#there's something to be said when two Calamities are brought to their knees

[ruiniel]

For fun

...I made a compilation of various reactions to Xie Lian's cooking.

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[mysticaldeanvoidhorse]

Together Always

Gally x Reader

The Maze Runner

Part 2

     You had been there a week, and had spent a few days at each job trying to figure out what you would do.  Today was the day you would be working with the builders.  You couldn’t help but be nervous, not knowing if you were any good at it but mostly hoping you would be able to impress Gally, or at least not embarrass yourself in front of him.  You had found that you wanted to impress him more than the others and though it was early, you knew you were having feelings for this particular Keeper. You knew that wasn’t a good thing, knowing it wasn’t a good idea to have feelings for any of the boys but especially this one; mainly because you knew he would never feel the same.  He was so closed off and hardly seemed to notice you even existed.  However that would change since he would be overseeing you today.

     At breakfast, you went to sit next to Newt, who quickly became your closest friend.  You realized everyone liked him and you weren’t surprised at all.

“Hey Newt,”  You greeted, sitting down across from him.

“Hey Y/N, ready to try out a new task?”  He asked.

“Not really, I feel like I will somehow mess up”  You laughed, trying to hide your nerves.  The truth was you weren't nervous about any other task, knowing if it wasn’t a fit you would find something else.  This particular task had more at stake.

“You’ll be fine, besides Gally won’t let you do anything too stupid. He is pretty good at making sure everyone stays safe.”  As if appearing out of nowhere, Gally had just shown up.

“Talking about me, Newt?”  You quickly turned to see him standing next to you.

“Yep, just reassuring your mentee that you won’t let her screw up too badly.”  You shot him a bored look.

“Nah, I’ll make sure she doesn’t hurt anyone.  Mostly worried she will hurt herself.”  You couldn’t tell if he was completely joking or not.

“Hey, I am not that bad!”  You faked being hurt.

“Guess we will see.”  Gally smirked at you.  His intense stare still had you weak in the knees and you were glad you were sitting down already.

“Guess you will have to keep a close eye on her.”  Newt said, though you were too busy to see him and Minho exchange a knowing look.

“I guess so.”  Gally said, not breaking eye contact.  

     After breakfast Gally had brought you to the worksite that was surprisingly farther away from the main area than you had expected.

“We will start with something small.  Do you know how to use a hammer?”

“Honestly, I don’t remember ever using one, but I think I have the main idea.”  You wanted to be honest, but also didn’t want to look dumb.

“Cool, well, take this nail, and hammer these two boards together.”  You grabbed the hammer.

“Are you going to watch me do it?”  You asked, when he folded his arms and stared at you.

“Yes.”  Was all he replied.  You just rolled your eyes and did as he asked.

“How did I do, boss?”  You said sarcastically, knowing you had done a decent job.  Afterall, it wasn’t rocket science.

“Just making sure you’re competent.”  He said, grabbing the hammer from you.

“Wow, with compliments like that you might make a girl swoon.”  You joked.  He just stared blankly at you.  “Geeze, tough crowd.”  You said lightheartedly.

“Follow me, we will work on something a little harder.”

“Sounds good.”  You said, following him.  You wanted to be his friend at the very least and you could tell you weren't off to a great start.  You would just stick to talking only when necessary.

     The rest of the morning went well, and you were proud of what you were able to do.  Lunchtime came and you walked over with the rest of the builders, minus Gally.  He continued to finish what he was working on.  You admired his work ethic.

“How did the morning go?”  Newt asked once he sat next to you.

“Not too bad, I haven’t created any major calamities yet.”  You joked and he laughed.

“I don’t think Gally likes me that much though.”  You confessed and he looked at you surprised.

“Why do you say that?”

“I think I am a nice person”  You started.

“Obviously.”

“But I don’t think my jokes or efforts to reach out are well received.”  Newt seemed to think about that.

“Why do you think that?”

“Well he just seems like he tolerates me at best, and seems like he can’t get away from me fast enough.  So I just decided to not talk so much.  Just do what I am told.”

“I think he just doesn’t know what to say.  He has always been a little awkward like that, but especially with a girl around his whole personality changes.  He isn’t a bad guy he just is rough around the edges and you are trying to break those walls down.. I don't think he knows what to do with that.”  You thought about that.

“I guess that makes sense.  I just don’t want him to not like me.”

“And why is that?”  He gave you a knowing look.

“What do you mean by that?”  You asked a little too defensively.

“It just seems like you are trying hard to be on his good side.”

“Well of course.  He is my boss for the day so I want to make a good impression.” You reasoned.

“Well I don’t think that is your problem.”

“Then what is?”  Before he could reply, you saw Gally walking up to the food line, subconsciously grabbing his shirt to wipe his face.  You were not upset by the glimpse of his abs he granted you with the action.

“You okay Y/N?  Looks like you got a little drool there.”  Minho teased you.  You turned red.

“Shut up Minho.”

“Oh someone is a little defensive,” he joked.

“It’s just because you didn’t give me the same show, so I had to look elsewhere.”  You joked.

“I know you are in love with me, I am sorry I am driving you into the arms of another man.”  He faked seriousness.  You gagged causing Newt to laugh.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in the maze?”  You asked.

“Yes, but Alby needed something today so I am here, lucky you.”

“You’re a runner right?”  He nodded.  “So run along then.”  You rolled your eyes.

“Sounds like you are annoying our Greenie here.”  Gally said behind you.  Shuck this boy was more stealthy than you would like.

“Nah, she can’t get enough of me.”  Minho joked.

“Not convincing.”  Gally said, sitting next to you.  You were not upset that he had taken to sitting next to you since you arrived.  At least that was what you let yourself think since you couldn’t be sure he didn’t always sit here before you arrived.

“More like I get too much of this guy.”  You said to Gally.  He smirked.

“Ouch, that really hurts.  And you just said you were in love with me.”

“When did I ever say that?”  You deadpanned.

“Well, when you were ogling Gally, you said it was only because - ouch!”  Newt hit him.  Your eyes went wide.  Gally turned to you.

“What is he talking about?”  A look of amusement on his face.

“Do I ever know what he is saying?”  You played off, not able to keep looking at him.

“That’s true.”  He said, not entirely convinced.

“Minho just saw you with your shirt lifted and tried to play it off as me looking and not the fact that he was checking you out himself.”  You joked.

“Well that makes more sense.  I knew Minho had less than honorable intentions towards me.”  You stopped and looked at him.

“Was that a joke?  Did I actually hear your joke?”  He gave a sheepish smile.

“I guess so.”

“Well I am glad that you are finally able to joke around me.  I thought I was annoying you with my sense of humor.”  You said half seriously.  He leaned over slightly.

“Not at all, I enjoy it actually.  I just don’t always know how to respond.  No one is as happy and lighthearted as you, it is something to get used to.”  You just looked at him.  “I don’t mean that as a bad thing”  He said quickly.  “I just am not a funny guy, not like Minho or even Newt.”  He said the last part a little bit harsher.

“You don’t have to be.  Then you wouldn’t be Gally.”  You smiled at him and he smiled back.  “Besides, I am just glad that I haven’t freaked you out.”

“Did you think you had?”  He asked.

“Well, kinda.  I mean, whenever I joke around, you just look at me like I have grown two heads so I thought you figured I was crazy.”  You played with the food on your plate, hoping to hide your nerves.

“There’s something different about you.”

“Well I am not a guy, there’s that.”  He rolled his eyes.

“Obviously.  Besides that.  You are so refreshing around here.  You are a light in the dark…”  He trailed off.

“You think so?”  You prodded, softly.

“You’re pretty great, Y/N.”  You took a moment to stare into his eyes.  He was so beautiful it hurt.

“But that can’t be a shock, everyone here likes you a lot.  A little too much”  He slightly frowned at the last part.

“I’m just glad you like me.”  He looked at you, trying to find a lie but he didn't and wouldn’t.

“Yea- yeah. You’re a good friend.”  He smiled and backed away slightly.  You tried to not be hurt.  You should just be glad at how much he opened up to you just now.  He may never feel the same, but at least you knew he didn’t hate you.  Progress.

     After lunch you went back to work, and you ended up helping some other builders while Gally got called away.  You found that though you weren’t incredibly strong, having smaller hands and being able to fit into tighter spaces helped in more ways than you thought.  However, that got you into more dangerous scenarios, like the one you found yourself in.  There was an old building that needed a plank fixed and there weren’t any ladders nearby.  So to help you were ‘volun-told’ to get up onto a 2x4 and reach awkwardly to try and fix the beam.  As long as you didn’t overreach you would be fine.  You wanted to help and show them that you could do whatever they could, if not more since you were the only one small enough to reach.  You took a deep breath and climbed up.  It wasn’t incredibly high, but if you fell, it would hurt.  You managed to stay focused, asking for the tools you would need from one of the boys behind you.  You were almost finished when you heard it.

“What the shuck is going on here?”  Uh oh.  Gally.

“She could fit, it needed to be fixed.”

“Not that way!  No one should be up there like that, especially her!”  You quickly finished and handed the tools back to whoever would quickly take them.  Gally came up under you.

“What are you doing?”  He half yelled.

“Trying to fix this beam.”  You told him as calmly as you could.

“Why are you on a flimsy board and not a ladder?  That shuck thing won’t hold you.  Get. Down. Now!”  He sounded panicked.

“It’s okay Gally, I am finished, I am getting down now.”  You tried to tell him reassuringly, but because you were distracted your foot got caught and you slipped.  You managed to stay right side up, holding onto the board. Shuck it, the only way down was to let go.  So you did.  You expected it to hurt, but you landed in some strong arms. Looking up you saw it was Gally.  You couldn’t appreciate being in his arms because his face was fuming.  If steam could come out of his ears it would.

“Are you shucking kidding me?”  He wasn’t really asking.

“Gally, I am sorry but I thought I could fix it quickly.”  

“I don’t need to hear excuses.  You should never have been up there in the first place.  On a flimsy board, not even tied down, no ladder.  What were you thinking?”

“I fixed it, I am okay, I-”  But he cut you off.

“You weren’t thinking.  Use that shuck head of yours, you could have gotten yourself killed!”

“I wouldn’t have died, Gally.  At worst, a broken arm or something, but that didn’t happen.”  You tried to remain calm but your patience was wearing thin.

“That’s because I caught you.  You need to think!  You are smarter than that.”  He said the last part no longer yelling.  It was at this moment you both realized that he was still holding you tightly.  He slightly released his grip but not enough to let you move away. “Are you hurt?”  He asked.

“No.  And the beam is fixed.”  He didn’t say anything, just kept looking at you with those beautiful eyes.  After a second, “Everything is fine.  The beam is fine, I am fine. You are fine, right?”  You asked after a second, putting your hand on his chest.  His heart was beating fast still, but he had calmed down slightly.

“You’re asking if I am alright?  After you fell?”  He asked incredulously.  You just shrugged.

“I could have hurt you, and you seemed pretty upset.  Just checking you are okay too.”  He couldn’t seem to process that.  He just nodded once.   “Okay, well I am going to let you calm down and put away my stuff.”  You pushed him back slightly and he held onto you for a second before releasing you.  It was quitting time and you wanted to be anywhere but there.  You didn’t know what just happened, but you didn't like being yelled at by Gally, especially in front of everyone after doing him a favor.

     After you walked away, Gally knew he messed up.  He was really concerned and he didn’t know where these feelings came from.  And it scared him.  But what scared him most was the idea that you could have gotten hurt.  And it would have been his fault, on his watch.  And he would never forgive himself for that.  But he yelled at you and he hated himself for it.  His feelings for you were intense and they scared him.  He just hoped he hadn’t scared you away.

[convexicalcrow]

False didn't want to know. She'd heard, of course, about the skulk. About Cub. About the skulk spreading all over his base. It brought back memories she didn't want to think about. Not- not memories about, well. Well, okay, maybe memories about Cub spreading skulk all over the place, but also - more so - well. Her, really. Her sister. Sister? God, she wasn't really sure what she was anymore.

But that was two worlds away, right? She was- she would be fine. Away from her.

-

In spite of herself, she went to Cub's base and perched high on the mountainside, looking at how far the skulk had spread. It was- horrifying, really. And no one was really stopping it, or feeling concerned about this. Was False the only one worried? Was she just overreacting? Yes, of course she was.

But-

-

Gingerly, she flew down closer, seeing the straight roads and the blue fire and the deathly silence the skulk brought, even when this wasn't the right biome. It just ate sound completely. Even the fires sounded soft, muted, as if they were actually fifty blocks away. It was weird. Especially given the building styles Cub had used for the rest of his base. Sure, you could argue that the dark skulk made the bright colours all the more vivid, but there wasn't any hint of a coherent style anywhere.

It just felt-

-

She left, of course. She didn't like how it felt, being so close to the skulk. She got back to her base, focused on the circles, the dark oak, just the-

She had to pause as she caught her reflection in the water, and saw- her. It startled her so much she threw her sword into the water, breaking the reflection. No. No, she wasn't- she can't be. Right?

-

The water felt- odd. Her briefcase felt weird. Oddly heavier than usual. A new river had appeared, perhaps? Maybe that was it. Yeah. Maybe she didn't see someone else's hands as she cut down more dark oak, placed down more copper, set the portal tower on fire as if some great calamity had-

-

The fire was what triggered it all. She fled into her starter house, hiding under the blankets like a frightened child. No. Nononono. Fire danced in her mind. She had thought she'd repressed all those. Blasted them out of her mind the same way she'd done to-

But all she could smell was burning. Hear explosions. See the carnage left behind in the wreckage of her tower. Underneath her base. All the people who'd died because of her. It was- no, she was responsible, she killed those people!

And yet, when she stared at her own hands, they dripped with blood. After all, who locked her in there in the first place?

-

False returned to the skulk. Sat on the edge. Reached out to touch it a little, feel the sticky veins clinging to her skin, as if hungry to devour her soul. She wasn't sure it would be any good for it, but perhaps that was beside the point.

-

"Hey False, you okay?"

She looked up to see Cub landing before her. She shrugged. "Oh, you know." She gestured helplessly.

"It's not the skulk is it? Bringing it all back, hey?" Cub said.

She shook her head. "No, no, not- well. Sort of. You know. Just- wasn't expecting all the skulk, that's all."

"Yeah, it is maybe an odd choice, but I dunno, I think it looks better than the grass here, don't you think?" Cub said, coming to sit beside her.

"Yeah, I guess so. Makes the colours pop, that kind of thing," she said.

"Yeah! You see it!" Cub said. "It makes them so bright, I love it!"

-

"Hey, Cub, do you ever think about the crossover? And what happened there?" False said, staring at the ground.

"Every now and then, sure. They were good times, good times," Cub said.

"Even though I saved you from the skulk?"

Cub shrugged. "I mde my peace with it. What about you, though? I heard there was some kind of imposter over there? Another False?"

False brought her knees up to her chest. She frowned. "It's complicated."

"Oh, was Scar right when he said it was a clone or something?"

"I mean..."

-

"Was it Area 77? Or before that?" Cub asked.

"I don't think I even remember anymore. But probably. I-I didn't mean to, like. She-she was just meant to be like-"

Cub rubbed her back softly. They were sitting on his bed in his starter house now, having needed to retreat from the night. False leaned against him, reaching for his hand. Cub linked their fingers together.

"I dunno why I find it so hard to talk to anyone other than you about this. It's not like you even really understand, but- I dunno. You were there, I guess. You saw what was going on there. You know. You get it," she said. "You know what it's like to be kept in the dark."

"Hm, maybe."

She was right back in Falsewell then. Cub - well, he looked different back then, but his energy had never changed. The two of them standing by the motel, trying to catch a glance of anything inside Area 77. Wondering.

-

She'd started crying as the fire returned. Cub offered to help. Maybe she held his hand tight as he used some of those Vex powers to make her forget. Maybe it didn't quite work, but maybe it was enough to dampen the flames.

She'd do it again, of course. If she ever came back, if she ever found her here, she'd do the same again. She had to. She was too dangerous.

There was no way she could get here, of course, there was no Grumbot, no Rift, no way to connect to that world, but-

-

"She's probably so lonely, isn't she? Stuck there on her own?" she murmured into the darkness. Cub's body was a heater that she needed right now.

"Maybe, maybe. You'd still leave her there, wouldn't you?"

She nodded.

"Well, there you go."

[fistsoflightning]

the art of disguise

ffxivwrite2023 12: DOWDY (of a person or their clothes) unfashionable and unstylish in appearance

minfilia, thancred, & zaya get ready for an investigation. 1198 wc.

Given that Zaya lost a good few years of memories to whatever-it-was-they-did-during-the-Calamity bridging the gap between leaving behind the Azim Steppe and waking up in an infirmary tent to Carteneau’s ruins, they could recall very few moments in their life where they had to stop and wonder what, exactly, had led them here. Usually it was in the wake of something especially dire or foolish happening, which they had been told their standards for dire and foolish were far different from the average Eorzean’s definition.

This, they thought while struggling to find which damn hole in the cowl their head was supposed to fit through with what little light seeped through the thin fabric—this was shaping up to be one of those moments.

Zaya could barely remember exactly why it was that Minfilia and Thancred had brought them here, and were now watching them try on an assortment of clothing that would suitably hide their Auri features from a distance. It had something to do with the recent Immortal Flames investigation that Thancred had been scolded for being too nosy about, and their status as Bloodsworn within the Flames, even though Zaya wasn’t sure whether they still counted as one after Raubahn told them to rest after the Calamity and hadn’t called for them since. Beyond that—something about a temple, priests, and primals? There was a reason Zaya wasn’t an official part of the new organization Minfilia was leading, despite being regularly called upon when they were in need of a good fighter. Most of the reason they kept accepting Minfilia’s requests for aid was the pay, which they could use to buy more things for the refugee camp, rather than any faith in what budding friendship they might have with the two Scions currently laughing behind their hands at their misery—

They made a small noise in triumph as they found which opening was meant for their head, and slipped their head through carefully. Luckily, the tips of their horns didn’t catch on the thin hempen cloth like they did with the other cowl, now draped over Minfilia’s desk with two large tears running up the front.

The new problem, Zaya found, was that this cowl was absolutely too large. Even Oktai’s Nhaama-cursed attempts at sewing together deels from the woolen cloth Taban made from her sheep would have fit better. They stuck their arms through the sleeves and found their hands at least four ilms short of reaching the other end, as if they were wearing a poorly fitted terleg, and though the waist now fell loosely enough that their tail didn’t feel trapped, it was now definitely too loose. The hood—which now had enough space for their horns to not be obviously pushing against the sides—draped past their forehead and over their eyes. When they shoved it back up with a frown and held it there with their hand balled up beneath the too-long sleeve, Minfilia and Thancred were looking at them with wide eyes.

“I may have underestimated how… lithe Zaya was,” Thancred said with a smile on his face that Zaya didn’t think was as apologetic as he tried to make it be. They squinted at him from the shadow of the cowl’s hood until he shifted his weight and schooled his face again, clearing his throat before he added, “I did have the wisdom to grab a rope belt along the way, but I… well.”

He gestured towards Zaya’s feet; the bottom hem of the cowl, which was supposed to fall somewhere between just below their knees and midway down their shin, was instead resting on the rug.

“Pray tell, Thancred,” Minfilia said, walking over from Thancred’s side across the room to pull the fabric at Zaya’s waist; her face scrunched up with a far-too-amused-but-tight smile when they shifted away from her touch and she saw for herself just how poorly this stupid cowl fit them, “what sizing did this merchant give you?”

Thancred’s brow furrowed, crossing his arms in thought. “I’m quite certain I asked for the two smallest in Hyuran sizing, if that’s what you’re getting at, my dear. Though perhaps…”

Minfilia took one last discerning look at them, her bright smile contrasting what Zaya felt like was a pout on their own face, before she looked back and said, “Thancred. Midlander or Highlander?”

Zaya wasn’t terribly clear on the difference between the two, beyond knowing it was two separate clans of Hyur, but Thancred understood well enough. He pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered something under his breath.

Minfilia laughed, a light sound that made them feel a little less frustrated with their state of dress. “One of both, then. The merchant must not have known what to do. And I suppose it’s too late in the day to go searching for alterations, or something less ill-fitting…”

Ill-fitting was a severe understatement, Zaya felt, trying to roll up the sleeves only for the thin, loose fabric to fall right back over their hands. They looked like that trio of kids among the Ala Mhigan refugees at camp who stacked on top of each other’s shoulders in a robe the other week to try and get more food, and felt about twice as silly doing so.

“I’d hardly say too late,” Thancred said with a tired sigh. He pushed off from where he was leaning on Minfilia’s desk to join the two of them, and Zaya looked up barely enough to see his hand reaching out to them beneath the brim of the hood, which had fallen back over their forehead again. “It may prove to be a hassle, but better a little trouble over making poor Zaya walk around with me in—”

Before Thancred could touch the cowl, Zaya snapped their arm up in front of them and let the excess fabric slap him across the face; he sputtered and stumbled backwards, though (hopefully) not in pain. Minfilia, not expecting the way they’d gone about things, gasped in surprise, and they took that moment to pull away from her hand too and shuffle towards their pack, still open on the small couch in front of the solar’s fireplace. They were sure they had it on them, it would be stupid not to…

Behind them, they felt Minfilia and Thancred come close enough to peer over their shoulders as their fingers brushed against the right bundle in their pack. They felt around for a few moments more—the hood still falling in front of their eyes was making things difficult, even as they leaned over the back of the couch and gravity brought it away from being directly in front of their face—and then they pulled out a small box that rattled with every movement. Smiling, Zaya turned to take one of Thancred’s hands and slapped the box into his palm eagerly before they started to roll up their sleeves again.

Thancred stared at them curiously for a few moments before Minfilia stepped around Zaya and opened the box in Thancred’s hands to reveal an assortment of sewing pins, colorful glass heads sticking out from everywhere in the mass of sharp metal.

[shade-pup-cub]

Oh look... I haven't hurt Warriors on here yet.

The usual warnings: blood, injury, death

Notes: This is my personal HC for Warriors era and the boy Trevor is Wars adopted son.

