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carminite-wyrm · 3 years ago

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Running Onwards, To the Hope of a New Day (Part 3)

Part 1 | Part 2

(Thank you to everyone who's been reading this fic of mine so far! I've really appreciated all your comments! Also, this will eventually be up on AO3, just not yet because I haven't been able to get an account just yet.)

In which Nyx tries his best, realises a few things, learns a new skill, and commits a minor case of arson.

All in all, Nyx was feeling pretty good about his chances, on his ninth run. He’d learnt from his eighth run that, no, setting the black-market dealer’s place on fire, stealing both the explosives and the phoenix down, and quietly dumping the explosives into one of the rivers that ran through Insomnia wasn’t enough to stop the rebels from bombing the signing ceremony. Considering there was more than one cell, he was sadly unsurprised by this. He’d also figured out that whatever was attracting the daemons was attached to the tracker in the hairpin in a way that he couldn’t just remove, which was a shame.

He learned that he needed to give Crowe a phone in some sort of blast-proof container or casing, because while he’d managed to give Crowe the means to contact him and Libertus sooner, the phone would be severely damaged without one. And, because the phone would be broken, Crowe wouldn’t be able to get in contact with them soon enough to stop Libertus from joining the rebels and giving them the vital information that they needed to launch their attack on the Citadel.

He had also found out that if he told King Regis about the traitorous Glaives he knew would survive the Princess’ extraction, that the King would be able to sever their connection to his magic before they encountered them on either the bridge or the overpass.

Unfortunately, its effectiveness was limited by the fact that there were still Glaives that he hadn’t known were traitors, and so they still had ended up rocketing off the overpass when another Glaive, who Nyx belated recognised as Isra Solis (and Crowe had cursed her out even more viciously than Nyx had, because Isra was as talented with frost magic as Crowe was with fire, and the two had been close, before everything went down).

At this point, Nyx was pretty sure that as soon as they got to that first attempt to escape the city, it was almost guaranteed that they’d be crashing the car sooner or later.

At the very least, Nyx thought to himself, as he finally found an old camera case which he hoped would be enough to hide the phone, this should help with stopping Libertus from leaving. Hopefully.

A day later, he awkwardly held the box of Crowe’s things, waiting for Drautos to move out of earshot. As Libertus raged at Crowe’s apparent death, Nyx took a deep breath, and quickly grabbed Libertus, warping them into one of the nearby alcoves (why there were so many alcoves by the morgue, Nyx had no idea, but he’d take it).

“Nyx, what the hell?!” Libertus gasped, nearly losing his balance at the sudden movement if not for Nyx’s steady grip on his arm.

“Lib…I don’t think Crowe is dead,” Nyx said, mustering the most serious voice he could, which was actually pretty serious considering how much potentially hinged on him getting Libertus to listen. “Look, you know how I gave her some of my curatives, right? Well, I also gave her a phoenix down and an extra phone.”

“…Why? What has that got to do with any of this?”

Nyx rummaged through the box in his hands, searching through for any of the items in question. Thankfully (for the point he was making, at any rate), he could not find any of the things that he had given Crowe.

“They said they recovered everything, right?”

Libertus nodded slowly.

“The phone isn’t here. Not even parts of it.”

Nyx was gratified to see the dawning realisation on Libertus’ face, and silently congratulated himself for finally convincing him of Crowe’s continued survival. And hopefully now, Libertus wouldn’t have too many reasons to leave, or at the very least, no reason to give information to that rebel cell.

“So, what you’re saying,” Libertus said, slowly, almost as if he couldn’t believe it. “Is that Crowe could still be alive.”

“Yes, exactly!” Nyx internally was jumping up and down with joy, this was exactly the reaction he wanted.

“We need to go find her.”

Wait, shit. Celebrated too early.

Nyx wasn’t even certain that Libertus would be able to find Crowe, if he went haring off now. And if he lost track of Libertus, then he wouldn’t to be able to assure himself of Libertus or Crowe’s safety. And if Libertus went running off, then that would alert the traitors that their plan hadn’t gone exactly to plan, and Nyx…couldn’t risk them changing the script that drastically.

“With what resources, Lib?” Nyx hissed, holding back Libertus with a hand on his shoulder. “We don’t even know where she is! She still has the phone, presumedly. We should wait for her call.”

“But what if she can’t call? What if she’s been captured by the Niffs, or- or.”

“…Give it a day, Lib. 24 hours, and if we don’t hear anything, we’ll go find her. But don’t you dare leave without me.” Nyx scowled, hoping that his mild concession wouldn’t be necessary. He didn’t exactly want to show off the fact that he knew the approximate area that Crowe would end up in, two days from this point, but 24 hours would give him time to come up with a reasonable excuse. He hoped, at any rate.

“Fine,” Libertus nodded. “24 hours’ll give us time to prepare, either way.”

“And don’t you dare try and resign, we’re going to need the King’s magic for this. Probably.”

“Alright, alright, hero.” Libertus shook his head, patting Nyx on the shoulder. “Worry about Crowe, not me.”

“I am not going to risk losing you as well, Lib.” Nyx scowled.

Libertus’ expression softened, then, and he drew Nyx into a hug.

“You won’t, Nyx.”

But I have. So many times, Nyx didn’t say, basking in the warmth of his best friend’s embrace. So many times, Libertus. I wish I could tell you.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Nyx’s phone rang early the next day, showing the contact for the phone that he had given Crowe, Nyx was unashamed to admit that he broke down sobbing. Frantically hitting the answer button, he listened to Crowe tell him that Luche had nearly killed her, that she’d been rescued in the nick of time by the combined efforts of the phoenix down and a pair of hunters, and that (this time), for some reason, she was actually all the way at Hammerhead.

Why she was all the way there, Nyx wasn’t quite certain, but Crowe had explained that the phone had actually been slightly damaged after the fight with Luche, but when Crowe had been trying to get it to actually make a call, one of the hunters had said that there was a mechanic over at Hammerhead, who could repair it.

Nyx wondered why Crowe hadn’t gone to the outpost last time, surely an outpost as well-established as Hammerhead would have been the ideal place to take an injured Glaive to contact her allies. Then he realised that in the last run, the phone had been completely toasted, and perhaps the hunters had not realised that Crowe was a member of the Kingsglaive, until they had spotted the Imperial dropships and Crowe had gone racing off after them.

Still, he did have some other questions to ask her.

“Wait, hold up, why couldn’t the hunters call us for you? Don’t they have phones of their own?”

“Batteries died.”

Are you fucking kidding me?! Nyx thought. What were the bloody chances of that happening?!

“What.” He said instead.

“Yeah, apparently they were going to head to one of the smaller, nearer outposts because there’s some spares there, but when I told them I needed to get in touch with a member of the Kingsglaive fast, I think they broke like four or five road rules to get me here as fast as they could.”

Nyx couldn’t help but laugh at the image, before slowly managing to calm himself down.

“Can you hold for a moment? I need to get Libertus here before he does something stupid and tries to rush after you.”

“Sure, Nyx. Get him in here, I bet the big guy’s worrying his ass off about me. I sure won’t be going anywhere, the hunters said it was risky enough bringing me all the way over here in the first place.”

Nyx sped down the hallway, and raced for the stairs, almost knocking Luche down the stairs (if only) in his haste to reach Libertus. He slammed open the door, having only wasted a few seconds fumbling with his own set of keys beforehand.

“LIB!” He yelled, as he shut the door behind him.

“What?!” Libertus yelled back, from inside the bathroom, where Nyx could hear the sounds of the shower running. “It better be important, I only just got the hot water running!”

Oh, whoops.

Three minutes later, Nyx was awkwardly sitting on Libertus’ couch whilst Libertus talked with Crowe, the other man significantly less irritated at Nyx’s interruption when Nyx had told him he had Crowe on the other end of his phone. He didn’t mention to Libertus later, when the man had finally re-entered the main area of his flat and put the phone on speaker, that he had definitely heard the sound of Libertus sobbing even with the continued sound of running water. Nyx was honestly just happy that Libertus was still here, still with him, and that Crowe was still alive.

“Shit, Nyx.” Libertus finally said, after Crowe had fully retold her story. “Luche’s a fucking traitor. We should…we should tell the Captain.”

Nyx froze, from where he was preparing to head off to be part of the Princess’ escort into Insomnia.

“I…I’m not sure we should.” Nyx admitted, trying not to make it apparent that he absolutely distrusted anything and everything Drautos said or did. “The details of Crowe’s mission should have been confidential, as soon as she left the city. But despite the precautions that were taken, Luche was still able to find her, and nearly kill her. If Luche’s a traitor, what’s to say there aren’t any other traitors in the Kingsglaive? What’s to say that the Captain’s office hasn’t already been compromised?”

“Shit, is there anywhere else we can take this?”

“What about the Crownsguard Marshal? The Crownsguard deal with internal affairs, right?” Crowe chipped in.

“We could…but I’m due in for Citadel duty in ten minutes, and we can’t afford any possible traitors knowing something’s up just yet.” Nyx scowled, frustrated at how things had lined up. “Lib, can you see if you can talk to the Marshal?”

“Nyx, you know how I feel about the Crownsguard,” Libertus shook his head. “With my luck, I’d end up just pissing them off, and that’s the opposite of getting them to listen. Chances are, I’m not even going to make it anywhere close to the Marshal’s office.”

“Damn it.” Nyx sighed. “I’ll see if I can find him, when it gets to my lunch break.”

“I’ll see if I can think of any way to get Crowe back here soon, I’m certain Crowe showing up alive will lend support to our whole ‘Luche is a filthy traitor’ argument.” Libertus nodded. “Best of luck, hero.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If one were to inquire as to why Nyx Ulric of the Kingsglaive was currently sitting with his head in his hands, barely an hour after his shift had ended, on the steps just outside the Kingsglaive barracks, he would tell them to politely ‘fuck off’.

It was, perhaps, not the most diplomatic of responses, but Nyx felt it easily summed up how he was presently feeling, after the utter shitshow that was his attempt to find the Marshal of the Crownsguard.

The actual searching and inquiry itself was quite fast. He’d only had to step into the Crownsguard building asking to see the Marshal, only to find out one little thing. One key thing he honestly wished he’d known far sooner, because it explained so many things.

The Marshal was not in the damn city.

Apparently, the man was off on some sort of confidential mission, due to return the bloody day before the signing ceremony for some Astrals-damned reason.

That was too late for any of Nyx’s current (and possibly future) plans.

And there was no way he, a single Kingsglaive, could even get the Marshal to return sooner, it simply wasn’t within the bounds of his current abilities.

So that avenue was closed to him, for the time being. Perhaps there were other people in the Marshal’s office he could approach, but Nyx simply did not know who would be a trustworthy, reliable person he could talk to in that branch of the military.

He briefly considered Fortis, before shaking his head. That man could be relied upon in a crisis, he had to admit, but…to most people, the only crisis happening at the moment was the political nightmare of the ceasefire. To most, it was a matter for diplomats and Kings, not foot soldiers and guardsmen.

Scowling off into the distance, he wondered whether it might have just been best to get Crowe back into the city, so that he could at least go to the King with direct evidence of Luche’s treachery. With any luck, Luche would have spilled everything, and then they could have killed Glauca when he inevitably fought back.

It seemed a bit late to try that this time around, though. Tomorrow, Insomnia would be invaded, after all.

Nyx sighed, before readying himself for his night shift guard duty, and the Princess’ inevitable kidnapping. Time to see if he could, at the very least, keep all his friends alive for longer this time around.

The next morning, he let himself back into Libertus’ room, to kick his plan of ‘Keep The King and My Friends Alive At Least’ into motion.

“Lib, I’m…I’m going to go talk to the King,” He said, and had a moment of amusement at Libertus nearly dropping his bowl of oatmeal in shock. “Crowe’s still at Hammerhead, yeah? Presumably heavily injured, but not injured enough to be unable to hold a call, right?”

“I would assume so,” Libertus nodded, after regaining his composure. “You sure you can get the King himself to listen? He’s a Lucian, and a noble to boot. You know how the combination of the two tend to treat folks like us.”

“…I think he’d listen. We have proof, now, and the next highest-ranked person isn’t even going to be here yet.”

“I still think we should tell the Captain-“

“No!”

Nyx winced as Libertus levelled a critical eye at him, the force of his disagreement clearly a bit…too much.

“Nyx.”

“Yes, Libertus?” Please don’t ask what I think you’re about to.

“Why are you so adamant about not telling the Captain?” Libertus put down his bowl, and crossed his arms, a pose familiar enough to Nyx that he knew Libertus wouldn’t take a vague answer. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“I- I think the Captain is also a traitor.” There. He said it.

Nyx waited, as the seconds ticked by, as Libertus seemed to turn the thought over in his head. He waited, for the inevitable doubt, the claims of paranoia gone too far in the wake of Luche’s betrayal.

“I’m guessing you don’t have any evidence, do you.”

Nyx raised an eyebrow. That wasn’t a complete expression of doubt, even if Libertus did still seem highly sceptical of his not-theory.

“No. It’s just,” Nyx fished around for the right word that wouldn’t cause more suspicion, considering he still wasn’t sure he could just outright say ‘yeah I’ve watched Drautos murder King Regis like three times by now’. “A gut feeling. An instinct.”

“Well, your gut instinct hasn’t led us astray much at all, has it,” Libertus sighed, his stance loosening dramatically as he sat down heavily. “Astrals damn it. And considering Drautos is actually respected by the Lucians, they won’t be likely to take your word without actual evidence to back it up.”

“And obviously, I couldn’t exactly break into his house or office to look for evidence.”

“Well, you could, it’d just be difficult.”

“What.”

Libertus shrugged, before gesturing at himself and Nyx.

“We’ve both got magic, idiot.”

“Yes, and? It’s not exactly conducive to breaking and entering, you know. Security cameras exist, and I can’t exactly fireball my way into his office.”

Libertus blinked up at Nyx, before vanishing in the slightest glow of crystal-blue.

“Oh.”

Nyx sat down, on the floor of Libertus’ shoebox of a flat, and laughed into the palm of his hand. He laughed, until he registered Libertus (now visible again), shaking his shoulder.

“You good?”

“I. Yeah,” Nyx wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye. “I can’t believe it didn’t occur to me. Six, it was so obvious all along!”

He looked up at Libertus, and grinned. “Can you teach me?”

“What, now?!” Libertus looked around, before sighing once again. “You want to go searching whilst the Signing Ceremony happens, don’t you? Fuck, of course you are, you reckless piece of shit.”

“Well-“ Actually, I was more thinking it’d be good for a future loop.

“Fine. You’ve got forty minutes before your next citadel guard shift, you better be listening closely, hero. The others in my squad took at minimum three days to hold this for longer than a few seconds. You might be a warp-spammer, but this shit takes more focus than a shield, for all that it drains your magic slower.”

“I’m listening, Lib.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the time Nyx had to leave for the citadel, he could hold the invisibility for all of two seconds, a feat that Libertus had briefly praised, before going right back to fondly complaining about Nyx’s aptitude with all things magical. It wasn’t enough to be truly practical, but Nyx figured he’d have time to practice it more, next loop.

“You’ll call me, yeah, if anything goes south?” Libertus had asked, grabbing hold of Nyx before he could leave.

“Yeah,” Nyx nodded. “I will.”

An hour later, he was hastily calling Crowe with the coordinates he had by now memorised, as he made his way to the rest of the Kingsglaive with their orders to mobilise. As for Libertus, he’d updated him as to the situation, tasking Libertus with keeping an eye on the situation within the city, and calling him if anything happened.

Obviously, Nyx knew that things were definitely going to happen, but the point was that he wanted Libertus to not run off and potentially get himself killed. Nyx had a plan, this time around, or at least the makings of one, and he was fairly certain he’d be able to keep his friends, the Princess, and the King alive this time around.

First off though, he had to survive the Princess’ extraction.

With a deep breath, he launched himself up onto the Niflheim ship, experience allowing him to stick the landing instead of the awkward crash his first time around. With expert motions, he directed the Glaives through the ship, right up to the point where Pelna found the Princess.

“Pelna, get out of there, now. Don’t go down that corridor, I spotted a really nasty daemon that way.” Nyx said, hurriedly, as he sprinted down the hallway to meet them. He easily ducked under a traitor’s attack, ripping off their mask just before he slit their throat.

He’d forgotten to check their identities the first few times around, too busy with trying to survive and keeping his friends alive, and while he knew he wouldn’t be able to get all of them in one run, he sure could at least find out who a few of them were.

Distantly, as he expertly tripped another traitor and killed them before they could even try and attack Pelna from behind, he wondered how much he had changed, already, with how many times he’d already replayed the past five days. Before this hell week, before the ceasefire, before the time loops, these Glaives had been his fellow comrades-in-arms. He’d saved them, and been saved in turn, on countless missions, in countless fights. And yet here he was, barely batting an eye as sisters and brothers turned on them all, as he cut them down within seconds of them raising their blades and spells against their former friends and allies. Their movements were so familiar, so scripted, he knew exactly how to move to counter their attacks, how to slip under their guard and slice them apart. The only true dangers, it seemed, would be the daemons, Luche and his posse, and General Glauca.

He shoved Pelna back with one hand as they rounded the corner, tanking a fireball from Tredd with his own shield, before retaliating with his own rapid blasts of lightning. He could hear Tredd curse, ducking around his own corner just as a tentacle from the octopus daemon began to tear the ship they were on in two.

He quickly directed Pelna and Lunafreya onto the ship they would escape in, nodding to himself as Crowe suddenly warped onto the open deck with a gasp, mirroring the events of Loop 7. He quickly shoved a couple of hi-elixirs into her hand, before turning around and seeing if he could spot Luche’s escape ship. Sadly, he couldn’t, and resigned himself to seeing those assholes again later, during the overpass chase.

“Shit, Crowe!” Pelna called out. “You’re alive?!”

“Yeah, no thanks to fucking Luche.” Crowe spat, and Nyx mentally noted down that two hi-elixirs were so much better than just one single elixir. “Nyx, you need to call Libertus, let him know what a shitshow this has all turned out to be.”

“And it’s gotten worse.” Pelna agreed, pointing out the falling Wall.

“We need to return to the Citadel-“

“Yeah, I know. The King and the Ring, right?” Nyx sighed, already calling Libertus.

“Yes, exactly- Wait, how did you know that?” Lunafreya suddenly appeared in Nyx’s field of view, eyes bright with concern, just as Nyx had finished talking to Libertus.

“You’re talking to the Glaive who’s pulled the most Citadel duty out of everyone, I picked up a few things,” Nyx said, suddenly aware of the fact that the importance of the Ring was…probably not the most common of information around. He hastily changed the subject. “I let Lib know we were coming back, he’s going to be waiting for us in the Citadel garage.”

“You sure he’ll be alright? What with that leg of his?” Pelna inquired.

“He might not look like it, but Lib is a very good driver.” Nyx thought back to the past loops. In every single one where he’d actually made it to that plaza, Libertus had, without fail, successfully crashed a car into Glauca. And on top of that, he’d also successfully navigated his way through a city in the midst of getting razed, whilst Nyx and the Old Wall had been tearing up the city in their respective fights. Libertus was the best damn driver Nyx knew, broken leg or not.

The four of them made it to the Citadel in what felt like record time, running into the signing room just in time to once again see Ravus’ arm on fire. Pelna and Lunafreya quickly hustled the King out of the room, whilst Crowe and Nyx did their best to harry Glauca with alternating blasts of fire and lightning. As they ran out of the secret tunnel and into the garage, Nyx grinned as he Libertus waved at them all. As Crowe rushed to give Libertus a one-armed hug, Nyx quietly relayed the identities of the rest of the traitorous Glaives he could be certain of, as well as his suspicions about Captain Drautos, to the King, who nodded even as he paled considerably at Nyx’s revelations.

“Astrals, but am I glad to see you, Crowe!” Libertus called out.

“You too, Libertus! Better not have done anything stupid whilst I was out.”

“Cool catch-up, but we’ve got General Glauca right on our heels,” Nyx said, slamming down another shield over the tunnel that they had just left. “We’ll take two cars. Pelna, you’re driving that car over there. Crowe, you and King Regis can get into Lib’s car. Me and the Princess will be with Pelna. We’ll exit together, and Pelna will take the lead. Lib, I want you to stay as close as possible to us, me and Crowe will be taking charge of killing anything that gets in our way, but there’s no guarantee we’ll be able to clear a path, so stay vigilant. Make sure your comms stay open.”

“Got it.” They all nodded, Crowe even giving him a thumbs up as she slid into Libertus’ car.

The drive out of the Citadel went exactly as Nyx had expected, and he quietly cackled to himself even as he leaned out of the window to throw a handful of lightning at one of the MT Armours chasing them. As he spotted the ship carrying Luche, Tredd, and the rest of their group slowly coming into view, he threw a fireball at them, before ducking back down into the car. Hastily, he grabbed the Princess’ hairpin from her, the woman too shocked by the suddenness of his action to protest.

“Pelna, hand me the wheel.”

“Nyx what-“

“You’re still good at warping, yeah? I need you to warp the Princess to Lib’s car,” Nyx sighed as Lib predictably began to also protest. “Lib, get someone to hold that door open.”

“Nyx, you fucking-“

“Pelna, now!”

To his credit, the man didn’t hesitate even with his protests, throwing his dagger in a shower of blue as he tugged the Princess along, leaving Nyx alone in his car.

Not for much longer, of course, because just as Luche and Tredd leaned out of their ship to try and shoot at them all, and just as Petra Fortis in his armoured van appeared in Nyx’s rearview mirror, Nyx turned his car to face Luche and Tredd.

The look on their faces as he drove the car straight at them would be one Nyx would savour for a long, long time. Luche’s string of curses as Nyx warped out of the car just before impact, would also be on the list of things that gave Nyx so much joy.

He landed on the side of Fortis’ van with a quiet oomph, clinging onto the kukri now lodged into the metal. A few moments later, he’d managed to swing himself into the front seat, after Fortis had rolled down the window for him.

“You’re insane, Ulric. Actually insane.” Fortis said, staring at him with wide eyes even as they caught up with Libertus and the others.

“Best warper in the Kingsglaive.” Nyx replied smugly, and winced as the yelling over his comm reached an even louder level.

