#hecate’s boon

[somelittleplacebetweenthestars]

hey so what if one of the bosses is zagreus on his way out

#hades #hades 2 #i just think it’d be neat! #i’m daydreaming here but #what if the game read your progress on hades (if you had it on the same system) and changed the dialogue based on progression? #what if they had sibling banter abt which gods were helping them #couldn’t get uncle zeus to help you huh? aunt hecate says zeus is a blowhard know it all. HEY #alternatively (bc i saw someone say what if we get persephone boons) #how does it feel being second favourite. she thought i was dead! and she still won’t help you escape #supergiant #supergiant games #hades ii #zagreus #melinoe

[meggannn]

hades 2 conversation dialogue my sister and i found interesting

SPOILERS obviously. my sister has been failing her runs on purpose to get more dialogue out of people. this post discusses dialogue that was not in the developer stream.

on hermes (mel and hecate are speaking about hermes and artemis at the start):

on melinoë, artemis, and the olympians:

on why mel is the only one who can kill chronos:

on hecate & mel's relationship:

on a secret order that mel is apart of:

on mel's job at the crossroads:

tension and secrets in the crossroads!!!!

when you give hypnos nectar:

(i wasn't fast enough to get his reply. hypnos says something like "zzzz... welcome to the.... zzzz"), then mel says:

other things i didnt screengrab:

hypnos: mel can remark to charon that hypnos is still asleep, charon says "arrghhh," and mel says "wait, he's of more use this way...?" possibly implying hypnos's sleep is not what it seems

nemesis: is uhhh kind of really mean!!!! she says something to mel along the lines of "you're upset you lost a family you don't remember? i KNEW my mom, all you did was be born"

moros: you can invite moros to the crossroads and he stands near the fated list far from everyone because nobody wants to talk to doom incarnate (odysseus in particular makes a point to say he'll stay away). iirc he introduces himself as "the bearer of bad news" which i find kind of clever but also a bit sad. if you give him nectar iirc he says nobody has given him a gift/offering before. aphrodite also notes that moros has made mel's acquaintance and calls him good-looking.

hephaestus: he criticizes your weapon's workmanship when you first meet him, then later takes it back and compliments it as very good, and says "just don't go spreading it around" to the olympians.

takeaways:

hermes is "missing" but he's on a mission for the war to find out what chronos is scheming

artemis (and hermes) didn't tell the olympians hecate has been raising a titan-killer (mel) and the olympians don't really believe she can do it but send her boons anyway, presumably figuring why not

only mel can enter the house of hades to challenge chronos, so that's why she needs to make this journey alone

hecate is rather sweet and mentorly with mel, but she gets exhausted and irritated when mel doubts herself. i didn't grab it but there's a bit where mel says if hecate had not held back, she knows she would've lost, and hecate snaps "you know?" asking mel why she puts limits on herself

mel, hecate, selene, and artemis are part of a secret order called the silver sisters that hermes also supports. olympus does not know about it. all these gods (save hermes) also have moon iconography in their designs

pretty sure moros will be romanceable. i think his and mel's interactions are very sweet, and aphrodite notes he's arrived and calls him good-looking, which reminded me of how she commented on thanatos to zag. no idea who might be a female romance option yet (i'm assuming there is one)

hephaestus boons are a lot of fun, per my sister

the big one: HECATE AND NEMESIS KNOW SOMETHING WE DON'T??? hecate maybe knew an attack was coming and didn't do anything?? nyx is also confirmed to basically be not around though we don't know where she is. and hecate is something called a handmaiden??? is she meant to serve nyx? it now seems like the children of nyx are meant to serve hecate, and eris isn't doing that, but nemesis is playing guard duty begrudgingly. so maybe nemesis thinks hecate let the house be captured/destroyed for her own ends, possibly also to get nyx out of the picture, so nyx's children would serve her(?). maye nyx is also a silver sister and hecate is now in command at the crossroads/on earth, second only to selene?

#hades 2

[scrimblescromble]

I'm infected by hades II it's actually insane. Feral. Foaming at the mouth

Here are my assorted theories about where zagreus is:

Simply captured, they just didn't show it because they didn't need to

In a death loop constantly trying to get out of the styx (sobs)

Mind controlled in some way

Forced to serve as an employee of the House but secretly giving info to hermes

Is running another resistance

Is just hiding somewhere in the underworld

Fled to Chaos

But what's his role going to be? Possibilities:

Simply needing to be rescued

A boss in some way for whatever reason

A story room in a later level, gives mel his own type of boon

Visits mels dreams. This is out there, but she IS goddess of like nightmares so it could be?

I also think Nyx is bound by duty to the House and keeping it together, and Than and Meg are likewise bound but try to avoid the house. Nyx (SPOILER) managed to get mel, hypnos, and the arms to Hecate for their safety first

#hades 2 #hades ii #hades 2 spoilers #hades ii spoilers #hades game #scrim rants

[chaterbox1237]

Okay,so hades two has just released and I want to talk about some things:

On one hand,no narrator Zagreus which was something I hoped would happen so :(

But on the other hand,NARRATOR HOMER CONFIRMED!

