#coa sprite

[skyward-floored]

what DO your Links look like, btw? 👀

- hero-of-the-wolf

@hero-of-the-wolf

I went looking for art of them, realized I didn't have art of all of them, had to add in a few, realized they don't really show their clothes off that well... ehhh. Hopefully this is good enough hehe. Here they are!

[snazzycryptid]

Coa 8 trailer was soooo awesome oh my god! Genuinely the best coa trailer ever to drop. I just got hit with so much information, I’m freaking out.

I KNEW Orpheus wasn’t from the world of coa 8 not only because of the mycelium on his hand, and bottle of fungi on his hip shown on his sprite, but because of his eyes.

He has the coa 7 black and silver eyes whereas everyone in this essence has brown or gold with different designs.

The design of Orpheus’s eyes are meant to resemble the Miskatonic Shelter emblems as well! All the badges/patches symbolizing each branch of the shelter have a mycelium design around the “M” and I immediately recognized that Orpheus had it in his eyes!!

God I wanna ramble more about the trailer and everything sooooo bad. Coa 7 & 8 are genuinely peak.

[eime]

Commission for Kris.

Characters: 1. Iskander (crossbow) 2. Bruiser (sword)

[mask131]

Green spring: Pixies

PIXIES

Category: British folklore

Ah, the pixies… Everybody knows – or rather think they know what a pixie are. They were heavily popularized by modern media. Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Pathfinder…  But by now you probably know the song: the modern image we have of the pixie is not exactly what a pixie really is, and pixie doesn’t just mean “small, tiny fairy with wings”.

Pixies (also known as piskies or pigsies or pizkies or puggsies) are magical supernatural creatures of Southern England, similar in nature to elf, sprites and fairies. In fact, despite being treated as two different species, the legends and stories of pixies overlap with those of fairies in England. Pixies were depicted as small, child-like humanoids with a very mischievous nature. They usually could be spotted at night, when they gathered in huge numbers to either dance through the night or wrestle until dawn. Pixies were believed to live underground, at the location of ancient “pagan” sites: stone circles, dolmens, barrows, menhirs… Pixies are generally good-natured and benevolent entities – they reward humans that care for them or are polite towards them, while they punish those who neglect their shores or are rude ; they are merry folks, who give all sorts of blessings to the people they like… But their mischievous nature also makes them prone to nastier tricks more akin to the fairies: for example, they like leading travelers astray in the night to lose them, they can “infest” houses and farms poltergeist-style, and sometimes they steal children out of their cribs to raise as their own. One of the pixies big obsessions are horses: they adore them, usually steal them at night to ride on their back (just because they adore this), and they tangle their manes in form of ringlets. Pixies also love fine and good clothes: they usually go around either dressed in rags, either naked, but if you offer them good clothes, nice ribbons or fine silk, then they’ll be very happy.

Now, when it comes to pixies, there are two main “regional tradition”. One is from the New Forest region (Dorset, Hampshire…). New Forest pixies are depicted as wizened old men, with pale skin and round ears – there are no females among the pixies. Despite being very small (child-sized), they can use magic to alter their height – they can also use it to change their shape in one of two ways. Either they can become a will-o-the-wisp, either they become a “Colt pixie”. A Colt pixie is the name given to a pixie in the shape of a horse or pony. A scruffy, ragged and pale beast, the Colt pixie’s only preoccupation is to lead travelers and livestock away into the wilds (which is why it was associated with the will-of-the-wisp). Puck (see my post about him) was notably renowned for often taking the same of a Colt pixie. In fact, Puck (also called Pugg, or Tom Puck) was said to be one of the three most famous pixies, alongside Watt (a pixie who offered witches magical powers) and Lazy Laurence (renowned for protecting orchards and guarding cider). New Forest pixies were said to have a king ruling over them – but people disagree as to whether this king is Gran Collin (who was said to be a “giant pixie”, appearing larger than a human being) or his twin brother “Tiddie Cole” (the size of a thumb, so a dwarf pixie).

The big “rivalling” tradition is the one from the Devon regions, where pixies are also a very big thing. Devon pixies’ size range from so small you can’t see them with your bare eyes, to roughly human in stature, but the main difference between them and the New Forest pixies is that, while the New Forest pixies are quite “wild”, the Devon pixies are more “domesticated”. They still are mischievous spirits of the wildlands – they like to ride on the Dartmoor colts at night, they gather to dance and make music, they use magic to mislead travelers through the moors (this is a spell called “being pixy-led” and the only way to break it is to put your coat inside-out), and they are also said to lure children into playing with them by disguising themselves as a simple, inoffensive bundle of rags… But unlike the New Forest pixies, the Devon pixies can select friendly humans or ones in need (poor humans or widows for example) and decide to help them, usually by doing their house-chores. Similarly pixies can be “paid” for their chores, or be attracted to a house, or strike a friendship with a human, in exchange of offerings of clothes, food, or milk (the favorite beverage of all the fair folk of England).

Beyond these two main regional traditions, there are other smaller local ones. For example in Cornwall, the pixies are said to be ruled by a queen: the famous Cornish figure of Joan the Wad. “Wad” was a morn meaning “torch”, and this was because she was a type of “will-o-the-wisp” spirit, said to be married to none other than Jack-o-Lantern, another famous “light in the night” spirit. However unlike the will-of-the-wisps that usually lead people astray, Joan the Wad was much more benevolent: she guided lost people on the moors when the weather was bad, and she brought good luck to all those she encountered (even though she was also sometimes said to tickle people until they go mad…). Joan the Wad connection to good luck was so strong that, for a long time, people of Cornwall wore on their person little figures of Joan the Wad as good-luck talismans, or depicted her face on doorknobs to protect the house from evil spirits. Another local tradition comes from Somerset, where pixies and fairies were said to have been enemies – they waged a great battle against each other at Buckland St. Mary. They fairies lost and fled the area forever, but the pixies won and this is why they still hang out near the village.