After that, they somehow made it all the way to within view of the West Gate, even with the occasional daemon or magitek soldier that they ran into. It seemed Nyx’s gambit with the crashed car and the hairpin had paid off, for now, and he quietly let himself relax a little, though he kept an eye out for anything else that might stop their escape.

It was that caution that had him spotting the glimmer of silver and purple before it hit the ground in front of Libertus’ car, his yell of alarm all that they needed to grind to a halt just in time to avoid General Glauca slicing their car in two.

“Shit, Fortis, you and Lib are gonna have to guard the King and Princess, we’ll try and hold him off. If you see an opening, get out of here.” Nyx said, as he chucked a kukri out of the window, and began doing his level best to once again kill Glauca.

As Crowe covered the King and Princess’ retreat to Fortis’ van, followed by a very worried Libertus, Nyx threw himself headlong into the fight, Pelna darting in and out where he could, the two of them trying to keep Glauca’s attention long enough for Crowe to be able to join in.

“Why do you fight, for a King who would abandon us all to save his throne and his son?” Glauca roared, as Nyx warped out of the way of his sword, flinging a blast of flame to hide Pelna’s approach. “Walk away, Glaives, and you will see another day in peace, the Empire has promised it!”

“The way I see it, whatever Niflheim promised you isn’t enough to justify the utter destruction laid in its wake, Drautos.”

Glauca actually froze, momentarily, as Nyx called him by his actual name. And then cursed, because Crowe had apparently figured out how to properly stash the King and the Princess away, and had now joined the fight as well with a blast of flame that Nyx could see had melted part of his helmet.

“So, you know, then.”

“Yeah, I do, you traitorous bastard.”

The three Glaives did their best to fight Glauca, a blast of lightning from Nyx actually causing the armoured man to stumble backwards a little. This…wasn’t going terribly, Nyx thought, warping past Glauca’s shoulder and swinging back down, Pelna trying to go for Glauca’s knees at the same time. They were both flung backwards for their efforts, but Crowe had used that opportunity to slam another two fireballs at Glauca, only one of which the man was able to deflect.

In the corner of his eye, he saw a daemon making its way to them, ambling towards Fortis’ van. Nyx cursed, and launched himself at Glauca, trying to herd him out of the way so that Fortis could make a break for it, before the daemon got to them.

“Crowe, Pelna, we need to get Glauca out of the way!”

Pelna nodded, grunting as he parried a punch, before warping away from Crowe’s attack. Nyx dove forward immediately after, hissing as Glauca’s sword drew a sharp cut across his cheek, but it was worth it as he managed to get close enough to unleash a pulse of lightning strong enough to send Glauca back a few vital steps. He warped out of the way of his retaliation, letting Pelna take over briefly as he cracked an elixir onto himself.

They just needed to get Glauca a little further away, and then Fortis could, hopefully, get out of the city.

But Pelna was tiring, and so was Nyx, the fighting from earlier having already taken its toll even though they had come out of that mess mostly unharmed.

Glauca, on the other hand, seemed to be fuelled by whatever cursed shit made up that armour of his, and probably a few other things as well.

At this rate, Nyx had the feeling he’d be needing to put that damn Ring back on his finger. Again.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Pelna yelled as he dodged several swings of the sword, managing to avoid getting skewered only for Glauca to catch him around the waist and fling him across the road.

“Pelna!” Nyx yelled, unable to check on his friend as Glauca was now attacking him, and thank the Astrals that Nyx had already seen some of these moves and knew how to counter them, because it should be illegal how fast Glauca could move, in armour like that.

Nyx managed to blast Glauca in the way of one of Crowe’s fire blasts, just as he heard the screeching of tires. He grinned, even as Glauca doubled his attacks at him, Nyx holding up a shield just as he felt the van fly past him, the vehicle close enough to almost him.

“You do realise that you will die here, that nothing will stop me from killing that coward King.” Glauca growled, as he batted Nyx away.

“Your armour’s looking real bad, you know that?” Nyx quipped back, nodding to Pelna as the two of the charged at Glauca, Nyx aiming a blast of frost at Glauca’s feet whilst Pelna tried for a headshot.

They both missed, Glauca almost managing to get a kick out at Nyx, but they both managed to distract him enough to take yet another gout of fire to the head.

“You. I knew I should’ve had you killed when I had the chance!” Glauca roared, charging suddenly at Crowe, a sliver of skin visible along his collarbone.

“No!” Nyx yelled, warping after him, only to get a fist straight to his chest, winding him as he crumpled to the ground.

He could see Crowe warping out of the way, but she’d never fought Glauca in melee combat before, and melee wasn’t even her specialty-

The axe that lodged itself in Glauca’s collarbone surprised them all.

Glauca’s yell of surprise and pain was nearly drowned out by Libertus’ warcry, as the man suddenly appeared, his axe in both hands as he braced himself and completed his swing, turning that sliver of collarbone into a bloody gash, although Nyx could see the silver of the armour already trying to repair itself.

“That’s my sister you nearly killed, you bastard.” Libertus spat, and ducked as Crowe tossed fireball after fireball at Glauca, before she turned and set the approaching daemon alight as well.

“How-“

Nyx didn’t give him time to finish, letting Pelna use him as a springboard to launch right at Glauca, the man plunging a dagger right into that open wound before he landed in front of Libertus and Crowe, ready to help defend them.

“Damn, he’s still going?” Pelna shook his head, flinging up a shield to briefly deflect Glauca’s next attack. “That should’ve at least slowed him down significantly.”

Nyx warped back into the fight, giving the three time to reposition themselves as he tried his best to carve out more of Glauca. This fight was just as frustrating as it had been all the times before, as even though he had his friends with him, it was balanced out by the fact he didn’t have the extra power from the Ring. For all of his experience, Glauca was the worst enemy he had to fight, and it showed.

Drautos had been their commander, their beloved Captain. He knewall of their moves, or at least most of them, their fighting styles, their habits and their weaknesses. And that meant that he could counteract them with more ease than he should have.

Which meant that Nyx had to do something unpredictable, something so utterly insane not even Drautos could predict it.

His gaze skittered over the road, looking for something he could maybe use to his advantage. He couldn’t see anything, just broken concrete and asphalt, Libertus’ by-now trashed car, the corpse of a daemon smouldering behind them-

He looked back at the car, where there was a puddle of fuel slowly leaking from its side.

His first thought was that it was a wonder it hadn’t caught alight, what with Crowe’s flames. His second thought was that surely Glauca wasn’t completely explosion-proof, even with that armour of his.

“Guys!” He yelled, sprinting back into the fight. “I’m going to try something, I need you to herd him backwards, to the car!”

“What are you going to do, trip me?” Glauca actually sounded a bit amused, even though he was, in fact, getting slowly pushed backwards by their combined assault.

“No, even better,” Nyx watched as Glauca was finally backed up to the car, and probably as far as he’d get before he’d clue into the petrol leaking from Libertus’ car. “Everyone, get back!”

Pelna’s eyes widened in understanding, as he warped away and grabbed Libertus with him, and Nyx tossed as large a fireball as he could at Glauca and the car.

The resulting inferno wasn’t quite as impressive as the explosion Nyx had been hoping for, but the screaming from within was.

“Do you…think that’d kill him?” Pelna asked, as they all stared at the flaming wreck, from a safe distance away.

“I’m…not actually sure,” Nyx admitted. “Actually, are cars supposed to catch on fire like that?”

“If they’re a good quality car, no.” Libertus growled. “Cheap piece of shit.”

“Eh, better safe than sorry.”

The three men looked at Crowe as she began to hurl more fireballs at the car (and presumably Glauca), her barrage only pausing when she had to crack an elixir, before continuing on. Nyx shrugged, and joined in, except with lightning bolts. Her logic was sound, in his opinion, even if Pelna and Libertus were staring at them with increasing amounts of fear.

There was one slightly harrowing moment as they watched Glauca actually stumble forwards a few moments later, but Nyx and Crowe’s panicked blasts of lightning and fire respectively quickly had him crumpling to the ground. They stayed where they were, for a few moments longer, to see if he would get back up, before Nyx sprayed the flaming wreck with a light blizzard, and they moved closer to see whether Glauca truly was dead.

“Oh, yikes.” Crowe muttered, staring at the body on the road.

“That’s a lot of- I don’t think a burned body is supposed to smell like that.” Pelna commented, holding a hand up to his nose.

“Must be the armour, that shit was magitek. Must’ve had a bad reaction to all that fire we were hurling at him at the end.” Libertus reasoned.

Nyx simply marched up to the body, and stabbed what he assumed was the head. Twice.

“Alright, he’s definitely dead.” Nyx concluded. “If he wasn’t before, by some miracle, he is now.”

Crowe cackled, a little hysterically.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A little later, Nyx trudged behind his three friends as they headed for the nearest haven, presumably to rest and recover before they tried to meet up with any other survivors of the Invasion.

Dawn was breaking on the horizon, and he was simultaneously relieved by the sight, and dreading its arrival.

On one hand, as far as he was aware, he’d managed to keep all of his friends, and the King and the Princess, alive. Even Fortis was alive, and that was something Nyx hadn’t expected. But on the other hand, Insomnia was still a smouldering ruin, the Empire had gotten away with that Crystal, and Nyx was pretty certain the fatality count was up in the hundreds of thousands.

Up until now, he hadn’t managed to live past the dawn, had always died as soon as the sun had fully risen above the horizon. What if his survival now meant that the loops were finished? The thought scared him, somehow. He’d gotten used to slowly inching his way to figuring out the multitude of things that had led up to the city’s fall, and the destruction that came with it. What if he could’ve had more chances to try and stop everything from happening in the first place, if only he figured out a way to die before the dawn? What if there were parts to this puzzle he didn’t yet know about, vital pieces that could ensure everyone’s survival without the destruction of the city?

But, if he looped back now, then wouldn’t all the fighting he had just done be for naught? He looked at his friends, at their tired, but cheerful, expressions. To them, they’d just survived one of the greatest tragedies since the Fall of Galahd, and had even managed to kill the legendary General Glauca, the man responsible for the destruction of not only Galahd, but also Tenebrae, and now Insomnia.

He couldn’t- He couldn’t take that away from them.

And so, Nyx Ulric watched as the sun rose above the horizon, Pelna cheering as one of the imps that had been about to approach them almost instantly melted away into daemonic miasma.

And stopped.

He shuddered, clutching his head as a sudden spell of dizziness overtook him. He vaguely heard Libertus’ cry of alarm, as he stumbled backwards, something tugging on his chest even as the world around him seemed to flicker in and out like a bad television signal. Nyx had the abrupt sensation of the ground beneath him giving way, before his vision fragmented, like a broken mosaic almost, and he fell, dragged along by an unseen force. The swirl of colours that his vision had devolved into was nauseating, and Nyx shut his eyes, the sensation of freefalling continuing until-

He sat upright with a shout, as the world snapped back into place, and he was greeted by the familiar sight of his dimly lit apartment, sunlight streaming through the cheap curtains.

#ffxv #ff15 #final fantasy 15 #final fantasy xv #ffxv fanfiction #ffxv kingsglaive #nyx ulric #libertus ostium #crowe altius #pelna khara #carminite writes #Running Onwards (A Timelooping Nyx AU)#Loop 9 or as I like to call it #the one where Nyx finds out what it feels like to get yeeted back in time

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luca-moreno · 3 years ago

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follows x (sidebar i guess)

The nights before battles are always bad, but this time before the training op is somehow worse. There are a lot of unknowns, a lot Luca feels like he doesn’t understand and can’t predict and his mind won’t settle. He looks around the squad, the N7’s, the phoenix, the Berlin – and wonders what the hell he’s doing here in such esteemed company.

Just some kid from the wards who faked his ID to enlist early and had been scrambling to pay his dues ever since.

“Luca,” Marie had pulled him into a hug when he had finally managed to steal a moment of her time to voice his fears as the Berlin shudders with the unclamping of the space dock. His chance to get away from the ship and its strange contingent is rapidly slipping through his fingers and something that feels like panic claws at his throat. “It’s not a mistake. You bring so much to the table.”

He tries to shrug it off but his eyes sting uncomfortably and he’s so mad at himself for the show of weakness. “I don’t know, Commander, my track rec-“

“No,” Marie cuts him off firmly and there is the steel under her softness she’s so known for. “I trust Captain Malin with my life, he’s kept me alive this long and if he says you need to be here then you need to be here. He sent you to me, Luca and I haven’t had a reason to doubt you yet. Have you ever stopped to consider maybe there’s more in you than you know?”

It’s been twelve hours and Luca still doesn’t know what Marie means by that and he hasn’t had a chance to ask her again. The second the drives engaged, tension settled over everyone and even his tinkering with the projector and vague mumbling about date nights and Blasto movies didn’t go anywhere near far enough to ease the strain. Not when the ship visibly crackled by the hum of biotic energy in the air.

They couldn’t see it, but they could all feel it. A constant reminder that there were big things afoot.

Luca grabs his guitar from his bunk, clambers over a deeply snoring Braun and tries to shake Harris awake, only to receive an aggressive yank of his curls and a snarl for daring to get between her and the sweet oblivion of sleep for his troubles. He leans back, rubbing his head with a wince and glances at Thurman’s bunk. It’s empty, but that wasn’t unusual, although more than a little bit curious.

He wanders through the ship. The lab is empty, the CIC and the bridge are quiet with the B squad (as Davis refereed to them) crew manned the controls. The captain’s quarter’s shine with a big red seal and Luca knows better than to go sniffing around when that’s lit up. He finds himself shuffling through the higher decks where the larger cabins are, only to hear a thunk and something that sounds suspiciously like a moan leak through the heavy bulkheads from the direction of his commander’s quarters.

Luca hurries his step, not wanting to be caught lurking out there when there’s clearly nocturnal activities at play. He heads towards the mess. It’s mostly empty too, except for Yamamoto at the table.

“Aw, gonna play everyone a lullaby?” He sneers at Luca over his MRE.

“Shut up, Yamamoto,” Luca mutters and readjusts his guitar strap self-consciously over his shoulder, hoping the way his cheeks feel hot look like he’s mad and not just embarrassed. He doesn’t like this guy, a comms officer who never knew when to shut up seemed like a bad fit in Luca’s mind.

“What did you say to me, you little punk?”

“Nothing,” Luca grits his teeth. Yamamoto was only being brave because there wasn’t anyone else in the room. He had taken one look at Luca the first day on the ship and disliked him on sight. Luca had decided the feeling was most definitely mutual, even as a small slither of discomfort lingers at the back of his mind as he wonders about the reason why. “Go back to your dehydrated non-sentient varren strips.”

Luca spins on his heel and ignores the shouted retort at his back. A part of him takes a perverse pleasure that at least Yamamoto was eating that, clearly having been asleep when Zeus had cooked up his mountain of pasta for the rest of the crew.

He continues his shuffles down the hallway in the hopes the rec room might have some activity, but it’s empty and the observation lounge has one lone figure nestled by the wide viewport. Luca recognizes the profile instantly when the door opens. Phoenix Knight lounges by the wide expanse of stars, a swirling glass of amber liquid in one hand and an unlit cigarette on the small side table beside him.

Luca hesitates in the doorway, unsure. Mason was the more approachable of them but there’s a heaviness here now that Luca clocks instantly. There only light comes from the stars outside and too late Luca recalls the vague, overheard mutter earlier from Ajax, something about a divorce, and figures the phoenix must be sad and deep into a session of brooding contemplation he has no business being witness to. “Oh, uh… sorry.”

Mason doesn’t answer beyond a slow sip of his drink. Luca can feel the prickle in the air and his jaw aches. The throbs were getting worse. “I’ll… um… I’ll come back,” he says lamely and escapes towards the elevator before the other man can even answer.

He decides then to ride the elevators down to the lower decks, deliberately avoiding the training areas. Marie had taken him through his paces earlier, along with the rest of the squad, drilling them relentlessly until even Harris had wheezed onto the mat we’re not N7’s! and Luca had wanted to vomit except his heart had been beating too hard to manage even that. His ears were still ringing slightly but the dull ache from a particularly rough smack to the head was starting to make the occasional spasms from his implant uncomfortably persistent.

He ends up in the cargo bay, shivering slightly as he walks in. It’s well stocked at this point of their journey, crates piled high and tucked around a shuttle, a Mako and a Hammerhead auxiliary craft Luca instantly hates the look of. It’s always a few degrees colder in the bay and the air stinks a bit like grease and eezo but it’s close to the drive core and empty enough that Luca feels safe slumping down against a pile of crates and deactivating his hearing aids. The urge to play his guitar isn’t there tonight, the usual sanctuary he finds in the strings and the notes of his songs feels too far out of reach when his head aches the way it does. As his implant powers down, the low buzzing in his ears finally settles and the blessed silence creeps in. Luca rests his guitar against the crate, sighing a little in disappointment at his own strange mood. It’s weird to feel antsy and lonely and uneasy all at the same time.

Was it all the energy around them? He doesn’t know.

Luca places one hand against the cold metal floor and closes his eyes, absorbing the vibration of the Berlin’s drive core through his palm and chasing the rhythm in his mind.

He can’t sleep, but he can sit and enjoy the quiet for a while.

#luca moreno #idk he really bugged me to get this out #ssv Berlin #what are timelines idk #marie miller

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loukja · 4 years ago

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A6 Headcanons - Movie Night

(I wrote this with current movie and series examples for, well, obvious reasons^^)

June: June is probably into all those inspiring, beautiful movies with a sad twist. “The Theory of Everything”, “The Untouchables”, “Saving Mr. Banks”, things like those. But he doesn’t like it if they don’t have at least some sort of a happy end. He wants to see a positive outlook on humanity, wants to get to see people be happy and accomplish things. There’s more than enough tragedy in his life, and watching movies is supposed to be an escape. Movie nights with him would be the cosiest. Wrapped up together in a blanket, his arms around you, sharing a bowl of popcorn. Talking about the movie as the credits roll, veering off into the deeper topics, like the meaning of friendship, of holding on and letting go. Oh, and if you fall asleep during the movie he will carry you to bed, bridal style.

Calderon: The captain probably enjoys educational stuff. Wanna watch some documentaries together? Or historically accurate movies? No? But he’d even pause them to lecture you about background information that they left out. Who would want to turn that down? Now, while this might sound boring at first (at least to some), what always is fun is watching something about old (unsolved) mysteries with him and speculating about them. Like corn circles or how humans build the pyramids and stuff like that. At first Cal would be a bit exasperated by whatever people came up with, but then he would launch into spinning crazy theories with you. He’d sneak an arm around your shoulders over the course of the evening, and he would not bring snacks because he “doesn’t need any”. And then he’d steal from your snacks, so watch out.

Damon: Oh, he’d definitely be into crime stuff. True crime and fictional. Either way he’d comment a lot: if things are realistic, what dumb mistakes could have been avoided and so on. He’d probably like “Gone Girl”, and “Hannibal”, generally movies and shows where the characters are smart. If something is badly written he’d actually get upset at it, and is probably not beyond throwing crisps at the TV: “Are you kidding me? He would’ve been caught before he even committed the murder!” The evening would start with you casually sprawled across the couch side by side but would probably end with his head in your lap and you feeding him snacks. If you’re not watching something super engaging, he might even fall asleep like that.

Bash: With him you can binge watch just about any series, he can adapt. Umbrella Academy? Amazing! Game of Thrones? Aweso… wait, why is everybody dying? Friends? Sure, why not? The Great British Bake Off? Sign him up! Attack on Titan? Hell ye… wait, why is everybody dying?! It’s great fun to joke around with him and fall into the ‘just one more episode’-trap together. Snack-wise he’d probably pull some stunt like mixing M&Ms and Skittles because he likes surprises. At some point in the evening you’d probably end up throwing food at each other and trying to catch it with your mouths. And later on you’d probably fall asleep on the couch, tangled with each other and the blanket and the TV still running in the background.

Ryona: Do not, I repeat, do not watch medical series with her if they are not accurate! She’d also get really upset with the general lack of first aid in movies and series. “What the hell are you guys doing?! That’s not a lethal shot! You don’t need to say goodbye! Oh, quit the ‘StAy WiTh Me’ bullshit, do something!” So, yeah, better stick to something nice, something that will make her smile. Maybe “A series of unfortunate events” or “Anne with an E” or “Grace and Frankie”. She’d be also very interested to see movies/series you love and talk to you about why you like them, no matter the genre. Ryona would put an effort into having the perfect movie night with you – she’d make hot cocoa, self-made popcorn or whatever other snack you like. She’d snuggle up to your side and sometimes whisper comments about the movie to you.

Ayame: She’d be into all the trash movies. “Sharknado”, “2-Headed Shark Attack” and so on. Also stuff like “Shaun of the Dead” or “Robin Hood – Men in Tights”. She’s also the queen of movie drinking games. Mostly because she comes up with very specific ones and you’d swear she makes up rules as she goes: “Hammer Time! You have to drink!” “What?” “Whenever there’s a hammerhead shark on screen you have to say hammer time. I told you that, pay some attention, would you?” You’d be so drunk by the end of the movie that she’d have to carry or drag you to bed. But apart from that movie nights with her are so much fun, just the two of you making dumb jokes until you cry from laughing so much. There’s also a high chance of a pillow fight breaking out over who’s hogging the shared blanket too much.

Vexx: He likes things that go boom. So, movies with tons of action. He’d probably like things like the Avengers. If he says about whatever happens on screen “I could do that.” – dare him to do it. It’s bound to be hilarious. Because Vexx has a pretty big head and this could happen with just about anything. Like for example, even though he’d probably only watch that movie to make you happy, the lift from Dirty Dancing. Only dare him if you’re ready to possibly cut the movie night short and end it in the infirmary with a very angry medic. If you don’t want that, better just stay put and fight him for your fair share of the snacks – which might end in a tickling war and neither of you concentrating on the movie anymore.

#andromeda six #andromeda 6 #andromeda six headcanons #andromeda 6 headcanons #Headcanon

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atinytokki · 4 years ago

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𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Chapter 7: Lucky

In the sails, all sounds but one were muted and distant to Hongjoong.