I already like Apollo.he’s fun.

Dora is so cute.

In the trailer I got “strict teacher vibes” from Hecate but it’s a pleasant surprise to see how soft she is with baby Mel.

Also the portrait with zag,hades,and Persephone…

(They better not be dead supergiants-)

HYPNOS WHO DID THIS TO YOU

But on the topic,I think it’ll be an Orpheus situation where the second(or even third) boss gives us an item like a divine water bucket or something that we can use to wake him up.

Oh look a reason to use the cast.

HERMES IS MISSING?SUPERGIANTS WTF DONT TELL ME THAN IS NEXT-

Okay,but I also think this could be something like in hades early access were they aluded to things that’ll be added later.

This adds up with the fact that in hades 1 Hermes was the penultimate god added and you can’t get him till asphodel(i think)

Either way he better be okay.

The character portraits range from “pretty good”to “yep this is gonna get touched up” but not in a bad way.just that the shading look kind of off

Also I already love Hephaestus and hestia.

They are hyping up hestia as a nice grandma that can go unhinged if needed and I am all for it.

As soon as I saw Odysseus I already knew It’d be hilarious if Poseidon was there and what do you know?

Speaking of,I wonder if all gods from hades 1 are gonna come back or a few are gonna get switched around.

If so then ares is probably getting shafted which makes me sad.

On that topic,Aphrodite wearing ares’ war makeup is great.

Seeing Selene made me wonder if Helios is gonna appear,but then I remembered Apollo.

But even then i still want other titans to be added like the air guys just so that we can have an Apollo/zephyr interaction if possible.(if you know you know.

If Hermes does appear in this game I wish he has duo’s with other gods.(and his own curse)

I also wish that since we see Artemis outside of the boon bubble we can have profesional associates interactions.

#hadesgame #hades game #hades supergiant #supergiant games #supergiant hades #hades 2 #hades zagreus #hades apollo #hades Dora #hades Hecate #hades hypnos #hades hermes #hades Hephaestus #hades hestia #hades Odysseus #hades ares #hades aphrodite #hades Selene #hades artemis

[nikandrros]

Okay, I'm gonna go a little

but hear me out:

If Melinoe is the ghost goddess/chthonic nymph and has the same hair color as Persephone, and following the Melinoe hymn it's said that "whom revered Persephone bore by the mouth of the Kokytos river", I'm betting money on the fact that she was born just after Zagreus, but since Mel was... you know, phantom-like:

Persephone could not just leave her to be or get back to the Underworld, so I'm theorizing she did the second best thing: leave Melinoe with someone else who was more apt to take care of her, someone like...

since Melinoe was called a, you know:

and she also calls the new big mommy Headmistress, so if I'm theorizing right said headmistress could either be Hecate, Circe, or Medea. Circe is a good option because of her island, which is somewhere the teaser seems to be happening at? Or a garden of some kind, or Olympus garden for all that I know because Chronos got himself free and brought war upon the Olympians, and on that note, I would like to point out that this place can very much be Poseidon's domain:

Some other things that I would LOVE to point out:

This guy is a son of Nyx. He's Thanatos and Hypnos' brother.

Nemesis is also a daughter of Nyx and it's said in canon. Also: LOOK AT THE FUCKING SWORD.

And Supegiant said in the Steam intro that:

"Infuse your legendary weapons of Night with ancient magick, so that none may stand in your way. Become stronger still with powerful Boons from more than a dozen Olympian gods, from Apollo to Zeus. There are nearly limitless ways to build your abilities. Meet a cast of dozens of fully-voiced, larger-than-life characters, including plenty of new faces and some old friends. Grow closer to them through a variety of new interactions, and experience countless unique story events based on how your journey unfolds."

Can we expect Hera, Hephaestus, and Hestia? Because we already got this gay- I mean, guy.

Halfway through this, I was like "ok but the headmistress dress like Charon so it would be pretty fucking funny if it was just Nyx with a hat" and this thought does have some credibility bc:

I MEAN??? LOL I MIGHT BE WRONG BUT I ALSO MIGHT BE RIGHT?? I think two chthonic gods in a trench coat are not too far-fetched for Hades' standards

(Will she be a boss? Will Chronos be a boss? WILL CHRONOS STOP TIME JUST AS HADES GOT INVISIBLE?)

AND YOU CAN PET THE FROG, THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT (its name might be Frino, because it was the name of the file when I got it from Steam).

And who do you think this red-caped dude is? My friend is betting her money on Odysseus and Jason.

