#and it was just so thoughtful! because I said I need tp get back in the pool and was anxious about it and she was like

[yournewfriendshouse]

honestly as someone who is really isolated post-covid, I have to reiterate just how much impact kind retail workers have on someone’s life.

like it just fucking…I haven’t been out of the house in weeks, you know??? and today I was met with kindness several times, and it just makes such a difference in a scary world when the contact you have with humainty is workers who get treated so shittily and still have patience for disabled people who take a long time to find their scripts or their card like…it just really has an impact.

please know that 💛💛

[the-moon-files]

Man, I love the trope of aliens being terrified of humans, and I've seen some fics of human!reader reacting differently to stuff like posions/plants in hyrule, but this is in another level! We are indestructible! I mean, I could live on Death Mountain! With the Gorons! It's literally a dream come true!

Also, the urge this would give me to give them all the hugs and piggy back rides whenever it gets cold/windy/whatever extreme condition.

If Hylians would be surprisingly light, would they be light enough for me to pick up Time? Just get that big ass man with a bunch of armor on my back? Because new need unlocked.

NEW NEED UNLOCKED INDEEEEDDD. (touches my fingertips together like a villain up to no good)

CREDIT FOUND!! (Who did it first!):

IDK who it was but someone mentioned in a rlly old 2023-2022? LU x human reader post abt the hylians being lighter in comparison to humans!! If i find who it is, or if u recognize u wrote abt smth similar pls leave a comment so I can @ you!! /gen

@wayfayrr :D ive been in humans are space orcs fandom (is it a fandom? More like endless AU idea ppl wrote abt on tumblr) for Years, and ofc i never thought to put with Loz this past year or 2 getting into this fandom dammit - UR WORKS AMAZING THANK YOU SM FOR MERGING MY 2 FAVS AND LIKING/REBLOGGING THIS HOT MESS 😭😭

GOD i NEED to play TP bc u can hold cats like this?? and u get to see LINK do it??? 😭😭

Sun: technically Masc! Reader but not explicit (you/he/him), coule be Gender Neutral, Human Reader

Orbit: headcanons-ish

Stars: The Classic Chain of Links

Comets & Meteors: Content: in Four’s desc. mentioned “diving into chest”, & Triggers: none known.

Please comment if I missed any. /gen

☆

A kinda 2nd part/expansion to this post!

no bc the “i can live wherever tf i want” was secretly part of why i wrote that post (so sue me, i wanna be able to follow wild around his hyrule w/o getting nuked)

OMFG SO GLAD SOMEONE WANTS TO TALK ABT HOW AFFECTIONATE YOU’D GET BC OF THIS TOWARDS THE LINKS (anduseitasanexcusehahai mean what? whatd i say??)

There’s only 2 types of Links in this hyrule(s):

Who’s already down with being cuddled at the slightest/not so slightest inconvenience??:

Wild

(unsurprisingly, also if anyone teases him he just teases right back that not only is it “for survival”, but also look he’s “getting Guide Cuddles™️ and You’re Not” lmao,

would sleep right up against ur bedroll every night if u let him, likes when you commit to the cuddle (even if he goes a little red), like wrapping arms + legs around him, adores fireside cuddles, has said on multiple occasions that nothing makes him feel safer than holding onto you, and how he can’t go back to doing things like this on his own anymore 😭😭😭

his favorite cuddle is whatever you give him LMAO u can always count on Wild if your ever feeling like u need to cuddle smth blonde and cute lol - he constantly offers or initiates it himself <33 )

Sky

another unsurprising one, his favorite time to cuddle is when it’s cold outside, or windy, and he can just get under a blanket and take a nap with you,

esp if it’s both and he can convince you to lay partially on him for heated + weighted human blanket purposes, he’s literally staring at you with sparkles in his eyes as soon as a breeze goes by lol

his Loftwing/Crimson wasn’t rlly able to fly u long distances u find out!! :( Hylians are just so light that ofc that explains why they can ride these pelican/ostrich creations for hours, whereas the bird can only rlly manage 20 minutes of low flying with you (+ Sky) on its back, but that’s fine, bc u figured out how to “shield surf” rlly fast down slopes to keep up with Sky flying low, and by “shield surfing” i mean, shocking Wild into jaw-dropped silence as he watches you fly by completely barefoot 👍

(after all, ur skin has to be pretty tough/thick to be able to handle the weather/environmental conditions, and finding out u can withstand lava? yeah this is nothing turns out)

secretly loves piggyback rides, but never asks, u just see him get this look in his eyes, and shuffling in place just behind you lol

Wind

touch starved, but what Link isnt lol

his favorite is piggyback rides, since he was raised by his grandma, and there weren’t a whole lot of close, young adults to pick him up as a kid

so now, he takes FULL advantage of u being able to easily pick him up lol

one time u guys were going uphill while a pleasant breeze was blowing-

actually it was gale force winds.

but ur you, so it took Wind flying backwards into you to realize. he also screeched at you for “ABANDONING ME- YOURE GONNA MAKE ME, A LITTLE GUY LIKE ME, CRAWL UP THIS?? HOW COULD YOU-” you give him piggy back rides whenever it’s windy.

will treat u like his own personal ship whenever ur both in the water, which consists of him yelling sailor terms like “turn starboard! raise the sails!” while sitting on ur shoulders while u get slammed (gently buffeted, really) by waves

Hyrule

shy, shy, shy, shy-

the quintessential:

“👉👈 🥺 is it okay, if we maybe hug rn?? I'm just rlly cold, and i know u said you didnt mind, and I saw Wild and Sky just laying on you, sorry if this is weird-”

Hyrule, sweets, you literally love him more than life itself, of course you’ll cuddle the fairy boy

the more excited he gets = the more likely to jump on ur back/wrap his arms around ur waist happily, esp since he’s an extra cutie patootie and will subconsciously seek u out if the environment gets a little rough

Sets an Amazing example for the other Links, not too clingy when ur busy, great at latching onto ur back when things get tough for him, asks politely and thanks you everytime he gets down <3

Hyrule is eternally fascinated by whatever u do, u just walk thru flood waters like it’s nothing and while the rest are used to it by now, he’s the only Link looking at you like your some kind of god 💗💘💖💕🙈

accidentally squeezed ur arm muscles one time when he saw u doing that thing where u curl ur arm and Wind/Wild were able to hang off of it,

you both just stared at each other for a solid minute before his ears turned down and he went completely red and apologized profusely for 5 minutes, before you just scooped him up too lmao (his face after tho)

Four

depending on the cuddle he gets shy sometimes, even worse if more than 1 Link is looking at you two, in which he will attempt to escape ur arms.

keyword being attempt.

you just wrap ur legs around him and trap him instead lol

likes to cuddle you somehow where he’s not in the way but you can keep doing whatever it is you were busy with

if he splits, then u can fucking bet Red is the first to dive into ur chest- unless there is literally, actively, a threat right in front of him, he’s going for it lol, Green loves to wrap his arms around one of yours and just hang off u all day, Blue will wait until ur sitting somewhere and flop on ur legs to purposely trap u there, the little shit, and Vio just likes hugs. he’s such a sweetheart, he just loves being wrapped up and wrapping you up 🥺

And who must be Convinced. (most to least)

Legend

fully expected,

silly man thinks he’s above love and cuddles, and all the good things in life LMAO came for ur throat again

it'll be below-freezing temperatures, in a cave with a barely there campfire, a blizzard outside, the other heroes complaining at him to just get under the blanket so you’ll get under the blanket,

bc you two are just doing that thing where 2 characters have like a table between them and are fake-out dodging left and right to try and catch the other lmao

is most susceptible to cuddles when he’s tired/injured/sick/sleepy.

it’s a cold morning and u just scootch the Links into a pile and use him as a pillow lol, and as long as no one, not even gods, perceives you two, he’ll let you stay

ok but you definitely caught him from falling into lava one time while on Death Mountain, and had to bridal carry him across half a lava lake back to shore, hehe,

Legend swore everyone there to secrecy on their own graves and favorite items

also refuses to let Ravio know of ur human advantages lol

he just wants the attention on himself as much as he can in between the other Links, no need for more competition

Time

silly man just doesn't think of his needs including affection/emotional comfort,

he only rlly initiates when the circumstances are dire, like gale force winds that he can barely walk thru/starting to slip, desert heat getting to him thru his armor and needs ur cooling touch, etc.

he keeps it as professional as he can, like wrapping an arm around ur shoulders, but you just snatch him by the waist and pick him up half the time, was surprised at first, chain giggled at him, then complained lightly, finally just accepted his fate anytime he touches you lol,

YES you have given him a piggyback ride, when a flood of water burst a dam during a battle/the other Links got out but Time didn't bc of his heavy armor,

so u yoink him up and just stood ur ground against the raging waves and climbed a rock until u weren't submerged anymore, poor guy was so worn out from the battle + the flood that he just let you carry him all the way until u camped for the night, and secretly took a nap 😭

like Legend he can be convinced to rely on u when he’s already vulnerable like sleepy/tired/injured/sick, but he does find himself secretly appreciative someone in the group can just lift his heavy ass in full armor/or someone else if it gets bad enough,

got converted and no longer has to be convinced usually, he just doesn't initiate much so u have to lol

Warriors

YET ANOTHER SILLY MAN!!

whats with all these idiots neglecting themselves, both physically and emotionally??

like boy u cant stand the heat of a desert or blizzard, just let in the cuddles 👹

similar to Time, just more vocal abt how appreciative/advantageous it is to have someone to be able to carry comrades out of harsh conditions or battles easily.

Did Not think abt this applying to himself until you literally swept him off his feet like a classic damsel in distress- mans let out a shriek after taking a second to process everything LMAO-

Loudly and Dramatically complains abt u coming to cuddle him, both just to love on him, and to heat him up in a rainstorm, but hugs you back and holds onto you anyway hehe.

Became the 2nd person to find out you’re immune to lightning.

See, everyone heard Legend talk abt u getting struck in a storm in Wild’s hyrule, but no one really came to full terms with it bc they didn't see it. Warrior is now a full believer. He actually got the closest to pissing his armor he ever has in all of his battles bc he forgot abt the metal in the storm = bad idea, until it was too late and u guys were trying to retreat to regroup, bc there were too many black-bloods, only to get full body tackled by you to avoid getting hit by lightning.

You had to bridal carry him for a minute after bc u just got back up after being hit, (it just felt like you rubbed ur body on the carpet and touched a metal wall, like a full body small static shock) bc he was in such a state of literal horror/shock,

Wars saw your life flash before his eyes 💀

Twilight

HA HA HA- HE NEEDS THE LEAST AMOUNT OF CONVINCING LMAOOO

goofy wolf man has wolf instincts that help ur case as to Why You Need to Pet Twilight’s Hair and Hold His Hand at All Times if Possible.

main reason Twi’s here is bc he thinks his height + weight = him not needing u to hold onto/cuddle as much, and he would be proven wrong HA

actually gets all blushy/shy anytime u pick him up, freezes like a puppy who’s gotten scruffed too lol

likes a lot more casual touch/cuddles, like arm around ur shoulder or his, sitting with legs touching, leaning against u when he’s cold, etc.

omfg funniest thing abt Wars/Time/Twi is that they’re the tallest out of the Links, so they make for extra fun when picking them up, cuddling etc.

but the best thing ever happened one time when Twi was still recovering from the Shadow’s wound, it got reopened/ached so bad he couldn’t run, but u all were trying to retreat at the moment bc Big Boss,

and u just snatched him up into a piggyback ride, his legs comically sticking out, but the best part was that Hylians are light.

so you were able to run full tilt adrenaline powered run, to the point you surpassed the other Links ahead, and had everyone laughing and simultaneously trying to conserve their breath to keep running LMAO

Twi grew up tall/bigger than kids his age, and is another victim of “no adult figures to pick him up when he was younger”, so he gets this little giddy smile when u pick him up lol <3

the first time u put him in a bridal carry for smth like river rushing waters, mans blushed, stuttered abt smth the whole time, and then didnt let go after you tried to put him down, u didnt have the heart to insist, so u just carried him around half of the day 😭

☆

sorry some have less than others, its nearly 2am I'm just riffing kicking my feet and shit, so I'm not being very thorough

i hope u liked my spiral into blonde twink insanity (well theyre kinda on a spectrum of twinkness)

anyway goodnight, and have a great weekend!!

to the 2 other ppl who sent asks, ill get to you soon and thank you sm for sending stuff :’)

Please feel free to send asks for requests or just to chat :)

Peace out,

🌙

[ageingfangirl2]

We Belong Together Sanji (OPLA)

Sanji takes an interest in you after finding out your dream. Sanji x Female Reader.

Y/N

Every month for the past year you'd come to The Baratie to deliver fresh fish since your home was only an island away and you'd taken over from your older brother who was looking after his family. Fishing ran in your blood, you could spend hours on a dock watching the waves. Zeff the owner had been looking for a new fish supplier and your family came highly recommended.

It was hard at first to be taken seriously as the youngest child and only daughter, but you could stand your ground and not take crap from anyone who tried to barter a lower price.

Your boat docks and you stare at the odd restaurant in the middle of the sea, knowing full well what waited for you on the inside. A particular blonde in a suit who'd taken an interest in trying to charm you for the past year. At first,' you thought he was trying to flirt his way to a lower price and shut him down, but after a couple more months you realised he was just a flirter.

You didn't really have time to date guys due to your family business, but you'd be lying to yourself if you didn't like the attention Sanji gave you even if he did it to every girl who walked through the door.

'Okay boys, unload and take the stock around back!' you call out tp your small crew, as you head off the ship to settle up with Zeff.

At this time of day the place was quiet, minus the staff getting ready for dinner service. Zeff comes out of the kitchen grinning, 'did you bring us the big ones y/n?'

You nod, 'only the best for you Zeff.'

He laughs before heading back into the kitchen and you follow him. As soon as you step foot in the kitchen, the main hub of activity you spot Sanji at a station and wave at him. You walk into Zeff's office where he already had your payment waiting, and some paperwork for you to sign.

'I don't know what that boy is up to y/n, but he's been preparing for your arrival,' Zeff speaks up.

You smile and put the berries and paperwork in your satchel, 'thanks for the heads up. Same time next month.'

Zeff waves you off and you head into the kitchen, seeing your guys unloading crates of fish. Sanji appears in front of you naming you jump a little.

'So, I asked around and everyone thinks I'm a great catch and would be perfect for you y/n,' he says proudly, and his accent was more than enough to sway you.

You hum, 'who exactly did you ask?'

Sanji blinked a couple of times before running his fingers through his hair, it was safe to say you made him a little nervous not falling for his charms, 'err like everyone. You and I are meant to be together y/n, I just know it.'

Sanji showing vulnerability surprised you, this was a new side you kind of liked and admired. You motion towards the main door indicating the two of you should head outside if you wanted some privacy.

Once outside you tilt your head towards the blonde, 'tell me why then.'

Sanji bites his lip, 'because I found out we share the same dream.'

'The All Blue,' you whisper.

Sanji nods and closes the space between you, taking your hands in his, 'One day I'll leave this place and I want you by my side y/n.'

'It's not that easy Sanji, what about my family business? You ask and squeeze his hands.

'You've said to yourself your brother and his family can take over. I'm a cook but I need someone to fish for me,' Sanji replies, adding a little humour at the end.

You smirk and meet his eyes, stand on your tiptoes and peck his cheek, 'took you a year but I'm down. When you decide to leave come and pick me up.'

A blush appears on Sanji's cheeks after your brief kiss, 'I guess I'll be seeing you then y/n.'

You nod, 'No sweeping any other ladies off their feet until then, you promise? I'll be back in a month with the next delivery.'

He bends down and kisses your forehead, 'I'm a man of my word y/n.'

Little did you know he'd come calling before the next delivery, and the two of you set sail to The Grand Line to find The All Blue together.

[evita-shelby]

Hi, hello

This is my first request ever, please ignore my spelling mistakes if there's any, I'm French so...

So how abt the femreader /OC (as you want) has an illness and is destined to die but Tommy pursue her and falls in love with her anyway and then she dies and we see how he copes. I'm a sucker for angst.

Thank youuu

You are welcome 😊

I cried so hard i ran out of tp to clean my snot.

Promise

Gif by @manie-sans-delire-x

Cw: death, illness, grief, suicidal thoughts

You hoped he’d forget about you while he was in France, but when he stepped down that platform he was as in love with you as when he had left.

You had broken things off with him before he even left and yet he returned to you as if nothing changed.

No matter how much you tried, Tommy never left your side.

Eventually you had to tell him the truth.

You were dying.

You had a year at most, the tumor was not operable, and it wouldn’t be long before you were dead.

“I can’t leave you, love, not when you need me most.” He had said as he held your face in his hands.

And he hadn’t.

Not when the barmaid showed up and made it clear to all that she wanted him, not when he provoked Kimber and certainly not when Campbell threatened to have the hospital deny you care if he didn’t give him the guns.

Campbell hadn’t expected you to laugh and spit at his face, “Do it, do your fucking worst, Inspector. I am dead anyways.”

You were dying, but you were never going to let Tommy and his dreams die with you.

You had a year.

And you had decided that your last wish was to see Tommy get the hell out of here and be the great man you know he is.

This you tell him as the two of you stand as witnesses for Freddie Thorne and his sister, Ada.

He couldn’t say no to you, he said so as you tied his tie for him and told him to drive you and Ada to the courthouse where Freddie was waiting with his cousins and a rabbi.

“It could be us up there,” he said quietly knowing you’d say no.

“Ask me again in a year.” You love him, and that is why you refuse to tie him to you like that.

Time passes slowly, you encourage him to pursue Grace because he needs the distraction. There was something there, on her side at least.

Not that he budged, said he didn’t need anyone else. Not when he had you.

“I’m going to marry you.” He says the words you feared the most. He did never learn to let go, even when death took those he loved most, he stood there refusing to let go.

