#i look forward to adding more hands into this meme in the future perhaps but these are the two that really got to me right away. good god | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

pollenat · 4 years

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SF9 and 5 ways to say I love you

➛ Note: There are few indications of nsfw themes.

INSEONG

Pouting when he scolds you for taking his jacket. He doesn’t like sharing clothes, and you know it. But the material smells the same way he does. You want to be surrounded by it 24/7. His demeanor changes at your confession. The familiar darkness of his eyes softens. You think he may forgive you, but he returns to scolding, this time with you in his embrace. Still, he doesn’t take the jacket back.

The sharpness of his gaze as you press yourself closer to him. People around are talking, too busy to notice a touch-hungry couple. Yet the thought of going further in the current surroundings doesn’t please you. Inseong has much less self-control. His knuckles turn white from the tight grip on a wine-glass, his other hand reaching down your back. It’s not long after that you leave the party.

Drawing each other on napkins when you’re in a cafe. The drinks are cold by the time you finish, but you’re satisfied with the work. He laughs at the little message you’ve added. “Does loving you make me a furry?”. Your eyes meet for a short moment before he writes down a “yes”.

The vibrations of his chest that are forced by honest laughter. Curious, you attempt to look back at him, but your head can’t go far enough, and in the end it moves from his breast to shoulder. “What’s so fun-” before you can finish asking, his phone plays the same video again. Your heads collide when you join in on the laughter.

The strength of wind one very random day, when you’ve decided to go out. It doesn’t spare anyone, pushing and pulling in the chosen direction. When you finally find shelter inside the first shop you see, both you and Inseong look ridiculously messy. As you’re rearranging his torn locks, you don’t miss the way he smiles at your features. Finally, he brings his hands up to help you too, but only after your scolding.

YOUNGBIN

Sighing when he tells you to pose for a picture. He has way too many similar ones saved on his phone, but Youngbin doesn’t care about your complaints. “I need them.” “For what?” “For when you’re too busy to see me.” His answer makes you smile bashfully. The picture he takes that day becomes his favorite.

A car ride in the morning. Streets are crowded with colorful cars and sleepy workers, as they all wander somewhere with a clear destination in mind. You do as well, but not to work or school. Youngbin’s eyes catch yours, their glossy surface turning soft from the exchange. His hands are gripping a steering wheel, meant to take you far away from the city’s traffic, to the holidays in the middle of the week.

Sharing heated kisses despite the discomfort that the countertop brings to your bottom. You can’t take your attention away from Youngbin’s magnetic touch and warm breath. But there’s a thought that tries to break through his presence. Finally, he sighs in annoyance and reaches behind you to turn down the cooker. “Better safe than sorry.” introduces another series of meeting lips, now much steadier without anything to bug your minds.

He never complains whenever his head hurts, but the weight on your lap is enough to tell you everything. Youngbin sighs deeply as you press your fingers to his temples. Then he smiles shyly and says a quiet thank you, glad to have someone who understands him without words.

The way he never raises voice at you, even when the annoyance is all too evident on his face. You want to bite back, make a remark that is bound to make him more frustrated, but Youngbin leaves before you get the chance to. “I don’t want to fight any longer. Let’s talk once we both calm down.” he hesitates by the door, hand reaching forward to meet yours in a gesture of goodbye. But then he remembers you’re angry at one another, and drops the limb. You cannot miss the shadow of sadness on his face.

JAEYOON

The sight of his broad shoulders, and the warmth of his arm hugging your folded legs. TV hums in the background, easily engaging him in the latest news. To you, it’s just a background noise. Jaeyoon’s soft hair draw the end of your world, their texture lovely in touch. As your fingers massage that one spot, he leans into them, a deep sigh silencing the news anchor. He remind you of a touch-starved puppy.

Placing down your lucky word on the Srabble board. Jaeyoon scoffs at the two bonuses you are given and your winning dance. “You got lucky.” is his reasoning, which you do not question. Games like Scrabble are all about four-leaf clovers, but it won’t stop you from celebrating. Your partner watches with his arms crossed, and just as you’re about to make a turn, small smile spreads his mouth in a way best described as fond.

The clash of strength when you’re wrestling on the sand. Jaeyoon wanted to put dirty lock of seaweed on your head, which earned him a push to the ground. As you manage to distract him for long enough to sit on his chest, you stop, stunned by his radiant smile. It’s framed in sunscreen, grains of sand, and wet strands of hair. All of which take your breath away long enough for him to overpower you.

Hiding under covers during a stormy night. It’s not a reason behind your activity, rather a simple correlation, because neither you, nor Jaeyoon feel anything similar to fear. Instead, you’re grinning at one another in the darkness. His feet tangle with yours, hands twist and run over each other’s bodies, sighs melt into one. A thunderbolt lights up the world outside, but surges through your veins when the man in your embrace finally lays a kiss you’ve been waiting for.

A growing collection of cacti, neatly organized on a window sill. Each one has a name, which their buyer welcomes with amusement, but never ridiculousness. “Did you feed our children?” “Of course! Do you take me for a terrible father?” Sometimes, when he’s lost in thought, you observe his unconscious habit of touching their needles.

DAWON

Admiring his calmness as he munches on a chicken wing. Once he realizes you’re not eating, he offers you another one, his eyes innocent, hot sauce dripping from the corner of his mouth. You don’t take the wing, instead reaching forward to wipe the liquid with your thumb. Sanghyuk chokes on his food as you put the finger in your mouth.

Lying in bed, your backs facing each other, either of you scared to turn around after the argument you had. There’s no more anger, only longing to go back to normal and see the other’s face. You miss his voice, but the uneasy silence is pressing on your chest, too heavy to allow words. Instead, you move your hand back, in search of his, and when you eventually do, you’re elated to find him returning the grip.

The afternoons when you sit down on a bench, watching passersby and narrating their lives. Neither of you can stop laughing during those, attracting attention of strangers, but all of them wave you off as just another weird couple. “You have to admit, he does look like a murderer.” Sanghyuk smiles at the sound of your maniacal laughter. His arm pulls you closer to his side.

Feeling his hands resting on your sides as he approaches the conversation you’re busy with. There’s nothing possessive about Sanghyuk’s grip, although your primary companion gives you an uncomfortable smile. You’re not the type to tell the man behind you off for showing the purest sort of affection for his other half. Even if in the end, the person is quick to escape. “What a nice guy. Too bad he had to leave.” you smile at Sanghyuk’s honest cluelessness.

The sight of him dressed in an apron, fresh batch of cookies still steaming from the oven’s temperature. Frosting is bubbling in the pan, and he curses as soon as he realizes what’s going on. Quick as to not burn it, Sanghyuk turns off the stove. You lean on the doorway, watching him move around the kitchen, until he finally realizes you’re back. Just a look at you and his mouth widens to show off a welcoming grin.

ZUHO

Nights spent in front of the computer screen, on Juho’s thighs, with his silhouette embracing you. He’s busy with work, but doesn’t complain about your weight. It would be weird if he did, considering he was the one to insist on your presence. Perhaps to use you as a chin stand. It digs in the side of your neck, hesitating between a massage and painful annoyance. “What? Am I bothering you?”.

Having trouble staying mad at him. Even if the argument you had was a rather big one, Juho continues doing the little things. As if everything was normal. Coffee, extra meal, even that dumb yogurt you like the most - they’re all still there, no matter what. Their presence is a needle stinging the back of your head, telling you to put the fight behind and return to the warmth of the person you’re so used to.

The times when his shy side steps back, to let another one take over. That Juho is more confident, smiling slyly, with a gaze twice as dark. There are new depths to him that beg for exploration. No matter how many times you’ve experienced it all, nothing about him can bore you. There’s a side of an obsessed explorer to your always Juho-starved mind. Even when his deep voice laughs at the excitement you’re showing, he doesn’t push you away. He seems to enjoy the attention just as much.

A never-ending string of chat conversations. Be it cute pictures of cats, rare memes, or just a voiced desire to eat junk food, you always look forward to the signs of communication. And if he won’t provide, you will. With a picture he may not want to show his friends, or words he won’t use in a love song, worried it will somehow get out. These are for him only.

Correcting the collar of his shirt, minutes before he’s supposed to leave for an evening out. It’s a normal thing to do - spend time with others, not just your loved one - but the close future still feels salty on your tongue. Juho asks you a question, and you smile in answer, nodding your head that yes, his friend is sure to like the birthday gift. He mirrors your expression, kisses goodbye, then disappears into the night. Out of sight, not out of mind.

ROWOON

The words of encouragement he uses during a dinner out. Things like “Finish this serving, I’ll ask for another.”, or “You ate too little. Have some more.” accompany each bite you take, deafening the inner voice of guilt. It will come later, when Seokwoo’s voice disappears with a sweet goodbye. And quiver in fear when he scolds you for ever being ashamed of your weight.

Waking up in the middle of the night. Your fingers curl and uncurl, their tips eventually spreading over the warm skin of his chest. Mind wide awake, you cannot just go back to sleep. Instead, you delicately draw shapes, hoping to hypnotize yourself, and somehow keep him awake. All of sudden one of his hands grabs yours and pulls it over his chest, to make you embrace him better. He’s asleep again just a second later.

Goodbyes that take much longer than they should. Even after spending an entire day in each other’s presence, neither of you want to part ways. Seokwoo’s hold is strong, pulling you so close to him, you think he may want to melt the two of you into one. Not that there’s anything wrong with the idea. Was it a possibility, you wouldn’t have thought twice. “I should probably get going.” he says, but the hold loses its strength only much later.

Nothing. You’re doing absolutely nothing, and he still looks like he’s about to melt from the sight alone. His smile is wide, dream-like, and in return you try hiding yourself, because that’s too much for your heart to take. “What? Don’t cover your face!” he’s laughing, his hands grabbing at your forearms to pull them down. When you’re defenseless he places the sweetest of kisses on the very tip of your nose.

The lack of your vitamin S. These instances are so rare, you can never get used to them. It’s like being homesick. Even if you’re sitting on a couch you paid for, home feels far away. It will come back, you’re sure of it. You will do everything to assure its return. But for now, you just sink in the feeling of loneliness, turning over the words, the moments, the possibilities.

TAEYANG

If it wasn’t for his begs, you wouldn’t have ended up dancing in the club. Which would be a shame, because Taeyang was right. Every once in a while you can go out, if just for the sake of seeing him in his element, a satisfied smile decorating such beautiful features he possesses. His hands pull you back into moving when the overwhelming adoration makes you stop for a moment.

The pain being so visible on his face. As much as Taeyang wants to keep the image of a stoic man, hearing your hurtful words makes the walls of a calm act explode into flour-like dust. He trembles in his spot, holding back the waterfall of emotions. How could you, of all people, say something so real to him? Something that could shake him to the bone? When he can’t stay anymore, Taeyang leaves in silence.

A walk through quiet streets. Some ights flicker on and off, broken, some unchangably dark, abandoned due to budget cuts. The sun has set a while back. While most people are busy with their everyday struggles, you and Taeyang are taking slow steps with fingers interlocked. Every few minutes his hip hits yours, seemingly on accident, but just a look at his sly smile is enough to let you know it’s intentional.

“How could you? I’m your boyfriend!” echoes from his contorted lips. “And a sore loser! Can’t I win every once in a while?” His sad eyes and closed mouth answer without a need for words: no, you can’t. Taeyang does a poor attempt at nonchalant shrugging, but his release of the controller means that the game has ended. Only hugs and kisses of affirmation manage to pull his lips into a smile.

The mornings when you wake up beside him. Rays of sunshine fall on his face, gently pulling him out of dreamland. You’re there to witness his first frown, delicate stir, and a turn to his other side, to escape the sun. Before he can register what’s going on around, soft mumbles leave his mouth. So quiet, you need to lean forward to hear better. That’s when he strikes - by kissing your ear. “Eww!” Taeyang just laughs.

HWIYOUNG

Laughing at the sight of a very confused Sanghyuk exiting the toilets. You were meant to wait for him, but Youngkyun couldn’t pass a chance to mess with the poor guy. “We’ll come out after he suffers long enough.” the boy whispers in your ear, his breath warm on the thin skin of a helix. Lean and strong fingers are innocently placed on your side, as if to keep you close, not in place. Perhaps it’s out of his mind, but you? You are more than comfortable there.

The way he embraces you like fine china. It’s so delicate, you’re sometimes worried he doesn’t want to indulge in any physical affection. When the thought crosses your mind, you loosen the grip on his sides. But instead of a sigh of relief, Youngkyun gives you a look of surprise. Questions of genuine worry are quick to follow. And if you have nothing to say, he will make you talk.

Pulling at his hand to follow you inside the store. Youngkyun sighs, reminding you of arrangements you made earlier, but the place looks so inviting, meetings lose their appeal. “Just 5 minutes.” he eventually relents. How does one tell you no? Inside, you’re leading him from a display to display, marveling at the products. Hurrying goes out of your heads, and when you finally leave, you’re late. But Youngkyun doesn’t seem to mind, too busy laughing at the bag of purchases hung on your arm.

The callouses on his hands. You’re massaging them, as if something as simple as smoothing down rougher patches of skin could delete them. It’s not your intention. Rather than anything, you find the feeling of them under your fingertips therapeutic. Youngkyun never comments on the habit, his hands always free when it comes to you. In private, he sometimes even adds foreahead kisses as a bonus.

The feeling of pride living rent-free in your head. Just a look at Youngkyun reminds you of the many reasons he’s so great. His ears redden as soon as he realizes you’re watching, too lost in the sight to be awakened by anything other than loud speech. “Stop!” he gently pushes you away. Maybe you do stop for a while, but the need to look returns soon after.

CHANI

The deathly grip of his hand on your elbow. Its suddenness throws you off, until the sight of his awkward smile comes on display. Leave it to Chanhee to get a bit dramatic with how embarrassed one can become. “It’s just my family.” “What if they don’t like me?” his worries seem absurd to you. “There’s not a single person in this world that dislikes you.” Your eyes meet as you detach his hand to hold it properly. “I’ve got you.”

A hug from behind, few words of affirmation and a smile to the side of your head - a mix of three things that make you unable to say no, as long as they’re contributed by Chanhee. He knows it all too well, often with evident slyness to his smiles. No apology tastes sweeter than the one flying out of his warmth breath by your ear.

The automatic motion of giving him your snacks. One for Chanhee, one for your. Another for Chanhee, another for you. He doesn’t seem to notice the hilaroius aspect of the situation, too busy with his phone. And although you do notice, the discovery only slows down your hand, not stop it. After one more, you surprise him with a soft kiss. Then, as his widened eyes center on you, the hand resumes its task. Chanhee doesn’t complain to anything. Still, his gaze stays on your features for a longer while.

The annoyance on his face making you feel so small, you can’t look at him. The argument is still vivid in your memory, words coming back to torture you more than necessary. You think you may go mad from the absurd of it all, but most of all, from the coldness Chanhee is emanating with. “Whatever.” you tell him instead of an usual goodbye. Maybe because you’re too tired by everything, maybe because you want the sound of it to hurt him.

Noticing how comfortable he is around you. There’s a stark difference between the past Chanhee and the present one. Reddening ears, nervous whispering, secrets - all of them are no longer a thing. There are no walls between your lives. Just the reality of having to deal with an extreme case of a “clown”. But Chanhee can’t know you like to call him that, because in revenge he will find you a nickname much worse.

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#Ive got uni and script-writing program to balance #so sorry for not updating #and #its the last 5 ways to say i love you for now #more scenarios are coming together #idk if u will even read the tags #kpop imagines #kpop au #kpop reactions #kpop fluff #kpop scenarios #kpop fanfic #sf9 imagines #sf9 au #sf9 reactions #sf9 fluff #sf9 scenarios #sf9 fanfic

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mmagazinemoment · 3 years

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Why my past loves make me want to look into nihilism as a lifestyle.

Good morning, midday, afternoon, or evening to you my fellow queers and allies and plain and simply gorgeous humans. You see I have already written another version of this edition but instead I have a pure heroine filled piece instead, and you may not be ready for it because it covers a few serious points but it’s also the (fuck your ex) vibe, not literally…unlesssssss * insert meme*. Thanks for joining me again my loves

Why my past loves make me want to look into nihilism as a lifestyle

You ever just meet someone and fall completely into their arms and become almost a complete and utter 3rd leg of the other? What I mean in all seriousness is, don’t you ever feel like the love game grows on you like a drug addiction and I know some of you will see this and be thinking? What do you mean “the love game” I know it’s not a game, a figure of speech as such. Basically, what I’m trying to say is have you ever loved someone so much that you didn’t see the signs of detrimental dysfunction.

Wow that all sounds so serious, let me dial it down a little, I’m just trying this new thing called being uncensored and not caring about preconceived notions of myself from external eyes. Months ago, I was shattered into a million pieces and I won’t blame just him because it was my fault for thinking every relationship or whatever it was, was going to end up like a tv romance, no that’s a lie. I over invested and blamed him for hurting my own self, sure he had something to do with it, but he wasn’t just to blame. Can’t tell me I don’t know how to take accountability (wow I’m funny).

