#I just love camp aus!

[raycatzdraws]

A Linked Universe meets The Dark Crystal AU! I don't even remember what started it at this point. I remembered that the Dark Crystal and Age of Resistance are things I like, blinked, and woke up three days later with an AU and a bunch of art.

The designs and the story are a wip and for fun so expect a lot of variation! (I have a few different beginnings, ideas for different designs, etc)! :D

In addition to #linked universe I'll be using the tags #the dark crystal lu au and #courage of the dark crystal!

[bee-snail]

MY BELOVED yes I am aware his antlers do not line up. Counterpoint: he was SO fun to draw regardless. Maybe I'll make lore out of it and make it so he can change the antlers at will! Who knows!

Seven David is my favorite guy ever !!! In short, he was murdered by Cameron when he was just a little kid, but was revived by the massive amalgamation of souls, stuck together in a Hivemind-like entity, of Sleepy Peak — which they creatively named "The Forest" — as their vessel in the physical world. A guardian, one could say. He repressed that entire experience and lived on, catching the eye of one Cameron Campbell (who was, obviously, pretty shocked when he saw the kid he definitely killed just... walk out of the woods like nothing happened) and eventually becoming a camp counselor.

Quartermaster always looked out for him! Even if he wasn't exactly,,, a caretaker kind of person.

He awakened his powers when his campers were in grave danger. And tada! Now he's a Forest Guardian™ and he's the coolest forever (<- Got tired of lore, now I'm just yapping HAHEHRHE)

The double eyes and the funky nose shape is actually there because once he finally connected with the Hivemind, he could bond with Jasper again !!! And now they're together: mentally, psychologically and more-or-less physically as well. I love them!

Oh! Here's another doodle I have of him. The halo? Oh, don't worry about that. :]

Little guy... I love you little guy (<- he can destroy the Earth if he really wants to)

Bonus: COVER THEM UP SLUT /ref

[iamumbra195]

If the Graveyard kids were demigods, which Greek god would they be the child of? (Riodanverse AU)

For Ashlyn, I believe she would just be another of Apollo's kids, keeping to herself most of the time. Nobody really paid her any mind because out of the dozens of Apollo kids, there wasn't anything particularly remarkable about her. She wasn't the Head Counsellor or anything. She liked it that way. Ashlyn discovered she was a demigod when she was young and spent two full years at the camp to fully prepare for living as a demigod in the mortal world before becoming a summer-only kid. Her sensitivity to sound is one of the strange abilities she inherited but isn't fully able to control, which is why she wears enchanted earplugs that keep sounds at a more tolerable level. Beyond that, she was a pretty average Apollo kid. She was good at the basics like Archery and Music but not beyond that of a normal Apollo kid. The only thing that really stood out was her dancing. It was her special interest, incorporating it into her daily life as a demi-god as often as she could. Her fighting style was based on ballet in canon and she preferred fighting with her legs over her hands--even going as far as putting a weapon in her shoes so she could still use her legs to attack. So she is an average demigod overall. Until one day she discovers that she was one of the few to inherit Apollo's nosokinesis, the ability to create and control diseases (like her ability to open rifts and trap people in them in canon). There's also the fact that her name literally means 'dream' or 'vision', so considering the fact that Apollo is literally the god of prophecy, I think being a child of Apollo fits her very well.

For Logan, I feel that for a long time, he would just be another unclaimed kid. He didn't know anything about his real parents and his grandparents were always super cagey about it until he was older and got attacked by a monster and they finally took him to the camp. He still doesn't know who his biological mother was. Then one day after being pushed too far by bullies, he snapped just like in canon, and was claimed by Ares, the god of war. Much to his and Barron's (another child of Ares) dismay because what the fuck do you mean this dickhead is my half-brother?! He had initially believed that his parent was related to his love for space and astronomy or maybe even his intelligence and love for math but Ares?!

