#BUT i did draw this while kicked out and taking shelter in my personal knights house

[mus-xpart-a]

who's this majestic knight? (lowk prequel to this)

isolated + line art under cutoff :3

[anxiouslyfred]

Met in the Woods

for @dukexietyweek‘s prompt Pirates/Adventure, I focused on Adventure

Summary: Remus didn’t run away, he just went on a wander through the woods. Virgil got kicked out of their home and took to the woods to try and survive. Somehow meeting was the calmest part despite Virgil attacking Remus.

Warnings: vague fighting, eldritch being mentioned, self-esteem issues, homophodia mention

/\/\

Remus hadn't run away. Really he'd barely even left home, despite packing the largest pack they had full of survival supplies and taking off into the woods one morning before anyone else woke up. There was no point in writing a note, not when he'd definitely be coming home, at some point, probably.

The woods had always called to him, filled with mysteries and adventure if only he had the time to explore and find it, and finally Remus was following the call. He already knew where the first glade was to make a camp in, after that he could follow the river some knights mentioned when reporting their patrols.

He wasn't expecting the glade to already have a tent in it, or for said tents owner to have him flat out within seconds of emerging from the treeline.

“Who sent you after me? I'm not going back, whatever crap they've told you!” The person had a staff poised to strike and with all of Remus's weapons currently under him and tied to his pack he wasn't too inclined to make it an actual fight. Besides, not being recognised as one of the sons of the areas Lord? It was basically a dream Remus never expected to happen given the amount of public appearances he was bribed into.

“Nobody sent me, not a clue who you are. Can I stick my tent over here? Heading to the river at this time of night is just asking for a patrol to catch us.” Remus shrugged, rolling to stand up again only to jump back when the staff was swiped at his legs. What was with them trying to lay him out?

A snarl curled their lips and Remus was fascinated. Most people couldn't get quite so vicious an expression, not even an enraged Roman had managed it yet, although he did get complimented on being fearsome when rampaging. “Like I'm going to believe that! They kicked me out and now expect to get me dragged back, begging for forgiveness or some shit?”

“Woah, I've never managed to get kicked out before. How did you manage that and can I try? Sounds like the best release from responsibilities ever!” Remus leant forwards, although still staying out of the staffs range.

“Writing in a journal about liking how men look. Seriously, people will kick you out for the most dull stuff. Thinking there's dangers in too thin ice, and telling people to sharpen weapons with them directed away from you to avoid self stabbing, oh that's fine. Like watching spiders and write stories without even showing them to anybody about how hot the guy next door is, nope get the hell out.” Remus frowned while listening to the rant. Those motives really did sound incomprehensible, but the persons frustrated movements did sometimes cause their top to tighten and show off muscles or make his cloak move like bats wings over their arms.

It was enough that Remus was moving forwards, bending to catch the staff as it was swung, holding it still. “Seriously? The Lord's of this land are 2 men together. We've got non-binary folks as tax collectors and both of the Lord's sons are attracted more to masculine physics than feminine and your family kicked you out for that?”

“Explains why they do everything possible to keep us kids stuck to the farm, then.” The mumble was clearly not directed at Remus but he shrugged and nodded until they looked back at him. “So if you aren't someone sent to drag me home what the hell are you doing out here?”

“I'm Remus, and just felt like a wander. Male too by the way. Who are you? I've already gathered that you're here cause you got kicked out so won't ask why.” He answered cheerfully. Whomever this person was, they'd been more interesting than most people Remus encountered.

The suspicious glare that had been fading was back a full force. “Virgil. Human, and who the hell just decides to go wandering with a full pack including a tent?”

“I do. Wanted to escape for a while, and now I'm gonna stick with you too.” Remus decided, shrugging off his pack to start setting his own tent up. “All the better if someone actually does come after you, right?”

/VR\

Virgil didn't trust this guy. Who the hell just attaches themselves to a stranger they meet in the woods? There had to be something going on here, or the guy had to be freaking insane and liable to attack in a moment of rage.

“I'm going into that cave! Are you coming?” Remus cheered, pointing further along the river.

There at least was a cave this time, a large excavation into the cliff face that was on the other side of the river. The last 'cave' Remus had tried to explore had just be a darker type of rock that the mad guy had run head first into before realising.

“It's a cave on the edge of a river. You're going to slip on the rocks and kill yourself, or get attacked by a bear taking shelter in it.” Virgil ground out, but carried on following behind Remus getting closer to the cave with each step. “I'm not willing to die for a maniac who won't leave my side.”

Remus just shot a grin over his shoulder as he finally started wading through the water. “Then why are you still following me? Besides it'd be awesome to battle a bear. Maybe I could get some brilliant scars!”

“It's called self preservation, something you seem to have abandoned already. I'm more likely to survive if I have an idiot who runs into danger when predators decide human smells like a good dinner.” Virgil snarked back, pausing to take off their shoes and roll their trousers up before entering the water. They weren't going to have wet feet for hours, no matter how willing Remus was to get his shoes drenched.

They still weren't happy about entering the cave when hours later they were trudging back out a completely different entrance lugging a chest in addition to their packs. “I told you going in there was dangerous!”

“You didn't get hurt, did you? Only blood on either of us is from that, that, actually what the hell was that? We need to go home just so I can get that thing drawn, painted, memorialised for eternity on the walls and given some kind of name.” Remus was twisting to look back at the cave even as he kept moving, holding the other end of the chest.

“Can we figure out what we're doing with whatever the hell is in here? It's heavy and neither of us are going to be ready to fight with a massive chest carried between us.” Virgil dropped their end, effectively bring them to a stop and threw themself on the ground for a rest.

There was still daylight so they weren't worried about a threat approaching unseen and really needed to stop after the fight they'd just gone through. Any creature with that many limbs should be somewhere out at sea, not in caves nowhere near the shore.

“You take it. You're the one who got kicked out from home and nobody would leave something worthless in a cave like that. Bet you could get a house almost as good as the Lord's manor with the treasure in here.” Remus decided, having sat on the ground nearby for only a second before he was  rooting through the pack from his back. “Snacks, pen, ink and paper. You eat something. I gotta start planning out my paintings.”

Virgil was already shaking their head, backing away from the chest as though it would be forced onto them. “No no no no. I'm not taking all of whatever's in there. We got it together. You should get some of it. How about half each? Or you get 3 quarters and I get the rest since I would literally have been killed when that thing first came out?”

“And here I thought I was just a chance for you to escape when I jumped forwards. You were fighting there too. I guess we could go half each.” Remus sighed as though accepting any of it was a hardship rather than treasure won. “Only if you come home with me. Let me introduce my family to the greatest reluctant best friend ever!”

They gaped at that declaration. If anything Virgil would just call them and Remus acquaintances. Sticking together in the middle of woods when no other people has been seen for days could easily turn to barely acknowledging each other once back in town. “If that's what it takes for you to take the treasure that's rightfully yours then fine I guess.” They agreed, already moving stuff about in their pack to find the empty bags they'd managed to grab when hurrying to leave their old home. At the time they'd expected the bags to be for any belongings or tools they could make and acquire while alone in the woods but the contents of a random chest was what they'd need to hold now.

Virgil left Remus to carry on drawing while attempting and after about 20 different tries, managing to unlock and open the chest. They sat separating the treasure by types and into 2 piles of each, kept as even as possible. With the sky clear and dusk not due for a while, it was a relaxing enough break after the cave systems.

/VR\

Looking up at the manor that Remus had just started leading them up to declaring 'Home!' had Virgil reconsidering everything they knew of the place they grew up in.

That was the Lord's manor and for Remus to live here he had to be... nope, NOPE! Virgil had definitely not just accidentally run into one of the sons of the Lord that ruled over his town. Remus must actually just be like, one of the servants, or maybe a gardener? Places like this had gardeners and knights right? Remus must be something like that and had taken some time off too....

All of their rationalisations to prevent panicking about having attacked and then travelled with a Lord's son proved futile when as soon as Remus opened the doors servants were swarming him, asking where the young sir had been, did he have any injuries, and anything else they'd only do for... The son of the Lord's also hurrying through the hall to greet him.

“I went on an adventure!” Remus proclaimed, waving off the servants and turning to look for Virgil who had fully started panicking and wondering if he could turn and run now. “And I made a friend too. That's Virgil and he's brilliant!”

A servant was immediately coming over, offering to take his bag while the Lord's looked him over curiously, listening to Remus who was still talking utter nonsense; a fairytale of a Virgil that they couldn't fathom how Remus thought was them.

“Well anyone who has Remus as besotted as this is more than welcome to remain with us as long as you care to, Virgil. Are there any titles that you hold?” The Lord asked, smiling at them now and holding a hand up to pause Remus's ramblings.

“No, My Lord. I am estranged from my family currently and would not be in line for any titles even if that weren't the case.” They couldn't come out with a rant about being kicked out in front of a Lord, but to deny that they were probably the lowest of his lands would only lead to worse things later.

The Lord just nodded but Remus glowered. “They've got money though. Helped me fight a beast in a cave and we found this massive chest of treasure that can get him a home and stuff now. Seriously, even while claiming they wouldn't risk death for me they followed me into the cave and fought just as much as I did when this brilliant creature attacked. Someone get my paints set up in the gallery across from my room. I know what's going on the far wall now!”

“Money wasn't our concern, Son. I'll check if there's any titles we can bestow on them for bringing you home safely.” The other Lord spoke up now and Virgil was really wishing their parents had at least mentioned the names of the nobility that ruled over them. Maybe they could ask one of the servants soon, since Remus was likely to forget about them now he was back home and around his family.

It definitely seemed possible since with the comment about finding them a title the Lords were heading to other rooms in the hall and Remus was racing down a different corridor while a few servants came to direct Virgil to somewhere else. They just let themself be led through getting measured for new clothes and settled into rooms that had at some point been requested for them. They could at least work on getting a home here before the hospitality of the Lord's ran out preferably.

