#⋆˙⊰ writing. ：undecided.

[salvatoraes]

new tags 002, damn ya'll this man has a lot of verses lmao

[salvatoraes]

[ SMS : CARRIE ] : damn, that's why i'm glad i have no friends with kids. [ SMS : CARRIE ] : what are you reading? [ SMS : CARRIE ] : i mean, not particularly but i also wouldn't mind it.

[ SMS : @salvatoraes ] staying with lacey for the weekend and her kid keeps waking up and crying [ SMS : stef ] can't sleep with the noise so i've been reading instead [ SMS : stef ] do you wanna talk about it?

[ghostlysoaps]

Creature/monster AU

Soft warning for mature language and themes

Soap is staring at him. This, in and of itself, isn't unusual. It's like their very own game of cat-and-mouse. Watching and waiting to get caught in the act, diverting their attention only after the other catches their gaze to keep. The switch occurs, and then it's up to each of them to decide how much blatant attention is enough.

Ghost grits his teeth under the relative safety of his mask but doesn't take his eyes off the road. He can't afford to with the headlights off even if he sees better in the dark than most – not with the loops and curves and potential threat hunting them.

"Are we going to talk about it?" Soap eventually asks, an hour and some into their mad dash to safety.

Ghost wishes he could parrot the question back at him while replacing the last word with "what.” It wouldn't work, he knows that. Playing the fool isn't Ghost’s strong suit and Soap wouldn't care to indulge him anyway. Not with the way his leg is bouncing, ears flicking, gaze as piercing as a knife between the ribs. A bloodhound who's caught a whiff of wounded prey. 

"No," is what he says instead, short, concise and brokering no room for argument.

"I think we should."

But then, Soap would argue with a brick wall on the off-chance he could win.

"Drop it, Sergeant."

Soap's face twists, canines flashing as he gives himself to irritation, eyes flashing gold.

"It was wearing my face while trying to coax ye into dicking it down, Ah'd say there's plenty to discuss."

"It was trying to get me close enough to wring my neck."

"Och, aye. Strange way t'go about it." The glower he levels Ghost with burns against the side of his face. "Sure there's nothing you wanna tell me? Might've helped dislodge that stick up yer arse if you'd let it–"

Ghost swerves abruptly, takes them off the main road to rest beneath a canopy of trees, on a path too overgrown to count as one, cutting Soap's questioning in half as the man yelps and slams a hand against the window to steady himself. The car slows to a stop and then one of Ghost's claw-tipped hands are on Johnny’s face, digging deep divots into the fat and muscle around his chin and jaw. He uses it to shake Soap's head from side-to-side. Not scruffing, but a show of displeasure nonetheless. One familiar to wolves. 

When Soap opens his mouth to protest, Ghost gives in to the urge to slot his thumb inside the warm cavern and draws a shallow line across it that quickly wells with blood.

"One more word," he snarls, "and I'll cut your tongue right out of your fucking mouth."

Soap stares at him, all wide-eyed and stricken, for a moment, just the one, before his lips stretch into a smirk around the digit in his mouth. He seals his lips over it, hollows his cheeks on a mean suckle, and then nips it with too-sharp teeth the moment Ghost pulls it out as if burnt, causing that lopsided smirk to broaden. 

"Shouldn't threaten me with a good time, sir."

"You're off your head." 

"I can smell arousal, y'know," Soap says, redirecting the conversation with all the gracefulness Ghost shows in his driving. "But not on you, can't ever smell anything on you. Drives me up the fuckin' wall." Soap shakes his head with a laugh, glances at Ghost from under his lashes. He's still smiling. "Sirens... now they don't need pheromones to get in yer head and root out yer darkest desires, an' they don't resort to shape-shifting into a specific guise unless there's a chance it'll work on their target."

"It didn't."

"I could tell by the bullet ye put through its heid. Dinnae even hesitate for a second."

Ghost's fingers flex at the reminder and Soap's eyes flit to them momentarily.

"You've a cold heart, Lt."

"Told you that already," Ghost rasps.

"Why me?"

And it sounds like begging, those two words, spoken in a beckoning call of their own, pleading for a truth Ghost is refusing to admit to anyone, least of all himself.

"You're attractive, Soap, that's all there is to it."

Soap deflates, sinking back into his seat with his face turning towards the window. Shoulders slumped, ears pinned back, as if he were a puppy expecting praise and finding a boot hurtling towards his side instead. It's jarring. Not wholly unexpected, but hell if it doesn't drive a blade straight through Ghost's aforementioned heart – something serrated and hooked sawing through his sternum to tear at raw nerves.

He should leave them there, within the rapidly growing chasm of distance he'd longed to create since Soap first bumped a fist against his shoulder.

"I knew it wasn't you."

It's the thinnest sliver of an olive branch, incapable of flowering with how slight and insignificant it is.

Soap takes it nonetheless.

"How's that?"

"Because your attempts at flirting are as bad as your jokes."

