#Tulou Tagaloa

[fruitmilkshake]

Pa'ya Te Nia'lu Vine'ya'ite Stimboard

=Credit to the respective creators of this gifs=

[helmetkeeper]

can i get a playlist for a tiger therian? i like kind of ethereal/mystical music, or anything that reminds you of a jungle or forest. please include some nonlyricals/instrumentals! thank you eternally :3

hello! sorry for being so late, but hopefully you like some of these songs. happy new year!

songs go like "song" + "artist"

"Evening Wind" + "Joe Hisaishi"

"Heimr Àrnadalr" (From 'Frozen'/Score) + "Christophe Beck"

"Tulou Tagaloa" + "Olivia Foa'i"

"Around" + "Modulogeek"

"Shalala" + "Moses Gunn Collective"

"Sunshine Recorder" + "Boards of Canada"

"Lycanthrope" + "NOMAD_theband"

"Creature of the Night" + "Air Traffic Controller"

"I Am Here To Lose Control" + "De Staat"

"We are Gods! We are Wolves!" + "Le Loup"

"Werewolf Heart" + "Dead Man's Bones"

"In The Room Where You Sleep" + "Dead Man's Bones"

"Fangs" + "Younger Hunger"

"Therian" + "Papadosio"

"Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" + "Tame Impala"

"Plastic Beach" + "Gorillaz" and "Mick Jones" and "Paul Simonon"

"I Can't Wait" + "Nu Shooz"

"Shut Eye" + "Stealing Sheep"

"Animal Impulses" + "IAMX"

"Kitty City" + "Cyriak Harris"

"I Saw an Angel" + "Puzzle"

"Photosynthesis" + "Blank Banshee"

"Bathsalts" + "Blank Banshee"

"The Mind Electric" + "Miracle Musical"

"Temptation Stairway" (Waltz Variation) + "Metaroom"

"Blood In The Wine" + "AURORA"

"Little Boy In The Grass" + "AURORA"

"LIGHT SHOWER" + "Melanie Martinez"

"SPIDER WEB" + "Melanie Martinez"

"最後の楽園" (in english: "The Last Paradise") + "Haruomi Hosono"

"This Is My Beloved" + "Mort Garson"

"lain" + "C4FF31N3"

"6pm" (from Animal Crossing) + "Arcade Player"

"K.K. Jazz" (from Animal Crossing) + "Arcade Player"

"Town Gate" (from Animal Crossing) + "Arcade Player"

"13 Angels Standing Guard 'Round The Side Of Your Bed" + "Silver Mt. Zion"

"I'm Not Human At All" (Copenhagen X Sessions) + "Sleep Party People"

"I Am Shell I Am Bone" + "Gazelle Twin"

"Wrath Of God" + "Crystal Castles"

"Love You" + "The Free Design"

"Once Upon a December" (from Anastasia) + "Emile Pandolfi"

"Landscape With a Fairy" + "aspidistrafly"

"Aquarius" + "Lor"

"village song" + "Paris Paloma"

"Come Along" + "Cosmo Sheldrake"

"Birthday Suit" + "Cosmo Sheldrake"

"Entangled Life" + "Merlin Sheldrake" and "Cosmo Sheldrake"

"In the Woods Somewhere" + "Hozier"

"Old Black Train" (feat. Justin Rubenstein) + "The Blasting Company" (Over The Garden Wall)

"Merry Go Round of Life" (Howl's Moving Castle) + "Vitamin String Quartet"

"Inside Out" + "Duster"

"Insomniac" + "Memo Boy" and "Chakra Efendi"

"Woodland" + "The Paper Kites"

"Featherstone" + "The Paper Kites"

"Willow Tree March" + "The Paper Kites"

"Oceanic Feeling" + "Lorde"

"Sunflower" + "Rex Orange County"

"Blackbird" (Remastered 2009) + "The Beatles"

"Here Comes The Sun" (Remastered 2009) + "The Beatles"

"Call Me The Breeze" + "John Mayer"

"Rule #28 - Sand" + "Fish In a Birdcage" and "Raquel Lily" and "Atlys"

"The Bug Collector" + "Haley Heynderickx"

"Call me" + "90sFlav"

"Everything at Once" + "Lenka"

"Firefly Lullabies" + "Ava Beathard"

"Howling at the Moon" + "Skyhill"

"Changing Colors" + "Hiwet Tesmi"

"La femme à la peau bleue" + "Vendredi sur Mer"

"Les Fleurs" + "Minnie Riperton"

"Monk's Robes" + "Deradoorian"

"Lavender Moon" + "Haroula Rose"

"Lions" + "Jenny Hval" and "Vivian Wang"

"Caribbean Blue" (Remastered 2009) + "Enya"

"Avalanches and Unfamiliar Ways to Die" + "Ha Vay"

"Sea, Swallow Me" + "Cocteau Twins" and "Harold Budd"

"Persephone" + "Cocteau Twins"

"Moses" + "Elizabeth Fraser"

