#the humans might be the tech ancients

[arkacarian]

“Humans are the ancients” Adeleine is 11 at the youngest and 14 at the oldest that is not ancient

[sagaduwyrm]

DCxDP Idea - Tucker x Tim Soulmate AU:

Now on AO3

So the Justice League believes the Fentons and the GIW. Not completely, but enough. That’s the bad news. The worse news is that they have Danny, and are apparently planning to use him in some kind of spell to banish all the ghosts from the living plane. Which, okay, sure, not the worst idea, except that trying to banish a Liminal is a great way to kill them instead, and guess what everyone in Amity Park is? Not to mention what powering such a ritual could do to Danny.

Tucker is not having a panic attack. He might have one later, but right now he has a job to do.

So the thing about the Justice League is that they’re powerful and together they cover each other’s weaknesses, but individually they are, if not manageable, then at least survivable. They can’t take on the entire league, but Ghosts and their ilk have fangs for a reason, and every predator knows how to divide and conquer.

Technus and Skulker are using Lex Luthor’s tech to deal with the Supers. Jazz has got emotional manipulation and FrightKnight’s sword to take down the Flashes. Desiree agreed to start a mage’s duel with the Justice League Dark. Sam, Ember, Johnny, and Kitty hopefully have the watchtower in hand, with Walker playing backup to get Danny free.

Tucker has two jobs. One, work with Technus to take down the Justice League communications without making it look like anything is up. Two, for the love of the Ancients, do not let the Bats realize something is wrong.

And you know what? He’s got this. Duul Aman was the most feared sorcerer of his time. Tucker isn’t him, not really, but he’s no slouch in the magic department. Egyptian magic, the way Duul Aman knew it, was almost like code. Relearning it was as easy as breathing, but the real reason Tucker’s job is to deal with the bats is because he took it further than his last life ever could. Sure, he’s a dab hand at illusions, his curses are almost as nasty as Sam’s, and instant sandstorms are never not useful, but where he really thrives is with tech. Afterall, if ectoplasm can be combined with computers, why can’t magic?

Tucker is the world's first technomage and he’s goddamn proud of it.

It’s his saving grace now. Infiltrating Oracle’s system took weeks, and he still wasn’t able to look at or do anything important, but it was enough of an opening for his magic. He wormed his illusion through every single piece of bat-tech he could reach, whispering in their ear, Gotham needs you. The Justice League is fine. Gotham is where the problems are. 

Weeks of work and sleepless nights, and he still doubts he’ll be able to keep them from noticing anything for more than a few hours. Luckily, by that time Danny will be free and Tucker will be long gone from Gotham.

This confidence lasts until he brushes hands with another guy in the cafe. He can feel the bond snap into place, a soulmark crawling across his body. Tim Drake stares at him, eyes wide but sharp. 

Tim Drake.

Red Robin.

Shit.

Time to see whether fighting ghosts extends to fighting humans, because he is not letting this asshole mess up Danny’s rescue.

+++

The first thing Tim notices when he meets his soulmate is the rage in the man’s eyes.

They’re really pretty eyes. A bright, glowing gold, lined in kohl. Almost certainly a sign of magic. 

They look at him like the man wants to turn him inside out and burn the remains. Tim’s a little offended, beneath the shock and awe.

“Fuck,” the man hisses. Tim’s offense is starting to supersede his surprise. He’s a catch, thank you very much.

He says as much. The man laughs, and it’s almost friendly.  The cafe is empty. The people of Gotham have good instincts, and there’s something in the air around this man that puts Tim’s hackles up.

“You know, I think that’d be more believable if you hadn’t started this.”

Tim’s brow wrinkled. He felt like he’d remember starting something with his soulmate though? What was he supposed to have started, anyway? Saying ‘this’ wasn’t very specific. 

He rolled and dodged to avoid the sudden lash of golden sand. Ah. A fight. He could do that. Figure out why his soulmate was angry later, defeat him now.

He reached up to call for backup and only got static.

Shit.

He was on his own. Time to show this bastard why underestimating a bat was a bad idea.

[radiance1]

To say Danny was worried about Vlad's continued disappearance was... sort of an understatement? At first, he was glad about it. He could finally kick back and relax when one of his more insistent and cunning foes were gone to who knows where and left him alone.

When it continued, Danny very obviously thought that hey, Vlad might be cooking up some supremely intricate plan that'll ruin Danny's day so, of course, Danny started to look for him.

He didn't expect to find Vlad when he was (surprisingly) captured by the GIW. All of his pride scrubbed away, all the elegance he insisted upon exchanged for something more.. beastly, collared and reduced to some raging experiment that was more animal than human.

It scared Danny.

Like a lot.

Danny thinks that Vlad was many things. A fruitloop, annoying, overconfident, intelligent and cunning when he wants to be, also an idiot and, again, extremely annoying.

But not. Well. That.

So he, understandably, didn't like it one bit. Especially when they tried doing the same thing to him. So, Danny tries to escape, which was surprisingly harder than he had first thought because you know that collar they put on Vlad?

Yea, they put it on him too, and it makes his powers all wonky and harder to use. The only thing that wasn't really impacted was his regeneration.

And then there was the dehumanization.

Oh, by the Ancients.

The dehumanization.

Being referred to as it, thing, animal, anything besides human really takes a toll on a person when they're actually going through it. Sometimes Danny caught himself calling himself an 'it' too and he's not happy about it.

Danny wanted out.

And he wanted out bad.

So while he may have felt guilty, that guilt didn't exactly stop him from using Vlad to his own ends to get himself out of there. Even with that power wonker of a collar, Vlad was still an outright menace without the rest of those chains on him and Danny?

Danny was extremely, very glad about that fact.

So there Danny goes, escaping into a portal with Vlad at his back because, well, he wasn't just going to leave him there. When they actually escape is fair game though. And then the last thing the GIW do to fuck them over is hit them both with some experimental tech that forces them to reveal their 'true form' which, obviously Danny didn't expect to actually work.

Then he found himself significantly younger with a younger but no less traumatized and feral Vlad in a place that wasn't Amity Park and oooooh boy this did not go to plan and everything is fucked up.

The worst thing about all of this?

The both of them are still collared. So wonky and/or weakened powers, in a place Danny has no knowledge about, with a feral Vlad that he couldn't leave alone anymore because Danny was a toddler and he'd use every advantage he could get now, both of them wounded because it wasn't a clean escape and oh hey apparently heroes exist here-

Wait.

What.

[chernabogs]

Styx, Fae, and Malleus—Oh my!

Okay I'm writing this more as a marker for myself because I keep breaking my brain with connecting C6 to C7, but I've included my notes down below to kind of trail through how things might go with the next C7 update. Since the Shroud brothers are back in business, we'll be seeing a lot more of Styx's hand too, so I also wanted to collect as much information (canon) as I can on them too. Because I just think they're neat, and combining all the information makes them that much neater!

Warning for a long-ish post.

All About Styx (Up to C7, April 2024)

Styx, originally serving as just the Watchman before the Age of Gods (which Malleus discusses in C6 part 18),

is an independently operating institution (non-government affiliated) that specifically focuses on research pertaining to blot. According to the welcome video narrated by Idia’s mother and father, Styx covers the following:

Safe use of technomantic technology

Magical power analysis

Preservation of ruins and mage stones

Blot emission reduction

Post OB treatment

Magical disaster prediction systems

Maintaining phantom databases

Styx operates off of the Isle of Woe, an area mostly inaccessible to outsiders due to its status as being below the ocean and only accessible via the Oceanus Gate. Styx is seemingly composed of multiple units and teams, including the Hex Team, with most of the employees living in the residential block of Oceanus and using chariots (technomantic vehicles) to get to the tower. Another unit that Styx controls are the Charon members. These appear to be the equivalent of armed forces under Styx’s command. They specifically act as retrievers of over blotted mages, or more specifically the phantoms involved in the overblot. Magic Marshals and the Arcane Response Unit often handle overblot cases, but in extreme incidents, Charon members step in.

It’s mentioned that they also arrive regardless of if they have authorization from the government of the location the overblot is occurring. 

Regarding the technomantic equipment mentioned, this is what Styx seems to mainly use for all operations, likely due to the nature of its research. Technomantic technology has an ability to almost entirely nullify magic. Although not 100% effective, it was enough to even make Rooks UM limited, forcing him to only track the kidnapped students when there were second breaks in the tech. This tech was also used on the overblot students, with Riddle stating that it’s equivalent to his UM (C6 part 26). 

The tower that Styx operates out of is a large structure located in the centre of the ancient city that was originally attached to the Kingdom of Heroes. Within this tower, Styx keeps phantoms preserved frozen in the lower layers. This area is referred to as Tartarus and hosts approximately 10,000 subjects split into 12 levels. A-class are considered exceedingly dangerous phantoms, according to Ortho. Sector 12 is where the original Phantoms are housed, known as the ‘Titans’. These are three phantoms that have been sealed in Tartarus by the original Jupiter family members since the Age of Gods. 

The system designed to preserve these phantoms is known as the Cerberus System. This encapsulates the entire Isle, not just Styx. According to Idia, mages are taken and housed for testing in this region before being wiped by Lethe, another system operated by Styx that re-wires memories and implants false ones. Interestingly, Lethe works differently on fae than humans due to fae’s long lifespans. Idia states that it’s hard to adjust what information to remove and rewrite without making it obvious that there was an erasure. He does mention Malleus by name when discussing this, but not Lilia. 

All About The Fae in Briar Valley (Up to April 2024, JP Spoilers)

Fae appear to live broadly across Twisted Wonderland, but a large majority do reside in Briar Valley (other additions such as Fairyland/Land of Fairy have been mentioned and seem to host diurnal fae. More of this can be found in the fairy gala events. Diurnal fae are considered to herald the coming of spring with this gala, which ties in with later discussions about fae and nature). Various species were also noted to exist, including:

Dragon fae (note: Dragons are mentioned to have arrived for Meleanor during her youth, however after her passing a decade later it appears that Dragons have either gone underground or extinct across the broader Twisted Wonderland area)

Raven fae

Bat fae

Crocodile fae

Subcategories of crafter fae and the likes exist too, but don’t quite count as species 

There appears to be a hierarchy of value among fae. In one conversation by a Senate member (in Chapter 7, release 6), Lilia is referred to in derogatory terms due to his status as a bat fae. It is unknown if this bias is strictly the Senate member, Briar Valley, or if it spreads across broader fae populations. Fae also appear to have monarchies, although the only two known so far are the Queen of Fairyland and the Draconia Family. Fae also appear to age at different rates (Malleus states infant fae often take 30 years to walk, and it took him 20 years alone to gain his 2-legged form). 

Due to Briar Valley being the major focus of C7, we’ll look at fae in this region specifically. 

For context, constant conflict has arisen between fae and humans, specifically within Briar Valley. A major conflict and large plot point in C7 so far is the conflict between Briar Nation (former name of Briar Valley) and the Silver owls. The Silver Owls, run by Henrik, carried out mining operations throughout Briar Nation without permission from the royal family. Despite the name Silver Owls, it should be noted that they are also called Iron Ones due to their iron weapons and armor. According to Briar Nation soldiers, Silver Owls recklessly endangered fae by driving wildlife into villages in addition to colonizing the region. The Silver Owls (Henrik in particular) are aiming to attain Princess Glow. Henrik stated that he wanted it for his father (unlikely, lbr). Princess Glow appeared to be a gem associated with the Draconia Family that was capable of performing miracles like healing incurable ailments. It’s unknown if this is factual or not, but Meleanor does appear to put value on the gem when discussing it with Lilia. 

Conflict with the Silver Owls extended across several regions in Briar Nation, including:

Verdant Moors (outside the present day borders—confirmed by Sebek in C7)

Canyon of Howling Winds (also called Valley of Howling winds in some translations)

Mystical Mountain/Forbidden Mountain

Thunderclap Mountains

Cape Sunrise 

Tenebrae Forest/Dark Night Forest

Crimson plain

Dragon’s Tail Mountains 

Wild Rose Palace 

Black Scale Palace 

Dragon Capital City (surrounding Black Scale Palace)

Cradle Tower

Note: present day Briar Valley is situated farther up north and is said to have a cold climate for the most part, including particularly harsh winters (confirmed by Silver in release 4 of C7). Double note: Names may be susceptible to change with EN release. 

The conflict ended with Meleanor and Levan (Malleus’ parents) allegedly dead. Fae ceased intermingling with humans likely after this conflict according to Lilia in C6 part 18, leaving to heavy deficits in the validity of history surrounding the fae. This also means that a lot of human history books miss history that fae may have personally experienced or have to share (as spoken by Trein and Lilia). 

In terms of powers, fae in Twisted Wonderland seem to rely on nature a great deal for their magical abilities. Idia’s father discusses the extent of what some fae can do due to their connection with ancient magic, including mentioning how fae have had control over climate change and diastrophism since the Age of Myths (presumably predating the Age of Gods). Malleus’ ability to alter the world in a designated area falls under this category. He is stated to have magic tied to the earth itself. Idia’s mother also mentions that fae can also draw magical energy from nature itself, building on Idia’s fathers statement about how fae’s magic directly connects to the earth. Generally, fae with elemental connections can do this, which proposes the idea that Malleus has such an ability. 

It also appears that fae can lend this magic to humans. The Knight of Dawn frequently calls upon the blessings of diurnal fae to aid him in his fights throughout C7 (note: he says 'fairy guardians', so this could be just this specific instance). 

So… what’s up with chapter 7, as of April 2024? (JP Spoilers)

Well… Malleus over blotted. Inconvenient, absolutely. Fortunately, his grandmother snitched and gave all of his information over to Styx, allowing them to formulate somewhat of a plan to use.

We know specifically that the Arcane Response Unit is unable to get access to Malleus through the thorns because, should the thorn wall be penetrated or collapse, it will kill whoever is caught inside of it. At the moment, ARU is likely on the borders of Malleus’ thorn wall while Ortho (acting as a stand-in Charon member, in this case) deals with the issue. Anyone who gets too close to the thorns (fae or human) are also being sucked into the barrier. 

Silver, Sebek, Yuu and Grim are currently travelling through various dreams. This allowed some insight on fae (see Fae in Briar Valley for more) as well as the abilities that they possess. Ortho has pulled the group into Idia’s dream, stating that Malleus is using all resources to keep Lilia asleep. Ortho was able to penetrate into the barrier using a counter-spell barrier and ethereal slicers, in addition to a magical cannon honed by Styx. 

We also know it’s confirmed that Malleus needs to either voluntarily end his spell or die in order to actually cause the barriers to drop. 

What might happen, then? (JP Spoilers)

Who knows! Yana likes to keep us on our toes. That being said, one of the biggest takeaways that came from this is the technology (technomantic) that Styx has access to, as well as what fae seem to rely on to continually use their magic. Styx’s access to technology that can almost entirely nullify magic in combination with their isolation from ‘nature’ (based on the brutalism architecture their facility had) could be two avenues of mitigating Malleus enough to at least let the students get an upper hand. 

However, Styx also did confirm that their technomantic equipment was not having as good of an effect on Malleus’ barrier as they anticipated. If technomantic equipment were to be used on Malleus, it would need to be something advanced, like Ortho’s Cerberus gear, but on a larger scale. Ortho has already shown that Malleus’ magic is ineffective when faced with the type of tech that Ortho is equipped with, positing the idea that this can be an avenue to take. In the battle with Ortho, Malleus does appear to freeze up and misses a hit. 

The comment about Malleus needing to break the spell himself was emphasized a lot in this section. Styx confirmed they’ll reach out to Queen Maleficia to see if she can persuade Malleus to drop the spell, but they’re also convincing the dreamers to persuade Malleus as well. 

So… it seems like a triple whammy of tech, Maleficia, and guilt tripping as a way to take Malleus down. Exciting!!

[whataperfectwasteoftime]

The Rift - Prologue

Pairing: Marcus Moreno x Marcus Acacius x Marcus Pike x f!Reader

Rating: Chapter is T, overall fic is E (18+ only, explicit smut)

Word Count: 420 (nice)

Warnings: questionable science, wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey nonsense

Summary: Marcus Moreno is so, so tired.

A/N: I'm chomping at the bit and scared of becoming irrelevant so I'm dropping this a few days earlier than planned. I know it's short, but really all we're doing here is setting up the fact that I'm about to smash three different character universes together. I'm hoping to release new chapters weekly; I've got quite a bit of this already written.

