#asterius of crete

[lost-in-gardener]

[[OOC: Apologies for the wait! @asterius-of-crete]]

Finn had been hearing rumors of tourists going missing in a labyrinth nearby, and until they had seen the labyrinth themselves, she hadn't believed it at first... But now that they had been wandering the endless maze for what seemed like hours, Finn was finally starting to understand why so many people had gotten lost in these maddening walls. Maybe they had gotten cockier and more reckless over time, but for some reason, Finn had assumed that they would be able to safely navigate the labyrinth without the risk of getting lost or somehow endangering herself. She triple-checked the map that they'd bought while preparing for this trip, realizing far too late that the map was a scam and that they were probably well on their way to becoming yet another missing tourist that was listed on the posters in the city.

They heard something in the distance— whether it was another person lost in the maze or a mouse skittering across the floor, they couldn't tell— but the sound made a spark of hope flicker in their chest. "Hello? Is anyone out there?" they call out to the mysterious noise, dark eyebrows furrowed in confusion and the slightest hint of frustration as they attempt to follow the source of the noise, whatever it may be. They just prayed that whatever this thing was— human, mouse, or monster— that it wasn't something dangerous.

[laikaru]

The House of Asterion 🌙🐂

[the-crypt-of-randomness]

(XD Apis, please, she doesn’t know!)

(Maybe not just yet, but soon!)

The question catches her off-guard, and she takes her eyes off his neck momentarily.

"A gift, huh? Well, there is something you could give me that I'd really, really appreciate."

She inches closer to him. Patience was never her strong suit, and as good as the cake is, it's just not enough. Noticing the tray, she graciously sets it aside. It'd only get in the way, after all.

If Asterius looks closely, he may notice some of her teeth are starting to look a bit...pointy.

Asterius blinks, a little startled by her forwardness. Usually, when humans look at him like that, it's because they're looking for something... more than materialistic, to put colloquially.

"Well, I was offering a token from my treasury," he tells her, voice even, but clearly a bit nervous. He's not thinking about if she wants to hurt him: it's just a new reaction, and he's not great at dealing with humans who react in unexpected ways.

"What do you want?"

[vixenofthemist]

a family portrait of King Minos and his family that I probably won't finish + silly doodles of the daughters bc I think about them a lot

[oliver-ashcroft-documents]

Asterius leads Oliver out of the courtyard, and reality bends for just a moment before they're both standing in a vineyard.

Outside.

In the sun.

"Do you like it?" The Minotaur asks, not really looking at the attorney. He's a little embarrassed, hadn't thought anything through. He hopes Oliver won't run.

@asterius-of-crete // the misplaced attorney

Oliver was dizzy after the barely-perceived jump in reality, blinking before looking up at the blue sky. He started to grin as the fresh air hit his face, and he started looking around a vineyard full of green, grapes, and little insects. The attorney looked up at Asterius with utter glee.

'yes! look at this place! i have never seen something like this before.' Oliver signed excitedly before tugging the Minotaur along. He led the way, even though he was clueless as to where the vineyard led. The forever guest looked at a cluster of grapes, looking up at Asterius.

'...i know this is not easy for you. but i greatly appreciate it. it is nice to see the sky, share it with you.' Oliver signed with a softer look, beaming. 'plus, it is nice seeing you in brighter light than the lantern and the torch light.' He chuckled gently, mostly silent as always.

[jadedbug]

since we’re getting odysseus in hades 2 and considering the heavy witchcraft themes with hecate and melinoe, we’re probably also going to get circe!!! if they go all the way with odyseuss’ story we’ll likely also see calypso and penelope (penelope as weaver could also thematically connect to arachne). odysseus being athena’s best boy also connects us to arachne (cursed by athena)

if we do get circe she may make references to medea and jason (since medea is her niece and she helped her and jason perform a ritual purification!) but circe is also connected to Asterius, who is her nephew! her sister pasiphae was queen of crete and mother to the minotaur (asterius, as well as ariadne, who maybe we’ll learn more about from dionysus! though i can dream that she will show up somehow…)

[littlesistersti-backupandspam]

Asterion

Greek mythology: river god, also king of crete, also that minotaur the grandkid, seems to be a common name or it's one of those names that's actually identifies where you're from like "de la" or "de" or "von"

[aliciavance4228]

Every Awful Thing Minos Has Done

Y'all know why you're here, there's no need for any introduction.

