*comment Copyright 2010 by Dan Fabulich.
*comment 
*comment Dan Fabulich licenses this file to you under the
*comment ChoiceScript License, Version 1.0 (the "License"); you may
*comment not use this file except in compliance with the License. 
*comment You may obtain a copy of the License at
*comment 
*comment  http://www.choiceofgames.com/LICENSE-1.0.txt
*comment 
*comment See the License for the specific language governing
*comment permissions and limitations under the License.
*comment 
*comment Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
*comment software distributed under the License is distributed on an
*comment "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND,
*comment either express or implied.

*title Blood of the Living
*author JJ Laurier
*scene_list
	startup
	01chapter
	02chapter
	03chapter
	04chapter
	ending

*comment SETTINGS
*create convotoggle false
*create npc_init true
*create creation "unknown"
*create erebus 1
*create erebus_known false
*create pronouns_known false
*create touchtoggle "default"
*create touchchange true

*comment BASICS
*create name "Unknown"
*create gender "Unknown"
*create birthannounced "Unknown"
*create he "he"
*create him "him"
*create his "his"
*create hes "he's"
*create he2 "he"
*create him2 "him"
*create his2 "his"
*create hes2 "he's"
*create man "man"
*create lord "lord"
*create god "god"
*create son "son"

*create fakename "fakename"

*create tag_trans false
*create tag_nonbinary false
*create tag_fluid false
*create usedcustompronouns false

*create appearance_demeter 0
*create haircolor "unknown"
*create hairlength 0
*create hairtexture "unknown"
*create protectivestyle "none"
*create eyecolor "unknown"
*create skintone "unknown" 
*create height 0

*create tag_poly false
*create tag_aro false
*create tag_ace false
*create tag_posace false

*create sensory false

*create route "unknown"

*comment TRAITS
*create tag_learned false
*create tag_athletic false
*create tag_magic false
*create tag_intuitive false
*create tag_charming false

*create tag_unlearned false
*create tag_unathletic false
*create tag_unmagic false
*create tag_unintuitive false
*create tag_uncharming false


*comment PERSONALITY
*create warm 0
*create cold 0
*create confident 0
*create unsure 0
*create forthright 0
*create reserved 0
*create humorous 0
*create serious 0
*create selfcaring 0
*create selfless 0

*create overt 0
*create subtle 0

*create assertive 0
*create passive 0


*comment BACKSTORY FACTS
*create hermes_backstory "unknown"
*create hestia_backstory false
*create hera_backstory false
*create artemis_backstory false
*create athena_backstory false
*create usedfeather false
*create aphrodite_backstory false


*comment OPINIONS & PREFERENCES
*create marriage "unknown"
*create opinion_olympus "unknown"
*create opinion_underworld "unknown"
*create underworld_initial "unknown"
*create underworld_final "unknown"
*create realm_preference "unknown"
*create opinion_childhood "unknown"
*create opinion_children "unknown"
*create marriageaspiration "unknown"
*create opinion_fate "unknown"

*create room "unknown"
*create roomcolor "unknown"
*create fav_color "unknown"

*create pc_weapon "unknown"
*create weapon "unknown"

*create dream "unknown"

*create kissing "fine"
	*comment dislike, notface
*create intimate_touch "fine"
	*comment fine, averse, middling

*comment TAGS
*create dionysian 0

*create askedstim false
*create dontstim false
*create stim false
*create stimt "unknown"

*create touch "unknown"
*create demeter_touch "unknown"

*create tag_heights false
*create tag_dogsfear false
*create tag_nohelp false
*create tag_pacifist false
*create tag_pacifistvow false
*create tag_sociallyanxious false
*create tag_sober false
*create tag_stout false
*create tag_haughty false
*create tag_lifesensitive false
*create tag_humansdislike false
*create tag_cosmetics false
*create tag_nevermakeup false
*create tag_crafty false
*create tag_signs false
*create tag_likesanimals false
*create tag_sporty false
*create tag_binder false
*create tag_cook false
*create tag_vegetarian false
*create tag_simplefood false
*create tag_smokes false
*create tag_nonsmoker false
*create tag_flexible false
*create tag_swims false

*create genknowledge 0
*create funbook 0
*create craftsknowledge 0
*create healknowledge 0
*create chthonicknowledge 0

*create posture "unknown"
*create singer "unknown"
*create painter "unknown"
*create dancer "unknown"
*create badaim false
*create violencesucks false
*create squeamishdead false

*create tag_nogarden false
*create garden "none"
*create gardenper "unknown"
*create gardenstate "good"
*create garden1 "roses"
*create garden2 "flowertree"
*create garden3 "herbs"
	*comment set these to something else once importing is possible

*comment OTHER
*comment initials are friends, crush, neutral, dislike
*create hades_flirt 0
*create hades_fear false
*create hades_fear_overcome 0
*create hades_instacrush false
*create hades_owesfavor false
*create pcknowssensory false
*create anyonebutyou false
*create hadesstim false
*create knows_raspberries false
*create hades_initial "unknown"
*create hades_touch "unknown"
*create hades_scene_2 false
*create hades_bethereforyou false
*create hades_second "unknown"
*create hades_handkiss false
*create hades_justfriends false
*create hades_touch2 "unknown"

*create hermes_flirt 0
*create hermes_initial "unknown"
*create hermes_touch "unknown"
*create hermes_scene_2 false
*create hermes_second "unknown"
*create hermes_nottype false
*create hermes_justfriends false
*create hermes_mutualconfess false
*create hermes_confessiondeferred false
*create hermes_firstkiss false
*create hermes_touch2 "unknown"
*create hermes_romance false
*create hermes_deferred2 false
*create hermes_rejected false

*create charon_flirt 0
*create charon_initial "unknown"
*create charon_touch "unknown"
*create charon_scene_2 false
*create charon_second "unknown"
*create charon_justfriends false
*create charon_touch2 "unknown"
*create charon_sequelinitial2 "unknown"
	*comment complicated, resolved
*create charon_romance false
*create charon_otherform "unknown"
	*comment like, dislike, neutral
*create charon_stoodintheway false

*create pyri_flirt 0
*create pyri_memory_explained false
*create pyrisparwin false
*create pyri_initial "unknown"
*create pyri_discouraged false
*create torch false
*create pyri_touch "unknown"
*create pyri_scene_2 false
*create giftedpyri false
*create pyri_second "unknown"
*create pyri_discouraged_twice false
*create touched_pyri false
*create pyri_justfriends false
*create pyri_touch2 "unknown"
*create pyri_acerelationship false

*create alekto_flirt 0
*create alekto_petty false
*create alekto_reconcile false
*create alekto_knowolympian false
*create alekto_apologized false
*create alekto_initial "unknown"
*create alekto_status 0
*create alekto_touch "unknown"
*create alekto_scene_2 false
*create alekto_disclose "unknown"
*create alekto_second "unknown"
*create seenwings false
*create touched_alekto false
*create megaira_dead false
*create saved_megaira false
*create triedtosavemegaira false
*create alekto_justfriends false
*create alekto_receptive false
*create alekto_uneasy false
*create alekto_touch2 "unknown"
*create alekto_unsure false
*create alekto_gift "none"

*create hekate_flirt 0
*create hekate_initial "unknown"
*create hekate_touch "unknown"
*create hekate_scene_2 false
*create hekate_second "unknown"
*create hekate_justfriends false
*create hekate_firstkiss false
*create hekate_mutualconfess false
*create hekate_confessiondeferred false
*create hekate_touch2 "unknown"
*create hekate_romance false
*create hekate_deferred2 false
*create hekate_rejected false

*create met_kerberos false
*create kerberos 1
*create kerberos_nofear false
*create kerberos_befriends false
*create kerby_friend_request "unknown"
*create kerby "unknown"

*create met_empusa false
*create empusa 1
*create empusa_befriends false
*create empusa_backstory false

*create met_makaria false
*create makaria 1
*create adoption_known false
*create adoption_known_m false
*create makaria_befriends false
*create makaria_refused false
*create makaria_touch "unknown"
*create makaria_touch2 "unknown"
*create makaria3 "unknown"
	*comment acquaintance, safeadult, friend, coparent

*create met_secret false
*create secret 0
*create knowsecretrelation false

*create eurydice 0
*create euryname false
*create euryhint false
*create eurymetboat false
*create euryjob false

*create moirae 0
*create styx 0

*create demeterstatus "unknown"
*create stooduptomum false
*create touch2 "unknown"

*comment OTHER FOA VARIABLES
*comment to be added as relevant
*create reading "none"
*create reading2 "none"
*create job "none"
*create team "unknown"
*create training "unknown"
*create date "unknown"
*create fatedad false
*create chapsix "unknown"
*create chapsix2 "unknown"
*create dreams "unknown"
*create lausstatus "unknown"
*create laushelp false
*create dream_magic false
*create splittheparty false
*create triedtosaveorchard false
*create riddletrail false
*create savedthespirits false
*create bondbreak "unknown"
*create trial "unknown"
*create fruit "unknown"
*create chose "unknown"
*create result "unknown"
*create marriage_choice "unknown"
*create initiative_ending false
*create inonit false
*create knows_petteia false
*create stratgamewin false
*create hasbow false
*create seenjudgement false
*create creonmercy false
*create knows_teleport false


*comment CHAPTER ONE
*create throne "none"
	*comment black, white, tree, comfy
*create officialfeel "unknown"
	*comment uncomfortable, like, mixed
*create pirithouspunishment "unknown"
	*comment mercy, moderate, maximum
*create notgreat false

