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nestlefox · 1 year

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Iscan’s Catch

Iscan goes out to sea to retrieve the lord of the seas . However, he finds himself in the middle of a trap

Tags: Horror, gore, paranoia, death (both human and pokemon)//

Steam smacked his face when the warden lifted the pot lid. Steamed corphish and garlic lathered pellets were scooped out and fell into a small satchel. Iscan was so enthralled in the whims of cooking, he didn’t witness the canvas of the now void-cloaked sky up until that second. The sea warden could’ve sworn that he started around twilight. How long has it been? An hour? Could it have been two hours he’s been cooking? How long has basculegion been waiting?

With each quiet and careful step, Iscan encountered the shoreline to await his work partner. But not only was basculegion absent but so was a chunk of his boat. The only evidence that it was a full boat was the shredded wood scattered in the water like a haunting path. It was as if quicksand submerged the warden. Basculegion would return…eventually. Maybe. As much as Iscan lingered on those hopeful words, he knew he had to wake up. All Iscan could accept was a sigh before picking up his remaining paddle and the rest of his boat.

The water was still. The wails of pokemon haunted Iscan’s ears and rattled his spine. He was even distracted by the off-putting figures that stood in the corner of his eye. Iscan and his boat floated through the endless darkness as the gleaming moon revealed his path. Iscan tried humming childhood hums, but it did nothing to quell his paranoia. Was this Sinnoh’s latest quiz to test him? Iscan clicked his tongue and mimicked the cries of a basculin

“B- Bas…Basculegion? Are you there? I’m sorry I- I was late”

Iscan could hear the water ripples sway and swirl along with the familiar yet menacing growl. It was near and Iscan knew it. As much as he wanted to flee, Iscan was just relieved that no injuries occurred. But as he got up, the warden was instantly halted back down. A violent thud shook the frail boat with a violet ring that echoed through the water. Even though he was laid flat out on the floor, he could see the ominous glow that roared from the water. He got up and saw him. Bigger than the boat itself, the goliath stared into the depths of the mortal’s soul with his luminescent violet eyes. And with seconds, Iscan saw nothing but white.

The rich white sand caressed his ankles as the glaring sun scorched his head. He looked at his unwrapped arms, dusty pants, and then the water’s mirror. Iscan was him but…younger. Iscan turned to see a plethora of people he was once familiar with. Fishermen from Diamond, Pearl, and solitude alike joined together by the likes of his very own father.

“Anotha’ cheer for my son being the next Diamond warden!”

Iscan felt a blunt smack on his shoulder, followed by the uncoordinated but genuine hoorah for the new warden of the shore. But that was white noise compared to Iscan seeing his father smile with pure pride for him.

“Who’da thunk your boy be a warden? Always thought he’d be a cook at best!”

“Boy can’t even catch a bass’!”

The ole man’s voice slammed the fisher’s blabbering mouths shut.

“And that’s why yer arm almost got got by a damn ‘pix!”

After the roar of laughter, Iscan’s father turned to look at him

“Slick, go round up the boats!”

Iscan didn’t say anything in response; he just walked towards the shorelines. While untying the ropes planted to the soaked solId sand, Iscan could still hear the ramblings of the fellow crewmen.

“Didn’t that old bastard say something about not going deep into the water? Somethin’ about ‘Legion being stubborn?”

“You really gon listen to a man who can’t even swim?”

“Yea but-”

“But nothing. The boy can tell that ‘legion to shove it. Ain’t that right, boy?”

As always, Iscan nodded and gave a thumbs-up to his old man

The boat set sail, pillaging throughout with resting ripples. The lax winds guided the abode across the sea. The tank hummed with each sway of the oars, chatots and togetics screeched through the deafening waves, and men laughed and bantered about Iscan’s success during their hunt. Mantines skipped through the flat water across the nearby Sand’s Reach. Gastrodons and their families sunbathed on the refreshing small sandy island. Before Iscan could take in the scenery, a voice interrupted him.

“Go get the net, Iscan!”

Maybe he should’ve been more prepared. Nevertheless, due to the shock, Iscan’s fingers fumbled and let the net fly rest on the watery blanket; catching not even one fish. Iscan didn’t even need to turn around as the scorching sneers and remarks were enough. But the usual complaints weren’t enough to take away his awe of the new sight. The basculin’s iridescent scales shimmered like a blue-curtained rainbow. They swarmed by the dozens and hundreds. Iscan’s reaction wasn’t the only one; he could hear all the fishermen raise their voices in celebration.

The sun yawned into twilight just for it to be replaced by the moon. The ship’s vacant spot gradually got occupied by mountains of basculin. The candle flames lit brighter than Firespit’s dancing flames. While the fellow men directed their convos to their daily lives and gossip, Iscan sat slumped in one of the ship's corners. He watched the remaining basculin scurry before being yanked out of the water while his eyes traced the silver blades that swam with the waves. He soon heard footsteps heading towards him.

“You really think you’re ready for this?”

Iscan’s eyes lead up to mean his father’s gaze. Iscan waited but nodded regardless. All his father could do was groan.

“You do know that means you’d be living here on your own. I shouldn’t have to see you running back to the settlement because something in the water spooked you”

Before Iscan could attempt to say anything, he heard the man sigh. Whether it was from exhaustion or defeat was still left undecided.

“You know your mother worried half to death once she found out. I don’t even know what that warden saw in you. But I s’pose I shouldn’t talk much, you betta’ show that damn fish who’s warden”

Iscan didn’t know whether to take that as a compliment or a sort of demand. But that last sentence caught his attention away from his father and back to the inky black water where the lord was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he was asleep? Possibly lounging in a hidden area of the coast?

“What you lookin’ at, boy?

“I.. I c- can… I can’t find i-”

It was only then that Iscan paid any attention to the other men. All huddled up on one side of the boat, they encourage and hollered a man on as he wrangled and wrestled with a line. The handle clanked with each inch of it reeled back only for it to fly back into the deep every two seconds. Iscan’s eyes raced faster with each time the line reeled back and free forth, every bet was made by the others, every time the lantern trembled with the bait and fish.

It was as if time slowed. Iscan’s weary eyes rose to the sky with ghast. He felt like ice, with each bone of his body feeling colder than the other and his muscles feeling glued. With a violent trail of dread following up on him, Iscan finally found the lord. Even with one eye blinded by his old travels, the legion stared down at the crew like mere defenseless children. The once ready and brave men who spent their lives embracing the sea all scurried and hid, all except the very man who held that fishing hook; basculegion’s new prey. The goliath worth of a fish crashed through the wood like the waterfalls it cruises through. The bloody floorboards sprint through every direction as the boat tumbled and tripped. With another sprint, the fish lunged toward other fishers. Leaving nothing but the ghostly umbra tracks for weary eyes. Iscan buried himself into the corner he already sat adjacent to; hoping it couldn’t sense his presence. Even though he wanted to move his feet, his eyes could only focus on the disembodied limbs and abandoned organs. His ear can only fixate and the roaring boat, limping towards a different direction, men wailing and uproar as if they were the mismagius and gastlies in legends, the growling waves, hiding the lord’s wrathful cries. However, one voice was like a lighthouse: the cry of the family’s kingdra.

“Stand up, boy! You just gon’ stand there to get ate?”

But like before, Iscan couldn’t mutter a word. His eyes couldn’t even look away from what was behind his familiar. A teal and crimson blur yanked Iscan’s father off his feet. If it weren’t for his quick instincts, he would’ve been submerged in the jail cell of basculegion’s teeth like the rest of his crew. His tired fingers latched onto the broken-down oak bars as if they were the rope of Sinnoh. Iscan finally broke out of his frozen state and reached out his hand as a replacement for the broken side of that boat. Iscan could feel his arms being stabbed by the clinging life desperate to be free from the jaws gnawing at his lower body. Even if the crew was gone, even if the boat was destroyed, even if his arms were ripped straight out of his sockets, even if the man who raised him would seethe at the sight of him up until his dying breathe, Iscan still wasn’t going to let go to the likes of this bestowed lord.

But when he opened his eyes, he was left with nothing. Half of the boat was gone. The fishermen were gone. His father and his pokemon were gone, and his noble was gone. All he had left was the broken wood chips and himself. His only evidence that his father was there was the open rows of crimson that drowned his arms. He sat there. He knew that lord was surrounding him, anywhere, and one sight of him being in the water would make him another bait on a string. His tear-veiled eyes looked up at the radiant moon and the stars that danced around it and pleaded. He pleaded with Sinnoh to save him. But he waited with the sound of the still waters, the wailing ghost pokemon…and the basculegion.

Iscan felt himself be brought back to himself again, or at least most of himself. He still felt bound by the bass’s will. His arms felt heavy and his feet waltz on the very edge of the bow. With all his might, he grabbed something on his back; his flute. If he was going to meet his fate, it will be by his own fate.

Instead of the same melody he’s been playing for over a decade, he played a tune that used to soothe him in his childhood. His eyes peeked to see the oncoming glow only to see the connecting purple visions of basculin surrounding him. He couldn’t begin to count the ones in front of him, let alone around him. But it didn’t stop him from playing. His eyes continued to track the lord that swam circles around him. His feelings of comfort lead him to feel somber and soon guilty when he continued to play; he refused to ignore the basculin that stared him down. Even after the low growls, Iscan didn’t let it stop him but instead let the music continue to protect him. He felt his eyes water as he sensed the presence that excluded the pokemon. Presence that he couldn’t bare opening his eyes to. He could sense them around him, judging him, but proud of him.

Iscan could hear a trail of crashing water dart to him just for it to move past him, feeling to boat move. He can feel himself being moved backward but still feel the violet apparitions stalk him. He didn’t notice his own body catching his fall. The closer he was to the beach, the less the glow appeared one by one. The boat hit a complete sandy halt when Iscan refrained from playing. Opening his eyes, he saw nothing but the lord and the boat he was on.

“I-I…I’m sorry for everything, truly.”

He reached his hand out with the pellets he originally offered. The lord accepted Iscan’s offering, planting his head on his hand before diving back to its home. For once, after spending so many nights on that beach, he no longer felt frightful.

#pokemon #pla #Pokemon Legends #legends arceus #iscan #pokemon warden #diamond clan #warden iscan #iscan pokemon #basculin #basculegion #pokemon fanart #Pokemon Fanfic #pokemon fanfiction

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whats-in-a-sentence · 1 year

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Eärendil was a mariner

that tarried in Arvernien;

he built a boat of timber felled

in Nimbrethil to journey in;

her sails he wove of silver fair,

of silver were her lanterns made,

her prow was fashioned like a swan,

and light upon her banners laid.

In panoply of ancient kings,

in chainéd rings he armoured him;

his shining shield was scored with runes

to ward all wounds and harm from him;

his bow was made of dragon-horn,

his arrows shorn of ebony,

of silver was his habergeon,

his scabbard of chalcedony;

his sword of steel was valiant,

of adamant his helmet tall,

an eagle-plume upon his crest,

upon his breast an emerald.

Beneath the Moon and under star

he wandered far from northern strands,

bewildered on enchanted ways

beyond the days of mortal lands.

From gnashing of the Narrow Ice

where shadow lies on frozen hills,

from nether heats and burning waste

he turned in haste, and roving still

on starless waters for astray

at last he came to Night of Naught,

and passed, and never sight he saw

of shining shore nor light he sought.

The winds of wrath came driving him,

and blindly in the foam he fled

from west to east and errandless,

unheralded he homeward sped.

There flying Elwing came to him,

and flame was in the darkness lit;

more bright than light of diamond

the fire upon her carcanet.