"Andromeda" + "Weyes Blood"

"Holocene" (feat. Weyes Blood) + "Zella Day"

"Caliope" (Remastered 2011) + "Maanam"

"Mishima" + "Daphne Guinness"

"Mermaids" + "Florence + The Machine"

"Fairy Fountain" + "Super Guitar Bros"

"Glory Box" + "Portishead"

"Waffles" + "Whatever, Dad"

"Would I Be The One" + "Sean Ono Lennon"

"Electric Counterpoint: III. Fast" + "Steve Reich" and "Mats Bergström"

"Speak For Me" + "Cat Power"

"Bolero" + "BLAST! Ensemble"

"All the Candles in the World" + "Jane Siberry"

"Clouds" + "Resavoir"

"all I understand is that I don't understand" + "toe"

"The Moon Will Sing" + "The Crane Wives"

"Metaphor" + "The Crane Wives"

"The Moon and the Stars" + "John Mark Nelson"

"Mr. Fox in the Fields" + "Alexandre Desplat"

"Alive" + "Phil Lober"

"Star of the County Down" + "Van Morrison" + "The Chieftains"

"Acolyte" + "Slaughter Beach" and "Dog"

dividers from @/animatedglittergraphics-n-more and @/cringecrew

[solomonara]

Playlist meme

thanks for the tag, @unicorncoalition!

Rules: You can usually tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to. Put your playlist on shuffle and list the first 10 songs, and then tag 10 people.

I will not be tagging ten people lol i don’t think i even know ten people who have not been recently tagged by this

I don’t have a playlist, I listen to my entire music collection on shuffle so... now you know that about me. ANYWAY.

1: Why Have You Brought Me Here/Raoul I've Been There from the 2014 Phantom of the Opera movie

2: No Resurrection - AFI

3: All I Ask of You (Reprise) - also from the 2014 Phantom of the Opera movie I do have several thousand songs here, I promise

4: Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmations

5: Tulou Tagaloa from Moana. I guess we’re in a soundtrack mood tonight.

6: Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond

7: So What - P!NK

8: Warning - Incubus

9: Totalimmortal - AFI

10: Are You Gonna Be My Girl - Jet

Ah. Chaos. @dragonsorceress22, @elwon, @caramelmachete, @paperempires, @diebrarian would you like to play?

[beatrice-reden-official]

SING THE BEGINNING OF MOANA/ref

Tulou

Tulou

Tagaloa

Sei e va'ai mai

I le tātou lalolagi

Sei e va'ai mai

I le mātou lalolagi

Sei e mālamalama (ko au e tu atu)

E lelei ma le mānaia (toku manatu)

Sei e va'ai mai ia (e taunuku te malaga)

Mānaia o le tātou ōlaga

[sitposting]

First 10 songs I listened to today 23.10.24

[iyelife]

🎶 #Tulou

Tulou

Tagaloa

Sei e va'ai mai

I le tātou lalolagi

Sei e va'ai mai

I le mātou lalolagi

Sei e mālamalama (ko au e tu atu)

E lelei ma le mānaia (toku manatu)

Sei e va'ai mai ia (e taunuku te malaga)

Mānaia o le tātou ōlaga 🪕

#Te Fiti

Te K��

Lava Monster

Demon of Earth and Fire

Fire Demon

The Mother Island

The Burning One

Pele

#Demon of earth and fire Island goddess @barackobama 💀

[mattaytchtaylor]

Tulou Tagaloa 🌊

[random-shieeet]

Best entrance Walt Disney has presented.

Movie: Moana

[rayshippouuchiha]

Recently decided to listen to the Moana soundtrack because it has some of the best songs EVER when two in particular made me think of your Whirlpool Calls Him Home AU: Tulou Tagaloa (for the call Uzushio sends to her children to come home), and An Innocent Warrior (maybe for when Naruto finally decides to go exploring and sees the ruins of his home and imagines what it must have been like before).

oh absolutely yes

[the-hunchback-of-notre-dame]

Opening Chants

Tulou Tagaloa (Moana)

Circle of Life (The Lion King)

The Bells of Notre Dame (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

Vuelie (Frozen)

Awakening

How Far I'll Go (Moana)

Go the Distance (Hercules)

Middle East

Arabian Nights (Aladdin)

India

I Wan'na Be Like You (Jungle Book)

China

Reflection (Mulan)

Africa

Hakuna Matata (The Lion King)

Can You Feel the Love Tonight (The Lion King)

Europe

Prologue (Beauty and the Beast)

Out There (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

Touch the Sky (Brave)

Latin America

Remember Me (Coco)

El Mundo Es Mi Familia (Coco)

USA

Dig a Little Deeper (The Princess and the Frog)

Finale

Someday (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

Epcot Anthem

[helmetkeeper]

She's nervous to ask herself, so I'm doing it for her, but please could we get some song suggestions for a Minecraft allay fictive? It likes songs like Juliet by Cavetown, and otherside & Infinte Amethyst by Lena Raine. Thank you.