One particular celebration deserves to be noted: an East Devon holiday, called “Pixie Day”, on the Saturday nearest to Midsummer. Starting in 1954 and localized in the town of Ottery St. Mary, it is actually a yearly celebration of an old legend tied to the town’s church bells. According to the legend, in the times where Christianity was still fresh and new in England, a bishop decided to build a church in the town of Otteri – he had magnificent, beautiful iron bells prepared in Wales and asked monks to make an escort to bring them to the town, out of fear they would be damaged in any way. The pixies however ruled the lands of Otteri, and knew that if these bells ever rung, they would lose their power over the region, so they cast a spell on the monks carrying the bells, changing their road so they would walk towards the cliffs of Sidmouth instead of towards Otteri. However, as the monks were about to throw themselves into the sea, one of them stubbed his toe on a rock. As it was the custom back then, he invoked the name of God (though in a much more polite form than today’s “God damnit!”), and this broke the spell of the pixies. The bells were brought to Otteri, but the pixies were not ready to give up. They stole away the bell-ringer of the church, and imprisoned him in a riverside cave where they dwell, called the “Pixies’ Parlour”. The vicar of the town had to go and rescue the poor stolen victim – and it is this battle that the town celebrates yearly. Each year on Pixie Day, boys and girls (from Cub Scouts and Brownies Girl Guides) dress up as pixies and steal away the bell-ringers of the church of Saint Mary – they don’t bring them to the actual Pixies Parlour cave, but rather to another church near Caanan park, and there a theatrical re-enactment of the vicar banishing the pixies happen.

- - - - - - -

The thing with the Pixies is that, just like with the fairies, there was a clear divide between their original depiction (as described above) and their “Victorian self”, built out of the works of artists and poets of the Victorian era. At this point, the pixies gained their most famous “sprite” attributes. People began depicting them as very, very small, finger-sized smalls, with pointy ears, and they also gave them green outfits and green pointy caps. Pixies began to be treated as entirely positive and wonderful little folks – curing all illnesses, blessing marriages to be fertile, helping win the heart of the one you love, able to “walk upon water and sail upon the land”, being friends with the wild animals and loving humans with all their heart… Pixies began to be depicted as ageless, deathless beings eternally young and happy, unable to feel sadness or fear – though some of the slightly creepier elements of their old “folkloric” self still stayed – for example the fact that if sometimes they marry a human, it is not so much out of love than out of the desire to “stealing their soul” (there is a whole thing about fairy folks not having souls and wishing to gain one), to how the pixies are actually “not bless nor banned”, aka not belonging to either Heaven or Hell, in-between, neutral spirits neither angels nor demons. It is also around the Victorian times that there was once again much debate and confusion as to whether pixies were different from fairies, or rather were the same thing.

[But as you will note so far, there is nothing about pixies having wings or flying – this is an invention of modern-day fiction.]

A very fun fact: you know about the famous story “The Three Little Pigs”? Well, its oldest recorded version comes from the Devon, and doesn’t show three “little pigs”… But three “little pixies”. And the villain isn’t a wolf, but a fox. It is thought that the confusion from “pixies” to “pigs” is due to one of the alternate ways to write the name of the small magical folk, which is “pigsies” and sounds a lot like “pigs” in plural.

[disabledwarriors]

Flurry has 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase deficiency

[ID: a sprite of Flurry (ginger and white cat with pale green eyes) walking towards the viewer. /ID end]

[junkhaul-blog]

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[tb-4002]

04 Aplorine idea

Fictive juice company Aplorine (a•ma•zing + tan•ger•ine + ex•plo•sion)

Moodboard:

Coca Cola Ad, Coa Cola: Bolder Creative, Vitamin Water Ad, Vitamin Water Branding, Sprite Ad

Storyboard:

[skyward-floored]

Been rereading your coa febuwhump fics. Do you know the order they met each other in? Specifically Fiest and Spirit.

(Blorbo hours): How did First feel when he found someone who could see him and talk with him?

I do! They actually start out in smaller groups, so it’s like— Windy and Hue meet up, and then they���re joined by Hibiscus and Kaleidoscope, but in the meantime in a different era, Slate, Gloam, Brownie, and Light end up together, and in yet another era, Cloud, Mini, and Sprite end up in a group too.

Era doesn’t come until a bit later, but when he does he joins Cloud’s group. Spirit and First are actually by themselves for a bit before they join a group too, they end up with the Slate bunch (actually everyone does in the end).

They all hop around separately for a bit, then all get together at one point, and possibly get mixed up into different groups again, (haven’t totally decided XD). Hopefully that all makes sense 😅

Blorbo hours—

—————

First: it was wonderful. It gets exceedingly lonely not being able to talk to anyone, and meeting Spirit and realizing he could understand me, and I could even interact with him to a small degree...

First: it was one of the best moments I’ve experienced in a very long time.

[skyward-floored]

CoA boys, what's your relationship with thr master sword?

Gloam: well not all of us used it, but for me at least, it was a huge asset on my journey. Not a sword to be used lightly, but a great help.

Era: agreed. Not a weapon to be used lightly. All of that power can easily go to one’s head.

Cloud: heh, I’m sure you know what I’ll say. I helped make the blade. Fi was with me every step of the way on my quest, she was was one of my closest companions. I... miss her.

Sprite: *leaves*

Windy: ...ooookay. Well I think it was great, it was really helpful!

Hibiscus: yep, she’s quite the blade. One of the best I’ve used, and I’ve used a lot of blades.

Slate: ...she’s something alright.

Hue: I had to get it upgraded to use it’s full power, but even before that I could tell the craftsman was exquisite, you did a good job, Cloud.

Cloud: *blushing*

[skyward-floored]

something less sad, ok! Any CoA fluff moments you can rattle off the cuff?

The part when Hue realizes he and Hibiscus literally have the same house is pretty fluffy, they both geek out a little... there’s a bit with Sprite and Era that’s fluffy, though it has some sad bits in there (vague because I haven’t totally figured it out lol).

Kaleidoscope gets reunited with his pet at some point and it’s pretty sweet... Cloud and his Zelda too... there’s a bit where they’re all comparing instruments and things and realize they know a lot of the same songs... Windy teaches the others a bit about stargazing and navigation one time... I think those are the big ones, or at least what I can think of off the top of my head.

