#facing his fear of heights climbing up them rocks

[n0quart3r]

poor baby looks SCARED

[tcustodisart]

Connecticut Tav | Wood Half-Elf | Beast Master Ranger

So, this is my sheet for @bareee's @tav-dex. Went a little overboard and made a whole ass character sheet (man the last time I made one of those was so long ago). I want to write something about my cringe boy so. Buckle up because it's going to be long and poorly written (I suck at writing).

One edit because I'm a dummy, his alignment is neutral good not true neutral idk why I did that.

He was born and raised in his mom's and step-dad's tavern called Crow's Perch (not as fancy as Elf Song but in a different category as Blushing Mermaid)(the tavern thing is just for the sake of a joke that the most popular drink they serve is called 'Connecticut Water'). He has an older brother, who's a bard. Despite the description for Urchin background ("After surviving a poor and bleak childhood") he had a happy childhood, filled with love and support. The two brothers treated the whole Lower City as their playground: breaking into places just for fun, pick pocketing nobles, climbing Wyrm's Rock Fortress etc.

His love for beasts and creatures of any kind comes from the stories told by his step-dad (both him and Tav's mom are retired adventurers). Step dad was the one who told Tav about Darkmaw the Wicked *wink wink*.

At one point he got tired of the city life and decided he wanted to become a ranger. After successfully fulfilling some contracts he became so confident of his skills he tried to build a trap all by his own. The trap exploded right into his face (he himself has no idea how it didn't kill him or damaged his eyes). After that he was sulking in his hunting hut for a month. The experience humbled the boy. Most of his adventuring prior to the nautiloid could just be boiled down to hanging around one village and talking local boars out of destroying potato fields, and occasionally getting rid of poachers.

Before the abduction he was on his way to Baldur's Gate to see his family (which he hasn't seen in months).

Trivia (because it's easier to write stuff this way):

His hair started to go grey at the start of Act 3 from the weight of responsibility and stress.

In Act 1 he was corresponding with his family thanks to Faust. After entering The Underdark he stopped sending letters (In Underdark because it would be hard, in Act 2 because he didn't want the bird to be killed by Shadow Curse).

Despite being close to his family in Act 3, he didn't visit them or send any messages in fear that Gortash and/or Orin would hurt them.

He carries with him a razor and some fancy oils for his beard.

His brother wrote one ballad about him, soon after that Tav forbid him from writing more (it was very much not accurate).

His step-dad taught him how to fight with a sword, while his mom taught him archery and the art of stealth.

Tav's biological father died when he was very young so he has barely any memory of him.

Tav's a walking Merlin app, he can identify any bird by just listening to it.

He loves climbing trees. Either to rest on a branch or to scout the surroundings.

He loves picking up herbs and making potions.

Despite growing up in a tavern he's not much of a drinker.

He's very self-conscious about his height and chest-to-belly area. He tries his best not to show it.

At one point he was persona non grata at Sharess' Caress.

He enjoys fishing.

Sir Daisy Dewdrop Fluffington is a name of his childhood plush.

He knows how to play lanceboard (he often plays against Gale and tries to teach it to Wyll).

He draws in his journal. He drew all of his companions at least once.

He almost cried when Jaheira called him 'cub' and almost called her 'mom' in response.

He's scared of Lae'zel. But tries his best to understand and help her.

He had countless heart-to-hearts with Karlach.

In his journal he described Astarion as 'his equal on the battlefield'.

[smilesrobotlover]

Talon has never been afraid of things that people were typically afraid of. He never understood the fear surrounding spiders—he only found them to be pests that needed to be put outside where they belonged, and he even found some of them cute. Talon never found water frightening, the dark was no issue to him, and he found tighter spaces more cozy than anything. He was scared of monsters, but that felt more like a valid fear since they could actually kill him. But everything else he never understood the fear others had. That is, until he was swept into a different world surrounded by men looking for their respective heroes of Hyrule. Talon discovered that he was terrified of heights. He’s never had to climb anything high up—back then he would have his wife reach high places for him. Now either Malon or Ingo took care of those problems for him since they were both taller than him. But being on this adventure, he had to face heights more times than he’d like, and every time he faced them, his legs would turn into mush and he’d struggle to stand on his own. He always tried to hide it since he already felt like a burden to the other men, but he couldn’t. It was all getting worse when the men found themselves in the mountains, inching closer to cliff-sides that made Talon dizzy. Rusl picked up on Talon’s nervousness and he rested his hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t like heights?”

Talon gave him a look and let out a shaky breath. “Y-you could say that.”

Rusl smiled. “It’ll be ok, we’ll take care of you. And besides, we have Kass here in case we fall!”

The blacksmith gestured to their feathered friend who was chatting with Benji, but it didn’t make Talon feel any better. He didn’t want to put any responsibility on Kass, and he definitely didn’t want to fall in the first place. As the men walked, Talon couldn’t help but notice the cliffside getting closer to them, and he felt himself pressing up against the rocky wall more and more the closer it got. The path turned rocky and rough, and the edge was inches away from his feet. Talon turned away from the cliff, hugging the wall as he shuffled forward. This slowed him down, and the others were far ahead of him, not seeming to care that one wrong step could send them to their death. But Talon didn’t care; he didn’t bother to call for them. He was just focused on his breathing and shuffling along the wall.

“Talon.”

The farmer flinched and looked to his side where Leon was standing, watching him worriedly. “S-sorry,” Talon apologized, and Leon waved it away.

“It’s alright, we just don’t want to accidentally leave you behind. Here,” Leon offered his arm for Talon to grab onto, “you can hang onto me, but the sooner we’re off this path the better.”

Talon let out a breath and complied, not caring that it was childish to do so. Leon walked slowly, yet with confidence as Talon stumbled along. It wasn’t like the first knight to slow down for him, but Talon was grateful for it. He peeked over Leon’s shoulder to spot the others already on the other side, with Rusl watching them anxiously.

“We’re almost there,” Leon assured, and Talon nodded.

“I’m so sorry about this—“ Talon started, but Leon stopped him.

“We all have fears, it’s normal. But that’s why we have each other. We don’t have to face them alone.”

Talon smiled at Leon and they pressed onward. He didn’t know how long they were going for, but it felt like forever. But Leon still held onto him as they walked, so he continued. Sudden shouting from the others made him and Leon pause.

“What’s going on?” He heard Leon yell, but he wasn’t able to hear a response before the sound of crumbling rocks was heard. Leon gasped and he spun around, covering Talon as small rocks and dirt fell on their head. Talon felt his stomach lurch as the mountain shook, and a loud crash was heard in front of them. Leon let go of him and he cursed under his breath. Talon opened his eyes only to see the path in front of them destroyed, and the others hidden by boulders.

“Oh goddesses,” he mumbled, and Leon cupped both hands around his mouth.

“RUSL! AMMON!” He shouted, and it was silent until the two heard a faint shout back. Talon let out a sigh of relief, but was returned to his own predicament. “Well, they’re alive,” Leon muttered, turning to him.

“W-what are we gonna do? The way forward is-is broken!” Talon cried, gesturing to the broken path. Leon hummed and walked towards the edge, then he gave Talon an apologetic look.

“It’s not a far jump…”

Talon’s eyes widened.

“No.”

Leon walked towards him, his hands up defensively. “Talon, that's the only way we can reunite with the others.”

Talon shook his head, but the mountain began shaking again, and another loud crash came behind them. To his horror, the other side was destroyed, and there was shouting from his friends again, this time with the clang of metal. They were being attacked.

Leon grabbed his arm and started to pull him towards the edge. Talon pulled back, stopping him in his tracks.

“Talon, we need to go. Now!”

“B-but—but we—“

“I know you’re scared, but we must get to the others or else we’ll be crushed by rocks!” Leon turned to the gap and ran towards it, jumping towards the other side. It didn’t seem to take much effort for him, but it didn’t make Talon feel much better. “Talon please!” Leon tried again, his hand extended. “It’s going to be ok, we’re close to the end!”

Talon swallowed hard, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest. He had to be brave—just this once.

The farmer started to slowly move towards the edge, his legs shaking uncontrollably as he shuffled. Parts of the cliffside began to give way, and it nearly made Talon fall to his knees, but with Leon pleading for him to hurry, he continued to move forward. He reached the cliff edge and he felt himself grow nauseous as he glanced over the edge. That was a mistake.

“Come on, Talon!” Leon pressed, his hand extended. Talon paused for a moment before letting out a breath.

“J-just give me a moment—“

“You don’t have a moment! Don’t think about the cliff, just jump!”

Talon swallowed again, his whole body shaking now. He shuffled closer and closer to the edge, feeling weaker each step he took. Leon was clearly growing impatient, but he gave Talon a confident look. He could do this. He had to.

“Run and jump, Talon,” Leon said, waving his arm towards him, and the farmer nodded. He just had to trust himself. Talon took a small step back and took a deep breath, then ran to the cliffside. But as his foot hit the edge, the ground beneath him crumbled, and he yelped as he began to slide over the edge. Talon’s hands were waving wildly, and he miraculously was able to grab onto something, stopping his fall.

“TALON!” The farmer looked up to see Leon reaching out for him, a more desperate look in his eyes. “Grab on!”

Talon was growing hysterical as the only thing stopping him from plunging to his death was his grip on the rocks embedded into the rocky wall. He squeezed his eyes shut, not trusting his strength to grab onto Leon.

“Talon please!”

The farmer looked up at Leon.

“It’s going to be ok,” the first knight assured, inching closer to him. “I won’t let go, just trust yourself, and trust me.”

Talon swallowed again, and he nodded. Using all the strength he had, he began to reach for Leon. Their hands were inches away from each other, and with one last effort, Talon swung himself, and their hands clasped together. Talon smiled relieved, as did Leon.

“It’s going to be ok,” he said again, starting to pull. But Talon heard something, an arrow shooting through the air, and Leon let out a pained yell as it was buried into his back. A sudden electric shock went through both of them, and Talon yelped as he lost all strength in his grip, and he let go of Leon’s limp hand. He could do nothing but watch as Leon and the path grew smaller and smaller as he plunged to the world below.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Talon awoke with a jolt. He instinctively started to feel himself, checking for injuries, but he found none. He let out a loud sigh of relief, rubbing his hand against his head as everything came back to him. Was it all a nightmare? He didn’t know what else it could’ve been—he fell. Not even a tough Hylian would’ve been able to survive a fall like that. Yet… it felt so real…

Talon rested his hand on his heart and attempted to slow down his breathing. Whatever it was, he was still worked up over it; beads of sweat were beginning to drip down his forehead, and his throat hurt as though he was about to cry. He glanced over to his left and found himself in a clearing surrounded by trees, but no one else was there. He frowned and turned his head to the other side and found a shallow spring with fairies gently floating around it. Yet no sign of anyone. He sat up and flinched at a sharp pain going through his ribs. He groaned and rubbed at the area, trying to breathe in a way to not make the pain worse. Why was he hurt? What happened? Where was everyone? Talon’s questioning thoughts were interrupted when he heard movement behind him, and he spun around only for his heart to stop at the sight.

