#{which is lucky for Zora because he would just be 'pleASE TAKE IT FROM ME'}

[asksidon]

A bit of a more funny prompt, but what if Sidon wasn’t paying attention while swimming and gets caught but a fishing hook, and returns to his SO all embarassed and pouty because Bazz and others couldn’t stop giggling when he asked for help, so he begrudgingly goes to SO for help. Big pouty fish man UwU

As Sidon approaches you, you hear something dragging in the grass behind him. He has an uncharacteristic, forlorn look on his face that you've never seen before as you realize he is pulling along a fishing rod, because it is attached to his belt, just above his... oh.

Sidon cannot bring himself to make eye contact with you as he draws nearer, and you ask, "My prince, what has happened to you? Do you need some help?"

Sidon stops a few feet from you and continues to look at the ground. "Oh, Y/N. It's the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me." His face reflects the truth of his words, and you place your hand gently on his arm. "Tell me about it," you say. "I promise I won't laugh."

"You wouldn't?" He looks up at you. "Everyone else did. Even Bazz, who is usually stone-faced." He gives a sigh. "Even he couldn't hold back a chuckle at how ridiculous I looked, trying to swim up a waterfall with a . . . with this . . . stuck just above my . . . oh, it's too embarrassing. I didn't even realize it was there at first. I don't know when it got there, and I'm lucky it didn't pierce . . . I don't think I can even let you try to help. I'll just go to my chambers and try--"

"Please don't be that way, my prince," you say. "You might hurt yourself. You can't see it well, considering where it is. Let me try to get it out for you. Who would leave something like this lying around?" He turns so that you can work the hook from his belt, which does not take long at all. You're glad it has not pierced his beautiful skin or hurt him, as well. "That's terribly irresponsible. You don't think it could have been another Zora, do you?" you wonder. Not that it matters now, but you can't help but feel curious.

"I don't know. Perhaps someone simply forgot about it and left it behind. I'm glad you're here, Y/N." He seems to feel soothed by your response. You see his shoulders relax once you get the hook out. You offer the fishing rod to him, but he shakes his head. "You keep it, Y/N. I remember you telling me that you were looking for a decent one. I can't say how quality it is, but at least you needn't spend your hard-earned rupees on it. And it is safer in your hands."

He turned to look longingly at the lake in the distance. "How long do you suppose it will take them all to forget about it?"

"I wouldn't worry about it too much, sweet prince." You have to go easy on the names of endearment in public, but it seems safe here. You tuck the fishing rod against a tree for the moment. "I bet they've all done silly things, too. They just might have had the luxury of not doing them in public." You're not used to this role with him, reassuring him, for once. It's nice to have the tables turned once in a while, but you wonder if you're doing it well enough.

He answers your unspoken question when he turns to look at you and pulls you into a hug. "Thank you, Y/N. I don't know what I'd do without you."

[getblackout503]

So chapter 5 it’s a bit shorter mainly because it’s a set up for the next two chapters, but enjoy nonetheless

———————————————————————————————

Grey was just waking up in her bed, Zora had carried her there after she had fallen asleep. And now she laid there not knowing what to do now, she hadn’t received a new mission yet and typically most of her time would be used for said missions, but not today apparently. So now Grey had nothing to do, well except relive what happened yesterday, which is the last thing she wanted to do, yesterday was the worst day of her life, she’s was at least lucky Zenon didn’t even see her but even then she was terrified to leave her room, out of fear he would be waiting to steal her again and force her to do his bidding, she shuddered at that thought, never again she told herself, never again will she be someone else’s property, never again will she be someone else’s plaything, never again will she be…herself.

She was so weak in her past, always being pushed around by others, she hated herself for that and she still does now, if she wasn’t as weak back then, then just maybe she wouldn’t be in that situation, and as she went deeper into her hateful thoughts she was brought out of them by a knock at the door, ‘was I expecting someone?’ She asked herself before getting up slowly from her bed and heading to the door. Opening it she wondered who would visit her this early in the morning.

“Hey girl!” Grey was greeted by her superior. Vanessa enoteca, known for her desired body, and questionable drinking habits.

“Vanessa?”

“Hey what did I tell you? Call me big sis” Vanessa told her Coworker who just blushed.

“N-Not this again, please no vanessa” Grey said hiding her face.

“Aww so cute” Vanessa proceeded to walk into Grey’s hotel room, and only now did Grey see the unopened wine bottle Vanessa brought with her.

“Um Vanessa, what is that for?”

“This? Well obviously for us, silly little grey”

“Um, Vanessa not to be rude, but isn’t it a bit early for wine?”

“Of course not!”

“Vanessa it’s not a good idea to drink so early in the morning”

“Oh come one Grey, have some fun once in a while”

“Vanessa, I’m serious, we can't drink now, and I don’t want to drink” After Grey said that Vanessa’s face softened.

“It’s about yesterday isn’t it?” She asked Grey, who just stayed quiet giving Vanessa her answer. “Okay, give big sis a hug and let it all out” She held her arms open for the blue haired girl, who reluctantly agreed and told her almost everything, still not telling her who the person from her past was, but Vanessa never asked, knowing that it was a topic Grey didn’t like talking about, she also knew that one day Grey would tell them when she was ready. But right now Grey needed a friend to take care of her, that’s why she was here.

Vanessa had Grey lay her head on her lap to comfort the poor girl, as she almost broke down, all the while Vanessa rubbed her head to comfort her, ever since Vanessa met Grey she always considered her someone who could use a friend to talk too, luckily the organization was filled with good people, each one accepting Grey for who she is, And Vanessa wanted nothing less than to be there for Grey in her time of need and to make her happy once again, that’s why she was visiting her today, but how do you cheer someone up who is terrified of her past, well Vanessa had one solution, not the best but it’s all she had.

“How about a shopping trip, just you and me, girl time!”

“W-What?”

“You heard me, now change!” She practically made the blue hair get changed before they made their way to the clover city strip malls.

The clover mall

Grey never really like the clover strip mall, not because it was a terrible place, more so she didn’t like being around too many people, especially since she was now afraid of seeing more people from her past, but luck for her it was summer time, which gave her a great excuse to wear a hat and sunglasses to hide her appearance, and while she my not like huge crowds, she did enjoy the fact that she was hanging out with one of her friends, her and Vanessa were walking around looking at different stores and kiosks, Vanessa even tried to get Grey to enter a bikini shop but Grey refused to out of embarrassment, soon they went to an ice cream shop where Grey got a strawberry flavored ice cream as Vanessa got a raspberry flavored and now they were sitting in a bench overlooking the mall.

“So? Are you having fun?” Vanessa asked as they finished up their ice creams.

“Well, yes actually, this has been fun, thank you Vanessa”

“No problem my little Grey” she hugged the girl. “Now off to the Build a bear, I’ve been meaning to get a plush for a while”

“Aren’t we a bit old to go to build a bear?” Grey asked, causing Vanessa to gasp comically.

“Of course not dear! Why, Finral got me one last week when he went to my place for alone time” She laughed with a sly look on her face.

“Oh?” Grey took a second to process the pink haired lady’s word. “Oh” she blushed now realizing what she meant.

“Haha don’t worry dear we just watched a movie” She then got up. “Now off we good honey”

“Okay Vanessa”

Both girls walked towards the shop, and Grey couldn’t help but admire Vanessa, she was so confident with herself, her body, and how she presented herself, she’s everything Grey wanted to be, and if Grey was being honest, she would say she may have some feelings for Vanessa but not enough to make her actually fall in love with her, well sort of, don’t get Grey wrong she does like Vanessa, but her feelings for Gauche are much stronger than her feelings for Vanessa will ever be, still that didn’t mean she didn’t have her moments, like the bikini shop, while Grey was embarrassed about trying on bikinis in front of Vanessa, she was also hella nervous to see Vanessa in one, she didn’t think her heart could of handled it, and for some reason she had a hunch that Vanessa knew the effects she had on her, but Vanessa also knew that Grey needed someone who would care for her, and meet her needs. Sure Vanessa loved and cared for Grey, But she wasn’t the right person for Grey, though it did hurt Vanessa knowing she and Grey would never act on their feelings for one another. She always told herself that no matter what she will always have Grey in her life no matter where their paths lead them.

Shaking her head out of that thought, Vanessa and Grey saw that they were approaching Build A Bear, getting closer they began discussing what bear each one of them should get, but due to the fact they were distracted they weren’t paying attention to the small child running also not aware of the two women in front of her, and before any of them knew it, the small and Grey collided sending them both to the ground.

“Ow!”

“Ow!” both girls cried.

“Marie!” A familiar voice hit Vanessa and Grey’s ear, causing Grey to get nervous and look up to see her coworker and crush standing over her and kneeling to meet his sister. “Don’t run off like that, you could have gotten hurt, not to mention you ran into-” He looked up and saw Grey and Vanessa who was helping her up. “Grey, Vanessa?”

“G-Gauche”

“Heya Gauche” They greeted him, and Marie stared at both women, specifically Grey, with how she and her brother reacted to seeing one another, and before she could even think about it, Marie asked.

“Will you be my sister?”

[c-aureus]

How I think Hyrule would respond to Zelda's return, after the end of BotW.

Wall of text incoming.

TL;DR: I think they'd be very cruel.

Please remember that these are all only my interpretations and opinions, and should be treated as such.

A while ago, I made a post saying that I do not believe that Zelda or Link should be in any way 'happy' after the end of BotW. Imo, they've both lost too much for that, and I worry that the sequel will not give this grief or loss the focus it deserves.

Now, I plan to expand on that, by explaining my interpretation for how i believe Hyrule would respond to her after her return, which would only further compound their misery.

Now, I'd like to preface this by saying that I actually like BotW Zelda as a character a lot, and that I'm very sympathetic to her.

However... well.

The consequences of her failure are simply too big to ignore imo.

Firstly, as a general overview: Zelda was the ONLY person capable of stopping Ganon. Without her Divine sealing power, there was simply no way for Hyrule to survive Ganon's assault, no matter the preparations, or skill of the warriors. The best example of this is the Champions and Divine Beasts. They were all the best of the absolute best, and yet none of them were able to survive Ganon's assault, simply because they were not Divinely favoured to succeed, the way that Link and Zelda were. Even despite their incredible skill, prowess and dedication. There are other examples too, notably the fall of Hyrule's military outposts, and the annihilation of central Hyrule's civilisation and infrastructure.

To put it simply, with Zelda's power, they won. Without it, all of the preparations were for naught, and everyone would die. Zelda herself even says as much in a cutscene in AoC.

