#reshes fic

[residenthesitant]

preview for the piece @blocky-tides and i wrote for @morningstarzine! we are so excited for this zine to be released you have no idea

[residenthesitant]

shameless self promo time:

enchanted tattoo worldbuilding name-related worldbuilding, based on the idea of surnames being earned worldbuilding related to the different gods of the servers, including discussion of c!beeduo as minecraft jewish, which continues here

this fic and this one both deal heavily with dsmp-specific worldbuilding, specifically with relation to natural medicines/foragables, a wider population than just the players and how that would play out in terms of economy, food, and other jobs, how a war may have been fought with limited tech, how limited tech works between servers, and what would be available to people with more money. only mention is that both are whump fics lmao

DSMP fics with minecraft mechanics incorperated into worldbuidling my beloved

[cmyksky]

soulless creatures

Summary:

Today, emptiness, and a child in the mist. And yet, Daleth cannot bring themself to look away until the vision departs on its own. They suppose that has always been their weakness.

Isle Elder oneshot. Rated G. 925 words.

Read on AO3 here!

The brilliant flare of Eden feels eons apart from the Isle of Dawn’s shores.

It is a simple truth, but a bitter one nonetheless. There is beauty in being a place of beginnings, Daleth tells themself, despite the erosion of their stone mask. Despite the quiet murmurs of departing souls growing further away, and despite that untouchable, ever-looming peak.

To think their kingdom’s prosperity would bring such profound sorrow.

Each time the ocean fog rolls in, Daleth sees the ghost of curious eyes amidst dawn. Young and ambitious, almost profound in their childlike nature. The pair of eyes blinks inquisitively, and the Dawn Elder gazes back. A shiver from the sea breeze—

—and they’re gone, just like that.

Daleth doesn’t dare sleep unless necessary, but their dreams seem to catch up with them in the waking hours regardless. Yesterday, visions of the now-departed prophets gathered in celebration of their new ruler, boats and mantas alike dotting the sky’s tapestry. Days of festivities, adept hands carrying and weaving light, divine shades of orange, white, and gold bathing the masses.

Today, emptiness, and a child in the mist. And yet, Daleth cannot bring themself to look away until the vision departs on its own. They suppose that has always been their weakness.

Long gone are the days where Lamed would spend hours in Isle’s temple to discuss magical teachings and the kingdom’s history. Teth and Tsadi no longer linger in the doorway, poised in that way where they wish to say more but bite their tongues. Daleth is lucky if they hear anything of Samekh at all; Ayin, always a generous neighbor, shares what they hear of their fellow Elders, but there’s always a touch of something that leaks into their expression when it comes to the twins. Pity, perhaps. For Samekh or Daleth, one cannot quite tell. Daleth is not sure they want to think about being the object of pity of the gentlest Elder.

Of course. Daleth thinks the Elders have made it rather clear whose allegiance takes priority, and thus, the injury is laid bare. Sore, wound, ache, crack. No matter which name, the pain always lingers. Wind stirs the seas all the same, chilling Daleth to the core with its whispers of storm. A promise of destruction brought about by none other than the prince they once took under their noble wing.

Still, the days pass with little care for such sentiments. Newcomers arrive on the Isle’s shores periodically, albeit more sparsely than in the past. They always speak with a barely-contained anticipation for realms ahead, singing words of praise for the Elders and the kingdom. Daleth has heard it all one too many times. A wish for a quiet, relaxed life among the rippling Prairie grasslands. Words of contemplation among scholars and magic-wielders of the Vault’s vast halls. Hopes for prosperity amongst the Valley’s bustling roads.

And indeed, they treat the Isle with no small amount of wonder. Daleth has stood at the temple doors and gazed far below at the rising boats, newcomers’ faces morphed in quiet awe as dawn breaks over the clouds, streams of birds beckoning them onward. Reverence spills from their mouths as they seek blessings, recounting the telltale swathes of flame-colored tents and emerald grasses with excitement. A new beginning. A new life.

Daleth cannot even bring themself to loathe such sentiments. Not after this many centuries of living. There is only the quiet voice in their soul, wondering if the newcomers will ever know that this realm was once greener, warmer, softer, that the sand once did not pull so far inland.

Perhaps the birds will be the only life left in this place one day. The Isle Elder has always shepherded people and light creatures alike over the centuries, first and foremost. They do not dare to crowd the grass with anything more than travelers’ tents and simple stone structures. Above all, the temple’s bell will continue to ring, and the birds will heed its call.

No, Daleth does not yearn for the looming spires of Eden nor the gilded gates of Valley. At the very least, they know Alef will respect this request in the end, if nothing else. Daleth has spent far too many days searching the prince—or rather, king’s face for even a sliver of sentimentality. And too many times, the king has risen from their seat, discomfort and frustration radiating from their posture, quietly asking Daleth to leave.

“Is this the sort of king you wish to be, Alef?”

Alef’s eyes are carefully blank. “I am the king the people need. And I am certainly not someone who will be forgotten.”

Daleth suppresses a flinch.

“I promised this kingdom a life in the stars. We are not simple creatures like the jellyfish dwelling in our caves or the mantas in our skies. We have built these beautiful temples that touch the clouds, not I alone. We are a people, and I will do what is necessary to keep my word. And you, Daleth… I fear you have not done the same.”

And cold stone slams shut in Daleth’s face.

They breathe.

Standing at the foot of their temple, the beating of white wings and echoing birdsong bring Daleth back to the present. There has always been a different promise sealed within Daleth’s heart, a promise only spoken in whispers to creatures, stars, and waves, to the Light herself. One predating the King’s arrival.

A bird lands on Daleth’s staff, and just for a moment, it burns brighter than the sun.

[pathologicalrunaway]

Fandom: Sky: Children of the Light (Video Game) Characters: The Prince | Alef, King Resh | Eden Elder, Nesting Guide (Sky: Children of the Light) Additional Tags: Random Encounters, Character Study, Light Angst, Conversations Summary:

“I’m fine. Practicing,” they nod towards the spinning objects, “the Elder says I have to learn to multitask. Don’t see how doing tricks with rocks will help me, but it’s fun, I guess.”

Alef smiles. Have have not changed that much, after all.

“You are demonstrating some good magic skills.”

“Thank you, your Highness.”

