#FS ALTER

[syllogical]

It's Friday! I'm seeing Will Wood tonight. Have a Brand.

[syllogical]

GUYS. LOOK AT MY UGLY. LOOK AT OOMFS ART

I HATE THIS THING @syllogical your strange freak

[flicker-system]

Hey everyone! I'm making this post in hopes of finding more people to talk to.

A little about me (not the body):

I'm Ngai, he/him, 24. I'm part elf and part demon and I'm from rural Vietnam. My hobbies include hiking, crochet, crafting, houseplants, cozy games, anime, and cooking. Some of my favorite things are Epic the Musical, instant ramen (fixed up with yummy ingredients), and frogs. I am a protector, caretaker, and emotional processor in our system.

(PS my favorite EtM songs are Storm, Different Beast, and Odysseus, and I've been watching Demon Slayer, Noragami, Bofuri, and Kaiju No. 9)

I tend to be on the quieter side and get anxious often, but I'm pretty social. I have a mischievous streak and love showing people fun things, or serving them good food.

Please DM me or comment/reblog this post if we share any interests! I'm open to plurals and singlets, so long as you are an adult, run in the queer/plural/disabled social circles, and don't gatekeep or discriminate against endogenic systems. (I also run a couple of discord servers if anyone is interested :) )

[bravevolunteer-a]

you know i've been meaning to post this thought anyway I Keep Trying To Think About It And Hitting Like Five Different Walls Every Time

[despair-to-future-arcs]

Thanks Kiibo! You’re the best.

Of course, happy to be of assistant to you all.

Okay fine, I suppose getting someone to help with this would be for the best.

Yes... I'll be sure to call them after a bit...

First I'll extract Mikan's memories and place them on a disc...

*After that Nagi saw down and started to place folders into the disc folder which then moments later...*

Okay... I think I got it done...

9 hours, huh? I suppose that be for the best...

Say Alter Ego, with the download still take a day now that it's 20% of the virus remains?

Well, seems that based on how much the virus has been remove, the download should take as long as the coding.

So meaning that since Mikan Tsumiki would need 9 hours of coding, she'll be awaken in 9 hours?

Hmm, okay well it's nearly 1 PM, so I think if we start working on it; she should be done by 10 PM and awaken by 7 AM.

Hm, okay that should be easy; Kiibo - work on coding when the clock reaches 1 PM while I make some calls.

Understood, I'll do so when it strikes in 20 minutes.

*Kiibo walks over and begins*

Wow... your pretty good at math, huh? I think my mom would of liked you.

Well at least I was able to figure it out and work out the equation in my head.

But Hajime, go get some rest and take your medication and food? I do want you to not overwork yourself and just try to relax.

Anyway, I'll go and make some calls - I'll come back until then...

*Nagi walks out of the pod room*

... (I should probably head back to my cottage then.)

*walks out and goes back to the first island*

[a-fading-array-of-stars]

ddo NNOT call mmy mmas pathetic.

Please for the love of god take a joke.. /vlh /nbr

The whole interaction was silly and joking. They're not pathetic.

[catgirlkirigiri]

Just remembered I can paint letter beads into other letters. E crisis over I’m just making them out of Fs now

[arijackz]

PICK A CARD: Your FS' Secret Kinks

❦ “She lowered her lashes until they almost cuddled her cheeks and slowly raised them again, like a theatre curtain. I was to get to know that trick. That was supposed to make me roll over on my back with all four paws in the air." - Raymon Chandler, The Big Sleep

Disclaimer: This is a general reading, take what resonates. This is a gender-neutral reading, change any pronouns to apply to you.

p1 → p2 ↙︎ p3 → p4

✦ Pile One ✦

Poor lil pooh pooh. This person struggles to “fill their cups up” so they get off on denying themselves pleasure. They secretly like the feeling of hitting whatever rock bottom looks like to them. Honestly, they want to be saved. They are wallowing at the bottom of a well, waiting for their savior to swoop in and throw them a rope. 

In a more literal sense, they want a person to be their reason to live. Their reason to feel daylight on their skin again. Everyone and everything around them is unsatisfying and “fake”. They want something real to coax them out of their hell and entice them with all the thrilling things life has to offer. 

However, they also like this dark and brooding side of themselves. They have a bit of a corruption kink.

They fantasize about a virginal angel coming down to save them, but they end up convincing the angel to sink down to their level. 

They like exciting, spontaneous people who are willing to jump up and run out the door to do something fun at any moment, but think innocent fun. Like going to the movies to theater hop, and getting away without paying. Or, running around the Target parking lot in shopping carts and trying not to bang into cars. Maybe even steal a few street signs. 

Innocent childhood fun that you’d see in early 90s movies. But add a sadistic twist to it that only they are aware of. 

You would be the innocent virgin (doesn’t have to be true, it's their fantasy) who is unknowingly leading this beast (also not true, they are just extremely self-deprecating) to your pretty little happy places which they plan to desecrate.

They want to fuck you in your family home and make a mess of your childhood bed, making you scream so loud that you’re family starts to look at you differently. They want to take you to your favorite movie spots where you usually chill and hangout with your friends and turn it into a place where all you can think about is them covering your mouth in the back of the theater while you’re squirming in their lap, trying to escape out of their grip as they edge you to the new Marvel release. 

They have a kink for turning all of your innocent, fun moments into their very own filthy fantasies.

Ps. Fisting came out of the blue so lube up!

Come To Me, My Senseless Angel

✦ Pile Two ✦

I don’t believe this is a future spouse, to be honest. This might be a situationship you need to move past. They seem emotionally immature, or at least this is a side of them that exclusively comes out when they’re aroused. 

They can be quite abrasive and feel like they are constantly under attack so they’re incredibly defensive. They have a history of lashing out at their loved ones when they feel overwhelmed and get so blinded by their emotions that they disregard their affection for their partners and say really unforgettable, harmful words which permanently alters the connection for the worse. 

They carry guilt from these actions and are in a constant state of regret. In this state, their sense of pleasure is a little twisted. They get turned on by causing a genuine issue in the relationship. They like the idea of pushing you to your limit where you’re this 🤏  close to your breaking point and at your absolute lowest. It’s when you reach your rock bottom and realize the need to move away from this person and you scream out, “I DESERVE BETTER THAN THIS.”

They like to grovel. You know that cycle where somebody fucks up and then they’re in the dog house buying flowers and being extra fluffy just to get in the victim’s good graces so they can do the same thing over again. So far, pile one and two’s respective partners like to feel like shit. They secretly like the moment where they completely fuck up a relationship and have to beg on their hands and knees to get their person back orrrrrr they get off on emotionally tearing someone down to the point where they get on their knees to bed for this person’s attention. 

Either way, there's a lot of fucked psychological issues underneath this fantasy that I’m not unpacking here because it differs from person to person. 

In its best light, this person glorifies struggle love. At its worst, this person is purposefully emotionally abusive with the intent to tear their partner down for their own sexual gratification. 

They’re conscious enough to know their actions are toxic but don’t have the emotional maturity to work past their actions. They’re at the phase where they’re just aware and are like “I know I’m shitty but that’s just who I am. If they stick with me and the sex is good, it’s meant to be.”

I’m honestly getting twitter relationship hypotheticals with this one. Iykyk.

They’re also an edgelord. Less in an internet cockroach way and more in a witty- can be funny if done well- way, but they get pleasure from shocking people nonetheless. This energy can be directed toward you to piss you off and annoy you with the intent of getting in your pants later. 

I’ve been guided to switch the conversation briefly: If this resonates and is someone you are dealing with. It is time to move on. This person gets gratification from hurting you and will not get past that high of tearing down a relationship and then having a messy recovery. They have their own issues to work through and cannot see how they are hurting you. There is no future with this person, they came into your life to teach you a lesson about your self-value. That cycle has run its course and it's time to move on.  

To be honest, I’m not a fan of this person and don’t even want to list the explicit kinks that came out but I will just in case this message is for you but you’re not sure.

Random messages: Hot tub/pool sex, hair pulling, break down crying, interracial, milk, broken condom, “i fucking hate you”, “whore”, mirror, drunk sex, complaining, smack a bitch, twitter

P.S. You’re too sexy for the bullshit! There is bigger and greater out there, you just need to believe that for yourself!

This person will not get a mood board out of me.

✦ Pile Three ✦

Okay, so this person has some deep religious guilt. This is a male presenting person. I am being clear with their sex because it plays a role in this reading. They have some majorly repressed feminine energy. They may even be attracted to the same sex. 