/RV\

7 days had passed and Remus was confused. Each morning he'd asked Virgil to come and help him paint, or join him in the science lessons he'd insisted on getting. Each time they'd nod and come along but disappear somewhere on route to where he wanted to go.

His best friend kept hiding from him and it didn't feel like a game or even like something they wanted to do if the wary glances each meal were anything to go by. It was like Virgil was expecting him to tell him to leave, gained some hope whenever Remus asked for them to do something together but gave it up seconds later as a lie. Remus wouldn't lie, especially not over wanting someone's company. He just wanted Virgil to be around him.

Today he was going to put a stop to it. He still chattered through breakfast, arguing with Roman over painting styles and trying to get Virgil to agree with him but he didn't move to get up or say anything after his meal was finished. He just sat, waiting for Virgil to finish eating and hoping he hadn't been cutting their meal short with the invitations.

“Do you not want to be my friend?” Remus blurted once they were the only ones still at the table, making Virgil startle.

“What, of course I, no, I do, definitely do but you, I mean, I thought you wouldn't. I'm just a nobody and you have all these exciting things that's you basically bounce in your seat when you talk about.” Virgil tripped over their words, clearly concerned over Remus's question but not sure how to answer it.

Remus just watched them try to reply, concerned but making himself be calm, still. “Then why do you keep disappearing when I want to share them with you? Sharing them would make any activities like a million times better! Hell just arguing with Roman is way more fun when I've got you beside me.”

“But I'm nothing!” Virgil exclaimed, pushing down on the table. “Why would you want anything to do with me except because of pity?”

“Yeah, definitely, I pitied a guy attacking me with a staff and stuck with him because I thought he needed some charity.” Remus rolled his eyes. “Pretty sure you are more than any scoundrel I could find walking into town just because you don't give a shit who we are, if you think something's dangerous or harmful you're gonna yell about it.”

“And you don't give a damn and do it anyway, claiming there's nothing dangerous that could harm you!” Their response was a glare that just made Remus grin.

He'd missed being told off while Virgil was constantly hiding themself away. “Still take more care than I would without the reminder. Besides I love that, always needed someone to give reasons for why they're upset and you just give them.”

“Love? Besotted? Why is everyone talking like we should be courting now? I don't even have somewhere to live. Get them to stop playing with my heart like that.” Virgil moaned, apparently focused on a word Remus had barely realised he'd spoken. Watching them lean on the desk it was clear there had been more said by the servants too in the last week.

He shrugged leaning back in his seat. “They aren't. If you'd actually let me find you or come to help with my painting this week you might have realised that I am very likely to fall in love with you.” He held back from saying it had already happened while coming back from the cave. It seemed like it would be too much for them, no matter that the painting in his gallery had basically made Virgil his universe, cradled and treasured by the creature they'd battled rather than fighting it.

Lost eyes looked over to him as they processed the words. “So we can be together together? I'm not – not going to get kicked out again for liking you too much?”

“Nope, I mean I made sure our rooms are next to each other deliberately so we could go through the courting without being too far apart.” Remus pointed out. “On that thought, can I actually give you your courting gifts now? I keep trying to but you disappear before I've got them out.”

Virgil nodded mutely for a second, watching him, before leaning forwards for a kiss, barely more than a peck before they were pushing away trying to get more distance between them. “Sorry, should've asked, but um, yes, courting, we can do that!”

“You don't have to ask if you want to kiss me, but if it makes you feel better we can do constantly asking.” Remus couldn't hold back his grin, and knew it was the one servants backed away, concerned over what his manic joy would cause today.

Courting first, and convincing Virgil they were far more than their mind said over time.

[edendaphne]

“Discordant Sonata”Ch. 6

I finally finished this chapter!!!

Read it here on Ao3

Read it here on Wattpad

CHAPTER 6: SOLO

(Mood Music: Sergei Prokofiev - Romeo and Juliet: Dance of the Knights)

“YOU’LL REGRET THIS, CHLOE BOURGEOIS!!” the monster bellowed, angrily stomping down the street adjacent to the park where Adrien, Marinette, Nino, and Alya had been picnicking together. In the mayhem that began with the appearance of the akuma, he'd lost track of Marinette.

His head whipped in all directions looking for her, struggling to stay calm as he and Alya carried an injured Nino, rushing away from the conflict. Nino’s leg had been crushed under the falling rubble of a gazebo that they’d been hiding behind. The akumatized person had destroyed it as he zoomed through the park, trampling everything in his way while Ladybug tried to stop him from reaching the Grand Paris Hotel, where Chloe was no doubt hunkering down.

Adrien tried to bury away the memory of his best friend trapped under the debris, screaming in agony, face twisted in pain, and yet imploring, begging them to run and leave him behind; Alya’s shrieking, frantic and distraught, on the verge of hysteria. Right now he needed to focus and get his friends to safety.

Nino grunted in pain but declared optimistically, “It’s alright, guys. Ladybug’s gonna beat that guy and fix everything.” He lowered his head slightly so it would be level with his girlfriend’s and tried to reassure her, “I’ll be okay, Alya, don’t worry.”

Alya replied, still teary and shaken, “But she’s bleeding and I think I saw her running with a limp! I’ve never seen an akuma like this before… And what if Chat Noir shows up?!”

Adrien felt his stomach drop at the mention of Chat Noir. It always made him uncomfortable when he heard other people talk about his alter ego.

“I don’t know if she’d be able to handle both!” Alya continued, glancing over her shoulder at the battling duo. “If only there was some way for us to help.”

Nino stammered, unsure of how to comfort her. “I-- umm…”

“Let’s just focus on getting Nino out of here,” Adrien interrupted. “Ladybug’s tough, she can handle herself.”

...I hope.

Adrien’s mind went back to Marinette and his eyes darted around to resume his search.

“Guys, I’m really worried about Marinette. Where could she be?” he asked the pair. “I searched the gazebo to make sure she wasn’t trapped underneath, but what if something else happened to her?”

“I heard her yell that she was gonna go get help,” Nino replied quizzically. “But I was too distracted by the akuma, so I’m not sure where she ran off to.”

Alya shrugged with her unoccupied shoulder. “It’s okay, Adrien, this happens all the time during akuma attacks. With her luck she probably got stuck in a bathroom stall or something while trying to hide.” More quietly, she added, “Still... let’s keep our eyes peeled. That girl has a penchant for trouble sometimes. I’m sure we’ll find her where we least expect it.”

Just then, they caught a flash of red as Ladybug crashed into the building next to them, smashing through the large glass window of the café.

“Ladybug!!” Adrien cried in horror.

The heroine laboured to her feet, groaning and clutching her head. Debris and glass shards clinked and rolled off her frame as she rose and dusted herself off.

Adrien cringed. For the most part the suit protected her body, but she had several cuts on her face from the glass as well as a nasty bruise developing above one of her eyebrows. He couldn’t help but merely stand there and watch, frozen and breathless.

“Oh my God, are you alright?!” Alya exclaimed.

Upon seeing the three of them, Ladybug quickly straightened up, saluted them cheerfully and called back, “I’m okay!!” She did a double take upon seeing them holding up Nino. “Nino, are you alright??”

His head bobbed up and down and gave her a thumbs up. “Go get ‘em, LB!”

She gave him a fond smile. “Get yourselves to safety, I’ll draw him away from you!” She began to dash away, running after the akuma once again.

Snapping out of his stupor, Adrien called quickly, “Ladybug!”

She stopped and looked back at him questioningly. He faltered for a moment, trying desperately to untie his tongue.

“Be careful,” he finally said in a low voice.

Ladybug’s expression softened and she smiled at him. “Thanks, Adrien. I will.”

Adrien’s eyes lingered on her as she left. She didn’t seem like she was really okay, but merely putting on a brave and confident face for their sake.

His stomach churned unpleasantly. “Come on, let’s find you some shelter,” he muttered uneasily as he began walking again, dragging Nino along.

About a dozen meters away the akuma, a large, musclebound rugby player who’d taken on the appearance of a two-stories tall anthropomorphized rhinoceros in uniform, took an offensive stance and charged at Ladybug once again. She managed to somersault over him, but despite his size he was fast. He hurled his rugby ball at her as she landed, which she narrowly dodged. How could she forget about that ball?! Surely that was where the akuma was being held.

“I can help you!” Ladybug called out at the young man. “Whatever Chloe did, we can work through it together! You don’t have to do this!”

He roared in return. “I’m gonna destroy her! She humiliated me! You have NO idea what it’s like to be friendzoned!!”

Ladybug’s expression instantly fell into one of exasperated annoyance. “Seriously?!”

She dove to the side, spinning her yoyo to fling it at him. It managed to wrap around his legs. She tugged the string forcefully and the huge monster toppled over like a building. The loud crash boomed across several blocks and shook the ground.

She walked towards the akuma and huffed, “Chloe owes you nothing and you are being an entitled jerk for not respecting her rejection!”

Twisting his face in anger, he bellowed, “That shallow witch deserves no respect from me!”

“Everyone deserves respect!” Ladybug countered, keeping the string taut.

“But WHYYY?! Why would she reject me? I’m a nice guy!” The akuma stomped its feet like a petulant child as and preceded to throw a tantrum that rivaled Chloe on her worst days. “Sluts like her only go for the bad boys!” he whined, kicking the nearest car.

“Wow wow wow, you need to stop talking right now before I barf!!” she sputtered incredulously as she tugged. “You’re acting like a total creep and odds are that you make her extremely uncomfortable!”

“I’ll show YOU ‘uncomfortable’!” he shouted, suddenly yanking on the yo-yo string and sending her flying towards him with a yelp. He pulled back and buried his fist in her stomach, knocking the air out of her lungs . She was thrown a short distance away, landing with a rough thud and kicking up bits of crumbling pavement.