(Also, as a side note, in all of those levels in AoC where you relieve the Akkala Fortress, Great Plateau, and Hateno fort, remember that in BotW, they all fell, and the soldiers would have been slaughtered.)

So, in light of that...

The fact that Zelda only unlocked her power after it was already too late means that I don't believe that the shattered remnants of Hyrule's civilisation would be kind or sympathetic to her.

Link and Zelda were literally born by divine influence to protect Hyrule from Ganon. And, well...

Again, my point comes down to the fact that Zelda only unlocked her power after it was too late for the Champions, Link, and thousands of other Hyruleans who had either already been killed, or who would later die in the aftermath.

Now, again, I'm HIGHLY sympathetic to Zelda here. Indeed, she had lived her entire life with this Sword of Damocles hanging over her.

However. The sword fell.

And, crucially, Zelda avoided it, whilst it went on to kill literally thousands of others. They all died for Zelda's failure, whilst she herself survived.

Furthermore, those 'lucky' ones who did survive had to live in BotW Hyrule, which, if I'm being honest, is an absolute wasteland. So, so much was lost in the Calamity, the land was overrun by monsters, and even the tiny remaining pockets of civilisation suffer. I could go on for hours about how infrastructure, agriculture and trade were all annihilated, but I'll try to refrain for brevity's sake.

The long and short of it is that Hyrule is fucked.

I think my worry about this comes from BotW's post credit scene where Zelda tells Link that she thinks that if everyone works together, they can rebuild, and make Hyrule better than it was before.

And, this line really annoyed me. Because, quite simply, Hyrule has simply lost too much to rebuild. Infrastructure, agriculture, trade, population... Hyrule would be reeling for generations after Link and Zelda's death. To expect any kind of quick recovery is just... foolish beyond words.

(Another side note: I'm extremely grateful to AoC showing just how developed Hyrule is pre-Calamity. It helps give scale and scope to the devastation in BotW even more.)

So, Zelda's naive optimism here annoyed me. However, far more than that, there is another issue that this overlooks:

Namely, I cannot fathom why anyone in Hyrule would want to follow her, or would accept her as their sovereign.

Now, this is going to get extremely cruel to Zelda, and that saddens me, because I like her. This is just what I think the realistic response would be to her, given the circumstances, because people are cruel and like easy targets of blame. There are many examples of this kind of blaming behaviour in history, if anyone wants to look, lol. So apologies in advance:

BotW tells us through the memories that Zelda's reputation is AWFUL Pre-Calamity. Rhoam says that the people call her 'Heir to a Kingdom of Nothing' etc.

Now, perhaps poor parenting aside, this gives more context. Do you really believe that the 'lucky' few survivors of Central Hyrule would be kind, given that Zelda fulfilled their terrible expectations in the WORST possible manner?

No. I believe that that generation, which already disliked her, would spend the rest of their lives cursing her failure, and the death and destruction that came as a consequence. And, they would pass that down to their children and grandchildren.

This comes to another point: Zelda is (for the most part) out of living memory. The only thing Hyrule knows of her is her failure to prevent the land from being devastated. Furthermore, the 4 tribes of Hyrule might even have a decent cause to blame her for the deaths of the Champions.

(Cause and effect are tricky, but well... people are irrational. Maybe if Zelda had unlocked her power straight away, the Champions still would have died. However, perhaps they could have held on long enough for Link and Zelda to force Ganon to recall his Blights to protect himself, as he does in BotW if you attack him without liberating the Divine Beasts. Who is to say? The point is, people get hung up on these kind of 'what ifs', as I am doing right now, lol.)

I'd like to make a special mention of the Zora here, who not only have Zelda (and all of her failures and inadequacies) in living memory, but are also xenophobic towards Hylians.

We see how they blame Link in BotW, after all. I think that they would feel similarly to Zelda, who is 'technically' more deserving of blame.

From a Zora-centric perspective, Zelda may as well have stolen Mipha from them, to make her take the fall for Zelda's failures. She literally set Mipha up to die, she sacrificed Mipha on the altar of her own survival, etc.

To elaborate: Princess Zelda personally requested Mipha, the beloved Crown Princess of the Zora, to become Champion. Despite Dorephan's hesitance, he allows it. Then, Zelda fails her, and Mipha dies in the Calamity that Zelda failed to prevent, but also that Zelda manages to survive.

Like... as harsh, cruel, and unfair as this is to poor Zelda... do you think that the Domain, which is STILL mourning Mipha a century later, would just... wave that away?

Now... how much Zelda is truly to blame for the Calamity is another matter, one that I will explore in a post hopefully shorter than this one. Suffice to say, I have many opinions, and some of the conclusions are perhaps unkind to her, which only further justifies my interpretations of Hyrule's blame, and Zelda's guilt and grief.

The point is that... Hyrule would see an easy target to dump their grief on. And I I don't believe they would just let it go.

Furthermore, Zelda has no political influence anymore. She can't force anyone to listen to her, or obey her commands, since all of that was destroyed in the Calamity. Moreover, with Zelda's reputation being that of colossal failure, I doubt that anyone in Hyrule would wish to submit to her, to give her the chance to fuck everything up again.

God. I feel really horrible typing all of this out, lol. And yet, I genuinely believe that this would be the reaction to her. So, if in the sequel, everything is being rebuilt and everyone is totally happy with Zelda, well...

I'm gonna be very upset. Because, in my opinion, if all of Hyrule just forgave Zelda's failures, and ignored their disastrous consequences, that would be extremely unrealistic.

As much as this headcanon hurts, and would hurt me to see, I'd be very vindicated by it, lol.

If anyone has any opinions, feel free to let me know.

Just please keep everything civil lol. This is only a random person on the internet's opinion.

[kaymaystar]

Among Masks of Mystery

A Zelink Regency(-esque) AU one-shot. Read on AO3 or below the cut! 

 “Truly your Majesty, our trade has never been stronger with the Zora, I myself am proud to say that-“

 Zelda hums, barely paying attention as Lord Varis drawls on. She sips at her wine, her mind wandering as the short man in front of her continues to boast of his courtly achievements. He had become the bane of her existence in prior months, as the head of the search for a proper suitor. Lord Varis had been the first to suggest that she begin to seriously consider marriage - “to secure your lineage” he had crooned -  and it had left a bad taste in her mouth even as she had humbly accepted his assistance with the aid of her court. She frowns slightly at the recollection, but Varis takes no notice.

 “- much to our delight. And I hear that the search may soon be over, your majesty, for a suitable husband. Why just this morning there was a young nobleman who-“

 Her attentions are diverted and Lord Varis’ speech cut short when the guards at the entrance hall to the ballroom slam their staffs against the marble floor, signaling someone’s arrival. All eyes turn to look and the orchestra ceases to play in anticipation. There stands the most beautiful man Zelda has ever seen. Or, what she thinks is the most beautiful man she’s ever seen. His intricate costume mask covers a majority of his features, but his hair is a marvelous golden blonde - his stature solid and lean. One of her guards steps forward to announce his title, but the man extends a hand and shakes his head, silencing him.

How   odd.

 The orchestra strikes up again when the man moves to enter the room, and Zelda’s eyes track him as he takes a direct path to the Zora Princess. She watches with rapt interest as they exchange words, and he smiles sweetly at her as he bows and kisses a jeweled hand. He drifts away, mingling with a couple of the other members of royalty in the ballroom and Zelda quickly (and possibly rudely) excuses herself from the conversations with Lord Varis.

 Mipha is happy to see her, as always, and the mask around her eyes does little to conceal her mirth.

 “Do you know the gentleman?” She asks, uncouth and without formalities.

 Mipha smiles at her conspiratorially.

“Sir Farore? Since we were children.”

Zelda nods minutely, her eyes still following his figure as he crosses the ballroom to shake hands with the Gerudo King.

 “He is handsome, is he not?” Mipha nudges her softly, amusement alight in her tone. Zelda looks at her with a delicate eyebrow lifted and hefts her glass to her lips in a bid to stay silent.

 “Although,” the Zora Princess whispers, “I hear he is just recently engaged. And to the most beautiful woman in Hyrule, I have heard said.”

 Zelda scoffs, smoothing the fabric of her dress and handing her empty glass to a passing servant.

 “Well. I hardly see her in attendance tonight.”

 The pearls around the edge of her mask press uncomfortably into the flesh of her cheeks, and she grimaces. Most beautiful woman in Hyrule indeed. She would see about that. She can hear Mipha giggle as she stalks away, her intent clear on confronting the gentleman in question.

 Her path is blocked however, when the young Zora Prince steps in front of her with a toothy grin. He is nearly a decade younger than his sister, but double her size, and Zelda smiles kindly at him as he asks her to dance.

 She is momentarily distracted by his cheerful demeanor, enjoying the influence his presence is having on her attitude.

 When their set is over, she thanks him genuinely and scans the room until she finds the golden hair and emerald green tailcoat she is looking for. He is deep in conversation with a Rito noble, and Zelda sighs. It would be inappropriate for her to interrupt- though by the look on Sir Farore’s face he would rather be anywhere else. She resolves to find him again later, after she has chased down a servant to request another glass of wine.

 The evening drags on, and set after set is danced merrily. Zelda catches glances of the handsome gentleman throughout the night - but by some influence or another, they never meet. He dances a few sets with the Zora Princess, and a few even with the young Gerudo ambassador. She feels a bitter sting on her tongue as she watches them, chasing after her jealousy with a swig of wine. It is only after he has led the ambassador off the floor that his eyes lock onto hers, and for all of her pursuant behavior earlier in the evening she suddenly feels rooted to the spot.

 He crosses the room in what seems like a few steps, coming to stand before her for only mere moments before crossing an arm over his chest and bowing low.

 “And here I had thought we were doomed to avoid each other for the entire evening, Sir.”

 Zelda titters.

 He extends a hand which she gracefully accepts with her own, and he presses his lips to the top of her hand briefly - the heat of his breath piercing through the silk of her glove.

“My apologies, your Majesty.” He responds, standing to his full height.  “I did not think my presence would be of much consequence to you.”

 Zelda tuts, her small amount of irritation melting away as he continues to hold onto her hand.

 “If you are not presently engaged, would you do me the honor of dancing the next set?”

 “I am not,” Zelda affirms, allowing him to lead her towards the dance floor. “But I hear you are.” She finishes, and he pulls her in close as the orchestra begins a slow romantic tune.

His eyes, a striking blue, sparkle behind his mask and he smirks.  “Ah. You must be speaking of my recent betrothal”

 “To the most beautiful woman in Hyrule, I have also heard. To what lucky Lady should I wish joy?”

