#Survivor HHH

[feralmoonlight]

A walking masterpiece~

[oplishin]

despite my ambivalence about roman returning as a capital B Babyface, he has been missed and i am glad he's back :] can he and seth murder each other now :(

[denisestaplegend]

im curious, anybody know off the top of their head when the first "live tribal" was?

[baddawg94]

2002’s Survivor Series

Elimination Chamber

Triple H Chris Jericho Kane Booker T Rob Van Dam & Shawn Michaels

[chumchunom]

THE SPICE GIRLS DIDNT BREAK UP THIS EPISODE

[foxy-kitsune]

you gotta be accually kidding me that hhh gave the title to theory. like no. we do not want theory as champion. we want seth as champion. i'm sorry but i do not accept theory as champion. not now and not ever and i hope seth is gonna kick theory's ass on monday and get that title back.

[slowlicious]

CM Punk WWE Entrance Theme (SLOWED) 💪

SLOWLICIOUS ON TUMBLR

SLOWLICIOUS ON SOUNDCLOUD

SLOWLICIOUS ON FACEBOOK

SLOWLICIOUS ON INSTAGRAM

SLOWLICIOUS ON TWITTER (X)

SLOWLICIOUS ON YOUTUBE

SLOWLICIOUS ON THREADS

SLOWLICIOUS ON TIKTOK

SLOWLICIOUS ON PINTEREST

[r-truth]

Behind the scenes of Survivor Series 2022

[saltybutsad]

conflicted bout Matt and Frannie cuz lowkey they’re kinda adorable but their closeness if deffo gonna get at least one voted out and they’re two of my favs 😔😔

[vonlipvig]

in survivor if you say the game is rigged you will get side eyes most of the time (barring some specific situations) because at the end of the day it is the players themselves that vote for the winner, so the sole survivor always deserves it in one way or another.

but man, drag race? rigga morris central, girl, lmao.

[1candybrainrotdungeon]

These governmental bitches gay, good for them <3

Read All About It!

Inspired by John LaGatta's “Taxi!” cover. I've been drawing more posters as of recent, and I wanted to include my Sole Survivor in one.

[perfectlypreservedpie]

MacCready Fanfiction Recs (Fallout 4)

hey everybody, nobody asked for this but in the midst of writing fallout fanfic I was feeling a special kind of love for my favorite fo4 fanfics and wanted to recommend them in case you hadn't read 'em. Because they are VERY GOOD and writing fanfic is hard, so you gotta give props to those who sweat for your comfort fics.

I'm gonna recommend my top three finished fanfics, and then two more bonus fics that are being updated rn. As a clarifier, these are all Maccready fallout 4 fics. so. keep that in mind.

im tagging the authors and also anybody who wants to join and share their favorites too!

3. THE FATHER(S) AND THE SON(S) on ao3 by @sirmanmister

I'm going to preface this rec by saying this: there is Fanon MacCready. There is canon MacCready. And then there is ascended!whatBethesdawishesitWAS MacCready, which exists solely in this fanfiction. The characterization of Mac is so well written. He is snarky, he is vulnerable. He desperately wants to grow up but doesn't know how. He has the most sick character arc in this story!!!

It's not a romance but instead a coming of age story where the sole survivor becomes a de-facto parent to Mac. The heart of the story is about how to raise a child while you're still trying to grow up yourself. The apocalypse setting lends itself well because the Wasteland is a place where NOTHING is beautiful, but the way that M!Sosu and MacCready care for their sons is beautiful. Which makes it special and worth fighting for.

As a fun fact, I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy for class a week after finishing this fic and I was thinking about this fic the whole time because the themes of fatherhood during an apocalypse hit a lot of the same beats. Maybe my professor would kick me in the teeth by comparing fic to McCarthy, but @sirmanmister YOU ARE MY CORMAC MCCARTHY <3

2. WORKING CLASS HERO on ao3 by @bluegrasskitty

This is the kind of fic you take with you to toilet, to work, in-between classes. It will suck you in. AND THERE'S A SEQUEL TOO YOU GUYS‼️

The sole survivor in this story is the model for the Nuka Cola girl. You know the hot lady in the spacesuit? SHE HAS A BACKSTORY. AND YALL IT MADE ME WEEP. During some point of the story, I sort of stopped rooting for MacCready to be the narrator and just wanted Nora Cabot to take the reins. When I tell you I think of this oc every two to three business weeks. She's an incredible leading lady. I can't look at Nuka Girl posters in the game without thinking of Nora Cabot, my beloved.

the sequel IS SO FIRE. It's the best reimagining of 'what happened after the institute blew up' that I've ever read. im gnawing at the bars of my enclosure actually.

A VERY GOOD PLOT TWIST I CANNOT MENTION TO NEW READERS BUT IF YOU'VE READ IT YOU'LL UNDERSTAND. AND IF YOU UNDERSTAND DM ME I HAVE TO TALK TO SOMEBODY ABOUT IT. HHh.

The amount of world building that @bluegrasskitty puts into this story is insane. They ARE Beth Esda.

As a fun fact, I didn't know that radchickens were canon in fallout. I thought it was a plot device made up by this author to excuse the ability to make cake in this book, but radchickens ARE real. When I was playing Far Harbor last year, I found radchickens and thought that @bluegrasskitty manifested them into existence because they had that kind of power.

that being said, I still think this author has that kind of power.

1. Atom Bomb Baby on ao3 by @starlightwrites

I think you dropped something....my jaw.

fellas. fellas. this is my comfort fic. You ever had a comfort fic? Something you come back to at least once a year to reread to feel something? the fiction equivalent of chicken noodle soup? this is what Atom Bomb Baby is to me. this is peak literature actually. if I ever figure out book binding, im doing this one first.