A large man was watching him from the shadows of the trees. He had long white hair that sat on his shoulders, with strange markings decorating his cheeks and forehead. But what scared Talon the most were the bright, white eyes staring back at him. The man began to move towards Talon, and the farmer began to scramble away despite his aching side.

“N-no no no! Stay away! Please!” Talon begged as the man reached him in only a few strides, but he stopped in front him.

“Be at peace, Talon. I will not harm you,” the strange man said, his hand raised in a way to calm him. Talon’s mind went blank as he stared at the large man, his eyes feeling like they were popping out of his sockets.

“D-do I—do I know you?” He stammered, fearing to anger him. The man’s expression was blank as he stared back at him, but he shook his head.

“No. But I know you.”

That certainly didn’t tell Talon anything. He looked side to side again, hoping to find one of his friends, but he remained alone with the strange man who somehow knew him. He swallowed and sat up, once again cradling his side with a wince.

“Um… Who—who are you?” Talon tried again, and the man simply kneeled in front of him, his expression continuing to remain blank. He was silent for a moment, and Talon wondered if he even heard him, but he finally spoke up.

“I am called the Fierce Deity,” he answered.

“Oh.” Well that still didn’t answer anything for Talon. But he supposed it was better than nothing. “Well… Uh… nice to meet you then. Um… Can I just call you Fierce? Or… something?”

Fierce’s expression was making Talon grow uncomfortable. He couldn’t tell what he was thinking, or if he was thinking at all. Was he even a Hylian?

“You may call me whatever you like,” he said after a long moment of silence. Talon nodded, and he began to lean back, his whole body beginning to shake. He fell backwards and let out a sigh, staring at the sky. With this… Fierce Deity here… It was becoming harder and harder to explain the previous events as a dream. Fierce suddenly came into his view, and Talon’s eyes widened.

“Wh-what?”

“Are you alright?”

Talon let out another sigh, rubbing his ribs. “I–I don’t know. My ribs kinda hurt. And I’m confused. I don’t know where I am, I don’t know what happened to me, I don’t know how you know me or what you even are. I’m just—” Talon’s voice began to shake and he rested his hand on his eyes. “I’m so confused.”

Fierce’s eyes squinted slightly and he left Talon’s view. “I can explain everything to you Talon, but first—” A twinkling sound was heard, and Fierce entered his vision again, this time with a fairy. “Let’s heal your side.”

Talon frowned, but the fairy floated towards him before he could say anything. In a blink of an eye, the fairy swirled around him, and his side suddenly stopped aching. Talon sat up, staring at his side in surprise. He always knew about the fairies’ abilities to heal, but he never experienced such a thing himself. It was incredible. He looked around him but found that the fairy disappeared. He glanced up at Fierce confused, who picked up on his confusion.

“It’s alright, the fairy only needs to return to a great fairy to rejuvenate her power,” he explained.

Talon nodded and looked down at his side, still amazed by the missing injury. Goddesses, he almost wished he could do that as well.

“It is fortunate that you fell closeby to a fairy fountain,” Fierce continued to explain, and Talon froze. Fell. So Talon did fall, so he…?

“What happened?”

Fierce turned to him and once again kneeled down. “You died.”

Talon’s mind went blank. “What?”

“You died.” He repeated, hitting Talon harder the second time.

“I… died?” Talon repeated himself, feeling his stomach sink to the ground. He died. That fall killed him. How was he alive? Did the fairies save him? Did he die when he hit the ground? His friends…

Did they all think he was dead?

Talon began to grow nauseous, and he ran his hand through his hair. “I died…”

Fierce watched him silently as Talon continued to look down on himself. There was no evidence from the fall, save for his aching ribs, but the fairy healed that away.

“Is-is it true then?” Talon asked in a quiet tone, his voice shaking uncontrollably. Fierce tilted his head which was the first emotion he’s ever seen him express. “Is it true that fairies heal you, even after death?”

Fierce was silent for a moment. “Only immediately after you die. If you die long before you can get to a fairy, then you’ll need fairy’s blood.”

Talon felt the blood drain from his face. Fairy’s blood was extremely illegal in Hyrule. In order to use blood from a fairy, it would have to be killed. To kill a divine creature sent from the goddesses themselves was an act of blasphemy. Did Fierce… kill a fairy to save him?

“You… you didn’t…” Talon started, but he felt his stomach churn, and he covered his mouth, feeling like he was about to vomit. Fierce’s eyes squinted at him, once again showing his confusion. “You didn’t—you didn’t kill a fairy did you?” Talon was able to force out.

“No, you died as soon as I reached the fountain. The fairies wasted no time in helping you.”

Talon felt a heavy weight lift from his shoulders and he let out a loud sigh of relief. “Thank the goddesses. I couldn’t live with myself if I was responsible for a fairy’s death.”

The corner of Fierce’s mouth was curled up in a smile, but it went away so quickly Talon thought he imagined it. “I could never harm Hylia’s creatures.”

Talon frowned. Hylia? “Right, well��� Thank you for saving my life,” Talon finally said, and Fierce nodded.

“Of course. It is my desire to help Link and those he cares about.”

Talon frowned again. “So you know Link… How—How do you know him? How do you know me?”

“You are Malon’s father.”

Talon nodded slightly. “How do you know my daughter?”

“She is Link’s wife.”

“Ok… And how do you know Link?”

Fierce’s empty eyes stared at him, and Talon swallowed, wishing he could read what he was thinking.

“Link saved me from an eternal fate in Termina,” he finally answered.

It was Talon’s turn to stare. Termina. He’s heard that name before…

“Before I ever saw Link, I always believed that mortals were all the same,” Fierce began, his eyes half-closed as if he were looking down. “They are selfish, greedy, and cruel. They’ll lie to you to benefit them, they’ll steal from you, they’ll hurt you. They use you and then give nothing in return. They imprison you when you have done nothing but help them.” Fierce’s voice had a hint of anger that sent a chill up Talon’s spine. “Link taught me otherwise. When Termina was threatened with destruction, he was the only one who set out and did something about it. I watched him help countless people when it didn’t benefit him; I watched him express compassion that was lacking from other mortals, and I watched him defeat evil, and save Termina.”

Realization hit Talon. Termina. He remembered Link telling him a story about a moon falling in a land and him going back in time over and over again. He always chalked it up as a child’s imagination, but now… was it all real? Did Talon brush his previous adventures away because he didn’t believe him? Guilt crept up on Talon. It was no wonder why he stopped telling Talon his stories. Fierce picked up on his guilt and tilted his head.

“What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing I just… I think I remember Link telling me about Termina… it’s… it’s real?”

Fierce nodded. “Link understands why you don’t believe him.”

Talon was taken aback. “Oh… well…”

“Do not feel guilty for not believing him.”

“… It probably felt like he had no one to talk to though…” Talon sighed. It was no wonder why Link was always so mature and jaded for a child. If everything he told him was true… poor Link.

“He has Malon.”

He supposed that was true, but regardless, he wasn’t there for Link like he should’ve been. He wondered if he would even want to see him again after this adventure…

“You have no idea how much you mean to him,” Fierce continued when Talon remained silent. “Everything you did for him, he cannot ignore it, nor can I.”

He didn’t feel like he deserved such talk. He didn’t even know why or how the deity knew about any of it. Fierce was large and stood out from the rest of the world like a sore thumb. How did he never notice him there, watching him and his family for the past fifteen years? The thought of it all was making him grow uncomfortable, so he decided to change the subject. “So… Termina… what happened after Link saved it?”

Fierce’s eyes went half closed again. “I’m not sure how he did it, but he left Termina, and he took me with him. I was doomed to remain in Termina forever, away from my Hylia. But because of him, I was able to return to her land.”

“You keep mentioning Hylia, is that a person?”

Despite having a blank expression, Fierce gave Talon a look as if he was stupid. “Hylia, the one who created your kind and Hyrule.”

Talon slowly nodded despite not understanding. He’s never heard of a Hylia who created Hyrule. He always thought it was three golden goddesses. If this Hylia created the land he called home, why hasn’t he ever heard of her?

“I could’ve left Link as soon as I was in Hyrule, but I instantly felt an emptiness where Hylia used to be. Judging by your lack of knowledge of her, I take it she no longer resides here?”

“Uh, no I guess not…”

Fierce stared long and hard at him before turning away. “I see. I was always curious since meeting Link, if Hylia’s influence on the world changed mortal’s nature. But, I suppose it makes sense that they were never influenced by the goddess herself. When Link returned to Hyrule he grew ill and didn’t have the strength to carry on. The mortals simply passed him by, which went against what Hylia believed in.”

Familiarity sparked in Talon. He remembered finding Link again in the middle of Hyrule field, burning up with a terrible fever. So Fierce was watching him the whole time. Where was he?

“You proved me wrong again, Talon. Not all mortals are selfish and greedy. Some are… good, and pure…”

“Wait, what? I proved you wrong? How?”

Fierce gave him another look. “You helped Link, and expected nothing in return.”

Talon frowned. “Is this about when I found him with a fever then? Trust me, I ain’t special for doin’ that.”

“You saved him, Talon. That’s not a small thing.”

“Oh come on! He was a sick kid in the middle of the field! Anyone would’ve helped him!”

“No. No one did.”

Talon froze. “What do ya mean no one helped him?”

“Like I said. The mortals passed him by. Link asked around Kakariko and Castle town for help, but he had no money. No one helped him.” Fierce’s voice grew angry again until his face turned to Talon fully. “You were the only one who reached out to him. He had given up at that point.”

Talon stared at him, shocked. It put everything from that time into perspective for him. Knowing Link, an eleven-year-old boy, tried to get help, but no one did? That didn’t seem possible, no one was that heartless.

“That’s how I know you. I saw the way you and Malon treated him. You may think you’re not a good person because you don’t believe him, but that does not erase all the good you’ve done for him. You restored my faith in mortals, and you saved Link. For that, I thank you.” Fierce bowed slightly. Talon felt his face flush and he turned away. He was starting to hate this praise. It almost felt wrong, especially from a deity.

“It… it really was nothin’. But… um… really I should be the one thankin’ you… for… you know… savin’ my life?”

Fierce squinted his eyes again. “You already thanked me.”

“Oh, well… It certainly doesn’t hurt to thank you again, now does it?”

Fierce stared blankly once again. “Why?”

“Well, like you said, it ain’t a small thing.”

Fierce stared for a moment, then turned away. “You mortals confuse me.”

Talon chuckled. “Well if it makes ya feel any better, mortals confuse me too.”

“But you’re a mortal.”

“Exactly.”

Though it was subtle, Talon could almost pick up an annoyed expression on Fierce’s face, and he couldn’t tell if he should laugh at it or not. They both remained silent for a while, until one more question went through Talon’s brain.

