controlsthedie | Application for voidtreckerexpress

Player Information

Name: Avie
Age: 34
Contact details:

aviekokyre, Discord: aviekokyre#3411
Other characters: n/a

Character Information

Name: Thanatos
Canon: Hades, wiki, though sparse and not updated to full release
Canon Point: after 1st win but before 10th, nectar given, favor complete, no ambrosia
OU/AU/CRAU/OC: OU
Age: one of the "younger" generation of gods, which can still be hundreds of years old

World Information: Hades takes place in ancient Greece some time after the events of the Trojan War and the Iliad. The gods are real and participate in the upkeep of the mortal world. However, the land is currently ravished by an never-ending winter and war. Demeter refuses to let spring arrive since the disappearance of her daughter, Kore (Persephone). Ares stirs up bloodshed as War Gods often do. This means a lot of mortals are dying and going to the Underworld.

The House of Hades resides in Tartarus and runs more like an office administration than the bowels of Hell. The shades (souls of the dead) are brought to Erebus by different employees of the House based on how the mortal died. There, the shades wait to be judged and end up residing in one of three realms of the Underworld: Tartarus, Asphodel, or Elysium. Tartarus is reserved for the worst of the worst. Elysium houses great souls and heroes. The rest find their way to Asphodel, which the River Phlegethon has flooded and left it a lava-filled landscape. The gateway between the Underworld and the surface is the Temple of Styx, and the House of Hades prides itself with the motto "There is no escape."

Lord Hades will hold court among shades to hear their transgressions, but it is a long wait. There's always work to be done, and there is a sense that everything is in danger of falling apart. This isn't helped by the Prince of the Underworld, Zagreus, repeatedly attempting to escape. A number of Olympian gods grant him boons under the premise of helping Zagreus to leave his father, Hades, to join them on Mt. Olympus. What the Olympians have yet to learn is that Zagreus isn't trying to meet them on Olympus but is trying to see his mother and set things right between his family.

Personal History: Thanatos (Death) and his twin Hypnos (Sleep) were born of Nyx (Darkness) and no father. He grew up in the House of Hades alongside Hypnos and to some extent with their older brother, Charon. Nyx had many more children (among them the Three Fates, Eris, and Nemesis) but Thanatos was not close to them. In some cases, their paths were never meant to cross, and that was fine by Thanatos.

Even as a young godling, he had an important job to do as the God of Death. It meant that he had to "grow up" much faster than his twin. He knew of Persephone before she left the Underworld, remembering her green eyes most of all. However, he never knew the full extent of her role in the Underworld until much, much later. He thought her to be a bad relationship of Hades when Hades forbade all talk of her and didn't know she had left behind a son, who had been stillborn.

At some point in his life came the infamous, humiliating Sisyphus incident. The events are only vaguely referred to in game, but the myth goes as such. Thanatos was to bring Sisyphus to the Underworld for the atrocities he committed. Hades gave him a special pair of shackles to do the job because Sisyphus was clever. However, Sisyphus still managed to trick Thanatos into the shackles and locked the God of Death away for a month. No one died as a result, throwing the natural order of the world into chaos. Eventually, Ares broke him free. Sisyphus was then brought to the Underworld. Persephone's involvement in the myth likely never happened in the game's version.

What followed after was some of the busiest times for Thanatos and the House of Hades. Thanatos had to finish a month's backlog of work. His grim reputation, despite being Gentle Death, likely grew from having to cut down so many mortals in such a short period of time. He also grew closer to the Fury, Megaera, over the events of Sisyphus. Likely the House of Hades had to do some real PR building because they could not let mortals think death was escapable. Sisyphus was made an example of with the eternal task of pushing a boulder up a hill while the Fury Sisters lashed at him and other shades in Tartarus.

It took an act of god to get Thanatos to divert his attention away from his duties. That god just happened to be Zagreus. Sometime after Sisyphus, he became playmates with Zagreus, newly brought to life by Nyx' power. Hades would often tell Zagreus to play with Thanatos or Hypnos instead of bothering him. Thanatos' work kept him busy due to his role in the world. However, they became close friends despite having opposite personalities and natures.

During an especially busy and rough assignment for Thanatos, Zagreus attempted to escape the Underworld in search of Persephone. Zagreus left without saying goodbye to his long-time friend, and it hurt Thanatos deeply. Thanatos found out through other means and tracked Zagreus down. Zagreus first thought that Thanatos was there to stop him at his father's order. However, Thanatos helped Zagreus clear the room of enemies, turning it into a competition of who could defeat the most shades. Once that was done, Thanatos said his goodbyes and left. That was supposed to be the end of it.

Still, Zagreus did not give up on their friendship, and Thanatos couldn't completely cut Zagreus out of his life. Zagreus gave him bottle after bottle of nectar, even if Thanatos refused it. Thanatos kept helping him fight off Hades' forces under the guise of being in the area and risking everything he worked for. He tried to convince Zagreus to return a few times and told him he was forcing people in the House to choose sides. Zagreus continued on his quest regardless.