When Dametrius and the two heroes landed in Warriors era, they had swords drawn. There was a gathering of several dozen uniformed men in the distance making a circle around someone or something. Chants and cheers could be heard and it was for someone's death.

Ice filled Dametrius's veins when he saw blond hair and a green tunic with a single armored shoulder in the center of the men. This wasn't a training exercise, this was the traitors to the crown ambushing Warriors.

The three of them could see the blood across the Captain's tunic through the gaps between men and they began to charge the men at full speed.

To their right came Shade's wolf form headed in the same direction. To the left was a new animal, a large white Stag, galloping towards the men in everyone's sights. Dametrius felt the air change, looked to his right and caught a glimpse of Twilight shifting into his wolf form.

The god spread his wings so he could get Wild into the air for an archery advantage as he could slow time down in the air. He stayed out of his son's way by going above him and to the other side of the ring of men. His whip grabbed two mens' feet that were close together, pulling them out from under them. He flung them through the air, then brought them back, meeting them with his sword.

The two wolves ripped the traitors apart with their teeth and claws, trying desperately to get to their brother.

The Stag, Hyrule, bugled as it used its massive antlers as weapons, piercing one man then slicing another. He even stood on his back legs to trample a few men with his sharp hooves. His pure white coat of fur he got from the purity of his mother’s waters quickly became red.

One man screamed as a pink rabbit lept into action, latching his harsh teeth to the side of their neck and kicked his back legs to get as much damage as he could in. Who said bunnies don’t bite?

Dametrius bit back a laugh when one man frantically tried to take off his armor and tunic. Two mice had snuck their way into the man’s clothes and were biting him. It wouldn’t kill, but it was enough to let Wild stick an arrow between the soldier's eyes.

The two birds in the sky dive bombed and scratched at the men's faces to repel them away.

Wild used the rain that began to pour to his advantage, gathering it into small orbs and covering the faces of the closest soldiers to him, effectively drowning them. He pulled out his best sword and attacked with a rage that the father hadn’t seen since the war with Damise or even The Calamity.

The war god, two heroes and the spirits doubled down their fight when they heard Warriors holler in pain. There were still too many for the Captain to hold off on his own. The turncoats were stabbing and slashing with no breaks between them.

There were only about ten left when Dametrius called for Wild, "Wild, up!" The son knew what that meant, running as fast as he could to him. The father launched him into the air one last time to snipe the last few he could.

Two left, but it was too late…

"DAD! No, let me see him! Please!!" Trevor was being held back by Artemis and Impa. The late teen had a sword and shield on his back, clearly wanting to protect his father. He slipped from the queen's hold just as the last enemy soldier was slain.

Dametrius was the closest to Wars as the Captain stumbled, sword ran through his abdomen and still lodged in him. Warriors touched the gushing wound in his torso, looked up at the god, then collapsed to one knee. Damertrius was at his side before he fell into the mud. "Wars!"

"H-hey, glad to s-see ya." The Captain had a bit of blond scruff on his face, hair a bit longer and new battle scars. His clothes were torn to nearely shreds, painted red with not only his blood and he was already struggling to keep his eyes open.

"Always a pleasure to see you Cap, but we gotta stop meeting you like this."

"Ha, this isn't known as the War Era for no reason. This is normal." The god rolled his eyes. "Though, if I remember correctly, this isn't the first time we have been in this po-position."

Dametrius remembered the time during the war when Mask put on the mask he was stored in. Wars had nearly died that day and had to be carried off the field. "Again, we need to stop meeting like this." He received a chuckle.

Wild and Twilight were now at the Cap's side, blood smeared across clothing and skin. "You two look like shit."

Twilight half laughed, "Don't rub it in, pretty boy."

Wild kept the light hearted mood too. "I see you don't have your scarf. Lose it?"

"Unfortunately so. Feels wrong to die without it."

"Here." Wild pulled out his slate and a blue scarf appeared. Dawn had found a chest near the castle while exploring and inside was the Hero of Warriors scarf.

"No way…" The corners of Warriors mouth turned up as Wild looped it around the man's neck loosely. "Thanks Champ or more appropriately, your Majesty."

"Shut up Cap." Wild laughed with a sad smile. "There is no need for formalities between brothers."

"Dad!" Trevor slid on his knees in the mud, landing next to his father.

Wars raised a hand to his boy's face, thumbing away a tear that slipped. "Are y-you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"No sir, but we gotta get you back to the castle. You need to get to the infirmary."

"Too late for that."

Trevor shook his head, "No, n-no it isn't! We can get you a potion or a fairy, something."

Dametrius could see Wars heart twist with the expression on his face. "I'm sorry, but nothing is going to work now." He smiled up at his boy. "It's okay. It's all going to be okay."

Trevor's lip quivered, "How, how is everything going to be okay if you aren't here?"

"Because the world still has you in it. It doesn't need me like it needs you." When the all too soon to be young man let out a sob, he pulled him down into his arms, a hand in his hair while the other held onto his tunic. "The greatest honor in this life wasn't being a hero, but calling you my son. You are the greatest thing that ever happened in my life." He kissed the black hair above Trevor's ear.

Heads were bowed in silence to allow the father and son to have their goodbye. The silence was interrupted by War asking for someone to pull the sword from his body. When Trevor went to sit up, a sign of respect and mercy to the one who raised him, Wars held him tighter. "Not you, I don't want you to have that as a memory. J-just stay right here like this, let the last thing I feel be you."

Dametrius was still supporting Wars in his arms, leaving the other two to make the decision. Twilight gripped the sword's hilt and pulled it smoothing from the body it was embedded in.

Warriors tried to hold back his sounds of agony, but they all knew how horrific the pain really was. He tried suppressing his coughing fit as blood filled his mouth, pooling on his throat as it ran down his chin and neck with the ongoing rain. His eyes grew clouded as he took his last struggling breath.

Trevor gave one last trembling squeeze before letting go. He looked so defeated and small. Dametrius was about to give him some sort of encouragement, but the sounds of soldiers, maidens and civilians screaming in the castle and from Castle Town had everyone's attention.

The stone walls of the castle cracked causing massive boulders to fall. A tower split from its foundation, toppling over to crush anyone inside of it and where it landed, but it didn't. As it collided with the mud ground, the materials turned to dust. All around them the structures were being wiped from earth. Even the people were.

"What is happening?" Trevor looked at himself. The others were stunned into silence. Trevor was disappearing before their eyes. This whole era was disappearing from history.

Dametrius was the first to snap out of it when Trevor was no more. "We gotta go, now!" He picked Warriors up into his arms and summoned a portal to the first place he could think of. Home.

The spirits bolted towards the portal and disappeared like a Blurpee would when it sees someone.

The ground gave way under the remaining people, making them fall into darkness. The god summoned another portal to exactly where they were falling and they landed harshly on solid ground.

Warriors was still in the deity's arms, Wild was half on top of Twilight, but all were safe.

"Dear, what is all the-" Freya gasped. "My goodness, Twilight? Is, is that Warriors?"

"Hi ya Mama Fierce." Twi croaked.

Dametrius barely got his eyes open when his wife began to help him and the others sit up. He couldn't think of another place to be in the heat of the moment, but now he was regretting it. "Where is Asti?" His eyes scanned for his daughter, praying she wasn't near.

"She went home earlier this afternoon." The house in Hateno was now Asti's though she still spent a good deal of time in Akkala and at the castle.

"Good." He pushed Warriors soaked bangs from his eyes with a heavy sigh. "I wasn't expecting it to turn out like that."

Wild helped steady Twi, who seemed to have a harder time recovering from the shift. "What did we see happen? Why did everything suddenly get removed from time?"

The god thought for a moment. "That era was created because Hylia wanted to have a new start, but the consequences were clearly not what she thought them to be. She created a world around one person, a Link, a hero. The day the hero dies, the world dies with him." The silence was heavy.

Twilight ran a hand over his exhausted expression. "We need to bury him."

Wild nodded. "We will. He will have a proper funeral at the castle. The one he deserves."

"Hello? Anyone there?" From behind a tree, the teen spirit of Warriors walked out. He couldn't see the living right in front of him, but the spirits of the others weren't far away. They were all in a line and gave a bow to their once Captain.

Hyrule pranced over gracefully and knelt down far enough for Wars to jump onto his back. The boy seemed mesmerized by the animal as he ran his fingers through the white fur.

Shade nipped Wars ankle playfully as they began to walk away, causing him to laugh. Legend bounded up from the wolf's shoulders, into Cap's arms. Four and Shadow sat on his shoulder as the two in the sky soared above.

The living watched the spirits of their brothers enter the afterlife with smiles and laughter.

Twilight stuck around that night to help prep Wars body, much like they all had for Four and took part in the ceremony. The next morning Wild and Flora gave the fallen the burial that a high ranking officer deserved to have, a hero of Hyrule deserved to have.

[vojtankonikasch]

The early life of the Crimson Scythe

1. Growth and Discovery.

During the later years of the calamity, a promising Hrothgar was born, under the queen Danieula Anika. Growing up he was immediately pushed to become a lance wielding honorable man in her army by his mother and father. His name was Vojtanko Anika, and he was a natural, but there was something off about him. He couldn’t quite fit in with the rest of the guard, he always had headaches, and he was especially sensitive to others’ emotions. He always tried his absolute best to hide these moments of pain and faint but apparent heightened empathy, but it was always hard for him as around some it almost became debilitating, and that led to his downfall. Ultimately, he was rejected from joining the queen’s guard because his headaches would cause him to fall to his knees in the middle of spars when emotions ran high.

Upon hearing the news he decided it would be in his best interest to try and get an understanding of what these headaches were, how to manage them, and hopefully one day how to get rid of them. He tried to go to his parents to find out if they knew anyone who could help, only to be met with a cold shoulder and silence. His friends and sparring partners treated him the same, there was nobody who wanted to even be associated with him.

He couldn’t be prepared for what he was going to go through, the ridicule from his peers, the disappointment and resentment from his parents, nothing could prepare him for this. He felt lost, confused, and scared. He was thrown out for his failure, left on the streets and with no support. From this day forward he would be known as Vojtanko Nikasch, the traveling disappointment, the boy who couldn’t even fight anyone. He then exiled himself and ran from his kingdom, as futile an effort it may be to try and leave an impression on the land of his birth, he knew he could be of use somewhere, for someone.

He wandered and survived off of small creatures he could kill using traps for many months, all the while refining his skills with a spear, though without any formal training and no sparring partners, he was still only barely able to hold his own against any beast that happened upon him. Eventually, through many trials making his way through what is now known as “The Burn” and over mountains, his travels brought him to a small settlement mainly composed of Hyur-like creatures with scales, who he later learned were called Au’ra. The moment he was spotted by them, he was overwhelmed with fear that they would feel that he was just as useless as the people of his home land had.

Luckily for him, that couldn’t be any further from the truth. As it stood, the Au’ra were intimidated to see such a hulking figure appear, one that even rivaled the size of the tribe’s leader. Said leader was only 75% of Vojtanko’s height and muscle mass, but even he could tell the leader was more than 5 times the warrior he was. If there were anyone he could learn from it would be this man. Eventually Vojtanko learned that this man was named Takeshige Ishiku. Though he could understand what they were saying perfectly, at first he struggled to speak with them for about a week or two, picking up on their language rather simply. He even managed to make a couple friends, many of them showing appreciation for his acts of service around the settlement, which is called Malaguld, and is apparently one of the only tribes around that will allow those who are exiled or fleeing persecution, a political safe haven. While he was happy being of use to these people, he wanted to learn more about hunting, so he decided he would speak with Takeshige about where it would be best for him to find animals that he can bring down. Vojtanko was told of a spot near the mountain ranges of the east, back towards The Burn, where he had come from, that the leader thought he would be the most accustomed to after having spent months in the mountains and plains on his adventure.

2. The Defiant Damsel.

After a few days of preparation, Vojtanko set out for the base of the tail mountains a few malms east of the Malaguld settlement in search of creatures that could feed the people he cares so deeply about. It couldn’t be that simple though, because he happened upon another Au’ra, who appeared to be injured, and with what he now knew was called his “Echo” he could tell she was in pain but for one reason or another happy. He set up camp with her and decided he would help tend to her wounds. There were small cuts across her face and a couple of more serious wounds that stopped him from just taking her over to the settlement right away.

She was very tight lipped and closed off for a good while, only letting Vojtanko near her to dress her wounds and even then having a reluctant look on her face the whole time. After about a week, with Vojtanko hunting to feed them both and cleaning her wounds when she would let him, she would slowly begin to warm up to him, even saying her name. 

“Gemini” the Au’ra woman would mutter every now and then when Vojtanko would be cooking and ask whether he could clean her dressings yet; Though he wouldn’t hear it until she started saying it a bit louder.

“Well then it’s nice to meet you Gemini, my name is Vojtanko. I’m a green hunter for the nearby Malaguld settlement.” The words seemed to fall flat when he said them, leading to an awkward silence between the two while they ate the meat which neither knew the creature it came from. Vojtanko could tell that she knows more than she is letting on, but he didn’t want to pressure someone he had just met and get brought back to square one because Gemini didn’t trust him anymore.

Soon enough though, Gemini started to open up more, explaining how she hadn’t been in the wilderness long before a bear attacked her, and she was lucky that Vojtanko had found her. She was unsure if her wounds would be fatal and didn’t know where the nearest settlement was to find a medically inclined person.

“My dressings may not be the best, but it should be enough to get you on your feet again,” Vojtanko would say matter of fact as ever. “Speaking of which, why don’t we try to get you hunting with me, it would do your body good to be moving and using the injured arm.” He stood up and offered his hand to help Gemini up, and after a moment of solemn consideration she would accept his helping hand, and stood with him. Later that day, the two of them would find themselves in a nearby clearing where there was a bounty of berries and a variety of fruits and vegetables that they could see themselves harvesting all day if Vojtanko’s stomach hadn’t started growling. It was then that a beast the size of Vojtanko lumbered into the clearing, knocking aside brush and smaller trees as if they were made of paper.

 Gemini’s instinct’s kicked in and she ran behind a tree, Vojtanko sensed the fear coming from her and whipped around to see what was wrong, finding himself about 10 yalms from the creature with it closing the distance fast. Time seemed to slow down as the distance became less and less, the options clearly laying themselves out in front of him; He could try and jump out of the way to give himself some time, but that would put Gemini in danger, he could yell out for her to run and try his best to grapple this hulking thing, the only thing he couldn’t do was pull out his weapon, the cumbersome spear was no use in this situation with the beast nearly upon him.

Before he could even curse his spear for being so unintuitive for close ranges like this, the beast slashed at Vojtanko, he couldn’t think too much right now or both him and his already injured companion would die. The only option he had was to try and grapple with the beast and tell Gemini to run, so that’s exactly what he did.

“Gemini, RUN!” He managed to get out as he got low and jumped at the creature, barely managing to knock it off balance enough to grab his spear from his back to truly stand a chance against something this wildly strong. Throughout the motion of throwing the beast back and grabbing his weapon, he could tell Gemini hadn’t moved an inch, whether it was out of fear or shear awe he didn’t have time to care about, he just knew he had to either turn and run, leading the beast to their camp or fight it off and see to it that Gemini made it back to his settlement where she can get proper medical treatment.

There was something different about his vision, but all he needed to see he still could, so he went around to the side of the beast and jumped on its back, jamming the head of the spear into its spine, trying to sever the spinal column and render the thing unable to move. That didn’t quite work, but it did seem to make the creature afraid more than angry so that was a positive. Vojtanko put as much of his weight as he could into the next stab, successfully hitting the back of its neck, cutting the connection between the brain and the rest of the body so he could put this terrifying beast out of its misery. Vojtanko then lept to the ground and turned, stabbing the spear into the beast’s eye and directly to the brain, finally killing it for good before it could even slump down after the previous hit.

Vojtanko took out a small knife and used the flat of the blade to look at his face, seeing that his left eye had been slashed in the fight, a stream of blood coming from both above and below it, which explained why he was having trouble seeing anything but red come from that side. He decided the best course of action would be to cut off a portion of his shirt to act as a makeshift bandage and eyepatch to keep it from getting seriously infected until he could get back home.

In the meantime, Gemini was frozen in place still, starstruck at what she had just seen, the finest specimen she had seen in terms of combat in years, and she knew this was the one she had to bring back with her. Vojtanko could finally sense the emotion she felt, and was confused at what he was feeling. Was it fear? No, that’s not quite it anymore. It was something more akin to amazement. Regardless of what it was, he had managed to kill the thing that seemed to be what injured Gemini, and now he had to skin it and harvest meat from it for them to eat before heading back.

Doing this without vision in his left eye was even clumsier than it would have been before, Vojtanko having very little knowledge of the creature and what would still be good meat. He decided to make a sled out of tree limbs and some rope he carried with him, load up the beast, and bring it back to an area near their camp, far enough that other creatures wouldn’t be able to find the tents and fire, but close enough that they didn’t have to walk too far.

“Is..Is your eye okay?” Gemini would ask after the food had been cooked, both sitting down next to the fire and he had taken the cloth off of his face to replace it with a more proper dressing.

“Something tells me we need to head back in the morning, and you’re welcome to come and get better medical care than I can offer there,” Vojtanko would offer up, trying to keep the subject off of his sudden lack of a working eye while seeing if she trusted him enough to go with him to a settlement she seemingly knew nothing of.

After some time thinking, Gemini figured it would probably be best that they head to his camp in the morning and for the time being dropped the subject of his eye, nodding as she replied “That seems to be the only good course of action in this situation.”

The two finished their meal which consisted of carrots, a fine steak the beast had produced, and some berries that Vojtanko deemed safe to eat from his experience on his first trek through these woods then retired to their tents, uneasily sleeping until the crack of dawn, when Vojtanko woke up and clearing any evidence of their being there, taking down his tent and packing it up, taking a look into Gemini’s tent to wake her up, and thinking she looked so peaceful sleeping after what happened and finding it a little strange, all things considered. He decided not to worry too much about it because there were more pressing matters at hand.

“Gemini, it’s time to get going, wake up,” He said as he shook her awake, her jumping a little and bolting upright with his hand on her shoulder. Seeing she was awake and seemed to be sleeping nude, he decided he would step out and let her get dressed, though he couldn’t help but notice some old scars along her back that didn’t look like something natural caused it, something more manmade. Some time later, she stepped out of the tent, fully clothed and fully awake. Vojtanko tore down her tent much like he did his, and packed it away in a small bag for her to carry while he carried his and pulled the sled. The two set out on their journey back to his home and were greeted with open arms, though Gemini less so. 

3. Triumphant Return.

Vojtanko had brought back the beast more or less cut up into proper portion sizes for the people of the encampment, and stopped the sled they fashioned in front of the community bonfire, dragging Gemini along on his back to the medical tent, where he placed her on a cot and sat on one of his own opposite hers. Gemini had just fallen asleep, but Vojtanko knew her wounds needed better medical care than he could offer, so he told the nurses to look after her first because they were much more serious than his.

Eventually, after some convincing, Vojtanko took off his bandage and let the nurses have a look, and they weren’t shocked to see that his eye had been rendered almost entirely useless save for the eyelid, and delivered the unfortunate news that he would no longer be able to see out of that eye for the rest of his life. 

Almost like it was planned, Gemini started to wake up as this was said, sitting up and saying “Is it true? His eye isn’t going to work anymore? How poor is medical care here that they can’t even replace a damaged eye?”

This shocked even Vojtanko, to hear that there was a place so advanced that they can replace an eye, an idea only thought to be Allagan in nature. His ears perked up and he could feel genuine concern coming from Gemini, he turned and asked “Where is it you hail from that your people can?”

Gemini seemed to shrink back as if she had said too much after being asked that, but reluctantly answered “I don’t feel comfortable answering that question,” That was that, the last thing she said until the nurses felt comfortable letting them head back to his housing, and they were alone.

Vojtanko was even more curious now, wondering if he could have his eye replaced and come back to hunt even better, so he asked “What do I have to do to get my eye fixed? I’m willing to do anything, travel as far as it takes.”

“My current home land, Garlemald, but don’t tell anyone the name of it,” Gemini would say in a whispering tone, as if she didn’t want others to hear besides Vojtanko. It was settled, Vojtanko wanted to come back with a fixed eye, but he hadn’t the foggiest idea where he would have to go, so he offered to have Gemini lead him to where this would take place, and she quickly agreed.

4. The Dangers of Strangers.

Vojtanko decided he would talk to the leader that night and tell him of his plans. Takeshige was quick to be reluctant as Vojtanko had just gotten home that afternoon, but he could tell that there was something driving the Hrothgar to go, and decided to let him follow Gemini to her home land. After this, Vojtanko attended the ceremony to appoint him a fully fledged hunter for the Malaguld. That night, and for many nights to come, the tribe ate well. The following morning, Vojtanko awoke to Gemini shaking him much like he had with her the day before.

She seemed rushed, and almost ushered him through getting fully dressed and picking up his bag that she had packed for him. Within 15 minutes they were outside the gate of the settlement, leaving in a hurry towards Garlemald. The name seemed familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on it, and he wasn’t too worried about why, as he could only think of having his eye fixed so he could come back and hunt. Over the course of a day, they had gone through the clearing where they had just been the other night, and started going over the mountains towards the Burn, with night quickly approaching they decided to set up camp in a nearby empty cave that Vojtanko had used before on his way over the same stretch of mountaintops. The two ate their share of meat and berries that night, which they had brought with them as they left, much to Vojtanko’s surprise that she remembered to pack such a full meal.

Soon enough, Vojtanko asked “When I woke you yesterday, I saw scars, and they didn’t look like something a creature would make, much too clean. What caused them?” which was met with silence for a good long while, letting Gemini work up the courage to respond.

“They weren’t caused by anything that I can remember, but I don’t want to go into that too deeply,” Gemini finally broke the silence with after a long moment of thinking, a stern tone to her voice, and a distinct feeling of discomfort coming off of her, letting Vojtanko know not to pry much further. With that, the two ended up finishing the meal in near silence, only the sounds of the meat tearing apart and the simple wooden utensils knocking against each other rising above the crackle of the fire. Eventually, they retired to their tent, having grown accustomed to each other enough that they consider it fine to sleep in the same tent to save space and time.