“What… are you?” He asked. Fierce looked contemplative as he looked down at his hand, and he glanced up at Talon.

“I’m not sure. I suppose I am what they call a deity. But I have no divine power unlike the others. A demon is a more appropriate thing to call me.”

Fear pricked at Talon’s chest and he turned away. “So you’re a servant to evil?”

For the first time, Fierce’s expression grew dark, and Talon leaned back. Oh no.

“I will never serve Demise,” he growled. Talon nodded, yet continuing to not understand anything he was saying.

“R-right! Well then… you’re no demon!”

“That’s what we were called in Termina.”

“Well, lucky you, this ain’t Termina.”

Fierce’s expression softened and he didn’t press any further. Talon supposed no one knew what Fierce was, but he began to feel less of a threat to him the more he talked to him. Sort of.

“You should get some rest,” Fierce finally said, standing up. “Fairies don’t rejuvenate energy.”

“Oh,” Talon looked down at himself, admittedly still feeling exhausted from before. But… “My friends will be out lookin’ for me. A-and the puppeteer too… I reckon he’s the reason I fell down the mountain.”

“I will keep watch. But you must restore your strength if you are to continue on.”

Talon sighed. The others could be in danger—Leon could be in danger, and he’d be none the wiser. But his heavy eyelids fought against him and he simply laid back, staring sadly at the sky. His mind began to run rampant over everything that happened to him, and he was struggling to calm himself down so he could rest. He died, he was resurrected, Leon was shot with an arrow, and his friends were either dead, fighting, or captured. How was he going to reunite with them? Will Kass fly down to search for him? Will they try to move down the mountain to find him? Or will they continue on, with Talon completely separated from them? Anxiety pricked at Talon; he couldn’t travel alone, even with a deity at his side. He was a farmer, not a traveler. He wouldn’t survive on his own and he wouldn’t know what to do if something happened. His heart already ached for his home and for his daughter, he didn’t feel like he could handle anymore stress. Tears pricked at his eyes and he rubbed his face, feeling a sob threatening to escape his throat. He was spiraling; no matter how much he tried to not think about his current situation, he couldn’t help but only think about it. It was all too much—this whole adventure was too much. Just as he felt himself go into panic, a soft melody suddenly filled the air. It was a gentle, rising melody that put Talon’s mind at ease. He felt his body relax and his eyes grow heavy, and a thought went through his head.

You’re going to be ok.

Talon took in a shaky breath, tears threatening to spill, but the gentle melody continued playing, and he was finally able to fall asleep.

[itsscromp]

Kuai and Tomas with a reader who's closer to Bi-Han and is crushed after his betrayal? They basically spend days 'mourning' if that makes sense, because they basically did lose a brother.

- 💀 anon

Kuai Liang and Tomas Vbrada x reader

💀 anon, awwwwwww this is cute, Y/n's brothers would always be here for them, no matter what. Word count:695

It was the early days of the Shirai Ryu and you were already struggling to adapt to the changes, not only that... you lost your brother.

You and Bi-Han were the closest when you started with the Lin Kuei, He helped you become the person you are today. You were forever in his debt, but that changed when he betrayed you three to side with Shang Tsung.

"Do your oaths mean nothing !!!" He shouted at you three when Kuai told you what had happened. "It's your duty to obey my will !!"

"Not when it betrays Lin Kuei principles, we won't sacrifice them to serve your ambition." Kuai spoke angrily.

The two broke out into a fight which left Kuai a massive scar across his face. When Tomas ran to his aid he turned to you. You were now scared of him. This wasn't your brother.

"Y/n... We can lead the Lin Kuei to glory, To let people know not to fear us. We will rise from the ashes again. All you need to do is stay loyal to my side." He stuck out his hand for you to take.

You nearly did, He was your brother. You would do anything for him, But what he was showing right now wasn't what a Lin Kuei would do.

"No..." You backed away from him.

"How dare you disobey your grandmaster !!!" He formed an ice dagger and lunged at you, You didn't want to fight your brother, but right now you had now choice. This wasn't the Bi-Han you knew.

Ever since then, you, Kuai and Tomas built the Shirai Ryu from scratch, But they could see how much his betrayal devastated you. They gave you the necessary space to process and grieve.

All you could think about was what happened that day. Your brain was still replaying that memory over and over again, How angry and determined he was. His eyes filled with hate. How much he wanted to kill you...

It was all becoming too much, Upon from building the new clan, you were on the verge of a breakdown. Tomas could see the mixed emotions boiling inside you one day and gently approached you.

"Y/n... How are you feeling ??"

"I'm fine Tomas" You said, trying to focus on your task, But it was incredibly clear to him how much you were hurting inside.

"Look... I understand your upset... He was my brother too"

You froze from what you were doing, your hands gripping your pants tightly, You were starting to shake. Tomas could see droplets of water on the dirt, You were crying.

"Oh y/n..." He gently kneeled to your height and wrapped his arms around you.

"Why did he do what he did... I knew what he did was bad but... He was my brother" You spoke through your sobs as you cried louder.

"I know y/n, I know" He gently rocked you.

You continued to cry until you felt another pair of arms wrap around you, It was Kuai.

"Bi-Han was our brother and always will be. I hope one day he will have a change of heart just like you do y/n" He gently scratched your scalp, this helped calm you down a bit.

"And no matter what y/n, you will always have me and Kuai Liang, You are not alone. We promise from the bottom of our hearts." Tomas gently rubbed your back.

The three stay like this, Not moving one inch. They let you get all the pain, grief and frustration out of your system until they're was nothing left. They could see how exhausted you looked. Kuai gently picked you up and brought you back to your room, tucking you in bed and pressing a gentle kiss on your temple.

"You'll always have a family with Tomas and me y/n" He gently whispered to you. Tomas came in shortly after and climbed in, Gently wrapping his arms around you and keeping you close, rubbing your back gently.

While you have lost one brother. Your other brothers were never going to abandon you, They would help you through this. Like they always do, no matter what.

Taglist @callofdudes @fun-k-board

[anangelwhodidntfall]

Acrophobia: Tsu'tey

Avatar Masterlist 

word count: 900

Request: What about something with Tsu’tey with dream!walker reader who is afraid of heights  but he doesn’t know because everytime they’ve gone flying with him on his Ikran, they don’t show it? 

acrophobia: mental health condition in which the individual experiences an intense fear of heights

You were one of Tsu'tey's top students despite being a dream walker, every task you were presented with you excelled until now. Today you guys were heading up to the Hallelujah Mountains to do some Ikran training and that fucking terrified you to think of how high you were gonna be up without any support other than to fall to your death.

"Hey, you okay?" Jake asked noticing your spaced-out look and how you kept holding on to the side of the mountain as you two walked.

"Yeah....fine." You said giving him a weak smile even though you were freaking out badly inside.

You guys approached the end of the cliff and you looked up and the vines and rocks you would have to climb to get to the first part of the mountains and instantly began shaking. You watched as Tsu'tey began leading everyone up the vines while you stood there frozen in fear at the mere thought of evening conquering this.

"Y/n you coming?" Jake called out catching Tsu'tey's attention who was already at the top of the mountain.

He looked down and saw you run back down the mountain making him concerned as he told his next in charge to take over for him while he went to check on you. He made his way back down the way they came and ran the way he saw you take off. He found you standing somewhat in the forest breathing very heavily as your eyes darted all around you.

"Hey, hey look at me." He said placing a hand on your shoulder and using the other to turn your face towards him.

"You need to relax. Follow my breathing." He said as you slowly began to mimic his breathing which helped calm you down.

"What happened my flower? You've been excited about Ikran training for weeks now." He asked concerned.

"I...um...I'm afraid of heights like that." You said pointing towards the mountains making Tsu'tey frown and a little confused.

"You are? But you can climb most of the trees and vines just fine and you've been on my Ikran before." He said.

"Because I know if I fall at least the forest is there to break my fall, or like I know you are there with me and wouldn't let anything to me." You said making him smile at the thought that you felt safe with him.

"But there, there's nothing or no one to catch me. I'm sorry this is so embarrassing." You said running a hand through your hair.

"Easy easy my flower. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. We can try this another way on a different day for now let's get you back to camp so you can get some rest." He said squeezing your hands before placing a kiss on them.

You nodded your head at his words as he called for his dire horse, he helped you up and you guys rode back to camp. During the ride, he noticed that you had relaxed a lot with it and that brought a warm feeling to his chest. Ever since your arrival, he had been cautious of you but he also found himself falling for you and had been fighting to confess those feelings to you so he had been showing him subtle ways to show you that he felt the same way.

"Hey is she okay?" Jake asked him.

"She is. Is that a normal sky people thing to be afraid of heights?" He asked Jake.

"Yeah, it is. It's very common where we are from. If you try again to tame Ikran with her, keep her from looking down and focused on your or something." Jake said as Tsu'tey thanked him.

A few days later, he took you flying on his Ikran around the Hallejuah Mountains feeling you squeeze him a little tighter any time he took a turn a little too close. He arrived at the spot where the Ikrans were and he hopped off before helping you off making sure to keep your eyes away from looking down.

"Okay yawne, remember what I told you?" He asked you.

"Yes tie the rope around its mouth and climb onto it quickly and make the bond." You said making him smile at how well you remembered.

You slowly started walking over to where the Ikrans were trying to keep your focus on them and not the fall below you. You took a minute to calm your heart down when you felt a hand on your shoulder followed by his voice.

"You are safe yawne, im right here ready to you catch if anything happens." He said squeezing your hand and making you smile.

One by one the ikrans started to fly off, but this really pretty blue and pink one hissed at you as you approached it and circled around it as you looped the rope around its mouth which upset it. You quickly climbed on it, trying to hold on to the rope while you grabbed your braid, but your irkan was so restless which resulted in you guys sliding towards the cliff.

"Make the bond quickly, yawne!" Tsu'tey said as he watched prepared to run to his Ikran.

"I'm trying!" You said frustrated as you both fell off the cliff making Tsu'tey panic.

Tsu'tey ran and climbed on his Ikran getting ready to go find you and hopefully prevent your fall when he saw your Ikran fly by his mountain with you on it.

"Tsu, I did it!" You said smiling at him as he smiled at you.

"I'm so proud of you! Would you like to go on a fly with me?" He asked as you nodded your head.

[kryte-col]

What I need is the clones to participate in a Wipe Out esque course.

Rex: Confident and in the interview he is talking about his strategy. He actually gets past the first platform. He struggles with the net climbing bit because he gets stuck for a second:

Rex gets through 70% of the course but fails that running up the slope part like he is a cat trying to escape a bathtub.

Cody: Rex roped him into it and wasn't competitive in the interview. But when the run starts he is the most competitive.

Does his best and gets to the rope climb at the end but loses his grip and the timer almost runs out. Makes time four seconds later than Wolffe.

