Mythic Media

commission for @arhintess!

To the underworld we go! This week’s Ship Sunday is Hades/Persephone!

One of the most enduring het ships in Greek mythology fandom, Hades/Persephone has inspired countless reinterpretations across books, musicals, comics, fanfiction, fanart, and modern adaptations like Lore Olympus and Hadestown.

Fans are drawn to the pairing’s tropes of death and rebirth, light and darkness, pomegranates, devotion, transformation, and complicated power dynamics. Some interpret Persephone’s story as one of agency and personal growth, while others critically examine the mythology’s roots in abduction narratives and patriarchal traditions. The tension between those readings has made the ship a lasting source of fannish discussion and reinterpretation.

From fanvids and zines to dramatic retellings and modern AUs, Hades/Persephone continues to evolve alongside fandom itself.

Curious? Head over to Fanlore to explore the ship’s history, symbolism, fanworks, and fandom conversations!

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yes, we talk about it when it comes to the masquerade dance scene, but there’s so much more to it!

the only piece he has of sophie (not that he knows it’s her) after that night, is her glove. ya know, the thing she’d wear on her hand.

he’s obsessively holding it, looking at it.

when he meets sophie as sophie for the first time, he questions her a second time about if they’ve met before, after she takes his hand.

the first time she initiates touching him (other than helping when he’s hurt) is to touch his cheek with her hand during the lil french lesson scene.

then we get to the button! she fixes his button with you guessed it! her hands! and then he can’t get the moment off of his mind.

in the scene by the window when sophie is reminiscing about their time at my cottage he takes her hand on instinct, trying to convince her to stay.

and it becomes more than just his obsession/love for her hands. their story really revolves around both of their hands. how he draws and paints with his, and how hard she works as a maid with hers.

staircase scene. need i say more? HANDS.

their first time? he’s kissing her hands and wrist.

and now on the other hand… when benedict comes out to her, she reaches to take his hand.

he draws her a sketch of Our Cottage too!

when she comforts him outside after the funeral, she places a hand on his arm. he can’t look at her, but he can look at where her hand is on him.

in the study after that, when she leans against the desk by his side, she’s the one to slide her hand closer to his, which he can’t help but take into his own.

he holds on to her hand until the last possible second in that scene.

of course the lady in silver reveal being with the glove(s) speaks for itself.

then at the queens ball, the fact that he takes her hand in front of everyone 😫 and then he removes the glove when he proposes to her (the same gloves from the masquerade ball, the opposite hand this time around!)

there are the close up shots of their hands on the terrace after the queens ball, when she takes his before they dance and then after when she says she’ll stay.

and now my last point, the painting at the very end.

a gorgeous portrait of sophie which he painted by hand. the first painting he’s ever completed, and it’s of the woman he loves.

We discussed on @whattheforce that Benedict and Sophie's story was clearly inspired by the Grimm fairy tale The Maiden With No Hands:

yes, we talk about it when it comes to the masquerade dance scene, but there’s so much more to it!

the only piece he has of sophie (not that he knows it’s her) after that night, is her glove. ya know, the thing she’d wear on her hand.

he’s obsessively holding it, looking at it.

when he meets sophie as sophie for the first time, he questions her a second time about if they’ve met before, after she takes his hand.

the first time she initiates touching him (other than helping when he’s hurt) is to touch his cheek with her hand during the lil french lesson scene.

then we get to the button! she fixes his button with you guessed it! her hands! and then he can’t get the moment off of his mind.

in the scene by the window when sophie is reminiscing about their time at my cottage he takes her hand on instinct, trying to convince her to stay.

and it becomes more than just his obsession/love for her hands. their story really revolves around both of their hands. how he draws and paints with his, and how hard she works as a maid with hers.

staircase scene. need i say more? HANDS.

their first time? he’s kissing her hands and wrist.

and now on the other hand… when benedict comes out to her, she reaches to take his hand.

he draws her a sketch of Our Cottage too!

when she comforts him outside after the funeral, she places a hand on his arm. he can’t look at her, but he can look at where her hand is on him.

in the study after that, when she leans against the desk by his side, she’s the one to slide her hand closer to his, which he can’t help but take into his own.

he holds on to her hand until the last possible second in that scene.

of course the lady in silver reveal being with the glove(s) speaks for itself.

then at the queens ball, the fact that he takes her hand in front of everyone 😫 and then he removes the glove when he proposes to her (the same gloves from the masquerade ball, the opposite hand this time around!)

there are the close up shots of their hands on the terrace after the queens ball, when she takes his before they dance and then after when she says she’ll stay.

and now my last point, the painting at the very end.

a gorgeous portrait of sophie which he painted by hand. the first painting he’s ever completed, and it’s of the woman he loves.