The White Bull

Let's start this list with the zoophilic myth, and begin our journey with the mistake that, although mild compared to other wrongdoings commited by this man, clearly had interesting consequences. Minos refused to sacrifice the bull Poseidon sent to him. Poseidon did not find it funny. Therefore he punished him by making his wife lust for the beast he was never able to be in the bed.

Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. 8 - 11 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "Minos aspired to the throne [of Krete (Crete)], but was rebuffed. He claimed, however, that he had received the sovereignty from the gods, and to prove it he said that whatever he prayed for would come about. So while sacrificing to Poseidon, he prayed for a bull to appear from the depths of the sea, and promised to sacrifice it upon its appearance. And Poseidon did send up to him a splendid bull. Thus Minos received the rule, but he sent the bull to his herds and sacrificed another... Poseidon was angry that the bull was not sacrificed, and turned it wild. He also devised that Pasiphae should develop a lust for it."

Ganymede

Poor minor Ganymede cannot be happy for five minutes. In this obscure, less known myth, he was kidnapped and raped by Minos. It is also speculated in Plato's Laws that cretans invented the myth of Ganymede being carried away by Zeus in order to justify Pederasty. Like father, like son.

Athenaeus, Deipnosophists:

"And many men used to be as fond of having boys as their favourites as women for their mistresses. And this was a frequent fashion in many very well regulated cities of Greece. Accordingly, the Cretans, as I have said before, and the Chalcidians in Euboea, were very much addicted to the custom of having boy-favourites. Therefore Echemenes, in his history of Crete, says that it was not Zeus who carried off Ganymedes, but Minos. But the before-mentioned Chalcidians say that Ganymedes was carried off from them by Zeus; and they show the spot, which they call Harpagium; and it is a place which produces extraordinary myrtles. And Minos abandoned his enmity to the Athenians, although it had originated in consequence of the death of his son, out of his love for Theseus; and he gave his daughter Phaedra to Theseus for his wife, as Zenis (or Zeneus) of Chios, tells us in his History of his Native Land."

Asterion

If the previous part is already disturbing you then let's delve deeper into this figure's heinous acts, and talk about the abusive relationships he had with his step-son, whom he didn't even bother to call by his own name and referred to as the "Bull of Minos" instead. While the Minotaur was admittedly one of the most famous monsters from Greek Mythology, one aspect I've seen being brought not so often into discussion is the way he was mistreated by Minos to the point of being isolated by humanity by getting imprisoned into the Labyrinth made by Daedalus, and how he's very likely a product of bestiality above it all. As the old saying goes: "Violence begets violence."

Apollodorus, Library:

"And she gave birth to Asterius, who was called the Minotaur. He had the face of a bull, but the rest of him was human; and Minos, in compliance with certain oracles, shut him up and guarded him in the Labyrinth. Now the Labyrinth which Daedalus constructed was a chamber "that with its tangled windings perplexed the outward way." The story of the Minotaur, and Androgeus, and Phaedra, and Ariadne, I will tell hereafter in my account of Theseus."

The Annual Sacrifices

Additionally, Minos not only that threw Asterion into a cage labyrinth, but also ordered that every year fourteen innocent people must be sacrificed annually to him. Everything stopped once Theseus offered himself as volunteer and eventually managed to kill the Minotaur.

Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. 213 : "The god [i.e. the oracle of Delphoi (Delphi)] told them [the Athenians] to give Minos [king of Krete (Crete)] whatever retribution he should chose... He ordered them to send seven young men and seven girls, unarmed, to be served as food to the Minotauros (Minotaur). The Minotauros was kept in a labyrinth, from which there was no escape after one entered, for it closed off its imperceivable exit with convoluted flexions. It had been constructed by Daidalos (Daedalus)."