For instance, in a movie you meet and lock eyes with someone and the breeze grasps your hair, when I met said person, I was like ‘omg he’s tall, I’m going to fall in love with a giraffe’ and then I tried to build a home in him, without the investment and time taken to be careful with my time and words of affirmation in efforts to receive reciprocation I never got unless it was backhanded or what I wanted to hear. So how did you perceive your first love? Did he/she/they look pleasing? Or was it the scent of their perfume or cologne? Did they dress in a floral vintage outfit or was it a suit and tie? Ballet flats or sneakers? Tell me? I want to know all of the juicy details!

I know some of you probably didn’t ask or ever want to know but my first love happened in a series of me closing doors journeying through my uneasy sexuality labelling and let’s be real, fuck labels am I right? (unless you find comfortability and closure under a label and with that you’re perfectly valid), Love to me was like heroine and in some senses it still is. When I first learnt of love, it didn’t feel like love, it felt like obligation, perhaps a trend. Love felt like learning all he moves to a Tik Tok dance as fast as possible before the hype disappeared, and it became irrelevant again, questionable reference point but blame social media not me. I was never satisfied.

Keep in mind this was 15-year-old me, trying to gain some sense of validation to seem a little less repressed and not confused because before 15 year old me realised that 12 year old me wasn’t as weird as I thought. I was under this veil of non-transparency and speaking on the subject of transparency I must tell you 12 was the year of age I realised that I wasn’t like the other boys at school, just swooning for girls and getting scared of cooties, I was just begging to be seen by whoever had eyes to care. Sounds dramatic I know.

Nobody was ever there to tell me at such a young age that there were others like me, “different”, the type of boy who watched rebel without a cause and felt weird when James Dean was looking so gorgeous and composed in that leather jacket or admiring Tim Curry when he dressed like no man I’d ever seen on a movie screen in or even real life in the Rocky Horror Show, something sparked in… me. I started on the smallest step I knew, acknowledgement, I knew I could find a home in the fact that there were more people like me, and wow I was right. I was finding comfort in what I knew, I found a few gorgeous women and obviously because of my age we thought that holding hands and a peck on the cheek was all we needed in life from the label of ‘relationship’, but it was only ever a weekly process. Anytime I found ‘love’ I wouldn’t know what to do with it without the chase, like a dog chasing a bone. Even to this day I have never had a successfully long relationship but at least these days it’s not because of my toxic traits, I like to think I’ve grown a considerate amount since I was 15. Don’t get me wrong, neither of those experiences were love? How could they be?

Ironically love happened even ‘after’ I was in a relationship. I had another relationship when I was 17, it lasted a little longer than the prior, it went for a month and a half, I was convinced I loved her, so sappy but you wanted transparency right? I have a lot of it. After that, my ex brought to attention after she cheated on me that I was using her as a sort of beard to cover up the truth about myself, I never knew how to perceive myself until then and that was only the second step, there was so much more to cover.

Skip forward past a few experiences leading up the near current, I met someone, a sort of fleeting romance, now (forewarning, this gets sappy) we talked for a few weeks if my memory isn’t hazy, and we quickly developed something no short of a connection. FaceTime after FaceTime I’d gather more and more pictures of his goofy face and at one stage, I thought I was going to be happy for the foreseeable future, then came reality. You can’t be loved by someone who doesn’t want to face themselves and you can’t help them anymore than what you’re capable of giving out. I didn’t listen to that, naturally things just got worse, and I hated everything…

He would apologise, I would validate his actions to friends who were concerned and realising that I was getting too soon attached and it wasn’t going to end well and I copped the consequences, I still have only recently not found regret in messing up this badly because if I didn’t make that mistake then I would’ve just witnessed those mistakes I made in the lap of somebody else and this is where the saying goes, better the devil you known then the devil you don’t. let me tell you it did more than a number on my mental health before I added up the reasons as tallies against us and internalised what I should’ve subtracted (hehe see what I did there). In all seriousness I wanted the thrill, I sure as hell got one.

Your mental health is amplified by your lifestyle choices and the people you choose to keep in your circle, friendship, or relationships regardless, the whole thing was out of whack and a tornado was nothing less than the accurate definition of where I was at, and it hurt a lot but sometimes it’s best to leave that situation if that person who you thought was going to be there for a while and a necessity to your life ends up being the detriment. (as Ashley Frangipane said) “its crazy when the thing you love the most is the detriment, let that sink in”.

If there is one piece of advice that I want whoever sees this to take with them it’s this, Keep your space sacred baby, you only have one life, but also please do not criticize yourself for getting caught in the motion sickness, sometimes you just can’t avoid it and that’s ok. Life is not a movie, life is more like the behind the scenes extra that puts everything into perspective, it’s rational and shows the hard work put in place to make the art and you should remind yourself as such. Remember also that if you cannot cope with all of the stress that presents itself in your life, that there are people that are equipped to help you hold some of the baggage for you until you are ready to take it back and analyse it. Whatever your grief is, I assure you, you’re not alone.

As always, stay healthy and strut your shit and I cannot stress this enough but keep raging against the machine and the super straights xoxo without the gossip girl, farewell until the next piece of The Mantra Magazine. *keep this in mind* next issue will be a little forward, it will include themes of segregation and war regarding the families of the Palestinians and Israeli conflicts happening right now. So, bring some tissues and an open mind. Farewell.

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deitiesofduat · 4 years

Photo

BASTET: “As it turns out, the project has been due for this type of update for some time -- which the artist @tenicola (aka @teninini, colacanvas, and "Teni") finally got around to, after having enough headspace to approach it.

“And just to avoid worrying anyone seeing this -- nope, Teni is not dropping DEITIES project anytime soon. She's not going anywhere, and neither am I! Or the rest of my pantheon!

“But Teni mentioned she was worried about projecting that outcome, due to how inactive she's been online, and how quiet she's been about progress. She's hoping this update can add some clarity on what's actually going on, and what to expect going forward.”

“The rest of this update is below the cut, as text mixed with panels. It's on the long-ish side, and while it's best to skim through everything for context, you can also skip to the section "SHIFT IN [PUBLIC] SCOPE" if you just want to get to the point.

“Without further ago, let's start with some history that Teni wanted to share for full context -- again, under the cut!”

--------------------------------------------------

[ HISTORY OF DEITIES PROJECT ]

BASTET: “DEITIES Project -- and the main story for said project (Deities of Duat: The Chaos Seal), which is intended as a long form webcomic -- has been in development, privately and offline, since late 2014. Teni meant to keep it private for as long as possible, until she felt “ready” to share it.

“However, she was motivated to take the plunge and reveal the project's existence with these color tests and with this comic, as part of her coursework for her visual storytelling class. You know the one…”

“The surge of encouragement from both her classmates and her followers motivated Teni to create this blog -- the one you're visiting right now! It was Teni's full intention to use this blog to share progress on the main story, as a full-length webcomic, while building and engaging her audience.”

“However, along the way were a few... unforeseen obstacles that reared their head. Some obstacles were mitigated by making steady updates to the story and blog, but some were much more challenging, and she thinks it only fair to disclose some of them for context...”

--------------------------------------------------

[ OBSTACLES OF LIFE ]

BASTET: “The first obstacle was the sudden onset of chronic lower back pain -- just before the launch of the DEITIES blog in 2016. She still has it to this day, and says this ache makes it unbearable to sit or stand in the same position for too long. Among several inconveniences this causes, it also means she can only draw in short bursts before her stamina taps out, or before needing pain relief -- like heat, ice, and pressure.”

“As you might imagine, it's not the most fun condition to have when you enjoy drawing! And it's taken a while for Teni to cope with this daily frustration. She's still planning to find answers and a treatment to help reduce it, but has also accepted that she's been dealt this hand -- not unlike other creatives that deal with some form of chronic pain.”

“The back pain was one obstacle, but having to deal with different interpersonal struggles and friction was another. Some spiked her usual feelings of anxiety, and in one relationship's case, made her question whether or not the project was worth continuing. (On that note -- Teni does not want to call out anyone or guilt them, she just wanted to bring it up as a factor for the larger point she's making — just bear with us!)

“The third big obstacle a few years back, was having a day job that had an... ‘unfriendly’ work environment, and was paying a lot less income than she fairly deserved. And near the beginning of 2018, she was laid off from said job, putting a halt to any income she was earning only a week after signing the lease to her first apartment!”

“Teni didn't go into detail about those months of job hunting and taking tech classes, though she explains bits of it in previous updates. But the lack of financial stability at the time hung over her head constantly. The way she put it was: ‘It was hard to motivate myself to indulge in something I loved, but that didn't provide income, while I was in the middle of an extended job hunt.’"

“She didn't expect all these obstacles in succession when she launched the project. And she admits that she felt a combination of frustration, impatience, and disappointment for not updating the project at the same pace she started.”

“This was not because of any pressure from followers -- she told me you all have been incredibly understanding and patient! It was because of the fact that the project had been publicly promoted for so long, and she set her own expectations and goals so high -- without factoring the likelihood of life getting in the way. There was also the lingering fear of disappointing a lot of people, if one day she had no choice but to stop the project for her own livelihood and health.”

“Ah, why am I adding to this creative angst -- Teni didn't want this to be a sob story! I'll move on haha.”

--------------------------------------------------

[ IN A BETTER PLACE ]

BASTET: “Thankfully, in spite of all those obstacles, things are turning around for Teni in this new decade. A year ago she found a job with a feasible income to support herself, and an overall healthy work environment within her team. She's also fostered healthier relationships with her family and friends, and even made closer connections with the best friends she's had for ages!”

“And while her back pain is… still there, it's a manageable part of life that she's still determined to find answers for and improve.

“Not to mention that in the past year, she's been able to work on other projects, more quietly, and indulge in drawing other characters and fanart for fun. She's consumed more of her favorite media in the interim as well to support others, and to sate her own curiosity and interests.”

“Moving on to how this relates to this update, now that we have some backdrop for what's been happening...”

--------------------------------------------------

[ AREAS OF INTEREST ]

BASTET: “Again, Teni is not dropping DEITIES Project -- she admits the fear of having to make that call had crossed her mind, but it's not something she thinks she'll need to reconsider right now. Her bigger concern has been how to approach this project publicly, moving forward. And after giving it some thought, she's made some observations that may shed light on this answer.

“Teni wanted me to emphasize the idea of her doing a ‘reset’ for the public presentation and development of DEITIES Project -- not to change or hide the development thus far, but to reframe the project's scope -- what it's focus and goals are, more or less.

“...Oh-- looks like she made some visuals to help with this -- you two mind lending me a hand?”

“You all might have figured it out by now, but Teni absolutely loves drawing character art and designs. She also likes panel-style comics, as well as the dialogue, expressions, and SFX that comes with it. She can work on them offline without prompting, but she also loves sharing what she comes up with!

“What she's less fond of sharing is some of the other... *ahem* unmentionables and time-consuming work that comes with traditional comics. Things that take hours to set up and hours to practice, let alone execute for the final product -- an unfortunate hurdle when you're a one-person production team, and you can only draw in small bursts at a time.”

“She initially tried to put off the more indulgent art that she liked, in order to focus the less-favored obligations... but she realized that this just made her feel demotivated to work on anything, and less got completed as a result.”

“Overall, Teni's coming to terms with both her own limitations and her personal drive, and wants to shift her priorities accordingly for the project -- even if it goes against the grain of what's considered ‘good’ or well-meaning advice for a personal project.”

--------------------------------------------------

[ SHIFT IN [PUBLIC] SCOPE ]

BASTET: “Instead of treating the DEITIES main story/comic as the ‘end game’ goal of this project -- and pouring all her available energy in preparing for it and hyping it up -- Teni wants to shift the main story as a future, and more private ambition, until she's in a better place to execute it and share it publicly.

“No, she does not have any estimate or TBD date for when this will be, or when she'll make public updates on it’s progress or launch. It may even remain private indefinitely. And for now, she's okay with this.

“Because (1) The main story "The Chaos Seal" is not the only story that's worth telling from this project. Smaller side- and backstories, and even small character interactions, have their merit as well -- something Teni learned from drawing askbox responses, completing memes with the cast, and character exploration with friends. And with the main story not sucking up all the oxygen, she thinks it'll leave room to tackle the others more easily -- whether they're planned ahead of time or are spur-of-the-moment, and as comics or different formats.

“(2) Removing the DEITIES main story from its public pedestal will also allow her to work on other non-DEITIES things as they crop up -- and with less irrational guilt to indulge in things that aren't ‘priority’ for completing the comic. Meaning more art of her original characters, fanart, giftart, collabs, memes and bandwagons, and other smaller projects. Heck, she might even give herself permission to relax.

“And (3), perhaps most importantly -- Teni realized that DEITIES Project shouldn’t have to start and end with the so-called main story, and placing the story aside wouldn’t mean the project suddenly becomes a waste of time -- as she originally worried about projecting when her life took a twist.

“DEITIES Project just… is. It already exists, and the characters and world already exist -- with or without a completed webcomic to validate that existence.”

“But anyway, I side-tracked. The point is, Teni's planning to shift DEITIES project to just that -- a project, with room to continually grow, explore, and experiment with, and to engage with others as she feels comfortable, without the pressure of having a giant epic to tell.

“So while the main story and comic is going to shift to something more gradual and private -- the way it was originally meant to be -- this shift in scope will help adjust the project’s longevity, and also set the stage for some changes to be made around the blog, and for the public presentation for DEITIES.”

“However, that content will be less scheduled and remain sporadic -- things will ‘happen when they happen,’ but what Teni has in mind will hopefully be enjoyable for those following the project.”

--------------------------------------------------

[ WHAT'S NEXT-- ]

BASTET: “Here’s the thing: we actually had more to share, but Teni made the call to save it all for another day -- to avoid making this update longer than needed, and to also avoid announcing any plans prematurely. No need to risk building pressure all over again or burning out, right?

“She asks for everyone’s patience and to give her another few weeks to re-calibrate things, address pressing questions, and work on some overdue housekeeping on the blog -- and to just draw whatever pops to her mind, cuz hey, why not? After that, she'll wait until any project items are already in the works and on the road to completion, before she announces that they're coming -- an ‘under-promise but over-deliver’ approach.

“But one thing you can look forward to are more featured deities from the main cast and the supporting cast -- including those colors tests she's been working on since last year, and then some! There's no shortage of inspiration or fodder, so to speak.”

--------------------------------------------------

[ IN CONCLUSION ]

BASTET: “So to recap! DEITIES Project will be shifting its scope and priorities, so that the main story and comic is developed more privately, and more characters and lore will be explored online at a more manageable pace. On the surface, that may not look like much is changing, but hopefully this update can make expectations more clear.

“Teni knows that there may be some in the audience who may feel down about this decision, or who were looking forward to the webcomic to be completed above all else. She says that's totally fair, and encourages anyone looking for stories to check out her recommendations. But she also hopes you'll understand, and be willing to stick around for other content in the meantime.”

"That brings Teni -- and me -- to one final point. Which is to sincerely thank you for all of your support, encouragement, and patience these past few years. In addition to things that are still in the works, there's a lot of content on this blog that had been inspired by everyone's engagement, which we can't thank you enough for!

“Teni and I, and everyone else from the pantheon, are excited about what’s next for Deities of Duat and DEITIES Project. And we’re looking forward to sharing more content, more freely, in the upcoming year for you all to enjoy.”

#// If there was only one long-winded update I would encourage you all to read it's definitely this one #// Partially for the actual update and also cuz those panels took a while lmAO;;; but I did it for the sake of this announcement!#// I think Bastet explains it well enough for now; that the project is shifting it's scope online #// But if anyone has questions then feel free to leave it as a comment; I'll try to answer what i can directly and/or in the next update #// Thanks again for all your support and patience everyone; I'm genuinely thinking this shift in scope will be good for the project overall.#// Now excuse me while I draw something other than these mascots for a bit; it was nice to draw them for the first time in a while though #DEITIES Project #Deities of Duat #DEITIES updates #Bastet #Set Spawn #Ba #animals #characters #DEITIES text #artwork #comics #mini comics #egyptian mythology

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spiritmaiden23 · 4 years

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THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE; Mun & Muse - Meme.

fill out & repost ♥ This meme definitely favors canons more, but I hope OC’s still can make it somehow work with their own lore, and lil’ fandom of friends & mutuals. Multi-Muses pick the muse you are the most invested in atm.

My muse is: canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless /

Is your character popular in the fandom? YES / NO / IDK. For sure, for being the cutest of cutes!! All Zeldas are cute though but she was the blueprint ;v;

Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom? YES / NO / IDK. I’m a devout christian virgin I would never ever look at those kind of topics the only hot I see is the flames of hell for even considering this smh smh bUT NO FOR REAL THO I’M NOT REALLY SURE???? I mostly see people gushing over how cute she is rather than hot.

