#and then I found mineru by accident | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

candy8448 · 1 year ago

Text

Sage themes worst to best (imo)

I LOVED the sage music, it sounds so good!! None of them are bad, i really liked them all, its just that i prefer some over the others

Looking back on these, im quite impressed by my analysis, i wrote this on the spot with nothing planned in mind and it turned out so well, huh

(Spoilers, if you haven't gotten the fith sage yet)

5: Tulin

IM SORRY, i love Tulin too, he is adorable, and his theme reflects that, sounding flighty and fresh and young and hopeful, those are the first impression i got when i first watched the cutscene. Tulin was my first sage and while listening to the music in that cutscene (after just finishing the colgera fight with an AMAZING track) i knew that the other sages were going to also have sick themes. His theme is just not the style i like, it's the only one (maybe including sidon) that i wouldn't actively chose to listen to. Its still good tho.

4: Sidon

I... dont really care about sidon, i like his personality, i just prefer riju and tulin over him and never really cared about what he got up to (mipha was also my least favorite champion, so maybe i just dont care about the fish people?)

Anyway, Sidon was the only "new champion" in BotW who had a full theme that wasn't just 20 seconds long, so of course they would use it instead of creating something new for the others (which in breath of the wild, was just a cut bit from the champion themes) it is a really good reprise for sidon's theme (i did love his theme in botw), it just doesnt do it for me like the others do. Like sidon's character, it stays the same, iit doesnt bring that much new to the table. Its good, so it sticks with it.

Tied second: Riju and Mineru

I love them both, they sound so good fir very different reasons, i cannot pick a favorite between them

Riju

Riju is my favorite sage, and i like how her theme carries a lot of Urbosa's them with it, like how Riju is, the music carries on Urbosa's legacy, and it just feels like confidence, pride, finally found what she was looking for in herself to be a leader. Also i just love how it sounds, it sounds... kinda heavy? I dont know how to explain it, its just good.

Mineru

Unlike the others, her theme isnt bombastic and hopeful with newfound strength, it sounds sadder, but calmer. It slowly builds up but still stays lower. It does sound like how she stayed asleep for milenia, coming back but not with all herself, having to stay as a construct. She is the one who saw how the sages got defeated in the imprisoning war, and the music reflects that. It kind of sounds like an unsure hope? Like she doesn't know if it will work out but she is willing to put everything on the table to help link

After over 110 hours of the game, playing since day one, i only just got to this part of the game yesterday (spent a LOT of time exploring and doing sidequests) and imediatwlly noticed how drawn back this theme is, learning about the war right after this cutscene was a lot, it was a great scene, and the music fits so well

1: Yunobo

Didn't like him in botw, still dont know if i care about him (i still accidently call him Daruk cuz i forget his name), but his character is a lot better and BOY is this music good!

I loved it the moment i heard it so much that i just had to post the cutscene with the kusic to youtube. His dungeon was my absolute favorite and the music in the dungeon itself was also so good.

His theme starts all clumsy, like the character we knew in botw, but still takes into account his development from that game. Then we get to the GOOD stuff! just has the OOMPH and OUGH and its so bombastic, it sounds strong like the gorons and it sounds freeing, it sounds good, he knows his mistakes from the begining of when we find him in this game, he is confident, stong. Unlike Daruk's theme which started strong then went softer, slower, full if regret, Yunobo's starts clumsy, softer, then builds up into this new character he has made for himself, free of his regrets of what he has done and redeamed. Out of all tge new champions and sages, Yunobo is the one who went through the most development between the two games and his music definetly reflects that.

Also i just loved it from first listen, without thinking about all this that i wrote just now, its judt the best sounding overall, honestly i might like this character more now just because of this

#i do a little ramble #the legend of zelda #loz #totk #tears of the kingdom #loz totk #riju #mineru #tulin #yunobo #sidon #totk sages #seven sages #music #music analysis #analysis #character analysis

12 notes · View notes

transskywardsword · 1 year ago

Text

Spider Meet Fly/Fly Meet Spider Chpt 4: Mineru's Counsel

a totk au where link and zelda switch places, focusing on fixing plot holes found in the memories and giving ganondorf actual characterization

read all of spider/fly on ao3

Mineru walked with purpose but kept her strides short enough to allow Link to keep up. Link had always been short—even among most Hylians he was tiny. Still, it was hard not to feel minuscule beside Mineru with her towering height and high-stretching ears. She looked down at him and smiled softly. It looked strange on her face; Link had a feeling this woman did not smile often.

