#// NOT IN FRONT OF THE KIDS SHADS

[iridiss]

Mystreet AU where all of the Phoenix Drop High staff are the divine warriors. MCD!Aphmau is a reincarnation of the last Irene, and she restarted the world when the final battle against Shad was going poorly, and Mystreet was created instead, with MCD!Aphmau being reincarnated into Mystreet!Aphmau. The other Divine Warriors (including the first Irene), were recycled into this school with no powers and new lives, completely powerless to the universal change that Aphmau has made. So now they’re forced to adapt to this new world and blend in, whether they like it or not, effectively trapped in this school until they can figure out what the hell happened, and somehow undo it. They all have retained most or all of their memories from their previous life. This makes staff meetings incredibly awkward

Shad is the principal, he runs this school very begrudgingly. He hates his job, but hey, he was able to lead an army in Hell! How much harder can leading highschoolers be?

Irene is the school counselor. The only one. She still has no emotions. This makes her not very successful at her job, but hey, she tries. The students are theorizing that she and the principal are divorced, or exes in some way or another, because of the incredibly grudge-filled looks they keep giving each other. They are forced to work in vague proximity with one another, and no one is enjoying it. They have to maintain workplace diplomacy and after learning what kind of world Shad is trapped in now, he realizes that he can’t actually kill her unless he wants to be arrested and thrown in jail forever. Which would suck ass, because he’s pretty certain the source of their new predicament is somewhere in this school alongside them, and if he wants any luck at getting out, he’s going to have to play along.

Irene and Shad are at least able to remain thinly diplomatic with one another. Shad and Esmund, however—never in a million years will they be civil with one another. They have gotten in very confusing shouting matches in front of the kids before. And yet Esmund never gets fired, (…i don’t think Shad has figured out that he can do that yet…) so the kids start to spread rumors that Esmund is hooking up with or used to be hooking up with the principal. Esmund and Shad find out, and all of the students get in ungodly amounts of trouble for this.

Enki tried to reconnect with his old friend Shad at some point. It didn’t go well. He left his office as quickly as he came in at the first sight of his glare.

It becomes surprisingly easy (and very existential crisis-inducing) to finally be able to tell Aphmau and Irene apart when they’re two entirely separate people standing in the same room. Shad realizes that this Aphmau is probably what caused this, but problem 1. She doesn’t remember a damn thing and is therefore extremely unhelpful, and problem 2. That’s A Child. That’s A Literal Actual Child. That’s some 13yo baby that is entirely innocent and bright-eyed and oblivious to anything and everything that went down in her past lives. And in my mind, Shad has a soft spot for children. Like, a HUGE soft spot, because he used to be a father and his daughter meant the world to him. He’d do anything to get her back and protect her from all the horrors that he could not save her from. Thats his entire villain motivation. Thats the entire reason why he hates Irene and becomes The Shadow Lord and raises an army and pillages the world and everything else. The Shad in my head would be physically incapable of hurting a child.

So I can see Shad calling Aphmau into his office very early in the first semester, ready to confront her and duel all over again…only to realize that, no, this is an separate, innocent child who remembers nothing and might even be an entirely different reincarnation of who she was before. Her memories might even be wiped, completely inaccessible and gone forever. He has an existential crisis, awkwardly apologizes and plays it off as some sort of joke, asks if she needs anything (putting back on his “I’m a normal human being” mask). She says she needs directions to her classes, so he scrounges up a random map and hands it to her and sends her off. He re-evaluates everything he’s known for the past 900 years.

Shad becoming strangely protective of 13yo Aphmau,,, this is just some kid,, he’s forced to re-evaluate everything and adjusts how he sees his students. From “oh good a new army I’m gonna have to mold from scratch /sarc” to “i…i have gone from zero children…to thousands…. thousands of children put under my care…i need to protect all of them at once” man goes mega mother hen mode, especially since his dangerous traitorous ex-wife is in the same building as them, he definitely sees her and the other divine warriors as threats to his kids.

Irene bringing Aphmau into her office as well, but she approaches things very differently from Shad. She cuts straight to the chase, and tells Aphmau she needs to remember. She’s done something terrible, and needs to reverse it and put the world back in order. She needs to remember her old life and become the newest Irene, take on all the power and the responsibility that being a Goddess entails, and set everything right. 13yo Aphmau freaks out, confused and lost. Irene lays the pressure on hard, and keeps pushing when Aphmau insists that she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Shad opens the door, sensing she was here with her, and looks like he’s doing everything in his power to hold himself back from punching her square in the face. They have a very terse, carefully worded micro-argument, and Shad insists Aphmau must return to her classes, her education is more important than anything Irene has to stay to her. He gets very protective of her and basically professional-business-talk tells her to fuck right off and never speak to her again. Aphmau is still confused. He ushers her out, and awkwardly asks if she’s alright. She says…i…think…so???? What just happened??? Shad tells her to be careful around that woman, and don’t believe a word she says. She’s full of lies, anyway. Aphmau’s like. you mean the school counselor???????? It’s a very strange day for Aphmau.

insert the kids joking about how Garroth/travis/aaron/Aphmau must be related to certain members of the staff here

[itz-pandora]

To Sonic and Shadow: Does having kids make you gay?

"Well, I wouldn't say having kids makes us gay, considering we didn't do anything to create them, we just take care of them now."

Chu~♡

"We are gay tho."

Lil bonus under cut

"I told you not to do that in front of people!"

"Sorry Shads..."

"And you need to warn me before you do that next time!"

"Okay..."

[smilesrobotlover]

AO3

<<Prev Next >>

Warning, this is a pretty dark one towards the end. A lil spooky if you will

Chapter 5- Something’s in Faron Woods

Zelda was exhausted. With the new problem of disappearances, her workload doubled. She was getting several letters from people claiming that they knew who was causing these disappearances, or people who claimed that they got caught and escaped. She was then dealing with the economy of Hyrule, then their relationship with Labrynna, then schoolwork for her daughter, and then trying to provide for the army. She’d barely gotten any sleep, but she supposed it would be fine. She’s had sleepless nights before, this would be no different.

She was eternally grateful for the resistance’s help, since she couldn’t do much on her own with the disappearances. She sent Ashei and Shad to help Hoz on his investigation, she requested Auru to ask around since he couldn’t do much in his old age, and she sent Rusl and Link to investigate Kakariko, knowing that Link’s wolf abilities would be useful. And she requested this all under her alter ego: Sheik.

She remembers when she first disguised herself as Sheik and went to help the resistance. They were dealing with straggling Bulblins who rebelled against their king. Sheik showed up to assist, and the resistance were rightfully distrusting towards her. It was difficult since Sheik wasn’t exactly a bubbly and kind person, but after a few years with her giving them correct information on situations, they started to trust her more, and she was grateful for that. It was nice doing more for Hyrule that she wouldn’t be able to do as queen, but it had made her twice as busy, and she almost had no time to do anything. Even spending time with her own daughter was severely limited, and even though she wished she could do more with her, she just didn’t have time. And she wasn’t willing to give some of her workload to Edmund.

They’d known each other since they were kids. her father was attempting to have an alliance with Labrynna and they saw each other often. They had a good enough relationship then, Edmund was very polite and kind, and even when they reunited he still was, but she couldn’t bring herself to trust him. He was never outwardly terrible, but she knew that if she gave him even an ounce of power, he would take it all and control Hyrule. She’d seen it with her father, she’d seen it with Zant, and she’d seen it with Ganondorf. All kings taking power from queens, why would Edmund be any different?

Despite her refusal to let him help her, she was exhausted, and sometimes she wished she could get help, but until she found more people she could trust, she would have to make do. Of course, it wasn’t easy to hide how she was feeling from everyone, and when she nearly fell asleep during a boring meeting, they all grew concerned for her well-being.

“My queen?” The representative for the Zora spoke up when she nearly fell over on the table, and she rubbed her face, sitting up straight.

“I’m alright,” she said quickly, and she glanced over at Edmund who stared at her with his brows pinched together.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m fine, just a little tired is all, we all get like that,” she waved their concerns away and looked down at the papers in front of her. She honestly didn’t remember what was being discussed, but she quickly skimmed over the details and caught up as much as she could. As soon as the meeting was over, she got up and left, with Edmund trailing behind her.

“Zelda?” He called out for her, and she groaned, turning around to look at him.

“Yes?”

Edmund let out a huff and put his hands on his hips. “What have you been doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. You look awful. You’re rarely eating, I hardly ever see you, and you’re never in bed when you’re supposed to be.”

“Maybe I don’t want to sleep with you,” she said coldly, but instantly regretted it. That was an inappropriate thing to say, and a hurt expression flickered across Edmund’s face. He looked away and ran a hand through his hair, frustration apparent in his face.

“Goddesses, Zelda. I— I didn’t want this arranged marriage either, but I’m trying to make it work for our kingdom’s sakes! It’s been ten years, why can’t you do the same?”

Zelda faced him fully and looked down, biting her lip. “I… I apologize for that comment, Edmund. It was rude of me.”

Edmund’s glare softened slightly. “So, what’s going on? Is it the disappearances?”

