#slavug

[topios]

A quiet moment in the Asphodel fields.

[grumpling]

hades 2 is really really good

[vera-keyes]

pinched by a crab strangled by an octopus bitten by a shark and stung by a jellyfish poked by an urchin stabbed by a marlin sawed by a sawfish and crushed by charybdis and slapped by a bass sliced by a sturgeon clobbered by a charp and stomped by hippocampus and smacked by a knucklehead and poisoned by a scuffer and burned by a slavug and swallowed by a WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAALE

[keighanweylan]

Spoilers for Hades 2 Music

I don't think people talk enough about how perfect the diegetic music in these games is.

I've gotten, thusfar, to The Infernal Beast, but more importantly I've gotten Coral Crown and I'm Gonna Claw (Out Yours Eyes Then Drown You to Death).

I'm halfway convinced Coral Crown is either a nod to Odysseus or Totally-Not-Skelly, leaning towards the latter. It's something that makes me think he was a victim of the sirens in life, overall, and that Schelemeus persona might not be just that.

Meanwhile, the bridge of I'm Gonna Claw is, in the second half, almost entirely referencing the fish table of the first game. Bass, Sturgeon, Charp, Hippocampus, Knucklehead and Slavug, in that order, are referenced as Scylla gets more and more vicious in the bridge.

ALL OF THIS without mentioning the fact as you beat the sirens one by one, their instruments fade out of the songs in game. From a programing standpoint, I'm sure that can't have been the easiest task (0 experience in the field, but I know it has something to do with audio layering and maybe it's actually super simple, I don't know.)

And just as a little cherry on top, Scylla and her gals essentially filling the Theseus role of "Little Shit boss with their probably way-cooler counterparts" and Scylla clearly caring about her bandmate friends when you beat them up? Flawless.

[millenniumfae]

Hades Fish - What They Taste Like, And How To Cook Them

TARTARUS

Hellfish - Evolved from pond snails, and as Achilles says in his codex, they traveled from the surface to the Underworld by sticking to the bottom of Charon's boat, and eventually became undead. Around the size of a navel orange. Tastes mostly like regular freshwater snail, except less of the 'dirt' aftertaste and more 'metallic blood' thanks to the Styx. Usually served lightly blanched to avoid chewiness, and served drizzled with oil and salt.

Knucklehead - Originally the spirits of common saltwater sardines and anchovies that convalesced into their own undead species. Classical Greece's fishing economy centered heavily around those two fishes, and that cultural reverence essentially brought the Knucklehead to existence, so to speak, through indirect worship. Average size of 12-15 inches, and they no longer have scales or skin, exposing their translucent green flesh. Has the flaky texture of oil fish when cooked, and tastes like if you stuffed a sardine with pennies.

Scyllascion - Related to the legendary Scylla, but didn't spawn from her as individuals. Like real life catfish, they can keep growing to monstrous sizes, and are aggressive and territorial. Only one Scyllascion hangs out in each large patch of Styx. Zagreus only ever catches the younger, smaller ones, since the huge varieties are too smart to be fooled by a Rod Of Fishing. Caught Scyllascion range from 17 inches to a Great Dane. It's cooked by removing its iron-hard head and fins, then roasted whole or in stews. Meat is surprisingly mild and absorbs flavor well.

ASPHODEL

Slavug - An example of a species that never evolved from a surface animal. They spend an equal amount of time in and out of the lava, sometimes hanging out on the rocks or the shore. An adult Slavug is about a foot long, and five inches thick. When they die, they go from lava-hot to stone cold, and usually cooked by boiled or steamed whole. Slice them like a cake to serve. The flesh is bouncy and porous like bread, and they taste like shellfish.

Chrustacean - These clearly-lobster-adjacent fish are not tolerant to the lava like the Slavug is, its carapace serves as a heat-proof shield. Shades of Asphodel sometimes keep them as pets because of their inquisitive, friendly behavior. Cooking Chrustaceans means prying off their metal shell before exposing them to heat, which leaves their raw, goopy flesh exposed before cooked to firm and usually made into lobster cakes, or as toppings on salad. Tastes like if a lobster was boiled in a sulfur spring.

Flameater - Canonically thought to be native to the Underworld, and perhaps related to the Ladon dragon that Heracles killed. Its large maw is actually a filter feeding system for Phlegathon's minerals, and its passive and shy, making it hard to catch. Average size of a desktop keyboard, and its mouth alone can stretch to the circumference of an umbrella. Cooked through application of frostbite by use of ice, usually by burying it in an icebox for 15-20 minutes. Eaten alone, its weirdly cartilage-ridden and tastes strongly of overcooked egg, but it makes for a great broth or stock starter.