The Silmaril she bound on him

and crowned him with the living light

and dauntless then with burning brow

he turned his prow; and in the night

from Otherworld beyond the Sea

there strong and free a storm arose,

a wind of power in Tarmenel;

by paths that seldom mortal goes

his boat it bore with biting breath

as might of death across the grey

and long-forsaken seas distressed:

from east to west he passed away.

Through Evernight he back was borne

on black and roaring waves that ran

o'er leagues unlit and foundered shores

that drowned before the Days began,

until he heard on strands of pearl

where ends the world the music long,

where ever-foaming billows roll

the yellow gold and jewels wan.

He saw the Mountain silent rise

where twilight lies upon the knees

of Valinor, and Eldamar

beheld afar beyond the seas.

A wanderer escaped from night

to haven white he came at last,

to Elvenhome the green and fair

where keen the air, where pale as glass

beneath the Hill of Ilmarin

a-glimmer in a valley sheer

the lamplit towers of Tirion

are mirrored on the Shadowmere.

He tarried there from errantry,

and melodies they taught to him,

and sages old him marvels told,

and harps of gold they brought to him.

They clothed him then in elven-white,

and seven lights before him sent,

as through the Calacirian

to hidden land forlorn he went.

He came unto the timeless halls

where shining fall the countless years,

and endless reigns the Elder King

in Ilmarin on Mountain sheer;

and words unheard were spoken then

of folk of Men and Elven-kin,

beyond the world where visions showed

forbid to those that dwell therein.

A ship then new they built for him

of mithril and of elven-glass

with shining prow; no shaven oar

nor sail she bore on silver mast:

the Silmaril as lantern light

and banner bright with living flame

to gleam thereon by Elbereth

herself was set, who thither came

and wings immortal made for him,

and laid on him undying doom,

to sail the shoreless skies and come

behind the Sun and light of Moon.

From Evereven's lofty hills

where softly silver fountains fall

his wings him bore, a wandering light,

beyond the mighty Mountain Wall.

From World's End then he turned away,

and yearned again to find afar

his home through shadows journeying,

and burning as an island star

on high above the mists he came,

a distant flame before the Sun,

a wonder ere the walking dawn

where grey the Norland waters run.

And over Middle-earth he passed

and heard at last the weeping sore

of women and of elven-maids

in Elder days, in years of yore.

But on him mighty doom was laid,

till Moon should fade, an orbéd star

to pass, and tarry never more

on Hither Shores where mortals are;

for ever still a herald on

an errand that should never rest

to bear his shining lamp afar,

the Flammifer of Westernesse.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" - J.R.R. Tolkien

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softpadawan · 2 years

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Listening to the Star Wars Rebels Seasons 1 and 2 soundtrack is like watching the series at 500x speed and it hits just as hard, if not harder than watching the show. Why? Because now the music is isolated and one's (my) brain is conjuring the images that go along with it, so one (I) can better understand and appreciate the sheer mastery that went into the making of the soundtrack.

Like, why didn't anyone tell me that Blinded and Kanan's Mask (S2 OST), when Kanan and Ahsoka are battling Maul—to save Ezra from a dark fate—incorporates the iconic Duel of the Fates theme? Which played the last time Maul faced off against two Jedi?? *gargle foam froth*

I never picked up on that when I was watching the show because I was too visually distracted by what was going on—omg wtf bbq Kanan vs Maul! Kanan's blinded! Maul's gonna get Ezra nooo! I was too busy howling at my TV like an animal while dangling from the living room ceiling fan to pay attention to music. (Although that's a good sign that the music is doing its job, complementing without disrupting.)

Where the Sun Sails and the Moon Walks and It's Over Now (last two tracks on the album, basically the last few epic minutes of "Twilight of the Apprentice pt. 2") was so powerful that all I could do was bellow "fuuuck! fuuuck!" at my computer screen over and over again.

I'm supposed to be working on art :1

Anyway, expect an in-depth musical analysis of Ezra's Theme soon.

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naalbinder · 3 years

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phoebe bridgers // elliott smith parallels

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4BEfu6YZ7XbdHFZBXthIpN?si=6bf8fc460eba4d33

E - Riot Coming - “Sat down in jail with this friend of mine/Who'd never close both his eyes/But one was shut all the time/To cover the thing he was scared of”

E - Stupidity Tries “To sail across the sea of trash”

E - Going nowhere - “The old records are sitting on the floor/The ones I can’t put on anymore”

E - Clementine - “Anything to pass the time/And keep that song out of your mind”

P - Smoke Signals - “One of your eyes is always half-shut/Something happened when you were a kid” - “burning trash out on the beach” - “You said that song'll creep you out until you're dead”

E - Miss Misery - (music videos on the same street)

E - Easy way out - “While I watch you making mistakes/I wish you luck I really do” “I heard you found another audience to bore”

E - Looking Over My Shoulder - “Another sick rock ‘n’ roller acting like a dick”

E - Placeholder - “I'm the person you'll never need/The biggest loser on sixteenth street” - “Just like my favourite song/Some pretty words that didn't last that long”

P - Motion Sickness - “I'll be glad that I made it out/And sorry that it all went down like it did” “You said when you met me, you were bored” - “Hey, why do you sing with an English accent?/I guess it's too late to change it now”

E - Some Song - “Help me kill my time cause I'll never be fine”

P - Funeral - “Jesus Christ i'm so blue all the time/And that's just how i feel/Always have and i always will ”

E - Bled White - “Happy and sad come in quick succession/I’m never going to become what you became”

P - Demi Moore - “I got a good feeling/It doesn't happen very often”

E - St Ides Heaven - “With an open container from 7/11”

E - A Fond Farewell - “A fond farewell to a friend”

P - Scott Street - “With an open heart, open container” - “Anyway, don’t be a stranger / don’t be a stranger”

E - Last Call - “And I think I’m all done, you can switch me off safely/While i’m lying here for sleep to overtake me”

E - Roman Candle - “I’m a roman candle/My head is full of flames ”

P - Killer - “But when I’m sick and tired/And when my mind is barely there/When a machine keeps me alive/And I’m losing all my hair/I hope you kiss my rotten head/And pull the plug” - “Tame the fire in you”

E - Georgia Georgia

P - Georgia - “Georgia, Georgia, I love your son”

E - Twilight - “That you are already somebody’s baby”

E - See you later - “Made out of a night train”

E - King’s Crossing - “Instruments shine on a silver tray”

P - Chelsea - “You are somebody’s baby” - “For a chemical imbalance/You sure know how to ride a train” - “With a needle on a tray”

E - Christian Brothers - “No bad dream fucker's gonna boss me around/Christian brothers gonna take him down”

P - Would you rather - “Quarantined in a bad dream/He's half the man and you're twice as tall”

E - Son of Sam - “Son of Sam, son of a doctors love a nurses touch/Acting under orders from above”

P - You Missed My Heart - “A feeling of relief came over my soul/I couldn't take it any longer, and I lost control”

E - Bye - (instrumental)

E - New Monkey (Instrumental)

P - DVD Menu - (instrumental)

E - Coming up roses - “And you're coming up roses everywhere you go/Red roses follow”

E - Rose Parade - “Said, Won't you follow me down to the Rose Parade?”

P - Garden Song “They're gluing roses on a flatbed/You should see it, I mean thousands”

E - Condor Ave - “I don’t know what to do with your clothes or your letters”

E - Baby Britain - “Fights problems with bigger problems/Sees the ocean fall and rise/Counts the waves that somehow didn’t hit her/Water pouring from her eyes/Alcoholic and very bitter”

E - Say Yes - “I'm in love with the world/Through the eyes of a girl/Who's still around the morning after”

E - Seen How Things Are Hard - “You just didn't care/You were off getting drunk instead”

E - The Biggest Lie - "Oh, I just told the biggest lie/ I just told the biggest lie/The biggest lie"

P - Kyoto - “And you wrote me a letter/But I don't have to read it” - “I wanted to see the world/Then I flew over the ocean/And I changed my mind” - “I wanted to see the world/Through your eyes until it happened/Then I changed my mind” - “I'm gonna kill you/If you don't beat me to it” - "Guess I lied/I'm a liar/Who lies/'Cause I'm a liar"

E - Memory Lane - “Your little house on memory lane ”

E - Angel in the Snow - “Angel in the snow/all crushed out on the way you are”

E - Last Call - “And I wanted her to tell me that she would never wake me”

E - New Monkey - “For the millions of fans ignoring the bands”

E - Waltz #2 - “I'm never gonna know you now/But I'm gonna love you anyhow”

E - Amity - “I'm a neon sign and I stay open all the time”

P - Punisher - “The house where you lived with Snow White” - “But never not sweet to the trust funds and punishers” - “What if I told you/I feel like I know you?/But we never met” - “The drugstores are open all night/The only real reason I moved to the east side”

E - Some Song - “Yeah it's halloween tonight and every night”

E - Pitseleh - “I got a joke I've been dying to tell you/A silent kid is looking down the barrel/To make the noise that I kept so quiet”

P - Halloween - “Baby, it's Halloween” - “I hate living by the hospital/The sirens go all night/I used to joke that if they woke you up/Somebody better be dying”

E - Shooting Star - “So bad, so far/You made me sad/Shooting star/You're distant and cold/And a sight to behold/Everybody just sighs”

E - Satellite - “When they call it a lover's moon, the satellite/'Cause it acts just like lovers do, the satellite/A burned-out world you know/Staying up all night/The satellite”

E - Everything Reminds Me of Her - “Why are you staring into outer space, crying?/Just because you came across it and lost it”

P - Chinese Satellite - “Took a tour to see the stars/But they weren't out tonight/So I wished hard on a Chinese satellite” - “Sometimes, when I can't sleep/It's just a matter of time before I'm hearing things” b- “Instead, I look at the sky and I feel nothing/You know I hate to be alone/I want to be wrong”

E - Coast to Coast - “Still you're keeping me around/'Til I finally drag us both down (Gonna drag us both down)”

E - Little one - “The moonlight tonight/Seems to belong to me” - “One more/Little one, I love you”

E - Coming up Roses - “The moon is a sickle cell/It'll kill you in time” “While the moon does its division/You're buried below”

E - Everything Means Nothing to Me - “At attention, looking backward in a pool of water/Wishes with a blue songbird on his shoulder/Who keeps singing over everything”

E - Pretty Mary K (Other Version) - “oh Mary K, I can see your face/down there in the waves, painted and erased/but I know it's just a reflection of the moon”

P - Moon song - (52) “You asked to walk me home/But I had to carry you” - (53) “And if I could give you the moon/I would give you the moon” - (54) “You are sick and you're married/And you might be dying” - (55/56) “And you pushed me in/And now my feet can't touch the bottom of you” “But you're holding me like water in your hands/When you saw the dead little bird”

E - New Disaster - “Everybody is the same in this long no-win game/Where every new blood/Gets time to become resigned” - “Until everyone knows that your smile is just a ghost/The ghost of your smile was seen on a body in the park”

P - Savior Complex - “Baby, you're a vampire/You want blood and I promised” - “All the bad dreams that you hide/Show me yours, I'll show you mine”

E - Oh well, Ok - “If you get a feeling next time you see me/Do me a favor and let me know/Cause it's hard to tell, it's hard to say 'oh well, Ok'”

E - Last Call - “You're a tongueless talker/You don't care what you say”

E - Angel in the Snow - “Only a cold still life/ that fell down here to lay beside you”

P - ICU - (58) “But I feel something when I see you now/I feel something when I see you” - (59) “I hate your mom/I hate it when she opens her mouth/It's amazing to me/How much you can say/When you don't know what you're talking about” - “laying down on the lawn” “if you’re a work of art/I’m standing too close/I can see the brush strokes”

E - Happiness / The Gondola Man - “What I used to be/Will pass away and then you'll see/That all I want now/Is happiness for you and me”

E - Whatever (Folk Song in C) - “Whatever you're doing now would probably suit me fine/If you're all done, like you said you'd be/What are you doing hanging out with me?”