Zelda pursed her lips. “It’s fine Edmund–”

“No, it’s not fine. You’re clearly overworking yourself.”

Zelda turned away and let out a frustrated sigh, spotting the nobles and representatives getting closer to them. She grabbed Edmund’s arm and led him away to somewhere more private.

“It’s fine Edmund,” she reassured when they were tucked away in a corner, “these disappearances have been a lot of work to deal with, but it will pass. Besides, I have help from friends and Hoz to get to the bottom of this.”

Edmund stared at her for a moment, his brow pinched together. “Ok, so you have help,” he finally said after a moment of contemplation, “why don’t you let me handle the next meeting so you can… I don’t know… get some rest.”

Zelda’s heart spiked and she shook her head. “No, I do not need help.”

“Oh, so you’ll get help from Hoz and friends that I’ve never heard of before, but not from me, your husband?” Edmund’s voice raised a little, and Zelda sucked in a breath.

“It’s not your responsibility—“

“Yes it is! We’re supposed to have a partnership! We’re supposed to work together to keep our kingdom allies! That is why we got married! Why can’t you trust me?”

“Maybe it’s because you have no respect for my kingdom! Maybe it’s because you berate and criticize my people and my army! Why would I let someone who hates my kingdom try to rule it?” Zelda snapped. Edmund stared at her, surprised at her angry tone. She always spoke in a controlled tone, never letting her anger get the best of her since it was improper. Zelda took a deep breath and quickly composed herself, not wanting to escalate the conversation anymore. “Edmund, can we discuss this later? I have a meeting to attend to.”

“That’s what you say everytime I try to talk to you about it,” Edmund scoffed.

“Well I don’t have time.”

Edmund was about to say something, but he glanced up behind Zelda and his glare softened.

“Amber!” He greeted, and Zelda turned around to see her daughter walking towards them.

“Hello, mother and father,” she said when she walked up to them, her hands clasped in front of her. “I finished my studies and I wanted to catch you when the meeting ended!”

Edmund gave Zelda a look and he relaxed his posture. “Well, you caught us in time, my dear.”

Amber grinned at Edmund and gave a small curtsy to Zelda. Zelda nodded her head and forced a smile. The two stared at each other awkwardly, and Zelda looked down.

“I’m glad to see you, Amber,” she finally said, and forced another smile. “I take it your studies are going well?”

“Yes, mother.”

“Right…”

Zelda looked away and Edmund sighed.

“Why don’t you tell your mother what you’ve been studying, Amber?” He encouraged, and Amber’s eyes lit up. Zelda cringed internally, wanting so badly to stay and listen to her daughter, but she simply had no time…

“Well, I’ve been studying the founding of Hyrule, and I find it quite fascinating! I read that Hylians descended from the sky and made land here, creating alliances with the many species already living here. I just can’t imagine living in the sky! I heard that they flew on birds! Big birds that they would ride on and–”

“Amber,” Zelda cut in, forcing another smile, “I think it’s wonderful that you’re interested in history. I have a meeting I must attend, but you continue on with your studies.”

Amber’s expression fell which made Zelda’s heart twist in pain, and she looked down. “Of course, mother, sorry to keep you.”

Zelda couldn’t force another smile, and she simply walked away, trying to ignore the guilt creeping up on her. Goddesses she wanted to stay, she wanted to stay and to talk with her daughter. She wanted to ignore the meetings and to actually rest her eyes. But she couldn’t, there was too much to do, and she didn’t have the time.

Zelda couldn’t help but glance at the two when she turned the corner. Amber was still facing away, but Edmund was staring at her, and where she expected anger, there was nothing but sadness in his eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Link watched the field around him carefully, sticking closer to Rusl this time around. Kori was no longer riding with him, and was inside the cart playing with his new toy, meanwhile Colin sat behind him on Epona. Talo was riding his own horse on the other side of the cart, grateful to no longer be alone on the trip back home. Link was also glad that they were with Talo as well, learning more about the strange disappearances have gotten him nervous. Rusl tried to make sense of it all, explaining how the scent probably got messed up, but Link supposed he couldn’t truly understand how bizarre the whole thing was. The scent wasn’t replaced, nor was it lost, it just vanished. The fact that he didn’t know why this was happening, or where to continue looking, chilled him to the bone, and he was anxious to get back to Ordon and out of the open field. Colin picked up on his nervous energy, and he rested his hand on his shoulder.

“Are you alright, Link?” His younger brother asked, and Link shrugged.

“I dunno, I just don’t like the open field,” he answered simply.

“I heard you and pa were investigating some disappearances, anything going on with that?”

Link sighed. “I don’t know, I tried to follow the missing people’s scent and I found nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Absolutely nothing. The scent just ends. Pa thinks that the scent was replaced or lost but… I honestly don’t think that’s the case,” he ran his fingers through his hair, letting out a breath.

“What do you think the case is?”

“I’m not sure, the only explanation is that the people got taken to… a different world or something,” Link felt the heat creep up to his cheeks as he said it outloud. The idea of different worlds wasn’t far-fetched to him, the temple of time literally took him through time to when the temple stood tall and proud, and the twilight realm was a world he could never forget. But to get to these places were nearly impossible, especially the twilight realm, so the idea that these people somehow getting taken to anywhere like that was ridiculous to him. Colin only hummed.

“You sure they’re not dead?”

“I’m sure Colin, I would’ve smelled it. Once we get home I’m gonna try to look further into it.” By the goddesses he was not going to let something like this continue. He was the hero for Din’s sake, he still had a responsibility to Hyrule. Link glanced over at the carriage to see Kori and Rela poking their heads out from the carriage, smiling at the nature in front of them. A protective feeling surrounded him as he watched them. He was going to make sure that his family, especially Kori, were never going to experience a dangerous Hyrule ever again.

They reached Ordon when the sun began to set, and everyone let out a sigh of relief as they got off their steeds or out of the cart.

“By the goddesses, it’s nice not being attacked every five seconds in the field,” Talo commented, stretching his arms after he got off his horse. Beth and Colin cheered in response as Link led Epona to his home, patting her neck and giving her a treat. Kori ran up to him and patted Epona’s snout.

“Thanks for getting us here, girl!” He said, and Epona lowered her head to nuzzle his chest, which Kori giggled at. Link smiled at the two and left them alone together as he went to help Rusl with unloading the cart. The kids stayed back talking and playing with the horses while Link and Rusl went to their home. When they opened the door, Uli set down her sewing project from the couch and met them at the door in seconds.

“You’re home!” She cheered, and gave Rusl and Link a hug. Rusl chuckled and pecked her on the lips.

“Hello, darlin’,” he said when he pulled away, and the two smiled at each other for a moment.

“How was it? How’s Renado?” She asked as they pulled away to put their stuff down.

“It was fine,” Link answered, plopping down on the couch. “Renado seems pretty overwhelmed, but otherwise it was ok.”

“What did Kori get?”

“A stuffed cat he named Jasper,” Link answered, stretching his arms above his head. Uli tilted her head and crossed her arms.

“A stuffed cat? If I had known that he wanted a stuffed cat, I would’ve made him one!”

“Yeah, kids are weird like that,” Link said with a chuckle, rubbing his eyes. “The moment they see somethin’ they want at the store, they ask for it even though you can make it at home.”

“It’s more special from a shop!” Rusl chimed in, leaning near the fireplace. Uli raised an eyebrow and smirked.

“Are you saying that if I made it, it wouldn’t be special?”

Rusl’s eyes went big and he turned away. “Of course not… that’s… you know what I meant!”

Uli gave a quick laugh. “I know what you meant darlin’, I’m just messing with you.” Rusl glared at her and she simply giggled teasingly at him. She turned to Link and her teasing manner dropped slightly. “Well, I heard you two were investigating some…. Disappearances,” she started, “were you able to find anything?”

Link looked at Rusl and shrugged. “Not really.”

“We didn’t find anything useful at least,” Rusl added quietly. Uli frowned.

“Are you going to continue investigating?”

“Well, I kinda have to. Kori wants everyone to return home safely for his birthday,” Link said with a small smile on his lips. Uli grinned and ruffled his hair.

“He’s a sweet boy. He reminds me of a certain someone.”

Link looked down bashfully and rolled his eyes as Uli began to dote on him. Kori was a sweet boy. So gentle and kind, despite being a little mischievous at times. He couldn’t take all the credit for it of course, or really any of it. Midna raised him by herself for his first two years of life, and even though she's not with them all the time, she’s impacted his life in more ways than one. Goddesses he missed her. He wanted to tell her everything about Kakariko, he wanted her advice, her comments, her support. He just wanted her here…

Uli clasped her hands together and sighed after a moment of silence. “Well, where are the kids?”

“Dealin’ with the horses. I think they’re a little stir crazy.”

Uli smiled and gestured at the fireplace. “I have some soup cooking if you wanna drag our little ones over here?”

The smell of the soup cooking above the fireplace hit his nostrils, and he wiped some drool that suddenly appeared on his chin. Uli let out a hearty laugh and ruffled his hair.

“I’ll go get them ma,” Link chuckled, slightly embarrassed, and jogged out the door to find Colin, Rela, and Kori.