hi! and of course :]. i'm sorry it feels so nervous, but happy that you're asking for her! hopefully this'll help the anxiety /half-joking.

it's under a cut because i kinda went ham LOL. apologies if the amount of songs is a little overwhelming ^^;.

songs go like "song" + "artist" :3

"Song Of The Sea" + "Lisa Hannigan"

"Amhrán Na Farraige" + "Lisa Hannigan"

"Ghost Choir" + "Louie Zong"

"Ghost Duet" + "Louie Zong"

Ghost + Guest" + "Louie Zong"

"A Huge Tree in the Tsukamori Forest" + "Joe Hisashi"

"Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind" (opening theme) + "Joe Hisashi"

"A Town with an Ocean View" + "Joe Hisaishi"

"The Lost Paradise" + "Joe Hisaishi"

"Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea" + "Joe Hisaishi"

"The Path of the Wind" (instrumental) + "Joe Hisaishi"

"Everywhere" + "Fleetwood Mac"

"Genesis" + "Grimes"

"Oblivion" + "Grimes"

"Stayback" + "Omar Apollo"

"Coqueta" + "Katzù Oso"

"Porcelain" + "Ichiko Aoba"

"He Mele No Lilo" + "Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu" and "Kamehameha Schools Children's Chorus"

"Tulou Tagaloa" + "Olivia Foa'i"

"Exploration" + "Bruno Coulais" and "Mathilde Pellegrini" and "Laurent Petitgirard" and "Hungrarian Symphony Orchestra Budapest" and "Hélène Breschand"

"Generation Why" + "Conan Gray"

"Prom Queen" + "Beach Bunny"

"Cloud 9" + "Beach Bunny"

"Mr. Loverman" + "Ricky Montgomery"

"Out Like a Light" + "The Honeysticks" and "Ricky Montgomery"

"Interlude: I'm Not Angry Anymore" + "Paramore"

"Record Player" + "Daisy the Great" and "AJR"

"i feel like chet" + "mxmtoon"

"cliché" + "mxmtoon"

"florida" + "mxmtoon"

"First Love/Late Spring" + "Mitski"

"I Bet on Losing Dogs" + "Mitski"

"Francis Forever" + "Mitski"

"i wanna be your girlfriend" + "girl in red"

"Pretty Girl" + "Clairo"

"Silly Girl" + "chloe moriondo"

"space girl" + "Frances Forever" and "chloe moriondo"

"Party Tattoos" + "dodie"

"1950" + "King Princess"

"Chinese New Year" + "SALES"

"Water Fountain" + "Alec Benjamin"

"Alamo" + "Alec Benjamin"

"Peppermint Smiles" + "tiffi"

"I Will Be Okay" + "mimi bay"

"sorry haha i fell asleep" + "Egg"

"One More Weekend" + "Maude Latour"

"Coffee" + "beabadoobee"

"Lullaby" + "Simi"

"Persephone" + "Sidney Gish"

"Wasteland, Baby!" + "Hozier"

dividers from @/animatedglittergraphics-n-more and @/flowerforever-lau

[larsisfrommars]

The Little Stone

I put together a playlist ordered by Fjord’s character arc, there are fan songs about him, picks from Travis’s official playlist for his character, and songs I think suit him. There’s a messier version with Autumnal Orange’s lo-fi albums mixed in Here, which I recommend shuffling. This one however, is intended to be listened to like a musical, a square NINEty songs, in order. Enjoy!

Part One: Little Boy, Little Beast, Little Stone

The Serpent’s Call by Chase Noseworthy & Colm McGuiness • White Owl by Josh Garrels • An Innocent Warrior by The Cast of Moana • The Song by Lisa Hannigan & Lucy O’Connell • Lying Beast by Run River North • Little Lion Man by Mumford & Sons • How Far I’ll Go by Auli’i Cravalho • Port Damali by R. Morgan Slade • Call Them Brothers by Regina Spektor • Your Bones by Of Monsters & Men • Panacea For The Poison by Flobots •

Part Two: Chained to Unknown Fathoms

I Did Something Bad by Eddie Van Der Meer • E. Watson by The Decemberists • Dream of Mississippi by S. J. Tucker • Ship in a Bottle by fin • Wellerman (Remix) by Nathan Evans & ARGULES • Voodoo by Godsmack • I Of The Storm by Of Monsters & Men • Superhero by Flobots • Believer by Imagine Dragons • Come Away To The Water by Maroon 5 & Rozzi • Bottom Of The River by Delta Rae • Summersong by The Decemberists • The Sound of Silence by Disturbed

Part Three: Servant of Uka’toa

Matches To Paper Dolls by Dessa • The Deep by PHILDEL • my sword by Jeris Johnson • Glashtyn Shanty by S. J. Tucker • The Maiden and the Selkie by Heather Dale • Last Man Standing by People In Planes • Onward & Upward by Tommee Profitt & Fleurie • Girl With One Eye by Florence + The Machine • King by The Amazing Devil • Throne by Saint Mesa • Conversations At The End Of The World by Kishi Bashi

