#thanatos friendship au

[percabeth4life]

hc: everytime percy almost dies or miraculously recovers right before death or sees the god or survives smth that wouldve killed anyone else, he makes an offering to Thanatos basically going "sorry if i messed up your schedule again, hope you have a great day, am happily awating when you can actually collect me, bye!<3"

Thanatos considers them good friends, says it once in front of Hades, Persephone&Demeter(&through an amazing game of telephone, Poseidon gets told his Son is "making good friends with death" and Poseidon takes that to mean Percy is (1) almost dyinf even ore frequently than usual or (2) they are sarcastic and he is sassing thanatos&he(Than) does nOT appreciate it

Lmao, Poseidon is panicking, Thanatos when rescued in SON is just like "<3 bestie! How nice to see you <3 You doing good? How am I doing? Yeah just trapped here"

Percy does not realize Thanatos considers them good friends and is just confuzzled. He's happy Thanatos seems to think he's chill tho.

[argetcross]

Happy 4th anniversary to wasting beats of this heart of mine, my Zagreus becomes mortal AU! Another year, some more adventures undertaken.

This year, I've unearthed more concepts and half-finished paintings all the way from 2021. I've included notes under the cut about each piece, as well as more reflections.

If you told me in October 2020 that you'll write a fic over 100k words long, spanning multiple cities, with multiple POVs, I would have said, "Are you sure?". I think I never really imagined I could keep a story running, much less one that demands so much of its author. At the same time, this work has been my deepest and most fulfilling pleasure. It lives in my dreams, haunts my waking moments, and demands I regularly carve my heart out and poke through the viscera. I suppose such is the nature of art.

We've been approaching the end of Part III, and readers up-to-date know I've mentioned planning for five parts in total. Five acts, five biomes: it only feels fitting. Many things I had looked forward to (the chariot race! Kyane and Persephone! The return of Thymoetes!) have come to life on the page, but there's still so much of the yarn left to spin. I never expected needing years to complete this story, but I also feel strongly I am beholden to it now. To Zagreus, to Demeter's children, to the mortals and gods, above and below. I will continue to try my best.

Thank you to jules, val, nan, robin, and spleen for having beta'd for me during these years. This story wouldn't be what it is without you. Thank you to mag, for having crawled through the trenches of creating an enormous fanwork and countless hours of spreadsheeting, with me. To every artist that has ever drawn me anything, it is truly humbling to be able to inspire your work. To the House Party, whose friendship I am grateful for every day.

And to anyone who has ever read part of the story, left a comment, and stepped along on this journey with me, I cannot overstate how grateful I am. I remain baffled and pleasantly surprised that this world of mine can touch your heart. It's a story that I hope, when it completes, you will pick up again from time to time, and take pleasure in its telling once more.

With all my love,

Arget

--

Notes about each image:

Thanatos and Zagreus by the sacred olive trees of Athena. This painting was based on a photo I took in Athens. The quality of the sunlight astounded me and, in turn, made me think about life and death.

Thanatos anointing the body of the god Zagreus with nectar. This is related to the scene in Chapter 23, when he and Nyx converse by Zagreus' bedside.

Eleusis concepts. For such a powerhouse of a cult, Eleusis itself has a provincial feeling to it. I was captivated by the idea of the sea, and the fact that Zagreus had never spent any time on the coast. This would have been his first experience with it.

Athens. What can I say about Athens that hasn't been said? The trip I took late 2022 provided a lot of the inspiration for the citadel aspect of the acropolis. This is not the Athens of Classical Greece, the polis of democracy, but a fictionalized city-kingdom, under the rule of its royal family. The idea that Callisto had a student living in Athens was both a nod to the extensive trade happening during the Bronze Age and a deconstruction of the Amazon myth that the Greeks told themselves.

Clymene, the Oracle of Delphi. This was originally meant to be a Hades game-like portrait, but I scrapped the idea. She is dressed in the fashion closer to the Minoans, to give her a more Bronze Age feeling. As the head priestess, I wanted to show her age.

Apheidas and Thymoetes sketches. The two brothers are supposed to look night and day from each other. I tried to give Apheidas a pleasant sort of face, in comparison to Thymoetes' haughtiness.

The tapestry sketch. This was one of the first drawings I ever made about wasting beats, in an attempt to understand the type of story I was about to write. Key elements had already been decided, such as the chariot race and the way Demeter and Hades would play the role of the absent gods, for above as well as below. I had not written Apollo at this time, so you see him here with short hair.

Zagreus, reaching for a bloodstone. The chlamys, a gift from his foster-father's wife, has been the simple denotation of mortal Zagreus. Something bright and red, simple for it was woven by a farmer's wife, and barely able to protect his weaker mortal body.