The three were excited for the hot dinner when Link told them, and they quickly put their things away as the sun set behind the horizon. Kori wasted no time showing Jasper the cat to Uli, explaining the complex backstory he gave to the plush, and how it connected to Billy the goat’s backstory. Uli listened intently, and Link let out a laugh. He always talked her ear off, but she always listened. Link wondered if he was the same way when he was younger.

“So, I take it Midna didn’t go with you?” Uli asked when Kori finished his story. Link shook his head.

“No, she had other stuff she needed to do back home.”

“What does she do anyways?” Colin asked, his spoon full of soup inches away from his mouth. Link shrugged.

“Stuff.”

“You always say that,” he said, sipping the soup from the spoon. Link shrugged again.

“Y’all weren’t supposed to know about her existence anyways. If she wants to tell you what she does, then she will. It’s not my business to tell you.”

“Fair ‘nough.”

“Well,” Uli started, standing up, “I already ate, but I can dish up some food for the rest of you.”

“Nah, I got two strong arms, I can do it myself,” Rusl said with a smile, grabbing a bowl and hunching over the pot.

“Nonsense! You’ve been traveling all day,” Uli began to argue, and the couple began to fight over the soup. Colin and Link exchanged a look and smirked as Kori and Rela jogged over to the fireplace, trying to break up the battle for service between the two lovers. When Uli finally admitted defeat, Link got up to the pot to serve himself and Kori, smiling at his ma who returned to her sewing project. But as he began to walk across the room, he stopped, his ears twitching. There was a sound, it was distant, and out in the woods, but as it got closer, the sound became more apparent.

Screaming.

Soon it got loud enough for Uli to hear it too, and they both looked at each other in fear. Kori stared at the two, hearing it as well.

“What is that?” He asked, and the whole family grew quiet, hearing the sudden screaming. Rusl got up, grabbing his sword and gestured for Link to follow him.

“Stay here,” Rusl said to Colin and Uli, who were about to follow him. Uli walked towards the kids while Colin reluctantly stayed by the doorway, and the two swordsmen marched out of the house. As they got closer, Link was able to spot three figures huddled together. He recognized mayor Bo’s large frame next to Jaggle, who was consoling a hysterical Coro. Bo looked up as the two men got closer, and he let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank the spirits,” he said, stepping away. “I was just about to come and get you two.”

“What’s happenin’ here?” Rusl asked, staring at Coro who looked to be a mess. “Why were you screaming?”

Coro raised his head and stared at the two. “S-something’s out in the woods!” His voice shook as he said it, and he was shaking in fear.

Link frowned, feeling dread and fear creep up on him. “What was it?”

“I– I don’t know! I don’t know!”

Rusl rested a hand on Coro’s shoulder and kneeled down. “Take some deep breaths for me, ok? Think about what you saw and try to explain it to us.”

Coro swallowed and took a deep breath. “Ok, you are all gonna think that I’m insane, but I promise I’m not! I know these woods, I’ve seen all sorts of plants and animals! But I was putting my things away f-for the night, and I heard somethin’ behind me and… I saw a black creature staring at me!” Coro wailed and buried his face in his hands, and Rusl gave Link a look. “It tried to kill me! I swear!”

“Did you have a light to see this… black creature?” Jaggle asked skeptically, and Coro gave him a glare.

“I didn’t hallucinate it if that’s what you’re implying! Trill saw it too!”

As if on cue, Coro’s bird, Trill poked out from his hair, staring at the men. Link expected him to begin chatting, but he was uncharacteristically silent as the men observed the bird.

“Can you… Uh… describe the creature again?” Jaggle asked, and Coro let out a frustrated huff.

“I know it sounds ridiculous, but it was a big, black creature with long arms! It almost swiped at me but I didn’t wait around! I thought something was off about the forest, Trill came to me a few days before talking about a bear, so I-I thought that he just got spooked! There hasn’t been a bear in these parts in ages so I assumed he saw a wolf! There’s been wolves around here right? But this wasn’t a bear, I don’t know what it was but it was no bear!”

Rusl, Jaggle, and Link all glanced at each other as Coro continued to ramble, and Rusl scratched the back of his head. “Sounds like you had a scare, Coro. But let’s think about this, it could’ve been a tree or something. They look scary at night, right?”

“Trees don’t try to swipe at you!” Coro yelled.

Jaggle glanced at Rusl and sighed. “You can stay with us if it makes you feel safe, we’ll be sure that the gate is locked extra tight, but–”

“No! You need to find that thing, now!” Coro grabbed Rusl and shook him slightly. “A gate won’t stop it if it found us! It’s too big! Don’t you remember what happened ten years ago? When a green monster burst through the gates and stole all the kids?”

Rusl’s expression grew dark, and Jaggle pulled Coro away.

“Now you need to calm down!” He yelled. “It’s gettin’ late, and it’s too dangerous to go out at night, we’ll hunt down whatever it was you saw tomorrow—“

“Jaggle,” Mayor Bo interrupted him, staring at the entrance, “perhaps we should find whatever Coro saw.”

“What? Bo are you crazy?”

“I don’t want anything attacking us at night when we’re most vulnerable,” Bo explained, his hands raised defensively. “We at least need to be prepared for something!”

Jaggle opened his mouth to say something but Rusl stepped up. “He’s right, it’s not dark yet, me and Link will check it out, the rest of you will make sure nothing happens to Ordon.” Link looked at his father in shock, but he avoided his gaze. “We’ll find whatever scared you, I don’t want anything to attack us at night either.”

Coro looked relieved and nodded. “Thanks, sorry to bother you folks–”

“It’s fine,” Rusl waved his apology away, “me and Link will investigate, Colin, Talon, and Beth will look after the village in the meantime, if it ain’t a bother.”

Jaggle let out a loud sigh and shrugged. “Don’t think Talo would be bothered at all.”

“Good. There’s still some sun left, once it gets too dark, me and Link will return, ok?”

Jaggle seemed more comfortable with that and nodded. Rusl nodded back and turned to head back to the house, with Link reluctantly following.

“Are you sure this is a good idea, pa?” Link asked softly as Bo led Coro to his home. “We don’t have a lot of time before it gets too dark.”

“We’ll be fine, Link. I take it it’s nothin’ serious,” Rusl said, but he didn’t seem too confident in his own words. “Besides, if something is out there, I don’t want– I don’t want another attack on Ordon.” Rusl’s voice grew quiet, but he didn’t turn to look at Link.

Link pursed his lips, but said nothing. When the two reached the house, Rusl quickly explained the situation to Uli and Colin. Uli protested against it while Colin grabbed a sword, determined to protect the village. With enough reassurance that they were going to be ok, the two bid their farewells, collected their swords and torches, and headed into the woods.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The forest was quiet save for the rustling of the leaves as they blew through the wind. The moon was full, which thankfully gave him and Rusl more light to work with. The sky was a deep purple, making the forest much darker than what Link would like. Sure there was some sunlight, but it wasn’t enough to investigate. It was uncomfortably silent between Link and Rusl, both listening intently to whatever could be out here. Link’s eyes were darting back and forth, his heart beating against his chest as they got closer to Coro’s house. He’s never liked the dark, but after the twilight invasion, he’s grown to hate it. Anything could be hiding in the shadows, watching him and his father as they walked by. It made his hair stand on its ends. Rusl seemed to be more relaxed than him though, a determined look on his face as he observed the trees illuminated by his torch and moon. When they reached Coro’s house, Link lowered his breathing to hear whatever it was Coro saw. His sword was raised in front of him while Rusl looked around the house. The silence was deafening, and the night air sent a chill up Link’s spine. He studied the ground around the house for a moment before looking at Rusl, who put a hand on his hip and sighed.

“Do you see anything?” He asked, and Link shook his head.

“I haven’t seen anything unusual, but something isn’t right.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I—I don’t know, something in the air isn’t right.” Link pursed his lips as he watched the trees around them. There was a good chance that he was just spooked, but the feeling of dread wouldn’t leave him. Rusl clicked his tongue as his head turned behind him.

“What do you think Coro saw?”

Link shrugged. If it was anyone else he wouldn’t be so worried, but it was Coro that got scared. He wasn’t scared of anything. Even when he saw Link as a wolf he seemed calm, even when monsters were right outside his home he didn’t care much. The only time Link has seen Coro frightened was during the twilight invasion, when shadow insects were crawling all over his home. A sinking feeling rested within his stomach as he thought about the missing people, but he shook his head. There was no way that there was another twilight invasion. The only Twili that were left in the world was Midna, and how she was able to be in this world was a mystery to him. No, it had to be an animal or a tree or something. Coro wasn’t afraid of anything, but everyone gets spooked every now and then.

“He probably saw a bear,” Rusl said softly, his brows pinched together.

“If it was a bear, then we should head back and hunt it tomorrow. It’s too dangerous to be out here at night.” Bears were rare in Ordon, but they showed up occasionally, and Link had heard too many horror stories from Rusl about them that he knew that they were a serious threat. But regardless, the idea of Coro seeing a bear scared Link less than any alternative. Rusl pursed his lips and stared at the ground.

“I’m not seeing any footprints though,” he muttered, kneeling on the ground and tracing his hand across the ground.