Vojtanko couldn’t fall asleep that night, acutely aware of the idea of hurting her emotionally, which he had never felt before, and was unsure how to deal with it. Eventually though, he did manage to fall asleep, only to be wracked with nightmares unlike any before, one particular nightmare included Gemini being pushed closer and closer toward the edge of the cliff they were on, and he bolted up from his sleep, deciding to sit on the ground next to her bed and watching the entrance of the tent, which lasted until early into the morning until Gemini woke up and saw him there.

She was confused, but she thought it was almost cute, and she gave him an uncharacteristically gentle hug. After making them breakfast, she helped Vojtanko pack up the tent and erase the evidence of them being there, walking out to the pathway up to the peaks and flagging down Vojtanko to follow her.

Slowly but surely, they climbed up the rest of the mountain, and put the safety and security of the Nhaama behind them. Surprising Vojtanko, there was an empire craft waiting for them to take them to Garlemald, and he was about to question it until Gemini snapped her fingers, blew a powder in his face, and the last thing he saw was two imperial soldiers coming out to drag him into the craft, and Gemini caressing his face, looking sorry but not showing any feeling behind it in any way, even with his Echo.

5. An eye for an eye.

The abduction and transport to Garlemald went surprisingly well, with Vojtanko putting up almost no resistance, and even showing sympathy toward Gemini’s situation, though she couldn’t say the same. She would find herself eating a much better plate than she had made Vojtanko, even the night before. Staring out the window and shuddering at the idea that she could possibly have someone feel sympathetic for her, knowing just how cruel she could be. Truthfully, she wanted to find some reason for him to hate her, but she had no clue how his mind worked. 

Before long, their craft ended up landing without incident, and she called for more soldiers to take Vojtanko to her lab, where he was to be tied down to the table and kept sedated until she was finished with him. No less than 10 minutes later, she confirmed that Vojtanko was in fact restrained well enough and got to work, replacing the destroyed eye with a crimson one and enhancing the Hrothgar’s teeth and claws, replacing them with Magitek prosthetics, making sure to implant a chip where he would be hard pressed to reach that would ensure his compliance or he would feel immeasurable pain and would enable her to kill him if he were to disobey too much.

After she was done, she pumped him with a stimulant to wake him up. Still drowsy, he was confused, but he could see out of his left eye again, so he immediately was overjoyed, excited for the fact that he could now see that Gemini, in a new outfit he had never seen before, was standing over him with an eerie smirk on her face, and he could tell that she was feeling accomplished with herself.

There were other things he could now see though, and he would find himself looking around the room, seeing other patients lying around, in different states of disarray, and there was even one with their hands clutching their left eye socket. Putting two and two together, he found himself mortified that his new friend who he cares so much about would do this to someone else, and feel nothing but pride.

Before he could think anything else, he was met with a sharp pain emanating from his entire body, causing him to tense up and turn his head back forward, Gemini holding his face in her hand and staring into his eyes, that same evil grin looking down at him as she caressed his face again.

“Vojtanko, you have amazing potential, I can’t have you feeling bad for someone who gave so much so you could thrive,” Gemini stated, tapping his temple before standing back straight, the bed Vojtanko was strapped to suddenly raising straight vertical and the restraints releasing.

Stepping off the bed, Vojtanko felt a bit stronger and lighter than before, and there was some aching in his fingertips and his jaws, but he was still himself. He did a little bit of stretching to limber up, but was met with scared looks from the soldiers around him, who he remembered as the ones who Gemini called to drag him into the craft, and he got upset at the memory of it. He turned to Gemini and tried to speak, but the moment he moved he was met with that same immeasurable pain, causing him to collapse to the ground and cry out in pain.

Once the pain went away, he slowly stood again, meeting Gemini’s stare of disgust with one of his own, but he was unsure how much more of that he could take, so he dared not try and speak out again. He was led down the halls of the lab to a weapons room, where there was his old spear, broken and rendered useless. Front and center behind the broken memento of his past, there was an intricate sickle that was meant to replace it, its blade a deep crimson to match his eye.

To be continued

[wolves-on-ice]

2. I feel the waves getting started

The sorority house next to the Wolves’ frat hosted the best parties. At least, Harry thought so. One had to bring alcohol to get in, but the girls always prepared some refreshments out of it. And only at the first party of the year they even baked all kinds of desserts. Harry’s friend Sarah was the sorority president. Thanks to her, they were always invited to these kinds of events. She was probably the fiercest girl he had ever met. Most of the people he knew were just a little afraid of her. Nevertheless, she was well respected and loved.     

Harry came with a few boys from the team an hour after the party officially started. The sorority house was decorated with light blue lights that created together a giant Greek symbol. From the windows and above the front door were hung three Swiss flags. Sort of an inside joke on the campus indicating that the house is neutral ground. Therefore, the Wolves and the Calamity boys couldn’t kill each other there. For obvious reasons, most fights between the two were resolved on the sidewalk right in front of the building if Harry didn’t count the rink.     

Harry was just sitting on a couch on the patio with Luke and Ashton when he saw Mitch disappear in the direction Sarah was in. That seemed to be a frequent reality lately. He wasn’t sure if Mitch had any chance with the sorority president but let the man dream.     

Harry and the rest of the boys were drinking beer when Niall appeared out of thin air with a bag of weed in hand and two joints behind his ears. “Party just came, gentlemen,” he said and sat on the garden chair.     

“Is it from Malik? Because the rivalry aside, he has the best weed,” said Ashton and leaned over to take one of the joints, “I fucking love Malik’s weed.”     

“Well thank you, Irwin,” Harry didn’t even notice Zayn as he came right behind Niall and now sat on the other couch, “I have heard that young Grimshaw made the first line. What a joke.”     

It was obvious bait and Harry wasn’t in the mood to argue with anyone, especially not the Calamity center. He came to have a good time. No one batted an eye at Zayn’s comment and everyone just started smoking. Why would you make an enemy out of someone who just brought weed? And they had their first match next Friday. Most of the boys preferred to throw punches on ice than out of it. Harry was glad. He didn’t want anyone to injure themselves right before the season officially started.     

The drug made the pain in his knee a little less prominent. It was a week since the first training and Harry was starting to get more and more frustrated. He couldn’t stop favoring his other leg when he skated. That put him at disadvantage, especially when the team knew him and his tricks so well. He pried himself in his unexpected and creative plays. However, he lost a puck more times than he could count and Niall caught most of his shots. The ones that ended up in the net felt like a pure coincidence.     

But he didn’t want to be thinking about shitty performance in trainings and his injury. The joints made a couple of rounds and Harry sank into the cushions that felt like clouds. Girls always have the best taste in comfortable pillows. His thoughts flew around him in lovely spirals so he didn’t pay much attention to the conversation around him. But then he heard something that immediately caught his notice.     

“Aren’t you a little pissed that you didn’t make captain?” It was Luke who asked Zayn. Harry straightened up his spine and focused his gaze on Zayn. He didn’t seem to be annoyed by the question. On the contrary. He looked like he expected it.     

“Louis’s wonderful player, so not at all,” Zayn shrugged. Harry couldn’t help but grimace. A little laugh escaped his lips. Maybe he was indeed in the mode to argue. “You have a problem, Styles?” Zayn asked and narrowed his eyes at him.     

“I’m sure his father’s money is a wonderful asset to the team. What player Austin is, we’ll see on Friday.” Harry replied slowly. God, he should ease up with the weed. He didn’t smoke anything during his recovery and now he felt hazy.     

“His father, as you say, has nothing to do with his current position. If that’s what you implying.”     

“I’m not implying anything. Geez, calm down,” Harry was starting to feel irritated, “I only hope that the new sweaters will compliment your complexion.” He almost didn’t notice that Zayn stood up and was walking towards him. He had to giggle a little bit at the seriousness of Zayn’s expression. Maybe that was the weed’s fault but the situation was completely absurd. Of course, Troy Austin’s son would have special treatment. Of course, he would get the captain spot without even trying.     

Suddenly, Zayn was in his personal space and holding his shirt with both hands, “You don’t know shit about Louis, so shut the fuck up.” How he moved so fast, Harry’s stoned brain couldn’t comprehend.     

“What the fuck, Malik,” Harry tried to shake Zayn’s hands away but he was holding him tight, “I don’t give a shit how that silver spoon cunt secured your spot,” oh he should definitely shut up now. But he had six weeks of frustration from the injury and nineteen years of worse frustration from his entire life bottling inside of him when he had to fight for every opportunity. Unlike Zayn, unlike Oli, and now unlike Louis fucking Austin. His father wasn’t a legendary player Troy Austin and his mother most definitely didn’t play in PHF like Malik’s. Harry was not a jealous person, but he had every right to feel the injustice in the hockey world. “I just think that’s kinda pathetic for you to crawl into Austin’s ass so deep we can’t even see your fucking legs. But that’s life, I guess. Right?”     

At least the first hit from Zayn was deserved. And exactly the reaction Harry was expecting. His blood was pumping with anticipation when he quickly jumped up and landed his hit to Zayn’s jaw. The weed made him a little slower, but he was always fast enough when it came to fistfights. In his peripheral vision, he saw people running to the patio and heard someone screaming. God, he promised Sarah that he’ll not provoke fights tonight.     

FL WILDCATS     

InPayne: Don’t you think that the ig post is a bit much after yesterday?     

Gabriella: don’t know what you talking about     

InPayne: For sure.    

Gabriella: you liked it     

Whoran: That Ellie looks cute. Mind if I slide into hers dms or..?     

InPayne: H, you or me?     

Gabriella: I’ve got it     

Gabriella:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality      

Whoran: Hope that’s a no    

Whoran: Btw your Golden boy posted too    

Gabriella: OH FOR FUCKS SAKE    

Gabriella: they actually got new sweaters    

Gabriella: I can’t     

Gabriella: I actually can’t     

Gabriella: and shut up about the golden boy shit horan    

InPayne: You done?     

Gabriella: no     

Whoran: Oversharing and stoned H is my favorite H    

Whoran: Also have anyone seen my mouthguard?     

InPayne: You’re disgusting.     

.

On Friday morning, the day of the first match of the season between the Calamity and the Wolves, Harry woke up early. He usually liked to have his classes after noon because then he had enough time after the first ice training of the day to shower and have a long cool down at the gym. But on Friday, he scheduled all his lectures in morning blocks to have more time in the evening to prepare for the matches.     

He jogged to this first class of the day. But he wasn't paying much attention. Instead, he tried to find old tapes of Louis' matches. He had already googled him a few days prior. But he didn't find anything useful. Only that he was a son of Troy Austin and some paparazzi shots from this summer where he was clearly drunk and hugging two girls when exiting some sort of establishment. Harry also stalked Zayn’s Instagram but only found a few pictures with Louis.     

One from Stanley Cup 2019.     

Harry would never admit how often he saw that particular picture. He always considered Zayn to be one of the best-looking men he had ever seen. But now that he had laid his eyes on Louis Austin, he was not sure anymore. But he pushed the feeling aside. He just obviously needs to get laid.     

For some reason, even the coach didn’t find anything on the new Calamity Captain. They were going completely blind into the first match.     

.

Everyone in the team had their own pre-match ritual. Harry liked to have light lunch with Mitch and Pauli. It was a usually quiet affair. They only discussed strategy for the game but for the most part they just sat and ate in silence to get their head in the game. After that, he met with Liam and Aiden in the gym. Together they started warming up. Harry normally didn't see Niall all day because he had his own game-day training with the other Wolves’ goalie.    

“What colour?” Liam asked as he went through the box with stick tapes in the locker room.    

“White please,” Niall replied but didn’t look away from the tennis balls he was currently juggling with. When Liam tossed said colour Niall caught the tape without stopping throwing the balls in the air and adding it to the mix. It was something he did before every game. He once told Harry that he was convinced that if he didn’t manage to catch the tape, they would lose the game.    

All the players choose their tape colour. Harry took the black one. He was fairly certain that giving all the players their tapes was Liam’s superstition.    

When they were all in full gear, the coach entered the cabin with a small piece of folded paper. The first line list what he called it. He gave the list to Harry and looked at him expectantly. 

“Alright boys,” Harry started, “this is the first fucking match,” his voice grew louder and louder, “Calamity should be shitting themselves because we Wolves have...” The boys started to hammer with their sticks on the ground. “Aiden Grimshaw on the left wing,” Harry shouted as he unfolded the list. More hammering followed as Aiden stood and went to the middle of the room high-fiving a few of the boys. “Our own Mitch Rowland on the right wing.” Mitch followed Aiden. “Our backs will have Pauli Lovejoy with Liam Payne on defence.” The locker room was growing louder and louder with every name Harry called. “And in the goal, none other than Niall Horan.” Every single person in the locker room was creating as much noise as they could. Niall stood with his blocker and stick in his hands and started hitting them in a fast rhythm.    

“I won’t run or hide,” the boys led by Niall chanted, “ain’t going down without a fight.”    

“And the center of the pack, Harry Motherfucking Styles,” Niall shouted from the top of his lungs. There was a game to win.    

.

Harry was feeling the familiar kind of excitement from the moment he went through the tunnel and saw the full house. The first game was played on the home ground of the Wolves but because both teams were from the same campus the matches where Calamity and Wolves played were usually the most entertaining. Even students that didn’t care about hockey came to these games.    

He caught a glimpse of Louis close to Zayn and Oli but he never looked in Harry’s direction. The big red C was prominent on his left arm. Harry watched how he skated towards Zayn. His movements were seamless and it looked like he almost wasn’t touching the ice. When he stopped ice flew from the bottom of his skates. He wasn’t smiling under his shield but his blue eyes were captivating even from the distance.    

Harry entered the rink last. That was his superstition. He didn’t have much time to observe Louis during the warm-up but when was time to shake his hand right before the game started Harry had him right before him. He looked so good up close. Like he was made for hockey gear. When their hands touched Harry couldn’t take his eyes off him. But Louis just nodded and turned his attention to the referee. He didn’t even say a word. Harry couldn’t help but felt disappointed. God, he really really needs to get laid.   

Harry was expecting to go into a face-off with Zayn as the other team center but when the Calamity’s first line hopped on the ice it was Louis who joined him in the center ice. The referee was still far from them so Harry bent his knees and placed his hockey stick on them. He rose his head when Louis did the same.   

“Hey Curly,” he said with a rasp in his voice and a light smile on his face.   

“Austin,” Harry replied. For some reason, Louis’ smile turned into a slight frown.  

“Heard you didn’t like the new jerseys." He wasn't smiling anymore but his tone still had a hint of playfulness.   

“I didn’t see them on you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t say such lies.” Harry should put in his planner ‘Get laid immediately’ because why is he flirting. He never flirts during face-offs. Maybe in the penalty box but never on the ice.   

“I also heard you had a shot on an early draft,” Louis’ voice was suddenly colder than the ice in the arena. He tilted his head to the side and slowly looked Harry up and down, “but you fucked up your knee on some frat party. What a waste.”  

Harry’s blood was boiling but before he could toss down his gloves and break Louis Austin’s nose, Louis skated backwards to the outline of center ice switching his place with Zayn.   

Harry lost the first face-off.   

[incorrect-koh-posts]

Following the death of Baldwin V, the Kingdom of Jerusalem skitters ever closer toward ruin. Caught up in this landslide, two unlikely allies find one another: Raymond, Count of Tripoli, returned to court after a failed attempt at putting forth another contender for the crown and steeped in regret up to the neck, and Isolt van Maerlant, a young noblewoman from Flanders with a knack for poison that is bound to spell calamity sooner or later.

Mutual affection is the last thing either of them would have expected in this dreary time. But there are intrigues brewing in the Holy City that neither of them can weather alone, and with war looming on the horizon, the best they can do is have each other’s back.

I'm currently giving my longfic a bit of a makeover. Come have a look at the rewritten first chapter on AO3, if you like :)

Read an excerpt under the cut:

...

As the light began to fade, he wondered, briefly, when the Jerusalem he’d loved had been lost. Had it been when Baldwin had taken to his death bed? Or when Sibylla had announced she meant to kill her son? Or even earlier, perhaps, when Balian had arrived with news of Godfrey’s death, and Tiberias had felt his world skitter so alarmingly sideways that a sword swiping at his neck could hardly have thrown him more off-balance. But there had always been something else to hold on to then, something else to protect and fight for, and now …

He very nearly laughed. Now there was an emptiness settling in his ribcage, and the bleak realisation that all those years had been for naught.

When he’d come back from Jerusalem after Sibylla’s son had died, striding into the hall at Lake Tiberias still covered in dust from the road, Eschiva had been waiting for him and what tidings he brought; and when he had told her that he would never bend the knee to Guy and had summoned the barons to Nablus instead, to crown Sibylla’s half-sister Isabella and her husband Humphrey, she’d been furious.

“You utter fool,” she had said, jabbing her finger at his bony chest. “You hare-brained, brazen half-wit of a man. Do you really think they will follow you in this? Do you think you have the numbers behind you to oppose Jerusalem?”

“What choice do I have?” he had barked back. “Sit idly by and watch Guy wreck the kingdom I swore to protect?”

But Eschiva had only squeezed her eyes shut and shaken her head. “You know, Raymond, for such a clever man as you, you are sometimes astonishingly stupid.”

And she’d been right, as she often was. It had taken little Humphrey barely two days to get cold feet and run – back to Jerusalem, back to his stepfather Reynald, with the whole tale ripe and ready on his tongue. Guy and Sibylla had been anointed as Jerusalem’s rightful king and queen on the spot. So the barons had left Nablus, disappointed but not greatly surprised, to prove their loyalty to their new ruler as swiftly as possible; and, in the end, only Balian and Tiberias remained to mount their horses and lead their soldiers home like a band of cats beaten with a broom.

“Will you bend the knee to him?” Tiberias had asked the boy, seizing the bridle of his palfrey lest he leave without a word.

“Not if I don’t have to,” Godfrey’s son had replied. “But it might yet come to that. You?”

“Not if I don’t have to,” Tiberias had said grimly. “But you are right, my friend – it might well come to that.”

As he had watched Balian ride off, his dark eyes slitted against the brightness of the sky, Tiberias had been perversely glad that Godfrey and Baldwin were not alive to see this.

He would have sat it out in Tripoli, where the king had no power, had it not been for his wife and her sons. Galilee lay within the borders of the Kingdom of Jerusalem – if Guy wished to, he could claim the fief back for the crown, on account of Eschiva’s marriage to a man who had so blatantly turned against him. And what would there be for her sons to inherit, then?

Eschiva had been careful to remind him of that when he got back. Tiberias had expected her to be livid with him once more, full of waspish replies and I-told-you-so’s, but instead, she had merely touched his arm, strangely gentle. She was a small woman, blue-eyed and fair-haired since she came from Norman stock, and still beautiful, though she was almost of an age with him. There had never been great love between them, but they understood and respected each other. Sometimes, when they craved the company, they still lay together, even though they were both too old now to still harbour any reasonable hope for a child.

“I know they are not your sons,” she’d said. “And I know it is a great deal to ask of a husband to raise another man’s children. But I was always under the impression that you cared for them.”

“I do,” he’d said heavily. Though he had the occasional spat particularly with the two older ones, he loved her boys, all four of them; and for all they were not of his blood, he would gladly have given them Tripoli. But he couldn’t; when he died, his lands would by law go to Bohemund’s eldest son, who was, as far as family ties went, his nearest of kin.

Looking up at him, her eyes hard as pebbles, Eschiva had lifted her chin. “Then would you jeopardise their future for an insult to your pride?”

It wasn’t a question that required an answer; she’d known she had him there by the scruff of the neck. As a dutiful husband, he would stand by his wife and protect her sons’ claim to their land. However much it went against his dignity.

God’s sweet death, he really was a fool. Tiberias shook his grizzled head at himself, once more fighting the urge to laugh. He’d always believed he was this clever politician, a diplomat, a kingmaker, when in reality he’d hardly done anything but heap misjudgement on dangerous misjudgement. And now he would be paying the fairest coin of all for his mistakes: his self-respect.

He got to his feet a little stiffly, half-surprised to see how far his shadow already stretched across the floor. Perhaps an hour of daylight remained, then, or even less. On the morrow, he would go to see the king. But before that, there was something else he must do.

...

You can find the whole thing here.

[nightingaelic]

Companions react to the Courier saying "shit, I think I left the Lightwave Dynamics Research Center running!" and teleporting to Big Mountain in front of them, then teleworking back a little later.

"Oh, shit."

The courier, who had been reading the map on their Pip-Boy to locate the best route over Mount Charleston, stopped in their tracks. "Maybe I...? No, I didn't. Ah, fuck it."

They fished some kind of energy pistol that was throwing off a dangerous blue light out of their pack and looked up at their companion. "I think I left the Lightwave Dynamics Research center running. Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back."

And with that, they vanished in a crack of lightning.

Arcade Gannon: "But we- Six!" Arcade stared at the spot where they had vanished. A hazy blue negative of their silhouette was burned into his retinas, and he took his glasses off to rub his eyes until it faded.

When the courier didn't reappear within a few minutes, Arcade sighed and sat down on the nearest large rock. His irritated expression, crossed arms and tousled blonde hair were the first things the courier saw when they finally flashed back onto the mountain.

"You'll be 'right back?'" Arcade asked, using his fingers to make air quotations.

"It was only 36 minutes," the courier said with a sheepish look. "I forgot Lightwave Dynamics was all the way across the crater, and I had to sneak around to avoid getting eaten by some night stalkers."

"I could've been eaten by some night stalkers!" Arcade argued. "Next time, you're taking me with you. I don't care if the Think Tank tries to turn me into a lobotomite, I'd prefer that to running afoul of a yao guai while you're skipping around the Big Empty like a brahmin calf!"

Craig Boone: Boone grumbled a bit, then scanned the area to look for cover. He found it in a nearby cluster of bushes, which he climbed inside and laid down his pack to sit on. He took his beret off and stowed it out of sight, then began inspecting his rifle to pass the time. He cleaned the scope out and listened for any snapping twigs or rustling leaves outside in the forest. Nothing moved though, and Boone nodded, pleased.

When the flash reappeared and the courier stumbled into the woods again, Boone whistled. They whipped their head around until they found the source of the signal and started toward it.