Megaera, hurt and angry, and Than, stricken and alarmed, amidst a storm of paper. This is a scene from Chapter 18, Primordial Winter, that I had always wanted to illustrate.

[scrivenger-grimgar]

Makoto-as-Orpheus/Messiah and Ryoji-as-Thanatos in Ren’s head as personas.

Obvious Arisato-twins AU, but with Shiomi as their original last name and Makoto’s being changed by the foster system, Makoto having Thanatos with him, and Kotone saving Shinji, and Makoto still becomes the seal. Post-canon has Kotone holding Messiah and Thanatos in her persona stock as a way of communication with them.

Messiah disappears from her stock when Ren fuses Orpheus during Kaneshiro’s palace, and later Thanatos too, during Sae’s.

Old married couple in your hindbrain give you love and support like your parents never could, they sit back and goes “wow this is so fucked up dude.” as you fight your way through Futaba’s palace, they comfort you after November 20th, and cheer you on as you shoot God in the face with the power of friendship, this gun you found along the way, and also Satan.

[lonewolfel]

God Games: Underworld Edition

This comes from an AU where Eurylochus is given the choice between Odysseus's life or his own and the crews lives. Eurylochus choses the crew.

Inspired by @theultimatenonbinarynerd ask.

[Athena]

Uncle, Dread King

I know the rules of death

Yet, I'm knocking on your door

With hopes to save a friendship with one who you host in your great halls

Odysseus

[Hades]

Divine intervention, is that what you seek?

To undo the death your father placed on that Greek?

You are playing with fate for a man full of guilt,

But if he's worth the risk, perhaps you could get his soul.

Convince each of them the he ought to live, and he is free to go

[Athena]

Who's them?

[Hades]

Charon, Hecate, Thanatos, Styx, Persephone, and the Moirai

What do you say?

[Charon]

Great

[Hecate]

Very well

[Thanatos]

Eh

[Styx]

Alright

[Persephone]

Groovy

[The Moirai nod their heads]

[Athena]

Bring it

[Shades]

Charon!

[Charon]

You all know I'm the ferry man of shades

So many of his crew gone, yet I couldn't ferry them

[Athena]

There were no bodies to bury,

Many eaten or lost to the ocean depths.

If you let him return he will honor

Them so they can ride on your boat.

[Charon]

If that's true, let him live

[Shades]

Hecate!

[Hecate]

Why should I aid him when he

Threatens one of my witches. Turned

Our own power against us.

[Athena]

Did you forget Circe turned his men

To pigs? That the Molly was a gift

From Hermes? He only used it so

He could free his men. Circe even helped him.

[Hecate]

Very well, let him live

[Shades]

Thanatos

[Thanatos]

Mortals only get one chance, and you

Know how much I hate cheaters.

Why should Odysseus get another?

[Athena]

He didn't get a choice

[Thanatos]

Mortals never really get a choice

He's just like any other mortal. Let him remain.

[Athena activating Quick Thought]

Wait, please reconsider this

[Styx invading Athena's Quick Thought with her Consuming Hate]

Really Athena? Cheating are we?

[Athena]

Styx!

[Shades]

Styx, Styx

[Styx]

Tell me little goddess,

Why should a liar get to

live again when so many

honest men have to remain?

He said he'll get his men

Home and yet the majority of his men ended up

Dead. Odysseus known no

Honesty just like you.

[Athena]

Hold your tongue, you

know nothing of what

you speak. Death, Odysseus's no Sisyphus.

You want the truth, Styx?

His men betrayed

Him. Why should he be honest when no

Man near him is?

[Thanatos & Styx]

Ugh, let him live

[Persephone]

Hey, girl

[Ensemble]

Persephone!

[Persephone]

So many heroes

Or so they say

They all come here to rest so why should yours return

[Athena]

He’s got the mind of a genius

[Persephone]

So what,

He's just another conquerer

And killer. Why should I aid him?

[Athena]

It's all my fault

I'm the one who turned him into a monster.

[Persephone]

Release him

[The Moirai]

Tell us little Olympian, you're a

Fan of weaving

[Atropos]

Why would you change

The design just because

You feel guilt for one of the strings?

[Clotho]

All lives are entwined. To change one

Strings length you will change all.

Why should we let you change ours?

[Athena]

It wasn't his time.

[Atropos]

Perhaps but fate changes.

Only one of the crew can arrive to Ithaca.

[Lachesis]

Once it was Odysseus

Now it is Eurylochus.

[Clotho]

Not even your father can change this,

Little Goddess.

[Athena]

What if Eurylochus dies?

Then will you allow me Odysseus's shade?

[The Moirai]

Bring us Eurylochus

Before he steps onto

Ithacan soil and Odysseus

May live again.

[Hades]

You have your answer, niece.

Now leave.