This is a fs reading, so they are likely bi, pansexual, or trans. Either way, their family is close-minded and is not supportive of them. They were forced to leave home so they could finally live their truth. They have lived their entire life fitting somebody else’s narrative. They were the hypermasculine bro type to “cover up” their femininity. 

So, they have a kink for hyperfeminity. It’s almost to the point where they obsess over the caricature of girlhood. I see lots of pink, high heels, full-glam, all-day mall shopping, pinup curls, flashy jewelry, sleepovers, day spas, that scene in Scott Pilgrim where that girl is like “SHE’S PROBABLY LIKE 25!”, and everything else that gets associated with “girlhood” nowadays. 

They fantasize about you in your receptive energy, being waited on and cared for hand and foot. They like to observe the way you move. Everything about you and your feminine aura is incredibly alluring to them. The way with each breath your breasts fall, your hips swaying with each step, the cute way you match your accessories with your outfits. They notice everything about you. 

You know those paintings of wealthy women lying on their sides and being fed grapes? That. They’re not in the serving role, they're the painter. Their kink is capturing you in those everyday moments where the world seems to be waiting on you like you’re the collective’s queen.

They see femininity in a higher light than the general population. They see women as automatically deserving of this type of care, they also want this care. 

They have a secret hard-on for pregnant women and women with swollen breasts. They have a lactation kink. They fantasize about cumming in you over and over again. They see you as a Goddess, so they want to see you masturbate at church on an altar, like you're waiting to be worshipped. 

A lot of their fantasies, they’re not even included in. It’s just you looking God-like and being worshipped by the world around you. This person may hate when you wear clothes. They act like the fabric is committing a sin by covering your body. They just want to capture your essence. Like an admirer and a student.

P.S. Dick game goes CRAZY. They watch a lot of women-focused porn to study what gets a woman off. Like Maddie in Euphoria, he is there to study.

Pretty In Pink

✦ Pile Four ✦

WE GOT A PLEASURE DOM IN THE BUILDING Y’ALL STAY CALM. As my mama would say, they love your dirty drawls!

You could do no wrong in this person’s eyes. They’re the golden retriever type. Head empty, leading with heart and IN LOVE>>>>>

You are the pot of gold and the end of the rainbow they’re chasing. They appreciate a good fling but they’ve never felt this before. The emotions you stir in them are unprecedented, this is puppy, sandbox love that most people lose touch with after life jades them.

This is raw love at its most unprocessed. I taste honey. 

They have a kink for the power you have over them. It’s like you have a carrot on a stick and they’re the pig being led to a love den they can’t escape. And they’ll happily be the squealing pig in every lifetime they get with you. This is a soul yearning. 

You will know this person because they will proactively pursue you and they will have no doubts in their mind about it. They are really attracted to your physical form, your curves. Even if you’re on the slimmer side, they like your structure and the dips in your spine. They’ll stare at you when you’re talking and zone out, thinking about how attractive they find you. 

They’re not used to having to try to get someone to sleep with them. They have to put effort towards you and they like that. This person is downright thirsty and craves intimacy with you.

Their fantasies aren’t even dirty, they’re passionate. They want to put you in a mating press, with your knees pressed all the way up beside your ears. They want to penetrate (could be with a toy) deeply and touch that gooey part of you that makes you see stars. 

They want to see an imprint of them in your lower belly. Any position where you’re in their arms is a go for them because they like having you. They want every moment to be just you and them away from the world. So very sweet and intimate. They also love marking you, expect lots of hickeys.

Ignore them from time to time too (healthily, these conditions should be discussed beforehand)! They see you as the ultimate prize, so if you delay their satisfaction, they’ll feel like they’re chasing again, which gets them off. They like to feel like they’re convincing you to sleep with them. You both are consenting, but they like the idea of you having better things to do and they’re trying to convince you to stay and party with them. 

They are very action-oriented and love movement. Anything that involves an adventure together, they are down for. 

PS. Surprise them with a bubble bath together, they’ll love that. And tease them while pulling their hair a bit!

Ode To My Darling Sun

[theyluvlyss]

age gap😃? NOTHING CRAZY, CHILL, but yk, like,,, just a little young thing in her 20s or sumn being scooped up by one (or two🤭) of these older, more mature, aged like fine wine, and experienced men,,, that's all🥰.

I am thirsting so hard for remy after watching the movie… with this I can just imagine a young yet powerful mutant coming to the void and she never got the experience in sex in her timeline. So remy takes it upon himself to teach her the ways of the bedroom… first time may have involved a mistake with her powers when she cums for the first time but he’s so understandable and says like “you need to practice your control mon cherie” so he just dives back in for more (he makes her cum like 5-7 times from head alone cause he makes his woman feel amazing I bet) this is so long sorry hope you like this 😅🩷

𝐇𝐅𝐉𝐒𝐊𝐂𝐈𝐉𝐆𝐊𝐆𝐏𝐋𝐆𝐈𝐄𝐊𝐆𝐎𝐄𝐈𝐈𝐅𝐊𝐖𝐋𝐄𝐉𝐆 !!!!!

first of all,,, never apologize for length, especially to me who makes everything way longer than need be, we (I, it's just me, idk who "we" is lol) love and appreciate that shit over here. ppl who love absurdly long fics, requests, and other media unite✊🏽 !!!

second of all,,, *ugly sobbing* I'm always the writer and never (how does one actually say this properly🤔?) the writee, so for someone to have actually dropped this for me in my inbox is SO flattering and sweet and ughghfhf, you guys, I HIGHLY encourage more of this, I love it, I truly do.

third of all,,, THIS IS SO GOOD omg literally giggling and kicking my feet (I do that a lot on this app) !!! I am the same way, I saw gambit and just... idk what happened to me, something in my organic chemistry just altered forever and while I'm not and will probably never be a channing tatum girly, he did his goddamn JOB in that role, ATE IT TF UP👏🏽 (and I knew he would, it's about damn time like c'mon, he'd been promised the role for idk a decade or so like, again I say, about damn time) so while I might not be all over tatum, I am all over his portrayal of remy lebeau and I need more fics/content NEOOOWW😾 (plz😽) from y'all's little writer brains of yours.

anyways, onto what you've sent in specifically lmao, you said "young yet powerful mutant" and "mistake with her powers" and "...practice your control..." and for whatever reason, my brain conjured up a mutant reader with wings or just a power that involves maybe floating/telekinesis...😃✋🏽hear me out...

so, remy's getting busy, right, and he's making reader feel so good and, like you mentioned, she ain't got much control over her powers yet cuz she's younger than him, so she cvms and boom, her wings (whether they be feathered or fairy) just pop out without her realizing😻. or with telekinesis, the better she's feeling/closer she's getting, the more stuff/higher she's causing things around them to float because again, little and/or loss of control because he's making her feel that good (we all know he's got the tongue work of a god, I mean, just listen to the man speak for fuck's sake lmao🥴).

I think it'd definitely be a cute touch and fs something she'd get teased about from remy lmao.

[firstkanaphans]

How do you think, is it possible that Khao and Ciize dating? I have no problems if Khaotung and First are just friends, I'll support them either way. I just think that it's quite impressive – to be in a relationship for so many years (Ciize and Khao know each other forever) and be so good in hiding it. If they are friends, it still good too, they look like lesbian and gay besties (i'm not assuming which sex they prefer, it just first impression) . But it could be more than that. I wish every actor in this industry could talk openly about their real relationships, then there would be much less drama.

And about THAT video, where they were spotting together. I think First looking straight in camera there and maybe that's why he was so affectionate towards Khao, because he knew that drama would come and he was trying to cover up it with some fs. That how real friend would have done.

I just want to speculate, maybe it means nothing. And I hate rumors that depend on nothing. But we have something here. Maybe there were signals or smth earlier, I'm new in a fandom

For those who have no idea what OP is talking about, First and Khao were seen having a meal with Ciize and View a few days ago. The original video has since been deleted but it just showed the four of them sitting together in a crowded restaurant. There was nothing to suggest anyone was on a date and yet people have gone a bit crazy speculating.

Here's my take: I feel very confident in saying Khao and Ciize are not dating because although Khao keeps his personal life private, Ciize is an open book and she's been very vocal over the past year that she is no longer interested in dating men.

