Open: And they're gonna bend their branches down to lay their fruit upon the ground

[vineleaves]

Dionysus is in a kitchen, apron tied over a purple dress with vine details, singing to himself as he uses a melon baller to scoop out a watermelon. The large bowl next to him is already full of honeydew melon and cantaloupe, and he's got a few other ingredients nearby ready to add in once he's done with the watermelon. Mint leaves, some honey, some lemon juice, and some lime juice.

It has been quite an eventful time lately, but overall his life is pretty great right now.

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[vineleaves]

Dionysus, meanwhile, just full on gives Magnus a hug.

[summerdude]

...okay, fine, Magnus can add Uncle D to his list of people he feels comfortable hugging. He gives him a squeeze back. Full strength, because surely a god can handle that?

[vineleaves]

It's uncomfortably tight, but then his back pops, so honestly it's a win.

[summerdude]

"I have a question for you, actually," Magnus says, as he draws back. "I think maybe you can help better than anyone else here."

[vineleaves]

"Oh? What's on your mind?"

[summerdude]

"Um, did you meet my Evil Twin?"

[vineleaves]

“Your — your alternate self? Yes. … I take it you don’t remember when he was here, then?” Because Dionysus definitely remembers being mortal for a day. “What about him though?”

[summerdude]

"Did he, like. Suck?"

[vineleaves]

"What? No. Why do you ask?"

[summerdude]

"Hanguang-jun and Galahad both hated him and even Sunny was, like, not a fan."

[vineleaves]

"We just got some Hi-C," he says, a little surprised. "Did he -- did he do something to them to make them not like him?"

[summerdude]

"Apparently he was, like a huge asshole?" Magnus frowns. "Hanguang-jun said that my Evil Twin treated him like a child, and Galahad said he messed with his mind."

[vineleaves]

“I’m sorry, he did what?!” Dionysus says, suddenly very serious.

[summerdude]

"Um. Specifically he did something to make Galahad feel friendly." Magnus's frown deepens. "That's all I know. I didn't want to, like, belabor the point or whatever by making Galahad go into more detail."

[vineleaves]

"Shit," he says, and rubs at his forehead. "Is Galahad alright?"

[summerdude]

"Yeah, he is now. My Evil Twin stopped and then he left." Magnus frowns. "He was just me from, like the future though. Nothing like Little Bro D's situation." Magnus doesn't know -- or want to know! -- how to control others' emotions!

[vineleaves]

“He wasn’t just you from the future though. He had never been here. Just as much a different version of you as all the different versions of me who do that sorta shit regularly too.”

[summerdude]

Magnus takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. This is, after all, why he brought this up in the first place. "How do you keep from, like. Becoming them?"

[vineleaves]

"You're worried that in a thousand years you're gonna be like he was? Don't be, you're in a much different situation being here than you would be if you spent a thousand years dealing with, y'know, all the shit your universe put you through." Dionysus sighs. "But, as to your question, I -- well, I just, I guess I know what it's like, to have my head messed with, and I don't want to put someone through something similar. All of my mind-related powers, it's stuff I only use as a last goddamn resort, y'know?" A pause before he adds, "Ah - well, or with people I've discussed it with beforehand, y'know, consent and all that."

[summerdude]

"I don't want to get jaded enough I hurt people without thinking."

[vineleaves]

"I think... Look, I don't know what all your -- your evil twin, or whatever you wanna call him, I dunno what all he's been through. But in my experience, just -- just being around mortals, in every day sorts of settings, that helps you not be jaded. Gods who spend all their time at Olympus or wherever, and only deal with mortals on occasion, those are the ones who tend to get jaded, and tend to cause the most accidental harm. But I'm around mortals more often than not. It's painful as hell sometimes, but I think it keeps me aware of how precious their lives are."

[summerdude]

Magnus nods, ducks his head, and then looks up at Uncle D again. "How do you deal with the loss?"

[vineleaves]

“Not very well,” he says with a self-deprecating huff. “The first person I loved who died was my wife. I was forty-something, I consider myself very lucky to have evaded it until that point. But when she died… I was so distraught new stars were formed. Couple of years after she passed my oldest kid died too. Nearly killed every grapevine on Earth accidentally when I found out. It… it doesn’t get easier, y’know? I mean, I’ve learned to deal with it enough to not cause crops to fail, but it —- still hurts, you know. I’ve had a hundred and thirty-two kids¹, not a one of ‘em have inherited my lifespan.” He takes a deep breath. “But you just… keep going. The world isn’t going to stop when bad stuff like that happens, there’s always someone to talk to, someone else to care for, some other responsibility to eventually get out of bed for, and after a while of that it just, y’know, becomes your new normal. ‘I don’t know what to do with them not here’ becomes ‘I can’t believe they aren’t here’ becomes ‘I wish they were here’.”


1. I don’t… think I’ve had him give a number before. If I have and it was different let’s just ignore that lol²
2. Look yes I did just edit this and lower the number, I redid the math and decided I didn't like how it was mathing.³
3. I'm making this up as I go along okay leave me alone.

[summerdude]

"You loved all of them that much?" Magnus blurts, and then he flushes.

[vineleaves]

“Of course,” Dionysus says, confused. “They’re my kids.”