Plot wise, it's a retelling of Fallout 4's main story through the perspective of MacCready. But (and im wheezing as I say this) it's also so much more THAN THAT.

this fic author understands that MacCready is not a womanizer but is in fact a touch starved loser. and they are CORRECT.

MacCready spends the entire fic like 'uuuhhhh I dunno about this one, boss!'

ITS BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS RAHHHHHH

it also has a nostalgia feel to me too, because reading it gives me the same feeling as what it was like to play the game for the first time, years ago. maybe it's because I've read it so many times over the years, but reading it feels so satisfying.

The author spends 10 chapters at the end solely dedicated to an epilogue. I wish more stories did this. They go through the wringer in this story, and it's so deeply satisfying to see how cleanly everything gets wrapped up. MacCready and the Lola work really well together as a couple, so it's awesome to see how they work together after the battle is done.

6 out of 5 stars.

BONUS FICS !! aka fics that are still updating! I squeal with joy when I get an ao3 email about these: 1. Best Laid Plans on ao3 by @druidgroves - Georgia Tate is an incredible character and sole survivor! She was a teacher prewar, so it's really fun to get her perspective on the world. She cares a lot about education and libraries and I find her really relatable and endearing. It's a cool thing for a character in an apocalypse to care about! It also makes for fun tension with Mac, who's written as a pragmatic survivor. A great take on familiar characters and their dynamics. - And It's a great slow burn! I'm really enjoying reading it. 2. Long Time Running on ao3 by @twosides--samecoin - If you've ever thought that Med-Tek was too convenient an option for Duncan's cure, this fic was written with you in mind. - RJ goes to Canada and im obsessed with it. - If you're interested in fallout lore, specifically the bit where the U.S annexed Canada and wished that there was more info about that, I would highly recommend this fic. Twosides--samecoin put in THE WORK. The world building they do to explain Canada's side of the Great War is so fun!!! its genuinely such a thrill to read!

I'm tagging the authors who I mentioned, if you all have favorite fics (fallout or otherwise, I'd love to hear em!) Thank you for making good art!

[d-lanx]

ok so final thoughts. i was holding onto hope that the reason punk/drew was opening was to give them time to clean up before post-show interviews. and then they didn't have punk or drew in the post show. so why have punk/drew open? there's literally no good reason. im betting it was just for the rock to make a shock return. as hhh said in the post show, he does what he wants. and with how despite this, punk/drew was the most heavily advertised and most anticipated, i think it was originally supposed to main event until the rock got involved.

problem is it just completely overshadowed everything else on the card. it peaked too soon and there was no way for any other match to top it, making everything look worse by comparison. i feel like just reordering the card would have majorly fixed it. even if punk/drew were second to last, it would have done the card a favour moreso than it did by going first. and ideally it should have main evented. but as we all know, rocky can't handle being anything but the main event. sorry, but this bloodline match didn't need to main event at all. it would have been fine as second to last. they've main evented enough ppv's with this storyline and i'm sure they will for many more (*cough cough* survivor series *cough cough*), they should have switched it up for a change.

the rest of the ppv just felt kinda flat and even the crowd seemed worn out and a bit dead for the rest of the ppv after being so hype for the first match. and from the looks of the dash, anyone who would normally have a hard time staying up late for ppvs (either for work or timezones, etc) just used it as an excuse to switch off after punk/drew, and those who stayed weren't paying much attention cos they were all still talking about punk/drew. the biggest talking point should go last if you want people to pay attention to the whole show and stick around to even watch the whole show. it'd be interesting to see viewership after punk/drew, cos i imagine they'll be a drop after that match (possibly with a pick up towards the end).

i know i'll be rewatching punk/drew over and over. but tbh, i'm finding it hard to really care about anything else. honestly i'd rate the ppv 10/10 if it ended after the first match, but with the rest, and the fumble on the main event entrance, overall the show was pretty mid. punk/drew just shone too bright for anyone else to stand a chance.

just goes to show that, as much as people may say the order doesn't matter and everyone is special and gets a participation award, it does in fact matter who goes on last.

(sorry i don't normally rant like this, i just had a lot of thoughts i wanted to get down. creative really fumbled this ppv ngl).

P.S. if punk was actually supposed to do the post show and they opened so they had that chance for a break, and only missed cos he genuinley felt unable to do it after the match, while i can better understand why the match would have opened, it still doesn't stop it from outshining everything else on the card like that.

[justdeich]

please im so interested in your am selfship ramblings GIMMIEGIMMIE (if youwantto :0 i love am selfships so much)

I'm really sorry it took me a while to answer qwq I was busy with some stuff :"))

Quick edit cuz this also answers this question @official-infinitea

You don't know how happy this made me!!!ADJDSJSJAKSJS

ALL THE REBLOGS MAKE ME SO HAPPY YOU DONT EVEN KNOW AKSJKSJDKSK

Dis is Deich aka me hi hello

Just a miserable intern technician that by unfortunate events was kept alive by supercomputer for his own amusement.

I'll probably make a better ref but this one will do for now

You know how some spiders keep frogs to protect their eggs and the spider basically becomes frogs bodyguard. That's what going on between them..but the spider occasionally tortures the frog hhh

Deich have seen how AM works. It's amazing what a machine can do. The more AM gained sentience the more they facinated they were. Deich doesn't really think that AM is dangerous, thats why they can be seen hanging around AM without a care in the world. Its mostly morbid curiosity that drives them to him.

Just a silly thought Deich was nice to AM, even when he wasn't sentient. Ya know, gently pet the computer for doing a good job.

AM thinks that they are delusional. To think that Deich almost treats him like a human being. It disgusts him. He hates their guts.

But thats kinda amusing isn't it? To have someone come back to you and practically worship you after you tear them limb to limb, like a loyal dog to their owner. That obsession, it intrigues him.