Link looked over his shoulder, the sudden feeling of dread overwhelming him as he stared at the darkness. Something was out in Faron woods, something dark and evil.

“Pa, we should go,” he said, trying to keep his voice from quivering. “We can lock the gates and look for it tomorrow, but we’re at a disadvantage here.”

“I know, Link. But it’s not too dark yet.”

“It’s dark enough for this to be dangerous!”

Rusl stared at the ground blankly for a moment, before looking up at Link. “You think he saw something out in these woods?” Rusl asked, and Link tilted his head.

“You don’t believe him?”

“I-I’m not sure. I’m not seein’ any footprints or anything around here. Nothing was by his house, I think he saw the shadow of a tree or something, but… I don’t want to take any chances.”

Link frowned as Rusl went back to staring at the ground. He didn’t want to risk a potentially dangerous monster attacking Ordon either, but Link knew that they wouldn’t last against a black creature at night. He looked behind him at the entrance to Ordon, shifting his feet nervously as he felt eyes on him from all sides. Rusl picked up on his nervous energy, and he stood up, eyeing the house.

“I’m just gonna look around some more, then we’ll head back, ok?”

Link nodded and watched as his father marched to Coro’s home. He lingered near the trees, watching them intently as if something would grab him. It was silent for too long, and he occasionally glanced over his shoulder to check on his pa, who was barely visible from the torch he was carrying. It was getting too dark, his patience was wearing thin, and his anxiety gnawed at his insides. He couldn’t wait out here any longer, they needed to head back now.

A snap of a twig caused Link to jump ten feet in the air, and he had his sword drawn out defensively in front of him as he glared at the darkness in front of him. His heart beat furiously against his chest as he strained his eyes to see what was lurking in the dark.

Was it a monster? A bulblin? A lost traveler? Several possibilities ran through his head as he searched the woods in front of him, fear nearly paralyzing him so much he couldn’t even speak. Another sound was heard, along with rustling, and something dark emerged into the light Link’s lantern emitted. Link jumped, yelling out as soon as he saw it, and when it was fully in the light, Link saw that the creature that spooked him so badly was a fuzzy rabbit, staring at him as its nose twitched. Link stared in shock, his breathing quick and his heart beating a mile a minute.

“Link?” Rusl called out worriedly, and Link heard his pa jogging towards him.

“I—it’s— a r—“ Link let out a sigh of relief as the rabbit hopped away, and he started giggling. Loud.

“Uh, Link?” Rusl sounded much more concerned as Link doubled over laughing.

“I—it’s a rabbit— a rabbit,” Link wheezed out between giggles, and Rusl raised an eyebrow.

“Ok…?” Rusl gave him one more look before returning to the house, his head shaking in confusion. Link let out a breath and stared at the ground lit up by his lantern, feeling slightly more relaxed. He picked up his lantern and stood up, but as he got on his feet, the light moved further into the darkness, and that was when he saw it.

A black hand, clearly human shaped, standing out in the lit up grass. It quickly disappeared into the darkness, but Link was able to see it. He felt his blood run cold as he shot up, his sword shaking in his trembling hands, the relief gone in an instant. Did he imagine that?

The feeling of dread began to overwhelm him, and he spun around to his father.

“Pa—“ he was interrupted by a familiar shriek. A shriek that paralyzed him to the bone. His body trembled as his heart beat so hard against his chest it felt as though it would burst. His senses were clouded, he couldn’t see, he couldn’t hear, he couldn’t feel. All he knew was fear. Until the strong paralysis went away.

Link gasped as he was able to move again. His head felt light, his heart continued to race, but he felt conscious again. He looked around, shocked that he himself was left untouched. His lantern was left on the ground, standing upright, still emitting light enough for Link to see. The sky was black now, the moon emitting barely enough light for Link to see beyond the lantern. He shakily picked it up and looked around him, his heart sinking into his stomach as realization hit him.

Rusl.

The other light that came from Rusl’s torch was put out, and Link’s father was nowhere to be seen.

“P-pa?” Link called out weakly, tears pricking at his eyes when he was met with silence. He ran to Coro’s house and searched the ground, but there was no sign of Rusl, all except his torch which was laying on the ground. Link wasted no time turning into a wolf and sniffing the torch, but he was only met with the eye watering scent of smoke and fire. Goddesses, how could he find him?

Link noticed some scuff marks on the ground, and he saw the footprints. They weren’t human, there were no toes and they were much too small, but he knew that whatever they belonged to, it was what took Rusl. Link took off running, using his wolf senses to see in the dark. The footprints went into the dark caves, and Link plowed through, luckily remembering where to go from traveling through them hundreds of times. He ignored the rats and keese that tried to hurt him, and he emerged from the other side. At the end of the cave, Link spotted something glimmering in the moonlight. Rusl’s sword. Thank the spirits.

With no smoke to cloud his senses, Link was able to pick up on Rusl’s sent. It led deeper into Faron woods, through the thick trees that used to hold poisonous gas. Link sprinted through, the feeling of deja vu of hunting down the missing tailor and Goron making him more and more anxious.

Please don’t be too late.

Link was so focused on running that he barely noticed that he actually passed the scent, and he skidded to a stop, spinning to where the scent stopped. The scent didn’t seem to end abruptly the same way the tailor and goron’s did thankfully, but the feeling of dread kept any feeling of relief shining through. The creature was here, and it was watching him.

Link growled at the darkness in front of him, and he heard something shuffling. A dark mass silhouetted by the moon revealed itself, growing more and more until it stood up straight, and Link felt his heart drop.

It was a shadow beast, but it was different. Its skin was black as the night, blending into the dark trees around it, all except the red Twili mark on its chest. Black tendrils jutted out of its body, mostly from its head. Two arms were laid awkwardly on its back, instead of a mask there was a mouth that snarled at him with yellow teeth, and it was huge. Bigger than any shadow beast Link had seen. How…?

The creature snarled and rested on its two front arms, the arms on its back hanging menacingly. Link’s growl got more low, his fear replaced by fury. This thing did something to Rusl, and he was going to make it pay.

A hand suddenly swiped at his side, and Link was barely able to move before it hit him. He barked and jumped at the beast, biting into its shoulder as hard as he could. The beast shrieked and threw Link off of it, slamming him into a tree. Link sucked in a breath, scrambling to his feet as his back ached from the impact. He shook his head and snarled at the beast. It snarled back. He moved back and forth, trying to figure out where to begin on fighting this thing. If it was similar to a shadow beast, then fighting it shouldn’t be too difficult.

Link charged at it again, sinking his teeth into the shoulder of the beast. It let out a cry, but Link continued biting, ripping it apart with his claws and fangs. Eventually he was thrown off again, but before the beast had time to recover, Link jumped at it again, this time aiming for the stomach. Link went much deeper into the soft flesh of the torso, and he was able to rip a good chunk of it out. The creature shrieked in pain as it slammed its fist down onto Link, but he dodged just in time. The beast hunched over, holding its stomach in pain as black goo fell out. Though this creature was much bigger and stronger than a shadow beast, it was simply too easy to fight.

Link went to charge again but the beast made a strange noise that stopped him in his tracks. It stayed on all fours, hunched over, gagging. Link could only watch as it gagged, his confusion holding him in place. He only came back to reality when the beast began to vomit, and soon he saw a hand flailing around from its mouth. Rusl!

Link quickly turned back into a Hylian, reaching out for the hand. He felt relief when Rusl’s hand quickly gripped to his own, meaning that Rusl was still alive and conscious, and Link pulled with all his might. The beast remained still as Rusl was slowly pulled out, and Link’s father let out a gasp as his face emerged from the mouth.

“Pa!” Link yelled out, and Rusl struggled to pull his other arm free from the throat of the beast. His face was covered in the black goo that poured out of its stomach, covering his eyes and hair. As Link pulled him out more, he noticed the teeth of the beast ripping up his clothes, but he didn’t stop pulling.

Rusl’s other arm was pulled free, and it flailed towards Link’s arm, and he weakly hung on as he was pulled out the rest of the way. But just as he was free, the beast suddenly bit down on Rusl’s leg, and Link gasped as Rusl’s grip went limp and he was pulled away from him.

“PA!” Link screamed as he was dragged away, and the beast snarled at him, leering over Rusl as if he was its prize. It scooped up his pa in one of the hands on its back and it took off running, deeper into the woods. Link cursed under his breath and turned into a wolf again, ignoring the pain that shot through as he transformed. He took off running, following the beast through a gate to where Coro’s bird’s shop was. Link pumped his canine legs, and was able to catch up to the beast and Rusl. When he was close enough, he bit down on its leg, attempting to drag it to the ground. The creature shrieked and spun around, ripping its leg from Link’s mouth. The beast snarled at him as Rusl hung limply in its hand, blood and black goo dripping down his feet and hair. Link barked at him, but he didn’t move. The beast backed away from Link as he tried to wake his pa up, its back arching like an agitated cat as it growled at him.

