- 3 days ago
Tear The Robe Of The Goddess Of Beauty Dramareel
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Short filmTranscript
00:02your chest is too conspicuous you look like you're inviting attention if you continue like this we
00:08should cancel this patrol fine what i said fine cancel it i agree my name is aphrodite my body
00:17was shaped by the cosmos itself full hips a waist like a crescent moon a face that has made immortals
00:24drop their goblets mid-zip god of fire master of the forge the most celebrated craftsman on olympus
00:32pathologically convinced that my beauty was a problem to be solved third meeting he didn't
00:39even look up from his blueprint your chest is too conspicuous your laughter is too bright the way you
00:45move it's indecent i was literally just walking he sourced the strictest handmaidens of the forge
00:51iron-spined women whose entire purpose was chaining divine goddesses into something called decorum
00:59he called them my teachers i called them my wardens three years they drilled me i learned to dim my
01:06smile to walk without the sway of my hips to keep my eyes downcast three years of trying to become
01:13the
01:13wife the bestest wanted today he stood in my chambers with that familiar look you still look
01:20like yourself perhaps we should reconsider this betrothal he expected what he always got
01:31please give me one more chance instead i looked him dead in the eyes fine
01:39what i said fine cancel it i agree do you have any idea what you're saying after everything i've invested
01:46three years of handmaids the finest tutors the forge could provide i've learned that nothing i do will
01:51ever satisfy you so let's stop wasting each other's time no formal marriage contract never exchanged proper
01:57betrothal gifts walking away is clean and easy you will copy the tablets of divine decorm 10 times
02:03before dawn if you won't eat or sleep until it's done that's your problem
02:11i'd spent years flinching at that voice years believing that if i tried harder i'd finally see a
02:17softness in him meant for me but there is a specific quiet liberation that arrives the moment you stop
02:25caring about someone's approval
02:29i wasted no time the moment hefestus stormed out i sent my fastest dove to find leto the titaness whose
02:37son
02:37apollo had been seeking a match for years she'd approached me twice before both times i'd deflected
02:44i was thinking clearly now leto's response arrived the next morning her son's celestial birth chart
02:50almost embarrassingly fast i suspected they were afraid i'd change my mind the paperwork was signed
02:57sealed and witnessed by three olympian magistrates before hefestus even heard the news i celebrated by
03:05burning every gray robe in my wardrobe i watched them curl and blacken without a single regret hefestus
03:14had controlled every stitch on my body for years once i'd gifted him an embroidered sash spent a week
03:22on it he handed it back like i'd offered him weak old fish that was the last gift i ever
03:28made him
03:28today i chose a dress the color of blooming peonies i pinned back my hair with the small shells
03:35on fine chain my mother had given me a gift from the aegean herself my lady you look radiant i
03:43smiled at my
03:43reflection really smiled the full force kind i'd been suppressing for three years then i walked out of the olympian
03:52palace
04:01my shoulders tent by reflex three years of pavlovian conditioning will do that old instinct if hefestus
04:09catches you outside without permission there's a month of written apologies ahead hefestus was crossing
04:16the square toward me the look on his face was incandescent literally forge heat visible in his eyes from
04:2330 feet away you are an unmarried goddess walking through a public space dressed like his gaze dropped
04:29over my dress with this is unacceptable go back inside and change immediately over his shoulder
04:35athena the goddess of wisdom also hefestus's cousin also the one who'd originally suggested he hire the
04:43handmaiden but don't you up your dan me you're lecturing me a pride while walking through a public
04:49square with another woman that is completely different because she dresses how you want me
04:55to and i don't before he could answer athena stepped forward with her diplomatic smile the one
05:01that never reached her eyes aphrodite heppethus is only concerned for your reputation you misunderstand
05:07his intentions while she talked hefestus grabbed my arm he reached up and tore the shell pins from my hair
05:14smeared his hand across my cheek smudging my cosmetic can you not attempt once to look like
05:20a goddess of dignity rather than a tavern spectacle my hair fell loose my face stung my eyes burned
05:27i let the tears come not because i was defeated
05:33the next morning hefestus arrived with athena at his side i hadn't slept well my lip was still tender
05:40i was standing in my atrium in yesterday's second best robe when they walked in like they owned the
05:46floor starting today athena will serve as your instructor she will teach you what the handmaidens
05:53could not i stared at him hephesectus we are not betrothed anymore that hasn't been formalized with my
06:04do your ears work i've said this three times now to his face and somehow it keeps not reaching his
06:13brain is there a structural issue athena's expression flickered then with no warning whatsoever she picked
06:21up the ceremonial ivory ruler from my writing table wives defer to their lords that is cosmic law you will
06:28not speak to him this way i stood completely still for three seconds my lip split hot blood on my
06:35tongue
06:35the pain bloomed white bright i reached out and grabbed the ruler the festus caught my wrist before
06:41i could finish the swing let her go a firm male voice echoed through the door she is correcting you
06:49and you deserve it you do not raise your hand against your teacher this man who had spent three
06:55years convincing me that my beauty was shameful get out aphrodite get out my lip took three days to heal
07:12hephaestus sent six more handmaidens i sent them all back on the third day ledov's dove arrived with a
07:20note apollo is home come to the feast of return tonight the feast of return gleamed across every
07:27hall of her celestial estate my mother had commissioned a dress threaded with actual starlight
07:33so that every step sent shimmers cascading down my legs hephaestus found me within 10 minutes his face
07:40did that thing the flash of raw unwilling want instantly crushed under a scowl what are you doing here
07:50being invited you're drawing attention stay next to me don't wander don't talk to anyone when i give