She talked on a live with Jan and Jane back in September about how her perspective on love had changed and she is now more interested in dating women. [Note: Whoever translated that clip originally was a MilkCiize shipper and altered the translation to make it seem like Ciize is currently dating a woman. Ciize is talking about an ideal future partner. Not someone she is dating currently. But other than that, it seems accurate.] She also reinforced that sentiment just last month by literally saying, "I want to date women because men are bad."

I also just don't think any of these people would be caught dead having a meal with someone they're actually dating because they're not idiots. Just let them hang out with their friends. And never forget that the karaoke kiss happened at Ciize's birthday party. We owe her a debt of gratitude and yet this is how the fandom's chosen to repay her? Let her date girls in peace 😭

[puddlestories]

FS Selkie Origin (Intro)

Colours x GN Reader (no gendered pronouns or description)- written with no reader in this part, but an introduction to the selkie aspect)

Idea: a search for moon pearls creates a series of events of which alters the boy's lives forever, whilst others try make it through, another has a completely different idea, an idea involving a legend of selkies.

CW: talk of death and drowning, unfortunate spoiler.

8.9k words; not proof-read

The breeze was strong that day with a biting chill which reminded Red of the blizzard he traversed back during their original adventure on his search with Miss Fairy. The sand was much less stable than the frozen caves as it moved beneath their feet moulding into an imprint of their worn leather boots with each step along the beach.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t say that he’d enjoy the beach anymore, it was ironic really, he was still fine with snow and storms, especially when at home with his family, but the beach was somewhere he couldn’t bare to be. Luck for him, there was a pier further off the bend, the darkened wood splintered and rotting in places, connecting straight to the rocky soil of the coast, the area abandoned, once used for large fishing hulls, now the area left for a population period, only cargo boats seen in the distance towards the beach pier and town-side dock.

The sun still stable, though low, in the sky, hovering a distance above the coastline, he could practically lift his hand and cup the sun between his grip and the gap of the wavering orange, the reds and deep blues of the sky mixing around his fingers, the still sun strong against his skin. If not for the splinters in the wood below him, he knew he’d easily fall asleep, the rush of the waves, heat of the sun and the creak and groan of the weakened wood, poles remaining stable and rooted deep below. Though it wasn’t deniable that he was dozing off, head bobbing as if tied to a fishing line; eyes blurring in and out of focus- vertigo taking hold in a faint cradle.

"It has to be here somewhere, I'm sure of it" muttered a deep voice occasionally clicking their tongue paired with gravelled grumbles, tired, entering the late hours of the day and despite a previous full night of sleep, or so he’d say, his rigid four insomnia gifted hours fulfilled, the time passing in a coiled pattern, slow in the moment yet slow in retrospect- it was nearly time for sundown, still a couple hours before midnight.

Further along the stretch a shorter man turned and scowled, "how sure, Vi? We have been searching for hours now!" He grumbled again, the bags beneath his eyes seeming to darken further along with the sun the longer they stayed on the beach. They would only have roughly another hour to search, eyes flickering to the sun’s position waiting for it to dip any lower, having to take into consideration their journey back to the trail and then home, plus they’d now need to go to the pier a small distance away to collect Red, who he could see was laid back, legs dangling. He chuckled a little, his brother was definitely sleeping, whining earlier of staying awake all night to crochet a new project he was on, insisting that he had a time constraint with Green’s selected birthday approaching, the day of their knighting ceremony.

Blue hoped they’d be able to go home soon too, wanting some warm food and a good relaxing hour in his bed before sleeping, those last few pages of his current book awaiting him in those drowsy moments. Vio’s determination wasn’t a surprise, he was fully prepared to have to wind his brother down, there was always tomorrow, his determination blinding him in the moment from outward environmental changes, blind to the dwindling time and basic idea of being able to return to the beach- it wouldn’t vanish overnight, they may just have to wait until noon for the tide to retreat, the ocean growing more rampant over the past couple weeks as the moon entered it’s perigee, it’s orbit growing closer.

"I'm telling you, Blue, I've been researching and reading about the moon pearls for months now- the books I've read, along with my previous research, means that they're likely produced from plants. If my theory is correct--" "only a theory?!" "--then the plants will be found along the coasts blooming near the salt waters."

The rebuttal slipped from his lips though no aggression intended, simply loose from exhaustion. Another huff could be heard, forceful and deliberate, clearly meant to be dramatic and audible. Despite the noise, Blue continued down the coastline occasionally brushing through the sand and pulling away seaweed in search for the desired flora and it’s budding fruit of labour- Vio smiled, his brother could scowl and act tough but after all those years he still couldn't hide his care in his actions it seemed.

The search continued onwards into the last weaning hours, and continued afterwards into a blanket of approaching darkness, both men losing focus on the time and sun’s position, lost in their task, until the sun was merely draped along the horizon, less than a quarter remaining awake, lulling down beneath the waves and stretching that last mile of deep orange. It was with that fire-like glow that Vio noticed it, noticed them, pastel blue, gleaming so softly. There within the darkening water, a shallow basin of sand, sat small, budded spheres mostly hidden within a tangle of long black capsules- moon pearls, their unique gleam of shimmering iridescence revealing their true nature, setting them apart from any sea glass or regular pearl, though he thought for a moment, he wouldn’t mind bringing Blue a pearl gift one day as a thank you for his effort, he believed he’d enjoy it, a rough yet sensitive guy with such a delicate gift brought another more delicate smile to his lips.

With a grin he walked closer, water splashed upwards at his sudden harsh entrance and seeped into the thick white cloth of his leggings staining them a light grey, clinging into a transparent film around his calves and joints where the fabric didn’t pool with the water weight and remained tight to his skin. The sea floor curved downwards at the bank, so he stepped forward carefully and reached out. Unfortunately, he was not close enough.

Deciding the water was not too deep, he stepped down into the basin, the sand dark and sinking his boots further, the leather encased, and then pulled, a suction forming around his feet

Vio sucked in a rapid breath. A shuddered exhale followed. The water was much colder than he expected, that was for sure.

Still determined he reached forth again for the stem, fingers stretched forward, torso tilting forward, feet remaining planted in place but only grasped water. Leaning forward even further brought him closer, teetering dangerously, feet unable to shuffle forward further to balance his weight, his other hand lowering down to brush the sand, an attempt at an anchor, to brush the pods but the pearls were still hanging away from him- they swayed in the current mockingly.

Another laboured step forward, entire body requiring reposition, dragging his feet out the sand, now laid atop the sand, weight shifting with the tumbling current, sand kicking up with the motion. The water pushed forward too, the pearls finally swaying into Vio's fingers, with a quick push forward he curled the orb into his palm. A victorious smile and shuddered breath left him, deep relief at his success and discovery, more research ideas already entering his mind, or at least they would if he wasn’t so cold, thought pushed into the back of his mind and filed away for later; now he just wanted to get out and home, sitting in front of the fireplace and changing out of his clothes sounded too good at that moment.

Then it happened. With a step forward, shuffling his feet to find purchase in the sand, he unknowingly stepped forward into a riptide, the rolling water hidden by dispersed sand and up kicked debris.

The sand tilted and caved under the soles of his boots, and slid down the steep bank, rolling into the foam of the waves that surrounded him. Loose feet tumbled and kicked against the sand finding no purchase, no grip; no stability.

With a quick rush, his head went under the waves- no time to breathe. No time to yell.

The water rolled and coiled around him, pounding against his flailing limbs, and pressing the air out of frozen lungs. Bubbles filled Vio's ears, it felt like water had flooded his brain, pain encasing him, no air to breathe, no room to think, and no time to scream; the water sweeping him away in a rapid harsh motion, strength unwavering tossing him around in a death spiral, body flipping around and slamming into the sand bank, fingers sometimes finding the air above the water, but no relief to fix his position to swim upwards, or downwards; to break to the surface.

In that moment he had no control, but if he could, he’d have wished to have gone quietly, simply swept into the waves and dragged away to sea; if he had to die, he’d have wished his loved ones wouldn’t too.

Nevertheless, the water forced itself apart as a second body entered the fray, Blue surging forward towards his brother, unknowing of the hidden danger of the riptide, the darkening sky hiding the signs of the water’s movement. With blind hope and emotion, his fingers clawed at the water trying to grasp the other, but with one gulp, the riptide swallow him too, dragging them both far out into the water, Vio falling unconscious from hypoxia, unable to reach back to his brother.

Even with all hope, Blue couldn’t see him, ripped away, water sharp in his eyes, darkness encasing him, it was too late, the water too strong. The ocean too deep.