And I would like to finish this madness with the fact that since Chronos is fucking shit up and Hades is trapped inside a BDSM dungeon like this

Zagreus is probably doing what he hates most in this whole wide world: the desk job LOL GET FUCKED ZAG

AND GO WATCH THE ANIMATED TRAILER

#hades #hades 2 #hades supergiant #hades 2 supergiant #hades game #supergiant games

[junpei-iori-ace-defective]

Thoughts about Hades 2 as a tech test player

Everything is under a read more bc. 1. Long post. 2. Spoilers for Hades 2.

1. The game is fucking s m o o t h. Loads quicker and everything feels more stream lined.

2. It’s somewhat harder than Hades 1. Idk if it’s bc of not having a super buffed character but I am definitely finding it a little more challenging. Not a bad thing though!

3. Melinoë plays a little different from Zag which is to be expected! We now have a sprint, spells, and new weapons. Already loving how regular casts and specials don’t have a cast limit. Also love the twin blades. Fast weapon go brrrrrrr.

4. I’m definitely interested in seeing what they do with gathering, farming, ect. Great way to add more stuff to do in and after runs.

5. This ties into 4 but, I love how there’s a bunch of stuff to do in Crossroads! In Hades 1, I never spent too much time in the house. I was always dashing through to do another run when not stopping to talk to people. The Crossroads is definitely a nice cool down area for after runs!

6. THE ART. Man everyone looks so good!!!! I can tell some of the sprites are still being worked on but everything still looks so damn clean. I love how everyone has backgrounds in their portraits!

7. APOLLO, HEPHAESTUS, HESTIA, SELENE. All of them look and sound so cool. Really looking forward to seeing their full boon lists and how they play with different weapons ect.

8. I’m really happy to see some of the OG gods returning. All of them look so sick and every time I see a boon from the first game I go “YOOOOOO”. Also Artemis physically appearing is sick as hell.

9. Really excited to get to know the new crew better! They’re all really compelling already!

10. The areas seem to be shorter. Like, I’m going through less rooms to hit the boss room. Idk if it’s bc it’s a tech test or if it’s intentional.

Speculation and questions

1. WHAT DID CHRONOS DO. ARE THEY DEAD? WHERE ARE THEY? Istg if Zag is dead I am going to c r y.

2. WHERE IS THAN, MEG, ACHILLES, NYX, EVERYONE FROM THE FIRST GAME? WHERE ARE THEY?

3. Hecate said something about Hermes trying to find a way to get from the underworld to Olympus. There was also some stairs going blocked by a ward in the weapon/training room. I wonder if there’s gonna be more areas to go through. Like. Erebus, Elysium, Asphodel, Tartarus, House, then Olympus? Maybe Olympus is gonna have its own areas completely. This would make sense for why the areas are shorter. Really interested to see what they do.

4. If the game looks like this already in its tech test stage….. this might be my game of the year if it gets a full release this year. (I love you P3RE but holy shit Hades 2).

There’s a lot more I could talk about, but I am tired and this is a long post lmao.

#l.txt #hades 2 #hades 2 spoilers #hades #hades 2 technical test #idk how I even managed to get accepted into the tech test but I’m really glad I did! #its super fun! #long post

[juggalism]

melinoe, daughter of hades and persephone, sister of zagreus. source on this here

hecate (dual torches w 3 moons/3 faces motifs, cthonic deity who helped demeter find persephone and accompanied in her journeys to and from the underworld)

daggers and the strophalos in the bg are also symbols of hecate

kronos’s main symbol is a sickle, and he is a god of agriculture (and his roman equivalent was a god of time).

“this is an opportunity for you... to make a better future for us all” moros is the personification of doom as it says. child of nyx.

this implies to me melinoe will be going DOWN into the underworld from above, possibly to free the chained hades?(EDIT yeah that is the case) this also ties in w melinoe being born at the mouth of cocytus , a river of the underworld, which would be at or near the surface

apollo gives aoe abilities, and a debuff on enemies called “daze”, probably stuns enemies. magick is a new system, probably a wide variety of abilities use it

i have a lovehate relationship w this design.. not gonna go into it here lol. anyways nemesis is goddess of vengeance. she might give boons she might not, since gods from the last game are also returning.

dora is cute i hope shes romanceable :) i like how shes just a random shade

there seems to be a forest themed area and a water themed area. theres a new familiar system (mentioned on steam page), and i think the frog seen in the trailer a few times is probably one of them.

also on the steam page theres this, which features a character not in the trailer between nemesis and dora. honestly i cant even guess who that might be they dont look like a god to me but that only barely shortens the list of possible mythological figures lol.

#long post #hades #hades 2 #not suuuper in depth post but still good enough #its gonna be in early access starting sometime in 2023 im SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!