The wind whispered promises. The sea, its evil twin, often spoke too, luring victims in with pristine pools and sparkling shallows but crushed those hopes with torrents and freezing and drowning, without even the decency to spit out the bones. When Hongjoong heard the wind, he knew it was sincere. It had guided him many times before, so he opened his eyes and looked where it wanted him to look.

Below in the frigid waves, two Navy soldiers clung to a piece of driftwood that was floating towards the Black Crow.

It looked like they were alive, but fading quickly. While there was no real reason to take interest in a couple more casualties where a battle had broken out, something told him he should intervene.

Needing a closer look, Hongjoong sliced through the knot tying the rope he was clutching to the pulley and stepped off the beam, letting his weight carry him down to the main deck where he peered over the railing and finally caught sight of their unconscious faces.

“Wooyoung and Yeosang...” he gasped in utter disbelief, turning and grabbing Lieutenant Byun in excitement. “That’s Wooyoung and Yeosang! Quick, return to the Crow and open one of the starboard gun ports. I have to save them before they freeze to death.”

Byun looked hesitant to risk his neck for two more pirates, especially these two who he’d had dealings with, but Hongjoong was already climbing over the railing and diving into the sea, which left him little choice.

“Come on men!” He yelled back at the soldiers who were finishing off their enemies efficiently and without any more resistance thanks to Hongjoong’s swift retribution. “Let’s scuttle her from the Black Crow.”

The combination of freezing air and freezing water chilled Hongjoong to the bone almost immediately upon diving in, but he pushed through and swam towards the drifters, checking their breathing before clinging onto the wreckage and pulling it towards the Crow’s starboard hull. Wooyoung was struggling through laboured breaths but showed no signs of consciousness, and Hongjoong knew he had limited time to get him to safety.

The wakes of the Black Crow pushed them back as they approached, and Hongjoong gritted his teeth in frustration, eyes on the muzzles of cannons protruding through the lower gun ports, begging Byun to hurry and come to their aid.

The waterline was relatively high, if only they could get close enough and reach...

“Come on!” Hongjoong grunted, throwing himself into yet another stroke against the wakes, finally crossing the crest of the wave and making contact with the hull.

Just in time, the muzzle of the cannon directly above them disappeared and Byun’s head poked out through the gun port.

“Here!” Hongjoong yelled until the lieutenant looked down and spotted them, reaching out through the hatch to pull Wooyoung in when he was handed up, Hongjoong struggling to stay above water as he lifted his weight.

As Byun attempted to squeeze the unconscious Wooyoung through the opening, Hongjoong reached for Yeosang, who was stirring with a shiver, mumbling to himself in confusion, but letting his rescuers haul him up and into the ship.

“Now your turn,” Byun called back down, and Hongjoong raised a trembling hand, thoroughly exhausted, and reached with the last of his energy.

The feeling of the deck under him was welcome this time, even if he was so cold he could barely move. Lieutenant Park and Steward Doh were there too, laying out a futon and placing Yeosang and Wooyoung on it, wrapped up and dried off to give them a better chance of warming up.

“They’re alright?” Hongjoong asked while Byun helped him over to his usual corner.

“They will be,” the man responded assuredly before chaining the prisoner to the floor like he was supposed to. “You know the drill. I’ll have Park guard the door and bring you a blanket—”

“No, I should stay with them...” Hongjoong protested, staring longingly after his injured friends.

“Lucky, you’re on the verge of collapse. Rest for now, we’ll wake you when they come to,” the first lieutenant insisted, and he didn’t have to argue for long.

He smiled as he watched the prisoner’s eyes grow heavy and tried to make sure his chains weren’t bothering him.

Lucky wouldn’t be a prisoner for much longer. And at any rate, he was no longer alone.

...

The officers of the Paragon were calling for retreat. They’d successfully sunk the Indeok, but the Black Crow had finished with the other two Haemin ships and it looked like Kim was going to set his sights on them next.

San pushed through celebrating gunners to reach Jongho where he was bent over with his hands tangled in his hair from frustration.

“What is it? What’s happening?” He had to yell to be heard, and he gasped at the grief on Jongho’s face when he finally looked up at him, eyes swimming with tears.

“Yeosang and Wooyoung... they were on that ship, the one we just sunk.”

San dropped the bucket he was holding and raced to the gunport to try and catch a glimpse of any survivors as the Indeok disappeared beneath the waves.

“No, there’s no way! They have to be alive,” he replied in a choked whisper that grew into screams as the realisation of what they’d done dawned on him. “Please tell me you saw wrong! Or maybe they escaped! You just didn’t look closely enough, they’re fine, they’re on a lifeboat somewhere—”

“Silence!” Their overseeing commander yelled back, offended by the disruption of a few war prisoners.

Jongho was pressing the palms of his hands to his eyes and shaking his head wordlessly. Usually such a man of action, he was paralysed by the thought of what he had just done.

Anger boiled over in San. He had just lost Hongjoong, Wooyoung, and Yeosang all in one day and pure rage was coursing through his veins, the likes of which even the demon that had possessed him could not conjure.

Without a single rational thought, San picked up the nearest bag of gunpowder and hurled it into the sea. And then the next bag, and the next after that.

The Haemin soldiers were in commotion trying to stop him, but it took three commanders to drag him away and chain him up, restraining Jongho beside him and shutting them off from even the other war prisoners.

Closed away in the quiet dark, San tried to breathe and stop his panic before he slid into despair.

“Please San,” Jongho cried. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry...”

“It’s not your fault.” San released a shuddering breath and pulled the younger boy close. The needs of his brother outweighed his own grief at the moment, and if he lost himself he wasn’t sure he could come back. “Let’s just hold on to hope.”

A few moments later, the noise of someone entering the brig surprised them. It was San’s translator, back with bad news.

“The captain has summoned you, and he is very angry. He says if you want to throw our supplies overboard, you may as well throw yourselves. He sees you only as an expendable resource.”

Jongho’s breathing became laboured again.

“And what do you see us as?” San challenged, watching the man crack under the pressure.

“Teacher... for a short while.”

“Buy us some time,” San asked quietly, convincingly. “That’s all I ask of you. We’ll go willingly, just let us figure this out.”

Haltingly, as if a plan was taking shape in his mind, the translator nodded and turned away.

“Jongho, we need to go,” San hissed. “We need to go now.”

“Land is right there, a Jaecho colony,” the younger boy realised, turning to stare through the porthole at an unsuspecting Kibo. “We can get there.”

“Not if they weight us and drop us to the sea floor,” San warned darkly. “They’ve done it before, they’re certainly capable of it. We need a backup plan to be safe.”

“I can breathe underwater, but you can’t,” Jongho groaned, terrified of yet another life being in his hands. “Even if I can get myself free, I don’t think your breath capacity is enough to keep you alive until I can free you.”

San rubbed his hands down his face in desperation. “You’re right, we need help.”

An idea hit Jongho full force. “Hang on, my lungs and vocal cords are tuned to handle water... and generate sound.”

“You mean you could call for help?” San gasped, taking Jongho by the shoulders.

“Sound travels faster underwater,” Jongho responded excitedly. “If I sing the loudest I can, it might reach whichever mermaid cove is closest. I’m one of their own, they’ll help me.”

“It’s a long shot,” San said after a moment, biting his shot and looking away. “You don’t know if anyone is nearby, or if they’ll come in time.”

A pair of guards arrived to drag them to the main deck for punishment, breaking their little conference.

“It’s our only shot. We’ll just have to try,” Jongho insisted.

They were out of time.

...

The resemblance between the brothers was uncanny. Seonghwa had never seen Gunho before, but he didn’t want to interrupt their precious embrace just to introduce himself, so he smiled softly and kept his distance.

As he breathed him in, Yunho thought back to the last time he’d seen Gunho. So much had changed since then, clearly even Gunho had changed.

“I’m still taller,” Yunho whispered deviously, earning himself a punch in the arm before Gunho buried his face in the crook of his neck again.

“Stop ruining the moment!”

Fondly shaking his head, Yunho pulled his brother closer and whispered words that were only for him to hear.

“Gunho, I missed you so much, I really did. It feels like it’s been so long but here you are, a couple years later in Geobugi of all places— how did you even get here?”

Gunho’s face was tinged with red but a grin spread across his cheeks as he explained. “Captain Seongho of the Hammerhead II offered a ludicrous amount of money and debt forgiveness for someone with medical knowledge to join his new band, and I figured since you were away on a pirate vessel... why not me too?”

Yunho straightened and glanced around for the old pirate. He’d heard of him several times, through street legends and the personal tales of Yeosang and San. “Captain Seongho of... I wasn’t aware there was a second Hammerhead,” he admitted with a nervous chuckle. He’d always been warned about the desperate Captain Seongho. “I wasn’t aware he was even back in business.”

“He managed to commandeer a naval frigate,” Gunho began to recount.

“And you must have managed to rise through the ranks,” Yunho finished for him, a proud twinkle in his eye. They could discuss the ramifications of that arrangement later.

As he pulled away, Gunho’s eyes wandered to Yunho’s companions and instantly he became star struck.

“Oh, Quartermaster Song Mingi!” He gasped, approaching him reverently. “You’re my favourite!”

Mingi blinked and furrowed his brow in question. He was flattered, but taken aback. “Favourite? I don’t believe we’ve ever met.”

Gunho snickered knowingly and took the tall pirate by the hand, excitedly leading him to the back of the room and pulling away a curtain.

As they stepped onto a small wooden balcony, Mingi looked out at the town below them and saw the spiderweb of rope bridges, the cramped, bustling village space, and the floating markets and neighbourhoods all teeming with vibrant life— many of the residents clearly being pirates, even here in the centre of the city instead of only the outskirts. It was different than it had been last time they came, and the change was clearly for the better.

At the sight of him peering down, several of them began whispering among themselves with excitement.

“Everyone knows you!” Gunho explained proudly. “How could we not? You managed to infiltrate the highest security holding cells in Kon’s naval prison and save the Pirate King himself, all within a couple weeks of becoming a pirate!”

He turned to Seonghwa, who was standing a little ways behind them, impressed by the view but still a bit unsure of everything.

“And of course, Prince Seonghwa, your name has been known since before your coronation, maybe even since before you shattered the glass cage on Fortress Island with only a single nail,” Gunho gushed, clasping his hands in front of him before turning back to his brother.

“I’d be honoured to meet the rest as well, if I ever have the chance. Jung Wooyoung’s slaying of the kraken is legendary. As well as Choi Jongho whose voice overpowered the siren Queen. And Kang Yeosang, discoverer of Captain Seongho’s buried treasure? Meeting him would be incredible, the stories he could tell! And of course, there are so many questions I’d love to ask Choi San of a medical nature...”

Seonghwa turned and raised an eyebrow at Maddox, who offered a sly smile and shrugged innocently. He had warned them after all.

“But I already have bragging rights as the brother of the unbreakable Jeong Yunho,” Gunho concluded, elbowing his blushing brother good-naturedly. “With almost any skirmish the ATEEZ was involved in— you can be sure he was there and he crushed his enemies every time.”

“Unbreakable Jeong Yunho,” Yunho repeated quietly to himself. “I like that.”

“Alright, fess up,” Seonghwa finally asked Maddox as they ventured across a rope bridge, following Gunho who was giving them the grand tour. “You’ve been imprisoned, how did you know there was still a secret haven here?”

Maddox gave in and revealed the source of his knowledge just as they arrived outside another highly decorated floating house. A replica of the Stardust’s old flag hung outside and it reminded Seonghwa of the tales he had read in Hongjoong’s journal.

“I keep up with the happenings through secret correspondence with— where is he?— ah, Youngsaeng.”

Just as Maddox said his name, the aforementioned pirate opened the door for the group and stuck his head out.

“Kyungmoon!” He gasped and hugged Maddox tightly, and again Seonghwa felt party to something he had no place in, watching enviously and stepping out of the way as Gunho skipped back to the main building to ready their accommodations.

Yunho scratched his head as they were invited in, embarrassed that he didn’t already know the man. “I feel as if I’ve heard the name, but...”

“Oh forgive me!” The pirate swept in with a bow, offering them seats in the ornately furnished parlour. “Heo Youngsaeng, Master Rigger of the Stardust before she sank. There are a few other officers here, but they’re sleeping upstairs, the lazybones.”

“One of Eden’s crew?” Seonghwa spoke up in surprise. On the ATEEZ, none of them had so much as a clue whether anyone from the Stardust was still alive. “Oh, Hongjoong would’ve been so happy to see you.”

Youngsaeng’s smile faded into bittersweetness.

“I’m sure he would. I do miss those days— all of us do. We travelled together for some time but the sinking of the Stardust and Eden’s subsequent depression sent us back into the free lands... and it was much harder for us that time.”

Maddox hummed in agreement, taking a seat himself to reminisce. “I never made it past the island with the garden maze, but I knew there were some who did,” he faced Seonghwa again to explain. “Our old Master Rigger Youngsaeng remained in contact with me through letters we bribed others to deliver for us while I was there.”

“And it might interest you to know,” Youngsaeng continued. “That while these towns fell into stagnancy with the gradual extermination of piracy, there is a new life and desire for leadership here. Folk look to the war as an opportunity. To reestablish ourselves, to fight under one banner, and to break away once and for all.”

Seonghwa sat back and sighed at the sudden turn the conversation had taken. Of course, he knew they were gearing up to this, but it was complicated nonetheless. This wasn’t just an alliance, it was a growing city state.

“That’s all well and good but we came here to find help for Mingi and Jongho, not to be the face of a revolution.”

“You already are,” a deep voice responded from the doorway. Everyone turned to see a solidly built pirate closing the front door behind him, pulling off his boots and approaching for introductions.

“Kim Minseob,” he said, and Seonghwa already knew who he was. The Stardust’s boatswain, without whom the reputation of Eden’s crew would be nowhere near as intimidating, but who, despite his cold exterior and intense eyebrows, had harboured a genuine soft spot for Hongjoong when they travelled together, according to the journal.

“I’ve just returned from the armories,” he explained as he took a seat. “More weapons have been stockpiled voluntarily, and several other representatives have approached me after the ATEEZ’s arrival to discuss plans— more than yesterday.”

“So you see,” Youngsaeng finished for him. “That simply by being here, you’ve incited complete strangers to take part in a war they could be running the other way from.”

Seonghwa frowned. It was supposed to be a compliment, but he wasn’t sure he liked having that sort of power.

“If you don’t mind,” Yunho spoke up, coming to his rescue. “We’d prefer to deal with Mingi’s condition first.”

“Of course,” Youngsaeng acquiesced, getting to his feet and leading the three officers and Maddox outside and south to the waterfront.

Unsure who they Stardust crew had gotten to replace Babylon as a surgeon, it took until they arrived outside the apothecary shop for Yunho to realise where they were. “This is where we bought Hongjoong’s medicine last summer!” He remembered aloud. “When we stopped here during the mutiny.”

“If you wondered how so many stories spread about you, I think you can attribute it to leaving your crew here for so long a shore leave back then,” Youngsaeng pointed out intellectually as Seonghwa opened the door and glanced around at the strange medical paraphernalia.

“Miss Namji?” Youngsaeng called into the back hallway when no one appeared at the desk.

“You lot again,” a young woman’s voice answered, sharp but full of mirth as she emerged and began cleaning some bottles off a shelf. “Who’s dying this time?”

Yunho smiled politely and waited for the apothecary to recognise him. “No one this time— at least, we don’t think so— but we’d much appreciate if you could take a look at Mingi’s wound.”

The woman dropped what she was doing and squinted through a magnifying glass at him. “Well,” she gasped, ushering the group through the hanging bead curtain and into the back rooms, telling Maddox and Youngsaeng to wait outside and scrounge up some money pay the bill. “Don’t you worry about a thing. Just remove the eyepatch and let’s have a look, shall we?”

Mingi took a deep breath and did as she asked, following along when she told him to look this or that way and remaining anchored even as she stared at him for extensive periods of time.

Miss Namji was an oddball, but she was just like the rest of this town. Young, passionate, and skilled. And ready to take the world by storm.

“Inflammation and scarring of the cornea, I see... well, you’ll get your sight back if you’re careful,” she concluded. “I’ll prescribe some medicines that should do it, but expect the process to take time. If sunlight or heat begin to bother you, shelter from them just to be safe.”

She rushed off to find some eye drops and Mingi slumped in his chair.

Yunho frowned and leaned forward to take his hand. “Did you hear that? You’ll heal, Mingi! Aren’t you excited?”

“I don’t deserve it,” Mingi muttered, keeping his gaze on the floor. “First Hongjoong, now Jongho. Who else will be hurt because of me?”

“Mingi, don’t say that...” Seonghwa scolded quickly.

“You know why I had to believe he was alive?” Mingi rounded on the both of them, with no need to explain who he was talking about. “Because if he really hung that day, it is my fault.”

“It is not your fault,” Yunho insisted desperately, face reddening as he became angry. “If anyone other than the murderer must be blamed, we all share the guilt.”

“No, but it is,” Mingi cried in frustration, voice becoming a haunted whisper. “You don’t understand, everything has been my fault from the beginning. It was because of my loose lips that Hongjoong was ever ratted out for being a pirate in training. I’m the reason he ran from home, nearly burned to death while the ship sunk around him, and then lived alone for a year on an uninhabited island— which, by the way, he was still too frightened to talk about much, even years later. I’m the reason he came back traumatised and, to make it all worse, I couldn’t act quickly enough to stop him from being branded by the Navy, no matter what your innocent little brother thinks. He had to live with a letter burned into him for the rest of his life and it killed him, Yunho. It killed him, they hung him for it. So you can’t tell me to let it go. That kind of guilt... it won’t ever go away.”

This was why he had hardly spoken a word since coming here, why the fame bothered him so much. Because it was all wrong. He was no hero. Without him, Hongjoong might be standing here today.

“Let it fade, Mingi,” Seonghwa soothed softly, stepping in and wiping away tears as usual. “Focus your anger on the people who did this. If you only blame yourself, you let them get away with it.”

There was an edge to his voice that betrayed his own guilt and fury, and revenge was clearly not far from his mind even as his eyes swam with concerned tears.

“I miss him,” Mingi confessed, rubbing his sniffling nose and throwing a lopsided smile at Yunho. “I don’t know what to say, I don’t know what to do... this is his territory.”

“We’re here to rest,” Yunho reminded them both. “And to restock so we can go get Jongho back.”

“Let’s just take it slow,” Seonghwa agreed, and that was the consensus as Namji returned and tested out the eye drops, Yunho squeezing Mingi’s hand in case he needed something for the pain.

Rolling up his sleeves, Seonghwa made his way back out to where the older pirates were discussing numbers in low voices.

“Two hundred from the Kiseki and its spy ships,” Youngsaeng was rattling off a list to Maddox, and the two paused as Seonghwa emerged.

“This all sounds like you’re trying to recruit us for war,” he caught them with a suspicious eyebrow raise. “I hope you know we aren’t decided on anything.”

He looked out at the people in the lazy rowboats below. It looked like a peaceful life here, uninterrupted and pure instead of scorched by violence and death. Such a corner of the world should be kept secret, not announced with trumpets and cannons.

“We’re not your generals,” he sighed, folding his arms around himself. “We’re not even capable pirates compared to you. Most of our deeds were lucky scrapes with death or accidents.”

Maddox chuckled and came up beside him, eyes tracing a group of children that played in the street. “But you are the leaders. You’re feeling lesser because you lack a leader of your own. It’s understandable, you’re in mourning. So are we, he meant a lot to us as well.”

Youngsaeng nodded from beside him and exhaled a shaky sigh. Of course, experienced pirates were better at hiding their emotions.

Maddox went on with a confident smile like the sun breaking through a cloud. “But your life is an incredible journey, and an inspiration to many of the men you see before you. They know there’s greatness inside. So did Hongjoong. We’ll never pressure you into something you don’t want to do— you’ve had enough of that at the palace I’m sure— but be kind to your own grieving heart. Have some faith in yourselves.”

Faith was far from them now, and even if they grabbed onto it, the sadness would continue, he knew that.

But there was nothing better for grief-induced self-loathing than a good old fashioned rescue mission.

Seonghwa set his jaw.

“How many supplies can you spare for Jongho?”

...

Icy cold water gave way to frigid air and when Yeosang awoke, shivering, it was on an unfamiliar bed, bundled in blankets with the pitch of a ship rocking him back and forth.

Wooyoung lay on the futon next to him, bandages tightly wrapped around his ribs, but his chest rose and fell steadily, and it calmed Yeosang to realise he was alright.

His head was pounding as he sat up and the evening sun pierced through portholes and shone into the hull, where it appeared he and Wooyoung had been brought.

Yeosang couldn’t remember by whom.

“Welcome to the Black Crow!”

He started and turned to the soldier addressing him. It was Lieutenant Byun, a few shirt buttons undone, hair a little longer and face a lot less stern, but the sight of him still sent Yeosang scrambling away.

“S-Stay back!”

“Calm down, I won’t hurt you,” the man assured him softly, keeping his distance in case Yeosang swung at him.

“Really?” He retaliated with an empty laugh. “Because you didn’t seem to have any problem doing so before.”

“I’m... I’m sorry, that was...” The man shook his head as if to clear it and slowly moved to the side to reveal an unconscious form chained to the floor, a blanket tucked around him carefully. “Things have changed. Lucky saved you. The stress of the battle was a bit much and he felt faint so we told him to lay down for awhile until you awoke—”

“Lucky?” Yeosang’s voice was merely a whisper. He had heard about him before, but seeing him now... something inside stirred with familiarity at the silhouette on the ground before him, so shakily getting to his feet with the support of the lieutenant, he moved forward and extended a hand to his mysterious rescuer’s blanket, slipping it off to get a better look.

Lucky shifted at the touch and let out a soft moan as he sat up. Yeosang caught his breath at the surge of butterflies the sound of that voice gave him.

It couldn’t be... there was just no way...

The stranger fully faced him and Yeosang froze. He didn’t dare breathe, and neither did anyone else in the room.

It was Hongjoong.

“How...?”

Yeosang turned back to Byun and opened his mouth to ask the lieutenant to slap him awake, but was pulled down into a tight embrace before he could fathom what was going on.

He stood no chance. Yeosang was defenceless against the wave of tears that shook him to his core and swept him away into Hongjoong’s arms where he could do nothing but cry out his name again and again in disbelief.

