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thoughtsaboutshows · 4 years ago

Note

hi thereeee can i get “You are the last thing on my mind when I go to sleep. And the the first thought when I wake up.”

Finally getting around to the prompts I still have (just like 4 months late)

This is in a post Part 4 world where Sabrina dies but Nick does not. Trust me...

“You are the last thing on my mind when I go to sleep. And the the first thought when I wake up.”

Nick didn’t hide his surprise when he placed his hands on the door of Gehenna Station and it opened. He’d expected it to burn with refusal as he was no longer a student at the Academy. Or because he hadn’t considered himself a member of the Order of Hecate in a long time. Nick hadn’t been able to bring himself to stay there after Sabrina had died on that sacrificial altar. The statue of her that stood in the Great Hall was too much for him to bear. He’d almost rather the one of Blackwood’s take it’s place, instead of the constant reminder that Sabrina was no longer there. When it became clear the memorial wasn’t going anywhere and neither were the memories of her he found around every single corner or in every crevice of Greendale, Nick was gone. He was through seeing her brave face in the music room, her in a black dress in Dorian’s, and her seated at tables in the cafeteria. He told Prudence by way of letter that he was going, but not where, as he didn’t even know what his destination would end up being. He just knew he had to get out of Greendale and away from the place where he’d learned to love but then lost the one who taught him.

Nick had taken the last seventeen years to travel around the world, visiting different covens and learning different ways of magic. He catalogued his journey after taking a page out of Edward Spellman’s book and writing journals of his own. The first few years after Sabrina died had been spent in a haze, not a drug induced one as he’d sworn them off after she saved him, but a cloud followed him around all the same. Prudence pulled him out of the Sea of Sorrows when he’d attempted to join Sabrina in the thick of his grief. But she’d been able to knock some sense into him and he kicked his butt in gear eventually, knowing Sabrina would want him to have a happy life.

He didn’t know if a happy life was possible without her, but he was alive and he was trying. And that was enough for now.

It was Prudence who’d pulled him from the Sea years ago and it was Prudence who’d convinced him to come back to Greendale now. He’d sworn he’d never set foot in that sleepy town again and just the mere thought of walking through the woods without Sabrina’s hand in his caused him physical pain. But there he was, not needing a hand of glory, opening the door to the Academy.

It was Halloween and the Coven was gearing up for their new Holiday, as it did every year since Sabrina’s death. They honored her sacrifice with a ceremony and some of her favorite things: horror movies and blueberry pancakes. Nick could never bring himself to attend, but Prudence had guilted him into coming this year. It was the 17th Anniversary of the Defeat of the Void.

“No, Pru. It’s the 17th Anniversary of Sabrina’s death.” Nick had corrected her over the witch’s mirror. “It’s morbid and depressing and I want no part of it.”

“You need to come, Nicky.” Prudence had said with an intensity he didn’t understand, but would later figure it was because she saw more than people knew.

Nick walked in circles around the main hall, eyeing the statue of his dead girlfriend with flowers at her feet. He never thought girlfriend was an accurate title for what she was to him. All things considered, they weren’t even together for all that long. But she still made a greater impact on his life than anyone else he’d ever met or would meet. He felt her love even now, seventeen years since he��d kissed her last, and he loved her back with his whole self. No. Girlfriend wasn’t the right word at all.

“Mr. Scratch.” The firm and familiar voice of Zelda Spellman called out to him. He felt the hairs on his back stand up and suddenly he was eighteen again. And Zelda was berating him and Sabrina for sneaking out another ceremony to makeout in the library. But her tone wasn’t punishing and when Nick spun around he saw her face wasn’t either. Instead he could swear he saw a tear daring to fall out of the corner of her eye. Almost as if she’d missed him. “You came.”

“Uh, yeah.” Nick forced out and cleared his throat. “Prudence said I should.”

“Well, we’re glad to have you.” Zelda nodded and took a puff of her cigarette. Some things never change. “Everyone will be delighted to see you, and well...she’d be happy you’re with us.”

“She’d probably yell at me for skipping all these years.” Nick chuckled at the thought of his stubborn Sabrina.

“She’d probably yell at all of us for creating a Holiday in her name.” Zelda pointed out and Nick laughed softly. That was definitely true. Sabrina would find this whole thing vain and over the top, but she deserved it. She’d saved the world far too many times for Nick’s liking, and blamed the world every day for not saving her. “Very well, come with me.”

Zelda bid Nick to follow her into the next room where the rest of the Coven were seated. There were many he didn’t recognize, but Hilda and Ambrose approached him immediately. Hilda hugged him tighter than he’d ever been held and Ambrose shook his head, sharing a knowing smile and head nod. Prudence and Agatha had saved him a seat and he bounced his leg up and down during the whole ceremony, until Prudence hexed him to get him to stop. He was wildly uncomfortable and unnerved, and decided the whole coming back to Greendale thing had been a colossal mistake. His heart ached just as it did seventeen years ago and the wound was still fresh. He didn’t think it would ever heal, never scar, it’d be gaping for however many centuries he had left. Because even though life without her was worse than Hell. He’d still live, because she’d never gotten the chance.

Nick stormed out of the ceremony and rushed off to go anywhere else. Ambrose called out for him and made to follow, but Prudence stopped him with a brush on his arm. Nick needed to be alone for this.

Nick didn’t realize he’d ended up in the Sanctum until he got there. He was in a secluded corner, one with a plush couch and a fireplace. He’d come here on instinct as it was a place he and Sabrina would often retreat too, whether they were doing research or just stealing a moment for themselves.

He didn’t know how long he was there but it proved to be helpful and started to calm him down. His hands brushed all the books and he picked at a few, flipping through the pages. He started a fire at some point, planning on hiding away in this corner for a while. At least until the dumb ceremony was over.

Nick was engrossed in a book on ritual history when he felt the heat in the air change. A breeze blew a curl from his forehead but he didn’t think much of it, still too focused on his book.

“Nick. Nicholas.” He heard her voice before he saw her, and he was sure his mind was playing tricks on him, as there was no way in Heaven that he could be hearing her soft tone right now. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, hoping whatever dream he was in would be over. It would be too hard to hear or see her and then have to let her go again when he woke up. But she spoke again. “Nick.”

He looked up that time and Sabrina was there, at least what appeared to be her. But it startled him and he sprung to his feet and moved behind a chair, spooked at whatever witch or spirit was playing a cruel joke.

“It’s okay.” She held out her hands to show that she meant no harm. “Nick, you don’t have to be afraid.”

The woman in front of him looked exactly as she did seventeen years ago. She was in the black skirt and red sweater her aunts had picked for her burial, and Nick swore he could smell her vanilla lotion that Hilda had made sure she wore for the funeral. His senses were overtaking him and his heart yearned for her to be real, but his head was screaming at him that she wasn’t.

“This is impossible.” Nick finally found his words. They came out edgy and rough, like he hadn’t spoken for years. “Sabrina died seventeen years ago.”

She walked slowly towards him, continuing to hold out her hands. He didn’t move but he eyed her carefully, ready to banish whatever demon she turned out to be. When she got close enough she reached for his hands and when they touched, she didn’t pass through like he’d expected her too. Instead he felt a rush of electricity that seemed to wake up his entire body. It was like her touch was rebooting his entire system, and he could finally see.

She brought his hands to her face, encouraging him to touch her, brush her cheeks like he used to do. When he did his fingers were met with the softest skin, porcelain white, just like Sabrina’s had been.

“Is it really you?” Nick choked out, tears creeping down his face and matching the ones running down hers.

“It is.” She breathed out as she turned and kissed his palm, repeating the words she’d said when he’d come back fresh from Hell. “It is me.”

Nick knew it then that it was truly Sabrina who stood before him. He didn’t think any spirit, or demon, or witch playing a trick on him could get the glint in her eyes that perfect. Nor would they be able to concoct the smile she was giving him now, the one she saved for him, and only Nick’s eyes had ever seen.

It was her. She was home.

“Spellman…”. Nick said before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to him, staggering backwards by the force of her essentially jumping into his arms. He welcomed the weight of her as she clung around his neck and pressed her nose into it, grasping at those curls she had missed so much.

She pulled her face from his neck only enough to look up at him, brush her nose against his, and wipe away the tears that had started to fall more freely from his eyes. He could hardly handle it anymore then. He had to kiss her. Sabrina sighed into it when he kissed her, moving her hands from his hair to his chest and grabbing his shirt collar to pull him even closer. He let her in willingly when she deepened it, and Nick moaned in contentment at the fact that seventeen years dead hadn’t stolen her knack for being in charge.

It could have been hours that he held onto her and kissed her before they slowly pulled apart. He didn’t stop touching her though, brushing his hands across her back and into her soft curls. The way she breathed out his name, in that perfect whisper of hers, further cemented the fact that she was here.

“How?...”. Nick asked as he sniffled. Tears were flowing freely now, but he’d never been afraid to cry in front of her. “How are you here? For how long are you here?”

She saw his worried brow and smoothed it out with her fingers. She smiled at him again, one with the promise of a future. Of forever.

“I’m back, Nick.” She brushed the runaway curl off his forehead that was still there after all these years. “For good.”

“How, Spellman?” Nick grabbed her hand and led her to the couch, pulling her to sit next to him. She immediately folded herself into his arms, wanting to touch him as much as possible.

“Hecate brought me back.” Sabrina explained as she played with the lines on Nick’s hand. “She said in order for the sacrifice to be complete, to give myself completely over to the void so you could trap it, I had to remain dead in the sweet hereafter for the number of years I was alive.”

“Seventeen years.” Nick filled in and she nodded.

“After seventeen years she could bring me back. Today, on my birthday. If I wanted to.”

“And I assume you wanted to?” Nick said with a smirk as he shook his scrunched nose at her. She giggled and leaned forward, placing a single, tender kiss on his lips, nodding in response to his question.

As he leaned into it with a clear intention to kiss her deeper and pull her on top of him she pulled away quickly. Her brown eyes went wide and she put her hands to her mouth as if she had said the wrong thing.

“Oh my Hecate.” She said as she gasped.

“What?” Nick panicked, trying to scoot closer to her. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t kiss you.” Sabrina said like it was obvious, and Nick’s face twisted in confusion. “What if you’re with someone. I can’t just kiss you assuming that you’re single. I’m so sorry-”

He shut her up the best way he knew how, with his lips against hers. He bit her bottom lip for good measure, drawing a moan that made him chuckle.

“Spellman, how could you ever think there could be anyone else.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

“Really?” She asked, hiding her smile as tears trickled down her cheek.

“Yes.” Nick implored. “Sabrina from the moment I met you, despite everything, one thing has remained true. You are the last thing on my mind when I go to sleep. And my first thought when I wake up.”

“I thought about you too.” Sabrina admitted as she shrugged. “I thought about this moment when I could finally come back. I’ve been counting down the days ever since I got there and found out I’d return someday.”

“I missed you so much, Sabrina.” Nick told her. “Living without you was-I can’t-It’s-” She shut him up with a finger on his lips and a soft smile.

“We don’t have to talk about it right now. And I missed you too.”

“What did your family say?” Nick asked as he pulled her to him, laying down on the couch with her snuggled on top of him. He knew they’d have a lot to catch up on, his last seventeen years, her time in the Sweet Hereafter. But now he just wanted her in his arms. The hard conversations could come later.

“Nick you were the first person I came to see.” She said as she lifted her head to kiss his forehead. She thought he may have shuddered at the gesture, just as he had at Lupercalia. “How could you not be?”

“Mmmm.” Nick said in response as she snuggled closer and he kissed the top of her head. “Wanna go see them?”

“In a minute. I just wanna be in your arms.” Sabrina spoke to his neck as she kissed him there, breathing in the smell of him. Another thing that hadn’t changed.

“You got it, babe.” He felt her smile at the nickname as he pulled her even closer. His heart felt full for the first time in a long time and he decided he didn’t care if he never got up again.

“I love you, Nick.” Sabrina told him as she closed her eyes, knowing that this time when she opened them she would still be there on a couch with Nick by a roaring fire. Nick’s heart nearly stopped at the words he never thought he’d hear again. But the love of his life was there with him again, and the centuries he thought were stolen from them were given back. It was the most perfect gift.

“I love you too, Sabrina.” He kissed her forehead again before settling into a comfortable silence. “I will forever.”

As they both drifted off to a near slumber, Prudence’s words rang in his ears.

“You need to come, Nicky.”

He was damned glad he did.

#nabrina #fic prompts #nabrina prompts #post part 4 #tiny part 4 fix it #nicholas scratch #sabrina spellman #the one where nick doesn't die

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queenof-literature · 4 years ago

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Ok okokok I’m sorry if this is already asked but how would the Links react to finding out that Wild helped (and practically built) Tarrey Town?

Hi thank you so much for the request! I took some creative liberties for this one. For example I know that as Link you just get bundles of wood and find people mostly, but I expanded it to have him helping to build homes and help the elderly move in because he’s Wild of course he would. Also I 100% Wild and Hyrule both, if not more of the group, have Imposter Syndrome because 1) It fits with their characters 2) I like self projecting :D This turned out to be so much longer than I intended I’m so sorry.

“Wild!” Legend whined. No, he did not whine. Legend did not whine, he simply was tired of walking. “Tell us where we’re going!” Groaning as Wild simply walked on. Legend would almost call it skipping. The boy seemed much more lively than he was in Twilight’s Hyrule, although that made sense since they landed in Wild’s this morning. When Legend first met Wild, he mistook his silence for some kind hatred or malice. Towards the group, or his Hyrule, or himself, Legend didn’t know. But Legend had come to learn that Wild’s heart was full of love, all of the heroes' hearts were. It was something he was jealous of at first.

Watching the Hero of Time, the Hero of Twilight, all of them, he hated them in the beginning. Perhaps hate is a strong word. He knew they weren’t bad people, quite the opposite. Every time he saw Twilight do something right and be praised by Time, a hot knife went through him. He thought it was out of anger, that some farm boy seemed perfect. But he realized it was hurt later on.

But then he truly saw them. He saw Sky struggle to think about how to build an entire Hyrule with his Zelda. He saw Twilight struggle to simply be in Ordon again, where he felt he didn’t belong after all he had been through. He saw Four struggle with some unnamed figures of his past. He saw Hyrule struggle with the weight of his new role in a group setting. He saw Warriors act proud and mighty, when in reality his shoulders sagged deep in the night under all the weight placed upon them. He saw Wind run his mouth until he wrote letters to his little sister, silent as the dead. He saw the Hero of Time clutch his blanket some nights, perhaps dreaming it was his wife, the only one who brought him comfort on lonely nights. Finally he saw Wild, silent and calculating, but also a tornado of untamed hair and a contagious smiles.

He wasn’t perfect and he never would be, even with an insane amount of quests and items in his back pocket. But his companions were nowhere near perfect themselves. If Legend were being honest, he finally felt like he belonged to this team of heroes. He felt he had a purpose, no longer just a lone spirit floating from quest to quest, only to be thrown into more danger his entire life. Sometimes he was kept awake by the thoughts of what happened after. Legend desperately hoped he would still be able to see the others after this quest was over. If not for him, but for the ones like Twilight and Wild who didn’t feel like they quite belonged completely in their Hyrules after all they had been through. Wild still had Zelda and Twilight still had Ordon, Legend could tell by the way they talked that they loved their Hyrules, but they were sometimes painful to be in after their journeys. Some of the other boys struggled with that too. In some twisted way, this quest was a blessing for all of them in one way or another.

Legend had absolutely no idea how Time felt. He had to leave his beautiful and caring wife behind, even though he had obviously gone through hell in his adventures. And that was just the things he told them about. Everytime they were on Lon Lon Ranch they were fed, housed, and loved, all in exchange for some farm work. Did Time resent them? Twilight was Time’s descendant somehow, that meant Time would have children. And dear Hylia did that hurt. Time had to live, he had to raise his children.

“What’s got you so excited, Cub?” Twilight asked fondly, thankfully bringing Legend from his thoughts. The group had taken a brisk walking pace through a bright green meadow, Wild barley containing himself to not break out in a run to get to their mysterious destination. Four gazed into the distance, and half of his mind cried out in joy when their gaze landed on one of the ‘shrines’ Wild had completed.

‘Who cares about a shine?’

‘That could mean we’re near a village!’

‘Don’t get our hopes up, Wild said there's almost 140.’

‘But this one is super obvious!’

Four decided just to ask Wild himself to quiet the others in his head. He wasn’t answering Twilight and Legend. That didn’t say much though, Wild just enjoyed messing with them.

“Hey, Wild? Does that shrine mean a village is nearby?” Four asked the boy leading the group. Wild simply turned and smiled widely. The group all whooped. Wild wouldn’t get their hopes up at the thought of staying in a village for the night only to crush them.

Wild picked up the pace and gestured for the others to do so as well. He was excited to get back to the town and see Hudson and Rhodson again. Hudson was one man that was always genuinely kind to Wild, not forcing him into a job for him and always being hesitant to ask for help. It was honestly a nice change of pace. Wild certainly didn’t hate the people of his Hyrule, quite the opposite. But everyone was so desperate for help it sometimes came off as rude and it stacked up all at once. Hudson never snapped at him for taking too long, or being too quiet. He would simply ask if Link was okay and eating properly. Wild didn’t feel at home for a long time, but there were definitely places that came close to it. His house, the koroks and Deku tree who had memories of Zelda, and Tarry Town were at the top of that list.

He wanted to show his friends Tarry Town so bad! They had been traveling together for months and yet they had never seen it. Wild couldn’t travel with more than a couple of people at a time with his slate, and even then it wasn’t the best idea to do it often. They had never traveled close enough for Wild to show them. It had been a while since they had been able to sleep in a village. They didn’t stay in every civilization they came across, they had other jobs to complete. But Wild’s Hyrule was so vast compared to the others that everytime they landed near a village, they would usually stay there for a night or two.

Wild wanted his friends to see a place he loved, and he was excited to share it with them. He would most likely have jobs to do once there, but his friends could relax in the small town before they continued on. They were approaching the edge of the surrounding cliffs, sparkling waters calmly lapping the shores below. Wild led them to the edge of the cliffs, then tugged Twilight’s sleeve to get them to look in the direction he was pointing. Some of the others gasped at the sight, wondering how they missed it.

Looking below, they could see a rising island protruding from the lake below, rising high above the water with a natural bridge connecting the mainland to the island-like structure. There, the village rested. From a distance the others could see houses similar to those surrounding Wild’s house in Hateno. Geometric squares and rectangles combining to create compact but roomy homes for those that lived in them.

“It looks comfortable, Wild.” Time smiled. He wished more than anything he could let the others stop as often as possible. These boys deserved rest and slept on the ground far too often. Villages also had cooking pots in Wild’s Hyrule, which caused the others’ mouth to water just thinking about it. Wild could create cooking fires pretty much wherever, but he was apparently limited on what he could make. Cooking pots allowed for more complicated recipes and stronger potions than a makeshift one.

Wild beamed and led them along the cliff. Not close enough to be dangerous, but Twilight always feared Wild would see something useful to them and go jumping off a cliff to retrieve it. Like a goddamn toddler seeing something shiny, not using his paraglider until the last fucking minute and giving him a heart atta-

Wild tugged on his sleeve again to gain his attention. Wild’s scars had been acting up today, causing his throat to close up more than usual. He could still talk, it was just harder and hurt more some days. It had become rarer as time went on, but it still happened.

‘Not going to jump’ Wild signed while smirking. Twilight glared at him and swatted the hand away from his sleeve. Wild grinned that shit eating grin wider, and Twilight was pissed his cub knew exactly what he was thinking.

The group continued walking along the cliffside, admiring Wild’s Hyrule and its stunning colors along the way. Wild, although excited, seemed a little rigid, hand resting on his knife.

“Is everything alright, Wild?” Sky questioned.

‘Yes. Lots of rocks for Yiga to hide behind.’ Wild sighed widely for everyone to see. He was about to warn them anyway, he didn’t want them to be caught off guard.

“We’ll keep an eye out.” Warriors confirmed. There was no reason to tell the kid to not worry, that would be a lie.

Wild smiled freer this time and nodded. Warriors was glad the kid didn’t get as frustrated when he couldn’t talk anymore. Wild was finally learning that there were some things that were simply out of his control.

They eventually approached the large arch that acted as a bridge into the village.

"Can this support all of us?” Twilight asked, glancing towards Epona.

‘It's a lot stronger than it looks. I ride across it all the time.’ Wild responded while already beginning to cross, the others following without another moment of hesitation. Wild led the way into the small town.

Upon approaching, the first thing they noticed was a platform in the middle of the town with a statue of Hylia in the center. It always struck the group as interesting that even in Wild’s Hyrule in ruins, people still believe very strongly in the Gods, most likely taking comfort in them. Surrounding along the edge of the island were houses all facing towards the center. That wouldn't really provide any space to build more houses in the future but it opened the door to close knit neighbors. In front of the houses were tables selling arrows by a Rito, gems by a small Goron, and what appeared to be armor by a Gerudo. Overall it seemed very culturally diverse.

"Link!" A hearty voice called out. The group turned to see a man with a head that was… odd to say the least. Like an elongated egg to be frank, with chestnut hair cut in a long bowl cut all the way down to the man’s ears. On his arm was a beautiful Gerudo woman wearing bright white loose pants decorated with yellow swirls, along with a crimson top, the same swirls adorning it. Her bright red hair in a large high ponytail.

Wild waved at them and signed something they didn't understand, most likely their names.

“It’s so good to see you, little one.” The Gerudo woman gave a small smile which Wild eagerly returned.

‘Good to see you too!’ Wild signed to the two of them.

“Who are your companions my boy? And what have they done to travel with the elusive Link?” Hudson teased, laughing loudly at Wild’s red face as the other’s snickered quietly.

‘These are my friends I’ve been traveling with.’ Looking back to Time who usually took care of starting introductions.

“Hello, sir. Please call me Time.” Time stepped forward and shook Hudson’s hand.

“I’m Wind!”

“Hey, ‘m Twilight.”

“My name’s Four”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Warriors.”

“Legend.”

“Hi, I’m Hyrule.”

“Hello sir, I’m Sky.”

“Those are all… very interesting names.” Hudson stared at them.

‘Why, because they don’t end in son?’ Wild signed with a smirk, fingerspelling son at the end.

“It’s Bolson Construction Policy!”

“Okay darling, I believe we do not need to get into this argument again.” Rhodson quickly dispelled the rant she knew her proud husband would get into.

They’re nicknames.” Twilight offered simply. He would ask Wild what he was talking about with the whole ‘son’ thing later.

“Awe I see. Well any friend of Link’s is welcome here. Afraid we can’t give you much of a discount at the inn, we’re still a new village. But I’m sure Kapson will find a way to fit you all in there.” Hudson said in a gruff voice. “I have to go help Monari with her leaky roof. Are you staying long, Link?” Hudson finished.

‘A night or two. Does Monari need help?’ Wild signed. Monari had always been kind to him.

“Oh, Link you’re always so eager to help. Relax for once. You practically built the town, you don’t need to repair it all too.” Hudson chided with a grateful smile.

“Wait… what?” Warriors interrupted from the back. “Did Wild help build a house or something?” During his quest? Was an un added question on everyone’s mind.

“A house? Try the town. Boy got me over a hundred bundles of wood, traveled all over Hyrule to find the exact people I needed, helped me build and paint the houses, you name it.” Hudson finished proudly, looking like he wanted to clap Wild on the back but thought better of it.

“Wild… what?” Warriors looked over at his smaller companion in shock.

“When did this happen?” Twilight looked equally as puzzled. Wind looked as if his brain had stopped working all together, expressive face frozen with his jaw to the floor. Sky also looked shocked.

“You built an entire town and you didn’t tell me?” Hyrule had a look of utter betrayal.

“Damn, kid. And here I thought you couldn’t get more selfless.” Legend’s eyebrows were raised, but underneath he looked impressed and almost proud.

“Don’t challenge him.” Four scolded. They all knew what happened the last time Legend challenged Wild over something innocent and seemingly stupid. They don’t remember much of the challenge itself but they do remember the end result. Wild, with a shit eating grin and three broken bones, cackling as fire rained from above. That was the day Twilight almost went comatose.

As the others expressed their shock, Wild’s face grew as red as an apple.

“Did you not tell them, Link?” Hudson’s voice reflected pure amusement at the young boy’s bright red face.