I hope you guys enjoyed it. I tried to keep it in neat with song but I'm not a singer so it was hard. The Moirai part was difficult just because most of them don't have corresponding lyrics.

[nami-moittli]

I figured that I should probably share who’s everyone’s godly parent in the pjo x twst AU

This is something that both me and a friend worked on to decide, so here it is!

There are a few minor gods chosen, so I’ll explain:

Philotes is the goddess of friendship and affection and is a daughter of Nyx (and possibly Erebos)

Tyche is the goddess of fortune, chance, providence and fate

Keto is the goddess of dangers of the sea and sea monsters

Hecate is the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon ghosts and necromancy (Note that Sebek would probably be a legacy in this AU)

Hypnos is the god of sleep and he is the twin brother of Thanatos and son of Nyx

If you’re wondering who the MC is, then Yuu is the Oracle of Delphi. Grim is… a monster, who knows?

[baejax-the-great]

End of Year Fanfic Rec List

I thought instead of five fic Friday, I'd go ahead and rec some of my favorite fics I've read this year.

Completed Fics:

A Young God's Heartbeat by @luddlestons. Thanatos x Zagreus (M). A modern AU in which Zagreus is a good Midwestern boy going on an impromptu road trip with the god of death while his father tries to murder him.

Reap the Whirlwind by @stripyjamjar. Thanatos x Zagreus (M). Zagreus was raised by his grandmother in a secluded garden, but that doesn't stop Thanatos from stumbling on him and striking up a friendship. Upon learning of his parents, Zagreus breaks into Hades to find them.

Cantata by @swaps55. M!Shepard x Kaidan (M). Almost 200k words of Mass Effect prequel and hopeless pining on the part of Kaidan Alenko. Action, adventure, found family, and space cadets in love.

regreso el amor by artifice. Achilles x Patroclus (M). A short fic of music, growing up together, and pining between friends.

Fics I hope to see next year (aka WIPs!):

Twin Flames by @johaerys-writes. Achilles x Patroclus (E). Patroclus is the squire to his best friend, the Prince of Phthia, who left him behind for years. Now he faces icy silence and icy conditions as he accompanies him to his wedding.

Fugue by @swaps55. M!Shepard x Kaidan (M). About a month into their relationship, the Normandy is attacked. Some of the best angst I've read, and the chapter on the Normandy going down is honestly a must-read.

Face to Face by @juliafied. Thanatos x Zagreus (M). After Zagreus disappeared while Thanatos was in college, he swipes him on a dating app. The result is so bitter and awkward and petty and delightful. Good luck, boys.

When Death Incarnate got banished to France by Marro. Thanatos x Zagreus (G). Thanatos is banished to live among mortals. It goes about as well as you'd expect. He gets a cat. It's adorable.

On the Ropes by @redsmear. Patroclus x Zagreus x Achilles (E). Zagreus picks up a boxing coach and a new Dom at the same time. No reason to believe they know each other or that the angst will have you staring listlessly out a window for hours.

[rowanisawriter]

last rites

hades game | thanzag | priest AU! | ch 1 of 3

.

Outside, that strange and forbidden place. Thanatos’s work has been taking him outside and beyond their village, performing last rites, the sacrament that takes him places Zagreus has never been allowed to go for fear of the blemish it would bring to Cardinal Hades’s reputation, and the reputation of all who work under him. Thanatos has always known, in the back of his mind, that Zagreus couldn’t be contained forever. But he had hoped in his quiet and even way, secretly, that if Zagreus ever left, he would take Thanatos with him.

Instead, he snuck out one day, jumping out the window, landing heavily in the world outside when Thanatos was in another town, utterly unaware that his life and its careful balance of duty and friendship had been disrupted forever.

.

Zagreus, the wayward secret son of a cardinal, unexpectedly returns to the village of Hades after escaping to discover the truth of his parentage. Thanatos, the duty bound priest, tries not to let it get to him. Over the course of two days, Zagreus tags along on Thanatos’s duties of the sacrament of the last rite, while they both seek closure of a different kind.

[ash-arts-a-thing]

A bit ago I had an idea for a new au because I’m insane I guess, this one is for Persona 3. Back in the day (2010) I used to play the Portable version on the PSP and even though I only ever romanced Shinjiro I was well aware of the line in the Ryoji romance line “I would still like whether you were a guy or a girl.”, but it’s only now in Reload that we actually get to see romantic feelings towards the male protag (before Fuuka walks in and makes me lose my mind).

So my au proposal is new game plus reveals Minato is actually stuck in a time loop, reliving the events of the game all the way back from when he first stepped foot off that monorail. The twist this time though is that instead of Pharos it’s Ryoji that visits Minato during the Dark Hour with the added option to spend time with him during the DH rather than go to Tartarus or spend time with your dorm mates (outside of scripted visits). Minato and Ryoji both remember everything that happened the time around of course, so there would probably be the option to save characters like Shinjiro, Chidori and Mitsuru’s dad idk yet.