“Tommy, I do not want to tie you to me like this. Not like this.” You plead for him to move on weeks later when he takes the barmaid to the races.

“I’m gonna marry you, when you go, I want you to go as my wife, y/n.” he vowed just as you vowed to see him succeed.

You supposed that is what had you say yes.

He wants to do things proper, keeping almost every tradition and custom in place that you find to your liking. Whatever you want for your big day, he and Polly make it happen.

Its sweet and thoughtful you think as he gets the two of you on a table at the Garrison and announced to all that the two of you will be getting married.

He had bought you a ring, a Claddagh ring like the one his mum had worn. Only difference was that the other one was lost in the Cut and yours had a red garnet heart to represent his love and devotion to you.

Tommy was a romantic, no matter what he did to hide it.

You dance in the dark of your room nights later to some old record your mama had since she settled here with your father.

“We could always elope, go somewhere just us and come back like our parents did.” He suggests and you nod.

As much as you’d like to do things properly, you’d rather get the things on your list done before you meet your maker.

Besides, that trip to Liverpool before the war had been lovely and you’d like to see the sea again before you go.

“I’d like that.” You say and that next morning the two of you set off to Liverpool like the wild teenagers the two of you used to be.

The wedding is lovely even if it happens in front of strangers, but the weekend the two of you spend as newlyweds is enough to make you forget your time is running out.

Perhaps when your health becomes worse you could return here, die somewhere beautiful away from everything.

“I wish we didn’t have to go back.” He admits as the two of you lie down on a blanket and enjoy the sun on your faces on your last day here.

“Once its over, we should come back here.” You say as if you knew for sure you’d be alive by then.

Zilpha Lee saw your death in the first chills of December. A black star and blood on Tommy’s heart.

It was late July now.

Only five months left in your clock. And you were going to make the most of it.

And you did, you danced at John and Esme’s wedding like there was no tomorrow. You gave the barmaid a good enough thrashing she never even got to call the police on Freddie and when little Karl was born it hurt your heart to know you would never have this with Tommy.

You wept like a baby in his arms as everyone celebrated down at the pub.

“Promise me you will love again.” You dry your tears and make him swear to live for you.

He cannot die with you, you refuse to let him.

“Don’t make me promise that, love, I’ve only ever loved you.” He shook his head, refusing to even think of a life without you in it.

It becomes the first of October that night.

You can’t hide your illness no matter what you do. A girl from the neighborhood is hired to help you and from your bed you play cupid between the sweet but never spineless Linda and the most unlikely dashing knight, Arthur.

When they finally go out ---with Finn to keep things proper--- it is late November.

And as if by magic, you are bursting with energy enough to leave your bed and make sure there is no loose string left by December 1st.

You are laughing with Polly over something when you see it in Tommy’s carefully annotated diary.

A black star on December 3rd.

He plans on having everything done by then, to deal with Kimber and Campbell that same day and spend the rest of your time on earth in a cottage by the sea.

It was supposed to be a surprise until you answered a call back from the woman renting it.

If only you could live long enough to get there.

But you won’t.

Zilpha had said on the day of the Black Star.

On December 3rd your time was up.

And you had fulfilled your mission, on that day Tommy would have reached the first step towards getting the hell away from here.

Only Polly knows what transpired during that meeting with Zilpha Lee and she holds you as your heart breaks all over again.

“Promise me you’ll take care of him.” You ask her as she holds you tight enough to put you back together again.

“Of course I will, sweetheart. Just like I told Martha Strong I’d take care of her boys and John’s Martha as well.” The older woman promised you as she gave you her Black Madonna.

Its is December 3rd when Tommy leaves the house as giddy as a boy on boxing day.

“After this it will be just us in that little cottage by the sea, love.” He had promised kissing you like there was no tomorrow.

And there wouldn’t be.

The moment the bullet strikes his chest, you collapse at his desk and never rise again.

By the time Jeremiah lets him go, you are gone.

That night, after the undertaker has taken you away to prepare you for burial, he takes your ring, a bottle of whiskey and his gun.

When he pulls the trigger, there are no bullets and he curses you for leaving and refusing to let him leave with you.

He wakes up in Charlie’s Yard, with his aunt and uncle wearing black for mourning.

“I promised her I’d take care of you, don’t make break that promise, boy.” Polly said as she helped him back on his feet.

After your funeral he leaves for the seaside, hoping to have the peace and quiet to finish what he started and yet as he sits there in ghe sand looking at the ring he gave you, he remembers your voice making him swear to live for you.

And he does.

On December 3rd 1922, he returns to the beach with May Carlton now wearing your ring on her finger.

“Thank you.” He whispers to the wind.

[legendofzoodles]

How the Chain solves dungeon puzzles

Time has been doing this since before his first puberty so he’s got it down to a science. With decades of experience he’d probably rely on that heavily when approaching any dungeon puzzle, and automatically pay attention to certain things like the design, who might have created it and the items he finds there to give him a leg up when it’s time to use ye olde noggin. That being said, since he has been doing this since he was a child I feel like he’d 100% rage if things got too difficult. 

What? You think he survived the Water Temple because of patience and controlling his emotions? Goddess no, he was mentally 9 when he painstakingly got through it and it broke him. He now has a deep seeded hatred for all water based puzzles. 

Warriors on the other hand, has spent a lot of time managing armies and little to no time in a room devoid of sunlight- unless it was shutting himself away in his office to crunch some overdue paperwork. Don’t get me wrong he’d crush any sort of puzzle where the solution is simply beating up a room full of monsters or the dungeon boss, but traditional puzzle he might struggle with. A lot of Zelda puzzles require an ‘out of the box’ kind of thinking that probably doesn’t come naturally to the ‘by the books’ Captain. 

Since back in the day Twilight had Oocca and her son to teleport him out of the temple when he got tired, low on supplies or bored so if he can help it he won’t stick around longer than he needs to. That said he’d still really enjoy his time there, silently taking in the atmosphere and ambience of the dungeon. 

Also, according to the 2000s Zelda fandom TP’s dungeon puzzles were the most difficult of the series. I’d wager that Midna, rather than helping out (outside of her being a companion type character), would’ve either cryptically teased the answer if she figured it out before him to poke fun or simply not have taken an interest and just nagged at him to hurry up. Meaning he solved them mostly on his own and therefore got really good at it.

Sky definitely used to chat with Fi as he solved puzzles back in his adventure, sharing thoughts, getting hints and occasionally voicing frustration. Because of this, he would definitely collaborate with whoever’s exploring with him and if he’s on his own then he’ll just talk to himself. Helps him think.

He’s the type to overthink every problem presented to him, to the point where he’d often invent a very convoluted solution when an obvious one was staring him in the face ignored. And unless there’s someone there to point it out he’ll never notice. 

Like Time, Legend’s got a lot of experience dungeon crawling, I’d argue more since judging by Time’s armour he hasn’t been travelling a whole lot recently, so he’d also be relying on that experience. When he was younger, dungeon puzzles were a blast to figure out but now they’ve all just kind of bled together. There’s nothing he hasn’t really seen before in some shape or form, no tricks for the deity’s to pull that will surprise him. 

He’d just breeze through each puzzle or trap like: “Lame,” or “Seen it,” or “Hey...the spider’s new,” yawning as he went. I feel though if he were paired up with Warriors (he could act nonchalant while Warriors is jumpy at everything) who’s new to all this or Hyrule how’s only ever seen really simplistic dungeon puzzles it could spark that joy he once had. 

Wild would unashamedly break the system. Either accidently while finding creative way to cheat or to intentionally carve out his own shortcut. Not so much out of frustration, he could absolutely solve it they way the designers intended if he wanted to, trouble is he rarely has any interest in doing that. He used to ruin the carefully constructed puzzles (most of) the Sheikah monks crafted specifically to test him- right in their faces!- and they rewarded him regardless of the damage he caused. He’s been spoiled. I can imagine him blasting a way out only to turn around, go back in and intentionally destroy the rest of the puzzles for the sake of completion and loot.  

Members like Wind, Hyrule and Time on a bad day would 100% support this method, the others would be horrified, with Legend somewhere in the middle.

Four is a very methodical sort of problem solver, not one to let his past experience cloud his judgment and restrict him to assumptions rather than trying out something new. As a blacksmith who’s probably gotten to learn about how other cultures craft their weapons he probably has a deep appreciation for the dungeons design and would be the first to point out what certain quirks of the building mean and what tribe left their mark there. Whenever he may feel agitated for not understanding a puzzle all he needs to do is walk around and look at some historic architecture to keep Blue at bay. 

For this reason he may be one of the slower ones to complete a puzzle, but at least the walls swirling patterns may give him inspiration for a cool new sword handle. Not everyone would be able to relate to his eye for detail though. 

Four: The paving looks amazing with all these unique carvings, don’t you think?

Hyrule: [grazing a hand over the stone] Ah yes, the floor is made out of floor. 

Similar to Warriors Hyrule hasn’t really seen any complex dungeon puzzles, but unlike him he has a more creative ‘out of the box’ way of thinking, which would give him an edge. He’d probably get easily distracted though, lured away from the puzzle by a hidden passage or another route he hadn’t checked out, yet would somehow end up discovering every nook and cranny in the entire dungeon has to offer without much trouble.    

Wind is not really a fan of them. Unless it’s for a specific purpose like rescuing someone or to beat up a monster he’ll actively avoid them. But if he had to he’d try to get through it as quickly as possible by literally just trying whatever first pops in his head. He’d rush past and ignore any sort of hints the designers might have given him and try to brute force his way though. When it eventually works he’ll immediately forget the solution though, so don’t bother asking how he got out just be glad he did, like Grandma would. 

He’s not the type to ‘stop and smell the roses’ like Four, or just enjoy the atmosphere like Twilight, but he’s too polite (thanks to Grandma) to go around destroying ancient masonry like Wild. 

Who do you think would make up the best teams (2- 4 people) if the chain were split up in a dungeon? 