[thanzag-reigns]

i know a lot of people out there like to think that the Olympians would be complete manipulative dicks to Zagreus if he ever got to Olympus but like what if it just…actually turns out like a party

Apollo and Artemis bickering about when Apollo should leave for the sunset to be on time

Dionysus, the favored booze god, having the time of his life and getting Zag sloshed as hell

Ares being a bit sultry and telling Zag him and Than should show up sometime to discuss the fine tuned relationship of war, death and blood

Aphrodite delicately orchestrating a complex mortal love triangle while Zag tells her stories on how his love life is going

Hephaestus shyly giving Zag new weapon schematics for stuff to show up in his training room

Hestia giving Zag throw pillows and decor for his home

The uncles bickering on which boons Zag finds most useful against Theseus

Athena in the corner trying to stay sober so she can send Zag home

Hermes zooming around collecting gossip about minor deities to tell Zag like ‘hey cuz did you know Asclepius had to treat a king’s arse bunions? Crazy I know-“

Demeter quietly pulling Zagreus aside to ask how her daughter is and to relay that she wants the pomegranate deal to be reinstated. Zag says he’ll think about it, but that his mom is happy where she is and it is her decision. Demeter smiles, knowing it will hurt to wait, but feeling pride at her daughter’s strength. Somewhere on her tunic, a stalk of wheat turns golden.

Hera never knew about this party or any of this shit. She storms in like ‘ZEUS WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT BONING THAT MORTAL-who is this? My nephew?? By the Fates, it’s so good to see you!” Immediately becomes cool wine aunt to Zag, when her boon is offered she takes away Zeus’ boon but adds a damage modifier called ‘cuckold’ or smth lmao

Man I hope Hera and Hephaestus and Hestia and many minor deities like Asclepius or Eros show up in Hades 2. Apollo looks bomb as hell but there’s gotta be more minor gods and goddesses involved with Hecate. Eros in like one of those weird thirst harnesses to stun enemies with a horny boon would be funny. I WANNA DATE MOROS AND NEMESIS SO BAD

#hades game #hades 2 #thanzag

[blacknovelist]

In the interest of compiling for everyone who doesn't have the time and energy to search— all currently known details about HADES II ive managed to absorb, taken from the HADES II faq on the supergiant site (x) as well as the trailer (x)

The protagonist is "Melinoë, the Princess of the Underworld". She is Zagreus' sister, based on another Underworld deity said to be associated with Hades, and she is a witch and sorceress

The shadowed/robed figure that seems to be training her is confirmed to be Hecate via the VA credits in the trailer description— FAQ confirms she will be a central figure as well, as she is a deeply significant figure in many myths and especially pertaining to magic

This game follows the practice of witchcraft, as it is integral to many Greek myths and tales. Their aim is, as with HADES, to be faithful to the sources which inspired them

HADES II is directly confirmed to be a sequel by the FAQ— "[it will be] set in and around the Underworld of Greek myth after the events of the original game."

Their foe seems to be Chronos, the Titan of Time

Though subject to change, according to the list of boons shown in the trailer there seems to be a "sprint" ability and "casts", as well as "magick" (use Magick to fuel casts, perhaps?)

Other confirmed new characters and the titles listed in their dialogue from the trailer:

Moros, Doom Incarnate ("This is an opportunity for you... To make a better future for us all.")

Apollo, God of Light ("Least I can do is light your way down!")

Nemesis, Retribution Incarnate ("About ready to give in?") [Note: melinoë responds with "No. I was born for this."]

Dora, Listless Shade ("You trifle with powers far beyond your comprehension, witch." "...OK if I call you witch like that?")

It seems to be Hecate with the voiceover near the end who says, "Vengeance for your family awaits you."

Hades' words at the end: "He is no mere titan. He is time itself. And time cannot be stopped."

HADES II has been in development bt SGG since early 2021. The early access is not set to be unveiled until sometime in 2023

#supergiant games #SGG #HADES II #Sg Games #HADES (game) #Blacknovelist talks #im rotating this so fucking much in my brain

[calliopescorner]

I'd love to know about Hecate or Hestia in the rewrite! Or if they are going to be important/otherwise present in it?

(Hestia is done!)

HECATE

PARENTING:

Before the new pact was made, Hecate still tried to be there for her children when they needed her most. She could provide a boon if she was available, and even (though rarely) visit them in their dreams to give them magical advice. However, she was also working with the surviving titans, as they were her family, as well as working with the other Underworld gods and goddesses. This prevented her from being able to see her children all the time.

When she joined the Titan Army, she only did under the promise that her children would be kept safe. Kronos agreed, and Hecate actually got to know her children much more closely during the Second Titanomachy. Through this the bonds of her children became stronger.

Now, she visits her children on their 12th, 18th, and 21st birthdays, as well as their birthdays on the decade-marks. She also visits them every other month at Camp Empeiria. She loves her children immensely and loves to teach them how to hone their unique forms of magic. While she may be taller and more mysterious, not divulging into her past, she does offer her children affection when she comes to see them.

She is a virgin goddess, but she can create her children using magic and different elements of nature. This, along with some of the blood from her lover, creates the newborn demigod baby.