So the au would focus more on the relationship between Minato and Ryoji, the best part being you’d actually have the option and chance to romance him (Atlus you fucking cowards). There would also be a proper social link for Ryoji again, his arcana still being Death rather than Fortune like in Portable. Maybe when using Thanatos instead of calling out the persons name he calls for Ryoji (maybe) with a split second of him appearing in his human form before becoming his persona and the stronger the social link the stronger the persona becomes, whether you choose the romance or friendship route he gets stronger in different ways?

Anyway, I might workshop it in the same fashion as the Specter Carlo au where it’s an entire game rewrite to fit the idea. I have no idea what I’d even call this au, Persona Timeloop au? Idk.

[witchhazelevesque]

I've talked about Hazel ending up at the Lotus Casino, I've talked about Leo ending up at the Lotus Casino, I've talked about Hazel and Leo gaslighting themselves into thinking Leo was actually Sammy, but you know what I haven't done?

Put it all together

Let's miraculous ladybug square this shit (au pending on that), because it could be that both of them remember who they are, or that only one of them remembers or that neither of them remember.

If they both remembered, then honestly, the shock of it might snap them both out of their comatose state, and that in and of itself would be a nightmare for them. Imagine them running out onto the street and just- Hazel canonically almost had a panic attack when she visited Berkeley, Vegas would literally kill her. And it could actually be kind of funny depending on how old Leo was when he first got trapped at the casino because he could have been as young as eight. So Hazel seeing this literal child (which is saying something because she is also a child) and being like... is this my boyfriend's son or... ?

If only Leo remembered, than nothing would happen, they would just exist near each other, and there's something kind of tragic and haunted even in that. Also kind of freeing too though. Like their meeting was always going to be painful for them, and they got to just be in the same place without that pain or weight to carry.

Also, like when they're actually on the Quest (tm) and during a group discussion Hazel casually drops how she spent year x to year y there because she's recovered her memories, and Leo, who's either kept the fact that he stayed there very close to his chest because it's Leo, or has loudly be announcing it to explain why he's so much younger than he should be- anyway he chokes on his drink because what kind of a coincidence is that?

If neither of them had their memories, then it would really depend on like... how sad you want it to be. Like, do they just float around each other and never take notice of one another? Do they meet and become friends willingly, of their own volition? Even if they don't remember all the pain of their pasts, it would still leave some kind of impact on them. If going the sad route, then Hazel still would have died in Alaska but maybe Juno or Thanatos or Pluto did something they technically shouldn't have done and gave her a second chance somewhere new. Because then Hazel would have reason to be proud of her decisions, because her story had come to a resolution, even if a tragic one. Or maybe none of what happened in Alaska happened, and she is just a kid spared a cruel fate that she isn't even aware of. If it's the first, then in comparison, Leo would be at the start of his story, always feeling something is wrong, that he's forgetting something that he knows he shouldn't be, something he did wrong, something that scares him when he tries to think about it.

Or if they weren't weighed down with those wounds, then, yeah, maybe they get a few years of peace and happiness and friendship before the world needed them back and everything they'd been able to forget comes crashing down on them.

If only Hazel remembered then... it really would be like seeing Sammy again. Like, that would be literally the only plausible explanation to her, she has no idea he would have been dead by then. And Leo, who hasn't really spoke to anyone in... he doesn't even know how long, who doesn't even realize he's forgotten his own name because he never has to think about himself in relation to anyone else... he's got no reason not to believe this girl coming up to him, saying they're friends and don't you remember me and seeming so heartbroken at the fact that he doesn't. He doesn't want her to cry, he doesn't want her to be sad, especially not in this amazing place, so yes, of course he wants to know about their old life, of course he wants to hear about their adventures and yes, he wants to be this person she's describing, and it feels so good to have an identity again, a name and past and friend, and-

[toushindai]

Life-Sized Blogging

toushindai / 30s / cis female (she/her/hers)

A known bisexual. Administrative coordinator by day. Writer also by day. Asleep by night, unless something’s gone terribly wrong. Autistic, at all hours.

My special interests take the form of serial fandom obsessions. It’s currently and very narrowly whatever the fuck Rauru and Ganondorf have going on in Tears of the Kingdom right now. If you followed me for (counts backwards on fingers) Hades, Transistor, Baccano!, Soul Eater, or any other fandom I don’t post about anymore, sorry about that. I do not have any control over the direction of the special interest.

I write a lot of fanfiction, specializing--I may as well cop to this, I think it's been the case since I was in college--in what we'll call eroticized power dynamics. You can find me on AO3. You'll also find me occasionally peddling my wares on my nsfw twitter. My main twitter, wallofillusion, should be considered defunct at this point.