*comment CHAPTER TWO
*create roomchanged false
*create iasionhair "unknown"
	*comment wavy, curly, longrows
*create met_iasion false
*create refusediasion false
*create iasiontalk "unknown"
*create iasion_knowsawkward false
*create kerberos2 "unknown"
	*comment like, neutral, dislike, afraid
*create makaria2 "unknown"
	*comment like, dislike, neutral
*create artclub "unknown"
	*comment regular, occasional, rare
*create ch2activitycounter 0
*create pyri_sequelinitial "unknown"
*create alekto_sequelinitial "unknown"
*create hekate_sequelinitial "unknown"
*create hermes_sequelinitial "unknown"
*create charon_sequelinitial "unknown"
*create hades_sequelinitial "unknown"
*create magicgames "unknown"
	*comment like, neutral, dislike
*create sequel_demeterletter "unknown"
	*comment inform, invite, hermes, iasion
*create poly "unknown"
	*comment yes, maybe, no
*create chaptwospar "none"
*create ancientyoga false
*create touching false
*create iasion_changedmind false

*comment CHAPTER THREE
*create demeter_sequel_1 false
*create talk "none"
	*comment garden, room, commonroom, office, courtyard
*create iasion_sequel_2 false
*create iasion2 "none"
	*comment none, solo, demeter
*create iasionstatus "unknown"
	*comment cutoff
*create iasion_reconcile false
*create iasion_wantrelationship false
*create hermeslap false
*create hermes_pace "unknown"
	*comment good, tooslow, notime
*create hekate_pace "unknown"
*create domains "unknown"
	*comment happy, unhappy, more

*comment CHAPTER FOUR
*create ikarios "unknown"
	*comment help, decline
*create medusa_distrust false
*create maze "unknown"
*create minotaur_fight "unknown"
*create hermes_advice "unknown"
	*comment give, dontgive, giveconditions, none

Welcome to [i]Blood of the Living,[/i] sequel to [i]Fields of Asphodel[/i]!

While complete save importing will be unavailable until publication, I have created something of a 'save creator' here, at the beginning of the game. In it, you will run through the same character creator as in [i]Asphodel[/i], followed by a series of questions that will help you establish the most important facts about how events transpired in the previous game. 

This is not a perfect system. There are a [i]lot[/i] of variables in [i]Asphodel[/i], and taking the time to set all of them would be far too much. So some nuances of your playthrough will not necessarily reflect how things went for you in the previous game. Rest assured, I'm still writing variations for those paths where applicable, and in the final version of this game, when you can import previous saves, you'll be able to see those nuances reflected. 

For now, however, I'll ask for your patience and understanding.

I hope you enjoy playing, and as always, I happily take feedback via tumblr (@chrysanthemumgames), or email (chrysanthemumgames01@gmail.com). If you'd like to support me, you can also find me at patreon.com/chrysanthemumgames.

Now, onwards!
*page_break
This game has two options for character customization. If you prefer to customize every aspect of your character, choose 'Full Version' below. This will allow you set not only necessary variables, such as your gender and traits, but also go into detail about your character's appearance.

If you prefer not to bother with appearance customization, and would instead like to do the necessary part of character creation and then choose from a number of 'preset' appearances, please select 'Abbreviated Version.'

In either case, please note that additional game options, such as tone indicators, the NPC initiative toggle, and touch aversion settings, are available within the menu, accessible from the 'Show Stats' button. You may wish to set those before you begin to ensure your preferred experience. 

*fake_choice
	#Full Version
		*set creation "long"
	#Abbreviated Version
		*set creation "short"
*page_break
Your birth was a matter of some controversy, you've been told. 

Demeter, goddess of agriculture, law, and a number of other things, was never known to become overly familiar with her subjects, nor indeed even the other deities of Olympus. Some have referred to her as 'cold' or 'distant,' and others have used much worse terms in a similar vein. Even those who think kindly of her have noted that in those days, she was rather aloof, and perhaps a touch too solemn, but she's always been the sort of person who takes her duties very seriously. 

Which made the birth of you, a half-god, the kind of thing that resulted in quite the stir. 

Still, in her eminently practical way, your mother's public announcement was short and to the point. She had given birth to a baby

*fake_choice
	#Daughter, and that was the long and short of it. 
		*set birthannounced "female"
		She had given birth to a baby daughter, and that was the long and short of it. A future demigoddess, to be raised on Olympus under the watchful eye of Demeter and her household. 
	#Son, and that was the long and short of it.
		*set birthannounced "male"
		She had given birth to a baby son, and that was the long and short of it. A future demigod, to be raised on Olympus under the watchful eye of Demeter and her household. 
	#And that was the long and short of it.
		*set birthannounced "none"
		She had given birth to a baby, and that was the long and short of it. A future demigod, to be raised on Olympus under the watchful eye of Demeter and her household.
*line_break
*line_break
You're sure that, had she had her way, that really [i]would[/i] have been all there was to it. But, to hear your Aunt Hestia tell it, the situation was fraught from the very beginning. Usually, half-humans are left to mature in the mortal realm, and if any wish to be part of Olympus, they must earn the right by impressing one or more of the greater Olympians, who may then petition Zeus, King of the Gods, on that half-human's behalf, for the gift of immortality and a place in the realm of the gods. 

Of course, every other half-human before you had a god for a [i]father[/i], not a goddess for a mother, and had therefore been born in the mortal realm, to a mortal family. You don't know exactly how the argument went, but the story says that your mother, showing up to court barely postpartum and with you on her hip, successfully argued that your birth upon Olympus entitled you to the same rights as any other individual born there, be they gods or otherwise. 

You became a precedent, and also a target.
*page_break
To shield you from the wrath of Zeus, known both to hold grudges for a long time and to be rather impetuous of temper, Demeter and her household elected to keep you out of his sight, for the most part, and with it the sights of much of Olympian society. You were raised on her sprawling estate, its perfectly-ordered gardens, orchards, and outbuildings the bounds of your world. 

For company, you had your mother, her household, and your aunt, Hestia, as well as the very occasional approved guest. You were told little about your father, and eventually you learned not to ask, for the pained expression that would cross your mother's face when he came up was acute, and no one else had any information to give you. Whomever he is, wherever he may be, Demeter seems to have told no one at all. 

In some ways, your upbringing was indeed quite isolated, but in your younger years, you seldom felt it. You were always kept busy by your various tutors and teachers, be they people specifically hired to give you the well-rounded education your mother wished for you, or simply members of the staff you had something to learn from. 

Like anyone else, you have your aptitudes. In particular, you've always been quite talented in the realm of

*fake_choice
	#What people might term 'book learning.' My tutor was always impressed by how quickly I grasped new concepts.
		*set tag_learned true
		Your education has certainly included mainstay subjects like history, politics, mathematics, and ecology, and what you don't learn directly, you learn through books and stories. Your mother's library is not, from what you've heard, the largest on Olympus, but it was large enough to satisfy you, at least at first.

		When the written recollections proved wanting, you pressed your tutor, an elderly, wispy-haired and grey-hided centaur named Pholos, for stories instead. Oral history, after all, is no less reliable than the written sort. Both have their shortcomings, but you reached a point where you just needed more [i]information[/i] to which you could apply your critical thinking skills. 

		Pholos was happy to oblige, but you got the sense that what he felt he could tell you was somewhat limited, and it didn't take you too long to deduce that the source of the limitation was Demeter. When you asked your mother about this, she freely confessed that there are some parts of history [i]no one[/i] talks about. You also got the impression the King has a lot to do with this soft prohibition, but even that, it seems, was not something she could directly tell you.

		Still, you've come away from it all with enough knowledge to know you have gaps in it, and that's something. Until the day you can fill those in, you have to be satisfied with learning more of what's available, but it's not as if you've exhausted your resources yet, by any means. 
	#Physical aptitude. My self-defense instructor always had good things to say.
		*set tag_athletic true
		You've always loved how it feels to move your body, to push it to its limitations and train it to accomplish new tasks. This is something you can generally do quite well, and your tutor in all matters physical, a brash, deep-skinned centaur with eyes the color of the sky by the name of Hylonome, says that you're about as good with such things as a minor deity would be, if they didn't have a particular domain that helped them in the area.

		This, it took you some time to gather, is high praise indeed, and you don't think you've yet found the upper limit of your athleticism. Perhaps, in time, you'll be able to overcome those minor gods who [i]do[/i] have a domain area in something that makes them physically strong; it's hard to say. But it's something to work towards, to keep in the mack of your mind while you practice your gymnastic feats or spar with weapons. 

		Admittedly, this pastime of yours is not a favorite of your mother, who is herself perhaps ill-equipped to understand it, being a goddess with powerful magic but less in the athleticism department than the more martial gods. She's still almost frighteningly-strong—stronger than you—but all your own aptitude seems to do is make her worry that you'll pick a fight or a challenge you can't win. 

		Still, she's never tried to stop you, and when it became clear how invested you were in learning these skills, she went and [i]found[/i] Hylonome for you, which admittedly has helped you a great deal. 
	#The magic of my domains. I was born with an unusually-strong one, for a half-human, and I've developed it with the help of my mother and teacher.
		*set tag_magic true
		Generally speaking, demigods are not capable of magic on the same scale as fully-fledged deities. Many of them, in fact, have no outright [i]magic[/i] at all, being rather unusually strong or swift, or things like that. You, however, have a domain that lends itself to magic, and the aptitude to make use of it. 

		Your early magical tutelage was handled by your mother's assistant, Antheia, a small, wrinkled nymph with mossy green hair. In spite of her retiring appearance, she was strict in your instruction, with a fussy attention to detail that seemed burdensome at first but later became a gift. Magic as powerful as yours needs control, after all, and having a handle on the fundamentals drilled into you until it was instinct has helped a [i]lot[/i] with that. 

		Nowadays, your mother teaches you most of the new magic you learn, and yet you can't help but feel that the applications to which she sets you—mostly plant maintenance and other gardening-related tasks—are far from the limit of what you can do. 