Thanatos' aid did not remain unnoticed for long. Hades caught on because Thanatos' work punctuality was slipping, and there were reports of seeing Thanatos in areas he shouldn't have been in. Confronted, Thanatos told Hades that he could lock him up in Tartarus for his betrayal; his loyalty to Zagreus wasn't going to change. The conflict between father and son had to be resolved somehow. Thanatos fully picked his side: Zagreus. Hades sent Thanatos away, not punishing him because there was no one else who could do his job but made it clear he did not want to speak to him again.

Eventually, Thanatos realized that Zagreus didn't need his help, but he still wanted to. The two started to talk more again. Zagreus pushed Thanatos to improve his relationship with Hypnos, who was in danger of losing his job. Through the events of uniting Orpheus and Eurydice and calling out Zagreus for meddling in their affairs, Thanatos realized he wasn't much better as he started helping Zagreus without being asked. As Zagreus continued his quest to reach the surface, Thanatos was left wondering what exactly he was feeling over the whole situation and between him and Zagreus.

Then, there was this train....

Personality: At first glance, Thanatos is an imposing figure: dark, broody, and serious. He has an important job as Death Incarnate. Without him, there is no death, so he takes pride in doing his work punctual and well. The job doesn't leave him with much time for himself. Despite his efforts, the sheer amount of work often has him running late and rushing to pick up the next mortal. People worry about him overworking himself; even Hades tells him he needs to take a break. Mortals fear and mistake him for Hades or Ares or even Eros. However, he's able to release those from their decaying bodies, give them peace, and give them good news that there is a life after death. He's done this job for ages. It's the core of who he is. He is Death.

Thanatos is polite and respectful to those in power. He respects the opinions and decisions of his mother to the highest degree. If Mother Nyx tells Thanatos to do something, he will do so to the best of his ability. He will treat Hades with respect even if he disagrees with him. His speech is careful and thought out to the point of feeling a little stilted. He has a reputation to uphold, even if the Olympians don't think much of Chthonic gods, and he won't let mortals belittle him. He'll even play up his image when fighting shades, just so they know who they're dealing with. He has pride in being one of the Chthonic gods and children of Nyx. That said, he doesn't have much interest in being worshiped. He also isn't the jealous type because fulfilling his duty is enough.

However, Death isn't so simple beyond his job. He lives a solitary life by nature, but he longs for company deep down. His mother notices this in him. It explains why a younger Thanatos carried around his Chthonic Companion, Mort, with him practically everywhere. Zagreus is possibly the only friend he has who is not connected to his work in some way. Being left behind hurt and filled him with an anger Thanatos had never felt before nor understood. He felt betrayed by Zagreus and tried to keep him at a distance with harsh words and excuses.

When Thanatos starts speaking from the heart, he becomes awkward and insecure. He's not sure what he wants to say aloud, and emotion seeps into his tone. He even stutters a little, which isn't present when he normally speaks. He gets frustrated or overwhelmed, leading him to vanish in an instant. Thanatos doesn't really understand his emotions well and has even talked about wishing he could not feel things. Emotions can't be trusted. He'll think a lot in his head but not necessarily come up with a conclusion. Maybe it's due to becoming Death Incarnate and independent so quickly. Maybe it's due to seeing lives and relations end by his own hand. Maybe it's due to being tricked by Sisyphus and determined not to have that happen again. Whatever the reason it leaves him a little emotionally and socially clueless. It's like he doesn't know who he is, what to do, how to act when he's not being Death.

However, thanks to Zagreus' influence, Thanatos is working on better talking, relating to others, and figuring himself out. One of example of his attempts is with Hypnos. He seems harsh and judging of his twin, but he truly cares and worries for him. He doesn't want to be critical of him; he just doesn't really know how else to express his concerns. He isn't sure he could get through or improve his relationship with Hypnos either, fearing the damage has already been done and giving up.

Thanatos may be the model employee (when not getting distracted by Zagreus) in the House of Hades, but when it comes to being himself and not his duty, Thanatos is still learning.... Also he is having some majorly repressed, unrealized feels for Zagreus which of course complicates everything.

Key themes: learning to communicate, learning how to live, Death Incarnate vs. Thanatos (his godly self vs. his personal self)

Main Motivation: duty/loyalty

Skills:

Death: able to cut a mortal life (or already dead shades) free from their body, sensing when someone is about to die, passively controlling whether people die or not based on his freedom ~~Thanks, Sisyphus~~
Teleportation: nerfed in game to be limited to the train
Flight, or at the very least hovering
Scythe and sword skills
Ability to summon said weapons
Connection to Darkness like other Chthonic Gods/children of Nyx
Random guh-dong bell toll upon arrival

Item: Mort: mouse Chthonic Companion/stuffed animal created by Nyx and who may have a slight bit of sentience based on how people treat Chthonic Companions in game. He squeaks, forms/symbolizes bonds between people, must be given willingly, and can be used to summon Thanatos' aid.

That said, Mort does not have a connection with anyone other than Thanatos at this point in time, so he will be mostly a childhood toy that squeaks sometimes.

Sample: TDM top level, thread with Ryo on TDM

Notes: Thanatos has said that being on the surface for too long makes him ill. The bright light and all the sensations are overwhelming to him, so he will likely have issue with this at times. He may get used to it eventually or have it resurface during stops.

I will also be putting up a permissions list for Hades game spoilers and his ability to sense death.