Below the cut, I'd like to highlight a few of the fics or fic series that I'm proudest of for each fandom.

Tears of the Kingdom

Questions of Kingship: Two PWP one-shots followed by a multichapter plotted work. Elements of dubcon and noncon throughout. Recommended if you like made-up politics, think TOTK maybe should have thought a little harder about the implications of its made-up politics, or just want to see two horrible men who hate each other fuck about it.

Following Ganondorf's oath of fealty to Hyrule, Rauru "invites" the Gerudo chief to stay at Hyrule Castle while Gerudo's subsumption into Hyrule is negotiated. It's a strategic action; Rauru does need to keep an eye on him. But his frustration with Ganondorf's false humility hides a desire that even he is not comfortable with, and Ganondorf has his own plans for the self-styled king of Hyrule.

Hades

Hello it is I a megzag main. reach out and grasp will be your best starting point. It focuses on Megaera's friendship with Thanatos and how it is affected by her (and Thanatos's) relationship with Zagreus. This series is available as a pay-what-you-want e-book at itch.io. From there, feel free to branch out; there is a lot of porn here and some things that are not porn. A further guide to my Hades fic can be found here.

Transistor

Not so much of the power dynamics in this fandom but I love Red/Boxer so much. I am not immune to a sword with a gentle voice. Here's the two of the on the verge of becoming a couple; here's what was as far as I can tell the first Red/Boxer smut on the entire internet even though I showed up three years late. Here is a post-game fic in which they finally must discuss the final act of the game.

Baccano!

Maskmaker trio my beloved. I've written over 100k across two separate "Monica is alive" AUs and my sole comfort is that I could never be as obsessed with this thought as Huey is.

Mad Religion is a one of my masterworks: set in the 2001 of an AU where Monica never died, Huey and Monica stumble upon a branch of SAMPLE only to discover that Elmer has already stumbled upon the cult on his own and is trying to make their sacrifice smile. Because that's what he's for--isn't it? If you like writing dealing with unnamed religious trauma, this one is for you.

Other than that--wow I cannot even begin to summarize my work in this fandom. Here's Ronny and Maiza getting to know each other in 1711. Here's Huey being the worst father imaginable to Liza. Here's a lil tone poem of Huey thinking on Monica and Elmer in the 1930s. Conversely here is Fermet leaning real hard on Huey's boundaries. There's more out there, my friends, but it's so scattered. I'm not even mentioning Ronny/Lucrezia here.

Soul Eater

Hello it is I a Medusa/Stein main. And also a "Stein's relationship with Lord Death/authority" main (I was working through some things at the time).

What it Means to Lose Control: When Stein has to give up control in order to fight, some are more than willing to step in and claim it from him. A Medusa/Stein divergent AU. I turned this into an e-book, with some side stories included; you can get that here (mobi | epub)

A God without an Ego: An examination of the relationship between Stein and Lord Death—where it works and where it falls apart. Looks like I never put this one on AO3... well, I'm not linking each piece individually on ff.n. The best way to read these ones is on e-book (mobi | epub)

Prior fandoms

If you want to go further back than "the tail end of my college years" godspeed and for god's sake please don't tell me about it. WallofIllusion on ff.n, you'll find some The World Ends With You, some Ace Attorney (original trio), some Death Note, and some Yu-Gi-Oh!. Also more Soul Eater than I transferred over to AO3.

[percabeth4life]

Percy who has been getting lectures from Annabeth this whole time on chthonic Gods and how little is known about them in general: This must be a cultural thing!

Thanatos who has been getting advice from Hades on human courting: I'm getting a good grade in courting and it is clearly returned

Poseidon who is watching Thanatos court his oblivious son: I'm gonna commit murder

Hades who is encouraging all of this cause it's hilarious: *eating popcorn* lol

[juliafied]

Face to Face

Chapter 4: When You're Smiling and Astride Me

Fandom: Hades

Pairing: Thanatos/Zagreus

Rating: Mature

Chapter(s): 4/5

Words: 8765

AO3

Summary:

Thanatos can’t remember the last time he went on a date that wasn’t with his email inbox, so Charon sets about rectifying the situation by making him a profile on a dating app. Sifting through guys who fish and tourists looking for one night stands, Thanatos comes across his childhood best friend, who he hasn’t spoken to since their strange parting as teenagers. Thanzag modern AU, online dating.

It would have been easier if Thanatos had changed. If he’d become full of himself, like the stereotype of the successful finance guy that he is, or if he’d become one of those weird conspiracy theorists that have been cropping up all around lately. That is, if their friendship had been one of convenient proximity and not of genuine connection.

