Hey everyone! I’ve been lurking and asking related questions under a different account (which you may recognize :D), but I want to start fresh with this one.
So this is my first foray into the world of interactive fiction. This work is a reimagining of the Hades/Persephone myth where no abduction or coercion takes place. This WIP was partly inspired by my love of Greek mythology retellings and this amazing post.
So-
There is an uprising against the gods that began with wronged mortals. The gods turn a blind eye to them, but as their numbers increase and as they attract the attention of primordial beings long left undisturbed, trouble begins to brew.
Unaware of the shifting power landscape, Persephone prepares for her first presentation to the Pantheon of the Gods. Demeter has been indoctrinating her to become a secondary goddess, an aide to the Goddess of Harvest, but Persephone wants to be more.
On Mount Olympus, the mortals strike with an arsenal of beasts and behemoths long abandoned by the gods, and a war begins. Persephone, still new to the world of Gods, still unaware of her powers, has to escape to the underworld for her safety.
The story then follows Persephone’s development into the Goddess of Spring and Rebirth. You control how and which powers develop. You control whether she becomes a loved or feared deity. You control the relationships she forges or shatters. You control whether she fights for or against the gods. You control whether she brings Olympus down.
You can play as Persephone or Proserpinos (or any other name that you choose). I’m referring to her as Persephone at the moment because it’s canon, but this game is not gender-locked, and you have the opportunity to play as any gender which includes nb, trans, and cis options (you can input your preferred pronouns as well if you want to). You also have complete control over Persephone’s customization as well.
There are also 4 romance options:
Eranthe (nb): A leimoniad (a nymph of the meadows) turned lampade (an Underworld nymph) after their death.
Rhoesus (m): The headstrong leader of the Rebellion.
Hecate (f): The Goddess of Witchcraft, Magic, and Ghosts.
Hades (m/f): The Ruler of the Underworld.
All the romance options except Hades are gender-locked. Melia and Hecate’s gender is an integral part of them, and I have no wish to make them customizable. But Hades’ gender is determined by the player.
Also, while romance plays a significant part in this, I hope to include a strong focus on platonic relationships, so you can play as aro/ace and avoid romance if you wish to and still have multiple satisfactory endings. There are also multiple endings for each romance option, as well as a polyamorous one.
While I have read supposed older versions of the myth which say that Persephone traipsed down to the underworld voluntarily, I am wary of the heavily abusive connotations that come with the commonly accepted version of the Hades/Persephone myth. I especially detest the retellings which romanticize the abusive relationship and the Stockholm Syndrome which Persephone develops.
I am determined to make this WIP as unproblematic as possible, so I will be taking multiple creative liberties with this work.
I’m curious to see how interested others are in this. I’m well into writing the first chapter, but I want to know whether I should continue with the story or not.
Thanks for reading all of this, and any suggestions or criticisms would be greatly appreciated!