Wolffe: Does it. No questions asked. He didn't know what Wipe Out was when asked in the interview. Fastest time

Echo: Big fan of Wipe Out. Explains the mechanics of the course in detail in the interview.Is excited for the 'team exercise'. Gets absolutely folded on that vertical wall climb. Says he enjoyed it and bets that Fives won't be able to do as much as he did.

Fives: In the interview he tells Echo to take notes. A big warm up in the starting area. Does not get past the platform hopping at the beginning. Sinks right to the bottom of the water like a rock. Will not comment on his performance afterwards.

Gregor and Boil: do a interview together saying they will beat each other. They both talk up a big game. But they fail miserably at that part where they have to avoid the poles. (Like jump over them because they look like helicopter blades, (what do you call them I can't find a pic) ).

Bad Batch:

Hunter: Gives one word answers in the interview. Tells the interviewer that he needs to do well because of Omega in the stands. [Pan to Omega in the audience with face paint to look like Hunter.]

Goes through the course well but after getting knocked in the stomach by a swinging log he struggles with the beam cross. But gets through it five seconds behind Cody.

This thing:

Wrecker: Says it looks like fun but is missing a part where he can break things in the interview He looks so excited at the start, he barely manages the platform hopping at the start, clutching the platforms for dear life. He fails right after at the monkey bars due to his fear of heights.

Crosshair: Does not show up. No one can reach him.

Tech: In the interview before hand he is stopped after seven minutes of explaining the technology behind the courses construction and how to complete it flawlessly. He stretches extensively at the start line and is asked to hurry up. Goes face first into the water. Does not get past the first platform at all.

Ashoka: Interviewer.

[blu-oo]

(Angsty-ish) Cole headcanons cuz he’s my favorite

1. When he’s overwhelmed/freaking out to the point his hands shake, the ground around him starts to shake as well without him realizing. The fastest way to stop this is if he or someone else holds his hands still.

2. He’s been trained in several “official” forms of dance (contemporary, ballet, waltz, etc.)

3. He developed a general fear of heights after The Fall, and it’s impacted him enough that things he used to enjoy, such as rock climbing, are now anxiety inducing. Because of his job as a ninja, he had to essentially Suck It Up™️, but that didn’t stop it from hindering both himself and the others/mission.

4. ^ because of this, when his thoughts/troubles got to much for him, instead of climbing mountains, he turned to food as a form of comfort. His friends/Wu do eventually help him through his fear of heights so it doesn’t affect him as much, but the fear never truly 100% goes away.

5. Post ghost form he had a habit of walking face first into walls/people. Even now when he’s tired he’ll still sometimes do it.

6. I think it’s safe to assume Cole in canon has at least some self confidence issues at this point. When the self doubt gets really bad, his powers will reflect the worst case scenario he’s envisioned (ex: he assumes his power won’t be enough for something and when he goes in for the earth punch, its like getting hit w a pillow)

7. Will fight a child for the last slice of cake at a birthday party (the ninja were invited as a surprise for the birthday boy. The child cole fought was, in fact, said birthday boy)

8. Cole’s habit of talking to himself grows to the point that he essentially rubber duckies himself when problem solving anything. He will do this in front of the other ninja and will just straight up not hear them when they try to help him with the issue. But also they have watched this mam have a full on back and forth conversation about a show he didn’t like before.

9. While caring for baby Wu, he gained the habit of going to check on him when he had trouble sleeping at night, tucking him in and sitting with him for a bit. After Wu returns to his actual age the habit never really goes away, but Cole is embarrassed about it so he tries to be extra super ninja sneaky when he pulls the covers up over Wu’s shoulders after his blanket had fallen a bit. Wu knows he does this but pretends to be asleep, after all why stop a kind gesture if it brings comfort to both involved.

10. Because of his lava arms, Cole (and Lloyd) are the only ones that don’t get easily burned by Kai’s fire. They’re usually the ones in charge of holding him back/cooling him down if physical touch is needed.

Surprise Jay headcanon jumpscare:

Since there are toys of the ninja, Jay goes out of his way to purchase all the misprint/goofy looking dolls of them all and proudly displays his growing collection much to everyone’s annoyance (especially Kai. They NEVER get his face right)

[justwritedreams]

Quite a fall | Jongho

Jongho x Reader

Word count: 2180

Genre: fluff

Author: maari

Warnings: Reader twists her foot, fake monsters. No proofread because I wrote at midnight.

Note: I don't know why but Jongho is wrecking me lately so I was kinda forced to write something with him. This actually happened to me 5 years ago lol but it didn't had a romantic ending.

Summary: Who knew taking a historic fall could feel so good?

⩥ Ateez Masterlist

Y/N loved her friends and couldn't live without them.

But the moment it was decided that San and Mingi would go with her to fulfill the bet, she began to wonder why she had accepted it.

And why she still called Wooyoung a friend, since the idea of the two most fearful guys in the group would go with her to the haunted mansion in the amusement park they were at was his.

The amusement park was for the whole family until the sun began to set, at night it was taken over by actors dressed as monsters.

But it wasn't just any monsters, it was Egypt themed. And the mummies were more terrifying than the 90s movie.

And what was the bet? The least brave three had lost at Rock Paper Scissors, and would have to enter the haunted mansion. While the others were outside recording.

However, they were one floor below the mansion because they had gone on the Viking boat earlier, which made her practically lose her voice since besides being afraid of monsters and anything involving horror, she was also afraid of heights.

Y/N grabbed San's arm on one side while the other pushed Mingi to go ahead, the three of them stared at the flight of stairs as it got bigger and bigger.

It wasn't just because the mansion was close but because one of the monsters was at the top of the stairs, scaring anyone who passed by.

"Stop being cowards!" Hongjoong yelled, clearly amused that he wasn't chosen.

"Complain again and you go along with us!" Y/N shouted, turning to face him angrily and saw the boys laughing at him, who raised his hands in surrender and stayed quiet.

"You guys know this is a really bad idea, right?" San spoke, cowering next to Y/N, he gripped her hand tightly as she held onto his arm.

"It's Mingi's fault!" she complained and the taller one stopped, looking at her in disbelief.

"How could I guess?" he asked, trying to hide behind Y/N. "Stop pushing me!"

"You're the tallest, you have to go first!" she said, trying to push him back. "And you bet with Wooyoung, it's obvious he was serious."

"I thought he was talking about the roller coaster." he defended himself.

The bet was simple: with the opening of the park, they divided into groups of three and whoever arrived late would have to face one of their fears, as well as pay for snacks. San, Mingi, Y/N, Yeosang, Yunho and Wooyoung arrived late. And it all came down to rock, paper, scissors.

Mingi was confident to compete against Yunho... and ended up losing.

The three went on high rides and paid for everyone's snacks, until Wooyoung remembered that it was the opening night of the mansion and that the three of them would have to go.

And there the three of them were, afraid to go up the stairs.

For Y/N, she had the perfect plan, she would hide behind Mingi and San, since one was taller than her and the other was stronger, very easy, she wouldn't even need to lift her head to look inside the mansion, all she had to do was stick her face in one of their shirts.

She had just forgotten that they were both as scared as she was.

After several long minutes and the rest of the group shouting that they had to go soon before the park closed, which would happen in two hours, they made it to the halfway point of the stairs.

Y/N didn't even remember her plan anymore, somehow she was leading the way, with San clutching her hand and Mingi on her side climbing slower than her. His legs were longer and yet he was behind.

"No!" San complained as she climbed another step, never taking her eyes off the monster.

"I think it's okay to pass." she replied when she saw the monster turn its back to scare a couple passing by. "He's busy."

Suddenly everything looked like a blur.

Y/N made a move to take a step forward while San and Mingi were behind her very fearful, the monster turned and faced the three. For two long seconds they stared at each other without doing anything and then the monster screamed and pretended to go to them, just projecting its body forward.

It was enough for the three of them to scream and try to run down the stairs. Just try.

Because Mingi went ahead, as he was strategically walking up the stairs slowly, San let go of Y/N's hand and in that half second their bodies blocked her field of vision. Y/N tried to go down at the same speed as San and Mingi but she was already late and her foot didn't settle on the step of the stairs.

With the fright and the vision a little blurred for having turned so fast, her strength was lost and she twisted her foot in a clumsy way and she rolled about three steps.

When she realized what had happened, at the exact moment she heard her name being called, she felt an unbearable pain in her ankle.

She took her hand to the place that seemed to be burning and a sob escaped, she didn't even realize she was crying until she noticed that her friends were running to her.

"Are you ok?" San asked worriedly and held his hand out to her.

But Y/N couldn't speak so she just shook her head.

"Y/N, get up." Mingi spoke and she sobbed again.

"I can't." she complained quietly, feeling her ankle go rigid and in her head there was only one thing going on.

That she had broken her foot.

San bent down to face her better and soon the rest of the group surrounded her.

"Y/N, what happened?" Seonghwa asked.

"I think I broke my foot." she replied between sobs and tried to look at the boys but because of the pain, she couldn't see who was in front of her. "And I think I ripped my pants."

A chorus of low chuckles was heard and she almost laughed.

"Yah, this is not the time to be joking." Wooyoung spoke.

"Can you get up?" Hongjoong asked and she even tried to support her injured palms on the floor but her legs were clearly weak from the fright and the fall.

"No." she replied weakly.

"Isn't it good to call some professional who works here and-" Yeosang's voice gradually faded as Jongho knelt beside her

"I'll carry you, okay?" he asked gently and Y/N nodded, wiping her face.

He put his arm around her knees carefully and the other went around her back, as he lifted her off the ground in his arms, Y/N felt her ankle hurt even more but her face burned not only from the pain but because Jongho was too close.

His breath was so close to her face and he carried her as if she were a feather.

If before her heart was racing because of the fright, now she doesn't even remember the monster.

Jongho took her to a concrete part that covered the root of a tree, she sat down and was now at his height.

"Is anyone going to do anything?" he questioned, looking seriously at his friends.

Yunho and Yeosang volunteered and ran in search of someone to help.

"Can you move your foot?" Hongjoong asked and bent down to help Y/N move.

She even tried but the pain was still intense.

"Ouch no, wait a minute." she screwed up her face and he stopped, looking worried.

"You're going to have to go to the hospital." Seonghwa concluded, crossing his arms and Y/N whined.

"Oh come on!' she snorted and now with her face dry, her eyes partially wet, she could face her friends properly.

"If I were you, I wouldn't argue." Wooyoung spoke and Y/N crossed her arms.

"You know how they put the bone back together? It hurts like hell!"

"Yeah, but it's not like you have a choice if you really broke your foot." San replied.

Y/N was going to look at Mingi but Jongho entered her field of vision, taking off the sweatshirt he was wearing and approached her to tie it around her waist.

Y/N kept her arms crossed but stared at Jongho's face in surprise, everyone was silent and he looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"You really ripped your pants." he explained, nodding towards Y/N and she felt her face heat up once more.

She brought her hand to her cheek slowly so as not to show that she was blushing because of it but seeing Wooyoung staring with a raised eyebrow, she knew it wasn't that subtle.

