Q

Q

Past Halloween sketches by Horikoshi

There are a great many adventures to be had in the vast kingdom of Hyrule, but those who choose to dive a little deeper will never be disappointed.

For as much as one might think they know about their dear kingdom, there is a whole other world lurking beneath the waves. Life flourishes in the fathoms below, life that doesn’t particularly care about the world above. Cities and kingdoms lie in the depths that even the Zora do not explore.

This life below- these people- have their own way of navigating their rapidly changing world. There are two main groups- an aquatic people who call themselves Mer, and an amphibious group called Aquili. The Mer are a powerful people with strong tails in place of legs. They live in large groups, inhabiting areas where the water is deep but tending to stay closer to the surface where the sun can warm them. The Aquili, however, prefer shallow water, popping above the surface quite often. They live in smaller, close knit groups, never traveling alone.

And for a while, these groups were peaceful.

Dozens of years ago, monsters started swarming the sea. There are few around that still remember those days, before the start of the War, when pods of Mer and schools of Aquili were ravaged by the vicious beasts of the deep. They were forced to flee, to horde their supplies. And for a short while, it was just them against the monsters.

But then… supplies started to dwindle and they started to clash with each other. Mer and Aquili, fighting for space and for materials. In such a dangerous world, what other choice did they have? Each group marked out a place for their territories and each group made an effort to infiltrate and steal from the other. It wasn’t long before the War began in earnest. You could never get a straight answer as to how it happened- a Mer elder might say that an Aquili soldier had killed a young Mer in an attempt to chase them from their home. An Aquili Elder might say that the Mer had started stealing medicine and food from their camps, leaving their people weak and starving.

But no matter how people might argue about how it happened, there’s no doubt that it did. Entire settlements were destroyed in its wake, children became familiar with the coppery tang of water stained red.

And all the while, the monsters continued their ruthless hunt.

The War lasted for fifty whole years before coming to a brutal end. After one final attack on an Aquili stronghold, the Mer were victorious, winning the depths as their territory. But, of course, there are no winners in war.

The battles left their scars on the sea and its people, scars that stubbornly refuse to heal. And as time passes, as the Mer expand and hoard their resources, those battles are never forgotten.

And Link, born into peace… as the prince of his people, would have to oversee the consequences of those battles.

At the ripe old age of nine, his parents would show him the damage that the Aquili inflicted on his home- his people. Hoping to teach him how to deal with such things. How to rule his people in the context of their struggles. And they wanted to teach him to HATE the Aquili.

When he turned eleven, he would be tasked with overseeing the efforts to stop Aquili scavengers from stealing their goods. Food, medicine, weapons. The Aquili in this era are desperate. They lost the war and the Mer took over their homes, forcing them into the shallow waters, islands, and beaches. But even though they can exist on land, there just aren’t enough resources and they are NOT prepared for how the sun burns their scales. Many of them resist the Mer’s occupation of their territory, they try to steal back their homes.

At first, Prince Link would be alongside his parents or trusted advisors as he would make decisions on what should happen to those unfortunate Aquili who got caught. But eventually… it would be left to him. His father told him that as king, he’ll have to make difficult decisions by himself. This is just training him to be a better ruler.

It became easier, over the months, to judge the poor souls that were desperate enough to try to steal from his kingdom. His parents and advisors called the criminals Sea Monsters, which helped the young prince come to terms with the weighty sentences he’d bestow upon them. Dehumanizing them, treating them with cold indifference at best, cruel hatred at worst.

Prince Link was taught that he was better than them. That the Mer had won the War for a reason. The Sea Monsters were nothing to them- a blight on the sea, something to be happily rid of. And the young prince forced himself to believe it.

Or else he would never forgive himself.

Prince Link is alone. It’s rare- he’s almost always escorted by castle guards or advisors. But he’s never liked their constant supervision, he just wants a few minutes of privacy, so he sneaks out of the castle.

It’s an old routine- he’d long since memorized the guards’ rounds and he knows the perfect place to slip through a window. From there, it’s a matter of sticking to the shadows until he’s out of sight of the castle. It’s not something he makes a habit of, he’d like to think. But it’s a small freedom that he cherishes.

And while he’s swimming away this time, he hears a curious sound. In an alley, in a dark part of the kingdom, a young Aquili scavenger is digging around through baskets of what Link thinks must be medicine. They’re young, but the strips of kelp that they’ve wrapped around themself cover the color of their scales. Link’s first instinct is to call for help- to get this child arrested for invading his kingdom and stealing their things. But… there is a part of him that’s curious.

The young Aquili doesn’t see him- Link sheds his jewelry to swim more quietly as the child finds what they were looking for and darts away.

He follows.

He wants to know what they intend to do with their stolen goods.