For Aiden, I think being a child of Hermes suits him best. I've done some tests and got answers like Ares or the Big Three, which I don't think those really fit him. But for some reason, I like the idea that he has the favour of/is a legacy of Hades or Hecate from his dad's side while being completely unaware of it until much later (the unexplained connection his dad has to Maverick). Children of Hermes tend to be more hyperactive than other demigods and are often referred to as a jack of all trades and I think those things really suit Aiden. When he was younger, his parents sent him to camp year round in hopes that it would help him and he came back with dyed blond hair, red eye contacts and a reckless streak a mile wide.

For Ben, I believe that this kid is and always will be a child of Apollo. His deep love and talent for singing and music, his rage and hurt at having this taken away from him. His knack for medicine despite only having experience through taking care of Aiden. He only discovered he was a demigod after his voice was destroyed so he never learned that he could heal people with his voice/singing until one of the others, maybe Taylor, were fatally injured and he had no supplies to save them so as one last attempt to comfort them, he breaks his years of silence and sings for them. To his complete astonishment, they started healing and were able to stay alive long enough to get the medical help they needed. He felt pressued to sing and use his voice after that because it could heal people but Aiden or one of the others nipped that in the bud and told him he didn't have to do anything he didn't want to. The idea of him also having premonitions when something bad is going to happen is cool, especially if it's the reason why he ends up catching little details the others fail to notice (a little nod to Canvas Ben for being so goddamn observant). His relationship with Aiden is also cute because children of Apollo and children of Hermes tend to get along, although not all of them do (Aiden and Ashlyn lol).

For Taylor and Tyler, I believe the twins would be children of Hephaestus. In some cultures, identical twins are treated as one entity/soul that was separated into two people and the same could be said about the Hernandez twins in this AU. Although they are different people with different interests and goals, that is how they are perceived as mortals. On the divine side of things, however, they are seen as a single soul split into two. That's why their connection goes far beyond that of regular mortal twins. Their abilities also reflect this. Taylor is a brilliant craftswoman and has a way with technology that separates her from the rest. She's also extremely fire-resistant, which proves to be useful considering her brother has the ability to manipulate fire. Tyler, on the other hand, has the basic skills needed to be a mechanic due to growing up with Taylor but it isn't instinctive in the same it is for Taylor. He is one of the few children of Hephaestus to have pyrokinesis, something he had to learn to master on his own because there wasn't anyone to teach him. They complete each other.

Although Aiden and Ashlyn spent a year or two in the camp, their paths never crossed and they were just another faceless person in the crowd of campers until they officially met when Ben and Aiden began to go to her high school in her sophomore year. Aiden clocked her as a demigod as soon as they met at the bus and was excited to meet another one of them outside of camp. He was also curious to know if she figured out what she was yet and if not, he could protect her from monsters and lead her to camp! Ashlyn recognized both Aiden and Ben as demigods but preferred to avoid mixing her mortal life with her mythological one so she avoided Aiden's needling to the best of her ability. When Ben finally told Aiden that she was another child of Apollo at camp, Aiden doubled down on the pestering which irritated Ashlyn beyond belief. Unfortunately for her, this wasn't the last she was going to see of him.

Mid-way through the first semester, Ashlyn received a prophecy from the Oracle stating that she and five others were to go on a quest. It was a shock to her and everyone in the camp because she was pretty unremarkable yet she was the one that had to go on the quest? It was ridiculously vague beyond the fact that she specifically had to go to Savannah with a group of five others. So she had to pick five other members for her team.

Nearly everyone tried to volunteer and because Ashlyn didn't particularly care who went along, names were drawn out of a bowl. With her luck, Aiden and Ben's names were both drawn out of the bowl, along with the Hernandez twins and Logan. She wasn't particularly happy with those chosen but she supposed it could be worse. Especially when she considered the fact she could've been going with him.

Barron was throwing a fit about how an unclaimed coward like Logan couldn't have possibly been picked but Tyler told him that no one would even want to go on a quest with him considering the only thing he cared about was glory and honour for himself.

And so, the six of them packed their things and started their journey to Savannah, Georgia where it all went to hell.

