They live with all their hearts, or at least try. I think there's something to it, truthfully. Though, some of them, they fall apart. They get here without me. On their own, gripped with despair. If only they knew what your father always says about all this."
Zagreus: "What, you mean that 'there is no escape'? From what? The mortals are up there, not here. Not while they're technically alive in their sense, anyway."
Thanatos: "I mean, you can't escape your problems, Zagreus. You can run from your family, but you can't run from everything. You have no choice but to confront it, and work through it, sooner or later, one way or another. You, and all of us."
Zagreus: "…I'm starting to notice that, yes.[…]"
And immediately afterwards, because he listened, Zagreus gave him another bottle of ambrosia ^^ And then another one.
Zagreus: "[…] I should not have left the way I did, without letting you know. But when you found me, I … think that's when… that's when I knew. Or started to realize, you know?" Aww.
Shortly afterwards Thanatos appeared in his room. They finally figured themselves out and are in a relationship now :) I have less of an urge to write about that because there are definitely scene compilations etc. of that online, but it was nice.
So Nyx made the Chthonic Companions? And she built only a few of them, specifically to be given away? Hm.
Zagreus: "I have to say, and I do mean this as a compliment: It's hard for me to imagine Night Incarnate herself fashioning these little keepsakes to be given between friends." Not only you ^^
That she gave one to Thanatos is unsurprising, but if I remember my spoilers correctly Zagreus can also get one from Meg (also unsurprising), Achilles and Patroclus (hm, interesting, I can't remember hearing anything about Nyx and Achilles' relationship), Skelly (I thought Nyx had never met him before he showed up in the courtyard?), Dusa (?!), and Sisyphus (???). Hmm.
Zagreus overheard Meg talking to Hades: "…I cannot work with them, Lord Hades. Please. They don't respect my words, or even listen."
Hades: "Enough! Besides, Megaera, this is not your failing. It is mine. I must attend to these affairs more actively." Oh?
Meg: "…I've often tried, but never to a satisfactory result. You're asking the impossible of me."
Hades: "I am not asking, Megaera."
Poor Meg. Also, didn't Hades just say that it's his fault??
2.1.
I finally managed to defeat Hades without god mode on! I had turned it off and had no victories for about twenty runs – fittingly, right after Persephone told Zagreus not to come back anymore – and then I decided to try again with god mode, with Exagryph's Aspect of Eris, and made it.
And then I tried without god mode, with Aegis' Aspect of Chaos, and I won! I got lucky, I got Charged Shot and had Heartbreak Strike on the Attack and Curse of Pain on the Special, plus Tidal Dash and Hyper Sprint, plus some others like Dionysus' call and Unshakeable Mettle etc. Going into the Hades fight I had almost 300 health and three Death Defiances (two from wells and one from Athena), and I needed all three.
It's nice to know that I can do it! Don't care that it took me over a hundred escape attempts. I'll see if I try doing that with other weapons, or if I go back to using god mode + heat for a while to get more Titan Blood, probably the latter. So many cool Aspects to unlock/upgrade! Of the legendaries, I have used Guan Yu a few times so far (it's hard but fun), and I unlocked Gilgamesh but haven't tried it yet.
Main story, Zagreus returned to Persephone, then broke into his father's chambers (with the help of Achilles, even though "this can get me in a lot of trouble, like you've no idea. And not just me, so…") to find proof that Hades still loves her and found a wardrobe full of identical capes, of course because he burns them every time they fight ^^
Zagreus is so angry about the separation apparently brought on by a lack of communication, understandably so. "[…]this blasted family… it cannot just keep hiding from its problems! Running from them! We're stuck with one another, we… we have to do everything we can… for one another!" I love his passion (but I also kind of want fic where he does stop visiting Persephone and am now wondering how that could happen.)
Zagreus reunited Nyx and Chaos, that was nice.
Chaos' reaction to Zagreus giving them ambrosia was puzzlement about the apparent waste of resources.
Zagreus: "[…]But, though these offerings, I can express my thanks. That's worth it by itself."
Chaos: "…I see. So then, the action is akin to theft. For you are getting something in return that I did not intend to give." Heh xD
Later, Chaos calls Zagreus "my favorite among those immortals dwelling underneath the Earth," aww.
Speaking of Nyx, when asked about Charon: "Charon and I have not lately taken opportunities to correspond." Hm.
Nyx also said to Zagreus that she has "seldom encountered anyone so united with the Darkness of this domain as you are."
Next task, Achilles and Patroclus, but I think I need to talk to Patroclus a few more times. Recently when I visited his glade Patroclus said to himself that Achilles must hate him to have abandoned him here in Elysium :(
Dionysus got Zagreus' help to play a prank on Orpheus to make him think they're the same god, an allusion to actual Greek myth where they kind of were (it's complicated), nice.
Artemis: "Uncle Poseidon blessed you, didn't he. To think that big, fat oaf is your own father's brother. I'm told to be respectful near him, but it's hard." Artemis is great xD
The problem with dialogue pools: It sounds like Zagreus has still not told Meg that he actually found his mother already, which is a shame.
Tisiphone has learned how to say Zagreus' name! And then called him a murderer again, heh ^^ Well, small steps.
Zagreus seems unfamiliar with the terms of Sisyphus' punishment, odd.
Thanatos showed up a few times. My favorite was the time when after the green flash of light Zagreus said "Guh-dong," heh.
Nyx: "You and my son… it pleases me to see the two of you have grown so close of late. Thanatos has always led a solitary life. He never would complain of it, and yet… I know he yearned for closeness, in his way."