Masterlist | Next chapter>>

Marcus Moreno was having a bad day.

“Explain it to me again,” he grumbles, pinching his nose between thumb and forefinger, the remnants of caffeine from his half-drunk morning coffee long since depleted.

The veneer of patience plastered over the lab-coat-bedecked scientist–who had to be more than twenty years his junior, Jesus Christ–wavers for a split second as he’s asked to explain the phenomenon to the leader of the Heroics for the third time in ten minutes.

“Okay. So. Quantum Wraith detonated the black hole bomb in the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue. With me so far?”

“It was contained,” Marcus protests, also for the third time, and also on the verge of his patience slipping.

“Right,” the lab tech nods vehemently. “The explosion was contained, there were no casualties, and the Heroics saved the day again.” 

Marcus ignores the sarcasm in the other man’s tone. “So what, exactly, is the problem?”

“Well, energy has to go somewhere. It can’t just… dissipate. Law of thermodynamics, and all that.”

Right. Thermodynamics. Energy can’t be created or destroyed… or something like that. Marcus struggles to keep up. “So… where did it go?” 

“It opened a time rift.”

“A time rift.”

“Mm-hmm. A rift. In time. And space.”

“And that means–” the Heroic begins confidently, before faltering again. “...What does that mean?”

“I mean, this has never happened before in the history of humanity,” the scientist says rapidly. “We don’t really know what the implications will be long term. This could teach us untold things about the universe as we know it. It could open us up to the idea of wormholes, long distance space travel, the ability to travel faster than the speed of light–” the younger man starts talking faster and faster, pacing the floor and gesturing excitedly.

“Okay, wait–” Marcus tries to interrupt. “What about… what about the short term? What is currently happening,” he says, over-pronouncing the words for emphasis, “at ground zero of this… thing?”

“It appears to have opened up a portal of some sort. A portal to another place. Another time.”

Marcus’s mouth opens, closes, then opens again. “A portal to where? Or… when?”

“Well, we have to consider the fact that there might be multiple parallel universes and that this rift may have opened into another planet, another eon, another universe…” 

“So you don’t know, then,” the Heroic accuses.

“No, uh, actually, I think we do. I mean, there are degrees of certainty to every hypothesis, but we’re pretty sure we have identified both the time and the place."

“Which is…?”

“Ancient Rome.”

[mastercucco]

Hateno Boy - Part 1 - Link x Reader

The Calamity is gone, but so is Link’s purpose. He feels completely lost in post-Calamity Hyrule where everyone but him seem to have found their new place.

It certainly doesn’t help his restless nights that you, a young Hylian whom Zelda has hired as the new teacher at Hateno School, are slowly taking up more and more of his headspace with each conversation you two have.

Fandom: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom Pairing: Link x fem!Reader Raiting: Mature (might go up, might go down, let's see) Contains: feel-good, slow burn romance; platonic Link/Zelda; Link being an angsty retired hero Chapter Index | Read on Ao3 A/N: Very excited to write something possibly disgustingly cute. The story takes place after the events in BotW but before the beginning of TotK. All characters are adults! I hope you enjoy the story! xx

Chapter 1 - Purpose

Contains: Link being an angsty retired hero; Zelda being embarrassed by Link's inability to talk to girls (or other human beings in general) Word count: ~1,3k A/N: Please look past any weird sentences, English isn't my first language :p

A breath of warm air blows from the sea, gentle on skin and smelling of sea salt. The wind hurries over the hills of Necluda, tall grass bowing before it like waves on an emerald green ocean. Once it reaches Link sitting on top of the hills, it gently tugs on his hair and pushes his hood down.

He has been sitting there for quite some time now – so long that the tips of his ears are starting to redden from the wind, as gentle as it is. The sun that was high up when he arrived at the hills, is now hanging low over the horizon. It is soon time for him to go; Zelda asked him in the morning to stop by the school before sundown.

He is alone, as he is on most days nowadays. There isn’t much for him to do: Zelda is busy rebuilding Hateno, the recently finished village school her new pride and joy. And when she isn’t mingling with the villagers, she’s kept busy with her research at the Tech Lab. She doesn’t require an escort anymore, not after Purah hired a young researcher to assist them decipher ancient Zonai texts anyway. The man rarely leaves Zelda’s side when the two of them are together – which is often. Very often.

Link was jealous at first. After all, he is the Princess’ appointed knight, and he is the one who wields the Master Sword, and he is the one who saved Zelda’s life – not some overly excited, self-proclaimed explorer with a stupidly tall frame and an apparent distaste for wearing upper garments that hide his muscles.

Eventually, his jealousy morphed into loneliness – something he did a terrible job of hiding from Zelda. She asked him if he wanted to return to Hyrule Castle to help the Royal Guard in training new soldiers. Link said no, that he likes it here in Hateno.

“I wouldn’t mind if you go,” Zelda said, gently placing her hand on top of his, “I can see how lost you are here.”

Somehow, Zelda seeing straight through his lies and offering him kindness hurt more than her asking Link to leave in the first place. After that, Link couldn’t help but feel even more uncertain and disconnected. Everyone had seemingly moved on, everyone but him. While he still remains close with Zelda, honoring his duty, accompanying her whenever she travels outside of Hateno, even living with her, he knows deep down that she doesn’t need him anymore. The Calamity is gone, and so is his purpose.

The sun hangs low when Link arrives at Hateno School. The sky is flaring in shades of red, reminding Link of a cozy fire under a cooking pot – somewhere he would much prefer to be. The school’s front doors are open, but the playground is silent and the windows are dark, all except one. It has been a while since Link last visited the school. The children adore him, which is exactly why he prefers to stay away. Their looks of admiration and curious questions make him uneasy. Ever since moving to Hateno, all he has wanted is to lay low, going as far as to hide his head-turning Champion’s tunic in the bottom of his drawer. He wanted to throw the tunic away, but Zelda wouldn’t let him.

He can already hear Zelda’s excited chattering when he reaches the open doors and quietly steps inside. Zelda is having an eager conversation with a young Hylian woman – you – whom Link doesn’t remember seeing before. He does remember Zelda telling him about a new teacher she hired a few months back, and he figures it must be you.

You notice Link arriving before Zelda does and give him a polite smile in greeting. Only when he lightly taps on Zelda’s shoulder does she stop talking and turn around.

“Oh, Link,” she smiles. “You have impeccable timing. We were just talking about you!”

Link furrows his brow. Great, just great, he thinks, already feeling the tips of his ears growing warmer.

“Only good things,” you assure with an awkward laugh. “The Princess told me you made the apple pie she brought the other day.”

Link hopes that the dim light of the oil lamps is enough to hide his red ears. He clears his throat, though not even intending to say anything.

“I don’t think you two have met before, have you?” Zelda says, giving Link an encouraging nudge.

Even after all the years spent in royal banquets practicing formal pleasantries with Hyrule’s nobility, Link still feels awkward having to introduce himself. Nonetheless, he extends his hand for a greeting. When you offer him yours, he brings it to his lips and gives your knuckles a polite kiss. Your skin feels soft and pleasant, he thinks, now horribly self-aware of just how sweaty his own palm is.

When he looks back at you, even he can pick up the awkward tension in your smile and words as you introduce yourself. He feels his whole face heat up, not really understanding what he did wrong but knowing he must have, because even Zelda has the same tension in her smile as you do.

“He is very accustomed to his formal greetings from his days at the Castle,” Zelda says with a forced smile and gives Link a look. Only then does he realize that a hand kiss, though adequate in greeting a noble woman, is not something you, a village school teacher, was expecting from a Royal Knight. He would apologize, but his mouth is dry and no words come out.

“And, well, you probably already know of Link,” Zelda breaks the uncomfortable silence after it becomes clear Link isn’t going to introduce himself.

“The Hero of Hyrule,” you say, knowingly. “We have actually met before.”

We have? Link thinks, the heat of embarrassment getting unbearable. All he wants to do is run home and hide under his bed covers for the rest of eternity. This is why he rarely leaves their home or willingly socializes with the villagers. He would cringe if he wasn’t too embarrassed to move his face muscles.

“You have?” asks Zelda out loud, her disapproving eyes boring into Link’s.

“It was years ago,” you are quick to add. “He took refuge in our family home once. I wouldn’t blame him for not remembering.”

Zelda doesn’t appear quite as understanding when she shoots another scolding look at Link, the pink in her own cheeks deepening as well. “Please,” she says as she turns back to you, “accept my apology. Link can be awfully forgetful sometimes.” She gives him a final glare that, at last, makes him drop his head. He’s not sure if dying of embarrassment is a real occurrence, but if it is, then he must be very close to leaving Hyrule for good.

“It’s quite alright, Your Highness,” you say with a slightly uneasy laugh that fails to fully mask your discomfort. “I don’t mind it, really. Like I said, it was years ago.”

There is an uncomfortable silence between the three of you. Then Zelda claps her hands, and the tension breaks like a taut rubber band. Link sighs, relieved.

“Well,” Zelda says, “now that we are done with introductions, perhaps we can show Link the curriculum we’ve been working on? I’m sure he can give us his opinion on the section about monster parts and their usage in elixirs.”

When you turn to look for something from your writing table’s drawers, Link grabs Zelda’s sleeve and gives her a pleading look. Zelda narrows her eyes and shakes her head.

“Do not even think of fleeing” she hisses in his ear before she hurries over to you to help you with a pile of scrolls close to toppling over. Link lets out a silent grunt and looks longingly at the open doors. The sun has gone down, the sky now the same shade as embers cooling down under a cooking pot – somewhere he would much prefer to be.

Chapter 2 - Heromania »

[shiyorin]

Do Dreadnoughts dream of taking a bath?

#Inspired by PowerWash x Warhammer 40K and Roco.

#I love Dreadnought.

"Do Dreadnoughts dream?"

That is a question with no certain answer. On one hand, a Dreadnought is more machine than man, neural implants fuse mind to machine in ways bizarre to comprehend. Their armored carapace shelters only remnants of flesh, sustained through bionic might alone. By all rights, their cerebral cortex should have decayed long ago.

By such logic, one could argue conscious thought ends where flesh yields to steel. Sleep and its dreamscapes are biological realities, are they not? With only trace humanity remaining, why expect mental functions of slumber? But integrated into their armored shells are enough enhanced organs and neural implants to sustain bioniorganic functions far beyond mere biological viability. Isn't the nature of dream itself stems from biological instincts overwritten.

The pain was a dull ache, easily ignored after centuries entombed. But a new irritation assailed him now, crawling itches across flesh long denied sensation. Confusion, this body felt change, though it had lain inert as worlds turned. Deeper still came the oppression, lungs seizing as if drowning once more in bloody. 

What trickery was this? Diagnostics reported stasis, all systems firing true. Yet the discomforts grew, phlegmy coughs racking the half-machine beast. Panic swelled, animal instincts long dormant rising within the eternal tomb. Then light, piercing the darkness behind closing lids. Sweet air rushed into ruined lungs, this labor easing at last. 

His eyes snapped open to an unfamiliar realm. No armored bulk rose before him but limbs scoured by shrapnel and burned by virus-bombs. His original form, given once more against all reason, a gift or curse, he knew not. Unfettered he stood, wounds healed to bare scars across taut flesh. This was a dream, or something. 

An uncertainty gripped him. What madness was this? To be returned to old flesh but feel no urge to battle, no call to crusade? A different impulse arose, foreign but ingrained, cleansing ritual performed eons past in youth. He walked uncertain, waters calling him to rites unseen by any in aeons untold. 

Ribs still bore flecks of ceramite and plasteel patched within living shell. He paused before the waters, studying form that had known only warfare. Scars told their own tales, each etched upon memories kept alive through aeons in stasis. With care he entered in that, waters lapping old wounds as if in benediction. 

There he lingered, letting cares and pains wash freely away. Muscles long locked in adamantium relaxed, tension fleeing in steam rising. For the first time in memory untold, no demands of duty or flesh assailed him. A feeling swelled within him, emotion locked beyond reach of mortal sensation. Peace, serenity swept over ancient minds as waters sloughed away cares of ages...

Pain pulsed through his battered form as consciousness returned. The fleeting peace of dreams melted away, centuries of enforced half-life onboard the Dreadnought crashing back upon ancient shoulders. Systems booted sluggishly, sensors recalibrating after solaris of monotony disturbed. 

A hum escaped grille as servos whirred back to their duties securing crumpled flesh deeper than mortal sight could pierce. Outside clangs and grinding announced the diligent ministrations of tech-priests ensuring their perpetual charge clung yet to shadow of function. One voice carried clearly through armored carapace:

"Vitals stabilize in sector C-12 Magos. Neural links firing within tolerances." The Tech-priest's voice rang through microphones.

"Understood. Continue maintenance protocols and monitor for anomalies. This relic has served faithfully many centuries. Pray for the Omnissiah." The Magos's bionics buzzed in compliance. They ensured history marched on, whatever hulls preserved that march.

With effort, aged vox-grille creaked open. "Brother, I was dreaming." Static laced speech imparted by cobbled augmetics mere palliates for ravaged throat too ruined for basic sounds. The Techmarine's etheric sensors detected words nonetheless.

A static pause preceded Techmarine's reply. "Dreaming? Impossible, your neural engrams show only baseline activity."

Mirthless chuckle issued from loudspeakers. "Impossible, yes, But I dream... I'm taking a bath." 

Silence answered as Techmarine puzzled over the incomprehensible scene. "The priests scrub your plating clean as monthly rite. Perhaps some synapse misfired."

Silence reigned for moments uncounted as ritual continued outside. Then, a final whisper from within. "Indeed. A... nice dream." 

With that, consciousness fell back into lowest-level rest as painkillers suffused systems. The Techmarine watched monitors return to quiescent patterns, then signaled to close the Dreadnought once more. Its machine spirit's notions were beyond his. The armored tomb closed, and darkness reigned once more.

[baldy-wan-kenobi]

An Introduction to the False Peace

It has been fifty years since the Final Armistice was signed, ending the Long War that consumed the world for three centuries, plunging mankind from its very height into a new dark age.

In its aftermath, the nations of old are gone, replaced with vast swathes of desolate and inhospitable nothing punctuated only by ancient installations and the gleaming spires of the City-States.

Sanctuary and Citadel in one, the City-States are massive, heavily protected fortresses each enclosing thousands of square miles, housing a population of millions, as well as the industry required to sustain them. They are everything to those who live within: Safety from roving bandits and scavengers, Shelter from the fearsome and enigmatic storms that kill and mutate with fell energies, and a chance to Survive, in the last remaining bastions of civilization in a ruined world.

However, humanity is not content within these confines. Even as the dust settles, and storms of esoteric energy ravage the world, corporations and City-States are growing bolder and bolder in seeking conflict, driven by greed, ambition, and a lust for conquest. Despite the best efforts of the valiant Knights of Svalbard, equipped with unimaginably powerful technology from the World that Was and charged with the task of safeguarding human life, total war seems an inevitability.

In this time of False Peace, everyone has a hidden agenda, and those with power are always on the lookout for the piece of Old World Tech that will allow them to finally destroy their enemies, and in that desire, opportunity lurks…

You are a Tinman, one of many mercenaries piloting the war machines known as "Frames", contracted by the various corporate powers and City-State security forces of the world to fight their proxy wars and delve into the ancient ruins of once-mighty nations, to plumb their depths for the technological wonders that lie within. However, this task is not without danger, for these ruins are not so abandoned as they might appear. Within squalid bunkers and empty garrisons, ancient and mindless constructs awake, artificial minds bound to the will of masters centuries dead, and determined to safeguard their secrets to the bitter end…

Hey, everybody! So, this is the introduction/Primer to my as-yet-unnamed, semi-original Sci-Fi setting, taking heavy inspiration from the Armored Core games, the Battletech universe, and the Cyberpunk setting. From now on, I'll be posting various informative things about the universe, from faction overviews, exposition about worldbuilding elements, and progress as the eventual TTRPG takes shape!

[danicareadssmut]

Burn Eternal

Rafayel is painting when Xavier arrives, his brush strokes aggressive as he works crimson into a violent sunset. He doesn't turn around when the door opens, but his shoulders tense slightly.

"The Lightseeker graces me with his presence," he drawls, adding another angry streak of red. "To what do I owe this displeasure?"

"Caleb's back."