The trio of friends watched from afar, agape. This is very bad , Adrien thought, feeling lightheaded and nauseous.

Groaning and coughing, Ladybug struggled to stand up, arms wobbling as she slowly raised herself. Meanwhile, Reaver, as he called himself, had untangled himself from the yo-yo and stomped towards her.

Ladybug sprinted towards him and leaped over his fist as he swung at her again, then dove past him to retrieve her yo-yo. She summoned her Lucky Charm, receiving a bottle of cooking oil, which she eyed skeptically.

Before she could figure out a plan, however, the gigantic beast leaped towards her faster than she’d ever seen him move.

She didn’t have time to dodge.

With a loud cry he struck Ladybug with an overhead punch, striking her down once more. The Lucky Charm was knocked out of her hand, much too far for her to reach. She sprawled on the ground groaning weakly, trying to force herself up.

But Reaver never gave her the chance. He clasped his hands together and smashed his fists downward. With speed uncharacteristic for someone of his size, he hit her again, and again, and again. Pavement cracked and crumbled beneath her from tremendous force of his hits and somewhere amid the blows, Ladybug lost consciousness.

Adrien couldn't think. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't bear to witness the utterly horrific way this sweet and giving girl was being pummelled.

She didn’t deserve this. It couldn’t end like this. A flood of images flashed through his mind, of her kind gestures and brilliant smile. Her gentle touches and comforting embraces, her thoughtfulness and concern over his wellbeing, not just for his civilian side, but for the side that was supposed to be her enemy. She was truly a beautiful person, both inside and out. The desire he felt - or rather- the need to protect her was almost painful and overwhelming.

If she died, he felt like a large part of him would die with her.

He let go of Nino and sprinted towards them with but a single thought reverberating in his head: I have to save her.

Before the monster’s fists could connect yet again, Adrien dove to where Ladybug lay unmoving and managed to roll them both out of the way. He scrambled to his feet, scooping her up swiftly, praying to any possible existing deity that she’d still be alive.

Then, unexpectedly, Adrien turned to face the akuma and shouted at the top of his lungs, “THAT’S ENOUGH, DAMN IT!!”

For a few moments the akuma faltered and his features scrunched in confusion. Then he frowned, raising his fist to strike again. Before he did, however, the familiar glowing butterfly-shaped mask appeared in front of his eyes. While the akuma argued with Hawkmoth, who was no doubt both bewildered and enraged at what had just occurred, Adrien bolted down the street cradling Ladybug in his arms. His heart wrenched in anguish as he held her close; her limp body felt so incredibly small and frail.

He had never been this terrified.

Adrien finally reached Nino and Alya and lay the battered girl on the grass between them. She was deathly still, blood bright red against pale skin. He quickly removed his sweater and rolled it up to place it under her head. Alya rushed to Ladybug’s side with Nino following suit, albeit crawling. At the sight of the beloved hero of Paris up close and observing the wretched condition she was in, a despondent Alya began to sob into Nino’s arms. Ladybug was Alya’s friend, Adrien remembered. They’d known each other for years and, of course, Alya ran the Ladyblog, which in recent years she’d been using as a sort of general helpline for all things Hawkmoth and akuma-related.

Fighting panic, Adrien tightly grasped Ladybug’s gloved hand and examined her for signs of life. With his other hand he reached for the pulse point on her neck, but then realized that he might not be able to feel it through her suit. Changing his approach, he hunched his body over hers, lowering his head so his face was lightly touching hers and waited, silent.

A few seconds passed. Finally, he felt her breathing on his cheek, shallow but steady.

He let out a large breath he didn’t realize he was holding and whispered, almost giddy, “She’s alive.” Alya and Nino gasped in relief and hugged each other.

Adrien stroked the top of her head slowly and cooed, “Ladybug, wake up, please, wake up.”

“We need to get her to the hospital,” Alya said.

“But would they even be able to help her?” Nino rushed, his voice breaking in panic. “She’s a superhero. Didn’t you see the hospital scene in ‘Superman Returns’ where they couldn’t even get an IV into his arm because of his superpowers? What if the same thing happens?”

“Nino!” Alya chided.

“No, he’s right,” Ladybug interjected, voice hoarse and gravelly.

“Ladybug!” the three of them cried and huddled around her.

Her eyes fluttered open, pupils struggling to focus. “Magic alters your body drastically. Regular medicine won’t help.”

“So what do we do then? We can’t just sit here and do nothing!” Alya countered.

Adrien looked back at the monster. The seemingly one-sided argument between the akuma and Hawkmoth got louder, and Reaver was quickly getting more and more irritated. Adrien wasn’t sure whether his father was trying to persuade the monster to leave them alone, or whether he was trying to convince him to go after them. At this point, Adrien realized that he honestly had no clue if his father would care if he got hurt in the process.

“We don’t have much time,” Ladybug replied weakly, getting his attention again. “The only thing that can fix everything is purifying the akuma and using the Ladybug Cure.”

She started to sit up, then let out a loud, pained yelp while clutching her side. Her breathing became more labored, as if her chest was being squeezed.

Adrien could swear he felt his stomach try to jump out of his body. “Ladybug, please, don't move! You're wounded!"

She waved it off as she continued to try to sit up. “I’m fine, it’s just a couple of bumps and scratches.”

When she was almost upright she cried out in agony and fell backwards, involuntary tears beginning to prick at her eyes.

“No, don’t! Your ribs might be broken, you could puncture a lung!” Adrien implored.

“I have to, there’s no other way!” she cried desperately, about to attempt to get up again.

Adrien gently but firmly tried to ease her back down and argued, “If you keep this up, he’ll kill you!”

She pushed back weakly as she struggled to keep her breaths even, “What choice do I have?! I’m the only one who can stop him!” Adrien stilled. She looked up at him, eyes shining, and with a desperate tremble in her voice she whispered, “There's no one else. Just me. I need to do this.”

Adrien stared back, astonished. He knew she was right. There was literally no one else in the world who could do what she did. Without her, not only would the akumatized victims hurt or kill innocent people, but it might not be possible to restore everything to the way it was originally, and all the damage, injuries, and casualties would become permanent. To her, defeat was simply never an option, and it never had been from the moment she took up the mantle of Ladybug.

Suddenly, just as he’d been dreading all along, he felt the ground shake and heard the giant stomping across the street towards them. Adrien bit his lip in trepidation and unconsciously squeezed Ladybug’s hand even tighter.

By now, his father was well aware that Adrien had developed a soft spot for their enemy; of that Adrien was certain. Gabriel was many things, but oblivious wasn’t one of them. Whether Gabriel believed that it was the same concern that Adrien held for innocent civilians, or whether he suspected it was something more, he had no idea.

Adrien knew that only two options were available to him from his current situation.

He could allow the akuma to forcibly remove Ladybug’s earrings; due to her extensive injuries, she wouldn’t be able to put up much resistance and would most likely survive… maybe.

Or... he could remove the earrings himself and hand them over to the akuma, thus sparing her from any further harm.

He didn’t even have to think about what he would do. To Adrien the choice was clear.

He slowly lifted his free hand towards Ladybug’s face and rested it on her jaw, tenderly stroking her cheek. She gasped slightly at the contact and couldn’t help but blush slightly, even at this time, which he found much too adorable. Adrien had to resist the urge to rub his thumb over her mouth to wipe at a small cut on her lower lip. She held his gaze, her vivid cerulean eyes glistening in the sunlight, still so innocent and hopeful despite years of strife and hardship. He smiled despite himself. Even in her current state, disheveled, covered in grime, cuts, and bruises, she was stunningly beautiful.

Tucking some stray locks of hair behind her ear, Adrien gave her hand one last squeeze and said to her softly, “You don’t have to do this alone.”

Abruptly, he stood up and turned away from the group.

“Stay here and keep Ladybug with you,” he addressed Nino and Alya. “Don’t let anything happen to her.”

Then he ran.

[the-desolated-quill]

The Quill Seal Of Approval Awards - The Best of 2018

Hello and welcome, dear reader, to the greatest, most important awards ceremony in the history of entertainment. The Quill Seal Of Approval Awards. The award of recognition that everyone on Earth covets even though they don’t know it. For the Quill Seal Of Approval is a most esteemed prize for hard work and artistry. Better than the Golden Globes, more prestigious than the BAFTAs and guaranteed to be more diverse than the Academy Awards. You know your film, novel, TV show or video game has achieved legendary status when some random nobody on the internet says it’s the best in some obscure top 10 list that’s read by only a couple of people. That’s the true sign of success.

First, a few parish notices. Obviously this is my subjective opinion, so if you disagree with my choices, that’s fine. Go make your own list. (also remember that my opinion is 100% objective, scientific, factual and literal truth and anyone who disagrees is clearly a philistine and a dummy and a poopy-head whose mum smells of elderberries). Also please bear in mind that I haven’t been able to experience everything 2018 has to offer for one reason or another. In other words, please don’t be upset that A Star Is Born isn’t on this list. I’m sure it’s as amazing as everyone says it is. I just never got around to watching it.

Okay. Let us begin.

Inside No. 9 - Series 4

BBC2′s Inside No. 9, written by the League of Gentlemen’s Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, is an anthology series that’s often sadly overlooked, but it’s really worth a watch if you’re into shows like Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone, and this series in particular has been fantastic. We’ve had an episode written entirely in iambic pentameter, an episode whose chronology runs backwards, a live episode that really plays around with the format, episodes containing tragic and biting satire, and one especially twisted episode that brings out a side of Steve Pemberton we’ve never seen before. Series 4 has been a real treat from start to finish, with each episode beautifully written and expertly performed. Inside No. 9 deserves to share the same pedestal as Black Mirror, no question.