___

They only meet a couple of times, and these encounters have no particular importance for either of them. But they do form a pattern, once put side by side.

[goodshipskypirate]

I've been avoiding any social media stuff with Sea of Stars (bar the merch I recently bought) to avoid spoilers, so I'm placing my bet right now that the fan favorite is probably Resh 'an.

He checks off a decent amount off of the Internet Darling list:

Face cloaked in so he is only vaguely human at best, but could conceivably be any other creature. Candidate to be ultra attractive to many folks as a result.

Generally straightforward, somewhat dignified manner in contrast to some of the more wackier, over-the-top personalities that in turn reduces him to a bit of an awkward, dorky state (ex. Teaks circling him while he clumsily endures her curiosity.)

Oodles upon oodles of a mysterious past with his hands having dipped itself into the greater lore. Probably caused a lot of untold damage that is a shoo-in for angst fic.

Wearing a mask and possessing a flowing robe, which is almost always a guarantee win. I'm vastly curious how close or far off the mark I am once I finish the game and look through the "Sea of Stars" tag.

[workingchemistry]

So Resh is to Rex as Kote is to Cody? What does Resh mean I’m not quite picking up what put down in the fic

Pretty much. I don’t like any of the other explanations I’ve seen for Rex and wanted Fox to be the one to name him and so I wanted it to have meaning. I looked through the mando’a online dictionary for similar sounding words and decided to have Shereshoy be Rex’s given clone name.

Resh itself doesn’t have a meaning afaik. It’s a nickname from the mando’a shereshoy. Directly quoting mandocreator.com

Shreshoy: lust for life and much more - uniquely Mandalorian word, meaning the enjoyment of each day and the determination to seek and grab every possible experience, as well as surviving to see the next day - hanging onto life and relishing it. An understandable state of mind for a warrior people. Closely related to the words for live, hunt and stay safe - and, of course oya. All from the same root.

Basically Fox names Rex Shereshoy as a giant fuck you to the kaminoans who were looking to decom him for being defective. It immediately got shortened to Resh and then Rex became his natborn name like Cody is Kote’s natborn name. They have natborn names while Ponds, Bly, and Wolffe didn’t bother and went straight from numbers to their clone names once they trusted their Jedi. Fox is the only one from the batch to stick with just his serial for natborns but he’s far from the only clone to do it.

[saint-oleander]

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[radioactivepeasant]

Fic Prompts: Snippet Wednesday

This is technically part of the overarching Sons of Spargus universe, set between Jak 3 and Jak X. It's just an outline right now of a short horror fic with the working title Lightless Deep, featuring Jak being placed in command of a fairly doomed expedition into a sunken Precursor city similar to the one in TPL.

The inscription on the wall was deep, but crude. Not engraved, like most Precursor artifacts, but scratched or hammered into the metal of the torn bulkhead. Done quickly, and by the look of it, desperately. One of the monks traced his fingers over it and nodded solemnly.

"It is a warning against those who dwell in darkness," he said.

Jak curled his lip. "It's grafitti," he scoffed, "And that's not what it says."

The monk started to retort before remembering who he was speaking to. "With...respect, young prince," Resh said through gritted teeth, with anything but respect, "The Precursor language has been my area of expertise for decades."

Jak was nonplussed. "Yeah, and you people write your subjects before your predicates." He shrugged. "Old school Precurian text is the other way around."

He decided not to mention that this was why he could barely do more than write his name in the modern parlance. Instead he lifted his light a little higher and decided to show off. Just a little.

"It says "Come not near me, o you Pale One, from your depths where you lie dreaming."

Something nudged at the back of his mind like a half forgotten warning. Jak shook the creeping sensation off.

"Go down and be buried in the lightless deep, and be confounded by shadows for eternity.""

Daxter shuddered and drew his vest a little closer around him. "You know you two probably activated some ancient curse, right?"

[somewhereinthepines]

a/n: i’m cleaning up my writing files atm, and i found this lil thing. it was supposed to be a full-blown oneshot pwp, but idk if i will return to it like ever. to this set-up in particular, i mean. i might, but also not sure. so here as far as i’ve got with it. technically speaking, this can be considered an AU. ryan is around 23-24 in this fic. chris is 48. the rest of the counsellors are also older. and basically, ryan and chris both have tattoos in this fic, and pretty much look like their concept art versions. that’s the only time, when ryan is allowed to look cool. ever. 

and as to why jacob happens to be here…well, idk. he just is. 

either way, the pair is chris/ryan, there are hints of slight mature themes, but it never got past it lol. also i didn't re-read it, so if there are mistakes, so sorry.

————–

Emma was a freaking tease. Jacob knew it already. Knew it from the get-go, but he couldn’t help himself. He truly couldn’t. He was always getting frustrated with the way she taunted him. Giving him an inch, only for him to make it into a mile. 

Sure, it was part of the deal and they weren’t even dating, but deep down, he dared to hope for something more intimate, than a quickie and promise of maybe, maybe not doing it again. 

It was fun, of course. The things, that they did. Em had a fantastic body and she was more experienced, than most girls he was with before. Yet, it’s where she seemingly drew the line. She wouldn’t allow him to kiss her in public or even throw an arm around her shoulder. 

She resisted anything, that had something to do with them getting committed to one another, and despite how he should have been ‘respectful’ toward her wishes, it still managed to upset him. 

He naively thought, that they kinda had, you know, something special, maybe? A summer flick can grow past just a little crush, no one forbidden it to. 

But she was having none of that. 

She refused to give him any chance to actually show her, that he was pretty serious about making her his girlfriend. It seemed like she didn’t believe him. But Jacob was a stubborn guy, and he kept on telling himself, that he just needs to work harder to win her over. After all, Em was the girl of his dreams. Pretty, witty, and hot as hell. What is there not to want? He just had to try harder to make her see things his way!  

The only problem was, though, that he had no idea how to go about it. He only had one girlfriend before, and even then, she dumped him, because he wasn’t ‘sensitive enough’ for her or whatever. 

Jacob was pretty helpless, when it came to deciphering women's psychology. 

He could always ask Kaitlyn’s opinion on the matter, but she would make fun of him, abusing the boundaries of their friendship for her own amusement. And even if she would have been willing to actually help him, she wasn’t the most girly girl on the block. How would she know what Em might like? And Abi, well, yeah no. He doubts, that she will be of any help, either. She didn’t strike him as someone, who was on the same level as Emma. 