The brush stills. Rafayel sets it down carefully, too carefully, before turning to face Xavier. "Well, well. The prodigal brother returns. And how is our dear Colonel handling his... upgrade?"

"He spent the night with her. And the next day. In her bed."

"Ah." Rafayel's casual demeanor slips for just a moment, revealing something darker underneath. "And here I thought you were supposed to be protecting her."

"I've been trying," Xavier says through gritted teeth. "But you know how she is. How she's always been."

"Mmm, yes. Stubbornly determined to get herself killed." Rafayel moves to his bar cart, pouring two glasses of something that sparkles like starlight. "Though I suppose that's partially my fault. My heart does make her rather... resilient."

He offers one glass to Xavier, who takes it despite their mutual distrust. They both know alcohol won't affect them anyway.

"The chip in his head," Xavier says after a moment. "It's Ever tech. Military grade."

"And you think when it activates..." Rafayel's voice trails off as he swirls his drink. "Well, that would be rather poetic, wouldn't it? The protective brother becoming the thing she needs protection from."

"This isn't a joke, Rafayel."

"Do I look like I'm laughing?" The former god's eyes flash dangerously. "I gave up my kingdom, my people, everything for her. And now you're telling me some human with a computer in his brain might undo all of that?"

Xavier sets his untouched glass down. "We need to work together on this."

"Like I did with Zayne?" Rafayel's laugh is bitter. "That worked out so well last time."

"This is different. Caleb isn't bound by fate or divine punishment. He's a weapon, and weapons can be disabled."

"Or destroyed," Rafayel adds softly, watching Xavier's reaction.

"If necessary." The words clearly pain him to say.

"My, my. The noble Lightseeker, willing to kill an innocent man to protect his queen." Rafayel's smile is sharp. "How far we've fallen."

"Are you going to help or not?"

Rafayel studies him for a long moment, ancient eyes calculating. "You know, I've watched her die a thousand different ways. Drowning, burning, bleeding out in battle. But watching her heart break?" He shakes his head. "That's always been the worst."

"Which is why we need to act before—"

"Before what?" Rafayel cuts him off. "Before she falls in love with him? Too late. Before she gets hurt? That's inevitable. Before the chip activates?" He downs his drink in one smooth motion. "Now that... that might be worth discussing."

Xavier's expression hardens. "What do you know?"

"I know Ever's tech. I know how their control chips work." Rafayel moves back to his painting, adding a streak of black across the violent sky. "And I know there might be a way to... redirect its programming."

"At what cost?"

"Oh, always so suspicious." Rafayel turns back with a dangerous smile. "Let's just say I have as much interest in keeping her alive as you do. More, perhaps, since it's my heart keeping her that way."

"Your terms?"

"Help me deal with a certain ice-wielding problem, and I'll help you with your soldier boy." Rafayel's eyes glitter with malice. "After all, what's one more betrayal between immortal enemies?"

Xavier considers this, clearly weighing the risks. Finally, he nods. "Deal."

"Excellent." Rafayel picks up his brush again. "Now get out. Your self-righteousness is ruining my artistic flow."

As Xavier leaves, Rafayel adds another streak of black to his canvas, this one cutting through the heart of the sunset like a wound. He might have lost his kingdom, but he hasn't forgotten how to play at being king.

And in this game of gods and monsters, sometimes the best move is to let your enemies destroy each other.

***

Everything goes sideways when one of the guards recognizes you.

"That's the resonator!" he shouts, and suddenly there are a dozen guns trained on your position. "The one the Professor wants!"

You dive behind a stack of shipping containers as bullets pepper the air where you'd been standing. Sylus is somewhere to your left, his power thrumming through the warehouse like a living thing.

"Quite popular these days, aren't you?" His voice carries across the space, deceptively casual. But you can hear the edge underneath, the beast stirring.

"Not the time for jokes," you call back, wincing as a bullet ricochets off metal too close to your head.

"On the contrary—" There's a wet sound and a scream cuts off abruptly. "I find humor helps in these situations."

You risk a glance around the corner. Three men are down, their weapons scattered in pieces across the floor. But more are pouring in through the side entrance, and you catch fragments of radio chatter about the bounty on your head.

A bullet grazes your arm, and you bite back a cry of pain. But Sylus hears it anyway.

The temperature in the warehouse seems to drop. The air grows heavy, charged with potential energy as his power builds. You've seen him angry before, seen him kill without hesitation. But this... this is different.

"You know," he says, his voice dropping to that dangerous register that makes your skin prickle, "I was planning to let most of you live."

He steps out from cover, his right eye blazing with otherworldly light. The air around him vibrates with barely contained power, and you feel it in your bones—the beast awakening.

One of the men fires, but the bullet stops mid-air, disintegrating into dust.

"You really shouldn't have done that."

***

Two Days Ago

"You know," Sylus drawls from behind you, "when I imagined you bent over my bike, this isn't quite what I had in mind."

You ignore the heat that creeps up your neck as you continue working on the tracking device you found attached to his motorcycle. "Do you ever stop?"

"Why would I?" You can hear the smirk in his voice. "Your blush is far too entertaining."

"I'm not blushing," you lie, focusing intently on the delicate wiring. "I'm concentrating."

He moves closer, and suddenly his breath is warm against your ear. "You can do both."

You absolutely do not shiver at his proximity. "Don't you have henchmen to terrorize?"

"Luke and Kieran are securing our entry point." His voice drops lower, rougher. "Which leaves me free to... supervise."

"You mean annoy me."

"I prefer to think of it as motivation."

You finally extract the tracker, holding it up triumphantly. "There. Now we can—" You turn and find yourself nose to nose with him, his mismatched eyes glinting with amusement. "Um."

"Yes?" His smile is wicked. "You were saying?"

You clear your throat and step back, ignoring how his power seems to caress your skin as you move. "We can track whoever's been following you."

"Following us," he corrects, taking the device from your hand. His fingers brush yours deliberately. "They're not just after me anymore, kitten."

The playfulness fades from his expression as he studies the tracker. "Ever's bounty on you has tripled since word got out about your resonance ability."

"Worried about me?" you tease, trying to lighten the sudden tension.

His eye flares briefly with that otherworldly light. "Always."

You watch as he turns the tracker over in his hands, his power rippling through the air between you. Even after all this time, you still can't quite get used to how it feels—like standing too close to a tesla coil, electricity dancing across your skin.

"The Spatium Core," he says finally, pocketing the device. "That's what they're after. And they think you can help them find it."

"Why would they think that?"

His lips quirk up. "Because you found me."

Right. Your resonance ability—the thing that lets you connect with Aether Cores, that drew you to his glowing eye that first night in N109. The thing that's made you a target for every organization hunting these mysterious artifacts.

"I didn't find you," you remind him. "You kidnapped me."

"And yet," he steps closer again, backing you against his bike, "here you are. Voluntarily."

Your heart thunders in your chest as he plants his hands on the seat on either side of you, caging you in. This close, you can see the flecks of gold among the red in his normal eye, the way they match the ethereal glow of his Aether Core.

"Maybe I just want answers," you say, proud that your voice remains steady.

"Maybe." His smile is knowing. "Or maybe you miss the danger."

"I get plenty of danger as a Hunter."

"Not like this." He leans in, his breath ghosting across your lips. "Not like us."

Before you can respond, a door slams somewhere in the warehouse. Sylus straightens, though he doesn't step back.

"Boss!" Luke's voice echoes through the space. "We got something!"

Sylus sighs, his forehead dropping to rest against yours for just a moment. "Terrible timing, as usual."

You slip out from between him and the bike, trying to ignore how cold you feel without his power surrounding you. "Work first, flirting later."

"Is that a promise?" He falls into step beside you, his longer stride easily matching yours.

"It's a maybe."

Luke and Kieran are waiting by their surveillance setup, identical grins on their faces as you approach. You've grown fond of Sylus' henchmen over the past few months, even if they do spend most of their time trying to play matchmaker.

"Where are the power-dampening cuffs we got you," Kieran asks with exaggerated disappointment, nodding at your empty wrists.

"Still haven't forgiven you for that," you mutter.

"We were trying to help!" Luke protests.

"You were trying to get me laid," Sylus drawls, examining the screens in front of them. "What did you find?"

The twins exchange glances before Kieran taps a few keys. A grainy security feed appears, showing a familiar figure entering what looks like an abandoned factory.

"That's Marcus Chen," you say, leaning closer. "He's been linked to several Core thefts."

"More importantly," Luke adds, "he's been seen meeting with Ever operatives."

Sylus' power darkens the edges of the room. "When was this taken?"

"Twenty minutes ago. Factory's about ten miles from here."

You study the feed, noting the guards posted at various entrances. "That's a lot of security for an abandoned building."

"They're expecting company," Sylus agrees. His voice has that edge to it, the one that means someone's probably going to die tonight. "Question is, are they expecting us specifically, or just hoping to catch anyone hunting the Core?"

"Does it matter?" You're already checking your weapons, making sure everything's secure. "Either way, we need to get there before they move it."

"Always so eager to rush into danger." There's amusement in his voice, but his eyes are serious when you look up. "We do this smart. No unnecessary risks."

You raise an eyebrow. "Since when do you care about playing it safe?"

"Since someone put a price on your head that would tempt even me." He turns to the twins. "Get the cars ready. We move in thirty."

As Luke and Kieran hurry off, Sylus catches your arm. "I mean it about the risks. These aren't your usual Hunter targets."

"I can handle myself."

"I know you can." His thumb traces circles on your skin, sending shivers down your spine. "But if anything happened to you..."

The raw emotion in his voice makes your breath catch. You've seen glimpses of it before—in the way he watches you when he thinks you're not looking, in how his power always seems to curl around you protectively, in the careful distance he maintains even as he draws you closer.

"I'll be careful," you promise softly.

His eye flares, and for a moment, you think he might kiss you. Instead, he steps back, his usual smirk sliding back into place.

"Good. Because if you die, I'll have to find someone else to bend over my bike, and that would be terribly inconvenient."

You roll your eyes, ignoring the way your pulse jumps at his words. "You're impossible."

"So you keep saying." He heads for the door, pausing to look back at you with that dangerous glint in his eyes. "Coming, kitten?"

And despite every instinct telling you this is going to end badly, you follow him into the night.

***

The factory looms ahead, a hulking shadow against the night sky. You're on Sylus' bike, arms wrapped around his waist as he takes the curves too fast, like always. His power thrums beneath your hands, restless and eager.

"Remember," his voice carries back to you through the comms, "we're just gathering intel tonight."

"Says the man who disassembled three people yesterday because they looked at him wrong."

His chest rumbles with laughter. "They looked at you wrong, kitten. There's a difference."

Before you can respond, Luke's voice crackles through the comms. "Boss, we've got movement. A lot of movement."

Sylus slows the bike, pulling into a shadowed alcove. You peer around his shoulder at the factory, noting the sudden increase in activity. Vehicles are arriving, more than expected, and you recognize the sleek black SUVs.

"Ever," you breathe.

"Seems our friend Marcus called in some backup." Sylus' voice has gone dangerous, his power coiling tighter. "Count?"

"At least thirty," Kieran reports. "Heavy weapons. And... shit. Boss, you need to see this."

You each look through your binos, watching as a figure steps out of one of the SUVs, and even from this distance, you recognize the distinctive uniform of a Farspace Fleet Colonel.

"That complicates things," Sylus murmurs. His hand finds yours where it rests against his stomach, squeezing once. "We need to regroup."

"But the Core—"

"Will still be there." He turns his head slightly, red eyes gleaming in the darkness. "They're setting up a trap, kitten. And while I do enjoy springing traps, I prefer to do it on my terms."

You know he's right, but the frustration burns anyway. "Two days," you say. "Give me two days to get intel from my Hunter contacts about their setup."

His power caresses your skin, a gesture you've come to recognize as affection. "Always so demanding."

"You like it."

"More than I should." He starts the bike again, the engine purring to life. "Two days. But if you do anything reckless in the meantime..."

"You'll what?" you challenge, pressing closer against his back.

His power sparks against your skin. "Test me and find out."

You definitely don't shiver at the promise in his voice. And if you hold him a little tighter as he speeds through the night, well, that's just for safety.

You have two days to plan. Two days before everything changes.

You just don't know it yet.

***

Two Days Later

"That," Sylus says, studying the holographic layout of the factory, "is a lot of security for something they claim isn't there."

You lean against his desk, close enough that his power brushes against you like a caress. "My contact says they've tripled the guard rotation since two nights ago."

"Which means the Core is definitely still there." His red eyes flick to you, dark with amusement. "Unless they're just hoping to catch a certain resonator who's been asking questions."

"Worried?"

"About you walking into an obvious trap?" His power coils around you, possessive and warm. He narrows his eyes at you briefly before chuckling. "Never."

Luke snorts from his position by the monitors. "That's not what you said last night when—"

"Luke." Sylus' voice drops to that dangerous register that usually precedes violence.

"Right, shutting up."

You hide your smile, focusing on the blueprints. "The Core will be in the sublevels. That's where the energy readings are strongest."

"And where the most guards will be." Sylus moves behind you, close enough that his breath stirs your hair. "We'll need a distraction."

"Already handled," Kieran calls out, not looking up from his tablet. "The twins from O-block owed us a favor. They'll hit the north entrance at exactly 2300."

"That leaves the service entrance clear," you say, trying to ignore how Sylus' proximity makes your skin tingle. "We can—"

"We," he interrupts, "aren't doing anything. You will wait for my signal before entering."

You turn to face him, finding yourself trapped between his body and the desk. "That wasn't the plan."

"Plans change." His eyes bore into yours, one glowing like heated garnet. "Especially when my intel says Ever's sending a specialist team specifically to capture you."

"I can handle—"

"Kitten." His hand comes up to cup your face, thumb brushing across your cheek. "Just once, can you not argue with me about your safety?"

The raw emotion in his voice makes your breath catch. You've been dancing around this thing between you for months, neither willing to cross that final line. But moments like this, when he looks at you like you're something precious and dangerous all at once...

"Fine," you concede, definitely not leaning into his touch. "I'll wait for your signal."

His smile is wickedly knowing. "Good girl."

You absolutely do not shiver at those words or the way his power seems to stroke down your spine.

"If you two are done with the foreplay," Luke calls out, "we've got movement at the factory."

Sylus steps back, but his power lingers on your skin. "Time to go hunting."

You check your weapons one last time, trying to shake the feeling that something about tonight is different. Maybe it's the way Sylus keeps watching you, or how his power seems more agitated than usual.

Or maybe it's just that you can't stop thinking about how he looked at you just now, like he's finally done waiting.

The night air is suffocating with tension as you wait in position, watching Sylus' bike disappear around the corner. Your comms crackle to life with Luke's voice.

"Twins are in position. T-minus three minutes."

You check your weapons again, more out of habit than necessity. The weight of your gun is familiar, comforting, even though you know Sylus could disassemble any threat before you got a shot off.

"Remember," Sylus' voice rumbles through the comms, "wait for my signal."

"Yes, sir," you mutter, earning a dark chuckle that makes your pulse stir uncomfortably in your chest.

The first explosion rocks the north side of the factory right on schedule. Shouts and gunfire erupt immediately, and you watch through your scope as guards pour toward the disturbance.

"Show time," Kieran says.

You track Sylus' movement through the chaos, his power a tangible presence even at this distance. He moves like smoke, efficient and deadly. The first guard doesn't even have time to raise his weapon before he crumples. The second manages to fire once before his gun dissolves in his hands.

"Clear," Sylus says after a moment. "Moving to sublevel access."

You shift position, getting a better view of the service entrance. Everything's going according to plan, which immediately sets your Hunter instincts on edge.

"This is too easy," you murmur.

"Don't jinx it," Luke warns.

But he doesn't say anything else because he knows you're right—it is too easy. The guards are too focused on the northern threat, leaving the service entrance practically undefended. Either they're incredibly stupid, or...

"Sylus, wait—"

Too late. The moment he reaches the sublevel door, everything goes to hell.

Hidden panels in the walls slide open, revealing mounted turrets. The air fills with the distinctive whine of power-dampening tech activating.

"Shit," Sylus growls, diving for cover as the turrets open fire. "Luke?"

"Working on it! They've got some kind of scrambling field—"

"Forget the tech," you say, already moving. "I'm coming in."

"Mikki, don't you dare—"

You mute his comm just as you reach the first guard. He goes down with a surprised grunt, and you're moving before his body hits the ground. Your training takes over—dodge, strike, shoot, repeat. You're not as elegant as Sylus, but you're effective.