Black Panther

I’m sure everyone knows about my less than flattering views on the Marvel Cinematic Universe by now, which is what made Black Panther such a breath of fresh air for me. Stripping away all the convoluted crap, Black Panther has often been compared to The Dark Knight, and for good reason. Like The Dark Knight, this movie uses the superhero genre to tackle real social and political issues. In Black Panther’s case, exploring just what it means to be black in the modern world. Boasting an impressive cast of black actors, strong female characters, an engaging and complex antagonist, fantastic special effects and truly excellent direction from Ryan Coogler, Black Panther represents a new benchmark for Marvel, the superhero genre and the film industry in general. It proves how important and how lucrative diversity and representation in media can be, and it unintentionally shows how flawed the Marvel business model has become. The reason behind Black Panther’s success is simple. It’s because it’s bloody brilliant. And the reason it’s bloody brilliant is because Coogler was allowed to realise his own creative vision without Kevin Feige and Mickey Mouse breathing down his neck. Perhaps they should take note of that in future.

Deadpool 2

Of course Deadpool 2 is going to be on this list. Are you really surprised?

The Merc with the Mouth goes from strength to strength in the rare instance where the sequel is actually as good as, if not better than, the original. The first Deadpool was a great origin story for the character, but Deadpool 2 felt like an adventure ripped straight from the comics themselves. Crass, ultra violent and hysterically funny, Deadpool 2 is the crowning jewel of the X-Men franchise. Fan favourites such as Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Colossus return as well as new characters such as Domino, played by the exceptional Zazie Beetz, Cable, played by the astounding Josh Brolin, and Firefist, played by Julian Dennison who deserves all the success in the world because good God this kid can act!

But of course the star of the film is Deadpool himself with Ryan Reynolds once again proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that he understands this character back to front. Not only is he hysterically funny, capturing the character’s irreverent tone perfectly, he also absolutely nails the tragic underpinnings of Deadpool that make him such a wonderful character. In between the f-bombs and gore are moments of real drama and emotional pathos as the film tackles themes such as loss, discrimination, abuse and suicidal depression. All this whilst taking the piss out of 2017′s Logan. 

Oh yeah, and it also features the first openly LGBT superheroes in cinematic history. Fuck you Disney! NegaYukio and Poololosus for the win! LOL! No, but seriously, now that you have the rights to X-Men back, if you try and censor Deadpool in any way, shape or form, I will kick your arse.

God Of War (2018)

“BOY!”

Yes Kratos is back, having successfully destroyed the world of Greek mythology and now has his eyes on the Norse Gods. And he has a son now. What could possibly go wrong?

Seriously though, this new God Of War is simply exquisite. While I have long admired the God Of War franchise for its interpretation and adaptation of Greek mythology, the previous games in the series have never exactly been the most sophisticated when it comes to storytelling (and the less said about the casual sexism, the better. Yes Sony, I promise I understand the thematic reasons behind playing a minigame that allows you to have sex with Aphrodite in God Of War 3, but it still doesn’t change the fact that it’s sexist as shit). God Of War 2018 changes all that with an intelligent and engaging story that allows us understand and connect with Kratos at a more personal level than we’ve ever done before. Taking place years after God Of War 3, Kratos is older, wiser and trying to raise his son Atreus in the hopes that he won’t make the same mistakes Kratos did in his past. Not only is the story amazing, continuing the franchise’s themes of vengeance and the strained relationships between parents and their children, the gameplay is also a ton of fun with many memorable moments and boss fights.

And as an added bonus, we get two strong female characters that aren’t treated like discardable sex objects. That was nice of them.

Incredibles 2

The long awaited sequel to The Incredibles finally arrived in 2018 and it did not disappoint. Incredibles 2 was everything I could have wanted and more. Continuing on from the events of the first movie, we see Elastigirl take the spotlight as she fights the Screenslaver whilst trying to persuade the worlds’ governments to lift the ban on superheroes. Meanwhile Mr. Incredible takes a back seat as he tries to reconnect with his kids Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack and prove he can be a good, supportive dad. 

Continuing to draw inspiration from Fantastic Four, X-Men and Watchmen, Incredibles 2 is... well... incredible. Expanding the world he created, Brad Bird tells a smart, funny and compelling story that stands head and shoulders above the majority of superhero movie fodder we get nowadays. Elastigirl flourishes in the lead role this time around and the kids get a lot more development, the Screenslaver is a great villain that compliments the themes of the franchise wonderfully, and we get to see a whole bunch of new characters such as Voyd and the Deavor siblings as well as the return of old favourites like Frozone and Edna Mode. 

Honestly, the baby alone is worth the price of admission. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another fourteen years for Incredibles 3.

Marvel’s Spider-Man

Marvel’s Spider-Man is an amazing game. But of course you knew that already. It’s made by Insomniac Games, the same guys behind Ratchet & Clank. Of course it was going to be brilliant.

Simply put, this game does for Spider-Man what the Arkham games did for Batman. Not only is it a great game with brilliant combat and fun web swinging mechanics, it also has a great story worthy of the wall crawler. Unlike the movies, which seem to continuously yank Peter Parker back into high school with each new reboot as those the poor bastard were attached to the fucker on a bungee rope, this Spidey has been fighting crime for eight years. With great power comes many responsibilities as we see him struggle to juggle crime fighting, his new job as a scientist, his commitments to helping Aunt May at the F.E.A.S.T shelter and trying to win his ex Mary Jane Watson back after a six month split. It’s a brilliant story featuring many classic villains such as Shocker and Electro as well as lesser known villains like Screwball and the criminally underrated Mister Negative who finally gets to be the central antagonist in a Spider-Man adaptation. It’s fun to play, engaging, dramatic and really emotional at points. I cried real tears at the end. What a punch to the gut that was.

OOOOOH! And we might be getting to play as Miles Morales in the sequel! I sure hope so! :D

The Grinch

At this point I imagine many of you are scratching your heads. 

“Really Quill? The Grinch? Illumination’s The Grinch? This deserves the Quill Seal Of Approval? Are you sure?” Yes dear reader, I’m absolutely sure. Just hear me out.

It’s true that the majority of Dr Seuss adaptations are shit. While the live action version of the Grinch starring Jim Carrey has a cult following and is fondly remembered by some, it’s still pretty crap, and even Illumination themselves screwed up royally with their adaptation of The Lorax. But this new Grinch is truly excellent. For starters, the animation is gorgeous. This is clearly the format that works best for Seuss movies. Benedict Cumberbatch does a really good job voicing the character, giving him depth and complexity beyond just being a big old meanie. The film also has something no other Seuss film has ever had before. Subtlety. Illumination have clearly learned their lesson after The Lorax. They’re no longer bashing you over the head with a moral message. They’re not trying to over-complicate a simple story by adding pointless sub-plot after pointless sub-plot. In fact the bits they do add actually feed into the main core of the narrative, as opposed to The Lorax, which just confused things. And while there are cute Minion-esque sidekicks like there are in a lot of Illumination films, The Grinch limits it to two (Max the dog and a reindeer named Fred), they’re both legitimately funny, serve an important narrative purpose and don’t distract from the more serious and emotional moments.

In all honesty, I was debating between giving the Quill Seal of Approval to The Grinch or to Bumblebee (the first legitimately good Transformers movie), but I decided to go with The Grinch because of how it handles the character and the story’s message. A lot of people scoffed at the idea of giving the Grinch a back story (and to the film’s credit they don’t force the issue or over-explain where the Grinch came from) but it’s honestly what makes this new adaptation of The Grinch so special to me. He’s gone from being a Scrooge-like monster to an anxiety filled misanthrope who associates Christmas with being alone. It may sound like a jarring change on paper, but in practice it honestly works so well and adds a whole new dimension to the Grinch. It’s treated with absolute care and sincerity and the film really earns its emotional moments, particularly at the end when we see the Grinch sit down to have Christmas dinner with the Whos.

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend you give this new Grinch a chance. You might be pleasantly surprised :)

Doctor Who - Series 11

A woman?! In the TARDIS?! How absurd!

Jodie Whittaker made history as the first woman to play the Doctor and the new series doesn’t disappoint. Whittaker is predictably brilliant in the role, giving the character compassion, charm and wit. We also get a new bunch of companions (including the always brilliant Bradley Walsh as Graham) who all have some great moments in Series 11 and the relationships they form with each other is incredibly touching and fun to watch. But the writing, my God, the writing. Admittedly not every episode has been perfect, but it’s leagues above anything Moffat has given us during his disastrous reign. The majority of Series 11 has been well written and intelligent, tackling important and relevant social issues (something Doctor Who has always been doing and anyone who says otherwise is an idiot) and focusing on likeable and relatable characters rather than convoluted series arcs. We got to meet Rosa Parks, witness the partition of India, and ponder on the dangers of automation whilst the Doctor tries to save the world from bubble wrap. Oh, and the Daleks are scary again! I know! I couldn’t believe it either!

What makes this all the more remarkable is who the showrunner is. Chris Chibnall. A writer I’ve often criticised in the past for being derivative and shit, and yet somehow he’s managed to create some of the best Doctor Who I’ve seen in a long time. Not only has his writing improved dramatically since his Torchwood days, he’s also demonstrated a commitment to having diverse representation both in front of and behind the camera as well as in the scripts themselves. For the first time in what feels like an age, Doctor Who feels like Doctor Who again, and I’m ecstatically happy.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

How come we don’t see many animated superhero movies in the cinema? Considering the medium from which superheroes came from, you’d think it would be a no-brainer. Presumably it’s because Disney have got such a strangle hold on the animation market, but that’s hopefully going to change thanks to Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (or, Sony’s Repentance for The Emoji Movie).