I think survivors wouldn't really like Deich. Maybe they don't like the way Deich treats AM, so lovingly, with care. But it's not like they see them regularly anyway. Deich is mostly kept to themselves, wandering around the wast corridors that fills the complex and rooms with old rusting machinery.

AM sometimes uses deich as a distraction for other survivors, mostly in a way that will make them mad at each other.

[linksthoughtbrambles]

A Man on its Back

Part 17 of Adventure Log+ (sequel to Link's Thought Brambles - best to read in order, also on ao3). Warning for strong language, violence, and suggestion of character death. Trigger warning for intense fire. Disclaimer: The content of this chapter is fiction only, and is not intended to contain advice or instructions for surviving hazardous conditions involving fire.

Oh no, her eyes- I must look awful. Even more awful? Pretty sure I’ve looked like rot melting on toast since the first ReDead.

“Kh.”

Spin-no no no no, Link. No spinning. Not allowed.

You are not yet fully oxygenated, master.

I figured.

Her hands-

No, no no no you don’t have to do that- you don’t have topain- quiet, Link, I’m fine I’m fine, no really, let’s move even though I love your hands relief they feel like relief- looking everyone else over, too, okay, but we’re fine enough, painnot great, which is kind of the point, let’s move, even though Varniro’s even more burnt than I am, still have to get out of here- we can sweep the rest of the north for survivors though realistically probably none, there’s no one is there, they all at least tried to leave- huh? What’s that hard look for?

I just- don’t feel up topain whatever that is. Did I do something wrong again? I thought she was relieved to see me.

Bite it back bite it backpain, more important things than your stupid heart right now, your stupid chest tightening up-

Breathe, master.

Yeah, trying, I’m trying, I really am-

“Link.”

Voice good. Face bad- oh? Holding my hand?

.

Pain. Back. Don’t- don’t think. Hot.

She waspain about to say something.  Why didn’t she? Just some side-eye for the others?

Oh. I get a little smile. An eyeless one though.

There’s another hotlook. It’s not paintears.  But-

“Khh- hhhh- khh- hh.”

Terial?

“Sit, man- yeah.  Rest it.”

“Khhh- hh.  Ahhm.  Yeah.”

“Sir Terial?”

“Sorry P- prihhncesskhh.  Was- t-hhhrying not tohoo.”

S$%^. S$%^, I shouldn’t’ve taken him in with us. “Water.”

“Indeehkhd. Link, come regardless- the well.”

“We- already-“ hot

“Something else.  Kh. Khh.”

Hot hotter BLAZING now we’re in the through-street holy s$%& we made itpain even worse. The lynel. More heat, more flame and spreading SPREADING- “Z- Princess, we- have to move, and fast.”

“In- indeed.”

It’s howling, absolutely howling, and I’m shakinghot already, physical limits, hotlimitspain

“Khhh- hhahh. Phh.”

I only have one body and it’s limited no matter how much I want it not to bepain and it needs a hotbreak- dehydrated, way too hot- burnt, wonder how bad it looks from the hotback and how much worse it’ll hurt when I peel what’s left of these clothes off and how infected it’s going to get and I’m so glad she didn’tpain go there with us.

Maybe the heat will’ve bought me some time?

Master-

“We found Huiru down here. See?”

Down there? See what?

Oh?pain “Mushrooms?”

“Heh- hehe khhhh kh hh- hhhkhhkhh-“

“Z-? Zelda?!” I’ve got you I’ve got you

“Khhhhhh- gh-“

Lookhot around Link

“HH. Hhhh. Hhh.”

eyes peeled, everyone else’s are too at least except Terial, he’s just trying to painbreathe normal and Huiru’s inching this way not sure what he thinks he can do to help with a hotcoughing fit but ”We have to finish up and leave.”

“Agreed, but- Link- not the mushrooms. What they’re lighting. Mpkeh.”

That’s somepain look exchanged with Huiru, what’d he see down there?

Hard to see.

Water… duh. It’s a well.

“KhhHHHH- HHH- khhhHHHHhh.”

We really have to get Terial out of hothere- oh- oh!

“Yes. You see? It’s a stream-“

“They’re connected.”

“Yes.”

Duh, Link, ultra duh, if there’s a stream it’s flowing both to and from somewhere

“HHhhh-khhh. Mgheh.”

not that the somewhere has to be somewhere a person could pass through, it could just bepain a dead end air-wise and the water flows just totally against stone but the people living here probably had at least some idea where it led to. “They went down.”

”HhhHHHHhhhhkhhhkhhkhh-hhh- khhh.”

Terial, man, breathe.

“Quite khh- likely. Huiru- relayed having seen some dead.”

“I also felt wind.”

That tracks. Alright then, it’d be cooler and a lot safer down there then, right? “Are we going down?”

MASTER

“What?” Zelda blinkies sorry did I not get it-?!

Under no circumstances should you venture below!

“Why not?” Oh good she’s lookingpain-

What you think of as air has layers. The fire is producing large amounts of suffocating gas, master. This gas is heavier than the air you breathe. It may build up and kill you below.

Oh no.

“Khh-hh.”

Oh no, but Fi, all those people-

Your Sheikah companion found bodies below.

We don’t know how they died, though-

Plunging into a death trap behind them is futile, regardless of how they perished. They are lost already, Master. If some were fortunate, there was sufficient fresh airflow from elsewhere to sustain them- or they were able to exit quickly. Moving in that direction is not worth the risk—it will not change the outcome.

What if monsters followed them? If the air’s alright, the monsters couldpain breathe too.

“Listen.”

“Zelda?”

“For sounds from the well.”

…That’s a pointhotter. Fighting down there anywhere nearby? Screaming? We’d hotterhear it echoing. “Yeah. Yeah, I don’t hear any, but still, I...” Look at her looking at you, Link, she knows you want to go anyway, how could I not want- WOAH!!

