How did they first meet? If multiple participants, did they all meet at the same time?
How did their relationship evolve? Did they start out as friends, coworkers, enemies, hookups?
How do you foresee their relationship evolving? Will they stay together long-term in some form, or eventually go their separate ways?
Do they show affection through words or through action?
How would they describe the relationship when the others aren’t around to hear it? Is that an accurate description, or just their perceptions?
How would they introduce their partner(s)? (Friends, partners, spouses, etc.)
How often do they spend time together? Is it more or less often than they would prefer?
Do they live together? Sometimes, all the time? What do their room(s) or common areas look like?
If they live together, what does the housekeeping spread look like? Do they all take turns with everything, or have their own niches?
Do they voluntarily spend time apart? What does that look like for them?
What is the nature of their relationship? Is it sexual, platonic, romantic, all of the above or something else?
Do they tell each other everything? To what degree do they keep secrets?
If more than two participants, how do their relationships with each other vary? Are they all equally involved, or are some of them more romantic/friendly/sexual than others?
Are there any activities all of them enjoy together?
If more than two participants, is there any activity that the majority enjoy that someone does not enjoy? Do they tap out, or tolerate it anyways?
What’s the worst argument they’ve had?
What’s something inconsequential they disagree on?
Have any of them ever ended/left the relationship? Why, and what, if anything, brought them back together?
Who among them would kill for their partner(s)?
Is sex a part of their relationship? If so, is it important to them?
Do they have any kinks they engage in, whether it be sexual or for fun?
What do they like the most about their partner(s) personalities? What about their appearances?
Is there anything they would change about their partner(s) if they could?
Do they have any inside jokes?
Have they ever been on a date?
Is there an aspect of their relationship that those outside of it typically don’t understand?
What’s the most stressful thing they’ve gone through together? How did it effect the relationship?
Do they have any anniversaries? Are they important to them? If so, how do they celebrate?
Do any of them get jealous? How do they deal with that?
What’s something about the relationship that surprised them?
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Sharp-as-Night/Auredil (OC) / M/M / Rated E / 1296 words
Content Warnings: mentions of sexual abuse & alcoholism, dubious consent
It wasn't often that Sharp-as-Night wondered what went on in other people's heads. He always figured if there was something worth saying, they could just say it. He didn't see any point in worrying over what someone might think of him.
Lately, he was finding that Auredil was the exception, as he was in many areas of his life.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
“I don’t see any entrance,” Drals grumbled, approaching the ancient site. “What are we looking for, anyways? Planar conjunction? Stationary rift?”
Azandar hummed, thinking.
“With the level of security Mora’s put into it, it’s more likely arcanum based in Daedric sigils. An interlocking conjunction, perhaps?”
“Hm. You could be right, with it being a demiplane and all.”
Drals wandered closer to the dais, looking around. He tensed as there arose a hissing sound as he approached the centre. A tear formed in the air, spewing forth smoke and light.
“Of course I’m right!” Azandar beamed, joining Drals by the conjured entrance. “I do enjoy a good interdimensional portal.”
Drals gave a small chuckle.
“Well, after you, then.”
Chapter 35 is up! Drals and Azandar explore the Infinite Panopticon and confront a piece of Drals’ past.
was tagged by @intyaliel and last week by @sulphuricgrin <3
I haven't done one of these in a while due to not having much to share (Apart from THIKL stuff, but nothing I really wanna share yet) BUT I did start working on a oneshot for TESgala, featuring Drals and Zerith, and a hint of some Khajiit lore I made up.
-
The cool, quiet night air was a welcome respite from the chaos of the party inside. Drals breathed a sigh, summoning the flicker of a flame to her fingers as she lit the pipe she held between her teeth.
“A beautiful night, no?” Zerith-var spoke up beside her.
Drals turned her head, exhaling smoke. Zerith-var hovered comfortably in her space, eyeing Drals with a look she recognized well. In turn, Drals looked him up and down, once more appreciating the regalia he had chosen for the occasion and the way it fit his form.
“Indeed,” she said, giving Zerith-var a knowing smile.
Neither of them were dressed particularly extravagantly. In the back of her mind, Drals could hear Azandar chiding her sense of fashion as unadventurous. Drals had always prioritized practicality above all else. Even as the changes in her body nudged her further towards something akin to confidence, she still favoured more muted palettes and simple, masculine cuts. Though, she was beginning to find that, on certain occasions, a light bit of makeup around her eyes and over her lips was something she rather liked the look of. She supposed her taste in clothing hadn’t changed all that much, but she rather preferred the way things fit now.
Zerith-var resided somewhere in the middle of the scale of extravagance and practicality. Such was his nature, Drals mused. He wore a knee-length Khajiiti robe of black and deep blues with lightweight trousers and sturdy boots. Around his shoulders was a mantle of silver pauldrons and draping black gossamer, which was a homage to Rajhin, the Shadow, he had explained; after all, it was his month to watch over the skies.
no pressure tagging @captain-of-silvenar @dragonhold @tanlorin @tiredela !
Suddenly, he felt incredibly out of place. Like a muddy, ink-stained intruder in Azandar’s previously tidy space.
It wasn’t even really about the coat, was it? He should tell him. He wanted to tell him. His lips parted as if to speak his mind, but he locked up, unable to form the words. There was still so much that was unknown to him, so much he couldn’t say for certain.
“Drals?” Azandar spoke up then, coming back into his field of view. “You appear to be in deep focus, which I’m beginning to learn is not always portentous.”
Drals blinked, raising his head to look up at Azandar.
“B’vek, I hate that you know that about me,” Drals scowled, letting himself fall back into the bed once more.