This custom was also linked in the death of Minos' son, Androgenus, who was killed by Athenians. Consequently, Minos came up with this decision as a form of "making peace" with Athens.

Daedalus and Icarus

Depending on the version, either Minos threw Daedalus and his son into the Labyrinth after Theseus' victory and then followed him once they flew away (quite literally), or Daedalus found out earlier that Minos intented to punish him for helping Pasiphae mate with the bull and left Crete.

Apollodorus, Library (epitome):

"On being apprized of the flight of Theseus and his company, Minos shut up the guilty Daedalus in the Labyrinth, along with his son Icarus, who had been borne to Daedalus by Naucrate, a female slave of Minos. But Daedalus constructed wings for himself and his son, and enjoined his son, when he took to flight, neither to fly high, lest the glue should melt in the sun and the wings should drop off, nor to fly near the sea, lest the pinions should be detached by the damp."

Diodorus Siculus, 1-7:

"But Daedalus, they say, on learning that Minos had made threats against him because he had fashioned the cow, became fearful of the anger of the king and departed from Crete, Pasiphae helping him and providing a vessel for his escape. 6 With him fled also his son Icarus and they put in at a certain island which lay in the open sea. But when Icarus was disembarking onto the island in a reckless manner, he fell into the sea and perished, and in memory of him the sea was named the Icarian and the island was called Icaria. Daedalus, however, sailing away from this island, landed in Sicily near the territory over which Cocalus reigned as king, who courteously received Daedalus and because of his genius and his renown made him his close friend. 7 But certain writers of myths have the following account: Daedalus remained a while longer in Crete, being kept hidden by Pasiphae, and king Minos, desiring to wreak vengeance upon him and yet being unable to find him, caused all the boats which were on the island to be searched and announced that he would give a great sum of money to the man who should discover Daedalus. 8 Thereupon Daedalus, despairing of making his escape by any boat, fashioned with amazing ingenuity wings which were cleverly designed and marvellously fitted together with wax; and fastening these on his son's body and his own he spread them out for flight, to the astonishment of all, and made his escape over the open sea which lies near the island of Crete. 9 As for Icarus, because of the ignorance of youth he made his flight too far aloft and fell into the sea when the wax which held the wings together was melted by the sun, whereas Daedalus, by flying close to the sea and repeatedly wetting the wings, made his way in safety, marvellous to relate, to Sicily. Now as for these matters, even though the myth is a tale of marvel, we none the less have thought it best not to leave it unmentioned."

Furthermore, in Memorabilia of Socrates Daedalus isn't considered the king's former friend. Instead, it is stated that Minos enslaved him once he arrived in Crete because of his brilliant mind:

Xenephon, Memorabilia of Socrates:

But wisdom now, Socrates, — that at any rate is indisputably a good thing; for what is there that a wise man would not do better than a fool?" "Indeed! have you not heard how Daedalus was seized by Minos because of his wisdom, and was forced to be his slave, and was robbed of his country and his liberty, and essaying to escape with his son, lost the boy and could not save himself, but was carried off to the barbarians and again lived as a slave there?" "That is the story, of course." "And have you not heard the story of Palamedes? Surely, for all the poets sing of him, how that he was envied for his wisdom and done to death by Odysseus." "Another well-known tale!" "And how many others, do you suppose, have been kidnapped on account of their wisdom, and haled off to the great King's court, and live in slavery there?"

Dictynna

Diodorus' account mentions Minos' attempt to rape the cretan goddess Dictynna.

Diodorus Siculus, 1-7:

"Britomartis, who is also called Dictynna, the myths relate, was born at Caeno in Crete of Zeus and Carme, the daughter of Eubulus who was the son of Demeter; she invented the nets (dictya) which are used in hunting, whence she has been called Dictynna, and she passed her time in the company of Artemis, this being the reason why some men think Dictynna and Artemis are one and the same goddess; and the Cretans have instituted sacrifices and built temples in honour of this goddess. 4 But those men who tell the tale that she has been named Dictynna because she fled into some fishermen's nets when she was pursued by Minos, who would have ravished her, have missed the truth; for it is not a probable story that the goddess should ever have got into so helpless a state that she would have required the aid that men can give, being as she is the daughter of the greatest one of the gods, nor is it right to ascribe such an impious deed to Minos, who tradition unanimously declares avowed just principles and strove to attain a manner of life which was approved by men."