"Oh no!" she complained when she saw Yunho and Yeosang coming back, what really caught her attention was the ambulance coming after the two.

Wooyoung tried to contain his laughter when he saw the vehicle and was slapped by Seonghwa.

Y/N stared at the ambulance in disbelief that this was actually happening to her.

"I'm not going to ride that thing." she spoke softly and thought no one would hear but Jongho turned to her with a defiant face.

"Why the ambulance?" Hongjoong asked his friends.

"It'll be better to take Y/N to the hospital near here" Yunho explained as the paramedics got out of the ambulance.

"Did you know that there is assistance here at the park?" Yeosang asked, excited by the news. "Apparently that has happened a lot here."

"Come on, Y/N." Jongho approached and she looked pleadingly at him.

"Please."

"You don't want to argue with me now, do you?" he asked seriously and she was quiet.

She took a deep breath, giving up.

"Will you need a wheelchair?" one of the paramedics asked.

Y/N widened her eyes. Oh no, that would be too much for her.

"No!" she replied loudly, and threw her arm around Jongho's shoulder.

She had already been through enough humiliation that day.

She heard Jongho laugh softly as he carried her in his arms again and she glared at him, curious to know what he was laughing at but he didn't seem to want to share it now, and walked towards the ambulance without looking like she was making an effort.

He helped her into the vehicle.

"I refuse to lie on this stretcher, I didn't die!" she said when one of the paramedics indicated the gurney. "I'll sit here." she pointed to the upholstery beside her and the paramedic nodded.

"Will someone accompany you in the ambulance?" he asked, looking at the group of friends.

"I go!" Jongho volunteered first and looked at his friends. "I'll walk her into the hospital."

"We'll get the cars and we'll follow." Hongjoong spoke and the two nodded.

Jongho climbed into the ambulance and sat next to Y/N and the paramedic closed the doors, leaving the two alone in the back.

She took a deep breath and saw Jongho staring at her.

"All good?"

"It's all that stupid monster's fault!" She denied with her head. "Who scares people on the stairs?!"

He smiled discreetly.

"Not the smartest thing I've seen anyone do."

Y/N laughed.

"I bet Wooyoung recorded it, didn't he." she spoke and Jongho bit his lip, something that didn't go unnoticed by her.

"It was quite a fall."

Y/N shook her head and laughed, being followed by Jongho.

The scare was over, even if she was still in pain, she had to admit that it must have been a very funny scene that she would laugh about later.

When she had to rest for who knows how many days.

"You know what that means, right? I'm going to have to keep my foot still for days!"

"Hey, think on the bright side." Jongho pushed his shoulder against Y/N's and she glared at him with a raised eyebrow. "You got 8 slaves and if I were you I would charge Mingi even more because he left you behind on purpose."

"I knew it!' she said, slapping a hand on her thigh and reminded herself that his sweatshirt was tucked around her waist, "Aren't you cold?"

"No, I'm fine." he raised his hand in assurance and she smiled appreciatively.

"Thanks for what you did." she said and brought her face closer to kiss Jongho's soft cheek.

However, he turned his face at the same time and their lips ended up touching lightly.

The two stared at each other in surprise and once again that night, her cheeks burned because of him, shyly she looked away to anywhere in the ambulance. But Jongho brought his hand to her cheek and brought her closer, bringing their lips together again in a quick, soft kiss.

When he pulled away, his hand caressed her cheek and pressed their foreheads together.

"You really worried me."

"Well, looks like it was worth it."

[blacktofade]

Gemtho Fortnight Day 3

A/N: I’m so obsessed with this idea, I could probably write like 10k of Etho recovering and them falling in love. Help.

Prompt: c!gem as a lighthouse keeper saving c!etho from a shipwreck and taking care of him

cw: partial drowning, minor injuries

Gem sits upright in bed, gasping for breath, the taste of saltwater in her mouth.

As much as she wants to think it’s just a bad dream, being born into a long line of Keepers, she knows better. There’s a reason the lighthouse she lives in was handed down to her.

She slips out of bed, pulling on her clothes, and tying back her hair as she makes her way downstairs.

The thing about her sight is that it’s more of a feeling, a general sense. As she laces up her boots and tugs on her raincoat, she has no idea what to expect. She just knows that it’s something. Something woke her from her sleep and called out for her help.

The wind outside is so strong she can barely shut the front door behind her, rain immediately beginning to soak through everything. She raises her lantern in one hand, but it barely cuts through the weather.

At the cliffs, the ocean roars, waves crashing into the rocks. She can’t see them, but she can feel their spray, the taste of them familiar on her tongue.

Despite it all, she feels calm, she has a purpose, a goal, and it tugs at her, leading her down towards the stairs that are dug into the rocky crag. She takes it one step at a time, minding her footing, because there doesn’t need to be more than one victim of the sea that night.

With the tide in, there’s more water than land at the bottom, and she wades through ankle-deep surf, lantern aloft, searching for signs of life.

She finds him folded into a shallow rockpool, face-down, not moving.

It’s not easy to roll him onto his back, but she sets her lantern down and manages with a rough shove. She doesn’t realize it’s a mask on his face until she pulls it off, thinking it’s seaweed, but his skin is pale, lips blue.

She has no hope of hearing a heartbeat above the noise of the ocean around them, even if she were to press her ear to his chest. But if they were in a silent room, she’s not sure she’d hear anything anyway, not with how he looks already.

Fearing the worst, she leans over him, pinching his nose and fitting her mouth over his own. She breathes for him, wishing for a miracle, begging the ocean to have pity, to give him back his soul. And part of being a Keeper is knowing that even despite her thundering temperament, sometimes the ocean will listen.

The man coughs, spitting up water and gasping for air as Gem starts to tug at him.

“We need to move,” she tells him, because as generous as the sea has been, she knows it won’t last. “You need to help me. I can’t do this by myself.”

She eases an arm around him, grabbing her lantern with her other hand, and thankfully the man moves, climbing to his feet. He staggers, using her to keep himself upright, and the difference in their heights has her digging her heels into the rocks the best she can.

It’s slow going as they make their way back up the cliffs, the man coughing so hard, she half expects him to drop dead again. But somehow she manages to get him inside the lighthouse, gets him onto her couch, where he sprawls with a noise as though he’s not sure how he’s alive.

Gem gets her boots and coat off, kicking into action as she moves around, lighting the stove to help warm him, grabbing towels that she’d been air-drying during the day, finding her first aid kit.

“What’s your name?” she asks, kneeling beside the couch and pressing a sympathetic hand to his arm when he jolts, like he might have been asleep.

He blinks at her and now that there’s more light, she can see his stark white hair, the mismatch coloring of his eyes. She’s not sure why the sea would ever let him go, but she’s thankful that it did.

“Etho,” he tells her, voice raw and she settles one of the towels over him, finding a handful of gauze to dab at the split just above his eyebrow that’s sluggishly bleeding.

“It’s nice to meet you, Etho,” she replies softly. “I’m Gem.”

His gaze darts around her face, as though memorizing her features, before he nods and shuts his eyes, sagging as though the exhaustion is finally catching up.

“You’re safe here,” she continues. “Try to sleep.”

He grunts in answer, and she presses a hand to the center of his chest, feeling the steady beating of his heart, letting it soothe her.

He may be a stranger, but he’s alive, and for her that’s enough.

[sonicblueartist]

🌊𝕊𝕒𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕆𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔻𝕖𝕖𝕡 𝔹𝕝𝕦𝕖 𝕆𝕔𝕖𝕒𝕟🌊

Masterlist

𝐑𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃: Yes || No

Pairings: Sails x F!Reader

Summery; Romantic/fluff headcannons

A/n: Does anyone want to be in the tag list?

AFAB/Female Reader// comfort and slight angst//Everyone is +𝟷𝟺

Word Count: 2720

𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐅𝐔𝐍❕️

✎ 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚, you will never feel alone or bored. He always manages to find an adventure when you're around. Sometimes, even if things doesn't end against your favors, you two always find yourself laughing and having fun in the end.

✎ Be prepared to be donated with sudden hugs and kisses because this fox loves giving attention. He also loves showing off his skills, especially in a fight. But he still prefers brains over brawn.

✎ His love language is gifts. Will give you anything he find interesting in an island.

"Ahoy, Sweetcheeks! I found this here an' thought you would like it."

"Aww, Sails that's so cute of you— is that a rock?"

"It looks just like you—"

✎ Definetly a poet. Will stutter if he accidentally says something absurd (not noticing it is until he read aloud) or  someone steps in/teases him.

✎ "Ye see that gal o'er there Cap'n?"

"Yeah?"

"Mine—"

✎ User of a lot of silly nicknames. Whatever you could think. He uses every one of them.

✎ Love painting your face on the books he reads.

✎ Will blush if you kiss him on the cheek.

✎ He adores when you wear his belt or his bandana.

✎ Somehow his metal hand always ends up tangled in yours.

✎ Dates on the Crow's Nest, while watching the sunrise/sunset, feeling the nice gentle breeze over your faces.

✎ PDA; outside, inside, whenever he had the time! When he is reading he will hold your hand or press his back/shoulder to you, when he is fighting he prefers to be around you (often with protective instinct), whenever they are searching for new islands he is always there next to you.

✎ Whenever you struggle he will always be there to help out. You are struggling to climb the ratlines? He will be there flying next to you, guiding with a close eye, hand behind you in case you slip.

"Come one, sweats. Just a few more. You are doing great!"

✎ And if you are scared of height then he won't be pushy about it. But he won't hold back from telling you to not give up just yet.

"The best way to face yer fears be Exposure."

"What..."

"It involves gradually an' repeatedly goin' into feared situations until ye feel less anxious."

"Oh..."

"An' after a while, yer anxiety will naturally lessen."

"Okay—"

"Now jump."

"Wait, what—" Sails pushed you off of the Crow's Nest.

✎ He couldn't help himself. Don't worry he catched you before you can even get crash.

✎ If you have constant nausea caused by the waves, he will always be by your side to get through it.

✎ If you have insomnia or  trouble sleeping, he invites you to sleep with him in his hammock. You are always welcome to sleep with him no matter the reason!

✎ He loves laying down on the sand, his fur mixing with the messy surface while you are by his side. You two staring at the night sky, counting the stars and joking around. He points out the stars and their names. Giving you knowledge about the constellations and little details he finds remarkable.

✎ He always plays a song for you with his mandolin. No matter the genre he can play for you.

✎ Secretly wishing you would carry him on your arms more often.........

✎ His tails always brushes your sides as he walked past you.

✎ He is just a sweet heart with a thrill for adventure.

✎ You always catches his stare on you. He becomes really flustered after that. So cute.

✎ "Cap'n told me that life been a deck o' cards, so I guess ye must be the queen o' 'earts. '' After a wink he walked away whistling happily, leaving you flustered.