Johnny, incandescent with rage, comes back alive as if electrocuted and with slew of profanity to boot. He rants at Ghost for a solid half-hour, all ire and with no regard for propriety or rank, dressing him down as thoroughly as any drill sergeant back at basic. Anger is a good look on him. Joy is too. Emotions of any kind as long as they're far from the empty vessel Ghost had glimpsed before.

He lets out a breath he can't remember holding as Johnny’s voice steadily washes away the memory of blood in the sand and dimmed, unseeing eyes, blue as the summer's sky, staring unblinking ahead.

[bunnakit]

"I'm glad you're alright." Tharn said as if he hadn't just had a knife buried in his stomach.

Fear and dread pooled in Phaya's stomach, a subtle tremor rolling through his body at the gentle touch to his cheek. Only a few hours ago he'd struck Tharn, accidentally sure, but he'd still done it and now here he was cradling Tharn's tired, bleeding body to his own after being rescued by him once again. How many more times would the cycle repeat itself? Why couldn't Tharn understand he wanted to keep him safe too?

As Tharn's thumb stroked further over his cheek a swell of emotion in his chest threatened to break down the barriers of his ribs. His touch was impossibly gentle and Phaya could almost feel the concern in the soft glide of his fingertips.

Phaya lingered in the moment just slightly, grounding himself as he took in the gentle pressure of Tharn's hand against his hip, traced his eyes over the droplets of sweat clinging to Tharn's brow, tried to ignore the scent of iron in the air. The adrenaline still thrummed in his veins but he no longer felt like he was going to vibrate out of his skin from it.

Instead of speaking he hugged Tharn closer, keeping the pressure off his side but gently grasping the back of his neck and pulling him to his shoulder. He just wanted to feel Tharn against him for a moment, feel the rise and fall of his chest against his own and know that he still drew breath. He closed his eyes tight once he was sure Tharn could no longer see him, swallowing down the choking lump in his throat. The idea of Tharn dying to protect him brought a physical pain to his body, a sharp sensation that ran from fingertip to fingertip and head to toe.

Phaya felt him return the embrace, his fingers curling into the back of his shirt, and he felt himself force down a soft sound that threatened to crawl forth. He knew they were dancing around things, knew Tharn was holding back for some reason, but relationship or no he loved Tharn. He'd suspected for some time, but this drove the final nail home like a jagged stake through his heart. He only hoped his embrace comforted Tharn half as much as the reverse did for him.

"Phaya! Tharn!"

Phaya glanced up, curling his fingers tight in Tharn's shirt before they each pulled back slightly, never severing the connection between them. He felt Tharn's fingers against his elbow, curled his own fingers around Tharn's shoulder, and found comfort that neither of them seemed inclined to separate anytime soon. He felt like his entire being was tethered to Tharn in the moment, like if he let go for just a second either Tharn or he would cease to exist. He wasn't sure which he was more afraid of.

His eyes finally focused enough to identify the new arrivals.

Yai.

Yai was safe, Yai loved Tharn, Yai would protect them. They were safe now; he should let go of Tharn, explain the situation, and help Yai and the others. Instead, he offered the smallest nod to assure Yai they were both alright before he pulled Tharn closer and buried his face against his neck. He took solace in the moment of relative peace, in the sound of Tharn's gentle breaths and the warmth of his body molded against his front.

Phaya couldn't let this happen again, couldn't let this feeling of holding his entire world between his palms slip from his grasp.

(disclaimer: none of this is from the novel, i haven't read the novel, i just like doing character studies of them and rotating them in my head like a skyrim loading screen)

[banana-pancake5]

Haven’t posted art in a tad bit so here’s some doodles from that comic I was working on (Sadly, I have yet to continue working on it ;-;)

[yellowmagicalgirl]

What if Victim was also studying Minecraft, and accidentally brought a version Gold back? And what if the Color Gang + TSC and TCO found Gold when trying to bust out of Rocket Corp, and Gold takes them back to their dad's house so everyone can lay low, only to find out that King adopted Purple?

What if Purple is scared that now that King has his bio kid back, he won't want Purple anymore?

And what if Gold thinks they've been replaced, but as upset as they are about this, they suspect that they've come back wrong?

(Meanwhile King can't quite remember a time he was happier because even though he's harboring a bunch of fugitive sticks he now has both his kids and he never thought he'd ever get to have this.)

[aimeelouart]

A very short crossover between shall I find rest and the Cursed Cloud AU

There was nothing—nothing—worse than dealing with a, uh, romantically frustrated Sephiroth. Cloud held that opinion because by the time he left said world with said frustrated Sephiroth, he was missing an eye, his neck was purple, his pants were almost unsalvageable, and his armored jacket was nominally still attached to his torso by way of Masamune pinning it there.

“Goddamn repressed psychotic bastard,” he cussed in the void. Maybe the next world would be relatively nice to him. Otherwise, it was probably time for a reset. He needed his missing eye!

The universe spat him out in Rufus Shinra’s penthouse apartment. Tseng was there.

“Oh, hey Tseng,” said Cloud, now leaning toward hard resetting himself, if the Turk didn’t do it for him. He usually didn’t like Cloud very much.