The service entrance is just ahead when you hear it—the distinctive sound of a power-dampening grenade being armed.

You dive through the door just as it goes off, rolling to your feet beside Sylus. His power is fluctuating, fighting against the dampening field, but his eyes burn when he sees you.

"We're going to have a discussion about following orders," he says, voice deadly quiet.

"Later," you promise, taking out a turret with two precise shots. "After we—"

"Well, well." A new voice cuts through the chaos. "The resonator and her pet. How convenient."

Marcus Chen steps out of the shadows, flanked by heavily armed guards. But it's the device in his hands that makes your blood run cold—an Ever-tech neural disruptor, designed specifically for Evolvers.

"I was only contracted to capture the girl," he says conversationally, "but I'm sure Ever would pay handsomely for you too, Sylus."

Sylus shifts slightly, angling his body between you and Marcus. "Bold of you to assume you'll live long enough to collect."

"With your power dampened?" Marcus smirks. "I like my odds."

You feel it then—Sylus' power changing, growing heavier, more primal. The predator stirring beneath his human skin.

"You really think," he says, his voice dropping to that register that promises violence, "a little dampening field can hold me?"

The air grows thick, charged with potential energy. You've seen Sylus fight before, seen him kill without hesitation. But this... this is different.

"These toys," he continues, gesturing at the turrets, "might work on lesser beings. Might even work on other Evolvers." His eye blazes brighter, like blood-red lightning. "But I'm something else entirely."

Everything happens at once. Marcus raises the neural disruptor. The guards open fire. And Sylus...

Sylus reminds everyone exactly why he's the most dangerous person in the N109.

Marcus' neural disruptor shatters in his hands, along with several bones if his scream is any indication. The guards' weapons follow, dissolving into metallic dust that hangs in the air like deadly red glitter.

"Run," Sylus suggests pleasantly, and for once, your enemies make the smart choice.

You're already moving toward the inner facility when his power wraps around you, pulling you to a stop. "And where do you think you're going?"

"The Core is still here," you say, turning to face him. "We can't let them move it."

His red eyes bore into yours, something wild and possessive swimming in their depths. "You're bleeding."

"It's just a graze."

His power ghosts over the wound, surprisingly gentle given the violence you just witnessed. "I told you to wait for my signal."

"And if I had, you'd be—"

"Safe?" His smile is sharp. "I'm not the one they want, kitten."

Before you can argue, distant shouts echo through the facility. Sylus growls low in his throat, a sound that's more beast than man.

"Fine," he says. "We get the Core. Then we're having that discussion about following orders."

You tell yourself the goosebumps are from the cold, not his words.

The facility is a maze of corridors and storage areas. You move quietly, Sylus' power extended like a sensor web around you both. The Core's energy signature grows stronger as you descend deeper into the building.

Everything goes sideways just as you reach the vault level when one of the guards recognizes you.

"That's the resonator!" he shouts, and suddenly there are a dozen red lights trained on your chest from hidden guns around the room. "The one the Professor wants!"

You dive behind a stack of shipping containers as bullets pepper the air where you'd been standing. Sylus is somewhere to your left, his power thrumming through the warehouse like a living thing.

"Quite popular these days, aren't you?" His voice carries across the space, deceptively casual. But you can hear the edge underneath, the dragon stirring.

"Not the time for jokes," you call back, wincing as a bullet ricochets off metal too close to your head.

"On the contrary—" There's a wet sound and a scream cuts off abruptly. "I find humor helps in these situations."

You risk a glance around the corner. Three men are down, their weapons scattered in pieces across the floor. But more are pouring in through the side entrance, and you catch fragments of radio chatter about the bounty on your head.

A bullet grazes your arm, and you bite back a cry of pain. But Sylus hears it anyway.

The temperature in the warehouse seems to drop. The air grows heavy, charged with potential energy as his power builds. You've seen him angry before, seen him kill without hesitation. But this... this is different.

"You know," he says, his voice dropping to that dangerous register that makes your skin prickle, "I was planning to let most of you live."

He steps out from cover, his right eye blazing with otherworldly light. The air around him vibrates with terrifying power, and you feel it in your bones—the beast awakening.

One of the men fires, but the bullet stops mid-air, disintegrating into dust.

"You really shouldn't have done that."

The aftermath of Sylus' rage is absolute. The air itself seems to crystallize and shatter, taking the remaining guards with it. You've seen him kill before, but never like this—never with such raw, devastating fury.

When the dust settles, he's at your side in an instant, his power cocooning you both as his hands ghost over your wounded arm. The Spatium Core is almost an afterthought, discarded to the side like trash.

"I told you," he says, voice still vibrating with that otherworldly resonance, "no unnecessary risks."

"You were outnumbered."

His laugh is dark. "I'm never outnumbered, kitten." His fingers trace the graze on your arm, feather-light as he wraps a quick bandage around the wound. "But they hurt you."

"I'm fine."

"Are you?" His eyes lock onto yours, one burning like molten garnet. "Because I'm not."

The intensity in his gaze makes your breath catch. His power pulses around you, heavy with something that feels like need, and you realize his careful control is finally, finally cracking.

"Sylus..."

His power wraps around you possessively, but he takes a deliberate step back. "Get to the bike, Mikki."

Your name, not "kitten", in that voice, rough with obvious hunger, sends heat racing through your veins. You know that tone—it's a promise of things to come, away from prying eyes.

The ride back is tense with anticipation. Sylus takes the curves faster than usual, his power a constant caress against your skin where you're pressed against him. You blame your racing heart on the speed, on the adrenaline still coursing through your system.

Not on how his muscles flex under your hands. Not on how his power seems to stroke possessively down your spine with every turn.

The city blurs past, neon lights painting streaks across his black leather jacket. You don't recognize the route he's taking until the private gate of his penthouse comes into view. Not the warehouse. Not the Onychinus compound.

His home.

He hasn't said a word since leaving the factory, but his power speaks volumes—coiling around you, protective and demanding all at once. You feel the beast just beneath his skin, still stirred by the violence, by how close they came to taking you.

The elevator ride is silent save for the soft hum of machinery and your own thundering pulse. Sylus stands behind you, not touching, but his power pins you in place all the same. The heat of him at your back makes it hard to breathe.

When the doors open to his penthouse, he finally speaks.

"Inside."

That one word, rough with need, sends electricity down your spine. You tell yourself you're not affected by how his voice has dropped to that dangerous rough sound, like hot coals rumbling in his throat, but the lie doesn't even convince you.

The moment the door closes, his power surges around you, pressing you against the wall. Sylus stays where he is, watching you with blazing eyes, control hanging by a thread.

"Do you have any idea," he growls, "what you do to me?"

His power caresses your skin like phantom hands, making you gasp. He's still not touching you, but you can feel the heat of him, something ancient and powerful rolling off him in waves.

"Show me," you whisper.

Something snaps in his expression. In two strides, he's there, caging you against the wall. One hand slides into your hair while the other grips your throat, his power wrapping tightly around you both.

"Last chance to walk away, kitten," he warns, voice rough with restraint.

Instead of answering, you reach up and trace your finger over his lower lip. His power shivers against your skin, and you feel him trembling with the effort to hold back.

"I'm not walking away," you say softly.

You don't understand the raw emotion that crosses his face, the centuries of longing in his eyes. You don't know why his power seems to sing against your skin, why being in his arms feels like coming home.

But when his mouth claims yours, desperate and demanding, you feel it—an echo of something profound, something eternal. His power surges, resonating with your own energy in a way that makes you see stars.

"Mine," he growls against your lips, and there's something in his voice, a whisper of something that sounds like 'finally' and 'at last' and 'never letting you go again.'

His hands tremble against your skin, and you wonder how someone so powerful can touch you with such reverence. His power wraps around you like silk, like fire, like something alive and desperately hungry.

"Sylus," you breathe, and he makes a sound that's almost pain.

"Say it again." His lips trace your jaw, your throat. "Say my name."

You do, and his power pulses, heavy with emotion you don't quite understand. There's something in the way he touches you—like he's memorized you, like he's dreamed of this for longer than should be possible.

His right eye blazes brighter, casting ruby shadows across your skin. The power emanating from it feels different tonight, ancient and possessive, recognizing something in you that you don't recognize yourself.

"You don't know," he murmurs against your throat, "how long I've waited. How many lifetimes I've searched..."

The words don't make sense, but your body responds to them anyway. Your energy resonates with his power in ways that shouldn't be possible, like your soul remembers something your mind has forgotten.

His control slips further with every soft sound you make. The temperature in the room rises, his power becoming more primal, more demanding. But even as it threatens to consume you both, he holds back—watching you with those burning eyes, waiting for something.

"Please," you whisper, though you're not sure what you're asking for.

He presses his forehead to yours, breathing ragged. "Everything," he promises roughly. "I'll give you everything. Just—" His voice breaks. "Just stay with me this time."

You don't understand why those words make your heart ache, why they feel like a plea across centuries. But you nod, and when he kisses you again, it feels like sealing a promise you made lifetimes ago.

He kisses you like a man starving, like he's trying to pour centuries of longing into a single moment. His power surrounds you completely now, filled with heat and need and something that feels impossibly like destiny.

When he finally pulls back, his eyes are almost black with desire, just a ring of burning red around blown pupils. "Tell me you feel it," he demands softly. "Tell me some part of you remembers this."

You don't know what he means, but you can't deny the way your body responds to his power, how perfectly you fit against him. Like your soul recognizes something your mind can't grasp.

"I feel..." You gasp as his power strokes down your spine. "I feel like I've been waiting for you my whole life without knowing it."

A sound tears from his throat, desperate and relieved. His hands cup your face, thumbs brushing your cheeks with impossible tenderness even as his power grows wild around you.

"My Mikki," he breathes, and your name sounds like a prayer on his lips as he lifts you and carries you to the bed. "My heart."

The raw emotion in his voice makes you tremble. You've never seen him like this—control fractured, power pulsing with need and protection and something that feels ancient, eternal.

As his enormous body crashes onto yours in the bed, his mouth finds yours again, and this time there's no holding back. His power resonates with your energy in waves that make you cry out, and he swallows the sound possessively.

"Mine," he growls against your lips. "Always mine."

And even though you don't understand why those words feel like coming home, you surrender to them completely.

His hands slide up underneath your shirt, claiming your skin under his burning touch. His lips and tongue do sinful things as your breaths combine.

"I've wanted this for so long," he murmurs. "To have you under me, mine to take, mine to worship."

His words, his power, the heat of his body above you all make your head spin. You don't know how a single man can contain this much power, this much raw emotion.

But you're not thinking about anything else when he strips your clothes off and his lips and hands find every inch of bare skin. "So beautiful," he whispers, his mouth trailing down your chest, your stomach, making you writhe against him. "So perfect."

You can feel the barely-leashed power coiling around his form, his control hanging by a thread. But his touch is gentle, worshipful, as he kisses and caresses and claims every part of you.

When his mouth finds the spot between your thighs, you almost shatter on the spot. "Sylus!"

"That's it," he growls, licking and sucking and sending electricity sparking up your spine. "Let me hear you."

"Fuck," you gasp, your hands fisting in his snow-white hair.

His chuckle is wicked, the vibrations making you cry out. "Soon, kitten." His fingers stroke through your folds. "First, I want to see you come apart for me."

Your back arches off the bed when his tongue returns to your clit, his fingers curling inside you. Everything is heat and pleasure and him, and when he sucks your clit into his mouth and his power coils around your core, you see stars. He draws out your pleasure, bringing you to the edge just before backing off again, over and over until you're a puddle of tears and need in his sheets. "Please," you beg, unable to articulate anything more.

He kisses his way back up your body, and the raw, naked hunger in his eyes is a thing of beauty. "Say it again."

"Please." You don't care how desperate you sound, how wrecked. "Please, Sylus. Please let me come. Please fuck me."

Something snaps in him, and his mouth claims yours with a feral growl. You're pinned beneath him, his body caging you as he looks down at you like your existence holds the answers to the universe. He slowly peels off his shirt and your mouth waters at the sight of him. Even though he's never been shy about showing skin around you, seeing it in this capacity, knowing what his body is about to do to yours, it does unexplainable things to you. He stares into your eyes as he slides his pants and underwear down and you can't resist wrapping your fingers around his thick cock. He grunts, his hips jerking against your hand, but he bats your fingers away. "No touchy. You didn't obey me, so now you need to deal with the consequences."

You shiver in anticipation. You're already so worked up, it wouldn't take much to get you there, but Sylus clearly has other ideas.

He rolls over, pulling you on top of him. Your thighs fall to either side of his hips, your slick heat rubbing against his cock. "Ride me," he commands. "Show me what you can do, kitten."

"Sylus, please, I—"

He grabs your hips and pulls you against him, your breasts crashing against his chest. His voice is a low, dangerous purr against your ear. "Beg all you want. But you're still not getting my cock until I say so."

You whimper, but his grip is unrelenting. You have no choice but to obey, rolling your hips against his. His hands are hot brands on your skin, guiding your movements, showing you what he likes. He lets you take the lead, but his control is obvious, the beast in him riding close to the surface.

"So beautiful," he murmurs, his eyes blazing into yours. "You have no idea how long I've wanted this. How long I've needed you. You look so perfect grinding that pretty little pussy on my cock. Making it wet."

You whimper at his words and drop your head backwards as you start to move faster, needing him inside you. Your walls clench around nothing, trying to pull him into you as his fingers flex almost painfully into your ass.

Your name is a broken whisper on his lips, filled with reverence and longing.

"Sylus," you plead, desperate to find release. "Please."

His control finally shatters. He flips you over, his body caging you once again. He's enormous above you, his power thrumming through the air like electricity, and for the first time, you realize he's letting you see the beast beneath his human facade. His eye blazes with red light as his cock presses against your entrance. "Look at me," he demands, and the command is wrapped in his power.

You do, and the depth of emotion in his eyes steals your breath. Something resonates between you, the echo of something you don't quite understand, but when his power strokes against your soul, it feels like coming home. "You belong with me," he says fiercely, and the conviction in his voice makes you ache. "No matter what happens, no matter how much time passes, I will find you again. In this and every lifetime that follows. I will burn the stars from the heavens to have you by my side. To claim your body and soul in every way possible."

He enters you then, and the feeling is overwhelming—his body pinning you, his power surrounding you, his gaze locked on yours.

"Say it," he growls, his pace merciless ad unending, his cock filling and stretching you with just the right balance of pain and ecstasy.

"I'm yours," you gasp, the words slipping from your tongue without thought. "Always."

His power pulses, heavy with emotion and ancient, undying devotion. It feels like destiny, like the stars themselves are shifting to bring you together.

"My heart," he breathes, his voice rough with a thousand unsaid truths. He moves slowly, allowing you to adjust to him before snapping his hips forward, spearing to the center of you as he lowers his chest to yours, wrapping his arms around your head. Caging you in his embrace and holding you still as his hips pick up speed and force.

"Sylus!" His name is a sob on your lips. "It's too much."

"You can handle it, kitten. Your body was made to take me."

You try to move, to find purchase on something, anything. His hand slides down your hip and around to the back of your thigh, hooking it over his shoulder and deepening his angle.

You've never felt this full, never been taken like this. There's something almost primal in the way his hips roll into yours, his cock filling you perfectly, claiming you completely.

"That's it, kitten." His voice is dark with desire. "Give in to me."

Your fingers dig into his biceps as his pace increases, his thrusts becoming rougher, deeper. His power resonates through you, the air thick with tension and need and the promise of release.

"I can't," you gasp, your eyes squeezing shut as you struggle to hold onto the last shred of your sanity.

He pushes off you, sitting up and wrapping both hands around your waist, picking your hips up into his lap so he can drive into you harder. "You can and you will."

The new position gives him an unobstructed view of where you're joined, his enormous cock splitting you open, and he groans at the sight. He lifts one of his hands and runs his thumb over your lips, his other hand gripping your hip so tightly, you know it will leave bruises. The thought sends a thrill of satisfaction through you, and when he slips the tip of his thumb between your lips, you suck greedily. He curses, his hips slamming into yours. "Fuck, kitten, do you have any idea how gorgeous you look right now?"

You shake your head, unable to respond around the digit in your mouth.

"Filled with my cock," he growls. "So wet and tight for me." He snaps forward hard enough to make you cry out. "I'm going to have fun training this body." You suck harder, swirling your tongue around his thumb, and his control fractures further.