Let’s get the obvious out of the way. The animation is gorgeous. It’s pretty much an animated comic book and it stands out as one of the most unique looking animated films in recent memory. Spider-Verse is essentially a love letter to the legacy of Spider-Man as we see multiple different versions of Spidey, including Spider-Gwen, Spider-Ham and Nicholas Cage as Ghost Rider cosplaying as Spider-Man Noir, demonstrating not only the sheer variety of Spider-Men we’ve had over the years, but also exploring what connects them together. With all these different interpretations across many different universes, the idea of Spider-Man comes to the same thing. An ordinary person who experiences tragedy and becomes something greater. It’s hopeful and inspirational in a way Spider-Man films hasn’t been for a while now (Spider-Man: Homecoming sucked donkey balls. Period).

But let’s not forget that while the film explores the Spider-Verse, the main focus is Miles Morales who finally makes his cinematic debut. Not only is it a very faithful adaptation of Ultimate Spider-Man’s origin story, Miles himself is such a great central character for the modern age and arguably has more relevance to today than Peter Parker does. The characters are funny and relatable and the story is expertly crafted and impactful. But then what do you expect from the writers and directors of The Lego Movie? (if only Disney hadn’t interfered with Solo: A Star Wars Story. We could have had it all).

Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle

This one kind of snuck up on me toward the end of December, but I knew the moment I saw it I had to include it on this list.

Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle is an adaptation of The Jungle Book with Andy Serkis making his directorial debut. Yes the same guy who did the motion capture for Gollum in Lord Of The Rings and Caesar in the rebooted Planet Of The Apes movies and who totes deserves an Oscar for Best Actor (fuck you Academy Awards!), and he brings this same motion capture technology to this film. Unlike Disney’s Jungle Book, which merely rehashes the original animated film whilst somehow stripping all the charm from it, Mowgli sticks closer to the original Rudyard Kipling book. This isn’t a cheery musical. This film is often dark and intense as we see Mowgli (played wonderfully by Rohan Chand) struggle to find his place in the world. He knows he doesn’t belong with the animals in the jungle, but he doesn’t really fit in with the world of man neither. It’s an emotional and dramatic character piece brought to life by great writing, great acting and stunning special effects. 

Andy Serkis has expressed a desire to do an adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, and after watching this movie, I would love to see that. If you haven’t already, go watch Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle. It’s available to stream on Netflix and it’s truly amazing.

And that’s it for 2018. Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Quill Seal Of Approval Awards. Unfortunately we’re on a limited budget here on The Desolated Quill, so I can’t offer any sort of trophy or medal or anything. What I can do though is write the words ‘I’m an awesome cookie’ on a post-it note and stick it on your forehead. Will that do?

[isabeaudargyll]

Arrogance: The Order 1886 fanfic

While traveling, Sebastien tells Isabeau and Lafayette a story from Grayson's youth.

also on ao3

London was still a day’s ride away when the storm hit. Rather than set up camp and sleep miserably outside, they took shelter in a pub. Together they claimed a table, and ordered some drinks to scare away the chill from their bones.

“It’ll be nice to be indoors tonight,” said Grayson as Sebastien sat down next to him with everyone’s drinks. “I hate sleeping on the hard ground.”

“Well I personally like our excursions outside the city,” said Isabeau, taking a sip from her mug. It’s nice to get out of the city every now and then.”

“Yes if by nice you mean having a sore back the whole time,” he muttered.

“Is that why you needed the Marquis’ help taking down a little lycan?” Isabeau giggled. “Sounds like someone’s getting old.”

“Older than me perhaps,” said Sebastien, patting Grayson on the back.

“I wasn’t aware that complaining meant I was an old man,” retorted Grayson. “Might I remind you that I saved all of you from that elder yesterday. This is the thanks I get.”

“Always such a downer, monsieur,” Lafayette chuckled, then he turned to Sebastien. “Was he always like this, mon generale?”

Sebastien snorted, “I thought he wasn’t going to last a year as a knight. So arrogant.”

“Really? Impossible!”

“Sounds like there’s a story or two. Tell us about young Grayson,” said Isabeau as she leaned forward in her seat.

“Hmm, let’s see if I can remember,” muttered Sebastien, scratching his beard. “Oh, here’s a story. Back when Grayson had just joined the order. He’d barely been my apprentice for a week.

----

“You need dodge faster,” yelled Sebastien as Grayson’s tunic was nicked by his opponent's blade.

Grayson retaliated by a quick strike aimed at the head, which was quickly deflected. The air rush out of his lungs as he was kicked in the stomach. He stumbled and fell backwards onto the dirt. His opponent pointed the tip of his sword at Grayson’s neck and looked at him with a smirk.

“Alright, that’s enough, Sir Gawain. Thank you,” said Sebastien as he walked over to Grayson.

The knight bowed and left. Sebastien reached down to help Grayson up, but was waved away by the young man who jumped up.

“I don’t see the point of these exercises,” Grayson complained as he brushed dirt off of his clothes. “I’ve already trained to fight people before I signed up.”

“Not very well, as far as I’m concerned. You need to be more strategic while you fight,” Sebastien lectured. “You’ll be easier to beat if you don’t put any thought into your actions, as we saw with your fight against Sir Gawain.”

“Not that it even matters. I thought we were supposed to be fighting half breeds, not other people!”

“It’s the same principles, Grayson. Man or beast, makes no difference.”

“Then let me fight some lycans! Let me show you what I can do!”

“No. You’re not ready. Get some rest and you’ll fight against Gawain again.” Sebastien turned away, then felt the sharpness of Grayson’s blade poking him in the back.

“Let me prove to you that I’m good enough,” said Grayson. Sebastien turned back around and looked at Grayson holding his sword up high and wearing a smirk on his face.

Sebastien sighed and unsheathed his sword. “Fine, but I warn you now. There’s a reason you fight Gawain and not me.”

Grayson struck first, a blow that Sebastien easily blocked and deflected. He walked around Grayson as his apprentice continued to attack him but unable to land a good hit on him.

“Your footwork is good. Seems they trained you right on somethings,” Sebastien noted as Grayson tried to slash his stomach before blocking him.

“Shut up and fight back old man,” was all Grayson replied, panting as he continued to attack.

“Sounds like you’re getting tired,” mocked Sebastien. “Perhaps we should stop.”

Grayson responded with a grunt and aimed his sword at Sebastien’s head, not unlike what he did when he fought Gawain. Sebastien mirrored his fellow knight’s counter attack and punched him in the stomach, making Grayson stagger backwards.

“Remember what I said! Put thought into your actions.” Grayson swung at Sebastien again, and continued to do so as Sebastien blocked all of his moves. He remained calm, while his apprentice worked up a sweat, his face seemingly growing angrier with each passing minute.

“Patience is a virtue,” Sebastien reminded him. Grayson responded with an angry grunt and slashed at him. Sebastien blocked as he had before, but not before Grayson managed to hit his hip, nicking him and drawing some blood.

“Ha, Grayson panted.

“Don’t get overconfident,” said Sebastien sternly. He raised his sword and began to attack Grayson, who found himself quickly overwhelmed by the flurry of attacks sent his way. Grayson was attempting less attacks and found himself constantly dodging and blocking attacks, stepping backwards while Sebastien moved forwards.

“Something the matter? I thought you wanted me to fight back?” Sebastien taunted. Grayson grunted as he dodged another attack. He tried to quickly land a hit, but his master was too quick for him. “A little faster and that might have impressed me.”

The fighting continued, and Grayson began to lag in his counters. His movements grew sluggish, and his face seemed droopy as Sebastien continued to attack him. With one hard attack Sebastien was able to knock away the sword from Grayson’s hands. He pointed his sword at Grayson’s face and looked at him sternly.

“I moved quickly, but half breeds are even faster,” said Sebastien. “This is why I know you aren’t ready. Do you understand?” Grayson gulped and nodded slowly. Sebastien sheathed his sword. “Good. Now get some rest. You’re still fighting Gawain later.”

----

Lafayette and Isabeau both snorted with laughter while Grayson hid his face in his hands.

“You got your ass handed to you by Gawain and you honestly thought you could beat Sebastien?” Isabeau laughed.

“I told you. Very arrogant when he was fresh,” said Sebastien, taking a sip from his mug, “I’m glad he grew out of it.”

“I would’ve loved to have been there, just to see it,” said Lafayette. “You two should duel when we get back!”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” muttered Grayson, still hiding his face. “Sebastien might break his hip.”

Sebastien chuckled, “You say that because you know you still can’t beat me in a sword fight.”

Grayson sighed. “I’m being attacked.

“Oh yes, poor Grayson, the only victim here,” said Isabeau before she, Lafayette and Sebastien began to laugh again.

“I hate you all,” Grayson replied with a frown before downing his drink.

[nok-abadjuan]

Nokia Jade Crooks.

01 / BASICS

Full Name: Nokia Jade Crooks

Nickname(s): Nok, Kia, Kiki

Sex/Gender: Female

Birthday: September 27, 1998

Age: 18

Astrological sign: Aquarius

Occupation: Tattoo Artist

Spoken Languages: English

Sexual orientation: Bisexual

Birthplace: Tampa, Florida

Relationship status: In A Relationship

02/ PHYSICAL TRAITS

Race: White American, Black American

Ethnicity: Greek, Irish, African-American

Hair color/style: Black, curly naturally. Straightens it or wears it in curls or weaves.