He was proven right when Tseng whipped around and immediately shot him through the heart.

“Hmm.” He put his hands on his hips—hand, actually. One arm was no longer responding. He coughed. Blood spilled out over his chin. “Okay.”

Rufus was just past Tseng, and he also had his firearm drawn by that point.

Cloud smiled crookedly at the crooked man and tapped the space between his eyes. “Go ahead and aim higher. I don’t think I want to deal with you right now.”

“Strife,” Tseng snarled, advancing but not taking his advice on headshots and their effectiveness.

“Not your Strife,” said Cloud, and grasped Masamune’s hilt where it was sticking out of his ribcage. “If you won’t reset me, I’ll do it, don’t worry. Bye!”

He wrenched the sword through the length of his torso, and that was an injury even an experimental SOLDIER freak like him couldn’t survive. When he woke up in the next universe, his clothing was ruined but he had both eyes and a working arm again.

“Woohoo!” Cloud cheered, and promptly rolled over to dodge the resulting hail of bullets. Ugh, Scarlet’s labs again.

At least the robots couldn’t be romantically frustrated.

[saturnniidae]

Modern au with a strong theme of Hiccup coping with his leg better than all the people around him and it's low key pissing him off

[maingh0st]

looking like that, you’ll open some wounds

Taryn’s traitorous heart is still quite fond of fairytales. She thinks, fleetingly, of a hero rescuing a maiden from a tower. Of a maiden rescuing a hero from a tyrant. Fairytale protagonists are always so pure of heart. She exhales a frustrated breath through her nose and shifts her feet. The Ghost shifts, too, and his cunning eyes glint up at her through the gloom. Her heart turns over. They are neither maiden nor hero, and what they had was no love story.

the promised taryn/ghost get-worse oneshot is up - read here 🖤

[occasionallyprosie]

"Hiding Behind Plaster and Ceremics"

Chapter 2

Twilight wasn't completely sure how to handle the situation, Legend was pretty delirious last time he was awake--to the point of revealing something Twilight was certain was meant to be a secret--but it seemed like his fever was going down at least, so maybe he would wake up soon and they could actually talk.

Febuwhump 2024 | Alt Prompt 2: "I love you"

<<Previous | Next>>

Event Masterlist

Read On AO3 Warnings: none

This one won the poll! So here ya go.

----

Legend actually woke up the next time light, though it was dim moonlight, flowed into the little underground river and cavern.

Twilight spotted him begin to rouse while he was trying to figure a way up and out of the cavern, he was almost certain a clawshot should get him up, but he'd have to wait until Legend was better because there was no way both of them would fit at the same time.

"Hnnn..." Legend grimaced, clearly uncomfortable. Twilight quickly moved over to him.

"Hey--How are you feeling?"

Legend shoved at him as he tried to sit up. Twilight backed off a bit, Legend slowly managing to sit up. He rubbed his face. "What... Where are we?"

"A cave, there's a river right behind you so don't move too much. There's a way out but only one of us can fit at a time, and only if you've got clawshots of your own since I'm not sure how well either of us can toss it back from where it is."

Legend nodded, and Twilight was near certain he wasn't completely back yet. The snappiness and aggression he expected from the collector wasn't yet there, but he was definitely on the defensive...

Was the aggression coming from a point of defense? Twilight wondered, he used to akin Legend to a territorial animal, like a mountain lion or something. If anyone dared to approach, he would snap and attack, always on the aggressive side of things. But with the knowledge... but knowing that Legend used to be Apple, a bright little kid who was unendingly kind, Twilight couldn't help but wonder where that aggression came from? Because that wasn't the kid he remembered.

"I've got hookshots, which I'm guessing is the same thing," Legend hummed, still scrubbing his face and adjusting the blanket around him. "Where's m' clothes?"

Maybe he was more coherent than Twilight thought if he wasn't on the attack due to not having most his clothes on, he must've been aware enough to understand why.

"Over here, I tried to get them dry but--they're still a bit damp. I didn't want to make a fire."

Legend nodded. "Give."

He did, and silence fell between them as the collector hero pulled his clothes back on.

Twilight decided to try again. See what would happen with him actually coherent and not borderline delirious. "Apple--"

Legend full-body flinched, jerking away from him, then as an afterthought he glared... he glared in Twilight's direction and snarled.

"Don’t you call me that."

He wasn't looking at Twilight, just... in his direction. Twilight suddenly noticed how his longer than average ears were flicking and swiveling, eyes shifting side to side as if... as if he couldn't see anything.

Twilight knew it was dim, but the current moonlight should've been enough to outline silhouettes.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Twilight asked, tabling that thought so he could focus on the one he was far more interested in.

Legend winced, then he seemed to pull that aggression back to the front. "Why does it even matter?" He bit out. "It doesn't change shit."

Twilight was suddenly certain that Legend had extremely limited vision in the dark or his own enhanced vision was more enhanced than he thought, because just then, Legend wiped his face in a way that could've only been wiping away a tear, right before he snapped again.

"Anything you think you know about me, forget it," he said. "That was years ago, and I honestly could care less for that fever dream, hallucination of a quest."

