#Linked Universe Age Regression

[biblicallyinaccuratespoons]

hands you this fic and scurries back into the abyss

It's a Linked Universe Age Regression fic! enjoy!

Legend is crying, trapped under the bed, all he wants is a hug. All he needs is someone to help him. What is wrong with him?

A Linked Universe Age Regression Fanfiction because we're lacking in that department.

"Crying.

It wasn’t a thing Legend tended to do. He prided himself in refraining from letting tears fall. But right now it was all he could manage.

Something was wrong. Something was weird. He couldn’t figure it out. His mind was fuzzy.

His limbs felt heavy and like they were filled with chilly cotton, his head was fuzzy and he couldn’t talk. Well, not in coherent sentences.

Legend had shoved himself into the smallest little crevice of the inn’s room he could find. He didn’t know why but he needed to be small. He needed to take up as little space as possible, which is why he found himself whimpering underneath Sky’s bed. He shrunk back at the hands that came to grab at him. He whimpered again, wanting touch but not wanting to be touched like that. He struggled to make out the conversation of the concerned chain."

[mothfables]

@cripple-cat

Four was sitting against one of the trees behind Wild’s house enjoying a book when he heard footsteps approaching.

Most of the time the other heroes left him alone when he was reading, acknowledging his need for time to himself, only tending to bother him if he was needed for something. Whoever it was coming towards him now didn’t seem to want his attention- in fact it seemed like they didn’t want him to notice them at all, steps quiet and careful.

Glancing up from his book he saw Legend, tiptoeing barefoot through the grass towards him.

Legend looked up at almost the same time and froze, the veteran hero’s eyes going wide. After a moment he glanced around, like he was making sure there was no one else outside, before scurrying over the rest of the way to where Four sat. Four noted he was still walking on his toes.

When he reached the smith, Legend didn’t sit but instead swayed in place, licking his lips nervously and not meeting his eyes.

“Uh- um. Could you, um.” He stuttered, staring at his toes instead of looking at Four. He began fidgeting with his fingers, and Four realized they were bare of his usual array of rings, leaving only his heart and green holy rings. “I was, um, w-wondering if...”

He trailed off, voice quiet and shy in a way Four had never heard before from the older boy. His shoulders were hunched inwards and he kept playing with his hands, ears tilted down. He looked... small.

Four tilted his head in thought. Legend rarely initiated interactions outside of teasing or bets, and when he did it was usually confident and sure. He was hardly ever shy, and certainly never so quiet.

The longer neither of them spoke the further down Legend’s ears went. He began to turn away, drawing into himself dejectedly, and something in Four’s chest clenched.

“Hey, hold on. I haven’t said no yet. You haven’t even asked me anything.”

Legend turned back at that, a tiny flicker of hope in his eyes that he was trying hard to hide. “B-but you, um, y-you dun’ like it wh’n people b’ther you.”

Four ignored the odd way he was speaking in favour of giving him a reassuring smile. “Normally, yes, But you’re not bothering me. Promise,” he added at Legend’s doubtful look. “What it is you want to ask me?”

Legend bit his lip nervously. “C-could you... couldyoureadtome?” he asked in a rush.

The smith blinked in astonishment. Legend wanting to spend time with him was already a surprise, but wanting to be read to? He shook it off quickly, though, instead patting the ground on his left with another smile. “Sure. Come sit with me? It’s always nicer to read when you’re sitting down, in my opinion.”

The other boy lit up and bounced happily, dropping down to sit next to Four and drawing his knees up to his chest. Four found where he left off before beginning to read aloud.

A few minutes passed where the only sounds were Four’s voice and the chirping of birds. Then there was a pressure on his shoulder; glancing over, he saw Legend curled up against his side, eyes fixed on the book in his hands. One of Legend’s hands drifted up to his mouth almost subconsciously only to be snatched back down.

The whole thing was a little odd, but it didn’t seem harmful, so Four decided to let it be. He continued reading, leaning his head on the other boy’s and earning a happy little sound. Legend curled closer, one hand clutching at Four’s sleeve as the other came up to his mouth again. He didn’t seem to notice.

[asterias-corner]

i think we are severely lacking with the age regression (sfw) in the lu fandom 😔

little links by silentspider, is such a good fic!! it has multiple parts that are all so good! (16k words in total)