Is your character considered strong in the fandom? YES / NO / In some aspects. We don’t really see Skyward Sword Zelda’s abilities in the games as we did in, say, BOTW where she goes full goddess mode. Aside from blessing the master sword, sealing herself away, and the implications that the game gives us with Zelda being not only a student at the knight school but also a badass warrior goddess in her past life; I’d say she’s pretty up there in terms of strength.

Are they underrated? YES / NO. GONNA GO WITH YES AND NO ON THIS. As a character, Zelda is far from underrated she’s actually cliche blonde character we all love and stan but in this incarnation.... also yes and no because while I see a lot of people like SS Zelda keep in mind that SS is the black sheep of the series so not a lot of people have good opinions on it. I’ve seen some say she’s annoying, too shoujo or even Mary Sue at some points and hweoh we all know that the last one ain’t even close to true since she’s far from bland and OP written. But it’s all a matter of perspective!

Were they relevant for the main story? YES / NO.

Were they relevant for the main character? YES / NO /

Are they widely known in their world? YES / NO.

How’s their reputation? GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL / FOR THE MOST PART, if we were talking verses like say witch verse she’d have more of a neutral reputation considering witches aren’t really well-liked ;-;

How strictly do you follow canon?

I try to do the best that I can do given with what we’re working with here all while adding my own spin to her characterization because we all have different perspective when it comes to art! How I see Zelda is someone who’s bubbly, playful (big ol bully hweoh), a bit of a busybody if she feels she needs to step in due to worrywart tendencies yet highly responsible and carries a wisdom that’s beyond her age, she doesn’t like seeing people bullying others and isn’t afraid to put her foot down to speak her mind if something is up. While kindness is sorta her strong suit I wanted to go beyond “nice girl” and just showcase other sides of her too, hence why main verse is typically set during the events of SS because here we see her growth into the girl we see at the end of the game where she’s melancholic of her past but is looking forward to seeing what the future holds and wants to build a brighter tomorrow with Link by her side along with friends and loved ones. I’m not at all confident in playing as her, despite playing as Zelda since 2017 haha!! So I can’t really say that I’m super strict in following canon considering that’s how I view the character through the actions and dialogue throughout the game, perhaps the creators had something different in mind than how I see Sky Zelda.

SELL YOUR MUSE! Aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutuals.

DO YOU LIKE WHOLESOME GIRLS?! Wait no, hold on, that’s a little too vague, so let’s try that again. Do you like wholesome genki girls who were once a god who fought in a war in their past life? How about pastel girls who may seem sweet but are deep down bullies towards loved ones? Are you at a point in your life where you find yourself wondering: where on earth can I find someone who’s ray of sunshine can brighten up my day. Will do I have good news for you buddy! Introducing your very own friend: Zelda from hit series Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. This Zelda is more extreme than the others due to the fact that she’s not a princess, that’s right no princess titles clogging up that beautiful name. Just a knight who somehow finds out she’s actually a goddess reborn as human, no biggie!

Now the OPPOSITE, list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?)

SHOUJO PROTAG WHO’S TOO FREAKING CUTE!! So.... if that’s not your cup of tea ;v; but nah I can see people not liking Zelda because not everyone like the nice girl who’s your childhood friend characrter, I totally get it but if you dig a little deeper you see that there’s more to it than that.

What inspired you to rp your muse?

My close friend was FINALLY getting into the LOZ series back when BOTW was first coming out, her playthrough of SS made me remember how much I loved each characters and honestly Zelda’s design in that game was always my fav right next to Tetra and ALTTP/ALBW! At the time I mostly played more introverted muses or straight up villains and I wanted to try my hand at playing more wholesome characters like Sky Zel and ALTTP Zel ;v; now look at me, the CEO of wholesome cute girls ;v;

What keeps your inspiration going?

Motivation and time at this point, I’m not the young starry-eyed rper who used to have playlists and replay things to keep up with canon. I just pray to god I’m doing ok, let jesus take the wheel and just sorta do my own thing. I think having fun threads or a friendship with partners or just good vibes from them def helps a whole lot.

Some more personal questions for the mun.

Give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters, which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not.

Do you think you give your character justice? YES / NO.

Do you frequently write headcanons? YES / NO. SORTA KINDA NOT AS MUCH AS I DO WITH ALTTP ZEL BECAUSE I’M ALWAYS NERVOUS THAT I MIGHT LIKE BREAK THE CANON OR ZEL’S CHARACTER!!

Do you sometimes write drabbles? YES / NO.

Do you think a lot about your Muse during the day? YES / NO.

Are you confident in your portrayal? YES / NO.

Are you confident in your writing? YES / NO / Most of the time!

Are you a sensitive person? YES / NO. I mean, that’s a trick question because I can be sensitive in picking up tones and reading between the lines but like if you mean if someone says something mean than no not anymore at least, I’m too old to care about what people say about me or think about me.

Do you accept criticism well about your portrayal?

YE! I do! I mean we’re all improving and junk so I see no issues with criticisms uvub I always worry about whether or not you can hear different voices within the characters I rp as among writing issues I have that comes with learning disability and ADD, I try my hardest but I know at the end of the day there will always be grammar mistakes and even spelling!

Do you like questions, which help you explore your character?

YES YES YES!! OMG YES!! I TAKE WHATEVER QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE AND JUST... WORD VOMIT BACK SEVEN PAGE ESSAY SOMETIMES ;V;

If someone disagrees to a headcanon of yours, do you want to know why?

Eh, well yeah it’d be nice honestly to hear feedbacks and thoughts. Just saying ‘I don’t like this or I don’t agree with this’ doesn’t really help anyone who wants to improve but I’m not gonna like press them for it either because again I’m at the stage in my life where I’m just like ‘it is what it is’.

If someone disagrees with your portrayal, how would you take it?

Shrug emoji, and then move on! Again it’d be nice if they can tell me though but I won’t press them for it if they don’t feel like it. We’re allowed to have our opinions after all yo!

If someone really hates your character, how do you take it?

It is illegal to hate sky zel or any Zel really... NAH JK I DON’T REALLY CARE I’ve liked characters who aren’t popular among the fandom, I’m more or less used to seeing character bashing for faves so like it doesn’t really affect me at all I’m just like “lol” and move on.

Are you okay with people pointing out your grammatical errors?

YES! Though keep in mind, despite me using Grey instead of Gray, I use US English ;v; so keep that in mind when spotting out certain words other parts of the world may spell differently because us US Americans just..... gotta be extra like that.

Do you think you are easy going as a mun?

I TRY!!! IDK IF I COME ACROSS AS THAT but I’m very much someone who goes with the flow anyway, I’ve been told that much IRL and I’m just hweoh not really someone who’s a stick in the mud or has a stick up their ass, you know? I’m pretty laid back and not much bothers me, I can get petty if I have to come across rude people that’s the one thing that kills it for me but aside from that, I just wanna try to get along with people. We don’t have to be friends if you’re not feeling the vibes but friendly terms is good enough for me!

That’s about it, congrats for filling out!

#long post /#ooc postings.#the ceo of cute wholesome girls that's all i wanna be known for #but phew the sleeping pills are kicking in i can't write too well now #so good niiiiight enjoy this early munday meme!

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fresh-outta-jams · 5 years

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Plastic Heart - Part 20

Namjoon x Reader Author: Mo Summary: When you get the highly-anticipated BTS dolls for Christmas, your life takes a turn in a way you never could have expected. Note: Oof I’m excited to see what u guys think of this part <3 I really like how this story is going so far, and I have some really big ideas going forward... Warnings: None? Word Count: 1.3k

Prologue, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

It had been a few weeks since Yoongi had become human. The three of you had settled into a new normal of sorts. While you were in class all day, Namjoon worked at the tea shop in the library, and he was good at it, too. He was friendly with the customers, often memorizing people’s orders, serving them with that handsome dimpled smile.

In his free time, he’d started his own Twitter account on his brand new phone, and he already had a lot of followers. It helped that RM had finally made an official statement using a bunch of cute pictures you’d taken with Joon, explaining that he was his brother from another mother or something. It was cute. In the meantime, your Joon had kind of become a meme around campus. Everyone knew him as the cute RM-looking barista that made them feel like they were living in a coffee shop au every time they went to order tea. Needless to say, your boyfriend had a lot of repeat customers.

That said, he did have a favorite repeat customer, and she was on her way to the library after her last class to get her chai fix.

Once you’d set your backpack in the chair at your favorite table, you got in line at the counter, where Namjoon was standing in his adorable little apron. He smiled brightly at the sight of you, his dimples jumping out of hiding as he punched in the order of the person in front of you. Then, there was only a counter between the two of you.

“Hi, how can I help you?” He asked, unable to wipe the smile from his face.

“Hmmm...I think I’ll have a large iced chai with soy milk.” You stared at him for a second longer before adding with a smirk, “and a study date with the cute barista.”

Namjoon grinned to himself as he punched in the drink order before jabbing a thumb towards the back room. “Oh, sure, want me to see if he’s here?”

“Dork.” You shook your head.

“You love it, though.”

You scrunched your nose, pretending to think about it. “Yeah, I think I do.”

“Usual table?” He asked, and you nodded, walking back to your seat. When your boyfriend emerged, he was clocked out and out of his apron, holding his usual and yours. “How was class, baby?” He kissed your cheek before sitting down next to you.

“It was good. How was work?”

“It was good! I think I’m getting a lot better at making drinks.”

“I’m so proud of you.” You leaned against him, soaking up his warmth. “You really stepped up when I needed you to. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Babe, you’re everything to me. Of course I want to make sure you’re taken care of. We all do.” He turned his head and kissed your temple, rubbing your shoulder. “So, what’s the homework of the day?”

“Just a worksheet from my Stats class.” You told him. For once, you didn’t have any papers due in the near future. “It’s not too hard.”

“Mmm.” He hummed, nodding. Joon took a sip of his tea, arm still wrapped around you. He took his phone out of his pocket and plugged in his earbuds, slipping one into his ear and the other into yours before playing whatever new music he had discovered.

“Well, if it isn’t the cutest couple on the planet…” Luna smirked, sitting in the seat across from you. “I was just at the bookstore down the street from your apartment and I ran into perhaps the handsomest shelf restocker I’ve ever seen. When did Yoongi start up there?”

“Few days ago. He likes it so far.” Namjoon answered. “The old lady who runs the place has no idea who BTS is, but she’s really sweet.”

“Apparently the resident cat is in love with him. He gets cuddles all day.”

“That’s about the cutest shit ever.” Luna held a hand over her heart. “Glad he’s adjusting well.”

“He really is. Thanks for everything, Luna.” Namjoon’s words held so much weight. He owed so much to you, but he also owed about a dozen favors to Luna, and he was sure by the time all of his friends were human too, he’d owe her a few dozen more.

“Don’t worry about it. Forgery is fun.” She shrugged, cracking open her notebook. A little while later, Melody and Ella showed up, too, each of them grinning at the sight of you and your handsome boyfriend. It was still insane that you were in love with someone so perfect for you, but they were happy that you were happy. And whenever you were with Namjoon, you were BEYOND happy.

Eventually, you got your work done, so you and Namjoon packed up and headed home. When you got there, Jin was waiting eagerly in the kitchen for you, standing on the counter by the sink. Joon found Koya, who had been on a little adventure in your apartment, exploring with his little blankie dragging behind him.

“I’m ready.”

“You’re ready?” You giggled, putting your hair up into a ponytail and pulling a package of cookie mix out of the cupboard. You’d mentioned casually to Namjoon and Yoongi the day before that you’d been wanting to bake some cookies for a while, and Jin had been all over that idea, despite the fact that you wouldn’t let him anywhere near the oven, for fear of melting your little plastic friend. “You know, it’s just cookie mix from a box, Jinnie; it’s not that exciting.”

“I’ve never baked anything ever, so this is a start.”

“Do you want to bake things? You know, when you’re human?” You asked.

Jin thought about it for a long time, looking up at you. He smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I do. I really do. I want to find a bakery to work in and learn how to bake.”

“It’s good to have a passion, Jin.” You started mixing things into the dry mix after you set the oven. “I’m sure you’ll pick it up pretty quick. The other Jin is good at cooking, too.”

“Yeah, I’ve been watching cooking videos while you guys are all out of the house, and I can’t wait to be big enough to do things.” Jin’s excited expression fell a little bit, his posture slouching. “I try not to, but...sometimes, I just feel so small…”

“Aww, Jinnie…” You swore your heart melted. “Sweetheart...I know it must be so tough. And it can’t be any easier that Yoongi and Namjoon are human now, but...you’re not going to be a toy forever, alright? You’ll be baking cupcakes and cookies and brownies before you know it. I promise.”

“Thank you. This never got to me before, but now...I don’t know. It’s just that now that I know there could be more to life, I can’t wait to have it.” He sighed dreamily. “You know, even when this was all there was for me, I always dreamed of falling in love.”

“Well who knows? I mean, Joon did it, didn’t he?” You glanced at the living room, where Namjoon was standing, Koya cradled against his chest. He kissed his little blue head a few times and you felt something flip in your chest, sunshine bubbling up inside of you.

“He did, didn’t he?” Jin laughed, looking much happier than he had a few moments ago. “Maybe there is hope.”

“Oh, Jin, once you’re the handsome guy working in the bakery, I doubt you’ll be able to keep the women OFF of you.” You smirked. “The men too, probably.”

“You really think so?”

“If you turn out half as handsome as BTS’ Jin, um, hell yeah.” You chuckled. “And given that Yoongi and Joon both look like clones of their BTS counterparts, I’d say you have a pretty good shot of that, too.”

Jin sat on the counter, a giant smile on his face as he watched you scoop out balls of cookie dough onto your pan. “I can’t wait.”

Tagged: @iie-wakarimasen, @lilgaga98, @catbugsugarpea, @demonic-meatball, @backtonormalthings, @kbowen9, @honig-bienchen, @coolcat494, @ffantasylandd, @feed-my-geek-soul, @ayoo-bangtan, @xxqueenwxtchxx, @cap-lu20, @finninpoposu, @coldbookworm, @sitkafay, @daniawinchesters21, @okaysoplshelpme, @zamirayinyue13, @douseeme16

#armyofwriters #btsprotectnet #kpopwonderlandtag #plastic heart #namjoon #namjoon x reader #namjoon imagine #rm #rm x reader #rm imagine #bts imagine #toy story au #disney au

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acambridgegraduate · 5 years

Text

It’s not like Mad Men

I’ve had many asks on here about the industry I have gone to work in following Cambridge: advertising. This evening, I just want to provide an anecdotal summary of the past 2 years, to perhaps give a flavour of my opinion on it.

I started working as an Account Executive at a small advertising agency in Soho back in 2016 – a little over a month after graduating from Cambridge. In all honesty, I didn’t know what the role entailed, and didn’t know that much about advertising at this point. I’m not actually sure how I got the job, to be honest.

Fast forward 2 years and I am now an Account Manager, and have recently started a new role at a much bigger agency, Grey – where I’ll be working on ads for Volvo Cars UK.

A short description of the role of an Account Manager is basically, ‘project manager’. We run and oversee each project, we’re the client port of call, and we’re pretty much the only people on the team to be involved in the journey of the project from conception to completion.

The past 2 years, career-wise (…alongside every other aspect of life, of course), have not been plain sailing. They’ve come with massive highs and quite catastrophic lows, and for a long time last year, I wondered whether I had done the right thing, whether I was in the right career, what I would do if I was to suddenly quit my job, with pressures like huge rent and living costs in London looming over me.

I felt like I couldn’t be honest on this platform about those times during my employment as I had a lot to lose (potentially my job, if posts were found, read and misconstrued; subsequently my entire life I had founded here in London). But for a long time I found myself unhappy, had myself questioning my decision to lunge into an industry I knew nothing about.

But something kept me going. I think it was the fact that something about Account Management in particular appealed to me. Looking at Account Managers in my old agency, I think what attracted me, and kept me going, was their ability to lead – and the confidence with which they did. As someone who this quality doesn’t come to naturally, I found myself longing to learn just how they did it.

I am not a naturally sociable person who is great at things like small talk – and as an Account Manager, you do need to be. In the end, I ended up creating an ‘Account Manager Sarah’ persona, until it became second nature. You need to be able to approach things with a certain confidence, even if you have no clue what you’re doing or how to solve the goddamn problem. But a lot of my learning on how exactly to do this has been in realising that simply asking other people (perhaps from other departments) for their point of view or opinion on how to approach a problem, goes a long way. It doesn’t show weakness, but instead shows responsibility. I was once scared to ask questions. Now I do it all the time. (FYI: I think this is advice that would suit any career, not just advertising).