He spat the last word as if he hated it or something, and if Twilight couldn't see him, he'd believe him.

Except Twilight could see him, he could see the heavy inhales even if they were silent, he could see the swiping of tears, the shaking hands--

"I don’t believe that," he said, surprising himself.

"Well you can go fuck yourself," Legend spat and Twilight saw the shakiness increase.

Twilight moved carefully, Legend jumped as he caught his hand and brushed a tear away.

"You have awful night vision don’t you?"

Legend tensed up, he jerked back but didn't go far as Twilight pulled him back before he could fall into the river behind him.

"Fucking--let me--"

"You’re gonna fall," Twilight cut him off.

"I'd rather do that than deal with your--touchy-feely bullshit!"

"Stop lying, Collector."

"I'm not lying! Get away from me--"

"Apple stop!"

He did. He froze up and Twilight could see whatever facade he'd been trying to pull back on since he woke up crack.

"I'm sorry," Twilight breathed. "I'm so, so sorry."

Legend still didn't quite stare at him, but he was staring and clearly unsteady. Twilight swore he saw tears in his eyes.

"I don't know what happened to you and I don't need to know, but please don't lie to me and say that you’re completely unaffected."

His mouth opened and closed, a choked noise escaping him.

"I know you’re not the same kid, okay? It's obvious, alright? But you are still my brother. That's what we promised, remember? Before we left, I said that even if we'd never meet again, you'd always be my little brother and even if you actually are the total asshole you've been acting like, you’re still my little brother. Got it? So don’t you dare keep pushing me away, it's a waste of energy."

Legend stared 'at' him with wide eyes, something broken was in them that Twilight never noticed before, but to be fair, he'd never looked.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for everything. You didn't deserve what's happened to you, but I swear, I promise that it'll get better. It'll be alright."

That was the breaking point, Legend made a painful noise as he curled into himself.

"Shut up. Shut up--I can't--Don't do this to me, please," he begged. "I can't do it again, Forest. I can't."

"Do what again?"

"Lose you! I can't--" He choked on a sob and Twilight felt his heart break for the hero in front of him. "I can't do it again. Not--you two, Cadence, Raven, Ravio, Marin--I can't, please don’t make me do it again."

Twilight reached out again. "Kid--"

"Don’t. Please," he begged. "Just let me be the asshole, it's easier. It's so much easier. Please. I can't... I can't do it again."

Let him...

Twilight caught his face in his hands, startling him again. "If I do, can you promise me--Can you swear that you'll be better for it? That it won't make things much worse--Me pretending we don’t know each other? If I, now that I actually know, treat you like I have been and not like the brother we both know you are to me... Would you be able to promise me it won't make things worse?"

Things being Legend's clear instability, how he definitely wasn't okay, how he had tried to be aggressive but everything he did whenever Twilight caught him off guard was defensive.

Things being the fact that he acted like a hurt animal, only just learning to snap back at threats, but still not yet sure of what all constitutes as a threat so it just snaps at everything.

And as Legend just seemed to break more, eyes fluttering as he pressed his too-warm face into Twilight's hands, and a hurt noise escaping him, Twilight knew that Legend couldn't promise that, and he knew that too.

"I... I can't do it again," Legend insisted weakly. "Everyone leaves, I can't--I can't take it, Forest, please. Everyone either dies or leaves. I can't keep doing this."

Twilight wanted to wrap him up in the blankets again, he wanted to wrap him up and hold him tight, to protect him from anything and everything that would ever harm him.

"I know, I know," Twilight promised softly. "Look, you can't just live to try and hide from pain."

"Watch me."

"But has it actually protected you from getting hurt?"

Legend faltered, then he whined painfully as he tried to hide himself.

Twilight didn't let him. "Kid, people die, we know that. People die, people move on, they leave even if they don’t want to."

"I can't. I can't--I don't want to hurt again. I-I--I just can't. This is bad enough! I can't--why does everyone leave?"

Legend's voice broke, a cry out to the world, a plea for an answer, a wish to just have someone.

And didn't Twilight understand that? Sure he had the villagers in Ordon to an extent, but between Midna and his family from before Ordon, Ilia, her memories, all of it, it sure felt like everyone he loved left.

But he had people, Ilia got her memories back, Uli and Rusl, Zelda, Colin, all of them. He had them...

Did Legend have anyone?

Before Twilight had the chance to ask or to even continue the conversation, the sobbing hero in his arms quieted and when he looked down, his chest constricted and he lowered his hand into unnaturally soft (no really, how, he was soaked with sweat from being sick and it was still so soft) hair.

Legend had cried himself to sleep, clearly his sickness had really drained his energy and the breakdown had sapped whatever else he had left.

"I'll stay," Twilight promised quietly. "I don’t care what the goddesses want, I won't leave you again, kid."

It was daylight next time Legend woke and Twilight gave him some mercy in that he didn't bring up his breakdown from before.

However he very clearly told Legend not to pretend to be what he isn't.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," the collector insisted stubbornly.