Scylla

One myth version involving Scylla has her falling in love with Minos and helping him become the master of Megara, only for him to betray and drown her.

Apollodorus, Library:

"But not long afterwards, being master of the sea, he attacked Athens with a fleet and captured Megara, then ruled by king Nisus, son of Pandion, and he slew Megareus, son of Hippomenes, who had come from Onchestus to the help of Nisus. Now Nisus perished through his daughter's treachery. For he had a purple hair on the middle of his head, and an oracle ran that when it was pulled out he should die; and his daughter Scylla fell in love with Minos and pulled out the hair. But when Minos had made himself master of Megara, he tied the damsel by the feet to the stern of the ship and drowned her."

Procris

Apollodorus and Antonius' accounts give us a different characterization of the Athenian princess Procris, at least compared to her earlier myths.

According to Apollodorus, Procris was discovered in bed with Pteleon by her husband, so she fled to Minos. Unfortunately, Minos was lusting over this girl. Even more unfortunate, due to reasons this guy refused to mention Pasiphae cursed Minos to, uhm... ejaculate scorpions? Which therefore ment that every woman he was sleeping with eventually died. Yaaay.... Anyway, Procris had no choice but to sleep with Minos, but before that she managed to cure his genital sickness with a circean herb. She had to leave Crete though due to his wife's jealousy.

"Chthonia was married to Butes, Creusa to Xuthus, and Procris to Cephalus, son of Deion. Bribed by a golden crown, Procris admitted Pteleon to her bed, and being detected by Cephalus she fled to Minos. But he fell in love with her and tried to seduce her. Now if any woman had intercourse with Minos, it was impossible for her to escape with life; for because Minos cohabited with many women, Pasiphae bewitched him, and whenever he took another woman to his bed, he discharged wild beasts at her joints, and so the women perished. But Minos had a swift dog and a dart that flew straight; and in return for these gifts Procris shared his bed, having first given him the Circaean root to drink that he might not harm her. But afterwards, fearing the wife of Minos, she came to Athens and being reconciled to Cephalus she went forth with him to the chase; for she was fond of hunting. As she was in pursuit of game in the thicket, Cephalus, not knowing she was there, threw a dart, hit and killed Procris, and, being tried in the Areopagus, was condemned to perpetual banishment."

Antonius, one the other hand, writes that Minos and Pasiphae were an infertile couple due to Minos' venomous equipment, and that the only woman who didn't die from having sex with him was his wife since she was a daughter of Helios. Procris helped them though to be able to reproduce themselves by -Oh, man...- inserting the bladder of a goat into a woman so that Minos would ejaculate the animals into that woman first before having intercourse with his wife. At this point I'm genuinely wondering wheter Antonius forgot that Pasiphae was technically able to cure Minos with her powers, or if Pasiphae was actually this type of freak... *side eyeing that bull*

"Cephalus, son of Deion, married at Thoricus in Attica Procris, daughter of Erechtheus. Cephalus was a handsome and brave youth and the goddess of Dawn fell in love with him because of his beauty. She kidnapped him, keeping him at home as a lover. And then Cephalus put Procris to a test to see if she was inclined to remain faithful to him. He pretended that he was going out hunting and sent in to Procris one of his servants who was not known to her, with a great deal of gold. He was instructed to say that a foreign gentleman had fallen in love with her and offered her this gold if she would have intercourse with him. At first Procris refused the gold but when the man sent double the quantity, she agreed and accepted the proposition. When Cephalus saw her approaching the house in order to lie with the foreigner, he brought out a flaming torch and discovered her. In her shame Procris forsook Cephalus and went off as a fugitive to Minos the king of Crete. She found on arrival that he was afflicted by childlessness and promised a cure, showing him how to beget children. Now Minos would ejaculate snakes, scorpions and millipedes, killing the women with whom he had intercourse. But his wife Pasiphae, daughter of the Sun, was immortal. Procris accordingly devised the following to make Minos fertile. She inserted the bladder of a goat into a woman and Minos first emitted the snakes into the bladder; then he went over to Pasiphae and entered her. And when children were born to them, Minos gave Procris his spear and his dog."