		Still, without someone who can teach you how to stretch that metaphorical muscle, or materials from which to teach yourself, you've been somewhat limited in your ability to explore it. 
	#What could be called 'intuition.' I've just always had a sense for the people around me, or when something is off in my immediate environment.
		*set tag_intuitive true
		One of your greatest skills isn't something you were directly taught. You did, however, have something of a tutor. 

		In your childhood, you often found yourself spending time with the house servants and staff. You were too young to understand the social divide between you and they, and certainly too young to understand that it might not be as solid a wall as your mother would like to claim on your behalf. 

		What you knew at the time was simple: you liked Mystis, the head of the household's staff, and she liked you. Rendered in shades of blue, from the light hue of her skin to the near-black of her shoulder-length hair, she has always struck you as a welcoming presence. As you grew, your association with her, and the rest of the staff, led you to a great number of insights about how the world and the people in it worked that you suspect you may otherwise have never had. 

		A servant needs to pay attention to detail, after all, and know how to read the mood of their employer, and between the lines, besides. From those around you, you learned the tells of a liar, the subtle signs of well-concealed irritation, even how to spot a clandestine affair from a distance, and you took to it all with aplomb.

		Your insight has often surprised your mother, who doesn't quite seem to know what to do with the fact that her child sees so much of the world. But she does occasionally ask your advice in matters where you might have such insight, and you've sat in on a few of her meetings as a mostly silent observer as a result. 
	#People skills, as they're sometimes called. I'm good at convincing people to see things my way.
		*set tag_charming true
		Your tutor in matters of etiquette and communication was a youthful nereid named Lamis, whom you later learned is something of a general dogsbody for your mother, not because they are unsuited to specialized tasks, but because every time they leave in a simple, basic errand, like a trip to the marketplace, they seem to come back with some new tidbit of information that she just happens to need. 

		When you pointed this out, Lamis blinked their large, guileless hazel eyes at you, and asked what you intended to do, if that were true. 

		From then on out, you were their apprentice, a role somewhat limited by your infrequent visits to anywhere outside of the grounds of your mother's estate. Still, you learned how to charm, how to subtly probe for information without giving away what you wanted to know, how to use subtext to convey meaning, and all sorts of what might be termed 'soft skills' like that. 

		Your mother remained largely unaware of it until you suggested a rephrase to one of her letters that suited her purpose perfectly. From then on, you were her unofficial consultant in such matters. While she is certainly more diplomat than you, you've been directly helpful to her on more than one occasion, something she is quick to praise you for. 
*page_break
Of course, your education was much more varied than that, and while you tried your hand at a lot of things over the years, you had an affinity also for

*fake_choice
	*if not (tag_learned)
		#What people might term 'book learning.' My tutor was always impressed by how quickly I grasped new concepts.
			*set tag_learned true
			Your education has certainly included mainstay subjects like history, politics, mathematics, and ecology, and what you don't learn directly, you learn through books and stories. Your mother's library is not, from what you've heard, the largest on Olympus, but it was large enough to satisfy you, at least at first.

			When the written recollections proved wanting, you pressed your tutor, an elderly, wispy-haired and grey-hided centaur named Pholos, for stories instead. Oral history, after all, is no less reliable than the written sort. Both have their shortcomings, but you reached a point where you just needed more [i]information[/i] to which you could apply your critical thinking skills. 

			Pholos was happy to oblige, but you got the sense that what he felt he could tell you was somewhat limited, and it didn't take you too long to deduce that the source of the limitation was Demeter. When you asked your mother about this, she freely confessed that there are some parts of history [i]no one[/i] talks about. You also got the impression the King has a lot to do with this soft prohibition, but even that, it seems, was not something she could directly tell you.

			Still, you've come away from it all with enough knowledge to know you have gaps in it, and that's something. Until the day you can fill those in, you have to be satisfied with learning more of what's available, but it's not as if you've exhausted your resources yet, by any means. 
	*if not (tag_athletic)
		#Physical aptitude. My self-defense instructor always had good things to say.
			*set tag_athletic true
			You've always loved how it feels to move your body, to push it to its limitations and train it to accomplish new tasks. This is something you can generally do quite well, and your tutor in all matters physical, a brash, deep-skinned centaur with eyes the color of the sky by the name of Hylonome, says that you're about as good with such things as a minor deity would be, if they didn't have a particular domain that helped them in the area.

			This, it took you some time to gather, is high praise indeed, and you don't think you've yet found the upper limit of your athleticism. Perhaps, in time, you'll be able to overcome those minor gods who [i]do[/i] have a domain area in something that makes them physically strong; it's hard to say. But it's something to work towards, to keep in the mack of your mind while you practice your gymnastic feats or spar with weapons. 

			Admittedly, this pastime of yours is not a favorite of your mother, who is herself perhaps ill-equipped to understand it, being a goddess with powerful magic but less in the athleticism department than the more martial gods. She's still almost frighteningly-strong—stronger than you—but all your own aptitude seems to do is make her worry that you'll pick a fight or a challenge you can't win. 

			Still, she's never tried to stop you, and when it became clear how invested you were in learning these skills, she went and [i]found[/i] Hylonome for you, which admittedly has helped you a great deal. 
	*if not (tag_magic)
		#The magic of my domains. I was born with an unusually-strong one, for a half-human, and I've developed it with the help of my mother and teacher.
			*set tag_magic true
			Generally speaking, demigods are not capable of magic on the same scale as fully-fledged deities. Many of them, in fact, have no outright [i]magic[/i] at all, being rather unusually strong or swift, or things like that. You, however, have a domain that lends itself to magic, and the aptitude to make use of it. 

			Your early magical tutelage was handled by your mother's assistant, Antheia, a small, wrinkled nymph with mossy green hair. In spite of her retiring appearance, she was strict in your instruction, with a fussy attention to detail that seemed burdensome at first but later became a gift. Magic as powerful as yours needs control, after all, and having a handle on the fundamentals drilled into you until it was instinct has helped a [i]lot[/i] with that. 

			Nowadays, your mother teaches you most of the new magic you learn, and yet you can't help but feel that the applications to which she sets you—mostly plant maintenance and other gardening-related tasks—are far from the limit of what you can do. 

			Still, without someone who can teach you how to stretch that metaphorical muscle, or materials from which to teach yourself, you've been somewhat limited in your ability to explore it. 
	*if not (tag_intuitive)
		#What could be called 'intuition.' I've just always had a sense for the people around me, or when something is off in my immediate environment.
			*set tag_intuitive true
			One of your greatest skills isn't something you were directly taught. You did, however, have something of a tutor. 

			In your childhood, you often found yourself spending time with the house servants and staff. You were too young to understand the social divide between you and they, and certainly too young to understand that it might not be as solid a wall as your mother would like to claim on your behalf. 

			What you knew at the time was simple: you liked Mystis, the head of the household's staff, and she liked you. Rendered in shades of blue, from the light hue of her skin to the near-black of her shoulder-length hair, she has always struck you as a welcoming presence. As you grew, your association with her, and the rest of the staff, led you to a great number of insights about how the world and the people in it worked that you suspect you may otherwise have never had. 

			A servant needs to pay attention to detail, after all, and know how to read the mood of their employer, and between the lines, besides. From those around you, you learned the tells of a liar, the subtle signs of well-concealed irritation, even how to spot a clandestine affair from a distance, and you took to it all with aplomb.

			Your insight has often surprised your mother, who doesn't quite seem to know what to do with the fact that her child sees so much of the world. But she does occasionally ask your advice in matters where you might have such insight, and you've sat in on a few of her meetings as a mostly silent observer as a result. 
	*if not (tag_charming)
		#People skills, as they're sometimes called. I'm good at convincing people to see things my way.
			*set tag_charming true
			Your tutor in matters of etiquette and communication was a youthful nereid named Lamis, whom you later learned is something of a general dogsbody for your mother, not because they are unsuited to specialized tasks, but because every time they leave in a simple, basic errand, like a trip to the marketplace, they seem to come back with some new tidbit of information that she just happens to need. 

			When you pointed this out, Lamis blinked their large, guileless hazel eyes at you, and asked what you intended to do, if that were true. 

			From then on out, you were their apprentice, a role somewhat limited by your infrequent visits to anywhere outside of the grounds of your mother's estate. Still, you learned how to charm, how to subtly probe for information without giving away what you wanted to know, how to use subtext to convey meaning, and all sorts of what might be termed 'soft skills' like that. 

			Your mother remained largely unaware of it until you suggested a rephrase to one of her letters that suited her purpose perfectly. From then on, you were her unofficial consultant in such matters. While she is certainly more diplomat than you, you've been directly helpful to her on more than one occasion, something she is quick to praise you for. 
*page_break
Your strengths have served you well, insofar as you've ever really needed them. Admittedly, you don't have much practical experience in, well… anything. In some sense even the gardening you've done was conducted under artificial circumstances. Demeter's fields, orchards, and gardens, which supply the vast majority of the food the gods eat, need regular maintenance, but are otherwise almost astoundingly easy to take care of. Perhaps because they feed directly from her tremendous powers. 

But more than lacking experience, you do have your weaknesses, as anyone does. Specifically

*fake_choice
	*if not (tag_learned)
		#I never took well to book learning, so to speak. I just find remembering large amounts of information to be really difficult, particularly if it's not about something I can do with my hands, or something that feels relevant to me in some way.
			*set tag_unlearned true
			You never took well to book learning, so to speak. You just find remembering large amounts of information to be really difficult, particularly if it's not about something you can do with your hands, or something that feels relevant to you in some way.