E - Big Ballad of Nothing - “You can do what you want to whenever you want to/You can do what you want to there's no one to stop you”

P - Graceland too - “Said she knows she lived through it to get to this moment” - “Whatever she wants (Whatever you want)”

E - Bottle up and Explode “Bottle up and go/I can make it outside”

E - A Distorted Reality is Now a Necessity to be Free - “God knows why my country don't give a fuck” - “Shine on me baby, because it's raining in my heart”

E - Alphabet Town - “Alphabet City is haunted”

P - I Know The End - “There's no place like my room” - “To some America First rap country song” “Driving out into the sun/Let the ultraviolet cover me up”- “I'll find a new place to be from/A haunted house with a picket fence”

#phoebe bridgers #elliott smith #playlist

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monicashipsnickyjoe · 3 years

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They had split just a year ago to the day, for the first time since destiny had tied them together on the battlefield. On this same dock, Yusuf had taken Nicolò’s hand, sparking the embers of this new thing between them, and promised, “I will return.”

I could go with you, Nicolò had wanted to say, but struggled with voicing his thoughts. He hadn’t wanted to burden Yusuf with his growing infatuation. And too often, the words he meant to say came out twisted, misunderstood in Yusuf’s language or his own. Instead, he’d learned to embrace silence.

So Nicolò had stood as a statue on the dock and watched his friend, his companion, his secret love sail away.

Now, Nicolò waited on the same dock, expecting Yusuf’s return. He worried his hands together, nerves on a static edge, watching ship after ship pull into the harbor and not one bearing Yusuf.

As the morning drew to afternoon to evening, his pacing wore a groove in the wooden boards. Nearby sailors called him Watchman, and laughed as he circled round again, for the thousandth time. Some offered food, which Nicolò refused. When Yusuf arrived, he would no doubt be hungry. Nicolò had supplies at his rented house for a feast to share. He would not waste his appetite. If he had one.

No. Food, he refused. With the way his stomach tumbled, he doubted he could keep it down anyway.

Next, they offered alcohol. They meant to calm him, and Nicolò thanked them for it. But, no. He needed his wits. If Yusuf did not arrive… If Nicolò was alone… Then, perhaps… But, no. Yusuf was coming. He had promised. Nicolò would not muddle their reunion with drink.

He met the edge of the dock and turned once more. A new ship was pulling into harbor, a fishing boat with discolored, patched sails. The men aboard each had thick beards and wild hair, but Nicolò spotted Yusuf easily. Beard or no beard. Hair in curls or shorn short. Nicolò would know the shape of his love from any distance. Wide shoulders. Easy smile. Kind eyes.

Nicolò moved without knowing it, legs bringing him to the end of the lowered gangplank. He earned sideways looks from a few older fishermen as they departed. But then Yusuf was there. Yusuf was stepping onto the gangplank and the dock. Those kind eyes found Nicolò, and Nicolò was whole again.

But then, the easy smile Yusuf held for the fishermen slipped from his handsome face. He stared at Nicolò, searching. Nicolò had shaven that morning, in anticipation, and cut his hair. He wanted to look much the same as when Yusuf left. He hadn’t wanted Yusuf to know how wretched he was without him. How for months, he had let his hair and beard grow. The days between baths had stretched long. He had still eaten fine. Still fought as they always had, traveling long roads and protecting innocents. Each night, he had stared at the stars and thought of Yusuf.

“Nicolò,” Yusuf said, in a dull uncaring tone that he had not used even in the very beginning when they were still turning their swords onto each other.

“Yusuf.” Yet as Nicolò’s heart sank from Yusuf’s coldness, he could not keep the tiny smile from his own lips. Here was his love again, before him. After a year of solitude, Yusuf was once again at his side.

Yusuf’s attention snapped to Nicolò’s lips, no doubt seeing that smile, that joy. His brows lifted and his lips parted as if for a breath.

Words, Nicolò reminded himself. Before Yusuf left, Nicolò had embraced silence. Since his absence, he had learned to hate it.

“I have missed you,” Nicolò said, in Yusuf’s native language. He had been practicing, when he could.

Yusuf’s eyes widened, as if the words surprised him. “You have?” he asked back, in Nicolò’s language.

Nicolò thought he might have made an error, so he said again, in his own language this time, “I have missed you, Yusuf.”

Yusuf looked no less flabbergasted.

Nicolò’s nerves, ebbed in the moment of their reunion, returned tenfold now in Yusuf’s lingering silence. They itched like spiders crawling under is skin, and he wanted to scratch and scream and jump into the harbor – whatever would get Yusuf to tell him what was so shocking about his affection.

“Is that,” Nicolò swallowed, “unwelcomed?”

Finally, blessedly, Yusuf’s face relaxed. His eyes were still guarded, his mouth a tight line, but no longer a frown.

“Nicolò. Before I left, you had not spoken more than my name for six months.”

Nicolò’s lips pulled downward.

“You must admit that the air between was not… comfortable,” Yusuf said.

Nicolò’s heart dropped down into the dark, damp pit of his stomach. “I… made you uncomfortable?”

“You must have felt it too.”

Nicolò lowered his gaze to his boots. He’d cleaned away the dust and dirt of his travels before coming to the docks. They shined now, in the setting sun, a stark contrast to the weather-worn wooden beams of the dock. He should have left them dirty. He should not have come today at all.

“Nicolò?” Yusuf asked, inching closer. Yusuf’s boots were layered with sea-salt. “Have I said something wrong?”

Nicolò shook his head. “I am sorry that I make you uncomfortable.”

“No. I must be saying it wrong,” Yusuf said, speaking quicker now. “I meant in the past. Not now. I am comfortable now.”

No, Yusuf didn’t understand. Nicolò, still avoiding Yusuf’s eyes, tried in his language. “I will make you uncomfortable again.”

“But you are speaking to me now,” Yusuf said, again in Nicolò’s language.

Nicolò was going to have to say it, to get Yusuf to truly comprehend. “Yusuf.”

“If we keep talking,” Yusuf went on, “then I don’t see why we would –”

“I still love you,” Nicolò interrupted him. He lifted his gaze to Yusuf’s once more, in time to see him stunned into silence. His eyes widened again. His brows nearly touched his hairline. “As before. That hasn’t changed.” Nicolò waited, but Yusuf only stared. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, with no sound coming out. “So I will make you uncomfortable again.”

Yusuf blinked once, twice. “You love me?”

In Yusuf’s language, Nicolò said again, “I love you.”

Yusuf’s brow lowered. His eyes softened, impossibly fond, and sparkling in the nearing twilight. He looked at Nicolò like a precious thing. Then, he laughed, not unkindly, and Nicolò missed the sound so much, he gasped.

“Nicolò.” Yusuf stepped closer. He reached and placed his hand at the corner of Nicolò’s jawline, finger and thumb on Nicolò’s cheek and the rest warm on his neck. “My Nicolò.”

Nicolò’s heart returned to life, soaring high with the overhead birds heading out to sea. “Yusuf?” Did this mean…? Could Nicolò’s feelings not be so one-sided after all?

Yusuf leaned forward, light and promise in his gaze. “Nicolò, I…” He stopped himself, looking past Nicolò, over his left shoulder.

Nicolò looked too.

They had gained an audience of fishermen and sailors. Many, smiling. A few, cheering. Most, drinking.

“I have a house,” Nicolò said, voice low, for Yusuf alone.

Yusuf brushed his thumb along Nicolò’s cheekbone. “Take me there.”

Nicolò took Yusuf by the hand and led him from the docks. They walked along the streets of the city as night set in and the moon rose high.

Behind the closed door of Nicolò’s rented house, Yusuf pushed Nicolò against the wall, combed his fingers through Nicolò’s hair, and said, “I love you.” Then he claimed Nicolò’s lips. He’d already claimed his heart long ago.

He smelled of fish and the sea. His clothes were damp with ocean spray. His lips were chapped from the sun.

But he was perfect, and lovely, and for the first time since they parted, Nicolò was home again.

#i wrote something nickyjoe #nicky x joe #joe x nicky #kaysonova #misunderstandings cw #reunion #first kiss #love confession

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briillicnt · 5 months

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@rosefromdeath said there’s nothing like the peace i feel out here .

“ it is nice up here. “ he hummed in response, taking in the view around them. the forest behind them was the perfect backdrop for what was in front of them — waves crashed against the shoreline, clouds hanging low to the point that it looked like they were dipping down into the cold water, there was a light drizzle but it wasn’t enough to bother anyone. it was the perfect weather and the reason why he had such a hard time leaving washington behind. it didn’t get any better than this. “ i heard that locals use those cliffs over there for diving. “ he pointed towards the large cliffs in the distance, wondering just how high up they really were. “ is that true? “

#rosefromdeath #the sun sails & the moon walks / twilight.#he's a storm made of blood and bone / answered.#q.

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tsukikoayanosuke · 2 years

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The Tale of the Balancing Companions

"Dear children. Our tale is not done. In fact, we're just in the beginning. The second separation was just the birth of the worlds, for the worlds weren't in balance after the disturbance.

The twins of nothingness, in the end, still love each other. They called into the void that separated them, longing for something that will fill the Emptiness in them. And like before, for one last time, they heard each other prayers. Then why don't they wish to meet each other, you may ask. The answer is simple: if you can't remember what you've lost, can you even wish for it to return? When the Brilliant Light lost her Heart, she lost the memories with it, for a Heart and the memories are tied together. Gentle Darkness knows this as well, so it will be pointless for him to wish for their unification again. Thus, they make one last wish: for a companion to tip the scale of both worlds close to a balance.

In the World of Lux, the realm ruled by the Brilliant Light, no living creatures can die for the world always heals. But every story, every life, must come to an end. It's the duty of the Masters of Passing, blessed by the Gentle Darkness himself, to put them to rest.

The Master of Pasing

The Master of Passing whose throne resides in the faraway land of Isle of Lamentation, holds the title of both the ‘Grim Reaper’ and ‘Mother Nature’. In a world where nothing can’t die and have long ages, who would want a never-ending life of suffering? She walks across every corner of the world, keeping the circle of life in balance. Nothing can go extinct, but they can eventually die. For every animal that dies in humans' hands for meat, a new baby shall be born. For every forest that was burnt to the ground, a field of flowers shall emerge from the ashes. Those who long for eternal sleep shall sail their boat with an unlit lantern at the helm across the sea toward the direction of the sunset. She shall pick you up and find your final resting place, buried until the day of unification when every one shall return to the soil.

In the World of Tenebrae, the realm where the Gentle Darkness sleeps, where darkness is eternal. But even in the deepest void, there's a light that will never go out. The Artificial Sun, gifted by the Brilliant Light herself, shall shine the world.

The Artificial Sun

Resting in the Tower of Daybreak, the Artificial Sun shines through the endless night for eternal. No matter where you go, you can see the light that will lead to the center of the world. For those who live close to it, they can enjoy her light like daytime in the others realms. For some, she’ll cast a perpetual twilight. For the furthest, she’ll be no brighter than a full moon.

However, I must warn you, dear children, for while the Artificial Sun is eternal, there was one time when the world turns dark once again. We pray with all our might to never experience another Day of the Flicker.

But that’s a story for another day, my children…”

#this is my prsk dimension hoping au #project sekai colorful stage #prsk fantasy au #i realized a loophole in my previous lore post so i put a tape on it #meiko #megurine luka #minori hanasato #is minori older than meiko? probably #but she's still the same minori #meiko gravedigging thing is slightly inspired from sunday without god #i don't know i never watch that anime #luka is inspired by tegami bachi artificial sun #project sekai

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rainecreatesstuff · 3 years

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escaping is not the same as running away- chapter 1: goodbyes are not for good

DISCLAIMER: ALL names in this story are in reference to the CHARACTERS of the Dream SMP, NOT the CCs. Please be respectful in the replies.