Plutarch's Account

Plutarch portrays Minos in a significantly more negative light in Life of Theseus:

"Not long afterwards there came from Crete for the third time the collectors of the tribute. Now as to this tribute, most writers agree that because Androgeos was thought to have been treacherously killed within the confines of Attica, not only did��Minos harass the inhabitants of that country greatly in war, but Heaven also laid it waste, for barrenness and pestilence smote it sorely, and its rivers dried up; also that when their god assured them in his commands that if they appeased Minos and became reconciled to him, the wrath of Heaven would abate and there would be an end of their miseries, they sent heralds and made their supplication and entered into an agreement to send him every nine years a tribute of seven youths and as many maidens."

[...]

"Philochorus, however, says that the Cretans do not admit this, but declare that the Labyrinth was a dungeon, with no other inconvenience than that its prisoners could not escape; and that Minos instituted funeral games in honour of Androgeos, and as prizes for the victors, gave these Athenian youth, who were in the meantime imprisoned in the Labyrinth; and that the victor in the first games was the man who had the greatest power at that time under Minos, and was his general, Taurus by name, who was not reasonable and gentle in his disposition, but treated the Athenian youth with arrogance and cruelty."

[...]

"And Aristotle himself also, in his "Constitution of Bottiaea," clearly does not think that these youths were put to death by Minos, but that they spent the rest of their lives as slaves in Crete. And they say that the Cretans once, in fulfilment of an ancient vow, sent an offering of their first-born to Delphi, and that some descendants of those Athenians were among the victims, and went forth with them; and that when they were unable to support themselves there, they first crossed over into Italy and dwelt in that country round about Iapygia, and from there journeyed again into Thrace and were called Bottiaeans; and that this was the reason why the maidens of Bottiaea, in performing a certain sacrifice, sing as an accompaniment: "To Athens let us go!" And verily it seems to be a grievous thing for a man to be at enmity with a city which has a language and a literature."

[...]

"For Minos was always abused and reviled in the Attic theatres, and it did not avail him either that Hesiod called him "most royal," or that Homer styled him "a confidant of Zeus," but the tragic poets prevailed, and from platform and stage showered obloquy down upon him, as a man of cruelty and violence. And yet they say that Minos was a king and lawgiver, and that Rhadamanthus was a judge under him, and a guardian of the principles of justice defined by him."

[...]

"And Demon says also that Taurus, the general of Minos, was killed in a naval battle in the harbour as Theseus was sailing out. But as Philochorus tells the story, Minos was holding the funeral games, and Taurus was expected to conquer all his competitors in them, as he had done before, and was grudged his success. For his disposition made his power hateful, and he was accused of too great intimacy with Pasiphae. Therefore when Theseus asked the privilege of entering the lists, it was granted him by Minos."

[superkooku]

A missed potential in Hades (the game)

Ok, listen. I'm a fan of Supergiant Game's Hades (haven't played Hades II yet. Because my PC is a potato and I hope the full version will be in PS4). Yes there are bothersome inaccuracies, but...

The characters are fun, the game is surprisingly not repetitive yet consistent, the mechanics are cool, Hades and Persephone are actually compelling (a miracle in mythology retellings). And Hypnos is a fun lil goober.

But I feel like there was one huge missed potential. No, I'm not complaining about Dionysus for the 100th time or OdyPen being tossed in the trash in Hades II (gosh I hope it's a fake out and they're still together 🙏🙏🙏).

I'm talking about this guy :

This is Asterius, better known as the Minotaur. Yes it's the third time I talk about him today, but I just had an idea for him that I want to share.

I actually like what Hades did with him ! Again, I have more positive thoughts about this game than negative.

I'd even go as far as to say this is the best version of Asterius I've seen, imo.