"Sorry," they said when they located him inside the brush. "That took longer than I thought it would."

Boone shrugged and stood up. "It's okay. Snipers and spotters aren't strangers to staying put."

Lily Bowen: "Pumpkin?" Lily looked around, but the courier was nowhere to be seen. "Pumpkin, did you go off to your make-believe world again like Leo?"

When no answer came back to her, Lily settled in on an overturned log with her hands on her knees. She hummed to herself, songs she had heard on the radio and songs that reminded her of a pretty hole in the ground that she wasn't sure was real anymore.

The grandmotherly nightkin was singing "Heartaches by the Number" when the courier reappeared as violently as they had vanished. They waited politely for her to finish the verse before offering her their hand. "Sorry, Lily. Should we keep going?"

Lily stood up and brushed herself off. "Of course, dearie."

Raul Alfonso Tejada: The old ghoul shook his head, then turned and kept going up the road. Jacobstown was only a mile away, and a light dusting of snow was beginning to fall by the time he made his way through the gates of the super mutant town and inside the old ski resort. Raul settled in at the bar, joining Calamity and Doc Henry for their mid-day meal.

When the courier finally pushed their way through the front doors of the lodge, Raul raised his bottle of beer to them. "Qué onda, Six? About time you showed up."

The courier looked madder than a deathclaw. "What the fuck, Raul?!? I thought you'd died out there in the woods, I was about ready to call for back-up!"

"I told you," Raul replied with a grin, "Next time you did that to me, I'd keep walking."

Rose of Sharon Cassidy: "Oh, fucking hell." Cass looked around the immediate vicinity with mild trepidation rising in her chest. She didn't know the area well, and forests were great hiding spots for critters that meant harm. If she'd been in the middle of the desert flats, she would've felt much more at home: At least out there, you could see anything that intended to disembowel you coming from miles away.

Cass eyed one of the sturdier nearby trees suspiciously, debating whether climbing it was worth the effort. She was halfway up the trunk, grunting with the effort, when the courier reappeared in another flash and startled her into a state of imbalance.

"Cass!" The courier dropped their transportalponder and rushed to stand beneath her, arms out.

"You gonna catch me?" Cass asked with a nervous giggle, wobbling on a thin branch that was dangerously close to snapping.

"I can try. Jump!"

Cass obliged, just as the branch beneath her cracked. She and the courier tumbled to the needle-covered ground. The two lay still for a moment, inspecting their new bruises. Cass picked up her hat and jammed it back onto her head. "Don't even ask, Six."

Veronica Santangelo: But Veronica was ready this time. As soon as the courier had retrieved the transportalponder from their pack, she had inched nonchalantly closer, taking advantage of their distraction. Her arm flashed out and grabbed the courier's elbow just as they pressed the device's trigger, and the whoosh of the teleportation process was almost loud enough to drown out their surprised yelp.

It felt like only a millisecond had passed when the beam of light dissipated, and Veronica blinked in wonder. Gone were the trees of Mount Charleston, replaced by a wide-open sky over a jagged edge of rock that encircled a cluster of pre-war concrete buildings. Lights blinked and emanated from their doors and windows, distorted somewhat by the glowing force field that encircled the balcony that Veronica and the courier were standing on.

"Goddammit, Veronica," the courier said, putting their head in their hand. "I told you, I didn't know whether it could sustain two passengers or not! You could've disintegrated or something!"

"Well, that's one hypothesis tested." Veronica tentatively reached a hand out to feel the warmth of the force field. "It's beautiful."

ED-E: The eyebot bobbed in place, running systems checks and diagnostic repairs under the conifers until the electric pulse delivered the courier back into the forest. ED-E beeped its satisfaction, then followed it up with a questioning series of tones.

"Holograms," the courier answered, straightening out their coat. "At least, I think that's all they did there, but I'm not sure. I made the mistake of touching this huge beam of light in the middle of the place once and it knocked me out. Lost about half a day, and I still don't know what it's for."

Rex: The smell of ozone filled Rex's nostrils. He sneezed a few times to clear it out, then began sniffing the area the courier had disappeared from. No amount of whining brought them back though, so he stamped a hollow out in the crook of some tree roots and settled in among the fallen pine needles.

When the scent of ozone and the courier returned, Rex's eyes flew open. There was another scent accompanying them, a familiar amalgamation: Fur, cybernetics, warm blood.

The courier looked down fondly at the new cyberdog, who was regarding Rex with sweet, brown eyes and a nose just as keen as his. "Rex, meet Roxie."

[onwesterlywinds]

PROMPT #14: Attrition

Upon sitting down behind her desk, Sigrid removed her boots and set them to the side. After taking the helm for the entirety of their ten-bell air battle with scarcely a single moment of relief, her feet ached on behalf of the rest of her. She would likely feel that exertion in full the next day; for the time being, she propped her legs up onto the desk and hoped the elevation would avert the worst of it.

"Captain," said Zeema, in the exact timbre she reserved for crises, though the Garleans had all been thoroughly routed before the sun had set. "I would like to inform you of my intent to resign. When next we touch down, be it in Ul'dah or Limsa, I'll be taking my leave of the Merlose."

Sigrid took in her first mate. Zeema betrayed not a single onze of anxiety; she never had in all the time Sigrid had known her. If anything, she tended to mask her true feelings, whatever they were, with anger. But there was no rage either, righteous or otherwise.

Zeema was tired. As were they all.

"Very well," said Sigrid. "I am sorry to hear it, but I wish you the best. I'll see to it that there's a celebration before we reach our next hangar. And know, of course, that you're always welcome-"

"That's it?!"

The interruption took Sigrid aback: she could not recall a single instance across all their time together in which Zeema had ever cut her off. She had shouted, certainly; she had cursed and sworn and expressed herself in ways all too befitting a sky pirate. But she had always respected Sigrid enough to let her say her piece.

"Twelve years, Captain," Zeema seethed. "Twelve years I've been aboard this ship, spilled my blood and sweat upon its deck. In all that time, you've been a friend and a mentor to me. And you have nothing to say except to wish me the best?!"

This level of sentiment, too, was unusual. "Is there something you would rather have me say?" she asked. "I have valued your service and your friendship, and I wish you the same success no matter where the wind may take you next."

Zeema let out a single harsh laugh, more of disbelief than any real amusement. "Captain," she said, and paused as her words failed her. She took a moment to compose herself by flexing out her hands at her sides. "Your leadership has changed. You have changed."

Sigrid narrowed her eyes but said nothing.

"The Calamity knocked half the pirate ships of out of Abalathia's skies and opened up an entire floating continent besides. We haven't so much as breathed in its direction in more than a year, because we're too busy picking fights with every single Garlean airship that gets within a hundred malms of us."

"We've made just as much from plundering imperial ships as we would have from exploring unstable islands, if not more. And the Garleans have appropriated countless relics that would not be found in places that have never been habitable."

"But it's not about the relics for you anymore, is it?" Zeema argued. "I've seen the look you've been getting every time one of those bastards shows up on our radar. You're eager to take them down."

"Zeema, we are at war."

Zeema brought her fist down upon Sigrid's desk, right next to where her feet reclined, with enough force to set her instruments to clattering. "A war I never signed up for!"

At that, Sigrid withdrew her legs, unable to keep a wince from rising to her face as her knees bent stiffly.

"There are things I will never presume to know or ask of you," Zeema continued. Her face and voice were softer, as if her blow had relieved her of her pent-up anger. "Even after all this time, even after everything."

"After everything," Sigrid echoed. Two words to encompass the weight of twelve years.

"But for this, if I'm to leave this ship with a clear head and a light heart, I need to know. Is it because you hailed from Ala Mhigo once? Is it because of what they did to your contact - the Paling?"

The soubriquet took her aback to such an extent that her heart began to pound. Somehow the invocation of that name was more shocking even than Zeema's intention to leave, or than her underlying frustration.

"Who was she?" said Zeema, and now her voice was all but gentle. "Sigrid, it's been more than five years. You haven't spoken a word of her to anyone."

"She was-" Sigrid let out a sharp breath and cast her gaze around the room helplessly as her eyes filled with tears. "Her name was Élodie. She saved my life in Ala Mhigo, and I swore I would repay the favor."

Zeema looked at her with unabashed pity, the way someone might look at something deeply wretched. If there was any comfort to be had, it was that her first mate had clearly not set out to bring her to weeping at the onset of their conversation. Still, she neither interrupted nor turned away.

"She was family. The closest thing in this blasted world I'll ever have to a daughter. And the Garleans, they-" She cleared her throat, even with her eyes welling over. "-they kidnapped her from her hideout. They destroyed her life's work - medicines and abortifacients. They tortured her for four days in the palace dungeons. And when she died, they threw her body into the only clean water source in her neighborhood. They made her into their message."

Zeema nodded solemnly. "I..." She paused, then reconsidered whatever apology or condolence she had been about to give. "I understand."

"Wherever it is you go," said Sigrid at length, "know that you go with my blessing."

"I expect others in the crew will follow me."

"I expect you're right. The same holds true for them, but for you most of all."

At that, at least, the faint hint of a smile crept over Zeema's mouth. "...Thank you, Sigrid." Without any further argument or discussion, she turned on her heel and left the captain's chambers.

[sanjuno]

Sanjuno’s Story and Fandom Masterlist

I’m going to pin this list of titles so that people can more easily figure out what they want to vote for each Friday. Anything labelled with Meta, WIP, or Concept can be voted for.

1.    ATTACK ON TITAN

1.1.  Coordinates T by H: Eren’s coordinator abilities allow him to metaphysically bond with other humans, thereby giving everyone in the group the ability to psychically communicate with the rest and also boosting everyone’s healing ability exponentially to be on par with the Titan Shifters. Chaptered, WIP - Posted

2.    BLEACH

2.1. What Happens on Vacation: Crossover with YYH – turns out that Kurosaki Misaki was a senior ferry girl on sabbatical (which translates as living a mortal life unaware of her true nature) and she was late returning to work due to being trapped in Grand Fishers gut. Ichigo and Uryuu are very confused when their “cousin” Kazuma shows up to introduce his new bride to the family. Koenma is just really pissed off by all the paperwork he needs to deal with while cleaning up his father’s mismanaged pet project. Chaptered, WIP - Unposted

3.     CODE GEASS

3.1.  A Code of Ice and Fire: Crossover with GOT – Lelouch, his two younger siblings, and Lelouch’s most loyal followers are reincarnated into Westeros. Lelouch proceeds to make it his lifelong mission to drive Cersei into frothing fits and strengthens the Baratheon dynasty to the point that even Tywin is impressed by his grandson’s machinations. Then CC shows up with dragons and Ned Stark starts to think that maybe Robert’s onto something with the “drinking to forget” idea. Meta

3.2.  Abandon Thyself: Post-Zero Requiem Suzaku travels back in time to the scene in the Shinjuku Ghettos when the truck explodes. Given that the people closest to him haven’t actually spoken to Suzaku in years, the origins of Suzaku’s obvious mental instability is hilariously misattributed by various outside PoVs. So when Suzaku hits his knees in front of Lelouch, swearing eternal devotion and vowing to make Lelouch the next emperor nobody panics. (They should really reconsider panicking.) Drabbles, Prompt Fill - Posted

3.3.  The Sun Also Rises: At the moment of his death in the Zero Requiem, Lelouch travels back in time to his childhood body. With only a week to go before Marianne is “assassinated by terrorists” Lelouch sets out to rearrange the board in a way none of the other players will see coming until it’s far too late. Lelouch has been given a second chance to make things right, and Lelouch wouldn’t be Lelouch if he didn’t plan big. This time around, Lelouch plans for his victory to be a bit more obvious. Chaptered, WIP - Posted

4.    DCU

4.1.  Time Enough: Terry McGinnis, his little brother Matt, and their dogs are the only members of their timeline to survive because Bruce Wayne was too old to see any more of his sons die in front of him. So they all got knocked out, shoved into an escape capsule, and ejected from the Batman Beyond timeline before it crumbles. Said time pod crashes into the middle of a Red Hood versus Match throw down, and Terry’s Wayne-inherited charisma is so powerful it allows him to banter his way into good graces of both villains. Jason drags them all off to his lair because every single member of the Batfam hoards orphans. Chaptered, WIP - Posted

5.    DRAGON BALL

5.1.  Saiyajin Pride: Alien biology has a larger impact on characterization that it does in canon. Mirai comes back to the main timeline live in sin with Videl and Gohan. Vegeta and Goku deal with some shit that comes from being the last full-blooded members of their species. Then just as things are settling down… Garlic is an idiot who thinks up a loophole in the “can’t wish people dead” rule and wishes Goku and Vegeta’s families straight out of existence and they end up in an entirely different reality. The only upside is that Vegeta finally gets to kill Frieza. Chaptered, WIP - Unposted

6.    FAIRY TAIL

6.1.  Flight Of Dragons: Future!Lucy misses her target and ends up landing further back in time, during the same year Natsu and the rest of the Dragon Slayer kids were brought to when they were pulled forward in time.  Fairy Tail luck kicks in, and future!Lucy runs into child!Laxus as he escapes from his father after being fed the Lightning Dragon Lacrima. Laxus is handed a Prophecy and runs with it. Children have never needed Fairy Tales to tell them that Dragons exist, but they certainly help. Chaptered, WIP - Posted

6.2.  My Heart Overflows: Juvia and Grey have finally started dating, but the Fairy Tail Mage Guild has some interesting traditions when it comes to proving the validity of a romantic relationship. Oneshot, Prompt fill - Posted

7.    FAMILIAR OF ZERO

7.1.  A Velvet Glove: Crossover with TMNT – Leonardo gets summoned to be Louise’s Familiar. Since all of his brothers are dead, Leo sees no reason not to make the most of this “lifelong bond of magic and spirit” and adopts Louise as his little sister. Halgenkia is not prepared for a Louise Francois le Blanc de la Valliere with ninja training. Henrietta is probably far too gleeful over making her best friend her Spymaster, but it’s not like anyone knows enough about what they’re doing to stop her. Reconquista gets exposed and smashed, and Wardes really should have respected his fiancée more. Chaptered, WIP - Posted

8.    FINAL FANTASY VII

8.1.  A Dirge of Ice and Fire: Crossover with GOT – Several members of Avalanche and the Elite Soldiers are reincarnated as the spares and bastards of Westeros’ Great Houses. Given that Rhaenys Targaryen used to be Cid Highwind, the Sack of King’s Landing goes very differently. Meta

8.2.  A Feather’s Weight: Crossover with Naruto – Kakashi and Obito, along with their respective subordinates, are reincarnated in Wutai, and are thus in position to undermine a lot of Hojo’s plans simply by being themselves. Wutai still loses, but by a much smaller margin, and SHIN-RA realizes much too late that Wutai’s “concession” was a trap. Kakashi is a big shiny distraction for Sephiroth, the SOLDIERS revolt, and nobody knows who assassinated President Shinra. Chaptered, WIP - Unposted

8.3.  Antiviral: Woden and Gaia conspire to create antibodies to fight off Jenova’s infection. Cid and Vincent end up bearing the brunt of this decision, get roofied by Divine Intervention, and also end up the Gaian equivalent of demonic werewolves. Also the Planet is transforming all the SOLDIERS into werewolves too, yes, even the dead ones. Chaptered, WIP - Posted

8.4.  For Love Of: Cid Highwind crashes the Tiny Bronco into Lucrecia’s cave, does the metaphysical equivalent of tearing her heart out and eating it to absorb her power, and them proceeds to adopt General Sephiroth as his son because it’s not like anyone can stop him. Cid Highwind does what he wants. Sephiroth does what Mother wants. SHIN-RA soon regrets everything because Cid Highwind is a hell of a lot better at rewriting the social order than Avalanche is. Chaptered, WIP - Posted

8.5.  Hindsight is 20-20: CHAOS decides to rewrite time because they have a massive crush on Cid and they don’t want him to die. CHAOS fumbles the landing and Cid ends up in the body of some weird Lucrecia/Ancient-Cetra-Who-Was-Jenova’s-Host Clone and ends up giving birth to Sephiroth. Things only get worse from there. Chaptered, WIP - Posted

8.6.  Like it Rough: Cid likes Vincent a lot and also has a bit of a kink for scars. Cid walks in on Vincent naked, runs away to hide his raging boner, and Vincent ends up chasing Cid around the airship until he can pin his friend down in the Captain’s bunk because the demons are all drunk on the pheromones. Oneshot - Complete

8.7.  Names of Power: Jenova’s taint getting mixed into the Lifestream has far-reaching consequences, and Avalanche gets tapped to handle the fallout whither they like it or not. Series, WIP - Posted

8.7.1.     Small Packages: The Lifestream meddles in Avalanches lives even after the Planet has been saved. There are clones and ancient powers better off left alone but it’s not like Avalanche ever gets a say in the matter. Chaptered, WIP - Posted

8.7.2.     History Inverted: Jenova isn’t all the way gone and the Planet really doesn’t care if Humanity survives or not as long as the infection is burned away. Aerith shoves the spirits of Avalanche and their children into a new timeline because she doesn’t want to watch their souls get shredded. Avalanche proceeds to mosey along and wreak havoc in the way only they can manage. Chaptered, WIP - Posted

8.8.  To Earn the Sky: Echidna, Mother of Monsters and Heroes, and Jenova, the Calamity From the Skies, are at war. Hojo makes a very big mistake when he uses the Blood of Echidna’s Children in his Revenant Project. Cid Highwind is a good son, and his Mother wants to meet her new Grandchildren. Chaptered, WIP - Posted

9.    FINAL FANTASY XV

9.1.  A Light of Ice and Fire: Crossover with FFVX – Noctis, his Retinue, and the loyal members of the Kingsglaive and Crownsguard are reincarnated into Westeros. Jorah Mormont is Cor Leonis, but Cor Leonis is not Jorah Mormont, and so the Northern Forces are something to fear in Robert’s Rebellion. By the time King Robert visits Winterfell, it will be a very different Northern Kingdom that he finds there. Meta

10. GAME OF THRONES

10.1.               Crossover Fixits to Help Westeros be Less Miserably Doomed: Various casts from other series end up reborn in Westeros and use knowledge from their previous lives to change the Game. Series

10.1.1. An Assemblage of Ice and Fire: Crossover with MCU – Team Iron Man focus, since Tony is reincarnated as Ned Stark. Starks are made of Iron, and Winter is coming. Tony’s genius intellect, knowledge of politics and economics, experience with magic and alternate realities, and the fact that Extremis carried over through his reincarnation and adapted to work with First Man magic means that the Stark siblings who go to the Tourney of Harrenhal are nothing like the canon versions. Rhaegar gets his Stark bride, and he proceeds to regret it for the rest of his life. Meta

10.1.2. A Balance of Ice and Fire: Crossover with SW – Qui-Gon Jinn’s three Padawan Learners and Padme (who got taken in Anakin’s place) are reincarnated as the Tyrell siblings. They proceed to follow the Will of the Force and prepare the Seven Kingdoms to win against the Long Night. Meta

10.1.3. A Code of Ice and Fire: Crossover with CG – Lelouch, his two younger siblings, and Lelouch’s most loyal followers are reincarnated into Westeros. Lelouch proceeds to make it his lifelong mission to drive Cersei into frothing fits and strengthens the Baratheon dynasty to the point that even Tywin is impressed by his grandson’s machinations. Then CC shows up with dragons and Ned Stark starts to think that maybe Robert’s onto something with the “drinking to forget” thing. Meta

10.1.4. A Dirge of Ice and Fire: Crossover with FFVII – Several members of Avalanche and the Elite Soldiers are reincarnated as the spares and bastards of Westeros’ Great Houses. Given that Rhaenys Targaryen used to be Cid Highwind, the Sack of King’s Landing goes very differently. Meta

10.1.5. A Dying Will of Ice and Fire: Crossover with KHR – The Tri-Ni-Sette holders and all those bonded to them are reincarnated into Westeros Noble Houses. Xanxus is born as Robert’s eldest trueborn son and Heir to the Iron Throne, and so all it takes is one look at the Wall to know that there is something to fear on the other side. Tsuna is busy swooning over Arya’s muscles but in-between reciting odes to his amazing betrothed he takes time to tell Nono’s ghost “I told you Xanxus would make the better Heir.” Meta

10.1.6. A Light of Ice and Fire: Crossover with FFVX – Noctis, his Retinue, and the loyal members of the Kingsglaive and Crownsguard are reincarnated into Westeros. Jorah Mormont is Cor Leonis, but Cor Leonis is not Jorah Mormont, and so the Northern Forces are something to fear in Robert’s Rebellion. By the time King Robert visits Winterfell, it will be a very different Northern Kingdom that he finds there. Meta

10.1.7. A Space Between Ice and Fire: Crossover with Naruto WCE – The Konoha Founders and their siblings are reincarnated as Starks and Baratheons and manage to save the Realms of Men while resolving their many and varied issues with one another. Meta

10.1.8. A Transformation of Ice and Fire: Crossover with TFG1 – Most of the Cybertronians who died during Unicron’s Awakening end up reincarnated as dragons (Seekers) and Direwolves (Autobots). The sapience of the animals causes significant changes to outcome of several key canon events. Meta

10.2.              Singing In A Different Key: SI is reborn as Jon Snow, who then precedes to Machiavelli the fuck out of the North in preparation for the coming Long Night and also to screw over the Lannisters. Because fuckthe Lannisters. Meta

10.3.               Wolf At The Door: When Ice takes the head of Eddard Stark, Valeryian magic mixes with the Blood of the First Men. It’s wild, uncontrolled, and Ned ends up as a four year old in Winterfell’s Godswood, staring at his reflection in the water. Eddara Stark, second-born child and first-born daughter of Rikard and Lyarra Stark looks back up at him. Ned, fully believing that this is his punishment for failing his family and best friend the first time around, decides to fix the Realm by fulfilling the Pact of Fire and Ice. The thing about being a woman is that no one ever expects you to be a threat, not even other women. The thing about being the Quiet Wolf is that everyone overlooks you until the moment your teeth sink into their throat. Concept