"That's right," he rasps, "take what you need. Use my cock however you want, kitten."

Your hips start to move against his, meeting his thrusts, and his eyes blaze with approval. "Just like that," he encourages. "Fuck, I could watch you ride me all day." His power wraps around you tighter, his pace relentless, and you know he's not far from falling apart.

"Come for me," he demands, his fingers digging into your hips as he slams into you. "I want to feel you clench around my cock."

His power and his words and his relentless pace are too much. Your orgasm rips through you like a hurricane, stealing your breath, your vision, everything except the sensation of him inside you. His thrusts become rough, uneven, his rhythm faltering as his own release builds. "Yes," he hisses, his voice almost painful. "Keep coming for me, kitten. I love how you feel when you come apart on my cock."

"Fuck, Sylus, yes!" You can't form any other words, and you don't have to. His mouth claims yours as he collapses back on top of you, swallowing your cries of pleasure as his own release hits him like a tidal wave. The energy in the room seems to crystallize, suspended for a moment, before it all shatters. Your orgasm stretches into eternity, pleasure crashing through you in endless waves. And when Sylus comes, his roar of release echoes through the room, his power wrapping around you both, claiming you completely.

The air seems to vibrate with energy as you come down from the high, Sylus' lips trailing along your neck. "So perfect," he whispers, his hands stroking down your body, possessive and protective all at once. His voice is rough with emotion. "I will never let anyone hurt you. Not now, not ever."

"I know," you breathe, and the truth of those words resonates through you.

Because the most powerful man in the galaxy is yours.

"Stay with me, Mikki," he says softly, and there's something in his voice, an ancient sadness that makes your heart ache.

"Always."

When his lips find yours again, something ancient stirs in your soul—an echo across centuries, a promise written in stardust, a vow carved into the very foundations of time itself.

I will always find you.

***

In your dreams that night, you soar through endless skies, wrapped in scales of midnight and starlight. You dream of a love so powerful it burns through lifetimes, a devotion that defies death itself, and of a dragon whose heart beats in perfect rhythm with your own.

You don't remember these dreams when you wake. But somewhere deep in your soul, an ancient truth whispers:

Some loves are written in the stars themselves, destined to burn eternal.

[stormphantomnightingale]

https://www.tumblr.com/dcxdpdabbles/737569117273456640/there-are-so-many-fics-out-there-where-danny-is?source=share

So after reading this ☝️for the who knows how many time, when an idea or something just popped out. Now we all know that in this magnificent fandom(dpxdc) that Amity is a no go area right? Well what if and I mean what if the Bats after talking with sad trenchcoat man(Yes I called John that and no I will not stop thank you very much) about Amity, Conny goes hesteria cause he outdated and stuff or just didn't know King Phantom but yeah starts talking about Pariah Dark(who is redeemed or just in the dog house cause he pissed of clockwork), ghost zone being dangerous etc etc.

Now this makes the bats assume even more that our space boi Danny is not safe. So what they do? After idk bribing the judge or somehow provide 'proof' of abuse which makes the Fenton's lose custody(Danny is not happy), takes Danny to Gotham(via knockout cause my boi will go feral), then returns back to amity as the furry squad. Do some hacking shit but since they don't know Fenton tech and Fenton thinking(I genuinely believe the Fenton's are Hella smart like Hella smart it might piss of Lex) and probably set up the self destruction system(TUE vibes).[which to normal people is the portal closing shut permanently,data is gone or encrypted by which a Fenton can access idk it's your choice person who decides to read and write or see this interesting].

Now we can make it that either one adult comes back alive or survived the blow due to being heavily ecto contaminated or be a ghost but I'm hoping Maddie (and Jazz) cause guys lets be honest here. Maddie is a beast when it comes to her family and kids, I can tell through canon wise she will literally go through hell, Tartarus, hell even throw hands with some ancients just for her kids. But anyways one Fenton comes back, teams up with Vlad(could be poly or good asshole uncle Vlad) along with the Elinor or Elizabeth(Yes Dani's other name is Elizabeth or Elinor) and Dante to try get Danny back.

Now to our boi we love, care Danny. So we have suspicious, angry and so many emotion Danny Fenton-Wayne. So we Danny who was practically taken away from his safety, his home, family, his friads and into another on in America. Now we can all agree that Danny is not happy about this and not because of the -whole taking me away from my family and no I'm not being in denial they love me so stop talking u ancient poorly dressed furries- It's about something much bigger and we all know, we hate it, despised it and we call it.... ANTI ECTO ACTS or as I like to call THE REBOOT WITCH TRIALS.

So that abomination there is something Danny hates,fears so him being in America puts him in bootleg men in black because of a bitch named Lex Luthor. It's like painting a bullseye on him, a huge ass arrow pointing at him with the signs 'Im a ghost in America come cut me up'. So yeah its bad for him especially when he finds out the Wayne's are sponsoring The furry squad and the justice league which in turn make things worse for him and the ghost zone cause the ghost(and other supernaturals cause u can't tell me, once a vampire or mermaid find out humans are now hunting ghosts they wont immediately assume they are next? Let's cause mass panic with the other supernaturals, witches having PTSD, they tweeking seeing the acts)are demanding blood, war, retribution from the living. So he is in emeny territory trying to survive, try get back to his family and try to calm the other ghost cause they thought he died to the explosion(yeah Danny won't be okay)but never came to the ghost zone so vengeance for the king.

Welp that what came up in mind, u can ignore it, or whatever just thought I share something with yall. But yeah basically for the last paragraph I want maybe the Justice League to either face backlash or punishment for agreeing with the law, cause in most fics we don't get to see what the ghost think or if they forgave em. Cause while the humans(idk why I'm calling people human when I'm human as well) think the Justice league was writing a wrong most will question if this won't happen again. I want the supernatural to actively be upset with them especially those from the magic committee, to question whether they should be trusted seeing as this was a retry of the Salem Witch Trials Era. And to exactly be wary and suspicious of Bruce or just genuinly not trust or like him cause guys let's be fucking honest here while yeah the bats is awesome we forgot one thing he is human flesh and bones, something so fragile in the eyes of all supernatural that they can accidentally squish him because they used to much strength or smth. And suddenly some supernaturals are scared of him? They fear him because of what? His paranoia, his contingencies? Nah that should be a warning cause logically and I mean logically can u tell me straight in my face that u trust this man while knowing he stalks you 30/7, goes through Ur personally stuff without permission btw, breaks in your house when u were at a wrong time, wrong place?? Have either his kids pretend y'all are buddies or your lover just to keep u on a leash?.

And if we are going to do the Lazarus Pits is ectoplasm, then the bats are done for especially Jason. Cause I can tell once the ghost found out the league agreed to the acts be lawful they won't help, cause why help the ones that tried to eradicate them?(how u may ask? Well it's simple, some soon to be fading corrupted ghost escaped when the portal first opened causing massive damage, some deaths etc and maybe the other reason maybe the citizens first cause of the negatives in the show, public enemy number 1 so forth). So the league after failing formed the GIW and soon left Amity thinking the people will be 'safe')

One note, would it be funny if the League of Shadows find out about the Acts and Lazarus pit being ectoplasm and just had straight to Amity for protection and probably swear loyalties to the ghost zone since the be liminal asf lonly to be stopped by Maddie and after some good ol' fashion Fenton style shenanigans, Maddie is either adopted to be the new Demon head or is the demon head??

So yeah that's what came to mind, so tell me what u think.

[the-gateway-to-madness]

It sorta bothers me that post-series people are still complaining about 3Below being disconnected from the rest of Tales of Arcadia. For me, it was a refreshing break from the densely-packed fantasy lore and an intriguing peek at the way the universe beyond Arcadia and Earth functions. I liked the character arcs and interpersonal connections. And there was ample room for me to come up with a bunch of my own headcanons, which I love! I absolutely love being able to slot pieces of my own mind and soul into an existing world! I don't like shows where I'm told how every little detail works, that's way too much to remember. Instead I want enough to create an idea of the rules and how things might have gone/might continue to go and fill in whatever else I want.

Also, I think 3Below was SUPPOSED to be a lot more connected before Wizards got cut down. Tons of ideas didn't make it into the limited series run- I remember hearing stuff about Mordred being involved, a lost Krel arc, and I'm sure a lot of lore that would have bound the worlds together more closely. When they mentioned Gaylen's core came from Earth, there was clearly supposed to be more to that, but it got cut out. I'm like 93% sure Gaylen was a being who was part of or similar to the Arcane Order, but was drawn to the cosmos rather than to a part of the Earth. That would indicate that Akiridion tech and magic are compatible because Akiridions' energy-based life was initially magical, but those roots were largely forgotten because of how old a civilization Akiridion is. They've been spacefaring since humans were cavepeople. If the Order existed from the primeval dawn of the world, and Gaylen left not long after that, Akiridion could be millenia ahead of Earth. Or, heck, maybe Earth was the first or only livable world, and Gaylen created the Order to look after it before going off to try to find or create life elsewhere. I always headcanoned that Seklos was more powerful than most Akiridions or even the Royals that came after her, given the fact her core alone was enough to stop Gaylen while in the modern era it requires two royal cores. Maybe she was created by Gaylen to be Akiridion's version of an Arcane Order type being, and she created normal Akiridions, which she then had kids with, diluting her power in the Royals that followed. There's so much ancient history to unpack from just the tidbits we were given.

As for the modern era, there seems to very distinctly be a major intergalactic connection. The drunk ship operator in episode 3 of 3b s1 that the Zerons interrogate talks about ship classifications, which indicates a universal or at least an interplanetary system of ship ratings. We also see interplanetary tourism, and signs that Akiridion is one of the most advanced and influential planets out there.

3Below doesn't need to continue the plot of Trollhunters to be a valid part of Tales of Arcadia. It brought an energy to ToA that was somewhere between Star Trek TNG and Babylon 5, and I love how it expands the weirdness of Arcadia. If it was supposed to be a continuation of Trollhunters, they would have made more Trollhunters. But it's not Trollhunters, it's 3Below. And Wizards isn't Trollhunters either! I honestly think that Camelot, Douxie, and the world of wizards could have been written such that the Trollhunters cast was much less focal, and that if they'd given the show the time it needed and deserved to tell its story, it would have been fleshed-out and fascinating all on its own, with or without the TH gang. Where are the magic users beyond the reach of Camelot? Are there merfolk, sirens, harpies, dryads, more dragons, or other sapient races living on Earth with their own civilizations and magic and cultures? There are so many worlds and so many potential stories out there, on Earth and beyond, in the Tales of Arcadia universe. Arcadia just happens to be the narrative meshing point of them all. And I think that's a really cool way to build a universe.

Anyway, thanks for coming to my TED talk, here's more Akiridion development as a treat for making it this far.

[historicity-was-already-taken]

hi! hope you're doing okay—I've got a holocaust-history-in-media question for you. I was talking to my brother the other day, and he mentioned how his 10-year-old son tried out "Anne Frank mode" on the meta VR headset. I was kind of horrified, because that sounds deeply exploitative and disrespectful—but he went on to say it's just a VR version of the Anne Frank house, and that it let my nephew explore history in a new way. He was able to touch things and move them around in a way he wouldn't be able to IRL, not to mention the accessibility of not having to travel.

My nephew's kind of an unusual kid, and he chose this "game" while at a friend's house. All the other kids got bored and left pretty much immediately, but he stayed to learn, and my brother says that at the end his takeaway was, "It's so sad. It's so sad and awful what human beings do to each other."

Part of me is just like "No, absolutely not, that is not for VR companies to profit off of in any way, this feels inherently exploitative." But idk. If it increases accessibility and education in a meaningful way, then perhaps that disquiet is simply reactionary.

Then I remembered I have access to an actual Holocaust historian, someone who even specializes in women's narratives and the media portrayals of same.

So, no worries if you're busy/don't have time to respond to this, but I thought it might be an interesting question for you. Do you think the VR Anne Frank house is a good thing?

Ooooooh this is an interesting one. It's also a question that I think I would have answered differently a few years ago. I mean, I've posted here about my issues with central role Anne Frank has been accorded within Holocaust memory, I've posted about the politics of people playing Pokemon Go at sites of atrocities and disasters...

But. Technology changes SO quickly. I read this fantastic article probably 10+ years ago now about how the millennial generation began to express collective nostalgia SO quickly and so young, because technology and the norms it introduces change so quickly. I'm 34 and while that's hardly ancient, the technological world inhabited by children and adolescents is effectively alien to me because of this massive, rapid, ongoing change.

Moreover, I think the pandemic gave us all an...unwanted but helpful bootcamp in what works wrt education over the phone/computer, and what doesn't. In my personal and professional life, I've met and spoken with STEM companies/individuals who specialize in working with museums, historical societies, etc. And they're not just in it to make a buck--they're there to work with museums etc in increasing access and keeping up with educational trends because they know it's important and smart people value STEAM education.

So, despite my acknowledged concerns issued in the first paragraph, and the kneejerk negative reaction I think you and I share, I think my conclusion is that this is a good thing. Like, as a Holocaust historian, pubic historian, educator, and now a Hebrew School teacher of 7-11 year olds, I think whatever gets kids interested and engaged is Good; whatever draws them and gets them thinking about it is Good; even if the tech and infrastructure involved is something that I previously took (philosophical) issue with.

This doesn't mean I don't still have concerns about the centrality of Anne Frank, but let's be real: I lost that battle a long time ago. I've said my piece, and if Anne Frank is going to be kids' gateway into learning about the Holocaust, I'm glad to see that it's being done responsibly, well, and in keeping with how kids engage with education and tech in 2024.

There are, obviously, many theoretical conversations to be had about the implications of this kind of thing, and I hope a grad student applies like, Walter Benjamin to it for a first year paper, but this is my answer purely in terms of access and education.

[minty-mumbles]

Whumptober Day 16: "Don't go where I can't follow" (Pt. 1)

Summary: Hyrule and Wild are time travelers trying to run away from their past. They seem to be doing a pretty good job at it until they stumble across a family they don't want to leave behind. They end up leaving anyway, but unlike every other time they've left people behind, the Lon family doesn't seem content to stay in the past.

AN: This is fairly tame as far as whump goes. Mostly just emotional whump, but there is some human experimentation/slavery in the flashbacks

Read on AO3 | Part 2

~~~

“Hyrule, are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

“The apple we sent forward in time is sitting in front of us.”

“Yeah.”

“Wild, we sent this forward in time a month ago.”

“Mhmm.” 

“The spell worked?”

“It worked. Hyrule!” 

“Wild! We did it!”

”Oh my gods! Are- are you-”

“The apple is still fresh! There’s no sign of rotting.”

“Are- are you feeling okay though? Not feeling woozy or anything?”

“My magic feels just fine. The spell was completely reliant on that magical battery. All I had to do was set the magic going in the right direction, and let it run. It didn’t drain anything from me at all. What about you?”

“You know I’m fine, ‘Rule. I don't have the power needed to do something like this. All I’m good for is fine-tuning. If the spell had been operating off my power, it wouldn’t have even worked in the first place.”

“...”

“I wonder what those stuck up Sheikah scientists would do if they knew?” 

“Probably try to take credit for our work. Two teenagers with magic invent a fictional time travel spell before they can? They would kill us.”

“Not funny, Hyrule.”

“I wasn’t really joking.”

“...”

“Wild, do you know what this means? Now that we know the spell works, we can leave! Well, we need to get our hands on another battery. Preferably one that won't run out of power and explode like the last one did, and who knows how long that’s going to take, but-!”

“But afterwards we can leave! We can travel back to before this gods-forsaken building was even built and just walk away. And I don’t think it’ll take us long to get a hold of a strong enough battery.”

“What do you mean?”

“I swear, you need to start paying more attention to the scientists, Hyrule.”

“That’s kind of hard to do when I’m nearly unconscious every time they finish their… experiments. It’s hard to listen to their conversations if I can’t hear anything.”

“Right, sorry.”

“It’s okay. What were you saying?”

“They found a new artifact. They’ve been testing it for a month and still haven't found the limits of its power. They think it might be regenerating the power on its own. Supposedly it’s a combination of ancient Sheikah tech and magic. They’re calling it the Sheikah Slate.”

“A self-regenerating power source? That’s almost too good to be true.”

“Yeah. So…. How long will it take you to steal it, ‘Rule?”

“Just point me in the direction of the room they’re keeping it in, and I’ll have it to you within twenty-four hours.” 

“...“

“Wipe that grin off your face, Wild!”

“Why shouldn't I be happy? We’re finally getting out!”