CABIN:

Her cabin is made out of dark wood, with some rocks at the bottom for foundation. The walls are painted purple and two green torch-flames sit outside the door. The door has Hecate’s three faces carved into it. The cabin has been blessed and protected by the different plants grown around it, including some of the magical herbs that were grown from Kronos’ blood. The cabin is blessed to not be destroyed from the outside. In the busier months at Camp Empeiria, some children of Hecate and Hermes have been known to set up a small stand for potions outside the cabin.

Inside, the cabin is very cluttered with different tools for magic and potions. Not a single space is clear, and everyone uses the space to set up different things. It is considered very messy, even when things are “put where they belong.” There are stains on the walls from potions and magic that glow slightly at night. There is a pet polecat that lives somewhere in the cabin. There are books, vials, potions, flowers, and other ingredients found everywhere, with dried flowers being hung, candles being lit on windowsills, and tons of different books on the history of magic.

CABIN CULTURE:

The cabin has been close with the Hermes children, as they also share powers related to paths, language, and travel. They also share an alliance with the Hypnos children, who give them Lethe water to help aid potion creation. Together, the three cabins team up for many different Camp activities, and friendships are made between them.

The older children of Hecate, who were in the Titan Army, are very protective of their siblings. This level of protection is passed down through the other cabin counselors of Hecate. They are encouraged to help their siblings with magic, though this can lead to the cabin getting rather noisy at its most full. Many talk over each other, and interruption is common.

Demigods who get overwhelmed by the noise are able to go and get some space outside, though they may also have to deal with any onlookers watching them practice. The cabin tends to be more chaotic during the later hours of the day, so going to practice earlier in the morning can be helpful.

Every other month, Hecate comes to teach her children magic by the light of the month’s full moon. She is able to give them advice and help them find clues from different aspects of nature, as well as teach them about how different magical ingredients grow at different times of the year. This allows her also to catch up with her children, and be in a very comfortable spot for all of them to practice magic together without worrying about many of the other demigod dangers.

SOME POTENTIAL POWERS:

Mageia (Witchcraft)

Shadow-travel

Manipulation of the Mist

Umbrakinesis

Zoolingualism with polecats

Limited necromancy

Enhanced strength and speed at night

Reblog or @/ this blog if it inspires you to make your own child of Hecate! Thank you @themythicalgeek for the request!

#hecate #hecate greek goddess #hecate greek mythology #hecate goddess #greek mythology #headcanons #hoo #pjo #pjo rewrite #rewrite #toa #bea's rewrite #bea's god thoughts #headcanon #hecates cabin #demigods #hecate demigods #children of hecate #magic #witchcraft

[dreadfutures]

impressions from the hades ii technical playtest

absolutely chock full of spoilers but also theories

Amazing gameplay, feels just as good as Hades 1 with improvements and creative changes. So many different builds/play styles will be possible. in the dev stream they talked about melee close quarters vs sorcery ranged, but I find myself doing HEAVY spellcasting while also stacking in heavy melee boons on the knives, and mixing and matching.

The boons have a few familiar perks but so many of them are new and creative, even for gods we know from the first game. All of them feel really good.

The SOUND EFFECTS are amazing. The sounds of your weapons change based on the boon equipped to each attack. the sounds of the arena change depending on the god at the end (if any). Nothing and I mean nothing makes the dopamine go off more than the sound of Hephaestus' boon blasts when I do my fan of knives and they all explode. PING PING PING.

I find myself doing "resource runs" and "story runs." they do overlap. It's tough to only have one harvesting item equipped at a time and I spent so much time looking for silver and looking that my eye has started slipping over the lone spirits who gives you psyche, even when Selene leads me to them lol. I do like that they have her guiding light, but it is subtle. I also like the way you can pin certain items when you're in a run so you can remember what you needed for a recipe.

Unfortunately I did so many harvest runs that I actually got all the recipes before I had a chance to USE forget me not on a run so.... woops on that fated list lol.

We are maybe going to romance Moros or Nemesis (probably both are options?) but maybe not both at the same time? since they're siblings technically (technically) (I wouldn't mind though). I love all these children of nyx and want to protect them and smooch them all.

EXCEPT. Mel is a Silver Sister, with Artemis and Selene. Does that mean she's gotta be a virginal girl squad? lol

I love sister Artemis. I love that she throws snacks!!!!! which is even more endearing bc it's fried and a chocolate bar and soda. I wonder if sometimes I hear a note of disapproval from her and I wonder where her plot will go later. Selene it's said may not be able to reach us in Tartarus, but Artemis might.

Speaking of found family.

I fucking adore Odysseus. I love Od. So. Much. Like I loved Achilles but Od is such a good girl dad for Mel, and his pep talks are the best and so sensitive ;_; what a guy I love him.

I think? that Hecate's familiars must be placeholders, since they're just little statues that vibrate when you give them treats. I can't wait to see where they go in the full game.