[skyward-floored]

Febuwhump day 11 - fever

Starting febuwhump in the middle of the month with my Links from my own au Courage of Ages, because I looked at the list and basically gave into temptation 😅

I’m going to try and keep these short so i don’t get stressed, just fun oneshots and an excuse to write my Links more :)

Here’s an explanation of courage of ages, as well as who’s who, but in this fic only four of them show up. Gloam is tp Link, Hue is albw & tfh, Era is hw, and Sprite is oot & mm.

————————————————————

“Gloam?”

The Hero of Twilight blinked his eyes open, looking up at who’d addressed him. Hue stood next to the tree that he’d been dozing against up until a few seconds ago, looking like he felt extremely bad for disturbing him.

“Hey Hue, what’s up? You need something?” he yawned, and the younger hero shifted his weight nervously, and scratched the back of his neck.

“Era isn’t awake.”

Gloam tilted his head. “And..? Is that a problem? I mean, we weren’t going to head out until tomorrow morning anyways, he may as well take a nap.”

“No, I mean he hasn’t woken up all day,” Hue stressed. “I was going to tell you earlier but I couldn’t find you or anybody else, so I figured I’d just wait, but now...”

Hue glanced behind him at the inn in the distance where they were all staying.

“He’s barely moved. He was making weird noises before too, I’m... I’m kinda worried Gloam.”

The goatherd furrowed his brow and stood up, forgoing his comfortable spot against the tree to instead follow Hue back inside to where Era had apparently been sleeping all day.

If it were almost any one of the others Gloam would brush it off as them just taking a nap, but Era was one of the Links in their group who barely slept under normal circumstances.

Maybe he was just really tired?

They entered one of the rooms several of them were sharing, Gloam noting the lump on one of the beds. Drawing closer with Hue on his heels, Gloam saw Era tightly curled up under the sheets, already odd since he tended to sleep ramrod-straight on his back. His blanket was tight around his shoulders, breath wheezing in his throat, and when Gloam leaned closer he could see his face was flushed.

Wait...

Gloam leaned down and pressed a hand to Era’s forehead, then winced at the heat under his palm.

“Darn it, he’s got a fever,” he muttered, and at his touch, Era’s eyes flicked open.

He looked exhausted, dark circles under his eyes and hair limp with sweat. He was always so put together, Gloam had to admit it was weird seeing him this... disheveled.

“We moving again?” the knight rasped, and made to sit up, arms trembling. Hue pushed him back down, and shook his head.

“No way, you’re sick Era. We’re not moving anytime soon.”

Era’s face paled.

“Sick? No. No way, I’m not sick I can’t be sick—” he said thickly, panic leeching into his voice.

“Era calm down, you’ve just got a bit of a fever,” Gloam soothed, trying to keep the worry out of his voice. “You only need some rest, you’ll be fine.”

Era swallowed, and Gloam could see him mentally push the panic down.

“But... we need to get going tomorrow,” he protested with a cough. “This was only supposed to be a quick stop, and then—”

“We can spare a day or two,” Gloam interrupted. “We switched pretty recently, I doubt we’ll leave this time for a little while yet. And you can’t go anywhere in this condition.“

Era looked like he was about to argue, but instead sneezed several times in a row, each one getting progressively louder.

Hue muffled a giggle at the surprisingly high-pitched sneezes, then shrank back at the look Era gave him.

“Umm, I’ll go get some soup I saved from the other night,” he said, then quickly escaped out the door. Gloam watched him go with an amused smile, then pulled a chair to Era’s bedside, sitting down as he looked down at the other hero.

The knight’s eyes were half-lidded and weary, but he made an effort to look more awake once he realized Gloam’s gaze was on him.

“I really am all right,” he rasped, and Gloam shook his head, sighing.

“No, you really aren’t,” he countered. “Hue said you’ve been sleeping all day.”

“So?”

Gloam eyeballed him. “You are always up at the crack of dawn, same as me. The only reason I didn’t notice you sleeping in earlier was because I was preoccupied,” he said a bit guiltily, then resumed his stern look. “You. Are. Sick.”

Era shrank in his blanket, looking away from Gloam.

“But I’m holding us up,” he rasped quietly. “We were going to try to make it to the castle, we might not have time if we w-wait—”

Era broke off into a stream of thick coughs, raspy and painful sounding. He groaned when he finished, and Gloam handed him some water, the knight weakly sipping at it. Once he’d finished, Gloam put his hand back on his forehead, trying to get a sense of just how bad his fever was. Era flinched, but relaxed after a minute, eyes drooping.

“I think your fever could be worse, but I don’t know how long you’ve had it either,” Gloam murmured, then pulled his hand away with a sigh. “Either way... it’s certainly not the greatest. We can see if this town has a healer, but in the meantime try and get more sleep?”

“Slept all morning,” Era mumbled. “Don’t need more.”

“You’re practically dozing off Era,” Gloam said dryly. “Just go back to sleep. Or I’ll get everyone in here and they can yell at you too.”

Era winced. “...don’t do that.”

The door creaked as he finished speaking, and Gloam turned, expecting to see Hue. But Sprite walked in instead, looking a little out of breath, like he’d run all the way here then stopped right at the door in an effort to seem nonchalant.

“Hue said you’re sick,” he blurted out, then crossed his arms and gave Era a foul look. “How on earth did you manage that?”

“You think I know?” Era croaked, and Gloam watched the worry in Sprite’s eyes grow more prominent at how weak his voice was.

The kid hesitated, then stalked over and jumped up on the bed next to him, ignoring Era’s immediate protests.

“Kid I’m going to get you sick, get off,” Era said sharply, but Sprite only crossed his arms behind his head and laid down.

“You shared your canteen with me yesterday, I’m probably already doomed,” he snipped back. “And I heard you and Gloam arguing, just go back to sleep, huh? It’s going to take you forever to get better if you don’t rest.”

“This from the kid who sleeps like two hours every night,” Era said with an eye roll, and Sprite elbowed him.

“Just go to sleep!”

Era still looked reluctant, and Sprite sighed, then creamed the knight with a pillow he’d grabbed without an ounce of apology. Era let out a affronted hey! and Sprite glared at him, holding the pillow threateningly under his arm.

“Era. Captain. Old Link. Go to sleep,” Sprite stressed. “Or it’ll be even longer ‘til we can leave.”

Era continued to glare half-heartedly at him, which Sprite returned with an equally fierce look, and Gloam decided to leave them to it.