I’m thinking Sky, Four and Hyrule because they’d go at a slow pace chatting the whole time, with Four teaching the other two about who built the dungeon and Hyrule encouraging them to explore every room. Or maybe Legend, Warriors and Wind, with the latter two trying really hard and Legend supervising and making fun of them. Leaving Time, Twilight and Wild, where Twilight would struggle to keep Wild from blowing them up and Time being seconds away from joining him. 

~~~

Thanks for reading! 

Masterlist

Other headcanons: 

Parkour team

Honorary Gorons

How each member of the chain laughs

[kirango-rouge]

@ghostofashina this one's for you ;)

i thought about it while falling asleep and found it very funny.

Godwyn flustered kisses Messmer to convey his feelings, but Messmer stares back at him, pleased, but asking what's that for (just to be sure of the meaning of the kiss), and Godwyn panics and stammers that it's a very verrrry old traditional "good boy reward" in the Lands Between given to people who perform their tasks exceptionally well.

Messmer is a bit puzzled but accepts the explanation and Godwyn sighs as the crisis of his embarrassment is averted. (Fortissax tells him soon after that lying always comes to bite you in the ass eventually.)

When many moons later he visits his brother in his keep, he notices a long queue of soldiers coming out of his brother's throne room. All of them are so excited and cooing and swooning and puffing their chests proudly. It is only when Godwyn reaches the throne rooms that his jaw falls to the ground in realization.

Messmer is currently giving "good boys and girls rewards" to every single one of his soldiers (because they're very good boys and girls doing their job diligently) and is very thorough in making sure everyone in his army gets a proper reward. Godwyn feels like liquefying on the spot while Gaius, Rellana and Huw stare at him judgementally and knowingly. Not that they mind of the "reward" of course, but now they know where it came from.

It doesn't stop here as once they return to Leyndell, his knights timidly ask him if they can have these "tradditional rewards" as well. And Godwyn, because he's so very nice (and currently in a huge pickle of his own making), obliges them and his knights are very happy.

When he talks about this problem to Fortissax and Lansseax to have some kind of emotional support, the two dragons just burst into laughter and find this karmic retribution extremely funny. Godwyn knows that Fortissax will tease him with this for decades to come, but Lansseax decides to implement the "traditional reward" in her dragon cult temple in the form of "blessings", and the dragon knights are also very happy and boosted to continue the good work.

Of course nothing escapes Marika's watchful gaze in her queendom. And she always answers "yeah sure this is a very ancient traddition everyone knows about" to her son's dismay when someone asks her about this "reward" thing.

By now everyone in the queendom has heard of this "custom" and while some people are not sure about how old it is, since it is a traditional thing it would be rude not to respect it, even if it popped off out nowhere and they never heard about it before.

Meanwhile, in Caria, Radagon finds these "distractions" to be very unfunny, Rennala fondly shrugs it as an "Erdtree business", but Rykard and Ranni never miss a chance to gossip that this is just one more absurdity that the lazy inhabitants of Leyndell came up with to occupy themself (later Rykard will enrage about how he wants to do the same with his inquisitors and Ranni will always deny that her kisses to Blaidd have anything to do with it).

Radahn on the other hand completely accepted this "custom" and found it to be very virile and broski to do. So he arranged the "custom" to his sauce and started to give neck-crushing hugs to his man and women and very soon everyone in Redmane had adopted the "tradition". (Jerren had his suspicions but when he witnessed Godwyn try to hide himself in an abductor virgin, red as a tomato, one day he was visiting, he undertood almost the whole picture of it but never said a thing to his general).

Malenia, Miquella, and Godrick grew up with this "traddition" however.

Miquella did his research and learned very quickly the truth, but decided that since this is not an actual ancestral custom in Leyndell, he would make it the true custom in Elphael. No need tp say that the inhabitants of the haligtree are very pleased by this custom, especially the misbegotten.

Malenia is more timid and less tactile than her brother, but she would praise her knights every so often and give a quick peck to all of them on her better days. The cleanrot knights are all very honored to be praised by their general and kissed by their prince. At this point Godwyn just accepted his fate to see his lie being thrown into his face everywhere he goes now.

Godrick is the only one who legitimately grew up thinking this "custom" always existed but he thinks anyone beneath his is unworthy of receiving such rewards from him. Meanwhile his knights don't really like him in Stormveil and are very well without having their face anywhere close to their lord's, but since this is a very old and customary tradition, both Godrick and his knights find themselves sometimes in the very awkward and uncomfortable position of giving and receiving the "reward". None of them is happy with that but Godrick is the last scion of the golden bough and traditions must be respected.

As for Morgott and Mohg, Mohg took this reward tradition to his dynasty (with some collateral damages on the way, because blood and violence etc...), while Morgott found himself having to continue the lie of his brother because his remaining knights were convinced that this reward custom is a thing that has always existed now (and if anyone in his inner circle has any doubt about it, they won't ever say a thing because they want to keep kisses privileges).

And this is the story how reward kisses became a tradition in the Lands Between :)

Meanwhile in Shadow Keep:

Messmer: Guys. Hypothetically speaking, if my brother were to confess to me one day, how do you think he would do it?

Huw: *chuckles*

Gaius: Oh i don't know Messmer. Maybe he would just kiss you~

Rellana: Or create an entire myth about it that would last for the ages to come~

Messmer: Oh that sounds so romantic. I know how timid he can be with me. I must keep my eyes open now in case it happens for real.

Rellana, Huw and Gaius: *wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze*

[ithinkabouttzu]

Hello! I love your writing and was wondering if you could do TP reunion headcanons? Like how they would be once you reunite after the war?

Have a nice day :)

The Pacific reunion with you after the war!

genre: Romance; fluff

warnings: Crying, sad themes, reader is called beautiful, but reader is gn!

description: The pacific boys’ meeting with you (their s/o) for the first time after the war

a/n: Thank you for this request! I hope I got it right!! Enjoy my beloved!! 💗💗

Eugene Sledge

• for him it’s a whole bunch of emotions when he sees you waiting for him at the train station

• he wants to cry, but also kinda just wants to laugh because of how happy he is to see you

•Looking at you out of the window, you look so beautiful. His chest pounds thinking at how lonely it must of been for you while he was gone

• When he finally gets off the train and makes his way to you, It’s like meeting you for the first time all over again.

• He’s nervous, because it’s been so long since he’s actually seen you, What if you don’t like him anymore? what if something happened while he was gone and you don’t see a future with him?

• All of those worries in his head immediately vanish when he succumbs to your warm embrace, it’s like time had never really passed at all.

• “I missed you, don’t ever want to leave you like that again”

Sidney Phillips:

• Wow, he can’t wait to kiss those soft lips of yours. When he sees you he’s ready to jump off the train while it’s still going because he just can’t wait any longer

• When he does get off, he’s running towards you, dropping all of his luggage as soon as he gets to you, and picking you and swinging you around with joy

• He causes quite a scene but it makes you overjoyed to know he missed you just as much. Seeing that bright smile on his face makes you almost forget how long you guys were apart.

• He’s honestly just so happy, you’re his home, someone he feels safe with, someone that’s always there for him when he needs you, he’s finally back with his person after so long

• He has so much to ask you once he’s set you down, some stuff that he couldn’t fit into letters, all he wants to do is get home and talk to you about everything and catch up fully.

• Oh, and except a million kisses from there and on the way home too

• “Oh honey, I missed you like crazy”

Robert Leckie

• Once he’s made his way home, said hello to his parents and put his luggage down, he’s immediately on his way to your place.

• He can’t wait to see you any longer, he’s not even sure what he’s gonna do when he sees you, all he can feel is excitement bubbling in his stomach

• When gets there, he stops, scared to knock, he’s nervous to see you in so long, before the door swings opens and it’s you who’s on the other side.

• Wow, you look amazing, that sweet smile on your face is everything to him, he suddenly feels self conscious under your gaze, his appearance changed with time.

• It’s silent, both of you are admiring one another like a breakable antique, afraid to touch but still in awe of each other. He can’t wait to say anything anymore, “You’re still as beautiful as before” He smiles at you, waiting for a reply.

• “You haven’t changed at bit either, i’ve missed you” You reply back, following it with a big hug, wrapping him up in your arms.

• “I almost forgot how amazing your hugs were”

Lew ‘Chuckler’ Juergens:

• He’s ecstatic to see you, a big smile is on his face and he couldn’t hide his excitement even if he wanted to.

• Similar to Sidney, he’s picking you up off the ground and spinning you around, but he’s also planting bunches of small kisses all over your face in joy. He knows exactly how to make you feel like the only person in the room.

• He doesn’t even know what to say, or what to think, other then an overwhelming amount of happiness inside of him, he’s just so happy to be with you, he feels complete again.

• When he sets you down he just looks at you in shock, you’re actually here with him, he never thought the day would come when he would get to hold you in his arms again

• “God, i’ve missed you, more than you’ll ever know”

• He’ll probably continue to kiss and hug on you for the rest of the week, not letting you out for his sight at all, with continuous confessions of his love for you.

• “I’ll spend my whole life loving you doll, I mean that.”

Merriell ‘Snafu’ Shelton:

• When gets off the train, he immediately makes his way to your home, he can’t wait any longer to see you, even if it’s later in the night.

• When he gets there and sees you he’s in shock, all he can you is hug you at the moment.

• He feels so many emotions at once, he’s lost so many people to the war, and you’re the first bit of warmth he’s felt in years, he doesn’t want to lose you, he can’t lose you.

• As he’s hugging you he snugs his face into your hair, breathing you in, he’s close to letting his tears fall but he holds them, he’s missed you so much.

• “You been gettin’ along alright without me?” He asks you, raising up from the kiss. You can tell he’s still a little nervous.

• “Barely” You whisper back softly, you can’t say anything more because his lips are connected to yours almost immediately.

• “Let me make up the lost time, dolly. Let me make it up to you. ”

John Basilone:

• Boy is he happy to see you, you’re still fine as ever to him, so good-looking it almost takes his breath away.

• He picks you up and kisses you passionately before you can even say welcome home.

• He’s just glad he’s back to you in one piece, he loves you so much and is so ready to enjoy some alone time with you. All he can do is kiss you over and over again

• “How are you, honey?” Is the first thing he says to you. His voice as smooth and deep as rich chocolate.

• “Good, and you?” “Better now that i’m here with you” He replies back with that familiar smirk on his face

• He can’t feel much more love then what he feels right now, he’s so excited and happy to be with you again, after so long he can finally say everything is back to normal.

• “I love you honey, I hope you always know that”

R.V. Burgin

• Just imagine the smile on the sweet boy’s face when he sees you for the first time in years, he’s so happy and joyous to be around you.

• He feels shy but also not really? It’s just because he hasn’t seen you since forever so it’s kinda all knew to him again, but he doesn’t make it awkward at all, he just reminds you how much he missed you.

• “You know, when it was rough at night out there, I thought of you and then I could finally get some sleep” He immediately starts telling you stories and more about the people he met

• But still he asks you how you are and if anything had changed while he was gone, “I’m glad you didn’t run off with some rich guy while I was gone” 😭

• He probably carries you bridal style in to your guys’ home together and if you guys weren’t already married then he would probably propose soon.

• In general he’s just so enlightened to see you, it just takes so much stress off of his chest.

• “I love you darling, forever and ever”

Wilbur ‘Runner’ Conley

• When he sees you waiting for him at the train stop his heart picks up so much speed and he feels like he could vomit.

• The waiting almost became unbearable for him, he’d have his luggage ready to set out to you

• When he does get to you he can’t hold back his emotions, he’s so happy all he can do it take you into a big bear hug and laugh

• “Long time no see, right, stranger?” He just looks at you with so much love in his eyes, he’s never felt better then when he’s with you

• He’s just ready for a future with you now, ready to take the next step with you and make you his partner forever

• “I missed you too much, I love you sweetheart.”

Bill ‘Hoosier’ Smith

• It’s like he falls in love with you all over again when he sees you waiting up for him.

• He turns so soft when he feels you in his arms, all he can do is hold you tightly in hopes that you won’t let go

• “I missed you a lot, I don’t ever want to feel that way again”

• He saves the tears for later when you guys are alone, but for now all he can do is kiss you over and over again.

• He’ll probably save a little gift for you to and give it to you then, like I said he really missed you.

• He’ll probably be super close to you for the rest of the day, trying to catch up and see how different it’s changed back home.

• “I love you so much, I promise i’ll never leave again”

I loved this request!! If you enjoyed, make sure to like or reblog! <333

[marinerainbow]

I have been obsessed with Bistro Huddy for a couple days now, and I found this video and... I can't. I can't stop thinking about this with my Poppy ships. I had to write this crack XD

@just-kit-ink and @wicked1will0sparkles I have a feeling this'll get a chuckle out of you guys (for the sake of argument, let's say that Shiny and Poppy do work for the TP from time to time in this fic. Like... Poppy can offer them info about some of the Uptown toon she works with, and Shiny can do all kinds of crimes with them).

~

It was a rare, and almost frightening, sight to see the boss smiling. Not in an unnerving way, not in smug pride, but actual genuine joy from another person. It almost never happened. Which was why Greasy knew something had to be up between Smartass and Poppy when he saw the two laughing and drinking coffee side by side in the kitchen.

"Ohhhoho! You really said that??"

"Well 'yea, what else was I gonna say? You 'shoulda seen the look on his mug!" The weasel breathed out a few chuckles before he noticed the new presence and looked up, just in time to see his right hand man smirking at him knowingly. Rolling his eyes and shrugging, Smartass chose to just cut himself off, now that he and Poppy weren't alone anymore, "Alright, I'll tell 'ya what happened next later. Seeya at lunch."

It wasn't lost on Poppy that another person's presence did ruin the mood, but she didn't make any implication about that. She didn't want to hurt the Spaniards' feelings... That and work needed to be done anyway. So she just nodded, "Alright. I should get you the paperwork you need by ten, at the latest."

"Sounds good."

Poppy walked off with her mug and a smile, nodding and offering Greasy a cheery "Bonjour." As she passed him and slipped out the kitchen door. That left him the opportunity to smirk knowingly at his boss, who rolled his eyes in response, "Buen día."

"Shuddap, Grease."

Though 'shutting up' was not on Greasy's plans. Not after what he just witnessed. The weasel took his time grabbing his coffee cup from the cupboard and pouring himself some of the much needed caffeinated liquid, all while keeping eye contact with a Smartass who was ever-increasingly going back to his grumpy persona. This probably wasn't a good idea to poke the bear before he could finish his coffee... But hey, this was what happened when you chuck out the TV the night before, and there was nothing else to entertain your right hand man, "So, I see you and Poppy have a little something going on~"

Usually there would be a tapping foot- or a death glare- or a twitching hand and glancing towards the nearest object that would tell the taller weasel that there was indeed something happening between his boss and their sweet friend. However, Smartass must have been truly exhausted since he just huffed and went back to stirring his coffee, "There ain't 'nothin going on. That's just how a work marriage is

The ear-to-ear grin on Greasy's face fell instantly after that, and looked like his brain was shutting down from attempting to process what Smartass just said. As if he claimed that Bugs Bunny was actually a crcodile, "A... A Work marriage?"

"What?? You 'nevah heard of it??" The hint of jealousy in Greasy's eyes seemed to be lost on the head weasel. He looked more surprised at the thought of him not being aware of the special relationship one could have with their coworkers, "Well I ain't explainin' it-"

"Ohhh no, I know what a work wife is. Because that is what Poppy is to me."

The sip that Smartass had attempted to drink almost got coughed up onto his suit. The pink weasel actually had to set the cup down before he glowrred at the other toon. There was absolutely no way his ears were working right. At least Greasy better hope they weren't, "Excuse you??"

Instead of being intimidated, Greasy just crossed his arms and seemed to take on the challenge instead, "You heard me, boss. If she's work married to anybody in this house, it's me."

"Oh no. Uh-uh bub. She's work married t'me."

"No, Poppy is my work wife."

The two weasels whipped their heads towards the doorway, looking at a just woken, disheveled, feral looking Psycho staring at them like they were the insane ones. And he was sending Greasy in particular a glare that could make any iron-willed man feel weak in the bladder, "You already have Shiny. You can't have Poppy too."

At that, Smartass immediately turned back towards Greasy with his fists on his hips, "Oh! You got that lunatic, but you're over here movin' in on my work gal??"

"MY work wife! Get your own!"

"And who's to say I must limit myself to one beautiful woman, eh?" Greasy glanced between his comrades with a hand to his chest, like he wasn't just getting on Smartass' case for being work married to Poppy, "How is that fair?"

"How is tha- BOY-"

"Actually, I'm Poppy's work husband too."

"WHAT!?"All three looked straight at the smoker, now standing in the doorway and looking like he just made the biggest mistake in his life. Why he thought it was a good idea to say that out loud, who knows. But the smoker just groaned and walked further in the kitchen to grab an apple from the fruit bowl, with Stupid following after him.

"Duh, what's happening here?"

Seeing the big lug of a weasel come in all confused made Greasy and Smartass narrow their eyes at him in suspicion. Psycho on the other hand was too busy growling at an unphased Wheezy, "Estúpido, you better not say you're Poppy's work husband too."

Stupid blinked at his brother and coworker for a moment, before his eyes lit up once he caught up with the topic of discussion, "Huh? Noooo, we're not work married!"

"Good. I don't need'ta deal with yo-"

"She's my work mom!"

The whole room fell silent. Smartass and Greasy glanced to each other before looking at the oblivious Stupid, and even Psycho had paused his confrontation with Wheezy- who was now burying his face in his free hand, "Stu, don't-"

"And Wheezy is my work dad!" The buck toothed toon proclaimed happily as he pointed to the internally dying Wheezy, still blissfully unaware of the tension in the room, "He and Poppy work adopted me! We even got ice cream yesterday!"

...

At that moment, without even looking up from his paw, Wheezy knew his smokes would not be enough emotional support to face these ridiculous weasels, "Ok, guys-"

"YOU STARTED A WORK FAMILY WITH POPPY!?"

"¡Destructor de hogares!"

"Is there ANYBODY in this house NOT puttin' the work moves on her!?"

"I'm not, boss!"

"SHUT UP!"

Breakfast and coffee were on no ones mind now. The entire kitchen was quickly filled with screaming, threats, and proclamations of betrayal. Poor Stupid could only stand there, glancing to his work dad and pleading with his eyes for an answer of what to do. Though all Wheezy would do was suck in as much toxic smoke as he could while he still had the chance. Before Smartass could throw the toaster, or Psycho could pounce on somebody.

The only thing that could break up the whole room was the very rabbit of discussion when she poked her head inside in concern. Her eyes pinned down against her head and her eyes were wide as they darted to each individual in the room, "Uh, g-guys? Is everything-"

"Get outta here while you still can, Pops."

"What do you-"

She just barely managed to contain her shriek when suddenly all four pairs of eyes locked onto her, making her stand straight up at attention. The moment to escape was long gone now, "Guys...?"

A long silence hung in the air as the first three weasels all looked at each other, as if agreeing upon something, then looked right back at Poppy. Stupid scratched under his propeller hat in confusion, and Wheezy closed his eyes to fully enjoy the silence before it would be undoubtedly ruined again.