Twilight gave him a deadpan look before remembering how bad Legend's night vision apparently was. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You’re a lot of things but dumb isn't one of them, Apple."

"Don’t call me that," he bit out and it sounded more strained than snarled. "I mean it. Don’t."

"Promise me you'll stop being a prickly jerk and I will," Twilight bargained.

Legend was silent for a long minute. "I'll promise not to play it up on purpose."

"How about you promise to just be yourself?"

"And you won't call me that or bring... bring that up?"

Twilight sighed. "Yeah, I won't say a word about it and I won't call you Apple anymore."

Legend nodded slowly, eyeing him warily. "Deal. I'll... I'll try to cut it out."

That's all he could ask.

Legend used his hookshot to get out first and Twilight followed close behind.

Thankfully, the storms had apparently stopped but that didn't stop Twilight from draping his pelt over Legend's shoulders.

"What the--no."

"You’re still a bit sick, kid," Twilight smirked and Legend visibly fumed, "keep that on."

"And you call me the jerk," Legend huffed, but Twilight didn't miss how he burrowed into the pelt a bit.

Twilight smirked and he ruffled his hair. "It's my job."

Legend squawked and shoved him, Twilight laughed. He saw the way his face and ears turned red and it only proved to make him laugh a bit harder.

"Hey I think... I see them! They're okay! HEY! RANCHER! COLLECTOR!"

Finally, they found the rest of the heroes who had apparently been searching for a second entrance to the cave the whole time, three days.

Warriors turned on Legend with a clear annoyance once they were assured neither were hurt from the cave-in.

"Why the hell didn't you move?! You could've gotten both you and the Rancher killed!" Legend, with his mask still broken and not yet remade due to his promise to Twilight, flinched.

He knew that. He hadn't even known there was a cave-in, he had been so out of it that he did almost get them both killed and he knew that was his fault. He should've sucked up his pride and admitted to needing to rest, he knew that objectively but not a single part of him would've actually done it.

Not to this group.

"I know you hate us and don’t want to be here but--"

"Back off, Captain." Twilight inserted himself between Warriors and Legend, startling the entire group. "You've no right to lecture him right now."

"He ignored--"

"He was sick and he still is."

Legend winced as shocked and worried expressions were immediately directed to him. He avoided eye contact, suddenly very interested with the fur of the pelt on his shoulders.

"He didn't react because he was so damned out of it that he didn't notice. How much you want to bet that when he fell behind the other day and fell down that he was sick then too? That we failed to make this group an environment that even the most distant of us didn't feel safe expressing that weakness?"

Legend found himself trying to hide behind Twilight from all the gazes. The worst part was that he wasn't wrong, Twilight hadn't even assumed that it was from a point of pride, he correctly claimed his actions came from a point of fear of displaying weakness, of making himself vulnerable in front of them. Sure, Twilight probably thought that the cause of that fear was not feeling safe when it was actually a fear of letting them come close, but he still had gone that route instead of the obvious assumption of pride.

"So back off," Twilight snarled and he sounded dangerous, protective, and Legend wasn't sure if he should be running from that or hiding behind it.

"You're sick?" Hyrule weaved around Twilight, and as per usual, stubbornly tried to get close to Legend despite all his past attempts to snap and make the other teenager leave him alone.

Legend tried not to recoil and snap to get him to just go away, he bit his tongue and glanced at Twilight. Twilight, though staring down Warriors, shot him a glance.

"I was," Legend said carefully. "'M mostly alright now."

Twilight's unsure glance turned proud and everyone else looked a bit surprised.

A pit grew in Legend's stomach as Hyrule's eyes lit up a bit and he began to ask questions about how he felt and how he could help, that he wasn't too familiar with illnesses but surely he could do something, right?

The olive branch had been extended by no choice of his own... and he was surrounded by heroes who were going to snatch it.

He stood no chance, didn't he? What kind of mask could he hide behind now? What kind of plaster could he slap over it? What ceramic was strong enough to protect him?

Why did he have to care so easily? Why did he let people in so quickly?

Why did he always lose the ones he did?

At camp that night, Legend had been... harassed--he honestly couldn't think of a better word--into sitting by the warm fire and eating a bowl of really good soup. All of it was courtesy of Hyrule, Sky, Wild, and Wind who had taken his blunted retorts and softened demeanor and ran with it.

He hated it, but the only reason he didn't snap was because Twilight was watching him and...

And goddesses, he looked proud, he looked happy that he was letting it happen and somehow that was the worst part of it. Something warm flickered in his chest as he hugged his legs by the fire and he hated it.

He didn't lay down though, as everyone moved to sleep, Twilight bargained with Four for first watch and Legend knew immediately why.

He felt exhausted, he really did, but something was curling in his chest and wrapping around his mind, his whole body tingled and he swore he had goosebumps. He couldn't sleep yet, not with the pressure behind his eyes and the weight in his throat.

"Hey," Twilight said softly, he sat beside Legend, facing opposite of him and their shoulders were almost touching. "Are you okay?"

The pressure turned into actual tears. Legend glanced at him and silently, barely, shaking his head.