11. GET BACKERS

11.1.               Holy Days of Yore: Various celebration themed fic that explore Ban’s backstory as the “With Queen’s Grandson” and bring a bit more of that old black magic into the Get Backer’s lifestyle. Series

11.1.1. Lupercalia: Ban gets a magic matchmaker box in the mail and everyone wears their heart on their sleeve for Valentine’s Day. Oneshot - Posted

11.1.2. Oeastre: Ban gets roped into being the master of ceremonies for Maria’s coven and Easter gets interesting. (Everyone makes like bunnies.) Oneshot - Posted

12. GIRL GENIUS

12.1.               The Other Side of the River: One of the Jagermonsters manages to catch wind of Lucrecia’s plans and absconds with Klaus Barry during the confusion caused by the first explosion. This understandably causes some disruption in everyones plans when KB and his nanny run into Agatha during her time with the Circus. WIP - Unposted

12.2.               Threefold Path: Agatha, Gil, and Tarvek get their brains booted back in time during the si vales valeo and decided to run away and join the circus until they’re old enough to take over the world properly. WIP - Unposted

13. GUNDAM WING

13.1.               Mistakes and Misdemeanors: Heero was on blockers for the entire war due to a series of implants, which did no favours to his mental health. When the implants run out Heero gets run over by a hormone train and absolutely nobody knows how to handle that. Chaptered, WIP – Posted (Under Revision)

14. HARRY POTTER

14.1.               Black As His Name: Sirius Back lives! Because the Veil dumps his mind-and-soul into the empty body of his younger self in a world where Walburga Black lost it on her eldest son much earlier in life and Sirius was tortured until he was left brain-dead. Arcturus Black is pissed off over the treatment of one of his Heirs and since Sirius’ magic is still intact, names Sirius the Heir to House Black and proceeds to hold the Heirship over everybody’s heads for spite for as long as Sirius continues to “live”. Everyone in the Black Family is very surprised when the annual shaming ritual disguised as Sirius’ birthday party is crashed. By none other than the birthday boy himself. Sirius rolls with it and becomes a True Black in the most Marauder manner possible. WIP - Unposted

14.2.               Black Hunt Under Bloody Skies: Crossover with KHR – Regulus and Sirius both end up dumped into KHR because Death owes them a favour on its Master’s behalf. Things start to get weird after the Arcobaleno curse is broken. Regulus is actually Skull and Sirius is his Sky and they confuse the entire Mafia so much. WIP - Unposted

15. HOMESTUCK

15.1.               A Jump To The Left Behind: Post game reality has all the races living in a Galactic Republic, and the Troll Ancestors and Human Guardians all need to team up in order to solve the mystery of the planetoid-sized meteor that just barreled into the middle of their busiest spacelane because their names are written all over it. In the process of exploring the meteor they accidently wake up the Players and Sprites. Chaos ensues. Concept

15.2.               Pandora’s Final Gift: A mermaid AU where a Deep Old One gives Eridan (and only Eridan) the memories of his Game Player Self as a lark. Eridan hits the level cap for his current reality, freaks out, saves Sollux’s life, and then absconds as far away from the center of the Empire as he can get. Concept

16. INU YASHA

16.1.              Hunter’s Moon: The standard “Demon Mating Season” idea that draws on the infectious nature of demon energy in the Sengoku Jidai and runs with it. Everyone over the age of eighteen gets some. Kagome gets to go home and take a nap. Chaptered, WIP – Posted (Under Revision)

16.2.              Cry Wolf: Playing straight with the crack concept that Inuyasha and Kouga were betrothed as children. Kagome isn’t in the picture because she got yeeted back to her own time when the Shikon no Tama got purified. Chaptered, WIP – Posted (Under Revision)

17. KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN

17.1.               A Dying Will of Ice and Fire: Crossover with GOT – The Tri-Ni-Sette holders and all those bonded to them are reincarnated into Westeros Noble Houses. Xanxus is born as Robert’s eldest trueborn son and Heir to the Iron Throne, and so all it takes is one look at the Wall to know that there is something to fear on the other side. Tsuna is busy swooning over Arya’s muscles but in-between reciting odes to his amazing betrothed he takes time to tell Nono’s ghost “I told you Xanxus would make the better Heir.” Meta

17.2.               Black Hunt Under Bloody Skies: Crossover with HP – Regulus and Sirius both end up dumped into KHR because Death owes them a favour on its Master’s behalf. Things start to get weird after the Arcobaleno curse is broken. Regulus is actually Skull and Sirius is his Sky and they confuse the entire Mafia so much. WIP - Unposted

17.3.               Burning Salt Water: Crossover with OP – Xanxus gets dumped onto the Oro Jackson during the Pirate King’s last voyage when Nono’s Zero Point goes sideways and he ends up adopted by Rouge and Roger while he heals. After the execution Xanxus ends up raising the ASL trio to take over the Pirate Throne and Ace sets the Moby Dick on fire when Whitebeard kidnaps him. Meta, WIP - Unposted

17.4.               Cat’s Paws: Uri has seen enough Time Travel bullshit to know how it works, and so when Hayato gets himself killed she grabs his soul and flings herself backwards in time because fuck the timeline this is her human and he’s not allowed to abandon her again. The other Box Animals think it’s a great idea and do the same with their humans, and this results in the kind of alternate timeline that gives Byakuran a headache. In other words, Uri creates a timeline where Flame Actives are a lot more Alien than they used to be and now everyone thinks Youkai and other myths are real. Chapters, WIP - Posted

17.5.               Fire Shall Waken: All of Nono’s sons are still alive when the Cradle Affair happens and it results in the entire 10th Generation gathering up their Harmonies, rolling Xanxus into a blanket burrito, and taking off to Japan under assumed names where they proceed to spend the next eight years coddling Tsuna and being spoiled rotten by Nana in return. Meta

17.6.               Gremlins Della Varia: Mammon’s experiments with the Curse have had some odd side effects on the Varia. It all comes out during the Ring Battles and the other Arcobaleno are Judging You, Viper. Oneshot, Prompt Fill - Posted

17.7.               Karma, and the Repercussions Thereof: Crossover with Naruto. Legendary Ninja from the Elemental Countries get reincarnated into KHR and proceed to adopt all the Magic Rainbow Fire Children. Nono and Iemitsu suffer. Series, WIP

17.7.1. Karmic Balance: Kakashi and Obito are ninja married from the very start because of metaphysical bonding and some minor haunting during their last lives. Between Ninshu Shinobi needing to be in Clans and Flame Actives needing to be in Harmonies it does not take long before the child stealing begins. Gokudera Kakashi is the best wife and Dokuro Obito repents, repeatedly and often, while also having the time of his second life. Tsuna loves his Kakashi-sensei and wants to be just like him when he grows up. Chaptered, WIP - Posted

17.7.2. Karmic Justice: Madara and his brothers are reborn as Fon’s nephews and do not take kindly to the Arcobaleno curse being put on one of their relatives. The Hibari Clan proceeds to start hunting for the Man in the Iron Man en mass. Madara and his brothers hit Namimori during Nono’s visit and witness the sealing of Tsunayoshi. They don’t take well to this either. Things go worse for Tsuna than they do in canon and Madara hunts down Tobirama because he needs the resurrection to be done perfectly. Tsuna loves his Madara-shishou and wants to be just like him when he grows up. Oneshot - Posted

17.7.2.1.      Karmic Justice – Hubris: Madara comes across Xanxus in the ice while investigating the Vongola and despite Xanxus being a bit older than the usual target for child stealing decides to steal him anyway. After resurrecting Tsuna, Madara and Tobirama’s next project is defrosting Xanxus. Concept

17.7.2.2.      Karmic Justice – Providence: Madara finds Xanxus on the streets while hunting in Italy for the Man in the Iron Mask. Wrath Flame calls to Wrath Flame and Madara instantly adopts the delightfully savage little boy. Then Namimori happens, and Tsuna’s seal gets him temporarily killed, and Xanxus reaches 100-year-vengance-plot levels of overprotective big brother. WIP - Unposted

17.8.               Music of the Spheres: Crossover with SM – Post Stars Usagi and Post Vongola Inheritance Tsuna are cousins who meet for the first time ever only after the Vongola’s enemies kidnap Ikkuko and Shingo. Usagi gets taken into protective custody by her Mafia relatives without being given the chance to say she doesn’t need it. Usagi then proceeds to seduce all the women, charm all the men, and accidently throw Iemitsu out the nearest window every time he’s in the same room she is. Chaptered, WIP - Posted

17.8.1. MotS - Celestial Chorus: Chibiusa’s arrival has Usagi dragging her family to Namimori to prove that Chibiusa isn’t their cousin and things get wildly out of hand. Meta

17.8.2. MotS - Sing In Exaltation: The Shingo from The Sharp Knife Of A Short Life hears the name of his ‘cousin in Namimori’ and immediately begins to meddle. Meta

17.9.               Overlooking the Obvious: They say that to truly know someone you need to walk a mile in their shoes. The adage is proven true rather dramatically when a misappropriated Possession Bullet ends up switching Gokudera and Hibari into each other’s bodies. Oneshot, Prompt Fill - Posted

17.10.           Reach For The Sky: Kamen Rider Sora and his team are the protectors of Namimori against the invasion of Youma from the dark dimension. Reborn shows up to tutor the last remaining Vongola Heir and ends up in the middle of a longstanding battle against the Forces of Evil. Does the World Greatest Hitman have what it takes to guide the mysterious masked Rider towards his true strength? Stay tuned to find out! Drabbles, Prompt Fill - Posted

17.11.           When the Nightingale Sings: Sky Flames are Dragons, and when a Sky is Sealed they turn into True Dragons once said Seal breaks. Tsuna has the Best Treasures Ever. Reborn is confused but willing to roll with it. Hayato needs to do all the research. Drabbles, Prompt Fill - Posted

17.12.           Where the Sky Meets the Sea: Crossover with OP – The ASL Trio are reborn as Sawada Tsunayoshi’s younger brothers, and the Will of D means they remember everything. Sawada Iemitsu might once have been Akagami no Shanks and despite lacking his memories knows better than to keep secrets from his wife. (Iemitsu does keep a lot of secrets from Nono, such as the fact that he has more than one son.) Iemitsu redirects Xanxus’ attention to the Family traitors, Nono never meets Tsuna, and nobody gets sealed. Then Reborn shows up, and everything is now on fire. Oneshot, Prompt Fill - Posted

17.13.            

18. KYOU KARA MAOU

18.1.              The Needs Of Our Natures: Wolfram decides to prove exactly how much his mother’s son he really is and seduces Yuuri. Wolfram seduces Yuuri like it’s his job. (Yuuri likes it.) WIP - Unposted

19. MARVEL

19.1.               An Assemblage of Ice and Fire: Crossover with GOT – Team Iron Man focus, since Tony is reincarnated as Ned Stark. Starks are made of Iron, and Winter is coming. Tony’s genius intellect, knowledge of politics and economics, experience with magic and alternate realities, and the fact that Extremis carried over through his reincarnation and adapted to work with First Man magic means that the Stark siblings who go to the Tourney of Harrenhal are nothing like the canon versions. Rhaegar gets his Stark bride, and he proceeds to regret it for the rest of his life. Meta

19.2.               Iron Laced: Crossover with TMNT – Maria Carbonell was actually Oroku Karai in disguise because she was on vacation from being a member of the Council of Shadows. Karai and all the Turtles accessed magic ninja dragon powers when they took over the Council and Karai-as-Maria passed that down to Tony. So Tony is actually a dragon and an encounter with the Enchantress leaves him locked in his dragon form. WIP - Unposted

19.3.               Miles To Go: Post-MCU Civil War almost-Time Travel where Tony grieves so hard he sends an Extremis injector capsule to the year before the Winter Soldier murdered his parents. Said capsule lands in front of a wasted 15-year-old Tony in the aftermath of a frat party. Cue the face hugger scene. Tony gets an Extremis upgrade about 30 years ahead of schedule and it’s the only reason he survives the memory download without his brain turning into mush. WIP - Unposted

19.4.               Perception: Instead of killing Scott in X3, Dark Phoenix instead fixes the brain damage that prevented him from controlling his optic blasts and then shunts him trough time an space. Scott wakes up 18-years-old in Stryker’s lab and proceeds to hijack Wolverine’s rampage so that they can both escape. James Howlett is impressed, and Cyclops hates everything but especially time travel because it ruins all his fallback plans. Chaptered, WIP - Posted

20. NARUTO

20.1.               A Feather’s Weight: Crossover with FFVII – Kakashi and Obito, along with their respective subordinates, are reincarnated in Wutai, and are thus in position to undermine a lot of Hojo’s plans simply by being themselves. Wutai still loses, but by a much smaller margin, and SHIN-RA realizes much too late that Wutai’s “concession” was a trap. Kakashi is a big shiny distraction for Sephiroth, the SOLDIERS revolt, and nobody knows who assassinated President Shinra. WIP - Unposted

20.2.               A Space Between Ice and Fire: Crossover with GOT – The Konoha Founders and their siblings are reincarnated as Starks and Baratheons and manage to save the Realms of Men while resolving their many and varied issues with one another. Meta

20.3.               A Widening Gyre: Rin survives the Chidori and her existence is now an S-class secret. Said S-class secret distracts Obito on his way to ambush Kushina’s labour and several different chase scenes take place. They all end up in the ROOT base made from one of Tobirama’s old labs and instead of Kyuubi getting loose Team Ro, the Fourth Hokage’s team of bodyguards, Obito, Anko, and all of ROOT plus Danzo himself get dumped into the Warring Clans Era. Obito kills Danzo in a panic when he realizes that taking the Bijuu means killing Rin, Kakashi sacrifices himself again, and there is a lot more running around. Kakashi suborns ROOT en masse, Obito is stupidly overpowered and homicidal but it’s okay because Kakashi is playing damsel in distress and distracting him. The Senju and the Uchiha are all really confused by these kids, there are far too many mistaken identities, and Konoha gets founded much earlier than in canon. Meta

20.4.               According to Custom: Hashirama and Madara should not be left unsupervised (that’s why Mito and Touka tend to lurk nearby when they have tea together) because it causes them to get Brilliant Ideas. This time they decide to make friends with one another’s little brothers. How Madara went from being “nice” to Tobirama to courting the oblivious younger Senju is still something of a mystery, but there are several bets riding on when Tobirama is going to realize what’s going on. Oneshot, Prompt Fill - Posted

20.5.               Around the River Bend: Tobirama feels Itama die and runs to the river to mourn. Quite predictably he meets Madara there, and the course of History changes. Oneshot, Prompt Fill - Posted

20.6.               Colours and Promises: Set a decade after the Evil has been defeated and life returned to normal, Tobirama (once the magical superhero Dragon) is still living with the side effects of sacrificing everything to save the world while he was still a teenager. Notes on a piano, and a familiar voice singing a familiar song. Tobirama finds Madara (once the magical superhero Phoenix) and finally gets to enjoy his victory. Love can be killed, but it never dies, only ever taking on new shapes as we move on with our lives. Oneshot, Prompt Fill - Posted

20.7.               Dare Not Speak Its Name: Madara is Demi as all get out aka Madara’s a virgin with a shy dick. Also known as the AU where Madara proposes marriage to Tobirama for the sake of peace and the children. The only reason Izuna approves is because the thought of Tobirama suffering a lifetime of blueballs is hilarious to him. Meta

20.8.               Heavy as the Mountain: Team 7 is losing the fight against Kaguya, but Obito and Kakashi perform a last-minute sacrifice that means the kids survive. It also causes them all to be de-aged by over a decade and thrown back in time to the Warring Clans Era. Kakashi and Obito die, Team 7 gets adopted by presumably-Hatake Kanna, then a few years later they run into Uchiha Izuna and it all descends into chaos. (Team 7 takes total advantage of everything to get their revenge on Zetsu and maybe fix some of Konoha’s longstanding issues at the same time.)  Oneshot, Prompt Fill – Posted

20.8.1. Crumble To The Sea: The adventures of time travelling Team 7 as they get adopted by the Uchiha Clan, arrange to make Izuna’s life miserable until he proves worthy of courting their An-chan, and get aggressively mother-henned by Uchiha Madara. (The last one came as a bit of a surprise.) Kurama ends up adopting the Uchiha Clan because he likes frustrating Zetsu, and Team 7 appreciates the extra time to grow taller before they need to go weed whacking. Concept

20.9.               In Konoha We Dance: The Uchiha Clan has a tradition of belly dancing and it fixes everything that was wrong with Konoha in canon. Series

20.9.1. O-Bon Appetite: Thanks to his dance training Izuna manages the core control to dodge Tobirama’s sword enough to avoid a fatal wound and Konoha starts off on more equal footing. Tobirama then walks into a traditional Uchiha celebration and his brain shuts off. Oneshot, Prompt Fill - Posted

20.9.2. Hot Like Burning: Kushina drags Minato to the Uchiha Police Office Party so she can make time with Mikoto and there is so much skin, Minato was not emotionally prepared for this. Fugaku takes advantage of the Yondaime’s weakness as only an Uchiha can and the glorious ‘ship FuMiKuMi sets sail. Oneshot, Prompt Fill - Posted

20.9.3. Got This Fire Burning: Overnight shifts at the Mission Desk gets boring. Konoha ninja like to dance, because dancing isn’t boring. Kakashi shows them all how it’s done when a member of Team 7 hits it. Oneshot, Prompt Fill - Posted

20.10.           Karma, and the Repercussions Thereof: Crossover with KHR – Legendary Ninja from the Elemental Countries get reincarnated into KHR and proceed to adopt all the Magic Rainbow Fire Children. Nono and Iemitsu suffer. Series - WIP

20.10.1.                Karmic Balance: Kakashi and Obito are ninja married from the very start because of metaphysical bonding and some minor haunting during their last lives. Between Ninshu Shinobi needing to be in Clans and Flame Actives needing to be in Harmonies it does not take long before the child stealing begins. Gokudera Kakashi is the best wife and Dokuro Obito repents, repeatedly and often, while also having the time of his second life. Tsuna loves his Kakashi-sensei and wants to be just like him when he grows up. WIP, Chaptered - Posted

20.10.2.     ��          Karmic Justice: Madara and his brothers are reborn as Fon’s nephews and do not take kindly to the Arcobaleno curse being put on one of their relatives. The Hibari Clan proceeds to start hunting for the Man in the Iron Man en mass. Madara and his brothers hit Namimori during Nono’s visit and witness the sealing of Tsunayoshi. They don’t take well to this either. Things go worse for Tsuna than they do in canon and Madara hunts down Tobirama because he needs the resurrection to be done perfectly. Tsuna loves his Madara-shishou and wants to be just like him when he grows up. Oneshot - Posted

20.10.2.1.  Karmic Justice – Hubris: Madara comes across Xanxus in the ice while investigating the Vongola and despite Xanxus being a bit older than the usual target for child stealing decides to steal him anyway. After resurrecting Tsuna, Madara and Tobirama’s next project is defrosting Xanxus. Concept

20.10.2.2.  Karmic Justice – Providence: Madara finds Xanxus on the streets while hunting in Italy for the Man in the Iron Mask. Wrath Flame calls to Wrath Flame and Madara instantly adopts the delightfully savage little boy. Then Namimori happens, and Tsuna’s seal gets him temporarily killed, and Xanxus reaches 100-year-Xanatos-Gambit-vengance-plot levels of overprotective big brother. WIP - Unposted

20.11.           Look the Innocent Flower: Orochimaru gets the Hat instead of Minato because instead of working for Danzo he creates his Baby-no-Jutsu (the same one that produced Rogu and Mitsuki) and that’s how Orochimaru accidently turns Tenzo into the Orochimaru-and-Tsunade lovechild while field testing some gene-splicing adoption techniques. Sarutobi is so delighted by all the babies he names Orochimaru his successor without any further debate. Konoha proceeds to become a somewhat androgynous, gender-fluid utopia full off affectionate, friendly people who only want you for your body. Orochimaru refuses to allow hypocrisy in his Konoha and loyalty to ones comrades is not only encouraged, it’s enforced. Meta

20.12.           Negotiation is an Artform: Remix of The Art of Negotiation by Kage88 – Konoha’s Founders take a trip to Uzushio and the Uzumaki are annoyingly persistent in their attentions, even when said attentions are unwanted. Tobirama’s political savvy is not to be underestimated, and Tobirama’s just as ridiculously overprotective of his loved ones as his relatives are of him. Bitchy pining resolves into dating, and the only reason Tobirama lets Hashirama get away with betting on his love life is because Hashirama was the only one who had faith in Tobirama making the first move. Oneshot, Fandom Exchange Fill - Complete

20.13.           No Evil Abolishing Resentment System: Post Kaguya’s return, Madara gets bound by a System determined to help Madara turn all his Resentment Level into Love Points via a quick transmigration plot. Transmigrator!Madara gets to kiss-kiss fall in love with Reincarnator!Tobirama 55 times in a row. I promise that all the gratuitous makeout sessions are plot relevant. Meta

20.14.           Only Fools Rush In: Also known as the Uchiha Get Catnipped AU – the scene of Rin’s suicide is a few seconds off from canon and this not only results in Rin remaining alive, but Obito is also welcomed back to life so enthusiastically by his teammates that his Makengyou spontaneously manifests. A year or so later, Danzo attempts to use an experimental drug to weaken the Uchiha Clan enough for ROOT to have an easy time killing them and/or an excuse for eradicating the entire Clan. Only the drug is a happy-making drug that has every single member of the Clan manifest the Makengyou and immediately run off to snuggle their friends, family, and sundry other precious people. Meta

20.15.           Red in Hand and Claw: Madara has Raptor Summons. This fact is significantly more terrifying than anyone outside of the Uchiha Clan is really aware of. Oneshot, Prompt Fill - Posted

20.16.           Roads Diverged: Kakashi from a Darker-Than-Canon AU ends his fight with Obito with mutual destruction, and as they both lay dying Kakashi confesses to having always loved Obito. Obito being Obito and therefore unholy levels of Extra even for an Uchiha, proceeds to use Edo Tensai on Team 7 in order to heal Kakashi and then fling him through dimensions until he lands in a Lighter-Than-Canon AU where Kakashi sees Rin in time to avoid hitting her with the Chidori. Things spiral from there. Chaptered, WIP - Posted