In all honesty, I have no idea whether I will always have a career in advertising. But I don’t feel pressured as I once did at university to have an extended ‘life plan’. I’m at the stage where I am extremely familiar with the way things work, I enjoy being in ‘control’ while running projects, and I really enjoy having a hand in the creation of something. I love working on shoots and with production companies and post production houses on projects ranging from small documentary-style stuff, to animation, to book or even beer production. I now have an opinion on what I think works in the industry, too. I believe there is a need and an opportunity for genuine creativity in advertising, and I also think that advertising can instigate genuine change in the way we think and behave. If I am to stay in this industry, my aim for the future would be to become more involved with increasingly more creative and behaviour-changing projects. I feel I’ve got good groundwork to be more selective in what I do going forth.

Alongside the tribulations of office politics and your usual gripes that arise when working as a team with people who you may/may not get along with, there’s something else I struggle with. After being deemed the ‘creative’ one ever since I was small, sometimes being seen as the one in the ‘non-creative’ role in advertising is frustrating. Account Managers don’t usually get rewarded for their hand in the creation of something – no matter if we were there at the forefront of the development of an idea until it is right, no matter if we were the ones also in the office until stupid o’clock trying to get the goddamn thing approved by clients and supplied to wherever it needs to be supplied to. Awards within the advertising industry can seem to…brush past Account people. Creative awards won are highly esteemed in the judgement of how well a Creative is doing in the industry – but not Account Manager. It sounds egocentric, but advertising itself is a pretty egocentric world where accolades somehow signify a lot. So weirdly, it can feel strange that Account Managers aren’t considered in this.

But for now I can still personally take pride in what I have a hand in, regardless of accolades. I genuinely enjoy what I am doing.

I wouldn’t necessarily want to advocate advertising as a career path to copy in any way, but I’d recommend looking it up as an industry to consider, following graduation. The hours are long, the work is sometimes tedious when things drag out – but it also feels really great to see a creative idea come to fruition and succeed in solving a business problem. Agency life is great too. And you never really know what is around the corner, or what you’ll turn your hand to next, which is what I find really exciting.

Just want to leave you with some memes to sum up my working life:

(it’s actually a really good life though)

#advertising #career #work #life #acambridgegraduate

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elitaxne · 6 years

Note

💝- A memory that made them feel loved :3

« MEME REFERENCE » ○「 CLOSED 」

💝 ┊ ❛ A memory that made them feel loved ❜

♔. }

Primus, her helm felt as though it would be split in two at any given second, and the aches in her frame did little to help the ill feeling either. Gradually, the virus had worked its way through the base and it was her turn to suffer. That was perhaps the worst part in all of it, neither her nor Optimus had been required there in months, now that the transition between the military and political realm had been instated. And yet, the last trip to sign off documents and meet their successors proved the nail in the proverbial coffin, at least, to her systems. SOMEHOW Optimus had walked away unscathed — for now, at least.

Perhaps it was for the best, he was needed to oversee the beginning stages of Kalis’ reconstruction today, and the rest of the week. The virus hadn’t set in fully until today, of course, and it was enough of a struggle getting him out the door yesterday when the first few hints of falling under the weather had started to take effect. He worried, and she couldn’t bring herself to ask him to stay, despite how much she wanted him to. Stubbornness aside, duty came first. Thus, she would try her best to recuperate alone in an empty home, and hopefully when he returned the virus would have seen its end.

Vents rattled on a hoarse cough, choking on a sickly build-up and struggling to expel it from clogged passageways. A quiet groan rolled from her vocoder, staring up at the ceiling of their new dwelling while she fought the urge to offline. Every wire in her being felt as though they had been injected with cement, plating throbbing with a dull ache and limbs strangely light and numb; as though she had been dismembered. Elita couldn’t think of another virus that had grappled with her systems so ferociously, but the feeling of death certain was familiar, several times over.

Tanks gurgled, running on empty despite her form not having ANY strength to maneuver to the kitchenette. Their new living space — while beautiful — was built for larger mecha, and the layout certainly spoke to that. Rooms were laid out with greater space between, and their property took up the entire top floor of the complex. Walking to the kitchenette already proved to take longer than anticipated on usual days as Elita became more used to the setting ( after having been cooped up in claustrophobic military bases and then an aircraft hangar on Earth ), but today when she felt like absolute slag? The femme may as well have been walking to the other side of the planet, her frame knew no difference in the exertion.

❝ Lita? ❞ a quiet voice whispered from the doorway, and tired cerulean fell instantly to find her Intended lingering in the threshold.

❝ What are you—- ❞ her words were cut short by another hoarse cough, leaving vents wheezing and gasping for fresh air. In that time the Prime DESCENDED on her in a matter of seconds, perching himself on her side of the berth. ❝ D-Doing h-here? ❞ Elita sputtered in continuation, taking note of his new position. ❝ I thought you w-were suppose to be in Kalis the rest of the week…? ❞ she managed, choking on shallow ventilations.

❝ Originally, I was… ❞ the Prime started bashfully, reaching out to run a large servo along her spinal column, hoping to help alleviate her discomfort. ❝ But they understood I had a personal emergency to tend to. All they needed was for me to see the city, and go over the plans, and those can be sent to my office here for review, ❞ he paused, still trailing thick digits along FRIGID fuchsia backplates, ❝ Besides, I despised the idea of being on the other side of Cybertron knowing you are not feeling well, ❞ he finished quietly, looking over paled features as his spark ACHED in its casing. Leaving his bed-ridden future mate in their new dwelling to fend for herself was NOT something he wanted to weigh on his conscious. Not to mention, residual merges had started to leave larger traces of her spark signature tied to his own. Optimus could feel the distant presence ( or at least, perceive it ), and all he wanted was to be there beside her.

❝ Primus, you’re even more worse for wear than last I saw you, ❞ Optimus vented with a concerned rumble, scooting closer still to the freezing femme.

Paled lip components curved into a weak smile, fascia riddled with exhaustion easing for the tender moment between coughing fits. ❝ The second day of a virus is always the worst day — so says Ratchet, at least.. ❞ Elita croaked, voice barely recognizable amidst the rough tone and static, but still she threw him a wry grin.

Optimus’ smile broadened at the comment, venting in amusement as he nodded his helm. At least she had retained her sense of humour, though it did little to ease the concern bubbling in the Pit of his spark. He HATED seeing her this way, knowing full-well it was worse than what she led on. Even after all this time, she was too proud for her own good, and he worried enough for the both of them.

❝ That he would, wouldn’t he? ❞ the Prime responded, setting aside his own thoughts to keep the light-hearted mood as his servo continued to trail along the length of her spinal column.

Elita’s smile faltered, quickly overtaken by another hoarse coughing fit that sent her frame lurching forwards, and plates rattling loudly. As selfish as the request for him to have stayed from the business trip would have been, she was glad he cut it short all the same. She needed him, and she was not above admitting to it after all these years. The fit subsided, and she relaxed back against the cushions, spark swelling in its casing now that it’s other half had returned to the close proximity. Visceral happiness, relief, and appreciation spilled from her tired EM Field, mingling with the warmth and reassurance of his own as crimson plating leaned closer, and her Intended pressed a kiss to the ice cold helm crest.

❝ I missed you too, you know, ❞ Optimus murmured, nudging the intricately styled helm with extreme caution, knowing she had been complaining of a horrible helm-ache yesterday, that had likely carried over to today.

❝ My comments or my presence? ❞ Elita quipped tiredly, voice raspy and hoarse in the wake of the recent coughing fit.

The Prime chuckled, ❝ Both. ❞

Cerulean softened, searching cyan as the warmth of his touch ran along her backplating. ❝ I missed you too, ❞ she vented weakly. As if on cue tanks rumbled again, and Elita pulled herself with a whine, then followed the prompt of larger servos as they guided her to lay back down amongst the mountain of cushions and blankets.

❝ I also brought you some things, ❞ Optimus began, grinning in anticipation to her reaction. ❝ I’ll go get them, one moment, ❞ he vented, pressing another kiss to frigid faceplating before rising to his pedes and briskly setting out the door.

Cerulean hues blinked against heavy lids, clutching at her chest-plating as another series of coughs stole the air from her ventilations, leaving her frame aching and weaker than before. Within no time at all the Prime had returned arms full of containers and bagged packages that were promptly spread out over their berth, along with a hot cube of low-grade, which she took from his hold and cradled carefully to her chassis. Clambering onto the berth the Prime made sure not to jostle her frame too much, coming to settle right beside her with his plethora of feel-better items proudly on display.

Elita swallowed her first mouthful of low-grade, ridges crinkled as optics haphazardly glanced about the pile. ❝ What is all this? Did you buy out an entire pharmacy? ❞ she chuckled, then began coughing, choking on the blockages from before with a wheeze, only this time with added alleviation by the hands of her mate, who again massaged chilly backplating.

❝ I… may have… ❞ his voice trailed off, neither confirming nor denying he had done just that. ❝ I didn’t know what to get you, and I wanted to cover ALL the bases just to be certain, so I bought one of everything they had available, ❞ Optimus admitted, sifting through the containers and turning over the labels so he could read them. ❝ Tell me your symptoms, and I will see what we have to combat them — aside from coughing, chills, and a helm ache. I knew about those already, and the clinician said that THIS would alleviate all of those, ❞ the mech smiled, optics twinkling hopefully as he held an orange vial up to his Intended.

❝ Excellent, ❞ she rasped, taking the vial in a trembling servo and adding it to the low-grade. Downing the rest of the cube in one go Elita set it on her berth-side table, groaning again while regaining her comfortable position nestled close to crimson plating.

As she moved, a crimson arm curled around her and he too settled in place, holding the unusually cold femme close to his frame with hopes the additional warmth he brought would help even more. Digits took to their previous places, running up and down the slender back while thumbing soft circles at points he already knew held the most tension when she was ill.

Weary vents gave a purr at the caresses, already feeling the aches start to dissipate, and frame begin to ease, making it harder and harder to fight the urge to slip into recharge. Cyan glanced down to catch drooping optical lids, slitted open then closed at a heavy rate. Draping his other arm to complete the embrace, Optimus held his sickly future mate closer, resting his helm above her own with a soft sigh.

❝ Is there anything else you need, Lita? ❞ he asked, looking down to her despite her optics already being closed. The Prime smiled, placing another kiss to her forecrest.

Elita nodded, half-awake, already feeling the medication and exhaustion working in tandem. Nuzzling her helm in the crook of his neck cabling the gentle vibrations of his sparkpulse helped lull her closer to recharge, synchronizing with her own in perfect harmony despite the separate casings. She felt better already. ❝ Stay with me… ❞ she whispered groggily, fighting back a muted wheeze.

Optimus lifted his servo to rest at the side of her helm, brushing a thumb over dull-coloured cheekplating. ❝ I had no intention of leaving, ❞ he murmured unsure whether or not she heard him as the slender form went limp against his. Smiling to himself, servos continued to massage and thumb over her frame, listening to their sparks as they settled into perfect tandem, then after a short while slipping into recharge alongside his Intended.

There was no where else he would rather be.

#oneshallstand #/ elitaprime #╰ ♔ ·｡ ┊ ᴅᴜʟʏ ɴᴏᴛᴇᴅ ○「 ᴀsᴋʙᴏx 」#╰ ♔ ·｡ ┊ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ ɪs ɴɪɢʜ ○「 ᴍᴇᴍᴇ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇs 」#◤— · // « ♔ » ┊ ❛ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ʏᴏᴜ ❜ ╌「 ᴏᴘʟɪᴛᴀ 」#— · ♔ » ┊ ❛ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ❜「 ᴅʀᴀʙʙʟᴇ 」

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avani008 · 6 years

Text

Four Seasons Meme: Devasena

For @ratnananda, @cassandor, & multiple (?) anon:

(Behind the cut because it is LONG)

Spring

the circumstances of his/her birth | favorite (or least favorite) family member | first word | happiest birthday | genderswap au

Jayasena wrinkles his nose. “That’s what all the fuss was about?” he must ask, youth making him candid.

“Hush,” says Mother; “You musn’t say such things about your baby sister”; and Jayasena knows that it’s important to look after her, that she must be worth something for Mother to go to all the trouble of having her, but at the moment, it all seems rather pointless.

“She took her time being born,” he observes instead, because Mother had been locked up in her chambers with her ladies with almost a day and a half--the longest he had ever gone without so much as a glance of her; if he’s honest with himself, it leaves him not a little annoyed to have lost so much of her attention.

Mother shakes her head fondly. “She wanted to be born in spring,” she explains. “Just after dawn on the first day of Chaitra. My little Devasena.”

That at least gives Jayasena hope that his sister is sharp as well as stubborn, to pick the nicest month of all to explore her new world; and, ignoring Mother’s grin, he leans closer to look at her with new interest.

Once a year, Devasena and her brother must travel south to visit their great-uncle, much to her loud protests. Aditya Varma lives on a sprawling estate far from the palace; and his insistence on seeing his remaining family is matched only by his stubborn refusal to leave his house. “He’s old, Devasena,” Jayasena reminds her, “we must make allowances”; but Devasena can’t see that any allowances can excuse the long hours of boredom while Aditya Varma rails at them of his hatred for anyone under the age of sixty, the smell of horses, the kingdom of Mahishmati, insolent children, loud noises, Mahishmati’s odious royal family, all foods that weren’t rice and bland sauce, cloudy weather, and--of course--Mahishmati.

“If I live,” she begs her brother when they leave, “to be so embittered, promise me you’ll kill me yourself.”

Jayasena’s mouth twitches, the one sure sign that he shares her exasperation. “If you’ll do the same for me.”

“Mine,” says Devasena: the first word on her lips, and her favorite. She is so proud of what she has learned, however, that she does not always use it correctly. “Mine,” she proclaims when pointing at the fine white throne that will be her brother’s someday; “Mine,” she announces when taken to see the calves in their pen.

“What shall we do with you?” sighs her nurse, while her mother laughs, and Devasena--Devasena takes one look across the courtyard at the gleaming bows displayed in the armory.

“Mine,” she says, with certainty, and neither woman can deny her.

She can remember only the faintest of memories from her fourth birthday. The smell of her mother’s hair; her father laughing. They had gone for a picnic, she thinks, or perhaps her mind had added that later. Either way, she recalls sitting in the warmth of daylight, until a sunshower had sent them scurrying to the shelter of the trees. Father had swooped Devasena up onto his shoulders, and Jayasena tickled her dangling feet, and Mother dried her wet hair, still winded from their flight.

She can remember only the faintest of memories from her fourth birthday: that is all she needs to know she will never be so happy again.

Dhananjayan comes home to find the palace in chaos--a pity, since he so wanted to make a favorable impression on his new friends. Therefore his tone is somewhat clipped when he asks his brother what in the world has happened to send them scurrying about so.

Jayasena is grim. “More than you know, brother; the Pindari have declared vengeance against us, and our army doubts they can hold them off again, with their numbers so reduced-”

That is all right; that is what Dhanajayan was put on this earth for. “Leave it to me,” he assures Jayasena, and beckons Baahu-with-no-other-name and his uncle forward. “And while I’m at it, let me introduce you to who I met when I was away--”

Summer

fantasy | love language of choice | a pet or other animal companion| the decoration of their bedroom| fusion au

“You’re not a witch,” Devasena asks, uneasily, and Sumitra looks aghast.

“Certainly not,” she says. “I only--maneuver matters about somehwat; and truly what difference is there between brewing a poultice and a potion?”

Devasena swallows. “For one thing, it’s--I mean, the priests say magic is wicked.”

Sumitra pauses, and approaches her. “Devasena,” she says gently, hands on her sister-in-law’s shoulders; “do I seem wicked to you?”

No, never, not Sumitra; Devasena shakes her head, and Sumitra smiles. “Then come here and let me teach you what I know.”

Devasena has learned to judge a man by his actions. Touches can be manufactured, and words are eternally meaningless; gifts are nothing more than bribes to purchase servitude. The problem is finding someone who satisfies her standards. Even those who present a facade of genuine selflessness and strength are proven otherwise before too long--and she trains herself to treat all suitors with suspicion.

(Sometimes, she wonders if she would have seen even her Baahubali with disfavor if he hadn’t thought to come before her in disguise.)

“Crown Princess,” says the cowherd; “there is no one else.”

For a terrible instant, Devasena’s mind goes blank with panic; the next, she struggles back to some semblance of calm. This is nothing she has not been taught before, but--it’s only--well, she’s never done so alone before. But fear changes nothing; she guides the laboring cow to the ground and grits her teeth.

The calf, when he is born, is a fine specimen; when she’s asked what he shall be called, Devasena smiles and suggests, “Madhvaiyya.”

Devasena sniffs at decadence. Her rooms are to be kept simple, she tells anyone who will listen: only the simplest of surroundings, open windows, and a curtain to keep away errant insects during their slumber. Try as she might, though, a princess cannot escape prosperity entirely; her sheets are still silk, and the cool marble floor warmed with braziers. Devasena tells herself that if she had any choice in the matter, she would refuse it as soon as possible.