“I’ll go see if Hue found that soup or not,” he said, trying not to smile, and began to leave the room.

“Wait, make sure nobody else comes in here,” Era rasped before he could go, grabbing Gloam’s wrist in a surprisingly strong grip. He gave him a serious look, and Gloam paused. “We don’t need it spreading. Keep Cloud out especially, you know h-how—”

He broke into a coughing fit again, and Gloam pulled his blanket back up around him, Sprite giving the knight a thinly-veiled look of worry.

“We’ll try and keep everyone out, calm down,” Gloam assured. “We’re serious though, obviously you need more rest. At least try and go back to sleep, I’ll go bring you some food in a bit.” Era didn’t reply, and Gloam left the room as Sprite rummaged in his pouch, already wondering how he was going to keep all the other Links out.

The sound of an ocarina followed him down the stairs, the slow notes of a lullaby ringing softly through the inn.

[skyward-floored]

Febuwhump day 27 - survivor’s guilt

Hee heeee it’s a continuation to yesterday because continuations are fun (and nothing else I came up with was that great for today. I’m glad tomorrow is the 28th phew)

Thanks Tellie for helping with the ideas for both yesterday’s and today’s <3

Era is hyrule Warriors Link, and Sprite is ocarina of time/majora’s mask

Part 1

Courage of ages explanation

————————————————————

Era held Sprite tightly in his arms, the boy’s head resting silently on his forearm.

Sprite’s face suddenly scrunched up a bit, and Era tried to settle him more comfortably in his hold, eyes glued to the still-damp stain of red on his side.

Whatever Cloud’s Zelda had done seemed to have temporarily stemmed the bleeding, but Era couldn’t help but be fearful that it would suddenly reopen. She’d said she’d bought him some time, but how much time? What if the others took too long in their search for a fairy and Sprite—

The boy let out a breathy murmur, and Era sighed.

All he could do was wait, and hope.

He took his gaze off of Sprite for a moment, glancing up at the only other occupants of the room. Cloud and his Zelda were murmuring quietly to each other a little ways away, heads pressed together, and Era pointedly didn’t listen to their conversation. He could hear it a little, but he’d grant them their privacy.

Cloud deserved a moment alone with his wife, especially after nearly watching her bleed out.

A pang went through Era at the reminder of the fight, and he looked back down at Sprite, blood on his face stark against his pale skin. He’d seen Sprite run towards Zelda and had meant to follow after him, but he’d been swept into the fight, focused only on fighting off the yiga soldiers until he’d heard Sprite shriek.

He’d immediately dropped what he was doing and bolted to his side, horror striking him like a physical blow when he’d seen Sprite lying bleeding on the ground.

Era swallowed, holding Sprite a little closer to his chest.

He’d practically been stabbed, a huge slice ripping into his side that had left a gash in his tunic so big Era wasn’t sure even Kaleidoscope would be able to mend it. Sprite’s middle was covered in half drying blood, and he’d obviously been injured internally based on the blood at the corner of his mouth.

He’d been horribly injured, and even if they’d had a fairy in the first place Era would have made him rest for at least the next day, taking it easy with a wound that would doubtless scar.

And what injuries had Era himself sustained in the battle?

None.

He didn’t have a scratch on him and Sprite and Cloud’s Zelda has both almost died.

And Sprite still could.

But how was that different from any other part of Era’s life? He’d fought in almost countless battles, killed endless amounts of monsters and fought Ganondorf himself, and yet he still stood here, alive and on his own two feet. He’d watched so many men cut down over the years, dying in countless gruesome ways and horrible injuries that took longer to kill through infection or lack of supplies

And yet, he was still alive.

It didn’t matter where he was, what he was doing or who he fought alongside.

He always went on unscathed while the people closest to him suffered.

“Era..?”

The knight blinked out of his gruesome thoughts and looked down at the boy in his arms, watching as Sprite opened his eyes a fraction. A bit of relief hit him at the sight of him awake, and he conjured up a smile for him.

“Hey kiddo,” he said softly, running a hand through his hair. “How are you feeling?”

Sprite let out a quiet mumble in reply, then winced as he tried to shift himself around in Era’s arms.

“Easy, you’re not exactly healed yet,” Era warned, stopping him from rolling over. “The others are out looking for a fairy, take it slow until they come back, okay?”

Sprite sighed and stopped moving, looking quietly up at the stone ceiling instead

“...Zelda?” he whispered, and Era glanced back over at Cloud and his wife again. They were still talking in hushed voices, and Era felt just the smallest touch of jealousy as they leaned together and kissed, quickly looking away.

“Yeah, she’s doing fine. Thanks to you,” he said a bit chidingly, and Sprite smirked just a little.

“Good. Be stupid... if she wasn’...” he mumbled, then winced and put a hand to his side. “Ow.”

“Easy,” Era reminded him, and Sprite hummed in grumpy acknowledgment.

They stopped talking then, Sprite staring tiredly around the temple, Era taking the opportunity to look around as well.

It was an ancient place, that much was obvious based on the weathered bricks and vines that snuck up through cracks in the stones. A tree grew nearby where Era was seated, and as he gazed around, he blinked in surprise at the sight of what looked like the Master Sword itself mounted in a pedestal across the room.

Era filed the sight away to ask Cloud about later, and went back to watching the boy in his arms, who only looked more tired as the minutes went on.

“I think you can sleep if you want to,” Era said gently, watching as Sprite’s eyes drooped the longer he stayed awake. Sprite for once didn’t argue, a sure sign of how exhausted (and in pain) he was that he merely let his eyes slip closed.

“‘kay,” he murmured, then turned his head into Era’s chest with an exhausted sigh. “Thanks dad.”

Era felt a familiar warmth in his chest at the title, and pulled Sprite more securely into his arms, letting him nestle up to him.

“Get some rest kiddo,” he said softly, setting his scarf over him. “You’ve done enough today.”

And as Sprite slipped back to sleep, triumphant shouts of a found fairy sounded from outside the temple.

[skyward-floored]

Febuwhump day 17 - silent tears

I keep taking these kinda loosely but I also do not care <3 I’m happy enough with how this turned out anyway

Sprite is oot/mm Link, Hibiscus is alttp, oos/ooa, and la Link.