He wants to know why they punish the Aquili so harshly.

He is… not prepared for what he sees.

He follows the child into the shallows, where the water is warmed by the sun’s rays and the sound of waves crashing against the beach is almost deafening. Prince Link is used to sneaking around the castle, stealth is one of his many skills, and with how focused the Aquili is on the path ahead, he goes undetected.

The child leads him to what looks to be a sick ward. Dozens of Aquili of all colors and sizes lie prone in the sand. Many of them are bleeding. There is no shelter here, Link realizes. It’s rocky and sandy and the waves shake the water so violently.

Link ducks behind a nearby rock as he watches the child float over an Aquili woman with deep purple scales- an elder- and sort through the medicine they’d stolen.

The child- the so called heartless Sea Monster- put themself in great danger in order to bring the medicine to this woman. Link leans in closer as he watches a few other scavengers swim over to help the child administer the medicine.

For a moment, something shifts within him. It is ugly. It rages, it cries, it reeks of guilt. Of sympathy for this child and this woman. Of jealousy for their family for helping- for the child for not having to handle this alone.

But alas.

He’s seen all he needs to, and just as he is about to swim away, he is discovered.

An Aquili man with green scales points a sword straight at his neck and the young prince panics. He is unarmed, a Mer child in Aquili territory. The Aquili of this era are defensive and aggressive- they have to be, or they will not survive.

And they do not take kindly to the Mer.

Prince Link is afraid.

The Aquili man tries to run Link out of his waters, but realizes that by chasing him out, he’d be entering Mer territory, putting himself and his family at risk. So instead, he chases Link up.

That is… an incredibly bad thing. As the Sea Monster chars the young prince, Link has no choice. He jumps out of the water to escape him. Really, he’s only above the surface for a split second. No harm done, right?

Wrong.

It is Mer law that so much as breaking the surface tension of the water is considered treasonous and grounds for banishment. This law is meant to protect them- Mer cannot live on land. They do not breathe air, the sun will dry them out and burn them to a crisp. They will die. And… Aquili can go on land- they do so quite often (though they are not equipped to stay there permanently). And so, anyone caught trying to follow Aquili up to the surface are immediately labeled as traitors and cast out.

Prince Link will eventually escape the Aquili man. He’ll return to his kingdom and be escorted back to the castle by guards with bone crushing grips on his arms. He’s coughing up air bubbles- which only happens if a Mer inhales air.

They immediately know that he’d broken their most important law.

And he is, as a result, banished. Stripped of his name and his title, thrown out of their kingdom. He looks his parents in the eye as they cast him out. He has no change to defend himself.

This banishment means that he is no longer welcome with the Mer. And he was never welcome with the Aquili. And after being chased like that- after his life was ruined so terribly by one of them- he hates the monstrous Aquili.

At the age of twelve, Legend was forced to take his first step onto land, all alone.

Some notes!

• Yeah, Legend’s not a fan of the Aquili. This does not bode well for Wind

• (Wind is Aquili)

• So a bit more about Mer culture! They tend to form large groups- hundreds if not thousands of individuals, living in cities and kingdoms. They would typically live closer to the surface where the sun can actually allow their food to grow and keep them warm, but after the war, they kind of had to take what they can get. So they make TALL castles. And the more valuable you are to the monarchy, the lower in the building you would live.

• Mer have a language built almost entirely around song! Here’s a link to the post about Merspeak!

• Oh and here’s a link with more about the War.

• Mer traditionally fight with spears as they’re easier to maneuver in the water. Actually, it’s the Aquili who tend to fight with swords!

• I… want to talk more about the Aquili, but I also don’t know if I should save that for Wind’s post. Feel free to send an ask? I have a LOT written about them

• Oh yeah, that Aquili kid? His name is Malik. He’s gonna be important.

• There is an au bouncing around in my head where the Aquili take Legend in after he’s banished. And the thing is? They would! If he didn’t, you know, condemn their people to unfair punishment literally all the time. But… he’s a child. The Aquili are not heartless.

• Legend’s parents kind of really sucked. They put too much responsibility on his shoulders. Which- on one hand, it was literally post-war. On the other hand, he was nine.

• He is not Zuko, I swear he is not Zuko.

• HOARDER!!!

• BISEXUAL!!!

• Refuses to wear pants.

• Oh and for anyone confused about how he can live on land, here’s a post to help explain! (Featuring Ravio)

headcanon that stan hates wearing glasses (for many reasons) and went without them for years until he really needed them

[Image Description: Comic of a younger Stanley Pines from "Gravity Falls." Alt text is provided and copied below the cut. End ID]

A younger Stan squints at his blurry reflection in the mirror, leaning in really close to see himself clearly. He sighs and grabs a pair of Ford's glasses on the dresser. Putting them on, he stares at his reflection. "Welp," he says, "this is unsettling."