(Years later, in her cage, Devasena laughs and laughs at her younger self.)

Her parents had been soulmates. Devasena knows that even though she barely recalls them. She can bring to mind the sound of her mother’s voice and the laugh lines carved in her father’s face, and not much else besides. Her brother, however, remembers well enough for both of them, and he is generous with his memories.

“It was not,” he tells her on nights when she can’t sleep, “that they were always of one mind—in fact they disagreed quite often! But the world burned bright around them when they were together, and the palace shone with their happiness. All Kuntala prospered from it.”

Devasena hugs her knees and tries not to squeal with satisfaction. Such behavior is undignified for a Crown Princess, in particular the sort of Crown Princess who would have to foster such an impressive reputation that her soulmate should be drawn to her as soon as possible. And that achieved, they could get on with the important business of bringing as much joy to Kuntala as her parents had in their day.

It is perhaps not the most well-thought of plans.

Fall

the one person/cause/ideal they would sacrifice everything for| storms| nightmare | the lie(s) he/she has told | hero/villain reversal au

It isn’t that she’s selfish, quite the contrary: Devasena would sacrifice herself and her happiness in a heartbeat if she thought it would make any difference.

“Baahubali” would make for a pretty answer, but it is not quite true. She might be carried away by romance as any other woman; but it is not enough to make her forget who and what she is.

Kuntala would win her praise, but even that cannot be accurate--Devasena

No, instead it’s liberty she holds dearest to her heart.

Her parents argued once.

Only when they thought she and Jayasena were safely asleep, of course; they had no way of knowing that Devasena had tiptoed to their chambers. Even now the memory reminds her of nothing so much as summer storms, the sharpness of her mother’s voice, the rumble of her father’s. She does not know what caused the disagreement, or how even long it lasted; only that it ended, as all storms must. When she wakes, they are there, together, smiling at her, and she remembers them standing closer beside each other than ever.

It’s from them she learns not to fear quarrels and debates in love.

She sees Kuntala in shambles, its river running bright with blood.

She smells smoke in the distance, and the stench of burning flesh-- a satisfaction that terrifies her worms its way into her heart.

She hears the clank of chains and the jeers of a strange crowd.

She feels her fingers clutching for something--someone--beloved and finding nothing.

“Only a nightmare, my darling,” soothes her nurse, and Devasena, reassured, slips back into sleep.

As a rule, Devasena lies badly. Her morals are as straightforward as the direction of the arrows she shoots: she has no patience for prevarication. Besides, when she expects nothing less than perfect honesty from everyone around her, do they not deserve the same in return?

Still, she thinks she can make an exception just this once, when Jayasena peers at her, worried, the day after the disastrous seemantham; “You do not wish for me to stay longer with you? You believe all will be well?”

Devasena forces a smile. “Yes,” she replies, “I am sure it will.”

Kuntala has not the manpower nor the machinery nor the money to stand up to Mahishmati, but Devasena knows all too well that a pretty face can work wonders where the strength of thousands cannot. It is not difficult: a few languishing looks, pretended ignorance as to the appearance of the future King of a neighboring country, and Devasena has the betrothal she wants. And this, too, a few sharp words, and Sivagami Devi lashes out, forever branded as unreasonable in her son’s regard. A few more delicate suggestions, a few more inadvertent misunderstandings, and her husband will have no choice but to take the throne for himself, free of the Queen Mother’s influence, or die a declared traitor.

Baahubali will be the future of Mahishmati, Devasena knows, but he is hers; and through him, the rest of the Empire will rest in her hands, as well.

Winter

haunting | tarot | then and now | gods and mortals | reincarnation au/historical era swap

Devasena goes mad on the third night she spends in the cage. She is never certain why. It could be because of the glare of the sun on her face during the day, or because of the lash of cold rain against her sunburned shoulders at night. It could be because of the crusted blood on her feet, left both by labor and the touch of the Queen Mother’s hand. She finds she does not care, can’t bring herself to care, because thunder rumbles and lightning slashes the sky, and her dead husband is sitting before her on the opposite side of her cell.

For an instant her heart leaps. There had been a secret plan by Kattappa to save his protege, she hypothesizes wildly, or it had all been a lie to break her spirit on Bhallaladeva’s part — but the eyes of Amarendra Baahubali are sad when they find hers in a way they never were in life, and she knows. Devasena has never been able to hide from the truth; that has always been her blessing and her curse. And today, apparently, it has driven her mad.

That doesn’t stop her from giving into instinct and stumbling forward into his arms. The best thing about being mad is that his skin feels warm against hers, almost as though he were still living flesh instead of a spirit who loves her too much to leave her. The shock of it, the familiarity, sends fresh tears down her cheek, hot and bitter, and after a moment, she recovers enough to recognize the sounds coming from her mouth as, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I love you-

She sees a representation of Strength one day: a strange one, a woman standing with a lion tamed at her feet. It is not the Great Goddess, who rides the fierce beast with pride; this woman eyes the creature with unease.

“She holds the bindings firm nonetheless,” says the merchant who sells the image, as though she can read Devasena’s thoughts. “You might learn much from her, Crown Princess.”

That seems unlikely, but Devasena purchases the picture anyway. When, much later, she eyes Bhallaladeva’s rooms and armor, and the beasts emblazoned there, she realizes at last the warning that image contained.

Then Devasena walked this hall with her wrists heavy with chains, and her heart ablaze with anger and shame; now she walks no less slowly, although she’s unimpaired. Years of captivity have left her with a limp, and she’s all too aware she slows down her son’s procession to the throne. Shivu looks as though he would stare down anyone who protests, however, even were it her, and so she keeps her silence.

Then Devasena walked this way, a humiliated princess who was learning what it was to hate. Now, as Queen Mother, she dares hope she might have the freedom to learn to love again.

They think of her husband as a god these days. The stories grow in number: Baahubali had the strength of ten men—no, a thousand! Baahubali was blessed with precognition; Baahubali could no more dream of doing wrong than the sun could rise in the West. Devasena knows all too well how her Baahubali would have hated it, but she will not take this from the people of Mahishmati; they have already lost so much.

They think of her husband as a god, and someday soon, only Devasena will remember that all he wanted was to be mortal like them.

Best of all Devasena loves lazy mornings. She wakes early, as is her habit; but there is something glorious about letting her eyelids drift shut as she listens to her husband’s soft snores. Outside the window, the city comes to life; but not one of the thousands of lives out there depends on her as they once did.

The children are asleep, the morning only just begun, and Baahubali is in her bed. Devasena is content.

#baahubali #devasena #four seasons character meme

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orbemnews · 3 years

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How NFTs are fueling a digital art boom Written by Oscar Holland, CNN This article was updated following the auction of Beeple’s “Everydays: The First 5000 days,” which sold for $69.3 million. When graphic designer Mike Winkelmann started producing a drawing a day in 2007, he was simply looking for a way to improve his art skills. At best, the resulting “Everydays” project would help him promote his freelance work, which includes creating concert visuals for the likes of Justin Bieber and Katy Perry. But selling the digital images was not on his mind. This week, a compilation of over 13 years’ worth of the artworks, collectively titled “Everydays: The First 5000 days,” sold for $69.3 million via Christie’s, putting Winkelmann’s name among some of the art market’s most valuable living artists. A multi-million-dollar auction for Beeple’s “Everydays: The First 5000 days” closed this week at $69.3 million. Credit: Beeple/Christies “It’s a bit surreal, because (digital imagery) wasn’t really something that I pictured, in my lifetime, being able to sell,” said Winkelman, who goes by the name Beeple, in a video call from his home in South Carolina ahead of the sale. “So it (has) come out of nowhere. But at the same time, I also really feel like this is going to be the next chapter of art history.” Virtual art has been created, and talked about, for years. But now, thanks to endorsement from celebrities as diverse as Elon Musk, Lindsey Lohan and Steve Aoki, online buzz in art and cryptocurrency circles, and, perhaps most importantly, blockchain technology, it has not only entered the mainstream — it is generating huge sums of money for digital artists and online collectors. Beeple’s latest sale comes just weeks after his animated work “Crossroad,” which imagined Donald Trump’s naked, graffiti-strewn body slumped on the ground, was purchased online for $6.6 million. Elsewhere, a digital animation of the “Nyan Cat” meme — a flying cat with a Pop Tart for a body — earned its creator Christopher Torres almost $600,000 in a virtual auction. The musician Grimes meanwhile made $6.3 million in under 20 minutes selling a range of collectible digital artworks. At the center of this explosion in transactions are non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. Acting like virtual signatures, they address concerns that digital art’s value is diminished by the ease with which it can be copied or lost. While an oil painting can only be displayed in one place and has a definitive owner, a digital image, video or gif can be infinitely duplicated and enjoyed on screens around the world for free. This has often posed problems for prospective collectors, who don’t know how to price digital art and fear it will lose resale value. But now, NFTs are offering two things that the physical art market has always depended on: scarcity and authenticity. The rise of ‘non-fungible’ tokens NFTs are built on blockchain technology, which — just as it does with Bitcoin — offers a secure record of transactions. This digital ledger serves as incorruptible proof of ownership, meaning that “original” artworks and their owners can always be identified via the blockchain, even if an image or video is widely replicated. A “fungible” asset is one that is that can be replaced with another identical one of the same value, such as a dollar bill, while non-fungible ones, like NFTs, are tied to unique goods and are not mutually interchangeable. Like bitcoins, the tokens can be kept in a virtual wallet. They can then be sold or traded, often gaining value in the secondary market. This makes NFT artworks similar to physical ones — or any other real-world asset, according to Duncan Cock Foster, co-founder of Nifty Gateway, the platform behind Beeple’s and Grimes’ recent multi-million-dollar sales. “We have systems for collecting paintings, and we have systems for collecting sculptures. But until now, people hadn’t figured out a good way to collect digital art — and NFTs allow you to do that,” Cock Foster said on a video call, adding that buying tokens is easier and “a lot more accessible” than traditional art collecting. Related video: Just how much has the internet changed art? On Nifty Gateway, artists set the number of editions for any single artwork by deciding how many accompanying tokens will be made available. This can range from one-offs, where a piece is sold to a single collector, to open-edition “drops,” where tokens are made available for a limited period of time. The sale of Grimes’ “WarNymph” collection, for instance, allowed up to 9,999 purchases of various artworks within a seven-minute window. Several of the creations were listed for just $20 per token, some of which are now selling for thousands of dollars. By connecting artists directly to collectors, NFTs effectively cut out galleries and other traditional gatekeepers. While Cock Foster would not disclose the size of Nifty Gateway’s cut, he claims it is “far less” than what a gallery would usually take. For Beeple, this represents a “democratization” of the art market. “Now I have direct access to my audience,” he said. “I don’t have to go through an intermediary.” And there’s another benefit for digital artists: They can continue making money on their work, even after it has been sold. NFTs can allow creators to receive a cut on all future transactions — on Nifty Gateway, this is typically set at 10% — breaking with the centuries-old model whereby artists do not directly benefit when sold works grow in value over their lifetimes. (For instance, when a David Hockney painting sold for $90.3 million in 2018, setting an auction record for a living artist, the British artist didn’t receive a single cent from the sale. His dealer had sold it for just $18,000 in 1972.) One of digital images that Beeple produced daily from 2007. Credit: Beeple/Christies So, while Beeple made less than $67,000 when he originally sold his “Crossroad” animation, he pocketed a further $660,000 when the initial buyer sold it on. “The royalties are definitely something that make this much more sustainable and equitable for all parties,” the designer said. New breed of collector The collector behind the $6.6 million “Crossroad” sale, Pablo Rodriguez-Fraile, said that supporting creators is one of the unique benefits of investing in NFTs. While there is money to be made, and plenty of speculation happening in the crypto art market, the 32-year-old said that collecting digital works is about more than money. “I try to look into the life and career of the creators. I like to get in contact with them and meet them … for me, it’s important to see consistency and thoughtfulness about everything outside the art as well,” said Rodriguez-Fraile on the phone, adding that he is drawn to works that are “masterfully executed.” Beyond “Crossroad,” Rodriguez-Fraile said he has collected hundreds — perhaps thousands — of NFT artworks, selling only a handful so far. Beeple’s art often plays with pop culture icons in grotesque and unexpected ways. Credit: Beeple/Christies While the Miami-based collector was previously interested in blockchain and cryptocurrencies, were it not for NFTs, he said he would not be involved in buying art. His experience, like Beeple’s, suggests that the tokens are empowering a new breed of artists and collectors rather than taking a slice of the existing art market. “The analogy I like to make is Uber,” Cock Foster said. “When they were trying to make a forecast for Uber’s market size, they looked at the amount of money people spent on black cars (private car services). But because it’s so much easier to call an Uber than it is to call a black car, the actual market ended up being much larger than that. I really think we’re seeing something similar with NFTs. “They are lowering the barriers to collecting significantly,” added Cock Foster, whose platform operates under the ambitious tagline, “We will not rest until 1 billion people are collecting NFTs.” Future prospects Nifty Gateway may be a long way from its goal of 1 billion collectors, but the platform’s growth nonetheless reflects exploding interest in crypto art. In March 2020, the site recorded monthly transactions of $30,000; last month, this figure was up to $75 million, according to Cock Foster. This jump broadly coincides with another major force in the art world: Covid-19. With galleries and auction houses shuttered around the world — and people spending more time browsing the web or shopping online — NFTs have offered a new outlet for art enthusiasts. According to Beeple, this is why interest in the tokens has skyrocketed in recent months, even though the technology has been available since 2017. “You keep hearing that Covid has pushed things 10 years forward, and I think this honestly is a big part of it,” he said. “Everybody was sitting at home over the last year — so while I think this was inevitable, it really got accelerated.” The use of NFTs is now stretching far beyond the art world. DJ and musician Deadmau5 has used the tokens to sell digital merchandise, while the new Kings of Leon album is being released as an NFT. Nike is even reported to have registered a patent for tokenized shoes, branded “CryptoKicks.” This rapid growth has led to fears of an NFT bubble — one that may burst when the world emerges from pandemic-era restrictions. While collector Rodriguez-Fraile believes that “NFTs are here to stay,” he accepted that “we might be going through a period of hype … and I think the general ecosystem might slow down a bit when it comes to pricing.” For Cock Foster, however, the return to normality presents opportunities rather than threats — not least because galleries offer ways to experience digital art beyond a computer screen. “Digital art is very, very immersive,” he said, adding that displaying art is still important to online collectors. “So, I think we can build some really cool physical experiences.” This article was updated to reflect the final amount generated by Grimes’ NFT drop. Source link Orbem News #Art #boom #Digital #fueling #NFTs

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maychorian · 6 years

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Is Livejournal still an active platform? I think when I first got into fandom LJ was more of a place for kink memes (not necessarily based in erotic content or ships) than just a fanfic scene. FF. net was more popular at the time. As much as I feel Ao3 is superior to FF, I think it had its bonuses. I appreciated being able to PM other users and the forums, features Ao3 doesn't have. What were some bonuses to LJ, if you don't mind my asking?

I don’t think LJ is active much anymore, no. Everyone once in a while I’ll go check out my Friends page to see if anyone is still posting there, and there are a few, but not a lot. Policies killed the fandom community on that site, and it’s really sad. Free speech is important, y’all. On the other hand, those policies are probably why AO3 exists, and that’s a good thing.

LJ was a BIG upgrade from FF.net, that was for sure. It wasn’t specifically made for fanfic, so you had to have some rudimentary HTML knowledge to put links to your chapters, and also had to make your own table of contents (here’s mine), or at least tag your posts in a way so that people could find your fanfiction if they wanted to. It had a private message function, yes, as well as a Friends page, which was basically a dashboard (without a reblog function) where you could scroll through and view all of the posts made by the people you had added to your friendslist. You also had the option of making your posts private, so only friends could see them, and also make friends groups WITHIN your friendslist so only THOSE particular people could see. For instance, I had a lot of friends, because I tended to friend back anyone who friended me so they could see my private posts for the rare things that I wanted to hide from the world but was okay with fellow fans seeing. I made smaller friends groups to view fellow writers, so I could see their stuff when they posted it, and another smaller group for people who I knew would be willing to beta my work, so I could send out a request for a beta if I needed it without cluttering up the Friends page of everyone who had added me, and an even smaller group for friends that I trusted with deep personal secrets for when I really, really needed to vent. Those kinds of posts were called “friends locked” or “flocked” for short. When I was obsessed with SPN and deep in that fandom, I checked my Friends page multiple times a day. I keep my following list on tumblr quite small because I don’t have the time to read hundreds and hundreds of posts, and tumblr doesn’t have the function to narrow down who you see on your dashboard.