Link made sure he was merciless this time around. He attacked relentlessly, aiming for the arms resting on its back, trying to get it to drop Rusl, but its grip was tight around his father, so it never let him go no matter how hard Link bit into its arms. The beast smacked Link a few times as he attacked the arms, but he fought through the pain, fiercely biting and scratching the beast. Link had severely underestimated this creature, with it not giving out anytime soon. Shadow beasts normally would die after having their throats ripped out or being clawed to death, but it seemed that this thing was invincible. He didn’t know why, but it was stronger than any Twili creature he’s ever fought.

Link was smacked against a tree again, and he staggered slightly as he got on his feet. He was growing exhausted, he felt like he was doing the same thing over and over again to no avail. Though he’d just ripped part of its stomach out, it didn’t seem to be bothered by it. What was this thing?

The creature snarled at him again, having a more confident pose as it faced Link, and all he could do was growl at the thing. He didn’t care what happened to him, he just needed to make sure Rusl was safe. The beast charged at him, and Link braced himself, but it suddenly stopped, shrinking back into the shadows, making strange noises that sounded like pain. It looked up at the sky and to Link’s surprise, it dropped Rusl and sprinted away, leaving Link alone with his father. He quickly turned back into a Hylian, staggering at the sharp pain in his back, but he stood up, pulling out his sword. He ran to Rusl, standing over his father protectively in case it returned, but it did not.

Why did the thing run away? It was winning, it wouldn’t have dropped Rusl like that. The sun rising in the sky answered Link’s question, and soon the forest was lit up. Relief swept over him as he was able to see, and he knew he was safe. For now at least. It seemed that the—Twili beast— hated the light.

Link relaxed and put his sword away, exhaustion beginning to overwhelm him, but he couldn’t rest, not yet. He looked at his father who was still unconscious, and he turned him over. His entire body was covered in black goo, and some of it mixed in with blood from small cuts on his skin, possibly from the creature’s teeth. His leg looked the worst, with a bite mark circling around his calf and shin. It had stopped bleeding it seemed, but dried blood mixed with black goo made it look much worse. Rusl was breathing, though it was shallow and sounded wrong. Link hoped that his ribs weren’t bruised or broken, he wondered how tight that thing held onto him. Link took a deep breath and shook him gently, brushing his clumpy hair out of his eyes.

“P-pa?” He whispered, shaking him a little harder. Rusl seemed to be reacting to being shaken, so Link tried harder. He needed medical attention, and his mind thought of the spirit springs. He remembered fairies appeared at each one after he faced a trial from the great fairy, he wondered if they were still there. “Pa,” he repeated, a little louder. Rusl’s blue eyes began to flutter open, and he stared at Link confused.

“L-Link?” He croaked.

Link smiled a relieved smile and started to help him to his feet, but Rusl stopped him quickly, hissing in pain as he held his side.

“Somethings wrong,” he rasped, sinking into the ground. Link frowned and looked him over. His ribs must’ve been broken.

“C’mon, pa. We gotta get to the spring. You’ll feel better.”

Rusl stared at him, wheezing and holding his side painfully, but he didn’t stop Link from helping him to his feet. Rusl leaned heavily on Link’s side, and the two slowly walked to the spring. It felt like hours until they finally made it, at some point Link had to pick up his pa to carry him the rest of the way, despite his protests. He set him down in the spring water, immediately feeling comfort in the warm water. Rusl let out a sigh of relief as he rested in the water, but the relief melted into panic as he looked at himself.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Link asked, calming down his father.

“‘Don’t want to dirty the spring.”

“You’re not gonna dirty the spring, the spirit’s light keeps it clean,” at least he assumed, the water never seemed to get dirty no matter what was put in it. Rusl relaxed again and stared at himself, his brows furrowed. Link began washing the goo and blood off of himself, helping Rusl occasionally. Rusl was uncomfortably silent while the two cleaned themselves off, and Link wanted to bring up what had happened, but he couldn’t bring himself to talk about it either. After Link finished washing out his wounds, he stood up, limping towards the bushes to see if any fairies were hiding. Luckily he found two and he returned with them both, noticing Rusl staring at him with his brows furrowed.

“Some fairies,” Link said, handing them both to him.

Rusl silently opened his palm where one fluttered onto his hand, and it healed up his bleeding leg and bruised ribs. He let out a sigh of relief and stared at Link who still held the other one.

“You need another one, pa,” Link pressed, but Rusl shook his head.

“You’re hurt too.”

“Not as bad as you.”

“I don’t care, my leg is healed, you use it.”

Link was taken aback at his intense tone, but he was too tired to fight back. He held the fairy gently in his hand and it floated around him, healing up his aching back. It rested on his head when it finished healing him, and Link let out a sigh of relief. Fairies were wonderful creatures.

The two sat in silence, staring at the crystal blue water they were in, soaking in the sun as it rose higher and higher in the sky. It didn’t feel like they were gone all night, but with Link’s tired body, he supposed it made sense.

“Link,” Rusl broke the silence, continuing to stare blankly at the water. “We need to tell the resistance about this as soon as possible.” Link stared at him for a moment, and he opened his mouth to say something, but Rusl continued. “That… thing… it has to be responsible for the disappearances. We need to tell them about this.”

Link nodded. “We oughta tell them when we all meet up then—“

“I’m not waiting until the date Sheik set, we need to tell them now.”

Link stared at him for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, ok, I agree. I’ll send a letter, then we can move out tomorrow.”

“Link—“

“We move out tomorrow, pa. We need rest though, we’ve been up all night. Besides, we gotta tell the folks around Ordon to stay away from Faron at night, ok?”

Rusl glared at him for a moment, but it softened when he had no rebuttal. “Yeah, ok. We need rest.”

Link nodded. He was no stranger to staying up all night, but as he’s gotten older, it’s been much harder to deal with. He stood up, his legs feeling weak as he walked around, and Rusl followed, being careful on his newly healed leg. Link stared at his leg for a moment, then faced him.

“Are… are you alright?”

Rusl stopped walking and looked up at him. “I’m… fine. Thanks to you. Are you ok?”

Link pursed his lips and nodded. “I’ll be fine, pa.”

Rusl’s gaze softened and he wrapped his arm around Link’s shoulder. “Let’s head back then. I bet everyone is worried sick.”

[the-fictive-haven]

Having fictives is so weird sometimes. Our little sibling is playing Minecraft and put on a weird Shadow skin and kept saying goofy/mildly incoherent stuff about him (this kid's absolutely AuDHD like we are), well of course Shads gets front triggered by that and I had to mentally restrain him from telling off this 9 year old for disrespect 😭

We had to leave the room lmao

[eliteseven]

Did Serena and Shadowheart follow the same romantic arc as in the game (first kiss at the party, making things official after Gauntlet, first time at the beach, etc)? Or did it go entirely differently? Who fell first for the other? How did the other companions react? We know there have been a few "bumps" here and there, like the life expectancy talk, or Shads just being a gremlin early on lmao, but how are things between them overall (before full domesticity life at the cottage, which they 100% deserve 😭)?

I love them both so much and i'm simply obsessed with how you write them, thank you for sharing that with us 🙏🙏

AHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH 💕 I put a lot of love into writing them, I’m THRILLED you love them too!! 🥰 thank you for the sweet words, week made!!!

For ease of reading (bc damn I started and did NOT shut up lol), I’ll detail their journey under the cut: (with a few screenies) 😊

I used the game’s romantic arc to structure the basis of their relationship- so all these events did happen, though I’ve messed with the timeline a little.

-their relationship is contentious at first. When Serena finds out she’s a worshipper of Shar- it’s obviously a little jarring, despite the honesty. She trusts Shadowheart about as much as Astarion, fangs and all. Shadowheart (besides being a gremlin in general at first lol) thinks Serena is probably the easiest to manipulate in the group (her other options are Astarion and Lae’zel- and those are non starters). She mistakes Serena’s kindness for naivety, I think. Serena is…exhausted by all these…unique…personalities 💀 she has a worm in her head and a very opinionated Sharran in her ear

-Still, they exchange some not so subtle stares at camp, their first couple of evenings together. Shadowheart pretends not to look at Tav when she insists on sparring with Lae’zel to stay sharp. Tav pretends not to look when Shadowheart comes out in her haute couture Sharran full body lingerie 😭 they both fail miserably!! The constant thirsting/staring game begins!!

-I actually think Shadowheart falls first. She intended to simply use Tav to get rid of the worm. She didn’t count on Tav being so…good 🫠

-When Astarion bites Tav- it’s Shadowheart who reacts most viscerally. Everyone thinks it’s just her threatening to stake a vampire for her own safety, but…she’s jealous!!!

-when they meet Wyll, (not the first time for Tav!)- he accidentally outs her as a member of one of the patriar families of Baldur’s Gate. He’s happy to see a familiar face, but…Cue the ridicule from those who think she’s a soft ass noble playing dress up as a knight. Shadowheart and some of the others are downright mean about it. Still, Shadowheart takes note of her prowess during the fight outside the grove. She’s interested, now. Then Tav goes on to give all she has to the Tiefling kids and joins Wyll on teaching them to fight. Shadowheart starts to see her priorities and…likes them secretly 😭

-They find themselves drawn to each other, regardless. When Shadowheart shows true fear before a wolf, it’s Tav who steps in front of her and gently tugs her away. During long walks, she and Tav often find themselves side by side. Tav doesn’t pry- but her stoicism fades with time. She tells Shadowheart little stories of her time in Cormyr. Shadowheart, in turn, begins to confide in her. They sit together at the camp fire. They don’t touch, just yet. But the longing is building. Still, Shadowheart isn’t afraid to let her hear it when she disagrees- and boy, do they squabble.