Courage of ages explanation

————————————————————

“Ow.”

“Ugh... Seconded. Who knew moblins could kick so hard?”

Sprite groaned, pulling himself out of the bush he’d landed in. “Slate probably did,” he grumbled. “His stupid monsters are jerks.”

He brushed several leaves and twigs off himself, and watched Hibiscus do the same, glancing up at the cliff they’d been kicked off.

A group of monsters had taken them by surprise on the narrow path, and a chain of several bad decisions had led to Sprite being kicked into Hibiscus, unbalancing then sending them both tumbling down the cliffside.

Fortunately Hibiscus had managed to pull out a weird feather of some kind that slowed their descent enough so that they merely crashed into the bushes instead of breaking their necks on the rocks, but Sprite was still scratched up and bruised from the fall, and his knee was bleeding a little.

He spat out a leaf, and sighed, wincing when his chest ached. Man, he’d probably have a bruise from where he got kicked too. Ugh.

“We need to get back up there,” Sprite grumbled, pulling a twig out of his hair. “You okay enough to climb?”

“I’m fine,” Hibiscus nodded, dusting off his tunic and replacing the flower that had fallen from his hair. “I just got a little knocked around. I’ll be— wait.”

He froze, and looked at his tunic, patting down his chest and neck with a confused expression.

“My necklace, I— where is it?” he breathed. Then he began to pat himself more frantically, looking in his shirt and falling to his knees to search around at the ground beneath him. “I can’t find it, it’s not on me Sprite I can’t find it—”

“Whoa, calm down Hib, I’m sure it’s here somewhere,” Sprite said with a raised eyebrow. “It probably just came loose when we fell, stop freaking out. Is it really so important?”

“Yes,” Hibiscus snapped, shooting him a look, and Sprite froze at the unusual panic in his voice.

“Okay, okay... well I bet it’s right around here somewhere,” he said a little awkwardly, getting down on his knees. He began searching through the grass for the necklace, in the opposite direction from Hibiscus, pointedly ignoring the other while unease simmered in his guts.

Hibiscus never snapped at anyone like that. Even when he got angry, he usually took a firm tone, but not... snappy.

Boy, maybe he hit his head on the way down.

Neither of them spoke for what felt like a long time, leaves rustling as they looked around. Sprite hissed in pain when he accidentally stuck his hand into some thorns, but nothing was comparing to the racket Hibiscus was making a little ways away, tearing frantically through the leaf litter.

Sprite had seen the chain around Hibiscus’s necklace before: he’d never seen him take it off in fact. But he didn’t really know what it looked like aside from the chain, whether it had any charms or a pendant, different colors or anything on it.

And he sure wasn’t having any luck finding it.

After what was a solid fifteen minutes of fruitless searching, Sprite decided that some defining features would help. He glanced over at where Hibiscus was searching, and opened his mouth to ask what the necklace looked like.

But the words died in his throat, and he stared in shock.

Tears were dripping down Hibiscus’s cheeks as he pawed around the leaf litter, eyes wide and movements frantic. Sprite continued to stare, and felt a sharp wave of uncomfortableness roll over him as he watched more tears fall down his face.

Nayru preserve him, he was terrible at emotions.

“...Hib?”

Hibiscus paused in his frantic search, mopping a sleeve over his face. He looked over at him, eyes glassy, and Sprite hesitated.

“This is really important, isn’t it?” he asked quietly.

Hibiscus swallowed thickly, and nodded, looking away.

“Sprite I can’t lose this necklace,” he whispered. “It’s all I... it would be like you losing your ocarina, I just can’t.”

“Okay,” Sprite said softly, and went back to looking, much more determined now.

If this was as important to Hibiscus as his ocarina was to him, he’d search with him all day if he had to.

Sprite slowly worked his way closer to the bottom of the cliff where they’d fallen, searching for any kind of sparkle or glint of the chain. Hibiscus had gone in the other direction, deeper into the bushes, and as Sprite looked around in the dirt, he absently thought through all of his items, wishing one of them could help. Too bad Gloam isn’t here, he’d sniff it out in seconds.

He was about to give up and go look in Hibiscus’s direction again when something shone in the corner of his eye. Sprite jogged over to it, and smiled at the sight of the necklace caught in a bush.

He began to untangle it, studying the thing as he worked. The slender chain was the same as he remembered, but a small wooden ring hung on the end of it, lightly enchanted not to break he could tell. There were a few designs carved around it, nothing fancy, but obviously made with a lot of care.

Sprite carefully tugged it loose, and cradled it in his hands.

“I think I found it Hib!” he called, and the other hero nearly tripped in his haste to reach his side, reaching for the necklace as soon as he saw Sprite holding it.

He looked it over frantically, running a shaky thumb over the tiny carvings, turning it over in his hands several times. Then he held it close, eyes shut tightly as he breathed out a shaky breath.

“Yeah. This is it. Thank you Sprite.”

“No problem,” he muttered a little awkwardly.

He shuffled his feet as Hibiscus put the necklace securely into his pouch, running a thumb along the wood one last time before setting it away.

“Sorry about... freaking out,” Hibiscus said in a quiet voice. He breathed out a little shakily, and rubbed his eyes, subtly trying to remove the moisture from his cheeks. “That ring means a lot to me.”

“Yeah... I kinda figured. Where’d you get it?” Sprite asked curiously. “Did someone make it for you?”

Hibiscus was silent a moment, a strange emotion shining in his eyes. Then he turned away, walking back towards the cliff.

“Yeah. Someone did. Come on, we need to get back to the others.”

Sprite watched him go for a few moments, blinking in confusion. That was it? Just a quick brush-off? He wasn’t going to get any explanation?

He huffed out a sigh, then followed Hibiscus, several questions burning on the tip of his tongue. But he didn’t ask them.

He had a feeling he wouldn’t get any answers.

[skyward-floored]

Febuwhump day 26 - forced to choose

I fell asleep while writing this BUT I FINISHED IT THIS MORNING so here it is a day late 😓 and Cloud once again suffers agbdfhkkddhv

This is ambiguously canon since Cloud doesn’t reunite with his Zelda quite like this, but these are all sort of hypothetical anyway so whatevs. This one is also a teeny bitsy bit heavier than some of them have been so warning for blood and injury and stuff.