•••••••••

i think that they all would age regress to some degree at least- but the main ones would be time, warriors, wild, and legend, i dunno they just give me major little vibes :’)

~~~~

•time would be super energetic, and climb lots of trees, he would totally collect bugs too. And could be convinced to put them in fours bedroll. Time would regress to 5-6 years old, He’d say the trees are all unique, giving them names and being the only one to successfully tell them apart. He likes to keep a stuffed horse that looks like epona in his bag, malon made it for him!

——

•Wars would enjoy playing pretend, or more physical games. Usually regresses to 7 years old. He’d probably force everyone to play sharks n minnows, ghost in the graveyard, games like that! he likes to color or draw, also likes to watch four do weapon maintenance. ——

•Wild is a total nature kid, would roll around in mud and you’d not even know what color his clothes are by the dirt and grime just absolutely covering him. Definitely regresses to 8 years old, only going younger is stressed. Rocks are in his pocket, some Rollie polies even. Would climb the highest tree within range and wind would have to get him down. Enjoys playing hide and seek, always ends up being the last to be found. HE MAKES MUD PIES!!!

——

•legend is more bubbly, but will not share ANYTHING. Don’t ask it will be no. He usually regresses to around 6-7. He likes to hangout around water, and will collect anything that catches his eye, using his hat as a big pocket. Likes to read or play capture the flag (or any variation of such) will try and sneak to do things he knows he isn’t supposed to do.

——

•wind would probably age dream, never fully regressing, but usually is around 6 while doing so. Enjoys pretty much the same as he usually would not age dreaming, but will beg and BEG to braid everyone’s hair. No matter if it’s short or not, a braid will be in every links hair by the end of the day. When he isn’t age dreaming, total big brother and will convince them into shenanigans.

——

•four would regress discretely, but the main giveaway is how quiet he gets. Usually just regresses to 9 years old. He likes to read and keep to himself, but that’s when he’s not split. The colors already similar when regressing, but all enjoy different activities. Green enjoys fishing strangely enough, but uses his hands. Blue would see how long he can do a hand stand or something competitive. Red would color and draw with wars. Vio would be the one to read and likes being read too as well!

——

•hyrule is similar to wild, but likes to take walks and analyze everything. Regresses to 5 years old. He enjoys the sensory of being outside, touching everything (that is safe to do so) and usually drags sky along, regressed or not. He has a special journal just for pressing flowers and pretty weeds. Likes to swim and float in a starfish position for hours.

——

•sky is the one who regresses to 11 years old, and likes to wrangle four, hyrule, time, and wars into playing charades. He doesn’t carve (cus he isn’t allowed) but learned origami instead! Likes to give them to everyone, usually of their favorite animal or the animal that reminds him of them!

——

•twilight regresses to 7 years old, likes to play tag! Forces everyone to play when available and it’s scary when he runs full speed to catch someone. Now they know how dink felt . Teaches hyrule how to catch fish bare handed in the rivers, wild gladly takes them to cook as a meal. Twi likes to hang upside down on a tree and screeches at anyone who passes by- if he’s questioned his only reply is “I’m a bat!” Nothing else. Also likes to smack his head into people, full speed, grinning and unapologetic. If questioned, only reply is “I’m a goat! That’s my job!” And runs off to do it to someone else.

—————

remember guys, Age regression is a SFW COPING MECHANISM!!! So i don’t wanna see any hate! These are just my personal opinions and self projection

[shade-pup-cub]

Febuwhump 2024, Day 22 - Wars, Mask/Time & Chain - ALT Last Words

Fandom: LOZ/Linked Universes

Summary: Through a portal, Time is reduced to his younger self. Things are never simple with the heroes and they all learn how young Time really was when fate forced him into his role of being a hero.

CW: Slight blood and language

“We aren’t gonna last much longer here!” Legend grunted out as he blocked a sword that was aimed at Hyrule.

Four hissed as he got nicked by an arrow. “Any tricks up your sleeve Vet?”

“I’m fresh out of tricks and we are overrun!”

Wild was in a tall tree picking off monsters when he shouted, “Portal! It’s towards the end of the hill.” It was a snow covered hill and a straight shot into the portal. They all kept fighting as WIld thought of a plan. “Shield surf to it, the monsters can’t keep up!”

One by one they all hopped onto shields, pulling off the crazy stunt they all gave Wild a hard time about multiple times. Legend and Sky sat on their shields. Wind and Hyrule dove onto theirs, laying on their stomachs as the others were more experienced with balancing on their feet. It didn’t take long for them to crash through the dark portal and roll across the green grass on the other side. Of course Wild’s shield broke and he went flying into Twilight, bringing them both to the ground.

Shaking off the dizziness from switching worlds, there was someone missing. “Where’s the Old Man?” Wind asked when the eldest couldn’t be seen.

“Uh, you guys, I think I found him.” Sky was crouched down next to what looked to be a child. “I didn’t see him get hit by anything. Did the portal do this?”

Hyrule was the next one to kneel by the child. “He’s so tiny.”

Time groaned and rechead for his head. Two bright blue eyes opened and he took a moment to register that what was in front of him were people. He rolled away and pulled his sword. “Who are you people? Where am I?”

Being the youngest, Wind wiggled his way through everyone who was gathering around. “Back up! Give him some space will ya!” Wind huffed and turned back to the kid. “Hi, you don’t remember us do you?”

“Why should I know any of you?” His blade stayed between him and the others. He glared at them with an all too familiar look, even if he was turned into a kid, baby fat still laid over his muscles.

Twilight stepped closer, then stepped back when the young Link pointed his sword at him and growled.

Wars was the last to be coherent to everything and the voice from the past had him pushing everyone to the side quickly. “Mask?” His little brother was standing right in front of him again. How did he not know that Time was Mask?! He was kicking himself for not putting it together. “Hey little brother, it’s been a long time. You want to put the sword down so we can talk about what’s going on?” Warriors got onto one knee to be more eye level.

It was clear that Mask knew who Warriors was. His face softened, shoulders relaxed and sheathed his weapon on his back. “Cap?"

"Yeah, it's me. You haven't changed a bit. How long has it been since you were in my era?" Wars needed information. He needed to know what they were dealing with. Mask wasn't always the levelheaded one like he was as adult Time.

"Maybe a month or two." His eyebrows pulled together and the boy's features turned from calm to anger. "Did you try to find me after our last battle?"

Warriors didn't have to think back very hard. He knew the battle, the sinking feeling in his gut when he saw his little brother's green tunic grow darker due to a stab wound. He had hollered for Mask to get back up when the kid hit the ground. Wars never got the chance to see if he did.

"I looked for you for days on end. There was no sign of you anywhere."

"You ran away and left me for dead." The words came out coldly, meant to sting.

"That's not wha-" He was stopped by a fist colliding with his cheek.

Mask sat on Warriors chest and kept punching. He gave three more blows to his once big brother's face before the Captain grabbed Mask's wrist and sat up. "I didn't run away! I was kidnapped!"

"Bullshit! You left because we were losing!" Mask slammed his head forward, effectively making Warriors grab his bleeding nose as it broke against the younger's forehead.

Twilight, being the strongest, wrapped his arms around Mask. The boy thrashed against the hold. "Let me go!"

"Not until you calm down so we can talk everything through." Twi moved his face out of striking range when he saw that Mask was going to slam his back.

"Fine, let's talk! Let's talk about how Link left me dying with a gut wound, under a pile of his dead soldiers, bleeding out and I had to use the Fierce Deity Mask just to stay alive!"

Sky looked at Wars, then Mask. "How old are you?"

"Eleven." Mask felt Twi's grip slack some and took his chance to get free. He drew his sword to keep the others from grabbing him again.

Legend surprisingly was at Warriors side first, "The Cap said he was kidnapped, don't you think you should hear him out?"

"So he can tell me lies?"

Hyrule was fixing Warriors nose, saying, "He is your brother. He always talks about you, how great of a kid you are and how he misses you."

"I don't care!!" He huffed as his anger rose and clouded the little bit of a filter he had. His eyes locked with Warriors and venom dripped from words, "You are not my big brother, you are a coward that left me for dead and I hate you. I hate everything about you. I wish you were dead!"

The others gasped and Warriors felt like he had just been stabbed in the heart. 'Is this how Time felt?'

Mask covered his mouth as soon as the words came out, big ocean blue eyes watering. He had seen the Cap close to death before and it terrified him. He would never wish real harm to him. His guilt was clear as his ears drooped and the tears spilled over.

Wars looked hurt and turned his head away from the child he adored and protected.

Mask looked around at the others who were shocked by his words. His bottom lip wobbled and his chest ached. Here he was being a cruel brat to the one person who never lost faith in him and he never thought he would see again. 'What have I done?!' He took a few slow steps back. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, I promise I didn't mean it."

Dread sank into his gut like a stone thrown into a lake. Warriors wouldn't look at him. 'Why do I keep messing everything up?' "M'sorry…" Mask bolted for the forest, ignoring the calls for him to come back.

"Let him go…" the Captain said as Wild went to chase after the boy.

"But he-" Wild began to protest.

"Give him some time, then I will go after him." Wars began washing the blood off his hands and face. He had so many questions, but he needed to ask Time, not Mask.

"He's eleven, but Time said he went on three adventures. We know of the original one, then some adventure where he got the mask collection, but he was in the War?" Wind was trying to wrap his head around it all.

Legend paled. "He had three adventures within three years. No wonder he doesn't talk much about his journeys, his childhood or hardly anything personal outside of Malon."

There was a heavy silence as everyone pondered over their own traumas leading up to Ganon and other evils. To think a child, well they were all children, but a nine year old kid that should still believe in make-believe went through anything remotely similar, if not worse. The Goddesses better have been desperate.

"I'm going to bring him back." Warriors whispered as he finished getting as much crimson off of him as he could. He followed the clear signs of where Mask had gone. Tall grass was split by the boys frantic run.

"Mask?" He started to call out once he was fully in the woodline. "Mask, come out so we can talk. Please?"

He stopped at a downed hollow log, seeing the trail end there. He could hear the faint sniffles from inside it. He sat with his back relaxed on the rough surface, rubbing the edges of his scarf as he gathered his thoughts.

"When I was captured and taken to Cia, I was thankful that it was only me. She would have used you against me. I saw you get hit and not get back up. I could only pray that someone found you in time. I managed to escape that night and I ran right back to where I had been standing before and began the search. There were so many bodies that needed to be sorted through, but I only wanted to find you. I didn't stop until midday that next day. Impa knocked me out so I could get medical attention and promised to continue the search. No one ever found you and I thought I lost you forever."

The sniffles slowed to a few hiccups. Warriors he could hear Mask moving around before he poked his head out just enough to look at the Captain.

Warriors sighed heavily. “I have hung onto your last words to me before we went into that battle. ‘Children are the promise of a future, the assurance of greater things to come’. You sounded too old for those words, but now I know why. You really are an adult trapped in that body, aren’t you?” When Warriors turned to his side and saw Mask looking at him, he smiled gently and reached out a hand. Mask came crashing over into his arms.

A few moments of a tight embrace, Mask gave a wet laugh. “You were trying to keep me and Tune from fighting because we were children. I was glad I changed your mind, but how did you find out about my physical and mental age thing?”

“I got to meet you as an adult, late-ish thirties. You are actually traveling with me and all the other heroes that you saw earlier.”

“And Tune?”

“Tune too, but he hasn’t been to the war yet.”

“I didn’t see myself though.”

Warriors didn’t exactly know how to say this to him easily, but they kid deserved to know. “That is because you are him, but when we all went through the last portal it changed you back to this age and clearly with no memory past this time in your life.”