He's an actual character, capable of speech. He's not always seen as Theseus' sidekick, even having his own moments with Zagreus. He's the more intelligent one, he's more human than Theseus and I love that about him. Like Achilles, but to a much higher degree, he mellowed down in the afterlife and lost his murderous rage.

The ironic friendship with his murderer is also very cool.

But we could've done so much more with this wonderful concept. Hades is essentially a game about mending broken relationships: Persephone and her family, Orpheus and Eurydice, Achilles and Patroclus, Thanatos and Hypnos... but Theseus and Asterius never really contributed to the main plot. They're just kinda there, doing their own thing.

I think adding ONE element would change everything, an important part of the Underworld (so Zagreus can interact with it) and something interesting for both Theseus and Asterius : the three judges. More specifically Minos.

A plotline where Minos and Asterius' abusive relationship will be discussed and Theseus actually being a good person for once and standing up for his friend.

Maybe with Minos apologizing and seeing that Asterius isn't a monster. And Zagreus being the catalyst for fixing the relationship, because in all those encounters, he learned to know who Asterius is.

Bonus point if Ariadne and/or Phaedra are mentioned. I see the latter appearing. Heck, maybe the former in a "Dionysus wants to resurrect her" storyline.

But this post is about Asterius and Minos. Between the underworld themes, the broken family of Crete, Asterius' humanity, Theseus humbling himself, it'd have been integrated so seamlessly !!

Just by adding a room for the three judges, with whom Zag regularly interacts, or fights as bosses, or just NPCs like Charon/Chaos with unique gimmicks.

Maybe fun interactions with Radamanthus and Aeacus too, though I have less ideas for them.

Please tell me there's a fanfic out there exploring that ! Or that Hades II will somehow do it 🙏.

[lumiosemuseum]

If there is life after the Earth-life, will you come with me? Even then? If we're meant to be something, why not together.

Dianthus of Oenoe (also called Dia or very rarely Dianthe) is my main sona / self insert / etc. She's basically me but if i was in Hade game's setting <3 more info below! ( Art credits: Laurel (TH) / 2nd drawing is by me )

She's physically in her 20s and about 5'4. Her father was a human merchant from somewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa, and her mother was Chloris, a nymph-goddess from Etruria. Due to being half nymph Dianthus has some powers over plantlife herself, but they're very weak and mostly useless. Her hair and body will sometimes sprout flowers or even fruit, but it tends to happen randomly, and like any flower they eventually wilt overtime! She met Theseus while still alive, and aided him in his battle against the Bull of Marathon. Afterwards Theseus returned to Athens, but he intended to return to Dia's home so that he may have her hand in marriage. Unfortunately, however, Theseus was soon sent off to Crete to deal with another bull problem overseas, and Dia had to leave her home to avoid an arranged marriage. After this and up until her death, she became a Maenad, a member of the retinue of Dionysus, and thru him became associated with the Eleusisian mysteries. When she died, her body was transformed into a carnation. Later, in Elysium, she reunited with King Theseus, and helped him again, this time in the task of bringing Asterius to Elysium! Within the blessed fields, she works as a librarian. She's a rather sweet girl for the most part, and tries her best to be kind to others. However... she can also be a bit arrogant and self centered as well. She's very stubborn and headstrong when she needs to be, but also won't hesitate to give up on a task if it proves to be too much- she's very concerned for her own rest and relaxation, after all. When it comes to Theseus and Asterius, she often has to remind them to take breaks as well! Silly funfacts: ~ She writes gay fanfiction of heroes even more ancient than those of greece. ask her about her gilgamesh/enkidu yaoi collection (don't actually ask her she'll get embarassed) ~ within a plaza of elysium, there's a board within the plaza where shades can come by and pin things they've written. one user of this board is only known as "championsgirl01" and writes some very passionate posts... most of them in defense of the king himself.