Part Four: Refjorged

The Cave by Mumford & Sons • Little Bird by The Weepies • Selkie-boy by Julie Fowlis • Soul Meets Body by Death Cab For Cutie • Vampire by People In Planes • Otherside by Avi Kaplan • Black Sun by Death Cab For Cutie • Into The Unknown by Panic! At The Disco • Marionette by Flyleaf • Glass Houses by Bad Omens • The Devil & The Huntsman by Sam Lee Daniel Pemberton • Cracks In The Surface by Flobots • Let There Be Fire by Aviators & Miracle of Sound • Long Nights by Eddie Vedder • Clean Slated Slate by The Altogether • Various Storms & Saints by Florence + The Machine • Show Yourself by Caleb Hyles • Soldier, Poet, King by Jacob Cook • Ready Now by dodie • Drive by Incubus

Part Four: Paladin Blooms From A Dark Seed

Tulou Tagaloa by Olivia Foa’i • Mermaid Calling #2 by Cast of The Lure • Heart of The Ocean by Gaelic Storm • Song of The Sea by Lisa Hannigan • Mothers by Lilli Furfaro • Defend Atlantis by Flobots • Take Me Down by Brother • Oleanna by Storm Weather Shanty Choir • Rise/The Greatest by Jacob Sutherland • Lyonesse by Celtic Legend • Flood by Jars of Clay • Wayfaring Stranger by Libera • Healing Chant by Heather Alexander • Good Soldier by Flobots • It Knows Me by Avi Kaplan • Unsteady by X Ambassadors

Part Five: Hero, Leader, Loved by Healers

The Last Ship by Sting • True North by Vocal Line • Sirens by Pearl Jam • Hell or High Water by The Rescued • Rocks and Water by Deb Talan • Blue Healer by Birdtalker • The Peacock by Beirut • Towers Fall Into The Sea by Clocks & Clouds • Brother by Kodaline • Meet Me On The Battlefield by SVRCINA • Lover of The Light by Mumford & Sons • Ghost Stories by The Narcissist Cookbook • Shady Grove by Takénobu • Here’s a Health to the Company by David Coffin & The Revrls Chorus • Father’s Lament by Poor Man’s Poison • Oh St. Johns by The Saint Johns • The Mermaid by Kate Rusby • Ocean Lullabye by Anne Hill

[squishmallow36]

Fathoms Below (Part 1)

Word count: 4.1k

Tw: character death, injury

Taglist (lmk if you want to be added/removed!): @stellar-lune @gaslight-gaetkeep-gayboss @kamikothe1and0lny @nyxpixels @florida-floppy-frog @poppinspop @crystallinewalker @uni-seahorse-572 @solreefs @books-over-boys @rusted-phone-calls @when-wax-wings-melt @cotyledon-tomentosa @good-old-fashioned-lover-boy7 @dexter-dizzknees @abubble125

Notes, translation guide, etc.

Spotify song playlist

Spotify song playlist but Te Reo / Italian

On Ao3 when I get home or below the cut!

Tulou

Tulou

Tagaloa

Sei e va'ai mai

I le tātou lalolagi

Sei e va'ai mai

I le mātou lalolagi

Sei e mālamalama (ko au e tu atu)

E lelei ma le mānaia (toku manatu)

Sei e va'ai mai ia (e taunuku te malaga)

Mānaia o le tātou ōlaga

    “In the beginning, there was only ocean. Until the Mother Island, Te Fiti, emerged. Her Heart held the greatest power ever known. It could create life itself. And Te Fiti shared it with the world,” Uncle Tiergan tells the village children, sitting cross-legged in their school hut. 

    “But, in time, some began to seek Te Fiti’s Heart. They believed if they could possess it, the great power of creation would be theirs. And, one day, the most daring of them all voyaged across the vast ocean to take it.”

    Fitz leans forward, hanging on to every word his Uncle Tiergan says. 

    “O ia was a demi-god of the wind and sea. O ia was a warrior. A trickster. A shapeshifter who could change form with the power of lona fishhook. And lona name was Keefe. But without her Heart, Te Fiti began to crumble, giving birth to a terrible darkness. Keefe tried to escape but was confronted by another who sought the Heart. Te Kā!”

    The schoolchildren gasp. 

    “A demon of earth and fire. Keefe was struck from the sky, never to be seen again. Lona magical fishhook and the Heart of Te Fiti were lost to the sea. Where, even now, a thousand years later, Te Kā and the demons of the deep still hunt for the heart. Hiding in a darkness that will continue to spread, chasing away our fish, draining the life from island after island until every one of us is devoured by the bloodthirsty jaws of inescapable death!”

    Linh screams in fear, hiding her face in faer brother’s shoulder while Jensi faints. 

    Fitz claps.

    “But one day, the Heart will be found by someone who will journey beyond our reef, find Keefe, deliver ia across the great ocean to restore Te Fiti’s Heart and save us all.”