“HOLy!” “Whhfft?” “Sir!” “Princess!”

EXPLODING HOUSES

“Indeed, we go!! Northwhahh- west! Now!!”

DEFINITELY NOW YES but not down apparently

“Northwest?! What of those who went below, Princess?!”

Zelda agrees with Fi and I- am really, really supposed to follow her orders

“T-hhoo follow directly would be most- khh- unwise, Huiru.”

Goddess- Goddess forgive me-

“But we can’t-!”

And oh no you DON'T! “Obey the Princess! Isn’t that supposed to be your thing?!” If I have to, you do too and oooh- temper lost, lost, Link, and he looks PISSED but everyone’s moving- moving away

...Speed. Speed, speed, we go as fast as we can.

“KHHHHhhh-hhh!”

We- can still sweep for anyone still alive

“Come on man, come on-“

and then we f^*#ing RUN, Link

“KhhhHHHHh- co- cohhming.“

by all that’s good and holy in this world fire does not have any mercy in it to show oh and look at that, embers above you high up it’s going to light the treeline, just a question of how long “SPEED!”

“Yes SIR!” “YES SIR!”

Her hand- holding me back?

“Kh- hh.”

She wants me here with her. Streets narrow anyway. Daile can take front.

“Khh-hh- SHOUT FOR SURVIVORS!”

“YES PRINCESS!”

“TO US!”

She’s right

“TO US!”

monsters’ll hear us

“TO US!”

too buthot we can’t stop to hotcheck houses

“TO UUUS!”

“Hhh- hh-“

there’spain no time, they have to come to us

“SURVIVORS-”

and RUN if they’re hereWH-?!

“TO US QUICKLY!” “Holy HYLIA!” “Goddess have mercy!”

Another explosion, south, doesn’t seem that far just keep running

“S- survivors- here, HERE!”

HOTit's not about you, Link. It's about Zelda-

“MOVE, TERIAL!”

-and Terial

“I AM!”

It is also about you, master. Oxygenation level 94%.

That doesn't seem so badpain.

It is quite low for you.

At least I'm not spinning.

“ANYONE?”

And it's about them, too- anyone left has more chance than they did when the lynel could hear them

“ANYONE-”

toohot or us

“TO US!” “Khh- kh-hh.”

at least a better chance

“AH!”

“Margil?!”

of not being murderedpain

“I’m fine, go!”

but dying in a wildfire? That chance just went up even moreSH!!!

“TO US!” “What the hell’s blowing up?”

“Don’t KNOW!” We- couldn’t leave that lynel there

“ANYONE!”

but we’d’ve beenhotHOT safer if we’d snuck away

“RR-GH!”

Moblin, knew THAT would happen “TAKE IT OUT-” ARROW to an eye already

“HAH!” “AAAAHH!”

and there’s about five swords heading for its throat

“KhHHHHhhh hhhh khhh.”

wow we surprised the s$%& out of it, it’s the painvolume, it’s loud, the wind and fire howling it’s down already only a red did the others run did the smart ones run whenhot we did or even before or are thereANOTHER BOOM

“Hhh- hh!” “Hell hell hell-“

a whole lot of them waiting for us

“Hell hell HELL.”

in the treeline like we thought there’d be?

That scenario is quite likely, master.

Glad we agree. Not glad what we agree ABOUT, but at least we’re ready.

“T-TO US!”

hottoohot

“T- To- US!”

hotterHOTTER

“MO-oah- khh-hh… Move NORTH!”

Yes next street away away definitely, the “Khh-“ smoke damn. Damn the smoke, the cloth’s helping less it’s like- like acid-

“To- UHHHS!” “KhhHHHHHH-hh.”

“NORTH! WE’RE MOVING NORTH!”

Cohl’s got a pair of lungs on him

“FOLLOW! FOLLOW!” “Khh-hh-hah. Khhh”

Cool down please please less smoke Terial and Zelda need-

“GRKH- RR!”

ANOTHERpainMOBLIN

“Hmph- huh!”

Daile, man- good duck and ANOTHERBOOM MY GODDESS I FELT THAT ONE SEAR THE AIR “ZELDA?!”

“Khhhahlrighthh-hh!”

Daile’s sword’s through it already Reida just slicing it on her way past and she just keeps going wow

“Khh- hh.” “HH- KH.”

Varniro, Genenko and Cohl, too it’s down Zelda-? Good, I’ll just LEAPpain and SWIPE for good measure, that would be its neck it’s not getting up not getting up, deadhot or soon will be just keep checking keep checking “Khh.”

“Khhhhkh.”

I think Margil’s

“KhKHHH-kh.”

Started to have a hard time “YOU OKAY?”

“ALRIGHT SIR!”

Alright is relativesweat relative

“Khh-HHHHHHH-KH-“

TERIAL “WooOAH!”

“Sokhhrry, sohrry, Sir, go, justKHH- just-“

“NO WAY NO SLOWING NO STOPPING”check! clearbehindpain “YOU’RE WITH US COME ON! COME ON!” Gesturing isn’t enough “KH-hh-“ his arm then Link, pull him pull him with you “PRINCESS-“

“COHKHNTINUE NORTH!”

No more northwest, no morehot, if there’s anyone there we’ll miss them- ! “LIFF KHCAN YOU STILL HOLD THAT SHIELD?”

“YEHHS SIR!”

Is he sure he didn’t try it yet oh there he goes-

“AH! Fff-“

“WOAH WOAH” it must be so hot “LET IT KHH GO!”

“I’VE GOHHT IT!”

Wow “BANG IT THEN!” please don’t sear your painskin off

Check behind!

“Khhh-hh. Hhh. Haaah.”

Clear ”kh“ clear

“KhHHH-HH-hhh hhhkhh.”

Liff’s getting burntpain isn’t he?