Rauru’s meeting with the Gerudo leaders still hung heavy on Link’s mind as they walked. Link didn’t have all the information, that much was clearly true, but Link knew how proud the Gerudo could be, and how strictly they kept to their traditions. Surely Rauru knew the same—so why not bow? Was it considered wrong in Zonai culture to lower your head to another? Zelda always bowed to Riju when they met, three counts bent at the waist while her hands rested open on her heart, and Riju always returned the action, a sign of mutual respect for each other’s rule.

Why hadn’t Rauru bowed? Why hadn’t any of them bowed? Were the women so dangerous that they were not deserving of the respect of the station they carried? They’d bore the colors Gerudo royalty; perhaps the colors' meaning had changed over the past Goddesses knew how many years and the women weren’t as important as Link had believed.

That seemed most likely. Rauru, Sonia—these were good people, and hopefully, good politicians. They wouldn’t disrespect a neighboring tribe for no good reason. The women simply must not have been as highly ranked as Link thought. Still…

Link nearly bumped into Mineru as she came to a stop.

“We’ve arrived,” Mineru said. Her voice carried an otherworldly lit to it, like whispering through a perfectly silent room. The room she had led them to had been down multiple spiral staircases, the natural light that lit up the castle now long gone, replaced with dimly glowing lamps that resembled brightbloom flowers. Mineru stood before a stone door with no handle or hinge; she placed a delicate hand on the secret stone at her throat, and the door shimmered, turning a lilac purple before becoming transparent.

“Go on.”

Link moved through the door. There was a tingling feeling that rippled down his spine, and then he was out and into the other room. It was elegant, all delicately carved stone and dragon motifs, bathed in pale light from the lamps along the walls. Constructs milled about the long, curved tables filled with all sorts of tech Link had never seen, each piece somehow both organic and geometric. Mineru strode in, sitting gracefully in a tall, backed chair in the center of the organized chaos.

“It is a pleasure to finally be able to speak face to face, Link.” She said. Her secret stone glittered brilliantly, even in the low light. “As you may know, my name is Mineru. I am Rauru’s elder sister, and my brother has told me a great deal about you. I’m sure he’ll be joining us shortly. Until then—I’ve heard you’ve had a rather unfortunate accident.”

She gestured to Link’s stump, and Link undid the clasps on the shawl with much less difficulty this time, presenting what was left of the arm to her. Mineru leaned forward in her seat. “How did such an injury occur?”

Link hesitated, grip tight on his tablet. It was one thing to tell Sonia and Rauru about the mummy, but Mineru had done nothing to earn the trust the other two were beginning to hold. Mineru smiled her strange, unfamiliar smile again.

“Do not worry. I know most—I simply wish to hear the story from your own lips… own writing. Forgive me.”

“In my era…” Link began. He tapped the stylus against his teeth. How much to say? How far back? The mummy? The gloom? Sealing the Calamity? The Champions? The story was so massive, was so tightly wound together that he wasn’t sure which details to leave in and which to remove.

“In my era, there was a creature called the Great Calamity. The final reincarnation of a great evil that had shed its human form and given in to pure malice. Ten thousand years ago, the Sheikah—”

Mineru held up a hand, and Link ceased his writing. “The Sheikah? The Sheikah are a myth, a story left behind by the Hylian legend of the Hero of the Sky.”

Link shook his head. “No, they’re very real. They built massive technological creations and had an entire civilization before being stamped out by time. Their ancestors still live to this day.”

Mineru clasped her hands under her chin. “To my knowledge… the Sheikah were the first servants of Hylia, one of their own guiding Her throughout her journey up to the ultimate destruction of Demise. They are no more real or fake than the Gods themselves.”

“Do you not believe in the Goddesses?”

Mineru straightened. “I believe what I can see, and as the Gods have yet to reveal themselves to me, I hold no opinion of them.”

Link tried not to bristle. The Gods—the Gods had been with him his entire adventure. The guardian dragons, the Goddess statues-- Hylia Herself had spoken to him! Hell, his best friend was Hylia reborn, and she had wielded the full glory of the Triforce right in front of him! Fi was created by the Chosen Hero, and she speaks to him!

Spoke to him, past tense. Because the mummy had destroyed her, and stolen his best friend. And now Link was here, alone, with a husk of a sword and a secret stone.

“The Goddesses are real.” He wrote carefully. “I can prove it.”

“Oh?”

Link drew his sword, carefully holding it out to her. Her fingers brushed over the blade with careful, calculating movements.

“It looks like it was once a beautiful sword.” She said, taking it carefully.