    Just like after every story Uncle Tiergan tells, Fitz finds a way to slip away to the shore. This time he finds a nice, semi-translucent green rock in the sand and throws it repeatedly up into the air. 

    Before long, his parents locate him here, once again. 

    “Fitz! There you are.” Mom exclaims. “Come back from the shore.”  

    “Just a little longer?” Fitz asks. 

    Mom smiles softly and crouches next to him. “Your village needs you, dear. Remember, you will be the new chief of Motunui soon.”

    No pressure. 

    Dad adds, “You’ll do wonderous things, but first you must learn where you are.” 

    He offers a hand to help Fitz stand up, turning him to face the island he’s known all his life. Fitz sighs. 

“Tamaiti, anei, anei

Tamaiti, it’s time you knew 

The village of Motunui is all you need

The dancers are practicing

They dance to an ancient song

(Who needs a new song? This old one’s all we need) 

This tradition is our mission

And, Tamaiti, there's so much to do (make way)

Don't trip on the taro root, that's all you need

We share everything we make (we make)

We joke and we weave our baskets (ah-ha)

The fishermen come back from the sea”

“I wanna see…”

“Don't walk away

Tamaiti, stay on the ground now

Our people will need a chief and there you are

There comes a day

When you're gonna look around

And realize happiness is where you are

Consider the hua-nati (the what?)

Consider its tree

We use each part of the hua-nati, that's all we need

We make our nets from the fibers

The water is sweet inside

We use the leaves to build fires

We cook up the meat inside

Consider the coconuts

The trunks and the leaves (hah)

The island gives us what we need

“And no one leaves…?”

That's right, we stay

We're safe and we're well provided

And when we look to the future, there you are

You'll be okay

In time you'll learn just as I did

You must find happiness right where you are”

    Over the years, Fitz tries to escape to the ocean dozens and dozens of times. Sometimes it’s successful, sometimes not so much. 

    But Uncle Tiergan is always there when he needs him. The only one who really understands. 

“I like to dance with the water

The undertow and the waves

The water is mischievous, ha! I like how it misbehaves

The village may think I'm crazy

Or say that I drift too far

But once you know what you like, well, there you are

You are your father's tama, 

Stubbornness and pride

Mind what he says but remember

You may hear a voice inside

And if the voice starts to whisper

To follow the farthest star

Tamaiti, that voice inside is who you are”

        But before long, Fitz is always drawn back to his future chief duties, whatever that might be this time. And he starts to accept that’s how life is. 

“We make our nets from the fibers

The water is sweet inside

We use the leaves to build fires

And cook up the meat inside

The village believes in us (hah, that's right)

The village believes (hah)

The island gives us what we need

And no one leaves”

“So here I'll stay

My home, my people beside me

And when I think of tomorrow, there we are

I'll lead the way

I'll have my people to guide me

We'll build our future together where we are

'Cause every path leads you back to where you are

You can find happiness right te kāinga

Te kāinga”

    “I’m really looking forward to this performance, Wylie,” King Kesler says, backstage of the most beautiful amphitheatre in Atlantica. 

   “Your Majesty, this will be the finest concert I have ever conducted. Your children, they will be spectacular!” Wylie says, clenching and unclenching his crab claws to help dissipate his nerves. 

    “Yes, and especially my little Dexter.”

    “Yes, yes. Xe has the most beautiful voice.” Wylie agrees, muttering under his breath, “If only xe’d show up for rehearsals once in a while.”

    King Kesler nods to Terik, a stagehand who is oddly good at getting the room quiet, and he announces, “Let the royal festivities begin!” 

    Perfectly on cue, each of King Kesler’s children begin. 

“Ah, we are the children of Kesler,

great father who loves us and named us well

Bexlee… 

Alastar…. 

Rexander… 

Neasa… 

Wexford… 

Frexster… 

And then there is the youngest in xor musical debut

Our seventh little brother

we're presenting xem to you

to sing a song Wylie wrote

Xor voice is like a bell

Xe’s our brother, Dext--”

Dex laughs. “Come on, Soph. Don’t be a guppy.” Xe swims around a sunken canoe, rummaging around inside the bags that were brought down with it, and finding almost nothing interesting. 

    “There is a whole skeleton. Right there. Maybe I don’t want to be next.” Soph argues, pointing with one of his blue pectoral fins. “Besides, what if the humans find us?” Soph gasps. “What if your Dad finds us?”

    “Eh, he won’t find us. We’re way too close to the surface.”

    “He has his reasons, you know. You remember what happened to your Mom. He doesn’t just enjoy telling you not to do things.”

    Xe sighs. “Maybe he’s right. Maybe there is something the matter with me.” Dex triumphantly raises a dinglehopper above xor head before stuffing it into xor own bag. “I just don’t see how a world that makes such beautiful things…could be bad...” 

“Look at this stuff, isn’t it neat? 

Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?