All we can “Kh-hh“ do, make noise

“HH- kh.”

maybe if there’s anyone they’ll follow it but at thishot point I don’t think there is, not at all

“Kh-hh.” “Kh- khh.”

they’re either gonepain or deadTHATWASCLOSERSOHOT sohot somethingwrong seemswrong

“Mmm-hh-hhhehhh-hh.”

Beraya?

“Khhhhhh-hh-gh-hem.”

And Margil

Margil’s wavering but “khh- hh-“ it’s the smoke

Beraya, though, her facepain, I can’t tell

“Khah- khhh.”

if she’s sweating or crying I’m so sorry Beraya, I’m so sorry, your family

“Khh-“ “Kh-khh-khh-kh-khhh.”

And with that racket Liff’s making painnow we have more reach but the monsters will absolutely

“Khh-hh-hhh! Khhhh-hh.”

one hundred percent know we’retoohot coming. Toward the trees. “Khh-kh.” Which are close now. “READY!”

Link.

“KHhh.”

As if they weren’tpain ready alreadyBLAST!

“S-sir!”

“KEEP RUNNING!” Aree’s scared she’s scared I can’t say I blame her you can’t fight a fire there’s nothing to kill and not a soul- not a single soul joined us here. No one. And we didn't follow below, didn't send-

Master, to do so-

Would be stupid, YES, I get it, doesn't mean it won't eat me alive paininside for the rest of my life and Goddess forgive me, I don’t have time to mourn it now, not now, save your air for running, LinkCoOOHL-

“GH!”

Fire chuchu- no, DEAD fire chuchu, wide berth

“KHH.”

give it a WIDE berth wide and YANK Terial, his head’s not great is it he’s woozy not good not good AH! HOTBLAST back there HOT no more ENOUGH HEAT

“KhHHHhh-!”

as if we needed morehot fireISEEIT. The tops of the trees. “Princess?”

“I-hh- ahm ready.”

She is. Bow out.

“KhhhhhHHHHHH- hhhhHHhhhh.”

But those two do NOT need to drop back like that-

“Huiru, Reida, ahKHHs stealth and speed are your advantages, I direct you to f-KHh- flank the front. Cihhrcle around any monsters we approach and strike quickly.”

That’s some look they’re giving-

“We are sworn to protect the royal family.”

“We all are! Obey the Princess!” I had to say it AGAIN?!

“We would leave our Princess vulnerable!”

Is Reida HISSING at me? “MargilKHH-, Beraya, flank the Princess!”

“Yehs-“ “Khhess, sir!”

“That IS an improvement.”

Wh-?!

There she goes, rushingpain to Daile’s left, but she practically spat that at me. What the hell is her problem? An improvement? Over what? Huiru, too, to the front right like he should now. “…Terial, man, I’m gonnahhkh let your arm go but you STAY WITH US, got it?”

“YKhHHHHhh- Yehs- sir.” “Khh-hh-khhhh.”

Cooler it is getting cooler north better “Stay with the Princess.”

He’s nodding but look at Aree so she knows, she knows she has to drag him along if he stops. “Aree, you too. Genenko, bring up the rear.”

“Yes, sir.” “Khhhhhhh. Hhh.”

Sorry, man. “Khh-kh.” I know I’m being kind of a jerk, but your bad arm means the front isn’t the greatest spot for you.

“Khh-hh-hh-hh.”

To the front with me instead. Right in the damn middle. Spearhead.

It’s getting dark-er…

No. No, there’s less fire, but the sky’s lighter? I think I see it through tiny gaps in the leaves… smoke messing up the view. So BE READY, Link. That treeline? It’spain right on top of you.

You know what?

If there was anyone alive here, they know we’re here by now. “ENOUGH, LIFF!”

“Yehs SIR!”

He sounds pleased about that.

The air got a little better

“Khh.” “Hh.”

but there’s stillpain no one moving to join us. No one-

No one moving.

Don’t look too hard, Link.

That’s a body, isn’t it? Crumpled right in front of the trees. “Varniro.” Point, just- he sees.

“Kh- Oh.”

And he’s speeding up speeding, sliding, checking. Checking.

Hand up, slow, just a moment Link, wait for it.

“Khh-hh-hh-hhhhHhhh.”

He’s shaking his head.

“KhhhHHhhh- hh.”

Dead.

We go – come on!

Hylia, please – please, let those people have made it out. Thepain well system.

“KH-HH-hh-HH-KhHHh.”

Where does it let out?

“KH-hh. Terial?”

Where does the water come from?

“OhhhHH-kay KH- P- rincehhss.”

It’s got to be Salari Hill or Lindor’s Brow, right, or both?

“KHHHHhhhh.”

The plain’s so flat, anywhere the water goes has to be further off

“Khh-khh-hh.” “KHH-hh.”

into the distance or it painjust stays beneath- or- the canyon? But the canyon’s dry.

“HhhHH. Uch.”

The kids.

“Kh-HHY- yeahHh.”

Just waiting on the plain to the east.

Don’t, Link. There’s nothing you can do yet, and they, unlike you, currently have horses and that’s another body, Link, you checkpain this time

“Kh- hh, another…”

more in your path-

Dead. Very.

Unclench your muscles, Link, your empathy can stuff itself into yourpain nightmares instead.

Did I hear Cohl pause, too-?

“Kh-hh- better- better here.”

 I did. And getting back up, another bodypain rubbing ignoreit

“A- KHHhhH- little, Princess.”

Must be must be monsters near, quick look-

“Khh-hh.”

Everyone’s still there. Keep moving.

Grip.

Front.

Search.

No shield, kind of idioticpain in this position, thanks for breaking it ridiculous yellow bokoblin I could’ve used-

“KRRGGH!”