---

"What on Earth- What are you guys talking about?"

Having taken this out to the living room, Poppy was seated on the couch and resisted rubbing her temples. The papers she was working on for Smartass were currently strewn about the coffee table, but all she could focus on were the weasels surrounding her. Wheezy was sitting on her left, not at all wanting to be here either. Smartass was sitting straight up in his own chair, tapping his foot with his arms crossed. Greasy had been trying to sit on Poppy's right, though he kept getting driven off by Psycho who was standing by the couch like a gargoyle. And Stupid was busy getting himself a bowl of cereal in the kitchen now that it wasn't crowded anymore.

If Poppy had been told she was going to be in the middle of a work love triangle- or rectangle in this case- with four of Toontowns biggest criminals four years ago, she would have laughed it off as a joke.

"I don't know how we can make it any clearer, but fine." Smartass huffed out as he leaned forward, almost looking like he was in the middle of one of his business meetings, "These nimrods think you're their work wife. We gotta clear it all up, like usual."

"Smarty-"

"Poppy, it's alright. I know this is all a terrible misunderstanding." Greasy still hadn't managed to slip past Psycho, so he chose to kneel in front of her and take her paw in his hands all dramatic like. He looked like the love interest in one of his novelas, and Poppy just looked so tired, "Just tell these putas that you, Shiny, and I are exclusive. Then we can get back to normal, si?"

"Listen-"

Poppy was once again interrupted, but this time by Psycho as he hopped over the couch just to smack at Greasy's face and hiss like a territorial housecat. The second in command managed to jumo back in time, but that didn't make the lunatic back off, "¿¡Qué carajo!?"

"You go be 'exclusive' with Shiny!"

"Yeah, you shouldn't even be here!"

While the three spiraled into yet another argument, Poppy heaved out a defeated sigh before looking towards the only sane one right now. Their eyes met and, like always, they shared a silent moment of pity and understanding for the other, "Help me."

Although he truly felt sorry for his work wife, and wanted nothing more than to escape this madhouse, there really was nothing Wheezy could do for either of them. All Poppy had to see was his slumped shoulders to know what he was going to say, "I tried, Poppy. You know how they get."

The toon groaned as she gave in and leaned back on the couch to rest her head on the back. Her headache growing with each curse word flung around. Why couldn't these guys just... The bond formed within a stressful and emotionally draining work environment knew no bounds. It couldn't just be contained to one individual. Why couldn't these jerks see that??

Well, at least Wheezy understood it. And Greasy, to an extent... Maybe it was more of a pride thing between him, Psycho and Smartass. If that was the case, then she could get this fixed no prob-

"Alright then. How about a fight?"

Blinking back into the present, and getting over the jarring sudden silence that befell the living room, Poppy turned her head far back enough to see the source of the familiar voice; Shiny standing in the middle of the open front door, with what looked like a crate of her homebrewed alcohol tucked under her arm. The arguing must have been loud enough to cover Shiny coming inside. But either way, her announcing her presence caused the three weasels to actually pause in their bickering, "You guys heard what I said."

Oh god no, "I- Shiny, I don't think that- we don't want that to happen."

The weasel lady just shrugged as she kicked the door closed behind her, taking turns to look each and every one of them in the eye- including Psycho, despite the probability of him taking that as a challenge in the mood he was in now being high. She didn't even bother trying to hide her smirk while placing the moonshine on the nearest syrface as she reiterated, "If you guys want her to choose, why not prove your worthiness and fight for her?

"Shiny, for the love of God, no." Wheezy stated in a firm voice he didn't often use. Glancing to his team, he could see the gears turning in Psycho's and Greasy's heads as they briefly shared a look. Fortunately, though, Smartass at least was currently stuttering out a response in disbelief. Hopefully, that meant the boss' sanity was coming back.

"Too late, Cowboy."

"No! No, not too late! Guys!-"

"You know what?!" Finally. Smartass was being the leader he should have been from the start. Standing up and pointing a finger at the mischievous woman, who just raised an amused brow right back at him, he snapped, "You don't get to come in here and-"

Though he was too late. The time for actual sense in this house had passed. That was made obvious when Smartass was sent flying over his chair and across the room. After a straightjacket clad weasel launched himself right at him. Psycho' battle screech and Smartass' cursing and gun clicking filled the room, and all Greasy did was pull out his switchblade and started cleaning it; preparing himself for war.

Although his expression remained partially neutral, his shaking hands while he lit up his whole pack and jumped right out of his seat showed how absolutely done he was. He wasn't going to bother trying to pull those maniacs away from each other. Not when he didn't even want to make a big deal out of this in the first place, "I'm out."

"PSYCHO NO!" While Wheezy was walking away from the others, Poppy leaped up to her feet with intentions of trying to break up the fight. Though before she could take a step towards the brawl, she was stopped when Shiny placed her well manicured paw on her shoulder. Looking behind her, Poppy watched her shake her head, silently telling her 'it's not worth it, honey', "Shiny!-"

"Let them get it out of their system. They clearly need it, sugar." The woman casually shrugged. The tiny smirk on her lips, though, showed she had more selfish reasons for starting this between them... And that she wasn't going to even try to hide it, "Besides, it's funny how easy they all are. Isn't it?"

"N-No! I can't let my work marriages fall apart!"

"Oh, please. This'll get through to them better than 'sitting down and talking it out' ever would. And you know it." Shiny sighed- not as dramatically as Greasy was renowned for, but there was a hint of drama behind it- before wrapping her arms around the rabbits shoulders and pulling her around and close, making Poppy completely face her now. Good thing, too. As the pencil holder that flew behind Poppy would have hit her in the eye otherwise. Even though Poppy was upset, the look of worry and slight anger towards her was absolutely adorable, and only made Shiny's grin broaden, "Besides, it doesn't really matter in the end. Does it?"

The tiny frown on Poppy's face faltered at that. Though not because she was comprehending how close her best friend was now, "How?"

"'Cause you and I both know that out of everybody here, I'm your true work spouse."

"Oh my god-"

"Hey! I didn't say anything about being the only one! I'm just saying that I'm the matriarch of your little work harem~"

...

Somehow, despite her soured mood, despite the waging three-way war happening just mere feet from them, Shiny still managed to get a smile, and even a little chuckle, out of her. Shaking her head, Poppy decided in that moment to just press her forehead against her favorite lady's crown, and enjoy this tiny moment between them while it could last, "You're terrible."

~

Not paying any mind to the sounds of agony from the three men, or the crashing and breaking of wood, or Smartass' "WHERE'D PSYCHO GET THE LAWN CHAIR!?!?", the dancer just touched noses with her little rabbit and giggled alongside her, "I know~"

While the girls were distracted, Stupid poked his head out of the kitchen doorway to see what was causing so much of a rucus. Crumbs of ceral still unwiped from his lips, "What's going-"

One look at the three feral weasels, a mising Wheezy, and Poppy and Shiny completely forgetting the world around them, Stupid had made probably the smartest decision he ever hsad made in his life at that moment. He quickly and quietly slipped back in the kitchen to finish his food, "Nevermind!"

This got a little genuine Popshine'y at the end of the crack. I don't regret it XD

[outsiders-owen]

.

.

.

Pastry said you wanted to meet?

I- Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I guess- I guess I did say that, I-

We should go where no one will see us. They all think you're dead or something.

Do you think I'm stupid? Owen, I- I want to be able to trust me, but every single time that's happened, it hasn't ended well.

...

Apo, do you remember way back when? I made you a promise, then.

...What? What are you talking about?

I said, and I quote: "Apo, of course I'm not going to hurt you. Never in a million years. I'll do a lot of things, but I will never hurt you. Ever."

.

And a lot of things have- have happened, and I- I don't really know who I am right now, or what I believe. Hell, half of me thinks I should lock you up right now- NO! Sorry, sorry- I'm not going to, I'm just- don't leave, please-

...Owen, I don't- I don't know about this...

Apo, please. Please.

...

And- and I never told you this- but after I learnt that you, you flipped the lever, I went to Soup about it. And I talked to her. And she told me- she told me- she told me that you'd had my back through thick and thin, and this was just one slip-up. She said you did an awful thing, but- but you're allowed to forgive people. She told me that fear makes people act strangely, and- and she said you were feeling so much fear.

Owen-

Let me finish.

I don't-

P- hhhh. I can't- please.

Are you crying?

.

As- let me keep talking. This is important.

Because then when you were in jail, I wrote you that letter, do you remember?

I- yes, Owen, of course I remember-

I don't know- I don't know how that ended up for you, or how you felt about that, but what I do know is that- is that when I walked into- into that prison, barely breathing, and let you out, you-

You helped me. You hadn't seen me in months, and you helped me, and I don't- I don't-

Breathe. You're- Owen, you're going to choke on your tears, you need- you need to sit down-

SHUT UP!

...

I'm sorry- I- I need to keep talking, please let me keep talking-

...

Th- thank you. And when I got my memories back- I don't know- I-

I want to be better. I was happier when I- I don't know. I still think- your kind- is not to be trusted, and I think you're liars, and thieves, and-

Hhh.

But I'm- I've decided, I'm just going to sit tight, and- and I'm not going to kill you.

What a relief.

I promised. I don't break my promises.

You've hurt me in the past-

Before I made that promise. Past resets, past lives.

...

So if I'm to believe... this, then... what's next? Why did we meet? Do you have some grand plan to get us out of here, or-

We met up because I missed you, you idiot.

oh

You're my best friend, I can't- I can't believe I've killed you, so many times, I- I'm sorry. And that'll never be enough, never, but I am. I am so, so sorry.

Apo, I love you, and I miss you, and I'm sorry.

That's- that's all I can offer.

oh.

I love you too.

.

What?

You heard me.

But I hurt you. I- I killed you. I stabbed you, and called you vile, and- and I don't-

I used to tell you I loved you, didn't I?

I mean, yes, but-

And I remembered everything then. Owen, I will always forgive you. No matter what. You're my anchor, here, and every time the story resets, those months when we're the best of friends, before I pull the lever- because I have to pull the lever, every time, I have to- that's the time I look forward to. That's- that's my favorite part of life.

F- fuck-

I thought you didn't swear-

Oh my god, you are actually- holy shit, bro, clean up those tears-

.

.

.

Do you, like, want a hug? Or something?

...

It's okay if not-

Sorry, it's just- you're a demon, and I know you're not like the others, but I can't-

Okay, so first off, we're gonna need to work on that racism, hooooly moly. Secondly, you've hugged me plenty of times before, and never contracted whatever deadly demon desease you seem to think you're gonna get. So bring it in.

...

pt pt ptp tp pt

OH-

I didn't mean run into me at full pelt, I-

Too bad.

...I missed you.

I missed you too.

[vro0m]

Seeing how confident McLaren is about their car and their drivers makes me nervous. I saw that Toto extended his contract at Merc through 2026 and it just feels like same sh*t, different toilet. I think Toto should just be satisfied as the owner of the team and step aside and let another TP come in and change the culture at Merc. I think that could potentially attract new engineers that could help with the development of the car.

Lewis is struggling with his qualifying times and George is overconfident. At this point, it's starting to feel like Merc is just not that girl. Why are they starting all over again with their car? I'm fairly new to f1, but I thought it takes years to develop a championship-winning car, yet they're developing a brand new one over the winter? That doesn't feel right to me.

Also, I didn't understand TeamLH bragging about Lewis retaining Monster as his sponsor, when Monster jumped ship from Merc to McLaren. Isn't losing sponsorships a bad thing, since the team is losing money that it would likely use to develop the car that would help Lewis win his 8th WDC? A loss for the team is a loss for Lewis..unless I'm wrong.

I truly hope Merc proves me wrong, but something's gotta give. I just don't have confidence in them.

Do you think that Merc needs a major overhaul or do you think they're going to make progress continuing on the path that they're on?

Okay i was gonna answer this in the morning but i can’t sleep so here we go, sorry if it’s a bit unhinged.

Here’s the thing. In my book, the second rule of F1 is never ever listen to a team principal. (The first rule being, of course, you always, always have to do better than your teammate.) So I’ll believe McLaren’s confidence is warranted when I’ll see it. Hell, I’ll believe they really are confident and it’s not basic 101 PR when I’ll see it. And mind you, Toto seems pretty confident too. (The only thing I’m happy about here is that he also said they’ve been working on their pitstops but due to Rule 2, I’ll also only believe it when I’ll see it.)

They’re starting over with their car because, as you noticed, the past two cars were Not Working. So no real choice here but to get back to square 1 rather than spend a third year trying to make a car that doesn’t work, work. Building a championship-winning car is less a matter of time (I mean especially nowadays with the costcap and windtunnel allocation etc. it’s getting irrelevant), and more a matter of getting it right. RedBull got it right and they won. The problem is : the others need to develop to catch up to them because they didn’t get it as right as RB, and that takes time and resources and is very complicated. And if you have a bad starting point, it’s that much more difficult. Basically there were too many things that needed changing with this car concept anyway. So they’re starting over. But it's also not like they don't have data and experiments from the past two years. They know more about these regs and cars than in 2021. Are they gonna win the ‘24 championship with the W15? No. But they weren’t gonna win by keeping the last, dysfunctional car concept either anyway. At least now they have a chance to develop in the right direction.

I did not read anything about the Monster sponsorship because i really, really don’t care. I didn’t even know that was a thing. I don’t think Monster leaving Mercedes is gonna make a dent in their budget. First of all, there’s a costcap now, so they can’t throw money at a bad car to make it good anyway. Second of all, they have a lot of other sponsors. Third, they’re the second most expensive team in the paddock. And fourth, their parent company is worth 85 billions of dollars. Lewis’ 8th has pretty much nothing to do with Monster or any sponsorship.

To answer your main question : no, I don’t think Merc needs a major overhaul. Given that you’re fairly new to F1 I concede it might not look like it in the current context but changing TPs is actually Not All That. And it generally doesn’t really solve anything. If anything I’m against major overhauls. Imho a stable ground is the best ground to build up on. Toto is... Toto. But he’s not the reason why the car is bad. It’s a whole team. 2’000+ employees. You can’t pinpoint any of the problems they have on one singular person. I mean Ferrari has had 5 different TPs in the last 10 years and that has solved exactly zero of their problems, and they still haven’t won a championship since 2007.

They are making progress. All of them are. It’s just, it’s F1. We’re talking about such tiny tiny differences in performance now, millimeters off of a piece of carbon fiber, milliseconds off of a time sheet. The time the pecking order could be turned upside down from one race to the next has been gone for decades. It’s all about the long game when the differences are so subtle. Even more now that they, again, can’t just throw money and wind tunnels at issues. It’s frustrating when it’s not your driver/team on top but success is mostly cyclical in this sport. Right now it’s RedBull. Next who knows. Merc is just not that girl, at the moment. It is what it is.

ETA : btw I think firing Toto would really throw Lewis off so. Another reason not to imo.

[slythereen]

Hey! I saw your answer to that one ask and would like to know why Redbull (or any other team) would be interested in doing what Liberty Media asked of them and have two top drivers that are truly competetive? Why would a team and a TP want that added stress of managing them and handling that situation if the current situation (for example with Max & Checo) works. We all saw what happened with Mercedes and Rosberg & Hamilton.

And we all remember how good and competetive the 2020-2021 seasons were because there was a true fight between multiple drivers/ constructers for the win. And tbh we all can agree that this season has been pretty boring because there has been no fight for the win (with the exception of the Las Vegas and Singapore GP).

Thank you in advance for answering 🫶🏼

this is ABSURDLY late! but hello! i do have a few thoughts about this so please accept my belated answer while i fight the tumblr app demons 🫶

the reason why i think red bull would be willing in doing what liberty media asks is not necessarily because they care about liberty media, per se, but because of the marketing power that comes with it. it also doesn't hurt to get in the good graces of the owners by going along with their latest "entertainment" plans.

that, and because redbull can get away with it in a way i don't think other teams can. why?

redbull has already proven that they can win both championships with max verstappen alone if they have the car for it. that might not hold for next season, if the other teams manage to close the gap (please!!!), but as of right now they don't have to worry too much about their second driver.

that being said, they are always about MORE. more domination, more breaking records, more being the best and the first to do something — youngest drivers, youngest winners, longest records, etc. etc. etc. it would definitely be a goal for them to demolish a whole season even more than they already did in 2023, and having two drivers contribute would be part of that (checo did fine imo; he's just not at max's level to lead to total complete annihilation).

(consider how infamously brutal they are with their second drivers. obviously they seem content with checo as a #2 to max, but historically they have been vicious if their second driver couldn't compete well. why? because they want a powerful duo. i don't believe even kind of that they are content to keep checo just because he's doing "alright".)

having two top drivers might take points from one another, sure. that might jeopardize an easy snatch at both championships. but rbr is also very good with strategy, very good at drawing obvious lines. if it comes down to it and they need to enforce a little bit of discipline between their drivers, they will. i think they would be able to manage a consistent 1-2 every race without having to worry too much about #3 creeping up on them, but if they did have to be a bit more strategic? they could do it. now, would they be willing to prioritize the other driver over max if they had earned it thus far? i think maybe, but that one is admittedly questionable.

(see also part two: imagine seeing a very competent team with very good drivers managing to team up against their rivals when necessary? a lot of very cool strategies to take out competition or play the team game strategically don't always work out because of the skill gap between drivers — i.e., carlos aside from being unwilling to help charles is almost never in the position to do so because he lacks pace or is too far back or is on a different strategy etc etc. same goes with checo. this would give rbr more options for coordination when needed, i think, which could lend itself to some cool stunts and scheming.)

redbull as a brand — that is, Red Bull™ corporate, not just red bull racing — is all about pushing boundaries and being exceptional and highkey crazy. rbr also prides itself on being "different" and not like those stuffy manufacturer constructions. they're a scrappy energy drink bodying "real" car companies and doing it as loudly and controversially as possible. being the type of hooligans to take on the chaos and potential drama of a two top driver lineup is sort of in their wheelhouse.

i also think that mercedes not being able to do it successfully would only be more incentive for rbr to try. imagine if they make it work where toto wolff and one of the iconic manufacturer teams failed? that's bragging rights for life. rbr would go crazy with that. christian would be elated.

(see also, with charles specifically: stealing ferrari's prince, golden boy, il predestinato, and giving him the championship that ferrari failed to give him? yeah. rbr would eat that shit up. they love their controversial champions.)

entertainment value. rbr did not seem non-receptive to liberty media's attempts to bring more entertainment to the sport. obviously max hates the added fuss, but this is the sort of entertainment that max wouldn't hate — give him a real challenge every weekend and batshit crazy racing? i think he'd take that. i know he's said he enjoys not having to fight as much because it means the team is doing insanely well, but fighting his own teammate because they are the only ones who can actually compete would still be rbr domination. and lbr, he seems to enjoy the races where he RACES much more than the cruising ones.