He smiles again, leading her into a turn with a gentle hand on her waist. His breath is hot on the shell of her ear.  “That, I’m afraid, is for me to know Majesty. And for you, to find out.”

 They end face to face just as the orchestra plays out, and Zelda fights to keep the flush from rising on her cheeks. She steps away.

 “Forgive me. I’m feeling quite wearied. Would you care to join me on the veranda?”

 He nods silently, offering an arm and guiding her out of the ballroom into the cool night air. She closes the glass doors behind them, pulling them further onto the balcony and into the shadows. She releases her hold on his sleeve and grips at the stone ledge, struggling to keep her composure. His hand sliding over top of hers, compassionate and gentle, breaks her.

 “Link...” She whispers, her tone hushed but desperate as she turns to cling at his waistcoat. “I am in agony. I have suffered tonight as never before. I know you think ill of my decision to allow Lord Varis to inquire after suitors but I cannot bear another day of playing this lie! I cannot continue pretending I do not know you, do not love you. Please, say that you have not found another as I so desperately dread.”

 His face is soft, impassive, as he slides his mask up above his eyes and Zelda can finally see his full features. He is just as handsome as ever, even more so Zelda thinks as the moonlight caresses the sharp edges of his jaw and the slight curve of his nose. His hands are cold when they reach up to caress her arms.

 “I could never love another so ardently as I love you.” He breathes.

 “Then why does everyone speak of an engagement?!” She all but shrieks as his thumbs rub a soothing circle across her chilled skin.

 “Because there is.”

Zelda can feel the tears pricking at her eyes.  “Then your love is a falsehood.”

 “No! No. My darling Zelda, please understand me. There is an engagement not only in my future but also in yours, if you will have me...”

 His hands migrate to her now tear stained cheeks, and Zelda sucks in a shuddering breath.

 “I do not understand...what are you-“

 “I presented myself to your council this morning.” He rushes, and Zelda’s eyes widen. “As a candidate for your hand.”

 There is a heavy pause between them in which Zelda feels as though the air is being pulled from her lungs. She dares not break the silence.

 “They accepted. Despite my status, Zelda. They accepted.”

 A bubbling laugh of disbelief crosses his lips, and Zelda finds herself joining in - the realization dawning on her gradually. She clutches at his chest even tighter, elation coursing through her body.

 She cannot find the words to express her relief, so instead she pushes herself forward onto her toes and crushes her lips against his.

 She kisses her Knight with vigor, attempting to express the depth of her emotions in a single act. He reciprocates eagerly, his fingers grasping at the back of her neck to pull her ever closer. When she finally breaks away, it is with a heaving breast and to only rest her forehead against his.

 “Marry me.” He pleads softly.

 Zelda can only kiss him again in answer.

[autistic-beshelar]

differences and parallels between riju and sidon

no-themes-just-memes Do you have any headcanons for Yunobo and Sidon? I...

 legally you have to get started on Riju and Sidon now 

@no-themes-just-memes​ i am actively going to come into your house and kill you in your sleep for making me write this

(note: this got really long so there’s a tl;dr at the bottom)

- they’re both Babies. (listen) riju is a child, maybe about twelve or thirteen, and awfully young to be a leader. sidon is an adult, albeit a young one (in my mind he’s like the zora equivalent of early twenties), but he’s been in this position since he was very young. - they were both tragically small when their family died - sidon seemed very young in that flashback scene

and i don’t think it would have been more than a year or so after that that mipha actually died. it’s not clear when riju’s mother passed (either that or i just can’t find it), but given that she states: “Patricia was a present from the former...from my mother. She turned out to be my first and last gift from her...” as well as the fact that she seems fairly used to ruling, i’d say it’s probably been a few years since her mother died. this isn’t canon, but i’d say she was maybe 8 or 9.

- they’re both in positions of power they wouldn’t have been in so soon had their family not died. riju would have eventually been chief, yes, but she should have had decades to prepare. instead, the burden was forced upon her before she even hit her teens, and she was robbed of her childhood. sidon would always have been prince, but it’s likely more of the duties would have fallen to mipha. with her passing, he’s next in line to be king, while if she’d been alive he would have remained prince and mipha would have been queen, or maybe they would have ruled jointly. and frankly she’s better suited to it (honestly, can you imagine this adhd fucker sitting on a throne all day? i’m not entirely convinced he’d be happy in that position...)

- they both have kind parental figures, though their relationships with them are very different. riju has buliara, a very capable guard who never leaves her side and is essentially her mother figure (i may or may not have a headcanon that buliara and riju’s mother were involved). she’s very (one might even say overly) defensive of her charge, and clearly cares about her a great deal.

sidon on the other hand luckily still has his father, and everyone knows dorephan is Best Dad. they’re clearly close, and dorephan frequently congratulates him and tells him he’s proud of him. 

i think that’s one of the main differences in their situations - sidon has a lot on his shoulders, but he has his father to support and guide him, and as dorephan is still king, sidon isn’t solely responsible for the entire domain. riju, although she has a guard who cares for her, protects her, and likely advises her on political matters and the like, she still has to rule alone, and doesn’t seem to have any other kind of family.

- they both mask. this is of course a reflection of their respective cultures - the gerudo on a whole are a fairly serious, stoic people, whereas the zora, especially the younger ones, are generally quite cheerful and playful - but riju and sidon both take it to extremes, and when alone (or when they think they’re alone) they let their guards slip, riju being excitable and childish

 and sidon being quiet and vulnerable.

- they both feel lost. in her diary (fun fact - riju’s first name is makeela) riju talks about her fears that she isn’t as good a chief as her mother (in part because she’s so young) she also says “No one says a word about my leadership... But they must be thinking about how powerless their chief has proven to be”  . i’m pretty sure her fears are unfounded, given everyone in town seems to have good things to say about her. 

however, after vah naboris, she says she’s much happier: “Now I look forward to each and every day.” we stan an emotionally healthy pre-teen

sidon, unfortunately, doesn’t have a diary to sneakily read from, but the conversation with mipha is enough evidence for me that he feels lost. where riju brightens up after vah naboris is reclaimed, the conversation with sidon and link only happens after vah ruta, so the domain being saved has done little to help.

given that he still seeks out her advice, even after so many years, and given that he stands by her statue every night i expect he feels this way quite a lot of the time. it wouldn’t surprise me if his feelings weren’t at least a little bit due to the elders - where riju it seems is supported by everyone, i’m not convinced the same can be said for sidon. while the younger generation like and support him (or, you know, openly want to bone him (sidon my very asexual friend i am so sorry)), it seems like the he and the elders do not see eye to eye, and likely about more than just their xenophobia towards hylians. part of this is probably because sidon frankly has considerably less of a grasp on how to be a Proper Royal than riju does despite the training he must have had, with one zora going so far as to say “there are those among the elders who do not comprehend why he behaves as he does” which honestly, big autistic mood  

-  they both talk to their lost family at night. we ALL know sidon does as i said above, but RIJU DOES THAT TOO with her mother, and with. considerably less Secret Depression energy.   

- they’re both incredibly brave (and also maybe a bit reckless). not only does riju give you protection as you both weave inbetween huge monster feet

she also went to investigate on her own before that, until she was “driven back by a sandstorm and lightning” and was found by buliara, after riju had presumably passed out in the desert. riju this is why buliara won’t leave your side anymore

and of course, sidon calms vah ruta with the help of a random twink he just picked up that’s uh, wielding shock arrows that are potentially lethal to him. my favourite though is the octorok story, which i’m sure most of the fandom knows, in which he decided to go all the way to hateno to defend the fishermen from a giant monster. i love him.

tl;dr:

- both very brave and kindhearted people - both grieving a family member they lost tragically young - both mask how they feel and to an extent who they are for the sake of their people - both get embarrassed when link discovers them dropping said mask - both feel lost and look to their deceased family member for guidance, to no avail - both exceptionally fashionable i mean have you SEEN their jewellery... 

thoughts:

i think sidon and riju would get along really well tbh. sidon would have a lot of respect for her, and be able to sympathise with her, and would happily offer her advice, since he’s been a similar position for quite a few years longer than she has. i expect he’d encourage her to actually have some fun once in a while. 

and riju i think would be grateful for someone to talk to, someone who supports her both as chief and as herself, someone who acknowledges her power and capability as a great leader and also recognises that she is still just a child. i think she’d feel comfortable talking to him about her mother and she might even convince him to open up a bit. if we’re lucky she might even convince him to GO TO BED PLEASE I AM BEGGING YOU THIS CANNOT BE HEALTHY

[bxstiae]

⚜ ; [ HEALING && SCARS / HC.6  ]     CHARA. STUDY │ DEVELOPMENT

i’ve been thinking about this for days now & i just didn’t know how to go about it. mainly because there’s just so much to unpack with it. i suppose to put it simply -- link doesn’t have MANY scars. well i mean.... i suppose he does but many of them are... barely visible ( i.e. they are simply just discoloured lines/markings for the most part. ) he’s not scar ridden -- which is crazy to think but it has to do a lot with how many of his woulds in battle were treated. most of his injuries that would have scarred him were treated rather quick & with magic which causes him not to scar...  ( which i will also discuss in this post ) but that being said... link does have !!! some scars that are extremely visible. partially cause they weren’t healed/taken care of in time. 

anyway, i suppose i’ll break this up in parts for you though. I’ll start with what scars he has though. and then get down to the nitty gritty details of why he doesn’t have them && his sources of healing. HERE is a ref for his back i suppose? it’s just a quick doodle o a sticky so it’s not anywhere near from perfect, but the tags are also very important to note as well. anything else is going to be under a read more. read at your discretion. obviously this talks about injuries so keep that in mind alright? i really don’t wanna bother with tagging cause this is your warning now. if you need me to tag it then by all means please let me know. 

TRIGGERS CONTAINED: injury, stabbing, impalement, electrocution, near downing etc.

THE INJURIES

BACK

right shoulder -- from an arrow hitting him. it had snapped in the middle of the fight with the arrowhead still lodged in him && stayed there long enough to do some serious scarring. he couldn’t stop to take it out due to the fight. simply had too many enemies on him, and when midna took it out, they were nowhere near a spring nor did they have any faeries on them to patch it up.

gash-like scare on lower right side of the back -- from a poe. the scythe hit him hard enough to severely wound him. the faerie on hand could have either given the strength he needed to finish the poe off, or heal him completely. he chose the former as he wouldn’t be able to live otherwise. midna was able to teleport him soon after to save him from bleeding out but not soon enough prevent the scar. recovery time took about a week before he could get back on his feet.

stab-like wound from dynalfos on left side of his back. the tail-whip attack stabbed him and he genuinely didn’t realise until after the adrenaline from the fight wore off. he felt sore, and when he reached, he felt blood. being nowhere close to a spring he && midna spent a good hour or so looking for a faerie. they ended up having to cauterise the wound too so he wouldn’t keep opening it up in their frantic search. so by the time they DID find a faerie it was more for the pain && replenishing energy than anything.