So with all those names crossed out, unfortunately, it left him only with one option. Not the best one. But who else was he going to ask for dating advice? Mister H? 

No, it was out of the question. He won’t ask some old dude, who clearly wasn’t doing anything sexual for years. Jacob needed a more ref-reshed opinion. Such as Nick or Dylan. They’d be able to help. 

For that, he smartly picked the time, when he had two of them in one place. During the breakfast, when everyone was way too sleepy to be smarasses and when, Emma was sitting out of ear-shot. 

It was perfect timing for sure. 

As soon as he was mentally ready, he blurted out, loud enough only for his buds to hear, “What should I do?” 

Dylan and Nick paused their heated discussion about some music band to throw weirded out looks at him. Ryan, on other hand, barely glanced at Jacob, pretty soon returning to poking at his food, like nothing had happened. He looked like he was still half-asleep. But Jacob couldn’t care less about that dude at the moment. 

“What?” Nick blinked, seemingly not following. 

“Yeah, what do you mean?” Dylan asked, leaning on the table, vaguely intrigued. “Did I miss something?” 

“It’s about –” Jacob couldn’t hold back an embarrassed, sheepish smile, that crawled on his lips. “Em.” 

“Oh…right, of course it is.” Dylan immediately looked bored, as if someone had flipped a switch inside his head. “It’s always about her with you, huh?” 

“Wh – no, it’s not!” 

“Yes, it is.” Dylan drawled out, eyes hooded and flat. “Oh Romeo, where is my Romeo?” 

“Did she dump you or something?” Nick chimed in, pushing a piece of broccoli inside his mouth. He was faintly smirking at angried look on Jacob’s face. “About the damn time. The summer is getting close to an end. It’s time to lose some extra weight.”

“Sick burn, man.” 

“I’m serious!” Jacob whispered-shouted, which only resulted in more recondited mockery. “I’ve – I’m asking you to help me!” 

“So she did dump you, then?”

Dylan snorted. Nick was openly smiling now. And Ryan just continued looking like he was pretty much out of it. 

“What? No. No!” Jacob shot back, glaring at them. “Don’t say that, man!”

“Why not? It’s not like she’s gonna date you outside of – umm – y’know, work and all.” Dylan supplied, getting an approving leer from Nick. “Summer affairs tend to be short-lived.” 

“Yeah, what he said.” Nick supported, mouthing another piece of his breakfast. “You win some, you lose some.” 

Jacob frowned, slowly getting frustrated with them. Those two fuckers were always ganging up on him, when it came to Em. But it wasn’t like he had much choice. He couldn’t figure it out on his own. He needed their help. Whether he wanted it or not. 

“I’m serious, dudesss.” Jacob said in a quieter, whiner voice. “I need some – uh, advice? Like pretty please?” 

“Like as in dating advice?” Dylan made a confused face. “From…us?” 

“How desperate are you?” Nick injected, also looking surprised. 

“I don’t know…very desperate?” Jacob offered, seeing a small shift in their behavior. “If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have been asking.” 

“So you want us to help you to make Em like you again?” Dylan asked, rubbing his jaw, like he wasn’t too sure about his own wording. “Like make her get swayed by you?” 

Jacob nodded his head. “Ah, yeah. Yeeeah. I mean. Kind of?” 

“For real?” 

“Yes. Fucking damn it.” he was getting pretty angry here. “How many times do I need to repeat it?” 

Nick sighed, putting his cheek in the hollow of his palm, eyes skipping to the other end of the hall, where Emma chatted with Abi. She was fully oblivious about what they were discussing just a few feet away. Dylan looked into that direction too, humming. To their credit, they both actually seemed somewhat thoughtful now. 

“Well?” 

“I dunno, dude. Didn’t you try to like — aw fuck, I don’t know.” Dylan turned back to him. “Nick, what you’ve got? You’ve gotta have something, right?” 

Nick responded with an indifferent shrug. “Not really. I mean, did you try to do something romantic for her? Like take her to some pretty place?” 

Jacob did nothing of the kind, but this got his attention. “A pretty place? In here?” 

“Where else?” Nick said, playfully raising both of his brows up. “The town doesn’t actually have anything cool in it. And in nature…” 

“You can fuck in nature.” Dylan injected, seemingly proud of his sudden resolution “Do it the forest people style.” 

“Get it going in the bushes?” Jacob honestly thought, that they must be joking. Em would never agree to this kind of stuff. “That’s not serious, guys.” 

“Why not? You can go skinny dipping.” 

“Or you can stage it like you will.” 

“Oh.” 

Now, this was an idea. 

Jacob nodded, considering it. “Okay, okaaay. Continue.” 

“You, her aaand –” 

Dylan and Nick exchanged looks, and smiled at one another, as if knowing something, that he didn’t. 

“And?” Jacob urged, leaning over the table. “And what?” 

“And a private, secluded place. This is what you need.” Nick finished, while Dylan nodded, getting a sip of his coffee. “This will get the ball rolling.” 

“Yeah, you can surprise her and then, get some or whatever.” 

Jacob glanced at Em’s direction. Maybe, this indeed was what he needed. They don’t even had to have sex, maybe just talk about things, where no one can budge in. In the end, he just wanted to make her give him a chance. A real one. And if they’d be alone and she’ll see that he was honestly trying…this should sway her judgment, right? 

But it brings him back to another issue. 

“And where such a place might be?” 

“Uhhhh…well. I don’t know.” Nick answered, unbothered by Jacob’s fallen expression. “Somewhere?” 

“Oh come on, dude!” Jacob whined. “Don’t do this to me!” 

Nick’s state remained neutral, and Jacob started getting real worried here, but then – 

“Maybe, you should ask Ryan.” Dylan offered, pointing his fork at Mister Gloom-Doom, who barely flinched at the notion. “He knows the area better, than any of us.” 

“Yeah, that’s a good idea, actually. Ask him.” Nick murmured, getting back to his food. “Mister H probably showed him around a lot.” 

This was a good point, but it was Ryan, they were talking about. And if there was something, that everybody around here knew, it was that he and Jacob weren’t really getting along well. 

“I don’t think, that he can be –” 

“He sits right here, just ask him, geez.” Nick urged, before starting chewing on his bacon. 