“I waited,” he sobbed. “I waited for you...”

“I’m so sorry,” Hongjoong whispered, trembling himself but not letting go even an inch of what he had held dear for so long, finally close to his heart, alive and well.

“It’s been so long,” Yeosang was shaking his head, completely numb with amazement, and Hongjoong pulled back a bit to get a better look at him.

“I know,” he dropped his glassy eyes into his lap. “It’s been so... so lonely.”

“You saved us?” Yeosang repeated what he’d been told. “How? Are... are we on the Crow right now?”

“You are,” Lieutenant Byun stepped back in, having given them a bit of space to reunite. “He was atop the captured enemy ship when he saw you, and he brought you through the gunport and hid you here. The Admiral doesn’t know anything yet.”

“We were drifting towards Kibo,” Yeosang sighed, turning back to an apologetic Hongjoong.

“I’m sorry,” he said again. “I would’ve taken you to the colony, but I’d never be able to swim that far in this condition, not with you and Wooyoung both.”

“Condition...?”

Hesitantly, Hongjoong shifted to pull his shirt over his head so Yeosang could see.

A massive wound scarred his midsection, slowly healing but clearly aggravated by all the action earlier. It looked as if someone had skewered him like a fried fish and left him out in the elements for hours. It wasn’t his only scar, but it was certainly the freshest. There was one event it likely came from.

“The execution?” Yeosang choked out, tears brimming again as he remembered what he’d been told. “Seonghwa thought you fell, but he confessed to hoping you were alive for weeks afterwards. All this time... he’s so heartbroken.”

Hongjoong hung his head and opened his mouth to say something again, but Yeosang cut him off. “No more apologies. You did nothing wrong.”

He reached forward to pull the blanket around his captain’s bare shoulders again, while he tried to explain what was going on in the depths of the Black Crow.

“The Admiral is deceiving everyone. He wants the world to think I’m gone, and now he uses me to win his battles with Haemin.”

“So how did you survive?” Yeosang finally asked, sitting and sharing the warmth with him.

Hongjoong nodded in the lieutenant’s direction. “If he’d saved me moments later, I really would be dead.”

Hence the nickname Lucky.

Yeosang was still suspicious of the man’s motives and couldn’t help but voice his reservations. “Why? To make you his prisoner and torture you again?”

“To help him escape, when the time is right,” Byun broke in to defend himself. “I acted on impulse, but over time I’ve decided. The world needs its Pirate King. Me and most of the other officers are prepared to help by whatever means necessary.”

Hongjoong seemed to have made allies in his time here, and if he trusted them after all the evil they’d done to him there was no reason for Yeosang not to, so he allowed himself to be persuaded.

“What can we do?” He firmly volunteered his help. It felt right, slipping fluidly back into the flow of things, no matter how long it had been since he’d seen his captain.

The Admiral would be back at some point, and they’d have to find a way to hide from him.

“Well, we need to decide what to do about your father,” Byun listed first, wringing his hands nervously and lowering his voice when Yeosang asked why.

“He saw the Indeok sink,” he sighed and looked at Yeosang with mixed emotions swirling in his eyes. “And now he thinks you’re dead.”

...

That Haemin translator hadn’t been joking when he said the Paragon’s captain was angry.

Apparently even San had only seen the man once or twice, but from what Jongho could observe, he was a spineless sot who doled out violent punishment as he saw fit.

Which meant hopefully, he hadn’t thought at length about his murder scheme.

San was much better with the enemy’s language than Jongho was, and translated under his breath all the important things the man was yelling, occasionally glancing nervously at the depths of the ocean far below.

Jongho knew their only hope of rescue was him, and he could do nothing but pray as a metal ball and chain was attached to his ankle that their last resort would come through.

It was the sympathetic translator that clamped the weights on their legs, and he left some wiggle room intentionally, quietly returning to his post with a visible bead of sweat running down his face.

Jongho didn’t know him well, but he nodded a nearly imperceptible thanks to the man before preparing to be thrown overboard.

San was sucking breaths in and out quickly, struggling to come to terms with the gamble he was about to take with his own life, and Jongho could do nothing but squeeze his hand reassuringly.

Waiting was almost worse than the actual fight for their lives. Jongho didn’t want to die waiting.

A final shout came from the quarterdeck and San didn’t bother translating it. The sudden feeling of being dragged forward made the impact with the water that much worse.

The world was spinning until Jongho righted it in the slower freefall through ocean waves, pointing his weighted feet down and hitting the sand just a moment before San.

It was enough time for him to catch him before his head hit the rocky sea floor all around them.

Losing consciousness would completely destroy his already limited air supply.

There was no time to waste, so Jongho rushed through the process of breathing, pushing past his instincts to let his body inhale and relaxing as the world instantly became clearer.

Rather than let San deplete his oxygen further by struggling to free himself from the chain, Jongho began to work on it for him, starting to sing a tune only mermaids should be able to know while he pulled at the chain. He had broken bars with his bare hands, he should be able to do this.

He could feel time ticking away, San starting to writhe around in the corner of his vision.

There was no other way to breathe underwater than to be given the ability, and there was no other way to request help than through their exclusive line of communication, Jongho knew that.

He was trying to breathe bubbles in San’s direction in between phrases of the song, trying to buy them just one more minute, then surely their rescue would come.

The melody grew in force and enchantment. He needed someone to hear. It didn’t matter how far away, someone could be at their aid in a moment if they tried hard enough, they only had to hear.

“San?” Jongho asked when he had been still in his peripherals for a couple of seconds. That was not a good sign.

Jongho shook him by the shoulders and tried not to panic. He didn’t know what to do, he wasn’t a real mer-creature, he didn’t have gills and couldn’t share air.

Pure fear set in when San went limp and began to drift lower down, knees hitting the sand next to the ball that was drowning him.

The ball.

That was it!

Jongho struggled to rip his own chain off, not even flinching at the crack of his ankle breaking, and turned back to San.

With all the strength he had left, Jongho scooped the metal weight into his arms and tried to swim upwards with it. If he could reach the surface, San’s body would follow, and there was air up there.

Air both of them could breathe.

Jongho’s vision blurred but he kicked harder and struggled in the direction of the sun, nothing but a distorted yellow glow casting a shimmer of light down toward him.

He sang louder and clearer to counteract the effort of hauling such a burden against the pressure of the sea.

Progress was being made, but it was too slow. The tune began to die as Jongho’s strength started to give out with his ankle throbbed painfully and he knew San’s eyes had been closed for far too long, he could see the last bubbles of life leaving his lips.

This could not be happening. He could not let San die. Against his will, a sob interrupted his melody. Jongho could only hold San close and kick his legs ferociously. Every foot forward was followed by two backward. He kept singing anyway.

When he had all but given up, the shimmer of scales in the distance caught his attention.

There was a group of mermaids speeding towards him.

“Here!” Jongho screamed, in his excitement almost drifting all the way back down. “Help us, please!”

His eyes were full of tears, and he could barely even see who it was that had answered his call, but he surrendered to the arms enclosing him, bearing him and San to the surface and rapidly hurtling to land in formation.

They were singing his song together in unison, for no other reason than to encourage him, to reassure him they were there.

As he felt the sun on his face and the grains of sand beneath him, he crawled to where the mermaids were reviving San.

The sight of his chest rising and falling rhythmically made Jongho weak with relief.

“Thank you,” he was repeating over and over again. “Thank you so much.”

“You were nearly there,” a familiar voice answered. “You just needed a little push.”

“Eunjoo!” Jongho laughed, reaching out for a hug. It felt like ages since he had seen her, and the two were so close before, Jongho had regretted missing his chance to tell her goodbye properly.

A couple other sisters finished their work on San, easily ripping the chains away, and greeted Jongho before slipping back into the water so as not to be seen. They were on Kibo’s shores, it would be dangerous to be discovered.

“Dare I ask how you ended up in such a situation?” Eunjoo asked with a coy smile.

“You wouldn’t believe the half of it if you heard,” Jongho answered softly, brushing a strand of hair out of San’s face. He appeared to be coming to.

“You know our sisterhood is always aware of what goes on at the surface,” the mermaid teased as San shot up and began coughing.

“W-What happened?” The dripping pirate asked, eyes widening and body tensing when he met eyes with the mermaid watching him.

“It’s alright, this is Eunjoo,” Jongho explained, rubbing San’s back as he shook violently in the cold air. “She saved us.”

“Actually, Jongho did,” the mermaid argued. “He dragged you up from the sea floor himself.”

San embraced Jongho thankfully, and the two stayed like that a few moments more to take in all the warmth they could.

Eunjoo had a bittersweet smile on her face, but began to sink below the waves again in farewell, retreating before another human saw her.

“Wait!” Jongho called, limping into the shallows desperately. “Can I press upon you to help us just a bit more?” He asked shyly, swatting a hand up as Eunjoo went to pinch his cheeks.

“You may,” she answered solemnly, a twinkle remaining in her deep blue eyes as she watched San wade out to join them.

“Yeosang and Wooyoung, our crewmates, we saw them on the Indeok. You wouldn’t happen to know if they... if they were...”

“The sea claimed many lives today,” the mermaid told the pair solemnly. “Your friends were not among them.”

Twin sighs of relief were exhaled at once, and glancing at each other, the pirates wondered what to do next.

Their mermaid rescuer knew what they were thinking, and sighed before giving them a choice.

“You can pursue them at your own risk, or you can shelter for a time with those who will grant you aid.”

“They aren’t here on Kibo?” Jongho asked glumly, and Eunjoo answered by pointing at a dot on the horizon. The Black Crow, headed south.

Jongho waited for San to speak, but when the contemplative silence stretched on decided to contribute himself.

“Mingi, Yunho, and Seonghwa... they must be so worried. We should meet them first. We know where the Crow is headed, we should pursue it together.”

San bit his lip and searched Jongho’s face for even the smallest shred of a doubt.

But Jongho had no doubts anymore. He had won today, and the decision who to track down was his.

“You saved us, Jongho,” San insisted, voice rough from the expulsion of water. “It’s your call.”

...

It was dark. Wooyoung was cold, and hungry, and tired, and sore.

It felt like something was sitting on him and he could barely breathe, so he opened his eyes to ask for help, only to see a lone flame from a candle and two figures sitting on either side. One of them was Yeosang.

One of them was a ghost.

They hummed a song idly to themselves while they played cards, joining together in a soft harmony that Wooyoung recognised.

He tried to join in, but his voice came out as a desperate croak, and the song stopped, both looking up at him in surprise.

Yeosang scooted closer, blocking the ghost from view, and placed a hand on Wooyoung’s forehead.

“You’re quite warm,” he observed, biting his lip anxiously. “Feverish.”

That explained the ghost.

From behind Yeosang he poked out his head. He looked just like Hongjoong, except the Navy uniform he was wearing. Wooyoung wasn’t sure how he’d conjured up that fantasy, so he closed his eyes and rested his head back, waiting for the vision to go away.

Yeosang had left his side, speaking to someone at the door for a few minutes before he returned with medicine.

It stank awfully, and Wooyoung turned his nose away from it before Yeosang scolded him. “I know it tastes awful, but it’ll lower your fever while your ribs recover.”

“Ribs?” Wooyoung whispered painfully. That explained the crushing feeling on his chest.

“They’re broken, several of them,” Yeosang explained, shoving a spoonful of medicine into Wooyoung’s mouth while he was distracted. He ignored the whines and pressed the blankets closer. “You were hurt in the explosion on the Indeok.”

It came back to him in fragments— the chain reaction of fire and gunpowder, the decks collapsing around him, freezing water and floating debris.

“Did we make it to Kibo?” He muttered, glancing around at what looked like the hold of a ship, just above the waterline. It was night, so he rubbed his eyes and tried to see more clearly. “Did we make it to Woosung?”

“No, not exactly. We’re concealed on the Black Crow.”

“The Crow?” Wooyoung groaned. “What do you mean by concealed, does the Admiral know we’re here?”

Wooyoung hadn’t been avoiding him everywhere only to become his prisoner now.

Yeosang shook his head. “We have help. Sleep for now, I’ll explain later.”

Shivering and pulling the blankets closer, Wooyoung’s eyes drifted to the dancing flame as he fell asleep.

Yeosang resumed his card game with the ghost and Wooyoung wondered how it was the cards were moving by themselves.

He awoke next when Yeosang was changing his bandages, gooseflesh appearing all along his exposed skin until he could burrow under the blankets again. His wounds were improving. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed but the ghost was still there, chained to the floor with concerned eyes and a watery smile pointed in Wooyoung’s direction.

“I’m going to give you food and more medicine,” Yeosang warned him, helping him pull his shirt back on over fresh bandages. “It will make you sleepy, don’t fight it.”

So again the world faded to black and time was pulled out from under him. But at least this time, his stomach was full.

It was afternoon when he was conscious next.

A naval surgeon was there, telling him to try to stand for awhile and leading him through a few exercises to make him healthy again. Yeosang and that ghostly hallucination of Hongjoong watched from the floor.

Wooyoung was unnerved that the apparition was still there. His fever was wearing off, but his imagination had conjured up a spirit to torment him.

It turned to Yeosang and spoke, halting with uncertainty but loud enough that Wooyoung could hear. He squeezed his eyes shut and clung to Yeosang, pulling him away from the ghost and trying to snap out of this vision he was having.

“Yeosang, I don’t think he... I don’t think he knows it’s me.”

“It can’t be you,” Wooyoung shot back, trying to step away towards the bed. “You’re dead.”

Hongjoong flinched and looked so crestfallen, Wooyoung almost felt bad, but he wasn’t real and it would be better to go back to sleep and forget the whole thing.

Yeosang insisted on pulling him closer, sitting him down next to the chained spirit. “Come and see for yourself.”

“You told me he—”

“I was wrong. Everyone was.”

Wooyoung froze as Hongjoong placed a hand on his forehead and smirked at him. “You aren’t feverish.”

It was real.

Wooyoung opened his mouth to respond but he couldn’t. He was still as a statue, tears brimming to the surface as Hongjoong pulled him into a hug.

“I told you I would find you.”

And somehow, in the debris of a sinking escort ship, he did.

Yeosang began to explain everything, how Hongjoong survived and ended up here, how he saved them and made alliances with the officers, and Wooyoung listened but he was too elated to respond or even look away.

The thought of Admiral Kim spiked a shard of anger in him again. “They keep separating us,” he growled.

Hongjoong brushed the hair out of his face and gripped Wooyoung by the shoulders. “It’s because they know we’re stronger together.”

The sound of the surgeon leaving stole their attention for a moment, and Wooyoung tensed defensively as a very familiar lieutenant entered the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

“Good timing, Byun,” Hongjoong smiled at the man, and Wooyoung was astounded.

“He tried to drown me!”

“He’s on our side now,” Hongjoong started to say, but Wooyoung knew, he’d heard it all when Yeosang explained it, but that didn’t mean he approved.

“Your side maybe. You can’t speak for the rest of us. I mean, do you have to wear their clothes and everything?” He whined, jealousy leaking through for a moment. “It looks like you’ve already got a new crew right here. What do you need us for?”

“I would never replace you,” Hongjoong frowned. “Working together is our best chance.”

“What we had was already our best chance,” Wooyoung argued back. “We had loyalty, we had love. And we ought to jump ship before they betray us.”

“With all due respect, you can’t,” Byun interrupted, clearly miffed by Wooyoung’s coldness. “We left land behind days ago, and we’re headed south into enemy territory.”

“So you mean we’re trapped,” Wooyoung chuckled sardonically. Byun didn’t engage his response.

Instead Hongjoong squeezed his hand and took over again, voice steady and firm.

“You know the most valuable currency of a pirate?”

Wooyoung tilted his head in thought before shaking it. He hadn’t been a pirate very long, really.

“It’s not treasure, a ship, a commission, or even a life,” Hongjoong counted off. “It’s a name. And the Admiral strung up the name of the Pirate King in Namhae— my name. This is me starting from scratch.”

Wooyoung softened in understanding. Who was he to barge in and destroy what Hongjoong had built from the brink of death?

If anyone could pull off an escape, the three of them could. And if it took help from the officers, so be it.

“Excuse me, but Yeosang,” Byun cleared his throat and jerked his head towards the door. “You need to make a decision about your father.”

Wooyoung saw the way Yeosang deflated and quickly deduced what the problem was. “He’s here, isn’t he?”

Yeosang nodded and got to his feet. “He doesn’t know we’re hiding down here. Only the few officers sympathetic to Hongjoong do. For all Father knows, I died in the wreckage.”

“And you should keep it that way,” Hongjoong voiced from where he huddled on the floor. “If he knows, he’ll tell the Admiral...”

Yeosang sighed and looked out the tiny porthole window, clearly wrestling with the question himself. It would be some ironically appropriate retribution to keep the truth from the navigator, after he’d kept the truth of Hongjoong’s survival secret himself. Wooyoung knew it was a lie Yeosang had lived with longer, and one he was still struggling to come to terms with.

But being dead to his father meant no more life in Bundam, no more prestigious navigator title, no more future in respectable society. Probably no more contact with his sister, or anyone from home.

He was doomed to be a pirate forever, and that brought a whole slew of problems. Deciding to survey the situation on his own, he moved for the doorway.

Hongjoong’s eyes begged for them not to go. He didn’t want to be alone again.

Still Wooyoung struggled to stand and follow Yeosang, trusting his judgment.

“No, you really should rest,” Yeosang protested, taking him by the arms and stopping his progress.

“I won’t leave you to do this by yourself,” Wooyoung insisted before any more arguments could be made and the pair of them silently crept up a deck to the crew’s living quarters, letting Byun point them in the right direction.

Through delicately frosted glass, they could see Navigator Kang on the floor of his bedroom.

He lay uncomfortably on the ground beside a jar of incense he’d been burning in mourning for his son, a tray of uneaten food in front of him.

Despite the passage of time, the man had not appeared on deck or even left the room.

Even as much as Wooyoung hated him, it was hard to watch.

“He loved you,” he whispered softly, voice breaking as he noticed Yeosang’s eyes transfixed.

He had loved him so much, he poisoned him. Thinking what he was doing was right, but harming his son with his good intentions instead of helping him.

“I loved him,” Yeosang admitted, scrubbing his eyes viciously to drive away any tears. “But we chose different paths a long time ago. I could never make him see it my way, I know that now.”

And still it was so unfair, that one he had once loved most would be left behind in evil, no matter what Yeosang did.

“You know, I think Captain was onto something, disappearing off the face of the earth,” he finally decided, making Wooyoung’s face light up.

“I’m dead to him now,” Yeosang explained. “Coming back would only renew the troubled relationship I was already struggling to endure. And besides, with the ATEEZ I have everything I need.”

“So what next?” Wooyoung prompted as they moved back into their secret hideout, ready to disappear behind various meticulously placed furniture items at the first sight of the Admiral. “We escape when we make landfall?”

“First, you recover,” Byun instructed as he closed and locked the door behind them. “You’re in no condition to be fighting if the need arises.”

Yeosang agreed quickly and sat down next to Wooyoung, huddling into a circle with Hongjoong on the other side so he could take part.

“I am in proper condition, however,” he pointed out to a jealous Wooyoung, motioning to each of his injured friends. “Hongjoong’s hands were burned. Yours were broken. My hands work fine, I should be using them.”

“You’re our secret weapon, Yeosang,” Hongjoong agreed with a growing smile. “We have work to do.”

...

The clang of metalwork and song echoed through Geobugi’s harbour and Yunho couldn’t help his curiosity.

“What exactly is all this?” He asked one of them burly men who was taking a break from pounding iron to drink some water and wipe the sweat off his brow.

“Oh, Yunho of the ATEEZ!” He greeted politely, reaching out a meaty hand to be shaken. “I’m honoured you would ask. We’re making armour for our ships. Still working on a lightweight design, but this is what we’ve come up with.”

“A-Armour?” Yunho repeated. “Are you anticipating full on battle?”

“If you should ever call for it, we’ll be ready!” The man replied cheerfully before returning to his work, joining the rhythmic work song.

Yunho shook his head to clear it and turned back to where Seonghwa, Mingi, and the Stardust officers were making an inventory of the newly restocked ATEEZ.

There was a small crowd of men gathered, all of them volunteering to join the mission, each most likely looking for the chance to brag that they’d participated in the rescue of Choi Jongho himself.

Seonghwa was politely turning down one after the other in favour of the existing crew. They’d been with them through thick and thin, there was no need to exchange them with hopeful replacements.

Mingi oversaw the loading of new supplies, a gift they were thankful to accept considering they had no idea what to expect if it came down to combat with Haemin over this.

He and Seonghwa were in their element, which left nothing much for Yunho to do at the moment except chat with the Stardust pirates.

“We’ll likely follow at a distance,” Maddox was saying. “Just in case the fighting escalates.”

“We can handle them just fine,” Yunho assured the quartermaster confidently.

“But there’s no need to handle them alone,” Youngsaeng responded softly, and Yunho was inclined to trust him.

Reaching up a hand to his neck, he rubbed the chain hanging there for luck. It was once Hongjoong’s crystal key, but now only an empty chain without its owner. Yunho was resourceful, but this particular necklace wasn’t meant to be repurposed. It was a small relic to help him focus and the memories it carried motivated him.

“Wait!” A voice yelled from the town, the pounding of feet following it.

Yunho turned around to see Gunho speeding towards him, stopping to regain his breath before protesting. “You can’t leave! You only just got here, you haven’t even seen your lodgings yet.”

“Gunho, I’m sorry,” Yunho sighed. “I want to stay with you, but we have to find our missing members first.”

“Then let me come—”

“No, Gunho, it’s too dangerous,” Yunho cut him off before he could even fully ask permission.

“I’m not a baby anymore,” Gunho pouted, ironically looking even more childlike in his petulance. “Don’t leave me behind again.”

“We’ll return when we’re whole, I promise,” Yunho told him with sincerity, pulling him close for a hug. “I just can’t leave Jongho to his fate. He’s my brother too now.”

Gunho nodded slowly and pulled away. “Alright,” he sighed, and it gave Yunho some hope that he had matured enough to understand. “But if you even think about going off on another adventure without me, I’ll hear it from the Stardust!”

He punctuated his statement with a light punch and Yunho couldn’t help but laugh.