“Of course it did. I hate time travel.” Mask mumbled before looking up at Warriors. “I really have missed you and I’m sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean it.”

The now older hero pulled his little brother into his arms. “I’ve missed you too Sprite.” Releasing his hold, Wars asked him, “Ready to go back before one of them is sent after us?”

“Probably smart to get you back to safety.”

“You little shit…” Warriors, with as much love as he could, pushed Mask off his lap and got some of the best giggles out of him.

Arriving back to the others, Mask stayed slightly hidden behind Warriors, barely talking as the others were introduced to him, again. Warriors was patient, knowing that Mask was trying to trust the ones in front of him. “I go by Warriors or Captain, this here is Sky, he is the first of us. -”

Mask gave a breathy “wow”.

“- That is Four also known as Smithy. Legend is next to him, he is our veteran.”

“Or Bunny.” Sky added.

“Ha ha.” Legend gave a rude gesture with no heat behind it.

“Hyrule is next to him, he is our Traveler and part fae.” Warriors loved the starry eyed look Mask had at that. “Next is Wild, he is the only one that can cook. The taller one is Twilight and your descendant.”

“So which girl did I marry?” Mask somehow asked innocently.

Twilight choked. “W-which one?”

“Yeah.” Mask gave a chuckle. “I’m technically engaged to Princess Ruta and Malon.”

Wind burst into laughter. “Twi could have been part Zora!” Twilight promptly caught the now second youngest in a headlock, thoroughly messing his hair up.

Warriors rolled his eyes, also messing with Mask’s hair. “Malon.”

“I was hoping for that.” Mask said with pink cheeks.

Wind broke free of Twilight's playful hold, going for a kick to the knee, saying, “She’s great! You two look so happy together.”

Something in Mask’s chest stirred… Happy… He was going to finally be truly happy. He pulled on Warriors scarf, whispering in his ear. “Is that Tune?”

“Sure is.”

Mask flung himself over to the pirate. He was still shorter than him, so he wrapped his arms around the boy’s middle, squeezing tightly. The last time he saw Tune was the last time he had seen the Captain, but the sailor had been forced through a portal created out of nowhere.

Wind was always happy to help someone, but even as he wrapped his arms around their age reduced leader, he asked, “Did I miss something?”

Mask nodded. “Yes, but I can’t tell you what it is or it could ruin what has already happened.”

Those two were tied at the hip the rest of the day. It was terrifying and refreshing. The two played in the trees (easily dragging Wild along in their fun), played more pranks than imaginable and told stories with such animated movements that only children had.

The terrifying part, Legend had asked Mask what his favorite magic was. Instead of just telling the Vet, ‘Din’s Fire’, Mask felt the need to show him. Everyone took cover as the little monster in green rolled on the ground, laughing hysterically as the fire was pushed out around him.

Warriors got up from where he took cover. “Sprite! Really?!”

The other sat up with black soot smeared on his face and into his hair, “What?”

Warriors pointed to the whole woodline behind Mask that was now up in flames and looked to be only growing larger, spreading from tree to tree at an alarming rate. “You are going to burn the whole forest down!”

“I can fix it!” Mask pulled out his blue ocarina and began to play an upbeat song that Mask swayed to. Thunder clapped as lightning streaked across the suddenly darkened sky, then the rain came pouring in. Somehow Mask was laughing even harder at the others expense, falling back over.

Warriors really couldn’t be mad. At least the fire was out.

They set up camp right there, not wanting to travel after the day's events, especially as the night krept closer. There was a buzz of happiness around them all as Wild cooked, Mask curiously looking into the pot.

Warriors had a fond smile as he settled into his spot to eat, just watching Mask. He had missed him and now never wanted him to leave his sight.

Wars looked over when Twilight sat next to him, a fond smile also on his face. “How’s it feel to see him like this again and know that he turned out okay?”

A low laugh slipped out from the Captain, “I imagine it’s the same feeling you had when we found Wild. Seeing the young man he had become during the time apart. Someone to be proud of.”

Warriors paused as he pumped his shoulder into the other man’s. “The same feeling Time has every time he looks at you. Proud.”

Twilight lowered his head, ears dusted pink. The young man always looked up to the eldest hero from day one and Warriors had always been curious over why, but that was a secret Twi kept close and he would never push for him to spill it.

Across camp, Mask stood before placing both hands on his head. He stumbled a bit to his left, knocking into Legend who caught him before he fell.

“Kid, you good?”

“I don’t… I don’t know. Som’tin isn’t right.” Mask slurred.

Warriors was on his feet instantly, headed for the youngest when they all saw Mask fade in and out like a blur or the static that would come up on Wild’s Slate. Not a soul moved when Mask screamed, voice going from his young pre teen voice to a post puberty voice. When he came back into focus, he was no longer the young child, but a tall teen in a green tunic, cap, white collared undershirt and white leggings.

Looking at the closest people to Mask- Time- Link(?), Wars took a mental not for later of how Wind paled, but clearly had excitement in his eyes while Legend paled with a whole different emotion. Anger.

“Y-you-!” Legend started, but Warriors put a hand up for him to stop and took slow steps as if the teen in front of him was a spooked animal. “Mask?”

Sorrow filled eyes looked up at him. “Link… Cap? What is happening? Where am I?”

“What is the last thing you remember?”

Mask seemed to be searching his memory. “I- Zelda… s-she was sending me back.”

“Back to where?” Warriors didn’t want to pry on a memory Time hadn’t ever told him, but he needed to know.

“We defeated Ganon after I woke from the seven year sleep, but she-” he was starting to struggle to breath with his panic. “She wouldn’t let me stay there, in that time, making me go back to when it all started.”

Mask crumbled to his knees with another scream, body blurring again until he was an even smaller child than he was at the beginning of this chaos. He looked so heartbroken as he cried out in anguish, but it wasn't physical pain as much as it was emotional.

Twilight was the one to step in as Warriors was trying to work through his shock. “Hey, Link right?”

The child- gods… he was a child!- showed no fear as he looked up at the Rancher, removing the tears from his eyes. “Mhm.”

“What’s the matter?”

“She left me.”

“Zelda did?” Twilight did a head tilt, similar to Wolfie.

“Navi, she left me. She was supposed to stay with me forever, but she left!”

Off to the side, Hyrule gasped and placed both hands over his mouth. The name must have meant something to him.

Before the child could collapse into Twilight’s arms, he blurred out again, coming to as a young adult. His hair was long, coming to his mid back while braided. He was in his green tunic, but took up the black fitted undershirt and black leggings.

His head was down, hands holding his face, hands that were covered in blood. The sight of blood pulled Warriors from his pause. He landed next to Twilight, grabbing the changed hero by the wrist.

The other gasped, startled by the contact and jerked his head up. There was so much blood, the wound over his eye fresh. He was trembling like a lead, but Warriors didn’t have time to console him since he seized up again into a blurry translucent mess.

Now his hair was cut short, his body more bulked with muscle like they knew Time to be, but his face was still young, mid twenties.

“C-cap… make it stop. Please, I can’t- ha-AHH!”

Another see through static blur and Time was back with them. He looked beyond exhausted, white as a ghost and older… older than he had been that morning before all this happened.

“Wars, I’m gonna be sick.” Time barely had a moment more before he began to puke. Somehow Four already had a bucket waiting. Then again, Four had a tendency to get sick and probably saw it coming.

Twilight helped keep Time up on his knees as Warriors kept his hair out of the way. The others tried not to gather too close, not wanting Time to get claustrophobic, but they were concerned for their leader.

Mouth rinsed, Time abruptly stood, staggering for a moment. Legend had his hands on the man’s back, Sky and Twi at his sides, Wars at his front. He didn’t listen to anyone telling him to take it easy and that he needed to sit down. Instead of sitting, Time’s good eye rolled back and he collapsed forward into Warriors, bringing them both down to the ground.

With the air officially knocked out of him, Warriors wheezed out, “By the Three Sprite, you are heavy!” Some of the tension bled out with that, bringing a chuckle to the boys.

Once checked for injuries, taken out of his armor and cleaned up a bit, Warriors laid his brother back onto his chest in a non crushing way, allowing him to sleep peacefully for the first time since the last time they were at the ranch.

With the moon high in the sky, the forest child stired, waking Warriors. Time was groaning a bit as he pushed himself up off the Captain and out of the embrace.

“Hey, where are you going?” Warriors asked as he saw Time sigh, ears lowered, running the blue fabric through his fingers like he had two decades before. It was a look of longing, a look of still needing or wanting to be close and maybe even protected.

“Too big. Too big and too old.” The simple words cut like a knife. Time thought he was too old to be held close. It was even more of a sign that he was forced into the role of an adult too early. He should have been held as a child, had someone care for him and codle him before he was thrown into his first adventure, but he wasn’t.

Wars sighed. “You aren’t too big or too old to lean on your big brother. Now get back over here Sprite.”

Time looked like he wanted to flop back down where he had been, but he held himself back, going slowly until his head was resting on Warriors chest again, blue scarf around him like it had been when he was twelve.

Warriors carded his fingers through his brother’s hair. “Children are our future, but that doesn’t mean they should have to step into the roles the future holds for them before they are ready. Be a child for a while longer. I have you.”

He didn’t mention how his tunic started to feel wet under Time’s cheek and how he clung to him a little more.

[linkhappyface]

mutuals look AWAY im in my self indulgence era im cringe but im FREE 🦅

okay baby wild(cough bug) headcanons

-such a lil guy. he loves to just lay on someone while they do other stuff and just be there but not really present. much different from normal wild hours where he has to be on the watch for everything snd people expect him to do EVERYTHING. no he is lil dude all he does is lie there.

-fav activity is laying on sidon in the water. the ripples and sidons slow lazy kicking. it puts him right to sleep which he desperately needs all the time.

-has a little seal plush he got in Gerudo Town its his most beloved item and hes never shown it to the chain for fear of getting teases or it getting dirty or hylia forbid broken.

-he gets so quiet when hes small. like hes normally super quiet and uses sign more often than not but hes like silent when hes small. especially when hes trying to push it down and repress those feelings. takes a lot of concentration to focus on being an adult.

-i dont like using the term impure regression so we’re calling it involuntary regression. his regression is almost always involuntary. it happens in response to anxiety, anger, fear. basically any negative emotions can make him small in a snap.

-it took him so long to even tell the others about his regression and even longer to allow himself to regress around any of them. when hes small he mostly just cries, silently. it kind of unnerving because he’ll cry for ages and nothing seems to help or stop it. definitely a trauma thing from all the times hes had to push his emotions down when he was younger.

-hes very sensory when hes small. likes to play in the mud and water and feel everything. and put everything in his mouth.

-his fav when hes small is sidon first but then twi. twi is like a human furnace. seemingly always running hotter than the rest of them for some reason. twi also radiated big brother energy he would take such good carw of the baby

-such a lil guy. literally such a small dude. microscopic. a single celled organisms perchance.

-clearly i love him

i wanna do the rest of them at some point so we’ll see :3

[bratzforchris]

jake and johnnie masterlist ˖°𓇼

hello! this is a complied list of all my works for you to enjoy! please remember that my writing does not reflect johnnie or jake in real life; it is purely fiction. enjoy!

🌊=fluff, 🪸=angst, 🐚=smut, 🐬=alternate universe, 🥥=headcanons, 🍉=age regression, 🍹=latina reader, 🌴=neurodivergent

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Johnnie and Jake

🍉 Don't Cry, Baby

🍉 No Secrets

🌊 Puppy Love (this is a Matt Sturniolo centric fic, but Jake and Johnnie make an appearance :3)

Jake Webber

🌊 Cooking

🌊🪸🌴 Recovery

🥥🌴 Our Own Love

Johnnie/Jake/Tara

🌊🪸 In Sickness and In Health

Johnnie Guilbert

🥥 Polar Opposites

🌊 Can't Help Falling In Love

🌊 Sick Days

🐬 Vampire

🐚 🐬 Call Me

🐚 Be My Guitar

🌊 Coloring Book

🌊🪸 I'll Look After You

🌊 Hello Kitty Tattoo

🥥 Girl Dad

🐚 🐬 The Joker and The Queen