It's an interesting take on Hestia, that she hates everybody. It makes me wonder if we'll see Hera or not, since I kind of expect that behavior from Hera.

Hephaestus and Demeter and Aphrodite remain my favorite boon givers.

As far as I can tell there is no fishing rod in the playtest but there will be in the full game and I'm excited.

Arachne's self esteem hurts me 😫 I love you little bug!!!! I wonder if we'll find her shop in Olympus or in Tartarus -- and I worry about her. At least Athena is too busy to bother her! I hope! I love Mel's different outfits.

The amount of pets that Mel gets to have is delightful. I love her frog so much.

Hecate is fascinating. She is SUCH a mother, she is SO compassionate to Mel and trying to build her up! She is wry and dry but never cruel or negative. I love her sm. Poor Mel has some low self esteem and understandable doubts and is putting so much pressure on herself. And I really wonder about Hecate's relationship with Persephone and the house of Hades and with nyx. Nemesis says something that makes me wonder if Hecate is innocent. Either way I don't think she'll really be a villain. My heart would break if so. Mel would break.

Mel is so sweet and pure. ;_; and she says "death to chronos" so coldly. When she says "Hence I go" I just hear her as a little baby playing hide and seek with Hecate and it gives me so many feelings.

I want to know about Mel's arm!

I can't wait to see the other regions just from the Crossroads, since there's currently two doors we can't enter.

Also what are we going to DO with the fish?

Very exciting stuff.

#hades 2 spoilers #hades 2

[katie-the-bug]

Things to Do When You're Given a Golden Apple and Told to Choose Between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite:

-Make all three swear a solemn vow not to seek revenge of any kind, then answer honestly (or pick the one who offers the most appealing bribe, depending on how conniving you are).

-Cut the apple into three equal pieces, declaring that you cannot decide between three divinely beautiful women.

-Give the apple back to the Hesperides, because Eris probably stole it from them in the first place.

-Declare your partner the most beautiful. Maybe your loyalty will inspire Hera to protect you both.

-Name Artemis and run like hell for the woods.

-Name Hestia, because her humility and hospitable nature give her the greatest inner beauty. You will not receive any great boons, but your marshmallows will always come out perfect.

-Name Hecate because she has three faces and is thus three times more beautiful than any other goddess.

-Name Freya and hope that the goddesses get angry at the Norse pantheon and not you.

-Name Mesperyian and flee while the gods are trying to figure out who the hell you're talking about.

-Play the long game: bury the apple in your backyard and wait several decades. Cut the tree down and build a wardrobe from the wood. Flee to Narnia.

-Declare yourself the most beautiful and hope that the goddesses' immediate attempts to kill you cancel each other out.

-Make some other schmuck do it. Hey, it worked for Zeus, it'll work for you too.

-Pay no attention to what anyone is saying and absentmindedly eat the apple.

#greek mythology #greek god #mythology and folklore #mythology #trojan war

[stillness138]

visual/art things in the Hades 2 technical test i don't like

it was said and is being said already that most of the character sprites have less dynamic poses, or that Aphrodite's face looks, for the lack of a better term, yassified,... it's actually quite a frequent topic in the tag. and i think looking closely despite the excitement is a good excercise! so let's.

i've seen a sentiment that everyone has been made (more, in some cases) conventionally attractive, and i disagree with that a little bit. depends on your definition of convention, but while it's a look popular with many, i wouldn't say Hecate's abs for example are necessarily mainstream. another point i've seen was that Demeter looks younger. i kinda agree, but i don't think it's intentional, because it's quite subtle. she's mostly just missing the defined cheekbones.

the thing about this game's art seems to be that it's a little less sharp, the lines are thinner, shadows are smoother. i think it's an attempt to look more detailed and realistic compared to the first game. i'm not sure how i feel about it. i understand the want to improve or change up, but at the same time the lack of hard shadows and highlights, while it might come across as more realistic, also leaves the sprites a little bland. and i was going to bring up Poseidon as an example where the newer style fits in with visibly older sprites, but he still feels noticeably different in how he's shaded compared to say Moros.

i also agree that the poses are simpler and in most cases less dynamic; Mel is fine and the fact she can change during dialogue adds to it, Hecate looks good too. Nemesis is justifiable since she seems to be standing guard. i think they're simpler maybe because now everyone has a detailed environment backdrop as well, it's especially bold in the olympians' case, but i do hope characters revealed in the future have more dramatic or interesting poses. Selene gives me some hope.