[bugwolfsstuff]

I want to give Mr D daddy issues but in the 'I was his favorite, what happened?' way

[ie. the daddy's girl to the least favorite child the moment she hits puberty way (projecting here)]

[mariatesstruther]

okay but a version of events in which tommy takes ellie to the fireflies, but NEITHER of them come back. and maria joel have to work together to get them back

[hotcacaonoice]

I ALWAYS think about this and it may be a bit of a tangent rant-y moment… but fuck it we ball 🤷‍♀️

I am always thinking what if the quest of seven never happened.. but instead Rick wrote a new series (instead of hoo in this au) about camp Jupiter and whatever the romans were getting up to???? Would Jason still be getting the same hate?

LIKE OBVIOUSLY people would still be comparing him to Percy (unless this series came out before pjo for some reason) … but what is the reason for doing so?

Even in the canon books where they are interacting and all, why does everyone feel the need to compare two characters and then hate one because they are a “knock off” of the other one…

I just dont get why Jason gets a lot of hate for being different than Percy??? Like he’s a different character isn’t that the point?

People are out here saying they don’t like him because he’s just like a boring version of Percy… or i don’t like how he was portrayed in the books because it’s different from Percy.

LIKE THEY ARE TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE?

Of course they are going to be different !!!!

Like obviously there are parallels between them — being “leaders” of their camps. But it was all done on purpose to explain specifically why Hera/Juno needed them for the quest-their respective camps would trust their judgement when introducing the other camp.

THEY ALSO HAVE DIFFERENT VIEWS ABOUT LEADERSHIP and different ideas of what it means to them / how they want to take on their role.

But when people say *Jason’s powers are weak compared to Percy’s* and *jason’s not as goofy as percy* …. Have you ever considered it was meant to be that way???

don’t even get me started on Jason’s “lack of personality” HE RAISED HIMSELF WHERE WAS HE SUPPOSED TO GET ONE?

👏RICK👏MEANT👏FOR👏IT👏TO👏BE👏THIS👏WAY👏 he did NOT mean for my boy to get this unnecessary hate.

Jason and Percy are different characters and Jason absolutely DOES NOT deserve to be hated because he’s “too different” from another guy. I have SO MANY thoughts about this.

I will always be Jason Grace’s number one fan. Anyways, Good night NYC

[louwhose]

Today is @zelinkcommunity's loftwing letters exchange!!

This is for @uniquevoidflowers!! I haven't really drawn for Linked Universe before, and this was a fun opportunity to do that! Hope you like it!!

[yuwuta]

PETITION!!!!!! FOR THE ATLA X JJK STUFF!!!! OMG NOW I HAVE A BRAINROT love this idea sm.....

i have SOOOO many ideas you have no idea how near and dead atla is to me… i could rant about this day and night…. reader’s bending or non-bending abilities always change in the au for me, but i feel very strongly about everyone’s bending abilities teehee…. except satoru… i can pickle many aus for satoru bc that’s pookie <3

firebender reader that captures airbender yuuta to take him back to the fire nation as a reward and honestly he should fight back, he could fight back, and he probably shouldn’t blush when you’re rough with him, but you’re really pretty and stubborn and sure the ropes you put around his hands and ankles are really tight but it could have been worse. and you haven’t burned or scarred him, and you even give him some of fish you capture and cook along the way, so maybe you don’t really hate him that much. it’s so much of yuuta nervously rambling as you two travel and you not responding, but that doesn’t stop yuuta, nor does it deter him from thinking that you’re not all bad. clearly you’re strong and determined and you believe capturing him with worth something so he kinda…. let’s it be (also he thinks he’d lose a fight to you) and somewhere along the way he gets the courage to point blank as you why you’re taking him and i’d love to say he talk no jutsus you into not turning him in but also love the idea of someone else attacking you and yuuta turning on the airbending to choke them out which is insane bc you’ve done nothing but capture him but who’s to say that’s not a form of love too xoxo