LJ also had the ability to make communities, where multiple users could post on the same blog, and we had fic communities for every permutation of fandom under the sun. Big ones for all SPN fic (those were incredibly active), ones just for gen, ones for hurt/comfort and whump, ones for crossovers, specific ones for each pairing… Whenever I made a post with a fic, I had a list of about five communities that I would cross-post to, basically with a header and a link to the full post. And the fic finder community, of course, which I think was the most valuable of all, where someone could make a post asking for a specific idea they wanted to read and everyone else could comment with fics they knew that fit or almost fit that desire. Or if you had read a fic a long time ago and couldn’t remember the name or title, you could describe it as best you could on the fic finder community, and chances were someone would know what you were talking about. A lot of my fics got mentioned on fic finder communities multiple times, whenever someone asked for deaged fics, haha.

The biggest advantage of LJ, though, and I think the reason it became THE place for fanfiction for a while, was the nested commenting. AO3 has the same kind of comment system now, where one person starts a thread, and then the author can respond, and they can go back and forth. If the thread gets too long it will get shortened so those going through the comments don’t have see every single comment written on the entire story, just the first ones. This was a huge upgrade from FF.net, which didn’t even allow replies to reviews for a long time. If you wanted to respond to someone’s review, you had to PM them directly and tell them. And your replies didn’t show on the review page, and the reviewer couldn’t write back. Nesting comments on LJ changed all that. Now people could have entire long, involved discussions in the comments of any post, any fic. And people did. It wasn’t always just the author and a single commenter having a conversation, either. Sometimes other people joined in, and we’d have long squeefests and share headcanons (though that word didn’t enter fandom vernacular until tumblr) and talk about the show or whatever we were writing about. It was a great place for making friends and sparking ideas.

AO3 did well in bringing that commenting system over to the archive, but it doesn’t usually get used the same way it did on LJ. I think it’s because AO3 is a place specifically meant for storing fic, not necessarily a social media service, so there’s not as much emphasis on making friends and forming personal relationships. Sure, you can subscribe to people and follow their work and make bookmarks, but there’s no Friends list or anything like that. It’s just a different thing. And since tumblr doesn’t have nesting comments, there’s not the option to have those sort of conversations here, either. I mean, you sort of can, by reblogging replies and having discussions in posts, but it’s awkward and it gets reposted to your dashboard every time, and it gets really annoying to have to scroll the bottom every time.

Messaging on tumblr is a little better, but it’s a chat with just one person. You can’t have multiple people in a direct message, and even with those it can be very hard to scroll back and find earlier conversations. This why I think Discord is such a great addition to the current fandom life. You can have conversations with multiple people about anything you want. It’s more freeform, since you’re not responding to a post in particular, but it still works well for building relationships and sharing headcanons and ideas.

Tumblr is not without its advantages. The reblog function means that something good, that grabs attention, can spread around the fandom very quickly. But it’s definitely much better for art than fic, and that’s mostly because of the way it’s designed. It’s an art-sharing service with a half-assed messaging service in the sidebar, not a social media site the way LJ was. It’s for artists to make art and other people to follow them and occasionally ask questions, so it really encourages a BNF mentality and jockeying for position rather than making a circle of friends and developing them. Fandom has found ways to socialize anyway, because life finds a way, but it’s not like LJ, not at all. Sometimes I really want LJ back, to be honest, but that ship has sailed. There was an attempt with Dreamwidth, but for some reason most people just moved their fandom activity to tumblr instead, possibly because the existence of LJ and tumblr overlapped and many people who used LJ already had a tumblr when LJ collapsed. That was how it worked with me, anyway. The novelty of tumblr probably encouraged the movement here, as well. People love the new.

I think most likely what will happen in the future is tumblr will screw the pooch in a major way and fandom will migrate off it, just like we did from the old webrings to ff.net, then to LJ, then to here. Probably some savvy fans will make a social media site actually MEANT for fandom, like, perhaps, pillowfort.io, which looks absolutely fantastic, just needs some bugs worked out and more people using it. That’s what happened with fic archives: fans got sick of all the problems with FF.net and LJ and made AO3, and it’s great. I’m looking forward to getting off this site, honestly. Let the migration come. I just hope all of you come with me.

#askbox #fandom #Anonymous

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themostexpensivewebsiteeversold · 3 years

Text

We have launched our little sidekick project ;)

themostexpensivewebsiteeversold.com is launched ;) haha ( short codename: MEWES for short, haha almost like ;) MEMES )

My close friend from London was telling me about NFTs and possibilities already in 2017. I was not really into crypto, i have heard of it, but was not really interested.

Fast forward 2020, we speak yet one more time, I take a look at Rarible.com and get excited. I have immediately opened multiple wallets, I have created some NFT artworks, I even decided to make one of my fashion brand projects Crypto-First fashion brand. (still figuring out best way to build fashion on crypto, if any ideas comments to make a crypto-first fashion brand contact me and lets do it)

However as an artist myself I got really fascinated with creating various art related NFTs recently, its primary and secondary markets and NFT concepts and their promotions. I am fascinated by video art too and decided to initiate this project as a part of a concept for my next life long video art project. It will be a dynamic image always changing and interacting with current token owners, as they will have power to change the content of an artwork. Therefore and artwork will live in two both online and offline realms, the artwork content will be dependent on current token owners and exist purely online, while the offline part of an artwork will be purely a medium to project the current online state of the work in its current geographical location. Each and every artworks name will be given upon the initial completion of the surface and will consist of three words and a number, where one word is decided by the largest owner of the artworks surface at the initial completion time, another word is decided by me, the artist, based on overall look of the composition, whereas the third word will be voted by the rest of token holders and number will be assigned based on the order of initial 100% completion of the surface from 01 to 10. Development of Artworks will be administrated on this website. (I am sure we will be polishing the artwork series concept and visualisation further, so watch out here for more posts)

As a big fan of internet and cyber-life, a kid who grew up in 90s playing Prince of Persia in dads old garage office on Pentium 3 (who knows knows), I am planning to capitalise on my impressions and fuse Art, NFTs, Advertising, Crypto, Website Links, Blogging, etc, in one place and therefore I decided to build this simple idea website themostexpensivewebsiteeversold.com (MEWES for short) in order to create, sell and promote my NFTs as well as NFTs of other contributors. Promote ideas of cyberpunk utopias from 80s and 90s as well as reflect on internet 2.0 we use today.

So far this website consists of two parts - THE SURFACE and THE THOUGHT. Eventually more things might be added.

First part of the website - THE SURFACE - is a fairly old idea from the dawn of internet - we will have ten square canvases each consisting of 1000x1000 units, i would call them OMNIS and each OMNI will be a digital NFT multiple artwork edition in itself, but together totalling to 1,000,000 OMNIS per artwork, or 10,000,000 OMNIS total for 10 Artworks. Each OMNI will cost 0.001 ETH and can be purchased one by one on Rarible, multiple OMNIs can be purchased by one person too which is encouraged, so for instance with a possession of 100 or 1000 OMNIS token owners have a bigger surface and a right to showcase their visuals, artworks, NFTs as well as clickable links to their works, or resell their spaces to others who want a larger space to consume the whole artwork. After an administration of a given surface, the multitude of OMNI tokens can be replaced by a bundled token if requested, we will call them BUNDLEOMNIs. Occasionally some larger surfaces will also appear in a form of BUNDLEOMNI sales. Each of these OMNIs and BUDNLEOMNIs will be attached to different artwork canvas so the future owner can decide on which artwork, on one or multiple artworks they would want to appear. If one is in possession of one OMNI only, which is a small square unit, we will still be delighted to squeeze their favourite colour or an ID photo into the artwork. As final offline videoart monitors are intended to be very large in scale so even one OMNI square will give a reasonably notable texture to an overall picture. We will build a system to administrate every OMNI and upload and integrate the surface owners visuals into the artworks. The website will showcase everything, the process, the progress, the remainder.

Second part of the website - THE THOUGHT - is a progress administrating and brainstorming section in a form of blog, explaining the project and the stages it is in. All news and updates and new releases will be showcased and written about there. Pretty much self explanatory. However sponsored collaborative projects and their descriptions are also welcome on THE THOUGHT blog, so we can express and expose as many controversial artistic ideas and creative projects as possible. Where the funds will go?

The funds from OMNI NFT sales will go primarily into realising the project to its full potential. Building the technological infrastructure to make the artworks seamlessly integrated with OMNI NFTs, as well as giving the surface owners seamless and user-friendly access to artworks surfaces to be able to update their visuals automatically much further into the future in a form of blockchain-based CMS and opportunity to continue trading their surfaces or buying more in order to completely consume the offline artworks and the online website presence, or sell the surface as an investment. Ultimately the monitors that will showcase the artworks content offline will require a custom-built technology due to their size as well as an integrated access to the internet and seamless one of a kind CMS that links access between the artwork surface and the surface owners. The ultimate dream goal ambition is to showcase these artworks at VENICE ART BIENNALE upon their completion, therefore a lot of logistics and artwork transportation insurance will be also required. However if the funds still remain upon completion of the whole project, these remaining funds will be transferred to charitable foundations assisting handicapped youth to potentially supply them with next generation dynamic exoskeletons and replace their useless wheelchairs, and all funds usage will be transparently disclosed on THE THOUGHT blog on a constant basis also.

Benefits of buying the artworks surface?

Before the artworks go offline in a form of video art, initially the surface can be used as an advertising in a form of clickable link and visual promotions on the website and the website will remain even after completion of artwork and will dynamically refresh and update with the change of visuals, which is a great way to promote your artistic NFTs for sale or resale, but also all your causes and other projects or yourselves. Secondly as as owners of the given surfaces in given artworks, you own a valuable real estate asset to resell or auction it out eventually at a higher bid price to people who would want to appear in this or that artwork or gain more surface space. And ultimately once the artworks go offline and have their international debut at art exhibitions, and will get into galleries or museums, your surface asset and the visuals will be also showcased wherever the offline video artwork goes or displayed at any given time, which give an ultimate power in art history in case one of the video artworks gets into hands of museums or collectors.

I am sure the concept will be evolving, and I will require creative contributors, artists, programmers, art and crypto bloggers to participate and help the project to happen to its full potential. Every contributor will receive credit in the project and on the website and perhaps it gives way to yet another third part of the website where I will need to add a contact information and a list of all contributors and their referrals and contacts also, but i am sure the website will continue evolving and I will be adding more and more new relevant informations here.

omni omni xoxoxo

#art concept crypto nft nftartwork ether ethereum themostexpensivewebsiteeversold

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bunnybbomb · 6 years

Text

Trying To Tie Loose Ends (Catharsis Continuation): Chapter 6: Seeing Eye to Eyes:

Summary: With Betaal as the new First Knight and Estuu as Brivere’s Holy Knight, the three Zoras must awkwardly make amends and learn to understand each other in order to properly be able to carry out their duties to Prince Sidon. However, their tense and complicated past threatens to hold them back from something greater.

(A fic for the sidlink fic Coma Baby, a continuation of the other one I made called Catharsis!)

This is a fanfiction for a fanfiction called Coma Baby by BanishedOne on AO3 (tumblr: @banishfics / @banishedone), and a continuation of the other one I wrote called Catharsis. If you like a grumpy Link and really well developed, deep characters and an amazing take on the political structure of the Zora Domain, then definitely check out Coma Baby! It’s a long read and still going on, but the writing and descriptions are superb and it just means more great content. This fic in particular is focused on my favorite character in the series, the OC Brivere. You don’t need to read the whole series to get what’s going on in this fic though, since a lot is explained in here.

I post memes and fics for Coma Baby on my tumblr, you can chat with me any time about anything! I also post all chapters on my AO3 account BunnyBob!

Huge thank you to my amazing beta reader Alina! Her tumblr and ff.net is @ipromiseitsnotanobsession. She actually does editing shit for a living and she is the one that makes sure these things aren’t trash, so

Disclaimer: In no way does this have any true ties or canon to Coma Baby unless stated otherwise. It’s really just an indulgence AU to feed my obsession for Brivere drama.

It only occurred to Sidon as he stood there, before every citizen in the Zora Domain, holding a silver scale spear that would initiate the knighting ceremony, that this was an extremely horrible idea.

He inwardly cringed as he looked at Estuu and Betaal kneeling in front of him. It wasn’t that they weren’t worthy of their positions respectively. Betaal had almost won the first tournament he’d held years ago for the role of his personal knight, and while still very young, Estuu was extremely intelligent had and won Brivere’s trials fair and square. Both of them had fought for and earned their respective titles in an admirable show of wit and strength, making Sidon honored that such talented individuals would choose to serve and protect him.

No, the problem was the infamous tension that ran between the two, along with his now Oracle Knight, Brivere.

Years ago, Estuu had shot Betaal in the eye with an arrow for reasons unknown. Ever since then, she had had to wear an eyepatch that, luckily for her, just enhanced her already rugged face and threatening persona. Many speculated that, if the incident hadn’t occurred, she would have become Prince Sidon’s original First Knight, not Brivere. Sidon couldn’t deny the possibility, since battling with a sudden handicap would severely hinder anyone’s fighting ability. But nothing could be done in time for the tournament and Brivere had apologized profusely and insisted that he had no hand in his brother’s brash actions.

Sidon often joked to himself that he should thank Estuu for doing it, but there was no way that he could tell such a dark joke to anyone else. Of course, there was no malice towards Betaal in his humor, as he admired her raw physical strength and amazing leadership abilities. It just hurt his heart to think that he possibly never would have met Brivere if the tournament had ended differently. The prince was dating him and Link now, who had left the Domain a couple days prior to try and find help for Brivere’s strange eye condition, caused by his future-seeing abilities. For now, Brivere continued to wear a silver scale visor to hide it, since most of the crowd still didn’t know about his condition.

The prince often mused that perhaps it was for the best that Brivere had won initially. When he had opened up the position for his personal knight to all of the Zora Domain, regardless of bloodline or status, he had the best of intentions to let everyone have an equal chance at the position. But he never would have expected the intense class war that broke out as a result. Under and upper city Zora alike had all fought in his tournament, accidentally making the position of first knight into a political statement. Undercity Zora wanted to rise into the untouchable upper class, and the Uppercity Zora wanted to put the lower class back into their place.

Sidon used to be silently thankful that Brivere had won, since he technically didn’t fall into either category. Then, he had realized that the controversy and torment that used to surround his beloved knight’s family was something that no one should be grateful for.

The sound of his father starting his speech snapped Sidon out of his thoughts. King Dorephan’s naturally loud voice was absolutely booming as he made sure that every individual could hear his words. “Zora of our great Domain, it is with honor that today we bestow the title of Holy Knight to Estuu of Brivere’s bloodline and the title of First Knight to Betaal of the Undercity Zora. May the two of you use your positions to continue to protect our Domain and its citizens. Please lead us to a prosperous future.”

The old king gestured at Sidon and Brivere to step forward. “Both of you may now swear in your respective personal knights.”

Sidon walked over to Betaal with the silver scale spear tightly gripped in his hands. She held her head down until he stood directly in front of her. “Betaal of the Undercity Zora,” he began, tapping the pointed end of the spear on her brow, “You have displayed great strength during your time as a warrior.”

The spear then gently shifted onto her left shoulder. “There is no doubt that you have worked hard and deeply care for your fellow Zora.”

Moving the spear to her other shoulder, Sidon stared into her one remaining eye. “With this, I am proud to declare you as my First Knight. May we work together to bring victory to our great Domain.”

Betaal knelt lower until her brow touched the floor, then she rose to her feet. “Yes, my lord.” she said proudly. The two of them each held out their right hand and clasped them onto the other’s left shoulder, bowing their heads until they lightly touched.

Slowly, they let go, and Sidon shifted the spear until it rested horizontally in his hands. He held it out to Betaal, who took it in her left hand with a thankful nod. Sidon grabbed onto her right hand and held it high, which was a bit awkward since she was so much shorter than him, as she turned to face the cheering crowd.

“May we all welcome the new First Knight, Betaal!” he announced loudly.

The crowd roared with energy as they cheered and clapped their hands. The Undercity Zora hollered and screamed with joy, absolutely ecstatic at one of their own making it into one of the highest positions possible in the elite class of the royal government. The Uppercity Zora were noticeably less excited, politely clapping or simply mumbling words of congratulations in barely audible monotone voices. The soldiers in attendance, many of whom had actually worked under Betaal’s watchful eye before, started up the famous battle chant, shouting “ZO RA RA RA!” over and over as they pumped their weapons into the air.

The sounds of the wild crowd almost drowned out the sound of Brivere’s own speech, but Sidon was still able to barely catch a bit of it as he turned to look at the brothers. Estuu was trembling, clearly shaken by the sudden and extreme change in volume. Both of them quickly went through the same motions that he and Betaal just had, noticeably leaving out the parts where they would have to touch, and then Brivere helped Estuu to his feet and ushered him back into the palace.

Some of the Zora who were watching tilted their heads in confusion, surprised that the Holy Knight’s initiation had happened so quickly, with no one paying attention. But the majority of the crowd either didn’t notice or ignored the brothers in favor of Betaal, who was more popular and technically held a higher rank than Estuu anyways.