Gunho seemed so much happier here, so much more himself. Part of Yunho was disappointed to have missed the transformation, but he was grateful for it nonetheless. Time had been kind to his brother, and not only to him.

There was just one more mission left before they could enjoy their hard-won spoils and live the life they’d built for themselves.

“Wait!”

Another voice interrupted the embarkation, this time from the other side of the docks.

“Now what?” Minseob griped, crossing his arms and preparing to deal with the interference.

“There’s no need for a search party!” The voice called out again, and Yunho turned around in shock as he recognised it.

“Jongho!”

He rushed toward the younger pirate, but Mingi beat him to it, squeezing him in a hug so tight, Jongho had to tap him on the shoulder to signal he needed to breathe.

“And not just me,” he gasped, quickly embracing Seonghwa and Yunho as well before turning and pushing back through the crowd with a slight limp, rescuing another pirate who had been swarmed with adoring fans.

“San!” Yunho laughed, and the shock of suddenly seeing him was so intense, that he couldn’t even form the words to ask how he was here.

San joined them with hugs as well, relief plastered across his face, and promised to explain when he got the chance. “It’s quite the story,” he sighed with a tired smile. “I’m not sure you’ll even believe me.”

“Hyung, I lost your spyglass,” Jongho suddenly confessed as they moved to a more secure corner of the dock, letting the Stardust officers deal with the traffic. “I’m so sorry.”

“Oh, Jongho, don’t worry about it!” Yunho replied quickly, astounded that Jongho would even think of such a thing on the heels of his miraculous return. “I’m just happy you’re alive and safe.”

“You were preparing to set out?” San observed quickly, giving Jongho a knowing glance.

Seonghwa affirmed it and went to tell Yoojin to cancel the trip, but Jongho took him by the arm and stopped him.

“Good. We have a job for you.”

...

Taglist: @serendipityunho @celestial-yunho @atzjjongbby @89staytinyzen21

A/N: I came back with a really long one, possibly the longest chapter to date, so hopefully it was okay that there wasn’t much action 😆 From this chapter I think the trajectory of the rest of this volume might be apparent, and at any rate All to Action has passed the halfway point! Let me know what you thought and have a nice week~

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staarblaster · 4 years ago

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The Mystery at the edge of the Universe

“So we drove on toward death through the cooling twilight.”- F. Scott Fitzgerald

Chapter One

It was a warm Autumn night and the smell of stale cigarette smoke lingered in the air but by the light of a lamp, one student was still awake. A leather-bound book on his desk, filled with scrawled entries, he needed to calm down. He couldn’t prove what he was thinking so why was he so concerned? But yet everything was telling him he should be.

She would tell him that he shouldn’t be this stressed, but no offense to her. She didn’t know what he had found to make him this stressed, but he hated hiding things, but if he was right, he did not want to be right. It was just an old school legend, right?

He sighed, his eyes darting over to the dark blue paper that was tucked underneath his leather journal. The school’s crest, an N and a W intersecting in unison, and smiled softly moving his pen to the first prompt. He had scribbled some ideas down for all three but the first one, the first one interested him.

Neverwinter Academy’s Practice Debate Topics

[X] Do personal demons lead to growth or can you make your growth?

[] Are private schools better than public schools?

[] Is the LGBT community forced upon our children?

He paused, scanning the brief three prompts he had chosen the first one in terms of a challenge for tryouts. The margins of the blue paper that advertised the event. He and Lucretia would have to talk about a strategy, while they were both co-captains they were also the star debaters of their school. But what would she say if he was investigating some pointless story? He sighed getting up from his seat. His legs, not quite asleep, gave some resistance but he casually began walking close towards his closet. He stared for a moment looking into the closet, not too surprised by its contents, white-collared shirts, several pairs of denim jeans, and tucked away was his jersey from last season embossed on the right side underneath a small pocket, his nickname in silver embroidery floss B.Bluejeans. Leave it to Magnus to give him the most memorable nickname freshman year and have it catch on like wildfire.

The school’s mascot, an owl embroidered on the sleeves. He sighed again, what was he doing? A drive would steady his nerves, probably.

Before he left, he made sure to put on the varsity jacket, and made sure that he had his keys. The Camaro he owned was a decent one, vintage his father Gregor would say in an all too familiar overly enthusiastic voice, but as he exited his dorm grabbing the leatherbound book, for right now he didn’t want this book behind.

Not until he at least talked to someone about his theory even if it did sound preposterous, he entered his Camaro and proceeded to drive off the campus, he knew it was past curfew, but he would be back soon.

----

For an Autumn night, she never expected it to be so cold, well to be fair she was soaking wet.

Her blonde hair soaking wet, a leather jacket, semi-stiff because of the water that seeped into it, a band tee sticking to her chest. But the worst was her combat boots sloshing and filled with water, and her socks were soaked.

Gods this was uncomfortable, that was the last time she was going to go to a party (she would say for now) even if it was a nice distraction from her latest string of foster homes.

But right now, she was slightly buzzed and walking down the familiar streets. She could hear the wind up against her back. Fuck it was only going the night had to get worse huh?

She ran a hand through her hair,

“Okay, Lup... you’ve been in worse scrapes. Remember the Hammerheads... you can call Hurley and Sloane and the- ”

She started the statement and pulled out her phone. Waterlogged. Fuck. She let out another sigh, okay, let’s think this through. She proceeded to walk across the street, not entirely paying attention you need to call someone, Hurley, Sloane, Carey... would Noelle be up? Probably. Could she guarantee that the weasel Lucas wouldn’t answer the phone? No, she couldn’t. But first, she would need to find a phone.

As luck would have it, illuminated by the streetlights was a payphone across the street. As she approached to cross the street, a car zipped past her, its windows partially rolled down,

“HEY WATCH IT!” she shouted angrily at the driver.

She sighed before her eyes widened, the car slowing down next to her. Great thinking Lup. Next time keep your mouth shut. She stared at the navy blue Camaro. It was a nice car what could she say. It was certainly nicer than most of the cars in Neverwinter Highschool’s parking lot. But she couldn’t shake the feeling there was something off.

The driver turned to look at her, Lup’s teeth still chattering. But he had kind eyes, shielded by his glasses, he was wearing a dark blue varsity jacket. His brown hair was a bit scattered, he looked even worse than her but something told her he didn’t drink tonight so what had him so frazzled?

“Shit, um... Did I hit you?” he even sounded dorky.

Lup shook her head, it wasn’t in a condescending way, but she wasn’t going to let him off the hook.

“I-I...d-don’t suppose you have a phone.”

Her teeth chattered as she enunciated each syllable.

Classy. She looked desperate. Pleading for this probable Richie Rich to be her knight in shining armor.

He took a moment pausing and a faint click was heard, unlocking the passenger side of the car.

“You should warm-up, and then you can use my phone. If that’s okay... you just looked really cold an- ”

Lup looked him over, she could trust him and his words seemed believable enough, plus his face was memorable enough that if he tried anything weird. She entered the car and gave him a curt smile.

“Lup.”

Her teeth chattering had slowed down a bit, and before he started the car again, he took off the varsity jacket extending it to her.

“I’m Barry...”

She paused, reading the name on the coat, as she took off her coat and put his on.

“Bluejeans?” she chuckled reading the silver writing on the coat.

He smiled, before watching her buckle her seatbelt and turning to focus on the road.

“It’s kinda a nickname... It’s kinda embarrassing” he chuckled

She rolled her eyes but smiled anyway, her eyes looking around the car, before looking at the glove compartment.

“So Bluejeans... what’s got you worried?”

He cocked his head to the side, his eyes were on the road but he noticed her going towards the glove compartment. Chances are if she read his journal, she’d think he was crazy.

“Worried? Did I seem that way?”

Lup gave him a seemingly sarcastic deadpan expression.

“I’ve seen calmer expressions on a tightrope walker.”

Barry sighed,

“You’d think I’m crazy...”

She looked at him, his kind eyes seemed serious,

“Try me..”

As Barry opened his mouth, a car engine revved behind them.

“I’m sorry what did you say?!”

Lup turned her head and noticed a set of headlights close behind them.

“Someone’s uh following us...”

Barry nodded,

“Hold on!”

---

He wouldn’t get away, not before they found out what he had written down in that journal. He had seen him scribbling away incessantly if he knew... no. Halwinter wasn’t that clever. Sure he had been aligned with some brilliant minds around the campus. But that journal, that journal had everything he needed to regain it. It wasn’t just a story. It was power, it could ascend them from what they were to what they could become.

They said a small prayer under their breath as they collided with the car. Then time stood still. The cars were damaged, and the sound of the collision caused their ears to ring. It was fine, a mild inconvenience yes, but worth the reward.

Would he be forgiven?

-----

Lup groaned, still being covered by the blue letterman coat, touched her head in confusion. She was bleeding? In her other hand, however, was a leather-bound book. But where was Barry?

#the adventure zone #taz fanfiction #tw: car accident #cliffhanger ending #dark academia? or at least trying #introduction #taz mystery #jane writes #eventual blupcretia #eventual taakitz #eventual magnulia #angst warning

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name-me-regret · 4 years ago

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If The World Was Ending 3/?

If The World Was Ending Chapter Three: California Dreamin’

Read on AO3.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

“All the leaves are brown And the sky is grey I've been for a walk On a winter's day I'd be safe and warm If I was in L.A. California dreamin' On such a winter's day

Stopped into a church I passed along the way Well, I got down on my knees And I pretend to pray You know the preacher liked the cold He knows I’m gonna stay California Dreamin’...”

~California Dreamin’ - Barry McGuire

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

Tony sprang to his feet as he immediately rushed toward the suit that opened up for him. The skylight he’d had installed after invasion slid open and he blasted into the sky. “J, deploy the Iron Legion now!” As he did, he remembered Evan and he pulled up where the tsunami had hit and felt cold terror grip him as he saw that the Santa Monica pier had been taken out. “Shit! JARVIS, what’s my ETA?”

The HUD popped up a calculation. “At the speed you’re going, your estimated time of arrival should be three hours.”

That was unacceptable. He put more power into the thrusters as he could, and heard the BOOM as he broke the sound barrier somewhere over Lake Eerie. “At this speed ETA is two hours,” JARVIS intoned without having to be asked.

“What about the Iron Legion?” Tony was so relieved now that he hadn’t destroyed the rest of his suits after the Battle of Norco.

“ETA four minutes,” JARVIS told him. That was a much better time since when it came to natural disasters, especially involving large amounts of water, every minute, every second counted. Tony set his suit to auto-pilot for the remainder of the flight, making sure to call the FAA. He didn’t want any aircraft to accidentally stray into his path, and he’d be a disaster on top of a disaster.

“Give me eyes as soon as they reach the affected areas. Also, patch me into the channel the first responders use.” A few minutes later his HUD was filled with live feed from the suits, and he was rendered speechless at what he saw. Tony wished he could speed up past Mach 5 without the suit falling apart.

He decided to concentrate on what he could do (and not on a certain someone), and pulled up the stats on the suits that were functional. Out of the 35 suits he’d made between the invasion of Manhattan and the Mandarin Incident, there were nine viable suits. It was the Mark 20: Python, Mark 25: Striker/Thumper, Mark 28: Jack, Mark 33: Silver Centurion, Mark 34: Southpaw, Mark 36: Peacemaker, Mark 37: Hammerhead, Mark 38: Igor, and Mark 41: Bones.

Tony wished the Mark 35 would have survived, since the Red Snapper was made to save people during natural disasters; for example, rescuing victims trapped during an earthquake. He’d gotten the idea after the 7.1 earthquake that had hit LA, and now a year and a half later they’re hit with a tsunami. Unfortunately, Killian had destroyed it during the Battle of Norco.

Well, Southpaw would have to do, even if Red Snapper would have been better with its extendable and retractable claws. At least Hammerhead would come in handy, since it could remain submerged for long periods of time.

“This is Iron Man. I have multiple suits flying over the city and ready to help out. Just point me in the right direction and I’ll help where I can.” Almost immediately he was flooded with calls of trapped civilians, several inside and on top of their houses. He told JARVIS to concentrate on the ones trapped inside their houses, since there was another wave and the water was rising alarmingly fast. There were some people still trapped in their vehicles and unfortunately they couldn’t get to everyone on time.

He directed the suits where to go that they’d be the most useful. Tony heard dispatch call Swift Water Command, calling in a Code Three. Tony heard the commander say they were delayed and luckily J had a suit in the area. It was Bones and he saw the armor detach into several pieces and break through two roof vents to save a man trapped in the attic of his flooding house. As he watched the suits save people; Hammerhead dove for a little girl that had fallen into the water from off the roof of her house when she slipped, and Igor large enough that it could fly with several people hanging from it to take them to higher ground, he was even more glad he hadn’t destroyed the suits.

Sure he loved Pepper and would do anything for her, but with every life he saved, he remembered why he’d become Iron Man in the first place. He’d remembered those soldiers he’d laughed and joked with before they’d been gunned down, with his own weapons no less, and knew he’d made the right choice to not quit this. And maybe Pepper would come around and maybe she wouldn’t, but he refused to be guilted for doing something that saved people’s lives; even if at the times he was so sick and tired, and so inured he could barely move or breathe without something hurting.

It was more important to be able to help people, made him feel like he was alive for a reason. He’d told her three years ago, that he shouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for a reason, and this was that reason. It wasn’t fighting Killian and aliens, but helping and protecting the people from those threats.

It was almost two hours later, after remotely piloting the other suits, that he was physically flying over the city. The water still hadn’t receded, and three more waves had hit, and hopefully that would be the end of it but he doubted it. Tony wanted to call Evan and make sure he was alright, but cell phone service was wonky at the moment. Besides, he didn’t want to tie up the line when there were others that needed actual help. Evan’s apartment was out of the flood zone, so he was sure he was fine. He was weirdly glad he had a serious blood clot condition that had him confined to his home, and not out there with the rest of the first responders. Tony wouldn’t be able to concentrate if he knew Evan was in danger.

He decided not to unpack all of that right now and quickly dismissed the rest of the live feeds of the Iron Legion, letting JARVIS take over. Although now that he’d seen some of what was required for something of this magnitude, he knew he needed to remake Red Snapper and more Iron Legion, probably a special force that could be used for natural disasters. While Southpaw was for natural disasters as well, it was mostly to protect the user from damage from natural disasters. He needed more armors that had emergency features, like medical features such as the ability to be used as a defibrillator or even carry oxygen or breathing equipment for CPR.

Tony headed toward the pier, since flooding was still extensive, and he heard calls earlier of first responders being needed at the Santa Monica Pier. As he neared where the worst of the flooding was, he saw that the whole pier was underwater. There saw also an actual Ferris wheel that was still standing after all three waves, but it wouldn’t hold for much longer.

As he neared, he saw that the wave was starting to recede, going in the other direction. He heard the ones at the Ferris wheel call the coast guard. ‘Coast Guard, Coast Guard. This is Captain Nash LAFD. We need a miracle at the pier. We need one quick.’ As the helicopter flew in, the Ferris wheel started to tip, and he blasted forward.

“Incoming, Captain Nash!” he called over the speaker on his suit, arriving in time to catch the Ferris wheel as it almost toppled. Tony saw that most of the people had been evacuated except for the one who was being airlifted and a woman with curly hair, as well as two first responders, both firefighters by the looks of it.

“Iron Man!” he heard someone call in surprise.

“Yes, I’ll sign autographs later,” he joked, “but right now this thing is coming down and I might not be able to hold it for long.” The two firefighters, one Hispanic man and another Caucasian woman had just finished lowering the woman and now looked at each other, unclipped from their lines and jumped, landing feet first in the water. “Ten out of ten!” Tony called, “now let’s go go go!” They scrambled onto the speed boats as Tony grunted as the debris hit it hard and it started to put a strain on the armor. When he saw they were clear, he let it drop as he flew out of the way barely in time from getting knocked down by it.

He met them at the entrance of the pier by the sign that read ‘•Yacht Harbor• SPORT FISHING •BOATING Cafes’, the water still high enough that it reach most of their calves. If he’d been in any armor before the Mark 8, he’d have thought twice before landing in the water. However the Mark 43 was a better version of all the armors that had come before. He wanted to see if anyone needed help.

“Iron Man,” he heard someone call. Tony turned to see a stern looking man in his early fifties with a helmet on his head and the red vest that declared him a fire captain. This must be Captain Nash. He was wet and obviously tired, but there was still a certain amount of authority to the set of his shoulders. He had the kind of presence Howard had given off, but tempered with something softer Tony couldn’t identify.

“That’s me,” he said as he lifted up the face plate but refrained from stepping out of the suit. He didn’t want to get his shoes wet, and besides, this man appeared to be at good six feet and even if it was only two or three inches, he hated feeling short. Especially when it was from a man that reminded him if even just a tiny bit of Howard. “But just Tony, please. What can I do for you, Captain?”

Nash extended his hand, and Tony took it without hesitation. He had more respect for first responders than any bureaucratic asshole that wanted to shake his hand and play nice for the cameras. “Bobby Nash of the 118. Thank you for the assist,” giving his gauntlet covered hand a firm shake. Tony liked the sincerity in his voice.

“It was no problem, Cap. I didn’t really do much,” he assured. The man’s lips quirked a bit, whether in annoyance or amusement, it was hard to tell. Bobby Nash had one of those faces that gave almost nothing away. “Do you need anymore assistance?”

The woman opened her mouth but Bobby held a hand to stop her. The woman’s nametag, which was surprisingly still on, read Bosko, and the man had Diaz on his. Tony wondered why that sounded familiar. “We have a missing member of Firehouse 136, Captain Ronnie Cooper. There’s also a lot of people trapped and missing. I had thought I heard that Iron Man was helping out, and it’s nice to see it’s true.”

“Sure am, wherever it’s needed.” He’d already been able to help a lot of people and hoped to continue as long as his body and the power supply on his armors allowed. “I’ll keep an eye out for Captain Cooper, and if you need help with anything, give me a holler. There are several other suits flying over the city. So, even if I’m not nearby, my co-pilot JARVIS will be able to assist you if I can’t.”

He gave the man a salute that wasn’t meant to be at all mocking, and then the faceplate snapped shut before he blasted into the air. Tony wanted to make sure there weren’t any locations that had been damaged that could potentially become deadly. The last thing he needed was for the water to catch on fire if there was any gas spillage, and he expected it’d be a terrifying sight.

“J, try Evan’s phone,” he said. “Also, bring up satellite images of Hawaii. I don’t want to be blindsided in case they were hit as well.”

“Bringing up images right now, sir. Also, I’m getting no response from Mr. Buckley’s phone.” This made Tony worry, since Evan always answered his phone (even when he called him an old man for calling and not texting). He couldn’t do anything though, since he was needed right where he was. Tony couldn’t just rush to Evan’s apartment, there was no flooding in the area, and there were people in need of help. So, he reluctantly continued on.

“You better be safe, Evan,” he muttered.-

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thefoodwiththedood · 4 years ago

Photo

Hey y’all! Once again, between working on the Devaron’s Angels group pic, I took the opportunity to make some more characters of my own—and since I only made a few more since last time, not enough to warrant a new post, I’m re-posting my last one and working the newest ones into it! From left to right, we’ve got Brahsi’reu’Balnao, Thaom-Vok Neral, Mek Mavos, DEV-41PM, Vrollin K’vaorghuk, Ulga Kavimir, Tsonian Sornell, Jethro, Ramikadyc Vhokan, Nola Starduster, and Möhre! I love how all these guys turned out and are continuing to turn out, and I’d love to develop them some more!

Just like the last times I made new Angels, little blurbs about each one’s backstory will be below the cut. Also, For more information about the Devarons Angels group and how you could make an Angel of your own, check out this post!

Brahsi’reu’Balnao—or just Ms. Balnao, for short—is the former CFO of I’dhako Heavy Industries, better known as the main front for the Raquor’daan gang’s operations. A ruthless businesswoman with more than two decades of experience, Balnao left her position to follow Raquor’daan into the Angels, where she now oversees many of the cell’s financial matters and personally raises much of their funds. She’s shrewd, clever, and high-and-mighty enough to look down on almost anybody—but, irritating as she might be to work with, she can certainly get results.

Thaom-Vok Neral is a marksman with Abaddon’s field support team, though she’s hardly a team player. Formerly a well-adjusted rebel fighter, Neral’s survival of the Serat massacre left her mentally and emotionally scarred, and she’s now a reclusive and nihilistic husk of the person she was. However, she continues to fight, because the way she sees it, more fighting is all she can look forward to in her future.

Mek Mavos is a former member of Jedha’s Guardians of the Whills, who journeyed to Devaron following his home’s destruction in 0 BBY. Kind, compassionate, and skilled as a healer, Mek is always ready to offer his fellow Angels help and guidance, be it physical, mental, or spiritual. He’s wise beyond his years, especially in matters of the Force—it’ll become clear upon speaking to him that he is one with the Force, and the Force is with him.

Lieutenant Colonel DEV-41PM, better known by her nickname Pam, is a tactical droid who joined the Angels in 3 ABY, during the mass defection of the Devaronian Army. Pam’s a 200-year-old family heirloom, of sorts—her original master, a great man by all accounts, passed her down to his descendants as a sort of assistant, but with each successive generation her owners grew lazier, and Pam took on more responsibilities. By her final generation with that family, Pam had effectively become the Lieutenant Colonel her master was supposed to be, and when it came time to defect, she happily left him behind to fight for what’s right, as her own droid.

Vrollin K’vaorghuk is a former mercenary, who left his life of crime to fight for his home planet, and now serves as the leader of Abaddon’s infantry division. While he gets along fine with his fellow soldiers, the death of his father at the hands of a Jedi general has given him a major aversion to and vendetta against Force-users, and this causes him to frequently butt heads with Hes. Even so, he does his best to be a loyal soldier, because if nothing else, he loves his home more than he could ever hate her.

Sul D’vonder is a member of Gargoyle’s fleet division, wherein she captains her hammerhead corvette, the Skeleton Key. A former Rebel Alliance captain, she left her post and joined the Angels following her husband’s death in the escape from Echo Base. She’s upbeat, optimistic, and ready to face any challenge—more often than not with her son and junior co-captain Daki right by her side.