Cloud is skyward sword Link, and Sprite is ocarina of time/Majora’s mask.

Courage of ages explanation

————————————————————

Cloud tore through Faron woods with the others running alongside him, blood roaring in his ears as he ignored how tired he was getting.

Please let us get there in time please let her be okay please—

They’d stumbled across a plan by the Yiga on accident, a loose-lipped footsoldier spilling a scheme to kidnap Cloud’s Zelda and hold her captive. They hadn’t gotten the reasoning out of the soldier, but Cloud didn’t even bother waiting around to try and figure it out. That was his wife they were going to kidnap, and he’d sworn to himself he would never let that happen again.

And he knew Zelda could handle herself, he truly did, but she couldn’t have expected the Yiga, there was no way she could know they were coming and they’d catch her completely unawares.

Please let her be okay—

They finally burst into the sealed temple, and Cloud looked around the room, his breath leaving him as he met the startled eyes of his wife.

Who was tied up and had a blade held to her neck.

“Link!” Zelda gasped as he looked at her, shock and relief in her voice. “Link you’re okay, I—”

“Silence,” the yiga holding his weapon to her neck growled. He turned to the other soldiers next to him, and began whispering, but still loud enough that the heroes could hear him. “We have what we came for. Get her out of here before the heroes interfe—“

Slate shot an arrow directly through the man’s wrist before he even finished speaking.

The soldier yelled and the heroes surged forward, a wave of yiga meeting them. The entire room broke into a fight, the whistle of arrows a background to the sharp clashing of swords as Cloud leapt into the fray. He tried to see where Zelda was, but there were too many people in his way, too many enemies blocking him. So Cloud continued to slowly work his way over to where he’d last seen her, trying to steady the fear in his chest.

He tried to help any of the other Links he passed in the fights they were engaged in, but every single one of them waved him forward, yelling that he needed to get to Zelda. Even the ones that were obviously struggling.

And then a cry suddenly cut through all the other noises echoing in the temple, the sound thick with pain.

Cloud felt his heart stop.

He’d recognize that voice anywhere.

He burst into entirely reckless moves, shoving his way past anyone who tried to stop him. He refused to let himself be deterred, steps speeding even faster towards where he’d last seen his wife. Another cry rang out, but it was a child’s voice this time, and Cloud saw Era snap his head up in a panicked way from across the room.

A blademaster jumped into front of him, but Cloud only took a few seconds to take him down, hacking at the cultist with little remorse. The man disappeared in a flurry of paper, and Cloud finally came into view of Zelda.

Who was lying prone on the ground, Sprite fallen beside her.

Cloud felt his stomach drop out, and he bolted to their sides, falling to his knees and pulling Zelda up into his arms. The clothes she’d been wearing had an ugly red stain beginning to spread across them, and Cloud felt ice clench around his heart.

“Zelda,” he said frantically, cupping her cheek as she breathed in a pained breath. “Zelda how bad is it?”

“I-It’s okay,” she breathed, clutching his hand when it slipped into hers. “It’s okay, it’s not too...”

She trailed off and looked over at Sprite, watching as Era ran to his side and began frantically digging in his pack.

“He saved me,” Zelda said softly, looking back at Cloud. “He jumped... in front of me after I was hit, I would... would have been hit again if he h-hadn’t...”

“Zelda, easy, just breathe, please,” Cloud murmured, trying to keep his panic down. “We need a fairy over here!” he cried as loudly as he could.

“Make that two,” Era said from nearby, voice tense as he ran a soothing hand through Sprite’s hair. The smaller hero flinched, and Era’s face went even darker. “Hibiscus! Get over here, we need you!”

The Hero of Legend joined them a few moments later, looking harried as he dodged an arrow.

“Sorry, Brownie’s unconscious and Windy got nicked with an arrow, and I was trying to fight— sweet Nayru,” he gasped, looking between Cloud and Era. He dropped down between them, doing a quick look over Zelda before doing the same to Sprite.

“What happened?” he asked in dismay, and Zelda shifted a little where Cloud was holding her.

“Those men decided if they... couldn’t have me, then nobody could...” she said in a slightly strained voice, and Cloud held her more tightly. “Took me by surprise... and after I was... hit, they were g-going to finish me, but your friend tried to fight them off... and took a h-hit meant for me...”

Hibiscus dug through his pack as Zelda explained, but his face grew dark as his search for supplies came up empty. He yelled behind him if anyone had a fairy, and Cloud dragged his gaze away from Zelda for just a second.

The fight around them was winding down, most of the yiga fleeing the scene once they realized their plan had been foiled. A few stubborn ones were still fighting, but Slate’s arrows were doing a good job of picking them off, and any hero that wasn’t dealing with an injury or a fight was digging through their bags.

The last soldier disappeared a few moments later, and the heroes clustered around Zelda and Sprite, faces horrified as they realized what had happened.

Hibiscus went around to check for healing supplies, seeing what everyone had left, but it didn’t take him long. When he returned, all he had cupped in his hand was a single bottled fairy. Cloud and Era stared, and Hibiscus shook his head.

“This is all we have,” he said quietly.

The room was silent for a few long moments, and then Cloud snapped his head back at where the Links were watching the scene unfold in horror.

“Sometimes there’s fairies in the woods in the back, you might be able to find one, go,” he snapped.

Almost everyone bolted out the back of the temple, and Cloud was left to look between Zelda and Sprite, both rasping weakly for breath.

“You’ll be fine Zelda,” Cloud murmured, pressing a kiss to her hand, ignoring the bit of blood on her fingers. “You’ll be okay. They’ll find another fairy and you’ll both be fine.”

“Link...” Zelda said quietly, and he met her eyes. “Give... give the fairy to hi...”

Zelda breathed in a gasp and stiffened, screwing her eyes shut before dragging them back open.

“Give... give it to him,” she bit out.

“No.”

Cloud and Zelda both looked at Sprite, curled in on himself in Era’s arms as a steadily growing stain of red spread out across his tunic.

“Don’t...” Sprite whispered, then shuddered a bit. “Let Ze... have her...”

His eyes flickered, but he forced them open, sucking in a shaking breath.

“Give her the fairy,” he whispered.

Cloud stared at him in dismay. “Sprite we can’t just...”