or we can consider you and megumi growing up in the south pole together, it’s a small town so it’s not a coincidence that you two become friends, even if megumi is a little gruff at first. you two do everything together, even though your water bending abilities start to differ as you get older—you become much more mischievous, while megumi becomes focused on precision and healing. it’s why, despite the tradition being father and son to go out hunting, toji takes you out to sea to go ice fishing and you always run back home to megumi with your capture in hand, damn near tackling him every time and happily proclaiming you caught his favorite; and every time he tells you to calm down and not cause a scene, but you don’t, and toji and his mom chuckle as you tackle him and megumi tries to blush and wrangles you into a seat inside while he helps his mom with dinner. and really, all is well until some snobby prince from another town claims that your family is indebted to his and that you’re betrothed as collateral and everyone finds out very quickly that even though megumi spent all his time focusing on healing, that he’s still toji’s son and can make one hell of a tsunami if it calls for it. (and when the storm, literally, passes, megumi huffs as he digs through his belonging and stuffs a necklace in your hand and all you can do is blink and wonder what’s going on while his mom snickers in the background and winks at you “i think that’s a proposal, dear.”)

orrrrrr even though i firmly believe in airbender satoru superiority, i do make an exception for stealing yue’s plot line and making satoru a waterbender and prince who’s hair is only white because he blessed and saved by the moon spirit when he was very young. ofc, that’s not enough to make him nearly as humble as he should be, and satoru spends all his days ignoring his princely duties and bothering you and a nanami instead, ditching his masters and servants in favor of pouting at you to teach him your skills instead because satoru wholly believes his duty is not to serve as the bridge between his people and the moon, but instead to annoy you and hopefully make you mrs half-moon someday

[st4rrmii]

Before I drop heavy angst, I hit you with an actor au, where during a funeral scene (pretend theres a funeral scene in the show) Brooklynn's actress plays a character in the background and whenever anyone slightly messes up a line or isn't crying hard enough she loudly yells "Boooooo" from the back of the crowd which makes things very difficult

[starlightwoofwoof]

SO, when I get into a new thing, I like to make a bunch of AUs and stuff

soooo you know what that meeeaaaaaannnnnssssss

who’s up for a Buddy and King JJ swap AU-

💜💙✨ King Bubblebuddy (might change his name, not sure if I like it) and Counselor Jerry ✨💙💜

Extra Info :

okay I know the whole point of a swap AU is swapping their roles and personalities, but I still like to think the lore is different lol

Like, for example, Jerry is a lot more awkward and nervous than normal Buddy is

And also, King BB’s origins were different, I like to think he was a completely normal person, before getting stuck in the cave (somehow), breaking his legs while falling down the stairs, losing his marbles and having to eat snails to survive down there, and then transforming into … whatever big, blue, blobby creature King BB is due to the radiation- (idk how I thought of that, I feel like it’s a bit dark, but hey)

… also, King BB is larger than he is in the pic, I had to make him smaller so he would fit lol

and here’s some extra doodles and memes-

[stinkrascal]

i saw someone on tiktok say they want the devs to draw emmrich in this outfit and now this will be all i think about today. this is canon to me

[niko-jpeg]

Sonics of the future and past

[evermorethecrow]

I'm vanishing for a week

Watch him and the others for me while I'm gone

[technicallydelightfulpenguin]

I don't feel ashamed for calling the Motherfucker and Proshitter 'artist' CreathingShitmera.

[bee-snail]

So a friend and I were playing around and I felt... Inspired. Vigilantes AU 🙌

Co-written with @davestriderisasimp, it's currently only a vague idea but it's so so fun either way!

YAPPING AHEAD, BEWARE !!!

Oh man. This AU was born because my friend made a funky Daniel in a really cool Epiphet Erased AU, and in turn, I made a David that matched. Then they became arch nemeses, kissed, punched each other, and committed so much dang crime!

In David's defense: he commits crime to stop criminals. Criminals like Daniel, and his team of EVIL MINIONS (they're all petty criminals AT BEST they're the cutest, bestest ever, I LOVE THEM)

Her Daniel was genuinely so fun that he was the first and only Daniel I ever even considering making a Danvid with. The OG Danvid has neat vibes, in a Killing Stalking kinda way, but it just wasn't my vibe, y'know? Good for those who like 'em, tho !!