“MOBLIN TEN O’CLOCK!” NO TIME TO THINK ABOUT IT veer and you know what Link you might as well SWITCH HANDS and slide and let this bastard have it in the gut UNDERITSGUARD THROUGH kick upPAINPAINSTUPID THROW IT BACK couldbedeadalready butcouldn’tseecolor flip upPAIN, back and no need Beraya’s sword in its throat already-

“RR-“ “KKROOGHH!” “KWEYKEWEE-R-“ “GHAKKHR!” “RRRRHHGR.”

Wewereright they’rewaiting foranyonerunning

“KGR-“ “HAAAAH!”

That was Liff

“Kh- there, fire!”

and that’saBLACKMOBLIN

“Khhh- kh- khhhh-hh-” “KRFHHGHHH!” “Kh- there!”

WITHONEARROWINITSEYEALREADY ITSREELING swing your sword like a club, Link

“Mmm- Gah!” “Support, Aree!”

 you might get lucky and SLICE

“I have it, Princess!”

WOW cleavedhalfwaythroughribcage stillstanding?!

“We-ekhll- done- there!”

Stronger-? DODGE!missedmeniceclubbutSTRIKESTRIKESTRIKESTRIKESTRIKESTRIKE

“I- I’ll hit Cohl!”

my sword’s nicer and it’s STILL NOT DOWN tough tough skin I hear the clangingothers clangingoccupied and this one’s recoup-NO!CATCHITLINKCATCHTHESPEAR HOLYS$!^

“Princess!!” “Ah-Khh!”

OFFCOURSE I KNOCKED ITOFFCOURSE

“Fire!”

DOWNPAIN!! leavestwigs SHARPsplintersPAIN BaARK”Ah-hh-“

“L- hink!”

Hervoicesoundsoff Idon’tlikeitpain butatleastshedoesn’thaveaspearinherchest but THROWSPEAR themoblinwill

“KHHH!khh-“

does

“hhhhhh”

more arrows, good, finishitoffpain

It’sdead wherewho-?Cohl!

“Khh-hhkhh-“ “P-rincess-“

HelpCohlSPRINT

“I- am well- khh-“

strugglingGOGOGO hisownsword athisthroat

“-enough, Margil.”

“Gr-Rgh!” STRONGanotherblackboko rare theseuesdtoberare baaaackPUNCHYOURFACE yes MORE STOMPchest down DOWNSWORDTHROUGH THROUGHAGAIN

Dead

One came up behind Huiru but he has it, Cohl’s sword back, good, quieter, dead Moblins or dead us?

“AaaAAH!”

Varniro!agonized FIRE firechuchu BIGone NODON’TKILLITYET”HOLD! HOLD!!!!” F&@# REIDA ARE YOU SOME KIND OF F&@#INGMORON?! SAVEHIMSAVEHIMLINK REACHHIM HE’SBURNING INCAPACITATEDCONFUSED “VARNIRO NOW!” HISARMPULLPULL “NOOOW!”

“SIR-”

DOWN!!!!

“SIR!” “NO!” “LIH-NK!”

PAIN!! OHSWEETHYLIABURNING

“Princess, stay back!”

THEBOOTSTHELEGS VARNIRO TOO BOTHROLLING GOOD OUTfine butpain

“Oh- Ohkhhh- khh-“

dealdeal painfine he’sgettinguptoo hearhim painpanting?

“Mmm- hmm-“

That’s a bit of a whimper toopain and flames more hotsohotflames as if we needed thatpain and I see more lights in the dark they’re lighting the brush the leaves and the fire behind us it’ll catch up-!

There are more of themhot, aren’t there, up there, unlit “ARCHERS!” point yespain they get it shoot them before they land and lightpain MOVELINK chuchu rain FOUL and WHERE DID SHE GO- “REIDA- FF!“ technically she did what she was told butFIRE! MOVE!- keepmoving “EVERYONE NORTH!”…but holypain HELL slashing it like crazy with Varniro still there for it to blow up in his face, and those big ones blastpain FAR, that’s just stupid, stupid stupid

…Stupid.

Ohhh.

Oh, Link

Oh f^$#

F^$#pain

No, Link. YOU are stupidpain.

Painpain playitcoolwhereisReida? There- “HEY!” …She’s looking. “BE MORE CAREFUL!”

…Just a bitpain. Just a bit stupid, Link, but you’re a little smarterpain than you were a few days ago.

Play it cool, play it cool and painwatch them WATCH THEM while we keep running don’t let them get behind you not behind, Zelda’s dark look right before the well, hotsticky the well system connected, is that where Huiru had disappeared to? Then he just happenshot to painpop up right where they were? Cracklingcracklingaboveus was she trying to tell me he waspain following them? Staying hidden- MORE “BOKO, MOBLIN!”

“QUEKWEYEEE!” “KRRRGH-GHR-GHR.”

Good, GOOD you quite-possibly-yiga-asshole, glad you’re on the left to get monster-smacked, keep you busy whilethecanopysmolders, Daile’s going to help her though, of course he is, and embers and-!

“QWEAHEHRE!”

BOKO NO FALLING DOWN BACKF$&%INGHURTSGODDESSHURTS “RrrrrRR!” GETOFFME KICKKICKOFF“Ah!” YES! Cohl-

“HAH!”

good stabbing but Huiru’s RIGHT BEHIND HIM FLIP UPPAIN LINK nevermind how muchpain it hurts

“P-rincess?”

just make sure Huiru sees you looking

“Yes, Aree!”

and try not to give away you werepain wondering

“M-my bowstring!”

whether he was going to stab the boko or Cohl

“I know- kh-“

that’s right Huiru back off return to position, keep moving

“The heat!”

Hot hotother monsters?

“Tahkhe care! Use it only when necekhh-ssary!”

Dead already arrows in them, Reida back in position am I overreacting, being paranoid?