Jacob looked at Ryan, and the other guy looked back at him. “So, Ryan…do you know such a place? For me and Em, I mean.”

The other teen didn’t respond. He didn’t even blink. Expression so-ever blank, the dark eyes slightly lidded. Always unimpressed and uninterested by anything or anyone. Jacob already wanted to punch him in the face. It was almost like an itch under his skin. 

“You’ve been here a lot, so –” 

“I’m not going to help you, dude.” 

He didn’t even hesitate or stammer when he said it. The asshole didn’t so much as bait an eyelid even. And while, Jacob expected it, this did nothing to prevent his temper from rising. Ryan really did pissed him off sometimes.  

“Wow, who would have thought.” Jacob bit back, childishly offended. “I mean, daaaamn. You can’t really contribute to anything, unless it’s a – let’s see, a discussion about how to deepthroat Mister H’s dick. Now, this would have been your field of knowledge, I’d imagine.” 

Dylan made a weird noise, that could have been a poorly stifled giggle, while Nick openly sniggered into his fist, masking it into a low cough. They both did a piss poor job of hiding their amusement. But Ryan himself barely raised a brow at him. 

“Nice one, Jacob.” Ryan deadpanned, taking a bite of his omelet. “I’m never going to recover from it.” 

“I’ll bet, that Mister H is into some kinky shit.” Dylan suggested. “Like some real dirty stuff.” 

“You, mean like an old pervert kind of shit?” Nick joined in, all too happy to spread rumors about their boss. “Roleplay? Or wait, the better yet. Underground BDSM club?” 

“Can you picture it?” Dylan laughed under his breath. “Mister H in leather?” 

“With some kind of torture thing.” 

“Like a paddle.” 

“Or a whip.” 

They could only hold themselves back so much, before they started laughing. Nick nearly choked on the last piece of his bacon. 

“Hey guys, can we please focus on me?” Jacob asked over their laughter, but was ignored. 

“He’s not into weird shit.” Ryan put his own two cents in, for once, looking somewhat annoyed. He always got all bristly and pissy, when they shit-talked his precious camp leader. It was almost like he cared about what they said about Mister Hackett way more, than what they said about Ryan himself. 

So typical for that guy. 

“Oh come on, Ryan. We’re just joking.” 

“Yeah, man. Chill.” 

“He can’t chill, though.” 

Everyone at the table looked up at him. The dramatic pause worked as a charm. 

If you can’t fight them, join them. 

“It gives him flashbacks.” Jacob said with a toothy smile, enjoying how Ryan’s hold on the fork tightened up as if on reflex. “Does he put you over his knee, when you’re being a bad boy, Ryan?” 

“Har-har.” Ryan narrowed his eyes. “Very funny, Jacob.” 

“What, I am just asking, man.” Jacob replied back, a smile still present on his face. “I mean, do you call him daddy? Or pappi? You look like you’d be into that!” 

Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “Are you done yet?” 

Jacob pretended to think. “Yeeeah, no wait. Wait. One last thing. Daddy Hackett.” 

This managed to send both Nick and Dylan into an absolute frenzy, they were openly laughing now, creating all kinds of rackets around the table. The other counselors and kids were glancing their way. But Jacob’s own attention was focused on Mister-Bitch-Resting-Face. He wouldn’t miss it for the world. The rare chance to see, Ryan actually losing even an inch of his cool. 

“So which one is it? You can tell us, we won’t judge!” 

“You really hang up on it, aren’t you?” 

“I don’t know.” Jacob shrugged. “What’s your favorite pose, by the way? Doggy style?” 

This finally hit the nail. Ryan’s breath hitched. His posture went rigid. And while one might mistake it for a sign of repressed anger, Jacob noticed how jerked his throat, and how quickly he went from tense to huddled, and oddly pissy, but in a very passive-aggressive way. 

Jacob had irked him for real this time. And he wasn’t about to stop. Fuck no. Why should he? Mister H’s personal Golden Boy deserved to be knocked down a peg. 

“Nothing to say for yourself, Erzahler?” 

He was anticipating his response. He waited for some sort of comeback or maybe, even something being thrown into his face. But in a second, all the pent-up energy seemingly left Ryan’s body, and his expression went back to being placid and bored. 

“Fuck off.” Ryan muttered, looking away. Defeated. 

“Awww…” Jacob coed. “Poor Ryan had –” 

“Hey, what’s going on over there?” 

Ahhh, fuck. 

He cringed, and turned over his shoulder to reassure Mister H, who was now glaring at them like a hawk. Sometimes, Jacob forgot that he was there during the morning hours too. “Nothing! It’s nothing!” 

“Nothing?” the older man’s face told him, that he wasn’t buying into Jacob’s bullshit. “It doesn’t look like nothing to me. What’s so funny, anyways?” 

“Ahh, it’s – no, really! That’s ahhh – that’s nothing, really!” Jacob waved his hand, hoping that it would pacify the other, and make the crowd stop eyeing him. Even Em was staring at him, slightly raising her brow. “This is just –” 

“Yeah, it’s nothing, Mister H.” 

Jacob paused, side-glancing at Ryan, genuinely taken aback. Not expecting him to come to Jacob’s aid, out of all people. But then, he noticed how there was a hint of light smirk on Ryan’s lips, and he immediately knew that it wasn’t anything good. Ryan might have told his jokes with a straight face, making people wonder if it was a joke at all. But he could deliver the punchline, if he really wanted to. 

“He just can’t count past forty five.” 

Some people started to laugh. Nick and Dylan laughed at this as well, not caring who was the target of their shared finger-poking. They seemed to love taking piss at everyone, really. 

“That’s –” Jacob felt his face flush with embarrassment. “That’s not true!” 

“Yeah, he slowly gets over forty six, though.” Ryan added, looking straight at him. “It’s very challenging.” 

“Fuck you!” Jacob quietly hissed, kicking Ryan into the shin under the table. Something had flashed through the other teen’s face then, and he kicked him right back. Jacob barely managed to bite back a painted groan. Ryan’s boots had a pretty heavy sole. “Ow, why you…” 

“Hope, that you like it.” 

“What?” Jacob raised his eyes and met that unbanished expression directly, and damn, he wanted to fucking throttle that prick. 

“Hey! HEY!” Mister H called out, getting up from his own seat. “Don’t make me go there, Custos!”