Eye color: Dark Brown

Accent (if any): Southern Miami Accent, barely there

Height: 5″10

Weight: 150

Tattoos: Sleeve (flowers), wrist and hand (female)

Piercings: Ears, belly button

Unique attributes: High cheekbones, compared to Lauren London a lot

Defining gestures/movements: Pouts a lot

Posture: Regular

03 / PERSONALITY TRAITS

Pet peeves: Fake people, being lied to, being used, people who don’t cover their coughs or sneezes, people who don’t respect others opinions, weak ass niggas, copycats, passive aggressive people, people who can’t own up to anything, scaredy cats, when people tell you to do something as you're doing it, being betrayed

Hobbies/interests: Art, painting, drawing, walking around the mall, exploring places and things, hanging out, eating, watching youtube and going to the movies

Special skills/abilities: Very artistic but doesn’t really show it off, can do a split and back flip

Likes: Making friends, going out, laughing and being silly, cuddling, pumpkin spice lattes, baking desserts or pinning new ones from Pinterest, looking at herself in the mirror, looking at pretty women with nice bodies, going to sex store and buying sex toys to be goofy with and use, pranking, surprising people, reading conspiracy theories online, wikipedia is life, helping poor people

Dislikes: Being told what to do, being judged without being given a chance, sensing someone’s dislike for her or talking about her, people who talk about those less fortunate, being let down, fighting, arguing, not being given a chance, the dark, scary things like ghosts and monsters, scary movies,

Insecurities: Her weight, her shape, her hair, her past drug use and addictions, being easily controlled and persuaded to make others happy

Quirks/eccentricities: Dots her i’s with a heart, draws random doodles on any piece of paper in front of her, strongly dislikes the sound of chewing and hums a quiet song while eating, writes with left hand, but does everything else right-handed, loves to hug or touch on people

Strengths: Creative, love of learning, very wise and loving, really kind and sweet, cares about others, makes a great friend very loyal, forgives easily

Weaknesses: Gets in her feelings easily, very sensitive, gets her feelings hurt easily, easily irritated

Speaking style: Has kind of southern drawl, curses and says nasty things to be silly or funny, can be sometime ghetto in speech

Temperament: Bad temper, irritable, sensitive, emotional

04 / FAMILY & HOME

Family: Her father Gael and her mother Tammy do not get along. They hooked up the summer after senior year of high school when he broke up with his girlfriend and Tammy got pregnant. He went away for college with his girlfriend and eventually married her. He was barely in Nokia’s life and his wife now ex wife, forced him to stay out of Nokia’s life. She grew up with her white side of the family. Being the only dark one, she was picked on and set apart a lot. Her and her mother were kicked out her grandmother’s house and were homeless, lived in a woman’s shelter, then lived in a trailer with her mother’s boyfriend at 12, then they finally got their own 1 bedroom apartment. When she was 15/16 he took her mother to custody after his divorce and won custody over her because he had the money; being a surgeon. She moved to Miami to live with him and to live a better life, taking fun trips and having her own room.

How does (s)he feel about his/her family? She doesn’t like her maternal grandmother. She’s racist against blacks and thinks they’re dirty and did not forget to remind Nokia about herself and her father. She used to tell Tammy she was a slut for sleeping with a black man and having his baby. She called Nokia a porch monkey and little monkey. Called her a nigger whenever she was angry and drunk. Tammy and Nokia are close but they have their drifting moments. Nokia got her drug and alcohol habits from her mother. She used to buy her mother cigarettes and started stealing them to smoke with her friends. She started drinking alcohol because sometimes that was all there was in the house. They got high together a few times but Nokia got clean and her mother still struggles with her own addictions which she tries to hide but Nokia knows the truth. Nokia and Gael are now cooler than when she was younger and first moved in with him. She hated him because her grandmother filled her head with negative thoughts. She used to love when he came to see her or called her as a kid. She got older and realized he put his wife before her and hated him for it and the fact that she had to struggle growing up. They’re now in a better place because Nokia is learning how to forgive people and let things go.

How does his/her family feel about him/her? Her mother depends a lot on her. Since they kind of grew up together, being that she was young herself when she had her; they’re like sisters. Nokia’s father tries to do everything to keep her happy but shows his disappointment when she’s not happy with her. They both love her and she’s the only reason they’d ever come together but she never has asked them to, so they don’t see each other. They haven’t been in the same room in years.

Pets: None.

Where does (s)he live? Her father helped her get a small place but she’s breaking her lease because her boyfriend wants her to move in, so she’s living with him now in a really nice townhouse.

What is it like there? Enough rooms, beautiful from the outside, not much going on. Very calm atmosphere, quiet neighborhood.

Description of his/her home: Modern Townhouse.

Description of his/her bedroom: She sleeps in her boyfriend’s bedroom. Is moving in new furniture and they’re changing the decoration to be more neutral and sexy for the both of them.

05/ THIS OR THAT

Introvert or extrovert? Ambivert

Optimist or pessimist? Realist

Leader or follower? Depends on the situation

Confident or self-conscious? Self-Conscious

Cautious or careless? Careless

Religious or secular? Secular for the most part

Passionate or apathetic? Passionate

Book smarts or street smarts? Street Smarts

Compliments or insults? Compliments

Pajamas or lingerie? Pajamas

06 / FAVORITES

Favorite color: Black, Lavender, Lilac

Favorite clothing style/outfit: Tshirts, shorts, pants, sweatpants, dresses, heels, sneakers, flats. Has a girly but boyish style.

Favorite bands/songs/type of music: Yellowcard, Linkin Park, Paramore, Green Day, No Doubt, Gwen Stefani, Bob Marley, The Wailers, Peter Tosh, Shaggy, Destiny’s Child, Jodeci, TLC, Dru Hill, Xscape, B2K ,The Supremes, The Temptations, The Isley Brothers, Rihanna, Frank Ocean, Michael Jackson, Prince, Erykah Badu, Janelle Monae, Lauryn Hill, Chaka Khan, Ciara, Whitney Houston, Jazmin Sullivan

Favorite movies: Coming to America, Love Jones, Woo, Eve’s Bayou, Set it Off, The Grinch, Home Alone, This Christmas, The Preacher’s Wife, City of God, Cooley High, Juice, Losing Isaiah, Poetic Justice, The Wiz, Love & Basketball, The Last King of Scotland, The Princess and the Frog, Dreamgirls, Coming of age movies, cartoon movies, biopics etc.

Favorite TV shows: Atlanta, Insecure, Chappelle’s show, OITNB, Blackish, Power, The Proud Family, A Different World, The Boondocks, Girlfriends, One on One, In Living Color, Family Matters, Moesha, The Steve Harvey Show, Parkers, Talk shows, Court TV/Judge shows, crime shows, Half & Half, Survivor’s Remorse, Hey Arnold, Criminal Minds, RHOATL, Black Ink Crew, LHH, Fresh Prince

Favorite books: Monster, The Coldest Winter Ever, Kite Runner, Aesop Fables, The Wave, Desert Flower, Of Mice and Men, Number the Stars, Hunger Games, Life of Pi, The Giver, My Sister’s Keeper, The DUFF, The Lightning Thief, The Maze Runner, The Outsiders, Speak, Stargirl, The First Part Last, Tyrell, Good Girlz series, Kimani Tru books, Drama High series, Bluford High series

Favorite foods/drinks: Pasta, pizza with a lot of sauce, anything cheesy, fried chicken, buffalo wings with blue cheese, McDonald’s fries, slushies, homemade lemonade, gummy bears, skittles, zebra cakes, saltine crackers, apple juice, grape juice

Favorite sports/sports teams: None

Favorite actors/actresses: None

Favorite time of day: Night Time

Favorite weather/season: When it’s chilly outside or it rains and thunderstorms, warm breezy days

Favorite animal: None

07 / MISCELLANEOUS

Fears/Superstitions: Other people dogs scare her, scared of the dark, scary movies, ghosts, monsters, scary stories

Political views: None

Religion/philosophy of life: Believes in God but doesn’t go to church, wasn’t brought up in church, only knows basic biblical stories everyone else knows

Allergies: Spiders

Addictions: Used to have a drug and alcohol problem. Heavy drugs like cocaine, LSD, shrooms and weed

Best school subject: She was always good in math, gym class and art

Worst school subject: Hated science

School clubs/sports: None

How does (s)he get money? Tattoo Artist and her father gives her something like an allowance

How is (s)he with technology? Very good with technology and social media

08 / PAST & FUTURE

Fondest memory: Going to the kids choice awards with her dad when she was 12.

Dream vacation: Anywhere with water, beach, sand and beautiful tourists spots

Best thing that has ever happened to this character: Rose Kairi Knight

Worst thing that has ever happened to this character: Being addicted, trying to fit in, her upbringing, doing things for attention, being jumped and bullied, being physically abused, getting hit by a car

What does (s)he want to be when (s)he grows up? She never really had dreams or thought about that

Perfect date: Anywhere as long as the conversation is good and they can both laugh and make memories

[bunnybobwrites]

Trying To Tie Loose Ends (Catharsis Continuation): Bonus Chapter: A Reason For Everything

SUMMARY: Estuu used to the power to quickly heal others, similar to the late Princess Mipha. It was a gift that he was proud of, but he could never really tell what exactly about this ability of his appealed to him. Was it that he could save countless lives from otherwise incurable injuries and illnesses? Was it the sense of value that the power gave to his otherwise worthless life? Or was it something else?

Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter when the ability swiftly disappeared with the loss of his arm in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake. It took years for him to claw out of a pit of self-destruction, and becoming his older brother’s personal knight kept him content for long enough.

But when the presence of a Lynel threatens the Zora Domain in a place where everyone thought it was safe, Estuu must discover why exactly he wanted that old power of his so badly in the first place.

(Based on the sidon x link fanfic Coma Baby, a somewhat continuation of another one that I made called Trying To Tie Loose Ends)

This is a fanfiction for a fanfiction called Coma Baby by BanishedOne on AO3 (tumblr: @banishfics / @banishedone). If you like a grumpy Link and really well developed, deep characters and an amazing take on the political structure of the Zora Domain, then definitely check out Coma Baby! It’s a long read and still going on, but the writing and descriptions are superb and it just means more great content.

I post memes and fics for Coma Baby on my tumblr bunnyb0b, you can chat with me any time about anything! All chapters are also posten on my AO3 account BunnyBob!

This bonus chapter was not beta read, so prepare for trash and mistakes lmao

Estuu ran alongside the Oracle Knight and the First Knight, all of them rushing through the winding streets of the Zora Domain towards the Undercity district. It was in one of the more run down areas of the Uppercity, and no one bothered to push out the lower class Zora who often milled about and set up their own businesses since the area was so undesirable to the upper class anyways. The two older Zora were discussing the report that had sent them all into a panic.