‘It never came up. I did it mostly after I finished the Divine Beasts, some was before though’ Wild signed before pulling his hood up to hide his embarrassingly warm face.

“Wha- never came up? You helped build an entire town while on your Hyrule-wide quest, and still saved your Zelda in a timely manner along with every other town in your Hyrule?” Warriors yelled aghast, forgetting for the moment that Hudson and Rhodson were probably confused by what Warriors had just said. Wild shrugged.

‘Can I help with repairs?’ Wild asked again, ignoring Warriors’ spluttering and Time’s amused chuckles behind his hand at the rest of the group joining in Warriors’ shock.

“As I said, you should relax with your friends, but I’m sure Moggs and Monari would love to see you!” Rhodson exclaimed, moving her hand from around Hudson’s arm and gripping him by the hand instead, leading the group over to a house near the middle of the circle, just behind a table full of gems.

“Brother!” A rough voice called as they approached the table. A large Goron rolled over, followed by a smaller Goron trailing behind. Once reaching their destination right in front of the group, the two Goron emerged from their balls, revealing an adult Goron with dark orange skin, and the smaller Goron having light yellow. Both of them were wearing bright yellow hard hats.

‘Hi Greyson! Hi Pelison!’ Wild signed with a large smile. He had a hard time with the Gorons at first. For being rock hard people, they were certainly touchy feely with gratitude like Sidon was. Wild knew they meant no harm though, that was simply something he struggled with before he met the other Links. Greyson and Pelison never touched him though, which he was silently grateful for during his quest. Wild did like when the Gorons called him ‘brother’ though, it made him feel a part of something on the lonely days of conquering the Divine Beasts.

‘These are my friends!’ Wild beamed, gesturing to the people behind him. Time softened looking at the proud face as Wild presented them like prized cattle at a fair. It was sweet… in a way.

“Nice to see Wild has someone to travel with him now.” Greyson laughed at Wild’s betrayed expression.

“Yeah! Wild never brings anyone with him into town! I didn’t think he had any friends! Take your hood off, you look like a villain.” Pelison added bluntly, ignoring Wild making a frantic motion to cut it out, the group roaring with laughter. They could tell by Wild’s face he didn’t take any of it personally as he pulled off his hood with an entertained smile.

“Link!” The group looked up to see a light teal Rito approaching Wild.

‘Hello Fyson!’ Wild greeted. Okay, Wild would definitely have to explain what the hell was up with with all the ‘son’ names.

“Hello, my friend!” Fyson replied happily.

‘How’s your mom?’ Wild asked with a kind smile.

“She’s well thank you for asking! Our relationship has gotten much better since she realized I had my own shop you helped me set up! I must thank you again my friend!” Wild tried to wave it off, but Wind wouldn’t let him.

“Oh! Wild helped you and your mom?” Wind asked with wide eyes, while Wild had to resist rolling his own. Wind and his damn puppy eyes. Wild assumed he learned how to use that to his advantage from his pirate crew.

“Oh yes. My mom and I got in constant fights about me taking over the shop, but I wanted to start my own! When Wild was building tarry Town with Hudson, he told me I could set up a shop here!” Fyson nodded at Wild thankfully.

“Oh yeah, same with me. I hated the Southern Mines in Gerudo Town. I’m much happier here since Wild told me about this place and helped Pelison set up his shop.” Greyson clapped his little brother on the back. Even Pelison looked grateful for Wild.

“Yes, Wild told me of this place as well when I was pressured to leave Gerudo Town to find a husband, which worked out very well.” Rhodson smiled down at her husband.

“He also found a Zora Priest for our wedding. He works at the inn now.” Hudson added. The group was shocked. Wild had gone out of his way to help people not only by saving Hyrule, but also personally as well. Going out of his way to help build an entire town for people to feel included. Even though it wasn’t Wild’s idea, he had still helped to execute it.

Meanwhile, as more tales were strung about his good deeds, Wild looked incredibly flustered by all the attention and praise he was getting. Hyrule stepped forward and put a hand on his back. Wild jumped in surprise before relaxing into the traveler’s touch, smiling gratefully. It was hard to acknowledge what he had done for people sometimes. No matter how he was rewarded Wild still just felt wrong sometimes, and Hyrule felt the same way about his land.

“Well, we will let you and your friends settle Link.” Fyson finished the conversation, thankfully seeing Wild’s squirming posture. Wild smiled and waved as the Gorons and Rito went back to their businesses.

“Oh! Moggs and Monari! Let’s go see them and then you can take your friends to the inn and get beds for the night.” Sky continued to look around at the sights before him. Perhaps he could ask Wild for advice, he had to help Sky build a Hyrule afterall. Not now, he didn’t want to overwhelm him. Sky noticed a dog trotting around asking for food on various doorsteps, along with an odd looking horse with packs. Looking closer, Sky noticed it was what Wild called a donkey. On the roof of the house the donkey was at, was a man who seemed to be watching it all from above. Sky yearned to be higher up as well, he missed his Loftwing dearly afterall. He hadn’t had the time to teach all the boys how to fly on one yet. Hopefully that was in the near future.

“Link my boy! How are you this fine day?” This must be Moggs then, Sky thought as he saw a wrinkled old man standing next to a small old woman.

“Oh, Link! How are you?” The woman called. Wild smiled down at them, about to sign that he was fine, before Monari tugged him down and pinched his cheeks. Dear, Hylia. This old woman was doing the most grandmother thing in the book of grandmothers. Wild flushed a bright red as the woman went on about what a fine young man he was for helping her move in, and if he was injured at all. The two elderly Hylians seemed to be frail and a little odd in their old age, but sweet all the same.

Sky looked over at the others. Legend and Warriors were bent over clutching their stomachs and their mouths to prevent them from laughing. Four and Wind were openly giggling quietly and chattering with each other, probably thankful it wasn’t them for once. Twilight and Hyrule looked on with maniacal grins of pure glee, probably planning on using that against Wild later. Even Time seemed like he was having trouble controlling himself. Wild was finally able to gently wrestle out of the woman’s hold.

‘Monari taught me how to make the honey crepe.’ Wild signed, desperate for a change in subject. Luckily, it worked. Although Wild knew he would get teased for this later.

“Really?” Wind gasped. “It’s amazing.”

“I’m so glad you like it.” The old woman smiled at Wind, who stayed well out of pinching distance. The group continued to talk to the elderly couple before saying goodbye to reserve bed at the inn. It was still mid afternoon, but they had learned early on that with nine of them, it was better to ask for beds as soon as possible so there was room for them and a stable for Epona. As the group followed Wild a small distance to the inn, a voice that was somehow the embodiment of snotty noble called out.

“Boy!” The voice called harshly. Wild took a deep breath and turned to the side instead, going to the edge of the village as if it were a routine. The group approached a man with bleached blonde hair, and to the side was a little girl. She had similar features to the man. His daughter then.

‘Yes Hagie wha-’ Wild started to sign.

“You know I don’t care for your common hand motions. Those things are back again! What did you do?” The group bristled behind him at the man’s easy dismissal of their friend. Warriors stepped forward but Wild gave him a subtle look that stopped him. For now.

‘Blood moon.’ Wild finger spelled, knowing Haggis would at least understand that. He could maybe talk if he tried hard enough, but he didn’t want Hagie to hear his scarred voice while it was so rough.

“I don’t care, I’ll give you another down payment to get rid of them. I can always tell by your clothes you need it, commoner.” The man, apparently named Hagie (And wasn’t that accurate), shoved a silver rupee into Wild’s hand. Sky bit his tongue. How dare this man treat Wild this way! After everything Wild had done to help them! Sky stepped forward and put himself between the two.

“We’ll do whatever. Just stop talking.” Sky scowled, reminding Wild of when he broke the Master Sword in front of him. Sky grabbed Wild’s hand and dragged him away from the man, who simply huffed loudly and stalked to the cliff he was sitting on. Legend got the urge to push him into the waters below, but thought against it. Too many witnesses.

“Does he always treat you like that?” Twilight asked his protege, a sound similar to a growl deep in his throat.

‘No big deal.’ Wild signed, looking away from the fiery eyes of his mentor.

“It is Wild. I understand why you ignore him, but you still don’t deserve to be treated like that. Especially after you built the town he’s living in.” Time reminded Wild.

‘Helped build.’ Wild corrected, but it was nice to hear Time say that.

Wild led the group to the inn, only hearing half of the grumbled insults of the rich man on the cliff.

‘Hi Kapson!’ Wild signed once the group was in the small inn. Like the other buildings, it was small, but roomier and homey on the inside. ‘These are my friends!’ Wild introduced them all by fingerspelling their names before asking for them all to stay.

“There’s a lot of you and only two beds.” Kapson stated gruffly.

“We can share, sir.” Twilight stated for the group.

“You could set the mattresses upstairs if you want to do that.” Kapson agreed, asking Time for their payment.

‘I’ll be right back.’ Wild signed to the group after they moved the two mattresses.

“Where are you going?” Four asked.

‘Killing Guardians for Hagie. They never disappeared completely after the Calamity.’ Wild pulled a bow from his slate.

“Woah woah. We’re not letting you go alone. They’re Guardians!” Four scolded.

‘I have my paraglider and I can’t teleport with you all. There’s only two, I’ll be back in 20 minutes at most.’ Wild reassured.

“If you’re not back in 20 minutes, Wind is contacting you with his necklace.” Time ordered. Wild nodded and set out, leaving the group alone in Tarry Town. The group decided to explore the town a little bit more while it was still light out. Outside the inn in front of a nearby house, there was a woman sweeping on the porch.

“Are you all friends of Link?” She called out quietly, barely catching their attention.

“Yes, ma’am. We are.” Time and the rest of the group approached.

“Oh. I was just wondering if you can give him my thanks. He helped my daughter heal. She wasn’t eating healthy, or running around anymore. He gave her something and she was better by morning. I thanked him, but I’m scared that it seems insincere because of my husband.” The woman pointed at the man on the cliffside much to the group's surprise. “My daughter is my everything. Please let Link know he has my thanks.” The woman finished with a bittersweet smile.

“Of course we will.” Warriors responded, floored by Wild’s selflessness once again. The woman thanked them and went inside to cook for her family. The group continued to explore the town and look at the surrounding areas before Wild returned.

“You know. We could drug Hagie with one of Legend’s sleeping potions.” Wind whispered to the group when they were out of earshot from the other villagers.

“Where would we take him?” Hyrule smiled, a truly horrifying look of evil in his eyes.

“Down to the place Wild is getting rid of the Guardians. He'd really piss himself if he woke up down there. You see all the dead ones down there?” Fours blue eyes shined.

“I’d happily volunteer a potion to see that happen.” Legend’s smile was as sharp as a knife.

“Maybe we should blindfold him to make the experience more real and terrifying.” Sky suggested.

“You idiots!” Twilight chided. The other’s almost protested at Twilight ruining their fun before he interrupted them. “How the hell are we going to get him away from his daughter and wife?” Twilight finished as Warriors clapped his back.

“Eh, we’ll figure it out.” Warriors replied. At this point, no one could tell who was joking and who wasn’t. They all remembered Time, and looked to him nervously, half expecting a lecture from their leader.

“Don’t get caught.” Time stated, seemingly impassive. His eye, however, gave him away with a mischievous glint as the rest of the group cheered and laughed.

Wild made it back safe and sound, albeit confused at the mentions of drugging and kidnapping he did not even want to know about at the moment. That evening, Wild and Monari made dessert for their dinner, honey crepes. The group all cheered and thanked them profusely through full mouths, eating far more than their stomachs could probably handle. Even Time stuffed his face full. That night, they all shoved themselves onto the two mattresses pushed together on the floor of the inn. At some point in the night, they all became an entangled pile of elbows and knees.

Twilight slept buried in Time’s shoulder, one arm taken captive by Wild. The rest of Wild was taken captive by Hyrule. Hyrule’s head rested on Legend’s arm. Warriors had curled an arm around Legend and Wind, who shoved himself between them. Both Warriors and Legend would absolutely deny this in the morning. Four curled up facing Warriors, snuggled in with Sky in his sailcloth. Finally, the group had a chance to rest with stomachs full and a good night sleep.

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu #fluff #Wild #Wind #Warriors #Hyrule #Sky #Legend #Time #Twilight #Four #legend of zelda #loz #Epona #loz epona #swear warning #QoL Story

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underthedekutree · 4 years ago

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Young Link might have PTSD - Part 2: Termina is NOT a Parallel World, Technically

This is a continuation of my last post so if you’re seeing this and haven’t read it, go here.

This is the part where I somewhat smoothly segue into Majora’s Mask. Link, lonely and filled with unprocessed trauma, leaves Hyrule in search of Navi. According to most sources (which take from Hyrule Historia probably? don’t quote me on it), Link falls down a hole into Termina, a parallel world to Hyrule, that contains many familiar looking denizens of Hyrule, but playing different roles. And well, if you probably guessed by the title, I have a rather different interpretation.

Okay, so in a nutshell my theory is that Termina is in fact all a dream, kind of like Koholint Island. Except the one dreaming up this world isn’t some deity like the Giants or Skull Kid or the Moon. It’s Link.

(big explainey hoo hah below)

Evidence 1: Link begins the game sleeping. Yes, I know literally every Zelda game begins this way and it’s a whole tradition thing. I am beginning with the weakest points first and working my way up to the strong ones. We’ll get there.

Evidence 2: The reuse of character and environment models from Ocarina of Time. The literal IRL reason for this is of course the game famously being given only one year of production time, which meant that the most practical method was to reuse as much material from MM’s predecessor as possible (eg. Romani Ranch sign is the Kakariko Village sign, and still says Kakariko Village on it). It seems like a rather offhand afterthought for Nintendo to chalk it all up to “oh its just a parallel world like Link to the Past or something. But think of it like this; when we dream, we often see familiar people from throughout our lives put in strange and unexpected situations, like that irritable old farmhand you hated so much is now a depressed circus master for some reason. Dreams don’t make sense. Things you know will mix with other strange inexplicable things, fleeting thoughts in your mind, all roughly tied together by whatever emotions you had been feeling when you went to bed. Malon is split into two people, Romani and Cremia, her older and younger self. This might reflect how Link feels about Malon, that she changed so much in those 7 years that she’s like a different person entirely, that it’s hard for him to process that they are the same, because the change was so shockingly sudden for him.

Evidence 3: Gorons in the snow, Gerudo by the sea. Yes, I know that sounds a lot like good evidence for a parallel world (that’s why the idea is widely accepted in the first place, it has merit), but it also works in as dream world evidence too. As a child, my family was obsessed with skiing. We would go to the same mountain every winter, and we would stay at the same lodge. It almost became like a second home for me. So much so, that one night I dreamed that my house had been replaced by the lodge, so it wasn’t on a snow-capped mountain, but in a bushy Australian suburb. Okay that kinda got off subject but I’m bad at conclusions so in summary Dreams Just Be Like That (tm). You get what I’m saying right? No? Sorry, let’s just move on.

Evidence 4: The Milk Bar. AKA my favourite location in the game! It’s often overlooked as the “haha funny they couldn’t put alcohol in kids game so its kiddy milk hee hee”, but it is actually a strong thematic pillar of Majora’s Mask. As I mentioned in Part 1, if you put a 9 year old in a 16 year old’s body and call him an adult before ripping that all away is probably going to leave the kid with an identity crisis. What is a mature place open at late hours when children are sleeping? A bar. What is a drink associated with the young, being produced for the purpose of helping children grow? Milk. No please don’t go I swear there’s more to this, stay with me. In order to gain access to the bar, Link must prove he is mature enough by wearing a mask, a disguise, like Adult Link is to Young Link. Being adult isn’t earned through years of natural living experience and mental development, it’s a thing you are given by adults to just BE when they deem you worthy, at least from how Link sees it. So that is the amalgamation of dream thoughts that is the Milk Bar. Is it mature? Is it childish? What is the line between the two? Is there one? It’s the culmination of his anxieties and confusions that he doesn’t know how to express. Another, smaller expression of this anxiety is the Clock Town Guards. When Link is a Deku, the guards say they don’t allow children outside the gates. When Link turns back however, the guard goes to stop him because he looks too young, but sees that he has a sword, and lets him pass. Why the sword? Well, in one way this is a callback to Kokiri Forest, where Mido doesn’t let Link see the Deku Tree until he has a sword. But also, what is the item that lets Link travel through time and become an adult in OOT? The Master Sword. Link seems to believe that adulthood is measured by the things you have, physical markers of maturity, which is how lots of children see adulthood. You’re an adult if you can drink, if you’re tall, if you’re married, if you have a house, a car etc. But in reality this isn’t how it works. Heck, I’m technically an adult but I sure as hell don’t feel like one, because I know I still have things to learn about responsibility, patience and all the other things, that can only come with time, which is the moral conclusion of OOT, but clearly Link missed the memo. Don’t get me wrong, there are some indicators to show he’s grown a bit. He can ride Epona, use the bow, do flips like some kind of acrobat etc. But those strange and confused feelings linger, and manifest in the young boy’s dreams.

Evidence 5: The four transformation masks. The four masks represent different aspects of Link’s self, and the way he grew and changed in OOT. Deku Scrub the Innocent, Goron the Confident, Zora the Mature and Fierce Deity the Hero. Link began only knowing the Kokiri Forest, and nothing of the world outside. As he set out on his journey, he grew more confident in his skills and defeated greater foes. When evil took over, he learned from his fatal mistake and worked to right it. And when it was finally time to face the greatest threat, he was ready, with all the heart pieces, bottles full of fairies, Biggoron Sword in hand. At that moment he struck the final blow he probably felt like the strong and unstoppable hero everyone in Hyrule told him he needed to be. And that feeling of pure uncompromising strength, with the whole world behind him, manifested in the Fierce Deity. Fierce Deity is much taller than Adult Link, and packs so much of a punch that he can beat Majora without batting an eye, like some overpowered Super Saiyan. It reminds me a lot of Undertale, with young Asriel becoming what he imagines to be an all-powerful godlike being, like something you’d see as a children’s drawing. Fierce Deity gives off those vibes, like “he has a HUGE SWORD that SHOOTS BEAMS OF LIGHT and he’s 8 FOOT TALL and CAN KILL ENEMIES IN A SINGLE BLOW!!” Before the final battle on the moon, when Majora gives you the mask, he childishly asks if you want to play a game of good guys and bad guys. And the good guy always wins, no matter what. Fierce Deity makes the final boss a cakewalk, but its supposed to.

Evidence 6: Anju and Kafei. Short one, because it falls a lot into everything else I’ve said regarding childhood vs adulthood. Kafei is effectively a switcheroo of what happened to Link in OOT. An adult shrunk back to childhood, uncomfortable in his new body and looking for a way to fix everything. He’s a reflection of how Link now kinda feels like an adult in a child’s body, because he had started to be used to being called an adult.

Evidence 7: The Moon. I haven’t super touched on the main meat of the game yet, so here it is. The moon and the 3 day mechanic is an allegory for constant mounting pressure, that builds and builds, never ceasing, because the world is in danger, and there’s only one person who has been chosen to save it. I’ve always been interested in the Chosen One narrative, and how different media explore the idea of the world’s very existence being pushed onto one person. How at the end of it all, they can never be the same again after all they’ve gone through. When you’re somehow expected to hold up the Moon itself single-handed, and your life and everything you care about suffers because you’re putting everyone else before yourself. That feeling of complete loneliness under a crushing weight, and although other characters may come to help you, in the end its still all down to you, and you never had a choice in any of it, as all the decisions were made by someone else. You must do what they tell you. Believe in yourself, believe...

Evidence 8: Skull Kid. The story goes that long ago in Termina, the Skull Kid and the Giants played together, until one day, the Giants left, leaving the Skull Kid alone and heartbroken, with nobody to turn to. As life moves on, things may change, and people always come and go from your life. Your friend might move overseas, or stop texting you, or you might fall out of friendship after an awkward event from which you could never recover (no, these have totally not all happened to me, shut up i’m fine), or your fairy companion might just disappear without so much as a goodbye after their task is complete. And it feels like you didn’t matter at all. That they never really cared about you, and you’re as easy to drop and move on from as a child’s toy. You might get angry, and want to shut them out, and give them a taste of their own medicine. Majora’s Mask teaches you that this isn’t the case. Life is ever changing, but you will always have the memories of times with your friends, and a chance to make more with new friends, like a sassy talkative fairy sprite and her shy brother or a child made of wood who wants to destroy the world. Friends come from unlikely places, so accept that change will happen and hope that wherever the people you knew are, they’re okay. You’re thinking about them, so they might be thinking about you too. And who knows? Life is unpredictable. They might just come back one day, and it’ll be like they were never gone.

Evidence 9 (the final one, I promise): The Song of Healing. At the end of all things, after losing ones you love, connections to family and friends, memories of things long past... you need time to heal. Link’s journey through Termina is a constant gauntlet of running into his own past traumas, forced to relive them again, and again, and again. But sometimes you should take a deep breath, gather your thoughts, and take time to heal. Although it can be important to confront your fears and learn to surpass them, it is exhausting, and you can end up more emotionally broken than when you started. The three masks all had regrets of powerlessness; unable to protect your community, your loved ones, or even yourself. Troubles you’ve gone through that keep plaguing your mind, and you’re wondering if you’ve done enough, seeking answers where none can be found. And the best thing you can do... is accept and move on. Be kind to yourself, and give yourself time to heal. Link’s way of processing his grief and trauma is to create an entire hellscape world in his own head, but not everyone processes it the same way. Sometimes you feel like you need to busy yourself, or listen to soothing music, or talk to people you trust, or spend copious amounts of money, or make some angst art, or cuddle your plush toys until their stuffing squeezes out. Sometimes life hits you in the face and you want to blame yourself for standing in the firing line, but it’s not your fault. It’s okay to feel however you feel, whether you’re drenched in a pool of tears or you just feel numb, it’s okay and natural. You’re okay. You’re here.

Okay so it got kinda personal at the end there but I hope it was informative, and made you think a little bit differently about Majora’s Mask and Ocarina of Time. You probably want to go back and play them now. Me too.

So was this all just an excuse for me to gush about how cool Majora’s Mask is? Hell fucking yes it was. Congratulations for making it through my monstrous ramblings, you get the secret prize of looking at my weird art on my DA. Here you go. Have a nice day, Zelda Nerds.

#long post #legend of zelda #majoras mask #young link #fierce deity #zelda theory #wow i cant believe i never realised i wrote fuckig outset island instead of koholint im dumby af

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bxstiae · 5 years ago

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⚜ ; [ GANONDORF'S DEMISE / HC.3 ] WORLDBUILDING │ META

i honestly didn’t know how to go about this making this mainly because there’s so much to talk about for this topic. while i want to talk about ganondorf’s demise in Twilight Princess & the after effects of it, i should also point that that if affects link a lot more than it should -- mainly because it has to deal with the triforce of power and ‘the brand.’ let it be known, link is severely affected by the battle of ganon & absolutely has survivor’s guilt from it.

first & foremost: i do NOT support ganon as a character for is he absolute EVIL & only wants to conquer the light. he is an antagonist! and if you think i support the antagonist, then please go to a corner to think about what you just assumed. I do not support him!!! but that doesn’t mean that i don’t consider him an important character. he is! he is one of the primary 3 of the triforce, without him, you cannot have the link or zelda. now, without further ado, let me get into this.

ganondorf could be considered a victim of circumstance if you look at it. no, i don’t think he should be pitied, but just consider everybody in the triforce:

link → courage zelda → wisdom ganondorf → power

each one has something special about them, which i will go into some other time, but for the sake of this headcanon, lets look at ganon. ganon is the wielder of power: he represents it! therefore he seeks out only to defend what he represents. Just look what he says in Twilight Princess:

"Your people have long amused me, Midna. To defy the gods with such petty magic, only to be cast aside… How very pathetic. Pathetic as they were, though, they served me well. Their anguish was my nourishment. Their hatred bled across the void and awakened me. I drew deep of it and grew strong again. Your people had some skill, to be sure…but they lacked true power. The kind of absolute power that those chosen by the gods wield. He who wields such power would make a suitable king for this world, don’t you think?"

just look at the fact that while ganon represents power, he also can represent pain, anger, & anguish. zelda, in a way, is supposed be the middle ground, while link is supposed to represent hope. ganon is fear. it’s also important to note that ganon is considered very unlucky in many cases. both zelda & ganon remember their incarnations -- this is a given for ganon because he literally says the following: "Do not think that this ends here... the history of light and shadow will be written in blood!" he knows they are constantly reborn. & zelda knows because she’s the representative of wisdom. link is the only one who is lucky to not remember is past incarnations. it’s set like that for a reason. because he cannot be tainted with the past. he cannon have doubt in his actions, he can only live in the moment. but i dirgess. back to the point: ganon is power, therefore is power-hungry. & he remembers all of his past lives and how he was foiled by link.

ganon is a man of pride. there is nothing like that, but he resents link because link has it all. link has the god’s gift but link is also loved. link is incredibly humble. he doesn’t know the pains of royalty, he doesn’t know what it’s like living on the streets. he’s been lucky to be raised by people who care for him -- he grows up innocent. ganon doesn’t have that luxury, so yes, he resents link for what link has. but consider this: the brand is both a blessing & a curse.

they will always be stuck in a battle with each other for all eternity. Their lives are intertwined forevermore. so while ganon spends his lives knowing his past ones, and spends each life trying to take what is always taken from him, link goes in not realising any of this. link legitimately goes in 100% blind at the fact that he will take what ganondorf struggles to have. & in the moment, link is only doing what he thinks is right. he has to take down ganondorf to protect hyrule. he has to. He’s never given a choice: he is told.

he’s told by the spirits. he’s told by midna. he’s told by zelda. he’s told by everybody. the goddess hylia herself is telling him to because he has to. yet.... while he never questions the WHY, he does feel a sort of emptiness when everything is all said and done. after all, he took down one of the pieces of triforce. he’s fufilled his task, yes, but.... at what cost?

for link, it feels like he’s taken a part of himself too.