Ulga Kavimir is a long-time member of Abaddon Squadron’s artillery division, who joined the Angels and learned to fight after the rise of the Empire rendered her job as a peaceful protest organizer and free-speech advocate effectively obsolete. She’s strong, proud, and fiercely devoted to not just the cause, but her family within the Angels—even moreso following the Serat massacre, where her husband Vhazo was killed. She’ll do anything to protect her people and her planet, and if the Empire wants a piece of either, they’ll have to get through her.

Tsonian Sornell is a member of the Mandalorian Clan Sornell who operated as a thief in his younger days, but later styled himself as a collector of rare and historic Mandalorian artworks. He’s clearly a gentleman and a scholar, but Tsonian definitely has a streak of eccentricity and a penchant for mysteriousness, which is only amplified by the helmet he ardently refuses to remove in the company of others. Strange though he may seem, Tsonian is primarily a patron of his people and their culture, and he would sooner give up his life—not to mention take that of others—than allow any piece fall into Imperial hands.

CT-477, better known by his chosen nickname Jethro, was a clone trooper and former member of the Grand Army of the Republic, who defected after an injury forced his fellow soldiers to leave him on Devaron, mere days before Order 66 was executed. He was nursed back to health by Taho Vhokan, a Devaronian doctor, whom he later married and had two children with: his daughter Ramikadyc, and his son Bragach. A kind husband and a devoted father, Jethro’s goal is to enjoy the happy life he’s created for himself and his family: the one he never thought he’d get as a young soldier.

Ramikadyc Vhokan is a member of the Angels’ elite Archangel Squadron, who uses what skills she learned from her father—not to mention his old clone armor—to fight the Empire on the front lines. Loyal and devoted to her cause, if a little naive to the intricacies of it, Rami firmly believes it’s her destiny—in her blood, even—to fight, and she relishes the opportunity the Angels have given her. Off the battlefield, though, she’s fun to have around and even greater to have as a friend—which is great, because “friend” is a term she throws around pretty generously.

Nola Starduster is a member of the Angels’ intel division Seraphim, as well as the one-woman crew of a small spy satellite orbiting Devaron, from which she monitors the surface and intercepts Imperial transmissions. Introverted and shy, Nola is, in many ways, the perfect candidate for such a job: she never felt too at-ease among people, and always dreamed of seeing space, so she eagerly took the job when it was offered. Despite this, Nola is still a pleasant person to talk to, if you’re among the fellow Angels who receive her transmissions—she’s always eager to geek out about music or literature, and she’s an excellent listener to whoever needs one.

Möhre is a Devo/Lannik hybrid who serves as part of Belphegor’s maintainence division, who initially came to Devaron in search of adventure. Formerly a plumber, star athlete, racing driver, doctor, dragon-slayer, and mechanic on his home planet, Möhre is the quintessential jack-of-all-trades who has still managed to master one or two of them—however, his eventual retirement left him feeling unfulfilled, if not just bored. Thus, here he is fighting with the Angels, if nothing else just to get one last hurrah in while he’s still willing and able, and add “revolutionary“ to his resume while he’s add it.

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jabbers-wild-world · 4 years ago

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Jabber’s Muse List (as of 5/16/2021)

;; All right, everybody. If you were looking for a current and complete list of all of my muses, as updated as it can be for now (since you all know I am always adding more), look no further than right here. This is as complete as it gets until I add more again!

Aaarrrghh (Tales of Arcadia)

- Very large, but affectionate, “pacifist” troll currently allied with Jim Lake Jr. and friends, Toby’s ‘wingman’

Aaravos (The Dragon Prince)

- Startouch Elf, unknown motives, appears to be evil but that is as of yet unclear, usually very polite and dignified

Ace (Kuni no Alice)

- The Red Knight, clueless idiot frequently getting himself lost, generally friendly but does have a mild dark side

Adam (RWBY)

- Bull Faunus, perceived evil and leader of the White Fang, mild canon divergence

Adam (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

- Half-minotaur, has an unfortunate aggression problem due to minotaur bloodline, suitor to the princess

Aden (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

- Human suitor to the princess, generally rather calm and friendly, usually polite and very honest

Adrien (Miraculous)

- Current wielder of the Black Cat Miraculous, sheltered rich kid who just wants to be like everyone else his age

Ahanu (OC, The Untamed Wilds series)

- Centaur, American Paint Horse, Lawson’s second in command, is generally more serious and reserved than Lawson, but he has been known to crack a joke or two from time to time, and he is a force to be reckoned with if you cross him.

Aizawa (Boku no Hero/My Hero Academia)

- Pro Hero Eraserhead, teacher to Class 1-A, generally his usual mood falls in a category of “meh” and “too tired for this shit”

Ajali (OC, The Lion King*)

- Teenage gorilla, left home and now wanders, is generally kind but can be a little reckless from time to time, even on accident

Ajax (OC, Ascension**)

- Captain of the starship Ascension, ladies’ man, also referred to by some as “king of the crash landings”

Akabane (GetBackers)

- aka Doctor Jackal, former combat physician, has knives concealed in his body, currently works as a Transporter

Akei Okami (OC, Wolf Song)

- 23-year-old singer/songwriter/guitarist with the ears and tail of a red wolf and a lot of behaviors to match, he’s working on trying to make it big, and only recently got away from an abusive, blackmailing, and rather possessive manager, but not without some of that blackmail getting spread to the public, somewhat tanking his career so far

Akira (Persona 5)

- aka Joker, generally mild-mannered and quiet, even perhaps seen as a little serious, he is genuinely friendly, Phantom Thieves’ leader (no i will not call him Ren Amamiya, i don’t like it!)

Akiru (OC, The Cat Returns)

- a teenage black LaPerm cat, who may look innocent at first (and he does have a good heart and good intentions) but he is actually the leader of a band of feline thieves who are trying to fix what’s wrong with the cat kingdom society

Akisu (OC, Harry Potter)

- secretly a baku disguised in human form, he just wants to learn magic like the human/wizard children do, is generally shy and fairly awkward, but he is genuinely kind and gentle, and very affectionate if he’s comfortable enough with someone.

Aladi (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

- boisterous ball of energy and enthusiasm, cute and charming human suitor to the princess, he worked as a tailor in the kingdom of Ha’adan, but had a need for adventure and so he traveled across the sea, and when he heard the call for suitors, he joined in the fun

Alekai (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

- one of a pair of half-demon brothers from the kingdom of Tesak, usually more soft-spoken, is currently another suitor to the princess, and he usually has to act as damage control for his brother a lot of the time

Alexios (Assassin’s Creed)

- Greek assassin, snarky and pretty bold, he’s not afraid to stir up some trouble, and flirt with just about anybody

Aljunn (OC, Poison Daggers)

- Shadowman, basically a Nordic boogeyman, he’s charismatic and cunning, so far unclear motives, but he does have some rather impressive hidden abilities, so he is one to be watched out for

Altair (Assassin’s Creed)

- Syrian assassin, can occasionally be somewhat cocky and sarcastic, hates being called ‘novice’

Amani (OC, The Lion King)

- lioness cub, enthusiastic and curious, often likes to run off and explore new places

Amon (OC, Solomon’s Key)

- a Marquis of Hell, ranked as seventh in their hierarchy, he is crass and relatively aggressive, a bit of a ‘lone wolf’ type, and that’s not said ironically, given that he is actually fairly wolf-like, and often takes the form of a wolf. His true demonic form as well, is a large werewolf-like beast standing upright as a man and with the tail of a snake

Anchor (Finding Nemo)

- a well-meaning, if maybe a little confused, hammerhead shark who’s pals with Bruce and Chum, and is a member of the FEA. “Fish are friends, not food!”

Angus (OC, untitled novel)

- a Highland bull Minotaur, he’s generally rather gentle and kind, though he does have a bit of a temper from time to time, he runs a shop in a small town and sells hardware and general goods as needed

Anik (OC, Portal Skip)

- a teenage boy of about seventeen, he along with his best friend and partner Galen, are time-jumpers as part of a task force in the future, and it’s their job to either retrieve necessary persons, gather important knowledge, or prevent certain historical disasters before they happen. He tends to be the quieter of the pair, and is more of a logical thinker, and a realist.

Anubis (OC/mythological figure, untitled novel)

- Egyptian god of death and mummification, generally rather even-tempered and understanding, but he can come across a little grumpy sometimes

Apollo (Olympos)

- overly dramatic and very bratty/needy Greek god of the sun, he likes to pester Ganymede for attention, but can also get easily offended and is very spiteful

Aramis (OC, untitled novel)

- somewhat smug and aloof male dragon, but underneath his initial impressions, he is generally a good-hearted and well-meaning individual. He.. does have a fondness for shiny things, though, so guard your jewelry and your money, and all other shiny valuables.

Archer (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

- monkey demon, suitor to the princess, he can be a bit of an idiot from time to time, as he tends to think more with his stomach than his head, but he’s also very affectionate, if a bit overly energetic

Archibald (Tales of Arcadia)

- aka Archie, a well-spoken and somewhat sarcastic dragon in feline form, and the familiar to Douxie

Archimedes (OC, Secret of NIMH)

- a very articulate albeit sarcastic companion to a badger named Dodger, Archimedes is a bat, and he’s just as misplaced in the world as Dodger is.

Argent (OC, The Edovin Trilogy)

- half-breed Svalden/Mogani hybrid, Argent is the brave and diligent guardian to Yudar the oracle, as well as being a member of the Edovin Resistance. He takes Yudar’s safety seriously, and is also probably the only one who understands him best aside from Nils.

Argo (OC, untitled novel)

- (coming soon)

Argus (OC, untitled novel)

- (coming soon)

Arius (OC, The Edovin Trilogy)

- asshole, but with a heart of gold, Arius is a criminal and exile, sent to live in the Outlands around the country of Delanar, where the city of Edovin resides, for the crimes of arson and attempted murder

Arno (Assassin’s Creed)

- French assassin, present during the events of the French Revolution, Arno is rather sarcastic at times, but he is actually a bit more diligent than some of his predecessors, and he takes things personally

Arqaedyn (OC, Overreach)

Arrow (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- A scout, and Gadget’s chosen best friend, Arrow is the more polite of the pair of them. He is clever and quick-witted, and he is certainly much more reserved than his tinker friend. But he is nothing short of charming, and he is certainly a gentleman. But he actually depends on Gadget, for most of what he does. Arrow often makes special requests for Gadget to work on. Ideas and inventions to help all scouts do their best work.

- Ultimately, Arrow is far more of a tactician than a combatant, but just because he’s more brains than brawn, doesn’t mean he can’t pack a punch and rumble with the best of them. And actually, he’s the one to watch in any fight, because he’s such a clever tactician. And perhaps he’s a bit of a show off, especially for the ladies, but he is still good-hearted and kind.

Arsene (Code:Realize)

Arsene Lupin (OC, The Mysterious Cases of Arsene Lupin)

Arten (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Artimaes (OC, The Horseman Series)

Artix (AdventureQuest/DragonFable)

Aspen (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Well, it would be a lie to say that Aspen isn’t a bit of an odd one. An almost obsessive addiction to sweets, the tendency to appear in places no one would ever expect he’d be, and.. he carries around an odd little doll. For a winter animal talent, he’s definitely on the strange side, and everyone on the winter side knows it. And as much as they might want to question it, most choose not to. But that’s just it, there’s always more to the story than just that.

- The truth of it is, Aspen is nearly blind. He still sees shapes and movement, and maybe a bit of color, but not much else besides that. His doll is his comfort, as are sweets, and he’s gotten amazing at sneaking up on people, because he does everything he can to mask his steps so he can be sure to hear better, just in case of any danger.

- It’s actually because of his near-blindness that he also keeps companionship with a snowy owl he calls Lune. Lune keeps a lookout for him, making sure everything is safe for his vision-impaired little friend.

Asra (The Arcana)

Asra (OC, Black Souls Rising)

Asra Fisher (OC, Harry Potter)

- Ravenclaw

Asta (OC, Ascension)

Astaroth (OC, Solomon’s Key)

- the 29th Duke of Hell, he is a demonic entity alongside Amon and seventy-one others that hold such titles, but unlike Amon, Astaroth is exceedingly friendly and even flirtatious. He tends to favor more serpentine forms, or his ‘adorable and sexy’ human form.His true demonic form, is in fact a large, bronze-scaled naga with a line of spikes along his back. But he, among all other seventy-two Goetic demons, is very unique in one particular ability.

- Astaroth is a seer. He can see all things past, present, and future, and he answers all questions asked of him. Of course, his seer abilities are not always within his control, and he cannot always choose the when of what he sees.

Aurelio (OC, Seas of Stormfall)

- man-eating sea demon

Auren (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- A light talent with somewhat of a gruff attitude, Auren doesn’t always come across as entirely friendly, but the truth is, he’s a very relaxed and easy-going guy. He sees all his fellow talent members as family, as one big clan, and he looks out for all of them.

- Even if there’s not really any leader among light fairies, Auren still takes it upon himself to be someone all his fellow talent members can come to when they need advice or comfort, or even just a little bit of proper direction.

- Honestly, his attitude often makes him seem like he’s the leader of some sort of gang of thugs, or something like that, but honestly it’s just the way he is. He’s gruff, and a bit of a tough guy, but he’s honestly just looking out for his fellow talent members like a big brother looking out for his siblings.

Avel (OC, The Faded Legends saga)

Averin (OC, Firestone)

Avis (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Avos (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Aym (OC, Solomon’s Key)

Azir (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Azkhal (OC, untitled novel)

Azra-Khal (OC, untitled novel)

Azriel (OC, Crossover)

- the Angel of Death

Bael (OC, Solomon’s Key)

- the first King among the seventy-two Goetic demons, Bael is the leader of them all, and second only to Lucifer himself.

Bagheera (The Jungle Book)

Bakugou (Boku no Hero/My Hero Academia)

Balthasar (OC, Down the Rabbit Hole)

Balthazar (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Balto (Balto)

Ban (GetBackers)

Banjo (Banjo-Kazooie)

Banzai (The Lion King)

Barik (Nora: The Last Chronicle of Devildom)

Baron (The Cat Returns)

Barrel (OC, Pokemon)

- Golem

Bartleby (OC, Down the Rabbit Hole)

Bartleby (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Batty (FernGully)

Beast (Beauty and the Beast)

Bear (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Gruff, pushy, and honestly a pretty solid wall of sparrowman, Bear is just as his name sounds like he’d be. He’s a little intimidating to talk to, or even to be around in general, but honestly, he’s very unlikely to hurt anyone. Well, unless someone were to seriously push their luck and actually get on his nerves.

- He’s relaxed and fairly gentle, unless he’s pushed to his limits. He is quite literally the embodiment of the phrase ‘don’t poke sleeping bears’. He’s not very social, unlike some other animal talents, and tends to spend more of his time around animals than other fairies.

- For reasons yet unclear to other fairies around them, Bear seems to have a rather aggressive and spiteful rivalry with Viper. While the two never seem to really get physical with each other, there’s never a shortage of sarcasm and insults tossed between them any time they’re in the same vicinity. Especially if they’re forced to cooperate with each other for any reason. Honestly, it’s a wonder how the two of them even started interacting in the first place, but then comes the realization that they are only around each other because they are both mutual friends of Spark.

Beetle (Kubo and the Two Strings)

Beta (OC, Viral Infection)

Black Jack (OC, The Untamed Wilds series)

Black Joker (Kuni no Alice)

Blaine (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Blitz (OC, How to Train Your Dragon)

- Skrill

Blood (Kuni no Alice)

- head of the Hatter Mafia

Boomer (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Boris (Kuni no Alice)

- the Cheshire Cat that lives at the Amusement Park

Bow (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)

Bowser (Mario)

Branch (Trolls)

Break (Pandora Hearts)

Briggs (OC, Finding Nemo/Finding Dory)

- a grumpy and cynical adult tiger shark who’s been through more in his life than he’d really like to talk about, and through a rather annoying and frustrating series of events, he’s now apparently responsible for a very energetic and friendly blacktip reef shark who he believes he could do without, or so he says

Buer (OC, Solomon’s Key)

- the tenth Lord of Hell, and one of the Goetic demons in Bael’s company, he is generally rather mild-mannered and sociable, and is actually capable of healing injuries. Mostly, he tends to mind his own business unless he is required to be present, preferring to keep out of the way. Ultimately though, he is actually rather shy and hates large gatherings.

- Buer tends to favor more equine forms, either that of a large white stallion, or a form much akin to Sagittarius the centaur archer, the latter actually being his true demonic form, and one in which he chooses to wear a black blindfold across his eyes. He can take a human form as well, but does not do so often.

Bunnymund (Rise of the Guardians)

Caine (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Cale (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Callum (The Dragon Prince)

Campbell (Camp Camp)

Canterbury (Black Butler)

Capper (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Cassius (OC, Brightwire)

- A former soldier of the Avran military, particularly as a General of the Airstrike Militia, Cassius swore never to involve himself in another war as long as he lives. The bloodshed he witnessed while involved in the battles of a decade past still haunt him, and as such is the case, he very rarely spends time among living company, and he does his best to avoid forming any attachments to any person for long.

- Over the last decade, Cassius has taken on the occupation of being a merchant of alchemical goods, among other various cargo, and he has quickly become well-known as a merchant of reputable standards and quality service. He has become acquainted (unfortunately in his opinion) with a young man named Finnian, who calls himself ‘an affordable alternative to mainstream service’, which Cassius insists is just a charismatic way to say he’s a back alley thief.

- But aside from Finnian, the elven captain has also managed to reacquaint himself with an old friend of his, a mage named Marquis. But now, Marquis is traveling with a young lady named Wren, and thanks to Finnian’s 'helpful’ advice, Wren has sought out the elven airship captain to aid her on an apparently important quest, and Cassius found himself unfortunately manipulated into agreeing to getting involved by Finnian. So, now he’s become the primary mode of transportation for Wren and her questing party, much to his chagrin

Caster (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- He used to be a dust keeper around Pixie Hollow, but he has since gone rogue, and did so even before Tinker Bell was born. He stole pixie dust, especially a bit of blue dust, and he was experimenting with it long before Zarina tried. Like her, he too joined up with pirates for a while, but he left them of his own accord when they were no longer of use to him.

- He’s shorter than most sparrowmen, at a height of about 4.8 inches. But he’s created something even Zarina never figured out. Anti-dust. While normal pixie dust helps others to fly and objects to float about, this black dust with its crimson glow does the opposite. It weighs everything down, and could even create a crushing weight if enough of it is used.

- So beware of the rogue dust keeper. He isn’t your friend in the least. He is the one they all warn the newbies about, and the reason why the blue dust is so vigilantly guarded. But.. maybe Oleander knows something about why.

Catra (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)

Chardonnay (Sweet Beginnings***)

Charlie (Monsterkind)

Cherry (Sweet Beginnings)

Chester (Tales of Phantasia)

Chouza (Itsuwaribito)

Chris Blackford (OC, Crossover)

Chrono (Chrono Crusade)

Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Colte (OC, Viral Infection)

Conn (OC, The Arcanum Chronicles)

Connor (Assassin’s Creed)

Connwaer (named by me, with permission from crimson-chains)

Cornelius (Thumbelina)

Creek (Trolls)

Cress (Tales of Phantasia)

Crosjando (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Crow (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- For an animal talent, Crow comes across as very intimidating, even downright terrifying to some. But underneath that gruff exterior, he’s actually genuinely kind and caring, and is sort of like a big brother figure to some others, particularly to Gale and maybe a couple others. Still, he’s very rough with his affection usually, and many have said that maybe Crow should have been a scout instead of an animal talent.

- It doesn’t help either that Crow does have a tendency to carry around a rather large hawk talon, as a method of defense. Where he even got the talon, no one is quite sure. All that is known is that, well, he has it and he’s not afraid to use it.

Crowley (Oz+)

Cryptic (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Cysero (AdventureQuest/DragonFable)

Dagan (OC, untitled novel)

Daisuke (D.N.Angel)

Daniel (Camp Camp)

I hate him

Dantalion (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Dante (Devil May Cry)

Dante Ignatius (OC, untitled novel)

Dante Kronos (OC, Down the Rabbit Hole)

Dante Rhodes (OC, Harry Potter)

Darien (OC, Misplaced Magic)

Dark (D.N.Angel)

Dark Law (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Dark Pit (Kid Icarus)

Darrow (OC, untitled novel)

Dastan (OC, Silence Lost)

Data (OC, Viral Infection)

David (Camp Camp)

- a ray of sunshine,”Ooooooooh~! There’s a place I know that’s tucked away..”

Dazai (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Deaikil (OC, Ascension)

- a bad attitude given a full arsenal, he is an alien species called a Ganavir, and is actually a hornless subspecies of them. But that makes him an outcast among his people, and it makes him angrier and more feral than they are. And Ganavir are already a war-hungry, violent bunch.

Decim (Death Parade)

Delta (OC, Viral Infection)

Devil (Sweet Beginnings)

Devon (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Devon (OC, The Camp Mythos series)

Dezimir (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Dhambi (OC, The Lion King)

Digit (OC, Viral Infection)

Docks (OC, untitled novel)

Dodger (OC, Down the Rabbit Hole)

- the Dodo, and a historian

Dodger (OC, Secret of NIMH)

Don Karnage (Talespin)

Double Trouble (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)

- what is gender?

Dr. Facilier (The Princess and the Frog)

Drake (OC, Black Souls Rising)

Drossel (Black Butler)

Duststorm (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

E (AdventureQuest/DragonFable)

Ed (The Lion King)

Eivan (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Elias (OC, The Pariah Chronicles)

Elias (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Elijah (OC, The Edovin Trilogy)

Elliot (Kuni no Alice)

Elliott (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Elliot Redmond (OC, Seas of Stormfall)

Emmett (OC, Down the Rabbit Hole)

Envy (Full Metal Alchemist)

Envy (OC, The Intentions series)

Eravi (OC, untitled novel)

Etienne (OC, untitled novel)

Euro (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- A dust keeper with a penchant for mischief. Not really the best combination, especially considering he’s friends with Jinx the lock-breaking tinker. He’s often seeking out Jinx, and if he isn’t looking for his friend or doing his job, he actually also has a fondness for placing bets. He has a great mind for games and probabilities, as well as managing dust.