Sidon and King Dorephan watched with concern as the two brothers ducked through the grand entryway, but they knew that it was improper to disrupt the ceremony to check up on them. Besides, Brivere had already warned them that this would most likely happen, but apparently Estuu himself was the one who had insisted on going through with the ceremony.

The prince hoped with every scale on his body that his new trio of knights would get along. He was at least confident that they would work together professionally, but this hope quickly died when he caught the glare that Betaal wore as she watched the brothers leaving and the slight scowl that they both gave her in return.

Dear Hylia help them all.

;

The first few days after the ceremony were tense as Sidon tried to adjust to his larger entourage.

It was already bad enough that two new positions were added, leading to more paperwork and fumbling around to try and clear up any confusion. But on top of that stress, his knights were walking around on eggshells. Everyone awkwardly danced around each other, trying not to slice their feet into ribbons as they moved to an ever-changing tune.

One second, everything would at least be somewhat professional, and then the next, Betaal and Brivere would be clawing at each other's throats. The fights always started the same, just over different topics each time. Betaal would say something against either of the brothers and egg them on until Brivere would snap and argue back. Ironically, the youngest Zora, Estuu, managed to be the most mature one and never got involved. But this was probably more due to him being mute than anything else, as evidenced by the cold stare he often eyed Betaal with.

This dynamic was surprising at first because Brivere was usually so reserved and stoic in the face of adversity. But Sidon could tell that Brivere was more confident and open to sharing his feelings after his melt down in the throne room a few months back where he had called out everyone who had ever wronged him and his family. At the same time, however, Brivere often still tried to maintain his usual emotionless mask out of nothing but sheer habit.

And for the most part, he was successful, and almost everyone saw no changes in his personality. But Betaal was the one person who knew all the wrong things to say, pushing Brivere to the point that he would snap and argue back.

If anything, Sidon wanted to be happy that his lover was finally able to give in to and acknowledge his emotions, but he was definitely less thankful that it made their working environment so damn uncomfortable.

Even though he was dating Brivere, Sidon didn't want to take any sides for sake of professionality. He figured that things would get better as they all got used to their new positions, and so he decided to just let the two of them fight it out until things settled down. But as the days melted into weeks and then a month, Sidon realized that things had only gotten worse, if even possible. It got to the point that he would excuse Brivere by sending him away to practice using his future-seeing powers, in turn also getting rid of Estuu. The only good thing to come out of sending the brothers away was a closer friendship with Betaal, resulting in the two of them becoming much more casual with each other. The Undercity knight wouldn’t refer to him by his formal title and didn’t speak in a stuffy manner if they were alone. He appreciated it, since even Brivere couldn’t help but act like he always had a silverscale spear stuck up his ass.

Even then, the few rare moments that Brivere and Betaal would be in the same vicinity as each other would be as tense as ever. Practically all of the other soldiers and workers in the palace knew about their rivalry, and everyone would immediately vacate the room should one of the knights enter while the other was present.

Their constant fighting wore Sidon out, who found it harder and harder to keep up his usual upbeat front that he displayed to his people. It didn’t help that his empathetic ability was always running in the background, catching every bit of animosity that raced through Brivere and Betaal every time they were near each other. Even Estuu, who always stayed out of it, was beginning to take a toll on the prince. Sidon was worried about the younger Zora, who clearly had a lot of inner turmoil, but no way to express it. The raw, negative energy that almost always emitted off of the Holy Knight wore Prince Sidon’s sensitive abilities out.

His knights were too busy arguing to notice the change until one day Sidon snapped and shouted at them. He absolutely hated the way their faces fell and he excused himself, avoiding them for days. As much as he hated to admit it, the relationship between him and Brivere had become strained, and he found himself missing his other Hylian boyfriend every day.

The guilt and fear of losing Brivere as both a lover and a protector, as well as the two other talented knights, was what finally made Sidon take action.

He was going to fix this whether they liked it or not.

;

"I want not a single word from any of you until we reach our destination."

His knights flinched at the harsh edge in Sidon's voice. Brivere opened his mouth to ask exactly where it was that they were going, but quickly decided against it when Sidon glared at him.

They quickly fell into line behind the prince, obediently following him through the maze of hallways inside of the Zora Domain's gigantic palace. It was a well-known joke that it had to be so big because of his father's huge body, but even Sidon thought that the sheer number of useless halls and rooms was ridiculous.

The strange group continued to walk in silence, yet the tension was still thick in the air. Sidon looked over his shoulder to see Betaal and Brivere glaring at each other. Sighing, he continued to lead them down several flights of stairs until they were in the lower, older levels of the palace. This section was mostly unused other than for emergencies or for storage, but what really stood out was the use of doors. For some reason, as the centuries went on, Zora architects decided that they were too good for doors and just made extravagant, high arching entryways instead.

And this old design was exactly what Sidon intended to use to his advantage.

They continued to walk until they came to stand in front of a particularly small door that stretched just above Estuu's head. Sidon grabbed the handle and threw the door open, holding his muscled arm out to welcome them in.

"I need you guys to go inside. There's something we need to investigate."

If it had been anyone else, the three knights would have thought it was shady. If it had been anyone else, they would have decked them. If it had been anyone else, they would have accused the other Zora of trying to lure them into a dark room just to murder them miles below the surface so that no one could hear their screams or find their bodies.

But it wasn't anyone else. It was just Sidon, their trusted prince and superior.

Hesitantly, each of them entered the room. Estuu could walk in easily, but Betaal had to duck her head and Brivere had to tuck himself into a ball and scoot inside.

The room itself wasn't weird. It seemed like an abandoned Hylian guestroom, judging from the design of the carpet and the small bed inside. That certainly explained the low doorframe, since their Hylian friend Link was about the same size as Estuu.

No, what was weird was when the door suddenly slammed shut behind them.

Sidon was definitely bigger than each of them individually, but as he leaned up in front of the door and felt their pounding fists on the weak wood he quickly became unsure if he was stronger than the three of them combined. He could only hope that Estuu was staying out of it like he usually did.

"Sidon!" Betaal's rough voice shouted. "Let us out of here now!"

"Not until you all finally fix things between each other!"

He could hear Brivere's panicked tone as the Oracle Knight pushed his body against the door. "But my Lord, what if something were to happen to you and we-!"

"It is my command as your prince that you three stay in there and work things out!"

The immediate silence that followed told him that Brivere and Betaal had frozen in uncertain shock. It was a dirty move, sure, ordering them to stay in the room, but it was the only way to keep them from arguing back. He felt the weight on the door lighten, then heard soft footsteps as both of his knights quietly slinked back to the center of the room.

Sidon could barely hear their voices through the door, even as he pressed his whole face against it. But while he couldn't make out exact words, he could definitely tell that they were bickering in whispers just as harsh as if they were screaming at each other. He could only guess what the silent Estuu was doing during all of this, most likely just hiding behind his brother while scowling at Betaal, like usual.

The voices quickly grew louder and louder until Sidon could practically feel the wooden door shaking from their intense shouting. When there was sudden silence followed by the loud clanging of metal clashing against each other, he immediately realized that maybe it wasn't a good idea to lock three of the Domain's best fighters into the same room as each other.

Shit. He should have at least taken their weapons away first.

;

Betaal walked behind Prince Sidon, trying not to limp too much and show just how badly Brivere had injured her a few days before. While he was definitely still an asshole, she at least had to acknowledge how skilled he was with a longsword, especially since it wasn’t a common weapon among Zora soldiers.

She was satisfied to at least see him doing the same, as the Oracle Knight stumbled around next to her. Not one of the trio were speaking as they walked through the woods surrounding the Domain. They were overseeing several groups of soldiers who were combing the woods for monsters to make the roads safer for travelers.

Suddenly Prince Sidon stopped walking, making her and Brivere scramble to not bump into him. “I am going to rejoin the group led by Guard Captain Bazz just up ahead. Estuu is with them on my command to help them find any bokoblin bases. You two stay here on stakeout until I return or you receive word saying otherwise.”

“What, is this another ploy to get us to talk to each other and get along again?” she joked, trying to lighten the mood.

It clearly backfired when Sidon stared back at her with a hard gaze. “No. I gave up on doing that after last time. To be quite honest, I am extremely disappointed.” the prince said curtly. “I feel ashamed to bring either of you around the other soldiers because of your behavior. It makes me wonder if I should regret either of you being placed into these positions.”

His words stung, sure, but Betaal couldn’t fathom why Brivere looked absolutely devastated at Sidon’s harsh statement. Perhaps he was weaker than she had initially assumed.

With that, Prince Sidon turned and walked away. The two of them watched his large red form weave through the trees and eventually catch up to Guard Captain Bazz’s group. They were now alone with each other in a grass clearing with nothing else but the bright moon that hung above them.

They aggressively started a camp fire. Rather, they argued about the right way to position the logs, and then how to actually start a fire, then Betaal accused Brivere of trying to freeze her to death with his inability to get a spark going and he just glared back at her when the fire suddenly roared to life.

She rolled her one eye. “What, am I supposed to be impressed? I had to do this all the time when I was in charge at Fort Boko! I bet you and your brother have never had to even light a candle before.”

“First off, Estuu and I lived in poverty for nearly a century,” he said, the blazing fire behind him almost as hot as the heat rising in his chest. “We are both well aware of how to make a fire because it was the only way we could stay warm. Second off, I do not understand why you hate us so much!”

Betaal cringed. “I do not hate you two.” she lied politely.

The Oracle Knight threw his hands into the air, clearly fed up at this point. “Oh bullshit!”

She gaped back. Brivere was always so professional to the point that she was pretty sure that he always had a silver scale spear stuck up his golden ass. “I despise people who deny their hatred when it is so clear,” he spat. “I have had to put up with it for too long from everyone else and I will not tolerate it anymore by the likes of you.”

“Oh really?” she hissed back. “And what exactly makes you think that you and your brother deserve my respect? He shot my eye out! I lost the tournament because of that!”

A frustrated sigh erupted out of Brivere as he tugged on his long forefins. “I am aware of my brother’s actions. I have already apologized, and I will continue to apologize for them. But as I have already told you, I did not put him up to it. I would never cheat for something that I wanted, as satisfaction only comes from truly earning something with one’s own skill.”

His voice dropped as he looked at her through the slits of his visor, regret clear in his deformed eyes. “I thought that I had conveyed my sincerest apologies when I tried to give you the position all those years ago.”

“I don’t remember it that way.” she snapped back.

Brivere arched his brow at her, still forgetting that such gestures couldn’t be seen by others due to his visor. “Really? How do you remember it?”

She hummed and closed her eye. The last round of that cursed tournament was one of the worst days of her life, so she tended to block it out. But she dragged it out from the depths of her mind if only to show Brivere the true impact of his actions.

It took a few minutes before she let out a loud sigh and slumped back against the grass. “I remember walking into the arena with my head held high, not wanting anyone to think that I was trying to hide my eye patch. I remember you standing on the other side of the platform, clearly pitying me. I remember you not even fighting back until I had to call you out on your bullshit.” Her fists balled next to her sides, clenched in anger. “And I remember you humiliating me in front of my own people who wanted me to win for their sake, and all of the people who expected me to fail just for being from the Undercity.”

Brivere silently sat there, clearly unsure of what to say. Eventually, he spoke up in a soft voice. “I am sorry. I didn’t know that you saw it that way.”

“Sure,” she grunted. “You elites are all the same. You act without thinking about what the hell those of us under your thumbs are going through.”

The golden knight’s face pinched tighter in frustration. “I wasn’t even considered worthy of living in society until a few months ago when I became nothing but a tool for the elite that you claim I am part of.”

“And even back then, you were still considered higher than me!” she shouted, shooting into an upright position. Her one eye stared back at him, boring a hole through his visor. “Don’t you see?! Undercity Zora like me are so far below the rest of you!”

“Then maybe you should not get so hung up on useless titles and statuses!”

Her hands flew into the air in frustration. “You really don’t get it!” she laughed. There was not a trace of humor in her breath, however. “I have to work for those titles! It’s the only way I can be even be seen as worthy to live by those stuck up pompous assholes! It’s the only way I can survive!”

“Do not speak to me as if I do not understand!” he shouted in her face, baring his sharp teeth. “You know of the controversy that used to surround my family. I am well aware of how much titles matter in society, but at least I have learned that there is more to life than bending over backwards for the very people that will dispose of you the second you aren’t useful anymore!”

A strangled growl clawed its way out of her throat. “Don’t act like you’re suddenly wiser and smarter than me because of your fancy new powers! YOU DON’T GET ANYTHING!”

The two of them were now panting for breath as they glared each other down. They were absolutely daring the other Zora to make the next accusation, to stab the next painful word through the other’s heart, but nothing came of it. Eventually they lost their steam and fell back onto the grass, slowly curling up into themselves. The woods continued to be quiet, other than the occasional howl of a monster too far away to be a threat.

Betaal was the first to break the sudden silence that had washed over them. “You seriously can’t expect me to believe that you are above titles when you clearly adhere to them so well.”

He glared at her through the slits of his silver visor. “And what has misled you to that conclusion?”

“How about the fact that you made up your new position of Oracle Knight?”

“I thought I already explained this to you back in the barracks months ago,” he groaned. “First off, the Oracle Knight and First Knight hold the same status, so it is not as if I gained anything. I would dare to say that you have more power than me, since you have control of the prince’s soldiers and I do not unless he tells me otherwise.”

Betaal deflated a bit at this, realizing he was right. “Then why do it?”

“I already told you. Goddess, were you not listening back at the barracks?”

“Sorry, I’ve learned to tune you out for years now.”

A slow, deep sigh hissed out of Brivere as he held his hands together in prayer and pressed them to his face. “Dear Hylia above please give me strength.”

The First Knight rolled her eye. “Cut the theatrics and just tell me why you made such an arbitrary title for yourself.”

“Fine.” he said curtly. “As I have stated before, I simply wanted to pledge my bloodline’s loyalty to the royal family. As my father was dedicated to King Dorephan, I am to Prince Sidon, and I know that our ability to see the future will be passed down and continue through a strong line of knights who wish to do the same for their generation of the next ruler.”

Betaal sighed. “Yeah, but don’t you think that’s a little much? Everyone already thinks that it’s weird that you and Sidon are together so often.”

She flinched when Brivere suddenly shot up, his eyes clearly wild even through the narrow slits of his visor. “We do not stay together too much!” he cried out.

Propping herself onto her elbows, she arched her brow at the flustered Oracle Knight. “No, you guys totally do. You think that I don’t find it insulting every time

His mask of indifference was cracking, letting her see the panic writhing underneath. “I do no such thing!” Brivere said, unconvincingly. She stared at him in confusion, completely lost as to what suddenly made him so anxious.

Wait.

The way he was so defensive at the smallest accusations, completely flushed at the mere question of his relation to Sidon…

It reminded Betaal of herself.

Realization dawned on her. “You and Prince Sidon are dating?!” she shrieked before she could control herself.

Brivere yelped and gripped onto the grass around him. “N-no! It is not what you think! I assure you that it is much more complicated!” he exclaimed.

“Bullshit!” Betaal shouted, scooting right next to him. She absolutely enjoyed the embarrassed way he squirmed in place.

Stabbing a clawed finger at his chest, she giddily asked “How long has it been?”

He didn’t respond. Although she had a surprising soft spot for romance, that did not excuse her suddenly becoming too pushy, especially considering their tense relationship with each other. And that was putting it lightly. She pulled her finger back and awkwardly sat next to him, their scales shining from the warm fire blazing just in front of them.

A couple of minutes passed before the silence was broken by his soft voice. “Over a year.”

Her head whipped to the side to stare at Brivere, stunned. “Seriously?! For that long?!”

His golden tail shyly bobbed as he nodded. “Yes. We have kept it secret for many reasons, which I am not completely comfortable sharing without his consent.” Although she wanted to ask for more details, it was a reasonable restriction.

He still caught the conflicted look on her face and chuckled, much to her surprise. She had never seen him actually happy before. She hadn’t even known that he was capable of feeling such a thing. “I will tell you, however, that one of the many problems with our relationship is the power dynamic. He technically holds a lot of power over me as my prince, but I assure you that we see each other on equal terms.”

Hesitating, he tilted his head towards Betaal so that she could see his deformed eyes through the slits of his visor. The strong light of the fire illuminated not just the strange condition of his eyes, but also the broken man that was hiding underneath all of the extravagant jewelry and armor.

“Can you please promise me that you will not tell anyone of this?” he said in a desperate, pleading whisper that tugged at her heart. “Aside from Estuu and Link, Prince Sidon is all that I have. I cannot imagine a world where all three of them did not exist alongside me.”

Betaal hummed and slowly nodded. “I can do you one better,” she said, piquing Brivere’s interest. “In exchange for your confession, I will give you one of my own.”

As much as she didn’t want to, she had pressured Brivere into confessing something he was clearly uncomfortable with. And on top of that, it was something that was a secret, something that could possibly ruin his career. So it was only fair if she did the same.