🥥 Snuggle Time

🐚 🐬 Come Over

🐚 Tease

🐚🥥 Rings

Tara Yummy

🥥 Real Life Bratz Doll

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© 2024-bratzforchris

all of the work posted here is 100% my own. please do not copy/repost/translate my writing on other platforms (this includes linking and “recommending” on tiktok). this is the only account and platform i post fanfiction on. all of the work posted here is 100% my own.

updated: april 10th, 2024

requests are here <3

[imsrtman]

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▮ male transformation ▫ male possession ▫ male body swap ▫ male hypnosis

▮ muscle growth ▫ muscle loss ▫ muscle theft ▫ weight gain ▫ merge ▫ bodysuit

▮ age progression ▫ age regression ▫ hair growth ▫ race change

▮ mental change ▫ mind control ▫ dumber ▫ language change ▫ accent change

▮ reality change ▫ identity theft ▫ role reversal

▮ straight to gay ▫ gay to straight ▫ female to male

▮ daddy tf ▫ bear tf ▫ jock tf ▫ himbo tf ▫ bodybuilder tf ▫ otter tf ▫ twink tf ▫ redneck tf ▫ stoner tf ▫ ginger tf ▫ surfer tf ▫ cowboy tf ▫ preppy tf ▫ pornstar tf ▫ stripper tf ▫ military tf ▫ cop tf ▫ lumberjack tf ▫ pirate tf ▫ lifeguard tf ▫ celebrity tf ▫ animal tf ▫ inanimate tf ▫ devolution

▮ hunk ▫ frat boy ▫ blue-collar ▫ southern ▫ wrestling ▫ gay-for-pay ▫ go-go boy ▫ cub ▫ pup ▫ slob ▫ pig ▫ slave

▮ chronivac ▫ clothing ▫ jockstrap ▫ underwear ▫ cap ▫ shoes ▫ singlet ▫ harness ▫ collar ▫ piercing

▮ fetish ▫ musk ▫ armpit ▫ feet ▫ sweat ▫ nipples ▫ milking

▮ beer ▫ alcohol ▫ smoking ▫ cigar ▫ leather ▫ latex ▫ tattoo ▫ wish gone wrong ▫ plan gone wrong

▮ unwilling ▫ loss of body control ▫ corruption ▫ humiliation ▫ debt ▫ punishment

▮ bouncyboytfs ▫ changingmen ▫ cinaedefuri ▫ doublesidedtf ▫ dreaming-star20 ▫ dumb-and-jocked ▫ dutchutch ▫ evantyde ▫ greyswap ▫ idesofrevolution ▫ makingrealalphas ▫ maleageprogression ▫ maleagetransformation ▫ maletransform ▫ mrwavellswaps ▫ newyoutf ▫ rotguttheclown ▫ shapedbydesire ▫ tfcaptions ▫ tfhuman123 ▫ tfstation ▫ the-craftsman ▫ TravisTheDemon ▫ tyranitartf ▫ ultram0th

==========Archival Blogs==========

TFCaptions Archive

Dumb-and-jocked Archive

[lu-fic-recommendation-of-the-day]

By: @undertheopensky

Summary:

Whumptober 2023, Linked Universe fills. Prompts will generally have a happy ending or end on a positive note, but a couple of them do cut it awful close. NO main character death.

Tags:

Four/Shadow

Fainting

Seizures

(Sort Of)

Link Uses Sign Language

Hurt/Comfort

Whump

Prophetic Dreams

Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Loneliness

Wilderness Survival

Animal Death (it's a fish)

Discussions of Suicide

discussions of self-harm

mentioned slavery

Violence to a Child

Broken Bones

Torture

Burns

Blood

Whumptober 2023

Anxiety

Bullying

struggling to communicate

Unreliable Narrator

alternative backstories

Past Child Death

Memory Loss

Suicidal Ideation

Suicidal Thoughts

Past Violence to a Child

Age Regression/De-Aging

Vomiting

Indistinct illness

Drowning

Electrocution

Body Horror

Painful transformations

Mer!Legend

Panic Attacks

Aftermath of Torture

Semi-graphic Death

Minor Character Death

Self-Harm (it's unintentional but it's there)

minor nudity

Kidnapping

Threats of torture

Blacksmithing

Exhaustion

Grief

Dehumanisation

Depression

Hurt No Comfort

Asthma

Word count: 82,335

Finished: No

[darkmaga-retard]

By Frank Bergman August 7, 2024

A bombshell new study has confirmed that surging cases of several once-rare forms of “debilitating neurological disorders” are being caused by Covid mRNA shots.

The discovery was made by an international group of neurology-focused researchers.

The team, made up of leading researchers in the United States and Kenya, sought to investigate the links between Covid mRNA injections and recent spikes in reports of autoimmune encephalitis (AE), neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD).

All three are described as “complex and debilitating neurological disorders.”

For the study, the researchers used data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).

VAERS has recorded surging reports of AE, NMOSD, and MOGAD since the Covid mRNA injections were rolled out for public use in early 2021.

As part of this investigation, the authors sought to better understand any potential relationship between vaccinations and the incidence of NMOSD, AE, and MOGAD—mindful of possible risk factors, the authors used multivariate logistic regressions applying to age, sex, type of vaccine, and previous history of autoimmune diseases.

The study team was led by Professors Maria Garcia-Dominguez and Bahadar S. Srichawla, both at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Department of Neurology.

The study’s paper was published in the MedRxiv medical journal.

[sissytobitch10seconds]

Safety and Security

Fandom: Helluva Boss Summary: After they get free from their kidnappers and the fire, Fizz offers Blitz a ride back up to Lust so that it's easier for him to catch an elevator home. On the way there, Blitz starts acting in a way that's strangely familiar and Fizz feels the need to investigate. Warnings: Age regression, Alternate Universe: Littles Are Known, mentions of sexual trauma, mentions of rape, and implied child abuse Word Count: 3,967 Ship(s): Blitzo Buckzo & FizzaRolli

Archive link!

Idea from @lovely-number-7

The first thing that Fizz noticed on their ride back to Lust was that Blitz wasn’t nearly as shaken up as he was. He knee that his friend worked as an assassin, traveling between the human world and Hell for money, but they had just been kidnapped and held hostage. On top of that, they had to relive something very close to the trauma that had separated them from each other in the first place. 

Fizz could still see the green flames dancing around him and feel the way that his arm refused to react to what he was asking them to do. It reminded him so much of when he had been enjoying his birthday with his friends and family, only to realize that everything he loved and cared about was literally burning down around him. Just the memory of it and the fact that his left prosthetic was not functioning made him feel like he was trapped in that hospital bed again. At least when he needed a break from his limbs and hearing aides he knew that he had a way to put them back on thanks to Ozzie and Bel’s genius working together. Back then, he had to scream and wail for anyone to hear him in that giant Greed hospital for a nurse to come and do basically anything for him. 

“Blitz?” Fizz asked. His voice was scratchier than normal thanks to the layer of smoke inhalation now hanging around it, but he was able to get the words out clearly enough that they didn’t sound garbled. “Do you want to come back to my place so that the two of us can talk? I get it if you don’t, we were both pretty horrible to each other over the years and went through something pretty serious tonight.”

“Was normal,” Blitz said. He was staring straight ahead, around the headrest and through the windshield. His hands were grasping the seatbelt that had stretched over his chest as hard as he could, enough that his knuckles had turned gray from the blood. 

“Blitz? Are you okay?” Fizz asked as he reached his hand over to touch his friend. It was strange to think of them in that way when they had done nothing but hate each other for years and years. Still, Blitz had saved his life from that fire and the kidnapping that he had accidentally caused. If he hadn’t been such a cocky shit and just done what he promised Ozzie he was going to do, then he never would have drawn attention to the two of them by getting into a fight in the middle of the sidewalk. Fizz had caused the accident to happen by being arrogant and Blitz had been there to save him despite all the history that the two of them shared, a fair bit of it serving as a good example why Blitz would do exactly the opposite of what he had done.

The moment that Fizz’s hand dropped down onto Blitz’s shoulder, the other imp flinched and then curled in on himself. “Sorry, sorry,” he mumbled. “Trying to get better, give a second.”

Fizz felt his heart beat pick up in his chest as something that he had buried in the back of his mind sprang back to life. He and Blitz had been seventeen when the fire happened, too young to leave the circus and make their own way in the world away from Cash but old enough to have taken the Imp Classification Test. They had both taken the first one required by Hell Law when they were fifteen, but Fizz had entirely put Blitz’s classification out of his mind because the other imp had also refused to acknowledge it in any way. Now it all came crashing back to him and he clearly remembered the large red ‘L’ marking the top of the page.

He unbuckled his seatbelt and then slid into the middle seat before he put that one on. He had already gotten in one accident that robbed him of some mobility and hearing, he didn’t need another one stealing his skin or giving him brain damage. He placed his working arm around Blitz and then asked, “Blitz, are you little?” he made sure that his voice was gentle and reassuring as he asked, he didn’t want to scare the other imp off.

“I don’t know,” he whispered. “The last time I was little it was so bad. I should be a man, I shouldn’t have a fucking littlespace anyway.”

“That’s Cash talking and we both know that most of his words were just alcohol on the way back up,” Fizz said. “There’s nothing wrong with being little, middle, or big. You’re just doing what your brain needs to function. It’s like saying that you’re not man for sleeping every night or drinking water.”

“I had an ex tell me that once,” Blitz forced a smile onto his face.

“What? That you weren’t man because you slept every night and drank water?” Fizz asked. He was beginning to question the company that his ex-best friend had kept in the time that they were apart from each other. Blitz gave a morose little nod and then shuddered. His skin was beginning to look a bit tacky and pale, something that Fizz had seen in some of his fellow performers when they had put off their headspace for too long.

It was commonly believed that headspaces were forbidden in Lust, but they were simply just respected more. Most of the beings in Hell that were born there, unless they were part sinner or entirely sinner, had a headspace of some kind. Concubi could have a subspace or a domspace if the way that they fueled their magic had to do with sex, but most didn’t. Concubi were believed to be purely sexual beings by the humans because those were the agents that went up to earth, but they really just fed off attention and emotion from others. If there was a concubus who had a littlespace or a caregiver headspace, then they were treated just as reverently and respectfully as the ones who had something sexual going on. The ranks of the court had to deal with things other than the headspaces that people used to take care of their minds and process the stressors of life.

Due to the headspaces being something that existed and were treated well in Hell, quite a few of the people that Fizz worked with and for had them and didn’t know what to do with them. Unfortunately, even though Lust respected headspaces education still rang along class lines and many of the people that ended up doing sex work didn’t know how to properly take care of themselves or didn’t have the money for a hyperclassification test that would give them the information that they needed to be at their healthiest. Fizz had gotten pretty good at identifying when they needed a bit of extra time down in their headspace or to skip out on the show that night.

Blitz was displaying all of them, which made anxiety sit low in his stomach. “Blitz, I want you to stop fighting it and just let it happen. Something really scary just happened to you and even though you deal with that every day in your job, it’s still going to require some headspace time to help you process it. We may not have gotten along due to some stupid miscommunication that Mammon and Cash played out, but I promise I’m a safe person for you to regress around,” Fizz said. He wasn’t sure that he truly believed what he was saying because he didn’t feel very able to help Blitz in that moment, but he wanted to do it more than anything. 

He had been given a caregiver classification, which hadn’t helped with the divide that Cash had drawn between the two of them. When they had gotten their classifications, he had assumed that he would become Blitz’s caregiver and they would register themselves officially when they were adults. Instead, he had only ever seen Blitz down in his headspace when Tilla was feeling well enough to fight with Cash about it. She had taken care of him and refused to let anyone near he baby, which made sense given the kind of shit that Blitz had to put up with when she wasn’t around. He had forgotten about it when he was recovering from the fire, but now it was all coming flooding back to him.

“Safe?” Blitz asked. His voice sounded so small and scared, it made Fizz’s heart break in his chest. He’d had littles before, Ozzie had quite a few partners that he worked with a myriad of different ways, but none of them had ever felt quite the way that Blitz did. His heart was overflowing with love and care, which meant that it almost physically hurt him to know that someone had damaged Blitz badly enough that he felt like he had to fight his headspace instead of just giving into it.

“Safe,” Fizz nodded. He rubbed Blitz’s back with his working hand and then brought the other imp closer so that he was cleaning into Fizz. “You remember when we were little and I took care of you every single time you got hurt? I’m doing that now, but the hurt is in here instead of out there,” he explained. He tapped Blitz’s chest and then his knees. Blitz had been the kind of kid that was always running around and flinging himself off of things so he got injured pretty often.