He turns away from the mirror to adjust his tie, saying, "But it can't be helped." His reflection is now a disheveled Ford, mirroring Stan.

How about a Halloween-themed Gravity Falls animatic for the Spring break, just for old-time’s sake.

DP x DC Writing Prompt #9

"Are you sure about this?" J'onn asks, reading the discontent amongst the Kents. Clark and Lois each have a hand on their teenage son's shoulders, who several weeks prior was aged ten years old.

"We're sure," Clark says. He is not, nor is his wife. But his son is, who lays his hand on his mother's and squeezes. It is that surety that J'onn honors as he delves into the young (but not as young as he should be) man's mind.

The memories are hard to find but not gone, hidden behind what Jon can only see manifested as a glowing green wall. When he raises a tentative hand, the shield sparks green, but does no harm. Pushing through is like wading through the consistency of jello, which he finds an overall unpleasant experience. But he is unharmed as he passes through.

Before J'onn can sort through the memories he is all but sucked into the one at the forefront, where a Jon most similar in visage to the one recently returned perches on the edge of a building. Beside him lies a burger, partially unwrapped though uneaten, and a small soda.

As the memory builds out a sun sets on a small suburban town, and a muscled thigh knocks into Jon's, an older man with a shock of white hair and eyes the same light and color as the shield formed around these memories appearing. He's tall even sitting, likely about as tall as Superman, and looks to be in his thirties. A full body suit comprised of black and silver accents stretches across broad shoulders, a stylized D on his chest. He knocks his thigh into Jon's again.

"You said I couldn't go back," Jon says quietly.

"I lied," the man says lightly.

"You're lying now," Jon says, glaring at him. "I can hear your heart."

"Nice try, kiddo, I don't have a heart in this form," the man says, reaching a hand out, presumably to ruffle his hair. Jon dodges.

"I know you're lying. You would've told me. You would've helped me get home."

"Jon--"

"You're protecting Clockwork, aren't you?" Jon demands, eyes beginning to burn red. "That old coot decided it wasn't enough to play with you, he had to play with me too."

The man slaps a hand over Jon's eyes. "Breathe, like we practiced," he instructs firmly. Steam rises from where his palm meets Jon's eyes, but if it hurts he shows no indication. "In, 2, 3. Out, 2, 3."

Jon whimpers but heaves a breath, and the burst of red light dies down from between the man's fingers. His hand moves down to Jon's shoulder.

"I can't pretend to understand Clockwork's decisions," the man says, as tears begin to pool in Jon's eyes. "Frankly, I don't want to. I suspect they are hard decisions to make, sometimes."

"I don't get why you defend him," Jon says. "Dumbledore acting bastard."

"Language," the man says, lightly bopping him on the head. J'onn notes the boy actually winces, as if the blow hurts.

"I am upset with him, I hope you know that," the man continues. "But at the end of the day I'm also grateful. Because I got to meet you." He hooks an arm around Jon's shoulders, pulling him in. "And now you'll get to see your family again. And Sally, Arnold, and Damian!"

Jon sniffles, rubbing roughly at his face. He leans into the man's bicep. A trusted adult figure, then. One he's described his life to. A life, J'onn is sad to note, he appears to have lived for the past six years, as opposed to a sudden shift in appearance. Jon's next question all but confirm it: "Can I really go back? It's been so long. They'll be all grown up."

"Hey, of course you can," the man says, rubbing his shoulder. "I'm sure they've missed you so much. They'll be so happy to see you again."

Jon starts to smile. "I'm going home."

"You're going home!" The man laughs, shaking him.

"I can finally eat some decent barbecue again!"

"Hey!" the man protests, "The smoker blew up one time!"

Jon continues, beginning to get excited. "And Ma will make her jalapeño cornbread! I never could get it right, I can't wait for you to try it!"

J'onn notes the older man's smile fading, eyes growing sad.

"And Damian will definitely want to spar and oh, oh! With you on our side we can totally prank Batman! I bet Alfred will even help! And Mom gives the best hugs, Pops comes really close but Mom will be really excited to meet you, everyone will."

"Jon," The man says.

"I knew you'd be worried about it, but they'll want to meet you," Jon says, clocking his expression. "They'll be grateful. You, you helped me. You kept me safe and taught me how to be Superman. They'll love you, I promise."

"Jon, I can't go with you," the man says gently.

"I'm not saying you stay, but you can visit! I'm sure the Justice League can figure out a way to maintain a portal, they're super used to all that multiverse stuff. Once they have the coordinates, you can stop by whenever!"

"I can't go through the portal, Jon," the man says. "To other worlds, I'm a god. And gods can't interfere. The only reason I can continue to live here is because this is the world of my origin."