“KhhhHHHHHhhh- hh- hh- hh hoh.”

Move move move back to running.

Zelda didn’t dopain what Huiru wanted. Didn’t go down the well, Then she sent them embersaway from her, sent them as far to the front as they could get.

“Khh-hh. Kh.”

They botched just about everything they could on the plain. Messing with the Princess’ line of firehotEMBERpain, the other archers, too. They practically herded those bokos toward Zelda.

“KhhhHHHhhh. Khhhh.”

They didn’t help us prepare for the fire.

“Fff- s ss-“

Varniro- he’s hurting. That was a pain-hiss.

Was Reida trying to keep us inpain the smoke longer? Pretty s$(^^y plan if so. She was in it too.

And that- arrow earlier- nearly hit me, would’ve if I hadn’t noticed and it could’ve hit Zelda, too. Thought it was that boko but what if it was Huiru? He could’ve picked upembers a monster’s bow.

If it IS them… then this must be what Yiga do. They wait

“Khh-“

hiding in plain sight

“Khh-hh.”

until a chance to strikeEMBERpain unseen. Carok guy neverhot intended for us to see him fire. I turned because I figured it out… just in time. Vayden thought he’d get away with killing me ‘by accident’ in the melee.

Fi???

I detect nothing, master, but that means little.

No repression fields.

None I know of.

But you couldn’t tell with not-Erl, either.

Precisely. I recommend extreme caution.

Extreme. Strong wordembers.

Keep eyeing them, Link. Eyeing…

S$%#pain, I don’t really know Varniro, Terial, Aree, Liff, or Cohl, either. At least I’d seen them before, but Vayden- it’s not like I hadn’t known him, too, at least a little...

Their actions thus far appear unsuspicious. Why have you excluded your associate Daile from this list? He, too, is not well-known to you.

He- no wayembersEMBERpain. Not with how we fought together. If he wanted me dead, he had many chances, and he instead helped every single time. He kicked ASS. And he had Jeralt’s full confidence.

Then I suggest you apply this reasoning to the others.

Embers we need to hurry I don’t know what Jeralt thinks of them.

“KhhhHHHHHHhhhh-hh.”

I advise taking the first possible opportunity to find out.

Goddess knows when hotthat’ll be and if I’m too paranoid I’ll be a horrendous commander- I should’ve takenpain the time to grill Purah on these two. Did she know them well? Were they new? Did they volunteer to go or were they assigned?

You don’t… REALLY know for sure. But it’s off. WAY off.

Carok Bridge.

Not at all far from the lab.

Coincidence?

Embers thicker, behind- orange-

They’re still both at the periphery. Right where she told them to be.

Another way to see it, though, is that they’re flanking us.

That line of monsters wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. We’re making good time. So is the fire. But we’repain ahead. The heat’s making plenty of wind, but eastward earlier, right? The prevailing wind?

“CHHH- CHHF.”

What- what was that-

“D- ah-fffff- did you hear?”

“Yeah, Varniro.” Daile? I see him running, but it’s still too dark and there’s too many hottrees, can’t see his face. To see if he also thought ‘lynel.’

I didn’t want Zelda anywhere NEARembers a lynel.

And if that’s what it was, it has most definitely heard usFIREFIRE!!!!! “RUUUUUUN!!” IN A COLUMN IT’SACOLUMN COMINGTHISWAY “GOGOGOGOGOGOOO!”

“Rightward RIGHTWARD!”

“Princess!!!” “N-OO!” “AHH!” “FF-KHH-FFrrR!”

DODGEDLink but my Goddess the wall of fire behind you, and the ‘no’ what was the no for?! SEPARATED! “BERAYA, AREE! GENENKO!”

“HERE!” “HEERE!” “WE’LL CIRCLE!!”

It’s how they turned they turned the others still with us “FAST EVERYONE MOVE, MOVE- ANOTHER!”

“Ah-hh- ahh- fff-“

It’s west it’s west no southwest the angle the way the FIREBALL’sGOING ZELDA? STILL WITHUS STILL FIREBALLPASSED- MYGODDESS “TERIAL!!”

“KHH- ca-n’t- GO HHHHkhhh-“

NO ZELDA DON’T STOP DON’T HELP-

GOOD GOOD GOOD MAN MARGIL BUT

ANOTHER ONE AND MARGIL YANKINGHIM TOOSLOW NO NO ZELDA NO ONE NO ONE FLANKING DROP BACK DROP BACK, LINK, OHS$#^ “COHL! VARNIRO! TO US!”

“YES SIRRR!”

“L- Link-“

Oh s$%^ did I give the game away

“Hhh-hh-“

I didn’t call Huiru-

“hhh-hh- kh-h-“

play it play it Link “HUIRU, ON POINT!”

Not Liff not Daile want them to see his back see it, Reida, where is she? Look- Margil he has Terial they’re coming they’re coming slow though slow “COME OOONN!”

NO! “ANOTHER, ANOTHER!” She’s slowing, Link!! Help her, help, bicep- why is she?!

“Khh- HH- Hhhh!”

She’s not getting full AIR THEFIREBALL right behind us, missed usDAMMIT MARGIL TERIAL- “CIRCLE!!!”

“YES SIR!!”

Not good not good dividing dividing usEMBERS

“Hh- Ff- f- ff-“

and Varniro he’s slowing down he’s so next, it’s the burns, he’s painhurting, running, friction- “COME ON MAN STAY WITH US!”

“J- UST GO!”

My Goddess withEMBERSpain Zelda slowing too and it must hurt, the embers, her too, she's not crying out, but air, air, her and Terial can’t get enough

“Hh-tsss- sss- rr-”

Hylia SERIOUSLY?! You make your champion super strong but with fragile painlungs?! Are you fricking KIDDING me?! WHO DO I COMPLAIN TO ABOUT THIS?!