The water clasped onto them and pulled against their weight, their clothes soaked and growing heavier, their limbs weakening with exhaustion and their lungs filling with water. Bodies too heavy and the surface too far.

Cold, now pale, fingers brushed through the foam, clenching and stiffening into ice. The sun now hidden beneath the horizon, unwilling to witness such an event, as two men, mere boys to many who loved them, too young for such a fate, laid beneath the waves in a deep sleep and stretching that last mile of the deep dark waters. That fire-like glow smothered and suffocated. Lured to the ocean as the last remaining light of their eyes was, too, consumed whole.

If it was possible, he would have cried.

---

Receiving the new was difficult, that’s the only word he could think to use.

Red had been awoken later the next day by the sun in his eyes, finally peaking around his shield of thick hair, back sore from stiff wood, light, superficial cuts to his arms and a nasty splinter too. It was with extreme confusion that he sat up and looked towards the sky- the sun was high above him and the sky a light, perfect blue.

At first, he believed he was still dreaming, a false awakening, since he knew his brothers would never leave him, they wouldn’t even leave him sat alone at the table without saying where they were going or asking if he was okay- so where were they? Sweeping his gaze along the quiet, sandy beach, crawling his eyes further up along the pebbled ground into the transition of the dirt and grassy hills- they were nowhere to be seen. He turned back to the water, a waning hope that they were still searching in the water, possibly camping overnight- though why would they leave him on the pier- or perhaps he’d been far too sleepy and imagined the night had progressed farther than it had- but again, it was morning and had at least been into the afternoon before he’d gotten sleepy.

Lifting his feet onto the pier, leggings and shoes slightly damp from the splash of waves overnight, he began flexing his muscles, legs dead from the awkward position. Powering through the sensation of needles and static in his legs, he rolled onto his knees, forcing himself onto his feet. Running along the beach, occasionally stumbling across loose piles of sand or hidden holes, he ran for a solid half an hour, knight endurance training coming into use, up and down the length of the beach, even peaking around the wall of rocks towards the left curve of the beach, the cliffside blocking the rest of the way. In both directions, his brothers were nowhere to be seen, dread pooled in his stomach, the urge to vomit bubbling into his throat, tightening around the rock of discomfort lodged in his oesophagus.

Against all logical sense, Red returned home, puffing with exhaustion, running and speed walking when too tired back home, muscles in his legs burning with lactate. He burst through the door, the lock not positioned, he hoped that meant they were home, Vio had the spare key after all, though there wasn’t much of a reaction to his loud entrance, no looks from the boys in the kitchen, or a yell from Blue or Green through the window to the back garden or upstairs from the bedrooms. So that’s where he searched next, starting on the second floor so as to not miss them if they were to move from a room, he searched the upstairs hallway, just one long stretch, from front to back: Vio’s bedroom and study, Blue’s bedroom, Green’s room and study, the bathroom, and then his own room. With no success he moved downstairs, the open kitchen was easy to see as empty from the bottom of the stairs and doorway, turning the corner, the living room was open and empty too, moving into closed off areas he searched the downstairs toilet, knocking first of course, their father’s old study and the forge. Finally, he moved outside to the garden and shed.

Noone.

It was only with a dejected stumble and a stressed groan, that Red returned into the house, stumbling forward into a slumped seat on the living room sofa, thick woven blanket sliding down on one side from the force, folding onto Red’s hip, the other half pinned by his thrown back head. After another groan, and a wet hiccup, attempting to hold back tears, the door opened, a light creak, the top hinge needed oiling, on Blue’s to-do list for this week, he shot up, running on unstable legs, throwing himself around the corner and collapsing onto the unaware individual who’d entered the house.

“What’s wrong, Red?” They exclaimed with a shocked shout, thrown back against the still open door, both now on the floor, Green sat partially out the doorway with Red seated atop his lap, legs wrapping around his waist, hands clenched around his back, tears pouring fourth.

It took three attempts, with coaching and encouragement from Green, patting and rubbing his brother’s back, “they’re gone, I can’t find them.”

“Find who?” Green whispered, an unknown lingering doom following him from the knight’s quarters that early morning and along the walk home, his eyes moving into the quiet house- a house of which if anyone knew the boys, was never quiet, always mumbles or talking, hammering or the crackle of fire from the forge, the rhythmic steps from the floor above.

Red simply continued to cry, his chest heaving harder, struggling to breath, transitioning into hyperventilating, Green continuing to hold him close and encourage his breathing to slow, or at least to breath at all.

“Green, I can’t—Vio, Blue, we were—we were at the beach—I can’t find them,” his voice breaking at the end, sobs continuing, words gasped and forced out between each struggled breath, “I can’t find them.”

With a desperate attempt of reassurance and reasoning Green continued to comfort Red, confusion settling upon his shoulders, going through similar reasoning, where would they have gone, why would Red be home alone, but perhaps they’d gone out, he hoped. He hoped for something he couldn’t believe in with confidence, and later, when Red finally calmed down enough to speak, he explained how he’d been alone on the beach, Green becoming increasingly worried, assuming previous he’d been home alone, all possible scenarios and explanations falling through his shaking fingers.

It had been a few days with no return of the others, imagination going wild, hoping for word from Zelda that they had been sent on a monster hunt or rescue without word, the letter sent remained unanswered. Both boys cried, one in the other’s arms, a terrible feeling suffocating within the house, the other within the confines of their room, throwing themselves into work as much as possible, paperwork unfortunately, despite all unwilling to leave the other again.

It was expected, a possible scenario, but far from expected to become reality, his brothers were found deceased, it was something that should have never happened. They were all heroes, and some continuing to pursue full-time knight hood after their adventure, others simply maintaining their training, it was expected they’d one day fall in a battle, or die much later in life from age or disease, but to be told they’d been found within the water was far, far from a scenario in his overactive imagination.

The three knights who’d approached the door where all holding their helmets to their sides in respect, two of which Green knew, having trained alongside their squadron and worked alongside his father during missions, the third was young, freshly knighted from last fall’s ceremony, he assumed, his face not familiar. All spoke their apologies and sympathy, heads bowed. It was the younger of the two that Green recognised, a young man in his late 30s with a dark beard and longer hair, Artura. The man went on to explain how they’d been found by a fisherman who’d gone out around the cliffside to test the levels of fish in preparation for the later months when fishing would resume to ensure sustainability and the health of the ecosystem, it was in one of the large cast nets, designed to catch and release fish without trapping fins or harming scales, a softer refined rope, that it pulled on a heavier weight. A portion of the net was floating, something that shouldn’t happen, Green knew what was coming. Net ropes tied to the rails, the fisherman had withdrawn the net, heaving the mass onto the deck and unravelling the netting, he saw something abnormal, not just a show, as apparently those weren’t the rarest, it was the bent hand, fingers poking out the woven diamonds; he had found a body, the trapped carbon dioxide and fluid causing the body to float within the first days of decomposition.

Those words hurt Green, a metaphorical stab to the heart, yet the pain so real, to refer to one of his brothers as a body, he knew why logistically, they had been unidentified until now, but it still hurt. Artura continued on with his small tale, recounting what he had been told, words chosen carefully, yet still far too harsh and ridged: setting aside the fish trapped along with the corpse, the fisherman looked at the clothes, the face- though far too bloated, tongue inflamed and pushing outward, skin slimy from decomposition of the skin, he would never say that to the them- and with the unique identifiers of a small round broach holding a now tattered cloak, torn from rocks on the ocean floor, and the pattern on their clothes, they had found Vio.

With this news, destroying those remaining in the household, permission was granted from the King, the entire bay was to be searched, all boats to be aware of any nets or traps within the water, as well as extra boats deployed with the sole purpose to sweep the sand beds.

More days passed, turning into weeks, the gases of decomposition guaranteed to now be released, decomposition quicker in water, amplified further by the salt water, as well as skin and tissue eaten and pecked at by ocean wildlife; as the days passed, they knew he wouldn’t be found in good condition, that is if they were ever found. With the lack of buoyancy of the body, Blue would have sunk within the depths, making him harder to find.

As weeks passed with no discovery of their brother, ships and nets continuing to be sent out by order of the King in Zelda’s honour, hoping to find her friend and the country’s hero, the Smith household began to fray.