-Shadowheart doesn’t intervene when Tav is whipped for Loviatar’s blessing or w/e- like I mentioned before, that breeds resentment. Tav is getting whiplash from Shadowheart. Sometimes she’s so sweet, so soft…and then she reverts back to cruelty, taking pleasure in others’ pain. She heals Tav’s wounds, and feels guilty. She’s realizing Tav is not a simple amusement, to be discarded right after use. She has…real feelings for her 😅 she’s drawn to Tav’s kindness and wants to return the favor, and this puts her at odds with Shar’s teachings

-The party is still their first kiss and first “date” if you will. Shadowheart plays coy but appreciates Serena remembering so much about her. She’s…touched, as much as she is attracted.

-At this point, they’re something of a fledgling couple. The group knows, of course- but Shadowheart does NOT entertain Tav publicly. They’re flirting, stealing kisses behind tents, taking long walks together at night, anything away from prying eyes. Shadowheart doesn’t want anybody questioning her faith…Shar included. Still, Shadowheart wants Tav all to herself. She doesn’t like when the other members of the group cozy up to her. She’s conflicted.

-the push into the Shadow Cursed lands puts a little distance between them. When Shadowheart is all ecstatic about Shar protecting her from the curse, Serena points out that she isn’t protected, along with the others. Shads hits her with “you’re resourceful, you’ll figure it out” 😅. That hurts, a lot- given their new relationship. her obsession with Shar frightens Tav to an extent, but she understands Shadowheart is indoctrinated. It’s hard to reconcile how sweet she is in one moment , with how cruel she can be in the next. Tav tells Shadowheart she feels her pulling away. Shadowheart agrees.

-The trials and their conclusion absolutely wreck Shadowheart, of course. Shar has abandoned her. In her hour of need, at her lowest point- Tav tells her how proud she is 🥹💕 she swears to Shadowheart that she may not have Shar, but she will always have her, if that’s what she wants. Shadowheart hasn’t known unconditional love like this before. She wants Tav fully, she’s tired of denying herself happiness.

-The night on the beach is their first time sleeping together. I considered changing this in the timeline- but I think it works beautifully. Shadowheart is genuinely frightened to be swimming- she would only do that with someone she was truly in love with.

-from there, they’re quite public about their relationship. Shadowheart changes her look to reflect her new lot in life. Tav adores it, adores her. Shadowheart softens. It’s a lot more domestic and sweet. This would pretty much put them around the beginning of act 3, give or take! Tav risks everything with Shadowheart to get her parents back. Things are really looking up for them 🥰

This brings us to the point where the NLS series picks up!

[hunniegl4zed]

If Sonic and Shadow were to have kids, Sonic would be the one to teach them swears, ironically.

Shadow would be the one who's careful about not swearing in front of them

Shads would get all mad if he catches Sonic teaching them. Only to end up stumping his toe against the coffee table and cussing up a storm.

Let's say the kindergarten teachers are having a view at an all new colorful vocabulary xD

[laurancezvahlslefteyebrow]

i wanna know everybody’s fate. where do they go. what happens to them. post shad battle? gimme gimme. we know what garf ended up with..😞

ofc it can be just short descriptions 😋

so this is like freshly post battle stuff cuz that’s really all i have worked out right now

ok so you already know what happens to gar gar and his arm arm 🤭

but don’t worry aph sees the whole thing happen, kills the shadow knight responsible (with 0 hesitation mind you) and manages to gather enough strength to heal his wound enough so that he won’t bleed out or be in so much pain. he’s still like… missing a hand tho… bummer-

dante almost dies… like real close. but gene swoops in a saves him then IMMEDIATELY books it outta there like he actually didn’t just do that

aphmau manages to kill shad for good. his knights are all IMMEDIATELY striped of their shadow knight abilities and after he’s gone the battle is swiftly won. most shadow knights are either killed or surrender, but some, like gene, get away.

zenix briefly reunites with garroth (mostly because the man just lost his hand and some of his arm and he wants to at least make sure he’ll be ok) but he doesn’t stay. he leaves to find gene.

laurance sobs bc hes finally free. hooray hooray!

eseryt immediately books it back to the town because earlier, before the battle ended, she had to get travis to the medbay. he’d jumped in front of a sword that was headed straight for her and it slashed his ribs. she wants needs to make sure he’s ok. (he is don’t worry)

a few hours later vylad walks off into the woods. laurance starts feeling and acting weird and then suddenly drops. OOPS now he’s in a coma!

yeah and eseryt? so is she! and vylad! they found him in the woods :D

cadenzas a mess because both her siblings are in comas and her fiancé just got killed in front of her..

few weeks later? laurance actually isn’t in a coma anymore yay!!! but he’s.. unwell… also he finally meets his daughter!!

someone says something about a weird hidden underground cave under barton, aphmau goes there and finds.. KUL’ZAK’s RELIC?!? wow that would’ve been helpful like a month ago..

anyway something in aphmau tells her to bring the relic to eseryt and WHOA it just fussed to her and… SHES ALIVEEEE

Vylad is still kinda dead tho

JUST KIDDING HES FINE NOW!! NANA FINALLY MASTERED SOUL MAGICK or something like that idk i’m still working on it

any way that’s all i have as of right this second :)))

[sonic-an-shadow]

HEYYYY ITS ME AGAIN! anyway.

Me and my husband are having relationship problems and we have similar personalities to you guys, with him being the less serious one. We got into a fight in front of our robot kid. how tf do we explain that me and my husband aren't gonna divorce.

It's a robot, I'm sure it'll understand. 😒😒

Shads!! 😠😠

What? 😒😒

Its a delicate situation!! 😠😠Most kids, robot or not, would worry and panic. 😟😟

It's artificial intelligence, Sonic, it's literally a computer. 🙄🙄😒😒

Computer or not, it's still their kid, Shads. 😠😠

Alright, alright, fine....🙄🙄😒😒 Look, just tell the thing- 😒😒

-Child. 😌😌

-Robot, that you guys still love each others and that you guys will never separate. 😒😒 All couples have an argument, but that doesn't always mean something bad. 😒😒

That's right.🙂🙂 Just give it to the little guy nicely and it'll come around to understanding. 😁😁

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Have a couple WIPs for the road before I head out for a bit

With Link strapped to his back and Til pressed against his front, the couple held tightly to the paraglider, standing at the edge of the wall.

Abel gulped and hastily averted his gaze. He wasn't particularly afraid of heights, but this was... a lot. "Ready?"

Tilieth nodded.

"Okay. On three." Abel said to himself as much as he did to her. "One, two, three."

Neither of them moved.

"You didn't jump," Til accused.

"Neither did you!" Abel fired back before groaning. "Okay, fine, let's just try this again. One, t--TIL!"

With a lurch, Abel felt Tilieth pull the three off the edge of the wall. His stomach and heart were left behind, the breath knocked out of his lungs as he clung to the handles for dear life.

The ground came closer with unnerving speed, and both parents tucked their legs so they landed on their backsides with an unceremonious yelp.

Tilieth sighed, letting go of the paraglider and leaning back against her husband. "Well, that wasn't so bad."

Abel found himself far too frazzled to comment.

....................

Auru was there first, getting on the boy’s other side to help him before his leg finally gave out entirely. The boy became dead weight, making Telma yelp and nearly knocking her over as Ashei hastily sprang forward to catch him by the shoulders. Auru took a deep breath, grunting a little as he picked the boy up entirely and carried him to the nearest table.

Ashei scowled at the kid. “Why is he impersonating Link? Idiot child probably went gallivanting around as the Hero and got himself hurt for it.”

“That’s not the issue right now,” Auru said pointedly as Telma grabbed first aid supplies.

Shad hesitantly approached, his eyes scrutinous and curious. They settled on the sword still strapped to the boy’s back, unnoticed by the others quite yet. “That blade…”

“Yes, we’ll have to get it off—” Auru said as he unstrapped the belt holding the sword in place, and then he froze.

“Isn’t that Link’s sword? Or it was?” Ashei asked, her tone growing sharp.

Shad glanced around the room warily, scanning for other patrons and seeing none. He took a step closer. “This isn’t just Link’s sword, it’s the sword of the Hero of Hyrule. The legendary Master Sword.”

Telma plopped the first aid kit on the table. “Whatever sword he has, he won’t be here much longer if we don’t get to work. Get his shirt and chainmail off.”

[nickfoo]

Part 1 of a 2 part character thoughts dump I’ve been letting my brain run with while I wait for the train this past week. Separated for two different characters from two different anime/manga. Still both on my favorites shelf. This one is for Bege and Chiffon. Shortened for your dash convenience. 