- But it’s the fact he works with dust that can be a little bit of a problem. Euro has his own hidden stash of pixie dust, and he occasionally adds to it. But.. why does he even have it? Well, that’s because he uses it for betting. And sure, it’s great for emergencies too, but a little harmless gambling isn’t so bad, right?

Ezio (Assassin’s Creed)

Ezra (OC, Star Wars)

Fai (Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles)

Falkor (The Neverending Story)

Fallon (Sirius the Jaeger)

Fangtooth (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Farren (Lego Elves)

Felix (Satan and Me)

Felix Agreste (Miraculous Ladybug)

Fengari (OC, RWBY)

Fenris (Dragon Age)

Ferio (Magic Knight Rayearth)

Ferran (OC, GrimmalWar)

Ferrin (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Ferris (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Festus (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Finn (OC, Brightwire)

Fisk (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Fox (RWBY)

Gadget (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Everyone’s heard of a social butterfly. Well, guess what! They come in the tinker variety too! Gadget is the perfect example of a social butterfly, jumping from fairy to fairy. And he is even a bit flirtatious too, claiming he’s ever so charming, even if the truth is that his friend Arrow is really the charming one. But there is one problem with Gadget’s exceedingly social nature.

- He is a very physical being, and he loves to just be all on top of those he considers friends. From an arm around the shoulder, to fully draping himself and all his weight on them, Gadget can be a bit of a nuisance. Still, he’s got a good heart and a clever mind, and he’s absolutely thrilled that tinkers now get to play with lost things! Still, there is a secret about him that only Arrow and Fisk know, and it’s not a happy thing that Gadget likes to talk about.

- In fact, he’s deeply ashamed of it, and actively tries to hide it, especially since.. Well, he’d be in big trouble if a certain scout fairy were to ever find out. But Gadget is a vampire. And so far, he’s the only one he knows of in Pixie Hollow. Or at all, really. He can usually keep himself in check by indulging in the occasional nectar mixture that Fisk makes for him, but there are nights when his need to feed becomes too much to hold back.

- Usually, he has enough sense of mind to seek out either Arrow or Fisk, but if he puts it off too long, and ignores the hunger too much, he can turn dangerous and may attack innocent fairies who otherwise know nothing about his vampirism. In fact, he has actually attacked a couple of fairies in the past, and was nearly caught by Venn. Now, he’s extra careful about his late night activities, because if Venn finds out he’s the vampire, it would mean the end for Gadget.

Gage (OC, The Edovin Trilogy)

Gajeel (Fairy Tail)

Gale (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- A fast flyer with a kind heart and huge determination, he may be a little guy, but he does what he has to to get his job done, and make sure his friends are okay. Not to mention that while he may be the youngest of his group of friends, he won’t let that stop him either. But while he generally seems to look on the bright side, Gale’s early experiences in Pixie Hollow weren’t quite as pleasant as some might have hoped they would be.

Galvyn (OC, untitled novel)

Ganta (Deadman Wonderland)

Gareki (Karneval)

Garrett (Quest for Camelot)

Garrick (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Garry (Ib)

Gavin (OC, Seventh Shard)

Gawl (Generator Gawl)

Geilver (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Gideon (Seven Princes of the Thousand-Year Labyrinth)

Gil (Pandora Hearts)

Gilvein (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Gin (OC, My Hero/Boku no Hero Academia)

Ginji (GetBackers)

Ginko (Mushishi)

Ginti (Death Parade)

Gintoki (Gintama)

Gintoki (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Giza (OC, The Lion King)

Gizmo (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Ever met a moody tinker? Well, here’s one. Gizmo isn’t the type to make friends, and instead would rather keep to himself, building complex parts to the mechanisms that are used all around Pixie Hollow. Unfortunately for him, Kestrel doesn’t take no for an answer. As much as Gizmo may insist that they aren’t friends, he just can’t get rid of him.

- Gizmo has been called rude, grumpy, bad-tempered or even aggressive. But it’s just mostly that he’s a loner and likes to be left alone. But.. does he really? Underneath his moodiness, there is a softer side. He isn’t great with affection, despite secretly wanting it, and that’s due to the fact that shortly after his birth, he was somewhat looked over. That, and he got lost deep in the woods for a few months, having to survive entirely on his own for what seemed like an eternity.

- He was eventually found by Kestrel, but by then, he’d become reclusive and harsh, actively refusing the company of others.By the time Kestrel had found him though, he was hungry and weak, cold and wet, and utterly exhausted, even a little battered and bruised. It’s that that is the reason Kestrel keeps checking up on him, and Gizmo knows that. But he spent too long alone, so soon after he’d been born that it was most of what made up his early experiences, and made him shy away from others rather than seeking them out.

Gizmo (OC, Beyond the Rainbow)

Glitch (OC, Viral Infection)

Gojyo (Saiyuki)

Goku (Saiyuki)

Gourry (The Slayers)

Gowland (Kuni no Alice)

- the “Duchess” and current owner of the Amusement Park

Graham (OC, Assassin’s Creed, Harry Potter, Outlander)

Gray (Fairy Tail)

Gray Ringmarc (Kuni no Alice)

- the Lizard

Griffin (Quest for Camelot)

Grillby (Undertale)

Guy (The Croods)

Guy Cecil (Tales of the Abyss)

Guy Diamond (Trolls)

Hades (Olympos)

Hagane (OC, untitled novel)

Hak (Akatsuki no Yona/Yona of the Dawn)

Hans (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Hapsun (OC, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic)

Harper (OC, The Moonlight Ring)

Harrison (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Harrow (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Haru (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Haruka (Tactics)

Hatari (OC, The Lion King)

Hatch (OC, untitled novel)

Hatchet (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Hatchet, or Hatch as most call him, is a difficult individual to actually like. Even as a scout, he’s somewhat of a bully, and though he usually means it in a friendly sort of way, he’s very gruff and forceful in everything he does, so it’s no surprise his jokes are actually pretty harsh and insensitive. He actually has referred to Lock as ‘cyclops’ more than once. No one is really safe from his rough humor.

- But the truth is that he’s looking for someone that disappeared shortly before Tinker Bell had even arrived in Pixie Hollow. He knows that they’re out there somewhere, but he can’t figure out where. As a result, he actually doesn’t trust anyone, even if he claims to, and his harsh jokes are his way of keeping others at a distance. He doesn’t want to be attached only for someone else to disappear on him.

Hatsuharu (Fruits Basket)

Hawke (OC, Beyond the Rainbow)

Hector “Striker” Marques (OC, untitled novel)

Hibiki (OC, Boku no Hero/My Hero Academia)

Hikae (Itsuwaribito)

Hiraishi (OC, untitled novel)

Hiro (Big Hero 6)

Hiruko (Itsuwaribito)

Hiruko (Nightmare Inspector)

Hisago (Itsuwaribito)

Hisirdoux (Tales of Arcadia)

Hook (Okashi na Shima no Peter Pan/Sweet Neverland)

Hunk (Voltron Legendary Defender)

Ibal (OC, untitled novel)

- deity of destruction and decay

Ifari (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Ikuto (Shugo Chara)

Impey (Code:Realize)

Indivar (OC, Seventh Shard)

- a very moody djinn

Inuyasha (Inuyasha)

Isaac (OC, The Stormfront Chronicles)

Isaac Vivre (OC, Camp Camp)

Isaiah (OC, Evermore)

Isandro (OC, Black Souls Rising)

Izaya (Durarara!!)

Izmael (OC, Dead Man’s Day)

Izo (OC, untitled novel)

Izrael (OC, Cantor Descending)

Jabber Quill (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Jace (OC, Down the Rabbit Hole)

Jacquimo (Thumbelina)

Jack (Rise of the Guardians)

Jade Moonfeather (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Jael (OC, untitled novel)

James (Pokemon)

Jasper (OC, The Moonlight Ring)

Jasper Taigan (OC, The Sand Skulls Series)

Jax (OC, Misplaced Magic)

Jay (OC, Camp Camp)

Jellal (Fairy Tail)

Jericho (Kuni no Alice)

- the Dodo

Jester Ring (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Jinx (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Jinx is a tinker. He knows his way around all sorts of tools and devices, and he can figure out almost any puzzle thrown his way. But it isn’t just that. While tinkers usually are of a mind to build and create, Jinx is much more likely to take things apart, even if it’s something the other tinkers just finished working on.

- Queen Clarion has acknowledged it as boundless curiosity, but he is advised to keep his curious nature in check. And he does keep it in check. Most of the time. He does have a tendency to get into trouble along with Euro, Ridge, and Nero quite often. Especially when Jinx has taken apart or picked a locking mechanism that is supposed to keep everyone out of important places. As such is the case, most scouts and those in charge of keeping things in order.. aren’t always fond of him. Or the other three.

Johnny (Sing)

Joker (OC, Down the Rabbit Hole)

Judal (Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic)

Julius (Kuni no Alice)

- the Clockmaker

Jumba (Lilo and Stitch)

Justin (OC, Camp Camp)

Jyugo (Nanbaka)

Kade (OC, Plague)

Kaelan (OC, The Wild Warriors series)

Kagura (Demon Love Spell)

Kai (OC, untitled novel)

Kal (OC, untitled novel)

Kale (OC, Animorphs)

- an Andalite warrior

Kaminari (Boku no Hero/My Hero Academia)

Kanda (D. Gray-Man)

Karimu (OC, The Lion King)

Karkat (Homestuck)

Karma (Assassination Classroom)

Kasi (OC, The Lion King)

Kaspar (OC, The Tangled Series)

Katsuo (OC, Persona 4)

Kaushal (OC, Desert Sands)

Kavit (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Kazuki Fuuchouin (GetBackers)

Kazuki Muto (Busou Renkin)

Keidynn (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Keith (Voltron Legendary Defender)

Kestrel (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- This is the sweetest, most gentle sparrowman anyone could ever meet. Kestrel is genuinely kindhearted and just full of love and affection to give to others. Even those who aren’t so friendly to him. Like a young tinker by the name of Gizmo, for example. Kestrel is an animal talent, but often goes out of his way to check up on his young friend. Making sure he’s eating right and all that. He knows he doesn’t have to, but he likes to do it anyway. Kestrel does have a secret, though.

- After an encounter with a strange animal no one had ever seen before, during which Kestrel was wounded by the creature’s claws, Kestrel has to make regular visits to the healing fairies, or else the toxin still in his body even now will force him to change, and lose his sense of self for a while. Beware if Kestrel’s blond hair turns silver, because he will not know friend from foe, and the normally gentle sparrowman has turned aggressive and dangerous.

Keturi (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Khazroq (OC, untitled novel)

Khireus (OC, untitled novel)

- deity of justice

Ki (OC, untitled novel)

Kifo (OC, The Lion King)

Kin (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Kirishima (Boku no Hero/My Hero Academia)

Kizami (Corpse Party)

who wants to talk about MURDER~~? :D

Klarth (Tales of Phantasia)

Klein (OC, Down the Rabbit Hole)

Korand (OC, The Edovin Trilogy)

Koro-sensei (Assassination Classroom)

Krampus (OC, untitled novel)

Kratos (Tales of Symphonia)

Krin (OC, Ascension)

- precious innocent child, and amazing prodigy in mechanics, he is of an alien species called Ch’taar, which appear much like caterpillar-taurs in their youth, like Krin, and their full-fledged adults resemble something akin to mantis-taurs with butterfly wings. Krin is a very shy and soft-spoken young boy, and is only four of his planet’s years in age, but that is approximately the equivalent of a thirteen-year-old in Earth years.

Kuhani (OC, The Lion King)

Kuiba (OC, The Lion King)

Kuro (Servamp)

Kurogane (Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles)

Kutal (Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Kweli (OC, The Lion King)

Kyle (OC, Desert Sands)

Kyo (Fruits Basket)

Lark (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Lark is an animal talent, and still fairly new to life in Pixie Hollow, and in general! He’s energetic, somewhat reckless, not always the brightest firefly in the field, but he means well and generally is a sweetheart, but.. he does also occasionally have a little bit of a temper, and if he notices it, he will call others out on their bullshit.

- He is actually unable to fly, because on his first day after being born, he got a little too excited about his talent, and proceeded to run right off the edge and tear his left wing. So now if he needs to get somewhere fast, he rides a black-footed ferret he named Willowby.

Lavi (D. Gray-Man)

Law/Lawrence (OC, Plague)

Lawrence (Seven Princes of the Thousand-Year Labyrinth)

Lawson (OC, The Untamed Wilds series)

- a very rough-and-tumble mustang centaur, and a cowboy ruffian in the American Wild West, Lawson is actually pretty polite when he needs to be, but he’s got a stubbornness to put a mule to shame, and an attitude like an ornery old goat coupled with a strong dislike for authority. He’s seen as an outlaw and a no-good son-of-a-bitch by most townfolk, but that’s because they tend to see centaurs as much the same as their non-verbal equine kin, and treat them as slaves. And that’s something Lawson is fighting to change.

Leif (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Leon (OC, Beyond the Rainbow)

- the Cowardly Lion

Leonardo (Oz+)

- the Cowardly Lion, given a human form, and he is a beautiful, handsome.. himbo.

Leraje (OC, Solomon’s Key)

Levi (OC, untitled novel)

Li (CardCaptors)

Lily (Servamp)

Lincoln (OC, untitled novel)

Link (Breath of the Wild)

Lion-O (Thundercats 2011)

Lionheart (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Locien Kei (OC, untitled novel)

Lock (OC, Pokemon)

- Arbok

Lock (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- While he may not be the friendliest of sparrowmen, Lock is determined and loyal, and very attentive to his work as a tinker. He often tends to be the one handling tools for use by the scouts, whatever those things may be, and he is diligent and hard-working. But he comes across very rough and cold to just about everyone in Pixie Hollow. He isn’t interested in making friends, it seems, and he keeps to himself. But.. there is a reason behind his behavior.

- And her name was Luna. They were born fairly close together, though not from the same laugh. She was a scout while he is a tinker, and she made a promise to him. A promise, that she would always make sure he was safe, that she would protect him first and foremost. And it bonded them together, they were nearly inseparable as a pair, even to the point that he fell deeply in love with her, and she loved him in return.

- She was headstrong and brave, always pushing her way through and never letting him be alone. She was his guiding light. Until one day, she asked him to come with her deep into the forest. She had found something, she told him. She had found something he needed to see. And he listened, following her further and further into the woods, until she had led him to what seemed to be a large, black stone in the middle of a dark, and eerie part of the forest.

- She pulled him to it, showing him her discovery, excited to have him to share it with. It could be some kind of new ore that tinkers could use, she thought, something special to help make their tools stronger! But then.. it moved. It revealed itself as no stone or ore, but a deep black avian beast! Immediately Luna shielded Lock behind her, guarding him from the threat she had brought him straight to, and then- It attacked.

- Sharp talons and a wild serpentine tail slashing and swinging about, and Lock tried to flee, tried to get away to get the rest of the scouts to help- but the monster followed him, catching him within its talons and snapping its beak. One sharp talon found purchase, its tip digging deep into his left eye.. and he screamed as his body was being crushed, his eye reduced to nothing but a bloody hole in his face, and-

- There was Luna. She kept her promise, defending him and rescuing him from the wretched creature she’d awoken, and.. she gave her life for his.. Somehow the creature was sealed away and trapped where it couldn’t bring any more harm, but Luna’s life was lost in the process.. Leaving Lock entirely alone, with no one to love, and no one to make him feel safe..

Loki (Kamigami no Asobi)

- Norse god of mischief

Lokus (OC, The White Game)

Lotus (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Calm, quiet, usually minds his own business except to keep others from getting hurt, Lotus is the sort of water talent that can often be found meditating on a lily pad in the middle of a pond. He’s curious, but not enough to seek out trouble like some others might. He’s more likely to be the one who gets dragged along on adventures by others who are more energetic and outgoing.

- Like Nova the highly exuberant light fairy, for example. Lotus actually came very close to being a scout instead of a water talent, and he has a very high instinct to protect. But at the last moment, it failed and he was instead a water talent. Not that he minds. He knows all the action the scouts get involved in, and he’s content to just take life one step at a time, even if he does always have an eye out in case of trouble.

Lowell (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Lucas DuSauvage (OC, Crossover)

Lucian (OC, Catching Smoke)

Lucian (OC, untitled novel)

Lucien (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Luka (Miraculous)

Luke Ainsworth (Sacred Blacksmith)

Luke fon Fabre (Tales of the Abyss)

Lune (The Cat Returns)

Lux (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Here comes trouble. A common phrase uttered throughout Pixie Hollow when Lux is around. Especially when he’s got a particular twinkle in his eye. A light talent with a bad habit of getting into mischief, Lux loves to play pranks. And, well, not everyone enjoys his tricks as much as he does. He gets a good laugh, but oftentimes, he is the only one laughing.

- Especially when his pranks have accidentally caused someone to get hurt. He usually doesn’t mean for things to go that far, and when they do, he’s often pretty quick to apologize for his mistake. Well.. when he’s stopped laughing, that is. And.. only if he wasn’t intentionally hurting them, since he can be a bit vindictive.

- Aside from his prankster nature, Lux is also a fairly jealous individual. There are few who he actually really considers close friends, and he loves it when they dump their attention on him. But.. when they give attention to someone else, instead of spending time with him, Lux can get a bit jealous and possessive.

- He can even be somewhat rude and pushy, forcing his way to the forefront of his friends’ attention. He’s much like a bratty child at times, pouting and throwing mild tantrums from time to time, even bullying those who he thinks are stealing his friends’ attention.

- When he likes someone, though, he is very affectionate and friendly, actively seeking out companionship and bringing them things he thinks they will like. He’s happy and cheerful, and generally fun to be around when he actually considers someone a friend. But.. watch out if he doesn’t like you, because you are very likely to be the main target of his worst pranks. Usually though, he is thankfully kept in check by Umbra and Torren. Just be careful not to steal their attention too much. Lux certainly won’t thank you for it, and he’ll have no one keeping him in check.

Lyric (OC, Second Moon)

Lyric (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Mad King (X-Ray and Vav)

Mael (OC, untitled novel)

Majestic (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Makoto (Free!)

Marco (Animorphs)

Marius (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Marius (OC, Down the Rabbit Hole)

- the JubJub Bird, and with a severe attitude problem

Markos (OC, untitled novel)

Marquis (OC, Brightwire)

Marshall Lee (Adventure Time)

Mason (OC, untitled novel)

Masquerade (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Mauti (OC, The Lion King)

Maverick (OC, untitled novel)

Max (Camp Camp)

Maximus (Tangled/The Tangled Series)

Mercury (RWBY)

Merlot (Sweet Beginnings)

Merrick (OC, untitled novel)

Messiah (Seven Princes of the Thousand-Year Labyrinth)

Micah (OC, Micah’s Guidebooks series)

Michal (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- A snowflake talent, Michal is intuitive and protective, and for quite some time has been somewhat of an older brother figure to quite a few of the winter fairies, but mostly to Wolf, on the other side of the border. They met once by accident, and were nearly inseparable since, as Wolf often came by when he needed advice, or just someone to talk to.

- And Michal looked out for him and occasionally he has teased him for various little things. As big brothers do. But recently, Michal has disappeared without any warning, the only sign that he was ever there at all being a few broken snowflakes around where he usually works.

Midnight Star (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Mifune (Soul Eater)

Migs (OC, The Camp Mythos series)

Mikasi (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Mikhael (OC, Fall of the Titans)

Mikhael (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Milori (Neverland Fairies)

Mist Flare (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Mitsuhide (Akagami no Shirayuki/Snow White with the Red Hair)

Mitsuru (Nanbaka)

Mizani (OC, The Lion King)

Mkali (OC, The Lion King)

Mogar (X-Ray and Vav)

Momotaro (Free!)

Montague (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Monty (OC, Pokemon)

Morgan (OC, untitled novel)

Morgana (Persona 5)

Musashi (Nanbaka)

Mushra (Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Muta (The Cat Returns)

Myles (OC, Rewrite)

Mzungu (OC, The Lion King)

N (Pokemon)

Nagi (Deadman Wonderland)

Naro (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Nathan (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Nathaniel (Miraculous)

Natsu (Fairy Tail)

Nephr (OC, The Edovin Trilogy)

Nero (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- A fast-flyer with more than enough energy to go around, Nero is honestly of the friendlier sort than some other fast-flyers may be. He actually enjoys zipping back and forth across Pixie Hollow just to run errands for others. Need some food for a baby animal? He’ll go fetch it! Oh, that basket has to be delivered somewhere? Say no more, Nero is on the job! And what about those seeds? They need to be scattered out in the field? Nero definitely has that handled too!

- But when he’s not doing his job or helping others, he’s hoarding some cool human things he’s found. Or he’s getting into some trouble alongside Jinx, Euro, and Ridge. Honestly, he’s not quite sure what the plan is half the time, but he’s having fun with his friends, and that’s what counts!

Nguvu (OC, The Lion King)

Nico (Nanbaka)

Nico (OC, Black Souls Rising)

Nicolae (OC, untitled novel)

Nicu (OC, untitled novel)

Nightdream (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Niklaus (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Nikolae (OC, D. Gray-Man)

Nils (OC, The Edovin Trilogy)

Nirav (OC, Desert Sands)

Nix (OC, untitled novel)

Njozi (OC, The Lion King)

Nod (Epic)

Noir (OC, The Cat Returns)

Nora (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Nora (Nora: The Last Chronicle of Devildom)

Obi (Akagami no Shirayuki/Snow White with the Red Hair)

- a smartass ninja/assassin originally sent to threaten Shirayuki, but who found himself instead given a job by Prince Zen and who has been welcomed as a part of their group

Oga (Beelzebub)

Ojiro (Boku no Hero/My Hero Academia)

Oleander (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Oleander is more than just a little unusual, especially for a garden talent, but he actually manages it fairly well and manages to go through life just the same as anyone else. Except for one, tiny detail. He seems to have no regard for his own life, and actually may even find enjoyment in near-death experiences. He’s what other fairies and sparrowmen call a ‘tossaway’, as it seems he would gladly toss away his own life, for hardly any reason at all.