But he’d been just the same. Self-deprecating, dry yet somehow still affectionate, quick to fluster at Zagreus’ teasing. Exactly as they’d been as kids, climbing with their sandwiches to the top of the hill overlooking the ancient ruins in their neighbourhood, laughing at the tourists with their funny hats and single-use cameras. Just a little taller. Better-spoken, maybe. No longer nervously tossing too-long bangs out of his eyes. He wishes… he wishes he’d asked him about the last seven years, about something other than a college fling that had clearly meant so little that Thanatos had barely remembered the guy’s name. About who he spends time with on the weekends, and if he has a favourite coffee shop closer to work. If he still likes to read everything he can get his hands on. Whether he's been in love.

Achilles nudges him out of his thoughts – the stranger has bought the three of them shots. “You alright, lad?”

“Not sure,” Zagreus says truthfully as the bartender expertly flips his bottle of tequila and fills three shot glasses to the brim. Achilles’ admirer flashes a smile in their direction that doesn’t extend to Zagreus. They’re passed three limes by the bartender, and a moment and a ‘cheers’ later, the alcohol has burned its way to a warm place in Zagreus’ stomach.

He watches as Achilles leans in close to yell in the stranger’s ear, whose hand has migrated to the back of the barstool, thumb grazing Achilles’ shoulder periodically, and this annoys him, though Zag’s not sure why. He finishes his other drink that’s mostly melted ice at this point, but the guy behind the bar is busy again, so he thumbs through the menu. Checks his phone – an email’s come in, from Athena thanking them for their hard work on the grant they’d submitted this afternoon, and a text that’s an overly formal but expected request for a catch up lunch from Meg. He swears she must have a reminder in her calendar. First Friday of the month, check on Zagreus. Scheduled, just like everything else in her life. He slides his phone back in his pocket just in time to order another drink, and before long a margarita is in front of him, ice-cold and beading with condensation. By the time he finishes it, Achilles’ new friend’s hand has made it off the back of the chair and onto Achilles’ waist. Zagreus scowls and taps him on the shoulder.

“Should we dance?”

The booze is thick and heavy in his limbs as they make their way slowly to the most densely-packed part of the club, closest to the speakers and the dense, hard bass that slams into Zagreus’ heart with every beat. He’s not a very good dancer, but Achilles is, moving with ease, catching more than a few eyes around him. Zagreus can’t say he’s never thought about it before, especially back when he first joined the lab, assigned to be mentored directly by basically a demigod in a dress shirt. Even now, as Achilles tosses his hair and shoots a smile over his shoulder, there’s a twinge of something in the pit of Zag’s stomach.

And that’s when he spots him.

Keep reading on AO3

[eulaties]

HADES FIC RECS ★ THANZAG ★ #34

fics that have an asterisk (*) in front of them are my personal favorites!

this list was last updated on 1/1/23.

NOTE: these fic recs contain the ship thanatos/zagreus.

**wasting beats of this heart of mine • multi-chapter (23/?)

SUMMARY: “you said the curse is tied into my godhood, right? what if…” the words tasted unnatural in his mouth, a blasphemy before they could even take shape in the air. zagreus coughed them out regardless. “what if i could shed my divinity? what if i became a mortal?” OR: despite being a god, zagreus keeps running out of time.

TAGS: the zagreus becomes a mortal au, reincarnation, hero’s journey, loss of memory, references to ancient greek mythology & folklore, the most painful yet simultaneously satisfying type of slow burn (my favorite kind), thanatos pining hard, angst, fluff, friendships, i would die for callisto

NOTES: oh man i cannot recommend this fic enough. everything from the intriguing premise, immersive worldbuilding, captivating characterizations, and excruciating well-done slow burn is just so *chefs kiss* you can tell that the author really cares about the characters and incorporates a lot of that love into their writing <3 on the topic of worldbuilding, the author is also an artist & they have a sideblog dedicated to all the concept art they made for the fic: @/thekatabasisofzagreus! please go check it out and support them :D

*where the nights are long, and the paws are plenty • multi-chapter (16/16)

SUMMARY: “after dropping out of university and moving back in with his father, zagreus doesn't really know what to do with his life. when megaera tells him about a job opening on the night shift of a local animal shelter, zagreus decides that spending his nights watching sleeping dogs is as good a start as any.”

TAGS: modern au, the hades chatfic in which everyone works at an animal shelter, slow burn, humor, fluff, angst, getting together, def a comfort fic

*(mort)ified • one-shot

SUMMARY: "zagreus confesses his feelings for thanatos to mort, unaware that owners of cthonic companions can hear what's being said to them.”

TAGS: confessions, humor, idiots in love, mort unwittingly being subjected to zag’s Pining

this means war • multi-chapter (4/4)

SUMMARY: “in order to avoid having to spend the summer with his father, zagreus volunteers at the summer camp his mother runs, and quickly discovers that the two halves of the camp aren't just locked in a friendly competition.“ OR: the trojan war, but make it summer camp.