Characters: Tubbo, Ranboo, Philza, Technoblade, Mentioned TommyInnit, Mentioned Michael_Beloved

Relationships: Tubbo & Ranboo (Platonic), Philza & Technoblade (Platonic), Philza & Ranboo (Platonic), Technoblade & Ranboo (Platonic)

Warnings: Swearing

Ranboo climbed the stairs of the factory, reaching the top and letting his shoulders fall as he spotted Tubbo sitting on the edge of the roof. He carefully made his way over, sitting down beside Tubbo, who had one of his legs held to his chest, his chin sitting on it, staring at the sunset.

“Thought I might find you here.” Ranboo swung his legs back and forth a bit.

Tubbo hummed.

“Is Michael in bed?”

“Mhm,” Ranboo leaned back, “Luckily his chicken plush was dry, so he went to bed easy tonight.”

Tubbo smiled, but it was tight, and fell away easily after a moment.

As much as he wanted to ask Tubbo what was wrong, he knew it was probably a bad decision. Tubbo was a man of secrets. He kept everything on the inside, and trying to pry just made him upset, so Ranboo sat patiently as they watched the sunset.

Snowchester really was beautiful at this time. The golden hues of the sun reflected off the snow and water, creating a warm tint over the town. Tubbo really was an amazing builder. The cute, cottage-esque homes somehow became even more cozy-looking in the setting sun. A distant part of Ranboo hoped they would make it inside before the moon rose, and the cold of the night truly settled into the village.

“You ever think about leaving?”

Ranboo was broken out of his thoughts by Tubbo’s question.

“Huh?”

Tubbo shifted, turning his head to face Ranboo.

“You know, just packing up, getting in a boat, and disappearing. Finding somewhere far, far away where you wouldn’t have to worry about governments or terrorists or wars. Somewhere safe.” Tubbo’s eyes didn’t meet Ranboo’s, instead seeming to trace the lines of his face.

Ranboo frowned.

“I mean, not, not really? I… if I’m being honest, I like it here.” He paused for a moment, “well, not like, here, but… Snowchester. I like being here with you and Michael, and whoever else happens to be around. It’s… calm, I guess.” Ranboo swung his legs idly as he spoke.

Tubbo hummed, glancing back towards the sunset.

“Do you?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think about running away?”

Tubbo’s brow creased.

“I mean, sometimes. Feel like it’d be easier. Just disappear into the night, before anyone could stop me. Maybe I’d finally get to have that apiary. Like the one we built in L’Manburg, but bigger, with machines and’ stuff.”

Ranboo smiled softly.

“You could make a villager trading ring, like you always wanted. Get all the best enchantments and all the best loot.”

Tubbo laughed quietly.

“And we could build a house, a nice one, in a flower field, with a big backyard for Michael to play in. And we could get a dog.”

“And a cat.”

“And we could learn how to cook properly.”

Ranboo laughed, airy and loudly. Tubbo grinned, leaning against Ranboo. Ranboo stiffened for a moment, and Tubbo began to pull away, before Ranboo carefully wrapped an arm around Tubbo, holding him by his waist.

“Imagine it, just us and Michael, and Tommy, just living super far away from all this bullshit. Maybe sending the occasional letter back. Just. Living. Actually living, without constantly worrying about everything.” Tubbo’s voice went soft, like he was sharing a secret.

Ranboo hummed, before going silent and still.

Realistically… what was stopping them? They could pack everything they needed in like, an hour tops, and tell Tommy to do the same. They could sail north, and keep going until they were safe. Until they found that perfect little flower field. They could bring Michael. They… they could leave.

Tubbo clicked his tongue, bringing Ranboo back to reality.

“You alright boss man?”

Ranboo bit his lip gently, considering for a moment, then…

“What’s stopping us?”

Tubbo tensed up beside him, pulling away to stare at him.

“What?”

“What’s stopping us from packing up and leaving?”

Tubbo blinked, staring at Ranboo incredulously.

“You. You’re serious?” Tubbo’s voice shook a bit.

“I mean, yeah. Like, I don’t know about you, but, I don’t really have anything holding me here other than you and Michael. I’d… I’d miss Phil, and Techno, but they’d understand. God, they of all people would totally understand.”

Tubbo brushed the hair away from his eyes, and Ranboo had to glance away.

“I… Like, you actually want to? You’re not just saying that?” Tubbo looked away slightly as well, focusing his eyes on Ranboo’s hair instead.

“I mean, yeah. I, I um, I think it’d be good. For all of us, especially Michael. He should, uh, he should get to grow up safe n’ stuff, you know?”

A smile slipped onto Tubbo’s face, becoming a grin, and then a laugh. He hugged Ranboo lightly around the waist, and Ranboo gently squeezed back. A sharp pain erupted from his shoulder and a low hiss escaped from his mouth, and Tubbo quietly gasped and pulled away.

“Fuck- sorry Boo, I wasn’t even thinking-“

“You’re crying?” Ranboo held Tubbo’s face in his hands, carelessly wiping away tears even as they burnt his thumbs.

Tubbo batted away his hands gently.

“Stop it, you’re not burning your hands just because I got all sappy n shit.” Tubbo laughed gently, rubbing at his eyes with his sleeve.

“You’re okay?” Ranboo half-reached out to Tubbo, as if to dry his tears again, but pulled back.

“Fuck, Boo, I am so okay. I am very okay.” He laughed as he spoke, bringing his hands up and flapping them back and forth as he spoke.

Ranboo giggled, leaning back on his hands.

“Okay, okay, sorry about that, I just- I’ve been wanting to just leave for so long but I didn’t want to leave you or Tommy or Michael so I just- Assumed I wouldn’t ever be able to, and-“ Tubbo shakily drew a breath in, running a hand through his hair, “You’re sure? Like, 100%, no going back, sure?”

Ranboo let himself think it over for another moment, just in case, but he still couldn’t find any reason to stay. As long as he had Tubbo, Michael, and Tommy with him, he could care less what happened on SMP soil. He’d miss Niki, Techno, and Phil, and it hurt him to know he’d probably never speak to Fundy or Quackity again, but part of him was inclined to believe he wouldn’t have in the first place. So, drawing in a breath, he nodded.

“Yeah. Whenever you’re ready, I am.”

Tubbo rammed his forehead into Ranboo’s chest, making a small “oof” escape him, hugging him tightly. Ranboo wrapped his arms around Tubbo, smiling softly.

“Okay, okay, um, tonight? Do you wanna go tonight? We can carry Michael, and he can sleep on the way, and we can sleep once we’ve gotten a ways out.” Tubbo sprang back, then jumped up, pacing back and forth on the edge of the roof, nearly giving Ranboo a heart attack.

Ranboo stood as well, grabbing Tubbo’s hood and pulling him away from the edge.

“As long as you don’t wander off any roofs, yeah, sure.”

Tubbo just huffed, but his smile didn’t waiver. He passed Ranboo, headed towards the stairs, gently hitting his arm on the way by. Ranboo followed him down.

“Alright, so I can pack up my stuff, and I’ll go convince Tommy to come, and then you can go get your stuff and come back and help me pack for Michael?” Tubbo asked, fidgeting excitedly with the drawstrings on his coat.

Ranboo nodded.

“Yeah, yeah, sounds good, I’ll be done in like- an hour probably? And then I’ll just come back to your house.”

Tubbo nodded, and ran up the steps to his cabin. Swinging the door open, he turned around once more, flashing Ranboo a grin.

“See you in a bit!”

“See ya.” Ranboo replied, smiling as the door slammed behind Tubbo.

Ranboo made his way to the community portal, careful to avoid Tommy’s property. He was pretty sure there was a reason Tubbo had wanted to tell Tommy, and not just for convenience. The blond probably wouldn’t be super on board with their plan right away, and he’d probably need Tubbo to convince him. Either with their super long friendship, or his puppy eyes. Ranboo was sure even Tommy couldn’t be invulnerable against that.

He reached the portal, and stood in it, the familiar nausea hitting him as he entered the Nether. He leaned against the portal’s frame for a moment, and the nausea dissipated as it always did. He walked along the messy cobblestone path that lead to the Arctic, nearly falling off a couple times due to ghasts, and eventually reached the Arctic.

He didn’t think he’d ever get used to the whiplash that was leaving the Nether and entering a tundra.

He reached his house just as the sun fully set, sending the sky into its beautiful twilight palette. He made his way around his basement, arranging as many of his riches as he could fit in his enderchest, and stuffing the rest, as well as survival supplies, into his inventory and a bag. He looked around his basement one last time, and his Enderman… “roommate,” we’ll call it, croaked something that sounded familiar in the same way all Ender did.

Ranboo bit his lip. He didn’t want to just leave the poor guy here, confused… Maybe a note could work? Surely Endermen had translators. He wrote his roommate a note explaining that he was leaving, and handed it to them. The Enderman looked down at the note, and seemed like he might actually have understood it, at least to some degree.

He made a sad croaking noise, and gently pat Ranboo’s head. Ranboo laughed a bit awkwardly, but smiled at the Enderman, who gave him one last look, then teleported away. Ranboo sighed heavily, biting his lip.

All his pets would need someone to look after them, then. He brought them all upstairs, then sat and gave them pets for a little bit. He could probably sneak Dogboo into Techno’s dog house. He was pretty sure the hound army had been decommissioned, and Techno definitely wouldn’t notice the extra dog until he read the name tag, if he ever did.

He was sure Phil wouldn’t mind one more addition to his flock- crow or not, the man was good with birds, and Ranbird would be well taken care of.

That just left him with his cats. Enderpearl, and Enderchest. The thought of leaving them behind put a sharp ache in his heart, but not more so than the thought of seeing Tubbo passed out at his desk after working himself to exhaustion did. Okay. Maybe Niki could take care of them. He knew she’d had foxes before, and cats were similar, if not a bit more independent. He could drop them off at her place on his way out, then.

He took a deep breath, giving one more round of cuddles and pets, then moved to action. He led Dogboo into the doghouse, where the pack immediately started trying to play with Dogboo. Ranboo let him off the lead, and knelt down, hugging him one more time, then leaving and closing the gate tightly behind him.

This next part would be more difficult, but he was sure he could do it without being confronted. Phil was still in Techno’s house, he could hear them talking from here. He brought Ranbird into Phil’s house on his forearm, leaving the bird on the counter in an area where he couldn’t get into too much trouble.

A crow flew down from one of the rosters, poking at Ranbird. Ranboo wondered for a moment if this was a bad idea, but then a few more crows flocked down and cawed curiously at Ranbird before flying back up, with Ranbird joining them. Ranboo let out a sigh of relief, then reached into his pocket, where he’d written Phil a note.

He walked out of the small house, pinning the note to Phil’s front door. If all went accordingly, Ranboo would be gone by the time Phil saw it.

He went back to his house, scooping up his cats and gently placing them in the duffel bag he’d slung over his shoulder. They seemed displeased at being jostled around, but after a moment, they curled around each other and laid down. Ranboo closed the bag as much as he could, still giving the cats room to move around and breathe.

He glanced around his home one more time, then took a deep breath, and stepped outside.

He glanced at Skellyboo for a moment, pondering if he should bring the undead horse, but no, he did not want to have to ride a skeletal horse for as long as he would need to. He could borrow a horse from someone else if he needed to. Tubbo probably had some in Snowchester.