“Yeah, safe with Fizz,” Blitz giggled as he kicked his leg. He had always done that, even though that wasn’t how reflexes worked.

Fizz smiled and kissed the top of his head, right where his horns met his skull. “Do you want to come back to my house or is there someone that usually takes care of you when you’re small like this?”

“I take care myself! In-de-pen-dant!” Blitz said as he jammed his finger into his chest.

“Do you want to be independent from Fizzy?” he asked, tickling at his sides. Blitz squealed and shook his head as he tried to defend himself from the offending fingers. When Fizz let up, he remained with his head leaned back against the door and a bright smile on his face. “You wanna go home and take care of yourself like you always do?”

“No! Wanna stay with Fizzy. Safe,” Blitz reiterated. He sat up in his chair and then leaned the other direction so that his head was once again on his friend’s shoulder. “Can stay with Fizzy?”

“Course you can,” Fizz replied. “You’re safe with me. We’re going to go back to my house and we’re going to have a really nice playdate together. Do you want me to call anyone and let them know where you’re going?”

It hurt to realize just how much of Blitz’s life he had missed when they were apart from each other. He knew why he had cut the other imp from his life so entirely, but that just made his anger for his boss and ex-mentor increase. He had been fed up with Mammon for a while now because he had been taking the business in another direction that Fizz didn’t really enjoy. He did a lot less shows and a lot more commercials and boring as fuck business meetings. He was glad that he had this to focus on now, though.

Blitz thought about it for a moment, knocking his horns into the back of the seat where he had hooked them over the headrest. “I don’t think so. Loonie doesn’t care,” he shrugged his shoulders.

“Is she your daughter?” Fizz asked carefully. He knew that sometimes when children were brought up around littles, especially their own children, it forced them out of their headspaces entirely.

“Uh huh. Adopted her from the pound, but she just yells at me,” Blitz frowned.

“Why does she yell at you?” Fizz pouted along with him. It was easier to get him to open up and talk about the way that he was feeling when the emotions he was feeling were mirrored on someone else.

“I touch her too much and tell her I love her too much,” Blitz shrugged. Fizz was able to tell that he was pulling out of his headspace and that was absolutely not what he had wanted.

“You can hug me and tell me that you love me as much as you want, little one,” he cooed. “Do you want to play when we get home or do you want to watch a show?”

It was easy to see the way that Blitz was dropping back down into his headspace, which filled Fizz with relief. He hadn’t taken care of a little entirely on his own in a long time, so he had been kind of worried that he was going to ruin everything with his inexperience. “I think I wanna play! Do you have horsie toys?” Blitz then gasped and his eyes shone with excitement, though Fizz noticed that one of them didn’t dilate or move as quickly as the other one did. He wondered how much his friend had been damaged from the fire and if he had been alone, in his headspace to deal with the trauma of that event. The only thing that he could do now was help him heal from this point onward, like it was a spit in the face to Cash for trying to keep them apart.

“Can you make Banana Pudding again! Or Worm Horse?” Blitz asked as he bounced up and down in his seat.

“You always made Worm Horse better than I did. Do you want to try and make balloon animals when we get back?” Fizz asked. He knew that he had some in his pocket, but he wasn’t sure that they were going to be usable after the heat of the fire that had almost consumed him.

“I think so,” Blitz nodded. He sat back in his seat and hummed to himself for the rest of the drive. He kicked his feet against the seat that he was in and the one in front of him while his fingers drew little designs on the window. 

Using the distraction, Fizz snagged the burner phone from under the car that was driving them back to Lust. It was something that Ozzie had in all of their cars, just in case something like this was to happen to either one of them. He was able to text his partner to let him know that he had been kidnapped, but Blitz had saved him. Ozzie was very happy that he was okay and explained that Stolas had been arguing with the lawyer that the kidnappers had sent the entire time, though he had just wanted to burn the entire place down to the ground. Fizz said that he should have with a dozen hearts at the end of the message. He then had to tell the Sin that while they were in the car, Blitz had regressed and now Fizz was bringing him back to the palace so that he could care for him. Ozzie seemed to understand, but Fizz was still worried that the Sin was actually upset with him.

His worries were destroyed as soon as they arrived at the palace. He had taken Blitz’s hand and helped him out of the car so that they would walk up the high steps and into the foyer, away from the elements of the ring outside. Ozzie was waiting there with a massive smile on his face, “Welcome to my home, little one.”

“Why do you guys keep calling me that?” Blitz asked. It seemed like his age had finally settled out when they were in the car and he was now stuck around five or six. It meant that his words were a bit clearer and his sentences were structured far better, but he still had the cute little lisp that he had when they were actually aroaund that age.

“Little one? Because you’re small and cute. It’s what regressed people get called,” Fizz answered gently. “Do you not like it?”

“No, the mean bird man calls me that when he forces me out of my headspace. Don’t like being forced out of my headspace, it’s comfy in there,” Blitz pouted. He reached out and took Fizz’s hand, the one that wasn’t non-functional, and then leaned into his caregiver’s side.

“We need t ohave a conversation about Stolas and Blitz’s relationship after he’s down for a nap or playing by himself, Froggy,” Ozzie said, his voice still chipper and light. Fizz knew that there was something deeper going on behind that statement, though.

“Come on, Blitz. Let’s go get my arm fixed and then we can start playing!” he chirped.

The trio made their way into the exclusive elevator that went up to the penthouse apartment where Ozzie lived. Unlike the Morningstar Palace in Pride, the Lust castle was styled as a giant skyscraper with business and servant quarters down below the place where Ozzie lived on his own. It allowed him to have more privacy while still maintaing the staff and court presence that he was supposed to have as the ruler of a ring. They rode the elevator up to the penthouse and then stepped inside before the doors had a chance to close again.

Blitz tilted his head up and gasped as he looked at everything. “Woah!” he shouted as he rushed over to the window so that he could look at all the shimmering lights of the city below. 

“You like what you see?” Fizz asked. He sat down on the couch and kept his eyes on the little as Ozzie undid the latches on the prosthetic and removed it. He left with the item and came back with a new one a couple of minutes later.

“Yeah! This is so cool,” Blitz said. “You can see everything from here! Woah, look at that,” he pointed his fingers towards one of the taller skyscrapers.

“I know, isn’t that one so pretty? Sometimes the colors change and you can actually watch it go from the bottom up to the top,” Fizz said. It was nice to have a bigger distraction than a single conversation with Ozzie while work was being done on his prosthetics. He knew that his partner did as much as he could to help him with the process, but there was only so much that he could do while he was also attaching the limb that Fizz needed to work and live.

“Do you think that we’re going to see that tonight?” Blitz asked.

“I think we might,” Fizz nodded. The limb snapped into place and he rose from the couch. “Do you think that you could sit with Ozzie for a while so I can go change and find you some little clothes to play in?”

“I don’t need little clothes,” Blitz said. His hands were squeezing the edges of his shirt with both of his hansd while he continued to stare out at the city out of the window. It was something that he had done while they were growing up whenever he refused something he wanted because he knew it was for the best. Fizz hated that they had grown up in the type of situation that had required that out of him, but he was happy that he was finally in the place where he could undo some of those issues.

“But do you want them? I already have them here so I can just bring them out and you can wear them while we play. It’s not like I’m buying anything for you so you don’t have to feel guilty,” Fizz explained.

Blitz thought about it for a moment before he gave his head a firm nod. “Yes, please, Rolly-Polly,” he said.

The nickname made Fizz smile so wide that the burn scars around his hairline ached. It was nice to know that they were already returning back to where they had been before Cash had decided that he was going to break them apart. Fizz was sure that the bastard had been getting a cut of the money he made Mammon, otherwise he would have continued to drive his son away simply by guilting him so that he could extort Blitz further. Blitz didn’t like Mammon so if the two of them would have been permitted to be together then Fizz never would have agreed to work for him in the first place.

He walked off while listening to Ozzie ask the little questions about the way that he liked to play and the kinds of things that he liked. Fizz changed out of the outfit that smelled of smoke and the dingy room that they had been held in. He washed his body off with a damp cloth as quickly as he could before he dressed in something comfortable to hang out in. He set out a couple of outfits on the guest room sofa and then called Blitz and Ozzie to come for him.

When the little arrived in the door, his eyes widened with excitement. He walked over to the outfits and examined them closely before he picked the one in the middle that Fizz had expected him to go for. It was a blue dungaree set with a white and orange stripped shirt underenath, something very reminiscent of what the cowboys on earth would wear but for a little. “Do you need help putting it on or do you think that you can do it yourself?” he asked carefully.

Blitz thought about it before he said, “I’m a big boy! I can do it on my own!”

“Okay, you can call me if you need any help and we’ll come right back for you,” Fizz promised. He and Ozzie stepped out into the hallway so that Blitz had the privacy that he needed to change. The two of them had a quiet conversation about what Stolas had come to ask Ozzie about and the fact that he shouldn’t be trusted around the little until they got confirmation that he wasn’t being sexual with someone down in their headspace. The Goetia had been known to reject those headspaces and pretend as though they didn’t exist as a way to keep their women specifically in place, so it was possible he had been doing horrific things to their little. Fizz knew that had contributed to why Blitz had absolutely refused to go down into his headspace when they were in the car until Blitz had reassured him over and over again that he would be safe.

The door opened five minutes later with the little revealing himself. His old clothes were laying in a pile on the floor of the guest room and the straps for the overalls were crossed the wrong direction.

“You look just like a real cowboy in training!” Fizz informed him as he naturally undid the clips and then swapped them to where they belonged. “Do you want to come play with me in the living room?” 

“Yeah! Worm Horse!” Blitz said as he ran down the hallway back to the living room. Fizz smiled after them and felt his heart swell adoringly in his chest. He hadn’t had a little of his own in his entire life, but he was beginning to think that was because the Saints of Hell had been waiting to bring him and Blitz back together. He had expected to be Blitz’s caregiver when they were classified but hadn’t been, not until that moment.

[biblicallyinaccuratespoons]

Have a little Legend age regression fic as a gift because you're a good person :]

It surprised nobody that Legend woke up feeling little. His nightmares had been worse than usual the night before, and his screams of agony hadn't only been from emotional pain. So, in a way, many breathed a sigh of relief that the protective fog of childhood had swept over their brother's mind.

Sky awoke to the feeling of spindly arms strong with lithe muscle circling around his arm, and the sound of muffled sobbing by his shoulder. Instantly, he knew who it was. Legend, his little brother, the snazzy veteran with a soft bunny's heart, now a child's mind in a weathered adult body.

"Hi there, little bunny. Do you wanna cuddle?" Sky whispered softly, his voice slightly gravelly due to it being early morning.

Legend raised his head, revealing bloodshot eyes filled with tears and pain. The boy barely spared a second to nod before he flung his arms around Sky's waist and burrowed his face into the soft, squishy fat of the older man's chest. He let out a small, happy noise when Sky sleepily held him close, weaving fingers through his strawberry blonde locks. Though, it didn't calm the gentle shivers that wracked through Legend's body, nor the tears that seeped into the other man's tunic.