LEFT SHOULDER

a reason why link doesn’t like flying. a kargarok grabbed him with its talons and pulled him upwards. in the desperation of trying to have it let go of him, it clawed him well enough. he fell into the water and was ultimately drowing because he couldn’t move his left arm at all. it was a zora ( who was heading to the water temple ) that pulled him out. that same zora was the one who brought him back to get assistance for his wound -- not knowing that they could have easily taken him to lanayru’s spring. so instead of being healed how he normally goes about, he was tended to the ‘old fashioned’ way. thus a scar

FRONT

he’s been impaled by a chilfos spear in the lower left abdomen.

there’s discolouration on right side of his chest from a burn ( not super noticeable )

WRISTS/ARMS

reason for his bandages actually -- kept getting cuts and scratches as a farmhand. had also burned himself a couple of times as well. mayor bo said enough and told him to wrap up his lower arms. 

they’re just various cuts that turned into small scars as he didn’t know about the spring’s magical healing properties at the time nor was the hero’s spirit awakened at the time.

left arm -- discoloured but not at all severely from a venomous sting/bite.

LEGS

right leg -- there’s an electrocution scar on his lower leg. again, not at all bad as time progressed. 

link’s injuries on his arms && legs have mostly healed up tbh -- from his constant bathing in the springs that is. but the ones on his back, front, and should still remain and are reminders that even he can scar. he’s not immune to injury. and he doesn’t have that perfect skin that you think he has. anyway moving on.

HEALING

SO... as i have mention in my other post. there are 3 reasons for his unnatural/magical healing.

attunement to the triforce && the its brand. the light spirits && their springs faeries

I’ll start in order tbh. but keep in mind that the latter two are the most IMPORTANT ones for link’s healing -- ESPECIALLY the light spirits && their springs.

TRIFORCE

being the hero of courage has it’s perks. that begin that there is a natural affinity towards magic. this means that most all other people? cannot get healed. at least not in the way that link can ( being healed by faeries or the light spirit springs ). the brand makes him able to tap into some of that magic. whether he knows that or not is still a question. it could be that it just naturally comes out at times -- or it could be that he knows and when he is able, he uses it. regardless being the bearer of the triforce means that theres some of that magical essence that can help him along the way. 

he may not be immortal, nor does this power make him so, but his soul is everlasting. so that is something you have to take into consideration. it’s a special soul that is bound to being life for an eternity, so it will have some magical properties to it.

LIGHT SPIRITS && THEIR SPRINGS

consider it like magical holy water if you will. these springs are blessed by the light sprits’ powers. which, in turn, help the hero along his journey. simply standing in it produces healing effects ( as you can see in the game ). but bathing or immersing youreself in it, you’re getting the full healing powers of the spring.

the water helps with just about any and all injury/pain. ( almost all pain ). while it cannot heal a broken heart by any means, it’s capable of soothing one’s body. it is very HOLY in this aspect. so naturally link will seek to bathe/cleanse himself when he can.

the spirits themselves possess healing powers. they can -- if you are a child of LIGHT -- help you to an extent. however their light is extremely strong, and sometimes can do more harm than good. so if you are, lets say somebody who isn’t a natural born triforce weilder and/or your soul is tainted in some way/shape/form, it could hurt you, make you sick, or even kill you. which is why you would want to go for their springs instead. cause the water has only a fraction of the light spirit’s true power but is capable of healing all the same.

one thing to NOTE, however, is that the springs do you better if you just recently sustained an injury. it’s fast acting as the wound is recent. but the longer you wait to go the the spring, the harder/longer it is/takes to heal you. you don’t want to wait on it. mainly because the spring cannot guarantee that you’ll be healed 100%. if you don’t go right away, then you’ll be left with a scar. end of story.

faeries

these creatures are much like the spirits of light, in that most of them are healers. since they do tend to hang around the spirits’ springs, it just goes to show you that they have a deep rooted connection with those light spirits. the special thing about faeries, though, is that tehy are quite versatile. their healing abilities can range. 

they can prevent death by granting a ‘second chance’ while VERY RARELY, you’ll come across a faerie that turns back the time just a little bit, all faeries that have healing magic can turn the internal clockwork of link -- cause his body to experience that time-like effect. they can either do that, or just BRING him back to life by giving him that energy.

they can also heal link RIGHT on the spot, just like the springs can, thus preventing him for obtaining a scar. however it’s just the same as the springs, you have to do it right then and there. the longer you wait, the less likely it will work.

i think?? thats about it in regards to this subject though? i know i am a bit scattered with this but i just wanted to let you guys know where i look at with link && scars. i’m not saying he has baby soft skin. but it really does speak VOLUMES in regards to how little scarring he has despite how many near death experiences that he’s had. && thats jut cause he’s lucky to have such places to go to for healing. it’s not because he’s careful. don’t get me wrong. he is NOT careful by any means. in fact, if we look at him and what he’s done with himself in some of these fights? you wouldn’t be looking at the same cute face you’re looking at right now. he just simply knows how to TAKE CARE of himself. or rather.... he’s bee fortunate enough to have these places. which, mind you, he kinda takes a bit for granted sometimes. not ALL the time. but enough to where he probably would have an oh shit moment if these things weren’t readily available or accessible.

but anyway, if you wanna know more about this. you can always ask lol.

[triforceangel13]

Golden Eyes Ch. 20 (A SidLink Story)

Chapter 20: Right Where You Belong

Days had passed since the incident in the reservoir. Sidon had made sure to give Link the up most care he needed.

But instead of leaving him in the hands of the healers Sidon took it upon himself to keep him in his care. After what had happened earlier he wanted to make sure that he could keep an eye on him as well as make sure that certain care was done.

He still needed to weed out the Zoras that had been loyal to Ruto and question them. He didn't want anyone harming Link.

He had brought him to, now, their room, making sure he was nice and comfortable on the large four post bed, tucked into the most warm blankets.

As Link rest Sidon took care of some things without leaving his side. He issued Ruto to be banished from his kingdom and to be escorted back home before anymore damage could be done by her. He would not have anyone take advantage of his hospitality again.

Zelda hadn't left the Domain either, wanting to see that Link woke from his slumber before she was to go home again.

Wedding preparations were also being made already despite the Link hadn't awakened yet. The council had wanted a proper wedding as soon as possible. It wasn't the fact that Sidon was ruling the Domain without a queen, it was because the two of them had already been wed in the past, wanting to make it official.

It surprised Sidon, but nonetheless he was happy to see at least the Zoras that fought him almost every corner was enthusiastic to wed them.

But this wedding was only to happen if Link had accepted him once more after the way he had treated him back then. And after everything he had been through he didn't blame him if he just wanted no part of this life ever again. From breaking his heart all those months ago all the way to yelling at him over his father's death.

He had promised Link back then that he would never hurt him again and he had done so yet again. He wanted to keep his promise.

Yes Sidon had saved him but he had been without so much blood after the attack that Sidon knew that Link didn't really have a matter to speak or make decisions when he had been in that sort of condition even from being saved.

Which was why he would break this to him slowly if he could. He wasn't sure what Link was going to be like when he woke.

His wounds had healed most of the way, the bleeding having stopped back when Sidon had some how healed him. He still had not figured out how he had done such a thing but he knew he would need to look into that as well at a later time.

Perhaps it was in the family or it was within every Zora but needed to be found he wasn't sure. It was something he would need to ask the other healers.

He looked over some paperwork at the desk in the room another morning, tapping his quill on the parchment before him. Now as King there was much to do and things to announce to the rest of Hyrule. It would be a while till he could have a calm moment again.

However he was becoming distracted. He kept wondering what Link would do. He wished him to stay but he was not about to force him to.

He wanted to take as much time as he needed apologizing to him. Such terrible things he had said to him out of anger and grief.

He should have seen this from his side sooner, that way if he had Link may never had ended up in the dungeons and none of this would have happened. Link would have been happy and smiling rather than lay on the bed unconscious.

But despite all of that, now he was safe and healing. Sidon would protect him with everything he had to make sure that no harm ever came to him again. And even if he left he would see to it that he remained protected.

Link hadn't been sure how to tell him what happened. It wasn't easy news to deliver and he had lashed out at him.

Perhaps when this was all over they could have a redo on their honeymoon, make up for how he had acted and not have a care in the world. To enjoy their time together  the way they should have in the first place.

“Where am I...?” a weak voice came from the bed, pulling Sidon from his thoughts. He turned towards the bed, seeing Link having sat up, looking around confused as his eyes adjusted to the sun that shined into the room from the window..

That is until his eyes landed on the large red Zora.

His skin turned pale once more and he shrunk a bit into the bed's pillows, blue eyes scared as he looked at him.

“No, no Link it's okay,” Sidon said quickly to him, rising from the chair so fast it fell to the floor. He made his way to the bed, kneeling down next to it despite that Link still shrunk back even further from him as he came closer.

“I shouldn't be here,” he signed to the Zora, shaking his head hard, his hands shaking so hard that Sidon was almost unable to read them.

He couldn't help but grow concerned. He was scared?

“Easy my love. Easy,” Sidon said, slowly resting his hands on his cheeks. Link's blue eyes snapped open.

Sidon stroked his thumbs over his cheeks, being careful of his claws near his eyes.

“Why shouldn't you be here? You are my husband, remember? You have every right to be here just as much as anyone else.”

Well except Ruto.

“You said yourself you never wanted to see me again,” Link quickly responded, pulling his face from his hands.

“No Link. That's not true,” Sidon said, taking his hand and kissing it. “I know I had said I would never hurt you again and I damn well did. I should have never such a thing. Just because I was grieving and angry....”

Link pulled his hand away, pushing his hands against Sidon's shoulders to give the two of them some distance.

“I know I don't deserve to have you forgive me but that is all that I have...I love you dearly and I just feel lucky that you had been a part of my life...” Sidon finished.

These past months of solitude had really messed with Link's head.

What else had Ruto done to him? What had she said to him? She had lied to him he was sure but what had she said?

“Link...” Sidon said sadly.

“I never told you about your father. I should have told you and I hadn't I don't deserve to be with you and-”

Sidon grabbed hold of Link's hands, kissing them again.

“Link, I do not blame you at all. That was not easy news to tell,” Sidon tried to reassure him. Link's shoulders slumped a bit at his words. “Please believe me my love in when I say that I am not angry with you.”