			You can, for example, do the math you need to do as well as the next person, for the most part. But the abstract theoreticals, or remembering formulae you're never going to need? That's just not something you can manage. Your tutor, an elderly, wispy-haired and grey-hided centaur named Pholos, used to say that you didn't know something until you'd done it, likely several times.

			He'd said so with a tone of understanding, and on the days when his lessons had become intolerable to sit through, he'd take you outside and tell you stories about the trees instead. If nothing else, you learned persistence, a trait perhaps singlehandedly responsible for what history, civics, and mathematics you [i]do[/i] know. 

			Your mother was… considerably less at ease with your tendency to forget historical events, and though she never gave you trouble about it, you can't help but wonder, sometimes, if she'd have preferred a more academically-inclined child.
	*if not (tag_athletic)
		#I'm quite incurably clumsy, and no amount of attempted physical conditioning can fix it. I'm also physically weaker than one would expect a half-god to be.
			*set tag_unathletic true
			You're quite incurably clumsy, and no amount of attempted physical conditioning can fix it. You're also physically weaker than one would expect a half-god to be, as though some part of you is perpetually trapped in the same kind of stumbling unease as an hours-old fawn or colt. 

			It's not [i]that[/i] bad on a daily basis, perhaps, but you've smacked your shoulders into enough doorframes and stubbed your toes on enough table legs and tripped over enough instances of [i]absolutely nothing at all[/i] to understand that you struggle more with just existing in space than most people do. 

			The fact that you're also not that much stronger, physically speaking, than the average [i]human[/i] probably hasn't helped your mother sleep at night. Your tutor in all things athletic, a brash, deep-skinned centaur with eyes the color of the sky by the name of Hylonome, has done what she can to mitigate these things, and you're now what she calls 'anti-fragile,' in that you're flexible and practiced enough at things like falling to be unlikely to injure yourself in most ordinary mishaps… but that's about it. 

			The way your mother still winces when anything happens makes you wonder, though, if she would not perhaps have preferred a more physically-capable child.
	*if not (tag_magic)
		#My magic, while reasonably practiced, is weaker than one might expect of a half-god, and certainly much more so than that of a fully-fledged deity.
			*set tag_unmagic true
			Your magic, while reasonably practiced, is weaker than one might expect of a half-god, and certainly much more so than that of a fully-fledged deity. For most magic to work, you've learned, it needs two things: a sufficiently-large contribution of what might be called 'magical energy' or 'essence' or a range of terms like that, and also for that energy to be controlled—directed towards the intended end. 

			If your mother's reservoir of power is something like an ocean, yours is a puddle, and not even a particularly deep one. 

			Your early magical tutelage was handled by your mother's assistant, Antheia, a small, wrinkled nymph with mossy green hair. In spite of her retiring appearance, she was strict in your instruction, with a fussy attention to detail that seemed burdensome at first but later became a gift. She told you flat-out that you were never going to be capable of the world-shaking magic that some gods can do, and in fact probably wouldn't even be able to achieve the same amount of sheer power as one of the many dryads on your mother's fieldwork team. 

			But to Antheia this was just a fact, not a failing. She said instead, you would simply spend all of your time with her fine-tuning the other component of magic: your control. Because of her, your little puddle of energy can do much more than anything of its size should be expected to. You know how not to waste energy, how to precisify your intentions and follow through with efficiency, because you have to know in order to achieve anything at all.

			And yet you get the feeling, sometimes, that maybe your mother is a bit… you're not sure if 'disappointed' is the right word, or if you should use something milder. But her magic is a large part of who she is and what she does with her life, and you don't think she is particularly unique in this. And you do think, perhaps, she might have liked a child with more in common with her, in that respect.
	*if not (tag_intuitive)
		#People have told me I can be a bit oblivious and unobservant, but I've never noticed anything like that.
			*set tag_unintuitive true
			People have told you you can be a bit oblivious and unobservant, but you've never noticed anything like that. Granted, you can't recall the feeling of having 'noticed something important' very often, and you're always misplacing things and losing track of time, and to be quite honest, what people are thinking is basically always deeply mysterious to you, but still. 

			It's not, you think, that you're outright unobservant. It's just as Mystis, head of your mother's household servants and your occasional babysitter, would say: you're paying plenty of attention, but to different things than everyone else. Rendered in shades of blue, from the light hue of her skin to the near-black of her shoulder-length hair, the nymph has always struck you as a welcoming presence, and she's never scolded you for not always following what's happening as easily as another might. 

			Rather, she'd always asked you to tell her what you were thinking about. And so you had: you'd told her of the imaginary worlds you'd constructed, the people in them, the odd conundrums you allowed yourself to ponder for long stretches of time, the beetle on a tree you'd been fascinated with for a couple of hours that afternoon. And she'd listened to all of it, and asked questions, and told you you had a gift for imagination. 

			Still, you think maybe your mother worries about you sometimes. Maybe that makes sense; imagination isn't really as useful in her line of work as something like being able to look at someone and just [i]feel[/i] their intentions, or however it is that other people do it. Maybe she would have preferred it if you could do that instead? 
	*if not (tag_charming)
		#I have what might generously be called a 'blank' resting expression, and in general I struggle to handle social situations with anything resembling charisma or poise.
			*set tag_uncharming true
			You have what might generously be called a 'blank' resting expression, and in general you struggle to handle social situations with anything resembling charisma or poise. You're always being told that you're difficult to read, and some people have even gone so far as to admit that its unsettling.

			The thing is, you haven't made any particular effort to be this way. That's just how your face looks, and you don't tend to emote very much, despite feeling, as far as you can tell, roughly the same feelings in roughly the same situations as other people. This is just… how you are. 

			Admittedly, you struggle to be any other way. Any attempts you've ever made to emulate those around you, like your mother's charming dogsbody, a youthful nereid named Lamis, have failed. Lamis likes you anyway, claiming that your face is simply 'too pure to be charismatic,' you've certainly encountered difficulty getting along with others. Your inexpressiveness, combined with the lack of practice in social situations that awkwardness has caused, means it hasn't gone away. You're not very good at knowing what to say, and on top of that, you're not very good at [i]saying[/i] things, and so here you are. 

			You suppose that makes you good at concealing things, should you need to, but you can't help but think perhaps your mother would rather the case be the opposite. Even she has trouble reading you, sometimes, and you wonder if she might not prefer a more socially-adept child.
*page_break
Recently, at least by the standards of the gods, you reached both physical and mental adulthood, but little has changed. You still live on your mother's estate, pursuing the same interests as you always have, and that would continue to be the case whether you were perfectly comfortable with it or yearned for more. Your conversations with those who live outside your little world have not done a lot to convince you that Zeus would be inclined to let you live as you preferred were you to do so away from your mother's direct protection. 

The particular nature of what he would do instead varies with whom you ask, but the general consensus seems to be that at best you would be allowed to exist in the same service class as the nymphs, satyrs, centaurs, and other non-gods with whom you associate so easily in Demeter's home. 

You belong, she says. This is your home. 

And you know she means it: her home will always be yours, for as long as you want it. 

And yet.
*page_break
Still, there are certainly aspects of your life in which you could not have been freer. You've never been punished for expressing your thoughts, even in the cases where they are disagreed with, or not understood. And your identity has always been yours to shape in whatever ways you prefer or manners feel right to you. Your gender included. 

Always around you there have been people with a full spectrum of identity and expression, more than happy to share what they know with you, and entertain your questions; you've always been given not only leave but [i]opportunity[/i] to freely explore such matters as you choose, which you did. 

*fake_choice
	#And I'm a man.
		*if (birthannounced = "female")
			*set tag_trans true
			*set gender "male"
	#And I'm a woman.
		*if (birthannounced = "male")
			*set tag_trans true
			*set gender "female"
	#And I'm nonbinary.
		*set tag_nonbinary true
		*set gender "nonbinary"
	#And I'm genderfluid.
		*set tag_fluid true
		*set gender "fluid"
The pronouns everyone calls you by, in accordance with your request, are

*set pronouns_known true
*fake_choice
	#He/him.
	#She/her.
		*set he "she"
		*set him "her"
		*set his "her"
		*set hes "she's"
		*set he2 "she"
		*set him2 "her"
		*set his2 "her"
		*set hes2 "she's"
		*set man "woman"
		*set lord "lady"
		*set god "goddess"
		*set son "daughter"
	#They/them.
		*set he "they"
		*set him "them"
		*set his "their"
		*set hes "they're"
		*set he2 "they"
		*set him2 "them"
		*set his2 "their"
		*set hes2 "they're"
		*set man "person"
		*set lord "liege"
		*set god "deity"
		*set son "child"
	#I use different pronouns, or multiple sets.
		*gosub_scene pronounscript
*if (creation = "long")
	You took about the same amount of time as a human would have to age, both physically and mentally. It's still a bit hard to get your head around the idea that some gods spring fully formed into being, or reach maturity within the space of weeks or months rather than years, while others seem to have extended childhoods the likes of which are somehow even more difficult to imagine.
	
	In any case, you certainly [i]look[/i] the part of a human or deific adult. Your hair has always been

	*fake_choice
		#The same dark brown as my mother's.
			*set haircolor "dark brown"
			*set appearance_demeter +1
			Your hair has always been the same dark brown as your mother's. 
		#A lighter shade of brown than my mother's. 
			*set haircolor "light brown"
			Your hair has always been a lighter shade of brown than your mother's, more of a golden tone to it, as opposed to her more earthy hue.
		#A golden blonde.
			*set haircolor "blonde"
			Your hair has always been a mellow, golden blonde, a sharp contrast with the only two relatives you know. 
		#Vivid red.
			*set haircolor "red"
			Your hair has always been a vivid, deep red, a sharp contrast with the only two relatives you know.
		#Deep black.
			*set haircolor "black"
			Your hair has always been a deep black hue, just a shade or two darker than your aunt Hestia's, and considerably darker than your mother's mahogany brown.
	*line_break
	*line_break
	Its texture, too, is the same as it has been since your birth. That is,

	*fake_choice
		#Tightly coiled.
			*set hairtexture "coily"
			It's always been tightly coiled, the individual curls well-differentiated and not even as thick as your pinky finger.