She took in a deep breath and stared into the flickering fire in front of them. Its warmth reminded her of the special one in her heart. “I am dating another soldier named Dunma, who was recently promoted to my right hand in command.”

“…Oh.”

“Yeah.”

Both of them sat in silence. Eventually, Brivere spoke up. “Does anyone else know about this?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

“I am sorry. Obviously, I know how it feels.”

“It’s alright. I just wouldn’t dare to tell anyone for the same reasons you and Sidon haven’t.” She laughed. “Power dynamics, what a bitch, right?”

Brivere surprisingly snorted and replied, “What a bitch.”

Betaal thought about how easily they were talking now despite being at each other’s throats for the last few years, more so over just this month alone. And then she cringed, remembering the results of such hostility.

“Hey…” she said slowly. “I’m sorry.”

Brivere looked at her, his lips slightly parted in surprise. “For what?”

“You know, all of the fighting. Sidon’s clearly pissed at us. I’m sorry if I accidentally ruined whatever you guys have. I can’t imagine a world without my Dunma.”

He sighed and leaned back into the grass. “Then can we agree to stop fighting every time we see each other?”

“Sure.”

“Then I accept your apology.”

Both of them were now reclined on the ground, faces turned to each other, both out of the desire for company and to also not lay directly on their head fins and cause muscle cramps later. The warmth of the fire lapped at their feet as the cool night air washed over the rest of their bodies.

Brivere’s voice softly made its way over to her. “I apologize for the way I acted at the tournament all those years ago. I had no idea that you perceived me that way. I thought I was doing the right thing, but it is now clear that I didn’t.”

She sighed and closed her eye. “I mean- sure. Yeah, it’s cool. But I want to know what the hell you were thinking, not fighting back against me.”

“I assure you that it was not out of pity. I could never look down on such an admirable fighter.” At this she jokingly scoffed back, swatting the compliment away with one hand. “I am serious!” Brivere laughed. “There is a reason why you have become so popular within our army and eventually earned the title of First Knight. You are extremely talented in battle.”

“Are you going to get to your point or are you going to finish sucking my dick first?” Betaal teased.

Brivere gasped at her vulgarity and she laughed at how flustered he got. “Right right, sorry, forgot that you only do that to our beloved prince.”

“BETAAL!”

“Geez, you’re too sensitive. But seriously, continue.”

The golden knight would have rolled his eyes, but even that slight movement caused him pain in his current condition. He tried to convey the gesture through his exasperated words. “I didn’t fight back because I thought that it would make up for my brother’s actions. Everyone already hated me so much because of the controversy surrounding both of us, and the arrow incident seemed to push them all over the edge. I thought that I didn’t deserve the position of First Knight if I could be so easily shaken by their words, but I learned to put up a stoic front to at least take away their satisfaction from hurting me.”

His voice suddenly became low as he tried to find the right words. “I figured that if everyone wanted you to win because of their hatred of me, then I might as well give in to it. I didn’t want to bring shame to Prince Sidon. I wanted to give you the position in exchange for the loss of your eye, I suppose.”

“And you didn’t think about how I could possibly see that as you pitying me or looking down on my misfortune?”

“I never would have imagined that it could be misconstrued in that way. I am so sorry that I was too misguided to realize it.”

Betaal sighed. “Promise to never do something like that again?”

“You have my word.”

“Then I accept your apology.”

They lay there, listening to the quiet woods around them. Neither of them knew exactly what got into them after a few moments of silence. Maybe it was exhaustion. Maybe neither of them cared anymore. Maybe it was the relief that they had finally cleared up some misunderstandings, and they were hoping to clear up some more.

Whatever the reason, they slowly began talking.

Betaal relayed her struggle as an Undercity Zora, constantly trying to prove that she was worth far more than the snotty elites above her deemed her to be. She joked that her father wanted her to be a scholar, since a higher education was definitely uncommon among her people, but she couldn’t help but become the living stereotype of an Undercity brawler. The battlefield just kept calling to her too much to stay away. As harsh as it was, war was her home, the one place where she could be herself and actually feel that her life actually had some sort of inherent worth, even when everyone above her said otherwise.

In exchange, Brivere told her about the hardships he had had to endure because of his father’s hasty marriage on the battlefield over a century ago. Despite being able to see the future and knowing that he would die, Prion had still left him and his mother alone in the world with no evidence of his love for them. As a result, both were stripped of nobility status and his mother had been taken advantage of by Zambezi in her grieving state. The only good thing to come out of it was his beloved brother Estuu, who may have acted a bit differently and required more care than most kids, but had been, and still was, extremely cute and intelligent.

At least, that was his younger brother that he was describing, so Brivere was definitely biased.

Betaal cringed at that part but decided to hold her own opinions aside. After all, the kid did shoot her eye out and still presented no explanation as to why. Then again, he was mute, but still. She continued to listen anyways, feeling her heart begin to soften towards the brothers as Brivere’s story continued.

She caught the way Brivere’s breath hitched when he hesitated before speaking about how his mother had killed herself because of all of the mockery that she endured. It had happened when he had simply been asked to take Estuu out to practice archery, and they came back to find their dead mother floating in their poisoned cistern. Brivere was left alone to take care of a child, but he was just a child as well.

And then all he had was Estuu and all Estuu had was him.

He had clawed his way up to First Knight to try and regain some sense of dignity and also to support the two of them. And now here he was as Oracle Knight, nothing more than a tool for the elite to use for their own desires.

Sure, Betaal had heard his story many times before. It was definitely tragic and complicated, but the full extent of how bad it was had never hit her when it was just rumors spread around the barracks by soldiers in-between sparring sessions. As she sat there listening to the man who had actually went through it all, she could see the pain in his eyes that the others had written off as weakness or joked about right in front of him.

And in-between each of their stories they kept saying sorry to each other. The apologies became less about their own wrong doings against the other and more about the regret they felt for the other Zora experiencing such hardship.

As the night stretched on and the fire began to burn itself out, the topic of difficult pasts shifted to amazing victories on the battlefield and other fond memories. They found that they actually had more in common than they initially thought. It ranged from strong ties, like their shared hatred for the upper class that looked down on them, to smaller, more mundane things, like their shared enjoyment over The Cursed Girl series. Brivere admitted that he hadn’t really read the series but knew about most of it since his younger brother had completely memorized the books and sometimes used it as a means of communication. This impressed Betaal, and Estuu became a bit more bearable to her in that aspect.

Somehow, the conversation turned to insecurities, along with whispers of praise and encouragement to the other Zora, trying to assure the other that they shouldn’t be afraid or that they had more worth than they gave themselves credit for. They could sense each other come close to tears several times and said nothing if the other had to pause and sniffle or wipe at their face.

Both of them were terrified of failure. Of becoming useless and unworthy of simply being alive. Of losing the Zora that they loved the most in the world. Brivere even admitted to how he was sharing Prince Sidon with the Hylian Champion Link and Betaal didn’t even bat her eye. If anything, she just teased him about it, asking if he felt something for the Hylian as well and shrieking with laughter when he couldn’t answer.

The moon shone brightly above them, now the only source of light as the fire had died long ago. They were quietly gasping for breath, throats and minds completely exhausted from hours of talking about things that they had never told anyone else.

Betaal’s one eye met Brivere’s deformed ones hidden behind his visor. A silent message passed between them as their peculiar eyes became heavy, promising to still be on their guard and protect one other should anything try to attack them in their sleep.

;

“Do not rest until they are found!” Prince Sidon shouted to his men.

“Yes sir!” the soldiers shouted back in unison.

He nervously watched as they dispersed, each guard looking behind every tree and disappearing to search further into the woods. When he had left his First and Oracle Knights yesterday to join another group of soldiers, Sidon had never anticipated how long it would take. He had only intended to be gone for a few hours in order to regain his composure after accidentally lashing out with a venomous tongue. Brivere had reacted as if the prince had just run his spear through his chest, but Sidon left his lover behind anyways like a coward.

And now he worried that their relationship would be ruined over such careless words. The same thing had happened a long time ago, when Brivere had been sick with the Water Blight and had said harsh things to Sidon. He remembered how broken he himself had become over such statements. It had taken forever for them to come back from that, and it was nothing short of a miracle that they managed to be in a relationship now. But as much as Brivere hated to admit it, he was softer at heart and much more emotionally fragile than Sidon was. He was just much better at hiding it.

That wasn’t the only thing that worried Sidon. When they had finally returned from destroying a Bokoblin base, he had realized that he didn’t actually know where he had left Betaal and Brivere the night before. The woods were extremely vast and had no landmarks that made anything stand out. It was just a sea of trees with monsters lurking inside, making Sidon realize that they had wandered too far, and now he had no idea where his two knights could be.

Sidon shook off his worries and helped search the forest, trying to make himself useful. Shouts of Brivere and Betaal’s names by other soldiers were the only things he could hear over the heavy pounding of his heart. But even as he tried to occupy his mind with scanning the woods for his knights, he couldn’t help but think of every possible scenario imaginable.

What if the two of them had gotten ambushed by raiders? A member of the Yiga Clan? A whole group of Yiga Clan members? A Hinox? A hoard of monsters? What if they had gotten lost or injured? What if they were… dead?

A shudder passed through Sidon. What if they had finally had enough of each other and had drawn their weapons out? What if they were both dead from the fight? After all, both of them had proven themselves to be two of the most talented fighters in the domain. No, what if one of them had accidentally killed the other and ran away, trying to escape imprisonment?

He didn’t notice that he was practically sprinting through the woods now. The only thing that would ease his anxieties would be if he could actually find them.

A blur of scarlet suddenly crashed into him. Whatever it was, it was much smaller than him, but the surprise of the attack knocked him to the ground. He quickly positioned his spear so that it was threateningly pointed at his opponent.

Estuu stared back at him, unamused.

“Oh!” Sidon said sheepishly, lowering his weapon. “I apologize, Holy Knight. But then again, that isn’t the best way to get the attention of someone who is on edge.”

When Estuu just glared back Sidon remembered that the younger Zora couldn’t talk. For all he knew, Estuu could have actually been trying to get his attention for a while now and he had just been too distracted to notice. The prince cleared his throat in an attempt to save face. “Nevermind that. Is there something you wish to report to me?”

The younger Zora tugged onto Sidon’s silver bracelet and pointed behind him. When the prince just arched his brow in confusion, Estuu sighed and let go. He then used his only hand to cover one eye and after a pause used his flattened fingers to cover both of them, raising them up and down like a visor.

Sidon immediately perked up. “You have found Betaal and Brivere?!”

Estuu nodded and grabbed back onto Sidon’s bracelet, trying to pull the prince along. He obliged, obediently following the scarlet Zora through the woods.

The sight would have looked comical to anyone else, a child dragging around a fully-grown Prince like a beloved toy. In any other situation, Sidon would have laughed at how ridiculous this was, but his heart was tearing itself apart as feelings of relief and anxiety battled in his chest. The two of them silently weaved through the trees. But as their walk stretched on, the only thing on his mind was the state of his knights, each possible outcome getting worse and worse with each passing second.

He was so caught up in his growing panic that he didn’t even notice that Estuu had stopped and was now staring at him. Sidon only snapped out of it when a strangled growl escaped the small Zora’s throat as he waved his only arm to a grass clearing right in front of them.

The prince nearly had a heart attack on the spot. Laying in the grass were both of his knights, completely motionless.

Sidon wrestled out of Estuu’s grasp and accidentally knocked the tiny Zora aside when he ran towards his fallen friends. “BRIVERE! BETAAL!” he screamed.

To his shock, both of them shot up onto their feet and had their weapons pointed at him in the blink of an eye. As he stumbled and fell over, he couldn’t tell if he was more relieved to see that they were actually alive or scared that they might attack him any second.

Luckily, it was the former. “My lord!” Brivere shouted, lowering his weapon as he ran to Sidon’s side. “I am so sorry! You caught us by surprise in our slumber!”

Sidon was so happy that Brivere was still alive and apparently not mad at him that he pulled the golden knight into a tight embrace on top of him. He didn’t care that Betaal was still standing there, although he was confused when an amused smirk danced across her lips.

Both of them quickly pulled apart and Brivere quickly got back onto his feet, holding a hand out to help him up. Sidon grasped onto it more out of a need to physically feel his lover’s presence and to assure himself that he was truly there than because he needed help. He then turned to both of his knights, a sorrowful look on his face. “I am deeply sorry for leaving the two of you alone for so long. I did not anticipate running into a hoard of bokoblins, and I spent the night with Guard Captain Bazz and his men trying to get rid of them at their base. We have all been looking for you for hours.”

He was relieved when his knights simply nodded in response. “I apologize for the trouble, my lord.” Brivere said, bowing his head. Betaal laughed and smacked a hand onto the golden knight’s back.

Sidon tensed up, anticipating a fight. But, to his surprise, Brivere just chuckled in return as he straightened up. The First Knight then stepped forward, eyeing Sidon with an amused gaze.

“It’s alright your Highness. Everything turned out fine,” Betaal said, patting him on the arm as she passed. Then she paused and looked over her shoulder, grinning at Brivere. “I’m going to go around and get the other soldiers to stop their search. I’ll take the part of the woods west of here and you take the east?”

Brivere nodded with a slight smile. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Cool.” Betaal looked back at Sidon and blinked, but the way she did it suggested that she was actually trying to wink at him. “Don’t slack off. I know you want some alone time with your Oracle Knight, but actually try and search for any wandering soldiers. Send them all back to the barracks when you find them so that this doesn’t stretch on for too long.”

He was too stunned to argue. “Uh- um, I… Ok. Yes, sure.”

With a nod to both of them, Betaal walked through the trees and out of sight. Estuu waved and pointed in her direction, scurrying off before either of them could say otherwise.

Now that they were alone, Sidon ogled his First Knight. “What in Hylia’s name did I miss?” he asked.

A rare laugh escaped Brivere’s taut lips. “I assure you not much, my lord.” the golden knight said as he held his hand out to lightly grab onto Sidon’s. “Shall we look around and tell the other soldiers that the First Knight and I are safe?”

Numbly, Sidon nodded, and the confusion sloshing around inside of him melted into affection as he and his lover walked away hand in hand. Of course, when they came across other guards they had to quickly pull apart. But the feelings of affection still remained.

;

The first few days after the incident in the woods were awkward as Sidon tried to adjust to his knights’ sudden change in behavior.

No one could explain why the two seemed to be so much calmer now. The other soldiers and palace workers still left the room out of habit when one of the knights would enter while the other was in there, but they would peer behind the entryway and be surprised to find that the two of them would just be politely chatting with each other.

It was also strange to see two of the most powerful and strongest warriors in the Zora Domain suddenly be so casual. This was especially because Betaal tended to act tough to cover up how she struggled being the only Undercity soldier in the palace, and Brivere had always been known for his infamous resting bitch face and spear-up-his-ass attitude. So, it completely shocked everyone when the First Knight would often lean over and whisper something to the Oracle Knight and they would immediately start cackling. Genuine smiles and bouts of laughter became less rare, and Sidon was finally enjoying his role as a prince again.

Although Betaal had clearly not completely forgiven Estuu yet, it was obvious that she had at least warmed up to him a bit. Some swore that they saw her quietly sitting with the younger Zora in the royal library, both of them completely engrossed in the same book that they had read so many times before. Guard Captain Bazz even claimed that he once witnessed her follow Estuu when he ran away to have a meltdown, presumably comforting him by the way he quickly recovered and came back. But if anyone asked Betaal, she always denied it and no one was certain if she was actually joking or not.

Now that they all got along, it was an absolute joy to have the three of them be Sidon’s personal knights. To him, it was just like having old friends be your coworkers, and his dull duty as prince became much more bearable as a result.

They even often had contests during boring council meetings to see who could get away with the most outrageous and funny gestures without the other stuffy old council members noticing. No one knew who had started it, but Estuu was the reigning champion because he had somehow managed to sneak behind King Dorephan’s shoulder and stick his tongue out without anyone else batting an eye. They had to tone it down after Sidon burst out laughing while a council member was reading about the soldier fatality rates and funeral procedures.

Prince Sidon had always known that his three soldiers had had difficult pasts. Each of them had never been expected to make it to their high positions. Everyone held them down and told them that they were worthless, and complained that they must have cheated to become his personal knights for the sole purpose of mooching off of his power.

But Sidon knew better than that. His knights had fought back against society’s designated roles for each of them, taking what was rightfully theirs with the intention of protecting the very people that had tormented them for years. Brivere, Estuu, and Betaal were very admirable in his eyes, refusing to stick to an oppressive class system or listen to anyone’s harsh tongue and instead, choosing to fight for what was right.

And, as he proudly stood by his father’s throne, three of the Zora Domain’s toughest and most fearsome warriors kneeling right beside him, Prince Sidon couldn’t help but hope that he could rule his kingdom the very same way his knights acted when the time came.

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