AKA "Why Can't Hermaeus Mora, In His Infinite Knowledge, Teach These Poor Nerds Some Basic Joinery Techniques"
Being back in Apocrypha replaying these quests after what, 2 years now? Got me actually looking around and looking at some details in a few houses (for fic purposes, of course) and then once I started doing that, being a woodworking aficionado with some construction experience myself, I couldn't help noticing a few things.
(Disclaimer that this is just for fun and not meant to be ripping on the actual ESO devs who did a great job of creating some really great environments and set pieces)
Unsupported beams: Putting beams across an otherwise open roof situation like this will add rigidity to the structure, but uh. They've gotta actually be attached to the frame. To have it just stuck to the interior panels like that is concerning. Honestly, from this point on, I'm just assuming any circular beams are purely a decorative choice because they just don't make sense otherwise.
Mystery Gaps: This is only the beginning for these particular beams. They will become a recurring theme. it's actually fairly common in modern-day construction to have multiple thinner pieces of wood (like 2x4s for example) stacked together like this to create support beams as this is usually a more cost-effective option than something like 4x4 hardwood and isn't really significantly less strong. but having 1-2 inch gaps between them is ???? not that bad I guess but just why? You're only making more work for yourself.
Missed Connections: If we're assuming these beams are carried over from the outside, then these oddly-spaced, doubled-up beams are likely what's supporting the eaves of the roof. That's not good! Leramil, your study's gonna blow over in a stiff breeze! Always carry your load-bearing beams across the frame!
This is Fine: well, it's not fine, it's probably not helping with insulation in here, but structurally it's not a big deal, just a bit baffling. It looks like their roofs are built in 3 layers; the boards visible behind the broken parts would be laid down first over the frame, and then the shingles on top, and then this broken shiplap (using that literally here lol) is the interior layer. Note how they don't quite meet up where the frame is.
I have no idea what that metal brace is holding up. Or the ropes. I guess the Ciphers are all just really into shibari or something.
Here we can see that someone among the Ciphers has the skills to actually cut proper joinery. From the look of it, that beam is supported by this round log, which has a joint cut into it to keep it in place. Good job!
And here we can see the ends of those doubled-up beams from the interior.
Decorative Protrusions: So, there is a historical precedent for details like this, but typically they would be supporting the floor of an attic. On the opposite side of this, there's just... wall.
After the nightmare that is the interior, I was interested to see how bad the foundation would be, but honestly? It's pretty solid, assuming the beams are lap jointed (cutting blocks off the beam on the outside and cutting a corner off your beams on the inside so they then fit together and sit flush without the need for nails) Evenly spaced 4x4 beams about a foot apart, this would be great if not for the floorboards running parallel to the beams themselves, and then the odd connections of the posts that serve as the foundation not actually sitting on the frame. So close!
So, canonically, I believe that the Ciphers get most of their material salvaged from Fathom's Drift, which makes things like this doorframe actually make a decent amount of sense. These long, curved beams could feasibly have been part of a ship's hull once, and I think that's a pretty cool touch.
Now, onto the walkways:
a suspension bridge without a railing is just a springboard for co-workers you hate. bonus points for the tripping hazard to make extra sure you faceplant on the ground below.
I have no words for this railing. the nice thing about it is, assuming all those rods are dowelled into the boards beneath them, this could actually work out if they properly connected the rail itself. which it doesn't seem like they have, if the mix of nails and rope is anything to go by.
Before I finish this, I just wanna take a quick look at some furniture:
(Yes, I know these are technically the rustic High Isle set, but I'm doing them anyway)
Really the only issue I have with this table and chair set is that the seat of the chair is covered in nails. Don't do that. You've already used dowels on the back, just use them to connect the seat as well. Or if you have to use nails, you can sink them down further and then plug them with something. (I'm sure there's a tamriel equivalent of wood filler, it's basically just sawdust and adhesive) Otherwise these are both pretty solid and well built.
The chair back is a little interesting though. It's pretty common for chairs to be built with tennon joints (basically the vertical pieces have niches carved into them, and the horizontal slats either have the ends tapered, or carved away entirely to sit flush with the other piece) but the visible dowels are a little weird and probably not doing anything structurally. I guess it could be an aesthetic choice.
TL;DR:
Most of this place would absolutely not pass a building inspection. These choices vary from dangerous to just kind of weird, and the Ciphers should probably find a new carpenter.
17, 24, 30, and maybe 34? for drals/azandar and drals/zerith? 🥺
17. Who fell in love first?
For Drals & Azandar, I think tl;dr I'm gonna say probably Azandar, though there is nuance. Azandar definitely recognised he had some kind of attraction to Drals first but went "well, that's a problem for later" and shoved it down. Drals on the other hand went through a good amount of time completely oblivious until one day crashed into a brick wall head-on and was like "oh fuck." But even then, I don't think either of them would really consider it "falling in love" so much as a feeling of being tied together by fate and wanting to explore what that means.
For Drals & Zerith, the easy answer is definitely Zerith, being the only one who I think experiences strong romantic attraction in that way. I explored it a bit in the oneshots I wrote, but he pretty quickly recognised he was interested in Drals.
24. Which of the two is the most competitive?
Azandar is pretty competitive, but Drals is very competitive. He gets really intense about card games and puzzles and the like. It's a good thing Monopoly doesn't exist in Tamriel, he would tear their family apart.
34. Do they give each other nicknames?
Answered here for Drals & Azandar!
For Drals & Zerith, I think the closest Drals will get is dropping the suffix on Zerith's name occasionally, but for the most part he will call him Zerith-var. Drals' aversion to terms of endearment applies here too, but I think he likes the ambiguity of Zerith calling him "tamiit."