			Early in your childhood, your aunt Hestia, whose own texture isn't so different, taught you how to properly care for the needs of your hair. She demonstrated an array of protective style options, and tried nearly all of them at some point. She also taught you a magic knack that you could use, if you wanted to avoid the need for protective styles altogether. 

			In the end, when you need to spend time in a protective style, you tend to prefer

			*fake_choice
				#Tight braids against my scalp, like the evenly-spaced crop rows in my mother's fields.
					*set protectivestyle "cornrows"
					You tend to prefer tight braids against your scalp, like the evenly-spaced crop rows in your mother's fields. It keeps your hair out of your way, and you like the look, besides. 
				#Strands twisted with each other in meticulously-arranged pairs.
					*set protectivestyle "twists"
					You tend to prefer to twist two strands at a time into meticulously-arranged pairs. The look of it is the one you like best, and the fact that they can be further styled in that formation is a bonus. 
				#Regular, neat braids, sometimes with different colors of yarn for style.
					*set protectivestyle "braids"
					You tend to prefer regular, neat braids, sometimes with different colors of yarn for style. Something that feels decorative in addition to protective, and can be further styled if you feel like it. 
				#Locked together in well-ordered strands. They look a little like braids from a distance, but the technique is completely different.
					*set protectivestyle "locs"
					You tend to prefer locking your hair together in well-ordered strands. They look a little like braids from a distance, but the technique is completely different. It's low maintenance compared to some other options, and you can style the locs however you want otherwise, too. 
				#I prefer to use the magic, and style my hair without need for protection.
					*set protectivestyle "magic"
					You prefer to use the magic, and style your hair without need for protection. It's a lot less effort, for one, and you just like it best when you can style it however you please on the day, or not at all. 
		#Dense and cloudlike.
			*set hairtexture "dense"
			It's always been thick, formed into sharply-bent curves, which come together to give it a sort of cloudlike effect, at least visually. It of course doesn't [i]feel[/i] like condensed water vapor, but it [i]is[/i] soft if you look after it. 

			Early in your childhood, your aunt Hestia, whose own texture isn't so different, taught you how to properly care for the needs of your hair. She demonstrated an array of protective style options, and you tried nearly all of them at some point. She also taught you a magic knack that you could use, if you wanted to avoid the need for protective styles altogether. 

			In the end, when you need to spend time in a protective style, you tend to prefer

			*fake_choice
				#Tight braids against my scalp, like the evenly-spaced crop rows in my mother's fields.
					*set protectivestyle "cornrows"
					You tend to prefer tight braids against your scalp, like the evenly-spaced crop rows in your mother's fields. It keeps your hair out of your way, and you like the look, besides. 
				#Strands twisted with each other in meticulously-arranged pairs.
					*set protectivestyle "twists"
					You tend to prefer to twist two strands at a time into meticulously-arranged pairs. The look of it is the one you like best, and the fact that they can be further styled in that formation is a bonus. 
				#Regular, neat braids, sometimes with different colors of yarn for style.
					*set protectivestyle "braids"
					You tend to prefer regular, neat braids, sometimes with different colors of yarn for style. Something that feels decorative in addition to protective, and can be further styled if you feel like it. 
				#Locked together in well-ordered strands. They look a little like braids from a distance, but the technique is completely different.
					*set protectivestyle "locs"
					You tend to prefer locking your hair together in well-ordered strands. They look a little like braids from a distance, but the technique is completely different. It's low maintenance compared to some other options, and you can style the locs however you want otherwise, too. 
				#I prefer to use the magic, and style my hair without need for protection.
					*set protectivestyle "magic"
					You prefer to use the magic, and style your hair without need for protection. It's a lot less effort, for one, and you just like it best when you can style it however you please on the day, or not at all. 
		#[i]Relatively[/i] uniform in its curls. Sometimes.
			*set hairtexture "curly"
			It's always been relatively uniform in its soft, shiny curls. Well… sometimes.

			Of course, curls come in all sorts, and some require protective styling to stay their healthiest. Do yours?

			*fake_choice
				#Yes
					Early in your childhood, your aunt Hestia, whose own texture is a bit more tightly-coiled than your own, taught you how to properly care for the needs of your hair. She demonstrated an array of protective style options, and you tried nearly all of them at some point. She also taught you a magic knack that you could use, if you wanted to avoid the need for protective styles altogether. 

					In the end, when you need to spend time in a protective style, you tend to prefer

					*fake_choice
						#Tight braids against my scalp, like the evenly-spaced crop rows in my mother's fields.
							*set protectivestyle "cornrows"
							You tend to prefer tight braids against your scalp, like the evenly-spaced crop rows in your mother's fields. It keeps your hair out of your way, and you like the look, besides. 
						#Strands twisted with each other in meticulously-arranged pairs.
							*set protectivestyle "twists"
							You tend to prefer to twist two strands at a time into meticulously-arranged pairs. The look of it is the one you like best, and the fact that they can be further styled in that formation is a bonus. 
						#Regular, neat braids, sometimes with different colors of yarn for style.
							*set protectivestyle "braids"
							You tend to prefer regular, neat braids, sometimes with different colors of yarn for style. Something that feels decorative in addition to protective, and can be further styled if you feel like it. 
						#Locked together in well-ordered strands. They look a little like braids from a distance, but the technique is completely different.
							*set protectivestyle "locs"
							You tend to prefer locking your hair together in well-ordered strands. They look a little like braids from a distance, but the technique is completely different. It's low maintenance compared to some other options, and you can style the locs however you want otherwise, too. It's challenging to get the initial locking to work sometimes, given the particular texture of your hair, but you've become quite practiced at it by this point.
						#I prefer to use the magic, and style my hair without need for protection.
							*set protectivestyle "magic"
							You prefer to use the magic, and style your hair without need for protection. It's a lot less effort, for one, and you just like it best when you can style it however you please on the day, or not at all. 
				#No, I don't need anything special in that regard.
					*set appearance_demeter +1
					Your hair, while curly, doesn't require any particular protective measures to stay healthy.
		#Gently wavy.
			*set hairtexture "wavy"
			It's always been gently, but noticeably, wavy.
		#Smooth and straight.
			*set hairtexture "smooth"
			It's always been smooth and straight, and quite easy to care for accordingly.
		#Straight, but coarse and thick.
			*set hairtexture "coarse"
			It's always been straight, but thick and a bit coarse, giving it a fluffier feel, rather than something smooth and silky, or what have you. 
	*line_break
	*line_break
	These days, you wear it
	
	*fake_choice
		#Short, no longer than a few inches from my scalp.
			*set hairlength 1
			You prefer to wear it short, no more than a few inches from your scalp.
		#To around my shoulders.
			*set hairlength 2
			You prefer to wear it at a medium length, to around your shoulders.
		#To around the middle of my back.
			*set hairlength 3
			You prefer to wear it long, to around the middle of your back when it isn't tied up.
		#To my waist or so.
			*set hairlength 4
			You prefer to wear it very long, to around your waist when it isn't tied up or otherwise altered by style.
	*page_break
	Your skin is fortunately healthy and now free of some adolescent complications, foreign to most of the people you know and therefore rather a challenge, back then, for you to figure out how to look after. Its color is 
	
	*fake_choice
		#The same light brown as Demeter's.
			*set skintone "light brown"
			*set appearance_demeter +1
			You share your light brown complexion with your mother.
		#A dark shade of brown, perhaps a hint to my father's appearance, considering that my mother's is quite a light brown.
			*set skintone "dark brown"
			Your complexion is a deep brown, perhaps a hint as to your father's appearance, considering that your mother's is quite a bit lighter.
		#A middling shade of brown, a bit darker than my mother's. 
			*set skintone "medium brown"
			Your complexion is a medium brown, a few shades darker than your mother's.
		#Tawny, with a different undertone and several shades lighter than my mother's. 
			*set skintone "tawny"
			Your complexion is tawny, several shades lighter and with a different undertone than your mother's. Whether that's any indication of the other side of your heritage or not, you couldn't say. 
		#Perhaps a hint as to my father's identity, given that it's quite pale rather than the light brown of my mother's.
			*set skintone "pale"
			Your complexion is perhaps a hint as to your father's identity, given that it's quite pale. Not that it's much of a hint even if so, but still… it's significantly lighter than your mother's is. 
		#Far from the light brown of my mother's, and yet certainly not as pale as some. I suppose the best word is just 'tanned,' though I've read that this complexion can be called 'olive' as well.
			*set skintone "tanned"
			Your complexion is far from the light brown of your mother's, and yet certainly not as pale as some. You suppose the best word is just 'tanned,' though you've read that your particular hue can be called 'olive' as well, for some reason. Whether that's any indication of the other side of your heritage or not, you couldn't say. 
	*line_break
	*line_break
	Your eyes,
	*if (tag_charming)
		often complimented for the open friendliness they lend your face,
		*goto transition1
	*elseif (tag_uncharming)
		often cited as being 'intense,' when someone has no better way to describe being offput by your resting expression,
		*goto transition1
	*elseif (tag_intuitive)
		often remarked upon as being rather intense or sharp,
		*goto transition1
	*else
		occasionally complimented for their color, 
		*goto transition1
	*label transition1
	are
	