Link let out a sigh, looking down to his bandaged chest, confusion crossing over his face. Sidon watched him carefully, coming to the realization that Link did not remember what had happened in the reservoir or the monster and what it had done for that matter.

“Link...do you not remember what happened?” Sidon asked. Link scrunched his forehead a bit, shaking his head a moment later.

Sidon let out a small sigh. “I was afraid so....you had taken quite an intense beating back there.”

Link looked down at his head, suddenly snapping his head up as the memories flowed before his blue eyes.

Running from the infirmary to the armory, picking his weapons and then rushed to the reservoir. Sidon had appeared just in the right time and together they were to take it down.

Sidon had dove into the water and Link...

Carefully Link ran his hands over the healing wounds on his chest. That was right. He had taken the hit to the chest. And then....and then...

What? What happened after that? Everything was hazy.

“How did I survive?” he asked aloud, rubbing the wounds lightly again.

Sidon slowly took one of his hands in his own once again, resting a kiss to the back of it. “I'm not sure how, but I had done some healing much like my sister used to do. It wasn't nearly as effective but...it brought you back to me.”

Lin's blue eyes gazed up at him. Sidon had saved him. If he had hated him why ever would he try to save him like this?

Sidon did forgive him, beast slain or not. Just knowing that had him feeling better.

Quickly he tensed however. “What about Ruto?” he asked. “What if she finds out-”

“Do not worry my love,” Sidon said to him, kissing his hand again. “She is taken care of. She is being escorted back home and will never bother us again. I feel ashamed for not realizing sooner just how evil that woman was.”

Link relaxed slightly. There was no anger coming from Sidon, there was no more way Ruto to torture him or lie to him.

He had no reason any longer to stay away from his happiness. He could finally come home after running for so long.

“Now, before I forget,” Sidon said, reaching into the pouch on his side, taking out something gold from it. “Link. May I ask you something?”

Link gazed at the necklace that sat in Sidon's palm. The same gold and sapphire one that Ruto had taunted him with.

“Isn't that...?”

“Ruto did have it for a while, back before I had left to come find you,” Sidon explained. “But I took it back. It belongs to the one the prince, or rather king, wishes to marry as a symbol of their eternal love, much like the princess would make a suit of armor for their intended. Forgive me for having ever put it around Ruto's neck.”

Link rest his hands on Sidon's wrists, eyes twinkling just like Sidon loved to see, the blonde eager to hear those words again.

“Link...may I ask for your hand once more in marriage?”

Link nodded his head happily.

Sidon smiled gently at him, taking the necklace and clasping it around his neck, the rightful place that it belonged.

“There. This is where it was supposed to be all this time,” Sidon said warmly. Link peered up at him, his hand resting on the necklace and carefully pushed himself up to kiss Sidon against the lips a feeling he had missed so much.

Sidon sighed against his mouth, cupping his face in his hands.

All that they had been through, the pain, the anger, all of it didn't matter any longer. All that mattered was that they now could just be with one another as they should have been all along.

*

“I now pronounce you married under the eyes of the goddess. May I present the King and Queen of Zora's Domain,” Zelda said loudly in the hall for all guests to hear. “Sidon, I grant you permission to kiss your queen.”

Sidon didn't hesitate to scoop Link up in his arms, spinning him around and kissed him deeply in front of everyone.

The applause around them was nearly deafening, combined with all races of Hyrule there to witness their union.

Even the elders that sat in the front nodded their heads in approval and applauded along with them. A union that they were all waiting for.

But neither of them heard the sounds. Sure this was the second time that they were declared to be wed but now it was official in the eyes of the kingdom. Nothing would pull them apart now. They would never let anything get in the way of them again.

The days up to the second wedding had been like a dream. Link had healed in bed while Sidon sat with him, going over brief wedding discussions of what they would need to do for the elder council to approve of them.

Zelda had been more than happy to officiate the wedding herself as the queen of Hyrule in the king's place, extremely happy to see them finally together.

“Seeing that upon your head...it suits you,” Sidon said as he pulled away, looking to the circlet that sat on Link's golden locks.

“Royalty or not...I'm just glad that I'm here with you,” Link whispered so that only Sidon could hear him. “It feels right to be with you.”

Sidon smiled, never tiring of hearing Link's voice, still something that Link tended to only let him hear. Just like the first time he heard it it was like a small present for him each time.

“I love you Link,” Sidon mumbled to him, leaning in close to lay a soft kiss against the corner of his smiling mouth.

“I love you,” Link replied softly. “My golden eyed prince.”

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[zannaleejoy-blog]

15 Tips For ACTUALLY Writing ✍🏼

Disclaimer: Some of these tips are ones I’ve come across on social media and some are from my own personal experience and research. These tips don’t necessary apply to novel writing just really for any kind of creative writing such as: comics, fan fictions, essays, scripts, etc…

Tip #1 Reward Yourself

 Working is a lot easier when you know there is something to gain from all that work. Whatever that may be. If you are someone who has an income and at least 20-100 dollars they can set aside. Pay yourself to write, for as many amount of pages, words, or scenes you write, pay yourself and use the money to buy yourself whatever it is your heart desires. And for those of you who don’t make much money instead- reward yourself with something you love to do. Maybe it’s playing video games for the rest of the day, or watching a YouTube video, or even taking a nap or just some time to yourself. Personally, I have a piggy bank that I put all spare money into and for every page I write at the end of the month I get that money. So if I write 15 pages in the whole month I’ve got 15 dollars to buy whatever it is I want, maybe more pencils or snacks!

Tip #2 Hold Yourself Accountable: 

If you are someone who gets embarrassed easily or who has a lot of guilt find a family member or friend who can make sure you are writing. For example: If you let them know your word goal everyday is 100 words have them ask you about it and be honest with both them and yourself. Heck, a friend on the Internet or posting on your favorite social media platform your success or failure can go along way to make sure you stick to your goals. I tend to post how many words I write in a day on Twitter. My followers tend to congratulate me on my success and I like to have that positive reaction daily so I stick to meeting my goals.

Tip #3 Writing is Practice:

 If you’re are scared that your writing is bad I can tell you first hand that not writing or being scared to write something bad is the worst thing you can do if you are fearful of sucking because you’re going to at least for a little while but the best part about humans is that if we were to do any one thing for days upon days we will inevitably get better at it. So if you write constantly than you are 100% guaranteed to get good. I have an old fan fiction that's been left on the Internet for years and I constantly go back to it to see my massive improvement and it excites me to think that I will continue to get even better.

Tip #4 Track Your Progress:

If you follow me on Twitter than you already know that I have a planner that has stickers for every 500 words I write in a day. I originally got this idea from Alexa Donne’s sticker method here on YouTube and have altered it slightly to fit my personal writing journey. I really like putting more stickers in my planner and it fulfills the child in me to see visually how much I’m achieving as well as I will purposely write more if I am close to receiving another sticker. Tally marks, or a spreadsheet on excel can also do wonders or anything that allows you to visually see your progress.

Tip #5 Set Low Low Word Counts: 

On days that I feel shitty I usually only expect me to hit 250 words because I know on my worst day I can achieve that- Also if I hit 250 I am only halfway to my regular word count of 500 so I strongly advise setting something stupidly achieve able. 20 words? 50 words? You can write that! So do that and when you've got the hang of it build it up. Just understand that the smaller the word count the longer it'll take to write it.

Tip #6 Writing Sprints: 

Writing Sprints are probably the only thing on this list I don’t practice mainly because time limits stress me out and I tend to work quickly anyway. However if you need that extra push or have very limited time to get some writing done than I encourage a writing sprint. 10 minutes to write 300 words? Or 20 minutes to write as much as you can. It prevents that critical side of you from coming out because like sonic you gotta go fast.

Tip #7 You’re Not Writing A Book:

 Now for my aspiring authors like myself understand that you, especially if you are on your rough draft, are a long way from publication and that's drafting is just putting words on paper, bad words, good words, little notes of incoherent babble. It’s a mess and you are the only person who will ever have to see it. It’s a story and it’s like telling one verbally you are just trying to convey the general message it’s sloppy and you’re mumbling and stumbling and repeating and backtracking. But as long there is a complete story no matter how sucky it’s still complete.

Tip #8 Quantity is 10x’s Better Than Quality: 

To add on to last point I suggest in prewriting and drafting to just put whatever the fuck comes to mind down. Especially in the prewriting phase when you are brainstorming and outlining just fit as many wild ideas as possible because in those times where nothing seems to be coming that will be your saving grace every single time. Because having too many ideas is better than none. When I was brainstorming I sat with my boyfriend when he was playing games and generated all kinds of ludicrous ideas but also came across a lot of awesome and happy accidents. You have to be brave and just dump whatever out and save it for later and dig through the trash.

Tip #9 Give Your Book Some Essence: 

Your book has a certain feel that only you know this comes from playlists for scenes, characters, and plot- you've got aesthetic boards for your characters, maybe you have vines that remind you of your characters. Find those things and jot them down, put them in a folder or document and hold them close. I have Pinterest boards for my characters and settings. I’ve got playlists, and these things fuel my writing and creativity. I understand my book and I am reminded that no one can write it like me.

Tip #10 Nothing is Set In Stone: 

Unless you are carving your book in a stone tablet or writing your book across the walls in sharpie than you can always go back, you can always fix and delete. We often rewrite from paper or go back into our word documents and mix things around. Write shit until you have the courage to fix it.

Tip #11 Write With A Person/Person(s) In Mind:

Writing for an audience is hard to envision for me, so instead I write for a person or a couple people in mind. Which falls in line with my writing, I’ve always written for people whether it be classmates, friends, or people on the Internet and soon when I write a book for everyone to read. Writing for me has always been about writing for others and getting through drafting and writing in general is trying to get reactions, laughs, and smiles out of my readers. If you write for someone who loves you then you will always feel comfort in pleasing them and that no matter what you write it doesn’t matter what others think because they will love it regardless. I often write for my boyfriend, mother, brother, and my best friend. The four people who are close to me and are guaranteed to enjoy my writing and I can guarantee that you too, have someone that will love what you write and you’ll want to please them.

Tip #12 Write For Children/ Write Silly:

If you feel like you have to write a story that needs to have complex prose and have subtleties and be nuanced which is nice and all but if you are struggling it’s okay to just write like you are writing for a young one, someone old enough to read but young enough to understand basic storytelling. And if writing once upon a time puts you in the mood to write more than all power to it. You can always delete that once upon a crap later. Just tell us the story. Hell I use to do this kind of stuff with outlining which was fucking hard for me at first when I was a hardcore pantser sometimes I would write really silly. For example, Henry eats food, and he falls dead, the village knows the food is bad, food is suspicious, main character Zora will find it out, it’s the storm the storm has ruined the food. Oh no! This is just a simple way for me to get many thoughts down and to easily expand and not feel like I need to write something perfect.