We discussed on @whattheforce that Benedict and Sophie's story was clearly inspired by the Grimm fairy tale The Maiden With No Hands:

Rest in peace to the incredible Anthony Stewart Head (20th February 1954 - 1st June 2026)

Yeah, dude. We heard all that when Bix said it. You didn't need to repeat it almost verbatim in a man's voice for it to be clear to us.

But seriously, I'm more upset by the reaching some people do to make Bix's story feminist and empowering. "He based the final shot on Soviet propaganda poster". Give me a fucking break. Gilroy did what he's always done to love interests: sideline them. He wants to make it sound deep, but it's Marie from the Bourne films all over again; with an added special destiny from the Force because this is Star Wars. Honestly, Marie's fate might have been merciful compared to what happened to Bix and what she and the hope baby are facing.

Like, I often think about how I'd write Bix and Cassian and what her exit would be, I tend to think of Lawrence and Ali in Lawrence of Arabia, Laura and Alec from Brief Encounter (David Lean even wrote Lawrence and Ali's relationship to be more like Laura and Alec's), and Denis Villeneuve's re-imagining of Paul and Chani in the new Dune movies. None of those relationships end happily, but there's some genuine catharsis in them.

Everything about Bix and Cassian is so forced. It feel's fake and shallow. Gilroy's hand is too obvious. He's clearly saying that a proper hero's love interest is submissive and has no thoughts or desires of her own beyond what's best for the hero. Like I don't know about Gilroy, but I tear up every time Ali says, "If I fear him, who love him, how must he fears himself who hates himself?" That's more heartbreaking and profound to me than "I'm choosing the Rebellion for you" (then saying nothing about being pregnant and either never reaching out afterwards or Cassian just being so over her he doesn't want to know). I don't know, Gilroy, maybe having Bix help refugees, or working on a Rebel ship in a different part of the Galaxy would have been nice. Maybe her with someone else, actually happy and thriving?

The lead character is also not the author!!

The character is a literary device!!! A vehicle of storytelling!!!!

“I’ve never known two people that love each other so much, and don’t even realize it.” – Eric Clapton

“ I believe Paul missed George as much as — if not more than — anybody.” – Eric clapton

“I got married in 1966 and Paul was my best man. He cancelled his holiday to do it. Then he got drunk and put a bow-and-arrow through the car window. But until then it was great.” – George

“I just know that whatever we’ve been through, there’s always been something there to tie us together” – George

‘The last time I met him, he was very sick and I held his hand for four hours. As I was doing it I was thinking “I’ve never held his hand before, ever. This is not what two Liverpool fellas do, no matter how well you know each other.” I kept thinking, “he’s going to smack me here.” But he didn’t. He just stroked my hand with his thumb and I thought “Ah, this is OK, this is life. It’s tough but it’s lovely. That’s how it is.” I knew George before I knew any of the others and I loved that man. I’m so proud to have known him.” - Paul

“Underneath it all, I believe that Paul sincerely loved George; and at some level George loved Paul as well. ” – Peter Dogett

“George told me once that I smelt like home. I got all paranoid, you know, thinking I smelt of fish and chip shops or dirty bars or something. But he said no, I just always smelt of home.” - Paul

“Paul is very protective of George.” – Bob Smeaton

“George was always known as the quiet one, but he had a wicked sense of humour. He and Paul tricked two fans into thinking that they were really brothers and George signed his name “George McCartney” for them.” - Denise Theophilus

““They used to jump on me. George used to wake me up by tickling my feet.” – Paul

“There was this guy called Ritter who was in our group at school, and George was in the younger group, and I remember we’d been standing around at playground and I’d tried to introduce George to Ritter, introduce him into my peer group. And being a year younger it was kind of difficult. I said, ‘Hey, this is George Harrison. He’s a mate of mine. We get on the same bus together.’ And we’d been sitting around, and George suddenly head-butted this friend of mine.When asked for the reason for the headbutt, George replied: ‘He wasn’t worthy of your friendship.” – Paul

Interviewer: Is matrimony in the immediate future for the two unmarried members of your group? Paul: Matrimony is not in the immediate future. George: Paul won’t have me.