"Everything okay?" Sky whispered, shifting a little to cover them both with his sailcloth.

"Mmmh... 'urts." Legend groaned, voice muffled by the chest he's resting on, but pained.

"Oh, poor thing..." Sky ducked his head forward, planting a gentle kiss on his brother's hairline. If anything, it made the boy cling to him harder, weeping openly now.

"It's okay, sweetie... you can cry, you're safe. It's okay..."

"I- I dun'- I don'wanna hurt... can- can you make th'urt go 'way?" Legend sobbed, voice shaking and hitching. His shoulders shuddered with every breath, eyes squinting open as he looked up at Sky.

Another presence approached slowly. With a signature smell of hay and goats with an undertone of dark magic, Twilight carefully sat down beside the pair.

"Hey hun, could ya drink this for me? It'll make ya feel better, promise!" Twilight said softly, offering a small potion vial housing a light pink elixr. Legend's go-to pain killer for when his joints were acting up.

Legend lifted his face off Sky's chest and eyed the liquid suspiciously. His nose scrunched with disgust. "Taste bad..."

"Mhm, I know, honey, I know. But if you drink it, you won' be in pain no more." Twilight's soft tone sank with pity. Then he leaned down, whispering like he was telling a secret. "If ya drink it, I'll ask Wild to make some apple crumble. Deal?"

Legend lay there for a few more seconds, and both Sky and Twilight waited patiently. Things took a little longer to process in his little mindset, but nobody minded. They just waited in silence as the cogs turned in his head, and he eventually pushed himself up, snatched the vial out of Twilight's hands, and downed it in one gulp. He gagged a little before he flopped down, back onto the mattress Sky had become.

They half expected Legend to say something else, but he'd already passed out again.

"Guess we're not moving anywhere today, huh?" Sky whispered with no amnosity behind his words, merely running a hand up and down Legend's spine in a way he hoped was soothing. Judging by his content sigh, it was effective.

"I'll go let the old man and the captain know. Get some rest, Sky." Twilight whispered back, ruffling Legend's hair affectionately and patting Sky on the shoulder.

So he did, slipping quickly into a peaceful slumber. For all he liked his personal space, Legend was actually quite a good hugger.

...

Poke.

"Sky." Poke.

"Sky! Wake up!" Pokepokepokepoke-

"Mmgh?" He groaned, half opening an eye to find Legend staring at him, face almost uncomfortably close. His face was poked again. "Oh, hi! D'ya need anything?"

"Can-" Legend paused, biting his lip and looking away. He shuffled backwards slightly.

"Hm? What's up, buddy?" Sky propped himself up with his elbows, tilting his head slightly.

"Can-youtellmeastoryplease-" He spoke quickly, looking away afterwards.

Sky's heart melted, and he barely resisted the urge to scoop the veteran up like a remlit and plop him on his lap. Instead, he just gave the boy a soft smile. "Of course! Have I ever told you about the time-"

And then he delved into a story- age appropriate, of course- and though it was fairly tame, Sky's deep storytelling voice carried across camp and before long, most of the chain had gathered around.

Legend stuck close by Sky, who'd taken a break from dramatic storytelling to eat an omelette, as all of the others took it in turns to tell tales of their lives. Wind told epic adventures of endless oceans and ancient sages (nobody questioned when it brought Time to tears). Wild shared frankly insane moments from his adventure, from tumbling down snowy mountains after his shield broke to diving into Death Mountain to tame a giant possessed robot. Time spoke of playing games with mysterious children within the Moon (nobody believed it for a second).

Hours passed this way, just laughing and telling life stories. It was almost enough to just pretend Legend had regressed only because he'd been feeling little and not because nightmares had woken him up screaming many times that night. The veteran showed no signs of recollection; he was happy, content to just be little and let his brothers care for him. He sat patiently while Wind and Warriors braided flowers into his hair, speaking very little but making excited noises whenever pleased. Wind couldn't imagine anything other than his little sister, but the comparison made his heart melt regardless.

Eventually, Wild had decided to start making the promised apple crumble. His plan had initially been to just slip away and make it in peace, but Legend had other plans.

"I wanna help! Can I cut the apples?" He asked earnestly, poking his head over Wild's shoulder.

"Sure! Just be very careful, okay? Don't be afraid to ask for help." Wild responded with a warm smile, handing the little veteran an apple and one of his blunter knives.

Legend nodded eagerly and scurried off. He placed the apple in his lap and chopped it with very precise cuts considering his mental age. It was good! He went back and forth to Wild with handfuls of chopped apple. Until he cut himself.

It had been an accident; he got carried away and cut too far and sliced the skin of his palm. At first, Legend just stared. Staring...

Then he burst into tears, cupping the injured hand with the other and holding them close to his chest.

"Woah- hey buddy, you okay?" Hyrule, being the closest, rushed over to help. His hands hovered awkwardly, with him not being used to dealing with crying children.

"M-m-my- my hand!" Legend wailed, turning to Hyrule with tears in his eyes. His little state... isn't good with handling pain.

"Hey, hey, it's okay! Gimme your hand, I'll show you something cool." Hyrule offered his hand, keeping a smile on his face. This tone seemed to work whenever Twilight cared for little Legend, so hopefully it'll be good-?

Sniffing, Legend slowly put his hurt hand in Hyrule's. With a small hum from the curly haired traveller, his palm lit up in a refreshing mint hue and all pain evaporated from the (admittedly small) wound. Legend watched in wonder, eyes sparkling. Hyrule just smiled and gave it a small, gentle kiss. What he wasn't expecting was for Legend to flop forward into his arms, face buried in the crook of his neck and the veteran's own arms latched around his waist.

"Thankyou!" Legend's voice, a little muffled, called out. His previous fear was replaced by warmth and an intense need to hug someone, but Hyrule didn't mind.

By now Wild had enough apples for now, so set them all in his cooking pot with a generous amount of brown sugar and cinnamon. Stirring occasionally, he let the mixture simmer over a low flame while he crumbled together flour, sugar, and butter. By the time it'd reached a nice consistency, the apple chunks had softened and the sugar had melted them slightly into a bubbling mixture. Deciding it's good enough, Wild crumbled the now crumbly dough over the top, finishing it off with brown sugar and oats. He then threw a little dirt over the fire, placing another pot over the top and placing ashes on top of that.

By the time he'd turned around, the scene was completely changed. Hyrule was gently rocking Legend back and forth while the boy clung to him happily, the traveller awkwardly looking to Wind for confirmation he was doing something right. Four and Sky sat beside eachother under a tree, with Four reading a book while Sky carved something out of wood. Warriors and Twilight were... wrestling??? For some reason, and Time was goading them on instead of stopping them.

You know what? Not his circus, not his monkeys. Actually, what is a monkey...? Ah whatever. Wild decided to just sit by Hyrule, Legend, and Wind. He contemplated just taking a nap, but decided against it. A burnt apple crumble would probably crumble (heh) Legend's fragile mental state into dust.

...

Long story short, everyone loved it. Legend burst into tears again and hugged Wild so tight he might've bruised a rib, but did he care? Absolutely not. He made his brother happy, and that's what mattered.

In fact, it was enough to soothe the veteran into a light snooze, which ended up trapping Wild. But, upon waking, Legend decided that maybe he was ready to be an adult again.

He can finally take on his responsibilities, knowing his brothers have his back.

- your eeby sleeby mutual (please be kind, I haven't written any age regression fics before, I just think the concept is sweet)

: O

oh my gosh!!! this is so sweet!!!! (you literally had me nearly crying and pacing my house afterwards)

for your first one i'm astounded!! it's adorable!!! (also i feel as though you have read "Tiny Bunny in his Burrow, Gazing up at the Sky")

i loved this so much thank you so much!! you have spurred me on to continue my Little Legend writings!

i hope you have a wonderful day and have a cookie and a hug if you like those.

and here's a sketch from one of my favourite moments:

okay i'm going to stop rambling now, but just know you made my entire week! (i received this when i wasn't doing great and you kinda just turned everything around,)

[mothfables]

Legend Meets Groose

Legend has been having a good day.

They’re in Sky’s era, taking the day off to relax in his surface home. Legend had decided he even felt alright enough to regress, so with the others’ encouragement he dressed in some of his comfiest clothes and settled on the floor in the main room to play.

He’s feeling particularly small today, so instead of his usual chewy necklace he has a teether- made by Sky and Wild just for him. His brothers don’t feel comfortable letting him have his necklace when he’s this small, something about a choking hazard (which he personally thinks is silly, but whatever), so the teething ring it is.

He doesn’t mind — the ring itself is solid but squishy enough it feels good between his teeth, secured by a small wooden bunny (carved by Sky) that’s nice to rub his fingers over. Legend won’t admit it, but it might be one of his favourite items when he’s small.

He’s playing a game with Wind, something simple but fun that helps him settle comfortably into his headspace. He hums and squeaks happily, feeling content and safe with his brothers here with him. His mind is calm and soft and he feels himself sink a little deeper.

Everything is fine.

Of course, that’s when things decide to take a turn.

The door opens with a bang! that makes him jump. In comes one of the largest men he’s ever seen.

“LINK! YOU DIDN’T TELL ME YOU WERE BACK!!!”

Legend freezes. Distantly, he registers his teether falling out of his mouth and to the floor with a muted thud. Somewhere in his mind he knows who this is, but all he can focus on is how big the man is, and how loud, and how scary.

The stranger turns away, maybe to talk to Sky, and Legend takes the chance to bolt.

He scrambles to his feet, aiming for the hallway he faintly remembers Sky mentioning holds the bedrooms. The first door he tries refuses to open. Frantic, he throws himself at the next one he sees. This one opens easily under his hand and he tosses himself through - barely remembering not to slam it behind himself. He sweeps a panicked gaze over the room before diving under the bed in the far corner.

He shoves himself as far back as he can, startling when he hits the wall. He curls up, bringing a hand to his mouth and biting down. He has to be quiet. He has to stay hidden. He has to-

The door opens.

—————————

Groose hurries toward the house he shares with Link and Zelda. Link is back and he didn’t tell him!

Obviously such a thing must be corrected immediately!

He finally reaches the house and without thinking bursts through the door. Inside he sees Link, as well as the group of heroes he’s been traveling with. “LINK! YOU DIDN’T TELL ME YOU WERE BACK!!!”

Some of them flinch at his volume and he winces. “Oops! Sorry, got a bit excited there, haha.”

Link laughs and moves to wrap Groose in a hug. “Hey! I was just about to go find you and tell you we were back!” He pouts up at him and Groose claps him on the back with a grin.

He goes to tease his best friend but is interrupted by a quiet patter of footsteps and the faint creak of a door.

“Uh, hey guys?” Groose turns around to see one of the smaller boys kneeling on the floor with a worried look on his face. “Lege just ran.”

Worried exclamations sound before Link steps over to the boy and joins him on the floor. “What happened, Wind?”

“We were playing and then Groose came in and he got spooked, I think. As soon as he looked away Lege ran that way,” Wind points towards the hallway leading to the bedrooms.

Link worries his lip.

“Sorry, Groose,” he offers an apologetic smile. “I guess I should’ve warned you-”

“Aw, don’t worry about it. It’s my fault for comin’ in without knocking. Not surprised I spooked at least one of ya.” Groose waves him off.

Link looks like he wants to argue but Groose shakes his head and moves towards the hallway. He needs to apologize to the little guy, and he only hopes he doesn’t scare him further.

He hears worried muttering behind him but ignores it in favour of figuring out which door the missing hero might have gone through.

Link and Zelda’s door is locked, since Link’s been on his quest and Zelda’s been out doing some surveys to find the best places for building new houses and farms. So that strikes that as a potential place to hide. Groose turns and notices his own door is slightly open.

…He’s sure he closed it when he left this morning. The little guy must be in there then.

Groose is careful as he opens the door and peeks inside. It’s empty upon first glance, and he almost leaves to continue searching the rest of the house before his eyes land on his bed and-

Oh.

That makes sense.