Link nodded. “This is the Master Sword. The Sword that Seals the Darkness, created by Hylia’s Chosen Hero.”

Mineru’s face was perfectly calm, perfectly blank. “So you say. Do you have proof? It hardly looks like a holy blade.”

“What proof do you need?”

Mineru hmmed, turning the Master Sword over in her hands.

“The Chosen Hero was known for wielding a blade that could strike sacred power when the blade was offered skyward to the Gods. Show me such a power.”

Link swallowed. He and Zelda had been researching heroes long past over the past few years on and off, often using the stories as supplements in his education. Link felt it was important to know where he came from, where Zelda came from—Zelda didn’t care much for it after a lifetime of begging Gods for their attention, but she respected his wishes and helped the best she could. But it had been Link on his own without Zelda’s help that had utilized the knowledge of the First Chosen Hero to strengthen his connection with the Master Sword. She was a beautiful blade, and Link was proud of their progress. A week ago, a Skyward Strike would be child’s play.

Now? He wasn’t so sure.

Link took back the Master Sword.

Please, he sent through what of left of their mental link, just one, I just need one and then you can rest.

The sword weakly chimed, and warmth flooded Link’s heart. They could do this. He planted his feet, raised up the sword, and closed his eyes.

Hylia, the Goddess of Light, Protector of Hyrule. Farore, Mother of Courage, Creator of Life—grant me your Power.

Fi grew warm in his hand, then blindingly hot. The lights in the room flickered, then went dark, before being lit as bright as the sun by shinning blue splendor as holy lightning crashed through the ceiling and lit up the Master Sword. It glowed with impossible splendor, before shaking wildly in his hand, static electricity running down his arm. The heat was too much—what was Fi doing? The power grew, grew, suddenly destabilizing as an explosion of light rattled the room, sending Link flying back into a table.

Ears ringing and seeing spots, he slowly stood to face Mineru, whose face was flushed and eyes wide. Her hand was clutched around her secret stone, the other hand lit purple to create a shield of light around her. She released the stone and the light flickered out.

“By the Gods…” Came a soft voice from the door, and Link turned, Master Sword back in hand. It felt strange in his right hand, uncomfortably so. In the doorway stood Rauru, eyes wide as dinner plates.

“What was that.” Mineru breathed, and Link jutted his chin out after sheathing his sword.

“T-H-E M-A-S-T-E-R S-W-O-R-D” He signed.

Rauru stepped forwards, reaching reverently towards Link. “May I?”

Link hesitated. The sword was his, and not to be passed around any more than it already had been. But then, Rauru had shown him nothing but kindness, and Link doubted the Zonai could hurt the sword any worse than it already was. He passed it over, hilt first, and Rauru raised it up to his eye level.

“The Hylians have a legend: the creation of their people, the land we stand on, and the obliteration of Divine Evil—”

“C-H-O-S-E-N H-E-R-O” Link signed, and Rauru nodded.

“Yes. I take it you are familiar with the tale?”

Link could perfectly hear Zelda in his head, rattling off facts as she told him the story of Din, Nayru, and Farore, of how the Golden Goddesses gifted the world to Hylia, how Her people were sent skyward to escape utter destruction. How the Goddess gave up Her divinity to be reborn so that She and a Chosen Hero might one-day seal Demise, the Demon King. How together, the Hero and Zelda defeated the Demon King and created the Hylian race. Link had always assumed that also meant establishing Hyrule, but it seemed now that that wasn’t the case. So what was the timeline of events here? Why were the Zonai so forgotten but the tale of Hylia so revered back in Link’s time?

Zelda really would be loving all this. Link, on the other hand, was just getting a headache. Rauru looked at him expectantly and Link nodded.

“In that legend, it speaks of a scared blade that can abolish evil and seal the darkness. I may not be as well versed in the legends as Sonia, but that blade—is it…?”

Link nodded. What else was there to say?

“Then for your mummy to break it so severely… it seems this is worse than we thought.”

“May I see your sword again?” Mineru asked, extending a hand. Carefully, Link nodded, and Rauru passed the hilt to his sister.

“Fascinating… Now that I know where to look, I can sense dormant power… light power, like your stone. It is flickering, fleeting, but there. It feels old, yet somehow impossibly new. Living, almost. You—you are definitely not from this era.”

Link straightened as tall as he could. “So, you really believe my story? That I am from the future?”

“Yes. Any doubt I had as been long forgotten—you are not where you belong. And you are more than a mere protector of your Zelda, as you told Rauru, aren’t you, Hero?”