Twilight tilted his head to the side questioningly, seemingly agreeing to the tacit form of communication.

Legend just shook his head again, then he glanced to a distant corner of their camp and nodded to it.

Twilight glanced around and he must've come to some kind of conclusion before he nodded. He got up first, offering Legend a hand that he stubbornly didn't take it.

He wasn't sure he could, but he did accept the help in moving over to the corner with his bedroll. He sat back down, now healthily distanced and not so surrounded, and Twilight knelt back in front of him.

"Better?" He asked, voice low.

Legend nodded. "Thanks," he muttered, accepting the distance as enough to be unheard.

"Are you alright?" Twilight asked again.

He hesitated, then sighed softly. "I hate you," he muttered. Twilight startled. "This would've been a lot easier if you just minded your own business."

Twilight stared at him and the hurt that had appeared turned into mirth and worry. "Sorry, kid," he chuckled, "you're stuck with me now."

If only, he thought bitterly, looking away and glaring at the ground. He tensed as another weight was set on his shoulders and then a hood was tugged over his head and blinded him.

"I mean it," Twilight said softly, Legend pushed the hood up to meet earnest green eyes. "I let you go once, it ain't happenin' again, Link. Not with how it hurt you."

Legend couldn't even feel sad at that, he just felt... tired.

"Good luck," he said honestly. "It won't work though."

"Why not?"

"I'm not allowed to keep the people I love."

And I love you, went unsaid but implied.

Twilight made a quiet noise, then he reached up and tugged the hood back over Legend's eyes, as if his night vision wasn't bad enough.

Legend huffed and pushed it back again. "Would you stop that?"

"I'm so sorry," Twilight said and it startled Legend into freezing. "I'll prove it though. I'll figure out a way to prove it, I swear kid."

"I didn't agree to this stupid deal just so you could call me kid," he grumbled, not acknowledging the promise he knew was made to be broken. "I'm not a kid."

"How old are you? How long has it been?"

He scowled and avoided eye contact.

"Collector."

He hated that voice. He hated that tone. He hated how he felt guilty for staying silent. He hated everything about this.

"Seventeen," he whispered.

"Seven years?" Twilight breathed. "How... How many more?"

"...five."

"Five--That's... seven quests?"

Legend nodded hiding beneath the pelt hood now. "Seventeen, and seeing as most of you barely got two quests, my seven makes me a real veteran of this whole hero business thing."

"Don’t call yourself that," Twilight whispered, more of a croak really. Legend dared to peek up at him, having to push the hood back again to see just how pale and worried Twilight looked.

He sighed softly. "Why not? It's true."

"But--It makes it sound like that's all you have going for you. All you are is a hero, is your quests."

He shrugged. "Like Scholar and Collector is any different? Where do you think I got my information and items from? And we both know Hoarder is meant to be an insult."

Twilight winced but he didn't argue. Silence settled again and Legend let the pelt block out his vision.

He felt and heard Twilight move to his side and press their shoulders together briefly. He sighed and dropped his head against his shoulder, humming softly as the pressure somehow helped the headache that continued to pulse.

The thick pelt hid the tears that slipped free, but even then he was falling asleep again. Finally, he knew full well that he needed to rest if he wanted to stop being fretted over.

"I love you too," Twilight muttered quietly and Legend felt the hold of sleep disappear as he tensed. "You said earlier you always lose the people you love, an' you counted me and Ocean as one'a them... I love you too, and I don' break m' promises to my little brothers."

Legend really hated it when his mask broke, especially when he couldn't fix it. He felt himself shake as tears soaked into the soft pelt around his shoulders.

"Damn you," he croaked. "You don’t get to say that."

He couldn't say that, he couldn't promise that. Nayru was strict with her domain, even if that was possible, Nayru wouldn't allow them to return to an era not their own. Twilight couldn't promise that but he did because he actually thought he could do that.

Somehow that made it all that much worse.

"I love you," Twilight repeated as he held Legend tighter. "And you can't stop me from saying that or doing anything."

That broke him.

He wished he could say the same, he wanted to say the same, but the fact was that his heart was reaching and clinging it to everyone they met while his mind begged it to just stop getting them hurt.

"Honestly?" Legend forced out, his voice shaking and hitching with every breath. "The fact that you think that makes it just so much worse."

Because, goddesses, Legend loved him. He loved Forest, and Ocean, if he let himself he knew he would fall victim to Wild's chaotic charm, to Hyrule's inescapable orbit of simultaneous sass and warmth, to Sky's unending patience and kindness, he knew he would.

But he also knew there was no way they could stay together when it was over, and by the three, he just wanted to complete one quest without his heart torn to shreds by the end of it.

Next>>

[youssefguedira]

the color green + joenicky

N. The color green.

Joe doesn't notice him right away, too caught up in fiddling with the buttons on his shirt sleeves, which means for a few moments Nicky can just lean against the doorframe and watch him for a while. It doesn't matter that it's been nine hundred years: he's still so beautiful Nicky can't find the words for it.

