#trans dionysus

[devoting-waters]

Y'all are not ready for Dionysus' design .... And this is only the sketch

[writerman]

The Cult of Dionysus

This is dedicated to @neonelysium who so kindly purchased the game Hades for me the other day. In doing so it sparked my adoration for the good old God of wine, festivity and theatre (amongst other things).

It also helped my start the journey of overcoming a hidious case of writer’s block.

So thank you @neonelysium!

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I have not yet finished the game and I am peppering in bits and pieces of my knowledge of Dionysus as I go so please take this with the saltiest pinchiest grain of salt.

And with that I give thee trans!Dionysus and Trans!Zagreus in a short piece I just speed wrote after work 2 hours ago.

Thaaaanks.

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“Look, mate, I know you’ll have heard all sorts about me and I guarantee the majority of it is true,” Dionysus is pouring both of them a drink, deep crimson wine sloshed up the sides of ridiculously fancy chalices as the God tried to keep a steady hand through the mire of his drunkenness, “But honestly, it is literally ancient history and who cares, who cares, you know?” 

Zagreus cared. 

He was too polite to say anything for the moment and instead when prompted, he raised his drinking vessel and toasted to whatever Dionysus had slurred out before bringing the chalice to his lips and drinking deeply. 

All party was good old Dio. 

“Duality of man, wanting to know and knowing you shouldn’t ask, isn’t it?” Zagreus finally found his voice but he wasn’t all too sure the huge man beside him was even listening. 

“Yeah, double nature of the wine. You can have a good time have a drink and laugh, you know, revelry. Then you’ve got the side where man commits atrocities and well it’s all balance, is it?” They weren’t talking about the same thing and Zagreus thought it better not try and steer the conversation at this point, it would be like herding cats, at least he assumed it would be from what he knew of cats, he hadn’t met one to confirm. 

There is music playing around them but Zagreus doesn’t see a musician or instrument in sight, just the maenads and satyrs frolicking their way through copious amounts of wine as they danced and sang under a glorious and intensely blue sky, such was the world of the God of festivity all that went with it. 

An empty chalice was set down by his arm, and when he moved his gaze from it he found Dionysus watching him with eyes bright with a shocking clarity he hadn’t expected to see from him. 

“What was your question?” No theatrics in this sentence that was for sure, and his voice was deep and serious but before Zagreus could fathom how to start a bright smile broke out over the God’s face and he laughed heartily. “You looked so afraid, mate. All in good fun, all in good fun, but what did you want to ask me?” He’s pouring himself another drink and chuckling to himself as though he were the funniest man in existence and maybe he was but not at that moment. 

Now came the tricky part but Zagreus had combatted trickier situations, hadn’t he? 

“You were raised for a short while as a girl to hide you from Hera, didn’t that… do something to you?” Zagreus tripped over his words with hesitance knowing that whatever the response was he likely deserved it. 

The reaction that came did not surprise him but it still wasn’t what he had expected either, calmer and not as boisterous as would be the norm for the God. Dionysus, reclining on a chaise the hue of a storm heavy sky, seemed deep in thought for all of 20 seconds. He stretches and the chalice in his hand doesn’t spill a drop as he unfurls like a great cat. 

His skin had clearly never seen battle yet scars were apparent, but revelry was not always safe and The God was right, the nature of wine could change a man. 

A frenzied and delirious cry was thrown up to the sky from the crowd and Zagreus watched idly as the partygoers writhed against one another teeth and lips uncaring of where they landed to the point Zagreus turned his gaze away feeling the flush of a blush slide over his skin. 

It was probably time to go. 

“Ahah, yes! That old chestnut, oh Dio was raised as a girl for his first few years. Hm, not that the story isn’t an interesting one, mate, but it isn’t what really happened.” The sudden outburst from Dionysus was a decent distraction from the gyrating crowd and Zagreus felt relief wash over him that he had conversation again.

“What did happen then?” 

“I was assigned female at birth, Zag. These aren’t battle scars.” One large hand traced one of the barely-there scars on his chest and he offered a broad and yet comforting smile when Zagreus found himself tracing along with his gaze. 

The recognition of the scars and the relief that washed over Zagreus was unparalleled to anything he had experienced for a long time. Kinship aside this man was his brother in the way that they had both experienced a life most others had not. 

“Ah, now you get it, now you get it and now we can celebrate. Drink up the party isn’t even in full swing yet. If you do it right you’ll be dragging yourself up those stairs towards Hypnos in no time!” 

It was safe to say the rest of his time spent in the company of Dionysus was a blur, a drunken all singing, all dancing blur and when he came back to his senses he was in his bed back home and Nyx sat by his bedside looking almost amused. 

“So this would be how the house of the dead would truly fall?” 

“I hope not, Nyx. Otherwise, it would be in crumbling ruins by now.”

“There is time enough for that but let us hope you do not return in this state again.” 

“I really can’t promise that.” 

[ray-changed-for-their-brand]

Someone: You're a girl.

Dionysus: Lol bitch where?