Link raised his chin. “I am what I am.”

Mineru observed him silently, eyes bright with something Link couldn’t identify. “Then is it a pleasure to meet you, Link the Hero.”

“Mineru,” Rauru said, placing his crawled hands on Link’s shoulders. “There are more pressing matters than Link’s alignment. Do you know of a way you could help return him to his time?”

Mineru stood, moved to a worktable, and beckoned them over. “I suspect it was the power of your secret stone that allowed you to travel through time. Light magic is unpredictable and often acts with a mind of its own. It takes great patience to master. Sit.”

Link glanced at Rauru, who nodded, and then sat on the bench. “Now, have we decided on a prosthetic?”

Link looked down at his bare chest and his stump. It looked so unbalanced, so raw. He couldn’t wield Fi as well right-handed. He couldn’t keep writing his words forever. It was now or never. He bobbed his fist up and down in a clear ‘yes’. Mineru smiled that strange smile of hers.

“Wonderful. I’ll begin taking some measurements.” She held out her hand and a construct glided over, handing her materials, and with surprising speed, she went to work.

“To put it simply, secret stones amplify the power their owner already possesses. I am able to separate my spirit from my body. Rauru can repel or destroy evil with his power of light. And Sonia, she can control time.”

She moved her hands away from his arm, making notations in a notebook a construct provided, before reaching forward with a piece of thin wire and bending it around the edge of his stump. She pulled it back and began making calculations.

“As for you, I can sense both light and time power—though one is clearly more dominating than the other. The light power overflows in you, like a midday sun piercing through black night. The time magic mimics your movements; you must be quiet the fighter with time on your side in such a way. Your secret stone is clearly amplifying your light. I would recommend working with my brother to see if you could strengthen your control. Ultimately, your secret stone simply amplifies your power. It doesn’t suddenly grant you mastery and control—it cannot be harnessed without knowledge already present.”

Mineru looked up, eyes soft. “I’m sorry. If you don’t already know how to get yourself home…”

Then he was stuck. He was stuck and the mummy was free to run rampant, and Zelda was… Zelda was.. Zelda…

Mineru pursed her lips, sitting back and placing down the tool she had been holding up to his arm. Her sketch had grown immensely in the short amount of time she’d been speaking, and Link squinted down, trying to make sense of her vaguely arm-shaped design.

“There is one way you might reach the past, though it is far from easy—or time efficient,” Rauru said softly, and Mineru whipped her head around.

“It is forbidden.” Mineru hissed, and Rauru raised his hands in surrender.

“I’m simply listing all potential options,” Rauru said softly, and Mineru sighed. Link raised an eyebrow.

“There are… stories about the secret stone and a forbidden act called dragonification.” She said. She looked directly at Link for what he realized might be the first time. Her eyes were hard, and—and her third eye was open.

“To swallow a secret stone is to become an immortal dragon,” she said, voice vibrating throughout the air, “blessed with eternal life.”

Link leaned forward, eyes wide. That—that would take eons, but it would be something. At this point, he would take anything, anything at all. For Zelda, he’d do it in a heartbeat.

“Link, you must understand, there are still more to these stories. To become a dragon is to lose oneself completely. That is why it is forbidden. If you had to sacrifice your heart, your mind, everything that makes you… it’s not worth it. It is never worth it.”

She leaned back. “I have what I need. The arm will be ready by morning. Till then, sleep well, Link the Hero.” She stood.

“Leave. Please. I need to speak to my brother.”

Link blinked.

“N-O-W?” He signed, and Mineru nodded.

“I’ll see you in the morning. Please.”

Rauru placed his hands on Link’s shoulders and helped him up.

“My sister is a … particular person.” He said softly in Link’s ear. “We should go. I’ll check on you before the evening bell tolls. Till then, sleep well.”

Link spluttered, but he was already being shoved to the door.

“Sleep well, Hero. Sleep well.”

Then, with a glow of purple, the door shut behind him and he was alone.

Link huffed. Well fuck her too, he guessed. He began his hike up the spiral staircase, grumbling all the way. Thoughts of secret stones danced around behind his eyes. He knew about sacred stones, most notably the Triforce, but never secret ones. So the ability to use the stone was just what, inside him? Like the power of friendship or some shit? Link groaned and slid down against the stone wall, burying his hand in his hair. Link wondered if the growing dread in his stomach was how Zelda had felt for the first 17 years of her life, being forced to unlock a power that had been inside her the whole time.