that being said, yes, i agree it is pretty entertaining when it's two or three teams battling it out in full-fledged fight. obviously having two rbr drivers fighting the champion fight reduces some of the drama — no steward fights and arguments, no rival tps arguing, no inter-team tension. that's a little less fun. besides, stewards don't tend to investigate intra-team incidents. so there may be some lost entertainment there — but it also might be less toxic, too. time would have to tell on that one.

(also worth noting that people got annoyed with on-going rbr dominance this season, but, i mean... at least the first few races when it looked like checo might actually fight seemed entertaining to the masses. i think it's more so max verstappen dominance they are sick of. this would lend itself to some mystery.)

who knows though! even if charles has renewed (and ferrari has been doing A Lot lately to suggest they are trying hard to keep him, for once), i think rbr will be trying to get a closer-to-number-1 driver in the future regardless. obviously they tried to get charles. they have tried to get lando (debatable if he's on the same level, but he's good and has the potential).

i think they are very interested in having two top drivers; i just happen to think charles would be best suited for it, provided he gets a fair shot at the title with them.

[liv-andletdie]

So For Once in My Life (let me, let me, let me...)

Rating: General Audiences Category: F/M Pairing: Link/Zelda BotW Summary: She was his Princess. That was important. That was the most important thing. She… she was his Princess and she couldn’t be anything other than that. And no amount of wanting and yearning would ever change that. Written for the TP Zelink Truthers Secret Santa 2023. A Missing scene set before memory 15 "The Return of Calamity Ganon"

Read on Ao3 [x]

The weather was cold on Mount Lanayru. The cap caught in a perpetual storm of ice and snow more frigid than the furthest reaches of the Hebra Province. To journey up the mountain was difficult, but to stay at her peak was dangerous. Especially without the correct equipment. 

Link thought of this now, as he stood at the peak. Frozen flakes whipped through the air, stinging his cheeks, his nose, his hands. Any inch of exposed skin was subjected to ’Nayru’s Torment’. Only the wise were permitted a place upon the mountain, but only the foolhardy stayed there. 

But Zelda had been up here for hours. Standing waist deep in icy water, her head bowed low in silent and unending prayer. She had greeted the dawn that way, the two of them travelling through the night so that she may begin her worship on the clock’s final strike. (On her father’s insistence of course). Link had hoped that his Princess may have had the chance to actually celebrate her birth before being forced through yet another round of pointless devotionals. But no. Apparently suffering and heartache were preferred to joy. 

Couldn’t that man just give her one day to herself?

Link shook himself from his thoughts, focusing his eyes back on the mountain path they had taken to get here. He needed to remain calm and vigilant. Just because they were on holy ground did not mean that she was safe. And besides, who was he to question the wisdom of his king? 

Such thoughts like that… well they bordered on treason. A fact that Link found himself caring about less and less as the days drew on. The space in his heart for worry was quickly taken up with thoughts of Her. 

He spared a second to glance back at her, her back turned towards his. Her golden hair looked like silk as it draped across her shoulders. She looked so still, frozen solid, but even from this distance Link could tell that she was shivering. 

It was far too cold up here. 

He had tried to convince her to take it easy today, to be mindful of the weather and her health. To understand that she was more important than her prayers. But she was stubborn. She insisted on staying for as long as she could, running through multiple recitations and hymns. Doing everything she could to prove her devotion to Hylia and to her people. As if she had anything to prove. 

The sun climbed higher in the sky as he watched her, the light catching on the golden shackles around her wrists and throat. Her hands clasped together in front of her, arms shaking with the effort of holding them up for so long. If he tilted his head just so he knew that he would catch a glimpse of her face and see just how blue her lips had become. He would be able to watch as they formed the words to her prayers. 

O Merciful Nayru Mother of Wisdom Sister of Hylia, Farore, and Din Hear my Prayer And grant me the Wisdom I need

The same standard prayer said in Temples all across the country. Said by every kind of person, begging and demanding for every little thing. Said now by a Princess, a young woman, desperate to be heard. Just to have someone listen. 

Bile rose up in Link’s throat. It was unfair! It was so deeply unfair, and he felt like a child for thinking so. But it was cruel. She was standing here, giving everything to a faceless being who refused to speak back! The fire that burned within him was fueled by violent and blasphemous thoughts. He wanted to curse the Goddesses, his heavenly mothers who placed him on this path. He wanted to take the sacred blade across his shoulders and throw it off the mountain. He wanted to wade into the water, take Zelda into his arms and pull her to safety. He wanted to hold her like he had that night at the Spring of Power. He wanted… 

Link wanted a lot of things. 

He turned back to face the path. No one was coming. The other Champions waited at the foot, waited for any hint or sign that Hylia had finally granted mercy. That Zelda had awoken the gold that lay dormant in her veins. And, as much as Link had wanted to take her away from this place, he dreaded taking her back down the mountain. Dreaded seeing the disappointment in his fellow Champions' eyes. No matter how hard they tried to hide it. 

Urbosa hid it well, but Link could see the strain in her eyes each time. She loved Zelda like a daughter. She treated her as one should. 

It was around midday when Link heard movement behind him. The soft sounds of water, once still, lapping up against the ancient stone walls of the Spring. He turned to look as his Princess made her way towards him. The cold had turned her lips blue, just as he had predicted, and for a moment he was caught with the terrible desire to press his own against hers. If only to warm her up. 

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he reached down a hand to help her step up from the water. The fabric of her skirts was stuck to her knees and calves, the water trapped in the material splashing onto the floor. For a split second Link worried that she might slip, but then her hand found his. 

Her fingers were like ice against his skin, her nails almost purple. Together they lifted her the rest of the way out of the Spring and she came to stand directly in front of him. Link took the moment to look at her properly. Her long blonde hair, now drenched at the tips, was stuck to her back. Her dress clung awkwardly to her legs in a way that made her look smaller than she really was. Her skin was pale, her nose red, and her normally bright emerald eyes were dull and filled with tears that she had refused to shed. 

His Zelda. So stubborn. 

He thought back to the last time they had been this close, to the last time she had cried like this. Silent and stoic, like he could be, but with an emptiness that robbed her of everything. He thought back to the Spring of Power. 

The air in Akkala had been unseasonably warm and she had stood for hours under the moonlight. He had thrown his sword at the sound of her first heart wrenching sob, had thrown himself into the water to hold her. She had clung to him then, tighter than anyone had ever clung to him, and she had pressed her lips to his. 

Her kiss had been bruising and painful, frantic and animalistic in the way her teeth crashed against his lip. Unpracticed and new and salt salt stained. It had broken his heart. And when she pulled away he had followed. 

Link wanted a lot of things. 

It had been brief and messy and desperate and when they broke apart she had looked at him with grief in her eyes. She had apologised, had begged his forgiveness, and she had promised to never do it again. Neither of them slept that night for the ache of it. 

Here in the present Link squeezed her hand in his. The fierce need to pull it to his mouth and breathe warmth back into her fingers scared him. But he refrained. He remembered their stations afterall. He remembered just who she was. 

She was his Princess. That was important. That was the most important thing. She… she was his Princess and she couldn’t be anything other than that. And no amount of wanting and yearning would ever change that. A single kiss shared months ago didn’t change that. 

She looked up at him then. Her eyes still empty, her lips pulled into a carefully blank expression. She was distraught yet unsurprised. She knew what would come next. The walk back down the mountain, breaking the bad news, seeing everyone's faces drop and then watch as they tried to hide it. The empty words and platitudes and assurances that ”Next time, you’ll get it next time your Highness.”

Link dropped her hand for a moment to wrap his hood over her shoulders. It wouldn’t do much to keep the cold at bay but it was something he was allowed to do. A small act of comfort a knight could give his Princess. 

“I suppose we should set off now,” When she spoke her voice was small and hoarse, as if she had spent hours screaming instead of whispering. “The others will be waiting.” He watched as she pulled the hood tighter around herself, the collar coming up to cover her nose, as she began to step away. To start her return alone. And Link wanted… 

Link wanted a lot of things. 

He wanted to curse his Goddesses, his King, his Champions. He wanted to throw down the Master Sword, to break his vow, to run away. He wanted to pull Zelda close, to hide her from the world and it’s cruelties. He wanted to no longer be a knight, for Zelda to no longer be a Princess. He wanted a home for the two of them in Hateno or Lurline or somewhere no one knew them. Somewhere where he could cook for her and bake fruitcakes for dessert. Somewhere where she could study history and science and Sheikah Tech without fear or ridicule hanging over her head. His brave, smart, stubborn Princess. His Zelda. 

He reached his hand out, quick as lightning, and took a hold of her wrist. The metal of her cuff felt almost frozen to his skin but he didn’t care. He pulled her close, wrapping her in his arms, her head tucked under his chin. 

“L-Link? What-”

“Shh,” He pressed her tighter against him, willing the cold to leave her bones. Hoping that the fire that burned in his was enough to keep her warm as well. “Five minutes. They can wait for another five minutes.” 

She was still for a second, her body frozen by more than the snow around them. And then he felt her move, weak shaky arms coming up to wrap around him. The fabric of Champion’s Blues pulled into feeble fists, her breath fanning across his collar. Deep breaths becoming quite heavy sobs. 

The weather was cold on Mount Lanayru, but for those five minutes Link was the warmest he had ever been in his life. 

The End.

[f0point5]

The whole thing with Esteban started because the Alpine TP Bruno Famin said there would be serious consequences for Esteban after the Monaco GP. Pierre also gave a rather scathing interview (shock he’s French) and then Sky Sports picked it up. Sky Sports basically fanned the flames that Ocon could be dropped by Canada and Doohan could be set to replace him. This of course gets picked up by those Twitter journalists who run with it from Monday until today really. So there was a fair bit of discourse about it but I don’t know what kind of comments he was getting on his personal account and his girlfriend’s comment section is a bit odd too. I think it all stems down to neither him or Gasly wanting to stay at Alpine but Ocon has been a bit more vocal about shopping around and this is just the excuse Alpine needed to not resign him. As well as the fact that they commented emojis on his statement but didn’t like it and he didn’t like their comment on instagram. I think it’s the end of the French Revolution for Alpine 😭

I thought he came across well in the thread but I think F1twt or social media in general now has kind of lost touch with reality when it comes to ‘hating’. I’ve no issues with being a hater, I feel like most people are a little bit deep down but it’s definitely escalated and turned into something quite ugly.

I honestly need to like…digest this Esteban thing because I don’t get it.

This obviously goes back further than just Monaco. I know there were rumours last year about Esteban’s behaviour and that there was even an HR issue, but I kinda didn’t think it was really a thing. Maybe they really just cba with him anymore. Also it’s known that they have not been pleased about him openly talking to other teams and apparently making a big deal to his links with Toto. Maybe they’ve decided to try and lock Pierre in for the duration and Esteban is taking that poorly?

I think despite Pierre being the one who is more vocally frustrated with the team, it’s Esteban who tends to do the on track silliness and it’s also what he’s known for. I wouldn’t be surprised if Alpine have just got sick of the battle of the baguettes and Esteban is the one with a history of being the aggressor and they think he will be the same with the next teammate that comes along anyway.

That comment about Mick Schumacher knowing how to get along with teammates was…A Choice.

But I fundamentally don’t understand why Esteban made the statement? Was he receiving actual hate over it (I didn’t see any but I’m not on alpine Twitter)? Was it to such a point that it needed a thread? Clearly Alpine didn’t suggest it. Him saying the hate has been “damaging” does he mean to his prospects for next year?

I’m just so confused?

Also on the hate thing, I am a hater for sure but not in a “tweet genuinely hateful shit” type of way. I do think Ocon is an on-track terrorist and I will stand by that and I don’t think it’s an unfair assessment. But people say some really nasty personal shit about people they don’t know which is ott and not acceptable obviously

[sickficideas]

blue moon || atsushi & kyoka sickfic

ao3! 11.2k - please refer to the tags in the link for content + warnings! sicktember 2023, day 8: persistent fever

Kyoka pouts when she reads the thermometer. One hundred point seven.

"You really think it's that bad?" Atsushi asks. Kyoka believes he's genuinely asking, the way his brow is furrowed. He's been sluggish all morning as they've been getting ready to head to the agency, prompting her to check his temperature, just tp be safe. And she’s glad she did.

"Mr. Kunikida said we're not supposed to come to work when we're sick," Kyoka reminds him gently. They've both been repeat offenders of this and received their fair share of scolding from Kunikida, but she's been trying to hold Atsushi accountable.

"I know, but…what am I supposed to do here?" Atsushi says, dropping his shoulders. He's sitting on top of the toilet lid with his legs crossed, only halfway dressed - his white button-up over the sweatpants he slept in.

"Rest," she suggests.

"I could at least help with some reports," he suggests with a disappointed pout. "I really feel fine. Just tired, I promise."

Kyoka pouts back at him She’s not sure she can let him get away with it. "You'll get in trouble with Kunikida again."

"I guess," Atsushi sighs, clearly dejected. Atsushi doesn't seem to understand the concept of resting to feel better. The whole point of staying at home is that he wouldn't be working.

"How about you read one of the new books you got?" Kyoka suggests, tilting her head. They went shopping last weekend and Atsushi picked up two books he's always wanted to read. He seemed excited about them then, so she hopes that maybe that will derail his thought process here.

"Oh, yeah…the ones I got downtown. I forgot about those," he says. He looks a little brighter, now. "I think they're still on the table."

"I'll get them for you," Kyoka says with a nod, dashing out of the room before Atsushi can object. They're still on the table as Atsushi said, in a tote bag he used while they were out, and Kyoka gently slides them out of the bag. Hellscreen and Anne of Green Gables are their titles. Kyoka hasn't read very many books, so she's not familiar with these, but she hopes they'll distract Atsushi for a little while. At least long enough for him to get tired enough to actually sleep off his fever.

Atsushi has followed her into the kitchen, looking a little unsteady when she turns around to face him. He's probably lightheaded. She'll get him some water before she leaves.

"You should change your shirt," Kyoka says.

Atsushi pouts and then pauses for a second, like he hopes that she’ll reconsider. "You're really gonna make me stay here?"

She nods. Atsushi still seems to be under the impression that she's easily persuaded, but little does he know, she's far more stubborn than he is. Especially if his health is in the picture.

She sets the books back down on the counter and takes a glass from the cabinet. She hears Atsushi make the saddest sigh possible before he turns around and heads back to their room. She does feel guilty, but she can't let him get what he wants just because she feels bad for him. She would much rather disappoint him than have him come to work while he’s already not feeling well, and only make it worse.

She heads back to the room and finds Atsushi tucked back into the corner of the closet, where his bed is, and Kyoka kneels down to hand him the books and sets the glass of water down beside him.

"You can text me if you need something," Kyoka assures him. She's tempted to offer her bed to him, so he's not in that closet, but she has a feeling that he won't take her up on it. He never does, whether he’s hurt or sick.

"Thanks, Kyoka," Atsushi says. He still sounds pretty dejected, but Kyoka knows she can't acknowledge it.

She tells him goodbye, and then, she's off to work.

…

It's been four or five hours since Kyoka left their dorm. Of course, everyone was deeply concerned about the lack of Atsushi’s presence when she walked through the door. Even Dazai showed a hint of it, but she assured everyone he just had a low-grade fever, and likely just needed to sleep it off.

It's been surprisingly busy this morning. She hasn't had too much time to text him, but he's responded to things she's said in a timely manner, so she's not too worried. She asked him to tell her his temperature, and he said it was the same as before.

It's almost time for their lunch break, now, and Kyoka closes her laptop and gets up from her desk to gingerly approach Kunikida, who is still very focused on his work. She feels bad bothering him most of the time, but she’s not sure she’s comfortable leaving without saying anything. She did that once, and heard Kunikida nearly had a heart attack.

"Mr. Kunikida?" she starts meekly.

"Yes, Kyoka?" he asks, closing his laptop and turning to face her. He's always been very nice to her. Nicer than he is to Atsushi, anyway.

"Is it okay if I go check on Atsushi during my break?" she asks meekly. Their dorm isn’t far at all, she can definitely make it back on time. "I won't be long.”

"Of course. No need to rush, we’re caught up now," Kunikida nods. "He's not answering his phone?"

"N-no, he is, I just…I just want to make sure he's being honest," Kyoka says. She doesn’t think he would lie to her out of malice, not ever, but he might if it would lessen her concern. She just wants to make sure he’s doing okay like he says he is, that’s all.

"Fair point," he says, closing his report book, evidently getting ready to start his lunch break as well. He suddenly shouts Yosano's name, which catches Kyoka off guard, but doesn't scare her nearly as much as it used to.

Yosano shouts something back that can be heard through the hallway, a string of curses that Kyoka can't quite decipher, but Kunikida translates for her. "Go to her. She can get some medicine together for him, I'm sure."

Kyoka bows her head, thanking him, before she walks over towards the infirmary. The doors connecting the two spaces are open, but Yosano is further away than she expected - tucked away in her office in the corner, shuffling through an organized stack of papers littering her desk.

Yosano shoots a glare at Kyoka as soon as she stops in the doorway of her office, but it seems to soften the moment she realizes it's not Kunikida.

"Kyoka, hi. What do you need?" she asks very gently, smiling with her greeting. Kyoka really likes her. She reminds her a lot of Miss Ozaki, but she can't decide which of the two of them is scarier.

"Atsushi had a fever this morning," Kyoka explains. Yosano wasn’t there when she told everyone else. "So I told him not to come in."

"I see. How high?" Yosano asks, folding her hands over her lap as she swivels her stool to face Kyoka.

"A hundred point seven," she recalls.

"Alright, so not too bad. Does he seem okay otherwise? No vomiting or anything?" Yosano asks her.

Kyoka shakes her head. Not as far as she knows, anyway. She entertains the possibility that he threw up last night - that’s happened before, but she knew once the morning came because he was a nervous wreck. He seemed fine, mentally. "He just seems tired, that's all."

"That's good, hopefully it's something he can just sleep off," she says, and Kyoka is relieved to hear that her hope is echoed by the doctor. "Do you want to see if he'll come here to rest?"

"The antiseptic smell makes him sick," Kyoka reminds her. She'd already thought about that. She would really like for him to be around so they can all keep an eye on him, especially here where he can’t sneak into the office to work, but it's not worth making him feel worse.

Yosano clicks her tongue. "That's right…oh, poor thing. I'll send a prescription for some good fever reducers over to the pharmacy by the dorm and they'll have time ready by the time you get over there."

"Thank you, miss Yosano," Kyoka says with a polite bow of her head.

"Of course, Kyoka. Just make sure he's drinking plenty of water and resting well," she says as she stands up from her stool. "I'll make sure to send in something that's good for pain too. He tends to get achy when he has a fever."