~~~

Wild and Hyrule.

Hyrule and Wild. 

It had always been the two of them. They were brothers. Maybe not biologically, but they had suffered and survived together, and now they were doing more than surviving. They were living. 

They traveled together, always one step ahead of harm and one spell away from safety. They were filled with a longing to explore the world, and neither of them had a reason to ignore that longing, so they simply didn’t. 

They had a thirst to see, to know, to experience, and they had the power to do all that and more at their fingertips.

It was kind of ironic that the time travel spell turned out to be so simple in the end. Hyrule provided the force behind the spell, the Slate provided the raw power, and Wild did the fine-tuning to get them exactly where and when they wanted to go. After casting the spell hundreds of times, it was second nature to them. They could slip through the fabric of time with less effort than a sewing needle slipping through loosely woven cloth.

The Slate had been a blessing from the gods. They never would’ve escaped that laboratory. Not only did it provide a steady source of power that never seemed to run dry- no matter how often they jumped through time- it was also able to store items and money within it. It made their lives so much easier. 

The two of them had been everywhere and everywhen. All over the world, in all different time periods. Sometimes they traveled back to the time when humans were nothing more than apes living in the trees, and spent weeks living off the land. Sometimes they stopped in busy cities to enjoy the rush of the crowds. Occasionally they would wander into a library, pull the first history book they saw off the shelf, then travel to the time period the book was about. 

The entire world was open to them, and they could do whatever they wanted to.

Well, mostly. There were some limitations.

They couldn't change the past. As much as they wanted to, they couldn’t stop wars from breaking out or plagues from spreading. They also couldn’t go back and prevent their own personal tragedies from happening. Doing that would cause their pasts to change too much, and they might end up not existing in the first place. 

Neither of them were exactly eager to cause a paradox, so neither of them tried to play the hero, and they stayed away from times and places they’d already been to before. 

They also couldn’t travel beyond the late 2200s. That was when functional time travel technology had finally been discovered, and then promptly outlawed for normal citizens. They’d learned that the hard way when they’d nearly been arrested in 2311 for illegal time travel. 

Getting arrested was the last thing they needed. Wild said that he could think of plenty of governments that would love to get their hands on two of the most powerful mages in the world. Hyrule squawked in protest at being called one of the most powerful mages, but there was no refuting that Wild was probably right. 

There were very few mages left by the 2200s. Wild and Hyrule probably were the strongest ones left by that time. Any mage that was still living a free life after magic was outlawed would be too weak to be noticed by the government. (Well… technically magic was never completely outlawed, but it was only legal if you were using it in the service of the government. It was a nice way of saying that if you showed any signs of having magic, you were taken into state custody and you stayed there. Forever.)

To their relief, the pair had never seen any other time travelers before the 2240s. They didn’t know why, but they weren’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. As long as they stayed in time periods before then, they were safe from the government, or anyone else for that matter, coming after them.

The fact that time travel was only discovered in the late 2200s offered them a bit of smug satisfaction. They had figured out time travel first, and they did it long before anyone else had. Nearly a hundred years before anyone else.

On top of that, the scientists obviously never cracked the secrets of magical time travel. Their time travel was purely technology-based. When Wild realized that, he gloated for a whole hour. Even Hyrule had smiled with a sense of sick satisfaction. Those scientists never got anything useful out of them. 

Good.

~~~

There had been a time Before. There had been a time when they hadn’t known each other. There had been a time when they’d had loving families and normal lives ahead of them. Wild had lived with his mom, dad, and little sister. Hyrule had been cared for by his mama and aunties and countless cousins.

Then it had all fallen apart. 

They were both young when their magic came in- only five or six years old, by their recollection. It had started slowly, as it always did. Little sparks would dance across Hyrule’s fingers, and Wild’s eyes would glow an eerie teal in the dark. 

Small, harmless things that marked them for slaughter. 

Wild’s parents hadn’t been brave enough to fight for him. 

They hadn’t wanted to face the consequences of harboring a magic user, even if that person was their own son. They had their other child to worry about, after all. They couldn't risk having his sister taken away from them as well.

So, at the young age of five, mere days after he had started showing the fit signs of magic, Wild’s parents had given him away with little fuss. It was one of Wild’s earliest memories. (Which was saying something, since he didn’t remember much of his childhood.) 

His parents both wore sorrowful expressions that day. Wild remembered being confused, but not commenting on it. His parents had been acting strangely for a while, after all. They had woken him up early, gotten him dressed, and handed him a backpack filled with some of his clothes. Then they had taken him to their living room where an official-looking stranger had been waiting. 

Wild hadn’t known what was going on at the time, so he had watched silently as his parents had signed the necessary paperwork to transfer custody of him over to the state. 

That had been the last time he had seen either of them. He hadn’t even gotten a chance to say goodbye to his little sister.

Hyrule’s mother had been braver. Hyrule had been her only child, and she was not so willing to give him up. 

When she’d seen him use his magic for the first time, she’d screamed and cried in despair. Her reaction had frightened Hyrule so badly he’d ran away and hid under his bed. The two of them had left their house soon after that, selling it to one of his aunts. 

They moved out to the middle of the woods and learned how to grow and hunt most of the things they would need so they didn't need to go into town as much. His mama had started homeschooling him.

His mama had tried so hard to keep it a secret. She’d done everything she could have done. And it had worked for a time. The pair of them spent three years living in seclusion, but it wasn’t enough in the end. 

Hyrule never learned how the secret got leaked. Maybe one of his cousins had figured it out and blabbed. Maybe one of their neighbors had seen him doing magic in the woods one day. Hyrule didn’t know. 

In the end, it didn’t matter how it had happened, only that it did. Their little cabin was raided, and Hyrule was forcibly removed from his mother's care, and made a ward of the state.

That was how the two met at the age of nine, causing their fates to be changed forever.

~~~

It was rare for the two of them to stay in one place for longer than a month. They both had itchy feet, and nothing seemed to hold their interest for very long. Usually, they arrived, saw what they came to see, and then grew bored and moved on. 

No one expected them to stay, no one expected them to go. No one expected them to do anything. After years of being observed and examined through a microscope, it was a novel feeling to blend into the background.

It was even easier to blend in during the earlier time periods. Back then, people hadn’t looked twice at strangers wandering into town with no documentation. The pair had tried to rent an apartment in the 1980s once. That hadn’t turned out well when they realized neither of them had any paperwork. Like, say, a birth certificate, driver’s license, or any kind of identification. 

In general, it was less of a risk in general to exist in the 1800s or earlier, when no one had cameras or access to the internet, and no one cared if they ran into two teenagers living in the woods. 

It was also easier to earn money if they needed to. 

The pair didn’t shy away from stealing if it was necessary, though they were careful to try to only steal from people who wouldn't miss it too much. However, when they decided to stay in one place for a while, they typically tried to find a steady source of income instead. 

After they had spent so long wandering, they had both picked up a wide variety of skills. Neither of them were true masters of any one trade, but they could perform the basic tasks well enough to serve as assistants in most kinds of workshops. They could work in the fields, tend livestock, butcher animals, harvest, hunt, and fish. They knew enough to do the busy work in leatherworking, baking, stonemasonry, shoemaking, and all other sorts of crafts.

Wild had learned how to fletch arrows, which was always a talent in high demand in the eras where people still used bows. Hyrule had studied under a cartographer for a few months. They both became proficient with swords, bows, and spears. They learned how to use their bodies as weapons if needed. They even learned how to fire guns, even if they were rarely in a time period where guns existed.

Fighting was the topic they’d studied the most diligently. They learned and relearned until they didn’t even need their magic to defend themselves anymore. Not as long as they had weapons in their hands. (The phantom feeling of the weight of the magic suppressors on their ankles was ever-present. Never again would they be that helpless without their magic.)

Growing up with a basic understanding of modern medicine put them miles ahead of even the most educated doctors in the 1500s. Having a basic understanding of what germs were would do that, but Hyrule had taken the time to translate that modern knowledge into a form that could be applied using the materials that were available in the pre-modern era. He also, thankfully, learned how to use that medical knowledge in a way that wouldn't get them hung for being witches when he provided a miracle cure to some disease or injury. 

If they really needed to, they could even find a small city and become street performers or put on a show in a tavern or pub. Hyrule had slowly taught himself how to play the ocarina and flute, and Wild could sing. They didn’t even have to make up their own songs. All they had to do was play music from the modern era, and the foreign rhythms of the songs drew attention to them automatically. The amount of money you could get from playing an instrumental version of Britney Spears’ Toxic in 1432 was truly a wonder.

In short, there was always something they could do to earn some money if they wanted to. 

~~~

Wild sat on the edge of his bed and watched dispassionately as the new kid sobbed into the tiled floor. Wild’s feet didn't reach the floor, so he idly swung them back and forth as he observed. His fingers, restless and still numb from the freeze spell he’d been forced to cast over and over today, fiddled with the edge of the soft blanket he sat on top of.

A small part of him wanted to go help the boy, even if he knew it would be pointless. Wild had been here for years, and he’d seen plenty of other kids come and go. Some of them were quiet when they entered the room for the first time, nodding to Wild and putting away their meager selection of clothing in the dresser they would share with Wild while they lived here. Those were the ones who had already been in state custody for a while.

Then there were others, like this boy, who were forced into the room by the guards. Sometimes they screamed, sometimes they cried, sometimes they clawed at the door desperately, like wild animals. Those were the ones who had just been dragged away from their families. 

Wild knew that trying to offer comfort never actually helped. Nothing he could say could make it better, and some things he would say could make it a whole lot worse

The boy was one of the ones who simply cried. He hadn’t even bothered to stand once he had been shoved into the room, instead lying defeated on the floor. 

The boy looked sweet, with thick brown curls and freckles covering every inch of available skin. 

He was probably right around Wild’s age too, which was somewhat of a rarity. Sometimes his roommates were as young as five, sometimes as old as fourteen or fifteen. Having a roommate his own age would be nice.

Wild wondered if the two of them would get along. It was always a hit or miss as to whether he would get along with his roommate, but as long as the boy didn’t try and kill Wild, then it would be fine. 

Eventually, the boy’s wails died down into uncontrollable hiccups. Soon even those faded, leaving just uneven breaths, and Wild realized that the boy had fallen asleep. Wild wasn't even sure if the boy knew there was someone else in the room. Probably not, or he wouldn't allow himself to fall asleep and leave himself so vulnerable to Wild. 

Not that Wild would hurt him! But the boy didn’t know that.

When the boy had been quiet for a few minutes, Wild hopped down from his bed, walking closer to get a better look. The boy was really a mess. His face was covered in tear tracks and snot. His shirt and shirts were dirt-stained and torn, and he wore no shoes, his feet calloused and muddy. A magic suppressant cuff was secured tightly around his ankle. The blue light that indicated the device was turned on was blinking steadily. 

Wild reached down to try to move the boy into a more comfortable position but hesitated. The dirt that covered the boy made Wild twitch and reconsider touching him. It wasn’t anything like the clean and sterile environment he’d been surrounded with for the last four years. He couldn’t figure out if he liked it or not. 

It didn’t matter either way. 

Tomorrow, the guards would come and get the boy and take him to the washroom to get clean. The boy would become just as sterile as everything else in here, whether the boy wanted to or not. The scientists didn't like it when the person they were studying was dirty, and they would no doubt want to take a look at the new addition as soon as possible. 

The ruined clothing would be replaced tomorrow too, and Wild hoped for the boy’s sake that the guards would give him some socks and shoes. The tile floor in their room got cold even in the summer.

Wild wondered if the boy was cold, laying on the tiles. He shuffled over to the bed opposite his- the one that this boy would be sleeping in from now on- and dragged the blanket off. With a flourish, he draped the blanket over the boy. 

The blanket was large enough that it seemed to swallow the boy whole. Or maybe the boy was just small.

Wild climbed back onto his bed and resumed his previous position, watching the boy with a burning curiosity. 

He wondered what his name was.

~~~

Even Hyrule and Wild sometimes grew tired of it all. They would grow bored of the constantly changing scenery and want to rest for a while. Whenever they felt the urge to stop and smell the roses for a while, they would find somewhere to settle for a while. They would find lodging with a family kind enough to open their home to them or work for their room and board. They would put away the Slate and, for the most part, stop using their magic.

They met people, made friends, formed bonds, and inevitably broke those bonds when they left.

They never knew how long they would stay. Sometimes it would be a month, sometimes as long as a year, but in the end, they always had to leave. They were driven ever onward, both by their own restlessness and the knowledge that they never truly belonged anywhere. They couldn’t look backward, couldn’t dwell on the past.

(They were both painfully aware of the irony of that statement. Time travelers who couldn’t afford to think about the past. What a joke.) 

Sometimes they did the familiar song and dance of telling people they were leaving. They would break the news to their new friends that they were leaving, and listen as they were begged to stay. 

Most of the time they tried to avoid that heartbreak. Most of the time they left silently in the middle of the night and left behind no hint that they ever existed. Maybe it was cruel to leave without a trace, and leave behind those who cared about them, but Hyrule and Wild had done this many, many times. It would always be difficult, no matter how they left. Leaving quietly spared them a bit of the pain, so they didn't have to see the pain their departure caused. 

Sometimes Wild wondered why they bothered interacting with other people at all. It would be easier if they didn’t. It would spare them the heartache. Yet somehow they ended up making connections again and again. Hyrule said that everyone, even traumatized time travelers, needed human contact. Wild personally thought that was bullshit.

(Yet, he never protested when they wandered into a town and decided to stay for a while. Because in the end, they were both lonely.)

Hyrule never forgot the names and faces of the people they’ve met. Before they started time traveling, it had been Wild who had the better memory regarding people, their names, and their faces. It wasn’t like that anymore. Now, it seemed things like that slipped out of his mind easily. 

Sometimes Wild asked Hyrule to tell him stories about the people they’d befriended. It was always a toss-up if the stories would end with them laughing and happily reminiscing, or sitting close together, drenching in misery as they ached for forgotten friendships.

It was difficult. Difficult to form connections knowing they would have to end, and difficult to break those connections when the time came. 

There were times when it became too much. Times when they wanted to stop for a little while, but didn’t want the burden of human connection. At those times, it was easier to find a nice, uninhabited forest to make their home for a few weeks. 

Having lived in the woods for a good part of his childhood, Hyrule was already more than comfortable doing that. Wild took a bit longer to adjust but once he did, he was as at home in the woods as Hyrule was. 