~ Her favourite flower is actually the sunflower, but she also loves pink roses and carnations, her namesake. ~ She collects merch of the champions, and is the vice president of their fanclub. She also watches every match! ...In reality, though, she really doesn't care that much about the sportmanship thing. She just likes watching sweaty buff guys battling it out. ~ Friends with Patroclus, Achilles, Dusa, and surprisingly, Alecto. Has a weird frenemies thing with Zagreus. Co-workers with Hypnos but he's always asking what Asterius is up to which makes her look at him with daggers in her eyes </3

[mashamorevvna]

2 & 5 for whoever you’d like (for the character asks :))

ayyy thank you much pal for the ask 🥹🥹gonna go with my warden aeducan simply bc there's so much wrong with her psychologically& emotionally lmao

ask game here!!

2. How long was the process before the character reached its final version? (or a version that would be clearly recognizable as the character?)

months lmao!! even with games i know really well like dao it always takes me the time to complete a full playthrough to get a personality even halfway sketched. i start with a rough outline of some choices (spare loghain, bhelen as kind, alistair romance who gets shanked in the back at the landsmeet) but it takes me so long (approximately, in this instance, 6 months) to put the pieces together coherently

5. How did you choose their name and why? Was it simply based on vibes or is there any specific meaning behind the name? Are the reasons behind their name different in- and out of universe?

its a greek mythology reference (likely thing for me to say) to ariadne& the minotaur. specifically it was about envisioning the deep roads, a subterranean network of ruins much in the same way that the labyrinth is beneath crete, and also likewise haunted by the personification of some social shame (darkspawn and minotaur respectively). so the whole concept was to have a character shift from being ariadne (whose princehood is based upon stepping over ruins and shame and seeking elevation&liberation from it) to then become the minotaur (the personification of the family's shame), and the name is a nod to that. relevant marriage of cadmus and harmony quotes lmao:

Daedalus, the Athenian, designs a building in Crete that hides behind stone walls both mystery (the pattern of the dance) and shame (Asterius, the Minotaur). From that day on, the mystery is also the thing you are ashamed of.

And just as the craftsman Daedalus had had to in vent an inanimate object to allow the mother to love the bull, so now he had to invent another object, the labyrinth, to conceal the son. The Minotaur would be slain, Pasiphae was to die in captivity and shame.

If the power of metamorphosis was to be maintained, there was no alternative but to invent objects and generate monsters.

[dizzyspice717]

I want a comic or story where once Ariadne becomes a goddess after Dionysus marries her, she goes back to Crete and breaks her brother Asterius/Asterion (the Minotaur) out of his prison cue sibling shenanigans, except it’s a newly formed and wifed up goddess and her half bull brother

[noxsylvania]

An Intro to Mother of the Apocalypse

A graphic novel for the future [it's just scripts and concept art] set in the [still in early playtest] TTRPG Tragoedia: Tales of Tragedy, a game based off the Greek Tragedies.

About our Band of Heroes:

Our story focuses on a prophesied Apocalypse and the people determined to stop it. Our titular Mother of the Apocalypse, has been prophesied to bring upon the Apocalypse when she turns 100 years old and our heroes have very little time before this day is to come.

Asterius, alongside his adoptive father Alexios, begin their journey to find a way to stop the Apocalypse without having to kill Armageddon, an innocent woman who's only crime was being born. Along the way we meet Damrina, the daughter of a healer who befriends Asterius, and Khaos, an agent of Mechanus, the deity of Time.

They clash with the monsters, men, and gods on their quest to save the world, who knowssss if they'll be able to stop it in time?

The rest is mostly spoilers for the actual story so I won't get into it too much.

Gods also play a strong role in this story of destiny and defying it. It's easier to just explain the pantheon. So anyways.

The Ataraxian Gods:

The Ataraxian Gods are all split into to categories with nine gods each. Every god is the parallel to a god in the other pantheon. We've got the Komoidic Gods, the gods of Peace and Revelry. And the Tragonic Gods, the gods of Hardship and Grief. This isn't really a "good gods vs bad gods" the Tragonic Gods are just as much a part of everyday life as the Komoidic Gods are.

AND HERE'S THE NIGHTMARE ASTERIUS FAMILY TREE THAT TOOK FOREVER TO MAKE AND STILL LOOKS BAD:

The World of Tragoedia and the Ataraxian Isles:

Tragoedia is a world where stories give things power. Jinan Al Amin, a Folklorist, came up with a description for how it all works… that will be explained when I release my game. The planet itself, has nine moons and planetary rings. As seen in this comic.