Gods, he missed her. Link felt his eyes grow embarrassingly wet at the thought of her. He was 22 goddamn years old—he was not going to cry. He wasn’t. He wasn’t.

“I won’t.” He whispered, and his throat burned. The first words in almost over a week. Had it really been so long since he’d spoken with Zelda?

What if he never made it back? What if he died here in the past, and Hyrule crumbled without him even being able to see its destruction? Would Zelda hold it against him? Would she be bitter, be angry that he never found his way home? No, no, Zelda would never do that.

Dragonification…

Link would be lying if he said the thought didn’t intrigue him. He knew Hyrule had a long, rich history of dragons, from Faron, Eldin, and Lanayru of the era of Hylia’s creation to the guardians of the holy Goddess Springs now in modern Hyrule. Link considered the guardian dragons to be almost friends, having spent so much of his adventure waiting for them to fly overhead that he might fly up on their updrafts and groom them. It was Naydra that he first groomed; after freeing her from malice she took a liking to him, letting him ride upon her back, and he noticed the almost hangnail-like growths on her back and along her scales, the absurd length of her claws, the unruly nature of her horns. He took to chipping away old growths, filing down claws, and chiseling out cleaner edges of her horns while she dozed in the sky, and then from there it was easy to do the same to Dinraal, and then Farosh. The dragons treated him with respect, so he returned it. What would it be like to be one of them? What would it be like to soar, so far above everything, unbothered by the world of man?

What would it be like to lose yourself?

Link couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up. He knew exactly what that felt like. He had already lost himself and was only just beginning to get himself back. The past five years had done little to help his memory, and while everyone said they were okay with that, Link knew that many of them, especially the older Zora, were lying. He knew just what it was like to wake up a blank slate, with no one and nothing to your name.

He would not recommend it.

“Link?” A soft voice called. “Is that you down there?”

Link looked up; there, backlit by the light at the top of the stairs, was Sonia.

“I’m sorry to disturb you; I’m looking for my husband.”

“Downstairs.”

“Oh, I see. I—Link, have you been crying?”

Link turned his face away, cheeks glowing bright red. Sonia reached for him.

“No, no, don’t be embarrassed. What’s wrong?”

“Zelda.” He wrote, not bothering with more words, and Sonia nodded.

“I cannot imagine being without Ra for so long,” She said, “I cannot imagine your pain, but I can be with you through it. Here, come back to my room. Tell me all about your friend. I am more than excited to listen.”

Link took her offered hand and let her help him to his feet.

“Her name is Zelda.” Link said softly, and Sonia, much to her credit, hid her surprise well. Now that the words were out, Link felt like the dam of his teeth had exploded, a need for words pushing at his lips, screaming, demanding— Sonia over her shoulder back to him as they climbed.

“I didn’t know you could speak,” she said softly.

“Sometimes.” Link said, voice even softer than hers. Anxiety crawled up his throat, fighting with the screaming need for speech and trying to force the words down. But it felt good to loosen his tongue, and Link fought to keep it that way.

“Oh,” Sonai said, before smiling brightly. “Well, I’m pleased to hear your voice. Now… your Zelda.”

Link managed to smile.

“She’s a princess.”

“So you’ve said.”

“She carries the power of Hylia inside her.”

Sonia froze. “The power of Hylia?”

Link nodded.

“Like the Goddess?”

A nod. Sonia’s hand drifted to her belly.

“Well, I’ll be…” Sonia lowered her voice. “Can you keep a secret?”

Link nodded, leaning closer, taking comfort in Sonia’s mischievous smile. “If I have a little girl, I want to name her Zelda. Ra, bless him, still struggles with Hyrulian customs. Our love of Hylia… he respects the Goddess, truly does, but his people have always been revered as gods, not the ones doing the revering. But I’m going to name her Zelda, after the Goddess.”

“In my time,” Link all but whispered, “that name is reserved for the firstborn princess of the royal family. It is considered good luck.”

Sonia’s smile turned sad. “In times like these, we need all the luck we can get—oh! Link, place your hand here!”

Sonia grabbed his wrist and pressed his palm against her belly. There was a fluttering feeling, and Link’s eyes went wide.

“She kicked!” Sonia said, and her grin was infectious.

“You’re so sure they’re a girl?”

“Positive. A mother’s intuition.”

Link rubbed a thumb across Sonia’s swollen middle.

“Then I look forward to meeting her soon.” He said softly, before letting Sonia lead him the rest of the way up.

#loz fanfic #loz au #totk fanfic #totk au #spider/fly #my writing

2 notes · View notes