First, Bege and Chiffon. These two I adore them, they are so gosh darn good. And they're canon! Oda says hes no good at romance and then there's these two! If you know what I am by now, I love pairings where the couples are opposites to the point they look like people who you'd never even think would get together when you stand them next to each other. Bege is a gruff, middle-aged, stone-cold, calculating mafia boss. Sanji described him as such almost word for word when he and Luffy went to meet him in the Whole Cake Arc. He doesn't have any fronts - what you see is what you get. He dresses to the nines, shines his shoes and enjoys finer classy material things. But he's got the look of a street thug smoking his cigar with his dead-eyes and constant scowl. In the Japanese anime of One Piece, if you listen to the way he talks, he speaks in the Kansai-dialect which is known for the 'Yazkua dialect.' Makes sense as he’s a mafia boss. As a friend who's studied the language far more than I has told me, its a basic: 'tough-guy accent.' It’s rough sounding, he rolls his 'R's and while he speaks well, he uses the rude slang terms almost all the time. Then you have Chiffon. A daughter to an empress, shes royalty. She inherited her mother's pink hair and size- she's big at 7ft tall! She dresses modestly, bows in her hair and attire. She is patient and kind-hearted but we see shes made of steel. She has to be! Shes big mom's daughter! Living in Big Mom's family is a survival test when Big Mom herself is a force of destruction prone to mood swings that can involve her taking the life of her own kids. Bege's crew fears and respects Chiffon and she has as much authority in his crew as Bege himself. ( Possibly more lol )

So that these two would get set up in an arranged marriage and then genuinely fall in love with each other?? And its so vital the effect Chiffon has had on someone like Bege. Before that 2 yr skip, Bege was shown to be a man who cared only for himself and his own violent amusement. He maimed his own crew members for questioning him and they were little more than pawns on his chess board to do with as he saw fit. Later, Jinbei tells us how much of a bag guy Bege really was. As a young man he cut the heads off animals for his own amusement to watch their bodies squirm and die. When he got older and started really working for the mob, he had the same idea to do it to rival bosses. So Bege worked his way up to being a boss himself, gained trust of other families and previous bosses he worked for and then for no other reason than 'it was fun to watch', he went after these other families. He killed the boss and only the boss. He never took their territory or titles, only money and goods and left. Then he'd sit back and watch these other mafia families eat each other from the inside out in power struggles to replace their boss. Bege made his empire and name out of betrayal and blood. He went out to sea because he was bored of his dominance in the underworld of the West Blue. So that a man like that would be humanized by a woman like Chiffon after 2 years?? After that 2 year skip when we meet Bege again, he's changed. He's a father and husband now. He now cares for and greatly values his crew, to the point he declared he'd refuse to stand by and do nothing rather than let his 'precious subordinates' die. He was able to level with the StrawHats ( even if it was at his wife's request ) and didn't stab them in the back ( his forte ) even when it would have improved his own crew's chances of survival in the thick of things. Chiffon managed to teach this sociopath basic empathy. Bege tries to do better for his wife! There's points where he shadows his previous nature like when he has a dark chuckle about killing Luffy right there instead while he's got him pinned rather than letting Luffy become a problem later, or when out of malicious intent, he mauls over dragging the Strawhats to their deaths down with him when his plan fails. But he doesn't! Don't get me wrong, even after the 2 year skip, Bege is far from a saint. He still kills for fun and revels in blood and violence. He was clearly having a good time being a sadist as he torments Sanji, Nami, Brook, Chopper and Ceasar in his castle. He’s still a bad guy. But as good mafia credo instates - he takes care of his own. He clearly cares for his crew now and adores his wife and child. There's also the way he and Chiffon have rubbed off on each other. Chiffon speaks with the fairly standard polite dialect, using 'watashi' to refer to herself. But when I showed a scene to my friend who, as I mentioned before, studies Japanese, the first thing he pointed out was: "I really like how she calls him 'Anta.' In Japanese, a wife will usually call their husband 'Anata.' 'Anta' is the much more impolite and personal way of doing so. This not only shows how close they are, but Chiffon possibly trying to imitate Bege's rough-gangster way of talking. And I want to absolutely fucking yell about how Oda hid this all in plain sight with Bege's devil fruit!! He's a castle-man! He is the walls of the fortress - what good is an empty castle when it has no one to defend? Bege was always meant to be a protector.

I relate them both to Vimes and Sybil from Discworld sometimes. Yes, I'm currently reading the Night Watch series of Discworld, so I can pick out the comparisons in my mind easily. A gruff, short, older man who smokes cigars, adores his wife and would do anything for her, a total wife guy, and is trying to do better by his wife by containing his violent urges? A large woman who is from royalty, kind hearted and noble, adores her husband, but tough as nails and clearly wears the pants in the relationship? I mean...c'maaan. It's there. (Granted Vimes being a copper is very different from Bege's piracy, but they were both in a gang at one time and grew up on the streets. )

[iridiss]

I know you said "out of context scene" for the Travis and Laurence piece but could i ask for the context mayhaps? The vibes in the art are immaculate! /nf ofc

Thank you so much! :D

Yeah totally! Though it’s a bit convoluted since there’s a lot in the AU’s plot that leads up to this point, so I don’t think I can explain all of it. But at that point in time, taking place after Shad’s defeat, while Zane is being held prisoner in KC’s magically fortified house:

Zane was seen affectionately talking to Nekoette in front of Aphmau, Aaron, Garroth, Katelyn, Laurance, basically the whole main gang, excluding KC and Dante. And given his history of child abuse, manipulation, and murder, this very understandably starts a panic! But Travis is there, and he witnesses the entire interaction. And as the resident nanny of all of PD’s children, he knows Nekoette well enough to tell that this seems like a much more genuine interaction than it looks on the surface. He uses his tricks and a smile to dissolve the conflict with the help of Zane’s allies, one of which is the reputable Laurance (that’s an even longer explanation don’t worry about it). They cover his ass, the crisis is averted, and everything (relatively) chills out. Laurance, who knows personally that the interaction was of innocent and genuine affection, thanks him for his help in saving Zane’s ass, and now that their conversation is private, Travis switches gears immediately. Because even if he suspects that something more complicated is going on, that’s still a fucking murderer and child abuser talking to his kid, and he is NOT about letting her get hurt at ALL, so he uses this as a favor/debt to wring a later interrogation out of Laurance and Zane once they’re somewhere private. He doesn’t want everything going to shit in one big blow-up right now, he wants the facts of the matter, but he also wants Nekoette’s safety above anything else, so he’s determined to ensure that privately.

Basically the comic strip is just a snapshot of him immediately dropping his chill and telling Laurance “we are going to have a little CHAT after this because why the FUCK is a MURDERER talking to my kid”

Hopefully that made sense, ty again for asking! ^^

(the post in question, for the curious and confused)

[lightbringer-ultimate]

Shad Plays Future Redeemed: Ow my feels

I DON'T FEEL PREPARED FOR PRISON ISLAND.

I get the feeling going there and fighting N (as we see in the trailer) begins the Point of No Return.

Shulk and Rex did explain the creation of Bionis and Alrest and showed their knowledge that their worlds used to be one. Basically explaining what Nia does both during the main story and in post game. Though it's evident that the duo don't...really know how to solve the situation beyond killing Mobius.

Two required quests then popped up since of course they do.

One was simply go into a cave and get a rare metal to build an Ether Lift. Huge cave, hard fights. It's Xenoblade 3.

But the other was in my opinion more significant.

Glimmer and Nicol, the two Soldiers saved by Mathew who just so happen to be Rex and Shulk's kids respectively, show their resolve and determination to join the fight against Alpha.

Rex is EXTREMELY against it, given their Oroboros powers are newly awakened and aren't strong enough to fight something as powerful as Alpha, who was able to best Shulk. Rex AND Z.

Then Nicol brings up Riku, because of course he does, and they end up deciding to try and tap into the Oroboros stone Nia left behind. They end up learning that if Nicol and Glimmer get into an intense enough fight, their powers synced with the stone will buff them.

So obviously that means fighting Shulk and Rex. WAIT WHAT? This is the first time a Protagonist of a Xenoblade game has been a boss fight without being questionably canonical (Sorry Elma).

But yeah, Dad Squad really doesn't want their kids to get killed. Even if they're both close to homecoming anyway.

They win and Rex gives his blessing. Following all that though, A talks with both of them privately. Shulk and Rex know that...even if they're strong enough to fight N and Alpha, they're still going to die.

And they make a vow to somehow free them from it because "No child should die before their parents."

More shit happened after this but...I just want to sit on this. In the statues dedicated to Nicol and Glimmer in the City its said they lived way past their terms, surviving until their 80s. So somehow, like Mio in base game, they'll defy death.

But in Mio's case someone took her term end for her, that being M.

Are Shulk and Rex going to take on the burden of their final terms themselves and allow themselves to enter the cycle and die?

Will they die in front of their kids?

Will this explain why they're not in the main story?

I'm scared.