“You know one fairy won’t b-be... enough for us both...” Sprite murmured, his voice still tight with pain. “Let Z-Zelda... have her.”

“We can’t just let you die,” Cloud whispered, and Sprite smirked, then coughed.

“‘M not gonna die,” he whispered, blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth. “Give it ‘t her.”

“No, we can wait a few more minutes, okay?” Era said sharply, still putting pressure on the wound. “Give the others some time to find another fairy, you’ll both be fine. We don’t need to choose.”

“Don’t have time...” Sprite whispered, closing his eyes. “She needs it more.”

“He does,” Zelda stressed, meeting Cloud’s eyes again. “Link he’s...”

“You both need it!” Cloud shouted, and knew his hands were shaking as he squeezed Zelda’s. “And the fairy won’t be enough for both of you, we can’t...”

Zelda smiled at him just a little, and Cloud looked at her through the tears that were starting to gather in the corner of his eyes.

“Please Zelda, hold on,” he whispered. “Hold on for me, please, I can’t lose you again.”

She didn’t respond other than squeezing his hand, and the room went quiet.

Cloud looked over at Era, equally frantic but hiding it better as he cradled Sprite tightly in his arms. He was holding a cloth to the injury Sprite had sustained, and Cloud looked down at the younger hero, looking unusually small in Era’s hold.

Sprite looked back at him, meeting his eyes as blood trickled down his face, and the younger boy gave him a rare smile.

“You won’t,” he whispered.

Then Sprite snatched the bottled fairy off of the ground, popping the cork and throwing the bottle to land right next to Zelda.

“Sprite!” Era cried out, the fairy flitting from the bottle and immediately spinning around her.

Pink sparkles drifted across Zelda’s middle, the little fairy spinning in rather tight circles as she healed the injury below. Zelda let out a small sigh of relief as she finished, and the fairy jingled weakly, obviously exhausted as she fluttered away. Zelda then sat up a little in Cloud’s arms, and he felt relief hit him at the sight of her bright blue eyes, looking tired, but no longer in any sort of pain.

But his relief was short-lived as he looked over at Era and Sprite.

Throwing the bottle had obviously used the last of the younger’s strength, and he’d fallen limp in Era’s arms, eyes closed.

“Sprite,” Era said in a frantic voice, any steel he’d conjured up rapidly disappearing. “Sprite, don’t do this to me, stay awake.”

Cloud felt a sharp wave of grief hit him as Era clutched at Sprite, the normally vibrant boy in his arms lying eerily still. A small breath wheezed through his lips, but that was the only sign he was still alive at all, blood still leaking from his side.

“Wait,” Zelda said softly, and Cloud looked back at her, a light shining in her eyes.

Zelda reached out towards Sprite, faint light flickering around her fingertips and a glow in her eyes, and Cloud was suddenly reminded that his wife wasn’t exactly mortal.

He quickly helped her move closer to Sprite, and she took his small hand in her own, Era watching with tired acceptance already in his eyes. The light grew just a little as Zelda’s brow creased, and Cloud and Era stayed silent, not wanting to break her concentration.

After several agonizingly long moments, she finally drew back, a smile on her lips.

“I bought him some time,” Zelda said softly, her eyelids drooping. “Not much, but enough... for the others to find another fairy. He’ll be okay until then.”

She let out an exhausted sigh, and Cloud drew her into an embrace, leftover terror at what they’d almost lost making him feel dizzy.

“Thank you,” Era said, voice filled with utter relief. Sprite twitched just a little in his arms, and Era closed his eyes and slowly exhaled. “Thank you so much.”

Zelda nodded at him, then looked back over at Cloud, relief in her gaze.

“You had me worried sick sleepyhead,” she said with a smile, and Cloud finally kissed her, entirely uncaring of who was watching.

They drew back after what didn’t feel nearly long enough, and Cloud gently pressed his forehead against hers, their hands clasped.

“I’m so sorry,“ he whispered. “If it had been up to me I never would have left.”

“I know it wasn’t your fault, I could sense dark magic around the day you disappeared,” she replied softly, squeezing his hands. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I missed you, Link.”

Cloud held her close, breathing in her perfume and ignoring the smell of blood that still tinged the air, ignoring how close she and Sprite had been to dying, and ignoring the terror that still lingered in his heart that he’d been too late.

“I missed you too,” he whispered, and pressed a kiss to her hair, overwhelmed with relief.

[skyward-floored]

Ocarina of Time - oneshot

Another fic crossposted from ao3, partially in honor of oot’s birthday! Man oh man do I adore that game. Poor traumatized Link though... at least he’s got Epona with him :)

————————————————————

Rain dripped down Link’s face, causing his bangs to lay sodden across his eyes.

Water snuck down his collar as he traveled down the road, the droplets leaking in no matter how tight he had it cinched. All of him was soaked pretty much completely through— he wasn’t sure why he was bothering to try and keep it out. Epona plodded steadily through the rain under him, not even a neigh of complaint escaping her as the rainfall grew heavier, making it rather difficult to see.

Her hoof suddenly slipped in a puddle that had been deeper than it looked, and she whinnied in surprise, Link immediately pulling her back. He gently stroked her neck and soothed her as she shied, keeping his voice gentle.

“Ssh, hey girl it’s okay,” he murmured, blinking the rain out of his eyes.

They’d reached a fork in the road, the slight dip of it causing the water to pool and form deeper puddles. A signpost stood at the fork as well, and Link drew Epona closer to read what was written on them.

The small road to the left that he’d been following went to places he didn’t recognize, but when he read where the other led he hesitated, something in his heart lurching.

Hyrule.

He was closer to the kingdom then he’d been in almost three years.

Link drew Epona to a stop, staring intently at the sign as if it would give him answers. Of course it didn’t do anything but sit there, but he eyed it anyways.

He’d already combed Hyrule for Na... his friend, he’d been to nearly every inch of the place he could. There wasn’t any point in going back right now, especially since nobody remembered him anyways. It would only bring up painful memories, it’d be better to just keep going.

But...

Zelda kicked her legs, sending a couple of drops up from the fountain in the middle of castletown.