( never mind the fact that midna also goes home too and destroys the mirror of twilight as well, that’s another piece of him taken, but i’m focusing on the triforce here )

consider this: link had to kill a man that was like him.

there are only three people that can relate with one another in hyrule: link, zelda, & ganon. even more so with ganon than zelda tbh. like ganon, link still has to go through trials. link can relate to ganon because link has to go through a lot to prove his worth. he’s not given anything like zelda and ganon, and like ganon, link struggles.

so after he kills him.... he realises what he’s just done. he’s killed somebody who was pretty much like him. both are bearers of the brand, but they both didn’t have it easy ( not like zelda ). he doesn’t realise this like immediately. no, he realises it after the fact. it eats at him. link has seen a lot and has witnessed death, but it’s ganondorf’s death that hits him the most. & yes, he feels somehwat GUILTY that he had to go & kill the only person that could understand him.

honestly, somebody told me that link looks so sad all the time. yes! he is actually! aside from being so absolutely tired & often times grumpy, he very much is sad. he feels used. he’s no longer innocent from the cruelness of life. he sees the world for what it is. the world is not nice. nothing is easy, & you have to sacrifice so much to obtain happiness. but in the end was it worth it? for link: no.

link is not happy. at all. yes, he’s glad that the people he cares about are safe. he’s glad that the world isn’t ending. but he cannot go back to his normal life in the village as a ranch hand. he was ripped from that life & he cannot go back for the fact that he has all this experience under his belt now. he’s restless, tired, sad, & feels really empty.

his heart is broken in more ways than one. he lost his best friend -- a friend that he didn’t really know he had or loved until she left and destroyed the only thing to visit her. he lost somebody who could have been a mentor of sorts. ganon could have been a friend to him absolutely, he could have been a teacher ( if he wasn’t such an asshole ). but that didn’t happen cause he had to kill him. he lost a bit of trust in zelda for the fact that she just let things happen & never told him anything. link is extremely jaded after everything & built his walls incredibly high up because he’s just afraid of getting hurt again. note: afraid, not scared! there’s anxiety in him that he’ll lose more of himself.

lets also not mention that his entire journey was hell. he’s been poisoned, electrocuted, burned, etc.... like as much as he has a high pain tolerance, he’s had many moments where he could have died if it were not for the fairies and midna. not to mention that people have mistaken him for a monster too -- he doesn’t have self-esteem issues, but its given way to the fact that he finds hylians are extremely ungrateful.

he feels that at this point,nobody really understands him. which sucks cause not only does he suffer from survivor’s guilt, i would say that he has a mild case of ptsd as well. he doesn’t sleep well anymore. he relives his battle with ganon all the time ( ganon image seems to torment him constantly ). he panics when he considers what would have happened if he just let ganon go too. link is not pure anymore. yes, he still represents hope, and yet, he can’t help but to look at things from a neutral stance.at the end of the game. link does, in fact, go from a neutral good to a lawful neutral position.

in a way, it’s all thanks to ganon. his death/end changed link. honestly, i would want to say its for the better. link isn’t a child anymore, & you can thank ganondorf for that.

#headcanon tag.#[ hi i cried about ganon for a split second ]#[ i actually feel bad for him ]#[ I AM SCREAMING SOMEBODY RP A GANON PLEASE ]#[ I WANT TO EXPLORE THEIR DYNAMICS ]

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song-of-storms162 · 6 years ago

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Warrior’s letter

After a talk with Princess Zelda, Warriors receives something he didn’t expect to see in Wild’s timeline. Originally for the prompt Warriors week but I wasn’t able to finish it within the time alotted and the new prompt already came out so i thought i’d kill two birds with one stone. Prompts: this week’s ‘Unlikely Friendship’ and last week’s ‘Warriors’

They were all in the great library of the newly rebuilt Hyrule castle. The sounds of gently rustling papers filling the air, the tall towering bookshelves dominating the room with their presence , the handfuls of people milling about...

It was hard to believe that no one dared go near this place, what with the calamity so throughly infested here.

But, Warriors supposed, that things could change. And Hyrule castle of Wild’s timeline was one of the most contrasting changes he had seen. And after his years in the service, Warriors had seen a number of things change.

He himself included.

How a soldier would cope with loss, how power had changed people he thought he knew, how death would perch on the chimney of one’s soul and suck the life and happiness out of a person. Warriors had walked on bloody battlefields and seen flowers and plants grow from the ashes and tainted dirt.

And Hyrule Castle, at least this Hyrule Castle, would’ve been the beginning of numerous changes in Wild’s Hyrule. Good ones for sure.

Blood moons were happening less frequently, and Wild’s Zelda had set up a team of astronomers to keep track of the moon’s phases. So far they were accurate, Wild would lead soldiers into rooms and corridors he remembered which were full of monsters.

But after a while, it had become mostly nine of them going against the monsters. Wild had said his Hyrule had no standing army, the population wasn’t enough for that and like the self-sacrificing heroes they were, they had graciously offered their own solution.

They themselves would take down the monsters.

Princess Zelda had protested against this but Wild told her to reconsider.

They had no army.

Their population was scarce enough.

And the heroes who held the triforce of courage were more than capable to handle a number of monsters.

And besides, the level of monsters they were facing was decreasing as well. Warriors remembered Wild talking about a Lynel, a silver one at that, being in one of the rooms. But as the blood moons came and went, the Lynel’s level dropped significantly. It became a blue Lynel after the first blood moon that appeared then the level of difficulty got lower and lower.

But aside from slaying monsters, the Links had other jobs. Wild was the unofficial head chef of Hyrule Castle: while there were cooks and a growing number of servants in the building, Wild would be found in the kitchens cooking something all while being surrounded by the castle chefs, the latter watching his every move.

Twilight and Time would be found in the stables, talking with the hands on different ways the horses could be comfortable. Four worked on smithing, making weapons, cutlery and other items for the ever growing staff. Sky would be with him at times, carving on a piece of wood, and if not, he would be found in the library; bent over a piece of parchment with a quill in his hand, trying his best to write down history from memory. The latter being something that all the heroes did, translating and writing history texts.

Today Warriors was free, usually he’d be in the barracks, training the newbie soldiers and making formations and drills. But today well yesterday actually, they had improved significantly and Warriors had told them to take today off. So he had strolled around, told Time he was going to wander and Wild that he would keep an eye out for any monsters. So far he had encountered none and now he was nearing one of the castle towers.

The view from up here truly was amazing, the thought passed through his mind as he paused on the elevated walkway. One could see the planes of Hyrule field, the lazy clouds that billowed by and casted shadows on the roads that looked like ribbons of gold from so far.

Warriors neared the railing, before draping his arms across the metal rail and propping his chin atop his palm. He closed his eyes, the passing breeze tickling his blonde hair and eyelashes, relief washing upon him. This was nice.

“Sir Warriors?”

Blinking out of his thoughts, the lone captain turns and finds himself standing few feet away from Princess Zelda. The Zelda of of Wild’s Hyrule.

Cheeks slightly flushed and no accompanying knight or sevant to be seen, it almost seemed that the Princess had run a few miles before meeting him. Princess Zelda smiles at him before nodding. “Your Highness,” the soldier bows after stepping away from the view. This elicits a chuckle from the princess.

“I have told you all that formalities are one thing we can do without,” says the Princess before her eyes take in what Warriors was enraptured by. “The view up here is beautiful is it not?”

The Princess steps closer to the railing and just as Warriors had done, her eyes take in the view of Hyrule and a light breeze sweeps past her golden hair. Warriors joins her in gazing at the land before replying softly. “Yes it truly is.”

“Do you ever miss home?” The princess’s eyes turn to him as Warriors shrugs. “Missing home comes with all the traveling your highness. Even more so with the numerous timelines now.”

“I am sorry.”

Warriors starts and his expression changes into one of surprise. “Whatever for, Your Higness?”

Princess Zelda sweeps her hand across the view. “Your family, maybe your descendants could’ve been living here. And sometimes I wonder, would Hyrule have not changed if my power came quicker?”

Warriors goes silent, wooing women was one thing but comforting them on such a subject?

“Li-Wild doesn’t remember much, and he only recovered his memory of Castle Town after another journey. And even then, it showed a vague image of the land.”

“In what way was it vague, Your Highness?”

Though he and the princess stand mere feet from each other, Warriors watches the princess’s eyes and thoughts sweep back to over a century. “The kingdom was happy, that was all really.”

“Your Higness,” Warriors speaks up and Princess Zelda turns to face him, her green eyes unreadable. “Hyrule here is changing. There is good change and there is bad change but trust me when i say that this Hyrule is merely beginning a journey of good change.”

A soft smile reaches the Princess’s lips and she nods. “I see, thank you for your words, sir Warriors.”

“Anytime your highness.”

Warriors bows once more, not seeing the princess’s expression change into steely determination.

“Sir Warriors, i have a task for you.”

“A task, Your Highness?” Confusion slips into his tone, and Warriors wonders what the Princess would need him for. “And what might this task be?”

The Princess brings out a piece of parchment from the pocket of her dress. “I require your assistance in translating this.”

Warriors cocks his head to the side as his hands take the parchment. “My assistance? Of course, your highness. I’m assuming it’s written in my Hylian?”

“Yes it is.” Princess Zelda bites down on her lip, her eyes not meeting Captain’s. “I was translating some of it but the rest of the words were too hard to decipher.”

“I see,” replies Warriors as Princess Zelda hands him. Another piece of parchment, the part she had translated. “In that case, I’ll pick up where you left off, your highness.”

That evening after dinner, Warriors sat down with the parchments he received from Princess Zelda. Opening a bottle of ink and readying a quill, Warriors took out Princess Zelda’s translation.

Usually he’d check the princess’s translation first before looking at the original work. He found it easier to find mistakes this way. The princess’s penmanship was fine from what he could see as Warriors began reading. But his heart nearly stopped when he saw his name.

Link.

Brows furrowing, Warriors continued to read the Princess’s words. And when the words abruptly stopped, he grabbed the other parchment that was in his own Hylian. Word after word, Warriors felt his heart thunder as realization sank in.

This was a letter from her.

Warriors checked the date, it was after her last letter to him, one he remembered all too well. Harsh words and pleading and fear was is that now second to last letter but this one...Her last letter to him, had somehow found its way to Wild’s timeline.

Her handwriting, her letters that he kept and read before a battle, the words that he always heard in her voice, her smile, her lilting laugh.

This was a letter from his lover.

Not the string of ladies he chatted up at inns or bars nor were it the women who pined after the affection of the captain of the guard. This was his best friend, his confidante, the woman he bantered like siblings with.

This was his lover.

The woman who would quite literally flip the world around if he were to ever go missing. This woman who pined after him wholly, scars and triforce and all. Unlike the other women in his travels, he would always always protect her while knowing she had his back and would go against tooth and nail to defend him. All while keeping up with his antics and pulling his ear if he got too far.

The princess, Warriors realises with a start, she read this letter and gave it to him after deeming it ‘too hard to translate’.

Warriors chuckled at that, ‘too hard’? He should’ve known what Wild’s Zelda was up to. The princess knew words in his Hylian that he didn’t know existed. Warriors traced the words at the end of the letter.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

He could hear her voice, that loving tone, and a smile unfurled on the strategist’s face. Tomorrow, he would ask Wild what his Princess preferred as a gift.

He needed to thank her after all.

It was a surprise to see Warriors and the Princess get closer. To the point where Wild drew his sword at the older’s face but Zelda had quickly calmed her attendant down. It was common to see Warriors helping the Princess with make up, or the former attempting to make the Princess her favorite cake after a particular day of researching. Warriors would be seen with the princess if Wild wasn’t around, accompanying her on strategic meetings. Wild was thankful for an extra hand in accompanying and took the extra free time to make the group’s favorite meals, particularly the Princess’s and Warriors’. Now not only did Zelda have one accompanying knight with a glare that could kill, she had two. And the Princess promised she would find more.

More letters from his lover, from his family and comrades and deliver them all. To not just him but to the rest of them.

And thus was the beginning of an unlikely yet beautiful friendship.

#linked universe #linked universe fanfic #linkeduniverse

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lvllabiies · 5 years ago

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⁠— CASTLETOWN:TASK002 ; CHANGES / PERSON V. PLACE

⁠— PERSON . Zelda doesn’t remain entirely similar due to the memories of her past life being wiped away from her , but there are certainly strong inklings. For one , she still retains her scholarly intelligence as well as a pressure to succeed , but the circumstances behind both of these traits are entirely different. Zelda is motivated to research & gain knowledge through an act of rebellion & wanting to prove herself rather than trying to aid the prevention of a calamity. This pressure is more so brought on by herself than others , but this may not be as different from her past life during the era of the Wild at all , considering it’s Zelda that beats herself up the most about unlocking her divine abilities. This mirrors how she’s currently trying to gain as much knowledge on the government as possible to gain answers , yet she’s horrified that all of her work is going to be for nothing - like previously. But she although she’s noted to be very independent in Ocarina of Time & Breath of the Wild , this manifests into more of a rebellious streak in her post-takeover life ; now , she’s more inclined to fight the system because her new life’s past is one where she felt the need to live up to stuffy expectations and lock herself away to please others. Now , she feels the need to fight back - it mirrors her personality as a pirate in the era of Wind , but it’s a different take on the princess taking matters into her own hands like she’s done in multiple adventures. If anything , Castle Town amplifies and twists her traits , but does not entirely change them.

⁠— PERSON . Dimitri changes without his memories in the fact that he cannot remember the multiple traumas & disasters he has faced , therefore not having the weight of survivor’s guilty pulling him down and influencing his way of thinking. He does not remember the events that altered who he was in the past - Duscur & the reveal of the Flame Emperor especially , but he does also not remember the war itself. This means that while Dimitri doesn’t remember the incidents that emotionally broke him , he cannot remember the values that he learned on the road to recovery. So , this sort of brings Dimitri back to who he was before the events of the game - a kind , polite , and naive young man who wants to believe in the good of people rather than hold onto cynicism. Though , it is to say that he is slowly uncovering his memories through nightmares that are leaving more of an impact on him as they grow longer , and he is left scared and confused in the morning as he processes these events. He will slowly begin to uncover each stage of his life in the Azure Moon route , and the events will stick like they did before - only now , he’ll be able to recognize he’s seeing them all over again , and he’ll slowly have to put the pieces of this complicated puzzle to remember as both the horrors and graces of his pre-takeover life return to him. It’s almost as if his life in Castle Town takes him back to the beginning before he relives a journey he’s long forgotten.

— PLACE . Ferdinand survived the takeover in the fact he’d technically already been killed when the time it rolled around , and yes , it’s still taking some getting used to in the idea that he’s no longer in Fodlan and yes , there’s no war - but it’s still not home. There’s a double-edged sword to being in Castle Town as opposed to the land where he hails from - yes , Castle Town is happier and it’s not torn by the misgivings & tragedies of battle. Nobody is separated due to their stance or affiliation - and Ferdinand’s actually grateful that there’s a place where everyone is safe and happy. But then , there’s not many that truly remember who they are in Castle Town , which makes Ferdinand’s heart sink - though again , why would they want to ?? War is cruel and unkind and brutal - why would anyone want to remember that ?? It upsets Ferdinand that he’s essentially lost all of the important bonds he made back home - and while Castle Town reminds him of the happier days he had at the monastery , it doesn’t do him well to think if it’s better they all came here , or worse. But he often internally calls himself selfish for even thinking the latter - since yes , he misses everyone else , but he’s not worth reminding everyone of the horrors they faced back home. He just wants someone to remember him , but he knows maybe that they don’t is for the better. He’s conflicted.

— PLACE . Cereza is honestly , of all of the characters listed on this post , the one who really could care the least about the circumstances in Castle Town. She remembers who she is , and honestly the most of her concerns is trying to find a way to get comfortable in the life she has here. She likes the idea of not having to be harassed by angels every hour , and she has a decent life here opposed to the one she used to have - although , she should’ve known in any life , she lives glamorously. What perhaps troubles her the most , perhaps , is that the fact that apparently her life here had connections and a history prior to her waking up in Castle Town. It’s going to be difficult to get used to all of those connections and essentially learning how to live as someone who is still her , but isn’t. She isn’t actually upset about anything , though - again , Cereza couldn’t care less. She’ll flow with it.

— PERSON . So Ada doesn’t have all of the events of the RE series in her memory , so her identity as a spy is taken away from her - but similar in the case of Zelda , that cunning & cool side of her has manifested in a different way in Castle Town. Given , of course , that essentially Ada’s lying about her identity to inherit a fortune that isn’t even hers , as well as doing deals with the mafia in order to preserve a legacy she isn’t supposed to have her hands on. Of course , as she would in her past life , Ada’s motives for doing these are entirely for her own benefit , and she is slowly beginning to harbor an attachment to the people in Castle Town and the Delmare - whereas in her past life , she’d have to put aside such for a mission unless she could get away with letting them in ( ex. not allowing Leon to die in RE4 while still getting in good favor with the company she’s working for. ) So , one could say Castle Town has given Ada a little more wiggle room to recognize her own feelings and attachments outside of work , but maybe this is due to the fact that inklings of her feelings from her past life still seep through , and she’s able to pursue them now where it was a bit more difficult to do so pre-takeover.

— PERSON . Lucina’s memories of the war & losing her parents to Risen has definitely erased the tragedy she’s experienced in Castle Town , definitely making her less battle smart & jaded - at first glance. Instead , she’s now exchanged battle smarts for street smarts & her grimness has returned more so in the loss of her CT father. As well , one can as well see that the absence of the other children in Awakening has also turned Lucina way more independent ( which is say much , considering Lucina already was widely self-reliant in Awakening given that it’s not mandatory to recruit the other children ) , and she can’t remember the idea of bonds giving her strength like she used to pre-takeover. Since , of course , that’s literally a quote of hers. Lucina , or Lucy , is convinced that she will only be able to rely on herself and only herself in Castle Town , which in turn has made her more closed off and aloof than she was in Ylisse. She still is caring , gentle , and well-meaning , but she’s less likely to seek out bonding with others and forming connections since she’s so focused on taking care of herself and surviving and achieving her own goals. She doesn’t realize that doing so could help her , and she doesn’t pay it much mind. She’s definitely more of a lone wolf since waking up in Castle Town.

#castletown:task002 #war tw #we got this DONE folks we got it DONE

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girl4music · 6 years ago

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Xena and Gabrielle: Character study thesis

This is a character study thesis for explaining and understanding how and why Xena and Gabrielle are, as I always like to call them, the human representation of ‘Yin-yang'. Putting forth a point of view that clearly identifies and exemplifies that they are one soul in two bodies throughout the whole show, and as you watch each episode in sequence, it becomes apparent that they swap over roles and become each other.

Section 1: What ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ is about.

What is the show about to begin with and how does it change to represent stronger and more substantiated content, that inadvertently revolutionizes the show passed its initial premise and delivers excellently written character development?

I could just say it's an action/drama/comedy show about a female ex-warlord who has turned good and now helps the innocent to seek redemption for the evil things she's done in her past, but that's honestly not the truth… at least… not the whole truth. That's just how it starts off. The show becomes much more than was ever intended for its original plan, and it seems almost by accident that it happens. What it becomes is something else entirely. What ‘Xena: Warrior Princess' is about, throughout all its seasons, is an EPIC romance about soulmates who find each other at the most critical time. The entire show is dedicated to the growth of these characters both as individuals and as a couple. They bring out the best in each other. It is a slow burn romance of best friends evolving into lovers. Very slow. But you see their connection from the very beginning. The evolution of these characters, in their individual storylines, and the storylines they have together, will be the main factor in the postulated idea that they were one soul in two bodies that eventually passed into each other. As you watch them, episode to episode, you see for yourself the evidence of that.

What my intention is with this character study is to point out when and where Xena and Gabrielle show signs of their spiritual essences permeating into each other through how much they influence each other's mindset and personality. I don't want to state the case that they turn into each other because they make each other that way. More so that they become each other because they are already whole at the soul level, but that it takes a lot of life experience in the negatives and positives to bring that out at the human level. It takes meeting each other and travelling together to set in motion the events of the indications of their oneness. To prove to them that they are indeed a part of each other because they are two parts of one whole. That's what I will try to explain as best I can in this thesis to help you recognize this same perspective and understand as to why it's important to be aware of as you watch the show. So that you can see and appreciate for yourself that stronger and substantiated content that shows you that you're watching a story of the romance that is just as good, or in my opinion, BETTER than those classic love stories, such as ‘Romeo and Juliet' or ‘Guinevere and Lancelot.'

Section 2: In the right place at the right time.

How does meeting each other play a huge part in the changing of Xena and Gabrielle’s lives, and why was it exactly at that moment in exactly that way that they did meet when it could have been at any other time and in any other place?

Forget about Xena's introduction in ‘Hercules: The Legendary Journeys' because this is really where it all starts. Not only Xena's individual storyline in seeking her redemption for the sins of her past but also hers and Gabrielle's storyline of going from sheer strangers to the most loyal of partners. They meet each other in the most unusual of circumstances. While during a fight. Gabrielle, as well as most of her town, including her mother and sister, gets taken hostage by Draco's henchmen, Hector and his band of thugs. He has plans to take them to the ruthless warlord and sell them off to the highest bidder. Xena runs for the cover of the nearby bushes and watches as the young blonde bravely steps forward and demands from him to take her in exchange for letting the rest of the captured go. He raises his hand ready to whip her and that's when our lead protagonist steps in to stop the situation. This saves Gabrielle from a severe beating, that in her brittle form, she probably wouldn't have ever recovered from and eventually died.

Unbeknownst to the audience on a first watch, it is also the moment when Xena's about to commit suicide. So, we take in the information that Gabrielle saved Xena's life at the same time Xena saved hers. It's so subtle, that if you don't pay attention, you will miss this, and it will take you a couple of run-throughs watching the scene to notice it. There is evidence for this interpretation as it is revealed in Season 6, during the episode ‘Legacy', where Xena admits to Gabrielle that she changed her mind, or rather, took over it enough so that she didn't go through with it. This information changes the tone of the entire show, I would say, as it immediately brings you right into what it is that Xena and Gabrielle do best for one another. Change and save each other's lives. Constantly preventing these dark tendencies of suicidal or self-sacrificial instances to keep each other alive. Therefore, they meet then and there to do just that. Change and save each other's lives. The circumstances were foretold. It was destined that they should discover each other in and at that precise moment. For in that lifetime, if they had followed through with those events, they never would have discovered each other at all, as they would both be dead.

Section 3: The balance of ‘Yin and Yang’.

What is it that makes two completely opposite and contradictory forces interconnected and complementary, and how does this relate to Xena and Gabrielle and explain the intensity and seemingly intrinsic nature of their relationship so accurately?