“What!?” he blinked, taken aback by such plain side-picking. “What did I do? Ryan is –” 

“I told you to knock it off, pal.” the older man warned him, tone serious and expression even more hardened. “I’m not jokin’ with ya. Don’t start something, that ya can't finish.” 

“But I –” 

“Calm yourself down. Now.” Mister H told him, like one would a disobedient dog and it was pretty much over, after that. At this point, it was pretty useless to try and defend himself, so he just sank back into his seat, throwing Ryan a dirty look. The other kid just scoffed at him, drawing his legs closer to the bench, and going back to straight up ignoring him. 

Fucking asshole. 

Mister H never got angry at Ryan. As if he was automatically blameless, and never guilty of anything. It got under Jacob’s skin at times. Just how easy it was for Ryan to mislead people with his quiet and usually non-conflicting persona. It’s like they literally believed, that he was any better, than an average man of their age. When he wasn’t. 

At least, Jacob wasn’t buying into that shit. There was just something very off about Ryan. Something, that made it hard to like him, but very easy to want to mess with him. He could never understand why Kaitlyn kind of liked the creep, when he didn’t even looked her way. 

But eventually, it all was sort of forgotten and Jacob went back to focusing on more important tasks such as getting Em see a real dating material in him. It was more urgent, than focusing on Ryan and how he got it all so ever easy. Besides, this plan might just work. 

Jacob felt good about this one. Real good. 

It should work out just fiiine. 

=====

It didn’t work out fine. Half-way through, he had already started suspecting that something was off. Nick and Dylan told him, that they had told Em, that Jacob told them to ask her if she would like to accompany him tonight. And then, as a final piece of their strange story, they told him, that she said yes. 

Dumbly and blindly, he had trusted their word. He went to the spot, where he was supposed to meet Emma. But it was becoming less and less likely, that she’d come. They said, that Em wanted to meet him on the Island, in the evening, when most of the counselors and campers will be getting ready for the night. But Jacob was yet to find any sign of her. Was she running later or…? 

Annoyed, he looked around, finding nothing, but well, the old boathouse. Nothing out of the ordinary. And Em was nowhere to be seen. 

Part of him suspected, that it might be a ruse. It won’t be the first time, when Nick and Dylan would use his affection for Emma to make a fool out of him. And it most likely won’t be the last. They still had a few weeks of summer left. 

Jacob re-adjusted his cap, looking up at the darkening sky. 

“Ahh, damn it…” 

The time was really running out for him, wasn’t it? 

But – 

But maybe, she was simply being fashionably late. Girls love to do this kind of thing. 

Not knowing if this all was for real or not, if Emma was still coming or not, he decided to wait it out in the boathouse. He might as well, see if she would be heading here from the higher point of the Island, rather than sulking on the bridge. 

“Okay, Jacob. Gotta wait for her a bit longer, I guess.” he told himself, filling the silence with his own voice, just to not let the anxiety take over. Perhaps, he still can get it going for him. 

Or maybe, not. 

Maybe, not today. 

He wasn’t sure how long he waited. One hour for sure, maybe more, but he nearly jumped off the second floor, when he saw a boat coming closer to an Island. Finally, she was –

But it wasn’t Emily. 

It was Mister H and…what the hell? Was it Ryan? 

They seem to not notice him too busy talking with one another. Jacob had no idea what they were discussing, he could only hear their muted voices, and see Mister Hackett nearly scrambling to get on the sandy surface, like he wanted nothing more, than to put a distance between himself and the water. 

Meanwhile, Ryan was tying the boat to the bridge pole, eyes downcast and mouth still running about whatever. As soon as he was done, he joined Chris and they walked towards –

Oh fuck. They were walking here. 

Jacob leapt away from the wooden border, heart beating loudly inside his ears. What should he do? None of the counselors were allowed to come here, after the camping activities were done with. And it was getting closer and closer toward nighttime. He would get in trouble for this! 

He couldn’t let them see him! 

The voices were getting louder and he could hear their footsteps making the old wood creak. They were fucking going up here! Damn! Damn it! 

Frantically, Jacob swiped his head around, attempting to pick a place to hide. 

Come on! Come on! 

“T-there!” he muttered to himself, feeling like he still could avoid getting caught. 

Quickly, he rushed toward one of the tables, crawling underneath it, right to the point, where there were too many chairs for them to hopefully notice him. He could hide behind them for the time being. And it wasn’t like it was actually all that bright anymore either. 

The sun was about to set in an hour or two, so maybe –

“I can’t believe, that he said it.” 

This was unmistakably Mister H’s voice. 

“He did.” 

And this low drawl was clearly Ryan. But what the fuck Ryan was even going here, and with their boss? So late too? How come that rules didn’t apply to him as well? 

Jacob could barely process what this situation even was, but he didn’t have all that much time to dwell on it. His breath came short, when both men walked through the doorway. Mister Hackett was holding a pack of…beer? And Ryan was dragging after him, seemingly familiar with this ‘routine’, like they did it before. 

And what the hell was this all about? Did Chris allow Ryan to drink at work? 

While Jacob was still somewhat shocked with this development, Ryan settled on one of the tables, putting his boot on the nearest chair, rocking it. The older man placed the beer pack right next to his hip, pausing like he had noticed something out of order. 

“And then, it’s –”

“Wait a second, bud.” 

Jacob watched in horror how Mister H took a step back from the table, and slowly rounded the room with his stare. The look inside his irises was oddly intense, not the kind that he ever saw the man having. Then, weirdly enough, Mister H’s nose twitched, like he was sniffing air. 

“What’s the matter?” 

“Ah, no…” Chris narrowed his eyes, looking from one side to another. “No, it’s just — oh, here it is.” 

He slowly stalked closer to the place, where Jacob was hiding and for a second, he thought that he was found out. But Chris reached for something, that was on the table, instead of looking underneath it. 

“Ah-ha.” judging by the sound, the olderman shook the object in his hand, before throwing it to Ryan, who caught it with ease. A bottle opener.  “I knew, that it was around here somewhere.” 

“You always forget stuff.” Ryan told him in an even voice, opening one of the bottles and hissing, when some of the foam dripped past the glass, and all over his fingers. 

“Not always.” Mister H responded, returning to his previous spot. 