20.17.           Spite And Fury: A crossover with the “Original Goods” Proud Immortal Demon Way from Scum Villains Self-Saving System – Uchiha Madara and Shen Jiu get combined into a single person and Cang Qiong is not ready for this much concentrated asshole. Too bad for them, the new-and-improved Shen Qingqui is here to stay. Meta

20.18.           That We Answer to Our Stars: Crossover with SW – Kaguya’s reality warp has some strange side effects to the point of ridiculousness. All the Uchiha to ever exist are resurrected and then dumped wholesale onto an alien deathworld that is essentially what Training Ground 44 would be if it was allowed to cover an entire planet. The Uchiha proceed to seduce the Jedi and foil all of Palpatine’s plans for galactic domination. Meta, Chaptered WIP - Posted

20.19.           The Memory Remains: Canon divergence via the reincarnation of Uchiha Izuna, his wife Kanna, and Senju Touka as Uchiha Obito, Hatake Kakashi, and Nohara Rin. Yes, they retained all their memories. Yes, Konoha is going to suffer for its sins against the children. Yes, this is going to end in a Team Minato threesome. Meta

20.20.           The Thin Line: Kakashi loses patience with the Sandaime when no appreciable action is taken to remove Danzo from power even after Kakashi literally reports to Sarutobi’s face that he was ordered by Danzo to assassinate the Third Hokage. So Kakashi crashes an Uchiha Clan meeting and asks them to run away with him and his cute little brothers to a lovely tropical Island. Cue the Uchiha Exodus That Fucks Over Canon. Kakashi and the Uchiha Clan proceed to re-found Uzushio and collect a few S-class missing nin along the way. Meta, WIP - Unposted

20.21.           The Waters and the Wild: The Senju are High Court Fae, and the Uchiha are Wild Hunt Shapeshifters. Tobirama attempts to interrupt Hashirama and Madara during their riverside meeting, only it backfires when he realizes that Madara is his Soulmate. Also the Uchiha are “clothing optional” and Tobirama was not emotionally prepared for this. Oneshot, Prompt Fill – Posted

20.22.           To Linger In Dreams: After Kaguya takes over his body Madara gets yeeted out of reality into the Void. An eldritch Void god takes an interest in Madara and chucks Madara into a Magic Fantasy AU and Madara is even more not-Human than he was before. Also known as that really fucked up AU with cursed ABO dynamics. Meta

20.23.           Truth in Hyperbole: Shinobi are what happen when Aliens and Humans have kids, Bloodline Talents are what happens when Kami and Youkai ancestry gets added to the pot. Most of the time Shinobi stay mostly Human. Sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they really don’t. Series - WIP

20.23.1.                Blood Price: Tobirama wakes up after being killed and proceeds to resurrect his little brothers and Madara’s little brothers. Tobirama would resurrect Madara too but Madara had already managed to resurrect himself. Oneshot, Comm. Fill - Posted

20.23.2.                Still Waters Run: The Sage of Six Paths gets his ass kicked by his ex-wife, his daughter-in-law, and Tobirama’s mother. Oneshot, Prompt Fill - Posted

20.23.3.                A Thing With Feathers: Madara’s side of the story of their transformation into minor kami. Oneshot, Prompt Fill - Posted

20.23.4.                Come Away: Zetsu is targeting Obito in another attempt to create the Rinnegan. Kakashi has his first “near death” experience and Obito is not amused at all. Neither is Rin. Team 7 is overprotective and codependent regardless of the generation in question. Oneshot, Prompt Fill - Posted

20.23.5.                Quoth the Raven: Danzo’s schemes got him chased out of Konoha to escape execution, and he invades during the Chunin Exams in order to get his revenge. Summoning Tobirama using the Edo Tensai was probably not the best plan. Oneshot, Prompt Fill - Posted

20.24.           Tsukumogami No Kankurou: While he is still very young, Kankurou signs a Summons contract with the Tsukumogami (aka the Muppet Theater Troupe) and then proceeds to interrupt Yashamaru’s “attack” on Gaara while simultaneously wreaking havoc across the entirety of Sunagakure. All of this is done to get back at Rasa for not letting Kankurou play with his baby brother. The Middle Child Syndrome is strong in this one. Never underestimate the power of petty spite. Oneshot, Prompt Fill - Posted

20.25.           Twice is Happenstance: As a side effect of the battle against Kaguya breaking through dimensions, the ghosts of the Uchiha Clan send their memories as far back as possible. On the eve of his younger brother’s assassinations, Uchiha Madara wakes up with memories of being Indra and Sasuke. All the Uchiha have memories of their past and future lives combining with their current selves, and it causes something of a fracas while it gets sorted out. Cue the Uchiha Exodus That Fucks Over Canon. Oneshot - Posted

20.25.1.                Enemy Action: The building of Uchihatlantis, the knockback effects of remembering more than one lifetime, and what happens when the Uchiha start to go back out into the world in order to hunt down their spouses and mess up Zetsu’s plans. Meta

20.26.           Two Steps Back: Retired Rokudaime Hatake Kakashi accidently has his first vacation ever interrupted when he visits the Uzushiogakure ruins and gets slingshot back an incarnation or two due to triggering a derelict seal. Kakashi being Kakashi, he proceeds to continue with his vacation until he has a drunken bar hookup with Uchiha Izuna and now the beloved younger brother of Uchiha “I-can-fight-five-armies-and-win” Madara is stalking Kakashi in order to recite (hilariously awful) poetry about the beauty of Kakashi’s kenjutsu. This is not the retirement Kakashi signed up for. Drabbles, Prompt Fills – Posted

20.26.1.     TSB – And a Jump To The Left: The epic courtship confusion which descends upon the Land of Fire when the Time-Travelling King of Trolls and an Angry Weasel Brat attempt to out-romance each other. Meta

20.27.           Two Truths and a Lie: Mikoto and Kushina have been fake!dating for years to keep the more annoying Uchiha relatives from trying to get her married off. It’s a brilliant plan, and it works perfectly. But times change, and Kushina’s eyes are very pretty. Oneshot, Prompt Fill - Posted

20.28.           Wills of Fire and Conquest: Crossover with OP – Kakashi is Rouge’s little brother and ends up raising the ASL trio while also searching for other reincarnated shinobi. Obito and the rest of Akatsuki become the Red Dawn Pirates and Kakashi eventually founds a new Uzushiogakure on the Red Line. Ace decides he wants to be the Nidaime Uzukage, and Whitebeard accidently insults Ace’s mother so badly during the “recruitment” debacle that Ace spends 100 days trying to beat an apology out of the arrogant old goat. Shinobi-versus-pirate culture clash is frequent and hilarious. WIP - Unposted

20.29.           Worth of a Thousand Words: Political Hostage!Tobirama gets caught by the Uchiha just before he manages to use Hiraishin in battle for the first time. The Uchiha are all sensors that use Ninshu techniques otherwise since lost to time to communicate among themselves. This results in a much more united Uchiha Clan who are perfectly willing to let Madara push for a peace treaty with the Senju now that Tobirama’s capture has given them the leverage to do so. Meta

21. NURARIHYON NO MAGO

21.1.               1001 Demonic Nights: An AU Rikuo who was dragged into Yomi along with his Hakkai Yakko during the battle against the Nue manages to escape from hell by jumping into an alternate reality where his mother Wakana had a threesome with Rihan and Otome. Wakana left to take over her family shrine without telling her lovers that she was pregnant. The Rikuo who was born as a result died as an infant from the Nue’s curse on Nurarihyon’s bloodline. Both Rikuo and Otome’s daughter were conceived on the same night and are both half-demons due to Rihan shifting forms for kinky species-play. WIP - Unposted

22. ONE PIECE

22.1.               Burning Salt Water: Crossover with KHR – Xanxus gets dumped onto the Oro Jackson during the Pirate King’s last voyage when Nono’s Zero Point goes sideways and he ends up adopted by Rouge and Roger while he heals. After the execution Xanxus ends up raising the ASL trio to take over the Pirate Throne and Ace sets the Moby Dick on fire when Whitebeard kidnaps him. WIP – Unposted

22.2.               How Far I’ll Go: Roger had other lovers before he met Rouge and one of them was a Fishwife that he met at a Peacemoot. Their daughter was a mermaid and thus needed to remain on Fishman Island for her own safety. The World Government is so Human-centric that they don’t bother looking into any of Roger’s lady friends from the other races. Gol D Ann gives no shits about anybodies prejudices and when her mixed up genetics mean her feet come in about 20 years early she immediately takes off to track down her baby brother. Goldfish is Luffy’s favourite sibling and Ann is delighted to find three baby brothers for the price of one. WIP - Unposted

22.3.               Rumour, Slander, Hearsay: Garp is even worse at interpersonal communication than in canon and now the entire Marine fleet thinks that Monkey D Dragon is an oversexed degenerate who keep dumping his illegitimate spawn on his poor heroic father’s doorstep. Otherwise known as Dragon adopts ASL and they seek a glorious Revolution. Meta

22.4.               Those Who Favour Fire: Ace survives Marineford, even if only in spirit, because the Goddess of the Sea answered the prayer of another version of Ace. Waking up in the place of his 17-year-old murdered doppelganger, Ace now has to deal with raising a 7-year-old Luffy and escaping the notice of the Marines. Oh, and his murdered younger self is hanging around as a ghost, all the younger versions of Luffy’s crewmates keep showing up on Ace’s boat, and Ace keeps getting tripped up over how much more horrible this world is compared to the one he came from. Chaptered WIP - Posted

22.5.               Where the Sky Meets the Sea: Crossover with KHR – The ASL Trio are reborn as Sawada Tsunayoshi’s younger brothers, and the Will of D means they remember everything. Sawada Iemitsu might once have been Akagami no Shanks and despite lacking his memories knows better than to keep secrets from his wife. (Iemitsu does keep a lot of secrets from Nono, such as the fact that he has more than one son.) Iemitsu redirects Xanxus’ attention to the Family traitors, Nono never meets Tsuna, and nobody gets sealed. Then Reborn shows up, and everything is now on fire. Oneshot, Prompt Fill - Posted

22.6.               Wildfire Hearts: Ace goes back in time from his death to the Grey Terminal Fire, figures out how to use natural fire to heal himself, saves child!Ace and child!Luffy, changes his name to Portgas D Riot, runs away to the Grand Line with his baby brothers, puts together a new pirate crew, and hits on Marco so hard the Phoenix forgets how to complete his sentences. Everything works out for the better. Oneshot, Prompt Fill - Posted

22.6.1. WH – Heave A Sigh And A Wish For Me: SI-Clearfin Lionfish Mermaid named Occhio D Vittoria gets tapped in by the Ocean Goddess to help Riot et al from Wildfire Hearts succeed in their adventures.Oneshot, Prompt Fill – Posted

22.6.2. WH – Today Is The Day Of Reckoning: Riot is gathering up his new crew, forming the Anarchy Pirates, dealing with Garp, seducing Marco the Pheonix, and discovering that Sabo survived when his little brothers gatecrash a Revolutionary Army mission. Meta

22.7.               Wills of Fire and Conquest: Crossover with Naruto – Kakashi is Rouge’s little brother and ends up raising the ASL trio while also searching for other reincarnated shinobi. Obito and the rest of Akatsuki become the Red Dawn Pirates and Kakashi eventually founds a new Uzushio on the Red Line. Ace decides he wants to be the Nidaime Uzukage, and Whitebeard accidently insults Ace’s mother so badly during the “recruitment” debacle that Ace spends 100 days trying to beat an apology out of the arrogant old goat. Shinobi-versus-pirate culture clash is frequent and hilarious. WIP - Unposted

23. PETSHOP OF HORRORS

23.1.               Event Horizons: Leon isn’t human, and that changes things in the aftermath of the confrontation with Papa D. Count D wants to unravel the mystery of his favourite Detective, and Leon is starting to wake up. Hopefully they both find the knowledge they’re looking for before it’s too late and their enemy finds them. Chaptered WIP – Posted (Under Revision)

24. POKÉMON

24.1.              The Hero Of His Own Story: When Green Oak is replaced as the Kanto Champion less than a full 24 hours after winning the title, he runs. Right into a Celebi that was looking for an assistant. Green Oak gets over his bullshit really fast because oh shit that’s an Angry Legendary. Green is also supremely unimpressedwith Red’s bullshit when he learns that Red was supposed to be dealing with all the world-saving events but is instead hiding in a depression cave. Meta

25. SAILOR MOON

25.1.               From Olympus to Mu: The Senshi go to college and Mamoru reunites with the Shitennou. Basis of headcanons and characterization for any further post-canon SM fic. WIP - Unposted

25.2.               Music of the Spheres: Crossover with KHR – Post Stars Usagi and Post Vongola Inheritance Tsuna are cousins who meet for the first time ever only after the Vongola’s enemies kidnap Ikkuko and Shingo. Usagi gets taken into protective custody by her Mafia relatives without being given the chance to say she doesn’t need it. Usagi then proceeds to seduce all the women, charm all the men, and accidently throw Iemitsu out the nearest window every time he’s in the same room she is. Chaptered WIP - Posted

25.2.1. MotS – Celestial Chorus – MotS Spinoff AU: Chibiusa’s arrival has Usagi dragging her family to Namimori to prove that Chibiusa isn’t their cousin and things get wildly out of hand. Meta

25.2.2. MotS – Sing In Exaltation: The Shingo from The Sharp Knife Of A Short Life hears the name of his ‘cousin in Namimori’ and immediately begins to meddle. Meta

25.3.               The Sharp Knife Of A Short Life: SI is reborn as Tsukino Shingo under the aegis of the Roman God Janus and then proceeds to merrily say ‘screw canon, my sister gets to be happy or else’. Oneshot, Prompt Fill - Posted

26. SCUM VILLAINS SELF-SAVING SYSTEM

26.1.               Spite And Fury: A crossover with Naruto and the “Original Goods” Proud Immortal Demon Way from Scum Villains Self-Saving System – Uchiha Madara and Shen Jiu get combined into a single person and Cang Qiong is not ready for this much concentrated asshole. Too bad for them, the new-and-improved Shen Qingqui is here to stay. Meta

27. SLAYERS

27.1.               Infinite Blue: Zelgadis starts paying more attention to the deeper practices of Shamanism and gets in touch with his demonic side while achieving deeper harmony in himself. Xellos approves and it all results in magic explosions and very strange demonic courtship rituals. WIP - Unposted

28. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

28.1.               Skipped Tracks: The triplets from Underground end up transmigrating into the recently deceased bodies of their counterparts in a SatAM reality and proceed to rock out and confuse everyone. WIP - Unposted

29. STAR WARS

29.1.               A Balance of Ice and Fire: Crossover with GOT – Qui-Gon Jinn’s three Padawan Learners and Padme (who got taken in Anakin’s place) are reincarnated as the Tyrell siblings. They proceed to follow the Will of the Force and prepare the Seven Kingdoms to win against the Long Night. Meta

29.2.               A Robe of Stars: Crossover with TMNT – The turtles and Karai help Obi-wan save the Initiates and babies in the Jedi crèche before the Temple gets razed. Once the children are safe, Obi-wan and his new allies turn their attention to saving the Vode. WIP – Unposted

29.3.               That We Answer to Our Stars: Crossover with Naruto – Kaguya’s reality warp has some strange side effects to the point of ridiculousness. All the Uchiha to ever exist are resurrected and then dumped wholesale onto an alien deathworld that is essentially what Training Ground 44 would be if it hadn’t been fenced in. The Uchiha proceed to seduce the Jedi and foil all of Palpatine’s plans for galactic domination. Meta, Chaptered WIP – Posted

30. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

30.1.               A Robe of Stars: Crossover with SW – The turtles and Karai help Obi-wan save the Initiates and babies in the Jedi crèche before the Temple gets razed. Once the children are safe, Obi-wan and his new allies turn their attention to saving the Vode. WIP - Unposted

30.2.               A Velvet Glove: Crossover with FOZ – Leonardo gets summoned to be Louise’s Familiar. Since all of his brothers are dead, Leo sees no reason not to make the most of this “lifelong bond of magic and spirit” and adopts Louise as his little sister. Halgenkia is not prepared for a Louise Francois le Blanc de la Valliere with ninja training. Henrietta is probably far too gleeful over making her best friend her Spymaster, but it’s not like anyone knows enough about what they’re doing to stop her. Reconquista gets exposed and smashed, and Wardes really should have respected his fiancée more. Chaptered, WIP - Posted

30.3.               Iron Laced: Crossover with TMNT – Maria Carbonell was actually Oroku Karai in disguise because she was on vacation from being a member of the Council of Shadows. Karai and all the Turtles accessed magic ninja dragon powers when they took over the Council and Karai-as-Maria passed that down to Tony. So Tony is actually a dragon and an encounter with the Enchantress leaves him locked in his dragon form. WIP - Unposted

30.4.               Paper Flowers: Leonardo and Michelangelo reconnect after years of separation and deal with some leftover issues from their childhood while they prepare to welcome the next generation of Ninja Turtles into the world. WIP - Unposted

30.5.               Patching the Trousers: Starting from the end of the Fast Forward arc, Leonardo gets lost in the multiverse and proceeds to adopt all the secondary turtles. All of them. Leonardo is the Mom Friend, only he’s not a friend he’s just a Mom. Chaptered, WIP - Posted

30.6.               Stained Bandages: Realistic resolution to the most common dark!Splinter tropes. Leo doesn’t really care about himself, but if you touch his brothers he will kill you. Splinter touches Raphael. Karai is gifted with Splinter’s decapitated head in a box. Oneshot- Posted

30.7.               Unraveled Sleeves: After First Contact and Splinter’s death from old age, the Turtles scattered to live their lives. Leonardo is the only one who stayed in the Lair. Making peace with the Karai was only the first step towards healing, and Leo makes peace with himself as he takes on students and his family grows again. Chaptered, WIP - Posted

31. TRANSFORMERS

31.1.               A Transformation of Ice and Fire: Crossover with GOT – Most of the Cybertronians who died during Unicron’s Awakening end up reincarnated as dragons (Seekers) and Direwolves (Autobots). The sapience of the animals causes significant changes to outcome of several key canon events. Meta

31.2.              Action Equals Reaction: There is a time and a place for everything. Even things like learning that your Air Commander is pregnant, and his parents are wingnuts. The middle of battle is neither the time nor the place. Oneshot - Posted

31.3.               Compromising Positions: Bay’verse Shattered Glass – Megatron knows that there’s something wrong with his brother, but nobody will listen to him. Oneshot - Posted

31.4.               High Stakes Wagers: Decepticon Romantic Gestures at their finest. Series

31.4.1. The Bet: Soundwave saves Starscream’s life after he gets blasted away from Unicron and they proceed to have wild, kinky spark-bonding and that’s it that’s the plot. Oneshot - Posted

31.4.2. The Rebirth: Starscream and Soundwave head off Galvatron and Zarak’s attempt to destroy Cybertron (and Earth, but that’s really secondary to them) and earn their just rewards for being on the winning side. Oneshot - Posted

31.5.               Nine Rings of Vos: The Epic Seeker Saga where Starscream is the uncontested leader of the Seekers and he’s using the Great War as a cover to renew his people’s population numbers, add some variety to their core coding, and also destroy the Cybertronian Government because they liked to make Seekers into their slaves. Seven-part Series, Chaptered, WIP - Posted

31.5.1. Before Dawn: A Rings spin-off where the Seekers are actually all sparklings who disguised themselves as their parents in order to survive the Great War. Crash-landing on Earth precipitates the Big Reveal and also the actual adult Seekers get woken from Government sanctioned stasis thanks to the energy surges caused by resource shipments coming in from Earth. Chaptered, WIP - Posted

31.6.               No Evil: Starscream is a scientist who wants to stay a scientist but he’s so damn good at being Air Commander that he gets promoted anyway. Also, his best friend/roommate from the War Academy is the closest thing to a therapist that the Decepticons have and that means Starscream stays mostly sane. Concept, WIP - Unposted

31.7.               Thundercracker’s So Crazy in Love: Seekers Go Into Heat and that will put the War on pause for a bit because of the crazy. Series

31.7.1. Always the Quiet Ones: Thundercracker terrorizes the Decepticon forces on Earth while displaying for his Wingmates and accidently kills Megatron. Oneshot - Posted

31.7.2. Decepticon Service Announcement: Thundercracker is the new Supreme Leader of the Decepticons and he’s decided that they’re in a good position to negotiate peace terms with the Autobots now. Oneshot - Posted

32. YU-GI-OH

32.1.               Old Game, New Rules: Sentinels and Guides are a built in part of society and a certain playing card game ties into that a bit more than most people would expect. There’s a lot of gratuitous soul-bonding smut, worldbuilding runs rampant, and there’s a lot of social commentary on the futility of stereotyping any portion of the population based on a single point of commonality. Chaptered WIP – Unposted

32.2.               The Future of the Past: Jounouchi’s past life left a surprise in their soul that the trip to memory world triggers and now Katsuya is living through all of Jono’s memories. Chaptered WIP – Posted (Under Revision)

33. YU YU HAKUSHO

33.1.              Bonds: Koenma and Yusuke are soulmates and Enma Daioh interferes because one his brat son is properly wedded and bedded Enma can take a long overdue vacation. Oneshot – Posted

33.1.1.                  Ties That Bind: Koenma and Yusuke are just starting to get used to being bonded mates when a new/old-and-forgotten enemy shows up to complicate things. WIP – Unposted (Under Revision)

33.2.              What Happens on Vacation: Crossover with Bleach – turns out that Kurosaki Misaki was a senior ferry girl on sabbatical (which translates as living a mortal life unaware of her true nature) and she was late returning to work due to being trapped in Grand Fishers gut. Ichigo and Uryuu are very confused when their “cousin” Kazuma shows up to introduce his new bride to the family. Koenma is just really pissed off by all the paperwork he needs to deal with while cleaning up his father’s mismanaged pet project. Chaptered WIP - Unposted

[airplanned]

This is not Chapter 9

Okay, so.