With their father pulled away on a long-distance, cross-country mission by the crown, despite attempt to bring him home the situation required his experience, no other captain able to replace him at that time, those able out on other missions themselves, that left the boys and grandpa Smith to act as support and mediator as the fights began. At first, both lads were simply grieving and heart broken, thrown into their own coping methods, Red abandoning all creative projects aside from baking, comforting himself with food and time with either Green or his grandfather when he was available, where as Green began to isolate himself after a while, the constant presence of Red, the inner conflict in his head and the fact his father couldn’t be home was too much. Zelda did try to visit at times to coax Green out of his room, but with her increasing duties of multiple squadrons out on missions, outrage and panic of whether the Four Sword Sanctuary’s magic would hold with two heroes gone, and plenty smaller issues that had continued to add up.

Smith spent the majority of the week with the boys, mainly Red due to his clingy nature and Green’s distance, but the others days, beginning at three days a week and slowly becoming five days a week as orders in the forge piled up with no one else to complete them, he had to be away working, unable to give his full attention to them both.

It was when their grandfather was away at the main, larger forge closer to town, that they began their first fight; it wasn’t intentional, they were both just to bottled up, both brimming with different types of emotion, clashing together due to a lack of communication.

Green snapped first, it began as an inner conflict, the fact he wasn’t there with them all at the beach, maybe he should have convinced them not to go, though he knew that would be an impossible challenge with Vio once he was determined to do something; then even more ridiculous he though back to their adventure, if he’d never used that moon pearl in the dark world temple then maybe Vio wouldn’t have needed to search today, maybe if he’d helped in the research, even if useless, they’d have searched a different day and the tides would be different. Maybe, just maybe, he’d have had some impact and been able to avoid this all from happening, whether a past action or a recent action, maybe he could have stopped this all. Yet with his inability to properly grieve and receive support and comfort, his brain began to twist this conflict outwards, ink bottles broken, books thrown and chair leg snapped as it was thrown across the room. What if it was Red’s fault? He knew it was wrong, but his brain filled itself with harsh hypnotising whispers, what if he sent them home when he got tired, what if he helped search so they left earlier or brought them home together; what if he never fell asleep? In a twisted way that he couldn’t explain, it was because he hated himself so much in that moment that he began to blame Red, because he was so useless that he couldn’t have any impact, that maybe if it was Red’s fault that he could actually have an effect, have had a chance to save them all if he’d just taken that day away from the barracks.

With the bubbling storm, no amount of outward rage calming his emotions within, he eventually exploded. It was early one morning, Smith had left for the forge, knocking on Green’s door to alert him, and later, once he’d heard the door close, Green stepped out of his room for the first time in a few days, to make food in the kitchen rather than having lunch and dinner left at his door. Due to the early hour, he didn’t expect Red to have been awake, having hear their grandfather knocking and Green leaving his room, with that he left his own room seeking comfort from his brother, not just about the others but about the fact he hadn’t seen Green and was becoming concerned.

At first, Red simply snuck down to the kitchen, not wanting to disrupt Green, but he couldn’t hold back, stepping forward to talk. What he should have done was ask how he was doing, ask if he was okay, he obviously wasn’t, but to use the sentiment, or to ask if he needed anything, instead he made a mistake.

“What’re you doing?”

Green turned and let out a light sigh, slowly turning to Red before looking back towards the empty bowl in front of him, no energy to actually light the fire nor move from the counter as planned.

“Dad isn’t going to be home for roughly another month, a letter came a few days ago. Blue still isn’t home yet either…” A sharp crack emanated from the kitchen, a chip falling from the bowl in front of Green, a long line running up the side. Instead of falling quiet at the action, Green’s head bowing down to the counter, hand moving away from the bowl, a small line a blood down his palm unseen to Red, he cupped his face and eyes. “They’re still looking though, they go out in pairs now for three-week periods, the boats are due to come back this week so—”

“Shut up!”

Red fell silent, small tears budding at the corners of his eyes, Green didn’t look at him, keeping his face covered.

A loud harsh sob fell from Green’s lips, dry and peeled from stress picking away at himself, turning towards Red in a fast fluid motion, a small coat of blood smeared on his cheek, diluted and running down his chin and neck with fat tears.

“He’s not coming home! They aren’t going to find him, Red, it was a miracle enough they found Vi. They shouldn’t even need to find him,” his voice lowering with his last sentence; it was with Red’s stuttered reassurances that he snapped again, “they wouldn’t need to find them if they weren’t on that beach, if we didn’t need that stupid moon pearl and especially not if we’d seen what had happened, if I’d been there I could’ve maybe, I could’ve—” he sobbed again, knees locking and torso falling forward slightly, shoulders hunched.

“They will, they’ll find him! There’s nothing you could have done, Green.” Stepping forward he placed his hand on his shoulder.

Silent Green stepped back, slapping Red’s hand away, “yeah, you’re right, I couldn’t have done anything, but you,” he sobbed harder, falling to his knees, torso finally collapsing in on himself, “you could have done something, you were there, if you didn’t fall asleep then maybe you could have.”

Silently crying, Red knelt down at his brother’s side, “it’s not okay, but we will be, we’ll be okay.” Unknowingly he was right, neither of them had enough experience with water nor were strong enough swimmers to have the ability to get out of a riptide, they both had strength and endurance but to be able to pull out two unconscious men the same size as them wasn’t a chance with a high enough percentage that they would survive, the possibility of all four of them perishing that day was clear to them both, clear to Green and Red, they knew yet still felt extremely guilty for not being able to change anything.

-

Though maybe they would meet again, after all, haven't you heard the stories? A very specific tale.

Red had searched everywhere, Vio’s room, his own bookshelves and the local library, even travelling down the hills to Castle Town to search their greater library to try find what he wanted. A book of spells and legends, though most importantly, how legends may be real or what they may be based off in real life; from tales years ago of diseases, extinct animals and simple stories morphed through time there was one entry that he held dear during his mourning process. An entry that his brothers had all read together one night during a sleepover, during the first week back home after their adventure, when they were still all jumpy with fresh trauma. With a lantern turned onto a low stream of oil and oxygen to keep the light low, Blue scared of the dark after his experience with the Poe, all huddled under one blanket, Red gaining bad memories from the cold and all cuddled together, whether a toss leg or intwined arm for Green and Vio, not wanting to be alone, they read a story together. It was late into the night, the moon shining through their window onto the two mattresses tossed and pushed together on the floor, piles of blankets folded together, they found the story of selkies.

Lost souls at seal, formed into the appearance of a seal, in this particular story, it was stated as the lost souls of those who drowned at sea. Although feeling silly and childish, Red clung to this story after the discovery of Vio’s body, hoping both his brothers had gone to sea to be reborn, not wanting to think too hard on the detail of lost souls- where they lost as their bodies where not found, lost as they didn’t like how they died or lost mentally in a struggle in life? The first option meant he couldn’t find Vio again, the brothers separated as Vio was buried within the sanctuary grounds in honour. The second gave him hope but simultaneous sadness, he didn’t want them to be in pain no matter how likely it was. The third was troublesome, too many aspects and factors he couldn’t control.

Red knew, he knew all too well. Desperation chilled his heart and filled his lungs with water. He couldn't breathe between his heartfelt sobs- so full of pain yet burning with hope.

He knew the story, he’d read it daily, multiple times some days, the ink now smeared in places and the pages crumpled from his tight hold, smushed to his chest in a hug as he cried, or fallen to the floor on nights he cried himself to sleep.

Blue's room had felt so empty when he'd slept in his bed, felt so cold with no strong arms to hold and comfort him after a night terror, no scolding voice to hide his brother's affectionate gaze in tired eyes.

Vio's room had felt so empty when he'd sat at his desk, too bright with the curtains left open after Green's concern for his brother's eyes reading too often in low light, before he became isolated to his own room, too quiet without his brother's muttering, telling him stories and information about his latest project as they sat shoulder to shoulder.

He missed his brothers.

Though it was during one of those silent nights that he wandered aimlessly within his sibling's room. It was one of those nights he found the book on folktales again- it was a coincidence really, it laid partially open in an upside-down V, pages folding against the wooden floor wedged under Vio's bed. Red thought it must have been a book Vio was reading at night and dropped before he left for the beach, that day.

Shaking fingers clawed at the leather cover and tightened against fragile paper. He took the book with him back to Blue's bed and curled himself within cold sheets, book firming in his grasp.

Red didn't read often, used to his brother's deep voice threading words into such beautiful pieces for him, but tonight, tonight he would read the book his brother last read and sleep in the place his other sibling slept. Where they could never sleep again.

Red learnt the stories. Desperation bleeding penned ink into a burning hope, a suffocating hope. He knew it was silly. He knew it was childish. He didn't care.