“You forgot the password to your own safe the other week.” 

“It’s because I’ve changed it.” Chris chuckled at his own statement, rubbing the back of his neck as if embarrassed. “And yeah, you’ve right, I pretty much forgot, that I’ve changed it afterwards.” 

“It’s all because of the beer.” Ryan tilted his head a bit to the side, allowing Chris to take the bottle away from him. 

“Oh yeah?” the older man took a large sip, while Ryan stared at him. “Think so, mm?” 

“Yeah. It’s like – uhh –” he bit down on his lip, thinking about the word. “The Devil’s brew.” 

“The Devil’s brew?” Chris licked his lips, giving Ryan a crinky, cheery look. “I heard it somewhere before.” 

Ryan shrugs. “My grandma calls it that. And she’s like a hundred years old.” 

“Are you calling me old again?” Chris quirked a brow up. “Think, that only the old people know what it is?” 

“Not what I’ve said.” 

Ryan suddenly reached his hand, wrapping his fingers around Chris’s and tilting the bottle toward himself, taking a large gulp, that resulted in him starting coughing. It must have hit the wrong place inside his throat. Chris sighed and lightly patted him on the back, not even scolding him for such sort of behavior. 

Jacob frowned. Still confused. 

So, was Ryan allowed to drink for real, then? 

“Sh-shit…” 

“Ah, Ryan.” Mister H mumbled. “Don’t hurry. Drink in small gulps, yeah?” 

“Yeah, y-yeah, I – I know, it’s just –” Ryan wiped his mouth, right afterwards grabbing Chris’s uniform and tugging him a bit closer. “I kind of…uhh. I kind of tired of waiting.” 

“Ohhh…I see.” Chris drew out, understanding something, that Jacob didn’t. “How cruel of me to deny you this, mm? Want to get it on now already, champ?” 

Slowly, Ryan nodded, still gripping the lapel of Chris’s shirt. Still staring him dead in the eyes. And if Jacob didn’t know any better, he’d thought, that they were about to make out with one another. But –

No. 

Now, that would have been fucking weird, if they did. Like as if every lewd joke, that he and the boys made about Ryan and Mister H had suddenly turned out to be true. 

“I’m better start, before ya'll get all impatient, then.” Chris said, voice getting lower, deeper. “You’re ready for it, right?” 

Another nod. 

“Y-yeah.” 

Chris’s hands brushed the back of Ryan’s neck. “Good.” 

Behind the bunch of chairs, crumpled in tiny space, Jacob took it all in. There was a lot of familiarity between them. And it’s not like no one had ever noticed it before. It was enough to just look at them interacting, really. But it felt so much more casual now, somehow. Like Ryan and Chris were hanging out like this all the time. 

It felt so weird to see it happening without them knowing, that he was there. But his brain had only truly zeroed out, went completely blank, when Mister H took a hold of Ryan’s chin, in a gesture so sure and confident, like it was done time after time, and pressed their mouths together. 

Jacob’s own mouth involuntarily hung open, as he stared and stared, as if it would disappear or he would wake up. But it did not. And he didn’t wake up with a gasp. Instead, it was Ryan, who gasped into the older man’s lips, slightly aching into Chris’s other hand, when it crawled up his leg, right under his undershirt. 

And holy moly, it got intense pretty fast from there. Jacob wasn’t expecting them to just go for it, like that. Not that he expected them to go for it at all. But the kiss turned from somewhat slow into a dirty one, and he couldn’t foresee Ryan even knowing how to kiss, but he clearly knew what he was doing. Moving his jaw and grabbing Chris’s arm, trembling fingers pressing into his tattoo, sliding against heated skin while the older man sucked all the air out of his lungs. 

It was as if he attempted to choke him with the kiss alone. 

And Ryan was clearly into it too. Into not able to breath, aside from panicked, fastered inhales and exhales through his nose. It wasn’t the first time, when they did it, clearly. So how many times…? No, wait. Why does he even think about that!? 

It was so odd and wrong, but also, he probably shouldn’t be all that shocked, considering that Ryan never hid his apparent boner for Mister H. And speaking of boners, Jesus…

It didn’t take Mister H long to just slam his hips between Ryan’s spread legs, and lightly rub against him, while they were making out. Ryan seemed pleased, eager even. 

And this was weird too. Jacob could never imagine Chris as someone, who was this straightforward and latently aggressive. Sure, the guy had a bit of a temper at times, but usually, Mister H was pretty tame and somewhat polite. For him to just eat face with one of his counsellors like that? 

What was going on?

“Mhh!” 

Ryan made another noise, twitching against Chris and sort of attempting to reach for his belt, but his hand was stopped half-way. Mister H just kept it there against his hip, not allowing it to go any further, sort of jamming it against his growing erection. And yeah, Jacob could see it from his place, thank you very much. 

“C-come on…” Ryan rasped, when they separated after what seemed like an hour. “I need t-to –” 

He took a deep breath, still unable to recover, while Chris only smiled at him. It wasn't an unkind smile either. It was pretty warm and found, but also knowing and vexed. 

“You’re really inpatient today, buster.” Chris noted. “Can’t hold it back?” 

“Y-yeah…” Ryan sucked in another shaky breath, and nodded, watching Chris through half-lidded eyes. “I just really want you to…uh…y’know to uh…” 

“To fuck ya silly?” Chris asked, and it was so bizzare hearing him saying something like that. For a moment Jacob honestly thought, that he was asleep and it wasn’t for real. But then it got worse, “Raw you up for good, eh?” 

Ryan’s face flushed, and he slightly turned his head away, but Chris wrenched it back, using a grip on his jaw. His other hand relaxed his hold around Ryan’s wrist, and snaked back under the younger man’s shirt. He was in less hurry now, as if merely wishing to prolong this torture for everyone inside the room. 

“Wanna get all handsy with me, Ryan?” 

“Chris –!” 

Ryan couldn’t quite double-over, pretty much stuck with Mister H keeping him in place by his body and hands, and table not letting him go anywhere else. For a moment, Jacob wondered how Ryan could stand this much body contact and heat, but at the same time still long for more. 

Jacob got dirty with at least four girls in his lifetime, and neither of them looked so willing and eager to push even further, to be even closer, than this. 