He made his way to the gate that led out of Techno and Phil’s property, and stepped out, closing it behind him. He took another deep breath, and looked up at the sky. He was really doing this. They were really leaving. He suddenly felt giddy in a way he hadn’t in a while. He could picture it now, his and Tubbo’s little cottage, far, far away from here, where they could raise Michael in peace, and-

“What are you doing?”

Ranboo whipped around, suddenly faced with a very concerned Phil, Technoblade standing a few feet away with an expression that implied he was ready to kill someone.

Ranboo hoped it wasn’t him.

“Phil.” Ranboo’s voice turned shaky.

Phil made his way out the gate, his eyes not leaving Ranboo for a second. When he finally stood before him, he wrapped Ranboo in his arms, and Ranboo nearly began crying, though he wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was that he couldn’t remember being held like this by his real parents. Perhaps it was because Phil was hugging him like he was already forgiving Ranboo for something he hadn’t even done yet.

“Come back inside, mate.”

Ranboo glanced over to Techno, whose eyes held a bitterness in them that he’d only seen a few times before. Ranboo bit his lip. He was supposed to get back to Tubbo soon, but…

Phil and Techno had been so kind to him for so long. They at least deserved a goodbye, an explanation.

“… Okay.”

Phil sighed a breath of relief, and led the other two back into Techno’s house. They each kicked off their shoes at the door before stepping further in. Ranboo gently placed his bag on the floor, glancing up at Phil when Enderpearl made a “mrrrrp” sound, announcing his awakening.

“You can let them roam for a bit, mate. Seems like they’re gonna be holed up for a while.” Phil sat down on one of the chairs around the fireplace, gesturing for Ranboo to do the same.

Ranboo leaned down, unzipping his bag a bit, then nervously made his way to the couch, sitting on the side closest to Phil’s chair with his legs curled up, knees to his chest, leaning against the couch’s armrest. Techno sat behind them at the table.

“Alright, why don’t you start off with explaining why you’re all packed up?” Phil took his hat off, placing it on the armrest beside him.

Ranboo drew in a breath.

“I’m leaving. Not just, not just here, I’m leaving the SMP lands.” He carefully kept his eyes focused on the fire, nervous that if he looked at Phil, he’d find disappointment in his gaze.

“All by yourself? That can’t be good for you, mate. It’d be dangerous, even.”

Ranboo tilted his head, biting his lip.

“I’m, um, I’m not. Going alone, that is. I, uh, I have people I’m travelling with.” Ranboo’s tone hushed on reflex, and he heard Techno chuff behind him.

Phil looked slightly taken aback for a moment, then his face took on a look of consideration.

“Ahh. I see.” His voice held a hint of amusement.

Ranboo blushed lightly, coughing gently.

“It’s not like, um, what you’re thinking, we just- we just want to get away. From everything. From the prison, and the egg, and the wars, just- everything.”

Phil hummed, then sighed. Ranboo risked a glance up, and Phil was looking over at him with a sort of sadness held over him, but still smiling.

“That’s fair. You guys shouldn’t have to deal with all this at your age. I hope you find somewhere safe to grow up. And for that kid of yours to grow up.” Phil spoke gently, like he was scared he might make Ranboo scatter if he was too harsh.

“Your what?”

Ranboo flinched as Techno’s rough voice filled the room.

Phil looked straight at the ground, the look on his face equivalent to him outright saying “I fucked up.” Ranboo turned around, facing Techno, who was staring at him like he’d grown a third eye.

“So, um, I’m kind of, I kind of got married? And we adopted a kid.”

Techno’s staring didn’t stop.

“Aren’t you, like, 16 or something?”

Ranboo swallowed.

“Or something, yeah.”

“And you have a spouse, and a kid?”

“Um. Yes?”

Techno rubbed his eyes tiredly, his elbows leaning on the table.

“Why is that not the weirdest thing about you? That should be it by a landslide. And yet it’s not.”

Ranboo shrank in on himself sheepishly.

“Sorry.”

Phil laughed gently.

“Don’t apologize for it mate. You’re fine, right, Techno?” Phil turned a pointed gaze to Techno, who was looking between the two of them with tired eyes, like they’d lost their minds.

To be fair, they probably had.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re fine kid, just, jeez. Maybe tell me before you run off into the night next time, alright?”

“I, um. Yeah, that’s, that makes sense, yeah.”

Phil chuckled at the interaction.

“Can I ask who it is?” Techno said with a sigh.

“Hm?”

“Who’re you married to?”

Ranboo’s tail whipped across the couch nervously.

“Oh. Um. You, uh, you know Tubbo?”

Techno sighed.

“That checks out. Makes our visit there make a lot more sense.”

Ranboo furrowed his brow.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you two kept, like, jumping away from each other whenever Niki or I got close by. You’re not very good at keeping secrets, either of you.”

Ranboo held an ‘if only you knew’ on his tongue, humming instead.

“And your kid?”

“Oh, um, he’s a little zombie piglin named Michael. We found him in the Nether a few months back, and it didn’t seem like anyone was coming back for him, so we brought him back to Snowchester and we’ve been raising him there.” Ranboo’s voice took on a tint of warmth as he spoke about his son, and a soft smile resided on his face.

Techno hummed again, nodding.

“You’ve been keeping him warm, yeah? He hasn’t gone into hibernation?”

Ranboo shook his head vehemently.

“God, no, we’ve got a fireplace in his room and he only goes outside with like, three layers on. We, um, we didn’t know much about piglins? But, but I knew you hibernated because of the cold, and I wasn’t sure how that would affect a kid, so…”

Techno grunted.

“Sounds like you’re doing alright then. The kid’s happy?”

Ranboo turned away slightly, smiling warmly.

“I think so. He, um, he doesn’t know much common yet, ‘cause it’s kinda hard for his vocal chords to replicate the sounds, but, um, we’ve taught him sign, and he seems happy, so, yeah.” Ranboo fidgeted with the fabric on the couch as he spoke.

“Good.” Techno said before standing up.

Phil looked over to Ranboo and raised an eyebrow.

“Tech, where’re you going?”

Techno began making his way down the ladder.

“‘M grabbing some stuff.”

Ranboo checked the time again, biting his lip anxiously. He should really be getting back to Tubbo.

Techno emerged from the basement with a bundle in his arms, and placed it on the table he’d sat at before. Ranboo peered over the couch, spotting an assortment of items, four of which looked suspiciously netherite-like.

Phil whistled.

“‘S that a whole other set of armour?”

Techno grunted.

“You said you have travel companions, and one of ‘em’s Tubbo, and he doesn’t go anywhere without that stealing gremlin, so.” He gestured to the armour, frowning.

Ranboo sprang up from the couch, making his way over to the table. He admired the netherite, and as he touched it he could feel enchantments rippling across it.

“I- thank you, so much, Tommy lost his armour a while ago and I haven’t had a chance to make more yet-“

“Don’t. Don’t thank me or anything, it’s just paying you back for the axe and everything else that’s suspiciously shown up in our chests.” Techno grumbled.

“Of- of course.” Ranboo smiled, beginning to gather it into his inventory.

He was short on space, but he could make do. Once the armour was in its place, he noticed some books and parchment.

Phil strode up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder as he read the paper.

“It’s a recipe for a special type of mushroom stew. Uses mushrooms from the nether, used to make it for Techno when he was younger. Didn’t know he still had the recipe I gave him.” Phil glanced back up to Techno, who looked to become more and more embarrassed by the second.

“Yeah, well, I’ve already got it memorized, and your kid’ll probably like it, so.”

Phil laughed.

“And the books?” He jabbed Techno in the side gently.

“They’re doubles, I’ve been meaning to get rid of them anyways.”

Ranboo slid his hands over the books, which seemed to be centuries old, their spines and pages worn. On the covers were embroidered lettering, spelling out several classics and myths.

“You’re giving him your myth compilations? The first editions at that. Damn Techno.” Phil’s tone remained teasing, but another layer of softness piled onto it.

Techno grumbled something Ranboo couldn’t pick out. Ranboo stared at the books in awe for another moment, then looked back up to Techno.

“Thank you. Seriously. I’ll take care of them.” Ranboo carefully slid them into place in his inventory, then folded the parchment up and did the same to it.

Phil pulled him into another hug, and Ranboo leaned over and hid his face in the older man’s shoulder. Phil patted his back twice, then gently pulled away.

“I’m proud of you mate. You’ve gotten a lot stronger since I met you. Lot more wise too.”

Ranboo chirped out a nervous “thank you,” to which Phil laughed.

“We’ll miss you kid.”

Techno reached over and ruffled his hair.

“Don’t do anything Phil wouldn’t do. Remember our sparring lessons. And tell those brats that we hope your trip goes well.”

“Thanks Techno.” Ranboo smiled up at him, and the piglin let out a soft chuff.

“You’d better get going. Tubbo’s probably waiting for you, right?” Phil patted him on the back, and Ranboo made his way over to his duffel bag.

“Yeah, we’re leaving tonight. I’m supposed to meet him at his house in a bit.” He kneeled down beside his bag and realized Enderpearl had indeed gotten out and was now nowhere to be found.

“Don’t worry about the cat. A couple more animals aren’t gonna break us.” Phil smiled, nodding over to where Enderpearl was sleeping by the fireplace.

Ranboo carefully zipped up the duffel bag most of the way, still leaving room for Enderchest to move around a bit. He stood, then made his way over to the door and slipped on his shoes, heaving the bag over his shoulder.

“Thank you both so much. For everything.”

“Anytime. And don’t forget to write us. Or I’ll have my flock come find you.” Phil grinned.

Ranboo laughed, and nodded.

“I will. I’m guessing just give my letters to the nearest crow?”

Phil made a clicking noise with his tongue, then pointed to Ranboo.

“You got it.” He walked over, giving Ranboo one last hug, then opened the door for him.

“Bye. I’ll write soon.” Ranboo promised, making his way down the steps.

“Stay safe kid.” Techno leaned against the doorway as he spoke.

Ranboo nodded with a soft smile, and began making his way back to the gate. He turned and waved one final time, and then he was off, back to his husband and best friend.

God.

He couldn’t wait to get there.

#escaping is not the same as running away #raine writes #raine creates #tubbo #ranboo #tubbo dsmp #ranboo dsmp #tubbo fanfic #ranboo fanfic #bee duo #dream smp #dsmp #dream smp fanfic #dsmp fanfic #runaways au

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drabbledragon · 4 years

Text

Linktober: Companions

I’m already a few days behind for the daily prompts but fear not, because I will end up doing all the prompts even if it takes me into November. Anyways, please enjoy this 5K fic that I had way too much fun on.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26749021/chapters/65599177

Summary: There were little differences here and there between each one of the Links, but not quite as little when it came to companions.

Warnings: Swearing

Day 5: Companion

“So Sky, who’s your bird friend over there?”

The Hero of Skies tried to suppress his giggles as he met Twilight’s inquisitive eyes with his own sparkling ones, “ This is Red, my Loftwing!”

The other heroes looked curiously at the large bird currently pinning their friend to the ground and licking his face much like a dog would do to its owner. The creature was easily the size of one of Wild’s bears, and its feathers were a brilliant red that shone even in the midnight moon’s glow; as Wind had described it before, it was practically like a big red seagull. Sky’s companion was a complete surprise to them, and any similarities between the amiable fairies and gentle horses the other Links had met were not found with the excitable Loftwing.

Sky’s Zelda, whom the group affectionately agreed to call ‘Sun’, smiled cheerfully at the pair.

“He missed you a lot, you know,” She claimed, and there was a tender quality to her voice. “ Ever since you left with your friends all those weeks ago, Red’s been flying all over the place looking for you.”