- But there is a secret behind all of this. Behind his casual charisma, and his apparent humor in a tossaway lifestyle. He was once best friends with Caster, and actually went rogue alongside him for a while before he grew a conscience and returned to Pixie Hollow to do penance for the things he had done, and what he helped Caster to do. He supplied Caster with the ingredient to make his black ‘anti-dust’. A black Narcissus flower. Now he behaves rather flippantly and acts as if he has no care in the world, but every day that goes by he still regrets what he did, and still misses his best friend.

Oriander (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

- baby

Orion (OC, untitled novel)

Orpheus (OC, Edge of Legend)

Orson (OC, The Stormfront Chronicles)

Orson (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Orson Gibbs (OC, Plague)

Oseru (Nora: The Last Chronicle of Devildom)

Ouro (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Like Styx, Ouro is trouble with a capital ‘T’, but he’s not aggressive the way Styx is. He has a similar sense of humor for sure, but he doesn’t actively put others in danger with his jokes. Instead, he’s far more likely to sneak up on someone and give them a little bit of a jump scare. Among all the residents of Pixie Hollow, Ouro is known to be the stealthiest of the scouts.

- He has even managed to sneak up on some of the best, much to the annoyance of some. Nyx is a good example of a scout that doesn’t always appreciate Ouro’s sense of humor, or his chosen uses of his stealth skills. However, if anyone were to ask where Ouro’s deepest loyalties lie, there are only three individuals he actually truly respects enough to have the most unbreakable loyalty toward. Queen Clarion, a healing talent named Clover, and Tyr, a scout leader much like Nyx.

- It’s because of this loyalty to only specific individuals though, that makes Ouro really kind of frustrating to some. But of course, there is a reason for this intense loyalty, as there is for everything.

Oz (Oz+)

Oz Diggs (OC, Beyond the Rainbow)

- the Great Oz, wizard of the Emerald City

Ozpin (RWBY)

Pallum (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Pax (Satan and Me)

Peter Pan (Okashi na Shima no Peter Pan/Sweet Neverland)

Peter White (Kuni no Alice)

Phalanx (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Philip (Sirius the Jaeger)

Pips (FernGully)

Piras (Awaken)

Pit (Kid Icarus)

Pteryn (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Qivral (OC, Ascension)

Quinn (OC, untitled novel)

Quirin (The Tangled Series)

Qwan (Qwan)

Rafiki (The Lion King)

Rai (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Rai (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Raimundo (Xiaolin Showdown)

Raito (OC, The Cat Returns)

Raitou (OC, Boku no Hero/My Hero Academia)

Rajan (OC, Desert Sands)

- angry djinn, he may be sexy, but he will kill you if he doesn’t like you, or if you cross the line

Rama Anin (OC, untitled novel)

fashion is immortal, and so is this male model from Ancient Persia.

Rampo (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Ratchet (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Ratchet is one of those sparrowmen that’s just generally hard to figure out. He’s great at what he does, of course, tinkering and making all sorts of handy things. Much like Tinker Bell, he has a very curious mind. Where others might ask why, he asks ‘why not’. Can it be done? Maybe. Should it be done? Who knows! Will he do it? Absolutely. Leave no stone unturned, and nothing left untinkered. Generally, he seems like an okay guy, even downright friendly and without worry. But.. there’s just one problem.

- Ratchet has a very bad habit. One that, try as anyone might, no one can ever get him to break. And of course, Styx doesn’t help, and in fact encourages it. Usually Ratchet’s bad habit has fairly harmless results, but sometimes it can get out of hand. Especially when he’s been hanging out with Styx. But in general, the fact of the matter is that Ratchet is a liar. White lies mostly, but sometimes he can take a lie too far. Still, thankfully no one has been physically hurt by his lies yet. Even if Yarrow may find them mentally and morally taxing.

Ravenblade (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Reik (OC, untitled novel)

Reiss (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Remus (Harry Potter, Marauders’ Era specifically)

Remy (X-Men, personal adaptation)

Ren (RWBY)

Rhett (OC, Finding Nemo/Finding Dory)

a very enthusiastic, energetic, and boisterously friendly teenage blacktip reef shark, he’s the type who’s more likely to befriend his fish prey rather than eat them, which does cause a few problems for him, but thanks to an amusing series of events, he’s got Briggs looking out for him

Rick O’Connell (The Mummy)

Ridge (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Definitely not the smartest guy out there. Among garden talents, Ridge is honestly just usually the muscle, rather than the one who takes on more delicate tasks. He’s rough and tumble, and often down in the dirt with the larger bulbs and things like that.

- His pride and joy though is the large and gnarled willow tree just past the edge of the Hollow, that has become the hangout spot for him and his friends. That aside, though, he is actually a fantastic cook.

- Anyone in Pixie Hollow who thinks they know good food, hasn’t tasted anything like Ridge’s blackberry bread rolls, or his orange and lemon sugar pies. Even his roast tomatoes and baked apples are unlike anything else ever made. It’s honestly surprising that he’s a garden talent, and not simply a cook.

Rin (Free!)

Rin Okumura (Blue Exorcist)

Rishi (OC, Desert Sands)

Rivan (Nora: The Last Chronicle of Devildom)

Rivaren (OC, The Kingship Quartet)

River (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Born completely blind, River was often treated as if he was helpless and needed extra assistance, but it only served to frustrate him. He has always been perfectly capable of handling things himself, he just has a different way of doing it, but in the beginning, no one really seemed to understand that. So instead, some of the other fairies had taken to helping him and doing certain tasks for him. He knew they were just trying to help, but it was more of a hindrance than a help, and it was bothering him to no end.

- So, one day he left Pixie Hollow. He left and instead ventured deeper into the woods. If everyone was going to insist he was helpless, then he was going to prove to them that he was far from it. It was no surprise that his disappearance had others worried, but he avoided anyone who might be looking for him, knowing he had to succeed on his own, or no one would ever leave him be.

- So for three months, he lived in the woods and fended for himself, training himself to be strong and to be independent. And on his own, he fought off snakes, a hawk, and more than a few nests of wasps.When he finally returned to the Hollow, he came back scarred, but strong.

- He was welcomed back with open arms and worried voices, but he only smiled and shrugged. He knew what he had done, and they knew it too. He was stronger than they had all thought him to be, and he had proven exactly that. Now no one needed to help him with anything, for they all knew he’s perfectly capable on his own. Being blind has never stopped him from that.

Roane (OC, untitled novel)

Robin (Disney’s Robin Hood)

Rock (Nanbaka)

Rocky (Chicken Run)

Roman (RWBY)

Rome (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- It isn’t recommended to trust Rome, no matter how charismatic and charming he may be, or how much he may play on someone’s sympathies. He is a thief, and a bitter soul with a strong dislike of Queen Clarion. A light talent, Rome has all the same abilities as any other light fairy, but he was born different.

- While there are others still living in Pixie Hollow who have lost limbs or other body parts in events of conflict, or were tortured, Rome was born the way he is. Missing his right arm, and his left leg. As a result, he has had his fair share of struggles, and much of the time, he failed to keep up, and so he grew frustrated and angry and began to lash out at his fellow talent members.

Eventually, he actually ended up exiled for good from the Hollow, and now he’s gone rogue and is very much a problem to everyone in Pixie Hollow, and outside of it. Rome isn’t alone though. He has managed to gather his own followers, and has formed a criminal gang of sorts, and they have their own community deep in the farthest reaches of the forests. A place where all misfit fairies gather.

Ronin (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Ronin is a scout. It’s in his job description to protect Pixie Hollow and everyone who lives there. He’s fast, and an agile fighter, but.. he also has a tendency to go off on his own to explore, as well as the fact that he does like to tease a bit. He’s a smooth talker, most of the time, and he’s fairly well-liked around the Hollow.

- However, he’s pretty bad at handling real affection directed toward him, especially the physical kind. As he usually is on guard and prepared for combat in some way or another, surprise affection can really get him on edge, and even if it’s something like an accidental kiss, he may run away like he’s been shocked, if only just to process his confusion. Fairies and sparrowmen do only feel one emotion at a time, after all.

Rowain (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Roux (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Roy (Full Metal Alchemist)

Roy G. Biv (Monsterkind)

Rukh (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Runaan (The Dragon Prince)

Rush (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Rush is generally rather rude and pushy, and he prefers for things to go his way, otherwise he can be a bit of a brat. Kyra and Wren are usually fairly on top of keeping Rush’s bad temper in check, but sometimes this storm talent sparrowman can get quite a bit out of hand. He’s certainly not afraid to use a bit of lightning to get his point across, and he can be more than a little overconfident sometimes. He also has quite the tendency to mock others and likes to put himself first.

- Still, he’d be nothing without Kyra and Wren. He owes his very life to them, after he nearly got himself eaten by a snake, and the two of them put their lives on the line to save him. So, as cocky as he gets, he does have quite the soft spot for them, and will often actually follow them around when he’s not busy with other things. But if he’s not with them, and he’s not doing his job, he unfortunately can be found harassing another sparrowman named Sahar, with whom he actually has a fairly intense rivalry, and honestly the two seem to hate each other.

Rusty (OC, Blackwater)

Ryo (OC, Crossover)

- the god of fate, please resist the impulse to make short jokes or you may find that your ultimate fate and the end of the line arrives sooner than expected

Ryuji (Persona 5)

Ryuma (Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Ryuu (OC, Boku no Hero/My Hero Academia)

Sadir (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Sage (OC, The Kingship Quartet)

Sago (Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Sahar (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Saiqeit (OC, untitled novel)

Samon (Nanbaka)

Sanji (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Saru (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Sasha (OC, Pokemon)

Satan (Satan and Me)

Scar (The Lion King)

Scissor (Okashi na Shima no Peter Pan/Sweet Neverland)

Senji (Deadman Wonderland)

Sesshomaru (Inuyasha)

Shade (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Shahad (OC, The Edovin Trilogy)

Sharrkan (Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic)

Shere Khan (The Jungle Book)

Shetani (OC, The Lion King)

Shin-Ah (Akatsuki no Yona/Yona of the Dawn)

Shiro (Voltron Legendary Defender)

Shirou (Brand New Animal)

Shizuo (Durarara!!)

Shock (OC, Pokemon)

- Raichu

Shockwave (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Shuseki (OC, My Hero/Boku no Hero Academia)

Sigma (OC, Viral Infection)

Silence (OC, The Intentions series)

Sindar (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Skek (OC, DnD, untitled novel)

- “Skek demands to be taken seriously!”

SkekMal (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance)

Soren (The Dragon Prince)

Soul (Soul Eater)

Spark (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- The friendliest ball of energy in Pixie Hollow, Spark is the type who generally seems completely innocent and naive, and like he has no idea that two of his closest friends apparently hate each other. However, he actually knows very well what’s going on, and actively inserts himself between Bear and Viper in order to keep the peace. Or sometimes he’ll drag Willow into it just to balance things out, and of course the effeminate sparrowman has a hard time refusing. Even Holly and Shade can’t say no when Spark asks them for the occasional favor.

Staz (Blood Lad)

Steele (Balto)

Stein (Soul Eater)

Sting (Fairy Tail)

Stormblade (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Strix (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Alongside Kestrel, Strix is one of the kindest souls anyone could ever know, and he will go out of his way to make sure others are feeling comfortable and happy, especially new arrivals, no matter their talent. It was honestly by pure coincidence that he wasn’t the one helping Tinker Bell settle in when she was trying out all of the other talents.

- He had actually been on his way to do just that when he’d seen that the other fairies seemed to have things well in hand. Though.. he did have a very terrified baby bird to handle after Fawn had left Tinker Bell alone with it. Still, he is proud of how far Tink has come since the start, like a father watching a child grow. It’s only a shame he will never be able to actually say so.

- Because Strix is mute. And no, he wasn’t born that way. When he was new to Pixie Hollow himself, he was as vocal as any other fairy or sparrowman, and often he spoke up to volunteer his help. As well, he was the type who loved to sing, and in fact, his voice was known to be one of the most beautiful whenever he had an audience, intentionally or not.

- He sang lullabies and gentle tunes, especially to frightened animals in need of comfort, and to other fairies who needed just the same. However, his voice was violently stripped from him, and now he can’t do much more than give a soft wheeze or a huff every now and again. But.. the worst thing is, his voice wasn’t even the first injury he’d suffered.

Styx (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Stay. Away. From. Styx. At least, that’s what most tend to tell the newcomers. He is the scout that other scouts warn about. He’s highly dangerous on his own, and has actually a bit of a violent and aggressive tendency. And you know, when even a scout is unsettled by their own talent member, it’s bad. However, he’s really only a problem when he’s left to his own devices and doesn’t have his best friend to manage him.

- That best friend, being Ratchet. Styx has been around longer than Ratchet has. Quite a while longer in fact, and honestly, Tick and Queen Clarion may be the only ones who actually do know how long Styx has been around. Queen Clarion doesn’t discuss Styx’s behavior, except to say that he never used to be this way. And there won’t be much to get out of Tick either, except the very same.

- However, if pressed further, only Tick will give a little more, but his answer is still vague. ‘What happened to make Styx like this?’ ‘Three.’ That’s all Tick will give, and most are nervous to ask Styx himself. The truth is, Styx has nearly died. Three times. Each one worse and more traumatic than the last. And now he has become almost like a cold, calculating predator. When he’s not with Ratchet, that is.

- To those who have seen the dark side of Styx, tend to avoid him, but when he’s with Ratchet, he’s like a completely different sparrowman. He’s enjoying himself, and laughing and even getting into just some general mischief, which is of course much to the chagrin of Yarrow, who unfortunately often gets dragged along in Ratchet’s plans.

Sugino (Tactics)

Sumu (OC, The Lion King)

Sun (RWBY)

Sun (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Sunny Pine (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Surefire Arrow (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Sval (OC, untitled novel)

Swift (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Syaoran (Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles)

Syuro (OC, untitled novel)

Taavi (OC, untitled novel)

Taeval (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Taigus (OC, untitled novel)

Taiyou (OC, untitled novel)

Takhal (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Tamani (OC, The Lion King)

Tatizo (OC, The Lion King)

Tempest (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Terra (OC, untitled novel)

Terra (Kingdom Hearts)

Terence (Neverland Fairies)

Thomas O’Malley (Aristocats)

Thompson (Black Butler)

Thor (Kamigami no Asobi)

- Norse god of thunder

Tick (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- A more mysterious fellow than most, Tick keeps to himself and hardly ever ventures away from his work. He is a tinker, but he is a very unique sort of tinker. He keeps watch of the passing of time in Pixie Hollow, and he is the only one who does. Just as Zarina found her own unique talent within the broader subject, Tick found his own unique subset of tinkering. Clockwork tinkering. Though while discovering his unique skill, it wasn’t always as smooth-going as it is now. He actually suffered a bit of backlash from his own projects, and now has just a bit of trouble seeing out of his left eye.

- However, it is ultimately thanks to him that there are proper schedules, and the seasons are tracked and recorded correctly. He may be a little odd to some, but he knows the balance of time, and how important it is to keep things on time. However, there is something else to his actions. Every now and again, Tick ventures away from Tinker’s Nook, but it isn’t clear where he disappears to. All that is known, is that he keeps a second record of the days, and disappears with it for an hour or so, returning without the extra records.

Timber (Black Butler)

Tink (Okashi na Shima no Peter Pan/Sweet Neverland)

Titan (OC, Dragonmist)

- tarantula-taur

Titian (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Titus (Seven Princes of the Thousand-Year Labyrinth)

Tjarron (OC, Brightwire)

Tobias (Animorphs)

Todoroki (Boku no Hero/My Hero Academia)

Tokiya (Time Guardian)

Tokoyami (Boku no Hero/My Hero Academia)

Toris (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Torren (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Torren is very much the strong, silent type. He only speaks when he needs to, and especially when it’s really something important to say. Most of the time though, this big guy usually just sort of grunts in acknowledgement, or shrugs or shakes his head. Not many actual spoken words needed to get his point across. He’s a gentle giant most of the time as well, but it isn’t wise to anger this particular sparrowman. He is a lightning talent after all, and he is very protective of Umbra and Lux.

Train (Black Cat)

Travis (OC, Camp Camp)

Tyr (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- A leader among scouts, Tyr doesn’t actually go out and fight or patrol as much as Nyx does. Mostly, he trusts her judgement and lets her handle that side of things unless he’s needed in action, and instead he usually handles the more diplomatic side of it all, and well.. paperwork and documentation. Written records of patrols, and encounters, and all that sort of thing. He hates the paperwork part of his job, and can actually often be found skipping his duties on that front.

- He’s great at the social and personal aspect, and certainly a skilled fighter, but he’d just rather not do the paperwork. More often than once, he has actually been found skipping those duties to instead just explore and enjoy some more frivolous activities, as well as interacting with other fairies and sparrowmen. Often he has been escorted back to his paperwork by two of the scouts under his direct command, Romulus and Kyrie.

Tyrian (OC, The Edovin Trilogy)

Tzekhal (OC, untitled novel)

Tzuriel (OC, untitled novel)

U-1146/White Blood Cell (Cells at Work)

Ueki (Law of Ueki)

Umbra (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Everyone knows Umbra, and everyone sincerely enjoys his company. Of course, this is with the exception of newer fairies, but everyone gets to know him sooner or later, because he loves welcoming everyone new, whether they’re his fellow talent members or not. Umbra is highly social, and genuinely sweet and kind to everyone. Of course, this also means that he is extremely popular, and his good looks of course add to that as well, much to the severe annoyance of Lux.

Undertaker (Black Butler)

Uno (Nanbaka)

Uno (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Uriel (Satan and Me)

Utsuho (Itsuwaribito)

Vafa (Arabian Dreams)

Valiance (OC, The Stormfront Chronicles)

Varian (The Tangled Series)

Vasha (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Venn (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Venture (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Vheildar (OC, Ascension)

Vince (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Viper (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Warren (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Watanuki (xxxHolic)

Wesley (Oz+)

Weston (OC, Beyond the Rainbow)

White Joker (Kuni no Alice)

Willow (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- At first glance, most would look at Willow and think that he’s female. He certainly has a very slender, and almost effeminate body shape, and his long hair doesn’t help either. All around, he genuinely appears female. Even his name could be considered effeminate. However, he is as male as they come, and he does actually take a firm dislike to being mistaken for a girl. Honestly, if someone were to call him a girl too many times, they should be very prepared for a willow whip to the face.

He’s fairly tolerant if it isn’t too often, but.. It’s generally better not to push it too much. Generally, Willow is kind and easy-going, and he takes most things in stride. He’s always willing to help out if he can, except.. If it puts him in a rather demeaning situation. He’ll go along with things for a while, but if he feels at all demeaned or uncomfortable, he will make his feelings known and will stand firm on his refusal to participate.

- There has been the occasional instance of a fairy convincing him to try on a dress, but it doesn’t last long before he gets very annoyed. He also has been flirted with by a few other sparrowmen before they realized he was male like them. Willow’s first appearance in Pixie Hollow was a bit of an event in and of itself, and there was certainly confusion about his gender even then, as his long hair masked most of his figure and even Queen Clarion was fooled for a moment.

- Once he’d settled in with the other garden talents though, it seemed things would be much less confusing, and certainly less exciting, from then on. And for a while, it was. Things had settled down and life went on as it always had. At least.. Until what Willow will now only ever refer to, as the Incident.

Wisp (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Wit (OC, Beast in the Bottle)

Wizardmon (Digimon)

Wolf (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- In the case of this particular sparrowman, the term ‘lone wolf’ isn’t just an expression. This animal talent really tends to be found on his own more often than not, and he is usually working with animals like wolf pups or fox kits, even the occasional bear cub tends to be in his charge. Why? Because despite how he looks, Wolf is actually one of the physically strongest sparrowmen in all of Pixie Hollow, following close behind Ridge and Hatch. He can handle an unruly bear cub, or a mischievous fox kit, no help needed.

- So he tends to be by himself with only animals for company, and occasionally comes across as having little emotion or being somewhat cold. He does have a reckless streak though, and tends to act before he thinks, especially if he feels that what he’s doing is right. Hm. Maybe he should have been a scout instead of an animal talent. But, well, it is what it is. And of course, there is unsurprisingly a reason for his loner behavior.

- There is only one other individual he ever felt remotely close to, even to the point of an almost older/younger sibling dynamic. And that is Michal. Only ever able to see each other from opposite sides of the winter border, Michal had been born a few years before Wolf, and Wolf has always looked up to him, feeling a bond between them that couldn’t be explained.

- And now, the pair of them are excited to be able to visit each other across the border as well, thanks to Tinker Bell and Periwinkle. However, recently, Michal has disappeared, and Wolf is trying to find out why.

Xander (OC, The Faded Legends Saga)

Xavier (The Tangled Series)

Xelloss (The Slayers)

Yamato (Nanbaka)

Yarrow (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Yarrow tends to be the more serious type, taking his role as healer very seriously and not taking no for an answer, especially if he knows someone needs help but is refusing to accept it. He has even been known to purposely wound himself and perform complex procedures on himself while conscious, to demonstrate that it can be done and there shouldn’t be any concern about it.

- He’s very direct and straightforward, and maybe sometimes the way he goes about things can be considered a little extreme, but he’s practical and everything he does has its purpose. And his life has been relatively calm for the most part. At least.. It was until Ratchet fell into his life. As a matter of fact, it was quite a literal incident, in which Ratchet came crashing through the roof of Yarrow’s home.

Yasuo (OC, untitled novel)

Yogi (Karneval)

Yosuke (Persona 4)

Yudar (OC, the Edovin Trilogy)

Yukito (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Yukito (OC, The Cat Returns)

Yuliy (Sirius the Jaeger)

Yuri (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Yuri Plisetsky (Yuri on Ice)

Zack (OC, Camp Camp)

Zeig (OC, The Edovin Trilogy)

Zeik (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Zelgadiss (The Slayers)

Zen (Akagami no Shirayuki/Snow White with the Red Hair)

Zera (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Zevran (Dragon Age)

Zigisu (OC, untitled novel)

Zoroaster (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Zwei (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

(Notes:

* - Fanon OC

** - Original works

*** - Tumblr-made comics/OCs)

#muse list dump #long post under the cut #i think if I keep this pinned #it will help me when i need to update it #and it will help anyone trying to find my muse list #lol

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