[imaginethezeldaverse]

Hey, Bard! May I request some sort of situation then reader runs into Goron territory and grabs onto Daruk, sniffling nervously. And while big guy is trying to understand what is going on, dog runs to them. And both Daruk and Reader start to panic?

PFFFFT Okay so that would probably go like this:

To say you were having the worst day on your day trip in Eldin was an understatement. Instead of leisurely climbing the Death Mountain trail, you were instead sprinting on it like your life depended on it. Because it did. Danger was at your heels, so you headed you headed to the only safe haven you knew that was close by: Goron City. Your legs burned and your lungs heaved as your traversed up the mountainside, but as soon as the steel plating of the industrial town came into view, you used the very last shred of energy you had to hightail it inside.

"S'alright if it takes a day or two, I can handle not havin' it on me" bellowed Daruk's deep voice, as he handed over his beloved Boulder Breaker for some repairs. As soon as he'd walked off from the blacksmith's shop, he felt the swoosh of a smaller figure whip by him. Small hands grasped at the rocks that lined his back, followed the sounds of muffled sniffling. Daruk lifted his arm, peering under to see you tearfully hiding behind him. He did remember getting a letter from you a few days ago saying you were stopping in Eldin for a few days, but what he wasn't expecting for his first encounter with you in so long to start with you cowering in fear. "Normally I get a hello whenever ya come visit," the Goron champion laughed, his expression slowly shifting to concern, "Y'alright? What's got your earth quakin'? You trembled against your stonewall friend, "I'm sorry Daruk, it's just...they were after me and I didn't know where else to go or who to turn to other than you and I'm terrified of them and I--"

"Woah, woah, slow down," Daruk cut into your spiraling. His hand gently came to your back, ushering you out to face him. Eyebrows turned down he took in your quivering form, "I dunno what's got you shakin' so bad, but I'm not lettin' anything hurt you, got it?"

Suddenly a noise hit the warrior's ears. A noise that he hadn't heard in so long...a noise that he had tried so hard to keep out of Eldin ever since he was big enough to lift boulders. He turned toward the direction you came from, horror sweeping over his face. Running up to the entryway of Goron City was a pack of dogs, barking as they wagged their long tails on the way. Solemn as stone, Daruk looked on as he thoughtlessly shielded you with his hand in a protective stance, "...Is that what you were runnin' from?" Squeaking out a yes, you found yourself leaning into his fingers, terrified at that the very creatures that had chased you all the way to Goron City had finally caught up with you.

Suddenly, you were snatched up in Daruk's giant hand and slung over his shoulder, "WE GOTTA MOVE NOW THEN!" he shrieked, nearly stumbling over his own feet as he turned tail in the opposite direction. Noises of panic and fear escaped the Goron stalwart, only feeding your own terror as you clung to him. The pack of dogs followed you both, gaining on Daruk as he clambered up toward the outskirts of Death Mountain. You held around his neck as he climbed up a steep crag, giving himself some height that he knew the dogs couldn't reach. Steadfastly holding onto Daruk, he held you close, sharing your dread and disdain for the furry creatures.

The two you shook in fright at the rambunctious canines who barked and yipped for your attention. To most they would simply see a bunch of pups that seemed like they wanted to play with you guys. To you two however, all you saw was teeth and held on to memories of dogs that had left you both a little traumatized. A particular large bark made you jump, dropping your pack at your feet. The contents spilled out en masse: several small weapons, a journal, a few health potions and other liquids, and of course - a few apples. As they rolled, a few of your fruits fell off the rock form you stood on to plop at the feet of your prowlers. All barking ceased, small noises of munching and snapping being audible for only a few moments - and then total silence.

It took a few moments for you to realize that you no longer heard the dogs crying at you. Carefully you peeled yourself from Daruk's strong grip (who of which was still holding his free hand over his head), peering over the edge to see the animals had completely disappeared. "They're gone...?" you said aloud. At first it struck you as odd, until you made out the bits of apple skins and stems at the bottom of the rock. "Ah!" you yelled, getting Daruk's attention. Turning towards the Goron you smiled in a mix of relief and realization, "They're gone! And...I think I know what they wanted." Grabbing one of his fingers, you led him to the ledge and pointed at the apple bits that were leftover, "They must have smelled the apples in my backpack and wanted some."

Daruk stared at the tiny pieces of fruit for a moment before bursting out in a guffaw. He sat himself down, clutching his head in laughter. Hearing him laugh had you giggling yourself, the whole situation feeling rather silly (though your fear was very real). Eventually you would gather your things, both of you talking about your fears over dogs and Daruk helping you get back down to solid ground. "Can't believe all they wanted was some food," you snickered wryly, "Here I was thinking I was mincemeat."

"You can say that again..." sighed your companion, "The lista stuff that scares me is short - but man are those critters at the top." You hummed in agreement, "Let's hope we don't run into them again, hm?"

He nodded, scratching at his head, "No kiddin' - can't promise I won't roll away next time."

Mouth agape in shock, you set your hands on your hips, "Daruk, you better not leave me to the dogs!"

Laughter echoed from both of you as you head back to Goron City together.

[outpost51]

Tiny Scene Sunday

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Murky Water

Tooth and nail, tooth and nail.

It wasn’t pretty work, what we did.

You’d think living in a lighthouse would be like cottagecore by the ocean, but the crystal blue waters I’d been sailing on when this whole mess was foisted upon me were nothing but a foggy dream now. The choppy waves that battered the island were as dark as they were deep; stained a mucky red-black by vessel after vessel they drove into the rocks.

Like the eggs Xoctosz was currently making for breakfast. Their hulls cracked as easily as eggshell, spilling their contents into the waiting sea. The awful things that churned up the surface devoured anything and everything they were given. I couldn’t call them fish. I couldn’t call them anything, really, out of fear they might turn their many eyes and teeth on me.

But did it matter?

Xoctosz continued his evasiveness on the subject any time I brought it up, often turning the question back on me.

I slipped out to the balcony and looked over the rail. It was a long drop. I lifted one foot onto the bottom rail, then the other. The water wasn’t any calmer than usual, but at least the wind had stilled long enough for me to make the decision on my own.

I was never any good at math or measuring distance by sight alone. What I did know, however, was that hitting the water from this height would feel much like falling onto concrete. Would I suffer? Could I suffer? I climbed onto the top rail, shuffling my bare feet beneath me so I could hold on with both my hands and toes. It was probably the second dumbest idea I’d ever had in my life. Un-life. Whatever.

My lungs burned.

If I was going to do it, I sure as hell wasn’t about to go face-first into the water again. With trembling limbs, I slowly turned around on the rail.

Xoctosz was leaning on the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest. “Scared yourself, didn’t you?”

“No,” I spat. The tremor had made it to my voice, though, calling my bluff before he ever had a chance.

He made no move to snatch me off the rail. Quite the opposite, actually; he made a shooing gesture with his hand. “Well, go on,” he chuffed. “Find those answers you want s’damn bad.”

Grinding my teeth, I stood on wobbly legs and resisted the urge to look behind me as I took a breath.

“Wait!”

I dropped back into my squat, grabbing the rail. I knew he wouldn’t—

The sneer that split his maw was very much not the changed-heart concern I expected. “Do a flip.”

I flipped him off as I pushed off the rail. In the few seconds I fell, everything slowed down, and I understood why people liked cliffjumping. The rush was unforgettable. And the landing?

Yeah, it felt like hitting fucking concrete. Zero out of ten, would not recommend. At least it faded soon enough, and in the peaceful silence before my world faded to black, I smiled.

“Y’know, I thought you’d at least try to hit the water feet-first,” a familiar, unwelcome voice chuckled in my head. “Sounded like a goddamn gunshot. Rise n’ shine, Keeper.”

I opened my eyes and saw nothing but teeth.

Shorts and Oneshots Taglist: @sparatus @starknstarwars @asher-orion-writes @tabswrites @thetrashbagswasteland

Ask to +/- in the tags, replies, DMs, or HERE!

[agirlandherquill]

the calendar project - day 10

cutting it close at 23:59, go me

daily page count: 1

time spent: 30 mins

here's today's pages,

“Are you going to take my hand Isolde?” He asked, for the third time. She was still, staring at his hand as though she doubted its existence, his fingers twitched, his jaw was beginning to ache with the tension grinding away at his body. Why is she stood there like that? What’s wrong with her?

He blinked when she finally did, only to find the brief touch replaced by the heaviness of his coat as she dropped it on his arm, reaching past him and for the saddle-horn. Reid slipped his coat on, sighing, “You’re going to need a hand up there, what with your dress and-” How do I put this nicely? “Height.”

Isolde scoffed at him, slipping one foot into the stirrup to boost her up enough to swing her body up and over the saddle, skirts tucked under her legs. He ran a hand through his hair. So she’s done this before, fine. 

He jerked his head at her. “You’re in my spot.”

“Oh, I am?” She seemed to slide further forward in the saddle, coming very close to lounging, in his spot. His knuckles cracked as he flexed his fingers, taking a step closer to the horse. “Move up.”

“No.” He flinched when she threw something at him. He caught it, glaring at the pair of heels with the ribbons tied together. He shoved them in the saddlebag and cast his glare on her, “Move, or I’m going to move you.”

She turned her face away, looking into the mist, Reid breathed out a heated laugh, She’s ignoring me? Right, that does it. He pulled her foot from the stirrup and climbed up behind her. Gripping her by the hips, he pushed her against the saddle-horn, chuckling at her annoyed gasp. “I warned you Isolde, now, if you ignore me one more time I will be throwing you off, do you hear me?”

He breathed the words into her ear, it was impossible not to. 

Isolde shifted in the saddle, her cheek just brush against his as she returned the favour. “Seeing as I’m the one holding the reins, we’ll see who’s in charge here.”

His eyes dropped to her lap, the reins were resting comfortably in her hands, he considered snatching them from her but she had already anticipated it, following up with another whisper, “Seeing as you have nothing to hold on to this is going to be an enjoyable ride.”

She nudged the horse and it moved, not in a walk, not a trot, but a gallop. Reid lurched forward, pressing his front against her for fear of falling from the saddle, his fingers dug into the leather beneath him as he rocked unsteadily. Isolde seemed to delight in his suffering, and urged the horse to go faster. His hands flew to her hips as the horse soared down the paved track, “Fuck,” He muttered, over and over, “Damn you, damn this, damn it all to hell, you’re a maniac-” He bit his tongue as the horse jolted, feeling his thighs bruising against the saddle, “-Fuck!”

Isolde turned her head just enough to look at him, curiosity sparkling in her eyes. “What was that?”

“Nothing, keep your eyes on the road!”

If his grip tightened on her hips Isolde didn’t seem to notice. “No, go on, enlighten me. It’s been a while since I’ve heard any Leirside.”

“Leirside? You mean normal words?”

“I don’t know, was that what you said?”

“Fuck. It’s not that difficult, surely you know that.” He winced as the horse came alarmingly close to the side of the road, Isolde finally looked back at the path and repositioned the horse, but by no means did she slow it down. “Never said I didn’t, it’s just surprising to hear it from the likes of you.”