Zagreus: "Thank you, Nyx. I think we each harbored feelings for each other for some time. We've finally been true about them." And then he agrees to Nyx request to take care of Thanatos because she fears he works himself too hard, aww.
Ares: "It is my understanding that you have grown rather close with Thanatos, my kin? A perfect choice of mate, though I confess I'd not expected Death to have affection for another save himself."
Ares, a little later: "Life and death are inextricable, and war is often what connects the two. Don't you agree?" …okay that sounds like a threesome solicitation xD
I'm still petting the dog regularly, though I have to admit not every time. Recently, the narrator: "The burning embers in the eyes of monstrous Cerberus, notorious hound of hell, reveal that he, too, is amenable to the pets of which the Underworld Prince speaks, and in fact is deeply grateful for the quantity of them." Aww.
I'm very curious how the relationship between Nyx and Dusa will continue to play out. Nyx really doesn't seem to like her, even forbidding her from approaching Zagreus etc. Odd. The lounge looks really good by now though! Next step, fireplace. According to the narrator: "The dead have utterly no use for sustenance, although they try to feast upon it anyway, as though imagining the customs of the mortal life brings them some sense of peace." Well, even if they don't need to eat, they might still have a sense of taste.
Zagreus' lyre playing is already much better, btw.
3.1.
It took me 107 escape attempts to bring the Queen home :)
After I defeated Hades without god mode the day before I got cocky and promptly died early a few times while using god mode. Then I decided to get the last normal boon of a god for extra gems, used Aspect of Nemesis for the first time and picked a bunch of Poseidon and Demeter boons for fun (and some Artemis), and to my own surprise made it to Hades. I was really curious if I had a chance! Instead, he just let me pass. Not that I want to complain…
The credits scene was beautiful, such a gorgeous boat ride. (Though I did wonder how they made it past the waterfalls ^^ And did Persephone really not know that everywhere else apart from her cottage was in deepest winter?) I'm sad that from what I've heard I won't be able to go to Greece again (there should be a gardening expansion!), but now the House of Hades has a garden so that's a consolation prize.
Persephone and Hades' conversation when she returned was also nice. Of course she greeted Cerberus first ^^ She also demanded that Hades apologize to Zagreus, which he did:
Hades: "Yes. I…Zagreus. I know there have been times… when I've let my mood reflect on you. I showed very little patience. Questioned your judgment, often, when my own was flawed. Thus, I apologize to you, my son. I have no excuses. And I ask no forgiveness."
Zagreus: "What about the part where you lied to me about Mother, do you apologize for that? Your foul moods, and venting them on me… I've long since come to expect that from you. And I resented you for it. But I always thought… you're honest."
Hades claimed that deceiving both of them "tore against my being. But it needed to be done," because he believed Persephone's decision was final and that she was better off without either the Underworld or Olympus. Not a very good reason imo.
Zagreus: "Well, you didn't need to vent all that inner turmoil onto me throughout my life. Though, I think I understand. I only wish I could have understood sooner." Understanding =/= forgiveness. Just before Hades let him go, Zagreus called him "an obstinate, overbearing, miserable excuse for a husband and father." It'll take a while for them to actually have some kind of decent relationship. (But I did take the opportunity to give Hades nectar for the first time afterwards.)
"So, uh… what now? I've grown so used to ransacking your domain, I think I' really going to miss it."
And Zagreus is officially employed as a security consultant now! Hades' reason, that he needs to keep uncovering security flaws, seems a little thin, since Zagreus only got as far as he did because of the Infernal Arms and the boons of the Olympians, and besides Hades could just permanently enable the Pact of Punishment conditions, but I guess Hades realized that this at last is something Zagreus enjoys doing and is good at. Plus, their fights can be father-son bonding experiences! At the end of which they kill each other, gods… Meanwhile Persephone has a good point that the Olympians would be suspicious if Zagreus suddenly stopped.
I was surprised that while Nyx seemed happy that Persephone is back, she was still standing in her corner. I expect that they'll be talking together next time Zagreus returns.
Zagreus is now Dusa's co-worker, which she's very excited about, aww. I used her Companion for the first time that run, that was sweet. He also asked her about gorgon language and Dusa mentioned that Zagreus has a surface accent, odd.
And Meg knows that Zagreus will be staying, now! Earlier I gave her ambrosia for the first time after a conversation about Tisiphone, with Meg mocking Zagreus for trying to teach her words ("Maybe, just maybe, you're projecting your own insecurities onto her a little bit? Tis can take care of herself. Always has. Talking's not her strong suit like it's yours. But if you, in all your wisdom, think you've got something to teach her, you go right ahead.") and Zagreus realizing that Meg must have tried before and failed. So I have her Companion now, but haven't used it yet.
Zagreus about his new job: "[…]before you ask, I'm not doing it for him."
Meg: "I didn't think you'd have it in you. To leave this place for good. But I didn't think you'd take responsibility for anything, either." Wow, thanks. "Anyway… we'll just have to kill each other more officially, I guess."
Other random favorite discovery of the day: Chaos' occasional commentary when Zagreus is using their shield ^^
So this got long... And I don't want to look up how many hours I've played so far and how many that is per day. But as LB and DD said, if I don't neglect important things because of it then who cares and if I enjoy it I should play as much as I want. (Admittedly I am behind on a few things, but I don't have that many spoons atm so I think it's mostly the method of procrastination.) And I am having a lot of fun :)
