In personality, how do you keep in mind how mortal!Zagreus is different than normal Zagreus? Eg. certain factors you consider that change how their similar traits that are expressed differently being raised in different environments? 👀
Ooooh, I love this question! It really is a nature vs nurture question, isn't it?
I feel what I end up doing most is filtering god!Zagreus' personality through the experiences that mortal!Zagreus would have. I have a pretty good sense of mortal!Zag's entire life, from his arrival to the House of Philomenus to him preparing to leave the farm, and knowing what his upbringing was like helps me keep his character similar, but different from how he is as a god. For example, because he grew up isolated in his agrarian community (as most people just did back then), I try to play that as a callback to the classic God!Zag naivety.
But, perhaps the biggest difference is the lack of a Hades-figure in mortal!Zagreus' life. God!Zag grew up with Nyx's nurturing, but somewhat inscrutable parenting and Hades' castigation and general disappointment in his son. Hades is both Father and King, and so the world Zagreus is in is a completely closed system where Hades' word is literally law. Mortal!Zag doesn't have this. The gods and the kings are more distant, though still figures of grand authority, and he grows up in a common background. His privilege is greatly diminished, he's a foundling with minimal social prospects and family connections. This, however, means he also doesn't have the ever-present obstacle of his birth father's anger which I feel like defines so much of God!Zag's life and rebellion. In contrast, Mortal!Zag has a much greater sense of abandonment and aimlessness, kind of hearkening back to the listless prince we hear briefly about in the game.
Another thing I try to keep in mind is Mortal!Zag just has a lot more life experience. He's worked on a farm since he was old enough to handle chores, he battles potential famine each year, and he does tire (though like many youngsters, he'll pretend he doesn't have limits). Exhaustion, hunger, fear of survival, all of these get dialed up more in Mortal!Zag, whereas God!Zag doesn't tend to have these problems. It's also why he gets angrier and frustrated at times - he can't shake things off the same way God!Zag can, because the stakes are higher for him and for his loved ones.
The hallmarks of mortality is truly we don't have infinite time, and so how we spend it, what we make of our lives, who we want to become, have definite answers by the mere existence of time passing. The horror of God!Zag's existence was that he might spent all of eternity in suppression and suffering. Mortal!Zag, on the other hand, might run out of time before he even begins.
Thank you so much for sending in a question! <3