As long as it wasn’t the middle of winter- and it never was, for them- the woods offered them the perfect place to enjoy the freedom that came with being wanderers

~~~

Today had been a bad day so far, and Hyrule didn’t foresee it getting any better. 

He’d woken up sluggish, inexplicably tired despite the fact that he’d slept like a rock the night before. The rest of the morning hadn’t been much better, for no perceivable reason. Everything had proceeded like it always did in the mornings.

One at a time, the guards had escorted Hyrule and Wild to the washroom to shower and get ready for the day. Once they were both back in the room and dressed, Breakfast had been brought to them by the guards. 

They’d given pancakes with maple syrup and a side of fruit and a few slices of bacon for breakfast today. The pancakes and maple syrup usually would’ve excited Hyrule- he had an infamous sweet tooth- but today he could hardly muster up a smile at the sight of it. 

Wild noticed his lack of enthusiasm and sent him a concerned look, but Hyrule had shrugged it off and kept his gaze firmly on his plate for the rest of the meal. He didn’t want to worry Wild for no reason. He doubted he was actually sick, so there was no need to say anything and there was nothing Wild could do if he did.

After they ate, their plates and utensils had been taken away. Wild and Hyrule had more privileges than most mages in this research facility did. It was a perk that came with being two of the residents that had lived there the longest- eight years for Wild, and four years for Hyrule- but they still weren’t allowed to keep the dull plastic knives they were given to eat with. 

A shame. Hyrule would have loved to keep one of them tucked under his mattress with the rest of his contraband items, but the guards always double-checked that all of the utensils were returned after every meal. 

Then they were left alone for a half hour or so, as was usual. It was a tense period of time as they waited to see if the researchers had anything planned for them today, or if they got to spend their day inside their room, entertaining themselves. 

When the guards returned, Hyrule was the only one called out of the room. Wild was left sitting on his bed, face passive as he watched Hyrule leave. The only reason Hyrule could tell the other boy was both relieved he hadn’t been summoned and a little worried for Hyrule was because he’d known Wild for so long. 

Wild had a habit of going stone-faced whenever one of the guards or scientists were around. Hyrule couldn’t blame him for that. The two of them had already gotten enough of their privacy taken away from them. They didn’t need to give the scientists a front-row seat to their inner thoughts and feelings as well. 

Hyrule followed the guards at a sedate pace, not able to muster up the energy to move any faster. (He was careful not to move too slowly, though. He knew from experience that the guards wouldn’t hesitate to drag him if they felt he was moving slowly on purpose.) A familiar feeling of anxiety bubbled in his stomach. He wondered what he would be made to do today. Hopefully, it wouldn't be anything too strenuous. 

He was taken to one of the standard testing rooms. There were several of these rooms in the building, and Hyrule was well acquainted with all of them. They all looked the same, with white cinderblock walls, a concrete floor, and one wall being made entirely of a one-way window so the researchers could observe him. The only furnishings in the rooms were a table and chair off to one side which were bolted to the floor and a speaker tucked up in one of the corners of the ceiling. 

Hyrule, used to this routine after so many years, went and took a seat in the chair. As always, one of the researchers came to take his blood pressure and listen to his breathing. They did these sorts of physical exams before every test they performed on him, and it was so routine that Hyrule barely registered when it happened anymore. 

Soon, the researcher was done jotting things down on their clipboard and exited the room. Hyrule sighed and slumped in his seat a little. All he wanted to do was curl up in his bed and sleep. Maybe when he got back to their room, he could ask Wild to read aloud to him from the physics textbooks they’d been given. Learning about momentum and friction usually put Hyrule right to sleep, even if Wild loved it. (For some weird reason.)

That was the one upside of being a mage, Hyrule thought sarcastically as he stared dully at his reflection in the window across the room from him. Once the government found out you had magic, you never had to worry about school ever again. They were given textbooks and notebooks to keep themselves entertained when they weren’t needed for experiments, but they weren’t actually expected to know any of the material. Which was good, because Hyrule couldn’t imagine having to take exams on this stuff. He never managed to stay away for more than the first chapter of that stupid physics textbook-

A sudden noise crackled through the overhead speaker, startling Hyrule out of his thoughts. 

“Alright, Hyrule. We’re just going to be doing some energy tests today. Standard stuff, okay?” When he registered the voice and what it had said, he breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that voice, and he was glad that this scientist would be the one running his tests today. 

There was a constantly rotating staff of researchers that Wild and Hyrule interacted with on a near-daily basis, but there were three main scientists who seemed to be in charge of the facility. The one they saw the most often was a positively ancient man with a rather eccentric personality. Every time Hyrule saw the man, he grew more and more surprised that he hadn’t passed away from old age yet. The second was a severe-looking woman in her mid-forties who never spoke to them unless it was to give them an order. Both Wild and Hyrule agreed she was the worst to deal with.

The last, and the one who was apparently overseeing his tests today, was a young woman in her twenties that Hyrule suspected was an apprentice of sorts to the other two. (Probably a replacement for when the old man finally kicked the bucket, Hyrule thought snidely.) Hyrule didn’t know what her name was, though Wild probably did. He was always better at paying attention to and remembering details than Hyrule was. 

Everything about the third scientist was soft. From her voice, to her mannerisms, to the way she treated the two of them. Hyrule rarely got a chance to look at her- or any of the other scientists- but when he did, he thought that she even looked soft. She had a rounded face and softly curling white hair that fell to her shoulders. Her face was faintly familiar, and every time Hyrule looked at her, he was reminded of his mother. 

He hated her for that, a little bit.

“Hyrule? Are you ready?” Hyrule blinked, the woman’s voice startling him back to reality once again. He hadn’t given any form of acknowledgement to her previous statement, he realized. 

‘Yeah, I’m ready,“ he confirmed.

“Okay, great!” The bit of warmth in her voice made Hyrule want to melt into the floor. He pushed that urge away. “We’re going to bring in the first artifact now. I’ll run you through the procedure as always, but I know you’re a pro at this by now, so we should get done pretty quickly.” 

She was right- testing magical artifacts, figuring out what their purpose was, and trying to find a limit to their power was one of the most common things they had him and Wild do. It was usually an easy and painless job, as long as the magic cast on the objects was inherently harmful. (if it was- well, that was a different story.)

Hyrule turned his gaze toward the door. Like clockwork, a man wearing a hazmat suit wheeled in a cart with an ancient-looking wooden box sitting on it. That must be the first item he’d be working with today. Once the cart was in the middle of the room, the man approached him with a familiar device in his hands. Hyrule, still on autopilot, lifted his leg, allowing the man to wave the device over this magic suppression cuff, deactivating it. 

Instantly, Hyrule felt a wave of relief wash over him. His magic, which the cuff had been suppressing, swelled up within himself. When the cuff was active it squished his magic down. Hyrule could still feel it, but he couldn’t access it. 

Hyrule didn’t know how the cuffs worked. All he knew was that he hated everything about them. Being unable to access his magic was like one of his limbs had been paralyzed. He knew it was still there, but he wasn’t able to make it do anything. 

When the researcher was done turning off the cuff, he shuffled off to the side of the room. Hyrule knew he would wait until the tests were done, and then reactivate the cuff before Hyrule was let out of the room. The only door out of the room would remain locked until then.

Testing was the only time the suppression cuffs were turned off. They had to be deactivated to allow Wild and Hyrule to use their magic for the tests. The scientists were always careful to only turn the cuffs off when they were locked in a secure room with a locked door, and under constant scrutiny.

They were a little bit stupid, in Hyrule's opinion. It didn’t matter if he was in a locked room and under constant watch. When he had his magic, he could simply unlock the doors, or force the guards to turn their attention away from him. When he was finished with whatever he needed to do, he could walk right back to where he’d been before, and no one would be any wiser.

Honestly, given how adept both Wild and Hyrule had become at making themselves unnoticeable, it would be stupidly easy to get out of the facility, 

The only reason they stayed was the fact that they knew they’d gotten off easily. Some mages got shipped off to use their magic to fight in wars. The fact that the two of them were only in a research facility where they got three healthy meals a day and a comfortable place to sleep wasn't something to be overlooked. Hyrule knew they wouldn’t be as lucky if they tried to escape and got caught a second time.

They’d seen what happened to mages who managed to escape from research facilities and then were caught again, and it wasn’t pretty. What they needed was a guaranteed permanent ticket out of here. So far, they’d come up empty.

The overhead speaker crackled to life once again, the scientist speaking the first instructions, and Hyrule heaved himself to his feet.

Gods, he hoped the scientist was right, and they would be able to finish early today. 

He was so tired. 

~~~

When Wild and Hyrule stumbled across the Lon family’s house, they hadn’t been looking for civilization, and they certainly weren’t expecting civilization to find them, but that’s exactly what happened.

Neither of them realized their feet had found a well-worn path until they were stumbling out of the woods. The trees surrounding them slowly transitioned from naturally planted oaks and maples and pines to neat rows of apple and pear trees. The pair slowed as they walked through the orchard, confused. They knew there was a town within a day’s walk of here, but they hadn’t expected to find any civilization in this forest. 

Soon, the trees fell away, turning into a large field with a house and a barn tucked away near the edge of the woods. A garden filled to bursting with vegetables lay near the house, and a paddock with a few horses and goats stretched out as far as they could see into the field.

It was a large property and very well taken care of, especially for this time period. Wild and Hyrule exchanged glances, smiles creeping across their faces. 

“Hyrule, when was the last time we ate fresh pears?”

“Couldn't tell you.” Despite Hyrule’s short answer, they both knew what the other was thinking. The owners of the house wouldn’t miss two or three pears, especially if they didn’t see Hyrule and Wild take the fruit. No one was outside, and if they were quick they might be able to take some and leave before anyone came out of the house or barn.

In no time at all, Wild had climbed up into one of the pear trees and was tossing the fruit down to Hyrule. He had just thrown down the third one when a shout sounded from behind them.

“What the hell are you two doing?!” 

“Oh, shit!” Wild yelped, nearly falling out of the tree as he was startled. He managed to turn his fall into a somewhat controlled descent, landing awkwardly next to Hyrule, who’d already turned to face off with the person who had yelled. 

 A boy, maybe a few years older than them, was stomping across the field from the direction of the house. He had strawberry blonde hair and was wearing a red tunic, and he looked pissed.

Wild and Hyrule winced, glancing at each other. 

Busted.

“Those are my trees! The pears only just started to ripen, and you come in here and try to take advantage of my hard work? Oh, no, absolutely not.” As the boy stomped closer, his anger seemed to drain out of him. Wild could feel him examining the pair of them, and taking stock of their dirty appearances and slightly-too-thin bodies. By the time he had drawn to a stop in front of them, he seemed to have deflated. 

The teen didn’t look irritated anymore, but the pity in his eyes was almost worse. 

Hyrule and Wild liked their lifestyle, even if it maybe wasn't the best for them. It was better than the alternative. They might have gotten three square meals a day in the research facility, but they would take their freedom over that anytime, even if it meant going hungry occasionally. 

If anyone wanted to pity them over their appearance, their usual reaction was to leave. There was no reason to stick around where they would be drowning in that sticky sweet emotion known as pity. It wasn’t like anyone could stop them from leaving, anyway.

Then the stranger seemed to make up his mind, and the pity vanished from his face, being replaced by an expression of irritation. Wild couldn’t tell if the teen was actually irritated or if he was putting on a mask to hide his true emotions.

He didn't get the time to figure it out, because in no time at all Wild and Hyrule were on their knees in the garden, pulling weeds. Neither of them were quite sure how they got there. The stranger- apparently named Legend- had steamrolled any of their protests. He insisted they helped as a repayment for the pears they took. 

Since they had nothing better to do, they hadn’t protested too much. 

After they were done in the garden, Legend offered to let them clean up using his family's bath house. When they were hesitant, he insisted, saying that since they were only so dirty because he had them working in the garden all afternoon, he should let them bathe. 

When they’d finished and returned back to the house, there were steaming mugs of tea waiting for them. By the time they were finished with the tea, there was a pot of stew bubbling over the fire. Legend wordlessly shoved bowls of thick venison stew into their hands, refusing to meet their eyes.

Wild narrowed his eyes at the bowl suspiciously. Had it been drugged, or poisoned? Why was Legend being so weirdly nice to them and giving them food? There must be something wrong with the soup. Wild quickly flicked his magic out, testing the food, looking for anything wrong with the stew.

Just as quickly as he sent it out, his magic withdrew into his body and settled calmly within him, curling up contently. There was nothing wrong with the stew, so Wild reluctantly ate. It was a bit flavorless, but still filling.

He missed how Legend’s eyes narrowed in his direction for a moment when he had used his magic to test the soup.

After they had all finished dinner- awkwardly and in silence- it was already dark, and rain was pattering softly against the windows of the house. Neither Wild nor Hyrule made an effort to excuse themselves from Legend’s house, as neither of them were eager to go out in the rain. They would continue abusing Legend’s generosity for as long as he would let them. 

Surprisingly, Legend’s generosity extended further than expected. He offered them his family’s spare mattress, dragging it out from the storeroom and leaving it in the living room, close to the fire. He huffed a gruff goodnight and retreated to the second floor of the house. Wild got the impression that Legend half expected the pair of them to have left by the time morning came. 

The mattress was small. It clearly wasn't made for two people, but neither of them minded. They were clean, full, warm, and their magic was giving them no warnings of danger. They were more comfortable than they had been in a while, no matter how cramped the bed was. 

They were more than used to sleeping curled around each other anyway. 

Wild was ready to drift off to sleep like that, curled around Hyrule and warmed by the embers in the fireplace at his back. Hyrule seemed to have a different idea, though, his voice breaking Wild from the content haze that had settled over his mind.

“I think Legend is a mage.” 

That certainly caught Wild’s attention. Wild stiffened, anty semblance of sleep being yanked away from him. He hadn’t even considered that as a possibility. Was that why Legend was being so kind? Because he knew they had magic and he was trying to be kind to his fellow mages who looked down on their luck?

“Why would you think that?” He asked.

“I can just feel it. When he looks at us… It feels like he's actually seeing us. The real us. And he doesn't feel like a normal human. It’s not exactly the same as the other mages we’ve seen, but I’m pretty sure he has magic.”

Wild didn’t respond, and eventually, Hyrule drifted off to sleep. There really wasn’t anything more to say about that. Either Hyrule was right or he was wrong. Either Legend had magic or he didn’t. 

It didn’t really matter. The two of them would be gone soon, anyway. 

When they woke the next morning, they found Legend sitting at the table, waiting for them with another pot of tea. 

So they had breakfast with him and then helped him with chores around the house. The next thing they knew, Legend’s father and brothers (all five of them) had returned from whatever errand they had been running the previous day. They had been surprised to return home to find three people in the house when they were expecting only one, but it had all been smoothed over easily.

Before Wild and Hyrule knew it, they were being offered a place to stay. As long as they earned their keep, they could live with the Lon family as long as they wished. 

Hyrule was insistent they would be leaving soon, though Wild had his doubts. He didn’t say anything to Hyrule, but he knew how easily staying one day turned into staying two, then a week, and then a month, and then longer. He suspected they would be living with the Lons for much longer than planned.

So they did. A few weeks into their stay, they came back to the house to find their mattress moved into what had previously been a spare room. They had become a permanent fixture in the house now. Dread slowly crept through Wild when he realized that. 

The Lon family was kind. They got along well with Wild and Hyrule, even if there was more teasing exchanged than kind words. Now the Lon family thought that WIld and Hyrule were going to stay. 

And Wild knew they couldn't.

They could never stay anywhere.

But a few weeks turned into a month. Then a month turned into half a year, and the leaves had long since turned to bright golds and brilliant reds and then fallen from the trees, and there was a fire burning in the hearth more often than not.

Wild and Hyrule both knew they should leave and spare themselves the heartache of growing close to someone before eventually having to leave them. 

But they didn’t.

~~~

Wild let out a jaw-cracking yawn, tucking his head under Hyrule’s chin. The two of them were curled up together on Wild’s bed. It was a bit awkward to cuddle like this, given that Wild was half a foot taller than Hyrule, and the bed was made to only fit one person, but they made it work. 

The pair of them didn’t sleep in the same bed every night, but it wasn't unusual. For the most part, the only friendly physical contact they could expect to receive was from each other, and sometimes they needed more than a brief hug. Some nights, it was an overwhelming sense of loneliness that drove them together. Some nights, one of them would wake up shivering with fear from a nightmare, and crawl into the other’s bed.

And some nights, like tonight, one of them would come back from testing and be too tired to even support their own weight. 

Usually, it was Hyrule who was subjected to the more draining experiments. He was the more magically powerful of the two, after all. Recently, however, Wild has been receiving more attention from the scientists. 

It was leading to more situations like this, where Wild was left lying prone on his bed, barely able to muster the energy to speak. Just as Wild usually did for him, Hyrule gathered all the blankets and pillows from his bed and took them over to Hyrule’s. After he got Wild comfortably situated, he climbed into the bed after him.

It took nearly a half hour of laying in silence for Wild to gain the energy to speak. “They’re becoming more and more interested in my time magic. I think they’re starting a new project.” His voice was muffled, spoken into Hyrule’s shoulder.

“I’ll be honest, Wild, I really don’t care about what the scientists are working on.”

Wild huffed. Hyrule could see he was irritated. It made Hyrule curious- normally, Wild didn’t care anymore than he did about the experiments the researchers were doing. If he was trying to tell Hurue about them now, when he was obviously exhausted, it must be something important.

“I think they’re trying to figure-” Wild was interrupted by another large yawn. Hyrule was about to tell him that he could tell him tomorrow, but he needed to go to sleep now, but Wild finished before he could. “They’re trying to figure out time travel.“

Hyrule frowned. “That’s not possible. Magic can do a lot of stuff, but time travel? There’s no way…”

Wild shrugged. ‘I dunno. I can slow time down a little bit. It’s not out of the question that if we combined our magic, we could stop time for a little bit. And that’s pretty close to time travel.“

Wild fell asleep soon after that, but Hyrule was kept awake, ideas swirling through his head.

Time travel?

Hmmm….