But Ryan did. His whole body shivered, either from whatever Chris did under his shirt or maybe, because he wasn’t allowed to go any further than this just yet. It must have driven a guy nuts. It would have driven Jacob nuts for sure. 

“I, I –” 

“Ryan.” it wasn’t even addressed to him, but Jacob felt his guts twisting with uncomfortable heat. “Ryan…” 

Jacob has no idea how Chris could sex up that prick’s name like this, but there was a lot of emotion behind it. Warm and lingering, earning like a need, that could find no release. 

“C-can I –” Ryan swallowed. “Can I…now?” 

“No.” Chris shook his head, watching Ryan’s expression crumble a bit. “You have to wait a bit longer.” 

It seemed like Ryan was about to disagree, but instead his face went back to being unreadable, as he peered back at Chris. His fingers curled around the bulge in the older man’s pants, forcing him to let out a sigh as if in praise. 

“Ryan –”

“Y-you started it first.” 

Chris snorted, caressing Ryan’s jaw, pressing one finger near the corner of his mouth. “Cheeky, are ya?” 

Ryan gave him a faint half-smile, hooking one of his legs around Mister H’s hip. “I’m twenty.” 

“I know, bud.” Chris muttered, mouth hoovering near Ryan’s, as if in a promise of a kiss. “I know.” 

Helpless to do much, but continue watching them, Jacob couldn’t prevent himself from getting a bit reflective. They really stared at one another a lot, while they were at it, he noticed. And it was pretty much the opposite of how it went down between Jacob and Emma. She would rather keep her eyes closed and then, just shrug off his advances, like it meant nothing. 

It’s just summer fun, she told him with that cute smile and light pitch of her brows, and – 

It was kind of humiliating, that the guy, who he kind of hated, certainly got a better game, than he did. Mister H took Ryan to the woods at times, where they were supposedly hiking together, but now, Jacob wondered if this, - this right here - was what they were really doing in the forest. 

Was Mister H raw doggying Ryan in the open? Right in the woods? Just a couple of miles away from the camp? 

He seemingly had no problem banging him here. So yeah, probably. 

It still barely made any sense inside his head, it was buzzing and buzzing to no end. Was he really seeing it? Them together? There must be something with his brain or…?

Ryan let out a keen. 

And this was the loudest and the most emotional noise, that he ever heard him making. 

Involuntary, Jacob backed away further into the wall, blinking rapidly. Chris’s hand was twisting Ryan’s nipple under his shirt, if he had to guess. Ryan was openly panting, as Chris pushed his big finger into his mouth, watching him grow even redder in the face. 

And yeah, okay maybe there was an appeal to it. Even Jacob had to admit, that the creepy asshole did look kind of nice like this. When he wasn’t all arrogant and gloomy, carrying that large stick up his ass. Instead, remaining pinned and manhandled. And quite, save from needy voices. 

[pain-del-doge]

Sorry for landing in your ask box again. I was reading empire moths lore posts and in one of them you mentioned that there was an era of previous Megabird. Is "Megabird" some sort of title in your worldbuilding? When did Megabird changed?

Ah, glad you asked!

In my lore interpretation, the Megabirds are the embodiment of Light since its seperation from the Darkness, but they are also not immortal and are subject to the Cycle of Rebirth-- So they create a Child of Light the day they become Megabird, to one day take their place once it's time to be reborn.

The current Megabird who's called Mother Bird in my fic just happened to be the most recent iteration, because Her father-- aptly called Father Bird, who oversaw the fall of Humans and the birth of Ancients-- somehow managed to fall in battle against the Darkness and forced Mother Bird to take his place prematurely. Alef I/Resh just happened to be Her Child of Light too, oopsie-

I think I may have to make a new headcanon comic just for this, thank you for reminding me 👀👀

[residenthesitant]

preview for my piece for @morningstarzine, with collab art by @shootingst4rpress! extremely excited for this one to come out ehehehe

zine comes out dec 27th! get hyped!!

[horizontwinflames]

I'm always more than half of a chapter ahead when I post a new one. So now that chapter 5 is up, we can have a teaser of chapter 6! (The fic is available on Ao3, link on pinned post)

Chapter 6: "Spiritual" Guidance - TEASER/WIP

cw: death

(The mentioned machines are the Corruptors, and there's about six in the scene)

To everyone's surprise and fear, the machine began to speak with them, and its voice had a dreadful tone mixed with machine-sque noises. "Hand me the Alfa Prime or suffer the consequences."

"Who are you talking about?" Sona asked fiercely.

The machine stood silent for a brief moment, then from a device by the side of its red eye, it created images made of light -holograms- in front of the crowd. The images were of the bust of three people: Aloy, Beta, and a woman that looked very much like them but older.

"I told you all!" The High Matriarch Lansra began to yell desperately. "I TOLD YOU! The damned ones… The Twin Flames did it! They brought us ruin! They revived the Metal Devil!"

The machine looked at Lansra, who was in front of the group with Teersa and Jezza. "Where are they?" The machine asked directly.

"I don't know! But they-!" Before Lansra could finish her response, the machine swiftly stabbed her in the chest with its tail blade. All tribe members began to scream and run away in panic while the Braves and the Oseran were ready to engage in combat.

While running, many people were screaming, "The Metal Devil!"

Resh was the first to run toward a Scarab, screaming to avenge the death of the High Matriarch. But the machine used its ranged weapon, and with just one projectile, it killed him in a small explosion. Such killing power made all the fighters scared to try to engage in combat with those monstrosities.

"I am not 'the metal devil'... I am HADES… and the Alfa Prime must be eliminated." The Scarabs said in unison.

[skychildrenchaos]

Welcome!

Welcome to the Sky: Children of the Light resident fanblog! I'm your host, Aite!

Meet the Skids!

Isveu

Born a natural leader with extraordinary courage, Isveu is a model Sky Child. She is willing to step up to bat and do what's right, no matter who it upsets.

Hekale

Isveu's best friend. She's rather reserved, but has boundless compassion for everyone around her. Despite this, the one thing she won't tolerate is blatant disrespect.

Jariwo

A laid-back fellow who has a strange habit of calling everyone 'dude'. The Hidden Forest is his home away from home, and he seems to understand jellyfish better than his kin.

Cuxezaw*

A little guy with big goals. He is rather protective of Isveu, despite being much 'younger' than her. He aspires to be a lion when he grows up, despite his mask actually depicting a tiger (don't tell him that, though)...