Kyoka nods again. She’s noticed that too, she’s glad Yosano remembered.

Kyoka is quick to the pharmacy, apparently too quick - the prescription isn’t ready, but she hears whisperings of Yosano’s name float about the pharmacists, and they reappear at the counter very quickly, looking rather nervous. Kyoka just politely takes the medication for her friend and heads back to the dorms.

She manages to sneak in without alerting him until she gets to the bedroom.

"Kyoka!" Atsushi exclaims when she walks in, maybe a bit too excited, considering it's only been a few hours. He stands up from where he was huddled in the corner, evidently reading a book, and Kyoka stretches out her arm with the paper bag. He’s still unsteady, but trying to hide it.

"I have medicine for you. From Miss Yosano," Kyoka says. The glass of water is still next to his bed, but it doesn’t look like he’s had any. She needs to make sure he’s staying hydrated, like Yosano said.

"Oh," he says, gingerly taking the bag. He doesn't look thrilled about it. "You told her?"

Kyoka nods. "It'll help you feel better faster."

Atsushi nods. "Guess that's true…"

“Do you want udon for lunch?” she asks him as she wanders back into the kitchen.

“Wait, let me make it. I can still do that, at least,” Atsushi says, trailing behind her soon enough. Kyoka is tempted to shoot him down, but she knows he’ll likely get upset if she does that. Making udon isn’t too strenuous. It’s not a long-term commitment. She nods, and he looks relieved.

She takes the thermometer from the counter and reaches up to lay it under his tongue while he fills the pot with water. It beeps, and once she brings it down to her level, it reads one hundred point nine. It’s hard to ignore the way her heart drops a little.

“Is it still the same?” he asks.

“No, a little higher,” she says, showing him the tiny digital screen.

“I really feel fine,” Atsushi assures her. He is convincing, at least. He’s still a little sluggish, but he doesn’t seem out of it or in pain or anything. At least not right now. That’s reassuring, at least.

Maybe he just needs the day to recover.

…

She’s back at work a few hours later.

“Kyoka,” Tanizaki starts, approaching her from behind as she scans the shelf for a file Kunikida requested. “You’ve been on the Ferris wheel here in Yokohama, haven’t you?”

Kyoka turns around, briefly forgetting her previous mission. “On the port? I went once with Atsushi.”

“Did you like it? You’re not scared of heights, right?” Tanizaki asks her.

Kyoka shakes her head. She thinks there’s much scarier things in the world to be afraid of than heights. “I liked it. It’s a pretty view.”

“Naomi and I were going to go tonight to see if we could get a good photo of the blue moon over the city, but she and Haruno accompanied the President and Ranpo to something important. I don’t know they’ll be back in time before the Ferris wheel closes…” Tanizaki says with a little sigh. “Would you and Atsushi want to come with me? I’ll pay for your tickets.”

Kyoka’s eyes brighten at that idea. That sounds fun, and the crepe stands she loves is right nearby there, too. She’s never seen a blue moon before, she doesn’t think. At least not in pictures. She wants to agree, but she’s not sure about Atsushi. She doesn’t want to let Tanizaki down by agreeing in case Atsushi is too tired to do something like that.

“I’m not sure…Atsushi still has a fever,” Kyoka says with a little frown.

“Oh, that’s right, you said that! I’m sorry,” Tanizaki says apologetically. “That’s totally fine. You can text me if it ends up working out, but no pressure.”

“I can go with you if you want some extra company either way, Tanizaki,” Kenji offers kindly, filing something away behind Kyoka. “I’m staying in Yokohama tonight instead of going back home.”

“That’d be great!” Tanizaki nods.

“Is there really a blue moon tonight? I always thought those were fake,” Dazai comments from his desk.

“They’re more common than you think,” Kunikida says. Upon hearing his voice, Kyoka remembers her quest for the file, but Kenji has already found it, and hands it to her with a sweet smile. She scurries over to Kunikida’s desk to hand it to him.

Dazai nods. There’s a look on his face that she can’t quite place, but she’s whisked into another task by Kunikida before she can ponder what he’s thinking.

…

Kyoka makes it back to the dorm five hours after she left from their lunch break, and the sun has started to set. The evenings have been getting cooler recently, and they’re losing the light from the sun each evening, slowly but surely.

Once again she manages to sneak into their dorm room without alerting Atsushi, but this time, he stays tucked away in that corner, completely dry of any energy.

"Hi," Atsushi murmurs,

He doesn't look well. He doesn’t make any effort to stand up. His arms are wrapped around his knees and pulled close to himself. He’s pale. Not concerningly so, but worse than before. The water glass is still full

"The medicine didn't work?" Kyoka asks, carefully approaching him. She kneels down. "You don't look like you feel better."

"I'm okay," is all he says. "Did you guys make any progress with the, um…uh…"

Kyoka assumes he means to ask about the case they were working on yesterday, but his eyes screw shut and he groans quietly like something hurts. She wants to reach out and comfort him, but she needs to see if his fever’s gotten worse. It must have.

"I'll take your temperature again," she says, personally thinking that's a more urgent matter than discussing anything work-related. She runs off into the kitchen to find it - it's still where she left it earlier.

He’s not as cooperative this time, but he lets her do it anyway.

One hundred and one point four. It's gone up. Not by much, but clearly it’s enough to have done some damage. She was planning on asking him if he’s feeling up to going to the Ferris wheel tonight with Tanizaki and Kenji, but she doesn’t even want to plant the seed with how he’s looking right now.

"Do you feel worse?" Kyoka asks him as she takes the thermometer back.

"It's not that bad," he says, completely avoiding her question. She’s almost wondering if he misheard her question. "Kyoka, I…I had this awful nightmare, and…I don't wanna go back to sleep."

"About what?" Kyoka asks him.

Atsushi just shakes his head. She should have known better than to ask that. He very rarely wants to discuss his nightmares.

"If anyone ever tried to take you back there, they would meet my blade," Kyoka reminds him. She knows it's about the orphanage. He has those nightmares all the time, and whether he admits to their contents or not, she knows how much they hurt him.

There's tears in his eyes, his head still turned away from her. Kyoka wants to hug him, but she’s never sure when she’s crossing a boundary. She’s worried.

"Can we go get tea or something?" Atsushi asks quietly, his head lowered. "I wanna clear my head."

"That tea place has a new one that can help you sleep," she says, remembering that addition to their menu from the last time they were there. She’s not sure Atsushi should be up and walking around, but she has to be careful of helping his mind, too. “I’ll get a jacket for you. It’s getting cold outside.”

She does just that as he stands up, almost swaying for a moment before she hands him the hoodie. She picks up the glass from the floor and hands it to him.

“Please drink some before we leave,” she asks him. He reaches out to take the glass, and her shoulders sink when she realizes his hand is shaking, just slightly. But he takes a few sips of the water, at least.

They make their way over to the tea shop they like, only a few blocks down from the dormitory. Kyoka tells him about her work day at Atsushi’s request. It’s all very mundane things, but she thinks he wants to get his nightmare off his mind.

Atsushi walks inside the cafe ahead of her, and Kyoka almost follows, but among the people at the busy street corner, she sees someone familiar out of the corner of her eye. It’s almost like she feels his stare before she sees him.

That's Akutagawa.

He's not wearing his normal coat. It's still long and black and covers most of his body.

Kyoka can't deny that she's afraid of him, even after their last conversation. It's instilled into her. Her hand is tight around her concealed blade, just in case she needs to use it.

Apparently, he only just now looks at her.

They make direct eye contact, but his expression doesn't change. The Akutagawa she knew during her time in the Port Mafia would have killed her on sight in this same scenario. She's a traitor to the mafia. She was his dog and she ran away. Sometimes she wonders if she even has a bounty on her head.

So why isn't he attacking her? Atsushi is still inside, it's not likely that he sees him. Either way, she needs to keep the two of them separated, especially while Atsushi isn't feeling well.

Kyoka slowly drops her arm, and lets go of the blade. She wants to make sure he sees her hands are empty.

Akutagawa watches her do it.

I won't attack. But don't come near me.

He seems to understand that sentiment.

Kyoka scurries inside, not wanting to waste any more time at risk of worrying Atsushi, even knowing Akutagawa is still out there. She knows he has no problem killing people in busy areas. He’s done it before. He’s forced her to do the same. She worries for the innocent people in this cafe. She’s scared.

"Are you okay, Kyoka?" Atsushi asks, taking her arm, clearly understanding something isn’t right.

She nods. She doesn't want to put Atsushi on edge, so she tries to think of something, but the barista waves them over and asks for their order. Kyoka promises him it’s nothing, and he seems to let it go long enough to give his order.

Once they get their drinks, Kyoka asks if they can stay inside. She likes the ambiance of this cafe, but really, she doesn’t want Atsushi to see Akutagawa if he’s still prowling outside.

She flinches when the door opens. She almost huffs to herself for being so on edge. Akutagawa wouldn’t follow her inside, but she knows that he likes tea. It’s one of the very few things he does like.

The girl who walks in is Gin. She makes very brief eye contact with Kyoka, but long enough to flash a gentle smile before she heads for the counter. Atsushi doesn’t seem to catch wind of any of it.

Kyoka feels the tension melt from her shoulders. Gin is very kind. She really doesn’t understand how someone as kind as her can stand to be around Akutagawa, but he thinks that she balances him out.

“How’s the tea?” Kyoka asks Atsushi, trying to fill the silence between them before he starts getting suspicious.

“It’s good. I should have asked for more sugar, though,” Atsushi says meekly. Kyoka knows he likes lots of sugar in his tea, she stands up intending to ask for more cubes, and accidentally ends up standing next to Gin as she orders - two Hojicha with four cubes of sugar each.

She blinks, having to repeat that request to the barista who approaches her from the other side of the counter. She sees Gin smile at her again. Maybe she thinks it’s amusing too.

Gin leaves as soon as she has the drinks she’s ordered, and Kyoka feels a little more at ease.

Until she realizes Atsushi is starting to feel worse, anyway.

It’s little things. He’s starting to get more quiet, less responsive. As they leave the tea shop, his body aches seem to make it a little difficult to get up, but he doesn’t ask for help. Of course he doesn’t.

“Tanizaki said there’s supposed to be a blue moon tonight,” Kyoka tells him as they walk back to the dormitory, but Atsushi’s eyes have gotten glassy and she’s not sure he’s paying much attention to what she says. She carries their unfinished drinks. “Maybe we can go to the roof and see if the clouds will part.”

She only suggests that because she thinks Atsushi is going to have trouble sleeping after his nightmare, but all he does is nod. He would never reject an idea she has, sometimes to a fault, she thinks, but she has a feeling he’s not actually up for something like that right now. She feels guilty. She’s not sure what she can do for him.

When they get back to their dorm room, Atsushi trudges back to the bedroom without Kyoka. He’s gotten so strangely quiet. She knows it’s because he’s not feeling well, but even still, it’s a stark difference from how he was acting earlier.

She puts their teas in the fridge and pours a fresh glass of water for Atsushi. She punches a tablet out of the blister back of medication for him. It hasn’t quiet been twelve hours, but she’s concerned with how he’s acting. It’s the least she can do to help him.

She peers into the bedroom, and Atsushi is curled up on top of the sheets of her bed, still fully clothed, looking like he didn't have any energy to actually get ready to go to sleep. He's shivering like a leaf.

She’s frozen, for a second, remembering something from before she ever met Atsushi.

Kyoka has been in a similar situation before, once with Akutagawa. Maybe that's why she feels like she isn't doing enough.

Akutagawa never let her get close to him when he was sick. He would fight off any attempt from anyone to help him. Kyoka’s remembering his shivering form, curled up on the floor of his kitchen, with a fever so high he couldn't move. Kyoka was afraid to even think about helping him. She’d lose her head. The only reason she found him was because she hadn’t heard from him - he had done nothing to alert her he was so unwell.

So she left. She told someone, when she got back to headquarters. Chuuya, Hirotsu, she can’t quite remember. All she knows is that he was back at work the next week.

Does she have any business caring for Atsushi? Should she just call someone else? Can she even really help him?

No. She knows that Atsushi trusts her.

She sets the glass down and scurries back to the kitchen to put the pill back with the rest before she kneels down beside Atsushi, who’s still shaking, looking awfully cold. His face is obscured from her vision.

"Let's take your jacket off," Kyoka says quietly, her hand gently grazing over his shoulder.

"I can't," he murmurs. Kyoka’s stomach drops. It sounds almost like he’s crying, or he’s very close. "Kyoka, it…it hurts too much. I don't wanna move, please."

"What hurts?" she asks. Her heart hurts, hearing the way that he's talking. Atsushi isn’t ever like this. Something’s clearly wrong for him to be acting this way. She sits back on her heels, not wanting to make things worse by crowding him.

"Everything," he mumbles, curling tighter in on himself. "My joints, a-and muscles, it all…"

"Maybe you should take another dose of the medicine," she says a little nervously. She's hoping that maybe it’s just already worn off from the last time he took it. “Do you feel cold? Or hot?”

“Cold,” he manages with a sad sniffle. She was thinking maybe some sort of heated pad or blanket might help with his pain, but she thinks that might just make his fever worse. She should probably check where it’s at now, too.

She wanders back into the kitchen to take the pill back, and when she returns, Atsushi hasn’t moved. She lays a hand on his shoulder. He lets out a tiny pained groan, but he must know she only wants to help him. He forces himself onto his elbows, eyes screwed shut tight.

“I’m sorry, Atsushi,” she says quietly, feeling guilty.

“It’s okay, I…I’m fine, really,” he says, despite everything. She can see the stress and pain around his eyes. He takes the pill that she hands to him only with a single sip of water before he curls back on his side, his eyes starting to unfocus as his arms wrap around his middle.

She lays a hand over his forehead, and he certainly feels warmer. 

"Have you eaten anything today?" she asks him. Aside from the udon, of course, but he didn’t have much of that at all.

"Some rice," he murmurs. Some can mean a lot of things.

Kyoka frowns. "That's all?"

"I don't really have an appetite," he says quietly, his eyes starting to fall shut. “My…my stomach’s been hurting since I had the udon.”

Udon and rice are better than nothing, but she didn’t know he had a stomachache, too. Maybe that’s something that would have been helpful for Yosano to know. She wishes she didn’t have to fish this information out of him, but she understands why he keeps it to himself. He never had to share it with anyone before.

“We should take off your jacket, Atsushi,” she says quietly. She doesn’t want to force him to move, but he really shouldn’t be in a jacket like that with the fever he has. She knows he said he feels cold, but the warmth radiating from his forehead and the sweat forming along his hairline tells her that his body’s just tricking him.

He groans quietly, ducking his head away from Kyoka. He’s never like this. She realizes he must be in a lot of pain.

“I can get you a warmer blanket. That way it’s easy to take off if you get hot,” she suggests gingerly. She has a feeling that pain isn’t going to get any better any time soon. It’s better if they get it off now rather than later.

It takes a few seconds, but he silently agrees, forcing himself to sit up once more. Kyoka should have gotten him a jacket that opens down the middle instead of a hoodie, but she didn’t have any idea he was in enough pain for this to hurt him. Yosano even said he tends to get muscle pain when he has a fever. She should have taken that into consideration earlier.

Atsushi holds his breath the whole time she helps him lift his arms to take the hoodie off - his eyes are screwed shut too, and she sees him biting his lip to hard that it bleeds, like he’s trying to redirect the pain elsewhere. She’s seen him do that before. It hurts her, knowing where that habit must have come from.

She wants to talk to him about it one day. But now’s not the time.

Atsushi curls back into the bed after they get his jacket and shoes off, and Kyoka finds the warm comforter he keeps on the high shelf to gently lay it over him. He’s still shivering, his teeth are almost chattering, but she hopes some time under that blanket will help him feel a little better.

She takes a few things from the kitchen and brings them into the bedroom - the tea he didn’t finish, a thermometer, and the medicine. She takes a bit longer than normal. There’s a stuffed rabbit plushie that Junichiro gave her a few months ago - it’s one that can be warmed up, and she figures something like that could give him some comfort, and it won’t be too hot to make his fever worse.

“I don’t wanna take this from you,” Atsushi murmurs feverishly as she tucks the stuffed rabbit into his arms, a guilty expression washing over his face.

“You’re not taking it,” Kyoka assures him. “You need it right now.”

Atsushi doesn’t fight back. It looks like he doesn’t have the energy to.

She keeps the blinds open for a while, leaned against the wall and watching the clouds part and come together over and over to reveal the blue moon, only to hide it again. It is really pretty. Her mother used to love the moon.

Demon Snow appears without warning, but she doesn’t startle her anymore. She sits beside Kyoka with her hands folded in her lap, watching through the window like her mother used to. Atsushi’s back faces the window, but he’s started to fall asleep, anyway. Kyoka hopes he can rest for a while, without any awful dreams.

She finds herself thinking about Akutagawa again, only this time, she's remembering Gin.

The first time she witnessed Akutagawa get so sick he needed to be hospitalized was when she learned Gin's secret.

It was only a few weeks after she'd been recruited into the mafia. She waited outside the hall of his hospital room, not brave enough to go inside. He was unconscious, and he had been for days. They said it was pneumonia. She was sure he wouldn’t want her there even if she had the guts to enter, but she had nowhere else to go. Gin appeared not long after, awkwardly lingering around outside the room.

At that point, Kyoka had always assumed she was a man, and didn't know she had any connection to Akutagawa, so it was strange to see her act that way. Eventually, she sat against the wall with her knees against her chest and stared at the floor. Kyoka assumed that maybe she was waiting for the rest of the Black Lizard, but they never came.

"Are you here to get information, sir?" Kyoka asked quietly, her voice trembling. She didn't know what else to say to her. All she knew about Gin was that she was a cold-hearted and ruthless assassin. She was afraid she would be attacked if she said anything out of line.

But when she looked up, and Kyoka could see the tears flooding her eyes.

"Did they tell you if he'll be okay?"

Kyoka never thought she would hear Gin speak.

She doesn’t remember much else of that day, but somehow, she understood right away that they were family. Akutagawa didn’t have anyone looking out for him as far as she was aware - Higuchi might have been the only one, but that was her job. 

That was the only time she ever saw Gin slip. Every time after that, it was as if they had never exchanged a single word with each other. Even when either of them was visibly injured or ill, the other didn’t bat an eye, as long as it wasn’t truly serious. Kyoka doesn’t know their reasons for it, but she assumes they must have one.

She watches Atsushi’s chest rise and fall for a while.

…

Kyoka couldn't sleep a wink. She's not a stranger to that, and normally, it doesn’t effect her - but she’s spent so much of the night worrying about Atsushi. Watching his face contort from nightmares that she couldn’t wake him from, knowing it would only make them worse - watching him turn over in his sleep and whimper from the pain. It was an incredibly restless sleep.

She took his temperature around three in the morning and caught it at a hundred and two point four. It’s worse, and obviously he feels worse too.

When the sun starts to rise, he’s lying on his back. He never makes any attempts to prop himself up, or even move in general, not even when Kyoka gets up to open the window and let some fresh air in. Kyoka isn't sure he's even really awake until she can tell his eyes really are open.

"You can take more medicine now," she says, kneeling beside him. Atsushi looks at her, thankfully, but his expression almost tells her that he’s not willing to get up.

So, she helps him. She lays a hand under his hand and encourages him to at least lean forward enough to take the medicine with a sip of water, and he’s able to to at least that before he sinks back into bed.

She realized a while ago that he stopped shivering sometime in the night and that he pushed off the blanket, so Kyoka laid the thinner one over him instead, but he still lays with the rabbit tucke din the crook of his elbow. She lays a hand on his forehead and still finds that heat, now clammy and accompanied by sweat in his hairline. His hair is dull and that usual shine is gone. She didn't even think that was possible, for him to be that sick.