As quietly as he can, he slips inside, making sure to leave the door open a crack. He makes his way over to the bed and sinks down to sit beside the nightstand - that way there’s plenty of room for a frightened hero to make an escape if needed.

There’s no sound besides his own breathing and for a minute he worries he’s got the wrong room; that the little guy isn’t in here after all. Then - the tiniest, squeakiest sound he’s ever heard. It sounds a bit like a remlit sneezing, only a thousand times cuter.

“Bless you,” he says on reflex. There’s a tiny startled sound. “Ah- right. Sorry for scaring you earlier. I was excited to see Link again and just rushed in. I forgot you guys would be here too.”

No response from the hero under the bed. That’s okay. Groose is content to wait; sometimes it would take Link hours to stop being scared when something triggered him. He wouldn’t be surprised if these other heroes were similar. Worse comes to worse, he can go get one of the others and let them help the poor guy.

A few more minutes pass before he hears the shuffling of fabric, like someone is crawling. Then pink appears, followed by grey, and soon there’s an entire hero kneeling at the other end of Groose’s bed, watching him apprehensively from under soft pink hair.

The kid’s dressed in a soft grey woolen dress and leggings coloured in a mix of muted pinks and blues. He looks like he’s ready to spend a nice relaxing day at home; Groose feels a little bad for potentially ruining that with his sudden arrival.

He sends the little guy a warm smile. “Seems like you’re feelin’ a little better, huh?”

He gets a shy nod in response. The kid’s clutching the blanket in one hand while the other creeps towards his mouth. The action reminds Groose of the little kids back on Skyloft - how they’d cling to their parents’ clothes and chew their own tiny fingers. He feels a sudden urge to tell him to stop, get him something else to chew on, but he’s not sure it would be welcomed.

Instead, he shifts to face him, leaning back against the bed with another smile.

“Say, you see anything cool on your travels?”

The kid lights up.

—————————

Sky is pacing the living room, wringing his hands and constantly glancing back at the hallway Groose disappeared down.

It’s not that he doesn’t trust Groose; he does, really he does. But he doesn’t know about Legend’s regression. Sky had planned to mention it to him when he went to get him, but then Groose had taken it upon himself to find him, and then-

Well.

Here they are.

So here he is, pacing a hole in his carpet as he worries about his best friend and his little brother and everything that could be going wrong.

The only reason he didn’t immediately take off after Groose is because he knows, for all he seems big and goofy and not all that bright, Groose is smart and clever and much better at handling situations like this than he appears. Sky remembers the many, many panic attacks and meltdowns, and how Groose did his best to be there for all of them; providing support and a steady shoulder to lean on- and cry on, as was often the case.

So, though he’s close to chewing his nails down to the quick with worry, he chooses to wait and let his friend do what he does best.

It’s only when he can’t wait any longer that he spins towards the hallways and makes to march down it. He’s stopped by a hand on his shoulder and nearly snaps his teeth into it before registering something is being held out to him. Blinking, he realizes it’s Legend’s teether. Following the hand holding it up and back, he sees Warriors behind him.

“I figured he might want it, so I washed it while you were busy putting a new track in your carpet.”

Sky inhales, holds it, then exhales; it’s only a little shaky. Taking the teether from Wars, he smiles gratefully. “Thanks. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.”

Wars returns it with his own small smile before squeezing his shoulder and stepping away.

Feeling a little calmer now, Sky heads down the hall. Groose’s door is slightly open, so that’s where he goes. He goes to open it but pauses at the sound of voices; one deep and warm, the other high and soft. Neither sounds angry or upset, which lifts a bit more weight off his shoulders.

Pushing open the door, Sky is greeted by the sight of Legend sitting cross-legged on the floor at the end of Groose’s bed: he’s rocking and waving his hands as he babbles eagerly to an intently-listening Groose. His best friend is also on the floor, leaning against the bed with a warm smile on his face as he watches the boy talk.

“-bunnies go hop-hop!” Legend tells Groose, who nods and makes an intrigued sound. “They also like to, um- t’ eat lots an’ lots of plants! They can’t have too many carrots, though, cause they coul’ get sick. Eve- even though ev’ryone says th’t’s what bunnies eat. An’ they- um, they also like t’ burrow! Th’t’s when they dig an’ dig lots of tunnels an’ rooms t’ live in an-”

He breaks off when he sees Sky, immediately reaching for him with an excited “‘ky!”

“Hi, baby!” Sky coos, kneeling down to draw his little brother into his lap. Legend goes easily, tucking close and grasping at Sky’s shirt with a happy sound.

“Ohhh, you’re little little, huh baby?” Legend hums in answer, squishing his face against Sky’s neck. Sky coos and cuddles him some more. After a moment he remembers he’s still holding the teether and nudges Legend until he looks up, then lets him grab it and eagerly pull it to his mouth.

Groose clears his throat. Pulling his attention away from his baby brother, Sky sees him glancing between the two of them, brows pinched in confusion. “Uh… not to be rude or anything, but… Can you explain what’s going on? Why’s the little guy, uh, ‘little?’”

Oh, right. Sky had been going to explain it before everything happened. Well, no time like the present.

He clears his throat and shifts so he’s sitting a little more comfortably. “Right, so, essentially… You know how hard my quest was on me, right?” Groose nods. “Well, Lege had six of them, that we know of. This is his seventh. And he… he started really young. So, to cope with everything, his brain goes back to being a kid sometimes. And sometimes even younger than that.”

“…So it helps? The- the ‘being small’ thing?” Groose’s expression is a mix of worry, sadness, and dawning understanding.

“Yeah.”

“And you all take care of him when he’s like this?” Sky nods and Groose leans back with a thoughtful sound.

“Well… Can’t say I totally get it, but he seems to be doing alright. And he’s got you lookin’ out for him, so he’s got nothing to worry about.”

Sky’s chest warms at Groose’s faith in him even as he blushes, flustered, and hides his face in Legend’s hair. The little boy coos and reaches up to clumsily pat his head in an attempt at comfort; Groose chuckles as Sky groans dramatically. He nuzzles his little brother’s hair and presses a kiss to it to show he’s not mad, and Legend squeaks happily, cuddling closer.

[asterias-corner]

🐰 ~Age/petre! Legend mood board~ 🌺

>> All photos (except middle) from Pinterest<<

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Art creds to @/linkeduniverse

Age/petre flag by @/chronicallyqueercoining2

[iamnoctisx]

@iamnoctisx

hi. i'm maggie. she/her. ravenclaw. isfj. 2w3. this blog is 18+. 

I dance through multiships, and mostly write Dramione, but I have been known to dabble in the occasional rare pair.

reader | writer | binder

sun: sagittarius | moon: capricorn | rising: scorpio 

ao3 // instagram // twitter 

𝐖𝐈𝐏𝐬

for when you are nothing but a memory || M || 3/8 || Ginsy || canon compliant-ish wartime Hogwarts AU

𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝

this bitter end || E || 31/31 || dramione || second chance, healer romance, post war tempt me softly, but touch me just the same || E || 15/15 || sirmione || age gap, student-teacher, Hogwarts 8th year of fire & monsters || E || 5/5 || dramione || abo, royal au || inspired by @ivmaruva art and co-written with TheBrightCity regression || E | 32/32 || dramione || murder mystery, slow burn, enemies to lovers, post war Deus Phantasmatum Noctium || E || 6/6 || sirmione || demon Sirius, bible scripture as foreplay

𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐞𝐭𝐜.

his pretty baby || E || sirmione  yuletide beginnings || E || sirmione you’re my home || G || dramione  wicked games of laws and men || E || dreomione left foot, blue || E || pansy x ginny the gala || E || dramione last christmas || M || dramione happy christmas, draco || E || dramione seduction || E || pansy x percy

𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

Casual Dalliances or So They Say – stories that take place within the not a valentines date night universe • not a valentine's date night || E || dramione •the art of denying feelings || E || dramione

𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬

regression // this bitter end // tempt me softly // deus phantasmatum noctium // for when you are nothing but a memory

𝐅𝐀𝐐

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transformative works

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[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Stacey Coleen Lubag

Published: Jan 18, 2024

A recent study has found that the size of men’s social networks, particularly their close and extended friendship circles, is related to their mental health. The findings stem from research conducted over a span of four years — which found that men with fewer friends in these networks are more likely to experience higher levels of depressive symptoms, both in the present and in the future. The study was published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being.

Prior research has long suggested a link between social connections and mental health, but specific, long-term data focusing on adult men has been lacking. This study fills that gap by focusing on “social network investment” — a term that describes the time and resources individuals devote to building and maintaining social networks. Unlike social support, which deals with the quality of these interactions, social network investment emphasizes the structural aspects, such as the number of friends or the frequency of interaction.

Researchers at Deakin University in Australia aimed to explore the association between social network investment and mental health specifically in men. This demographic has historically reported fewer emotionally supportive connections compared to women, raising concerns about the potential impact on their mental health. Particularly in established adulthood, a life stage marked by significant transitions such as career choice and parenthood, understanding these social dynamics could be key to developing public health strategies aimed at improving men’s mental health.

The study utilized data from the Men and Parenting Pathways (MAPP) Study, involving 507 Australian men aged between 28 and 32 years at the beginning of the study. All men were recruited between 2015 and 2017 through community organizations, social media, and word of mouth.

The researchers collected data at five different points, analyzing the relationship between various aspects of social network investments — like time spent with friends, and the size of friendship networks. They also studied and collected data on mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, and stress. Then, they employed linear regression models with generalized estimating equations — a statistical method ideal for examining both immediate and long-term relationships in the data.

Men with fewer friends in both close and extended networks reported higher levels of depressive symptoms. This association was observed not just concurrently but also longitudinally — indicating that the size of these social networks could predict depressive symptoms a year later.

Engaging in activities like eating meals and physical activities with friends was associated with better mental health outcomes. “Men’s extended friendship network size and sharing a meal with friends were negatively associated with concurrent anxiety and stress,” the study reports. This highlights benefits of social interactions, where even simple activities like dining together can offer significant mental health advantages.

However, these benefits appeared to be immediate and did not have a long-term impact on reducing future mental health issues. In addition, the study found no significant link between social drinking activities and men’s mental health, either positively or negatively.

Despite its comprehensive approach, a notable aspect of the study is its potential for unmeasured factors that may have influenced the results — such as the quality of friendships or individual personality traits. The reliance on self-reported data could introduce biases, and the last two waves of data collection coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which might have affected social interactions. Furthermore, the study’s focus on an Australian cohort raises questions about the applicability of the findings to other cultural contexts.

“Our findings demonstrate certain facets of social network investment may play a more important role in men’s mental health than others, with a lack of close and extended friendship networks appearing to have a particularly detrimental influence on men’s depressive symptoms a year later,” the researchers concluded.

The study, “Social network investment of men: Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations with mental health problems”, was authored by Kayla Mansour, Christopher J. Greenwood, Lauren M. Francis, Imogene Smith, Craig A. Olsson, and Jacqui A. Macdonald.

--

Abstract