Artemis is definitely unfinished. her sprite lacks any bolder linework or shadows, the coloring is very dull. it really sticks out like a sore thumb as of now. but her boon icons having those letters, likely placeholders too, make it more apparent that she's not finalized yet.

now, this might be controversial, but...i don't like Apollo's design that much. in his case, i definitely wish he had a cooler pose, for his bow/lyre to be a lot more prominent. the outfit is fine, i'm kinda on the edge about it. on one hand, all the colors and shapes work, on the other, maybe not together? but what makes it all bad for me is his actual appearance. i wish his hair was wilder, actually committed to it, and brighter. i wish he wore either more elaborate jewelry or more of detailed armor pieces. i wish he had heavy freckles, vitiligo or some other skin condition to reference the surface of the sun. i think in part this is definitely a case of being spoiled by fanart, but yeah. i'm not vibing with him as much as i hoped i would. i like this design because while the outfit isn't detailed, the freckles and pose make up for it. the hair, choppy like irregular sunrays, is cool too. this one i like too, it's less crazy but still has its own flair, distinct from the rest of the first game, and the lyre/bow design is beautiful. this one is a bit out there but it's pretty cool as well imo, with apparent callbacks to Artemis in hair texture, birthmarks/crests, and the shoulder pelt.

lastly though, Aphrodite. the good! referencing Ares's warpaint is sweet. i like the armor pieces. in general the pose is tasteful, and the long ass banners coming from her spear kinda add some needed drama to it. the spear and shield themselves have nice designs in line with Aphro's overall aesthetic. but the bad... i don't like her face all that much either when compared to her sprite from the first game. there, i liked that her lips aren't exaggerated in any way. compare that to Athena (her shade of lipstick is absolutely amazing tho). but it felt more, i dunno, like trying to convey some natural beauty? in 2, she got that barbie doll treatment. reminds me of witcher 3 female npcs' faces and that is not a good thing. people have said that she looks thinner - her arms definitely do. and maybe because of that they also seem a bit too long to me. she suffers from the lack of hard shadows and highlights a lot, putting both her sprites next to each other really shows the difference in approach. like, overall it's a pretty and perfectly fine sprite, but...there is a but. a part of that but is definitely our expectations and uncertainty about the new direction the sprite art seems to be going in. to give nuance to the other side, we're also still in a pre-early access stage. on the other hand, the other olympians we've seen don't look unfinished the way Artemis does and it's quite likely these sprites is what we'll go into full release with. there was no reason to change Aphrodite's face, and we're allowed to not like it. leaving well-meaning feedback can be effective! and i would encourage it. with emphasis on well-meaning.

i also think the icon for gold in Hades 2 should be just a single coin, because a little hoard of them looks too much like the moly flower icon from a distance.

#shut up elis #hades 2 #well-meaning because SG has been very understanding about datamined assets getting out into the wild #it's fair if we express disagreement the same way

[staghunters]

Melinoe lore that can possibly be in Hades II

A lot of you (like me) are very excited about Hades II. Melinoe is a bit (understatement) of an obscure deity, only appearing in the Orphic hymns once. This is the same collection we got Zagreus from, but he is a much more central figure in Orphism.

The main information thus comes from hymn 71 of the Orphic hymns which I'll outline below for those who may want to know a little more (potential) background for the character. There's no guarantee that everything will be in the game, but Supergiant paid a lot of close attention in the first game.

Here we go!

I call upon Melinoe, saffron-cloaked nymph of the earth,

From the first trailer, we can already see that saffron-cloaked is incorporated into the game. It is an orange-yellow color from the saffron herb.

to whom august Persephone gave birth by the mouth of the Kokytos,

Given the design is similar to Zagreus but with a different parental foundation, Persephone definitely seems to be the mom. The river Kokytos is one of the rivers in the Underworld (not featured in the first game). Some of the dungeon screenshots do show a body of water along with a number of shades (both hostile and non-hostile). I think this may be the Kokytos as this one is frequently called the "river of wailing".

upon the sacred bed of Kronian Zeus.

This is a tricky one because Kronian means "son of Kronos" which applies to the three brothers. Zeus in these times was used more generally for "bigger" gods.

He lied to Plouton and through treachery mated with Persephone,

This line, however, does suggest Zeus is the father (once more). I believe one common interpretation is that he shifted into the form of Hades. More canonically, Zeus is also the father of Zagreus. But I think (also given the changes they made to Persephone's parentage) that they will keep Hades for Melinoe as well to avoid the incest connotation.

Whose skin when she was pregnant he mangled in anger

I doubt this will make it in.

She drives mortals to madness with her airy phantoms,

Could be a boon/power thing in the game, but the hymn does specify just mortals. We do see more interaction between shades and Melinoe than between them and Zagreus.

as she appears in strange shapes and forms, now plain to the eye, now shadowy, now shining in the darkness, and all this in hostile encounters in the gloom of night

Also potential boon/power. Specifically, "shining in the darkness" is an epithet used primarily for moon goddesses (Selene, Artemis, Hecate, f.e.). There are some moon motifs in Melinoe's design that refer to those of Nyx and Artemis in the first game.

But goddess and queen of those below, I beseech you to banish the soul's frenzy to the ends of the earth and show a kindly and holy face to the initiates

I think I saw from some screenshots that a lot of the enemies are seemingly corrupted shades. Look for the white-cloaked figures and you'll see some speared by weapons f.e. This could very well be "banish the soul's frenzy to the ends of the earth".