I've been developing a theory for a while now about Xena and Gabrielle that's about how they influenced each other in personality and changed each other emotionally. I sometimes refer to Xena and Gabrielle as ‘Yin and Yang', as to me, they are the perfect human representation of duality. Basically, what I mean by that is that they are each other's balance. Their spiritual essences permeate into each other throughout the course of the show, and this is my theory that they become as one by the end of it. I wanted to present that as an overall thesis because there was so much within the episodes that showed this incredible spiritual connection between these two characters that you just don't pick up unless you are conscious of the perspective in the first place.

Before we go into it, I first want to explain what I interpret ‘Yin and Yang' to mean. ‘Yin and Yang' are two polar oppositions. For example; the Dark principle and the Light principle. The principles are contradictory, but they complement each other in that one principle can provide what the other principle does not have. I use the analogy of a puzzle piece to explain this. A puzzle piece can only connect into another piece if that piece is the perfect opposite to it, otherwise, it can't fit and therefore won't connect. The pieces in a puzzle are designed in such a way so that they can fit into each other to create a bigger picture. It's just the same as a soulmate, but I prefer to use the term puzzle piece, as it makes far more sense to me. ‘Yin and Yang' are never separate as one needs the other to exist. Much like how you can't have space without solid or solid without space. It cannot be either solid or space as neither principle can exist without the other there. It needs its polarity to exist in the first place. Even if these principles appear to be separated, they are not, as neither is what it is without its significant other, or it cannot function properly without it. Understand what I mean by that? "Shadow and Light are two sides of the same coin, one cannot exist without the other", as Zelda so beautifully put it in ‘The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess' game.

Let's get on to how Xena and Gabrielle are the perfect human representation of ‘Yin and Yang', and how they influenced each other in personality and changed each other emotionally because they are soulmates. Think about how opposite the pair is and how that might be beneficial to them in a relationship. Xena is very mind-orientated. She thinks three steps ahead of the game. Constantly thinking, planning and measuring. This gives her extreme advantage in battle, as she always knows what to do before she does it. To begin with, she has a lot of trouble with intimacy and emotion and is very stiff and stoic. So she isn't much of a talker, other than the few well-thought-out intimidating lines to her foes. But because of this, she's very good at listening to others and listening to her surroundings, which proves to be very useful to Gabrielle, who is very heart-orientated. Gabrielle feels, and she feels very deeply. This causes her to act before she thinks and that gets her into a lot of trouble in the early episodes of the show, which Xena just happens to have the ability and the quick strategic thinking to sort out. To begin with, Gabrielle is naïve and idealistic. But because of this, she is a fantastic storyteller and is very compassionate, therefore can offer emotional support and healing to those that need a bit of a pick me up at times, such as Xena. Do you see how their differences in strengths and weaknesses help to aid each other? One can give what the other lacks. They feed off each other. They fill the empty spaces in their lives as individuals by being together. They need each other to be all that they are and to evolve as people. Together, they are a complete whole. This is precisely what ‘Yin and Yang' stands for. It's balance. The scales are equal in the principles when together but unequal when apart. They balance each other out.

So, as I've stated above, this leads me to a theory that because Xena and Gabrielle can influence each other in personality and change each other emotionally like this, eventually they swap over roles. The principles correlate with each other so much that they end up passing into each other and by the end of the show, Xena and Gabrielle become each other.

Section 4: A dark heart is shadowed until the light shines in.

How do the consequences of a dark past have an extremely effective influence over the thoughts and feelings of the Warrior Princess, and why isn't a guilty conscience enough for her to stay on the road to redemption and walk it without promising to her compassionate companion that she would not return to her old ways?

The introduction of the character Callisto to the show adds a much heavier layer to what is already an overwhelming story of redemption, vengeance, love, forgiveness and balance, which are to me, the main themes in the show that are reiterated repeatedly as it progresses in writing, production and direction. Callisto becomes the main villain in the show, but she isn't your run-of-the-mill evil villain. Oh, no, no, no. I like to think of Callisto as more of an antagonist than a villain. She has an extremely complicated storyline of her own that inexplicably ties in with Xena's because Xena murdered her family, or so that's what she adamantly believes. It's hard to explain or understand just how much this character is an integral reason for Xena's reformation from being an evil warlord to a heroine for good, and how the consequences of her dark past have really screwed Callisto up and turned her into, for lack of a better word, a psychopath who is absolutely bent on destroying everything that makes Xena who she is. Starting with her reputation, and eventually escalating to the people she loves and cares about in all the world. This character is so crucial to ‘Xena: Warrior Princess', that there is never any way to stop her even when she dies. She's that dedicated to ruining Xena and Gabrielle's lives. Callisto doesn't just want to kill Xena. She wants to kill her soul because that is what Xena has done to her. It's hard to think of Callisto as any kind of villain because you develop such sympathy for her throughout all her appearances in the show. She's so messed up in the head that you just don't think of her as an evil person, just an extremely depressed and misunderstood one. What happens to her, in the end, is something that needed to happen, and I was unbelievably happy did. She did terrible things, but she needed the opportunity to be saved and forgiven as Xena did, and fortunately, the show's producers gave her the ending she deserved.

This leads me on to what happens when Callisto meets Xena face to face for the first time in the late Season 1 episode, titled ‘Callisto', and how Gabrielle plays a part in stopping Xena from crumbling down in guilt and regret and letting her go because of it once they captured her. Xena doesn't blame Callisto for how she ended up, knowing that it was her own fault she became that way in the first place. Even if she didn't mean for her family to be killed in the fire her own men started against her orders all those years ago in ‘Cirra', Callisto's hometown, she still felt solely responsible for the consequences that followed.

There is a very important scene, which I call ‘The Promise' scene, from this episode where Gabrielle asks Xena to promise her that if anything happened to her in their travels together, that she would not turn away from her path of atonement, and rampage like a raving blood-lusted lunatic the way Callisto was. You see for the first time Xena's vulnerability and struggle with sensitivity. She was finding it so difficult to cry in front of Gabrielle. She tries to send her off to bed before she could see the tears streaming down her face, but Gabrielle wasn't having it. She made sure she promised her, and that she was sincere with the words. She sees the tears and tries to brush them away from her face. Xena immediately turns away from her and tells her to go to bed, but she doesn't move. Gabrielle just sits there by her side sharing her pain and accepting her for who she is now, which I find extremely powerful and beautiful. Xena has probably never encountered acceptance like that in her life before, or she wasn't paying enough attention to see it. The fact that Gabrielle refuses to leave her must have thrown her off. She left herself unguarded for the very first time in her life in front of this young woman. As the flickering flames danced before them, illuminating their faces, we see the Warrior Princess' walls down for the very first time. The Bard had succeeded in bringing out her sensitive side, if only just for a moment. This would be the beginning of a transformation so intense, it would completely change Xena's personality and mindset forevermore. Love and forgiveness would be her saving grace, and the beautiful soul sat across from her would be the reason why it happened at all.

Flashing forward to Season 4… When Xena lost Gabrielle she focused on trying to see her again instead of going back to her old ways. In ‘Adventures In The Sin Trade', while searching for her, she realizes she had to put something right that she caused to happen in her history. Keeping her promise to Gabrielle, she tells her that she can't carry on in her search for her. Sticking to ‘The Greater Good', as that is what she would want her to do.

The final sections to this character study thesis are to tie up loose ends in the perspective and conclude the overall point that there was a lot of logic and reasoning to give the opinion that Xena and Gabrielle are the human representation of ‘Yin-yang', that served on the basis of proof that they passed into and became each other in the end, as one, and will forever be together in all the alternative realities, soul reincarnations, and any denominations of the afterlife they would experience because their love was just that strong.

Section 5: The three-way love triangle.

How does Gabrielle and Ares' interesting dynamic significantly impact Xena, and what is it that seems to make the Warrior Princess side with the Battling Bard and reject the God of War, despite having an unwillingness to do so, and no control over the situations she's put in?

To start off, we'll talk about what it is that Gabrielle and Ares have in common if anything. Obviously, it's Xena. They both have a thing for her, but it's more than that. They both also have an influence on her in different ways. It appears that Ares is Xena's Dark side and Gabrielle is Xena's Light side. This is what I really want to explain in-depth here to show the significant changes in Xena's personality and mindset in her daily life travelling with Gabrielle and not being guided by Ares anymore. So, we've established that Gabrielle is Xena's Light. Xena even refers to her as that in ‘Adventures In The Sin Trade', just as she was deciding on what to do between looking for her or helping the Amazon tribe pass over into eternity. She chooses to do the latter, as she knows it's what Gabrielle would want her to do, and she dedicates that specific good deed to her later in the second part of the story, exclaiming, "This one's for you, Gabrielle." So Gabrielle's influence on Xena was for her to dedicate her time, energy and life to ‘The Greater Good'. Helping others and being a heroine for the world.

In Season 5, in the episode ‘Succession', after Gabrielle's physical transformation into a sai-wielding warrior, Ares offers Gabrielle a chance to become his ‘Warrior Queen', even though he has absolutely no interest in her at all when it comes to who deserves the opportunity to carry on the God of Wars' mantle. He wouldn't give it to Mavican, and at that time, she was clearly the better fighter. So why was it that he was offering the position to Gabrielle of all people? Why is he giving her a chance to prove herself as a worthy candidate? Twice, in fact, he makes this odd proposition to her. Now, this isn't really brought up in the show, but I personally think it comes down to his tendency to use people as leverage to get to others. In this case, Xena. I personally feel he had no intention of giving Gabrielle the honour of what he would gladly give Xena if she were to take it. But he knew if there was one thing that would make her take it, Gabrielle would be it. Gabrielle was his sway over her resolve. This, I believe, was a plan he was concocting for a long time since he knew that Gabrielle was her weakness, and yet the only thing that stood against him when it came to manipulating Xena into being triggered into her warlord ways again. It wasn't her father or her mother or even her son. It was always Gabrielle. Gabrielle was the ticket to getting his way, and he used her in ‘Succession' and ‘Seeds Of Faith' as a ploy to force Xena to say "yes" to being his ‘Warrior Queen'.

Which then leads us on to the way Gabrielle thought about Ares. Her opinion of what his constant attempts to try winning Xena over from her would ultimately do to her. It would destroy her and everything she's worked for in seeking her redemption. According to Gabrielle, he would be her downfall to be a better person. A person that wasn't necessarily good or bad, but someone who would always choose the selfish route because she wouldn't be given the choice to do the opposite. THIS WAS IT! This was why Gabrielle always won the battle for Xena's love and affection. That choice of being good or evil. Gabrielle gave her a CHOICE, whereas Ares never did. Gabrielle did not try to manipulate, condition or control Xena. What she did was something far greater than that. She showed her that living for others would be more fulfilling than living for herself. She reminded her that although she could do anything she desired, the consequences were that she would never be truly happy, and innocents would suffer. Gabrielle had so much faith in Xena, that even when she did do something wrong, she trusted that Xena could find her own way out of it when it was showcased several times in the show that she could not without her help. Xena loved her immensely for this reason and despised Ares because he provided her with no other alternative. Before Gabrielle came into Xena's life, Xena thought Ares' ways were all there was for her, and she just couldn't live with herself anymore.

So now we come to the overall impact this Light and Dark dynamic had on Xena. The events in the episode, ‘Chakram', told Gabrielle that Xena couldn't be entirely on one side of the spectrum or the other. She needed both her Light and Dark to be the best warrior she could be and to do the most good she could. But she didn't need Ares because Gabrielle succeeded in doing what Ares never could. That was bringing her back into the Dark enough to balance her as a person. Enough to bring her sense-of-self back. You see, despite wanting Xena to be in complete opposition to that, Gabrielle was able to understand how much both sides were needed, and the importance of that duality. This means we've uncovered something amazing to do with Gabrielle's individual influence over Xena. That Gabrielle wasn't just her Light. She was also her way of staying balanced. She was the reason the real Xena, as we know her to be, existed, as the Light cannot exist without the Dark, as previously stated in Section 3 of this thesis. Gabrielle was her balance. Her reason for existing, at least, until the moment came when she had to sacrifice her life and her happiness to follow the ‘Way Of The Warrior' and be ultimately redeemed.

Section 6: No going back and no way forward.

How does being in an alternative reality affect the Battling Bard's personality and mindset once she encounters Xena within it, why does she behave so differently and aggressively in this reality, and what made her make such a drastic decision to destroy ‘The Universe' when we, as the audience, know how much she values the peace and well-being of human life?

Gabrielle, to begin with, is idealistic, empathetic, persuasive, philosophical, spiritual, kind, compassionate, naïve, enthusiastic; the labels that define one being heart-orientated. That changes as the show progresses. Gabrielle becomes quite a complex character that has a lot of layers to her as she's making her transition through the show. A lot of her personality becomes very nuanced. You'll have to look quite deeply into her character to pick up her personality later in the show, much like you do with Xena in the earlier episodes. Xena, to begin with, does not put her heart on her sleeve. She is so stoic that one can't have a solid grasp on her true personality because her heart is guarded, and she protects it by being strong-minded. By not talking or expressing herself in any audible way. She has issues with showing intimacy and emotion. That starts happening to Gabrielle too with all that happens to her in Season 3 and 4. She develops that stoic-ness, only she's a lot more able to handle it because she has a lot more emotional strength and is much more expressive than Xena is. She's able to express how she feels when she's upset easier than Xena can. She's able to be that emotional person without lashing out and going way over-the-top with it or holding it all in so that eventually it all explodes anyway.

The one time when this doesn't happen, and she does indeed go over-the-top and lash out emotionally, is in the Season 6 episode ‘When Fates Collide'. Not only does she, in her blind rage and desperation, disregard all consequences for humanity and reality as she knew it, and destroys the alternative Universe, but she also makes it very apparent that she blames ‘The Fates' for the mess of the loom, and the situation her and Xena were in, rather than Caesar. That is very uncharacteristic of her. That doesn't sound like the Gabrielle we know, that would always take in all information first before making such judgement, and that would always see the good in all before accusing them of any kind of wrongdoing. What happened? Where's our compassionate gal gone? Why is this how she acts in this episode? You could make the argument that she was living such a peaceful life in this alternative Universe that any kind of brush with danger and trauma would fire her up immediately, making her extremely angry and reckless, and make her do something she would possibly end up regretting. Selfishly and heartlessly putting all of humankind aside just to vent her emotions. That is a valid argument… However, I think it has more to do with the fact that Gabrielle, regardless of which Universe she's in, is one of these people that just can't be at peace with doing the same thing day in and day out, and not having any sort of surprise or shock or thrill. Not having a change in the schedule. After all, isn't that why she left her home to travel with Xena in the primary Universe? It’s because she was sick of the conservative, boring lifestyle and wanted an adventurous, exciting lifestyle where no two days were ever the same.

So, you see, it's not uncalled for that Gabrielle would react like this although it seems that way. There is sufficient reasoning behind it. But what strikes me most is how quickly she breaks the mould of the peaceful playwright, as she's known to be in this Universe, as soon as she comes into contact with Xena, who is known as the Empress Of Rome. Despite knowing her for a few candle marks at best, she is already so invested in her that she becomes this emotional and aggressive when Julius Caesar sentences Xena to death and wants to do something about the unfortunate condition she's in. We know it's because they're soulmates, but these characters don't know that. They aren't aware of everything to do with the former reality, so why is Gabrielle acting this way despite living a tranquil life? Something within her changed, and it was a quick change because in the former reality this was always her fate. That she'd never remain the Gabrielle that was innocent and sweet and calm when her karma comes to intertwine with Xena's so strongly. There was a fire in her. A rebellious attitude that was just waiting to be unleashed. This was meant to be, and somehow, she knew that. She knew that's the way it was supposed to be. So she didn't care. She chose to destroy 'The Universe' because living an entire lifetime without Xena just wasn't acceptable. Xena and Gabrielle were so much a part of each other, that it didn't matter how long or little they knew each other for in any lifetime. They were connected in every single one of them and would be for eternity. This much, made sense to Gabrielle, that nothing else was beyond or above it. She wanted to get back to the life where she never felt empty or lost or bored. She wanted Xena and she didn't care what she had to do or had to give up to get her.

It is my personal belief that Gabrielle behaved this way because it was inevitable that she would become just like Xena, as her original wish was to be just that. Xena would permeate into her personality so much that it would ultimately and completely change her emotionally. Even using such terms and phrases the likes Xena would use to get her way, such as "so be it!" For better or worse she was the other half of Xena's soul and although their personalities were so contradictory, they complemented each other so perfectly that they eventually passed into each other, so that even their personalities were the same. It really didn't matter what timeline, Universe, dimension, reincarnation or afterlife they were in… they still weren't balanced or whole without each other because they were one. They were one whole soul.

Section 7: “You’re where I belong, I belong with you.”

How does travelling with Xena all those years make Gabrielle feel about her, and why does she choose to be with Xena's family over her own family, or even her Amazon tribe, when she finally would be laid to rest?

In the episode from Season 6, titled ‘The Abyss', Gabrielle gets wounded and is on the verge of dying from pneumonia. She confesses to Xena that her dying wish was to be buried with Xena's family; Cyrene and Lyceus. This confession threw Xena off-guard, as that is probably the most tragically romantic thing you could ever say to someone. Furthermore, she explains why she'd rather be buried with Xena's family than her own. She's basically saying, "I'm dying, but I still want to be with you. You are more important to me than anyone else in my life", and that's pretty freaking intense. I do not blame Xena for the tears rolling down her cheek. It's a beautiful statement, and yet so upsetting at the same time. She has taken Gabrielle away from her family, even if she didn't mean to, and she's chastising herself mentally for it, as we see a little later in the scene where she says she's lead her on a path she was never meant to walk. To Gabrielle, she couldn't be more wrong. Gabrielle has always considered Xena her "home". She's stated several times that with and to Xena is where she belongs. Xena is her path. So it's not surprising that she would have a wish like this. It's a testament to show how much Gabrielle is invested in Xena's life. From the very start when she met her and chose to travel with her on the road, to the very end, when she stated that Xena was her whole life and that she refused to lose her.

It’s sad, but beautiful and romantic at the same time. Tragic romance. It’s kind of like ‘Romeo and Juliet’, only she never took her own life at the reality of Xena being dead and staying that way. At least, I hope she didn’t, because that would be truly tragic. The overall point is that no matter what, Gabrielle would always choose Xena. It’s paramount to her to always be with Xena. Even in death. You don’t make a statement like the one she did in this episode unless you are 100%, unequivocally, unconditionally in love with the person.

This is a character study video showcasing how much Xena and Gabrielle need each other in their lives to stay on the right path for themselves. Xena seeking her redemption and being a fighter for ‘The Greater Good’. Gabrielle transitioning from a simple village girl into a warrior. This video looks into what it is they most desire in their hearts. To belong. They belong to and with each other. This is a collaboration between me and @warriorbard-always.

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Conclusion: “In a flurry of snow, two breaths of wind unite and become as one, and then disappear into each other.”

How will Gabrielle deal with the shocking, unannounced death of her beloved, and will she respect her wish and love her enough to let her go so she can receive her ultimate redemption and an eternal rest?

After being told that Xena has to stay dead, Gabrielle goes through the motions of understanding as to why. She takes the information in and ponders it, but you can see the defiance on her face. The morally justified Bard makes a bold statement, exclaiming that she doesn't care about the 40,000 souls that would be eternally damned if Xena were brought back to life. She doesn't agree. She doesn't think it's right. She wrestles with her own code of conduct. The same code she asked Xena to stick to all those years ago in that longhouse in Tripolis when she was wounded by a poisoned arrow and had only hours to live. Back then it felt right to say ‘The Greater Good' was more important than her own life. But of course, it's not her own life she is losing now, is it? Gabrielle, once again, is stuck between a rock and a hard place. She must decide whether to accept the consequences of her beloved passing on into eternity or denying her an eternal rest, and her ultimate redemption. It may be the hardest choice she has ever made. The poetic verse in the title of the final section of this thesis perfectly describes exactly what happened to Xena and Gabrielle throughout the course of the entire show, which leads me to the conclusion of it. When Xena disappeared at the end of the final episode of ‘Xena: Warrior Princess', ‘A Friend In Need Part II', what happened was she transferred over the last of her spiritual essence into Gabrielle. Gabrielle had a lot of her spirit already within her, which is what allowed her to touch Xena physically when material objects like her chakram just went right through her. That didn't happen with Gabrielle because they shared a spiritual connection that was so intense, it proved to us that they are one soul in two bodies. One body of which no longer existed, but the spirit still lived on in Gabrielle, so that instead, they became one soul in one body. This meant that Gabrielle was now just as much of a capable warrior as Xena was and would be just fine on her own in carrying on the legacy of the Warrior Princess because she never really was on her own at all. Ever. Xena was always with her. She was just inside her, and therefore, had the ability to appear beside her in ethereal form, from the other side, even though she no longer had a physical body. This is just how Gabrielle remembered her in her heart. With such a graphic imagination as hers and hundreds of self-written stories describing her, she could create the exact form of the woman she fell in love with standing right beside her whenever she wanted and could still physically touch her and hold her.

At the apex of it all, Xena and Gabrielle weren't just perfectly balanced, they were also physically complete. This is the true nature of ‘Yin-yang'. My most personal headcanon for the show is the belief that when it did come time for Gabrielle to die, she chose to be cremated like Xena, so she could combine her ashes with Xena's. Knowing because they're soulmates, they're connected as one and will be together for eternity, in many lifetimes and beyond.

Summary: You can love someone so deeply and so intensely that you become one with them, and not only that, but you can also pass into them, so that you become them, and they become you. It's through this that you will come to the realization that you are one in the same. There was never any separation between you, and there never will be because there was never a beginning, nor will there be an end. You and them and your love can only be an end in itself, as you were always one soul in two bodies all along. This is how beautiful and powerful true love between soulmates is.

"The highest state of human love is the unity of one soul in two bodies." - Sri Aurobindo.

My character study video for Xena, detailing the challenges she went through both when she was evil and good, showing that she needed both to become the hero she does, and commit to ‘The Greater Good’.

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Dear Xena,

You have been through so many challenges that took a toll on your heart and soul in your search for redemption. There were times when you let yourself slip back into your old ways out of anger and hatred, but with the help of your Light, you found the willpower to get yourself back on track again. You were finally able to reconcile with your Dark side, knowing that without it, you would not be the force you need to be for ‘The Greater Good'. You came to understand how important it was for you to stay balanced so that you would always have the skill, strength and determination to fight evil, and be the Warrior Princess we all know and love.

My character study video for Gabrielle that took 2 days to make. It is in dedication to my favourite character of all time, with the greatest written character development and evolution that I have ever seen in my entire life. It’s about time she was honoured as the true warrior and hero she is.

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Dear Gabrielle,

In your immense journey in evolving into a warrior, you learned that the fighting, violence and pain was inevitable and unavoidable. Despite all you had to go through and all you've overcome, you've still managed to remain on the side of ‘The Greater Good', when so many things and unfair experiences that happened to you were completely the total opposite from anywhere even close to great or good. It got really Dark for you at times, yet you never lost your Light. You only ever realized that it was worth fighting for it. I respect and admire you for the huge amount of emotional strength you had to have in order to be able to stay sane. My incredible Battling Bard… I really hope I did you justice!

#xena warrior princess #xena and gabrielle #xena #lucy lawless #gabrielle #renee o'connor #character study thesis #yin-yang #one soul in two bodies #the human representation of Yin and Yang #soulmates #warriorbard-always

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missvalerietanner · 6 years ago

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tagged by @jmhwriterblog and yeah, ‘course I’m gonna do writing stuff ;p

Rules: Answer the questions and then tag as many writers as there are questions answered (or as many as you can) to spread the positivity! Even if these questions are not explicitly brought up in the novel, they are still good to keep in mind when writing.

FIRST LOOK

(using The Seven Kings, ‘cause that’s what I’m wrapped up in right now)

1. Describe your novel in 1-2 sentences (elevator pitch)

The brutal assassination of a king sparks the partnership between a hated half-breed hungry for revenge and a well-educated prince whose father arranged said assassination.

2. How long do you plan for your novel to be? (Is it a novella, single book, book series, etc.)

Editing the first book right now. Still need to finish its ending. And I was so excited, I might have already started to write the sequel... ‘bout two solid chapters in so far. AND there’s enough happening that it’d probably be a trilogy.