TAGS: modern au, summer camp, friendships, capture the flag, pranks, fluff, patrochilles being the best (and they give out free relationship advice!), one of the first hades fics i read <3

to cheat death • one-shot

SUMMARY: "sisyphus?" zagreus sees his own brow furrow in the mirror. "i run into him sometimes in tartarus. i know he's sentenced to roll a boulder up a steep incline for all eternity, and i know he named it bouldy." thanatos was silent. then: “do you know what earned him that punishment?”

TAGS: angst, hurt no comfort, me and my homies hate sisyphus

death and the prince • multi-chapter (2/2)

SUMMARY: “five perspectives on thanatos and zagreus as they fall in love.”

TAGS: outsider pov, mutual pining, denial, hurt/comfort, angst with a happy ending, thanatos: i'm not in love with zagreus don't be ridiculous, thanatos twenty minutes later: okay look i know what i said b

strange and beautiful (i'll put a spell on you) • one-shot

SUMMARY: “thanatos suddenly finds himself feeling quite strongly, and entirely against his will, that nothing should ever be permitted to make zagreus unhappy; he wants to reach out and smooth the lines marring the otherwise flawless expanse of his forehead, wants to lay a soft kiss on the delicate curve of his perfect brow ridge, wants to cradle him gently in loving arms.” OR: in the middle of one of zagreus' escape attempts, aphrodite's charm works its magic on a singularly unlikely target.

TAGS: canon-divergent, love potion, pre-existing feelings, humor, angst, yearning, getting together, thanatos waxing poetic about zagreus at least 83624782 times, no dubcon/consent issues

hunger • one-shot

SUMMARY: “thanatos sees it now. his time with zagreus gave rise to more than just reverent adoration, far more than what awkward confessions and quiet, gentle lovemaking could slake. there is so much more that lives inside of him, feelings that don't have words and those that do (but should not be said out loud). ugly, raw feelings that burn him up from the inside out, as impossible to control as they are to deny.”

TAGS: established relationship, possessive behavior, (un)resolved sexual tension, open-ended ending, no dubcon/consent issues

eyes on you • multi-chapter (7/7)

SUMMARY: “it’s true then, mother?” thanatos whispers, low enough that lord hades can't hear. it’s barely a question at this point, more of an acknowledgement of the growing ache in his chest. “zagreus wants to leave the underworld?”

TAGS: canon-divergent but incorporates several canon quotes, zagreus’ departure from thanatos’ point of view, angst, its all about the pining

[biboomerangboi]

Cause of my Current Brainrot - steddie with background ronance Hades AU.

Steve as Zagreus - Determined to get out of the underworld, rebellious son. Charming and good at getting his ass kicked.

Eddie as Thanatos - God of the dead, in love with Steve since childhood, everyone thinks he’s scary but he’s just a guy. (His companion would be a bat this time round tho because of course.)

Nancy as Megaera - Fury with a gun, Steve’s Ex, cares about her job and dumped Steve for being to immature, nectar starts a friendship.

Robin as Dusa - Instead of just a head she’d be a full Gorgon, Steve tries to flirt with her but she eventually she’s like I’m gay and the platonic soulmatism kicks in, Steve starts matchmaking her and Nancy like it’s her job and running to her about Eddie being mean to him.

Dustin as Hypnos - Eddies little brother, playfully bullies Steve for his deaths, gets distracted at work, sassy

I’m not sure if Hopper and Joyce should be Hades and Nyx or Olympians but the rest of the party are definitely the younger Olympians.

Max as Hermes because she’d deffs be in on this and is the Zoomer.

Controversially Lucas as Artemis because he’s sweet and awkward and deserves a goated boon. He’s also the ranger of the party guys so this makes sense.

El as Athena Goated boons, defence for days, very strong and wanting to fix her family.

Also controversially Mike as Ares he’s our little hotheaded paladin and him being the reverse of El is pretty cute.

Will as Aphrodite but he doesn’t really get love, biggest heart for days, talks more about familial love when talking to Steve and mentions he’s nervous about his role to Steve. Crush on Mike.

Argyle as Dionysus because it just fits a lot.

I’m struggling with Jonathan because I think he needs to be Wills brother always but also I think he’d really fit Charon but how am I going to make him buds with Dionysus of all people.

Murray as Poseidon idk why that fits but Murray being kind of a dick who gives you things just fits.

I’m struggling now to think of more. Joyce as Demeter and Hopper as Zeus I think would also fit and obviously I’d have to overhaul a lot of who’s related to who to make this all work and make the kids not related to each other obviously but yeah. This is the brainrot. I won’t be writing this obviously but it’s going around in my head.