General Note: In academic circles, there is the interpretation that Melinoe is simply a different name/aspect of Hecate. Supergiant definitely did not go in this direction (and neither do I, personally). Hecate so far seems to be more of a mentor figure, similar to Achilles in the first game.

All in all, I'm very excited!! Melinoe has been a long figure of interest of mine, so I'm glad she'll be brought to a wider public with this. As mentioned before, the "canonical" text we have for Melinoe is very very little, basically what you can read above. I fully trust Supergiant in fleshing this out into a great character and a great game in general.

#hades #hades supergiant #melinoe #zagreus #orphism #supergiant games #game awards

[aroaceleovaldez]

I'm trying to make PJO ocs but I'm wondering how being someone being blessed and/or being a champion of a god works in the Riordanverse????

Ooooh yes I love this universe mechanics and think about it WAY too much. Okay, so there's generally two kinds of this we see: Best I can differentiate the two is like, Hera with Leo (what I would call "champions" or "blessings") versus Artemis with the Hunters or Hera/Juno with Jason (which is very complicated and kind of varies).

So with champions, the notable thing is generally that they're favored by the god in question, but boons are given to them individually over time or for singular moments. So specifically distributed power-ups. These are more common in general but also usually the individual in question being blessed does not have like, constant extra abilities at all times (unless whatever boon they were given extends for a long duration or is permanent). Examples of this include Hera raising Leo (less giving him boons and more just training him, though it is implied she possibly tried to make him immortal one time), Bellona with Reyna's family (before Hylla and Reyna were born), Hecate with Hazel, Athena with Reyna in BoO, etc etc. Whatever it is, the blessing is a one-time thing for just that moment, though generally it means the god favors the mortal in question enough to help them out from time to time or give them personal training. These boons can last longer though, again such as Hera trying to make Leo immortal.

The other instance is really interesting, because the best way I can describe it is basically divine adoption. This is what we see with Hera/Juno and Jason or the Hunters of Artemis. Based on what we've seen, the implication is that whichever god is "adopting" the mortal will have the same effects as a godly parent normally would, and may even supersede their original godly parent to a degree if applicable, at least as far as their prominent powers and auras are concerned (i.e.: Thalia is more a Hunter of Artemis than she is daughter of Zeus, ergo her aura no longer attracts monsters as much as it normally would), though usually if the mortal already has a godly parent or divine ancestor it just kind of behaves as if they have two. They'll end up with extra powers or abilities based on the god who favors/"adopted" them and these are theirs to do whatever with whenever they please, just like their normal powers. As far as we know this also cannot be fully revoked, given ex-Huntresses we've seen retaining some Artemis abilities. The Hunters are the standard example of this (they gain immortality, are implied to be able to understand at least their wolves if not other wildlife, get enhanced archery, tracking, and hunting skills, etc etc.) though Jason's my favorite example personally. Because we never really see Thalia use wind powers (only electricity), there is actually a very likely potential that Jason's wind/flying powers are from him being adopted by Juno/Hera, not Jupiter, and that Thalia doesn't have those abilities at all. This also tracks with Big 3 kids having fears/aversions relating to the elements of the other Big 3 - Percy is afraid of flying because of Zeus, Thalia is afraid of flying because of Hera. And it would also explain why Jason tends to favor wind/flight powers over his electricity.

And then Blessing of Ares/Mars is kind of confusing because it's technically not just an Ares/Mars kid thing? Ares/Mars can give that to anyone, we just only see it with Ares/Mars kids. It is very particularly Ares/Mars directly blessing them for that moment. So generally it falls into the first category.

Hope this helps!

#pjo #riordanverse #Anonymous #ask #godly parents #< applicable here and also this fits that usual format #long post // #long post #i really need to coordinate those tags

[dwelling-in-elysium]

i feel like i need to replay hades game now that i know some of the sequel plot. chronos attacks the house of hades right after melinoë is born so she is raised by hecate in erebus while her family is imprisoned by chronos. when the game starts melinoë is ready to start trying to kill chronos. odysseus is her achilles. hecate is her nyx. nemesis is her meg? artemis actually showed up in person in a chamber that wasn't her boon, which makes it seem like they're pretty damn close (also insinuated that hermes and charon are pretty damn close). not sure about moros. hypnos is asleep. dunno if meg, thanatos, achilles, and orpheus were kidnapped too or if they weren't in hades house when it was attacked. nemesis is annoyed with hecate for chosing melinoë to fight chronos, and she's annoyed with melinoë for being chosen. seems like melinoë is also pretty close with hermes and charon. sucks for persephone that she missed both her kids' childhoods. demeter is probably super pissed at having another grandchild hidden from her

#that's all i remember atm #a little recap for myself. #this is not a spoiler free zone!!!!! #hades game #dwelling in elysium