He decided he’d fulfil his role in this tale, mind twisted deep into a spiralling depressive desperation, he’d bring his brothers back, or at least he wouldn’t have to live without them. They were one, created from Link and evolved into their own entities, they were meant to be together, it was fate. He would fulfil his fate, Green would understand, he told himself.

Each day, each night, he told himself it didn’t have to be that day, the ritual repeated every night after the third month of waiting, the third month of agony. It didn’t have to be today, if you were going to do it, why today, why tonight, can’t it wait until tomorrow? Think about it, the opportunity won’t leave if you wait a night, just wait at least one more day.

Green would understand.

Grandpa Smith would understand.

Father would understand.

He was going to make it okay. Silently leaving his bed in the middle of the night, tucking the blankets and cleaning the floor, moving any clothes to his basket by the door, the finally, finished crochet hammerhead shark for Green completed and left neatly on his pillow with a note. Then he changed his mind, socked feet turned back, grabbing the plush, it was instead left by Green’s door, awaiting the morning. Downstairs he passed the kitchen and walked to the door, slipping on his leather boots, the soles still dirty, not cleaned the night before, adjusted Blue and Vio’s shoes on the rack, brushing the light dust on the toes, and he walked out the door. Unable to lock it behind him he hoped it would all be okay until morning, the crime rate low in Castle Town and even lower so far up the hills into the forest.

He walked along the green of the grass, took shortcuts through trees and bends, until he arrived at his destination, over pebbles and a small hop over the sand onto old creaking wood. By the time he reached the end of the pier, his journey reaching its end, the moon was low again, reaching the early hours, the day soon to begin, grandpa Smith soon to wake up, to begin his routine, wash his face and make his way past Green’s room. Would he know what the plushie meant or would he wait until after he’d eaten to check Red’s room? He searched before he even began his routine, a sinking feeling in his heart. Would he care when he found his room empty, whenever he checked? He was filled with a terrible panic, the second he found the house empty awakening Green, both going different directions, alerting the guards the first moment they were able.

The breeze couldn't chill him as deeply as his frozen heart, rotten wood straining under his weight, groaning with the roar of the tide far behind him now, waves crashing around the wooden poles. Gaze solid and piercing the ocean, he allowed that ice to fill his lungs, water to roll from beyond to embrace his entire body. Firm wood was now absent beneath worn leather boots, cold water bled warmth into his skin, needles puncturing deep but mental comfort a thick blanketing shield, and wrapped cloth softly around.

Finally. A warm embrace. The deep rushing of water whispering tales within his ears; waves wrapping warm and strong around him.

Red knew, as he lulled gently, he'd finally sleep alongside his brother's tonight.

They wouldn’t mind, they’d understand.

-

After that night of searching Green returned to his room. Instead of searching like some others would believe, he returned to his room, broken.

The door hadn’t opened in five days, lunch trays left untouched, only two of five dinner trays taken in, one not even finished. Green knew what had happened, not that his brother had gone to the ocean, but that he was gone forever and not returning.

Behind the door, Green sat in the dark, cross-legged on the floor of his bedroom, his back pressed against the wall beneath the window. He kept the curtains closed. The light bothered him—made everything too real. The silence, though, wasn’t any better. It let his thoughts echo loud, like voices bouncing through an empty house.

Three brothers.

He had lost three brothers.

His heart was shattered to pieces, guilt from Blue and Vio still strong, yet he tried comfort himself that there was nothing he could do, but Red brought a whole new crushing wave of emotion- it truly was his fault. He’d probably seen how awful or useless his brother had been and left; he truly was the worst.

Four brothers all meant to be one were now separated beyond veils far out of their control, he truly couldn’t live on like this, yet he couldn’t bring himself to end it either, weight crushing upon his shoulders.

His grandfather had lost his grandchildren, his father losing his children, even worse that he was forced away by duty unable to properly grieve, even if he was surrounded by support from his squadron,  his closest friends who has battled together, grown with together and been in the worst situations, the men he trusted most, he wasn’t home, he wasn’t with his father or remaining son. Instead, he was out in a field or forest clearing, temporary barriers hoisted for defence and tarps tied across the space for shelter- he wasn’t at home in familiar comfort, now quiet, lonely comfort of his remaining family.

His father, still attempting to be strong for the both of them, sent letters, his penmanship slightly shaky despite the many attempts at writing in his neatest script, the occasional smudge of ink from a tilted hand or fallen tear, the paper lightly crinkled as it was left to dry before sealed into an envelope. He tried reassuring Green that they could all work through it all, that it was difficult, but time would help, that he remembers losing Green’s mother and their older son that Link never met, lost young before his own birth. He knew the pain of loosing family, and that hurt Green more, he’d lost his family once and now it had occurred all over again, they were his sons, he should have never lost them before he himself passed, he should have only had to consider his father’s passing, not this.

He must have written to his grandfather and Zelda, too, or so he convinced himself, their genuine concern felt undeserved, appearing at his bedroom door. His grandfather returned more than daily, sometimes just sitting outside the door, lightly knocking and talking to the boy within, conversations about anything, the garden, him cleaning the house, what he’d cook later, customer interactions, and so on; he never mentioned the other boys, not in reassurance, nor even on search progress, for Red nor Blue. He returned at least twice a day, even taking time away from the forge, for lunch and dinner breaks, using the smaller space attached to the house to remain close by for emotional and physical emergencies and comfort, eating his meals outside the door too in an attempt of company. Maybe he would appreciate it, and he hopes his grandfather knew that he did.

Zelda also turned up to his house, at least once a week, at times knocking loud and proud at the door greeting his grandfather, sometimes in the company of a guard or two, metal plate armour clinking along with heavy footsteps in the corridor below; then others she’d be let in voice hushed and exhausted, only a light, almost inaudible to Green, knock heard, having most likely snuck away- it made him emotional.

He was so happy everyone would come out of their way to spend time with him and show how much they cared, but it twisted his gut that they had to disrupt their own schedules and plans to attend to him.

It almost felt like he carried the burden that he couldn’t let them lose another loved one, that he had to appear strong to everyone, especially the public, expecting a hero. The quadlet had won over a portion of the public in different sectors, in support of the group once seeing and leaning of their skills and personalities, others still stuck in their ways, rejecting the new and the use of magic, some would even say cursed magic. The part that hurt the most was that people no longer expected Green, they expected Link.

Just one hero.

Just Link.

-

Being here felt sickening, only months of therapy and support of his family and Zelda keeping him standing, it was only because of them he’d even made it this far towards the location, finally pulled away from overworking himself.

The ocean was a bittersweet place for his family. Blue found peace in the waves, sparing against Green after a long day of knight work at the castle within the shallow waves, a battle between brothers being swept and knocked away with laughter and shallow waves of resistance. Vio exploring the shorelines for different species of plants and aquatic wildlife he read about, some more complex from deep within the castle archives compared and studied against the new books within the library; pages still with the fresh scent of ink, leather still shined and filled with flowery scholarly words. Red mixed between running alongside Vio, collecting shells and rocks more for their aesthetic than research purposes or pulling scarred fingers through the sand, shallow tunnels of water and mindless patterns to be washed and smoothed again by the ocean as the tides rose once dark.

Now it was more than just the sand washed by the waves. Waves he almost imagined his brothers within Blue never retrieved, body rotting and becoming one with the water, pieces flaking, clothes floating and animals eating his flesh, he had become part of the ecosystem. Despite no official confirmation Green believed Red was with him too, never found after the night he disappeared.

No footsteps followed him in the sand. No voices calling out or disturbances within the waves- it was not quiet though. The lack of footsteps didn’t always mean he was alone, he knew this was unique for his family but it brought the small comfort that despite only hearing the waves and harsher winds in his ears, he wasn’t alone. Green’s shadow twisted and coiled around his legs as the sun weaved between clouds and shined across the sand and along weathered rocks. This changed the further he walked down the beach. Sand was kicked up and trenched in lines down towards the ocean as crates and barrels were rolled and dragged through. Perched at the water stood a large crusader ship, decorated like a mare with ribboned strings and crossed banners, white sails shining bright for the royal family. She rocked slightly in waiting, calm yet rearing to sail along the country boundaries and fly toward the horizon- a month journey, one-way to a neighbouring country to Hyrule, royal matters was all he knew, at least that was all Zelda had told him, insisting he was needed to keep her company and defend her, she also threw in, despite the small squadron of guards for the ship and her actual lack of meetings written within her journal. Green knew Shadow wouldn’t be the most enthusiastic if he could criticise, being incorporeal was a barrier enough, being confined to a boat for months would’ve had him floating along the wooden beams- the thought alone made Green chuckle.