"Is the pain any better?" she asks him.

Atsushi nods, but Kyoka knows he isn't telling the truth. It breaks her heart. He’s so obviously worn out and aching and it hurts her to see. Yosano said it would be best for him to sleep it off, so maybe that's just what he needs to do.

But he's in so much pain, he’s so uncomfortable, she can see it in his face. Can he even rest comfortably? Won’t he only get worse like this?

She remembers Gin wringing out a wet washcloth to lay over her brother's forehead. He was so out of it that he even let her take that coat off of him, something Kyoka would never have been able to accomplish.

"I'm sorry. I should have said something sooner," Kyoka had said quietly. She took note of him declining all day until he collapsed just before he was to be on his way home. Higuchi had already left. Hirotsu and Tachihara weren’t around. She somehow managed to get ahold of Gin, and Kyoka ended up coming with her to their apartment.

She wasn’t sure why Gin told her to follow, but maybe she knew she had nowhere else to go. If Kyoka wasn’t with Akutagawa, she was to be kept in a cell. Her ability was too dangerous, back then.

"Don't be sorry. He's stubborn, he never lets me help him until he can't fight back anymore," she answered. It was a sincere concern, her tone of voice made that clear. She laid the cloth over his head and a tiny groan barely escaped his nose. “I hope he’ll learn one day he doesn’t have to be like this anymore.”

Kyoka wasn’t sure what that meant. She doesn’t know their history, she has no idea where they’re from or how they came to be in the Port Mafia.

Kyoka decides she’ll take something from that memory, and she gets a cold washcloth ready for his forehead. She doesn’t want to leave him and go to work. She’s tempted to call Kunikida and ask if she can stay here to take care of him.

She gently lays the washcloth over his hot forehead and he relaxes. She’s relieved. She’s sure it can’t do much for too long, but she’s glad it can do something for the time being.

“Please don’t stay ‘cause of me,” Atsushi barely manages. His voice is weak and hoarse, she thinks it must have taken all of his energy to tell her that. She’s not sure how he noticed. Maybe he realized that she should be getting ready by now.

“But you’re really sick,” she tells him. Maybe he doesn’t see it that way. A hundred and two-degree fever isn’t life threatening, no, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve care and attention right now. She can’t leave him.

“I’ll be okay,” he tells her before he takes in a deep breath, like he’s trying to get himself together, to somehow look presentable enough to convince her that he’ll be okay. “I’ll…I’ll rest. I’ll be okay when you get back, Kyoka.”

Kyoka wants to believe him, but Atsushi has this awful habit of refusing help when he really needs it. It’s like he thinks he’s an inconvenience.

He’s kind of like Akutagawa in that way, actually. She didn’t realize that before. Sure, Atsushi couldn’t ever be as aggressive as Akutagawa was, but his stubborn nature and insistence that he do things himself come from the same place, she thinks.

“I’ll come to check on you on my lunch break,” Kyoka tells him. She’s hoping with everything she has that he’s feeling better by then. Maybe it was just through the night that he felt like this. "I'll be back.”

…

The rest of the day goes much worse than she could have planned for.

Kyoka has been helping Kunikida and Junichiro catch an on-the-run criminal, a job usually reserved for the cops - but they informed the Armed Detective Agency of an ability user that has escaped custody at least four times, and they've given up trying.

Kyoka has been admittedly distracted. She’s made multiple attempts to contact Atsushi during the slower parts of the chase. She didn’t get to see Yosano this morning to tell her about Atsushi’s condition, but Kunikida and Junichiro are both aware that he’s not doing better, at least. She didn’t even have a chance gto check on him during their lunch break, because they simply didn’t have one.

Once they’re on their way back to the Agency, Kyoka finally has a chance to open a message she received from Atsushi, only simply telling her that he’s doing okay. But she can't take his word for it.

"Is it okay if I leave now?" Kyoka asks as soon as they get to the front of the building. Her hands are shaking. She really doesn’t even want to go get her things. She can always come back for them, but she needs to check on him as soon as possible. Part of her wonders if she’s just being paranoid. Maybe he’s perfectly fine.

Kunikida looks up. The three of them are expected to complete a report together. She’s worried Kunikida will decline.  "Have you heard from Atsushi?"

Kyoka nods. “A few times. He says he’s okay, but…”

"Go ahead. Call us if he's not doing any better,” Kunikida tells her with a nod.

She practically runs back to the dormitory.

She’s quiet when she enters, like she always is. The lights are off, aside from the one in the kitchen, and once she peers into the bedroom, she realizes the blinds have been closed, too. They were open all night, he must have close dthem himself at some point.

Atsushi is curled up on the bed, holding the rabbit plush tight to his chest, not reacting to anything around him. Kyoka kneels down beside him. She doesn’t think he’s awake. She lays the back of her hand against his cheek and he’s seriously burning up. She sees his body shiver when she does that.

"Atsushi," Kyoka says quietly, but he doesn't budge. She manages to find the thermometer in the mess of sheets and pokes it past his parted lips. She lays it under his tongue for a few moments and holds her breath while she waits for a reading. She knows that no matter the reading, she’ll need to call Yosano.

It beeps, and she reads a hundred and three point eight.

She almost forgets to keep breathing. It wasn’t nearly that bad the last time she got a reading - she doesn’t understand. How could he have gotten this much worse even on the medication?

When she takes the thermometer back, all she hears from him is a pained groan. He must be at least a little conscious, which makes it even worse that he’s unresponsive. Kyoka’s hands shake as she takes her phone out and searches for Yosano’s contact, stepping just outside the door frame to call her. She doesn’t want to overwhelm him with noise when he’s closed the blinds already. He must have some sort of headache.

Yosano picks up. Kyooka could cry.

"Miss Yosano?" she starts meekly, trying to keep the phone steady in her hand.

"Good afternoon, Kyoka. How's Atsushi doing?" she asks kindly, like she always does. Kyoka is trying really hard to keep herself together. She knows she doesn’t need to cry. She knows she can get Atsushi in good hands, but she’s kicking herself for not doing it sooner.

"Not good," Kyoka murmurs quietly, peering back into the room for a moment, watching Atsushi's features twitch, deep within a dream, "his - his last temperature was, um, a hundred and three point eight. It keeps going up, and…he's really out of it, and…”

She hears Yosano curse under her breath. Kyoka can't help but hold her breath.

"Okay, Kyoka, I'm going to send someone over there to come pick up the two of you and bring you over here so I can try to help him," Yosano tells her. Her voice is calm and stern, which is reassuring. "I'm sorry, Kyoka. I should have had him come here sooner.”

Kyoka understands why she wanted to keep him at home. He doesn’t do well in her infirmary, he certainly would have felt worse being there. The antiseptic smell makes him nauseous and he hates throwing up, he would have been absolutely miserable. But now, there isn’t another choice.

“We’ll close off the client area and I’ll set up some things for him over there,” Yosano says. “Please call me if you need anything, I’ll have my phone on. Kunikida will be there shortly, I’m sure.”

Kyoka thanks her with a shaky tone of voice that she can’t hide anymore, and hangs up before she’s back at Atsushi’s side.

She looks him over, not able to see very well with his form only lit by the light from the kitchen, but he’s covered in sweat and awfully pale. His eyes are half-lidded but they twitch every now and then. Kyoka scurries out of the room to grab a cool wash cloth for him, and she uses it to pat his cheeks and slick the hair on his forehead back, and he shivers each time it touches his burning skin. She does that for a few minutes, even pressing it up to the side of his neck, hoping tahat will give him relief.

“Atsushi,” she says again as she lays it over his forehead, but he doesn’t respond. It takes everything in her not to cry. He’s okay. Yosano will take good care of him. It’s scary right now, but he’ll be okay.

His eyes finally open when her hand touches his wrist, and he looks so beyond miserable that she almost bursts into tears at the sight. They’re dull and unfocused, but it’s clear to her that he’s looking in her direction, at least. It almost looks like he wants to say something, but he can’t.

“Kunikida is coming to bring you to Yosano,” Kyoka tells him, squeezing his wrist - but right then, she loses his focus again. It’s like he loses sight of where he is.

Kyoka hears her phone start to ring, and it's Kunikida. She picks it up right away.

"I'll come up there and carry him downstairs. Are you both ready?" he asks sternly, sounding like he’s just gotten out of the car.

“Yes,” she murmurs, her eyes on Atsushi. Something isn’t right. He doesn’t look like he did before. She hears Kunikida walking up the stairs and he’s saying something to her but she;s so focused on observing Atsushi that she can’t understand him.

She sets the phone down and lays her free hand over that same wrist.

Atsushi's limbs start to jerk around.

She hears Kunikida make it through the front door just as tears start to slip down her face. She doesn’t know what’s happening to him. His whole body is twitching and jerking and he clearly doesn’t have any control over that. Kyoka isn’t sure he’s even conscious anymore.

"Mr. Kunikida," Kyoka stammers as he makes it into the room, and he quickens his pace, kneeling down on the opposite side of Atsushi and suddenly turning him so he’s laying on his side properly. Kyoka keeps her hands wrapped around his wrist as she continues to cry. “What’s happening to him? I…”

"It's okay. It's a seizure, it'll pass soon," Kunikida says, but she can hear the shake in his tone. She’s reassured by his familiarity, but obviously, he’s just as concerned as she is. "If this ever happens to anyone, lay them on their side like this. Wait for it to pass, and keep track of how long it goes on for."

Her phone is still open. It’s just sixteen minutes past noon right now.

“Why is he having a seizure?” she asks, hoping that he’ll have an answer.

“It must be this fever,” he says with a shaky sigh. “I’ve seen it happen to Dazai before. We’ll just wait for it to pass and ask him some questions when it’s over. Ask him where he is and what today’s date is, that sort of thing.”

“Okay…okay,” Kyoka says with a sniffle, wiping her eyes on her shoulder, not wanting to let go of Atsushi’s hand.

It’s only another two minutes before his body stills, but it was the longest two minutes of Kyoka’s life.

Atsushi groans, this time almost sounding wounded. She knows he’s still in pain and it hurts her so much.

"It's okay," Kyoka says as gently as she can, reaching forward and patting his hair down. She doesn’t think he’s too aware of his surroundings yet, but Kunikida is watching him closely. He makes sure he stays on his side. If he didn’t hand his hands on him, Kyoka thinks he would probably roll over on his face.

“Atsushi, can you tell me where you are?” Kunikida asks him sternly as Atsushi’s eyes start to come back into focus, but he doesn’t look ready to answer. In fact, he’s suddenly starting to look ridiculously nauseous, and before she can even really process that, he chokes up a mouthful of bile.

Kunikida curses under his breath, and she wonders if that may have been part of the reason he was keeping him on his side. She realizes that Atsushi is hardly reacting at all to having thrown up. Normally, something like this - so out of nowhere - would have sent him into a panic attack. But he’s so out of it he probably didn’t even realize it happened.

Kunikida scoops him up effortlessly and Kyoka takes her phone in her hands, and the stuffed rabbit that fell out of Atsushi’s grip as soon as he was lifted from the bed. Kunikida is clearly realizing that Atsushi is not responsive at all.

"Will he be okay?" Kyoka asks as she follows close behind Kunikida.

“He will. Yosano is a great doctor,” Kunikida assures her, but he can’t hide his own concern.

The ride to the Agency is short, but ever since she got to the dorm room earlier, everything has been moving at a snail’s pace. Kunikida put Atsushi in the passenger seat, not leaning back very far, probably out of a fear that he might vomit again, and Kyoka sits behind them in the middle seat, arms wrapped tight around the rabbit. Atsushi whimpered from the pain each time Kunikida shifted him. Kunikida is kind of a scary driver in general, but especially now, trying to get to the Agency as fast as possible.

She's so exhausted but so wired at the same time. Her head hurts. She wants Atsushi to be okay. She wants him to be coherent enough that he’ll tell her he’s okay, even if it’s not true. This is so scary.

Kunikida doesn’t even wait for the elevator when they arrive. He runs up the stairs with Atsushi in his arms, held close to his chest. Kyoka can barely follow behind him. She’s getting dizzy. Is she going to pass out? No, she can’t. She has to stay awake and make sure Atsushi will be okay.

“Hey,” someone says, taking her wrist once she makes it off the stairs. Her head is spinning. She knows it’s a voice she knows, but she can’t figure out who, not until she sees his eyes.

Dazai.

“Slow down for a second. Let’s wait here while they get him situated,” he tells her, and her knees give out under her before she lets out a sob she didn’t know that she was holding back. So much is happening. She would give anything to wake up and for it to all be over.

Dazai sits with her against the wall right to the left of the staircase, in the hallway outside of the Agency. She brings her knees to her chest, her stuffed rabbit surely out of breath with how hard she’s squeezing it, and she just cries.

“You’ve gone through this before,” Dazai says. It’s almost like he’s telling her rather than just suggesting the possibility. She’s never talked to Dazai about her time in the mafia, so there isn’t any way he would know that.

She has. She’s been in this position many times with Akutagawa, times where she was never permitted to do anything to help him. Whether he was ill or injured, he never let her anywhere close. It didn't matter if she cared about his well-being or not. This time, she had free will over it. She had everything at her disposal to help someone who needed it, and Atsushi would have accepted it, even through his stubbornness. How did she fail him?

“Kyoka, he’ll be okay. You know that,” he tells her sternly and she curls tighter into herself. “Everyone is here to help him together. You don’t have to do it by yourself just to prove you can.”

That stings. He saw right through her before she could even piece together how it happened.

It’s almost like he’s been told that same thing before. Like he’s been in her shoes. It's strange to hear him talk like that, because Dazai spends most of his time being the opposite of wise - but she always takes his advice to heart, whenever he takes a moment to give it to her.

"I'm sorry," she murmurs, her voice muffled through the stuffed rabbit.

"Don't be. If any of this were easy, you would've done it already. Right?" Dazai says, tilting his head as he looks at her. She looks up and he smiles. It's not the mischievous smile she's used to seeing on him. He's right. She nods at him and starts to wipe the tears from her face.

They sit there for a few minutes while Kyoka gathers herself, and she appreciates the brief silence. A moment for her to calm down.

After a while, Dazai stands up and offers her his hand, and she joins him, quietly trailing behind him into the office. She sees almost everyone huddled around the area where they speak with clients at the couches, where Atsushi must be.

 Once Dazai approaches the group, the group that stands there parts for Dazai and Kyoka to get closer - Atsushi is lying on his back on the first couch, his face contorted in pain. Kyoka can’t tell if he’s awake or not with the way his eyes are screwed shut, but he doesn’t speak or make any noise. This is about how he’s looked for the past few hours.

Tanizaki is knelt on the tile beside him, patting his hair down with one hand and squeezing Atsushi’s with the other. Tanizaki is always so kind and gentle with him, Kyoka is glad he’s the one giving him comfort right now. Her heart aches, watching his deeply concerned expression.

Yosano sits on the coffee table as she finishes up inserting an IV catheter into Atsushi’s arm, with a flag of fluids on a pole on standby right behind Tanizaki. She finishes up, and attaches the line to the IV.

"Normally this stuff really scares him," Tanizaki notices, jaw clenched. He’s right. Atsushi is terrified of needles. Every time he’s needed any kind of injection, he’s passed out or thrown up or both. "He's so out of it."

“Can somebody get a few wet washcloths? We need to get his temperature down,” Yosano says sternly, just then having finished taking his temperature. Kyoka hears quick footsteps behind her and watches Haruno and Naomi scurry into the infirmary.

“What is it now?” Kunikida asks. He’s standing a bit further behind Kyoka. He’s pale and clearly stressed, arms crossed over his chest.

“It just hit a hundred point four. If it keeps climbing I’ll need to take him to a hospital,” Yosano says with a nervous huff.

Kyoka feels tears prick at her eyes again. She knows that has to be a last resort. Atsushi wouldn’t be able to handle being in a hospital if even Yosano’s infirmary is too much for him to handle.

"I think this has something to do with his ability," Dazai says, leaning against the room divider.

Yosano turns her head to him, a brow raised like she’s not sure if he’s joking or not. Kyoka isn’t quite sure at first either, but based on how he spoke to her earlier, she’s pretty certain that he’s serious. Her eyes drift to the open window, where she can still see the full moon despite the daytime sky, and she realizes she knows what he’s about to say.

"Remember, when we first found him?" Dazai says, turning to Kunikida, who looks just as confused as Yosano, at first. "The uncontrolled rampages of the tiger on the full moon."

"It is a full moon," Kunikida realizes. "You think that's something we should be worried about?"

"Not necessarily. I think while he’s under the President's ability, he doesn't need to worry about losing control," Dazai says, but then he sighs. "But I think right now, his body is fighting it. It would explain why he's in so much physical pain…the fever.”

“The seizures, too,” Kunikida suggests.

Kyoka bites her lip. He’s implying he’s had another seizure since arriving here.

Yosano nods. "Well, if it's part of an ability, can you nullify it?"

Dazai walks forward. Yosano stands up from her spot on the coffee table to make room for Dazai, and he sits right where she was and lays a hand over Atsushi's wrist.

His face relaxes. He whimpers a little before he sighs, like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders. Yosano watches carefully, her arms crossed.

“I’m wondering if it really is like…some sort of werewolf thing,” Yosano says. “You’re right. The president’s ability is trying to fight off the transformation, and that might be what’s causing all of these symptoms. Dazai’s ability might negate both of them.”

“I don’t know how the hell you figured that out, Dazai,” Kunikida says with a sigh himself as Naomi sneaks by to hand Yosano a small stack of washcloths just as she requested, and Yosano takes them with a nod as she starts to lay them over Atsushi - his forehead, his chest, his stomach, and his upper arms. Dazai stays right where he is, carefully studying Atsushi’s face.

“I doubt his symptoms will just go away, even though I’m doing this,” Dazai says. He lifts his hand, and at first, Atsushi seems unbothered by this - but only a few moments later, he groans in pain, his face twisting up in that awful pattern once again.

“Poor thing,” Yosano says.

"Sorry, Atsushi," he says quietly, laying his hand right back over that same spot. "I'll stay here.”

“So if it’s the full moon,” Kunikida says, “how long until he’ll start feeling better?”

“The full moon usually only appears to us for about three days,” Kenji interjects, peeking out from where he was standing behind Kyoka. “But she’s really only a true full moon for a few minutes. So, I think the worst should be over, but there’s still another day and a half until she’s in her next phase.”

“Interesting. Thank you, Kenji,” Kunikida nods appreciatively. “And, Kyoka, you said his symptoms started yesterday morning. Is that right?”

Kyoka nods.

“So it all lines up,” Kunikida says.

While Ranpo is largely considered to be the smartest in their agency, and for good reason, she thinks Dazai is certainly a close second, if not right beside him. He figured this out without much deliberation at all and only had his theory confirmed thanks to everyone’s information. He’s really impressive, honestly.

“That’s reassuring, then.” Yosano says with a heavy sigh. “I was really worried he would need a hospital visit…Dazai, if you don’t mind staying here for a bit, I’ll give him some injections and then check his temperature. Hopefully, Kenji’s theory is right.”

“I’ll be here,” Dazai assures, moving down to the tile floor with his legs crossed and leaning against the coffee table, his eyes fixed on Atsushi.

Yosano walks forward in Kyoka’s direction, probably with the intention of going to her infirmary, and frowns when she sees her. She kneels down in front of her and lays the back of her hand over her forehead, and Kyoka shrinks her face into the rabbit she’s been holding onto so tightly.

“You stayed up all night with him?” Yosano asks her gently.

Kyoka nods. She’s embarrassed, she doesn’t like this kind of attention, especially in front of her coworkers - people who she holds so much respect for. But even then, their concerned glances show that they don’t think any less of her.