I wrote a chapter of All the Trashy Novels, and it’s...longer than usual and way more dramatic in a not sexy fun way?  I must be off my goofy game tonight, and I think you’ll be disappointed with the sudden tonal shift.  So this is not chapter 9.  I will write a different chapter 9 tomorrow.  But I’m posting this if you want to read it anyway.  Deleted scene kinda thing.

Cool.  Enjoy!

Since realizing that she could channel all her hostility into flirting, Zelda had not been able to look Link in the face.  Every time she did, her cheeks got noticeably warm, and if shed learned anything from those silly books, it was that blushing had no place in angry banter.  She needed to be confident in her mockery.  Embarrassment was a sign of weakness.  She needed to be able to look him in the eyes to say the cruel things that she had practiced a million times in her head.

This was not a problem for her a month previously.

She needed to regain her dominance in the spiteful eye-contact game.  Yes.  She would do that.  She would do that--um--tomorrow.   Yes!  She happened to know the time and place where she could corner him.

So just as the sun rose, she headed to the guard's training room, ready to pick a fight.  A sexy fight.  With plenty of pent up energy.

She'd expected Link to be alone, going through his sword forms in meditative silence.  Instead she found that he actually had company.  He was wielding a training sword, as four other guards threw themselves at him all at once, and he spun, back and forth and around, blocking and swinging, leaping into a dodge, then sweeping in to snap one of his attackers in the back of the leg, ducking a swipe at his head, and rolling up to his knees to block another blow from a sword brought down towards his face.

She watched from the balcony above, her frown deepening with his every grunt of exertion.  She was not at all expecting friendly sparring to be so...violent.  So brutal.  One of the men had been disarmed, but he rushed up behind Link while he was distracted dueling two of the other men at once.  His unarmed opponent was twice his size and grabbed him into a choke hold, giving the other men an opportunity.

The other men grinned like sharks as they adjusted the grips on their swords and came at him.

They were going to kill him!  This wasn't a spar!  This was an ambush!

She rushed down the stairs.  "Stop this at once!"

Before her words or her presence could register, one of the men had hit Link in the ribs, and Link had launched his feet in the air to kick one of his attackers in the face.

"Stop it!  Leave him alone!"

The man choking Link dropped him and spun around in shock.  "Your Highness!"  They all dropped to one knee, including Link.

Wide eyes and raging, she planted her hands on her hips and demanded, "What is the meaning of this?"

Link rose to stand at attention and look her in the eye with a calmness belayed by how hard he was panting.  How much he was sweating. 

Oh, that was a lot of sweat.  How had she not noticed he was shirtless?

"We were sparring, Your Highness."

She pointed emphatically.  "That was not sparring.  That was a deliberate attempt to harm you."

His eyebrows lowered ever so slightly. 

She fumed. ��"I understand the urge to want to take a swing at you, but you are the Hylian Champion and we cannot afford to have you injured when the Calamity strikes."

"I can handle four-on-one."

"Oh, yes, clearly."  She stomped up and poked him in the ribs where he'd been struck.  He hissed and flinched.

"You," she demanded, pointing at the guard who had hit him, whose eyes went wide. "You are relieved of duty.  As are you."  She pointed at the man who'd had him in a choke hold.

Link stiffened.  "Princess, that's not--"

"I don't want to hear it," she snarled.  Her eyes scanned him head to toe, and she scoffed at the scattering of bruises.  "Get cleaned up."

Then she spun on her heel and stormed up the stairs.

Mutterings behind her and someone was rushing up the stairs after her.  She refused to look back or slow down.

"Princess, wait.  You can't relieve them of duty."

"I beg your pardon.  I thought I heard you say I can't."

"Your Highness, please."  And he sounded exasperated enough that she spun on him and lifted an eyebrow.  She stopped so fast that he almost bumped into her.

He took a moment to breathe.  "They draw straws," he said.  "Every Tuesday morning, four random men from the royal guard have to fight me.  They get up before sunrise.  They absolutely hate it.  You can't punish them for it."

"I can and I will."  She turned to leave.

"No!  You--"

"Maybe it will put an end to such an absurd practice.  Honestly!  You request that people who despise you come at you with swords?  Your lack of self-preservation is astounding."

"They don't despise me."

"They're jealous of you!  I saw it in their eyes!  I hear the way they gossip!"

He grabbed her wrist and spun her around, and before she could suck in a breath, he was glaring into her face. 

"They will never let me live it down if you do this."

She realized with a start that this was what she was aiming for.  She'd managed to make him angry.  He was touching her.  He was shirtless and sweaty and panting, and they were in a dark hallway in the wee hours of the morning.  She swallowed hard, her hand trembling, her eyes wide as she tried to remember any of the barbs she'd planned, but they all went flying when faced with Link actually angry at her.

She wanted her words to be sharp, but they came out small.  "That's not my problem."

His eyes suddenly widened, all his anger wiped clean.  He dropped her hand and took a full step backwards, and she could breathe again.

He dropped to one knee, bowing his head.  "Forgive me, Your Highness."

She held her wrist to her chest.  "No.  I--"  She cleared her throat and looked anywhere but at him.  "They can, um, return to their duties."

"Thank you."

She should say something more.  Something scathing.

But she was too flustered and confused to think of anything, and left without another word.

[headcanonsandhijinx]

Breaking Point

Edit: this was originally called ‘Wild Angst Oneshot’ as I couldn’t think of a name, but due to a great suggestion by Narutofan8762 on AO3, it’s now titled ‘Breaking Point’.

I was scrolling on tiktok and saw an acting video with an audio that was from Supergirl, basically yelling at someone who had abandoned her and my brain immediately went ‘Wild yelling at Hylia!’ So I had to try and write this, and then I turned it into a Linked Universe fic because I’m kinda obsessed.

Under the cut, because as usual, my oneshots tend to get pretty long, pretty quickly...

***

She was cold.

That was all he could think as his heart thundered in his chest. She was cold in his arms.

He had finally defeated Calamity Ganon and as the beast finally disappeared from the land that it had long tormented, she had appeared. Zelda was finally free.

He had been running towards her before he even realised and had pulled the princess into a hug with repeated apologies falling from his dry, cracked lips.

Zelda had wrapped her arms back around him and managed to speak into his ear before she went limp in his arms. He had let his body move down to the ground to keep her cradled in his arms, but it was too late.

As soon as he took her face in his hands, the light left her eyes and she breathed her last.

That was how he stayed for hours. In the middle of Hyrule Field, with the body of the woman he was supposed to protect as he cried and her final words repeated over and over in his mind.

“You have nothing to apologise for, Link. You saved us all”

***

Several hours later, found her body draped across his lap, with one of his hands gently holding the back of her head and the other wrapped around her back, while he rocked back and forth as he cried out his grief to the world. He had sat there and screaming and crying for hours over her body.

Then when morning came, he picked up Zelda’s body, called over his horse and began the long trek back to Kakariko Village.

***

Impa had been distressed to see the princess’ body, and it wasn’t helped by the state of Link’s injuries that he had neglected in his grief. A broken arm, 4 cracked ribs, scrapes, bruises, and a concussion.

Impa had insisted that he stay in Kakariko while he healed and the funeral was planned. The time seemed to go by in a blink and before he knew it, the day of the funeral arrived. In a strange turn from the blur of the past few days, the ceremony seemed to last longer than the hundred years he’d slept as Link watched the body of the one he swore protect be laid to rest.

Link was just thankful that the gravesite had been moved from the original plan to bury her near the remnants of the castle, but he couldn’t bear to lay her body to rest in the place where she’d been trapped for a hundred years. She was being buried by the pond atop Satori Mountain. Link had regained a memory of visiting it with Zelda and she’d been amazed by it, so he had brought up the idea of burying her there with Impa, who had agreed to his signing and changed the plans.

Once the ceremony had concluded, Impa had invited Link stay in Kakariko and after a while, he had surprisingly accepted the offer. However, Impa didn’t tell him that she was scared he may do something drastic and he did, just not in the way anyone expected.

He just stayed in the spare house he was staying in, seemingly okay with secluding himself away from the rest of the world. Thoughts of his failure and weakness became his only constant companion as he wouldn’t leave the house for anyone. No matter who came to see him, he wouldn’t answer and if someone journeyed inside, he wouldn’t reply to any questions. And the more they tried to help, the more he pulled away. Eventually, Impa had to ask everyone to keep monitoring him but to leave him alone, out of fear that he may run away and never been seen again if they pushed too much.

They still tried to help, but in little ways that included minimal interaction, if they even saw him. Food would be left outside the door for him and it would be eaten, but only just enough to keep himself alive. He would train and practice constantly during the day and the nights where he couldn’t sleep for fear of failing Hyrule again, often passing out in the middle of the floor sometimes for desperately needed rest.

And that was the way it stayed for six months. A constant cycle of self-loathing and punishing himself for not being good enough.

Until a gang of travelers had walked into Kakariko.

***

“We’ve been walking for ages.” Wind complained as he panted with his hands on his knees and he wasn’t the only one. The group had been walking for almost an entire day and still hadn’t found a settlement or village to rest at, and they’d found this Hyrule’s Beadle who had given them directions, but the group was questioning how accurate they were.

“Well Beadle said Kakariko was this way and he said it wasn’t far, but I think he was just trying to get rid of us before Sky bought all his bugs.” Warrior joked as he stood beside Sky, who elbowed him in the side.

“Come on, he said we should be there by midday if we were quick enough and then we can rest there.” Time chimed in from his place walking at the front of the ground. There were several groans but no more complaints as they continued walking.

It was around two hours later when they finally saw the entrance to this Hyrule’s version of Kakariko Village and upon seeing it, the groups let out several sighs of relief as they journeyed inside.

There were only a few people around the village from what Twilight could see. As he walked in, he spotted a man painting, a little girl sitting by a fire, another younger girl running around and some guards standing in front of a set of stairs that lead up to a building.

“Okay, we should ask later and see if we can find this Hyrule’s hero.” Twilight suggested as he turned around to face the rest of the group, who were all surveying the village as well.

“You’re looking for the hero?” A small voice came from behind him and as he turned, he saw the little girl that was running around a moment ago.

“Yeah, we are. Do you know where he is?” Wind asked the girl.

“Yes, but daddy says he’s ill so he never leaves the house.” The little girl answered before they heard another voice and a man came over to join them.

“I’m sorry sirs, I hope my daughter wasn’t being any trouble.” He said as he looked down lovingly at the girl.

“Oh no sir. She was just telling us where we could find someone that we are looking for.” Time replied.

“Well, perhaps I may be able to offer you some more assistance. Who are you looking for?” The man asked kindly.

“We’re looking for the hero, presumably goes by the name ‘Link’.” Legend spoke up and it was quite jarring to see how quickly the smile left the man’s face.

“You should all come with me.” The smile didn’t return.

***

They’d been herded into a house at the top of a long staircase after that and introduced to this Hyrule’s Impa. She had quickly filled them in on the situation as much as she could and it was a lot to take in.

The land had been decimated by this Hyrule’s Ganon and had suffered for a hundred years, until Link could finally defeat him. (she hadn’t told them about Wild’s death. That would be something for the boy to explain on his own terms. Impa tried to give him control over the very little that he had a say in. She wouldn’t take this explanation away from him too.)

They’d then been left alone in the room and were trying to think of how to approach this new Link when Legend spoke up.

“You heard how they talked about him! How are we supposed to break it to him? Huh, just dump it on him when these guys have said that he’s ill.” Legend snapped. “Hey, we’re all reincarnations of the hero and we’ve all defeated some kind of evil that has threatened our Hyrules. Now Hylia is grouping us all together on a new quest so we can figure out who is behind all these black blooded monsters and stop them. If she’s brought us here then we need you to help us. You’ll probably need to say your goodbyes because she’ll make you join us whether you want to or not. How does that sound?” He snapped sarcastically, already done with the situation.

But nobody spoke, not even to scold him for his outburst and Legend turned around to see this Hyrule’s Link standing in the room’s doorway, presumably having just heard his rant about their quest.

Fuck.

But that wasn’t the worst part of the situation. The worst part of the situation was this Link’s appearance.

The group didn’t know what was worse about it. The painful looking scars that covered part of his left cheek creeping up to cover his ear and snaking down his neck to presumably cover his body as well, or the blank look of numbness on the boy’s face. He had walked in with Paya as he stared into the distance at nothing, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings as he stood there. Warriors had been closest and he recognised the look in this Link’s eyes. It was the look of someone who had completely given up and retreated from the world. He’d seen it on lots of fellow soldiers on the battlefield and off it. Men who’d retreated into their heads because the war was too scarring.

That was when the new Link had pulled something from his belt and vanished in shards of glowing blue light, teleporting away before anyone could even say anything.

“Great. Now what do we do?” Wind questioned, unsure of how to precede.

“I fear there is nothing we can do, apart from wait for his return.” This Hyrules Impa spoke up. “Link knows how to hide when he doesn’t want to be found and the more we try to force our company into him, the more he resists it.” The group were reluctant to accept this at all, but eventually conceded after Impa told them that he would probably return soon, once he got his head around what was going on and came up with a plan. (She didn’t tell them that she was even more worried about Link then they were.)

***

Link walked through Hateno Village as he headed towards the house he had bought almost a year ago, hoping that one day he may be able to take Zelda there. However, that would never happen now.

The wooden bridge beneath him creaked as he moved across it. His eyes now set on the item before him that was his reason for coming here at all. He strode fowards and wrapped his hands around it before it vanished in streams of blue light into his slate. He opened the map, selected his next location and disappeared.

Leaving Bolson and Karson behind as they looked at each other worriedly. They hadn’t seen him in months and he hadn’t even seemed to hear them calling his name.

***

He walked inside with the sledgehammer he had taken from outside his house as he set his sights on the aim of his journey.

The statue of the goddess Hylia, in the Temple of Time.

The goddess who had ignored her peoples suffering. Who had left her people to die. Who had let everyone he knew die. Who had ignored Zelda’s prayers and pleas for her help with her dormant powers, and had ignored his silent pleas for years.

Who was now demanding his help again, threatening to rip his world away from him once again if he refused.

Walking to the base of the statue and shifting his stance, he swung the hammer into the side of it. Before pulling it back and hitting it over and over and over again, parts of the ancient statue crumbling to the ground as the hero released his fury.

“You were supposed to protect us! You were supposed to protect your people! Protect the land and people you created!” He screamed the first words he had said in months, his voice hoarse and rough in his throat. “You were supposed to protect her! She trusted you, she believed in you!” His voice cracked and his throat ached as he yelled, unused to being used at such a loud volume.

Then he stopped and let the head of the sledgehammer rest on the floor as Link realised something.

“I... I believed in you.” It was practically a whisper.

“I trusted you.” It was louder now.

“I trusted you! I thought you’d help us. I thought you’d help me, but you abandoned us! You just left us all to die! You let me die!” He couldn’t breathe because he had trusted her and look where that trust had gotten him.

Nowhere.

“I lost everything.” He thought outloud.

“Do you hear me? I’ve lost everything because of you and your stupid quest!” His ears were ringing as he started screaming again as the hammer was back striking at the statue of the goddess even harder then before.

“I lost my family!” A family he couldn’t even remember.

“I lost my home!” Another place thats memories were lost to him.

“I lost everyone I’ve ever cared about!” That was something he could only assume. He must of had a family at some point, maybe even some friends? He just didn’t know.

“Daruk” His back throbbed with phantom pain in memory of how hard his congratulatory back ‘pats’ were. How loud his voice was, even when he was trying to be quiet.

“Revali” Even though they had mainly been at odds with each other, Link still remembered a few things. The way he would preen whenever he got any amount of attention, or the sound of his wings gliding through the air.

“Urbosa” The sound of her voice rang through his ears, how she’d always sounded so confident and sure of herself. How proud she was of her people and her culture.

“Mipha” The girl he was supposedly in love with, and he could barely remember anything about her. He could remember how soft her voice was but how she was also incredibly fierce in battle when defending those she loved, but that was it. There was practically nothing left.

“Ze-Zelda!” He hit the statue so hard that his hammer shattered into pieces, as he thought of the few things that he could actually remember about her. The way her eyes light up when she talked about the Shiekah technology or a rare species of animal or flower. The way her nose would slightly scrunch up and her eyebrows would furrow when she was annoyed at him. The way her hands shook when she held him as he died in her arms.

“I’ve lost everything because of you! I have nothing left anymore! I’m done. Do you hear me? I’m done with you!” He was no longer screaming, but he wasn’t done yet.

Looking up at the partially ruined statue before him, he dropped to his knees among the stones that now littered the floor. And dropping his head into his hands, he took a deep breath, before he threw his head back...

And screamed.

It was long and loud and every time he ran out of breath, he just took a deeper one and started again. The screams were haunting, heartbreaking and full of grief because Link, after years of mounting pressure, trauma and incapacitating grief, was finally breaking down.

***

When Link awoke he hadn’t realised that he’d fallen asleep, or more accurately, that he’d passed out after screaming for hours. His throat was sore and he felt like he was drifting in that weird feeling numbness that usually occurred when he had a breakdown, although they had never been this bad before.

He looked at the destruction around him and to his surprise, he didn’t feel guilty about it. He’d expected to feel guilty like he always did these days, blaming himself for everything that went wrong. Even if he knew that, logically, there wasn’t any possible way that he could be responsible for it.

But this? This left him feeling hollow instead. Because there was nothing left of him anymore.

He was tired and emotionally drained and he wanted to stay here in his Hyrule. He didn’t want to be forced into being the Goddess’ pawn again, and yet he had no choice. He never had a choice when it came to the Goddess and her will, that was a lesson he learned a long time ago.

He took a moment to breathe and took out the sheikah slate to teleport back to Kakariko.

‘Time to face the Goddess’, he thought as he tried to prepare himself to once again succumb to the Goddess’ wishes and relinquish any thoughts of freedom.

It wouldn’t do any good to imagine a luxury that he would never be granted.

[snowdream]

In light of Honoroit’s event outfit, I can’t help but imagine his and Emmanellain’s first Moonfire Faire going something like this:

Emmanellain, excitedly bursting into the room: “Honoroit! Pack your bag! We‘re going to attend the Moonfire Faire! Father agreed to let us go :D “

Honoroit, busy cleaning up the constant mess on Emmanellain’s desk but now pausing: “The ‘Moonfire Faire’, my lord? I‘m afraid I am not familiar with this event. Is one of the High Houses holding a banquet of sorts?”

Emmanellain: “No, it’s a summer festival in La Noscea. Costa del Sol, to be precise. Such a lovely spot! I’ve been there once before the calamity; its beach is one of the most beautiful ones in the world ^-^ And there’ll be foods, and drinks, and games… It’ll be marvellous, my boy!”

Honoroit, skeptical: “And your father allows for you to leave your post in order to attend this… festival?”

Emmanellain: *nodding vigorously*

also Emmanellain: *not telling Honoroit how he BEGGED his father to let him take Honoroit on a trip as the boy never had a chance to see the world yet and as Honoroit so much deserves a break from his duties so he can simply enjoy his childhood for once*

Honoroit, taking a polite bow: “As you wish, my lord. What exactly would you have me pack?”

Emmanellain, waving a dismissive hand: “Just some light clothes. A few short-sleeved shirts, some shorts…”

Honoroit: *blank stare*

Emmanellain, sobering: “Riiight… You don’t own anything like that.” *slaps his fist into his palm* “Off to the Jeweled Crozier then! We‘ll remedy that at once!”

The following hours consist of Emmanellain dragging a reluctant, rather embarrassed Honoroit into Ishgard‘s most prestigious fashion stores and having him try on a plethora of shorts and shirts. Honoroit feels incredibly uncomfortable with this type of clothes as he has never seen any Ishgardian wear such revealing attire and deems it unseemly. He adamantly refuses to wear anything that doesn’t cover his elbows and knees at least or - Heavens forbid! - that leaves his chest bare! Emmanellain doesn’t want to push him and ends up buying a light shirt and shorts that meet Honoroit’s criteria. 

The evening before they are to leave for La Noscea, Emmanellain checks in on Honoroit to find him about to finish packing. To Emmanellain’s utter dismay though, Honoroit has also laid out a pair of boots.

Emmanellain: “What are you doing there, my boy? You can’t wear boots on the beach, you need… Oh no!” *sudden realisation followed by guilt* “We forgot to buy you sandals!“

Emmanellain, thinking hard: “Okay, it’s too late to go buy you any now… Do you own only boots? Or do you have shoes as well?”

Honoroit: “I do, my lord… Your father had a few pairs made for me for when we attended the conference in Kugane.”

Emmanellain: “Perfect! Just bring one of those then.”

Honoroit, uncertain: “Your father, as always, was most generous. He had four pairs made for me despite my repeated reassurances that this wasn’t necessary - which one exactly shall I bring?”

Emmanellain: “Don’t fret so much, anything that you think fits the Moonfire Faire will do =^^= “

Honoroit: “But I don’t know what the Moonfire Faire is like, my lord…”

Emmanellain, patting his shoulder: “It’s a festivity, like… like Starlight celebration! Only at the beach, and in summer. So just bring something that you think suitable for that.“

A few days later, the two of them arrive in Limsa Lominsa where they stay at an inn for the night before continuing on to the Costa del Sol the next morning. As they get changed for their final passage to the Bloodshore, Emmanellain sees Honoroit in his full attire, including his shoes of choice, for the first time.

Emmanellain, incredulous: “Honoroit! Are… Are these the shoes you brought?”

Honoroit, nodding: “Yes, my lord.” *proudly puts his left foot forth* “You said to bring something appropriate for a beach, so I made sure to choose shoes that were waterproof. And these socks were a gift from mistress Yaelle last Starlight. I received many compliments for them - mistress Medguistl said they were ‘lovely’ and ‘very festive’, so I thought them perfect for the Moonfire Faire.”

Honoroit: *looks up and sees Emmanellain‘s aghast expression*

Honoroit, his voice wavering: “Is… is something amiss, my lord?” *insecurely wrings his hands* “Did I do something wrong?”

Emmanellain, startled out of his stupor and hastily pulling himself together: “No! No, absolutely not!” *ruffles Honoroit‘s hair with a lenient smile* “They’re most perfect, my boy. Come on then, off to the pier lest we miss the ferry!”