This was needed though.

With determined pestering from the princess and slight blackmail of being placed on probation from his guard captain position (decided by both Zelda and his father) and even any forge work from his grandfather swayed Green into accepting his place by the princess’ side. The hero. The chosen knight.

Previously a shared title.

His brothers may have been supportive and promised to write in an effort to promote him to travel but now he relied on the pestering of others. He felt rude thinking of it as “pestering” but after weeks of isolating himself to the forge and house he knew they meant well. “For your own good.” He knew it was true, he needed to go outside; he just wished it wasn’t the ocean.

Before Green even stepped up the wooden ramp, he already felt the tightening of sea sickness in his gut. Stomach tight, head rolling, and eyes squeezed shut; a deep breath and up he stepped.

Leather boots on weakened, waterlogged wood, the pale blue water glittering below, he felt even more sick. Another breath. Another step. A higher pitched voice called from the railing above: the princess. Waving a hand towards her knight and beckoning forward, “I almost believed you had abstained, sir knight,” her voice light but words pointed, “a voyage cannot begin without all aboard, no?”

A sharp nod and hand to heart, “apologies, m’lady. We may sail, no?” The light tease earned a soft giggle. The princess turned, eyes softer and soul lighter, another beckon and further onto the deck they traversed.

Below the boat thrust forward as hands pulled ropes and chains from within wrapped sails and watered lows; the crew bustling with swift calculated motions, actions completed in sequence. It was finally loud again, no empty bedrooms and creaking doors but voices, footsteps, and loud hollers across the deck. The ocean may have looked empty and more isolated than those wooden plank walls but with the sharp ice clawing along his feet and echoed whispers running along his back, he knew.

Lonely in a crowd but never alone, never lonely, with claws and ribbons in his shadow. It’d be a long journey; he knew that too. A long time to heal and think but there, right there in the shade of the mast, he wouldn’t be alone. A hero is never alone. A shard of a mirror will always return to the sand it was forged from, smoothed, and weathered among the waters once more.

It hadn’t taken long into the journey until the sea had turned against them.

Waves heaved and crashed against the hull, sending shudders through the ship’s frame like a wounded animal trying to stay upright. Lightning split the sky above, illuminating the now pounding rain in sharp bursts of silver, while thunder roared like the fury of Hylia was unleashed. The ropes tied along the railing and high above to the flag poles snapped in the wind along with the waxed wood creaked under the pressure.

Green could barely see through the deluge, but he didn’t need to. He felt it, the panic, the weight of the storm pressing down on them, and the danger rising around it all. With great haste he ushered the princess towards the cabin of the ship, set up as her quarters for the journey, now to be used as a refuge.

The crew ran around, back and forth along the deck, staying close to the centre of the deck, grabbing flailing ropes, securing sails tied within the nets above and securing all cargo that was above and below deck to create an equilibrium against the hulking waves, not to test the strength of the waters and the possibility of the ship capsizing.

With a rush and a yell of a young captain, who had to prove himself, authority he directed Zelda across, closing the distance towards the awaiting door, until a large wave curled and burst against the side of the vessel, unfurling across the deck, slickening the already battered floor, another rush sweeping at their tumbling feet, the ground unsteady beneath them.

With another lurch of the ship, Zelda slipped within the rush of water, body thrown sideways in the momentum of stumbling feet, Green’s hand of safety torn from her back and pulled in the retreating water. With another tumble, now far too close to the banister, she fell down into the high rise and fall of the dark waters, only a crack of lightning revealing her peril.

If the world could pause in that moment, it would still feel like only he saw her fall.

"Hold on!" he yelled out of instinct, unheard between the yells of the crew, thick rain and thundering from the clouds above, diving toward her without care for himself.

But her hands were already slipping through the railings, her scream was swallowed by the thunder; without thinking, without hesitating, Green lunged forward and leapt after her, into the dark, screaming mouth of the ocean.

The water was a shock, ice-cold and violent, it hit him like stone and pelted him time and time again, even the first few feet below the cracking surface- his breath was knocked from his chest as he plunged beneath the surface. For a terrifying second, he couldn’t see her, just the churn of white and dark, the sound of his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. Then a flash of dark fabric once a light pink tainted by the water and darkened by the lack of light around them, an outstretched hand, bubbles escaping a mouth trying to scream. He wanted to tell her to hold her breath, not to panic but she had already been placed at a disadvantage, Zelda was smart, she knew that struggling would harm her in the long-term, but as she’d been thrown and smacked across the banister and water’s solid surface the air had been stolen from her lungs leaving no air to hold for buoyancy or survival below the surface.

He kicked hard, extreme effort to fight between the strength of the water’s claws dragging him back and forth, circulating the water from above, with the rush of a downward wave, cutting through the water until Green’s hand found her arm, he pulled her close. She struggled at first, not against Green but to try assist him to correct their movement, to face upwards towards their salvation, to struggle for purchase against their momentum, arms flailing, he helped steady them both, wrapping his arms around her waist and kicking toward the surface.

Above them, the storm raged, but he could see the shape of the ship, a ghostly silhouette rocking against the sky. The weight of his own clothes dwarfed by the boulder of Zelda’s gown; weight amplified by the water latching to be woven within.

After a few minutes of struggle, vision darkening at points until cracks of lightning pushed through, they surfaced together. She gasped, choking on rain and seawater, Green held her above the waves with all the strength he had left.

"Grab the rope!" someone shouted from above, their voice only heard as if an illusion due to the now visible outline of two figures above leaning over the wooden bars, both seemed to have rope tied around their torsos and an extra rope hung between them ravelled around the openings in the carved wood. He couldn’t tell who it was but he thanked them mentally none the less.

Ropes dangled from the side of the ship, swinging wildly, Green pushed Zelda to grab the rope first, coiling the rope around her wrists after he failed to tie a knot around her waist with the pushing of the waves. Arms reached down, and the princess was lifted, first by her waist, then her arms and onto the safety of the deck. Turning over her shoulder, exhausted and held tight by a member of the crew, her eyes met Green’s for a single heartbeat, wide with fear and overflowing with gratitude.

But before he could reach up to follow, something tugged at his leg.

At first, he thought it was a drifting rope. A loose knot from the ship, trailing behind like a forgotten anchor tail, but it moved. It wrapped around his ankle, then the other, until it coiled and tightened as he struggled.

He thrashed, reaching toward the ship, kicking hard. The water spun, waves crashing above him. A second line, or something that felt like a rope, sensations dulled in the cold, battering water, twisted around his thigh. Panic surged in his chest, heavy and hot. He twisted, trying to see if it truly was it rope, or a form of extremely long or loose seaweed, maybe even a lost fishing net. The ocean offered no clarity, only shadows and twisting, blurred motion.

The surface began to drift farther away, he reached up, but the water pulled him down; his body drifted, his eyes forced shut, stinging with salt and sore from strain, the sea turning silent and still, the lower he drifted, the colder he became and the more dulled his senses, save for the low hum of what wasn’t thunder, but what seemed to be voices.

As if the ocean itself was remembering him.

-

As always, thank you for reading and criticism is always welcome. For this piece I'd love for it to be a transition into some x reader head-cannons (therefore the tags) but those will be posted in another piece.

Fun fact:

Alternate (original planned) ending: the ship enters a storm, and Green is thrown overboard trying to take the princess into the cabin or dives into the ocean and drowns when lifting her onto the ship after she fell. He can see the shadow of the boat above, the darkness of the sea below and the reflection of the water around him which disorientates him. Instead of being able to swim to the surface either a loose rope from the ship ties and drags him or long foliage from the seabed traps around him when he flailed when disorientated. The shadows begin spinning showing that Shadow desperately tries to save Green but is unable- as he loses consciousness, he sees multiple “masses”/sea creatures circling him, it is implied that these are his brothers turned to selkies.

[syllogical]

WON'T YOU PLEASE ASK MY NAME?

[applecoreyearning]

Is just me or does this season feel crazy predictable? I feel like season 1 + 2 each ep I was gagged? Like each episode had me on the edge of my seat. Idk if it’s the overall plot of the season, or the pacing, or the character development? something just feels off. It could also be that I’m watching the show with people for the first time or that it’s the first time i’m just watching it episode by episode.