Tip #13 Write Dialogue First and Finish The Rest Later: 

It’s pretty self explanatory but you need to just get dialogue done first. When I wrote Dragon Age fan fiction this is when I first used this. It was a sure fire way for me to get words on paper because Dragon Age’s dialogue is a big part of the dragon age experience if you aren’t already aware. I usually get distracted by dialogue tags and description and slows me down significantly so write all the dialogue and figure the other stuff later.

Tip #14 Surround Yourself With Positivity: 

If you’ve got friends and family who support you like I am lucky enough to have people who support me, even if you don’t have people in your everyday life who support you then it’s a good idea to join a writing community whether it be on discord, Instagram, Twitter, whatever find your writer friends and hold them close because having some friends to cheer you on, support you, and fall back on does all the good.

Tip #15 Character and Setting Visual Stimuli: 

Because I am horrible with description of people and setting I found that have pictures of my characters and settings is the easiest way to describe when I can see it somewhere other than in my head. I strongly suggest utilizing this because you also add on your own little things if the picture doesn’t fit entirely.

[insaincat]

Bluer than the ocean. Pt 1

Sidlink. 

Siren Au. World where the Champions lived. Some Gore. Murder Mystery. Romance. Mythology. Link is a hoarder. Sidon isn't the biggest thing out there, or the scariest. Don't know if I’ll finished this. Wrote this randomly with no idea where it was going them BAM, plot happened and I was like ‘shit this was supposed to be a fluff without plot’. Sidon is a love struck puppy. This all happens with in the span of a month.

Sidon is sent to Lurelin village to help eradicate a water monster that the villagers can't quite catch. Except it isn't a water monster doing the killings. In fact, said water monster is quite innocent. But now Sidon has to find out who or what is killing the men in the village. 

The Village Chief then introduces him to a quite small Hylian, who seems to hold just as many mysteries as the ocean. He wants to help too, but he kinda scares Sidon. And yet there's just something about him that intrances him. Maybe it's his soft song like voice? Maybe it's his sun kissed skin speckled with dark freckles? Maybe it’s those gem blue eyes that glow in the sun? Or that smile that made his insides flip in unison? His laugh, oh his laugh. Sidon could listen to that for hours, and it would never fail to turn his brain into mush and have his heart sing...

 Oh Hylia. 

Bluer than the ocean around them, the gems seemed to twinkle. If only they were real gems, Sidon would have taken them home and gifted them to his sister. But the gems had an owner, so he could not take. Instead, he watched, frozen in place, his heart mesmerized by the gems that twinkled in the little sunlight around them. His mind, however, scream danger at the being before him. 

He didn't know what he was. It was too shrouded in darkness to tell. All Sidon could see was those gem-like-eyes that it had, but he did not fail to catch the glittering of pearl white teeth.  It sat under a rock at the seabed’s floor, almost as if it had buried itself there, and by the low growl coming from it, it didn't want him coming any closer. 

This likely was its home, its territory, and Sidon had been intruding. 

Sidon wasn't used to this salt water indruding in his gills as he struggled to breath through his sudden wave of fear, though he took it much better than some of the zora that accompanied him. Might be due to his sub-type.

He and very small army had traveled from Zora’s Domain to Lurelin Village after a member of the Village came hands and knees, begging for the zora’s aid. Sidon’s father had thought it would be a great opportunity for him to see the world and to practice military command. The chief of Lurelin Village had asked them to discover, and hopefully eradicate, whatever was lurking in Aris’s waters. 

It originally had been full of monsters, for which they had been gathering a small troup for, but then something moved in and the monsters disappeared. However, instead of being relieved, they quickly found out that something, likely bigger, just ate them. 

A few men from the village had gone missing, there had been several mentions of some giant fish being spotted in the water, even near the village, and everyone could hear singing at night. While the tune would lull children to sleep and relive Women of their stresses, the men seemed to be entranced by it. Sidon had experienced this himself one night when stayed in the village.

It was beautiful. Something so sweet yet sorrowful swept the air that night. It had been sung in an unknown language, but was slow so maybe he just couldn't tell by the way the vowels were drown out.  It was masculine, he could tell that much, but there were parts of it where the voice sprang to a high note, one that seemed impossible for any sort of male creature to do. 

The voice so velvety seemed to soothe every part of his body, as his mind seemed to distance itself from reality. 

When he came to, he was lying face up on Aris Beach. He didn't know how he got there but it had been morning already. And when he got to the village, they had found a dead body, shredded and torn apart, face completely gone. The body was unrecognizable, but from the point that there was another man missing, this was likely him. Sidon had thanked Hylia that day for not being this man when he was put under that trance. 

But now he was. He was just floating there like a sitting duck, his brain not even remembering the spear in his hand. It stayed there too, hidden in the darkness of the depths. It looked like it considered him enough of a threat to not dare to move just as he did. But then there was movement. 

It wasn't his, or the creature before him. It was off in the distance, towards the beach. It caught both of their attentions, enough to have them tear their eyes off each other. A boat. It was a boat coming closer. The creature sunk further into it’s rock cave and Sidon lowered himself the the sea floor. The boat obviously spooked the creature. But why would it? If it had the ability to take out men and monsters, why did it see the boat as a threat? 

As the shadow of the boat loomed closer, Sidon tried his best to keep in the shadows. And the closer it got, the colder the water seemed. It stopped a few feet away and just sat there for a moment. Then, something large fell into the water and the boat started back towards the beach. 

The creature returned, but instead of seeing those blue gems, Sidon saw pitch black that reflected the sun in an ery way. Every part of Sidon screamed to swim, swim as fast as he could, no, faster than he could, away from that monster. But Sidon kept control of himself. Besides, the creature was no longer looking at him. It was looking at the floating thing in the water. 

Whatever it was, the creature seemed infuriated by it. It shook it’s head a few times, as if it was trying to override the sent of something. Then, Sidon smelled it too just as he heard the words echo in his head. ‘Blood’. It was time to go, and this time, Sidon went with his instinct to swim as fast as his body could possibly take. 

Right before he did, he caught a glimpse of an unhinged jaw and oh so many teeth. 

Sidon had swam right back to the beach and was near wheezing when he arrived. All of the zora had poked their out of the water, a few coming to check on him. 

“Get everyone out of the water, now.” He rasped, as he tried to catch his breath. The guard at his side stood and the words of their Prince, and everyone did as they were told. Few questions were asked as they all headed back to the village, and Sidon was thankful for that. He needed to get his thoughts in order. 

It was near sundown when Bazz, the guard captain, approached him. His father had instructed him to go to keep an eye on Sidon’s actions and advise him when necessary. 

“My Prince.” 

“Hello Bazz.” Sidon turned from the ocean to face the captain. 

“Might I ask what you saw? You seemed fairly... upset.” Bazz seemed to choose his words carefully, as most should around royalty. But Sidon wasn't going to sugar coat what he saw. 

“Terrified is more like it.” He gave a smile to his older friend. “But yes. I can hardly blame you for being concerned.” 

“Its my job after all. Your sister would have my head if not.” Sidon laughed at his dry humor. “Care to tell an old friend?”

“Yes. Well... I admit that i'm not sure myself.” He faced the ocean again, memories of what happened earlier that day surfaced like a new scar. The terror he felt was real, and it made him shiver. “It was odd. I cant really... understand it.”

Bazz sat next to him, showing that he’s lending an ear as a friend rather than a captain. 

“It was...” he breathed a moment. “It was beautiful, at first.”

“Oh god. Please don't tell me about your sex life, my prince.” Bazz smirked. 

“Oh no. Dear Hylia, no. Especially with...” The thought of an unhinged jaw made him shiver again. “...That. I mean, its eyes. They were beautiful. I originally thought that they were a pair of gems just sitting at the ocean floor but....” 

“Goddesses! You mistook eyes for gems? My Prince! I must inform Muzu about this. He’ll make you re-read the book about minerals!” Bazz gave a snort. 

“Please, anything that~!” Sidon leaned to the side and drape an arm over his crown and let out a dramatic sigh. “Why do you take so much pleasure from my pain?”

“Because its something to gosip over. Now, please. Continue about how you almost plucked a poor creature’s eyes out.” 

“I’ll have you note, I very much didn't.” He straightened. “But yes. As I got closer, i noticed it was clearly not what I thought, for, believe it or not, had very large teeth. And it was growling? I don't understand how it could, as many animals cant, but it was.” Bazz nodded for him to continue. “I... I was terrified. I couldn't even see all of it, and I knew that I didn't have much of a chance at winning hand to hand.” He looked to the sand between his toes. “I had a feeling even Mipha and father wouldn't be much a match for it alone.” 

“How? Your Sister is one of the best warriors in the domain, not to mention the King.” 

“I don't know. But I knew that this creature was something that would terrify even a lynal.” He rubbed a hand over his face. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, he felt exhausted. “It didnt attack me. It seemed to be just as alert as I was though, it kept its distance.” 

“Maybe it saw this giant red thing made of pure muscle while holding a poky shiny stick a thing not to be messed with.” 

“Well, when you put it like that, I even I would be terrified of me!”  Bazz grineed when Sidon lightly jabbed his side with his elbow. “But it really didnt feel that way on my side. So we were just staring at each other, and then a curious thing happened.” 

“Things got weird?”

“Very. A boat from the village approached us. It hid, and, well, so did I. And before it left, it dropped something heavy into the water.” His fists clenched. He had been lucky to swim away when he did. If he had stayed a second longer, he likely would have been torn apart by the creature. Or worse. He could have gone into a blood frenzy. “It recked of blood.” 

The air was stiff and silent, unspoken words easily translated in Bazz’s mind. 

“Bazz.” The black zora looked to him. “I think... I think there’s a killer in this village. It clearly isn't that creature. It seemed very territorial, but it didn't seem to wish for unnecessary death.”

“Your highness, you’r likely right about a killer being here, but I cant say about the creature not being aggressive and helping lure these villagers to the killer. We should eradicate the creature as a unit and return home. That is what I think.” Bazz stood from his spot, dusting off his behind and legs of sand and Sidon pursed his lips. He had a feeling that the creature was just an innocent bystander like everyone ells. 

“We were asked to kill the creature hunting their people.” 

“We were asked to kill the creature hunting their shores.” 

“Then we find out what is really hunting it, because when I found it, it was much too far from the shores to be considered a threat.” And Sidon stood. 