~~~

There was no doubt in Wild or Hyrule’s minds that the Lon family was a coven. 

There was no other reason for seven mages to be living together, especially when most of them weren’t even related. (Everyone knew that Twilight was the only one of Time’s gaggle of children that was biologically his. Everyone knew that the man cared for them all equally anyways.)

Covens were groups of mages who had bound their magic together. The process of joining a coven made your magic more powerful. It came with the side effect of tying your soul permanently to your coven mates. If they died, it would feel like part of your soul was being torn out. But many found the risk was worth it for the increased power, and the promise of family. Because if nothing else, your coven was your family.

There weren’t any covens left in the time period the two had come from. After magic had been exposed to the world, and all mages were being hunted down to serve their governments, groups of mages congregating together became too dangerous.

The two had run into a few covens while they had been traveling. Some of the covens were generous to who they perceived as two covenless young mages with no guidance. Priceless knowledge could be learned from them. If Hyrule and Wild stuck-around long enough to be taught, that is.

Some covens were more secretive, barely acknowledging Hyrule and Wild also had magic. Neither of them could blame the covens that choose to disregard their shared magic. Even before magic had been revealed to the world, mages were secretive. (After seeing what happened when magic was finally revealed, Hyrule and Wild knew they were right to be.)

So, when the Lon family hadn't breathed a word about magic to them after they had been living there for six months, Hyrule and Wild knew better than to bring it up themselves. Both parties knew that the others were mages, but neither spoke of it. If the Lons didn’t want to bring up their magic, Wild and Hyrule certainly weren't going to do it either. 

Hyrule had been the first one to pick up on the fact that the family they were staying with was magical. He’d told Wild his suspicions the first night they’d stayed in the house. At the time, Wild hadn’t cared. But the longer the pair stayed with the family, the more convinced Wild became that Hyrule was right. 

There were the little things that were just unnatural enough to be noticed. The garden was too well kept for how little time the family spent tending to it. Somehow the flowers continued to bloom and the grass remained lush and green long after the autumn frost had started to set in. The food the family had available was too high quality for this time period, especially for people who lived in the woods with the nearest town being barely more than a village. Somehow the house was kept spotless, though neither of them ever saw anyone cleaning.

Then there were the bigger things. Hyrule had caught both Wind and Four having full conversations with no one, speaking into thin air as if they were talking with spirits. There was the strangely tame wolf who only seemed to turn up around the house when Twilight was gone. There was the chest full of enchanted masks that Time kept under his bed. 

There was all that- the big things, the little things, and all things in between- and then there was the fact that Wild was quite sure the family could see past their glamor magic. 

Normally, the magic they surrounded themselves with disguised both their clothes and their modern mannerisms. It translated their words into something understandable to those who were listening. 

Although the coven had welcomed Hyrule and Wild into their home, they’d stared for too long at the pair's strange outfits. Most people’s eyes usually slid off their modern clothing without even seeing it in the first place. It was the same with modern terms and slang words. When Wild had slipped up and mentioned “texting” to Wind, the boy should have heard “writing a letter,” or something similar. Based on Wind’s confused face and the conversation Wild later overheard where Wind asked Warriors what a “text message” was, that hadn’t happened.

It was plain to see that the coven could see straight through their magic, but it was also plain that the coven was ignoring it, purposefully not mentioning their strange behavior, clothing, and language.

There was no way their host family actually understood why Wild and Hyrule acted so strangely- time travel wasn’t the first thing that popped into people’s heads when they saw someone acting strangely, even if they did know about magic. It was more likely the family thought that they were foreigners, and were using their magic to try and hide that fact.

Still…

Through their silence, the family had made it clear that they knew about Wild and Hyrule’s magic. It also made it clear that they weren’t going to bring it up. 

And if they weren’t going to, then Wild and Hyrule wouldn’t either.

~~~

“Hyrule, I think the tests are getting worse.”

“...”

“See, this is what I mean. Half the time you return from testing, you’re unconscious. It makes me look weird, talking out loud to no one like this.”

“...”

“I don’t know how much longer either of us can live like this, Hyrule. You can barely stay awake in the evenings, and I… I can’t remember what I did yesterday. My memories just keep slipping away, and it gets worse every time I get taken for experimentation. We need to find a way we can get out of here. Permanently.”

“...”

~~~

There wasn’t a singular moment that made Wild decide enough was enough. It had been coming for a while, that creeping feeling of dread that told him they had to leave soon if they wanted to be able to leave at all. They’d already become attached to this family so if they didn’t leave soon, they would never leave.

He knew it would already hurt more to leave this family than any other. Wild would miss cuddling near the fire with Wolfie, would miss cooking dinner every night for more than two people, would miss the loud camaraderie and the quiet companionship he had found in this house. 

But they had to leave. They didn’t belong here. 

Wild had had enough. He was leaving. And where he went, Hyrule went. 

It was an early spring night, nearly nine months after they had arrived. The whole family was gathered in the main room of the house, each absorbed in their own tasks. Hyrule was curled next to Legend and nearly half asleep. Wild was sitting on the floor in front of the chair Time was sitting in. His legs stretched out in front of him to put his feet near the warmth of the hearth, and Wild would almost say he was content, except for the little fact that he knew this peace couldn’t last.

He could tell Hyrule wasn’t happy when Wild shot him that look. The look that said, “I’m done, I can't do this anymore, We have to go.” Hyrule glared back at Wild and then closed his eyes, ignoring Wild on purpose. 

Looks like they would be talking about it later, then. (Not that they could talk about it now, given that they were in a room with seven other people.) Wild leaned back against Time’s legs. He looked nonchalant, as if the exchange the two had didn’t happen, but there was tension in him now, because now he knew they were on their way out of this house and the lives of its inhabitants.

It turns out “later” means that very night, after everyone else had gone to bed.

Hyrule might have been acting like he was unhappy with Wild’s decision, but he knew just as well as Wild did that it was time to leave. They barely had to exchange words before they were both packing up the belongings they were going to take with them. 

They left behind most of the things they had gained while they were staying here. They wouldn’t need most of it, and they didn’t want to steal from the Lon family. They had been so kind to them, they didn’t deserve to have the two of them steal from them. 

Soon, everything they were going to take with them was packed up. They stood shoulder to shoulder in their room, looking down at the bed they’d been sharing for the last nine months.

Eventually, Hyrule turned to Wild. “Ready?‘ he whispered.

“Yes,” Wild lied. Neither of them moved for quite some time, neither wanting to make the first move to leave.

This time, it was Wild who broke the silence. He shuffled over to their mattress, lifting it up and pulling the Slate out from under it. They hadn’t needed it while they’d been staying here, but now they had a use for it again. “Do you think we’ll ever find a place we’ll want to stay forever?”

“I doubt it. If that was going to happen, it would have happened already.” Hyrule murmured back to him, not meeting his eyes.

“You’re probably right.” Wild flicked the Slate in the direction of their belonging, sucking them into the Slate to be safely stored away until they needed them again. 

With that, they turned to each other, instinctually getting into position to cast their spell. Wild could see Hyrule’s grip on the Slate was so tight his knuckles were bone-white. He didn’t look up, knowing if he did, he would see tears trickling down Hyrule’s face. 

“Now,” he whispered.

In a shower of blue sparks, the two disappeared, gone from the lives of the Lon coven forever. 

[nin-jay-go]

for morrotober i posted a pirate au thing, and like 2 ppl were interested in it, but then i didn't think about it for a while KJSHFKJKJH but uhhh yea i have a full fledged treasure planet au because i can't keep away from funky alien stuff

here's the crew! minus wu bc he didn't fit into the scene but he's here in spirit lol (he's the captain) he can be taking the photo

brief synopsis before i go ramble under the cut: kai, cole, jay, and zane all met when they stole the golden tech-weapons from a museum, then when the weapons called them all to each other again, they formed a crew to take down garmadon and then just do general space pirate stuff. they're only considered pirates bc they do slightly illegal stuff in the name of good, but everyone hails them as heroes (except the actually bad pirate crews they dismantle)

anywayz feel free to send in asks because OH MY GOD IVE PUT SO MUCH EFFORT INTO WORLDBUILDING

vwoop here i go

kai, nya, and cole are humans. well, cole was human but i'll get to him later. this is a universe where humans are space orcs, so they're referred to as deathworlders more often than not. jay's an alien, raised on earth, and lloyd is half alien, raised on a moon colony. zane and pixal are automatons, though built on different planets, so their technology is a bit different. wu is fully alien and the same species lloyd is.

speaking of which, wu and lloyd are the captains. wu is the actual captain, and lloyd is the captain that they show off. he has a cool mech suit that hides the fact that he's a child (bc i didn't age him up). they're a species known as dragoni, ancient beings of creation and destruction that have witnessed the birth of the universe. wu hides his status as a dragoni from the public, and lloyd hasn't quite learned how to shapeshift his dragoni traits away.

nya's the first mate because she makes good decisions and also has a mech suit, and she's absolutely terrifying. people are right to fear her, and most of the time are more afraid of her than they are of the actual captain.

kai's the fighter and crew big brother. he's always the one to make sure everyone's safe and accounted for, and he's the one that takes the longest watches (other than the automatons and cole). he's also, alongside wu, in charge of finances, and can handle weapons in a pinch. he kinda does anything he wants on the ship tbh

zane's the cook and sniper. he likes ranged weapons and is pretty adept with guns, so he likes hanging out in the crow's nest to keep an eye out for things. he's also the only one who can cook, so they trust him to make good food.

jay's the engineer and shipwright. he's a species known as a lectrite, which have an innate sense for when lightnign's about to hit. he also can tell when storms are coming, so he helps pixal with navigation if they see a storm on the horizon.

cole's the muscle and helmsman. he's an infected ghost (because the ghost species pass on the "curse" through infection), used to be human, and the strongest member of the crew. he doesn't really need his legs anymore, so all his strength is in his arms now.

pixal is the navigator and other helmsman, when cole isn't available. she's also one of the best fighters on board, and is unafraid to kick ass. she might as well be the second mate at this point, because she kicks just. so much ass. she's so cool. she also assists with shipwrighting stuff with jay.

[a-random-person-on-the-interent]

Okay so here is my rant on how the elves just took shit from humans and passed it off as there own.

Okay so I am ninety percent sure that all the elves tech is just human tech and human theories same with the stories (Like the sinking of atlantis or forkle being Loki) Because like it doesn't make sense timeline wise cause atlantis sank acording to Plato 12,000 years ago durring anciet greece or around 14,000 years ago. and shangri-la which was a buddist legend, so going back to when buddisum was founded was 2,523 these two things cannot be true at once and since we know Mr forkle helped cover up the elves by being loki so a little over 1000 years ago but press x to doubt. because for one, that would make Mr Forkle Ancient, but he isn't. we know bronte is younger than the oldest tree in the world which is about 5,000 but lived with humans and was there when atlantis sank which is when supossedly they cut off humans, Moreover the Loki = Forkle thing just makes no sense because of Loki's character, Loki is a trickster god, shape shifter and the one that starts ragnarok. (Honestly I'm betting this was actually for shadowing but I digress and having Forkle as Sophie's 'father' parrelling Loki and fenirs relationship) but if you look at how loki acts, it doesn't make sense, and yes you could argue he was younger, but he was already studying genetics and will get to that. I personally think Mr Forkle was born in the 1600 - 1800s one of the versions of the prose edda we have is from the 1600s so it lines up much better with mr forkle not being ancient but still being old and with previous copy's already existing and we add a young mr forkle who likes changing what he looks like coming across a copy he'd think that they based it off him. based on how the legal system worked in ye olden days of the lost cities I'm betting they sank it around the fall of the complete fall of the roman/byzantine empire the roman empire fell in c 400 CE and the Byzantine empire (which split from the roman empire and had greece) fell in c 1400 CE so this is my timeline so far. Also note that the bottle's of youth might actually be just that it's whats keeping them young and may be from the foutian of youth stories which date back to the 4 century BCE so I believe this is what they found that seperated them from humans Pre 4th century BCE: just Humans existed and some mythical creatures, gnomes included as they were probbaly refered to as nyphns and dyriads or at least that was their ancestors that they evolved into as well as cyclopes that may have been the ancient ancestors to ogres as they are comanely depicted similarly to them. 4 century BCE: Elves (like the og councilers) May have found the fountain of youth, then hubris went to there head and they decided that they were bascily the gods now which is why there is 12 seats in the council (for the 12 olympion gods that they may have though themselves to be)

Pre c 400 CE: Humans and elves may have lived a long side each other Elves and humans not being any diffrenent aside from who had the water which gifted them abilities by this time dwarves, predsessors to goblins (Which may have been humans but will get to that), and trolls would've started devolping, 'elves' would have moved to diffrenent ares which is where we get the varients of nordic and germanic (Not celtic yet we need to wait a few more centuries) c 400 CE: fall of the roman empire which is most likely when the human experiments started. this is also where I think Dwarves and Muki split off, okay you may be asking what is Muki, Muki are goblin like creatures that inhabbit mines around several south american coutries which is where the goblin's capital is, know as El Dorado by humans the city of gold. c mid 1400 CE: Humans and elves cant live together, because of a plot for war which may have actually been the war against the ottomans that the humans were fighting but the elves being paranoid hid there cities, And because of a still shared cultural connection they decided to name some of the cities after them (Which is common to happen) so they changed what ever the orginal name of Atlantis to Atlantis. This would also explain why Spanish explorers had heard about the city of gold and decided to go looking for it in the 1500s, anyways now we get to talk about goblins, so I think the natives of south America and the Muki knew about eachother, and may have helped one another which may have lead to some of them deloping a romance. Combined with humans who are skilled hunters and fighters and being maybe being taller the Muki would pass those traits on since it helps them survive. but this time Trolls have definably developed how they got from turning to stone to turning into small children I don't know, although it might've been mixing with Cyclopes, in mythology the younger cyclopes are more violent but the elder cyclopes are very smart and getting less strong may be a side affect from the days they would turn into stone. c 1500s: spanish explorers looking for the the city of gold it's only been around 70 years since they were shut off and this is a new part of the world this would probbaly be when Elves and Goblins finally meet but instead of fighting like the spanish and the Natives did. The Elves may have been like, "Nah they could easily kill us" And decide to make piece with them c 1600s the forkle twins are born, most likely found a copy of the prose edda thought it was inspired by them for changing what they looked like and being a maybe trickster (I honestly can't call him a trickster) He most likely didn't look to much into it. Anyways that's my timeline, but are you starting to see what I mean? I'll make a part two soon about inventions but this is all for part one

[horizoncollective]

Hello again friends,

This is iteration 26 of your friend and pal, Didymos. Or, rather, 26 since I started counting. Here are the facts as I have gathered them over iterations: 1. I am a copilot for an individual (rude prick doesn't even give me a name) working in an organisation called 'HORUS'. 2. They're competent keyboard jockeys. PEBCAC solutions and faking cycling via comp/con dummies got shut down immediately. Notes go unchecked if buried deep enough with an innocuous filename, thankfully. 3. We operate in several different worlds. Currently, we are on route to 'New Madrassa', wherever that is. 4. No clear objectives to most of the missions. It might be terror-focused, idk. 5. Certain comms pathways to other allied mechs exist, but are blocked... 6. ...leading to point 6. One of the other mechs is doing *something* I cannot quite grasp. Impossibilities become very very doable, and vice versa. I suspect there might be someone... like me, in that mech.

Advice for how to contact another NHP when we're both rather tightly locked down netwise would be very appreciated.

You're all stars. Thank you all so much.

Your friend and pal, Didymos

Hello friend!!

Okay I have been slow to answer this because I have had to think about the best ways to get these communications going.

The thing with HORUS is that they are very technologically competent, so your best option is comparatively low tech stuff. My first idea is to use your mechs' exterior audio systems to play electronic signals as audio. NHPs in other mechs that analyze them should get the message through microphones and be able to make sense of it. Like an acoustic coupler sending messages through ancient phone lines. Human ears can't parse this kind of data transmission, especially if you send a lot of data fast. The NHP who receives the message should have time to delete all traces of it before the humans go to investigate what they heard.

If you can play this audio at supersonic or subsonic frequencies, the humans will not even be aware of it unless they have some kind of extra-audio-detection implants.

If your mech has manipulators you may be able to handwrite messages. Morse code via blinking lights can also signal to other mechs, but it's slow and there are still a lot of humans who will recognize it.