Sky ran a gentle hand over the bird’s beak. “ Awww, I missed you, too, Red! But I’m here now, so we should be able to spend a lot of time together tomorrow!” And the bird cooed in response, nudging his head carefully against the Skyloftian’s chest. The affectionate relationship shared between the Guardian Bird and Skyloftian was heartwarming, and a few of the heroes couldn’t help but smile at the scene.

“Speaking of which,” All faces turned to Time. “ We really should be getting some rest. I doubt there’ll be any monsters this high up, so we should be able to sleep easy tonight, and then we can use the following days to catch up on things we’ve been meaning to do.”

“The old man’s right,” Four chimed in. “ Our swords and shields can definitely use a repair or two, so if there’s any good place to do it, then it’s here.”

Sun excitedly clapped her hands together and beamed. “ So then what are we waiting for? Let’s get you guys inside! Link can of course get into his dorm all by himself, but the rest of you,” She nodded her head towards the remaining heroes, “ will need a place to sleep! Lucky for you eight, four rooms at the Knight Academy just opened up!”

So under the midnight moon, Sun snuck the rest of Hylia’s chosen heroes from the center of Skyloft to the aforementioned building with barely a sound, her father sleeping upstairs completely unaware.

________________________________________________________________

It was a peaceful night’s sleep for Legend, which was very rare considering the adventures he’s been on. His dream was nothing special: just him sailing across the ocean, small waves lapping at the wooden bottom of his raft and the salty air kissing his cheeks. The gentle lull of the sea was soothing, and he floated along without a care in the world, the calling seagulls from above reminding him of a place he knew long ago.

He yelled out and fell from his bed when a sudden caw filled the small dorm; apparently, all the commotion was enough to wake up a sleeping Hyrule and have him cry out all the way from the other side of the room.

"Hylia fuck!" The Hero of Legend shouted to no one in particular, and once he gathered his bearings, he looked up towards the window and glared at the Crimson Loftwing staring at him. “ What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

He impatiently rose to his feet and pushed past the bird’s head in order to get a better view of outside: the sky was barely the shade of its usual blue, with the sun just a speck of light over the horizon. His fingers dug deep into the wooden frame beneath him.

“Motherfucker,” He cursed, and he looked the bird right in the eye when he said, “ You woke me up and it’s not even seven in the morning!”

The Loftwing only tilted his head in response.

“Maybe something’s wrong.” Hyrule guessed. With a tired rub of his eyes, he brought his attention to the creature and asked, “ Is there something wrong, Sky’s Loftwing?”

The veteran scoffed. Him and Hyrule may be from the same timeline, but they could act so different at times.

After a few tantalizing seconds, the bird simply chirped back and started to tug excitedly at the sleeves of Legend’s tunic.

“Ugh, I knew it! This thing just wants to play!” He groaned out, and now that he knew the real reason behind the Loftwing’s frenzied actions, he spared no mercy in trying to push the creature back. However, shove and jab all that he might, but Sky’s companion was still a powerful creature with tons of raw strength on its own, while his opponent was nothing but a Hylian that relied heavily on magic.

But that Hylian was in luck, because while a majority of Legend was off fighting against a bird twice his size, one of his hands was busy scrambling across the floor, looking for an item that he knew would make him the victor in this losing battle.

Come on, he knew it was here - aha!

He shoved his hand into his item bag closer and took out the first thing that he was able to grasp. His Ice Rod! Perfect!

With a simple swipe of his weapon, four ice blocks were summoned and shattered across the room’s walls with a few thuds. The feathered intruder squawked and reared his head back in surprise, and while the opportunity was still at hand, the Hero of Legend rushed over to the opened window and shut it closed; then, after a quick moment of thought, swiped his Ice Rod across the sill in order to trap the opening in an ice block.

He stepped back and huffed out a breath. That should be enough to keep that thing away. The veteran stood back with bated breath, confident that his trick was sure to work, but knew that the goddess had a way of crushing his dreams just for fun; but as one second became ten, and ten seconds became sixty, he felt his shoulders gradually relax with the knowledge that he had won, and that he could now resume his peaceful dream in the lull of ocean waves with no red oversized Cucco to be found.

“Finally, that stupid bird is gone.”

But his hopes were dashed when a sudden incessant pecking began on the other side of the walls, specifically over the headboard of his bed. He dropped his head into his hands and nearly sobbed.

That’s it, he couldn’t do this anymore; he lost.

With a low hang of his head and a pathetic shuffling of feet, Legend dragged himself back to his bed and tugged a pillow over his head, trying vainly to block out a sound that couldn’t be stopped.

Hyrule could only nervously laugh at his predecessor’s predicament.

________________________________________________________________

It seemed to be a perfect morning for Warriors today.

He had gotten up at his usual time, feeling well - rested despite arriving on Skyloft at midnight, and was able to have the men’s restroom all to himself. He was intent on freshening up his appearance just for the sake of his walk down to the center of the island. He hadn’t gotten a chance to properly explore the place since the first time they arrived in Sky’s era: for the most part, the group usually ended up in an area that the Skyloftian would call ‘the Surface’, and despite how ominous it seemed at first, Warriors had come to learn that it was just any part of Hyrule that was not floating on an island millions of miles in the air.

Although now that he thought about it, it would make sense for the people of Skyloft to give the land beneath them such a foreboding name: it would be enough to deter adventurous Hylians from jumping off the island just for the sake of their curiosity, and with tales passed down about the Goddess giving the Skyloftians guardian birds to protect them, one cannot help but fear that there’s danger lurking just beyond the clouds, demons ready to slay any person that steps into their territory.

Warriors chuckled. He supposed Legend calling the Hero of Skies ‘Birdbrain’ every now and then was starting to make sense.

He paused when his hand grabbed for his hairbrush but only met dead air instead. The captain pursed his lips. That’s funny, he could have sworn he took his hairbrush out of his item bag already.

Oh well, no matter. He would just simply open his item bag and get - …

… which was also gone.

Alright, there’s no way that could’ve happened. He definitely brought all his things into the men’s restroom as soon as he walked in, all safely stored in the item pouch that hung securely across his belt. The belt was neatly folded on his tunic so - he ducked beneath the counter to look into one of its many cabinets - it has to be there with his other clothing, right?

He startled at the sound of a caw and accidentally banged his head on the top of the cabinet.

He rubbed a careful hand across the bump that he was sure was starting to form. Damn, that’s going to hurt for the rest of the day.

“Ah, Sky’s Loftwing,” He greeted the bird with a pleasant smile. “ It’s a pleasure to see you so early in the morning.”

The creature amiably chirped back.

With a swift nod to his friend’s companion, the captain was ready to crouch back down and begin his search anew for his missing item’s bag; well, that is until he heard a clatter of bottles beside him.

“Hey!” He called out, and the bird, which he so graciously greeted before, paused to regard him with an innocent look. Warriors nearly scoffed: as if an innocent look could make him forget that he had caught the Loftwing stealing his shampoo bottle red - handed. Without an inking of hesitance, the bird quickly pulled his head back out through the window like a gopher going back into its hole.

The Hero of Warriors scrambled over to the window frame and sharply gasped at the sight laid before him; There, on the dew - covered grass, were all the things he had recently lost: his hairbrush, his item bag, his shampoo bottle, his conditioner, his hair gel, all neatly placed in a pile. He frowned and looked to the bird curiously tilting his head at him. The Loftwing had been taking his things while he wasn’t looking.

“You little thief.” Was all the Hylian said before pulling back and hurriedly making his way to the bathroom’s entrance. He would get his things back from outside, and once he was done with that, he would immediately go to Sky and give him an extensive lecture on how he needs to keep his Loftwing in check. He was about halfway through the door when he heard a sudden slip of fabric across wood.

“No no no no!” He cried out as he immediately reached for his blue scarf. He locked the piece of cloth in an iron grip as if it was his lifeline. With a steely gaze that could make the most disobedient of soldiers fall in line, he snarled, “ You let that go right now!”

But the Loftwing disobeyed, and if anything, only pulled harder on his end of the scarf.

The captain gritted his teeth when he heard the creature give out a successive line of guttural caws. Was this thing laughing at him? Was this bird so ignorant to believe that Warriors’s scarf was just a toy he could use to play tug - o - war with? The audacity of this creature to believe that such a well - trained captain of the Hyrulean Army was willing to sacrifice the thing he held most dear to his heart just for this bird’s own sick satisfaction. But as time ticked on, he could feel the very fabric slipping from his grasp, and his heart nearly lurched in his throat when he heard the telltale sign of cloth ripping.

All at once, the fight left his body and he slumped on his feet, but a large part of his very soul refused to let go of his prized scarf. Like a fish being torn from the water with a fishing rod, the upper - half of his body was pulled through the window, only stopping when the rest of him got snagged on the wooden sill.

There he lay, completely and utterly helpless as the bird paraded around with the captain’s treasured scarf hanging loosely from its mouth like it was the spoils of a battle; and as if to make matters worse, a pair of women passing by briefly glanced at him and couldn’t help but laugh at his predicament.

Warriors thunked his head uselessly against the exterior of the Knight Academy. He would most certainly be having a long talk with Sky.

________________________________________________________________

“Vio, how did you lose a sword of all things?”

Said counterpart of Four let out a frustrated sigh for the umpteenth time. Annoyed violet eyes met concerned green ones as he said, “ For the last time, Green, I don’t know. Maybe Blue hid it somewhere or something.”

“Me!? I was busy working on Time’s and Twilight’s swords so why the fuck would I want to touch any of your stuff!?”

“Maybe because you like causing trouble? I don’t know, you really just do things without reason.”

“Why you little -”

Green raised his hands up in an attempt to break up the fight. “ Okay, okay, it doesn’t matter who did it. We just need to focus on finding it before someone notices that we split.” He shrugged his shoulders. “ I mean, how hard can it be to find one part of the Four Sword?”

“Well it depends on what Blue did with it.”

“Vio, shut up! You know I had nothing to do with this!”

“Hey guys! I think I found a clue!” Three heads turned to where they heard their red counterpart call out, and two out of the three faces scowled when they saw Red excitedly holding a bunch of red feathers in his hands.

Vio had to resist the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. “ Red, finding feathers isn’t going to help us find my Four Sword.”

“Well what about the bird up there?”

And when three heads turned once more to the tree hanging just over their red counterpart, all three of them startled at the sight of a large bird pecking idly at Vio’s sword.

“Wait, that’s Sky’s Loftwing, right?” Green realized. Seriously, that thing was huge; how did they not notice it before? He shook his head and cupped his hands around his mouth as he shouted out, “ Hey, my brother needs that sword back!”

With a lift of his head, the bird regarded each of Four’s counterparts with a curious stare, the whole ordeal seeming to take long, agonizing seconds. Green furrowed his brows. What was Sky’s companion doing? Trying to process what he had said? Sizing them up? It was really just a mystery that couldn’t be solved with the four counterparts’ lack of understanding of Loftwings.

And just as unexpected as Vaati being released from the Four Sword, the bird took off without warning, Vio’s sword firmly clutched in his claws.

The violet version of Four gawked indignantly, and he was running after his sword before he was even able to register it. His feet pounded the ground like an angry Lynel and his whole being tensed with the knowledge that if he didn’t get his weapon back, he would be the one who’d have to explain to the Links why there were four different Fours. His hand reached greedily once he was within range of the bird’s claws, and in a desperate attempt, he leapt off the ground and held onto the hilt of the sword like his life depended on it. He startled when he felt a sudden grip on the back of his tunic.

“Vio, are you fucking crazy?! You could’ve just plummeted to your death right there!”

And so with Blue’s exclamation, Vio looked down, and he felt his stomach drop: there he was, feet dangling towards the fluffy clouds below him, covering a gruesome and deadly drop; the other three quarters of Four had saved him by holding onto each other and forming some ironic chain to anchor him near the ground, and he just hoped that chain would last long enough for him to retrieve his sword. Vio shouted over the wild flapping of the Loftwing caught in midair, “ I’m not letting go until I have my sword back!”