Internationally, there is growing attention on links between social isolation and mental health problems. Here, we use unique Australian longitudinal data to investigate associations between adult men's (n = 507; age M = 29.90, SD = 1.31) social network investments and their concurrent and subsequent mental health problems. In linear regressions, using generalised estimating equations (GEEs), we examined associations between social network investment (time with friends, network size and various activities with friends) and mental health symptoms (depression, anxiety and stress) across five timepoints. Models were adjusted for waves of outcome and potential confounders. Cross-sectionally, each social network investment variable, except for drinking with friends, was negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Men's extended friendship network size and sharing a meal with friends were negatively associated with concurrent anxiety and stress. Time spent and physical activity with friends was also negatively associated with concurrent stress. In longitudinal analyses, after adjusting for prior depressive symptoms, only the number of friends in close and extended networks remained protective against depressive symptoms 1 year later. Results did not differ by fatherhood or relationship status. Programs designed to strengthen men's investment in social networks are recommended to reduce men's depressive symptoms.

[..]

Discussion

In our study, across 5 years of data collection, on average 19% of men spent no time with friends, 5% reported having no close friends and 2.8% reported having no extended friendship networks. This low investment in social networks is consistent with reports of men's social connections in Australia and elsewhere (Arbers et al., 2014; Umberson et al., 2022) and was linked to poorer concurrent and subsequent depressive symptoms. Specifically, smaller close and extended friendship networks and less time spent with friends were associated with higher levels of concurrent depressive symptoms. When examined longitudinally, fewer friends in both close and extended networks remained a risk for depressive symptoms 1 year later. In analyses examining anxiety or stress symptoms, there were fewer cross-sectional, and no longitudinal associations were found with social network investment variables. When we examined the types of activities that men engaged in with friends, our study found that eating meals or being physically active with friends and helping friends with tasks were linked to a lower risk of concurrent but not future depressive symptoms. Drinking alcohol with friends was not associated with any concurrent or future risk for mental health problems. Our findings highlight the associations between social network investments and mental health risks and lend support to international pronouncements that poor social connections represent a public health concern (Holt-Lunstad, 2022).

A key finding from our study relates to the association between men's network size and depressive symptoms, which was evident both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. We extend on prior cross-sectional research (Juvonen et al., 2022; Milner et al., 2015), both by identifying mental health risks specifically in men and providing evidence for longitudinal impacts. Our adjustments for prior levels of mental health also extend upon previous longitudinal evidence (Bruine de Bruin et al., 2020; Milner et al., 2015), by demonstrating that the numbers of friends in men's close and extended social networks are linked to changes in their depressive symptoms over time. Notably, the apparent importance of network size coincided with a lack of longitudinal evidence for the effects of time spent with friends on men's mental health outcomes. It may be that even in the absence of in-person interactions (e.g. time spent with friends), larger social networks elicit a perception of others' availability that may be protective over time. Much like perceived social support, the mental representation of one's social network availability may be protective against depression through an individual's sense of security and belonging (Ioannou et al., 2019). The knowledge that social ties exist may provide reassurance of self-worth and value (Ioannou et al., 2019). They are also, at the very least, a pre-requisite for a sense of belonging, which has been posited to be a fundamental human need and deprivation, which places individuals at profound risk of emotional disturbances (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). There may be gender-based differences in preferences for social connection, with research suggesting men typically place importance on larger impersonal groups compared to women who focus more on small close groups (Baumeister, 1997). With approximately 3.8%–6.4% of men in our study indicating that they have no close friendship networks, there is a substantial mental health concern for these individuals. Given social connections are a key psychological need (Maslow & Lewis, 1987), this study presents evidence of the psychological ramifications for men when this need is not met.

Although time spent with friends was not related to men's depressive symptoms longitudinally, concurrent associations were evident. Although it is possible that time spent with one's social network at the moment may be beneficial in attenuating depression, an alternative explanation is that individuals with elevated depressive symptoms spend less time with friends in comparison to those with lower depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms include a lack of energy and enjoyment, impacting the inclination to spend time with others. In past research, depression has been linked to negative appraisals of and less involvement in social interactions (Santini et al., 2020; Steger & Kashdan, 2009). However, directionality in the cross-sectional relationships cannot be ascertained.

When examining anxiety and stress, cross-sectional, negative associations were found with extended but not close network sizes. These findings align with past research showing weaker social ties (e.g. acquaintances and distant others) are important for a sense of connection and well-being (Sandstrom & Dunn, 2014). Research suggests that when there is less pressure to develop a close social connection (as per weaker ties), individuals may feel more inclined to engage in conversation based on important topics (Small, 2013). In turn, this may play a key role in bridging access to information and support and in relieving feelings of stress or anxiety.

We also found that time spent with friends was concurrently linked to stress but not anxiety. Spending more time with friends may be particularly beneficial for minimising stress as it may act as a psychological distraction (Wolfers & Schneider, 2021). Given distractions have been found to assist in the regulation of emotions, spending time with friends may allow men to experience ‘down time’ from stressful thoughts and therefore minimise the activation of the amygdala temporarily (the brain structure that regulates stress hormones) (Shafir et al., 2015).

Of the activities examined, sharing a meal with friends had the strongest concurrent association with all three mental health symptoms. In line with this, commensality has been found to be negatively associated with depression and suicidal ideation in previous research (Jung et al., 2022; Son et al., 2020). Specifically, in both men and women (N = 14,125), a study found that those who ate fewer meals together had poorer mental health (Son et al., 2020). Another study found that this association between dining with friends and decreased depression was significantly stronger for men than women (Jung et al., 2022). Eating together with friends may function as a way to facilitate social bonding and improve overall well-being (Julier, 2013). Social scientists have posited that sharing a meal is a social institution and is fundamental to sociality (Danesi, 2014). The sharing of food is central to celebrations in most cultures and provides not only nutritional nourishment but also emotional nourishment (Danesi, 2014; Julier, 2013). People report feelings of comfort and gratitude when sharing a meal with friends which may buffer against symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress (Danesi, 2014).

We also found engaging in physical activity with friends was also linked to lower concurrent depressive and stress symptoms. Given that physical activity (whether it be alone or with a friend) has physical and mental benefits through the release of endorphins (Rebar et al., 2015), our findings may not be specifically tied to the social act but more so through the general benefits of physical activity. Further, the benefits of physical activity with friends may dissipate quickly (Murphy et al., 2019), possibly explaining why this relationship did not hold longitudinally. Relative effects of group and individual physical activity on mental health over time have been explored in a mixed-gender sample of middle and older aged adults whereby group activity was beneficial for mental well-being but was not associated with reduced mental distress (Harada et al., 2019). Further research examining this, as well as the potential for benefits over time, is warranted specifically in men at the ‘established adulthood’ life stage.

Helping friends with tasks was associated with lower concurrent depressive symptoms. This act is a key aspect of engaging in instrumental social support, which has been found to be particularly central to men's friendships and mental health (Fiori & Denckla, 2012). Men often prefer to engage in instrumental support as opposed to emotional support (Fiori & Denckla, 2012). Further, helping others is linked to reduced levels of depression through self-regulation (Doré et al., 2017). It may be that helping others increases feelings of altruism, which is also linked to happiness and well-being (Post, 2014). Acts of altruism and helping others can remove the focus from oneself and likely elicits positive feedback from others, promoting feelings of well-being and a reduction in depression (Post, 2014).

Our study found that social drinking was not associated with any type of mental health symptoms. However, we only asked if men did or did not drink with friends, not the quantity of alcohol consumption or alcohol misuse with friends. Excessive alcohol consumption has been previously linked to a range of negative psychological and social outcomes (Rehm, 2011). Some men may be engaging in avoidant coping mechanisms through drinking with friends which may influence the relationship between this type of social investment activity and mental health (Livingston et al., 2021). Additionally, other men may drink only at moderate levels socially and benefit from the relaxing effects of sharing alcohol, which may offset any association. Further examination of high and low social drinkers is warranted in future research.

The associations we investigated between social network investment and men's mental health did not differ depending on fatherhood status or relationship status. Dyadic commitments and parenthood are both normative experiences of ‘established adulthood’ that may reduce the capacity for investment in peer networks (Mehta et al., 2020). However, the influence of social network investment on mental health may not be limited to the men directly experiencing these milestones. Men who are not in a relationship or who do not become fathers during established adulthood are likely to experience major social network changes (specifically reduced access to some peers) as a result of their peers starting families or getting married (Mehta et al., 2020). In this way, most men may experience some loss or change in peer networks at this life stage, reducing the likelihood of detecting differences in associations between social network investments and mental health outcomes.

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Shockingly, improving men's mental health and reducing suicidal ideation may be best achieved by them being around and socializing with other men, and not by screaming at them about their "toxic masculinity," their "privilege," how "men can cry," or the ooga-booga Scooby-Doo monster of "the patriarchy."

[the-au-collector]

Do you know the Linked Universe AU where the whole chain minus Time got turned into kids? It’s called the Tiny Chain AU and if you have heard it do you know any fanfics based on it? I’ve been looking for AGES

I'd definitely come across it before. It's very cute! (The Tiny Chain AU for anyone else looking into it)

I can't say if these fics are inspired by the Tiny Chain AU but they all involve two more Links getting turned into kids at least:

Chibi Links Club by thatsnotmyname32: from a quick search it's the only one I could find where the entire Chain minus Time gets turned into kids. 3 of the parts only focus on one Link getting de-aged, but the 4th fic in the series, A Dad Before Time, features the entire Chain minus Time as kids (with a bonus of Malon being there too!)

The Days Are Long Indeed by LightBlueScrubs: Everyone but Wind gets turned into kids, and Wind has to look after them.

A Minor Inconvienence by herbalicious: Sky, Wars, and Wild get de-aged, the rest of the chain look after them.

Twilight Is Not Emotionally Equipped To Be A Single Mother by quickbrook: Four, Legend, and Time get turned into kids in a dungeon and Twilight has to look after them.

Also if you look under the age regression/de-aging tag on AO3 you'll find a lot of fics where single Links get de-aged (Wild and Time look like they're the most popular ones to get hit by the tiny humans spell). I know it's not exactly what you're looking for, but I thought i'd put it out there.

I hope this helps 💖