This David is just... so neat. He's like if Davey's original snarky attitude had never been completely overriden by his love for camping. He blackmails Cameron for favors from time to time, but is pretty fond of the guy because he's not exactly a genius evil mastermind. He loves his friend Gwen and his son Max—who may or may not have been "kidnapped" from his home by some red-headed stranger who distracted his parents by setting their car on fire—and has started to care a little for his roommate, CJ.

He started vigilantism when he was just a teenager with some anger issues, man. And now he just got used to it! But hypocrisy just runs through his veins, as he feels super stressed whenever Max decides to sneak out to go after him and help. He wants to beat up strangers too!

Neither Max or David have "offensive" epiphets either: theirs are "Recover" and "Endure", respectively. A healing and a passively defensive power. Gwen's, though? Hers is "Orgasm". It's perfect for sweeping someone off their feet— if you get what I'm saying, HAH

Daniel's epiphet is "Kool Aid", and he uses it so dang well! He's the silliest villain you'll ever meet and I adore every moment he's "on-screen" (aka, whenever we talk about him, HEHEHE). He's the captain of a team of minions—yes, he does call them his minions. It's a very worthy title, I must say—who perform LOTS OF CRIMES together. Most of them are simple robberies, though, and David is incredibly amused by them.

He does, occasionally, fall on one of their traps. And then they laugh at him. Then they take him hostage to make him gawk at their mighty evil lair (they bring him over) and feel pathetically miserable once he sees that his own personal resting hours are nothing compared to the glory of their favorite entertainment (they watch some movies), and so on...

They're so, so, so so silly. I cannot express enough how much I freaking love them.

Also, Max has a bear motif. It just... It just stuck. I love him too (so does David HEHEHE)

As for Jasper...

His epiphet is "smoke", and he disappeared a long, long time ago. That's all I have for now!

Also this WIP, which I will probably never finish. Hehe.

[makethiscanon]

Forgotten WIP - 'Dead Lake'

To finish off Ojiro Day 2024, I thought I'd post another long forgotten WIP of mine. A much loved Mermaid AU. It is indeed a reader-insert, although the reader doesn't show up until much later.

Word Count: 1900

Rating: G

Characters: Tokoyami, Shoji, Ojiro, Mineta

Tags: Story Extract, Friendship, Adventure, Slice of Life, Humour, Mystery.

------

“We’re lost, aren’t we?”

Tokoyami’s monotone voice came from the back of Shoji’s car as it trundled and spluttered through the great Japanese wilderness. Tokoyami's leg was hooked lazily across his knee as he watched the endless expanse of trees passing by beyond the window.

“We’re not.” Said Shoji matter-of-factly, his multiple arms holding the steering wheel at ten-and-two, nine-and-three, and eight-and-four. Despite the assurance in his voice, when Tokoyami failed to add more to the conversation, Shoji passed his passenger-seat navigator a sideways glance, just to be absolutely certain. “Right?”

“Hard to tell,” said Ojiro, blocking his own view of the road with an oversized map, his brows tenting as he tried and failed to pinpoint their location. “GPS cut out about four miles off the freeway. If we hit a fishing outpost in the next fifteen, maybe twenty minutes, then we’re headed the right way. If not, it’s anyone’s guess where we are.”

Mineta’s hand landed on Ojiro’s shoulder with a sarcastic pat, but he laughed all the same.

“A wonderfully reassuring speech from our navigator. Thank you, Ojiro.”

It was a glorious summer in Japan -- the best anyone had seen in years. It was the perfect time for four friends to catch up and reminisce about a time before life pulled them down different paths. The days of U.A. High were long gone, but their bonds of friendship were as strong as ever.

Tokoyami said, breaking his gaze away from the passing scenery to look pointedly at Ojiro,

“If you admit we’re lost, I promise not to eat you first when we inevitably resort to cannibalism from being trapped in the wilderness together.”

A shiver ran up Shoji and Ojiro’s spines, as neither could truly decide whether he was joking.

Mineta cackled, like he was determined to tempt fate. “Have a little faith. We’re only in trouble if the car breaks down.”