“What?” 

“I found it by a cave far up north. I had originally gone there to find a gift for Mipha and my father, but I found it instead. There was plenty of food there, it has no reason to travel this far out. And I will admit that I should have brought a guard, yes, that was stupid of me. But I stand by in believing it is not the one at fault.” 

Bazz vissibly clenched his jaw, trying to refrain from scolding this child before him and sighed to relive some of the stress. “What of the song we heard?”

“Likely just an echo. The place I found it was close to the mountains and had a few trenches and cliffs.”

“What do you suggest we do, Me Prince? Need I remind you we were given only a month to do this.” And now Sidon was talking to his guard captain, rather than his friend. 

“First we have one of our medics look at the body we’ve found so far. See if they can find any hints that the man was killed in an unnatural way.” Bazz nodded. “Have some of the guards comb the beaches for blood or weapons. We should also have three or four of our people integrate with the locals, see if they can find anything out through there, rumours or otherwise.” He paused and looked to Bazz, who was expecting him to add more. 

“Oh, and, increase the amount of guards at night, females only. Who ever is doing this is using the lull to it’s advantage.” 

“We’ll have another guard accompany you to places outside the village.” Bazz added, and as much as Sidon wanted to complain, he was the Prince and this was just protocall. 

“Good. Now I think I’ll be retiring for the night.” 

...

The sun had already set and people had started to light their torches for the upcoming darkness. Sidon was sitting on the floor, writing to his sister at his desk, when came a knock. 

“Sire, the chief would like a word with you.” 

“Let him enter.” 

The door opened and in slowly walked the village chief, Rozel. He was thin and old, his hair having turned silver and his eyebrows seemed to nearly cover up his eyes. His beard and mustache was more welkept than his hair whiched seemed to seemed to want to defy gravity at all costs. But he wasn't the only one who walked in. 

Blue eyes like gems locked onto his, and for a moment, his brain stopped working and his body stiffened as his instincts tried to figure out if he was friend or foe. He felt afraid, but not terrified. Though eyes the same, this was a hylian, but shorter than any he’s seen before. 

“Good evening, Prince Sidon.” Chief Rozel smiled. “Looks like you noticed my little suprise.” 

“Surprise??” Sidon blinked a few times before looking to Rozel. 

Rozel nodded with a hum and presented the young man next to him. “This is Link. I had thought you would need some help, so I sent word to the young Master.” 

“Master?” Sidon’s eyes looked over Link. He was shorter than the average hylian, bit baby faced, but from the sharpness of his eyes, he was fully grown. Blond hair only seemed to be partly bundled together in the back as over half of it framed his face and draped around his neck. Full lips and a well defined brow, and as if to wrap his charming looks in a bow, he had blue piercings in each ear. He was dressed loosely, but enough covered him to wonder if what he was seeing was baby fat or toned muscles. 

“Yes. Master. He had worked as Queen Zelda’s knight at one point, but I believe you are retired now.” Rozel looked to Link who only nodded in confirmation. 

“Really? So young?” 

“Yes, I do believe it only happened due to an emergency, but what do I know.” the elder stroked his beard. “He is very skilled in combat and very witty. I think he’ll prove useful to aiding you.” 

“Ah. Thank you for the offer but-” Suddenly, that terror that made his senses tell him to turn and run returned, just as it did in the water this morning. He looked to Link who looked as if... It was if he was looking down at Sidon. As if Sidon wasn't twice his height, even sitting down. And those Gem like eyes felt cold, unlike earlier. It seems... as if Link doesn't want Sidon to send him away. Like he knows what's happening and he won't take no for an answer. 

Link was threatening him, and every part of him said to obey. 

He coughed to cover up the sudden pause and restated himself. “But dont know if there is more you can do. I will, however, be happy to accept your offer.” The glar softened and Sidon no longer felt that he was about to face something fierce. 

The elder just laughed, as if he knew what Link was doing, “Go easy on him Link.” He gave the hylian a pat on the back and Link smiled. Wow. When he wasn't busy threatening to take someone’s life quietly, he was really handsome.

“Now. There is another reason I came by.” Rozel said. “I heard  a rumor that you went up north and saw something.” 

Sidon nearly jumped up. “Really?! How? I thought I told Bazz to keep quiet about our talk.” 

Rozel just waved him off. “Children see things they shouldn't and tell their mothers. And women often like to gosip around each other.” 

Sidon sighed. “Yes. Its true.”

“Please, do tell this old man.” He leaned closer, as if he was about to hear gosip himself. Link just rolled his eyes and shook his head. 

“I doubt you’ll believe me. I hardly believe me.” 

“Try me.”

“Well...” Sidon began and Link leaned on the wall, not looking very interested in his story. “I saw this creature up north, near a cave. It didn't seem aggressive, but territorial. Quite sharp teeth.” The elder hummed. “But it did have these eyes... I admittedly mistook for gems, and while I was a bit... startled by what I found, it’s eyes were stunningly beautiful.” 

Link made a sound, maybe it was a squeak, as he suddenly lost footing under him (somehow) and nearly fell, only catching himself on the wall at the last second. He tried to play it cool by straightening himself and leaning back on the wall with a stoic face. But Sidon did notice a faint blush on his face and ears, which were pointed down in embarrassment. 

The elder just laughed again. “Sounds like you saw the God of the Sea.” 

“Pardon?”

“God of the Sea. We don't really have a name for him, but he’s been around as long as the ocean itself. He’s to take on many forms, but no one has really seen his true without being completely covered in darkness. All we know as that his eyes are like gems, and he protects the sea and those that dwell in it.” 

“Really?” Different cultures had always been fascinating, but experiencing them was something else. 

“Yes, Really. He’s known to be territorial, however. When I was a young lad, our village would go to the cliffs and send him gifts. My sister once gave him a flower crown, and unlike everyone ell’s, he took it right away. Saw a clawed hand snatch it and drag it down while my gift waited a day or two before it was accepted.” he chuckled at the fond memory and Link and Sidon couldn't help but smile as well. “She never let me live it down. Always said the god liked her more than me.” 

Sidon’s smile faded. “Do you think it’s possible that the Sea god is the one responsible for what is happening?” 

Rozel’s eyebrows shot up, and Sidon saw his eyes for the first time in his life. Dull brown, but still there. “Dear goddesses, no. He’s much to kind for that. Not even if he was angry. He’d just eat all the fish. He’s sassy, but he’s not evil.”

Link gave a tisk and rolled his head to the side in an over dramatic way, as if he’d been the one who was just spoken bad about. 

Rozel eyes him and muttered “Dramatic too.”

“Thank you for this information. I’ll be glad to chalk the Sea God as impossible suspect.” 

Rozel nodded. “Its time we take our leave, then. Good night, Prince Sidon.” He turned towards the door and Link pushed himself off the wall to help the elder leave. 

But before he closed the door behind him, he spoke in barely a whisper, eyes brighter than the moon, “Yes. Good night, young Prince.”

And Sidon was alone. 

[storiesbyzellahdee-blog]

The Ancestor’s Cry: “Calypso’s Return” a short story by  Zellah Dee

The Ancestor’s Cry: Volume 1: “Calypso’s Return” a short story series by Zellah Dee 

Chameleons probably weren’t the most attractive species or liked, but they were interesting reptiles. Their ability to change and adapt in order to survive made them beautiful to Calypso Duverneau. She often felt like a chameleon on earth, so naturally they became her favorite animal since she related so well. There was no way people like her were from this place.

Calypso stared from her balcony at the very type of lizard she felt like. She should’ve been packing for her flight, but she wasn’t the most excited about leaving. She was returning home to the village, the very place she had run away from years ago. She wanted to ignore this trip, so she focused on the creature before her. He tiptoed slowly towards her. The lizard walked onto Calypso’s mahogany hand and she allowed it without hesitation.

“Geez, what the fuck are you doing? You’re turning into Steve Irwin, babe,” Winston said as he entered out onto the balcony.

Calypso chuckled and slowly turned around to face her boyfriend. “You should pet him.”

“No way. I’m a city guy, baby. My Dad didn’t take me outdoors. He had business trips,” he said.

“Poor privileged you,” she teased.

“Why don’t you put that thing down and come inside. I have something I wanna give you,” he said with mischief in his eyes.

Calypso smirked. “Can’t. Gotta pack.”

“You’re playing with a lizard,” he said.

Just as Calypso moved to place the chameleon down she groaned in pain. She held on to her stomach. A sharp shooting agony so hard to explain. The chameleon vanished into thin air.

Winston rushed to her side. “What the hell just happened? Where did it go? I told you to put that thing down?”

Calypso screamed again and again, holding her stomach then her head from a violent headache. “It’s not the chameleon,” she said.

Winston helped her cross the threshold and onto the bed. “What is it then?”

“Just a migraine. I’ll be fine.”

“That didn’t seem like just any old headache,” he said.

“I’ll be fine. I’m just stressed.” That part was the truth. She felt dread at the idea of packing her clothes to go home. She knew how long she planned to stay, which wasn’t long at all. It had been a while since she’d returned. Hell, she hadn’t been back since she left for college. Her family was different and it was a side of her that she often shied away from. They were assimilated to American culture now and hadn’t returned to their true homelands for centuries. They were not human, so they had to be chameleons.

“Just let me go with you. I’ll buy my ticket right now,” Winston pleaded.

Calypso sighed. There was no way he could go. She could not and would not introduce him to her family, at least not this soon. They’d only been dating for a few months and she liked him enough, but that was a milestone she just wasn’t ready to cross. “I told you how I feel about this,” she said.

“Is it because you haven’t told them that I’m white?” he said.

Calypso rolled her eyes. She didn’t care about that and neither would her family. The fact that he was human would bother them most. She hadn’t told or showed Winston her true self, but she knew she couldn’t. He would never understand how to be with someone like her. A powerful Sorcerer from a long lineage of what his people would’ve deemed as witches, but for Calypso’s people, that was the same as Winston’s people calling the black American’s niggers.

In Winston’s eyes and most white people that chose to deny their existence she was just another black American or an African immigrant. Her race of people were found in Africa, in fact, she was a descendant of one of the five loss regions of Sorcerer’s taken from their homes, but their people had already experienced migration throughout thousands of years ago. Sorcerer’s were from all over and wore many different faces. Calypso had no time to give him a history, especially since she had no idea how long he’d even be around. None of it would make sense.

If she told him everything he’d learned in history was a lie he would probably debate her for hours. She appeared to look like an average black American without any ties or roots to Africa because in many ways Sorcerer’s and other beings alike in America connected to them mostly. Black American’s were descendants of her origin, but they were stripped of their powers and experienced the loss of their true identity like no other people have.