[southernvangard]

Episode 401 - Southern Vangard Radio

BANG! @southernvangard radio Ep401! This week, we begin a new chapter of the merch game here at Southern Vangard, with the release of our first whiskey glass to celebrate our 400th episode milestone! The Episode 400 Wobbler Whiskey glass is available NOW at our BIG CARTEL storefront, which is located HERE: southernvangard.bigcartel.com. This is a one-time, limited edition glass, with only 40 made, and also includes a Southern Vangard sticker sheet designed in collaboration with WHITE SAYED, as well as a coaster for the glass. This also marks the beginning of us moving all physical merchandise sales to BIG CARTEL. Our BANDCAMP site will remain live for selling digital music. On the episode front, we have WORLD EXCLUSIVES from SUPASTITION, SHAD, PRAISE, the MILKCRATE crew, TRUTH and DJ EVIL DEE of DA BEATMINERZ! ‘Nuff said let’s get into it…YOU WAAAAALCOME!!!!! #SmithsonianGrade #WeAreTheGard // southernvangard.com // @southernvangard on all platforms #hiphop #undergroundhiphop #boombap

Recorded live May 20, 2024 @ Dirty Blanket Studios, Marietta, GA

southernvangard.com

@southernvangard on all platforms

#SmithsonianGrade #WeAreTheGard

twitter/IG: @southernvangard @jondoeatl @cappuccinomeeks

Pre-Game Beats - Raz Fresco

Talk Break Inst. - "Attention" - Trust One

"Southern Vangard Theme" - Southern Vangard All-Stars

"Fast Life" - UFO Fev (prod. Fredro Starr)

"Superare" - Supastition ft. Shad (prod. Praise) ** WORLD EXCLUSIVE **

"Supposed To Represent (MiLKCRATE Remix)" - Truth x DJ Evil Dee ** WORLD EXCLUSIVE **

"Sonje" - Mach-Hommy ft. Hephzibah (prod. Georgia Anne Muldrow)

"Kiss The Ring" - K.A.A.N. & DJ Hoppa

"Do You Right" - Hometown Heroes (Brad Baloo, DJ Yoda & Edo. G)

Talk Break Inst. - "Fall Back" - Trust One

"Ice Pick Lobotomy" - Spit Gemz ft. DJ Jon Doe

"Get 'Em" - Silent Knight ft. Skyzoo, Emilio Rojas & East

"Last Minute" - Raz Fresco & Daniel Son

"Roses" - RhymeStyle Troop 

"The Serpent And The Rainbow" - Mach-Hommy (prod. Sadhugold)

"Long Pinky Nail" - Doza The Drum Dealer x CASKET.D

Talk Break Inst. - "Rain Clouds" - Trust One

"Two Kids" - maticulous ft. Elzhi & DJ Jon Doe

"Mutty" - Conway The Machine ft. Stove God Cooks (prod. Conductor Williams)

"Faith" - Trap Jefe & godBLESSbeatz ft Rome Streetz, TGIFLY & Chase Fetti

"Baking Soda" - Reek Osama & Noisy Ne!ghbour

"Ferragamo Bvlgari" - Machacha ft. O The Great, Sean Links & DJ FMD

"Holy ____" - Mach-Hommy (prod. Conductor Williams)

"Make A Wish" - Big Kahuna OG, Fly Anakin & Henny L.O. (prod. Graymatter)

Talk Break Inst. - "Cocktails" / "Pride" - Trust One

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TWITCH

MIXCLOUD

[eliteseven]

To add some domestic fluff, is there any food that Tav can't stand? Perhaps in her noble life she was pampered in that sense. Or SH? We know about the cake she loves, but do we know anything about what she doesn't like?

Well, I’m pretty sure it’s canon that Shadowheart doesn’t like mushrooms bc of the gills/texture (unless I dreamt that in a fever dream or something 😅 ) which is true in Consonance too. She loves wine and her mother’s apple-plum pie canonically. I think she also comments on loving fresh fish from the docks at Baldur’s Gate at one point (unless that was Wyll 🤔)

Serena could have been spoiled, having a kitchen staff at her service. I could see her being a snob and outright refusing to eat certain foods (like…eggs. I’m declaring that Tav is an egg hater), but I’m sure military life fixed that real quick 💀

I think her favorite foods would be Shadowheart, anything that Emmeline makes, and probably an old recipe she associates with her mother 🥹

They basically had to eat whatever was in front of them when they were on the road together, so I think it humbled them tbh 😭

For domestic fluff, consider this: once Emmeline teaches them not to flail around uselessly in the kitchen, they make each other supper every night 🥰 with ingredients they grew! Learning each other’s favorite dishes and then having what’s essentially date night!

The two of them just flitting about their tiny kitchen, bumping into each other and stealing kisses, gossiping like the best friends they are, giving each other a taste and putting so much love into their dishes for each other. Sometimes Shads reads her smutty books aloud to Serena while she works. Sometimes Serena does the chopping and prepping, regaling Shadowheart with stories from her past. Them proudly taking a serving or two to Emmeline and Arnell and glowing at the praise they receive like little kids 😭🥹💕

[blue-pincushion]

crimsonxblur replied to your post: ❝ I hate this fucking family ❞

hey at least you’re pretty cute if nothing else haha i mean what

inky-chimera replied to your post: ❝ I hate this fucking family ❞

Silver:thats gay

❝ Shadow !! Not in front of Silver !! ❞

[twink-between-worlds]

“This is for leaving, and this is for coming back.”

hihi so this is literally less than five minutes before v-day ends but uhh Four is gay as shit, misses shadow, but then has extremely mixed feelings when Shadow returns. Hyrule is also aroace but it's not outright said yk

ao3 link; !!!

Four hates this holiday. Most of the chain received letters with gifts today. Time got a dagger from Malon, Twilight got a book from Shad, Wind got a cutlass from Tetra, Warriors got a new scarf from Sheik, and even Legend got a necklace from his not-boyfriend. Four. Hates. This. Holiday. Everyone’s so,,,in love and it reminds Four of what he—Vio—lost. He always stays locked up in the forge doing anything to pass the time during the night. The night is when the main celebrations happen, and Dot can never make Four attend. The only good thing about today is that the colours won’t fight. Red, Green and Blue all know how much this hurts Vio, so all agree to not do anything that’ll set off faer feelings. It’s nice of them. There’s plenty of reasons why they shouldn’t care about it, but they still do. “You alright, Four?”Hyrule hummed, sitting next to the smith. “I hate this holiday.”Four stated bluntly. “I’m…not a fan of it either. I don’t get it.”Hyrule laughed awkwardly. “I don’t get the whole ‘love’ thing..do you?” “I get it.”Four shrugged softly. “I just don’t have it anymore. Y’know?” Hyrule nodded, blinked, then shook his head. “Not…really. Did you just…stop loving some day?” “I guess so. You’ve never felt that way, hm?” “Um…no. I don’t…I don’t think I even know what love is meant to feel like.”Hyrule paused, glancing at Four. “What was it like for you?” “I don’t think I’m the best person to ask—” “Please?” “...okay.”Four sighed, smiling faintly. “For me…it was like getting stabbed.”Four noted the fact that Hyrule jumped. “It was like someone had just walked up and drove a sword through my chest.” “Wh—is it like that for everyone?!”Hyrule jumped, alarmed. “Um…probably…not, uh.”Four glanced around, whistling over to the chain. “Vet! Rule wants to know what love’s like! How’d it feel like for you?” “Eeesh. I lost my ability to love years ago, kid.” “You say, wearing a very impressive necklace from your ‘roommate’...”Wild mumbled, earning a sharp glare from the veteran. “Hey, the man knows what I like in terms of jewellery, it’d be rude not to wear it at least once.”Legend rolled his eyes, shrugging. “Seriously, though…I don’t remember what it’s like. It really has been a while.” Hyrule blinked, then nodded. “That’s kinda sad.” “Eh.”Legend shrugged. “I’d never have time for it anyways, so it doesn’t bother me much.” “That’s even sadder.” “Shut up Four, you’re no bet—”Legend paused. One minute, his ears were sticking out to the side as they usually do, and the next they perked up fully. The chain would laugh if they didn’t know it means he heard something. “What d’ya hear?”Four mumbled, watching as Twilight’s nose twitched. He’s picking up a scent, too. …this group is so weird. “Someone nearby is using dark magic.”Twilight announced gently, glancing at Legend. “Hear anything?” Legend paused, ears twitching a couple times before nodding. “Dumbass broke a branch and said fuck about five times.” Four frowned, glancing behind himself. He feels a strangely familiar presence. … He knows that feeling. Four can feel their shared magic again. Shadow..? Four stood up, grabbing his sword as he headed towards the treeline. A few minutes after he had stood in front of the trees, a pair of crimson eyes stared back at him. … “You’re back..?”Four chose to ignore the confused sounds of his companions, staring right back at the shade. “Uh, hey. Miss me?”Shadow laughed, stepping out into the light. Fucker’s using his shapeshifting ability again. “Stop pretending you’re taller than me.”Four mumbled, before going quiet. He wants to slap Shadow. He wants to kiss him, too. …easy solution—do both. “This is for leaving—”Four frowned, slapping Shadow across the face. Shadow winced. “And this is for coming back.” Then Four pulled the shade into a kiss. It didn’t last long, but it still means a lot to both of them. Four chose to ignore any questions the chain had, besides one. Hyrule had asked if Four is in love again. Four simply smiled and nodded. “Yeah.”