	*fake_choice
		#The same shade of deep green Demeter has.
			*set eyecolor "green"
			*set appearance_demeter +1
			Your eyes are the same shade of green as Demeter's: something of a 'true' green, brighter than the color of pine needles, but deeper than new shoots of grass. 
		#A lighter green than Demeter's.
			*set eyecolor "light green"
			Perhaps in keeping with your domain, your eyes are the light green of new shoots, or the undersides of live oak leaves. 
		#Brown.
			*set eyecolor "brown"
			Your eyes are an earthen hue of brown. 
		#Blue.
			*set eyecolor "blue"
			Your eyes are a sort of middling blue, not quite the color of ocean or sky but something caught between.
		#Hazel.
			*set eyecolor "hazel"
			Your eyes are a bright hazel, which favor the tawny brown just a little.
		#Grey.
			*set eyecolor "grey"
			Your eyes are a clear, mid-toned grey, similar to an overcast sky.
		#Violet.
			*set eyecolor "violet"
			Your eyes are an unusual shade of violet, dark enough to at times [i]almost[/i] be mistaken for blue.
	*page_break
	*if (appearance_demeter = 4)
		In short, your appearance is very similar to your mother's, to the point that you are almost always immediately recognized as her ${son} by anyone who knows her. It's occasionally made you wonder: is the similarity purely genetic, or, more in the manner of the gods, does your appearance reflect a similarity to her in something other than your heritage?
	*if ((appearance_demeter > 1) and (appearance_demeter < 4))
		In short, you share some similarities with your closest known relative, but other parts of your appearance seem to have come from elsewhere, which has occasionally prompted you to wonder: are you a harmonious blend of your parents, or, more in the manner of the gods, does your appearance reflect something other than your heritage?
	*if (appearance_demeter < 2)
		In short, you barely resemble your closest known relative, and most of your appearance seems to have come from elsewhere. It's occasionally prompted you to wonder: do you look like your father, or, more in the manner of the gods, does your appearance reflect something other than your heritage?
	
	Whatever the case may be, it's yours. The skin you've grown into under the watchful eyes and guiding hands of the people who love you.
*if (creation = "short")
	Your appearance is
	
	*fake_choice
		#Strongly like that of my mother. I have the same curly dark brown hair, worn to my shoulders,  green eyes, and light brown skin. 
			*set haircolor "dark brown"
			*set hairtexture "curly"
			*set hairlength 2
			*set eyecolor "green"
			*set skintone "light brown"
			*set appearance_demeter 4
			You strongly resemble your mother, with the same color and texture of hair, identical eye colors, and similar shades of brown to your skin. You wear your dark brown curls to your shoulders, just a little shorter than Demeter keeps hers. 

			Naturally, you are almost always immediately recognized as her ${son} by anyone who knows her. It's occasionally made you wonder: is the similarity purely genetic, or, more in the manner of the gods, does your appearance reflect a similarity to her in something other than your heritage?
		#Quite different from my mother's, which isn't terribly unusual with the gods. I have lighter brown hair, and it's straight rather than curly like hers, and worn short. My eyes are grey, and my skin is rather pale compared to most people I know.
			*set haircolor "light brown"
			*set hairtexture "smooth"
			*set hairlength 1
			*set eyecolor "grey"
			*set skintone "pale"
			Your appearance is quite different from your mother's. Your hair is a lighter brown, and you wear it much shorter, no more than a few inches long. It also lacks any hint of her curls, and your eyes are grey rather than green. Perhaps the most obvious difference at first glance, though, is how much paler you are. 

			In short, you barely resemble your closest known relative, and nearly all of your appearance seems to have come from elsewhere. It's occasionally prompted you to wonder: do you look like your father, or, more in the manner of the gods, does your appearance reflect something other than your heritage?
		#Rather different from my mother's, which isn't terribly unusual with the gods. My hair is black, shaped into long, tight coils naturally, but I often wear it twisted into a protective style. My skin is a deep brown, and my eyes are brown, too.
			*set haircolor "black"
			*set hairtexture "coily"
			*set hairlength 3
			*set protectivestyle "twists"
			*set eyecolor "brown"
			*set skintone "dark brown"
			Your appearance is quite different from your mother's. Your hair is black rather than brown, and wound into coils much tighter than hers. You wear it long, but often twisted into a protective style, which her hair has no apparent need for, though your aunt's does. Your eyes are brown rather than green, and your skin several shades darker a brown. 

			In short, you barely resemble your closest known relative, and most of your appearance seems to have come from elsewhere. It's occasionally prompted you to wonder: do you look like your father, or, more in the manner of the gods, does your appearance reflect something other than your heritage?
	*line_break
	*line_break
	Whatever the case may be, it's yours. The skin you've grown into under the watchful eyes and guiding hands of the people who love you.
*page_break
What is your name, ${god} of Spring?

*input_text name

And now we'll go through a short summary of the events of [i]Fields of Asphodel,[/i] and you can make choices to reflect your previous playthrough, or make one up from scratch. 

Before any of this happened to you, you spent your entire life on Olympus. There were few changes for close friends, or really any friends that weren't more your mother's than yours, but there were a few opportunities. 

Did you encounter, for example, Zeus's troublemaking young son, Hermes?

*fake_choice
	#Yes, and we did become friends.
		*set hermes_backstory "friends"
	#No, we never ran into each other.
		*set hermes_backstory "strangers"
	#Yes, but we certainly weren't [i]friends.[/i] I found him rather annoying back then, truth be told.
		*set hermes_backstory "rivals"

Hermes aside, your mother does associate, at times, with a fair number of prominent goddesses. 

*fake_choice
	#That might be true, but I didn't. The most 'prominent' person I ever spent much time with was my aunt, Hestia. We were always close.
		*set hestia_backstory true
	#She did, though I wound up meeting Hera by accident. My mother wasn't especially happy about it, but she allowed the occasional meeting, and the Queen of the Gods became something of a mentor figure to me.
		*set hera_backstory true
	#It was through those associations that I ended up meeting Athena. My mother isn't always trusting of Zeus's children, but Athena is usually well-known for being reasonable. I don't know if I'd call us [i]friends[/i], but I respect her a lot, and she always seemed to find time for me when I needed advice.
		*set athena_backstory true
	#And everyone who associates with anyone on Olympus ends up associating with Aphrodite, whether they want to or not. I ended up getting to know her, too, and now we're good friends.
		*set aphrodite_backstory true
	#And I preferred to escape the house during all that, which is how I would up meeting Artemis. I'm not sure she'd call us friends—she seems to think of me as a rival for some reason—but we know each other pretty well, and I've always liked her.
		*set artemis_backstory true
	#I didn't really get involved in any of that, though. I didn't have many friends, and I certainly never approached anyone of major standing.
At that time, you were certainly young by deific standards, but you were also definitely an adult. Not everyone always expected you to have anything in particular to say about the world around you, but you did. 

Of your own upbringing, you thought:

*fake_choice
	#It was much too restrictive. I wanted freedom, and I wasn't getting it.
		*set opinion_childhood "wantfreedom"
	#It was certainly obviously different from that of the other young deities around me, but I understood that it needed to be, and it didn't chafe too much.
		*set opinion_childhood "understand"

To you, Olympus was:

*fake_choice
	#The only place I belonged. Or thought I belonged.
		*set opinion_olympus "dislikehome"
	#My one and only home, and I all the more privileged to have it.
		*set opinion_olympus "likehome"
	#I liked it, but never felt I belonged there.
		*set opinion_olympus "like"
	#A prison, with few redeeming features.
		*set opinion_olympus "dislike"

And then, as if from nowhere, you were summarily informed that, per royal decree, you were to be married to Hades, Lord of the Dead, King of the Underworld, brother of your mother's detested nemesis, Zeus.

That one threw you for a loop, as it would anyone, but after the news had had a little while to settle in, you found yourself

*fake_choice
	#Expecting nothing short of a disaster. 
		*set marriage "disaster"
	#Very angry with the circumstances, to say the least.
		*set marriage "angry"
	#More confused than anything; I was unsure why someone as important as Hades would agree to such a thing.
		*set marriage "confused"
	#Afraid. Of what such an arrangement might mean. No one said good things about the Underworld.
		*set marriage "afraid"
	#Honestly curious. About what the Underworld and its King were really like.
		*set marriage "curious"
	#Quite excited. This development could mean more freedom. More room to be my own person.
		*set marriage "excited"
	#Unsure what to think, really. There were just too many unknowns at that point.
		*set marriage "unsure"

You'd thought about marriage and relationships before, at least a little, and you'd always thought

*fake_choice
	#That one day I'd find someone to love, and we'd be together.
	#That one day I'd find someone, or someones, to love, and we'd be together.
		*set tag_poly true
	#That I probably wasn't interested in things like romantic love at all. 
		*set tag_aro true

In what felt like no time at all, you were whisked away to the Underworld, a place that admittedly quite earned its name: long cycle of night and dusk, permanently dim, often cold, with little life to its name. 

*fake_choice
	#I took an immediate dislike to it.
		*set underworld_initial "dislike"
	#My curiosity was piqued. What was life like, in a place like this?
		*set underworld_initial "curious"
	#Mostly unmoved. I didn't have enough information to decide how I felt.
		*set underworld_initial "neutral"
	#I saw opportunity here. To make the kind of life I wanted, even if the setting was unexpected.
		*set underworld_initial "opportunity"
	#It was... terrifying, in a way. So empty of life, compared to Olympus, and I was unsettled by it.
		*set underworld_initial "scary"

Nearly the first thing you did upon arrival was to sign a contract rendering the marriage official, and in this came several more surprises. Firstly, all your supposed new husband was asking you to do was live within the laws of his realm. Secondly, one of the witnesses was apparently his young daughter, Makaria.