3. What is your novel’s aesthetic?

I... suck at this question every time I see it.

I guess... I’mma have to go with redemption.

4. What other stories inspire your novel?

Legend of Zelda for sure, mainly inspiration for the diverse kingdoms and people. And then, I dunno, there’s probably a little bit of every fantasy movie and book I’ve ever seen/read tucked in this story somewhere.

5. Share 3+ images that give a feel for your novel

clicky - takes you to WeHeartIt

MAIN CHARACTER

6. Who is your protagonist?

Valerie Tanner and Eli Orphesis (named him during my Greek obsession)

7. Who is their closest ally?

They gain several throughout the story, but the main two are Roderick, a rancher and old friend of Valerie’s (practically a second father to her), and Elyn, one of the queen’s handmaidens who joins them on their journey. Oh and then Aaron pops up later, and he’s an old ally of Valerie’s as well.

8. Who is their enemy?

Mainly: Darrean Orphesis (yep, Eli’s dad)

9. What do they want more than anything?

Valerie wants revenge for Garrett’s death, and Eli wants to forge a path to his own future, a future not doomed to exist in the shadow of his father.

10. Why can’t they have it?

Valerie: gaining revenge changes nothing; Garrett’s still dead, and she’s still an outsider

Eli: he has to grow up and learn who he is without his father’s title protecting him, and there are a LOT of tough lessons on the road ahead for my boy.

11. What do they wrongly believe about themselves?

Valerie believes she’s completely alone and useless. She believes her life is worth little, and that spending her life in service to better people/better men is the best she can do.

Eli ... is pretty arrogant, so his are kinda negative. He believes he’s untouchable, that he’s immune to certain feelings (like pity and loss). He thinks he has all the answers.

12. Draw your protagonist! (Or share a description)

Valerie: 28, 5′8″ (172 CM), weighs 135 pounds (yes, I did), lean and muscular, smaller-than-average bust size, wavy brown hair that ends between her shoulder blades, deep/dark brown eyes, Caucasian, Ossa tattoo on her upper left arm (all black ink), muscular stomach, narrow hips, fit legs, covered in old/faded scars from battle and/or training, wears: black trousers that fit tight, knee-high boots, a fit undershirt to keep the girls pinned down and covered (;p), and a loose white overshirt to keep her cool.

Eli: ~26, 6′2″ (188 CM - people of his race are tall as fuck), blue skin (similar to Oxford blue but a hair lighter), black hair that is a bit shorter than shoulder-length and he keeps it in a low ponytail at the nape of his neck (sexy!), bright golden eyes, muscular and well-built, hands lack callouses (only trained, never fought), no scars or wounds, wears proper royal clothes like a prince should (tunic, trousers, knee-high boots, waistcoat, the works)

PLOT POINTS

13. What is the internal conflict?

Learning to accept help, realizing that people are more than their pasts or their titles and especially their race

14. What is the external conflict?

A power-hungry king and his massive army of well-trained, well-armed soldiers who are all purebloods, so they all have magical abilities.

15. What is the worst thing that could happen to your protagonist?

For Valerie, losing the people she loves who she tries to protect. She’s watched so many die. She tends to be pretty self-sacrificing because she’d rather jump in harm’s way and die if it means saving someone else. (She has some self-esteem issues as well, so wanting to be someone’s shield makes her feel useful, and therefore, good. She also values others’ lives over her own.)

For Eli... Failure’s a big one for him. He’s probably afraid to die, but I’d say failing and letting down those around him is worse. His mother went to great lengths to make sure he was cultured and well-educated, so with all his knowledge, if he fails, yeah, that’d probably be what would crush him more than anything.

16. What secret will be revealed that changes the course of the story?

Probably the reveal of Eli’s power. He was never trained as a child like he should’ve been (for reasons!), and so since he’s a pureblood, his powers developed on their own. He’s powerful but uncontrolled, so his abilities start leaking out, so to speak, on their own.

The reveal of what his power actually is, is a good moment. It’s subtle, but as each of the other characters begin to realize just how much power he wields, they also start to realize how REAL everything is becoming: like the war, their chances of survival, etc.

17. Do you know how it ends?

Yes. I know the jist. I know what I’m aiming for. How I get there, I dunno, and what’s said or done when we get there, I dunno.

I know which port I want to dock in. Just not what it looks like.

(I swear I am not drinking.)

BITS AND BOBS

18. What is the theme?

Hmm... unity for sure, redemption’s a big one, some focus on equality, but I’d say mostly it’s about people finding their place in the world by following their own intuitions rather than falling into the role provided for them or forced upon them.

[cue Disney music]

19. What is a reoccurring symbol?

Valerie has a tattoo on her upper left arm that marks her as a member of Ossa, so basically an outsider. After what happens in the opening chapters, she keeps the tattoo hidden whenever possible. But its meaning causes some tension with... basically everyone she meets.

...there’s probably others, but I can’t think of any that don’t require a lot of explaining... and I was pretty vague on the tattoo for reasons.

20. Where is the story set? (Share a description)

In the country of Nubrya (hate the name, can’t find one yet to replace it). It’s the border country on a massive continent and is encircled by three (possibly four or five... haven’t finished plotting the map) other countries to its east, west, and north. The south of Nubrya is open to the water. Its eastern edge rises into steep cliffs overlooking coves dug into the mountain side to house the nation’s ships during the winter. The western border levels off into desert. The north is rocky terrain, isolated, and sitting on a raised plateau, so every step from the heart of Nubrya upward is a hike. And to the northeast, there is a massive mountain range, upon which one of the Seven Kingdoms sits. And to the east/southeast (before the cliffs) are the farms and vineyards of the country.

Every type of landscape and temperature zone and climate is represented.

21. Do you have any images or scenes in your mind already?

Since the first book’s finished except for a few scenes and the final fight leading up to the already-written ending, most of the scenes are already down on paper. The second book, however, oh, boy! I have SO much planned and cannot wait for the willingness to write it down. XD

22. What excited you about this story?

I originally wrote this story back in high school. As you can tell by my username, I’ve kept the characters with me through the years. :] Recently (meaning last year, I think), I got to thinking about the original story from high school (titled: “The Unknown Soldier,” I think), and I missed it. So I dug out the original copy, started reading it, and by about, oh I dunno, page 2, I was ready to hang myself ‘cause the writing was THAT BAD.

But the plot was a good one. The characters were half-developed, but they had the potential to be so much better. So I remolded them, fleshed them out, added a ton more characters, revamped the settings, added MORE settings, dumped in a whole bunch of emotional turmoil, updated some names, increased the stakes tenfold, added more magical/fantasy elements, and landed these characters in a MUCH better story.

A lot about the story excites me, but to know I revitalized an old story, pried it off the gurney, and zapped it back to life--a life better than the one it had before--that excites me. :]

23. Tell us about your usual writing method!

Frantic. Messy.

I write scenes as they come to me. Stitch them together later with transitions, and edit to fix any time lapses or to plug in missing information. I do outline, but they look like this:

Guy does this thing. it’s cool, but not too cool. Then girl finds out. And note for later: the girl’s really a guy. OH! And remember by scene five to put in a live rooster or else the whole chicken joke won’t make ANY SENSE. End with badass scene with knives. RESEARCH: knives.

Hey, I just made that up on the spot. Welcome to my brain.

But that’s the basic idea behind what my outlines look like. XD Except, I do usually write my outlines in ALL CAPS and important items are bolded or highlighted. But that’s a minor detail.

Rooster.

...

Thanks for reading if you made it this far.

NOW GO WRITE! (or tag yourself and do this. T’was fun.)

#seek the seven kings #stsk #writings #ask #missvalerietanner #favorite

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callunavulgari · 6 years ago

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Scrapbook 2019 | Pt. I

Goals are: read one hundred books this year, finish five video games, write something novel-length and write something original. These last two goals CAN be combined.

MOVIES

January

(Kingsman: The Golden Circle)

Pitch Perfect 3

February

(Big Hero 6)

March

Geostorm

Captain Marvel

(Thor Ragnarok)

(Avengers: Infinity War)

(Pocahontas)

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Venom

April

(Brave)

(Flipper)

(Spirited Away)

(Breakfast at Tiffany’s)

How To Train Your Dragon 3

Crazy Rich Asians

Matilda

The Death Cure

The Mummy (2017)

(Monster’s University)

Avengers: Endgame

May

Detective Pikachu

Bohemian Rhapsody

The Rim of the World

June

(Zombieland)

Rocketman

The Secret Life of Pets 2

Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse

July

Spiderman: Far From Home

Truth or Dare

(Coraline)

BOOKS

January

Ender’s Game | Orson Scott Card [Fin]

The Poppy War | R.F. Kuang [Fin]

Turtles All The Way Down | John Green [Fin]

Challenger Deep | Neal Shusterman [Fin]

The Bear and the Nightingale | Katherine Arden [Fin]

Shards of Honor | Lois Mcmaster Bujold [Fin]

(Throne of Jade | Naomi Novak) [Fin]

The Wicked King | Holly Black [Fin]

Vengeful | V.E. Schwab

Elantris | Brandon Sanderson

February

Vengeful | V.E. Schwab [Fin]

Elantris | Brandon Sanderson [Fin]

(Black Powder War | Naomi Novak) [Fin]

(The Amulet of Samarkand | Jonathon Stroud) [Fin]

Once Upon a River | Diane Setterfield

(The Golem’s Eye | Jonathon Stroud) [Fin]

(Ptolemy’s Gate | Jonathon Stroud) [Fin]

The Screaming Staircase | Jonathon Stroud

March

Once Upon a River | Diane Setterfield [Fin]

The Screaming Staircase | Jonathon Stroud [Fin]

The Girl In the Tower | Katherine Arden [Fin]

The Whispering Skull | Jonathon Stroud

(Empire of Ivory | Naomi Novak) [Fin]

The Two Towers | J.R.R Tolkien

Winter of the Witch | Katherine Arden

Saga, Vol 1 | Brian Vaughn

Saga, Vol 2 | Brian Vaughn

Saga, Vol 3 | Brian Vaughn

Saga, Vol 4 | Brian Vaughn

Saga, Vol 5 | Brian Vaughn

Saga, Vol 6 | Brian Vaughn

April

The Whispering Skull | Jonathon Stroud [Fin]

The Slow Regard of Silent Things | Patrick Rothfuss [Fin]

The Two Towers | J.R.R Tolkien [Fin]

Winter of the Witch | Katherine Arden [Fin]

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns | Julie Dao [Fin]

King of Scars | Leigh Bardugo [Fin]

The Hollow Boy | Jonathon Stroud [Fin]

Mistborn | Brandon Sanderson [Fin]

The Well of Ascension | Brandon Sanderson [Fin]

The Creeping Shadow | Jonathon Stroud [Fin]

The Empty Grave | Jonathon Stroud [Fin]

May

Hero of Ages | Brandon Sanderson [Fin]

Everything I Never Told You | Celeste Ng [Fin]

The Kiss Quotient | Helen Hoang [Fin]

The Two Towers | J.R.R. Tolkien [Fin]

The Near Witch | Victoria Schwab [Fin]

The Trials of Apollo | Rick Riordan [Fin]

Alloy of Law | Brandon Sanderson [Fin]

The Gentlemen’s Guide to Vice and Virtue | Mackenzi Lee [Fin]

Shadows of Self | Brandon Sanderson

The Dark Prophecy | Rick Riordan

Sabriel | Garth Nix [Fin]

June

Shadows of Self | Brandon Sanderson [Fin]

The Dark Prophecy | Rick Riordan [Fin]

(Victory of Eagles | Naomi Novak) [Fin]

Warbreaker | Brandon Sanderson [Fin]

(Tongues of Serpents | Naomi Novak) [Fin]

The Bands of Mourning | Brandon Sanderson [Fin]

What If It’s Us | Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera [Fin]

A Court of Thorns and Roses | Sarah J. Maas [Fin]

Carmilla | Kim Turrisi [Fin]

The Alchemist | Paulo Coelho

The Eye of the World | Robert Jordan

The Hundred-Foot Journey | Richard C. Morais

Three Dark Crowns | Kendare Blake

Mistborn: The Secret History | Brandon Sanderson [Fin]

The Eleventh Metal | Brandon Sanderson [Fin]

July

The Alchemist | Paulo Coelho [Fin]

The Eye of the World | Robert Jordan

The Hundred-Foot Journey | Richard C. Morais [Fin]

Three Dark Crowns | Kendare Blake [Fin]

Saga Vol. 8 | Brian Vaughn [Fin]

Saga Vol. 9 | Brian Vaughn [Fin]

Codename Villanelle | Luke Jennings [Fin]

Borne | Jeff Vandermeer [Fin]

Crucible of Gold | Naomi Novak [Fin]

The Time Traveler’s Wife | Audrey Niffenegger [Fin]

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy | Mackenzi Lee [Fin]

The Wise and the Wicked | Rebecca Podos [Fins]

Sweetbitter | Stephanie Danler [Fin]

Blood of Tyrants | Naomi Novak [Fin]

PODCASTS

January

Adventure Zone Ep 1

EOS 10 s4 1-4

February

EOS 10 s4 4-7

March

The Penumbra Podcast

April

Adventure Zone Ep 2

May

Welcome to Night Vale Eps 30-54

The Bright Sessions -Bonus Eps-

June

Welcome to Night Vale Eps 54-59

The Penumbra Podcast (Second Citadel eps + last two Juno)

July

Welcome to Night Vale Eps 60-

The Magnus Archive Eps 1-11

TV SHOWS BY SEASON

January

Voltron s8

The Flash

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch

February

Happy

The Umbrella Academy

The Flash

Black Mirror

Russian Doll

March

The 90s

The 2000s

(Sailor Moon)

Maniac

The Dragon Prince

(Inuyasha)

American Gods

April

American Gods s2

Voltron s8

World’s Weirdest Homes

Game of Thrones s8

Brooklyn 99

The Bold Type

Cupcake Wars

May

Schitt’s Creek s1-3

Game of Thrones s8

June

Schitt’s Creek s4

Good Omens

The Terror

Chernobyl

Black Mirror s4

July

Rick & Morty s3

Stranger Things s3

Schitt’s Creek s4

VIDEO GAMES

January

Pokemon Go?

(Kingdom Hearts: DDD, 54 hrs) [Fin]

Pokemon Let’s Go Eevee

Detroit: Become Human [Fin]

Kingdom Hearts 3 - Monstropolis, 20 hrs

Life is Strange, Episode 2, 4 hrs

February

Kingdom Hearts 3, 56 hrs [Fin]

Pokemon Go

Life is Strange, Episode 5, 20 hrs [Fin]

Life is Strange -Before the Storm- Episode 1 complete, 5 hrs

God of War (3 hrs)

March

God of War (35 hrs) [Fin]

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (40 hrs)

April

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (43 hrs)

(Final Fantasy XIII)

Portal 2 [Fin]

Final Fantasy 15 - Episodes Prompto, Ignis, Gladio, and Ardyn [Fin]

May

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (70 hrs)

Life Is Strange -Before the Storm- Episode 2 complete, 15 hours

June

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (120 hrs) [Fin]

Rime (1 hr)

Final Fantasy XII: Zodiac Age (1 hr)

Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD (2 hrs)

July

Rime (25 hrs) [Fin]

Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD (35 hrs)

Witcher 3 DLC: Hearts of Stone [Fin]

Witcher 3 DLC: Blood and Wine (10 hrs)

DELIGHTFUL FIC

January

What Dreams May Come by Lenore | Crimson Peake | Edith/Thomas | 5k | Ghosts are real, and there are things that tie them to this world. Sometimes it's because they want to linger, and sometimes it's because they are trapped. Sometimes ghosts need the help of the living before they can be truly free.

and prove your body wrong by paperclipbitch | The Defenders | Matt Murdock/Jessica Jones | 1k | Neither of them can read minds, but they both fake it for their day jobs.

these roads will take you into your own country by notbecauseofvictories | American Gods | Shadow/Laura, Gen | 5k | Here’s a joke for you: a Muslim, a zombie, and a leprechaun walk into a bar in Misery, Indiana. No one stares, because no one in the puckered, shitty asshole of Misery, Indiana gives a fuck. The Colts are playing.“Fucking new gods,” the leprechaun mutters, hunching his shoulders almost up to his ears. “Gridiron and Pepsi commercials.”

Small Step For Man by Toft [archived by yuletide_archivist] | Greek Myth | Artemis/Apollo | 4k | "It's all right, sister," Apollo whispers, and his arm is warm around her shoulder. She forgets, he is her twin, he is her other half; he knows her almost as well as she knows herself. "We're still the same."

learning curve by Yuu_chi | Detroit | Hank/Connor | 15k | “While sexual activity is not my default purpose, I do possess the capability,” Connor says without so much as batting an eye, unaware that he’s completely shattered Hank’s world view in one single sentence.

machine learning by kriegersan | Detroit | Hank/Connor | 31k | “This kinda shit doesn’t go away overnight. It’s only been a few months, Connor. We’re only just starting to know what this is gonna look like.” Lt. Anderson throws back his beer.“You think I don’t know that?” He sounds defensive. He tempers his voice. “I’m simply processing.”

eighteen wheels on an uphill climb by blackeyedblonde | Detroit | Hank/Connor | 73k | Hank is going to die. He’s going to die right here in Kentucky, 53 years old, halfway to broke, and tragically sober. Survived only by a nine-year-old St. Bernard and the 31-year-old twink who delivered the fatal blow.

Fuck pride (pride only hurts, it never helps) by ImogenGotDrunk | Detroit | Nines/Gavin | 40k | What Gavin cannot deal with is Connor’s replica; two inches taller, blue-eyed, and with a mouth that Gavin doesn’t know whether to punch or take between his teeth. The RK900 model has been assigned as his partner for the foreseeable future.

linguistics, semantics by pseudoanalytics | DBH | Hankcon | 49k | "So, what? Cyberlife gave you a preference for ugly, old, washed-up bastards?" Connor intentionally allows himself to appear unamused. "Absolutely not." He waits for Hank to look at him again before delivering his punchline. "I believe I developed that for myself."

Skin Deep by bughnrahk | DBH | Hankcon | 50k | Hank is 53 years old. He's never had a soul mark, doesn't have a soul mate. And he's fine with that. He cheated the system once and it cost him everything he had. Never again.When August 2038 rolls around and the number '313 248 317 - 51' appears on his arm in perfect Cyberlife Sans font, exactly where a soul mark should be, Hank wants nothing to do with it.

Watch Me, Watch You by elefseus (oscillos) | DBH | Hank/Connor | 82k | WIP | "How do you go about living when everything you've ever known changes? Can you?"

the most formidable lies by fshep | DBH | Connor/Gavin | 15k | WIP | Gavin is given an ultimatum: agree to give his mother’s coworker’s son a chance, or introduce his family to his new boyfriend, Connor, who isn’t his boyfriend at all.

February

and we'll figure it out by consumptive_sphinx | Temeraire | Lawrence/Tharkay | 1.5k | Everyone is born with their soulmate's name written on their skin, somewhere. Laurence has two names. Neither of them are in a script he can read.

Propriety and Fate by esama | Temeraire | Lawrence/Tharkay | 3.5k | It isn't as if one can go and talk about such things

Watercast by Fishwrites | Voltron | Keith/Lance | 205k WIP, Chapter 15 | Shiro has been a Galra prisoner for over a year; with his flight feathers clipped and unable to fly. Desperate to escape, he jumps overboard while being transported to the capitol on a Galran ship. Lance is a merman who saves him from drowning. Keith thinks Shiro is about to become mermaid dinner. Hunk just wants Lance to stop going to the surface all the time, dammit!

Afterlife by jaegermighty | Haunting of Hill House | Gen, Luke-centric | 6k | Leigh and Steve name their daughter Eleanore, with an 'e' on the end which is more old-fashioned, they say. Eleanore Olivia Crain. Lots of dead people in that name; Luke's not a fan. Not that anyone asked his opinion.

in memoriam by oxymoronic | Bartimaeus | Gen | 1.5k | Kitty Jones has but a little strength left in her body, and she has decided on this lazy summer's night to spend it on the question which has plagued her for half a century.

March

Second Chances by rootbeer | Teen Wolf | Sterek | 2k | "A lot of times the ‘markings’ were common, simple things you said to strangers all the time. 'Excuse me'; 'thank you'; 'hello'. Some got extremely romantic things like 'it’s you isn’t it? I’ve been waiting for you' or 'Wow you’re really pretty'. And they were always the first words their soulmate would ever say to them.Of course, having 'You are the fucking worst kind of person in the world' tattooed down your side, didn’t bode well.

have your cake and eat it too by keskasi | Naruto | Naruto/Sasuke | 7k | “What’s it like to give a blowjob?” Naruto asks.

Timing it Right by DragonBandit | The Bright Sessions | Mark/Damien | 14k | Damien's gold rises at Whitney. Mark tries to make things right.

April

and maybe you'll find a way to keep me a floating when i can't by LazyBaker | Stranger Things | 3k | Billie’s tough. Nothing but sharp edges with sharper teeth. She’s all bark and all bite.

A thousand by Ever-so-reylo (Ever_So_Reylo) | Star Wars | Reylo | 3k | “I’m going to kill you, now.” The problem is—really, the crux of all of Rey’s problems at the moment—he actually thinks he means it.

He Who Is Made Of Iron by MayContainBlueberries | The Queen’s Thief | Gen, Costis centric | Tea reminds Costis of his childhood.

May

for my wild by vixleonard | GOT | Arya/Gendry | Set post 8x04, Arya tries to find out who Arya Stark is now.

Almost Cool by blacktofade | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Shane/Ryan | 30k | While filming the Yuma Territorial Prison episode, Shane gets bitten by what he thinks is a bat. Spoiler alert: it's not.

Two Worlds Collided by blacktofade | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Shane/Ryan | 10k | There's a new guy at work and Ryan belatedly realizes they've actually already met once before.

Keeping Out the Cold by blacktofade | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | After a strange ghostly encounter, Ryan and Shane begin sharing visions via a telepathic bond. AKA: the In Your Eyes AU that no one asked for.

Bringing Things Together by blacktofade | Buzzfeed Unsolved | 7k | “Look,” Shane says over the phone. “Mistakes were made.”

Pride by astolat | Game of Thrones | Jaime/Cersei/Brienne | 22k Jaime didn’t understand why Cersei suddenly insisted on trimming his hair and shaving his beard, but he also didn’t care to fight her on it, even though he’d just as soon have kept the beard: it was bitterly cold in the small tower room with its arrow-slits. At night, even curled together under the two blankets they’d been allotted, it took the better part of an hour before their bodies could warm the bed enough to sleep.

L'aura è tua messaggera by Rosyredlipstick | PJO | Nico/Will | 9k | Or, how the Stoll Brothers accidentally got Nico di Angelo and Will Solace together.

June

Competition by astolat | GoT | Jaime/Brienne | 11k | Almost the instant Brienne was out of earshot, Bronn turned to Podrick, jerked his head towards Jaime and asked, “Has he fucked her yet?”

Skin and Scales by Ernmark (M_Moonshade) | The Penumbra Podcast | Arum/Rilla/Damien | 17k | The man glares, and this time, Damien is certain it isn’t a trick of the light: those eyes are violet as amethyst. He wears disdain like a second skin–- or, perhaps, like the scales that he is missing.“Lord Arum?”

I will become yours and you will become mine by spiderwebsitar | DBH | Reed900 | 24k | After an argument with his new partner, Gavin Reed wakes up five years in the future married to an android who won’t stop making fucking waffles.

Numerology by Hth | Schitt’s Creek | Patrick/David, Sebastien/David | 20k | Still, it's true that Patrick can have his shy side. He likes to be a gentleman – Mr. Order Whatever You Want I'm Paying and Mr. Here Let Me Fix That For You and Mr. No David Not In the Backseat I Want It to Be Special – so David can't entirely rely on Patrick's willingness to charge forward for the greater good.

someone you like by caela | She-Ra | Adora/Catra | 5k | catwithabat u think ur so hipster but u just look like a lesbian 27m she_ra @catwithabat bc… i’m a lesbian. lmao 5m

Ugly Words and Pretty Things by Ias | The Terror | Crozier/Fitzjames | 4k | There are words for a man like that.