He's in green because Nile's in green, and they're posing as the kind of people who would coordinate their outfits. It fits him perfectly, which Nicky had known because he'd taken the measurements for it, then he and Joe had adjusted it together, but knowing it in the abstract isn't the same as seeing how well it fits him. He's wearing black trousers and a white shirt with it, tie abandoned on the dresser.

Nicky is in a black t-shirt and black jeans, because his job is security and backup tonight. It was Joe's turn, anyway: Nicky wore the fancy suit last time.

Nicky clears his throat, just to make Joe turn around and smile at him, lighting up.

Nicky's not nearly as flowery with his words as Joe is; all he says is, “You look good.”

Joe raises an eyebrow, teasing, with just the hint of a smile. Is that the best you can do? “Oh, yeah?”

Nicky pushes off the doorframe and crosses the room towards him, picking up the tie as he goes. “Yeah,” he says. “Green suits you.”

The first time Nicolò ever saw him in something this fine was in Alexandria, after everything, because Yusuf was a merchant's son and had wanted something for himself, something that fit him properly, rather than whatever they could find when the clothes they were wearing became too bloody and full of holes to be recognisably garments anymore. He'd come back from the tailor in a deep green tunic that had caused Nicolò to forget his words in any language for a good while.

When Joe catches his eye now Nicky knows he's thinking about the exact same thing. Instead of saying anything, he loops the tie around Joe's neck and fastens the knot.

“Nile was asking for you,” Nicky says matter-of-factly, like he doesn't know exactly what the look Joe's giving him right now means. He keeps his expression neutral. “I think she wanted a second opinion. We have to leave soon, anyway.”

“Nicky,” Joe says.

“What?” Nicky asks, feigning obliviousness. He can't help laughing at the betrayed look on Joe's face.

“After,” he says. “Go do your job, habibi.”

[salvatoraes]

taggies 002

[sunfloweraro]

Sky’s still got it

Sky plays a certain soothing tune on his harp to help Bunny get some rest. It works a little too well.

Tags: @thatonecrazysidekick and @tiredgaytheatrekid

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 .

Sky began to pluck the strings for one last song, his eyes slipping shut as he thought of his beloved back home, often troubled by nightmares after her journey, similar to the ones that plagued him. He would sit by their bed after a bad dream of hers, once he had comforted her and wiped her tears away with his thumb, and he would play her this song. Zelda would never fall asleep in the first play-through, rarely the second, but by the third, soft snores would always escape her despite her insistence that she wouldn’t be able to sleep again that night.

As Sky played the final note, letting it linger on the air sweetly, he opened his eyes, slow and calm. All around him, the Zora had fallen asleep, either leaning against each other or curled up on the floor. Four had drifted off against the railing, his relaxed features making him look much younger than he normally did. Time leaned back against the wall of the Domain, arms crossed and chin lowered to his chest, fast asleep.

And next to Sky, Bunny had slumped, his breathing deep and even as Sky had hoped it would be.

“Still got it,” Sky murmured to himself, pride glowing within his chest at having knocked out both their normally serious Smithy and the Old Man, and at having helped Bunny get some rest after such an eventful day.

“That ye do.” Sky jumped, raising a hand to his chest when he realised it was only Twilight, leaning against the railing of the stairs, staring down at him with a fanged smile. “Sorry, we didn’ mean tah scare ye.”

It was then Sky realised Wild stood across from Twilight, his slate out as he attempted to capture an image of Time, conked out against the wall. He snapped a couple before Twilight grabbed him by the back of the shirt and dragged him away.

“That’s enough. We need tuh wake ‘em up”—Twilight jerked a thumb back at the sleeping Zora—“and get this lot in bed. We’ve a busy day ahead of us tomorrow and the last thing I wan’ is to listen to the Old Man bitch about ‘is sore back.”

Sky couldn’t help but snort, raising a hand to his mouth to stifle the sound. Wild had no qualms with bursting into laughter, quickly achieving their task of waking the Zora with their sensitive hearing. Grumbles were sent his way, and they received a half-apologetic wave before they dispersed.

“Ah’ve got this one,” Twilight said, already crouching by Time. Rather than shaking him by the shoulder to wake him, Twilight carefully picked up Time, carrying him effortlessly in his arms like Time was a toddler who had fallen asleep at a family gathering. Sky couldn’t help but chuckle to himself at the thought, turning back to Bunny and Four.

“How strong are you feeling today, my dear Champion?”

“We both know these two will weigh about the same,” Wild shot back. “Your choice.”

Rolling his eyes, Sky pushed himself to his feet, dusting off the front of his pants, a force of habit from the many times he had been knocked down on his quest that he couldn’t quite shake. He passed his harp to Wild to be stored in his slate for the moment. “We both know while our Smithy is small, he’s all muscle. I’ll ask again, how strong are you feeling?”

“In that case, I’m taking Bunny.”

“Ye jus’ wanna cuddle ‘im.”

“Perhaps,” Wild said as he scooped Bunny up into his arms, cradling him close like Hyrule and Twilight always did. “Oh. Oh, I see why you two want to carry him all the time. He’s so soft.”