*fake_choice
	#That was a bit awkward, as I'm not all that fond of children.
		*set opinion_children "dislike"
	#That was weird. Children have always made me nervous, but at least I wasn't expected to babysit.
		*set opinion_children "nervous"
	#That was a pleasant surprise, in a way. I really like kids!
		*set opinion_children "like"
		*set makaria_befriends true
	#I didn't care much one way or another about that part of things.
		*set opinion_children "neutral"

Over the course of your first few weeks in the Underworld, you got to know several of its more prominent residents, the people that often surrounded and aided Hades in the administration of the realm. There was Charon, the Ferryman and apparently Hades's closest friend, Pyri, the lively River of Fire, who served as something of a first line of defense against intrusion into the realm, Alekto, one of the Erinyes who administrate Tartarus, who did not seem to welcome your presence, and Hekate, the Goddess of Magic, friendly and confident. 

Hermes was around quite a lot, too, even in those early days. 

Overall, you'd say you got along with everyone

*fake_choice
	#Reasonably well. After the initial hurdle with Alekto, everyone was considerate, and I enjoyed their company.
		*set hades_initial "friends"
		*set hermes_initial "friends"
		*set charon_initial "friends"
		*set pyri_initial "friends"
		*set alekto_initial "friends"
		*set hekate_initial "friends"
		*set tag_signs true
	#With mixed results. Alekto, for example, was hard to get to know, but I didn't have any major conflicts with anyone, or dislike anyone in particular. 
		*set hades_initial "neutral"
		*if (hermes_backstory = "friends")
			*set hermes_initial "friends"
		*if (hermes_backstory != "friends")
			*set hermes_initial "neutral"
		*set charon_initial "neutral"
		*set pyri_initial "friends"
		*set alekto_initial "neutral"
		*set hekate_initial "friends"
	#I hated it in the Underworld, and I regret to say that at first, I took it out on the people there. It was hard to get along, at times, even though they were persistent in their goodwill. 
		*set hades_initial "dislike"
		*if (hermes_backstory = "friends")
			*set hermes_initial "neutral"
		*if (hermes_backstory != "friends")
			*set hermes_initial "dislike"
		*set charon_initial "dislike"
		*set pyri_initial "dislike"
		*set alekto_initial "dislike"
		*set hekate_initial "dislike"

Within days of your introduction to the Underworld, you were shown to its library, which supposedly contains a copy of every book, scroll, or piece of documentation ever written. Presumably excluding personal notes or business ledgers, but you never did ask about that. 

*fake_choice
	#I wound up reading more about the Underworld and its unique properties and magic.
		*set reading "chthonic"
		*set reading2 "chthonic"
		*set dionysian +3
	#I dug into material about healing magic. I wanted to try expanding my talents.
		*set reading "healing"
		*set reading2 "healing"
	#I found some how-tos about some crafts I hadn't tried before. I like doing things with my hands.
		*set reading "crafts"
		*set reading2 "crafts"
		*set tag_crafty true
	#I took the opportunity to improve my general knowledge. 
		*set reading "genknowledge"
		*set reading2 "genknowledge"
	#I immediately found the fictional stories, and enjoyed a selection of those quite a lot.
		*set reading "fun"
		*set reading2 "fun"

You were also offered a garden plot in one of Hades's keep's many courtyards for your own personal use, should you desire it. 

*fake_choice
	#And I made it a group project with the orchard-keepers: Ascalaphus, Minthe, and Leuke. Now it's open to the public, and tended by all four of us. 
		*set garden "group"
		*set gardenper "public"
	#I took the opportunity, but kept it private. I'm the only gardener, and in general no one is allowed in without my permission. I needed space for myself.
		*set garden "solo"
		*set garden "private"
	#I declined. Half my life had been gardening up until now, and I wanted to explore other things!
		*set tag_nogarden true

You were also offered a job, in a manner of speaking. An opportunity to participate in the Underworld's form of life, instead of being a guest in it. 

*fake_choice
	#I'm technically the Underworld's diplomatic minister, now, not that diplomacy is conventional there. I mostly end up listening to the dead's concerns and trying to get those addressed.
		*set job "minister"
	#I've been put in charge of what agriculture the Underworld has. It's exciting work, as I think we have a real chance to cultivate more than we have. 
		*set job "gardener"
	#I elected to help the Moirae, when they expressed a need for an assistant. Seeing the workings of Fate is very interesting, even if I only scratch the surface.
		*set job "assistant"
	#I do research and civil engineering alongside Hekate and a few others. We also maintain existing magical infrastructure. 
		*set job "research"
	#I elected to take over administration of the Guard, the group of human spirits that address their community's needs and protect against the Underworld's monsters or incursions from elsewhere. It's mostly patrols and talking to people and drills, but we do get to help people.
		*set job "guard"
	#I declined. I wanted nothing to do with any of that.
	#I declined. It's not that I hated the idea on principle; I'd just rather be free to choose what I do with my time, and how I participate in Underworld life. 

It wasn't too long afterwards that you became aware of a serious problem: Lethe, one of the River Gods, was sick, and her illness was not only affecting the afterlives of human souls, but might also result in her death if the cause was not found. 

You volunteered to assist in the investigation, and the others left how you did so up to you.

*fake_choice
	#I went with Hermes, Hekate, and Pyri to see Lethe herself, and try to diagnose her condition.
		*set team "heal"
	#I went with Hades, Alekto, and Charon to Lethe's river, to see if we could figure out what was causing the changes in its effects.
		*set team "investigate"
	#I went with Pyri, as well as Hades's aide Daeira and Kokytos, one of the other rivers, to see if there were any clues to be found among the dead. 
		*set team "interview"

The danger inherent in a situation where even a goddess could die was not lost on you, and so when it was suggested that you refine a method of self-defense, just in case, you could see the logic. The options were fairly straightforward: either you could try to improve your magic under the tutelage of Hekate and Hermes, or your capacity for physical combat with Pyri and Alekto. 

*fake_choice
	#And I chose magic.
		*set training "magic"
	#And I chose combat.
		*set training "combat"

But fortunately, things didn't always feel so dire, and even the Underworld has holidays, in a manner of speaking. At the very least, not everyone works [i]all the time[/i], and you found yourself with an invitation to an outing. 

*fake_choice
	#I went with Hades, to a meadow in the mortal world.
		*set date "hades"
	#I went flying with Hermes, leaving the Underworld for open sky, just for a while.
		*set date "hermes"
	#I went on a hike with Charon, to a lake in the Underworld, where we swam a while.
		*set date "charon"
	#I went with Pyri to the Blesséd Isles, where we competed in athletic games with the spirits of mortal heroes.
		*set date "pyri"
	#I went to a market in the mortal realm with Alekto.
		*set date "alekto"
	#I went to a cabin in the mortal world with Hekate, to gaze at the stars.
		*set date "hekate"
You found your sleep plagued with disturbing dreams, of starvation and need. When you consulted the others for advice, two options were presented to you: you could rid yourself of the dreams by speaking to Hypnos, try to solve the problem at the route by finding the source and solving their problem. But Hera was also making a visit to the Underworld, meaning that some of the others would need to play host to the Queen while you resolved what was afflicting you. 

*fake_choice
	#I decided to head to Hypnos first, to get rid of all my unsettling dreams.
		*set chapsix "hypnos"
		*set dreams "none"
	#I first headed to Laus, where the dreams were coming from, and helped with their food shortage.
		*set chapsix "laus"
		*set lausstatus "temple"
		*set laushelp true
	#I wanted to see Hera before dealing with anything else, so I helped receive her for her visit.
		*set chapsix "hera"

After that, you

*fake_choice
	*if (chapsix != "hypnos")
		#Went to see Hypnos. I elected to keep my dreams after talking to them, and managed to learn a little bit of dream magic in the process.
			*set chapsix2 "hypnos"
			*set dream_magic true
	*if (chapsix != "laus")
		#Went to Laus, to see if I could solve the problem at the source. Fortunately, I could.
			*set chapsix2 "laus"
			*set lausstatus "ctemple"
			*set laushelp true
	*if (chapsix != "hera")
		#Went to see Hera, to make sure she was doing all right in the Underworld. 
			*set chapsix2 "hera"
	#Decided I was satisfied with the situation as it was, and took a break.
		*set chapsix2 "walk"

Once those matters had resolved for the moment and Hera had returned to Olympus, everyone was looking for a way to unwind and decompress. A party was suggested, but during the moment of rest, something truly unexpected occurred: you received news that a pair of Giants had escaped their confinement in Tartarus, and were now wreaking havoc in the Underworld. 

The group immediately split to handle the problem, and you elected to accompany:

[Note: This is/was the choice for which character's route you're on, so choose accordingly!]

*fake_choice
	#I went with Hades, to confront Alcyoneus in the orchard.
		*set route "hades"
		*set triedtosaveorchard true
		*set hades_scene_2 true
	#I went with Hermes, along with Charon, to handle Eurytus, who was headed towards the Keep and its surroundings.
		*set route "hermes"
		*set splittheparty true
		*set savedthespirits true
		*set hermes_scene_2 true
	#I went with Charon, along with Hermes, to confront Eurytus. 
		*set route "charon"
		*set charon_scene_2 true
	#I went with Pyri, alongside Alekto, to Tartarus, to save the humans trapped within it after the breach.
		*set route "pyri"
		*set savedthespirits true
		*set riddletrail true
		*set splittheparty true
		*set pyri_scene_2 true
		*set pyri_memory_explained true
	#I went with Alekto, along with Pyri, to save her sisters, who had disappeared as the breakout occurred.
		*set route "alekto"
		*set triedtosavemegaira true
		*set saved_megaira true
		*set alekto_scene_2 true
		*set seenwings true
		*set tag_signs true
	#I went with Hekate, towards the city to activate its dormant magical defenses, so that none of the dead dwelling there would be harmed. 
		*set route "hekate"
		*set hekate_scene_2 true

In the ensuing conflict, you were knocked out, and when you woke up, you discovered something surprising. Somehow, your magic had partially merged with $!{route}'s, a phenomenon called 'resonance.' 

