i've been thinking about setting up a twitch for anyone who might want to watch me write the music for my self ship collection. i've been streaming on discord for some friends and it's been a lot of fun! but I don't want to burn out my server either so I've thought about running some on this side as well
idk it's something that's been bouncing around in my head.....
went swing dancing last week and felt the urge to dance with Zag for a while. full fic under the cut!
this is a platonic f/o post! s/i uses she/they pronouns!
-- [1.3k words | zagseth]
He's a bright burst of energy when the chamber door opens. It's not unfamiliar--the sense of urgency, that is--but the face of desperation certainly is.
"Troublemaker," Seth says, already leaning forward against the chains binding her wrists. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
"Perfect timing!" Zag is all heavy breaths and scattered footsteps burning against the floor. A dash and he's in front of the shade, bouncing on the balls of his fire feet. "Do you dance?"
"...What?"
"Sorry. Do you dance, sir? I have--"
"I--yes, I dance," she says, hands up in a placating gesture. "What kind do you mean? Don't tell me interpretive dance, has Orpheus put you up to something--"
"No! No, that's not it." He takes another breath, focuses in on slowing down the energy through him. "There's a dinner. It's... soon. Father has told me there will be dancing."
"...Alright, ballroom dancing is no issue, though..." Seth shakes their head. "Wouldn't Sir Achilles have taught you?"
"That's the thing, he's much more of the... fighter, type. He taught me enough. I don't want to ask more of him, he deserves his rest."
"So you came to me," they say disbelievingly. "Who is, by the way, in chains? To ask if I could teach you to dance."
"Yes, sir."
She laughs. The cuffs have give enough for them to wander, and the basic steps aren't too painfully complicated as to get them tangled. "Remind me again. What dancing did your Lord Father ask?"
With a sheepish grin, Zagreus says, "Ballroom. But I would much rather something more fun."
Seth thinks on it for little time, before the mortal memories flood her veins. They return the grin with a mischievous edge this time.
"You've an idea?" the Prince says. "You've got a look on your face."
"Troublemaker, tell me. Have you ever heard of..." she hops off the shelf, and cups his hands in hers. "...West Coast Swing?"
--
The steps come easily to the Underworld Prince. He makes a conscious effort not to step on her toes, but her softly hummed songs help him keep the beat with ease, and slowly the moves transition from stiff to natural.
"You're good at this," Zagreus comments.
"It's simple to learn." Seth follows his lead into a careful twirl, humming a beat under their breath when he falters. "The modern kinds, at least. Before your Lord Father changed my contract, many of the new mortal shades taught me the steps. Though I danced quite a bit before dying."
Zagreus leads her into sweetheart, and shifts to the left to spin her out. "Something with the music, huh?"
"It's always music to me," they say. "Dancing is the next step, really. Loosen up, I can't spin into you when your shoulders are tight."
"Sorry!"
"Much better. Lead me through it again. Basic step?"
--
"Would you like to attend?"
Seth's steps don't falter, but her humming stutters just a bit. "The dinner?"
Zagreus nods, catching their back for a practice dip. "My father allows a little more room for error in contracts, these days. I'm sure I could convince him."
"You don't need to do that." They stand, and spin out, catching the hand behind his back for another twirl into basic step. "I'm not a shade worthy of the House, you know this."
"But you've helped me so much. I owe you."
"Zagreus, you owe me nothing," she insists, stopping his movements with a firm hand to his wrist. "You've done more than enough for me. And this has never been a transaction. I enjoy your company. There's no need to repay anything."
"Seth--"
"And your father doesn't know I've been helping you, has he?" They argue further. "Don't bring more trouble on your back. Not for my sake."
Zagreus sighs. For once, the hands on his skin still his restlessness, and he meets her gaze, stubborn and pleading. "Let me ask him. Just once. Please?"
It's a long moment of silence filling the chamber. The river flows somewhere near, chains rattling in a room next door, the steady groaning of the earth around them, captured in a bubble of fillable, stretching, quiet rhythms.
She breathes out. The music of the Underworld gives her something close to confidence. Reassurance that its Prince will be alright.
"Okay. Just once."
Zagreus's smile is worth it, in the end. No darkness could stand it. "Thank you, Seth. I promise you won't regret it."
"Of course I won't," they say, and step back into a pivot, the music returning below her breath. "It's you."
--
"Enjoying the party?"
Sir Achilles has relaxed somewhat since last they spoke. She knows guilt well, and could feel the weight of it on the hero's shoulders. Now, he breathes evenly, unbothered, and ever polite in his words.
"I am. Thank you, sir." Seth is feeling rather the opposite. Her shoulders are tense, with the gaze of the gods meeting theirs, confusion and disdain for her lowly status so obvious in the thinned air.