ELYSIUM

Chlam - All fish of the Lethe feed on memories, and this one most of all. Evolved from surface scallops, not clams, lending it its flat, ridged shell and glowing eyes. Usually around the size of a human hand, but the older ones can be the size of a truck tire. Has the soft texture of real life scallops, but its taste depends on what memories it had most recently eaten; bittersweet, salty, horny, etc. Cooking multiple Chlams together in a stew makes for a taste best described as 'headache-inducing' if not spiced correctly.

Charp - The Codex entry implies that its the shade of real life Koi fish (which are colored varieties of the widespread Amur carp), but Hades also implies that its mythology exists independently outside of the Greek world. Koi wouldn't naturally exist above ground, and no one in-game would be familiar with them aside from a possible passing encounter. Therefore, the Charp evolved from common Greek carp into an undead species similar to the koi, and a few worldly shades have remarked on its similarity to a surface species found on distant shores. Like real-life koi, it tastes and cooks like carp, but tinged with memories like the Chlam.

Seamare - Thanks to the Lethe's calm, warmer waters, it has a few reefs that house a natural-borne seahorse-akin fish. They only feed on pleasant memories, lending it a sweet taste, and are usually the size of a dinner plate. They're also intelligent, and can memorize human faces. Catching them is difficult not because they hide, but because they fight back; thanks to all the warrior memories they've swallowed, they have a battle-spun spirit and won't let you reel them in without a struggle. If not kept as pets, they're usually speared on sticks and fire-roasted over coals.

TEMPLE OF STYX

Gupp - Naturally borne from the Styx, it's less of a guppy analogy and more like a Greek freshwater shad. They swim in schools against fast currents, and are usually the length of a pencil case. But like a guppy, they livebirth fry dozens at a time, and are used as utility fish for seeding waters. It lacks scales, like real life catfish, and has the unique life/death cycle of livebirthing pre-existing Gupp in a method of rebirth whereas all other Underworld fish have to wait to respawn upon being eaten. Thanks to its proximity to the surface, it tastes exactly like a regular river fish, just scaleless.

Scuffer - All fish in the Temple are sought-after for their unique overworld-ajacent taste, and the Scuffer even more so for its utility purposes; its tough and giant swim bladder can be made into high quality vellum, its toxin has many medicinal purposes useful to immortals, and its liver a fruity delicacy served raw. Other parts of its flesh are edible to anybody immortal/undead, but you still 'die' so its not recommended. A Scuffer's liver tastes reminiscent of a merlot thanks to its life spent swimming and feeding upon the Styx's floor. The adult ones can be as big as a pineapple.

Stonewal - Evolved from swordfish, and retains their migratory, aggressive behavior. They're an important part of the Underworld's ecosystem, because they regulate the population of any fish that make it too close to the surface world. Range wildly in size, from a modest foot long to as big as a bathtub. Usually cut into fillets and fried upon flat griddles, or served roasted on a rotating spit whole during feasts as a centerpiece. And like the previous two, they have utility purposes as well; their long, sturdy, but flexible bones are made into crafting tools, and weapons like bows and arrows.

CHAOS

Mati - Its appearance is a dead ringer to real life anglerfish fry, but it'll spend its whole life in their gelatinous, bloated form. As a fish of Chaos, it was borne from and represents sapient gaze; AKA, a gaze cast with intelligent emotion. Eating a boiled Mati has the texture of eating an old grape with a hard kernel within, and tastes like if fresh sea urchin was a yeasty porridge. Mati that can be caught are no bigger than a smartphone, but if you look into the distance, you can see car-sized ones.

Projelly - These fish spawn from Chaos like shed skin cells; unconsciously and ever continuing. They're unintelligent except for a minor nervous system that propels their bodies along in a purposeless compulsion. Which is what makes them hard to catch, since they float around too deep for a fisher to just scoop them up, but good luck trying to dredge one upon your hook. Pretty tasteless, but with a pleasant cartilage-y texture. Often served dried out as a snack, then re-hydrated or marinated to be chopped and plated cold with oil.

Voidskate - The biggest fish you can catch in-game. If you look closely, you'll notice that those table-sized Voidskates are seemingly swimming upside down, because when you cast a hook into their reality, you're actually pulling them down from where they fly in the air. Not only that, but their fishable state is their limbo life, and their 'dead, eaten' state is their actual life. They're a source of study from philosophers trying to learn more about life and death, but they never get far. Prepared by slicing into thick, dense steaks, then fried on grills. Has a sour, rich brightness like buttermilk.

[tigersharks]

slavug looks like tbh

[finalexpenses]

slavug

[stupidpop]

pinched by a crab strangled by an octopus bitten by a shark and stung by a jellyfish poked by an urchin stabbed by a marlin sawed by a sawfish and crushed by charybdis and slapped by a bass sliced by a sturgeon clobbered by a charp and stomped by hippocampus and smacked by a knucklehead and poisoned by a scuffer and burned by a slavug and SWALLOWED BY A WHAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLEEEEEEE

[topios]

More Chrustacean and Slavug in the wild art. Hades mini fishing game is the gift that keeps on giving.