Things that bug me (also if i’m missing some details i do have the memory of a goldfish)

Other tai just slipping in conveniently when she’s going to shoot coach and she’s NOT asleep - does she just have multiple personality disorder? is the trauma that made it develop from her grandmother passing or the plane crash? they could have put a scene or two of child tai sleepwalking/changing alters as a child, or another instance of other tai coming out in the previous season/or just subtle instances. BC it just seemed like a lazy/easy way to just progress the plot. but again maybe the rest of the season will tie it in better

The time jump is the biggest one. the cabin burning down was such a huge thing and to barely acknowledge that is wild. I also would LOVE to know how they survived the rest of the winter 🙂‍↕️ we have barely seen nat in a leadership role - how did she keep them alive? where did they live? how did they rebuild? once it wasn’t life or death how did they cope? this would have been a great place to start really developing the shauna/nat power struggle.

shauna being unhinged- i love it it’s great for her character and i get why she’s that way… but what happened to her relationship w tai? like yes she was unhinged in the second season but now it feels very shauna and melissa vs the rest of the group. ik she was pretty isolated in the cabin too but it feels worse outside? she has no other meaningful character interactions rn besides small one offs w nat…. also like give melissa more to her character esp if she’s a survivor? all ik about her is she stands behind shauna and yells one liners… like yea they kissed but how is that affecting shauna? is she realizing she was gay for jackie? or is she just dragging melissa along to keep her loyal to her? what’s keeping her tied to her humanity?

WHAT HAPPENED TO CRYSTAL

the yellow filter if it’s not a plot device

also like did they all have the same dream? if they did are they not going to explore that more?

lottie dying? like why what was the point of the shoplifting and coming over to shauna’s? did she know some one was after her? why the 50k?

The adult time line seems disjointed somehow?

them saying it’s getting cold again… where did the time go?

Overall there’s been just a lot of changes w/o context that feel jarring to the plot idk. this was also just a brain dump really! i def am going to rewatch after it all comes out fs 🙂‍↕️ this also isn’t to say i don’t love the show and im so happy we got another season!

[random-thoughts-uwu]

Aventurine headcanons! (after IPC recruitment)

Moving in:

was VERY overwhelmed. it was so big, bright, warm...ah!

probably just sat on the floor for a good while. just. trying to grasp what was happening at that moment.

so many rooms...the living area was so big and cozy, the bathrooms were so clean and bright, the bedroom...!

was very overwhelmed when he got to the kitchen; he probably didn't know what half the utility was for, and when he got the fridge/pantry, saw more food than he could even name. im telling you. so many different meats, fruits, vegetables, dairies...fruit that are normal to everyone else was likely VERY new for him. he probably also felt guilty, in a way, having so much food for only himself, when he and his family had been starving for so long...but anyways!

he was probably also very cautious moving in, checking all the windows and closets, any place where someone could be hiding or any possible cameras.

was likely still cautious, but managed to bathe and found it to be his new favorite thing.

probably LOVES meats. like. wow. its so juicy and tasty and fills him up. and sweets. major sweet tooth. poor man probably hasnt had anything sweet like this in his life up till now

Education:

also, can we talk about his education? honestly, i doubt he even knew how to read. well, maybe his sister taught him the basics, but again, he was enslaved for such a long time. did ratio teach him? did he just slowly get better at it himself (with lots of mispronouncing words and then getting the Look from ratio LOL)

someone had to teach him to use a phone too...i wonder if it was like IPC training to teach him how to use electronics or if they had to ask dr ratio or topaz or something to teach him

honestly he probably doesnt know a lot of classics either. the poor boy doesnt know about fairytales and classic books and movies. maybe he has some slightly altered versions from Sigonia-IV, like how theres different versions of cinderella in different cultures

i guess we can all agree aventurine is WAYYY more street smart than book smart compared to ratio (i still love you aventurine)

Experiences!

ok, so let's talk about this. my poor aventurine doesnt know anything but the harsh desert like terrain of sigonia-iv, and the cold cellar he was locked in, and ig normal buildings and the like.

but lets take him to the beach now. WOAH. the sand is so soft?? and it's not just harsh, hot sand, theres cool water, crashing onto the shore! there's seashells! washed up seaweed! palm trees! seagulls!! also he probably doesn't know how to swim. so he'd just do that awkward walk into the ocean that we all did as kids and get a little tense whenever a wave comes but eventually come to love it and never want to leave. hed also fs jump whenever something touches him.

snow???? imagine this. imagine please oh my god. its SNOW. its so magical and soft and cold. hed watch the snow fall, try to catch some on his tongue and taste it, make snowballs and snowmen and snow angels, run around and just lay in it. and at night, when the sky is that dull color and not quite black, the snow all soft and white

also, let's be real, chat. this man lost out on so. many. childhood experiences. so, him first learning to ride a bike, or playing ball, or finding a song he loves and screaming the lyrics out whenever, or learning to bake...i also very strongly headcanon that he would see a group of kids playing and immediately get hit with nostalgia, envy, melancholy. for the childhood he lost, the innocence of these children, their happy expressions as they run back to hug their mom and babble on excitedly about something, the dirt cleaned from their faces with a gentle thumb and smile. all these things he's never got to experience before.

Fears and insecurities (slight tw?):

thunderstorms. its too loud, so sudden, brings back all those old memories

yelling. he actually can't take it he Will break down. especially if its from someone he's close to

physical scars-- you cannot tell me this man will not have scars. i am almost 100% sure that you will see all sorts of fading marks along his back and arms, from fights, lashes, etc...

intimacy. sorry if this gets tw for anyone, but just saying. we all see how overconfident and cocky he acts, but he probably hates the idea of vulnerability. he hates being in that kind of situation, where he's left bare to his lover's gaze and judgement. i think he would also be scared of accidentally causing pain, or not being enough. or maybe scared of reaching expectations, of having to be up for it and ready whenever his lover wants it simply because he's a guy, or maybe thinks that that's just how relationships work.

also im very sure this man gets panic attacks, like. cmon. nightmares? had a situation too similar to one of the ones that scarred him?

also feel free to add more idk (i will be fs so u might want to come back and check idk)

[despair-to-future-arcs]

Poor kids. They never got the help they deserved. Thanks She Who Shall not Named.

So meaning that those 2 could end up killing themselves...? This... This is unfair!

Look, is there a way to make sure that doesn't happen?! I rather we don't have anymore deaths happening!

Indeed, there must be a way to fix this and make sure neither of them die!

...There is one way but I don't think either of you will like it.

What would that be...? I'll take anything if it means to make sure no one dies.

Well... the only way to do that is to simply remove the memory or extracting it and placing it elsewhere.

Extracting it...? You mean, you place to remove memories?

—————————————————————–

It means we remove their memories of Hope's Peak and the killing game, pretty much the only thing they'll remember is them entering the school and that's it.

It's the safest way to make sure those 2 won't kill themselves.

—————————————————————–

Wait so you plan to just remove their memories just like that?! But they'll forget all about us and our time as Classmates! I just... I don't want them to forget!

...No, I can see why they would but maybe instead of getting rid of their memory we can store it somewhere.

Store it...? You mean store their memories in the killing game and Hope's Peak along with the tragedy?

Well no the killing game as Nagi already has footage but I mean by storing their memories of Hope's Peak Academy and the Tragedy into a disc if that's possible?

Nagi... do you think you can do that?

Hmm, I'm not sure... it could be possible...

Say Alter Ego? Do you think we can try to do that?

—————————————————————–

That might be possible but it would take a whole day to extract all of it from the virus and place it on a disc...

I think we can do that and help them recover a bit more easily.

Great idea Nagi and big brother, I think this would help both Mikan and Nagito.

So that means we have less work!

Exactly and it would be this much!

PARTICIPANT:

Ibuki Mioda - 5% (4 to 5 days)

Hiyoko Saionji - 5% (4 to 5 days)

Mikan Tsumiki - 1% (1 to 2 days)

Nekomaru Nidai - 5% (4 to 5 days)

Gundham Tanaka - 5% (4 to 5 days)

Nagito Komaeda - 1% (1 to 2 days)

—————————————————————–

Hm, alright that seems easily to do...

Still there's Ibuki, Hiyoko, Nekomaru and Gundham we need to consider as well...

I'm... still not sure about this, I mean removing their memories doesn't seem like a good idea...

[crystaldivination]

ᗩᑎGᕮᒪ'S ᑕᗩᒪᒪIᑎG 🪽☎️

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𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬:

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to do:

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