The Ataraxian Isles are based off the Aegean Isles, with the southernmost islands based more off Crete. The time period in the graphic novel is based off of around 5th century BCE, with the game being much more modern, based off of the late 1800s and early 1900s of these regions.

However in both the GN and the TTRPG there are steampunk and cyberpunk elements in the forms of magitech.

The Ataraxian Isles are a Theocracy, led by the Priestesses and Priests of Mechanus, advised by the Oracles of Phantasia.

Humans are not the only humanoid peoples inhabiting the island. As I get further into playtest of Tragoedia y’all will see more of that in my art!!

Anyways that’s all on that for now, again it’s all in very very early stages, it’ll be years before I finish MotA and Tragoedia, but I like sharing everything but my scripts and confidential stuff so y’all will see a lot of it!!

If you wanna follow more about TToT and MotAs sister story: The Blackened Skies, check out my TTRPG sideblog @lichpire :]

[the-crypt-of-randomness]

(Hush, mister, I love it! I imagine he’d still kick Vampire!Random’s butt, though. lol)

(Ooh, there are so many good ones on that ask meme! I finally narrowed it to one that I have much love for.)

🩸

Send an emoji, and I will give you an idea for our muses to interact in this setting:

🩸 Vampire AU

Was Asterius aware that he was not the only 'supernatural' entity that roamed the world? Yes. Did he have any idea about the vampire epidemic humans were dealing with? No.

It's pretty surprising to him, therefore, that one of the humans he traps in his maze to play with is more predator than prey. And unbeknownst to him, his divine blood smells, well, divine to a creature that sustains itself on blood.

Random's already having a bad day, what, with reality warping around her and dropping her off in an unfamiliar labyrinth. But something smells really good to her, and she needs to hunt whatever the source is down.

Who's the cat and who's the mouse in this game?

[monstersandmaw]

A Star in the Dark - A retelling of the Minotaur of Crete story (m. minotaur x f. character, 3rd person, Chpt. 2, sfw)

Thank you for the lovely feedback on the first chapter! As promised, here is the second, from Asterius' point of view this time. 

Content: mention of the practice of human sacrifice, some mention of parental grief/death of a child, and imprisonment, as well as pining, mutual attraction, (idiots) and a bit of snarky back and forth. 

Wordcount: 4972

Part One here 

[coffeeandkhun]

Minotaur myth parellels

It occurred to me just the other day, that Bam's and Yuri's 1st meeting is actually similar to the myth of Theseus and Minotaur.

How so? For some background, in Greek mythology, the infamous Minotaur was a half man, half bull monster. Minotaur's foster-father happened to be - who else than the Kinf Minos of Crete. Because of his royal heritage, Minotaur also has another name, Asterion or Asterius (literally "starry one").

King Minos kept the monster as a prisoner inside a huge underground maze, which was built by the royal inventor Daedalus.It also was the order of king Minos, that every 9 years, 14 young Athenians had to be sacrificed to the Minotaur. This went on for years.

Then one year, a hero named Theseus decided to end this. He voluntarily joined the sacrificial party - his intention was to slay Minotaur instead of getting killed himself.

King's daughter, princess Ariadne, fell in love with him and decided to help him. She provided him a ball of thread to get out of the labyrinth, and a sword - thus betraying her father, the king.

Princess Yuri, on the other hand, took a liking to Bam and decided to help him to take the Headon's test. She provided him a pocket ("a ball") and her Black March - thus betraying her "father", the king.

(From webtoon S1 ep. 2)

However, I wouldn't make too many conclusions based on this, as I don't believe SIU meant just to replicate the myths - this would be quite boring, too, to be honest. So I don't think, for example, that Bam's character is meant to mirror Theseus in the larger picture.

I only think it's an interesting detail, especially because it is also related to the myth of Icarus - the inventor Daedalus is also father of Icarus. In some versions of the myth, he also helped Ariadne behind the scenes, and that's why he and his son got imprisoned in the first place and had to find a way to escape from Crete.