Ralepeje*

Hekale's 'little sister'. She has a strong love for nature and all things in it. Despite knowing her efforts are futile, she wishes to restore the Golden Wasteland to its former glory. Needless to say, she was almost eaten by a Shadow Wraith while attempting this... twice.

Pipegah

A self-proclaimed 'seeker of ultimate knowledge' who, in reality, is nothing more than a somewhat insufferable know-it-all. She is constantly getting into arguments with Jariwo regarding his 'unprofessional demeanor'.

Zuvuc

Isveu's rival-turned-girlfriend. She enjoys manta racing and takes part in the sport sometimes. She is what she calls a 'glorified nanny' to two 'younger' Sky Children, Enon and Fisude.

Alef

The Prince of the Seven Realms. He is the adoptive son of King Resh. It is believed he was the first Sky Child. Despite not being part of her immediate friend group, he considers Isveu to be the closest thing he has to a friend.

*Cuxezaw and Ralepeje are supposed to be chibis, but the picrew didn't have a chibi option

Lore

I say 'younger' and 'little sister' because Sky Children are all siblings in a sense. Hekale's bond with Ralepeje simply transcends that norm. And by 'younger', I mean in state of mind and maturity.

This AU is mostly canon-conforming with a few original elements. For instance, there is a character known as the 'Mother of the Sky' who is based on AURORA's ingame avatar.

The Elders all go by their scrapped names:

Isle Elder - Daleth

Prairie Elder - Ayin

Forest Elder - Teth

Valley Elders - Sah (male) and Mekh (female)

Wasteland Elder - Tsadi

Vault Elder - Lamed

The scrapped King, Resh, is also present in this AU.

I have also named a few of the Seasonal Guides.

Abyss Guide - Scylla

Flight Guide - Neytiri

Moments Guide - Mons

Performance Guide - Dux

Passage Guide - Athena

Hopeful Steward - Iway

I've also created lore for Iway and the Aviary Village, but that will be posted in the fic I'm working on.

Rules

-No stealing

-No bullying

-No, I will not add your OC into my story

-No, I don't take requests/commissions

-Yes, I will answer questions

But yeah, that's about it! Enjoy, everyone!

(Here's the picrew I made all the Skids with)

[pathologicalrunaway]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Sky: Children of the Light (Video Game) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Characters: The Prince | Alef, Valley Elder(s) | Samekh Additional Tags: Character Study, Angst, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, everyone uses they/them, alef-centric Summary:

“Well, it happens. People fall out sometimes. And it isn't necessarily a bad thing. Or a good one. It just is.” Silence follows. They will be grateful, next morning, when arranging blurry memories in their head into a more or less logical sequence, that they were not too drunk to lose their ability to lie, and regret having drunk enough to start talking too openly for their own liking.

---

In-between two very important events in their life, Alef finds themself on a lonely balcony in Valley, drinking something cheap and bitter and talking to birds.

[goodshipskypirate]

These two fucked. They were having hot, nasty sex before they did all these time/space/reality games and probably during. I bet if I go on A03 right now, it'll be FILLED with Resh 'an/Aephorul fics. Because come one.

COME ON.

These two were just pegging in-between unethical experimentation. You will not convince me otherwise: they were ex-lovers and their forever game is them flirting with each other. Their love language is the total risk of alternate universes during games of Monopoly.

[poppypopp]

horizon tag game

tagged by the lovely @fogsblue and @pinetreetea thank you 💖

1. ride or die ship: I don't know that I can pick just one ship. Can I pick an OT3? Aloy/Nil/Kotallo has rotted my brain. I love all three of them so much.

2. most annoying ship: *insert Mad Max gif "That's bait"*

3. second favorite ship: Hmm... this is also a tough one. Including Fashav in any iteration with the the OT3 always makes things interesting.

4. favorite platonic relationship: Nil and Attah. One of my favorite little bits during the Gauntlet runs is when Aloy first appears at Dry Yearn and Nil gives up his spot for her. All he has to do is LOOK at Attah, and she knows exactly what he wants to do. That kind of understanding between two people is hard to find, and I love the idea that Nil has found that kind of friendship where words aren't needed.

5. Underrated ship: *bangs table* NIL/KOTALLO

6. overrated ship: See question 2

7. one thing i would change in canon: We are MISSING a Carja in the Gaia Gang, and it deserves to be Nil!

8. something canon did right: Growing Aloy's connection to the tribes through the Gaia Gang and the whole arc where she comes to realize she doesn't have to fight alone.

9. a thing i’m proud of creating for the fandom: Oof, hm. Creating the Nilysium server is probably one. There are so many great people in there, and I feel so fortunate that this fandom brought us all together. And then there's also my copious list of fics on AO3.

10. a character who is perfect to me: I mean, I think my fave is pretty obvious. Nil is complex and interesting and endlessly fun to write. Kotallo has some of the best, most thoughtful character development in the whole game. Aloy's journey is not done, but she's come so far and I love her so much.

11. character i relate to most and why: Uhhh... I'm not sure there any that I--nope, Alva. Alva has that whole hyperfixates-on-interesting-things-and-excitedly-chatters-to-whoever-will-listen thing going on that I definitely relate to. 🤣

12. character(s) i hate most and why: Oh man, there are a lot of great characters that are written intentionally for that love-to-hate vibe. Lansra, Resh, Ulvund, Tekotteh, Erik Visser, Ted Faro! I know it's cliche, but I love the simplicity of the one-dimensional villains that are JUST there for you to hate/defeat.

13. something i’ve learned from the fandom: This is the first fandom that I've really taken part in, and I've met so many amazing people. I feel like I've become a better writer, more organized and thoughtful. I never used to outline or keep track of my daily word counts until I joined this fandom. The little community we made in Nilysium is so nice and positive. I love you guys so much! *Group hug!*

14. three tags i seek out on ao3: Pfft. The Nil character tag. Completed works, because I hate waiting for updates. Niloy, if I'm feeling old-school. 🤣

15. a song i associate strongly with my otp/favorite character: I listened to this song so much while writing Toward the Sun, it's definitely become one that transports me into OT3 land when it comes on.

Aaaand tagging @nyxianthe @every-raindrop77 @wandereringray @blessedwithgloriousbutt and @priscillabee