"You don't look it." Achilles watches the meandering dinner. "Relax your shoulders. They're staring because you invite it."
"I was hardly invited myself, sir," they say. "I'm not one for parties."
"If the Prince requested your presence, you have a place here." His words are calm and sure. "I know he asked you to teach him."
Seth freezes, before carefully and purposefully relaxing their shoulders to something faux casual. "Does... his father know?"
"No. I would not betray him, nor you, like that."
"Thank you, sir."
"Don't thank me. Thank him." Achilles points to the prince, who guides Thanatos into a complicated dance, bright in his royal attire, a smile that captures every eye in the room, like fire in an empty night. "I've never known the lad to give anything less than a full second chance."
"He's the god of rebirth, sir," Seth murmurs. The flame burns bright and lively. "Second chances are his domain."
Orpheus, who still refuses to make eye contact with her, ceases his playing. The dance ends with a bow from both partners, and raucous applause meets the air. Achilles claps proudly. Seth keeps her hands soft and quiet.
Still, the fire in his eyes meets hers.
It's not long before Zagreus stands before her. "Achilles, may I borrow your conversation partner for a moment?"
The hero smiles. "Not a bother, lad. I'll leave you two be. First, though, Seth."
Surprised, they turn. "Yes, sir?"
Achilles catches her gaze, and winks. "Fear is for the weak."
He disappears into the crowd, calling a name. The words ring in their ears.
"Follow me," Zagreus says, and guides her to the floor.
"Zag, wait--" they say, hurrying to catch up with his quick step. "I'm not allowed to dance. Remember? I'm not a member of the court or Olympus, you're here to dance with diplomats--"
"--I've done that, Seth, you saw me. In technicality, I fulfilled my father's wishes to the letter." His fire is bright and curling and warm in the anticipatory grin on his face.
"Please don't put yourself in more trouble," she implores. "I don't want to cause any for you. I'm not worth that."
"No."
Zagreus turns, and it's in the rare moments of his full, unbroken eye contact where she remembers he is a God. A royal, a member of the House of Hades, son of the dead and of the growing. His power is not painfully hot, but it encircles her. A promise. A reassurance. A weighty gaze of insistence.
"You're worth this. I don't care what my father says. What any of them say." Zagreus stands, in the middle of the floor. "You taught me to dance, Seth."
He opens his hands, into the musical silence of a room turned an audience. Seth feels the beat of his heart of fire through the floor, in the air, on his chest.
"May I have this one with you?" he asks.
"Zag..." Seth says.
He knows nothing but stirring trouble, she thinks. And then, reminded of her chains and her chamber and the world of hell she lives in, she thinks, 'Oh, to Tartarus with it,' and places their hands into his outstretched ones.
"Your highness," they whisper, and its music fills the paralyzed room. "I would be honored."
《《 shed your tears, your fears, your pride / and then ramp into the night 》》 - the family crest, battle cry
--
my dear Zagreus needs a little cheering up sometimes, and though I can't run to him, he'll end up at my doorstep one way or another. a song will soothe him enough to send him on his way again, and I'll wave goodbye as he leaves...
s/i uses she/he/they; this is a platonic f/o post!
zagreus is so dumb and stupid and reckless and a hopeless case and gets himself into danger too often and can't cook no matter how hard he tries (said in a tone of long-suffering, complete, painfully obvious adoration)
question.....would zigzag be good at playing hades........ (@silverlining-ships)
runs around in circles HI SILVER!!!!
there are two options:
Zag tries to play Hades. He dies to Meg six times and the lava four more before he hands me the controller and is enraptured for hours
Zag tries to play Hades and proceeds to kill his father faster than he did in hand to hand. He is somehow more upset about this than he would be if he never got past Lernie
thank you...... for asking me........ guh..........
these seriously made me so happy tyyy turtle!!!! <3 @botwild-track1
all four of us played, the picture is actually from lapis and I matching against each other!!!
I won all of the matches except for one Seth happened to win, which I INSIST was a fluke otherwise I would have won them all
I am a waluigi/mr scooty main. Yes I know technically the mini characters are better, and I play baby rosalina in competitive, but you can rip mr. waluigi out of my cold dead hands for casual play. Jasper played as bowser the one match she played (in which she broke our spare controller.....)
I don't optimize anything and go for BOTW Link, bike and all, which is probably why Silver wins all the time. Not because she's crazy good at Mario Kart. Surely it's her bike choice.
Lapis tried to use my build and kept running into things so I set up Shy Guy for her. She is now feuding with Shy Guy.
baratheonpilled
prguitarman
jacobvanloon
ellievsbear
turnnoffyourmind