Twilight grinned a fanged grin. “That ‘e is. Be careful with ‘im, yeah?”

Where he might normally take the words as offensive, Wild merely nodded, as if the weight and warmth of a real, breathing creature on his shoulder gave something to Twilight’s words he never heard when he was handling an item. “I will,” he promised.

“In the case,” Sky said, not at all upset he missed out on carrying Bunny when it meant he got to ensure his close friend slept somewhere comfortable and warm. He gathered Four in his arms, grateful he had thought to consider Four’s strength rather than assuming their Smithy would weigh next to nothing with his height. “Shall we?” Sky asked, holding Four closer, smiling when Four leaned his head against Sky’s chest in his sleep, hands reaching out to grasp at the front of his shirt.

“Let’s.”

[shellxrls]

right so.

[enhanced-operatives-division]

Favorite thing about starstruck?

Oh my GOD about a million and one things so I'm gonna try and zone in on the main point for me

I know that @neurotonic has talked it before and I think I've also spoken about it (AND it's also in Five Star Feature by @stellar-collective ) but SHHH it's genuinely like the source of the appeal of the dynamic for me. This being the whole "falling for an average joe" thing on Juniper's side.

Taking you on a little (personal?) history lesson of this ship, for AGES it was a nothingburger ship, only since like last year has it gained ANY traction, and the main source of content for it was me talking to my two friends, so I am DEEP into personal interpretation here. Alas, the early days of being into the ship, a big part of the reason that I started considering the ship was Reggie seemingly being so so smitten by Juniper, and thinking about how that dynamic would work post-canon (Remember, this is pre-IEYTD 3, so really so the fandom was both smaller AND anything post IEYTD 2's elevator crash was free game PLUS people were equally adamant that JJ wasn't/isn't dead). I actually met @bugtoast through beta reading his fic where JJ & Reggie teamed up to find a missing Phoenix, and while that fic wasn't a ship fic, it WAS what got me started thinking about it. This is because the two were suddenly on equal ground in which Reggie had a reason to really, REALLY hate Juniper, and a reason for Juniper to feel really, REALLY guilty/humbled. And so THIS lead to (across. Years of thinking about them on and off) my current personal favourite AU/dynamic for them!!

Just to get some stuff out the way (I've talked abt it before but ehhhhh), I've always headcanoned both Reggie and Juni as queer, and both as gay pretty solidly for a while now. Juniper definitely more repressed than Reggie (I personally love @operationjetset 's interpretation/comic on Juniper's queerness, literally made my jaw drop), and that plays a little into how I see the dynamic especially considering the time period and it exists in (late 60s (specifically 67/68 if we consider IEYTD 3)).

Basically, what really scratches my brain about the dynamic is Juniper ending up hopelessly smitten with Reggie, and Reggie having none of it, at least for a while, because. Well. A lot of reasons but mainly the whole trying to kill his agent and nuking the world, but also the personal (if parasocial) element of how Reggie used to adore Juniper, and him turning to hatred once he found out JJ was working for Zor as almost a defense mechanism to stop himself from falling back into that adoration. This of course turns into basically a complete role reversal! Yes there's differences as Reggie having a bit of a celebrity crush isn't as bad as Juniper literally having a sexuality crisis over having a crush on Crane BUT FUNDAMENTALLY it's the opposite thing.

This ends up working out REALLY well because it leads into a storyline where you can really cleanly give Juniper a redemption arc because he wants to be a better person so Reggie will at least LIKE him as a person again. Not for his stardom, not for his charisma, but for just being some dude. And Reggie is a good man, because while he knows that there's no obligation to like and especially not trust Juniper again, he can tell Juniper is trying to work on himself and he appreciates that.

And from there, once they start building up a genuine friendship with one another, THAT'S when I can see them stumbling into becoming partners, because for them I feel like it would just be a natural progression of their friendship (especially once JJ got through his internalised homophobia and such). I definitely feel like they would have weird dates, partially down to the time period, partially down to Reggie's odd and specific interests (SLAPS ROOF OF MY CORN HUSKING FANFIC), but I think Juniper would appriciate the really mundane nature of Crane's hobbies and Crane would enjoy having someone who was interested in doing his hobbies with them.

I think after typing this out I think I also like this ship because I see a lot of their dynamic as almost transactional? It's hard to explain but there's a lot of equality in how I feel they'd treat one another. An example would be yk Juniper indulging Reggie in his corn husking hobby (what a sentence), and then Reggie indulging in something like dancing with JJ. I can't quite explain it but yeah. Yeah they love doing hobbies together because they love existing together.

To summarise all of this, I just really like the whole idea of Juniper becoming a better person because he wants to be a better person for Reggie. ESPECIALLY if it comes with a side of not realising it at first. Goodlord I love them

[starsoforionwrites]

+1651 words

struggling quite a lot still, and feeling utterly wretched about it. that said, I did get some words down tonight so that's good? overall I'm at 234k words now, but eighth year on is still very patchy and uneven. i'm trying to get into a consistent writing habit again, but every time I look at the page it's just a terrifying blinking cursor and then I collapse in on myself lol