"Get some rest. We've got it from here," Yosano says kindly, her hand landing on her shoulder. "Do you want to stay in the infirmary? Or here with Atsushi?"

"Here," Kyoka says quietly.

"I'll get some things for you," Naomi tells her from behind before Yosano leads her over to the second couch.

"I'm sorry you had to deal with everything yourself, Kyoka," Tanizaki says with a sad pout.

Kyoka's eyes still burn with oncoming tears. She doesn't want to think too much about it, but she's so grateful to have this weight lifted off her shoulders now. She knows she can trust them. She can rely on them to help her.

She's so glad to see Atsushi’s face relaxed, even if it's only due to Dazai's ability. Maybe she can rest for a little.

…

When Kyoka finally wakes up, the natural sunlight coming in through the window has all but vanished, replaced by the light of the full moon. She's been asleep for a while.

She sits up a little too quickly, ending up dizzy as she surveys her surroundings. There's a blanket over her legs that she doesn't remember being there, but she still has her rabbit tight in her arms. She frowns, she meant to give it back to Atsushi before she fell asleep.

She stands up, peering over the table to see if she can get a good look at Atsushi's face.

Dazai's still there, much to her surprise. He's draped over the end of the couch, arms folded over and his head ducked away, a hand still laid over Atsushi's lower arm. He looks like he's fast asleep.

She hears footsteps in her direction and sees Kunikida appear around the corner of the divider. She didn't think anyone else would be here around this time, aside from Yosano. It's gotten pretty late.

"Atsushi's doing a bit better now," Kunikida assures her. "His fever is under a hundred and four. So no hospital."

Kyoka feels the tension leave her shoulders.

"Is Dazai asleep?" Kyoka whispers.

"Surprisingly, yes," Kunikida answers with a deep sigh. "I tried to test him earlier by talking about crab, but he didn't budge. It's probably good for him too, he hasn't been sleeping recently."

Kyoka doesn't know much about what goes on with Dazai, but if this is somehow benefiting him too, she's glad for it.

"Kyoka, you're awake," Yosano says upon approaching them, a little louder than she should have, maybe - their heads all jerk in the same direction when they hear Atsushi grunt quietly, and his eyes start to blink open. Yosano's eyes grow wide with guilt, and Kunikida sighs.

Kyoka shifts over to that side so she can see him a little better. The pain has all but melted from his face. She's so glad. He's still pale, his hairline damp from sweat.

The corners of his lips lift a little bit when his eyes catch sight of her, and she almost feels like crying again. Obviously he doesn't have the energy to do anything other than that, but he's glad to see her. She tucks the rabbit she's been holding into the arm on the other side of her, and his smile doesn't fade, even as he closes his eyes again.

"His fever is still pretty high, but we've made some progress. No more seizures," Yosano says. "I think he'll be okay by the morning, I hope…Dazai's been a huge help in mitigating his symptoms."

"He never struck me as the type to do something like this," Kunikida says.

"We don't know a lot of what he's been through," Yosano says. "Maybe he's been in Atsushi’s position before."

Kyoka agrees. Even only in her six months in the Port Mafia, she experienced things too traumatic to even be considered hardships. Dazai was stuck there for years.

"Do you want something to eat, Kyoka? I was going to order something for us before the restaurants start closing," Yosano offers.

Kyokda nods. She doesn't think she's had anything to eat today, she'd appreciate a meal.

"Order something crab for Dazai. For when he wakes up," Kunikida asks. "He hasn't eaten today."

"Me? Shouldn't his boyfriend be doing that?" Yosano teases.

Kunikida's face is suddenly beet red, Kyoka can tell even in the dark. "Yosano -"

"Kidding, kidding. Your usual? I'll be back," Yosano says with a mischievous smile on her face before she turns on her heel to leave. Kunikida sighs deeply.

"Don't listen to anything she says," Kunikida tells Kyoka. Kyoka nods obediently. "I'll get you some water. I'll be right back."

Kyoka shuffled back to the other couch, bringing her knees up to her chest and covering herself up to her shoulder with her blanket as she watches Atsushi. She's still tired. She can feel it weighing down her eyelids.

Demon Snow appears close beside her again, just as she did last night, she always feels her mother's presence with her. Demon Snow used to only bring her painful memories, but recently, she's felt differently. Kyoka leans her head against Demon Snow's arm, and her vision fades out.

…

"She's still asleep?"

Kyoka's eyes shoot open. Atsushi's voice. Atsushi's awake.

She stands up and scrambles off the couch before her vision has even adjusted to the morning light, and she pays the price for it, tripping over her own feet and nearly landing face first on the floor - but someone catches her.

"Whoa, hey," the voice says, and she bursts into tears at the realization that it's Atsushi. He finally sounds like himself. She can tell he's still fatigued, but there's no pain or strain in his voice anymore. "Slow down, Kyoka."

He steadies her before he backs up a bit and they're both on their knees on the tile. Kyoka sniffles and tries to hide her face from him. The last thing she wants is for him to see her cry, but of course, it's too late.

"Hey, wait, don't…Kyoka," Atsushi says gently, a hint of sadness and guilt seeping into his tone, before pulling her into a hug again. 

She just keeps crying. She's so glad to see him up and talking and okay. She saw a cooling patch on his forehead, but he's wearing a different, clean set of pajamas, and his hair is fluffy and full of life again, evidently having showered. He's still warm, but not nearly as warm as he has been.

"I'm really sorry, Kyoka," Atsushi says gently. "I should've listened to you better. You were just trying to help."

Kyoka nods into his shoulder. The last thing she wants is for him to feel guilty, but she's glad he recognizes that all she wanted was for him to be okay. All she wanted was to help someone she cared about. She worries about the future, because if this was really due to the full moon, it's bound to happen again. But at least now they know.

"I brought a crepe for you," he says as he leans back, smiling at her. Kyoka sniffles, and her eyes glitter at the idea of a crepe. "You don't have to eat it now, I know you just woke up and maybe you don't want something sweet this early, but -"

"I'll have it now," Kyoka says. She's honestly starving.

Atsushi stands up and offers a hand to her to help her stand up, and she takes it gratefully. She latches onto his wrist.

"Thank you," Atsushi says to her. She squeezes his wrist tighter. She won't let him go. He's done so much for her, looking after him is the least she can do.

“Oh,” Ranpo suddenly says, appearing before them, voice muffled by something in his mouth. Atsushi gasps, but of course, he’s far too polite to make any sudden accusations with no solid evidence. “Was that crepe for someone?”

“Ranpo,” Yosano groans as she appears from the hallway, smacking a stack of papers against her thigh, “you get out of here this instant and replace that crepe.”

“Wanna come with me?” Ranpo asks innocently.

“No! Get out of here,” Yosano huffs, walking behind him and pushing him out of the front entrance.

“Never a dull moment, huh…” Atsushi says with a half-dejected sigh, almost like he expected this outcome. “I guess it was gonna be either him or Dazai…”

“We could go with him,” Kyoka suggests, tilting her head up at Atsushi. “If you’re not busy.”

“Hm…true, then he has to buy crepes for both of us,” Atsushi giggles mischievously. “Ranpo, wait for us!”

Atsushi chases Ranpo out through the hallway and the latter groans, already guessing their true intentions, and Kyoka smiles, her grip still tight on Atsushi’s wrist.

[wanderlustmagician]

Anything you wanna ramble about?

Jfbdksjeekdj so many things!!

I’ve been rambling about my modern au for a while so maybe I’ll do the mythical creatures thing that’s been knocking around my brain. This time :D

Have you ever heard of a Peryton? They’re essentially winged deer who are the Guardians of the Forest. Fierce and intense, magically haunting. Very cool. Some people’s interpretations have them with these really wicked fangs.

And thunderbirds!! They’re like coated in lightning and I have got to get my hands on more information on them. They’re so cool!

Which of course made me go hmmm what if, what if. And I play fast and loose with everything when I write because it’s more fun for me that way… so LU mythical creatures. I’ve seen it done a few times and LOVE the concept;

Twilight is harder than expected when you don’t want to take the easy way out. I’ve been playing with the idea of a version of Peryton for him, more wolf than deer, BUT then I remembered that Black Shucks are a mythic, ghostly dog-like creature that exist and it kind of fits in the most spooky sense. Depending on where you look at the mythos, they’re either menacing (malevolent also but eh) or companionable omens of death that usually roam a coastline. There’s also church grims, which often take the form of a black dog, and guard church cemeteries. So playing fast and loose, as I do, I thought Twilight could be the more companionable, omen bearing Black Shuck in his Mythic form and then by the time he meets Wild in BOTW, he’s more spirit-like and is more akin to a Church Grim… just on a more personal level. I think it would be a fun little idea to play with instead of meeting Wild on the Plateau and have him be like “guarding” the Shrine… Wild meets him in Blatchery Plains where he actually died and that’s where they meet.

Sky would be some form of Thunderbird and nothing will change my mind on this. It fits. SO WELL. At least from what little I remember from previous research dives on the subject. I also originally had planned to have Sky be the reason that the Faron region changes from being a big growth forest in Twi’s time to the lightning infested jungle of BOTW/TOTK. It was gonna be because he was visiting Twi, who if I had left him as a Peryton would have been bound to the forest he guarded, which was planned to be Faron! Obviously I’ve changed that somewhat… but I still like the idea so I may find a way to work it back in.

I don’t like to take the easy routes when doing these kinds of concepts, not because I look down on them but more because I like the challenge. So Hyrule is giving me a little trouble because he’s canonically got fae blood. So like fae or even changeling… but changelings are a type of fae so of course I’m going to go all in on that (and get horribly distracted because doppelgängers are a type of fae, what that’s so cool) and it’s lead me down a rabbit hole. So more on Hyrule another day…

Wind is also giving me fits because he’s going to be something ocean related and it’s gotta fit his nature, so there’s Cephali which are a type of Sea fae and then there’s others that are more commonly thought of, but I could make him something wind related a novel idea I know which means more research to be done! I had some other ideas, like mythos or superstition believed by sailors to draw inspiration for but like I said more research.

Wild! Is! A! Church Grim! Also! But he’s gonna be an amalgamation like Twi. Dryad calls to me for him, but I want to do a little more digging because it’s gonna be a connection thing for him. He’s a church grim, but all of Hyrule is the cemetery :3c hehe oops

Time is 100% a changeling. Hands down. No explanation needed. He may become something else after events of TP, he may not, we will see. I will saying nothing else because mans needs to be mysterious. It may change if I stumble across something more interesting though

Legend is a kitsune (which is also!! A type of fae!! It falls into fae rules. Very interesting.) but they’ve got that same tenuous relationship with being perceived as good versus not good. In a lot of myths, they’re the messengers of the sun goddess… which feels fitting for Legend since he’s been on the most adventures! The more intense Good vs Bad in their mythos also feels fitting because Ravio is also a kitsune! While mythos says they’re fox spirits… I don’t follow rules so they’re bunnies. Heh.

Warriors is going to be my only one without anything as of yet. I want to do more research into mythic creatures and spirits more associated with war and just haven’t had the time yet. Maybe this weekend. Some of these wouldn’t have “true forms” while on their adventure through time together… so it would be interesting to have TOTK events happen post LU events and have Wild contend with how changed his brothers have become in the years (millennia for then really) since they traveled together.

This was rrreeeaaallllllllyyy long. Oops lol

[legendofzoodles]

LOZ/LU Theory

Not done one of these in a while :) 

Trigger warning: mentions of suicide and self harm below the cut, read at your own discretion. 

The Fierce Deity

Ah this guy. A mysteriously popular character from an equally mysteriously popular game. He comes out of seemingly nowhere; the mask that houses his power is just given to the player with only a tiny amount of lore outside the item description. Then again, you wouldn’t expect such an artifact to come with an instruction manual.  

The mask itself is needs no real deep dive. It’s a mask that holds some kind of power and is tied to the dead; that’s just how masks work in Termina. But what if I told you that what’s inside the mask isn’t any one powerful spirit or god-like being? As in, when Link puts on the mask he isn’t possessed by an entity called the Fierce Deity, but rather he becomes the Fierce Deity. 

Let me explain.

What I’m getting at is the idea that the Fierce Deity isn’t really one entity but rather a title of sorts. A title given to the one worthy to carry the burden of shouldering the feelings, thoughts and memories of all the people in Termina and protecting them. Not just the ones living in the present moments but throughout time. 

The mask is sort of a combination of all the other non transformable masks. Those masks are given to the Link after completing side quests, and they’re filled with the memories and emotions of the people he helped. These remain with Link in the form of the masks, even if the people forget with each 3-day reset. I think the Happy Mask Salesman says it best:

"...But, my, you sure have managed to make quite a number of people happy. The masks you have are filled with happiness. This is truly a good happiness."  ~HMS

So since Link gets the FD mask after first trading in all the other masks it can be symbolically showing that it’s the culmination of all the memories and emotions of those masks. You don’t have to take my word for it, Aounuma said this himself in an interview from 2015:

“The best I can give you is just a suggestion. The best way to think about it is that the memories of all the people of Termina are inside of the Fierce Deity Mask.” ~ Aonuma

Well, it’s a suggestion because this is LOZ and the creators like to give us as much freedom to craft what we want out of the story. And to further drive this home, the gossip stone says this:

"The Fierce Deity Mask, a mask that contains the merits of all masks, seems to be... somewhere in this world..." ~ Gossip Stone

The FD Mask contains the 'merits of all masks'. Now ‘merits’ can mean anything from the different masks’ properties to the feelings and memories inside it. I think it’s both. This again relates to Aonuma's ‘suggestion’, because masks in MM celebrate important events in one's life such as weddings, adulthood, etc., and are symbols of emotions/feelings, and/or literally contain memories of the dead.

So going from that back to my theory. There’s little suggesting that the FD is its own sentient being, it’s just the title given to the one in possession of the mask- or more specifically, they become that entity when they wear it. 

The mask does hold some serious power, giving Link a sword twice as powerful as the Master Sword and it comes with a magical beam that isn’t tied to Link’s health (i.e it doesn’t go away after he takes damage). The source of this power comes from the people of Termina, i.e the people the FD is sworn to protect then I think the ‘Deity’ part of the title is warranted. 

It is god-like power. Since the purpose of that power is to be like the guardian of Termina, Link is no different than any of the guardians of Hyrule, like the Light Spirits from TP or Dragons from BoTW. Perhaps arguably more competent.

The ‘Fierce’ part is interesting. Admittedly it does have a negative connotation. The item’s description even says:

“[...] Could this mask’s dark powers be as bad as Majora?” ~ LOZ: MM

But I don’t think it’s exclusively evil, or that we’re talking about dark magic here. Remember this is all the masks combined, the good and the bad, happy memories, sad memories, memories filled with anger, fear, anxiety- all of that is housed in the mask. So rather than think of the mask as evil, take the ‘Fierce’ part more as referring to a kind of divine wrath. It’s worth noting that the FD will only ever need to attack if the people of Termina are under threat. Meaning that the FD will take their rage, fears and worries and use it to fight back.

Alright so, taking the idea that the FD mask doesn’t house a sensient entity that possesses Link when he puts on the mask, but rather Link himself becomes the FD and can freely use the powers stored in the mask, what makes me think there might have been others before him?

To be honest...I’ve only got one piece of evidence but it’s pretty interesting:

That is the design of the mask itself. It’s literally in the shape of adult Link’s face, which wouldn’t make sense if the FD was a spirit. Sure there’s the possibility that it just so happens that the spirit looks like Link, but that would be quite the coincidence and I’ve already argued that I don’t think that the FD is a spirit. Therefore, I reckon it looks like Link because it is Link, he is the Fierce Deity, he holds that title and duty now. 

Possibly the mask reflects his adult face because that’s technically who he is since the timeline split thing, or because the FD title should only be given to adults and Link is just special he got it as a child. Which ties into the whole: gods using him as their hero- except the roles are reversed and now Link has the power.

Since Link is the current FD there must have been other(s) in the past before his time. Exceptional people who went out of their way to help others. Remember that Link doesn’t get the mask for completing the main quest but all the side quests, meaning that this power isn’t exclusive to the hero’s spirit and could theoretically be held by anyone. 

Even though I think there’s no spirit in the mask and that the mask isn’t inherently evil it doesn’t mean that I think it’s this holy good magical artifact like the Master Sword. It’s neutral. The power itself isn’t the problem, it’s how the holder chooses to use it. 

Think about it, every time Link puts on the mask his mind is flooded with the memories, feelings, hopes and dreams of not just the people currently living in Termina but all the ones who are now deceased. It’s no wonder each transformation looks especially painful! It’s that way for all the transformation masks I think, which makes sense since in those cases Link is being bombarded by the memories and regrets of the dead.

Using that power for long periods of time or too frequently would, for lack of a better term, drive anyone insane. You’d have to have the mental fortitude of a god or be really detached from your humanity to not go crazy. But Link isn’t a god. He’s a human with a lot of empathy and compassion. 

Which ironically, makes him a perfect fit for the mask while also being really susceptible to corruption. 

If Link were to over rely on the mask’s power it could easily corrupt him. Not in a magical way or possession, just in a frankly more human way. The mask probably has a perfect balance of good memories and feelings as well as bad memories and feelings, but as humans we tend to focus on the bad no matter how much good there is. 

Link could have trouble distinguishing the real world from these feelings and memories and start dissociating, if he overuses that masks power. Maybe he’d even start to lose himself trying to shoulder it all. So, he’d have spells right after using it where he’d break from reality and have no idea who he is or where he is. 

Going back to my theory, the previous holders might have become corrupted and went on a rampage- possibly never taking the mask off for the rest of their lives. Or maybe they couldn’t mentally handle the burden/were influenced by bad memories and ended their own lives. Or some might have been able to control the power, able to maintain a balance where they do use the mask, but at a level they can maintain without going off the deep end. 

They were all probably at least a little insane, even the somewhat stable ones. I mean, how would you cope with all that power and responsibility? Develop a god-complex? Isolate yourself from others? 

Going into some LU stuff here: 

Just an idea but what if the Hero of Time’s scar was due to him suffering a mental break after using the mask to defeat something. Maybe he was trying to come back from seeing a memory or processing someone else’s feelings, but couldn’t take it and slashed at his eye to make them go away. Stopping after the first possibly due to the pain or because someone stopped him from further harming himself.  

Much like the weapon that comes with it, the FD mask is a double edged sword. Of course, there’s no rule saying you have to keep using the mask, Link could lock it away in a chest and never touch it again if he wanted to. 

But he won’t ever do that, it isn’t in his character to walk away from responsibility. He couldn’t leave behind a life of adventure even though his original quest was not only over but wiped clean from his timeline. 

What if Link was corrupted by the darkness in his own heart? So if Dark Link were to feed off of the bad memories and feelings, growing stronger and start gaining control.

~~~

Thanks for reading! If you’ve got more to add then let me know in the comments!

Masterlist

9th place in the LU character design ranking

Character analysis posts:

Hero of the Sky, Hero of Time, Hero of Twilight, Hero of the Wild, Hero of Warriors

LU headcanons:

Parkour team

Honorary Gorons

How each member of the chain laughs

Duels