Shoji shook his head, patting the steering wheel affectionately.

“She’s managed 300 miles. The last thirty won’t kill her.”

Shoji’s worn-down 1998 Lexus LS was his pride and joy, and the unfortunate vessel in which they had decided to travel. It spluttered and popped, and the suspension was shot, but Shoji was adamant it could manage the 600-mile round trip. His friends had their reservations, but as Shoji was the only licenced driver of the group, there was very little other choice.

Some fifteen minutes down the road from where Ojiro had told them to watch for an outpost, the small hut finally came into view, much to everyone’s relief. It was their first and only indication that they were headed the right way.

“Right. Quick in and out. Shoji and me will buy the essentials.” Ojiro said, doing his best to fold the map back into a neat square as Shoji slowed down to pull into the layby. Mineta chuckled, playfully shoving Tokoyami’s shoulder.

“I can’t believe you’ve never been fishing.”

“And yet, I haven’t,” Tokoyami said, amused that anyone could doubt his lack of experience. It was difficult for him to imagine himself in fishing slacks, almost as much as imagining himself in a rainbow-coloured clown suit. Fishing certainly wasn’t his first choice of hobby, but for the sake of spending time with his friends he was willing to take up a lure and rod, and see what monstrosities he could unearth from the deep.

Once they were parked, the four boys stumbled from the car then took a moment to stretch out their bodies, as none had noticed until now how stiff they had gotten.

“Get a new car. Get a new car.” Mineta begged, rubbing his spine. Shoji tutted good-naturedly, stretching his arms high above his head. He splayed them out until the sunlight filtered through the wing-like membrane holding them together.

“Don’t fix something that isn’t broken.”

“My man, I doubt even a junkyard would want it for spare parts.”

“There’s nothing wrong with her.”

“My back disagrees.”

As Mineta and Shoji continued their debate on the state of Shoji’s car, the four boys headed inside.

The hut, although an outpost, was reasonably sized with two aisles of shelves, stocked with hiking and fishing equipment, and other camping essentials. While the others began to browse, Tokoyami went straight to the back wall, which was adorned with rows of fishing rods.

He looked at them for some time.

Eventually, he came to conclusion that if there was any significant difference between them, he could not see it. His choice was based purely from aesthetics, and that’s why he chose a rod that was black in colour with purple trim – a fishing rod fit for a prince of darkness, if ever there was one.

In the same amount of time, Ojiro and Mineta gathered bait, lures, hooks and spare fishing lines, then set them all on the counter to pay.

The old man behind the desk rang up their order, chuckling as he surveyed their supplies.

“You boys be aiming for this year’s Big Whopper prize, I take it?”

“Big Whopper prize?” Mineta asked, his eyes lighting up as he pulled out his wallet to pay. “What’s that?”

The man laughed louder, gathering the bits together to put them in a bag.

“Blimey. All this equipment and y’ner doin’ the Whopper.” He turned and tapped a faded poster on the wall behind him. “Biggest catch of the season gets a cash prize.”

Mineta’s eyes lit up even more.

“You’re kidding?” He turned to the others. “We’re in, right?”

Tokoyami observed his brand-new fishing rod as it went through the register, then Mineta’s eager expression.

“Perhaps I’ll leave that to you. Beginner’s luck does not often favour me.”

Mineta shrugged then turned to Ojiro and Shoji.

“How about you guys?”

Though Shoji nodded, Ojiro asked,

“Sounds fun, but doesn’t that mean we’d have to camp around the busy lakes where they have the biggest fish?”

He didn’t sound best pleased at the thought of spending their camping trip in a noisy, crowded area. Shoji asked the hut-owner,

“Can you recommend any spots that aren’t too busy?”

The hut-owner tapped his finger to his chin thoughtfully, then reached under the counter for a map of the National Park.

“Aren’t many spots quiet this time of year, especially if you’re after the prize. Stay away from here,” he said, pointing to the second largest body of water on the map. “It’ll be swarming with fish but swarming with people too. Best fishing spot on the map. If you don’t mind a smaller catch, you could try here or here,” he said, tapping on two smaller, secluded lakes. Shoji leaned over the counter, curiously drifting his gaze across the map as the man continued to recommend places. The hut-owner tapped a large pond in a definitive way.