Sands of Time by tirsynni | LoZ | Link/Ganondorf | 97k | Link awakens in the desert with no idea how he got there, to encounter his worst enemy...except it was the King of the Gerudo, not the King of Evil, he faced.

death shall be no more by Ias | The Terror | Fitzjames/Crozier | 5k | "I'd rather we leave our tents behind and sleep two to a sack like the orphans we are, than to leave one man alone with last burdens."

and then redemption by spidermooned (softlyblue) | Marvel | Spiderman & Loki | 7k | "Kid," says Tony Stark wearily, "Please gimme a reason Loki's been spotted talking to Spiderman that isn't 'I wanted to be his friend'. Please. Tell me you can do that."

so many ways to talk about longing by lymricks | Stranger Things | Harringrove | 3.6k | Steve wakes up--in a pool lounger--to Billy Hargrove looming over him. Billy pushes his sunglasses down and Steve thinks sleepily that it must be so that Steve gets the full impact of Billy’s narrow-eyed glare. “Harrington,” Billy says. “We’re fucking closed.”

sun gutters by lymricks | Stranger Things | Harringrove | 5k | Steve can feel Billy’s eyes on him. “You should get here early,” Billy says, casually. “Tomorrow. At six.”

Finders Keepers by blacktofade | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 3k | Ryan wakes with a hangover and an empty bed, and only one of them he expects.

Back Room by forthegreatergood | Good Omens | Aziraphale/Crowley | 5.6k | Aziraphale actually does have quite an extensive collection of pornography in the bookshop. Like most of the questionable things in Aziraphale’s life, it’s Crowley’s fault.

killed with kindness by veterization | Persona 5 | Akechi/Akira | 52k | Goro can't quite figure out why so many people keep acting like they're his friend.

July

On mandated uniforms and workplace entertainment by Thei | Stranger Things | Harringrove | 2k | Robin loves this job. Besides an income, it also provides her with quality entertainment. Especially when she's working with Steve, and Billy Hargrove shows up.

paper thin by sarcasticfishes | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane/Sara | 9k | Shane’s new neighbors are a morning-sex kind of couple.

your love is three times better by sarcasticfishes | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane/Sara | 14k | Ryan grimaces as he types out the words, >It’s Valentine’s Day. Don’t you want to do romance stuff?

you, through half-shut eyes by brawlite | Stranger Things | Harringrove | 8k | Two parts sugary sweet summer vibes, one part snarky instagram stories, and three parts mutual pining.

damn.nation, now available on itunes by antistar_e (kaikamahine) | Good Omens | Crowley/Aziraphale | 11k | When lowly tempt-pusher Amphora (formerly of Stairwell 7B North, before she Fell,) gets the notice that end times are nigh, she gleefully quits her job and cancels her Netflix subscription and takes her place among the legions of hell.This, it turns out, was a bad plan.

The Dragon and Her Wolves by hapakitsune | Game of Thrones | Sansa/Dany/Jon | 60k | When the truth of Jon's birthright is revealed, control of the North and Daenerys's claim to the Iron Throne are both called into question. To preserve their tenuous alliance and secure her rule, Daenerys puts aside her personal feelings to arrange a marriage of political convenience between Jon and Sansa Stark.

Bonded by softestpunk | The Witcher | Emiel/Geralt | 13k | Regis is punished for Dettlaff's assumed death, Geralt comes to the rescue, and the two of them gain something neither of them would ever have dared hope for.

Something We Were Withholding Made Us Weak by triedunture | Good Omens | Aziraphale/Crowley | 17k | "Yes, exactly. Retire." Aziraphale reaches for the last remaining tartlet brimming with summer berries. "Somewhere along the south coast, perhaps."

something happens and i'm by brawlite | Stranger Things | Harringrove | 10k | Billy loves his job as at the Hawkins Community Pool. It's even better now that Steve Harrington's a lifeguard, too.

break up with your girlfriend ('cause i'm bored) by thecopperkid | Stranger Things | Harringrove | 15k | @umissedconnections: Bambi eyes. m4m. i was rippin cigs in the sae p-lot. u made urself puke 2 make room 4 more beer. incredible? ur my hero PLS say ur into guys

I’m Gonna Keep You in Love with Me (for a While) by beethechange | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 22k | “Okay,” Shane says finally. “Okay. Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re just going to—we’re going to be married. The only way out is through.”“Um,” Ryan says, because this plan strikes him as counterproductive to their shared goal of not being married.

YELLOW SQUARE by dejavu (suggcest) | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 16k | “Since being the scene of those two, grisly double homicides in the early 1950’s, the Bringle House Bed and Breakfast has sat empty, waiting for the next couple stupid enough to try to stay all four nights.”

darling it's a faded notion by varnes | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 28k | Ryan and Shane get cursed by a ghost, and now they can't be not-touching. It's ... not great.

Things That Go Bump in the Night (and 7 till 12 at weekends) by HoopyFrood | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 4k | Shane works at a Haunted House. Ryan is Ryan. Things go about as well as you'd imagine.

Everything's Weird and We're Always in Danger by beethechange | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 15k | “It won’t go away,” Ryan says miserably. “I’ve been like this since we got here, basically, and it won’t fucking—”

Muscles Better and Nerves More by beethechange | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Shane/Ryan | 26k | “I’m serious,” Ryan says. “Don’t go fucking up my body. I want that shit back in the same condition I left it.”

DELIGHTFUL FANVIDS

January

(Marvel) Avengers | True North

A Sad Man With A Box

►Dance to 2018

Collab Parts (2016-2018)

just a machine? [Detroit: Become Human] *HBD Pteryx*

【Detroit｜Become Human】Way Down We Go

She-Ra AMV | I'm Just Your Problem (Catradora)

multifandom || 2018 (the way I remember it)

Detroit: Become Human || Paralyzed

in the end | connor & hank | detroit: become human

BELIEVER - Connor ( Detroit:Become Human ) GMV

who are you? | Connor | Detroit: Become Human

Detroit Become Human - Connor ~ Blood in the Water

Connor - I'm So Sorry by Imagine Dragons [Detroit: Become Human] GMV

» whatever it takes (connor; detroit become human gmv)

Detroit: Become Human / Connor and Hank / Uptown Funk

Would You Kill?| Connor RK800 [Detroit: Become Human]

Rude Boy | Connor | Detroit: Become Human

hold on | connor & hank | detroit: become human

Interstellar | STAY

sabrina spellman *:･ﾟ✧ [look what u made me do]

Stranger Things || Blood in the Water

February

(GoT) Margaery Tyrell || The Queen

Kingdom Hearts 3 EPIC AMV/GMV - Part of the Journey is the End

My Hero Academia AMV - The Greatest Show

Endgame | The Man Who Killed The Avengers

MARVEL || Not Today

March

Marvel/DC || FRICTION

Luke & Nell || There's no without

MARVEL || Blood On ME

What is a STORY?

TUA | Swallow Us

(SW) Obi-Wan Kenobi | Whispers of the Past

Quentin & Eliot || Beautiful nothing

queliot; peaches + plums

Way Down We Go | Red Dead Redemption 2

Marvel || Together

steve x bucky || answer

part to act on [Harry Potter]

April

marvel || supercharged

(Marvel) Avengers || The Big Three -- Iron Man/Thor /Captain America

Guardians of the Galaxy

CAOS || Welcome To The Jungle

Marvel || Rise or Fall

Avengers | Sacrifice [4K]

(Marvel) Tony Stark | I love you 3000

May

(Marvel) Captain America || I Stand Alone

(GoT) Daenerys Targaryen | See What I've Become

Ser Jaime Lannister

Arya & Sandor // Thank You [+8x05]

Kingdom hearts 3 |Dearly Beloved| AMV |

June

(GoT) Cersei Lannister || The Queen Of The Seven Kingdoms

(GoT) The Dragons || They're My Children

(GoT) Melisandre || A Champion Of Light And Life

Bioshock & Infinite - Never The End (Epic and Beautiful Fanmade Video)

Bioshock Infinite : Constants and Variables : Music video/Tribute

Crowley & Aziraphale ][ Don’t Stop Me Now || Good Omens

Crowley ][ Rebel Just For Kicks || Good Omens

i'm the bad guy | villanelle.

mission accomplished • connor RK800

The Haunting of Hill House || Empty hands

Mad World ✘ The Umbrella Academy

July

(GoT) Daenerys Targaryen || The Last Dragon

Steve Harrington [Burn The House Down]

max&eleven | my blood.

Billy Hargrove [Bury a Friend]

Max Mayfield [Rebel Just For Kicks]

billy hargrove | gasoline.

Stranger Things | Heroes

✥ STEVE HARRINGTON ✧･ﾟ: * HANDCLAP {+S3}

billy hargrove | lovely.

stranger things 3 | blood in the water.

Steve Harrington; I Need A Hero

Kilgrave ][ Bad Guy

billy&steve [harringrove] || a little death (+s3)

Avengers | Sacrifice [4K]

Stranger Things || Shelter

Kilgrave ][ Rule The World || Jessica Jones

Ben & Rey | What do you see?

Billy Hargrove - RIP to my YOUTH

a thing about life.

(SW) Obi-Wan Kenobi | Whispers of the Past

The Avengers | Unreachable Star

Steve Harrington || Another One Bites the Dust

DELIGHTFUL MUSIC

January

Dark Night - Kara | Philip Sheppard

Carousel - Kara | Phillip Sheppard

They All Look the Same - Connor | Nima Fakhrara

Curse of the I-5 Corridor | Neko Case

Way Down We Go | Kaleo

Gasoline | Halsey

Sleep All Summer | Neko Case

Hold On, Hold On | Neko Case

Dreaming at Daybreak | Ann Licater

Can’t Leave | Whiskey Charmers

Voodoo Mon Amour | Diablo Swing Orchestra

Undo - Transviolet

Xuanzang - Gareth Coker

Almost - Hozier

Movement - Hozier

Dancing in a Room - EZI

Snow Dancer - Antti Martikainen

Burned Out - Dodie

Epic (pt 2) - Anais Mitchell

Mercury - Honey and the Sting

February

Spanish Sahara - Foals

Obstacles - Syd Matters

If You Still Believe - SIE Sound Team

The Expanse - Through Juniper Vale

The Woods - San Fermin

Sophie - The Altogether

Tom Thumb - Bitter Ruin

Wolves of the Revolution - The Arcadian Wild

Mitchell: Epic III - Cast of Hadestown

Hamilton soundtrack

The Spine - Transistor soundtrack

Don’t Think Twice - Utada Hikaru

Face My Fears - Utada Hikaru

Take On Me - Hidden Citizens

Moonlight Sonata - Hidden Citizens

Waves - chloe moriondo

Alligator Teeth - Mother Falcon

We All Become - Darren Korb

Ashes - Bear McCreary

Journey and Transistor soundtracks

March

The Sailor Song - Autoheart

It’s Quiet Uptown - Kelly Clarkson

Fernando - Cher

Dinner & Diatribes - Hozier

The Fly By Night - Taktsugu Muramatsu

Wake Up, Moving On - Kevin Penkin

April

Austin Wintory Radio

Resurrections - Lena Raine

Fight For You - Hidden Citizens

Mine - BazziIn the Flame - Darren Korb

Paper Boats - Darren Korb

May

Thedas Love Them - Trevor Morris

The Dawn Will Come - Trevor Morris

King - Blue October

Lemonworld - Ocean Alley

Still Feel - Half Alive

Carry On - Kygo

Longshot - Catfish and the Bottlemen

Call Off Your Ghost - Dessa

Sucker - Jonas Brother

Power Over Me - Dermot Kennedy

A Hole In the Earth - Daughter

Lunatic Fringe - red Rider

June

Ummah Oum - Kaya Project

The Fortress - Kaya Project

Good Omens Opening Title - David Arnold

A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square - Tori Amos

A Future for the Krogan - Christopher Lennertz

Ганджу - brain tumor

last piece | Lykke Li

Bite - Charlie Cunningham

Wait For Me - Hadestown

Nightmare - Halsey

Kaya Project albums!!!

Birds - Imagine Dragons

Crazy - Patsy Cline

Can’t Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley

in waves playlist

July

in waves playlist

Rime soundtrack

2017 soundtrack

bury a friend - billie eilish

bored - billie eilish

the seed - aurora

how do you - elderbrook

quicksand - x ambassadors

what’s up danger - blackway

bad guy - billie eilish

sunflower - post malone

scared of the dark - lil wayne

elevate - dj khalil

be still, my tongue - snorri hallgrimsson

dark matter - les friction

must’ve been - chromeo

magnets - disclosure, lorde

secrets - the weeknd

feels like summer - childish gambino

the hunter’s mark - erutan

johanna in space - stephaen sondheim

POSTED FIC

January

N/A

February

children of dust and ash | Bartimaeus | Bartimaeus/Kitty(/Nathaniel) | 1,801 words | Kitty summons Bartimaeus on a chilly fall day in her thirty-eighth year.

March

sweet music playing in the dark | DBH | 1,102 words | “I noticed some time ago that you seem to have an appreciation for jazz.” Connor pauses, his fingers hesitating over an old Billie Holiday album. “I’d wondered if that meant you enjoyed dancing as well.”

April

N/A

May

Radio Ga Ga | Stranger Things | Harringrove | 1,143 words | There’s always another party in Hawkins, Indiana. It would be almost boring if it weren’t for Steve Harrington.

June

Sunlight | Marvel | Loki/Thor | 765 words | They aren’t quite out of the solar system when Loki appears at the arm of Thor’s chair, hair shorn short and a furious snarl on his face.

July

like the bough of a willow tree | Detroit Become Human | Hank/Connor | 1,214 words | There’s a human lost in his woods.

knocking on heaven's door | Stranger Things | Harringrove | 1,748 words | “Just, get in the fucking car. I’ll drive you home.” Billy looked at him, very seriously, and said, “What if I don’t want to go home?”

WIPS | UNPUBLISHED | ORIGINAL

January

like the bough of a willow tree | DBH | Hank/Connor | 1,286 words | There’s a human lost in his woods. Fae!Connor

hankcon valentine’s exchange fic | DBH | Hank/Connor | 985 words | slow dancing and kisses in the dark basically

February

N/A

March

N/A

April

Sunlight | Avengers | Loki/Thor | 746 words | They aren’t quite out of the solar system when Loki appears at the arm of Thor’s chair, hair shorn short and a furious snarl on his face.

May

N/A

June

Untitled Original | Ghost + rain | 817 words

July

Reverse BB | 5.6k

FANMIXES/GRAPHICS

January

N/A

February

N/A

March

June

in waves playlist

#heather says what #scrapbook

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mavda · 7 years ago

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Melted

Ch.1 | Ch.2 | Ch.3 | Ch.4 | Ch.5 | Ch.6 | Ch.7 | Ch.8 | Ch.9 | Ch.10 | Ch.11 | Ch. 12 | Ch.13 | Ch.14 |

Ch.15: Going back

Illia tried to clear her mind. It was rather difficult, worrying had been part of her since she had been a child. She worried about her father, about Link, about the children, about the village. It felt natural, and it had been easy. Her father had given in after her mother's death, if Illia voiced an opinion it was immediately heeded. The children saw her as a caring and scary big sister, they loved and feared Illia enough to follow her orders. The village saw her as the Mayor's daughter, always thinking about the village, always working for their betterment, they loved Illia as much as she loved Ordon.

But Link had always given her headaches. Lonely, proud, resourceful, sly. He wouldn't go to her if he was troubled, he wouldn't ask for advices, he wouldn't ask for help, he wouldn't let her worry. He only went to her after he was beaten, or he had failed, or he had realized that he needed someone else for his plan to work.

Illia felt the cold water of the spring as she moved around Epona. Manual work cleared her mind, brushing Epona had always been a peaceful and relaxing time. But now she couldn't help but remember that Link was leaving.

Illia could only hope that he didn't come back defeated.

Illia asked Epona to bring him unharmed, or at least alive. She tried to remind herself that Link was an adventurer, the most prepared person to face the outside world. He had saved the world, for Hylia's sake. But all Illia could see was his dirty, tattered clothes as he ran up to her, screaming that he had finally been able to control an Ordon goat.

Epona nudged Illia. They had been away for too long now, even Epona could get tired of being pampered. Illia let the brush fall and shrugged. Link had replaced all of his silences with silly talks and naive questions. He had, by all means, stopped his self-imposed silence, but now Illia had the urge to shut his mouth.

He was saying nothing. He talked and talked. And he said nothing.

He hadn't recovered. His nightmares persisted, loud noises woud startle him, he would train day in and day out, and the mention of even the tiniest of nuisance would make Link grab his sword and take care of the problem immediately.

Illia could also sense his eagerness to leave. Nothing too over the top, it just wasn't his style. But he had made sure to prepare his gear, resupply his stock, leave Illia in charge of his house, and made sure that Uli accepted the money he had given her, even though it had been a hundred rupees more than what Uli would need.

Illia had laughed about his preparations, asked him if he really meant it when he had promised to come back for his birthday.

Link had looked at her, almost pained, "Of course I meant it, I'm coming back," and Illia had shut her mouth.

Link had never lied before.

Epona neighed, and Illia started the way back to Link's home. It was no use worrying when the other person didn't want to share his troubles. I was just no use.

If Illia kept on pressing him to share his troubles, she would only end up being the last person he would trust to tell said problems. It was like starting a frienship from scratch.

Illia heard laughs before she could see Link's house. Beth, Colin and Talo were trying to poke Link with wooden swords.

Trying.

Link moved with grace and blocked every move that looked as if it had a chance to succeed. He tickled them whenever they got close to him.

He was smiling. Laughing.

When Illia came into Link's field of view, he blocked Talo's sword with his hand - while Talo whined that that wasn't fair -, and let himself fall, arms raised.

"I yield!"

"No, you don't!" Beth flung herself at his neck.

Colin and Talo started to celebrate their victory, hands in the air and dancing around Link.

Link rose with Beth on his arms and thanked Illia for taking care of Epona. The boys went around tidying up, they had been all invited to Uli's to have lunch. Before they could take the road that led to the village, Talo started to run towards it, making fun of Colin and Beth. Beth wiggled out of Link's arms and started to run after Talo, screaming at him to treat her like a lady. Colin looked vexed, and looked at Link as if to ask for advise. Link's smile was all he needed, and he went after his friends screaming for them to wait for him.

Link wiped the sweat off his forehead and muttered something about being left with leftovers. Illia got in pace with him.

"Nervous?" asked Illia. They had been talking about nothing else but Link's journey to the Castle.

Link shrugged, "Halfway there, should I be?"

Illia cocked her head, "I mean, you are friends with the princess of Hyrule, so I don't think you should be that worried? But then again, you are friends with the princess of Hyrule, which means that you should be."

Link smirked, "Yeah, exactly, I don't know how to feel."

"But you are happy."

Link huffed, "Guess so."

"Guess so," Illia mocked, "you are brimming with excitement, Link, don't lie."

"Fine. I'm eager, nervous, and positively excited."

Illia hummed, "Can I know why?"

Link remembered the cloaked figure he met as a wolf; Midna's horrified expression as she realized Zelda had given her her light; the dread that had filled his guts when Zelda had attacked him; the rage that overtook him when he realized Ganondorf had possessed her body; the tear Zelda had tried to clear away before he saw it when Midna had shattered the Mirror of Twilight.

"The princess of Hyrule wants to honor my work by rewarding me with a title and land, I'm a little bit proud."

Illia laughed, "A little bit proud, you are hilarious. Be proud, I'm fighting with myself here, a little. Sure, I don't want you to look dumb so I'd advise you to not engage too much with them, but then again, if they're mean and dumb, be as obnoxious as you can and have Zelda protect you, I don't know. Don't let them trample over you, that's all."

"Careful there, I might take it to heart," but Illia was still laughing with worry filling her face, "Illia, don't worry, if I have to punch someone in the face, I will. What will they have me do? Exile me? We kind of live in exile."

It was meant to be a joke, as they lived in the farthest place from the Castle, but Illia grabbed her arm in silence, and Link let out a breath.

"If you can't get used to life there, there is no shame in coming back," Illia said.

"I know."

"If you feel burdened, or sad, overwhelmed, or, or-"

"I'll come back, promise," Link bit down his 'It's only a month, Illia' because it was a serious issue for her. And there was no way in the Sacred Realm he was going to tell her that he was going there even if some nobles were to make fun of him because all he wanted was to see Zelda.

Illia looked at him, "I'm serious, Link, you have done more than enough."

Link snickered, "Thanks. And, uhm," he scratched his nose, "It's not that I don't appreciate what you're saying, It's just-"

"That you feel you can do more, I know. You are too good for this world."

He nodded, not too sure about that.

"Link, what you did made a difference. You saved countless lives, a kingdom. Princess Zelda knows it, too."

He shrugged.

"Link, the world is not your burden to carry."

"I know."

Link found it hard to tell Uli that his nightmares were still happening. He found it hard to accept that even though he had tried to help himself, he had failed. Link knew, with the same sixth sense that Uli had for him, that Uli was three steps away to ask him the question Link had come to dread.

Step one had been Uli giving birth to Lily, it was as if the baby had heightened Uli's senses. Link would be playing with Colin and he would feel Uli's eyes on him, and then he would laugh too hard, or worry too much over Colin, be too conscious of himself. He would feel chills run down his spine, because she knew. Uli knew.

Step two had been Link not asking more questions about his childhood, and forgetting about his nightmares. Too many smiles, too much talking filled with nothing. Too much of taking care of Lily just as an excuse to get away from Uli's glares.

Step three had been Illia's concerned look, again. And Link smiling and filling the silences with innocent questions. Sure, he wasn't clamming up now, but the only thing that had changed was his way of covering his pain.

So when Uli sat down next to him after the meal was over, and she stayed there in silence, even though he was still chewing, Link knew this was it.

It was coming.

"What are you so scared of?"

And he had to make an answer about what she meant, and about how he didn't really understand her question.

He left with smiles and hugs and promises to Uli he wasn't sure he could really keep up.

He was terrified to put his burdens on his family.

He was terrified they would realize he was not the same as before.

Zelda... Zelda... Zelda could take care of it.

He had little luggage.

"Link, are you sure you are all set?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Illia gave him a look, "Well, sir," she marked the word, "I think you are a little underbaggaged."

Link snorted, "No, really, I'm all set. It's only a week? At most a month if Zelda wants me there longer," he patted his bags, "necessities only."

Illia sighed, "First, Link, please refrain from calling princess Zelda Eugenia Harkinian Hyrule by her given name alone," Link scrunched his face, mumbled an apology, "and also, I know you'll be there for a short period of time, but really?" Illia eyed his bags with worry.

"Come on, I can take care of myself. I travelled long and wide, and I'm alive."

"Yeah, well, I have come to question how you did it."

Link raised a finger, "Careful, missy, I may forget to bring presents your way."

Illia swatted his finger away and smiled, "Be careful."

"You too."

She sticked out her tongue, "It's not me who's going into the wolf's mouth."

"So dramatic. I'm going there as a guest of honor, they'll ruin their reputations by disrespecting me."

Illia shook her head, "Make sure to bring me a gift, you doofus."

He mounted Epona, nodded to Illia.

"See you later."

She waved to him till she could no longer see his back.