They’d spent the day together just messing around, playing the games in town and exploring all the nooks and crannies Zelda had never seen before. Ganondorf was taken care of (again), and Impa had told them they needed a day without having to worry about anything and had practically commanded them to get out from the castle for a while. Which Zelda was more than happy to comply with.

She looked over at Link sitting next to her, setting sun casting a golden light onto her face and lighting up her hair. It looked a lot redder in this light, and Link shook himself as he realized he’d been staring at it.

“You’ll be leaving after this, won’t you,” she said quietly.

Link nodded.

She met his eyes, and Link looked back at her, gaze so familiar and yet completely and achingly not.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay a little longer?”

He shook his head.

“No. I need to go find someone. She’s... missing. And I’ve done what I needed to do here.”

Zelda nodded slowly, dipping her feet in the water again.

Then she turned and gave him a hug, which he had not been expecting at all, giving him a warm squeeze as he blinked in surprise.

“Thank you Link. I have a feeling you’ve done more for us than anyone even knows,” she whispered. “Thank you for helping Hyrule, and me.”

Link hesitated for only a minute before letting himself hug her back.

The next day she quietly showed him off, with nobody witness to their parting except for Impa watching them from a short distance away. She gave him the ocarina and a few parting words before teaching him the song already engraved into his very being.

And then he left.

Link swallowed, wiping some water from his face.

What was the point of going back just to see Zelda? She didn’t remember him from the alternate timeline, she didn’t remember herself from the alternate timeline. She knew nothing about all of what they’d been through together.

Plus he was a different person after Termina and that stupid war he’d ended up in, she barely knew him at all!

And yet...

Epona nickered gently at him, and Link realized he’d been lost in thought for a while.

“Sorry girl,” he apologized, rubbing her neck again. “I just...”

He looked up at the sign, his stomach twisting a little.

“I don’t know what to do,” he whispered, realization curling into him.

Epona leaned her head around, nuzzling his hand almost as if to say that she was willing to wait for him to make a decision. Link swallowed, and wiped some more water off his face.

He just didn’t know.

How ridiculous was that?

He’d spent the last two years making split-second decisions on the daily; anything but decisive action would’ve killed him long ago and it was pretty much the only option in Termina. He simply didn’t have time to waffle about decisions there, and in the war it was what got people killed.

He just... had to pick. Easy. Left to keep looking in places he didn’t recognize, which had a much higher chance of holding what he was looking for, or right...

I’ll never forget the days we spent together in Hyrule...

Link grit his teeth. Why couldn’t he decide?! It was just a stupid crossroads, he’d probably find another one only a little ways down the road, why was it that this one was giving him so much grief?!

Enough was enough.

He glared at the sign, swiping some oddly warm rain off his cheeks as he remounted Epona and went down the left-hand road, ignoring the way his throat tightened as he turned from the fork.

Zelda didn’t remember him. Not like he remembered her.

It was better that he stay away from Hyrule and continue onwards, away from a country that didn’t care about its hero or anything that he’d ever done for anyone. Every meeting has a parting, and there was no point in getting attached to these people again just to have them forget—

Epona neighed and abruptly quit walking, digging her hooves into the thick muddy road.

“What’s wrong girl?” Link asked, voice coming out a bit thick, and she neighed again, tossing her head.

Link knocked his heel against her side, urging her onward, but Epona shook her head and refused to go another step no matter what he did.

“Epona! Come on!” he said sternly, and his horse finally started moving again.

...in the wrong direction.

“Epona stop it, what’s the matter with you?” Link grumbled and pulled on her to try and get her to turn. But she suddenly kicked her heels up and galloped back the way they’d come, slipping a bit at the crossroads, but recovering and immediately turning down the right fork instead.

Link felt a jolt go through him.

“Epona!”

The rain lashed against his face as Epona switched to a canter, Link practically holding on for dear life as she charged down the road. He had no clue how she wasn’t slipping on the mud— how could she even see with how fast she was going?!

He wasn’t sure how far they’d gotten, several miles from the sign probably, before Epona slowed her frantic pace to a steady walk, turning her head and giving him an almost stern look.

“What are you giving me that for?” Link huffed, crossing his arms as he blinked rain out of his eyes. “We’re going the other way Epona. Turn around!”

She started to trot instead of walk.

“Turn around Epona!”

She neighed at him, letting out a firm snort.

“Epona just turn around!” he shouted, rain getting in his mouth, “we’re not going back to Hyrule! They don’t care about us, they don’t remember us! Why won’t you just—!”

Epona leveled him with a gentle look, and the fight went out of him in an abrupt rush, his hands falling to his sides.

He slumped in the saddle, bowing his head.

Epona finally stopped moving.

“You just want to go home, don’t you girl,” he said quietly, only just loud enough to be heard over the rain.

Epona gently nickered and tossed her head.

Link let out a shaky sigh.

“I do too.”

He wiped some more rain from his face, rubbing Epona’s neck as an apology for snapping at her.

“But I don’t have a home to go back to,” Link whispered, still rubbing. “Hyrule is the closest I’ve got, but nobody... they just don’t know Epona, they don’t know any of it.”

He sucked in a shuddering breath.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to try again.”

Epona pressed her face against his, and Link let out another sigh as the downpour continued on.

He slipped his hand down into his pocket after a moment, pulling out the deep indigo colored instrument inside. He stared at it, rubbing the ocarina as drops of rain pattered against it, and almost felt soft hands brush his as he fingered the mouthpiece, gloves covered in blood and dirt that clasped his hands and gave them a squeeze before pulling away.

She would want him to try, wouldn’t she.

He took a deep breath, pulling back from Epona as he held the ocarina to his lips, fingering the holes with a practiced motion as he blew a slow, gentle lullaby into the rainy evening. The song warbled a bit in the downpour, less smooth than he would prefer, but soft and comforting all the same.

As the last note faded away, Link breathed a slow sigh, feeling rather wrung out.

Epona gave an encouraging toss of her head and Link smiled at her, running his hand through her mane. He wiped the rain from his face yet again, feeling something in his chest ease just a bit as he looked down the road.

And he made his decision.

[skyward-floored]

Hey Sprite, is it true you call Era 'Dad' sometimes?

Sprite:

Sprite: you can’t prove anything

Era, once Sprite’s out of earshot: *whispering* he does it when he’s tired