Reid swallowed back a retort and paid attention to the mist that was beginning to clear, in the distance he could see a looming pillar of crumbling stone, it served as a marker. We’re on the right path, good. Reid shifted, eyeing his hands on her warily, if they weren’t going at such a deathly pace he’d let her go, but she wouldn’t slow down, so he didn’t have a choice, did he?

[accirax]

Disventure Camp All Stars Power Ranking (Round 15)

Can you believe this is my 10th round of doing these Power Rankings? Despite the ups and downs of the season, it's been super fun to see this through throughout the entire season. Let's hope that my 10th ranking will bring a 10/10 score! (Or, rather, a 6/6.)

In case you haven't seen my previous power rankings, the Power Ranking Format is essentially a way of ranking how well each player is doing in the game. So, in essence, this is a long form way of predicting who I think will be eliminated from the competition in the next episode. There will be spoilers for last week's episode (obviously) and its power ranking, so make sure to read that first if you don't want to be spoiled on how I ranked our last boot. If you want more clarification on the rules, that first post will help you out as well. Furthermore, I'm going to be spoiling the preview for next episode, so if you want to go in TOTALLY blind, save this for later. Let's go!

Recap - Aiden's Elimination

Current Score: 65 acquired/97 total

(Points versus @venus-is-thinking: 16 acquired/23 total)

Seems like it was finally Aiden's time to go. Although, really, it should've been Jake's time to go (in universe), he just won immunity. Still, Aiden has gotten so much spotlight these past few seasons that the end of that focus felt inevitable. I'm not too mad that he was eliminated in this way, only upset that I didn't put him lower on the list. Damn you, Grett, and making it sound like you would vote with the heroes...

I still don't completely understand the logic behind Grett making this move (as I elaborated upon at the end of my initial thoughts), but I'm way less confused about this than I was about, say, Aiden's plan to expose the kiss, or even Magenta's choice to eliminate Hunter way back when. I think it'll make for a more exciting finale either way, so it's probably for the best. Again, only mildly frustrated with myself that I didn't call it better.

Trailer Analysis

Okay, so this definitely seems relevant to the challenge. Given all the other stuff we've seen, I'm guessing it's the end?* Go through a bunch of obstacles; first person to zipline to the flag gets immunity. Seems simple enough...? At least Aiden doesn't have to once again face his dubiously remaining fear of heights.

What a surprise that they're fighting again. They're in their pajamas, meaning that this is probably at camp near the beginning of the episode.

Emily is real again! Seems like they may be plotting their revenge this episode, as opposed to actually carrying it out. Or, this could be Trevor changing his mind about revenge in the first place.

Connor giving Riya the silent treatment. Good for you, king.

Okay, I wouldn't normally put this in, but given that they put it in, clearly there's something to be gathered here. This really seems like it would be a non-team challenge, meaning there's probably only one challenge tester? If so, then I think the relevant piece is that neither Derek nor Trevor is testing the challenge. My guess is that Derek is exempt via Kristal, but Trevor may have ditched in his rebellion.

Okay, so sandbags are part of the challenge, and it appears Connor and Alec reach them first.

There's also rock climbing.

Riya is potentially sabotaging Yellow? From the previous shot, it looks like Alec is blue, so it's not him. Interestingly, Connor also seems to be running past Yellow, so it's not him. It's also not Grett, as she's shown as Orange in the thumbnail. Maybe Jake is Yellow? Or maybe Riya is just picking up her own bag.

More of Riya using her feminine wiles.

Ally is black, and *it seems like that wasn't the challenge endpoint after all.

Ally and Jake's fighting will get physical, as well. Given that we don't really see Ally's hair messed up elsewhere, maybe the rock climbing is the end of the challenge? Although then, where did the bags go?

Riya's trying to kill people again, including her (former?) allies. Typical. (Alec is the question mark; Connor is clearly a former ally if you even count him as ever being an ally at all.)

"Don't mind him. He's just moody~"

The malewife-ification of Alec continues. Riya has definitely gone mad with power if this is how she's treating her only real alliance. I feel like Alec's gonna snap sooner or later.

Power Ranking

#1: Connor

Venus and I talked about this one a bit after last week's episode, and, it would be way too sad if Connor was taken out in this time in this way, right? He literally directly vowed that this time, he would be the one to take out Riya (and win), and he even has a totem now. If he went home with an idol in his pocket, that would be devastating, and totally go against all the positive momentum he's been building up to this point.

Now, it's certainly possible that Connor will have to play his idol this episode if he wants to survive, but that still means that he wouldn't be going home this time. Especially with Grett potentially giving him a tip-off about what the vote would be, he really shouldn't fail in this regard.

Now, I'm still torn about whether Connor will be a finalist or not, and I don't think he'll win. Or at least, I hope he doesn't, because other contestants need the money way more than he does. And, you can't even really argue that he played the best game, considering that he literally got voted out once before and only managed to get back into the game with Ashley's help. I think Connor could be a losing finalist, or get eliminated at final 4 or 5. However, I don't think he's headed home just yet, so he's at #1 for me.

#2: Ally

Perhaps it's Ally's fate to ping pong across my list, this late into the season. Or, maybe just pong. That's the video game version.

As Grett pointed out, Ally is now in a swing vote position. It'll be up to her and Grett to determine whether one of Alec and Riya or one of Jake and Connor is going home. Therefore, there really shouldn't be any reason why Ally would be going home this time. Sure, Jake might want her out, but him choosing to either A) convince Alec and Riya to work with him and Connor to take out Ally or B) convince Grett to likely send it to a 3-3 tie both seem incredibly implausible. I guess the 3-3 could work if Connor planned to idol Ally out by protecting himself/Jake, but still, it's a bad idea to let Grett in on schemes to eliminate Ally, even if Jake might not know it.

From a narrative perspective, I also don't think it would make sense to eliminate Ally here. She has more decisively turned towards the villainous, but all of the heavy plan-lifting has been left to Riya or Grett. I'm not necessarily saying that Ally needs to herald a scheme of her own before she's eliminated, just that sending Ally home as collateral damage to one of them feels like an underwhelming end to her character. All of this arguing must be building up to something big, right?

#3: Grett

She's here along with Ally as a likely swing vote who has a scheme up her sleeve that seems like it's going to play out. One question you may be asking, though, is why I have Grett below Ally. Grett is a strong winner choice, and the one driving the plan. She probably has more options than Ally does, due to a longer history with the villains and a better relationship with the heroes. Shouldn't that make her more invincible?

Well, as I explained for Ally, I think that Grett going home as a result of her own plans is a better narrative ending than Ally going home as a result of someone else's. Make no mistake, I still think that Grett has been building up to at least one win all season (even if it isn't actually winning the season directly), so I suspect that whatever her plan is will work for the time being. However, she did have a really nice bookend to the pull-up thing last episode. Was that a feather in Grett's winner edit cap, or was it a signal that Grett's character arc is done, and so is her time in the show?

While I'm not relying on it as much as last time, I do think that Grett's going to be pulling the strings this time around. There's a chance that she could yank too hard, and wind up cutting hers instead. That's unlikely enough for now, though, that she's here at #3.

#4: Jake

I definitely struggled with whether to put Grett or Jake higher, as I'm expecting that neither of them will go home, but could see scenarios in which they could. I wound up putting Grett higher, because I think that the high likelihood of her plan working is more important than the longevity vibes I get from Jake. However, I think that Grett also has the more compelling reason to go home, whereas Jake's is more... bleh.

Basically, I see Jake going out if Riya wins immunity, and Grett and Ally decide that it's better to work with the villains for another round (and still be able to 3-2 them later with Connor) and take out Jake. In this scenario, they don't tell Connor to play his idol on Jake, and he doesn't figure out that he should because he just assumes that Riya will want to eliminate him first and foremost. Basically, this is another "the narrative stalls for an episode to set up bigger conflicts later" option.

It's logical enough-- keeping Riya, Connor, and Alec in the game means that they can keep working on their little trio relationship together, while Grett and Ally stay in the game together to continue strategizing. Jake does have relationships with Connor and Ally, but his elimination could cause Connor to become even more firm in his need to play his idol correctly, and Ally to see how she feels once she finally got what she wanted.

The issue is, the whole plan sucks for Jake's characterization, including the fact that he'd go to the Loser's Motel and see Tom several episodes before the dedicated time in which we could see them talk. This option only works if the writers decide they don't care about Jake anymore, and given how much focus he's gotten, I find that unlikely. Still, with this few people left, that still puts Jake in the bottom half for now.

#5: Alec

Sort of similar lines as Jake, but this time if Riya wins immunity and Grett and Ally choose to simply switch villain targets (at least, as I see the setup in my mind). Alec is still a challenge threat, on both a physical and intellectual level. Riya by far has more power now-- including over Alec-- so she's the bigger threat. But, still, it took Miriam, Fiore, and Ellie working together last season to keep Alec out of a Final 3 he probably would've won. If you have the chance now, it could be a good idea to take him out.

It'd be a sad ending to Alec's story, but so has, like, everything in recent memory. I could see them striking a balance where Alec is still mostly "punished" for his villainous actions overall, but is able to reconnect with Connor (much like he already reconnected with Fiore) before his elimination. Alec and Connor seem like they'll be on good terms this episode, running and climbing together, so I could see that going down.

I've mostly just been stalling before the main event, though. There's no way it's not #6... right?

#6: Riya

I also talked about this with Venus last Saturday, so I already know that we're both going to have Riya at the bottom. There are, like, a bazillion reasons why it makes the most sense for Riya to go down next. Okay, maybe not a bazillion, more like four. But still, here they are.

Riya is, overall, very threatening. It's true that she's not that strong, and she doesn't really have allies (in or out of the game) other than Alec. Still, she's a villain who will absolutely cheat. I wouldn't want that in the finals with me.

Riya was a finalist in Season 2, landing in second place. Under the assumption that the writers don't want any repeat finalists, she is going to go home in the next three episodes.

Connor, once again, literally told us directly that he was going to take her down. Connor is a hero, and Riya is a villain, and we're meant to root for this happening. It feels too late in the season for this to be a subversion where the heroes(?) bounce back after Connor fails. Who would fill his shoes to finish the deed, Jake? How is Connor meant to have any more time to turn his story around?

We've also seen a lot of evidence of Alec's mounting frustrations with Riya. Literally no one wants her in this game anymore, other than maybe Ally.

The bigger question in my mind is whether Connor will need to use his idol to take her out or not. There are some nice parallels to be had if he does, both with him taking extra steps to take her out this time instead of sacrificing himself to keep her in, and possibly with an idol successfully being played on Jake at the final 6 instead of it being wasted like it was in Season 1. But, I really feel like it has to be Riya's time to go. If it isn't, well... I hope the rest of my list holds up well enough.