Wouldn't you think I'm the boy

The boy who has everything?

Look at this trove

Treasures untold

How many wonders can one cavern hold?

Looking around here you'd think

‘Sure, xe’s got everything’

I've got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty

I've got whozits and whatzits galore

You want thingamabobs?

I've got twenty!

But who cares?

No big deal

I want more

I wanna be where the people are

I wanna see, wanna see 'em dancin'

Walking around on those, what do you call 'em?

Oh, feet

Flippin' your fins, you don't get too far

Legs are required for jumping, dancing

Strolling along down the, what's that word again?

Street

Up where they walk, up where they run

Up where they stay all day in the sun

Wanderin' free, wish I could be

Part of that world

What would I give if I could live out of these waters?

What would I pay to spend a day warm on the sand?

Bet'cha on land they understand

Bet they don't reprimand their children

Bright young mermen, sick of swimmin'

Ready to stand

And ready to know what the people know

Ask 'em my questions and get some answers

What's a fire and why does it, what's the word?

Burn?

When's it my turn?

Wouldn't I love, love to explore that shore up above?

Out of the sea

Wish I could be

Part of that world”

    Dex breaches the surface, soaking in the warm rays of sunlight and the soft breeze shaking the coconut trees. The faint sounds of everyday conversation echo towards xem, and xe tries to make sense of the snippets of sentences that make their way out here. 

    There’s also a dark-haired boy sitting on the shore that xe’s seen a few times, waves lapping at his…why can’t xe ever remember this..?

   It doesn’t come to xem before the island starts yelling, and Dex is just barely able to make out what they’re saying. 

    The boy on the shore stands up and runs out of view, demanding. “What’s going on?”

    “It’s the coconuts. They’re black.” Answers a feminine voice. 

    Someone else says, “Te Kā’s poison has finally reached Motunui.” There’s something vaguely familiar about it, but Dex can’t quite figure out why. 

    “Fitz, how should we handle this?” asks an authoritative voice that Dex would’ve thought would be the one deciding what to do without the context of the rest of the conversation. 

    “We should clear out the diseased trees and start a new crop…over there,” answers another voice, and Dex guesses it’s the boy from the beach but isn’t totally sure. 

    “Great idea,” a feminine voice, probably the one from before, says. 

    “See, this suits you.” Dex is fairly sure that’s the authoritative voiced man. 

    The boy wanders back to the shore, along with an older man, maybe a parent?

    “Is that really true, uncle? About Te Kā’s poison?”

    Ah, so it’s his uncle. I was close. 

    “You’ll see. One day, sooner than later, the Heart of Te Fiti will be found.” That’s the oddly familiar voice. 

    Another man of the approximate age as the familiar one storms in. “Brother, what stories are you telling Fitz now?”

    The cute guy’s name is Fitz. Noted. I can almost hear Wylie yelling at me for being an idiot right now. 

    “Oh hush. What’s the harm in a little story?”

    Fitz slips away back into the treeline, and his father calls after him, “Fitz, you are the future of our people. And they are not out in the ocean. They are right here. It’s time for who they need you to be.”

    Dex decides to swim around, and see if there’s anything more interesting than two brothers squabbling. If xe wanted to do that, xe would have just stayed on the ocean floor. 

    Xe finds Fitz on the far side of the island, talking to a girl holding on to his elbow with long, dark hair, perhaps a bit younger than him. They’re in the middle of a conversation, so context would have been nice. 

    “What about the other side of the island?” Fitz asks. 

    “It’s the same, as far as I’m aware.”

    “So we should fish beyond the reef,” suggests Fitz, inevitably summoning his father. 

    “Fitz, we have one rule.”  

    “And that rule came from a time when there were fish. So what would you propose? Let our people starve?” 

    “There is nothing beyond that reef except for danger. I don’t get why that’s so difficult for you to understand!”

    “How do you know that? It’s not like anyone has actually been out there!”

    Fitz’s dad’s face darkens as he storms off, out of Dex’s line of vision. A middle-aged woman must’ve heard the commotion, because now she’s standing here too. 

    “Fitz, honey…” she says, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

    That’s the feminine voice I heard earlier. Are there only like five humans on this island?

    Fitz snaps, “It’s not like Captain Perfect would have--never mind, it’s not worth it.”

    Softly, the woman says, “He understands more than you know. Your father…used to be you, Fitz. He and his best friend sailed past the reef, where waves like mountains crashed down, overturning his canoe. Your father couldn’t save him.” 

    She pulls Fitz into a hug. “He’s hoping he can save you.” She pulls away, bringing the girl with her as she disappears into the trees, leaving Fitz with his thoughts. 

    He touches a canoe with his toes, and it’s obvious, even all the way out here, that he wants to push off, but there’s something holding him back. 

“I've been staring at the edge of the water

'Long as I can remember

Never really knowing why

I wish I could be the perfect tama

But I come back to the water

No matter how hard I try

Huri ke atu, 

taka kē ana

Ia te ara, 

hoki kē rawa

Ki te tānga-o-taku-manawa rā

E hao nei e!