#the legend of zelda #twilight princess #fanfic #zelink #melted #ch.15

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jcsiess · 5 years ago

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josie — face that launch'd a thousand ships;

( cis woman | she/her | lucy boynton ) —— isn’t that JOSEPHINE FITZROY-HOWARD? yeah that is them outside the three broomsticks! they used to be in SLYTHERIN but apparently they now work as SECRETARY TO RODOLPHUS LESTRANGE at the WIZENGAMOT ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES. sybill once said that they reminded her of a head bent in prayer as you say your rosary each night before bed even though it feels hopeless, mother’s pearls clinging to your neck like her hopes and dreams, blood red lips and soot black eyeline, a girl so desperate to belong she’d kill her true self for the whisper of it, champagne bottles overflowing but they never stop pouring, a life spent it long rooms and draughty castles, a pretty mouth but hideous words, selling someone else’s life not for coins but for the life you deserve. anyway i’ve heard they’re still a bit SELFISH, DILIGENT and MACHIAVELLIAN, they’re TWENTY ONE now but some things never change! i wonder how being a MUGGLEBORN is affecting them after hogwarts, especially now they’re an AGENT with THE DEATH EATERS? i guess only time will tell… —— [ mhairi : gmt : 20 : she/they ]

→ NAME: josephine zelda marcia fitzroy-howard → NICKNAMES: josie → AGE / D.O.B.: 24 / 31st December 1952 → SPECIES: muggleborn witch → GENDER / PRONOUNS: cis woman / she&her → SEXUALITY: pansexual biromantic

FAMILY → PARENTS: arthur fitzroy-howard & marcia seymour → SIBLINGS: henry, 30. edward, 26. thomas, 21. richard, 19. georgiana, 17. → PETS: lucrezia, snowy owl

LIFESTYLE → BORN: arundel castle, england → RAISED: arundel castle, england → CURRENT RESIDENCE: hogwarts castle / arundel castle → NATIONALITY: english → SPOKEN LANGUAGES: english, french → OCCUPATION: wizengamot secretary to rodolphus lestrange / death eater agent → DRINK | SMOKE | DRUGS: yes / yes / rarely → RELIGION: catholic

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES → FACE CLAIM: adelaide kane → ETHNICITY: white → HEIGHT: 5ft. 3in. → WEIGHT: 110lbs → BUILD: petite and slim → HAIR: blonde with a slight wave, bobbed → EYE COLOR: blue → DOMINANT HAND: ambidextrous, with slight preference for her right → SCENT: sugared almonds, cherry, and vanilla → ACCENT: ‘the queen’s english’ received pronunciation → NERVOUS HABITS: tucking her hair behind her ears

CHARACTER → MORAL ALIGNMENT: neutral evil → MBTI: estj → WESTERN ZODIAC: capricorn sun, leo moon, libra rising → CHINESE ZODIAC: monkey → TAROT CARD: the devil → ARCHETYPE: the ruler → SONG: take me to church - hozier

MAGIC → WAND: redwood, phoenix tail feather, 9&¾ inches, inflexible → PATRONUS: raven → BOGGART: her secrets being discovered

BIO

Josephine Fitzroy-Howard was never an ordinary child. Daughter of the Duke of Norfolk she’d been set apart from her peers the moment she was born, the first and (though it wouldn’t be known for a few years) only daughter, she lived life with a silver spoon in her mouth. Doted on by a devoted father, adored by a loving mother and cherished by the nannies that actually raised her, no one quite picked up on the oddities that surrounded the little Lady Josie.

A charmer by age three, she had a smile for everyone, a way of wrapping them around chubby baby fingers before she even realised what she was doing. Dark eyes, so full of mirth and life and charm. But behind those dark eyes was a mind, always watching, always listening, always learning. Academic but not obsessively, her talents where more tuned towards practicality, ready smiles and a melodic voice charming her way into people's hearts.

Perhaps it was her charms that kept her magic from being discovered for so long? After all they lived in such a drafty old castle, and she had four mischievous brothers, ghosts where more likely than magic. But it was magic and little Lady Josie was a witch.

Entering Hogwarts turned Josie’s life on it’s head, she went from the top of the food chain to the very bottom. A muggleborn, a muggleborn slytherin. She had a long climb ahead of her if she wanted to get anywhere near her former heights but she didn’t let the climb put her off. She started small, charming those that were open to it, becoming invaluable to those who were less so.

It might mean little to most in the wizarding world but a title? That was something that hadn’t been in Slug Club before and through her membership there Josie charmed her way into prefect and eventually on to head girl.

Building herself up by molding herself into what others, wanted, needed or desired, it’d be easy for someone in Josie’s position to lose their sense of self, but Josie’s self has always been power, it’s always been being charming. Her climb to the top was little more than a journey of self discovery.

Graduation could’ve been another up turn for her life but Josie had learned all she could of this new world in the seven short years she’d been a part of it. Learned and fell in love, the power she could have in the muggle world was nothing compared to the power she could wield here. A realist, not a dreamer, she knew it’d be hard, knew it wouldn’t be any kind of open power but she’d always been open to being the power behind a throne, a very important cog high up in the machine. And she new the power of being underestimated.

Josie became Josephine as she entered the Wizengamot Administrative Services and, with better maths and english skills than your average wix (thank you A-Levels) she became invaluable.

You’d think a with muggleborn like Josephine her side in the war would be clear but the issue is a touch more murky than first meets the eye. While for all intents and purposes Josephine appears neutral she actually works for the death eaters. A spy in a sense. After all, who would think a muggleborn would side with he-who-must-not-be-named, why would you-know-who allow a muggleborn to join? Josephine wouldn’t answer, not seriously, in part because she’s not sure why she’s been allowed, but with a smirk she’d say “fitzroy, descended from royalty”

#❪ ⋅ ◆ ⋆ — the greenest grass on the other side┊❛ development ❜ ❫#JOSIE

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yahooben · 8 years ago

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'Mass Effect: Andromeda' review: A sprawling space drama that struggles to stay on target

‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’ invites you to strap in for another space opera.

“Space is big,” beloved author and interdimensional traveler Douglass Adams noted in his seminal towel-seller, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” “You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big,” he wrote, hammering home the point that when it comes to bigness, even our new president has nothing on the universe.

That size presents quite a challenge to game makers, but few have hacked away at the quandary with as much gusto as developer Bioware. The team behind the blockbuster “Mass Effect” trilogy managed to capture the epic scope of the big unknown while keeping our eyes trained on the intimate interactions between characters, a space opera in its truest — and, in terms of video games, among its best — form. So when they announced a return to their beautifully realized universe with “Mass Effect: Andromeda” ($60 for Xbox One, PS4, PC), we all got very excited indeed.

But a great deal has happened since 2012’s “Mass Effect 3” simultaneously wowed and enraged gamers; namely, “The Witcher 3,” “Fallout 4,” Bioware’s own “Dragon Age: Inquisition” and a host of other genre-blending RPGs (you could arguably toss recent greats “Horizon: Zero Dawn” and “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” into that mix, too). Big-budget role-playing games have blossomed in the past five years.

‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’ has the makings of a great game, but misses the mark with a number of missteps.

And unfortunately, “Mass Effect: Andromeda” picked up some unwelcome visitors on its long journey to your gaming machine. Though it has some stellar moments, “Andromeda” tries to cram too many ideas into one package, turning its obsession with the bigness of space into a crutch for uncharacteristically shoddy workmanship.

The (next) final frontier

To answer your most obvious question: no, you do not need to have played the prior “Mass Effect” games to understand what the hell is happening here. “Andromeda” tells a self-contained story featuring entirely new characters, planets and star systems, though references to elements from the original trilogy (the Citadel, the Geth, Spectre, etc.) do occasionally pop up.

The game is set roughly 600 years after the events of the original trilogy. Just as things were heating up in the Milky Way (around the “Mass Effect 2” timeframe), several giant Ark ships were launched towards the faraway heart of the Andromeda galaxy. Snuggled in cryo beds and dreaming of a new life, the adventurous souls aboard these vessels were hoping to discover habitable new worlds and plant some flags.

‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’ sees you exploring the Andromeda galaxy for a new home. But – spoiler alert – things go very wrong.

Naturally, things go sideways. You play as either Scott or Sara Ryder, a twin thrust into the role of ‘Pathfinder’ and tasked with guiding a ragtag group of aliens in a quest to find a new home. It’s all pretty standard sci-fi stuff — a bite of “Star Trek,” a nibble of “Battlestar” — but Bioware crafts a well-told tale that rises above its derivative vibe to keep you, um, engaged throughout.

Mostly, that’s done though a tweaked version of the branching narrative structure Bioware is known for. Conversation options have expanded beyond the binary Paragon/Renegade of prior games, adding flexibility and giving you a bit more agency over your particular Ryder. Despite some nasty bad guys and extremely high stakes, it’s also significantly more lighthearted than the trilogy’s dour doomsday scenario. Regardless of how you play Ryder, he (or she) is quick to joke and seems intent on keeping the joy of discovery intact.

The dialogue system isn’t as thrilling as it used to be, however. Other franchises have taken the cue and built branching narratives with greater emotional value. “The Witcher 3,” “Life is Strange” — heck, the entire Telltale Games catalog (whose Season 1 of “The Walking Dead” bested “Mass Effect 3” in most 2012 Game of the Year Awards) have pushed the envelope of branching narrative design, making each choice feel impactful. Though your tone changes based on your responses in “Andromeda,” Ryder’s playful, at time snarky attitude takes some of the gravitas out of the decision-making. You rarely break a sweat.

‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’s’ dialogue system lacks the kind of gravitas that makes games like ‘The Witcher 3’ so addictive and powerful.

Still, developing relationships, opening/closing paths, trying to get busy with a blue lady — it’s all here, and thanks to an interesting story, likable characters and great voicework by both male and female Ryders, “Andromeda” does a convincing job of turning you into Captain Kirk.

A downright uncanny job, you might say.

Valley of the Dolls

Unless you’ve been avoiding the internet for the last week, you’ve likely caught wind that gamers are, to put it mildly, displeased with the “Andromeda’s” animations, particularly its facial close-ups. And, well, yeah, the facial animations aren’t great. The game doesn’t just glide over the uncanny valley, it builds a big space house and moves right in.

I typically don’t put too much stock in this; plenty of outstanding games are kind of ugly up close (I’m looking into your lifeless eyes, “Fallout 4”). What makes it so rough here is the amount of time you spend staring at close-ups. A good third of the game is spent chatting with people and developing relationships, but when they look like broken robots, it breaks the spell. About halfway through the game, my Ryder inexplicably developed two wicked lazy eyes that lasted for a good 10 hours.

‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’s’ human characters look like dead-eyed androids.

Perhaps the increased power of modern consoles/PCs (I played on PS4) is the culprit — as the theory goes, the closer you get to reality, the deeper the valley. But as ugly as it gets for humankind, the power leads to some amazing aliens. The brutish, dinosaur-like Krogans have never looked better, and jittery eyes and smooth skin give the amphibious Salerians incredible life. I relished every chance to chat with non-humans, both to bask in Bioware’s great work and as a respite from the mannequin onslaught.

This sort of uneven delivery extends to the rest of the game’s graphics. The art design is triumphant – Issac Asimov would commend the look and feel of the game’s colorful terrain, sweeping interstellar views and massive starships – but technical glitches abound. Flickering textures are common, load times are excessive and occasional pop-in mars the stunning planetside vistas. These sorts of glitches aren’t game-breaking, but they speak to a project struggling to bear its own weight.

Humans might not look good in ‘Mass Effect: Andromeda,’ but the aliens are gorgeous.

Galaxy quest

And make no mistake: “Andromeda’s” scope is massive.

Much of the game takes place on explorable planets that are significantly bigger than the regions found in “Dragon Age: Inquisition.” You can spend hours scouring the nooks and crannies of each location from the comfort of your Nomad rover. And as you find ways to make life more hospitable, the areas open up even further.

‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’s’ worlds are vast and beautiful.

A star map gives you free reign to explore the Heleus cluster of the Andromeda galaxy. You can only land on and explore a handful of planets, but you rarely feel hemmed in, and the desire to build outposts pushes you to approach Andromeda like a real pioneer. It’s a good hook.

But this goal is quickly buried beneath a ridiculous number of less essential Things to Do. Some are classic “Mass Effect” – your shipmates have needs, and if you want to unlock their highest-level abilities or get them into bed (perv), you’ll need to attend to those — but you pick up other, seemingly unwanted side quests with alarming ease.

Checking in on an outpost? Be careful who you talk to, because apparently every single life form in the galaxy is incapable of handling their own business. Even if they don’t have a gigantic exclamation point on their head, they’ll probably ask you to shuttle something somewhere or look into a mild, pointless drama. And you’ll feel pressed to track down every one, because you never know which insignificant-sounding rabbit hole will yield some legit XP or loot.

‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’ piles on the quests like every other RPG, but organizes them poorly.

This is fairly common to RPGs, but “Andromeda’s” flood of quests is compounded by terrible quest tracking. A Journal ostensibly keeps tabs on them, but inexplicably lists them based on where you picked them up rather than where they are located in the world. It’s a crazy way to organize quests; land on a planet and you’ll have to either scour dots on the map or rummage through your Journal to figure out what, if anything, you’re supposed to do there.

This alone drove me nuts. I may be a real-world organizational disaster (I am a writer, after all) but this is definitely a trait I don’t want to carry into my sci-fi power fantasy.

Laser tag

On the other hand, I did get to carry lots of guns. And this is one area where “Andromeda” really fixes something.

The game does a fine job of improving and even amping up “Mass Effect’s” combat. Jump jets and a handy dash make you far more maneuverable, which is a boon since you contend with enemies in open-world locations. Skills and proficiencies can totally alter the way you play. Focus on Combat to be a Rambo, invest in Biotics to be a Jedi, stick with Tech to hurl fire and ice, or spread the wealth and be a bit of each. Deep but approachable, the system serves as a solid backend for the on-the-field action.

If there’s one thing Bioware improved for ‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’ it’s the game’s combat.

I forgot exactly how shooty “Mass Effect” was, and once you get used to the fact that you’re not playing a game quite as refined as the “Halos” and “Horizons” it attempts to ape, it falls into a pleasant rhythm. Nice touches abound, like jumping and pausing in the air for a few seconds while aiming down your sights. Experimenting with different abilities is also a snap thanks to a handy respec option, quelling the FOMO that rules most games that force to to stick with one class. It’s flexible and fun. Bioware upped their game here, for sure.

But it isn’t perfect. The wide-open universe only yields a handful of enemy types, and none of them are particularly exciting. You have little control over your two fellow squadmates, and the weak enemy A.I. means you never need to think strategically when deciding which companions to bring into battle. I mostly stuck with the Krogan warrior because he looks cool. A baffling “auto” cover system claims that you just need to move close to an object with your gun drawn to hide behind it, but it doesn’t work very well. It just ends up getting you shot a lot, even when you think you’re safe.

You want jump jets? You’ve got jump jets.

Systems overload

“Andromeda” just doesn’t know when to quit, layering on screen after screen and system after system to make even the simplest task, like equipping a hot new weapon, painstaking.

Find a gun? You’ll need to head back up to your ship or find a “forward station” to switch your loadout, because, well, who knows. Tiny, uniform iconography turns inventory management into a slog. You know the thrill of finding and ogling a gorgeous, exciting new rifle in “Destiny?” That ain’t here.

Scanning planets for resources takes forever due to pretty but infuriatingly slow pans and zooms. Tracking down a specific resource to, for instance, craft a new helmet, is a total crapshoot. Bioware’s focus on the big picture has left a surprising number of holes in its basic RPG foundation.

They even tossed in co-op multiplayer, because it’s 2017 and I think that’s required by law now. “Mass Effect 3” toyed with this and it returns largely unchanged, as you and some pals clear out waves of increasingly stubborn baddies. It’s got its own progression system and offers a decent break from the RPG slog, though considering the core game could take a good 80 hours to complete, I’m not sure anyone needs it.

So do they need “Mass Effect: Andromeda” at all? That’s a tough call. A cool game is buried beneath “Andromeda’s” issues. When the guns are on point and you’ve exploded a Biotic combo, or when the ramifications of some difficult choice made hours ago comes back to haunt you, “Mass Effect: Andromeda” scratches that old space itch. But getting past the technical gaffes and unfriendly interface requires a great deal of patience. Space is big, indeed, but it’s supposed to be fun, too.

Platform reviewed: PS4

What’s hot: Cool story; outpost settling is a good hook; improved maneuverability; deep combat options

What’s not: Technical issues; aggravating interface; seriously uncanny valley; quest quantity over quality; dated feel

More games coverage:

‘Middle-earth: Shadow of War’ lets you lead orcish armies — and destroy them

Nintendo Switch launch games: The must-haves, the maybes and the probably nots

‘For Honor’ review: You’ll need skill to survive this online fighter

‘Horizon: Zero Dawn’ Review: Combat and storytelling shine in spectacular sci-fi epic

The $450 Analogue Nt mini brings new life to old-school NES games

‘Resident Evil 7’ review: It’s a screaming good time

Ben Silverman is on Twitter at ben_silverman.

#gaming #_revsp:yahoofinance.com #Mass Effect #games reviews #_author:Ben Silverman #Mass Effect: Andromeda #video game reviews #Mass Effect: Andromeda review #_lmsid:a077000000BAh3wAAD #reviews #game reviews #_uuid:c94944b9-14e5-3c4f-83e6-5d5367276538 #video games

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heartofhryule · 8 years ago

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Heart of Wisdom - Chapter 8

Chapter 8 - Well... its better. not good yet, but it gets there.

WARNINGS: Suggestive and descriptive adult themes, Teen+ recommended. Contains Hyrule Warriors spoilers and story items. I highly recommend playing the game if you haven’t! It’s complete fluff, but fun fluff…. minus Lana. ______________________________

Heart of Wisdom - a Tale after Hyrule Warriors | Chapter 8 - Snowpeak

It hadn’t been easy, getting their horses and packing without trying to wake the entire castle. It seemed that few had heard Zelda’s cries, and none of Naburoo’s men or woman seemed aware anything was amiss. However to try and keep that the status quo, they’d been very quiet in moving gear and saddling Epona and Volga’s horse. It had been made a mite easier however when Ruto arrived with her servants to help them. Link had thanked her graciously, and Ruto had promised she would handle the Summit and outing Griffin’s assault, and be in touch soon.

The trip there he’d been cold but focused with Zelda at his back and irritated that they were having to make the trip frozen head to toe. Now though, Zelda was in his lap across the saddle as Epona seemed more than happy to find the highest speed she could manage to escape the moblins, despite the steep mountainside pass - And Link was warm. Hot even, still so filled with rage as he was. He was confident he’d be furious enough to keep himself and Zelda warm enough all the way home to Hyrule Castle, and they were only headed to Volga’s keep in Snowpeak.

The ride was easier this go, despite the dead of night - the wind was bitter, but it was no longer storming. Volga and Link pressed their horses on, even after the sun began to rise. Zelda was quiet the entire ride. Link had so hoped she would sleep, but the tension in her body coupled with stolen glances assured him she did not sleep a wink the entire ride. When they stopped to rest the horses, she sat bundled by the small fire, saying little to nothing, and while keeping close to him, something had changed. She was distant, silent and seemed… fragile somehow. It was unlike her, and Link was very, very worried.

When grooming Epona to prepare her to set out again, Volga came up and rest a hand on Link’s shoulder. The Hero jumped a little, having known the Dragonknight approached, but not having expected the contact.

“Forgive me,” Volga said softly. “I merely wished to see how your mind fares.”

“I’m worried about her,” Link said stealing a subtle glance and continuing his ministrations. “I’m worried, and I’m still incensed. I’ve never taken war or death, the act of taking a life lightly. And yet all I can think about is all the tortuous and painful ways I am going to festoon Griffin’s remains from here to the sea and back.”

Volga nodded, having turned to keep an eye on Zelda. She was hunched in her cloak and under a blanket, staring at the tin travel mug in her hands. “I’ve seen it before,” he said softly. “She’s in a kind of shock. I had a cousin who was… fully dishonored by a man in her father’s stable. They sent her to stay with me for a while, to give her a change of scenery whilst they handled the trial and execution of her attacker. She didn’t speak for weeks,” he said shaking his head, an old dark pain in his voice turning Link’s head. “She would never stray far from me, her sense of safety having been shattered. However, neither would she accept comfort. She could not stand to be touched.”

“What happened to her?” Link asked softly.

“She returned to her father to discover the Lord who’d disgraced her and ruined her life had been set free when his father paid off the court. She committed suicide a few days later.” Volga’s teeth ground together, ad the air around him warmed. “When Cia first approached me and gave me the power of Darkness, the first thing I did was kill him, his father and burn their entire village to the ground.”

Link stared at his friend in slight surprise, but he also couldn’t disagree. He did turn to observe Zelda a moment in fear, but Volga’s hand came back to his shoulder. “I tell you that to say this - I understand your anger and her pain. But she has you to help her. You will have to be patient, even when she seems irrationally upset, her mind is her own and not for us to know. She will need to you remain sound. Honor your promises and words. Remember even when she thinks she doesn’t want you, she will need you. And I swear here and now,” he said and held out his hand to grip Link’s arm. When the Hero took it, Volga nodded, “I will give my life to aid your revenge. Griffin or Ganon, you will see his end, and I will help in any and every way I can.”

His eyes intense and grateful, Link gave Volga a serious nod. “Thank you, Volga. You are a good man.”

“No,” the Dragonknight laughed, “I’m not. But I am trying to clean my slate.”

***

When they arrived at Snowpeak it was two days later and mid morning. They were greeted by a platoon of Hyrulean soldiers lead by Impa, to Link’s surprise. Though Zelda hadn’t spoken in a few days, she perked up from where she’d refused to leave Link’s lap when riding. “Impa?” Link said voicing his surprise, coming to a stop in the stone courtyard. Impa reached up to help Zelda down and pulled her into a hug. “If you’re here, who’s watching the palace?” Link asked dismounting.

“An ally,” Impa promised. “One I trust. Are you three alright?” The look Link gave her said they decidedly weren’t, but it was a long story. “I know some of it. Princess Ruto was able to work with the Rito sage and send a missive from the summit. It seems Griffin, the Naburoo woman and their loyals have disappeared.” She continued to look at Link intensely as she held Zelda, and Link understood the unspoken question, giving her a nod.

Griffin was Ganon.

Once they were inside and the horses tended, Link paced outside of Zelda’s room, waiting for Impa to resurface, hoping for news that Zelda had spoke, or requested him… something that was a positive change. He’d not bathed or tended himself, which he might should have, but his mind was spinning around whether or not she was alright.

When Impa did appear, the Hero rushed to meet her. “How is she? Did she say anything?”

Impa’s expression was sympathetic, but she shook her head. “Only that she asked to be alone.” He felt his shoulders fall, his worry compounded that his sweet, injured Zelda wouldn’t even speak to Impa. The General rest a hand on Link’s shoulder. “Give her a little time, Link. Volga said she would not be away from you on the journey. I’m sure she just needs a little space to realign her mind.”

There was a lump in his throat of worry, and a fire in his chest of rage. Giving Impa a curt nod, he looked around helplessly a moment before turning on his heel. “I need to go break something.

The inside courtyard, while covered in a thin layer of snow for the open sky above, had plenty of sturdy training equipment. Volga had said to make himself at home, and so Link did. He spent hours practicing, beating slicing and cutting the stone and wood pillars and dummies. It did little to ease his worry and rage, but it did wonders for depleting him of the energy that fueled those emotions.

By the time Link finally sheathed his sword, it was full dark and he was tired and sore. He’d shed many layers despite the cold, and gathered his things he turned to head to the room Volga had given him. He’d been given this room, as it was next to Zelda’s and shared a conjoining door, that stood closed as a grim reminder his betrothed was suffering and there was nothing he could do.

Gritting his teeth, he dropped his clothes and took the towel that had been left for him, his sword and nothing else as he headed for the bath. He was at least too tired to feel the need to go break anything more, but the sinking feeling in his stomach had returned. He hated feeling useless, and being unable to be with her, to hold and comfort her…

Opening the bath door, steam rolled out. It seemed that Snowpeak was built atop a hot spring, that had been utilized for a few purposes, but a nice, warm bath year round was one of them. Stripping his undertunic, boots and everything else, Link crossed the warm stones and descended the steps down into the water. Resting his sword on the edge, he sank into the water, the spring warmed stones and hot water instantly easing the ache of their days of riding and his self inflicted distraction techniques. It did nothing for the ache in his chest, but he certainly began to feel relaxed. The exhaustion had begun to creep in as well, and before he knew it, The Hero was dozing.

In his dreams, the warm water was from a sunlit lake in which he swam with Zelda, where she was smiling and splashing him, and being the bubbly, smiling ray of light she so often was, and always deserved to be. He was so tired, the dream was vivid and enthralling. Her voice sounded so real…

...Real enough that it startled him awake when he realized it was more real than anything else.

When he came to it was with a flail, and he inhaled some water, sending him into a choking fit. This did serve to wake him up, but also confirm that he’d not dreamed her voice. “Link!” she wailed and suddenly there were hands grabbing his wrist and pulling him back to the edge of the pool and above the water.

Wiping his face and catching his breath, he blinked up to find her worried face looking down on him. “Zelda?” he asked softly. “What’s wrong?”

She was in her robe, and kneeling by the edge. Sliding to sit on her hip she sighed in relief that he was alright, “Nothing. I wished to bathe and found you on your way to drowning, sleepyhead.”