“What the hell do you mean there’s a fucking Lynel in the Domain?!” Betaal panted as they ran.

Brivere grunted in response. “I do not know. That is just what the report said.”

“Well then it better turn out to be a false alarm! There’s no way a damn Lynel could get into the Domain undetected! We’ve got guards posted all along our walls!”

Their argument faltered as the three knights rounded the corner, all of them instantly realizing that the First Knight Betaal couldn’t be any more wrong.

Even from this far away they could make out the humongous form of the Lynel, its tan and muscled body looming above the buildings that separated them from the market. A large head, almost obscured by its thick red mane, was peering around the rooftops, letting out a piercing roar that shook the buildings as it swung a large sword into the ground. The impact alone made it feel like another devastating earthquake had struck the Domain.

The three knights were the only ones running towards the beast as panicked citizens rushed in the opposite direction, slowing down their progress as the crowd became a stampede. Brivere and Betaal were shouting for everyone to evacuate to the barracks for shelter while Estuu could only try and block out the chaos in fear of his own sanity.

Eventually they skidded in front of the only entrance and exit to the Undercity market, a large silver archway that was dull and cracked, barely decorated with broken blue gemstones. The buildings inside were all packed together so tightly that it was practically a wall, trapping everyone inside unless they managed to make it to the archway.

They could see that the Lynel was standing in the center of the market, slamming its sword into the sides of the buildings and blocking any Undercity Zora from escaping with its huge body. Those who tried were immediately trampled under its hooves, leaving crushed bodies splattered against the pavement. Estuu whined, trying to process the havoc and keep himself calm, knowing that this absolutely wasn’t the right time to dart away and recover like he usually did.

Brivere suddenly grabbed him and Betaal by their armor and dragged them off to the side, slamming them against the wall. “What the hell Brivere!” she shouted, trying to squirm out of his grasp. “We need to help-!”

Her words were cut off as a chunk of a building was hurled at the archway, completely destroying it as it crashed into the ground where they were just standing.

“Had a vision.” Brivere grunted, disregarding how the two other knights gaped at him. “In fact, it also gave me a plan. I need you to go and gather as many soldiers as possible and rally them all at the reservoir. Estuu and I will lead the Lynel out there.”

“…Are you crazy?”

A grimace flashed across the Oracle Knight’s face. “Yes. Do not worry, the vision I had ensured that we would be able to draw the beast there unscathed.”

She hesitated, unsure if she could just leave the brothers behind, but the chorus of screams that erupted out of the market quickly made the decision for her.

“Go!” Brivere shouted, pushing her away. “If we do not arrive in an hour then you may return with reinforcements!”

“I’m only giving you half an hour!” she yelled over her shoulder as she sprinted away.

Sighing, his older brother got down onto one knee and looked Estuu in the eye. Usually the younger Zora didn’t like eye contact, and Brivere was aware of this, but both of them knew that this was a dire situation. “My Holy Knight,” he said quickly, “I need you to get up on the rooftops and cover for me. Please follow any orders that I give and I will try and use my abilities to further guide you.”

Estuu nodded and the two of them darted in opposite directions. He ducked into one of the buildings, almost losing his balance as the stairs shook under his feet when the Lynel roared. Practically flying up the steps, Estuu shot onto the rooftop and quickly snapped his bow into the hook strapped on his severed arm, aiming it at the Lynel while waiting for his brother’s command.

Not lowering the bow, Estuu watched as his brother stood on top of the large chunk of stone that had nearly crushed them earlier. He raised his silver scale longsword into the air. “LYNEL! BRING YOUR ATTENTION HERE!” the golden knight shouted, waving his weapon in the air.

Brivere’s commands were barely heard over the screams of panicked or dying Undercity citizens. The monster continued to have its back towards him, completely oblivious to his pleas. Grunting, the Oracle Knight looked directly at Estuu. “Holy Knight!” he yelled, pointing his longsword at the young Zora on the roof. “Shoot the Lynel until it faces me!”

A few Undercity Zora who had managed to get out of the market gawked at the golden knight. “Are you crazy?!” one of them shouted. “You Uppercity Zora are going to get us all killed!”

Brivere ignored them. “Holy Knight! Do it now!”

While the young Zora really didn’t want to, he had to remember that in the moment he was the Holy Knight obeying his superior, not Estuu listening to his beloved older brother. He quickly nocked an arrow and let it fly, and once it hit its target he sent a storm of arrows raining down onto the monster’s back. It roared in pain and whipped around, trying to see who dared to attack it.

Brivere waved his sword around into the air, trying to distract the beast from seeing Estuu hiding on the rooftops. “OVER HERE! I HURT YOU! NOW COME GET ME!”

Everyone stared in shock and confusion as the Lynel didn’t charge forward, instead bending its knees and lowering its palms to the ground until it was nearly flattened against the smooth stones. Its hind leg kicked back, smashing into a building right behind it.

The outcome of this event flashed in Brivere’s mind. He panicked, realizing what was about to happen.

“EVERYONE DUCK FOR COVER!” he screamed.

The Lynel suddenly burst forward, launching its large body off of its powerful limbs towards Brivere. Everyone in the vicinity dove to the ground as the Oracle Knight sprinted out of the market and into the long roads of the Zora Domain.

“HOLY KNIGHT!” his brother yelled at the top of his lungs as the Lynel galloped after him. “FOLLOW ME FROM THE ROOFTOPS AND CONTINUE TO ATTACK IT!”

He didn’t have to be told twice. Estuu immediately hopped down onto the building next to him, running across the slippery tiles and gliding across the water flowing off of the roofs. To anyone else it would have been amazing how he continued to have perfect aim as the mad chase played out, but he would have silently argued that he had had much it worse when Link taught him how to shoot on the back of Crazy Girl as she thundered across the grasslands.

Zora were definitely not made for running, and this much was evident when Brivere had nearly been crushed by the beast’s hooves alone several times. On top of that the Lynel continued to try and grab at him with one hand while the other madly swung a sword that was twice the Zora’s size.

His older brother quickly dove into one of the many waterways that flowed throughout the Domain, which were basically miniature Zora-made rivers that worked like roads where one could swim instead of walk.

Now in his element, Brivere shot ahead of the Lynel as he swam for his life, the rushing current pushing the golden Zora forward. Several times the beast would lose interest and stop to focus on cowering Zora citizens off to the side, but Estuu would quickly turn the Lynel into a pincushion and Brivere would trick the monster into thinking that he himself had done it. They repeated this process across the Domain, slowly but surely luring the beast out of the residential areas and away from the innocent Zora citizens hiding inside.

Brivere had to switch waterways a few times to catch the currents that flowed out to the reservoir the fastest. This was accomplished by diving under and launching back out of the water, flipping through the air just out of the Lynel’s grasp before splashing into another waterway. Estuu could tell that his older brother was teasing the Lynel a bit too much, judging by how the acrobatics got more and more extravagant each time.

This only made the Lynel even angrier, who was now completely focused on the golden prey that continued to mock and elude it. Even as Estuu let more and more arrows fly, the monster only let out enraged roars that shook the area around them as it tried to snatch Brivere out of the water.

Finally the reservoir peeked over the horizon, and Estuu was relieved to see the sheer amount of soldiers that had gathered. Their numbers completely filled out the stone surrounding the water as their silver weapons shined in the sunlight. Even from this far away he could make out one large red blur with a smaller blue one next to it, presumably Prince Sidon and First Knight Betaal, waiting for him and Brivere.

The only problem was that there was no waterways directly leading to the reservoir.

This design was made with the intention of keeping the dirty waterway water away from the drinking water, and while that made perfect sense Brivere still cursed to himself for the inconvenience. The waterway he was currently swimming in was leading him right to a dead end, a large wall that couldn’t be climbed over and would take an hour to walk around.

His future vison had failed to mention this predicament.

Estuu didn’t catch onto the problem until the Oracle Knight was suddenly swimming around in circles. The narrow waterway he was now trapped in became a prison as Brivere tried to weave between the Lynel’s hands that plunged into the water, trying to grab onto the golden Zora’s slippery body.

Panic began to rise in his chest as Estuu realized that there wasn’t much they could do. All of the guards were currently out at the reservoir and they were too far away to realize what was happening. Brivere was the only one who would be able to call out to them anyways, and he was currently too busy trying to not get snatched up by the Lynel.

Estuu desperately looked around them, trying to figure out a way out of this mess. By Hylia’s grace, the answer revealed itself to him when he saw the waterfall that was pouring out of a nearby pipe.

He let a rare scream rip his throat apart, the noise so alien to both of the brothers that Brivere’s head shot out of the water in fear of finding his younger brother dead. To his relief, he saw Estuu alive and well, the young Zora screeching as he jabbed his one hand towards the pipe.

“Alright, Holy Knight!” his older brother shouted in understanding. “Cover me!”

Nodding, Estuu shot the last of his arrows right into the Lynel’s face. Most of them got stuck in its bushy mane, but it was still enough to make the beast turn directly towards him and howl. The young Zora darted between rooftops, circling around the monster and making it turn away from his older brother. Brivere quickly took the opening and dragged himself out of the waterway, sprinting towards the waterfall flowing out of the pipe.

The Lynel caught a blur of gold in the corner of its eye and quickly whipped its head around to see the Oracle Knight dive into the waterfall and begin to desperately swim upwards. Roaring, it swiped at Estuu and knocked the young Zora off of his feet before he rolled over and scrambled into the nearest window. From there, Estuu watched as the Lynel turned away from him and charged at Brivere, who was near the top of the waterfall.

The Holy Knight nocked his last arrow, ready to protect his superior as the beast reached for the Oracle Knight, but luckily he didn’t need to.