See the line where the sky meets the sea?

It calls me

And no one knows

How far it goes

If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me

One day I'll know

If I go, there's just no telling how far I'll go

I know everybody on this island

Seems so happy on this island

Everything is by design

I know everybody on this island

Has a role on this island

So maybe I can roll with mine

Aratakina, hikitia rā

Ki te whaia pea ka rarata

Hoi i roto nei, hia kē ana

Aue taukuri!”

    Fitz closes his eyes and pushes off in the canoe, paddling with a small oar and pulling ropes to, presumably, open and control the sail. Dex doesn’t know much about sailing. 

“See the light as it shines on the sea?

It's blinding

But no one knows

How deep it goes

And it seems like it's calling out to me

So come find me

And let me know

What's beyond that line?

Will I cross that line?

The line where the sky meets the sea

It calls me

And no one knows

How far it goes

If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me

One day I'll know

How far I'll go!”

    Fitz fully opens the sail, and a strong gust of wind knocks him off balance. Dex doesn’t think before diving down into the water, where deceivingly rough seas are battering him and some broken-off pieces of the canoe against some rocks.

    Dex grabs Fitz’s limp body and pulls him onto the beach, praying to Poseidon that he’s okay. 

    But Dex knows that isn’t entirely true, with a bloody temple that, by Apollo, better not be a concussion, and a left leg twisted at an uncomfortable angle. 

    And then there are several cuts along both of his arms, and there’ll certainly be bruises once his body catches up to what’s happened.

    Despite all that, Dex’s fingers trace Fitz’s jawline, smiling softly as xe takes in his features. 

    Oh, he really is cute up close. Are all humans like that? Or is he especially gorgeous? 

“What would I give to live where you are?

What would I pay to stay here beside you?

What would I do to see you smiling at me?

Where would we walk, where would we run?

If we could stay all day in the sun?

Just you and me, and I could be

Part of your world”

    Much too soon, the girl and Fitz’s uncle notice Fitz, and Dex has to dive back into the water to avoid being seen. 

    Dex’s father may only have a few rules, but not letting the humans know of their existence is in all caps, highlighted, and underlined. Three times. 

    It would be so much easier if Dex could just ignore xor curiosity about these humans, but there’s something in xem that’s drawn to them. 

    But this one seems to be different. And that’s not something Dex can just turn away from. 

“I don't know when, I don't know how

But I know something's starting right now

Watch and you'll see, someday I'll be

Part of your world!”

When Fitz wakes up, his head is pounding. He fumbles around for his stuffed animal dragon he’s had as long as he can remember, coming back unsuccessful. 

    He does run into something person shaped sitting on the edge of the bed who says, “Well, it’s about time.”

    “Oh, hey, Uncle Tiergan. What time is it?” Fitz asks, eyelids fluttering open to midday brightness filtering through a patchy thatched roof.

    “Fitz, don’t you scare me like that again.” 

    “Wow, you sound like father. ‘Don’t go beyond the reef.’” Fitz collapses in a painful coughing fit. 

    “I haven’t told him you destroyed the canoe.”

    More details from today’s events piece together, and Fitz groans. “That bad?”

    “I told him the ropes came undone and the wind and waves caused it to capsize and crash into the rocks.”

    “Well that did happen.” Fitz tries to sit up, but the world starts spinning. 

    “Vertical is not your friend,” Elwin yells from his office, only separated from the cots by a few palm fronds imitating a door. 

    “And your father doesn’t need to know any more than that,” Uncle Tiergan says. 

    “Thanks.”

    “No problem.”

    The second time Fitz tries to sit up, it goes much better, and he shakily stands before hobbling to the door, pain from his knee shooting lightning up and down his leg. “Father is right, though. It’s time to keep my feet on the ground and stay in the village.”

    “If that’s what you want…go on then.”

    Fitz narrows his eyes, leaning against the doorway. “If there’s something you want to tell me, just tell me.”

    “Is there something you want to hear?”

    Fitz sighs. “Why are you acting weird?”

    “I’m the village crazy. It’s my job.”

    “I know that. You’re being weirder than usual.”

    Uncle Tiergan takes a deep breath and pats the space next to him, and Fitz reluctantly hobbles back over there and sits down. 

    “Iramutu, you’ve been told all of our peoples’ stories. All but one.”

“Tatou o tagata folau e vala'auina

E le atua o le sami tele e o mai

Ia ava'e le lu'itau e lelei

Tapenapena”

    “We were voyagers?” Fitz asks, not bothering to hide the amazement in his voice. 

    “You better believe it. We carved massive canoes from mighty trees, and we sailed. The whole ocean was ours to explore. Passing on lessons from one navigator to the next.”