“This here’s your best bet. Great for catching supper, and it’s been known to host some big game since it’s forgotten about most a’ the year. Might only find a handful of other people there.”

“Sounds perfect.” Mineta and Ojiro agreed, but Shoji looked closer at the map. He pointed to the pond, then to the body of water next to it – the largest lake on the map.

“Won’t a lot of noise drift over from the main lake?”

The man chuckled, slapping his palm on the counter enough to make everyone jump.

“You must be joking? No one goes to that lake. It’s called the Dead Lake for a reason. If you want to catch any fish at all, stay away from there.”

That seemed unusually ominous. Tokoyami perked up.

“Oh? Why do you say that?”

“No one’s caught a note-worthy fish from that lake in over fifteen years. Many have tried. None succeeded.” He tapped the map again. “Though I suppose if you fellas are looking for a quiet place to camp, the Dead Lake might be the ideal spot. Set up along this side here, and it’s only a ten minute walk to the fishing pond. You’ll get the quiet beauty of the undisturbed Dead Lake, and enough fish for supper from the pond. A win-win.”

A win-win indeed. The boys paid for their equipment, thanked the hut-owner for his advice then decided to follow his suggestion. They loaded everything into Shoji’s rickety old car then set off through the National Park towards Dead Lake.

Sometime later, the road ended in a small carpark almost full to bursting with vehicles, so they loaded themselves up with all they could carry, Shoji carrying the lion’s share in his numerous arms, then walked the rest of the way to Dead Lake.

With Tokoyami navigating through map and compass, and the boys chattering about plans for the evening, it didn’t feel nearly as long as it was to reach the edge of the Dead Lake.

“Whoa,” Mineta commented breathlessly as they breached the edge of the trees, coming face-to-face with a scene straight from a postcard. An endless expanse of clear, green-blue waters lay before them, surrounded on all sides by evergreens and grass-covered bankings. Sunlight filtered down from above, creeping between the peaks of the park’s mountain-range, basking the whole lake in warmth.

Collectively, the four boys sighed at once, letting go of their equipment so they could reach out their arms to enjoy such a welcoming, peaceful atmosphere. A gentle breeze tickled their skin, bringing nothing but a refreshing taste of their long weekend to come. If the lakes around the rest of the park were busy with people, the noise did not reach here. It was a haven of birdsong and the tranquil rustling of leaves.

“I shall certainly get used to this,” Tokoyami mused as the feathers over his face ruffled approvingly from the warmth.

“What a find.”

Ojiro could hardly believe it. As far as his eyes could see, there wasn’t a single soul around the edge of the lake but them. Perhaps it wouldn’t last, but for now this peaceful haven was theirs alone. It was the perfect place for them to reconnect after months of living busy, separate lives.

While the sun was still high, the four made quick work of setting up camp, two pitching the tents as the others gathered dry wood for a fire. For the duration of the stay, Shoji would be designated camp chef. He enjoyed the chance to cook for his friends after so long, and as soon as the sun began to set, he lit the fire then prepared the meals they had brought for the first night – though Tokoyami held some of his back, doubting he would catch anything to eat tomorrow when he had absolutely no fishing experience.

“You'll be fine,” Shoji said, stirring a pot of curry as the others sat around him on logs, looking up at a sunset unmarred by light pollution. “I'm sure between four of us, we'll catch enough tomorrow to keep us fed.”

“Not if what that gentleman said about the lake is true.” Tokoyami muttered, taking his gaze from the sky to look along the expanse of the Dead Lake. “Perhaps we'll all starve.”

“Don’t you fret, my fine feathered friend,” Mineta declared, mimicking the action of casting his fishing rod. “I’ll go to the pond to catch us enough to eat.”

“And we’ll stay here. Me and Shoji can teach you the basics.” Ojiro added helpfully, smiling when Tokoyami's beak clattered to show his approval.

------

[WRITING MASTERLIST]