[opposumghost]

Zag just out there tryna catch a Slavug, meanwhile Melinoë’s gone to kill time incarnate

List of possible reasons that Zagreus is not the protagonist of Hades 2:

1. Stuck in a time loop (Cronus and stuff)

2. Running the Underworld while Hades is kidnapped

3. Is fine and enjoying the time away from his dad

4. All of the years of not sleeping finally caught up with him

5. Respects women

6. Still grinding darkness for fancy titles

7. Everyone decided not to tell him because he would cause a scene

8. Fishing :]

[ashenworth]

hey so remember when I was like "hehe I like Than :)" WELL

I'm. I'm starting to. well.

Zag is really fucking cute........

[cluescorner]

Megaera: Love is dead, if it even existed. I’ve been punishing oath-breakers for years and know better than to trust others so readily. Besides, I’d never risk my job for anything. 

Thanatos: Agreed, Megaera. Getting attached to people when you’re the embodiment of death is a waste of time and energy. And I’d also never risk my job for anything. 

*5 minutes later*

Zagreus: Hey Meg! Hey Than! I’m back from my day of impulsively ransacking my father’s domain and making friends with everyone in a 2 feet radius, then inevitably dying! But the whole ordeal was worth it because I caught a Charp :D I also found some diamonds and I wanted to propose to both of you with them, but the contractor wouldn’t let me so instead I freed that one guy who you both hate. I love you both very much! I also caught a Slavug :D

Megaera and Thanatos: I’m about to risk my job for this lovable, trusting, and killable idiot. 

[c-is-for-circinate]

Quick response re: resources in Hades. Just keep progressing in the game and you'll get to the point where you can get more titan's blood, diamonds, and ambrosia. You're close! Nectar and darkness are mostly from rooms and some boons like Poseidon's ocean's bounty and sunken treasure or Dionysus's premium vintage can help. If you've unlocked it at the house contractor, the Fated List of Minor Prophecies gives out a lot of good rewards too, so keep an eye on it. Good luck!

Yes!!  I have gotten to that point of the game, and while I’m not loving the heat mechanic in general (the game makes it really hard to minmax or stick to one strategy that works, which has been getting frustrating), the chance to go back for more blood and diamonds has been really useful.  (And while I’m just answering this now, seeing this before I got to that point was very helpful in keeping me hopeful, so thank you.)

The Fated List has been my guiding light this entire game, it’s been great.  A LOT of my early runs were geared specifically towards boon-collecting with an eye towards finishing out the individual gods’ lists because I was trying to farm gems for upgrades to fulfill different prophecies (my gaming brain really likes small goals like that, even if the rewards are relatively pointless), and occasionally I got a lot farther than I had any reason to expect because I’d picked up the right combo of boons.  It’s helped me pin down some of the specific weapon/boon combos I like, too!  (Which are apparently all contrary to the Wisdom Of The Speedrunners, but I am officially saying fuck it about that.)

Fishing, when I can do it, has turned out to be really profitable my last couple of runs, too.  Skeletal lures, man, got to get those skeletal lures.  Not that a slavug is worth much of anything, but occasionally the chef is real generous.

[obscurushydrae]

"You'd be surprised what can be used for lighting." Kar mused. "The people of Gornium used literal people."

She shrugged at the gruesome fact, following up. "I assume that's why I'm here? You need help sourcing a permanent home fort them?"

A dark nail tapped the glass of one of the containers, smiling softly at the salamander.

A beat, and she adds, "Got a cute little slavug from Asphodel as a gift from my cousin. Was a bitch and a half to make a suitable terriarium--magmarium? Whatever. Basically the setup can handle a magma slug beastie."

"What are you meeting about, lamps?"

Looking at the objects on the desk "Someone in the artifacts division, had butterfingers." it was one way to put it. It took Ruth, Thea, and five other agents to contain the buggers ". . .but who knew lanterns can hold Salamanders." okay modified lanterns with symbols, and other provisions. "Until we can fix their previous vessels'." he questioned why they put them in the conference room.

muse: Ezra : ask from Kar/@obscurushydraee , verse tbd

[auncyen]

so last night I decided I wanted to do a run in Hades (which led to more and yes this is why I didn't sleep enough last night) on the second file, and in the run where Poseidon gifts huge catch automatically, I caught:

bass

sturgeon

seamare x 4

flameater

scallysion

slavug x 2

chrustacean

and I think a hellfish or knucklehead, can't remember which.

[topios]

More Hades critter appreciation - this time Slavugs in their natural habitat.