“Aue, aue

Nuku I mua

Te manulele e tataki e

Aue, aue

Te fenua, te mālie,

Nae ko hakilia mo kaiga e”

We read the wind and the sky when the sun is high

We sail the length of the seas on the ocean breeze

At night, we name every star

We know where we are

We know who we are, who we are

Aue, aue

We set a course to find

A brand new island everywhere we roam

Aue, aue

We keep our island in our mind

And when it's time to find home

We know the way

Aue, aue

We are explorers reading every sign

We tell the stories of our elders in a never-ending chain

Aue, aue

Te fenua, te mālie

Nā heko hakilia

We know the way

    “The stories are real. And so is the Heart of Te Fiti,” Uncle Tiergan gestures to Fitz’s necklace. 

    His hand mindlessly reaches for it, opening the locket to find a green stone. “Do you mean to tell me that I’ve been wearing what is possibly the most valuable thing in existence since I was six?”

    Uncle Tiergan nods. “The ocean chose you.”

    “But…we just saw how well I can sail.”

    “Our island is in danger, Fitz. Real danger. You must find Keefe and return the Heart of Te Fiti. There is no other way.”

    “And how do you expect me to do that?”

    Uncle Tiergan gestures to Fitz to follow him, much to Elwin’s dismay, and takes him to a cave hidden behind vines and seems like the kind of place Biana would have found when ae was, like, three. 

    But when Uncle Tiergan pushes the vines aside and walks in, instead of the stalactites and stalagmites he was expecting, there are several dozens of boats of all sizes.

    Fitz’s heart literally skips a beat as he takes all of this in. 

    It’s--it’s beautiful…

    The spell is broken by Uncle Tiergan coughing heavily, stumbling outside to sit down. 

    “Uncle Tiergan!” Fitz calls, chasing after him. “What’s wrong?”

    “Fitz, I don’t have much time left. See those stars in the shape of a fishhook? They’ll lead you to Keefe.”

    Hot tears are already welling behind Fitz’s eyes, and he blinks them back fiercely. “I can’t do it, Uncle Tiergan.”

    “You can. And when you find Keefe, grab ia by the ear for me and tell ia, ‘I am Fitzroy of Motunui. You will board my boat, sail across the sea, and return the Heart of Te Fiti.’ Do you understand me, iramutu?”

    He starts coughing again as Fitz nods solemnly. 

    “But I can’t leave you.”

    “Fitz, there is nowhere you can go that I won’t be with you.”

    Another fit of coughs engulfs him and he collapses backward, breathing heavily. 

    “Uncle Tiergan?” Fitz falls to his knees beside him, ignoring the spark of pain that shoots up his leg. “Uncle Tiergan!” 

    Fitz turns to the nearest people, barely in earshot, yelling, “Help! Someone find my father! And bring Elwin!” 

    They take an extraordinarily long time to get over here for such a small island, and Dad, forcefully pulling Fitz away from Uncle Tiergan, demands, “What happened?”

    The fragile string keeping Fitz together snaps, and he shakes his head as the tears he’s been fighting waterfall down his cheeks. 

    “I’m--I’m sorry,” Elwin whispers. “He’s gone.”

    “Goodbye, uncle.” Fitz turns and heads for the cave, needing room to breathe, Uncle Tiergan’s final request rattling around inside his head. 

    He catches a stingray out of the corner of his eye and smiles painfully. Uncle Tiergan always loved stingrays. He even said he’d come back as one someday. 

    “Fitz, where are you going?” asks his father. 

    “To save our island from the wrath of Te Kā,” he answers, not bothering to turn back around and face him. 

    “Fitzroy--”

    Red-hot anger flares in Fitz’s chest, and he snaps, “I’m not letting any more of my people die!”

    “There was nothing you could do for Tiergan.”

    “But this is something I can do!” Fitz opens his necklace, removing the Heart and brandishing it in front of him like a weapon. “The ocean chose me! So I’m going beyond the reef, whether you like it or not.”

    He draws from the frustration at everybody on this freaking island as he storms into the cave.

“There's a line where the sky meets the sea and it calls me

But no one knows, how far it goes

All the time wondering where I need to be is behind me

I'm on my own, to worlds unknown”

    He sets off in a larger canoe than last time, and he manages to get it out of the door without crashing it. 

    “Take care, Motunui. I’ll be back.”

“Every turn I take, every trail I track

Is a choice I make, now I can't turn back

From the great unknown where I go alone

Where I long to be”

    Maybe it’s from adrenaline, maybe it’s from crashing against the rocks earlier today, or maybe Uncle Tiergan’s ghost is really floating alongside him. 

    “Courage, Fitz,” he says, hand resting gently on his shoulder. 

    Fitz barely manages to hang on to the canoe as he rides over the massive waves breaking on the reef.

    “Open your sail,” Uncle Tiergan instructs, and Fitz slowly releases the rope, filling the sail with wind. 

    Fitz smiles, taking in the salty ocean breeze. “That’s more like it! Keefe, I’m coming for you!”

“See her lie in the night on the sea, she calls me

And, yes, I know that I can go

There's a moon in the sky and the wind is behind me

Soon I'll know how far I'll go!”