The nickname caused his heart to pang painfully - he remembered it. Not much from their life in the clouds was clear, but it touched his very soul. Remembering Volga’s words of distance, and patience, he rest his elbows on the stone at the edge of the pool and forced himself not to move closer to her. “Well thank you,” he said trying for his normal smirk. “What ever would I do if I didn’t have you to make sure I didn’t drown in my sleep?”

“You’re impossible,” she said softly. She looked exhausted, but he thought he caught the barest hint of a smile on her lips.

But the silence grew, only the gentle sloshing of water on stone breaking the quiet as he watched her and she stared unmoving at the water. Eventually, Link couldn’t bear it anymore. “Would you like me to leave?” he asked, but not unkindly.

For a moment, Link didn’t know what to do\. Zelda didn’t respond, but there was no way she’d not heard him. She didn’t move, didn’t react… nothing. Slowly, her face turned to him, and she shook her head. “No. I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

She stood slowly, and turned to where she’d dropped her towel near his. Undoing the tie of her robe, she let it fall around her and paused. A thousand flaming thoughts went exploding through Link’s mind and had he been a wolf as Midna had known him, his fur would have been on end. Her hair was down and covered anything he might have seen, but even the glimpse of her bare legs was enough to send him into fits. This...was going to be very difficult.

When she turned around, he nearly passed out. She was fully nude and the most beautiful creature he’d ever laid eyes on. He didn’t care what the Hyrulean standard of beauty was, Zelda was perfection, from her porcelain skin to the curve of her hips, and her elegant neck. He was trying so hard to be good, but something caught his eye as she walked closer, eyes on the ground as she made sure not to slip on the wet stone.

There was discoloration over her left breast, and low on her belly - bruises - from where Griffin had abused her. To this point, Link had believed he was too tired to be murderous. He was wrong. Very, very wrong. He could have taken his sword, walked out into the snow nude and destroyed Griffin in one fell slash taking his head if the opportunity had presented itself.

Snapped out of his reverie as she sank down into the pool next to him, Link ached to reach out and take her in his arms. He ached for other reasons, but seeing her skin bruised like that, his other reasons were very much secondary. After a moment of silence in which he watched her relax into the warmth of the bath, Link thought he might explode from the tension coursing through him. Every fiber of his being was thrumming that had nothing to do with the Triforce he possessed.

Zelda had closed her eyes, but Link was so still, she popped one eye open to look at him. He sat there, on the submerged stone bench, trembling with tension and watching her intently. The pang in her chest was immediate, and she was self conscious. Pulling her knees up to her chest, hair floating about her, she had to look away. “Is it that bad?” she asked softly, her tone thick with growing emotion.

Silence.

“What?” he responded finally.

“The bruises. Are they so… hideous that I am not presently desirable to you?”

She had to turn and look at him, for the noise he made was somewhere between a wail, a sneeze, a hiccup and a groan - like he was choking on his own tongue and trying not to. His eyes were wide and Link looked pale as a sheet as if she’d just asked him to drown a kitten.

“NO!” he said coming forward a little bit in the water, but stopping short of touching her. “No.. I just… what he did… Volga had a cousin, and she didn’t want to be touched after… that. And Volga and Impa said be patient, and you wanted to be alone… I…”

Realizing that perhaps he was not disgusted by her damaged appearance, but instead completely at a loss and being sweetly awkward, she reached out a hand and rest it on his chest. She watched as he instantly relaxed. His hand came up to cover hers with a shudder. “Link,” she said softly, hating that tears were again threatening her eyes. She felt as if she’d been crying and weak for days. It was unlike her. “I would like for you to hold me. If that’s alright.”

This time he did whimper, but she was then in his arms, her Hero peppering kisses over her damp hair and all was better with the world. His skin was warm against hers, and the thrill of being bare with him was enough to erase her upsets, though she wasn’t sure how long it would last.

His hands ran up and down her back, and she found it sweet the he was trying so hard to keep his desire from her, holding her close while turning his lap away. Zelda smiled against his shoulder where he held her, her arms coming around him and running over his skin under the water.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” he rumbled against her ear, and she heard the deep tone of desire in his voice. In that moment, Zelda made a decision in which she found true peace.

“You’re sharing my bed tonight,” she said softly. He tensed but his fingers still ran through her hair and caressed her back at the same time.

“That… may not be the best idea just now,” he purred, though he made no effort to move. “I don’t know as I can be a gentleman tonight.”

Pulling her head up from his shoulder enough to meet his eyes, her heart thrilled at the look of love, lust and worry he gave her in return. It was enough to draw a real and broad smile from her for the first time in days.

“What if I don’t want you to be?”

#zelink #legend of zelda #zelda #borderline smut #link #hyrule warriors #hwzelink #fanfiction #fanfic #romance #volga #impa

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aurimeanswind · 8 years ago

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Fearful Endeavors—Sunday Chats (1-29-17)

To Disclose Up Front

So. I’m afraid. It’s a thing I think goes without saying as a very empathetic United States citizen. I’m really, really afraid.

It may seem crass, or tone-deaf, or ignorant, but I don’t genuinely have the energy to enter in the national dialogue against the seemingly facist regime that is beginning to plague my great nation. I have a lot going on in my life, and not a lot of time and resources to compromise in order to assist in this thing I also care greatly for. That may make me a bad person, or at the very least, a worse person than who I could or aspire to be.

I’m aware of that, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry most specifically to the people who are directly affected by this disgusting situation we find ourselves in.

It is not excuse, but as I’ve talked about multiple times before, I have a very overactive sense of self-empathy, and seeing this torment has begun having a very detrimental effect on my personal well-being and health. It is absolutely in no way and excuse, but it is very much the honest reason I find myself shying away from the dialogue and discourse that is plaguing many of my social media feeds, my friends’ conversations, and beyond. I can’t be a part of that, as a selfish, 20-something year old, who wants to make his dream come true, and wants to figure his life out.

I wanted to put this here, up front, as a full reveal of my position, as Sunday Chats is and always has been your peak into my psyche, my well-being, from worst to best, and what my week has been.

This has been my week. I will attempt to keep reading, to keep learning, to keep watching, and stay attentive.

With this said... Onto the game-talk.

Twitter in the gaming space has blown up in a fun way recently from this little piece that’s been making the rounds:

I managed to get over 30 likes when I tweeted this out, and I didn’t want to bog-down my followers with all my replies to this, but I thought it was fun, so why not participate! I did the first 9 of these on Twitter, and here is a link to that thread to see those replies and those first 9:

THREAD

So for my editorial today, and I’ll try and keep this succinct, I am going to do my 10-30. STRAP IN!

30 Likes, 30 Games

#10

Best gameplay is tough. I may ultimately have to give it up Spelunky. But Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix is a close second. With Persona 4 being a close third.

But Spelunky is a game I continue to play and play, not for any particular reason, save for the fact that it plays so damn well.

#11

My current gaming system of choice is the PS4. The Dualshock 4 is maybe my favorite controller ever made, and the system is a comfortable, easy to use and navigate platform with a bunch of great deals and exclusives. Where the Super Nintendo or PS2 are probably my favorite platforms of all time, the PS4 is a comfy go-to right now.

#12

Journey is by no means hard, and is in no way off-putting. It’s beautiful, and simple, and it’s mechanics and gameplay are a great showcase of what video games can do. If I were to say a game of my all-time favorites that everyone could and should play, especially those who have no context for video games as an art form, and what they can accomplish, it’s unquestionably Journey.

#13

A game I’ve played more than five times? Haha, that is actually not a short list.

The big ones, though, would be The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. Played each of those at least six times each. A Link to the Past maybe 12 or so times, to completionist levels of finished. But the big one, because of how much time it is in my life, is Kingdom Hearts 2. I’ve “FULLY FINISHED” that game maybe five or so times, with a couple additional playthroughs on top of that. Love those games

#14

I have multiple desktops on my computer, and for the past quite-a-few months years the first three have been Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5. On my phone Rise Kujikawa also occupies my lock screen, as she has since I first finished P4G in 2013.

#15

Since I can’t play until I finish this

#16

Easily it’s The Last of Us.

#17

This one is actually really hard.

For all of his dumb BS, I do love Xehanort in Kingdom Hearts. He is a great antagonist.

In the same vein, Liquid Snake/Ocelot is right up there from Metal Gear.

But maybe ultimately it’s Duke, from Tales of Vesperia. He is a really great villain, and such a wonderful contrast to Yuri, the protagonist.

#18

Maybe not my #1 favorite but always an inspiration to me and one of my all time heroes:

Samus Aran

#19

Never Not the Normandy

#20

JRPGs

All my anime boys (and girls!)

#21

Persona 4 Golden. Best story, about finding the truth and true friendship along the way.

#22

This one hurts. The biggest for me is easily Alundra 2

The first game was masterful, and it’s sequel had literally nothing to do with it and was a total cash grab on the cult following of the original.

Breaks my heart :(

#23

Plenty of things fit here. I mean, Uncharted 4 or The Last of Us or Witcher 3 could hit here on a technical level, but Journey, Kingdom Hearts, or Tales of Vesperia could also hit in the style department.

Pick your poison.

#24

Does Super Nintendo fall under classic? If so, then A Link to the Past.

If we’re trying to go older and older, than probably Mario Bros or Pac-Man.

Sooner than that, Super Mario Bros 3

#25

Haha, how about all of them. A game I plan on playing is all of them. A few at the top of my mind: Battlefield 1, because people won’t shut up about it. Nier, the original, because I’m really curious about it, and 999, because Nabeshin really loved it.

#26

Persona 4, Mass Effect 1-3, The Witcher 3, The Last of Us (the best of all 4).

#27

Two here:

One, the final battle with Xemnas in Kingdom Hearts 2.

But even bigger is the FIRST FIGHT ON TOP OF A BATTLESHIP FROM METAL GEAR SOLID 4 HOLY SHIT.

The literal definition of “epic” distilled down to a video game scene. Holy shit. The music from all the games. The style changes. My heart is racing just thinking about it.

#28

The Zelda team and Naughty Dog are close behind.

#29

Honestly probably something weird like Dead Space or P.T. I used to hate horror so much, but those two are some of my absolute favorites of the last handful of years. Dead Space is a bit older, sure, but I adore that game.

#30

No words need to be said. Not an original statement, but I stand by it.

Whats on Tap

Resident Evil 7

Hey why don’t you just watch me play this game!

youtube

Loving it so far and I talk about everything I’m loving in that video!

The Division

youtube

Once more you can look so i don’t have to tell you. Got dragged back into this weird nightmare by friends and I’m having a blast.

Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep 0.2 A Fragmentary Passage

Other than having maybe the best worst name ever, HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS

KINGDOM HEARTS 3

I BELIEVE AGAIN

It’s really good.

Tales of Zestiria

This is becoming a bummer of complex, weird emotions.

It really feels like a mostly-misstep for that series, and the open world parts of it are contrived and actively bad.

But I want to finish it. There are cool, interesting parts about it.

Questions

Weird. It’s very physically exhausting, because I have to walk a lot. And I have to drive a lot to get there. And I’m not used to that.

It’s really stressing me out.

I don’t have a lot more to say about it right now, but we’ll see how things develop.

Hi Roger.

Clearly you’re asking the wrong person.

Thank you for your follows.

Love you, brotha.

SO EXCITED.

But seriously, PAX East is my favorite show, as you know Harold. Can’t wait to go again, talk to folks, make some connections, and really work that show again. It’s the only show out of the year I get to work, and it’s a ton of fun.

Heh, well, about that.

I’ve never played Resident Evil 2! Or Resident Evil 3! Or Zero! Or Code Veronica!

I’ve only ever played 4, 5, and about half of 6. I have recently for the first time EVER been playing that Resident Evil 1 remake on PS4, which has been FASCINATING. Resident Evil 7 seems super great so far though!

Uh, to go? Hopefully? I mean, I am going under the assumption that I am approved for my press badge, which is the only way I can make it.

I don’t know who all is going, but I sure hope it’s a bunch of cuties like usual! Right now, myself, Tony, maybe Scott, Jarrett, and Logan Wilkinson are going for IrrationalPassions.com. More stuff on that soon. I know Kaylie is going because she told me so! I really hope Joey Noelle goes. Danny Juarez really wants to go. Trevor Starkey will be there!

Sure we can hang out Xyger.

I personally don’t like pineapple on pizza. But I love pineapple! I’ve had it before and it’s not like I hate it or anything. Like what food you like! Im not a fan of mustard but a whole bunch of people really like that, so people can just like different things and enjoy them and that’s great because it makes us all different and that’s a good thing!

Uhh... I don’t know?

Danny you need to pay all your debts off first. I’m worried about you. Like, on a near constant basis I am worried about Danny Juarez. For sure.

But yeah maybe we can do that sometime. I don’t know. You keep saying “when I come visit” to Vegas and I have no clue when something like that could happen, but we’ll see!

Okay, I think that’s all I have in me, emotionally, for today.

Shoutouts

Shoutouts to all these incredible people that give me hope:

via The New York Times

That’s all I’ve got. I’m gonna go play Kingdom Hearts now byeeeeeee~~!❤️

#sunday chats #video games #gaming #kingdom hearts

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thewhitegoddesshylia · 8 years ago

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Zelink Week Day 1~ The Beat of Your Heart

“Jump into the heat, spinning on our feet In a technicolour beat. You and me, caught up in a dream, in a technicolour beat.“

~ Technicolour Beat by Oh Wonder

“My child, are you feeling alright? You’ve been quiet this whole evening, and you barely even touched your food.“

It was the same year after year, King Daphnes would throw a huge soirée in honor of his daughter’s birthday and he would invite all forms of nobility from far and wide to join in the festivities. Even the common folk who lived in Castle Town would have a little gathering of their own in commemoration of their beloved princess. But despite his best efforts, the King could only watch from afar as his daughter would observe from the sides with a look of longing on her face that only seemed to grow stronger as she grew older.

“You already know the answer to that…” her voice trailed off as Zelda refused to turn her gaze away from the front entrance, her hands clasped firmly together in her lap as if she were silently praying.

Little did everyone know, except for her father and Impa of course, but that was indeed what Zelda was doing. There was only one thing Zelda desired above all else on her birthday, and that was to be reunited with her best friend, and whom she had recently come to realize as the love of her life, Link. But as time dragged on Zelda became aware of the likelihood of his return was fading with each passing day. Rumors had begun to spread throughout Hyrule that the Hero had been lost or even killed in some foreign land where he was last seen searching for his lost companion. Still, Zelda refused to give into her despair and remained confident in the fact that he would keep his promise to come back to her once his quest was finished.

Despite his daughters’ positive outlook on the situation, the King wasn’t so sure he could count on the boys return. Six years was admittedly a long time and anything could have happened to the young lad on his journey. What concerned him even more was that his daughter was now just one year away from being of legal age to ascend the throne, which meant she would soon have to choose a suitor to marry. He knew full well his daughter was capable of ruling the kingdom on her own, her abundance of wisdom surpassing even that of his own though she was still very young. In spite of this, he knew that if his daughter remained unwed other kingdoms would take that as a sign of weakness, which would put Hyrule and it’s people in a very vulnerable state.

As much as it pained Daphnes to put his daughter in such a position, knowing full well just how deep her feelings for Link ran when he had accidentally overheard a conversation between her and Impa about the subject one night, he knew there wasn’t much time left and should anything happen to him in his old age he wanted to have that piece of mind, knowing his daughter’s future was secure.

Daphnes took in a long, deep sigh, causing Zelda to snap out of her trance and shifted her attention towards her father. “Oh Zelda, I know how you must be feeling right now, but you can’t go on like this. I know you don’t want to be here tonight, but what your doing to yourself isn’t healthy. Go out there and mingle with some our guests, it’ll do you some good to socialize with someone other then Impa for a change. Please…that way I can stop worrying about you so much.”

Zelda could tell just how troubled her father was by his downcast expression and the brittle tone of his voice, something which she hadn’t seen or heard since her mother passed away.

Zelda pondered the thought for a second. “I guess you have a point…” she confessed.

In truth, Zelda detested most of the Dukes and Lords she ever has had the displeasure of meeting, knowing that they only saw her as object to help them further their own wealth and status despite their seemingly charming facades. Normally she would have turned the offer down flat, but seeing her father’s dejected appearance, Zelda decided she would make an exception just for this one night.

“Alright father, you win,” she added. As she rose from her seat to make her way towards the dance floor where the rest of her guests where enjoying themselves, Zelda turned around to face her father hoping to lighten up his mood a little with the following comment.

“Don’t get any funny ideas though, this isn’t going to be a common occurrence,” she scolded him playfully while giving him a mischievous smirk, an expression she used to show him all the time when she was younger and constantly trying to sneak off of the castle grounds to go into Castle Town and play.

The King let out a small chuckle in response to his daughter’s witty remark, it was good to see her smiling and looking a little like her old self once again. “No of course not my dear, I wouldn’t dream of it. Just promise me you’ll try to have a good time, it is your party after all."

Zelda gave him a quick nod before resuming her path. Once she was out of her father’s earshot, she let out a quiet sigh, already dreading what was to come next.

"This is going to be a long night…”

After around an hour or so of some trivial mingling and dances, Zelda made her way to some empty chairs. She needed a moment to collect herself, those arrogant noblemen were so damn insufferable she could only keep her composure for so long!

“Leaving so soon?” a soothing voice proposed, taking a hold of her hand and leading her back to the dance floor. She turned an observing gaze to this man who now held her full attention; his blonde hair tied back into a short ponytail, and his bright blue eyes were radiated by the mask that covered most of his face. “Won’t you dance with me too, princess?”

She knew she was blushing, even if she couldn’t see his face clearly she could tell that this man was incredibly handsome, but shook her head. “I really shouldn’t, it’s been a long night and my father will be expecting me to-”

“I doubt you father will notice your absence for another few minutes,” the masked stranger cut her off. “I know your highness must be feeling tired right now, but I wanted to wait to approach you till I knew for sure there would be no one else waiting on you. Just one more dance, please.”

Those blue eyes of his, they looked as if were silently pleading for her to give into his selfish request. There was something about him that was just so inviting, and she couldn’t stop herself from thinking she wanted to get to know him more.

“I suppose you have been waiting a while then for this then,” she surmised as she placed one hand on his shoulder. He wrapped one hand around her waist and took her free hand in his own as slow music began to fill the air as an overwhelming sense of bliss began to wash over her.

“Longer then you could imagine…” he replied with what she could have sworn was a sense of yearning in his voice, the same yearning she felt for someone else. “But that doesn’t matter anymore.” He suddenly took a courageous step forward, causing Zelda’s breath to hitch in her throat.

As their mesmerized gazes fixed solely on each other, it felt as if nothing else existed in their world but the two of them. Their bodies pressed firmly together, moving to the sound of their own heart beats. As their dance continued a flush of warmth began spread throughout Zelda’s body, making her tremble in anticipation. Her knees buckled slightly, and sensing this, the man securely placed both his hands around her waist in an attempt to keep her from falling. He held her so tightly that Zelda couldn’t tell whether it was his heart thundering against her chest, or her own.

No longer feeling in control of her own actions, her arms came up and wrapped themselves around his neck, pulling his face down so that their foreheads were touching, their lips merely inches away from one another. She could feel he was just as stunned as she was at her bold move, his smile faded entirely as she noticed his eyes lowering, focusing solely on her lips. He couldn’t take it anymore, couldn’t stand to wait even just one more second. The sight of her after all this time was completely clouding his mind; banishing what little rational thought he had left.

Zelda had no idea what was happening when he suddenly dipped his head and she felt his warm lips against hers, but somehow it all felt so right to her. He lightly swept his tongue between her lips and Zelda sighed in bliss, her hands running through the locks of his thick blonde hair. This is what she always imagined her first kiss would be like; the comforting warmth that he emanated, the scent of pine needles and other earthly smells that fully penetrated her senses, and the way he held her with such tenderness as if he were afraid she would break at any second.

“Link…”

Even though her eyes were closed the entire time she could feel his whole body begin to stiffen the moment she whispered his name. “Dammit,” she inwardly cursed at herself as she quickly pulled away from him and turned her head to the side in an attempt to hide her shame. How could she have forgotten about him, was one little kiss all that it took to make her forget about the one person she loved more then anything else? She was so confused, and she raised her gaze to look at her dance partner, only to find he had already disappeared.

Zelda ran as fast as she could out towards the balcony, no longer being able to hold back the torrent of tears that had been building up inside her for so long. She raised her hand to her lips as feelings of guilt began to sweep through her as she realized she had broken her promise to Link…

A cool autumn breeze circled around the balcony as the mysterious masked man leaned against a pillar, his head looking up at the clear night sky as he began to ponder over his previous actions just a few moments ago. He knew he should have revealed himself to her first, knew he should have admitted his feelings to her before anything else, but after six years apart he just couldn’t deny his desire’s any longer. Still, he knew he hurt her by keeping his secret from her, something he was determined to make up for as soon as he saw her. And as luck would have it as soon as he was about to go look for her she appeared just as suddenly, quickly darting right past him towards the edge of the balcony with both of her hands covering her face trying desperately cover her loud sobs. He waited to give her a few minutes to calm down before speaking up.

“Have you been looking for me?”

Zelda turned almost hesitantly, her blue ball gown sparkled and glittered against the moonlight. Despite how red and puffy her eyes were and the clearly visible tear tracks staining her cheeks, she still looked just as beautiful to him as the day he thought he lost her when she sent him back in time.

“It’s been six years,” she admitted in a broken whisper.

It pained him to see her like this, knowing he was the cause of all her heartache. He wanted nothing more then to hold her and tell her that everything would be okay now they were together again, reaching one hand out to her, but she took a step back.

“P-please don’t…” she begged him, refusing to look at him directly because she knew she wanted to kiss him again.

“Is it because of this Link you mentioned earlier?” He asked letting his curiosity getting the better of him.

“Mmhmm,” She gave a small nod of her head before she reluctantly continued with her explanation.

“He was, I-I mean is my best friend. We spent most of our days together as kids…he would often slip past my guards just so he could sneak me outside the castle. I wasn’t permitted to travel outside of Castle Town without a chaperone and because of that I didn’t get to see much of Hyrule growing up. But the things Link was able to show me, it was absolutely ineradicable!”

He could Zelda’s face begin to brighten up more and more as she recounted the story of her childhood. He couldn’t help but smile along with her, it warmed his heart to hear her talk about the time she spent together him with such fondness.

“We visited so many different places together. The mountains, the lake, the forest…I felt like I was truly seeing Hyrule for the first time. I can’t even remember a time when I was happier…"

For a moment, Zelda remained silent as she struggled to describe her most painful memory of them.

"But after a while, he told me there was something important he had to do, and that he would be gone for quite some time. But we made a promise to each other…that we would see each other again.”

By now he could see that Zelda’s composure had been steadily deteriorating, her brows knitted together in a frown and her lips pursed together in a tight, grim line.

“But now I’ve broken that promise, now what if he never comes back and it’s all because of me?!?!” She couldn’t help but blurt out her feelings to him. All at once Zelda had never felt so small and weak in her entire life.

“That isn’t true, Your Highness. You haven’t broken your promise, Zelda. You should trust him and his word. Who knows…he might be closer then you think,” giving her a small smirk as he edged closer to her, bringing both hands up to wipe away the remaining tears that had covered her face. He could see her eyes widened in shock at his statement.

“It can’t be…”

He hadn’t even realized he had been holding in his breath as her hand came up to his mask and her fingers slid under the side of it.

“Don’t hate me,” he begged as she stared back at him.

“No…” she shook her head, murmuring softly. “I could never do that.” He brought his head down, sealing his lips with hers as she removed his mask.

“I love you, Zelda,” he murmured into her ear as he pulled away. Zelda couldn’t help but grin at his admission, her eyes still closed as she took a step back so that he was facing her. When she finally opened her eyes, she gasped in shock at the person who stood before her. Her heart missed a beat or two as she just looked.

“I’m back, Zelda…” Link blushed a bit as he saw her eyes light up in an instant, and he couldn’t help but grin back at her from ear to ear.

Zelda nodded back in reply. She couldn’t help it as she started to cry again, only this time it was because she was overfilled with an utter sense of joy she hadn’t felt in a long time. “Welcome home, Link.”

#zelink week #zelinkweek #zelda fanfiction #ocarina of time #the legend of zelda #hylia's fics

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