07:59the signal you leave through the east passage i didn't answer i sat down i smiled at the people
08:05across from me for 20 minutes hephaestus deflected every god and minor deity who tried to speak with me
08:12i watched athena watching him watch me the whole tableau was so depressing it almost made me laugh
08:18then hephaestus grabbed my wrist again now east passage
08:27no
08:27you are still my intendant are you sure about that hephaestus are you sure about that hephaestus
08:35the laugh in it was unmistakable easy warm we both turned
08:41he was still in his gold and white campaign armor dust from the sky road still on his boots his
08:48eyes
08:49gods they were like looking directly at noon apollo better looking than i'd expected and i had expected
08:58quite a lot he looked at me first then at hephaestus's grip on my wrist you might not have
09:06but her betrothed is no longer you you're talking nonsense our family runs apollo reached
09:13into his breastplate and produced a document the olympian betrothal contract my seal his seal
09:20three magistrate signatures hephaestus's whole face went the color of cold ash
09:28what is this it's exactly what it looks like that was a threat aphrodite i never actually
09:37intended to cancel you knew that you said the words i took them seriously he switched targets
09:42faced apollo fully whatever you've agreed to i will buy it back name your terms
09:47the forge will compensate you generously apollo glanced at the contract glanced at me do you want
09:55to dissolve this this entirely addressed to me not rhetorical an actual question i shook my head
10:03apollo said folding the contract back into his breastplate then i think we're done here now if
10:11you'll excuse us i'd like to take my fiancee back hephaestus grabbed me you've lost your mind
10:20you don't even know him you're willing to throw away everything apollo's hand came down on hephaestus's
10:28forearm light deliberate absolutely immovable take your hand off her before hephaestus could respond
10:37leto materialize from the crowd aphrodite all my friends have been desperate to meet you come come
10:46i won't hear any arguments she swept me into the heart of the feast like a river carrying a leaf
10:52hephaestus
10:53was left standing there holding empty air i watched the looks he received shift from polite to complicated
11:00to something closer to pity he sat alone at the far end of a table with wine he wasn't drinking
11:06staring at the place i was no longer standing he found me near the east colonnade when i was
11:12preparing to leave tell me what he offered you a title resources did someone pressure you into this
11:21no one pressured me then why you loved me i know you did how could you just i'm tired you
11:30never once asked
11:31what i wanted you only ever looked at me and saw a problem to be managed i was afraid if
11:38every god
11:39on olympius can see what i see when i look at you i thought if i could just contain it
11:44if i could keep
11:45you from being noticed you weren't protecting me you were ashamed of me no you hit my mouth through
11:52athena's hand you called me disgusting in a public square you tried to make me invisible for three years
12:00and called it love i'm going home don't follow me he tried anyway showed up at my parents three hours
12:08after apollo had already arrived with formal betrothal gifts i want to record for posterity
12:15what freedom feels like it feels like choosing a citrine and gold hairpin at a market stall apollo
12:22standing next to you in a crowded divine market this one definitely this one he slid it into my hair
12:28with both hands studying the effect with the focused attention of someone who considered this genuinely
12:34important work perfect you should always wear that color near your face i was still deciding how to
12:43respond when the air behind us turned cold afridia vestus was 10 feet away face a thunderhead a public
12:53market with him like this have you you know he's my fiance we're shopping
13:03it's a normal thing people in love do the word love landed on him like a blow he lunged i
13:10ducked
13:11behind apollo so fast apollo stepped forward simply was in the way the way a wall is in the way
13:18hephasis what exactly do you want here what i want is for you to step aside and let me speak
13:24to my
13:25you're what she is going to be my wife whether or not you have some piece of parchment you're confused
13:34that's not how any of this works aphrodite is my betrothed she has made her choice i'm not a
13:41generous man when it comes to people who don't understand the word no leave her alone
13:48you took advantage of her you caught her at a vulnerable moment
13:55so according to you she's confused because she rejected you and you loved her by hitting
14:01her mouth and calling her disgusting hefestus went very still i would actually like to thank you
14:09if you treated her well she wouldn't have been available so genuinely thank you
14:15hefestus looked like he'd been struck by lightning i bit back a smile withdraw the betrothal tell him
14:22you made a mistake i will change i can change i thought about the gray robes the ivory ruler
14:32the shell pins torn from my hair why me though if athena is everything you wanted patient
14:39composed follows every rule of deckhorn why are you here because you don't actually want a proper
14:46olympian wife you want my face and her compliance
14:53that's not love that's a commission the morning of the wedding preparations
14:59chiton threaded with tiny stars my mother had woven from actual skycloth he looked at me in the wedding
15:07chiton something in his face broke aphrodite i've spent three weeks thinking about everything
15:19about what i did i kept you covered because i was afraid afraid of what other gods would
15:25do when they saw you afraid you'd leave i thought if i could just make you smaller you'd be safe
15:32and
15:32you'd stay i know it was wrong i know i hurt you but i swear if you give me one
15:41more chance
15:42i will prove to you that i can be everything he is to you i'd waited a long time to
15:48hear hefestus say
15:49he was wrong it's too late it's too late no it's not i'll go to apollo myself i'll explain
15:59hefestus i gave you chances not one not two years of chances i bent myself to shapes i didn't recognize
16:06to make you see me as worthy and not once did you look at me and said you're enough i'm
16:11not punishing
16:11you i'm just done i don't think he'd cried in front of anyone in his entire immortal life
16:21i left him there the wedding procession was forming
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