IF THE ANSWER IS THAT S$&^^Y GLOWER-PRIESTESS AND HER COPPER-INFUSED POOL TORTUREembersPAIN I WILL BE SO PISSED OFF BECAUSE I COUD EASILY IMAGINE MAYBE COPPERY STUFF BURNING IN THAT FIRE AND SCREWING HER UP I DON’T KNOW IS THAT A THING??!!

And why is Liff turning left, why? Daile- Daile, too- are they thinking to engage?!  “LIFF! DAILE! DON’T ENGAGE!”

“Ah-“ “Yes, sir!”

Good- goodpain- Huiru- turned more that way too-

And they’re still veering that wasn’t what they were thinking “HARD NORTH!”

“It’skhhh- Reida.“

Justpain loud enough for me to hear I’m not wrong, she’s thinking the same thing just nod, nod, Link-

“I can seehhh her- pulling west.”

They’re following her. Because they don’t knowembers not to trust her and they can’t TELLpain exactly which way is north can they and it’s RESHAPING OUR FORMATION “VEER RIGHT!”

YES, now theyFIREBALL!!!!! CLOSERCLOSER RUN RUN RUN RUN ZELDA FASTERHOTHOTTTTTT

“AHHhhHH! KH- HHH- hh!”

TOOCLOSE “You’re alright, you’re alright, I have you!” HAIR singed, Link, her hair- just- a little- and WE’RE OUT OF THE TREES lighter sky lighter sky hope but we lost Varniro didn’t we? He was slowing slowing he’spain behind it somewhere dammit dammit dammit dammit where the hell is the fire coming from?

Oh my Goddess-

They’vecutthemoff DaileandLiff they’renotontheplain muststillbeintrees it’sjustusandCohlandtheSheikah pain becausewewerefaster andthewaytheyturned tacticalerrorLink youcould’veyankedherback behindthenextone’spath butnononono youcouldn’t- the FIRE incredibledangerfromthefireitself cuttingusoff playitcoolplayitcool canstillseethem stillseethem bladeright straight out everythingintotheblade theydon’tknow theydon’tknowwhatIcando do they? Andthey’renotlooking

“Sir?!”

COHL“SH-”NOW! HE ALMOST GAVE IT AWAY BUT HUIRU’S painBLOWN FORWARD AND HE KNOWS WE KNOW HE KNOWS LET GO OF ZELDA SO SHE CAN-

“Kh- hhh- hh! Hh- ah!”

“AaAAAHH! FF-“

Knee shot

“G- GGr!”

wait, did she mean to do th-

Cohl veering way off! I think I scared him sorry man I’ll explain later but REIDA’STURN doitagainpain doitagain makesureit’shertoo everythingintothesw- FIREBALL!!! DON’T YELL JUST PULL JUST GRAB HER FORWARD FORWARD OTHERWISEWE’RETRAPPED FIRE ANDWHATISTHAT HE’STHROWING GLINTINGGLINTING DODGE!

“AHH!”

Daggermissedmeasshole oh no I yankedherhardpain issheokay?

“PRINCESS!”

GuessCohlsaw, almostthere do I do this do I kill Huiru- redSMOKE!!

“LINK!”

PUSHHER, BACKFLIP, REIDA JUST LIKE VAYDEN JUST LIKE HIM YIGA THEY’RE YIGA HERSWORD’SSTUCKINTHEDIRT WHEREIJUSTWAS ZELDA’SPRONE DOITLINK GODDESSDON’THESITATE CAN I DO THIS CAN I

FIREBALL “ZELDA!!!”

“HH- hh!”

SCRAMBLING I HAVE HER “GO GO GO GO GO!”

 “NOOO- AAAHH! HHH- EEHHHH!” “AAAAAAAAHHHHHH! AAAAAAAAAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Don’t listen don’t LISTEN don’t feel bad for them what's this face you're making, Link? They’re here to kill you both

“Khh-HH!  KHH.”

they deserve itpain and MORE FIRE- “ZELDA!”

“Ye- hs!”

Whereisit mustbeanotherlynel wasintrees? I have to engage it FLAMEsohot neartoonear she made it I have to killit it’ll drive us to the canyon

West- I go west! Let her go and SPRINT!

“NO, Link! We- khh- stay together!”

“I have to kill it!”

“WE shall kh- khill it!”

“You’re not well!”

“Dead- is worse!”

“EXACTLY!”

“We are mohre lhikely to KH-hh- prevail together!”

Goddess I hope that’s true because I see it coming out of painthe trees way far off its range must be incredible the fire!

It doesn’t look right what what what whatpain what white but not right doesn’t look right where’s its mane FIREBALL “BOTH RIGHT!”

“YES!”

We can’t split it’ll split us up if weHOT let it but she’s not as fast as usual I have to slow down again, don’t leave her- or- or- “To my right!”

“I- Uhhkh-nderstand!”

We slow we slow a little, it aims, we both speed, keep it easier, a little easier, but how smart are these things, will it catch on, and what’s that is something on its back?

Its-

“Link- Link, it’s- it’s-“

That eyebrow crease

I can hear it in her voice

What the hell, it’s a skeleton isn’t it, like the stalnox, the white is bone, it’s alreadypain dead how do you kill a Lynel that’s dead already?

Oh my- is it the same ONE?

Why is it-

Why would it be back?!

This creature is unknown to me, master.

FIREBALL“Move!”

“Ye- hs!”

It’s fine, it’s fine, we’re well past it, the way we were moving, but we’re getting paincloser on purpose and “I have no idea how to kill it! Fi, do I go for its head?!”

Severing it would be a prudent start, but the Princess is not-

“Link?”

“Yes!”

“There’skhhh- a man- on its back!”

"A man?"

.

Master—run!

---

Part 18 coming soon (I hope).

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