“Really?! You care more about that sword than your own life, Vio?!”

“Why don’t we just ask the bird nicely? That could work!”

“Why are you always pulling dumbass stunts like this?!”

Maybe Blue was right on that last one, but Vio absolutely refused to just give his sword away. It was the Four Sword for crying out loud! The former Picori Blade! A gift from the Minish that he swore he would protect no matter the circumstances, and he’d be damned if he lost a legendary sword to something so idiotic as an oversized bird. He strengthened his grip on the weapon; he wasn’t going to let go.

And all at once, he finally felt the tension leave from his sword when the Loftwing finally let go, causing him to fall listlessly through the air - well, he would have if it wasn’t for his three other counterparts anchoring him to the solid ground of Skyloft. The pressure created by the fabric of his neck was almost enough to choke him.

“You’re really heavy, Vio,” Whined Red

“Yeah, you need to get off your lazy ass and stop talking to Shadow all the time,” Scolded Blue.

“Can we just touch our swords together and get this over with?” Sighed Green.

________________________________________________________________

The sky was a brilliant blue this morning, and it was perfect weather for a certain champion and ranchhand to play with a certain Skyloftian’s Loftwing.

Wolfie rounded the corner and bounded across the length of the platform gracefully, causing the Crimson Loftwing to squawk in pleasant surprise and changed direction accordingly. Over the past few hours, the wolf and Loftwing had been locked in a playful combat of tag, chase, tug - or - war, and really anything else the Hero of Twilight could think of. It was a pleasant experience, and allowed the Ordonian to enjoy some much needed fun, a thing he honestly didn’t think he would miss once he left for another adventure.

Twilight led the Loftwing to a nearby tree and trotted to a stop, taking on his Hylian form once more as he approached Wild.

“Y’know this guy’s like a big ol’ dog? ‘Likes to play around and cuddle and everything!” The Ordonian explained with hands excitedly thrown in the air. As if to emphasise his point, the large bird came over and affectionately nestled into the crook of the Hylian’s neck, causing the latter to giggle.

The champion snorted and rolled his eyes. “ Only you would compare a Loftwing to a dog. Now,” He turned his attention to the swords laid neatly on the ground and tipped his head thoughtfully. “ Which one of these should I get rid of?”

As if comprehending the hero’s strife, the bird pattered over to the line of weapons, grabbed onto a Windcleaver, and tossed it towards one of the landing platforms. The piece of metal clattered uselessly against the wood before inevitably falling off Skyloft.

Wild pursed his lips at the events before shrugging nonchalantly. “ Well I guess that settles things.”

Twilight scratched at a spot under the Loftwing’s neck and frowned, “As much fun as Red is, he can be really vicious at times: like just this morning, I nearly got a claw to the chest when the guy was trying to get some food off my plate.”

“But a lot of animals work the same way, right? They like to mess around and play and stuff like that but when things get exciting, they tend to go a little overboard. Plus you said it yourself: Red’s just a ‘big ol’ dog’, so it’ll only make sense for him to act like one, too.” Judging by the deadpan look he received, Twilight probably wasn’t very amused with Wild’s mockery of his accent.

“Sure, but there’s a fine line between playing and actually hurting someone. I mean, me and the bird were just messing around a couple of minutes ago but he nearly took my head off when he was switching directions; he could’ve really hurt me if I wasn’t so used to dodging swords and clubs all the time.” The ranchhand casted a worrying gaze towards the Knight Academy. “ I just hope Sky’s not the one to let Red do whatever he wants.”

The champion rose to his feet and stretched. “ I’m sure it’s fine: Sky might be a softy and all, but he knows when to put his foot down when he needs to.”

The Loftwing immediately perked up at the sight of Wild moving and quickly scurried over to give the Hylian a playful jab. The latter grimaced and pushed against the bird’s beak.

“Sorry, Red, but I got some things to do. Maybe we can play later.”

But the bird simply ignored his words and jabbed him again, this time more forcefully.

“Seriously, quit it.” He swatted harmlessly towards the bird. “ I need to go shopping for a new shield.”

And Twilight also stepped in and goaded at the Loftwing with a bright smile, “ C’mon, Red, let’s go play chase again!” As if to illustrate his point, he shifted back into his Twili form and wagged his tail; but his attempt was futile, because the Loftwing was still insisting that Wild should play with him.

Finally, after the ninth refusal, Red had had enough. Without warning, the Loftwing had spread his great wings and took to the sky, all the while locking the Hero of Wilds in his tight grip. The moment was nearly imperceptible, but Twilight was able to catch a brief glimpse of his charge’s surprised face, and that in itself made Twilight terrified.

The wolf immediately bounded from the scene. He disregarded the frightened cries he received from the numerous Skyloftians he passed, and he did his best to keep sight of his charge and his friend’s companion; but their forms were but a speck in the sky, and unlike the Loftwing, he only had so much land to run on.

Hylia, what should he do?! The Loftwing’s soaring through the sky, travelling at a speed ten times faster than him, and he’s stuck on a measly island that’s barely bigger than Ordon Village! He supposed he could just use his Gale Boomer to knock the bird off course, but that would mean putting both the Loftwing’s and Wild’s lives in danger, and that’s the last thing he wanted to do; he hated to think of how quickly their bodies would plummet to the ground if the Guardian Bird couldn’t recover in time. Maybe he could ask one of the Skyloftians to retrieve his charge? Sky did briefly mention something about there being guards here of some sort. But Twilight didn’t have time for that! He had the instinctual feeling that if he took his eyes off his friends for even a second, they would surely disappear from his life forever. He mentally knocked a palm against his head. C’mon, Twilight, think!

He nearly toppled over when he came to an abrupt stop. His eyes squinted at a small figure gliding through the sky. Was that …?

It was! There was the former champion, drifting listlessly with his Paraglider like a leaf in a gentle breeze. He was back on the ground in a matter of minutes, and Twilight wasted no time in shifting forms and pulling his protege into a hug.

He was sure Wild was calling him a mother hen by now.

The Hero of Twilight pulled back after a few seconds and scolded his protege, “ Do you know how dangerous that was?! You could’ve been thrown off into the sky! You could’ve plummeted to your death in a matter of a minute! What would I even tell the Old Man?!”

“Um, that it’s not my fault?”

“It’s not your - !” He paused.

Wait, it wasn’t Wild’s fault. It was Sky’s Loftwing that had taken his friend into the sky without prompt, all for the sake of wanting to play with him. Wow - he raised his brows - Wild actually didn’t do anything wrong this time.

He supposed he needed to talk to Sky later.

________________________________________________________________

“Do you think I should tell Aryll about the Gerudo people we met in Wild’s Hyrule?”

“Of course.”

“And tell her about the giant Molduga we fought?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Are you gonna tell Malon about the same things?”

“Hmm...” Time thoughtfully tapped his quill against the paper, “ I’m not sure; I have a few other things I want to tell her about first.”

There were a lot of things the Hero of Time wanted to tell his wife: what the different Hyrules were like, how the boys were doing, what new things he’s seen - anything interesting, really. He would just need to choose topics that wouldn’t bore Malon - he knew how quickly disinterested she got when it came to anything regarding the royal families and the surrounding civics. She really was just a simple farmer who wanted to live a peaceful life.

Time pressed his lips together. Maybe he should get her a Loftwing statuette like the one he’d seen on Sky’s bookshelf. They really weren’t the type of couple to give each other cheesy gifts like that but now that he considered it, he should be doing a little more personal shopping. It would really be a shame if his adventure ended and he had nothing to remember the other Links by.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when a piece of paper was nearly shoved into his face.

“Do you think this looks okay?” The sailor said, pointing to a crudely drawn Molduga in the bottom - right corner of the sheet. “ I don’t think I got the color right but it does look like the same thing we saw a couple days ago, right?”

Yes, the color was a bit off and the size of the creature’s jaw was too small and the spines were barely protruding out of its back but Time wouldn’t dare tell any of that to the young boy.

“It looks great.” He warmly smiled, and he felt his heart lighten at seeing Wind beam.

It had become a weekly tradition for Time and Wind to sit together and write letters to their loved ones. It wasn’t unusual to find the two staying up well into the night with a quill in hand and paper on table, or find them chasing down the postman so that he could somehow move through eras and deliver their letters. It was such a small little hobby they had, but they both loved it immensely and had formed a strong bond because of it.

The sound of a distant ‘caw’ drew both of their attention to the sky, and Time could’ve sworn that Wind’s eyes shone with a brilliance that rivaled that of the sun’s. The Crimson Loftwing’s shape was barely distinguishable from their spot, but it seemed to excite the young sailor all the same.

“Woah! I definitely gotta draw Aryll a picture of that!” And so the young hero did, immediately producing a red crayon from his bag and beginning to draw the basic outline of the creature.

But Time’s gaze still remained locked on the creature, good eye struggling to track it due to the speed the thing was travelling at. Wait, was that Loftwing …?

He didn’t even get a chance to brace himself when the aforementioned creature suddenly blew past them in a haste, leaving a massive gust of wind in its wake ... and along with that gust of wind went all of their papers. The old man didn’t think him and Wind could stand up any faster.

“Ah! My letters!” Was all the sailor said before he took off in a mad sprint, his speed probably on par with Wolfie’s. Time was already along with him before he was even able to register it.

The two heroes weaved their way through Skyloft as they chased the papers down like a pack of hungry wolves. They winded their way through dirt paths and tall buildings, and only Time was courteous enough to mutter out a quick apology to those poor citizens they had nearly bumped heads with. Their chase seemed futile: the neverending breeze on the island seemed to drag their papers further and further away like leaves caught in a strong gust of wind, and it was only a matter of time until the letters were caught in a downdraft and sent spiraling towards the clouds. The chances of Time and Wind getting their letters back were close to zero.

The Hero of Time nearly toppled over his younger counterpart when the latter suddenly stopped.

“Wait a sec, I can control the wind.”

Time nearly slammed his head against the nearest building. Wind was the Hero of Winds; of course he could control the wind! Why didn’t he bother to think of that?!

After a quick search of his bag, the sailor pulled out his Wind Waker and began to conduct a soothing tune, smiling easily as the direction of the winds started to change. One by one, their letters came floating down to their feet, and before they knew it, weeks’ worth of stories and tales and information were back safely in their grasp.

Time blew out a breath of relief, “ Thank you, Sailor.”

Well, at least their chase was finally over; now it was just a matter of figuring out whose letter was whose. The two gently sat themselves on the ground and began to read each paper’s contents.

“This one says ‘ Dear Malon’ on the top so it’s yours!”

“This one has your sister’s name towards the bottom, so I’ll put it here.”

“There’s something about horses and cows on this one, so I think it belongs to you!”

“And this one’s about palm trees and oceans, so I believe this one is yours.”

“Here’s one about when we were back in my Hyrule!” But then Wind suddenly frowned as he reread the letter. He did his best to suppress his laughter when he said, “ Wait, you don’t know how to spell ‘seagull’?”

Time had to resist the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. He really didn’t have the patience to tell him about growing up in a forest completely composed of illiterate children.

________________________________________________________________

When Sky finally woke up, it was to eight annoyed faces looking directly at him.

“Woah, what are you guys doing up so early? It’s only -” He squinted past the window in his room, “ - noon!”

Time, taking a deep, calming breath, began in a levelled tone, “ Sky, we need to talk about -”

“We need to talk about your Goddess - damned bird!” And Legend was quick to shatter everyone’s barely - held composure. “ You know that thing woke me up at seven a.m.? What do I look like?! A farm boy?!”