There were humans on earth that believed other beings existed, but there were also many that had to see it to believe it. Still even with their eyes wide open and evidence before them they refused to receive it. It’s as if their eyes were still shut. “My family is different and I’m not ready to deal with it,” she said.

“Everybody has a little crazy in their family, so what? I know it seems soon, but I just want to know that we’re going in the right direction.”

Calypso grinned. “We are. Just not right now. Could you please just leave it alone,” she said.

Falling in love wasn’t an unusual thing amongst the Duverneau women. They came from the most powerful tribe and also the only one made up of only women. They didn’t take the last name of men in their culture after marriage, but they made some of the best wives.

Calypso hadn’t been that lucky in love, but her sisters on the other hand had found love more times than she could count. That was the very reason for her return. Marriage.

Her oldest sister Socorro Duverneau hadn’t been a widow long before she was in the arms of another man. She’d met and fallen in love with a demigod, a being with the ability of telekinesis, mind reading, contact with the dead and even speaking to beings in other dimensions. They had many other capabilities that Calypso hadn’t taken the time to commit to memory. She should’ve cared more for her own protection, but she tried her best to remain low-key. Calypso knew that Zora Duverneau the matriarch and the Empress of the Duverneau tribe had to be proud, especially since her new son-in-law was a purebred Camight-Arfaibian demigod Warrior.

Calypso didn’t care about any of that. She would be happy with just finding someone that loved all of her flaws. She didn’t need him to be some magical being that helped to carry on a powerful legacy of people. Calypso barely practiced her voodoo enough to be any good. There was no way in hell she’d carry those practices on to her children. In her mind she had a choice in who she wanted to be. The universe couldn’t decide that for her and if she wanted to cut all ties with her culture then so be it. It wasn’t her legacy or burden to carry. She just wanted to be normal.  

When Calypso reached the airport she expected her little sister, Allura Duverneau to be waiting for her. They’d discussed the arrangements a million times. Allura was excited to see her. It hadn’t been that long since she’d seen her sister. No, she didn’t go home often, but when they felt the need to find her they would. They’d intrude in the craziest ways, but sometimes she could only laugh because she missed them so.

She often ran into other people that were like her. Other Sorcerer’s and demigods and goddesses from different regions and even Hybrid’s and Demon’s that possessed humans to become their huntsman for all beings that were different from them. The moment she felt the energy of someone with supernatural capabilities good or bad she would go the other way. She had enough problems living life as a human, so she didn’t want to make her life harder being of the supernatural.

Calypso hadn’t gotten an answer from her sister or any other family members. She called everyone she could think of. Most public transits besides busses refused to go to her area. Though many people were afraid to believe and accept the existence of these magical beings they didn’t want to take chances. There had been rumored that in there part of town was were the magic and demon possession happened. She knew she would have trouble getting close to home, so she’d have to do something she hated. Use her voodoo.

She hailed a cab and told the driver where she wanted to go, but he refused to go. “The Mayor told us to stay away from that part of town for a reason. I’m sorry, but I can’t---“

Calypso ended his sentence as she chanted. Suddenly, the driver was moving and the rest of the traffic had stopped. She forced the car to rise into the air, to bypass the cars around them. Calypso chuckled remembering just how fun it could be to play like this. That is, until the car fell from the air and on top of another vehicle. “Shit.”

Calypso, hopped from the vehicle, afraid of the scene and what she’d done, she fled. She got out of there as quick as possible, suddenly needing another ride when the cars were back in motion. She hailed another cab and got him to take her to the closest destination possible to her city without the use of sorcery.

“This is the furthest I go,” he said.

Calypso hopped out with her luggage. She had a bit of a walk ahead of her, but luckily it was still daylight. After she’d walked a few miles down the long road a car pulled up next to her. He cruised slowly letting his window down and staring at Calypso. She didn’t want another mishap, so she’d have to deal with this the human way. She ignored him and kept up her walking pace.

He revved up his engine. She’d counted the steps. Seventy-eight. Seventy-nine. Why the hell was he still following her? This time she ran, she sprinted as quickly as she could. The car only chased after her, but once she’d reached the town he stopped. She didn’t know who or what he was, but she figured if he turned around either he was scared or the village had been placed under a spell of protection from people like him.

Calypso wandered through the village called, Chioma. It had been named after their Ancestor, Chioma Duverneau. Much of their history had been lost over the years, but they still had a connection with the ancestors. They were the ones that guided them. They generated their power from their ancestors, but in order to receive the blessings the bloodline had to be strong in numbers to use their gifts on earth. Without each other the ancestors could not grant them dominion.

After about an hour and half of walking she’d reached the home where she’d grown up. She found the place empty. Not in possessions, but in presence. Her mother and sisters were nowhere to be found. Her father, Idris DuPont was a Sorcerer of the same region, but he was of a different tribe. He’d died many years ago when her youngest sister was just a baby. Calypso had never gotten the full story on her father’s murder, but it had been one of the many reasons she wanted to live life as human as possible. What was so bad about being human when she looked no different and was made of flesh and blood the same? The saddest part for Calypso was no matter whom she chose to be she still had to endure a fight. She was afraid to be like her father.

Her mother had lived for centuries and for centuries she’d fallen in love many times, but Calypso and her two sisters were her children of this life. Calypso didn’t know if she had a desire to live so many lives as her mother had. She didn’t know if she desired finding new lovers to build with and then lose because of some other scorned soul that she’d refused to give in to. Many men wanted Zora Duverneau and because she hadn’t looked a day over thirty in her true form in the last few centuries she’d married many times.

Once Calypso turned thirty, it would be the same for she and her sisters. They would never age again. That was the kind of weird shit that she didn’t want to have to explain to the men she fell for. It had been so hard for her to fall truly in love because she knew she’d eventually have to show her authentic self. Being a Duverneau was both a blessing and a curse. She could change for her mate if she wanted to and age with him if he were human, but if she’d married someone like her or a demigod then she would have someone she wouldn’t have to explain anything to. She just had no desire of being with her own kind if she didn’t have to. They wouldn’t make her normal.

Calypso moved about the home. Different artifacts that brought back strong memories. She couldn’t smile though because something in her felt off and nothing about this felt right. She thought to venture a few homes down to where her aunts and cousins were. The tribe had been made up of exclusively the women of Duverneau blood, which was what made their tribe so powerful. To the Western World they’d be called covens, but that was blasphemy for any Sorceress or Sorcerer to hear. They were apart of tribes and many tribes had different lineages, but many had no idea what lineages they were apart of. Over the years they’d mixed a lot.

When she ventured to find the altar she was met with an unsuspected visitor that didn’t like to use words for talking. Instead, the woman had attacked. There was no use in trying to explain, so she defended herself.

           “Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?” she asked as she rammed the woman into the wall. She put her forearm in the woman’s throat, but the woman got the best of Calypso tossing her away.  She fell on her back.. She didn’t have time to think about the pain before the woman came back for more. She didn’t do this. That’s why she had no desire to come home. She hadn’t been back a full twenty-four hours and already had to fight someone.

    Calypso rolled out of the way just in time. She held her hands up in surrender. “Lets use our words. What do you want?”

The woman forces Calypso towards the wall. She picks her up and places a knife to her throat. “Who are you? Why have you come here?”

“You’re seriously coming to my home and asking me that?”

“Your home?” she thinks about it and pulls back. “You’re Calypso?”

“In the flesh. Now who the fuck are you?”

She learned the woman’s name was Yaris Diallo, a Winivorya Sorceress. Though she hadn’t learned everything about demigods she’d been forced to learn about the five regions no matter what. That part of her history would always stick with her. She didn’t know if Yaris practiced dark magic yet, but most people of her region had done so or they were eclectic, which meant they didn’t stick to a tribe and neither did they need to depend on their ancestors to grant them their power. They had the choice to use dark magic or not.

She’d learned that Yaris decided not to practice on the dark side during their walk. She’d told her there was something she needed to see. Calypso hesitated and refused at first. She’d told her that she was waiting for her family to return from where ever they were. Yaris had chosen to ignore and just repeated that there was something Calypso should see. She told her that she and Allura had just become acquainted a few months ago.

That hadn’t set well with Calypso, but she decided to go along. They went deeper and deeper into the forest and as they did so, she felt weaker. She stumbled a bit, the pain and the headache she’d felt before had return, but this time much stronger.

“Are you alright?” Yaris asked.

“I can feel them calling me. I think they’re in danger,” Calypso said.

Yaris grabbed Calypso’s arm and forced her to move quicker through the trees. Stepping and cracking sticks they moved like lightening. “We must hurry,” she said.

When they reached their destination Calypso fainted.

She woke up a few seconds later after being doused with water. She’d thought she was in a dream. They were gone and it was real. Her mother and sisters tied to trees and lifeless. She crawled over to them. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t think you would believe me and didn’t want you to blame me. I came to the home searching for Abdalahn, Socorro’s fiancé, but no one has been able to find him either. The Duverneau tribe has been slain, Calypso. You are the last of a dying breed.”

Calypso found herself wanting to faint again at the thought as she removed their bodies to take with her. “I need to know who did this and what happened.”

“What will you do? You’ve lost your way. Your sister told me that you do not practice. How will you avenge them if that’s your plan?”

“I’ll figure it out and I won’t need your help.”

“You will because this is bigger than you. Someone out there found a way to destroy the most powerful tribe the five regions has ever seen. What do you think they will do next?”

Calypso didn’t say anything. She knew this wasn’t her battle. She wasn’t this person, but as she laid the last body down she wept. She fell forward and wept into the ground because it was all she could do. She was alone now. She’d fought so hard to stay away from her culture, but now it was all gone right before her eyes. Her blood family ripped to shreds. Her bloodline near the end.

Her beautiful mother, the empress looked at peace, but Calypso knew she herself wouldn’t be. This was an act of genocide if what Yaris was saying were true. They weren’t the only Duverneau’s, but they had been the most powerful. Her family name would be extinct.

“You know what you must do, Calypso. You have to save the Duverneau power.”

“Why the hell do you care so much about our tribe? You don’t even have your own,” she scoffed.

“Because the Duverneau’s treated me as such. I didn’t need to be a part to know that they had my back when they took me in.”

Calypso didn’t have the strength to take her mother and sisters bodies anywhere, but she also knew she couldn’t leave them. She would lie there and sleep if she had to.

“You must find a Camight-Arfaib demigod to marry and mate with to continue on the legacy, so that the Duverneau power lives on. You must rebirth the nation, Calypso. It is your duty to hear your Ancestor’s cry.”