The magic now shared between the two of you could be separated again, but figuring out how to do so would take time. 

*fake_choice
	#I told them to hurry up and get to it. My magic is my own, and I don't want it mixed with anyone else's. 
		*set bondbreak "sooner"
	#I told them there was no need to hurry. It wasn't an inconvenience to me, and I saw no need to panic about it. 
		*set bondbreak "later"
	#I pointed out that I honestly wouldn't mind if such a change was permanent, but I gather that was a bit strange a thing to say, so we'll see what happens.
		*set bondbreak "never"

After you'd had a little time to rest and recover, you heard that the Underworld had been breached from the [i]outside[/i] this time—not likely an incident caused by the same culprit of the jailbreak. And indeed, the 'culprit' this time was a young demigod named Orpheus, a child of Apollo whose father had given him an enchanted lute, recommending he use it to sway the minds of the Underworld's residents. 

When that didn't quite work, Orpheus made his case more plainly, and powerfully: the woman he loved, Eurydice, was dead, and he wanted nothing more than to return with her to the realm of the living. 

It was quite an ask. Some were for giving him a chance, and others, fearful of the precedent such an action would set, wanted to deny him. 

In the end, Hades decided to give him a chance. The King of the Underworld could not simply counter their Fate and make it so, so instead he set Orpheus a challenge: lead Eurydice from the Underworld, without ever looking back at her, and the two of them could pass from the realm unharmed. 

In the end

*fake_choice
	#It wasn't a perfect success by any means, but the two did manage to arrange a way to spend half their lives in the living world and half in the Underworld, together. 
		*set trial "eurytackle"
	#They didn't succeed, but they ended up deciding to live in the Underworld together. 
		*set trial "eurypulled"
	*if (job = "minister")
		#They failed, but I found a small loophole, offering Eurydice a job that would allow her to retain her memories of life, so that at least she would still remember Orpheus when he died and came to the Underworld himself. 
			*set trial "separated"
			*set euryjob true
	#They failed, and were separated, Orpheus returning to the world above while Eurydice remained below.
		*set trial "separated"
The whole thing really left you with a new understanding of the relevance of Fate, not just to human life, but in how it restricted even the gods. 

*fake_choice
	#It just... makes me sad. That Fate works the way it does. The chances to defy it seem so slim, even for humans. And the gods just... can't.
		*set opinion_fate "sad"
	#It makes me angry. I hate that some outside force without feelings dictates what's possible.
		*set opinion_fate "angry"
	#It may not always be pretty, but I do think Fate provides necessary stability to the universe. The alternative would leave far too much room for chaos.
		*set opinion_fate "stability"
	#It's all so much to grapple with; I'm not sure I have a fully-formed opinion on all of it just yet.
		*set opinion_fate "undecided"

Not too long after all of that, you learned that similar things must have been on $!{route}'s mind. You were approached, and offered a fruit grown in the Underworld. If you ate it, it would tie you to the realm forever, quite possibly closing off the possibility that you could ever return to your old life. On the other hand, it meant that no one could ever take you away from the Underworld. Not permanently. 

*fake_choice
	#I ate it.
		*set fruit "eaten"
	#I took it, but didn't eat it yet, still not quite sure.
		*set fruit "taken"
	#I declined gently, not ready to make that kind of commitment to anything.
		*set fruit "refused"
	#I found the notion outrageous, and rejected it outright.
		*set fruit "harshlyrefused"

As it turned out, the matter of which realm you wanted to belong to would swiftly become very urgent. In the night, you woke to find two intruders in your quarters. They named themselves Pirithous and Theseus, and declared that they were there by leave of Demeter to return you to Olympus. Which, in very short order and without bothering to ask your opinion on the matter, they did.

When you awoke next, it was in your childhood home, in the company of your mother. She explained that very soon, the matter of where you were to live would be handled legally, in Zeus's own court. 

When that time came, and you were given the opportunity to choose where you wished to live, you chose:

*fake_choice
	#To split my time between Olympus and the Underworld evenly. 
		*set chose "split"
		*set result "split"
	#To mostly live in the Underworld, but have visits to Olympus.
		*set chose "underworldmostly"
		*set result "underworldmostly"
	#To live only in the Underworld.
		*set chose "underworld"
		*set result "underworld"
	*if (fruit = "eaten")
		#I chose to live mostly on Olympus, but because I had eaten the fruit, I was instead told I would have to live mostly in the Underworld.
			*set chose "olympusmostly"
			*set result "underworldmostlyouch"

With that officially decided, you had a moment to say farewell to your mother.

*fake_choice
	#And I made it clear that she was no longer welcome in my life.
		*set demeterstatus "cutoff"
		*set stooduptomum true
	#And I made it clear that she could write me, but I didn't want any other kind of contact until I was ready.
		*set demeterstatus "letters"
		*set stooduptomum true
	#And I made it clear that she needed to evaluate her parenting. I wasn't cutting her off completely, but we need to figure out what our relationship is going to be like going forward. It can't be the same as it was. 
		*set demeterstatus "thinking"
		*set stooduptomum true
	#And I made it obvious that she can visit me whenever she'd like, though a little notice would of course be nice.
		*set demeterstatus "open"

And then you returned to the Underworld, where everyone was more than glad to see you. No one, perhaps, more so than $!{route}. 

You had a discussion about your marriage, and how you wanted to handle that going forward. There were some advantages to keeping it, political advantages that come with having one of the most powerful gods in the world for a husband. 

*fake_choice
	*if (route = "hades")
		#Those aren't why I decided not to have the marriage annulled, but they are nice to have.
			*set marriage_choice "kept"
	#And those were a little too good to let go of, considering everything that had just happened, so I decided to keep the marriage in place.
		*set marriage_choice "kept"
	#And those were certainly helpful. I wasn't ready to make a decision just yet, so I asked for more time to think about it. 
		*set marriage_choice "delayed"
	#But those weren't reason enough to keep things as they were. I asked for an annulment. 
		*set marriage_choice "annulled"

With that out of the way, the conversation turned to somewhat different topics.

*if (route = "hades")
	*fake_choice
		#In the end, Hades asked permission to kiss my hand, and I granted it. 
			*set hades_handkiss true
			*set initiative_ending true
		#Hades asked to kiss my hand, but I didn't feel ready for that.
			*set initiative_ending true
		#Hades made an overture, and I clarified that I had only platonic feelings for him.
			*set initiative_ending true
			*set hades_justfriends true
		#We walked and talked for a while, and then returned to the others.
*if (route = "hermes")
	*fake_choice
		#Hermes confessed an attraction to me, and I reciprocated.
			*set initiative_ending true
			*set hermes_mutualconfess true
		#Hermes confessed an attraction to me, but I wasn't quite ready to reply just yet.
			*set initiative_ending true
			*set hermes_confessiondeferred true
		#Hermes confessed to me, but I clarified that all I felt for him was friendship.
			*set initiative_ending true
			*set hermes_justfriends true
		#We walked and talked for a while, then returned to the others.
	*if (hermes_mutualconfess)
		*fake_choice
			#After that, we kissed.
				*set hermes_firstkiss true
			#It was pretty clear that he wanted to kiss me, but I wasn't quite prepared for that, yet.
*if (route = "charon")
	*fake_choice
		#Charon asked if they could embrace me, and I agreed.
			*set initiative_ending true
		#Charon asked if they could embrace me, but I didn't feel entirely comfortable with that yet.
			*set initiative_ending true
		#Charon asked if they could embrace me, but I felt the need to clarify that I only felt friendship for them.
			*set initiative_ending true
			*set charon_justfriends true
		#We walked and talked for a while, then returned to the others. 
*if (route = "pyri")
	*fake_choice
		#Pyri asked for a big hug, and I accepted.
			*set initiative_ending true
		#Pyri asked for a big hug, but I wasn't entirely comfortable with that.
			*set initiative_ending true
		#Pyri asked for a big hug, and I felt the need to clarify that my only feelings for them were platonic.
			*set initiative_ending true
			*set pyri_justfriends true
		#We walked and talked for a while, then returned to the others.
*if (route = "alekto")
	*fake_choice
		#Alekto said her feelings for me might develop into something more, and I was receptive to that.
			*set initiative_ending true
			*set alekto_receptive true
		#Alekto said her feelings for me might develop into something more, and I was unsure what my response would be if they did.
			*set initiative_ending true
		#Alekto said her feelings for me might develop into something more, and I told her mine would only ever be platonic.
			*set initiative_ending true
			*set alekto_justfriends true
		#We walked and talked for a while, then returned to the others.
*if (route = "hekate")
	*fake_choice
		#Hekate confessed an attraction to me, and I reciprocated.
			*set initiative_ending true
			*set hekate_mutualconfess true
		#Hekate confessed an attraction to me, but I wasn't quite ready to reply just yet.
			*set initiative_ending true
			*set hekate_confessiondeferred true
		#Hekate confessed to me, but I clarified that all I felt for her was friendship.
			*set initiative_ending true
			*set hekate_justfriends true
		#We walked and talked for a while, then returned to the others.
	*if (hekate_mutualconfess)
		*fake_choice
			#After that, we kissed.
				*set hekate_firstkiss true
			#It was pretty clear that she wanted to kiss me, but I wasn't quite prepared for that, yet.
*label endsavecreator
And now, the whole future is before you. Whatever happens, you know those you've met in the Underworld will be a tremendous part of it. 

*finish Chapter One: A Revelation