“God, my mate George, isn’t he a good-looking boy!” - Paul

“Thing is, there’s a lot about me and George that the public don’t know about, and I like it better that way. That night was very personal, and very special to me. It’s one of my favourite memories.” – Paul

“I knew George long before the others. We were good chums despite his tender years as it seemed to me then. We were always together.” – Paul McCartney

“It used to be PaulnGeorge… as one word. They were the kids from the grammar school. That’s how we referred to them. For ages we didn’t even know George really, he was just ‘Paul’s mate’.” – Len Garry

“In Liverpool, Paul would come round my house and we’d play in the living room. Paul knocked me out with his singing especially, although I remember him being a little embarrassed to really sing out, seeing as we were stuck right in the middle of my parents place with my whole family walking about. He said he felt funny singing about love and stuff around my dad.” — George

 I think we have now grown old enough to realize that we’re both pretty damn cute!” - George 

“I’ve never known two people that love each other so much, and don’t even realize it.” – Eric Clapton

“ I believe Paul missed George as much as — if not more than — anybody.” – Eric clapton

“I got married in 1966 and Paul was my best man. He cancelled his holiday to do it. Then he got drunk and put a bow-and-arrow through the car window. But until then it was great.” – George

“I just know that whatever we’ve been through, there’s always been something there to tie us together” – George

‘The last time I met him, he was very sick and I held his hand for four hours. As I was doing it I was thinking “I’ve never held his hand before, ever. This is not what two Liverpool fellas do, no matter how well you know each other.” I kept thinking, “he’s going to smack me here.” But he didn’t. He just stroked my hand with his thumb and I thought “Ah, this is OK, this is life. It’s tough but it’s lovely. That’s how it is.” I knew George before I knew any of the others and I loved that man. I’m so proud to have known him.” - Paul

“Underneath it all, I believe that Paul sincerely loved George; and at some level George loved Paul as well. ” – Peter Dogett

“George told me once that I smelt like home. I got all paranoid, you know, thinking I smelt of fish and chip shops or dirty bars or something. But he said no, I just always smelt of home.” - Paul

“Paul is very protective of George.” – Bob Smeaton

“George was always known as the quiet one, but he had a wicked sense of humour. He and Paul tricked two fans into thinking that they were really brothers and George signed his name “George McCartney” for them.” - Denise Theophilus

““They used to jump on me. George used to wake me up by tickling my feet.” – Paul

“There was this guy called Ritter who was in our group at school, and George was in the younger group, and I remember we’d been standing around at playground and I’d tried to introduce George to Ritter, introduce him into my peer group. And being a year younger it was kind of difficult. I said, ‘Hey, this is George Harrison. He’s a mate of mine. We get on the same bus together.’ And we’d been sitting around, and George suddenly head-butted this friend of mine.When asked for the reason for the headbutt, George replied: ‘He wasn’t worthy of your friendship.” – Paul

Interviewer: Is matrimony in the immediate future for the two unmarried members of your group? Paul: Matrimony is not in the immediate future. George: Paul won’t have me.

“God, my mate George, isn’t he a good-looking boy!” - Paul

“Thing is, there’s a lot about me and George that the public don’t know about, and I like it better that way. That night was very personal, and very special to me. It’s one of my favourite memories.” – Paul

“I knew George long before the others. We were good chums despite his tender years as it seemed to me then. We were always together.” – Paul McCartney

“It used to be PaulnGeorge… as one word. They were the kids from the grammar school. That’s how we referred to them. For ages we didn’t even know George really, he was just ‘Paul’s mate’.” – Len Garry

“In Liverpool, Paul would come round my house and we’d play in the living room. Paul knocked me out with his singing especially, although I remember him being a little embarrassed to really sing out, seeing as we were stuck right in the middle of my parents place with my whole family walking about. He said he felt funny singing about love and stuff around my dad.” — George

 I think we have now grown old enough to realize that we’re both pretty damn cute!” - George 

Devon is his anima, is fem young Jedi - his opposite! When he speaks to her he speaks the truth to himself.