That's all for now! Being confident always scares me, because sometimes you turn on the episode and you just instantly know you're wrong, y'know? And that feeling is terrifying. Needless to say, Venus and I will be on a wild ride if Riya does win immunity or whatever. I'm hoping that we'll all see Riya take a massive L this Saturday... for the sake of my rankings, of course.

[jarino]

Ghost Towns: Chapter 4 (She's Gone)

Sidon and Link take on Vah Ruta together and Link gets to see Mipha one last time.

AO3 Link

When Link arrived at the reservoir, he noticed Sidon was there waiting for him. The prince’s back was turned to him, not having noticed his presence yet.

Link glanced up at Vah Ruta. The beast let out a loud trumpet, its trunk arcing upward as it continued to spray water everywhere.

Slowly, Link approached Sidon and gave a small cough to announce himself.

He turned to face Link, a smile instantly gracing his face upon noticing him.

“Hello, Link. I trust you found the shock arrows without issue?”

Link nodded. While it had been a stressful task, ducking and hiding behind rocks as he tried to avoid the lynel’s line of sight, he ended up gathering what he needed without needing to fight.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Sidon said. “Do I take it you’re ready to face the divine beast?”

‘Yes.’

“Very good.” Sidon proceeded to hop into the water. “Go ahead and climb on my back. I will ensure you get within range of Vah Ruta safely.”

Link stared at him for a moment, unsure how to mount his friend without making this awkward for both of them. After a bit of contemplation, he knelt down and carefully straddled Sidon’s waist. His legs were stretched wide, given the size of Sidon’s torso, and he had to squeeze his thighs in order to stay mounted properly.

A blush ran up his neck as the reality of the situation caught up with him.

For whatever reason, the prince didn’t seem to be bothered by his lack of decorum. He tried not to read into it too much.

“Are you ready?” Sidon asked, breaking Link from his improper thoughts.

‘Ready,’ he spelled against his back.

“Okay, hold on tight.”

Link grabbed onto his shoulders and Sidon took off like a rocket, speeding through the water at a breakneck pace.

As they neared the divine beast, it let out a roar before activating its defenses. Large blocks of ice were fast approaching the pair.

Pulling out the Slate, Link broke them with cryonis before they could get too close.

“Now’s your chance!” Sidon yelled over the rushing water.

He sped closer to the mechanical beast, and Link took the chance to leap towards the nearest spout of water, swimming against its current. Upon breaching the top, he immediately began firing shock arrows, quick as lightning. Two mechanisms down, two to go.

As he fell to the water below, Sidon was there to catch him, and quickly repositioned him onto his back.

The repeated the process until all of the defenses has been deactivated.

Vah Ruta fell silent, its trunk toppling below as it temporarily lost energy. Slowly, the rainclouds that had been ever present began to dissipate and a few sun beams started to shine down on the pair.

“Well Link, here we are…” Sidon said, swimming towards the beast at a more leisurely pace. “This is where the real work starts.”

He continued to glide closer until Link was able to hop off onto the platform.

“Show the enemy no fear,” he said with a pump of his fist. “I’ll see you back at Zora’s Domain. Farewell…”

The divine beast began to rumble at that moment, rising back to its former height. Link watched as Sidon became nothing more than a speck as he rose into the air. He was on his own now.

Upon entering Vah Ruta, Ganon’s influence was immediately apparent. Goopy malice stretched across the room, pooling in every nook and cranny. The menacing eyeballs sent chills down Link’s spine, but luckily it only took a few arrows to eliminate them and clear the malice away.

He began the task of freeing Vah Ruta by approaching a pedestal. By placing the Sheikah Slate inside, he was provided with a map of the mechanism.

As his attention was focused on the map, he wasn’t prepared for the voice that appeared next.

“You’re here…I had almost given up hope…”

The voice was quiet, but filled with joy. He recognized it, if just barely. That was Mipha.

“I knew you would come,” she continued. “I just knew it.”

Link swallowed thickly. It didn’t seem like she resented him, but he was still overwhelmed with guilt. He knew the princess had perished along with the other champions. He had to be hearing her spirit now.

Perhaps, if he freed Vah Ruta of Ganon’s power, her spirit would be freed as well.

Resolute, Link proceeded further within.

The beast was filled with puzzles and enemies, but over time, he was able to overcome each of them.

Ultimately, he found himself at the main control unit. This was it. If he managed to activate this device, his mission should be accomplished…

He raised the Sheikah Slate to place it atop its surface, but was interrupted by a swarm of purple goo.

Link stood back, preparing himself for battle as the form began to take shape. Its mass stretched and swirled, eventually taking the form of Waterblight Ganon.

Its monstrous eye twitched in every direction, and its long spear swung at Link almost instantly. He rushed to dodge it, before taking the chance to strike at the creature. He managed to get quite a few hits in, but the beast was tough. It didn’t seem to want to go down just yet.

Seemingly frustrated, the monster rose the water level in the room, severely limiting the area Link could stand on. Waterblight began to attack with blocks of ice, which Link was prepared for. Cryonis took care of those easily enough. He then took the opportunity to shoot the creature in its grotesque eye, stunning it momentarily. Using an ice block on the floor to give himself a lift, he dove closer to Waterblight, before laying into it again and again.

He wasn’t sure why, but he was overcome with rage upon seeing the creature. Perhaps some of his memories were leaking through.

It took a while longer, as the beast had stamina aplenty, but after enough hits, it finally let out a screech of despair. Malice began to drip from its body like blood, and a sharp, red light pierced through the cracks in its form. The light began to expand, and its shrieks of pain grew in intensity before it exploded in a blinding flash.

Link shielded his eyes until it was safe to look. Sure enough, the creature was gone. He had beaten it.

He let out a deep sigh of relief. It was over.

Link proceeded to continue what he’d been doing before, approaching the terminal once more. There were no interruptions this time, and when he released the slate from the pedestal, Mipha’s voice began to echo throughout the chamber.

“Hello, Link,” she said softly. “Because of your courage, my spirit is now free. And Ruta as well.”

Slowly, Link turned towards the source of the voice, his expression slightly awed as his gaze fell upon Mipha’s ghost.

“Thank you…” Mipha continued, “For I am now allowed by this freedom…to be with you once again.”

She gave a small, bittersweet smile, her eyes simultaneously full of joy and regret.

Gradually, she began making her way closer to Link, walking across the surface of the water. “Since I am now a spirit, my healing power would be wasted on me. I have no need of it. So therefore… I would like you to have it.”

She proceeded to gift him her power, and he felt a distinct warmth throughout his body as it washed over him.

“Yesterday, I was awash in a pool of tears. I had nearly given up hope and resigned myself to being trapped here, as a spirit, for the rest of eternity.”

Link gazed at her sadly, tears beginning to prick his eyes.

Huh? Why did he feel so sad?

“But now you’re here,” Mipha said with genuine warmth in her voice. “All this time, my hope…was to see you once more.”

Link’s tears began to fall freely then. He didn’t understand it. He barely remembered Mipha. And yet, his heart was aching uncontrollably.

A light began to emanate from Link’s chest and he glanced down in confusion.

“I must go,” Mipha said by way of explanation. Ruta and I have our roles to fulfill. We are both honored to play the role of support. We’ll annihilate Ganon together.”

Link reached out to Mipha. He didn’t want her to go yet. He had so many questions he needed to ask her.

“Farewell, Link,” she said sweetly. “And please…save the princess. Save princess Zelda.”

The light that has been filtering from Link expanded then, encompassing his whole body. He let out a strained cry, trying to stop it from taking him, but he was powerless to do so. He saw but a glimpse of Mipha as he was transported away.

He was dropped gently just outside Zora’s Domain. The moment he landed, he wailed loudly, the tears steaming freely.

He didn’t understand. He didn’t. But he couldn’t stop crying.

Mipha…she was gone. Truly gone. And he’d never see her again.

Slowly, his cries managed to die down. After a while, he calmed, and began rubbing his eyes dry.

The zora didn’t need to see his tears. He had to keep up the image of a strong hero, no matter how untrue it may be.

[orangeboulevard]

Six: Falling Down (Stargate)

Sorry for this being late... I'm pretty sure, I'm the only one arsed about it but oh well!

Summary: On a mission gone askew, Daniel discovers a new fear!

Word Count: 556

"Come on, Daniel, we have to!" Colonel Jack O'Neill shouted over the turbulent howling wind.

"No way! That fall will kill us!" Daniel Jackson shook his head furiously, clutching tightly onto the climbing rope, unable to move another inch.

The two men hung precariously off the recently erupted cliff face, the Stargate seemed to Daniel to be miles below them- or maybe not, he had lost his glasses in the chaos that ensued during the earthquake; the team had been warned about the actively shifting tectonic plates but Stargate Command had deemed that the benefits of the mission to outweigh the risk. Teal'c and Samantha had managed to leap through the stargate during the earthquake, but Daniel and Jack had not been so lucky; it was only thanks to Jack's ability to compute under pressure that were they now secured on a rope and not somewhere between the cracked land.

Daniel cursed the SGC to hell and back as he closed his eyes. They were too far from the rock face to abseil down. The colonel concluded that they would have to let themselves fall into the open Stargate; Jack was above him, waiting for him to move, but Daniel wouldn't budge- what a way to find out you have a crippling fear of heights.

Jack sighed, his muscles straining to hold himself, "No, it won't. A broken bone or two, though? Probably. It's not that far, Daniel."

"No, no, no..." The doctor's arms shook and sweat poured down his forehead. 

"How about this? I go first and have them lay out a mat for you?"

"No!" Daniel said immediately, he could sense the colonel's eyebrow raise at that, "You could... it's too dangerous, Jack! We should climb up and find another way down?" 

The older man groaned, "The DHD fell, Daniel! If this wormhole closes, we might not be able to open another one!" 

Daniel afforded himself a glance down, though it all looked blurry to him, he could make out the huge faults in the ground- entirely massive, dark, and all-consuming. The DHD had fallen, it had fallen, it had fallen- He was going to fall too! He was going to fall! Suddenly, Daniel couldn't breathe, all he could manage were shaky wheezes. 

"Daniel, are you okay?" Jack tried to catch a glimpse of the younger man's face, "Danny? God, damn your fucking asthma! Do you have your inhaler, Danny?"

Daniel couldn't muster the courage or strength to peel his hands away from the rope to grab the inhaler in his breast pocket. Jack sighed before starting to carefully maneuver himself down, coming chest to chest with the younger man.

"Danny, come on, where is your inhaler?" Jack ignored the screaming burn in his arm as he used the other one to blindly grope at Daniel's pockets.

"Toh-toh-top," Daniel managed to say between gasps. Jack fished out the inhaler and pushed Daniel's between lips. With two pumps, Daniel found himself able to breathe again, he let his head fall back, flush and warm against the cold and harsh wind.

"Daniel, we have to let go." The colonel reminded him, his kind and almost pitying gaze too much for Daniel to bear right now. "It's now or never."

"Together?"

"...Together."