[nerdierholler]

WIP Title Ask Game

I was tagged by @evilbunnyking for the WIP titles game. Thank you!!!

Rules: reveal the titles of the documents in your WIP folder and tag as many people as there are documents. Let others ask questions about the ones that interest them and post snippets or explain the contents as you see fit!

I'm bad about writing in one giant document (my Random DA Stuff and Misc Shepard docs are 75+ pages each). I do a lot of one shots and prompts so there isn't always a lot of extra living behind the scenes. However! Here are some with large chunks that haven't seen the light of day. I think about them fondly even if I haven't actively worked on them in ages.

Ithlen as Quizzie - My Dragon Age AU where my Warden also becomes the Inquisitor. It's my canon for the series and for many reasons, Ithlen is near and dear to my heart.

Noelle - Fallout 4 journal of my canon adjacent Sole Survivor. She's Shawn's aunt, there was a mix up that led to her surviving instead. Romances Hancock and is living a better life after the bombs than she was before.

Amongst the Pale Starlight - Mass Effect 2 story with my canon Shepard, Marie. She falls apart after waking up, there's a crew intervention, and friendship turns into something more with Garrus.

Sadly, I don't think I have much on the Wayhaven front that hasn't made some sort of appearance already.

Psychopomps and Circumstance - Something original! Based on the prompt "Once a name is written in a Book of the Dead, it cannot be edited. Apparently your name was erroneously submitted, despite the fact that you’re very much alive. This is the 4th time today that yet another Reaper is checking up on you to see if you died yet." Thanatos, Anubis, and Clíodhna the banshee are in charge of regularly checking to making sure Dani is still alive. Friendships are formed, maybe even a little romance.

But Regency Vampires Though - Another original, pretty much what it says on the tin. More world building than anything but there's one or two scenes written.

[inscrutable-shadow]

ok i was talking to @crash-bump-bring-the-whump yesterday and then thinking last night and i really think i cracked the core of thanatos' character arc in both AUA and ITHOR (which is rooted in queerness)

and it's that what i want for him is to be able to let go of other people's expectations of him and just live

he's always been held at arms length by his peers, he's foppish and not really capable of performing masculinity up to societal standards (the reason his fashion sense is stuck in the victorian era is that that was the only period in history where people didn't clock him as gay just by looking at him) and that caused a lot of insecurity in his youth, his father was always disappointed in his 'womanly' ways and wanted him to be a politician, not a philosopher (and stop getting railed on the weekends)

so he's always felt like the world was hidden from him behind a pane of glass and that nighttime was the only time he could really breathe and be himself

and then of course he gets turned while partaking in that nightlife, so now nighttime is actually the only time he can live

so now he's in this new vampire culture and maybe this is a chance to finally fulfill his societal role he'll try extra hard this time

and he's a iuventus through and through, really, his sire chose well, art and philosophy and hedonism are in his blood, but interacting with other houses has that same feeling of "oh, he's one of those" he thought he'd finally escaped, plus he's not really a hunter, his powers aren't designed for offense, and he's a bit of a coward, so no one respects him

and so he falls back into that same pattern of leaning into it, yes i'm effeminate, yes i'm a coward, yes my hunting methods are dishonorable, just throwing up this mask of the proper gentleman vampire, leading foolish mortals astray into the night, and he does enjoy it, but it's a very lonely existence and he's been a lonely person all his life

ITHOR's thanatos is so very young, comparatively, not the baby that rhys is but not even quite two thousand years old, just beginning to get set in his ways as a vampire and using his vampire's pride as a shield against all of those messy mortal feelings like loneliness

and the archfey comes along and makes him realize that maybe he was made for more than one-night-stands, maybe someone can see the whole of him and not reject him, ae actually celebrates his sexuality instead of seeing it as an unavoidable consequence of interacting with him, and he feels so safe and whole in aer arms

and so he ends up deciding that the archfey is the only person in the world who can really understand him and love him, and that's okay, the other vampires will never understand, mortals will never understand, but nature aerself loves him and that's enough

that's where most AUs and AUA pick up with him, two thousand years into his relationship with rea and very content for things to stay the same way that they are forever (even if there are still unfilled holes inside of him, he doesn't remember ever not having those)

and so for AUA what i want for him is to really be able to bond with the team, become a mentor figure to rhys who never really had a sire, take solace in his similarities with avrae and bea, let the stress of the situation forcing them into a proximity they wouldn't usually allow themselves open the door to unlikely intra-vampiric friendships

because he does deserve that, he deserves friends who see him for who he is and accept him for it, who'll tease and bicker but not mock him over what actually matters, who depend on him and let him depend on them, he deserves to feel like somebody wants him

just. ugh. drowning this man in the platonic affection he couldn't earn in his youth.

@albatris @robinbugbanned @painful-pooch more AUA character meta for y'all lmao