Jon gapes at him. "But--but,"

"You're going to see your Mom and Dad again," the man says. "And your brother, and grandparents."

"I can come here, then," Jon says desperately, pushing his way out of the man's arms. The man is already shaking his head. "I can!"

"You can't."

"Why, because Clockwork says so? He's a liar!"

"Because multiverse travel is never a good idea. If you got trapped here again--"

"I wouldn't,"

"You belong with your family,"

"You're my family!" Jon cries. The man freezes. "You, and Sam, and Jazz, and Tucker and Val and Ellie and Pops and Mads, you're all my family! I can't just leave you, I won't!"

"Oh kiddo," The man says, eyes wet. "I love you too. We all do."

"So I'll stay," Jon says decisively. "For all we know my world is a wasteland. Gramps wasn't exactly right in the head when I left. It's better to stay here."

J'onn notes a green vine unwinding from a nearby trellis. It slides down the eave towards the pair.

"You don't mean that," the man is saying.

"I'm sixteen. I can make my own decisions. I'm staying."

The man cups Jon's face. "Your parents did not have a choice in losing you. I'm willing to bet they're devastated. Because I'd be devastated, losing a kid as great as you."

"Maybe they're not even there," Jon says, but the words are half-hearted, and it clearly hurts him to say them.

"I know I seem like a pushover, but if I thought Clockwork was sending you back to anything less than your loving family, I'd destroy him first. And he knows that. They're going to be there, I promise."

"I don't want to go," Jon says. Behind him, the vine rises from the eave of its own will, poised like a cobra enchanted by a snark charmer.

"I know," the man says, eyes drifting to the vine. "I'm so sorry, Jon."

"For what?" Jon asks, as the vine attaches itself to the nape of his neck. His eyes roll back as he collapses into the man's arms. The man hugs him tighter than is strictly necessary.

J'onn expects the memory to now end, alongside Jon's consciousness. To his curiosity, it does not.

"For what it's worth," a young woman spits bitterly, vines supporting her weight as she slips over the side of the roof. "I still think this is horrible." Her eyes are red and miserable.

"Seriously, team punching Dumbledore in the face," A young black man says, appearing in the air supported by a woman almost identical in appearance to the man holding Jon, down to the suit colors. They land on the rooftop.

"Are you sure about this," the dark haired woman with powers over plants asks. "Because to be honest, Danny, I'm five seconds away from punching you in the face."

"Jazz won't speak to you for months," the girl, likely his sister, points out.

"Make it a year," the man says, crossing his arms.

The man, Danny, ignores them all. He cards a hand through Jon's hair. "He'll retain the experience, but not the memories?"

"Yes, he'll be a perfect little superhero, just as you taught him," the woman says, vines twisting agitatedly around her, wrapping around her thigh, wrists and neck almost punishingly.

"Sam," the man says. "He needs to go home. All of you know that."

"He doesn't have to forget us to do so!" the sister bursts, eyes flashing green.

"Remembering would be a torment," Danny says. "He'll know he was loved. That's enough."

"Danny," the plant woman says, sitting beside them both. She puts a gentle hand on his, both on Jon's back. "This is just a different torment."

"And if someone finds out?" Danny asks. He has been patient amidst their scorn, but now a tiny edge ekes into his voice. "A god's child, unprotected? Threatened? He would never stop looking for a way back, and being vocal about it could get him killed."

The others are silent.

"He'll be home. He'll be happy," Danny says. More powerful than a prayer. A directive. He raises his head past the child slumbering in his lap, past them all, face hardening, and says to J'onn: "And you will say nothing."

J'onn takes a step back, fear so thick he could choke on it flooding his very being. Thismanwillkillhim, thismanwillkillhim.

This man will reach through dimensions and kill him.

"Now, get the fuck out of my kid's head," Danny snarls. J'onn is pushed back with enough force he enters his own mind in a vicious whirl that leaves him physically on the floor, gasping.

"I'm sorry," he says as Superman rushes to lift him, and he's not sure who he's apologizing to. Green eyes will pierce his dreams. Vines will crush his throat in his nightmares, screaming silence, silence.

You will say nothing.

"I'm sorry," J'onn says, politely pushing Clark's hands away as he rises. He's already beginning to calm, because he understands. Those are consequences he will not face. He will do as directed. He looks at Jon Kent, bewildered but unharmed, clutching his mother's hand.

J'onn reaches down and dusts at his pants. "I'm sorry," he says evenly, ready to spin his tale. Perhaps the Kents will continue to seek their answers. Perhaps not. He will stay out of it either way. He has been warned.

You were loved by gods. And to keep you safe, they would quiet us all.

Part Two

Q

Jasons only just started his alienate everyone and anyone that has ever cared for him plan Talia