They arrive at the Costa del Sol soon after, an unsuspecting Honoroit wearing steel-toed shoes and Starlight socks at the beach. Over the course of the Moonfire Faire, Emmanellain buys him his first ever sundae (Honoroit is both fascinated and delighted by the exotic dessert) and teaches him swimming (Emmanellain is an awful teacher, but he’s trying his best), and they play beach ball and bopping for bombards and they sit and watch the fireworks in the evenings. There are some guests who intend to tease Honoroit for his outfit, but Emmanellain always intercepts them and invites them for a drink or for ice cream before Honoroit notices anything.

The following summer, an unusually timid Honoroit approaches Emmanellain and asks him if they will attend this year’s Moonfire Faire again by chance. Needless to say, Emmanellain finds it absolutely impossible to say no.

[fatefulfaerie]

Abnormality

Zelink Week 2021 prompt #6/7 @zelinkweek2021

Word Count: 2,225

Incarnation: Age of Calamity

Additional Prompts Followed: Timeline Alteration

“UTA” inspired by the “TVA” of the Disney+ series “Loki”

Trigger Warnings: abduction, brainwashing

Before Link knew it, he was being pushed along a dark hallway, hands tied and feet tripping on each other when he was pushed too abruptly.

“Faster.”

He could barely see, but long, blinking blue lights told him it was a narrow space, and his boots sounded as if they were walking on steel. He walked faster nonetheless. His own iron armor made even more of a ruckus.

“Where are you taking me?” He asked over his shoulder to the man who was pushing him. “What’s going on?”

He was in Hyrule Field last he remembered, returning to the castle after battling a Moblin. He saw an odd, egg-shaped robot and the next thing he knew he was pushed to the ground, landing in the steel trappings of wherever he was now. He was brought to his feet and pushed whenever his captor thought his pacing was too slow.

The man never answered. Link was blasted with light when a door opened as if automatically with the same noise as a sword slinking into a sheath. Link, who marvelled at such unprecedented technology, was pushed in before he could remark at it. The man behind him was gone when those same doors closed behind him.

Link looked behind him and there were no longer doors, just a wall. So he looked in front of him.

The room was clad with a silver material unlike stone. Angles jutted out at odd places and Link had never before seen architecture like this as he slowly paced forward towards the table.

Someone cleared their throat, a woman. Link’s head popped directly forward.

“Name?” She asked.

“What’s going on?”

“Name?” She repeated. It seemed Link found another person who would not humor his questions.

“Link,” he answered.

The receptionist seemed annoyed, eyes rolling to the back of her head and her eyelids fluttering. Link wondered what he did to upset her, but she scribbled something down on a piece of paper nonetheless.

“Birthdate?”

“August 16th,” Link replied. “But--”

“You have been charged with the crime of temporal misdemeanors,” she interrupted. “How do you plead?”

Link’s mouth moved but no sound came out.

“T-temp…” he tried, but failed. “What even is that? What did I do?”

“How do you plead?” She asked. There seemed to be no negotiation.

“G-guilty,” Link stammered. “I guess.”

She pointed her pen to the left, where there was now an opening, a doorless entrance.

“Step onto the platform for processing please.”

Link hesitated.

“Now,” she said without even looking up, and so Link did as he was asked, stepping onto the platform with oddly textured lines. With a jolt, it moved him along, Link’s arms drifting from his sides and knees bending as if bracing for danger. But before he could even get a sight of what was in this next room, his vision was clouded by white mist, a substance that shot a tingling feeling throughout his entire body until he couldn’t even feel his body. He was paralyzed completely and before he could fall, mechanized hands clutched his limbs, his arms, his legs. He felt his armor being stripped off but he didn’t have the control over his eyes to see who was doing it or where it was going, to object to showing this much skin and feeling this vulnerable in a strange place. Neither could he employ his vocal nodes to object to the last bit of clothing being removed until he was left only with a blue Sheikah-grade undergarment covering his most private area.

He could still see though, still tell he was being moved along into the futuristic building with no discernible connection to anything he had ever seen in Hyrule.

When he finally stopped, he stopped in front of a man behind a podium. Around Link were burn marks and the foul smell of burning flesh. His heart began to race.

“Link 816-D, you have been--”

But the echoey voice of doom was stopped when someone came racing through a now opened door, a woman in a blue dress with jagged and yet structured patterned white lines. The dress was far too tight and far too short for anything fashionable in Hyrule, but the dark-haired woman looked professional and put-together nonetheless. The fact that her dress almost exposed her knees was the least of Link’s concerns, it was just odd.

He definitely was not in Hyrule.

“He is to be questioned,” the woman said. Link couldn’t deny she was beautiful. He tried not to think about it. “Concerning the matter of the leading variant at large.”

“Very well.”

Link felt the greatest sense of relief when he was able to move again, permitted to step off the platform, and given garments to clothe himself in. They actually quite resembled the white and blue that everyone in this place wore, Link given white pants, a blue shirt, and a jacket that said “variant” on the back.

He stayed silent until the woman sat him down in a room, sitting across from him with a welcoming smile.

“Sorry about all that,” she said with her hands clasped into each other and her elbows on the table. “We don’t have the best reception here at the UTA. Let’s just say you are very lucky to be with me right now.”

Link didn’t quite know what to say.

“I-I’m sorry but…” Link stammered. “What is the UTA? Why...w-why am I here and...who are you?”

She pursed her lips.

“Somehow I always forget you guys come in here with no context,” she said, almost apologetically. “Allow me to explain. My name is Whitney and I am an employee of the UTA, which stands for the Unified Timeline Authority. We are in charge of making sure that the timeline is pure of contamination such as unauthorized time travel, timeline splits, and nexus events that cause timeline splits. We have worked long and hard to turn a chaotic and temporally lawless timeline of Hyrule into a unified and cohesive timeline. We work tirelessly to make sure the timeline stays straight, and doesn’t veer off from the set path.”

It sounded rehearsed to Link, but more than that, it sounded confusing. He got bits of it but he still stared, overwhelmed beyond belief.

“Okay, okay,” Whitney said, pulling out a piece of paper and a pencil. She started drawing a straight line on the page.

“Here is your timeline. You pull the sword at thirteen but you put it back, right? You didn’t tell anyone?”

Link nodded.

“Okay so time moves along and you age, as you know.”

She started drawing another line, exactly parallel to the first.

“Meanwhile, there is an alternate universe where you do keep the sword. Believe it or not, these both are heading towards the same destination until BAM!”

She stopped drawing the first line abruptly and let the second keep going straight. She continued the first with a line askew, making an angle.

“You encounter the little robot and everything changes. The destination is put in jeopardy at a rate we’ve never seen before. So we step in.”

“You have seen the robot so we took you. We also took the robot so he can do no further damage. We then go to where the robot came from in the first place and make sure he doesn’t come again. Thus, we have two robots. Both are now destroyed. Now I know what you’re thinking. Two robots but one of you, how does that fix it? Eliminating the second robot made it so that it never contaminated your timeline, and so there is now another Link that made it to the destination, the event where all alternate timelines become one. Thus you are the extra Link, a variant.”

She erased some of both lines and made it so that the two lines converged into one, drawing a dot at the exact place where they did and labeling it “the destination”.

“So I’m here because I saw the robot?”

“Not quite. You see, we could have wiped your memories or even wiped you but we took the opportunity to gain some…intel…about another variant.”

“Who?” Link asked.

“You,” she answered simply.

“What?”

She almost laughed.

From below the desk she pulled out a clipboard, the exact one that Link saw that first woman with. She handed it over to Link, who took it and knitted his brow at what he saw.

At least half of the names on each and every of the many pages were either Link, Zelda, or Ganon, each name accompanied by two to four numbers and a single capital letter.

In the middle of the last page was what the judge called him, Link 816-D.

“Yeah sorry about that,” she said. Of all the things she could apologize for, she sounded too casual to be apologizing for any of them, for kidnapping him, for stealing the armor he earned, for uprooting his life. “You are actually the fourth Link to come in with that birthday, thus Link 816-D.”

Link put the clipboard down slowly, and returned his gaze back to the diagram.

“The destination,” he said, before looking up. “What is it? Why is it so important that you can’t have it not happen?”

The destination is the singular moment where we were finally able to unify the timeline into one. We refer to it as the calamity.”

The word struck fear into Link’s heart.

“C-calamity…” he began, attempting to fight his shock at how cheery she said that word, how casually she referred to something that could kill thousands of people. “As in Calamity Ganon? Are you serious? You...y-you want that to happen? Do you realize what that means?”

Whitney nodded.

“It’s unfortunate,” she said. “But it was necessary that we let it happen. The near destruction of Hyrule was the only way to unify the parallel timelines. It isn’t the first time we took advantage of a disaster to slowly work towards unification. There used to be three separate timelines that were nowhere near parallel, mind you.”

Link went pale, cold. His eyes stung and his lungs paused. Not only did they permit the calamity but they let entire kingdoms be destroyed for their order.

For some reason Whitney assumed that Link was just as comfortable as her with the situation.

“The variant we are concerned with exists in the single timeline beyond the destination but the variant is trying to undo the calamity, and we need to know why. Activating that robot and sending him across parallel timelines was his first attempt. He is, of course, only a variant of you, but we feel that questioning you will lead to a bit of clarity as far as his motives. If you submit to questioning right here and now, we can offer you a job, you won’t have to worry about being destroyed or anything. I used to be a variant, too, you know. All of us were variants once. We’d love to have you join us.”

Link wondered how long this woman had been here for her words to sound so fake, so insincere, so rehearsed. Perhaps she was kidnapped as a child, perhaps she was raised by other people like her, who lost themselves gradually.

Thus Link most assuredly did not want the job, did not want to be a part of something that trades apocalypses for senseless organization, that trades lives for convenience.

The kingdom of Hyrule he once served not ten minutes ago was so much more…

It was...

Well he supposed they were no better, doing those same things, just on a smaller scale.

So he could either work for the UTA or be destroyed like the variants who did not comply. He could die for his morals or he could sacrifice them.

But perhaps there was a third option, one where he fought for his morals, destroyed the UTA from the inside.

“I’ll take the job,” he finally said, Whitney smiled. “But I have to ask...you said you were a variant...who were you?”

It didn’t seem like a question that was commonly asked, and she hesitated. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to answer, it was more like she genuinely forgot. Link narrowed his eyes.

“I was a variant of Princess Zelda,” she said. “I used to go by Hilda but when I got here they labeled me as Zelda 108-A. I was taken the moment Lorule got it’s own Triforce. Lorule was destroyed by the UTA, but...it was already a mess.” Whitney shrugged. “It was probably for the best.”

Her entire kingdom was destroyed and she showed so little empathy. Link could hardly believe it. She was so casual about it, like she was talking about what she had for lunch.

“A friend got taken alongside me but,” she laughed. “You know it’s funny I don’t remember their name.” She shrugged again. “Must not have been a very good friend. I’m sure you’ll be a better one.”

Link pitied that poor friend. He could very well have been her best friend, could have refused to comply and could have been erased from her memory so that she would comply, would slowly lose herself and become another drone of the UTA.

Link inwardly refused to resign to the same fate, to maybe, if possible, save her too.

“What is your first question for me?”

[lorelylantana]

The Difference

I was inspired to write by some of the amazing @ghostgirl19posts‘s work for Febwhump and with permission I’ve decided to write a little epilogue for the Ganon’sChampion!Link chapters, the first of which can be found here but you should also read parts two and three for this to make sense.

Overall rating: T

Warnings: Emotional Manipulation, unhealthy relationship that grows to be slightly less unhealthy.

“Did you really believe that anything would be different?”

No, she supposes she didn’t. Not really. She isn’t that stupid.

Zelda sees the dead sincerity in his eyes when he speaks, but the relief at Ganon’s fall has sparked a rebellious streak in her. She won’t let him get off that easy, so she masks her dismay with an apathetic flip of her hair.

“Just as well,” she hums, the picture of a bored princess, “As far as I’m concerned, my job is done so long as the kingdom isn’t actively on fire. I see nothing wrong with lounging about for the rest of my days. If you want to do all the paperwork, be my guest. In the meantime, I’ll be in the library. It’s been too long since I’ve read a good book.”

She doesn’t wait for permission, slipping out of his arms and breezing out the door. He stands there a moment, shocked into silence. He likely would have called after her if he wasn’t rooted to the spot by the dread sinking in his body.

“ . . . Paperwork?”

Despite Link’s insistence otherwise, Zelda did begin to notice things were different. The changes were small, incremental, but no less potent. She was not so foolish as to let her guard down, but a drop of water can cut through stone through sheer persistence.

Zelda woke up in the middle of the night needing to go to the bathroom. This was an increasingly common occurrence as her midriff expanded to accommodate the child growing there. She lay on her side, Link curled around her back and his hand on her stomach. The day after Ganon’s assassination his rooms were cleared and refurbished to house the new royal couple. 

The first difference. Their rooms were divided no longer. At first, Zelda assumed that he was tired of having to summon her and this unification was an attempt to streamline his path between her legs. She thought it a decision driven by lust, but she had to admit that their nightly escapades had decreased. He still took Zelda into his arms often enough, unwrapping her with painstaking, almost precious care and leaving her skin open to be devoured. But there were also nights like these, where the days were long and Link seemed to sense her fatigue and was content to simply lie wrapped around her, his hand never straying from her abdomen. Zelda wondered if he was as tired as she was, adjusting to kingship, but most of her husband’s mind was still a mystery to her.

Her husband.

There was no royal wedding. No dress. No grand feast to celebrate Zelda’s return to royalty. There was only an acolyte and a set of documents to be signed before she was once again dragged off to bed. They couldn’t find a priest, so they said their vows in front of the closest alternative. 

Zelda yawned and slipped out of bed to relieve herself. While she was washing her hands she took a moment to consider her reflection. 

Zelda knew there were aspects of her marriage that were unacceptable, she knew that.

But there was no denying the privilege afforded to her as queen, even if she was only a puppet. Her hair still shone, her eyes were bright, and her cheeks full. A far cry from the gaunt, weary state the servants were in. She shuddered to think of how her citizens looked outside the castle walls. The conquest of Hyrule was her fault. It was her failure to claim her birthright that brought this ruin upon him. Yet here she stood, safely tucked away, insulated from the Calamity’s devastation. 

Sometimes, when she was honest with herself, Zelda had to admit there was a part of her that was grateful for Link’s command that she stay within the castle. His mandate, cruel though it was, gave her a plausible excuse to hide from her mistakes. The castle walls were high and thick, strong enough to shut out the guilt that was her obligation. 

Zelda jerked her head to the side, unable to look herself in the eye any longer. She padded back into the room. Instead of heading straight back to bed, though the promise of warmth against the late fall evening was tempting, she was drawn to the window. The guardians still roamed the streets of the shattered Castle Town. They were malicious no longer, only patrolling out of ancient duty, but none dared approach. Above all the ruin, the sky was clear of Ganon’s hateful red. At least she could see the stars. 

“Come to bed.”

Zelda turned to where Link lay, staring at her. She supposed he finally lost his patience with her idling. If she were a more fanciful woman, Zelda would think he was fussing over her standing in a room that chilled when the fire died in the hearth. She returned to the massive bed Link claimed as theirs and sat down, kicking her slippers off before sliding back under the lush, heavy comforter. Link’s hand was back on her stomach before she settled, an imitation of a caring husband so convincing it was cruel.

She didn’t cry, because tears were a cry for help she didn’t deserve.

Before her growing stomach prevented it, Zelda spent most of her days firmly ensconced in Link’s lap as he looked over documents. He refused to ask for the help any of the few conquered noblemen that still lived, as he insisted such an action was beneath him. Besides, what better way to remind the captive queen of her place than to make her explain all of this bureaucratic nonsense? 

“What exactly is the point of a crop rotation?” he huffed as he read the agricultural proposal over lunch. Zelda finished off her sandwich before answering.

“Different plants require different nutrients from the land to grow. If you grow the same crop in the same field every year, eventually those nutrients will deplete. Switching things up gives the soil an opportunity to regain those specific nutrients while reducing the amount of bad harvests.”

Link hummed as he signed his approval of the proposal. All of this drivel was really giving him a headache. He reached for the last half of his sandwich, but Zelda got there first, plucking it off of his plate and sinking her teeth into it. Child crafting was a hungry business, after all. 

Link disguised his failed reach by redirecting it around Zelda so his arms circled her waist, both hands resting on her stomach. He supposed a sense of entitlement was a good quality for a queen to have.

He didn’t need that sandwich anyway.

The powers that be must have finally resigned themselves that he was here to stay. They must have given up on his downfall, and instead must have focused on encouraging what little virtue he had. They must be, for such a petty generosity to be rewarded by the baby’s first kick.

“The baby kicked!” he gasped, craning his head over her shoulder to look down at where her tummy peeked out under her breasts. 

“Yes, love, I noticed,” Zelda deadpanned, then they stilled in tandem.

Love. A word that had no business between them. Obsession, perhaps. Possession. But ‘love’?  It was laughable. Link opened his mouth to say something castigating, something harsh enough to bring back the status quo.

“Careful.”

Link’s head jerked back in surprise. She didn’t turn to look at him, ignoring him in favor of taking the apple from his plate, so he pressed.

“What did you say?” Who was she to caution him?

“Merely making an observation,” she said, turning her hand this way and that, regarding the fruit with a critical eye, “After all, what upsets the mother threatens the child.”

A chill ran down Link’s spine. Perhaps, even after all this time, he had underestimated her. He didn’t have the luxury of composing himself at his own pace, because she had turned to him. The calculating, sharp look in her eye brought him to heel.

“Wouldn’t you agree?” she asked.

Link’s hands started rubbing again, and his lips dropped to her shoulder. He had surrendered, but he wasn’t sure if the victor was Zelda or his own traitorous heart.

“Yes, dearest.”

Zelda hummed in response, bringing a hand up to comb luxuriously through his hair. He sighed, and she brought the apple to her lips, biting into it with a satisfying crunch.

After all, a marriage bed is an arena of equals.

Perhaps the statement was insensitive, but being a pregnant queen of a ruined castle did have some perks. Primarily, it was the absolute lack of regard for decorum. Despite the circumstances, Zelda felt a lighthearted thrill of walking around the palace, once a place of rigid etiquette, in nothing but a nightgown and silk robe. Link’s insistence, of course. When her corset was no longer comfortable to wear, Link inferred that her dresses would be too tight as well. He could have had new ones made, but why bother with garments that would have to be altered half a dozen times? No, it was far more efficient for his queen to lounge about in her nightgowns. 

Of course, the knee length hem had absolutely nothing to do with it. Link didn’t even notice when a knee length gown in the first trimester stopped at the top of her thighs in the third. Or the fact that Zelda stopped wearing anything underneath when putting something on became difficult. Irrelevant, all of it.

If he happened to capitalize on the opportunities it afforded to him, fine, but that was an entirely separate matter.

Zelda stretches, trying to release some of the tension in her back, before falling stiffly back into her chaise. It was absurd, but the moment he realized she could no longer fit in his lap he’d commissioned a modified chaise specifically for her and had it brought to the office. She said it was overkill, but he didn’t care. That said, her back had grown to appreciate the reclined seat and cushions.  

Still, one couldn’t help the stiffness that came with sitting for long periods of time. Perhaps she should take a turn about the room? Zelda swung her legs down, then started probing for her slippers. Surely they must be in the same spot she left them? Still, with her stomach as large as it was she couldn’t really see.

Link knelt on the floor next to her, having gotten up the moment he saw her sit up. He took her foot in his hand gently while the other reached under the chaise to pull out the missing footwear. He delicately put the slipper on one foot, perhaps wary of hurting her swollen ankles. He repeated the action with her other foot before wordlessly helping her stand, even though he knew she didn’t need it.

At least, she thought she didn’t. Turns out, fate had other plans, and Zelda felt an intense cramping in her lower abdomen, causing her to double over with a start.

“Zelda!? Zelda, tell me what’s wrong?”  

She looked him in the eyes, the same concern held in his grip supporting her arms shining in his eyes.

“Call the midwives.”

The night was quiet. Link would swear that it was the first peaceful moment since Ganon’s rise. Although, it’s entirely possible that this tranquility was an illusion born of the chaos of the day preceding. Now his lovely wife was sleeping, exhausted, in the bed while he sat in a chair next to her. 

The baby in his arms huffed, and Link’s attention was drawn from the Zelda sleeping in the bed to the one resting in his arms.

They had to name her Zelda. Of course they did. Other names didn’t seem to fit.

The people of Hyrule couldn’t be trusted to look after his daughter, they were losers! How could they be trusted with someone so precious when they couldn’t even win one war? They couldn’t, simple as that. No, the only ones who were capable of looking after little Zelda were himself and his queen, no others. 

But then who would run the country?

Link supposed he could carry on, leaving the childrearing to Zelda as he made sure any and all threats were eliminated before they even looked at the castle. Baby Zelda squirmed, one of her arms coming loose of her swaddling and slapping him in the face.

What was he thinking? Zelda couldn’t hone these raw battle instincts. She can’t even do a backflip, much less after giving birth. Besides, why should she get all the time with the baby? He’s the king! He should get to do what he wants, and he wants to raise his little girl. Zelda can handle affairs of the state well enough. Not right away of course, she needs time to recuperate, but after a few months she should be more than capable of take Hyrule’s reins while he looks after the little one.

“Come here,”

Link looked to the bed, Zelda was sitting up. He moved to help her, but she waved him away, pulling herself into a sitting position with a wince. Once she was settled he slid under the blankets. Zelda undid her nightgown, allowing their sweet daughter to latch on her breast. She winced.

“Does it hurt?” he asked with a frown. She shook her head.

“It’s a bit uncomfortable, I’ll get used to it.”

Link put an arm around her shoulders and gently pulled her to him. She leaned on him, resting her drowsy head in the crook of his neck, and Link was overcome. He couldn’t fight anymore. It was time to admit defeat.

He pressed his nose into her hair, “I love you.”

When his statement was met with silence, he thought she had fallen back asleep, or perhaps his whispered words were lost in the crown of her head. Then, like a dream, she answered.

“I love you, too.” 

Outside, a cool breeze blows through the land, a sigh of relief as the first sprout pushes through the earth, marking the beginning of a new era.