Right as the Lynel’s large hand shot into the waterfall, Brivere managed to slip into the pipe. The beast let out an earth-shaking howl that shook the young knight to his core, making him clutch at his head. Fighting through the urge to curl up and self-destruct, Estuu leaned out of the window and intensely stared at the end of the pipe that flowed into the reservoir, waiting for his older brother to reappear. A few minutes of tense, complete silence followed, save for the grunts and whines of the Lynel as it tried to squeeze its large hand into the pipe, to no avail. With each second that passed, the Holy Knight felt his heart squeeze tighter in fear of losing not only his superior, but the only family that he had left.

Estuu let out a sigh of relief when Brivere shot out of the pipe.

The young Zora watched in admiration as his older brother re-oriented himself, gracefully flipping through the air to prepare for a swift dive into the water and swim away from the Lynel, allowing the other soldiers to take the beast down. Everyone gathered on the other side of the reservoir cheered in relief, knowing that the Oracle Knight had succeeded and could safely get back to them.

But he never came.

Instead, with one last deafening roar, the Lynel whipped out its gigantic bow and nocked a shock arrow.

Everyone watched in horror as the arrow launched directly into the Oracle Knight’s stomach, throwing off his momentum. He smacked into the stone pavement with a sickening crack and bounced off of the ground several times, rolling into the water right next to him before going completely limp.

“Brivere!” Prince Sidon screamed from the other side of the reservoir.

All of the soldiers lurched forward to try and grab the fallen Oracle Knight, but froze in place when the Lynel pointed more shock arrows at them while it quickly hoisted its gigantic body onto the wall, continuing to threaten them as it stood on top of the stone border. Before anyone could try and get around the monster’s aim, Brivere’s body had already begun to slowly sink into the deep water and out of sight.

Prince Sidon almost dove after him, and it took the First Knight and several other guards to hold the large Zora man back. “Let go! We need to give him medical attention!” the prince shouted, trying to wrestle himself out of their grasp.

“I am well aware!” the Undercity knight spat back. “But if we don’t take out that Lynel first, then we are going to end up losing more of our warriors! The faster we kill the beast the faster we can safely retrieve him!”

Prince Sidon reeled back to try and argue, but the First Knight silenced him by stabbing a finger to his chest. “That bastard is clearly using his body as bait.” the Undercity woman said through gritted, sharp teeth. “You should want to kill it more than anyone else here.”

After a moment of hesitation the prince nodded and raised his spear, ready to shout orders to the other soldiers in attendance. “Do not step a foot in the water! The shock arrows will harm you!” he commanded. “All archers stay back and shoot while all spearmen follow me to the beast! We will take it out from there!”

“Yes sir!” they all shouted back in unison. The army quickly split up, archers covering the spearmen as Prince Sidon led them on the pavement around the deep reservoir.

Estuu didn’t want to wait for reinforcements. He quickly darted around the Lynel’s ankles, who was thankfully preoccupied by the soldiers rushing at it to notice the tiny Zora dive into the water. He could hear Prince Sidon yell at him, commanding him to stop, but he ignored the prince as his warnings became warped by the water. Estuu used the adrenaline rushing through his body to push himself deeper and deeper into the abyss.

In that moment, he wasn’t the Holy Knight trying to search for his superior. He was Estuu, desperately trying to save the only family he had left.

Fear gripped his heart when he swam through the dark water, completely unable to see anything except for the sun shining above him. Although the light told him where he was and how deep he was going, Estuu quickly became disorientated. Water began to pump faster and faster through his gills as he began to panic. He had never swum in such a vast body of water before, especially when there was absolutely nothing in it but complete, gut wrenching darkness. The Zora Domain really only had rivers, and while the reservoir was basically a Zora-made ocean, it was not made for swimming. Also, Brivere had never taken him too far away from home before.

If they got out of this, he was going to make his older brother take him to an actual ocean one day.

A shimmer of silver metal flashed in the corner of his eye, and he quickly spun around to see a golden body gently floating inside a cloud of red water.

Blood.

Estuu shot through the water, kicking his legs with every last bit of strength in his body, the adrenaline quickly being replaced with paralyzing fear. He could barely slow himself down and almost slammed into his brother, narrowly avoiding the golden Zora by darting to the side at the last second. Quickly reorienting himself, the young Zora carefully swam next to Brivere.

Panic began to thrash around in Estuu’s chest as he looked over and gently touched his older brother’s wounds, ignoring how the small contact made his skin crawl. Brivere didn’t even move as Estuu examined him. The arrow was still deeply embedded into Brivere’s abdomen, and Estuu quickly drew it out, ignoring how the weapon burned his only hand. It wasn’t as if he could just leave it inside of his older brother, because although the electricity in the arrow had weakened, it could still cause harm.

But the damage was already done. No healer or healing potion could repair it. The skin and scales surrounding the punctured area were burnt and scarred, and the rest of Brivere’s body was covered marks that looked like lightning, shooting across his skin and scales in painful, swelling wounds. Brivere’s golden eyes were glassy and empty, mouth slightly ajar and barely twitching.

Unwanted memories flashed through Estuu’s mind at the sight of Brivere listlessly floating through the water, body completely limp and unmoving except for his gills desperately pumping for air, but beginning to slow down.

His older brother looked exactly like how their mother did when the two brothers had found her floating in their poisoned cistern.

And just like back then, Estuu was too numb to cry. To scream. To do anything but stare at the motionless body in denial, not fully registering that he was about to lose the only family member that he had left.

But this time, something inside of him snapped.

Estuu reached forward with his one hand, gently placing it on hole that was punctured into his older brother’s abdomen. He closed his eyes and remembered what Prince Sidon had told him months ago, finding now to be the best time to put what he had learned to use.

 “You wish to know how my sister used her abilities, young one?” the prince asked, raising his brow.

 Estuu nodded feverishly. He had been trying to get his abilities to reappear, but in all honesty, he didn’t know why. Was it to give himself worth? To regain his status and usefulness? To save the lives of many? To refill the gaping hole that gnawed at his chest, telling him he was incomplete, that he was missing a part of himself?

 He didn’t know. He didn’t care. He just wanted that power back, the reason completely unimportant to the young Zora.

 Prince Sidon hummed, thinking back to beloved memories of his late sister. “I do believe she told me the thought process behind it, if that would help.” When Estuu eagerly nodded, the prince continued. “Mipha always said that when she used her abilities, it helped to think about those that she loved.”

 Tilting his head, the young Zora stared back at the prince. Was that really how the late princess had done it? It seemed too simple, too naïve, too cliché to be true. Estuu had never really thought about anything when he used the ability, but that was more due to how uncomfortable it felt during the process. Every time he healed someone, it felt like part of him was being stripped away, his hands filled with a stinging, tickling sensation that always threatened to overwhelm him. He absolutely hated the feeling.

 But when he thought back on it, the one time that it had never felt like that… it was the first time he used it. When he desperately tried to bring his mother back to life, after finding her dead in their poisoned cistern.

 Prince Sidon smiled at the slight realization that dawned on Estuu’s face. “She said that thinking of those she loved… she would pour that love, that concern, into whoever she was healing. Mipha said she thought of me, but I know that she also thought of her lover, the Hylian Champion. Someone who she loved so desperately that she would do anything to keep them safe, and that genuine passion would apparently sway the goddess Hylia into helping my dear sister fulfil her desires.”

 He paused, fondly gazing at Estuu. “I wonder, young one… do you have someone like that in your life?”

The answer came in the form of a familiar green light that glowed on Estuu’s only hand, a holy aura that he hadn’t seen in a long time that illuminated the dark water around the two brothers.

The young Zora braced himself for the stinging sensation that usually followed, but it never came. Instead, Estuu felt warm, and his hand felt as light as air. The green light seeped into his older brother’s scales, bathing Brivere’s body in the same holy aura, slowly erasing the damage that the Lynel’s arrow had done. The young Zora watched in awe as the fleshy hole under his fingers began to repair itself, eventually disappearing under new, shining scales. The lightning bolts of wounds that raced through the golden knight’s skin faded until they were completely gone, as if they had never been there in the first place. His older brother’s gills began to pump faster, returning to a steady pace.

Brivere’s golden eyes fluttered open as he gasped for air, quickly whipping his head around in a panic. When all he saw was Estuu staring back at him fondly, the golden knight relaxed. But as he felt Estuu’s hand on his abdomen, Brivere looked down to see the young Zora’s hand glowing in a soft, green light.

“Estuu…?” he said, voice slightly muffled by the water. “Your… your gift has returned?”

The young Zora slowly brought his hand back to his side, nodding in shock. He couldn’t believe it either. Not only that, but that was the most effective his ability had been, and it didn’t even have the strange, overwhelming sensation that usually came with the power.

The corners of Brivere’s lips tipped up into a rare smile as the two brothers gently bobbed in the dark water. “I am so thankful, Estuu. You saved my life.” he said, fondly gazing at his only living family. “But… how were you able to do it? Why has your ability returned?”

Estuu smiled back, eyes half lidded. He pointed at Brivere, then gently placed a hand over his own heart.

Brivere’s golden eyes crinkled as his smile stretched wider. “I see.” he chuckled. “Know that I feel the same, Estuu.”

Placing a hand on the armor covering Estuu’s armor, the golden knight tilted his head. “Now that we are both safe, shall we return to the surface? I am sure that everyone is worried, especially our lord.”

Nodding, Estuu paddled behind his older brother, both of them swimming towards the sun shining above them. Brivere glanced over his shoulder, making sure that the younger Zora could keep up. Both of them moved through the water in comfortable silence, close enough for comfort, but not enough to touch. Exactly how they liked it.

Estuu was proud of himself, and the young Zora silently prayed that his mother would be proud as well, instead of being upset that he hadn’t managed to do so all those years ago. But he knew that she would be happy that this time he was finally able to use his abilities to save someone who meant everything to him.

And that was the only reason he needed.