“And he nearly ripped my scarf! That bird has no regard for prized possessions!”

“He took Wild for a joyride! An unneeded joyride.”

“I mean, it wasn’t that bad waking up at seven; sometimes I get up earlier than that but that’s only when I’m being chased down by monsters.”

“Vio almost lost his fucking sword because of that mutant Cucco!”

“Wait, what’s a ‘Vio’?”

“Did you guys know that the Old Man can’t spell ‘seagull’?”

The Hero of Skies drew his brows together at the varying complaints, “ Aw, Red really caused you guys that much trouble? I know he can be a little rough at times but he’s usually not that bad.”

And as if summoned purely by name, Sky’s Loftwing popped his head through the only window in the room and cuddled into his owner’s shoulder.

“See what I mean? He’s really friendly! Maybe he just got a little bit excited with all you guys here and wanted to play.”

But none of the other heroes listened. From terrible bedheads to torn scarves to crumpled letters, each one of the Links had their own pile of evidence proving that his Loftwing was anything but.

Between the fairies and horses and various other companions the heroes have had, Sky’s Loftwing was truly the strangest.

#linkeduniverse #hero of skies #hero of legend #hero of hyrule #hero of warriors #hero of four swords #hero of wilds #hero of twilight #hero of time #hero of winds #fanfic #linktober2020

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notes-from-sarah · 3 years

Text

Reflections of the Sun and Moon

Link on Archive of Our Own

Link on Fanfiction.net

Rating: G/K

Summary: “In the firelord’s house approval was a zero sum game.”

When hunting for food with Sokka, Katara and their father, Zuko comes to realize that their families, while similar in many ways, are nothing alike. There’s only one person who has really ever treated Zuko like family, and the biggest regret of his life was driving that person away. Set after “The Boiling Rock” episodes. One-shot. Canon compliant.

“You mean you didn’t bring any food?” Toph said accusingly.

“Well-” Sokka began.

Toph’s stomach grumbled loudly. “This is still a problem,” she said, pointing at her gut. “You guys were supposed to fix it."

Zuko picked up his swords, “I’ll go get something, I think there’s a river not too far from here.”

“That’s more like it,” Toph said in an approving tone.

“It’ll go faster if we go as a group,” said Hokoda. “I’ll go with you. Katara, Sokka, do you want to come?”

“Of course!” said Katara as she jumped to her feet. “I’m the best fisher here anyway.”

“She really is,” Sokka chimed in, “she’s the big fish at fishing.”

Zuko glanced at him, Sokka had complimented his sister in front of their father for no reason. How weird, he thought.

*****

The little group set off towards the nearby river. Katara and Sokka were practically clinging to their father. Katara had looped her arm around his, and Sokka was talking a mile a minute, recounting all their adventures to this point, breathlessly jumping from one story to the next as Katara chipped in little comments. Zuko walked a few paces behind them, he could never remember hanging onto his father like that, even when he was very young. For that matter he couldn’t even imagine himself and Azula ever even sharing a second of their father’s attention. In the firelord’s house approval was a zero sum game.

They came to the river just as the sun was dipping below the skyline. “We have to work quickly,” said Katara.

“Let’s do the whirlpool,” said Sokka. “That’s always super fast.”

“We usually do it with Aang.” Katara looked Zuko up and down with a small frown, “I suppose you’ll have to do.”

“What’s this whirlpool?” Hakoda asked. “Can I help?”

“It’s a method of fishing I developed using beding,” Katara said as she waded into the stream. “Sokka and Zuko know how it goes, we’ll toss the fish to the shore and you can kill them.”

Sokka splashed into the water too. “Yeah, this will be over before you know it.”

The siblings looked expectantly at Zuko who was still standing on the shore. While he had seen Katara’s whirlpool before he’d never helped her with it. “Fine,” he sighed drawing one of his swords and sloshing into the riverbed. Standing opposite Sokka, about five feet apart, Zuko glanced at Hakoda who stood on the shore watching his daughter keenly.

“Ready boys?” Katara asked as she raised her hands. Zuko and Sokka nodded. Katara began to push the water, slowly at at first, then gaining speed the water began to swirl in a counterclockwise direction between the two boys. A moment or two passed as Katara span the water faster, her eyes closed in concentration. Zuko readied himself, this part took timing.

Fish began to collect in the whirlpool, at first just one or two would slip into the moving stream, but as Katara pushed and pulled the water to move faster more fish got caught in the current. Using his sword Sokka dipped the blade into the flowing water and expertly flicked it, catching a fish and sending it sailing through the air to land on the shore where Hakoda quickly grabbed it and finished it off.

Zuko tried to follow Sokka's lead, but he was not much better at fishing than he had been when he and Iroh had deserted the Fire nation after the battle of the North Pole. Zuko dipped his sword in the water and splashed wildly in an effort to dislodge a fish from the whirlpool.

"Get out of the water you, you, fish!" Zuko splashed more violently and actually managed to clip a fish with the flat of his blade tossing it out of the water and into the air. Gracefully the fish arced through the sky, it’s scales shimmering in the twilight as it flopped back and forth before landing with a loud SMACK on Sokka's head and then bouncing off and falling back into the river with a splash.

Sokka glared at Zuko as the sound of laughter from Katara and Hakoda filled the air. He jabbed a finger toward the shore. "The fish go that way."

"Sorry," Zuko said sheepishly. Glancing at how Sokka was holding his sword, Zuko copied him making sure to hold his blade more parallel to the shore. He began batting at the fish once more, and while not as fast as Sokka, he did manage to toss a fair number of fish out of the river.

“That’s more like it,” said Sokka as he swung his own sword rhythmically. “Nice and easy does it.”

“You three are doing a great job,” Hakoda said approvingly. “Katara, did you come up with this all by yourself?”

Katara beamed. “I did, we’ve done a lot of fishing since we left the South Pole so we needed a way to get a lot really quick.”

“I’m so proud of you.” Hakoda looked up from the fish he was cleaning. “This is such a great idea.”

Katara’s eyes didn’t leave the whirlpool, but Zuko could see her smile in the dim light. There was a time when he would have killed, maybe even literally, to hear praise like this from his father.

Katara began to slow the churning of the whirlpool. “Ready for the big finish?” She didn’t wait for an aswer. Jumping forward she pushed the whirlpool and the remaining fish in it into the air where she deposited them on the shore in a small wave. The water ran back into the stream leaving a dozen fish flopping on the wet bank.

The three teens slogged out of the river. "Now comes the stinky part." Sokka unsheathed his knife and began gutting the remaining fish. Katara joined him, her knife flashing as she worked quickly.

Hakoda glanced over at his son as he descaled his fish. “Hey, Sokka," he said, "how do fish always know how much they weigh?"

Katara rolled her eyes as Sokka pondered the question for a minute. "I don't know, Dad, how do they know?"

Hakoda held up a fish. "Because they have their own scales." Sokka and Hakoda burst out laughing.

Zuko stood to the side somewhat uselessly as the water tribe family finished cleaning the fish. He pondered the joke for a long moment. He honestly couldn’t remember his father ever telling him a joke

“Is that all of them?” asked Katara, looking around the shoreline. Sokka and Hakoda nodded, heaving the fish into bags. Shouldering a bag each, the small party set off back to the camp.

Zuko took the lead holding a small flame aloft in his palm to light the way. He strained to hear the conversation of the water tribe family, all the while having a realization of his own. It struck him that in a lot of ways Sokka and Katara’s family was similar to his. A leader father, older son and a prodigy younger sister. Missing mothers. A collision course with destiny because of the Avatar. A shiver ran down his spine. Of course, he thought, that’s where the similarities stop. Hakoda actually liked his children. Not something that could be said for the fire lord, probably for many generations.

“How do you plan on cooking these fish?” Hakoda asked, hefting his bag a little. “There’s a lot of them here.”

“Usually we roast them,” said Sokka. “Maybe stuff them with herbs if there are any available.”

“We have a lot,” Katara joined in. “I think we should dry as much as we can so we have plenty of food for the coming days.”

Hakoda patted his daughter’s shoulder approvingly. “That’s a really smart idea, I’m sure you’ll need it. You and your brother have become brilliant strategists. The both of you make me so proud.”

Zuko blinked hard for a moment, unexpectedly moved. Sokka and Katara, they were a team. They worked together. They didn't compete for their father's affection, they didn't have too. Hakoda loved them, both of them. He didn't demand greatness from them, yet they performed feats of greatness anyway. Zuko remembered his family being happy, once. A long time ago. Had it really been as happy as he remembered? Why had his parents abandoned that so quickly? He didn't think Hakoda could ever do to Sokka what Ozai had done to him. What had made his father that way?

His train of thought was derailed before he could begin to fathom an answer as they stumbled out of the forest an into view of the Western Air Temple. They made their way into the building where a small fire greeted them.

“There you are!” Toph jumped to her feet. “I was getting worried that you’d decided to go on another rescue mission an just skip getting dinner altogether.”

“We have plenty of fish, they’ll be ready soon.” Katara knelt before the fire and began unloading her bag. “Zuko, Sokka, can you two go to the woods and get me some skewers? Maybe seven or eight? It’ll make this go a lot faster.”

“No problem.” Sokka unsheathed his sword. “Come on fire boy, I need your light.”

Zuko followed Sokka out of the temple to the treeline holding up a small flame for him to see by. Sokka set about slicing small branches from the nearest saplings.

“So, you’ve been quiet this evening,” Sokka said. “Whatcha thinking about?”

Zuko looked from Sokka, then back to the temple where Katara and Hakoda were undoubtedly preparing fish, then back again to Sokka. “We caught a lot of fish today.”

Sokka paused his slicing to look over at Zuko. "Okay." After a moment's pause. "Is there anything else?"

Zuko glanced to the ground. "No. It's nothing." Sokka raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Well," Zuko finally said, "your family is so nice."

Sokka quirked his eyebrow higher. "And that's a problem?"

"No. I think it's nice. It's really nice that your family is so nice."

“I’m confused.” Sokka began chopping again.

Zuko felt a bit silly saying it out loud. "I, I just never really thought about what it would be like to have a nice family before. In some ways you and me are a lot alike." Sokka opened his mouth to object, but Zuko didn't stop there. "But I can't even imagine what would be like to have a family who loves each other and takes care of each other like yours does."

Sokka closed his mouth for a long moment, then after a moment’s thought opened it again. “I wish I could say that maybe your family really loves you, deep, deep, deep down.” It was Zuko’s turn to look skeptical. “But after fighting your sister at the boiling rock I think that maybe your family is just kind of terrible.” Sokka paused to gather the wands he had cut. “I also know that family is hard work, like really really hard work. And if every single person in a family doesn’t fight for it every day, you lose it.”

“I guess my family thought it was better to fight each other than fight for each other.” Zuko rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

Sokka sheathed his sword and patted Zuko’s shoulder sympathetically. “Family are the people you fight for, not always the people you’re related to.”

Instantly, Zuko thought of his uncle. Uncle Iroh fought for him, he was the only one who ever had. At every step of the way his uncle had been there. At least, until he drove him away, refused his help and demanded to do it all alone. Zuko felt a deep sorrow settle into his stomach. Uncle Iroh had fought for him, but he’d never fought for Uncle Iroh. Zuko didn’t know if or when he would ever see his uncle again, but now he knew that he was sorry.

Sokka clapped Zuko on the back. “Why don’t we take these back to the others. I could sure use a good fish dinner.”

Zuko caught Sokka’s eye and gave a small smile. “Yeah, that sounds nice.”

#Avatar: The Last Airbender #ATLA #Zuko #Sokka #Katara #Hakoda #Family #Fanfiction #Fanfic #Missing Scene #Image from cap-that.com #2k words

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